Chazown

Book Review: Chazown http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifby Craig Groeschel

Craig Groeschel does a great job at outlining the processes that help us to realize the vision for our lives. God has placed within each human heart a desire to seek out and find our purpose in this world.

One thing that I really appreciate about Craig in this book is that he outlines his own journey, along with some of his mistakes or failures on the way to finding and fulfilling his purpose and calling in this life.

By combining understanding the core values that each one of us have come to live our lives by and identifying the spiritual gifts that God has given us he helps to lead us on a journey of discovery of our personal vision. Without a vision, the people perish, the scriptures say and so it is in our own personal lives. We can list aimlessly without purpose and vision in our personal lives as well.

Craig also takes us into the practical of how do you live out your vision day to day. He outlines five areas that we have to become disciplined in if our vision is going to be effective and fulfilled: our relationship with God, our relationships with other people, our finances, our health and our work. I really appreciated this approach because I believe our faith is supposed to be lived out in our daily life, this is what it truly means to be a disciple. We must take what we believe, and apply it to our lives and the choices we make each and every day.

This is a good book for pastors to offer to those within their church who have leadership potential as well as those who are already leaders who want to sharpen their personal vision.

If

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

 

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

 

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Advent Meditation

As Christmas approaches I've heard some really sad stories this year. I know of at least three marriages that are right now in the process of dissolving and some children will not have both parents at home with them this Christmas, maybe never again. I have friends whose family members are battling cancer and having surgeries for life altering illnesses. I have seen friends and acquaintances that are lonely this year and it seems that the holidays only amplify that sadness.

As I hear these stories and get into my car to go to work or the store, I flip on the radio and listen to the beautiful songs of Christmas, most with joyful, triumphant sounding lyrics and upbeat tempos and I wonder how these two realities can exist together, side-by-side. One story filled with grief, and yet the other with one of utmost hope and peace.

Then I am reminded that it is this very, very real world that Jesus was born into. He came on purpose to a broken, lost, sad world, desperately in need of a Savior. He came not as God riding in power on a White Steed to rescue the world from pain and heartache and war and fear, but instead, He came as one of us. One of us. The power of one of His names is most important this time of year: Emmanuel, which means "God with us."

He did not wave a magic wand and make it all go away, but rather He became one of us to walk with us in the midst of the pain and heartache, war and fear. This is the message of Advent, of Christmas, that God is not a distant, non-involved God who created us and walked away, but rather in great love and sacrifice to Himself, came and lived among us to reveal the Heavenly Father who desires to walk alongside us everyday.

He came into that depressed, war-torn, hopeless world to give hope, to show love, to be God among us. Today, He is still with us, now He lives in our hearts by His spirit to give hope, to show love and be God once again among us…but He does it through each of one of us. We call ourselves "His Body." Why? Because through our hands we can give help, through our hearts we can give love, through our spirits we can share hope. It is Him in us who does these things.

Can we let Him shine bright through us this Christmas? Find someone you can bring a smile to, share a laugh with, give some hope and joy. Let Him love them through you. May you be the Christ child coming to someone this Christmas.

Maybe you haven't met Him yet. Maybe you've not let Jesus walk alongside you yet. Maybe you are one of those who is lonely and sad, wounded and hurt this year. This Christmas, I ask you to simply invite Him to show Himself to you. Praying is talking, so simply talk to Him. I believe as you open your heart to Him, Jesus will become more real to you than you can ever imagine and even in the midst of pain and heartache and loneliness, you will find a reality of joy and peace that is beyond our understanding.

the imperfect

Old preacher joke (many of which I've been guilty through the years):

"If you find the perfect church, don't join it! The moment you do, it will no longer be perfect!"

Sounds funny, somewhat insulting, but very truthful. Except that we'll never find that perfect church anyway, so the point is moot. But still many of us that have been Christians for many years have sought to find that "perfect church." You know, the one that has the best praise and worship. Not too loud, not too long, and definitely not too much talking during the music set. A pastor that is young, hip, mature, sensible, has a perfect family, drives a new car and has the best clothes...and doesn't take a salary! (another bad pastor joke!)

But finding a church that is perfect is like breaking a glass and trying to put all the pieces back together again and make it look as if it was never broken. It can't be done, because we all bring our brokenness to the table. But that is what it's supposed to look like. Never once do we see things be perfect in the New Testament church either. There were problems from the get-go!

Still, in spite of these obvious flaws, the church still turned the world upside-down. 2,000 years later, we're still involved in this incredible community we call "church."

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Isaiah 42:3 -

"A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;"

The Message Bible renders it this way:

"He won't brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won't disregard the small and insignificant, but he'll steadily and firmly set things right."

Have you ever felt like the bruised reed or the burnt out wick? Know that today God promises he won't let you break or be "snuffed out," but that he will steadily and firmly set things right.

Church can have its share of heartache. And mostly, it because it's made up of us imperfect people. I hope that we can learn to own this fact, own our imperfection and begin to move beyond it.

If we can accept ourselves as we are, then maybe we can learn how to accept others as they are. Jesus said that we're to love one another as we love ourselves. Maybe the problem is that we haven't learned to love ourselves first. Maybe that's what is holding us back.

Love is what holds a community together, which is what a local expression of the Church is-a community of people who love one another and strive to live this journey of life for Christ together. And love though it accepts you where you are, it nudges you, pushes you, stretches you to become better than you are. It loves you enough to take you further than you ever believed you could go and dream and believe and live.

That's the kind of imperfect church I could live with. How about we make an imperfect church together?

count for plenty

Working on my message for Sunday, and came upon this in the Message.  This says a lot to us about how we present ourselves to the world as Christians and leaders.  I want my life to count for plenty!

 

^1-3 Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. "The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God's Law. You won't go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don't live it. They don't take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It's all spit-and-polish veneer.

 ^4-7"Instead of giving you God's Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn't think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called 'Doctor' and 'Reverend.'

 ^8-10"Don't let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of 'Father'; you have only one Father, and he's in heaven. And don't let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.

 ^11-12"Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.

Matthew 23:1-12 (The Message) 

fat tuesday

Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras. Pancake Day.

Traditionally this is the day before the fast of Lent begins, which starts tomorrow with Ash Wednesday. Unfortunately, some of have devoted this day, the day before, to celebrate all the worldly things they like to do before having to “give it up” for 40 days of Lent leading up to Easter. But let us not focus on our faults and favorite sins today, but prepare our hearts for a journey.

Lent is historically a period of time which is set aside for repentance. For centuries, Christians were baptized on Easter, so this fast before was to prepare one’s heart and soul for baptism. But what is it that baptism represents?

It is representing that in yourself you are dying to your desires, and taking on Christ’s life. It is symbolizing your participation with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, claiming you believe and place your faith in what he has done on your behalf. This is why when one is baptized, they are laid back into the water, allowing the water to cover them as though they are lying in the ground, dying to self, and brought back out of the water, as though raised to a new life.

But it is more… Paul said you are baptized into Christ. It symbolizes the joining of a larger community. You become connected with others who represent Christ on the earth today. It’s throwing “your lot” in with others of like mind and like heart. It is no longer being an island to yourself, but finding purpose and relationship, inviting you into a family you’ve never met and caring about people who need your care. What stirs the heart of Christ, now stirs yours.

Baptism isn’t about the water, or dunking, or sprinkling, it’s about belonging. It’s about belonging to something bigger than you or me. It’s about becoming something bigger. Let this Lenten season be not just a focus on penance for sin, but be a preparation for something bigger…a baptism anew, into the family of God with fresh eyes, that on Easter we will be resurrected to new life as well and be able to draw new travelers into the journey of resurrection with us.

it's go time

Last night, we had a renovate prayer event in which we participated in three prayer stations focusing our hearts and prayers on the future of renovate and the path forward. Afterward, we spent some time sharing with each other what we heard from God. Here are some of the things we heard:

Bec - “Welcoming others with open arms...”

Dave - “We are finished with the 'brokenness' of ourselves. It's time to rebuild. Identity (our previous church plant from a few years ago) had to die, so renovate can be birthed, but will always live in us.”

Kareen - “Community means that we need to trust each other completely. There is beauty in all of this. Everyone is a masterpiece even if we don't see it. This is our masterpiece.”

PJ – Felt like he was visiting the grave of Identity, but was stepping over it. Coming to the grave, but moving on, moving forward, leaving the past behind.

Brian – 1 Corinthians 1:3-11 - “Comfort – we have been comforted so that we can comfort others who come to us.”

Stephen - “Time to move on; prepare, start doing things. Saw a pitcher pouring out. We need to start pouring out, but at the same time remembering to continue being filled up so we don't dry out/burn up.”

Bec – (Referencing the painting we all took part in at the preparation stage) “There is a vibrant, red-orange circle in the middle. We need to keep ourselves centered in God.”

Kareen – (Referencing the painting also) “I can see dark and light at the same time in the painting. There is light in all the dark times for us to find.”

Jennifer - “It's time to step out of our comfort zones and try new things. Each one of us have new things to do and to try.”

Stephen and Kareen both felt drawn to the front of the building to look outside of the church and to pray.

Brian wrote some things down for us:
“God has said, 'Do not wait on the perfect time for things to come. God is NOW and IS perfect.”
“Just as something like a small outlet on the wall can keep the music from playing...our church is still perfect without it.” (By the way, that was a test!)
“Don't worry about the little things that may not fit right away.”
“This 'church' is and will be built on trial and error.”

David also felt that those of us who were a part of Identity had been discovering our identity and that without us finding our identity we could never have “renovated” anything.

Needless to say, it was a great, productive night. To sum it up, I think God is saying to renovate:
It's time to go!

a working God...

"Behold, I am making all things new!"  (Revelation 21:5)

What a statement of victory, a statement of confidence. This is the message that Jesus brings to us in this New Year: I am making all things new. How many of have entered 2009 hoping for a new slate to make things better than last year? How many of us have entered into "resolutions" with ourselves that we won't eat that piece of candy or that we will get up earlier and exercise?

A new year is flush with new excitement and possibilities, but usually as the winter settles in and the days remain dark for a little longer, our enthusiasm wanes. But the message of Jesus still the same: I am making all things new.

Grace is the essence of that message. A new start, a "re-do" as we used to say when we were kids and the game we were playing just didn't work out right. Grace is the place we find ourselves in when all the other options just don't work anymore. Jesus says, it's okay, let's start anew.

We read the story of creation and how God created and worked and spoke for six days and it was all done, and then on the seventh day how he "rested." And somehow, maybe it's through the voice of circumstance or the words of others around us or even our own sense of inadequacy, we believe that God is still resting and that he has "quit working." But nothing could be further from the truth. For God, our loving, grace-full God, is a working God.

Paul declares it to the Philippians and it breaks into our private moments of defeat or boredom, "There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears."  (Philippians 1:6)  He hasn't stopped. Creation is still happening. Even in the deadness of winter in the seasons around us and in the seasons of our souls, there is still creating going on and if you listen you can hear him say…"I am making all things new."

Today we find ourselves at the beginning of a new year, a new era in our nation's history is about to begin and a fresh expression of God's church is coming over the horizon. There is freshness in the air if you will feel it. There is a clear sound in the soul if you will listen. He is making all things new…and he wants us to participate in it. He invites us to go on the chase with him.

The Celts used to call the Holy Spirit, "the Wild Goose." Have you ever tried to catch something that is elusive, wild and free? This is a wild goose chase. And this year I believe God is asking us again to go on a Wild Goose chase, following his spirit leading us right into what is new, fresh and free.

As we focus on the chase and getting closer to that elusive, attractive grace that has touched our lives and ran ahead bidding us to come after it, God goes to work, shaping our character and our spirits into his image. He works his image into us. While we focus on the chase, we'll soon find that the work he has been doing in us is more and more complete, without us even knowing! Why? Because as our focus is on him and living into this amazing grace, his focus has been on us, drawing us and conforming us so we can experience more and more of him.

Will it be an easy year? We can pray so, but sometimes the chase will take us into unknown parts that might cause us to take pause, but don't quit, press on into the chase. The real question isn't "will it be easy," but rather, "will I be alone?" And the answer to that is no, for he who sets us on the chase, runs with us and promises to bring us to the finish line with him.

updates

I can't believe I've been so lax about writing in my blog. This summer has blown by and now we're at the end. I will miss it, though I love fall. And this fall should prove to be an exciting one, with the election and all.

Renovate continues to mature as a church lead team. I'm proud of the people I am working with and we are looking toward early next year to make our church "public" even though we keep getting many people who are interested in joining our services already.

Sarah has started the fourth grade and if you know me, you know that the first day of school has always been hard for me, because it's a reminder that this beautiful kid of mine is not going to be a kid for much longer!!

Joanne is busy once again with babysitting, loving spending time with our friend's son, Kiernan.

Its been a busy one, but God continues to prove His love and grace to us again and again around every corner. And I'll try to write more!!

two years

Two years have passed. 

 

I've written a bit about our journey through this blog and now we're at a two year mark since we walked away from all that we knew because it was no longer healthy (emotionally, spiritually, physically, financially) for us to stay in the CLB. 

 

Days like today, the wounds are still tender, some times they feel raw. 

 

But so much good has happened since we walked away.  Our rhythm of life is much healthier, our spirits are freer, our family is stronger.  I've had two really great jobs, making steadier, better money than I have ever before, with insurance!  God has supernaturally provided for us in ways I've never experienced in the last two years.

 

Our revelation of God's goodness and grace is stronger than I ever thought it could be.  I've watched as God has provided for every need and become an intimate partner with us. 

 

The friends that surround our lives now are real.  They have been tested and pulled through the ringer with us.  They have stood faithful to us as only true friends can.  We have definitely learned what friendship really is and we are more appreciative of our friends than ever before.

 

We've watched this seedling of a church begin.  Our little group has bonded and is working toward developing a community of faith that will make an impact on our community and walk alongside others on their faith walk and assist them as they seek out what it means to have faith in Jesus. 

 

Today is more bittersweet then, as I find myself between grieving the loss of friends or who I thought were friends, the old familiar places and faces, and finding thanksgiving for the future unrevealed in many ways but shrouded in promise of adventure and exploration into the heart of God.

 

I find myself returning to the scripture that gives our church its name, its focus, its purpose:  "You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You'll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again."  Isaiah 58:12, The Message

 

Make it so, Lord, make it so.

legacy

Legacy. In the CLB (church left behind) we were taught that we had a spiritual heritage that we needed to honor it and that to leave or to disagree with that heritage would be equal to rebellion. They seemed to think that because they had taught us and that some of us had come to faith through that teaching, that we owed them this loyalty that covered a multitude of sins.

(Loyalty for loyalty sake is not true loyalty, but only bondage to another’s whims and desires. Loyalty should never be used against anyone or they have lost their free will to comply or not comply. God desires loyalty from us, but never strips our free will, nor does he reject us when we do walk away. See the prodigal son story to see how God treats those who stray from the fold.)

This past week I saw a real legacy and it was not one that demanded any kind of loyalty, but rejoiced in seeing where God had led those who had been imprinted by it so many years ago. Our family went on a little excursion to visit my birthplace and where I lived until I was 11. In a “God-moment,” we got to meet up with my first children’s pastor and senior pastor from the church where I first was saved and baptized.

Rev. Kenneth Frisbee will be 80 years old soon, and is still going strong. A pastor with the Free Will Baptist denomination, he’s pastored his church for 47 years. Sitting in his living room, having already walked through the church and reminisced the day before, I realized that it was his leadership of that church and the desire for everyone in it to know the Word of God that propelled me in the direction that I took in my faith walk. It wasn’t the apostle that tried to shape me into his image, but this humble, yet very strong man of God who taught me about Jesus at a young age that set my feet on this path.

To hear his delight in the fact that I was a pastor and planting a church of my own was so heart-warming. It was wonderful to hear his strong passion for souls and remember my baptism and first communion and my own passion to see others know God from a young age. What amazes me is that I know if I needed spiritual counsel or support at any moment I could call this man whose church I belonged to 25 years ago and there would be instant support and prayer and love.

This is true spiritual fathering, knowing that you may not complete the journey with someone, but feeding them and sharing life with them as they travel through their faith walk. This is what true legacy is about.

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants, nor the one who water is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (I Corinthians 3:6-9 TNIV)

jesus bread

First, an apology, if anyone should feel the following post is sacrilegious, please forgive me and know it's not intended.

 

So here I was last week at our special evening event for renovate that we held as a teaser of things to come and give us opportunity to practice and flesh out who and what we'll be as a church community.   We had just finished cleaning up the sanctuary and putting things back and someone reminded me to put away communion. 

 

Quickly I take care of the elements, at least I thought I did.  I actually ended up carrying around the bread in a napkin and taking it with me out to the car.  (You know how you can be carrying something and not even realize you still have it in your hands?  Well, I do, because my mouth is usually in motion and not paying attention to what's in my hands.  Anyway…)

 

The next day I didn't use my car, so it wasn't until Monday when I left for work that I realized I still had "Jesus bread" in my car.  By now it had been exposed to the air for a while, in the heat, and it was stale, brittle, hard.

 

As I drove down the road, I began to think about the fact that I had "Jesus" in the car with me, but it was not impacting me.  I could drive all over town and not realize that Jesus was with me.  Though it was special and an intimate worship time Saturday, the experience of the communion from Saturday night had not remained.  Like stale bread.

 

How quickly do we let the bread of life become stale in us?  Do we live our lives without recognizing his presence with us, even in the car, at work, in the home?  May God grant us is refreshing, restoring, renovating spirit everyday, that we may not forget that from him comes all life and sustenance.  God, teach us how to practice honoring your presence everywhere we are and at all times.

wordle

found this thing called "wordle" on Emergent Village...
played around with it using some phrases of a post i wrote about renovate. i like it:

circles

The other day at work I looked out the window of one of the offices and saw two really big birds, I don't know if they were hawks or what but they were circling in the air.  They made large circles, and as they did, each cycle took them a little bit higher.  I've heard about birds doing this before as a way of gaining height, but had never really watched them.  They kept doing this until they were too high for me to see through my window. 

 

It made me think about how many times in life we feel like we're "going around in circles."  Maybe its in those times when we're frustrated watching the same scenery, that actually God is helping us to "catch the wind" that is actually taking us up to where the real currents of our lives are and propel us to the future.

 

Don't know, but it encouraged me and thought I'd pass it on.

reasons for writing

How fast a couple of months go by.  I can't believe it's been two months since I last blogged.  There have been some precipitating issues that have caused my retreat from writing, but it should not have stopped me.  It shocks me that I've been so lax in writing.  Yet, I'm not surprised as recently my writing has begun to be vulnerable and I'm scared at times to plunge the depths of my own vulnerability, especially on a public level.  And on top of that, recently my writing and love for blogging became a target of accusation and attack.  So the thought of stepping back out of the boat of safety and conformity is cause for a bit of trepidation. 

 

But writing is important to me.  Blogging has been a spiritual discipline for me.  It is a place where I have worked out some of my most frustrating or puzzling struggles with life and faith and church and such.  It's not an easy place as a pastor to put yourself on the line like that.  Especially coming from the old paradigm that the pastor/leader must portray themselves as having it all together, without doubt and fear.  (The reasoning is "who would follow someone who doesn't have it together?" But I find that I can trust better someone who knows they are not all together perfect rather than one who falsely believes their God's next chosen son.)

 

Even if no one ever reads what I write, it's important that I write.  That I pray through my issues in the spiritual practice of journal/blogging.  It's more about me than the others who will read along with my journey.  Not that I don't want to hear from those who walk/read my journey.  I do.  But it is more about the audience of One who hears and knows before keyboard is struck or word is thought.  I need His attention to these words.  I need to hear His voice in response.  I need to feel His hand on my shoulder as I wrestle through these things. 

 

So if you read these notes I make along the journey, welcome, drop me a line occasionally, especially if I drop off the radar as I have of late.  Tell me to keep at it.  We need traveling companions.  Thanks for reading.

some days

Sometimes I suck at all this relational stuff. 

 

As much as I want to be a people person, as much as I've always been one, some days I just strike out.  You know what I mean?  There are days when I've been the best friend that I can be to someone only to find that it's not enough or that it's too little too late, or that in spite of all my best intentions, I've not been able to meet a deep-seated need of friends who I care much about. 

 

And so I hurt.  And I probably pout, too, though I won't necessarily admit it.  (I try to teach my nine-year-old not to pout, you see.  So I shouldn't.  Right.) 

 

When I was in the CLB, the "apostle" once was talking about when people leave the church, and they simply said "people leave, you move on, you don't let it affect you."  I was taken back by those words, because to me, it devalues the relationship you had with that person.  And having watched them as people did leave them, I saw very little grieving on their part from lost friendships.  (To be fair, maybe they hid their pain.)  But most of the time, any pain was deflected to condemning those who had left their "fold"; any regret that was expressed was over the time that they had "poured into" that person.

 

Then when it was our time to leave, though I had requested no contact from them, there was a part of me that wondered, "Do they even miss us?"  And my sarcastic inner voice would reply, "yeah, probably all the hard work you gave them over all these years." 

 

Why do I bring this up?  Because when I'm having a hard relational day, week, month, there is a part of me that wants to say, "I'll just write them off.  I don't have to chase after them.  Let that person think what they will."  Somewhere I think I picked up some bad theology of friendship/relationship.  (I think I know where I got it…reading above again…)  BUT the love of God, the little voice of grace that lives in my heart, speaks to me and refuses to let me do this.  I can't shut people off, I can't turn away from them even internally, just because they don't believe in me or because I've failed somewhere and they have suffered the consequences of my life, or because it's just so hard to love them. 

 

Paul said this in 2 Corinthians 5:14:  "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died."  This gives me hope, because there is some thing that Paul is saying here that's hidden.  He's saying that it's Christ's love that compels him…not his own goodness or his own love or own kindness that he uses, but love that has been place in him by the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

 

So when I have these days where I suck at relationships, I can rely on the Holy Spirit to love them for me through me.  Christ have mercy.

present with the Lord

This week I was asked to do a funeral for a baby who died at six months in the womb.  The mom had to deliver the baby, so they decided to bury the child and honor his memory and the place he had in their hearts.  It was one of the hardest funerals to do.  Understandably, there were a lot of tears and sadness. 

 

But this was different than other tears at a funeral.  It wasn't tears of loss of the place this little person had in their lives (except of course the immediate family), but it was more of the loss of what could have been.  It was the loss of the future person that this child would have become.  Would he have been good at school or sports or mischievous?   What would he have become as an adult?  Where would he have gone to college and who would he have married?   

 

As the family grapples with the fact that this little one is not going to live out his life in their family, they also look toward a future where they will see him once again and spend eternity with him.  King David said, "He cannot come to me, but I will go to him." 

 

We have a promise in Christ that eternity will be a large place of fellowship and support and love.  "I go to prepare a place for you…in my father's house, there are many rooms…If I go away to prepare a place for you, will I not come back to take you to where I am?"

 

What does all that look like in reality?  I used to be taught in Bible College that everything could be known about what heaven and eternity will be like.  We "knew" practically all that would happen in the "end times."  But in recent months and years, I've become a little lax on the dogmatic-ness of those beliefs.  Good as I think the scholastic work they're based upon is, I think part of life and death is living in and with the mystery that "truth be told" we really don't know what it will be like "on the other side." 

 

Paul said that when we die we're "present with the Lord."  I think that's enough.  I think that's the point.  Whether our visions of heaven, or hell, or tribulation and rapture, are correct or not, the heart of the matter is what we do in our relationships here, will determine our relationships there.  Our heart connection with God here will survive even death. 

 

Paul also reminded us that the same power that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us.  Wow.  That's a lot of power, but yet we do not see it.  How come?  I don't have all the answers, in fact today I feel as though I have very few.  But knowing that the power of God dwells with his people makes it a little more bearable to face reality of life and death.  Just knowing that the end is not the end, but just the beginning of being "present with the Lord" whatever that may look like.

winning friends and influencing others

I remain convinced that what we win people with, we win them to.

 

I got this quote from Bob Hyatt's blog and it's not left my mind all day.

 

What do we win people with?  As we look at what the church is and can become, it's important that we look at this statement and weigh what it is that we win them with and to.

 

First of all, know that I don't think souls are to be pawns for a great cosmic game.  But that's not what Bob is referring to.  He was talking about how we present ourselves to the world, especially special days and events like Easter, and how we sometimes over compensate on these days and people who enter our communities believe that this is what it's like all the time.  Surprise!  But let me take it one step further than just programs and presentations…

 

So it's important that what we present to the world/community/friends around us is what we are willing to be all the time.  I think this is the benefit of true authentic community.  If you are a loud, friendly group, don't get serious and solemn when you invite new people to experience your worship.  Be yourself.  But on the same note, if you are more serious, contemplative worshippers, don't make yourself something you're not, just to get someone to notice you. 

 

It's important that people see us for what/who we really are.  It took me 13 years to discover some of the leaders I had placed trust in all those years were not who they had portrayed themselves to be.  It is easy to allow spirituality to cover your flaws and project them onto others so you don't have to change, especially in leadership.

 

The sad thing is that what we win people with, even our character deception, will be what people are won to.  They will take on those characteristics.  They will follow in our footsteps.  It is so very important that we look at how we live, how we worship, how relate.  Is this what we want to reproduce after ourselves?  The physical reality that we reproduce after our own kind is nothing compared to what we reproduce spiritually. 

 

Do I want disciples of me or of Christ?  Paul said to follow him…like he followed Christ.  He understood that people would follow him, so he kept their eyes on Christ and not himself.  Do I point others to the One I'm following?  I cannot, and refuse, to become the object of one's following.  But I desire to present those who would walk with me to the Master of us all. 

 

I can't take people where I'm not willing to go, that I know.  But that's also scary.  It takes willingness in me to go beyond my limits, my weaknesses and into God's grace and God's strength. 

 

God teach us how to have balance in leading and walking with, guiding and learning with, being the example and learning from.

ramblings and revelations

I've been thinking a lot lately about who I've become after leaving the CLB and the change in my vocation.  I think it's perpetuated as I'm beginning this new journey with our church plant, renovate.  I must admit there are days that I ask myself, why do I do this?  Why would I embark on this journey once again?  But then as a pastoral friend told me a few months ago, "if it's in you, it's in you."  And I know that church work is in me.  It's part of who I am. 

 

Some days it feels as if we've been gone from the past ministry for decades and others it feels like a couple of days.  Why?  Why must I continue to feel the pain of the loss of friends and ministry when I now am surrounded by these new experiences, friends and great new ministry opportunities?  Does it mean that the grieving process really isn't over yet or does it just mean I really haven't forgiven and released the people who hurt us so badly?  (Former Leader wrote a great post about the loss of friends…check it out to the right.)

 

The other day, Joanne and I talked about how "they" probably don't even care or think of us anymore, yet I find myself struggling with "them" more than once in a while.  I want to move on.  I have to let go of the past and move forward.  I definitely don't want the past to linger into the future, I don't want it to taint who I am and what I do, but what if this event in my life has imprinted me to the point of changing who I am?

 

Scratch that…it has changed who I am and what I believe.  I can't go back to the previous way of life, way of ministry, way of thinking.  Nor do I want to.  But some days, what was done or known before is more comfortable than taking on the unknown future.  But maybe that's the issue…compared to the unknown, foggy future, it's easier to look back and dwell, compare and wrestle, rather than step out of the boat onto stormy seas of opportunity and risk. 

 

Maybe this is why I hold onto the past wounds and worries rather than move tentatively at best, because it's comfortable.  Even abuse can become comfortable if it's something I know and expect.  So maybe this season is really about breaking the cycle.  Walking away from the past.  Letting it die.  Easter is the season of resurrection, maybe I've been dying a bit this year, dying to the past to give new life to the future. 

 

I remember something God showed me when we began to look at starting a new ministry:  the previous ministry was a seed that had to go into the ground and die to allow this one to come to new life and grow. 

 

The scripture he gave us for our new church seems to make even more sense in this light: "You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You'll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again."  (Isaiah 58:12, The Message, italics mine)

 

God, give me grace to let my past die.

 

mark of discipleship

It was a success!!  We had our first special event as renovate, a baby dedication/worship gathering last weekend.  We had about 40 people there who came to celebrate with our friends, as they committed themselves and their baby to the grace of God.  It was a very special evening.  (You can read about it at The Speakman Family in the links to the right.)

 

We are looking forward to the future as we will plan other events and worship gatherings as teasers of things to come.  These event/worship gatherings will give our lead team a time to practice and flesh out what it is that we feel God has called us to do and to be as a church and the flow of what our ministry times should be like. 

 

As a lead team, our group is beginning to work through the essentials of team building and what it looks like to work as a team in community, not just to come together and get something done, but to really live and support one another in life as well as in ministry.  It is our desire to build a community of leaders upon which our community of faith can grow. 

 

So many church plants, at least ones I've been around in the past, started with a dynamic speaker/pastor/apostle and maybe a few followers committed to starting a work, renting a building and putting out a sign saying "we're a church, come and find God."  Not that I'm saying that's all they do, because most have rigorous evangelism tactics and outreaches, but the thrust of the church start is based on having a building, holding services, and promotion. 

 

The way we're approaching this ministry is that we have found life and grace and support in the community of friends that we've built over the last few years and we want build upon that community.  (Some of our friends have been friends for 14 years!)  We believe that people are not looking for something to believe in as much as they are looking to belong to something.  It is when they first belong to something (have that connection of belonging to a group or community) they will begin to believe what they've experienced. 

 

Our postmodern culture says, 'let me experience it, then I'll believe it.'  As much as our tradition mindsets, rooted in the modern movement of Christianity, would condemn such statements, I believe it is something that Christ understood when he taught the disciples: "They will know you are my disciples, by your love for one another." 

 

Surprising note, at least to me, is that Jesus didn't say, "by your love for the unchurched ones."  (Not that we should love everyone, please understand.)  He was talking specifically to the premise that people would be attracted by their community, by their relationship with one another.  This would be the sign of their discipleship, of true Christianity.

 

It isn't the flash of our ministry that will draw people.  It will not be how slick our promotions and our promises.  I admit those things will draw a crowd, but only really draw more consumer-like followers waiting for the next flash and promise.  But Jesus was telling the disciples: if you learn to live out the principles of love, agape unconditional love, within your community of like faith…outsiders will see and know you are truly my disciples. 

 

This is what the heart longs for, a fellowship that is deeper than coffee after Sunday service.  To be loved and known by other people who care about your life and what is happening to you is real community.  So this is what we desire to become.  But it's not an easy process.  Even when you've known people for years, it's hard sometimes to become vulnerable. 

 

As a leader/pastor/whatever my job, it can be hard to step outside of people's perspectives of me and let them see me for who I am, warts and all.  But if I don't, and if our team can't, how will our community of faith ever have an authenticity which will envelope those looking for faith and love and grace?

 

My prayer is that renovate will bear the true marks of a discipled, authentic community of faith.