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Men's Group and Mission

Our Men's Group gathers every Friday at 6:30 a.m. There are days I would rather sleep in. This morning was one of those days. And yet I need to be there and not just because I'm leading it. I need the interaction, reflection and support this group has to offer. I really appreciated our gathering this morning. I was reminded that it's not just about me privately working out my own spirituality; my faith increases in the context of a supportive community. So today I'm beating the drum once again as the invitation extends to every man to come and find a place among us.

I'm continuing to work through the book, The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch. In the chapter on apostolic environment, Hirsch quotes something called "The 2010 Initiative." It says in part, "As the [apostolic] focus of reaching out permates a congregation amazing things happen. God begins to bring in those who have been searching for a way to get involved in his purposes. Families begin to be energized with a sense of excitement because they realize they can make a difference in history. The youth find reason to not just 'hang on' and try to stay true, but they begin to see the vision that keeps them from perishing." (163, italics mine)

I must admit that being a part of a new church development isn't easy for families. There are other easier alternatives that offer a short commute and the stability of an institution. And yet, this is an exciting endeavor. In order to sustain, I have been forced to discover a deeper spirituality. I hope that spirituality and commitment is evident to my kids. They are on this journey with us and as God is faithful to us, so too I'm confident that God will continue to be faithful to them.

More than Information

More than a dozen people gathered in our home last Sunday afternoon to consider what it would mean to become members of Village Presbyterian Church. This is the first of a series that we will now be offering three times a year.

I'm really eager for us to discover something other than an informational approach to membership. Even more so, I believe we need to consider the process of our spiritual formation. Such formation is directed by the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, and informed by the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church. Hopefully, you already have a Bible in hand but the Book of Confessions and the Book of Order might not be as easily accessed. I'm including the links here in case anyone wants to do a little digging. On Sunday we will be moving the conversation forward by talking about the practices that shape our life in Christ. These practices are simple and life-affirming. I'm looking forward to our continued conversation.

Old CDs

The few albums listed on the sidebar of this blog can never capture the breadth of my music interest. Tonight during dinner we enjoyed an old album by David Wilcox, Home Again. Having my music collection on iTunes is incredible but I don't always attend to the older stuff. I love listening to David Wilcox because I think he's honest about his feelings and the struggle of life. He doesn't try to write only shiny songs but he acknowledges the pain. There also seems to be the flavor of faith and hope in his words. If you don't know his music, I think you should.

On November 10th we will be hosting Shayne and Shannon McIntyre, co-hosts of the program "On Surfari" on the FuelTV network. They're coming to our home and everyone is invited. We're going to preview one of their newest episodes and then Shayne is going to share the story of his journey with Jesus and the call God has upon his life in relation to surfing, television and service. Good food, good friends, and more...it will be an evening to remember. For more details, check on the bulletin on Sunday.

Happy Birthday Joy!

We're celebrating Joy's birthday today. She's a few years older than she was in this shot but she's still as much fun. I think this cake is a butterfly or maybe a cross or the letter x. Happy birthday Joy. We love you.

Moving Forward

In the face of great loss, the Amish demonstrated the power of forgiveness. And now they have chosen the demolish the building where the shooting took place. In its place they leave a quiet pasture (for more of the story you can go here). It makes me think about the different ways we grieve and the sacrifices we willingly make to move forward.

Father and Son

Matthew and I enjoyed our regular Wednesday routine this morning. We woke at 5:30 and hurried to get ready in the dark. We pulled the van from the driveway before 6 and we were on our way in search of waves. Nothing was happening at San-O and so we traveled north again. There were only hints of waves at Doheney. Matthew was determined to get wet and so we paddled out. The two guys who were already in the water got out before we got in so it was truly a father/son morning. We caught a handful of waves before another surfer paddled out to greet us. His greeting went something like this (my paraphrase):

"Nice waves. Is Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior?"

Not wanting to stir up the waters, I answered the question without making any additional comments. The truth is, it is my deepest desire to live under the Lordship of Jesus but it also felt odd to have a complete stranger give me a quiz so early in the morning. Feeling satisfied with my answer, he went on to inquire about Matthew, who just happened to be catching a wave at the time. "What about him," he said, "is Jesus Christ his personal Lord and Savior?" I felt a bit urked at this point. It's the kind of feeling you get when someone offers you a free flower or keychain at the airport and then wants a donation. My answer was simple, "He's my son." I'm confident that Jesus Christ is Matthew's Lord and Savior. I could have said a simple yes but the thing I felt was missing in the whole of our conversation was RELATIONSHIP! Had I said, "No, he doesn't know the Lord," would he have felt compelled to evangelize my son? If I had given the wrong answer, I have a feeling Matthew would have had to endure a prepackaged plan of salvation delivered by a total stranger. That's not to say I don't admire this man's zeal, I do. I only wish this guy would have dared to begin at the level of relationship. That's a bit more challenging, isn't it?

I guess he interpreted "he's my son" as an affirmation of faith because he responded with a hearty "Amen!" Matthew and I later talked about the importance of relationship, faith and surfing. That's what Wednesday mornings are all about for us. God is with us wherever we go and we're grateful for it!

The Forgotten Ways

I was completely energized this past weekend! On Friday and Saturday I attended a seminar at Fuller taught by Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost. It focused on issues related to becoming an incarnational-missional church. That's a mouthful but the essence is this: how to become a church that looks and acts like Jesus. Pretty simple, eh? And yet, so often we seem to be reaching for something else. I was able to pick up an early copy of Alan's new book The Forgotten Ways. It presents a strong challenge to church as mere institution. He writes, "I am critical of institutionalism not because I think it is a bad idea, but only because through my study of the phenomenal Jesus movements I have come to the unnerving conclusion that God's people are more potent by far when they have little of what we would recognize as church institution in the life together." (23) Ouch! But so also, I believe it is true.

On Sunday, we were blessed to have Randy Stonehill among us. It seemed to me that everyone enjoyed his delivery as much as they enjoyed his message. He's clearly not a shy.

I was also surprised by the presence of my good friend, Kevin, who showed up to hear Randy. Kevin gave me my first Randy Stonehill album back in 1979. Thanks Kevin for your friendship through the years and for all the spiritual encouragement you've given me along the way.

As Randy was making his way south on Sunday morning, his tire blew out. Brian R. and I picked him up at Alicia Parkway and the 5 with only minutes to spare before the 10 o'clock service started. After everyone cleared out, Joy and I spent some "quality time" with Randy getting his tire fixed at Costco. This is a picture of our conversation as we waited for the repair.

And this is the new tire in place! Praise the Lord. Randy was a great sport about it all. The whole circumstance gave us a bit more time together, which I really appreciated.

And finally, I want to recommend a program tomorrow night on PBS. It's called "Is God Green?" For more information, click HERE. I wonder if it might have something to do with organic faith. Hmm.

Expanding Vision

I'll be here for the next two days.