A Brief Update: New Surroundings, New Puzzle Pieces… Same Mission

 

 

    Friends, neighbors, countrymen!   Thank you for your patience with me, as I have gone over three weeks without a post, mainly due to 2 weeks of no internet, and a nearly insurmountable amount of work to do in the new home even with the unpacking now complete.  Nevertheless, here’s a brief update on things with more thoughts to chew on:

    As noted, we have moved into a beautiful, new home… a massive new home.  To pay very little more money than a few others on our list and have 400 more square footage feet than those just could not be passed up.  Overall, we gained 750 feet over the old house!  Crazy, huh? I have been torn at times about this, just my cynical self thinking about how “necessary” these luxuries we enjoy in America really are, and the mandate we’ve been given as Christ followers.  I’m still struggling with that even in the new house… but I’m sensing that being a good steward with what you’ve been given cannot be taken lightly either.  With interest rates down, market values down, a former neighborhood that would likely depreciate sooner than later, no PMI, etc, etc… we decided to look for an upgrade in size, location, and neighborhood.  The cost for double value of the house, and many more perks and better quality work (and trim and AC units and the list goes on) was only 25.5% more than our former payments.  Again, being a good steward with what you’ve been given and living within your means gives me a little more peace about the situation. Plus, I like a deal, and now is the time for that.

    So… could this fit into God’s plan?  I strongly sense that it may be unfolding already.  Pastor spoke yesterday how “Your kingdom come, Your will be done” is basically saying “Your agenda be done”.  There is an agenda, and I always joke about His will being a giant puzzle slowly coming together, amid times we don’t understand the scenes coming together and how some pieces fit or link across the picture.

    Every person, other than the seller of the home, has been fantastic, easy, and discounted to work with. From selling our home in 2 weeks at full price to realtors to surveyors to furniture dealers, things have been fairly smooth and peaceful.  An unexpected cost was when our 25 year-old washer went down, but the same day, an insurance refund check for the same amount of a new one arrived.  We are now one of those people with a testimony about mysterious money!  About 5 neighboring families have all been wonderful to us, and are more thrilled that the former residents are gone than they are we have moved in.  However, those stories and conversations have built a good foundation to start on… especially our Ukrainian neighbors.  There is a property line issue (their house is 12 inches off the line, and a gutter overhangs it), but they are learning that we are peaceful, and not greedy.  They joked about the things we don’t really do as Christians, but the relationship is there, and their worries are subsiding about us being ugly or demanding or taking advantage of them financially to fix this problem.  Compliments have begun to spring forth and I’ve been in their home twice already, once for a great meal!  We’re just praying that this unfortunate situation opened a unique door, and that the momentum continues.

     More to come.  Some good thoughts are brewing, and I’ll post again very shortly.  Thanks again for your patience!

 

 

Subtle Addictions: Control and Safety

As I take a quick break from work, and moving into the new house, and watching Audrey (each of which are a full-time job), I thought I would resume the ole’ blog with some thoughts that have stuck in my head for about 3 weeks now.  One came from a comment on here, and the other was from a recent book (or audiobook in my case!).

I am not sure if it’s how we are wired, or if society has shaped us in so many unspoken ways, but I have come to realize that we have elevated feelings of Safety and Control to levels that can result in an unseen barrier to spiritual growth.  If addictions were like little demons, these might be the ones in stealth mode.  This is not to discount either of these points entirely… obviously they are a natural part of survival, but if we do a self-analysis of the degree to which we take them, I fear we will find that we are not consistently placing ourselves on the path God may have laid out for us.

Safety

There is a portion of Francis Chan’s book, Crazy Love, that has absolutely haunted me for the last two weeks. It has affected my prayers over the baby each night, and took some time before I would even utter the lines that he suggested we pray.  To begin with, don’t we all pray before a trip for “traveling mercies”, and safety on the road?  Isn’t that what we want… an experience to get to our destination with no unexpected and unscripted dangers or events?  Chan challenged me when he asked “What if we were to pray ’Lord, draw me closer to you, whatever it takes. Period.’ “.  That absolutely freaks me out just typing that!  I want to greatly elaborate, but I think I will leave that quote alone.  Chew on it.  Consider what might happen if we were to say that to God.  Do we want to go to the next level, or do we want to say, like Meatloaf, “I would do anything for love- but I won’t do that.”  Moving on past the bad song references… do you think you could pray like that?

Control

Jesus said, “I send you out as sheep among wolves”. Is He in control enough to help us survive among those we are in contact with so often?  He told another in the book of Luke, “Sell all that you have and give it to the poor”.  This challenges both my mind and my wallet!  What are you dependent on?  Our money and possessions and lavish American lifestyles that have often been a result of God’s blessings have come back to sometimes replace the very One who provided them.  I personally struggle with this because of the beautiful home we just moved into… it is already very easy to let it (physically and mentally) dominate our time and efforts and design and personal budget. 

What about other areas of excessive control that do not involve specific objects, but yet it becomes evident in our actions and relationships?  It seems that personal control is what our society is built on, from small business to how we “accessorize” to how we order our burgers. We have been shaped to believe that everything is on our terms, and our desires are ultimately what matters. What kind of battle occurs on the inside when there is a heart’s tug that occurs during a special offering at church, or a donation is requested?  What about when we feel down or inadequate, and our witnessing opportunities become affected?  

My point is that we have to lay down our longing for control in all areas of life- our marriages, church groups, bank accounts, etc.  Maybe, just maybe, it was my own self standing in the way of God’s work over the years. It’s very possible that He has moved past me before to impress on someone else a conversation or a gift to help others.  Our deathgrip of controlling our lifestyle can only impede “divine appointments”.   My pastor often states that Life is what happens in between our plans.  Those are the moments that shape and direct us.

Just some odd thoughts bouncing around my head for a few weeks.  I truly hope it helps someone else in their walk with God… even if it also leads you to some scary prayers.

The Results Are In- The Church Has Left The Building, Part 3

First of all, thanks to the website, www.putyourfaithinaction.org, who found and linked to this little blog, an boosted my hits by a bazillion percent.

Well, in this final update regarding our church’s big event, here are a few stories we have been hearing from those outside the church:

Following outdoor work on a nearby elderly woman’s house, she was joyfully waving and blowing kisses to the workers.  Another neighbor was crying, happy to have her home similarly painted and landscaped, and a school principal- amazed at their own landscaping job-  stated she felt as though she were at the wrong place!  

Some thoughts and impressions from those within the church have been very positive.  Poison oak, yellow jacket stings, bloody shins from thorns.  None of it mattered.  You could literally see this “bug” bite many as they worked to help others less fortunate.  Most are already hoping and planning to do this again.  We have formed connections with others that we never really knew before, and others were motivated as the hours went on and the progress became more visible.  Me?  My chills came when the Hispanic members in our partnering church showed up and worked alongside.  The stories continue to roll in, but the next point really gets me excited about the future.

In a a call last Thursday with Tom Clegg, author of Missing in America,  we discussed this event, and I learned that his church (near Sioux Falls, I believe) now does this 4-5 times per year. Any month with a fifth Sunday is automatically a community work day, and the local area welcomes it.  The news no longer covers it, as it has become normal, and just a part of who they are.  I shared with Tom my thoughts that it may be a bigger witnessing tool than we realize, because we are slowly changing perceptions and stereotypes.  Many thoughts and attitudes toward the church would indicate we are “exclusive”, “arrogant”, “a goody-goody club”, “greedy”, and “stingy”.  By doing a community day like this, those perceptions might change, and we may become less of a barrier to ourselves, drawing more to Christ.  It may take a few years, but continually breaking down our (well-deserved) stereotypes within the city may do just as much good as one-on-one witnessing attempts now.  Tom seemed to agree, and mentioned that there is a caricature of the church out there, not necessarily one of Jesus… but sadly, we many are unable to separate the two.

Finally, if you are interested in doing such an event at your church, I encourage you to:  

1. Pray 
2. Prepare.  By doing it right, you can build momentum and attendance when you do this again and again. 
3. Surf the net for even more ideas to help be creative and also impact the specifics within your area 
4. Feel free to contact Brian Mosley, our Outreach pastor at City Church of Chattanooga.  He could advise you about the preparation process, lining up donations/ offerings/ tool and material lists, etc.  He can be emailed at bmosley@thecitychurch.cc

Love With an Agenda

 

A few weeks ago, Addie (a great friend in our church group) discussed something she thought about from a line in The Shack. The line was ““…the ones who love Me are the ones who are free to live and love without any agenda.” She had some fantastic points, and I have pondered that phrase about loving without an agenda since then… and quickly discovered that it lines up with the whole struggle of iWitnessing (my little term for modern day evangelism). Here are two basic thoughts I am struck by the most.  

Loving With an Agenda

I watched a recent interview with former President George W. Bush, he said one of his few real regrets was allowing others to hang a certain banner behind him while standing on a battleship delivering a victory message. He was announcing that the intensity and focus on Iraq was finally easing up, with the theme draped behind stating “Mission Accomplished”.  I think we all know that the mission was never completed, and even by making such a statement, he still knew that work and follow-ups remained essential to the overall plan.

With that in mind, let me share what I have not only observed, but also unfortunately performed. Have you ever heard of folks come to salvation, and then feel as though they were left on an island? Maybe there was an individual who let off the gas pedal and announced “Mission Accomplished”, maybe it was a group at church… but when someone made their decision to follow Christ, the personal relationship fizzled out like your July 4th sparklers two weeks ago. When all the “love” - the work and prayer and conversations and time- that was invested prior to that moment immediately lessens or even terminates, one must accept that maybe he/she were in it for the wrong reasons. If I may be blunt, maybe that person was really just a stat or a “project” to us.

Do we show such a conditional love?  Do we demonstrate a love that is visible for just as long as it takes to reach the “goal” of their salvation?  Maybe you aren’t, but I have been 100% guilty of this. Perhaps we have defined love incorrectly- or maybe it is the goal that we have all wrong.

The goal, and all of God’s plans for that matter, is bigger than anything we can wrap our minds around.  What little I do know is that there is a Kingdom that has come, and it provides peace, comfort, encouragement, and a perpetual love for the new believers, old believers, and non-believers.  This Kingdom does not have a finish line, and its mission is for disciples to make other disciples who make other disciples. Think of the Parable of the Seed and Sower in Luke 8, and view the seed not just as the Gospel message, but also a new Christ-follower.  If we abandon those who are spiritually young and trying to put down their roots, are we not giving them (the seeds) over to the rocks, the thorns, and the birds?  We all would agree that there are alot of influences and predators in the world.

Loving Without an Agenda

Consider showing love without a specific purpose or goal in mind. Wouldn’t that be beautiful?  By changing the stereotypes and perceptions toward Christians, wouldn’t that possibly reach even more people than the one or two we get so concerned with?  One of our greatest barriers in reaching others is ourselves!  The easiest way to change the world’s view of us is- if I may steal a recent slogan from The Church Has Left the Building- “not to do church, but to be the church”.  Love in action provides many pictures, and each picture speaks a thousand words.

Here’s a final thought that I believe works well in this portion.  I was blown away at a few points in Francis Chan’s book, Crazy Love. One was in a section that elaborated on how our society views God, and often how He is described as a bad father, or an apathetic figure in the sky. We question, and feel as though we have the right to ask God why bad things happen.  Chan’s response was that God has every right to ask us why entire countries are starving… or why they don’t have clean water?  Or why the orphans, the widows, the poor and needy, and the homeless are so neglected?  The overall mission remains unaccomplished.

To quote old-school dcTalk, “Love is a Verb”, and putting love in action on a continual basis is the best and most basic method to reach the world with the Gospel.  Let’s paint some pictures, each one contributing to a heavenly and an earthly collage that will provide stories which would require an eternity to discuss.

The Church Has Left The Building pt.2

Just to follow-up, here’s a short video that sums up just a little of what was done last Sunday.  Based on all the stories and neighbors’ reactions, it appears this went even better than expected!  Also a good thing it doesn’t show all the poison ivy at our work site that a few of us are really battling now!  

Here’s the link:

http://ethoschattanooga.com/?p=372

The Church Has Left The Building

What a great day.  Our church (City Church of Chattanooga) did something quite cool, and I just want to take a couple minutes to share some expected, and unexpected, results.

This has been done from other churches around the country in recent years.  The concept is simple… to call off Sunday service and instead worship by doing service and reaching others in the community.  You assist others, bond with one another, actually act like a “doer of the Word, and not just hearers”, and hopefully change somebody’s perception somewhere about what the church could also do.  There were probably 15-20 projects, particularly in one older neighborhood, that included painting homes, repairing porches, landscaping, cleaning up brush and garbage, painting parking spaces, and sawing trees. Others went to a women’s shelter to paint and landscape, while some did care packages and went to a retirement home. 

If I may be totally honest, I saw the project list and locations and thought we spread ourselves too thin.  About a month ago, I joined about 300 from work to do a community service day at a local school, and assumed we would be done very early with that great turnout.  We quickly realized that we were able to spruce up the basics, but another day or 2 could have gone a long way.  As for “The Church Has Left the Building”, there were really big projects listed, and a church that runs 750 (which includes lots of small kids) would probably be lucky to get 200 to participate from 8am-1pm on a hot July day, right?  

We probably had 400 people show up, and the parking lot was slam full.  Everyone was bumming in work clothes, and the trucks outside were proudly displaying shovel handles, paint sprayers, and buckets.  I even saw a Bobcat!  After a 30 minute prep/ instruction/ devotional, we left with our bottled waters and headed to our work site.

To make a long story short, it was a great time with nearly 30 workers at our site (possibly because it was one of the bigger projects).  We sawed trees, cleaned thorns and underbrush and garbage and old appliances dumped there.  I chainsawed 20 minutes before the bar broke and wouldn’t freely rotate the chain.  Chainsaw guy #2 had his konk out, then saws 3 and 4 became dull, so I ran home for my saw and sharpeners, plus I was recommended to visit Ace to have them all sharpened quickly.  I say this because I am embarrassed that “quickly” was 50 minutes at Ace, and I missed over 90 minutes of something I love doing.  We still hoisted lots of trees and brush into dumpsters, and when I left (at 2pm), our tractor and 2 Bobcats were finishing up.  And as far as I know, most sites were able to meet their goals.

So here was a Sunday, a day we are to “rest” and do “seated services” which are just songs and a message.  Was this physical work?  Heck yeah, and we lost 3 lbs of sweat, and 2 lbs of blood from the thorns and brush.  Did it feel like work emotionally and mentally?  Not at all.  This was a great time of fellowship and helping others.  

Something else happened though, and I felt a deep joy hit the second I saw it coming.  The first 10-15 minutes was nice.  It was cool.  This was a good thing to do.  The warm, fuzzy feeling was there… but then… walking up the street like an army of construction crews on Extreme Home Makeover (well, minus the blue shirts, and the hard hats, and Ty Pennington), here comes at least 50 of the 80 members of the Hispanic church that meets in our fellowship/ Assembly Room on Sundays.  We all worked side by side and smiled alot (that’s all I could do, “Yo quiero agua, y’all” didn’t work too well), and that is what truly upgraded this from a good thing… to a beautiful thing.

 

Update: Here’s a link to some video highlights:  The Church Has Left the Building

Another Update:  For the results, feedback, and contact info for doing this within your own church, check this:  Results

Like You’ve Never Heard It Before…

I have some topics in mind, and numerous drafts that are always setting out there, but I wanted to take a moment to encourage us all to do something that is against our nature, and certainly goes against the grain in our culture… very simply, to simplify.

So rather than a massive post with corny thoughts, personal illustrations, or weak attempts at something deep, I want to list a few basic phrases and verses, and I ask that you take even a whopping ten seconds on each before moving forward.  Read each like you’ve never heard it before.  Read some as though you were nine years old again.  Read in a way that it’s fresh again, and not cliche’.  Read with emphasis on each separate word if needed.   When this is done, feel free to add more in the comments, or elaborate on some of them further… but for once, I’m gonna keep this part short.  Let’s go.

God is Holy

 

God is Love

 

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.   (Psalm 23:1)

 

Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. (Luke 22:31-32)

 

Peace, be still.  (Mark 4:38)

 

He’s got the whole world in His hands.

 

“Whatever you did for one of the least of these…, you did for me.”  (Matthew 25:40)

 

“One thing you lack,” he (Jesus) said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”   (Mark 10:21)

 

We are more than conquerers.  (Romans 8:37)

 

Free (Audio)Book Alert! Highly recommended

Just a quick FYI… this month, ChristianAudio.com (see the link on the right side) has Francis Chan’s “Crazy Love” as their free audiobook this month.  I’m pretty excited to start on it next week on the way to work because I have heard no less than 7 people recommend that book before.  

Hope you download and enjoy it as much as I think I will!

The War Within: Thoughts from Romans 7

Romans 7:15-25

^“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! “

This passage is where I spent nearly twenty years of my life.  This whole theme of “Two Worlds Colliding”- a spiritual battlefield saturated with blood, sweat, and tears- can be traced to experiences too many to count, but compressed into a handful of verses as Paul addressed the Romans in Chapter 7.

This is the world we live in.  A world comprised of a fallen nature that we are to dwell in and lift and encourage.  A land that is spiritually dark that we are to be a light in.  A society of materialism, vanity, and idolatry that directly opposes the first two commandments God gave to Moses.

I could write a hundred blogs on this topic, but want to instead try to be somewhat brief (which is very abnormal here I know!).  I can sympathize with so many who are stuck in a rut.  Every time you take 2 steps forward, you feel you take 3 steps back.  The signs of growth and “spiritual measurements” never seem to increase because of this battle and vicious cycle of God’s Ways versus Human Desire.

Here are some lyrics from Arcade Fire’s “My Body is a Cage” that you may relate to:

My body is a cage
That keeps me from dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key….

I’m standing on the stage
Of fear and self-doubt
It’s a hollow play
But they’ll clap anyway

I’m living in an age
That calls darkness light
Though my language is dead
Still the shapes fill my head
But my mind holds the key

….Set my spirit free

Sometimes we don’t see our progress until we look back on our lives.  I admit to being so stuck in this passage of Romans 7 for so many years that I did not move forward and trust God and become a more productive Christ-follower.  I stayed on the sidelines as I conducted an internal pity-party… and would even “punish” myself by not praying or reading the Bible for 24-48 hours after sinning.  I was so terrified of abusing and cheapening God’s grace that I would bench myself and stay out of the game!

While I still somewhat struggle with that to this day, I realized a couple years ago that I had matured beyond such self-punishment and living in a purgatory-like life… and never realized it!  I was in Florida and saw a huge sign for a new album from a mainstream group called Brand New.  I was more than intrigued by the album title, The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me.  That could be the name of the soundtrack to my life! I later got the CD, which has a few great, rockin’ tracks, but I want to highlight another set of lyrics from the song, “Jesus Christ”:

Jesus Christ, that’s a pretty face
The kind you’d find on someone I could save
If they don’t put me away
It’ll be a miracle

Do you believe you’re missing out
That everything good is happening somewhere else?
But with nobody in your bed
The night’s hard to get through

And I will die all alone
And when I arrive I won’t know anyone

Well Jesus Christ, I’m alone again
So what did you do those three days you were dead?
Cause this problem’s gonna last more than the weekend.

Well Jesus Christ, I’m not scared to die,
I’m a little bit scared of what comes after
Do I get the gold chariot?
Do I float through the ceiling?

Do I divide and fall apart?
Cause my pride is too sly to hold back all my dark
And the ship went down, side of land
And at the gates does Thomas ask to see my hands

I know you’ll come in the night like a thief
But I’ve had some time alone to hold my lies inside me
I know you think that I’m someone you can trust
But I’m scared I’ll get scared and I swear I’ll try to never give up

…I know you’ll come for the people like me
But we all got wood and nails
Tongue tied to a hating factory

I do not know the spiritual standing of this mainstream band, but the honesty in some of these words of both struggle and doubt is hard to look past.  At some point around this album, I realized just what place I had formerly lived in, and how my words and prayers had once sounded.  Whether it was doubt, failure, defeat, or humility, I wasted years living below my potential and made weak efforts in my mission for God.  The sad part is that so much was self-imposed separation from God.  Fortunately, I realize how far God has brought me, and I feel I can now relate to both the guilt-ridden, struggling believer as well as those with overcoming attitudes and faith!  In addition, Paul would add in Romans 8:35-39:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Please be encouraged and know that you are growing in God’s grace and strength more than you ever realize, and the grip of fear and guilt (which our Pentecostal churches have especially deposited into our lives!) should not be a vice from the enemy.  They are not to define your lifestyle.  Do non-believers know us more for our joy and freedom, or for our fear, guilt, and keeping the rules?  I rest my case.

I know that this inner struggle Paul addressed is one that we all deal with.  I really want to encourage you add your own thoughts, experiences and insights with additional comments!

All Hands on Deck!

Sorry for the delay in postings.  In addition to a short trip out of town, we are packing the first and middle stages of moving into about 2 weeks!  After 2 weeks up for sale, our house sold!  We truly believe God has His hand on this because it happened so fast right in the face of this tough market.  We also got offered exactly the same price we listed the house at!

So, we are constantly cleaning, painting, staining, digging, and calling.  We are house shopping and offering.  We are inspecting, appraising, and checking for termites.  We are packing a little bit and doing enough paperwork to wipe out a small forest. Need I go on?

Anyway, I have some thoughts brewing, and will be posting the “God stuff” once again shortly.  Thanks for bearing with me!