Re:Genesis Project
O.K. So I have been preparing for a new group which I am hoping will meet once a month starting on Saturday, January 17th, 2009. My thoughts are that it would be a support and social group for local people who face great challenges in their daily lives. I am thinking that it would be mainly for those who have physical challenges but I would like it to be open and inclusive to those who face other challenges too whether they are psychological, emotional, physical, or spiritual in nature.
To start it off in January I planned on us gathering for dinner followed by my friend Brad sharing his thoughts on how we can “Find New Life in the Midst of the Greatest Challenges.” Something which I thought could be a bit of a catch phrase and theme to the group. Anyways, I was designing some logo images to share with the community and was unsure which would be the best one and I wanted to share them here and see what you thought of them.
Which image do you think is the best fit?
What If Starbucks Used Church Marketing?
I found this in connection to a post on Beyond Relevance and thought it had some interesting ups and downs.
Thoughts From Mars Hill and the Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo
It is difficult knowing where to start when describing the impacts which the Body, Soul, & Spirit Expo have had in mine and others faith. Were we called to do this out of bringing Jesus to those who sought after him most? Or, where we there to witness the impacts and expressions of Jesus which would affect those who came seeking and that of ourselves in following his lead? Sitting and listening to the many stories and the many moments of expression coming from those who went to the Expo, I could not help but recognize the depth to which Jesus worked; not just in the hearts and minds of seeking attendees but also in the core of his followers.
There are many stories which I would like to share with you but perhaps for the moment I will share just one. It was the later part of Friday afternoon and we had pretty well just finished setting our area up for people to come in and speak with us. A gentleman named Scott, who was just passing by, quickly noticed our open relaxed format and promptly walked right in a sat next to my friend Justin while asking, “So, what is this all about? Who are you guy’s?”
In truth, we were a little taken back by his upfront approach but we easily explained our affiliation with two local churches and intent to offer a place of hospitality and rest to those who might be down here at the Expo. “That’s cool!” he said. I asked him what brought him down to the Expo and he explained that he had come down for a “Quantum Energy Treatment”. I didn’t really understand what he meant but through conversation I could really sense his need to find a social setting of acceptance and to find a community which would not be judgmental by worldly expectations.
That was what was so cool about being in conversation with Scott. We went from talking about worldly judgments and values to the possibility of a different world’s values and then; the possibility of another Kingdom’s values and judgments!
It was in the midst of this conversation that Justin and I extended our hands out to Scott’s shoulders and we asked if we could pray for him. After asking how, he graciously accepted and following praying for him he asks with a large smile, “Is that it?”
I couldn’t help but sense the simplicity of Jesus’ gospel within these many moments at the Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo. Jesus made it clear, “The Kingdom of God is near!” (Luke 10:9) In the acceptance of that truth, “come follow me.” (Luke 9:23). Is that not what a true disciple is?
I have found so much encouragement out of this experience and can see the great things Jesus has done and is doing through our presence at the Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo. It is with the greatest hope that we return to these people as we share a gospel of love, hope, and faith (1 Cor. 13:13) and remain in their home (Luke 10:7).
Thoughts for the future…
Greater and more Radical Discipleship
We need to plan for Invitations of follow up and places for seeking people to go and encounter more about Jesus as we encounter them at the Expo. Whether it is gathering around ‘Alpha’, ‘The Secret Message of Jesus’, or something else.
Planning for Generosity
We offered free Bibles and donated materials. It is just a thought but, if we could plan for a rather more structured generosity “package” such as a connected Bible, Book (i.e. ‘Purpose Driven Life’, ‘The Secret Message of Jesus’, ect.), and a Daily Bread; I wonder if it might find a greater response.
More Space and Planning of Format
It seemed our 8’ X 8’ booth was quit cramped at times and difficult for inclusive and hospitable practices/values. If we had the opportunity to expand our area as well as the availability to use an electrical outlet we could work towards communicating a Third Place space and the values of Authentic Community in greater fashion. Hospitality can also be improved with better coffee, tea, and atmosphere.
Gary Collins on Fundamentalism and Liberalism
Several months ago my pastor and friend Norm forwarded me a copy of Gary Collins newsletter which had an interesting comment regarding Emergent – Missional Churches and the tensions between Theological Liberalism and Fundamental Calvinism.
What do you think?
I have followed the emergent-emerging-missional church movement since its appearance only a few years ago. Initially its roots were evangelical but it has expanded in different directions ranging from hard-core Calvinism to a loose liberalism that appears to dismiss or redefine most basic tenets of Christian faith and biblical theology. There is a theological drift in many emergent circles, a lack of accountability, a hyper-criticism of traditional or seeker-sensitive megachurches, and sometimes an uncritical embrace of postmodern philosophies. But this is not true of all, despite the sometimes strong condemnation from a few traditional Christian leaders or professors. At its core, emergent churches, mostly with younger leaders and congregations, are working to reach a contemporary, mostly postmodern, generation for Christ. This is a generation of thirty-somethings and under who consider themselves spiritual and want to know about Jesus. But they are turned off by their perceptions of formal religion. They are described in books like UnChristian (by David Kinnaman), They Like Jesus but Not the Church (Dan Kimball), or I’m Fine with God…It’s Christians I Can’t Stand (Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz).
Along with therapeutic skills and Biblical knowledge, shouldn’t Christian counselors understand the cultural foundations of their counselees and the context in which their problems are embedded? Counselees under 35 or 40 have been raised in a generation saturated by the media, technologically sophisticated, skeptical of your expertise, interested in spirituality but resistant to anything that looks like formalized religion. Even so, they are open to spiritual issues. Counselors can and often do earn the respect and trust of these people but it helps if we are sensitive to their worldviews and able to understand that they may like our Jesus but not like our Christianity.
Visiting Mars Hill in Calgary: The Body, Soul, & Spirit Expo
Perhaps one of my favorite stories in Acts is of when Paul and Silas visit Athens and the home of the Olympics. Surrounded by their art, there architecture, culture, and the people who were in desperate need to seek a god to which was unknown to them; Paul brings a message of truth, of love, of acceptance, and makes an unknown god become a known God.
Even today his opening statement to the philosophers and teachers seems to reach through the fabric of time and speak to the people of Calgary and even the world as we know it.
“People of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed your many objects of worship, I found also an alter with this inscription, ‘To An Unknown God’.” – Acts 17:22-23
This coming Friday September 19th, 2008 through Sunday September 21st, 2008 the Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo will be coming to Calgary. As I picture the many people walking up and down the rows of different objects of worship and “temples to unknown gods” I cannot help but sense the calling of Jesus to follow in his footsteps as Paul did and live out the gospel message in the midst of these people.
That is why I would like to invite you to join us as we ‘Relax, Sit, & Pray’ with those who will be at the Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo that weekend. Come out with us as together we can Encounter, Experience, and find Expressions of Jesus in the midst of those who are seeking him most. Together we can bring the Way, the Truth, the Life, and a Light into a place where there once was darkness!!
“What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.” – Acts 17:23
Renewed Meanings and Practices in Places of “Ecclesia”
In some sense of the meaning I think as a people we are still exploring this idea of “What is the church?” Maybe not so much as to the collective interpretations of its Biblical roots in the Koine Greek context of “ecclesia” (“gathering of people”) but perhaps in the ways context, culture, and community dynamics shape and express its significance and purpose as they encounter the living gospel.
In some ways I think this becomes a transcendent question which we must always ask just as we must always be willing to listen to the transcendent question of Jesus who asked Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13-20) . The church becomes a physical expression of both individual and communal belonging to the Lordship of Jesus, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and embedded into the DNA of Communal projection and incarnation! Some of you might recognize this statement as it is one of my favorite quotes however; even within the early forth century the church and Gregory of Nyssa recognized that, “Concepts create idols. Only wonder grasps anything.” (1 Cor. 13:9-12) It is these thoughts, these passions which tend to trigger my imagination in the wonderment of the ways the early Christians of the first and second century found church in the catacombs and market places; church in the synagogues and temples; church in the “living rooms” and “kitchens” of peoples homes! (Just some passages to ponder when reflecting on the “gathering of ecclesia” – Matt.13:2; 18:20; Mark 1:29-34; 2:2; John 10:22-24; Acts 10:23-27; 12:12)
Yes, ecclesia is a gathering of believers but it is also far more richer and deeper then that. It is an intermingling of believers engaging with non-believers with the intent of incarnationally being “little” Jesus’ in their community; and it is diverse in giftings, talents, spiritual and physical expressionisms. Ecclesia is the wonderment and amazement of seeing the story of God’s people living out his presence among us through our discipleship and relational following of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. To be a church in the midst of our community is to commit to the acknowledgement that, “They will know we are Christians by our ____________.” (Gal. 5:16-25) And not by our buildings, size, numbers, programs, and/or organizational/denominational/governmental status!
In answering the call to be a disciple of Jesus, I personally find the greatest meaning, purpose, and significance to “ecclesia” through the ways in which we enact as a community of believers the central core values which we find within our relationship’s to the “missio dei” (“character and essence of God”). Within MTC it is our five G’s and respectively in Bonnie’s and my heart as individual disciples; it is the five concentric values of Expressions.
As a church we become fully committed disciples to Jesus and our community through the embodiment of the 5 G’s. Yes, Expressions model has taken those values into a new context (a coffee shop) but in many ways I wanted you to see the relationship Expressions values has with MTC’s. As such I illustrated the 5 G’s below with the intent of crossing over there meanings and significance with that of the Expressions model.
Grace ——-> Authentic Community
Generosity —> Radical Stewardship
Groups ——> Transformational Mission
Growth ——> Holistic Living/Discipleship
Gifts ——–> Passionate Spirituality
When we met Tuesday, May 6th I briefly shared with you three identified areas to which Michael Frost describes the practices of “ecclesia” taking place. In brief they were the Home Place, the Work or Corporate Place, and the Third Place. All are valid and all find equal standing as quantifiable church gathering communities. In a diagram Frost articulates these areas using a pie chart which is divided into thirds. Hold on to this vision for a moment.
To also describe in brief, Alan Hirsch articulates the patterns of church being shaped through three distinctly different ideological perceptions. They are Bonded Set, Fuzzy Set, and Center Set Church dynamics. Most favorably he refers to the Centered Set church as one which remains missionally centered on its core values (i.e. – the 5 G’s and there relationship to mission) while extending outwards in all directions to reach all people within the community (both considered “in” the church and “outside” relationally). In appearance it seems chaotic however; with an anchored core God’s mission becomes gravitationally centripetal and is then always drawing people back to the central core value as an enactment of Lordship (i.e. – mission – to be disciples of Jesus). Illustratively he uses the picture of herding cats! You can’t tell them where to go but you can show them where the food is!
Personally, I noticed a distinct connection between both Frost’s and Hirsch’s ideas if you overlapped the two models. Frost’s Three Place settings became the chaotic landscape to which Hirsch’s Centered Set dynamics could be enacted and relationally connected. We can and should find/develop ecclesia in all three settings as it is defined through gathering and the core values and intention of being disciples of Jesus (i.e. – mission and the 5 G’s).
I realize this is a lot of “deep thinking” and I would love the opportunity to unpack it further with you personally if you would like. What I do want to try and address is the similarities Expressions model has with MTC as a church and perhaps, the different ways in which Bonnie and I dream of expressing them (pardon the pun). Is the Expressions model just a business? How can a Coffee shop be a church?
In the practical sense Expressions is hoped to be a non-profit organization shaped by a church board and centered on enacting its core values for the practices of ecclesia through Worship, Discipleship, and Mission. My hope is to find accountability and authority through starting its roots within our home here at MTC and sharing this vision with our friends and church family while we grow together.
With regards to its “charity” status; I have spoken at length with a number of government representatives about these ideas who have assured me that this is entirely possible provided the accounting and books are in accordance with such non-profit structures. Admittingly this is not my strong suite. As a side note I will refer you to the previously mentioned “non-profit” coffee shops I have already spoke about which are ‘FRWY’ (pronounced Free Way) in Hamilton, Ontario and ‘The Talkin’ Donkey’ in Vernon, B.C. In some sense, I implore you to check out FRWY’s website. If you really want to see how a coffee shop can be a church, I think they are an incredible example!
As for worship; the answer is yes! This is something which can be shaped by Expressions board as it grows however using FRWY’s example; they close the shop every Saturday and Sunday as they either hold functions, rent out to groups (non-profit or otherwise), and hold Worship services Sunday evenings! Creatively thinking I imagine we would do much the same things we do and can do in MTC such as Bible Study’s, Weddings, Baptism’s, missional out reach to the surrounding community through groups, and special events/holiday activities. Limitations to this creative thought patterns in expressions of discipleship both in MTC and Expressions becomes endless considering the nature of each individual’s personal encounter with the gospel and their relational bridges to those in the community. The challenge is in trying to stimulate those independent creative natures and develop their passions around them.
Differentially it becomes more difficult to answer. Yes, we will be supporting our ministry and facilitating our community through an environment which “sells” specialized coffee and possibly food throughout the week. We may be spatially smaller but when looking at FRWY that does not mean we must be especially small. FRWY used an old CIBC building and can facilitate probably up to 60-80 people. I’m not so sure this is necessarily different as I believe MTC can do this too however, it is hoped Expressions can reach out to the artistic crowds and as such be a host environment for those communities whether musical, poetic, or otherwise.
Can Expressions be a church? In short, my hope, my dream is YES IT CAN!!!
Aim Lower
My friend Janet at church this past Sunday shared an amazing video before describing her future trip to Africa and here hopes and dreams in children’s ministry. The intent was for how these principles apply to the children and youth dynamic. I however, could not help but pick up on the values these principles have with regards to missional focus, regardless of dynamics (or maybe it’s just the childish nature within me 
).
Aim Lower
Quit simply it seems instinctively connected to that thought “We must lower the bar on professionalizing Church and raise the bar on Discipleship.”
Think Smaller
Typically we to often tend to measure the success of a church by the membership numbers which it sustains. Success becomes more of an over inflated under used corporate ego then it does a living out of the gospel’s missional focus to be Jesus within all contexts, cultures, and communal dynamics.
Thinking smaller means recognizing that it is the smaller acts of fulfilling needs which becomes an embodiment of the gospel message. Professionalism in the clerical sense is not a mandate but, the incarnational practices of the smaller groupings and individuals are what really allow the Holy Spirit to communicate that “the Kingdom of God is near”.
Give Up
Ideological principles of what the church is and what it should be have robbed the creative expressions to which the Holy Spirit has meant the Church to be. “Ecclesia” was never meant to be a franchised McChurch environment and was rather intended as a living expression to the embodiment and entity of Jesus being ever present both as Lord and communal sustainer.
Like most living organisms the church is rich with diversity and uniqueness in gifts, talents, and abilities. It breaths, moves, and grows within the different cultures, contexts, and communal dynamics to which it is introduced. By Giving Up the mandates of ideological principles and structures which do not hold the gospels truth at heart, we can embrace “new” ways which can effectively cross all barriers and articulate the Lordship of Jesus to all people.
Go Have a Cup of Coffee
This was perhaps a bias point in the video clip for me. I love being able to meet up with a friend or just someone new for a cup of coffee at a local shop! I think scripturally of Jesus’ call of the disciples as he collaborated with them where they were at. He went fishing, he went to their house parties, their dinner parties, and he walked and talked with them along the roads and market places.
Discipleship was a relational act of living with people not an initiation of rights and dogmatics. Go Have a Cup of Coffee is about relationally living with one another and engaging in a dialogue which constructively encountered the truth as a living entity.
Well anyways, here is the video:
Lost: Are You a Worker of the Harvest?
Norm, the Lead Pastor at McKenzie Towne Church had an incredible message this past Sunday morning centered on what it means to be sent as workers into the harvest. Speaking from the passage in Luke 10 it carried a heavy call to what it means to be missional in our community. Here it is for you to listen to and I would “enjoy” hearing your responses and comments!
Patterns of Ideology and the Christian Church: Conception
Several months ago I had the opportunity to attend a conference at the First Christian Reform Church here in Calgary. I was looking forward to attending as Brian McLaren was going to speak on his new book ‘Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope’. Following the evenings events however, I found myself completely intrigued by the first speakers thought patterns and allegories to contemporary life.
Bob Goudzwaard is professor emeritus, at the Free University in Amsterdam. He was elected to the Dutch Parliament in the 1970′s and served for a time in a Christian policy research institute in The Hague. He is the author of numerous books including ‘Capitalism and Progress: A Diagnosis of Western Society’ and ‘Hope in Troubled Times: A New Vision for Confronting Global Crises’. It was the latter of these two books which I picked up that evening in the hopes of getting deeper into his thoughts and principles.
‘Hope in Troubled’ Times was a fascinating book into the needs and concerns for Global action and is packed full with conceptual pictures leading to rich and dynamic dialogues. That said, Bob Goudzwaard spends a great deal of time unpacking the patterns in which ideological practices have influenced the way we approach the many issues which confront human values and social constructs. Although not directly stating it in his writing, I could not help but make the connections of ideological patterns and the Christian Church.
Before delving into these thoughts though I think it should be appropriate for me to give a bit of a disclaimer. I am by no means an expert on ideologies or the history of the Christian Church. In honesty, I do not consider myself to be highly schooled or educated in these matters either. Many of these thoughts to which I share here are more rather an exploration of my own personal nature and relationship with the church and the desire to be authentic in the discipleship of Jesus and his followers. Please do not consider them authoritative by any measure!
With this in mind here are Bob Goudzwaard’s six elements to Ideology with my reflections to the Christian Church:
Conception
“The first phase of each full fledged modern ideology is conception. In the conception phase, the conviction develops that a radical change or intervention is required. Certain concepts and ideas demand different, perhaps more offensive, content. People begin to reflect on the end they wish to attain, and they weigh the strategic and tactical means needed for reaching the end. In the conception phase more and more people accept the idea that a specific concrete goal must be achieved at all costs…
“… Using the distortion of reigning norms and values, the ideology recruits disciples, and the critical moment arrives for potentially successful action. The highly charged, explosive moment for setting the ideology in motion has crystallized.”
It is hard to imagine the state of unrest which most Hebrew Israelites would have been experiencing several thousand years ago as Caesar and the Roman Empire brought “peace” to the world through there military occupation and rulership in Palestine. Seeing daily reminders of the cost to that peace through the crucifixion of thousands of their people would no doubt scream for social, political, and cultural reform. Most assuredly against Roman and Greek Hellenism.
It seems interesting that many of the conceptions of that reform took many different view points within Jewish beliefs and hopes. Despite the strong calling of worshiping one God the Pharisee’s believed a Messiah would come providing that social reform happened within the Jewish community itself to a state of perceived moral perfection. The Zealots wanted reform through the over throw of Roman occupation; typically through violent confrontation. While others, such as the Essenes chose to withdraw from society all together as they created social communities out in the dessert country side free from the influences of the outer world’s contact. I can imagine sitting in the living room floor or at the kitchen table of a first century Jewish home and listening to the debate along with any combination of these needs and desires for social revolt and reformation.
In my own thoughts I think of the groups today who similarly resemble these first century factions. Ideologically many in the Christian church today believe there is a need to return to a specific moral code. That code is often determined by a world view which pictures the past, particularly the 1950′s and 60′s as an ideal moral state for social progress. Ironically this seems similar to the Pharisee’s of the first century. Amish have tended to segregate themselves from the social world believing it to be corrupt and enslaved to consumerist patterns (perhaps in some ways being right) which also is similar to the Essenes.
In some ways I can’t help but wonder about the Missional and Emergent groups which in essence are also attempts to conceive a “Kingdom” or church which is culturally relevant and centered on God’s Missio Dei. My own draw is for this reform in a holistic pattern also. The missional stand point is for the need of the Christian church to find greater roots in the way Jesus first conceived the essence of God’s Kingdom here on earth and the way he found Lordship over the hearts and minds of those who would follow him.
Jesus’ conception of God’s Kingdom and the implications of its social, moral, political, and cultural reformations seem to be eternal in nature so as to be relevant in all spaces and time. With that in mind, how then do we protect missional and emerging practices of that kingdom from becoming ideological themselves or influenced by social, political, and/or cultural bias’s?
Identifying Marketing Strategies of Competition and the Incarnational Approaches of Expressions
As you may already know Expressions has been a long time dream for me and I have been spending a good deal of time focusing my energies on writing a business plan to implement hopefully within the next year. In truth, I am nervous as to my adequacy in carrying out this dream as much of my character is describable as ”highly relational” and business is not necessarily something I have been schooled in or have a lot of experience in.
With this in mind I would like to share a portion of Expressions Marketing Strategy with you in the hopes you will offer comments and critique it’s positive and negative projections. I have offered links within it as to ideas and principles which I have borrowed from others as well as incorporated from my own philosophies and beliefs. Please keep in mind that this is in my eyes not just a business but a ministry also in the hopes of bringing a relevant and living gospel to the southeast communities of Calgary.
MARKETING STRATEGY – DESCRIPTION OF KEY COMPETITORS
The major coffee shop providers for the south east quadrant of Calgary are predominantly the franchised or corporate movements of Starbucks, Tim Horton’s, or Second Cup. Their locations are usually targeted to high traffic shopping locations found both on 130th Avenue and the Douglas Glen shopping mall. Auburn Bay is a developing community and with the hospital and surrounding industrial complex, Expressions does anticipate one or more of them to be a competing factor.
These competitors predominantly focus their marketing through three streams. They are Visual Presence, Convenience, and Fast Service. Visual presence targets customers through the simplicity of publicizing the marketed logo in accessible visual avenues located within close proximity to the store itself. Convenience offers the customer quick access to a product which is dependably similar to the other locations considered associates of the franchise or corporation. Finally, fast service provides the customer with the product in a quick fashion ideally through either the provided store front or a drive through window at a cheep price.
With the projection of most reports in customer growth, Tim Horton’s is expected to continue to grow in demand with the major focus being on convenience. Although offering a number of products their main drawing point and focus is on the sale of coffee. Other products include baked goods, snack products, and home style lunches. Due to franchise partnerships and the demands created by them their products have diversified greatly and in appearance it seems they will continue to develop into more of a restaurant then a coffee house focused on community development.
MARKETING STRATEGY – ANALYSIS OF COMPETITIVE POSITION
Expressions intends to use an (i)ncarnational model of marketing both in product services and community development. By this Expressions means to focus on four avenues to connecting with customers and the local community. They are Presence, Proximity, Powerlessness, and Proclamation.
The practice of Presence is in some ways similar to that of the competition in that it uses the marketing logo image in strategic avenues of visual accessibility to draw the customers in. However, Expressions presence can also be visualized through community involvements such as participating with other social gatherings which are externally located from its central location. Through the sale of coffee mugs the marketed presence can also be brought into the home. Other avenues of presence can come through the visual invitation of mail outs, posters, and local news letter postings, giving advertising to Expressions community events along with product offerings.
Proximity becomes Expressions desire to enter the lives of the local people where they currently are involved and create a gravitational connection to those movements and that of Expressions. By that we mean to shape our involvements around the needs and cultural placements of local practices. Coffee Products and small baked goods/snacks will be offered according to the tastes of the customers. Likewise, Expressions community involvements both internal and external will be highly influenced by the customers social needs, dreams, passions, and social involvements. In many ways the practice of proximity is unique to Expressions compared with its competition as the intent is to serve the customer holistically rather then the products.
The element of powerlessness is intended to again focus on the needs and service to the customer through relational contact. We would like Expressions, its environmental spaces, and community groups to be open and usable by all regardless to the buying of products, beliefs, or social positions. Expressions does not wish to put parameters on anyone who is entering the store front and instead intends to build relational fronts first while then exposing them to the benefits of products and community involvements. In essence, Expressions is placing the power into the hands of the customer while remaining powerless in its self propagating agendas holding faith to the customer bringing sustainability to its developments.
Finally proclamation brings voice to the growth and developments of the Expressions movement. Following the establishment of a physical presence, creating a gravitational proximity to the local community and customers, and remaining open and inviting through states of powerlessness; Expressions can pursue marketing through the practice of proclamation. By nature as customers encounter the benefits and find good value in Expressions products and social involvements they will then tell others about its services and community. This can happen not only through invitation but also through the witnessing of local social activist groups which are involved with Expressions.
The Confessions of Craig Evans on the Contemporary Practices of Christology
I must first confess myself that I have felt a great deal of emotional stress and fear in trying to complete the business plan for Expressions over the past few weeks. I have heard the still, small whispers behind my ear questioning if I know what I am doing and am I adequate for the calling? Does this dream and do I really make a difference in the calling of Christ? I suppose in some ways I am still struggling with these emotions.
Anyways, I have had little time for my pursuits and passions for creative writing which is why I have not posted anything of significance (to me anyways) for some time. Despite this, I read an interesting confession from Craig Evans in my book ‘The Case for the Real Jesus’ this past evening. Actually it was more like 3 am or something like that. Time has been a bit of a blur lately!
I thought I would share it as it has been relating to some similar material to which I have been reading elsewhere:
I intended to wrap up our interview by asking Evans to expand upon his own personal convictions. I anticipated that he would further elaborate on the divinity of Jesus – and yet our discussion ended with an unexpected turn.
“How have your decades of research into the Old and New Testaments affected your own view of Jesus?” I asked.
“Well, it’s much more nuanced, but at the end of the day it’s a more realistic Jesus. Personally, I think a lot of Christians – even conservative, Bible believing Christians – are semi-docetic.
That took me off guard. “What do you mean?”
“In other words,” he said, “they half way believe – without ever giving it any serious thought – what the Docetic Gnostics believed, which was that Jesus actually wasn’t real. ‘Oh, yes of course, he’s real,’ they’ll say. But they’re not entirely sure how far to go with the incarnation. How human was Jesus? For a lot of them, the human side of Jesus is superficial.
“It’s almost as though a lot of Christians think of Jesus as God wearing a human mask. He’s sort of faking it, pretending to be human. He pretends to perspire; his stomach only appears to gurgle because, of course, he’s not really hungry. In fact, he doesn’t really need to eat. So Jesus is the bionic Son of God who isn’t really human. This is thought to be an exalted Christology, but it’s not. Orthodox Christology also embraces fully the humanity of Jesus.
“What I’m saying is that the divine nature of Jesus should never militate against is full humanity. When that part gets lost, you end up with a pretty superficial understanding of Christology. For example, could Jesus read? ‘Of course he could read! He’s the Son of God!’ That’s not a good answer. At the age of three days, was Jesus fluent in Hebrew? Could he do quantum physics? Well, then, why does the book of Hebrews talk about him learning and so forth?”
I was listening intently. “So we miss his humanity,” I said, half to myself and half to Evans.
“Yeah, we do,” he said. “We find ourselves fussing and fuming over the divinity, but we miss the humanity. And from the historic point of view of the early church, that’s just as serious an error as, say, the Ebionite direction, which was to deny the divinity.”
Wanting him to explain further, I asked, “What is it we miss about his humanity?”
“Well, a big part of the atonement. He dies in our place as a human being who dies in our place. God didn’t send an angel,” he replied. “And, of course, there’s the identification factor. We can identify with him: he was tempted as we are. How was he tempted if he was just God wearing a mask – faking it and pretending to be human? Again, that’s Docetic Gnosticism – Jesus only appeared to be incarnate, only appeared to be human – and a lot of evangelical Christians come pretty close to that.”
“Is there something about his human nature you’d want to emphasize?”
Evans reflected for a moment, then replied. “Yes, Jesus’ own faith,” he said. “He tells his disciples to have faith. Jesus has a huge amount of credibility if we see him as fully human and he actually, as a human, has faith in God. Otherwise, well, that’s easy for him to say! Good grief – he’s been in heaven, and now he’s walking around telling me to have faith? But I take the teaching of Jesus’ humanness, which is taught clearly in scripture, very seriously.”
“Taking everything into consideration,” I said, wrapping up our discussion, “when you think about the identity of the real Jesus, where do you come down as an individual?”
“I come down on the side of the church,” he said. “Doggone it, bless their bones, I think they figured it out. They avoided errors and pitfalls to the left and to the right. I think the church got it right. Even if you only consider the Synoptics, you find that Jesus saw himself in a relationship with God that is unique. The Son of God is the way that’s understood. And then he goes further and demonstrates that he was speaking accurately. If you have any doubts, the Easter event should remove them.
“That’s where you always wind up: the Easter event. Otherwise, you have a Moses-like or Elijah-like figure who’s able to do astonishing miracles – but so what? Yet the resurrection confirmed who he was. And the resurrection is, of course, very powerfully attested, because you have all classes, men and women, believers, skeptics, and opponents, who encounter the risen Christ and believe in him.”
He looked me straight in the eyes. “As do I.”
You Can Really Find the Cross Anywhere: You Just Have to Look!
My friend Steve posted this video a few weeks ago after he and a friend took an adventure to downtown Calgary. It is amazing that we can find Jesus all around us if we are just willing to open our eyes to his presence!
Expressions Vision for the Future
Expressions is projected to be a missional endeavor into the S.E. corner of Calgary, Alberta. Its intention is to create a community where people can explore self expression in creative, dynamic, and constructive ways; embody a holistic identity; empower one another in their dreams, passions, and gifts/talents; and engage the world by seeking to make a difference within local transformational endeavors.
It is not meant to be a church by traditional understanding but is hoped to be the simpler, more intended picture of what the church was meant to be in a biblical perspective. Plainly stated, it is a gathering of people; a diverse and socially inclusive community which develops a kinship through the shared experiences and expressions of acceptance, purpose, patience, generosity, advocacy, accountability, hospitality, culture, civility, spirituality, and proximity with one another.
The community of Expressions then becomes a missionally directed entity which seeks to develop Passionate Spirituality, Holistic Incarnational Living, Intentional Community, Transformational Discipleship, and Radical Stewardship. Much of this missional perspective can be expected to come from the creative and imaginative expressions to which the community itself brings into existence. Expressions simply provides a centralized space to which each member can use as a launching pad of sorts for their own missional expressions of the above values.
The purpose and power behind allowing creativity and imagination to shape these values is probably best articulated by Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost in their book ‘The Shaping of Things to Come’; “This failure to make space for active creativity is a problem of organizational culture long before it is a problem of fact. Therefore it is a failure of leadership when imagination as a vital resource for mission and ministry is not truly valued… we need to cultivate imagination and creativity afresh in order to communicate meaningfully into the emergent cultural paradigm in the west.”
In essence this is what we hope for the average Expressions Community Member:
After seeing our sign on the side of the street one afternoon, he/she enters the Expressions atmosphere with the intent of finding a place to sit and enjoy a cup of espresso. He/She is greeted warmly by the staff and served promptly with great politeness at the serving counter.
After finding a comfortable chair and table he/she begins to take in the environment of Expressions. There is upbeat music playing softly in the background with the sweet smell of fresh coffee and perhaps a hint of incense in the air. There is a small open stage with sound equipment and a mounted flat screen T.V. on the side of it with video playing of natural scenery and wild animals. Beside the stage flickers a lighted fire place which was blowing warm air into the room.
To the left is a brightly colored wall with the words at the top saying “The use of the Mission Statement is dead and the Mantra has taken its place. The Mantra being Expressions of…” Then all around the wall were words such as Needs, Hope, Kindness, Hospitality, Friendship, Music, Talent, Environmentalism, Faith, Epiphany, and Health. Around these words were lots of pictures and posters articulating different groups which meet in Expressions and were socially active throughout the local community and the city of Calgary. There was contact info and in some cases, places to leave your name and information if you were interested in joining up with any of these groups.
It was also noticeable that the rest of the walls were filled with different art pieces with write ups beside them where local artists were selling pictures, art, and talents to those who entered Expressions. There was also book racks and book shelves with gift baskets, coffee mugs, cd’s, and books under all sorts of topics.
After a few minutes of sitting there sipping the hot espresso, he/she is approached by Erik or someone else who was in the shop and greeted with an introduction. Over the course of the next few minutes (maybe longer depending on the connection), a friendly relational conversation was shaped talking about what the Expressions Community was about and getting to know one another. Before leaving Erik (or whoever the other person is) hands him/her his card and invites the individual to return either for one of the evening events that was going on or for just another espresso and visit.
Over time it is hoped to build that relationship in the exploration and hope of that persons “expressions” becoming part of the community itself whether it was joining an existing group, or starting one of there own, or simply participating in the local events and presentations that happen in and with Expressions Coffee & Tea House.
Shake Hands with the Devil: Movie Night
Expressions of Courage
“How many lives can be saved in a fight against indifference when your only weapon is the courage to stand alone.”
You are not alone in the search for global justice! Tonight is a time to gather and find inspiration as we watch the film ‘Shake Hands with the Devil’; a true story about the Canadian Lieutenant General Romeo A. Dallaire and his experiences in Rwanda, Africa. Following the film will be a short presentation from Ricot Leon regarding his ‘Heart for Home’ and the dream he has to bring hope to the nation of Haiti. Popcorn and refreshments will be provided.
There is no official cost however; we ask that you might make a donation of any amount to ‘Heart for Home’ in the effort of supporting there work in building the hopes and dreams of the Haitian people. Together we can all find courage, strength, hope, and the ability to take a stand and make a difference in the world today!
Place: Oak Park Church – #11263 Oakfield Drive S.W. Calgary, Alberta
Day & Time: Saturday, March 8th, 2008 @ 6:30 pm – 10 pm
For more about the film visit: www.shakehandswiththedevilthemovie.com/.
For more about Ricot Leon and ‘Heart for Home’ visit: www.heartforhome.wordpress.com/
Thank you for your interest and support. If you would like any more information please email erik@ecfcommunity.org.
Guy Kawasaki and The Art of the Start: A Fresh Look at Entrepreneurial Evangelism
O.K. O.K. I know at first it seems like an oxymoron. How can entrepreneurial endeavors have anything to do with evangelistic practices? Perhaps it is from a “secular” framework but I think we could learn a lot from some of the ideas Guy Kawasaki talks about in his book ‘The Art of the Start’! What do you think?
Here is a great video of Guy talking about some of the things he has learned over the past decade in business. Mac users BEWARE!!! Ha, ha!
Discussing Needs and Human Social Fabrics
Over the last month my friend Chris and I have been carrying on a dialogue regarding a number of issues related to group and social constructs within the Kingdom of God through the use of the Shapevine Community. It has been particularly in lightning for myself as I have been trying to picture these thought process in my own life and that of the Expressions Community.
Recently I have had the hope of continuing this dialogue here in Just Wondering… so that we might begin sharing this conversation with others who might like to join in and contribute to some of the thought patterns. Over the past few weeks I have found Chris to be full of wisdom and although I at times struggle to connect my own thoughts to the social processes we have discussed, I hope we have developed a friendship to which we each can learn from one another as we explore each others characters and passion to serve the community and Kingdom of God.
Bridging from the last post Chris left on Shapevine this is our continued conversation:
Here’s my best attempt at putting these things on paper. I teach this stuff, but always face-to-face, relying on body language to tell me when something I’m saying isn’t making sense. So, I’ll do my best here, and you can let me know if you have any questions.
What I’m hoping to share with you is a paradigm shift that I believe is fundamental to the “power-with” social structures presented in my writings on missional community and which I contrast to “power-over” social structures. These concepts may seem minor and ineffectual to you at first, and that’s okay. It took me 10 years from the first time I heard this stuff, until it completely “clicked” and when it did, let me tell you, my life has been turned upside down in the most wonderful ways that I could only explain as key to the work of incarnational ministry. I’m honored that you would allow me the space to offer this gift to you. It will take a lot of words for me to get it out there, so I understand if it takes you a while to respond and I once again thank you for bearing with me with this long-winded explanation. I hope you find it engaging!
***
One of my very wise friends once said to me that everywhere you go in the world, you will see people playing one of two games: The first game is called “Who’s Right and Who’s Wrong?” It’s a game that we all know. And as we all know- it’s a game that never ends well. The game is based on the idea that if you want to instill change in another person, for your benefit or theirs, you use tactics of punishment, reward, shame, duty, coercion, judgement, manipulation, and guilt to get the other person to think like you and submit to your wishes. We all know that’s not a very fun game. This game is also called the “power-over” game, because the person that overpowers the other is the winner.
The second game is also a game of power. But in the second game, the power distribution is cooperative/collaborative rather than competitive. It’s called “How Can We Enrich One Another’s Lives?” This game is based on the idea that it’s much more enjoyable and authentic to give and receive freely rather than from coercion. It’s also based on the idea that if we are able to collaborate in the midst of conflicts and get to the root of what we are needing in that moment, we can come up with ways to enrich everyone’s life without anyone getting the short straw.
To understand these two games, it’s necessary to understand three basic components that are at the core of our humanity:
• needs,
• strategies (to meet needs), and
• emotions (which indicate needs).
I think that we can both agree that, as humans, God created us with some basic needs:
Physical needs such as:
air, food, movement/exercise, rest/sleep, sexual expression, safety, shelter, touch, and water.
Needs for meaning such as:
awareness, celebration of life, challenge, clarity, competence, consciousness, contribution, creativity, discovery, efficacy, effectiveness, growth, hope, learning, mourning, participation, purpose, self-expression, stimulation, to matter, understanding, honesty, authenticity, integrity, presence, play, joy, humor, peace, beauty, communion, ease, equality, harmony, inspiration, and order.
Needs for autonomy such as:
choice, freedom, independence, space, and spontaneity.
Interdependence needs such as:
connection, acceptance, affection, appreciation, belonging, cooperation, communication, closeness, community, companionship, compassion, consideration, consistency, empathy, inclusion, intimacy, love, mutuality, nurturing, respect/self-respect, safety, security, stability, support, to know and be known, to see and be seen, to understand and be understood, trust, and warmth.
And finally, our spiritual needs-
to be in relationship with God, and to contribute to other’s relationship with God.
Quite simply- when our needs are being met, we are thriving as human beings, fulfilling our basic nature as God created us. When our needs are not being met, we wither away and die.
***
Everything we do in every moment of our lives, is an attempt to meet a need within us or another person. Think about it, what have you ever done that wasn’t in some way trying to meet a need? Even in our most unproductive moments, we are often trying to meet a need for rest, relief, or safety.
The way that God created us is elegant and beautiful. Since he gave us needs, he designed our bodies with a technology that tells us the state of our needs at any given moment. And that technology is our emotions. Emotions are like the dashboard lights on a car that say “check engine.” They indicate the state of our need’s metness and unmetness and move us to respond.
There are a whole series of emotions that come up when our needs ARE met, such as:
affectionate, amazed, amused, blissful, calm, cheerful, contented, elated, enthusiastic, exhilarated, free, friendly, glad, grateful, happy, hopeful, inspired, interested, joyous, loving, moved, optimistic, peaceful, refreshed, relaxed, satisfied, serene, thankful, thrilled, warm, wonderful, etc… just to name a few.
There are another series of emotions that come up when our needs are NOT being met, such as:
afraid, aggravated, agitated, angry, annoyed, anxious, bored, broken, concerned, confused, depressed, detached, disappointed, discouraged, exhausted, fearful, frustrated, gloomy, heavy, horrible, hurt, jealous, lazy, lonely, mournful, panicky, passive, sleepy, uncomfortable, uneasy, upset, withdrawn, worried, etc… again- just to name a few.
The problem is that our emotions are vague at best, and we may decide to take actions that don’t meet the needs that are causing the emotion. For example, we feel lonely, because we have a need for connection, so we decide to turn on the TV and it seems to pacify the lonely feeling. Success! (or so we think) We then develop a habit of going to the TV whenever we feel lonely, only to wonder why we are more and more unfulfilled with each passing day and that lonely feeling becomes a constant, dull hum in the back of our minds which we can never entirely escape.
***
The key is to realize the difference between needs and strategies. Spending time with our best friend is not a need, but a strategy to meet the needs for connection, acceptance, affection, appreciation, etc… Smoking cigarettes is not a need, but a strategy that meets the need for comfort, while sacrificing the need for health. How we dress, how we talk, what friends we choose, what job we work at, what kind of car we drive, our political opinions, the books we read, lifestyle covenants, how we choose to invest our time and money, these are all strategies we come up with to meet needs. The power of distinguishing the two is that once we start to see our needs, and the needs of others, we can begin to find strategies that are purposely attempting to meet them, rather than arbitrarily pacifying emotions, or doing things because it’s “the right thing to do” or because we “have to” or “should” do something based on the demands or expectations of other people.
The realizations that I have made with needs, emotions, and strategies is significant in and of itself when it comes to being able to consciously thrive in the world, but there are further implications of this as well. When we realize that most of the world relates on a strategy-level, we might begin to realize that this results in not only our own unmet needs, but it is the cause of nearly all relational conflict. We approach people often by evaluating their strategies and determining if they are right or wrong. Then we face the decision of whether to confront their “wrongness” with our own “right” strategies. At that point, they have the choice to either submit or rebel. To submit, they would acknowledge that they are wrong and that you are right. To rebel, they would refuse to align with your strategies in favor of their own.
(As an illustration- Ask yourself if you really want your wife to do the dishes because it’s “the right thing to do”, and therefore do them out of obligation, or because she sees it as an opportunity to enrich your life and hers, and therefore does them with joy?)
***
Some additional thoughts to chew on:
Hearing a “please” or a “thank you” in every difficult message
Everything people say and do to another person can always be boiled down to a “please” or a “thank you.” Those pleases and thank yous are always connected to a need, and if we have the eyes to see it, we can connect to any action or word and see it as an opportunity given to us to enrich a life, or an appreciation for an opportunity taken that did enrich life. That is a world of a difference from the right/wrong game that approaches every word and deed as a chance to manipulate through reward and punishment.
Selfishness / Selflessness / Self-FULL-ness
One of the big misunderstandings of “needs consciousness” is that it is selfish. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Strategy consciousness is in fact the paradigm where we find the dualism of selfishness and self-lessness. Selfishness is the attempt for a win/lose situation and it is the same as rebelling. Self-lessness is also attempting for a win/lose situation and it is the same as submitting. In both selfishness and self-fullness, the goal is win/lose, but the outcome is always lose/lose because it sets up a “my needs vs your needs” schema, which denies the “winner” of the opportunity to enrich the “loser’s” life.
The alternative is “self-FULLness.” Self-fullness is to attempt a win/win and it is the same as humility. Not the self-deprecating type of humility that is promoted in many churches today, but true, biblical humility, which is simply a full acknowledgement of what we are: human. Not God, but human. No less, and no more. Needs are one of the most powerful characteristics of humanity, because every one of us has the same needs, and no matter how different our strategies all might be, at the root of it all is a human with human needs. Needs are cross-cultural, cross-gender, the same for children as for adults. The only people that don’t have needs are dead people.
The difference between us humans in regards to needs, are the metness or unmetness, and aliveness or dormancy of those needs. A child, for instance, still has a need for sexual expression, but that need is dormant within them. Someone who is struggling for survival, lost in the wilderness, has a need for play just like the rest of us, but at that moment, it is not what’s most alive for them. For some people, the need for a relationship with God is dormant, but it is still there, and sooner or later will rise to the surface.
With regards to truth
Another misunderstanding of needs-consciousness is that it is relativistic in regards to the truth. This also, could not be farther from reality. Both the right/wrongers and the needs-conscious people believe in truth. The right/wrong thinkers attempt to over-simplify truth into two broad categories of right/wrong, good/bad, etc… The need-conscious people want to know what needs were met or not met in a particular situation. They recognize that most things deemed “good” have negative consequences and most things deemed “bad” have at least some positive consequences, and they want to have full information, and not an over-simplified generalization of the truth.
Empowerment
My definition of power is “the ability to unleash resources to meet needs.” The more money we have, the more resources we have to meet needs for shelter, food, and certain forms of play and comfort. In this way, money is power. The more friends we have, the more resources we have for support, comfort, empathy, connection, etc… In this way, having friends is power. The more education we have, the more resources we have for understanding, empathy, contribution to others, etc…. In this way, education is power. Money, friends, education,…. these are all resources to meet needs. When people fix their eyes on one particular way of making money, and don’t see the vast world of opportunity, they don’t have much power. When people put all their relational needs on one person, they are limiting their relational resources and therefore, don’t have much power. The way to empower people is to simply help them become aware of the needs they are trying to meet. When they take their eyes off of those limited number of strategies and resources, and become aware of needs, they can then see that the world is full of vast resources to meet their needs, which then opens up worlds of opportunity that can make creative, win/win strategies more possible, thus giving us peace on earth (or at least that’s the idea).
***
In Summary
When we ask ourselves what’s wrong with a situation (like some of the situations you have described to me), we might rely on our gut to tell us, we might rely on the WWJD question or Bible verses taken out of context, we might rely on what will best avoid conflict with our spouse or friends, we might rely on what feels best in the moment, we might rely on what will make us most popular, the list goes on and on of ways that we come to know what to do with a wrong situation. And very seldom do all these voices ever agree, so be prepared for confusion.
When we ask ourselves what needs are and aren’t being met in a situation, all we need to do is get in touch with our needs, the needs of other people, and the needs of God and ask ourselves what needs are most alive for us all in the present moment, and if we can think of a better way to meet them if they’re not being met, and celebrate if they are!
So, whenever anything is troubling us, we can ask ourselves what’s wrong and how to make it right (if we want to be confused) or we can ask ourselves what needs aren’t being met (if we want to have the clarity to live authentically, effectively, and intimately with ourselves, others, and God.)
Well…. as much of a mouthful as that was, that’s just the tip of the iceberg! I tell you- I could write a book about this stuff. There really is a lot more. But I’m gonna stop there so I don’t overwhelm you with more than you can chew on.
Let me know what you think and if this resonates with you or not, and if you have any questions I’d be blessed to hear them!
Best regards,
Chris
Walking In a Good Friends Sandles
A good friend of mine recently posted a response on our ‘Expressions’ site related to his connection with Luke 10:1-12. I thought I would share it here too!
I just want to point out in my own experience and the way I grew up, I have seen too many Christians, including pastors who have miss-interrupt Luke 10:11 and have said something which does much harm than good. They have an attitude to think they are superior to the non-believer. That way they try to spread the Gospel and can only make people reject them more because of their own pride. They do not have enough understanding of the Gospel and they have no respect to people with other religion or people who ask questions.
When being asked about questions they do not understand and can not answer, they have a tendency to use hell to scare people or blame people of not having enough faith or make up some answer which can only fool little kids. Only in very little exceptional cases they are being honest to tell the truth that they do not totally understand the Gospel. When I look at these verses I can see the approach should be different.
1) The 72 people who are appointed are the people who know what they are doing. They not only know but they take action to give up their own personal interests to follow Jesus. They are the ones which are given power to perform miracles. And they are the ones who go without turning back. (They are not the “Christians” who use pride to cover up themselves, like to talk much but fail to have compassion and fail to have basic respect to non-believers.
I started to wonder why senior pastors like to hide in the church and talk but you never see them serve the people in need, like serving in seniors homes, muster seed, involved in cleaning the church building, reaching out to non-believers, Etc… When is the last time you were involved in those activities and seen any senior pastors from your church? Like you always see those Mormon young guys going door to door but you never see the pastors doing that…Same case in christen churches.
2) When the 72 entered the town, they don’t just talk their talk. They have compassion for people there. They help the people in need and perform miracle healings. They don’t just stay in the temple or church and do their talk. People are more likely to believe them because of their actions. They also take what ever people donate and live in what ever condition provided instead of lecturing people to give them their 10% and ask for money to build a big and fancy church building.
3) I found those words they said in verse 11 very unconstructive.
I also wonder if the 72 people are only allowed to say those things in verse 11 AFTER they perform those miracle healings. Honestly speaking, will you let 2 strangers stay in you home and provide them with food and hear some teaching which is new to you?
For me, following Jesus’ foot steps means trying to obey his teaching and do good works. It is about applying those teachings in everyday activities. Following those teachings when I have to make decisions. Asking myself what would Jesus want me to do in different cases rather than what should I do to maximize my personal gain. There are times which we don’t have to give anything up but there are also times we will have to give up our personal interests and put his interests first.How can we make a difference in the world without first making a difference in ourselves first? Perhaps I should start with making a difference in improving myself and trying to serve people around me more. I don’t have a goal or agenda to change the world. I believe understanding and following Jesus’ teachings and being responsible for the things he put me in charge of is a life long assignment.
The Million Dollar Message
Recently I was reading a post on my friend Alan Hirsch’s blog ‘The Forgotten Ways’ titled ‘Consumption as Spirituality’. A fellow reader named Penny made a moving comment with regards to her friend in the hospital. I won’t share much of the comment however, I feel the pain that I think we humans all feel with the perplexities and paradoxical understandings we have with regards to the issue of death.
I must admit to being reminded of a sermon I did in regards to the practices of euthanasia several years ago called ‘The Million Dollar Message’. It was a sermon I wrote after Bonnie and I had blindly rented and watched Clint Eastwood’s film ‘The Million Dollar Baby’. For those of you that know me… this was deeply a personal attack and I felt overly compelled to respond. That said, I realize that the doorway we see as “death” is shrouded in things we don’t necessarily understand. Things that I don’t understand. Looking back… maybe… I was wrong. Then again… maybe not.
The Million Dollar Message!
Introduction
How many of you have seen the movie “Million Dollar Baby”?
Well that’s great because today I want to share with you the “Million Dollar Message”! And to begin I am going to use a quote that Eddy “Scrap Iron” Dupris said in the film.
He said “If there is any magic in boxing, it’s the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys, and detached retina’s. It’s the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you.”
What battles do you face in life? What struggle is it that you find that keeps getting right up there in front of your face and seems to make life just impossible? And after you’ve got it there, what are you supposed to do with it?
Jesus too faced these questions and he addresses them in the passage that I want to explore with you. Turn back to today’s reading in Mark 8:31.
“GET BEHIND ME…”
This is a passage where Jesus is spending some time with his disciples, probably in the evening while sitting around the fire, and Jesus is telling them about the coming events that would be happening soon.
As he explains that these events will be a hard time and he himself would be facing great suffering and pain, Peter quickly pipes up saying “No Lord, don’t say that.” “Don’t say that you will have to suffer in anguish!”
I mean think about it! Jesus isn’t just saying poor me, he’s saying every person of worldly leadership, the government, the religious leaders, and educator’s of his country and culture will despise him and murder him. Probably on a cross. And Peter who has seen the horrific anguish and torture of people dieing on the cross is saying to his friend “Please Jesus, there has to be another way?”
Jesus responds “Get away from me Satan!” That’s pretty powerful words to use. So why would Jesus say this?
If we look back at Matthew 4:1-11 we can see that earlier Satan also tempted Jesus three times. One of which where he offers Jesus all the nations of the world if he would just bow down and worship him. He was offering Jesus a way to gain the whole world without having to suffer on the cross.
In the same way Peter, although motivated by a different purpose (the purpose of love for his master and not wanting to see him in pain), was still asking Jesus to avoid the cross. He was asking for another way in which Jesus could be King without having to suffer. Whether Peter knew it or not, the temptation was directed by the works of Satan.
By saying that Peter was looking at things from a human perspective, Jesus was pointing to the fact that Peter was quick to see the promise of glory and worship that come at the end of the road but he was blind to the path that Jesus had to walk in order to reach the end of the road.
Likewise, Satan is more then willing to let us see the promises that Jesus has for us but his illusion is to blind us from seeing the road in which we need to travel in order to receive those promises. We stumble around asking ourselves why must I go through this, why do “I” have to suffer.
With God’s vision though Jesus recognizes the fact that power and glory comes after hard work, persecution, deprivation, and suffering.
Jesus gives us to results for Peter in these first few verses.
First is the command “Get away from me Satan!” “Get out of my sight!” Recognize that his temptation is a lie. Recognize that it is a feeble attempt to cloud our focus from the truth that we have to first travel the road of hardship before we can receive the riches of heaven.
Secondly he says in the same words to Peter as we see in other translations “Get behind me…” Jesus is placing Peter back into the proper position of authority to which he belongs. Jesus is the master, he is our leader, the one who is holding the white towel, and Peter is the disciple. Plain and simple, we can’t follow what we can’t see!
Jesus is reminding us of the same thing. He is the one with the vision, the one who sees the invisible dream, and if we are going to be able to follow him we have to see him in front of us!
THREE STEPS OF TRAINING
Do you remember the scene in the movie were Frankie Dunn is taking Maggie Fitzgerald as his next fighter. Maggie is spilling guts out about all the hard work she’s doing and all the suffering and persecution she’s had to endure and wondering what it’s all for. Frankie finally concedes to training her under some specific conditions. He say’s “If I take you on you don’t say anything, you don’t question me, you don’t ask why, you don’t say anything except maybe yes Frankie.”
That’s exactly what Jesus does in the next few verses. Now that Peter is in the proper position to which he should be, Jesus gives three quick points, three conditions as to how we can follow him as his disciples.
First he says “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me.”
Jesus was aware of the persecution that the church would later face and he also knew the purposes the Romans had for there acts in crucifying people. See the Romans would not only whip the people they were crucifying to dull the pain of the crucifixion itself but they would also tie the cross beam of the cross to the shoulders of there victims and make them carry it to the site of execution. This cross beam which would weigh in excess of 60 pounds or more would cut and scrap the raw backs of their victims and was meant to be a representation to the people of their submission to Roman authority.
Jesus is asking for that same allegiance. That we would submit inspite of pain and anguish all our authority to him right down to the place and time of our death. He was saying that the promises he has for us are greater then even death itself and they were worth sacrificing every part of our self desire for. We begin living our lives with an attitude that says “What I want is irrelevant!”
Maltbie Babdcock once wrote that “Present suffering is not enjoyable, but life would be worth little without it. The difference between iron and steel is fire, but steel is worth all it costs. Iron ore may think itself senselessly tortured in the furnace, but when the watch-spring looks back, it knows better. David enjoyed pain and trouble no more than we do, but the time came when he admitted that they had been good for him. Though the aspect of suffering is hard, the prospect is hopeful, and the retrospect will start a song, if we are “the called according to his purpose,” in suffering.”
Jesus’ second condition is that “If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life.”
In the early parts of the movie do you remember the scene where the character Big Willie Little is in the fight of his life and he gets a shot to the side of the head where he gets cut under the eye. Stopping the fight and sending the fighters to their corners, the ref tells Frankie (Eastwood) that he had to stop the bleeding or he would stop the fight. Not wanting to loose, Willie asks his trainer “What should I do?” And Frankie responds “You got to let him hit you?”
Although a little perplexed Willie follows his advice and just like those old Rocky movies we can see the slow motion of Willie dropping his guard as the fighter gives him a shot to the head and then those cool CSI special effects when we see the close up of all the blood vessels in his check seizing up and stopping the bleeding. It was after that when Willie could go in and give the knock out blow and claim victory.
Willie is the picture of what Jesus is asking of us. That if we persist of guarding our own lives with our own wisdom we will loose it and be unable to continue the fight. But, if we just place our faith in him, allow ourselves to drop our guard and endure the shots of suffering we receive in this world, we will begin to experience the path to victory and rejoice with the final knock out blow. That is what “real life is about”.
The third condition Jesus gives us is a series of rhetorical questions. “And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?
I’ll add to these questions; “What is your life worth?” “Can you truly understand the value of your life and how it affects everyone around you?” These are very personal questions that I have asked myself and to be truthful with myself, I cannot answer them with any certainty not because I can’t see what has happened in the past but because I cannot see the future! Who am I to judge and determine the people I may speak to, hear, comfort, or come in contact with in future? I cannot judge! I have no authority to do so!
There is a very clear point at which the movie Million Dollar Baby changes direction and for those of you who have seen it you know what I am referring too! It is at the point where Maggie after having broke her neck and becoming paralyzed, asks Frankie to help her commit suicide. I want you to think about it for a moment and the power of her statement. She says “I can’t be like this Frankie, not after what I’ve done, I’ve seen the world, People chanted my name, not some damn name you gave me, they were chanting for me. I was in magazines. You think I ever dreamed that would happen. I was born 2 pounds 1 and a half ounces, Daddy use to tell me I fought to get into this world. You know if I had my way out, that’s all I want to do Frankie. I just don’t want to fight you to do it. I got what I needed. I got it all. Don’t keep letting them take it away from me. Don’t let me lie here till I can’t hear those people chanting no more.”
Compare it again to Jesus’ words “And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?”
At what point did Maggie become disillusioned to the fact that here soul was measured by the fight for life, the fight of celebrating 33 years of life and still punching that speed bag and not just for the simple chants of a crowd.
Titles are won and titles are lost, champions come and champions go, but in the eternity of life there is only one Maggie Fitzgerald. There is only one Erik Freiburger. There is only one you.
With this in mind I give you a quote from G.K. Chesterton. “In everything worth having, even in every pleasure, there is a point of pain or tedium that must be survived, so that the pleasure may revive and endure. The joy of battle comes after the first fear of death; the joy of reading Virgil comes after the bore of learning him; the glow of the sea-bather comes after the icy shock of the sea bath; and the success of the marriage comes after the failure of the honeymoon.”
It is true that some of us endure suffering here on earth whether it be physical or not however in the face of eternity this lifetime is a mere moment before the riches of heaven.
Likewise, our soul is not set to the riches of this world but through Christ it is intently focused on the Kingdom of God making the value of this life a journey of preparation planned out by our heavenly Father for the coming of the next life. It’s value immeasurable in the hands of God!
Conclusion
If you can’t tell I am very emotionally attached to this message and moving into the conclusion I want to share with you why.
Bonnie and I watched this movie a few weeks ago. Sitting down we thought we where going to watch a movie about boxing, about over coming adversity. Instead we were flooded with images of fear, worry, doubt, self-pity, and ultimately the glorification of murder. It hurt and it cut deeply as it attacked us personally in our lifestyle.
The producer called it a work of genius and the general public would seem to agree giving it 4 Academy Awards out of 7 one of which being Best Picture. It floors me that, that same public would earlier have just rejected ‘The Passion of Christ’ film from any possibility of award for its implied message content of hatred and instead embraces the message content of a film comparing human life being worth that of putting a dog down.
Work of genius? Absolutely! Great direction, superb acting, fantastic screen writing but, orchestrated by an unseen entity to which millions will be affected which geniusely is far greater then anyone man. The film deceivingly does not allow the public to understand the message of euthanasia prior to viewing and instead hides behind the mask of Actors names and a beaming picture of the awards it has received.
At the same time bringing a message of comparing euthanasia to justifiable homicide in a society that struggles with the very question of assisted suicide. We have states like Oregon passing bills making euthanasia legal, husbands denying communion to the wives as they starve to death such as the court ordered murder of Terry Schiavo, and human beings laughing as they crack a joke about Dr. Kavorkian.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer at the height of the Nazi’s campaign for euthanasia wrote that “In a Christian community, everything depends upon whether each individual is an indispensable link in a chain. Only when even the smallest link is securely interlocked is the chain unbreakable. A community which allows unemployed members to exist within it will perish because of them. It will be well, therefore, if every member receives a definite task to perform for the community, that he may know in hours of doubt that he, too, is not useless and unusable. Every Christian community must realize that not only do the weak need the strong, but also that the strong cannot exist without the weak. The elimination of the weak is the death of the fellowship.”
He was not advocating euthanasia but instead was pointing to the fact that each and every individual is vital to the community of faith despite any physical fight they may have or physiological struggle.
Jesus tells us in verse 38 of Mark 8 that we are not to be ashamed of his message. We’re not to be ashamed of his life because the life he gives us is not a life of shame. It’s a life of power and influence, of love, and compassion, and generosity to all of his creation in the midst of adversity! I know its true because I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I’ve seen it in the life of my wife’s friend Katie and her passion for friendship and sailing. I’ve seen it in my friend Mike Zunic’s life with his love of racing and race cars while expressing his faith through those experiences. I’ve seen it in the lives of Henry and Geraldine Eckert with the joy that they have in sharing stories about there grandson Nathan. And I see it in the life of my wife Bonnie and the inspiration she gives me as we share life together.
I began this message saying I wanted to share with you the million dollar message and shared with you the words of Eddy “Scrap Iron” Dupris. “If there is any magic in boxing, it’s the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys, and detached retina’s. It’s the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you.”
It’s more then the magic of boxing. It’s the magic of life. The power of the Holy Spirit taking us beyond the physical pain and suffering of this world, beyond the psychological struggles of depression and anguish, beyond the spiritual attacks of sin and unseen enemies. It’s the power of each one of us risking everything and submitting to the dream that nobody sees but the Son of God. Jesus Christ. And when we get there we won’t hear the applauses of human hands but the choruses of Angels singing. And we will all raise our arms in victory not with the closed fists of self accomplishment but with open hands of praise and worship to an awesome God!
I’m going to close in prayer but while I do that would you do something with me. I want you to all stand up, grab the wrist of the person next to you and lift their hands in victory. We are all champions in Christ!
Changes in Just Wondering…
It seems as though some of the most intimate moments that I have experienced with God have been while sitting on my back deck under the blackness of night while starring off into the glittering night sky of the stars and luminous moon light. It seems as though I could spend hours there conversing about my day, family, friends, and my deeper thoughts about faith, theology, and the church. I suppose too, often I would just sit there listening and enjoying being in his presence. I often like to compare it to a candle being lit in a dark room. It is small and yet it brings illumination and focus to everything within that room. Likewise, Jesus can bring light into our lives through moments of inspiration or epiphany even in the darkest of circumstances!
It is for this reason that I decided to change the theme to Just Wondering… so that it could better reflect this aspect of my life, faith, and walk with Jesus. It is a darker theme in the hopes of it drawing focus and attention on what is being said and shared through my posts and the community responses. Contrary to some of my friends saying other wise, I must confess that I am not a “computer guru” and as such I chose this theme from a set design. There are ups and downs to its parameters one of which is that the pages to this site are now listed at the side rather then as tabs at the top. I hope this does not deter you from exploring the other different Wonderings I have on this site.
The other change which I have brought to Just Wondering is in the recognition of how God has used music to shape and mold my faith throughout the years. Whether it was sitting in the living room listening to my mother play her box guitar and singing along with her or the many great artists, ”Christian” and “Non-Christian”, that I have heard play live and in recordings; music has always had a great place in my heart for the authentic expression and exploration of what it means to walk in Jesus’ presence. For this reason I have added a “Box” widget to the right column of the site where you can listen to some of the music which has impacted me over years. At the beginning of every month I will change the song being played so make sure to keep up with the latest addition to ‘Songs of Wonder’.
Bonnie and I will be busy over the next coming months writing a business plan and preparing for the launch of ‘Expressions Coffee & Tea House’. However, I hope to write a number of posts over the next little while on such things as ‘Who Am I?’ – My New Years Covenant, ‘Some Christmas Pic’s’, and a series of entries detailing my thoughts regarding the six points of ‘Ideology and the Christian Church’ which I had brought up a few weeks ago. Until then enjoy the new theme, the ‘Songs of Wonder’, and the encounters you might have with the presence of Jesus in your life!
A Christmas Prayer
Father, I draw close to your Spirit today. My heart reflects back into the depths of history as I picture the birth of Jesus in a stable of animals. A baby lying amongst a bed of straw, set within a manger. I look deeper still into your face Jesus with your brown reflecting eyes looking right through to my soul and I am filled with your incredible presence…. Jesus…. Emmanuel…. God with us.
Jesus, you begin to open your eyes and I ask for that sight. The sight of wisdom to be brought to the masses. That our leaders, seen and unseen, would have the veil of human ideologies and concepts lifted from their minds and hearts. That instead it would be replaced by the visions and dreams of your Kingdom, an ever lasting Kingdom of true justice, freedom, and equity for all despite race, nation, religion, or political affiliation.
Your heart beats with a cadence for peace and good will for all. Let mine and all others fall into the rhythm of beating within that same Holy Spirit. Let your passion for peace fill the Middle East so that freedom can be brought to the imprisoned on all sides. Let your stillness of heart and the tranquility of your actions loosen the grips we have on weapons which do harm to one another so that we can take up open hands for the purpose of rebuilding that which was lost not only in the physical sense but in the community, social, spiritual, and relational sense.
I pray Jesus that here in the West we would break the confines of self seeking agendas so that we can begin to see the acts of good will to all being that of a holistic embrace of our neighbors in all parts of the earth. There is no rich, no poor, no enemy or infidel; only my brother, my sister, my friend and my neighbor. Teach us Jesus in testimony and deed the greatest power of loving our neighbor as ourselves!
I pray Lord that we would take greater notice of what it means to have dominion on the earth. That we would recognize that dominion does not mean dominance or the right to do what ever we choose too but, that it is the right to do what we should do. Give us courage Jesus in the face of environmental degradation to make the right choices and to change our lives so that we take better care of the beauty of your creation. I pray more specifically that I can and will make the changes needed to my own life so that I might be a witness to the transformations you can bring to our community.
Let your Joy fill the air. Let the richness of life, a life to the fullest bring health and happiness to all people. May healing be found by those who seek it. May I offer comfort to those who need it. Let laughter and cheer pierce the deepest and darkest states of mine and all others physical, emotional, and spiritual imprisonments. Let all things in my heart, mind, and soul be shaped by righteousness, goodness, and truth!
I confess you Jesus as my Lord, my Savior, my end all and be all, my life and my very being! This shapes my hope in present and in future. May that hope, that faith, that love, that first and eternal Christmas of God with us continue to flow into every heart from now into Eternity! Amen.
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
Morning & Evening Devotion: The Door By Which All Will Pass
“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”
Bonnie and I just finished our daily devotional and I felt God really stirring in my heart so, I thought I would share it with the rest of you!
Jesus, the great I AM, is the entrance into the true church, and the way of access to God himself. He gives to the man who comes to God by him four choice privileges.
1. He shall be saved. The fugitive manslayer passed the gate of the city of refuge, and was safe. Noah entered the door of the ark, and was secure. None can be lost who take Jesus as the door of faith to their souls. Entrance through Jesus into peace is the guarantee of entrance by the same door into heaven. Jesus is the only door, an open door, a wide door, a safe door; and blessed is he who rests all his hope of admission to glory upon the crucified Redeemer.
2. He shall go in. He shall be privileged to go in among the divine family, sharing the children’s bread, and participating in all their honours and enjoyments. He shall go in to the chambers of communion, to the banquets of love, to the treasures of the covenant, to the storehouses of the promises. He shall go in unto the King of kings in the power of the Holy Spirit, and the secret of the Lord shall be with him.
3. He shall go out. This blessing is much forgotten. We go out into the world to labour and suffer, but what a mercy to go in the name and power of Jesus! We are called to bear witness to the truth, to cheer the disconsolate, to warn the careless, to win souls, and to glorify God; and as the angel said to Gideon, “Go in this thy might,” even thus the Lord would have us proceed as his messengers in his name and strength.
4. He shall find pasture. He who knows Jesus shall never want. Going in and out shall be alike helpful to him: in fellowship with God he shall grow, and in watering others he shall be watered. Having made Jesus his all, he shall find all in Jesus. His soul shall be as a watered garden, and as a well of water whose waters fail not.
Nothing Always Leads to Something
It might sound crazy but, all I want for Christmas this year is absolutely nothing! Why? In honesty, because I truly believe that nothing always leads to something. I started thinking about this probably about a week ago while reading the story of Joseph and Mary traveling to Bethlehem in Luke 2:1-7.
It starts by saying that, “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.” Of course this was a big thing for many Jews as many would not be in there own ancestral home towns. The Roman Empire had brought the technologies and road systems which would spread the Jews all around the known world and so it would take them a great deal of time to work there way back to Israel and their own respective ancestral homes.
Mary and Joseph where no exception. It would probably take them several days to navigate and walk all the way from their small village of Nazareth in northern Israel down to the birth place of their ancestor David and the home of the tribe of Benjamin; the city of Bethlehem. It is here where I begin to reflect on the state of nothingness that Mary and particularly Joseph would be feeling.
Mary is pregnant and on the verge of giving birth to their first born son. After being inquisitively held under the judging eyes of their friends, their family, and their fellow neighbors in Nazareth they take the dangerous and long journey down to Bethlehem to register under Caesar’s censes with all that they own on the back of a lone donkey. Tired, sore, and straining to find a place to rest they are confronted by the cold and suppressive shoulders of their distant relatives. There is no room in the inn. No extra space by the fire. And no place for Mary to lie back while going through the labor of Jesus’ birth.
I can just picture Joseph’s anguish! Why? They are not important enough. They are not intellectually, politically, our religiously astute enough. They wouldn’t be able to give an entertaining enough conversation at the supper table. They are not rich enough or they just don’t have the right connections with the right people. I imagine them listening to the whispers behind the closed doors of the city homes as they heard the same adage Jesus would hear thirty years later; “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46) They were worthless and unimportant. They were nothing.
My friend Patrick wrote an article several weeks back on the word ‘Kenosis’. It is a Greek word meaning “nothing” or “nothingness” and he points out quickly the struggles we often face with this kind of state or value. He says, “It’s a curious sort of now because it doesn’t seem quite a Christian value. Buddhists believe in emptying. Christians believe in filling. Buddhists pursue a divine nothingness. Christians the fullness of God. So such a term becomes easy to write off as not being Christian. Only it’s entirely so.” More pointedly we find Paul using this word of kenosis in describing his picture of the first Christmas in Philippians 2:5-7 as being in the character of 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.”
We go back to our passage, our first Christmas scene (Luke 2:6-7), “And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger.” Joseph and Mary that night found themselves completely empty, void, and without significance and yet in the flickering of the torch light, laying there in the straw bed of an animals manger was a tiny baby. A baby which brought a smile to each of them as they knew that even when life seemed empty and without purpose, God would bring fullness to it. Nothing always leads to something.
I would like to borrow the words of my friend Patrick again when he said, “Being emptied is assuming there’s still something, only it has been gutted, poured out. The container remains. The content changes.” Perhaps, you have felt this same sense of meaninglessness or loss of purpose. Maybe you have felt pushed to the side or felt a sense of a numbing nothingness in your life. I offer you the same promise Jesus offered through his Spirit of Christmas; nothing always leads to something. Again, nothing always leads to something.
Nothing always leads to Hope.
A hope that says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:1-11) Jesus promises that in the authentic expression of even our most deepest emotions we can find hope in witnessing and looking for his kingdom around us.
Nothing leads us to Faith.
I am reminded of a quote which I read from Sam Ervin. He said, “Faith is not a storm cellar to which men and women can flee for refuge from the storms of life. It is, instead, an inner force that gives them the strength to face those storms and their consequences with serenity of spirit.” In other words, faith is to say “the kingdom of God is near” and to truly believe it not because it is written in the bible or even in our heads, but because it is shown through our actions, our words, and our daily activities to which that kingdom has come to be present. It is an unseen power which we have in the simple choice of following Jesus!
Nothing leads to Eternal Life
On that first Christmas, after all that had happened – Mary’s encounter with the angel, Joseph’s dream, their traveling down to the city of Bethlehem – Do you think that while looking into the depth’s of their babies eyes that they would have any clue as to Jesus’ promise of God’s love for this world, “that he would give his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Not even the empty nothingness of death can stop Jesus and his followers from the reality that nothing always leads to something.
All I want for Christmas is absolutely nothing because nothing always leads to something.
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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