Staff meeting today

Nate and Erica had their little baby girl last night...amazing
so staff meeting went a different direction today.
We contemplated the normal christian life...
Matthew 10:7 As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' ⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
What the heck?!?
How did normal become showing up to church and going to small groups?

The fall to Babel

Narrative group tonight was out of control.
So much good stuff.
Genesis 3-11
The Fall to the tower of Babel.
Seeds. Serpent crushers. Shalom broken. Fig leaves. Sacrifice. Covering. Two trees. Two brothers. One acceptable offering. Noah. God closed door. No ruder. Baptism. Covenant. Covering. Exposing. Bricks instead of stones. Gathering instead of filling. Making a name. Tower. Confusing. Scattering.
So good.
Seriously...Tuesday nights...good times.
We are entering the story!

Speaking on Sunday

I'm speaking on honoring each other this Sunday.
Romans 12. This passage of scripture blows my mind.
Honor is humility in action.
Honor is loyalty when it's tested.
Honor is a posture that brings life.
In a world that fights be the greatest, Jesus says, not so with you.
I asked a random guy at Starbucks today what someone could do to make him feel honored. We talked for over an hour.
What could someone do for you to make you feel honored?
It might just end up in a sermon.

One of my favorite times in the week

7am
Fridays
Cypress Starbucks
Eric...Brent...Bible
Look forward to it every week
Wouldn't miss it for the world
We've been puttin' together this narrative theology study
Are there any things in your week that you look forward to doing even if it means getting there at 7am?
If there isn't, maybe you should start doing something you enjoy
Just a thought

Thoughts on Honor

We started a new series at the Stirring.
Honor...the lost virtue
Posted some thoughts here
I speak in a couple weeks about honoring each other
Romans 12:9-16
If we could only read 7 verses out of the bible these would be my 7.
Don't think you know it all...classic!
What's your favorite passage of scripture?

Terrified

I start my narrative theology group in two days.
Genesis to Revelation...no big deal.
I've pretty much got the bible nailed.
Every time I open the story I realize how little I know.
Perfect position for a leader...terrified.
I'm really exited but definitely...terrified!

New book

I'm half way through...really like it. Go buy it here.
I'm gonna use some stuff for my narrative class.
Scot's got a great blog...check it out.
What are you reading lately?
I've been reading a ton of Paul's letters for our series called "Honor" coming up...that Paul guy...he could draft quite a letter.

What would you include?

I'm putting together the outline for covering the Bible in 13 weeks.
What do you include?
What do you leave out?
Creation...Deuteronomy 23:13...Sinai...Ezekiel 23:19-21
Jesus...Pentecost...Ehud (the left handed judge that stabbed the really fat king and lost his sword in his belly and his attendants thought he just had really bad gas)...
Seriously...so much good stuff...how do you narrow it down?
Thoughts?

Looking ahead

I'm gonna put a ton of time coming into the end of the year developing a curriculum for a narrative theology group I want to start in January. Genesis to Revelation. The narrative of the Bible. Creation...The Fall...Israel...Jesus...the Church...
Love it.
Can't wait.
Any interest?

The Green Bible

I see Christian at Simpson yesterday and he busts this out of his bag and gives it to me.
It's the Green Bible...amazing
Manufactured using paper with ten percent post-consumer content. The Bible is printed with soy-based inks. The all-natural 100% cotton/linen cover material is produced in a green friendly environment (all air is purified before exhausting into the atmosphere and all water is purified and recycled.)
Essays in the front by:
Desmund Tutu, Saint Francis of Assisi, Wendall Berry, N.T. Wright, Pope John Paul II, Brian McClaren, Matthew Sleeth, etc.
Every passage (over 1000) in the scriptures that talks about the earth and God's care for all creation is in green.
The back has a resource guide that talks about issues like health, land conservation, practical steps a church and family can take to get started, and a bunch of great websites.
You're the man Christian...thanks dude...this Bible is awesome.
Keep it green kiddies!
Remember...God is a tree hugger!

Have you been with Jesus?

Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Man I want people to take note of that in my life. "There is absolutely nothing special about that Dan guy but crazy stuff happens around him all the time. I've heard he hangs out with Jesus a lot." Just one time I'd love to hear that!

Peter and John had just healed this guy that was lame since birth. How crazy is that? Why can't we really feel the weight of that today. Sometimes I read over scripture so quickly that events like that don't round house kick me in the face like they should.

Have I been with Jesus?

Have I asked God for anything this week that was impossible to pull off on my own strength?

Crap!

I'm starting to read the history of Isreal

I'm starting with Joshua.
I read this today.
Joshua 3:3-4 "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.
That spoke to me huge this morning.
What a call to leaders to be led by God. I really feel that we a taking people to a place they have never been before. I want to make sure I have my eyes on the Lord!

Lonely week

Nate and Meg are on vacation this week so I got the office to myself. It's usually a mad house in here with Nate and I sharing an office and Meghan right next door. I find that I'm talking to myself because no ones around. I'm sharing through Ephesians 5:21-6:9 this week. It matters how we treat each other, act in our homes, and carry ourselves at work. The world is watching! Paul tells us to live worthy of our calling. Put off the old, put on the new. Be light in a world of darkness by living a spirit filled life. Then he gets as practical as he possibly can. Here are the most basic relationships you find yourselves in: friends, husbands and wives, parents and children, and work. The way you conduct yourself in your most day to day relationships really matter.
It's crazy that the submission piece is the thing that everyone gets hung up on in these verses. The whole passage is pointed at men. It wasn't any big news in that culture that women needed to submit, that kids needed to obey or that slaves needed to work hard. The revolutionary piece is that Paul was calling the men out to submit and love their wives, treat their kids with respect and treat their slaves fairly. Women, kids and slaves were property in that culture. The verses that would have blown peoples minds were all the ones pointed at the men not the women. I'm gonna unpack it a little more this weekend. Any thoughts?

So what do you talk about for your 666th post?

Satan
The anti-christ
Kirk Cameron and bad eschatology
The nature of evil
Hell
Nah...Let's tackle "the rapture" that'll be fun. Ok so I might get into some Kirk Cameron stuff.
If anyone starts getting crazy on this post I will shut it down...fair warning. I just want thoughts...not attacks.
For those of you that read my blog and aren't steeped in church culture...the rapture is a made up name that the church came up with to describe what will happen at the second coming of Jesus. There's some trumpets, Jesus appears, (I Thes. 4:16-18)we are zapped up to heaven in the twinkling of an eye (I Cor. 15:51-53), and people that don't know Jesus are avoiding un-manned, out of control cars on the freeway and then the world blows up. There are some variations to that train of thinking such as: tribulations, 1000 year reigns, I'm not gonna get into all of it. I have been refining my thoughts on this subject for my whole life.
Ultimately I believe Jesus is coming back!
How he decides to do that is his business. If I've got it all wrong I'm ok with that. If I end up chillin' on some clouds with a harp but I'm with Jesus...I'm good. I don't think that's what the Bible teaches but I'm not arrogant enough to think that everything I think about God is spot on. I've refined my positions on a ton of things so I'm open to growing and refining more.

I really like what N.T. Wright has to say about "life after life after death." Revelation 21:1-5 talks about a new heavens and new earth that we look forward to and God's dwelling with his people. He's written two amazing books that get at this. Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope. Here's a little taste from Surprised by Hope (122)

Most first-century Jews, and virtually all early Christians believed that history was going somewhere under the guidance of God and that where it was going was toward God's new world of justice, healing, and hope. The transition from the present world to the new one would be a matter not of the destruction of the present space-time universe but of its radical healing.

That's the hope that I'm looking forward to. What are your thoughts? Be nice.

Ephesians 4

Tonight we are getting into Ephesians 4.
Last week Nate started the chapter but spent the whole night talking about verse one. We talked about three words in the verse: live, worthy, received. Podcast should be up soon. It was awesome!
Tonight we are going to talk about the type of church we want to become.

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Everyone's a minister. God has placed you in your family, your neighborhood, your job, your city for a reason. Live out that calling in every way possible. The only reason we have leadership in the church is to empower and equip all the other ministers through the week. We spend a good portion of our week trying to replace ourselves. We want to be known for our team, our community, not our superstars. (Maybe that's why God hasn't given us any superstars but a bunch of messed up, goofy followers of Jesus!) If you had to give us a grade at the Stirring for our "teamness" (an amazing word that I just made up) what would you give us and why? We are trying to grow in this area and we'd love to hear your feedback.

Ephesians 3

If you'd like to hear the podcast it's right here. Paul shares his story then prays that we would understand God's love that surpasses knowledge. Thoughts???

Back at it on Sunday

Preachin' Ephesians 3
Love that surpasses knowledge.
Paul had all the knowledge in the world. Damascus changed everything.
Read it...give me some more ammunition.

I'm speaking this week at the Stirring

Ephesians 2:11 - Chapter 3
I'm either calling it "The New Humanity" or "Where the streets of no name."
Paul is talking to two sets of people that formally hated each other: Jews and Gentiles. Now they find themselves sitting next to each other in little house churches. Paul is saying that what Jesus accomplished on the cross made these two groups that despise each other, one new humanity. The church should be the one place with no dividing walls...streets with no names. When the world looks at the church they should be blown away at the way we love people. The world should look at these relationships and be able to see what God is like. That's a quick preview. That dividing wall of hostility was a very real wall between Jews and Gentiles and the church is the one place that should be knocking it down. Is that happening? Tough question.
That's just a taste. Show up Sunday. Read Ephesians this week.

Throwin' down!

My buddy Nate has become quite the preacha man. He spoke this morning at the Vineyard church in town...he threw down. I just got back from 2 gatherings at the Stirring tonight...he threw down. I love being a part of the team at the Stirring. I love having leadership that all says the same things. If you weren't there tonight, go grab the podcast. If you're in Riverside or living in remote areas of the world but just can't get by without my daily banter on this blog, you should follow us through this series. I'd love to have some feedback. I'm gonna tackle Ephesians 3 in a couple weeks. What are you reading right now in the Bible?

Read this today...wow!

Isaiah 42:1-9

The Lord’s Chosen Servant

1 “Look at my servant, whom I strengthen.
He is my chosen one, who pleases me.
I have put my Spirit upon him.
He will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout
or raise his voice in public.
3 He will not crush the weakest reed
or put out a flickering candle.
He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.
4 He will not falter or lose heart
until justice prevails throughout the earth.
Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.”

5 God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out.
He created the earth and everything in it.
He gives breath to everyone,
life to everyone who walks the earth.
And it is he who says,
6 “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness.
I will take you by the hand and guard you,
and I will give you to my people, Israel,
as a symbol of my covenant with them.
And you will be a light to guide the nations.
7 You will open the eyes of the blind.
You will free the captives from prison,
releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.

8 “I am the Lord; that is my name!
I will not give my glory to anyone else,
nor share my praise with carved idols.
9 Everything I prophesied has come true,
and now I will prophesy again.
I will tell you the future before it happens.”