Aaron Savage has been at Emergence for a number of years now. he's one of two guys with us in the office exploring church planting as a possible vocation. If you read what's below, you'll have no doubt he's a gifted dude. Read and enjoy.  

For the past year or so, my most desperate plea before God has been for maturity.  That I would grow into a respectable man of God; strong and honest: unwilling to compromise His truth . . . wise and responsible: knowing His will and striving to live it . . . loving and holy: a man after His own heart.  Despite long hours in prayer and living in the appropriate Scripture (Proverbs, 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus), I despaired to see little tangible progress. 
What I have only just begun to understand is although time spent alone under God’s discipline is biblical (see Lamentations 3, esp. 25-30), the growth I seek does not occur in a vacuum.  In fact, I was overlooking a major theme of Proverbs: that wisdom and maturity require either:
(1) living many years, or
(2) learning from the already wise and mature

James says that we should pray to receive wisdom (v. 1:5), but that doesn’t mean we should expect instant gratification . . . that we’ll just wake up one day, “Oh look, I’m wise!” 
One verse God constantly brought to mind on how wisdom and maturity take time was:
The glory of young men in their strength,
     but the splendor of old men is their gray hair. 
                                                Proverbs 20:19

Now this doesn’t mean that there aren’t any young people with wisdom (our college group proves the exception), and it surely doesn’t mean that older men are weak (just pick a fight with my 50 year old Martial Arts instructor).  The book of Proverbs isn’t made up of universal truth statements, but practical insights on how to please God in everyday life.
So what do you think this is?  Some useless observation?—that men lose strength over time but still grow in wisdom?  A theological nuance?—that since the fall men are born foolish and die weak?  Hardly! This is God’s exhortation!—young men seek counsel from older men; older men seek help from young men.
I’ve been familiar with this verse for a while now, but never truly knew its potency.  It has a far greater application than “wisdom takes time”.  Come Tuesday morning, however, my understanding changed dramatically.  I woke up with an anxiety-shattering peace about the sovereignty of God’s will for my life; no worry, no rush, no uncertainty . . . just a vivid clarity about my call to ministry and my vision for the next several years of my life. 
So what’s the secret?—divine revelation?—miraculous signs?—God opened a door?  Nope, none of that: just went out to lunch the day before with a man of God and spent the afternoon working on his yard.  No organized meeting, no complicated training, no prepared lesson . . . just “Hey, I’ve got a couple of questions for you” and “Good, I’ve got some dirt I need help moving.”  Simple, natural, biblical.  As Steve would say: organic.
Here’s the point: young men, go use your God-given glory to help the older men: whether it’s landscaping, working on their house, their car. . . whatever you’re good at.  For me, there’s just something about working hard under a blazing sun that’s decidedly biblical.  Use your strength as an opportunity to surround yourself with wise, godly men.
And during that, older men, impart some of your gray-haired splendor to those who need it now more than ever.  Because we have no idea how to walk in holiness, find a job, buy a house, love our wives and raise our kids, all for the glory of God.
You may not have the time to lead us through a structured seminar on manhood, but I know all of you have some projects around the house that you just can’t seem to finish by yourself.  According to Scripture, it’s the proximity that matters most.
And this isn’t just about the men:
Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine.  They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.   Titus 2:3-5
Go find a younger woman to teach what is good.  Train her how to manage her household well, how to raise her children, how to cook (!), how to live a virtuous life. . . 
Older women, I know children are a full-time ministry and I know that you couldn’t possibly have time to add coaching to your already ridiculous To Do list . . . but you need to be seen!  You are called to be a visible example of biblical womanhood, of Christ-likeness. 
And here’s the beauty of it, a young woman will grow most under your guidance by serving you: working around the house, helping with the groceries, watching the children, etc.  The chance to spend some time around a godly woman is all they need, not classroom-esque teaching.
These verses were not breathed out by God for Ryan and Steve to further baby us.  Emergence doesn’t need to organize any more communities, programs, groups, or clubs to fill its young men and women with wisdom.  In Ephesians 4, we are told that the goal of church leaders is to equip saints FOR ministry (v.11-12), NOT to make a bunch of ministries FOR saints.
These verses call for us, the Church, to step it up and start seeking biblical and missional relationships, on our own.  We don’t need a Men’s Group or a Women’s Bible Study to live out this Scripture practically. 
If you’re under 30, take the initiative and find a godly older person and attach yourself to them, helping wherever you’re needed. 
If you’re over 30, make use of the strong young men and women God has blessed Emergence with and realize that their wisdom (or lack thereof) will determine the future of your church, community and culture. 
I’ll end with this thought:
And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
   and your young men shall see visions,
   and your old men shall dream dreams;
                                           (Acts 2:17)

Young men (and women), you have seen visions of your mission, spouse, children . . . and God has given you strength to fulfill them.  But as far as wisdom goes, you can read all you want about having a godly ministry, marriage and legacy; you’ll hardly know anything until you’ve seen them lived-out. 

Believe me, study the Bible for advice on all of these things, but also realize that same Bible says to find a godly older man and watch how he strives to follow Christ’s commission . . . or how he lovingly teases his wife . . . or how he plays football with his kids . . .  Otherwise, how will you know?

Older men and women, you haven’t been able to accomplish every vision you’ve seen in your youth.  They’ve become dreams, hopes for the future . . . banners for others to take up.  You may no longer have the strength to advance the kingdom spectacularly on your own, but you have the wisdom to show others how. 

You’ve walked with Christ for many years and know what it means practically to take up your cross daily.  There are many strong men and women in our church who would benefit greatly from simply spending time around you . . . and through them your dreams of furthering the gospel will be fulfilled.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the demographic of the strong (ages 18-34) is almost identical to that of the gray-haired (45 and up) at Emergence.  God has blessed us with a generationally diverse group of people, contrary to 90% of the churches in America.  And so, contrary to 90% of the churches in America, relationships between the strong and the wise should occur organically here at Emergence.

The oneness of Christ’s bride is not some legalistic, pie-in-the-sky, theological principle.  It’s indispensable for both those on the frontline of Christ’s mission and those who have stepped back to instruct the warriors.  What has become increasingly clear to me, and like Ryan said last week: it’s the fellowship of our brothers and sisters (young and old) that enables us to stand back up and keep preaching Jesus as Lord . . . though we face opposition, persecution and stonings.  So we will not lose heart.

click here, or head to the address below:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jacksonvillechapel/EmergenceBrusselsMissionTripJuly2010#

Sensationalism is an epidemic these days (that may be exaggerated, too). Everywhere you look, things are overstated (maybe not everywhere).

One of the places where this problem became most apparent to me was in news outlets. In the days after 9/11, I, like many others, couldn't peel myself away from the 24 hour cable news networks. Back then, my diet consisted of primarily Fox News. Since then, my diet has changed (like most people my age and younger--John Stewart usually gives me my nightly update), but my eyes were glued to the TV every time I heard a "Fox News Alert" hit the screen. At first, it was a necessary evil. "Are we safe? Is there another attack?" These things were incessantly playing through my mind.

Soon, however, these alerts began to have a wallpaper effect. There seemed to be a new one every 5 minutes. The airtime once reserved for imminent threats began to be used to highlight the most mundane of breaking news. The exaggeration was profound, and it made me turn off the news altogether.

The frustration of unnecessary superlative hit me again as I ran into this article a couple of days ago. First, a few observations. Here in the United States, we are in a recession. I did not live through the depression, but my guess is that anyone who did would never make the comparison to today.

As an example, here is a line in 1932:

this line was for... FOOD.

Here is a line from 2010:

In a depression such as this one, what could this line be for? An iPad.

Here's the problem: when everything becomes important, nothing is important. When exaggeration rules the day, honesty and authenticity are lost.

In church, it is no different. What is important to the church today? If it is politics, a particular sin issue, or even church programs, it makes everything else less important. If we overexaggerate the importance of lesser matters, it only hinders our ability to communicate the true importance of greater matters.

People aren't dumb. No one thinks our recession is anything like the great depression--and bevcause the headline says so, you lose credibility.

I hope that as a people, we can look realistically at the issues of life, and not turn unimportant things into headlines or "news alerts"--when they really shouldn't be. It'll make the real headlines all the more believable.

What's your headline? Should it be a headline at all?

Bon Jour from Bruxelles! After several months of meeting together our missional community is here in Brussels, Belgium! Here's a brief recap of the story so far:

History

Hard to believe we have already been In Brussels for 4 days! So far all is well. We've had a brief walking tour of this part of the city and were introduced to some of it's political and religious history. The area we toured is kind of like Pennsylvania Ave in DC, except with a king's palace. The desire to occupy that palace has been the driving force behind hundreds of years of wars between many of the other countries on the continent.

On Saturday there were workshops on some of the key issues we will be encountering this week. They are: the elderly, the disabled, the homeless, asylum seekers, immigrant children and victims of abuse. All of the projects are related in some way to them. Many of them are related to poor immigrant or refugee Muslims. Back home in the states (or as they say here, "America") we may not see these issues as important. In Europe these issues - especially the last four - are huge. So much so that in Brussels there is literally an elevator between the neighborhoods of the upper and lower classes.

Reasons

Our projects are centered around those issues for two reasons. First, the real, physical, tangible help we can give to those in need. Scripture is very clear that Jesus has a heart for the poor and oppressed and His followers are commanded (not simply encouraged) to do something about it. Second, we want to develop relationships with those whom we serve AND those who we serve WITH. Numerous local not-yet-believers have also signed up to Serve the City. We get to spend each day with them; we get to "know them by their names." My two newest acquaintances are a wonderful Muslim woman, Labiba, and a young Irish teenager, Fionn - both residents of Brussels.

And as they get to know us they begin a connection to the people of the local church here in Brussels. That long term connection to the local church is the key relationship to sharing the gospel. In the context of Western Europe it could take many months, likely many years to see gospel fruit.

 

Serving:Day 1                                                

So today Jayne got to work at "The Mission of Mercy" - a local soup kitchen serving the homeless. Heather and Daniela worked at "the beauty project" giving manicures, pedicures and facials to the poor and/or elderly. Heidi, me and the kids worked at shopping, cooking for and feeding about 40 homeless people at the "Gare du Midi" rail station. All of us had amazing days.

Needless to say, all seven of us have quite a lot of new friends. Please pray for us as we continue to serve with gospel intentionality; that God's goodness, grace and peace would be seen and heard through us.

It is interesting to realize that what we view as a minor weakness, in reality can be a debilitating handicap.  However, I am really grateful to see my flat spots.  Below are just some thoughts about what are flat spots teach us…

      This is the good news… some of the things I stink at Steve, Mike and those close to me are off the charts gifted at.  I thank God that he has supernaturally put leaders in place, since the inception of Emergence, who Jesus has used to compliment one another and build his church. 

      I take great joy in the daily reminder that at 32 years old God’s sanctifying work in me is not yet finished.  My continuing struggles frustrations, and failures are by the grace of God being chiseled away.  I trust God, and want to continue to grow, in the hopes to be more like Jesus.

            I think this is because I grew up playing sports, but I want to beat the things that are weak in my life (at least get that 11% above 50%).  I fully realize some flat spots will never become a strength… but 11% come on…

      Realizing flat spots, helps us realize again our need for the gospel.  Flat spots remind me that through the gospel we can have hope and really change because of Jesus finished work and his empowering Spirit.

• The local residents of Brussels whom we are serving who need to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
• The local residents of Brussels who are serving with us who need to know Jesus.
• The members of the local church who need love and encouragement in their personal (often young) faith.
• The leaders of the local church who need support and encouragement for the mission of the church in their context.
• The other visiting volunteers, who may or may not be believers, that they would be drawn ever closer to Jesus as Lord.

Here's a brief vid describing Serve the City:

TTFN - next update from Brussels!

He began to draw on our walls. Not. Cool.

Keep in mind that I'm not very good at touching up paint. Not that I am not skilled enough to do it, but it never seems to actually get done. So, when my oldest child begins to take a pen to my rarely painted walls, this becomes a problem.

Like any parent would, we tried to gently correct him. When it happened again, the correction became a bit more firm. Each time we corrected him, however, he seemed genuinely confused--as if we had asked him to stop breathing.

Fast forward a few weeks from the commencement of his sheetrock works of art. We were on vacation, enjoying our time together as a family. We tried to unplug completely for the week, but inevitably, one of us would check Facebook each day... just because.

My wife turned to me and let me know that she wrote a note on someone's "wall". We both noticed that our oldest son took special interest in our little conversation. Then, it hit us: time after time our little guy has heard us talking about writing on friends' walls. His "incidents" were his attempt to be like mom and dad. Never in my life had I felt so much dumber than a three year old--and never had I felt so bad for scolding him.

It's funny how words and phrases can be redefined in a person's head so quickly and naturally. What may mean something obvious to you and me may mean something equally as obvious--but completely different--to someone else.

When it comes to theology and faith, redefinition happens instantly--and if you don't recognize it, it can be completely detrimental to ministry.

It's one of the reasons why we insist on speaking the name of Jesus at Emergence. While we could talk about God and be completely legit in doing so, talking about God is simply not enough. The instant you say the word God in our world, it gets redefined. Say it to a muslim, and they think of Allah. Say it to a mormon and they think about multitudes of gods. Say God to a Jewish person and they typically think of Jehovah--at the exclusion of Jesus. Say God to a scientologist and they probably think of Xenu, the galactic warlord of the universe. However, say the name of Jesus and there is no mistaking who you are referring to.

It's why our mission specifically starts with Loving Jesus. Everything we do flows out of there. Sure, many have redefined Jesus and distorted His likeness. I've even done that at times. But while He may look a little different to each of us, the person is the same--and His life is documented for all to see.

Our little run-in with our very confused boy was a reminder to me that I need to be sure that what I want to say is what I'm actually saying. If it isn't, the fault is my own.

On a side note, we apologized to our little guy for punishing him for writing on the wall. He now writes on virtual walls instead.

Last night was the first meeting of our 10-week study through the book of Proverbs with an open invite to our college-ish folks.

We started out down this road for a few reasons:

• in past years, we realize we have totally dropped the ball for the college students who are home for the summer.
• we want to provide an opportunity for some up and coming teachers to use their skills and develop their gifts
• we absolutely believe discipleship and growing to be like Christ can look very differently in different contexts--we wanted to see what a medium sized group might feel like as an environment

So, yesterday we set up some tables and chairs, put out some Bibles and pens, brewed up some coffee--and waited. When we put out 36 chairs, I fully expected to take away a few and consolidate.

Ready to enjoy whatever might happen, I sat back and asked God to bring whoever He might want to. At 7:55pm there were about 7 people. I was thrilled.

By 8:05pm, 50 people filled into the Emergence building--representing over 2 dozen schools and a number of people who are "working". 

We walked through Proverbs 1--starting at the Fear of the Lord. And it was awesome! The atmosphere was alive--people were meeting--interacting. We even talked about some pretty hard-core stuff.

At the end, we all stormed Applebees. It was organized chaos. That's how we like it.

Anyhow... if you're college-ish: don't miss out. We can make more room. We'll continue the next 9 weeks from 8:00pm-9:15pm followed by more flash-mobs of appetizer eaters. We might even go nuts and try a different place for food.

See you there.

it's an 8 month old child having his hearing "turned on" for the first time through an implant. the moment he hears is nothing short of sacred.

hope it brings some good stuff to your day.

See you tomorrow.

A few years ago I attended a conference at a big church. I've since written off most of those conferences--not because there aren't some valuable lessons, but because I've realized the most valuable part usually isn't the workshops... it's the people you meet and relationships you build. I can meet people and build relationships without flying halfway across the country, for the most part.

I digress...

at this one particular conference, I heard something that will stick with me forever. A National Geographic photographer named Dewitt Jones said something that has led to years of wonder in my little mind.

He was sharing about a particular photo he won an award for. It was a shot of a little boy who was at a state fair attempting to intercept the "jumping fountains" with his face. Dewitt knew it would be a great photo, so he set up the camera and snapped it. The action shot was impressive. A kid getting pummeled by water, and reacting accordingly. Only that wasn't the pic he won the award for. Something inside of him said to wait a second after the action and get the next shot. He did, and it was nothing short of photographic magic.

The lesson to be learned was don't settle for the first answer--the obvious answer--the easy answer. There is always a next answer, and that answer may be the best one you have ever found.

I'm amazed by the way that Satan steals what God wants for His children. The enemy has a way of presenting something so mundane in such a desirable light that we as people actually yearn for a heaping pile of garbage.

This became obvious to me again this week during a counseling session I had with a couple friends of mine (one of the joys of being a pastor is I can actually be friends with people and out of the love that we have for each other, I can talk to them frankly and offer some insights).

These two folks are two of the most free-spirited, joyful, relational, unassuming, non-consumers I know. They're both extremely gifted people who thrive on new, exciting, and organic experiences. They're also both placed in a world and a culture that has marketed to them that the way to reach success is to work a 9 to 5, find stability, and become "normal". All of that began to happen--at the expense of their passion, call, gifting, and life. Even people close to them were telling them the "right" answer is to work the steady, life-sapping system so they could put some money aside every month. 

Let me explain: these two are NOT in debt. I don't think they even own a credit card. They live off what they get from their freelance work (work that they LOVE) and don't live off a cent more. If they were in debt, this would be a different story. I'd tell them they made their bed of financial ruin and now they have to dig out of it. In this case, however, they are--at times--wasting their passion and the most potentially energetic and life-sparking years of their lives in pursuit of "stability".

In what warped world does someone who believes God has come to give them abundant life... who believes God has given them gifts to develop and use... who believes God wants them to live a passion-filled existence for Him... throw it all away for stability?

In a world with a thief--that's where.

John 10:10 jumps off the pages of my Bible. Jesus says:
"The thief comes only to steal and  kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Full! Not mundane. Not stable. Not unfulfilled. Not vanilla!
Spicy, salty, knock you off your feet kind of life.

Now--how many people are really living that? There's a whole lot of theft going on.

Melissa and I sat down to watch So You Think You Can Dance tonight. Yeah. It's a guilty pleasure. LOST and 24 ended this week, so it's become that one fry that's left at the bottom of the bag. 

At the end of the episode, they told the story of a young guy from the streets of Miami. The kind of street with hookers on it, and drugs everywhere. The kind of street you don't leave. Certainly the kind of street you don't find a young man looking to become a lyrical dancer. Yet, here was this kid. He refused to settle for the answer he was told was "normal" and obvious. He refused to settle for that first possibility.

I applaud that guy. I hope he wins it all. Heck, he has already won.

What about you? No matter what age, stage of life, or situation you find yourself in--are you settling? Have you eased into the easy answer? Have you even forgotten there are other answers out there?

If so, can I urge you to approach the words of Jesus with openness? He's got life out there for you. Don't get robbed.

It's been quite the few weeks around here. I wanted to just post an update to catch you up on some things.

- As many of you know, we lost a great friend in Paul Staup. While he will always be remembered as the caring, humble follower of Jesus he was (and is), his passing leaves a huge void.

- Just saw a posting from Christian Associates today with some pics of their staff... Phil Graf made a cameo. Thought I'd share :)

- Many of you have asked about/prayed about my hearing. I can't tell you how grateful I am for your care and prayers. I'm still without hearing in my left ear. It's been a week. If you're interested in exactly what it is that has happened, there's a link here. The prevailing thought is that it originated through a virus I was hit with last week--and it settled in the nerve in my ear. As it stands, there's about a 50/50 shot of regaining hearing.

No matter what, I'm ok. It has added a new level of struggle in life, but a new level of trust. More than anything, it has revealed to me what I've already known--we have an amazing community here, and I'm privileged to be a part.

- If you're a college-ish person... come out to the Proverbs study beginning this Wednesday. I guarantee it'll be something.

OK... enough sunshine and unicorns.

One thing that Ryan talked about today was the issue of depravity of mankind--how none of us need to be taught how to do sinful things. The Bible says we are sinful from birth. 

The rest of the world has convinced itself that babies are born into this world as one of two things: Good--and are later corrupted through environment, or Neutral--a blank slate that has equal capacity to choose good or evil.

Psalm 51 is very clear about God's point of view:

"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."

Pretty clear, right?

Most of the world, however, does not view the Bible as the source of wisdom. Their loss. As a result, scientists, psychologists, and others are usually playing catch-up to the truth that has been present all along.

Case in point, I got home tonight, pulled up the news of the day (since I've been in my Emergence bubble for the past 14 hours) and came across this story.

From the first paragraphs of the article:

"At the age of six months babies can barely sit up - let along take their first tottering steps, crawl or talk.

But, according to psychologists, they have already developed a sense of moral code - and can tell the difference between good and evil.

An astonishing series of experiments is challenging the views of many psychologists and social scientists that human beings are born as 'blank slates' - and that our morality is shaped by our parents and experiences."

Pretty apropos timing, no?

There's a lot more good stuff in there, too--maybe it's all true? :)

Ryan mentioned it today, but if you're a college student, and you'd like to meet other college students at Emergence this summer, or just learn some practical, biblical wisdom while home from school, keep your eyes peeled for what we're calling an "equipping community" focused on Proverbs--info will be available soon.

• He initially challenged me through a sermon podcast when I was out running, listening to Dr Bill Brown, President of Cedarville University, “Your actions speak directly of the God you believe in. But……….your in-actions, also speak of the same.” Then the flood hammered the Pompton River Valley that weekend.
• Is God aware of the details? He led us to borrow a set of crutches just after my son’s ACL surgery. Eventually, those crutches needed a replacement screw that led me to Home Depot early Sunday morning so my son could comfortably go to church that day. But God also prompted me to stop by The Village section of Pequannock on the way back to see if it was flooded, then to call some friends whose home was under water to see if they needed a place to stay. He led them to say they were taken care of, but asked if we would consider taking in their neighbors who have one-month old and 4-yr old boys, and moved to a hotel on Rt 46 1:30 in the morning on Sunday when the town evacuated everyone. “Your actions speak directly of the God you believe in. Your inactions, also speak of the same” immediately popped into my head. God, I hear you! They just moved back to their home after 6-weeks. I’m not sure who benefitted more, them or us. We made some great friends, and have an open invitation to stay with her parents in the Czech Republic any time we’re there! Nas Drovia!
• He made our two bedrooms available during the time of need while two of our girls were at college, and the oldest in Beijing teaching ESL.
• I saw God when He led two ladies in our congregation to spontaneously show up at the home of the folks staying with us asking if they could help. I came by and thought they were old friends, but they were just there taking care of the kids.
• God put me in a position where I had the time to invest in ministering and organizing the relief efforts. The flood occurred Saturday through Monday. I was intending on giving my notice resigning from my sales position on Tuesday to take another one in two weeks. I knew they would shut me down immediately, so I was able to jump in full time with this ministry.
• He led me to not go to Emergence that Sunday, but to the Lincoln Park Campus where Sam Ingrassia and family were speaking. He led me to bump into Pastor Paul Rittinger there which started the “what is the Chapel going to do to help” discussion.
• God led our congregation with an amazing vision for action. I saw people return day after day getting wet and dirty, having the vision and knowing that the Creator of the Universe was supplying for people in need through the hands of His people. I heard people ask us why we were doing this. They had never seen anyone just show up to help asking nothing in return. I saw people break down crying in our arms when all we did was ask if we could help. God used us to bring them back from the edge.
• God has given us all enough resources to meet the needs around us. I’m picturing two ladies whom God provided for materially, whom I asked to walk a couple blocks near the river in Wayne knocking on doors, telling people they’re from the Chapel, and asking how we could help. Their only responsibility was to call me with the needs they found. However, we were short staffed compared to the needs, and all our people were tied up in other projects. So they jumped in to tear out drywall and insulation, carried furniture and garbage to the curb, then went to the store to buy clothes for the homeowners since they totally wiped out. God provided for them, they understood why He did, and they in turn provided for those in need.
• At beginning of each shift, I divided up the homes in need asking each of our volunteers to take a project. God directed this without any of our knowledge. I got a call from Pastor Dave Gus one day saying that it wasn’t by accident he and Norma Jean were at this one home. He didn’t recognize her at first, but the homeowner was in a small group Dave led back in the 90s. She later told me it was clear God was calling her back!
• Space doesn’t allow all the accounts where we saw the actions of God. I firmly saw His leading, His actions, His provisions, and His concern.

The future - it’s been ~7-weeks since the flood. Stay tuned for an announcement for pro-active planning for future disasters. We’re putting a plan in place where each town will have a Chapel coordinator communicating with the township managers, churches and other town organizations. We know where the flood lines have been in the past, and we’re putting people in place now for that ministry when it occurs in the future. Please pray that God will be glorified in our actions, and that many people will be directed back to Him through us. “Your actions speak directly of the God you believe in”, and were are light in the midst of darkness.

Many of you recall the murder of Theo Van Gogh in 2004. He had produced a film titled submission (a translation of the word Islam, itself) that was critical of both Christianity and Islam. He began receiving death threats shortly after the film's release, and those threats were realized when he was shot 8 times by Mohammed Bouyeri. Bouyeri then began to attempt to decapitate him in fulfillment of the Islamic Scriptures (8:12 of the Koran: "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them.").

You've also probably heard of the threats and violence in reaction to cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammed in multiple publications. It has resulted in the death of hundreds of people--most of the deaths occurring from police reaction to riots and instigated violence in 2005.

Fast forward to the present: there have been threats against the makers of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. In South Park's 200th episode, they depicted the prophet Muhammed both in cartoon likeness and in a cartoon bear costume. This has angered the Muslim community again. The website Revolution Muslim even warned the creators that they will probably end up like Theo Van Gogh.

While there's plenty of criticism due to these jokers (and most of it is welcomed--they due make money from shock comedy), death threats are a bit of an overreaction, don't you think?

I remember the very first episode of South Park I saw. It was a hidden file in an old Playstation game. I threw it in the computer, and embedded in the disc was a full version of a Christmas episode of South Park. It turned out to be a grudge match between Jesus and Santa--uncensored--and it was extremely offensive. While I was disgusted, and a tad bit confused, never once did I consider homicide as an option.

In fact, it isn't hard to find an offensive description of Jesus somewhere. Madonna hangs on a cross...an artist makes a crucifix of dung...not to mention the negative stereotypes of Jesus and his followers are in nearly every sitcom, movie, or book.

Yet, you don't see people being instructed by their faith to kill anyone for such criticisms. If there have been incidents of mutated "Christian" anger the past (people bombing abortion clinics or the idiots from Kansas who protest soldier funerals) they can't point to the Bible and find any instruction to actually carry out their crazy, hurtful actions.

And therein lies the difference.

The world will continue to insult Jesus and His followers. That's partly true because we are told that vengeance does not belong to us, but God.

While fundamental Islam teaches that the true way to respond to unbelievers is to kill them or convert them (Muslim 1:33), fundamental Christianity should reflect the person of Jesus who said: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matt 5:44).

While fundamental Islam teaches that Allah hates those who don't believe in him (Koran 30:4, 3:32, 22:38), fundamental Christianity states unambiguously that Jesus loves all of His creation, even those who don't believe in Him. That's why He was sent to die for their sins (John 3:16, Romans 5:8).

While fundamental Islam states that if you're wronged, wrong them right back (Koran 2:194), fundamental Christianity states that if someone wrongs you, you turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39).

While fundamental Islam states that vengeance is a virtue (Koran 2:216), fundamental Christianity states that vengeance is not for us to enact, but for God to handle in His justice (Romans 12:19-20).

This is why the world gets away with trashing Jesus, but not Muhammed. And, to be honest, I'm ok with that. Taking matters into our hands--even screaming about things that ultimately don't matter--does not advance the work God has called us to. God said He'd be persecuted. He even said we would be. He also told us not to be surprised (1 Peter 4:12). There's no biblical instruction to fight over the airwaves about God's reputation. We're told to show people Jesus by what we say and do, and leave the justice to Him. 

So, when Jesus is slandered (like in the new Comedy Central show being developed called "JC"--could you imagine a whole show about Muhammed??) expect it. Let's not be a whining community. Let's be what we're instructed to be. Let's do what we're instructed to do.

At the end of the day, that show won't last--but what God does through His people as we desire to look more like Him will.

I'm blogging after just completing a message I will deliver to a room full of people dealing with the reality of a tragedy.

As many of you know, Jarret Gallipoli (the brother of Evan Gallipoli--one of our Emergence drummers) passed away in a tragic car accident on Sunday afternoon. This horrible accident has left Evan, his sister Avrielle, and of course his mom and dad, Margaret and Ric absolutely broken.

I'm honored and humbled to be in the rare place of sharing with the loved ones--there are few more hallowed moments in all of life than spending time with people going through such unmatched loss. Your prayers for the wake (scheduled for Thursday) and the funeral service (scheduled for Friday) are very much appreciated--and of course your continued prayer for the Gallipoli family.

Thursday also is the start of a very special visit to Emergence being made by some amazing people. Rob Fairbanks, the president of Christian Associates International, as well as Brian Newman, CAI staff member, are joining us for the weekend--to talk about the future of CAI and Emergence, as well as meet with some of our leaders to stir up some kingdom dreaming. They'll be with us through the morning services on Sunday, so please introduce yourself and get to know them--great guys with great hearts.

Sunday, following the morning services (starting at 12:45pm) we'll be holding our next Emergence Connect. If you've been around Emergence and have questions, or if you have just started attending and want to know what it is all about, join us! You'll meet some people, have some pizza, and ask some questions. All are welcome.

I can't begin to tell you how torn the weekend seems. We're looking forward to what God will do--and trusting Him to make peace of it all.

We'll see you this weekend.

We had a list of places that needed help before we got there. The past week has brought us a lot of names and addresses to check in on, and that is exactly what happened. We split into three teams and headed out to a few different addresses.

The needs we found were shocking. Here we are, over a week and a half since the flood began, and still... the homes we went into are almost untouched. We focused in on two homes that were inhabited by older folks who didn't have any help to recover.

In one home, we found a man who was resigned to sitting in his favorite chair--inside a living room that just days ago had at least a foot and a half of water. This was over and above the 3 feet of extra foundation his house is already perched on. Unbelievable. We emptied out his living room and kitchen, and brought his furniture and belongings either out to the curb or to a storage container he had outside. I'm thankful God brought us to him. He desperately needed help.

Also desperately in need of help was an older woman down the road who, though full of energy, has almost no strength in her hands to move the house full of things still residing in her home--which in addition to the damage we see may also have major structural damage from the water. 

One of the hardest things we've seen is watching these people who moved into this area with hope see their dreams washed away. Ths woman showed us photos of the last flood, which happened right after she moved here in 2007.

As you can see from the two photos taken during that flood, the water gets high. What's more shocking is this flood came 3' higher. The amount of water is hard to imagine, though one trip to the basement showed us that the dry ground outside was not indicative of what lies beneath.

We repositioned her sump pump to the deepest spot in her basement, which still had multiple feet of water.

She asked us to throw out piece after piece of furniture. It was waterlogged with a combination of river water, septic water, and even oil, which we could smell throughout the neighborhood.

While she was grateful for the help, she was clearly still in shock--11 days later. There is SO much need. 

If you're on the fence about coming to help, know this: by helping, you are bringing order to a chaotic world that has left these people completely immoble at times. Many of them have a hard enough time getting around. Now, that action becomes next to impossible.

This is a great work. While it is extremely sad, and takes some effort, there's something "right" about it. That's not to say we're righteous because of it--we're not. It just sheds a new perspective most of us aren't used to seeing, especially in North Jersey.

The work is not over. We want to see this effort through. In order to do that, we need to come together again with the intention of makind a dent as a team. We anticipate this will take one more weekend of work to see our task accomplished.

Here's the plan:
Once again, beginning Thursday March 25, 2010 we will be gathering teams of people to go into Pequannock, Pompton Lakes, Lincoln Park and Bloomingdale to help by lending a hand.

There are many needs in these areas: removing waterlogged sheetrock, removing ruined items from homes to bring out to the street for disposal, bringing things outside to be dried out, and generally lending a hand to homeowners, many of which are elderly or disabled and unable to do this work themselves.

We are the church. This isn't something we can just "leave for the next guy". Join in. Do something.

As Ephesians 2:10 says: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." God has prepared these works for us, now it is our job to do them. Please consider giving a small amount of time for a large amount of people who need help.

If you are able and willing to help, please take a moment to see the shifts outlined on this page and sign up to join in.It only takes one minute to do.

After you sign up, meet the team at Pequannock Town Hall to begin the shift. The shifts are only three hours long, but the impact made can be eternal.

"Flood Relief = people going to homes flooding them just as unexpectedly as the weather = Jesus using 1 flood to counter another"

That is as perfect a description of what we have experienced together over the last few days as anything yet written on the subject.

The most amazing thing to me is, as Steve pointed out in this post, ALL of this has come from YOU, the people of emergence being concerned enough that you were unwilling to sit idly by while so many of our neighbors were hurting. That led to a few people stepping up to get the relief effort organized and moving. That in turn set a large part of the chapel family into motion - people from emergence, Lincoln Park campus, and Crossroads Spanish campus - working side by side to bring God's love and healing to those who desperately need it in Northern New Jersey.

This is how it should be. Ephesians 4:11-12 says:

"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ..." ESV

Last week this whole effort got started by a couple of "prophets" (not the kind who predict the future) speaking truth back into the church about the needs of their communities. From there, a few people with "apostolic" (entrepreneurial) skills moved in to action. They helped plan, organize and communicate so the "shepherds" could deploy well. And over 150 pairs of "hands" (and still counting!) from "the body" jumped in and moved out to meet the needs of the hurting.

Together this experience has "built up the body of Christ" in a way few other things could. And it has given us a fresh taste of God's vision for His church - an empowered and equipped body of Christ followers, in love with Jesus and passionately serving to bring His love and grace to those who desperately need it. Without a doubt what we have seen this week - what we have been this week - is a church squarely on mission.

It is hard to paint a picture for you if you haven't been there yet. These homes are, in many respects, destroyed. The people who live in those homes reflect the destruction they have witnessed. Many of them are emotional, many are pretty angry, and some are still just in shock. After all, when these homes were purchased, many of these people were told a flood is a once-every-20-year-event. After the flood in 84, and then a flood in 2007, many assumed they were golden until at least 2025. Now, only less than three years since the last flood, most of these homeowners are weary and discouraged.

Some of these families are feeling it harder than others. A number of families I spoke to have their home insured, but the contents of the home were not. One man shared concern because his elderly mother forgot to renew her insurance, leaving her totally vulnerable.

The floods are just the straw on the camel in many instances. Real life is hard enough--health issues, family strain, personal burdens--even without a flood. One woman shared about how she lost her husband during routine surgery 16 days ago. This on top of caring for a permanently disabled son who came upon his illness while engaging in relief at the World Trade Center after 9/11. I don't care who you are, or how strong you can portray you are--these are heavy burdens.

Enter our teams: the now 150+ people who just want to help, in any way possible.

Today was much like yesterday: removing contents of homes, stripping waterlogged sheetrock, ripping out carpets and flooring, moving heavy items for people who can't, and generally caring for people who desperately need it.

The 35 in the morning were joined by 50 in the afternoon, and even more volunteers at night. What an amazing thing to see: the church being the church.

I think my absolutel favorite part of all of this is that it is not driven by the staff or a pastor. The work is driven by, coordinated by, and carried out by volunteers... volunteers who get it--that we are the hands and feet of Jesus. If not us, then who?

There's still a chance to jump in. A time slot has been added to serve tomorrow at 1pm. If you can, please make it! You can RSVP here.

Here are a few pics from today. Can't wait to hear more stories tomorrow!

Here's the morning crew ready to go!

A couple of pics of the crew getting ready to distribute food

As a team was doing some demolition in Bloomingdale tonight, they uncovered this mural behind the wall. A bright spot in the day.

Working hard into the evening.

As you know, the work started yesterday in hard hit areas of Pequannock. Today, the work spread into Pompton Lakes and Lincoln Park, where the damage was just as bad, and in some places, worse.

The teams set out and got right to work. There was a lot more item clearing to do, but today brought far more demolition than yesterday. While some teams emptied houses, others ripped up floors, took out sheetrock, or just spent time with families who were in desperate need of a shoulder to lean on. Some of the crew scoured new areas and made contact with new homeowners, many of which were added to the list of work tomorrow.

At 1pm, another 20 or so joined in the work, and even more came at 6pm for the night shift. Over the course of two days, nearly 80 people have come out to join in the work, and tomorrow stands to be our biggest day yet--which is good... we have our biggest list yet of needs.

Just to give you a taste, here are a few more photos from the day:

]

As you can see in the bottom photo, the flood waters were 2 feet up the first floor wall! These places were hit hard.

Through all of the interactions, we've seen the same thing: grateful people who can't believe that so many people would come out to volunteer their time and effort. I'm proud (in a good way) to be a part of this church. Thanks to all who ave volunteered over these two days. There is still time to join in the effort tomorrow!

I have to start by saying that I'm so grateful for the work of Jeff Hull, who is coordinating the work on the ground. Long before we got our act together, he was already helping, welcoming a displaced family into his home, and lending a hand where needed. Today he moved from front runner to team leader, and we couldn't be more grateful.

In all we had nearly 30 people serving throughout the two shifts today. While it is a bit chaotic on the ground trying to assess the need, there is plenty of need to be found.

As a reminder, less than 72 hours ago, this is what Pequannock looked like:

Today, that same spot looks like this:

And while the water has drained, the mess in the area has only begun to emerge:

And so, our first relief team gathered at 1pm this afternoon to head out into the community and do what we can to help.

We split into three teams and went to three different homes to start the work.

The first home reached was indicative of what we would see. While there was a lot of work to be done (and still is tomorrow) the encouraging thing was that this home had already been reached by the people of the Chapel. Our subteam joined up with a few other people from the Chapel's Women's Ministry and began to empty out the home of belongings.

In order to fully understand why we have to do these things, you must know that these homes were intruded on by more than 10 inches of water in the first floor living space. In addition to affecting the contents inside the home, it also affected the sheetrock and insulation on those floors. Our job is to go in, bring everything out of the house, see what is ruined and bring it to the curb or decide it is salvageable and place it aside.

To get the full picture, understand that the water that entered into these homes is not just river water--it is any water below river level, including septic water. This water doesn't just get things wet, it infects.

The second team went to another home on the next street over and found the same need--it had to be emptied.

Another thing complicating the clean up is that there is no running water, no way to cook, and in some instances, no electricity. And while people are resilient, their pets don't always fair too well. This second home was inhabited by a wonderful woman named Yvette, who in addition to having her home cleaned out, found a foster home for her dog for a couple of weeks--one of the Chapel volunteers took the 1 1/2 year old german shepherd in for her. She was beyond thrilled.

The third team headed over to Brookside Ave. There, they found plenty to do.

The first job was emptying out the home of an overwhelmed, but extremely thankful woman named Linda. Her, her husband, her son, and his girlfriend live in this home together. She was absolutely emotionally wrecked. She didn't know where to start.

When we got there, she asked if we could empty her garage--which was filled all the way to the ceiling.

The team got in and got to work, clearing out the room in about an hour.

The team then emptied the back porch and began removing the carpet and padding, which was completely waterlogged.

After it was cleared out, some more cleanup was done, all the while spending time with the family. A lot of the cleanup that needs to be done has nothing to do with the homes. These are peoples' lives that have been rocked.

We closed our time with Linda this afternoon by praying for her. She couldn't be more thankful, and she began to weep as the entire team came around her to pray. The pervasive thought in my head is the real work isn't what we're doing, it is what God is doing.

In the midst of all of this work, we continued scouring the area, finding more projects to step up to:

- Across the street from Linda, we met Richie. In addition to having a beautiful family with three kids and having to deal with this flood, Richie was hit by a car this morning. Needless to say, he needed help, and once he was released from the hospital, he was beyond thankful to have some hands around to move what he didn't have the strength to.

- A team moved railroad ties that had floated from a yard in one block down the street to the entire next block. We couldn't lift these ties easily, but the water sure did.

- Some of our folks moved a refrigerator from a basement to a curb for someone who couldn't do it.

- We cleaned out the home of a man named Jamal--who, it turns out, is a follower of Jesus.

- We spent more time praying with people: I was surprised at the openness that people showed. A few places didn't even need help with labor, but responded quite emotionally just because we asked if they needed help. We prayed with those people.

- We were able to, because of a great arrangement with Cosmo Bella, a pizzaria in Pequannock, provide dinner for a number of families. Even something as small as not having to worry about that made a lot of difference.

This evening, another wave of volunteers came in to continue the work. They revisited Linda, and began work in a couple of other homes. Tomorrow, some sheetrock demolition will begin, and the item removal will continue.

This is just a quick account. There's a lot I missed, but you don't have to miss it. Sign up to join in the team for Friday or Saturday. There's still a lot to do. My guess is our epicenter of work will grow tomorrow to include other areas, and we can use all the help we can get.

To sign up or to get more info, click here.

Now is the time to act. It WILL be a sacrifice. But please do what you can.

Here is the site for more info. See you there.

The reason for this blog is more theological in nature, after the Avatar revolution I was certain the new religion of choice was going to be pantheistic nature worship--where we all decided to go back and live in tree forts to reconnect with the natural life force.  When suddenly out of left field came this the other day…

Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught. – Tiger Woods

This statement by Tiger could very well mean that the new hip faith of choice in the next couple months will be Buddhism.

Here is the over-arching theory for Tiger: that he will find fulfillment inside himself, and will find that fulfillment by learning to remove his cravings/desires.  The real bummer for Tiger, is that sex is a great gift not to be removed, but redeemed.  Sex is to be celebrated, and enjoyed as God intended in the covenant of marriage… and sex in that environment should be free and frequent.  The writer of Proverbs says it like this

Proverbs 5:18-19 (ESV)
18     Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
19     a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;
be intoxicated always in her love.
    
What the writer of proverbs is saying is that the biblical goal is not that the husband removes his desire/cravings for sexuality.  Rather, the biblical picture is a man who is intoxicated with sexual desire for his wife.  In fact the text is unashamed as it reads intoxicated by her love, the literal word there is “love making”.  The writer is wishing for his son (whom he is speaking to) that in the future as he goes about his days on earth he will live full of cravings/desire, and be intoxicated with making love to his wife.  This is a stark contrast between the call to remove cravings/desire by depending on one self. It is rather the call to depend on God’s grace outside of self, to honor God with the gift of sex, cravings/desire, and then to enjoy God’s gift and all the cravings/desires that come with it--in marriage.

This is why the warnings through out the Song of Songs is so consistent: to not awaken the desire until the God given time, and use the gift of sex as God intended it.  I think Agur puts it best when he writes

Proverbs 30:18-19 (NIV)  
"There are three things that are too amazing for me,
 four that I do not understand:
[19] the way of an eagle in the sky,
 the way of a snake on a rock,
 the way of a ship on the high seas,
 and the way of a man with a maiden.
 
The writer is saying there are three things too wonderful and a fourth I don’t understand. He is using a Jewish literary device: using three images to describe the fourth, which is his main point.  An eagle soaring in the sky, a snake though it has no legs glides effortless on a rock, a ship sailing through the ocean, and a man having sex with a maiden (the word means with his virgin wife).

All three images are images of one object penetrating the other as the author points out the wonder of sex.  The bible is saying that in marriage, sexual cravings/desire when used the way God intended is supposed to be full of wonder.  Sex as God intended is to be soaring and gliding and sailing filled with beauty, wonder, mystery and awe.  Now follow the contrast of the next verse…

Proverbs 30:20 (NIV)  
    "This is the way of an adulteress:
        She eats and wipes her mouth
        and says, 'I've done nothing wrong.'
 
Notice for the adulteress the sexual experience is sloppy, it has been removed from desire, and sex now has been reduced to simply a basic human appetite as the Bloodhound Gang sang, “You and me baby ain’t nothing but mammals so let’s do it like they do on the discovery channel”.  That typifies the sexual experience stripped of desire, absent of craving, and absent of wonder and awe.  

Ultimately, sex is a gift and the desire for sex when redeemed and not removed is too majestic for words in a blog that will fail its beauty. Ultimately the answer to human sexuality does not reside within ourselves, but stands outside of us, by its designer and creator.  He has given us not only the Bible so that we could experience the great joy of human sexuality, but also a Savior who paid for all our shortcomings--as we have sinned in the use of that gift and countless others…  

I think the best place to end this blog is with Paul’s word to the Christians in the letter of Colossians. 

Col. 2:20-23 (NIV)  
    Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: [21] "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? [22] These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. [23] Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Because it is such an important part of the regular worship life at Emergence, it is something we want to do well. We have an amazingly gifted group of musicians, but none of those people would be heard were it not for our amazingly talented and dedicated servant team that operates all of the tech equipment. Each week, they work their art in the back of the room, and we are so grateful for all they do.

For that reason, I want to thank Ken Marechek, who heads up that team and has done a great job. Ken is a pro, in that he does a great job, but he also does sound for a living, and he donates his time at Emergence.

Another person who has greatly enhanced the worship ministry is Todd Peden. This guy came to Emergence a while ago, and since he is also a working professional in the sound world, he stepped onto the team. He's helped us upgrade our equipment, think out of the box, and really dream when it comes to what could be in the music ministry of Emergence.

Todd is really the driving force behind the recordings you all download so frequently. He spends hours and hours working on them, and helped us get to the place where we can now, in a high-quality way record and produce something worth listening to.

Because of these upgrades, I'm thrilled to say that you'll be hearing more and more Emergence music on the site. In addition, you'll soon be seeing more of it available at Emergence on disc. Our hope is that the visitors can take home a taste of the service, and that the regulars can pass it on to people who might be interested in checking it out.

Keep an eye out for new tracks on the Emergence Music Page. We'll add to it almost weekly. And heads up, we've got microphones everywhere now--sing out... you're part of the tracks now, too!

If any of you are interested in helping the audio and visual aspects of Emergence come alive, we are certainly in need of more team members. You can request more information about the tech team on our Serve at Emergence page.

I'm extremely excited to announce that we have added a brand new feature to our website.

For a while now, we have had an app in the itunes app store. I'm happy to say that it has been downloaded over 270 times since its birth. That is good news. The bad news, of course, is not everyone has an iphone.

It has been said that the future of the web is mobile. I have seen that in my own life. I spend far more time surfing on my phone than on my computer, and for good reason--there is good content out there... designed specifically for mobile use.

As of this moment, I am thrilled to announce for the first time publicly, the Emergence mobile website--a mobile web experience designed for mobile use. 

If you have a web-enabled phone (especially an iPhone or a Droid) head on over to emergencenj.org/mobile, mobile.emergencenj.org, or m.emergencenj.org. If you head to emergencenj.org on an iPhone, you'll automatically be redirected to the mobile site.

When you head to the page, you'll see a clean layout, with 5 tabs at the top of the page. We'll take a minute to walk through the site.

The first tab on the left will bring you to the blogposts. when you click it, you'll find an easy to read list, with the latest posts up top. All blogposts include the images found in the original, but completely optimized for the mobile web.

The second tab is articles. Here you'll find the announcements you'd find at the full site, but optimized for viewing on your web-enabled phone.

The third tab, events, shows you the next events coming up, and can even take you to detailed information or event registration when appropriate.

The fourth tab is probably the most used and anticipated--media. Here, you'll find streaming audio immediately accessible. This includes sermons, music recorded live at Emergence, and occasional interviews or audio blogs.

With the last tab, you can interact directly with Emergence: send an email, check out the FAQ, find directions, etc--all in your mobile browser.

If you ever want to browse the full Emergence site instead, you can click on the small cirle logo just under the tabs. It'll take you there.

While the new site opens up Emergence to a broad range of phones, we still do love the iPhone. In fact, the new mobile site is completely integrated into the iPhone framework. If you add the site to your home screen, you'll get a pretty little icon designed for your home screen, and you'll be treated to a splash screen reminding you of why we exist:

So, there you have it. Another way to stay connected. We'd be remiss if we didn't stop to thank our site's developers and hosts: Monk Develpment--and their Ekklesia360 system. They are constantly upgrading and updating, and we can safely say they were the perfect choice for Emergence.

Have fun browsing...

After seeing the video on Missional Communities on Sunday, I was really moved.

This is the Church in action. This is Jesus moving among the people. Really, this is what the Church is all about. God’s people moving together in Christ, changing the world.

That is, if we WANT to see God moving among us. Ryan quoted Philippians 2:12 …work out your own salvation with fear and trembling…

I don’t know about you but, I don’t like to fear and tremble. Being humble can be hard.
It can be uncomfortable to serve the unloved and unlovely ones.
It can be difficult  to speak to the hurting or the critical about the love and life found only in Jesus.
Impossible to pour ourselves out to people in need for the sake of the gospel.

Some of us have trouble just being in the same room with other CHRISTIANS we don’t know let alone reaching out to the lost and hurting.

Here’s the problem though.
If we aren’t stretched beyond what we could normally “handle” we will have lived our lives without ever seeing God moving in us or among us. We risk living our “Christian Lives” without ever leaning on the Holy Spirit.
If we wait until it feels comfortable or just bearable. We will miss out on the rest of Paul’s sentence in Philippians 2:12-13

…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

What if we put ourselves out there, in a place that makes us nervous, talking to people that may roll their eyes at us in disinterest and make us feel embarrassed?

What if we went so far that we came to the end of all of our coping mechanisms and techniques?

What would happen if we came to the end of ourselves and had to trust Him to carry us where He wants to go, did things He wants to do, said the things He wants to say?

What would happen if we started to LIVE in that mode?

 I know that mixed with fear and trembling we would know what awe meant and true joy.

The great thing about Missional Communities is they are COMMUNITIES. We don’t have to “stretch” alone.
We get to do it together.
When we get scared, God puts people with SKIN on to encourage us and keep us going. We share the load of all the insecurities we bring to the table and the task of giving them all over to Jesus at the Cross. We get to fear and tremble TOGETHER and I know that we would also experience a bit of “…His good pleasure” with Him as well.

If you were to ask us in a general way what we hope to see at Emergence, we'd tell you the desire is to see Emergence be a missional church. It's a redundant statement, really. Mission and Church were intended to be used interchangeably to some degree. Let me explain:

The Church without mission is nothing more than a social club--a place where people come to make friends and feed their head with knowledge. People are welcome to come in and join, but they'd have to come onto the church property--or at least show up at a Bible study or small group at someone's house.

Mission without the Church is nothing but self-promoting, isolationist do-gooding. When someone is on mission, even Christ's mission, on their own, they forsake the body that Christ Himself made synonymous with healthy Christian life.

The missional church is the SENT church. It is the church that understands its mission is not within the walls of a specific building where they gather. It is a church that gets that missions is far more than a line item in a budget that is earmarked for people ministering overseas. It is the body of Christ walking where the actual body of Christ first walked--among the people who for many reasons will not set foot inside our little overcrowded building in Lincoln Park.

This is why we have renamed our small groups "Missional Communities". It's more than just semantics. By empowering and equipping people in communities throughout our geographical area to go out as a team and rub shoulders with those outside the church, we hope to see the message of the work of Christ brought to those who we wouldn't see in Sunday services.

We hope that makes sense... and we pray as it makes more sense in the future--that our entire church would be in these communities--being the sent church we were called to be.

Any other kind of church isn't really church at all.

Here's a video that does a pretty decent job of explaining the concept--enjoy!

UPDATED: on a side note, we live in quite the mission field. Here are a few points taken from an article by John Piper. (hint... the article is about something we're pretty passionate about doing)

After reflecting on Ryan's message this past Sunday, I really had to ask myself, "Do I love money?".  I don't think of myself as loving money.  After all, there are many people who have a lot more money than I do, people in my field that make a lot more money than I do, people with more stuff, nicer stuff...but do I love money?  
 
New Jersey - especially Northern New Jersey - is an expensive place to live.  Property Taxes are high.  State Income Taxes are high.  It costs a lot to heat and cool our homes or apartments.  Food and services are not cheap.  I need to make a lot of money just to get back to PAR.  I don't love money but I need money and a fair amount of it just to survive....but do I love money?
 
At a previous church there was a stewardship meeting which the leader commented "people will give where there heart is, where their passions lie".  He went on to say that if the church (or mission) was meeting a "heart need" generally these get funded.  When your heart is touched it is easy to allow your wallet to follow.  So where is my heart?  Where is YOUR passion?
 
The easy thing for me to do is SAY is what I'd like to hear, "I don't love money".  While I need money to survive and take care of my family, LOVE is a strong word.  However, if I had to survey people who didn't know me and had them look at my life via a movie clip, what would they say about my life?  What would they say about YOUR life?
 
My self evaluation about "do I love money?" needs to occur more frequently than when I hear a good sermon.  It is a struggle that I need to repent daily about and make sure that $$$ does not become a false prophet that I am giving into or worse leading my greatest mission field - my family - towards.  
 
Am I fully and wholly content with food, clothing and JESUS?  Unfortunately, not today.  While I love JESUS, I still struggle with the material things that the world offers.  However, my desire is to continue to walk with HIM and allow HIM to change my life.  For those who fight this daily fight...you are not alone.  I know of at least one person in this boat.....me.

While they said a lot of great things, the thought sticking with me is a confirmation of so much that I have learned to be true--primarily over the last 2 years.

God IS NOT safe. Jesus Christ is the most divisive figure this world has ever seen. People love Him, and have given up their lives for Him. People hate Him, and have defamed Him in both word and deed. Most people, however, ignore Him.

Most people are content to be their own God--to go through life answering to themselves: their political agenda, their view of how things "should be", their preference of how things should be run or what makes something "right". I'm not even talking about people outside the church. I'm talking about me at many points in my life. And maybe, just maybe, I'm talking about you.

--It's the guy who complains about the worship in church, as well as the guy that defensively responds. It's the right-wing conservative who equates republicans with Jesus' people as well as the left-wing liberal who screams about separation of church and state. It's the socialist as well as the capitalist, the hippie as well as the yuppie, the activist as well as the people he or she condemns for their apathy--

Jesus approaches each one of those people and says, in essence, "I don't care what side you're on. If it isn't my side, you're wrong. And, by the way, none of you have it figured out."

The Jesus I read about in the Bible is a Jesus who told the truth... no, He knew the truth... no, He was the truth. And if you're not Him, you're not truth.

Since we're not truth, God left us with an authority not of ourselves--the Bible. He also left us with His Holy Spirit so we can not only understand that truth, but be convicted of it, speak it, and even pray in truth back to Him.

If the Bible is truth, and Jesus is truth--and if Jesus is not safe... it stands to reason that the Bible is not safe. While many people run to it for safety, when they get to that stronghold, they might just find it makes you safer in some ways, while also more endangered in others. It challenges our very existence, and certainly what we do with our existence.

The American church, historically, has sanitized this unsafe Jesus. He calls us to live biblically courageous lives in response to His radical message. Love your neighbor--oooooh, that's awkward. Provide for the poor--but what about me? Hold firm to truth--isn't that intolerant?

Radicalism in other religions means kill, destroy, hurt, force.

Radicalism as defined by Jesus means love the unlovable. Who comes to mind when I say "unlovable, annoying, draining"... yeah... that guy. Love HIM.

It means give what you may believe rightfully belongs to you. It isn't yours. It's God's. And He could take it if He chose to.

It means be in community with people--not because you need more friends, but because those people need you, and if you're honest, to be on mission, you need them, too.

It means make it clear to the world that you follow Jesus Christ--sometimes through what you do, and sometimes by actually saying it.

A lot of times, even I have chosen to follow Jesus because he's like a good puppy--protective, loving, safe, and even obedient to me, his master. It's those times, He flips me--often forcefully--and reminds me that He is the Sovereign, All-Powerful, Unsafe, Embodiment of Truth.

I don't want to follow the god who is safe for the whole family. That isn't the God of the Bible. I confess, I have yearned for that god out of my own selfishness at times. I thought I wanted God, but I wanted a pet.

Shake us up, God. May we never treat you like a domesticated companion. May we never think our way is totally right. May we never disregard the things you tell us for want of our own things.

I pray I can hold firm to the truth, and that it would be obvious by the way I love. Maybe that prayer is echoed tonight in your own heart--or maybe it is just me.

This is reflected in our Missional Communities. Every semester, leaders are added, as they should be. However, to date, there are only 14 groups. The negative side of that is we don't have as many groups available. The positive side of that is the ones we have are led by leaders we absolutely trust.

Being in worship ministry, we get a lot of people coming in regularly who want to be a part of the bands. It's no secret we've been extremely blessed in the realm of music. I can't say that I know of a more talented and more Christ-centered group of musicians anywhere in the world. Their hearts are pure in their service, and the give their lives to the ministry--both in their playing/singing for God and their time (most Sundays, the band members are at Emergence for over 6 hours). It is--by far--the most time consuming ministry we have, and it is also the ministry most prone to derailments of ego and pride. I've seen it happen many times in music ministry: it easily becomes more about music than ministry. I can, with full disclosure and clean conscience, absolutely state that with the (nearly 40) people serving in our worship and tech teams, it is about ministry. 

I state regularly to our teams that they are leaders at Emergence. They lead worship when they are on the platform, but their example leads people off the platform as well. Because of this, they are held to a high standard of leadership.

When someone comes to me and shares about their musical gifts and desire to be in the bands, my first response is always the same: how long have you been at Emergence? are you involved in any sort of community here?

In Matthew 7, Jesus says this to His disciples:
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits."

I am fully aware that Satan wants nothing more than to destroy what is going on at Emergence. Lives are changing, people are coming face-to-face with the Jesus of the Bible, steps of development are being pursued, and people who have never been to church or who wrote it off years ago are walking through the doors every week. All it takes to destroy a work of God like this one is a few wolves in sheep's clothing sneaking in to devour the sheep.

While I may need an additional bass player or drummer, I don't need them enough to place anyone in a leadership position without giving them time to bear fruit in this place God has blessed.

Even with this cautious approach, God has brought servants of all giftings to Emergence to make it what it is today. I'm so thankful for every one of them, and it is a privilege to serve with them.

If you're not currently contributing your gifts to what God is doing at Emergence, pray about how you can be a part of your church. Our hope is to see as many people as possible say "I'm all-in" here. The more people who make that decision--the more we'll all be making ourselves available to go wherever God wants to take this thing.

"Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." ESV

A few years ago I ran across a book that helped me get a better perspective on my spiritual life. In his book, The Life You've Always Wanted, John Ortberg conveys the imaginary scenario where one day while I'm sitting on the couch in a TV-trance twinkie binge, representatives from the US Olympic Committee knock on my front door with the news that after extensive research on every person in the country, they have determined that out of all the citizens of our country, I am the person with the most potential to win a gold medal in the upcoming olympic marathon.

My first response is fantasizing about how great it will feel to stand on the center podium with national anthem blaring to receive the gold medal. Then to my horror I suddenly realize that in my current condition I have absolutely no chance of completing a marathon, much less finish with gold. No chance, not even if I try really, really hard.

Yet according to the committee I am virtually guaranteed victory. The choice then becomes do I settle for trying to win (the easy way out with little chance for success) or do I choose to train to seize the opportunity of a lifetime?

Here, according to Ortberg, is the principle: There is an enormous difference between training to do something and trying to do something.

Now everyone would certainly agree with that principle when it concerns athletics, playing an instrument, or getting a PhD in quantum physics. But if I'm honest with myself it's amazing how quickly I fail to believe that principle when it comes to my life in Jesus. Despite knowing better I still bounce up and down, from low to high to low, challenge-try-fail, over and over, because I am trying for - and not training for - godliness.

One of the most vivid examples I can relate to you happened about a year ago with my mentor. When he agreed to mentor me (I asked him to mentor me, he didn't offer it - that's another principle to learn) he told me that I would be required to memorize a whole book of the Bible as part of the commitment. That's five chapters recited word for word.

Well after completing maybe two chapters successfully I felt as if my brain was gonna fall out of my skull and that I could do no more. From across the table he looked me straight in the eye and said, "Mike, it all depends on how badly you want this. You CAN do this if you choose to. How badly do you want to know - really know - God's Word?"

Put in that way I had to accept the challenge. However, I couldn't keep doing what I was doing and expect to accomplish the goal. It wasn't working. I had to stop trying and start training. So I evaluated my situation and came up with a simple training plan: 1. Turn off the television in the evening and use the time to study, and, 2. While driving (anywhere, any time) trade in talk radio for talking to myself, reciting the scripture verses out loud.

After a few months of working hard according to the plan I succeeded in memorizing the whole book. Now I'm slowly working on memorizing another!

In relating this experience I am not suggesting that you have to do what I am doing. And I remind you that none of this effort is to "earn" anything from God. I am saying that in my own life, my call to godliness involves memorizing scripture - lots of it - and there is no way I can accomplish that by trying. I need to be in training.

Interested in training for godliness, not trying? Check out "9 Thoughts for... ummm... 0'10" in Ryan's blog for some great tips to get going.

1. How much of the bible will I read this year, and are there online helps I can use?

• The Journey's Reading Plan
• ESV Reading Plans

2. What is a doctrine that I will learn deeply this year?
    Some helpful resources

• Desiring God
• The Gospel Coalition
• The Resurgence

3. What books will I read this year, that will help me live out the gospel in all venues of my life?


4. Who is someone I need to spend more time with this year that will help me grow in Godliness… Who is someone that needs to be dropped?  


5. What are the biggest time and energy wasters in my life, that prevent me from time with Jesus?


6. Where will I serve this year in humility?  Where do I need to lead this year in humility?   


7. What do my finances say about how seriously I take growing and training myself for Godliness? What do my Friday nights say?  What do my relationships say?


8. At the current trajectory of my life, in 5 years will I be approaching the Godly man or woman I want to be?  If not what catalysts do I need to insert?


9. When will I find time alone, with God to assess the obstacles, repent of sin, and to see how all of this is going?

I avoided the cliche of 10 for '10, purely on principle. Enjoy.

You may have heard about the security breach at Newark Airport yesterday which locked down a terminal and grounded tons of flights and thousands of people--who were then forced to get comfy in Terminal C (not an easy task).

It turns out that Josh Wilson just happened to be waiting for a flight as well. Along with the others, he had nowhere to go. Instead of just moping, he made some lemonade from the lemons at hand.

With guitar in tow with him at the terminal, he started into an impromptu rendition of "Hey Jude", which not only brighten the would-be passengers' terrible day, but also got him quite a bit of press.

Because we live in an age of technology, we can actually see the moment--from two angles. Go figure :)

for those of you not familiar with Josh's music, here's a great arrangement of "Savior, Please" recorded live at Willow Creek in South Barrington, IL.

“If you cut off a spider’s head, it dies; if you cut off a starfish’s leg it grows a new one, and that leg can grow into an entirely new starfish”

The premise of the book “The Starfish and the Spider” is about the difference between the traditional top-down organizations which are like spiders, contrasted with starfish organizations which are currently changing the face of business and the world. Craigslist, Skype, Wikipedia, eBay, and open-source technologies to name a few, are examples of starfish orgnaizations. The idea is that organizations that function “decentralized” are more likely to succeed, innovate, and adapt to change.

The starship principle is not simply applied to a singular organization but also a cultural phenomenon. An example would be the music industry. When Napster was succeeding in P2P music sharing (or stealing?), MGM was able to find and take down Napster… but as the starfish analogy portrays… that only gives birth to more starfish. So Napster was followed by Kazaa, then finally eMule. The thing about eMule is that there is no owner (opensource), and in fact, nobody knows how or where eMule originated. There is no center to take down.

The book is not solely about business strategies, but group strategies in general. The Apache’s survived the Spanish invasion because they followed a starfish structure of leadership. Unfortunately, Al qaeda is also a starfish, which is why they are so difficult to shut down. Where is the center of ‘Al qaeda’? there is none… when you break down one of their circles, other circles pop up in different places. There is of course a way to take down Al qaeda which the book describes… but it is not the traditional form of warfare, but an ideological change from the inside out. That is a topic for a different post.

Decentralized structures are intriguing to me. The more something is centralized, the easier it is for corruption to creep in.

“The founding fathers realized the importance of power distribution. The constitution is therefore based on two key starfish principles. First, the govt is divided into three branches, each of which is fairly autonomous and independent. Second, the constitution purposely keeps the federal govt weak, delegating significant powers to the states” — p142

The social network explosion in the last several years is a good example of a starfish model. Fragments of social conversations creating identity and brands which make it possible for easier collaboration in virtual circles. The result fosters innovation or a platform for creating a movement; or supporting a cause.

In my opinion, the book is compelling and offers a fresh description of the power behind decentralized systems. I highly recommend it.

to quote Fred: "God is good, all powerful, and He has a plan."

Info on Fred Cook via CaringBridge

Info on Bruce Nawyn via Legacy.com

Have a happy, healthy and safe New Year's. See you in 2010.

Steve

There were some great thoughts in the interview.

Here's one that struck me:

Preaching Magazine: That's the caricature that some older, traditional evangelical pastors have of the young pastors: that what they're doing is Christianity-lite, topical preaching and so on. Yet what I'm finding as I talk to many of these younger pastors is the opposite. They are intensely biblical; whereas many traditional churches are doing a 20- or 25-minute expository sermon, these guys are doing 40, 45 minutes and more in intensive exposition of Scripture. So, it seems to me the trend seems to be moving not toward exposition in the traditional, classic sense that we have thought about it in recent years, but very much in terms of taking the Word of God, opening it up and applying it to people's lives.

Stetzer: Robert Webber, who died recently, offered some helpful categories. You used one of them: traditional evangelicals. In my denomination, that's probably the leadership right now and in many seminaries. For them, as far as preaching goes, that's going to be much more of a working through the text, verse-by-verse, bring in a lot of linguistic tools. That sort of thing.

Following that, Webber talks about the pragmatic evangelicals. Think in terms of the WillowBack world, my own little made-up word. The idea is that it's much more practical; some might use the word felt-need preaching; but what we've seen is that even many of the churches that became known for that don't do that anymore or do that to a lesser degree.

Webber talks about this emerging generation that he calls the younger evangelicals. Well, I don't know if we can use that term forever because they're not always going to be that young; but there's a desire to do preaching that is more text-engaging. I preached in November for a pastor friend of mine, Mark Driscoll; and I'm thinking, "I've got to bring an hour of in-depth biblical text." I don't preach an hour. When I preach, I'm a 40-minute preacher; but this church, one of the fastest growing churches in America, is led by a pastor who preaches every week for an hour, working through the text.

So I think it's a misnomer to say that emerging generations are not seriously wanting to engage in the Scripture. I find the opposite. My friends--these young pastors with whom I work with--they're very much engaged in it, and to the point where I'm looking at it and saying, "Man, I've got to step up for an hour to bring that."

I could not agree more--in the emerging generations, what has become clear is that they are hungry to search the Scriptures, and then decide if they believe it.

People ask Ryan and I all the time: what makes Emergence different? What "style" church are you? While they are looking for an easy answer, like "we turn up the volume and play rock music", the only answer we can give them normally shocks them: we teach through the Scripture. It isn't watered down. It isn't nicely wrapped with a bow. We don't do production well. What we do is open up the Bible and spend time diving deep.

Some people started coming to Emergence because they like the music. Some started coming because it was in a different kind of atmosphere. While those reasons may help someone find their way to our little community, it certainly doesn't keep people there. People keep coming back--they make it their home--because we teach the Bible with nothing held back.

I think the emerging generations are on to something--and I hope it stays that way. It is contagious. That same hunger for truth has caught on without regard to age or life stage--and frankly, I'm pretty pumped about it.

Merry Christmas.

Christians, of course, know Christmas as a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Add in a little tradition, and that's where it gets sticky. Santa, trees, ornaments, using "Xmas", and even the date of December 25th have led to fights (give it up, folks), boycotts (your loss), and many more variations of disagreement. 

And so, I've decided to take a few moments and run down the list of these things. My hope is that by adding some details to these topics you'll have a reason to agree or disagree--but ultimately, you'll be able to at least understand the other side a little better.

Santa - Santa Claus, aka "Saint Nick" or "Kris Kringle" (a variation of Christkindl--the Austrian/Bavarian Santa) is traditionally the fat, red-clad man who bounds down chimneys on Christmas Eve to give presents to kids who have been "good" on any given year. Sounds normal, right? ha.

The tradition of Santa Claus, however, is not just one tradition. It is a conglomerate of many traditions worldwide.

It is generally accepted that the legend of Santa Claus goes back to 200-300A.D. and a man named Saint Nicholas, aka "Nicholas the Wonderworker." He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose English name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas. His legendary charity led to the legend of an annual gift-giver.

Nicholas' death on December 6, 343A.D. was close enough to December 25th that people began to combine his example of gift-giving with the holiday celebrating the greatest gift ever given to man, Jesus Christ.

Santa has political cartoonist Thomas Nast to thank for his big red getup. His classic cartton in an 1863 Harper's Weekly was the first to show Sants in the suit.

Christmas Trees and Ornaments- The ancient pagans, Druids, Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews celebrated the Winter Solstice on December 21st. The evergreen tree represented eternal life and the promise of replenishment during the cold winter solstice. While the Christmas tree is generally associated with Christ, it predates this religious figure by many centuries. In the Bible, Jeremiah the prophet admonishes those who dare to erect such a pagan artifact: "Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen...For the customs of the people are vain; for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not." (Jeremiah 10:2-6)

One could argue that by the letter of the law, Christmas trees are not to be put up by Christians. However, it is clear that Jeremiah was teaching against putting trees up to serve as a tribute to a false God--not as part of a tradition that complements our focus on the birth of Jesus.

As is sometimes the case, Christians began to "redeem" the practice. Later on in history Germans hung wafers on the tree along with the apples to represent the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Later on in the Victorian era, the apples were replaced by red glass balls and candles and the representation signified both Adam and Eve along with the light of Christ.

The fir tree has a long association with Christianity, it began in Germany almost 1,000 years ago when St Boniface, who converted the German people to Christianity, was said to have come across a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree. In anger, St Boniface is said to have cut down the oak tree and to his amazement a young fir tree sprung up from the roots of the oak tree. St Boniface took this as a sign of the Christian faith. But it was not until the 16th century that fir trees were brought indoors at Christmas time.

"Xmas"- While I have seen many an angry Christian get their knickers in a bunch over substituting the word Christ with the letter X, their anger may be... may be... ill placed. While some people have certainly used the X to remove Christ's name from -ian and -mas, historically the meaning is no different.

The "X" in Xmas is from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of Χριστός, Christ in Greek. The word "Christ" and its compounds, including "Christmas", have been abbreviated in English for at least the past 1,000 years, long before the modern "Xmas" was commonly used. "Christ" was often written as "XP" or "Xt"; there are references as far back as AD 1021. The labarum, an amalgamation of the two Greek letters rendered as ☧, is a symbol often used to represent Christ in Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christian Churches.

It seems as if,  like the usage of a tree, the usage of "X" goes back to a motivation of the heart. If I write a note to Ryan during a meeting (we'd NEVER do that) saying "what are you preaching about this Xmas" am I trying to take Jesus out? No. I'm trying to write faster so I don't allow anyone to see me passing notes.

I do, however, see the point in keeping the word Christ in Christmas in the culture around us. I don't think we'd ever promote our services as Xmas services (as a reminder, we have no Xmas Eve service at Emergence... but the Lincoln Park campus does). I know that last reference is bothering some of you. No worries... I meant it in a Greek sort of way.

December 25th- Yes, Jesus was probably not born on December 25th. But, neither did He look as dutch as the figure in your nativity. And, those 3 "kings" weren't kings. They didn't even make it to the manger. Wow, has this rocked your world?

December 25th was the date that the Romans ended their feast of Saturnalia--the commemoration of the dedication of the themple to the god Saturn. Early Christians probably didn't celebrate Jesus' birthday. In fact, they probably didn't celebrate birthdays at all--that was normally a pagan custom (on a side note: those of you who refuse to celebrate Christmas... do you celebrate birthdays??).

As Mark Driscoll points out: Without a clear date for Jesus’ birth, it seems the early church simply seized the opportunity that the pagan feast of Saturnalia provided. The feast celebrated the return of the sun after weeks of ever-increasing darkness, which parallels the biblical metaphor of Jesus illuminating our dark world. Furthermore, Saturnalia included the sharing of gifts, which corresponds to the gifts given to Jesus by the Magi and the gift of salvation Jesus gives.

In the West, the date of December 25 was established by the time of Augustine. Unlike the Western Church, the Eastern Church observes Christmas on January 6, as the day that both Jesus was born and the Magi visited him.

Additionally, determining the year of Jesus’ birth with exact precision is incredibly complex. The two gospels that speak in greatest detail about Jesus’ birth (Matthew and Luke) are unclear on this point. Therefore, it seems most wise to say that it was 5 or 4 B.C., as those are the years nearly every evangelical scholar accepts after looking at all of the evidence.

So, there you have it. Pretty much everything we do traditionally at Christmas has its roots in paganism. The difference is this: we worship Jesus. Much like a song I hear on the radio or a paiting I see in a gallery, the meaning is how my own heart processes it.

If your filter is Jesus--enjoy the holiday. Enjoy the tradition, the time with your family, the food, the vacation days, and the candles. Like my three year old, marvel at how beautiful the lights on all the houses look, and grieve with the people painstakingly checking each bulb. Then take a breath and marvel even more that without Jesus, it is all for nothing. Without Jesus, it is a stupid holiday about the sun or a tree. With Him, it is a remembrance of the Son who hung on a tree--for us.

Merry Christmas.

Adoption and caring for those most in need of care is not just a passion for the Burts. Right now, they are in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia. They would appreciate your prayers as they step out in faith!

A big thank you to Vanessa for her blog contribution. If you have a blog or would like to contribute to our online community, please email Steve here.

Dr Paul Brand, in his book "The Gift Nobody Wants" says that there needs to be an education about the origins of pain and its purpose:

"In the modern view, pain is an enemy, a sinister invader that must be expelled. And if product X removes the pain 30 seconds faster, all the better. This approach has a crucial, dangerous flaw: once regarded as an enemy, not a warning single, pain looses its power to instruct. Silencing pain without considering its message is like disconnecting a ringing fire alarm to avoid receiving bad news."

Pain. Heartache. Deep gut-wrenching sadness. Compassion.

I have been feeling pain ever since I left Kostrama, Russia and the 10 orphans I had grown to love. Ever since my eyes were open to the absolute injustice and poverty in countries like Russia and Africa.

How much less painful my life could be if I decided to take product X. I see this as the product you take when you see the faces of starving Africans coming from your TV in an infomercial, and change the channel instead of letting your eyes make contact with their begging eyes that ask of you "Will you see us? Will you help?"

When you refuse to watch things like this:

Or look at pictures like this:

Its absolutely gut-wrenching isn't it? Horrifically uncomfortable? Painful?

I know.

But God gave us these feeling of pain when we open our eyes to the realities around us for a reason- to powerfully instruct us.

To instruct us to do something, anything. We cannot save Africa, Russia, the USA, the world. But we can save ONE. One child, one family, one village. Adopt an orphan, foster a child, be a mentor, raise money to build a well, give of your time to organizations that are reaching out their hands to the world, go on a missions trip and see things with your own eyes, support missionaries, support adoptive families, sponsor a child. There is so much that needs to be done that often time I think we as Americans miss what can be done.

I'm not saying that the road that Jim and I have chosen is easy, or comfortable. There are days when the tears don't stop and I selfishly want to ask God, why? Why me? Take this burden from me. It hurts to much. I feel too much. I don't want to see, I don't want to know. I just want to live in my happy little world and not risk anything. Even Jesus, as he prayed on the Mount of Olives right before his arrest and trial, asked God “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done.” He knew the absolute torture, pain, and death he was about to face. But he chose to do it anyway.

We can choose to open our eyes, choose to watch the video, look at the pictures; to not stick our head in the sand like an ostrich. And it will hurt, and it will be painful. But like Beth Moore has said:

"At some of the hardest times in my life, I have been able to make the more difficult choice out of pure blind-eyed, bent-kneed acceptance that I was somehow part of the great plan. I was beaten by a conviction that throbbed relentlessly against my strong self-centeredness. As much as my flesh wanted relief, I knew that when all was said and done, I'd sit on that side of glory having much rather fulfilled my calling than served myself all the way to meaninglessness. I had to accept that I was not called to an easy life. I was called to a purposeful life."

So the real question is why not me? Why not you?

Even if we change the channel, or turn off the fire alarm, the bad news is still there:

-147 million orphans
-Sex-trafficking making modern day slaves of children
-Lack of clean water killing 5,000 children every day
-15 million children dying from hunger every year

I want to take care of all 147 million orphans, but I can't. I want to provide clean drinking water, food, an education to the world but I can't. And God knows this. He only asks for us to do something, anything, to reach out, to help one.

So we begin by adopting one baby boy from Ethiopia. We begin by digging one well. Buy feeding one person. And God tells me that this one is enough for now. That he will hold the 147 million other orphans as they wait for another family to come forward and say "Why not us? We will make room in our hearts and home for one of these little ones." That He will move in the hearts of people and they will be led to raise money to help dig a well, or feed a child, or take a homeless person out for dinner.

Believe me, this is not meant to preach in any way, its a reminder to myself that I have to just do everything I possibly can, and trust Him with the rest. And the amazing thing is, despite the pain, the work brings a joy and happiness and excitement that nothing else in this world can bring. And I can smile because I know that soon there will be one less orphan in the world, and for now, that is enough.

God the Father - At the top of the list is the initiator of salvation--the One who loves me, and you, and all of the world enough to give (in the fullest sense possible) His only Son away to bring us back to Him.

Jesus Christ - Sure, it is cliche, and I'm starting to sound like a sports figure who just won a big game, but honestly, were it not for Jesus, the rest of this list either doesn't exist or is ultimately eternally meaningless. By that, I mean that were it not for the truth of God's love revealed in Jesus, all of the stuff that I'm thankful for would exist to please either me or someone else other than God.

Without Jesus, I have no idea where I'd be. Honestly, I don't want to know.

The Holy Spirit - The boldness I need, the conviction I know, and the guidance I depend on... I'm so thankful for God who is with us.

My Wife, Melissa - Thankful doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about my best friend, teammate, and chief supporter. It's insane to think back at how God placed us together--but it reminds me of how much He loves me.I am thankful that in spite of seeing every moment I am NOT in front of people, she loves me--and she shows me that she loves me every day.

My Kids, Landon and Chase - How can you describe the feeling you have as a father? It's the highest degree of love and healthy pride in someone... but the thankfulness I feel toward God is nothing short of indescribable. It is a privilege and an honor I'm unable to even express.

My Extended Family - I have been so blessed to have such an amazing family. I have seen God's love through all of them in so many different ways. God expanded my little family through the years, and I'm so thankful to say that it not only includes my Mom and family I have known my whole life, but an amazing set of in-laws and by the grace of God, my Dad and family on his side as well!

Calling - If I were doing anything other than what I am doing, I would be frustrated to the point of despair. I have never gone a day in the past 10 years I have not been thankful for the calling God has placed on my life. There are horrible, horrible days in ministry... but even on the worst day, the idea of leaving ministry seems as foreign to me as a menu in a fancy restaurant.

Jacksonville Chapel - I'm so thankful we're part of a larger church that cares enough about the mission of Jesus that there is flexibility and freedom to do things a little differently, even if people call us crazy. Not every church would allow God to do the things He has done at the Chapel. Much of the thanks is for the Elders and leaders that have been open to the movement of God.

The Chapel Staff - The staff at the Chapel is nothing short of a family. They have seen me at my best and worst throughout the years, and I am thankful for their patience and support.

Emergence - Without Emergence, I would most certainly be in another place, at another church. I would not have been stretched the way I have been stretched. I would not have seen the things I have seen, met the people I have met, or heard the stories I have heard. It would have been my loss. At the precise moment He knew He would need to, God opened a door at a crazy little idea of a church, and life has never been the same since.

Ryan - Never in my life have I seen God take two guys who are so different and turn them into a team that is so unified. Ryan is an amazing leader, and I am honored to serve with Him at Emergence. I look forward to many more years watching God take insufficient people and show He is sufficient.

Mike - While I am certainly thankful for all of our leadership and our Elder Board, I can't say enough how much I appreciate the work that the Emergence Elder, Mike Kuder, has put in over the past year. His selfless service has helped to ensure that we are on track on many levels, and he is to be commended.

The Volunteers at Emergence - I could spend hours naming them all... without those who serve faithfully, Emergence would not exist. Thank you to all of you on our Setup team, Tech team, Worship team, Cafe team, Greeting team, Counting team, Small Group Leaders team and the many others who pitch in week in and week out.

Faithful Givers - Whether it is the Reaching Further Campaign or the General Fund, the monies given to the Chapel go toward great things. More than just keeping the lights on, the offerings pay for ministries that are seeing people's lives change, releasing people from addictions, saving marriages from destruction, breaking the hold of sin in people's lives, and at a foundational level bringing the good news of Jesus to a world that desperately needs some good news.

My Intensive Discipleship Guys - Drive past the Chapel office at 6:30am on most Tuesday mornings and you'll see the lights are on. Inside that lit office are 10 guys who are devoting a year to reading through the entire Bible, being challenged on theological assumptions, learning about missionality, studying God's plan for the Church, and giving God room to change their direction and motivations in life. I am so thankful for these guys. I'm thankful for their dedication, their discipline, and their hearts for what God might do through them.

Incarnational People - It is easy to think that the only people who need to see the lives of those reflecting Jesus are those outside the church. That is completely false. I need to see the lives of those kinds of people, too. Whether it is someone praying for my family, a kind gesture from a generous person, or just an encouragement or "thank you? from someone--sometimes it is the only thing that keeps me going.

To all of you this Thanksgiving--and every day... thank you.
But, most of all, I want to thank the One who brought you into my life.

I will close by obeying the command of Psalm 107:1--even if I don't always do it as much as I should:

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good..."

Thank you, my God, my Savior.

Happy Thanksgiving.

It's been a while since I have engaged in my walkthrough of ReJesus. In addition to reading through the Bible with my intensive discipleship group. I have been scalp deep in a few other books in preparation for things to come. I have not forsaken ReJesus, though, and I'll prove it now.

Chapter Three of the book turns toward the Church, and how it needs some refounding. What I like about these guys is that, though they are not heavy on ecclesiology, they do not throw it out the door like some people calling for radical reform. While some in that category have all but forsaken the church of today--calling for only house churches and such--Frost and Hirsch have seen the importance of the church as we know it. And, because the church is important, they call out that same church to get back to its founder--the radical Christ.

speaking of radical--webster defines the word radical this way: "of or going to the root or origin; fundamental". and while the label "fundamental" has become somewhat of a negative label in the church, there is something very right about being that kind of radical.

If we are to be what Christ intended, the authors argue, we must head back to our origin and reflect more of the founder. In fact, all people of faiths or religions strive to reflect a founder:

• Buddhists aspire to be more like Buddha
• Scientologists are a bit off--just like L. Ron
• Muslims look a bit schizo, like Mohammed... some are militant like his angry writings, others are peaceful, like his pacifist passages
• Jewish people reflect the faith of Abraham, and are motivated by God's promises to him

If we are to be Christians, we must reflect our founder more. We must look more like Jesus. If you remove Jesus from the equation, you have a dangerous result. As the authors powerfully formulated: Christianity minus Jesus equals religion. Therefore, Christianity plus Jesus equals the antidote to religion.

In many ways, the contemporary church looks just as religious as its predecessors: the rituals may have changed, but they still bring to the participant a false sense of holiness through accomplishment. This happens over time because, as people, we are always drawn to move from Christ's mission to our own mission of self-preservation. We don't want to lose that which makes us comfortable. What we fail to realize is that Jesus, who brings both peace and chaos, comfort and discomfort is not concerned with our self-preservation. He is concerned about life transformation. 

When we allow the surprising, disturbing, refreshing, powerful Jesus to strip away all of our Christian paraphenalia, we take a giant step toward a faith that is radical: a faith committed to its origin.

There are two files below. They are the two sessions from the Missional Life 101 training. Check it out!

Phil Part One . play . download

Phil Part Two . play . download

A few weeks ago we began a survey to get a better understanding of who we are. In light of an upcoming move to a new location and a need to prepare for that and for the interim, we needed a “snapshot” of Emergence.

After sorting through hundreds and hundreds of surveys, compiling the results, and distilling some conclusions, the results below are a cross section of our site. Thank you so much for your help in the survey—we’re pretty encouraged by the results.

Ages:

Out of our average attendance of 650 people/week,

28% are age 45-54

20% are age 18-24

18% are age 25-34

13% are age 35-44

13% are in High School

8% are over age 55

Out of these responses, it

Gender:

58% are Female

42% are Male

Marital Status:

51% are Married

47% are Single

3% are Engaged

Zip Codes Represented:

95 Zip codes in all!

Click the image below to see the full map

I still live fully aware that we need to do a better job raising up leaders, refining systems, discipling young Christians, planting churches, hiring staff, and being faithful to Jesus' vision for his church.  However, as I got still today I was thankful for all God has done in this past year… most of which you would never notice on your average Sunday.  Below is some of what has happened this year that is worth celebrating:

-         The development of a greeting team, with a gifted leader.

-         The beginnings of building a children’s ministry team for when we launch off site

-         A full blown café which functions with almost 50 volunteers, over 4 services…

-         Small groups, with gifted and equipped leaders… who are pushing into missions

-         Four worship teams

-         5 fully staffed tech teams

-         And a partridge in a pear tree

There is still a ton to do, a ton to improve, and the need for all the body to use both their scattered and gathered gifts… but today I am hitting my pillow thankful for what Jesus is doing.

So how do we get clean? Only Jesus can do that. 1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Just how this happens is to us a mystery but, simply put, God "covers" the ugliness of our sin with the "clean" righteousness of Christ in order to accept us.

Second, those of us who follow Jesus must remember that even though our sins are forgiven (we are justified by Christ), our lives are still permeated by sin. It's way too easy to overlook that fact in daily life, especially if we have been following Christ for some time. We must continuously examine our lives in light of God's word and engage in frequent times of prayerful confession.

We don't do this in order to be re-justified or re-forgiven. We do this to keep the "dirt" from accumulating - ruining the image of Christ-likeness that God the Father seeks to develop in our lives (sanctification) - and to allow for an open, honest relationship with God to flourish.

First of all – We are on a quest for a permanent home, that can hold 500 – 700 folks per service, and park the appropriate amount of cars.  Each week two of our four services have people who can not fit in the building, so they stand in the back, and at times sit on the floor. 

Over the past 3 years to help alleviate the growth we have added a service each year, only to almost double in attendance each year over the last 3 years and continually run out of space.  Currently we have two full time staff… so yes we have serious infrastructure problems… now would be a good time to help out :)

This has been an extremely encouraging time, to see how many folks at Emergence have joined us to give there lives and talents to the mission of Jesus and build his church.  I have been greatly encouraged to hear stories of members who are sacrificing for the church.  I have talked to folks who have cancelled cable, skiing, and vacation.  To create space for friends and neighbors to hear about, be changed by, and worship Jesus.

Secondly -  We have been gleaning from and working with some friends from Christian Associates International, Acts 29 network, potential church planters, and advisors.  As we are in the process of forming a non profit church planting network for the Northern NJ/NYC area.  All with the hope of planting churches that reach progressive culture, in cultural hubs like Hoboken, Montclair, Nyack, Jersey City, and Guttenburg.

Thirdly – Steve and I have been invited down to Leadership Network, in Dallas TX to share with 14 other pastors, about what God is doing at Emergence and churches similar to ours.

Fourth (of all) – We are staying consistent to our vision, of being a church full of missionaries, who practically live missional lives in the context where God has placed us.  We have missional communities partnering with battered women’s shelters, care centers for the disabled, people serving in some of the worst neighborhoods in NJ, and exploring connections in our local colleges.  

We are excited to have Phil Graff who oversees European church planting to come and share with our community about what missional incarnational living looks like and how this approach has helped him build leaders, and plant churches throughout Europe.

------

All of that to say… we are all in incredibly over our heads, and amazingly we are getting to see Jesus do exactly what he said he would … build his church.  From the beginning we have made two promises:

So it’s a crazy time, and we realize that Jesus has been incredibly good to us, and though things are crazy right now… their is nothing more I would want to give my life to.    

Take, for instance, tilt-shift photography. It is the effect where you can take a photo--and just by changing shading and focus, you can make it look like everything is miniature. A great example is the video below, created for the 38th birthday of Walt Disney World:

Pretty cool, huh?
Somehow, I'm drawn to things that can take reality and make it look unreal.

As I write this, I am smacked in the face with a contrast. I have the television show "Survivor" on in the background... and somehow, I'm also drawn to things that can take the unreal and make it seem real (if you would argue that reality TV is actually reality, then substitute robots, instead. you get the picture).

In the midst of all of these things: the real becoming unreal and the unreal becoming real, I believe we run a risk of missing out on true reality. We run from it, in fact.

It does not escape me that every one of those "miniatures" in that video has a story. Every one of those contestants on "Survivor" will leave the show.

When they shut off the light at night and lay their heads down on their pillows, the truth is that they are all as complex as you or I--and they run from reality, too.

Do you ever sense the gravity of the stories around you? Do you understand the weight of your own story? The power in it? And are you willing to face it head-on so that in the honesty, God can work?

Let's be people who are present in the reality, not running from it...
Altered reality is entertaining, even amusing--but only when you recognize the alteration.

This Sunday, just a few short hours after leaving emergence I had the privilege to go to New York City for the "Prayer in the Square" event in Times Square. The event is hosted by the Times Square Church which meets for services at 51st St. and Broadway. Heidi and I have been to the event for each of its three years. I think this year has been the most meaningful so far because we are studying the Lord's prayer during Common Ground. Here are a few brief impressions of the event and how it relates to my deepening understanding of the Lord's prayer.

First, the Lord's prayer is so familiar to so many of us that we often recite it by wrote without interacting with its deep meaning. Starting with the "our" in "Our Father..." This has been one of the more difficult hurdles for me to cross spiritually and mentally in my faith walk. I am not sure why that is, but I believe it has something to do with the individualism that modern, particularly American, culture has circumscribed around the Christian faith. We routinely hear terms such as "my faith" or "personal savior" used to describe contemporary Christian spirituality. It is not that these terms are improper in and of themselves, but they most certainly distort the communal nature of faith. "I" have faith and "you" have faith, therefore "we" have faith. There is something almost unnerving to admit that faith - a deep relationship with God - can be both profoundly intimate and yet shared simultaneously by so many. In the same way, Jesus is "my" savior and He is "your" savior, therefore He is "our" savior. And Jesus is the Son of God, I am a child of God and so are you, therefore God is "our" Father.

This is never more obvious than when you go to an event like Prayer in the Square where tens of thousands of people from every ethnicity and background united by a common faith in Jesus Christ gather together to worship and pray to the Father. This year at "prayer" we experienced something unusual. Don't forget, there were tens of thousands of people there, a crowd several city blocks long flowing northward up Broadway. A few minutes before the conclusion we were asked to form small prayer groups wherever we stood with whoever we happened to be standing near. Hundreds and hundreds of prayer circles spawned, forming handholding rings of previously unaquainted brothers and sisters. My left hand held the rough hand of Masal, a man recently emigrated from Senegal.  My other hand held Heidi's. She held the hand of a woman from Hoboken, who in turn held the hand of another African American woman. And so it went around the circle of about 10 of us. Together we prayed for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. We prayed for each other's churches and for God to be glorified by our lives as His children. My prayer started something like this: "Thank you God for allowing me to meet for the first time these of my brothers and sisters who will I spend eternity with together with You." It was an awesome moment of realization.

The second impression is of worshiping our Holy God in such a large crowd. Of experiencing the passion and energy of multitudes of yielded hearts, their voices singing songs of praise which echo powerfully through the canyons of steel and glass. Of experiencing the surrealism of thousands of hands and heads raised skyward amidst the enormous video screens and giant garish billboards while the air is filled with the vibrating sounds of words once heard at the great throne of Heaven:

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" Rev. 4:8

It was truly an an awesome experience. One which I am not entirely at ease with because it stretches my comfort zone past "my" personal faith toward a corporate expression of faith.  And yet curiously I am also drawn to these experiences. I think that's because they represent small seeds - just a little taste - of what is to come, God's everlasting kingdom.

I can't tell you how excited I am to let you know that there is now an Emergence App available in the iTunes store!

If you have an iPhone or an iPod touch, click here to download the App.

The App is the simplest way to stay connected. You can listen to sermons, view the blog, see article posts (like this one), get directions, sign up to serve, contact us, check the facebook page, or the twitter feed--all in an App on your phone or iPod!

Check it out when you get a chance. This is a HUGE day.

I was spending some time thinking of some of the benefits of that this morning and here is what I have been chewing on:

1.  It unifies our entire church on one theme, and one study at all levels

2.  It allows families who have children to all discuss what they learned on Sunday together.  It equips parents to have conversations as they disciple there children, and lead the small church at home God has entrusted them with.

3.  It ensures doctrinal soundness.  While there are many great books discussed at the small group level, it is always easy for doctrinal error to slip into a church through a small group environment.

4.  It prevents groups from forming there own vision for the church.  Jesus gives the church vision.  Elders submit to that vision, and strategically plan how to be obedient to Jesus vision inside the church where the Holy Spirit has entrusted them to leadership (Acts 20).  Then as the elders submit to Jesus, we all submit to the elders and the strategy they bring forth.  This gives Jesus great joy to see his bride the church functioning as he intended, and the leadership joy in being faithful to Jesus and shepparding the flock. (Hebrews 13:17)

This then allows us to live counter cultural lives for the glory of Jesus in a culture that hates both submission and authority.  Many in our world today rail against the idea of authority, and by having a problem with authority they show a heart out of line with Jesus who has all authority. Matthew 28:18 (NIV)  Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.   Jesus gives us a counter cultural model where he is head, and he establishes leaders in government, church, and homes and as we faithfully submit to his design, we simultaneously offer a counter cultural model of God’s goodness to those who do not know Jesus, and model submission to our children and families.

5.  It encourages Sunday morning note taking, attendance, and engagement with the sermon.  It moves us from passive learners to active learners on Sunday morning allowing us to retain more of what we hear.

6.  In our information culture it allows for us to meditate on one truth (Col 3:16)… thus allowing for meditation, repentance, prayer, growth, even service built on that truth.  The temptation in our day is that we can hear 3 sermons a day, listen to worship music, and go from event to event.  The danger is we can move to a place where we are simply hearers of the word.  This allows us to be both hearers and doers of God’s truth. (James 1:22)

Today, we finished up our series in Nehemiah. It has been a great one for me--seeing Nehemiah's leadership, grace (sometimes), prayer life, determination, perseverance and faith is truly challenging.

As usual, my brain won't shut off on Sunday night. I came home after Sunday night service and began doing some more research on Nehemiah and his wall.

I came across this.

That's pretty rad. I love seeing things that I've been reading about. It brings it all to life.One day I hope to see it in person.

For now, it's on to Common Ground.

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does." (NIV)

Steve then explained a little about the swinging pendulum of "social gospel" adherents vs. the more conservative, fundamentalist view. Here are a few of my thoughts on the subject. Admittedly in the interests of brevity I am painting with a very broad brush.

That pendulum has been swinging back and forth between "too earthly minded" and "too heavenly minded" for millennia. In terms of recent history the mid 19th to 20th centuries saw the emergence of the social gospel movement (which Steve mentioned) as a liberal corrective - a call to action - in response to a church culture that, in a manner of speaking, "thought" more than it "did." Unfortunately in acting upon a social gospel that movement did forget the gospel. That resulted in lots of good works, but no Jesus, and it later morphed into the civil rights movement (not by any means a bad thing, but not per se a Jesus thing either). Following that movement was a re-energized conservative movement, the so called Moral Majority or Christian Right, which in my opinion simultaneously provided a necessary corrective to theological liberalism and also (through its political aspirations)  found its own way to miss the kingdom bull's eye. In response to the Christian Right movement the pendulum is once again swinging, this time in the form of the "Red Letter Christians," founded by Tony Campolo and Jim Wallis. And so the motion and movement of the pendulum continues.

You may or may not agree with that brief assessment. That's ok. What is important to me at this point is to investigate whether there is perhaps a better alternative. And I believe there is. If you continue reading in James 1 verses 26 and 27 you will find these words:

26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (NASB)

In these verses I see three key distinctives of "pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father":

Authenticity - v26 our actions (in this case speech) align with our thinking; we have a proper view of ourselves and are not hypocritical
Compassion - v27 visiting orphans and widows in their distress, and
Holiness - v27 keep oneself unstained by the world; pure

Scripture says we need to have all the traits, but of the three holiness is always the the least discussed. That's because holiness is completely uncool and holiness is hard. Living a holy life is difficult. No, it is impossible without the work of the Holy Spirit in us - first as individuals and then together as a community. Yet it is the one attribute that separates us as the people of God from all others. Lots of people are compassionate, and authenticity is so "popular" it's the new marketing buzzword. But if God is to use us as his people we must take holiness seriously. I would challenge you to spend half an hour or so reading through the whole book of 1st Peter (but especially chapter 1 and chapter 2) to see how God calls us to be His "chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God." (1 Peter 2:9 ESV)

In his message Steve admonished us all to spend more time in the Word. I believe that if you spend time repeatedly reading, meditating and praying over 1 Peter (and perhaps also James) you will begin to envision what holiness looks like in your life and our lives together as emergence. And you will be moving ever closer to the center, God Himself.

After we finish the Lords Prayer in mid October we are going to look at the book of 1 Timothy in a two part series called “Jesus Church” and “Jesus People” in a series that will take us through most of February 2010.  I am really excited to look at how Paul charges this young pastor Timothy to confront false doctrine, build a church structure that honors Jesus, and minister and lead the people who follow Jesus.   

As I thought about it tonight, these game changers came to mind:

- The computer
  I don't know that another invention can come close to doing what computers have done for the world. As an example, I used to have 3 bookshelves worth of Bible Handbooks, Bible Dictionaries, Commentaries, Concordances, and the like. It would take me days just to wade through all of the information that I had about a specific passage or topic. With the dawn of the computer age, Ryan and I can now type a passage into a piece of software and instantly be taken to dozens of commentaries. It is simply amazing. I would never want to return to the days before the computer.

- The internet
  What would life be like right now without the internet? Commmunication, productivity, relationships, shopping, studying, entertainment, music, videos--the list goes on--are all now instantly available and at your fingertips. Unreal. I would never want to return to the days before the internet.

- My relationship with Jesus.
  Talk about changing everything! How I work, how I play, how I love, how I engage tough situations, how I react, how I talk, how I spend my free time, how I schedule my time, how I parent--all of this and more have been completely transformed by Jesus. I can barely remember life before Christ, and I lived without him for essentially 15 years. It hasn't always been easy and it hasn't always been nice and clean with a little bow. In fact, life has gotten extremely messy at times, even with Him there. All I know is Jesus has changed everything and I would never want to return to the days before Him.

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His Son in the likeness of sinful man, to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. - Romans 8:3-4 NIV

As I continue to study scripture and try to understand it more deeply I am continually struck by a simple truth - everything that happens in my relationship with God is God's doing.  He loves me, He sent His Son, He came to earth as a man, He lived a sinless life, He was crucified, He died, He rose, He calls me to Himself, He forgives me, He justifies me, He sanctifies me. Contrary to our misconception of our role as the ultimate arbiter of the relationship (i.e. I accept Jesus) God is the proactive party in the relationship, not us. This has never been said more clearly than in John 3:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." - John 3:16-17 NIV

What I want to bring to our attention are the similarities in the two passages. Specifically that they both contain these words: God send(ing) His Son. Scripture says and my heart and experience confirm that God is on a mission to find us. Not the other way around. Two quick examples, the first is found in Genesis 3, the story of the fall of mankind into sin and disobedience. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God and realized their nakedness and shame, they hid. What did God do? The answer is in verse 9: But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" God went looking for Adam and Eve. Another quick example from the New Testament this time from the mouth of Jesus in Luke 19. Jesus was walking into Jericho and called out the corrupt tax collector, Zacchaeus. He then invited himself to Zacchaeus' house for dinner after which Zacchaeus repented of his deceit, stealing and sin. The onlookers became angry that Jesus would talk to and dine with such "a sinner." Jesus' response? Verse 9-10: "Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

God is a loving God. God is a sending God. God sent His Son. The Son seeks and saves. But here's where it gets interesting. Now that He found us, He sends us.

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." John 20:21 NIV

We find similar instructions in Matthew 28:18-20. Most of us know that passage by the name "The Great Commission." I fear we have read that passage so many times we may have lost the gravity of the call. But step back and think about that for just a second. And then add to that list above "He sends me." We have been commissioned by God, Maker of heaven and earth, to bring the evangelion - the good news of God's healing and forgiveness through Jesus - to a world that utterly, desperately needs to hear it.

That is what the Reaching Further campaign is about. It's not about a building, a bus, or more classrooms. It is about obedience to the commission, to being sent - to Rwanda, to Montville, to Wayne, to Lincoln Park - to wherever we as His body sense He is leading us with His message. It is active, not passive, and it is sacrificial. God did not sit idly by and allow us to be swallowed up by sin and death, hoping that somehow we would find Him. He sent Jesus to seek and save that which was lost. Philippians 2:8 says of Jesus:
 

And being found in appearance as a man,
      he humbled himself
      and became obedient to death—
         even death on a cross!

It is our turn to be obedient. It is our turn to be sent.

Here are a few examples below. Congrats, Baitzels! And thanks for the laughs, as well as staying true to yourselves and your faith...

I was at a conference last week where two speakers commented how the American Dream is about giving the next generation the things you never had growing up. If that’s true, my daughter Grace is getting Lite Bright and a Hippity Hop (now called Hop Bouncing Balls. Hippity Hop was a much better name, but I digress.) She’ll also be getting a tree house and a moped from Daddy. (Uh, I don’t think so!)

James Truslow Adams, coined the term “The American Dream” in 1931 defining what makes the USA unlike other nations:  “that American dream of a better, richer, and happier life for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” (I “happened” to hear this on a radio program a few months ago.

Not really sure how that morphed into whatever people think it is today. More stuff, fancier cars, multiple homes, lavish vacations, looking 30 when you’re really 55, being on American Idol? While those things would be great, will they give you a better, richer and happier life? What will you sacrifice to get them? And how much debt can you be in and still claim to be rich?

While I don’t think God will be opposed to me getting a Hippity Hop for Grace, he might want me to think about why I want her to have one. I think his Word lays out some direction for opportunities for a better, richer, happier life for us and the next generations.

Some good ones in Matthew 6:

•    Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…For where your treasure is; there your heart will be also. (19-21)
•    No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (24)
•    Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear….Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (25-27)
•    Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you. (33)

In Psalm 25, David declares just a few of the rewards of giving your life to and trusting the Lord.

•    He will show you the path you should choose. (v.12)
•    You will live in prosperity and your children will inherit the land. (v.13)
•    He is your friend. (v.14)
•    He teaches you His covenant. (v.14)
•    He rescues you from your enemies. (v.15)

Alas, a Hippity Hop is not on either list.

I think that’s okay.

For example one of my more favorite artists, Paul Cezanne, a painter of landscapes and still-lifes who lived in Aix-en-Provence, France once said that he wished to "Astound all of Paris with an apple." By this he meant that his ultimate goal was to paint in such a way as to distill the essence of the south of France - its beautiful mediterranean sunshine, rich soil, ocean air, light, colors and so on - into an image on canvas in the form of an apple. In other words the whole climate, the whole "goodness" of the location is evident in the fruit it produces. Take a bite of the apple (or in this case, a look) and you taste (or see) the whole environment that produced it. The genius is in knowing how to paint that.


Anticipating art from Cezanne, Monet, Matisse and others, Heidi and I made our way to the second floor gallery, but we were diverted from our goal by the exhibit Francis Bacon: A Centenary Retrospective. I knew of the exhibit and even a bit of Bacon's art but I was thoroughly unprepared for the emotional impact seeing the art in person would have on me.  When you enter the exhibit you are greeted on the left side by a grotesque triptych, "Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (1944)" and on the right by a brief biography of the artist. In the biography Bacon was described as a "militant atheist" who was profoundly affected by two World Wars and who attempted to portray existential philosophy through his art. Bacon's goal was to deconstruct human existence and remove all meaning from it leaving only humanity as animal or even further to simply, "meat." As a result, many of the paintings include split carcasses and other sundry butcher cuts and screaming, snarling, disembodied mouths. The result was profoundly unsettling, so much so that several days later I am still thinking about it.


Of course the main problem with deconstructing human existence and removing all meaning from it is that what remains is, well, meaninglessness. That meaninglessness then leads to the deep, dark emptiness of a hollow soul where fear, anxiety, hate, terror and other grotesque and broken creatures dwell. These creatures and their corresponding emotions are captured well in the art of Francis Bacon. I dare say they are captured profoundly well.

It is said of art that it reflects and often predicts culture. One of the reasons I believe I was so affected by the art of Bacon is that though he was an atheist, he correctly portrayed the torment and anguish of a broken soul. Without the meaningfulness of a relationship with it's creator the human soul is profoundly dark. As a christian I couldn't help thinking of the untold millions of people for whom the darkness and anxiety of these paintings is an inward reality.


Think about some of this in light of scripture. For example, does the idea of fruit being the product of it's climate enhance your understanding of Galatians 5:22-23? How about the opposite found in Galatians 5:19-21? How do you understand Bacon's deconstruction of humanity and atheistic worldview in light of Romans 1:18-32? Jeremiah 17:9? What about what Jesus said in Matthew 15:17-20?

Love to hear your thoughts-

I was struck by something someone posted on Facebook yesterday. (incidentally, if you're against Facebook, you're missing the boat... just sayin')

I was browsing and saw this on a page of one of the college students who come to Emergence...
"I'm writing this note because I am honestly blown away by God's glory, grace, mercy, love, forgiveness.. EVERYTHING. I have seen Him work wonders in me, and seen His plans come through in countless situations. This summer I have had the opportunity to grow extremely close to my old friend [omitted], become literally like a second mom to her son [omitted], and connect with so many awesome people at Emergence. 6 months ago, I would have never expected [omitted] to be in the situation she is in now. She has had her share of hardships being a teen mother, but I have seen God work so much through her situation. Through Emergence we have met many amazing people that we can trust, hang out with, and praise the Lord with. It has especially given [omitted] an awesome support group that has been there for her throughout the summer."

What a great statement about the community here at Emergence! It just confirms everything I know to be true.

If that were the end of this story, it would already be an encouragement, but this needs a bit of background.

A couple of years ago, I met a guy at Emergence named Mark (not really, but I'll change his name). He has had a whole lot of things go wrong in his life--family stuff, emotional stuff, medical stuff. He was a broken man, who knew he needed some fixing. He felt useless and worthless in many respects. Yet, even through his trials, he had come to a knowledge of faith that was strong and stable.

Mark knew a family that had left the area and moved back a few years later. In speaking with them and talking about his walk with Jesus, he had suggested that they come out to Emergence. They did.

First, the parents came to check it out. They found a new home. (they have gone through the membership class and are now members at the Chapel as well) The kids came out, and soon the whole family was part of the community.

One of the daughters plugged into a small group and made new friends. She built relationships with those inside the group while also pursuing those outside the group and outside the church.

When one of her friends became pregnant and needed help, she went to the place where she knew she could turn--her small group. They embraced this friend of hers, and soon, that young mom had a community of her own.

The quote at the top was written by the girl who invited that friend--and it all started because a broken man who was on mission had his eyes open. He reached out to his friends who were looking for a church home, and they reached out to their kids. Their daughter reached out to another who needed to know the hope of Jesus--and that, my friends, is mission. It all happened in the span of less than a year.

Being missional doesn't have to be this vague concept. It is very real--very simple. And when it happens, it has the potential to bring hope where there was none.

"Faith Takes Risk" is what Robert Downey, Jr. is scribbling on his paper as I watch the movie "Only You" with my wife. It's fitting, as that is a big theme in the second chapter of ReJesus.

Chapters two and three look at renewal. First, we'll look at personal renewal. Then, in the next post, I'll comment on chapter three--church renewal.

The authors, Hirsch and Frost, do a great job of defining a wholistic view of a follower of Jesus--or what the church calls a disciple.

Essentially, a disciple is one who follows. In the Old Testament days, it was used to describe a person who walked in the footsteps, practically literally, of a Rabbi and imitated what the Rabbi did. In the context of Christendom, Jesus is our Rabbi. How we view our Rabbi dictates what we will imitate. As the authors put it, our view of Jesus, as promoted by the church today "range generally from what we might call high church, where Jesus tends to be relegated to some place in the outer echelons of the cosmos, to the more prevalent contemporary seeker-sensitive model where the radical message of Jesus is easily trivialized into some form of spiritual accessory in a consumerist paradise." Well said. As people of exremes, we tend to caricature Jesus into either an unreachable spirit fairy or our buddy who loves to feed our bank account so we can live a comfortable, moral life. As a generalization, I can agree that "we have largely lost touch with our loving, wildly passionate, dangerous, radically merciful, and always surprising Redeemer-Lord." (p.42)

If I look around at the church as a whole and surmise what kind of Jesus is being imitated, I would probably say he is timid, fearful, comfortable, safe, predictable and in many contexts, judgmental.

The Barna Group recently published a book called UnChristian which explained how those outside the church see it: judgmental, antihomosexual, hypocritical, too political and sheltered. In turn, I would venture to say that many people have rejected Jesus, believing Him to be how His disciples portray Him through their acts while following.

This, of course, is a generalization. In my church, I certainly see temptations to shade toward these different poles, but I actually believe we're blessed to be where we are--and that there is a lot of ReJesusing going on organically.

If Jesus is the Alpha and Omega (Rev 1:8, 21:6 and 22:13) and the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2), then the Bible is trying to clearly define how life should be defined and lived out. Jesus is the beginning and the end... everything in between should be shaped by who He is.

Unfortunately, as pointed out on pages 46-47, our lives are largely shaped by culture--and our imaginations become captive to influences outside of Christ--economic (recession much?), political (comments about Obama get more people passionate than any other topic), and even religious (denominations a church wars). We have been taken captive by and empire driven by a "horizontal pursuit of western progress, technological mastery and economic growth...and that empire has a plan for our lives." How true. 

If our treasure is in heaven (Matt 6:21) then our hearts will be there, too. If we allow Jesus to capture us with an alternate imagination to that of the empire in which we are in exile, it will change us--and our faith will lead to many things, including risk, action, and getting messy.

All of these things are what we mean at Emergence when we say "plowing a counter-culture." Plowing means hard work--we serve the world because Jesus did. And as we walk in the footsteps of a vivid Christ of veritas, we join the mass conspiracy of little jesuses as He is replicated in all of us to varying degrees.

If the church will see this kind of change, it will be because we see Christ not only as Truth (intellectual fact) but also as the Way (a path of action, whcih is useless unless traveled). As Soren Kierkegaard said, "We possess Christ's truth only by imitating Him, not by speculating about Him." We will act on our faith. Doing so, as Luther said, is less like a moral social action and more like "a supreme gamble in which we stake our lives upon a conviction." (p.55)

Yes, Robert Downey Jr., faith takes risk.

You can find it at http://twitter.com/emergencenj

As I was setting it all up, I hit a few bumps... this screen came up:

ummm... yeah... in some churches, that would be a whole sermon series.

So this evening I am doing a "write something quick" post! - Mike

Today I discovered via @_Stew_ on Twitter (he's a pastor at ASCC) that our friends at the Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, TX are having another "missional communities" leadership summit in August. Those of you who follow the emergence blog will recognize the name. Ryan, Steve, Lance and me crashed their last missional communities gathering this past March. We as leaders hold the good folks down at the Stone in high regard. In some ways they are a role model for us as we endeavor to become a true missional community here in Northern New Jersey. They are continually generous with advice and encouragement and we have gotten to know well several great people on their staff.

The cool thing is that today I learned that they have invited Hugh Halter, author of The Tangible Kingdom, to visit with them at their leadership summit. Apart from making me insanely jealous that the Stone's leaders have such a great opportunity to learn from someone who is genuinely making a difference for the Kingdom through community based, missional/incarnational living, I am truly encouraged that we are on the right path at emergence. We have been talking up just this sort of thing as leaders (more on that soon) and it's nice to get some confirmation from those whom we trust and aspire to. I am excited, excited, excited (!) for us as we pursue the clear vision that God has given us for emergence to reach our community for Jesus, and that vision is unfolding so well right before our eyes!

I plan to begin next week a blog series through The Tangible Kingdom. In the mean time I highly recommend reading the book. Be forewarned that Hugh has been through some tough stuff spiritually, he has some definite opinions and he's not afraid to share them! But there's some inspiring stuff in its pages.

Oh, and I might be traveling August 23rd! ;-)

Where it is most encouraging to me is in our times of corporate musical worship. The past two weeks, both Ryan and I have finished the morning up and looked at each other to say "wow... these people are singing!"

At face value, someone could say... "so what? they're singing." But it is pretty clear both in Scripture and in my own experience that when a church begins singing, and singing loudly, it is a very good sign. It means that you're not so concerned about what other folks are thinking--and you're more concerned about the fact that there's a lot to thank God for. It means that you're actually engaging in the lyrics--most of which are direct quotes from Scripture. Most of all, it means that we're getting healthier Biblically.

Scripture is pretty clear--when we're getting pumped about our faith, we sing more:

• "I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted." Exodus 15:1
• Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. 1 Chronicles 16:9
• Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. 1 Chronicles 16:23
• But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Psalm 5:11
• I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me. Psalm 13:6
• Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might. Psalm 21:13
• Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. Psalm 47:6
• For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. Psalm 47:7
• But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 59:16
• Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day. Psalm 61:8
• Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 63:7
• Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! Psalm 66:2
• I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. Psalm 89:1
• For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands. Psalm 92:4
• Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. Psalm 98:1
• Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Psalm 105:2
• May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous. Psalm 119:172
• May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great. Psalm 138:5
• They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. Psalm 145:7
• I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Psalm 146:2
• Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; Psalm 147:7
• Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Isaiah 12:5
• The LORD will save me, and we will sing Isaiah 38:20
• Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the LORD has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel. Isaiah 44:23
• Sing to the LORD! Give praise to the LORD! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked. Jeremiah 20:13
• "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name." Romans 15:9
• And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples." Romans 15:11
• So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. I Corinthians 14:15
• Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, Ephesians 5:19
• Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16
• He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." Hebrews 2:12

Singing is not what it is all about... that is clear. I'd rather have 10 people on mission who don't sing than 100 who aren't on mission who sing their faces off. But, singing is good. It puts the focus where it should be--not to mention it helps the leaders save their voice :)

There are a lot more good signs. I'll outline some more shortly--but in the meantime, I'll be thankful that the band members aren't the only ones singing :)

10. I went to a church like this with a friend years ago. I started laughing. When I did, he said "go with it... it's the Spirit". I just leaned over and said "actually, this is just really hilarious". Not to mock people's beliefs, but from the outside, this just seems like lunacy, right?

9. Who says young people aren't committed to anything and that they aren't resourceful? These guys are a little nuts... but looks like fun!

8. Alright, I was with these folks until they used some sort of cellular device to stop time and pull the moon down in order to redirect pixie dust at Bowser. I don't remember that part--or the acid trip ending.

7. I used to be a catholic altarboy. I'd have to turn off the lights in the church at the end of the night. It freaked me out. Living in this place would just not work for me.

6. Something about cutting into your bride at the reception is a little creepy to me. 

5. Is it just me, or does the "egyptian method" sound like it would be completely uncomfortable?

4. The last Third Day album's art was based on this place. kind of quirky... kind of odd... definitely unique.

3. I like water. Really, I do. but all of you "8 glasses a day fanatics"... read 'em and weep.

2. The best musical tribute out there to the odd, crazy, musical genius that was Michael Jackson.

1. Somewhere on this map is a very important place. A few very important places... but one of specific meaning. come on Sunday to Emergence, and you'll know all about it!

Yeah... sorry about that last one. can't help myself! See you this weekend!

The other day, my daughter was watching her favorite movie “The Wizard of Oz” and the following quote mentioned above perked my interest. Maybe I’m being too analytical here, but it sounds to me like the message can also be interpreted to suggest that bad = ugly and good = beautiful.

Not too surprising since our culture upholds beauty in such high esteem, but children seem to get it early. How many unattractive Disney princesses or less than handsome princes do you know? But what is more problematic is when beauty is equated with goodness, elevating appearance to some kind of virtue.

See the problem is that most of us (and I mean this in a good way) are not very attractive people, at least not on the level of Hollywood models. So when someone like Susan Boyle shows that she can actually sing, it’s a news story… because after all, isn’t it just beautiful people who are capable of such talent?

I often hear the argument that traditional cultures are demeaning to women because they impose an image of a woman whose main purpose is cooking and having babies. I agree that is wrong, but doesn’t every culture impose a standard for woman (and for men) to attain? Doesn’t the modern western culture tell a woman that she must look a certain way, dress a certain way, to be desirable. Just ask the average teenage girl who her role model is.

The thing is, people who are less attractive in this world have the opportunity to become really ‘great’ in many ways. Having to overcome the cultural ideal telling them they don’t match up… they become strong internally. They realize sooner than later that external beauty doesn’t define them. For even the most moral person that ever lived wasn’t beautiful to be desired… as it was written (Isaiah 53:2).

http://usamotorcycletrip.com/blog/jacksonville-chapel-in-lincoln-park-nj/

Now that I've stopped crying (I'm such a wuss), I have had the opportunity to sort through the responses to the call to get involved that went out yesterday.

In all, over 25 people have responded that they want to get involved serving at the Wanaque Care Center. That is amazing.

We'll be in touch with all of you that responded in the coming weeks.

While you're waiting to hear, I wanted to throw a heads up your way:

In the spring, we'll be launching full-force into a missional community initiative. As part of our DNA, we want to reflect the mission of Jesus through all of our ministries, especially small groups. Our hope is to see all of the Emergence small groups engaged in missional service--that it would become far more than only fellowship and sharing, but truly be a serving community focused on Scripture and living it out.

Wanaque Care Center, as well as some other opportunities, will be presented as potential places to invest our lives in the spring as these groups are launched. 

Thanks for being pretty awesome. You guys rock.

Alright, here we go.

Reading this book is a thump to the head. There's a lot to process. Keep in mind that every author has a bias, and these guys are very much proponents of the "house church movement" going on today all around the world. I believe it is a reactionary move, especially in the U.S., against the megachurch movement of the 90s. While I have huge reservations about the house church movement as established today, there is too much good stuff in here to not comment--and the authors do a great job of refusing to dismiss the established church. In fact, the very reason they write this book is to hopefully infuse a picture of the radical, bloody, messy, sacrificial Jesus into the established church.

The Chapter starts with a quote from C.S. Lewis:
"In the same way the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself are simply a waste of time. God became man for no other purpose."

It's a great retelling of Matthew 28:19-20 where Jesus gives the Church the marching orders to "go and make disciples...". The authors make it a point to share that the Church has redefined making disciples (which means you imitate and walk in the steps of the discipler) to mean making worshipers.

"By making Christ seem otherworldly, even ethereal, the Church has inadvertently put Him out of reach to us as an example or guide." (p. 19)

Even as a guy involved in worship ministry in the church, I can somwhat agree that as contemporary churches we, many times, do a better job explaining how to worship Jesus than to follow Him. It's the difference between the crowds on the hillside and the disciples in His shadow. It's the difference between someone who gives to "missions" and someone who is a missionary. Both are active--but require two different mindsets. One says "I watch the one who does" and the other says "I do what the master does." I believe the Christian life should be both/and. It is designed to show "I watch the One who does so that I can do what He has set for me to do."

The authors then go on to spend most of the Chapter talking about how a rediscovery of Jesus "...will radically reshape our view of God, the Church, and the world." (p. 23)

God - God cannot not be about the business of mission. God is both the sending God and the sent God. He is both mission sponsor and supreme missionary.

"The classical doctrine of the missio Dei (mission of God) as God the Father sending the Son, and God the Father and the Son sending the Spirit, [is] expanded to include yet another "movement": Father, Son and Holy Spirit sending the church into the world." (p.27)

If the church would only understand that every single person in the Corpus Christi (or Body of Christ) is sent as a missionary sponsored by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (in finances, empowerment, and fully equipped) I believe things would look very different today. What missionary would return to their sending church and say "yeah, we did that work sometimes"... or "we thought about it from time to time"? They would be fired. Useless at best. I know our prayer at the Chapel and Emergence is to see people fully aware of their status as a missionary of the Father--learning the culture around them and sharing the light of Jesus with their life.

The Church - The sent people of God. Not a building or an organization. (Think a place full of ambulances, not a hospital)

"The glory of God, not the church, is the ultimate goal of mission. Our role as the church, however, is humble participation in His grand scheme--the kingdom of God." (p.29)

Agreed. If a church seeks to glorify itself and ceases to be a place where God is raised high above all, it becomes an idol in itself. Should a community be pumped about their corporate gathering of believers? Absolutely--but the real work of the church goes on outside of the walls. The church is necessary as a component of the Church--without it, there is an all consuming world that is full of distractions. It is not the end, however.

The World - "Each person is created in the image of God (imago Dei) and thus possesses the inherent dignity and value that accompanies it." (p.33)

The unique nature of humans is that we are created to reflect God. I can't say I always do a good job of that, but that's what I was created for. I believe that the place of most contrast--and therefore the place of most opportunity to reveal Jesus--is in the way we treat (and more importantly, view) those outside the church. Is the church a social club existing to help people feel accepted by others? Is it a moral group of people doing good to make people smile? Or is it a sent people, on mission to share hope with a hopeless world, because they need to get to know the Father that they bear some resemblance to?

People always ask me "What does it mean when you say you are a missional church?"

Simply, I think it means we desire to be a community that actively understands missio Dei, corpus Christi, and imago Dei--and acts accordingly. One sends, the next acts, and the last motivates.

...and you didn't think Latin could be cool?

I've been really challenged in my thinking when it comes to the term "missional". It's something very hard to define. We define it a number of ways at Emergence. Most of them have to do with living life intentionally on the mission Christ has called us to. One thing is sure, though--it all starts with a right understanding of Jesus--who He was and is.

That is exactly the reason that Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch wrote their newest book, "ReJesus". They make it clear from the introduction that the Church needs to be all about Jesus because "we must constantly return to Jesus to authenticate as well as legitimize ourselves as His people."(p. 8) The very term "Christian" means "Little Jesus". If we, as believers, are to be known as the physical presence of Jesus on earth, we need to have a clear picture of who it is we represent.

I'll be sharing some thoughts from the book in a series of blog posts over the course of time. I'll also do my best to comment on those thoughts in the context of where we are in the Church.

I had better do a decent job, too. Mike, the Emergence elder, is pretty decent friends with Alan (or "mission-AL" as we call him). If I'm not careful, I'll tick Hirsch off. He's a pretty small Australian dude, but he could probably take me.

Last night, I had the pleasure of leading a membership class. We had a box full of packets--about 35 of them. By 7:30 we were short 9 packets. In all, 44 people started the membership process last night. That is exciting stuff!

What's just as exciting were the people there checking out next steps:
5% were in their teens
36% were in their 20s
12% were in their 30s
36% were in their 40s
9% were in their 50s
2% were in their 60s

In the end, 47% were 18-35 and 53% were 36+

In an age where young people are absent from churches across the globe, I can't tell you how blown away I am watching my peers and multiple generations of believers coming together in spite of their differences.

For whatever reason, 20-somethings are coming to church here. And contrary to popular opinion, which teaches that young people don't get involved and are not committed to anything, our service teams, and those serving their communities are basically split down both sides of 35.

I'm really encouraged--and I think those who were there last night are, too. There's some great stuff going on... and it is a lot more fun to be involved than to spectate on the sidelines.

If you're still interested in membership, but could not make last night's class, drop me a note at steve@jacksonvillechapel.org. We have another option for you.

See you on Sunday...

Paul hits on this when he says Galatians 1:10 (NIV)  Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

I think the tough thing about this, is most of the time we forget what God has called us to.  Here are a few simple reminders I bounce off myself, when I make a decision.

1. Obedience to his revealed will

2. Shepherd and lead our families

3. Submit to those in authority

4. Love others

5. Proclaim the gospel.

My hope is next time you have to make a tough decision… it is a decision based on Jesus as Lord, and not on the approval of man.

We must start by asking ourselves one very important question… is the mission of engaging and/or redeeming the culture done so with moral correction, or with the Gospel of grace? sometimes it looks as though the agenda is to protect a lifetstyle, to create a moral society.

The objective of a church community would be to create an environment where people enter in, regardless of where they are in their life, and find Jesus; to be transformed by love. Once any one particular sin is elevated, it creates a barrier of entry. The barrier must come down… the casting of stones to any one people group or any one sin needs to stop.

Anyhow, every day it rains I get a text message from this website. Only problem is this... somehow it takes them about 7 hours to get the text out to me. I'll be looking out the window of my office, watching rain fall and I'll get a text message: "you should bring an umbrella today." Yeah.... thanks.

All that to say if you're presenting information to someone, make sure it is something that they have interest in hearing and do it in the right timing.

There's all sorts of spiritual implications in there... have fun thinking about it.

He talked about the four organizing functions of a church.  Frost sees Christ at the center of these all, but churches tend to organize around one of the four organizing functions (below). 

Now all of those functions honor Christ and glorify God, but here is what has me pretty rocked… Frost sees these four organizing functions fleshed out like this…

Now here is the hard part.  Frost suggests, most churches organize around one principal, and so if your community gathers around formation, it is really hard to get them to worship… (when was the last time you saw a monastery put on a great worship service).  Or if your churches organizing principal is Worship, then you will spend a lot of time talking about community, but will find it difficult to actually get people there.  Harder than community, Mission is the farthest away from worship service.  Frost argues, it takes a huge leap to move a worship service attendee, to someone who is going to get there hands dirty on mission.

Now here is the challenge Frost argues that over the last 2000 years, the church has tried to death to organize around Worship, or community, or formation.  However, to date the church has yet to give a real concerted effort to organizing around mission. 

One of the reasons we keep Sunday mornings so simple at Emergence is our hope to give our best shot at organizing Emergence around the mission Christ has for his church to go and make disciples and to allow community, worship, and formation to flow from disciples living on mission.

Alright... back on track.

I was listening to Chris Tomlin's latest album today called "Hello, Love". We use a few songs from it in our music rotation at Emergence ("Sing, Sing, Sing" "God of this City" and "I Will Rise" to name a few).

As I was listening through, I came across track 6, called "Love". While it is a great tune, and the inspiration for the title of the album, it has never really peaked my interest in the past. I think I fgured out why today as I listened to the words of the bridge:

Love is the answer/Love will find a way/When we love one another/It's a brighter day

Anyone who knows me well knows I have nothing but love for Tomlin. I don't think I would be doing what I do right now were it not for learning from him (and even copying him word for word and note for note in my younger days). But I hear those lyrics, and immediately, my brain turns to mush. See, it isn't that I don't believe those words are true in some idealistic way... it's just that it sounds like a Hallmark card. There's no meat to it--no real bite.

Just as I came to that realization, the moment I understood my reason for dismissing the song, these words popped into my head:

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

then this one:

Ephesians 6:2
live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

and then this one:

1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.

...I like the song now.

See, it made me realize that love as an idealistic virtue is meaningless in a world that throws the word around like a dirty sock.

Love that is tangible... love that can be seen... that's the kind of love that actually is the answer, because that is the love found in Jesus.

I pray I can love more like that... in my marriage, in my parenting, in my church, in my worship, and in my relationships with others. 

Besides, I'm pretty certain that's what Chris meant when he wrote it anyway :)

Someone who is doctrinally introverted tends to seek knowledge for its own sake instead of actually doing something for God. I still tend to be this way. I would want to “learn all about it” before I went out there.

Something else I was always proud of saying was “I need to learn how to BE before I DO.”

It kind of reminds me of Proverbs 22:13

The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets!" .  

Now, I am not talking about being an active student of the Bible and other important timeless books or other media, (I tend to listen to books on CD when I can get them). I understand how important it is to learn and understand God’s word. GODLY MEN can spend  days at a time, cloistered in a room, or in their own head wrapping their mind around an important scripture or principle. In addition we really can’t DO anything unless, by faith, we believe, that we are in Christ and that He is in us and truly believe we can DO NOTHING without Him (that’s the BE before DO). HOWEVER, my problem was/is hiding behind the task of learning. Here is an example of a symptom of being doctrinally introverted:

A trustworthy pastor and leader is very excited about going Christmas caroling and bringing gifts and tracts to the people in the local neighborhood wanting to expose them to people whose lives have been changed by the Christmas story.

The doctrinally introverted and isolated (me) declares quite boldly, “Are we sure of our motives? Are we doing this for the right reason? Shouldn’t we understand who we are trying to reach before going out there?” I confess, these were my very deceptive “safety questions” that I would cling too in order to do the following :

Declare that…

I…

was a really deep person and attempt draw attention to…

MY…

“spirituality” and “discernment” as well as detain us from actually doing anything that might cause me discomfort.

Another example happened pretty recently. Another trustworthy pastor suggested that the small group he was leading would partner with a ministry that feeds the hungry in urban areas.

I heard the question uttered, “Are you sure that they are a “gospel centered organization” and they don’t just feed the hungry, but preach the gospel?” I see that  as someone looking for an out, a “biblically justified” reason not to serve. Even if they don’t “preach the gospel” we can still lift up Christ in serving if we humble ourselves and yield to His leading. If Jesus is there in us, the gospel will be shared, IF we ACT in faith.

I still struggle with fear and insecurity when it comes to sharing my faith with people around me, but because of some recent light in my life, I’m becoming more willing to “be a fool for Christ” knowing that He is in me and wants to use my hands and feet and mouth. I want to let Him. I still love listening to sermons. I’m getting a lot out of The Resurgence.  In addition, I am convinced that fear dissipates when “going out on mission” with those in our gospel community. I don’t have the quote, but I believe CS Lewis made a statement about the power and boldness that comes from doing things together with others. For those looking for some pretty simple, if not totally obvious ways to be on mission in their area of influence, this might be helpful. Missional Living-Simplified

15. I have been a fan of this for years. If you're wanting to know the latest tech stuff in a bite-size, shiny, happy format it doesn't get better than this.

14. This is what I'm talking about! Pass another latte, please!

13. Learn more about your name than you ever knew before. Sweet use of technology!

12. Here's one plane that I'd board with no fear :)

11. See? We're not the only ones on Twitter.. TIME even noticed!

10. Something about this seems obnoxious. Shouldn't you just, ummm... not care so much if you don't believe? Looks a lot like overcompensation.

9. Wow. None of this stuff is on Weight Watchers. It's a shame.

8. LOLOLOL... ignore the comments on this YouTube Vid... but this is hilarious...

7. For all of you with toddlers... this explains it.

6. Not for the squeamish... but I have actually gotten to see my vocal cords work like this. Pretty cool.

5. Another one that made me LOL. I'm allowed to laugh. I have comanche roots :)

4. Wow. this guy needs to get de-baptized. Real nice, security man....

3. In case you were wondering... this can go hand in hand with #14

2. I probably would have put this on while playing Mario Kart when I went to college...

1. They say this search engine may rival Google in the future. For now, I'm happy that I know the answer to this question, at least.

Enjoy!

Love to hear your thoughts.

Here's a short list of 11 tools that have enhanced my life in easy, but profound ways.

Newsgator
If you're like me, you are interested in multiple topics, trying to stay connected to the latest news--both from established outlets and blogs/personal journals. Newsgator has been a part of my life for a few years now and has completely changed the way I get info. It's a lot like other news aggregators but I can vouch for it as a proven, easy way to read news and pass it on. It also interfaces well with iPhone and mobile computing. It's also free--which works in my budget. Another decent option is feedly. I'm trying that out currently.

Woopra
I can't say enough about this relative newcomer to the website analytics biz. Right now it's in closed beta, but you can apply for an invite. They regularly open it up. If you have a website, there is no better way to view stats, track trends, and monitor site usage. Right now, it's free too.

Twitter
Some people ask "why would you ever care what your friends are doing any given moment?" The answer is: most of the time I don't. But there are times that I do. Twitter is so much more than a place to write what you're eating at the moment. It is a place for linking, a place to share vision, a place to show what you value, and a great networking tool. If you're staying away out of principle, give it a shot first. You might find that your initial concerns were a bit presumptuous. If you integrate it into your facebook account, it also kills two birds with one stone. Where else can I communicate with 1000 people simultaneously by sending out a text message?

Quicken Online
I've tried numerous sites to track and monitor spending/finances. Quicken just about does it as well as you can. I'd also suggest Thrive as an alternative if you're averse to the Quicken name. It will track where you're spending, where you're saving, and where your wallet is hemorrhaging.

Only2Clicks
Probably the simplest and best jumping off point on the web. It's my home page... and well worth a bookmark.

StumbleUpon
Need some inspiration? Just looking to pass some time? Trying to find some interesting things to link to a tweet or blogpost? This tool is invaluable. Warning: it has the ability to suck you into a vortex of wasted time. I guess it all depends on how you define wasted. If you use Firefox as your browser (highly recommended) there's a great toolbar plugin.

YouVersion
A free online Bible. While nothing can possibly compare to Logos as a study tool, this is about as user friendly as they come. It is also well stocked with different translations and has the integrated ability to add notes/journaling as well as read others' commentary on any verse. It's made by the guys at lifechurch.tv. Those folks have a lot of time on their hands--and they use it to create things to give away. You've got to like that!

Tripadvisor
Anyone who knows me decently well knows I'm pretty much OCD when it comes to traveling. I research like crazy and usually find myself being the trip director. I never stay at a hotel without checking the reviews on tripadvisor first. IMHO, there's no better travel review site on the entire internet.

HomeAway
As much as I love a good hotel room, I don't think I've ever been as satisfied on a trip as when I have stayed at a vacation home. There's something about not being in a hotel room that changes the feeling of a trip. The Emergence leadership team has used HomeAway to find a place to stay in Austin and were completely satisfied. I have also stayed at two other places through HomeAway. It is usually comparable or even cheaper than a hotel, far more spacious, more "homey" and therefore, more relaxing. If you're ever in central Texas hill country, do NOT pass up booking THIS place. No... really... don't pass it up.

Google Apps
Things have changed. While most people are comfortablyusing Microsoft Office for their word processing needs, there is a growing movement of folks using web-based word processors and other utilities never even considered before. When there's a document you want to collaborate on or when there are things to share with a group of people, nothing compares to Google Docs. In addition, we use Google Docs to process all of our connection card database. The best thing? It's free. Once people catch on, Office will be a thing of the past. Another tip? If you're design inclined, or just want to visualize your dream house, use Google Sketchup. It's free, and powerful. It does pretty much everything AutoCAD does, but without the price tag. Want a testimonial? I'm designing the new Emergence building floorplan on it, and the drawings have gotten even CADheads to stop and say "wow". It's amazing what can be done.

PBWiki
Working with people can be complicated. If you're on a team that meets periodically, you know the time in between meetings often goes wasted and you long for a way to make your get togethers more profitable.What if you could engage in open, collaborative dialogue away from the meeting online? PBWiki does just that. We have used it to engage in 100s of pages of dialogue in between leadership meetings--and the content has been invaluable. (why doesn't invaluable mean "not valuable"?)

There you have it. I'll post some more things as they strike me as useful. That should be a good start. Get downloading and get productive!

The point of course is not that Christianity needs to be attractive to the masses like a marketing campaign to gain members. Rather, the concern is whether the image that Christianity presents itself, is in fact authentic to the Jesus message? That’s what led me to read this book titled “UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity… and Why It Matters.” Commissioned to do research on what young Americans think about Christianity, David Kinnaman from the Barna group, and Gabe Lyons from the Fermi Project documented their three year findings.

As I read through the introduction, I found I agreed with the author’s six main threads of perceptions people have, which include judgmental, antihomosexual, hypocritical, too political and sheltered.

What I would like to do in the upcoming posts is offer my own reflections on each of these topics. Of course the intent is not to slam Christians for misguided portrayals, nor is it to slam those critical of Christianity as simply faith bashing. These issues are complex and require honest assessments. Just a note if you happen to be following me through these… the posts will not be sequential as I’ll be taking my time with this in the next several months.

In regard to unanswered prayer, what she said is that God may have indeed answered a prayer, but the result is not knowable until a future time. In other words, I may not be capable of knowing how God responded to a specific prayer today… however, I may realize it was answered under a different set of circumstances in the future.

BAM!!! that hit me between the eyes.

- maybe it is a role model you look up to.
- maybe it is someone who excels at a particular skill that you admire.

for me, and for the leadership here at Emergence, it is often a church that "gets it."

Before you continue reading, I'd love it if you would click this link. It will load in a new window.

You've heard of The Austin Stone Community Church from us before. They are led by a great teacher and leader, Matt Carter. We've become friends with a number of their staff. We've been to their home turf and seen their mission in action. We even crashed their small groups conference to see what makes them tick.

I say all of that not because they get it perfect. I say that because they simply "get it."

For far too long in America, "missions" has been defined as something we send a check to, or maybe something we do on a short-term trip. There are churches out there rediscovering what it means to be a church that does mission instead of a church that delgates missions to a committee and to other people around the world.

The fact is, we are all to be on mission. As people who follow Jesus, we are called to live lives of purpose and of mission. We can't start social groups and try to inject mission into them. We must first be on mission, and then do it in groups as the opportunity arises.

Our friends in Austin have such an opportunity. For a long time, they have been pouring into an area of Austin called St. John. It is a poor neighborhood desperately in need of hope. Their church has adopted this community and has brought hope--in the person of Jesus.

On Monday, there was a large fire in St. John. Because the people of the stone were already an important part of that community, they kicked into gear without delay. Now they are bringing hope in the form of supplies and support, and they are truly being a church on mission.

As I said, it makes us stop and say, well... what are we doing? It has also caused us to re-evaluate our small group ministry through missional eyes.

This fall, we will be launching missional groups. They are groups built around a mission. When we are all working on mission, community happens naturally. When we're working on community, mission gets lost somewhere.

Pray with us about how we can be a community that is missional instead of a community that does missions. We will certainly have partners, both local and global that we work alongside, but ultimately, you and I are called to be missionaries right here where we're placed.

If you know of a real community need--an organization, a cause, a place we can invest--please email me with your thoughts/ideas. We have already set up a few of these community opportunities for fall, but we could certainly use more.

Pray for Austin Stone... pray for St. Johns... and pray for Emergence--that we would all "get it," too.

I was praying this evening and trying to find some truth to dwell on that would give comfort to the unrest in my mind. It was then that the words of Chris Tomlin's song "I Will Rise" came to mind.

Jesus has overcome... and the grave is overwhelmed.

We recently introduced this song at Emergence. In fact, it is in next week's (5/3) set list. This part of the song has always been my favorite part. It brings to mind so much great stuff from the Bible, like:

Acts 2
22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[d] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Peter speaks these passionate words in Acts... and tonight it gave me some peace. 

What do I have in common with the grave? We're both overwhelmed. And while the grave can't hold onto Him, I need to. While the grave was overwhelmed by Him, I need to be overwhelmed with Him. If Jesus can overcome death, man's ultimate enemy, He can overcome anything I'm facing--and that changes everything.

Here's some insight on the song from the writer himself:

and if you've never heard it:

On a side note: tomorrow morning I will have the honor of singing at the funeral of Peggy Leonard. She was an amazing woman. I'll be thinking about these thoughts as I celebrate her life tomorrow. My thoughts and prayers go out to her son Mike. He will be the legacy she has left--my prayer for him is strength and peace in this time, knowing that Jesus has overcome and she is with the one who is overwhelming love.

See, I'm not at all opposed to conferences, but I'm operating on two prevalent principles:

With those two things in full effect, Mike and I decided to go to Orlando... for 30 hours.

We flew out of Newark at 7am on Monday morning. This has its good and bad points. Good: no delays. Bad: wake up at 4am. I do believe in 100% assurance of salvation (the importance of which I cannot stress enough) but at 4am I am strongly tempted to doubt everything I know to be true.

After arriving in O-town, we hit up a Waffle House (only downside of JetBlue... cookies for breakfast) and then headed over to where exponential was happening. This is a gathering of church planters and people passionate about multiplying the church and raising up leaders. While we are not the former (church planters), we are certainly the latter (passionate about planting churches and raising leaders), and LOVE being around these sorts of people. 

Since we weren't registered for the conference, we decided to just walk around the place... meet people... and not take part in any programming. As we walked, we bumped into great friends and kindred spirits: Michael Stewart, Matt Carter and Kevin Peck from Austin Stone Community Church, Alan Hirsch (Mike's buddy AKA Mission-al), and even folks from the church where our NJ church planting buddy Reid Monaghan came from. It was quite a fruitful afternoon of relational contacts, and it got us in the mood for the evening's festivities. 

The main reason we came down to Orlando was to connect with and start dreaming about relational work and partnership with the folks from Christian Associates. If you've been around Emergence a little while, you know we love CA. Mike has been to Europe a gaggle of times with them and I took a Discovery trip with my wife and extended family to Amsterdam on a CA trip about 4 years ago. If you were at Emergence PM a month or so ago you met Phil Graf, a missionary with CA who is just plain nuts... in a good--even awesome--way.

We met up with the CA crew at a dinner sponsored by CA and the Upstream Collective. You can see the video of the dinner HERE. The main event of the dinner was a discussion about missional churches between Alan Hirsch and Ed Stetzer. It was a great dinner and discussion. It was in a room full of church planters--I even got to sit a couple of seats away from Scott Thomas, the president of Acts29. Our friend, Brad Leeper, from Generis also was at the dinner. It was fun to catch up with him on all that's going on in the church world as well as update him on what God is doing at Emergence,

some of the takeaways from the discussion:

• your christology must lead to your missiology must lead to your ecclesiology (more on this in a later blog post)--Ryan talks about this all the time
• if Hirsch or Stetzer were planting a church, they'd choose exactly where we are... near NYC... in one of the most spiritually void places in the nation
• plant the Gospel before you plant the church
• engage culture by deciding what to adopt vs. adapt vs. reject
• the how of church should be guided by the who, where and when
• we need to "unlearn" church and relearn Jesus... then bring Jesus to the world

and SO many other things...

The highlight of our trip, in my opinion, was our time after the dinner with the team from CA. God has really connected us in a great way with an amazing bunch of missionals. We got to spend a few hours with Linus Morris (President of CA), Rob Fairbanks (CA North America Team Leader), Dan Steigerwald (CA North America Advancement Team), and Frank Wilder (Ca missionary in Paris). We talked about what God is doing at Emergence, the amazing things we're seeing happen, the heart for multiplying (read: Emergence raising up leaders and helping to plant churches in places like Hoboken and Montclair) and being a community of missionaries bringing Jesus to North Jersey, and our heart for partnering with people in Western Europe to see the Gospel impact our cultural predecessors overseas. It was a great conversation that I am certain will lead to some great fruit down the road. 

Here's what I know... life, much like a conference, is not about the show--it's about relationships. It's about people. This was one of the best conferences I've been to, and I didn't even go to it.

30 hours after we left Newark (well, 31... we got delayed. It IS Newark, after all) we were back home. I left for FL excited about what is going on at Emergence. I came back even more pumped. There's something going on... and we get to be a part of it!

See you Sunday.

The two questions at the end of the post brought up some real holy discontent in my heart that have been there for a long time.

I started my ministry career (like many people) in youth ministry. When I was a youth pastor, I completely bought the lie that in order to have a successful youth ministry, I had to have the best programs, be the craziest guy in town, act like a middle school most of the time to be accepted, and I spent my time preparing all kinds of crazy games and exercises. If I was honest, I spent more time preparing for the games than I did the message I would need to deliver. And guess what?--the ministry was a fun place. It was also a place that people came to--because it was fun.

That, in itself, is not a bad thing. The problem is that, much like many contemporary churches, what was attracting the kids was the programming... they came for the fun. The serious stuff was seen as a necessary evil, and it was generally stomached well--it was the admission fee for the fun, so to speak.

I am absolutely convinced that what young people need today is to be loved and respected enough to be spoken to honestly and seriously about the issues they are dealing with. It's funny--the best moments... the most impacting times in my youth min career were not times that a young person came to me because i was the funniest guy. They were the timess that a young person came to me because they knew I spoke to them honestly, and they spoke to me in kind.

All this to say two things:

• parents... act like parents. talk to your kids about stuff that matters. Instead of flipping out over idiotic matters, show your kids love by truthfully, honestly, lovingly talking to them like you respect them. they need to be heard--and to know that home is a place that is safe. by the way--you are the ones called to have the tough conversations... the youth pastor is a help--not a substitute.

• youth pastors... please... don't make the central piece of your ministry how fun you are. at the end of the day the students will lose respect for a 30 year old who acts like he's 13. they want to hear truth from you--bluntly--honestly. games are fun, but they are not the main event. get more excited about Jesus than chubby bunny.

besides... chubby bunny kills... Jesus saves.

PS - if you're a young guy who preys on these girls in the survey, or a young girl who sleeps around to get what she wants--it will catch up. there is a great price to pay. when the bill comes due, or hopefully before it does... reach out to someone. you may think you're above consequences... but so did that friend of yours who is raising a child alone at 15 years old... or that other friend who hopes no girl or guy will ever find out about their medical condition.

There is hope in Jesus. Even if you've fallen.

Thanks for reading through it with us. Sometimes, there isn't much more that needs to be said.

Looking forward to celebrating with you on Easter Sunday. It's gonna be exciting. If tonight's turnout was any indication, we all need another reminder--no matter what service you're coming to, come early! (we were only expecting 150-200 tonight) Who knows what might be in store for all of us on Sunday?!? I do know we should have space for anyone that shows--we have two buildings at our disposal (at 10:15 and 11:30)--and two buildings means twice the coffee!

Enjoy your weekend. See you Sunday! (or tomorrow morning at the Egg-stravaganza!)

I suppose one of the things that really draws me to Europe is the incredible sense of history I feel whenever I'm there.  It's humbling to stand in the shadow of a structure that has been around for 1,000 years.  It makes me think far less about myself and my private world of struggles and victories and refocuses my attention on the expansiveness of time and history. I try to picture in my mind the place not just as it appears before me but as what it must have been like in its heyday - the people that inhabited it, the lives they lived, the joy and pain they experienced - ten, twenty or thirty generations ago.  And often as I think about large chunks of time I find myself contemplating the sovereignty of the everlasting God, because I am convinced that though people come and go, live and die, generation after generation, it is only God "Who was, and is and is to come."
[Rev. 4:8 NIV]

I simply could not help but feel the weight of history as I climbed a peak in the Serra de Sintra (Sintra mountains) and hiked up to the Castelo dos Mouros (Moorish Castle). It was first constructed by the Moors in the 8th or 9th century A.D. so it's around 1,200 years old. As we walked along the ramparts we could see for 20 or 30 miles in every direction. I thought about the thousands - no millions - of people who have lived there over the centuries and how our God has loved, presently loves, and will love every person who ever has or ever will live there. I know that's a weird thought, but that's kind of what happens to your heart when you spend an intense week studying scripture, praying and worshipping Jesus with a few hundred missionaries.

Next post coming soon, but in the mean time here are some photos from the trip.

Blessings!

I ultimately got to speak to a real person. She gave me further information detailing over $3,000 dollars of charges to my account that was used to buy airline tickets. She assured me that any money charged would be refunded and that any overdraft fees associated with the fraudulent charges would be refunded as well.

There were so many spiritual and ecclesiastical parallels in this story that my head was spinning as I debriefed the experience. One thing I know for sure is that no amount of marketing or advertising can come close to making the kind of impact that a true word from a trusted friend can. It is true in banking, it is true in business, and it is true in faith.

With that in mind, I want to personally thank Bank of America for watching out for me. I also want to publicly thank God for changing me. Years ago, I would have freaked out--probably cried--and not slept all night. Peace is good--and so is my bank.

The operation was pleasant it started with multiple injections into the bottom of my foot directly into the arch... I was tempted to kick the doctor in the face... Then he proceeded to dig a larger hole in my foot to remove the shard of glass that had calloused over a year's time in my foot...

Today... I had an emergency root canal... also not a pleasant experience... more financial pain then physical... Here is the problem though... you may ask what happened what was the emergency...

Well in January of 2008 ... that is right 2008 I had a filling fall out... and I thought ahhhh that will be no big deal... again see earlier in this blog this is a stupid way to live... because a hole in your mouth does not just go away all a hole in your mouth does is simply decay and get infected...

So the same novacain needles that pierced the arch of my foot last year.. today were injected multiple times into my mouth...

Here is what I have learned in my life again and again and again... Pain avoidance is stupid and only causes more pain in the end... Now my prayer is this truth does not just smack me in the mouth literally and wallet again... but it actually leads to repentance and changed behaviors...

Here is what scares me most... when I get real honest I don't just suffer from pain avoidance with my foot and mouth... I also do with people I love.  And just like my foot and mouth it only causes more pain in the end...  A good counselor would probably call that people pleasing... the Bible calls that sin, idolatry and fear of man.... Here is my prayer today.. that I would learn my lesson... and have a big enough view of God, that I dealt with pain at the bite size level... before it infected everything and becomes a root canal!

I personally love Facebook and Twitter. I also thing blogging is very valuable. Anyone here at the Chapel will tell you I have been the strongest proponent of all of these things for years. I strongly believe if you're not engaging with people on Facebook, or other similar services, you are willfully choosing to stick your digital head in the sand.

Case Study 1
Yesterday, the host of our small group sent out a group message on Facebook to a number of folks who attend. It was simply a heads up about having pizza before the meeting tonight. 192 group posts later, the thread is still going strong. More community has happened through that thread than in most of the attempts at community I have seen in a good long while. Laughing, joking, seriousness, needs being met, questions being answered... life on life. Good stuff.

Application: If your group is not using Facebook as a means of communicating, you very well may be missing out on a good point of contact throughout the week.

Case Study 2
Someone I know recently posted on her status that she would be going to help out a children's hospital in the area. Within a few moments, there were more requests coming in to her to join in.

Application: If you aren't using Facebook as a way to communicate needs, you may not be meeting those needs as effectively as you could.

Case Study 3
A friend of mine posted a short status update about his wife going for a biopsy. No one really knew about the details, but within minutes, people were praying for her. They expressed their concern and love for her on his wall, and when he signed in next, there was a flood of encouragement.

Application:If you aren't sharing among friends in areas of communication, you may not understand the great amount love, support and prayers sent your way.

There are a lot more stories and applications. I know that Facebook is not the end-all of online communication. It is only a tool. You must view it as a tool.Don't allow the servant to become the master.

I do know people who live and die by Facebook. When I sign on to connect with some folks, they are always online. They are immediately messaging me the second I sign on. It seems as though their only social connection is virtual. Facebook no longer is a tool... they become the tool of Facebook.

If that's you, go get some analog community. If you can keep it in perspective, use it as a tool. It certainly can be a powerful one.

In exciting news, Ryan has finally signed onto Facebook and Twitter. Look him up.
Also, Dave Gustavsen has finally begun blogging. Check out his posts on jacksonvillechapel.org.

Every once in a while, someone listens to me. Any more often than that, and we'd all be in trouble. :)

10. 35th? Ha. Those people don't live here. Actually, religiosity is not something to be desired, so they may be right. And I may be crazy. But it just may be a lunatic you're looking for.

9. A Whopper Bar? Reeeeally? Isn't the point of a food bar variety? Seems like a stretch to me.

8. Dude. This is totally something I'd do... not the whole sewage thing... but definitely the keys in the pocket. Hope he finds a shower faster than he found his keys.

7. This stuff is just amazing to me. I can't even begin to process the construct of one of these things...

6. Brilliant animation of the plane landing on the Hudson.

5. Wow. I was expecting better. This guy made me laugh for a good while.

4. I already posted this on facebook, but I can't help myself. And if Heaven doesn't have breakfast, I'm sorely disappointed. The Newsboys already told me that they don't serve breakfast in Hell. I'm thinking Heaven is serving up Grand Slams 24/7.

3. But, as much as I love breakfast, this is no way to go.

2. Twelve years old? That just isn't fair.

1. The most thorough soft-drink review I have ever seen. WAY too much free time... Pepsi Natural? Next thing you know, Kool-Aid willl be organic! What is this world coming to?

For the record 5 out of 10 posts this edition are about food. I think I'm hungry. Off to go eat some organic, whole grain, low fat, low carb, zero trans fat, low cal Girl Scout cookies.

One of our drummers, Greg Abrom, was featured in the Bergen Record on March 10th. He is the owner of Creation Drum Co.

He makes amazing drums that you'll find featured at Emergence, and he is making waves in the drum industry as well.

Check out the article HERE.

http://theresurgence.com/Vintage_Saints_Saint_Patrick_Part_1

One thing I don't feel bad about is our set list for tomorrow. I'm very much looking forward to starting the morning off with Tomlin's "Let God Arise". Tomorrow's message is about actually doing something. Look... prayer is good. It's essential. It's communicating with the God you're in relationship with. Communication in any relationship is key (right, Adam and Christie?!? Remind you of pre-marital counseling?) but it can't stop at communication. At some point, you have to do more than pray. When we do that, God does the work. He steps into the world, just like He did in the person of Jesus 2000 years ago and becomes real to people. I think that's part of what Tomlin meant when he wrote:

Hear the holy roar of God resound. Watch the waters part before usnow.
Come and see what He has done for us. Tell the world of His great love.
Our God is a God who saves.

God is actually DOING something... we should, too.

After the news, we'll be singing "Mighty to Save" again. I'll let you in on a bit of a secret... not really a secret... but here goes: when we introduce a new song, we do it two weeks in a row. Call me crazy, but I think doing it on two consecutive weeks helps ya learn it. I know... crazy.The cool thing is, it fits really well this week, too:

Savior, He can move the mountains. My God is mighty to save.

Again... God is doing things all around us... and in us... and through us--if we let Him.

After the message, I'm really looking forward to the two song set that's planned: "Remedy" and "God with Us".

Remedy (a Crowder song) has some of the most profound lyrics I've heard in a long time--and it ends with this prayer:

Let us be the remedy. Let us bring the remedy.

Let me make it clear...Jesus is the Remedy. We are called to not only bring Jesus to people, but to also be Jesus to people. That gets a little weird, if you're a fanatic. If you're not, though, it's profound. God has placed us here to physically bring Christ to people... by the things we say, but evidenced primarily by the things we do. See how it all works together?

We'll close with "God with Us". This song has one of the prettiest bridges known to man:

Such a tiny offering compared to Calvary, but nevertheless, I lay it at Your feet.

Part of laying our lives at His feet is going where He calls us to go... and doing what He calls us to do. No matter our sacrifice, it is nothing compared to His. If all of us are out doing something, actually doing something...something that isn't for our own glory, but God's... it will change the world around us.

Looking forward to the morning. See you then.

As you discuss Jesus with various types of people, the word choice you use and the structure of your explanation will vary. Artists don't interact, connect, or talk like engineers, so the language and issues for each vary and they will connect with descriptions of these 2 major points of evangelism differently. Even in scripture, different language is used to describe sin (darkness, evil, rebellion, disobedience) and salvation (light, peace, redemption, rescue, following). Word choice may sound trite, but each word carries different symbolism and background for each set of ears.

This makes evangelism easier for us all. We don't have to master a method, we don't have to memorize a certain series of scripture as the magic evangelism bullet, we simply put the focus on Jesus and His declaration for men and women everywhere to turn from their ways and follow Him. Every Christian can do the work of the evangelist if they are a follower of Christ because they themselves have changed their behavior (repented), and believed in Jesus as Lord. This was Jesus' first message, "Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is near" and it becomes our message as His followers.

Reflecting on what Logan wrote it hit me the best people I know at Evangelism, happen to also be the best people I know at being themselves.  They are not worrying about a formula, a structure, or a method but are simply sharing what Jesus is doing in there lives.  I hope to be part of a church that drops the structures of evangelism, and drops its masks of identity... and comes to a place where they can honestly, humbly and excitedly share with friends and loved ones the great work Jesus is doing in them.

Last night, I tuned in to "The Celebrity Apprentice" for the second episode of the season. The dynamics on the teams are interesting, the challenge money raised goes to charity (who knew Joan Rivers helped start a charity called "God's Love"?), and it's a pretty well produced show.

In the final scene, something struck me. This past week we all heard news that was pretty troubling--the unemployment rate in the US is at a staggering mark, and it may go lower. At Emergence alone I have heard from numerous people who have lost their jobs recently. I know of others who fully expect to lose their job soon.

I sat watching the screen... watching three people on the chopping block of a fake job that they were doing "for fun" and most likely for self-promotion to maintain their celeb status. I wondered who would end up going home... the music builds... and King Trump takes out his index finger, points to some multi-millionaire and says with trademark bravado, "YOU'RE FIRED!" Then with a shrug, the person walks out, gets in an elevator, then into a limo, then back to their mansion.

Does this strike anyone else as insensitive in a world where limoless, mansionless people are losing their jobs or live in fear of losing their jobs every day? It hits me that the show is being completely insensitive to the culture--refusing to change the formula, even though the world around them is changing... has changed.

I won't go deep into this next thought, but I think the western church has been guilty of the same thing in a lot of ways. While the culture around us changes, many churches have refused to change. I don't say this to minimize the value of tradition--or to suggest that we toss out the history of the church. I also want to make clear that the message should NEVER change.

I just casually wonder: are we sometimes being insensitive to the culture--refusing to change the formula, even though the world around us is changing?

I learned this from pastor Ryan at emergence, and with the pioneer girls having a father/daughter banquet, it was the perfect opportunity. You see, as a father, by taking your daughter out at a young age, you are showing her what a date is like. You are teaching her how a guy is to respect her; hold the chair for her, converse with her; simply… being with her. Most importantly, not demanding anything from her or expecting something other than a good time at a restaurant or movie.

Obviously a father/daughter date is a different dymanic, but I want to show her that a proper date doesn’t need to end in a bedroom as some friends will inevitably tell her. Once a guy asks for something beyond her understanding of ‘a date’ then it is not about her anymore… but about him. It’s not love, but empty sex. She needs to know this and the sooner the better.

Fathers… date your daughters and give them the ultimate example of a good time. When they get older and start to date boys, the hope is that they will be able to discern right and wrong motives.

This week we're continuing in the book of Ruth. While the story continues, ultimately it is speaking of God's work of salvation and victory over sin. That's what we'll focus on this week.

It's time for a new song in the mix... and though this one is new to Emergence and the Chapel, you may know it already. It's a Hillsong song called "Mighty to Save". Honestly, the thought fits perfectly with this week's theme.

Savior, He can move the mountains. My God is mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation. He rose and conquered the grave. Jesus conquered the grave.

After the message, we'll be busting into a great three song set... Love Is Here... Glory of it All... and How Great Is Our God/How Great Thou Art.

"Love Is Here" is a great song of God's victory, even in the midst of hurt and pain. It's by Tenth Avenue North.

And to the bruised and fallen, captives bound and broken hearted--He is the Lord.
By His stripes He's paid our ransom, from His wounds we drink salvation--He is the Lord.

That is kind of a weird thought... from His wounds we drink salvation. Kind of morbid... and yet, what He went through wasn't pretty. I long for an un-cleaned up version of Jesus. Kind of refreshing. It's also great to know that even when we totally screw it all up, He is still the Lord--and He has called us... not because we don't screw it up.

By the way... a little pet peeve... a lot of people take the verse that inspired the "By His stripes" line out of context... here it is...

Isaiah 53:5
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
      He was bruised for our iniquities;
      The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
      And by His stripes we are healed.

If anyone ever tells you this means that we should be physically healed and healthy--and that God's will is that none of us get sick... remind them of the verses before... the sickness we've been healed from is clear... transgressions... iniquities... SIN. This has nothing to do with physical healing... moving on..

"Glory of it All" is one of the most musically unique songs we do at Emergence. I didn't just put it in here because I spent last Sunday being led in worship by David Crowder, either. Crowder's lyrics are so clear on the chorus and bridge... it gives me chills even to read:

The glory of it all is He came here for the rescue of us all--that we may live.
The glory of it all is You are here with redemption from the fall--that we may live.  
Everything will change... we will never be the same.

If that doesn't sum up what Jesus has done in my life, I don't know what does. Great song... which leads into what is probably the anthem of anthems in contemporary worship--"How Great Is Our God".

What I love about this one is that it is pretty much an updated version of How Great Thou Art--which actually closes out the song so easily.

How great is our God
Sing with me, How great is our God
All will see how great
How great is our God

God is great sounds so cliche... but somehow, if you can get past your own hang-ups... there's something wonderfully simple about it.

Psalm 70:4
May all who seek you
   rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
   say evermore, "God is great!"

We'll say that very thing together in about 11... wait... *adjusts clock*... 10 hours.
See you in the morning!

From all of the news this past weekend, things were extremely exciting, and as usual, packed. For the first time, emergence saw over 650 people walk through the door of a room designed to hold far less than that.

We've been saying it for a while, but emergence needs to find a new place to meet. We have been pursuing leads for over a year now--warehouses, churches, storefronts--you name it. "The" place has yet to show up. Couple that with the hard economic times we're all facing, and we face a pretty tough circumstance. 

I'll refrain from making unbiblical parallels to a "promised land" or taking scripture out of context to prove that things will just fall into place. Rather, what keeps us going is the mission we're called to: to see the Gospel of Jesus enter into the hearts of people and bring them some much needed hope that will change them. As that happens, we know more people will come. With that in mind, we must find a place that emergence can call home.

We wish it were an easy fix, but nothing is easy. We wish it were a quick fix, but it will probably take a little more time. The operative word there is little.

Here's the main message, and it comes in three parts:

- PRAY. Pray that God will provide the wisdom to look in the right place for a new home, and that He'll provide the finances (through all of us!) to get us there.

- SEARCH. Join in the search for a place to meet. If you know of anyone who owns a building, property, or may know someone who does, let us know. Drop us an email, or stop us on Sunday.

- STAY ON MISSION. Get out there and invite your friends... don't stop because we're crowded. Sure, it's tight, but I'll tell ya... I am much more apt to go to a restaurant with a waiting list than one that never has cars in it. How much more exciting is it to invite someone to a place where God is at work changing people?

Know this: we're working extremely hard to find a place... and no matter where we are, we're confident that the great stuff that God is doing will continue as we're all faithful to the mission of Jesus.

See you this weekend... in a pleasantly filled room!

To see a cool clip of what the guys are up to... as well as an opportunity to help out what I would label their missional endeavor check out...  http://www.youtube.com/user/maevideos?blend=1&ob=0

Not many preachers get to preach and pick out the worship set. It's kind of fun, honestly. You get to really dial in the music to match what you're preaching. This weekend, I'm speaking on a passage from the book of Judges to set up the beginning of our new series next week.

There's one verse that really sums up all of the book of judges. It's found in a couple of places in the book:

"In those days, Israel had no King. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

With that in mind, as I was praying about the weekend, and discussing it with Gary, who will be leading worship, I found it to be crucial that we spend some time worshipping our true King. So, we're starting off with a great song by Phil Wickham called "I Adore You".

My life is Yours and will be forever. My love is Yours.I adore You.

I could picture even singing that at the feet of the King someday... a great sentiment, which paves the way for "God of this City." We haven't done this one in a while, and it is certainly one of the faves at Emergence. The real root behind wanting to do it this week is to contrast the fact that Israel could not acknowledge God as their King in the period of the judges. If we're ever going to see God do amazing things here, it needs to start by acknowledging God's sovereignty and rule in North Jersey.

You're the God of this city. You're the King of these people. You're the Lord of this nation, You are.

Later in the service, we'll be revisiting the newest song at Emergence, "Beautiful" by Phil Wickham. (you can hear a recording of it here!) It sings of the beauty of the King... especially well summed up in verse three:

I see You there hanging on a tree. You bled and then You died and then You rose again for me.
Now You are sitting on Your heavenly throne. Soon we will be coming home. You're beautiful.

Following the message, there's not much better of a song to close it out than Crowder's "Here Is Our King".

Here is our King. Here is our Love. Here is our God who's come to bring us back to Him.
He is the One. He is Jesus.

In just 10 short hours we'll be starting service. Time to get some rest. Looking forward to the morning tomorrow--and meeting with our King together.

Adam and Christie rock. I'm not just saying that because they're in my small group, because they are my friends, or to make them feel better about the Eagles' loss. :) I say that because they've been very open, honest, and God is using them in amazing ways.

Watch and enjoy!

10. I'm sick and tired of these kinds of [censored] parents!

9. This reminds me of our landing in Austin last week...

8. Here's a great website for anyone who has a webpage or would like to know about another page...

7. This is amazing. This guy is my musical hero.

6. Eli Manning's condo is sweet, but does he really need to put himself on his TV for the picture?

5. Wow. This is depressing.

4. Don't know if this survived the recall, but I'm kind of grossed out, but oddly intrigued.

3. I actually have a pack of these... and it really works. Kind of freaky... we passed some around in staff meeting... sometimes you just need a sanity break.

2. fF you love The Office... you love this video. You also love my desk calendar :)

1. Christian? Porn? Read. Now.

There it is, in all its non-existent glory. Enjoy.

One of the inside secrets of Emergence, is we love, trust, and learn from Acts 29 network.  The Acts 29 network, is a network committed to planting churches all over the world, which are doctrinally sound, and culturally aware.  Over the next 3 years they are hoping to plant 500 churches.... that is a vision worth praying for...

            What has me excited is Acts 29 is launching their first church in New Jersey, in Middlesex county called "Jacob's Well" led by pastor Reid Monaghan you can check out the website http://www.jacobswellnj.org/vision/

            Any way here is my challenge.  I am calling Emergence out... If you know any Christians in Middlesex County that could help this church thrive... or be part of their launch team... work your networks and get them there.  New Jersey needs good gospel proclaiming churches.

I think a lot of people think that worship guys just pick out a few songs they like, and "let 'er rip." If they're doing that, then... they should stop. We do our best to make sure that there's a good reason for each song. Sometimes it matches the theme of the entire service. Sometimes it's a song we're repeating to make sure everyone has an opportunity to learn it. Other times, to be honest, it's just a song I felt led to pick after spending some time in prayer about the weekend. Ryan and I are amazed most weeks at how things just seem to fit together well, whether we planned it that way or not. You may call it luck... I call it the Holy Spirit.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend's worship set. I missed last weekend while we were in Texas, and to be honest, I always miss it when I can't be in my home church. It should be a great weekend. We're finishing up the Ephesians series this week, and the message is all about drawing close to Jesus.

When Ryan told me the theme, the first thought that popped into my head is the song "Better Is One Day". It's an "oldie but goodie." I think that the best worship songs are those that are taken directly out of Scripture... because... well, you can't write better lyrics than God. The other awesome part about that is by the time you've learned the song, you've also memorized Scripture. That's one benefit of most modern worship over most hymn repertoire. Better Is One Day is one of those songs that are almost verbatim out of the Bible:

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
       O LORD Almighty!

2 My soul yearns, even faints,
       for the courts of the LORD;

       my heart and my flesh cry out
       for the living God.

10 Better is one day in Your courts
     than a thousand elsewhere

How lovely is Your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!

For my soul longs
and even faints for You
 
My heart and flesh cry out
for You, the Living God

Better is one day in Your courts
than thousands elsewhere

Later on the song calls out "I will draw near to you"... the thrust of the whole day's message.

What makes this song even more special to me is the fact that it means so much to my wife. She lost a great friend of hers a couple of years ago. Pam Young was one of her best friends growing up. She was a strong believer, and was excited to become a young mom. Pam died during childbirth.

I met Pam only once. Melissa was thrilled to have us meet. I was just doing some personal worship on my guitar and they came in and joined me in singing "Better Is One Day." I'll never forget it. A fitting song... as that would be the last time Melissa would see Pam alive.

Directly out of that song comes Matt Redman's "You Never Let Go".

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
Even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won't turn back, I know You are near.

As we sing this song, I'm always reminded that it is God that never let's go. I've let go far more times than I'd like to admit. He never has. While I tell God I want to draw near, I don't always show it. God's actions are all about drawing us to Himself--drawing us near.

Right before the message, we'll be going into a Phil Wickham tune called "Always Forever." It's a great song... one of the most reflective tunes we do. Phil is truly one of the great psalmists of a new generation.

You are the love I need, You are the air I breathe
You are my love, my life, always forever.

You really can't draw much nearer than the air you're breathing, right? Can't wait to hear the people singing that one out. 

Following the message, Ryan suggested that we sing "Marvelous Light" by Charlie Hall. I don't yet know how it ties in... but I trust him  on it. He did write the message :)

My dead heart now is beating. My deepest stains now clean.
Your breath fills up my lungs. Now I'm free.

I see a running breathing theme, intentional or not.
See you in 10 1/2 hours!

The Pastor of Mars Hill, Mark Driscoll is a guy who many love to pick on (we're pretty sure he can take it...) but we greatly respect him as one of the most solid blunt-speaking Bible guys out there.

Driscoll is on CNN this weekend for Valentines Day. He'll be on D.L. Hughley's show at 10PM on Saturday. No need to Tivo it, though. Here is the interview:

**WARNING** contains blunt talk about sex, a Hughley dig at the Catholic Church, and plain speak about Jesus. Watch at your own risk...

HE never really got to the lust issue... I was hoping he would clarify... but overall, he was his usual plain-speaking, to the point self. What do you think?

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..."
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NIV

Certainly I am not saying that we shouldn't be creative, excellent or innovative in what we do. We need to continue to find new ways to connect people with the gospel. We just need to remind ourselves continously that whatever we do - music, communications, church structure, mission - it's only the 'connection with the gospel' part that truly matters.

As we move together into what looks to be a great future at emergence, here's my wish: I never want to see that error message again.

Ryan, Mike, Lance and I just returned from a trip to Austin, TX. Texas has always served as a second home to me, and it was great to be back there.

We headed down to Austin to attend the Austin Stone Community Church Missional Community Conference, or the ASCCMCC, for short. ha.

The conference was awesome. It served as a time of connecting for our team, but also as a time of challenging our view of what it means to be missional.We're all looking forward to continuing the conversation and we're excited to see how God is going to use our community in new ways to impact for Him.

A huge thank you to the Austin Stone staff. It was a blast to connect with them and see what God is doing down there. If you're ever looking for a great challenge, take some listens to Matt Carter's sermons, or subscribe to the blogs of some of our new buddies down there: Michael Stewart (Stew) or Todd Engstrom. Those guys are not only stinkin awesome for taking some time with us, but they also bought us lunch. What more could you ask for?

See you all this weekend.
Steve

I tend to think I am pretty culturally pliable--that I can understand and adapt quickly to a given culture. While that is usually true, that is certainly not universally proven. Case in point: the following video. I just don't get it. At all.

**warning... if you don't like hunting for sport or enjoyment, do not play the video**

A ministry of this? Woah... this is why I'm surprisingly at home in Jersey.

Happy to be plowing a counterculture with you in a place I (kinda) understand,
Steve

This is an interview with Ryan, Steve, Mike and Lance recorded on location in Austin, TX on February 6th!

Click Here to Listen!

Click Here to Download!

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Don't forget to subscribe to the blogs and podcast as well. Stay in touch!

At the conference we will here from Alan Hirsch…(who uses words like “para-dynimal shifts”… at which point I will probably be doodling).  He wrote one of the top five books I read in 2008 called “The Forgotten Ways”.  Great thoughts... but not inerrant.  He also happens to know Mike, from Mike’s various trips to Europe… If intersted ask Mike about his secret life, which is heavily involved in European church planting... If you talk to him about it more than once you will probably end up on a plane.

We will also hear from Matt Carter… (don’t ever listen to him, because if you do you will realize how good he is, and how much I stink.).  As well as Darrin Patrick, who is the lead pastor of an outstanding church in St. Louis called “The Journey”.  Darrin Patrick has a beard the size of Santa clause, but more importantly has planted more churches than most denominations…

Please pray for us as a leadership team, that this is a time of vision, connection, and next steps for Emergence.  As well as for our awesome wives who make this sacrifice so Emergence/Jacksonville Chapel can continue to move forward…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey everyone... this is more a therapeutic release than anything else... but maybe it will clear up a few things.

Everywhere I go, when I mention the fact that I am a pastor at a multi-site of Jacksonville Chapel called "Emergence", I get one of two responses... either people don't react because they haven't been a part of any church and have no baggage, or people give the "look" and wonder if we're weirdos who light candles and stare at it, thinking we've found some sort of "other Jesus".

Let me take a moment and clear something up...
Emergence is not Emergent. Or maybe it is... who even knows what that means anymore?

Here's the deal...
A few years ago, a group of church leaders got together to figure out what was "wrong" with the church. A lot of people were leaving or never even showing up to give it a shot. The reason was not because they didn't like Jesus. The reason was that they didn't like what the church had made of Jesus. This group of people looked at things like suit wearing, inauthentic, money grubbing, self-concerned, self-righteous people and decided to change the church. They called this new kind of church the "emerging" church--because it emerged from the old way of doing church.

Time went on, and even that group of original re-thinkers began to have disagreements. Many of them felt that changing the way church was done was good... and stopped there. Some decided it would be best to get rid of organized church altogether and just meet in homes--the way the early church did (though those people are misled, for the early church still met in large group gatherings, except when it would get them killed).

There was a small group (only growing larger now) that decided it wasn't enough to only look at the things done in the church in a new way. This group decided that theology had to be re-thought, too. They looked at stuff like the truth of the Bible and minimized its truth. They looked at the work Jesus did on the cross and twisted it to mean nothing more than a moral lesson. And, while I am certainly generalizing here, these people formed a group called the "Emergent Village". Emergence is nothing like those folks... and while they may be nice guys, they've got it all wrong.

So, here's the deal. Everywhere I go, even at events I attend on behalf of the Chapel, I get introduced as a pastor at the Chapel's "emergent" service. That has a lot of baggage. Friends of ours, even to this day, wonder if we teach the Gospel. *sigh*.

If you'll take my word for it, know this: Jesus is God. He died on a cross, paying the price for your sin and mine--because He loves you. We don't deserve it... in fact, I pretty much stink at life most of the time... and I'm happy to be honest about that. Without Jesus, there is no hope for this world--no matter who decides they are awesome enough to not need God.

Emergence IS, and will always be a place where we believe the Bible is 100% true... where we know Jesus is Lord and Savior of the world. If it weren't, the Chapel would kick our sorry butts right out of there.

If you won't or don't want to take my word for it, go to www.emergencenj.org and listen to one message... then decide if we're emergent, emerging, emergent-like, wacky, or what-not. Better yet, come out to one service and see what you think. I'd be happy to hear your thoughts.

For the record, we know the name needs to change--we just don't know what to change it to yet. Any ideas?

OK... now I can sleep tonight :)

Well over the past two months at Emergence we have seen our attendance grow from about 400 a week to 600.  This weekend we could shrink back down to 6, as we discuss God’s plan in creating men and women.

One of the joys about teaching through the bible chapter by chapter verse by verse and line by line… is that it keeps you fresh.  The teaching process forces you off your pets, and to continue to grow.  One of the pains of teaching through the bible chapter by chapter and line by line, eventually the bible will offend and rebuke the daylights out of us… 2 Tim. 3:16 (NIV) 

    All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

Ultimately, we are going to ask one tough question this weekend.  Who defines what is true, God’s word, or the culture…

If you want to start thinking and reading ahead check out http://www.cbmw.org/

If, by some rare chance, you are not engaging in incessant theological conversation please return to debating the intricacies of perichoresis.

20. Do any of you remember Death Action Park?

19. Why can't the Giants just do this? (caution: beware of ads on the page)

18. Sick and wrong, Crowder. Sick and wrong. *sings* "Chimpanzees riding on a segway..."

17. Just because you can doesn't mean you should, right?

16. Gotta pass this on... one of my favorite sites.

15. And another

14. ...and another

13. Google's answer to "life the universe and everything". Can someone please explain?

12. And you thought our parking lot was bad...

11. Good luck running the country, Obama!

10. If we took every person in the USA and sent equal number of people to every church in the USA, there would be 950 people at every church.

9. Kanye West doesn't care about musical people.

8. Not all giggles: serious story about a girl from my hometown...

7. Great article that I know some people need to read...

6. Things to do before I die: go to India.

5. This is just crrrrazy.

4. Einstein and I have something in common... what our desks look like.

3. Wondering why the Ministry Center South never made this list...

2. People get paid to study this junk? Man... I could go for some Chinese food.

1. Amazing. My life is changed.

That's more than enough. Please don't hate me.

About two years ago my friend Walt gave me two books, “Avoiding Exegetical Fallacies” by Da Carson, a book on how not to be a pastor who ends up being a heretic and “Lectures to my Students” by Charles Haddon Spurgeon which is largely a book written by Spurgeon to young pastors, about how to not stink as a pastor.  I am trying not to think to hard about what Walt might have been saying when he gave me the books.  Reading Spurgeon makes me feel like a spiritual five year old, and so I have been reading the book very slowly, and am now reading it a second time through.

Spurgeon lead a church in the late 1800’s of 5,000 in London England.  In a time when most ministries where fleeing towards the suburbs Spurgeon chose to remain in London, because he saw that the city was a place of influence, as well as the opportunity to minister to London’s poor.  Spurgeon is claimed to be (outside of Jesus) the greatest preacher who ever lived.  One of his few vices was cigar smoking and once when confronted by a parishioner about his smoking after a sermon she asked “when will you stop smoking those ghastly things”.  His response, “when I smoke them in excess.”  She responded, “You just finished a sermon and are smoking a cigar as people leave don’t you think that is excess”.  Spurgeon’s response, “I will know it is excess when I smoke two at the same time”.  

I read a chapter last night on the concept of turning a deaf ear in ministry, a chapter on the idea that as ministers there are just some things we should ignore.  Spurgeon believes rightly that to engage certain issues or people (gossips, divisive folks, single issue voters, people who refuse to forgive others) would do far more harm then good.  One of the things he strongly warned young pastors against was turning a deaf ear toward criticism.  Not in that we should not be teachable, in fact he says criticism should motivate us to be better preachers.  But he warns against taking unfair or untrue criticism to heart. Spurgeon writes this… “Those who praise us are probably as much mistaken as those who abuse us, and the one may be regarded as a set off to the other, if indeed it be worth while taking any account at all of man’s judgment.  If we have the approbation of our God, certified by a placid conscience, we can afford to be indifferent to the opinions of our fellow men, whether they commend or condemn.  If we cannot reach this point we are babes and not men”.

I will tell you in my ministry career I have had far more praise than criticism… but I love Spurgeon’s response… that both are probably a misunderstanding of our work and our ministry.  So my prayer in 2009 is that Jesus is the one who receives all the praise for what he is doing… and more and more we as a community can celebrate Jesus, what he has done for us, what he is doing among us, and give him all the credit and praise for his good works…

“The lines at the Empire State Building Observatory are as legendary as the building itself. The line actually consists of 3 different lines. The first one is the security line that everyone must go through. Next comes the ticket line. Visitors with pre-purchased tickets can skip this line which can save a considerable amount of time during our busiest times. The 3rd and last line is for the elevators that take you to the Observatory.”

– www.esbnyc.com

Those are the words on the Empire State Building’s visitor info website that on Dec. 29th convinced me to buy our ‘tickets to the top’ from home, in advance. Eight tickets. Total cost, $164. Experience with family – some local, some from out of town - hopefully priceless. Fast-forward a few hours and our van is creeping down 34th street past Macy’s. To our right we notice a huge mass of people – a line three or four people across and three-quarters of a city block long. We park on 31st street and swagger up to the fifth avenue entrance confident in the value of our prepaid tickets. I ask the clearly overwhelmed doorman, “Where is the ticket-holders’ line?” His response, “Once you get inside, there’s a special line for you… but for now THAT is the line to stand in.” Not what we wanted to hear. Yeah, right. Priceless experience.

At that moment we made a huge realization. We were committed to getting to the top of the Empire State Building to the tune of $164. Not a ton of money, but enough to keep us in the game. By purchasing the tickets in advance we had already decided several hours prior (and with my credit card) that we were going to get to the top of that building. Today.

So we stood in line. When we arrived at the furthest possible point from the actual entrance to the building we were greeted by a number of men and women wearing bright orange coats selling “express tickets” for $45 a piece which would entitle us to go to the front of every line. “Not interested in the express ticket?” they threatened, “Then stand in line for 3 ½ hours from this point” to get to the top. “Impossible” we thought, and besides we already had our tickets. A scant hour later we entered the building, and in a defiant “I told you so” flight to freedom we rode the escalator to the second floor where we were promptly greeted by – another line! Forty minutes later we got through that line to the security check. Then we went “behind the curtain” circumventing the ticket purchase line through a hallway to – another line!

That line led to another hallway through which we found yet another line, which finally brought us to an elevator. But the elevator only goes to the 80th floor and the observation deck is on the 86th floor. So once we exited on the 80th floor we were led through a hallway to another line, which led to the elevator that would finally take us to our goal.

So finally, after: standing in line outside, riding an escalator, standing in line, passing through a security checkpoint, a hallway, standing in line, a hallway, standing in line, handing in our ticket, standing in line, riding an elevator, a hallway, standing in line, and riding the final elevator … we arrived at the top! A journey that started bathed in warm afternoon sunlight now found us a thousand feet from the ground, listening to the wind-wisped sounds of the muted traffic, while staring at the glistening amber lights of the city below and the clear crescent moon hanging in the blackness of the night sky above. To me it was an incredible and beautiful moment, well worth all the prices paid.

In an effort to keep ourselves entertained while waiting in line we joked about how the only thing worse than this experience was the time some of us got stuck for half an hour in the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disney World, and that somewhere in this disaster there just had to be a blog post. Indeed there was. In fact I believe the experience was a great object lesson about being on mission: When adversity comes you are only likely to see a mission through to completion if you have made an investment or commitment to the outcome in advance. Put another way, if you have not pre-determined your commitment, circumstances will inevitably distract or dissuade you from your goal. Surely the crowds would have made it easy, even logical to give up our goal if we had not already committed to reaching the top of the Empire State Building before we began our trek.

It’s the same way with the Christian life. To follow Christ is by definition to decide to be on mission. Attempting to do one without the other only leads to legalism and misery. Check out what Paul writes in Philippians chapter 3, especially when you get to verses 12-14: “… but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” – NIV

As we begin 2009 I challenge all of us to receive and live in God’s grace. As a result of that grace, decide to be on God’s mission for your life. Then press on through adversity when it comes. Our call is ‘heavenward in Christ Jesus.’ And that’s a far greater reward than reaching the top of the Empire State Building!

Here are a few snaps from the top for inspiration. Enjoy the view!

Just a little thought-

As we all (hopefully) know, Jesus is the reason we do all that we do at the chapel and emergence. If it were not for Him, we would have no need for our church, our programs or even Christmas for that matter. My guess is that most of us at emergence would agree. The question then is "Who is this Jesus we are celebrating, anyway?" Instead of the cute manger story I would just like to bring your attention to this passage from Philippians chapter 2.

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
      did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
 7 but made himself nothing,
      taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
      being made in human likeness.
 8 And being found in appearance as a man,
      he humbled himself
      and became obedient to death—
         even death on a cross!
 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
      and gave him the name that is above every name,
 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
      in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
      to the glory of God the Father. - NIV

Take a few moments to think that one over. Yes, we are celebrating the birth of "the baby Jesus" but even a king needs first to be born...how amazing is it that the King of Kings chose to be born into humanity?  Ask God to help you see who Jesus really is. When you see Jesus as He truly is, you will be changed forever.

Merry Christmas to All!

-Mike

On December 17th at 1:43pm Melissa and I welcomed Chase Brian Hawthorne into the family. He weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz. (exactly how much Landon weighed when he was born) and was 3 inches shorter than Landon--a fact that I'm sure he'll come to hate when he gets older.

In my old age... well, all 29 years of my life... I have learned one very important lesson: I don't have it all figured out. In fact, I have very little of "it" figured out.

I've come to the conclusion that if you think you've got it all figured out you're either:
1 - single with no kids
2 - married with no kids, or
3 - a bad parent.

I know this is very much a generalization, but here's the deal--if you're truly engaged in your kids lives, things will get messy. If you're a parent (with younger kids) who feels like you don't have a stress in the world and that this life thing is easy, check yourself. Chances are you're not the one who is stressed because your wife is. Chances are you're neglecting the family and are completely consumed with the things that make only you happy.

If that's the case, repent now... and get a little messier--messy enough that you know you don't have it all figured out. Don't wait until your kids are making the tough decisions of life--most of which involve saying no to something (drugs, pre-marital sex, and various other destructive things). Saying no is only something they will learn by observing their parents. Observing is something they can do when their parents are around. Be involved with your kids.

I say this as a challenge to myself as much as it is to you. A new child brings more responsibility... and a reminder of the ones you already have.

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement. You guys rock. And if I ever seem like I have forgotten, remind me: I don't have it all figured out.

1 - Hamburger Buns are bread... that's all... sure, it is rounded bread, but it is just bread. It is kind of like a dome of bread with a slice through it. It is marketed specifically to those who enjoy hamburgers. Kind of odd. There aren't any "peanut butter and jelly" buns. More people probably eat PB&J any given day, but yet, those people are content to just slap it on regular old bread. why? You PB&J'ers should stand up for your dignity. Demand recognition!

2 - Hamburger Buns make great potholders/hot food pads. This is actually what started me thinking about hamburger buns. I was grabbing soup out of the microwave, and couldn't find a potholder nearby. I did, however, plan to dip a hamburger bun into the soup as a bonus appetizer. So, I grabbed both sides of the bun and pulled the bowl out of the microwave. No burns... no mess... and I got to eat it afterward. I'm sure if you put a few of those bottom halves on a table or counter, it would make a great hot plate, too. **note** I take NO responsibility for any burns that may occur. It worked for me.

3 - Hamburger Buns are a dependent market. Without hamburgers, where would the buns be? I don't know of a company that makes both burgers AND buns. It is usually one or the other. Is this a good business practice? I guess the same is true for hot dog buns, but they wouldn't be as good of a potholder.

4 - Hamburger Bun tops taste quite different from Hamburger Bun bottoms. Try it. You'll see.

Some of you may be wondering "Steve, this is weird. What is the theological meaning behind all of this?"

There is none. Now go eat a hamburger and clear your mind for a bit. We all need a break sometimes.

Steve

This message is not an advertisement for the beef industry or any bread company. While no animals were harmed during the course of this message, someone did kill a cow for that burger you are thinking about having.

Five Guys Burgers & Fries are the best burgers in the world. If you work for Five Guys, you have a friend in me. We'll even consider them the official burger of Emergence, for the right price. If you are on weight watchers, be advised that a standard Five Guys burger is 24 points. Spend wisely.

Please notice that (other than the wonder comment up top) I have refrained from any bun puns. I was tempted, but did not do it. Ah! 1 Corinthians 10:13... there's your spiritual insight!