Reflections on the relational nature of poverty and on relationships as the necessary ingredient for transformation:
http://povertyunlocked.com/tag/bryant-myers/
Its only about 5-6 minutes of audio.
11.25.2011
11.19.2011
It's His Table...
In communion, the table is open to everyone, but the menu is open to no one...
Anyone can come and eat what is on the table, but no one can chose, or change, what lies there. If it is Jesus that you want, then come, eat and drink; let no one bar you from the table. If it is something else, however, that you desire to consume, then no one can qualify you to approach...
Anyone can come and eat what is on the table, but no one can chose, or change, what lies there. If it is Jesus that you want, then come, eat and drink; let no one bar you from the table. If it is something else, however, that you desire to consume, then no one can qualify you to approach...
11.14.2011
Kids Ministry
I had a great conversation with Michael, a pastor from Minnesota about some of the unique challenges and opportunities we face in our context. I was sharing with him the ways in which some of the youngsters from the neighborhood can be disrupting, disrespectful, and unruly, but simultaneously our conviction that they belong in the church and that we have the joy and the duty to help them discover their unique destiny and purpose in the Kingdom.
He provided some insightful comments about the way in which we can partner with God in the lives of neighborhood kids:
"Just to get you started, we always talk about how our children are NOT the church of the future, they are the church today. That mostly throughout the scriptures God works with and calls us when we are very young. About how God want to fill them with the Holy Spirit and teach them how to deeply rely on and relate to him right now in their lives. They don't get a "Happy Meal Toy" version of God, but he is offering all of himself to our kids—and we want to make sure they get everything God is offering. About how what goes on with our kids is WAY more important than what goes on with the adults if you think for a moments about the long-term health of our church and families. I could rant on this topic for quite a while… You try it, as it's lots of fun!"
This has got me thinking about the way in which I personally relate to neighborhood kids, and the way in which the church as a whole does. I believe I have unintentionally set aside my own responsibility to them in two ways.
First, its not my calling, or my passion; I have seen youth ministry and Sunday School as something that I am not responsible for because my primary purpose and ministry is to adults. Second, because I only have limited time to spend with the kids (before or after service, or bumping into them on the street) I have felt like I don't have the ability to make much of an impact on them.
In conversing with Michael I have felt the Holy Spirit challenging me to change my perspective. First, it may indeed be true that I am called to other areas of focus, but that does not mean that I cannot still be intentional and influential with the young men and women in our neighborhood. Second, it may indeed be true that I don't always have opportunities for deep engagement with the kids, but that does not mean that I cannot be intentional and influential with the short interactions that I do have with them.
"Just to get you started, we always talk about how our children are NOT the church of the future, they are the church today. That mostly throughout the scriptures God works with and calls us when we are very young. About how God want to fill them with the Holy Spirit and teach them how to deeply rely on and relate to him right now in their lives. They don't get a "Happy Meal Toy" version of God, but he is offering all of himself to our kids—and we want to make sure they get everything God is offering. About how what goes on with our kids is WAY more important than what goes on with the adults if you think for a moments about the long-term health of our church and families. I could rant on this topic for quite a while… You try it, as it's lots of fun!"
This has got me thinking about the way in which I personally relate to neighborhood kids, and the way in which the church as a whole does. I believe I have unintentionally set aside my own responsibility to them in two ways.
First, its not my calling, or my passion; I have seen youth ministry and Sunday School as something that I am not responsible for because my primary purpose and ministry is to adults. Second, because I only have limited time to spend with the kids (before or after service, or bumping into them on the street) I have felt like I don't have the ability to make much of an impact on them.
In conversing with Michael I have felt the Holy Spirit challenging me to change my perspective. First, it may indeed be true that I am called to other areas of focus, but that does not mean that I cannot still be intentional and influential with the young men and women in our neighborhood. Second, it may indeed be true that I don't always have opportunities for deep engagement with the kids, but that does not mean that I cannot be intentional and influential with the short interactions that I do have with them.
Seeking God in the Other
I think we should be constantly looking for meaningful ways to partmer with people who are not like us. Specifically those we find opaque or useless. We do this in order to be shaped by God and used by him. After all, we are commamded by Jesus to enter into discipleship relationships cross culturally, not primarily within our own culture...
Along that vein, I came across this quote from another Vineyard pastor:
"We desire to live our lives and seek God as transparently as possible in our community. Sometimes this gives us feelings of closeness to one another, and other times this introduces tension and frustration with one another. In all emotions, we trust God is at work when we, in vulnerable trust, choose to live life oriented toward Him and toward one another."
Along that vein, I came across this quote from another Vineyard pastor:
"We desire to live our lives and seek God as transparently as possible in our community. Sometimes this gives us feelings of closeness to one another, and other times this introduces tension and frustration with one another. In all emotions, we trust God is at work when we, in vulnerable trust, choose to live life oriented toward Him and toward one another."
10.28.2011
Conviction
Conviction is:
...about what has happening, or what is happening. It is about truth, it is about illumination.
Conviction is about exposing and revealing what is in our hearts. It is specific and is for the purpose of inviting us into repentance and forgiveness. It speaks to a particular act and judges it.
Condemnation is:
...about what will happen. It is about punishment, and sentencing.
Condemnation is about shaming and punishing what is wicked. It is general and for the purpose of diminishing or demolishing the offending person. It speaks to a whole person and judges them.
10.11.2011
10.02.2011
9.15.2011
Play On
Ray Hollenbach framed part of the conversation by essentially asking 'where exactly is the playing field?'
I'd like to continue in that vein:
Just who is 'everybody?'
This is largely a strength of the Vineyard. When we say everybody, we really do mean it. We make a real effort to train and include laity in ministry; women and men, even children, people of all backgrounds and social classes. The only real 're-thinking' I see necessary at this point is in the inherent tension between 'excellence in ministry' and allowing the visibly broken to play.
I have seen new Christians, non-Christians, those with drug problems, and even those presently under the influence of drugs, all ministering in Vineyard churches in some capacity. However, there is a real attempt to prevent these types of people from engaging in 'real' ministry. We will let them hold the door (if they're pretty enough), or let them print fliers, or play the drums (if they're capable enough), but there are real boundaries we place upon just what they are allowed to do.
For the record, I am not advocating placing drunk agnostics in the pulpit, I would certainly agree that there are standards for Christian ministry. The question that must be grappled with is this: Is the bar we set for Christian ministry about 'excellence' or is it about 'health?' Do we prevent some from certain places in ministry and Church life because they are unseemly, or because they would hurt themselves or others? I contend that Scripture has no value for 'excellence in ministry' that is ultimately a cover for excluding those people who might make things slower, uglier, or technically flawed.
Our decisions to include someone in ministry should be based on whether the individual is healthy enough to step into a particular role, not whether they are skilled enough. This decision has tremendous communicative properties...
Just what do we mean by 'play?'
It is here that we must give significant energy to re-thinking current practices. We largely conceive of ministry in terms of practices and care/direction given to Church members or performed on their behalf. Ministry is preaching and teaching, ministry is playing musical instruments, administrating the needs of the church, leading Bible-studies, praying for people, even maintaining church buildings and running technical equipment, etc.
The results of such a definition is manifold, the most problematic are the two following: 1) Christians who are deeply engaged in ministry yet have little or no involvement in mission, 2) Christians who view 'real ministry' as being done by the professionals while viewing their jobs as distractions from Kingdom work. We must rethink this conception.
Play must fundamentally mean mission! Leaders should be player/coaches who equip others for ministry to the world. As a pastor I am naturally focused on the local faith community of which I am a member/leader. This must not be allowed to divert my own focus from the wider community that is the object and context for the Church's mission. This must not be allowed to 'leak down' onto the church, causing the stale atmosphere of spiritual inbreeding that is a result of a church that ministers to itself.
Play must include the entire scope of human activity. Almost all occupations can be Christian vocations. As a pastor I am resourced to take future church leaders through an equipping process. I can teach someone how to lead church activities. I am competent to teach people how to live a life of spiritual disciplines. But when it comes to the single largest fact of most peoples daily lives, I am left with one of two options for discipleship. 1) Quit your job so you can do 'real ministry.' 2) Pray for and witness to your co-workers while maintaining personal integrity at your workplace. What is largely missing is any sense of training people to view their occupations as their vocations.
Scoring Goals
It is here that the Church has the largest problem, and hence, the largest need for re-imagination. Our system rewards and reinforces a view of ministry that is largely out of sync with our stated philosophy of ministry. We say everybody gets to play, but the rules of the game, and the way in which we 'score goals' (ie incentives and definitions of success) are set up to prevent everybody from playing.
Of course this is unintentional, but still true! A 'winning' church (to continue the metaphor) is defined by characteristics that have nothing to do with 'everybody getting to play.' Because of this we simultaneously recognize a need to have everyone play, while attempting to keep the star players in the game as long as possible; in our system you can't score goals with mediocre performance.
Because of this, we give some attention to the idea of workplace ministry, but it somehow never really makes it into the playbook; you can't score goals by practicing law, or building bridges, only by proclaiming the gospel or praying for people. In short, our definition of success prevents us from implementing this value more fully. Our most essential task is to create a system of in which 'everybody gets to play' is itself one of the markers for success, is itself defined as one of the ways in which we 'score points.'
I'd like to continue in that vein:
Just who is 'everybody?'
This is largely a strength of the Vineyard. When we say everybody, we really do mean it. We make a real effort to train and include laity in ministry; women and men, even children, people of all backgrounds and social classes. The only real 're-thinking' I see necessary at this point is in the inherent tension between 'excellence in ministry' and allowing the visibly broken to play.
I have seen new Christians, non-Christians, those with drug problems, and even those presently under the influence of drugs, all ministering in Vineyard churches in some capacity. However, there is a real attempt to prevent these types of people from engaging in 'real' ministry. We will let them hold the door (if they're pretty enough), or let them print fliers, or play the drums (if they're capable enough), but there are real boundaries we place upon just what they are allowed to do.
For the record, I am not advocating placing drunk agnostics in the pulpit, I would certainly agree that there are standards for Christian ministry. The question that must be grappled with is this: Is the bar we set for Christian ministry about 'excellence' or is it about 'health?' Do we prevent some from certain places in ministry and Church life because they are unseemly, or because they would hurt themselves or others? I contend that Scripture has no value for 'excellence in ministry' that is ultimately a cover for excluding those people who might make things slower, uglier, or technically flawed.
Our decisions to include someone in ministry should be based on whether the individual is healthy enough to step into a particular role, not whether they are skilled enough. This decision has tremendous communicative properties...
Just what do we mean by 'play?'
It is here that we must give significant energy to re-thinking current practices. We largely conceive of ministry in terms of practices and care/direction given to Church members or performed on their behalf. Ministry is preaching and teaching, ministry is playing musical instruments, administrating the needs of the church, leading Bible-studies, praying for people, even maintaining church buildings and running technical equipment, etc.
The results of such a definition is manifold, the most problematic are the two following: 1) Christians who are deeply engaged in ministry yet have little or no involvement in mission, 2) Christians who view 'real ministry' as being done by the professionals while viewing their jobs as distractions from Kingdom work. We must rethink this conception.
Play must fundamentally mean mission! Leaders should be player/coaches who equip others for ministry to the world. As a pastor I am naturally focused on the local faith community of which I am a member/leader. This must not be allowed to divert my own focus from the wider community that is the object and context for the Church's mission. This must not be allowed to 'leak down' onto the church, causing the stale atmosphere of spiritual inbreeding that is a result of a church that ministers to itself.
Play must include the entire scope of human activity. Almost all occupations can be Christian vocations. As a pastor I am resourced to take future church leaders through an equipping process. I can teach someone how to lead church activities. I am competent to teach people how to live a life of spiritual disciplines. But when it comes to the single largest fact of most peoples daily lives, I am left with one of two options for discipleship. 1) Quit your job so you can do 'real ministry.' 2) Pray for and witness to your co-workers while maintaining personal integrity at your workplace. What is largely missing is any sense of training people to view their occupations as their vocations.
Scoring Goals
It is here that the Church has the largest problem, and hence, the largest need for re-imagination. Our system rewards and reinforces a view of ministry that is largely out of sync with our stated philosophy of ministry. We say everybody gets to play, but the rules of the game, and the way in which we 'score goals' (ie incentives and definitions of success) are set up to prevent everybody from playing.
Of course this is unintentional, but still true! A 'winning' church (to continue the metaphor) is defined by characteristics that have nothing to do with 'everybody getting to play.' Because of this we simultaneously recognize a need to have everyone play, while attempting to keep the star players in the game as long as possible; in our system you can't score goals with mediocre performance.
Because of this, we give some attention to the idea of workplace ministry, but it somehow never really makes it into the playbook; you can't score goals by practicing law, or building bridges, only by proclaiming the gospel or praying for people. In short, our definition of success prevents us from implementing this value more fully. Our most essential task is to create a system of in which 'everybody gets to play' is itself one of the markers for success, is itself defined as one of the ways in which we 'score points.'
8.19.2011
7.26.2011
7.22.2011
7.20.2011
Reinforced Habits
"Maybe your eating habits started at a young age. When you were good your parents may have rewarded you with candy or took you to your favorite fast food chain. You then began to associate junk food as something positive. Over time this became ingrained in your subconscious and you have continued this as an adult.
Now you treat yourself to ice cream, candy, greasy restaurants or nights of drinking every time you do well in life. Celebrations are an excuse to be unhealthy. You have to break this habit. Celebrating a positive time in your life with something that impacts you negatively is hardly a true celebration."
David Schenk
Now you treat yourself to ice cream, candy, greasy restaurants or nights of drinking every time you do well in life. Celebrations are an excuse to be unhealthy. You have to break this habit. Celebrating a positive time in your life with something that impacts you negatively is hardly a true celebration."
David Schenk
Sabbath
"The Sabbath is an act of rebellion against a world that is in rebellion against God."
David Schenk
David Schenk
7.18.2011
That's just Him
While traveling on the road of life
which is often congested with strife
If you make Jehovah Jireh
your driver
the number of accidents you incur will not be high
Those who do not read the Bible need to take heed
Because He is the God that provides your need
and if you become a rider
with Jehovah Jireh
your abundance will be great indeed
Because Emmanuel gives us grace
therefore the potholes on life's surface
maybe bad, but they serve a purpose
He's our Dad and when He hits our bod
with what we believe to be a punishment rod
But actually is an instrument of His unconditional love
Because He loved us, before we loved Him
and even though we sin
and He despises sin
He still is our best friend
Though the door to Him is narrow and satan is always trying to hit us with his deadly arrows
amd to survive the devil's attacks we must borrow
God's grace filled arrows
Because He loved us, before we loved Him
and even though we sin
and He despises sin
He still is our best friend
But why? ...because that's just Him.
-Nu Creation
which is often congested with strife
If you make Jehovah Jireh
your driver
the number of accidents you incur will not be high
Those who do not read the Bible need to take heed
Because He is the God that provides your need
and if you become a rider
with Jehovah Jireh
your abundance will be great indeed
Because Emmanuel gives us grace
therefore the potholes on life's surface
maybe bad, but they serve a purpose
He's our Dad and when He hits our bod
with what we believe to be a punishment rod
But actually is an instrument of His unconditional love
Because He loved us, before we loved Him
and even though we sin
and He despises sin
He still is our best friend
Though the door to Him is narrow and satan is always trying to hit us with his deadly arrows
amd to survive the devil's attacks we must borrow
God's grace filled arrows
Because He loved us, before we loved Him
and even though we sin
and He despises sin
He still is our best friend
But why? ...because that's just Him.
-Nu Creation
7.13.2011
Perfect Imperfection!
"These christian-themed entertainment venues need to stop using the word "church" - it clearly confuses people."
This was a comment on the event documented in the Youtube video below...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)