Winter Snow

In light of the snowiest February in Denver, I felt this Winter Snow by Audrey Assad was greatly appropriate.

As a follower of Christ, one of my great joys is celebrating Christmas, no matter the date on the calendar.  Advent represents God loving us and coming to rescue us from our sin.  Jesus’ incarnation was not world headline news, yet is one of the most important events in history.

Galatians 4:4-7, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying,’Abba! Father!’  So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir though God.”

I am grateful that God offers redemption to those who are guilty under the law.  I am thankful for a baby that came to die for my sin.  I am in awe of the kind of love that God has for us.  I am amazed that I am a child of the King through adoption.

It is my prayer that the next time is snows, our thoughts will not be that of snowmen, cabin fever, or milk, bread and eggs but of the Son of God who came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.

 

The Art of Neighboring

Take just a few minutes to think about those who live nearest to you.  What are their names, jobs, hobbies, and political and religious views?  If you are unable to answer all of those questions, you are not alone.  A majorty of Americans cannot answer those questions about their neighbors.

The Art of NeighboringWe have lived in the Lowry neighborhood for just a little over one year and we are working hard to engage those around us at a deeper level.  The genesis for came from The Art of Neighboring by Pathak and Runyon.  We have been putting into practice many of the principles of this book.  We host a monthly party, with the intent of getting to know our neighbors.  We also actively engage in caring for our neighbors by getting to know more than just their names. We celebrate with them, pray for them and walk with them through difficult times.  We now, more than ever before, view those who live near us as our mission field.  As we plant our church, we are focusing on creating a culture of loving our neighbors.

Who is it, who lives within proximity to you, that you need to know more deeply?  How can you build a relationship that opens the door for conversations, not just about likes, but deep rooted heart issues (loves and hurts)?

Empty Porches

One of the key architectural features of our neighborhood is the front porch.  Every housing unit (condominium, town house, or home) is required to have one.  Some are little more than a front stoop, but even those have a balcony on the second floor overlooking the front walk.  The intention is to create a sense of community and draw people into public spaces to relate.

Some of the people in the neighborhood do a great job of using their porches for just those things but there are other porches that are completely empty.  The definition of community varies from person to person.  Some see community as a tight knit group of people who care for others, while some see it as a safe place where people are like them. The state of your front porch seems to indicate where you land on the spectrum.

What does your front porch say about your value of others?  Is it empty, inviting, or some where in the middle? We strive to keep our front porch inviting and our door open to those around us.  And, for so many around us, that is a foreign concept.  After all, we are strangers and aliens in this land.

What is Missional?

Missional is one of the hottest terms in the church. And if you were to ask ten people you would get eleven or twelve definitions. So below is my attempt at explaining how we are Missional and how we intend for our church to be Missional.

Missional is not a program. Missional is a lifestyle. We will have missions as part of our church but we are to live on the mission of God daily. This mission includes loving our neighbors, serving others, and discipling our children. All of those things require daily considering others better than ourselves, laying our lives down and being a servant just like Jesus.

In our increasingly secular world we need to live more like the first century church than the nineteenth century church. The first century church lived in community with other believers, lived in the margins of society, and served God through their lives.

Missional is not something that can be learned from a weekend seminar; it is something that must be lived out and caught rather than taught. We are building the foundation for our church by practicing these same principles. We will infuse the Missional lifestyle into our Missional Communities through serving the community in a way the group is gifted and by serving other members of the group.

One of the other tenets of Missional is seeing all Christ followers as the priesthood of believers. Too many times we rely solely on the paid professional holy men to minister, serve and provide discipleship. But the Bible is clear that all believers are Saints, Ambassadors, Servants, and Disciple Makers. Part of being Missional is seeing ways we can minister to others, lead them toward Jesus and live completely for Christ.

The journey toward Missional living has consumed much of my thoughts and struggles over the last four to five years. I am excited to have an idea of how to live, love and lead. And I am excited to see how God will use this type of life to build His kingdom and His church.

Honored and Humbled

Before we moved to Lowry, like WAY before we moved to Lowry, I battled fear that I wouldn’t make friends, wouldn’t be liked, would be shunned because I came to share the Gospel and be a Biblical “neighbor”! I prepared for war and began to pray when I felt these fears, began to use scripture as my sword in this battle. I am truly humbled by what God has already done in answer to my desperate pleas for friendship and opportunities to show His love to my neighbors! I’m so honored that His love in me is drawing people into friendship with me, rather than pushing them away! Jesus is a friend to sinners, a friend to the friendless, a friend who loves at all times! I’ve prayed that He will help me be that kind of friend and will give me love for each neighbor, no matter who they are or what they’ve done! I’m pretty speechless that after 5 short months here, several neighbors trust me to watch their children, have invited me into their homes, call or text me just to chat, and make comments like “You’re the only neighbor who has ever invited me over,” or “You’re the only one we trust with our baby”. The best part is…it’s not me they’re noticing…it’s Christ in me! Without Him and His love, I’m nothing!
Love the song “Let My Life be the Proof” by For King and Country, especially the part where one quotes 1 Corinthians 13:1-3,
“If I can speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy
But don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rust gate
If I speak God’s word with power, revealing all of His mysteries
And making everything as plain as day
And if I have faith to say to a mountain jump and it jumps
But I don’t love, I’m nothing
If I give all I earn to the poor
Or even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr
But I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere
So, no matter what I say, no matter what I believe, no matter what I do
I’m bankrupt without love”! No matter how many times I’ve heard it, it always prompts me to action and reminds me why I’m here in Lowry! Thanks be to God for answering my prayers and for equipping me for His work!

Tension Point

Much is made of the Great Commission, and rightfully so.  It provides the church its marching orders from Jesus.  We are to be making disciples.  Discipleship is a life long process.  In the evangelical church world we tend to focus on conversions, sometimes to the detriment of making disciples.  Making disciples must be our focus.

Lately, God has had me contemplating the Great Commandment.  Part of what God is shaping us to do here in Denver is to love Him with all of our lives, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are not forsaking the Great Commission, but instead taking it to the people who need it most.  We are actively engaged in neighboring and discipleship.  We seek to make much of the God who has created us, loved us, redeemed us and called us.  We desire to show God’s love to others though our lives.

In a place where the institutional church is marginal at best, we desire to be the church present in our neighborhood and city that cares for the people and helps them to see the one true God who loves them.  This means engaging people where they are.  There is tension between living out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.