a loose wire

Typically I'm not one for construction project illustrations but since I just finished helping my dad wire some lights...

The interesting thing about any electrical circuit, be it lights or outlets, is that it only takes one missed connection to keep the whole thing from working properly. Some parts make work just fine, but the overall capacity is diminished by that missed connection. The same is true for growing our missional communities and expressions. If we fail to make certain connections, the rest won't work as well. Sometimes it's a key person that hasn't been included or reached out to. Other times it may be an idea or piece of information that wasn't properly communicated. It can even be an overlooked step in the discipleship process.

At every step as we reach out, minister to and disciple those around us we must take care to check and assess for these missed connections. One repaired connection could be the key to restoring the rest of their life to one of full abundance, the full capacity of what it can be.

Anyway, that's my brief thought on electrical wiring and the church.

Peter, Cornelius and stepping out of our comfort zone

Acts 10 is fascinating to me for many reasons. But as I was reading
through it today something really struck me. How similar are Peter's
hangups regarding race, religion and culture to my own? I live in a
diverse neighborhood, a diverse city. How often do my preconceived
notions get in the way of fostering new relationships? How many
Cornelius' live on my street that I am hesitating to spend time with
because it's uncomfortable? The ESV states it this way: "What God has
made clean do not call common." In my own strength I say to myself that to be about God's work of redemption and restoration means getting dirty. It's never easy. Stuff will always come up. But God blatantly tells us that He's the one who got dirty. He's the one who's making things clean. Our job is to step out of our comfort zone and enter these relationships where we get to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ. My opinions are no longer an excuse for holding back. Am I willing to admit that we are all made in His image and set aside petty reasons for maintaining separate lives. I am thankful for the fact that God is constantly challenging my shallow thoughts with the truth of Himself, His work in us and His love for us.

times of trial

Sara and I were chatting this morning about spiritual attacks. They are always with us but there are definitely periods where they seem to increase in scope and frequency. There are some tremendous things happening in our Missional Community and in our neighborhood. God is clearly at work. And when God is at work Satan will do all he can to sabotage it. So we must be on guard. We must be prepared for the reality of battle. And we can be encouraged by the Peter's words in 1 Peter 5:6-11
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. Be sober-minded; be
watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

looking through the mirror of change

Change is never an easy thing. And the reality is that change is an integral part of life. It's something we cannot avoid. In the midst of change, great or small, we come face to face with issues of identity and presuppositions. The real challenge is not how we handle change itself but how we handle those issues. It is in these moments that many of our presuppositions about life and ourselves scream loudly that something is wrong. What is tragic is how loudly the lies scream out at us. Lies about our abilities, fairness, odds of success, trust and love. But we can overcome the lies. In the midst of it all we can grab hold of truth. In doing so we push back the destructive tendencies of the lies, giving us the strength, courage and perseverance to face change head on. There is such beauty to be found in discovering new depths to the truth of who you are and what you are capable of doing and becoming. Too often we are our worst enemy because we give in to the ease of believing the lies. The real greatness of coming through change is when we come through with greater understanding of who we really are.

I am a child of God, made in His image. He has uniquely gifted me for the challenges before me and He will be faithful to complete what He has begun. I am loved and trusted more than I can possibly comprehend. In light of these truths change isn't all that bad.

Olympics and nostalgia

I am thoroughly enjoying watching the Olympics. There is simply no denying that the swimming has been phenomenal so far. Every Olympics is special but I'll admit the fact that this one is in China grabs hold of my attention even more than normal. In the summer of 1996 I went through the Chinese Language Institute at Northeastern University in Shenyang, China. Watching all of the signs and banners in Chinese, seeing the shots of tourists and the vignettes on Chinese culture bring so back so many memories. It was a special time and someday I hope to return for a visit. But for today I just visited the university website and looked to see what has changed and what's still the same.

www.neu.edu.cn

where do we stand?

There’s an interesting tension that exists in our culture today that I find, as I think about it more and more, to be quite unhealthy. When it comes to belief in anything, not just matters of religious faith, people in our society tend to fall to one extreme or the other in how they express that belief.
On one hand political correctness has become such a domineering method of thought and as a result there is an extreme fear of offending another party. As a result many people simply don’t say what they believe or state it in a vague manner that really means nothing at all.
On the other end is the attack. Why is it so much easier to attack another person’s position or belief than to state what you believe. Some denominations have built entire reputations in recent years based on stating what they are against. Politicians have made an art form out of rejecting an opponent’s position without ever clearly stating their own.
What ever happened to the ability to simply and humbly say what you believe? The Bible says that if you do not stand firm in your faith you will not stand at all. That’s a position of strength that does not waiver for fear of offense but also is not constantly on the offensive against everyone else who thinks or believes differently. During the first 3 centuries of the Christian church there were many challenges to the faith. That hasn’t changed much but there is definitely something to be learned from their responses to these challenges. They did not back down from those challenges. And their greatest refutations of opposing or divergent beliefs was accomplished by clearly stating their own beliefs. New challenges resulted in greater clarifications. And so over the course of 300+ years we see this development of a statement of faith that resulted in a creed developed at the council of Nicea and it’s final revision at Constantinople in May of 381. For all the challenges that came from differing beliefs about Jesus to philosophical views on the nature of the world the church put forth a statement of belief that continues to shape and guide the faith of so many today.

Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed May, 381ce

We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible;
And in the one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten from the Father before all time, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of the same substance as the Father, through whom all things were made;
Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and rose on the third day, according to the scriptures, and ascended to heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father, and will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who together with the Father and Son is worshipped and glorified, who spoke through the prophets; and in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. We confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.