THE JOURNEY SO FAR


Reflection: Meet the neighbors

A comment on Ruth's Discovery blog really struck a chord with me. I liked Brandon Wellcome's clarification that involvement in our society moves us from "announcing" the Gospel to "demonstrating" it. It seems to me that the most difficult challenge of the modern church is learning how to develop a favorable reputation in their community as neighbors who love God and their neighbors as themselves. I'm not talking marketing a caring image here. I mean the neighborhood knows we're crazy about God, and crazy about them.

North Point Community Church does a good job of describing a relational cycle they hope will lead people into a growing relationship with God. They speak of helping guests to their church feel welcome (They call these "foyer" activities.) They speak about turning guests into friends in environments referred to as a type of "living room". And they seek to help friends become family around activities around a "kitchen" type environment. And I think churches are relatively effective in these situations. Where churches aren't quite so at home is at one final part of the cycle, being part about the neighborhood.

If the church is a family, it has a reputation in the "neighborhood" where it lives. We live in a society where church attendance is an exception rather than the "norm". What, apart from our interaction in the "neighborhood" and our good reputation would make any self-respecting seeker knock on our virtual "front door"?

Every family has a neighborhood reputation. They might be the local activist always getting petitions circulated, the grouches with the guard dogs or the ones who seem to have an open door and a kid magnet installed that draws the under 10 population into their place like some kind of Pied Piper. The kind of neighbor you are determines how willing your neighbors are to get to know you.

The members of the church in Acts were known for their devotion to learning God's Word, to sharing life with one other, to being identified with Christ and to depending on God through prayer. They where known for God's power evidenced in their lives, for their unity and unselfishness, for their glad and sincere hearts, for their praise for God, for their generosity, for their daily involvement the community and in each other's lives, and for their favor among the people. And yes, they got people's attention in part thanks to the miraculous signs and wonders God performed through them. (Acts 2:43)

What I'm getting at is this. The church needs to be so into their world that people see the Gospel lived out before their eyes as well as hear it. Every selfless thought, word and act that I've ever been a part of is a miricle...a God thing. Each time, God broke through the selfish, sinful person I am and did something wonderful... something amazing. And when that starts happening in our neighborhoods, get ready for the doorbell to ring.

Results: One Way Street

Todd Liebenow and Dale VonSeggen at One Way Street (They're the ones in the middle without their mouths wide open.)

I've been looking forward to this meeting for a while. It's not often you get to meet people who've spent more time than me using puppets to reach kids. But ministry is definitely what One Way Street is all about. And I've been praying they'd be excited about the ministry of Imagin'Air.

And they were. (If you've ever seen Imagin'Air's videos you've seen a lot of One Way Street puppets including Captain Bob, Madge, Howard Ino and the Neat Beat America back up singers.)

Our meeting was to look at how to streamline the process of getting new teams to Europe with Imagin'Air. We're looking at a partnership that would make it easy for teams to get the puppets and the training they need for doing Imagin'Air.

Dale started the ministry years ago, and Todd is their new products manager. Together we looked through the Imagin'Air materials and then took a tour around the production center to look at some new puppets and stages.

Nothing was decided, but I think we all left the meeting with a sense that God was ready to do something through us working together. Dale has a very busy travel schedule this summer with interns, workshops, etc. We'll get back together this fall and to look at the details.

Take an online visit at www.onewaystreet.com

Relationships: Dad, the passenger

Learning to drive is a rite of passage most people experience at 15 or 16 years old in the States. I can still remember giving Ruth a chance to learn how to do manual transmission on my pride and joy, the 1973 VW minivan I had when we were dating. Everyone thought that was proof positive that I was in love. I'm not sure what I was thinking. But all our married life, I've enjoyed having an excellent driver as my partner, whether the car was automatic or manual.

Since our girls didn't have an opportunity to learn in Germany, I'm taking advantage of being near them with my own car to give driving lessons to Anna and Emilie. "Wuv, twue love."

Today was a big day. Both of them got their first taste of rush hour driving. Everything in me wanted to take the wheel and do it for them. And I don't even like driving in rush hour. But it has to be done. The best way to protect them is to give them the skills they need while I can. And so twice today, I handed off my keys and took my place in the co-pilot seat.

They're on their way toward gaining confidence as drivers and I'm starting to gain some confidence being the passenger. And maybe a little insight into being a better dad.

How about some feedback?

As we share our journey this year, we'd love to hear from you. I'm intentionally mixing up posts that talk about family, about ministry, about spirituality and even mix in a few pieces of news to celebrate what God's doing.

I read yesterday that only 1% of bloggers create content. Another 10% interact. The rest just watch. I've just put a new tab at the top of the blog to tell friends about the blog easily. I'd love to hear questions and comments from you, our partners and get a bit of a dialog going so that we can learn from each other. Just click on comments and let me know what you're thinking!

So far, people have emailed me but not made comments. I'm tempted to take the email me tab off the page but I'll keep it for the moment. I also put a counter on two days ago. Looks pretty bare at the moment.


I look forward to hearing from you, and hope that if you enjoy what you're reading you'll tell a friend with the tab at the top of the page.

Reflection: Learning from one another

The time here in the States is really valuable for me. I'm meeting some amazing folks whose hearts are for God and for the Church. Church planting is definitely alive and well in the USA.

I had a great time with Jay Pathak yesterday from Arvada Vineyard. Turns out he oversees all the church planting going in in the midwest for the association. And I can see why.

Nothing fires me up more than to see someone with vision for reaching into the lives of people in need of the Savior. We talked a lot about churches and church plants, but the part of the conversation that really sticks with me is when I asked how he describes the process.

He said it was actually dead boringly simple.

A three question quiz.

Are you crazy-in-love with Jesus, and I mean head over heels in love. Do you have the kind of love that sort of distracts your thoughts from other things because he's the best thing that ever happend to you. That's step one.

Step two. Do you love people that belong to Jesus in a deep and committed way that you find yourself going out of your way to serve them, and put the needs of the community above yourself?

And finally, do you love people that don't belong to him so much that you'll do whatever it takes to help them hear the gospel in a way that makes sense to them and see that the gospel lived out in front of them?

You can do the most amazing programs and campaigns on the planet, but without the lifeblood that springs from loving God, his family and those whom he loves, they'll fail ultimately.

Interestingly enough, if you do have these three characteristics in your fellowship, it doesn't really matter much what program you use. People will still want what you have.

Can't wait to meet the church on Sunday.

Prayer ePostcard for July and August 2006

July-August Prayer Postcard

Sunday- ARVADA Vineyard: Praise for a meeting with Jay Pathak, pastor at a new church plant about two miles north of where we live. The church is really working hard to reach Denver's unchurched. Pray that our friendship would be an encouragement to his efforts and a chance for me to grow in understanding of seeing new churches started.
Monday- SCUM: Praise for the ministry of Scum of the Earth, a fellowship here in Denver for the "left out and right brained." Pray for salvation, restoration and spiritual growth in the hundreds of lives that Scum touches each week through their meals, services, and activities. The church needs Anna to work more hours than her current support can provide. Pray for additional ministry support so that she can increase her time involvement there without having to look for a second job during the school year. (See details)
Tuesday- GROUP: Praise for the chance to visit the incredibly creative Group Publishing people in Loveland, CO. No one else I know is doing things as creatively for kids. Pray that as I meet with the international activities, we'll be able to find ways to partner that will help meet the needs of European churches for resources in evangelism and training of children and youth.
Wednesday- GEM: Praise for our visit to GEM international headquarters. Many of our coworkers from Europe who are in the US like us are attending week-long conference in the area. Pray as we look for ways to improve our communication between Europe and the US.
Thursday- AC: Praise for the teaching opportunity Ruth has to lead our mission in some workshops on better research for ministry in Europe. She'll be flying to Europe to lead those sessions mid August. Pray for effectiveness in the teaching and for Ruth as she faces the physical challenge of international travel.
Friday- WILLOW: Praise for the invitation to attend the Willow Creek Leadership Summit in August with my good friend, my boss (oh, and Anna's father in law) Bob Till. Pray that we'll get a fresh look at principles of ministry that will be useful for European churches and the Europe-wide ministries that serve them.
Saturday- KIDS: Our summer is quickly passing us by. Praise for the blessing of being near all our kids. Pray for each of them as they discover God's journey for their lives.

  • Anna and Matt are really involved here in Denver. Matt's day job is as a coffee caterer for businesses, while Anna is the administrative assistant for the church, and leads a small group. Matt's also playing in a band with his two brothers and some others, plus volunteering at a center for street kids at least a day a week.
  • Emilie's working in a restaurant and enjoying friends she's met here. She's also learning to drive (I'm the instructor.) She's preparing for a semester in Manhattan with her school at NYCAM.
  • Laura wasn't able to find work for the summer and has been living with Matt and Anna, enjoying books and meeting with people she's met through her sisters. We're going to help her financially so she can go to a "re-entry" camp for kids of missionaries in Colorado Springs. Then August 15th we get in the car and head for Wheaton.

Reflection: our church is homeless










our church is
homeless.
and we're happy to have it that way.
we will not be defined by bricks for
it is with character that
we build our sanctuary.
but...to have a living room
to be able to offer
a shower (a shirt)
a bed (a meal)
a home of some kind
a creative place
where sinners are ransomed
(and real.)
and oh that they would be healed
within our hospital.

on the floor
we would have
knees
(and dancing feet)
music, poetry and teaching
somewhere near the front.
the walls could hold
a home.
(as long as we make it home)
as long as we invite
the most high god.
the walls would hold
questions (answers?)
truth!
broken people (looking up)
to the roof that is finally
over their heads.
we would laugh
in the doorways and hallways.
there would be a kitchen
(the heart of the place)
where hungry mouths, eyes, and hearts
could come and rest.
there would be arms
(in this our building)
to carry and hold.

fists will be put to work.
artists will find wall space
and breathing space.
we would splash the windows
with the soiled water of our lives.
(He gathers us that way)
without bars at last
(a safe place?)
and then be cleaned.

there is no way to build this place
but that god would provide.
at his mercy we hope
for a square foot
(or so)
to house,
even for a while,
the dreams we have
for this our church

2006 anna claire till

Real Life: A place to call home

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Yesterday was a blast. Scum of the Earth threw a street party to launch a building project.

OK, so building projects sound more like something the "established" churches would be doing. S.O.T.E may not be your typical church, but Mike Sares, senior pastor at SCUM (after drying off from the dunking tank), said that this congregation knows what it's like going through life feeling like they don't belong anywhere. We all need to be able to identify a time and place where we did business with God, and where we knew for the first time we really belong to Him. Scum needs a home.

The party was wonderful. I got to help two chefs all Sunday morning preparing, vegetable plates, salads, barbeque chicken, home made caramel apples, popcorn and caramel corn. They even brought in a snow cone maker. All afternoon volunteers poured through the place to get the party ready.

Then there was the band, Born in the Flood, (brilliant!) that gave a free to SCUM concert in the searing heat (over 100 degrees!) The wading pools, water balloons, sprinklers and the dunking tank helped somewhat. But the cloud cover at about 6:30 really helped the most.

Some folks came for the first time. As one lady helped us in the kitchen, she told me she'd always been made to feel "uncomfortable" in church, but she'd found her place today.

May it be so.

Reflection: Church for the left out and right brained

Anyone who knows me is aware that I've done a lot of thinking about what it means to be a truly witnessing fellowship. I sort of thought of myself as one who's usually thinking outside the box for helping the church extend their influence outside the sanctuary walls.

I've really been stretched these past weeks in my thoughts about church. On Sunday evenings we get a chance to be part of Anna and Matt's church called (get ready) Scum of the Earth. They admit right up front that they aren't a church for everyone. Their heart is for the left out and the right brained.

There's nothing flashy about Scum. They offer a free potluck meal before the service where the homeless are served first. They sing, pray, preach and even take up an offering like most churches (except for the KFC buckets used to take up the offering.)

There are a lot of rough edges and plenty for people to criticize. Most of the leadership are still in their 20's. But they long for God with the passion of those who admit they're desperate for him. They teach the scriptures with a desire not to compromise. And they strive to know God intimately, to be a community of faith and to make a difference in their world.

When I see God using this church in feeding and clothing people the rest of the world has forgotten, rescuing lives I'd have given up on and giving lonely people hope in Christ and a real family to be part of, I realize I've got a lot to learn about church from Scum of the Earth.

PS. See a feature on CBS News did at Scum looking at the emerging church by clicking here.

Real Life: Discovering America

Originally posted July 4, 2006

We’ve put on a couple thousand miles in the last week and a half. I’ve had fun doing things I remember from growing up like going to a small, old fashioned barber shop to get a hair cut and eating out at diners instead of fast food places. It was fun looking for diners that had heavy concentrations of pick-up trucks. The best food in town usually attracts them.

We stayed for a weekend with Ruth’s sister and brother in law who pastors a country church in Missouri. We had a potluck supper to die for after morning service and an ice cream social that evening (home made peach or vanilla with some kind of magic potion called home made hot chocolate fudge topping that probably is a derivative of turkish delight.)

We watch the 18 wheelers and Harley’s drive by under flags bigger than some villages I’ve lived in. And there are enough fireworks in the road-side stands between Birmingham and Denver to flatten the Rockies.

I know the world has changed and that much of the world has given up on absolutes and timeless truths. But out here on the plains of mid America, there are still folks that know their neighbors, that have eaten the same blue plate special at the same cafe for the past 25 years, and who trust God for different things than I do in my life in Europe. But trust him they do.

And as they do God blesses.

Durand

PS. For more travel photos, click here.

Originally posted June 20, 2006

We’re really here. It’s been a good first week spending time with family and getting some business taken care of. It was a good place to start. We needed to find a car, get insurance, have our drivers’ licenses renewed, get contacts and lots of other mundane but essential things. Being in a place I’m familiar with has really helped speed up the process.

Then over the weekend we were in Decatur, AL with our friends at First Bible Church. The folks there are so supportive of us and our ministry. The two of us got to do some special music with their musicians for the morning service and we had a gathering in a home afterwards.
My dad goes into the hospital tomorrow for prostate surgery so we’re back in Birmingham. My folks have had their share of illnesses and hospitalizations, and I’m glad that for once I can help share the load it puts on the rest of my family when one of them needs assistance.
Laura’s already flown out to Denver. All three sisters are living in the same small one bedroom apartment along with Matt. Three are working and Laura started her job search today. Can’t wait to get there to settle in so Emilie can share our apartment with us.

Real Life: The adventure begins

Originally posted June 12, 2006

The weekend was wonderful. Laura’s graduation was a meaningful end to many long years of hard work. We’re very proud. Her sisters are too. Anna and Matt were there. Emilie spent a good part of Friday evening with us by phone visiting with family and friends. We had a barbeque with about 10 people that evening.

Saturday morning everyone left and we began packing up the house in earnest. It’s always stressful when the cardboard boxes come out. We don’t have a renter for our place but are leaving it ready just in case. Thanks to Jim and Sara for taking care of the place in our absence.
We’re nearly ready with 6 fifty pound suitcases, three carry-on pieces and three personal items... yes we know the drill. It’s like packing for an expedition. I’m sure we’ll all collapse on the plane. We leave tomorrow morning.
Pray for us that we’ll be sheltered by God’s protection and provision as we weather this next series of waves. May the Lord use this year to strengthen our passion for Him, our friendships with friends and family who partner with us and our bodies for his service.

For a look at grad photos click here.

Laura's Graduation

Originally posted June 8, 2006

Our house is wonderfully full of family with Anna and Matt who arrived from Denver on Tuesday and Ruth’s sister Miriam and her husband Bob from Amsterdam who arrived last night. We leave our home for a year in only 5 days, but we won’t be able to do much about it until Saturday when guests leave.

Laura’s graduation is tomorrow morning. There are so many goodbyes to be said along with the congratulations. Because this is not “home” to most students, the reunions from Black Forest Academy tend to be individuals connecting, but rarely as a group.

We miss Emilie dearly who tried so hard to find a way she could afford to come, but we’ll be calling her throughout the next couple of days keeping her up to date. I’m so glad we’ll see her shortly. She’s already in Denver apartment sitting for Anna and Matt and waiting for our arrival.

NOTE: Because of an operator malfunction, I lost the original journal from cyberspace... so I'm reposting the original posts along with their original dates of appearance for those who wanted to start from the beginning.

Originally posted June 1, 2006

Last night Ruth and I decided we’d finally run out of steam and thought we’d watch a movie. We went over to a friend’s place that has a bunch of DVD’s to find one we hadn’t watched. If you’ve ever seen this film where nothing goes right is complicated further by Jack Lemmon’s character George, an uptight out of towner in New York who blames everyone for making him miserable. He collects a list of names of anyone he gets mad at throughout the film, threatening to take everyone to court for everything from bad weather to bad service. They owed him.

Then this morning before breakfast I watched a sermon by Andy Stanley on (you guessed it...) anger. He spoke of the system of debt and debtor we often use in relationships. Anger says "You owe me". When we're hurt or offended something's been taken from you. Your anger says "you owe me."

Regardless of where the blame lies, getting rid of anger is more important than getting paid back. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other.” Getting rid of bitterness by-passes the issue of fairness.

Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Decide to cancel the debt by "forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you." Jesus was blameless, and we owed God for our sin. God decided to close the debt on our sins by paying for the debt through Christ's death.

If God can do that, I can close the debt on those who hurt me. You can't really get paid back anyway. People can't get their first marriage, their childhood, their innocence back. But forgiveness rakes out the junk of anger.

Check out the sermon at http://www.northpoint.org/sermons. Then get some popcorn and a soft drink and enjoy the movie.




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