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A friend of mine, ChrisTiana, is involved in a really cool ministry that I wanted to highlight. It’s called NieuCommunities and it’s part of Christian Resource Ministries (CRM).

I like the concept of NieuCommunities because it’s a practical attempt to shift paradigms in cross-cultural mission from a “missionary” to a “missional” perspective.

Here’s a description of Nieu Communities from their material:

“NieuCommunities is a 42-week experience designed to help shape leaders to live-out a deep and contagious spirituality. Each year 8-12 participants join the staff at one of our sites to form a community of 12-20 sojourners who will do life and mission together for the year. They pursue God relentlessly, they allow their faith and character to be shaped in the crucible of community, they submerge into the culture around them and they learn what it takes to create communities of faith where they didn’t exist before.”

Basically, NieuCommunities uses a missional community format, along with a missional community’s values of spiritual formation, authentic community, and embedded mission, as a training program for those desiring to participate in and eventually establish missional communities.

I especially appreciate the attempt to use missional community in the context of cross cultural mission. Until now, if someone identified a personal calling to cross-cultural mission in their life, they usually pursued that call individually as a missionary, sent by a local church or a mission agency. Or, if they preferred a team-approach to ministry, they usually joined a short-term mission team, which only lasted several weeks. (There are also recent explorations of missionary networks within a country.)

NieuCommunities merges the cross-cultural calling with the missional community concept. This approach reminds me of something Chris Erdman talked about — forming missional communities that actually “explain the gospel” by the way they live.

In my opinion, this requires both a change in theology as well as a change in the practical approach. And it seems NieuCommunities is giving it a shot.

So if you are (or you know of someone who is) desiring to be trained in how to participate and develop a missional community, especially if you want to explore a cross-cultural call, then you might want to check out NieuCommunities.

ChrisTiana is in charge of setting up Road Trips. These are one- to two- week trips to one of the established NieuCommunities around the world. It will give you a chance to see the program firsthand and catch their vision.

If you’re interested, go here. There is a Road Trip to Glasgow, Scotland in October 2005 and several to either Vancouver, BC or Pretoria, South Africa or Glasgow Scotland in 2006. You can contact ChrisTiana for info at either 1-800-777-6658 ext. 142 or crice@crmnet.org.

I’m sure many of us are remembering those evacuating from Rita’s onslaught in our prayers. Honestly, as bad as southern California traffic is, I can’t imagine being stuck in gridlock like those people.

Then, I was devastated when I read this story about these evacuees from a nursing home being killed when their bus caught on fire. It seems mechanical problems caused the fire. But then the residents’ oxygen tanks began exploding. They are estimating as many as 24 people killed.

Father, please have mercy on everyone as they seek refuge from the storm. Give them patience and perseverance on the roads. Grant all of them safe travel.

Kyle Potter found this. (Click on it to read the print.) It’s a real advertisement from an actual local church. It made me chuckle and shake my head. By the way, Kyle also offers some good comments about this that are worth reading.

I’ve posted before that the company I work for, Asian Access, podcasts “Japan Stories.” These are 4-5 minute stories from our various missionaries in Japan. It’s really good stuff!

Today’s story is a really good one. It shows how God uses average people in the sometimes long process of bringing people to faith. Check it out.

Jason Clark has some good stuff about developing a missional ecclesiology. Here’s a paragraph:

“I believe that ecclessiology is our most flexible of doctrines. In other words when it comes to the mission of the church, in making disciples, that the structures we make, the places we do church have to be formed contextually. So missionaries rather than exporting a form of church to new countries, environments, form the churches indigenously, or rather some do once they see the disasters of importing church from previous missional movements.”

Right on!

Greg Teselles had a wonderful opportunity to share the emerging church with a bunch of Assembly of God pastors. His summary of the time is great.

Aaron posts a good summary of the twelve identifiers of a missional community. It seems that after Missional Church was written, many people began requesting examples of how how this looks on the ground. So the Gospel and Our Culture Network, which produced Missional Church, began studying a handful of missional churches. They published their findings in Treasure in Clay Jars. The book lists twelve identifiers that contribute to the missional nature of a faith-community. (Thanks for concise summary, Aaron.)

1. The missional church proclaims the gospel

What it looks like: The story of God’s salvation is faithfully repeated in a multitude of different ways.

2. The missional church is a community where all members are involved in learning to become disciples of Jesus.

What it looks like: The disciple identity is held by all; growth in discipleship is expected of all.

3. The Bible is normative in this church’s life.

What it looks like: The church is reading the Bible together to learn what it can learn nowhere else – God’s good and gracious intent for all creation, the salvation mystery, and the identity and purpose of life together.

4. The church understands itself as different from the world because of its participation in the life, death, and resurrection of its Lord.

What it looks like: In its corporate life and public witness, the church is consciously seeking to conform to its Lord instead of the multitude of cultures in which it finds itself.

5. The church seeks to discern God’s specific missional vocation for the entire community and for all its members.

What it looks like: The church has made its “mission” its priority, and in overt and communal ways is seeking to be and do “what God is calling us to know, be, and do.”

6. A missional community is indicated by how Christians behave toward one another.

What it looks like: Acts of self-sacrifice on behalf of one another both in the church and in the locale characterize the generosity of the community.

7. It is a community that practices reconciliation.

What it looks like: The church community is moving beyond homogeneity toward a more heterogeneous community in its racial, ethnic, age, gender, and socioeconomic makeup.

8. People within the community hold themselves accountable to one another in love.

What it looks like: Substantial time is spent with one another for the purpose of watching over one another in love.

9. The church practices hospitality.

What it looks like: Welcoming the stranger into the midst of the community plays a central role.

10. Worship is the central act by which the community celebrates with joy and thanksgiving both God’s presence and God’s promised future.

What it looks like: There is significant and meaningful engagement in communal worship of God, reflecting appropriately and addressing the culture of those who worship together.

11. This community has a vital public witness.

What it looks like: The church makes an observable impact that contributes to the transformation of life, society, and human relationships.

12. There is a recognition that the church itself is an incomplete expression of the reign of God.

What it looks like: There is a widely held perception that this church is going somewhere – and that “somewhere” is a more faithfully lived life in the reign of God.

Len posts a great portion from a sermon John Wimber gave. It reminds me why I fell in love with John and the Vineyard long ago. Here’s a quote:

“When you joined the kingdom, you expected to be used of God. I’ve talked to thousands of people, and almost everybody has said, “When I signed up, I knew that caring for the poor was part of it—I just kind of got weaned off of it, because no one else was doing it.” Folks, I’m not saying, “Do something heroic.” I’m not saying, “Take on some high standard, sell everything you have and go.” Now, if Jesus tells you that, that’s different. But I’m not saying that. I’m just saying, participate. Give some portion of what you have—time, energy, money, on a regular basis—to this purpose, to redeeming people, to caring for people. Share your heart and life with somebody that’s not easy to sit in the same car with. Are you hearing me? That’s where you’ll really see the kingdom of God.”

Scot McKnight has a good post on Colossians 1 about how ministering the gospel takes place. He draws out two important aspects — ministering the good news of God’s kingdom requires hard strenuous work and suffering.

I think anyone involved in any form of Christian ministry recognizes this truth. However, I think many of us also have an over-idealized image of Christian ministry being easy. We think that if we just lived and flowed in the Spirit, then ministry would be easier. This is reinforced as we look at others in different ministry situations and assume they have it easier than us. But the ministry of the gospel is hard in every situation. It’s not laborious or drudgery. Rather, it’s joyful and fulfilling. But it’s also hard.

Here’s what Scot says:

“Instead, [Paul] is speaking of the effort needed to get the job done. That effort, and I can’t develop these here, involves praying, yearning, striving, planning, anticipating, waiting, seeing plans fall flat and seeing plans come to pass, wondering, worrying, executing, teaching, guiding, preaching, leading, administrating, studying, reading, …. you get the picture. For Paul, the person who is called to minister the gospel will find a million tasks involved in both performing and proclaiming the gospel. Everything can get swallowed into the task.”

We sometimes forget that implementing the New Creation that Jesus inaugurated requires work and takes a ferocious toll. And as I’ve been reading through Revelation, I’ve become more aware that the unfolding of God’s New Creation is viciously opposed by evil on all fronts. As God’s plan unfolds, people suffer. And people die.

Even the New Creation being birthed inwardly is painstaking. It requires death to self-will. It requires a significant shift of loyalty — self is not Lord, Caesar is not Lord; Christ is Lord!! Becoming a person who actually embodies God’s effective will by not being a person who is driven by lust, anger, contempt, etc., is a painful process.

So whether ministering within a house church, a small church, a megachurch, a gigachurch, high church, low church, no church — ministering the gospel of God’s kingdom coming on earth will develop calluses and even scars. But I find hope in the Revelation as Jesus, the Lion of Judah, appears as a Lamb, “looking as if it had been slain” (Revelation 5:5-6).

Arlen Hanson has posted a great heartfelt piece on his blog that truly resonates with feelings and questions I’ve been entertaining in my head. Here’s a portion:

“I don’t know how to change it. But it must change. When some of us started talking about a new community a couple of years ago, of being and doing church differently, of abandoning what had become the treadmill and rat race of the machine and always having to make it bigger and “better”, when some of us realized we weren’t making disciples and that we had become administrators and CEOs rather than pastors and spiritual directors…etc. When all that began to happen, I remember one of the things we talked about was time. Having more of it. Having enough of it to spend it with each other. Having enough of it to spend it with coworkers at the pub or the coffee shop, or with neighbors at a backyard barbecue. Having enough time for the kingdom…. And so we said “Simplify”… Easier said than done. Maybe it’s just me and I’m retarded, but on any given day, I don’t feel like my life is any different or any simpler than it has ever been. And that is really starting to bug me. Starting to bug me in the way a rock in your shoe just keeps bugging you until you can’t stand it anymore and you have to stop everything and remove the rock. This is a “rock in the soul” and it has to come out!”

Even though I have so much more to be transformed, I know some things have changed in me. Deep inner things. I also know the last two years have brought much needed healing for me. I’ve been able to disentangle my identity as a Christ-apprentice, a man, a husband, a father and a friend from the the mess I had become as a professional pastor.

But like anything, I feel like I’ve entered into a rut of least resistance. Financially, the last two and half years have been survival mode for our family. (I’m not whining, just stating reality.) So, in order to make ends meet, I’ve had to become busy. And reality has slapped me in the face.

The other day, my six year old mentioned how he misses his mom when he’s at school. I asked him “What about me?” And with sincere honesty he replied, “Not too much. You’re not around to do much with me anyway.” Crap!

Then a couple days later, my eight year old said, “Dad, I miss you. Your never home anymore.” Crap!

One of my dreams when I left professional ministry was to spend a lot of time with my kids. In many ways, they were sacrificed on the altar of professional ministry and I wanted to make up for it by being with them during this season of their young lives. But a life after professional ministry hasn’t changed this aspect much. And honestly, I’m not sure what to do. I’m not really stressed over it. God’s taught me too much recently. And, I don’t regret where I believe God has brought us. I needed it. I think my family needed it. But there are still a lot of things that hurt and need changing.

I love the way Brian McLaren teaches. He has a knack for turning some of the most complicated issues into easy digestible nuggets. He has just begun a series at his local church called What is the Emerging Church? I’ve followed his sermons for a while and this is the first time I remember when he explains the Emerging Church phenomenon to his local congregation. And he does a really good job in this first sermon summarizing the movement. Listen to it here.

Paul Fromont writes about the essential ingredients for spiritual formation. I like the basic equation that he offers:

Triune God + key people + opportunities + space + regular practices + life experiences (+ & -) + key txts + thin places + technology = spiritual formation

Having all of those in line doesn’t “guarantee” formation like some sort of formula. But I think each aspect is necessary for a life of intentional apprenticeship to Jesus.

I think I would probably add a couple of other aspects as well. First would be one’s attitude (love the Lord your God with all you heart, mind, soul & strength and your neighbor like yourself), but perhaps that’s assumed into the entire equation of pursuing spiritual formation.

I would also add something about engaging one’s entire humanity as Dallas Willard discusses in Renovation of the Heart. As embodied beings, spiritual formation involves my mind, feelings, body, will, and relationships. But this may be redundant and assumed in the specific aspects already in the equation.

Anyone who has read my blog over the past couple of years knows that it’s peppered with moments that I’m now calling “Detox Discoveries.” These are “a-ha” moments when I realize something about who I really am. It’s those moments when I understand how life in professional ministry or organizational church has formed me. Well, the pain of saying good-bye to my friends has become a catalyst for another one of these moments.

As a professional pastor, when people decided to leave the church (even if they were close friends), I was able to deal with the sadness by staying busy with ministry. Sure, I was sad about people leaving. But, I had a “larger” responsibility to the “flock.” I had to keep administrating, organizing, planning, teaching, & leading. There were plenty of others who needed me to be their pastor. And, quite frankly, plenty of others who would become my friends. So the busyness of ministry became a salve for parting friendships.

But what happens when all of that is gone and all you have are friendships? What happens when the core of your personal values and the core of your community’s existence are friendships? Then what happens when friends leave? All that remains is an empty hole. Don’t misunderstand me. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. As we follow Christ, there are moments when we have to say good-bye.

This was driven home for me as our group completed our journey through John’s Gospel. In virtually every significant moment in John’s Gospel, Peter and John are together. They are comrades and friends, participating and stumbling about as Jesus brings the kingdom and New Creation in their midst.

But then comes that fateful moment in John 21. Jesus re-commissions Peter, placing his ministry as the Good Shepherd into Peter’s hands. He then prophesies about Peter’s future. All the while, John has been trailing behind, listening from the margins. Remember, these two have been together through everything. Peter asks, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus basically replies, “Don’t worry about him. You follow me.”

It think at that moment, Peter and John’s friendship begins to change. As each of them follows Jesus, they will walk down different roads. They have to for the sake of the kingdom and God’s goodness on earth. The birthing of God’s New Creation into their world required them to eventually follow Jesus down different life-paths.

So, friends leave. It’s a reality of life and God’s kingdom. Sometimes the birth pangs of God’s New Creation is the pain felt from parting friendships as we follow Jesus down different roads. Saying good-bye leaves a hole. And it hurts. I think this is the first time I’ve had to experience this kind of sadness and pain without using ministry as a coping mechanism. So I’m discovering that I still have a lot of growing to do.

I’ve learned that during times of personal pain and sadness, I need to spend time refocusing. It helps me to rediscover the core of what I live and die for.

I am part of God’s people, Jesus’ body. I am sent into this world as Jesus was sent. I am part of Jesus’ continuing incarnation on earth, bearing God’s presence into the world. Therefore, I must learn to become like Jesus in order to properly be part of God’s people and mission. Fortunately, God has made his unending grace available so that I can become by grace what Jesus is by nature. This requires a daily lifestyle of spiritual exercises and service that immerse me into God’s grace and Spirit. It also requires a community of like-minded apprentices of Jesus, who will love, pray, work, obey, study, worship, serve and live together. In this way our community embodies on earth the tri-community of Father, Son & Spirit.

There, I’ve said it. Now… to keep on living it.

I’m sad. Over the last six weeks, three of my friends have decided to leave our faith-community. One of them informed me of his decision several weeks ago. I could see it coming, but just hearing it from him really broke my heart. He’s very dear to me and my family. We still see each other several times a week, but there has been a significant hole in our community times together. I’ve missed his wit, his insights, his challenges and especially just seeing him.

Last night, two more close friends informed us of their decision to join their children at their church. This is a good thing for them. Their boys are adults and leaving the home. So church will become much-needed “family time” for them. I respect their decision and would probably do the same if I were in their position. But it still saddens me. We’ve spent two and a half years building a deepening friendship. I really hope we don’t drift apart. But it will be very difficult not to considering our busy suburban lifestyles.

I hate good-byes. I cry at the end of novels and movies when friends part company. My personality is such that I prefer a few close friends over a bunch of acquaintances. So, these moments strike very deeply for me. My oldest son is similar to me in this way. He’s experiencing similar changes in friendships as well as he steps closer into young adulthood. I could see the pain in his eyes. So we prayed together last night.

On top of all that, my youngest child turns six years old tomorrow. I’m happy for him. He loves growing up. But I’ve had to say good-bye to my baby. I love the young boy he’s becoming, but I miss my baby.

Oh man, here come the tears…

I work for a great company called Asian Access. My co-workers form an awesome example of how a healthy Christian organization can operate. The last year and a half on staff with Asian Access has been a significantly healing time for me.

Asian Access is a mission agency dedicated to developing leaders and multiply churches in Asia. The majority of our company’s history has been devoted to serving the churches in Japan.

One of the cool things that has recently been developed is a podcast called “Japan Stories.” Each episode is recorded in Japan and provides short 4-5 minutes stories from the various missionaries that Asian Access has sent to Japan. “Japan Stores” provides wonderful little windows into missionary life in Japan. Click HERE to enjoy.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1Thessalonians 5:16-18

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Titus 2:11-14

I know I’ve written about these passages before. However, as I’ve been praying today, they’ve come to my mind again. I find that I’m still moved inwardly by the compulsion to do something big and dramatic for God. When people ask about the faith-community I’m involved with, I feel I need to be apologetic. I feel I need to offer explanations about our size or our practices. And I feel like I still need to validate our group’s existence in others’ eyes.

I use the word “feel” because as I examine my inward life, I realize how much of this is built around feelings, especially the ones that stroke my ego. I’m cognitively aware of and at peace with our group’s intentions and our strengths and weaknesses. Yet, deep inside of me, something has been formed over the years of professional ministry that is still easily tugged by feelings.

The passages from 1Thessalonians and Titus provide a much-needed buffer from these feelings. God’s will for me as a struggling apprentice of Christ and for our group as a bunch of struggling apprentices of Christ is to learn how to continue Jesus’ incarnation by embodying God’s presence in practical, simple and doable ways in our lives.

Learning to be joyful, prayerful, thankful, self-controlled, upright and godly in my normal life is the primary task before us. And learning to do this in the midst of loss. Or in chronic pain. Or in broken dreams. Or in sickness. Or in confusion. Or in health. Or in peace. Or in abundance. That’s being the New Creation in daily life. Simple. Sure it will take years, perhaps a lifetime to reach. But that’s God’s will for my life. And imagine what could happen if my kids start learning this before they hit their 30-somethings like me.

I’m not saying projects and large activities for God are unimportant or unnecessary. However, I have to come to grips with the inner compulsions that determine my worth or my faith-community’s worth by these activities. Rather, the kingdom of God is like that tiny mustard seed. It has to start with the “smallness” of the inward life, whether I’m engaged in being a good husband and father and friend or out there trying to “save the world.”

Even as I type this, I’m watching a Dateline special on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We’re going to feel this one for a long, long time.

Over the past several days, it seems that across blogdom, the response to Hurricane Katrina has shifted from shock and sadness to frustration and anger. I know there are significant issues at work and I’m not the one to sort them out. However, in the midst of the many responses and reflections I’ve read, Scot McKnight’s reflection had such weightiness to it. Thanks, Scot, for such a stirring reflection.

Well, the kids start school next week. Quite frankly, that fact hit me from out of the blue on Monday. I thought we had a couple more weeks of summer vacation until I looked at the calendar. And when I realized they return to school and schedule next week, I was deeply saddened. Seriously, I almost started crying.

I think this summer has probably been our best summer as a family. These last few months have been a solid time for us a family. The kids were phenomenal. They interacted remarkably well the entire summer. Last summer, Michael spent a lot of time with friends. But this summer, he seemed very content to be at home, hanging out with the family and playing with his other three siblings. Knowing that will eventually change as he matures through his teen years has made me appreciate his closeness to us this summer.

This summer, Michael and Catherine also joined a Jr. High youth group at my friend’s church. They seem to be connecting well and their youth pastor says they have brought a wonderful dynamic to the group. It brings joy to my heart knowing that my kids have stepped into their own, contributing spiritually and socially to their peers.

Danielle and Christopher continue to amaze me with their precious childlike qualities. I love just watching them interact with people and the world around them. My babies aren’t babies any more.

And I know that are kids are so great because of Deb. She has nurtured them in incredible ways. This has been all the more evident during the last 2 1/2 years with no children’s program or church structure. Just through daily life, she has formed service, compassion, worship and prayer in them in ways that no program or structure could ever do. She’s the most amazing woman I know.

God has surely blessed me with a wonderful wife and four great kids. They make my life worth living well. Lord, I am so thankful.

Well we did it! We finished the Gospel of John in our faith-community last night. What an incredible book. Our time in this book (with the aid of N.T. Wright’s wisdom) has helped me to see John’s Gospel in a completely new light.

I thoroughly appreciate what John has done, especially in the last two chapters. His Gospel is a “new Genesis” story around Jesus. Readers cannot help but notice this connection from the opening words of John’s Gospel, “In the beginning…” But John is taking the creation story even further. Jesus is birthing the New Creation. John’s seven “signs” and seven “I am” statements, point both numerically and symbolically to the New Creation emerging through Jesus’ life.

Everything begins to climax in the crucifixion narrative. On Friday (the sixth day), the bloodied and battered Jesus, mockingly robed in purple and crowned with thorns, is presented by Herod to Israel with the words, “Here is the man.” As on the sixth day of creation when humanity is created in God’s image, John presents Jesus on the sixth day as the true image of God, lovingly receiving evil’s blows upon his body. This is what humanity in God’s image really looks like. And then on the seventh day, God rests… in the silence of a tomb.

But then John moves into new territory. The first words he writes after the crucifixion are, “Early on the first day of the week.” It’s a new week. It’s the first day again, but in a whole new way. The seven days of the old creation are complete and the first day of the new creation has begun.

And in the early morning of the first day of God’s new creation, during the first human encounter with the resurrected Jesus, Mary mistakes him as the gardener.

This is Jesus; the new Adam; the new humanity remade in God’s image; the caretaker of God’s new Garden; the steward of God’s new creation.

And in the mystery and pathos of the first day of the new creation, Jesus commissions his students:

“Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

John 20:21-23

New Creation. New Commission. Jesus inaugurates God’s new creation. A new world has broken upon the old. But the task isn’t complete. The door is simply cracked open. The world must be ushered through like Lucy leading her siblings through the wardrobe to a brand new world. What Jesus has inaugurated, he entrusts his apprentices to implement. “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Like any good teacher, John reinforces words with actions. He quickly moves from Jesus’ commission to a story demonstrating how the new creation is to be implemented – Peter’s restoration.

Several aspects seem to leap out from John 21:15-25. First is the fact that although the new creation has dawned, it doesn’t instantly make everything better. The Apostle Paul is correct in that at some cosmic level, creation has been reconciled to God through Christ (Colossians 1:19). However, what is inaugurated at the cosmic level must be implemented at the practical level.

Peter is a husk of a man. Just three days earlier he denied knowing Christ. In his eyes, he fears he is disqualified from being Jesus’ student. I’m sure Jesus’ words are echoing in Peter’s mind, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

As Jesus forgives and restores Peter, Peter becomes a living recipient of the new creation in the disciples’ midst. He is an example of how John 20:21-23 works itself out in this strange new world of the new creation.

The second thing I find interesting is how Jesus forgives Peter. He doesn’t simply remove Peter’s guilt with, “It’s okay. We’re good. I forgive you.” He doesn’t encourage Peter with the words, “It’s okay, Peter. You’re still going to heaven when you die.” He doesn’t make light of Peter’s mistake, “We’re all human, Peter. We all mess up from time to time.”

Rather, Jesus excavates Peter’s heart. Like a gardener breaking up the dried and lifeless soil to make room for new growth, Jesus begins to restore the desolation of the old creation in Peter’s life to begin nurturing the new life of the new creation. Three days earlier Peter bragged to Jesus in front of the other men, “I will lay down my life for you.” Now in front of these same men, Jesus asks, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”

Three denials by Peter. Three questions by Jesus, “Do you love me?” And with each one of Peter’s answers, Jesus does something mysterious and remarkable. Jesus places his shepherd’s staff in Peter’s hands. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. The people in his care are his sheep whom he has given his life for. But as he ushers the new creation and its restoration into Peter’s life, he gives his vocation and his people to Peter and says, “Feed my sheep.”

Like many things Jesus does, its significance grows over time. The new creation must be given time to flourish. But look at the results in Peter’s life as he writes to a new generation of shepherds:

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers — not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

1 Peter 5:1-4

Finally, how does the new creation flourish in Peter’s life? What is the process that moves him from this moment of restoration in John 21 to a living embodiment of the Good Shepherd in 1 Peter 5? Jesus tells Peter twice as he restores him, “Follow me” (John 21:19, 22). This too is significant. Until this moment, Jesus has invited people to follow him in his pre-resurrection form. He was physically present, visible and tangible. But in days, Jesus will no longer be physically present. Yet, he still gives the same invitation.

In other words, following Jesus, who is invisible after his ascension, is as possible as following him when he was physically present and visible. In fact, based on things Jesus has said about the Spirit in John 14 and 16, it is actually easier to follow Jesus today than it was when he walked the earth. His resurrection and ascension have opened ways for greater apprenticeship to Jesus now than his original disciples experienced. Again, its the mysterious benefits of the new creation as it dawns upon this old.

John ends his Gospel with a new creation and new commission. This vision must shape us as God’s missional people. Unfortunately, I think one of the problems the modern western church has faced is that we have wrenched the new commission out of the reality of the new creation. In doing so, we focus primarily upon the isolated aspects of the commission without any proper context. For example, most churches emphasize the elements of Matthew’s Great Commission – make disciples, baptize them and teach them to do everything Jesus commanded. Discipleship then becomes a body of information that must be transferred from one person to another. Or discipleship is simply getting people to adopt new patterns of thinking or living.

But a disciple of Jesus is someone who knows first and foremost how to live naturally in God’s new creation now. Like Jesus, they are flowing with the transformational life of God’s future new age (eternal life), which then flows out of them to restore this world. Ironically, Matthew’s Great Commission is actually pregnant with new creation themes. His version of the Great Commission begins with Jesus’ declaration that all authority on heaven and earth are his. That’s new creation! Also, immersing people into the inter-Trinitarian reality of the Church is Matthew’s practical description of implementing the new creation within the old.

So we, God’s people in God’s world, are to implement the new creation that Jesus inaugurated. We do this by making new apprentices of Jesus as demonstrated in Peter’s restoration. We help people turn the desolate soil of their lives into a budding garden of new life. We forgive. We restore. We help people follow Jesus into God’s new creation, becoming like him so that they too can take up his vocation – to be sent as he was sent.

Deb and I had a nice date last night. Our conversation eventually turned toward the topic of love and it has been occupying my thoughts this morning. For a long time, I have used Dallas Willard’s definition of love as “willing the good of others.” It’s a great practical starting point for learning how to love.

But here’s what I’m discovering about love “on the ground.” As much as I may want the good for others and even give myself toward that goal, I also want them to want the good for themselves. I think that’s an essential aspect of love. If I forget this, my love easily distorts into manipulation, coercion and control. Love must respect the other person’s will and cannot force its agenda upon the other person.

A great image for me of distorted love is Marie from Everybody Loves Raymond. She obviously wills the good for others (or at least what she thinks is good). She works hard and serves those around her. Yet, there is no regard for whether the one she “loves” actually wills the same good for themselves.

So whether it’s marriage, friendship, parenting, pastoring or any form of human relations, if I love a person, I’m not only willing their good, but also respecting them enough to want good for themselves.

So what are practical ways of willing the good of others? I’m sure there are many ways, but here are some things I’m learning.

Prayer. I really learning to talk with God about the good of those I love and trust that he will guide and guard them into his will. As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m learning to trust the Spirit in others as much as I trust the Spirit in myself. God has proven his faithfulness and love to me when I’ve been misguided, mistaken and even downright rebellious. It’s all part of the journey with Jesus. It’s taught me how to trust the Spirit in my life. So I must trust the Spirit in others’ lives as they walk with Jesus.

Vision. I’m learning that the only sustainable fire for a good life is a compelling and winsome vision of what human life looks like completely immersed in God’s new creation as embodied by Christ. (Sheesh! What a mouthful.) An imagination consumed with a vision of a life hidden in God with Christ (Colossians 3:3) provides the only sustainable momentum for crossing the line of intention and further into a life of goodness and love. Deconstructing and reconstructing the human imagination around a vision can take a loooooong time, especially when guilt or inspiration can happen in mere moments and yield quicker returns. But a proper vision of real life in Christ lasts far longer and produces consistent and sustainable results.

Embodiment. This goes hand-in-hand with vision because vision isn’t merely communicated through words. Vision is dramatized in real life. It’s fleshed out so the imagination has something to grab beyond mere theory. Jesus came proclaiming the greatest good for humanity – the kingdom of God is here, so change the way you live and follow me. But his words were reinforced with a deep life of character, wisdom, love and power that actually lived God’s kingdom in front of everyone. Jesus didn’t just tell people about good news. He IS the good news. If we are to truly love (will the good of others) then we must be the same. I can’t simply talk about the good news. I must BE the good news.

Silence. This might seem contradictory to what I’ve said about vision. There’s a place for communicating. There’s a place for advice. There’s even a place for confrontation (including the in-your-face “you’re ruining your life” intervention). But there is also a place for silence. Not the silence of withdrawal, disassociation or denial, but a holy and loving silence. I liken it to the silence of the father in the story of the prodigal son. The father could have said so many things when his son acted so disrespectfully and destructively. He could have said even more things when his son returned filthy and groveling. Yet, I’m amazed as much by what the father doesn’t say as I am by what he does say.

This kind of silence is an art form, learning to live in the tension of Proverbs 26:4-5 – answer a fool… don’t answer a fool. (I’m not saying the people we deal with are fools. I’m saying learning to love properly requires learning when to speak and when not to speak.) It takes discernment, wisdom, prayer, and a whole lot of confidence in God to be at work under the radar.

It seems every time I read Scot McKnight’s blog, I walk away with a great nugget of truth to ponder. Today’s nugget, in a series about the Emergent Church as a “fourth way” (Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism being the other three ways), is especially poignant for me on a different, yet extremely emotional level:

“So, in summary, a fourth way will truly get underway when Christians can genuinely trust the Spirit in others as much as they trust the Spirit in themselves.”

Our faith-community is an experiment at providing a viable corporate alternative to the local church model — one that helps those desiring to become like Jesus to do so without all of the “overhead” of the local church. As part of this exploration, I have had to tinker with my role as a leader in this group.

One of my personal goals as a “leader/facilitator” in our faith community has been to discern the Spirit’s working in the personal lives of our community members and then help facilitate that into a corporate expression. Hopefully then, our corporate meetings become the authentic expression of our personal journeys with Jesus rather than corporate religious activities that are not an actual part of our community’s personal lives.

Right or wrong, this has been the “leadership path” I’ve chosen. And it has been very difficult in two ways. First, because I’m not good at it and have blundered terribly over the last two and half years. And second, because sixteen years of ministry have trained me to manage a religious company designed to offer religious goods and services: People need worship, so our corporate gatherings will offer worship; people need prayer, so our corporate gatherings will offer prayer; people need mission, so our corporate gatherings will offer mission. (I think you know what I mean.)

But as I’ve written about before, being Jesus’ apprentices is about following Jesus — learning to become by grace what he is by nature. Much too often, following our Risen Lord is easily replaced by participation in an organization’s structure or programs. And soon I discover that my personal apprenticeship with Christ becomes confused with and primarily defined by my involvement in the organization.

Please don’t misunderstand me: I am not saying the local church structure or programs are bad. What I am saying is that the local community of faith — whether it’s a large mega- or giga- church or whether it is an organic missional community — should be a supplement, support and authentic expression of the personal faith journeys of the community’s members. In this way, the community becomes the living embodiment or incarnation of Jesus’ presence. That has been one of the foundational priorities that our faith-community has been working from.

That means if the individual members are personally engaged with God’s Spirit in worship, then the corporate life should incorporate worship. If the individual members are personally engaged with God’s Spirit in prayer, then the corporate life should incorporate prayer. If the individual members are personally engaged with God’s Spirit in mission, then the corporate life should incorporate mission. And so on… In other words, the horse (personal apprenticeship to Christ) should be pulling the cart (corporate expression) and not the other way around.

Then, the local community of faith can act as a supplement to the personal faith journeys. The way I see it, vitamin supplements are supposed to supplement a healthy lifestyle of diet and exercise. A person cannot simply take a handful of vitamins and expect to be healthy through a lifestyle of junk food and inactivity. Supplements are not the primary vehicle for health, although they can support and enhance an overall program for health.

All of this is to say, as a leader, I have chosen (for the most part and with various levels of success and failure) to let the personal spiritual lives of our community’s members form our corporate gatherings rather than forming our corporate gatherings around some ideal of what I think our church is supposed to be doing. This has been a difficult lesson of learning to trust the Spirit in others, especially when confronted with disappointment, discontentment, my own personal failures and others’ good-byes.

Chris Erdman made this great statement about how the role of preachers functions within a missional community. I love it!

“…Our words [as preachers], formed by the Word, form communities that “explain the gospel” by the way they live. Missional communities. They make sense only if this gospel is true and is truly having its way among them…”

Missional communities explain the good news of God’s kingdom in Christ by how they live! Words are not usually necessary if the missional community is living appropriately. Paul Fromont then quotes Lesslie Newbigin:

“The church is the primary hermeneutic of the gospel centred on Jesus Christ”

God, I wish I lived like this…

A lot of people have been pointing to Brian McLaren’s telling of his own personal story, Becoming Convergent. So I’m not being very original by pointing to the pdf version of his story. I really have appreciated what God has been doing through Brian’s influence. It’s unfortunate that he has had to face a lot of misunderstanding and criticism. Yet, he seems to be engaging it with heaps of grace and love. In this way, he reminds me of John Wimber when he faced tons of criticism.

But as I’ve read Brian’s story and the comments others have made about him, two phrase grabbed my attention. The first phrase was used by John Frye. He called Brian a “pastoral artist; a creative, story-telling evangelist who is passionate about the ‘good news’ of Jesus Christ truly sounding like good news to the ever-increasing postmodern West.” I love the phrase “pastoral artist.” I think that’s a great description for any missional pastor.

The second phrase comes from Brian himself. It’s the mission statement for Cedar Ridge Community Church — to be place where people can “be and make disciples in authentic community for the good of the world.” In a lot of the current ecclesiological discussion, this isn’t very earth-shaking. But it simply recaptures and re-envisions what we, as God’s people, are about in his world. The various ecclesial configurations and strategies that will endeavor to fulfill that mission will be as different as the locales they exist in. But at the core, this is who we are — maturing apprentices of Jesus, who live, love and work together for the good of our Father’s world.

This morning, I heard these lyrics to the hymn, This Is My Father’s World. And as I heard them, I sensed God’s Spirit breathe on them afresh. It was what I needed in this moment. I hope they speak to you as well.

This is my Father’s world,

O let me ne’er forget

that though the wrong seems oft so strong,

God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world:

the battle is not done,

Jesus, who died, shall be satisfied,

and earth and heaven be one.

Lord, this creation truly is my Father’s world. And although injustice seems to prevail, my God is king. So I anticipate the consummation of the glorious vision of Revelation when earth and heaven become one and the glory of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the seas. And until then, may my words and thoughts and life embody “Hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; your will be done — all of this on earth as it is in heaven.” Amen.

Chris Erdman hit it out of the park again!

“Chris Erdman writes: What often passes for Christianity may be religious but is not Christianity–not yet at least (and one wonders if it ever will be given such a start). Culture Christians are not terribly interested in Jesus of the Bible who said such silly things like: “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you . . . . Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6.27, 36) and “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mark 8.34). No, their god is not the One who says such outlandish things; their god promises safety, security, and abundance–in short, the American Dream. Jesus of suburbia. Culture-Christians and the churches that form them will never see things this way; their Jesus has been fashionably refashioned to be the god of safety. “Jesus died to get me to heaven.” “Jesus wants me to get others to heaven.” “Jesus blesses the guns and bombs and planes and policies that keep me safe and happy until I get there.” So much of this non-Christian Christianity is really about creating a safe world where I’ll never have to love my enemy, deny myself my create comforts, or die as a witness to Jesus Christ. This is a gospel but it is not the Gospel.”

But it’s one thing to find agreement. It’s another thing to actually live an alternative kingdom life.

Jesus, help me to follow you and spend my life on the good of your kingdom and not on a culturally-defined image of safety and comfort. Help me to hear and sing the music of THE GOSPEL and not a gospel. Forgive me for living my life in a way that has reinforced my suburban gospel upon myself, my family, my church and the world. Lord have mercy and come quickly to my aid.

Here’s a cool definition by Scot McNight on the Kingdom of God and how it connects to the missional community.

“The Kingdom of God is the society where the will of God, as taught by Jesus, is done. And that Kingdom is a redemptive work in the triune God designed to restore humans to union with God and communion with one another, for the good of others and the world. Nothing less will do. I am working my understanding of the gospel in Jesus Creed and in Embracing Grace which is due out this fall.

“Beginning with Kingdom of God is beginning with the “plan of God.” Our summons is to join God in God’s Kingdom work. If you read my blogs on Kingdom, you will also know that the Kingdom of God cannot be divorced from the Church: the Church is designed to be the alternative society of Jesus in this world that transcends its “alternative status” by being a missional community of faith.

“As a missional community of Jesus, each local community is designed to be a Kingdom missional community. Missional communities are not so much “buildings” and “places to go” but a community of faith where a society brushes up against the grace of God because the community of faith is a presence of grace. The singular grace the community of faith has to offer to society is Jesus Christ and this grace is “performed” by the local community of faith.

“This means that the missional community is essentially generous: it is the “gift” of God of humans who are filled with grace and minister the grace of reconciliation and justice and peace and love to the local society. It is essentially “for others” and ministering “to others” and serving others.”

In line with Peter Drucker’s quote from my last post, I came across this stinging reproach from Eugene Peterson.

“I am having the depressing experience of reading congregational descriptions of what church want in a pastor. With hardly an exception they don’t want pastors at all – they want managers of their religious company. They want a pastor they can follow so they won’t have to bother with following Jesus anymore.”



Having said that, I want to point once again the John Frye’s blog. He’s the author of Jesus the Pastor. It seems everything he’s been writing lately is goooood!

I read a great quote from Peter Drucker today:

“The business of a church is to change people; the business of a corporation is to satisfy them.“

What I find interesting is that many companies advertise personal change through their product in order to attract/maintain customers. Buy this car, beer, toothpaste, clothes, etc. and you will be a new, sleeker, stylish person.

On the other hand, a lot of churches advertise personal satisfaction in order to attract/maintain a congregation. We have multiple services, different worship styles, kids program, etc. Come to our church and we will meet your needs and bring purpose for your life in a convenient package.

It’s funny how the lines blur.

Several years ago, when I was going through my spiritual paradigm shift about what it means to be Jesus’ student, I read a great book called Jesus the Pastor by John Frye. Along with the other books I was reading at the time, this one really challenged me to rethink (i.e. repent) my understanding of pastoring.

For years I had been caught up in the modern evangelical notion that the pastor was the CEO of a Christian organization. I was immersed in activities of administration, church growth, strategizing, maintaining a busy church calendar, etc. I was also involved in other “pastoral duties” such as teaching, counseling and worship leading. But even those activities were defined by, what I’ve now come to realize as a distorted view of pastoring.

Today, through Scot McKnight’s blog, I stumbled onto John Frye’s blog. Here’s his definition of pastoring:

“Pastoring offers and shapes an alternative reality in Jesus the Christ so that others reconnect with God as his new people for the sake of all creation.”



That’s awesome! Last post, I talked about how the community of Jesus’ students, known as the Church, must be engaged in Jesus’ mission, or what Jason Evans calls “finding the redemptive potential” in ordinary life. In this way, the Church is a missional community.

But the members of the missional community are to be nurtured and led by shepherds or pastors. These men and women offer and shape an alternative reality in Jesus Christ. They give vision for finding the “redemptive potential” by helping the missional community imagine life in God’s New Creation. And they turn this imagination of an alternate reality into something substantial by reconnecting others with God, each other and creation in reconciling and redemptive ways.

I love what Frye states toward the end of his post. He says that all the activities of the pastor:

“…point to something so much greater; something literally cosmic: the renewal of heaven and earth. Don’t ever divorce Revelation 1-3 from 4-22. It all began with Jesus and it continues on. Pastors live in and lead, speak, and invite from an alternative reality (as Jesus did) while engulfed in a cracked reality. While not uncracked themselves, pastors nevertheless live on what the Bible calls “Shalom.” Pastors breathe shalom air even in cracked lungs. They see shalom sights with cracked eyes. They hear shalom music with somewhat still dull ears. They challenge all non-shalom issues because those issues are obstacles in finding the doorway into the kingdom of God. Isn’t this more compelling than managing the corner religious shop?”



Ultimately, God’s New Creation, the vision of the renewed heavens and earth, is what fuels the missional community.

I haven’t had time to really develop any original thoughts. It’s a shame how busyness can dry up creativity.

Anyway, Scot McKnight has been blogging some really substantial stuff… several times a day! Sheesh! One particular post that caught my attention was Defining Church. Here’s what he says:

It is customary for the theologians to define the Church as a gathering where the Word is preached and the Sacraments performed. These are the two marks of the Church.

My own take on the discussion is that this isn’t enough. If Kingdom morphs into Ecclesia, then we need to add a third “mark”: a missional community. We don’t just gather to hear the Word and observe the sacraments, but we gather as a missonal community to witness to that mission and to strategize and prepare for further mission and to be formed through fellowship.

On this, see M. Volf, In Our Likeness, and S. Grenz, Renewing the Center, pp. 287-324.



I think McKnight hits something square on the head. We are not the ecclesia, the called out ones, if we are not missional. All the talk of spiritual formation and community means nothing unless it is fueling mission. We can’t read the New Testament without bumping into this. As God’s people, we are sent as Jesus is sent. Both as individuals and as a community, we are the new Temple of God, embodying God’s presence.

Sure, modern forms of evangelism are unbiblical and pretty much miss the point of God’s mission. But if we are truly an incarnational people who follow Jesus and longing to be empowered by his Spirit in the world, then we must not only set aside old methods, but also learn to embrace Jesus’ actual mission and implement his accomplishments.

This reminds me of something that Jason Evans said recently on his blog. Mission/evangelism is about “finding the redemptive potential in all things.” It’s not about a sales pitch or trying to convince someone to go to church. Rather, it’s looking for the “redemptive potential” in the person or the circumstance and then teasing it out for the greater good of the kingdom. That’s what it means to be Church.

Due to incredible busyness, Todd Hunter has been quite silent in blogdom. But today is a day of rejoicing for Toddly has blogged. Good stuff too. Here’s a snippet:

“The art of leadership is liberating people to do what is required of them in the most effective and humane way possible.Thus the leader is the “servant” of his followers in that he removes the obstacles that prevent them from doing their job. In short, the true leader enables his or her followers to realize their full potential. The driving force in our organizations ought not to be goal achievement or asset management or quantifiable growth, important as these are. Rather, our society badly needs organizations and people that move relentlessly toward reaching their potential.”

Wheeewww! Most of my free time over the last few months has been spent reading several N.T. Wright books — The New Testament and the People of God, Jesus and the Victory of God, The Resurrection and the Son of God, and The Climax of the Covenant. I love N.T. Wright’s writing and theology. I think he has so many fresh things to say. He has become one of the several people who have mentored me from a distance through his writings and thus he has helped to completely reshape my theological imagination. I’m amazed at how dramatically my perspective has changed whenever I read Scripture.

But all that reading has made me crave a change of pace. Although I’ve got a personal reading list longer than my arm, I’ve decided to lighten my reading load for a bit. So right now, I’m just slowly reading Eugene Peterson’s A Long Obedience in the Same Direction with occasional visits to a couple of books I’ve already read — N.T. Wright’s The Way of the Lord and Marjorie Thompson’s Soul Feast.

Plus, N.T. Wright’s newest work on Paul, Paul: Fresh Perspectives, is due out in October. And his book on the authority of Scripture, The Last Word, is due out in December. I’ve been looking forward to reading these new books since I heard about their release dates. So, I want to be fresh when they hit the shelves.

Right now, the rest of my limited free time is being invested into learning Final Cut Pro 4. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it on this blog, but besides working full-time for a mission agency, I’m also a partner in a wedding video business called inFocus Video Productions. My primary role is camera operator, but I want to broaden my skill base. So, I’m also enhancing my video editing skills.

(Warning! Blatant self-promotion ahead! Okay, you were warned.)

So if you you know anyone in the southern California area who is planning a wedding, please send them over to our website and especially to our demo page. I think they will be pretty impressed with what we have to offer.

Thanks, Len for the pointer to this quote. Chris Erdman and Alan Roxburgh provide some good stuff on missional leadership. Here’s what Alan says:

“For leaders, cultivating growth is about becoming an abbot in a congregation rather than a pastor. An abbot is a leader who forms a way of life among a whole people. Missional change is primarily about formation–and formation is about the habits and practices which shape new ways of being the church. Cultivation is an ancient word taken from agricultural practices. It is an organic metaphor rather than one of managment or warfare. A gardner or farmer understands that the life and purpose of plants or crops is not something over which the farmer has a great deal of control. And so, leadership as cultivation is not about people fitting into your strategy; it is about providing the environment in which missional imagination buds and develops and in which the farmer may well be astonished by the results.”



I love Alan’s description of the pastor as an abbot — “a leader who forms a way of life among a whole people.” I appreciate the reminder that it’s about the formation of new habits and practices that shape new ways of being the church.

Real Live Preacher has a keen analysis of the dilemma faced by anyone in any form of public ministry, whether professional or volunteer. Granted the dilemma is magnified by the size of the group one serves. However, the dynamic he speaks about occurs everywhere one tries to serve.

Billy Graham has always been one of those guys I’ve respected. What a calling he received from God and what a demonstration of faithfulness to that call his life has been. He is so rock solid and lives a life of integrity. And God has used him to bring His grace to millions on this planet.

Click the links to watch a very cool tribute to B.G. and an article about his final crusade:

Video & Article

I need to be honest. I don’t really consider myself to be fully a part of what is being called the Emerging Church. Don’t get me wrong: I find a lot of affinity to what that “conversation” (or “movement” or whatever they’re calling themselves) is about. I also think Brian McLaren is a prophetic voice and a wonderful embodiment of real grace. As such, I think he is contributing a whole lot of good, especially in giving accessible ideas, language and demonstration to a new form of Christianity.

So I really enjoyed looking at the PowerPoint notes to a talk he gave at a recent Emergent Conference. I especially liked the Four Values of Emerging Church he presented. This stuff is very cool!

1. Commitment to God in the Way of Jesus:

We are committed to doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God, in the power of the Holy Spirit, as the Scriptures teach. As lifelong followers of Jesus, we seek to live by the Great Commandment: loving God and loving our neighbors – including those who might be considered “the least of these” or enemies. We understand the gospel to be centered in Jesus and his message of the kingdom of God, a message of reconciliation with God and among humanity.

We are committed to a “generous orthodoxy” in faith and practice – affirming the historic Christian faith and the Biblical injunction to love one another even when we disagree. We embrace historic spiritual practices such as prayer, meditation, contemplation, study, solitude, silence, service, stewardship, and fellowship, believing that healthy theology cannot be separated from healthy spirituality.

2. Commitment to the Church in all its Forms:

We are committed to honor and serve the church in all its forms – Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal. We practice “deep ecclesiology” – rather than favoring some forms of the church and critiquing or rejecting others, we see that every form of the church has both weaknesses and strengths, both liabilities and potential. We believe the rampant injustice and sin in our world requires the sincere, collaborative, and whole-hearted response of all Christians in all denominations, from the most historic and hierarchical, through the mid-range of local and congregational churches, to the most spontaneous and informal expressions.

We affirm both the value of strengthening, renewing, and transitioning existing churches and organizations, and the need for planting, resourcing, and coaching new ones of many kinds. We seek to be irenic and inclusive of all our Christian sisters and brothers, rather than elitist and critical, seeing “us” we were used to see “us versus them.” We own the many failures of the church as our failures, which humbles us and calls us to repentance, and we also celebrate the many heroes and virtues of the church, which inspires us and gives us hope

3. Commitment to God’s World:

We practice our faith missionally – that is, we do not isolate ourselves from this world, but rather, we follow Christ into the world. We seek to fulfill the mission of God in our generations, and then to pass the baton faithfully to the next generations as well. We believe the church exists for the benefit and blessing of the world at large; we seek therefore not to be blessed to the exclusion of everyone else, but rather for the benefit of everyone else. We see the earth and all it contains as God’s beloved creation, and so we join God in seeking its good, its healing, and its blessing.

4. Commitment to One Another

In order to strengthen our shared faith and resolve, and in order to encourage and learn from one another in our diversity through respectful, sacred conversation, we value time and interaction with other friends who share this rule and its practices. We identify ourselves as members of this growing, global, generative, and non-exclusive friendship. We welcome others into this friendship as well. We bring whatever resources we can to enrich this shared faith and resolve.

Len stopped by and left a great quote by Jean Vanier in the comments of my last post. The quote was too good to leave hidden in the comments, so I decided to post it. Thanks, Len!

“The more we become people of action and responsibility in our community, the more we must become people of contemplation. If we do not nurture our deep emotional life in prayer hidden in God, if we do not spend time in silence and if we do not know how to take time from the presence of our brothers and sisters, we risk becoming embittered. It is only to the extent that we nurture our own hearts that we can keep interior freedom. People who are hyperactive, fleeing from their deep selves and their wound, become tyrannical and their exercise of responsibility only creates conflict.”

Jean Vanier

I was reading Henri Nouwen’s The Way of the Heart this morning and something he wrote stoked the embers of my memory. He was talking about the role of silence in the organization of a congregation’s activities.

When I was an associate pastor, one of my priorities was to coordinate the church’s activities. I took on a personal priority to always “have something for our people to do.” This translated into maintaining a fairly busy church calendar. On top of our weekly worship, I wanted to offer some form of small group meeting almost every night of the week, a monthly church-wide event for the entire church community, and various ministry and outreach events. Internally, I felt a busy calendar meant we were “doing kingdom work” and that we were “going somewhere.” And to be honest, I really believe a lot of good was accomplished in people’s lives.

But since then, a lot has changed in me. I’ve become aware of my own personal time pathologies and the sickness of my restless soul. I’ve become aware that I’ve equated busyness with personal worth, both on an individual and corporate level. And I’ve realized with much shame that I made the life of the church I served more a center of activity and distraction than a center of communion and community.

In that light, listen to Henri Nouwen words:

“In a society in which entertainment and distraction are such important preoccupations, ministers are also tempted to join the ranks of those who consider it their primary task to keep other people busy. It is easy to perceive the young and the elderly as people who need to be kept off the streets or on the streets. And ministers frequently find themselves in fierce competition with people and institutions who offer something more exciting to do than they do.

“But our task is the opposite of distraction. Our task is to help people concentrate on the real but often hidden event of God’s active presence in their lives. Hence, the question that must guide all organizing activity in a parish is not how to keep people busy; but how to keep them from being so busy that they can no longer hear the voice of God who speaks in silence.

“Calling people together, therefore, means calling them away from the fragmenting and distracting wordiness of the dark world to that silence in which they can discover themselves, each other, and God. Thus organizing can be seen as the creation of a space where communion becomes possible and community can develop.”

Nouwen’s profound spiritual direction reminds me of some wisdom I’ve gleaned from Craig van Gelder’s book, The Essence of the Church:

“The church is. The church does what it is. The church organizes what it does. The nature of the church is based on God’s presence through the Spirit. The ministry of the church flows out of the church’s nature. The organization of the church is designed to support the ministry of the church. Keeping these three aspects in the right sequence is important when considering the development of a missiological ecclesiology.”

The very nature of the the Church is communion with God and with each other so that we are formed into the likeness of Christ, from which we, like Christ, naturally embody God’s kingdom, character and presence in our world. That communion requires the Church to truly be the “called out ones” (ekklesia). We must be called out from the world of fragmenting noise, busyness, and distraction and called into a quiet, healing and transforming communion with God and each other.

Nouwen’s words are another stark reminder of how I must learn to live and embody solitude, silence and prayer so that in turn, I may contribute to a faith-community’s life to seek the same.

“O God, come to my assistance; O Lord make haste to help me.”

Recently, I’ve once again become terribly aware of how sick my soul is. This usually happens after a prolonged time of busyness, when the scurry and noise begin to subside outwardly, but not inwardly.

Yet, as painful as this awareness is, it reminds me of the need to continually seek the development of the key spiritual disciplines of the Desert Fathers — solitude, silence and prayer — as the daily rhythmic engagement of God’s grace toward the ongoing transformation of my inward world into the likeness of Christ. Or as Henri Nouwen succinctly states, “Becoming Christ is our salvation.”

In his reflections on silence in The Way of the Heart, Henri Nouwen offers some profound wisdom that has echoed around in my head the last couple of weeks:

“For [the Desert Fathers], the word is the instrument of the present world and silence is the mystery of the future world. If a word is to bear fruit it must be spoken from the future world into the present world. The Desert Fathers therefore considered their going into the silence of the desert to be a first step into the future world. From that world their words could bear fruit, because there they could be filled with the power of God’s silence.”

Later, Nouwen discusses how silence aids in bringing the power of God’s future New Creation (although he doesn’t use this term) into the present creation. It does so by guarding the inner fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Nouwen states:

“Silence is the discipline by which the inner fire of God is tended and kept alive. Diadochus of Photiki offers us a very concrete image: ‘When the door of the steambath is continually left open, the heat inside rapidly escapes through it; likewise the soul, in its desire to say many things, dissipates its remembrance of God through the door of speech, even though everything it says may be good. Thereafter, the intellect, though lacking appropriate ideas, pours out a welter of confused thoughts to anyone it meets, as it no longer has the Holy Spirit to keep its understanding free from fantasy. Ideas of value always shun verbosity, being foreign to confusion and fantasy. Timely silence, then, is precious, for it is nothing less than the mother of the wisest thoughts.’

“These words of Diadochus go against the grain of our contemporary lifestyle, in which ‘sharing’ has become one of the greatest virtues. We have been made to believe that feels, emotions, and even the inner stirrings of our soul have to be shared with others. Expressions such as ‘Thanks for sharing this with me,’ or ‘It was good to share this with you,’ show that the door of our steambath is open most of the time. In fact, people who prefer to keep to themselves and do not expose their interior life tend to create uneasiness and are often considered inhibited, asocial, or simply odd. But let us at least raise the question of whether our lavish ways of sharing are not more compulsive than virtuous; that instead of creating community they tend to flatten out our life together…

“What needs to be guarded is the life of the Spirit within us. Especially we who want to witness to the presence of God’s Spirit in the world need to tend the fire within with utmost care. It is not strange that many ministers have become burnt-out cases, people who say many words and share many experiences, but in whom the fire of God’s Spirit has died and from whom not much more comes forth than their own boring, petty ideas and feelings.”

I’ve become much more aware of how my need to share is simply therapeutic, making me feel better, often at the expense of my listener. Or sharing becomes a way of feeling good about myself because I have some “wisdom” or “knowledge” to contribute to a conversation. Or even more sinister, my sharing can become a subtle form of manipulation or control, either making others feel or believe a certain thing or spinning an image that influences how others view me. Words are powerful, and if not empowered by the Holy Spirit, they can be easily empowered by my own corrupt nature.

Now Nouwen isn’t stating that we should all remain silent and never communicate again. Silence, by itself, is not a virtue and can be easily corrupted. Rather, he is stating that our communication must flow from the inward fire of the Holy Spirit so that what we do share expresses the power of God’s future New Creation. In other words, we are the New Creation (2 Cor 5:17), so our words should tap into that reality provided by the indwelling Holy Spirit. That is only possible by practicing and becoming comfortable with a spiritual discipline that specifically engages God’s grace in this regard.

I’m sure we have all been in a social setting where conversation lapses into “awkward silence.” Why is it awkward? Why isn’t the silence comfortable, refreshing and peaceful, empowering our present words with the mysterious silence of God’s future? What is it about us inwardly that feels compelled to break the silence rather than rest in the quiet warmth of the Holy Spirit in that moment?

There are moments appropriate for speaking and moments appropriate for silence. And I know that I’m not practiced enough in silence to adequately discern one from another.

Part of our discussion during last night’s gathering started me thinking about worldviews and the questions they generate. As a person who always seems to have more questions than answers, it is somewhat disconcerting to me that most of the questions that Jesus’ disciples asked him ultimately went unanswered. The more I think about it, the more I realize how frustrating that must have been for him as well as and his students.

It seems most of our “big” questions are generated by our worldview. Unfortunately, our worldview is like the water in a fish’s aquarium — it’s the real, yet often indiscernible environment in which we live. The fact that Jesus did not answer most of the questions posed to him seems to point to the fact that he lived within a worldview completely discontinuous from his students. It would be like a fresh-water fish in one aquarium asking “big” questions of a salt-water fish in another aquarium. Although both environments seem the same, the actual reality of one is very different than the other. In other words, as real and important as his disciples’ questions seemed to them, they didn’t make much sense within Jesus’ worldview.

This became more apparent this morning when I read N.T. Wright’s summary of the early Christians’ worldview, which was completely shaped by the historical reality of Jesus’ resurrection:

“The worldview questions, when posed to the early Christians, elicit a set of resurrection-shaped answers. Who are we? Resurrection people: a people, that is, formed within the new world which began at Easter and which has embraced us, in the power of the Spirit, in baptism and faith. Where are we? In God’s good creation, which is to be restored; in bodies that will be redeemed, though at present they are prone to suffering and decay and will one day die. What’s wrong? The work is incomplete: the project which began at Easter (the defeat of sin and death) has not yet been finished. What’s the solution? The full and final redemption of the creation, and ourselves with it; this will be accomplished through a fresh act of creative grace when Jesus reappears, and this in turn is anticipated in the present by the work of the Spirit. What time is it? In the overlap of the ages: the ‘age to come’, longed for by Israel, has already begun, but the ‘present age’ still continues.”

N.T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God

This was Jesus’ worldview. And after his resurrection and Pentecost, it quickly became the worldview of the early generations of Jesus’ followers. Interestingly, it seems the questions that plagued Jesus’ first students in the gospels fall to the side after their worldviews change. Within their new perspective, what was once important to them no longer seemed important.

Personally, I’ve become more aware that many of the questions that I’ve deemed important aren’t even addressed within the New Testament writings. Questions that once plagued me make little sense anymore. For example, questions about the rapture seem almost silly to me now that I’ve abandoned my Platonic dualism. It’s almost like trying to answer questions about pink elephants or flying cows. Also, questions about eternal security or a future disembodied eternal existence in heaven simply can’t find a hook to hang on within my newly emerging understanding of God’s Story.

In a culture where knowledge brings power, control or comfort, having unanswered questions can be frustrating. But I’ve learned the hard way that wrestling with my questions can prove more beneficial to me than actually arriving at an answer. My wrestling oftentimes exposes my sickened soul or distorted worldview, which in turn becomes the catalyst for further transformation. And by emerging on the other side of transformation, I discover that my questions may no longer make much sense from this new perspective. Perhaps this is part of what Paul meant in Romans 12:2 when he said, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

I had a chance to speak with some friends about Dallas Willard this weekend. We all agreed that his chapter on “The Children of Light” in Renovation of the Heart is perhaps his best material. I went back and re-read a portion of it. I think everyone should read it, and if possible, memorize it. It paints such a beautiful vision of who we are to be as Christ’s apprentices and as God’s new creation and new humanity. If we could become this kind of people, the ministry and mission that would flow from us would be unfathomable.

The following is an extended quote from the chapter:

According to the biblical picture, the function of human history is to bring forth an immense community of people, from “every nation and tribe and tongue and people” (Revelation 14:6), who will be a kingdom of priests under God (Revelation 1:6; 5:10; Exodus 19:6), and who for some period of time in the future will actually govern the earth under him (Revelation 5:10). They will also, beyond that, reign with him in the eternal future of the cosmos, forever and ever (Revelation 22:5).

These people will, together as a living community, form a special dwelling place for God. It will be one that allows his magnificence to be known and gratefully accepted by all of creation through all of the ages (Ephesians 2:7; 3:10; Philippians 2:9-11). What the human heart now vaguely senses should be, eventually will be, in the cosmic triumph of Christ and his people. And those who have fully taken on the character of Christ – those “children of light” in Paul’s language – will in eternity be empowered by God to do what they want, as free creative agents. And it will always harmonize perfectly with God’s own purposes.

Portrait of Children of Light

Now let us draw together the results of our studies in previous chapters to form a composite picture of “the children of light,” drawing on how they have changed in the various essential dimensions of their being. To call them children of light is, in biblical terminology, to say that they have the basic nature of light: that light is their parent and has passed on to them its nature, as any parent does.

Now, these people are not perfect and do not live in a perfect world – yet. But they are remarkably different. The difference is not one of a pose they strike, either from time to time or constantly, or of things they do or don’t do – though their behavior too is very different and distinctive. Where the children of light differ is primarily and most importantly on the “inside” of their life. It lies in what they are in their depths.

Thought Life

Perhaps the first thing that comes to our attention when we get to know their inner life is what they think about, or what is on their mind. Simply stated, they think about God. He is never out of their mind. They love to dwell upon God and upon his greatness and loveliness, as brought to light in Jesus Christ. They adore him in nature, in history, in his Son and in his saints. One could even say they are “God-intoxicated” (Acts 2:13; Ephesians 5:18), though no one has a stronger sense of reality and practicality than they do. Their mind is filled with biblical expressions of God’s nature, his actions, and his plans for them in his world. They do not dwell upon evil. It is not a big thing in their thoughts. They are sure of its defeat, but they still deal with it appropriately in specific situations.

Because their mind is centered on God and oriented with reference to him, all other good things are also welcome there: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,” their mind ponders those things (Philippians 4:8). They are positive, realistically so, based upon the nature of God as they understand it.

Feelings

And then perhaps we notice – and small wonder given what has already been observed – that the emotional life of these children of light is deeply characterized by love. That is how they invest the emotional side of their being. They love lots of good things and they love people. They love their life and who they are. They are thankful for their life – even though it may contain many difficulties, even persecution and martyrdom (Matthew 5:10-12). They receive all of it as God’s gift, or at least as his allowance, where they will know his goodness and greatness and go on to live with him forever. And so joy and peace are with them even in the hardest of times – even when suffering unjustly. Because of what they have learned about God, they are confident and hopeful and do not indulge thoughts of rejection, failure, and hopelessness, because they know better.

Will (Spirit, Heart)

Looking a little deeper we find that these children of light really are devoted to doing what is good and right. Their will is habitually attuned to it, just as their mind and emotions are habitually homing in on God. They are attentive to rightness, to kindness, to helpfulness, and they are purposefully knowledgeable about life, about what people need, and about how to do what is right and good in appropriate ways.

These are people who do not think first of themselves and what they want, and they really care very little, if at all, about getting their own way. “Let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not look out for your own personal interests, but for the interests of other” (Philippians 2:3-4). These are easy and good words to them. They are abandoned to God’s will and do not struggle and deliberate as to whether they will do what they know to be wrong. They do not hesitate to do what they know to be right. It is the obvious thing to do.

Body

That, of course, involves their body. Their body has come over to the side of their will to do good. It is constantly poised to do what is right and good without thinking. And that also means that it does not automatically move into what is wrong, even contrary to their resolves and intentions, before they can think to not do it. It is no longer true of them that their “spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). They know by experience that these words of Jesus are not a declaration about the inevitable condition of humans, but a diagnosis of a condition to be corrected. The Spirit has substantially taken over their “members.”

Consequently, we do not see them always being trapped by what their tongue, facial expressions, eyes, hands, and so on have already done before they can think. For their body and its parts are consecrated to serve God and are habituated to be his holy instruments. They instinctively avoid the paths of temptation. The bodies of these people even look different. There is a freshness about them, a kind of quiet strength, and a transparency. They are rested and playful in a bodily strength that is from God. He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead has given life to their bodies through his Spirit that dwells in them.

Social Relations

In their relations to others, they are completely transparent. Because they walk in goodness they have no use for darkness, and they achieve real contact or fellowship with others – especially other apprentices of Jesus. “If we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). And “The one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause of offence in him” (2:10, PAR). They do not conceal their thoughts and feelings (nor do they impose them upon everyone). Because of their confidence in God, they do not try to manipulate and manage others. Needless to say, in their social contexts they do not go on the attack or on the hunt, intending to use or to hurt others.

Moreover, they are completely non-condemning, while at the same time they will not participate in evil. They pay it only the attention absolutely required in any social setting, and beyond that, patient and joyful nonparticipation is the rule. They know how to really “be there” (wherever “there” is) without sharing in evil, as was true of Jesus himself. (Of course, as with him, others may disapprove of their “being there,” and there are always some occasions where one should just step away.) But they do not reject or distance themselves from the people who may be involved in such situations. They know how to “love the sinner and hate the sin” gracefully and effectively.

Soul

Finally, as you come to know these people – though those who know only the human powers of the flesh will never be able to understand them (1 Corinthians 2:14) – you see that all of the above is not just at the surface. It is deep, and in a certain obvious sense, it is effortless. It flows. That is, the things we have been describing are not things the children of light are constantly trying hard to do, gritting their teeth and carrying on. Instead, these are features of life that well up out of a soul that is at home in God.

This is the outcome of spiritual formation in Christlikeness. Again, it doesn’t mean perfection, but it does mean we have here a person whose soul is whole: a person who, through the internalized integrity of the law of God and the administrations of the gospel and the Spirit, has a restored soul. Such a soul effectively interfaces God and the full person and enable every aspect of the self to function as God intended.

Scriptures

Now, with this composite picture of the inner person of the children of light before us, let us return to some of the New Testament descriptions of what the apprentices of Jesus are to be like. We are now in a position to understand them in a new and, I believe, very encouraging way. Certainly, that is just the opposite of their usual effect, even on very devout people. Usually, I think, these bright passages may inspire longing, but a longing that is tinged with hopelessness and guilt. Now we are in a position to change all of that.

The passages we have in mind are very well known. Of course Matthew 5-7 heads the list, but properly understood, it really goes no further than familiar passages in Paul’s letters, or in those by Peter, James and John. And there are similar, though on the whole, somewhat less penetrating passages in the Old Testament. We might cite in this connection Romans 12:1-21, 1 Corinthians 13, 2 Corinthians 3:12-7:1, Galatians 5:22-6:10, Ephesians 4:20-6:20, Philippians 2:3-16 and 4:4-9, Colossians 3:1-4:6, 1 Peter 2:1-3:16, 2 Peter 1:2-10, 1 John 4:7-21, and so on. Perhaps Micah 6:8 could serve well as an Old Testament point of reference. Deuteronomy 10:12-21 would also serve. I urge the reader to plan a full day in silent retreat to read and reread these passages meditatively.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Matthew 7:21-27

Over the years, I’ve read many commentaries on the Sermon on the Mount. Some have suggested that Matthew, by placing Jesus’ teaching on a mountain, is depicting Jesus as the new Moses, bringing God’s new Law to the people. This can certainly be supported by Jesus’ references to various aspects of the Law through the sermon. But what if more is actually taking place here?

I was thinking through the above passage this morning. It was part of the Revised Common Lectionary for this week, so our faith-community used it for our corporate Lectio Divina during our Sunday night worship. Since then, it’s been haunting my thoughts.

N.T. Wright states the “house” being built that Jesus is referring to is the temple. He is climaxing his Sermon on the Mount with a powerful prophetic warning about the temple.

For Jesus’ Jewish contemporaries, the temple was the primary symbol of their identity and existence. It was the place where God dwelt, where heaven and earth met. Yet, they had taken this beautiful gift of God’s presence and grace and were “building the temple” upon sand. In other words, they were creating a false story or meaning around this symbol that would eventually lead to their destruction. They had distorted the temple into a symbol of ethnic distinction and superiority over the pagan nations. And the temple reminded them that one day, similar to the Maccabean revolt, God would deliver the Jews from their Gentile overlords and vindicate them by driving the pagans out of their country and ultimately placing Israel over the nations.

But it is this false story that is bringing judgment, and not deliverance, upon Israel. Jesus pulls in the imagery of Noah and the flood to make his point. He is prophesying God’s judgment upon the temple as a result of Israel’s failure to truly be God’s reconciling and redeeming people who bless the nations. Therefore, a flood is coming in the form of the Roman sword. And when the Jews take up arms and rush to the temple (and the distorted story and meaning they have constructed), rather than finding divine protection and safety as Noah found in the ark, they will find their own destruction. And that is exactly what happened in 70 A.D.

So Jesus is calling them to build a new temple, a temple redefined by his own teaching. I believe this may be Matthew’s intention of portraying Jesus teaching his disciples on a mountain. Where was the temple and Jerusalem built? On a mountain. Where is Matthew 5 to 7 taking place? On a mountain. In other words, I think the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 to 7 is a picture of the new temple – a community of Jesus’ apprentices gathered around Jesus, listening to and practicing his words and thereby becoming everything the temple stands for, heaven’s life lived on earth. His teaching is not a new law or ethic, but a new vision of becoming people who embody the reality of the temple – God’s presence as the tangible intersection of heaven and earth.

That’s why Jesus calls them the “light of the world” and the “city on a hill” (Matt 5:14). He’s referring to Jerusalem and, by association, the temple. Jesus’ apprentices are to embody Jerusalem and the temple. And so that none of them misunderstand what he’s talking about, he affirms that he’s not abolishing God’s Story among the Jewish nation (i.e. the Law and Prophets) but actually fulfilling it (Matthew 5:17). That’s because, as Jesus models in his own life, people who embody the “heaven-on-earth” reality of the temple naturally fulfill the Law. And this kind of embodiment of “heaven-on-earth” far surpasses the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt 5:20), which is simply the outward avoidance of certain activities.

The people who listen to and practice Jesus’ words and who are thus becoming the embodiment of God’s temple have entered into a new human life. Jesus unpacks this kind of life – we aren’t predisposed to anger, slander, contempt, lust, lying or any other sins that can hide in the shadows of the human heart and remain untouched by external regulations. Rather, “temple-embodying” people are naturally and easily forgiving, reconciling, trusting, healing, loving and transforming from the inside-out.

Jesus then moves into the kind of prayer life “temple-embodying” people have. It’s a life of prayer that seeks God’s name to be hallowed on earth as it is in heaven; that seeks God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven; that seeks God’s will to be accomplished on earth as it is in heaven. “On earth as it is in heaven” is what the temple is all about! Jesus’ apprentices will live and pray and breathe “heaven-on-earth.” Like the temple, they will become a place of worship, a place of faith, a place of forgiveness, a place of righteousness, a place where heaven and earth truly meet.

As Jesus progresses further into the inward life of “temple-embodying” people in the remainder of his sermon, the climax of his sermon in Matthew 7:21-29 just makes sense. Israel has failed to be this kind of people, God’s people. So God is judging them for their failures. The temple, the center of their faith and identity as God’s people, will be destroyed. In the form of the Roman army, the rains are coming, the streams are rising and the winds will beat upon the temple… and the symbolic heart of Israel will fall. But those who hear Jesus, do what he says, and embody the “heaven-on-earth” reality of the temple will stand in the midst of the raging storm.

And the same is true today as it was in Jesus’ day. What has become our distorted symbols of distinction and superiority over each other or the world? Regular church attendance or “community life”? Adherence to one ethical code of conduct over another? Spiritual gifts or spiritual fruit? Political conservatives or political liberals? Postmodernity or modernity? Emerging or established? Institutional or organic? Sermons or art or witnessing or leadership or mission or worship? Whether it is ethically, spiritually, ecclesiologically, or politically, there are many things that can become to us what the distorted symbol of the temple had become for Jesus’ contemporaries.

Therefore, Jesus’ words still ring with fresh prophetic impact. Abandon the false stories. Gather around him. Listen to his words. Practice his words. Become his people, his followers, his apprentices. Embody his life. That is our salvation.

I love how Henri Nouwen ends his book, The Way of the Heart. He has been examining the spirituality of the Desert Fathers, specifically solitude, silence and prayer. Here’s what he says:

“By their solitude, silence and unceasing prayer the Desert Fathers show us the way. These disciplines will teach us to stand firm, to speak words of salvation, and to approach the new millennium with hope, courage, and confidence.

“When we have been remodeled into living witnesses of Christ through solitude, silence and prayer, we will no longer have to worry about whether we are saying the right thing or making the right gesture, because then Christ will make his presence known even when we are not aware of it.

“Let me conclude with one more desert story:

‘Three Fathers used to go and visit blessed Anthony every year and two of them used to discuss their thoughts and the salvation of their souls with him, but the third always remained silent an did not ask him anything. After a long time, Abba Anthony said to him: “You often come here to see me, but you never ask me anything,” and the other replied, “It is enough to see you, Father.”‘

“This story is a fit ending to this book. By the time people feel that just seeing us is ministry, words such as these will no longer be necessary.”

For me, this story sums up what an incarnational life and an incarnational community are all about — where we have become so much like Christ that people feel that just seeing us is ministry. It reminds me of a great quote by Gordon Cosby:

“The ultimate goal is for us to be at home with God, united as one in the heart of God. Jesus said, ‘If you have seen me, you have seen God.’ We, as the Body of Christ living in the world today, should be able likewise to say, ‘If you have seen us, you have seen Jesus.’”

Lord, please make this true in our lives.

Chris Erdman has a great post today. Here it is in its entirety:

Chris Erdman writes: My aversion to the common practice of creating church mission statements is well articulated in this quote from a book called “Between You and I – A Little Book of Bad English.” It’s by James Cochrane educated at Cambridge University UK and an editor for Penguin Books since 1961. In the “chapter” on M words, he says this about mission statements:

“No public body these days, it seems, feels it has done its duty until it has produced what it will probably call a ‘mission statement’ in the form of a participial phrase: ‘Providing jobs and services’ (typical town council), ‘Working to make London safer’ (the Metropolitan Police), and so forth. Two noticed recently are: ‘Making knowledge work’ (the University of Bradford) and ‘Connecting people with God’ (St. Mary’s Church of England, Islington, London.)

“What is it about these phrases that is so irritating? In the case of St. Mary’s, Islington, perhaps it is the sheer vulgarity of reducing the raison d’etre of the church to a glib commercial slogan, no doubt in the name of ‘accessibility,’ ‘relevance,’ or ‘youth appeal.’ More generally it may be a sense of the essential dishonesty of ‘statements’ which, like the verbless sentences of Prime Minister Tony Blair, are not really statements at all but merely vague aspirations for which no one can properly be held to account.”

Irritating and vulgar are good words for what I feel about trying to reduce the vocation that gospel has in mind for us to a handy slogan that might with very little alteration be used to sell beer or tampons. How much is such a practice merely pandering to the “peddling” that St. Paul too found vulgar and irritating (2 Corinthians 2.17)?

And when many around us seem to be trampling all over each other to rush hell-bent like lemmings after the Pied Piper, how can we form authentic disciple-congregations who are better-schooled in the odd language of the Bible than they are in the alluring tunes of the religious hucksters?

I think God is beginning to make it very clear that he wants to develop these three aspects in my life. He got my attention through a three-part lecture by Henri Nouwen on the subject. I then bought his book, The Way of the Heart, which is basically a transcript of the lectures. The more I listen to the lectures and make my way through the book, I find my heart resonating with the desire to become a person who embodies solitude, silence and prayer in this world.

There are so many great quotes that I don’t even know where to begin. But here are few that have grabbed me:

“We enter into solitude first of all to meet our Lord and to be with him and him alone. Our primary task in solitude, therefore, is not to pay undue attention to the many faces which assail us, but to keep the eyes of our mind and heart on him who is our divine savior… As we come to realize that it is not we who live, but Christ who lives in us, that he is our true self, we can slowly let our compulsions melt away and begin to experience the freedom of the children of God. And then we can look back with a smile and realize that we aren’t even angry or greedy any more.”



That last sentence kicked me in the gut. I would give virtually anything to become that kind of person!

“We have, indeed, to fashion our own desert where we can withdraw every day, shake off our compulsions, and dwell in the gentle healing presence of our Lord. Without such a desert we will lose our own soul while preaching the gospel to others. But with such a spiritual abode, we will become increasingly conformed to him in whose Name we minister.”

“Solitude is not simply a means to an end. Solitude is its own end. It is the place where Christ remodels us in his own image and frees us from the victimizing compulsions of the world. Solitude is the place of our salvation. Hence, it is the place where we want to lead all who are seeking the light in this dark world.”

Speaking of St. Anthony, Nouwen says:

“St. Anthony spent twenty years in isolation. When he left it he took his solitude with him and shared it with all who came to him. Those who saw him described him as balanced, gentle, and caring. He had become so Christlike, so radiant with God’s love, that his entire being was ministry… The solitude that at first had required physical isolation had now become a quality of his heart, an inner disposition that could no longer be disturbed by those who needed his guidance.”