Good

I love the last chapter in Rob Bell's book, Velvet Elvis, about the restoration of the world, and how the church joins with Jesus in bringing this about. If you can get a hold of it, I encourage you to read the whole chapter. 

Here are some of his thoughts....

"To be a part of the church was to join a countercultural society that was partnering with God to create a new kind of culture, right under the nose of the caesars. These Christians made sure everybody in their midst had enough to eat. They made sure everybody was able to pay their bills. They made sure there was enough to go around. The resurrection for them was not an abstract spiritual concept; it was a concrete social and economic reality. God raised Jesus from the dead to show the world that Jesus is Lord, and it is through his power and his example and his Spirit that the world is restored...."

"...so many passages about the early church deal with possessions and meals and generosity. They understood that people are rarely persuaded by arguments, but more often by experiences. Living, breathing, flesh-and-blood experiences of the resurrection community.... To the outside world, it was less about proving and more about inviting people to experience this community of Jesus' followers for themselves...."

"It is when the church gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting nothing in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display."

This is why generosity is such a big part of what we're doing in this community - whether or not people become Christians because of it. This is the heart of God and the way of Jesus, helping people to experience the kingdom of Heaven, right here, right now.

"I am learning that the church is at its best when it is underground, subversive, and countercultural. It is the quiet, humble, stealth acts that change things." I love this idea of the underground, subversive church.

"I am learning that the church has nothing to say to the world until it throws better parties. By this I don't necessarily mean balloons and confetti and clowns who paint faces. I mean backyards and basements and porches. It is in the places we live and move with the people we're on the journey with, that we are reminded it is God's world and we're going to be okay.... The images Jesus used were of banquets and feasts and celebrations. What do we do at parties such as these? We eat and talk and dance and enjoy each other and above all else, we take our time. What does Jesus do almost as much as he teaches and heals? He eats long meals. As Christians, it is our duty to master the art of the long meal."

Surprisingly, this subject of meals has been covered quite a bit in books I've been reading lately! - In Living the Resurrection, Eugene Peterson points out that enjoying meals with his disciples was one of the first things Jesus did after his resurrection - clearly showing that this is to remain a key part of the new community. And in Eats with Sinners, Arron Chambers speaks of it as one of the most important ways to share the heart of God with people outside the church. Eating with people is good for your health, in every possible way. We'd already decided that eating together was going to be a major part of our church, but it's sure nice to hear these thoughts echoes by theologians, and by Jesus himself. That's my kind of church!

An Interview with Greg Boyd

Neue Ministry regularly chats to leaders and innovators in Christian ministry, and I love listening to the podcasts that come from these conversations. Here's an interview with Greg Boyd that I found interesting - especially the discussion on his recent book.

Click here to listen to the interview, or you can find the Neue podcast on iTunes.

In this episode of the Neue podcast, Senior Editor Josh Loveless interviews Greg Boyd about the controversy that seems to follow him. They talk about how he dealt with losing a thousand people because of a sermon series he did as well as his book The Myth of a Christian Religion. Click to listen now or subscribe at iTunes.

Lily's World

Lily: Daddy, I really love dancing. I'm a singer, but I'm definitely definitely a dancer.

Words to Grow a New People: Isaiah 40-66

I've found a few passages that I believe are perfect for our beginning church: Isaiah 40-66, Paul's letter to the Ephesian church, and the Sermon on the Mount.

Isaiah 40-66 (and many thanks to Eugene Peterson for his profound thoughts on this, from his book "The Jesus Way") are the words of "the Prophet" to the Israelites who are returning from exile. They are a people who are not yet a people. A ragamuffin community who're just beginning to form, whose only identity is as slaves in a foreign culture. At this point they have no culture or identity of their own. It's the beginning of a new community, and what will it look like?

The Prophet speaks these words to centre this new people around God, to grow a people who represent God's heart and passion. They are nothing ("a lowly worm" - 41:14), BUT... "I will help you," says the Lord. A crippled and flightless bird, rescued and gently carried by the Lion.

GOD will grow his people. He has been doing it all along. It is Jesus' job to grow his church. He is the Great Church Planter. We're just joining in with him. This gives us incredible hope.

"Look at my servant, whom I strengthen.
He is my chosen one, who pleases me.
I have put my Spirit upon him.
He will bring justice to the nations.

"He will not shout
or raise his voice in public.
He will not crush the weakest reed
or put out a flickering candle.

"He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.
He will not falter or lose heart
until justice prevails throughout the earth.
Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction."

- Isaiah 42:1-4

He's still doing it. Jesus is still working to bring justice and peace throughout all the earth. It's not a peace or justice accomplished through violence, or power, shouting or raising voices, crushing reeds and putting out flickering candles. It's not a revolution that will be seen in public - it might hardly be noticed at all. But it will happen. It is already. The Kingdom of Heaven - Jesus' Kingdom of light - is already breaking in. It's already advancing. And he will not falter or lose heart until he's finished, until Peace is here.

Too Important to Help?

I love how blunt Paul is in this passage....

"Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important." - Galatians 6:2-3

Fishing

I've always loved that fishing and mission are so frequently tied together. Here are some tips on trout fishing, for those who are interested....

"While working in Yellowstone National Park, I saw a lot of wonderful things, but I also saw some odd things. One of the odd sights I saw regularly was someone fishing for trout on the side of the road in a pond formed by melted snow. To the novice, that looked like a nice little trout pond, but anyone with any experience in northern fishing knows that the only things a small pond on the side of the road will yield is a small trout - and only if the pond is more than a temporary puddle caused by melted snow. The big trout can best be reached by being waist deep in raging, ice-cold water in the heart of the wilderness....

"How often are our evangelistic efforts akin to fishing in a puddle of snowmelt? If we evaluated what some churches are spending on reaching the lost and what they are actually doing to reach the lost, it's the equivalent of sticking our heads out of the front doors of our sanctuaries - just beyond the earshot of sinners, whispering the name of Jesus, and then weeping because more lost people aren't responding to the gospel.

"They aren't responding to the gospel because we aren't responding to the gospel.

"Jesus clearly commanded us to go deep 'into all the world and preach the good news to all creation' (Mark 16:15). But like pathetic fishermen standing ankle deep in snowmelt, too many of us have chosen safety and convenience over risk and inconvenience, so - like that poor guy fishing in run-off - we are never going to catch anything... ever, unless we go deeper."

- from Eats With Sinners, by Arron Chambers

The Great Commission

Some encouraging thoughts about mission by Jim Petersen, from his book Lifestyle Discipleship:

"Can you imagine being among the eleven who met with Jesus on that mountain in Galilee after He had risen from the dead? Jesus instructed them to go to all the nations and teach people in those nations everything He had taught them.

"If any of the eleven did any quick math on the spot, they would have wondered if Jesus was serious. He had spent something over three years instructing them. Now He was telling them to repeat what He had done with them among every people on earth!

"Jesus was thinking generations when He gave that command to the eleven. He did not expect them to get to every breathing soul on earth. They would reach some, and these in turn would reach others - until the world would hear....

"Again we have the characteristic pattern of the kingdom at work: low profile, low maintenance, no need for press coverage, just go to people. And they did it.

"It is still the best way. My work has to do with establishing the gospel in places where it hasn't gone or where its voice is weak. The best possible approach to starting something new in a country is to send in a pair of mature, tested couples who will think long-term. They will learn the language and put their roots down. It may take them the rest of their lives before they see fruit that is bearing fruit. That kind of beginning is slow and obscure, but in the long run it will outstrip and outlast any other more gala approach to missions."

Girls and Boys

All the girls are Cinderellas; all the boys are Wendell Sailors. And that may be the problem right there....