A Manifesto for the Church

7catz over at I Don’t Know Yet tagged me with this Meme.

Rules:
1. Post to your blog on the subject “A Manifesto for Church”, outlining your thoughts on what an ideal church would/should be like. Posts can be as detailed or as short as you like.
2. Include a copy of these rules.
4. Put a link to your post in the comments to this post.
5. Tag at least 4 other people.
6. What happened to rule 3?
3. Ah, here it is
When I was tagged for this meme, a rush of things came to mind about what I think an “ideal” church should be. I even started writing them out. As I read over some of the other posts on the topic, I was struck by how similar many of the posts were. There seems to be a growing number of people who are tired of “church as usual” and long for something deeper yet simpler. Church with out the programs, with out the masks, A church were we can be active participants, not just spectators. A Church where we all have a voice, not just the few deemed “spiritual” enough by the leadership or the people who are clean enough on the outside to project the desired image.

Should is a big word, and I don’t even want to attempt to say what an “Ideal” church should be. What a church should or shouldn’t be will vary greatly depending on the make up of the members, the community the church is in, and an endless list of other factors. I decided to post what the Ideal church for my family and me looks like at this moment.

Sunday Mornings at the local State Park
A time of family prayer
A couple devotions with the boys, and good discussion afterwards. It amazes me how much they get it
A short time of Bible Study or discussion with Jenny.
Maybe some hotdogs or brats on the grill and a nice hike.
Extreme teeter tottering with my boys

Tuesdays with another couple God placed in our lives
My wife and I have been going through some tough times in our relationship, and God has blessed us by giving us some great friends who have jumped at the chance to come up under Jenny and I and disciple us and help us to strengthen our marriage.
Wednesday mornings with my Friend Rob
Good conversation. Good coffee & Great Bagels.
A place were I can be open, Where I can challenge and be challenged.
Friday Night Bible Study.
Good Friends, Relaxed atmosphere, Laughter, Openness.
Active engagement with The Word of God.

I’m supposed to tag some people, but the people I had in mind have already been tagged. So I tag anyone who might be interested in responding.

Just a quick post

May family and I had a blast camping up in MI. I’ll post some photos tommorow.  It was nice to get some much needed down time. Things have been really stressful since my stay in the hospital back in April.  Blogging will be kind of hard for me over the summer since I don’t have much time to spend on the computer. I was tagged 7catz for the Manifesto for the Church meme, and I will get to that this week,a that is a subject that is close to my heart.

Also I think we are going to take a break from “church” this summer, and I want to post some about how that is going.

I just wanted to say “Man, I love summer!!!!”

Thin Line Between Madness and Brilliance

“This is either madness or brilliance”

“Its remarkable how often those two traits coincide”

I love that little interchange between Will Turner and Jack Sparrow as they are preparing to commandeer the Interceptor. I started thinking sometimes following Christ is a matter of walking that thin line between madness and brilliance.

I think about Jesus’ disciples leaving their jobs and their comfortable lives to follow someone they didn’t even know. Or Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church. Or Paul standing on Mars Hill Sharing the Gospel with a group of Pagans. I could post for hours listing others who have walked that line.

I believe Christ calls all of His follower to live their lives where Madness and Brilliance intersect.

Fishers of Men Part 3 (Mending the Nets)

Matthew 4:19

“Come follow me” Jesus said “and I will make you fishers of men”

In Part one I dealt with the fact that fishing involved a whole community, and in part two I looked at the training and preparation (discipleship) that was needed to become a professional fisherman.

In this post I just wanted to touch briefly on the need to occasionally mend the nets.

After repeated use nets would wear out. From time to time the nets needed to be unfolded and examined thoroughly, they needed to be inspected for holes, and weaknesses that had developed, and mended accordingly.

I believe that is what the questions being asked by those who consider themselves part of the Emerging Church (or conversation) is all about. Many people (myself included) see that the church has gone to long with out inspecting the nets. We see that a good thorough re-evaluation of what it means to follow Christ and share the Gospel is overdue.

For the critics of the Emerging Church who say that many within the movement are going to far and abandoning the true Christian faith I just ask that you vave some patience and wait and see if God is behind it all

Acts 5:34-39

34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35Then he addressed them: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

Fishers of Men Part 2 (Discipleship)

Mat. 4:19

“Come follow me” Jesus said “and I will make you fishers of men”

Part One was subtitled “Community” I wrote about that when Jesus said that he would make Simon and Andrew fishers of men, he wasn’t talking about a weekend fishing trip, but rather about a full time endeavor that took a whole community working together with a common purpose, and that God transforms communities through communities of Christians living transformed lives in the community.

Discipleship

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

Matthew 28:19

Most men in Jesus’ day learned their trade from their father. It would have taken years of preparation to become a skilled fisherman. They would have had to learn many things before they were ready to venture out on their own, How to tie knots, what knot to use when and why, how to use the fishing nets, what nets to use in what situation, how to identify different species of fish, etc. They would even have to learn to predict the weather.

None of these things could be learned over night, they were learned over time. An apprentice fisherman would have spent years learning from his father, or another experienced fisherman. The apprentice wasn’t simply handed a net or a pole and left to their own devices, they were shown how to use them.

Yet that is what happens to many new believers. They are told that they are sinners and that they need a savior, they are told they need to repent of their sins, they are told that they need to put their faith in Christ. Then they are handed a fishing pole or a net (The Bible, prayer, church, etc.) and left to figure out how to use them by themselves.

Discipleship is important, It is important for new believers to be taught the doctrines of the Christian faith. But in addition to being taught the truths of Scripture, new believers need some one to come along side of them to teach them how to live those truths out, and it can’t happen only on Sunday morning, it must happen in the context of day to day life

I will end with an excerpt from “definition of discipleship” over at St. George the Dragon Slayer that touches on this point.

• Discipleship is learning. Its an educational process. That means that disciple-making involves teaching.
• But this is not learning/teaching in the conventional sense. Jesus made disciples while walking, boating, and eating. It happened in the homes of sinners, in grave yards, and in gardens. He made disciples by telling stories, healing the sick, and casting out demons. Discipleship is intentional and strategic, but happens in the context of real life - including, but not limited to, a classroom.

Fishers of Men Part 1 (Community)

I decided to repost a 3 part series from my old blog. I ran accross them recently, and thought they were worth reposting.

My wife and I attend a Bible study on Thursday night, our memory verse over the last few weeks has been Mathew 4:19 Come follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men. Of course I have heard and read this verse countless times, but this last Thursday that verse really came alive for me. It got me thinking what exactly is involved in being fishers of men?

This post is part one of at least a three part series.

Jesus wasn’t talking about wasn’t a person with a fishing pole spending a Saturday sitting by the shore. Jesus used the words to call Simon and Andrew, two commercial fishermen. The type of fishing Jesus was talking about was not something that could be done alone it took a group of people working as a team. Depending on the method used there might have been as many as three fishing boat crews involved to bring in a single catch.

After the catch was brought to shore the work was far from over. The fish had to be sorted, preserved in salt, and prepared for transport. Also there were boat builders, blacksmiths who made the metal weights for the nets, etc This took not only fisherman but a whole community working together with a common purpose. Every one did their part their were no passive spectators (pew sitters). Everyone participated as well as benefitted from the industry.

God transforms communities through communities of Christians living transformed lives in the community. As Christians we are all called to participate in God’s mission of restoration. This must be done in the context of day to day living. Fisherman worked long hard hours six days a week. Only on the Sabbath would they cease from their work.

I think for many Christians there is a disconnect between their spiritual life and their secular life. Sundays and maybe Wednesday evening are set aside for spiritual time, many will even add private time through out the week for prayer or morning devotions. The rest of their lives (work, taking the kids to the park, shopping, etc) are thought of as secular time.

If Christianity is to continue to have a positive effect on the culture in the coming years this way of thinking needs to change. Christians need to understand that just as the Father sent Jesus into the world, Jesus has sent us into the world. There is no such thing as a secular pursuit.

It is time for Christians to get out of the pews, get on our knees before God and ask forgiveness, and then get out into the street, and get to work.

I would appreciate any thoughts or comments.

Drawing Lines

I ran across these charts at a blog called Parchment and Pen

I’m not sure what to make of the charts. One one hand they seem fairly accurate, but at the same time I wonder if we need any more labels. There is already enough that divides the Church. I can’t help but wonder if the Enemy loves it when we spend our time thinking about which brand of Christianity is Right and which one is wrong.

What do you think?

Grace Is Not a One Time Event

Tyler over at Following Him Alone wrote this beautiful post about Grace. Grace that is more than just “God’s unmerited favor towards us” I’ve posted a couple excerpts I really liked. But I would definitely read the whole article.

“Grace wasn’t favor that I didn’t deserve! Grace is simply the overwhelming power of His unfailing love worked through every moment of my life, and really through eternity. I don’t get more of it some days than others, it is as constant as His love, which is the one true constant in the universe.”

“Much of the body of Christ lives as though grace truly is unmerited favor, and so they don’t see it as an act of love but instead as an act of forebearance, staying the hand of an angry God. But Grace is not an act of forebearance, of that I can absolutely assure you.

This misconception positively drives the “normal Christian life” of Americans. You know, now that you are saved you must toe the line and be outwardly righteous because God isn’t going to be patient with all of these sins now that you are saved. Oh yes, they will say, you are always saved, but there are blessings here and in eternity and so you need to behave properly and be one of us so God doesn’t have to constantly be remembering that you are under grace and not available to be wiped off the face of the earth.

And so we live under a false grace that is anything but graceful. A grace that we do not deserve, that is completely unjustified. It is the gospel of guilt, of being unworthy little wretches.”

My Friend that lives under the Bridge

This is my friend that lives under the bridge. When he is in the police roundup in the local paper they don’t even give his name any more. They just call him the man that lives under the bridge.

But he’s not just the man who lives under the bridge, he not just some one to chuckle at when you see his name in the paper. He is my friend, and he is someone who is created in the image of God. I’m glad that I have a wife who remembers that when I forget. I have known my friend for a few years now. There has been many times I have thrown up my hands and said ” I’m done with him” or “That guy will never learn” or “There’s no hope for him”

I know that if there was hope for me then there is hope for him. I am not afraid to hope for him.

Father, forgive my for losing hope for my friend, for not loving him the way you loved me. Help me to see him through your eyes. Help to not just tell him about your Love, but to show him your Love every time I see him

Amen

Stories of Hope

Stories of Hope

This Meme is inspired by Jonathan Brink’s post Afraid to Hope.

What’s Your Personal Story of Hope?

Four years ago, my marriage was dead. My wife and I had separated for the second and what looked to be the final time. By all human standards our marriage was dead, our family forever fractured.

One of my favorite phrases in the Bible is “But God” Our marriage was dead “but God” brought it back to life. When I came to the realization that Jenny was moving on and that she wasn’t going to take me back this time, I swallowed a bottle of pills and chased it down with some 100 proof Hot Damn. I remember waking up in the hospital bed, and seeing the cross on the wall. After a week I put a smile on my face and they let me out. For the next couple weeks everywhere I looked I either saw God or Death- There was no in between.

Then one night I decided to go to a party with some friends. I was drinking beer, vodka and whiskey, and smoking a little bit of pot. I remember that my Head Started spinning and my whole life started passing before my eyes. God revealed to me where I was at spiritually . I became aware of the urgent times we live in. I ended up running out side in the rain and falling to the ground and in an almost audible voice I heard God say “Aaron, turn your life over to Me now. Or you never will. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE”. I remember being so confused and not understanding what was going on. The next morning I woke up and walked home as fast as I could. I hit my knees and turned my life over to God. It’s been a bumpy road at times but I couldn’t imagine going back.

Over the next few months God slowly restored my relationship with my wife and my children. He provided a job so I could provide for my family. All through this Jenny watched me, and when she finally figured out that it wasn’t just some ploy to get her back and she started seeing the hand of God in my transformation, she saw the peace that I had and she wanted it to. She quietly gave her life to Christ as well.

This is my story of hope. Most people had given up on me years before this. I had been in open rebellion against God since I was a teenager. I do know of two people who never lost hope. My Grandparents who prayed for me every day, and I’m sure that even though they didn’t live to see their prayers answered, they knew well before I did that God would answer their prayers.

So what’s your story of hope?

I tag Jonathan, Glenn, Barb, John and any one else who feels moved to participate. Just link back to this post, so we can all be encouraged by your Stories of Hope.

Thoughts on Being a Missional Church

Moving the church outside the walls doesn’t necessarily make it missional. If the purpose of our activities is ultimately to bring more people into our church, That is not missional.

Being a missional church is about moving outside the walls, not to grow our church, but to extend God’s love to those around us.

A missional church can’t be concerned about getting a return on their investment

A missional church must me a church where people see them selves as participants in the mission of God, not just passive recipients of his Grace.

As the body of Christ we are God’s physical representation here on earth. Being missional is about being a redemptive force in our community. Its about God’s will being done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

A missional church is more concerned about how it can enable and encourage its members to serve the community more than it is concerned about offering “services” to its members.

A missional church must be less concerned with making converts than it is with making disciples.
The old way of doing church was attractional. (How can we bring them in?) A missional church is incarnational. (How can we embody Christ in the community?)
Being missional must come from Love. For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son.

A truly missional church must be a loving church. People are smart if they sense that we are doing the things we are doing with the motive of getting them to come to our church they will know, and it will turn them off.

Being a missional church is about loving people like this.

Extremely Powerful Video.

DO NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED

I ran across this Smashing Pumpkins video on You Tube. For those who live in comfortable Christian circles whats portrayed in this video is unimaginable, but this is reality for many people. We need to remember that Jesus came to save people like this, and as the body of Christ. It is our calling to come along side people like this and love them. I can say with out a doubt that it is only by God’s Grace that I am not sitting in an alley somewhere caught in the stranglehold of addiction.

This is a POWERFUL VIDEO. I may be crazy but I think this would be a good video to be shown in Church on a Sunday morning.

Talk about scary looking

We know what you ate for dinner last nignt!

Put The Pipe Down

“Religion is the opium of the masses.” Karl Marx

I was listening a local Contemporary Christian Radio station the other day and Marx’s quote came to mind. There is a lot of truth to his statement. There are very few songs on CCR that challenge people to step out side their comfort zones and follow Christ. On local station boasts that it is “family friendly” and “uplifting and encouraging” and only plays only “uplifting and positive news”. It’s so “soothing” at times I have to change the channel before I nod off on the way to work.

Religion can be like an opiate. The outward practice of religion can bring comfort to us. Singing songs with like minded people on Sunday, sitting passively in the pew, having a nice dinner after church, uttering a prayer before dinner, maybe reading our Bible from time to time,listing to Christian music, etc. We can so immerse ourselves in churchianity that we can become oblivious to the world around us.

That is the difference between being religious and following Christ. Following Christ means facing rejection, stepping out side our comfort zones, putting the needs of others before our own, and at times pain. When we make the shift from just believing in God to Following Christ we will start to be aware of all that is wrong in the world, instead of tuning it all out. The things that bring Jesus to tears will move us to tears. The things that provoke him to anger will provoke us to anger, and most importantly the things that move Him to action will move us to action

What Would Happen?

A friend of mine sent this to me. I thought it was worth sharing.

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bibles like we treat our cell phone?
 

 What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
 What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
 

 What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
 

 What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go….hmm…where is my Bible?

Oh!  And one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.

Makes you stop and think, “Where are my priorities?”

And no dropped calls!

Life after the Gravitron

For his Synchroblog this month, Glenn over at Re-Dreaming the Dream is asking people to share a little bit about the current chapter of there lives. He asks the questions-

How are you doing?

What are you doing?

What are you learning?

What are you dreaming about.

As I shared in a recent post the last year has been disorienting to say the least. The last year has been a year of rethinking what it means to be a Christian, What Church is all about. I became so focused on those things I neglected my relationship with Christ, my wife, my sons, and with everyone else.

 A couple of years ago my boys talked me into riding the Gravitron. When the ride finally stopped and I stumbled off I felt dizzy, nauseous, off balance and disoriented. I had to sit down for a little bit before I could continue to enjoy the street fair with my family. That’s how I feel now.

 I think that this chapter of my life is about just taking some time to sit down and regain my equilibrium. I am trying to focus on strengthening my relationship with my wife, and taking a more active role with our two boys. I am trying to let the Word become central to my life again. I am not naturally a nice person, and the less I am in the word, the more my natural self rears its ugly head. (Just ask Jenny and the boys). I am slowly becoming more involved with other believers, through a Friday night Bible study, and even getting involved in our church again. Oh yeah and I just started walking and hiking, because I have gained so much weight and just feel unhealthy.

 The further I move into adulthood, the more I find out that many of the childhood illusions I held about people I loved and looked up to, and about the world in general are not quite true. But just because my childhood illusions don’t quite ring true my love for those people and for the world God created isn’t diminished. I am learning to have the same attitude towards the Church. As imperfect as it is, God has chosen to use his Church to advance his Kingdom on Earth, It is through his Church that the Gospel is proclaimed.  I am learning that I need instead of just being critical of the church I need to love my fellow brothers and sisters.

 I am also learning (or relearning) the importance of staying in close communion with God through his Word, and prayer.

 What am I dreaming about?

 I’ll have to do a follow up post soon on this one. One thing I am dreaming about is Moving from Romans 7 to Romans 8.

Here is list of other posts in the synchroblog.

Alan Knox: You Are Here

Barb: One Year Check Up

Erin Word: My Turn

Glenn Hager: Feeling Free

HW: May Synchroblog

Jeff McQuilken: Mile Marker Reflections

Jeromy Johnson: Our Story- Chapter 10

Kathy Escobar: It Stinks Down Here, But I Really Love The Smell

Lyn Hallewell: Your Turn

Mike Victorino: Lost Or Found (Depends On Your View

Rachel Hanna: Sychroblog…

Sam: Synchroblog Monday

Sarah: Glenn’s May Synchroblg

Tera Rose: May Synchroblog

Cool Online Radio

I love music, but I usually can’t stand the radio. Even with all the choices on the internet I have a hard time finding radio stations that  play a good mix of music that I like. I tried Jango for awhile, and wasn’t to impressed. Last week I ran across Pandora.com. I love it. I can actually listen to the radio and like almost everything I hear. The cool thing is that if you don’t like a song you just click a box and you never have to hear it again. The more you customize the station the better it gets.

If you want you can check out my station list here

I’m not the only Broken Pilgrim

I ran accros this at Missio Dei.  It’s good to be reminded from time to time, that we arent the only ones who screw up.

 

The next time you feel like GOD can’t use you, just remember…

Noah was a drunk

Abraham was too old

Isaac was a daydreamer

Jacob was a liar

Leah was ugly

Joseph was abused

Moses had a stuttering problem

Gideon was afraid

Samson had long hair and was a womanizer

Jeremiah and Timothy were too young

David had an affair and was a murderer

Elijah was suicidal

Isaiah preached naked

Jonah ran from God

Naomi was a widow

Job went bankrupt

Peter denied Christ

The Disciples fell asleep while praying

Martha worried about everything

The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once

Zaccheus was too small

Paul was too religious

Timothy had an ulcer…

AND

Lazarus was dead!

Jesus helped them all!

Lost sight of Him

John 5:39-40

39You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

Its been awhile since I posted anything but I finally decided to post tonight.

In less than a year I went from a basically fundamental Christian to what many would call an “emerging” Christian. The process has been disorienting to say the least. At times I felt like I had been sucked into a black hole.  Sometime during this transition I made a big mistake. I got so lost in theology and thoughts about what was wrong with the church-That I lost sight of Christ.  My relationships with God has suffered, My relationship with my wife and children have suffered, my witness with the kids who ride the church bus has been effected all because I lost connection with the Source. I’ve decided participate in Glenn’s May Synchroblog and will elaborate about where I am at in my journey.

Has any one else ever found it easy to lose themselves in thoughts about God or the Church and completely lose sight of Christ?  How did it effect your life?

Free Hugs

One thing the world could definately use more of.

 

Road Trip to Toledo

Yesterday afternoon my wife and I piled the boys in the car and drove off for Decatur just to get out of the house. Decatur is about a twenty minute drive, and we figured we would just go to Walmart, take the kids out to McDonalds, and head home. We didn’t make it to Wal-Mart. We eventually made it to McDonalds, just not the McDonalds in Decatur, IN. We ended up stopping at a McDonalds off of I-75 about twenty minutes south of Toledo, OH.

When we left the house we had absolutely no thought of going to Ohio let alone all the way to Toledo. Just south of the Decatur City limits is a highway that goes to Ohio. Jenny saw a sign for Wilshire, OH and  as a joke she said “Lets go to Wilshire.” Without hesitating I said “O.K.” and off we went. What we thought would be just a little road trip across the Ohio State line and back, turned into a little impromptu tour of Northwest Ohio, eventually leading all the way to Toledo.

On the way home I started thinking that maybe our little unplanned road trip is how God intended the Christian journey to be. We would have been satisfied with a quick afternoon trip to Decatur, but God had much more than that in mind for us. He led us all the way to Toledo. It wasn’t a straight shot all the way either, we ended going through towns like Wilshire, Ohio City, Rockford, Lima, Findlay, Bowling Green, Perrysburg, and many more.

I think many times we see the Christian Journey more like an afternoon trip to Decatur, than a road trip to Toledo, and the sad thing is we like it that way. God is offering us a full life, He wants to take us places we have never been before, places where have never even thought of going, he wants to move us outside of our comfort zone. But instead of taking him up on his offer we drive to Decatur, go to Wal-mart and then go home. We stop short of embracing the full life that He offers us.

After Wilshire we stopped in Ohio City to load up on snacks, and then ended up in Rockford where we decided to buy a map of Ohio. It wasn’t until we bought the map that we even thought of going to Toledo. The map let us know where we were, gave us options of where we could go, and let us know how we to get there. It gave us a point of reference.

On the way home from Toledo I started thinking about the map, and about the different ways we can relate to the Bible. I think one way to relate to the Bible is to see it as merely a rule book containing little more than a series of commands to follow, with no room for freedom. The other way to relate to the Bible is to see it as more of a road map.

Obviously the Bible does contain specific commandments. But when we look it as nothing more than a rule book we miss the beauty, depth and richness of the story. We become so focused on separating the black from the white, that we miss the big picture, we don’t take the time to enjoy the journey, and we miss the beautiful, colorful scenery God has placed all around us.

Another way to think about it is this: Let’s say that instead of buying a map in Rockford we bought an Ohio state driving manual. We could have sat in the parking lot of the gas station and studied the book till we had it memorized, but when we pulled back out on the road we would still have no idea of how to get to where we wanted to go. In fact the map showed us not only how to get to our destination, but it was only in opening the map to see the big picture, and starting to drive that our destination was revealed.

As I said before a map gives us a point of reference. It helps us understand where we are and lets us know where we can go from there. A map helps us make good decisions about which roads to take, A map gives us the big picture and give us confidence that we know where we are going. I also think that a map offers us freedom. When we open the map and a destination is revealed we still have a choice about which roads to take. The map revealed that Ohio had a great highway system and we discovered that there was more than one way to get to Toledo, as long as we used the map as guide we would be fine.

In Sunday school a while back the teacher was talking about his life before and after coming to Christ. First he drew a vertical line which represented the will of God. Next he drew a horizontal line that represented how he lived his life before Christ. Last he drew another vertical line right on top of the first line, which represented how he tries to live his life now. The teacher went on to talk about the importance of being in the Word, and how being in the Word helps us line up our lives with the will of God.

I remember thinking that this was a very narrow way of seeing both the Bible and the Christian life. I wanted to offer another view. To represent the will of God I would draw two parallel lines with some room between them. In various places between the lines there would be dots, which represent various stopping points along the way. To represent a life lived within the will of God, I would draw a line that moves freely between those lines, curving to the left or the right  to intersect with the various dots along the way. I think this second picture gives a fuller representation of the freedom that is found in Christ.

We almost didn’t make it all the way to Toledo. As we were pulling into Bowling Green I started to have my doubts. My wife wanted me to drive the rest of the way,because I am much better at finding my way through strange city’s and I can also become the world’s worst side seat driver in those situations. “What if we wreck?”  ”What if we get lost.”  ”I have a bad feeling about this” “What if the car breaks down” and a thousand other thoughts started going through my head.

On the north side of Bowling Green we saw a bowling alley, and I said “I know instead of going to Toledo lets go bowling in Bowling Green, that’d be a pretty good story to tell when people asked us what we did over the weekend” Jenny wanted to push on to Toledo, because that is where we said we were going and she didn’t want to stop short now.

Here we were at least a couple hundred miles from home and less than forty miles from Toledo and we still almost stopped short. Its like were standing on the banks of the Jordon with the promised land in sight, and I was saying I don’t know if this is such a good idea. I think we should stop here.  I don’t believe God will take us any farther. I almost listened to the majority report in my head, and turned back. I wonder how often that happens. How many times we make it past Decatur, past the state line, past Wilshire, and when we are almost to Toledo, we stop short at Bowling Green.

I’m glad we made that right turn before Decatur and that we made it all the way to Toledo. God used this trip to speak to me in a powerful way. I think that sometimes putting our selves in a position to hear God takes stepping out in an act of faith. It takes embracing the Christian Journey as an unplanned road trip to Toledo, instead of seeing it as just a quick trip to Decatur.

Deeper Than Individual Issues

I did something last night I have never done before. I made a contribution to a political campaign. It wasn’t much, but I gave a little something to the Barack Obama Campaign. I have always had an interest in politics and have always held strong views., but this is the first time I have been inspired enough to give and money to a campaign. I live in Indiana and our primary isn’t until April, meaning that  Indiana very rarely plays any part in choosing the party candidate so I decided to help in the best way I could.

If I was to vote purely based on issues I would probably have to go with Mike Huckabee, but the reasons I support Obama go much deeper than individual issues. With Obama I get the sense that my voice really does matter, I like that he is challenging the American people to get involved, to become part of a movement of change. He is not asking us to put our trust in him to change the country, he is asking us to believe that We can change our country (and the world) for the better.

I believe that Obama will be a voice of unity, rather than division, a voice of hope rather than pessimism. A voice for peace in a time of war. I truly believe that he is the only true voice of Change in this year’s presidential race, and I think that change is something that this country desperately needs, Change in America is something that the world needs.

I think what finally solidified my support of Obama is his views on Foreign policy. He understands that America’s greatness dosen’t depend on our military but on our people. Through the expansion of civilian programs he wants to encourage and empower individuals to become agents of redemptive change in the world. 

As I read through his Foreign policy statement these are the themes that stuck out to me. Diplomacy, reconciliation, peace, dialog, leadership, compassion, partnership, openness. After eight years of unilateralism, war mongering, and division, The type of leadership that Barak wants to bring to the table will be a welcome site, not just to American, but to the World

 

Page 123 Meme

Alan Knox over at The Assembling of the Church just tagged me for this Meme. Here are the rules.

 Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more (no cheating!)

Find page 123

Find the first five sentences

Post the next three sentences

Tag five people

The nearest book to me was actually my Bible. (Hasn’t always been the case as of late). Page 123 in my Bible starts off with the second half of Numbers 13, when the spies come back after spying out the land of Canaan.

At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the Land. They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.

I think most people know how the rest of the story goes. All the spies except Caleb and Joshua, give a bad report.  and the Israelites listened to the majority report. It used to amaze me that the Israelites who had seen the Lord work so many miracles, and deliver them so many times, would doubt that He would give them victory over the people of Canaan.

I’m not so amazed anymore. This story reminds me of just how far He has brought my family. Just the fact that my family is still together seems like a miracle as powerful as the parting of the Red Sea. Yet here I am with nothing between me and  and the total victory, healing and deliverance God has promised but a few giants and some strongholds, and yet I hesitate to advance and claim the victory that is already been won by Christ.

I’m supposed to tag 5 people but I don’t really have five people to tag. So I tag Jeff, Jonathan , and Graham

Truth From the Voice of a Rock Star

Here is video of Bono from US giving a speech at a prayer breakfast in Washington DC. It’s to bad messages like these aren’t coming from pupits on a regular basis

Thoughts about leaving

 I’ve been having a conversation with a pastor I know, and I a shared with him that my wife and I haven’t been going to church on a regular basis. He asked me why and I decided to really answer him. Here is my answer

There’s a lot of things.

Some of it has to do with that my wife and I have been struggling with drinking, but that’s only a small part of it. It goes much deeper than that.

So much of what I see going on in the church (not just our church, but all over) seems so inward focused. I have a hard time seeing what new playgrounds, basket ball courts, new fencing etc. have to do with the Gospel, with advancing the Kingdom of God. I can help but think about how many people could have been fed with the amount of money is spent on building bigger buildings

My wife and I feel very boxed in. We know that God desires worshippers who worship him in spirit and in truth, but we have a hard time doing that sitting or standing in our pew, reading lyrics of a screen. And I’m tired of singing songs that speak of Jesus as if he’s my boyfriend.

I’m tired of shallow relationships and cliques, I’m tired of shaking hands with a smile on my face and being asked how I am. When I know that they don’t really want to know. And to be honest more than not when I ask that question of someone else I don’t really want to know either.

Church doesn’t seem like an environment where I can ask questions, and receive meaningful answers, and I have a lot of questions, over the last few months I have been in the process of rethinking a lot of things about what it means to follow Christ, What a Christian really is.

I’ve shared some of this with Pastor Lyle and he knows that Jenny and I have thought about leaving the church a lot lately, but God just seems to be telling me to Stay. I had a conversation with a friend the other day and she said “Aaron you know if you leave God will bring you right back. Before long the Church will be the biggest mission field around.” and I think she’s right.

Sorry to unload on you like this. Its just that I am done holding this all in. I hope this isn’t more of an answer than you were counting on.

I don’t want to make this post to long so I’ll share more on the conversation in another post.

Is anyone else thinking about leaving their church, or have maybe already left?

What was on your list of reasons?