Found, Changed and Rearranged

Deeply Biblical. Relentlessly Accepting.

In short, that's the heart of the new lead pastor at Spring Lake Wesleyan Church, Peter Yoshonis, and I love it. I want to be part of a church that teaches the Bible. And I want to be part of a church that accepts people where they're at.

We did a survey during a service last fall where everyone in attendance was asked to participate. One of the questions asked was:

"Was there an identifiable time in your life when you began a personal relationship with Christ?"
__ Yes, and it was quite awhile ago.
__ Yes, very recently!
__ No, but I’m seeking to know more about Christ.
__ No, it’s not really my interest right now.

98% answered yes. Only 2% of the people at our church said no. Only 2% were seeking... kickin' the tires around to see how they work... this is where I see the "relentlessly accepting" part being so critical. Our church should be a place were people from all walks of life, at any stage in their spiritual journey are accepted and fed.

I have great hope for the future - for greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city. We ended this morning with this song, God of this City.

WiBo thoughts

I'm back from the dead and live to blog once again. Last week I attended the The Whiteboard Sessions and heard from eight speakers serving in varying ministry capacities. Each had 30 minutes to share one compelling idea. It was a diverse group of speakers, ranging from those who leverage culture to those who practically shun it. Behind the scenes video is available too.

 

Mark Batterson of National Community Church 

• For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:8-9

• So, if our thoughts are the heavens distance apart from God and it takes approximately 13.2 light years to cross the universes, consider this...

  Your best thought on your best day is at least 13.2 billion light years short of God.
• Your dreams are too small.
• When is the last time you confessed the smallnes of your dreams to God
• In the 1st century, the average person traveled no further than 35 sq/mi from home in their lifetime, yet God told them to go into all the world to tell everyone about him. This means climb the highest mountain, learn the hardest language. You get the picture. Today we are still trying to accomplish this.
• Stop doing ministry from memory. User your imagination
• Stop imitating. Be creative.

Vince Antonucci of Forefront

• This guy is crazy funny. He was "concerned" no one would know him so he made a video of himself on the street walking up to random people asking them to interview him. You can watch it (rather listen) starting at 3:00 minutes. It cracked me up.
• Keep listening and you'll here some of his background story. although he said many good things, the best part for me was hearing how someone could live the first twenty years of life, never knowing a Christian or being introduced to the Bible or Jesus. (In the northern biblebelt this seems unfathomable.) It was eye opening and refreshing and helped popped the bubble - again.
• He has a really nice wife too. Jennifer spoke at the luncheon I attended this day. She too was refreshing and real. It's no wonder their minsitry is flourishing. Real, accessible, honest faith is so compelling.

Darrin Patrick

• We are made to worship and serve. You will worship something; it will be God or something else.
• An idol is the sin beneath the sin.
• Idols are best seen when threatened or disturbed
• Idols hide in your motivations.

Mark Dever

• We are not lone rangers managing our own personal (lost) portfolio
• There is something about our corporate relationship that confesses to the world, "This is good."
• The church is God way of displaying himself.
• Mark Dever describes his church as "blended" (the best of the 16th & 17th century)

John Burke

• I am the vine; you are the branches He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. - John 15:5
• Stay connected, you can't help but bear fruit. Not on your own, but through Him.
• Does 60/60 campaign every three years. Every sixty minutes for sixty days a beeper prompts you to ask yourself, "Is this where you want me to be? Is this what you want me to be doing?"

Perry Noble

• He was interesting to hear speak, although his talk was felt directed towards preachers in the audience, so not too many take-aways for me. He must have brought a large contingent or had a ton of fans there because he was getting a ton of "Amens!" during his talk.
• "Kermit is green, not God. It'll be a cold day in hell when I'll preach about recycling and forsake the gospel and name of Jesus Christ."
• For a guy that gets a fair number of negative comments about his preaching, motives and the way he leads his church, I was quite shocked he took such a cheap shot at Rob Bell, who also gets a fair number of negative comments about his preaching, motives and the way he leads his church. It's easy to judge from the outside. One series does not a preacher make. I like Rob Bell. I like Perry Noble. I wishPerry Noble had thought through his comments more thoroughly.

Ed Stetzer

• "Conference talks are like ministry pornography - an unrealistic depiction of something you will never have."
• "I am thankful for Thomas. Because of his doubts, Jesus gives us a clear answer - "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
• We lead others to believe that the Christian life is easily lived because we are unwilling to share our struggles and doubts while in ministry.
• Churches have all these mission, vision, value statements, but we really only need one thing. Jesus gave it to us, "I am sending you. Now go" This is true for me. A reading of Moses' calling to go was what finally opened my eyes.
• Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. - John 20:29  I love this. He talking about me. I am blessed.

Stuff Christians Like

For all you entrenched Christians and even more so, for those of you who think you are not entrenched:

I give to you my new favorite blog, StuffChristiansLike, that provides a fresh perspective to things we do and say without thinking. Read it. Be Convicted. Laugh.

Some Favs: Singing with our hands raised, The Tankini, Baby Crack and Veggie Tales, and for the church-marketer in me Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

A New Earth: Wrap Up

Confession time. I couldn't bring myself to read the book. Honestly, I was really more interested in what people were saying about their experience than what the book had to say.

Browsing these two posts alone, I am honored to "go to Hell with Oprah." and Scared I'm replacing my religion, which I love, I found:

• Angry Christians damning people to the pits of hell
• People who turned away from Christianity because a Christian hurt them
• People who denounced their faith because of hypocritical Christians
• Confused Christians
• Christ-followers who could provide clarity and loving responses to all of the above

A New Earth: Part 2

What have I gotten myself into? I just downloaded the questions for tonight's class and I can't get through the first few without laughing. What on earth is the author talking about?

Question 3: Think about the question on p. 5: “Can human beings lose the density of their conditioned mind structures and become like crystals or precious stones ... transparent to the light of consciousness?” What makes you feel more alive and open, less dense, less bogged down by heavy thoughts and feelings?

My comment: WHAT? I could elaborate, but it seems pretty self-evident what I am what-ing.

Question 4: Spend some time in the presence of something you consider beautiful—a flower, a gem, a piece of artwork. As you look at the object, try to see it without naming it mentally. When we appreciate beauty in this manner, a window opens into the formless and into a state of gratitude. See if you can experience that.

My comment: Look at the sub-title of my blog. I do not contemplate as one normally would, so trying to look at something as if it has no name is futile. And why would I do it in the first place? I can enjoy the beauty of a sunset and experience gratitude for seeing it while still knowing that it is called a sunset.

Interesting that while I'm blogging about this and listening to an Oprah video promising this book can create a new you from the inside out, I realize I have been singing "From the Inside Out" to myself. Video and word links below. This song that speaks to my desire to have God's heart consume me from the inside out.

From The Inside Out words

A New Earth

Several weeks ago I happened upon Oprah when she announced her newest bookclub choice, A New Earth. To complement her choice, she was launching the largest online class ever. 90,000 were already registered. My immediate reaction to the book was skepticism. It had all jargon and promises of another new age take on self-awareness (a.k.a. making yourself into God) or version of The Secrect (where if you think it, it will happen), so I dismissed it.

But here's the deal. Today, I again happened on Oprah. Over 750,000 people are register for this online class and it hit me. If this many people, some who could be my neighbors, are going to be listening, perhaps I should too. Not to be converted, but to understand and leverage something that is current and relevant. I'm still skeptical; very skeptical, but if I can gain perspective on something that effect someone's spirituality - great. So tonight at 9pm I'm diving in.

"Ommmmmmm." I'm sitting cross-legged in a quiet room with candles lit finding my center and preparing to open my mind to a greater self-awareness! (For those that don't get it - that's sarcasm, first and foremost because there isn't a quiet spot in my house... ever.) Stay tuned for more posts on this one.

Want to join, visit www.oprah.com/anewearth and follow the intructions.

Amazing Grace

We watched the movie Amazing Grace tonight. It's a story based on the life of an anti-slavery pioneer in late 1700s England, William Wilberforce. John Newton, an ex-slave trader turned minister and abolitionist, wrote the lyrics for the hymn Amazing Grace and became Wilberforce's spiritual counselor.

There were a few good moments for me in all this.

• After William embraced Christianity, there was a moment in the movie where his butler asked, "You found God, sir?" to which he replied, "I think He found me."

I regularly interview people to help them tell their faith story, their journey toward knowing God and developing a personal relationship with Him. It's still amazing to me how each person makes a similar comment. Even when I didn't care, wasn't looking, trying to ignore Him... He pursued me, chased me, covered me, cared for me, found me. Wow.

• I love the background story to the song Amazing Grace. John Newton served as a slave ship captain for years. While steering his ship through a terrible storm, he promised God that if he made it back alive, he would change. And so it went. Later as a pastor, he wrote the song Amazing Grace.

I'm not sure the last time I listened to this song, but there I sat in bed late last night weeping at the gift of grace bestowed on me. Wow.

Amazing Grace (How sweet the sound)
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ'd!

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

{Chorus below added to Chris Tomlin's version of the song - Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)]

My chains are gone, I’ve been set free
My God my savior has ransomed me
Like a flood his mercy reigns.
Unending love. Amazing grace.

When I'm 95

For some, living to 95 seems a ridiculous thought, but I have longevity genes, so it is a very real possibility for me.

This is my Nana.  She's 95. My other grandma lived to 90 and her Mom, my great-grandma lived to 101. So, when I think about how long I'll live, I always imagine it to be at least 100.

I read somewhere that a group of 95 year old men and women were surveyed and asked, "If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?"

Their responses were consistent:

• SLOW DOWN. Enjoy special moments. Don't work so fast and feverishly.
• RISK MORE. You can't pick the fruit unless you're out on a limb.
• DO SOMETHING WITH MY LIFE THAT WOULD LAST LONG AFTER I AM GONE.

All good points, but the last one has left me thinking most. After my experience at D.R.A.F.T. this weekend, I'm certain the lasting difference will not be some grand gesture, but through personal relationships.