CONVERGEauburn

the Season was here and we did not even know it...

2008-11-18T20:04:00.000-08:00

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

...the Christians all became Missionaries... Part III

2008-10-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

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?

Kevin's Journal and Alaska

2008-09-29T23:31:00.000-07:00

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!

...the Christians all became missionaries... Part II

2008-09-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

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.

...the Christians all became missionaries...

2008-09-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

"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:

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.

True to form...

2007-09-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

"...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...

The idolatry of "doing"...

2007-09-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

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…

That's What I Hear...

2007-08-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in the Tampa airport waiting for my flight home from my week at Southeastern. I had to fly this time because Tuesday we buried my 93 year old great aunt. What a life! She was born the year WWI began. Imagine that! She remembered more than most people have lived through. She was 15 years old at the stock market crash of the Great Depression. Although she made no significant nation changing contribution and her name will probably not find a home in any historical recording, She loved people just about as much as any human being I've ever known. And that makes her life significant. She was amazing at remembering dates, but mostly dates that related to births and deaths in her family. I think that was because people were important enough to her to create moments of significance when they transitioned in and out of life. Oh yeah, and names... I can't count the time when she used names in conversations and I had no clue who she was talking about. Maybe it lacked integrity for me to not ask, but I almost think it was more important for her to think that I knew exactly who she was talking about. It was just that critical to her.

As I sit here still trying to mentally recover from an extremely trying couple of weeks, the spotlight of my thoughts strikes my experience this week and how it will impact our community of faith (CONVERGE). The professor for the week was Dr. Mike Rakes. Most of you have heard about him, although you will not recognize his name. For those of you who have heard the story of the day that God transformed my life in chapel at Southeastern, Mike was the person God chose to use. I've never told him that that critical turning point of me deciding to serve God for Who He is and not for what I got out of serving happened because he was obedient to follow Christ with absolute abandon. This week I was able to share that story. What struck me was that his teaching and the process I've been through in discerning God's plan for me and my involvement in community is amazingly similar.

I've never studied that much on the transfer of a mantle (empowerment to do something for God) from one to another, but if I ever have any reason to believe that it's a spiritual principle, I will certainly think that's what happened that pivotal day in Bush Chapel. The work God has done in both me and Dr. Rakes is almost too similar to be coincidental.

So, what did God have this week for CONVERGE? Clearly affirmation and strength to pursue the vision that God has put on our hearts. Dr. Rakes references Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his absolute unwavering focus on God's call in his life. Sure, there's others we can point to, but Dr. King was committed to the point of dying for the cause for which God gave him to live.

I believe with all my heart that, just as God looked down to find Noah as his representative to carry his message to the other side of the flood, God is calling the CONVERGE community to carry His message to the other side of culture. I'm still not sure what all that means, but He is speaking too loudly to doubt this assignment.

When I spend time here each month, there is an unexplainable, yay supernatural, quality to the voice of God in my experiences, class time and prayer time. When the "white noise" of the daily grind is removed, the clarity of the voice of God is unquestionable. He is saying, "Kevin, I have called you to live in community with people who are going to make a significant difference in Auburn and Opelika. The borders of this influence will reach out much farther than you could possibly imagine. I have called you and you are mine. Follow with unwavering commitment and faith. It is critical that you know Me and those in your community of faith know Me. I am looking for people like you and the others who are willing to die for the sake of my Kingdom work in Auburn and Opelika." That's what I hear.

God, your will be done, your Kingdom come to Lee County as it is in Heaven!!

Just a thought...

Are faith leaders infallible?

2007-08-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

What do we do when a leader in church really messes up? It happens sometimes. So how do we respond?

We have a couple of options. We have a strong tendency to put church leaders up on really tall pedestals. Then when the pedestal tips over, we often back out of the way so as not to get squished when it lands. We don't want any guts to land on us when our dearly beloved leader crashes to the ground.

That's our first option — backing out of the way when our leader falls. We watch him or her fall from grace, alone and unaided. When we choose that option, it can lead down some ugly roads. We turn our backs on the person. We feed the rumor mill. We whip ourselves into a frenzy against him. How many pastors or other leaders have been run out of town when they committed a "biggie"? Or worse, how many still live in town but are rejected and hated? I've heard it said that the church is the only entity that kills its own wounded.

But the great news is that we have another option. When faith leaders fall, this is a huge opportunity for us to practice what we preach. Why don't we catch them in our arms and love them? Why don't we stand by them when things are bad just like we did when things were good? Am I saying to ignore the fact that they messed up and do nothing about it? Of course not. Some things must be addressed. It might be necessary for a person to step down from a position or take other action in response to their mistake. There are consequences to our actions, as there should be. But the consequences are not to include being rejected and hated.

This is true for "fallen leaders" who are Christians, but even more for leaders who are not. It won't be a shock to anyone reading this that "spiritual people" often respond in ways that have nothing to do with Christ. It can be very hard to deal with a person falling from his pedestal. But that's our own fault for putting that person up there.

We must recognize that our faith leaders need our prayer and support at all times, not just when things are bad. If we expect more out of them, then we need to invest more into them in the form of prayer and other support. Pray for their families, their jobs, their homes ... anything you can think of that will help them. When was the last time you asked your pastor what you could do for him, rather than calling him every time you needed something?

This whole Christianity thing gets twisted. We claim that we want to be just like Jesus Christ. Well, Jesus lived his earthly life as a servant. He loved people who screwed up. Look at the disciples. Sometimes he told them they were boneheads (I'm paraphrasing there). But he still loved them and supported them despite it all. If you're not a Christian, fine. But if you claim to be, let's practice what we preach. Let's do so even when our "spiritual giants" do not meet our self-imposed (and can we say selfish?) expectations of perfection.

From the Suitcase to the Throne...

2007-07-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

"Then the spirit of the Lord will come upon him mightily and you shall...be changed into another man." (1 Samuel 10:6)

If Saul's life would have ended as his kingship began, his story in the Bible would have taken on a very different character. It's one of the saddest stories in the entire scriptures. Most of the time we are learning what not to do when it comes to leading God's people, but what positive things can we learn from the life of Saul? How about taking a look at the beginning of his Kingship.

We are talking about a man who, like most Hebrew sons, had his mind set on following in the footsteps of his father. Kish was his dad, a Benjamite. Scripture says he was a "mighty man of valor". His son... Saul was his name and he was more handsome than any other man in Israel. It says that all other men came to his shoulders.

He was tending to his fathers livestock. As a matter of fact, some of the donkeys were lost and his father sent him to find them. He thought he was going to ask a "prophet" where they had gone, but God was really leading him on a path to receive a "word from God". The word was one he could hardly believe! "...the Lord has appointed you to be the king of his people, Israel!" We can only imagine the response that Saul had to these words. Of all the men of all the families in Israel, why him. Why one who so struggled with fear that he "hid among his luggage" when Samuel came to make his appointment public. How could one so insecure be called to such a position. He had tried so hard to live up to his good looks and stature for so long, but deep in his heart he knew the truth! He was a coward and weak willed. He knew they would reject him. And he was right. Scripture says he was "despised" and that when Samuel made the appointment public his friends "did not bring him any gifts" which was the customary way of affirming a public appointment.

But then there was the other group of men. The Bible calls them "the valieant men whose hearts God had touched". Oh, they were not only willing to believe that Samuel was hearing from God about this appointment, they were willing to follow Saul to his death! They weren't just taking Samuel's word for it. Oh no, they saw the difference in Saul. Not only did they "see" the differnce, but the "recognized" the difference. They said to one another, "We know God's hand is on this man because he has been changed". Only the man who has experienced the supernatural change can recognize one who has walked the same path. When one "whose heart has been touched by the hand of God" sees an aquaintance "changed into another man" an instant familial tie springs to life.

All the others saw the change too for the scripture says that the men were asking each other "What has happened to the son of Kish?" And so the man who hid among his luggage, fearful to even face a crowd of people who could reject him, became the man who could rise up in Holy anger, with the Spirit of the Lord upon him mightily, and confront those who were fearful of foreign invasion.

Did the fear completely subside as Saul made his way from the safety of his luggage to the throne? Absolutely not! As a matter of fact, as the Israelites realized that their backs were against the wall when the Philistines were pursuing, many of the Israelites were "hiding themselves in caves, in thickets, in cliffs, in cellars, and in pits. Also some to them crossed the Jordan intot the land of Gad and Gilead" in other words, they retreated. But not Saul! The man that once hid in his luggage "stayed" and all the people followed him... TREMBLING! How would you like to be the kind of leader that the people would follow even when they are trembling!

Isn't it a sad story that Saul so quickly turned back to trusting in himself instead of God. Let's not only start by being "changed into another man", but end that way as well!

Just a thought...

Kevin

following Him

2007-04-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

brief intro... i'm bethany, and for those of you who don't know me i'm a senior at auburn (but only for about 3 more weeks). i'm graduating in journalism and political science... and i love Jesus. those are the basics... so now i guess i'll just be offering some stuff God has been showing and teaching me for anyone out there who might be interested.

the message for a disciple of Jesus was simple: FOLLOW ME.
if you take a look at the life and ministry of Jesus, it wasn't exactly "well-organized." (not like the churches we have today.) He was anti-institutional and impractical. His methods for healing and spiritual disciplines were far from consistent. one day He's just speaking to a blind guy and he's healed, another time He goes to all the trouble to spit in the mud and put it on the blind man's eyes to impart healing.
the point is: Jesus didn't do this on accident. He knew that if He gave His followers a formula, then that's what they would follow. instead of following Him. if we had a recipe for spiritual success, we would simply use that instead of seeking HIM. the dependence would be on a system instead of a divine Person.
He says, "follow ME," not "follow my example," or "follow my methods."
Jesus was impractical because that's what He calls us to be. that's what a life of faith looks like.
when Peter was talking to Him about this after the resurrection, he was already getting sidetracked... asking about what would happen to john. Jesus said, basically, that was not to be peter's concern. "What is that to you? You follow Me!"
there is a difference between following Him and following His example. for the latter, my focus is set on my behavior... it's about what i do. but for the former, it is about being with Him. when i am following Him, i am in His presence, close enough to hear Him speak. HE is the object of my attention, energy, devotion.

As a Missionary, Your Preferences Mean Nothing

2007-03-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

I'll introduce myself. My name is Will Whatley. I'm a student pursuing bachelors' in philosophy and computer science at Auburn University, on the decade plan. I also work as a draftsman at a local surveying company.

Recently, I attended a conference whose purpose is to make people ready to plant churches. I came home to Auburn with a sense of mission I'd never had before. I think it was on offer three or four years ago, and probably before that, at a session of what I'm going to call the Show. (I suppose I just didn't love Jesus enough to give Him all of me.)

The Show is what one shows up for on Sunday morning or evening or Wednesday evening in the United States if one goes to church. (The church here is not the ecclesia Kevin was referring to in this post. It's a building and a performance with a small amount of audience participation. Food may be served.) The Show isn't bad. I consciously chose to follow Jesus Christ at an evening performance in August of 1995. It's just not life and has little to do with it.

But Christ says of himself that he came that men and women may have life-abundant, rich, pure life.

I'd never invite just anyone to the Show. It has some basic requirements beyond most of my friends, beyond most of the people I really like who aren't already regular attendees. There are also some value conflicts I've noticed--which are ok: "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh" after all.

It just seems to me that Jesus required only of folks that they be ready to take whatever the next step toward Him was for them.

I've experienced what seems like a lot of God's gifts*. You can argue, if you're into the whole materialism thing, that since I was born in the States I am eo ipso really well off. What I recall is those people who've made me a part of their lives and who've given up time to love me and build me up.

If I can share some of what I've been given, what I am still receiving, a portion of my purpose will come to pass.

Which brings me back to mission. A quotation from a pretty smart guy (I think his name was Greg) at that conference I went to sort of sums it up:

As a church planter, you are a missionary.

So far so good.

If you are a missionary, you are an amateur missiologist for your target people group.

(Try not to be distracted by the jargon. The next one's the kicker.)

As a missionary, your preferences mean nothing.

As I look at what I do with my passion, my time, my money, and my friends, it occurs to me that rather a lot of what I've been doing has been selfish. Self-centered. Myopic--that's actually a fun one because I am literally a myope.

So I pray you, Almighty, honored and glorious beyond measure or scope: make me like Christ when I rise and when I lay, when I bless and when I curse, when I hate and when I love. Amen.

*What everyone says who's ahead of me on pilgramage: "It keeps getting better." Paul's version of this is here.

What is IT?

2007-03-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

I have a good friend graduating from college in two months. I'll never forget that feeling of beginning a whole new phase of life as an adult. Some of you remember the agony and ecstasy of those weeks leading up to college graduation, not knowing if you were going to be in your current town or across the country. It's an intense sense of awe and wonder as you struggle with options, dreams and possibilities. My heart jumped for joy as I watched her struggle with the words to describe what God was doing in her soul. I knew that, although it was a moment of frustration laced with anticipation, it was also a significant moment in the life of a child of God! Oh, the possiblities of one who is willing to sell out completely for the sake of excellence and abandon to the work of God on planet Earth.

I want to take a moment to share some wisdom and experience concerning the rest of your days. This will prove helpful for anyone asking questions such as my friend, but will be especially relevant to those of you who have not quite settled into God's absolute best for your future. God has tremendous possiblities for you, no matter where you are in a journey of faith or circumstances. He wants to give you a future, not just worth living, but worth every ounce of energy you spend developing youself into a person who experiences abundant life!

Robert Louis Stevenson said, "To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive."

The first insight I'd like to share with you concerning the rest of your life is that you must know your ONE THING.

This can be very tricky for someone 22 years old (or in my case I was 25) just getting out of college. Experience helps direct you along your preferred future and if experience is lacking, the direction can seem fuzzy. Here is some things that might help you determine the ONE THING for which you were born to do. As you read this, remember that your blueprints look different than any other set of blueprints of any other person on the planet and throughout history. You are awe-inspiringly unique (Psalm 139:13-14).

Try not to focus on a location. Your ONE THING is often not a city or place.
Try not to focus on a specific career. In our career-oriented society we can get distracted from our one thing by the percieved urgency of beginning a pursuit.
Try not to focus on a person or people. From my experience, your ONE THING must be your ONE THING no matter with whom you may end up sharing it.
Try to focus on the thing that resides deep inside your heart and which, when tapped into, screams out, "You have got to release me because I am the thing you were born to do."

Now, I do know people who have discovered their ONE THING and it appears to be a location, a career, or a people. For example, one of my co-workers is certain that he was born to spend his entire career at one particular church. I also have a friend who was born with the capacity and passion to effectively teach children in the classroom. But still, when you dig deeper you'll find that my first friend was really born to shepherd a group of people over a long period of time. That's what he'd do if he had uneneding resources and absolutely no barriers. It just happens that this passion expresses itself in this particular church. My second friend, upon deeper investigation, loves children so much that his heart bursts at the idea of investing his entire life in their emotional health. It just happens to make its way out of him in a classroom. Don't get caught up in the details! Just work hard at this until you can define the ONE THING.

Secondly, once you know your ONE THING go to whatever lengths it takes to develop it until excellence is the only standard by which you can live.

Oftentimes, you may not have the opportunity to invest every minute of your life into actually doing your ONE THING. However, God has appointed you as responsible to invest in and grow in areas of your life that will help you to express that passion with excellence and effectiveness. I am utterly convinced as I've watched these principles play out in the lives of people over the past few years that as we invest in our passion apart from any tangilble rewards or immediate benefits, God will abundantly multiply our talents and gifts (Matthew 25:14-30). I am also sure that as we are faithful He will lead us into opportunities that would have never been available had we not invested that time and energy into growth. Here are a few practical steps you can take to invest in growth.

Read, Read, Read! Never underestimate the value of someone else's experience.
Spend as much time as possible with leaders that share your passions and gifts.
Invest in your passion wherever you can and at whatever level you can at any time you can!
While you wait and pray for opportunities, use the time wisely to grow in your passions and gifts.

Maybe you are not sure if you've been investing wisely in your ONE THING. AW Tozer gave us seven indicators of what we invest in most. Below you will see this list. Once you're sure you know what it is, honestly evaluate your investment using these indicators.

Rules for Self Discovery

1. What we want most
2. What we think about most
3. How we use our money
4. What we do with our leisure time
5. The company we enjoy
6. Who and what we admire
7. What we laugh at

A final thought concerning the rest of your life: along the journey you will have to pay a price in order to purchase the reward of a life well lived.

The late great singer/songwriter Rich Mullins said, "So go out and live real good and I promise you'll get beat up real bad. But, in a little while after you're dead, you'll be rotted away anyway. It's not gonna matter if you have a few scars. It will matter if you didn't live."

The road to fulfillment in life is not easy, as a matter of fact, it can be quite difficult. Our fulfillment is not about always doing easy things, it's about always doing the RIGHT THINGS. You may have battle scars, I know I do. You may experience some relational strife, I know I have. You may come out on the other side a little beat up, I know I am. But, if you stay faithful and follow God's work in your heart, you WILL find fulfillment and peace that may not be logical, tangible or even explainable. (Phil. 4:7 MSG) That's when you will find out that "what lies before us and what lies behind us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

I'm almost certain that my friend that's graduating in a couple of months will ask the right questions (she already is), will evaluate with the end in mind, will ask God to direct her in her decion and will make the right decision. My dream is that everyone reading this post will do the same. Stay the course!

"The place where God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." (Frederick Buechner)

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." (Howard Thurman)

Wrecking Ball and Maker of One...

2007-03-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

"Piece together these little mysteries It isn't hard to see the writing on the wall. Triumph and tragedy, only God can be Both the builder and the wrecking ball ."

These words come from the lines of a song written by Andy Gullahorn for his wife Jill Phillips which was recorded on her Writing on the Wall album in 2003. The lyrics reflect on the work of God in the life of a believer. Sometimes we sit "wondering why...He builds it up And He knocks it down Just to build it up even stronger." (aren't those tremendous lines?) Anyway, I have been meditating the last couple of weeks on how God is another kind of builder and wrecking ball. Ephesians 2:14-18 says it this way:

Ephesians 2:14-18 (MSG) 14 The Messiah has made things up between us so that we're now together on this, both non-Jewish outsiders and Jewish insiders. He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance. 15 He repealed the law code that had become so clogged with fine print and footnotes that it hindered more than it helped. Then he started over. Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody. 16 Christ brought us together through his death on the Cross. The Cross got us to embrace, and that was the end of the hostility. 17 Christ came and preached peace to you outsiders and peace to us insiders. 18 He treated us as equals, and so made us equals. Through him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father. (The Message, boldface mine)

Wow! What tremendous hope for us ALL! The language used in this passage absolutely makes my heart cry out! Now, we have to remember that this passage was written in the context of the New Testament Jewish/Gentile dichotomy. We also have to keep in mind that the new dividing wall was redemption in Christ as opposed to salvation through the Mosaic Law. However, I believe this passage gives clear direction as to how the church should respond to those who do not follow Christ. I'll be covering my insights over the next few blogs. The first one is listed below.

1. The Authentic Body of Christ will be made up of many different types of people.

Our finite minds can't comprehend the variety of people we will be with in eternity. Christianity has become a sub-cutlure in Western American churches. Subcultures are made up of commonalities such as language, dress, accepted behavioral standards, similar thought processes, artistic preferences (music, literature, etc...), and other elements that have little to do (in and of themselves) with Christ's work in the life of a believer. Rob Bell from Mars Hill Church says that if you want to get a taste of Western Christian sub-culture, just enter the lobby of almost any Christian bookstore in the country. How comfortable would your unbelieving friends feel perusing the aisles of a modern Christian bookstore? (don't get me wrong, I love Christian bookstores, one of my good friends, Cynthia, works at one)

Friend, there is good news! Anyone on the face of planet Earth can come to know Jesus Christ in the same way anyone else on planet Earth can know Him! Christian sub-culture separates us from those who are not Christ-Followers in the way that the dividing wall of the court of the gentiles separated the gentiles from the Jews in the temple. (See it Here...Read about it here) This is what Jesus is referring to in verse 14b. The dividing wall mentioned here was probably a short barrier about 5 feet tall that ran around the base of the 14 steps leading up to the temple proper. This wall marked the boundary through which gentiles were not allowed to pass...even those that had converted to Judaism! This was the area in which Christ turned over the tables of the money changers (Matt. 21:12).

Paul referred to Christ as a wrecking ball! He broke down the dividing wall and made the two one. But wait, how can He be a wrecking ball and the Maker of One? As he tore down the wall, he built up the Body of Christ. He expanded His Kingdom through Grace and acceptance of those who were very different...those on the outside! Shouldn't that be the response of a community of faith in 2007. Wide open arms just waiting for those who are very different to come running for embrace (v. 26b). The image of the Father in the story of the Prodigal Son just screams in my mind. EMBRACE!

So my question is this. What have I done this week to build up the dividing wall between myself and those who are not followers of Christ? What have the people of God done in the past 2000 years to create barriers for people to come to know Christ? There are enough barriers already in place that unbelievers have to overcome (pride, self-sufficiency, trusting good works, intellectualism, etc...) without me placing more 5-foot walls in their way. What are some of those walls we've built? This topic is for another post (and even the last one where I talk about the word church). You can probably come up with your own, but I'm thinking of things such as expecting people to clean up their act before they come to Jesus. I'm pondering why I would expect someone to be just like me in order to be a solid follower of Christ. Yes, there are attitudes and behaviors that the Holy Spirit will develop in followers over time (ie...Gal. 5:22-23), but that is the work of the Holy Spirit, not the work of someone like myself who is struggling with his own flesh and trying to figure out what a personal faith walk means.

My job is to simply embrace and serve ALL people, to be nurtured by those farther along than myself and to share my experience with those who are not quite so far along. God will take care of all the other stuff.

May the peace of the Builder and the Wrecking Ball rest upon your life...

Just a Thought...

Kevin

When Church is only a Word...

2007-03-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

Some of you know that my wife and I are going full-time with a new ministry project in Auburn, Alabama. As we are beginning to talk to a lot of people who are asking us what we are going to do, it has been a difficult journey trying to get our vision across without being forced into a corner that defines our work as just another new church in town. I don't mind being just another church in town to those who understand church to be the "called out people of God who share a life of faith together and encourage one another to do the hard work of building the Kingdom that God has assigned and equipped them to do". I am happy to be known as just a new church in town to the people who can comprehend the meaning as broken people who are a little farther along in the journey of faith living their lives in such a way that others can follow in their footsteps and find healing in the mercy of Christ. However, the people who comprehend church in those terms are few and far between...so why use the phrase if it's just another word?

Actually, no word is just a word! Words lend themselves to communication. Communication is not only words. As a matter of fact, words are probably the least important element of communication. Communication is not what I say (words), but how others hear it (understanding). This includes other elements, such as body language, past experiences, assigned meaning, etc... So, I've been a little confused about how to communicate the vision to which God has assigned us. I took some time over the past couple of days to try to figure out how to do that.

The word "church", as some of you know, is translated out of the New Testament from the Greek word ekklesia. That word comes from two words...ek, meaning "out from" and kaleo meaning "called out". The literal meaning of ekklesia is "those who are called out from". Well, interestingly enough, ekklesia (church) was a secular Greek term. It most commonly referred to a gathering together of citizens in a town for the purpose of taking care of public business. It was a relatively common word in New Testament culture. Jesus only used it two times to refer to his followers. The most familiar usage by Jesus was in Matthew 16:18... 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Now, this term had not at all been used as a religious term up to this point, so we have to understand Jesus' usage in the context of the Greek language during the life of Christ. It wasn't a magic term that Jesus pulled out of his hat to become a sacred word that could only be used by God's people. It was just simply a word! In light of this, we could assume that Jesus was saying something like this..."you are Peter, and on this rock I will gather my people together and the gates of hades will not overcome them." So Jesus used this term to refer to the gathering together of those who have been "called out from". Called out from what? Well, we're not really sure, but we have some clues. We know that Jesus had every intention to call people out of their old life and into a life of faith. However, I think maybe Jesus was talking about something else here.

Notice a very important word that comes just before the word church in this passage. The word is My (capitalized). It is almost as if Jesus is saying, this will be MY gathering of people. He was speaking to Peter who became the leader of the New Testament followers of Christ. The disciples experienced a gathering together every Sabbath (which by the way was Saturday at the time). What was Jesus talking about? I believe that he chose Peter to be the leader of a "new gathering". One that would happen outside of the current religious gatherings in the Synagogue. This "gathering" would not be one of religious people only, but one of Christ-Followers. I believe that Jesus appointed Peter to gather Christ-followers together outside the meetings of the Jewish Synagogue. Jesus was simply assigning Peter a task.

Now, to complicate matters, the word church stuck for the meetings taking place in the disciples homes. However, it eventually faded out of the Greek language. So...this word became known as a religious term only. A word that simply referred to a gathering together of a group of people began to take on a meanign of it's own. As time passes, the meaning of words changes. For example, the word target used to be an intended goal or something a person would aim for. Now it has an additional meaning. Some of you think of Target as a department store that is giving Wal-Mart a run for it's money. We assign meaning to words and that meaning often changes over time. So, what have we assigned to the word church?

At least in the heart of the South church often means a building, 11:00-12:00 on Sunday, a network of comittees who loosely work together to make decisions that direct a group of people, and various other things that are neither good nor bad. In some instances, those who have had positive experiences in the church percieve the word as a group of people living a life of faith together. However, most people who are not followers of Christ understand the word to mean the place where the dishonest preacher works (thanks to all of the media stories over the past 30 years), the place where you have to be like everyone else to fit in, the most boring hour of the week, or any number of negative thoughts and feelings.

You may understand that with a word that has become so complicated it is very difficult to cast a vision. The word itself can be a barrier blocking spiritually dead people from getting to Jesus (more on this in my next blog).

So what does a man do? Well, I'm going to try some different words. Do I dislike the word church? Absolutely not...it's one of my favorite words in the English language because it refers to the "bride of Christ", of which I am a part. Unfortunately, communication is not what I say, it's what others "hear". So, I'm going to try "community of faith" or "spiritual community" or something like that. If you have any suggestions please let me know.

Anyway, for those of you who hear me use the word church, here's what I mean:

1. Sharing Spiritual Life with others.

2. Sharing in the work of an active God.

3. Striving to understand absolute truth.

4. Living in Community with other believers.

5. Sharing transparent and open relationships with other believers.

6. Experiencing the creativity of the community in worship and learning.

7. Being spiritually relevant to those who don’t know Jesus

8. Having an open-arm stance toward ALL people

9. Being God’s Hands and Feet in our community, city and the world.

10. Creating an environment of hope for all who visit our assembly.

Now you know...

Oh and by the way, there's a few other meaningless absolutes that we've assigned to God's miraculous life-changing work on Earth. A few of those include...meeting on Sunday mornings only, building a life of faith together around one hour per week, living under harsh expectations for what we wear when the Body gathers together, etc... We're going to think about those things too.

What if serving God in community could just be serving God in community? What a novel concept.

Just a thought...

Kevin