in september i read a poem by michael mitton inspired by the celtic saint kevin. well it turned out that it really caught ric stott’s attention as an approach to pioneering mission. he has blogged about kevin’s hand – and this is a painting of his. what i think is interesting about it is that the stereotype of pioneering is often thought of as an activist or at least someone who is making things happen through doing stuff. st kevin offers a different model of pioneering through stillness and patience.

it reminded me of the book by elaine heath – the mystic way of evangelism which fuses insights from the contemplative life with mission. i meant to review it but never got round to it. but here’s a quote i jotted down…

Christian mysticism is about the holy transformation of the mystic by God, so that the mystic becomes instrumental in the transformation of God’s people. This transformation always results in missional action in the world. The idea that mysticism is private and removed from the rugged world of ministry is simply false. All the Old Testament prophets were mystics. Their visions, dreams and other experiences of God were for the express purpose of calling God’s people back to their missional vocation.

there’s an interview with elaine here