Idols and some sightseeing...

Eish - we can't believe the 1st week is over! On the one hand it feels like a month with regards to all we are learning, but on the other hand it feels unthinkable that there is only three and a half weeks left!

Yesterday (Friday) we had another good session - this time on Idols. The depth and extent of personal and corporate spiritual renewal depends on our ability to identify and deal with our Idols, both personally but also the Idols of the people we want to reach! If we however think of Idols only as  physical wooden or stone images, we are mistaken. Idols can be anything (even good things and mostly they are) that becomes ultimate things. We need to identify/name our idols, dismantle them through confession and repentance that seeks identity and fulfillment only in Christ! And we need to do this in community, with fellow Christians who knows us well.

We finished our working day by thinking through Theological Vision, a new concept, but important! We're thinking your theological vision is like a magnifying glass. It takes your Gospel Theology and focus it on your specific context in such a way that the ministry practices is relevant to that context! Lot's to think about in this area!   

Today (Saturday) we had the opportunity to meet with Christina Stanton, the Coordinator, Short-Term Missions at Redeemer. She is also a NY city tour guide (http://www.nyctours.org/). We arrived at her apartment building near the World Trade Center and she and her husband treated us to some delicious eats on the roof of the building. (The same building where one of Google's directors live!) She showed us a few landmarks from the roof, and share some stories of 9/11 - they lived close to the Twin Towers at that stage. We started our walking tour by going to Wall Street. We visited the Trinity Church, walked past the place where the Twin Towers stood and then walked all the way to China Town. After China Town we went to Little Italy and she treated us to a wonderful lunch at a restaurant called Puglia (www.pugliaofnyc.com).

Wall Street.

Trinity Church.

Christina's apartment building and highest residential building in NY.

China Town.

Walking tour.

Little Italy.

Lunch at Puglia.

Then we took the subway to Chelsea Market - also a wonderful experience! After that we walked along the High line (a public park built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side). To end off the day, we had a drink at a beer garden close to the High line.

Chelsea Market.

The High Line.

Having a drink at the end of the day!

What a fun day!

Tomorrow we plan on going to Redeemer Westside for the morning worship and then a new church plant service the evening...