Canaan Calling

Pray This Way

2010-10-01T17:30:00.000-05:00

Hey, you don't have to wait until church or small group to listen for what God wants to do or say! If you have some time during the day today, pray this way: God what do you want to say in small group tonight? What do you want to do? Who do you want to touch? Then take a few moments to listen, write down what you think God is saying to you, and tell us about it tonight!

Sore Muscles

2010-09-29T17:27:00.000-05:00

I just started going to Planet Fitness in an effort to loss some weight and shape up. I enjoy it. Exercise and getting in shape is work but at the time it really does not hurt an awful lot. However, a few days later, and I really have some sore muscles.

Spiritually it can be like that too. We have a great time at church or in small group. God moves, we are ministered to, God exercises our faith and gifting, etc. It feels good - it pumps you up. But a few days later it can hurt. There are some things that we just can not be a part of now. Some relationships get strained, some emotions flood in and overwhelm us, and fatigue sets in. We have an enemy and he is not happy when we flex our faith.

So if you have faced some difficulties over the last 2 weeks, be encouraged! We stretch, work out our faith and gifting...then some pain comes and we face it....and we grow in the process.

God is growing us, I can feel it and I know you can too. This is the most dynamic small group I have ever been a part of and I can't wait to see what Jesus does on Friday! I look forward to seeing you all there...and invite a friend! Why keep this to yourself?

Pushing Through Road Blocks

2010-09-17T17:26:00.000-05:00

I did not realize until this morning how prophetic that word "derailed" was for me personally.

This week has been good and hard.

I have enjoyed rereading the book, I have been encouraged by some pod casts I listen to, I have grown during some times of prayer and meditation.

At the same time, I have been aggravated at someone all week. I have been really (I mean REALLY) tempted to take advantage of a situation at work - I'll tell you the story tonight, this morning I woke up with some bad thoughts in my head, on the way to work, I really started feeling sick - dizzy, nauseous, etc., and at work there is this big tub of fruit turnovers to eat!

Pure and simply, the attacks of the enemy have run the gambit, but they have been subtle. I did not realize it all until this morning.

Do not let the enemy throw road blocks into your path. I really believe God is up to something. I feel like I am progressing, but slowly - as if wading through waist deep mud and muck. But I see hope on the horizon.

So I am asking you to press on with me. Let's break through the road blocks together. This is a communal faith we have after all - we need each other.

Don’t Get Derailed

2010-09-15T17:24:00.000-05:00

It is easy to get derailed. Is this extra work, this needy person, this profitable deal, this pain a blessing from God or a distraction from Satan? It can be difficult to tell the difference.

I know it is hard to commit your Friday's to a Bible study. We all have lots to do. And I'll bet this week you have several extra reasons to stay home and relax. But don't.

I really believe God is doing some great stuff and He wants us in on the action. I have been reading the chapter and I have heard an incredible sermon on the same subject. I feel God is really preparing something for us - I really do.

I have had my distractions too - sin is at the door, depression and anxiety is creeping in, frustration at work is mounting. I have to take it to God. I can't let it win. I can't allow the momentary troubles of this earthly world keep me from receiving the blessings of the heavenly world.

And if you are really struggling, may I suggest 3 other things? First, fast on Friday. Every time you feel hungry, pray. When you go on your lunch break, read your Bible and pray. Second, find a prayer partner who will lift you up daily & who you can openly talk to about your stuff. Third, invite a friend to come along. If we are discussing the best news ever, maybe our friends would want to know too!

1 Samuel 6

2010-07-21T13:17:00.002-05:00

v. 5. The Philistines, who had no knowledge of God through the efforts of prophet or priest, knew they had to honor and respect God because of his display of power. Have we become too familiar with God so that we no longer honor him – or even recognize his display of power?

v. 9. I wonder if they expected the cows to return to their calves – thus proving God had not afflicted them. I bet they were again astonished by God as the cows left with the ark.

v. 20. Good question: “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this Holy God?” I wonder if we are just a bit arrogant with our standing and clapping and shouting at times when we should be in reverent awe kneeling with our faces on the floor before God.

1 Samuel 5

2010-07-07T13:13:00.003-05:00

More Names:
· Ashdod – powerful
· Gath – wine press
· Ekron – torn up by the roots

v. 3. This just cracks me up! Here is the Philistine god, Dagon, forced down before the One True God in worship…and he can’t get back up! What kind of god falls down and needs human help to get back up? Not much of a god.

v. 4. Severed head and hands were battlefield trophies. So God was showing everyone that even on the enemies home turf, He was the victor.

v. 7. So instead of turning to the better God, the Philistines' answer to Dagon’s humiliation is to send God away. How about us? We see God at work – his correction / punishment or blessing. Instead of submitting to him, we refuse to take self off the throne and we send him a way. Maybe this was a little of what Peter was feeling when he told Jesus to depart from him because he was a sinner (Luke 5:8). Either Jesus has to go, or I have to get off the throne and recognize him as Lord.

1 Samuel 4

2010-06-09T16:24:00.005-05:00

I wonder how significant the names are in this story?
· Ebenezer – stone of help
· Aphek – enclosure
· Shiloh – place of rest
· Ichabod – no glory

v. 3. Were the Israelite treating the Ark like some kind of magic talisman? How often do we treat God like a genie in a bottle - bringing him out when trouble is brewing, hoping He will pop out and rescue us? Then, we can tuck him away again and go about our business.

v. 13. Why didn’t Eli stop them from taking the Ark? Why didn’t he seek God about what they should do next? Had he given up? Was he just a weak-willed, spineless, placating, pacifier? When confronted with a crowd, do I cave in to fit in?

1 Samuel 3

2010-06-09T16:23:00.004-05:00

v. 1. Why was the word of the Lord rare? I wonder if that could be said of our churches and church leaders. Is it rare for me? How often do I hear a word from the Lord?

v. 4. So, when God calls to us, do we hear him, or are we so otherwise occupied that He does not bother to call out to us until we are attuning ourselves to hear him. Can even good, church things occupy us to such an extent that we do not hear from him? What are some things we can do to attune our hearts to hear the call of God, understand it, and obey?

v. 11. Don’t you want to see God do something amazing? What do we need to do to be ready for that? I see 2 things in Samuel: first, he had a servant’s heart. He served God faithfully even before he knew the Lord (v. 7). Secondly, he was open and willing to obey. He was setting his heart to be receptive to God and to obey him fully.

v. 13. Dads, we have an obligation before God to raise our kids in his ways. We are to teach and correct them. I don’t want to be judged by God because I failed as a Father.

v. 19. I sometimes let the word of God fall to the ground because of fear and doubt. It is one thing to hear from God, it is another to act on it. I wonder if I continually fail to act, how long will it be before He just stops speaking to me and goes on to find someone who will act? There is room to get it wrong. Better to swing and miss once in a while than to not swing at all. Who will miss out on what God has for them today because I am to afraid to act?

1 Samuel 2

2010-06-09T16:22:00.011-05:00

v. 1. This thought just occurred to me: Hannah wanted an heir for Elkanah – she rejoiced in God’s blessing her with Samuel – and then she gave the heir away. My most precious gift to others is only good if I give it to God!

vv. 12-16. I wondered what the prescribed portions were for the priests. I look it up:

"Not content with the specified portions of the animals that the sacrificer is to "give" (cf. Deut 18:3) to the priests (cf. also Lev 7:34), the servant of Eli's sons "would take for himself whatever the fork brought up" (v.14). And not only that, "even before the fat was burned" (v.15), as the law mandated (Lev 7:31), Hophni and Phinehas demanded raw meat. In fact, on occasion they even preferred roasted meat to boiled—as if in mockery of the necessarily hasty method of preparing the first Passover feast (Exod 12:8-11). They wanted their unlawful portion before the Lord received what was rightfully his. Their rebellion, impatience, and impudence (v.16) are described as a "very great" sin (v.17). Like their postexilic counterparts (Mal 1:6-14), these premonarchic priests treated the Lord's offerings with contempt. Such conduct, especially when practiced by God's ministers, can only lead to disaster (cf. Num 16:30-32)." (Youngblood, Ronald F. “3. The wicked sons of Eli (2:12-26)” In The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Volume 3. 584. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, © 1992.)

These guys knew what was right and ignored it. We do this all the time when what feels good at the moment blocks out what we know to be right a good.

v. 21. And as we give what is most precious to us to God, He blesses us. What precious thing needs to be given to God?

v. 23. It was the Lord’s to put them to death? Can we assume that Eli raised his boys well, but they rebelled anyway or is Eli partly at fault for the spiritual condition of his sons?

v. 26. No matter what was happening around him Samuel kept his eyes on God. We let our circumstances and environment lead us astray. Wickedness is normal and so we accept it, a little at a time, until we consider the wickedness of our surroundings as a part of our normal lives as well. Samuel did not. No matter how bad normal society got, he served the Lord. Maybe we need to look at what we accept as normal in our lives and reject some of it.

v. 29. Did Eli condone his boys’ actions by not acting against them? The prophet rebuked Eli, not his sons.

v. 30. “Those who honor Me, I will honor, but those who despise Me will be disdained.” I need to look up the Hebrew for “despise” and “disdain.”

"The Lord honors (kabed lit., "makes heavy") those who honor him, but he disdains (qalah lit., "makes light") those who despise him. Eli had honored his sons (v.29) more than he honored God (v.30). The description of divine judgment in v.31, when translated literally, is vivid indeed: "I will chop off your arm and the arm of your father's house" (zeroa` "arm," is often used as a metaphor for "strength" in the OT)." (Youngblood, Ronald F. “4. The oracle against the house of Eli (2:27-36)” In The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Volume 3. 587. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, © 1992.)

1 Samuel 1

2010-06-09T16:21:00.001-05:00

1 Samuel 1

When I read the Old Testament, I read for Identification as much as I do for Information. Put yourself in the story. Am I like Hannah? Or Peninnah? What would it be like if I were more like Eli? How did Samuel feel? Have I ever felt like Samuel? I try to put myself in the place of the characters in the story and see if I am having or have had experiences, feelings and thoughts like they had.

Vv. 6-7. I wonder if Hannah was Elkanah’s first wife and since she could not perform her primary duty as a wife (give him and heir) he took a 2^nd wife. I bet she felt almost worthless. The greatest gift that she could give to her husband was beyond her ability and here this other woman did it and rubbed her face in it. Sometimes I feel almost worthless, do you? And then here comes Satan, in the form of other’s taunts, societal standards, and my own voice in my head tormenting me, reminding me that I am not good enough. What thoughts of worthlessness do you have? Where do you see yourself continually falling short of your (or God’s) goals? Does God not hear my please for help? Satan piles on any way he can, burying us in doubts, fears, feeling of inadequacy. How do we break out of this self-defeatism, self-deprecation? (See questions 4 – 6)

Or am I sometimes more like Peninnah? Do I provoke others, using subtle put-downs in order to make myself look or feel superior?

v. 17. We agree with others in prayer for starters. Would God have answered Hannah’s prayer if Eli had not blessed it? I don’t know. But perhaps, as God’s agents and ministers here on earth at this time, we should be continually asking each other to prayer with us, we should continually, be adding our blessing to what others are praying for. We should be agreeing with each other, holding each other up. (See question 9)

v. 27. Shouldn’t we offer back to God all that He has given us? I remember dedicating Sean to God when He was born and I meant every bit of it. Barb and I wanted a son and I really thought I would never have kids. When we dedicated him, I really meant that this boy was God’s. That it was a privilege to raise him and love him but he belongs to God and I want, really want, whatever God has for him. Do we miss out on God’s best blessings because we hold tightly to our earthly blessings? Our hearts are so concerned with preserving what we have that we cannot receive more form God. Is there something I will not give back to God? Is my desire to have control over my family, finances, career, sexuality, ministry, etc, getting in the way of God’s blessings? What would be different if I gave back to him the most precious blessing He has given me? How do I give these things back to God? What does that offering look like?

What was it like for Samuel to be left by his mother with this strange old priest? Fear? Confusion? Hurt? Haven’t we done things for our kids that may have hurt or left them confused for a time, but later they understood it was for their benefit? Sean has a boot on his foot because of a fracture. He hates it, but it is for his good. He knows that, but he is not very thankful for it – yet. Has God done things like this to us / for us?

Communal Devotion

2006-07-16T13:45:00.000-05:00

I started this whole blog thing earlier this year with no particular goal, just to put thoughts down. This year, our church is asking the whole body to follow the same Bible reading plan. I think this is great. It fosters discipline and builds community, two things that are so seriously lacking in Christianity. So I was thinking, what if we all read the same Scriptures and then blogged about it together? We could exchange ideas regularly, encourage each other, offer suggestions, maybe even expose ourselves a little and receive healing. An army needs to think and act as one. What a great way to build oneness – everyone read the same Manual at the same time and discuss it together. I haven’t talked to anyone else about this, but I am going to. I don’t know if it would be best as a blog, an online journal, or a cyber group; I’ll have to look into that. But I think a lot of good can come out of communal devotion.

So here are my 2 cents for the day. I was reading Genesis 45 as part of the plan and Joseph make a very interesting statement in verse 8: “So then, it was not you who sent me here but God.” Joseph as the 2nd most important in Egypt had just revealed himself to his brothers. He is forgiving them for the wrongs they have done him. In fact, he is not even calling what they did wrong. Of course it was, but he is looking at things from God’s vantage point. God uses and even orchestrates circumstances to get us where He can use us. Slavery and prison was what God did to him, not his evil brothers. God’s divine purposes sometimes rise up out of the muck and mire of our lives. So in the end, isn’t the muck and mire part of his plan as well? God sent us into it, and it is for good (Gen. 50:20). Not necessarily for our good either – I think we must get away from this idea that God is out to fulfill all my wishes and make my life grand and glorious, etc. He meant it for the good of the world in Joseph’s case – even the unbelieving Egyptians. God’s primary concern was not for Joseph to have health and wealth, but to preserve his people the Israelites.

God’s plan, even the crappy parts, is for his glory. Yeah, I do believe it is for our good – to grow us into mature Jesus followers, but his version of “for our good” may not be the same as our version. And ultimately, He wants to use us to build his kingdom.

I Crashed

2006-06-24T11:10:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard folks talking about their “mountain top experiences?” We would love to just skip from top to top, glory to glory, spiritual elation to euphoria to ecstasy. Well, in my life that is just not reality. There are valleys of lukewarm-ness, sin, despair, apathy, atrophy. I’m not so sure life should be a series of ups and downs: This is what we talk about but it shows no real progress. Sometimes I feel like that. Three steps forward, two back, one forward, two back, on and on. Lots of movement but no progress. Shouldn’t the Christian walk look move like:
Ups and downs, but slow steady progress. I have had those good, growth times. And I have crashed. Maybe it is emotional responses and not Godly zeal that takes our hearts. I have come back from thos special spiritual retreats to find the same sins at home waiting at the foot of my bed to slither up on me. That is the real world. We fall, we do better, commit to God again and continue the climb.

Frankly, that sucks. I get tired of working all the time. Tired of working to earn money, tired of working to keep a civil home, tired of working to be the husband, father, man, Christian that eve3ryone expects me to be. No, even worse – tired of being the husband, father, man, Christian God expects me to be – I don’t much care about what anyone else might think.

Being a Christians goes against the grain of society and often against the grain of our humanity. We want to be in control, make our own mistakes, make our own way. From Charles Manson to Donald Trump we want command. I know some folks that just seem to ride the tide and don’t want to make any decisions or stand out in any way. They are already dead – or just really frightened – or lazy. But we all seek control somewhere – even if it is just over our own bodily functions. We all know that sinking feeling inside when we are not in control of something we want to be or should be in control of. Ever loose control of your car? Do you recall that split second of panic when you feel you may be in serious trouble? Some hide their fear of loosing control with a murderous rampage, other with money and clout.

Christianity is not a picnic in the park and it is not for the weak. It takes strength and courage to risk giving up control. Jesus calls us out into the storm not out of the storm. He calls us to trust him with the control of our lives.

Maybe crashing is inherent in this life. But if you are not crashing once in a while, then you just aren’t driving fast enough.

Tag, You’re It

2006-06-11T12:41:00.000-05:00

I’ve been reading a lot of blogs this week about “post modernity” and “the emergent church.” Some are for it, some against it. Personally I hate the tags. I’m not sure what I am and I’m not sure I know what either tag means, but I am sure that I don’t care. Maybe I’m just stupid, but I just want to do church in a way that makes folks, Christian and not, feel comfortable enough to seek God. I want to explore the Scriptures with boldness, calling truth, truth. Maybe I will post my statement of beliefs so others will know if I am “orthodox” or “evangelical,” “conservative” or “liberal.” I’m not sure I understand any of those terms either. There are a lot of guys I like from all camps and some I question from all camps.

Here’s my list of guys I listen to and read:
· Erwin McManus
· Mark Buchanan
· Rob Bell
· Mark Driscoll
· Dallas Willard
· Ravi Zacharias
· John Ortberg
· Steve Sjogren
· James Merriot
· Jenzen Franklin
· Chuck Colson
· Alan Nelson
· Ed Young, Jr.
· Doug Pagitt
· Thom Rainer
· Leonard Sweet
Are these guys post-modern? Emergent? Liberal? I really want to know!

And theses are the guys that intrigue me, I just haven’t gotten around to checking out their stuff:
· Chris Seay
· Andy Stanley
· John Burke
· Randy Frazee
· Tony Jones
· Dan Kimball

Here are some guys that just confuse me:
· Brian McLaren
· Tony Campolo
Now I know those 2 guys are post-modern icons but I just don’t get where their heads are on some things. And that is OK, we don’t have to agree on all things. So does that make me… not post-modern?

So what is my tag? I don’t know and I don’t care. I know what I want to see in the church and I think I have made that pretty clear so far on this blog. I know that the people I hang with at my home church and on the colleges that I serve love the concept and can’t wait for it to get off the ground. That is enough for me. It seems that God has struck a nerve in the 20 – 30 crowd (and in a few of us old guys too). So we need to get busy about the Father’s business and hang the tag! What I need is support personnel who what to jump into the muck of our world and sacrifice to raise up this church with me. I have to be honest, so far, there is a lot of good talk from people around me, but when you get down to really throwing in on this venture and risking it all to follow the call, no one is willing to commit. No one. Is that because I am a poor leader? God’s timing is not yet? I don’t know, but I am still looking for a team to make our what-ever-it-is church happen. The field is ready, we are not.

Heaven on Earth

2006-04-29T06:15:00.000-05:00

I’ve been thinking a lot about heaven. When I go to the Campus Crusade meeting next month at Widener University, I’m going to discuss it. Here it is: when you ask folks to describe heaven what will they talk about? Pearly gates? Streets of gold? Mansions? Now what if that is a perfect description of both heaven and hell? What really makes heaven, heaven? Isn’t it the presence of God? And wouldn’t hell be hell if no matter what it was like physically, there was the absence of God, all the goodness associated with Him, and you knew you were utterly, hopelessly separated?

God has not called us to a place but to a likeness and a relation, to be conformed to the image of his Son. Heaven is not a where but a who and our relationship with that Infinite Who. Jesus even said that eternal life was not forever in some blissful other place, but eternal life is found in knowing God and in knowing him (John17:3). We know God now. He resides in us. Heaven begins now. Eternity has started. In fact, as we carry God with us by his Spirit, everywhere we go we bring heaven with us.

Remember Moses before the burning bush? God told him it was holy ground that Moses was standing on. Why was it holy? Because God’s presence was there. Now since his presence is in us, wherever we go is holy ground. Think about that as you go to work. You are taking heaven with you. Your presence makes that work place holy because you bring God to work with you. That kinda changes our definition of ministry too, doesn’t it? We are “ministering” wherever we go, whatever we do, because we bring the holiness of God, the presence of God, heaven with us. We really can make a little bit of heaven on earth. That is how powerful we are. We can walk into the room of our unsaved friends and bring heaven to them by our presence. We can walk into the work place, the hospital, the dysfunctional home – and bring heaven to it. We invade enemy occupied territory everywhere we go, so let your life and your words declare freedom in Christ and bring heaven to bear in every situation.

Back to the Commune

2006-04-15T11:41:00.000-05:00

The more I study the more I find out that God does a lot more communal stuff then He does personal stuff. There is a bigger aspect to our living as Jesus followers than our personal relationship with God through Christ. If I can go back to Joshua, just look at all they did together in order to achieve their inheritance:

They let Egypt as a group
They revolted as a group (with the exception of Josh and Caleb)
They wandered and camped together
They crossed the Jordan as a group (even the fighting men from the tribes that were settling west of the Jordan)
All the men were circumcised at the same time
They rested, healed, they partied together before they went out to war as one unified army

Even Jesus had a group that ate, slept and served together as they learned his ways. My point is that community, relationship, living together is important in our development as Christians. We need each other. That brings me to the second part of my vision statement: “We seek to help people with life’s journey by creating a community of faith, hope, and love in Jesus, restoring right relationship with God, fellow brothers and sisters, and the world. (Acts 2: 42 – 47).” We get to know Jesus best when we do it together. We can best show and tell about the restoration Christ has done in our lives when we come together. As a body we can serve God better. What’s that saying about a 3 strand cord not being broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12), or 2 putting 10,000 to flight (Deuteronomy 32:30)? So relationship with God as a body of believers is important.

Relationship means openness. We need to be able to talk to each other and help each other overcome our addictions, our fears, our doubts. Christians help each other dig deeper. If we cannot share our struggles with our brothers and sisters, let’s give up! We need to love, encourage, strengthen, and correct each other. And I think that goes for practical things too. Shouldn’t the mechanic in our midst help those who cannot afford car care? And the Doctor heal the poorer brothers for free? And the carpenter fix up the widow’s house as an offering to God? No one in the body of believers should be without the basic necessities. Can’t pay the heating bill? Take up a collection. Love for the family should be practical as well as spiritual.

Our love for God and each other should lead us to displaying that in the world. And because we are so centered on relationship, we can be accepting of the inquirer (without condoning the sin) and give them a safe environment to seek out God with us. We don’t have to water down the Gospel or tread softly. In relationships you are free to speak the truth in love, even when it is hard. Christians help the searching by modeling and sharing their journey and struggles. We serve God by serving the world. How about adopting an African village? We build a church, a hospital, a school? We give them the tools and teach them how to create a better life for themselves. We are the light and the salt. The world needs Jesus and if we rub should with culture enough, we will change it.

All of this is community. We serve God together. We learn of him together. We share him with others together (one plants, another waters). When will the church return to being a family like Abraham’s children or the church in Acts? Who would not want to be a part of that community?

Dream Bigger

2006-04-02T14:27:00.000-05:00

Go read Ephesians 3:20. Go on, I’ll wait. OK, I’ll just print it here: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us….” Now, write down your dream as if there are no obstacles and you are guaranteed success. “Who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.” Wow. Look at what you wrote down as your dream. Now scratch it out because YOU ARE THINKING TOO SMALL!

I believe God is calling us to live beyond our own dreams & aspirations. I believe God is calling us to live beyond every earthly goal and means—good though they may be. I believe we all get stuck in the mundane comfort and safety of just existing because we fail to answer the question, “What is God calling me to?”

I believe we mess up by prodding kids w/ “What do you want to be when you grow up?” so much so that we push them into college and career attempting to do what they want to do. I believe we all ultimately realize that the world we are creating for ourselves isn’t all it is cracked up to be and we are left wondering if there is more.

Have we asked, “What does God want me to do? What kind of man does He want me to be?” Do we teach kids to search out God’s will for them now as well as when they grow up? Do we find a way to survive or find a way to fulfill his calling? Do we know his calling? Do we know how to determine his calling? Do we want to know his calling?

The story of Joshua is the story of how God brings us out of this world and into his will for who we should be and how we should live.
1) God has to deliver us out of our Egypt of sin
2) God has to deliver us out of the wilderness of directionless, pointless, safe, comfortable yet dull as a desert living.
3) God is calling us to walk on the wild side with him, to walk in his dangerous, adventurous yet fulfilling will. Obtaining our Promised Land Inheritance is a struggle, it is not safe, but it is good. It is finding our place in his will for what we should be and what we should do.
4) Now, for us to entering into God’s perfect will and to lead others there (as you are called) it will take courage (Joshua 1).
· Strength and courage comes from studying the Word, meditating on it, praying thru it, and obeying it
5) Second, for us to enter God’s perfect will for us, we need life-changing faith (Joshua 2).
· For faith to grow we need to hear the story of God
· For faith to grow we need to act on what we hear about God
· For faith to grow we need to confess, verbalize what we believe about God
· For faith to grow we will face trials
· For faith to grow we must be willing to share it
6) Third, for us to enter God’s perfect will, we need to consecrate, sanctify, purify, prepare, & dedicate ourselves to him (Joshua 3)
· We do this thru practicing disciplines such as prayer, study, fasting, etc as a way to create space for God to work on us, to prepare us for his will and purpose to be accomplished in and thru us.
7) Fourth, for us to enter God’s perfect will, we need to learn to honor God (Joshua 4).
8) Then, as we begin our journey of discovery and conquest, there are further things to learn in Joshua 5 and forward. More on that later.

Redeeming the Couch

2006-03-18T12:35:00.000-05:00

I grew up fairly traditional (at least as traditional as a Pentecostal church can be). We began with the old, hard wooden pews. Not benches - they had backs - we were not barbarians! Then the padding came. Oh, the joy of the padded pew. I'm sure some thought taking it easy on the posterior was just an outward sign of a deeply spiritual problem of moral ease and spiritual laziness. But it is really all about atmosphere. Folks are more open in comfortable surroundings. Now for us in the west, that means laz-i-boy recliners but for others it may mean sitting in the dust around a fire roasting grubs. I guess my point is that if people don't feel relaxed and safe in their surroundings, then they may not open up and will not come back.

Atmosphere is a major player in our church plant thoughts. This may seem like the opposite of living on the edge, in the holy wild, all that jazz, but it is not. Even in the desert, the Israelites had one sweet, tweeked out tent to worship and sacrifice in. They felt safe and close to God when they were in that tent. Fact is, younger folks, and especially those who have no church background, feel kinda weird at a traditional church. We want to create an environment where they are as comfortable as they are in their own living room. Where they will feel free and safe to explore God, ask questions, and dig deeply into who He is. So how can we create this atmosphere? Couches.

I think the cafe setting is the ideal setting for a church. Lots of comfy couches and coffee tables spread around. Some tables and chairs. Even some pillows on the floor. And lots of paper. I want the tables and the coffee tables covered with paper table clothes. Here is the idea. We gather, get our coffee and chat a while - develop relationships. I don't want to just see these people on Sunday. We sit and we pray. We read the Scripture together. Then we meditate on it. We all take out our pens and express ourselves on the paper table clothes. I want to see people interacting with God and his Word. Maybe they journal, maybe they jot down a lot of questions, maybe they draw a picture. The point is that they are comfortable enough to interact with God in a very real way and with each other. Then we can sing praises (with the volume as high as allowed by law), share our journeys, teach from the Scripture we read, pray for needs, healing, salvation, etc and discuss the Scripture. That's my idea of a church service.

But we don't' stay on the couches. They are not for living they are for learning. If we are not participating in a community service project, we are not worshiping and serving God. But service is a whole different core value that we can save for later.

I want to continue to unpack our vision, mission and core values in later posts. I hope they resonate with many of you. But it kinda begins on the couch, cultivating intimacy with God and each other just like you would with a close friend or loved one. Couches are good places to share our lives.

Creating Sacred space

2006-03-04T08:40:00.000-05:00

I was reading 1 Timothy 2 this morning and in it Paul wants to see all people saved and worshiping God. I'd say that is a lofty vision, especially considering the state of the spiritual in the USA today.

A friend and I have been talking with a fellow we work with. He is interested in spiritual things so I gave him a little Gospel of John to begin with. He told us how he was raised in the church and even was a deacon at his church. Now this is a mainline denomination church, but he has some very twisted views of God and Scripture. I do not think it is solely because he is a sinner but I think it is also because of poor Christian education, and THAT is of major concern to me. He told me the other day that he was reading "that John book" and wanted to know if Jesus was God. I assumed that he understood that fundamental doctrine, but here was a churched guy who not only missed the fact that Jesus is God in the flesh but did not even recognize the Gospel of John as part of the Bible! I recently read some stats by the Rainer Group that showed that almost 50% of the people in the church are not born-again Christians! Add to them the number not even going to church and you have a huge mission field right here at our back doors. No wonder missions organizations say that the USA is the 5th largest mission field in the world and the largest in the western hemisphere. Our neighbors are not only unsaved, they are Biblically illiterate. More than half of the people in the USA have not had an adequate presentation of the gospel -- and most of them actually attend a church!

The church in America is not doing a good job, that is plain. That is why the first part of our vision statement reads, "We seek to help people with life's journey by: Creating an environment of intimacy with God, seeing souls saved, changing lives. (Luke 10: 27 - 28)." We want to create a space, environment, atmosphere where people feel safe, welcomed and where it is OK to question God, seek the truth, and discover intimacy with him. The hardest part will be getting them to come in the first place - this is not going to be "Field of Dreams" if you build it, they will come. To have the unsaved even enter an environment of discovery and interaction with God we have to have Christians who are passionate about sharing their journey with their unsaved friends and inviting them to look into this Christian life. This is not a pastoral job or a task reserved for deacons and elders. The entire body is called and commissioned to share their lives and their faith with their world. The unsaved will be drawn to real people who are trying to figure out life with God. It is a process and they can start just as they are.

We are not there yet, but we are pressing forward. And we simply invite others to come journey with us.

A beginning

2006-02-19T15:49:00.000-05:00

God has been moving me forward slowly. (Actually, if I weren't kicking and screaming, full of fear and doubt, His work would probably have gone a lot smoother). I believe God is looking for adventurers. I'm not one. He is forcing me into it. It all began with a study of Joshua. God took a slave, made him into a general, and led him to do the impossible -- take the inheritance that He promised to Abraham long ago.

That is what God is doing with me - bringing me out of slavery and out of the mundane safety of the desert and into his inheritance for me. He is calling me to plant a church, to serve my community, to show people the love of God and to lead them into his saving arms. Best job in the world, no doubt. But scary. A lot could go wrong. A lot will go wrong. It takes a lot of faith and courage. I do not have a vast quantity of either. I think that is OK. God is leading, I will follow, He will supply as I grow.

So this is the start of a blog to chronicle my journey from calling to vision to implementation of what ever it is that God wants to do with me. I'll share thoughts, fears, hopes, doubts. I'll share things I learn from doing and from study. I'll tell you the lessons I am learning from my Bible study group. (The guys I study with inspire, exhort, teach, and challenge me more than you could imagine).

Add your comments, insights, whatever. Thanks for sharing the journey with me.