Church Without Walls

What would the church look like without walls?  Many things come to mind when asked this question.  I grew up in my church Sunday school and the little hand motions to the song “Here is the church…here is the steeple…open the doors and heres all the people” come to mind.  What do you think of when I say, church?

I think of steeples.  I imagine Gothic architecture.  I recall uncomfortable pews and aging class rooms.  I spent much of my life in our church and now that I work in a church, I spend more time there than at home.  The sanctuary is a second home for me.  I love to be in it when the room is full, but there is also an amazing feeling to be the only person present.  There is a sense of peaceful holiness.  But what if we were to take all of this away?

http://builderpark.com/familybuilderchristianchurch/images/stories/church_family2.gif

A church building can be a great blessing, but in modern Christianity hasbecome a crutch.  Like most leaders in the church, my heart aches every time we spend more time arguing over building and grounds issues than how we might be better disciples and followers of Jesus.  I’ve come close to tears when I see how complacent we have become in the church building and not only neglect those in need outside the walls but fail to welcome the strangers that walk through our doors.  Ever since the early Church left homes and built cathedrals, our understanding of church has changed.

We can quickly name the benefits to having a church building, but I wonder how often we consider the danger.  That’s right you read correctly…danger!

1. COMPLACENCY - We get comfortable in familiar areas.  When we get comfortable it takes more effort to leave our comfort zone to do the ministry Christ calls us to.  We begin to think evangelism (sharing the good news about the Love of God in Jesus) becomes waiting for people to walk through our doors and NOT going to those in need.  When we get comfortable, we no longer take risks.  Have you become complacent? I’ve been very guilty of this.
2. TERRITORIALISM – When we become complacent we begin to mark our territory.  We have home court advantage in our territory.  The problem with constructing territories is that others become intruders.  If a guest or visitor is even subconsciously considered an intruder they will feel that.  If you spend time studying the ministry of Jesus we begin to see a pattern.  He went to others.  He didn’t run his ministry out of a home base.  He moved around.  Has your church become your territory, a place you feel you have to protect from outsiders?
3. LOSS OF FOCUS - Finally, we begin to lose our focus.  Leaky pipes, building usage, and security issues begin to move to the fore front of all our meetings.  While building maintenance is extremely important and part of being good stewards, we begin to spend more of our time on these issues.  Why?  Because it is an easy fix and has more immediate results than the difficult ministry God calls us to.  Is your building holding you back?

I recently read an article about a pastor who led his congregation to what many church-goers would consider extreme. (read it here http://www.christianindex.org/5010.article)  They wanted to embrace the idea of the church as flesh and blood and NOT bricks and mortar.  The building was holding them back and changing their focus so, they made a change!

I’m not asking other churches to follow their example.  I’m not even sure that is what God wants of every congregation.  However, I do admire the devotion and willingness of this particular congregation to take a risk in the name of Christ.  The Body of Christ is not made of buildings.  The Body of Christ is made up of believers.  The buildings are only a tool we should use, but not hindered by.

I wonder what the world would look like if we could begin to shift our focus and be the Church Without Walls?

Deep Thoughts from a Theologian: Easter

So Easter got me thinking about some very deep theological issues.

My thoughts are as follows:

I'm Late, I'm Late, for a very important date!

Did Jesus have an alarm clock? If not, how else did he know to get up on the 3rd Day?

Maybe the Easter Bunny woke him up!

I hope we can figure this out because I really want to know.

Friends, don’t let these deep theological thoughts keep you up at night!  A theologian needs his/her sleep.

Don’t know what I’m talking about?  Who said religion had to be so serious? Click Here for the thought behind Deep Thoughts from a Theologian

Here are a few other Easter Themed Laughs: (courtesy of www.reverendfun.com)

Blast from the Past: What’s So Good about Good Friday?

It’s that time of year again and even an old posts can be reread…so let’s remember What’s so good about good friday!

Nails & Thorns

http://relevantreverend.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/whats-so-good-about-good-friday/

I’ve Got Lent in my Pocket

A very good question was posed to be by a girl in my youth group. What is Lent exactly? In reality many Christians do not understand what Lent is and there are a variety of ways to observe it, depending on your particular flavor of Christianity (or denomination, but I prefer to use the term flavor!)

There are three major questions that I typically hear:

(1) Where did the name come from?

When someone says lent, I typically think of the stuff that gathers in my pockets, dryer filter, and my belly button!  So, my first question, before I even wanted to know what Lent is, was where did the name come from?

Lent anybody?

The word “lent” originally meant no more than the spring season.  But like many words it evolved over time to take on new meaning.  Lent was later used during the Anglo-Saxon period to translate the Latin word “quadragesima” (you can try to pronounce it if you like or just skim over it!) which means “forty-days“ or more literally “fortieth day“. “Lent” was adopted by the church to name the 40 day fast leading to Easter.

(2) What is Lent?

Lent is a religious season within the church calendar (like Advent during the Christmas season) that denotes the 40 days, not counting Sundays, leading up to Easter.  40 is an important number in the Bible.  The Israelites spent 40 years wandering the wilderness after being freed from

Ash Wednesday

slavery in Egypt through the guidance of Moses (found in the book of Exodus and Numbers in the Old Testament).  Jesus also spent 40 days in the wilderness praying and being tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13).

Since Easter is the time we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead after is death by crucifixion on the cross, Lent is a reflective time.  Lent begins on “Ash Wednesday” (on Ash Wednesday we remind ourselves of our humanity and that we alone do not go on forever…we are mortal)and continues through “Holy Week” which is the week leading up to Easter that finishes with “Maundy Thursday” and “Good Friday” (the day we commemorate Christ’s death).

(3) How do I observe Lent?

The answer to this question differs between churches and denominations.  Some traditions fast leading up to Easter.  The idea behind fasting that the hunger pangs become a reminder to focus on God and Scripture.  You can either fast completely or do a partial fast (when you give up a particular type of food).  However, Lent is not meant to be a diet plan.  It is meant as a reflective time.

Some people give up things and take on a spiritual discipline in it’s place.  Such as giving up TV at night to read your bible.  The idea behind lent to is reflect on the the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Jesus came so that we might have life and to offer us a chance to find forgiveness for our sins.  That is ultimately what we celebrate on Easter.  Christmas has become a popular holiday, but Easter is far more important to the believer.  Easter was when Jesus actually fulfilled what he said and what the prophecies of old foretold.  Jesus paid the price for our sins so that if we believe, we can live in eternity with God.

Want more info? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent

I Have Many Leather-Bound Books!

Ok, so I never thought this day would come.  Not that there would be an electronic bookshelf, but that I would care, since reading was never my favorite pastime growing up.  Alas, the abundance of reading I did in seminary (notice I didn’t even mention college) has opened me up to reading a lot more and not just for study.

My good friend Adam and I enjoy comparing notes on books so this new site lends itself well to our pursuit.  It is Shelfari.  Yes, mix safari with your bookshelf and you get Shelfari.  This is a really neat site for all readers alike.  Here’s a screen shot.

www.Shelfari.com

I really like this website for 3 reasons:

1. Sense of pride over conquered reading. Am I the only person he gets a sense of accomplishment when I look to a bookshelf of books I have read?  It makes me feel like I’ve done something and in a way expanded my mind.  This site gives you that same feeling without all the dust and wasted space.  Don’t get me wrong, much to my wife’s dismay, I still have my real bookshelves, but this website does help cut down on some clutter.  There are many books I’ve read that I do not own for some reason or another, so I now have a way to keep track of everything I have read.
2. Comparing with others is awesome! Part of the joy of reading is comparing with other readers.  That’s what Shelfari is all about.  You can view other peoples bookshelves and see what they plan to read, are reading, and what they have already read.  You can then rate and write reviews for completed books to help others out.  I’m a big sci-fi/fantasy reader and met a fellow reader through Shelfari.  He recommended several good books that I am currently reading.  It was nice to see a review before purchasing or even borrowing a book.
3. Wish-lists baby! Lastly, many of my family members do not know what to buy me in the way of books.  Shelfari allows you to create a wish-list of books that you want to own, whether it is a book you want to read or an old favorite you no longer own.  It is easy to keep up-to-date.

Let me know if you try Shelfari out and you can check out my awesome growing collection of literature.  Want to see my bookshelf?

"I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany." - name that movie!

You have to go to www.shelfari.com

Cracks in the Wall

NOTE: This is not my writing, but an excerpt from Charles Swindoll that I received in an email.  He wrote this back in 1983 but I think Chuck still has some interesting things to say.  What do you think?

Matthew 15:1-9; Mark 7:1-13; Colossians 2:8-23

(click on scripture references to read them at Biblegateway.com)

“The longer I live the less I know for sure.

That sounds like 50% heresy . . . but it’s 100% honesty. In my younger years I had a lot more answers than I do now. Things were absolutely black and white, right or wrong, yes or no, in or out, but a lot of that is beginning to change. The more I travel and read and wrestle and think the less simplistic things seem.

I now find myself uncomfortable with sweeping generalities . . . with neat little categories and well-defined classifications.

Take people, for example. They cannot be squeezed into pigeon holes. People and situations are far more complex than most of us are willing to admit.

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• Not all Episcopalians are liberal.
• Not all athletes are thickheaded.
• Not all Republicans are Christian good guys.
• Not all collegians are rebels.
• Not all artists are kooks.
• Not all movies are questionable.
• Not all questions are answerable.
• Not all verses are clear.
• Not all problems are easily solved.
• Not all deaths are explainable.

Maybe the list comes as a jolt. Great! Jolts are fine if they make you think. We evangelicals are good at building rigid walls out of dogmatic stones . . . cemented together by the mortar of tradition.

We erect these walls in systematic circles—then place within each our over-simplified, ultra-inflexible “position.” Within each fortress we build human machines that are programmed not to think but to say the “right” things and respond the “right” way at any given moment. Our self-concept remains undisturbed and secure since no challenging force is ever allowed over the walls. Occasionally, however, a strange thing happens—a little restlessness springs up within the walls. A few ideas are challenged. Questions are entertained. Alternative options are then released. Talk about threat! Suddenly our superprotected, cliché-ridden answers don’t cut it. Our over-simplified package offers no solution. The stones start to shift as the mortar cracks.

Two common reactions are available to us.

One: We can maintain the status quo “position” and patch the wall by resisting change with rigidity.

Two: We can openly admit “I do not know,” as the wall crumbles. Then we can do some new thinking by facing the facts as they actually are. The first approach is the most popular. We are masters at rationalizing around our inflexible behavior. We imply that change always represents a departure from the truth of Scripture.

Now some changes do pull us away from Scripture. They must definitely be avoided. But let’s be absolutely certain that we are standing on scriptural rock, not traditional sand. We have a changeless message—Jesus Christ—but He must be proclaimed in a changing, challenging era. Such calls for a breakdown of stone walls and breakthrough of fresh, keen thinking based on scriptural insights. No longer can we offer tired, trite statements that are as stiff and tasteless as last year’s gum beneath the pew. The thinking person deserves an intelligent, sensible answer. He is weary of oversimplified bromides mouthed by insensitive robots within the walls.

Perhaps by now my words sound closer to 90% heresy. All I ask is that you examine your life. Socrates once said,

The unexamined life is not worth living.

If you’ve stopped thinking and started going through unexamined motions, you’ve really stopped living and started existing.

That kind of “life” isn’t much fun, nor very rewarding. I’d call it about 100% heresy . . . and only 50% honesty.”

Excerpted from Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, Copyright © 1983 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by arrangement with Zondervan Publishing House.

What do you think?

Yes Operator…There is a Person in my Bed

My wife was watching the news the other day and saw this story.  After hearing about it I just could not resist writing about it.

The summary:

A Holiday Inn in London is now offering a new service to their patrons: a human bed warmer.  That’s right for a small added fee you can have an actual person come into your room and lay in your bed until it reaches a desirable temperature (roughly 20 to 24 degrees Celsius).

“Oh, hello ‘ol chap…We’re your bed warmers!”

Is it just me or is this just a little on the creepy side?  Have they not heard of electric blankets?  The idea of having a stranger in my bed “warming” it just doesn’t seem…I mean…OK, I’m at a loss for words.  However, I would want to clarify their methods for “warming” said bed!

I’m  also a bit curious.  Since they are dressed in big fleece footy pajamas, will they stay and cuddle for a while?  Perhaps read you a nice bedtime story?  Try ordering this service in the States the next time you are traveling and see what they say.

I don’t quite know how, but I have to work this into a sermon one day!

Don’t believe this story?  Check out this link and see for yourself.

http://www.nydailynews.com/travel/2010/01/21/2010-01-21_holiday_inn_location_in_london_offers_human_bed_warmer_service__a_staffer_to_war.html