Heart for Home Mission
Some good friends of ours posted a video of there last trip to Haiti in the last month. We watched it last weekend at ‘An Evening in Haiti’ where they shared there hopes for the future as Heart for Home Missions looks to be a long term missional presence there within the next year and a half. Our Hearts are with you Ricot & Mandy!!!
Missional Training Network: Cam Roxbrough and a Vision for the Future of Canada
I spent most of this afternoon in the basement of Gateway International Church where Cam Roxbrugh and a group of about forty of us sat and discussed a vision for the future development of a Missional Network Training center for the Calgary region. I say center meaning that of what its function and vision would be and not at all in the sense of a building or location. Actually, in truth, the location gathering point brings up an interesting memory as Gateway was not really wheelchair accessible so I ended up being carried down the stairs for the meeting. On one hand, I missed the prayer time before the meeting. However on the other hand, I spend a good portion of the time being carried down and up the stairs in deep internal prayer (“Lord, don’t let them drop me!”). All kidding a side, I am glad and feel very blessed that I still have friends who are willing to rip the roofs off of houses in order to get me in!
Cam’s vision for the next six months was quit exciting as he drew a diagram on the white board which was similar to Alan Hirsch’s five point radial illustration around the value of “Jesus is Lord” (Click Here). As we discussed each briefly we realized that we would need a great deal of more time to reflect on each position. That was the point! Once a month for six months we would gather to explore each value in an in depth and practical way. As per usual, I am jumping the gun and starting to hash through them already! Here are some first initial thoughts that have come to mind in my review:
Missionality
To large extent this was pictured as a center hub which was detailed as any and all conversational dialogue relating to its definition. Definement which itself, I think, is still being pieced together as we put it into practical action. What does it really mean to be missional?
I suppose in my own sense of the word it means to practically and contextually engage within the community you find yourself in with the intent of embodying the mind set, spiritual focus, and physical actions of Jesus. Whew! That seemed like a mouth full and in truth I sometimes find it difficult to put into practice. Let’s face it, when I am cut off on Deerfoot Trail by a lunatic who is trying to kill me my mind set usually goes out the window!
Missionality however seems to envision a reality founded in our journeying together towards a common reality. “The Kingdom of God is near.” We are close but, we are not there yet. I suppose you could say communally we are on a Mission. The mission of realizing the Kingdom presence which we have in each one of us and the realities it brings to the art of potentiality!
I suppose though the greatest question we need to look at is in asking, “What does it really mean to be a church within our specifically called communities?” “What does a functioning Missional community really look like?”
Passionate Spirituality
We pose the question within the context of our individual communities, “Do they experience the living presence of Jesus?” “Does the character and persona of Jesus exude from us as individuals? As groups? As communities?” These can be tough questions! Maybe not in our ability to answer then but, in the answers we have. I am sure in many cases we find connecting points where we can say “Yes, I think they do.” but, we might also find huge gaps where individuals or even groups just don’t seem capable of meshing together as one body in Christ.
Denominationalism is probably one of my favorite “Holy Discontents”. If we are so enamored with the unity Jesus embodied and the love which he shared in the acceptance of all, why do we struggle so hard in unifying as one community, one body? It seems to me that every time I tell some one that I am a follower of Jesus (a Christian) or I go to a large forum gathering of Christians the first question which is always asked of me is “What denomination are you?” Forgive me but, every time I hear that my first immediate response internally is “What does it matter?” Why are we always trying to box each other into neat little categories to which we can whip our hands clean of having any kind of personal and relational connection with each other?
Perhaps the question of “What is Spirituality?” is far more important to a person’s faith then “What church do you go too?”
Incarnational Living
in•car•na•tion \ˌin-(ˌ)kär-ˈnā-shən\ noun
(14th century)
1 a (1): the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form
(2) capitalized: the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ
b: a concrete or actual form of a quality or concept; especially: a person showing a trait or typical character to a marked degree 〈she is the incarnation of goodness〉
2: the act of incarnating: the state of being incarnate
3: a particular physical form or state: version 〈in another incarnation he might be a first vice-president —Walter Teller〉 〈TV and movie incarnations of the story〉
Merriam-Webster, Inc: Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. 10th ed. Springfield, Mass., U.S.A. : Merriam-Webster, 1996, c1993
I don’t know about you but I have always felt like this was self explanatory! However, in my maturity I have come to see the value of incarnational living becoming less and less appreciated. More and more I see people limiting their beliefs and responsibilities to a “manageable” level. Manageable in that they have little to no communal responsibilities and faith has become more about themselves then about how they care and build relationships with one another. I won’t say much more then that right now but I will leave it with a favorite quote of mine from Kathleen Noris:
“One so often hears people say, ‘I just can’t handle it,’ when they reject a biblical image of God as Father, as Mother, as Lord or Judge; God as lover, as angry or jealous, God on a cross. I find this choice of words revealing, however real the pain they reflect: if we seek a God we can ‘handle’, that will be exactly what we get. A God we can manipulate, suspiciously like ourselves, the wideness of whose mercy we’ve cut down to size.”
Intentional Community
I suppose I find it difficult to know what it is that Cam meant by ‘Intentional Community’. What do you think it means to be an Intentional Community? On the one hand, I can see a need or a calling for the community to move outwards by intentionally building relationships with those who might be considered outside of it. Building into these relationships with the intention of witnessing the kingdom of God coming from within them and being made visible through the rebirth of communal practices.
On the other hand, intentional community can seem to point towards the strength we can find through communal social action. We intentionally act as a community towards bringing the Kingdom of God near through non-violent practices. I remember a comment made last weekend at the Global Citizenship Conference where it was said, “There are two remaining super powers in the world. The United States and the General Public.” Maybe it is true and maybe it’s not however, we can recognize a great power to which we have in acting as one community, one body!
Transformational Discipleship
Discipleship it seems as a traditional point was practiced with the intent on “winning them to our side”. The transformation was more about whether they were going to heaven then are they living a Christ centered life today. This kind of discipleship seems out of balance. Yes, the churches are filling up Sunday morning but a good number of the people there do not recognize how their attendance relates to what they do throughout the rest of the week.
Even more so, discipleship seems to be projected more as a question of “How much of the Bible do you know?” rather then “When was the last time you went and fed the power?”, “How is it that you show your neighbor that you love them?”, or “Where is it that you seek justice?” Perhaps, that is where we can find the discipleship of the future!
Radical Stewardship
Global Warming. Environmental Catastrophe. Extinction. Social Insecurities. Poverty. These are some of the words which I think of when I consider the lack of stewardship we still demonstrate towards God’s creative genius. Let’s face it, the world is full of beautiful things and yet we seem intent on destroying it all in the name of ”My Rights!” My right to prosper over that of others. My right to self preservation over the life of others. My right to build into my own ego at the exclusion of everyone else. Does this seem “right”?
I think God calls us into a radical relationship which embodies social equities, environmental responsibilities, and holistic realities. I am sure it can be said that you can add to my list. What do you see in a “Radical Stewardship”?
Loving Jesus is the Core of Who We Are
Last Sunday Bonnie and I had the excitment to share our Expressions group with my three little cousins from northern Alberta. It was a small group this Sunday but that is ok. God still showed up! I video taped it so that my Uncle and Aunt would be able to see their expressions when they returned from San Antonio and their 20th Anniversary. I thought I would share it here too.
Expressions of Epiphany: Taking the First Steps
O.k. O.k. It has been awhile since I have had the chance to blog!!! In truth, I have a good reason! Actually, an excellent reason!! Expressions has been a dream Bonnie and I have had for some time and we are finally taking the first steps in making it a reality.
That is where my time has been going. I have been writing and developing a website for Expressions (Click Here) with the aid of my good friend David. As well as planning for the coming month and kickoff of our group starting this weekend. With that in mind, I am looking forward not only to the kick off this Sunday but also to hearing Brian McLaren speak at the First Christian Reformed Church here in Calgary on Saturday (Click Here for Details).
It wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t mention the excitement of having been able to see the Blue Man Group a few weeks ago. Bonnie got us tickets for my birthday and we both agreed that it was possibly one of the best shows we have ever been too. I could also really see what Leonard Sweet meant when I heard him speak on the effective ways in which we as a church can communicate with one another as the Blue Man Group communicated with the audience.
This past weekend I spent sometime at my Dad’s “Holy Rollers” church. I guess I was rolling in my own way (Ha, ha – if you know what I mean). In honesty, it was a great time of seeing what it really means to experience the joy of the Spirit! It reminded me of a poem a friend gave me along time ago.
“When God puts us back together again; (with the aid of our willingness to cooperate); this great church will be marked by; the dignity and scholarship of the Anglicans, the order and sacraments of the Roman Catholics, the warm fellowship of the Methodists, the Presbyterian desire for good preaching, the Lutheran respect for sound theology. There will be the Baptist concern for individual salvation, the congregational respect for the rights of lay members, the Pentecostal reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Quaker appreciation for silence. We will find there the Mennonitesense of community, the social action of the Salvation Army, the social justice of the United, and the Reformed love of the Bible, all wrapped in Orthodox reverence before the Mystery of God.”
Expressing the Music of Your Soul
“I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn’t resolve. But I was outside the Baghdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes. After that I liked jazz music. Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way. I used to not like God because God didn’t resolve. But that was before any of this happened.”
Donald Miller – ‘Blue Like Jazz’
Since I was a teenager I have always been drawn to the artistic abilities of Soul and Blues artists. I am not quit sure why but it is almost like there is something tangible behind the music itself. It gives a feel of raw emotion, a connectedness to the realities the artist is expressing. I can’t help but love music which you can tell is being created not just for the purpose of self seeking talents but, something more. Maybe something spiritual! Without the sense of the artists heart felt desire to express an inner burning which is meant to convert your soul, music ceases to be an art and simply exists as a monotone dribble of rhythm and noise.
Funny…When I think of the times the church attempts to engage in worship I find myself asking the most harshest of questions in terms of reality. Do we honestly express heart felt inner burnings with the intent of transforming ours or others souls? Are we willing to let the Spirit shape what our worship gatherings look like or do we simply rely on a monotone dribble of rhythmic tradition and predictable noise?
Picture it… It was dusty and dry as the hot sun beat down on Jesus and his followers while they walked into the town of Caesarea Philippi. At least, that is how I imagine it (Matthew 16:13-20). They all laugh out load with their chapped lips as Jesus cracks jokes about the day’s voyage and the heat. A hush falls upon them as Jesus turns in front and while walking backwards asks them with complete sincerity written on his face, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
His followers looked puzzled. What prompted Jesus to ask such a mysterious and loaded question! They stammered back with what they thought was the public opinion as they had encountered throughout the other villages, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Jesus then paused, looked around at them, and with his coffee auburn colored hair blowing across his face, his deep brown eyes centered on Peter as he asked again, “Who do you say that I am?”
What a profoundly deep and personal question to ask Peter and in some ways I can’t help but feel as though Jesus has not yet stopped asking the question to those who would listen. If we are to truly answer, we too like Peter, need to articulate it from a deeper soulful expression! One which is unreserved and without qualification. One which is filled with awe inspiring, spur of the moment, creativity, and with a subjectively personal manifestation of its internal existence!
When we are willing to allow ourselves to set our imaginations free, embracing an eternal centralization of God’s words within our hearts, and the courage to express them through our own subjective, dynamic, and culturally relevant ways; perhaps then we will truly be worshipping and expressing the music which is in our souls.
Newworldson – I Like Sweet Soul Music
Questions to the Contextualization of the Scriptures: How Does it Relate to Evangelism and Discipleship?
In Alan Hirsch’s and Michael Frost’s book ‘The Shaping of Things to Come’ they quote Charles Kraft’s four principles of contextualization in the Bible. Reflecting on their value I am left curious as to how they relate to evangelism and discipleship. What do you think?
“They are:
- The Bible goes considerably beyond revealing merely intellectual truth or information. It demonstrates how truth is conveyed. Says Kraft, ‘Our God… is mainly a God of dialogue who interacts with us.’
- God’s communication with humanity is depicted in the Bible as coming to humans in familiar, expected ways (though the message itself was often unexpected).
- God’s method of self-disclosure is demonstrated to be participatory.
- We observe God’s revelatory activity in the scriptures to be situation-specific.”
“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Questions of Church Planting: Focusing on Structural Dynamics
I have been trying to stay away from blogging for awhile so I can focus more on writing visionary work for our hopes of church planting. Lately, I have been turning my thoughts toward the structural dynamics of Epiphany Christian Fellowship and after conversing with a friend about it, he sent me an email with a number of questions to ponder with its regards to ECF.
I have found that some of the questions seem to rub off on me a little negitively with regards to their lack of missional conciderations and what seems like (C)hurch Organizational (Institutional) Structural underlying assumptions. But I guess, I do need to spend a little more time mulling them over these issues and yes, of course, praying about them. Perhaps though, within your own context, you might like to have a crack at them also. How would you answer these questions in your own missional and cultural contexts?
Winning People
- How are you going to get people to know about your church?
- How are you going to get them to come to some church activities?
- How are you going to get them to understand the essence of the gospel and to make a commitment to Christ?
Integrating People
- How are people going to find a place to belong?
- Where is there space to find Christian community?
Nurturing People
- What do you have to help people through the tough spots in life?
- How will you care for those in dysfunctions and addictions?
- How will you care for people’s souls?
Discipling People
- What will you do to help people understand what it means to follow Christ fully?
- What will you do to help people live in a Christian manner?
- What will you do to help people hear the voice of God and know his will?
Setting People Free to Minister
- How will you help people discover their ministry?
- What will you do to provide coaching and care for those in ministry?
- How will you go about training your leaders?
Transforming the World: It always starts with the Actions of One Person – Maybe It is You!
“Sometimes we don’t need another chance to express how we feel or to ask someone to understand our situation. Sometimes we just need a firm kick in the pants. An unsmiling expectation that if we mean all these wonderful things we talk about and sing about, then lets see something to prove it.”
As a kid, I remmember going to the movies a watching great characters like Zorro, The Count of Monte Cristo, Luke Skywalker in ‘Star Wars’, and modern day comic heros like Batman and Superman. I would come running out of the theater in a full blown emotional high! Why? I don’t really know, but there was something about the ideal pursuit of truth and justice in a world which was full of oppression and so many disheartening erroneous wrongs. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Have you ever felt this way?
It always strikes me that the characters we are drawn to in films, books, and other entertainment that always fires us up looking for change or something different in the world around us usually, indicate something we desire in our own life. A deep hiden ambition maybe to make a difference in our own communities but we are to affraid or maybe feel to inadequate or “alone” to take the steps in actually doing anything about it.
It is true. Transforming the World around us seems like an impossible pursuit when we percieve it as being something we have to do all alone. But, if we take it into a smaller context; say a country, or a city, or even just your local community; then we can really grasp it as a personal mission and most likely there would be others who could join with you in developing its outcome.
Jesus says in Luke 10:2, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Typically we have interpreted the harvest as being those who are not “inside” the church but what if that is not what Jesus meant? Jesus himself took the harvesters (the disciples) outside of the church (the temple) and put them to work according to the needs that the people had. In this same passage Jesus tells them “pray earnestly”, “Go your way”, “carry no baggage”, “speak peace be with you” to others, “remain” and “eat and drink” with others in the household, “heal the sick”, and most of all tell and show them that “the Kingdom of God is near”. This seems more like a picture of pursuing social and communal justice for all the people of the community.
It seems apparent that Jesus himself modeled this idea that transforming the world starts by the actions of one individual. If we are following him, we will find ourselves called in the same way in that we each can and should pursue the transformation of our own communities for its better reflection of God’s Kingdom.
So, “What does God’s Kingdom look like?” If we truly believe that Jesus is in our inner most core and his Holy Spirit is really directing and guiding our thoughts, passions, and emotions; perhaps it returns to that earlier question of why we feel such an emotional high when we come out of a really good movie. When you concider the heros you had in your youth, or even the heros you have today; when you see your community or your city acting inappropriately or not acting when they should, and your blood presure goes through the roof; what is it that you think Christ would do differently? Then, what is it you think you can do to change it? Perhaps, there is a good place to begin the pursuit of transformation.
“Jesus evidently felt deeply the emptiness and futility of much… religious talk. He was interested only in those emotions and professions which could get themselves translated into character and action. Words have always been the bane of religion as well as its vehicle. Religious emotion has enormous motive force, but it is the easiest thing in the world for it to sizzle away in high professions and wordy prayers . In that case, it is a substitute and counterfeit, and a damage to the Reign of God among men.”
Empowering One Another
“If you explore the life of things and of conditioned being you come to the unfathomable. If you deny the life of things and of conditioned being you stand before nothingness. If you hallow this life you meet the living God.”
Martin Buber
Several years ago I can remember reading a quote in Philip Yancey’s book ‘Reaching for an Invisible God’. He quoted Gregory of Nyssa at the end of a chapter saying “Concepts create idols, only wonder grasps anything.” Deep down I couldn’t help but feel as though we seem to have forgotten this fundamental truth. It seems more like we have so neatly packaged our church communities to be managed through methodological hierarchies so that if you maintained a certain degree of appearance you were considered “in” the church while if you did not measure up to a certain likeness you would find yourself on the “outside” of any church community and most likely, whether spoken or not, considered inferior to those who were in the church.
What happened to our wonder and awe at the amazing graces God worked through our dreams and passions? Have we so modernized the way “church” is done that we have forgotten God’s creative nature and his love for bringing out the redemptive power of grace through all people and cultures? I hope not.
In Acts 2:17-18 Peter quotes the prophet Joel saying, ““And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.” Peter’s and Joel’s prophesy was becoming a reality. Thousands of those who stood there before Peter were being thrust into seeing how their visions and their dreams were all apart of God’s plan. It was no longer about what the temple and priests could give them but, it was about how the kingdom of God was so very near to who they already were and were becoming. Their stories and testimonies were already describing the redemption and freedom Jesus was offering everyone through the power of the cross.
Bringing the gospel to others today is no different then it was two thousand years ago. James Kouzes wrote that, “People already have tremendous power. It is not a matter of giving people power – it’s liberating people to use the power and skills they already have. It’s a matter of setting them free, of expanding their opportunities to use themselves in service of a common and meaningful purpose. What is often called empowerment is really just letting people loose, liberating them to use their power.” This is the story of the gospel at large. If we are to empower others, then we need to recognize and acknowledge the power to which is already in and working through their lives. Namely the presence of the Holy Spirit as we see him in their dreams, passions, and visions towards kingdom building. As we join relationally in that work with them we can begin a discipleship centered on Jesus as it is expressed through a communal relationship rather then individualistic gain.
How can we do this in a practical sense? Covenants are perhaps one of the best examples given throughout scripture which unit both God and people as well as people with other people. God created a covenant with Abraham to bless him and his people (Gen. 22:15-18) which united them eternally (Ps. 105:8, 10; Isa. 54:10) and was continually referred back to throughout the story of the gospel (Isa. 51:2; Acts 7:2-3; Heb. 11:8).We as Christ’s followers share in this covenant anew through our discipleship of Jesus (Rom. 11:25-36) but it must be affirmed through a personal and intimate commitment. It is in essence a covenant we personally write ourselves to and with God. When we are in covenant with God we naturally become committed to one another regardless of recognition or not as Paul says in Romans 11:28-29, “As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
With All of Your Soul – Faith Lived Out Through Holistic Practice
Ed Stetzer writes in his book ‘Planting Missional Churches’ that, “The most surprising news of postmodernity is that postmoderns are on a ‘spiritual search and not an intellectual quest.’ They’re willing to take that quest with Christians, if we’re genuine and live a holistic faith.” This is not a new concept which he is acknowledging but rather a reawakening of what Jesus was asking of us when he said to love God with all of our soul.
Harper’s Bible Dictionary articulates that by asking for the individual soul’s expression of love, “God expects to be loved with the totality of one’s being” A totality which includes ones mind, spirit, and body. Paul Achtemeier was quoted writing, “Generally, the Bible suggests that humans have visible and invisible sides. The terminology, however, is mixed: on the one side, ‘flesh,’ ‘body,’ ‘members,’ ‘outer person’; on the other, ‘soul,’ ‘spirit,’ ‘mind,’ ‘inner person.’ And the two suit and interpenetrate each other, so that physical organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys, and bowels function on behalf of the inner consciousness. The brain does not get the credit modern science gives it, and clean distinctions among thinking, feeling, and willing are absent (e.g., the heart thinks and wills, as well as feels).”
The church traditionally seems to lean heavily on the need to follow Christ from an internal or invisible standing. It would rather promote intellectual exercises of knowledge building and spiritual developments toward worship practices. They would ask members to take part in ‘Spiritual Gift Networking’ classes and to take part in activities centered on prayer groups and Bible Studies; all of which have value and are apart of the soul but they seem to miss the very physical identities and needs that each person encounters as a whole complete being.
The church today in essence seems to have fallen pray to the same temptation that the early church in Corinth did by believing our physical bodies and its properties too have little to no value and instead abuse them without care, expecting Christ like transformation only to be spiritual and internal in nature. Bruce Winter describes the Corinthians saying, “Being people of the spirit, they imply, has moved them to a higher plane, the realm of the spirit, where they are unaffected by behavior that has merely to do with the body.” Paul’s answer is quick and to the point, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
If we are to love God with all of our soul it must be embraced through a holistic practice of caring for, training, equipping, and worshiping him through every part of our being: Body, Mind, and Spirit.
With All of Your Heart: Seeking Christ Like Character From the Inside Out
“The heart is the center of emotions, feelings, moods, and passions. Equated with the heart are joy (Deut. 28:47; Acts 2:26), grief (Ps. 13:2; Lam. 2:11), ill-temper (Deut. 15:10), love (Phil. 1:7), courage (2 Sam. 17:10; Ps. 27:14), and fear (Gen. 42:28).” The heart of an individual defines both the positive and negative psyche he or she may experience through life and is not the bubbly wishy washy moments which to often are expected by many Christians. God loves and wants to know every deep inner part of you including the ups and down moments which seem toughest to experience.
The Psalmist David was quick to share the times of anger and frustrations which he experienced while running from King Saul in the wilderness. At the same time, I imagine Moses arguing and pleading with God over the frustrations he experienced while leading the Israelite people. In my own life, it is difficult to acknowledge the battles and struggles over being in a wheelchair to which I face daily, however, I know God is right there beside me as I weep and push on.
In his book ‘Fan the Flame’, Joseph Stowell says the “Heart is used in Scripture as the most comprehensive term for the authentic person. It is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide. It has been described as “the place of conscious and decisive spiritual activity,” “the comprehensive term for a person as a whole; his feelings, desires, passions, thought, understanding and will,” and “the center of a person. The place to which God turns.”
Loving God with our hole heart means we are acknowledging and embracing him first internally through each moment being lived out with truthful emotion, passion, desire, and a deliberate conscious effort to acknowledge and engage with his presence with a spirit of authenticity at all times.
Loving God: Pursuing His Utmost With Our Utmost
At the core of all things Jesus tells us that we are to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Love at first seems a simple term however; the love that Jesus describes seems to be lost in the translation.
By the English definition love is described as a “strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties or affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests.” This kind of love seems tied to an understanding that it is a reactional response to something which is mutually experienced, beneficial or acquired between two individuals. Love is something which is earned through a relational development rather then a characteristic which is always present.
Although often interpreted this way by many unsuspecting believers this is not what Jesus meant when he called us to love God. The love which Jesus asks of us is in the Greek form of ἀγαπάω love which has the deeper meaning of “a God like love that loves regardless of the circumstances, a deliberate love that decides it will keep loving even if it is rebuffed. We are challenged to live out the highest love and to do so with the highest sincerity. Our love is to be genuine, not counterfeit.”
This is a love which seems most difficult to instill in the hearts of many people today. It is as though we do not trust that it has already been created within us. With the wear and tear of a consumeristic, competitive, self driven, and fallen society we have callused the relational sides of our hearts and hidden, even from ourselves, our own identities of ἀγαπάω love and the connection to which it gives us to God. In spite of this, the apostle Paul is still right in saying, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” We may hide from the love which is in our hearts but love is always present. Jesus knew this and calls us to acknowledge, revel, and bring that love to the surface of everything we do.
Mrs. A. E. Janzen describes the story of a college professor by saying, “A college president not long ago made this arresting statement to a class of graduating seniors: “It gets easier and easier for man to dominate his universe … and harder for him to dominate himself.” He went on to say, “It matters little what you learn or express if in the end you cannot find some ways of working things out with your neighbors.” We cannot dominate the universe, but, with God’s help, we can dominate ourselves.”
Similarly, Michael Frost quotes Vaclav Havel, “There is such an enormous gap between our words and deeds. Everyone talks about freedom, democracy, justice, human rights, and peace; but at the same time, everyone, more or less, consciously or unconsciously, serves those ideals only to the extent necessary to defend and serve his own interests, and those of his group and state. Who should break this vicious circle? Responsibility cannot be preached: it can only be borne, and the only possible place to begin is with oneself.”
Both Janzen’s story and Vaclav’s articulation point to the truth that love is not something which we can earn or acquire from God or others but is rather a conscious choice which we are free to express starting solely within ourselves. We are free to express love by choice and are not confined to expressing it through a consumeristic “what do I get out of it” mentality.
Loving God first starts by the words and deeds we begin within ourselves allowing others to see the transformation to which we experience and freeing them to recognizing God’s love within them. It starts by loving God with all of our heart by seeking the incarnation of Christ like character from the inside out and then extending that love outwards to all of our soul by living faith as a holistic expression of who God created us to be.
Reflections to ‘The Gathering’: Who Are the Nicodemus’ of Our Society Today?
This morning I read a terrific blog entry by Scott a recent church planter here in the Calgary area as he shared a radically different picture to what the gathering looks like. I quote:
“The gathering begins as this odd assortment of people sit in a large circle (the people consist of the homeless, students, proffesionals, christians and non-christians). Everyone is made to feel welcome and new folks are warmly introduced and invited into the community. A song or two usually kicks off the evening as someone plays the piano and everyone sings a classic hymn. My uncle then opens with a corny, cheesy joke and then tells stories and illustrates the gospel and God’s truth through real life events. A prayer closes the evening and then everyone takes their place for the evening to serve and minister to those who need food and shelter.” (Click Here for the Full Article)
What a great picture of the gathering!!! Seeing this kind of view to encountering fellow travelers at the well, I can’t help but feel a connective significance to the character of Nicodemus in John 3 and the wonderful sense of freedom, grace and acceptance he must have felt with Jesus and the other disciples.
Of course I then find myself asking the question; if I am in the “temple Pharisee” of today (as Hirsch would say a “bounded set church” rather then a “centered set church”) what answer shall I give Jesus when he calls for me to be “born again” and join in the gathering of Christ followers? In truth, like Nicodemus, my heart leaps with excitement and anticipation yet at the same time I stumble in fear at the thought of my family and friends reactions not to mention the uncertainty of any future realities!
My fear comes from this sense that any kind of open view of worship, like that which was expressed above, would be found to radical and push me to the boundries of unacceptance in the community I am already in. At the same time I see and recognize those who long to free themselves from these bondages of “atractional church” yet are unsure or unaware of anything outside of the acceptable model to what it means to be a Christian.
In honesty, I can’t help but wonder if many Nicodemus’ like myself exist in the church today (both in the shape of church staff and “laymen”) but, are unable or unwilling to take the next step because of that fear as to how wives, children, family, frinds, and even Church community, will react. Perhaps, they might even find themselves practiceing some form of twisted missional emergent “ministry” under the umbrella of the name and logo but, find its freedoms still within the confines of bounded set church expectations; either unware by delussional practice or acknowledged without the ability of knowing what they themselves can do outside of their scholarly traditions. Admittingly, I can see this as part of my own fears.
Dispite the fear, my heart also leaps at the excitment of letting go of all the “church” baggage and truly seeking out a missional calling and what it means to be a follower of the incarnational Christ. It brings this glimps and sweet taste of seeing everything as new and “real” in every sense of the word while giving a true sense of purpose and directional fulfillment. The diversity of encountering God’s creation and interacting and connecting with people and the environment is no longer limited by the burdens of self impossed expectations or outer obligations and instead is given a freedom to relational interconnection through the human condition and the journey of mutual Christ centered salvation.
No wonder Nicodemus and those who spent time with Jesus so long ago could not wait for his return! No wonder that in the authentic gatherings of today we still sense that awsome encounter and foster that longing and desire for Christ’s return! How glories and wonderful that Gathering will be!!!
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”
Conversations with God: When was the last time you spoke with him?
“Alternative Worship Movement, of which I am generally deeply appreciative, one of the tasks of the church in a postmodern context is to make ‘sacred spaces’, places filled with rich and fresh symbolism expressed new forms of media, where people can reconnect with God in new ways. And this all sounds right. But when this impulse is divorced, as it often is, from the overarching task of mission (and that of missional contextualization) then it simply becomes another way in which we separate the sacred from the secular.”
Alan Hirsch – Click Here for the Full Article
Have you ever noticed how easliy the prophet’s in the Old Trestament seem to speak and conect with God in dialogue? No matter where they may be or even how emotional or unrestricted and uncensored their language is, people like Moses, Samuel, Jerimiah, and Elijah just speak openly and freely with God as if he was standing there right there beside them and engaging right along with them. Why then do we today insist that prayer is rationalized down to a specific methodology? As though it can only be done if I assume the correct positioning, follow the correct formula, pick the right times be it in the morning, before bed, and before meals, and of course “seal the deal” by saying the correct closing words of “in Jesus name I pray”. Why do we restrict ourselves from acknowledging God’s presence outside of the religous activities of what we consider church practice? Shouldn’t we be able to freely engage in conversation with God wherever we are without restraint?
Last night my wife Bonnie and I watched a movie 
called ‘Conversations with God’. It is a biographical picture of a man named Neil Walsch who after going through a horrific car crash, began to hear and engage with the voice of God. At least in his understanding. Yes, I know, Neil Walsch is a known leader of New Age thought and a great distance from any Christian circles but, I couldn’t help but identify with the message in the film that deep down we all desire for a close, intimate, and personal conversation with God.
In the gospel of John Jesus says in one of his final prayers before going to the cross, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3) I remmember Lynn Anderson in his book ‘They Smell Like Sheep’ telling the story of how shepherds didn’t have to place fences around their sheep in order to keep them from getting mixed up with other heards. The sheep were simply so familure with their shepherds voice that when he would call for them they would recognize him and instantly search him out.
Likewise, the more we openly engage in a intimate, personal, and unrestricted conversation with God, the more we familurize ourselves with his voice and can grow closer with him in relationship. We can know God more by sharing everything from our thoughts on the last sports game we watched, to our reflections on the person we met on the city transit the other day, and our specific concerns or joys that we experienced towards our friends or family.
Conversations of course also go both ways. We can be attentive to listening to God as he responds to the things we are talking to him about. This can be a tricky and dangerous thing of course. How do we know that it is God who is responding to us and not simply a self delusion or worse, a demonic elerment? I’m no expert in this area but here are some things to which I always reflect on before discerning wether or not it is God speaking to me or not.
- Does this response seem to be reflected in the scriptures of the Bible?
- Does it match up with the character of Jesus in the New Testament?
- Can I sense it as being outside of my own interests and objectives?
- Do I feel the need to transform my actions or thoughts within that moment to better reflect what God may have been saying to me?
These are by no means the reflections of an expert and I am sure later I will probably think of a few other questions I ask myself when reflecting on whether or not it was God who was speaking to me.
The film ‘Conversations with God’ brought up one other really interesting point that I am not even sure they meant to articulate. Neil Walsch didn’t really begin to hear the voice of God until he was at his perhaps, lowest point. Sometimes I think we are perhaps so distracted by the busyness of our lives or our own personal sufferings and struggles that no mater how loud we scream for God’s response, we simply cannot hear his response to us. In my own case, it wasn’t until I was willing to stop and let go of everything that I was doing before I could finally hear God speaking to me. It is perhaps in the lowest of our low moments that we can truly hear a whisper and begin a new conversation with God.
“Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Allelon Conference: Alan Hirsch’s 6 Values to Missional Church
I spent the last week in Vancouver where I had the opportunity to listen to some of the brightest minds in Missional Church thinking including Alan Roxburgh and Alan Hirsch. It was all apart of a conference being held at the University of British Columbia called the Allelon Conference. Dispite the physical challenges I faced while being there it was a great time to make new friends and connections as well as engage in a dialogue about what it means to be a missional church and a Christ follower.
There was so many things that were discussed over the three days that it is difficult to know what to write about now. However, a great deal of my time was spent listening to the values and points Alan Hirsch brought to the table. For that reason I thought I would share six of his values behind the Missional Movement; a design which consists of six points around a centralized identity.
Centralized Identity and Core Value: “Jesus is Lord!”
Igniting someones faith and leading them to a discipleship of Christ needs to be easily transfored. It is easy to put this value into words however, we always seem to bring our own judgments into any real relationship rather then the grace which Jesus would bring. Effectively though, if we put our own judgments to the criteria of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus we are in esseance removing Jesus from our core value and replacing him with the image of ourselves. That would be idolatry at the worst.
In all contexts, situations, and conditions Jesus must always be central to anything we do, say, or bear witness too.
Disciple Making
It was discussed that the church as a whole needs to raise the bar on discipleship and lower it on churched activities. Discipleship taking shape in both a pre-conversion and post-conversion.
Most interestingly, Alan sees discipleship as being our walking along side others while attempting to help them make there own God given dreams and visions come to be a reality. These dreams and visions are of course apart of all of us whether we recognize Christ’s calling in our life or not.
What I question is how we can develop each others visions to see outside of our own objectives. It seems risky to develop our own or even others dreams and visions when they are based on self interested goals or benifits. How can we encourage others (especially those who do not acknowledge Jesus as there Lord and Savior) to see those dreams and visions outside of their own objective goals and benefits?
Incarnational Missional Impulse
The church is Missional in that it sees itself as a sending of people. Being a sent people seems to take two shapes in my view. First, we are sent in the sense that we need to move out into our communities and be seen as part of the social environment which is not restricted to the centralization of a church building. Secondly, we are sent in the sense that we acknowledge the cultural and social environment we find ourselves in, to be the society in which God has called us too.
Alan utilizes his missional values through the exercising of communitas and luminality within a community. In short translation; when a small group is placed in a challenging, externalized, social environment and given a mandate of being a coopertive missional and transformational element within it (luminality), it then can forge and develop its own cultural and social identity which develops greater communal ties between each other and Christ (Communitas). This same idea of communitas and luminality reminded me of Erwin McManus’ Velocity principle in his book ‘The Unstoppable Force’.
Ultimately, it is hoped that the gospel would not be brought to a specific culture but, that a specific culture would shape the gospel. When we think of the image of Christ given in Phil. 2:1-11 it seems that Jesus would rather do the same as he took on the image of humanity in order to bring salvation.
Apostolic Environment
APEST is an acronym which Alan uses to describe the spiritual gifts which seem prevalent in any movement. It stands for Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherding, and Teacher. It is not meant to be gifts which are solely found in one member but gifts seen amoung many members of a movement. At the same time, all these gifts must be present if a movement is going to be successful.
Organic Systems
This is a view of simplifying the church. Discipleship as well as the equiping or empoering of Christian followers takes on the image of a multiplicational value. As Alan Hirsch states it, “It must act like a virus.” So that as one follower empowers two-three others it grows like a wild fire within its community.
Small Group or Communal Life Style Covenants is a way in which this organic value can be expressed through the communities culture. Alan gave two examples:
T – Together we Follow
E – Encountering the Bible
M – Mission
P – Passion for Jesus
T – Transformation to Discipleship
The other example was from Micheal Frost’s book ‘Exiles’:
B – Bless X3
E – Eat X3
L – Listening (1 Hour/Week)
L – Learn
S – Sent
Covenants can be simply designed however it seems difficult to convince others to agree to sign in agreance with them. I’m not sure why that is. Perhaps, because of the influence of North Americans value towards independence and the “right to do what I want to do.”
Communitas/Luminality
As it was described earlier, the value of Communitas and Luminality becomes a driving force behind a churches missional movement. In greater detail, as each smaller group develops a sense of communitas they begin to articulate their own stories and narritives which can then be shared with others in the community reminding them of their own walk of faith.
This sense of personal narritive seems to give me a new impression of what it means to share your testimony. Traditionally, testimonies were about how you came to be in relationship with Jesus. As though after telling it you had completed a methodological practice. This new sense of sharing a communal narritive though makes testimony a sharing of life experiences; one which has yet to be completed in the bigger picture.
Communitas also seems to really narrow the focus of the church to pursue geniune community transformation. It gives each member of the church body a greater sense of purpose and belonging as well as a feeling of fulfillment in both who God is and who they are themselves.
Culminates into Apostolic Genius
This was one area where we did not have time to really articulate. I would be interested in just what Alan Hirsch means by this principle and I am hoping to find more about it as I read his book ‘The Shaping of Things to Come’.
The Allelon Conference was a lot to take in over the past week and given me many ideas to which I would like to share with my group in September. Of course, time and space do not permit me the ability to write about all of it here in this article. To close I will leave a few links bellow to which I have just become aware of.
Fathers Day Tribute
A couple years ago my dad wrote a article for his church’s newsletter. After reading it again recently I tried convincing him to start his own blog. It was a no go. I suppose you can’t teach an old dog new tricks after all! Ha ha, Just kidding Dad!
Anyways, this Father’s Day I thought I would post his article for all of you readers out there. Happy Fathers Day Dadio!!!
Fathers Day
Further to last month’s article, I continue with the promise of men committing themselves to building strong families.
Twenty or so years ago I was under the impression that “Fathers’ Day” was a day for my children to put me on a pedestal, shower me with gifts and praise, and a day where I could do as I please. As I’ve matured (no, I’ll never admit to having grown up!) my view on the “day” has changed considerably. God has blessed me with children and with that blessing comes incredible responsibility and obligations that are very clearly set out in the bible.(Eph 6:4, check your concordance for others). Though I will always take the presents (told you I haven’t grown up), I now view that day as a time to do a self-performance appraisal on how good a father I’ve been over the past year. The standards set are high.
I want to talk to you men about one of the most important aspects of our relationships with our children; that would be your role as an encourager. Are you more pessimistic than optimistic; more discouraging than encouraging; more focused on correcting behavior than supporting proper behavior? The impact of your actions as a role model and character shaper can be immense in this area.
Encouragement is vital for life and relationships. It revives and refreshes, renews and gives strength. It’s been compared to high-grade fuel; it takes the “knock” out of life. It brings hope, strength and growth in people’s lives. Heb 3:13 states “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (also see Heb 10:24-25) Those closest to us crave our unconditional approval and encouragement. Dr. Barry Braselton (children’s’ hospital in Boston) says, “that the bond between father and child is one of the most powerful and complex. We may look to our mothers for unconditional love, however, we often seek to validate our existence through our fathers.”
We discourage others in at least 4 main ways; curses, gossip, hurtful criticism and slander.
We utter curses through name calling (stupid, idiot, loser, …), negative nicknames, saying he/she is lazy, untrustworthy and comparative comments like ‘Why aren’t you like __”. Consistently used, the receiver will believe what is being said and he/she will live out what they are being told. Webster’s defines a curse as “a calling on God to send evil or injury down on some person or thing.” We need to release the person from the curse by immediately asking the person for forgiveness and seeking forgiveness from God by confessing it.
Gossip is generally designed to hurt/injure the reputation of the person being spoken about. It is sin and what most people don’t realize is that it damages the gossiper’s reputation as well. In Christian circles we can see gossip passed through ways such as, “Would you join me in prayer for __”
Hurtful destructive criticism tears down a person; it does not build them up. Potshots from the sidelines create unrest and unhappiness in those around you. Constructive criticism is delivered directly, in love and designed to build up and encourage. If you are a critical negative person life will treat you in kind. On the other hand, if you have the joy of the Lord, the joy you share with others will be returned to you.
We slander others through complaining about them; carrying stories that make others look bad, judging their motives, and speak against them by tearing them down rather than building them up. `James (probably my favorite book) 4:11 says “Brothers do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it……. There is only one lawgiver and judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you – who are you to judge your neighbor?”
Our cursing, gossip, criticism and slander will bring untold misery to the lives of those we want to malign and speaking against others will come home to roost. Look up what Mathew 7 has to say about what happens to those who judge others.
To this point I’ve not referenced my principle bible reference: James 3. I’ll just give you parts of it but please read it and pray it. “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” Paraphrasing; ‘we can tame all the animals but not the tongue’ and ‘we praise God and curse man with the same tongue.’
When we say mean hurtful things about others we are saying them about the Lord. Mathew 25:40 “….. whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” is usually referred to in the context of doing good, however, the negative also applies. Next time you find yourself about ready to curse, criticize or slander someone, picture Jesus.
Learn to discipline your tongue and never speak when angry. Pastor “R” gave you some biblical references for this so I’ll give you a couple of secular comments; “Never break the silence unless you can improve on it.” And “Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.”
Back to Father’s Day. No one knows your tongue better than those closest to you. Do you talk too much? Do you pass along choice things about others? Do you have a sharp critical tongue? Are people, your wife, your children, built up and healed or hurt and crushed by your words? Are you teaching your sons (mothers – your daughters) to respect women (men) in the way you talk and treat your wife (husband)? Are you setting them straight if they show disrespect for their mothers? What example are you setting? Are you teaching your children to; hurt or heal, slander or serve, break down or build up, or curse or bless?
My daughter, Meaghan, was born with crossed eyes. She required corrective surgery and still wears very heavy corrective lens. When she was young we would spend hours outside looking at the stars and talking about traveling to the planets and galaxies. She dreamed for several years of being an astronaut. In grade 7 Meaghan’s class was studying astronomy and she shared her desire to be an astronaut and visit the stars. The teacher laughed at her and told her astronauts required perfect vision and with her eyes her desire was hopeless. After that day, Meaghan lost all desire to be an astronaut or to spend time watching the stars. I was never able to undo the damage done by those words issued by that teacher.
Other references to pray about; Prov 18:21, Mathew 18, Mathew 7, and 1Peter3:8-12
The Promise Keepers Conference is the two days before Father’s Day. It is a conference sponsored by PK but run by God. You will come back a better Christian, a better husband and a better father. Tell God why you can’t go. Mathew 26:40-41.
Jim Freiburger
Competing in the Race: Don’t Get Cought Up on the Sidelines
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
I can remember growing up and competing in just about anything that was related to sports and athletics. I tended to be quite the jock and it didn’t matter if it was a school tournament or a local church soft ball game; I played as if it was the World Series Championships! In truth, I can remember playing basketball and stating that, “If you can’t compete, get off the court!” Competition had a much different meaning to me back then.
So then when someone would talk about racing, it meant that you had to be the fastest or at least appear as though you train to be the “best” super athlete that you can picture. I can’t help but think that this is where we first go wrong when we think of the competition or race that God first calls us too.
Competition in God’s eyes seems more about training and sharpening our own abilities to succeed and run the race in spite of our own challenges both in the physical sense and unseen realms. It was never meant to be about defeating or over coming others whether it was school friends or the self imposed super athlete. It was about taking who you are holistically in the here and now and propelling it to new levels of abilities and self understanding.
The apostle Paul calls us to run the race as to win an imperishable prize. Imperishable because the reward we receive is not one that we can see outside of ourselves but internally as we recognize Jesus’ Spirit continually transforming us as our bodies become stronger, our minds sharper, and our spirits lifted to unmeasurable hope and joy. This is the spirit of inspiration that we see in our friends, coworkers, and the people around us as they pursue their dreams and overcome the individual challenges that they face while running the race of life. This is the spirit which we can allow to flood our hearts and make our blood flow as we too face our challenges as we race with and not against our brothers and sisters, our neighbors, and our friends!
This past weekend I had the opportunity to be with some of the 
super athletes in my life. Friday night was Mike Zunic’s first time racing his new dragster at Race City Speedway. He is supported by the Parkinson’s Society as they are calling this summers tour ‘Racing for a Cure’. Mike, himself, battles Parkinson’s Disease which causes him to face challenges in his motor control as well as difficulty in speaking. In spite of these “thorns in the flesh” Mike races not just for the righteous pursuit of a physical cure but in the fulfillment of a life long dream which no doubt is inspired by a deep convicting faith in Jesus Christ. His racing and traveling to speak to others who face similar battles mirrors the warriors of those who in scripture ran from town to town crying “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” The world may cry that defeat leads to death but the runners of the New Testament and Mike know that defeat only leads to Resurrection!
On Sunday my friend Jeff Keop also ran a race of his own in the ‘Mother’s Day Run and Walk’. 
To look at him you would never know that three months ago he had to undergo back surgery as he was unable to walk without serious chronic pain. So much so that he was confined to a bed. In spite of these challenges Jeff is inspiring not only himself to run the race but 40 of his patients which he has in his chiropractic practice. God’s Spirit pours out of him as he brings his faith everyday to the office and communicates holistic healing not just through his words but by the model he exemplifies within his own character.
Running the race is not always going to be on the easy road. We cannot allow ourselves though to be diminished or eliminated from the race simply because we choose to disqualify ourselves out of either self pride, lack of humility, or even self loathing. Running the race is not something we can do from the sidelines! We need to ask ourselves; what is the race that God is calling me to? How is it that I can use and improve my abilities to not only build myself up physically, mindfully, and spiritually but also inspire others to enter the race with me? Am I being all that God created and meant me to be?
I suppose that is enough writing for now. I need to go for a run!!!
“Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the hole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.”
Why Church Plant?
From a Biblical Stance it seems natural to follow in Jesus’ final mandate to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matt. 28:19a) He is sending us as his followers to go to all places where the gospel has yet to be shared in a living form of existence. I say it this way because in our North American context it is extremely difficult if not impossible to escape the knowledge of Christianity and its influence over our heritage and culture. What seems less known or accepted is its living presence and mandate for salvation to be brought to all existence and life.
Christianity has been limited to the presentation of education and knowledge expressed through religiosity rather then the actual engagement with the resurrected Jesus and becoming a disciple or follower of his way in every day life and practice. The gospel in essence is much more than individual salvation and redemption. It is a communal journey of continuing to go out from the boarders of your own comfortability and connecting others to the freedom of following Christ into a greater self awareness and development of the holistic way in which he made them and you.
Nationality also becomes more than the simple nation to which you come from or were born in. It also is shaped by individual history and culture. Culture is defined as the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group or the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes a company or corporation. In a North American context these factors can be diverse when traveling from community to community even within a single city. The beliefs, values, and goals of those living in the inner city of downtown Calgary can be significantly different then those found in the South East corner suburbs of McKenzie Towne or Cranston.
There is the question of why not just work through existing churches? Ed Stetzer offers an answer in his book Planting Missional Churches; “Some people note that the Great Commission does not use the term church planting. Thus, they argue that the Great Commission is fulfilled only through existing congregations (particularly in highly churched areas). But the early church was filled with the Holy Spirit, according to the book of Acts (2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9). These Spirit-filled disciples planted churches. It’s obvious by their actions that the first hearers of the Great Commission assumed its fulfillment required multiplying disciples and forming new congregations.”
I think in close connection to Stetzer’s observation is the sense of calling through a “Holy discontent”. In a personal note to answering the question of why church plant I can only say that in my own following of Christ I see him envisioning a community of followers who are reaching the churched and un-churched in a new and more culturally emerging way. One which is not so easily embraced or expressed through traditional churches. It is a deep sense of the need to go and bring freedom and encouragement to live in holistic relationship to the way God has created us in spite of any challenges or obstacles which we may individually face.
Perhaps in embracing a vision as to why we should church plant we can begin to explore the values and community to which we wish to grow and develop in fellowship with.
Greatness is in Serving
Well, back on March 4th, 2007 I had the opportunity to speak here at Oak Park Church. I really appreciated the chance to preach as I had not been able to do so for a while. Even more appreciated was Steve McMillan’s input on ways to which I can construct and build on my abilities to speak!
I would not say that this was my best time preaching as it was the first time I tried to construct a sermon around this format. However, I really enjoyed the freedom and creativity this format gave me to share, articulate, and apply in preaching to the congregation. I look forward to practicing it in the future!
Living in the Characterization of Gallantry
Have you ever seen the Movie ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’? When I was a boy I loved this story of Edmond Dantes and the adventures of ‘The Count of Monte Christo’ and in honesty at times I couldn’t help but imagine myself as this gallant character; this unbelievable man who after being falsely imprisoned escapes from his cell to find great riches and to use it to pursue justice in the world.
The more I think of the details of his story the more I begin to see the close connection it has to the story of resurrection and the new life that Jesus breaths into the hearts of those who follow him. Thomas Cahill once said, “In all the tragic dramas of antiquity, whether lived or staged, we detected the same pattern: the hero, be he Alexander or Oedipus, reaches his pinnacle only to be cut down. Only in the drama of Jesus does the opposite pattern hold: the hero is cut down only to be raised up.”
That’s never the end of the story however. Jesus was raised so that he could also raise up the lives of his followers, you and me! But, we are so beaten down by the false realities of death and the shadows of our inabilities to measure up that we can do little more then count the bricks on our cell walls and give names to the images we trace on to them. So that like Dantes, when he is confronted by the realities of life outside of the Chateau D’If, we are filled with thoughts of fear when Jesus begins to breath new life into our hearts.
The key is not to be destracted by the pains of new sight, new light which is directly brought into us rather then casting shadows on the wall. As Martyn Lloyd Jones says, “The Divine Instructor has taken us under his wing and he is putting us through our exercises so that hands which hang down can be lifted up, and feet are straightened out, and a lame man is helped to walk. The Instructor is saying such things as, ‘Now keep moving, don’t let yourself get stiff, keep the joints moving, keep them as supple as you can.’”
The On Going Processes of Resurrection
Luke 24:1-12 (ESV)
“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.’ And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.”
This past weekend I have felt particularly reminded of the power and awe struck wonder we experience when we stop and consider Christ’s resurrection Easter Sunday morning. As a youth I can remember the guilt and burden I felt in contemplating the agonizing death Jesus would of experienced on the cross but, now I feel so relieved, filled with amazement, and inspired with hope at the great event where not even death itself could stop the good news and life of Jesus Christ!
That Sunday for Peter and the other followers must have been so mind blowing and empowering. Fear of any kind would of ceased and no earthly threat whether Roman centurion, Emperor, or otherwise would have seemed at all validated. Peter must have experienced a freedom that seemed endless.
At the same time the freedom that resurrection brings seems to be an on going process. The gospel of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection continues to be shared with greater numbers and new followers of “The Way” from the first century to today. Resurrectional Freedom became a wild fire of liberation to the people of the world if they only would choose to see and believe it. The gates of the prison were flung wide open but now the prisoners had to choose to walk out.
That story is one that I think needs to be told more and more often then ever today. We need to share our stories and pray for a resurrectional Spirit that will cover us and those around us where ever we are. I myself feel drawn to see the power of resurrection in my own life. I grow tired of living in the fear, guilt, and false images of imprisonment that are written on the walls around me. I am starving for the clear air and open spaces that lay beyond the open gates of my cell and I am sick of listening to my accuser and imprisoner tell me of the charges of my past and falsely lie about my inabilities to be anything but that.
In truth, embracing the on going process of resurrection itself is a scary proposition. I have been so complacent to the images on my cell wall that I have no idea what lies beyond them in open space. Instead, what I now realize is that God did not promise life without fear;he promised life in the fullest at the exclusion of any death, all of which was under not our own control but his. Resurrection brings new life which we would not have expected and adds a freshness and excitement which leaves us constantly craving for our next moment, our next encounter with God and others, our next epiphany!
I suppose that is where I am today after the Easter weekend. Like Peter, I am tired of stooping and looking into the tomb, dumbfounded, and stumbling around trying to find a body. It is time I go home and out into the world sharing and marveling at the wonder of Christ’s on going resurrectional processes in my life.
Do you find yourself spending more time staring at the “images on the walls of your cell” then choosing to walk outside in the freedom that Christ offers? Why?
How has the Spirit of resurrection influenced or impacted you so that you can experience the freedom of Christ in your life?
Moving From a “To Do” List to a “To Be” List
Mark 10:43-45
“But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
“Good equippers do it like Jesus did it: recruit twelve, graduate eleven, and focus on three.”
Lynn Anderson
Steve spent a couple of days last week at a conference where the author and speaker Bill Easum addressed the present and future view of church and what it means to be a leader in community development. He articulated some great points on how the church is moving from being a ‘National Park’ type environment to a ‘Jungle’ type of backdrop (to read more of Steve’s blog on this: click here).
Particularly, Steve spent some time discussing with us the need for our leadership to move from a “to do” list to a “to be” list. Rather then our agendas being focused upon our own objectives and needs in order to fulfill perceived leadership responsibilities and character; we can turn to a list of ten people in our own group and build into or equip them to fulfill their own potential leadership qualities. This idea forces us to ask the question of, “Are we just simply managing our relationships or are we catalyzing them for kingdom growth?”
This wasn’t a concept that was new to me but inspiring as we could be a part of it as a team. I don’t think that the number must be strictly “ten” people but it must be willing to be flexible in its size and dynamic. At the same time it must be a smaller number of people as even Jesus only focused on the twelve. I look forward to seeing the names we bring up in the next week! More importantly, I look forward to seeing the great movement and kingdom God is creating around us!
My “To Be” List:
- David Wong
- Jeff Keop
- Gerry Plett
- Mike Zunic
- Ricot Leon
- Friends on the Calgary Church Planting Network
Philippians 2:3-11
“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
A Valentine’s Day Message: Do You Love God?
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
It was several years ago that I experienced one of the most terrifying experiences any man will have in their walk of faith as a Christian. Bonnie and I were leaving the main hall after the worship service in our church and Arnie Termors (the Lead Pastor) came up to us, put his hand on both of our knees and said quit abruptly, “I love you guy’s and there is nothing you can do about it!”
Now I can handle preaching, praying, singing and worshipping in public but; this expression of love was a little different and pretty uncomfortable. A lot of you guy’s are thinking the same thing right now! “What am I supposed to say?” And, “How do I get this guy’s hand off my knee?” So how do we relate those feelings to what Paul said in this passage we read a few minutes ago?
Paul says that if we have great tongues and abilities to speak and articulate words but we do not have love then we lack harmony and are ultimately empty of meaning and purpose. If we have and can see spiritual gifts and abilities in ourselves and others yet we can not express love in all environments and to all people then we ultimately amount to nothing. If we sacrifice great amounts of time, develop ministries, careers, families, and businesses but we do it with out a consciousness of love, then our achievements amount to zilch!
Paul’s expressions in this passage seem centered around a point that love is not something we can posses or find internally in ourselves. It is not just a feeling or emotional expression to which we feel only in a certain context or state of mind. Love is organic. It is a living entity that we can only be in relationship too!
1 John 4:7-8
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Let me ask you a question. If there was just one thing that you would hope to have accomplished throughout your life, what would it be? What is the one thing you hope to do in all of life?
Jesus was asked this question too and his answer shapes the same view Paul and John have.
Matthew 22:34-40
“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
In all things Jesus says we are to begin by loving God first and all other expressions flow out of that truth. It is as if we are like a mirror that when we are turned first to the source of love (God), we then reflect it to everything and everybody around us. Remove the focus from the source though and ultimately we reflect nothing.
Jesus then says in detail that we are to love God with all of our heart.
In his book ‘Fan the Flame’, Joseph Stowell says the “Heart is used in Scripture as the most comprehensive term for the authentic person. It is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide. It has been described as “the place of conscious and decisive spiritual activity,” “the comprehensive term for a person as a whole; his feelings, desires, passions, thought, understanding and will,” and “the center of a person. The place to which God turns.”
Jesus is asking that our love for God becomes more then just a moment of emotion. He is asking that our love for God becomes our natural ethos and character. Loving God would then be a natural identity for ourselves regardless of who we are around or where we find ourselves. It is to internally and continually ask the question of ourselves, “If I were to say nothing about my faith to anyone else for the rest of my life, would they know that I love God?” That’s not to say that speaking about our faith is not good or wholesome, it’s just to ask if we are truly always living the faith which we are speaking about!
We are to love God with all of our soul.
Eerdmans dictionary defines soul as meaning our whole life not only in spirit but as a body and mind as well! It reads, “In the New Testament ‘soul’ (psyche in the Greek) refers to the living being of the whole person and to a person’s life.”
So when we read in Acts 2:41 that, “those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” Luke is saying that salvation is meant just as much for our body as it is our spirit.
When we love God with all of our soul we need to grow closer to him in all aspects of our life both physically, psychologically, and spiritually.
And finally, we are to love God with all of our mind.
1 Peter 3:8-9
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”
Loving God with all of our mind means we are seeking out unity, tenderness, and humility with him. We are not lashing out at God or placing blame or thinking badly of him. Loving God with all of our thoughts means we are blessing him as he is blessing us in return by continually renewing our minds.
I am reminded of something Charles Spurgeon wrote. He said:
“Some will say they cannot help having bad thoughts; that may be, but the question is, do they hate them or not? Vain thoughts will knock at the door, but we must not open them. Though sinful thoughts rise, they must not reign. He who turns a morsel over and over in his mouth, does so because he likes the flavor, and he who meditates upon evil, loves it, and is ripe to commit it. Snails leave their slime behind them, and so do vain thoughts.
Good thoughts are blessed guests, and should be heartily welcomed, well fed, and much sought after. Like rose leaves, they give out a sweet smell if laid up in the jar of memory. They cannot be to much cultivated; they are a crop which enriches the soil.”
Time is running out and I am sure many of you are thinking what’s for lunch so let me tie Jesus’ last point in with my conclusion.
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” It is easy to say that yes you love your neighbor but today words seem empty without action. We have gone into get detail of how we are to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and even our strength. Why then should we not love our neighbor any differently? In truth, we should not love them any differently.
So then let me ask you some question for you to ponder over the next few days. According to the ways we have described love in the last few minutes, do you love the neighbors on either side of your house or home? Do you as a part of a community of Christians love the Mormons who are just done the street from us? Do you love the Muslim who lives a block or two away from you? Do you love that family member or coworker who continually stretches you to your emotional limits?
Don’t answer these questions right away but allow them to stir and mature in your heart. Then when you are ready to answer them truthfully, wholly, and honestly; answer them to God and ask him to transform and adjust your position so that his love can better be reflected into those areas of your life.
William Law once said, “[Christ] is the breathing forth of the heart, life and spirit of God into all the dead race of Adam. He is the seeker, the finder, the restorer of all that, from Cain to the end of time, was lost and dead to the life of God. He is the love that prays for all its murderers; the love that willingly suffers and dies among thieves, that thieves may have a life with him in Paradise; the love that visits publicans, harlots and sinners, and wants and seeks to forgive where most is to be forgiven.”
Without love we can achieve nothing. Without love we can find no purpose or meaning. Without love our very existence is nothing. But…In God’s love we are worth everything!!!
Egg Shells and Phobia’s
A little over a week ago at the men’s breakfeast I was just finishing my bacon and eggs when Ron Fraser the president of Alberta Bible College and the speaker for the morning stepped up to the microphone and began outlining a definition to what we consider fear to be. While doing so he depicted the many “phobia’s” we label in our culture.
I couldn’t help but let my mind drift to the stickers I used to keep on the side of my wheelchair with the label of ‘No Fear’. They would read, “Today is a good day for a reality check.” Or, “Precious few are born with it. Even fewer know what to do with it.” And my personal favorite was, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight. It’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
Reflecting back, I don’t think these statements were so much about my own state of no fear but rather were explorations of trying to redevelop my own self identity following the car accident that had put me in a wheelchair. Which causes me to ask the question; “What role does fear have in character development?” And, “Are there different kinds of fear?’
On the one hand, fear seems projected as negative. We see Jesus warning us in Matthew 10:28 “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” A picture which instructs us to be fearful of those who project an evil context and desire to cause harm or even destroy our faith and hope. I found it interesting though that this passage is about dismissing our worries so that even though we may find ourselves in fear of harm, Jesus is not saying to avoid it at all costs. Perhaps this kind of fear is meant to keep us focused of the Christ centered goal rather then the presider of that fear!
On the oppisite side, fear is projected as healthy and good. Psalm 2:11 says, “Serve the Lord with fear,/and rejoice with trembling.” Fear in this context is one of reverence and acknowledgment of God’s greatness and authority over our lives. I think of the soldiers who are fighting over seas and how when they are confronted with their senior officer standing beside them they are filled with fear in the understanding of their authority and influence over their lives. At the same time they are filled with pride and security knowing that their commanding officer cares for them and knows the best actions to take. I can then imagine just how much bigger it must be then in our relationship with Jesus!
Throughout his speech, Ron continually pointed out that fear seems ultimately centered around our fear of the lose of control. Perhaps, it is true! We continually try to convince ourselves and maintain this illusion of self control and even control over others without really reflecting on who or what is really in control. In calling Christ my Lord and Saviour I must acknowledge that he has ultimate authority over my life both in its intricacies and its whole dynamics. Put in the words of Fyodor Dostoevski, “The whole law of human existence lies in this: that man be able to bow down before the infinitely great.” Now I pray that I also make that choice!
In facing fear we are also expressing a virtue of courage to which God instills into our spirit. Courage in essence becomes organically a part of us; external from our original character yet internally inseparable as we live in relationship to its source in the character of Jesus. This stuck me with the greatest impact when Ron made the statement “Courage is not the absence of fear. Godly courage is the ability to love something bigger then our fear.”
I must admit that fear grips me the most in moments of self doubt but, my courage returns the quickest when I take a moment to breath deeply and remind myself that God is present and will act through me to fulfill his desires. Wrongfully in the moment of fear I think my existence, character, and purpose comes from my own or other peoples definition of me. Where as when it is rightfully placed fear becomes the place where God’s full purpose and fruition for my life can be fully experienced. Fear should not be avoided but sought out in the light of Christ’s direction for all of life.
Voltaire once said that, “The burning of a little straw may hide the stars, but the stars outlast the smoke.” How great God is when we reflect on how big and awesome he can truly be when we do not hide from the fears we face in life but rather face them knowing that he is eternally with us!
Ecclesiastes 7:18
“It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.”
Revelation 14:7
“And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
Expressions
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years By Donald Miller
Eternity in Their Hearts By Don Richardson
Follow Me to Freedom By Shane Claiborne & John Perkins
Journey to Significance By Neil Cole
Organic Leadership By Niel Cole
Forge Canada
Friend of Missional
Missional Apologetics
The Missional Network
Verge Network
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