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A podcast actually worth a listen:
NASA – Steve Robinson: First Podcaster From Space. Assuming you listened to the first podcast from space, let it sink in for a moment.
God I love this planet, the other planets our species will occupy, and the time in which we live.
A list worth reading:
A list of the names of several of the “early” Mystic has been brought to my attention. For security reasons, the list of those who became part of The Mystic in 2005 cannot be released before the end of the year. [If you’re not familiar with the search for The Mystic read the archived articles at alexmcmanus.org.]
This list is all the more remarkable in light of a Barna Group article called Rapid Increase in Alternative Forms of The Church Are Changing the Religious Landscape. According to Barna, not only will the “local church” lose half of it’s market share by 2025, alternate forms of the Christ following movement to which Christ followers will commit are emerging
The Barna article points to ancient [house church and market place ministries] forms to suggest potential new expressions of the future church. In contrast [or perhaps in complement], The Mystic, I understand, is a present-day, future-shaping movement that in the end will both prove and move beyond Barna’s research. Unlike house churches and market place ministries, The Mystic would become, I am told, a native-application to the 21st century of the Christ following movement in a way not expressed by any one of these two forms in and of themselves. Barna also points to a contemporary form as a suggestion of what the future church might look like. Unlike cyber churches, however, The Mystic would fully embody their physicality and use the internet to catalyze human f2f community.
And now, to have in my possession a list of some of the “early” Mystic is like a miracle. Well, as I look at the list, what can I say? Only that the Mystic are not who you may think. In fact, they may be closer to you than you suspect.
What do you think?
into the mystic…
Alex McManus
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