A good Passover

Resonance met on Sunday night this week rather than on Sunday morning. We are trying to have a more contemplative time once a month on Sunday nights. Our friends Shane and Amanda were with us from Lubbock. It was a time of the Lord's encouragement for our community. See the details on Resblogs (our communities blog).

An aha moment

We are beginning a time on Thursday nights to study the gospel of John over a meal. We are going to be using N.T. Wrights John for Everyone to create dialogue. I have had my kids join us in this endeavor. I have been seeing the need in my kids to get them more involved in a constant intake of the word of God. As I see times that their emotions have breakdowns I've been realizing that teaching them to receive from the Word isn't just a duty Christians parents should do, but something a Father would desire to equip his children with to help them battle the attacks of worldliness, the attacks of selfishness from our own flesh, and even offenses that will come their way. And at the same time teaching them to encounter the heart of Jesus and not just information about Him.

Anyway all that to say: The kids and I were driving along in my pickup and my son Ethan had an aha moment. He said "dad, I just thought of something. A lamb had to die because Adam and Even sinned right" I said yea, there has to be a sacrifice for sin. He then said "It is like God is telling us something that is going to happen in the future then, because just like Adam and Even had to have a lamb die for their sin, we need Jesus the lamb of God to die for our sin, so God shows us stuff that's going to happen even before it does." What a blessing to have an aha moment for myself to see that my son had a moment of revelation. God was speaking to his heart. It was a good day !

Worship while you blog

I used to use this site alot to listen to worship while I was on the net or even while I was hanging out in my bedroom. I ran across it afresh this week.

Worship at night watch ministries has some prime worship music. Take a listen.

Here I cry
You who dwell in heaven
Draw near to us
For Your sole desire

No one else
Could ever do in this life
Make us blameless
In the sight of Your Son

As we rend our hearts
May you rend the heavens
As we look to You
May You shine Your glory

by Isa Couvetier

Rend our Hearts was a song that became a prayer while I engaged with the Lord in worship this past week at IHOP. I think this scripture is out of Isaiah 62

Engaged hearts

This was during one of the IHOP conference sessions. People were engaged in loving Jesus.

Dinner in Tulsa

This was the dinner made by Nancy Bishop as I stopped by Tulsa on my way to Kansas City and had a great time of fellowship with friends Loren and Nancy. The color was too cool not to photo.

In Him we live

I just got back from a conference at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. I can not think of a place on the planet I would have rather been this weekend. What a privilege to get to spend three days of just hanging out with your best friend who also happens to be the Majestic King of the Universe.

How that happens I don't know. How Jesus can be so personal with us and allow us to encounter Him as friend and at the same time be the Lion of the Tribe of Judah who has a fierce roar and will one day come and judge the nations. I just don't get that. But I am still excited that His grace and kindness extends toward me.

For three days the Lord has visited me and allowed me to encounter Him afresh. I have experienced His peace, I have heard His challenge me about the dullness of my heart toward Him and I have been encouraged as His son.

I will be writing more about specifics here.

Today's prayer

I hunger and thirst for You the living God
Show me more of Your heart
Expose the dullness of my own heart

I cry out for more

More of Jesus
Allow me to Encounter this man Christ Jesus
Allow me to be exposed to His glory

Come Lord, Come Lord
in me

Face of Postmodern Worship

Andrew Jones has a feature article in Worship leader this month called The Emerging Face of Postmodern Worship.

A large room is filled with garbage, but will soon become the scene for communion. A multi-media labyrinth leads participants through a one-hour encounter with their creator. A senses lab includes a wind tunnel for meditating on God’s spirit. Another room is filled with incense and the soft light of candles. It is called the Luscious Room and passages from Song of Solomon are written on the walls. The dance space is completely saturated with video images and electronic worship mixed by DJs from Switzerland. There is a birthday party where people on all four levels of the atrium are eating cake and celebrating life, yet there is also a memorial space for a friend that died a few weeks earlier. There are over a dozen worship environments occurring simultaneously but none of them have a stage. There is an abundance of music but no bands. People weep as they meet with God, but no one leads the meeting. Is this the emerging face of postmodern worship, or just a moment in time when those on the journey towards holistic, authentic worship find themselves caught up in creating something that will never be repeated?

This is from an Indie Allies get together last night. We talked about what biblical leadership looks like, about upcoming books that label the emerging movement as herectical, about the nature of life in Christ, about new Mac laptops, and some thoughts on NT Wright and his take on Romans, among other things.
 

The true testimony

My friend Loren Bishop has entered the blog world with a blog focused on how God is restoring a pure witness of the testimony of Jesus in these days. Check it out at Pulpit of the last days.

From an interview with Sally Morganthaler

One small barking dog interviews Sally Morganthaler. Here are some excerpts:

A few years ago, I realized (to my horror) that I had lived a huge percentage of my life rotating between three futile perspectives: regretting the past, surviving the present, or worrying about the future. A change was in order. Now, I try to focus on each moment that is given to me, as it is offered. I ask, "What does this moment require of me?" Or, "What is God trying to communicate to me?" This wholehearted investment in life - this grabbing hold of the wonder in my path, whether it be intense challenge, recreation, uncertainty, a neighbor's frantic call in the night, difficult relatives, a stranger in the airport, or extended isolation - this is medicine to my soul and a rooting in God's good plan. It is, for one known as skeptic and practiced rebel, a place of delightful submission to God's sovereignty. And, I must say, a surprising and welcome turn.

I'm not generally one for despair. But I do have concerns. My own generation of Americans (baby boomers) suffers from a particularly virile form of narcissism. In our quest for personal fulfillment, we have failed to both teach and know our children well. Truly, our deprioritization of our own offspring is one of the great tragedies of late twentieth century America. The effects are staggering, and I'm not just talking about broken homes. It goes much deeper than that. The cessation of intergenerational narrative is at the core. The exchange of story has been one of the most important roles of family life. But getting involved in that exchange means sacrificing time, listening, and value that our children are actually worth the effort. A few days ago, I was at a Christian conference and had just ended a talk about creating sacred space outside the four walls of our churches. I didn't focus the talk on young people, but one father came up to me afterward and plied me with questions about what kind of music he should let his kids listen to, what kind of media, films, TV programs, etc. I was comforted that he was evidently having an epiphany moment that he might need to be involved in these sort of things, but the attitude was still trying to protect them from their own culture, their own stories. It's amazing how rarely I hear parent's ask how they can dialog and actually share life with their children, how they can enter their offspring's worlds, find out the stories their children are actually living, and earn the right to tell their own stories. We are truly in relationally challenged as a nation.

link

Random thoughts on leadership . . .

What the heck is leadership ? Is leadership a biblical concept ? Maybe it is false concept of modernity that needs to be done away with ? Maybe it is a solid concept that has been misused.

Some random thoughts:

The basis of leadership in our lives is influence. We are leaders in the capacity we influence people toward Jesus our King and His kingdom.

Leadership within a Christian context is being who you are as you abide in Him. It is who we are in Christ.

Finding who we are in Christ is a lifelong pursuit of His heart. This is the true biblical hermeneutic (way of interpreting scripture). It is finding out what is Gods heart in what the
bible says. That heart is reflected in God's son Jesus Christ. It is finding God's heart in the decisions we make. It is finding Gods heart in how and when we influence people's lives.

It is God's choice on how we influence others.

I'm convinced as we learn to walk in humility and submission to
God's heart and His ways, influence is the natural outcome of that. This influence will look different for all of us. It has to do with the gift that we are to the body, and the call that is upon us to glorify His name.

Influence can not be found in copying someone else's style. It can't happen by following someone else's pattern of influence.

Influence can be found by learning how to be in relationship with the Father. It can be encouraged by seeing godly principles operate in others lives and seeing how to know Gods heart in those principles.

Postmodernisms answer to the consumerism of the modern age is being organic. But in my mind even though I see the faultiness of the modern mindset, I recognize the answer is not in having a postmodern mindset. The answer is in developing more fully a living relationship with the Lord Jesus and allowing the overflow from that relationship transform our minds and our hearts and our emotions and our past. The previous statement is not a formula for success. I am so tired of the church coming up with formulas for success. I don't want to be sold a formula. I've tried many and all leave me lacking. What I want is more, more of Him, more communication with Him (Jesus), more thinking like He thinks, more drinking in what He drinks in. And I believe that more of Him is attainable, not as a one time more experience, but as a journey of more of Him as I live. That is truly organic.

Jesus heart in leadership is:
1. That the Father may be glorified. This was the intent of Jesus heart in being who He was on the earth. It is significant to recognize that Jesus never did any miracles for himself. The miracles were that the Father would be glorified. "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord." (1Cor 1:31) & "The first commandment, And you shall love the lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." (Mark 12:29)

leadership is not exerting our control upon a situation. It is not our wisdom on how to deal with a situation.

Leadership according to the kingdom is not a title. It is not an appointed position. It is a lifestyle that flows out of relationship with Christ.

Influence on others is not a stamp of approval on all the actions of the influencing person. Just because someone has an arena of influence does not mean they have mastery over all areas of their own life. We need the whole body. Lone followers of Christ is an oxymoronic phrase.
we can not follow Christ on our own. We need the others parts of the body to function, to be on a healthy journey following Christ.

There are so many others aspects of true leadership and and a biblical defintion, but sleep is upon me.

don't want medication

but i don't want medication

just give me liberation

even if it cuts my legs right out from underneath

don't give me medication

i want the real sensation

even when living feels just like death to me . . .

Derek Webb: I see things upside down

Because . . .

I wanted to do something fun with the kids today and let them get out of the routines of life. We went to the mall, went to see a movie, and then got a bite to eat. We saw Because of Winn Dixie. This is not a great movie, but it is a very good one and it relays some good theology about true community. And you Dave Matthew fans will enjoy Dave's role in the movie where he does a bit of playing and singing.

A site to see

Soul Searching: cool design and content. Check out the video clips of peoples stories. I like that uk accent.

How can my ministry promote the kingdom ? not the other way around.

Mike Pilavachi speaks to the issue of giving up our lives in Confessions of a middle aged youth worker.

Things people won't say when they see a Christian bumper sticker or fish on a car

From John Dekker's Journal

Things people won't say when they see a Christian bumper sticker or fish on a car

7. "Look! Let's stop that car and ask those folks how we can become Christians."

6. "Dad, how come people who drive like that don't get thrown in jail? Can we get a bumper sticker like that, too?"

5. "Stay clear of those folks, Martha. If they get raptured, that car's gonna be all over the road!"

4. "Oh, look! That Christian woman is getting a chance to share Jesus with a policeman."

3. "No, that's not garbage coming out of their windows, Bert. It's probably gospel tracts for the road workers."

2. "Don't worry, Billy, those people are Christians. They must have a good reason for driving 150 kilometres an hour."

1. "Quick, Alice, honk the horn or they won't know that we love Jesus!"

Is life fair ?

"to live is Christ, to die is gain"

I had an interesting conversation with my wife this week. We were diligence about when we get tired and the issue of "Is that fair?" comes up. I had to clean the house this week and you didn't have time to help, was that fair? I realized "Is that fair?" is not a question a Christian asks. The more appropriate questions is "God, What is your will in this?" When I ask is that fair, what I'm really saying is "Is this a fair deal for me ?"

Just because something isn't fair doesn't mean it isn't right. To serve another is not a fair thing, but it is a right thing. To bless your enemies doesn't seem fair, but it is right. To forgive doesn't seem fair, but in God's economy it is right. In this life I pray I will die to my expectations of fairness and embrace what is right: serving God which translates as Christ living through us.

And right isn't always fair. It wasn't fair that Jesus had to die and take the burden of the sins of the world upon himself. It wasn't fair that God has mercy on me even though I demean His holiness by my sin.

The mystery of His presence

The past two Sunday mornings at our house gathering, there has been a very real and encouraging sense of Gods presence among us. Our father loves to build up His children.

This Sunday we had a time where children and adults did a playdo sculpture to signify something they knew about God's nature. Teryn, one of our preschoolers shared her sculpture of a mouth with sores on it and told us how it reminds her that God "fixes us when we're broken". I think every adult in the house was moved by that.

We later partook together of the richness of Romans 12. We were reminded that the body of Christ is connected not only with adults but with our children. And that we need them as part of the body. Another comment was how digestive systems are needed as much as shiny hair. Those behind the scenes giftings are just as valuable and needed.

On both occasions we have ended in soaking prayer for one or another of our community.

This morning I was reminded of a Vineyard song of a few years back and find it being my prayer today.

Come walk among us
Come walk a-mong us Jesus
You know that we need You
You know that we need You Jesus

You see our hearts
You know that we're but dust
Its You who made us
Lord in You we choose to trust

Come Lord,Come Lord

Artistry rules

Daniel Pink says:

Logical and precise, left-brain thinking gave us the Information Age. Now comes the Conceptual Age - ruled by artistry, empathy, and emotion

Read Revenge of the Right Brain in this months Wired.