What Defines Us?

As I reflect upon our "Church" culture in America, it appears that we spend an enormous amount of time and energy trying to "attract" the already convinced. Jesus of course told His followers over 200 times "to go" and the only times He told them to stay was to wait for His instructions on what to do next. It appears that we try to control God and limit heaven on earth to people looking like us. Rick Warren says "Life on earth is a temporary assignment." Maybe that is why Jesus said when we go . . . go light, only take what you need for that day and depend upon trusting me and the generosity of others to live. In America, we are obsessed with accumulating stuff and it weighs us down in our going out. It takes time to take care of our stuff and monies to pay for storing our stuff and keeping it in tip top shape that we have less to invest in the "going out" journey. This current series has caused some deep reflection on my part in terms of what we are know for . . .it is our programs, our buildings, our staff? What would it take to get the reputation or brand that we are an incredibly generous people? How cool would that be!

Generosity

I'm curious what we allow to control our emotions and ultimately our lives. Is it the spirit of our times? Or is is the Spirit of our God? Where does faith come in when our culture preaches its fear? How do we respond with what God has given us? How do we view our lives, as blessed? Or do we join in the resounding chorus of what we do not have? Do we complain more than we give thanks? Do we give more than we try to save? Maybe the reason we have lost much of our joy is directly related to how much (or little) we give. Maybe we are reacting to the spirit of our times rather than being proactive with our faith in Christ. Maybe a spirit of coveting trumps our spirit of contentment. Experiment: What if you received no gifts this Christmas, would you feel left out or blessed? (Just imagine if the entire Body of Christ in America gave away to the orphans of our world the monies they normally spend on each other at Christmas) Just and end note - statistics tell us that on average, Christians spend more for gifts at Christmas than they give to charitable organizations. Merry Christmas indeed.

Jesus Goes To Church

There is constant speculation surrounding "if Jesus were to show up on a Sunday Morning, what would he say or do" that floats in and out of discussions. The truth is - we have no idea what he would or would not do and to think we know means that our version of who Jesus is and what he would do is superior to everyone else's. We know of two occasions where he came into the house of worship and ended up getting so angry that he demolished the activity in the lobby area.Now my default is that I still love the Church deeply and beleive that it is the hope for a world is trying to figure a way out of this mess we have created. So my question is - what causes us to turn the place where we worship, into something other than it was intended for? Jump in on this one please.

Humility

Most of the new definitions for humility are nothing more than politically correct language wrapped up in the context of a new generation. We give platitudes to the gods of this world and sacrifice what we claim is most precious and we become the very thing we claim to oppose. However you want to define humility, Christ's version is very different than any tribe's definition. On one occasion when his closest followers were arguing once again who was going to be top dog in the Kingdom of God, Jesus takes a child and claims that anyone who wants to be great will have to humble themselves like this child. Interesting analogy since in his day, children had no rights, they didn't exist in the eyes of the world until later in life. In our culture children are everything and yet nothing. We spend enormous amounts of money making sure they have the right everything from clothes and education to sports. They are at the center of life. Yet, they do not exist if we so choose. An average of 1.5 million get set aside out of personal choice just in our country alone. Another 143 million are left alone to be orphans while we spend 6 Billion dollars to bail out a car company. So much of what we do we claim we are doing for our children . . . at least the ones we choose to keep. Maybe humility is finally waking up and admitting just how calloused and self-centered we have become. Maybe humility is becoming like the child who no one wants, who is totally dependant on the grace and love of a stranger who comes along and rescues us from our helpless state. I sense humility is vastly different than we imagine because the gods of this age have captured our minds and hearts and lead us to the valley of Hinnom.

What are we really after?

We live in a culture where images and words create an illusionary reality that leaves us with a lot of angst. We claim this is what we value, yet our behaviors violate there very thing we claim is important to us. We spend incredible amounts of money on our kids as a nation, yet our practice is to kill an inordinate amount of those same children through abortion. I know all the arguments about bringing unwanted children into the world, increasing the poor index etc. We live in a world that is willing to bail out a car company to the tune of 6 billion dollars while 143 million orphans go hungry. For all out talk about compassion, social justice and eliminating hunger, pragmatically speaking, it still is primarily about us. The older brother in the story Jesus tells, claims to have always obeyed the Father, yet the one most important responsibility where he was to go out and find his younger brother, he failed to obey. We all have far too much older brother in us . . . where our words sound pretty impressive but when evaluated in light of the Fathers grace, they are found wanting. May our behaviors line up with our values so that we can create a culture of forgivness and grace.

How do we measure success?

They tell us that we measure what is important to us or what we value? What does that say about what we value as the Church? From my readings in God's Word, who we value is central. The reality is that we measure warm bodies in a seat and monies given, this is what has become the all important image for the Church. Speaking of image, it is more important to create an image rather than be in the image of God. I'm curious how we got here. Maybe it has to do with the idol worship of money and power that so dominates our ideology and stages. Maybe it is that our ego's are too fragile to handle the suffering that being a follower of Jesus brings. (again, being consistent with Scripture, most of the suffering seems to come from the religious people) I'm even more curious how we get out of the mess that we created? Maybe, just maybe when we set aside all the labels, awards and tribes that we create, then maybe we can be focused on the right Who and measure the things that are really important.

Coming to our senses

One of the key phrases we find is that the younger son "came to his senses". There are those moments in all our lives where we see more clearly than we did the moment before. This event seems to happen to us rather than something we will on our own. However it happens, what is critically important is how we respond to those moments. Are we willing to make the shifts necessary when confronted with the reality of the moment, or is it easily simply to fall back into our bias and delusions? Repentance is the courage to make the right choices when we "come to our senses". Repentance sets us on a journey where we are stripped of self and presented with the forgiveness of God. Repentance brings us into the preferred future that God has designed us for. Repentance turns us completely around and sets us on the course we should of been in the first place. May we not pass up those opportunities where we "come to our senses".

Forgiveness

One of the key themes in the story of the prodigal is forgiveness. I'm curious what kind of community would we become if we took this kind of forgiveness seriously? One of the key distinctions of the forgiveness in this story is that the Father does not make the son come to him, rather he takes the initiative and goes to his son. He pursues the son not knowing what he would find when he embraced his son. He risks another rejection, more humiliation, further requests for more money.This is so contrary to how we pursue forgiveness in our culture. We usually wait. . . for them to apologise, to repent, we wait for a sense justice on our part before we forgive them if they satisfy our requirements. In scripture, there is always the burden of those who have found the radical grace and love of Christ to initiate forgiveness regardless of the person and circumstances. But . . .but . . . we say and excuse ourselves because our focus is on the pain they caused us and not Christ. So we continue to live with our pain and fail to release it through the power of forgiveness. Now just imagine what a forgiving community would look like in our culture and dream of the possibilities of reconciled relationships through the love and grace of our Lord and Savior.

The Prodigal

It fascinates me how we read stories. We usually focus in on one main character and develop our ideas and emotions centered on what they say and do. In Luke 15, the prodigal usually draws attention to the younger son, his leaving and then coming back home. But there are 3 main characters, there is the older brother and the father, all significant players in this story. We also read this story from a western point of view and interpret the relationship according to our cultural context. (Ummmm, America did not exist when this was written just in case you forgot) This is how we often navigate stories . . . we become the center, we are the interpretation piece that gives meaning to stories outside of our own. This of course is our basic selfish attitude and mindset that assumes everyone sees and thinks just like us. We then get frustrated with people who think differently because they should know better. I'm curious what it takes to remove ourselves from being the center of our universes? If we are ever going to understand stories beyond ourselves, we must learn to see things differently. Here is the challenge, to read this story with a new set of eyes.

Life Outside of America

It is so easy for us in America to paint ourselves into a corner of our own choosing. Our motto is - don't confuse me with the facts. We enjoy the security of our own illusions of control. Bishop Ndlovu from Zimbabwe will tear those scales from our eyes if we allow him to get close enough. He will speak of incredible oppression and the greater hope that lies in Christ. Zimbabwe faces economic, political and social crises that are so beyond anything we experience in America, yet the Church continues to grow and defy everything we think and live concerning Church growth. They have nothing left but Christ. We have too many default noisy idols that drown out the voice of God. This Sunday we have the opportunity to painfully hear how God is moving in the midst of the devastation in Zimbabwe. May idols fall, may minds become clear and may hearts be healed.

What is Going on with the Church?

Okay, I'm going to vent a bit after a conversation I had with a friend on Thursday. He told me that over the last 6 months they lost 800 people (they were a Church of 2,000) to another Church that is the popular go to Church. I know of 3 other Churches who lost similar numbers to the same Church . . . may I ask why? Has the idea of Church fallen to the god of consumerism that the one with the best show and stuff gets the warm bodies? This study in Acts speaks to so much more than what we experience Church as in 2009. Excite me, inspire me, wow me, get my attention or you will lose me, fix me, make me happy . . . appears to be the endless shopping list of desires that never quite get enough. This of course reduces God and we remove ourselves from the possibilities of transformation. I would love to sit and have a face to face conversation with Jesus and hear exactly what He would have to say about our current trends in "Church circles." Please join this conversation if you like.

A Question of Evil

The question was asked during the second service concerning God's fingerprint in everything and evil. This question has caused me to think further than the short answer I gave and has given me a new appreciation for what God has and is doing. If you were to ask people where the most evil place is, hell would make the top 10, if not the #1 evil place in the universe. We know that Christ, when he died, descended into hell and released those who were captive. The Psalmist asks; where can I go that you are not with me . . . even when I do to the depths of the earth. The rather profound implication is that even in hell, God's fingerprint is there. Christ left it when he conquered the power of sin and death. Please understand I am not saying that God orchestrates evil, but he is there in the middle of the mess. Christ becoming sin proves that there is absolutely no place that one cannot see God's fingerprint on it somewhere. This of course raises a whole new set of questions. I'm curious what you think or questions you would have.

Idols

Idols are one of those topics that conjure up images of statues, altars and people performing wild and crazy dances. Idols are those things in our historical past but do not exist in our progressive culture. Think about the temples we sacrifice ourselves to. Think about how we give our bodies, our minds, our passions (do you need a list . . .malls, sporting arena's, homes . . .you fill in the blank) to our idols. Everyone has them. No one is excluded. Idols can be personal (money) religious (morality) and cultural (science). The challenge anymore it to see them, identify them for what they are and destroy their influence in our lives. Of course the answer is why . . .why do we have to take them out. Idols for the most part are destructive. They steal life from our souls. They leave us hungry for more. This week when you take the time to read Acts 17-18, observe how Paul challenged the idols he encountered.

Ministry is Messy

We have this idea that inside an organization like the Church, things ought to be nice, neat and orderly. Everyone should get along and agree, and there should be this wonderful - we just love everyone - mentality. What planet did we ever contrive this idea from? Life is messy. We are familiar with family messes, friend messes, people we work with messes and just messes in general life. If life is messy and people are messy, why do we think that when we walk through the doors of a particular building we call Church, that everyone will be transformed into something other than we experience everyday? The early Church ran into attitudes and tribal mentalities that they had to work through everyday. They engaged in dialogue and sometimes disagreed to the point they went their separate ways. But they never stopped with the mission. The Church grew, God's Word was spread and the Church was strengthened.

Image

Today we are obsessed with our "image." From our country (being concerned about our global image) to our communities, everyone wants a "good" image." The Church is suffering from a complex that seems to desire people to see and think of Christians" in a positive light. While this is normal and generally a good thing, it has caused this self deprecation of everything we did in our historical past along with the excesses of a few in the present. May I suggest that this focus on "image" leads us down a path we do not want to go. Take the early Church, it had not history and yet it was given the name "Christians" first at Antioch. This was a negative derisive name (which means they had a very negative image, so negative that they were imprisoned and killed because of the identification). Why did their culture view them as negative? What did they do that was so horrible and evil that they deserved this kind of bashing? The answer is of course they aligned themselves with Christ who threatened the power and control freaks of his day. He wanted nothing more than to bring grace and love and proved that by his lifestyle. So my question is - where those first "Christians" concerned about what people thought, or were they defined by who they were and how they lived. What is needed more today, Christians who everyone applauds as having a good image or people who are so focused on Christ, they die to self and live?

The Price Is Right

We love a good deal and when we find a bargain at the right price, we voluntarily tell everyone we meet. I'm curious what the right price is for this thing we call discipleship? In our study in Acts, the pressure to conform reaches a new level. Stephen is called out for his speaking on behalf of Christ. A mob enraged picks up some stones and viciously takes his life. . . and for what? Speaking about love, grace, peace and hope? What was so outrageous that he had to die for being a disciple of Christ? There were those who watched, who did not pick up a stone and throw it. People who probably absolved themselves of this action. But they were just as guilty. Their silence placed them squarely in the middle of this violent action. Is your life too high of a price to pay for this being a disciple of Christ deal? What a waste of potential I can imagine some of the silent ones said to themselves. What a waste of potential to stand idly by and say or do nothing. Just maybe this giving of our life is the deal of the century. What do we get in return? (think about the long term implications of this discipleship deal) What do we get if we decide to be the silent ones on the side line - not getting involved but giving our opinions as to what took place. Have you ever considered why people are so bored when they chose mediocrity over passion for Christ? Maybe Stephen got the deal of the century and we just can't reconcile it with the idols of our land who have captured our minds and hearts.

Thinking or Reacting?

As I reflect on what I see and hear, I'm amazed at how little we think about the implications of what we do and say. There are some fairly ridiculous things being done and said to the applause of the crowds of people trying to fit in. I guess it takes the innocence of a small child to point out the obvious - the Emperor is not wearing anything . . . What does an intentional life look like? Are we willing to take the time to see beyond the moment of today? Are we looking for an emotional rush to stimulate our brains or can we take what is already around us, reflect and think about where we are headed? I'm curious what our preferred future is? Who does it include and who does it exclude? How will be get there? Who is responsible for getting us there? Do we want the applause of the crowds because of our new clothes or do we want the truth from the child who sees and hears the obvious? We are what we eat . . . we are consumed by what consumes us. Peter and John led a movement that set a new standard of living. For those who were willing to think, they found a transformation beyond anything they could of ever hoped for. For those who simply reacted, they got caught in the formalities of power and ended up becoming destroyers of life. Let's kill the very One we and our ancestors have prayed for. We are far too much like the ones who killed Jesus that we are willing to admit. I think it is time to eat at the table where Christ is sitting and be consumed with the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Courage

One of the characteristics that this new movement designed and created by Christ and the Holy Spirit is courage. In our particular, most of our courage appears in our athletics. In the rest of our lives, we simply fold and conform. We do so with our fashions, education and whatever is determined as politically correct. In our study of Acts, we see disciples engaging their culture with grace, love and yes courage. The kind of courage that gets them put in prison for trying to make life better for people. Power of course is at the center of the conflict, both with Rome and with religion. So what does it mean to be courageous in 2009? Does it mean we hold up signs and protest everything and everyone we disagree with? Does it mean that we pull away into protective custody and create a sub culture of people like us? Courage for them propelled them into an unwelcome culture and their mission was not to change people and laws, but to transform lives by the grace and love of Christ. This of course is what changes any culture . . .one life at a time.

Life Outside Of Our Boxes

We are so easily impressed with our accomplishments that we fail to see the significance of God all around us. This of course leads us to live within the context of our reductionistic paradigms that are within our human ability to achieve. Life (religious life) according to "Me". Wow, who would not want to jump on that band wagon. This of course is what we do, jumping from one bandwagon (we call this Church) to the latest fashionable bandwagon that suits our particular paradigm. We find others who help us live in our less than a dream world. It is similar to reality TV, staged and predictable, but then again that is how we like it - living in a world where we think we have control. Paul writes to the Ephesian Church about "out of our control" living. He uses an analogy all to familiar to us - being drunk. So what does this drunk Holy Spirit life look like? Instead of us looking at some rally where most of the people are behaving strangely, maybe we ought to look at our brothers and sisters in places like Zimbabwe or India. Places where unthinkable tragedy is a present reality and the only way to live is by God's Spirit. Maybe here we can discover the true meaning of a Spirit led life, a life that has praise, gratitude and humble submission not because of their life experiences, but in spite of what is happening around them. I think it is time to get off our bandwagons and engage this world we call home with Spirit led lives.

Expectations

I'm curious where we get our expectations from. Did we inherit them from our parents or maybe a close friend. Perhaps we adopted some from a book we found stimulating. Where ever they come from, they dictate much of our worldview. Taking this one step further, I'm really fascinated with people's expectations for God. This finds its expression in our traditions, in those things we hold close and are unwilling to negotiate. Most of our expectations lead to disappointment, frustration and anger. Our key assumption is that everyone (including God) knows and understands our expectations (they make sense to us therefore they should make sense to everyone else). The religious leaders in Jesus' day had their "Word of God" based expectations. They were so focused on their set of conditions that they missed the very Messiah they claimed to be seeking. I guess I wonder sometimes how much I miss because of my preconditioned expectations that I have developed over the years? Let's shift our perspective for a moment. The question we should be asking is: What are God's expectations for us? That would change everything wouldn't it?

How Powerful is Belief?

I remember a call I received from a funeral director wondering if I would be willing to do a memorial service for a 30 year old mother/wife who was found dead that morning. When I began walking with the family through this difficult time, it was apparent that they were avoiding the cause and or circumstances around her death. At one point I received a call from the coroner who later met with me and here is what he said. He informed me that there was no physiological reason for this woman to be dead. Her organs were fine, there was no heart attack or stroke. There was no embolism in the brain that ruptured. There were no toxins or poisons in her system to cause her death. They found her lying in her bed, very peaceful. There were no signs of foul play. He looked at me and told me that he has seen this kind of death maybe 2-3 times in his lifetime. All I can tell you he said, is that she laid down and "willed" herself to die. This of course points to something in her life that was so evil that she would literally believe herself to death. (that is another story) Our beliefs, right or wrong, dictate what we see, how we feel, and the eventual choices we make. Now relate this to our thinking about God, family, politics and every aspect of life? If our beliefs have that kind of power, it is easier to understand why in light of overwhelming evidence, why people still choose to believe what they believe. It isn't about facts, it is about what I believe the facts to be. A source of truth and a foundation for beliefs outside of ourselves becomes all the more important. But all this really messes with the head doesn't it.

Mother's Day

I find it intriguing that we celebrate a day which culturally we live against. Moms are not news makers (unless you happen to kill your children after they are born). Success for women in our culture is when they adopt all the characteristics of their male counterparts (How absurd is that when we are trying to get men to act more like women). Our world fails to realize the quiet influence woman have apart from the defined cultural successes of our day. Legacies are not built in boardrooms, they are defined in our homes and in our communities. My mom died in 1989. Our youngest daughter never had a change to experience the kind of influence she gave as a grandmother to our other children. This kind of influence goes beyond our boundaries of family. What is needed today, is people who will come along side of kids, teens and young adults and live out the possibilities of life. I'm getting close to the age my mom left this world. I now realize just how short her time was in this life. It causes me to ask, what is my legacy? What do I want people to say about me? I realize that "being the greatest Pastor in the world" is not what I want written on my gravestone. I would rather have my children and a few others live out the influence that was given to them. So to all the women out there - Happy Mother's Day - you are far more important than you realize.

The Word, Prayer and Worship

I want you to think about an analogy that hopefully will shed light on life. Baseball is a sport that has design, rules, umpires, players, equipment and strategy. If God's Word is the collective knowledge of the game, and prayer is the conversation about how everything fits together, (we might call this the learning curve) then worship is the heart for the game. It is walking on to the field and playing the game for the love of the game. It is the obsession that one eats, sleeps and lives for the game. Today, life is determined by our circumstances, perceived and real, and by the collective shaming of our PC culture. People allow their hearts to be manipulated into places and things that they have no heart for. Once the heart grows cold, then the chaos and violence of idols dominate. Maybe it isn't so much that we need to get back in the game, (this is very important) but what is even more necessary is that we restore the heart for the game. Maybe then we will stop tearing at each other over preferences and being constantly offended.

Prayer and Words

Prayer is supposed to be a way that we get to communicate with the Creator of our Universe. One would think that if we really believed this, the kinds of words we use when we come into that kind of conversation would reflect the relationship that we have. How do we talk to our friends, our enemies, and those we love? What kinds of words and expressions do we use and how often do we even engage or desire to talk with them? Now if we truly believe that God is who He says He is, then we know that whatever words we use, He would know the reality of what we are saying. He would know whether we are trying to flatter, manipulate or just put in time so that we can say we had some words with Him. Meaningful words require a meaningful relationship. Meaningful relationships are not build around constant asking for stuff to better our lives, rather they are designed around mutual love, respect and understanding. Of course all this goes back to community and on what level do we engage and invite people into a conversation about the journey we are on.

Just Words

It seems like words have lost their influence in our image based culture, or have they. Just because we manipulate them and treat them with disrespect does not mean they have lost their power. Remember the little saying we would say as children - sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurts me. If I remember correctly we would say that because someone did say something cruel or hurtful and it was out attempt to feign their impact. I think about all this emotional bantering over politically correct words so that we do not offend. Well if words are not important then why do they offend? Then there are those God words . . . we call the Bible. His Word makes us tribal, hostile, humble and open all at the same time. His Words have a mysterious transforming affect on our behavior. I sense that words have far more power than we let on. It is my beleif that word hurt far more than sticks and stones and take longer to heal.

The Importance of Team (unity)

I'm amazed at the difference that team makes over pure skill. Our daughter has played fast pitch baseball for the last several years for MCHS. Prior to this year they had one of the more talented teams based on skill in the state. They won many of their games but lost a key one here and there to end their season not on top where they should of been. This year, while there are fewer skilled players and a lot more "just average" players, they have a team spirit that unifies and motivates beyond their abilities. They are doing great and are at the top of their division (which all the sports people did not predict) and continue to do amazing things. They have this rare thing called unity and it is a powerful force to be dealt with. They make more than their share of mistakes, but seem to pull through regardless. I'm curious what we choose to define us as a Church. Is it what we are good at (skills) or is it something far more mysterious? Do we obsess over our mistakes or move on in our unity to focus on the mission we are called? God has given us a gift. Paul encourages us to do everything we can to keep the unity given to us by God. Jesus prayed for our unity just before he walked the dark road to his cross. He prayed - Father may they be one as you and I are one so that the world may know me.

A Confused Community

I just finished reading about Zimbabwe and the horrors that exist due to a militant dictator. They do not even have the freedom to write the words that I just penned. It would cost them their life and maybe worse, the rape and torture of their wife and daughters. We have so much in America and act like life is so difficult. We search for meaning and dignity while we fail to give it to others. We create theologies and ideologies that reflect our lack of wisdom and empty lives. We make community about us. We create little worlds that reflect our version of life and expect other people to march to the drumbeat of our version of community.When it does not satisfy, then we blame . . . we blame the government, or jobs, our schools, our spouses . . . our churches. So we keep trading them with the hope that the next one will be better than what we are experiencing now. What we fail to realize is that the common denominator in all this is us. For community to happen, we need something or someone larger than ourselves to be at the center. This is where Rabbi Jesus comes in. He has faith in us because He sees a different picture of who we are. He restores us to our creative design and touches us at the core of our soul. His Spirit gives us the gift of community. It is here we discover the meaning of life.

Character and Respect

I came across a story just the other day that humbled me. Ex-President Bush was giving his first speech since leaving office. Regardless of what you think and feel about how he lead our nation, it was obvious that in the transition time he treated the incoming President with dignity and respect even when it was not given in return. Of course the media hungry for gossip and opinions (what ever happened to investigating truth) asked George Bush what he thought of President Obama and the recent choices he has made. His response was simple - "he deserves my silence." This was a golden opportunity to take a shot back at an administration that demonized him. This of course is not news worthy. If he would of criticized President Obama there would of been papers scrambling for a front page article on this historic event. I was humbled by his silence in light of his situation. Character matters! Doing the right thing even when you are not treated with the same respect matters. In a world that is caught in it's own inflated ego . . . we need more people who simply refuse to enter the polotical world of gain at everyone else's expense. Our ability to remanin quiet before our accussers speaks a great deal about our character.

Choices

We live in a world that values choice. Choice about the kind of car we drive, house we live in, choice about our education and career, we even have choices in the design of our cell phones. We often delude ourselves into thinking that we are the ones who are making the choice, when the reality is someone else or a group has chosen for us and convinced us that their choice is really our choice. Call it advertising, image spin or influence, we are subject to those we convince ourselves are the best choice. So based on our choices, we divide ourselves and oppose those who make different choices than us. In the midst of our fighting,(just listen to people of opposing parties politically or denominational) along comes this crazy teacher and says: You did not choose me, I choose you . . . and our world of choice is shaken. We resist and rebel this dynamic. We invent theological concepts to appease our understanding of someone else making the choice for us, and like most things we usually get it wrong. Why is it so hard to have the Rabbi Jesus at the center of our world rather than ourselves? Why do we resist the God in flesh Rabbi coming to us and choosing us? Why are we so bent on making life about us? I guess it comes down to our choice in Who we follow.

In the Dust of the Rabbi

This week we are going to be asking ourselves "who is your teacher?" There are many influences that impact us everyday that we do not reflect on, as a consequence we fall under their spell and adapt our "Christianity" to its influence. Being intentional about who we listen to does not mean that we avoid all things we deem unchristian for the sake of everything in the religious circle we associate. It does mean that we think with a particular mind and consistently reflect based upon the one that we choose to believe. Belief is an interesting dynamic that can lead us into truth as well as decieve us with illusions that make sense to our little circle of religious zealots, but to those who are seeking, they look on and ask why doesn't the Emporer have any clothes on. So why do we select this particular teacher? Why do we choose to believe their version of truth? Why do we sit at this particular place under this particular teacher? How does it cause us to live? Are we a blessing as a result or are we painfully endured by those around us who desire nothing more than to find Jesus?

Influence

This week we will be looking at influence. What and who influences us and how we influence those around us. Most of life is more of a reaction than purposeful actions. We take partial bits of information and come to conclusions that are so off center we have to justify ourselves with accusations and blame. If we are going to understand influence, we need to learn to take a more broad look around us and be willing to see and hear from many sources, rather than a self fulfilling circle of people we surround ourselves with. Ask yourself; What 5 key influences do I allow in my life that I do not even think about? Then ask yourself; What kind of influence am I to those around me? When you look at the life of Jesus, one realizes that influence is a double edge sword. Sometimes it draws people to truth and other times it makes people so angry that they want to kill you. Isn't it funny how 2 people can hear the same sermon 2 different ways. The sad part is that the one who claimed to be close to God is the one that was incited to blind rage.

Thinking Beyond Self

I'm curious how and what we think discipleship is. It appears to outsiders observing congregational life, discipleship means that we sit around and discuss our opinions about what we think is important and who is not doing what we think they should be doing . . . I have this sense that we have lost an inquisitive sense where we ask and investigate. It is just to easy to accuse and then watch people attempt to convince us otherwise. Who needs facts when opinions are so available. The center of much of what we call Church life (discipleship) seems to be "us" whoever us is. (I find it scarey to think there are people like me out there) I guess I thought that the center of discipleship was Christ . . . but then again, maybe I'm just not up with current Church culture.

Pastor Greg

Creating Culture

Everything we think, say and do creates a culture that reflects what is inside us. We can excuse ourselves and others by blaming something outside of ourselves, but the reality is that we all have choices, and those choices have consequences. Until we stop expecting others to live in ways that we ourselves do not live, we will never begin to see the truth that in front of us. All the rhetoric that comes from leaders today, falls on deaf ears because instinctively we desire something genuine. The real thing, real deal, someone who is actually what they claim they are. People are not seeking perfect people, just someone honest enough to journey with them and not bail when things get tough. There is no quick fix to this mess we are in . . . there is however the grace that transforms us.

Stories

I'm humbled by the stories that were told after the services on Sunday (2/1/09). God is doing some major stuff in people's lives that is out of the human realm of possibility. It is encouraging to know that God is moving in this way . . . I anticipate some stories shared here.
Pastor Greg

Living Life

It is amazing how we seem to be hypnotized by reality shows. Some have a small community of people that every once and a while you get to vote someone off (now that is a reality I want). Others seeks true love in front of viewers and sometimes even their mom's. What is it we are looking for? Why are we drawn into the fantasy world of others? Why do we accept anything on TV as real? This new series we are talking the attitude of Christ stuff and seeing how this applies on our everyday life. If this is the stuff that truly sets us free . . .are we courageous enough to step outside the norm of culture and cultural Christianity and engage life on a level that was meant to be? This Sunday we actually have some reality people that will be sharing their journey with us.(I don't know if their moms are going to be there but they are welcome)

Greg

Sunday January 24, 2009

We are finishing up our series on "Set Me Free" by looking at God as slave. In our world of rights and entitlements, we are repulsed at such a concept. Slavery is something we seek to abolish. It is not something we willingly volunteer for. Yet if Christ is our model then we must engage in this very attitude. But how does enslaving ourselves make us free? Let's get real, all this talk of selfless humility and being slaves sounds like the very thing we want to avoid. I guess it comes down to who are we going to trust? Who are we going to believe? Before you answer those questions, take a deep look around you and see what is happening in a world where selfish pride eats away at people's souls. Take a deep look inside yourself, what do you see?

Humility

The message this Sunday I consider to be the most counter cultural virtues in the New Testament. Humilty is everything we are not yet we are called to have an attitude that will pattern itself after Christ. Christ who was Creator, moved into His creation; who sat on a throne, was born in a barn; who had the glory and worship of angels, came to be mocked, abused and condemned; who lived in perfect peace in heaven, came to a violent world and live in pain. This is our example, anything else is born of pride. This will be a tough one to preach . . .mainly because I will be preaching hardest at myself - Pastor Greg

Christmas Eve 2008

MBIC Christmas Eve Service...6pm service from Dustin Sauder on Vimeo.

Selflessness - Sermon 1/11/2009

This is our second week taking an indepth look at Philippians 2:5-11. This attitude that we are to model finds itsef rooted in selflessness. This of course is counter to everything our culture invites us into. I invite your questions and reflection centered around this sermon. - Pastor Greg