more on missional

One thing for sure: if you want to be on the look out for touching others' lives....those moments will NEVER be convenient. They won't even feel like real monumental moments. Looking back, it'll be when you were most likely to ignore someone because you were tired or really really busy....or extremely comfortable in front of your favorite TV show when the phone call came. The only time you might feel good about going out of your way is when you look back...in hindsight. Possible other feelings at the time of trying to be of service: a kind of weird fear that introverts are familiar with, ripples of judgementalism that might swim up in your throat, boredom when the problem isn't fixed in under ten minutes, and wishes that you could be anywhere else doing something "really important".

Here's a story for you. A dedicated Christian in an east African country is in his house church when they are invaded by the local authorities, for his religion is illegal in his country. He sees his father beat to death. Whereabouts of other members of his family are still unknown. He is able to flee, and with a fake passport, make it to our border where he turns himself in and asks for help. An even bigger crime occurred when, due to bureaucratic incompetency, he was put in a prison for hardened criminals instead of a detention center. There he was violated and is now HIV positive. Yes, of course he won his case and is now able to stay in our country and work. But, you can see where this is now a difficult placement. A humble hard working (and scared) man has been in a homeless shelter for months. What is the church's answer to this? And who among us can point fingers at anyone else, when we personally (no doubt) can't really help either. They say the emerging generation is not interested in buildings or bulletins but in how we can help our fellowman. Well, that can be pretty scary. But I'm glad they are forcing us to look at what a Christ follower might actually resemble.

the missional church

So this gift thing Bruce is doing throughout December has me thinking. It's actually pretty easy for most of us to come up with some kind of gift of service or time, especially to our family and friends. Isn't that basically what we do all day, anyway? (wash clothes, make supper, help w/ homework, pick up something for a co-worker, etc.) However, to do something like that to a total stranger is a bit more challenging.

For those not familiar with the terms, attractional church and/or missional church, here's my brief definition. The attractional church does all it can to be, well, attractive to the unchurched. Friendly, easy to get around, organized, invitive, relevant, etc. The missional church takes it "to the streets". The true challenge of the missional church is that it demands we respond to people we don't necessarily like or want to hang out with. I got my chance to have something to write down on the card Sunday when a homeless man wandered in right at closing time & I obligatorily listened to his rambling for fifteen minutes. Then I gave him some advice (which probably sounded a lot like, "get a job")....but the point is...he's God's child too. It got even more difficult to be charitable when I noticed the expensive headphones around his neck and he told me that Bruce could "reach him on his cell phone". (so where does his cell phone bill go?). Anyway, that sort of stuff does not help my naturally cynical side. But God doesn't call us to be cynical, or judgemental, or proud. He calls us to be of service. I loved the good Samaritan story on Sunday when Bruce pointed out that we are not the religious professionals, or the good well-bred citizens...we are the ones in the ditch.
Hmmmm, so maybe next time I'll try to listen to that guy for 20 minutes.

more from ZOE

One of the most precious aspects of the human experience, I feel, is listening to each others' stories. Were you to compare my sister's memories to mine, you might question that we were even raised in the same house...but we were. In like manner, I welcome all comments from all backgrounds and hope, as the church, we may do more to validate each others' voices and not discount those who don't fit safely into any preconceived molds. So, thank you, out there, for your reading and your responses.

{Although, unfortunately, I don't feel it best to publish those from "anonymous", not because I don't find them valid or interesting, but because it pretty much closes the door to any more discussion or availability.} (by the way, to my last anonymous comment....please expound a bit more so I can understand more clearly your intent, if you don't mind...Thanks!).

Anyway, it is my understanding that Tim Schwamb is also blogging and covering the ZOE conference...so I can't wait to read and hear his impressions. The keynote speaker, Scott McNight, spent quite a bit of time on explaining why twenty million 20 & 30 year old "somethings" like Jesus but not the church, and ten common principles of their philosophy. If you're interested in that, give me a call & I'll gladly share. He also had an interesting talk on "why read the Bible". Is it to supplement theological arguments? Is it for the feel good verses at the top of our calendars? Is it to dutifully get through a chapter a day? He came to the conclusion that it is to listen to God.

Other nuggets I jotted down: "the cure for spiritual weariness is spiritual intimacy"

Truth goes through three stages: 1) it is ridiculed 2) it is violently opposed
3) it is accepted as self evident

"When a person's comfort level in worship is worshipped more than God, than true worship is threatened".

and finally, "Real freedom is doing what God has called you to do."

So, how free are you feeling these days? :)

ZOE

It felt like a rather different conference this year than in the past. There was a huge emphasis on being a missional church---which I appreciate---however, the job of the worship minister generally falls under the camp of being the "attractional church". So, the age old question of "Do we in any shape or form resemble the church Jesus established?" becomes even more problematic to the wearied worship leader who is spending 6 hours a week on powerpoint slides that people only notice when they're missing. Even the scripture stating "they who have a new song or scripture, have them bring it..." seems only plausible for a house church size. Which throws us right back into the structured "institutionalized" worship time for large congregations, which (hopefully) does its prayerful best to be relevant, connecting, and honoring. [the only option to that is to be irrelevant, disconnected, rote and boring....which I believe to be also dishonoring].

Some of the ministers I met felt they had done much more ministry before they were paid ministers. But, as Bruce noted, no matter where you put your emphasis, "somebody's got to mow that grass". The most comforting illustration I heard was, "yes, we all need to be soldiers in the field--but somebody's got to be at the camp when it comes time to refuel."

I also found the class on gender & church to be very educational. The couple teaching were very humble and gracious, and some of their examples were extremely enlightening. They had worked as missionaries to Uganda. In that culture, women are generally topless, but what is worn below the waist (in the villages) is extremely important to their concept of modesty. Meanwhile, a couple of hours west in the larger city, things are very different. A young lady from the city wore jeans to church in the village, and the new congregation almost imploded. The missionary wrote a letter to them: thanking them for their good works, praising them for their new found Christian lives, etc. etc. Then he also urged the older women to have patience with the "changing" times and dress of the younger women. And then, he asked the young lady not to wear jeans. Obviously, that directive was not meant for all cultures of the world for all times...but suddenly this modern day missionary understood what it was Paul must have gone through. The critical question is this: does (whatever behavior) hinder the spread of the gospel?
Which, considering OUR area of being in the politically-correct- nation's- capital, how does the exclusion of women in the worship service look to our culture? We can have a woman vice-president but within our four walls they not allowed to read out loud or serve communion? Does it help or hurt the cause of the gospel? Worse, how are we then labeled...and how does our four walls become a barrier to spreading the message of Jesus Christ? Stuff to think about.

off to ZOE

Wow...I guess September must have been a blur. I'm off to the ZOE conference in the morning so I won't type long...just wanted to say that I'm proud to have the DAVID CAIN link associated with my blog. We hope to include several hymn stories with our release-of-the-Everpraise-II CD on November 16. That tells you one place my time has been spent lately. We also plan to have a whole new SOURCE available by then...400 copies strong...in the auditorium with about 100 songs in it!!! I also somehow was put in charge of organizing the block party this year (which tells you how serious our understaffing problem is !!!) so....time will tell (in exactly 4 days, in fact) how that will turn out! Anyway, several have asked about our Christmas production this year-----it's all being focused on Christmas Eve this time. So stay tuned and make sure you show up for that. Anyway, it's late & my plane leaves early...so I promise to tell ya all the latest real soon. Enjoy the fall weather!

memories of summer

If you're ever planning a trip to New England, here's what I remember of it a month later... which, generally, is a good indication of what's worth doing. I loved Bar Harbor, Maine (a great place to watch 4th of July fireworks), I ate my way through the factories of Ben & Jerry ice cream and Cabot cheese factory, walking through Salem is always cool, and I want to return to Mystic, Connecticut.

Then came creative arts camp. The ventriloquist was great, the illusionist fascinating, "The Potter's Wheel" was super...Valerie truly deserved the title "co-director" and the kids all jumped in there no matter whether it was step team, or singing, or spray painting blacklight puppets. It was a whirlwind of a week, but a fun one. I love grateful parents, and between donated snacks and Starbucks cards and thank-you notes...I felt truly appreciated.

For VBS I generally relaxed back at the sound booth while I watched the rest of my fellow co-workers (especially the children's ministers) sweat it out. I was already having chest pains going into the week, so I'm convinced Chad saved me from a heart attack (actually the official diagnosis was simply post bronchitis spasm). Nevertheless, it's always funny to me what invokes sympathy....and VBS generally gets lots of comments of, "I bet you can't wait until this week is over". Considering Chad did 98% of "my" part of the work, I just need to make sure HE gets ALL the credit due to him. The drama each day was fantastically done, and 500 kids hung on every word.

So now it's already August. Time for the requests for fall video demos. Time for quieter days while co-workers take last minute vacations. Time to appreciate the summer evenings that you waited all year for. So find your picnic basket....pump up your bicycle tires...run through a sprinkler. It's still summer.

vacation time and Palestine

Well, it's vacation time. So I'm wandering around trying to figure out if church services can really happen for two Sundays without me. Actually, it might be better. No doubt the big screens will suddenly work, there will be no feedback with the microphones, all communion presiders will actually show up. (And when I get back, they'll be a pink slip on my desk.) Oh, it's all in God's hands. If you can't trust church to God, who can ya trust? By the way, if any online predators are trying to determine my address to take advantage of all my belongings during my time away...don't bother. I happen to have a Palestinian refugee in my basement who is in on guard at all times. (he works cheap, too, if you need him for your time away). One kid is flying in from Dominican Republic tonight, another is driving in from Miami so we can take care of his birds while he goes to Columbia for a while, and another is on a plane coming in from China. Hopefully that plane will land before he's supposed to climb onto another one to join the family on vacation. (no doubt he'll be well rested and in a good mood!) :) I have no idea what we're doing....running around in New England somewhere. My travel-agent-wanna-be daughter will give me an itinerary each morning. So...I gotta get off here and get packing! See ya!