"Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who trans[ition into heaven]. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is."
- Yoda
For us to lose a loved one is a hard thing! When we weep and wail, do we weep and wail for those we know are resting in the joy of the Lord? Or are we weeping for ourselves? We have lost somebody that we loved from this life of suffering. They are now at peace, true peace. In joy, true joy.
Everything in this life is temporary. All things are on loan - even our relationships. Perhaps our deep sense of mourning over death stems from our incomplete understanding of Heaven. When i leave my wife for a conference or a training i do not weep and mourn. The journey from here to Heaven, is much like a business trip. . .or perhaps more like a vacation.
All of these words, of course, do not eliminate the pain, or grief, or sorrow. Still we should make every effort to rejoice, for somehow just beyond our sight, this is all part of God's plan.
Life spans but a single breath, and our loved ones, now passed, are only half a heartbeat away.
To Kyle Lake - we will meet soon. In the meantime. . . rest good and faithful servant! With God's guidance the church will tend to your loved ones here.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Peace
You want peace on earth. . .
Let us stop obsessing over our myriad differences and invest more energy into our one or few commonalities.
Let us stop obsessing over our myriad differences and invest more energy into our one or few commonalities.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Can't we all just get along?
Ever sit in a church building and think to yourself, "What is this place?" How about thinking that the catholic are different than Christians? And what of the house church heretics?
i went to a wedding the other day at an Episcopal church. The ceremony was lovely, as were the buildings and the grounds. As we entered and sat down i took in my surroundings and thought to myself how disturbing as my stomach churned at the thought that a community could meet in such a place. As the Rector stepped in to conduct the ceremony i was equally nauseated by the stage, the microphone, the priestly garb, the scripted prayers, and on and on. . . .
It was only later that it hit me. How dare i?!?!?!?!?!? i had just spent the better part of an hour tearing down and criticizing something that people used to get and feel close to God.
No, it didn't help me or harbor a sense of closeness with God in my opinion, but, since when was i the center of the universe?
Just because i feel closest to God at the base of a redwood grove, or in my living room doesn't mean that everyone does!
A friend of mine has been struggling with the idea of how/where she worships best. She is torn between the comfort of the traditions that she has grown up with in the "structured" church, and the power and intimacy of the house church.
It got me thinking. i thought about all of the different denominations. i thought about all of the "My way is the right way" line of thinking. i thought about all the dissension and the inability to get along. i thought about how much more we could get done for the sake of the Kingdom if we could just work together.
We as Christians tend to overlook one small truth. There is only one church. We have created a lot of denominations.
Now in truth, there are some groups out there that are way out in left field (and in some cases they are not even playing in the same park), and there are in every denomination some really quirky and off the wall practices. At the core of it all, though, we are working toward the same end.
God made us all in his image and if he made us all unique, can't we assume that our relationships to God are also unique??
Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus:
"There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Jesus told the Samaritan woman (as recorded by John in chapter 4):
"Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. . . Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
Paul also wrote to the Church in Rome (chapter 14):
"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. . .One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. . . You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. . . Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. . . Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. . . Everything that does not come from faith is sin."
i went to a wedding the other day at an Episcopal church. The ceremony was lovely, as were the buildings and the grounds. As we entered and sat down i took in my surroundings and thought to myself how disturbing as my stomach churned at the thought that a community could meet in such a place. As the Rector stepped in to conduct the ceremony i was equally nauseated by the stage, the microphone, the priestly garb, the scripted prayers, and on and on. . . .
It was only later that it hit me. How dare i?!?!?!?!?!? i had just spent the better part of an hour tearing down and criticizing something that people used to get and feel close to God.
No, it didn't help me or harbor a sense of closeness with God in my opinion, but, since when was i the center of the universe?
Just because i feel closest to God at the base of a redwood grove, or in my living room doesn't mean that everyone does!
A friend of mine has been struggling with the idea of how/where she worships best. She is torn between the comfort of the traditions that she has grown up with in the "structured" church, and the power and intimacy of the house church.
It got me thinking. i thought about all of the different denominations. i thought about all of the "My way is the right way" line of thinking. i thought about all the dissension and the inability to get along. i thought about how much more we could get done for the sake of the Kingdom if we could just work together.
We as Christians tend to overlook one small truth. There is only one church. We have created a lot of denominations.
Now in truth, there are some groups out there that are way out in left field (and in some cases they are not even playing in the same park), and there are in every denomination some really quirky and off the wall practices. At the core of it all, though, we are working toward the same end.
God made us all in his image and if he made us all unique, can't we assume that our relationships to God are also unique??
Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus:
"There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Jesus told the Samaritan woman (as recorded by John in chapter 4):
"Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. . . Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
Paul also wrote to the Church in Rome (chapter 14):
"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. . .One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. . . You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. . . Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. . . Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. . . Everything that does not come from faith is sin."
Could i be wrong? Looking at these passages it would seem to me that God's intent for the church is for us to relate to God. Each of us in our own unique way. When we come together to worship corporately we should be understanding of each others differences. If the early church fathers had really read and understood the fourteenth chapter of the letter to the church in Rome i firmly believe that there would not be so many denominations today! i mean really? Are there going to be "religious subdivisions" in heaven?
God be praised for our unity and our uniqueness!!
Monday, October 17, 2005
Perhaps i am a heretic, perhaps not. . .
i was actually in the process of writing about the fruits of the spirit (something i hope to post here soon), but there has been a nagging on my heart about another matter. The implications of which could be serious if misinterpreted (like i could be tarred and feathered), but something that should be meditated on.
Some time ago while i was still teaching a Sunday school class we spoke on the matter of idolatry. It was brought up that anything we place in front of God, or in his place of honor, in our lives could be viewed as idolatry. i posed the question at the time, "Is it possible to idolize your bible?" A question that, on the surface, i had intended to use just to stir thinking. Little did i want to accept the feeling down deep that there may be more truth to this notion than not.
i recall when i was in high school that i had a bible that had "seen some wear". Now mind you most of my bibles end up mummified in duct tape and are used until even the duct tape is worn beyond recognition. This particular bible had reached the point where entire chapters of some of the letters and books were missing. i had finally resolved to just throw it away, and wow what a controversy that struck. My mother was appalled that i would even consider throwing out a bible. . . i mean after all the bible is a Holy book. The debate came to a head when she called the pastor of the local church to ask him if it was wrong to throw it out. i don't remember his response but i do remember throwing it out. The idea of the sacredness of the bible has come up here and there since, but what is it that is sacred? The paper? The spirit?
i hadn't really considered the possibility that our focus on the bible may be unhealthy until i saw a sermon bulletin recently. In the speaker's outline was the phrase:
a. Worship is focused on God's word
Regardless of its intent the way it was written reflects an unhealthy approach to Christianity. Am i wrong in thinking that this view of God is academic and not relational? Worship isn't focused on God's word, worship is offered to God. Is God a matter of facts or a living being that longs for relationship with his creation?
i don't want anyone to think even for a moment that i don't believe that the bible is the word of God. The bible is our link to the history of God's relationship with man, the life of Jesus, and the beginnings of the early church. It should not however be our only link to God.
Unfortunately, except in the case of some seminary trained, a few "super Christians", and those who are earnestly seeking to meet God in a new and organic way, we use only the bible to connect with God. Too often we discount or overlook the period of history between Paul's life and John's exile to Patmos and the current Church.
Is God not in constant relationship with us? Does God not speak to us now? Has God been on vacation all this time? Why are we totally dependent on an inanimate object to see an animate God?
i have come to believe that we (at least in western society) like to view God (not relate to him) from a place of safety and security. A place where we can talk about the truths of God without running the risk of having to actually apply them to our lives in such a way that we would have to respond. I think that for a lot of us our relationship to God is no different than our relationship to Abraham Lincoln. We buy a history book, call it holy, learn everything there is to know about the man, subscribe to his ideologies and philosophies, but none of us know him. Is this any different from our relationship with God or Christ? i mean, really???
It is one thing to know about God:
"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder."
- James 2:19
It is another thing all together to actually know God! It is through actually knowing Jesus that the promise comes to God's people.
"Then i will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
-Matthew 7:23
i liken our relational world to the Jewish temple. There are levels, different courts and gates in our lives. At the very center is the true us, the person as we really are; absolutely vulnerable - the Holy of Holies. We allow different people into the different courts as we feel comfortable. In truth God should reside with us in our Holy of Holies, but how often do we lock that gate, and leave him in the outer court, maintaining a distance, a wall between us and him. Even when we think we do differently.
i would like to challenge to anyone who may read this to seek out the living God in your life, in the world, and in your community (church). Let us seek out God as we seek out our loved ones. Let us see him as alive and well and at work in our lives and our world. Let us draw near to him, and expand our faith, let us open ourselves to him, and let him reveal himself to the world through us.
michial
Some time ago while i was still teaching a Sunday school class we spoke on the matter of idolatry. It was brought up that anything we place in front of God, or in his place of honor, in our lives could be viewed as idolatry. i posed the question at the time, "Is it possible to idolize your bible?" A question that, on the surface, i had intended to use just to stir thinking. Little did i want to accept the feeling down deep that there may be more truth to this notion than not.
i recall when i was in high school that i had a bible that had "seen some wear". Now mind you most of my bibles end up mummified in duct tape and are used until even the duct tape is worn beyond recognition. This particular bible had reached the point where entire chapters of some of the letters and books were missing. i had finally resolved to just throw it away, and wow what a controversy that struck. My mother was appalled that i would even consider throwing out a bible. . . i mean after all the bible is a Holy book. The debate came to a head when she called the pastor of the local church to ask him if it was wrong to throw it out. i don't remember his response but i do remember throwing it out. The idea of the sacredness of the bible has come up here and there since, but what is it that is sacred? The paper? The spirit?
i hadn't really considered the possibility that our focus on the bible may be unhealthy until i saw a sermon bulletin recently. In the speaker's outline was the phrase:
a. Worship is focused on God's word
Regardless of its intent the way it was written reflects an unhealthy approach to Christianity. Am i wrong in thinking that this view of God is academic and not relational? Worship isn't focused on God's word, worship is offered to God. Is God a matter of facts or a living being that longs for relationship with his creation?
i don't want anyone to think even for a moment that i don't believe that the bible is the word of God. The bible is our link to the history of God's relationship with man, the life of Jesus, and the beginnings of the early church. It should not however be our only link to God.
Unfortunately, except in the case of some seminary trained, a few "super Christians", and those who are earnestly seeking to meet God in a new and organic way, we use only the bible to connect with God. Too often we discount or overlook the period of history between Paul's life and John's exile to Patmos and the current Church.
Is God not in constant relationship with us? Does God not speak to us now? Has God been on vacation all this time? Why are we totally dependent on an inanimate object to see an animate God?
i have come to believe that we (at least in western society) like to view God (not relate to him) from a place of safety and security. A place where we can talk about the truths of God without running the risk of having to actually apply them to our lives in such a way that we would have to respond. I think that for a lot of us our relationship to God is no different than our relationship to Abraham Lincoln. We buy a history book, call it holy, learn everything there is to know about the man, subscribe to his ideologies and philosophies, but none of us know him. Is this any different from our relationship with God or Christ? i mean, really???
It is one thing to know about God:
"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder."
- James 2:19
It is another thing all together to actually know God! It is through actually knowing Jesus that the promise comes to God's people.
"Then i will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
-Matthew 7:23
i liken our relational world to the Jewish temple. There are levels, different courts and gates in our lives. At the very center is the true us, the person as we really are; absolutely vulnerable - the Holy of Holies. We allow different people into the different courts as we feel comfortable. In truth God should reside with us in our Holy of Holies, but how often do we lock that gate, and leave him in the outer court, maintaining a distance, a wall between us and him. Even when we think we do differently.
i would like to challenge to anyone who may read this to seek out the living God in your life, in the world, and in your community (church). Let us seek out God as we seek out our loved ones. Let us see him as alive and well and at work in our lives and our world. Let us draw near to him, and expand our faith, let us open ourselves to him, and let him reveal himself to the world through us.
michial
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Business as usual. Or is it?
As i surf the web, and read books by various christian authors i have to wonder, what is it that we have done to the church. Is it the basic human need/desire to create structure and order? Do we as a species tend to over do most everything?
The local church with whom i meet opted not to meet this Sunday because a number of the community are away. i found this odd at first, after all, "where two or more are gathered in my name. . .".
We are a small group of four or so families, and we are pretty well spread out (geographically), and Sunday seems to be our one day to really meet together and catch up. That struck me as even more odd.
We have been called into community. Community doesn't come with business hours, or days of operation. Community doesn't have weekends. Community doesn't end. Community is all the time. Members of a community are deeply immersed in each others life.
i have always viewed community as the next step down the evolutionary chart from family. i see it as being as intimate as family without the living in close quarters part (although it is certainly an option for those desiring that depth). Meeting with, eating with, shopping with, having coffee with, praying with other christians all the time.
i am not talking about total separation from what some call "secular society" but i am talking about drawing our brothers and sisters in Christ into our life story and being drawn into theirs. Reading the accounts of the early church as recorded in Luke's letter to Theophilus, when speaking about the church Luke uses words like, "everyday", and "constantly", "always", and "homes". In the church today we use words like, "Wednesday night", and "Sunday morning", "bible study", and "church" (denoting the large constructs of wood and stone that some deem more holy than other structures).
i feel that this business of meeting at set times with set purposes in "holy" structures is counterproductive, if not detrimental to the church as a whole. What God intended to look like family we have restructured to look like a business. As a matter of personal opinion i would like to see the Church take back the word "church". Let's give meaning to the word Church again. Let it be what is was intended to be. i would love to see us refer to our large meeting halls (aka churches) as what they really are - "Community Centers". A place where the local communities of the global Church gather to meet and to fellowship for special occasions. A place where we can get together for functions too grand to be accommodated in a regular home.
On Saturday nights (not the church i spoke of earlier in this post) we are coming to recognize our own short comings in the devotion to one another in our community. We are all good friends. We are all, in our own circles, very close friends. Mind you these are not cliques, but we are not all as close as we could, or even should be. This week one from our group suggested that we drop all of our names in a hat and pull a name. That will be the person we spend focused prayer time on, and make a point to call during the week. i think that this is an awesome suggestion, and i am excited to see how it worked out for other people. This week will do the same and have a shot at getting to now someone different. It is a small step, but it is a start in the right direction.
Here's to closer community. . .
The local church with whom i meet opted not to meet this Sunday because a number of the community are away. i found this odd at first, after all, "where two or more are gathered in my name. . .".
We are a small group of four or so families, and we are pretty well spread out (geographically), and Sunday seems to be our one day to really meet together and catch up. That struck me as even more odd.
We have been called into community. Community doesn't come with business hours, or days of operation. Community doesn't have weekends. Community doesn't end. Community is all the time. Members of a community are deeply immersed in each others life.
i have always viewed community as the next step down the evolutionary chart from family. i see it as being as intimate as family without the living in close quarters part (although it is certainly an option for those desiring that depth). Meeting with, eating with, shopping with, having coffee with, praying with other christians all the time.
i am not talking about total separation from what some call "secular society" but i am talking about drawing our brothers and sisters in Christ into our life story and being drawn into theirs. Reading the accounts of the early church as recorded in Luke's letter to Theophilus, when speaking about the church Luke uses words like, "everyday", and "constantly", "always", and "homes". In the church today we use words like, "Wednesday night", and "Sunday morning", "bible study", and "church" (denoting the large constructs of wood and stone that some deem more holy than other structures).
i feel that this business of meeting at set times with set purposes in "holy" structures is counterproductive, if not detrimental to the church as a whole. What God intended to look like family we have restructured to look like a business. As a matter of personal opinion i would like to see the Church take back the word "church". Let's give meaning to the word Church again. Let it be what is was intended to be. i would love to see us refer to our large meeting halls (aka churches) as what they really are - "Community Centers". A place where the local communities of the global Church gather to meet and to fellowship for special occasions. A place where we can get together for functions too grand to be accommodated in a regular home.
On Saturday nights (not the church i spoke of earlier in this post) we are coming to recognize our own short comings in the devotion to one another in our community. We are all good friends. We are all, in our own circles, very close friends. Mind you these are not cliques, but we are not all as close as we could, or even should be. This week one from our group suggested that we drop all of our names in a hat and pull a name. That will be the person we spend focused prayer time on, and make a point to call during the week. i think that this is an awesome suggestion, and i am excited to see how it worked out for other people. This week will do the same and have a shot at getting to now someone different. It is a small step, but it is a start in the right direction.
Here's to closer community. . .
Friday, October 14, 2005
Getting to the root of the matter.
The only constant in life is change, regardless of your view on matters. Whether you are an evolutionist, whose ideology is all about change, or a Christian, whose mode of worship has constantly undergone change, it matters not. Look at history and you will find change.
i believe that if we really choose to grow or flourish we must accept change and steer our destiny as best we can. To that end, we should be mindful of everything that we hold true. Many of us have very strong convictions but have no idea why we hold these convictions, and we take advantage of the things we hear from those we respect, in seminars, in church etc. This is terribly irresponsible, and it stifles our relationships with God and with one another.
This came to light for me when i was browsing through Paul's first letter to Timothy. i had always been taught that chapter 6 verse 10 read:
"For the love of money is the root of evil. . ."
or, "money is the root of all evil."
when in fact the verse reads:
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."
Holy cow!!! What can this mean? What is the implication???
So i got to thinking. If money is the root of all evil, what then is at the root of that love of money?
The simple answer is selfishness, the desire to be the center of the universe.
Every one is motivated by something, and at the core of the that motivation is more often than not selfishness.
Our desire for more money, our want of the latest "toys", and trends: every time we get into an argument and want to win, every time we desire praise, every time we are offended. At the root of all these things is selfishness.
i will not pretend to have the answers to matter of selfishness, but i will be spending sometime meditating on this. For now i am content that i have recognized that selfishness is a problem that permeates our society, and our personal lives.
Any thoughts??
i believe that if we really choose to grow or flourish we must accept change and steer our destiny as best we can. To that end, we should be mindful of everything that we hold true. Many of us have very strong convictions but have no idea why we hold these convictions, and we take advantage of the things we hear from those we respect, in seminars, in church etc. This is terribly irresponsible, and it stifles our relationships with God and with one another.
This came to light for me when i was browsing through Paul's first letter to Timothy. i had always been taught that chapter 6 verse 10 read:
"For the love of money is the root of evil. . ."
or, "money is the root of all evil."
when in fact the verse reads:
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."
Holy cow!!! What can this mean? What is the implication???
So i got to thinking. If money is the root of all evil, what then is at the root of that love of money?
The simple answer is selfishness, the desire to be the center of the universe.
Every one is motivated by something, and at the core of the that motivation is more often than not selfishness.
Our desire for more money, our want of the latest "toys", and trends: every time we get into an argument and want to win, every time we desire praise, every time we are offended. At the root of all these things is selfishness.
i will not pretend to have the answers to matter of selfishness, but i will be spending sometime meditating on this. For now i am content that i have recognized that selfishness is a problem that permeates our society, and our personal lives.
Any thoughts??
Thursday, October 13, 2005
The Saturday Night Walk
Saturday night has come to mean a lot of things to me over the course of the last fourteen months. It was July of last year that a couple of people got together in my living room to have supper and good conversation. Before the night was over the meal had been eaten, the conversation had turned to matters of faith and the Church, and before we were done, we were all in prayer and weeping on the floor. It was a powerful evening, and totally unplanned to boot. I think we had planned to play cards or something like that.
For the four of us that gathered that night, it was the answer to prayer. We had been starved of real connectedness (is that a word?) with each other and with God. It was agreed upon that this type of gathering should not be isolated, and that while we knew that we couldn't force the power that we felt that night, that we would continue to gather together and create an environment that would foster humility, honesty, unity, and growth. Within a month our foursome had grown into a chaotic mob of something like twenty some odd regular attendants. Not that there was chaos in our gathering for teaching and prayer, but visualize if you will twenty some odd teenagers and adults gathered in a fourteen by seventy foot trailer, and the living room where we met. . .Well. . . You get the idea.
When i speak of chaos i mean more of a transitional chaos. There were many who were gathering with us that didn't really grasp what it was that we were seeking after. Of course there were others there that were reaching more desperately and deeply for what we wanted, but we weren't ready for nor could we provide it.
In the late summer a couple came to meet with us, they were about the age of my wife and i, and they attended the same "church", but we really knew nothing about them. After our meeting, which at 11:00 pm ended early by our standards, the young man, whom i had never met before, asked if he could speak with me. And so we spoke, that Saturday night, as we walked up and down our thousand foot driveway.
That night as we spoke, as strangers and also brothers, a lot of confession took place, and a genuine desire for healing and growth. Thus began my relationship with Shaun, the man i affectionately refer to as "Samir" (another story for another time). Over the course of the last year i have been floored to see what God has done with our small community. Lives have gone from broken to healed, leaders have been formed, our gatherings have moderated and a whole new family has formed. And all of this on Saturday nights.
On the whole i am rather computer illiterate, but Shaun and his wife are teaching me! Or at least helping me to navigate through this crazy maze. Shaun introduced me to the concept of "Bloging" which is still a little weird to me, but after sometime and reflection, i thought this would be interesting to try.
Some of my goals in life recently have been, to understand God better, and strengthen my relationship with the creator. To be a better husband and father, and to reconcile the church. i don't suspect that my last goal will come to fruition anytime in the near future, but still i feel a strong need to contribute what i have.
i have been at least loosely affiliated with a house church for the last 10 years. i say loosely because when my wife and i moved to the northeast, there was little tolerance for such "cults" until recently.
As i have met with many different communities two things have struck me. Number one - we are all working toward the same end. . . love God and share God's love. Number two - every denomination seems to be under the impression that they have the market cornered on "the right way".
i hope to have some hand in helping to dispel the notion that only "i" can be right in the way i commune with God. In the course of doing that i hope to eliminate the negative feelings and bitterness that come with so many of us from our pride and sense of ownership in others. Meaning that when an individual leaves a "church" for whatever reason, both the individual and the church seem to harbor ill feelings toward one another. This is especially rampant is some house churches. . .but guess what. . .it isn't biblical, it isn't right, and we need to stop it.
All these things i will get into later. For now i just wanted to introduce myself and figure out how this thing really works.
God Bless
For the four of us that gathered that night, it was the answer to prayer. We had been starved of real connectedness (is that a word?) with each other and with God. It was agreed upon that this type of gathering should not be isolated, and that while we knew that we couldn't force the power that we felt that night, that we would continue to gather together and create an environment that would foster humility, honesty, unity, and growth. Within a month our foursome had grown into a chaotic mob of something like twenty some odd regular attendants. Not that there was chaos in our gathering for teaching and prayer, but visualize if you will twenty some odd teenagers and adults gathered in a fourteen by seventy foot trailer, and the living room where we met. . .Well. . . You get the idea.
When i speak of chaos i mean more of a transitional chaos. There were many who were gathering with us that didn't really grasp what it was that we were seeking after. Of course there were others there that were reaching more desperately and deeply for what we wanted, but we weren't ready for nor could we provide it.
In the late summer a couple came to meet with us, they were about the age of my wife and i, and they attended the same "church", but we really knew nothing about them. After our meeting, which at 11:00 pm ended early by our standards, the young man, whom i had never met before, asked if he could speak with me. And so we spoke, that Saturday night, as we walked up and down our thousand foot driveway.
That night as we spoke, as strangers and also brothers, a lot of confession took place, and a genuine desire for healing and growth. Thus began my relationship with Shaun, the man i affectionately refer to as "Samir" (another story for another time). Over the course of the last year i have been floored to see what God has done with our small community. Lives have gone from broken to healed, leaders have been formed, our gatherings have moderated and a whole new family has formed. And all of this on Saturday nights.
On the whole i am rather computer illiterate, but Shaun and his wife are teaching me! Or at least helping me to navigate through this crazy maze. Shaun introduced me to the concept of "Bloging" which is still a little weird to me, but after sometime and reflection, i thought this would be interesting to try.
Some of my goals in life recently have been, to understand God better, and strengthen my relationship with the creator. To be a better husband and father, and to reconcile the church. i don't suspect that my last goal will come to fruition anytime in the near future, but still i feel a strong need to contribute what i have.
i have been at least loosely affiliated with a house church for the last 10 years. i say loosely because when my wife and i moved to the northeast, there was little tolerance for such "cults" until recently.
As i have met with many different communities two things have struck me. Number one - we are all working toward the same end. . . love God and share God's love. Number two - every denomination seems to be under the impression that they have the market cornered on "the right way".
i hope to have some hand in helping to dispel the notion that only "i" can be right in the way i commune with God. In the course of doing that i hope to eliminate the negative feelings and bitterness that come with so many of us from our pride and sense of ownership in others. Meaning that when an individual leaves a "church" for whatever reason, both the individual and the church seem to harbor ill feelings toward one another. This is especially rampant is some house churches. . .but guess what. . .it isn't biblical, it isn't right, and we need to stop it.
All these things i will get into later. For now i just wanted to introduce myself and figure out how this thing really works.
God Bless
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