I found this and I thought it is a great story for us as we are going through this change in worship. This is written by Matt Chandler of The Village Church in Texas.
"I have a confession to make and I hope it doesn't make you think less of me. Ned Flanders and I have become friends. It hasn't always been this way. For years before I began to pastor a church I knew just what the problem was in American evangelical culture, and it wasn't sin, it was church people, it was Ned and his friends. The "frozen chosen" I think I have heard them called. They were old, tired, non missional, unmoved by the gospel, and thought the Left Behind movies were a great idea. They had driven our precious Lord's bride into the ground and deserved at least to be mocked in our young, hip, missional conversations and sermons and maybe even killed in some sort of Old Testament fashion. I used to think that when my time came to Pastor I didn't want or need any of them. I just wanted to see people saved. I didn't want to "swap sheep" in fact maybe we wouldn't let anyone join the church that was trying to come to us from another church in town. I could see us now, raw, gritty, authentic, and somewhat angry but not enough to be called sin, tattooed and rough around the edges. Ned would hate it, but we would reclaim the gospel he and his cronies had taken and perverted into this withdrawn, judgmental joke. We would see the lost saved and develop them ourselves.
In December 2002 my time had arrived to Pastor and I came to The Village with all the ignorance and arrogance of a 28 year old with all the answers and few questions and immediately began learning that I was an idiot. Over the last four years I have been challenged, refined, chiseled and rebuked. And somehow in the middle of all of that Ned and I became good friends. It started over a cup of coffee (and I'm not speaking in code here. Ned does not and will never have a beer with me). I started learning some things about him over that cup of coffee. First of all, we are very different. He loves Sandy Patty records, has 5 icthus' on his car (one of each member of his family) and only watches the PAX network on television. As I learned all this about him I wondered how we could co-exist or honestly even have a conversation, but then the strangest of things happened we found some common ground. It seems that Ned and I have, as hard as this is to say, some similar passions. I found out that day that Ned loves both the church and Jesus very much. On top of that he wants with all his heart to see his neighbor, Homer, come to know Christ, and prays for him constantly. It was a shocking revelation to me. The problem that I thought plagued us wasn't the problem at all.
It's a strange thing to wake up and find out you are the very thing you hated and rebelled against to begin with. Judging men not by the content of their souls but by how they dress, talk and drink. I was expected when I came to know Jesus to wear a suit on Sunday, part my hair on the side and then hairspray it down, quit drinking completely and learn to speak "Christianese" fluently. If I did those things I was welcomed and loved if not, I was the outcast. I find it heartbreaking that I have tendencies to do the same to others. The expectations have changed, it's not a suit it's an un-tucked shirt, it's not your hair parted down the side it's messy hair that you spent 15 minutes making look messy. But it's the same madness, the same judgments, and the same sin that plagued my fathers before me. We think our methods are the methods instead of a method. So Ned and I are friends. We fight a lot, usually over philosophy of ministry and volume of music, but on weekends like last weekend when we baptize dozens and dozens of grown men and women I can see him back there, last row on the left earplugs in, surrounded by raw, gritty, authentic, and somewhat angry but not enough to be called sin, tattooed and rough around the edges people and he loves the place and I think he might even like me."
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Meditations on Masculinity (Part 1)
Lately I've been searching for what it means to be a man according to Scripture, according to what God says not what the culture is pointing at. So in my search I'm picking through the great wisdom literature of the bible to find advice from the sage to the student who's very much in need of it.
I started off in I Timothy to find many intresting point Paul makes to his son Timothy. Timothy in case you didn't know is a gentile who was saved by his mother and grandmother and rew up under Paul's teaching at Ephesus. Paul and Timothy became like a father and son. They traveled together, they preached and taught together, and prayed in prison together. Paul at the time of this letter was nearing the end of his life and was giving Timothy some of his last thoughts, commands, and teachigns on Jesus.
The passage I found was so enlightning that I thought I might share it.
"But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." - I Timothy 6:12-13 (ESV)
Instead of going on and on about the verse I want to focus on the last part. "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called."
This speaks to me so profoundly that it's hard for me to go into the complexities of it. To me it's like a diamond which I look at from diffrent angles and lights and I see something completley amazing every time I turn it. These facets all are astounding. Each is profound and very practical.
1. As men we must fight the good fight.
What does that mean? Truthfully I know what it means deep down but I don't know how to expand on it. Did you ever see the 300? I think those guys fought the good fight, don't you? That's how as men we're supposed to defend on lives from sin, that's how we should defend our wives, girlfriends, sisters, children, and brothers from sin, and it's how we should defend everything that we've worked so hard to build.
In Nehimiah, they not only had a trowel to build the great wall around Jerusalem but they carried a sword, a spear, and other weapons in their other hand to kill anyone that attempted to deystroy what's been built. This offers more lessons. We never use our strength to opress, attack, or deystroy the innocent. Strength is used to fight evil not fuel it.
2. We must as men take hold of the eternal life we have in Christ.
I don't know what that means but it sounds frankly preety badass in a Christian way.
I don't have much more to say but I will continue tis through my studies.
BOOKS
I Timothy
II Timothy
Titus
Ecclesiastes
Proverbs
Song of Songs
Job
James
I started off in I Timothy to find many intresting point Paul makes to his son Timothy. Timothy in case you didn't know is a gentile who was saved by his mother and grandmother and rew up under Paul's teaching at Ephesus. Paul and Timothy became like a father and son. They traveled together, they preached and taught together, and prayed in prison together. Paul at the time of this letter was nearing the end of his life and was giving Timothy some of his last thoughts, commands, and teachigns on Jesus.
The passage I found was so enlightning that I thought I might share it.
"But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." - I Timothy 6:12-13 (ESV)
Instead of going on and on about the verse I want to focus on the last part. "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called."
This speaks to me so profoundly that it's hard for me to go into the complexities of it. To me it's like a diamond which I look at from diffrent angles and lights and I see something completley amazing every time I turn it. These facets all are astounding. Each is profound and very practical.
1. As men we must fight the good fight.
What does that mean? Truthfully I know what it means deep down but I don't know how to expand on it. Did you ever see the 300? I think those guys fought the good fight, don't you? That's how as men we're supposed to defend on lives from sin, that's how we should defend our wives, girlfriends, sisters, children, and brothers from sin, and it's how we should defend everything that we've worked so hard to build.
In Nehimiah, they not only had a trowel to build the great wall around Jerusalem but they carried a sword, a spear, and other weapons in their other hand to kill anyone that attempted to deystroy what's been built. This offers more lessons. We never use our strength to opress, attack, or deystroy the innocent. Strength is used to fight evil not fuel it.
2. We must as men take hold of the eternal life we have in Christ.
I don't know what that means but it sounds frankly preety badass in a Christian way.
I don't have much more to say but I will continue tis through my studies.
BOOKS
I Timothy
II Timothy
Titus
Ecclesiastes
Proverbs
Song of Songs
Job
James
Thursday, July 12, 2007
We Need Some Love Up In Here
Fell away, I chose to say the most awful things. You my king: your patience your love, all of the above. My sin I cast, the grotesque, the past. Help me to see, my sight is dimming, the light of lights, in the distance, shimmering. By way of heart, fill up the dark. Make love and joy, instead of stark.
This pain we bare, we fall away. We chose to pay, the worst we say. Our friends they turn. Forgiving? We yearn for faith and trust, but when we disgust-we turn away, as friends we say, I can't take this one more day, get out of my way!
In a bowl, as it fills up. We are sinking in this cup. We fill it up, and up each day. Forgiving one would cause dismay. But forgiving one would empty the prison, the cup, the water, the coughing and sinking. But one has come and one has stayed. And one has paid the price to be paid.
Is this a song for the righteous? The Wrong? Or is this a song? We all have songs. To share them in person, or throw them away, or a page, in a word, in a desk, in a way - this bottle we cap, only takes a tap, to blast off the cap, and ruin your lap. Patience, for one this isn't a gun, or a word that is aimed and stings hotter than the sun.
This is a break, because we all make mistakes and God doesn't forsake, those who make mistakes and those who neglect, the need to correct, the sin that they've run, can all be undone. Just follow the one, the savior, the son. The life, the love, all of the above.
This pain we bare, we fall away. We chose to pay, the worst we say. Our friends they turn. Forgiving? We yearn for faith and trust, but when we disgust-we turn away, as friends we say, I can't take this one more day, get out of my way!
In a bowl, as it fills up. We are sinking in this cup. We fill it up, and up each day. Forgiving one would cause dismay. But forgiving one would empty the prison, the cup, the water, the coughing and sinking. But one has come and one has stayed. And one has paid the price to be paid.
Is this a song for the righteous? The Wrong? Or is this a song? We all have songs. To share them in person, or throw them away, or a page, in a word, in a desk, in a way - this bottle we cap, only takes a tap, to blast off the cap, and ruin your lap. Patience, for one this isn't a gun, or a word that is aimed and stings hotter than the sun.
This is a break, because we all make mistakes and God doesn't forsake, those who make mistakes and those who neglect, the need to correct, the sin that they've run, can all be undone. Just follow the one, the savior, the son. The life, the love, all of the above.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Planting a Church in a City by Timothy Keller
"Nearly all books and lectures on this subject outline how to plant a particular kind of church – either a particular denominational model or some other kind of model that works in a specific environment. But what are the principles for any church plant?
Here are 5 elements I think you've got to have!
1. Locating
You need to live in or very, very close to the community of people you are trying to reach.
Some of the most heart-breaking church plant failures involved folks who simply would not follow this incarnational principle. Jesus didn't commute from heaven every day, he moved in!
If you do not live in the community, you will tend to talk to issues the people do not have; and you will miss issues they do have. You won't really know them.
If you do not live in the community you lose lots of time commuting!
If you do not live in the community, there will be fewer natural connects for evangelism.
2. Learning
You must learn the community's needs; you must understand the people in order to communicate and relate well to them. This means knowing their strengths, weaknesses, and prejudices.
Contextual-life profile: What people groups live in your community? Which ones are declining and which ones are growing? Discern: material/economic groupings; social structures and power-relations between groupings; educational/psychological groupings. Use: 1) Demographics 2) See Craig Ellison's, "Addressing Felt Needs of Urban Dwellers" in Harvie Conn, ed., Planting and Growing Urban Churches, 1997.
Interior-life profile: What are their greatest hopes? aspirations? pleasures? What are their greatest fears? problems? What are their greatest strengths? What are their weaknesses, prejudices? Use: 1) Personal interviews 2) Periodicals, sociological research. 3) Literature/arts.
World-view profile: 'Philosophy of life'. What aspects of truth do they have some grasp of (through common grace)? What aspects do they deny or miss? What symbols/myths function deeply? Where are there tensions/pressure points in view? What is the people's 'story'? Who do they see themselves to be — where are they from, where are they going?
Religious/institution profile: How are the religious bodies and churches within this people group doing? How are they organized? What ministry models seem to be effective?
Two basic ways to learn these things: Informal — living there and spending time there; Formal — studying statistics, census, demographics, also fiction!
3. Linking
You must create a contextualized ministry model that links: a) the needs and capacities of the community, b) the gifts and calling of yourself and your leaders, with c) the resources of the gospel.
Everything — worship, leadership, fellowship, and evangelism — must be 'contextualized' to 'fit' these three things — the needs of the community/culture, the gifts and talents of you and your Christian leaders, and the Word of the gospel.
Combat the tendency to simply copy the preaching and ministry programs you like and are familiar with. Instead developing ministry truly linked in and that fits the community you are trying to reach with the gospel.
Linking the gospel to the heart. How will you incorporate Christ's story into the people's story? What communication modes will you use (how will you get the word out?)
Linking the church to the community. What would build up the common good of the neighborhood? What would make people in your neighborhood say: 'Wow! I'm not part of that church — but they are doing a lot of good here!' If you link resources to the perceived needs of community, you will be far more able to preach the gospel persuasively.
4. Loving
You must have the gospel firmly in your heart so that you are not ministering out of a need to convince yourself of your competence or worth — but out of love.
Religion is "I obey and minister, therefore I am accepted." The gospel is "I am accepted, therefore I obey and minister." If you are operating out of the former matrix (i.e. basing your justification on your sanctification instead of the other way around) then:
In your own personal ministry you will tend to over work, deal poorly with criticism, worry too much about attendance, giving, and signs of success, and be less than a good and gracious model of a gospel-changed life.
In your preaching and teaching you will be creating a lot of 'elder brothers' (cf. Luke 15) — people who are very good and committed to serving God as way of procuring his blessing. This makes people (like the elder brother) very grumpy, condescending to 'sinners', and unforgiving. In other words, you will create a church that can't win people to Christ.
5. Launching
You must use wisdom in how you practically meet people and begin your work. Two very broad categories:
"Top down" - Begin with a bang. Begin with a worship-service celebration. This especially works well for 'daughter' plant where you have a substantial group from a mother church. This works best with a church planter with good 'up front' speaking gifts. (Problems with this model: There is a great temptation to skip Learning, Linking, even Locating. There is a tendency to simply reproduce the mother church.)
"Bottom up" – The church planter lives in community and does evangelism and ministry, sees some conversions — organizes them into a small group, and develops leaders. After growing into several small groups the planter begins a Sunday worship service. Works best with church planters with good 'one on one' and evangelistic gifts. (Problems with this model: Can be hard to attract people who want to see 'something happening.' Often the church planter feels money-pressure because the congregation is not producing much income.)
Other approaches: a) Churches in your own building reaching a different language group/or people group b) Churches in two locations with the same pastor/leader — until one group calls its own pastor."
- Timothy Keller
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Reflections on Culture
How do we engage the young culture of Fort Wayne?
More importantly, what is the youth culture of Fort Wayne?
How does the gospel connect to the culture of Fort Wayne?
God is determined to keep me here in Fort Wayne, much to my dismay, and he has some plan for me here. As Hillsong so put it...
"You hold the future in your hands
You know my dreams and you have a plan
And as you light my way, I'll follow you"
Jesus your my saviour and I've given my life to you and all I have is you but I don't know what you want me to do here. I know that you want me to serve and glorify you through preaching, worship, and compassion but I don't know what that looks like so please help me see Fort Wayne through your eyes and your vision and your kingdom and your blood and your life.
From my observations a typical Fort Waynian high schooler has some of this going on...
1. They have had some experience with Christianity but they have been affected negatively for several reasons.
a) Boredom and Irrelevancy
b) Bad Apologetics
c) Bad Doctrine
d) Burnout
e) Boring and lifeless worship
All of these plus the sheer number of churches in the Summit City have created this apathetic nature where churches all over the city are dying quickly and the ones that are growing are for the entertainment of its citizens. In the middle of this the youth are left out and are asking questions which no one has the right answer to and if they do have the right answer it is someplace the teens and college students would look to for answers anyway. They are scared by the church and its citizens.
2. Fort Wayne teenagers and young adults are bored with the city. They feel generally that there is little to do for fun so they turn to parties, sex, drugs, or isolating themselves. In this state we have many diffrent subcultures within the city that are hard to penetrate. Fort Wayne is typically seen as a dump that has nothing redeeming or beautiful about it. there are many good qualities of the city that you will find no where else in the world. Fort Wayne is home to Coney Islands, over 500 churches, St. Francis; one of the greatest graphic arts schools in the country, and a history that no one knows all that well or seems to care about. The younger generation does care about sex, music, and being a change in their world. They care about enjoying life as much as they can with little responsibility and punishment.
There are according to the last census at least 30,000 people between the ages of 16 - 25 in the city of Fort Wayne. These kids have fallen through the cracks. It is time for the churches to reform and resurge to meet the needs of a new generation as they encounter life.
If you read this pray that those in leadership at these churches will see the will of God and change their hearts towards the people of the city.
So how do we not sacrifice the gospel and contexualize at the same time in this burned out, bummed out, apathetic culture that just wants to have fun?
1. We must glorify Christ at all times, with our lives, our thoughts, our actions, our words, our money, our music, our relationships, and everything else.
2. We must live our lives passionatley filled with purpose and our churches must reflect that.
3. We must love them as Christians and love our city and transform it for Jesus.
These aren't ultimatums and they are certainly not perfect but it's a start. Pray for the city. Pray that the city meets Jesus and the congregations of the city are transformed to meet the cities needs instead of their own.
More importantly, what is the youth culture of Fort Wayne?
How does the gospel connect to the culture of Fort Wayne?
God is determined to keep me here in Fort Wayne, much to my dismay, and he has some plan for me here. As Hillsong so put it...
"You hold the future in your hands
You know my dreams and you have a plan
And as you light my way, I'll follow you"
Jesus your my saviour and I've given my life to you and all I have is you but I don't know what you want me to do here. I know that you want me to serve and glorify you through preaching, worship, and compassion but I don't know what that looks like so please help me see Fort Wayne through your eyes and your vision and your kingdom and your blood and your life.
From my observations a typical Fort Waynian high schooler has some of this going on...
1. They have had some experience with Christianity but they have been affected negatively for several reasons.
a) Boredom and Irrelevancy
b) Bad Apologetics
c) Bad Doctrine
d) Burnout
e) Boring and lifeless worship
All of these plus the sheer number of churches in the Summit City have created this apathetic nature where churches all over the city are dying quickly and the ones that are growing are for the entertainment of its citizens. In the middle of this the youth are left out and are asking questions which no one has the right answer to and if they do have the right answer it is someplace the teens and college students would look to for answers anyway. They are scared by the church and its citizens.
2. Fort Wayne teenagers and young adults are bored with the city. They feel generally that there is little to do for fun so they turn to parties, sex, drugs, or isolating themselves. In this state we have many diffrent subcultures within the city that are hard to penetrate. Fort Wayne is typically seen as a dump that has nothing redeeming or beautiful about it. there are many good qualities of the city that you will find no where else in the world. Fort Wayne is home to Coney Islands, over 500 churches, St. Francis; one of the greatest graphic arts schools in the country, and a history that no one knows all that well or seems to care about. The younger generation does care about sex, music, and being a change in their world. They care about enjoying life as much as they can with little responsibility and punishment.
There are according to the last census at least 30,000 people between the ages of 16 - 25 in the city of Fort Wayne. These kids have fallen through the cracks. It is time for the churches to reform and resurge to meet the needs of a new generation as they encounter life.
If you read this pray that those in leadership at these churches will see the will of God and change their hearts towards the people of the city.
So how do we not sacrifice the gospel and contexualize at the same time in this burned out, bummed out, apathetic culture that just wants to have fun?
1. We must glorify Christ at all times, with our lives, our thoughts, our actions, our words, our money, our music, our relationships, and everything else.
2. We must live our lives passionatley filled with purpose and our churches must reflect that.
3. We must love them as Christians and love our city and transform it for Jesus.
These aren't ultimatums and they are certainly not perfect but it's a start. Pray for the city. Pray that the city meets Jesus and the congregations of the city are transformed to meet the cities needs instead of their own.
My Prayer
it is so awesome to see the kids coming back from CIY so on fire for Christ. it really is. i problem is how deep and life changing was it all. i'm not trying to belittle the experieince but having been to many CIYs myself i know all to well how quickly and how painfully you can come down off that mountain top.
Lord Jesus my prayer is for those who went and were changed.
For those who made decisions and those who still have decisions to make.
Your Fire burns in our souls and will not be extinguished.
Your Heart is close and we can feel it beating.
May Your Kingdom increase because of what happened and what was experienced.
With or without us You will be glorfied.
May we not be so arroggant as to think You need us.
We need you.
Amen
Lord Jesus my prayer is for those who went and were changed.
For those who made decisions and those who still have decisions to make.
Your Fire burns in our souls and will not be extinguished.
Your Heart is close and we can feel it beating.
May Your Kingdom increase because of what happened and what was experienced.
With or without us You will be glorfied.
May we not be so arroggant as to think You need us.
We need you.
Amen
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Exasperation
1 John 4:17-19 (English Standard Version)
"By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us."
God has spoken to me very clearly in this verse. It screams out from the screen. Jesus is looking at my heart and saying "Why are you still afraid?"
I answer him by saying "I don't know." I don't feel forgiven of all that I've done. "I know I am but it is liberating to not live in guilt and remorse. My souls weeps about the horrors my eyes have seen and the days of garbage my brain has taken in while looking at hours of porn on the internet. Or secluding away from my family in anger. Or when I was lonely and afraid I pleased myself instead of looking to you. Or when I broke promises I swore to both about sex and my relationship. How did I let that happen? How does something like this happen?
I'm human I make mistakes. I'm not God.
There is hope for me and you who feel like we are so broken. Jesus says in Matthew 5:3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Apparently because of Jesus even I can enter the Kingdom if I have faith and I have accepted him as savior. I do accept him as savior. I'm going to have a big talk with Jesus about it tonight. I need to feel him. I admit I'm still a little kid who knows alot but doesn't know how to use it and still needs spiritual milk while desiring food. God is a glorious and gracious God and he is kind.
1 John 4:17-19 (English Standard Version)
"By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us."
Christ's death is perfect love and through it we can have confidence on the day of judgement because Christ rules us. We shouldn't be afraid when God loves us as much as he does and we shouldn't be afraid when we don't feel him.
God, I cry out to you like a newborn and I need you pure and unfiltered. I desire to be in your heart and feel your grace. Father I need you. Father I love you. Father I crave you. I've formed an addiction to you like a man smoking crack. Everything in my life depends on you and I need your restoring grace and love. As I sleep tonight give me peace that passes all understanding. Send me your shalom.
Exasperated I come to you.
Depraved I long for you.
Fatigued I rest in you.
"You have been told that God is loving, gracious, merciful, kind, compassionate, wonderful, and good sky fairy who runs a day care in the sky and has a bucket of suckers for everyone because we're all good people. That is a lie... God looks down and says 'I hate you, you are my enemy, and I will crush you,' and we say that is deserved, right and just, and then God says 'Because of Jesus I will love you and forgive you.' This is a miracle." - Mark Driscoll
"God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." - C.S. Lewis
Jesus of course says it best.
John 14:26-27
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
"By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us."
God has spoken to me very clearly in this verse. It screams out from the screen. Jesus is looking at my heart and saying "Why are you still afraid?"
I answer him by saying "I don't know." I don't feel forgiven of all that I've done. "I know I am but it is liberating to not live in guilt and remorse. My souls weeps about the horrors my eyes have seen and the days of garbage my brain has taken in while looking at hours of porn on the internet. Or secluding away from my family in anger. Or when I was lonely and afraid I pleased myself instead of looking to you. Or when I broke promises I swore to both about sex and my relationship. How did I let that happen? How does something like this happen?
I'm human I make mistakes. I'm not God.
There is hope for me and you who feel like we are so broken. Jesus says in Matthew 5:3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Apparently because of Jesus even I can enter the Kingdom if I have faith and I have accepted him as savior. I do accept him as savior. I'm going to have a big talk with Jesus about it tonight. I need to feel him. I admit I'm still a little kid who knows alot but doesn't know how to use it and still needs spiritual milk while desiring food. God is a glorious and gracious God and he is kind.
1 John 4:17-19 (English Standard Version)
"By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us."
Christ's death is perfect love and through it we can have confidence on the day of judgement because Christ rules us. We shouldn't be afraid when God loves us as much as he does and we shouldn't be afraid when we don't feel him.
God, I cry out to you like a newborn and I need you pure and unfiltered. I desire to be in your heart and feel your grace. Father I need you. Father I love you. Father I crave you. I've formed an addiction to you like a man smoking crack. Everything in my life depends on you and I need your restoring grace and love. As I sleep tonight give me peace that passes all understanding. Send me your shalom.
Exasperated I come to you.
Depraved I long for you.
Fatigued I rest in you.
"You have been told that God is loving, gracious, merciful, kind, compassionate, wonderful, and good sky fairy who runs a day care in the sky and has a bucket of suckers for everyone because we're all good people. That is a lie... God looks down and says 'I hate you, you are my enemy, and I will crush you,' and we say that is deserved, right and just, and then God says 'Because of Jesus I will love you and forgive you.' This is a miracle." - Mark Driscoll
"God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." - C.S. Lewis
Jesus of course says it best.
John 14:26-27
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Return
In you I find everything, but in my mind I'm empty and everything is failing. All I see is you. Standing in the darkness over my shameful progress. Worth nothing but pain and heartache. All I see is you.
Return! Return! The light returns!
Return! Return! Your child returns!
Everything is broken. Your light will show the way and you rebuild the pieces. Your life, your son, the way. See the distance, I'm coming. You were never far. The prodical son returns. You are always there.
Return! Return! The light returns!
Return! Return! Your child returns!
And my heart is guarding, but peace you bring. It will still be harder. Now you are my king. My mind is now against me. Your truth is awhat I fear. I try to question everything. Your truth is always near.
Return! Return! The light returns!
Return! Return! Your child returns!
Return! Return! The light returns!
Return! Return! Your child returns!
Everything is broken. Your light will show the way and you rebuild the pieces. Your life, your son, the way. See the distance, I'm coming. You were never far. The prodical son returns. You are always there.
Return! Return! The light returns!
Return! Return! Your child returns!
And my heart is guarding, but peace you bring. It will still be harder. Now you are my king. My mind is now against me. Your truth is awhat I fear. I try to question everything. Your truth is always near.
Return! Return! The light returns!
Return! Return! Your child returns!
Be Still
Let the heavens open up. Let your mercy rain on us. Your grace, it lasts forever. Your hope will light the world. Everything connected is good. Look what God has shone. Anywhere there is truth, there is God. He saves, He wakes us, He is, always will be.
Be still and know that He is God.
Be still and know that He is God.
And All God's People Said:
Where would we go... and what direction would lead us... and why would be walking? The lights turn on and off. Close the door! Open the door! This way, no, that way! You can trust us! No you can't! The "righteous" lead the way?!
And all God's People said, "Ne Na Ne Na, Ne Na Ne Na, Ne Na Ne Na."
And all God's People said, "Ne Na Ne Na, Ne Na Ne Na, Ne Na Ne Na."
Purpose Too by Dan
It's funny how we analyze things, make things smaller than us. We have a God whoh's bigger than us. So we make atoms and quarks and tiny measurements.
But look at the sky, so much bigger than us. In its magnitude, only God could have make that.
So far away, seems, so far away.
It's the times when we realize how small we really are that we can redirect. Focus! Bring about the change in our lives so that we can change others.
Trust God. Love God. Love him with action.
And once we jump off, we can serve as a spring, a stepping stone for others to make the jump. Not higher - the spring or stepping stone. We humbly proclaim that He is God and we are not. We are small. We will be walked on, trampled, smothered, used. Just like Jesus. So that others can know his name. Worship - Body, Spirit, Action, Behavior, Thought, Feel, Touch, Smell, Life.
Let your light shine through us. Entirely.
But look at the sky, so much bigger than us. In its magnitude, only God could have make that.
So far away, seems, so far away.
It's the times when we realize how small we really are that we can redirect. Focus! Bring about the change in our lives so that we can change others.
Trust God. Love God. Love him with action.
And once we jump off, we can serve as a spring, a stepping stone for others to make the jump. Not higher - the spring or stepping stone. We humbly proclaim that He is God and we are not. We are small. We will be walked on, trampled, smothered, used. Just like Jesus. So that others can know his name. Worship - Body, Spirit, Action, Behavior, Thought, Feel, Touch, Smell, Life.
Let your light shine through us. Entirely.
The Purpose by Ethan
To Redirect the idea of worship. Worship not only as a song of praise but as an entire life change. A service with worship music, worship preaching, worship worship. We will strive not to get louder and louder in the presence of God but to get quieter and quieter in the reality of how large He really is. As a group we must realize that God is not lucky to have us. We are lucky to have him anad we must live that way. Redirection is the ultimiate goal. We strive only to bring Jesus into the lives of others. We cannot bring change into the world without first being changed ourselves. This is easier said than done. Jumping off is the purpose. In order to redirect we must jump off. Jump off ourselves, jump off a cliff, jump off our doubt, just jump off. THe problem with juming off is that it takes a commitment. An absolute commitment. We love you Jesus. In our flaws you love us. Worship.
You are my breath.
You are my life.
You are my death.
You are the Christ.
You are my breath.
You are my life.
You are my death.
You are the Christ.
Old Blog But It Came From Think Tank.
You make everything glorious.
How do you change a church?
I haven't seen angels descending down ladders, but I know He's here with me, always with me, and apparently I'm here for a reason. Not the best, most talented, and most qualified person. Me. I've been chosen like those before me to bring about a change in some way. In which way is a mystery. The road ahead is foggy and dark. I feel like I'm being led along, blindfolded, yet He squeezes my hand tight and never lets go.
I am changing. I am not the same person anyone knows, not even those closest to me. The time has come, the time is now.
I'm running...
Everything we do is for Him and no one else. I don't believe in religion, I have faith in the Lord our God. It isn't my religion, it is my faith. I don't mold, I stick out. I transcend instead of conforming. There is a greater purpose here, I can not see. I continue to run. Still blind, but led along.
It's coming like a storm front. I can feel the winds blowing, and the sky begins to change. But it isn't dark, the sky is lit up in His majesty for all of the world to see. Under the stars, His mighty Kingdom, the sky is inviting and we rise.
Now's the time to start something, as we approach the dawn. Our God reigns, his mercy and grace fall like rain.
We surrender all we are, forever.
The moment you realize you don't care about what it is you alone want to start, God starts something in you. You truly start something. We are a part of something unexplainable, unimaginable, unquestionable. Can you feel it coming? We're on the brink of something large.
How do you change a church?
I haven't seen angels descending down ladders, but I know He's here with me, always with me, and apparently I'm here for a reason. Not the best, most talented, and most qualified person. Me. I've been chosen like those before me to bring about a change in some way. In which way is a mystery. The road ahead is foggy and dark. I feel like I'm being led along, blindfolded, yet He squeezes my hand tight and never lets go.
I am changing. I am not the same person anyone knows, not even those closest to me. The time has come, the time is now.
I'm running...
Everything we do is for Him and no one else. I don't believe in religion, I have faith in the Lord our God. It isn't my religion, it is my faith. I don't mold, I stick out. I transcend instead of conforming. There is a greater purpose here, I can not see. I continue to run. Still blind, but led along.
It's coming like a storm front. I can feel the winds blowing, and the sky begins to change. But it isn't dark, the sky is lit up in His majesty for all of the world to see. Under the stars, His mighty Kingdom, the sky is inviting and we rise.
Now's the time to start something, as we approach the dawn. Our God reigns, his mercy and grace fall like rain.
We surrender all we are, forever.
The moment you realize you don't care about what it is you alone want to start, God starts something in you. You truly start something. We are a part of something unexplainable, unimaginable, unquestionable. Can you feel it coming? We're on the brink of something large.
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