I like to play silly games with my little girl and her friend as we drive to school each morning. Yesterday we played the “see who can count the most Christmas trees” game. Can you believe it? Christmas trees are popping up around town!
Of course, as soon as downtown retail stores were behind us, not a tree was in sight. If you want to usher in the Christmas season as early as possible, take a trip to you neighborhood shopping mall! Our local mall has a sign up for all to see that Santa will be arriving on November 18th... November 18th.
I can respond to this in two ways and the choice belongs to me.
My initial response is to be angry that the god of this world would use something as pure and innocent as the birth of Christ for material gain. I could rant about how materialism is the god of our day and that Christmas is no longer about filling our hearts, but about filling our greedy flesh. I could then justify spiritual pride and judgement and complain to others and impress them that my heart is pure. I could also spend the entire season raising my voice level a notch or two so people around can hear as I proclaim an arrogant “Merry Christmas” in response to retailers “happy holidays.”
Another response to the early coming of advent in the retail centers is one of thankfulness. The birth of Christ did not happen overnight. Mary, the mother of Jesus, carried the savior of all creation in her womb for nine months. The preparation and celebration of the first Christmas season began with the proclamation of an angel 39 weeks prior to the actual birth. I should be discouraged not that the Gospel is being proclaimed, albeit for greed and materialism, but that His people do not begin much earlier.
What if the spirit of Christmas is not in whether or not others rape it for the sake of capitalism? What if the spirit of Christmas abides in the hearts of His people.
Philippians 1:18 - But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
The Chrismas season was here all the time and we did not even know it!
Lyrics to Behold the Lamb of God
From Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God CD
Behold, the Lamb of God
Who takes away our sin
Behold the Lamb of God
The life and light of men
Behold the Lamb of God
Who died and rose again
Behold the Lamb of God who comes
To take away our sin
Broken hearts--behold our broken hearts
Fallen far--we need you
Behold the Lamb of God
Son of God--Emmanuel
Son of Man--we need you
Behold the Lamb
The hope of man
Behold the Lamb of God
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
...the Christians all became Missionaries... Part III
Forced to leave home, the christians all became missionaries... Part III (Acts 8:4 The message)
Two weeks ago, I noted that for our community of Christians to become missionaries means 5 things.
1.) we are to be a missional movement
2.) those committed to our community are to be missionaries
3.) as a missionary, those committed must define their mission field
4.) we must be strategic, prayerful and intentional about meeting needs in the mission
fields
5.) we must provide places in which to invite those we serve into Christian community
and the redemption of creation when the seeds begin to sprout
Let’s talk about #3.
How can I, as a missionary, define my mission field?
First, you do not choose your missions field, that’s Gods job. You simply identify and define where God has called you to serve. In Acts 17:26, Paul says, “From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” (NIV) Did you catch that? God not only determined the place where you should live, but also the time frame! Wow. His plans for us are detailed! He placed you in Lee County in the company of the people you know with specific purposes for your life... NOW!
Second, determine whether your mission field is geographic, relational, or both. Every mission field has one thing in common... people who need a relationship with Jesus. In other words, your mission field is not among the strongest believers, it is among those who need Him. A geographic mission field is defined by the boundaries of a neighborhood, workplace or some geographic location. A relational mission field is found in an area of your life that contains consistent relationships. Determine which of these two holds your mission field.
Once you define your mission field it is time to begin to evaluate how God wants to work. Here are a few suggestions to start that process.
A .) Take a “Mission Trip”: take a stroll through your neighborhood or workplace and
stay open to hear from God. Pray as you walk. If you have a chance to strike up a
conversation, do it. If not, just enjoy the walk.
B.) Take in the sights and sounds: When you find yourself in your Mission Field, take
in information from all 5 senses... what do you see, smell, hear, taste, feel?
C.) Try to imagine the hurts and life struggles of the people in your mission field.
D.) Ask the question, “What is good news for these people?”
E .) Pray for God to give you a person of peace and relationships among those living or
working in your mission field.
Where is your mission field? What would God have you do to begin working in your field?
Two weeks ago, I noted that for our community of Christians to become missionaries means 5 things.
1.) we are to be a missional movement
2.) those committed to our community are to be missionaries
3.) as a missionary, those committed must define their mission field
4.) we must be strategic, prayerful and intentional about meeting needs in the mission
fields
5.) we must provide places in which to invite those we serve into Christian community
and the redemption of creation when the seeds begin to sprout
Let’s talk about #3.
How can I, as a missionary, define my mission field?
First, you do not choose your missions field, that’s Gods job. You simply identify and define where God has called you to serve. In Acts 17:26, Paul says, “From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” (NIV) Did you catch that? God not only determined the place where you should live, but also the time frame! Wow. His plans for us are detailed! He placed you in Lee County in the company of the people you know with specific purposes for your life... NOW!
Second, determine whether your mission field is geographic, relational, or both. Every mission field has one thing in common... people who need a relationship with Jesus. In other words, your mission field is not among the strongest believers, it is among those who need Him. A geographic mission field is defined by the boundaries of a neighborhood, workplace or some geographic location. A relational mission field is found in an area of your life that contains consistent relationships. Determine which of these two holds your mission field.
Once you define your mission field it is time to begin to evaluate how God wants to work. Here are a few suggestions to start that process.
A .) Take a “Mission Trip”: take a stroll through your neighborhood or workplace and
stay open to hear from God. Pray as you walk. If you have a chance to strike up a
conversation, do it. If not, just enjoy the walk.
B.) Take in the sights and sounds: When you find yourself in your Mission Field, take
in information from all 5 senses... what do you see, smell, hear, taste, feel?
C.) Try to imagine the hurts and life struggles of the people in your mission field.
D.) Ask the question, “What is good news for these people?”
E .) Pray for God to give you a person of peace and relationships among those living or
working in your mission field.
Where is your mission field? What would God have you do to begin working in your field?
Monday, September 29, 2008
Kevin's Journal and Alaska
For those of you who may be interested...
I am posting my journal entries during my recent Alaska backcountry trip on my personal blog.
You can find it at
http://think-again-kevin.blogspot.com
Enjoy!
I am posting my journal entries during my recent Alaska backcountry trip on my personal blog.
You can find it at
http://think-again-kevin.blogspot.com
Enjoy!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
...the Christians all became missionaries... Part II
Last week I noted that for our community of Christians to become missionaries means 5 things.
1.) we are to be a missional movement
2.) those committed to our community are to be missionaries
3.) as a missionary, those committed must define their mission field
4.) we must be strategic, prayerful and intentional about meeting needs in the mission
fields
5.) we must provide places in which to invite those we serve into Christian community and the redemption of creation when the seeds begin to sprout
This week I want to focus on that first point.
What is a missional movement?
Great question.
Jesus emptied Himself of the Godhead and came to live as one of us (Phil. 2:5-8).
That is one of the most basic theological truths. However, so often we miss what it means to our daily lives. You have heard me use the phrase “broken bread and poured out wine” often. This mental image is a perfect example of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. As a person living a life of oneness with my Savior, I must allow Him to live His life through me. Therefore, I must empty myself of my puruit to be my own Godhead! I must be willing to be sent to the trenches as Jesus was. I must allow Christ to come to the places where I live and work... through me. That is the essence of missional living.
Now, to be a missional community is to simply do this together. To be a missional movement means to not only pour our individual lives out, but to be “broken bread and poured out wine” in our corporate lives together. We have done this well in some areas of our walk together in the past 15 months. I am proud to be a part of a community who cares about giving to, loving, and embracing the world around us. I’m proud that you do not judge, but you simply bring life and offer hope. Jesus said that even He, the one person who actually had a right to judge, did not come to judge, but to bring life to a dead world (John 12:47).
Now, let’s make sure we provide opportuities for Christ followers to plug into Christian community, but let’s not stop there. Let’s adopt the idea of saying to those who need Jesus, “Don’t come to us, we’ll come to you.” Then let’s put our feet behind it and be embedded missionaries in our communities, places of business and in our social circles. I think Jesus would be proud of that.
I must say here that this doesn’t begin in the world, it begins in our personal lives. To go out as missionaries without having been made whole ourselves is to send untrained soldiers directly to a war zone without proper preparation. Remember those 50,000 people not connected to a faith community we’ve been talking about. They need us to be at the top of our spiritual game. Jesus wants to put us on His first string team.
Let’s do our part to get in shape.
1.) we are to be a missional movement
2.) those committed to our community are to be missionaries
3.) as a missionary, those committed must define their mission field
4.) we must be strategic, prayerful and intentional about meeting needs in the mission
fields
5.) we must provide places in which to invite those we serve into Christian community and the redemption of creation when the seeds begin to sprout
This week I want to focus on that first point.
What is a missional movement?
Great question.
Jesus emptied Himself of the Godhead and came to live as one of us (Phil. 2:5-8).
That is one of the most basic theological truths. However, so often we miss what it means to our daily lives. You have heard me use the phrase “broken bread and poured out wine” often. This mental image is a perfect example of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. As a person living a life of oneness with my Savior, I must allow Him to live His life through me. Therefore, I must empty myself of my puruit to be my own Godhead! I must be willing to be sent to the trenches as Jesus was. I must allow Christ to come to the places where I live and work... through me. That is the essence of missional living.
Now, to be a missional community is to simply do this together. To be a missional movement means to not only pour our individual lives out, but to be “broken bread and poured out wine” in our corporate lives together. We have done this well in some areas of our walk together in the past 15 months. I am proud to be a part of a community who cares about giving to, loving, and embracing the world around us. I’m proud that you do not judge, but you simply bring life and offer hope. Jesus said that even He, the one person who actually had a right to judge, did not come to judge, but to bring life to a dead world (John 12:47).
Now, let’s make sure we provide opportuities for Christ followers to plug into Christian community, but let’s not stop there. Let’s adopt the idea of saying to those who need Jesus, “Don’t come to us, we’ll come to you.” Then let’s put our feet behind it and be embedded missionaries in our communities, places of business and in our social circles. I think Jesus would be proud of that.
I must say here that this doesn’t begin in the world, it begins in our personal lives. To go out as missionaries without having been made whole ourselves is to send untrained soldiers directly to a war zone without proper preparation. Remember those 50,000 people not connected to a faith community we’ve been talking about. They need us to be at the top of our spiritual game. Jesus wants to put us on His first string team.
Let’s do our part to get in shape.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
...the Christians all became missionaries...
"Forced to leave home base, the Christians all became missionaries" (Acts 8:4 The Message).
Isn't that a beautiful paraphrase to the quote in the New American Standard Bible that says "those who had been scattered preached the Word wherever they went." Isn't this the heartbeat of the missionary movement? We put a person or couple on an airplane, they go live in a foreign city trying to evaluate culture, they meet needs and build relationships, and then they wait. "Wait on what?", you say. I'm glad you asked. They wait on God to allow the seed to germinate and grow in the hearts of their "Mission Field." Then they simply invite people into the only purpose worth living and dying for... God's purpose to redeem His relationship with all creation.
It's interesting to me that the church has become a "come and see" movement, instead of a "go and reach" movement as Jesus commanded about 2000 years ago. Luke tells us in his stroy of Jesus that "the Master selected seventy and sent them ahead of Him in pairs to every town and place where He intended to go." He then gave them a few simple instructions and sent them on their way.
Where in Auburn and Opelika does Jesus intend to go and who does He want to send ahead. I believe He wants to go to every nook and cranny and that He wants to send you (us). What greater compliment could we hear about the modern church than "the Christians all became missionaries?" I want to be about that business. However, for the early believers, persecution forced them to leave "home base." I don't know about you, but I'm not too excited about persecution. So, I want to invite you to go with me now before it gets to that. I'm quite convinced that the plan of God is to expand His Kingdom and I'm also convinced that He's willing to go to any length to see that happen.
What does that mean for CONVERGE?
This is what I'm hearing:
Isn't that a beautiful paraphrase to the quote in the New American Standard Bible that says "those who had been scattered preached the Word wherever they went." Isn't this the heartbeat of the missionary movement? We put a person or couple on an airplane, they go live in a foreign city trying to evaluate culture, they meet needs and build relationships, and then they wait. "Wait on what?", you say. I'm glad you asked. They wait on God to allow the seed to germinate and grow in the hearts of their "Mission Field." Then they simply invite people into the only purpose worth living and dying for... God's purpose to redeem His relationship with all creation.
It's interesting to me that the church has become a "come and see" movement, instead of a "go and reach" movement as Jesus commanded about 2000 years ago. Luke tells us in his stroy of Jesus that "the Master selected seventy and sent them ahead of Him in pairs to every town and place where He intended to go." He then gave them a few simple instructions and sent them on their way.
Where in Auburn and Opelika does Jesus intend to go and who does He want to send ahead. I believe He wants to go to every nook and cranny and that He wants to send you (us). What greater compliment could we hear about the modern church than "the Christians all became missionaries?" I want to be about that business. However, for the early believers, persecution forced them to leave "home base." I don't know about you, but I'm not too excited about persecution. So, I want to invite you to go with me now before it gets to that. I'm quite convinced that the plan of God is to expand His Kingdom and I'm also convinced that He's willing to go to any length to see that happen.
What does that mean for CONVERGE?
This is what I'm hearing:
- It means we are to be a "missional movement"
- It means that those committed to our community are to be "missionaries"
- It means that, as a missionary, those committed must define their "mission field"
- It means that we must be strategic, prayerful and intentional about meeting the needs in those mission fields (and)
- It means that we must provide places in which to invite those we serve into Christian community and the redemption of creation when the seeds begin to sprout
In the four zip codes in Auburn and Opelika there are about 90,000 people. Of those, 50,000 claim to have little or no faith involvement! That's a lot of people. In a church building that could seat 1,000 people, we would need 50 services per week to seat them. It's not going to happen! We are at a stage in history that "the Church" is going to have to grow in the places where people live and work. I want to reach those 50,000 and I hope you do too. We must go to them and provide places where 10-15 people can grow together weekly in hundresds of "church buildings" that may look like living rooms and break rooms.
What if we could tangibly serve every home in Auburn and Opelika once per month and then invite those people into Christian community. What if we could honestly say to those people, "Don't come to us, we'll come to you."
I've been thinking a lot this week about what that type of movement might look like and what type of resources it would require. To be honest, it scares me to death... and that excites me. It's bigger than me and you and even bigger than all of us together. That sounds like a God vision to me! Come on board... I can't buy you a plane ticket to Asia, but I can probably give you a ride across town.
Monday, September 3, 2007
True to form...
"...only the labor of God's appointment is truly commendable."
- Watchman Nee
I know, I know, I've already blogged on this quote, well there's more where that came from. So, as for my unplanned, appointed week away, it has turned out to be service just the same, although I'm not complaining. In case I was unclear earlier, the reason we were assigned to travel to Michigan was to visit Julie's grandfather for what would probably be the last time before he makes his trek toward eternity. On our way to Michigan we received a call from Julie's family that her grandfather had been placed in the hospital. Julie was able to visit with him the morning after we arrived. Then as we were out sightseeing Sunday afternoon (after, by the way, a refreshing morning with Rob Bell and the Mars Hill Community) we received another call and found out that he had a massive heart attack and was unresponsive. As I write this it is about 33 hours later and he is still in a comatose state. The nature of our visit changed quickly.
I am sitting in the hospital waiting room right now after 5 hours of the same earlier today. In between I did get my nap under the "big tree" and then I set out to do 2.5 hours of yard work that has not been done due to "grandpas" sickness. I sat with the doctor this afternoon as he laid out the scenario and options for the family. I will be here by myself for the remainder of the night and then we'll be off in the morning for a stop by the MCUSA national offices, a visit with Bert Jones of Go Intl. in Wilmore, KY where we will spend the night and then back just in time Wednesday afternoon for our directional meeting with CONVERGE.
Although it wasn't quite the nice friendly visit I was expecting, I was thankful to have read this excerpt from "The Spiritual Man" on the way up on Friday. It puts scenarios in perspective when you view them as assignments and not interruptions. Julie is super thankful that God gave us the opportunity to be here to support the family. I am thankful that God chooses to use us as His hands and feet even when we have other plans. Oh, and on top of it all, I still got to visit Rob, take my nap, spend tons of quality time with my kidos, and get in some great reading.
And, if you want to laugh at me a little, take note that as I'm sitting here writing this blog, there is a man circling the hallway, passing by about every 2 minutes pushing his
IV bags. I promise you every time he passes he looks straight at me and passes gas in multiple forms. This would make me feel a little uncomfortable, except for the fact that I can hear him doing the same with other people all the way around the building. What a life I lead!
What is your assignment today?
Oh wait... here he comes again... yep, true to form.
Just a thought...
- Watchman Nee
I know, I know, I've already blogged on this quote, well there's more where that came from. So, as for my unplanned, appointed week away, it has turned out to be service just the same, although I'm not complaining. In case I was unclear earlier, the reason we were assigned to travel to Michigan was to visit Julie's grandfather for what would probably be the last time before he makes his trek toward eternity. On our way to Michigan we received a call from Julie's family that her grandfather had been placed in the hospital. Julie was able to visit with him the morning after we arrived. Then as we were out sightseeing Sunday afternoon (after, by the way, a refreshing morning with Rob Bell and the Mars Hill Community) we received another call and found out that he had a massive heart attack and was unresponsive. As I write this it is about 33 hours later and he is still in a comatose state. The nature of our visit changed quickly.
I am sitting in the hospital waiting room right now after 5 hours of the same earlier today. In between I did get my nap under the "big tree" and then I set out to do 2.5 hours of yard work that has not been done due to "grandpas" sickness. I sat with the doctor this afternoon as he laid out the scenario and options for the family. I will be here by myself for the remainder of the night and then we'll be off in the morning for a stop by the MCUSA national offices, a visit with Bert Jones of Go Intl. in Wilmore, KY where we will spend the night and then back just in time Wednesday afternoon for our directional meeting with CONVERGE.
Although it wasn't quite the nice friendly visit I was expecting, I was thankful to have read this excerpt from "The Spiritual Man" on the way up on Friday. It puts scenarios in perspective when you view them as assignments and not interruptions. Julie is super thankful that God gave us the opportunity to be here to support the family. I am thankful that God chooses to use us as His hands and feet even when we have other plans. Oh, and on top of it all, I still got to visit Rob, take my nap, spend tons of quality time with my kidos, and get in some great reading.
And, if you want to laugh at me a little, take note that as I'm sitting here writing this blog, there is a man circling the hallway, passing by about every 2 minutes pushing his
IV bags. I promise you every time he passes he looks straight at me and passes gas in multiple forms. This would make me feel a little uncomfortable, except for the fact that I can hear him doing the same with other people all the way around the building. What a life I lead!What is your assignment today?
Oh wait... here he comes again... yep, true to form.
Just a thought...
Saturday, September 1, 2007
The idolatry of "doing"...
The soulish are second to none in the matter of works. They are most active, zealous and willing. But they do not labor because they have received God’s order, they labor instead because they have zeal and capacity so to do. They believe doing God’s work is good enough, unaware that only the labor of God’s appointment is truly commendable.
- Watchman Nee (The Spiritual Man, Vol. 1)
And so goes my struggles! The idolatry of “doing”.
Julie is driving and we’re being transported from hospitality to productivity (south to north) in a hunk of metal on wheels propelled by liquid that is extracted from below the surface of the Earth and injected into a plethora of parts designed to interdependently function as a vehicle to speed up time and allow us to pack more stuff into a life that is too short anyway. If you add up all the time that has been spent on building highways, designing engines, molding parts, and making money to fund all of this, has humanity really saved any time?
The idolatry of doing more is an ugly monster indeed.
This issue is especially sensitive to me this year as we are taking a new direction in life: selling our house and buying another, almost completely rebuilding our relational community, having a new baby and finishing a master’s degree. I have felt a little bit like the very vehicle in which I sit, being used up to get from one place to another. Poured out to speed up time and reach a goal. That was the life of Christ, you know. His was one of tremendous stress and activity. That’s why so many times in scripture He would intentionally separate Himself. He was somehow able to live in the truth that it didn’t matter if His disciples thought he was lazy or if the religious tribes felt that He was neglecting the idol of a “do more” spirituality. He simply knew that, for whatever reason, His Father built into the DNA of creation a shabot (Sabbath).
Sabbath does not mean we do less. I don’t think anyone reading this could honestly say that they are more productive than Christ, in His brief three year career of serving the Kingdom of God. No, indeed, it does not mean doing less. Instead it means doing less of the wrong things, which inherently means doing more of the right things. The greatest challenge is knowing the difference. Whether I’m praying and studying scripture or watching “WEST WING” and eating chips, I’m doing the same number of things. It is up to me to do the “right” things. God wants me to be a productive member of the Kingdom of God or else I would have passed into the afterlife long ago. So what is it that He wants me to do… today? The scriptures say it like this, “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which He prepared in advance for us to do.”
So off we blast in our hunk of metal to visit family that we may never see again and do a few fun things that will look like laziness to an idolatrous member of the religious tribe of which I subscribe. And all this in the middle of a year in which Julie and I strategically decided against vacationing (the first of these in at least 5 years by the way). We chose to ride the rocket of the “busy” god, but someone had a different plan. A week to get away and not have to worry about the pursuit of education or ministry or bills or house sales and purchases. An assigned break from the “work of God”… imagine that.
I think I’ll just enjoy it.
So, today I’m going to go peer in on the lives of a few Amish pilgrims, Sunday I’m going to go visit one of my favorite communicators and in beween I think I’ll take a nap under the willow tree and eat raspberries from my kids great-grandparents’ garden. If that’s ok with you (there I go again)…
An assigned vacation indeed.
“only the labor of God’s appointment is truly commendable.”
Just a thought…
- Watchman Nee (The Spiritual Man, Vol. 1)
And so goes my struggles! The idolatry of “doing”.
Julie is driving and we’re being transported from hospitality to productivity (south to north) in a hunk of metal on wheels propelled by liquid that is extracted from below the surface of the Earth and injected into a plethora of parts designed to interdependently function as a vehicle to speed up time and allow us to pack more stuff into a life that is too short anyway. If you add up all the time that has been spent on building highways, designing engines, molding parts, and making money to fund all of this, has humanity really saved any time?
The idolatry of doing more is an ugly monster indeed.
This issue is especially sensitive to me this year as we are taking a new direction in life: selling our house and buying another, almost completely rebuilding our relational community, having a new baby and finishing a master’s degree. I have felt a little bit like the very vehicle in which I sit, being used up to get from one place to another. Poured out to speed up time and reach a goal. That was the life of Christ, you know. His was one of tremendous stress and activity. That’s why so many times in scripture He would intentionally separate Himself. He was somehow able to live in the truth that it didn’t matter if His disciples thought he was lazy or if the religious tribes felt that He was neglecting the idol of a “do more” spirituality. He simply knew that, for whatever reason, His Father built into the DNA of creation a shabot (Sabbath).
Sabbath does not mean we do less. I don’t think anyone reading this could honestly say that they are more productive than Christ, in His brief three year career of serving the Kingdom of God. No, indeed, it does not mean doing less. Instead it means doing less of the wrong things, which inherently means doing more of the right things. The greatest challenge is knowing the difference. Whether I’m praying and studying scripture or watching “WEST WING” and eating chips, I’m doing the same number of things. It is up to me to do the “right” things. God wants me to be a productive member of the Kingdom of God or else I would have passed into the afterlife long ago. So what is it that He wants me to do… today? The scriptures say it like this, “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which He prepared in advance for us to do.”
So off we blast in our hunk of metal to visit family that we may never see again and do a few fun things that will look like laziness to an idolatrous member of the religious tribe of which I subscribe. And all this in the middle of a year in which Julie and I strategically decided against vacationing (the first of these in at least 5 years by the way). We chose to ride the rocket of the “busy” god, but someone had a different plan. A week to get away and not have to worry about the pursuit of education or ministry or bills or house sales and purchases. An assigned break from the “work of God”… imagine that.
I think I’ll just enjoy it.
So, today I’m going to go peer in on the lives of a few Amish pilgrims, Sunday I’m going to go visit one of my favorite communicators and in beween I think I’ll take a nap under the willow tree and eat raspberries from my kids great-grandparents’ garden. If that’s ok with you (there I go again)…
An assigned vacation indeed.
“only the labor of God’s appointment is truly commendable.”
Just a thought…
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