summer

Why does Georgia always have to return to its default season: summer?

about the church [.] part vi

It's always interesting how these things happen. When I started these posts I had no idea that this Sunday (10/31) I would be preaching on this same topic. No joke! When we started talking about the current preaching series about 2 weeks ago, our Senior Pastor asked me to preach the message entitled: "Reclaiming the Church as Community." (Perhaps he reads my blog...?) I don't intend to go into as much detail as I have been doing on my blog, but I will hit many of the common themes during the message.

Okay... on to this post: the Church is community. Today I'll be tackling the second characteristic of Christian community that I laid out in my previous post: the "true" Church encounters the Word of God.

I won't say much on this (I'll keep it brief), except to say that the Church must encounter the Word of God in a three-fold way:

1) The Living Word: The first chapter of John teaches us that Jesus Christ is the Word (Greek - logos) of God. Since he is risen and in the Father's presence in Heaven, he is the Living Word. Since his Holy Spirit is present in the lives of believers today, he is the Living Word.

2) The written Word: Scripture is the written Word of God. It is much more than a series of historical accounts of God's activity in humanity. It is the very record of God's revelation, and, as such, is his revelation to us. It is the Word of God (Greek - matailogos).

3) The spoken Word: When God's word is spoken, powerful things happen. When God spoke, the universe was created (Genesis 1). The Apostle Paul described the spoken Word of God (Greek - rhema) in the fifth chapter of his letter to the Ephesians as the "sword of the Spirit." At the end of his 40 day fast, Jesus spoke God's Word (Old Testament Scripture) against satan and his temptations. Quoting and praying Scripture is powerful and effective. (Note: I am not at all talking about the "Word-Faith" interpretation of speaking God's Word. For those of you who are not familiar with that idea, basically, there are some people out there who believe that speaking God's Word is a guarantee that you will receive something. Most often, material blessings in the form of $$$. I believe this is a mishandling of the word and a heretical theological understanding of rhema.)

Okay, that's all for now. On to the weekend!

Previous posts in this series:
part i [.] why do people choose not to be part of the Church?
part ii [.] boring Church and style issues
part iii [.] the mission of God
part iv [.] the Church is community.1
part v [.] the Church is community.2

congrats

way to go, Sox!

ipod - u2 ed

Okay, so I'm a huge fan of U2. And, I must say, I'm pretty darn excited about the special edition iPod. Wish the $$$ was there to feed my craving. Then again, maybe it's a good thing that it isn't...

related linx...

Offical U2 special edition iPod site

In case you haven't seen the commercial (it's amazing), CLICK HERE.

get out the vote 2004

I found this site today. It's supported by AIGA and consists of several posters encouraging folks to, um, "get out and vote." I've put a couple-o interesting ones up on my blog (you can click on them and get an 11x17 pdf file for printing). You can read more about the program and see more posters via this LINK. Enjoy...

Giselle

Yeah. That would be the new name of my former roommate, Dan, on TBS's He's a Lady. Last week (in case you missed it), they eliminated 4 of the 11 contestants. Dan was the seventh and last one picked to move on through the game. It was so nail-biting stressful! I'll probably stop watching the show after he gets eliminated--so, he better stay on for a while!

It was surreal seeing this guy that I know dressing up as a woman on TV, getting interviewed, and speaking into a "Diary Cam." What's with all that?? I'm enjoying observing my reactions to the show as much as I am seeing Dan make a fool of himself! Good luck, tonight, Dan!

Thanks, all, for the "lively" dialogue in my first post about Dan, er, Giselle, or, um, Dan-Giselle, or, whatever...

about the church [.] part v

Okay, so let's continue the dialogue about the topic: The Church is community.

In my previous post on this topic I stated that the Church is community. I stated three generalized things we can look for in a true Church. Essentially these were the three things:
1. Administration of the ordinances (Lord's Supper & baptism)
2. Encountering of the Word of God
3. Actively joining in the mission of God

I'll go through each of these one-by-one to bring some clarity to how each of these things happens within community.

The true Church community participates in right administration of the ordinances of faith (Lord's Supper & baptism). Now, say that sentence again 5xs really fast. A few thoughts here... First, it's interesting that Christ--who instituted/began these ordinances--participated in these 2 ordinances. They are, then, indicative of the community of faith that he established. Secondly, both of these ordinances are highly communal. I'll break it down one-by-one:

Lord's Supper: Communal. The breaking of bread and sharing of the cup were a common practice in Judaism since Moses' time. Jesus began the "new covenant" (his words) practice of the breaking of bread and sharing of the cup during the Passover meal. The very idea of this sacred activity taking place around a table during a meal points to more than just the individual's experience with the wine/bread. The Lord's Supper, then, is a reminder given to all of us of Jesus' sacrifice. We partake of it together because it is only through Him that we can be together. And we are reminded that together we are the Body of Christ--his Church.

Baptism: Communal. It's pretty darn obvious that you cannot baptise yourself. Although, there were a few folks through history who have actually done this! Baptism marks a person as part of a specific community. In a sense, baptism carries a double meaning: "I am aligning myself with Jesus the Christ, and I am covenanting with this community of people." It is important to remember that of all the people who walked this earth, Jesus did not need to be baptised because baptism is a symbol of the washing away of sin. Yet, Jesus humbled himself, and in so doing, led the way in creating a community of people identified by a similar humility.

Both baptism and the Lord's Supper have several things in common.

(1) First, they are ordinances, not sacraments. As such, they are not mystical means of gaining God's favor or merit or grace. Instead, they are communal practices which point to some deeper meaning. This is similar to the way that a wedding ring doesn't make someone "married," but symbolically points to a deeper reality. Nothing in Scripture would indicate that when Jesus participated in these activities on earth he received any special favor or merit from God. (One could argue that the decending of the Holy Spirit on Jesus after his baptism is an example of merit/grace from God. While this could be the case, simply looking at the text refutes this possiblity. The dove was accompanied by 'a voice from heaven,' which declared who Jesus was: 'this is my Son.' Hence, the dove was not merit/favor/grace of God, but a messenger to declare who Jesus, in fact, was.)

Along this same train of thought, the LS and baptism are, (2) secondly, symbolic activites which remind us that through sacrifice/humility comes life. (3)Thirdly, these ordinances are gifts to us from Jesus to remind us of the very activities that Christ undertook. (see below)

Cross: broken body, poured out blood
Lord's Supper: broken bread, poured out wine

Death/grave: Burial, cleansing through death, resurrection to new life
Baptism: Submerging under water, symbolic cleansing of sin, emerging from the water to new life as a Christian

And the most mysterous of all: (4) Finally, though both are created for communal experience, they are carried out by the individual in a highly personal experience. (I just love these paradoxes! God just doesn't fit neatly into a box, does he!?)

The LS and baptism are freely given to the community of faith. And, a true community of Christ followers will actively participate in these two ordinances.

Previous posts in this series:
part i [.] why do people choose not to be part of the Church?
part ii [.] boring Church and style issues
part iii [.] the mission of God
part iv [.] the Church is community.1

weekend

Ugh. I usually don't work on Fridays. (You know, us preacha's work on Sundays!) I was planning to hit the office for about 3 hours today to tie up some loose ends before the weekend. As you can see, I've been here all day. Ugh. I was also planning to have another "about the Church" entry, but I just have not had time today. Thanks for understanding. I'm looking forward to the weekend!

Earl Grey

4:27PM this afternoon... thanks, guys. What a peaceful drink.

rankin' again

Well, it's been a while since I last posted how I was doing in College Pick 'Em (ESPN). Part of the reason why is because I got a whopping 16 out of 55 points a few weeks ago. I slid way down into the 30,000th++ places. It was embarrassing. But, over the past 2 weeks I've made some healthy strides back up the ladder with a 50/55 and a 49/55 point spread. So, currently, I am in 20,342nd place in the College Pick 'Em world.

Just thought you'd wanna know.

Oh, and Go Red Sox!

tea leaf

So, today is a tea day. (Yeah, sometimes I venture away from coffee and have a spot of tea.) I don't know anything about tea. Nothing. So, any suggestions for brands, types, etc.? Here's what I'm primarily interested in:

1) Herbal tea
2) Decaf tea

Part of why I am investigating teas is a result of an experience about 3 weeks ago. I went 1 day without a cup-o joe. Bad mistake. I had a severe headache... and the shameful realization that I was addicted to caffeine. So, I've cut back my caffeine intake dramatically. In fact, I haven't had any caffeine today and I'm doing fine. But, I have had about 5 cups of cinnamon/apple tea...

about the church [.] part iv

The other day I went to the bank to deposit my paycheck. I pulled up to the drive-in teller thing and was pretty darn surprised to see a computer monitor. The monitor flashed through sports stats, news from the day and propaganda from the financial institution that holds my mullah. It was about this time that I noticed a brick wall in place of what usually is a large glass window so you can see the teller and vice-versa. Then, much to my surprise, the teller popped up on the screen looking into a web cam and asked me: "Can I help you?" I can only assume she was somewhere behind that brick wall depositing my paycheck whilst I watched the computer screen scrolling information.

I thought about the Church, and I thought about this post. Today's topic: The Church is community. (I think this may end up being 2-3 posts on this same topic.)

Duh. The church is community. Wow. Imagine that: Church is made up of people. We see this in 2 different levels:
(1) Universal/cosmic level--in the sense that all the saints past, present, future are "the Church" (saints = believers/disciples of Christ, not the Catholic Church understanding of sainthood), and
(2) Local/present day context--in the sense of a group of people regularly gathering to participate in Christian community.

Let me start with a dialogue of the 2nd definition I gave. The Church, then, is a mixture of people all across the spiritual spectrum--from absolute pagan, to seekers of Christ, to imitators of Christ, to disciples of Christ--gathered to participate in Christian community. This is important to remember. Why? Because its reality. Not everyone who joins in a worship or small group gathering is a believer in Christ. In fact, if a Church community is truly New Testamental, there will be many pre-believers present as well as believers (check out 1 Corinthians 14). I would go so far as to say that a growing, thriving Church will necessarily have pre-believers in its midst. You have to--otherwise you are not evangelizing. So... do you hang out with pagans? Hehehehe...

In my opinion, it is a fallacy to refer to "Church" as a building (geez... how many times do I say: "I'm going to Church" and am really referring to a building) and just as much a fallacy to refer to the Church as just believers in Christ. What about the Church universal/cosmic? Now, for the caviat to my opinion: the Church--the true Church, the universal/cosmic Church--is made up of only the past, present and future saints. In other words, not everyone who shows up on a Sunday morning is part of the true/universal/cosmic Church.

It's a messy thing, and I, for one, am more comfortable with terminology that opens up Christ-centered community to the masses, as opposed to limiting it to those who are in the "inner circle" (i.e. the saints). So, the "Church" I am a member of has both believers and pre-believers in its midst. (I bet you're a part of the same kind of Church.) How else will the "inner circle" grow if we are not constantly asking those "outside" to come in? (see 1 Thessolonians 1 for a great example of people moving from "outside" to "inside"--pagan, to imitators, to modeling disciples). Let's stop the inside/outside terminology, acknowledge what the true Church is, and admit that the present reality doesn't measure up.

Now to finish up this post.......

So, how do I know a Church community when I see one? I'll offer a few guiding thoughts--by no means a comprehensive list...
1. A Church rightly administers the ordinances Jesus Christ instituted: (1) Believer's baptism and (2) Communion (Lord's Supper). (An ordinance is a religious rite participated in as symbolic of the faith... I'll get into this deeper later on. NOTE: They are not means of "grace," "favor," or "merit" from God--that would be a "sacrament.")
2. A Church rightly encounters the spoken, written and experienced Word of God. (spoken: teaching/prayer; written: Scriptures; experienced: Jesus Christ)
3. A Church consists of those gathered in the name of Jesus Christ for the purposes of worshiping Jesus, encouraging others, using spiritual gifts and advancing the Kingdom through evangelism.

That's all for now. I'll go deeper into "Church as community" in the next few posts... when I get around to 'em.

Previous posts in this series:
part i [.] why do people choose not to be part of the Church?
part ii [.] boring Church and style issues
Part iii [.] the mission of God

he's a lady; she's my... roommate??

Okay, so Kim and I have seen previews for this show debuting on TBS this Tuesday called: He's a Lady. The premise of this "reality TV show" is that they take 11 men, dress 'em up as women and then see who can be the most feminine. From the TBS website:

They thought they were competing for the title of "All-American Man." They couldn't have been more wrong. This fall, eleven manly men will compete to become...the ultimate lady. And the winner will take home a quarter of a million dollars!

My initial reaction was something along the lines of: "This is sick." And, my second reaction was: "Hmm... that guy looks familiar..."

Well, long story short, one of the contestants was my roommate! Yup. Dan (click here to see his bio) made it on to the show. I lived with Dan for a year about 2 years ago (we lived in a "bachelor" pad with another guy). I remember Dan being psycho about his reality TV shows, so it's good to see him finally make it onto one. But, it's still quite disturbing to know that I lived with this guy... and now he's dressing up like a woman. I really hope he wins the quarter-million. That's Dan pictured. (Oh, and on the TBS promos, he's the guy flexing his muscle. He's also interviewed pretty extensively in the online video promo found on this page.)

It's just a bizarre feeling... I mean, I've never personally known anyone on a reality TV show before... much less lived with someone who was on a reality TV show. And, what with all my angst against "reality TV," I'm not quite sure how to take this...

Well... Good luck, Dan. (Or... "Danette?") I'll be watching the show with my wife and rooting for ya.

apology

Hmm... seems my comments server is down again. Ugh. Wish me luck as I try to figure out why. In the meantime, please let me know if you are having the same trouble by e-mailing me (they aren't showing up on my browser).

Peace and coffee...

thanks and off to the weekend

Thanks for the props, Brad.

Off to the weekend! Roooll Tide! (And, um, go uga.)

about the church [.] part iii

I've obviously decided to rename this series of posts. I think the original name, "why people leave churches," spun everything in a negative light. So, I decided to rename it since the purpose of this whole series of posts is essentially to address the purpose of the Church. (Originally, I wanted to do this by addressing common misperceptions, but I don't think that's the way I need to do it now.) And, why shouldn't I rename the series? It is my blog after all. :^) (I think that's the first emoticon I've ever done in a post.)

Today's question: Why the Church?

We've previously addressed questions concerning style of services and motivations (both of the individual worshiper and the Church community). I kind of feel like we looked at the branches of a giant tree before ever talking about it's roots. A casual glance at a Church worship service, the motivations of worshipers, the programs offered by a Church community--they're all branches. So, what's the root? Here's a very simplified answer to the question...

The Church exists as part of the missio dei (mission of God). God is on mission. What is his mission? There's been a lot of talk about this on several emergent blogs lately. I believe the Holy Scriptures are the best place to figure out what God's mission is. I believe this because Scripture is not only a record of God's presence and action in History, but also the standard by which we evaluate theology and practice in the Church today. And, after reading and studying the Bible for several years, I can't get over the fact that the "mission of God" is more than just seeking the lost, healing the sick, redeeming creation or saving the bound. Simply put: God's mission is to bring glory to himself.

This blows the paradigm that Church is primarily for me and for you. Jesus himself talked about the Church as his bride. All throughout the Old Testament (TaNaKh), God referred to Israel as his people. Many times God acted on behalf of his people "for the sake of my name" (i.e. his glory, his renown, his "reputation" in modern language).

We have to understand this before we can talk about style and motivation. A common misconception is that the Church was created by men. This is not at all what is recorded in the book of Acts (the first century of Christian faith). Now, the expressions of the Church are definitely created by people like you and me. God has given us this awesome privilege; and in this sense, Church is for you and me. Nonetheless, the Church--raw, cosmic, human Church--is God's Church where Christ is the Head and ultimate Leader. One could rightly argue that the institutionalization of the Church was all our fault and never what Christ intended.

So, the Church exists as an extension of God's mission on earth. The Church exists to bring more and more glory to God. The Church is an important part of God's present activity in history, and it was sanctioned/intitiated by him.

(c.f. Ephesians 4:1-16; Acts)

Previous posts in this series:
part i [.] why do people choose not to be part of the Church?
part ii [.] boring Church and style issues

ugh.

I hate allergies.

mind made up

Last week I made a post about the upcoming elections. I really appreciate your comments/dialogue (especially the thought provoking issues raised by Jay... who still hasn't started his own blog). You all really helped expose some blind spots in my thinking, and revealed areas that I really need to look deeper into over the next few weeks leading up to the elections. So, thank you!

Today I ran into a guy at the gym that I've known for quite some time. He laid out his argument for why he is voting for a certain candidate. Then, he said something that caused me to think a bit. My paraphrase of what he said: "You know, Adam, I think the presidential debates are pointless. I really do think that most people have already made up their mind on who they are going to vote for."

That caused me to think a whole bunch. The question that really resonated in my head was: When did I make up my mind? Was it before all the recent debates? Did I make up my mind and then justify how I heard certain things come out of Bush and Kerry's mouths? Or worse... Is it even possible to be "open minded" at this point in the game?? A good friend of mine (who will remain unnamed) recently accused me of having "bought into the White House propaganda." I wonder if I have... or if he's bought into "the other side's" propaganda.

Geez. Lots of heavy posts. I promise I'll blog about something with less eternal or political ramifications at some point. (Note the sarcasm.)

why do people leave churches? part 2

In my previous post, "why do people leave churches?" I began addressing what I see as misunderstandings/misconceptions of what is meant by "Church." I began this dialogue asking "Why do people choose not to be a part of a Church?" (Link to the post to see the dialogue on that issue.) A couple of issues were brought up in response to that post, which I feel need to be addressed before moving on in the dialogue (thanks to all who posted!).

First of all, there was much discussion on style of worship service. In essence, the question was about why Churches structure their worship services the way they do. For instance, why do some Churches sing traditional hymns while others use a rock-n-roll band format? While Church is more than 1 hour on Sunday mornings, I will still go ahead and address this issue because it's important.

There is no easy answer to this question. I would suggest 2 possible responses:
1) Personal preference of that Church community. While not necessarily the ideal reason, some Churches do music the way they do it because they like it that way. The danger is when some Church communities feel their way is the only/right way, or they refuse to be open to any possible changes.
2) In response to the community of people God is reaching through the Church. I would argue this is the better reason for selection of music style. Inherent in the Church's mission is an understanding that God is constantly drawing people to Himself... and that he uses many different means to do this. That is why today you can find three Churches side-by-side with three different styles of music (such as rock-n-roll, traditional hymns, acappella, etc.).

Another issue brought up centered around Church being "boring." (This is partially related to the first issue, but I am separating it here for dialoguing purposes.) In all honesty, possibly everyone who has stepped into a Church worship service more than once can say they have been bored. Why? Again, no easy answers, but I suggest two:
1) You came looking for something and didn't find it. Here the Church attender is "to blame." What did you expect to "get?" Is a worship service meant for your enjoyment, or is there another purpose behind it?
2) The Church operates religiously, not Spirit-led. This is similar to the #1 response in the previous issue on music style. Does the Church do what it does because it has always done it that way? At the center of this question is the assumption that the Church is not critically asking "why do we do this?" Likewise, the same mistake can be made as in the previous reason: the Church assumes the worship service is for themselves.

So, if you're bored at a Church worship service or if you're tired of the services you attend at your current Church, you may be partly to blame. Its not always the Church community's fault. Besides, if you see an area for change and you do nothing about it, you really are to blame! You could have been the change agent! Likewise, the Church community may be to blame as well. Its not always the individual attender's fault.

These issues needed to be addressed before I continued the dialogue on "why do people leave Churches." Let me suggest the following presupposition to guide the remainder of the dialogue: "Church" is not about you, the Church community nor Christianity. Everything a Church is and does ultimately centers around the active presence and work of Jesus Christ.

shoulda

I should have worn shorts today. It's amazing outside.

why do people leave churches?

I'm faced with that question right now. Recently our Church experienced a transition with our staffing. As a result, some folks chose to leave our Church. This isn't the first time I've seen people uproot their fellowship and plant it somewhere else. So, I have been wrestling with the question: "Why do people leave churches?" I have a few thoughts and would like to express them here. In doing so, I hope to cultivate a healthy dialogue on the nature of the Church and why we choose or choose not to be a part of it.

Before I begin this dialogue, I must point out that this dialogue is in no way intended to judge those persons who have left our Church. I know some of you reading my blog are some of those who have chosen to leave. Likewise, some of you reading it right now have chosen to stay. Please know that my heart is full of love toward all you, and I wish you the best as you move on or as you stay. The intent of this dialogue is as much for my benefit as it may be for anyone else who is wrestling with the idea of God's community on earth.

To begin the dialogue...

Perhaps we can learn more from asking the opposite of the question that I posed earlier. Namely: "Why do people choose not to be a part of a Church?" What is it that draws some people into Christian community? Why is it that some people choose not to be part of Christian community?

This argument can take on many different tones in regards to "style of worship" or "content of message" or "technological usage," etc. We could go round and round asking these questions, and I think we would not be any closer to the real answer in the end. Let me start by saying this: People no longer come to Church. The Church must come to people.

Here's what I mean... A few decades ago the Church (Western Christianity) began restructuring their programs to be more readily received by "seekers." These Churches even created a phrase: "seeker sensitive." While this method served the Church well--many folks began personal relationships with Jesus--it's focus was dangerously off. The focus was on the individual person--What can we do to attract you.

Then something happened about a decade-and-a-half ago: No one was coming to Church for a dog-and-pony show anymore! So, all these "seeker sensitive" Churches began swapping sheep; attracting Christian bunnies who hopped from one bin to another. This wasn't intentional, it just happened. Those attending Church by and large began to say: "Feed me! Feed me!" Hence the rise of the mega Church. (Now, don't get me wrong! The "seeker" Church served a wonderful purpose, and so have mega Churches. They both have served to make positive lasting impressions on the Kingdom. It's just that today these Churches are having less and less of an impact on the pre-believing community.)

That being said: Why do people choose not to be part of a Church? Perhaps its because most Churches today have little to offer outside of what they have to offer. (Huh?) The world isn't seeking some better structured worship service, or a better rock-n-roll band, or a better preacher. Pre-believers (at least, the one's I run around with) are looking for God. They want to see God show up 100% of the time, and they could care less if the transition between singing some songs and preaching weren't seamless. Hmm... guess our consumeristic-approach-to-Church may be more cultural than Scriptural.

So, now I ask you. If you are not currently attending a Christian Church on a regular basis... why not?

embody

I stumbled across this page a while back. Don't think I've ever posted about it on my blog. Well, now I am.

Embody (UK) has a conglomeration (did I just use that word?) of flash projects on their site. Most of which are worship-related, experiential-based projects. When you have the time to check them out, you should. Just know that some of them take a while to do, so you'll need plenty of time and high-bandwidth.

In particular, you may wanna check out The Labyrinth. You'll need about 45 minutes for this one (I've done it before).

This is a whole new world of "worship experience," and it excites me. At the same time, I am wary of it. Worship at its best is a communal expression flowing through individuals. While groups like embody are doing a great good for the individual by offering on-line, "private" environments to encounter God, there is still a lack of physical community that is the true marker of God-worship. Len Sweet refers to this tension as "high tech, high touch." Essentially, technology must not be avoided, and, likewise, the value of human interaction (physically) must not be underestimated.

video

Two pals of mine from my seminary days (oh so long ago) are planting a church in Augusta, GA. Reggie and Jeremy are pretty swell guys, and they put together THIS VIDEO to advertise their new community: The Well. (Nice splicing of a Switchfoot song!) Enjoy.

blogroll update

First of all, HAPPY OCTOBER!! Yee-haw.

Okay, so I'm adding the following blogs to my blogroll (renamed "blogdom" for the time being) this month:

Sinosplice: Belongs to my pal in China, John Pasden. He's studying in China, and also working on English language resources there. Very interesting blog...

The Flying Pig: Tim Beard is behind this. I've blogged about Tim for some time now... and he's been a covert reader of my blog. Now, he has his own blog. Seems promising at the outset... looks like regular postings on the way!

Tall Skinny Kiwi: Belongs to Andrew Jones (not to be confused with the Atlanta Braves baseball player). Andrew has a pretty awesome perspective on emergent church stuff and spirituality in UK/Europe. I'm adding him because I feel the need to have a more diverse "voice" in my blog roll.

I've also rearranged my blogdom links into two categories: "pals" and "emerging." They're pretty self explanitory. The "emerging" links deal more with the emerging church and how it is engaging/transforming culture.

*sigh* That's all for now. Off to North Carolina for a wedding! Tah-tah!