A New Liturgy

January 23, 2012 in Bible, God with 0 Comments

Aaron Niequist, singer, songwriter, pastor and worship leader at Willow Creek Community Church, has created a fresh new sound in the expression of worship through music and song.

His current project, A NEW LITURGY, is one of the most unique, innovative and forward thinking MUSIC PROJECTS I’ve heard in a while. A totally different approach to how we engage in spiritual singing and worship through song, poetry, Scripture reading, and overall liturgy.

A New Liturgy combines the disciplines of prayer, reading, liturgy, singing, reflection and praise, and makes it convenient to engage in all of these different spiritual disciplines through a Storyline that Aaron creates around certain topics and areas of focus. Such as Grace, Blessing, Love, Mercy, etc.

This is also a help for new believers as he walks you through the prayers and readings…

There are currently 3 different Liturgy projects available in the Series.

Liturgy No 1 is “God Is Love.” Here’s the way Aaron describes it:

“The idea that God loves EVERY ONE of his kids equally – no matter their history, nationality, beliefs, sins, strengths, etc – is profoundly moving to me. For nothing can separate us for the love of God…. And not only do I want to see myself as one of those deeply loved kids, I want to see every single other person I ever meet as my brother or sister, engulfed in God’s bottomless, paternal, and maternal LOVE.”

I’m a big fan of this project. Check it out. Go download it. Highly recommended.

As a follow up to Story-Formed go on and listen to Blessed to Be a Blessing. Be encouraged as you sit in this new liturgy.

 

A New Liturgy – the story from aaron niequist on Vimeo.

Story-Formed

January 23, 2012 in Bible, church, Life, MISSIONAL with 0 Comments

At The Journey we desire to live a different kind of way, showing to the world our allegiance to Jesus and what life in His Kingdom looks like. Too often we define being a Jesus follower by where we attend church or what we are against BUT Jesus says “it is by your fruit you recognize who my disciples are”, it is about how we live.

This Sunday we talked about the first of our everyday rhythms, Story-Formed.

Every person on the planet is living their life inside of and in light of a larger story shaped by the country they live in, the cultures surrounding them, the family they were raised in, the worldview they believe… Until they understand all of this in light of the Redemptive Story of God, they will give themselves to lesser stories that do not work.

A story is just a person that wants something and overcomes conflict to get it. And we are all telling stories.

But stories aren’t neutral. The stories we hear change the way we see life. Stories teach us what is worth pursuing, what is worth living for, what is worth sacrificing for. If we are a person that wants a BMW and is willing to work overtime to get it, than the moral of the story we are teaching the world is work hard and some day you’ll get a BMW. It’s not a bad story, but it’s not a good one, either.

As a Christ follower we are a story-formed people who are living our lives based upon and within an incredible story. All of our beliefs, identity and actions are all connected to the dominant story. This is why we need to know it and we are to talk about it when we sit, stand, walk along the way, eat, lie down, etc…

In this case, the Good News is that God sent his Son to redeem the world and create a new humanity. Eventually the whole world will be renewed. Death, decay, injustice, and suffering will all be removed. God is saving a people and sending them out for His Mission so that Christ will be glorified in all things.

The Church has been saved BY God’s work FOR God’s work (Ephesians 1, 2:10,14-22; 2 Corinthians 5:15-21; Revelation 21).

The Gospel is not just about my individual happiness or God’s plan for my life. It is about God’s Glory and His plan for the world.

There is a movement afoot. God is doing something and we have been called to His purposes. The people of God are participating within God’s redemptive plan by being a display people offering a foretaste of what the future will be like under God’s rule. This is an amazing story I am living within!
(Jeremiah 29; Matthew 5:3-16; Luke 6:20-36; 1 Peter 2:9-12).

We are like a trailer to a movie…giving a foretaste of the kingdom fully consummated by Jesus that makes people long for the future redemption of all things under Jesus as King…the difference is that unlike a movie trailer we are often a poor reflection of a far better future.

How is your story connected to the larger story of God? OR Are you living the worlds story of success?

What are some next steps your Missional Community should take in order to be a Story-formed people?

 

What is Storyline? from Donald Miller on Vimeo.

Why Church Planting?

January 23, 2012 in church, MISSIONAL, Pastors, Religion with 0 Comments

One of my kingdom desires is to see churches planted in the urban centres of our nation. Last week I was being interviewed by the C2C Network about our story and after the interview was reminded how passionate I really am about church planting.. Here’s some quotes from Tim Keller that are featured on the blog of Scott Thomas (President of the Acts 29 network which has planted 400 churches in the last few years.)

Tim Keller states the vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for 1) the numerical growth of the Body of Christ in any city, and 2) the continual corporate renewal and revival of the existing churches in a city. Nothing else–not crusades, outreach programs, para-church ministries, growing mega-churches, congregational consulting, nor church renewal processes–will have the consistent impact of dynamic, extensive church planting. This is an eyebrow raising statement. But to those who have done any study at all, it is not even controversial.

So, why is church planting so crucially important? Because…

We want to be true to THE BIBLICAL MANDATE

Jesus’ essential call was to plant churches. Virtually all the great evangelistic challenges of the New Testament are basically calls to plant churches, not simply to share the faith. The ‘Great Commission’ (Matt.28: 18-20) is not just a call to ‘make disciples’ but to ‘baptize’. In Acts and elsewhere, it is clear that baptism means incorporation into a worshipping community with accountability and boundaries (cf. Acts 2:41-47). The only way to be truly sure you are increasing the number of Christians in a town is to increase the number of churches. Why? Much traditional evangelism aims to get a ‘decision’ for Christ. Experience, however, shows us that many of these ‘decisions’ disappear and never result in changed lives. Why? Many, many decisions are not really conversions, but often only the beginning of a journey of seeking God. (Other decisions are very definitely the moment of a ‘new birth’, but this differs from person to person.) Only a person who is being ‘evangelized’ in the context of an on-going worshipping and shepherding community can be sure of finally coming home into vital, saving faith. This is why a leading missiologist like C.Peter Wagner can say, “Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven.”

Paul’s whole strategy was to plant urban churches. The greatest missionary in history, St.Paul, had a rather simple, two-fold strategy. First, he went into the largest city of the region (cf. Acts 16:9,12), and second, he planted churches in each city (cf. Titus 1:5).

We want to be true to THE GREAT COMMISSION.

New churches best reach a) new generations, b) new residents, and c) new people groups. First, younger adults have always been disproportionately found in newer congregations, and second, new residents are almost always reached better by new congregations. Last, new socio-cultural groups in a community are always reached better by new congregations.

New churches best reach the unchurched–period. Dozens of denominational studies have confirmed that the average new church gains most of its new members (60-80%) from the ranks of people who are not attending any worshipping body, while churches over 10-15 years of age gain 80-90% of new members by transfer from other congregations.

We want to continually RENEW THE WHOLE BODY OF CHRIST.

It is a great mistake to think that we have to choose between church planting and church renewal. Strange as it may seem, the planting of new churches in a city is one of the very best ways to revitalize many older churches in the vicinity and renew the whole Body of Christ. Why?

First, the new churches bring new ideas to the whole Body. There is no better way to teach older congregations about new skills and methods for reaching new people groups than by planting new churches. It is the new churches that will have freedom to be innovative and they become the ‘Research and Development’ department for the whole Body in the city.

Second, new churches are one of the best ways to surface creative, strong leaders for the whole Body. New congregations attract a higher percentage of venturesome people who value creativity, risk, innovation and future orientation. Many of these men and women would never be attracted or compelled into significant ministry apart from the appearance of these new bodies.

Third, the new churches challenge other churches to self-examination. The “success” of new churches often challenges older congregations in general to evaluate themselves in substantial ways. Sometimes it is only in contrast with a new church that older churches can finally define their own vision, specialties, and identity.

Fourth, the new church may be an ‘evangelistic feeder’ for a whole community. The new church often produces many converts who end up in older churches for a variety of reasons. Ordinarily, the new churches of a city produce new people not only for themselves, but for the older bodies as well.

As an exercise in KINGDOM-MINDEDNESS

All in all, church planting helps an existing church the best when the new congregation is voluntarily ‘birthed’ by an older ‘mother’ congregation. Often the excitement and new leaders and new ministries and additional members and income ‘washes back’ into the mother church in various ways and strengthens and renews it. Our attitude to new church development is a test of whether our mindset is geared to our own institutional turf, or to the overall health and prosperity of the kingdom of God in the city.

SUMMARY

New church planting is the only way that we can be sure we are going to increase the number of believers in a city and one of the best ways to renew the whole Body of Christ. The evidence for this statement is strong–Biblically, sociologically, and historically. In the end, a lack of kingdom-mindedness may simply blind us to all this evidence. We must beware of that.

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*Adapted from an article written by Tim Keller, titled “Why Plant Churches”. To download full-length article as a PDF, click HERE

Day 3 – Prayer and Fasting

January 18, 2012 in church, God with 1 Comment

Our community at The Journey has committed to a week of prayer and fasting. I personally find day 3 the most challenging so here is a reminder from Adam Mabry the pastor at Aletheia Boston on why we fast.

Why Fast?

There are a few reasons why Christians should and do fast.

1. Jesus commands us to Fast – In Matthew 6, Jesus says, “When you fast…,” and then goes on to give instruction how to fast. His instructions assume that his disciples will, in fact, be fasting. Otherwise, there would be no need for him to give any instructions on the matter. Additionally, Jesus modeled this discipline. Before he went into public ministry, he fasted. Often he would come away from the crowds to pray alone.

2. Fasting Kills our Love of Lesser Joys – So often in our lives, we run around so preoccupied with the lesser joys of money, people, job, school, etc., that we forget our dependance on and joy in God. Fasting helps us to remember that, “man doesn’t live by bread alone, but on every words that comes from the mouth of God.” In forsaking food, we forsake that on which we depend for life, to remember the one on whom we ultimately depend on for life. Often during a fast, our idolatry is exposed, giving room for repentance and growth in holiness.

3. Fasting fans into ?ame our Passion for God – God does not want us to be half-hearted in our devotion to him. We are not honoured when people are half-committed and ?aky to us, and neither is God. Fasting causes us to see freshly our dependance on God and thus stirs our affections for him. It causes us to
see him as our daily bread, and sweeter to us than honey. (Psalm 19). This makes true worship rise from our hearts to God.

4. Fasting causes us to be Generous – Isaiah 58 shows us that one of God’s intentions behind fasting is that we might take the food and resources we’re not using during that time and give them to the poor and oppressed. By abstaining from food and the “extras” in life, we’re able to be more generous. Consider the words of Scripture:“if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.” (Isaiah 58: 10-11)5.

5. Fasting Strengthens Prayer – Scripture gives us examples of fasting strengthening our prayers, thus the common pairing of Christians fasting and praying. When we fast, our minds and hearts become focused, and our prayers are often more ?lled with fervor and life. That’s not to say that our emotional commitment to pray somehow makes God listen better, but it does allow us to pray better, and more in line with God’s will. (See Matthew 17:21; Mark 9:17-29; Acts 10:30; 1 Corinthians 7:5).

Fasting vs. A Hunger Strike

A hunger strike is when someone refuses to eat to get someone else to bend to their will, capitulate, or do something for them. Prisoners go on hunger strikes. Oppressed people go on hunger strikes. Christians do not, I repeat, do not go on hunger strikes.When we fast, we are not doing it to get God to notice us, hear our prayers better, love us more, or move him to do what we really want him to do. Christians are not prisoners, oppressed people, or manipulators of their God. We fast to align our hearts with God’s. We fast to suppress the noise of the natural man to hear the still small voice of God. We fast to kill sin that we might live to God. We fast to fall in love with Jesus more, aligning our hearts to his. We fast as a form of freedom in God, not as a form of oppression under God.

May our hunger for food awaken us to the real hunger of our hearts.

 

Day 2 – Done with Doing

January 17, 2012 in Bible, church, FAMILY, God, Leadership with 0 Comments

It is day 2 of The Journey’s week of prayer and fasting and today as I sit and wait and be with Jesus I am reminded of my journey last year. One that involved a shift… (Thanks to Andrea Argue, Larry Brune, Terry Wiseman and our Together Group)

For the past several years, ups and downs defined my spiritual life.  Moments in the journey were some of the most intimate encounters with Jesus that I’ve known.  Real (nearly tangible) experiences, that can’t be explained by anything but the power of the Holy Spirit, took place…. moments, when I showed love to a neighbor, prayed for an enemy, served the poor… these were times when Jesus was right there with me.

Then there were the times when I got stuck trying to live like Jesus.  In the Christian world we call these “good works” or “ethics.”  I made my aim “doing” rather than “being.” By “doing” I believed that my “being” would be consumed by an experience of the life of God.  Unfortunately, the God encounters often fade when all my time is spent “doing”, reading about or theorizing about such “doing.”

For me, it was time to stop doing.  It became a time to simply rest in what Christ has done.  Done “doing” because the Holy Spirit invites us to stop and to “be.”

It’s easy to follow the Sermon on the Mount and other ethical teachings of Jesus and to miss the Christ who taught such things. Dallas Willard puts it this way:

Jesus never expected us simply to turn the other cheek, go the second mile, bless those who persecute us, give unto them that ask, and so forth.  These responses, generally and rightly understood to be characteristic of Christlikeness, were put forth by him as illustrative of what might be expected of a new kind of person – one who intelligently and steadfastly seeks, above all else, to live within the rule of God and be possessed by the kind of righteousness that God himself has, as Matthew 6:33 portrays.  Instead, Jesus did invite people to follow him into that sort of life from which behaviour such as loving one’s enemies will seem like the only sensible and happy thing to do.  For a person living that life, the hard thing to do would be to hate the enemy, to turn the supplicant away, or to curse the curser…  True Christlikeness, true companionship with Christ, comes at the point where it is hard not to respond as he would.[1]

So, last year was a year I announced “I am done with living like a Christian”.  I traded that in for living in a deeper relationship with Christ.  I want to know Jesus.  I want to hear Jesus.  I want to be empowered by Jesus.  Not simply in theory as I do the good things that he calls us to do, but as the natural outflow of intimacy with God.  The former way “gets the job done.”  The latter way changes the world.

For me, this meant a new-found intentionality of placing myself in a position to hear from the Spirit.  Spiritual practices like – solitude, Sabbath, lectio divina, silence, confession, prayer, and practicing the presence of God – these neglected areas of my life had led to a Christianity defined by “doing” rather than “being.”

My prayer for us this year is that our intimate relationships with Christ would make it impossible to not respond with the ethics marked out by the Kingdom of God.  Not out of effort to do good things, but out of our efforts to know Jesus Christ through an awareness of the presence of God’s Spirit.  When this becomes normative, we won’t be able to help it… we will just start doing stuff… looking more and more like Jesus.


Is Your Gospel Right?

January 17, 2012 in Bible, church, God, MISSIONAL with 4 Comments

This got me thinking and I like his take on it… what is the good news you are announcing in your life? Worth the wrestle.

*The following is an article by Joe Boyd. Find his info at the bottom of the page.

I am reading the book unChristian with about ten of my friends. It’s a book primarily about why people outside of Christianity don’t like Christians much anymore. (I didn’t need a book to learn that one.) A certain paragraph really struck me. It angered me, actually. Here it is:

Most outsiders are familiar with the story of Christianity-that Jesus was God’s Son who came to die to take away our sins if we believe in him. As you will see later in this book, the premise of Christianity is not a mystery because the vast majority of outsiders have been to Christian churches and have heard the message of Christ. -David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity… and Why It Matters

What stung me was the authors’ unconditional assumption that the story of Christianity (I think we would both call that the “gospel”) is that, “Jesus was God’s Son who came to die and take away our sins if we believe in him.” And, they claim,  that most “outsiders” (cringe) also believe that to be the gospel.

My blink thought was, “Well, that’s not my gospel. I must be really UnChristian then.”

To be fair, it used to be my gospel. But not so much anymore.

I said this in our group discussion and one of my friends asked earnestly, “What is the gospel?” For some reason I stammered. I mean, I’m a pastor – the Teaching Pastor at a rather large and respected evangelical church. But I stammered over the question, “What is the gospel?”

You’d think that would be a hanging curve over the plate. But is wasn’t.

I spit out something like this: “I think it is the story of Jesus as Israel’s Messiah and his message of the Kingdom, blah, blah, blah.” I was (mis)quoting Scot McKnight, the last author I read on the subject.

Nine months ago I would have quoted N.T. Wright and said something about the promise of Resurrection. Before that I would have regurgitated Dallas Willard or Stanley Hauerwas or whomever. Heck, if you traced my understanding of the gospel back far enough, you would eventually find the exact definition that angered me in the book.

In that moment I decided that what I think the gospel is doesn’t matter.

First, because I know that my definition changes every 6-18 months anyway. So why should I trust this current manifestation so much? Second, the gospel – any gospel – is supposed to be good news. The good news of the reign of God through Christ. That’s all the gospel is. Good news should flow easily from the heart, not methodically from a textbook.

The gospel is the good news you tell people.

So, that was my huge breakthrough. It seems simple, but it hit me like a right hook on the jaw this week.

My gospel is the good news I tell people.

Everyone who has ever tried to lift a friend out of mucky place has used their own gospel.

“Cheer up, man. There are more fish in the sea.” –The gospel of the next hot thing.

“It’s ok. Things happen for a reason.” – The gospel of magical destiny.

“Dude, let’s grab a beer. Don’t sweat it.” – The gospel of Sam Adams Winter Ale.

“Hey, we still got each other.” –The gospel of friendship.

So what is the gospel of Jesus?

Well, it seems to come in different forms. We should quit trying to pretend that it doesn’t.

Listen closely to these gospels of Jesus from some recognizable sources.

Do they all sound like the same gospel to you?

God knows who you are, He loves you, and He wants you to know and love Him. How do you do that? You must first admit that, like everyone else, you are a sinner. Being sinners means that we are imperfect and do wrong; we fall short of God’s perfect standard. It also means we are separated from Him and deserve His judgment.But He loves us! God sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. He died for your sins. He was punished so you don’t have to be. Not only that; death did not defeat Him. After three days, Jesus rose from the dead, alive again! – Billy Graham

Jesus’ good news was God’s peace to all men of good will. That peace is something which is fundamental to the satisfaction of our most basic desires. It is a peace of the heart. -Mother Teresa

Good news! God is becoming King and he is doing it through Jesus! And therefore, phew! God’s justice, God’s peace, God’s world is going to be renewed. -NT Wright

Or, let’s just bite the potentially heretical bullet and go straight to the source(s):

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” – Isaiah

“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” – Jesus in Mark

“The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” -Jesus in Luke

“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name”. – Jesus in John

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.” – Paul in I Corinthians

And, let’s throw in one more version just to make most of us, including me, twitch a little:

“For many years, people have heard that God’s mad at them — they can’t live up to the standards. But our message is about the goodness of God, and it seems just that people come alive when they realize ‘God is for me. He’s got a plan for my life, and I can do something great. I can be who he wants me to be.” – Joel Olsteen

I hope you noticed at least one thing:

It is all good news.

It’s all gospel. And, if we are honest, it’s all a little different. Billy Graham’s gospel isn’t quite St. Mark’s gospel, which isn’t quite Paul’s gospel, which isn’t quite Joel Osteen’s gospel.  And as much as I would love to bash Joel Osteen, his gospel isn’t that far from St. John’s, the author of my favorite book in the Bible. They both seem to want you to have “your best life now.”

Luke’s gospel smells a lot like Mother Teresa’s good news. And it seems to me that Billy Graham and the Apostle Paul would likely ride in the same golf cart in my dream foursome.

All of these are the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, they are all the same.

But, all of these are also a gospel of Jesus Christ. So, they are all different.

Historically, we as Christians have spent a lot of time, energy and money trying to prove that our gospel is the gospel. I’m tired of it. It’s exhausting. I quit.

But…I do have my gospel. It is influenced by all of the gospels above. (Even Brother Joel’s if I am forced to be embarrassingly candid.) My gospel is evolving. It changes. But when I look back over the last decade of my life and ask what “good news” I actually tell people, my gospel starts to become increasingly more legible.

I tell my friends (and myself) that there is hope. I often say that whatever Jesus meant by “God’s Kingdom” is worth seeking. I say that when we all look for this Kingdom together, we start to find it. I say that in those unique moments when God breaks in and love reigns, we begin to experience eternity in the present. So, I will often say, let’s spend our lives bonded together in hot pursuit of Kingdom come with the belief that one of these days it will actually happen. Fully. On our watch. That’s my gospel. It’s the good news I always tell everyone, including myself, whenever I get the chance.

So what is your gospel, really? Not how you define the gospel, but what good news do you actually tell people? What do you tell your friends on their dark days? What do you tell yourself to pull away from the ledge?

That’s your gospel…whether you believe it or not.

Right?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

About Joe Boyd:
Joe Boyd has forged a unique career as a movie producer, author, actor and pastor.
Joe is the President of Rebel Pilgrim Productions and the producer of four feature films including A Strange Brand of Happy, where he plays the leading role along side Academy Award Winner Shirley Jones.  The film expects a national theatrical release in late 2012. Joe is also the director of Hitting The Nuts, a poker-themed comedy farce that has won three film festivals including the 2011 Las Vegas Film Festival.
Joe is the author of the fantasy novel, Between Two Kingdoms (Standard), now in its second printing.
As a pastor, Joe teaches at Vineyard Cincinnati, a 6,000-member church in Cincinnati, Ohio where he lives with his wife and two sons.

A pioneer of the blogosphere, www.joeboydblog.com enters its tenth year in 2012.

Identity as Family

January 16, 2012 in church, FAMILY, friends, God, Leadership, Life, MISSIONAL with 0 Comments

 

One of the greatest compliments you can give me after hanging out in our community is “Your church really feels like family.”At The Journey one of our core identities is Family –  We submit to God as our Father and love one another as brothers and sisters.

One of the things I felt like God impressed on me over 2011 was how few pastors really understand how the church is supposed to function… like a family (particularly in these mid-sized, extended family size groups). I wonder if so many pastors, either because they grew up in it or were trained for it, are used to running programs and organizations that perhaps many haven’t developed the all important skill of shaping a family on mission, or maybe they have been wounded and risking relationally again would just cost too much. This quote really gets to this reality:

Many men can build a fortune but few men can build a family.
J.S. Bryan

Mike Breen says it beautifully in a recent post.

The word oikos, which refers to “household” or “family,” is the description for the church in the New Testament. And if we were to dig into the annals of church history, we’d find that almost every time we see a missional movement of God, we also see a missional vehicle being used about the size of an extended family. Coincidence? I’m not sure sure.

What a fully functioning oikos develops is a texture, a feel, a visceral quality that everyone senses (whether you’re “officially” in it or not), but few can really put a finger on.

For example, take away that dynamic oikos/family texture and:

  • Morning prayer feels like staff devotion
  • Huddle feels like a stale small group
  • Missional Communities become forced mission projects

As I’ve observed the “art” of creating extended families over the past number of years, I’ve noticed that it always takes a combination of two things: PLAY + PURPOSE.

Families play together and have fun, both through planned events and through things that happen organically, things you can never plan. But they also have a very clear purpose for why they exist and what God has called them to.

 

You plan for Play and Purpose, but you also cultivate a culture where it’s happening organically as well. There are some events that serve as a trellis for the growing plant that is your culture, but if that’s it, you won’t get what you’re hoping for.

Here’s some questions you might ask about your Missional Community:

  • Would I want to go on vacation with them?
  • Would I voluntarily choose to hang out with them/their family because I want to and not because it’s forced?
  • Am I doing things that let them into the life of myself and my family?

Here’s the issue: Creating this kind of extended family isn’t something you should do because you are told. You do it because your identity is attached to God as Father and it is He who draws the lonely into families. You do this God created you this way.

Is this the reality we are intentionally trying to create in our MC’s?

Week of Prayer and Fasting

January 16, 2012 in church with 0 Comments

It feels great to be back! We had a great time off with the family and I am feeling rejuvenated and energized for what God has for us in 2012. This week we launch into the year with a week of prayer and fasting, focusing on God and His love for us, His plans for us, and His presence in us. I am anticipating great things this week as I fight my fleshly desires and pursue God.

For those who want to follow along here is our prayer guide for the week .

Receiving God’s best blessing from a fast requires solid commitment. Arranging special time each day with God is absolutely crucial in attaining intimate communion with the Father. You must devote yourself to seeking God’s face, even (and especially) during those times in which you feel weak, vulnerable, or irritable. Read His Word and pray during what were mealtimes. Meditate on Him when you awake in the night. Sing praises to Him whenever you please. Focus on your Heavenly Father and make every act one of praise and worship. God will enable you to experience His command to “pray without ceasing” as you seek His presence.      - Bill Bright

Jesus Society

January 16, 2012 in Books, church, Life, MISSIONAL, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Jesus did not send his students out to start governments or even churches as we know them today…. They were, instead, to establish beachheads of his person, word, and power in the midst of a failing and futile humanity. They were to bring the presence of the kingdom and its King into every corner of human life simply by fully living in the kingdom with him….

Churches — thinking now of local assemblies of such people — would naturally be the result. Churches are not the kingdom of God, but are primary and inevitable expressions, outposts, and instrumentalities of the presence of the kingdom among us. They are “societies” of Jesus, springing up in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the furthest points on earth (Acts 1:8), as the reality of Christ is brought to bear on ordinary human life.

~ Dallas Willard in Renovation of the Heart

Lead Yourself

December 30, 2011 in Leadership, Life with 0 Comments

As I reflect on the last year I would have to say it has been a year of personal growth.. in so many areas of my life. But then I think every year is. If we are not growing, changing, transforming to become more like Jesus all we are doing is stagnating, living the same year over and over again.

My wife and I have been a part of a “together” (10 couples journeying together for 2 years) group hosted by OneWay Ministries. It has been an amazing experience and I am convinced more than ever that the most important leadership we can offer is self-leadership. Here is a tool from Dave Ferguson to help you lead yourself!

How to Lead Yourself Everyday -By Dave Ferguson

We refer to this tool as “checking your RPM’S.”  This tool is based on Luke 2:52 that says, “Jesus grew in wisdom (mental) and stature (physical), and in favor with God (spiritual) and men (relational).”  So for the last week on a daily bais I have put at the top of my journal these four letters: R (relational), P (physicial), M (mental) and S (spiritual) and given myself a 1-10 rating.  I am already convinced that using this tool on a daily basis, rather than just during coaching sessions may be one of the most powerful self-leadership tools around.  I would strongly encourage you to try it for yourself.  Let me briefly explain each of these and give you a few questions to ask in your own daily self-evaluation.

RELATIONAL:  Our relational world typically includes the people with whom we interact on a regular basis: our immediate family, friends, neighbours, coworkers, and small group members. Here are some questions you can ask yourself.

  • How are my relationships at home?
  • What about my marriage, dating, or family life is going well? What’s not going so well? What would I like to change?
  • Who do I consider my closest friend? How is God using that relationship to grow me?
  • What are my relationships at work like?
  • Which of my relationships give my energy and life? Which are the most challenging or draining?

PHYSICAL:  Our physical well-being is often the most overlooked aspect of a leaders life. Yet diet, exercise, sleep, and rest are all vital to our ability to lead effectively. If we are serious about developing as a whole person, we have to take seriously our physical well-being.  Here are some good questions to ask:

  • Am I getting enough rest?
  • How is my current energy level?
  • What am I doing to maintain good health when it comes to exercise and eating habits?
  • Is there anything about my physical health that I’d like to change?

MENTAL:  Another often-overlooked aspect is the development of our minds. In order for us to stay sharp and be a lifelong learners, we need to be challenged. Here are some questions we can ask to see if we are developing mentally:

  • What have I been learning lately?
  • How am I applying what I are learning?
  • What magazines, books, or websites do I read or access?
  • What thoughts have been dominating my mind? Are they drawing me closer to God? Are they pulling me away from him?

SPIRITUAL:   It is also imperative that we discover and act on whatever it is that helps us grow deeper in our relationship with Jesus. Here are some questions we can ask to see how we are developing spiritually:

  • How would I describe my relationship with Christ right now?
  • What does it look like when I am feeling closely connected to God?
  • Which spiritual disciplines seem to help me draw closer to Jesus? Prayer? Journaling? Worship? Solitude?
  • Who is holding me accountable to practicing these disciplines?
  • What has God been saying to me lately through his Word? The Holy Spirit? Other Christ followers? Prayer?
May this daily or weekly routine of rigorous self-evaluation help keep you in a healthy place this year.
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