Changing what I Do ..kind of..

So I recently decided to leave my position at a local church as their youth minister to pursue a calling to serve the under served in the city of Richmond. I will be working with Embrace Richmond an organization that has been doing great things in our city for a few years. Basically what I will be doing is connecting local churches to the needs in under served communities in Richmond, to build relationships, partnerships,and further the Kingdom of God. I will be meeting with lots of folks hearing their stories and building the bridges between folks who seem to live a world apart.
The truth is that most of us live in poverty. Maybe not the poverty of having enough food, money or shelter but when we are honest with ourselves we realize we are all lacking in something. Maybe it is the poverty of love or meaningful relationships , regardless the truth is we all need something, really we all need each other. Our goals at Embrace are to end poverty in the city of Richmond but I hope we end poverty in the "burbs' as well.
So here I am joining a revolution of sorts, a bunch of "ordinary radicals" trying to really live out this whole Jesus thing. So I guess we will see what happens . This is what I know I am completely dependent upon God in this , I am not real sure how we will make ends meet but I am trusting that God has all of that worked out and now I just need to be obedient. A friend of mine once said "God is never disappointed in a more radical step in faith in fact God usually blesses it". Well here we go.
If you would like to find out more about embrace Richmond go to www.embracerichmond.org
or give me a shout. I will be happy to fill you in. Iwill keep you posted no pun intended.

Blessings.....

Well hello Blog.. It has been to long..so here is the deal this weekend I am teaching on Nehemiah which if you have not read I would consider a must read for any church leader. I am talking about the first chapter and How Nehemiah is weeping for the destruction of the wall of Jerusalem. The opening few verses speaks about how Neh is in mourning for days and how He feels God calling hime to do something about it. Have you ever felt that compelled or struck by something that you knew you had to do something, you did not have a choice but to take action for an injustice. My question is this ..what would I look like if I were moved to the place that I wept for days for someone else or what would the church look like if we cared enough to weep over something.. There are so many things that break the heart of God why are we so oblivious to it, why are we so caught up in things that do not matter we miss the things that do.. I was eating dinner the other night with some strangers which was very cool but I kept looking at my phone because I had a meeting to go to.. What did I miss in those moments of looking towards something else..that I am sure did not grieve the heart of God.. God forgive me for being so wrapped up in myself that I limit You and what You are doing in the world and my life..

On the Playground..

So Yesterday we went to the playground for a little swing and slide action. Always a good time. It was fairly uneventful but something pretty awe inspiring happened. As we were palying this other little girl came and joined us. She was a second grader so a little older then my 2 girls. Anyway they played together for about an hour, laughing, swinging and having a great time. The interesting thing is that the little girl was of a different ethnicity, different back ground and different neighborhood. She was not like my 2 girls but it totally did not matter. They just played together and loved it. They did not see the differences they just saw a friend that they could swng with and all was well with the world.
When do we loose that sense of freedom? Letting down our guards and enjoying the people around us , even if they are different. I sat in awe watching them play because I want to live my life the way they do on the playground. It was amazing, it was actually a glimpse of what the Kingdom of God looks like. I hope that we may always see the need to have friends and relationships that are way different from what is the norm. In fact perhaps it is time to redefine the norm to what it was like on the playground.. Where we all play and laugh and all of the things we think matter, Don't....

See you at the playground....

A thought about the Super Bowl...

We had a a super bowl party at church ..not really because apparently it is illegal so we didn't but had we have had one I might have been there. Maybe? Anyway after the fantastic halftime performance by Tom Petty I cam home and went to my neighbors house to watch the rest of the game. My neighbors are die hard Giants fans, they truly bleed blue and red all season and post season long. I have to admit I am a sports fan, I like spots, I watch sports , I listen to sports, I even from time to time play sports. I would call myself a sports fan. I am nothing compared to these guys, I have no understanding of what it means to be a fan. I felt as if I were a part of the game watching it with them, I did not really care who won and yet I was the most stressed out I had ever been in my life. I have never seen such pure joy and raw anguish in the same moments in my life. In fact after the Giants won another neighbor was congradulating the Giant fans on their win as if they had given birth to a child, it was one of the proudest moments in their collective lives. I have never seen anything like it, it was in many ways amazing and yet it raised an interesting question for me. If they can be that excited about a win in a football game why can I not be that excited when God is doing something amazing in someone's life.

When was the last time you saw to Christians exchange high fives and say God's team rocks. Or see a good chest bump when Jesus does a totally Jesus thing. I do not know if I have ever been so enthrawed with what God was doing my every breath revolved around that. Joy or agony for a healed or a broken world. I am just saying I know what the "Good news " is and not done a touchdown dance. Maybe we as a church are loosing people because we act as if the game does not really matter. We act as if the "good news" is just "ok news"... Seriously what are we doing... I don't know but I do not even like the Giants ( Go Skins)but after last night I have seen the light..or at least a glow. What glow are we proclaiming in our message, in the way we are living out Christ to the world. Sharing the most incredible message known to mankind.. God loves You and wants you to know that.. Go Giants..Now go and give someone a high five and tell them Jesus loves you...

Chic Fil-A VS McDonald's ( A battle of the ages)

Most everyone knows my affection I have for the Chic , I truly hold it close to my heart but I also love a good cheeseburger. And what I mean is thinly pieces of sliced onion, 2 pickles, processed cheese and the perfect combination of ketchup or catsup (depending where you live ) and mustard on a slightly toasted bun. It is mannah with an additional 1000 calories. Of course I am talking about a Mc Donald's cheeseburger.

Recently our family went to dinner at McD's and I got my usual ( 2 double cheeseburgers and a small fry) the girls ordred roughly the same thing. It took forever and the service was lousy. I am sure that I will continue to support the Golden Arches but what makes an experience at Chic Fil A so much better. Here is what I think:
1.At Chic Fil-a they say "My pleasure " see blog below
2.They get your food to you quickly
3.It is good.
4.Most importantly They are concerned about Chicken.

They do chicken strips, sanwhiches and nuggets all be it in different forms but chicken none the less. They do not do, Mc Ribs , nuggets, pancakes, Big Mac, Iced Coffee ( although I hear it is good) cheeseburgers and so on. It is so cloudy and confusing in fact I believe it shows up on the face of their employees. Chic Filet does Chicken and I would never go there for anything else but Chicken. They make it painfully simple. And they do what they do really well. There is no doubt you know what you are going to get.So now you are thinking so what, well here is the so what.

What if Church was that simple,and I mean what if we did one thing and did it really well, to the point that we became known for that one particular thing maybe in varying forms but all the same chicken. It seems to me that many churches and denominations try to become all things for all people, the problem is when you become all things are you really anything. When you are all things your focus is everywhere, your people are stressed and unclear about direction and no -one or at least only a select few really know what is happening. Service is slow and the mission is not really accomplished. A singular purpose in various form seems to me to be a better way to go. Maybe it means you go somewhere else for a cheeseburger but maybe that is ok because if that part of the body is doing what it ought to be doing that cheeseburger will be delicious, in fact you will proably tell your other cheeseburger eating friends, you have got to try this. The Church can do what it does really well.

A clairity in purpose to pin point percision allows you to know exactly where you are going or at least what you are aiming for. It allows you to make necessary steps to get there. Everyting you do gets you to where God is calling you to be, because as Andy Stanley sugests , it is about one thing what God is calling your particular church to in your particular setting and context.

I say this to say when I want Chicken I go to the Chic when I want a cheeseburge I head for the arches, maybe the Church ought to think more in that direction. Just a thought.

I was recently reading an article in Christianity Today and the author wrote something that was profound and simple in the same breath. He said "The problem with spectacle, especially religious spectacle, is that the steady, repeated, raucous noise will eventually make us hard of hearing. And that will make it impossible to hear God's normal tone of voice." Gods normal tone, the whispering in the wind the subtle movement in the Spirit, that still small voice. Perhaps the voice of God is less about being impressed and more about being listened to. I think about Moses and the burning bush, there have been so many times when I wanted the burning bush, the big loud declarative voice of God to speak in my life. And even though the burning bush was a spectacle it was only seen by one person. One not a thousand , not a video screen not even a good soundtrack , one person and a bush in the middle of a dessert. SO where am I going with this, well to be honest I am not really sure but my thoughts turn towards corporate worship.
I mean on Sunday mornings most of us across the country put on good show, the music is done well, the message is well crafted and inspiring but let me ask this question where is the voice of God speaking. Are the people in our pews becoming hard of hearing due to what they experience every single Sunday. As Pastors are we causing our people to become deaf. We talk all the time,a good video clip or the latest song but where are we making a space for the voice of God. Where are we allowing the voice of God to speak in an unassuming quiet sort of way, in a way that moves people to life change. I am not saying we need to spend all of our time in silence and meditation but what are we modeling for our people, what are we showing ourselves? Where are we allowing the "noise " of life deafen us from the voice of God?

Power of Love

I just read this great quote from the legendary Hendrix that says
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power then the world will know peace"
This just resonates with me because I know it to be true . When I think about my life and the different walls and barriers I have had in various relationships it usually comes down to a question of love. Maybe I should say the lack of love. I want to have my way and the constant tug of war that follows. In essence it comes down to not loving as I should and wanting the upper hand, the power. Personal relationships, the world it all works the same, when we are loving one another it works, when we are not it doesn't. I realize I sound like a 60's throw back but maybe that is what made Jesus' message so radical. Because he believed love could change the world, love that nurtured and cared for the lost and the sick but a love that calls for accountability and mutual respect. It was not a message of power but a message of giving up power, strong when you are weak sort of thing. It is completely upside down thinking perhaps that explains why I am so drawn to it. Better yet perhaps that is why it works in a crazy mixed up world. I realize that what I am sounds a bit adolescent but perhaps this message does not need to be complicated. In fact Jesus put it like this, love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
Simple and world changing. Imagine if......