It happened before in 1976

This morning, I came across this tidbit of wisdom from a self-described faith-based political organization (whatever that means).

The viruses are actually manifestations of WILL cast by a spell, intoned into being just as the Lord Almighty (genuflect) intoned into creation the 4 worlds. Viruses are of course demonic entities. The best defense is to wash your ears with Holy Water and vigilant prayer.

Merlin
A servant of our Lord and Savior, Jesus of Nazereth , who is the Christ.
Amen.

Close the schools, wear the masks, run to the hills, and wash those ears with Holy Water. You can find small vials in the pharmacy section next to the Tylenol rosary beads.

My pediatrician is chuckling at the paranoia.

Conflicted

Part of our church's DNA is to find ways to partner with other groups of Christ-followers in our community. That may or may not include church "congregations". In fact, a recent discussion group we hosted included a few people who have no ties to a local church. I think one of the best thing we can do as a church is to experience the Kingdom of God with all of God's people - regardless of their church (or non-church) affiliation. Weird - we "hosted" a discussion group that was designed to be "non-churchy" and it became just another small church with chairs, prayer, and a leader.

We are considering a new partnership with a local group of believers. It's a very organic bunch. Although they meet on Sundays and follow a Sunday morning format (prayer, music, teaching), they are deeply committed to finding new ways to experience community. They meet in homes and are constantly looking for ways to engage their community. They have a leader who teaches on a regular basis but others in their fellowship are encouraged to share their gifts in a variety of ways. Like us, they have a desire to replicate what happened in Acts 2. We are committed to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, sharing commonalities, and celebrating diversity (Acts 2:32-42). Maybe they just look different because they are young, intellectual, and humble.

One contemporary European theologian says this about the church:

While recognising that local churches need leaders, the New Testament does not prescribe one specific way in which leaders (such as elders, overseers or deacons) and the churches they lead should relate to each other. As a result, it is not surprising that a variety of church structures or denominations have been formed over the centuries. Denominations and networks can be useful for pastoral accountability, sharing of learning, resources and gifts, and useful for enabling local churches to be heard at national level.

Christian leaders have argued over whether different structures are right or wrong, but history shows us that God can bless people through any Christian structure and that the godliness of the leader is far more important than the position they hold. History also witnesses to the fact that church structures can sometimes come to exist for their own ends. When this happens there is need to refocus the structure on its true purpose of building up local congregations of Christians.

The church is called to demonstrate the kingdom of God as a visible sign of his kingdom in the world. The church is called to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). The church should influence situations for the better, preserve good things and bring healing.

I think we have a great opportunity to celebrate the Kingdom of God when we find ways to work together outside of the typical church paradigm. Our (Crossroads) kind of church can be dangerous. If we aren't careful, big churches fall into a pattern of "how many and how much". We are now a church of 1,200 people and I am really conflicted about where we are going. Sometimes, I just want to shut everything down and find new ways to take the Message to people in new ways. I want to scale down and become more like our friends who worship "unplugged", share everything, and engage the culture without a big stage, rock music, and cool clothes. But I think my ego would, eventually, lead me into another "church" leadership role.

I'm not sure if any of that makes sense.

What a revolution could look like

I love this video. It's an amazing display of what can happen when one person makes a bold step into uncharted territory. Who would think to start dancing in the middle of a crowded train station? Obviously, people respond with awe and confusion. Many probably think that he's gone off the deep end. Then, a few people join him. Then a few more and a few more. Before long, a huge crowd has joined the party. What starts as a simple dance blossoms into a huge community of excitement and fun.

I have a lot of hope for what the community of Christ could look like if a revolution of grace takes hold. We see it in Acts 2 as the early Christians caught the Message of grace that Jesus had talked about for 3 years. The disciples saw it firsthand, Paul wrote about it, Peter preached it, and thousands of people put grace into practice with people in their community.

Dance with boldness and see who joins you.

Faith meets funny

I'm a huge fan of Steven Colbert. His show, the Colbert Report, airs at 11pm on the Comedy Channel and it's a great way for me to end my day. He is sarcastic, funny, and brilliant. Granted, I'm sure he has a top notch team of writers that make him look a lot better than he really is but Colbert shines brightest when he engages guests who represent a variety of interests, causes, and positions.

Colbert says he's a Sunday school teacher and it's obvious he knows a thing or two about all things religious. Just like every other topic, he is able to weave his sarcastic humor and intelligence into a compelling presentation. Here's one example...

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Bart Ehrman
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Gay Marriage Commercial

I think the red letters in the New Testament show that Jesus used a variety of methods to get His point across. Humor and sarcasm were regular elements of His teachings on grace, mercy, and forgiveness. We can learn from Colbert and Jesus. The Message is a story that can be presented in so many ways. For some, His words create smiles. For others, it produces tears. Either way, the Gospel was designed to make people think - just like Colbert does in the video.

I want us to engage people and walk with them. It's not about following a script. It's discovering where they are and giving them a Message of hope - whatever the method.

Bounded or Centered?

The world of religious discrimination is alive and well. Far too often, we want to know who's "in" and who's "out".

Some pastors say that Catholics shouldn't be lumped in with evangelical Christians.

Some groups say that speaking in tongues should never happen in church and that being "slain in the Spirit" is just an orchestrated performance.

Some say that if you don't experience the gifts of the Spirit, you haven't really "arrived".

Instead, I resonate with a theology professor from Duke University who talks about the differences between "centered groups" and "bounded groups".

Those who operate in the bounded paradigm form a tight circle around God and require certain passwords from seekers before they can enter God's presence. The passwords are numerous depending on the denomination/religious club. Some demand that seekers identify and describe a specific "born-again experience" (which must meet their "born again experience standards). Others require scripture memorization, the evidence of spiritual gifts, and the list goes on.

In the centered paradigm, God isn't surrounded by gatekeepers. Instead, He is approachable, accepting, and grace-giving. Around Him are people who are seeking Him but doing so in a variety of ways. That spiritual journey looks different for every person. Some have different starting points, walk the path at different speeds, and pose serious question about the nature of God.

I celebrate those who embrace the centered approach. I believe that was Jesus' intention during His ministry. He sought those who were confused, broken, and those who had questions about God. He used stories to explain how grace was available to everyone - no matter their location on the journey.

The "Acts 2 Church"

In my last ministry job, our pastor decided that he would start his tenure by preaching a series on the "Acts 2 Church". His basic theme was that if we did the things that the early church did, we would experience explosive growth. As a new pastor following in the footsteps of a pastor who was, arguably, the most respected pastor in town, he needed to do something to make his mark (at least that's what I think). I don't fault him for wanting to establish his credibility in town but I was confused at the way he did it.

I think his deepest desire was to grow in numbers just like what happened after Peter delivered his sermon (...thousands were added to their numbers daily. Acts 2:47). In theory, I think his intentions were good. My issue then (and even more apparent now) was that we created dozens of programs to make it happen. We tried to orchestrate the growth. As a friend pointed out at a discussion group last night, the same thing happened in the early church. As soon as the numbers exploded, church leaders immediately implemented various programs and service centers for people who joined the team.

The real action in Acts was that the church grew before all the programming was implemented. The church leaders didn't orchestrate what happened. They kept it so simple (gave away their things and ate meas together). The first word in Acts 2:2 is "Suddenly!" Not, "After the leaders created ministry opportunities and responsibilities, the church was born!" Why do we orchestrate things? In my religion of origin (a large Southern Baptist in the California Bible belt), we had a scheduled "revival" every year where the move of God was expected. Apparently, God received some sort of invitation to show up and cleared His calendar to do something special that week.

One of my pastoral mentors said it this way,

When we begin to plan moves of God I believe we are walking on dangerous ground. His plans and ways are so much higher than ours - Isaiah 55:8-9

Our church has grown from 13 to 1,200 in four years. Some people ask me what we "did" to make it happen. If I let my ego take over, I could produce a list of things that we "did" along the way but, in reality, God has done this. Our periods of growth happened with very few planned "programs" in place. Now the rub: How do we proceed? I hope that we can keep it simple (whatever that means).

Interesting times.

Televangelists + Athletes = $$$

I don't think we have any high profile athletes at Crossroads but it seems like some mega-churches are enjoying the benefits of big name notoriety and the money that comes along with it.



I'm not sure what it would be like to have a superstar in the crowd but it seems like the star power would overshadow the Message. Bummer. They want to be in church but with big name status comes big time attention. Thankfully, Visalia isn't a real draw for professional athletes.

Being Missional

I always like to see local churches doing good things. It's a little different than the way I used to do ministry. A decade ago, I thought about ways to make my ministry look better than the guys down the street. It was a competition that I wanted to win - more people, more money, and more ministry programs. Although I am still narcissistic (as are all senior pastors), I celebrate the good things I see in other churches. On Sunday, there was a big win down the street.

Neighborhood Church is our local Mennonite congregation. They have a big church on the northwest part of town and it's led by a good pastor who has a heart for the city. On Sunday, instead of preaching in their sanctuary, people abandoned their building and had church in the streets. Click here for the story.

One of my favorite quotes about the importance of the missional church comes from Eugene Peterson: The way of Jesus is always local and ordinary.

Gratitude

We can never be too grateful or affirm our blessings too much.

In the recovery community, we talk a lot about making a "gratitude list". The purpose is to remind ourselves how blessed we are. It is suggested that we make a list of everything we've been given - even in the face of desperate times.

I see a lot of people who stare death in the face...

Doctors have told families that there's nothing more that can be done.

They say that the best option is to make the patient comfortable.

They prescribe heavy doses of pain medication instead of chemotherapy.

They try to forecast how many days are left.

Then they turn around and walk away as the family struggles with the reality of the moment.

Last year, I had the opportunity to sit at the bedside of a dying man. We talked or, really, I talked as he listened. Occasionally, he would interject a sentence that was hardly audible. However, in his drug-induced stupor, he was able to talk about God's love and grace. As family members stood on the other side of a closed door, he recalled how God had given him a loving wife. He talked about each of his children and the precious grandchildren that, he was convinced, were born into this world for his pleasure. In the hours before death, he made a list of everything God had given him. It was obvious that he was reciting a list that he always updated. He was a grateful man and thanked the Blessing-Giver. It was an intimate moment between him and God. And I had a front row seat.

I plan to recognize the Blessing-Giver more often and thank Him over and over.

The Furious Longing of God

A friend let me borrow a book last week by Brennan Manning. Although I spent a semester immersed in Manning during seminary, his books were just resources for writing assignments. Today, books like Ragamuffin Gospel and Abba's Child have become valuable signposts on my spiritual journey. Through Manning's words, I've learned the importance (and pleasure) of understanding God's love for me. That learning hasn't been limited to head-knowledge (like in college). Instead, learning about His love has penetrated my heart. My heart knowledge has grown as God’s love has been revealed.

Manning's most recent book is The Furious Longing of God. It's a quick read but packs a powerful punch. Here's a taste:

The Furious Longing of God, by Brennan Manning

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Religion & Spiritual Books brennan manning furious longing of g

I plan to use Solomon 7:10 as my life verse until further notice...
"I am my Beloved's and His desire is for me"