Retrospect- 2010

Well here we are in 2011. The last couple weeks of the year have been a bit a roller coaster therefore actually sitting down and writing this blog is accomplishing a huge feat.
I would like to take out the time to do some examination of the year of 2010. Sitting down and reading the recap of 2009 and my notes from January 2010, is inspiring and am will continually urge others to begin to detail these things.
Looking over my new years resolutions of last year was fun and it helped a bit to put all that was done and accomplished in 2010 into a good perspective (be on the look out for the 2011 resolution blog, I will be posting).

January
The year started out with me having a radical zeal to pursue the kingdom of God (much to the credit of what the Lord is doing in and through Shane Claiborne). I studied the writing, The Early Christians in Their Own Words collected and organized by Eberhardt Arnold. I would reccoment this writing because of the rich history you can learn of the early church and be encouraged, inspired, and challenged by our history as the body of Christ.
“The early Christians challenge us to see discipleship as a path away from “self” toward a wholly transformed social order”.
I learned of the fellow saint Polycarp, who was martyr-ed for his faith and spoke about his statement of “Christianus Sum” (I am a Christian) at the Faith to Faith conference later in the month.
A very pivotal part of my new year was developing a friendship and guidance from pastor Alan Bondar from Messiah Reformed Church (http://www.messiahreformed.com) who through discernment and knowledge of Him led me to embrace Reformed Full Preterism.
* A very strong point that happened even from the beginning of 2010 was the friendships I developed and working toward goals and stronger mission statement for Freaked-Out Fellowship.
January was also the month that I explored Catholicism in tune with my resolutions for Jan-March. I had learned how to pray the full rosary, went rosary prayer group, studied parts of the catechism and so forth (for more info, consider reading the blog post: http://newsfromthetribe.blogspot.com/2010/02/avatars-catholics-and-rosary.html

February began with the quest into Orthodox Christian and praying the khomboskini, and this was a time in honest retrospect that I felt distached from a lively bunch of Christians. I had read the book, The Way: What Every Christian Should Know about the Orthodox Church, and was not exactly in agreement. (Although, I am learning that there are many aspects of Orthodox Christianity that the body of Christ does need to get back to- even to the extent of the Orthodox Christian Bible commentaries).
Freaked-Out Fellowship stopped hosting the Monday night rallies, which was humbling me for to realize that sometimes you need to try and stop if it does not seem to be the proper method. Also, in February I began to attend Messiah Reformed Church and dig deeper into fulfilled eschatology.
Looking back at notes, I realize that my year started out so strongly with the ACTing Out ACTS concept of living and being the radical Christians that we read about in the early church. The persecuted, the hated, the nonconformists, etc...we so desperately need that energy!

March began with reading Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and Chris Shaw, yet another book that has played an important part in developing my passion for Christ. Also, besides turning 26 on March 3rd, I traveled as a practicing monastic to the New Monasticism conference at Reba Place Fellowship. This was an awesome experience and helped me begin to develop my thoughts more concerning fellowship and new monasticism, also considering an interesting bus ride from Fort Myers, Florida to Evanston, Illinois, dressed like a Franciscan monk. :)

April was a month of study. I recall reading through the Bible in 30 days which was a powerful experience, reminds me of the quote from J.I. Packer, “Any Christian worth his salt ought to read the Bible from cover-to-cover every year”. Also, a detailed study through the prophets in an effort to fully understand the concept of the Prophetic Imagination was a powerful, exciting journey as well. Did you know Isaiah ran around Egypt butt-naked? ha ha ha
Also, in April I became an official Starbucks barista!! whoohoo! Iced Venti 11 pump Vanilla Upside-down Caramel Macchiato (somewhat the kingdom of God in a cup).
May to June, I placed alot of emphasis on studies of both Full Preterism and the Missional Church. Reading through various books such as The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch, Reading the Bible through New Covenant Eyes by Alan Bondar, ReJesus by Alan Hirsch, etc began to really push me into a certain direction- a pret-issional Jesus Freak direction!
“...return to a more pre-Constantinian understanding and experience of church” (Robert Webber)

As we ventured into August it seems as though my life began to take an odd turn. Noticeably things in my life began to take a toll and I lost my focus. It all goes back to that Matthew 6:33 statement, GO READ IT!!!
A valuable lesson I am learning even after a recent study and discussion through the book of Ecclesiastes is that there is a time for everything, and this is something I know I need to learn. prioritizing is important. Looking back, i was doing so much at once, even going against the stream of knowing that my life was having issues, and I experienced a sense of burnout.

September was suppose to be the launch of Freaked-Out Fellowship’s new ideas, but even at that point there were things in life that I should have taken a step back and worked toward a bit of a sabbath. The encouragement of these times was when I did focus on God I was granted bits a pieces of wisdom into His kingdom (the true Kingdom as explained in Romans 14:11). Consistency and persistence is a blessed part of my character that God has given me, and even in the times of trial I always seek to be inspired and burdened by God, which at this time in September 2010 I turned to reading yet again, The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne.
In October I began to get ready for my trip to Israel/ Palestine and tried to remain open minded to my trip and explaining my simple reasons to “know the faces” of those struggling in the Middle East.

Now, November and December where a bit of ups and downs, the true to life realities. In November I was preparing for my trip and it was a struggle, I had alot of crisis’ going on in my personal life (especially in regards to my and Gabriella’s relationship). I ended up going on the trip, even though life almost seemed against me before I left, and upon my return all the stock I had placed in the trip was revealed. The “mission trip effect” happened to my life in more than one way, and that would be a blog or discussion in and of itself. (I WILL WARN YOU THAT OUR GOD IS A FAITHFUL AND SOVEREIGN GOD WHO WILL MAKE HIS WILL HAPPEN IN THE WORLD, WHETHER YOU ASK OR NOT, BUT IF YOU ASK, BE WILLING TO RECOGNIZE YOU ASKED!).

Upon my return from Israel/ Palestine in late November/ early December I have found my world a bit upside-down. Talk about returning from a foreign land to foreign circumstances, that would be the best way to explain it. As I was still processing what I had seen in order to “Know the Faces” in the Middle East, I was also welcomed with beginning to process what was going on in my personal life.
December, probably the most impactful month of the year has seemingly offered a bit of every emotion on the chart. Sadness boy Joy, Loss but Opportunity, Confusion yet Focus. It is in the valley times that we listen and learn the most and that is what I have done with December. Studious might not even describe it well, but you can imagine that much learning and wisdom will be revealed in future blogs. Much more of what December has offered will be revealed in my next upcoming blog concerning 2011.
Let’s wave goodbye to 2010, and welcome in 2011..I wish I could be more parabolic like Jesus or poetic like my friend Q, who wrote her letter/ poem to 2010. With that said, let’s look to be inspired and burdened in 2011.

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. (Proverbs 25:2)”.

As a follower of Jesus, by Truth and Spirit,
Michael Miano