the voice of friends

April Life Groups

2011-03-31T09:02:00.002-04:00

To help us prepare to celebrate the life of Jesus this Easter we're offering a 4-week run of Life Groups. Each group will meet once a week during the month of April to delve further into the themes of Sunday's teaching conversation and experience deeper community.

No advanced prep or additional study is necessary and there's no long term commitment. Just lean in for a month.

God has nudged a number of different folks in our community to facilitate groups, so we've got a wide range of options. Check out our group listings below. You can sign up for a group this Sunday (4/3/11) or contact the leader directly.

Sundays at 6pm

Led by Steve & Tammy Smith & Regan & Amy Barr

442 Texanna Way, Holly Springs

tammy.smith1@gmail.com

(919) 337-6750

*Childcare may be available, please contact leader for more details

Sundays at 6:30pm

Led by Glen & Debby Coulter

3712 Knollcreek Drive, Apex

glen@glencoulter.com

debby@debbycoulter.com

(919) 329-0987

Tuesdays at 7pm

Led by Howard & Judy Balm

1102 Belhaven Road, Cary

judybalm@gmail.com

(727) 255-3706

Tuesdays at 7pm

Led by Mark & Mick Schulte

Cup-a-Joe Coffee Shop

3100 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh

schultemss@gmail.com

(763) 639-4118

Wednesdays at 7pm

Led by Shane & Tomra Bazer

3809 Sparrow Pond Lane, Raleigh

shanebazer@gmail.com

(919) 859-2226

*Childcare available

Thursdays at 6:30pm

Led by Karen & James O’Leary

518 Perrault Drive, Morrisville

tamariskie@yahoo.com

(609) 351-8027

*Childcare available

Thursdays at 7pm

Led by Matt & Karen Rahe

544 Wellspring Drive, Holly Springs

matthewrahe@yahoo.com

(919) 414-7058

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Don’t see a group that fits your schedule? Start your own!

Contact Amanda Crump at amanda@raleighchurch.org for more information.

Living Sacrifices

2010-08-02T10:59:00.005-04:00

This Sunday our faith community considered God's call to offer ourselves as living sacrifices:

"Brothers and sisters, in view of all we have just shared about God’s compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to him. This kind of worship is appropriate for you."

Here is a prayer that could serve as a seed of response for some of us:

Almighty God,

Thank you that what you want for me is bigger & Better than I imagine.

Thank you for sacrificing Jesus to offer me life.

I want your life. I want to Go with & learn from Jesus.

I want to offer myself Fully to you as a living sacrifice.

Please teach me how to do this. guide me so that every part of my life puts a smile on your face each day.

Please show me what I am withholding from you or offering in other directions.

And gently lead me into the life, rest & rhythms you promise.

- AMEN

Also, try reading and praying through Jesus' offer of life and relationship captured in Matthew 11:28-30:

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me.

Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest.

Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.

- May Jesus’ words come true in my life God. Amen.

A Prayer From Sunday (7.11.10)

2010-07-12T10:20:00.003-04:00

Holy God,

We confess that we often fill our need,

our desperateness for You,

with other things.

Father, may we seek your truth and love always,

in our moments of joy and moments of pain,

as we journey toward knowing You more deeply.

You alone are the Lover of our souls.

We are lost without You.

Praise be to the One who made the heavens and the earth,

Who gives us hope and grace.

Amen.

A Reflection On Joy

2009-12-18T16:57:00.003-05:00

The Connections community is spending the holidays studying the topic of JOY. You can check out our Teaching Blog or Pod Cast Site if you are interested in where the conversations have gone.

We asked a new friend to our community who likes to write, Kathy Curran, to spend some time reflecting on the topic. Her thoughts are below. Enjoy!

When I began to research the concept of joy and how to be joyful, many peole shared their views on the subject with me. As I listened carefully, I started to see a common thread. It seemed there were certain steps involved in achieving this very attainable, yet somewhat difficult goal... the first and most important one being to literally "step out in faith."

Feeling the need to delve even deeper into how we can accomplish the act of becoming joyful, I sought help from other Christians, scoured the Bible, attended worship services, and just kept my eyes and ears open for whatever the Lord wanted to bring to my attention. It was like I was on a mission for God.

Having taken on this task in obedience to God, He, in turn, was faithfully speaking to me through every means available, and leading me down a path that was definitely taking me in the right direction. He revealed to me that it is not another person who will ultimately heal our hearts, make us whole, or give us the peace and contentment we've all been searching for, but it is God, and God alone who can take us to that place we all long to be... that place where we no longer have to depend on anything other than Jesus for our joy.

As I continued to seek His Word more intently, and become more in-tune to God's voice, I began to realize with even more certainty that He really does have all the answers. He was urging me to be even more obedient, and I was becoming very aware that stepping out in faith wasn't just meant for those who lived back in Biblical times.

Just as Peter stepped out of the boat in faith, God wants us to take that big step too. Peter trusted God to keep him afloat, and as long as his eyes were on Jesus, he was able to walk on water. God loves and cares for us just as much, and doesn't want us to be afraid to take that leap of faith. He promises to be there to help us, if we begin to sink.

Because God loves us so much, He wants us all to be joyous, but we need to find our joy in Him. If we truly love Him, we must learn to trust Him, no matter what our circumstances. If we really trust Him, we will obey Him, no matter what He asks of us... and it is in that unconditional love, trust and obedience to Him that we will find true and lasting joy.

Matthew 14:22-33
Peter replies, "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." So Jesus invites Peter to come. Peter gets out of the boat and begins walking on the water toward Jesus. But when Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and sees the wind and waves, he begins to sink. Peter cries out to the Lord and Jesus immediately reaches out his hand and catches Peter. As they climb into the boat together, the storm ceases. Then the disciples worship Jesus, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Financial Giving

2009-09-22T15:52:00.003-04:00

Ever felt like you wanted to give to God financially, but felt like you couldn't or shouldn't? You aren't alone. Check out Dana (& Tom's) story and what they've learned about giving in the past year:

"Tom and I were DINKS---- dual income, no kids. We were pretty happy with that lifestyle and we were pretty sure we would never have kids. In May 2005 we bought a fixer upper home that needed a lot of work. In August 2005---we had an unplanned pregnancy. Ian's arrival was a path we never expected to go down and when we found out about his medical issues we were thrown into a whole new world.

Babies are expensive----but when you add in daycare, medical insurance, and the doctors visits/ surgeries/ medications------we quickly fell into a very large debt trap.

Over the 3 and a half years of his life we have had to work insane amounts to keep our heads above water. At one point his medications alone were over $250 a month. Tom pulls as much over time as possible and takes triple calls but there have been months that we didn't know how we were going to make it. Mac and cheese and spam were staple meals and considered gourmet if we had a slice of American Cheddar to add in.

We thought about selling our home----but being a fixer upper we haven't had the money to improve it. We also have had to use what little equity we had to pay day to day bills----so selling really isn't an option. Plus, rent would probably be what the mortgage is and we would never ever be able to afford a home in this area again ( we lucked out on the fixer up part).

We have volunteered as much as possible through church as a way to give back to God. When you asked everyone who considered Cnx their home church to commit to participating financially in 2009--- I was thrown for a tailspin.

We were keeping our heads just above water----how could I add another bill? Tom and I prayed separately on it and Tom said it was something we needed to do. I showed him on paper----there was no way to make it work. We prayed some more and finally decided that this was a trust issue and we had to give the control back to God.

We committed to a small amount each month. It probably wouldn't seem like much to some people but to us it was huge. In the 8 months that we have been giving our offering----we haven't missed it at all.

As state workers, we both were furloughed and lost a percentage of our income with little notice. That month I considered not giving but wrote the check and prayed as I tossed it in the offering bucket. We made it just fine.

I am amazed that we seem to have more money at the end of the month than we did before giving. I know part of it is the envelope system, and being more aware----but I also know it is because God will provide.

Tom and I took a leap of faith in August and decided to double our tithe---and here it is 3 days before pay day and we are still okay. We are planning to double the original amount from now on because it's all about putting our trust in the father above."

One More Time (Habitat Work Day)

2009-07-30T16:14:00.006-04:00

Saturday, August 15 is your last chance to get in on a Connections work day at Chatham Habitat this summer.

Why should you turn out? Check out Kevin's story below:

I've been blessed to be employed by Habitat for Humanity for the past 21 years and I can say that I still feel God's hand in the work of Habitat every time I visit a work site. Habitat is a ministry and it is all about a partnership between those in need of housing, those with time, skills, and resources to spare, and God. Habitat is truly a hand-up and not a hand out. Families buy the homes that are sold at no profit and get a 0% interest mortgage and are required to invest hundreds of hours of "sweat equity" in order to buy their home.

Recently I was at a Habitat event in Fort Worth, Texas and heard an inspiring story of one of the Habitat homeowners there, Lydia Perez. To keep it short, an elderly gentleman in Lydia's neighborhood experienced a fire that destroyed his home. He had no resources or insurance to rebuild so he began to live on his property in a camper shell that he had on his pick up truck. Within a few months, Fort Worth was starting to experience the heat of the summer and Lydia approached the man and said to him, "You can't continue to live in the camper shell during the summer. Don't you have somewhere else to go?" He didn't. Lydia told him that he needed to come stay in her house. They were total strangers. He an 80+ Anglo WWII veteran, and she a 30-something Mexican immigant. Lydia reached out to Habitat to build him a home and they said they couldn't because he didn't have the necessary income to qualify for the program. Undaunted, Lydia decided to have a yard sale. She reached out to the media--newspapers, TV, radio and the plight of this gentleman became a city-wide cause. The yard sale raised $50,000 in donations in a single day! It was dubbed the "self-perpetuating yard sale". People would come to the sale and buy an item while bringing several other items to donate. Habitat supported Lydia in her effort and found a contractor to agree to build the gentleman a brand new home on his lot. They said he had tears in his eyes the day he moved out of Lydia's house.

I can't promise such a story unfolding in Pittsboro on Saturday, August 15, but it is an opportunity to be part of a huge, worldwide circle of giving that was initiated by God's love for us and perpetuated by thousands of people of faith giving of their time, talent, and resources in response to their faith.

We need at least 15 workers (16 and up) and several people that can provide lunch for 25. Please contact Kevin Camnpbell at kcampbell58@gmail.com if you are interested in being part of the group. We'll leave Connections at 7:30 Saturday morning, begin work in Pittsboro at 8:30, and leave Pittsboro around 3pm. We'll have some exterior siding work and hopefully interior trim work as well. This will be our last chance to work on single mom Shalena's and her 4 year old son Nicholas' home.

Check out the website HERE.

Lending A Hand

2009-07-07T14:54:00.011-04:00

On Saturday, June 20 some folks from the Connections Church community went back out to continue to work on a home with Chatham Habitat for Humanity on Acorn Park Lane in the Chatman Oak subdivision of Pittsboro, NC. The project includes construction of five new houses for families eagerly helping make their dream of a home of their own become reality. 22 volunteers plus international and local Habitat directors participated in the event.

Thanks so much to Calvert Cafe and Catering for providing lunch to fuel the workers! The boxed lunches included turkey and havarti on sourdough, roast beef & asiago on rye, ham and provolone on wheat, tarragon chicken salad on pecan raisin bread, baked chips, fruit, and cookies. Needless to say, they were a hit.

We'll be returning to work on the home again on July 18th & August 15th. If you are interested in joining us, contact Kevin Campbell (kcampbell58@gmail.com). To learn more about Chatham Habitat or Calvert Cafe and Catering, check out the info below:

Chatham Habitat for Humanity

Since 1989, Chatham Habitat has worked to change substandard housing conditions by making home ownership possible for nearly 90 families throughout the county. In the process, Habitat is able to transform lives, improve neighborhoods, and most importantly give hope and strength to our communities.

Calvert Café & Catering

Calvert Café & Catering provides NC Triangle-area businesses with exceptional products and impeccable catering service. Specializing in corporate catering at a variety of levels, Calvert Café and Catering offers event services from concept to cleanup.

One worthy gift

2009-06-14T09:34:00.002-04:00

God there are days when we gather for worship in this community when it's easy to acknowledge your beauty but nearly impossible to find any within ourselves.

We come to you broken in so many ways. The weight of wrong choices or difficult circumstances, the burden of wrecked relationships or dwindling resources -- sometimes these things make it hard for us to find value and worth within ourselves.

And yet you see beauty within us, Lord.

You have seen us for who we are and loved us in spite of it all, and in this we find so much hope.

We pray today that we might claim that which you love within us, and relentlessly seek out things to love within others. May we see through brokenness and frailty and circumstance and struggle to know others as creatures made in your image, for your love.

May our lives reflect this one beautiful and worthy gift: that we love others as we are being loved by you.

A Psalm Prayer

2009-05-22T13:31:00.003-04:00

This prayer comes from Psalm 90:1-6, a scripture which always makes me think of the marvelous passage from Job 38 where God gets lavishly poetic with Job in describing the differences between humans and God.

***********

Our Father, Creator of the Universe,

You have been our help in every generation, and you will be our refuge for generations to come. Through storm and war, in times of peace and plenty, in all the great and small places of the earth, you were, you are, and you will be.

You laid the foundations of the earth while the morning stars sang and all the creatures of the universe shouted for joy. When the sea was born you clothed it with clouds and formed its limits. You know the warehouses of snow and hail, and the ways to the places the winds call home.

A thousand years is a long time for us, but it passes for you like yesterday’s dream. We arrive on earth and then are gone; “Return to the dust,” you say, and we become once again the clay of creation.

Be our guide while this life lasts. Be our hope for this brief span. And one bright morning, when this life is over, welcome us home.

A Psalm and Prayer of Praise

2009-05-17T09:19:00.003-04:00

Whenever I'm not sure what to pray before God's people I simply turn to the Psalms and let one of the generations who came before me speak on my behalf. These prayers are like rivers that are still flowing down among us, and as we wade in and out (or merely observe from the riverbank) we can find refreshment and delight.

This prayer comes from Psalm 145; I have changed some of the order and play of the verses, but the spirit of the river of praise remains the same.

* * * * *

We lift your name on high, Mighty God!

We sing your praise today, may we sing your song into all eternity. You are magnificent before us; there are no boundaries to your greatness. Generation after generation stands in awe of your work: they have all told stories of your mighty acts. We know you as One who is slow to anger and rich in love, suffusing all things in your grace.

We give you thanks
for supporting those who are weary
for drawing near to all who call on you
for bringing harvest on the Earth in due season
for lavishing compassion on all you have made

May we speak of the glory of your kingdom.
May we make known to all people your mighty works and loving ways.
Today and all days we lift our voices in worship.

* * * * *

A Prayer for Worship

2009-05-10T08:57:00.004-04:00

Holy and mighty God, Maker of all good things, in the full glory of this day you have made and this people you have made, we gather.

We give you thanks for all those along the journey who have been instrumental in bringing us to this holy place on this holy morning: for that early teacher, or family member; for that friend or child or witness... We pray that this church may draw many more to know your love, your forgiveness, and your grace.

We pray also for those who are today burdened by heavy loads: for countries and individuals who are deeply in debt, for those suffering from earthquake and famine, for all subjected to wars, and for displaced people everywhere. We dedicate ourselves again to the works of justice and mercy that make us your hands and heart in this broken world.

We lift up before you all who find life difficult or painful today: those who are hard on themselves and on others, and all who struggle with deep burdens of guilt. May we bring your rest for the weary, your hope for the fearful, your peace to the troubled.

May our worship of you be not just a Sunday-morning gift, but a gift of our lives and our hearts.

Ashley's Story (40 Days of Water)

2009-04-07T10:19:00.010-04:00

This past Sunday Ashley Clark shared with the CNX community about a trip to Africa that changed her life and gave her a front row perspective of the dire need for clean water. Here's a piece of what Ashley had to say about her experiences and the importance of projects like 40 Days of Water.

"In May of 2007 I had the privilege to travel to Malawi, Africa which is located in the southern part of Africa. I went to Malawi through a partnership my church in New York had with World Vision. We visited an Area Development Project founded by World Vision and got to see the affects of clean water in an African village first hand.

"I think one thing that stuck with me the most was not the lack of clean water but the distance they had to travel to get clean water. We met many inspiring women that traveled several miles a few times a day to get clean water so they could meet the basic needs of their families. It struck me because their attitudes were never negative or complaining. These women were constantly singing praises and offering prayers for others who were worse off than themselves.

They were happy! Happy to have clean water as a resource to them! Happy to be able to provide it to their families! They were happiest of all that people like you were kind enough to give them this simple and incredibly important gift. I cannot tell you how many times people thanked us for what we had done, and for taking time out of our lives to see their struggles and successes. I felt completely unworthy of their praises at times.

So, I want you to know that the sacrifices several of you have made over these 40 days will not go unknown noticed. Yes, we are providing clean water but we are also making life a little easier for hundreds maybe thousands of families. And, amidst the tragedy and hardship that these people face every day (whether they know it or not), doesn’t water seem like something so simple to give? And, maybe they will see Jesus in us the way I saw Jesus in them."

We have a chance to make a real difference for real people. Every dollar donated will provide clean water for 1 African for an entire year.

If you are a part of the CNX community and want to contribute to the 40 Days of Water Project, we'll be collecting an offering for this purpose on Sunday (4/12). Please make your check payable to Connections and note "Water Project" on the memo line. We'll be writing one check to Blood Water Mission and every penny donated will go to this important work.

If you won't be at Connections on Sunday, consider donating directly to Blood Water Mission. And if you are willing, post a comment here (anonymously is fine) and let us know how much you contributed so that we can see the impact we are making together.

A prayer for worship on our first day in the new building

2009-03-29T08:49:00.002-04:00

From Psalm 94

How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts, Shepherd of Israel. Our hearts have longed to be here before you; our spirits sing for joy in the presence of the Living God!

May all your creatures be welcome in this place: May travelers find rest, may the broken find healing, may all who celebrate find songs of joy, and may the outcast know welcome. How blessed we are to live and work and raise Your family here.

And how blessed are all in whom You live -- whose lives become roads you travel. Our strength is in You; may our hearts be highways to the Living Lord.

For better is one day in Your courts than thousands elsewhere. We would rather hold open the door in Your house than live anywhere -- no matter how grand -- outside the shelter of Your grace, Your mercy, and Your favor. You have withheld no good thing from us.

Our hearts are filled with joy.

2009-03-27T19:18:00.000-04:00

Today is the 26th day of our 40 Days of Water Project. 45 of us in the Connections community have committed to make water our only beverage during this period. We're keeping track of what we would have spent on other beverages and will be donating those amounts to help Blood Water Mission hit their goal of installing 1000 clean water wells across Africa.

In addition to helping others, we're also challenging ourselves to stretch and grow through this project as well. Here are some thoughts from one of our students, Learyn von Sprecken, about her experience so far:

"Well let's see the hardest thing to give up would probably have to be milk, but whenever I'm with friends and see them drinking soda that's pretty hard too. I only being able to drink water has made me realize and think about how much harder it must be for people who can't even drink water.

I have mentioned it to most of my friends and I have gotten a variety of responses. Most of my friends have found it to be very amazing that I am only drinking water and that I am doing it for the people of Africa and are very supportive. Only drinking water has not only been a good thing for me to do for other people, but also for myself.

I have never really liked water, one of the things that has made this difficult, and as a result of that I don't think I was drinking enough. Since I have started this I feel like I have become healthier. The most meaningful thing for me is now every time I drink water I start thinking about the parents and children in Africa who can't even get clean water and would love for 40 days to be able to drink clean water and then I think how lucky I am to have fresh clean water. Overall this has not been as bad as I thought it would, and I am definitely glad I chose to participate."

Prayer for worship

2009-03-27T08:31:00.001-04:00

Holy, Holy, Holy God, you have created all things and made us in your image. We come before you in wonder and awe.

We pray for places where your earth is exploited or marred, where your creatures are abused or misused. We pray for all who lack freedom or are oppressed. Father, strength of all, hear our prayer.

Jesus, Light and Life of the world, we pray to you for all who walk in darkness. For all who feel beyond hope or are outcasts in our world. Healer, giver of hope to the hopeless, hear our prayer.

Spirit of Holiness, you breathe life into all. We give you thanks for your renewal and refreshment. We pray that we and all your church may reach out in love. We pray for Fred and Shawn and Chad and all our pastors, and for the ministry of all your faithful people. Holy Spirit of God, hear our prayer.

May we be bound together in Unity.
May we be bound together in Love.
May we be bound together with those who walked in faith before us, and may our lives bear witness to those yet to come.

(Adapted from Clouds & Glory A, p. 80-81)

Thirsty???

2009-02-25T11:39:00.004-05:00

Here's a note that we sent out to the CNX community about our upcoming Easter Clean Water Project. If you are interested we'd love to have you partner with us.

Dear Friends,

Hope this finds you well in the middle of the week and looking forward to spring. (It is coming soon, right?)

I just wanted to take a couple of minutes to fill you in on a special project our church community will be tackling over the next month and a half. As you know, Connections Church has always had a desire to make a difference in the name of Jesus. We trying to learn to love our neighbors- both locally and globally- as we love ourselves. With that in mind, we've decided to partner with BLOOD WATER MISSION for their 40 Days of Water Challenge.

You can check out the links above for yourself, but here's the short version: Over a 40 Day period (March 1- April 9), we're challenging ourselves to drink only water and keep track of what we would have spent on our usual beverages of choice. At the end of 40 days, we'll pool the money we've saved by forgoing coffee, tea, soda, etc. and send it to Blood Water Mission to help provide clean water for people in Africa.

What will this do for them?

Every $1 we donate will provide clean drinking water for 1 African for an entire year. (Yes, you read that right.) Why is this important?

* About 45% of Africans lack clean drinking water. That's approx. 311 million people. The total current population of the US? About 306 million.

* Every day in Africa, millions of parents are faced with this choice- Do I give my children tainted water and make them sick- or allow them to die of dehydration?

* African women and children walk as many as 6 miles each day to fetch drinking water- which is often unsanitary.

* Sub-Saharan Africa has 10% of the world's population, but is home to 60% of the people on the planet living with HIV.

* 15 million children are orphaned by HIV/AIDS each year.

* Clean drinking water greatly improves the quality of life for everyone and extends the life expectancy for those living with HIV.

It's pretty easy to see why people who love Jesus would want to be involved with this kind of thing, huh?

What will this project do for us?

Or to put it another way, you might be thinking the same thing I did when I first heard about this: "I'm all for helping folks get clean water, but why should I forgo other beverages for 40 days to make it happen? Can't I just drink what I want and still donate some cash?" Yes- we absolutely can. But I think we'll miss out on some real blessings and opportunities for God to stretch and change us. Here are a few:

* Self-Discipline. Is that something you could use a bit more of? I know I can. Here's a chance for us to do some work in this area that has a direct impact on our spiritual lives. (Check out Luke 9:23-25.)

* We are moving towards Easter. For centuries, Christians have chosen to sacrifice things during this season (some call it Lent) to help them identify with their suffering Savior. Maybe choosing to deny ourselves the daily pleasures of juice, coffee, soda, etc. will put us in a position to more fully appreciate Jesus' sacrifices for us and His victory over the grave.

* Because He loves us, Jesus came to walk in our shoes. He tells all who would follow Him to love each other, to weep with those who weep, and to carry each others' burdens. By choosing to drink only water, we empathize in some small way with our neighbors in Africa who don't have the choices available to us. Instead of just sending cash and continuing on with our day, we give ourselves opportunities to think of and pray for them.

Do we have to embrace a water-only beverage fast to be a part of this project? Nope. We can donate money and change others' lives regardless of what we choose to drink. But if we want God to use the next 40 days to change US- we might want to give this a go.

OK, that's probably enough info for now. We'll be talking more about the 40 Days of Water Challenge at this Sunday's (3/1) gathering. Please join us if you are in town.

Until then, think and pray about being a part of this important project that will change lives- including ours. And don't hesitate to holler if you've got questions.

Blessings,

Fred Turner

Lead Pastor

Connections Church

fred.turner@connectionschurch.ws

An Update From Love Wins

2009-02-17T09:45:00.003-05:00

We're honored to partner with Love Wins- a ministry that works with the poor and homeless in downtown Raleigh. They are doing some great work in the name of Jesus. Check our their latest newsletter update below:

Dear Friends,

Just before Christmas, I was at a meeting of Social Justice oriented pastors. During a break, I was talking with a pastor who works for [Really Huge Denomination] at the Regional level. She is 'over' many churches, and was really interested in what we are doing. She mentioned she would like us to talk about me talking to various small groups and pastors in those churches. Then she asks me "Where is your office?". The conversation lasted about 12 seconds after I told her I work from home, but not before she said "Oh, I had no idea you were so small…".

I have to tell you, that was a little disheartening. In fact, it was downright depressing. Partly because, of course I would like to have an entry to so many churches, with the endorsements of their higher-ups. We have goals we want to accomplish that would be much easier with the support and financial backing a Really Huge Church could give us.

But the most depressing thing was that I had somehow failed to communicate that we see small as a blessing. Small, to quote the title of a book well worth reading, is beautiful.

You see, because we are small, we know the names of the people we buy shoes for. Because we are small, I can blow off the whole afternoon of appointments to go sit in a hospital room with a friend who tried to kill herself. Because we are small, I am welcome in the soup kitchens and the shelters, even if I am not so welcome in the board rooms and the churches. Because we are small, there is no need to make up metrics that justify what we are doing out here. We are free to love people and pray for peace and work for justice and have confidence that God, when all is said and done, bends that way.

That being said, all living things must either grow or decay, and Love Wins Ministries is no different. The last six weeks have found us in conversations about how we can help build more relationships between folks with houses and folks that live on the streets without becoming 'institutional' and stagnant. Or how we can capture the freedom of smallness I just described and yet be acceptable (or at least accessible) to people and organizations like that pastor lady, who values size over substance.

Over the next few weeks and months, lots of changes will be happening. We will be discussing some things on our blog we have not before, like our boots and shoes ministry, and you will be hearing from other voices over there as well.

In the meantime, keep praying for us as we build, grow and seek the will of God while we, in our small way, keep loving folks most people would rather just went away.

Love Wins. Always.

Hugh Hollowell
http://lovewins.info

The Archaeology of Christmas

2008-12-11T15:25:00.004-05:00

Looking for something a bit more mind expanding to give your time to than "Frosty the Snowman"? Amy & Regan Barr, members of the CNX community, will be offering a free, online presentation on the Archaeology of Christmas from 8-9:30pm on Wednesday 12/17. Amy & Regan are co-founders of the Lukeion Project and spent a decade excavating in the Mediterranean and have both done PHD work in Classical Archaeology. Don’t miss this chance to get some great background on the Christmas story including the latest findings on Herod the Great's tomb, the Magi, the slaughter of the innocents, the unique status of Egypt, Caesar Augustus and more. Register HERE.

Christmas Devotionals

2008-12-04T11:18:00.002-05:00

Looking for a way to stay focused on God in the middle of a busy holiday season?

Check out Following The Star. This online guide provides daily devotions (w/scriptures, music, reflections, & prayers) for each day between now and Christmas. This 10 minute experience could provide a lot of grounding in the next few weeks. Make sure you check out the “On your first visit” and “About the experience” sections the first time around.

Looking for something even simpler? Stop by the Waiting, Day by Day Advent Calendar. Click on the current day of the month and you’ll find a short poem, prayer or thought about our wait for Jesus’ arrival.

What Is Poverty?

2008-10-29T15:37:00.002-04:00

It's that time of the year again when many will be thinking about the poor. Although this should happen all year long, thank God it at least happens between Nov-Dec.

What does it mean to be poor? To address poverty?

Some of our friends who work downtown with the homeless and needy believe ministry to the poor is more about relationships and respect that goods and services. A couple of them pointed me to the video below. Check it out:

Perspective Check

2008-09-23T11:47:00.000-04:00

Need to be reminded how good your life is?

Need to get in touch with the resiliency of the human spirit?

Need to leak a few tears?

Meet Jessica Stone.

Catch a slice of her story HERE.

(You may have to push play if the video doesn't launch right away.)

P.S. Jessica did end up receiving a cochlear implant and is a few weeks away from activation.

A Chance Encounter??

2008-09-08T10:08:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks back I went to see a family in our church who had a new baby last night. The hospital they chose is HUGE and has been added on to about 37 times in the last 100 years. The result is not only tons of square footage for first quality medical care, but a seemingly endless labyrinth which doubles as a test of mental and physical endurance for visitors. On the way in I made a complete loop of the facility before I finally found the maternity ward. After checking in on the recently expanded family, I hopped in the elevator to begin my long trek back to my car.

One other guy rode along with me as we spend downward to the first floor. I noticed the wristbands on his arm and remembering that we were leaving the maternity ward, I queried, "Just have a new baby?" He looked at me and said, "Actually we had twins." Seeing my congratulatory smile forming, he added, "And I usually don't tell strangers this. No need to burden them with it- but one of our babies died after four days. The other is alive and strong." "I'm so sorry" were the only words I was able to generate. "That's ok. I don't know why I told you that," he replied. Then the door opened. "I'm so sorry" I offered again. He smiled sadly and then disappeared down the hall.

A flood of thoughts and emotions swam through me as retraced the halls and sidewalks back to my parking place. I thought about my friend's joy as they showed me their new baby, and imagined how conflicted this other couple must be with one baby cooing and the other silenced. Most of all I wondered why this man had apologized. Should someone with such a loss be forced to bear it in secret?

Then his words, "I don't know why I'm telling you this" came back to me. He didn't know me from Adam. He didn't know that I'm a guy who prays from time to time. Or that I've got lots of friends who do the same. But God knew. Maybe God set things up this afternoon so that we'd end up together for those couple of moments. Perhaps the Spirit of God prompted him to open up and share his darkest truth with a complete stranger. Maybe not, but maybe so.

I decided not to take any chances. As I merged my car back onto the Beltline I started praying for this family who are strangers to me, but not to the God who cries with them. And now I'm asking you to join me. Would you offer some words to God on behalf of the man I met today who wears two newborn bracelets, but will only take one baby home? Would you ask God to give this family comfort, peace and healing as only He can?

Thanks. I knew you would.

An Update From Hugh

2008-08-28T08:38:00.002-04:00

Friends,

The astute among you will note that the August newsletter almost ended up being the September newsletter. The letter this month has been hard to write, not because I don't have things to tell you but because I have so much to tell you and I try to keep these letters to a reasonable length. Finally I was forced to give up any literary aspirations and just dump it all before you. In no particular order, here are a few things that are going on:

Last month I told you that we were looking for a place to hold regular meetings, and we found a place that is practically tailor-made to what we are trying to do. Starting sometime in September we will be meeting weekly at the Tarboro Road Community Center, located at Tarboro Rd and New Bern Avenue. It is a perfect location for us, with room for growth, kitchen facilities and in a neighborhood that we would love to minister to and have the opportunity to serve. Watch the blog for more information as to time and dates.

With that in mind, we are working on ways to impact the poor and homeless in that neighborhood, as well as maintaining our efforts around Moore Square. Over the next few weeks we will be rolling out opportunities for you to help us actively love our new neighbors.

Recently I have been speaking in churches, spreading the word about what we are doing and trying to raise awareness and support. Last Sunday I spoke at Visio Dei and HomeStar Fellowship, both located near Downtown Raleigh and in both places had people decide to join our efforts. If your church or small group needs a speaker, I would be delighted to come speak at your event. Shoot me an email (or respond to this one) and we will work out the details.

For a while now, we have been wrestling with the next step as far as our organizational structure. It is expensive (at least relative to our budget) to set up a whole non-profit entity from scratch. We are investigating that, as well as considering partnering with an existing ministry or church, at least organizationally, to make all that easier and, frankly, cheaper. All of this means that I have been in meetings, phone calls, researching online and at the library and generally getting headaches from all this reading because I often forget my glasses.

We are partnering with other ministries that have similar goals so we can act as a resource for each other. One ministry I am particularly proud to be part of is Jubilee, a faith based organization that works to bring awareness to the problem of human trafficking. In September I will be speaking for them on the subject of building relationships and 'missionality'. Please watch the blog for announcements as to time and location.

Looking over that, it looks like a full plate, and it is. But add to that the day-to-day work of standing in line, taking people to the grocery store, negotiating with landlords, helping people move, praying with people who have no hope, standing in the rain in the soup kitchen line, visiting those in jail, throwing parties for those who got out of jail and what you end up with is one very tired, very drained, but very happy, Hugh.

I am so happy to be out here, working for His glory, to His purpose. That you allow me to be out here, supporting me and our work with your financial gifts and your prayers means so very much. That there is so much to do only serves to emphasize the necessity of what we are doing and the need for your help to accomplish it. Together, we get to be hope to those who have no hope, to speak for those who have no voice and to love those who thought the world had given up on them. Being out here is never easy, but there is good in this world, and it is worth fighting for. Thanks for helping me fight.

Love Wins. Always.

Hugh Hollowell

http://lovewinsalways.org/

Don't Forget

2008-08-25T11:00:00.000-04:00

The Connections Community is relocating our Sunday gatherings starting this Sunday (8/31). We'll be just a mile down the road from our old spot. CLICK HERE FOR A MAP. We'll start at the same time (10:45) and will have better areas for kids and lots more room for adults. For more info on the how's & why's of the move, check the post below.

If you live in the Raleigh area and haven't hung out with us before/in a while, stop by on Sunday. God is up to something in our midst- bringing some great people together to do some important work in our world. Maybe you are supposed to be a part of it.

Another Step Of Fatih...

2008-08-25T10:30:00.000-04:00

We like to talk about our lives with God as a journey. The language fits for a number of reasons, but that's probably another blog post. Suffice it to say, as a community we believe we are doing more than making plans, setting goals and making things happen. We believe that the God of the Universe is leading our little tribe, often in unexpected directions without lots of advance notice. (Sounds like the God of the Bible to me.)

What do I mean? Here's a recent example, our leadership came to the decision that we'll be moving at the end of August. Not to our new space- although we're hoping to be there by December. Instead, we'll be moving for a few months to a temporary space just a mile down the road from where we meet now. Why would we move twice? I've been asking that question too. The best and honest answer is: God seems to be leading us in that direction.

While we don't claim to have any special ability to decode the movement of God, this time it seems pretty clear. In case it helps, here's a recap of how we reached this decision:

Our architects told us that we probably won't be able to occupy our new space until sometime near the end of 2008- roughly 5 months.
We're in jeopardy of losing two of the spaces we use for our kids and teens each Sunday. Losing these spaces would put a serious dent in the great stuff happening for these age groups.
Our adult gatherings have been consistently full over the summer. Even with people gone each week on vacation. With the fall looming, we have no room for growth. The most troubling thing with this is that God keeps sending us new people on a weekly basis. Example: A few weeks back 19 of our 66 adults had been around CNX less than a month.
Our leaders filtered the above info and concluded that we couldn't stay status quo for the next 5 months. We pro/conned both adding a second service and moving to a new, larger space temporarily until we finish renovations at the Buck Jones bldg. For several reasons, the temporary space seemed like the best option.
Then we got picky- asking God for the ideal space (w/in 2 miles of our current spot, with great spaces for kids, amenable to a short term lease, etc.). After praying this, I fully expected to find nothing of the sort and to start planning for the less ideal "two services" approach.
Then we talked with Anne Caspar, the owner of a daycare and events hall that just happen to share the same building about 1 mile from where we currently meet. And you guessed it, she agreed to lease both facilities to us until our building is ready. We get tons of room to grow, first class facilities for kids- and a significant financial savings. Wow!
God seemed to be leading clearly. After our leaders conferred, we found that we were on the same page: God was leading. We needed to follow.
Announcing this news to our community this weekend confirmed what we had been sensing. We need to get moving!

So, there you have it. Two moves in 5 months. No big deal. As long as God is leading. And everyone is pitching in.

We'll need help getting the word out to everyone who is a part of the CNX community- including the folks we only get to see occasionally. We'll also need help moving things out of our current space and into storage by the end of August. Not to mention setting up and tearing down each week while we're in the new space. Good news- there's room for everyone!

Living Water Update

2008-08-05T16:52:00.013-04:00

Last Christmas the CNX community raised some money to help build clean water wells in Liberia. Although it took longer than expected, our giving finally paid off for folks on the other side of the globe. Here's a letter from the guy who led the trip to install the new well we helped donate. There's also a letter from a local, Liberian pastor below.

Hello Friends,

In July I went with a group of 11 young adults to Liberia with the specific intent of ministering to Yangaryah. Yangaryah is a remote village (it took two days of travel to even reach the village), but the both my group and the people of Yangaryah were excited about what God would accomplish during this trip. By God’s grace, much was accomplished. Most importantly, we installed our very first well with a solar-powered pump. The estimated cost of this unusual well was $10k, and I wanted to confirm with you that 100% of the generous donation from your church supported this much needed pump.

Besides being able to provide this village with a constant supply of fresh water, our group had much time to minister to the spiritual needs of the people. Within the past year, the Jesus Video has been translated into Gola, which is the native language of most tribes in the area. Besides the wonder of viewing a movie, the ability to hear and understand the film in their native tongue is truly sensational. News of this “wondrous” event spread quickly, and we were able to show the video to large crowds five times! Many decisions were made for Christ. We also performed four medical clinics and repaired two other nearby pumps that had been damaged. Your donations made a physical and spiritual impact on these lives. Please continue to pray for this village.

This past weekend, we received an email from a Liberian pastor in that area. Pictures are also attached from the July trip. Please let your congregation know that they have made a great impact for Christ in Liberia!!

Roland

Email from Pastor Sam:

Roland,

I visited Yangaryah a week ago, and the people fance the water pump.

They also fance the solar including the pump. The leadership also put in place

security system to keep watch. The people of Yangaryah are so greatful to God, and

the Water of Life family for such a gift. CRCA also say thanks for your good work.

Pastor Sam

7/31/08

God's Name Tag(s)

2008-07-31T13:51:00.007-04:00

Recently the Connections' community was discussing what it meant to live and pray this line from the Lord's Prayer:

"Hallowed Be Your Name"

We concluded that we honor God and His Name when we thank Him for who He is and what He has been doing in our lives. To get more hands on with this we grabbed some sticky name tags and used them to write things that would hallow God's name. Here's a summary of the words of thanksgiving or titles for God that came out of our hearts:

God who is loyal, giving and patient
Thank God for what you have done for my family.
I love you.
God of Love
God the Provider
God of patience, love and forgiveness
God of new beginnings
Love, friendship and the sunshine
Entrusted
Ordering/Directing
God of love, friendship and family
God you are so good to me
God you are my all in all
Thank you for life, experiences and people who surround them
Thank you for the life you have given us
Salvation
Majestic Creator of all Beautiful Things
Provider
Thank you for being my father and making me feel loved no matter what
Guide and Affirmer
Faithful One
God of guidance
God who is always faithful
God is good to me because he changed my life
G-d my protector and my provider
Thank you Lord for providing us with a home
Strength
Thank you not just for providing but for satisfying my life
My Healer
Thank you for being my provider and for your mercies
Thank you for providing for my family
I want to thank you for giving me life and a family that loves me
God of Love
Eternal, Perfect, Holy One, Abundantly Patient
God of family
Thank you for loving me and always giving me the chance to come back and make it right with you
Thank you for my daughter
Thank you for family and friends
Thank you for giving me the courage to grow spiritually
Our Father In Heaven
God who is Creator and Lover of all creatures and things He has created
God of provision
God is love
Thank you God for your love Grace & Guidance
Thank you for being my protector
God who listens
God of faithfulness
Independence & Dependence
Thank you for being the God who never leaves
Thank you God for giving me strength to keep going
Comforter
God who never changes
God of Creation
Thank you for loving and providing
God of Safe Passage
God who provides for all of my needs
God of Grace

How about you? If you were to write a name tag for who God has been in your life lately, what would it say?

Joy for sharing

2008-07-28T11:25:00.002-04:00

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

What a wonderful gift to the world this guy's (kinda goofy) little dance is! I love seeing the interaction he attracts and the impromptu micro-communities he joins or creates. If I saw him, I would totally get out and dance my own little (really goofy) dance.

Tearing Stuff Up

2008-07-16T15:05:00.011-04:00

For a few years now Connections has had a dream to have a physical space that we could share with our neighbors to bless them. A couple of weeks back we signed a lease on a new facility. Now we're starting to clean it up. Last Friday about 14 of us got together to do some demo. We got off to a great start- taking down mirrors and pulling up flooring.

But there's still plenty to be done. We'll be having a work party this weekend as well. We're planning 3 sessions (Fri 7-10pm), (Sat 8-Noon) & (Sat 1-5pm) and will have a variety of projects available (from light cleaning to heavy demo). If you're willing to lend a hand, contact Kevin Campbell (kcampbell58@gmail.com). Also, here's a list of the tools we think may be helpful this weekend. Let Kevin know what you might be able to bring with you:

window scraper/razor
digging bars
utility knives (carpet knives esp.) w/ lots of spare blades
phillips and flat head screwdrivers
cro-bars
wonder bars
water cooler and cups
pliers
different sizes of wrenches
heavy duty large trash bags
floor scrapers
wheelbarrows
step ladders
large floor/box fans

4th of July Picnic Update

2008-07-03T08:34:00.003-04:00

Here's the latest status on the picnic for the homeless that our friend Hugh is planning. There's still plenty of room for you to help out if you'd like. Give Hugh a shout!

Dear Friends,

Well, our picnic on the 4^th of July is coming together. I have had a lot of response and a lot of people offering to help - thank you all!

This email is to let you know where we are, what we are still missing and how you can help. Many of you have asked for a list of things that are still needed.

Time & Place

Just so you all know, we will be setting up at about 3:30pm on the Person Street side of Moore Square in Downtown Raleigh. We hope to start serving about 4:30pm, but would like all the food to be there by 4pm so we can rush and buy whatever we lack.

Things we still need to have someone bring:

GRILL: we have one grill lined up, but we need at least one more. If you have a propane grill we can borrow, let us know. If we have to, we can get someone to come pick it up, but if you could deliver it, that would be just awesome.
HOT DOGS: We have several hundred committed to, but we could use a few hundred more. I have been told that Lowe's foods has them on special, buy one get one free. If you can bring hot dogs (please bring the all beef ones, not the mystery meat pink ones), let me know how many you are bringing.
Buns: We MAY have a source for these, but if not, we will be buying buns on Friday. If you can bring buns, let me know how many you are bringing.
Condiments: Mustard, relish, ketchup. Squirt bottles would be easist.
Watermelon: Again, some are coming, but we are lacking about 10... if you can bring one (or more) let me know.
Chips: We need 200 small bags of chips, assorted. They are available by the case fairly cheaply at Costco.
Some more baked beans. I have beans for 100 committed, with some more that may be on the way. I really need to have some assurance on the beans and hot dog counts... we can run out of almost anything but these.
Cash: If we don't get enough donations and food, we will be buying stuff out of pocket. The pockets are pretty slim... if you want to drop off some cash to buy food with, or a gift card to a local grocery or whatever, please email me asap about where we can meet. A few have done this already - Thank you!

Things we have plenty of (I think)

Paper products (plates, napkins, cups,etc.) If you are bringing these, please remember plastic forks and black trash bags.
Lemonade - again, we have plenty committed.

Cool things to bring:

Frisbee
Wiffle Ball
Guitar

The Salvation Army has confirmed that they will not be feeding that night (they had considered it, but with us setting up they decided not to). Therefore, these folks are counting on us... not counting those of us who are reading this email, we can expect about 175 or so homeless and poor to eat with us... with all of us, I am thinking maybe we will be feeding as many as 200-225.

Please email me with specifically what and how many of whatever you are bringing, so I can be sure of what I have before I go to the grocery Thursday night.

Thanks for everything, and God bless you all.

Love Wins. Always.

Hugh Hollowell

http://lovewinsalways.org

Have 4th of July Plans???

2008-06-26T14:35:00.003-04:00

What better way to celebrate the freedom that we enjoy and a day off than to use it to love and serve some folks in need. Hugh Hollowell, leader of "Love Wins", is organizing a picnic for the homeless in Moore Square that day and he's looking for help. Check out the info below and contact Hugh if you'd like to get in on this thing.

Dear Friends,
A lot of you have wanted to know some practical ways you can help in our mission of loving the poor, homeless and destitute of Raleigh, North Carolina. Here is your chance.

At 4pm on the Fourth of July, 2008 we are going to have a cookout in Moore Square (click here for a map) in Downtown, Raleigh. There will be hot dogs, baked beans, watermelon and soft drinks and much more (we hope, anyway). If somebody could bring some guitars and such, that would be pretty cool too. We are going to be on the Person St. side of Moore Square, across the street from the Salvation Army.

Some of you just read that and thought "Awesome!" Others read that and thought "Why would we want to do that?' For the later group, I detailed some reasons why on this blog post on our humble website.
If experiencing the Kingdom of God with some really cool folks this Fourth sounds like something you would like to be a part of, we need lots of food and help to pull this off. Right now, this is a preliminary list of things we need. If you can provide any of this, give me a shout back.

Tables, probably three of the folding type you see in church basements.

A big grill. Propane would probably be best. We will probably feed about 100-150, although seriously, I have no idea. On a give Sunday, we will feed this many, so it may even be more, given that ya'll reading this letter are going to come out as well, right? I am hoping for 200.

Hot dogs. Don't get the scrawny pink hot dogs, ok? Remember that we are literally feeding Jesus here (the last half of Matthew 25, if you doubt me), so let's get the all beef jumbo franks that you would feed your family. In addition, some of the street people are from a culture that does not eat pork, so we do not want to be exclusive. Everyone can eat together in the Kingdom of God.

Hot Dog Accessories. This would be buns, mustard, ketchup, relish, etc.

Baked Beans. There will not be any where to plug in your crockpot. We will be without electricity. I would ask at least some of you to bring vegetarian beans as well, for the same reasons mentioned above.

Small bags of chips. You can get big boxes of these for not much money at Sam's, Costco and the like.

Watermelon. What is a picnic without watermelon?

Accessories: Plastic forks and spoons, paper plates, salt and pepper, serving spoons, knife to cut the watermelon, napkins, tin foil (in case folks want to take a plate home), all the plastic grocery bags you can spare (like the ones you get at Wal-Mart or Kroger when you check out), paper cups (12oz ones are best).

Cooler: I am thinking a big cooler with lemonade. It will be much cheaper than soft drinks, not to mention easier to prepare and more...picnicy.

If you cannot bring anything, bring yourself and your appetite. Of course, money is always appreciated to help defer the costs and to support our ongoing work. This is a great opportunity to show some folks who get little respect the love of God in the way of Jesus.

I really hope we can get a large turnout for this. If you can come, send me a return email with how many folks you think you will bring (husband and 3 kids, say) and which, if any, items on the list you can bring. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
By the way, if you belong to a church or other house of worship, a Sunday school class or other small group or just know other people who may be interested in coming out and having fun and food with us, PLEASE forward this email to them, would you?
Love Wins. Always.
Hugh

http://lovewinsalways.org

Why We Love Hugh @ CNX

2008-05-22T11:08:00.004-04:00

Our little church community has the privilege of partnering with Hugh Hollowell in his mission to love the homeless in downtown Raleigh. If (like us) you're concerned that too many churches focus on themselves and forget about the people all around them, then you'll probably vibe with Hugh. Below is his latest update- which includes a few great stories and a link to his website. Take a peek.

Dear Friends,

One question I get asked a lot, especially by those in traditional churches, is about my statistics. How many people I work with get off the street, how many get sober, how many get 'saved'. I have to tell you up front; I have crummy statistics. But I am OK with that because I have some awesome stories.

Like the young couple I was talking to right after they heard her mother was in the hospital with heart trouble and they had no way to get home (200 miles away) to be with her. They are upset and crying and depressed and really pouring it out to me. While we were talking, an 'evangelist' pressed a tract in her hand and told her that if she gave her life to Jesus, he would change her life. As a result of that day, that couple and I have an ever increasing bond that has led to them making serious changes in their life. That evangelist saw a statistic, but that couple and I have a story.

Or the guy who braved the snow to visit my friend Renee in the hospital, bringing a collection of fruit, peanut butter sandwiches and crackers he took up from the other homeless. When I scolded him for coming, he looked me in the eye and told me, “Hugh, all my life I have not been worth much. I have been in and out of jail, in and out of rehab, in and out of relationships. I am 38 years old and you are the first person my whole life to ever tell me they are proud of me. I love you, man. I am here for you.” All those Social Workers saw a statistic, but he and I have a story.

There is the lady who had to leave her husband because liquor was destroying her life and he refused to quit when she did. She moved into a small hovel owned by a slumlord where she could barely pay the rent. When ends did not meet one month, the landlord filed eviction papers. I went to court with her and all the money but $50. The statistics said we did not stand a chance, but when she showed up in court and he did not, we got the eviction overturned and bought a few more days to raise the money. Now she is still in her house and still tells her friends the story of when she and I went to court.

Stories, not statistics. Names, not numbers. Meals, not metrics.

You see, we operate from this crazy premise we see in the teachings of Jesus that love, once given, spreads and grows (sorta like yeast, or a mustard seed...) and takes hold and, in small ways and in incremental bits, works to change us, then each other, and then, the world, working towards truly making it on earth as it is in heaven.

The way it happens is not through statistics but through stories shared over a plate of food, on a walk through the park together, sitting with them in the living room while a loved one dies in the bedroom. It takes being there.

You guys bless me incredibly by allowing me to be out there, touching lives and building relationships with people the world has written off but God has not. That you support me in doing that with your prayers, your time and your money mean more to me than I can ever say. Because of you, some people who have reason to have a low opinion of the church get to feel what the love of Jesus feels like.

Love Wins. Always.

Hugh Hollowell

http://lovewinsalways.org

Here We Go Again...

2008-04-24T16:27:00.002-04:00

Yes, it's true. We have a very strong lead on a new space.

Yes, it's the one you've seen before. (Click the "view all images" button.)

Yes, we all need to pray.

Is this the end?

2008-04-02T10:05:00.005-04:00

The online British newspaper The Guardian recently published an article called This is the End, which chronicles the making of an incredible set of black and white photographs taken by German photographer Walter Shels and his partner Beate Lakotta. The photos are arranged in pairs, one taken just before the subject died, and one just after; they are accompanied by short interview-based captions that reveal a bit about how each person experienced their impending death.

The photos are beautiful, poignant, and astonishing. Like the photographer, I found all my fears related to death bubbling to the surface as I stared into the faces -- some peaceful, some angry, all serious -- of his subjects. I wondered how the bodies had been prepared for the photo session. I wondered how I would have reacted as a photographer, an interviewer, or the person interviewed. I marveled at the subtle differences in the pairs of photos. I drew out my understanding of death and examined it once again. And most of all, I thought about God's role in this.

When I went to Digg, a prominent social bookmarking site, to give the photo set my vote of approval, I was drawn in to the strong reactions shown in the comments. A few of the commentors reacted with poor jokes, profanity, and irritation. Some commented on the mystery surrounding the photos and our reaction to them. Many were moved, many frightened. But the reaction that interested me the most was the one in which a conservative Christian used the comments section to preach a short, bible-thumping sermon to all the viewers.

Digg members have the ability not only to vote approval/disapproval on internet articles and sites, but they also register their approval/disapproval to other people's comments. The user called "Indyanna" who posted the sermon was by far the most disliked, drawing a spate of negative "diggs" and comments. Even I was frustrated by Indyanna's inability to understand the situation and respond appropriately.

So I began to think: What would be the best way for Jesus people to talk about this on the internet, in the middle of the whirl of fear, discomfort, and anger that frequently surrounds the topic of death and dying? There's by no means an easy answer. But my first thought is that maybe we should have less to say and more to do. Maybe Jesus people are called to listen before we storm in with our sermons. Listen, sympathize, and really strive to understand where people are coming from. And maybe we've done so little of that over the years that I can't formulate a second step yet.

Go and view the photos yourself. What do they bring up for you? I invite you to share your comments here. I will be honored to listen.

Confession (Good Friday)

2008-03-21T22:03:00.000-04:00

Easter is pretty nice event- whether you consider yourself a Christian or not. Spring is right around the corner. Family meals are planned. Eggs are dyed. Chocolate bunnies are beheaded. Once-a-year treats are gobbled up. (Peeps, Robin Eggs, mint M & M's or Cadbury Eggs anyone?) Maybe we even throw in some lillies, new clothes and a nice church service in there too.

But there's a darker side to the Easter holiday for those who are interested in Jesus- Good Friday. The joy of the empty tomb only comes courtesy of suffering and death. The idea that "Jesus is Alive" means what is does because Jesus was once dead and gone. Although we may not usually pay much attention to this part of the Easter season, it gives us some great opportunities to reflect, confess and maybe even grieve. Of course, getting into those modes don't happen automatically or easily for all of us.

With that in mind I wanted to share a song with you that's helping me move in that direction. Here are the lyrics. For a fuller effect, listen to a preview of the song (track 8) or download the full monty for 89cents HERE.

Let’s Confess It
Words and music by Brian McLaren, 2007
Let’s confess it: there’s a lot of evil, lust and greed in our world. Oppression and sin build up pressure within until there’s an eruption of corruption. Beneath the skin, we skid and spin in spiritual crisis where vice is the norm, and justice, kindness, humility, and civility are all too rare.

Unaware of our despair, we smile in denial and say “It’s all OK. No need to change, no need to grow, just have another drink or smoke, tell another joke, and don’t think or rethink. Make another buck, with some luck you can buy a bigger house, store more stuff, drive fast, look good, keep up.”

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Meanwhile, addiction, rejection, and a lack of reflection spawn friction, dejection and a loss of direction. Every family, community, and nation are shaken. Creation’s resources are carelessly taken. And pollution scars every ocean, mountain, breeze, and shore, with visible symptoms of our inner war.

We’re all victims. We’re all villains. We’re stuck in the web that we spun ourselves. But God lights a spark of hope in the dark to help us cope with all that’s wrong and needs to be made right. God has come into all our pain, shame, and loss through the cross, and calls us to a path of life, love, purpose, and peace.

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.

If we humble ourselves to believe and receive, a river will flow and a candle will glow in a secret sacred place within us, very deep, where we have been wasting in shadows, halfdead or half-asleep. We’ve been falling in a vicious viral downward spiral that leads to death. Let’s wake up, hear God calling, take a deep, fresh breath.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

“We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and please forgive, that we may finally and fully learn to live in dignity and unity, integrity and harmony, delighting in your will and walking in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.”

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

May each of us realize and confess the mess that we're in and seek that mercy and restoration that Jesus offers us.

Happy Good Friday

That's Enough...

2008-02-26T15:47:00.006-05:00

If our culture had a favorite word, it might be the word: MORE.
More food, more money, more square footage, more cup holders, more channels, more memory, more features. Yes, I'll take them all please!

More isn't always a bad thing, but lately I've found myself missing the word "enough". Most of the time I only say "enough" because I can't afford or justify more. Whatever happened to my ability to be content with some, but not all that I could have? And should we even begin an honest discussion on wants vs. needs?

Why am I asking these questions? Because I am (hopefully appropriately) alarmed by Jesus' assertion that money and stuff are constantly competing with God for my soul- and that only one of the two can really win.

So, I'm trying to build the practice of "enough" into my life as a safety valve. Just because I can afford something doesn't mean I have to. One small example in my personal life is my computer bag. When I got a new computer last fall, I quickly started searching for a new bag to go with it. You know- to protect the investment. And to make me look hip- and not too businessy or geeky. (Which I realize is a lot to ask from a computer bag.) I narrowed the options and was about to order my first choice when I stopped to pack for a trip. There inside my suitcase was an old, tired messenger bag. I took this as more than a coincidence. Here was an opportunity to say "enough". I could afford a new bag and justify it. But I didn't have to have it. One neoprene laptop sleeve and 5 months later, my computer is doing fine. My hip factor is unchanged. But my soul feels the tiniest bit freer.

"Enough" is growing on me. A couple of weeks ago we bought a car. After we settled on the model we wanted, we had to decide on the trim level. Although we planned on buying the base version (which has almost every option you could have added to a car 10 years ago), I found myself wondering if we "needed" to move up a trim level or two. More was raising it's ugly head- and I was cooperating. Then my wife stepped in. She said "enough" and we went home with the base model. Since this was her vehicle, I'm glad she made the call. As her husband, I want to provide her with more. Maybe "enough"- and the blessings it brings- is more important sometimes.

So, how about you?
Ever notice the constant pull of "more" in your life?
What- if anything- do you do with that?
Do you intentionally use the practice of "enough"? If so, when/how?
Use the comments feature and share your perspective.

Everyone Is An Atheist...

2008-02-05T23:10:00.000-05:00

No, not in the technical sense, but most everyone has some version of God that they don't believe in. In fact, I've heard a couple of different folks suggest this was a helpful way to journey alongside people who say they don't believe in God. Invite them to tell you about the God they don't believe in, because chances are you don't believe in that version of God either.

This past week I was at a worship gathering of people who are trying to follow the ways of Jesus and we sang a song called "I Am An Atheist". Here are the lyrics

Atheist
Words and music by Brian McLaren and Aaron Strumpel

I am an atheist when it comes to the god of violent jihad.
I am an atheist when it comes to the lord who converts by the sword
I am an atheist when it comes to the mission of politicians using religion as ammunition.

I believe in you - the artist of trees and galaxies
I believe in you - the poet of oceans and rivers and streams
I believe in you - the god of compassion who calls us to action
I believe in you

I can’t believe what they believe but I believe in you
I can’t believe what they believe but I believe in you

I believe in you - majestic designer of space and time
I believe in you - composer of beauty and music of life
I believe in you - the holy forgiver and wild reconciler
I believe in you

I am an atheist to the gods of the greedy ignoring the needy.
I am an atheist to the gods who make others torture and suffer
I am an atheist when it comes to the view of the chosen few, who judge and condemn
all who differ them

I believe in you ... mighty in meekness and gentle in power
I believe in you ... the word who has spoken good news to the broken
I believe in you ... transcending mystery, with us in history
I believe in you

You can hear a full version of the song HERE.

How would you write your own verse(s) to this song- either describing the God you do or don't believe in?

Space to Pray Over

2008-02-04T13:00:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of the new space we are praying over. It's certainly not a "done deal" and we continue to seek God's guidance. Will you join us in bringing the matter before God?

Sparks Fly...

2008-01-20T11:25:00.000-05:00

I grew up loving movies. Probably had something to do with the fact that my folks were early adopters of cable tv, movie channels, and the VCR. (We had both VHS and Beta formats with hundreds of movies recorded, organized and cataloged. Yes, one of my parents could be described as a tad obsessive.) Aside from the entertainment factor, I was drawn to films because they allowed me to experience worlds beyond my own. Movies made me feel, think, ask questions and seek dialogue.

At one point, I was in danger of losing this tinder that sparked so much thinking and conversation in my life. Shortly after I started following Jesus, I began limiting my intake of art to the stuff labeled "Christian", believing that this would make God happy and protect me from negative influences. (The latter might have happened to some extent, but I'm not sure about the former.)

Fortunately, I eventually came to my senses and began to think that all truth and beauty really belongs to God and that almost any source can serve as a conduit. (Case in point- the story of Balaam's ass.) So, if we go to the movies together, you'll know I liked the film if I start bombarding you with questions and wonderings before we even make it to the car. I'm not exaggerating, this really happens- just ask my wife, Jen.

The debrief torrent hit her as we stepped into the parking lot after seeing JUNO last week. For me, this film opened the door for reflection and discussion on a slew of real life issues: teenage sexuality & pregnancy, abortion, infertility, consequences, disappointment, materialism, divorce, parenting, commitment, image management, judging others, being yourself, forgiveness, trust, real love, suburbia, etc.

I'd highly recommend it, especially if you have pre-teens/teens or work with them in any fashion. If you want to know more about why I heart Juno, read the full review on my personal blog.

So, how about you? Seen Juno or another good movie lately?

Where do you catch regular glimpses of beauty and truth?

What serves as your tinder- sparking insights and questions that lead to reflection and good conversation?
(Hint- use the comments feature!)

To Write Love On Her Arms

2007-12-30T14:28:00.000-05:00

Recently Lance saw a young man with a tee-shirt bearing the inscription "To Write Love On Her Arms." It was so unusual that he looked it up on the internet, and found the story of a remarkable group of young people who became friends with a 19 year old woman who was depressed and addicted to cocaine, and how they used rock and roll and lots of love and compassion to help her.

This is a video of the young woman herself: Renee has a powerful story to tell, and so does To Write Love On Her Arms (definitely take time to read Jamie's version of this story on the site). This is a picture of the church rising, and God's hope being made real.

Click to comment and share where you have seen Jesus People bringing hope to life.

Our Advent Conspiracy: A Well for Liberia

2007-12-21T13:59:00.000-05:00

Come be a part of this incredible Christmas gift! We're a part of the Advent Conspiracy, working with Living Water Carolinas to build a well in Liberia. Our team will go to Africa in February 2008, so we are working to get the money raised now. A small-capacity well costs about three thousand dollars to build. Our team also trains the people in the village to maintain and repair the pump system so that everything remains functional.

Checks can be made out to Connections Church, marked "For Liberia" and mailed to PO Box 4401, Cary, NC 27519-4401. Or get directions and join us here on Christmas Eve at 7 pm and bring your offering as we share in worship together.

Secret Actions and Addictions

2007-11-01T14:06:00.000-04:00

by Alicia Hemphill

Dictionary.com provides the following as the definition of “addiction.”

1. Being abnormally tolerant to and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit forming.
2. An abnormally strong craving
3. (Roman Law) A formal award by a magistrate of a thing or a person to another person (as the award of a debtor to a creditor); a surrender to a master.

Under Roman Law, addiction was the justification for slavery.

If you are addicted to something, you are its slave. If you are doing things in secret, then they are a type of addiction. If your secret is a one-time action in the past that you are not willing to talk about with even one other person, you’re just as enslaved as someone battling a drug addiction right now. You’re dealing with the same issues of fear and shame. If your secrets are more thought-related the same principles apply. Whether you’re battling actions or thoughts, this topic is for everyone.

How do addictions begin?
To understand how we can get free from the shame of our secret actions, it’s helpful to understand how we end up addicted to them in the first place. Scientists have identified 5 stages of addiction. Let’s use a pornography addiction as an example.

1. Learn mood swings – Since porn is readily available and the Internet makes it absurdly easy to access, initial exposure can happen at almost any age. The person realizes that engaging in this activity creates a thrill.
2. Seek mood swings – The person begins to use illicit materials to regain that same rush, in order to feel alive and positive and energized. Or it might give them a way to calm down or feel comforted when they are under stress.
3. Early dependence – Viewing porn becomes the primary or the only method the person has to deal with stresses or disappointment. For many, it becomes a reward. The thinking becomes, “Hey, I worked really hard this week. I’ll just look for a minute.”
4. Use to feel normal – Using pornography now becomes an everyday, common occurrence. If they try to quit, they feel horrible, often jittery, anxious, irritable. In order to feel good, or even OK, they need to use.
5. Escalate – After a while, looking at the same old pictures, the same old sites start to lose their thrill. As the person becomes desensitized to what they are seeing, they will seek more explicit and more graphic images.

What happens as a person progresses through these stages of addictions is that they get into a vicious cycle. Their addiction/actions become a part of their identity. They try to quit and fail, multiple times. This causes the person’s self esteem to plummet. Then the addict begins to view a threat to their addiction as a threat to them as a person. They may also begin to lose money, jobs, friends, family and finally, freedom, and maybe their life to their addiction. And of course, the addict will ease the pain by getting their next fix, which begins the cycle again.

How do we find hope in the midst of pain and fear and shame?

Confession – You need to tell.
Proverbs 28:13: He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

When you admit to God that you are doing something you know isn’t God’s best for you, you’re not surprising Him. When you pray, “God, I’m addicted to alcohol,” or “I can’t stop hitting my child,” He is not scandalized. It’s not news to the One who sees what you do in secret. When you confess something to God, you agree that you are no longer lying to yourself about that issue. That’s why the writer of Proverbs said the one confessing would find mercy. God knows that telling Him is the first step toward freedom. And, freedom from the bondage and pain of sin and shame is what God wants for each of us.

The next step is to tell one or two people you know you can trust. AA has a saying. “Every time you tell someone your secret, its power over you is cut in half.” When you share your secret with another trustworthy person, your shame isn’t doubled. It’s halved.

James 5:16 says “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

Galatians 6:2 says “ Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”

Absolute trust and confidentiality is a requirement here. This is something you don’t discuss with ANYONE, even your spouse. And, this is no time for judgment or accusation. When Paul said to bear one another’s burdens, he was talking about helping another person with a load too heavy to bear alone. Secrets are the heaviest things we carry.

Community – You need company.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

The man I chose to marry was abusive. When I finally found the courage to admit what was happening, my pastor and my therapist were great. Both encouraged and affirmed me. Both were extremely knowledgeable about domestic violence. I defied the odds and left that situation never to return.

But, honestly, their role in my becoming healthy enough succeed was secondary. The primary source of community, my encouragement, accountability, information, and acceptance was an online community of people dealing with abusive relationships. I’d read their stories and think, “That’s MY story!” I wasn’t the only one. I wasn’t alone.

Cope – You need to replace your bad habit with a healthy alternative.
Secret actions and addictions become coping mechanisms. When you eliminate the unhealthy actions, you need to replace them with healthy alternatives. This is where a community of support can be invaluable.

For most of us, there are two components. First, the physical motions associated with our secret actions often have a power of their own. My friend Terry, who struggled with an alcohol addition, began to feel calm the moment he opened a beer can – before he even took a sip. In some cases, you might need medical intervention to break the physical dependency.

The second component is the emotional/coping aspect. To succeed, you must develop healthy ways to cope with the reasons you became addicted or secretive in the first place. This might mean introspection, talking in a small group or therapy. This is much harder work and might take a lifetime of diligence.

Conquer – Prepare for the best and plan for the worst.
If you are going to overcome your secret actions, you have to be the one to make the decision that you no longer want to be enslaved to your habit. Excuses like, “This is the way I am,” or “I know others have quit, but my life is just so stressful? Difficult?” have to be canned. In your own strength, you probably will not be able to change.

The good news is…God has promised to walk with you and give you the power you need to overcome your habits.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. Jeremiah 29:11-14

I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

Will you have setbacks? Almost certainly. But, if you are truly seeking to be set free, God promises that He will set you free. That is what He does. That is who He is.

Everything Must Change

2007-10-04T15:12:00.000-04:00

Conversations around the idea of Global Christianity are BIG in the universe right now. I just watched Brian McLaren's promo video for his new book called "Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope".

Brian says of this book: "This book... asks two essential questions: What are the world's top crises, and what do the life and message of Jesus say to those global crises? I spent a few years researching the global crisis literature and tried to synthesize the best thinking on the subject. I developed a metaphor to help people understand global crises - a machine with four moving parts, corresponding to the four critical crises that create so much human suffering. Meanwhile, I was studying the gospels in a concentrated way, seeking to understand how Jesus' original hearers would have heard and understood his message of the kingdom of God. The two pursuits enriched each other in ways that I will probably never fully be able to communicate. This book is by far my most ambitious project yet, and I can't imagine ever writing anything that is more important and urgent."

Something for the "gotta read" list!

Don't Defend the Faith!

2007-08-26T21:05:00.000-04:00

Instead, heal the people. God hardly needs us for protection, but the world most assuredly needs us to act as agents of Christ's hope and healing.

When I say "Don't defend the faith," I'm talking about how established Christians have this overwhelming urge, whenever a non-Christian makes a strong attack (either rightly or in error) on Christianity, to erect a defense. I spend a fair amount of time talking with people outside the church and I haven't found this to be helpful in any way, ever.

When the attack is accurate: confess
Sometimes people outside the church will tick off the reasons why they dislike God, the church, or church people, and they may be right on target. "The church is full of hypocrites," they'll shout, or "The church is responsible for some of the worst sins against humanity. Just look at the crusades, the Inquisition, and so on!" This is our opportunity to do a little confession. After all, there are these and more. The church could do well to spend more time listening to our sins and being heartbroken over them. And a sincere, heartfelt "You're right," often makes a tremendous difference to people outside the church.

When the attack is in error: wait
Sometimes the attack on God is spurious and insubstantial. Usually that means that there's something that isn't being said, an injury that goes deeper. These attacks usually turn up the greatest opportunity for healing, but you have to wait and watch for it. Sometimes you'll miss the cue, but you can count on getting another opportunity. There are still plenty of people in the world who understand very little about God.

Once the main part of the initial attack passes, you can begin to look for your friend's injury. Sometimes all it takes is making an observation, or asking a question.

I recently met a young man named Brandon. He initiated our conversation by telling me in fairly strong terms that he didn't believe in God, and that all religion was a crutch, or a drug. "Science explains everything," he adamantly assured me. Curious, I let him rant, and pretty soon the conversation took an unexpected turn. He shared with me an incident in his life in which he had treated his wife very badly. His speech slowed down some as he expressed his remorse. I knew my chance was about to arrive and started looking for it.

"Why do you feel such remorse?" I asked.

He looked at me as if I were nuts. "Because," he cried, "what I did was awful! It was a horrible way to treat her."

"How do you know it was bad?" I asked.

"I just know," he insisted.

"But how do you know?" I asked, "Science didn't teach you that. Science is impartial. Science doesn't care how you treat your wife."

He looked at me, silent for once.

This is when I knew I could offer the healing God brings. You never know if someone will accept it, but you if you can find the injury, you can always offer it.

"Science didn't make the world," I said quietly, "God did. And because God is good, and we are made in God's image, we're hardwired to know the difference between good and bad. Maybe that's how come you knew that you had treated your wife badly."

That was it. That was the end of my speech. For someone as angry and dismissive of God as Brandon was, I didn't want to bombard him with God talk, and he didn't ask. But in the end, the edge was gone from Brandon's anger, and I think he left with a new idea to mull, an idea which is pretty radical for him, and one which has the power to bring healing to his relationship with his wife.

Whenever I hear someone building walls around themselves or their faith (or lack of faith) I always wonder who or what they are trying to keep out. Jesus was more of a wall-remover than a wall builder, and our faith isn't a city to be defended from attack. It's a light to be shared.

How to get ready for your next non-defense of the faith: learn from the Master
The best way to share Christ is to know a little about him. Don't let your faith be a Sunday-only kind of thing; get involved in spiritual friendships, serve your church or find a ministry you can be a part of. Be a part of a small group or find a prayer partner. Read the great Christian leaders. The more you actively follow Jesus, the more you will know about how he operates.

Two of the tools Jesus used most to heal people were his ability to listen, and his well-put questions. Without being obnoxious, he was able to uncover what people didn't know about God. And when a person was vulnerable, he didn't rush to exploit, or crow about his superior way. Instead he invited people to join him on the journey and experience the peace and healing of living in harmony with God.

Keeping the Back Door Open

2007-08-02T10:36:00.000-04:00

by Lisa Creech Bledsoe

The more I place myself on common ground with people outside the church, the more our language inside the church strikes me as strange, or even scary. I was at a state conference of pastors and leaders and heard an entire presentation centered around churches working to "close the back door." When did the language of “closing the back door” show up in the church, and why? How did the notion of drawing people into our communities, and then locking all the exits, become standard operating procedure?

Does the church have something that we think might be stolen or vandalized? Is the effort to close the church’s back door driven by a desire to make sure the institution has enough captive workers to keep profit high, loss at a minimum, or to stay in operation?

On the church’s best day I think the phrase arises out of a desire to keep people from restlessly moving from one faith community to another, consuming the best of the buffet and never really experiencing spiritual growth or exercising their faith. But the simple fact is that the mission of the local church is not to perpetuate the institution, but to make disciples of Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20), even if those disciples never become attending, contributing members of that local church. When did we Jesus-followers decide that we would only take on God’s mission if there were a direct numerical benefit to the institution or the local congregation?

Recover the Mission
The way to retake this ground starts with a very simple idea: rather than continuing solely as a “come to us” institution, the church of Jesus Christ must also become a “go to them” people.
The reality is, people don't stay in one place as much as they used to. The back door to most churches is open whether we want it to be or not. So what does it look like to be a local church with an intentionally open back door? There are several keys to creating this kind of environment in our churches.

From NIMBY to Networks
Churches with a NIMBY, or “Not In My Back Yard” attitude, feel threatened that another church near them might “steal” members which they should be getting, or undercut program attendance by offering something better.

But one of the marvelous things about an open back door is that not only do we not feel threatened by other congregations doing Christ’s work around us, we don’t have to feel pressured into having something for everyone. Instead, we are freed to see other communities of faith as a tremendous resource, meaning we can have someone for everyone, even if that someone belongs to a different congregation.

All of the leaders in our congregation take off at least one Sunday every month. Once a month I worship or lead in another community of faith. Not only do I find this deeply refreshing, but it also means we are well-networked with other churches in our area. If you look out our back door, you will see a number of well-traveled paths between these churches, and we are all stronger because of it.

From Committees to Communities
Our church is also notable for the fact that we don’t have committees. What we have are communities – small relational networks or groups where the people are friends with each other, sometimes because of age and stage (new parents), a shared affinity (music), or even because they work for the same corporation. These communities are not only doing the work of leading the church in various areas, they also grow the church. The lead pastor or teacher is not the one responsible for “bringing in new families” or “doing the follow-up on visitors,” or even providing pastoral care for the entire congregation. Instead, a community will often make the connection with a visitor, naturally doing follow-up and giving care according to their ability.

Communities have permission to be on mission, and rarely need to “run anything by the pastor.” If an individual is struggling and sends out a cry for help, our first two questions are: With whom is this person connected? What does their community need to support him or her?

And because of our open back door, we might help someone who seems consistently at loose ends in our midst to comfortably follow the many tendrils we have connected with other communities of faith in order to find the experiences and relationships which will help them grow toward Christ.

From members to missionaries
Not incidentally, we also don’t have members. But we do have people on mission. When there are multiple entry and exit points to a community of faith, the people in the church have no trouble getting out on the field with Jesus. The whole body has a flowing, breathing feel.

In one new church plant I hired a worship leader who was also an incredible baseball coach with a gift for sharing Christ with the young boys on his teams. The teams he coached sometimes played on Sundays, and rather than condemning such a league (Have you done that before? I admit I have), or refusing to allow the worship leader to lead (Have you made 100% worship attendance mandatory for church leaders before? I admit I have), we made it our practice to “send out” our worship leader on a regular basis as a missionary to the ball field. The result was win-win: our worship team grew (it had to!), and the boys heard about Jesus.

Granted, this way of living with each other is necessarily messy and largely uncontrolled, and it certainly takes work and struggle. Our church looks more like a herd of cats than a well-oiled machine. But because we try to keep so many doors and windows open, we end up with lots of growing edges!

Christ called us to gather, and we do need some definition and boundaries. Not all structure is bad. But a structure that seeks to constrict and control by closing and locking all exits may be courting disaster. Instead, throw open a window or two. Hang around a church's open back door; you may be surprised at the Friend you meet there.

I Want My 50 Cubits!

2007-06-02T14:40:00.000-04:00

By Lance Bledsoe

I recently engaged in an email discussion that began with a question about what exactly it means for a pastor to have authority. And where did this authority come from anyway?

Authority appears to have more than one form, and we began discussing a form called “spiritual authority.” This is important because – for example – one doesn’t generally have a lot of say in whether one will submit to “civil authority.” If you are convicted of breaking a law that a government has enacted, you’re probably going to suffer the consequences whether you like it or not, since governments generally have courts and jails and police to make sure of it. You do, however, have a say in whether you will submit to the spiritual authority of a particular person (e.g., pastor) or group (e.g., church or denomination). My contention is that ultimately I decide what people (or groups, or documents, etc.) will have spiritual authority over me, and how much authority they will have. Regarding pastors in particular, in any given local church the pastor may have some degree of authority over the congregation, but that pastor has authority because the people give it to him/her.

(Brief parenthetical diversion: It was at this point in the discussion that it was suggested that there might not in fact be some “biblical allotment of authority” conferred on certain people. I was so enamored of the idea of an authority allotment that I began joking that we should measure it in drachmas; it was later agreed that cubits would be a better unit of measurement.)

Spiritual authority is related to but distinct from “leadership.” In my mind, leadership is a gift (in this context, a spiritual gift) that some people have been given. Whether or how someone uses their gift is up to that person. It's also true that whether a person chooses to follow a particular leader is up to the follower, but the leader has the gift regardless. Authority, on the other hand, is primarily determined by the follower. If you decide you’re going to follow someone (e.g., listen to their advice, follow their instruction, etc.) then you have given that person some degree of authority over you. And if you decide you’re not going to follow, then that person has no authority over you.

Even Jesus was forced to suffer the sometimes annoying ability of others to deny his authority over their lives. In Mark 6, after performing some pretty impressive miracles (including raising a little girl from the dead) Jesus went to his hometown to teach in the synagogue but, “They took offense at him… He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.” It seems to me that in this case “lack of faith” is closely related to an unwillingness to recognize Jesus’ authority. While some of us might consider the healing of a few sick people to be pretty miraculous, it kind of makes you wonder what Jesus could have done in these people’s lives if they had actually recognized and acknowledged his authority.

Pass the Chicken and Beam Me Up

2007-05-22T16:17:00.000-04:00

by Matt Brown

Hey, let’s get the sauce on and then talk some God stuff, and how it may or may not relate to Star Trek.

2 cups of plain Kraft BBQ sauce
2 cups of Texas Pete
3 heaping tablespoons of frozen orange juice concentrate
3 heaping tablespoons of minced garlic
1 stick of butter

Place ingredients in a pot and simmer until the butter and orange juice are melted.

Heat charcoal. If you do not use a charcoal grill, then you should be banished from BBQ land, and you probably never really appreciated why some of us like to play with fire, but God probably loves you, so I guess you can stay.

If you are using charcoal, then watch those flames as they leap and dance out and around the Weber. Don’t tell your fireman friend, but sometimes the flames almost reach my tree in back. Anyway, as you wait for the charcoal to ash, and as you watch the smoke rise (hopefully not from your burning house or deck) you can ask yourself this question:

Ever wonder why the apostles saw Jesus “taken up into Heaven” Luke 24:50? I mean, that’s a metaphor. Jesus does not live in the sky – heaven is not in a blimp or something, so it makes me wonder: what would the ascension look like today? Now I am not saying that the ascension of Jesus did not happen, and I am not at all saying that Jesus did not go back to heaven, but what I am saying is that to the 1st century audience going up into the sky would be a powerful image. However, the 21st century audience sees stuff go into the sky all the time (small children’s balloons, heavy airplanes, UFOs, and blimps (blimps are cool). So if we saw Jesus ascend today, I think it would be more like seeing him get beamed up like on Star Trek. We would not even call it the ascension, but the beam up, or time-warp or something like that. All those paintings that depict Jesus going up on a cloud might look a lot more like an episode of Deep Space Nine or something (I’m not a geek, but I know a lot of geeks – no really, I can only name like 10 or 11 original Star Trek episodes by title).

You might say “hey that’s a stupid thing to think about” or you might roll your eyes and ask “hey is that charcoal ready yet?”, but here’s the thing that scares some people, but that I think is cool. God speaks deep truths to us in metaphor and image. Our broken and fallen language is often too feeble to even begin to touch some of the truths that God lays out for us. Our life, like scripture, is multilayered and rich with meaning. Sometimes I wonder if the people who want the Bible to be totally literally true are really afraid of the deeper meanings that they might uncover if they had to deal with its nuances.

Think about that while you watch the fire.

Now that the coals have ashed over, place the chicken on the grill (make sure to manage those flare-ups). Sprinkle the chicken with a nice dry seasoning (rotisserie seasoning works well) and cook covered for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken, sprinkle the dry seasoning again, and cover for 5 minutes. Now get the sauce.

Flip, baste, and cook until the chicken is done.
Heat the left over sauce for dipping.
Say grace.
Take no (chicken) prisoners.

Connecting the Physical and Spiritual

2007-05-16T10:09:00.000-04:00

If you read Rob Bell's "Velvet Elvis" you know how powerful his spare, elegant way of thinking and writing can challenge you to explore the God-human connection.

Sex God, his latest offering, is another such treasure. What appears to be a short, simple read will likely take you months to truly digest. It isn't a sex manual or a marriage treatise, but rather a beautiful exploration of how our physical relationships are also spiritual relationships.

Jennifer Davis recently sent me this powerful quote from the book:

You can't be connected with God until you're at peace with who you are. If you are still upset that God gave you this body or this life or this family or these circumstances, you will never be able to connect with God in a healthy, thriving, sustainable sort of way. You'll be at odds with your maker. And if you can't come to terms with who you are and the life you've been given, you'll never be able to accept others and how they were made and the lives they've been given. And until you're at peace with God and those around you, you will continue to struggle with your role on the planet, your part to play in the ongoing creation of the universe. You will continue to struggle and resist and fail to connect.

Being a Christian vs. Being Religious

2007-05-16T10:01:00.000-04:00

A quote collected by Dana Derosier from the book Circle of Seven, by Clay Jacobsen:

There is a big difference in being religious and being a Christian. Being religious is following a system of Do's and Don'ts. The Do's- go to church, read the bible, help others, pray. The Don'ts- don't drink, don't smoke, don't kill people. The trouble with religion is that it traps people into a flash sense of security that if they follow the rules, then they will somehow be acceptable to God. Christians believe that no matter what you do or how perfect you are- you still aren't good enough to be accepted by God. With other religions you have to achieve some level of perfection within yourself by adhering to their guidelines. With Christianity it's all about Grace. It's not about what you can do- it's about what Jesus did. Being a Christian is not a boring set of rules or following a fun killing religion. Being a Christian is an exciting daily walk doing our best to follow what we see out God doing.

The Worship Industry

2007-05-09T14:21:00.000-04:00

If God "provides all our needs" why do so many third world babies starve? (and more)

2007-04-26T11:43:00.000-04:00

Q. If one of the foundational truths of our faith is that "God will provide all your needs", how do we put that in context with martyrdom, God's sovereignty, the third world, and Psalm 116:15 (Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints). If we exclude life, limb, comfort, food, and clothing from this promise, what exactly is it promising? Is it only spiritual? If so, why are we considering birds and flowers (Matthew 6:28 and 10:29)?

To begin with, I probably wouldn't characterize the idea that "God will provide all your needs" as a foundational truth of our faith. When I think "foundational truths" I hear one of the ancient creeds of the church. These creeds embody beliefs like "God made the universe," "Jesus is God's son," "Jesus was raised from the dead," and things like that. And in America, the notion of "what I need" is very often at odds with the Way of Jesus.

However, to address the idea of God's provision and sovereignty, and their relationship to the third world and martyrdom, we can begin with some basics.

First, Scripture is best understood as a whole piece of fabric; not every thread can equally represent the whole. God's provision for us can be seen from our perspective (a limited kind of view) or from God's perspective (of which we only have the barest understanding). There are good times to consider the birds and flowers, as Matthew 6:28 enjoins us, and there are other times when we are overwhelmed by the sorrow and suffering of the world, and we wonder what on Earth God has in mind. In the end, God's sovereignty means that there is so much more to life, death, and life after death than we will ever understand.

We do know this: God made us creatures of choice, and since we don't always make the best choices, there's going to be a lot of brokenness in the world. Americans are overweight while Rwandans starve. God could step in and address this, and God does it all the time: ever known a young person who left a promising career in law to feed children in Thailand? Ever been a part of a church that consistently creates opportunities to collect food for hungry people? Then you've seen, or been a part of, a tiny part of God's provision.

The issue of martyrdom and God's provision and sovereignty is more complex, but we still have some handles on it. Martyrdom, when it means dying for the cause of God (people will die for lots of causes, not all of them have anything to do with God), has long been understood in the church to be an act imitative of Christ's sacrifice of his life on our behalf. My understanding of God in Jesus does not make me think he enjoys death. In fact, the resurrection shows us that he will stop at nothing to be united with us in love no matter how much death we deal out.

The fact is that Jesus had the power to kill his enemies, and chose to love them instead. He died because he refused to kill. Many Jesus-followers have found themselves in similar situations. We often have the power to kill our enemies. Very often we tie our cause to God so that it feels morally right, although how often we've discerned that correctly is up for debate.

Sometimes we don't have the power to kill our enemies, but we do have the power to deflect our own deaths or suffering. On my first day in seminary, a teacher read aloud to our class the ancient account of the martyrdom of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, much of which was written by Perpetua herself. At the end, many of us were in tears, and indeed, these two women's faith -- even unto death -- seemed deeply precious. Both of them could have avoided death by recanting their faith. They chose instead a path I can hardly fathom. In their story I see the brokenness of the world, the faith of two women (one pregnant and one a slave), and a God who inspires a kind of devotion I've never been called on to show. I come away with a different perspective on my life, and God's provision for me.

How do you know if it's God?

2007-04-26T11:32:00.000-04:00

Q. I know someone who says God spoke to her in a dream. How do I know whether it was really God?

This is a question about discernment. In knowing what is or isn't "of God," there are at least three good sources of authority you can utilize.

1. The witness of Scripture. People love, of course, to pull out specific verses that they can use to "prove" or "disprove" things, but the best way to use it is as a whole, with an emphasis on the life and ministry of Jesus. In this case, Scripture shows us that God does in fact show up repeatedly in people's dreams, visions, musings, writings, and even in person.

2. The witness of God's people. The Bible and God's continuing interaction with creation is best interpreted in the context of a community of faith. The first thing young Samuel did when God called him in a dream was to go to Eli, his mentor in the church (1 Samuel 3). A great verse that tells about discernment in the New Testament church is Acts 15:28, in which the apostles say, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us…" There's the community of faith working to know God's will in the specifics.

3. The witness of the fruit that is borne (Matthew 7:16). The great evangelist, biblical scholar and teacher John Wesley was calm in the midst of the howling going on over women preaching in his day. In the end, he simply said that women's preaching bore great fruit, and people's lives were transformed as a result of his willingness to enable women to continue their service. With regard to dreams, the question to ask is how it played out. Did the results build the Kingdom? Were lives changed for the better?

A Quote for Questioners

2007-04-17T15:38:00.000-04:00

"Be patient towards all that is unsolved in your heart and dreams, try to love the questions themselves." -- Rainer Maria Rilke

How do I give 100% of my efforts to Jesus?

2007-04-17T15:30:00.000-04:00

Q: How do I give 100% of my efforts to Jesus? There are times I feel it is so easy and other times it is such a struggle. Does the day come when everything falls in place and stays in place?

This is the constant struggle of a Jesus-follower: Can I watch the game, love my spouse, teach high school, play in a rock band, and discipline my toddler, all for God? The answer is yes, you can. There are a few really big things that can help you become fully alive in Christ (or give 100% of your life).

1. Make worship a way of life. If you try to live each day honoring God in all that you do and loving and serving creation, you'll be less tempted to box away small sections of your life that "don't count". Having Jesus as Lord means his Way is the guideline for everything you do, not just what you do on Sunday. That includes relationships, finances, mental and physical health, work, and play.

2. Be a part of a community of faith. Having other people around who are trying to do the same thing you are – follow God – is a huge help. It's a big reason why Jesus created the church, in fact.

3. Find out what your strengths are, and operate out of them. When you love and live and work primarily out of your strengths, you honor the way God made you and you live really well. So, if you are by nature and giftedness an incredibly skilled mathematician, your job as a property manager may not honor God and inspire people the way a job as an engineer might. Where natural and built-up ability, special giftedness, and personal passion intersect, there is a beautiful and holy synergy. When you get there, you can function at the center of God's purpose for you.

4. Serve. It's amazing how much service helps us understand Jesus. This is another great thing about being a part of a community of faith – we are always seeking opportunities to serve because it matures us in our faith.

And yes, there are days (weeks, months, seasons) when it seems nearly effortless. And yes, there are days (weeks, months, seasons) when it's an incredible struggle. And we mess it up plenty. The good news is that God's love for us is not dependent on or equivalent to how much we "get it right". And there's a remedy for our sin, which the church calls confession (naming our sin before God), repentance (turning back toward God), and forgiveness (being made clean again by God).

Does the Bible have relevance today?

2007-04-17T15:27:00.000-04:00

Q: The Bible is old and pretty sexist; how can it have any relevance today?

The Bible is a record of God's interaction with creation, in all creation's glory and brokenness. In other words, when our lives are broken, bound up in sexism or any other "ism", scripture reflects that brokenness, as well as the power for healing that God brings.

So, yes, it's old; God's been interacting with us since "in the beginning". Yes, you'll read about lots of messed-up people in there. And given how broken we still are (after all these years!), it's still speaks with profound relevance to our lives.

Three great quotes from today's worship

2007-04-15T18:14:00.000-04:00

"There is no point in getting into an argument about this notion of loving. It is what Christianity is all about -- take it or leave it. Christianity is not about ritual and moral living except insofar as these two express the love that causes both of them. We must at least pray for the grace to become love." - Brennan Manning, "A Glimpse of Jesus," quoted by Matt Brown in his teaching today.

"Love is so boring to people who crave controversy." - Matt Brown

"Easter was our Independence Day from sin and death." - Matt Brown (who added, over lunch, "We should have fireworks on Easter!")

“I can feel God’s pleasure”

2007-04-14T11:18:00.000-04:00

by Lance Bledsoe

There’s a great line from the 1981 movie “Chariots of Fire,” which is a dramatization of the life of the British Olympic sprinter Eric Liddell. At one point in the film, Liddell is trying to explain to someone why he enjoys running so much, and he’s having a hard time putting it into words. He finally says, “When I run, I can feel God’s pleasure.”

Anyone who’s ever been a runner, even a casual runner, knows that sometimes while running you will find that you have entered that place known as “the zone.” When you’re in the zone, everything feels effortless, and you just feel like you could run forever.

A few days ago I was running and I found myself in the zone, and I remembered Liddell’s quote about feeling God’s pleasure. It occurred to me that while Liddell was specifically referring to running, I like the quote even outside the context of running.

Liddell wasn’t so much declaring that running was somehow an especially holy or noble activity, though I suspect that for him it was. What he was commenting on was the fact that he had discovered a particular gift that God had given him, and when he made use of that gift, he knew that God was pleased. He could feel it. God had made him to run, and when he ran, he was perfectly in tune with the person God had created him to be.

I have known a number of people over the years who have discovered gifts that God had given them in different areas, some of which you might not think of as being particularly holy. Parents, teachers, artists, musicians, nature-lovers; I knew one woman who cleaned houses for a living, and she absolutely loved her work. It’s a wonderful feeling to discover a gift that God has given to you and to feel the pleasure of using that gift, not just the pleasure that it gives to you, but the pleasure that it gives to God, and often the pleasure that it gives to others.

Liddell’s comment about feeling God’s pleasure is also a wonderful way to think about being the people that God has made us to be. What gifts has God given to you, and how do you use them? When do you feel God’s pleasure?

Living Real

2007-04-03T17:25:00.000-04:00

by Cara McLauchlan

It’s time for me to start being more honest about things. Like the fact that I don’t like Starbucks Coffee. There. I said it. I know everyone loves Starbucks Coffee and how great it tastes. But I really think that it tastes like someone’s socks that have been boiled for long periods of time.

I've decided that this is going to be my “Year of the Real.” I’ve noticed that my life has slowly gathered a lot of unwelcome clutter. Things that I have not really said “yes” to, but that I have not said “no” to in an out loud way.

My life has become about keeping my options neatly packaged and hermetically sealed. I don’t know how I got so afraid. It seems to go out and claim your “Yes!” you have to be a bit naked. I have been silently closing, locking and boarding up every open door of risk for fear of something bad happening.

Thoughts of the Boogie Man, children dying in the night, robbers, house fires, IRS audits and the fact that I haven’t cleaned out my dryer lint trap fill my head every night. I have found so many things to fear. I think there is a demented place in me that thinks if I actually worry about it, I can somehow prevent it from happening.

The truth is that bad stuff happens even if we worry about it. But so does the good. And you might as well go about enjoying your stay here on earth until the Big Guy calls your number.

Which brings me to the subject of God. I think God likes to hear us speak to him in a real way – even if it’s not holy or flowery or even happy. And praying does not just happen on our knees or with the Bible neatly placed before us. I pray to God as I am driving, when I’m exercising, when I am cooking. My favorite time to pray is when I am pumping gas. I have found that because I drive a ridiculous gas-guzzler, I can create a bit of peace about it by praying for people while I fill up. I think God likes it when we include him our days, even if it’s at the gas station.

Living real can be hilarious. This week I was driving past a group of construction workers and for the 999th time they all stopped, stared and oogled me as I went by. Instead of my typical approach of feeling intimidated and averting my eyes, I did something else. I looked them all directly in the eyes and like a five-year-old I stuck out my tongue, crossed my eyes and made an absolutely ridiculous face.

They were stunned. They couldn’t believe this well-dressed, suburban woman would do such a thing. I roared with laughter as I watched their faces in my rear-view mirror.

I was real. I didn’t back down. And it felt really good.

Cara McLauchlan is really a writer that lives in Fuquay-Varina, NC. When she is not making ridiculous faces at construction workers, she is also a mommy and believes that Flavia makes the best coffee on this planet. She can be reached at cara@crankymommies.com or 919/552.1818.

Should women lead in church?

2007-03-20T15:37:00.000-04:00

Recently I had another person ask by what authority a woman could lead a church. You would think I'd have my answer down pat after 15 years of doing this. But I still don't, and as a result I started a conversation about it with friends. Here's what came out of it.

No agreement necessary
Churches don't agree on this issue any more than they agree on divorce, the virgin birth, homosexuality, the Pope, or drums and projectors in church. And honestly, most of the issues we argue and fuss about in the church are field mice, not tigers, and the forces that oppose God get a lot of mileage out of our being embroiled in them. The question of whether women should lead churches is a field mouse. You can feel one way or the other (and go to a church that agrees with you) but it is not a question which will lead to your salvation. In fact, you can get so tangled up with it that you never get on the road with Jesus.

Scripture
You know, I had the classes in seminary on the "texts of terror" so often used to keep women from leadership in the church. Paul takes both sides of the issue, depending on where you look. Jesus doesn't say anything about it, but women fund his ministry, travel and minister with him, and are consistently accepted (healed, touched, fed, loved) by him. There are powerful women of scripture who prophesy, lead, judge, and serve God's people in a multitude of ways.

Experience
I didn't grow up in a church with a model of women in leadership. My experience of being called into ministry started the first time I ever saw a woman lead a worship service; I was about 25 years old, and utterly astonished by the power of that service. A year or so later Jesus came to me in a dream (very Biblical), and invited me to enter the life he led; guiding, being in relationship with, and teaching his people. My pastor and community affirmed this call, and here I am. Were all of us wrong? Could be. And I'm okay with that. I feel ready to face God and tell how I spent my life.

Err on the side of grace
My girlfriend Alicia had this wonderful thing to say: "If I’m going to err, I’d rather err on the side of freedom to serve Christ. I think the radical freedom God offers us in Christ — some have called it scandalous — has to be more than just freedom from… Yes, we have freedom from sin, freedom from rules, freedom from fear. But, we also have freedom to… We are free to serve, free to worship without fear of God’s rejection, free to love God and other people in wild and extravagant ways. For me, that’s the heart of pastoral ministry." You can read the rest of her thoughts here.

You shall know them by their fruits
The best response I heard to my inquiry came from my friend Mary Jo, who posed (and answered) the question this way: Does God have the power to call women into ministry if God chooses? If God has the power, how do we know if God has used that power to call women into ministry? As John Wesley said (and he got it from Jesus): by their fruits.

I'm good with that.

Meet a modern-day Paul

2007-03-13T15:24:00.000-04:00

by Marty Linn

"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " Acts 20:35 (New International Version)

My perspective on the life of the apostle Paul is that he was so totally convicted by his experience of Jesus that he gave up everything to embrace a life of serving the world and encouraging everyone he encountered to follow the Way of Jesus. He became completely reliant on God for all provisions for his life and God provided it to Paul through God's people.

Recently I have gotten to know a modern-day Paul. Some of you met him when he was at Connections in February: his name is Wadsene.

Wadsene lives with his father, who was a preacher and never had much money with which to support his family. When Wadsene was a child, they sometimes had only mangos to eat for an entire week at a time. Wadsene said that growing up he understood that in order of prominence, God was first, the Haitian President was second, and missionaries were third. The reason missionaries were so prominent? They could bring their families something to eat other than mangos.

Wadsene is a US citizen but he chooses to stay in Haiti and serve his people. He is the administrator for the ministry called Horizontal Love Ministries, which offers food, medical care, and other services to elderly persons in the city of Les Cayes and south Haiti. From time to time, HLM brings the individuals they serve together. They play dominoes and other games and enjoy each other's company. When it’s time to go home, none of them want to leave.

All of the workers at HLM are volunteers; Wadsene says that he is somewhat embarrassed at times because he cannot pay them. Wadsene is actively involved in the care giving as well, and rides his bike to visit the various individuals who receive HLM's services.

He tries to have a few dollars to give when he visits someone. One time when he was visiting a 70 year old man he didn’t have any money, and Wadsene apologized for not having anything to give him. The old gentleman told him he shouldn’t apologize because just the fact that Wadsene was visiting him had changed his life. Seeing Wadsene visit, the people in his community had changed their perceptions of the older man and had begun to watch out for him and give him food. Wadsene says that even the smallest gesture or deed in Haiti is significant. Wadsene put it well: "I have a lot more than the boy with two fishes, and look what the Lord did with that!"

Wadsene was recently able to buy a small piece of land, and his dream is to build a 3 to 4 room house in which the people he serves can live.

I am grateful that Connections is already supporting this ministry but I also think we can do more. Haiti is a hidden corner of the world where this ministry may well be the only hope some people have to see Jesus. As we enthusiastically pursue growing the kingdom here, I propose we also consider doing the same there.

The Jesus Tomb

2007-03-09T10:25:00.000-05:00

There's lots of press right now around the small ossuary (bone box) that was found in the 1980's, which is now being said to hold the bones of Jesus. If you google "jesus tomb" you'll get over two million hits. The fuss is heating up because of a "documentary" (by Hollywood directors, not scientists, if that tells you anything) that will be aired to coincide with Easter celebrations. Some of the press is eagerly casting doubt on the resurrection of Jesus as a result of this dubious film, in much the same way as the DaVinci Code (which was a work of fiction) press did.

Here's a great quote from a master on the subject:

"There is more evidence that Jesus rose from the dead than there is that Julius Caesar ever lived or Alexander the Great died at the age of 33. It is strange that historians accept thousands of facts for which they can produce only shreds of evidence. But in the face of overwhelming evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ they cast a skeptical eye and hold intellectual doubts. The trouble with those people is that they do not want to believe." - Billy Graham, Peace with God  

Looking ahead to Palm Sunday

2007-03-09T10:23:00.000-05:00

"Both children and theologians were part of the Palm Sunday throng. One can only imagine that the theologians had spent a very hard morning working with old Hebrew word roots. Their scholarship was rigorous, and it left them so distracted, they never saw the Son of God when he entered the city. The children, well ... they were quite another matter. They loved Jesus and were so glad to see him coming into Jerusalem, they began to shout their uninhibited praises." - Calvin Miller, The Christ of Easter (Broadman & Holman, 2004)  

Turn-Key or Fixer-Upper: Which church is best for you?

2007-03-06T10:20:00.000-05:00

By Shane Bazer

If you are thinking about finding a new church home, you might want to consider doing your shopping with a real-estate tip in mind. The "perfect" church might not be the best spiritual investment.

In the real estate market, a house that is in tip-top shape is often referred to as a "turn-key" house. Someone else has done all the work and the only work you need to do is "turn the key" and move in. Such homes are popular, and they usually sell for a premium.

My wife and I, on the other hand, have purchased seven fixer-upper properties over the years. These homes needed "cosmetic" repairs, rather than highly qualified, skilled work. They needed new paint, flooring and fixtures; maybe a new kitchen counter or bathroom sink. We’ve put many hours of labor into our properties, and we've spent quite a bit of money on tools and supplies. Sound crazy? Let me share with you some of the benefits of getting involved with a fixer-upper:

The more work you put into a place, the more it feels like a home.
You might wonder at times if all the work is worth it, but when the job is complete you realize it was worth every bit of effort you put into it.
By doing most of the work yourself instead of paying others to do it, you discover and develop skills and talents you might not have realized you had.
By choosing your own colors and decorating schemes, you can create an atmosphere that meets your particular needs.
You have more pride in your property. You are more likely to take better care of it and want to share it with others.
And of course, the financial rewards can be substantial.

I’ve found that it’s much the same with a church. (I’m speaking of a congregation, not a building, of course.)

The more work you put into church, the more it feels like home.
You might wonder at times if all the work is worth it, but when you see how your work has touched people’s lives, you realize it was worth every bit of effort you put into it.
By doing some work yourself instead of paying others to do it, you discover and develop skills and talents you might not have realized God has given you.
By choosing your own name, styles of worship, children’s church program, women’s and men’s ministry programs, etc. you can create an atmosphere that meets your particular needs.
You have more pride in your church. You are more likely to pray for it and take better care of it and want to share it with others.
And of course, the spiritual rewards can be substantial.

If you are interested in "fixing-up" your church, make sure you aren’t doing it alone. Otherwise you will soon become overworked and burned out. Find a handful of others who see the potential and sit down together to assess the areas that need to be improved, figure out who has the skills and tools to do the job, and even consider whether you need to hire outside laborers to help.

As long as your church has the solid foundation of Jesus Christ and the leaders are supportive of the makeover project, it will be well worth it to roll up your sleeves and start making your church the glorious spiritual home it is meant to be.

Matt Answers Monster Questions: I want to read the Bible each day, but never seem to have enough time. What can I do?

2007-02-27T11:31:00.000-05:00

To understand how to start a good habit, you first have to think about other habits you have.

We have habits around things that we like to do and things that are easy for us to do. These may be good or bad habits. To start a good habit we have to use knowledge of ourselves and from that create effective patterns.

Patterns are actions that we can repeat every day and that will, over time, become habits. Here are some tips on creating patterns.

Start a pattern based on your habits and schedule:
If you are a morning person use that. If you stay up late, then use that. Do not try to shoehorn a new habit into an area of your life that will guarantee failure. If you have trouble getting up in the morning, then don’t try to get up earlier to read the Bible.

Keep the pattern going:
Do it even when you don’t feel like it and even if you don’t do it well. A winning streak matters more than the individual efforts. Maybe you have a bad day and don’t feel like reading the Bible. Do it anyway – make yourself read 5 verses – just a little bit can change your mood, or at least allow you to keep the pattern going.

Try to get the pattern to run downhill:
Think about how to make the pattern more pleasurable. Maybe involve music, going outside, another person, or some tool that helps you establish the pattern. Maybe you have a long commute each day and can get the Bible on CD to listen to in the car.

Try those things and let me know what you think. Next time, I will tell you how to make some really tasty BBQ sauce.

Matt Answers Monster Questions: How do I know when to wait for God to lead or to figure things out for myself?

2007-02-27T11:25:00.000-05:00

I think a lot of people talk about waiting to hear from God to either do what they want to do or to not do the things that they know they should do.

We are not automatons (mindless robots) waiting for the next instruction from God. We should be in a relationship with God. People who are in a relationship are in communication and will know what actions:

Enrich the relationship
Erode the relationship
Have no effect on the relationship

Often WE want what WE want and will pretend that God wants that too or that God may not have an opinion on it.

The best way to get on the same page with God is to:

Serve others: in your home and at your job.
Give your honors to God: your titles, your accomplishments, your status.
Let go of material things: Identify the thing that you value the most and ask yourself if you could give it away.
Meet with others who want to know God.
Study God’s word.
Pray.

Matt Answers Monster Questions: Why did God make us?

2007-02-27T11:20:00.000-05:00

I’ve given this a lot of thought, and when I ran out of ideas I asked my Thursday night small group what they thought. The universal sentiment was that they really don’t know either – some help they were.

However, we do know that God loves us. We know that God sacrificed a lot to save us from our sins. We also know that we are made in God’s image (though marred by original sin).

More interestingly, we know that the universe is a very large place and as beings that will live forever, we will have a lot of space to roam around in.

Many of us do not think that God made us because he was lonely. The closest thing that I can draw on is from my personal experience of having children. Karen and I did not have children because we felt lonely or incomplete. We had children as a natural outgrowth of who we are. Maybe the answer is as simple and as abstract as that.

Un-Offendable Christians! Watta Concept!

2007-02-26T19:18:00.000-05:00

"Much time is spent among Christians trying to smooth over hurt feelings and even deep wounds, given and received, and to get people to stop being angry, retaliatory, and unforgiving. But suppose, instead, we devoted our time to inspiring and enabling Christians and others to be people who are not offendable and not angry and who are forgiving as a matter of course." - Dallas Willard

Good to Remember

2007-02-08T09:16:00.000-05:00

"God has given us our ministries. We don't have to prove our worth through our ministry, and we don't have to wallow in our mistakes. You don't have to earn your place as a pastor or leader in the church." - Rick Warren

Matt: Practical Leadership

2007-01-31T11:44:00.000-05:00

I am finding that there are several practical things that one must consider when leading:

Daily and intentional prayer for those that you directly lead.
This can and probably should include the people that God has placed around you. Many of us work full-time jobs. As God's people, we carry his mission into the work place.

Self assessment.
What are your prejudices? What are the economic, social, class assumptions that you make? What are the caustic effects of nationalism, or sexism, or racism in you (if you think that you are not plagued by these things you might be in trouble)?

Building into a handful of people around you.
Who are you sharing your things with? What personal time and possessions are you letting go of?

What are you spending your money on and how do you view yourself within the American consumer complex?
Are you striving to simplify and create space for God or are you trying to fill up time and space because someone is telling you to? Leaders are watched by those they lead.

A lot of being a follower of Christ is about never being satisfied in what YOU know, and about resting in the feeling of patient unconditional love.

Lance: How to Know if it's "of God" or "of Me"

2007-01-31T09:44:00.000-05:00

I think the struggle to know what things are "of God" and what things are just "of me" is an ongoing one for everyone. We all have our ideas about what we'd like to see happen or what we think would be great, and some ideas are less God than others.

While there's no magic or easy way to guarantee that everything you do will always be of God, I've always thought the best way to increase the chances is to make sure other people are involved in it, especially other people in your "community." If you're the only one thinking about it or involved in it, you only have your perspective, and therefore your blind spots, guiding the process. But if other people have some input, it's a lot more likely that somebody will see something you don't and be able to say, "Wait a minute, what about this" or "Yeah, I did that once and here's what happened."

It's like if one (genderless) spouse wants a new Ibanez SR900 bass with Bartolini pickups and a thru-body neck and goes out and buys one without discussing it with the other (genderless) spouse, and then Spouse #2 says, "Have you lost your mind? If we don't pay the light bill this month they're going to cut off our electricity!"

And FWIW, I've always been a fan of allowing/encouraging people to "bloom where God has planted them," which for me just means working out of the gifts that God has given to them. If people aren't working out of their gifts, they're not going to be particularly effective or happy (or aligned with God) and their efforts are going to be unsustainable and, ultimately, less God than they could be.

Leading by Community

2007-01-30T16:33:00.000-05:00

In this article on leading by community, George Bullard succinctly notes seven major differences between committees, teams, and communities.

Unity Among Leaders

2007-01-30T16:25:00.000-05:00

Jesus prayed for unity among the leaders of the church; leaders must practice it so that the church might reflect it. Unity in the church is fragile and must be actively defined and cultivated...

Needs:
1. Theological agreements (define tigers)
2. Friendships
3. Staying on mission (define)

Spiritual Dangers:
1. Pride, bitterness, jealousy
2. Legalism
3. Distrust
4. Failing to correct or remove troublesome leaders

Sociological Dangers:
1. Meeting environment
2. Putting business ahead of relationships
3. Frequent turnover

Protocol:
1. Work to share understanding
2. Bring drafts, not final proposals, to be considered
3. Keep no secrets from the Board
4. Be accountable with the Board
5. Submit to the Board's authority
6. Care for each other's families

Seven Questions for Finding/Cultivating New Leaders

2007-01-30T16:21:00.000-05:00

1. Are they known and respected by the church and by outsiders to the church?
2. Are they already looked to for leadership, not by virtue of a position held?
3. Are they a functional/theological/relational fit with the other leaders?
4. Would the other Leaders consider them a "peer"?
5. Are they generous in service and financial giving?
2 Corinthians 9:11-13
Leviticus 27:30
Malachi 3:8-10
6. Are they supported in their ministry by their family?
7. Do they show the marks of a leader?

Marks of Leaders: Right Relationship with Church

2007-01-30T16:19:00.000-05:00

1. Pulls the church toward God's mission with strength and love
2. Will live a disciplined life
3. Strong in battling the forces that oppose God

Marks of Leaders: Right Relationship with Others

2007-01-30T16:08:00.000-05:00

1. Welcomes strangers, especially non-Christians
Deuteronomy 10:18
1 Timothy 3:2
Titus 1:8
2. Peaceable, not divisive
Romans 16:17-20
3. Cares for the people of the church
Acts 20:28

Marks of Leaders: Right Relationship with Family

2007-01-30T15:38:00.000-05:00

1. Faithful in marriage, celibate in singleness
1 Timothy 3:1-2, 12
2. Family well-managed; children well cared for
1 Timothy 3:4-5, 13

Marks of Leaders: Right Relationship with Self

2007-01-30T15:36:00.000-05:00

1. Mentally and emotionally even-tempered; self-controlled
1 Timothy 3:2
2. Not given to addictions
1 Timothy 3:2-3
3. Not a lover of money; finances sound
1 Timothy 6:10

Marks of Leaders: Right Relationship with God

2007-01-30T14:52:00.000-05:00

1. Not a new Jesus follower; spiritually mature
1 Timothy 3:1,7
Ephesians 4:14-16
2. Knows, employs, builds gifts to serve God's church; serving according to strengths
1 Corinthians 12
2 Timothy 1:6-7
1 Corinthians 14:12
3. Worth imitating and following
Hebrews 13:7
1 Timothy 3:2
Titus 1:6-7