[Subversive Underground]
A NEW AGENDA
by Keith Giles
I spent last week in the mountains of Arkansas with my wife's family. It was a wonderful time to decompress from the regular weekly grind of life and breathe in the crisp, clean air. We took long hikes to remote waterfalls and explored ancient native american caves. We took time to play games, talk, eat, relax in the jacuzzi and sleep late.
During this time I had an opportunity to finish reading a great book called "Walk On" by Steve Stockman. It's an inside look at the spiritual journey of U2's Bono and The Edge which reveals a pervasive and tenacious faith in Jesus.
I had started out this vacation week making a list of ambitious schemes for 2008. These included, of course, the upcoming NON-CON in March, with Jackie Pullinger and David Ruis, but I also compiled a long menu of dream projects for the next year.
Here's a bit of what was on my list:
*A Poverty in the OC art show with my friend Scott Laumann.
*Start the "Manifesto" gatherings - Quarterly, local dialog sessions on Kingdom issues.
*Host monthly Orange County House Church Leader gatherings in my home.
*Film a series of YouTube videos on [Subversive Underground] topics for viral marketing project.
*Coffee House acoustic concert with my friend Jacob Wright.
*Publish the first issue of "0.0 magazine" with Scott Laumann.
*Launch the first "Wormhole" scavenger hunt with accompanying website culminating in a private discussion group on Kingdom/Subversive topics.
*Host quarterly "Subversive Seminary" sessions- Day long seminars taught by myself and other Mission House Church leaders on Kingdom topics.
*Self-Publish five new books starting with "The Power of Weakness" and "Top 10 Things Every Christian Should Know" in first quarter of '08.
*Help my friend Heather Wright put together her first solo art show.
That was a formidable list of things to do in the next 12 months. I began to get tired just looking it over. How would I really find the time to do all of this, I wondered?
But, as I continued to read the book my list started to shift in priority. Reading about how Bono had postponed their most recent album for over a year in favor of visiting national leaders in order to relieve debt to African nations and to combat poverty made me question my project list for '08. I started asking what on this list I needed to do and what I just wanted to do.
I was challenged to stop asking God to bless my plans and instead to just look at what God is already doing and to start doing that because it's already blessed.
What is it that God is already doing? What is on God's heart? What are the things I can do that will actually advance the Kingdom? What can I do to have a lasting impact on the lives of people? What can I do to help the poor? What can I do to live out the values of the Kingdom as Jesus describes in his Sermon on the Mount?
WHAT REMAINS
So, I know that God does want me to do the NON-CON in March. He's made that clear to me by not allowing me to cancel it when I felt it wasn't worth the headache. So, the NON-CON can stay.
I also know that one of the main callings on my life is to write. This [Subversive Underground] is part of my weekly ministry and these articles have been a discipline for me personally. I've also received a lot of positive feedback from many of you about them, and many of these end up as articles at http://www.theooze.com/ and other places online where people are challenged to think and to act out their faith. My books are also part of my calling to write, so those will remain.
Other than that, there are a few things I need to add to this list. I need to make it an ongoing, daily priority to love and pastor the families and individuals who are part of "The Mission" house church every week. These people have continually inspired me to follow Jesus and I am learning alongside these amazing people how to live out the calling of our Lord Jesus to "Love one another". These are incredible men and women of God who love me and help me to understand how to love and serve others as Jesus did. Whatever it takes for me to fan into flame what God has sparked among us, I will do it. I must do it.
Essentially I need to major on serving the poor, loving others and daily dying to myself in order to follow Jesus into the Kingdom way of life.
With a new perspective I was able to look at my original list and see it for what it really was. It almost seemed to create an invisible arrow that pointed to me and said, "Look at how cool I am! Look at all the cool things I'm doing for God!" and if I've learned anything in the last few years it's that God's idea of greatness and my idea of greatness are extreme polar opposites.
Jesus said that the greatest among us would be the servant of all. My list didn't include much serving of others and that needed to change.
"He has shown you oh man what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."- Micah 6:8
There are a few items on that original list that I will still most likely end up doing this new year, but the difference is that I will now try to keep my eyes on the needs of actual people around me. I will make decisions about what I do based on whether or not it's what God has really called me to do or what helps real people in need of God's Grace and Mercy.
I want to align my life with seeing what the Father is already doing and I want to throw myself headlong into loving the unlovely, serving the poor and touching the hearts of people in need.
Today I have officially abandoned all hope of ever being a Christian Celebrity. Instead I want to please my Heavenly Father by following in His footsteps and finishing the work that Jesus started here when He first announced the Kingdom of God had come to us.
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." - Luke 4: 18-19
As Jim Wallis once said, "Jesus came to announce the Gospel and he said it was good news to the poor. If our message isn't good news to the poor it may be a lot of things, but it's not the Gospel that Jesus preached."
Last weekend our house church partnered with another local church to provide Christmas gifts for over sixty children living in a local poverty motel. We had an opportunity to share the love of Jesus with many people and remind them that God sees them and knows them and loves them. That didn't make the local news, and most of those people don't know our names, or even the name of our church, but what matters is that the Kingdom is advanced and the message we bring is good news to the poor.
I can't wait to see where God leads us in the new year ahead.
"Conversatio Morem!"
-kg
**
NON-CON '08
Only 68 seats remain for this one-day conversation with Jackie Pullinger, David Ruis, myself and you!
Registration is only $40 and includes 3 shared meals.
Find out more and register online here:
http://www.non-con.com/
**
FEEDACK:You can email me here: "ELYSIANSKY" (at) "HOTMAIL" (dot) "COM"
*remove the quotes and stuff and you can shoot me an email.
I love to receive feedback. Let me know what's on your mind.
**
HAVE YOU DOWNLOADED MY BOOKS YET?
If not, what are you waiting for?
Both of my books are now available as free PDF downloads for the rest of the year!
More info at my main site here: http://www.keithgiles.com/
About my books:
"The Gospel: For Here Or To Go?" - The Gospel is not for sale. Learn how to relate to human beings as a human being without all the memorized speeches and pretentious nonsense commonly associated with evangelism. Instead, learn how to be who you are in the place you already live, work and play. The Gospel is not just for "those sinners" anymore, it's for you and me too. (Note: We are just as sinful as anyone else).
"Nobody Follows Jesus (So Why Should You?)"- A devotional book for the MySpace Generation. This collection of 40 articles (over 200 pages) is a perfect guide for learning how to follow Jesus in your every day life without pretending to be the holiest person in the room.
**
BIBLE STUDY GUIDES BASED ON MY ARTICLES
Just stumbled upon this online. Kind of cool.
http://www.doorofhope.org.au/content.php?folder_id=18&page=1
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
by Keith Giles
Several years ago a friend and I drafted a top-secret plan to communicate the Gospel of the Kingdom via subversive channels.
First we were putting together a twenty page magazine made up largely of graphic images which challenged the status quo in our churches, our community and our personal lives. Very few words would be included and our hope was to intrigue everyone who read it enough to notice the cryptic web address in the margin of every page of our magazine.
If someone were observant they would be taken to a secret web address where again a minimalist message would be presented in the center of the page, all by itself. In the first month the website would include only a single three minute video clip of a homeless family living in a motel in our community. That was it. The next month the website would include a simple directive which would lead them to seek out a specific edition of a certain book ("The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" for example) and ask them to find a hidden message on one of the pages which would lead them to the next clue found in a specific section of town. These clues would slowly lead the person through what we would term "The Wormhole" and culminate in a private conversation at a local coffeehouse at a specific time and date where only those who had demonstrated the perserverance to chase down the clues would be admitted.
At the meeting we'd present information regarding poverty in our county and allow participants to interact with these statistics in personal ways using the arts, scripture and quiet meditation.
The next month we'd release another magazine and change the rules again, and the website functions as well, and continue the experiment by turning everything on it's head and this time lead the curious to join us in a day of service to the poor in our community.
Even though this was all planned out years ago, the dream of doing this has never died for me. In fact, just the other night I felt a strong compulsion to revisit those ideas and even to share them here with you on the [Subversive Underground] list.
Maybe some of you on this email newsletter have the means to start your own "Wormhole" experiment in your town? Maybe this idea will inspire some of you to do something totally different, yet no less subversive in your own community to break outside the norms and begin a dialog of Kingdom issues with anyone who has a hunger to listen.
I have always been fascinated by the thought that the Messiah was a storyteller. I love the way that Jesus taught people about the Kingdom by telling stories which seemed simple on the surface, yet to anyone who was hungry for the bread of heaven it was like opening the warm oven of possibility and wonder.
A few years ago, largely out of this original "Wormhole" conversation, I started something called "The Parabolic Journal" experiment. You can see the results of that at www.parabolicjournal.com.
The idea was to launch these blank journals as conversations about life and death and evil and mortality and hope and the Kingdom. What began as one journal soon grew into an International version, a digital Journal, and more than five separate journals which scoured the nation from person to person as they shared their hopes, fears and dreams with everyone in the pages of the journals before mailing it off to the next person in line.
One of the most memorable entries was a woman who was dying of cancer. During chemotherapy she used the journal to chronicle her ordeal. She shared her memories of being a little girl and of being a mother herself. She thanked me via email for allowing her to express her pain in the journal.
A few months later she contacted me again and asked if I could send her another journal as she was having to undergo another round of chemotherapy as the cancer had returned. I sent her the journal and never heard from her again, until her daughter emailed me months later to apologize for not forwarding the journal onward. Her mother had died and she had found the journal in her mother's personal belongings. The daughter thanked me for helping her Mother endure her last days of suffering.
I did not know that woman, or her daughter. I have no idea if either of them were Believers or not. But I do know that I sent out each journal with a prayer that the Holy Spirit would speak to each person who received one and participated in the experiment.
As I look forward to next year I realize that there are hundreds of ideas like this one. Simple, out of the box, and if directed by the Holy Spirit, full of potential to touch hundreds of lives we may never know...but God does.
Perhaps this [Subversive Underground] could be a network of sorts, full of operatives like yourself who are inspired and empowered by God to creatively touch hundreds, or maybe just two or three, in the Name of Jesus next year.
If I can share an idea with you that inspires you to try something new, or if you are compelled by something I write here to go out into the World you walk through every day and carry the Kingdom in your smile, touch, or words, then I hope this encourages you to spend some time in prayer to God about what He would have you do next year to make a difference.
You are exactly the person God has chosen to be His ambassador in the place where you are right now. Only you can be who you are and have the impact you can have.
I hereby deputize all of you to go out into all the World and preach the Gospel. If necessary use words.
Peace (on Earth),
Keith
**
ONLY 80 SEATS LEFT FOR THE NON-CON '08
Register online and find out more here:
http://www.Non-Con.com
**
by Keith Giles
Several years ago a friend and I drafted a top-secret plan to communicate the Gospel of the Kingdom via subversive channels.
First we were putting together a twenty page magazine made up largely of graphic images which challenged the status quo in our churches, our community and our personal lives. Very few words would be included and our hope was to intrigue everyone who read it enough to notice the cryptic web address in the margin of every page of our magazine.
If someone were observant they would be taken to a secret web address where again a minimalist message would be presented in the center of the page, all by itself. In the first month the website would include only a single three minute video clip of a homeless family living in a motel in our community. That was it. The next month the website would include a simple directive which would lead them to seek out a specific edition of a certain book ("The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" for example) and ask them to find a hidden message on one of the pages which would lead them to the next clue found in a specific section of town. These clues would slowly lead the person through what we would term "The Wormhole" and culminate in a private conversation at a local coffeehouse at a specific time and date where only those who had demonstrated the perserverance to chase down the clues would be admitted.
At the meeting we'd present information regarding poverty in our county and allow participants to interact with these statistics in personal ways using the arts, scripture and quiet meditation.
The next month we'd release another magazine and change the rules again, and the website functions as well, and continue the experiment by turning everything on it's head and this time lead the curious to join us in a day of service to the poor in our community.
Even though this was all planned out years ago, the dream of doing this has never died for me. In fact, just the other night I felt a strong compulsion to revisit those ideas and even to share them here with you on the [Subversive Underground] list.
Maybe some of you on this email newsletter have the means to start your own "Wormhole" experiment in your town? Maybe this idea will inspire some of you to do something totally different, yet no less subversive in your own community to break outside the norms and begin a dialog of Kingdom issues with anyone who has a hunger to listen.
I have always been fascinated by the thought that the Messiah was a storyteller. I love the way that Jesus taught people about the Kingdom by telling stories which seemed simple on the surface, yet to anyone who was hungry for the bread of heaven it was like opening the warm oven of possibility and wonder.
A few years ago, largely out of this original "Wormhole" conversation, I started something called "The Parabolic Journal" experiment. You can see the results of that at www.parabolicjournal.com.
The idea was to launch these blank journals as conversations about life and death and evil and mortality and hope and the Kingdom. What began as one journal soon grew into an International version, a digital Journal, and more than five separate journals which scoured the nation from person to person as they shared their hopes, fears and dreams with everyone in the pages of the journals before mailing it off to the next person in line.
One of the most memorable entries was a woman who was dying of cancer. During chemotherapy she used the journal to chronicle her ordeal. She shared her memories of being a little girl and of being a mother herself. She thanked me via email for allowing her to express her pain in the journal.
A few months later she contacted me again and asked if I could send her another journal as she was having to undergo another round of chemotherapy as the cancer had returned. I sent her the journal and never heard from her again, until her daughter emailed me months later to apologize for not forwarding the journal onward. Her mother had died and she had found the journal in her mother's personal belongings. The daughter thanked me for helping her Mother endure her last days of suffering.
I did not know that woman, or her daughter. I have no idea if either of them were Believers or not. But I do know that I sent out each journal with a prayer that the Holy Spirit would speak to each person who received one and participated in the experiment.
As I look forward to next year I realize that there are hundreds of ideas like this one. Simple, out of the box, and if directed by the Holy Spirit, full of potential to touch hundreds of lives we may never know...but God does.
Perhaps this [Subversive Underground] could be a network of sorts, full of operatives like yourself who are inspired and empowered by God to creatively touch hundreds, or maybe just two or three, in the Name of Jesus next year.
If I can share an idea with you that inspires you to try something new, or if you are compelled by something I write here to go out into the World you walk through every day and carry the Kingdom in your smile, touch, or words, then I hope this encourages you to spend some time in prayer to God about what He would have you do next year to make a difference.
You are exactly the person God has chosen to be His ambassador in the place where you are right now. Only you can be who you are and have the impact you can have.
I hereby deputize all of you to go out into all the World and preach the Gospel. If necessary use words.
Peace (on Earth),
Keith
**
ONLY 80 SEATS LEFT FOR THE NON-CON '08
Register online and find out more here:
http://www.Non-Con.com
**
Thursday, December 13, 2007
You Who Are Evil
You Who Are Evil
by Keith Giles
"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" - Jesus (Luke 11:13)
This verse fascinates me. In it, Jesus is standing before a group of people who are listening to him speak about the Kingdom of God. As he instructs them on the mechanics of prayer he makes an amazing, off the cuff remark about the assumption of evil in the hearts of those standing in front of him.
What I like about this passage is that Jesus not only teaches us about how God loves us like children and loves to give good gifts to us when we ask Him, but also that God is not surprised by our sin. He knows we are evil. It's not a surprise to Him, and it's not a barrier to His gift of the Holy Spirit.
The United States Marine Corps used to have a great recruiting slogan: "We're looking for a few good men." But God is not looking for a few good men because He already knows there aren't any.
Yet God still gives. He doesn't withold good things from people because of their evil. If He did, none of us would have anything.
"There is none who is righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:11)
Jesus even uses the continual goodness of God as a basis for our calling for radical compassion and love towards others. He says that, because God brings rain on the just as well as the unjust, we also should show love to those who "deserve it" and those who don't. (Of course, Jesus would point out that none of us "deserves it").
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
Because God is good to everyone, even the unrighteous, this is your basis for doing good to everyone, even those "sinners", because God does it...and because you're one of "those sinners" too.
I also love how Jesus ends this passage; "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." - Jesus (Matthew 5:43-48)
We are called to an impossible standard of love that transcends the everday, ordinary version of what passes for love today. We are called to model the extravagant love of God to people who have not yet experienced this sort of "off the charts" love. Since we have experienced this kind of love, we are the one's expected to put it into practice and give it away to others.
"Freely you have received, freely give." - Jesus (Matthew 10:8)
Yesterday as I was driving home in traffic I reflected over some of the events of this year I and I realized what Jesus says here is true. We are evil. None of us is "Good".
More than once this year I have been confronted with the shocking truth of man's capacity for evil. I've received calls from friends whose marriages are falling apart due to infidelity. I've heard details of fellow pastors who have been caught in sexual sin. I've counseled people who are determined to hold on to their sin, even as they admit to me that they know they are hurting themselves or others with their behavior. I've watched in sorrow as people I love have willingly returned to patterns of bondage to sin in order to get a temporary high or traded away the riches of God's blessings to them for an empty illusion and emotional heartache.
I realize that any one of us is capable, in the right situation, of any sort of evil or destructive selfish behavior. None of us is immune. Not you. Not me. Not your Mom or your Dad or your Pastor or your best friend.
"For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God" (Romans 3:23)
There is, however, a diamond I've found buried in this dark, cold ground and it is this: God's Grace towards me is only "Amazing" in relation to the darkness and evil within my own heart.
So, if I believe that I am basically an OK person, then God's love and Grace towards me is "Kinda Cool". But if I realize that I am sinful, selfish and evil beyond description and that my capacity for destructive behavior is unlimited, then the concept of God's love and Grace towards someone like me becomes truly "Amazing" in comparison.
If I am not evil, then God's Grace isn't amazing, it's just nice.
But, I AM evil. You are too. And God's Grace is truly, gloriously, hilariously "Amazing".
"While we were yet sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
So now, my evil friends, as you consider what it means to give good gifts this Holiday season, I'd encourage you to give as God gives; to the poor, to the broken, to the lost and the forgotten, to the just and the unjust, and to those who do not deserve mercy.
Happy Holidays.
-kg
**
HAVE YOU DOWNLOADED MY BOOKS YET?
If not, what are you waiting for? Both of my books are now available as free PDF downloads for the rest of the year!
More info at my main site here: http://www.keithgiles.com/
About my books:
"The Gospel: For Here Or To Go?" - The Gospel is not for sale. Learn how to relate to human beings as a human being without all the memorized speeches and pretentious nonsense commonly associated with evangelism. Instead, learn how to be who you are in the place you already live, work and play. The Gospel is not just for "those sinners" anymore, it's for you and me too. (Note: We are just as sinful as anyone else).
"Nobody Follows Jesus (So Why Should You?)"- A devotional book for the MySpace Generation. This collection of 40 articles (over 200 pages) is a perfect guide for learning how to follow Jesus in your every day life without pretending to be the holiest person in the room.
**
NON-CON REGISTRATION NOW ONLINE
Saturday, March 15th, 2008
"More of a conversation than a conference"
With Jackie Pullinger, David Ruis, Cindy Reithmeier, John Thomas, Keith Giles, Spencer Burke
*ONLY 75 SEATS REMAINING! DON'T MISS THIS ONE-OF-A-KIND GATHERING.
More info and online registration at:
http://www.non-con.com/
**
THIS SUNDAY: SEND GAP CLOTHES BACK!
Dec.16th. The Gap Protest adds 3 major cities as hundreds of protestors will return their Gap, Inc. clothes (including Old Navy and Bannana Republic) to speak out against the retail giant's use of children as slaves to create their clothing.
Gap Protest Locations:Costa Mesa, San Francisco, Miami and New York
Find out more at:http://www.sendgapclothesback.com/
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
by Keith Giles
"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" - Jesus (Luke 11:13)
This verse fascinates me. In it, Jesus is standing before a group of people who are listening to him speak about the Kingdom of God. As he instructs them on the mechanics of prayer he makes an amazing, off the cuff remark about the assumption of evil in the hearts of those standing in front of him.
What I like about this passage is that Jesus not only teaches us about how God loves us like children and loves to give good gifts to us when we ask Him, but also that God is not surprised by our sin. He knows we are evil. It's not a surprise to Him, and it's not a barrier to His gift of the Holy Spirit.
The United States Marine Corps used to have a great recruiting slogan: "We're looking for a few good men." But God is not looking for a few good men because He already knows there aren't any.
Yet God still gives. He doesn't withold good things from people because of their evil. If He did, none of us would have anything.
"There is none who is righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:11)
Jesus even uses the continual goodness of God as a basis for our calling for radical compassion and love towards others. He says that, because God brings rain on the just as well as the unjust, we also should show love to those who "deserve it" and those who don't. (Of course, Jesus would point out that none of us "deserves it").
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
Because God is good to everyone, even the unrighteous, this is your basis for doing good to everyone, even those "sinners", because God does it...and because you're one of "those sinners" too.
I also love how Jesus ends this passage; "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." - Jesus (Matthew 5:43-48)
We are called to an impossible standard of love that transcends the everday, ordinary version of what passes for love today. We are called to model the extravagant love of God to people who have not yet experienced this sort of "off the charts" love. Since we have experienced this kind of love, we are the one's expected to put it into practice and give it away to others.
"Freely you have received, freely give." - Jesus (Matthew 10:8)
Yesterday as I was driving home in traffic I reflected over some of the events of this year I and I realized what Jesus says here is true. We are evil. None of us is "Good".
More than once this year I have been confronted with the shocking truth of man's capacity for evil. I've received calls from friends whose marriages are falling apart due to infidelity. I've heard details of fellow pastors who have been caught in sexual sin. I've counseled people who are determined to hold on to their sin, even as they admit to me that they know they are hurting themselves or others with their behavior. I've watched in sorrow as people I love have willingly returned to patterns of bondage to sin in order to get a temporary high or traded away the riches of God's blessings to them for an empty illusion and emotional heartache.
I realize that any one of us is capable, in the right situation, of any sort of evil or destructive selfish behavior. None of us is immune. Not you. Not me. Not your Mom or your Dad or your Pastor or your best friend.
"For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God" (Romans 3:23)
There is, however, a diamond I've found buried in this dark, cold ground and it is this: God's Grace towards me is only "Amazing" in relation to the darkness and evil within my own heart.
So, if I believe that I am basically an OK person, then God's love and Grace towards me is "Kinda Cool". But if I realize that I am sinful, selfish and evil beyond description and that my capacity for destructive behavior is unlimited, then the concept of God's love and Grace towards someone like me becomes truly "Amazing" in comparison.
If I am not evil, then God's Grace isn't amazing, it's just nice.
But, I AM evil. You are too. And God's Grace is truly, gloriously, hilariously "Amazing".
"While we were yet sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
So now, my evil friends, as you consider what it means to give good gifts this Holiday season, I'd encourage you to give as God gives; to the poor, to the broken, to the lost and the forgotten, to the just and the unjust, and to those who do not deserve mercy.
Happy Holidays.
-kg
**
HAVE YOU DOWNLOADED MY BOOKS YET?
If not, what are you waiting for? Both of my books are now available as free PDF downloads for the rest of the year!
More info at my main site here: http://www.keithgiles.com/
About my books:
"The Gospel: For Here Or To Go?" - The Gospel is not for sale. Learn how to relate to human beings as a human being without all the memorized speeches and pretentious nonsense commonly associated with evangelism. Instead, learn how to be who you are in the place you already live, work and play. The Gospel is not just for "those sinners" anymore, it's for you and me too. (Note: We are just as sinful as anyone else).
"Nobody Follows Jesus (So Why Should You?)"- A devotional book for the MySpace Generation. This collection of 40 articles (over 200 pages) is a perfect guide for learning how to follow Jesus in your every day life without pretending to be the holiest person in the room.
**
NON-CON REGISTRATION NOW ONLINE
Saturday, March 15th, 2008
"More of a conversation than a conference"
With Jackie Pullinger, David Ruis, Cindy Reithmeier, John Thomas, Keith Giles, Spencer Burke
*ONLY 75 SEATS REMAINING! DON'T MISS THIS ONE-OF-A-KIND GATHERING.
More info and online registration at:
http://www.non-con.com/
**
THIS SUNDAY: SEND GAP CLOTHES BACK!
Dec.16th. The Gap Protest adds 3 major cities as hundreds of protestors will return their Gap, Inc. clothes (including Old Navy and Bannana Republic) to speak out against the retail giant's use of children as slaves to create their clothing.
Gap Protest Locations:Costa Mesa, San Francisco, Miami and New York
Find out more at:http://www.sendgapclothesback.com/
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Who Wants To Change The World?
[SUBVERSIVE UNDERGROUND]
"Who Wants To Change The World?"
by Keith Giles
A few years ago a good friend of mine and I were meeting regularly to work out strategy for having an impact on the culture around us. Our plan involved a series of guerilla marketing concepts ranging from an elaborate scavenger hunt called the "Wormhole", a cryptic website that would rotate content between video clips, challenging text, and thought-provoking graphics, and even a magazine that we would print and distribute covertly at area record shops and coffee shops to stimulate people to think about Kingdom-related issues. It was all great fun and some of those ideas influenced me to start this very e-newsletter.
But a funny thing happened to me as my friend and I plotted our subversive campaign to impact the culture- God kicked me in the teeth.
It wasn't a literal kick in the teeth, of course. God is much too subtle for that most of the time. Instead, as I was praying one night the Holy Spirit whispered this little nugget into my head- "If you want to change the culture, have an impact on a child."
Apparently God enjoys subversive campaigns too.
The sentence was simple, but the idea was more radical and pervasive than anything my friend and I had yet to devise or implement. The more I thought about this statement I realized that it was true. If we want to change the culture for Christ, we have to start with the next generation. The only way to change the future is to develop young people today to have a clear understanding of what the Gospel of the Kingdom is and teach them how to live it out in their everyday lives.
My oldest son turned twelve years old this week. It has caused me to stop and remember that sentence whispered in my ear by the Holy Spirit three years ago. It has made me realize that my son will be a teenager in just twelve more months. Have I done all I can to prepare him for the future? Have I made sure that my son understands the Gospel? Does he know how to live it out in his actual life?
I spend a lot of time and creative energy writing these articles for the [Subversive Underground]. I map out months in advance sometimes what I will write about here. On top of that I've recently published two books and I have another book project (or two) in the works at the moment. I've also got the "Non-Con" coming up in March that I need to plan for and, of course, two house churches that meet in my home full of people I am called to Pastor, lead, encourage and inspire.
I realized this week that my sons are more important to me than all of that combined. Nothing is more important to me than making sure that my sons Dylan and David have a clear understanding of The Gospel of the Kingdom. I want to be certain to teach them how to obey the teachings of Jesus. I want to make sure they understand how to handle temptation. I want to be careful to show them how to submit themselves to God and how to trust Him with everything. I want to give them the very best I could possibly give.
As much as I know I'm called to this ministry of writing and teaching others about the Kingdom and helping people understand what it means to follow Jesus every day, I'm called first of all to make sure that my own sons know this and live it out.
If you want to change the world for Christ, if you want to make a lasting impact on the culture, if you want to influence the future generations, be sure to focus your time, energy and passion on helping a child to know what the Gospel really is. Help them to understand what it means to follow Jesus with their every day life. Teach them to love others. Model compassion. Give to them what you have been given. Then, my friends, you will change this world.
That, believe it or not, is subversive.
Peace,
Keith
**
SEND GAP CLOTHES BACK-
Dec.16th Protest adds 3 major cities.
Hundreds of protestors will return their Gap, Inc. clothes (including Old Navy and Bannana Republic) on Dec.16th to speak out against the retail giant's use of children as slaves to create their clothing.
Gap Protest Locations:Costa Mesa, San Francisco, Miami and New York
Find out more at:http://www.sendgapclothesback.com
Read the complete Press Release:http://www.keithgiles.com
**
NON-CON REGISTRATION NOW ONLINE
Saturday, March 15th, 2008
"More of a conversation than a conference"
-Jackie Pullinger, David Ruis, Cindy Reithmeier, John Thomas, Keith Giles
More info and online registration at:http://www.Non-Con.com
**DOWNLOAD MY BOOKS FREE OF CHARGE
"The Gospel: For Here Or To Go?" - The Gospel is not for sale. Learn how to relate to human beings as a human being without all the memorized speeches and pretentious nonsense commonly associated with evangelism. Instead, learn how to be who you are in the place you already live, work and play. The Gospel is not just for "those sinners" anymore, it's for you and me too. (Note: We are just as sinful as anyone else).
"Nobody Follows Jesus (So Why Should You?)"- A devotional book for the MySpace Generation. This collection of 40 articles (over 200 pages) is a perfect guide for learning how to follow Jesus in your every day life without pretending to be the holiest person in the room.
More info at my main site here:
http://www.keithgiles.com/
**[END TRANSMISSION]
"Who Wants To Change The World?"
by Keith Giles
A few years ago a good friend of mine and I were meeting regularly to work out strategy for having an impact on the culture around us. Our plan involved a series of guerilla marketing concepts ranging from an elaborate scavenger hunt called the "Wormhole", a cryptic website that would rotate content between video clips, challenging text, and thought-provoking graphics, and even a magazine that we would print and distribute covertly at area record shops and coffee shops to stimulate people to think about Kingdom-related issues. It was all great fun and some of those ideas influenced me to start this very e-newsletter.
But a funny thing happened to me as my friend and I plotted our subversive campaign to impact the culture- God kicked me in the teeth.
It wasn't a literal kick in the teeth, of course. God is much too subtle for that most of the time. Instead, as I was praying one night the Holy Spirit whispered this little nugget into my head- "If you want to change the culture, have an impact on a child."
Apparently God enjoys subversive campaigns too.
The sentence was simple, but the idea was more radical and pervasive than anything my friend and I had yet to devise or implement. The more I thought about this statement I realized that it was true. If we want to change the culture for Christ, we have to start with the next generation. The only way to change the future is to develop young people today to have a clear understanding of what the Gospel of the Kingdom is and teach them how to live it out in their everyday lives.
My oldest son turned twelve years old this week. It has caused me to stop and remember that sentence whispered in my ear by the Holy Spirit three years ago. It has made me realize that my son will be a teenager in just twelve more months. Have I done all I can to prepare him for the future? Have I made sure that my son understands the Gospel? Does he know how to live it out in his actual life?
I spend a lot of time and creative energy writing these articles for the [Subversive Underground]. I map out months in advance sometimes what I will write about here. On top of that I've recently published two books and I have another book project (or two) in the works at the moment. I've also got the "Non-Con" coming up in March that I need to plan for and, of course, two house churches that meet in my home full of people I am called to Pastor, lead, encourage and inspire.
I realized this week that my sons are more important to me than all of that combined. Nothing is more important to me than making sure that my sons Dylan and David have a clear understanding of The Gospel of the Kingdom. I want to be certain to teach them how to obey the teachings of Jesus. I want to make sure they understand how to handle temptation. I want to be careful to show them how to submit themselves to God and how to trust Him with everything. I want to give them the very best I could possibly give.
As much as I know I'm called to this ministry of writing and teaching others about the Kingdom and helping people understand what it means to follow Jesus every day, I'm called first of all to make sure that my own sons know this and live it out.
If you want to change the world for Christ, if you want to make a lasting impact on the culture, if you want to influence the future generations, be sure to focus your time, energy and passion on helping a child to know what the Gospel really is. Help them to understand what it means to follow Jesus with their every day life. Teach them to love others. Model compassion. Give to them what you have been given. Then, my friends, you will change this world.
That, believe it or not, is subversive.
Peace,
Keith
**
SEND GAP CLOTHES BACK-
Dec.16th Protest adds 3 major cities.
Hundreds of protestors will return their Gap, Inc. clothes (including Old Navy and Bannana Republic) on Dec.16th to speak out against the retail giant's use of children as slaves to create their clothing.
Gap Protest Locations:Costa Mesa, San Francisco, Miami and New York
Find out more at:http://www.sendgapclothesback.com
Read the complete Press Release:http://www.keithgiles.com
**
NON-CON REGISTRATION NOW ONLINE
Saturday, March 15th, 2008
"More of a conversation than a conference"
-Jackie Pullinger, David Ruis, Cindy Reithmeier, John Thomas, Keith Giles
More info and online registration at:http://www.Non-Con.com
**DOWNLOAD MY BOOKS FREE OF CHARGE
"The Gospel: For Here Or To Go?" - The Gospel is not for sale. Learn how to relate to human beings as a human being without all the memorized speeches and pretentious nonsense commonly associated with evangelism. Instead, learn how to be who you are in the place you already live, work and play. The Gospel is not just for "those sinners" anymore, it's for you and me too. (Note: We are just as sinful as anyone else).
"Nobody Follows Jesus (So Why Should You?)"- A devotional book for the MySpace Generation. This collection of 40 articles (over 200 pages) is a perfect guide for learning how to follow Jesus in your every day life without pretending to be the holiest person in the room.
More info at my main site here:
http://www.keithgiles.com/
**[END TRANSMISSION]
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