A call worth sharing...

Saturday night I picked up the guitar and was about to spend some personal time playing...but my cell phone started to ring!?!?!

So I answer the phone and it was my daughter...she was crying! Oh man, did I run through an array of emotions in the first few seconds of the phone call. My daugther was crying and we were 2 1/2 hours from her...not a good feeling.

My daughter began sharing about some of the incidents that were happening around her. Someone had broken into their cabin and had stolen some money. As she continued to tell her story you could hear the frustration in her voice. As I continued to listen, I wanted to jump in the car and head down and rescue my daughter and find the one(s) responsible for her pain!!!!

But as a Youth Pastor, I have learned that I cannot rescue my students from their pain, we can only show them the way out. Although difficult, I swallowed hard and asked my daughter, "What are you going do?" Truly I had the answer in mind, but she needed to find her on way. In the depths of my soul, I knew she had the answer anyway.

She responds, "Dad, I want to go get revenge, but..." "But what, Terah?" "Well dad, I know that I can't! Jesus has told us to love our enemies and pray for those that persecute us."

Oh my, my heart jumped for JOY! I was so proud of her. She GETS IT! She understands the NARROW WAY. She understands life as an "ordinary radical!"

I reaffirmed my daughter and said it was her opportunity to be "light" to those around her. We closed the conversation in prayer and I hung up with a smile on my face!

I wrote the following in my journal later that night...

"If I make no other disciple, serve at no other church, or never again preach a message; you have made my journey worth it!"

Thank you for allowing me to share a part of my life with you in this blog!!!

Could the longing of COMMUNITY be pointing us towards the church of tomorrow?

Could a re-interest in the early church be a preparation for the church of tomorrow?

As I was sitting in staff yesterday, the following question came up; "Do you think it is easier to invite people to Sunday morning experience or to your home?" The overwhelming answer was "our homes." Every book you read, or at least I read, makes an inference on the point of belonging to a community. Whether the author is Francis Chan, Rob Bell, Chip Ingram, David Kinnaman, etc. the importance of community arises in each book.

But there is even a more powerful, inspiring, relevant book that speaks even more of the importance of the community! What book is that? The Bible! Check out the verses below:

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer...All the believers were together and had everything in common...They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42, 44-47

So, why is there an increasing importance on the "smaller community?" Could it be that in the future the "smaller community" will only be what is available? Could persecution arise against the followers of Christ in such a way that causes the typical "big church" to close the doors sending the church underground? Will it be against the law to someday worship publicly our Jesus in the "larger church" setting? Could it be that the only way we will do "church" is the way God first designed church; in the smaller community?

We do not have answers to the questions above, but we do sense a calling back to the "home community."

But do not let this discourage you! Why? If and when persecution comes, the church always flourishes.

"Though beheaded, and crucified, and thrown to wild beasts, and chains, and fire, and all other kinds of torture, we do not give up our confession; but, the more such things happen, the more do others in larger numbers become faithful."

-- Justin Martyr

I'm a Pharisaical Elitist!!!

phar·i·sa·ical

Pronunciation: \-ˈsā-ə-kəl\

Function: adjective

Date: 1531

: marked by hypocritical censorious self-righteousness

On the last morning of the National Youth Ministry Conference, I was so pumped becasue Francis Chan was going to be the last speaker. I arrive early to the closing session. So early, in fact, there was noone in the auditoruim except for the sound guys and, you guessed it...Francis!

I made my way to the front and was waiting for him to finish his sound check. I knew when he walked down from the stage, he would come my way. Then I would get a chance to talk to him. As the sound check went on and on, God began to do something within my heart! He begin to speak a word in my heart...Pharisee...then elitist, then the two words combined; Pharisical Elitist!!!

What do you mean? As he contined to stir within my heart, God begin to show me that I was so interested in talking to Francis that I had missed the very doorman all week. God really begin to show me how I missed so many opportunitites all week long with the people that were working the conference. Not the ones that were part of Youth Specialities, but the ones that were hired to work at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Wow, the tears begin to flow as I walked the long walk back to the front doors. As I walked up to the door man, I stuck my hand out and said, "Hi, my name is John!" As I left, Rick, yes the doorman had a name, I asked him how I could pray with him! He responded with the comment of praying for his relationshiop with his ten year old son. Wow oh wow!

May we learn to live out the same attitude as Christ! Check it out in Philippians 2. Check it out below!

⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
⁶Who, being in very nature^{a]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]} God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
⁷but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature^{b]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[b]} of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

May we find peace in HIM and may others see it!