His Plans, Not Ours

We continue in our season of uncertainty and waiting.  Some things have become more clear, such as we are having another baby in August (although we are still not sure the why behind it), and others like jobs and future moves not so much.  We continue on in faith and obedience, confident in the care of our Father and his plan above ours.  I learned in Haiti the true meaning of praying "Lord, give us this day our daily bread" and believing it.  Although my situation is not so dire and I have more abundance than can even be imagined in many places, I cling to that prayer.  The Lord will provide and has a plan.  More of Him and Less of me.

I have been drawn to James 4:13-17 these past few weeks.  It is my life verse for right now I guess.  Should be interesting when we get to discussing these verses in Tuesday morning men's group in a few weeks.

James 4:13-17

New International Version (NIV)

Boasting About Tomorrow

¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

Ushers, not Bouncers

I have been reading Bob Goff's book "Love Does".  It is great and inciteful in so many different ways, but one thought in what I was reading today really stuck out to me.  He talks about how we as the church, or followers of Jesus should think of ourselves as ushers and not bouncers.  This is in relation to Jesus' story about the banquet where those invited do not show up so the master invites those from the street.  Going back to the mediphore, God decides who gets into heaven.  "We are simply showing people to seats that someone else has already paid for."

The Presence and Sacrifice of Jesus

From "Love Does:  Discover a Secretly Incredible Life In an Ordinary World" by Bob Goff

I learned that faith isn't about knowing all of the right stuff or obeying a list of rules.  It's something more, something more costly because it involves being present and making a sacrifice.  Perhaps that's why Jesus is sometimes called Immanuel - "God with us."  I think that's what God had in mind, for Jesus to be present, to just be with us.  It's also what He has in mind for us when it comes to other people.

The kind of love that God created and demonstrated is a costly one because it involves sacrifice and presence...What I learned from Randy about the brand of love Jesus offers is that it's more about presence than undertaking a project.  It's a brand of love that doesn't just think about good things, or agree with them, or talk about them.

Love requires action.  Real love costs us something.  God's love cost him a lot in sending Jesus into our presence and Jesus' love for us cost him everything though his sacrifice.

That gives a whole new insight into this time of year when God came into our world to dwell among us - Immanuel.

A Testimony to Creation

This has nothing to do with missional living or philosophy, but I was taken with the beauty of this video stitched together by an amateur astronomer from International Space Station photos.  To me this is a testimony to creation and the awesome power of the God we serve.

http://bcove.me/x928dhco

Clarifying Missional

I keep coming back to this Jen Hatmaker blog post I found on the "Exponential Website"
http://blog.exponential.org/2013/11/a-new-measurement-of-success/

It hit me where I am right now and many of the things I am struggling with.  I have listed some of the phrases and ideas below that really stuck out to me:

Sometimes all the talking outpaces real life.

a new measurement of “success.”

talk transitions to practice  

margin 

widen the definition of what counts

We hope to see an increase in shared responsibility, a rotation of teachers, a decentralization of power, and a less polished type of pastor making headway in the next 10 years.

“Outreach” has been reduced to inviting someone to church, which the numbers assure us is no longer working.

Rather than imagining church attendance as the bulls-eye, we are more likely to connect with an unchurched or dechurched friend through justice and community.

We are going to have to live prophetic lives in our communities, not relegate the heavy spiritual lifting to pastors on Sunday mornings. 

authenticity, justice, flexibility, kindness and grace, simplicity and community

we must adopt a missional posture in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, real lives.

If people fear or distrust the church, it is our responsibility to show them a fresh representation of Jesus, a flesh and blood demonstration.

For the lifers, this might require jettisoning the Christian lingo and setting aside the talking points for a while. Let us secure a longer relational runway to earn a hearing for the gospel. Folks may be rejecting organized religion, but they are no less hungry for meaning and truth. We must become trustworthy friends, advocates for our neighbors and safe recipients of their questions. Judgment belongs to Jesus; we need not take that mantle. This may take two months or 12 years. We go the distance. Our homes become sanctuaries, our porches altars.

We are the church

Who do I say Jesus is?

And how do I live in response to that?

real obedience, real lives transformed through Jesus