SIMON PHIPPS

Recently I was listening to the Speaker Rob Bell . He mentioned the concept that God, in some sense left the creation of the world unfinished, and that through our acts of creation we are continuing the creation of the world. Regardless of the truth of this idea, I think that each of us has an innate need to be involved in the creative process. That each of us has a desire to create things that have a level of permanence. Whether this be art, or music, dance, or courses, clothing, or crafts, marketing campaigns, or food. Hannah Arendt the political theorist in her book 'the human condition' divides human activity into 3 categories: labor, work, and action . Labor being our biological processes, our respiratory system, things that are used and consumed , things that have no permanence . Work being those things that we do that extend beyond our selves. They have a beginning and end , and have a permanence in our world, i.e. things that we create . ...

As a teenager I would attend conferences. At these conferences the speakers would tell us that we would grow up to do incredible things. To become great entrepreneurs, to lead big churches, to have large ministries.  They told us that we would change the world . In many ways I don't think that this was particular to churches, but was an extension of western thought in general. As I and others have grown up, I have discussed and witnessed a great sense of underwhelming ; that none of us have achieved these great things that were spoken over us. We were taught to expect greatness , rather than live with the ordinary . The other day i heard Pete Rollins talk about this very issues. He spoke about the idea that we should try to achieve our dreams and goals , even if only for the express purpose of realising that our dreams will not make us any happie r or more content . It is not that having dreams or goals in and of itself is inherently wrong, inde...