by Lon on January 31, 2008
by Lon on January 28, 2008
Recently I was working on a research project interviewing a wide spectrum of people at a church. Questions were along the lines of where they were at spiritually with the church, what could use improvement, what they would do to change things and so on.
One interesting insight that came out of it was when I asked people what they loved about the church. Most people could rave on and on about their church, I assume that’s why they’re there.
Tell me, what do you love about your church?
I would also ask people where they saw Jesus working in the church. It was interesting how the responses were at times different from what they loved about the church.
Jesus is indeed working, but what makes these responses different?
Could it be that sometimes we’re building the church, that Jesus isn’t…?
by Lon on January 25, 2008
To illustrate my last post.
Eight years ago, I spent a summer living in a house (supposedly an old brothel that had been renovated, but that’s another story) with five other guys. It got so dirty with our lack of cleaning, by the end of that summer, there were foot-high mushrooms growing out of the floors.
They grew out of the dirt and grime in the darkness. They were tall and unavoidable. They would graze your feet as you tried to step over them. They seemed to multiply best in the cracks and crevices.
This is what I mean by a spontaneous and sustainable, organic and reproducible movement of churches.
by Lon on January 24, 2008
Photo by Roger Cullman www.rogercullman.com
Preaching last week, I slipped out something I probably needed to hear more for myself. I told people that they don’t need a rock-star pastor or a superstar leader. They need Jesus in their lives.
With the very best of what church’s and the world has to offer available on the internet these days, I’ve talked to many fellow seminary students about the nagging feeling we’re in competition, or that we can’t even compare, to the leaders, speakers, and principles that can be found online, in books, or on video.
So somewhere deep down we join the race to become super-pastors and mega-leaders. I actually have the audacity to think that by the grace of God, I might be able to pull this off. But what would that really accomplish?
I’ve always said that I want a church of church planters. My fear is that people might look at me, or other leaders and say, well I can’t do that.
Are there better ways of doing church, than having the elite few ministering to the many? Are there more spontaneous and sustainable, organic and reproducible forms of church for our cities today?
by Lon on January 23, 2008
I’ve been setting course to church plant after I graduate for a number of years. For the longest time I’ve been contemplating doing something different, better, more innovative, than church as usual.
At the end of the day though, I find many of my ideas haven’t been all that radical.
Just because our church might be more creative, more current, more engaging, work harder, be more balanced, be more missional, more tech-savvy, more relational, and on and on… I wonder if these changes would still just be incremental?
It scares me to think that I might just end up producing more of the same.
The word radical comes from the word root or origins. When I look at the church in the new testament or the history of the early church, that was radical.
What does a radical church look like in today’s context?
by Lon on January 21, 2008
Stellar’s doing better, thanks so much for all the prayers.
A few reflections on the whole experience
There were periods Stellar would be breathing so rapidly I wondered how her little heart could keep up, and other times when her breath was so shallow we weren’t sure if she was breathing at all. Nothing much else matters in these moments.
In these moments you start thinking crazy crazy thoughts in silence. Who passed this on to her? Was it me? Is this the resulting consequence of some past sin? Might these be my last moments…?
In my struggles to live a disciplined life of prayer, I found no need to have to pray, it was simply the cry of my heart every moment.
I tell new parents how resilient kids are all the time, I guess it really is different when it’s your own.
Life sometimes offers us forever-defining choices with very little clarity. Should I rush to the emergency, or am I over-reacting and what’s best is to let this will pass? Sometimes you just need to believe that inkling of a voice within your heart, and act.
Stellar has always kept us busy with her high-fives and attraction to dirt, garbage, and just about all things dangerous. During her sickest moments she became almost void of her personality. We ached for all her special traits to re-emerge again. We realized that these sometimes tiring characteristics were signs of life, and what made her, her.
The internet is loaded with horrifically sad stories on just about every illness and disease. Sometimes knowing more information that you can’t action on, really doesn’t help.
Hospitals are rarely happy places. I have many friends in the medical profession I greatly admire, but there’s something about the ’system’ I think that often bothers me. Sometimes it seems to enforce helplessness as you’re often not told what exactly is going on, your life is at the mercy of strangers, and I often feel like conclusions are often drawn before proper assessments have been made.
This has only deepened my admiration for just about any parent who loves and raises a child, regardless of how their children turn out emotionally, spiritually, physically, etc. You are to be honored.
by Lon on January 18, 2008
This angel full of life, is so far from it right now.
She’s battling bronchitus/pneumonia and a really high fever right now.
Your prayers would be appreciated.
Nothing to say today.
