"To Boldly Go..." Part 2

How many of you started singing to yourself “He’s got the whole world in his hands…” when you saw the picture in “Part 1”? You know you did, so don’t try and deny it!

The Christian church as it exists today in America, as a whole, is flawed. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any great ministries out there because there are! In fact I have been a part of a couple. I have family and friends who belong to Christ centered, Bible believing, and, I believe, God honoring churches.

But we are also seeing a shift in the paradigm of what church looks like, or rather, needs to look like. Many of us grew up watching the change in ministry as churches went from a conservative Baptist type to a contemporary style of worship service. The organ was replaced by a band, the pulpit with a music stand, choir with a vocal team, hymnals with upbeat praise and worship choruses, etc.

We also watched it model and become more like corporate America with its marketing strategies in order to lure the “unchurched” to their services with gimmicks and flashy PowerPoint. I have even read of one church giving away hundreds of iPods to bring in the crowds. Now that sounds like a great way to spend God’s money!

All in the effort of becoming “seeker sensitive” which, I feel is contradictory to Scripture since there is “no one who seeks God.” (Rom 3:11b). The problem is, since there are no real seekers, to expect people to think to themselves “hmm…something’s missing in my life, I think I’ll check out that church around the corner because I hear they have a great doughnut display,” is futile thinking. We need to be the ones who seek out those who need God in their lives.

If you took an honest look around at churches today, there is a significant decrease in one particular age-group. You’ll find that young adults between 18-30 are among the lowest attendees at many if not most churches. Why? They are longing for something more real, more tangible, more organic. They are looking for authenticity, transparency, and genuine relationships.

They’ve tried churches and found the hype to be just that and lacking in substance. Like the space-aged travelers of Star Trek, it’s time that we as Christians come back to a way of doing ministry that meets the obvious needs of the people where they’re at; where their hearts beat the strongest. It’s time to boldly go and take the message of hope to the people instead of expecting them to come to us.

That’s really the central idea of outward ministry at Ekklesia. Instead of trying to build a core team of believers from a church and waiting until just enough money is raised to secure a killer sound system, our plan is to take a handful of strong believers out into the world in twos and threes and start meeting and establishing relationships. As we frequent the same coffee shops and hang-outs and start meeting some of the regulars, we believe God will begin to grow our church from the “outside in.”

Ministry will take place where people generally tend to congregate, places where people go not just to procure goods and services, but to be around other people. We intend on finding one or two places we can meet at regularly (i.e. bars, coffee houses, etc.) and start establishing relationships. Rather than talking at them, we will talk with them- get to know them. As God begins to do a work in their hearts and as God inevitably brings people to a saving relationship with him, we will take these people and expand to other locations. Thus the church will grow. Perhaps slower than a traditional church-plant, but with people who have more of a vested interest in the life-changing reality of a relationship with Christ.

Not that Christians from other ministries will not be welcome. Far from it- the more the merrier! But we will not actively seek them out, trying to build a core first. Rather than spurring on growth via internal shifting (Christians migrating from one ministry to another within the body), we hope and pray God will grow this ministry through people we encounter who come to know the Lord and desire to serve him by spreading the love and truth of Jesus’ message.

In a nutshell, that’s what the ministry of Ekklesia will look like. There is obviously much “fleshing out” of this concept that needs to take place, but we are confident in Jesus to take his message out boldly. We are excited about making more and better disciples and bringing hope into the lives of those whom God brings across our path.

We, I, covet your prayers as we venture out into new and uncharted territory. Please contact me if you are interested at all in being a part of our prayer support, or in joining our mission to boldly go where many today have not dared to have gone before.

"To Boldly Go..." Part 1

Just to get this out of the way, I am a Star Trek fan. Now, don’t check out on me just yet…hear me out. I am a fan of the show because its world is filled with infinite possibilities. The story line (not unlike its setting) is deep and complex, interconnecting its many shows and movies spanning over generations in one cohesive universe. I think what I most like about the show is its mission. They fight battles, encounter “strange new worlds...and new civilization,” but at the heart of it all, they are explorers.

They are in the never-ending quest to pursue the knowledge of the unknown which I think resonates with us all. What makes them different than other future-based stories, is the show’s view of humanity having improved over the years to an almost utopian society of advanced humans. I think we all would long for a world governed by peace, harmony, intelligence, and selfless attitudes that pursue a unified goal.

The truth is, the road we are heading down as a society is anything but what this fictional world portrays. One need only look out his window or turn on the TV to see the pulse of our society; what drives us and what our focus is on, particularly in America.

The one beacon of hope that should be present, the church, doesn’t seem to be fairing any better. In fact, one might argue, that an epidemic is occurring in our nation especially amongst Christian Churches. You see, contrary to Star Trek’s mission of exploration and seeking out new life, we as the church in America seem to take the opposite approach. We expect the “new life” to come to us rather than actively taking the message of hope to those who need it.

Sadly, many of the churches in America have a “country club” mentality rather than that of a hospital. We seem to welcome the rich, influential, and beautiful, but neglect the poor, sick, and downtrodden. My meaning is both spiritual as well as physical. I also speak of these things in generalities. I am sure there are some who are getting it right. But it is no surprise to me that more churches today are closing their doors than ever before, and that the divorce rate within the church is on par with the rest of the country.

There has to be a better way, and in fact there is. Jesus himself modeled that for us. He spent time with people in the world. He went to the places where they hung out, where the pious religious leaders of that day refused to go in order to maintain their false sense of righteousness. Jesus went to the bars and he hung out with prostitutes and tax collectors (an occupation as disagreeable today as it was then). And through it all, he shared his love with those who needed it. After all, it’s not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick.

When it came time to send out the trained leaders into the world to spread the message of hope, he sent them out in twos and threes. He didn’t first gather together a core team of 100 people or raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for sound equipment and flyers. He simply trained the people in how to love, and sent them out. And where did he get this small team of men known as the disciples? He alone went out and gathered them from the world. He didn’t take a group of religious superstars from the local Synagogue.

Again, not that getting a team together and raising money is altogether bad, but I feel that this generation of people in America is longing for something more real; more organic. They are tired of the corporate mentality and the “pack ‘em in” philosophy of trying to use every method and marketing tool available to draw in the masses. It’s time to take the message of Jesus to those who need it rather than expecting them to come to us by means of our creative ingenuity.

From an ‘inside out’ way of ministering, Ekklesia will approach ministry with an ‘outside in’ philosophy. That is what this ministry will, by the grace of God, attempt to do, by taking whoever is willing and go out into the world by twos and threes, and seek out new life…to boldly go where we haven’t gone before: the world.

How? Tune in next time for the exciting conclusion…

Seeing the Trees Through the Forest

Carry each other's burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Gal. 6:2 (NIV)

So continuing on with my desire to document what God is doing in my life via this blog and particularly in relation to the ministry project, Ekklesia, I wanted to pick up where I left off with the Wanderings in the Wilderness post.

In that post, I mentioned that things are starting to move again in ministry, and we have made some exciting developments as far as format and direction, but I also think there is still some forging that is taking place.

Boreal and temporal trees grow according to seasons. They grow during warmer climates and slow or stop growing during colder ones. Those harsh winters serve to harden and strengthen the tree after it underwent a huge growth spurt the previous summer. I have often thought about this in my own life. This as well as the illustration I frequently recall made to me by my pastor from our previous church, LifeQuest, and friend, Scott Morgan. He always says that with God “the way between two points is not a straight line, but a zigzag.”

Right now, it seems that God is hardening me after some interesting life-lessons learned. And though I would like to be heading in a straight line to the goal and plans I have, God has me on yet another zig- or maybe it’s a zag.

I am under the Biblical philosophy that my relationship with God comes first, my wife comes next as my first and most important earthly relationship and ministry, followed only then by my kids. From there all other relationships, responsibilities, and ministries come next. Though I believe this whole-heartedly, I sometimes lose sight. I have the tendency to look so far ahead, I neglect my present situation. I strain so hard at times to view what’s ahead through the forest that I forget about the trees right in front of me.

While, my marriage is in a good place (though I don’t make the mistake of letting my guard down and thinking it’s perfect lest I allow the enemy a foothold- there’s always room to grow, particularly within my own role as husband), and as a family I believe we are heading in the right direction, I am realizing the need of those around me.

There is a lot going on within my wife’s and my families: some are going through transitional times, some are going through difficult and trying, sometimes dry times. It seems to me that we need to be focusing more of our attention, time, and energy on those friends and family who need some additional love and grace extended. We try to remember to pray for all those we know, but some just need some extra encouragement and genuine fellowship.

So, during this time of hardening the growth God has been bringing me through, I am trying to be more conscious of the needs of those around me as my ministry. If I can do anything (without sacrificing my first ministry to my wife and daughter), I need to be diligent in giving of myself to be there for them, however possible.

Ekklesia is not stopping, the road to this ministry has not changed, I just didn’t see this particular zigzag coming up and now, I pray that God would use us as a source of encouragement, hope, strength, and love for those around us; those trees that are in my immediate path.

Having balanced my priorities, I know God will honor our desire for Ekklesia and the ministry He wants us to do in His own time, in His own way.

Life in the Fast Lane

I’m gonna lose my mind…well maybe not, but a little humble pie is definitely hard to swallow sometimes. Two amusing things happened this past weekend which served as gentle reminders of who is in control and running the show.

First, on the way home from a night out on the town with the Valero’s, Baltrus’, and the new Garner’s, we were heading down Riggs Road about 20 minutes from home. It was about 1:30 in the morning and we were tired (and alcohol free in case you were wondering) and I just wanted to get home and go to bed.

Not paying attention to the fact that it was 45mph and me going a steady 65mph, a car in the shadows with no lights on pulled out behind us with its headlights on after we passed it. I remember Kim saying “I hope that wasn’t a cop” and me saying “ I don’t think so.” A couple seconds later, I was pulling off to the side of the road to the strobing blue and red lights.

When the officer asked for my license and insurance, I handed it to him and thought…‘he looks kind of familiar’. Sure enough, when he came back he handed them back to me and asked “Did you go to Southwestern [Bible College]?” When I said I did, I remembered who he was immediately. We laughed a little and he asked what I was up to these days to which I sheepishly replied “oh…helping with a church-plant.”

He was interested and I told him briefly about it. After a couple minutes of catching up, he graciously let me go advising me to drive more carefully and that I was lucky it was him. Anxious to leave before he changed his mind, we parted company before I realized I didn’t do much in the way of reciprocating in the asking of how he was doing.

The second tasting of sweet humbleness occurred two days later on Sunday morning at, of all places, church. I was asked the Sunday prior to lead the worship for our church, Rock Eternal, the following Sunday, and despite the fact that I only played with the band a few times and I didn’t know most of their songs, I agreed.

After meeting with the worship leader, Jason, I had a handful of songs that I knew as did the rest of the band and that the congregation would be familiar with. After spending all week preparing so that I could play with “excellence” and not mess up, I got to church a bit apprehensive with a drummer I haven’t played with before and a bass player I only played once with.

Practice went well, and I felt very confident. I prayed and went over all the right things and prepared to go out onto stage. I opened up with a prayer and felt fully confident- perhaps too confident.

At this point, I should mention that I replaced my strings on my acoustic the previous night, but having had played enough since, I wasn’t too worried about it going out of tune.

When I started the first song, “Beautiful One” I noticed I couldn’t hear my guitar very well in my monitor given the fact that the room we meet in is a elementary school cafeteria, and there was a lot of reverb, but I heard my guitar enough to where I wasn’t too concerned.

I sang the first line and started to sing the second verse by mistake and quickly corrected myself- no big deal, that happens sometimes. I kept going and played, closed my eyes, and worshipped when a few thoughts crept into the back of my mind like ‘I sound really good’ and ‘people must be really impressed with my singing right now.’ These thoughts weren’t in the forefront of my thinking however, and as a musician, these thoughts are particularly difficult plague to avoid at times when leading worship since, after all, we are prideful people and being up front makes it a continuous battle to deny one’s self when so much physical attention and focus is on you.

There I was, singing like I was a finalist on American Idol (but with more self-respect), and when I got to the bridge where it was just me and the guitar, I noticed my guitar was severely out of tune, almost as if the whole thing went a half-step flat (lower). I stopped playing and sang a cappella frantically trying to figure out what to do since I was the only guitarist and I still had to go back into the chorus again.

I just hoped against hope that it wasn’t as badly out of tune as I thought and that the sound man would turn me down if it was, and finished the song. I ended with the bridge with “just our voices” to save face. After it was done, I turned to Kim who had no clue anything was wrong and asked her to pray since she was the only one in the position to do so and I couldn’t go on with my guitar as it was. I felt bad at the look of surprise on her face knowing how uncomfortable she is praying up front, but I didn’t see another option.

I turned around and strummed my guitar to find to my shock and amazement that it was in perfect tune- I had been singing a half-step sharp (higher)! Utterly confused by this, I had to force myself to get a grip and continue on. The rest of the set went smoothly though my pride was a bit more in check.

I still don’t know how it happened since that has never happened to me before, especially on a song I have played a hundred times. The only thing I can think was that I tuned into a reverberating echo from somewhere in the concrete and tile room that bounced back to me.

Thankfully, it didn’t seem to be as much of a distraction to everyone as I feared it was; even the sound man didn’t notice anything and thought everything sounded good. Steve noticed something was off, but just thought it was the room. I just laughed about it later, and thanked God for the second lesson that weekend, and took the hint.

Sufficed to say this weekend was a time of humility and reminders of God’s grace, power, control and majesty. I need to learn to slow down, enjoy life, and especially His love.

Wanderings in the Wilderness

Numbers 13: 17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, "Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many.

Numbers 13: 27 They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.

Deut. 1: 26 But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. 27 You grumbled in your tents and said, "The LORD hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say, 'The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.' "
29 Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. 30 The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place."

This year has been fraught with personal challenges for me. My wife, daughter, and I recently moved to Queen Creek, AZ in September 2006. We put our Mesa townhouse up for sale over the summer trusting God to allow our little home to sell in a very competitive market. Our prayer and thinking was that if God caused our house to sell, this would be a sign to us that this is exactly what He wanted.

We had been praying through our involvement with a church-plant that would be on the east side of town, but none of the houses were in our price-range out there and the only thing available was on the west side.

We weren’t sure at the time of putting our house up for sale whether or not God wanted us to pursue this or the church-plant, so we stepped out on faith trusting Him to give us an answer in His time.

‘Lo and behold, a couple months later, an offer was made on our house (for our asking price) and we had three weeks to get out! Since we hadn’t found a house because we honestly thought God was closing this door, we went out the next day to a community with houses for sale in QC.

When we arrived, the models we saw were appealing but we weren’t sure. By God’s sovereignty we found out from the builder by “accident” that there was another house almost ready to go- the previous owner backed out after all the upgrades were put in. When we saw it, we knew right away that this was the home for us. The price was right since they were desperate to sell it now, it was a corner lot with a bigger back yard, it had everything we were looking for and so much more, including a large living room and family room for ministry!

Everything went so smoothly until our first month moved in. Since then things started breaking left and right (some weren’t covered), unexpected payments, the commute to my job started taking a toll on me, my car was stolen, and on and on. Even the ministry we were hoping on and the church-plant seemed to be non-existent or else come to a vapid, stagnant, screeching halt. We became discouraged; or rather, I became discouraged. My wife was trusting God all the way and I started grumbling: “Why are you doing this God? Why did you bring us all the way out here just to sit and do nothing while everything falls apart?”

I became moody, and started complaining every time anything went wrong. By no coincidence, right at the height of my frustration, I had been studying the accounts in the Pentateuch after Israel’s Exodus and their 40 year wanderings in the desert. I slowly started to realize, I am just like them. I used to think “Oh how could these ungrateful Israelites complain like that after all God did for them?” Wham! It hit me like a ton of bricks- I was an ancient Israelite!

God brought the Israelites out of bondage and slavery and they grumbled and complained and turned from their commitment to morality time and time again. God in His infinite grace and patience dealt with them appropriately but honored His covenant with them nonetheless. At one point, the promised land of Canaan was in sight and they said God could not deliver them from the giants and people of the land and thus resigned to thinking God’s plan a failure. Even while the subsequent penalty of having to wander for 40 years in the wilderness loomed over their heads, they grumbled and complained to God then too.

I was reacting the same way. God may not have delivered me from slavery to Egypt, but He brought me- actually bought- me from slavery to sin. He honored our prayers and brought us out to a beautiful house and began to prepare us for what He had in store. As soon as things started to go against my timeline and the way I thought things should go, I began to complain, to get angry, and even turn from God.

Thankfully, He reminded me that He is God, that He has a plan, and it is not mine to question, but to obey. He answered our prayers and brought us out to Queen Creek where I thought everything else was going to fall into place instead finding a time of wandering in the ‘wilderness’. Once I began to realize the fact that I was essentially shaking my fist at God, and who am I to do such a thing, I began to take a different perspective. I began to be at peace and rest in His sovereignty. Who was I to look over the top of the hill and see the land of giants and think that God somehow made a mistake?

Slowly I started ‘rolling with the punches’ and my love and trust in God became fortified. Not too long after that, things started to click and make sense ministry wise. The Valero’s house got sold and they bought a new house in the area of where we were planning for the church-plant (this was one of the main hold-ups of progression of this ministry), and Steve came to a realization concerning planning and strategy for this ministry venture.

Thus, Ekklesia seems to be moving again (though admittedly never stopped, I simply now see God’s hand more clearly). More to come on the exciting development of a new church called Ekklesia in future posts.

God is good, and I am so glad He is patient with me, a stiff-necked, doubting, and wandering Ancient Israelite!