Archive - February, 2008

Becoming Human

February 24, 2008 in Church Planting, Work with 2 Comments

I’ve been mulling over a lot of things lately.  I have a ton of stuff going on in my head and heart that really is hard to get  together into one cohesive thought.  I finally came to realize tonight that the thing that I am struggling with most isn’t what the future looks like in terms of ministry, work or even our life.  I’m struggling with my own humanity.  I’m struggling to identify who I am a person and what exactly I’m here for.  Here is what I mean….

You see, for a long time I struggled with my vocation.  For me, this was evidently how I measured my own contribution to humanity.  I’ve tried on numerous occasions to connect the thing that feeds my family with the thing that feeds my soul.  I’m not sure why I struggle mightily to make those two worlds collide.  I can name countless folks in my life who have made a tremendous impact on humanity apart from their vocation, so I’m not sure where I picked up this idea.  The good news is that I think  I’ve come to terms with the dicotomy that exists between vocation and contribution.  (That is not to say that I’ve put it fully into practice, but I’ve come to an ideological understanding of the concept.)

I’ve said on numerous occasions that I have had many ideas about what I would like to be when I grow up.  Those of you closest to me know this to be true.  I’ve wanted to be everything from a medical doctor to a police officer to a teaching pastor and pretty much everything in between.  This makes perfect sense in the context of the quest for vocation and life mission.  I’m at the point where none of that really matters.  I’ve come to the realization that difference makers are difference makers in spite of that which puts food on their table. 

The people that make a difference in this world are simply humans fighting to make the world a better place.  The people who make a difference don’t do it because they get paid to do it, they do it because the can’t not do it.  I’ve been on a futile quest for far too long.  I’m on a quest to become human, making this world a better place just by being me.  I’m no longer searching to put a label on my life by what I do for a living.  I’m okay with that, I hope that you are as well.

I hope that you’ll join with me in the journey to becoming human in order to save the world.  Part of that journey is becoming “even more undignified than this” and  “join the barbarian tribe and to embrace our call as mystical warriors” (Erwin McManus in The Barbarian Way).

A Little Clarification

February 16, 2008 in Uncategorized with 1 Comment

I was doing some random reading tonight on some different blogs that I do not subscribe to and stumbled upon a great post from a dude named David Hayward.  To further solidify the thoughts that are jumbling around in my mind for yourself, please go check out one of his posts called “Revolution of the Mind”.

He is much less abrasive than I am.  I honestly don’t mean to bash anyone, because we are all in this together.  I just get frustrated easily and my sounding board is out of the country (or so I think…Are you out there?).

A Whirlwind Tour of My Mind

February 14, 2008 in Church, Church Planting with 0 Comments

The last week of my life has been pretty crazy.  I spent a lot of time hanging out with a great bunch of people, listened to a bunch of great music, looked a ton of places to live and ate a lot of stuff that was bad for me. I also got the pleasure of getting some sort of sinus problem.  That is a lot of fun on an airplane.

One of the things that I did was to take part in Humana 2.08. Humana is a leadership experience like no other.  It is basically an open source missional experience.   One of the discussions that I was able to take part in was actually a decompression from a talk earlier in the day.  Simply an open dialogue with people of opposing viewpoints converging into a practical conversation about how we “do” church.  I’ve just now (literally) ordered the DVD for the entire conference and cannot wait to get my grubby hands on it so I can partake in the entire experience.  I was challenged more by the few minutes I spent with these fine folks than I have been in awhile. I can also say that this day alone was worth the price of my entire trip. 

One of the ideas that  I came away with was the idea of structure (and have subsequently been wrestling with).  I think that  a large part of our western culture struggles with ideas and organizational models.  I think that it makes us uncomfortable when we aren’t exactly able to place a name on something and put it inside a nice little box.  Take a look at the churches that we form.  We have nice little names for everything, complete with descriptions of each little thing.  (On a side note, I think that with an formal organization of any substance or size, these are needed, so no flaming) Truthfully, one of the things that I have become uncomfortable with is the entire idea that everything has to have a certain order and structure.  When I started my church planting journey, my pastor showed me all of the stuff that he had compiled and categorized and honestly it made me sick.  It made me sick that I thought I had to do that same thing.  I’m not saying that it was bad that he did those things by any means, but the thought of me doing those things just didn’t sit well with me.  Another thing that never sat well with me was the idea of a church planter assessment.  I couldn’t really explain it at the time, but it really got under my skin.  I’m beginning to realize that it had a lot to do with the whole thought of being stuck inside a certain box, for better or for worse.  (Now, I’m not against assessments, I’m just against them for me…at least for now)

So what does this all mean?  It means that I honestly feel freedom.  Freedom from the structures that I have built up in my mind.  Freedom from the models and modes of ministry that have been ingrained into me for the past ten years.  Freedom to embrace who I actually am both as a Christ follower and as a person on mission.  I’m energized by hanging out with people who are looking to the future and engaging the culture in which they live in ways that are actually relevant.  (I’m not saying that everyone else is irrelevant, so please don’t take  it that way)  I’m excited about what the future holds for my family as we begin this crazy journey to the end of the world.  I’ve got more questions than answers, but what I’ve come to embrace that as a good thing.  The secret isn’t thinking outside the box, it is knowing that there isn’t a box.

 So, what are we going to do in Orlando?  We are going to live the lives that God has for us to live.  We are going to fight to make the world a better place to live.  We are going to connect as many people as possible to each other and to their Creator.  It won’t look like what you think it should look like.  It could be a music festival, it could be a gathering of people for a barbeque in the backyard.  It probably won’t look anything like a church and that is okay too.

I’m not anti-Church as the west knows it, I’m just convinced that there are ways of engaging people that aren’t inside of a building or around some structure.  I’m not throwing out the baby with the bathwater.  There is a harmonious balance that we must find.  We are on the same mission.

For those of you who have been supporting us with your words of encouragement, prayers and guidance…we are thankful for you.  Please continue to do so. 

Single Issue Voting

February 11, 2008 in Uncategorized with 3 Comments

You know, one of the things that frustrates me to no end is the way that much of the religious right, evangelical Republicans are seemingly single issue voters. I’ve gotta tell you that this has probably been one of the most crippling things that has taken a toll on the “Republican” party.  I’m no political genius by any stretch of the imagination, but I do have the capacity to reason.  I was reading on my friend Marque Jensen’s Facebook page today about why Frank Shaeffer (Francis Shaeffer’s son) supports Barak Obama.  Much of the article that Marque posted was about the issue of the pro-life debate.  That got me thinking about the voting stance of many evangelicals around this fine nation.

Let me start out by saying that I am pro-life. I am pro ALL life.  I think God values life otherwise he wouldn’t have created it.   The problem I have is that seemingly, the single most important issue is abortion.  I honestly can’t speak for anyone but myself, but if all we are concerned about is if a woman can legally terminate her pregnancy, we are seriously missing the point of this life.  Why don’t we take a proactive role in creating places for women who find themselves in situations where they need to make these choices where they feel safe and welcomed?  I know there are resources like this, but instead of picketing Planned Parenthood, why don’t we/they/you/I help inform these women?

I implore you, dear uninformed voters of America, to inform yourselves so that your only voting issues are abortion and taxes.  Also, please stop voting for someone just because they claim an evangelical standpoint.  I’m all for having Christ follower lead this nation, don’t get me wrong.  I am against blindly voting for someone simply because of their affiliation with some evangelical position.  Take a look at their character. Take a look at their voting record.   It really is time to stop being sheep, think for yourself, and honesty vote for the lesser of all evils.  No one is perfect, everyone will go back on their word at some point.  Follow your gut and instinct and vote for who you think will be the best person to lead this nation in a new age.

/rant

The Roller Coaster Emotional Life

February 6, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

In my extensive life quest over the past decade, I’ve found that life brings with it many emotions.  Happyness (I spelled it right..watch the movie), sadness, anger, frustration, joy, elation, bitterness, envy, jealousy, melancholy…really that list could probably go on and on.  Today has been one of those days.  I’m up and down like an emotional roller coaster.  That video that I posted awhile ago about a bad day at the office fits me to a tee today!

I have posted much lately in terms of future vision, dreams or anything like that.  I’ve been pensive and quiet.  I’ve been determined to not only get some things in place before we make the leap to warmer climates, but also to keep making plans for the future.  I’m headed out today to get what I hope is a breath of fresh air.  I’m going to Orlando to spend a week laying some groundwork for our imminent departure.  I’m also going to be spending some quality time with some folks who I’m excited to hopefully be partnering with.  They are doing much of the stuff that I’ve been dreaming of and I’d love the opportunity to get down and dirty with them.  I’ll also be looking for places to live and possibly places to work. I really do dig what I do outside of Kingdom work, so I’m looking to gain more experience and education in that area.

Anyway…if you’re the praying type, I could use your prayers for travel, for rest, for excitement….Also for my family here.  They’ll be hanging with  family, but we’ll miss each other.  Sleep is a precious thing.  Insomnia isn’t good when you’re waking up frequently.  My wife could use a few winks more than she is getting.