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Archive for the ‘Community’ Category

Lessons Learned in 300 Posts

Posted in Community, Formation on August 19, 2010| 1 Comment »

Today marks somewhat of a milestone for this ministry.  Today is post number 300.  When I started writing Clay In The Hands a little over 16 months ago, I honestly didn’t know what would come of it or even where it was headed.  And to be 100% transparent, I am not sure I have a better feel for where it is headed even today.  It truly is a day to day ministry.

But today, I thought I would do something fairly simple.  I have reflected a bit on what I have learned along the way over these last 16 months and 300 posts.  Here are three things that come to mind.

3.  The internet has a life of its own. It is amazing who God brings my way through a simple search.  The search that brings more random visitors to the site is a search with anything to do with broken mirrors (I did a post a year ago called Focus in a Smashed Mirror)  I guess there are a lot of superstitious people in the world.  But I think its cool that God uses the internet to link superstitious people to my blog – you just never know!

2.  It is more crucial than I had imagined that I keep my heart and soul in tune with God’s heart and soul if I am going to have anything to say. I knew going into this ministry that this would be difficult.  And honestly, there was a part of me that decided that committing to write 3 to 5 times per week here would force me to stay strong in protecting my time in prayer, reading and meditation/reflection.  I wish I could say that I have been committed daily to those things as I should be, but there are days that my prayer time gets pushed out.  (I’m working on that)  It has been proven over and over again that without spending time with God, I have nothing to say!  And that is as it should be.

And the number 1 thing I have learned is . . . .

1.  You can never tell what God will do and who God will touch with what you say. I have noticed that Clay In The Hands, much like when I preach, can be used to touch folks regardless of how well it is written or even what I say.  There are days that I post something and I turn around and look at it and think to myself, “What a pathetic attempt at saying something creative or inspirational.”  And yet, I may get an email or a comment from someone who says, that is just what God needed to tell me today.  It is an extremely humbling experience but one I wouldn’t change.

I would be interested to hear from you today.  How has God used this ministry to touch you?

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The Reforming Church

Posted in Church, Community, Formation on August 18, 2010| Leave a Comment »

The other day I was looking through the upcoming concert dates for one of the bands I heard at Rock the Desert two weeks ago.  As I was scrolling through the venues, the name of one of the churches caught my eye – The Third Reformed Church.

Now, many of you know me personally and thus probably know that I have somewhat “unique” sense of humor.  As I read the name of the church, my first thought was, “Third time’s the charm – maybe they got it right this time.”  I mean, how many times does a church need to reform before it gets it right?

After repenting . . .  I began to reflect on the idea of a church needing reform.  Honestly, I think if a church ever thinks it has “arrived,” then the folks probably ought to shut the doors and find a new place to socialize.

The New Testament refers to the church as a body.  I am no anatomy expert but I am pretty sure that when a body stops growing and changing, it needs to be buried because it is dead.

The church should be seen from the same perspective.  The church should never stop growing and changing – adapting to the environment in order to minister in a relevant way.  (Now don’t hear me say that the message should be changed – just the way we minister)  Just as individual followers of Jesus are in a constant state of being formed to be more like him, the church should also understand that she is being formed and reformed as well.

Maybe every church should consider putting “reforming” in its title.

Something to think about.

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A Little Rap in the Desert

Posted in Community, Hope, Missions on August 9, 2010| 1 Comment »

This past Saturday, I tagged along with our students to Rock the Desert.  It was hot and a little dusty, but it was worth it.  Last year was my first experience with the event and I was so moved that I made sure to make it a priority this year as well.

We heard a lot of different artists at the concert – December Radio, Decypher Down, Remedy Drive, Family Force 5 and Hawk Nelson just to name some.  But the one that made the day for me was @lecrae.  He is an unashamedly Christian rap artist – but I have decided that he is really a youth evangelist who has found that he can put his sermons in the form of a rap to reach kids.

His words challenged me to stop and rethink God’s call on my life.  It’s not about me but about what God wants to do through me and ultimately that is to reach a hurting world with the hope and love that only God can give.

That call is the same for all of us if we are followers of the Way.

So how are you going to show God’s hope and love to those around you today?

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To Be or To Do

Posted in Church, Community on August 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday, we watched an interview here at the Global Leadership Summit with the President and CEO of Compassion International.  During that interview I was reminded of a sobering truth.

That truth?  Here it is:  God’s plan for ministering to the world, for reaching out and redeeming the people of the world is the church.  God’s plan A is that the church – the family of God – will minister and reach out to the people of the world and through that ministry and community, redemption will be found.

The real sobering aspect of this plan is that there is no plan B!

How do we do this?  It’s not by “doing” church.  I have written about this before – you might want to take a look at this post.

We have to get past the idea that we are going to “do” church.  Instead, we have to see that we must “be” the church.  If every individual in the church were to take to heart that we are to be the church out in the world – our world would be changed and changed for the better.

There is no plan B.

Go and BE the church today!

I’d love to hear the outcome.

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Leaders Need Leaders

Posted in Church, Community, Leadership on August 3, 2010| Leave a Comment »

This week, Thursday and Friday, I will have the distinct privilege of attending the Leadership Summit with a group of folks from our church and community.  I have read and heard most of the speakers who will be speaking on leadership at this event and I am really looking forward to hearing them again.

But more importantly than that, I am looking forward to sharing this time with the folks who are attending the event from our community.  I have learned that leaders never lead alone.  We all need others to learn from, lean on and with whom we can experience mutual accountability.  So the relational side of this event will be just as important as the actual speaking.  (P.S. – We still have one spot available if you are interested let me know)

All of us are leaders in some capacity.  At the core of our commitment to the Way is an element of leadership.  When you committed to follow Jesus, you committed to stop following the world.  It takes a real sense of courage and willingness to stand alone to step out of the norm and be different.  So as a believer, you are a leader.

The question for you to consider today is this – who are the folks around you who you can learn from, lean on and with whom you can experience mutual accountability?  I challenge you today to not only think on this in passing, but actually make a list of the folks who fit this profile for you.

Lead out today!

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Church Outside the Walls

Posted in Church, Community on July 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I don’t know how many times I have actually had the privilege of being in the same room and hearing Reggie McNeal speak before, but I am never disappointed.  He is a charismatic and straightforward communicator, leader, missional church guru and just plain fun to listen to.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to hear him again.  He captivated the room.  The problem is, most everything he says normally makes me uncomfortable because he has a way of attacking my preconceived ideas of what church is really all about.

He asked the question, “How is it that American churches brought in over 100 billion dollars last year but yet the average church in America is plateaued or dying; while at the same time, Christianity in India and China is growing like crazy with little to no budget?  How can that be?”

He went on to make the statement that the church does not have a mission but rather, the mission has a church.

As I have reflected on all the things Reggie said, I have been uncomfortable and I am having a hard time getting over it.

How much longer will we continue to struggle to maintain the structure we have built that we call the church, when all along, people are living and dying without the hope that only God can give?

Maybe its time to be the church outside the building and worry less about the building itself.

Just a thought!

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Thinking of You

Posted in Church, Community, Grace on July 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Have you ever gotten a “Thinking of You” card or call out of the blue for no reason at all?  How did it make you feel?

All of us would like to think that we would be missed if we were not around tomorrow.  All of us would like to think that others care for us.  The good thing is, the majority of us have people who love us.

But what have you planned for today that will add value to someone else?  Maybe it will be something as simple as a “Thinking of You” call.  Maybe you could pay for the items of the person in line behind you at the convenience store and simply say, “God loves you.”

Whatever you decide to do today, make a difference in someone else’s life.  That is what Jesus taught us to do and as followers of the Way, it is our calling.  I think that is what Jesus was teaching us here in this passage.  Take a look at what Jesus said and then go make a difference today.

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Thoughts On Thoughtfulness

Posted in Community, Formation, Motivational on June 30, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Thoughtfulness requires thinking and thinking requires slowing down long enough to actually think.

There is also an element of planning in thoughtfulness – not to say there is no such thing as spontaneous thoughtfulness, but thoughtfulness should be purposeful.

But at the core of thoughtfulness is the act of putting someone else’s needs above our own and there is something Biblical about that.

Be thoughtful today and touch someone else’s life.

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Sharing Life Together – Now That’s The Church

Posted in Church, Community on June 28, 2010| 1 Comment »

I was reminded yet again yesterday that the church is not the worship service on Sunday morning but the gathering of a family together.  Sometimes we gather to study God’s word, sometimes we gather together to worship, sometimes we gather to laugh and sometimes we gather to lean on one another in difficult times.

This past week was a difficult week for our family and in sharing with another family last night around the dinner table, we found out that it was not a great week for them either.  We cried together, we laughed together and we shared life together.

I got home last night and decided to sit on our deck and watch the lightning show.  As I sat there, I reflected on the events of the evening and I was reminded that the church is not a tradition-prescribed set order of service or comfortable programing.  The church, as Jesus intended it at its core, is a family of like-minded believers sharing life together.

As the writer of Hebrews urged, “Let us not give up on meeting together . . . but let us encourage one another.”

Following Jesus is not an individual endeavor.  We were made for each other, we were designed for community.

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What Happens When Availability Intersects With God’s Plan

Posted in Community, Missions, Motivational on June 21, 2010| Leave a Comment »

It is really sad to say, but unfortunately, this occurrence is rare.  Maybe it is timing, maybe it is motivation, I am not sure, but God’s plan and our availability do not always result in great things for God.  But when it does, you cannot contain the results.

So if God has a plan and we make ourselves available to be used by God, why wouldn’t it always result in great things?  I struggle with this issue.  But two things have surfaced for me over the past few years.  One is that we are not God (I know – a real inspirational and deep thought showing my real genius!).  Our job is to maintain a close enough relationship with God that we sense when God is moving in a certain direction and in the lives of people around us.  When we sense it, we must be ready and available to jump in.  Unfortunately, many times, I am not maintaining my relationship with God on a daily basis and thus my heart is not where it needs to be in order to sense God’s prompting.

Another reason for the rarity of seeing great things happen is our motivation.  Perhaps we are poised and ready, we have seen God’s movement around us and we make ourselves available and jump in to be used by God in some situation or effort, but still nothing much seems to come from it.  If our motivation is to receive a blessing or “make something happen,” then we are getting involved for selfish reasons.  God will not be manipulated.

But, when God’s plan intersects with purely motivated availability – the results are hard to explain.  The key is to be sensitive to God’s leading and be willing and available to be used in whatever manner God chooses without concern for outcome.  Ever group I have taken to do mission work has heard me say at least once over the course of the trip, “Be flexible.  It is not about us – it is about being used by God.  We may never see the fruit or the results of our efforts but that is OK.”  When we approach serving God from this understanding – of being available to be used regardless of the outcome – then God can do mighty, life-changing things with us and in us.

I firmly believe that it is impossible for a person to come face to face with God’s love and not be changed.  The results are not up to us, but the choice to be available is.

Make yourself available to God today and don’t worry about the outcome.

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