Musicals and Community

Our family is in the midst of one of the busiest weeks of our year as Amy directs the all school musical at our kids' elementary school (All City). Every kid from K-5th Grade (around 125 kids) is involved and many of the parents have put in countless hours to help make it happen. It is a huge undertaking and another example to me of how much can be accomplished in community. If Amy had to do it all on her own it would kill her, the parents would be more negative about the process and the quality of the production would suffer greatly. Instead, it winds up being one of the most unifying events of the entire school year where we all celebrate the final product as a victory for the entire All City community.

I've been thinking of how this is also true of our spiritual walk. When we do it on our own we have a tendency to give up when it gets hard or to simply slip into a complacency where our walk loses priority as it is slowly squeezed out by whatever other activity, task or external demand screams at us the loudest. In the process it slowly chokes the life out of our relationship with God.

We also will find ourselves lacking the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) in such a way that it is highly unlikely that we will be a blessing to others. In the process, we will become less grace-filled and loving in the way we respond to the world around us and our words and actions will be more critical which will leave us much more open to the criticism of others.

I'm so glad to get to serve in an area that helps people realize how desperately we need each other. My hope is that community becomes infectious and that as we experience life together, God is glorified in each of us.

The Wisdom of Stability

As someone who has been serving vocationally in the local church, in one capacity or another, for 14 years, one of the dynamics that I've been burdened for has been the church-hopping mentality that seems so common place in American Christianity. The issue is rooted in a number of factors which, I believe, include cultural conditioning, social and vocational climbing and a society in the throes of rampant consumerism.

I was recently given the opportunity to read and review The Wisdom of Stability: Rooting Faith in a Mobile Culture by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. Part autobiography, part sociological study, part theology of community, Wisdom is a very accessible call to deeper commitment to place and relationship

As the title would indicate, Wilson-Hartgrove does an excellent job of establishing how a commitment to place can be of great benefit, especially in a society that always seems to be looking for "the next thing." Our society conditions us to a nomadic lifestyle where opportunities for education and employment early in life establish a pattern of mobility that can make it difficult to feel connected to a particular place.

Wisdom's greatest strength is in Wilson-Hartgrove's call to connect and develop roots in order to connect with the community around you in order to allow depth of relationship to temper us to be more Christlike. Much time is spent reflecting on personal examples and on things that can be learned from monastic tradition to develop an attitude that makes contemplative engagement with God a more present reality. The rooted and timeless topics are such that Wisdom will stand up in content, if not style for years to come

Unfortunately, this timelessness is also probably one of the book's greatest weaknesses as much of the content could have been written fifteen years ago. The world looks remarkably different now and our mobility is no longer just confined to our location, but also in how we interact with each other in light of social media, self help checkouts and pay at the pump gas stations. By the title, one would have expected larger sections devoted to those dynamics and I think the book would have benefitted greatly from having a bit of a forward focus rather than being content with a nostalgic one. The area of social media is an especially glaring omission for a work so concerned with the dynamic of relationship.

The other area where Wisdom falls short is in repetition. A number of ideas continued to be recycled and revisited throughout the text where a broader scope of issues could have been addressed instead. This repetition allowed for more of a storyteller's approach to the topic, but did little more, at times, than pad the book's content. One is left to wonder what could have been accomplished if the themes addressed had only been given half the space in order to dig a little deeper into a broader study of the subject.

Overall, I would recommend Wisdom to people that are wondering why they are feeling disconnected and restless in their current environment as a way of recognizing the potential for long term growth and meaning that can be found by making a conscious decision to engage in the place they are in. However, this book will probably disappoint you If you are looking for a study on the effects of mobility and a hyperactive society on relationship and community.

1 on 1 accountability and sin

We're getting ready over the next few weeks to make a push at Embrace to give people a chance to engage in 1 on 1 accountability as a way of going deeper in their relationship with God. I've been involved in accountability for about ten years now and have found it to be one of the most important components of my walk.

The reason I believe this to be true is that I am an expert in performing and hiding where sin is concerned. I am quite good at performing one way when in the spotlight of life's stage, but am quite capable of sinful behavior when the curtain is drawn (not to mention what lies hidden in the dark corners of my mind). I suspect that most people, if they are being honest with themselves, know exactly what I'm talking about. The Apostle Paul certainly did as evidenced in the struggle he speaks of in Romans 7. The person I am in public is usually the person that I desire to be, but the sinful nature working within me keeps me from always being that person.

The hiding happens when I try to deny to the world around me that I am struggling and I conceal the carnage that sin unleashes in my spirit. And the problem is, when I get too good at hiding my sin from the world around me, it begins to be hidden from me as well. When that happens, I can no longer continue to keep up the outward performance effectively. Either that or I have to become two people, one public and one private, who become more and more distanced from each other.

Every once in awhile, the kids will play hide and seek. I'm a really good hider and I'm patient enough to outlast the most determined seeker if my hiding place is good enough. When the kids were younger, it was my goal to hide somewhere that made it easier to find me. I knew that hiding too well would frustrate them and make them not enjoy playing with dad. Like most people, I am an expert on hiding the things that I am ashamed of in my life. In a sense, accountability is my attempt at making myself easier to find.

I know that, for many, the biggest reason not to seek out accountability is the fear that, once they are found, they will be rejected. That is always the risk that we run when we enter into deeper relationship. The thing that surprised me the first time I entered into an accountability relationship was that instead of being rejected for my struggles, I learned that my struggles were not unique to me. Sure my sin may manifest itself in a different way than the other guy, but my stuff resembles his stuff and vice versa. 1 Corinthians 10:13 came alive to me in a way it hadn't before:

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Being freed from the lie that I was in this alone gave me a new courage to be honest about my struggles and I finally began to find freedom from habitual sin that I had struggled with for years. My hope for these next few weeks is that we will have a great response and that the Lord will lead us through the process of helping people experience freedom and a newfound strength to face their struggles knowing they no longer have to carry the burden alone.

Approaches to starting groups

As January comes at us full speed at Embrace, I've been working on getting a few new groups up and running and giving more thought to the dynamics involved in starting new groups. When I came on staff in August, our fall kickoff prep was already well underway and I was left having to react more to the things already set in motion instead of being able to strategically plan for the start of a few new groups.

Because of that, we started three new groups with leaders that expressed an interest, but without giving much thought to how to promote these new groups other than just trying to match people up with a group that fit their time preferences and might have some other people that they might hit it off with. We tried to select materials that would be good "getting to know you" materials, but didn't really put the material center stage. One of the groups took off right away and the other two have taken a little time but seem to finally be gaining momentum.

This time around, the main group that we're launching is really very centered on the material. Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University is kicking off on January 12th and has demanded a very different approach to starting a group. Obviously, it's a topic that people are interested in, put together by an organization that is well known, so the material definitely drives this group. The way we promote the group winds up being significantly different as well with more of a buckshot advertising approach that we hope will attract the attention of folks interested in the study. My unstated goal with this group (until now) is to see a small group form after the study is over made up, primarily, of people from Financial Peace.

This has started me thinking about how different it is to start a group based on the materials than it is to start through the "matchmaking" process. The first may be more motivated by the desire to engage the topic where the latter may be more motivated by a desire to connect with other people on the journey. The first seems set up more for the short term while the second is designed more for the long haul.

I think there are elements to both approaches that have value and one of the things that I'm beginning to realize is that I have a lot to learn about the dynamics of small group ministry since it's still a fairly new area for me as a leader. I'm looking forward to seeing how FPU takes off and seeing how the promotion of a new study, even in an existing group, might generate more interest and get some folks involved that are not currently involved in a group.

The Man (no longer) in Charge

Tonight I finally made the transition from shop manager to part time service tech at the bike shop. After a couple of miss starts, I finally got to meet my replacement, Mark, tonight. Most of his night was taken up with orientation, but we got a little chance to talk. I'm definitely looking forward to just being one of the guys and hope that things work well with Mark and that I can be a help to him.

I will readily admit to a little bit of melancholy after my shift tonight. I've put in almost five years at the store and did my best to add value to whatever role I was asked to play. I think I did a decent job and left every area I worked better than when I started. My hope is that I'll be able to continue to add value to the shop in a part time capacity and can still be a valued part of the team.

Thankfully, now I am unencumbered to focus my energy more firmly on Embrace and the future of this church that God has called me to serve. I am really enjoying what I am doing and love the dynamic with the staff. I feel, again, that I have something to offer and hope that I bring something to the table that will help Embrace move closer to the vision that God has for her.

Intimacy

I returned yesterday from a retreat at Blue Cloud Abbey, a monastery in northeast South Dakota, with one of the guys from my small group and a group of men from Cornerstone UMC in Watertown. I really didn't know what to expect as I am not really a "men's retreat" kind of guy. I've always kind of shied away from the stereotypical male bonding, kill an elk, drum in a circle kind of activities that I might envision when I hear about such events. Thankfully, this was not one of those retreats.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a processor. It can take days or weeks for me to wrestle with the things I've been thinking before I have the ability to coherently state what it is that the Lord has impressed upon me. I'm still processing from this weekend, but feel that there is one area where processing out loud may actually help move the process forward.

One of the questions that we dealt with in groups on Friday night was along the lines of "Is there an area in your life where you need to come alive?" I was surprised at how quickly an answer came to mind. I really feel a sense that I am struggling in the area of intimacy with God. When God first called me into ministry it was a time of recommitment for me as well and, obviously, there was a great sense of the intimate presence of God. As is common, over time, God seemed to withdraw that closeness little by little so that I was no longer living out of the emotions I was feeling, but out of the faith that God was present and working, even when I didn't sense Him.

Fast forward several years and I almost feel like I need to relearn what intimacy with the Lord is like. I'm afraid that it's been so long since I've had a consistent intimacy with God that I almost don't expect Him to fill that need in my heart. I never thought that I was pulling away, but I believe I have done so over a period of time where God didn't seem to show up as I experienced disappointment, frustration and pain. The closeness we once had seemed so completely absent that I began to stop looking for it.

Durning my quiet time at the Abbey, I wrote the following:

Early on, fellowship was free between us. As time went on, You gave me more space and freedom, which I mistook for abandonment - loving abandonment with room for me to grow and learn to love and trust You without feeling the emotions of intimacy.

I have craved that intimacy again, but when I couldn't seem to find it with You, I began to seek it elsewhere, not even knowing I was doing so. I began to rely on that intimacy more and more when I wasn't finding it with You and, eventually, even the intimacy of wife, family and friends, being human and finite, failed to completely fill the hunger.

I began to seek intimacy through false substitutes; through finding a sense of worth in the eyes of others. I was looking for intimacy and validation anywhere I could find it, because I didn't seem to be finding it with You as in the beginning.

Lord, help me come to the root of it. Help me recognize what I'm searching for and to be patient enough and sensitive enough to find it in You. Reignite a vibrant, passionate relationship with You again. Help me be restored to healthy intimacy in all areas of my life and help me recognize when I begin to settle for false substitutes when all I really want is You.

Teach me to trust You again. Teach me that You are still intimately involved and close to me. When no one else seems to want to be close to me, teach me that You are. Take the fragments of my self destruction and make me whole again.

Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Heaven

Our small group started a new study last night about heaven. It's from the Convergence DVD series hosted by Donald Miller, featuring insights from Randy Alcorn. Very interesting stuff and it sparked some good conversation. We spent a decent amount of time discussing what we thought heaven will be like, especially in light of Alcorn's assertion of it being a physical place in the "new heaven and new earth" as laid out in Revelation 21 and 2 Peter 3. Some of the discussion was light hearted along the lines of "will there be dogs there" and "will there be golf there" and others delved into issues of identity with the physical resurrection and whether we would even recognize each other.

The thing that I've been thinking through since last night is how quickly our thoughts turn to our comfort and our benefits when we discuss heaven. "What will I do? Will I see my loved ones? Will I get to ride a bike?" (that last one's for me). Since the hope of heaven is one of the greatest things that God has given us, I think He actually enjoys it when we dream about those kind of things. I think it's somewhat like when my kids start talking about their expectations for their birthday or Christmas. It's fun to hear about what they hope to receive when the day arrives, knowing some of what is in store for them. Most of the questions issued in the study sort of directed us to these types of topics.

As I've reflected more, I find myself praying that as we continue to explore this topic, that our hearts will become consumed less with our benefit and more with His glory. The glory of God far surpasses anything that we could hope for in this life or the life to come. As much as I enjoy thinking about joyous reunions, long awaited conversations and finally having a body mass index that meets the expectations of my WiiFit program, I believe we will be so overwhelmed and captivated by the glory and love of God that these will seem like trivial desires. I think God will still allow us the enjoyment and benefit of those things, but that we won't want them nearly as much when we begin to drown in the sea of His glory.

I'm definitely looking forward to further conversation and seeing how my thinking is shaped over the course of this study.