         
|
|
Advances
Moving Forward Not Backward
Read the Gospel of Mark. In many ways the gospel is organized according to the "advances" Jesus took. Count the number of times Mark says "And Jesus came apart."
Now look deeper into where Jesus "came apart":" the mountains, the desert, and the water. Three different bons vaux, sacred spaced, landscapes of the sacred. The three natural places which have the power to help restore us to physical, mental and spiritual harmony. Your soul needs three sacred spaces. Which one depends on the state your soul is in.
In creating SpiritVenture Ministries, Len, Elizabeth and their partners are building a decentralized model of "advancing" (a mountain advance, an island/water advance, and a desert advance).
The Mountain Advance is in Canaan Valley, West Virginia.
The Water Advance is on Orcas Island, Washington.
The Desert Advance is TBD (to be determined).
At each one of the "advances," you will not find a motel-like (centralized buildings with square-box accommodations linked by long narrow corridors and wide parking-lots) spaces. Instead SpiritVenture Ministries is bringing back the old-fashioned, decentralized get-away-cottages you used to see all along US America's blue highways -- except each one of these cottages is more "English cottage" in size, luxury-class in appointments, and future-fitted with what you need for a healthy mind, body and soul. See www.northshore4kiss.com for more details.
*The cost of each Advance includes all registration fees and six meals for the two days. Each Advance begins with breakfast on the first morning, and concludes with supper and after-dinner conversation on the second evening. You are responsible for your own housing, although we are available to help you find lodging and make recommendations.
FRANK VIOLA is a frequent conference speaker and author of numerous books on the deeper Christian life and radical church restoration. His books include the best-selling From Eternity to Here along with Pagan Christianity, coauthored with George Barna, Reimagining Church, Finding Organic Church, and The Untold Story of the New Testament Church. Frank’s Web site, www.FrankViola.com, contains many free resources, including audio messages, an interactive blog, a monthly eNewsletter, articles, and more.
God is conceived in many ways (e.g. engineer, lion, computer, etc) but seldom as an artist who loves creating and delights in the divine creations. In this advance I have asked two of my favorite artists, one a writer (Mary DeMuth) and the other a photographer (Michael Belk), to join us in a conversation on theology and the arts, and specifically to reflect on Robert Shaw’s prophesy that in the past the church had saved the arts, and that in the future the arts may save the church.
Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr. is the founding and Senior Pastor of NorthWood Church near Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX. NorthWood’s congregation of active participants now averages in excess of 2000. NorthWood has started over 130 churches in the US and is a center for training new pastors. He is a leading practitioner and writer on glocal transformation of individuals, religious communities, non-governmental organizations, cities and global engagement. He has worked extensively in Vietnam, Afghanistan, West Bank and Gaza, Indonesia, Syria, Belize and other countries. He is the author of several books including Transformation; Glocalization; The Multiplying Church and the most recently released Real Time Connection: Linking Your Job with God’s Global Work.
