The Approach

"It doesn't matter what scripture means to you, all that matters is what scripture means"

You know I only had to listen to that statement halfway through before I felt very uncomfortable. Saying what it means to me isn't important... Is real shiza.

I believe it is true our only hope in this life is a living and active relationship with God. The last thing we need today is to experience God...that looks weird right. Maybe thats whats missing with alot of us. We want to experience what God has to offer us, but we don't want to do whats necessary to do that. Really what we need is to encounter God. Yeah, thats a completely different ballgame. Ok, so how do we encounter God? One way that we encounter this God of ours is in His Word. A major factor in encountering God in his Word has to do with our approach...

Martin Buber in I and Thou writes, "Every means is an obstacle. Only where all means have disintegrated encounters occur."

" I have realized that it is possible that I have never really encountered Scripture because I have always approached as a means to something beyond itself. I have historically come to the Scriptures in order to find something. I have not allowed the text to find me. The Scriptures have been a lot like a divine vending machine. As I come to the Scriptures, I put my problems or questions about life in and expect all of the answers to come out. Sadly, in so doing the Scripture has been nothing more than object, or means, to my own selfish ends. "-Bryan Nixon, my pal. Is it just me...or does Bryan's past experience sound frightingly similiar to your own.

I believe we need and have to admit that our "boxes" of interpretation won't and can't explain the mystery of God/Christ/Salvation/Truth/etc. I believe we all need a new freshness in our approach to scripture. I like the idea of guys approaching it like you would a women. Girls maybe you need to approach it, like you would a piece of chocolate cake...haha.

Tipping

I have needed to say this for a long time. (Especially to you Christians out there ) . Some of you, most of you, know that I have been a waiter for the last two years. I have learned a great many things...but one thing I have learned above all else is to pray before each shift that I DON'T have to wait on a big group of Christians. Christians, or maybe its just those of you who bow your heads before you eat, are the worst tippers ever. Sadly, everybody knows it. Church groups come in to my work...and you can almost see the tears start. At my work when big tables come in...you can automatically add your tip % or take your chances....you take your chances on Christians and your getting burned buckaroo. I think this is absolutely absurd.

Here is the truth. If you tip 15%....your cheap. If you tip 17% your still far from generous. For Christians worldwide to tip 20% is one of my new goals in life. Servers don't care about your tracks if your gonna be cheap. In fact, I would say don't dare talk about our gracious, generous gospel...and dare leave less than 25%. Leave a server a 20....he'll remember you forever. Leave Him less than 15% ...he'll remember you forever too....and the God you represent.

The Dilemma

So I am reading this book called I-Thou by Thomas Merton. I am finding that this book is revealing my "two-fold" world of things and people in fresh, new, and exciting ways. My friends Scott and Brian have both read it, and it was mainly my respect for them that tempted me to read the book, and I am very glad I am. I confess I hated it for a few days. There are many things I am learning about people and things, but what's cool is that the book gives language and logic to things I noticed every day before in the relationship realm but didn't know how to describe before. The book talks of "between" moments of life and that is the topic I wanted to think more about, in regards to relationships.

A "between" moment is not easily defined. So here are some examples. John calls Susie and asks her out to eat...However before as Susie answered the phone she whispered to her roommate Donna that she is real annoyed with johns phone calls. John hears susies whisper and then "bam" there is a between.

"Betweens" happen everyday. A between you see could be anytime someone offends you, shames you, embarrasses you, etc, and then we come to it...The between. When we face these moments two things have automatically happened. We have already thoughts about what a person has treated us, done to us, or said to us, and we have already had some type of feeling about it. Maybe were indifferent, pissed, angry, confused, etc. There is a third thing however, its our active will/action. What will we choose to do now?

I'm around people all the time: I live with six guys, I work at a restaurant, I'm at school, etc. So I talk to people all the time. And if you talk to enough people...You will find that a favorite subject among people is people. We love to talk about each other. Usually negatively...There's a fancy word for that...Gossip/slander. Talk to someone long enough I notice...Ask someone how's it going...And mean it...And they will usually talk about a conflict with someone. After about a week I've noticed that this is an epidemic. Its like everyone skipped Realness 101, Honesty 102, and Christlike 103, and everyone went to Surface Stuff 101, Agendas 100, Acquaintance Keeping 102, and Gossip 500.

I'd beg if could....We must start approaching people and each other with realness, sincerity, and humbleness of mind. We need to start having no agenda other than unconditional love. In that context...Real relationships form. When betweens happen in that context...I think something very unique happens...Encounter. Encounter with the real person, not the surface one.

Institution (Part Deux) /Sunday Morning

Dear Friends and Family,

I wanted to make some things crystal clear to avoid any confusion that might occur. To start, I must apologize, I was fully intending to keep these thoughts to myself, and to use the blog as a vent, but at the last minute I changed my mind, and thought maybe it was better to share. So I apologize for the lack of structure and bad grammar. I really must apologize for my lack of clarity in the use of some words (and the horrendous spelling in the past). Some of you may be thinking that I delete comments I don't like...Nothing could be further from the truth...I deleted some that were from some advertiser guy...But I would never ever delete a comment by one of you ( just for the record ).

My hope is now we can encounter these issues together with a fresh start. You should know my attempt is not to reach a conclusion on who's right or who's wrong, but simply to discuss and learn from each other, and to have true encounters relationally with my family and friends.

I confess my common theme is surpisingly negative for how hopeful I truly am. I want you all to know that more than anything on this earth; I want to see people become disciples of Christ. I think the most important thing about all of you is that you wake up in the morning and know that the God of the universe loves you, all your talents, all your faults, all your secrets, and that he'll never love you more no matter what you might do or accomplish for Him. If you don't do that, than you wake up with something to prove, to Him and yourself and to those around you. You'll live the rest of your life trying to climb a ladder that leads nowhere great.

I want you to all know that I wasn't referring the Catholic church to be the "institution" I wrote about. I have no problems whatsoever with the Catholic church ( that's not entirely true, every denomination has faults, we all know this) but I wasn't intending nor did I mean for them specifically to be the source of the problem. There is so much that I really like about the catholic congregation. I applaud the Catholic church when it comes to honoring the mother of Christ, and especially when it comes to feeding the poor, clothing the naked, etc. (Deut 10:12-ff). (It is what God requires of us. )

For the record, I don't really see in terms of denominations anymore, because truly there is just One body. ( I agree with Zinzendorf, we should address each other as brother and sister, these other words cause false thinking, pride, and division, which we need least of all today).

I mentioned a lot of things I'm disappointed about in my other blurbs (if you would have seen what I left out you would have kissed me...jk): worship, prayer, sermons,etc. I want to reinforce that these are all good things, all needed. I wanted to take a second to say by no means am I describing All churches. For one, this simply is not true. Secondly, its not possible. Christ wouldn't forsake his bride, read Habukkuk 3 and see what he does when someone messes with his bride.

My problems run deeper than those outward things we see on Sunday morning today. This is because the problems run deeper than the surface. My main problem in churches is in: Discipleship, abandonment, devotion, passion, and leadership to start. My problems with the singing and worship and power points are not the heart of the matter, but simply the outward behaviors that have come to erk me.

I would compare it to this. Think of a liar. The lies he or she tells aren't really the problem. Its the heart, the attitude of the person lying that's the real problem. Its the heart we have to deal with to stop the lying, not the lying itself. In the same way, I have a problem being in a room with a group of people who really don't want to be warriors, disciples, followers of Christ. The say they do, but they don't. That may sound judgmental. Didn't Christ teach us to judge a tree by its fruit? Did he not say, don't cast your pearls to swine? I don't see fruit, I hear about fruit others do, in other fields, never the field I live.

We, the body of Christ, are all called to be his disciples...First. That's like a non-negotiable. That is a non-negotiable. Sadly this membership, to his church, cost something. JOSH WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT...GRACE ALONE. You got me there, but there is just this one thing....Christ said how much it costs! (Luke 14:25-33) Lucky for us its just $40,987.65, 3 hours a week, and 10 minutes of prayer!

Yeah right, I think you'll find Christ puts a whole lot of value in being a disciple of His. I think you might read it costs you.....you guessed it...everything. And we can sing and praise and listen to great practical sermons and take notes all we want...But it means nothing if we are not intimate with him and find our identity solely in Him. Because we no longer live (those of us who have been bought) but Christ lives in us!

If we are not spending ourselves on behalf of the cause of Christ...Which is the poor...Which is the widow...Because the Lamb deserves the glory ...Here and all over the world! For some reason I feel like Sunday morning isn't' doing that...And I'm right ...Its not. Its few selected individuals rather...Missionaries/pastors/ we leave it to them...And we believe our role is to pray and encourage them.....And maybe have a bible study at our house if were really spiritual. That's baloney. We are all called to live and be Christ, to be missional...to be advancing the Kingdom, which means doing and being.

Sunday morning doesn't seem to me to stress the importance that this life MUST be rooted in complete and utter devotion to Christ...Because our life is not our own, it is His! We we bought! If we our still living our life, and we haven't surrendered or realized the fact that we are dead, and no longer live, than what happens is we buy into the lies of the enemy. We believe him when it comes to priorities. The priorities of this world are shit. Paul says they are "feminine rags" compared to the riches of Christ. I hate this worlds priorities. God hates them. Selfish ambition, comfort, money, nice things make me want to vomit. Then again its not so much the things themselves, but the idols we make them. Putting them in front of Christ. Which we do. We do it all the time. To be completely transparent... I've spent more money on myself than I ever spent on his behalf....That makes me guilty....I've spend more time on myself than I ever have on his behalf. I spend more energy on my own ambitions and wants that on advancing his Kingdom, but this worlds priorities no longer have a hold on me. They try though, try everyday.

For the record, if I did become a "member" or "attend" a church regularly it probably would be a catholic church, because I believe they are the closest to what I believe is the Father's heart in scripture...That is the poor, the hungry, the fatherless, etc. But for now the Lord has me doing a new thing.

The Institution

I do believe that when the body of Christ is compared more to a corporation/institution than to Christ, we (I) have done a poor job in our culture, and the time has come for drastic and necessary changes. Its no secret that this style, form, wineskin, whatever you want to call it that we experience Sunday morning is rendering REAL fellowship lifeless. Its not about us and what we want to do. Its about Him, and his decrees since the beginning (death-12-ff).

This institution of course has guardians, and it always has. Its those people who want to keep the status quo, and stay comfortable. People who do not want to rock the boat, and aren't interested in the new thing God is doing. People who are too easily satisfied. Brian Mclaren once wrote, that the "church" today is similar to the huge cathedrals you'd find in Europe. The are majestic, outwardly beautiful, and successful in many ways, and yet they collapsed under their own weight, because of one monk who turned the world upside down, because he dared to look at what the gospel really meant, I think is name was Martin something.

The Church today doesn't execute people like back then, instead it seems almost bent on keeping us just the way we are. Which is in a lot of ways worse. Were stagnant, were alive but in a coma (American church). They haven't told us and affirmed what power we have through Christ, that every believer is a priest. They haven't told us how crucial we are to the body. The corporation has given us just glimpses of community, enough to keep us hungry.

The institution keeps us as comfortable as possible. We have believed the lie that the Christian life is lived on Sundays and Wednesday night bible study. Its rose in the desert to find a "church" whose main focus is going to the sick, feeding the hungry, fathering the fatherless, etc. Luther himself said that we'd rather sit "among the rose's and lilies, to be around the holy people, the devout people". (Because bad company corrupts good character you know.) He went on to call us "blasphemers of Christ" if we sat in that field.

There are no challenges of devotion. Devotion is for the missionaries and pastors and worship leaders. We put those MEN on pedestals, and consider everyone else a lesser role, since the institution no longer stresses the priesthood of ALL believers. Maybe some of the problem lies that most church's aren't structured right. With apostles, prophets, and evangelists at the core. Maybe the problem is we having administrators running the show. Maybe the problem is pastors are expected to do it all. No doubt all groups of believers have problems, or course. So does that mean we should accept it?

We (I) must return to being the community I (we) are called to be in his word; fathers to the fatherless, defenders of the widow, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and to bind up broken hearts. This is true religion. I don't see how those things are accomplished in this institution we have now. Were overfed, undermotivated, and okay with all of it. Maybe we should fast? (Isaiah 58).

Ecclessia (Part Three)

Characteristics of the Ecclessia

It is crystal clear and none would argue that church was designed to be Christ's earthly body. According to George Miley, The church then is a person. A living thing. The church is Christ. Even in the book of Acts it is clear, from the words of Christ, "Saul, why do you persecute me?". He wasn't referring to the building . Me in Greek means something similar to me in English.

I think its funny our Lord doesn't mind giving himself extremely feminine characteristics. If The Church is like a bride. So Christ is coming to marry himself? Does that mean Christ is like the bride or the bridegroom? Weird to think about. I think its possible Christ means for us to love him and approach him like you would a bride. To approach Him "gently,to honor Him, to affirm his wonderfulness, to be tender, to be patient, and to cultivate response by spending time with Him."-Miley.

In his book Loving the Church, Blessing the Nations, Miley writes that One of the most beneficial characteristics would be that the church is designed to be a community. There are numerous examples of this: the Moravian community, the Celtic community, the first church even. The church was designed to be a community of being, doing, and mission. The church sold be the fullest manifestation of Jesus on earth, they are agents of mission designed to herald the message of God's dear son among all people. The church was designed to be unique in style, spiritual gifts, and life experience.

I think we should substitute the word I for church. I am supposed to be in community being, doing, and living missionally. I was designed to be unique in my style of learning, teaching, singing, writing, etc. I am gifted with natural and spiritual gifts. I am dead though, I no longer live. So it is really Christ who has gifted me, it is really Him who is unique and talented. So it is really Him that was made to live and be in community. After all, before the world began, was he not in relationship with Himself. Not even just one, but two others.

Ecclesia (Part Deux)

I really am having trouble balancing my love for the body of Christ, the real church, my friends that are in this fight, this race, with me. And then this other thing, this institution of the church, to which many of them belong.

The church as an institution I don't really agree with that much. I don't like the comfort of it first of all. I feel like the institution reinforces ideas about our faith that simply aren't true. For example, that this life is all about me. Its not just that, its the lack of emphasis on what I consider to be crucial elements of our faith. Those elements being the teachings of Christ, costly discipleship, prayer, devotion, and sacrifice. Am I the only one that sees these elements missing in our churches?

Pete Creig once said in his book the Vision and the Vow, that worship today must sound muffled in the ears of God, with all this singing and little to no involvement with our society. This by far my biggest issue with church's. It seems like everything is so us-centered and not God or others-centered. If the average Christian honestly prays 3 minutes a day and the average pastor 7 minutes it is no surprise really.

If I had to give someone the blame for this, its our culture. We have slowly but surely believed the lies of the enemy about our purpose on this earth. We truly believe in our heart of hearts that life is supposed to be lived comfortably and with leisure. "We should have nice things, not the best things, but nice things." We should retire when were 50 and be set. We get things that we want, we deserve it right?

We believe the lies about how we spend our energy and time. Life is about sports, hobbies, TV, movies , and other entertainment. In between our times of leisure we should of course eat. When we eat make sure we get the best stuff though. If we eat a lot, no worries will spend time in the gym. We definitely have to work, at least 40 hours a week, and if we want that bonus 50 hours. We'll spend time with the family somewhere in the day. We can fit a bible study in the week sometime. There are way too many demands on our time.

Now I realize, that most people this day and age, have graduated highschool and read at a sixth grade level. So they've read their Bible. They KNOW they need time with Jesus. They KNOW they need to be involved in society ( with people). I, however, have found the way to do all this with the bare minimum of devotion. I have found a way to give it my least, and expect a life of intimacy like David and Paul.

Isn't that hilarious. I bet there are a lot more people like me. Expecting great things from God, expecting to hear from Him, but not casting down their nets. Not letting it cost me much. I wonder if costs everything means something different in Greek? Christianity doesn't cost anything these days, its cheap. So we can't pray in schools these days? Is that suffering? There was no-one praying anyway. Give 10%, give 3 hours a week, 3 minutes of prayer and a smile and a hug, make a decent living, and your the norm. Your average.

sidenote: I hope in my lifetime the phrase attend church today will die off. "Attend", whatever that word means. I hate that word in reference to church. "Attendance" seems to just reinforce spectator Christianity (where one watches a good sermon (if ur lucky) and singing performed for them, some cool power points, good music, and good coffee.)

I think most disturbing of all is that in all my years I have never seen in a church a real passion for the broken-hearted, the poor, the hungry, and the homeless. It would take warriors to embark on an adventure like that. I feel like I'm in a room of strangers. Strangers who look and behave more like they'd rather be in the kitchen than on the battlefield.

Ecclesia ( Part One)

To start... What is church?

If one were to search through the new testament, one would find that when church is mentioned, it refers to the church that is the people of God, the body of Christ, and not the building. In Acts, the church is referred to as the "fellowship". This fellowship was a vast community of believers who dedicated themselves to Christ and his teaching, to each other, and to eating together, and prayer.

Almost 2000 years later, however, if one was to look up church in the dictionary now...You will find it means the building where we Christians "attend". In all honestly I guess I am not surprised to find this, and I am becoming more and more convinced that for most believers this is the attitude we have adopted. The attitude that one goes to "church", ( and not that we are the church) No matter how much we reinforce this poor thinking, even with our own comments ( "I'm going to church", "off to church", etc.), the church is still the body of Christ. There still is the body, which is alive today....But if you ask me its like were in a coma.

So what is church today?

Its no secret that Christianity in America, ( church) is run like a business and is an enterprise more than its an actual living organism. Now, that's not an original thought, that's from Time magazine. That's something the world could stand on the sidelines and see.

You have to ask yourself, time magazine isn't commenting on the buildings, their commenting about me. Their saying I, a representative of Christ, am like a business. I don't think they mean well. I think they mean that Christians are pushy, consumed with profit making, greedy, money hungry, obsessed with looking good,etc.

Sad