Chris flies into Malmö this evening, which is very exciting. Out of all my friends I've probably known him the longest (at least 10 years), and, while we don't see each other all that often anymore, when we get together it feels like we just pick up where we left off.

I'm trying to get as much work done before he arrives as possible...

A simple question (part 2)
One thing that I know is that we all unexpectantly crave authenticity. We're so accustomed to the glossy sales pitch which, on closer inspection, is full of holes. We know marketing strategies, we know consumerism and we know that we can't trust people. But, if we're brave enough to admit it, we hope that authenticity exists and that if we look hard enough we might find it.

Then those of us who endeavour to follow Jesus look around and notice that people expect us to be judgemental, closed minded, hypocritical, out of touch. Sure, those same people, when looking at Jesus would say they see an authenticity and a hope that they wish were true, but those who claim to represent him don't echo the stories of that wonderful man.

We gather, we pray, we worship. We worry about being misunderstood. We worry about judging and try to figure out how not to do it. Our groups, whether we like it or not, need leading. The leaders need leading. We say we want to put character before gifting, that we don't choose someone just because they are good at something, but because their first goal is following Jesus and they are steadily ordering their lives around his.

Deep down we trust that we can be different, we can be authentic and we can follow Jesus. Our communities are open, they say "come as you are," just as Jesus did. We long that our lives would begin to resemble that of Christ and hope that our faith is something beyond the cerebral.

But how do we juggle the tension that exists between desiring an authentic spirituality and knowing that along the way we will fall short of our own aspirations? How do we model this authentic spirituality to those around us? How do we handle our responsibility as leaders of leaders to appoint people whose lives reflect Jesus but with an awareness that even we fall short?

How do we shape an ethics that is non-judgemental, but which affirms the possibility of change and expects it?

Nice...
(via tremble)

A simple question (part 1)
I've been pondering a fairly interesting question that, I think, really deserves some focus of theological energies. It involves the tension that exists between being a people 'in the world, but not of it,' along with concepts like inclusivity and exclusivity.

I'm part of a community of faith. We are a people who have decided that we want to follow Jesus. We are a people for whom the call to be apprentices comes before all the other things that pull on our lives. At least that's the target we've got our sights on. In choosing to follow Jesus I choose to no longer follow myself.

We have all been raised by a culture which screams individualism. A culture whose only true God is ones self. My only framework for life involves following myself. My worldview is that of seeing me as the centre of the cosmos. The world does revolve around me. I can form a set of beliefs which are most convenient to me. I can have a McDonald's (or Subway) brand of spirituality, where I take what I like and leave behind what I don't. God is only real if he affirms the infantile urges that I've been trained to succumb to.

Then I'm invited into a way of life which is all about community. A way of life which states that the best leaders are the best servants. I'm struck by how different this is, how much love is on offer and how my imagination is captured by this life beyond my own. But I've been taught that it's only hypocrites who claim to follow higher values. Humans cannot change, cannot be anything other than selfish, not deep down...

Sorry, no life-enhancing ponderings to post yet, but I've been listening to some music that takes me back something like 8 years - Pantera - such great music. I really wish this hadn't happened.

How tall is Christopher?

I received a challenge from a good friend of mine earlier in relation to this blog:

x says: (3:07:09 pm)
in your blog 1 or 2 years ago, you were regularly posting your thoughts and ponderings over the theology that struck you both from your reading and from your everyday life.

x says: (3:07:34 pm)
We haven't been seeing a lot of that lately ??

Jonathan Morgan says: (3:08:07 pm)
true

x says: (3:08:15 pm)
As a former Starbucks barista, you know about making a cappuccino...it does need some substantial espresso underneath the chocolate and froth!

Jonathan Morgan says:?(3:09:27 pm)
I think I've become much more self conscious about what I publish though

x says:?(3:10:45 pm)
i like reading your swedish cultural thoughts but i even more like your pointers on the kingdom of God.

I think I might just take x's advice.

...and they lay in pieces on the kitchen floor.
Right now it seems I'm learning not simply how to kill my darlings, but how to completely annihilate them. It's painful but I'm sure it's good for the soul. Visit my new design for lookscankill.

Hopefully that's sorted out the colour issue...

I'm reading Lullaby, another interesting Chuck Palahniuk book. I like the way he uses layers of repeating themes in his story telling. He uses this repetition to slowly unpack the narrative while always knowing that he can return the reader to an earlier concept using just a few well constructed words. Next up is 31 Songs by Nick Hornby...

Tomorrow we're off to the Red Rooms to hear some of Niklas' songs, which should be fun.

I think my post from yesterday may have given the wrong impression. In the absence of something more concrete to write about I decided to indulge a passing thought I had when looking out of the window. I wasn't actually feeling all that melancholic...

Today the sun is back and has joined forces with last night's rain to clear much of the snow from roads and footpaths. In writing about the weather this much I'm making no progress in dismissing stereotypes about Brits.

Well here's a new skin and this time I'm experimenting with a larger typeface...I'm not sure if it makes this particular font (Geneva) more readable - let me know what you think. It seems to look consistent in most browsers, inc. Internet Explorer for Windows, though IE for Mac, as usual, is a real disappointment...
Update: Zoe tells me the colour of the banner appears brown, rather than crimson, on the PC - is this the case?

It's another Monday morning and from the window of our apartment I watch the snow fall in thick, fluffy clouds. People make their way to work with great attention to their every step. In the summer you can stroll, look around, take in the sights. When it's snowing your every step bears potential for a slip, a wet foot, general discomfort. The snow brings with it the curse of gloomy introversion.

So we're finally online in the apartment, which means the library is no longer my second place. Today I discovered a third place, called Element, in walking distance of home. Christopher took me to a flea market, which was an interesting experience... not sure I'll be going back there in a hurry.