Friends + Laughter = Memories

Bruce & Karen Lane warmed us up after our caroling by inviting us over for some hot soup & chili and some warm cider. THANKS - BRUCE & KAREN. But as I was driving home that night Christine and I were reliving the funny stories from the night. The creative gifts opened during the white elephant exchange. The jockeying for position to get the right gift or get rid of the wrong gift. The antics of Guesstures & Taboo.

There were many stories that we could share and will fondly remember for a long time. I was impressed by how healing it can be when we gather with friends and we laugh together. We were making memories. But memories are not without cost.

It takes some risks to make memories right? Some had long weeks and just showing up was difficult. Some didn't really know that many people, others get embarrassed making a fool of themselves (that is what games are all about, right?). But those who took the risk made some good memories.
Anyonee need a rubber chicken.
Oooh goody, nose hair trimmers
How's that block of wood Robert?
What is it Andy?

Joy to the World

On Saturday we surprised a local neighborhood by showing up on their steps to sing Christ-centered carols. We were received quite well and most people held their doors open to enjoy our song, despite the 20something degree weather. We lost no one to frost-bite, but we almost lost Erin to an aggresively close-talking man clad in shorts & a t-shirt.

May this Advent season stir your hearts to sing a new song to our King, Jesus.

We couldn't pass up the opportunity to pose with Santa.
They sounded like a chorus of angels.
Sing it Steve, Amy, Tiff & John.

Tea Anyone?

Last Thursday a group of 727 gals joined in on the church-wide Christmas Tea festivities when Kristen Stewart hosted a table. In addition to a "night out" of fine dining complete with entertainment, it was a chance for the men of the church to serve the ladies. Steve jumped at the chance to be at the beck & call of this table of pretty yet demanding ladies. It looks like he was providing service with a smile. Merry Christmas!!

Creation & Salvation

Last week I gave props to Ken Myers, suggesting Mars Hill for your Christmas shopping. Well, he's back, I just read his December letter from the Mars Hill Audio Journal, in which he challenges some of our common thinking about creation & salvation. How do you link these two ideas? Do you believe that time & space as created by God will one day be destroyed so that those who are saved will be saved to a timeless-spaceless other-existence called heaven? Consider some excerpts.

"American Christians seem much more willing to fight about the fact of Creation (against Darwinism) or fight with one another about how many hours Creation took than they are to order their lives around the structures that God has placed in Creation. Christians want to insist on the fact of Creation even as they are willing to ignore the meaning and significance of the order of Creation."

Is our interaction with creation simply an objectifiable fact which we arm ourselves to defend our belief in God? Does our interaction with creation also include our living experience with other created things/people as subjects of the king? How does the order established in Genesis 1 & 2 order our lives? How do we interact with living things (plants, animals, places) and people in a way which glorifies our creator?

"There has been since the beginning of the Church a temptation to read the story of God's saving work as an account of human liberation from Creation rather than human redemption in the context of a renewed Creation."

Do you consider the earth and its cultures as things which must be loathed or left behind in order to pursue more spiritual things? How does your salvation include ways in which you live (treat, consider, care for, enjoy) redemptively with other created things? What if heavens looks a lot more like earth than heaven?

"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." (Romans 8:19-23)

Should my Church close on Christmas Sunday?

That is the question of the day, because we get to decide this year. CNN even had carried a piece, "Some megachurches closing on Christmas." The debate is raging. Check out what both sides are saying.

Ben Witherington , NT scholar at Asbury Seminary, Kentucky
Scot McKnight, NT scholar at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Chicago

Witherington offers a response to McKnight, in Comment #13. Our church is consolidating its typical 2 Sunday services into one larger one on the heels of 3 Christmas Eve Candlelight services. What are your thoughts?

Are you wasting your life?

That is a question that I've come in contact with lately. Well it's not always that explicit but that is the question that lies just below the surface. Guys and gals, men and women who want their life to count...to not be wasted. They work at nice jobs but at the end of the day wonder if they are making any difference for God. Some even say they are considering quitting work to move overseas to be in "full-time" Christian ministry.

I identify because that was my story. I was a salesman in the computer industry for 7 years before I quit my job, went to seminary and entered into vocational ministry. But now that I am removed from the regular workforce I have noticed the detriments of becoming a "man of the cloth." So I want to encourage my brothers and sisters whom struggle with this question that impact is not described in terms of vocation or geography but in terms of perspective and attitude.

I was recently was flipping through John Piper's handy book, "Don't Waste Your Life", and came across a helpful list of how to bring a ministry-mindset to your job. The list is pulled from chapter 8 "Making Much of Christ from 8 to 5." May his thoughts encourage you in your daily toil.

We can make much of Christ in our secular job...
1. Through the fellowship that we enjoy with Him throughout the day in all our work.
2. By the joyful, trusting, God-exalting design of our creativity and industry.
3. When it confirms and enhances the portrait of Christ's glory that people hear in the spoken Gospel.
4. By earning enough money to keep us from depending on others, while focusing on the helpfulness of our work rather than financial rewards.
5. By earning money with the desire to use our money to make others glad in God.
6. By treating the web of relationships it creates as a gift of God to be loved by sharing the Gospel and by practical deeds of help.

Engaging the Mind

1 Corinthians 9 tells us that it is OK for those who feeds our spirits to derive their living from the support of their sheep. Well I want to share with you one of the shepherds that has been leading me into a more Christianly thoughtful engagement with American culture, Mars Hill Audio.

A few months ago a friend of mine gave me a great gift by turning my onto this bi- monthly audio journal, produced by Ken Myers. I was smart enough to listen and for $36 got my years subscription. These audio journals have been a devotional for me and have challenged me to walk out into the deep waters of Christian cultural engagement.

Remember when Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength (Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27)." Very few Christians I know actually show me how to love my Lord with my mind. So I try to find really smart, godly men who aren't afraid to go to the movies or turn on the TV, because they will undoubtedly show me how to critically engage my culture with a transformed mind.

I just received my third MHA Journal in the mail and look forward to the exercise my Christian mind will receive. Do yourself a favor this Christmas and give yourself a gift that will disciple you in transforming your mind. Check out the Mars Hill Audio Journal.

A favorite freebie of mine is an extended interview with Eugene Peterson on his latest book, "Christ Plays in 10,000 Places."

Give Thanks!

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever!
Psalm 30:11-12

The Gospel Truth

Scot McKnight, NT professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago and author of various books like Jesus Creed, reviews John Piper's latest book "God is the Gospel."

In his review he defines the Gospel as the work of the trinitarian God (Father, Son, Spirit), in the context of a community, to restore cracked Eikons to union with God and communion with others, for the good of others and the world. Chew on that.

Milk and Cereal

This makes you want to break your fast. Ha!

Cleaning house brings criticism

The article on the front page of today's Columbus Dispatch caught my eye, One man's storage unit is another's eyesore. The story focuses on the misfortune of one local family whose home was severely damaged when a run-away car slammed into it. Now as they are piecing their life and home back together they are "cleaning house" and taking advantage of that great invention, PODS (portable on demand storage).

But as the picture above reveals, all is not well on Main Street, because the POD is a bit of an eyesore to the neighbors. A friend of the family said, "If I didn't know their situation, I'd call the city." We don't like PODS, do we, because they are not clean, they don't fit in. Well manicured lawns and white picket fences don't seem to fit in when someone's living room is in their front yard. So the article follows the discussion, how long should someone have a POD in their front yard? How long is too long? How long is long enough? I don't want my neighbors cluttering up their yard with random belongings that should be tucked away in their house, that is not what I signed up for when I moved into the neighborhood. Do you?!

But if our houses represent our lives and our neighborhood is our local church (just work with me) how long should PODS be allowed to be in our front yards. As Christians we are slowly being transformed into the image of the Lord (2 Cor 3:18) and we go through some remodeling in the process. We have to move some furniture out of the living room, knock down some walls and put on some fresh coats of paint. And unless we live behind 8 foot privacy fences, it will be a bit visible to the neighbors. Sometimes we even have hire some pro's to come in help us do the work.

How should the neighborhood respond? Should we allow PODS in the neighborhood? How long should they be there? I find a bit of guidance in Galatians 6. "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ (6:2)." The picture here is an oppressive load that will crush an individual if they alone are left to support it. In those situations Paul say, hey neighbors - not only will a POD show up in their yard, but you should put one in your yard and take some of the load. Sometimes homes are nearly demolished and PODS must be brought in.

But Paul goes on in verse 5 to say, "For each one will bear his own load." Here the image is a back-pack size load that is manageable. These loads don't require a POD, so everyone in the neighborhood should strap on their backpacks to handle their own loads of this size. So every neighborhood is a mix of backpacks and PODS as we all undergo remodeling, the sanctifying process of being conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). My back-pack is on and my driveway is open for a POD if you need it, will you pull one up if I need?

25-21...cause for worship

With hands lifted high and voices bellowing from deep within our collective souls the Buckeye Nation joined together in a unified chorus of worship of "Carmen Ohio." The worship will continue for days, weeks, months and years as we re-live and remember the story of Novemeber 19, 2005. We complete our joy by re-living and retelling...the drive...the catch...the score. We tell our kids and our kids re-enact the events of the day. Bob Hunter in the Columbus Dispatch notes this reality in his Sunday column. Go Bucks!

Touch no unclean thing.

"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." 2 Corinthians 6:17

No blasphemy intended, but this week in Columbus is about separating the sheep from the wolves (pun intended). Draw a line in the sand, pick your colors, sit on different couches or at different locations. This one is for all the tamales.

I feel like talking X's & O's today. I think the difference in this one will be the special teams and the turnover ratio. You've got to protect the pill and come out ahead in the kicking game. We'll see which group of men separate themselves from the boys this weekend. Any brave souls want to sound off and venture a guess at the outcome? I'm rarely a prognosticator but how about 34-14 Scarlet & Gray.

A leader worth following

Can you imagine packing up all your belongings your wife and two kids and driving to the Pacific ocean to start a church... from nothing. That might be the short version of the story but that is exactly what a seminary friend of mine, Paul Fleming has done. Talk about adventure... talk about walking by faith... talk about courage. That is why I wanted to introduce you to Paul, because he is such an encouragement to me. He is driven, he has amazing skills and work ethic and a deep faith that this is God's work.

I would encourage you to keep your eye on his ministry (Westport Church) as they try gather a church in one of the largest non-christian populations in the country....Hillsboro, Oregon. Check out some of the creative things he's been doing as they are just getting started:

• School System: The facilities director in our school system has agreed to talk with us about how Westport can serve our local schools.
• Chamber of Commerce: We have been welcomed by our city leaders, and receive regular invitations to local community events.
• Business Breakfast: Each month we join business leaders around the city for breakfast, hosted by a local Christian businessman.
• Intel: We've been meeting each week on the campus of Intel to discuss The Davinci Code with employees.
• Local Advertising: We secured advertising space in the city's local maps. 10,000 maps were printed for distribution to new move ins. We're excited that the name of Jesus Christ is being exalted in our city's promotional materials.

Pray for Paul & his family as they introduce their community to Jesus Christ.

Good News with skin on...

"The message of the gospel is not a 'spiritual' thing, but good tidings applied to man's entire existence. . . . The true New Testament expectation includes the new earth, and the present life is founded on and proceeds from this expectation. Only with an eye to God's future can one understand the richness of life in the present."
-- G. C. Berkouwer, The Return of Christ (Eerdmans, 1972)

Lock the church doors...

When is the last time that God called off church for the week? Probably too long ago. What if God said, "Don't waste my time this Sunday by acting like things are going OK"... or ... "I know that you aren't bringing your best to worship, you are robbing me".... or ... "I need a Sabbath from your sorry excuse from worship" ... or ..."your service is so full of you (speaking, playing, singing) that there is no room for me (to speak, to encourage, to be there)."

I know sacrilege to even suggest the thought. But I know that God is not impressed with our shows or our words if we are coming to Him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. And in a day when God did speak quite directly to his people, he said something just like this. In the time of the prophets, God sent Malachi to Israel to point out to them the error of their ways. And their problem was that they were playing at worship and in the process mocking God. Trying to get God's full blessing, while cutting corners on the sacrifice they were willing to make to Him. So God says, "I wish that one of you would close the temple doors...I am not pleased with you...and I will no longer accept an offering from you (Malachi 1:10)."

Is our church due for a Fall Break? Does God wish that we would just lock the doors and quit playing at worship? Our God is a Great King and is worthy of our best. Why do we consider holding it back? Who are we saving our best for? Our worship matters because He matters.

Time for some fresh air

Sunday Night at 11:15 our kitchen was filled with firemen and paramedics. It was surreal, but it happened. It all started as a typical lazy Sunday night for us. The kids were asleep and we were lying on the couch sharing a bag of microwave popcorn. We both commented how our stomachs were bothering us, nothing more. I dozed off and Christine woke me suggesting we head off to bed.

But something in the back of her mind was troubled that or stomachs were bothering us. For some reasons she noted that our carbon monoxide detectors were unplugged (due to the kids) and thought she would plug them in... for peace of mind. But when she plugged the first in, the alarm sounded, signifying a dangerous level of CO in the house. We pulled it out and put in a second detector, with the same results. We tried both detectors in different parts of the house and each time the alarm sounded.

So now we are wondering do we have a problem or is this a false alarm. If it was nothing we didn't want to blow it out of proportion, but what if? What if we were surrounded by a deadly cloud of invisible, odorless gas that was slowly killing us? We had no idea if we were breathing fresh air or indeed we were in a death chamber, so we called 911. Within minutes a fire engine and an ambulance pulled in front of our house, complete with lights flashing and sirens sounding. (How are we going to explain this to the neighbors? - we thought).

Within minutes the firemen were able to clarify that indeed there was no dangerous level of CO and that we probably needed new CO detectors, but the experience was a bit unnerving. And it got me thinking about how many Christian lives die slow and painless deaths. It is as if they slowly succumb to an invisible cloud of deadly gas and slowly fade off. If you are in the presence of dangerous levels of CO and you do nothing, you will die. And I think that we as Christians are surrounded by a similar cloud that will bring our spiritual lives to a halt if we don't do anything.

Not that Christianity is defined by our doings, but if our lives are not lived Christianly we will surely fade into an existence that is robbed of the joys of being "in Christ." That seems to be what Paul is saying in Galatians 5:16 when he says "live by the Spirit." Our lives of eating and breathing and speaking and playing are either done in step with the Spirit (Gal 5:25) or in step with the flesh. Our Christianity is a way of life a way of living, almost a spiritual breathing, of fresh air which gives us life and enlivens our actions and speech. With out living with this fresh breath of the spirit our breathing takes in an invisible, odorless gas that is lifeless and will slowly kill our spiritual life. In that case, call 9-1-1.

Smile

A visit from across the pond

That may look like America's cutest couple, but it's not. That is Peep (pronounce Pape) & Anna Saar from Estonia. They visited our Homegroup on Tuesday to share about what God is up to in their country. They are part of an Estonian mission called Going UP which is reaching thousands of teens and 20somethings with the message of Christ. And these are certainly not your mommy & daddy's style of missionaries. The dress cool, they look good, they love authentic worship, they have fun, they use engaging technology... and they are enticing thousands of people to consider the claims of Jesus. Astounding in a country which regularly ranks as one of the most secular societies in the world.

How do they do it? When I listened to Peep I was struck by two things: his big god-size vision for reaching his country for Christ and his honest sense of humility about being apart of this work of God. It appears to be all about Him (that is God) and not so much about them. How refreshing and encouraging it was to see such vision and to catch a glimpse of what God is doing. A group from our church will go over to help them run an English Camp March 16-26, 2006. Save your vacation days and join the trip.

Beauty

The colors dance before me as I glided down the road. On this side a cloud of rich crimson red waves in the afternoon soon. Just down the way a punchy orange stands under the protection of some splendid evergreens. Across the street some pale yellow playfully tickles some light green limbs which reach out into the breeze. And as time slows for this moment, I see it. I see amazing beauty. When I can see beyond the picket fences and the stone chimneys laid in geometric symmetry I see the organic, natural beauty of creation. The vivid colors invite me to look again and again. I look for patterns and rhythm and continuity. I see creativity and ingenuity and power. It's right there in front of me. What has been hidden during the heat of summer days is not revealed during the crispness of fall. Surely beauty has a source greater than the small minds of men can conjure up. The tapestry of tall trees, ice covered mountains and deep oceans spill forth a creative story. It is inexcusable...It is right there. Wow, what beauty. Thank you God for revealing your beauty and breathing your creative life into this place.