Giving 100%

Life's been full to say the least.

Recently I was presented with a statistic I've heard a thousand times: "20% of the church does 80% of the work." I contested the statement, but I think my objections fell short to a statistic that, within our current popular church culture, is as good as gold.

To me, this statistic is complete nonsense. It didn't use to be. When I was the pastor of a large church & much of our time was devoted to in house administration work within the church, I understood the stat very well; & in this context it might be true. However, as my theology has been rocked by my current theological context my understanding of "church" & "work" have been greatly renewed. Not only does this stat no longer hold its weight, I would argue it does much damage to those within the church who don't feel called or led to take up a role within the church, but are being used by God in their daily lives.

In light of this, my stat is: "100% of the church is doing 100% of the work God intends it to do 100% of the time." This statement lays a heavy load on God & takes much of the weight off of us. God is constantly at work in & through his church.

Some questions to wrestle with: What exactly is the work of the church? Who are the people doing the work? Are certain forms of work more valid than others? Do we esteem some work over others? Is being a small group leader more important to God than being an outstanding baker (or brewer)? What's the difference, in God's eyes, between an Usher & a construction worker who are both born-again?

Let me expand on this question: Is preaching more important than being a stay at home mom? Most "ministry" minded women who become mothers wrestle with this & by ministry I mean in house (church) work. Let me create a short story:

Let's look at the short life of Brenda who is a shining star within the church. Brenda came to church with a friend, loved the music, connected with the Timothy Hybels (or Bill Keller) style preaching, & gave her life to Christ. She brought her husband the next week & he too got saved. They immediately joined a small group & shortly after, Brenda & Jim became interns & then leaders. Brenda then got pregnant with her first child vowing to keep her church schedule. After the birth of Tyler, Brenda soon found out what all parents know: A child changes everything. Because Tyler didn't sleep well, neither did Brenda. She was exhausted all day & night. Too, her relationship with Jim was becoming stressed due to the new baby. Just maintaining a normal relationship with her husband was now very tiring. She tried to maintain her roles within church: Sunday service, & small group leadership, but Tyler, like most babies, wasn't created to sit quietly. Tired & worn out by the normal issues associated with motherhood Brenda had to stop "ministry" & focus on her new child & family.

When exactly did Brenda stop doing ministry? This is a very important question. When did ministry start & when did ministry stop for Brenda? The answer is very simple: Ministry started the moment she became alive in Christ & it hasn't ended.

I think all of this stems from a dearly loved western theology: Dualism. God is in heaven I am on earth. Preaching is spiritual, baking bread is normal. Small group leadership is glorifying to God, being a salesman is not. Being a missions leader is important to God, being a stay at home mom isn't. Is our definition of the 20% God's definition? No.

Communion is one of the biggest slaps in the face to dualism. Simple everyday items demonstrate the promise of God to us here & now: Bread & Wine, not transformed into otherworldly items, but enjoyed as they are in their daily context as they we're meant to be enjoyed. Simple, everyday items. Simple, everyday use. Simply found anywhere & everywhere. Simple everyday items displaying the glory of God. This is the sign of God's everlasting promise to us. Please read: Alexander Schmennan "For the life of the world"

Ministry is us simply doing what it is we do as transformed people.

Have you ever noticed Paul never asked anyone in his churches to abandon their job for the ministry? Baptism is ordination. The people of the church are ministry.

"100% of the church is doing 100% of the work God intends it to do 100% the time."

This is a work in progress; but could you imagine what could happen if we all understood that our daily lives lived in simple ways are exactly how God intends to share redemption with mankind? What would that look like:

Church.

Good Questions

I recently went down to San Diego to hang with some church planters I'm friends with. One of the people within their church emailed me some questions & I thought it would make good food for thought here. 

Thanks for the question, I'll do my best to answer it. 

"It seems to me that the Bible teaches conformity in many ways, in other words, there are only so many leaders and the rest should follow."

Two questions here, first Conformity. The Bible does teach conformity however we have the choice to either obey or do our own thing. The Bible is many things & one of them is "how best to live life." Now WE think we know how to live life, but do we? Do you? I don't. God created humans; I'm learning what it means to be human. I assume He knows best how we should live life in a world which is corrupt by sin. Too, do we actually think we are free from conformity if we don't conform to the Bible? This is foolish. We are mastered by whatever masters us. As I often say, just because you realize your ability to choose doesn't make you mature. I constantly choose the wrong thing. God has never chosen the wrong thing when I've followed his ways. Lastly, here's something I tell people: When I choose to express my "freedom," choosing to do my own thing I discover bondage; when I bind myself to Christ I always find freedom. When conformity always leads to freedom what do we call that? 

Leadership within the church. The irony in this question is that ANYONE can become a leader within the church. That said, most people choose not to take responsibility for anyone other than themselves. Leadership is both a calling & a choice. God calls some to leadership; however God calls everyone to grow up, become like the Father, & take responsibility for the story of redemption ("we are ambassadors in Christ."). Sadly, most people remain infantile in their theology & are solely concerned about their own welfare & not the welfare of others both inside & outside of the church. Anyone can become a leader within the church, including, & hopefully, men of God like you. 

" individual nature of human beings." 

This is an odd cultural assumption we read into the Bible. God himself isn't an individual. The story of mankind has never been about individuals: Adam was given Eve; Noah & his family; Abraham & his family; Joseph & his brothers; Israel being THE main character within the Old Testament; Jesus & the twelve; Paul & his companions; The Trinity. In America we STRESS individualism. Is this right, wrong, or different. I say different; however we have to understand how this effects our theology. Do we have individual nature? Yes. That said, Paul make it plain that Christ is honored above all creation because He gave up His rights for us. Once again, am I most important to me or us? Who am I living for me or us? Is my faithfulness for me or us? Will my life be given so I can feel important or can I see the value in those who will never know me, maybe not appreciate me, but can benefit from me using my individual nature to love what God loves: People. & how does God show his love to people? The people of God living for the purposes of God: CHURCH. Watch the movie: Of Gods & Men. What a privilege we have in being able to be church with each other & the world. Too, we don't lose ourselves in others; we truly find ourselves as we give our life for others like Christ gave His life for us. "Whoever saves his life will lose it, whoever loses their life will find it." Do we believe this? 

Hopefully this answered your questions. If not write me back & ask away. I think God intentioned for us to meet & you are an incredible man of God. 

Blessings, 

Sean 

Are you pointing at me?

Here's an email my wife recently received: 

"Linda,

I really want to thank you for offering up the rosemary. 

(Ok, stop here. My wife loves to garden so she planted a bunch of rosemary starters & then posted the free starters on freecycle. Several people, including this person accepted the gift.) Resume email... 

I am the only person in my little enclave of a neighborhood of 10 homes that ever does any road maintenance, weed abatement, culvert repair, etc. of the property that is used by all and technically/legally supposed to be cooperatively maintained/paid for. Since I spend my own money (rather than on attorney’s fees and small claims costs to force/sue them to do what they are legally obligated to do) and be as productive as possible, any contributions of free material are most welcome.

The rosemary is going to help prevent erosion and hopefully outcompete Scotch broom I removed on a slope above the culvert that my husband and I installed before last year’s ridiculously wet winter. Fortunately, we alone prevented the roadway from collapsing further and washing out. The broom covered slope is a serious fire hazard and just below the home of an older man in poor health, so I voluntarily protect and maintain that portion of his property for him. Your contribution will benefit many other people than just myself (though most in the enclave don’t recognize, acknowledge or take the time to be grateful).   

We don’t always know the impact our actions have on others; I wanted you to know that your generosity and kindness made a difference."

I am often mystified by people, how complex we are, & how broken we are. I find that I often get blamed for things. Now no doubt I am to blame for all of my actions, & if we engage in a healthy mature conversation I will gladly take all responsibility for my actions; however, what I often find is when people play the blame game the pointer is generally pointed outward. 

One morning I went surfing & paddled by a man as I was trying to get at good spot to sit in the lineup. Well, evidently I made this man mad because he started cussing at me. I calmly paddled up to the man & apologized, which oddly made him cuss at me more, which of course made me more resolute in my apologies until finally he stopped, accepted my apology, & said, "Its not you man. Its just that everyone out here is an idiot." Really. Out of 30+ people out here, you & I are the only non-idiots? I'll surf with them thank you very much.

Surf, culvert repair, work, relationships, church, family: Whose fault is my frustration? 

As I read this email I thought of this woman coming to our church. What would she see?

What would you see? I think what we see often says more about us than what is actually there. Talk to me about your dad, neighbors, co-workers, spouse, friends, etc.

Jesus offers to clean us from the inside so that we might see the outside with healthy eyes. If we're unable to see the outside as it truly is, than we are robbed of ever experiencing real relationships because, how can we truly love something we can't trust, & how can we truly love someone if they bare the burden of our brokeness perceived or real?

Jesus offers to clean us from the inside so that we might see the outside with healthy eyes & truly be able to enjoy surfing, culverts, rosemary, relationships, work, & see people as the image of God everywhere instead of the engine driving the vehicle of my pain.

Oh, So True

Mark Twain

"Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. "

Church Success

"When the church is driven more by the idea of success rather than obedience, it really hasn't traveled far off the road called failure."

A homeless person in Santa Cruz California

Practice makes...Real

What is the devotional life? What does it mean to be "saved?" What's the resurrection got to do with: Work, bills, the environment, sex, beer, coffee, career, hate, or any of the other aspects of "life?" Sadly, we've become professionals at seeing certain things as spiritual & other things as, well, just normal life. This isn't how it's supposed to be & as a community in Santa Cruz we want to live out our faith now.

Here's a great quote:

"Why is it that we look upon our salvation as a moment that began our religious life instead of the daily life we receive from God?" Dallas Willard

When we think about what it means to be a church we should be certain about these things: We're alive in Christ NOW. We're a part of the resurrection NOW. The church & our church in Santa Cruz is the body of Christ NOW. We are a part of the New Creation NOW. Work is worship TODAY. 

All of this become even clearer when we take Communion as a church. Communion isn't a reassurance that one day we'll enjoy God without any issues; Communion is God's evident reassurance that we are to enjoy Him NOW. The Bread & the Wine aren't mystical things taken from the world transformed into something other-worldly; the Bread & the Wine are normal things of the world taken into ourselves that we might realize life is spiritual. His whole self was crucified & risen to redeem my whole self all the time...all of me...all the time. 

What's it mean to live the resurrected life in Santa Cruz (or anywhere else) NOW?

The Last Supper

 

In Grad school I read a book where two followers of Jesus enjoyed communion with some homeless brothers & sisters; they used Pepsi & Donuts. There is a tremendous breadth to Jesus, the Kingdom, & Communion. As I reflect on "who" is able to take communion, I must admit my circles are growing wider. Why? Because "sinners" cannot corrupt the body & blood of Christ; it is they who will become corrupted by: Truth, Love, Grace, Kingdom, & the Reality found in God through Jesus.