Big "C" Church

I'm so glad to see the new emerging Church in America. A group of communities that are passionate about seeing the word of God preached, and not consumed with their own agenda.

I've spent the last week thumbing through the vast amount of materials that churches now make available for free on the internet. Many have entire sermons available complete with videos and graphics. Others post their music, skits, messages, and promotions to give you ideas and further the cause of Christ.

10 years ago anything you got from another church, you paid for. You didn't talk to the Lutheran church down the street, and you certainly didn't rejoice when they did something controversial and thousands of people showed up to hear the gospel. But things are changing now. We can rejoice at the success of those around us. We can rejoice when we see Church grow. We can partner with Christians that may have different theological beliefs from ourselves, because we see they are passionate about spreading the word of God.

I know I gave her a shout out earlier this week, but Brittney has made the single greatest blog post I think I have ever encountered, and you all need to check it out. I can think of no better way to close that that.

Read it here.

Faith or insanity? (part 2)

Several months ago God called me to the city of Charlotte. He told me that He was going to use me in a greater role than I ever imagined, but didn't tell me what that would be. He provided a fantastic job, a place to stay, a place to put my things (I had a lot of stuff), a fantastic group of friends and a wonderful church.

Then he put in my heart a hunger for more. Through my struggling with that, God revealed to me that my new job was not where he wanted me. I prayed for discomfort (it was a fantastic job) and everything went to crap. Two weeks later I could reach no other conclusion but to leave my job.

I have spent the last 3 weeks with no cash flow and honestly, wondering if I was the dumbest person alive. I know how stupid it is to leave a job without another one to go to. I know how stupid it is to leave a job in less than 6 months. I know how stupid it is to wait on God in the mean time.

Then again, I also know how stupid it is to delay obedience. God has spoken to me and given me the ability to filter His purpose and I would be stupid to ignore that.

Through this process I have asked God to really shore up my faith. To teach me to act quicker when he calls. To question less and obey more.

In my 25 years, I have never needed anything. I have been blessed with parents who provided for me. I have been working since the age of 15 and had some pretty amazing jobs. I have never wondered how I would pay a bill or if I would make it to the next month without running out of gas/food/etc.

Now, with no cash flow for almost a month, things are getting tight. I'm about to start nibbling away at my savings account and I really, really don't want to do that. I know very clearly what God has planned for me now, but I don't know the time frame. It could be months or years before he sets my career in motion, and I've really started to wonder what I was going to do in the mean time.

My good friend Brittney made a post on Monday that was really a blessing in my life. She brings up Mathew 6:26 and through that, reminded me how valuable I am to my Father. That verse gave me the encouragement to trust God just a little longer.

Tuesday, I came to work for a friend of mine on a project car that has been taking much longer than anticipated. When it's finished, I will have the money I need for a few months, but until that time, I need cash to pay bills. Today he offered to pay me to install a roll cage in one of the cars we're working on (that takes me about 3 days) and just a few minutes ago, he offered to pay me to finish a car he's renting this weekend. On top of that, he is paying me for some work I did on a house of his not to long ago.

Did you catch that? God just gave me an avenue to pay for all my immediate bills.

Yesterday I also spoke with my good friend and old boss about the job I left. Things have been pretty tight for him recently too. He isn't getting as much business as usual, and I can tell he's a little stressed by it. God reinforced to me that His timing was indeed perfect. I left my old job just before work got tight and even more stressful.

I think I'm going to trust my Father and rely on him to provide for me for the first time in my life. I think it's time my faith stretches a little bit more, and that I have confidence in the gifts my Father has given me.

Faith or insanity?

I'm a bit of a dreamer according to my mother. She worries that amidst my scattered ideas and idealistic thoughts, I'll spend the better part of my adult life listless and adrift, never settling on a "secure" path. She's from the old school, where success is measured by your career path in the corporate world. Where the greatest thing you could tell someone at your 10 year high school reunion was that you were now middle-management for a Fortune 500 company. That is the world she grew up in and that is the world that provided for her and her family.

I have so much trouble wrestling with the worldly view of success, and the idealistic view. Growing up I never wanted for anything. My parents were fantastic providers. I went to great schools, had all the love I craved, and never needed anything. My dad worked for IBM for 32 years before he retired, my mother worked for over 20. We traveled around the world for the first 10 years of my life. It was amazing. I want nothing more than to provide for my children in that same way.

On the other hand, my dad's job was very stressful. He worked long hours and took many trips. At the age of 63, when I was only 12 years old, he passed away from a heart aneurysm.

The practical side of me wants to be the corporate shill. Wants to aim for the promotions and the pension and the nice house and the nice car. The idealistic side of me wants more than just an extra zero on my pay check. I want to impact the kingdom of God in a serious way. I want to stand before him in Heaven and know that my life was used to the fullest.

This is such a hard thing to balance. How many of my decisions are youthful ignorance and idealism? How many of them are powerful affirmations of my faith in Jesus Christ? I praise Jesus for the spiritual gift of discernment. Without it I think I would have tapped out a long time ago. Still, I'm in the hardest stage of my life and my walk with God that I have been in yet, and it's hard to not have doubts.

More to follow...

Why me?

I am so humbled by how my God invests in my life that words cannot begin to explain it.

For the life of me I can't explain why on earth God would spend time to invest in me the way he does. Follow me on my journey this morning...

Check out what Craig Groeschel at Lifechurch.tv wrote on leadership today.

This is such an amazing concept. I want to take it beyond just staff though. Our church uses so many volunteer leaders who have real power over their teams and a real chance to connect with their volunteers. We need to challenge ourselves to take seriously our responsibility to know our team and focus on their spiritual walk in addition to our other duties.

Yesterday I took a field trip back to Newspring Church with a few of the other members of Elevation. The trip itself was very insightful for us, and so was the time spent with the 5 of us. On the way back to our car, Lindsey mentioned something about Willow Creek doing a study, finding out they made some mistakes, something something. We tried to follow what she was saying but I think none of us got the message.

This morning, while reading the Lifechurch.tv blog I stumbled on a comment made by a woman with her own blog. On her blog she mentioning Willow Creek and their research study, the same study Lindsey was telling us about last night. I followed the link to an article, and then a link in the article to Willow Creeks own site.

I can promise you a large sum of money I would never have gone that far had Linsdey not mentioned this last night. Thank you so much girl!!

So here's my Amen moment. On top of God already revealing and challenging me in an area of leadership I had neglected above, he showed me this video that must be watched.

Greg Hawkins of Willow Creek

By the end of the video I was seriously in tears. My entire view on creating disciples in the church was identical to that of Willow Creek. A strategy that does not work. I have to pull two things from today.

1. God is actively preparing me for something that he has yet to reveal, but that is so far beyond me that I have to lean on him with all my heart to have the slightest chance of success.
2. God is moving in the Church and I think we're all in the midst of the largest revolution Christianity has seen in a thousand years!!

Praise Jesus!!

So What?

Passiveness is a big problem today. I truly feel it is the root cause of nearly all of the things men struggle with.

Not only do I struggle with it every day, but I grew up in a house of men who struggled with it. My father was an incredible dad, an amazingly successful business man, and could be extremely passive at times. Even as a 5 year old child I could see this play out in his life. When I got older and began to struggle with it, I made the decision to not let it grip me in the same way.

But why is it such a problem for us? If you look at Genesis 3:6, I would argue passiveness is the original sin, not Eve disobeying God. Adam set the stage for us, so again I’ll ask why is it such an issue?

I think there are a few answers to this problem.

Selfishness:
Sometimes stepping up and putting yourself on the line (ie being a man) requires a sacrifice. I think some times we are so consumed in our own little world that we won’t step outside of our comfort and be men.

Insecurity:
I believe this is the biggest one. Our insecurity tells us to play it safe and not take action. We think this is the best path because lets face it, we’ve all stepped up at one point and immediately regretted it. But how often do we immediately regret passiveness? Typically, the problems we create (even though they’re more damaging in the long run) don’t manifest themselves for long periods of time, or are transferred to other people. Because of our insecurity as men, I think many times we pick what we assume (and have been conditioned to feel) is the “safe road”.

Scope:
Our lack of scope causes many problems. We lose focus or vision or whatever you want to call it. If we can continuously remind ourselves what is at stake, what are the consequences and what are the rewards, we can get a grasp on this problem. Satan downplays things in our lives, and it’s time we bring them back into the spot light and remember how much destruction they can cause.

So what are your thoughts? There are few areas I am more passionate about and I really want to hear insight from others. Comment and let me know what your take is on this issue.

Then you're Passive.

Ok, here it is. The one everyone has been waiting on.

I freaking hate PMS!!

Passive Man Syndrome….

Literally, it makes me irate just thinking about it. Like it or not, God has called us men to step up and be leaders, fighters, and defenders. However, I keep running into passive men over and over again. We think being passive is the safe road, but it doesn’t work like that bro-ham.

I am sick of seeing my brothers in Christ abuse their girlfriends emotions just to make themselves feel more secure. I’m sick of guys not being open and honest and allowing doubt and worry enter their relationships. I’m sick of guys talking down to girls. I’m sick of guys who can’t make a decision. I’m sick of guys who won’t defend their girlfriends in public or private. I’m sick of guys who are selfish in their relationships. I’m sick of guys that pretend they are better that their girlfriend spiritually.

Here’s the deal guys, get over it and do it fast! Grow up already and be a man.

If you’re going to date, make her spiritual walk with Christ the focus of your relationship. See that you are serving her in every conceivable way with a desire to deepen her connection with God. Be a brother in Christ and protect her fiercely. Don’t cause her to stumble. Don’t be a source of temptation, but one of inspiration and support. Spur her onto good deeds. That is your mission on this earth!!

If you’re lucky enough to have girls that allow you to speak into their lives, you are called to the same standard! It’s frickin time that men acted like men. It’s time to make it a priority to protect ALL of our sisters. For the life of me I can’t understand why Christian men look at their sisters in Christ as something to consume.

Consume her beauty. Consume her body. Consume her heart.

Can you imagine a world of true Christian men…

Protect her beauty. Protect her body. Protect her heart.

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My Christian experience has been characterized by many mini-revelations that the world isn’t actually how I thought it was growing up. For example, the story of Adam that I learned as a child went something like this:

God created Adam
Adam was lonely
Adam didn’t want an animal companion (thankfully)
God created Eve
Eve was deceived by Satan
Now we all live in original sin

Isn’t that the story we were all taught? Eve did it. But look at Genesis.

"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." Gen 3:6 (NIV)

This pisses me off big time. For years we were taught that Eve was to blame, but there it is clear as day, Adam was with her. The whole time Adam just sat there and absolved himself of responsibility. Did he step up and protect his wife? Not at all. He stood there and watched her be seduced by Satan and fall into sin as she disobeyed God. Not only did he not violently protect his wife, but he stood in quiet defiance of God as the serpent clearly twists the word of God. I’m sick and tired of men not standing up and fighting for their sisters in Christ. I don’t know why Genesis isn’t taught this way from the beginning, but it’s time we all stop running around blaming Eve for the fall of man. Clearly, Adam was the one who needed to step up.

More to follow…