Moving to Mission

Newsflash!

2005-05-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

I preach for the most generous congregation in the world. There are some that are larger and some with larger budgets. But no other family I know is so generous when called to be a blessing to others. One week ago you were made aware of a need to buy land and build a home for a young family in Guatemala and to dream about building homes for five more families in l years to come, at a cost of $14,000. Seven days later the money was there. I preach for the most generous congregation in the world, and I am grateful.

From the Streets of Boulder - Van

2005-04-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

It was a Thursday evening near the end of April, and I was out on the streets of Boulder with Greg, my volunteer Boulder County Cares partner. This was the next to the last week of the season when BCC sends out volunteers to look for homeless people at risk. The temperature seemed to drop very fast, but it was still in the forties. The wind had died down and the sky was clear.

Greg is from Canada and has a day job writing software manuals. He also works as a volunteer at the Food Bank on Tuesday evenings. We had a very interesting discussion when we first left the homeless shelter. Greg remarked that he had run across one of my articles on our church website while surfing the net for groups that work with homeless people. He started asking me about the teachings of Jesus and where they are found in the Bible. He wanted to know if I read the Bible a lot and if it is what our small group studies when we meet on Sunday evenings. He asked several questions about the New Testament and seemed very knowledgeable about the Old Testament.

I asked Greg if his background was Jewish, and he said "No, I'm Muslim." He told me that his mother was Christian. When he was growing up in Canada, she took him to Sunday School when he was very small, then his Muslim father decided he should go to the mosque. He has even made the traditional Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca with his father. His grandmother on his father's side still prays five times a day, and the family still arranges marriages.

Our first stop was a visit with the Hole in the Wall gang -- homeless people who camp out in a wooded area off East Pearl Street. Charles, who has been coming to our Sunday-morning worship at the Boulder Valley Church of Christ, lives there. I met Tom, a man that Charles wants to bring to church with him, and Bob, an older man who was very unsteady on his feet. Tom is off the streets now, but he had brought Bob to the Hole in the Wall so he would have a place to stay. Charles told me that Bob's mother had just passed away and that he hadn't eaten in two days. He was very grateful for the chili we brought and ate three cups. I had picked up a couple of yogurts for Arthur, another man who lives at the Hole in the Wall, because he has stomach problems and can't eat chili. Charles is trying to get Arthur to cut down on his drinking so his stomach will get better.

A little later we ran into an old friend, Clark, on the Pearl Street Mall. He lives on a rooftop in an alley behind the Mall. That night he was sitting on a little wall that surrounds a flower bed and was so intoxicated he could hardly stand up. I had only seen him this drunk once before. He was very depressed but is always glad to see us. All his belongings had gotten wet in the rain the night before, and his jacket was torn from sleeping in it. Clark is a very big man, and we couldn't find a jacket in our truck to fit him.

I asked Clark if he remembered the time a few weeks ago when he and I and my other BCC partner, Kevin, had stood on the corner and prayed. He said, "Oh yes, can we pray together again?" I told him sure, he could just sit there while we prayed, but he insisted on getting up. He had a very hard time standing. He put his arm around my shoulder and grabbed Greg's hand, and we swayed and prayed. Clark led a really beautiful prayer of thanksgiving. He thanked God for sending angels to help him. When our prayer was finished, I told Clark that I had never heard of a bald-headed angel. We had a good laugh, which seemed to make him feel better, and we persuaded him to sit back down. I asked Greg if we could go back to the homeless shelter and search our store room for a coat big enough to fit Clark and some gloves. We gave him a cup of chili and promised to be back in a half-hour.

We drove back to the shelter, looked through all the coats. and finally found a couple of sweaters and a long, heavy wool coat that we hoped would fit him, but no gloves. On our way back to the Mall, we gave a ride to a young man who had just arrived in town from Kentucky. I found out that he had graduated from a high school in Memphis where I did my practice teaching. He had all his gear with him and didn't need anything from us.

Clark was waiting when we got back and couldn't believe we had made a special trip just for him. While Greg was getting him into his new coat, I spoke with the inebriated man Clark had been talking with. Greg called to me and said that Clark wanted to pray again. We got him up and he hugged us again. In the middle of the prayer we were almost knocked over by the other man, who jumped up and grabbed us, wanting to be part of the prayer. We must have been a strange sight to the people on the Mall -- a bald Christian "angel," a Canadian Muslim and two drunks standing arm-in-arm praying to God-- but it didn't feel strange to me. What a beautiful night it was.

We ended our rounds at a car wash on West Canyon Boulevard where there are several tunnels under the road. We didn't go down into them because Greg heard something that sounded like chanting way down in one tunnel and said that it just didn't feel right. We're never supposed to go into any situation when one of us feels uneasy.

We went back to the shelter, finished up our report, and washed out the chili thermos. We both felt we had done some good, and Greg said that he really enjoyed being out with me. I asked him to come to worship with us at Boulder Valley on Sunday morning. He didn't say he would come and he didn't say he wouldn't. I really hope he does. He's a fine young man with a servant heart, and I treasure his friendship. And he's the only friend I've ever had who has made a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Van Alessandro

Hospitalbe Places!

2005-04-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

Christine Pohl writes: "Welcoming places are comfortable and lived in. Even under difficult circumstances, they are settings in which people flourish. Although not necessarily beautifully maintained or decorated, they are cared for. Such places provide the people that inhabit them with shelter and sanctuary in the deepest sense of these words, not only with the shelter of physical buildings but also with the shelter of relationships.

In such places life is celebrated, yet the environment also has room for brokenness and deep disappointments. These places make faith and a hospitable way of life seem natural, not forced. Hospitable settings are often enhanced by the simple beauty of creation, where body and spirit are fed by attention to small details such as attractively prepared and good-tasting food, or flowers from a nearby garden. Hospitable places allow room for friendships to grow. Food, shelter, and companionship are all interrelated in these settings. In such environments, weary and lonely people can be restored to life."

Signs of Life!

2005-04-25T13:39:00.000-07:00

Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche communities, writes that “Welcome is one of the signs that a community is alive. To invite others to live with us is a sign that we aren’t afraid, that we have a treasure of truth and of peace to share.” He also offers an important warning: “A community which refuses to welcome— whether through fear, weariness, insecurity, a desire to cling to comfort, or just because it is fed up with visitors—is dying spiritually.”

What can you / we do to widen our welcome?

Losing the Labels!

2005-04-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

"In a culture that excludes others, prejudice and hatred are common. Prejudice has deeper effects, in addition to simply causing people to exclude others: It is at the root of hostility that is cruel and voilent.

We have made great strides in understanding one another better, but there will be prejudice until you and I deal with prejudice. There will be sexism until we rip up its roots in our hearts. Until we take people of other races into our hearts we will not recognize "them" as real human being. Until we have loved a gay person we will fear gay people...The walls will only come down when the labels are changed into human faces." (Radical Hospitality, 28).

I like that last line. One of my professors said: "The fact that people who don't know Jesus are going to hell goes down far to easily for Christians whose only friends are other Christians." When we finally are able to see past the labels into the eyes and hearts of people - then, an only then will we rekindle the missional urgency of the early church.

Wondrously Available!

2005-04-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

Reading Van's post yesterday reminded me of this truth: "A brave heart eventually shines with the diving presence; like God they are free, they are welcoming and accepting, they are strong, they are gentle. They are wondrously available. Yes, it will be costly. People will enter your heart and your life; they will become precious to you and then they will leave. An open heart will be broken. This is undeniable. But by remaining open we learn about ourselves and we grow in ways we'd never otherwise grow."

A Note from Van:

2005-04-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.
Open the eyes of my heart.
I want to see You.
I want to see You.

Over the past couple of months, the eyes of my heart have been opened, and I feel that I've seen Jesus. I saw him last Thursday night in the eyes of a homeless little Jewish man with a scraggly beard and missing teeth. My partner and I from Boulder County Cares had just given him a sleeping bag and a cup of soup. He pulled me aside, gave me a beautiful Hebrew blessing, translated it for me, and said, "Now go in peace."

I've been told this man has a law degree from a university back East.
I saw Jesus again last Sunday when another homeless man who sat next to me in worship reached into the pocket of his worn pants, pulled out all his change, and put it in the collection plate. I had given him a cup of soup on Thursday night.

God makes the choice. I had been trying to I get up the courage to ask one the homeless people I work with to attend worship with me at Boulder Valley, and I finally picked out a man I often see holding up a sign on a street corner. I've gotten to know him on the streets and at the Monday-night food table at the Christian Church and have visited him at the car in a parking lot where he sleeps.

Last Friday afternoon I went looking for this man, determined to invite him to worship. I kept silently praying that God would let me find him and was disappointed when he wasn't in his usual spot. When I turned the corner to head home, there he was, walking in the direction I was headed. I passed him before I recognized him, then turned around, picked him up, and asked him to come to worship with me on Sunday. He said he would be glad to, and we made arrangements to meet. I heaved a sigh of relief and was glad I had gotten up the courage to ask him.

The night before, the same time I received the Hebrew blessing, I was handing out supplies to some homeless friends who live in a small tent back in a wooded area that they call the Hole In The Wall. Without really thinking about it, I called one of the men aside and asked if he would like to attend worship with me. He thought only a moment and said, "That would be great." I told him that I would pick him up Sunday morning at 8:30.

Friday and Saturday nights I prayed that one or both of these men would come with me. The friend that I had picked out to be the most likely person to come with me didn't show up, but Charles, the spur-of-the-moment friend from the Hole in the Wall, was waiting. He is the one who sat by me in worship and gave all his change. He sang all the songs in a beautiful bass voice,listened intently in class, and kept all the class notes.

Charles went to lunch with my wife and me and another lady from church, along with John Meadows, who also works with the homeless at BCC, and two of his sons. Then he helped me fill the BCC closet with coats, socks and food that members of our congregation had donated for the homeless. On Monday morning, Charles helped me take these supplies to the homeless shelter.
I'll ask my other friend again to come to worship, but God may have someone else in mind. I'll try to keep the eyes of my heart open to all I see, not just to the ones I think may be most likely to heed the invitation.

I thank God for these life-changing experiences. Please open your eyes to the needs of the homeless. They can easily become invisible, Not everyone needs to go out on the streets, and some should not. But we all can offer up our prayers for those who do and for those that are being ministered to. Open your eyes to those who are visitors in our
midst. Who knows, you may receive a Hebrew blessing. I guarantee it
will warm your heart.

Van Alessandro

The Power of Love!

2005-04-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

"Hospitality is born in us when we are well loved by God and by others. Hospitality is the overflowing of a heart that has to share what it has recieved. It takes a whole person to open up, it takes a secure person to be available, it takes a strong person to give yourself away.

It is possible to serve meals in a nursing home, to cook in a homeless shelter, or read stories to children at an inner-city library and never let others into your heart. it is possible to do the good thing and end up feeling satisfied with yourself and even just a bit superior. It is possible to do the good thing and not be changed for the better by it. Hospitality includes cooking the meals, and reading to the kid, but it demands that you let the people you are serving into your heart. Only in opening yourself wide to another are your transformed by the power of love."

Radical Hospitlality, p. 20

Protected from Traveling Alone!

2005-04-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

A great observation from the book Radical Hospitality: "Hospitality, as it has been practiced from ancient days, protected people from the dangers of traveling alone." (p. 11)

Maybe that's why hospitality was a central expression of the gospel and the welcome of God in the early church. We still live in a perilous world. Life is as uncertain now as it has ever been. Opening our homes and our lives to each other ensures that no one makes the journey alone.

"Radical Hospitality"

2005-04-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

"When we speak of hospitality we are always addressing issues of inclusion and exclusion. Each of us make choices about who will and who will not be included in our lives. To make such choices is inevitable; we do not have time to be everyone's best friend. The reasons to include and exclude are very personal. You and I probably can't even say why we become close to some people and have no interest in getting to know, or include others. We only know that we prefer some, and others are harder to like."

"Somewhere, sometime, you were excluded. Remember what that was like. Some people live with the experience constantly. There was a common saying in Germany just before the Nazi reign: 'The human body contains a sufficient amount of fat to make seven cakes of soap, enough iron to make a medium sized nail, a sufficient amount of phosphorous for two thousand match heads, enough sulfur to rid one person of fleas.' The Nazi view of humanity reduced us to nothing more than the usefulness of our physical components, and when that was used up it was fine to cast aside the human being.

But you and I are much more than what we appear to be. We are more than what we do. We are more than a social or economic class. In the movie Elephant Man, actor John Merrick is chased through a train station and cornered in a bathroom by a mob who see only his deformity, his difference from them. He cries out, 'I am not an animal... I am a human being...'

That is the sound of every single human heart. It is the cry we make against all that would make us less human, the cry of the darkest night of our lives, the cry of the abandoned and the misunderstood and the excluded. 'I am not an animal. I am like you. I am human.'

I am not a street person.
I am not a token of my race or creed.
I am not a statistic.
I am not a divorcee.
I am not an AIDS patient.
I am not a sex object.
I am not a laborer.
I am not an "at-risk" kid.
I have a mind. I have a heart. I have a soul. I dream. I feel. I care. I am a human being."

Radical Hospitality: Benedicts Way of Love, pp. 2-4.

"Stormfront: The Good News of God"

2005-04-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

"In the Bible, talk about salvation refers primarily to God and God's victory over all the powers that resist and distort God's gracious purposes for the world. The Bible sees life as a great struggle between life and death, between sin and righteousness, between faithfulness and rebellion, between peace and violence. The good news of salvation is the announcement that God wins: God's life is stronger than death. God's righteousness is deeper than human sin. God's faithfulness outlasts human rebellion. God's peace is more enduring than human violence. For North Americans, by contrast, salvation is more focused upon how God meets our needs. It's about overcoming our guilt, solving our problems, discovering meaning in our existence, feeling included and loved, and overcoming the threat of our death and the death of those we love -- all of course with God's help. . . ."In the final analysis, the biblical understanding of salvation is not merely that our lives will be set right again at last. The biblical understanding of salvation is that our lives become swept up into something larger and greater than ourselves, into God's purposes for the world. In other words, the receiving of salvation and the call to mission are not to be conceived sequentially, as if one followed the other (first salvation, then grateful obedience in mission). Rather, to receive salvation is to be called into something larger and greater than we are, to be invited to participate in God's saving purpose and plan for the world. That is why the gospel is primarily about God, and only secondarily about us."

An Old Dog and New Tricks

2005-03-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite movies is A River Runs Through It. Anyone who likes Montana, Robert Redford, fly fishing or Brad Pitt will enjoy it. The movie is set in Montana with striking views of the beautiful Blackfoot River. Although the plot centers around a minister and his two very different sons, the thing that drew me in to the movie was the scenery and the flyfishing.

I've always been fascinated with flyfishing. My dad had an old rusty flyreel in our "smokehouse." I'd play with it for hours. Could never really figure out how it worked, but it was a lot of fun. I never saw my dad flyfish, don't know if he ever did. But He was the best fisherman I ever knew. It was common for him to come home with 40 in. pike, a 20 lb. catfish or a stringer full of bass. He taught me to love the sport, and through his tutiledge, I got pretty good at it.

One type of fish I never had any success with was trout. They're just different. Their diet is different. Their habitat is different. They are of one of the most beautiful, fragile, finicky fish around. The techniques I learned for other species, don't work for trout. I love 'em and I hate 'em. How do people catch them? They learn all they can about them and their environment: what they eat at a certain time of year, what types of water and cover they are drawn to, etc. And they are willing, moment by moment, to change their strategies: one presentation doesn't work, the next one does. One fly is the wrong color, the next one - just right. What works in the morning doesn't work in the afternoon. Sounds like a lot of work. Why do it? Only because you love it.

It sounds a lot like the mission Jesus calls us to..."I will make you fishers of men." I wish I were as intentional about those I'm seeking to reach for Jesus as a good flyfisherman is in his preparation and presentation. I wish I had shared the depths of my dad's love for fish and fishing.

I'm also on another mission. One commitement I've made to myself is that, this summer, I will learn to flyfish. Dad would think that was pretty cool.

Vision Development is a Long, Messy Process!

2005-03-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

This email hit my Inbox this morning. It reminded me that we are moving and the vision that God has planted is taking tangible form. I won't attribute the quote but here it is:

"It was 1982 when I began praying for God to give the Boulder Church of Christ a heart for the hungry, the homeless, and the poor, locally and globally. I can't describe to you how good it makes me feel to see the involvement now of the BVCC: creating a Manna Foundation to oversee the Day of Prayer and Fasting, Haiti, Guatemala, Russia, John Meadow's Hunger Day initiative, Amy Jenkins connecting with local organizations, Van Alessandro's work with Boulder County Cares, ...

Of course there were always individuals involved in local and global efforts, but now BVCC as a church is opening its eyes and reaching out to the poor locally and globally. Incredibly enough this is a 180-degree change from the Boulder C of C of 1982. Of course some of the most active in this area have immigrated in to BVCC and some opposed have immigrated out, but some long-time members have also become much more active."

Insightful email. Vision has a way of drawing people in and sending others into other parts of the Kingdom where they will be used by God. It is not an easy or painless process.

Getting buy-in to a vision is difficult among a large number of educated, opinionated, gifted people. Some dismiss a vision because it wasn't their idea, some because it doesn't reflect their personal passions. Others reject it because they are afraid of the unknown. Some reject it solely because they don't like or respect the person they see as it's spokesman (i.e., troublemaker). Others reject the vision because it calls them to change or leave their comfort zone. Some because they believe it isn't spiritual or doesn't reflect God's heart.

At Boulder Valley we are more and more committed to "becoming like Jesus for the sake of others." We are learning to join God on his mission, in Boulder and around the world. God is forming in hearts a desire to join him in what he is doing in this world. But remember, "Here am I, send me" is an amazingly open-ended commitment.

Not everyone likes what's going on or understands it. Is it enough to know that what we are doing, "feeding the hungry, providing clothing for the homeless, providing medical care for the sick, inviting others to know God, and building relationships among those in God's family, loving and caring for children and offering hospitality to all" are closer to God's heart than you can imagine?

I agree with the writer of the email above, it has taken an excruciatingly long time. Yet, God's future is before us at Boulder Valley . . .

Brian McLaren on "Missional"

2005-03-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

"I thought the word "missional" was awkward when I first heard it. My spell-checker still tries to correct it. But the word is here to stay, subsuming and replacing more familiar adjectives like missionary, evangelistic, and socially active. Mission in this sense includes missions , and more. It brings together evangelism and social action, "home" and "foreign." It integrates Christian concerns that range from racial reconciliation to ecological stewardship, doing good works and doing our daily work with goodness (which is an underrated fruit of the Spirit).

I was once talking with Dallas Willard about Islam. He dropped this little thought virus: "Remember, Brian, in a pluralistic world, a religion is valued by the benefits it brings to its non-adherents." The virus has taken hold in my thinking, bringing to mind sayings of our Lord, like "the birds of the air" nesting in the branches of the kingdom of God, people seeing the light of our good deeds and "glorifying your Father in heaven," "by their fruits you will know them."

How different is this missional approach to the "rhetoric of exclusion" that worked so well in modernity: "There are blessings to being on the inside. You're on the outside and so can't enjoy them. Want to be a blessed insider like us?" In contrast, missional Christianity says, "God is expressing his love to all outsiders through our acts of kindness and service. You're invited to leave your life of accumulation and competition and self-centeredness to join us in this mission of love, blessing, and peace. Want to join in the mission?"

Brian McLaren

You Only Have To Die!

2005-03-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

A book recently caught my attention. The title stopped me in my tracks. It is a book by James Harnish titled: "You Only Have To Die: Leading Your Congregation to New Life." It is a paradox that we gloss over so easily. We've been living in the tension since our baptism: Death is the way to life. We must die in order to be born again. This is a lesson leaders need to be reminded of daily.

Harnish writes that congregations must be willing to die to all the things that keep us from being true disciples and making disciples of others. We have to die to a focus on our glorious past, to old habits, to self destructive behaviors, to avoidance of painful truth-telling, to antiquated structures, to old ways of decision-making, to traditional (habitual) but non-transcendent worship, to long-established programs that no longer accomplish our mission, to anything that does not contribute to our specific congregational calling.

To be willing to die in all these ways and more will be a painful process. Maybe you are feeling some of this pain right now. But only through such difficult and faith-testing losses can a plateaued or declining church make room for experience of resurrection. The road to life is a dark and painful road that ultimately leads "through death and back to life and health."

According to Harnish's experience, older congregations only experience transformation by understanding and investing in a new vision, striving to live out its unique calling in every phase of its existence.

In order for BVCC to really experience new life, we only have to die.

Looking to Jesus

2005-03-10T12:23:00.000-07:00

Brian McLaren has granted me permission to post something he calls "The Jesus Creed" on this blog. It really is a great summation of my current approach to life as a Christ-follower. Here it is for your consideration:

We have confidence in Jesus who healed the sick, the blind, and the paralyzed. And even raised the dead. He cast out evil powers and confronted corrupt leaders. He cleansed the temple. He favored the poor. He turned water into wine, walked on water, calmed storms. He died for the sins of the world, rose from the dead, and ascended to the Father, sent the Holy Spirit.

We have confidence in Jesus who taught in word and example, sign and wonder. He preached parables of the kingdom of God on hillsides, from boats, in the temple, in homes, at banquets and parties, along the road, on beaches, in towns, by day and by night. He taught the way of love for God and neighbor, for stranger and enemy, for outcast and alien.

We have confidence in Jesus, who called disciples, led them, gave them new names and new purpose and sent them out to preach good news. He washed their feet as a servant. He walked with them, ate with them, called them friends, rebuked them, encouraged them, promised to leave and then return, and promised to be with them always. He taught them to pray. He rose early to pray, stole away to desolate places, fasted and faced agonizing temptations, wept in a garden, and prayed, “Not my will but your will be done.” He rejoiced, he sang, he feasted, he wept.

We have confidence in Jesus, so we follow him, learn his ways, seek to obey his teaching and live by his example. We walk with him, walk in him, abide in him, as a branch in a vine. We have not seen him, but we love him. His words are to us words of life eternal, and to know him is to know the true and living God. We do not see him now, but we have confidence in Jesus. Amen.

The Power of an Invitation

2005-03-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

Even a casual reading of Scripture reveals that the role of an invitation in building the Kingdom is difficult to overestimate. In some ways, it is our mission. We often devalue an invitation because we only see it as an exercise of getting others to attend a church service, which sometimes (even for disciples), seems not to be that exhilerating an experience. We are so shrouded in the mundaneness of our everyday lives or burned out by years of doing church stuff that we have trouble seeing spiritual realities. One reality is that seemingly small insignificant acts have amazing possibilities when connected to the mission of God.

In the ministry of Jesus, the invitation is a call to encounter. Jesus invited people to engage Him. He said things like: "Come, follow me," "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me..." It is an invitation to understand the world differently. It is an invitation to grow in our understanding of who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him. It is an invitation to exercise our growing faith, to take the next step; even when that next step is out a perfectly good boat onto a stormy sea. Jesus' word to Peter was, "Come."

Those who encountered Jesus had a similar, seemingly spontanteous, response. They invited others to encounter Him. Nathanial's skepticism (Can anything good come out of Nazareth?) is met with Philip's invitation, "Come, and you will see" (John 1:39). A broken woman, after coming to believe in Jesus, goes back into a town that despised her and said: "Come and see a man who told me everything I had ever done." The result of that simple invitation was that the whole village came to believe in Jesus.

What does this have to do with inviting people to a worship gathering? It is one of the ways the power of an invitation can be seen at work in the Kingdom. What happens when God's people gather? One important thing that happens is that we encounter God again. We are reminded of who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him. Our encounter leads us to grateful worship of the one who loves us and gave himself for us. This is what happens when we gather. It's not really about doing something, it is about encountering someone. When we invite someone to join us we also invite them to encounter the one who loves them, and gave himself for them. We invite them to encounter Jesus, maybe for the first time. In that encounter, Jesus engages them - which is really what we are after anyway. It is that encounter that impacted visitors to assemblies of the early church. Their conclusion: "God is really among you."

From the last verses of the bible come this lingering invitation: "The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." (Rev. 22:17).

If I understand this text properly, the word spoken by the church, through endless generations, into a broken world is an invitation, "Come."

Being on the cutting edge of what God is doing in this world can be as simple as offering an invitation.

Upgrading Our Worship

2005-03-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

In his book Present Future, Reggie McNeal makes some thought-provoking observations about worship and God's mission.

"Worship, unfortunately, often occurs without a missioiologial perspective. Witness the church worship wars. These are the result of club members discussing their worship style preferences as stockholders and shareholders, not as missionaries. "Can non-believers really worship God?" or "Should our worship be seeker sensitive or seeker-driven?" as though worship is not a powerful evangelistic tool to express God's mission in this world! Non-believers are already worshipping, because people are built to worship something. Our challenge is to upgrade their worship to worship of the true God. The point is, absent a missiological center, North American theological reflections can easily drift toward figuring out who is right and who's wrong rather than who's going with the Gospel, who's listening, and who's responding."

In a few weeks, March 27th, more people who don't know Jesus will be attending church than at any other day of the year. Our friends, our neighbors... Will they be invited to spend that day with us? What would missionaries do?

Who is going with the Gospel?
Who is listening?
Who is responding?

Maybe we can help our friends, and one another, upgrade our worship!

Taking Our Faith for a Walk

2005-03-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

Erwin McManus is one of my doctoral professors. In January I had a class with him called "Pastoral Leadership in the 21st Century." I came away impressed with his incredible passion and creativity. Erwin is one professor that is a sold-out disciple of Jesus Christ.

In his book, An Unstoppable Force, he writes:
"Unfortunately, for too many people, when the conversation is no longer about them, there's not much left to be said. We've been taught that we are the center of the universe, and evaluate everything on its ability to meet our needs. Some of the best communicators of the Scriptures I know have had people leave their churches for the express reason that they're not being fed. I know that we are the sheep of God, and sheep require the Shepherd to feed them, but there must come a time when we become shepherds who feed others. Is it really all about us being fed? I think it might be important to remember that over 60 percent of Americans are overweight or even obese. Is it possible that this is also true in the arena of personal spirituality? Are we too much about us getting fed and too little about us exercising our faith?"

Let's do it. That seems to be one of the sentiments flowing from our first Missional Church Class. There's a growing desire to take our faith out for a walk . . . outside our comfort zone, outside the church walls . . . following Jesus into His mission in Boulder and around the world.

What will you do today to live out God's truth you already know? How will you "exercise your faith?"

God's Mission

2005-03-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

Where did this missional church vision come from? Our leaders gathered and began asking questions like, What do we know about God's character? What is God passionate about? What do we believe God would have us be passionate about? Great questions, but they illustrate a conviction. Mission doesn't originate from human sources and is not a human endeavor. Mission is rooted in the nature and heart of God.

Mission doesn't start with the Great Commission ("Go into all the world and make disciples") by trying to guilt people into sharing their faith. Those passages are at the end of the Gospels, not the beginning. They are the mountain peak, not the base camp. We begin with what God has done. Passages like John 3:16 reveal the nature of God. "God loved so much ... that he gave." Everything else is response. We love because He loved. We sacrifice because He sacrificed. We reach because He reached. Mission is God's nature being reflected in this world in the lives of His people. Mission is God's heart touching this world through us. Without that understanding, mission is empty and becomes only a human endeavor.

Remember, God has always taken the initiative. Romans 5:6-8 says: "When we were unable to help ourselves, at the moment of our need, Christ died for us, although we were living against God. Very few people will die to save the life of someone else. Although perhaps for a good person someone might possibly die. But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners." Therefore, we join Him in laying down our lives for others: the helpless and the needy; those who don't love us or God; those who, on their best days, don't deserve the gifts they receive. Why? Out of gratitude, because that is precisely what God has done for us.

Some Observations:

If mission stems from the very character of God, then . . .

It cannot be neglected by His people.
God is empowering and equipping us for the task.
It is for God's glory and not ours.
It cannot fail.

God's mission in this world cannot fail. I might. My methods might. But God's mission never will. God's mission will go on... will you join Him?

Missional Church in Boulder, CO

2005-03-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

If you are confused by the term missional church, you are not alone. The word "mission" conjures up images of somthing "others" are involved in, not me. Church members pray and give so that others may go and serve. Just as churches have other programs, such as Children's Ministry and Worship Ministry, they also have a Missions Program. The word missions is viewed as but one expression of the church.

In the missional church, mission is more about "being and doing" than "supporting and sending." The missional church understands that although some may be supported as those sent to other locations, every member of the church is "sent." Mission is something all participate in rather than something we have someone else do as our representative. In this sense, every member is a missionary.

It's not that we, as individuals or as a church, have suddenly chosen to be part of God's mission. It is that God has chosen us. Jesus said, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain..." (John 15:16). Mission starts with God. We can choose to live outside of God's intent for our lives. Yet, to live as ones chosen by Jesus is to be called and sent into God's mission in this world.

This means, all ministry and all of life is missional. As Jesus entered our world to love people, serve them, and share Good News; we cross the distance into the lives of others to be Christ with them.

I want to spend some time in the coming weeks writing about seven themes BVCC's leaders have identified as central to who God is calling us to be. Here they are as a reminder:

We will engage in God’s Mission in Boulder County and around the World.
We hold Jesus as the ultimate measure of our spiritual growth and development.
We pray that Boulder Valley, and each member, will be known for authentic, loving relationships.
We strive to be as inclusive as our Father in every area of congregational life, including our Sunday assemblies.
We call one another to love the marginalized and broken in our community.
We intentionally reach out to “those we run with.”
We will partner and live our lives with other faith families.

Called and sent - to be Jesus to one another, to Boulder and to the world.

God's Guest List

2005-03-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

"God's guest list includes a disconcerting number of poor and broken people, those who appear to bring little to any gathering except their need." Christine Pohl

Jesus said: “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:12-14 (NIV)

That doesn't look like any guestlist Pat and I have put together lately. This text raises several perplexing questions: How do I determine a person's value? What criteria do I use? What is my value, really? What do I bring to any gathering, except my need? How do I decide who gets an invitation? How can I begin to think more like Jesus? What would have to change in my life if I did? How do I make space for those with the greatest needs? Pohl is right, it is disconcerting.

Hidden Core Values

2005-03-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

I read a great article this week in Leadership Journal titled: "Discerning Your Church's Hidden Core Values," by Angie Ward. It was very insightful. Often when we talk about "Church and culture" we're talking about the culture surrounding the church. Ward makes the observation that the culture within the church (attitudes, values and beliefs) are what ultimately defines its practices. Often the most powerful core values are the ones that go unstated and reveal themselves over time.

My second ministry position was for a fairly large congregation that seemed to have things together. Some of the elders were leaders that traveled all over the country teaching other elders how to do their ministry well. The church was well-organized, had an outward-focused mission statement and seemed to be forward-thinking. As we lived with that congregation for a few months, we realized that their outward focus was more verbalized than realized. The church wasn't growing, wasn't reaching out into the community, and in subtle ways it coddled those members who were the least mature and had the most narrow theology. The church culture didn't reflect the nicely worded mission statement esconsed on the marketing material.
There was a covert culture present in that church. One harder to define that only revealed itself over a period of months and years. It was a culture that, though ustated, actually subverted their well-worded vision. The unwritten rule went something like this: Don't rock the boat; Don't risk offending anyone; Don't take risks!Ward says that "'Don't rock the boat' seems to be a common ethos at many churches.'" Then she lists a few others:

We can find something wrong with anything.
The world isn't safe, so we will protect you.
Visitors are welcome to come back, if they really want to.
Saved by grace but living under law.
Let's just have church and go home.
We're better than you.
Don't ask questions.
Bigger is better.
Christians don't have problems.

Then she says: "These core beliefs are rarely articulated, but they have enormous impact on the health and effectiveness of a church, no matter what its stated purpose. Culture takes a long time to create, and even longer to change. Melting the tip of the iceberg does not eliminate the ice below the waterline."

If you had to take a stab at listing BVCC's "unspoken values" what would they be?

If we can become aware of our unspoken values, we can put them on the table and see if they align with scripture, empower our mission or merely serve to protect the status quo.

Hospitality and the Mission of God

2005-02-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot about hospitalilty lately. I must admit I'm a little conflicted. Mixed messages haunt me. In our culture hospitality has been reduced to Martha Stewart. We're all a little intimidated by some we percieve to do it so well. It is viewed as a nice extra, if we happen to have the time to clean our house or the resources to cook an extravagent meal (and create a flower arrangement from our own garden). Hospitality has developed more of a connection to our social status than to our faith. It is seldom something we are intentional about. I have trouble finding enough time to get together with those who are already my friends, let alone those I don't know well.

God's view of hospitalilty seems to be something very different. Hospitality is not a nice extra. It's not about fine china and a four-course meal. In God's Kingdom, hospitality is all about people. It is central to a disciple's life and a dynamic expression of vibrant Christianity.

Hospitality comes from the greek words "philoxenia" (Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:2) and "philoxenos" (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:8; and 1 Peter 4:9). It literally means, " love of strangers" and/or "the love of guests."

Hospitality is all about inviting others in. The question of hospitality is really about diversity and inclusion, boundaries and community. How do we relate to people who are not like us? Who will be invited? Who will we include? Who will we exclude? Who will we allow to experience the blessings of authenic relationship with us? What criteria will we use to include or exclude people? Gender? Ethnicity? Social status? Our own comfort? Our religous traditions? These are important questions we must explore.

Hospitality is a calling both to us as individuals and to BVCC, as an outpost of God's kingdom in Boulder.Let me leave you with a couple of quotes from Christine Pohl:
"The contemporary church hungers for models of a more authentic Christian life in which glimpses of the Kingdom can be seen and the promise of the Kingdom embodied."
"Practicing hospitality always involves risk and the possibility of failure, but there is a greater risk and loss in neglecting hospitality."
Which risk are we willing to take?

Alternative Communities

2005-02-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

I had lunch with a friend yesterday. It was a great time to catch up and relax around a table with good food and a good friend. During the conversation he shared his dream for real Christian community. "Wouldn't it be great" he said "if a group of Christians could just move into a community, buy houses next to one another and share our lives deeply, kinda like a Christian commune?"

Who has not felt a longing for deeper relationships, something real. Something beyond, How are you? How about this weather? How about those Broncos? But I've been thinking a lot about my friend's solution. Is forming a Chrisitan sub-division really what God would have us do? Is gathering a bunch of folks, who are already Christ-followers, together in a "holy bubble" the answer?

In April 2002, the Wall Street Journal had an article entitled: "Megachurches as Minitowns." The article focused on huge churches that function as their own self-contained communities. They have fitness centers, cafes, climbing walls and skate parks. You can get coffee, enroll your children in child-care, go to an arcade or take your children to "playland." Dr Randall Ballmer writes:
"By making it nearly possible to inhabit the church from morning to night, cradle to grave, these full-service churches can shelter congregants from a broader society that seems unsafe, unpredictable and out of control, underscored by school shootings and terrorism... (The churches reflect a desire by congregants for) a universe where everything from the temperature to the theology is safely controlled...They don't have to worry about finding schools, social networks, or a place to eat. It's all prepackaged."

I'm convinced that Jesus would not have us isolated from the "real" world in "christian" communities, as attractive as that sounds to us (except for most preachers). Jesus calls us to follow him into some unpredictable and dangerous places. He calls us to engage the darkness of this planet, not cloister ourselves from it because of fear. He calls us to make ourselves uncomfortable in order to extend His reign in this world. How uncomfortable have you been lately?

Jesus' prayer for his followers was:
"[Father] I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.16They are not part of this world any more than I am.17Make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth.18As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.19And I give myself entirely to you so they also might be entirely yours. John 17:15-19 (NLT)

Jesus asked His Father to keep his followers safe while they lived in the dirt and the darkness of this present world. There will be a day when we'll live together. No more terrorism, abuse or church splits. That day we will fully inhabit the world and the relationships we were created for. But, this side of heaven, may we commit ourselves to being entirely His - living as those sent into this world, to make a difference in the lives of those He loves.

Watching God Work!

2005-02-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes God provides gentle, or not so gentle, reminders that He is still at work even when we don't perceive it.
I spent the last few days in Abilene. It was like going home. I preached for the 11th and Willis congregation for 4 years. My life was preaching and working my way through graduate school. Pat's life was children. On any given day, she provided day and after-school care for as many as 12 kids. I've already nominated her for sainthood. Some of our closest friends are the parents of those kids Pat loved and cared for. One couple was Tony and Kiki Ganniron.
Both Tony and Kiki are from Hawaii. They have three beautiful girls. We became fast friends. They didn't attend church, knew I was a preacher and liked us anyway. We knew they were unique. We went camping together, spent evenings at the park, and just shared our lives. Before we moved, Kiki would occasionally attend church with us but Tony seldom joined her. We just continued to love them and tried, in every way we knew how, to be Jesus to them and their family. When we left Abilene in 1995, one of our heartbreaks was leaving this family that we had grown to love.
Fast Forward 10 Years!
Last Sunday I was sitting in the Highland Church in Abilene. During an early segment of their worship, they flashed pictures of families who had placed membership at Highland that week. The speaker introduced each family to the congregation. The third picture to flash on the screen was a picture of the Gannirons: Kiki, three beautiful girls, AND Tony. Tears fill my eyes, even now, as I type. My first phone call after the "Amen," was to Pat. What a gift. God allowed us to play a part in that beautiful family coming to know Him and had other Jesus-followers reach into their lives after we parted ways.
Sunday was a little piece of heaven for me. Only in heaven will we see all the ways God has used us. Only there will we see the results of all the seeds planted on our journey through this life. I'm not sure why the Gannirons placed membership that particular week, or why we decided to attend Highland for a second worship experience that Sunday morning. All I know is that God found a way to say to me: "Brent, I'm still here, still working. The people you love, I love them too. And I am working to bring both of you home to me."
I didn't get to hug the Gannirons Sunday. I think they had attended an earlier service. But, through God's grace, I will see them again . . .
Paul said: "...The Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers..." 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 (NIV)

Off To Abilene!

2005-02-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning, about 5:00 (ouch), Steven White, Amy Jenkins and I are leaving for the ACU Lectures. The Helms and Pat Ryan will also be there. This raises the question, Why would anyone from Colorado voluntarily choose to spend time in Abilene?

Well, one purpose of our trip is to meet with David Wray. David is an Elder at Highland, one of the largest congregations in Abilene. The last few years Highland has had a tremendous impact on their local neighborhood. They really have become a community congregation. The minister, Mike Cope, is even learning Spanish so that he can preach in the language of those surrounding Highland's facility. Even as they have dealt with difficult issues like expanding the role women in their Sunday morning assembly - they have grown. David noted that they initially lost 25 families but have experienced growth of 100 families per year each of the last three years. David believes this is the result of their sensitivity to contemporary culture and their focus on their local commmunity.

In December, David told us that, just a couple of years ago, Highland was in a situation very similar to where Boulder Valley is now. It was at that time that Highland began to embrace a "missional" theology. They began to see themselves not as a church with a mission program, but as a church on a mission, in Abilene and throughout the world. This prompted a renewed focus on short-term missions. This year Highland is sending about 500 of their members on short-term mission trips all over the world. We have sent out about the same percentage of our total membership the last two years - and expect this to continue in 2005. Like us, Highland sees this as a critical part of developing members as missionaries, at home and abroad. Highland, in many ways, has made the difficult transition to becoming a congregation that is engaging their culture and their local community. David has agreed to retrace their journey and provide concrete examples of what Highland has done and is doing now. We will also dialogue about what things might be transferrable to a congregation of 200 in Boulder, Colorado.
It should be a very exciting trip. (Did I mention I get to see my daughter?)Please pray for our safety and much learning about how God is working in His world.

Stormfront - It Begins with God

2005-02-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

In the book Stormfront: The Good News of God , the authors write of God's initiative in bringing His Kingdom to life in this world. They write:

"God's kingdom is not and cannot be established by human efforts. Jesus' teaching is all about God's reign, brought about by God's action, in fulfillment of God's purposes. It is not something we build. We only receive it, inherit it, and enter it. Our lives are drawn into what God is doing. The parables echo this perspective over and over. The reign of God is like a man who accidentally found a huge treasure in a field; he did nothing to earn it - he discovered it (Matt. 13:44). The reign of God is like the tiny, inconsequential mustard seed that grows in to a huge shrub, or even a tree (Matt. 13:31-32). It is like seeds sown in all kinds of strange places, most of which bear remarkable fruit (Matthew 13:3-8). It is like a theif that breaks in at an unexpected hour (Matt. 24:43-44), or the bridegroom who comes after folks believe that they have stolen his vineyard and done away with him (Matt. 21:33-44). In all of these parables, what is striking is the remarkable absence of human effort or initiative, even the reversal of human effort. The emphasis falls entirely on the mysterious and surprising advent and growth of the reign of God, quite apart from or beyond, even against, human efforts. In the kingdom of God, the initiative always belongs to God."

"For Jesus, hearing the gospel entails recognizing, entering, and receiving this surprising reign of God, in which God's presence and action intrude mysteriously and unexpectedly into our lives and invite us to participate in something greater than ourselves, greater than what we could accomlish on our own." (pages 40-41).

Can you hear his voice? "Come, follow me!"