Poor Jesus

Chapter 1: The Master Plan of Evangelism

"Is it not rather disappointing that one with all the powers of the universe at his command would live & die to save the world, yet in the end have only a few ragged disciples to show for his labor?"

It's amazing to think Jesus had so little to show for his labors; yet that's if you're qualifying his fruit on the quantity & not the quality of his students. This thought has been interesting to me, since in many ways our popular church culture measures the exact opposite.

"Really it is a question of which generation we are living for."

This is a great question. What generation are we living for? Jesus could have had masses. Jesus could have been made King. Jesus could have had it all in His day: publicity, stature, popularity, etc. He chose anonymity & invested to reap His rewards in the future & not in the present. Once again this goes against popular church culture where we attempt to attract the masses in order to create a church.

Seeing is believing

The leadership of our church is going to read: The Master Plan of Evangelism. This will be the 3rd time I have read this book & must admit, I'm excited to read it again. I don't know when I first read it, but it is one of the books that has shaped me. When I first read it church, leadership development, friendship, discipleship, & evangelism, were never the same to me.

It's a simple premise: How did Jesus view & do evangelism? This is important because, "He always knew what was right, & as the perfect Man, he lived as God would live among humans." That's an amazing thought: Jesus lived as God would live among humans. What's more is Jesus didn't "do" life in a certain way because he was perfect & therefore had a super-human means of doing evangelism; he was perfect & demonstrated how God would do evangelism not only because it was "right," but for his church to see. (What's amazing is how many read about his life without seeing his life as an example to follow.)

This is both challenging & inspirational. On the one hand challenging because we don't generally follow Jesus' life as something to be replicated, especially in the realm of evangelism. So many have reduced Jesus to being the means of our salvation & little more. As N.T. Wright has said, "Many people would be fine had Jesus been born, left to grow in seclusion into a 33 year old man, & then taken to the cross to die." However, God intentioned for Jesus to demonstrate how God would act within humanity. We should take notice. On the other hand his methods are inspirational because anyone can do what Jesus did. His plan is accessible; we can all what Jesus did, however, very few can copy Billy Graham. Evidently easily replicable is a natural outworking of perfect!

Reading the preface I was struck by several thoughts. One was this: "Do we see an ever-expanding company of dedicated people reaching the world with the gospel as a result of our ministry?" Many definitions & examples of church discourage me. However, this is not one of them. If this is what we're called to be, I see hope.

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

"No one can celebrate a genuine Christmas without being truly poor. The self-sufficient, the proud, those who, because they have everything, look down on others, those who have no need even of God - for them there will be no Christmas. Only the poor, the hungry, those who need someone to come on their behalf, will have that someone. That someone is God. Emmanuel. God-with-us. Without poverty of spirit there can be no abundance of God."





(Oscar Romero, a Salvadoran Archbishop who was assassinated while celebrating Mass...murdered, because the day before he had cried out on behalf of justice for the poor.)

Sex God

"Our collective efforts to deter premarital sex are not that successful: 41 percent of churchgoing, conservative Protestant men's relationships become sexual within one month, barely lower than the national average of 48 percent. We expend so much energy to generate so little difference."

Mark Regnerus is associate professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of Forbidden Fruit: Sex and Religion in the Lives of American Teenagers (Oxford, 2007).

William Stringfellow

I don't know how I heard about William Stringfellow, but I'm glad that I did. William Stringfellow was an Ivy educated lawyer who accepted an offer from a church to work within Harlem. His book: My People is The Enemy is an outstanding look at the issues created by the American Dream, the theology of the Evangelical Church, & the reality of a segment of our country we'd rather forget about: The poor. William Stringfellow is a prophetic voice deserving of your time.

"The premise of most urban church work, it seems, is that in order for the Church to minister among the poor, the church has to be rich, that is, to have specially trained personnel, huge funds & many facilities, rummage to distribute, & a whole battery of social services. Just the opposite is the case. The Church must be free to be poor in order to minister among the poor. The Church must trust the Gospel enough to come among the poor with nothing to offer the poor except the Gospel, except the power to apprehend & the courage to reveal the Word of God as it is already mediated in the life of the poor.

When the Church has the freedom itself to be poor among the poor, it will know how to use what riches it has. When the Church has that freedom, it will be a missionary people again in all the world." (Pg. 102)

It's amazing to see how true this still is. We minster to the poor out of our wealth, yet this isn't what they need. They don't need our wealth, which is often the thing that keeps us from truly trusting in God; & in many ways separates us. We all need the good news to saturate our lives. We need to learn to be content & rich with His presence. That's what "they" need. It's also what we need.

William Stringfellow's life is very challenging to us.

Christian Yoga?

This article is of particular interest for me. What if we started a Christ-centered Yoga center? What if we worshiped & connected with Jesus through a form of Yoga? What about using Yoga as a way to help others connect with God? Sounds like this article is about playing defense; how can we use culture to impart Christ?
Share your thoughts.


December 8, 2010
Can Yoga be Christian?

Mohler, Driscoll, and others weigh in on the controversy.

by Url Scaramanga

A few months ago, Al Mohler set off a firestorm when he pronounced yoga to be utterly incompatible with Christian faith. The comments came in a review the Southern Baptist leader wrote about Stephanie Syman's book The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America. Mohler said:

Yoga begins and ends with an understanding of the body that is, to say the very least, at odds with the Christian understanding. Christians are not called to empty the mind or to see the human body as a means of connecting to and coming to know the divine. Believers are called to meditate upon the Word of God -- an external Word that comes to us by divine revelation -- not to meditate by means of incomprehensible syllables.

To his surprise, Mohler received a significant backlash from Christians who use yoga as part of their exercise routine as well as those who believe the practice can mesh with Christian forms of reflection and meditation. But Mohler would have none of it. He wrote, “Most seem unaware that yoga cannot be neatly separated into physical and spiritual dimensions.” In other words, those who merely use yoga as a form of stretching and muscle strengthening are mistaken. He continued:

Christians who practice yoga are embracing, or at minimum flirting with, a spiritual practice that threatens to transform their own spiritual lives into a 'post-Christian, spiritually polyglot' reality. Should any Christian willingly risk that?

Not to be ignored amid a cultural controversy, Mark Driscoll added his $.02 into the discussion. In this video the pugnacious pastor calls yoga “absolute paganism” and says it opens the door to demonism. But he adds this caveat: “Is it possible for a Christian to do stretching and read scripture and pray and do so in a way that is exercise that is biblical? Yes, it is possible. But if you just sign up for a little yoga class you’re signing up for a little demon class.” (BTW, Driscoll also warns against watching Avatar…the “most demonic movie ever.”)


Of course not everyone agrees with Mohler and Driscoll. David Sapp, senior pastor at Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta says the form of yoga taught at his church has "sort of been de-religionalized.”

"What we do is yoga as stretching, exercise and relaxation technique," he said. "We don't do yoga as Buddhist philosophy." Sapp also believes that when yoga stretches and breathing techniques are combined with Scripture meditation, it can be used as a way of communing with God."I believe that God can come to us in all experiences in life," Sapp said. "God has lots of ways of revealing himself to people, and if he chose to do it through yoga, he could sure do that."

Dayna Gelinas, a Chrisitan yoga instructor, also sees a benefit in combining yoga with Christian themes. "It's very different from getting on a treadmill,” she says. Gelinas has replaced any association with Hinduism or Buddhism in her yoga instruction with signing or chanting Scripture.

"My yoga practice is just something I do to enhance my faith," Gelinas said. "I don't see how you can separate your body from your mind or spirit."

Many of the responses Al Mohler received to his original column were from people who do yoga stretches while forgoing any of yoga’s religious elements. Mohler took issue with this bifurcation. "My response to that would be simple and straightforward: You're just not doing yoga.”

Mohler received support for his view from a surprising souce—a Hindu. Rajiv Malhotra wrote a column for The Huffington Post on the question of “Christian yoga.” He said:

While yoga is not a "religion" in the sense that the Abrahamic religions are, it is a well-established spiritual path. Its physical postures are only the tip of an iceberg, beneath which is a distinct metaphysics with profound depth and breadth. Its spiritual benefits are undoubtedly available to anyone regardless of religion. However, the assumptions and consequences of yoga do run counter to much of Christianity as understood today. This is why, as a Hindu yoga practitioner and scholar, I agree with the Southern Baptist Seminary President, Albert Mohler, when he speaks of the incompatibility between Christianity and yoga, arguing that "the idea that the body is a vehicle for reaching consciousness with the divine" is fundamentally at odds with Christian teaching.

With the growing popularity of yoga among all people, including Christians, getting a better understanding of the issue is important for pastors responsible for giving spiritual guidance. What Mohler, Driscoll, and even Malhotra agree on is that the philosophical/religious origins of yoga are incompatible with Christian belief, AND if those elements of yoga are stripped away what remains (the stretches and breathing practices) cannot be rightly called “yoga.”

So what are we to do? Christianity has a long tradition of adapted pagan symbols and practices and filling them with biblical meaning. Even Christmas and the celebration of Christ’s birth near the winter solstice is an extra-biblical tradition rooted in the pagan rituals of Scandinavian and Germanic tribes. The Puritans were so disturbed by the Christmas holiday that they refused to acknowledge it.

What do you think? Is it possible to take pieces of yoga and adapt them for non-religious or even Christian use? Or are Driscoll and Mohler right—are we flirting with the demonic?

Vineyard Paper

(This is my paper submission to the Vineyard Scholars Forum)

“There is an almost universal quest for easy answers & half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.” Martin Luther King Jr.

During graduate school my theology was stretched & shaped. I had the privilege to sit under several outstanding scholars & practitioners who eagerly shared their wisdom with me. However, amongst this backdrop, certain ideas shaped me more than others.

One afternoon we were invited to participate in a President’s luncheon. We left our classroom & entered into the dining hall to join the President whom, for various reasons, I thought to be a fairly aloof man. Yet it was here that a man I had little concern for said something that challenged me to the core of my theology, especially my ecclesiology.

Throughout the lunch, & with a slight southern drawl, the President shared his thoughts on various subjects & about midway through the lunch he said, “One of the greatest errors I see happening within the current trends of the church is duplication. We so easily take what worked in one city, learn it, package it, replicate it, & believe it is destined to work in any city. Yet we misunderstand that God does things in one city that might not be for another; what worked is His gift to that city through that community. If only church leaders were willing to find out how God wants to use them in their particular city we might see greater fruitfulness.”

To say the least, this was a bullet to my soul. I was months out of planting a Vineyard church & instantly recognized that the majority of what I was setting out to do was in fact what the President just stated: Replicating what worked in one area & doing it somewhere else. I knew what he said was true, but as I embarked on my journey to start a church in the Bay Area I would find out just how true his statement was not only to me, but other church leaders as well.
This paper is a short attempt to reveal why we replicate few models, the implications of this replication on church leaders, & a few ideas of where we might take things.

Consumeranity
As we survey the landscape of churches within America one things stands out: A majority of them look very similar. In fact, I believe prevalent Christian culture & theology renders a very narrow group of church “models” the way & most others sadly fall into the “different” category.

The successful Evangelical church we are presented with generally looks like this: It is white; It is suburban; It has a large or growing attendance; It is profitable; It has beverages; It is economically & culturally mono-cultural—namely middle-class “Christian” culture; It has relevant & youthful worship; It has a energetic leader; It is primarily defined as a Sunday gathering.

Now to say any of these things is bad would be erroneous because these features in & of themselves aren’t. These attributes are in their context good. However, when you read church literature any number of these elements will be glaringly present as a descriptor of what a “successful” church is. This, I believe, is representative of our culture & it’s values.

Culture is a very powerful force. As Charles Kraft says, “The term culture is the label anthropologists give to the complex structuring of customs & the assumptions that underlie them in terms of which people govern their lives.” All cultures define certain things as normal & most, without any depth of thought, believe these things to be inherently ordinary; we are no different. Our cultural beliefs affect how we live & shape what we deem “normal,” which would include our theology of success. There are several cultural beliefs which shape our theology & to explore them all would require more space then I’m given, so I’ll expand upon one, which I believe has shaped how & why Evangelical churches look so glaringly similar: Industrialization.

The industrial revolution (18th-19th centuries) had a tremendous affect upon how we produce almost anything. As Europe discovered, replacing manual or animal labor with mechanized means greatly increased production of almost any product whether textiles, metal work, or food. In fact, there is little that wasn’t affected by this revolution. Needless to say the Western world adopted this new found means to financial success & industrialization became the method of production. Like most “modern” countries America adopted this production method lock, stock, & barrel.

One of the great examples of industrialization in our era is McDonald’s. Opened in 1940 this restaurant created a revolution, namely: Fast Food. By using simple industrial methods McDonalds plowed the way to consistent, inexpensive, accessible, tasty meals for the whole family. After perfecting their methods they franchised (another value of industrialization) their business philosophy & expanded out of Southern California, which allowed people from all over the world the opportunity share an almost identical experience as they enjoyed a Big Mac in L.A. or Egypt.

Industrialization, on a surface level, is genius: If we take the methods that worked in one location & reproduce them in another the results will almost always be the same. Countless franchises demonstrate that industrialization works. So it’s easy to ask: if one sector of our culture finds a great deal of success using industrialized methods, why not another? What if we combined Christianity with Industrialism?

Saddleback Community Church is one of the key churches to have revolutionized how a large portion of evangelical pastors perceive what church success is. More importantly, they were one of the front runners to create a template of how to reproduce their results in almost any given location as church historian Earle Cairns notes, describing both Saddleback & Willow Creek, “The church also reached out to other churches with “how to do it” leadership…” The methodology of Purpose-Driven was a success & was custom-ready to be reproduced in any city.

When Rick Warren published his how-to book at least 500,000 pastors & church leaders bought it; 500,000 eager church leaders who were ready to ride the Purpose-Driven wave. Looking out across the landscape of the Western Church we see a large group of people who adopted the “Purpose-Driven” template as their own. In fact, it is easy to say there are Saddleback copy cats in almost every city in the U.S. Saddleback did it, franchised it, & many bought it.

The Vineyard story is similar. When the Vineyard exploded in Southern California people were swept into its vision: Hawaiian shirts, sandals, signs & wonders, hippies, & contemporary worship were all an attractive part of the ethos. As the Vineyard started to gain popularity many cities wanted a Vineyard church. In fact, one of the prevailing church planting criteria was: Is there a group there who wants a Vineyard? What this meant was: Is there a group of people who want what’s working in SoCal in their city? We then exported the template & in essence created a Vineyard culture within reach for those who wanted it &, for a period of time, it worked. Indeed, this model is still working where the prevalent culture finds this type of church service new & exciting. (see Ohio)

But churches like Saddleback or the Vineyard aren’t the only answers to our “what should I do!?” questions. We are supplied with ready speed all the info we need to be: Seeker-Sensitive, Emerged, House to House, Bethel, Acts 29, etc. Really, as Westerners we have this compulsion to look for what’s working in one area & order it on Amazon as quickly as possible. However, by allowing so few churches to define success for so many, we’ve created a situation where a large amount of leaders aren’t truly discovering who God wants their community to be within their city. Church industry is now eerily similar to the car industry offering: “All the latest models.”

Yet there is a problem in replicating so few models; we’re really not reaching the unreached. The dominating contemporary church models do gather people, but who is attending? Generally those in attendance are Pre-Churched, De-Churched, or those who easily fit into the suburban cultural context we Evangelicals have come to, in many ways, represent. This is a problem Alan Hirsch expands upon, “…in Australia we have the somewhat farcical situation of 95% of the evangelical churches tussling with each other to reach 12% of the population. And this becomes a significant missional problem because it raises the question, “What about the vast majority of the population (in the U.S, about 65%) that report alienation from precisely that form of church.’” That’s a big problem when “that church” is the dominant “model” we seem to deem successful & the majority of leaders are being led to replicate.

Idle Worship
For the vast majority of us in church leadership, Saddleback, Anaheim Vineyard, Bethel Church, Willow Creek, IHOP,” or other “successful” ministries will not be our reality. No matter how hard we try, no matter who we hire for help, & no matter how many books or conferences we devour; the reality is: Most churches cannot replicate the churches we look to for inspiration & this unfortunately leads to a great deal of frustration.

I am regularly reminded as I speak with church leaders of a common theme: Many leaders are frustrated by their church size (or at least their overseers are). Actually, if we were honest, church size is probably the defining measurement used by ourselves & our colleagues to determine the effectiveness of our churches. The implicit formula is: Big church: Healthy, influential, anointed leadership, good programs, etc; Small Church: Small Vision, lack of good leadership, little effectiveness, mom & pop. This is a generalization; however, it is generally true, not biblically, but socially, & this social pressure has its ramifications on how the majority of those in church leadership view themselves, how they view the importance of their particular calling, & therefore determines how effective they believe they can be at representing God’s unique dream for their life.

There is a huge amount of power in what we believe about ourselves & our churches. If we believe we & our communities are important, valuable, worthy, & exactly who we were meant to be, then there is little doubt we will feel confident living out God’s plan for our lives. Yet the opposite is also true. When people believe they aren’t who God wants, they believe their lives & ministry consistently doesn’t measure up, there are powerful results as well.

All of us are struck by the story of the boy David. In 1 Samuel we are introduced to one of the least likely characters within Israel to defeat the giant Goliath. As people are introduced to the boy each of them shows disbelief at the one who claims ability to overpower the giant. Yet the boy remains unmoved to his estimation of his own strength. David exudes a confidence despite the social pressures placed upon him by others.

As has served as an illustration for many King Saul (who is confused by his own identity) puts his armor upon the boy, yet the armor doesn’t fit. We are presented with a powerful truth; armies are good, swords are preferred, armor is helpful, but God isn’t a God of formula. The truth is God determined it would be a boy with a sling & not an army with conventional tools of warfare to slay this giant. Thankfully, David was brave enough to be himself however different it was.

Amazingly, 75% of all churches within America are 150 or less & 95% of all churches are under 350, while only 0.11% of churches have in attendance 3,000 or more. Therefore, the largest group of believers within our faith are part of “smaller” churches. That said, in my modest estimation, the 0.11% supplies at least 90% of the teaching materials the 95% consumes & their definitions of “success” put pressure on the 95% who still want a “how to do it” template. This “worship of what works” then leads to idleness because many abdicate their vision for someone else’s & if & when it doesn’t work like the book said it would we start to see our churches are more of a problem than God’s unique gift, not only to us, but to our cities. Saul’s Armor makes us Idle.

When I moved to Santa Cruz I joined the Vineyard Area pastors group. As my planting team & I sat down with our Area Pastor he laid out his plan to help the churches in our area. I sat excited to learn how he planned on strengthening the area churches. He then explained how he was going to pair up the pastors in our area for church growth. How? He was going to take the 8 existing churches & pair them up according to attendance. He would pair the pastor with 300 people with the pastor who only had 200; the pastor with 170 with the pastor of 100, the pastor of 70 with the pastor of 30, etc. By doing this he hoped the smaller churches would learn how to increase their attendance & thus “grow.” But is it everyone’s vision to pastor a larger church?

I’m not advocating that large churches are bad & small churches are good. In fact, I’m not advocating that a particular size of church is advantageous at all. However, as believers who hold to the doctrine of sovereignty, we are often gifted to see His will through circumstances & circumstantially 95% of the churches within the U.S. are numerically smaller than 350 people & 75% are smaller than 150. Once again, this is the largest people group within Protestant Christianity. Nevertheless, even though the majority of us are found within this group our lack of size is more often than not the determining factor of our success, & this is a problem.

The majority of those in church leadership constantly endure this pressure. And I believe, instead of spurring our churches on to greater growth, which might include attendance, it renders too many idle at being who God wants them to be because they have been indoctrinated at seeing their communities through the lens of the industrialized Evangelical church growth machine. So, the 95% look at their churches through the lenses of the 0.11%. Looking at it this way, who wouldn’t see a problem! Consequently, instead of teaching smaller churches how to effectively be themselves, which might actually look different, we consistently present the 95% solutions to the identity problem their having; or is it the identity problem that’s being projected upon them?

Consumeranity, combined with the reality of our current circumstances creates, for lack of a better term an identity crisis, or what I’ve deemed: Idle worship. Because as long as we worship “what works” for one man’s calling we only replace who God wants us to be with another man’s (corporately & individually) vision. This worship then makes us idle because we consistently see ourselves as insufficient at being able to measure up, not to what God is calling us to, but to our neighbor. But what would happen if we shed the security of Saul’s armor for our distinct call within the Kingdom of God regardless of the insignificant social values placed upon us by others? My call might not be multi-sight, yield large numbers, or be “Christian” in culture, but who says it has to?

Let’s get Married
At this year’s Western Regional Conference Rich Nathan said, “We need to be married to John’s questions & not his conclusions.” I hope this was a fresh perspective toward new directions in church. We need to ask ourselves the questions that led John to push in the direction of starting the Vineyard. As we allow these questions to confront our current realities some of us might realize similar conclusions; at the same time, many of us will discover new conclusions to old questions.

In America we live in a melting pot of culture, ethnicities, socio-economic classes, & countless other cultural variations. As those who have been sent to represent the Kingdom of God within this melting pot our churches should also be representative of the cultures we find ourselves in. If not we are doing little more than the founders of the California Missions who came with a ready-made culture & the natives were required not only to receive Christ, but adopt “Christian Culture” as well. There should be churches where “every tribe tongue & nation,” worship one God.

We must learn how to approach our cities as missiologists. In this we attempt to create communities that have the least amount of cultural barriers so the unreached can access the Kingdom in a language environment they understand. As one great missiologist stated, “We need to learn to become all things to all people.” There is little doubt, in our century that what we view as popular church has mastered the “White, suburban, republican,” church. But that only speaks to a small portion of our country & that portion is shrinking.

We need to learn how to create churches where correct theology is demonstrated & spoken in the vernacular of the people. This is one of the major goals of missionaries: Learn the local dialect, learn the local traditions, see how Christ intersects into it, & build a community around Him. As Leslie Newbigin states, “1) the communication has to be in the language of the receptor culture. It has to be such that it accepts, at least provisionally, the way of understanding things that are embodied in that language; if it does not do so, it will simply be an unmeaning sound that cannot change anything.” I would go further & say, language must be accompanied by at least an attempt to replicate the culture from which is originates.

There needs to be new categories of orthodox Christ-Centered churches which better represent the people groups & religious views of the American landscape. Can we imagine a Muslim Vineyard; A New-Age Vineyard; A Buddhist Vineyard; A Bohemian Vineyard; or a real urban Vineyard? The Vineyard is in a great position to accommodate these people groups; yet one thing remains clear: The Vineyard is a white suburban church both ethnically & economically. We might say it’s because it started out in the white suburbs, but I believe the culture, language, & model of the current popular “successful” church is designed by white suburbanites for white suburbanites.

New Wineskins
God called my wife, myself, & a team of five people to Santa Cruz California to start a Vineyard church. We had our plan & were ready to start something new within a city that was rumored to be amongst the hardest to start a church in. Our plan seemed airtight & destined to succeed & we started with an off colored generic model. In fact, we really didn’t set out to do much different except keep discipleship as a key value & live together. That said, & four years later, we find ourselves humbled by the city where before we arrived there hadn’t been a new church started in over ten years. Amazingly, in context of the Bay Area, we aren’t doing poorly. However, as we’ve started to move from the safety of what “church” is, we find ourselves standing on the precipice of something beyond our thoughts or expectations.

If the Bay Area were a knife called post-Christian than Santa Cruz would be its cutting edge. Santa Cruz is one of, if not the most liberal, educated, free thinking cities in the U.S. Amongst other things we boast one of the largest lesbian populations (per capita), anyone can freely smoke pot downtown, & we are considered one of the Mecca’s of New Age. What’s more, Christianity isn’t a benign philosophical belief here; it is clearly seen as one of the key problems in our country. If ever there was a run at creating a humanistic utopia, Santa Cruz would be a willing contestant.

Santa Cruz is where God has called us. However, the popular version of church isn’t going to reach the 93% of this county who won’t go to an Evangelical church. Furthermore, for those who want this style of church, there already exists a wide variety of congregations who do a much better job than us! So we find ourselves asking pointed questions: What does a church look like that reflects the 93% of our county who will never go to an Evangelical Christian Church? What does a church look like that reaches the largest religious group within our county: New Age? Who do they worship? What do their worship services look like: décor, smells, language, seating, etc.? How do they worship? There are many more questions too.

One of the main questions we hold dear as a movement is this: “Do what you see the Father doing.” What type of church will reach the wide variety of people, both ethnically & economically, within our country? It is a ridiculous conclusion to believe a small variety of “models” will be able to demonstrate the Kingdom to such a wide variety of people living in the U.S. The Father is doing various things in the various cities we are called to & someone is more than likely already doing the Purpose-Driven church in most of them. Would we be willing to ask the questions that led Rick to his conclusions? As we do we should see as many varieties of church as there are people groups!

I had to remove a section because it is private. Sorry if this doesn't make sense, etc.

God created His church to fulfill His mission, which is to “seek & save the lost.” Sadly, the unreached are continually bombarded with churches whose culture, language, worship, & lifestyle are “Christian” & therefore have little relevance or appeal to them, even if they’re interested in Christ. And for many this might be a new concept, but the unreached aren’t Christian. How long will we keep presenting them with the same replicated models hoping we’ll get different results? In this regard we would do well to follow the example of another incredible missionary: Jesus. Jesus isn’t a 1st century Jew; however, He was for a specific period of time to communicate a very important message to Jews within the 1st century. We too have the ability to create churches that personify the cultures we are surrounded by. Missionaries call this: contexualization.

We are poised to see a vast variety of models as we send out planters to unique places where, as the President stated, they might become “His gift to that city through their community.” Will we have the maturity to celebrate the church in all its possible forms as it performs the functions God has assigned to it? Can we create new categories of success, growth, & fruitfulness as we reach out to those who are culturally beyond the grasp of the 0.11% who seemingly dictate how these categories are defined? Will we risk being ourselves even at the price of looking different? Will we be bold enough to be ourselves? These are questions I’m wrestling with right now.

Yet one thing is certain to me: God didn’t send John Wimber, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Bill Johnson, Rich Nathan, Rob Bell, Francis Chan, Timothy Keller, or any other incredible pastor to my city; He sent me because I’m the expression of His Kingdom He desired here. Likewise, He’s sent a huge group of no-names to create communities that are His gift to the cities they were called to. Hopefully, we’ll all have the courage to be ourselves & “do what we see the Father doing.”

Pastors Book Club

Some of the pastors in Santa Cruz have started a book club. Each month one of us picks a book & then we have a lunch & discuss, amongst other things, the book. My Reformed friend picked a book by Alexander Schmemann called: "For the Life of the World." Alexandar was an Russian Orthodox Professor & Priest within the church. When Russia came under Communist rule this book was mass produced underground & widely read amongst Russian believers. It is incredible; I would have to say this book is now in my top 10.

"If there are priests in the Church, if there is the priestly vocation in it, it is precisely in order to reveal to each vocation its priestly essence, to make the whole life of all men the liturgy of the Kingdom, to reveal the Church as the royal priesthood in the redeemed world. It is, in other terms, not a vocation "apart," but the expression of love for man's vocation as son of God & for the world as the sacrament of the Kingdom. And there must be priests because we live in this world, & nothing in it is the Kingdom &, as "this world," will never become the Kingdom. The Church is in the world but not of the world, because only by not being of the world can it reveal & manifest the "world to come," the beyond, which alone reveals all things as old--yet new & eternal in the love of God. Therefore, no vocation in this world can fulfill itself as priesthood. And thus there must be the one whose specific vocation is to have no vocation, to be all things to all men, & to reveal that the end & the meaning of all things are in Christ."

Peter Gabriel

I'm on my way, I'm making it
I've got to make it show, yeah
so much larger than life
I'M going to watch it growing

the place where I come from is a small town
they think so small
they use small words
-but not me
I'm smarter than that
I worked it out
I've been stretching my mouth
to let those big words come right out

I've had enough, I'm getting out
to the city, the big big city
I'll be a big noise with all the big boys
there's so much stuff I will own
and I will pray to a big God
as I kneel in the big church

big time
I'm on my way-I'm making it
big time big time
I've got to make it show yeah
big time big time
so much larger than life
big time
I'm going to watch it growing
big time

my parties all have big names
and I greet them with the widest smile
tell them how my life is one big adventure
and always they're amazed
when I show them round my house, to my bed
I had it made like a mountain range
with a snow-white pillow for my big fat head
and my heaven will be a big heaven
and I will walk through the front door

big time
I'm on my way-I'm making it
big time big time
I've got to make it show-yeah
big time big time
so much larger than life
I'm going to watch it growing
big time big time
my car is getting bigger
big time
my house is getting bigger
big time
my eyes are getting bigger
big time
and my mouth
big time
my belly is getting bigger
big time
and my bank account
big time
look at my circumstance
big time
and the bulge in my big big big big big big big

Individualism

At a recent conference one of the speakers was speaking about community. Not surprisingly he shared as he started to survey scripture he saw just how connected God & his people are vs. his ministry. I didn't think much of it because its obvious to anyone who actually has a strong community that the vast majority of churches are gathered strangers. Did I say vast majority?

Our culture has so shaped our theology in this sense. Our theology is based upon me; our church is about me; Jesus is about me; ministry is about me; my office is about...me, etc. However, God is in community (The trinity) & scripture is really about how a group of people work out their relationship to this very relational God.

As the speaker was, you guessed it, speaking, he said something else: "Paul was the greatest apostle." I totally disagree. Our American cowboy theology makes him the greatest, but neither he, or scripture, describe him as such. Now Paul's calling put him in a place of prominence within the church, but to say he's the greatest Apostle is like saying Buster Posey won the World Series single-handed. Paul doesn't view himself as an individual; he's one person within the church being faithful to who God called him to be within it.

As the speaker was speaking I had two pictures of Paul, one from an American cultural perspective & one from, what I believe, a biblical perspective. When I thought about what Paul looked like I had these two pictures in mind. The first one is how I believe most Westerners theologically picture Paul. The second one is what I believe he really looks like & how I believe he portrays himself in Scripture.


























(Colossians 4)
7 Tychicus will give you a full report about how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper who serves with me in the Lord’s work. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you. 9 I am also sending Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, one of your own people. He and Tychicus will tell you everything that’s happening here.

10 Aristarchus, who is in prison with me, sends you his greetings, and so does Mark, Barnabas’s cousin. As you were instructed before, make Mark welcome if he comes your way. 11 Jesus (the one we call Justus) also sends his greetings. These are the only Jewish believers among my co-workers; they are working with me here for the Kingdom of God. And what a comfort they have been!

12 Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God. 13 I can assure you that he prays hard for you and also for the believers in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

14 Luke, the beloved doctor, sends his greetings, and so does Demas. 15 Please give my greetings to our brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.

16 After you have read this letter, pass it on to the church at Laodicea so they can read it, too. And you should read the letter I wrote to them.

17 And say to Archippus, “Be sure to carry out the ministry the Lord gave you.”

18 Here is my greeting in my own handwriting—Paul.

Remember my chains.

May God’s grace be with you.

Look at the Church

When people visit our church I'm always interested to find out what they thought. In fact, I love hearing people describe any church experience because I find they are more apt to talk about: music, scene, sermon, etc; things the church might have a part in, but most people don't talk about the church, which for all you biblical scholars is: the people. It's far & few between when visitors actually say: "I loved the people!"

Sadly, because we've moved so far from expecting the church (the people) to represent the church at any given time, we've discovered how non-communities (Starbucks for instance) create a semblance of community. So, church staffs make up the difference by creating or training small groups within the larger church to act out how the general church should act. Therefore, we create groups of: ushers & greeters; in order to give people the sense of: community & fellowship (church). I used to facilitate this as the Sunday Director for a 1200+ church & we trained our people right!

However, during the "meet your neighbor time," (I call it introvert nightmare time) something becomes glaringly evident: The church isn't as interested in being the church as it is in watching or attending a service. So, in order to overcome the glaring awkwardness of non-church within the service we release the trained to make up the difference. So, when people are asked: "what did you or do you like about that church?" they don't generally say: My neighbor. But why would they? No one comes to church to love their neighbor; They only come to hear that they "should" love their neighbor. (Which is optional since the greeter guy's already doing such a good job of it.)

Too, the size of the church isn't the issue. I visited a friend's small church &, as I often do, I didn't say hi to anyone, but sat in back. Why? Because I wanted to see if the church would invite me into community. The worship was nice, the sermon Biblical; however, when my friend asked me, "so what did you think?" I answered, "Nobody said hi to me." The people weren't being the church.

When people visit our church they might notice several things; yet, will they notice the church within the "service?" More importantly, will the community reach those outside of it & invite them into the church whether on Sundays or any other day of the week? Will the church shine above the service, or will we train special groups to: make it seem like we're something we're not.

I sat with some visitors to our church this Sunday & listened to them for some time. They had many interesting things to say, but one thing stood out to me as we spoke. One woman, with her friends in agreement said this: "You have a wonderful group of people here." I would agree: We have a wonderful church.

But what about my sermon?

Patrick Lencioni

Interesting on so many levels.

The Greatest Leader, by Patrick Lencioni
March 2008

I have been asked on a number of occasions, by journalists and curious clients, whom I believe to be the greatest leader in America. And I usually respond with my own question. “Are you asking for the name of a famous leader?” This usually leads to a fair amount of confusion, until I explain that the best leader in the world is probably relatively obscure.

You see, I believe that the best leader out there is probably running a small or medium-sized company in a small or medium-sized town. Or maybe they‘re running an elementary school or a church. Moreover, that leader‘s obscurity is not a function of mediocrity, but rather a disdain for unnecessary attention and adulation. He or she would certainly prefer to have a stable home life, motivated employees, and happy customers—in that order—over public recognition.

A skeptic might well respond, “But if this person really were the greatest leader, wouldn‘t his or her company eventually grow in size and stature, and become known for being great?” And the answer to that fine question would be, “Not necessarily.”

A great company should achieve its potential and grow to the size and scale that suits its founders‘ and owners‘ and employees‘ desires, not to mention the potential of its market. It may very well wildly exceed customer expectations and earn a healthy profit by doing so, but not necessarily grow for the sake of growing.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where bigger is often equated with better and where fame and infamy are all too often considered to be one and the same. And so we mistakenly come to believe that if we haven‘t seen a person‘s picture on the cover of BusinessWeek or in a dot-matrixed image in The Wall Street Journal, then they can‘t possibly be the best.

Consider for a moment those high profile leaders we do read about in the newspaper and see on television. Most, but not all, of them share an overwhelming desire and need for attention. You‘ll find them in all kinds of industries, but most prevalently in politics, media, and big business. Look hard enough at them, and there is a decent chance you‘ll discover people who have long aspired to be known as great leaders. These are the same people who also value public recognition over real impact. And based on my experience, you might also find that they‘ll be more highly regarded by strangers and mere acquaintances than by the people who work and live with them most closely.

The truth is, our greatest leaders usually don‘t aspire to positions of great fame or public awareness. They choose instead to lead in places where they can make a tangible, meaningful difference in the lives of the people they are called to serve. The challenges and consequences of their decisions are no less difficult or important than those of higher profile leaders, even if they don‘t quite qualify for a cover story in TIME Magazine.

Francis Chan

Francis Chan leaves his church. So many interesting reactions, questions, responses, & issues brought up.

In another video he says, "I hope this is something bigger for the whole church; getting back to doing what this book (the Bible) says we're to do & be who we're called to be."

I find it interesting because here's a man: Successful; Published; Branded; Speaker, & in many ways embodies what many are aiming for. Yet, he realized what it all amounted to wasn't what he was reading in scripture. It seems odd we would create a church where this would be an issue. I know this is a tension, but for some it really isn't.

Once again I'm intrigued by the idea that our idea & outworking of church caters to the very people who Jesus turned away or weren't willing to follow Him; & then we call it success.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p-SYMis0-w

Kids

Kids really do say funny things. Just ask any parent & they will gladly share some of the humorous, interesting, & odd things to come out of the mouth of their babes.

Siena: "We do this (put our hands on our heart) & say something about God everyday." Aka. The Pledge of Allegiance.

Jonathan: "Jesus carried a piece of wood & then died on the cross." Dad: "What's that mean for us son?" Jon: "We should probably pray for him."

I've often wrestled with what we believe as Christians & how it effects our lives. One of the areas I've had particular interest in is: Salvation. What does it mean to be saved? How is a person saved? WHY does a person want to be saved? How does someone live out their salvation?

As I've explored this subject in the NT & other books I've realized Jesus' main mission wasn't to impart salvation (at least not the way we realize it), but his mission was to impart: life. No doubt we all agree, salvation is important; however, it is the result of being "born again," into a new life. He came to give "life & life unto the full." Thankfully, salvation is a part of the package.

Yesterday I visited a wonderful church. At the end of the sermon, "with all heads bowed & every eye closed," the pastor faithfully asked those in attendance, "who wants to receive the forgiveness of the cross?" I was grateful several people accepted the invitation. My question is: An invitation to what?

Within western theology salvation generally means accepting the mechanism of Jesus' death upon the cross & little else. Like a light-switch that is in the down position, my acceptance of what He's done flips the lever to the forgiven side & it's a done deal. However, is this faithful to the biblical example of what it means to be saved? No where does Jesus use such formulas; & what we've adopted as Paul's formula (Romans 10:9) isn't the silver salvation bullet we all imagine. The explicit implicit theology of Lordship is the overarching theme of this verse, not: "Just say these words in this order friend & you'll be saved." I don't assume Paul ever intended this line to be THE salvation mantra.

Too, what is Jesus continual invitation to this new life within the Gospels? Surely Jesus had one? I'm always perplexed by Jesus turning people away who seem to be interested. Why does He do this? Maybe they wanted to reduce Him to a mechanism of their salvation; instead of accepting who He is: the Living Lord of the Universe who wanted to give them transformational Life.

Jesus wants to forgive our sins is much less an abrasive thought than Jesus wants to give us a new life. Why? Because by giving me a new life He's saying there is something wrong with my old life; the way I live, my systems, my values, my loves & He's going to rearrange them to suit & reflect Him.

The mechanism of what Jesus did on the cross is amazing. However, the new life He wants to give us is so much more. New life; a life; real life; the life; Life to the fullest; Jesus' life lived out in me & through me.

The coolest thing ever.

Dallas Williard puts it so well: "So the replacement of salvation (new life in Christ) for one of its effects or components (the forgiveness of sins) has dominated both the monastic system of Christianity & the reaction against it (monasticism) in which we still live today."

What are we to do?

This last Sunday I was talking about Colossians 4:2-4
“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.”

I imagined being in the room when this letter was originally read &, having come to the end of the letter, thought of what the Colossian church would have done; I imagined they would have remembered Paul’s words to: Pray, & would have spent some time in prayer.

So, this last week instead of expounding upon the text & what it meant in the original context (I don’t think a request for prayer has changed too much even in 2000yrs) I decided we would do the very thing Paul was asking the church to do: Pray.

There were a few new visitors at our service & what happened was very interesting. Two visitors were “Christians” who were “checking out other churches,” which I don’t care for & another visitor is a man we met at the Shanti Tree who likes Jesus, but also participates in other religious beliefs. He is someone who is checking Jesus out, but he likes our church. (Not our services, as there are better church services in SC, but our people). Before the service I grabbed my Shanti Tree friend & said, “Tonight will be a bit different. I’m not gonna’ preach, but we’re gonna’ break up into small groups & pray.” His response was, “Is it cool if I pray too?” I warmly affirmed his desire to pray with us, which he was very grateful for.

The two “Christians” didn’t have such a positive experience. I’m not dogging “Christian,” & what I mean by this is: They were expecting to come & hear a message (fed, entertained?). They were not expecting to participate; ironically even if the text the teacher was teaching on was a request to: participate. I made mention that generally in the church we expect to come & hear a message, but God’s perspective on the church is much different. In God’s economy church is a people who, not a place where. I then shared this picture
& asked, “Where’s the church in the picture?” Humorously my new age friend shouted out: “The four people in front!” We had a good laugh.

After sharing the four things we would pray for as directed by the text, I said, let’s break up into smaller groups to pray. Our “Christian” friends stood up & left; our new age friend jumped right in.

Without a doubt we live in a consumer based culture. So, it’s right to say that a way to engage a consumer based culture is to create an environment where the consumer will be: Awed, entertained, comfortable, caffeinated, & content. However, how do we encourage our consumers to participate when it doesn’t serve their pleasure or purpose in life? As we read we see the example of the church in the NT is very participatory; a group of people gathered for the purposes of God; not themselves. Can we say the same for the successful churches of our day; or is “success” defined by bodies in attendance?

Our culture is filled with professionals who share with us the latest ways at getting people to sit in a service we have created. In fact, we’re often duped into believing this is what a church is: A hip local & bodies. But will the bodies: Pray, serve, love, give, sacrifice, go, defend, etc? I believe this is one of the biggest reasons people are frustrated with the very faith they were created to be a part of: Those who claim to believe in Jesus don’t follow Jesus. Sadly, most have created a system devode of the living Christ & substituted it with a “Christian” culture that allows them to look but never touch, hear but never listen, & learn but rarely engage. "Where's the beef?" Too, this majority fuels the flame of the leaders who gather them into large groups & proclaim, “Church. My latest blog will detail how I did it;” primarily because the crowd is the churches biggest sign of: Success. Yet who is willing to do what is being taught?

Once again: Jesus never said Go plant a church. He did say, “Go make disciples.” There is a vast difference between what we call church & what he calls a disciple. Too, Paul didn’t plant churches; he made converts into disciples who then met as the church.

I invited our church & the visitors to participate with God during this space in history; our New Age friend was eager to join Him.

Peace Tree

So for some time now a few of us have been giving away Coffee & Chai at the local drum circle. This has been a wonderful time for us as we bless this small community of: Bums, hippies, street kids, & musicians. However, a few months ago the city decided to expand the Farmer’s Market into the drum circle territory; effectively creating a drum circle with no home.

In the midst of this we were left to follow this group around, but I asked our group: “What if we started a booth at the Farmer’s Market?” We got together to brain storm & it was evident this was something we were doing. 2 months later: Shanti Tree (Peace Tree) is an official booth at the local Market.

Our booth offers “Meditative Arts,” meaning: candles (to help one meditate) & prayer flags, which are very popular amongst the hippies, people who are into eastern philosophies & religions, & New Age people; so, really, about 90% of Santa Cruz! The belief is when you hang the flags near your house, each time the wind blows a blessing is put onto you, etc.


We are selling candles & are soon to provide booklets for people to meditate with, which will be a practice in Lectio Divina. Too, our flags are in Tibetan, but a Tibetan translation of 1 Corinthians 13. It’s awesome to have people ask us what they say & we point to an English translation of this scripture. I love watching people read the chapter from beginning to end; some people smile, others agree, & still others walk away perplexed.

Our first week was a trial run & most of the time we spent setting up & moving things around. Sadly we only made $10, which doesn’t cover the cost of the space, but we got to speak to several people about who we are & what we’re up to, which all of us agreed was more than enough incentive to keep going.
Week number 2 was a bit different. We asked to get moved to a corner slot, so we had way more foot traffic. Likewise, we set down two big rugs for people to sit down & visit with us. In no time we were selling things & at one point in time we had 3 people join for a time of prayer/meditation(?).

All of us agree Shanti Tree is a very effective arm of our community into Santa Cruz. We’re always blessed to be the church to those who don’t care to be a part of Christianity.

I recently read an article citing 5 reasons why beer is good for you. Here's reason number 4: "A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that moderate drinking may be associated with better brain function. Women who consumed up to two drinks a day scored 20 percent higher on a cognitive functioning test than those who had less than one drink."

I must admit I remember feeling pretty smart after a few beers. Well, at least I could drive better...

"The question of forming habits on the basis of the grace of God is a very vital one. To ignore it is to fall into the snare of the Pharisee—the grace of God is praised, Jesus Christ is praised, the Redemption is praised, but the practical everyday life evades working it out. If we refuse to practice it is not God’s grace that fails when a crisis comes, but our own nature. When crisis comes, we ask God to help us, but He cannot if we have not made our nature our ally. The practicing is ours, not God’s. God regenerates us & puts us in contact with all His divine resources, but He cannot make us walk according to His will."

Oswald Chambers

As of late I've been watching some of the footage on YouTube about Lonnie Frisbee. The Jesus Movement, Calvary Church, & the Vineyard movement wouldn't be the same without Lonnie, which is saying a lot! I really recommend checking out Lonnie's story; it is amazing in so many ways.

Within the unreached people groups of the world, there are 1,741,114,000 people who don't even know Jesus exists.

As Laben & I were on the road to our Luxury Suite at the A's game we both agreed: We don't have a lot of money, but living by faith is a rich life. It can be frustrating at times; however, allowing God to give us what we need when we need it is a rich life.

The Church in Santa Cruz

Today was an incredible day. In Santa Cruz we have an incredible group called EMF. It is a group of local ministers or ministries who have been called to reach Santa Cruz. This group has a long history &, from what I've heard, it's slowly changing the spiritual climate of this city. In the past each church was an island unto itself, which sadly set up conflict with other churches; yet that guard is passing, however there are still churches who are islands for one reason or another (bad reasons no doubt).

As relationships have grown 4 pastors, including myself, decided to worship together on July 4 2010. Today: Antioch Church, Trinity Covenant, Gathering by the Bay, & Faith Community Church put their ego's & differences aside & worshiped together. It was incredible. God showed up in a powerful way. God showed up because this is his heart: That the world would know he is real because of our love for one another. We've realized Santa Cruz isn't going to be reached by one church: We affirm THE church will reach Santa Cruz & we are committed to the local church winning; not my church.

Lastly, 5 churches were invited today. There is a new church plant: Missio Dei happening in town & we invited them too. We told them we were going to ask them to share their vision with us, but they didn't know we were going to give them the combined offering of the churches. The planter couldn't be there, but his wife shared with us. When we shared with her our desire to give them our offering she started crying. Why? Because the idea that the big dogs don't want to see the little ones in the yard isn't true with this group. We want everyone (orthodox & healthy) to work together to reach this city.

We affirm THE church will reach Santa Cruz & we are committed to the local church winning; not my church. It sounds like this is gonna' happen quarterly & with the success of this service I can only imagine what other churches will want to participate. Actually we already have the names of 4 churches that do.

My church isn't the answer. God's church is.

Great stuff from N.T. Wright

...we've got to tell the truth about God, that God is not the same as the world, as in Pantheism, nor is God a million miles away from the world, as in many dualistic schemes, but that heaven and earth have overlapped and interlocked once and for all and forever in Jesus, and that ultimately they will overlap and interlock entirely.

Never go near any theology which cannot play out into Isaiah 11, because if you do you'll be colluding with dualism, sure as anything.

We will discover what it means to be genuinely human as we go in the service of the Kingdom of God, should I say the Empire of God.

As I was hanging out with a friend I asked a simple question to point out a clear theological flaw. I drew a picture of a car & explained the possible positions for people to sit or be in, each of which demonstrates a different perspective within the car: The Driver's seat; Shotgun, The back seat, & the trunk. I then told my friend, imagine the car being your life; & then asked, where is Jesus in your car? With a little thought he answered, "In the trunk." After a little bit more dialogue I asked, What can you do to make Jesus love you more as He's riding in the trunk? His answers were well meaning, Christian, & sincere, but all of them fell short of the truth. I realized he was unaware of what he could do to make Jesus love him more as Jesus was stuffed in the trunk of his life.

The answer?

Nothing.

Christ's cross is such a burden as sails are to a ship or wings to a bird.

Samuel Rutherford.

We're going through Colossians right now. Here's what one commentary said about Chapter 1.

(1) The head of the church. If Christ is the head of the church, it means that the destinies of creation and the church are bound together and that God’s purposes for all creation gestate in the church’s congregational life. The church does not exist to meet the needs of its members or to insure its institutional survival, but to fulfill the redemptive purposes of Christ, its head.

Here's my response to what I see as a misunderstanding by church leadership.

"Greetings Church,

Our Spiritual Transformation Class will begin on June 20th from 9:00-9:50am in the Yaks conference room. Make sure to order your book ahead of time. The text we will be using is Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. The book can be purchased on sites such Amazon.com, Half.com, CBD.com, or by checking out our local Christian book stores.

Blessings,

VCC Staff

....doing the things that Jesus said and did."

My Response:

Isn't a book titled: Celebration of Discipline an oxymoron?

Shouldn't it be: Celebration of my feelings/desires/wants; or something like that?

Sean

“I have seen many men work without praying, though I have never seen any good come out of it; but I have never seen a man pray without working.” - James Hudson Taylor

Edwin Friedman is a well respected Jewish Rabbi. He has written several leadership books. I started reading “Friedman’s Fables,” which is a series of short stories that share a great deal of insight into the complexity of relationships & communication. The fables are separated into four parts & Dr. Friedman desires to reveal these four wrong ideas:

That communication is a cerebral phenomenon rather than an emotional process.
That insight will work with people who are unmotivated to change.
That resistance to your message can be overcome by trying harder.
That seriousness is deeper than playfulness.

Here is the intro to the first set of fables. I thought it was pretty cool!

“Communication does not depend on syntax, or eloquence, or rhetoric, or articulation but on the emotional context in which the message is being heard. People can only hear you when they are moving toward you, & they are not likely to when your words are pursuing them. Even the choicest words lose their power when they are used to overpower. Attitudes are the real figures of speech. “

This is a sample picture from our new church directory.

Prayer requests & cool updates.

This next week I am getting together to brainstorm with some people in our church about the future of our church. We are going to dream & put onto paper 3 key things we feel like God is doing.

1) A DTS here in SC. After talking with some of my coaches we believe inviting 5 people to be a part of a year long DTS, put on by our church, in Santa Cruz is what God is doing. The DTS would be a mix of classroom & outreach into SC. The students would move here in order to be missionaries to our wonderful city, which I believe is on the cutting edge of culture; therefore, it provides an incredible opportunity for someone to grow in their Faith. The primary goal of the DTS wouldn't be church management, but that they would learn how to "know God & make him known" in Santa Cruz, which hopefully would result in some students seeing that they too could start a church.

2) Each Wed. 3 of us head downtown to love on the unlovables & hippy kidz. Through this we are brainstorming about starting a booth at the Farmer's Market in order to create a simple "storefront" where we would engage more people with Jesus. This is no simple task, but not impossible. We're not sure what we're gonna' sell, but there are some options. We've had this idea before & have seen the success with Yaks up in Redding. We'll see...

3) We want to get a college group started on campus. The largest group at UCSC is Inter-Varsity, which has 60-70 students (& we love Inter-Varsity) (Cal Poly...Campus Crusade...over 1000!). UC has roughly 13-15,000 students; so do the math: We need more groups on campus! Wow. I've recently been speaking with an alum who is stoked about getting something going on campus & I'm willing to go with him. Once again this is no simple task, but not impossible either.

Fun to have 3 ideas focused on "Knowing God & Making Him Known," in Surf City. Please pray that God would guide it.

At the age of 63 when his critics told him to go home, that he had done enough, C.T. Studd replied, "God has called me to go to Africa, and I will go. I will blaze the trail though my grave may only become a stepping stone that younger men may follow."

C.T. Studd--a missionary to: China, India, & Africa.

"Our recruits come out from home vastly raw and are largely parrots. They have been crammed with religion as though for an examination, and seem to come out to carry on their education rather than finish it. So many are just taught doctrines without ever having thought them out or searched the Scriptures for themselves. They come out like infants with pop guns. They need to be trained into soldiers with real devil-defying weapons. Some arrive thinking they are the last thing in high-class Christianity and have to find out they know little. That is why I keep the newcomers here at base for a time till I can make them really think out things and settle questions, not from hearsay but from Bible-say."

What do stoners need? Well they need a couple of things: Water, Candy, & Jesus! Each April thousands of UCSC students gather to celebrate 4:20 as a national Marijuana holiday. You see, each day at 4:20pm stoners around the world have adopted England's celebrated time for tea: 4:20pm. So needless to say April 20th is an all day event. As followers of Christ we know there is so much more to life than what the world can offer; including any high drugs can offer. So following the example of our Biblical heroes we took the good news to the streets & headed up on campus to celebrate 4:20. Armed with water, candy, & the gospel, we dialogued with hundreds of students about Jesus.

On campus we stood out with our sign & with our shouts to those who passed by, "4:20 support tent! Get your munchies!" When students approached us they weren't sure what to make of us. Most students asked, "What is this all about?" Our answer: "We're followers of Jesus & He's blessed us beyond compare & we want to share that blessing with you." Most students were taken back; one student named Angel was so struck that she just stood in our tent for a few minutes in awe. I asked her, "What are you thinking?" She replied, "I've never seen anyone do something like this. I mean, what's Jesus got to do with 4:20?" Our answer: "Jesus has everything to do with 4:20. He loves the students at UCSC" Another student approached us & asked for water. When we told her why we were doing this she said, "That's f-----n awesome! I'm a Jew is it still ok?" I said, "heck ya, Jesus is a Jew," which she replied, "was a Jew." Correcting her I mentioned, "Jesus is what it means to be a Jew." Her friend came over moments later for a bottle of water too. Favorite quotes from yesterday: "Smoke that joint bro & you'll just have to roll another one 'cuz the high doesn't last. Get close to Jesus & you'll be high for the rest of your life!" "When you smoke, talk with Jesus, see what He has to say to you. You'll be surprised by what He will say to you."

We also had the opportunity to pray for at least 15-20 students. Many students asked for prayer in regards to their school work, but several others wanted personal prayer. One student when asked, "can we pray for your ankle right now?" allowed us to lay hands on her & pray. Too, as you can see in one of the pictures (Smiling face at the field) a man named Joel joined us. He is the brother of one of the guys who helped all day. What's cool is Joel doesn't believe in Jesus, but helped us all day share the love of Christ with a group he normally hangs around with! Sorry Joel, but the handwriting is on the wall my friend!

Thanks for all of your prayer & financial support. The students at UCSC are eternally grateful.

A question & statement I've been thinking about as of late: Was Jesus a Christian?

My statement: Jesus wasn't a Christian.

To all my 6, & soon to be 7 followers: What do you think?

"It's hard to remember that Jesus did not come to make us safe, but rather to make us disciples, citizens of God's new age, a kingdom of surprise.”
Stanley Hauerwas, Duke University

Yeah, sometimes it's really hard to remember...

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."

I've been reading through 1 Corinthians lately & it's been good. I appreciate this letter because it's so raw in many ways, which I think reflects real life as opposed to what most people try to do with their lives: Sanitation. One verse keeps popping out to me.

"1Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3But the man who loves God is known by God."

"Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up."

As I look at the hero's in my life, I am starting to see one thing in common: They loved others. As I look for Christ in people I'm starting to realize I see him most in those who give themselves to something other than themselves. They give what they have, which might not be much, to be used by Christ in whatever way he can use them. "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." One is about me, the other is about others. One NEVER satisfies; the other always satisfies.

Last night we watched a movie about St. Francis of Assisi & he said something that struck me: "If you want to feel loved, go & love. If you want to feel significant, go & serve," & he lived this out! "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up."

Matt Redman lyrics:

"Dying you destroyed our death. Rising you restored our soul."

I've been singing that a lot lately. Jesus was something "other" than all humanity. He is & was totally unique. It is important to understand WHO Jesus is/was, but it is also important to understand WHAT Jesus is & was. What was Jesus? In part, & a huge part: The Passover Lamb of God. Without this key it's easy describe Jesus as just another "good teacher;" a description of WHO he was. The WHAT in many ways defines the WHO. We should do a better job of telling the story of WHAT Jesus is & was.

"Dying you destroyed our death. Rising you restored our soul."

Every Wed. Jacob & I go & give away coffee, Chai, lemonade, & Jesus to our friends at the drum circle, who by chance congregate next to the weird people at Farmer's Market.

First: This last week I was introduced in what has to be the best introduction ever. As I rolled up & got out of the car one of the guys we talk to on a regular basis shouts, "Check it out everybody Juan Valdez is here!" Doesn't get much better.

Second: A young lady who is hosting youth groups approached Ronee & I to talk to us about how she might be able to bring some youth groups to the circle this summer. We told her that would be great & gave her some easy ways to participate: Bring water, socks, or they could help us make coffee & we could pray together. We mentioned that, "just 'witnessing' to the people in the circle is kinda weird," after she mentioned one of the youth pastor's desire to "witness downtown to people." I'm not sure she understood what a unique group of people we are working with until one of the young hippie chicks took off all of her clothing & started dancing around. I said to her, "kinda crazy here 'cuz just last week somebody died & now this girl (who was in a tree by now) is totally naked." If only someone were willing to tell her she needed Jesus.

This last Wednesday I watched a man die.

Each week a friend & I go to the Farmer’s Market because next door a group of: Hippies, Street Kids, & Homeless people get together to drum &, well, do what they do. However, this week the drum circle stopped for no apparent reason. When I finally noticed the silence I looked over to see the normally noisy group transfixed on the ground. I then walked over to see 3 “street people,” doing CPR on an unconscious man & my friend Jacob praying for him to live. After some time the Firemen arrived & took over; that said, the man was without life.

As I spend each Wednesday afternoon with this group I have been challenged on so many levels. On Wednesdays, within a small patch of land, two groups exist: One, the “normal” Santa Cruz people who go to shop for quality produce; & Two, the “street people,” who, well, do what they do. (We do get the expired Food not Bombs food.) As I’ve spent more time with the “street people,” I have been challenged; there really are some great people in this group. Sadly, I have lumped them all together, but like any group: Christians, Muslims, Gay, Straight, Rich, or poor…there are really honest people & some really funky people. I say all this because when I saw the dead man 3 people, whom our society sees as bad scenery to their otherwise utopian coastal village, were doing CPR on a dead man.

When the police arrived they asked, “Who was this guy?” None of the people in the circle knew; he was a stranger that day. I was stunned because I realized I had watched a man give the dead man mouth to mouth CPR. Moreover, as they were giving the man mouth to mouth he threw up; & after this, as his face was lined with vomit, these “street people,” went right back to work. A person that our society deems a loser put his mouth around the mouth of a stranger; a mouth of a dead man that had just vomited. What kind of man would do such a thing for a stranger? These people, who most of the normal people will never get to know, are incredible people…created in the image of God.

Listening to Dallas Willard's "Hearing God," has been amazingly refreshing. He said something today that really struck me (I listen to him while I run, so he really did say.)

"But in the lives of NT personalities—especially Jesus himself—there is a great preponderance of strictly—nonphysical—communications between God & his people. Vision, dreams & angels continue to play some part—as I think they may do today. It would not be too much to say, however, that where these phenomena were the main, as opposed to the occasional, means of interaction, it indicates a less developed spiritual live both in the individual & the church group. I am not trying to be judgmental here; I am merely trying to be helpful in pointing out the kind of life with God into which we should expect to grow—a life in which one hears from God amid & frequent times of conversational prayer."

I am always troubled by those who NEED another HUGE experience & can't seem to hear him in the daily, which there is nothing normal about it, life. There is no spiritual non-spiritual flesh/spirit dictonomy. Certainly not in the eyes of Jesus. I love what Dallas says in this book.

"some assembly required'

i took the subject title from steve greggs teaching www.thenarrowpath.com "some assembly required"

it is no secret that i am disillusioned with our western evangelical church model. it generally leaves me wondering what am i doing, once again, going thru the motions. and yet, i am in church at least once possibly twice every sunday:) because i am aware that there is "some assembly required"

i attend different churches as i am trying to know the "body of christ" in all of santa cruz and possibly monterey counties. i am achieving that, i think:)

still always in search of finding a place "God shows up, in presence and power" rarely have i observed this. exception of course...the Jesus movement and the after glow of that.

lately tho, and i am going out on a limb here, because i know none of us are perfect, and i have only attended a handful of times, but there is this sweet little group i found (found me) that i can almost think i sense this!!!

they are called "antioch church" and they are a vineyard based church that came here from san luis obispo. although in the early 80's i have visited the slo church too. also we know lonnie frisbee, our ground zero man for the Jesus movement came out of calvary chapel and then vineyard church.

antioch church, left without a building when our vets hall closed it's doors is now meeting in "the next door space" a comfortable space right next door to the rio theatre. santa cruz, soquel ave. they meet at 6:30 pm sunday nights.

i have gotten to know their pastor sean mcmasters as he has come consistently every week, bringing coffee and chai to our wed. drum circle. he also has personally gotten involved in the life of my own kids, simply by spending time with them. sean has also spent personal time with people in and around drum circle. a one on one type a guy!

i have to say this type of "grassroots" outreach is extremely rare for "pastors" and yet they are servants and sheperds biblically speaking.

sean does not know i am writing this, i did not ask, but i am impressed with this little group that has managed to come away enough from the "model" and just be Jesus to people!

God Bless you guys!

I'm going up to UCSC on Monday to pass out a flyer with this info on it. Give me some feedback if you will.

What if you used your spring break to serve in a city where poverty & hopelessness reign? Consider taking 3 days to serve with other groups in Oakland who desire to see a city transformed.



Who: You & some other incredible people.
What: Serving the less fortunate in Oakland; by working with various community groups, serving those groups & the poor.
Why: Because many live without hope & we can choose to help them or ignore them. I vote to help them!
When: March 22, 23, & 24. On Wed. the 24th we will serve in Oakland for the beginning of the day & then serve at the drum-circle that evening in Santa Cruz.
How: We’ll network with a couple of different organizations in Oakland & join them in their work to serve the poor.
How much: $150 for room, gas, & food.

Sponsored by: The Bridge Collective: Bridging the gap between what is & what should be.

Do I have to be a Christian to follow Jesus? Christian historically means: Little Christ; & this title was given by those who were outside of the believing community to describe those within it. You are a Christian...a little Christ. However, as times change, so do definitions of words: Gay for example used to mean happy, now it means, almost exclusively, homosexual; & there are many other examples…stoked, gnarley, bomber, wicked, crazy, bad, sick!

Christian.

It seems as if in our American day & age the term Christian has deviated from its original meaning so far that I feel comfortable asking: Do I have to be a Christian to follow Jesus? Do I have to talk like Christians talk? Act like they act? Behave like they behave? Dress like they dress? Even though they look cool, it all smells the same: Christian. Jesus? No doubt there are many Christ-like aspects to modern day Christianity; yet at the same time, there seems to be a lot that isn’t centered upon the person of Christ, but upon a culture that has been created by his followers called: Christianity.

I believe a great deal of people are turned away from following Jesus not because of who he is & what he stands for, but because of a belief that baptism is a symbolic rite of passage into a club; A Christian Club, & they aren’t attracted to what they see. Maybe in certain places in the U.S. where "Christian" is the norm, but in the Bay the reaction is negative.

Christians, whom God has chosen to reside in by his Spirit, who possess life itself, don’t seem very alive. Don't is more predominate than do. Certain conversational subjects are taboo. Materialism masked behind spiritual language is routine. Spiritual conversation is often Christian gossip. When their faith is pressed we are invited into shallow pools of thought & encouraged to steer clear of deeper waters, where mysterious questions are laid to rest. Do they actually believe everything they claim to believe? Their lack of conviction doesn’t seem very convincing. Too, how could you belong to such a large group of people (Sunday Worship) yet have so few real friends? Who are you? Your confusion is confusing. Sarah Palin?

Do I have to be a Christian to follow Jesus?

One of the things in our culture that disturbs me is: Idol Worship. Not, wooden statue I bow down to, Idol Worship, but Celebrity Worship. It seems as if our culture is driven by the famous: Brad Pitt, Demi Moore, Jack Johnson, Michael Jordon, etc. When we think of what we want to look like, how we want to perform, are we successful or not, we are presented with a who's who in the area we desire to grow in or emulate.

Sadly, church life is little different. As I confront challenges in my vocation I am handed, quite readily by my friends, the shining examples within Christianity who have "risen above the fold." Communication: Rob Bell. Evangelism: Louis Palau. Programmatic church: Rick Warren. Signs & Wonders, Church Growth, Para-Church, Satellite Campuses, etc; These are our celebrities; & not only do we have them, we desire them, emulate them, covet them; but can we think beyond & through them? (I think very highly of our celebrities; they are in fact outstanding people)

In grad school the president, whom I thought a rather weird man, said (paraphrased), “One of the biggest problems I see in churches today is cookie cutter church. Instead of fasting & praying to find out what kind of church God wants in a specific local we latch onto the ‘what worked there, if implemented correctly, will work here.’ Therefore, we cut off God’s creative arm for the local church.” But why would I settle for what God has for me when I can have what Joyce Meyer, or Bill Johnson has? Why be me when I can dress like so & so? Too, when asked about my church I don’t assume people are really asking within the context of what God has for me in Santa Cruz; I think we’d agree we want to know why I’m not enjoying the success of John Ortberg or Dan Kimball. "Haven't I read their books? It describes everything they've done. You can do it to for: 14.99!"

The average church is 85 to 100 people. This is a problem, or so I’m told. This isn’t God’s plan, or so they tell me. Without a shadow of a doubt, those of us with an “average” size church realize we aren’t all that God wants; & who could argue with that? Think of this: when you tell a man he isn’t measuring up, he’s “small,” at some point in time he’ll see the gift of his community not with potential, but with disdain. Why wouldn’t he? We don’t celebrate churches of 85; we celebrate those who have risen above this level. We talk of the famous & they don't have small churches.

Yet only so many of us get to become famous as servants of Christ (paradox?). We idolize the few, while the greatest potential within our movement is relegated to: “Performs below par.” Sad. Combined, the average churches far outweigh the potential of the “rich & famous.” Yet if a man is convinced he needs to be somebody else than he’s probably not gonna’ be who God created him to be.

We love celebrities. We emulate our idols. We judge ourselves by them. We want to be celebrities. They're a part of our life & it's not as fruitful as we think.

God speak to me about me. Let me covet what you have for me & not what another man has.

"In Luke's gospel, Jesus waited until his followers asked him for a prayer; & the reason they asked was because they saw what he was doing. Something tells me there's a lesson there." N.T. Wright: The Lord & His Prayer.

Well after we found out our normal mtg place was shut down, I made one phone call; & that's all it took for God to get us a new place to worship. My friend, Andy, leads another faith community here in SC & they lease a small building next to a theater, which they use for their kids ministry. Without hesitation they allowed us to use it. So from here, until it changes again, we worship God at night; & at no other time. That said, the room is more expensive: $5 more than our previous local, but we'll live.

Thanks God. My ulcer doesn't really reflect how I feel about you.

Planting a church in Santa Cruz is difficult. However, we have been blessed by having a wonderful place to meet, which is very inexpensive. Well, yesterday, that all changed. Yesterday at 5pm the Vets Hall of Santa Cruz was officially closed by the county. Evidently in the very earthquake friendly area we live in, the auditorium would pose a significant health risk during a shake up. So, we are without a meeting place. We're excited to see what God will do, but, as always, things like this are frustrating. It seems as if the wind in Santa Cruz is constantly blowing in the face of those who serve Christ.

Dallas Williard takes on some outstanding questions.

http://mppc.org/toughquestions

As Evangelicals (& especially Pentecostals) have we stressed the divinity of Christ so much that we've downplayed his humanity & by doing so we gloss over the more unfortunate aspects of our humanity as well? "The flesh is evil the spirit is good!" "My flesh made me do it." "Focus on Christ!" Problems normal to all people are seen as obstacles to be solved; opportunities to crucify self...yet again. However, my common problems, are in fact, pretty common: anger, lust, selfishness, loneliness, pride, insecurity, greed, etc. In fact, I find my problems are one of the greatest places we find common ground. Not all of us travel to the 3rd heaven, but we all get angry. No doubt those of us who have the Spirit will produce the fruit of the Spirit, but what of the times when I do not?

6 But I am a worm and not a man.
I am scorned and despised by all!
7 Everyone who sees me mocks me.
They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
8 “Is this the one who relies on the Lord?
Then let the Lord save him!
If the Lord loves him so much,
let the Lord rescue him!”