How can it be almost Christmas time ? Time flies. I remember being in high school and wondering if I would ever finish those four years and then get out on my own. Now I'm on the other end of the curve, time is always flying.
We have decided that our community called Resonance is to be released into other endeavors in the kingdom. It seemed to be God's timing to move on. I will write a prologue on our church planting experience later. We are going to stay in North Dallas and focus on getting out of debt for the time being. We are not in a hurry to move on and will attempt to wait on the Lord and hear the next step from Him.
I am amazed at the hurried pace of life here in the metroplex. I am also awed at how quickly I am drawn in to that cycle. I can imagine the Father sitting on a park bench and saying Berry slow down and fellowship awhile. My response too often seems to be "Let me get caught up God and then we can spend some quality time together."
God continues to speak to me that His ways and His plans can never be separated from relationship. God speaks direction, and then God walks along the way fellowshiping in that direction. Truly knowing Him is not designed to get direction at the beginning of the day and carry out the task, but to stay in fellowship with Him at the beginning (guidance), throughout (the journey), and until the end (fulfillment).
Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you !
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Calling: the journey continues
In my Christian existance, I have found the understanding of calling to be an ongoing developmental process. Let me explain.
In my first years of truly following after Christ I began to recognize a pull within myself to encourage other Christians. If you would have asked me in my two year understanding of the Christian journey, I would have said that God had given me a gift of encouragement.
A short time after that, God allowed me to be a leader in our college ministry. I was the one who would plan our weekly prayer, worship, and teaching time on Sunday nights. At this point I probably would have said that my calling was to teach and encourage.
Maybe four years after giving my life to Christ a scripture, Isaiah 61:1-4 began to stir me greatly and was involved in a very specific call on my life. The unveiling of that call came with a very dramatic week that supernaturally confirmed a call of God on my life. At this point I would have said God called me to preach.
Years later I was involved in pioneering a young adults ministry as an intern at a large interdenominational church. My understanding here was that God had put me in a place of peer leadership. I taught, cast vision, discipled people as God led.
After some other wilderness experiences, some school experiences, some other ministry experiences God began to deal with me and say you are getting older, your no longer a peer leader, I am calling you to Father. I wasn't sure I wanted to be old and a Father but I recieved this direction from the Lord.
I give all this background to remind myself of the process and to say that our calling in the Lord is ongoing. It is not an event and it is not stationary, it is always evolving. It is a growing understanding. It is an ongoing relationship. We can't define it by yesterday or tomorrow, but have to define it within the context of our relationship with Christ today.
Today I am reminded that our callings are always subject to change. We are not our own, but we are bought with a price. It is God's will that directs us today in whatever direction He deems beneficial to His glory and His kingdom.
In my first years of truly following after Christ I began to recognize a pull within myself to encourage other Christians. If you would have asked me in my two year understanding of the Christian journey, I would have said that God had given me a gift of encouragement.
A short time after that, God allowed me to be a leader in our college ministry. I was the one who would plan our weekly prayer, worship, and teaching time on Sunday nights. At this point I probably would have said that my calling was to teach and encourage.
Maybe four years after giving my life to Christ a scripture, Isaiah 61:1-4 began to stir me greatly and was involved in a very specific call on my life. The unveiling of that call came with a very dramatic week that supernaturally confirmed a call of God on my life. At this point I would have said God called me to preach.
Years later I was involved in pioneering a young adults ministry as an intern at a large interdenominational church. My understanding here was that God had put me in a place of peer leadership. I taught, cast vision, discipled people as God led.
After some other wilderness experiences, some school experiences, some other ministry experiences God began to deal with me and say you are getting older, your no longer a peer leader, I am calling you to Father. I wasn't sure I wanted to be old and a Father but I recieved this direction from the Lord.
I give all this background to remind myself of the process and to say that our calling in the Lord is ongoing. It is not an event and it is not stationary, it is always evolving. It is a growing understanding. It is an ongoing relationship. We can't define it by yesterday or tomorrow, but have to define it within the context of our relationship with Christ today.
Today I am reminded that our callings are always subject to change. We are not our own, but we are bought with a price. It is God's will that directs us today in whatever direction He deems beneficial to His glory and His kingdom.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Riding under the waves
I like blogging, but like my life right now I am riding under the waves. Most people unless really close can't see me, my life, and the realities of my journey with the Lord. I keep saying over the next horizon I will have time for this or that.
I think reality is: accept the reality I have. So I'll keep popping up for air from time to time.
I'm learning about calling these days. It will sound simple, but I'm learning when my friend is mad at me, I am still called to be a friend. When my wife is mad at me I am still called to husband her. When my kids are mad at me, I am still called to father them. When I am mad at me, I am still called to pastor others, father my kids, husband my wife, serve the body of Christ. I am not my own but I am bought with a price. Circumstances don't dictate our calling, being obedient to Christ does. I'm learning.
I think reality is: accept the reality I have. So I'll keep popping up for air from time to time.
I'm learning about calling these days. It will sound simple, but I'm learning when my friend is mad at me, I am still called to be a friend. When my wife is mad at me I am still called to husband her. When my kids are mad at me, I am still called to father them. When I am mad at me, I am still called to pastor others, father my kids, husband my wife, serve the body of Christ. I am not my own but I am bought with a price. Circumstances don't dictate our calling, being obedient to Christ does. I'm learning.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Angelic
I ran across this mural on a side of a building in the Greenville area of Dallas so I took a couple of shots.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Stewarding our authority
God gives his children impartations of grace that enable them to serve others. Authority happens when we under the Holy Spirits guidance use what God has given us to serve Him and others. It is not our authority, it is His. We are to steward well the grace given us. God is challenging me and our community to use what He has given us faithfully. We can never assume that our lives don't make a big difference.
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 1 Peter 1:13
Girding up has the picture of tying tightly the belt around a flowing garment so the person can run or exert themselves. And then being sober is the opposite of being drunk. Being drunk is the loss of control. Being sober is giving control to God and being at peace. So we are rolling up our sleeves, giving full control to God, and then resting all our hope and expectations on Him (Jesus) alone.
What a great reminder for me. Peter was talking to people who had left their home and were foreigners in other places. They were people of transition. They began to taste what it meant to be strangers and aliens in this world. And Peter was encouraging them not to lose focus, but to put their weight in Christ.
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 1 Peter 1:13
Girding up has the picture of tying tightly the belt around a flowing garment so the person can run or exert themselves. And then being sober is the opposite of being drunk. Being drunk is the loss of control. Being sober is giving control to God and being at peace. So we are rolling up our sleeves, giving full control to God, and then resting all our hope and expectations on Him (Jesus) alone.
What a great reminder for me. Peter was talking to people who had left their home and were foreigners in other places. They were people of transition. They began to taste what it meant to be strangers and aliens in this world. And Peter was encouraging them not to lose focus, but to put their weight in Christ.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
The reports of my death have been exaggerated
No, I haven't given up blogging, but working 65-70 hours a week takes away my creative energy to blog. I miss the normal routine of journaling through a blog.
I have hope that sometime in the days to come I will get to return to the social revolution found in blogging.
Check out these articles on blogging:
1. The Blogging Revolution (Weblogs Are To Words What Napster Was To Music)
2. Business Blogging for Beginners
I have hope that sometime in the days to come I will get to return to the social revolution found in blogging.
Check out these articles on blogging:
1. The Blogging Revolution (Weblogs Are To Words What Napster Was To Music)
2. Business Blogging for Beginners
Friday, June 10, 2005
Faithful in Little Things
The word tells us to be faithful in the little things and we will be given much. I've been thinking about how we turn that verse to the idea of promotion. If I work hard here I will be promoted and be in a better place. Then I began to see an application of this verse in Jesus life. He was faithful to be broken. His willingness to be broken in little things led to His being given much brokeness (the cross). The cross was the ultimate brokeness and the ultimate submittedness. It is a High King laying down His life for the peasants who He sees as friends.
I want to change my paradigm from seeing brokeness as a season I have to endure to get to the good stuff and rather see it as the avenue for love to be poured out to others. Brokeness is our friend not our enemy. True brokeness birthed out of love is to be admired and aspired to.
I want to change my paradigm from seeing brokeness as a season I have to endure to get to the good stuff and rather see it as the avenue for love to be poured out to others. Brokeness is our friend not our enemy. True brokeness birthed out of love is to be admired and aspired to.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Real Stories
Callie (11 yr old): Dad, what does homie mean ?
Dad (44 yr old): Homie is like someone your close to, a friend, somebody you like to hang with.
Callie : hmmmm
Next day
Callie walks out the door and dad catches a glimpse of a new piece of art on the back of a white tee-shirt Callie is wearing: Jesus is my homie written in black magic marker.
Dad (44 yr old): Homie is like someone your close to, a friend, somebody you like to hang with.
Callie : hmmmm
Next day
Callie walks out the door and dad catches a glimpse of a new piece of art on the back of a white tee-shirt Callie is wearing: Jesus is my homie written in black magic marker.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Blitzed but not tackled
Work has blitzed my time to blog for a few weeks now. It reminds me of being a quarterback in football and seeing that blitz coming. You had to make quick decisions and be a bit elusive to survive. Some blitzes ended in bruising tackles and others in big plays.
Even though I am getting the life blitz right now. God is working some good things within me . I have been meditating on Psalm 1 for weeks now. It is coming more and more alive to me. I was very familiar with Psalms 1 having committed most of it to memory years ago. I am learning that a dangerous thing happens when you have studied and know a portion of scripture. You begin to think you have the understanding of it. It is not a pompous kind of pride that lifts up it's ugly head, but more like a sneaky little pride that slips in the back door. The whisper of this little pride goes something like this "hey, why read that scripture, you know it well, and it's really kinda boring."
I have taken some wisdom from something Kirk Bennett out of IHOP said. He said approach all scripture with a "God, will you teach me about this passage?" I have been asking the Lord to teach me more about Psalms 1 and it is beginning to take. One of the first things the Lord directed me in was a picture of this man in Psalms one who is blessed. The picture He gave me was one of Jesus. Jesus is the embodiment of Psalms one. Jesus delight was in the law of the Lord and on it He meditated day and night. We know that Jesus had a pure continual fellowship with the Father. Here is a key insight into that fellowship. Jesus meditated on the word. I can picture Jesus working at the carpenter bench crafting a new table for someone with Psalm 1 on his lips. "Blessed is the man, Blessed is the man, Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, Blessed is the man who does not walk, who does not go in the direction of ungodly counsel, who does not listen to ungodly counsel . . .". I picture Jesus repeating this in thought and with voice, reading the word, speaking the word, thinking the word, even singing the word, and praying the word He is thinking on.
Psalms 1 is becoming a delight to think on. I am beginning to glean some fresh manna from it. I hope to continue meditating on Psalms 1 for weeks to come and continue feeding my soul.
Even though I am getting the life blitz right now. God is working some good things within me . I have been meditating on Psalm 1 for weeks now. It is coming more and more alive to me. I was very familiar with Psalms 1 having committed most of it to memory years ago. I am learning that a dangerous thing happens when you have studied and know a portion of scripture. You begin to think you have the understanding of it. It is not a pompous kind of pride that lifts up it's ugly head, but more like a sneaky little pride that slips in the back door. The whisper of this little pride goes something like this "hey, why read that scripture, you know it well, and it's really kinda boring."
I have taken some wisdom from something Kirk Bennett out of IHOP said. He said approach all scripture with a "God, will you teach me about this passage?" I have been asking the Lord to teach me more about Psalms 1 and it is beginning to take. One of the first things the Lord directed me in was a picture of this man in Psalms one who is blessed. The picture He gave me was one of Jesus. Jesus is the embodiment of Psalms one. Jesus delight was in the law of the Lord and on it He meditated day and night. We know that Jesus had a pure continual fellowship with the Father. Here is a key insight into that fellowship. Jesus meditated on the word. I can picture Jesus working at the carpenter bench crafting a new table for someone with Psalm 1 on his lips. "Blessed is the man, Blessed is the man, Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, Blessed is the man who does not walk, who does not go in the direction of ungodly counsel, who does not listen to ungodly counsel . . .". I picture Jesus repeating this in thought and with voice, reading the word, speaking the word, thinking the word, even singing the word, and praying the word He is thinking on.
Psalms 1 is becoming a delight to think on. I am beginning to glean some fresh manna from it. I hope to continue meditating on Psalms 1 for weeks to come and continue feeding my soul.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
House Churches have no sex appeal
Check out the article by Andrew Jones. It brings up important issues that all churches should wrestle with.
link
link
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Down from the mountain
Having a sabbatical week in Kansas City a couple of weeks ago was a mountain top experience for me. I came back refreshed and energized. This week has been the "your off the mountain week".
I have had some 15 and 17 hour days at work, our finances are on the edge this month, and emotionally I have been drained. I am aware that God is still working in weeks like this, just not in the ways I would rather Him work. Let's see Tuesday night I played basketball at a new place and offended someone I don't really know (I did apologize) . The same night someone landed on my foot and it broke the toenail at the base so my big toe is blue. I missed the bible study at my house because I could not finish work in time. I communicated poorly to my wife about the Bible study and it didn't go that well. Those are some samples of how this week has gone.
I write this not to complain, but to realize every week isn't storybook in the Christian life. I can read a biography of some Christian leader and it seems their lives are just filled with hearing God clearly each week and having supernatural events consistently happening. I have to remind myself that these are the highlights of this Christians life, not the everyday stuff. Christ is found in the mundane as well as the exciting.
I am also reminded of Paul saying: we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
I have had some 15 and 17 hour days at work, our finances are on the edge this month, and emotionally I have been drained. I am aware that God is still working in weeks like this, just not in the ways I would rather Him work. Let's see Tuesday night I played basketball at a new place and offended someone I don't really know (I did apologize) . The same night someone landed on my foot and it broke the toenail at the base so my big toe is blue. I missed the bible study at my house because I could not finish work in time. I communicated poorly to my wife about the Bible study and it didn't go that well. Those are some samples of how this week has gone.
I write this not to complain, but to realize every week isn't storybook in the Christian life. I can read a biography of some Christian leader and it seems their lives are just filled with hearing God clearly each week and having supernatural events consistently happening. I have to remind myself that these are the highlights of this Christians life, not the everyday stuff. Christ is found in the mundane as well as the exciting.
I am also reminded of Paul saying: we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
Monday, March 28, 2005
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).
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
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 !
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 !
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
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.
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
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
Monday, March 14, 2005
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
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
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
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.
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