Silence...

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.

~ from Isaiah 53

Rethinking Church...

Maybe it's the fact that I've moved to Lawrence to help pastor a church or maybe I gravitate with people who are too smart for their own good, but I find myself in a multi-faceted dialogue on what the Church is and what she's supposed to be. (Our community is actually going to begin meeting to pray and have discussions about what it looks like for us to be the church in Lawrence: Sunday nights, 7 - 9p, my place.)

I'm blessed by those who are on this journey and I appreciate the words and ideas that stir the pot. Again, Rob Bell has some things to say (you should have already acquired a copy of Velvet Elvis & Sex God by now and be in the midst of reading them...):

'If the Gospel isnt good news for everybody, then it isnt good news for anybody.

And this is because the most powerful things happen when the church surrenders its desire to convert people and convince them to join. It is when the church gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting nothing in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display. To do this, the church must stop thinking about everybody primarily in categories of in or out, saved or not, believer or nonbeliever.'



'I am learning that the church is at its best when it is underground, subversive, and countercultural. It is the quiet, humble, stealth acts that change things.'

I know others are in this same conversation & wrestling... anybody else have any stellar quotes or thoughts to contribute?

Hilarious... Really!

This video was the bane of my Rome group's existence... but I think they loved me for it in the end. Really? REALLY! Wow!!

the True Commodity...

For the last few months, I've continued to bump into situations which remind me that we humans live by grace. We receive grace from our friends when we wrong them. We give grace when we are wronged. We receive grace from God as we step outside the path of Goodness and Rightness. And, dare I say, we give grace to God when life doesnt turn out right... or good... or how it ought (it is always humbling & terrifying & beautiful when we turn the corner and suddenly come face to face with the incarnated God, Jesus).

All this has brought me to the realization that the commodity we deal and pay with in the kingdom of God is grace. Grace is the commodity of the Kingdom. It's what we give and it's what we receive.

Again and again, I find myself having to access this reality, typically when I've wronged someone or something. When this happens and as I walk the steps of reconciliation, Im reminded that it is by grace that we live, by grace that we have, and by grace that we continue.

grace (grās) - elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action; mercy; clemency; pardon; the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.

the Relentless Pursuit...

'Your job is the relentless pursuit of who God has made you to be. And anything else you do is sin and you need to repent of it.'

from Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell (I just finished his Sex God. I recommend both).

Thoughts?

Days of Grace...

'From this day on, for you, there is no such thing as a good day or a bad day. There is only a day of grace. And some days the grace of God allows you to enjoy what is happening. And some days the grace of God allows you to endure what is happening. But don’t think about good and bad anymore. Just enjoy the grace that is present. And out of that grace will come an expectancy: I know you’re going to do something today. I just want to be alive to You so that I can see it. Wait for it. Speak it out. Live in it. Experience it. Worship you in it. Glorify your name in it. There are no good days anymore. There are no bad days. Just days of grace. Lets agree: days of grace. And the grace of God is going to come and bring with it the nature of God. That you might know Him. That you might know Him. That you might know Him. And rest in Him. And live in Him. And move in Him. Worship Him. Represent Him.'

- Graham Cooke

Planted by the Waters...

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
and whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
which spreads out its roots by the river,
and will not fear when heat comes;
but its leaf will be green,
and will not be anxious in the year of drought,
nor will cease from yielding fruit.

from Jeremiah 17