First, for both of you who follow this blog, I'm sorry I'm such a slacker!!

I guess when there's a lot going on blogging isn't a priority. However, I do read everyone's blogs to keep up to date. That said, my life is full; full of the right things for sure.

Our church is doing great. We are seeing new people plugging in & other people wrestling with discipleship unto Jesus. Janine mentioned the other day, "It's cool to see these gals wrestle with following Jesus." For us the wrestling match is a wonderful, painful, enjoyable process. The Kingdom of God isn't about you & that's a hard truth for a consumeristic American to swallow; yet at the same time, by becoming a "slave of Christ" (a favorite title amongst NT writers)that is where true self-fulfillment happens. If only our silly commercials brainwashed the masses in that direction! I'm amazed at the ability of pride & selfishness to morph & manifest into the most beautiful displays of piety & sin. Amazing. So we wrestle on; God being the goal & source of our total affection is a hill we're dead on.

We're going to Buffalo in 2 weeks, which will be amazing. We're bringing 5 new people, 2 of whom are just starting relationships with Jesus. Fun times.

I started coaching a church planter from Texas who will be planting a church in San Diego in the fall. My two questions I keep asking him: Are you spending unrushed, quality, alone time with God each day? Who have you shared the gospel with this week? Legalism for sure; I know. I keep trying to figure out how to find the American Idol of "Freedom" in the NT, but I'm having trouble finding it.

One of the things God is teaching me is: Pace. This includes getting my tank filled up by God; Rest; & organization. The last one is the hardest, but that's why someone smarter than me created the dayplanner. My personality (sin, etc) keep me fairly unorganized & help me become busy. Busy meaning internally frantic. This is a growth process for me, but it's great. Too, it's time to start running again. Carb loading on various treats isn't doing much for my spiritual or physical health!

Blessings,

Family Vacation.

In school I was very fortunate to be introduced to a man named Jean Vanier. Jean is the founder of L’Arche, a Catholic community of mentally handicapped people. In 1964 he invited two men with Down’s syndrome to leave the institution & live with him. This community has grown to over 100 residential homes throughout the world. He is a practitioner & a prophet. His words carry a great deal of authority because he is simply describing his life; he describes a lifestyle he is committed. In our culture, where we create social juveniles & as a church we are more often a group of strangers who meet once a week than a fellowship; Jean’s life is like a sunbeam shining through stormy clouds.
Here are some quotes from his book: From Brokenness to Community (Two lectures given at Harvard.)

“If they choose to follow Jesus, they receive a gift of love & communion, but at the same time they must say “no” to the ways of the world & accept loss; they must own their choice.”

“Community is a wonderful place, it is life-giving; but it is also a place of pain because it is a place of truth & of growth—the revelation of our pride, our fear, & our brokenness.”

“I have discovered that even though a person may have severe brain damage, that is not the source of his greatest pain. The greatest pain is rejection, the feeling that nobody really wants you “like that.”

“But this communion is not fusion. Fusion leads to confusion. In a relationship of communion, you are you & I am I; I have my identity & you have yours. I must be myself & you must be yourself. We are called to grow together, each one becoming more fully himself or herself.”

“That I think, was what caused me the most pain: to discover who I really am, & to realize that maybe I did not want to know who I really was! I did not want to admit all the garbage inside me. And then I had to decide whether I would just continue to pretend that I was okay & throw myself into hyperactivity, projects where I could forget all the garbage & prove to others how good I was. Elitism is the sickness of us all.”

“(Volunteers find…) God is not just present in their capacity to heal but rather in their need to be healed.”

“This healing power in us will not come from our capacities & our riches, but in & through our poverty. We are called to discover that God can bring peace, compassion & love through our wounds.”

“Community is the place where are revealed all the darkness & anger, jealousies & rivalry hidden in our hearts.”

“In struggling to ‘win’ at any price, members of the family lose a sense of community. More & more people are seeking the individual prize. In richer countries, this desire to win is instilled in children from an early age. I remember visiting a school in Canada where there was a big poster: ‘It is a crime not to excel.’”

“In community we are called to love people just as they are with their wounds & their gifts, not as we would want them to be.”

“Growth will come as we come closer to people who are different from us & as we learn to welcome & listen even to those who trigger off our pain.”

“People will come to L’Arche attracted by the community; they like our community. They like it, & it’s great—for a few days! When somebody says to me, ‘I find it very painful to live in this community, but I’m here because God has called me here,’ then I know that person has made a passage from dream to reality.”

“We must learn to celebrate.”

“TV can be a kind of death.”

“But the community only keeps its meaning if it remains open to mission.”

“Trusting people are vulnerable & can be easily crushed, as Jesus was crushed. A community which trusts in God rather than in the righteousness of its ‘cause’ can always be crushed, but from that crushing will come resurrection.”

Our men's retreat was a blast.
8 men from our church went to Henry Coe State Park & had a great time with God. Although we could have had more guys participate I intentionally chose to make the distance long enough so that whoever did go would have to commit to the whole weekend & not just a part of it. This is important for a couple of reasons. First, Saturday is the prime day, all day. Friday night was kinda' like a detox from all the business we pile on ourselves. I commented a couple of times, "Wow, it's quite;" when in fact, it's just that my life is filled with noise (by my own design!). So, to go to part of the retreat was to miss a large part of the retreat. Retreat! Too, by making it a bit too far for the "if it's convienent for me" crowd, we effectively brought those who desire to grow. I'm always amazed that many people walked away from Jesus because he qualified discipleship as something centered upon God & not the individual. Too, I'm often amazed that so many today cater to this very group of people in the church. "Let's go to the nicest retreat center possible. Therefore, the most people will go." This isn't bad, but it's not great. The cult of customer service has wreaked havoc on our culture! So, it was a short drive & there were no showers, but there was a whole lot of God!
Simple Times:

On Sat. we had two hours of solitude & silence where each man was sent of into the wilderness armed with a journal. We came back & each man had a wonderful story about how God has spoken to them: "Return to me." "I'm consistent." "Get this tattoo." "Play with me!" Laben then climbed a tree with God!! "Love your wife." This was a powerful experience.

Then we played Risk for 4hrs, which, as any one of the guys would tell you, a wonderful time with God! As I mentioned to one of the guys: "When did play stop being worship?"

One of the most powerful things God has been showing me through our church is this: We don't fit together. Without Jesus none of us would normally connect as friends. Hippies, Ph.D, Homeless, Preppy, Cuban, Gay, Pentecostal, Drunk; these are the words I would use to describe some of the folks in our community. As my wife mentioned the other day: "We aren't a Christian clique." & we aren't. Our group is diverse. As Dietrich would say: "Community is a gift, not a given."

Laben is holding the gallon of milk the raccoons stole from us. Too, Matt looks pretty happy even though we put half a cooked fish & dog food next to his bed in hopes that the raccoons would battle next to him during the night! Sadly only the Blue Jays descended upon him in the morning.

I often say: "We're a small, but active church." And that is true; always doing cool stuff with & for Jesus! He invented fun.

This upcoming weekend we're having our first Men's Retreat. Of course we're going camping, which is what Jesus dreams about when he dreams of retreats. We did a Men's Camping trip last year & it was cool, although it rained on us. This year should be way better & we have quite a few new men coming along. I couldn't be more stoked. God has gathered together at our church world changing men of God. I'm constantly humbled to see who I get to spend my time with & eat Pork Ribs with on Sat. night; of course with our new BBQ!

Men’s Retreat Agenda.
Friday Night:
Dinner @ 7pm
Worship, Teaching, & Ministry @ 8-9
Sugar Consumption & Extended presence of The Holy Spirit @ 9-3:27am.

Saturday Morning:
Breakfast @ 8-9am
Worship, Teaching @ 9-10
Solitude Exercise @ 10-12pm
Lunch @ 12-1pm
Free-Time-1-6pm

Saturday Night:
Dinner @ 6pm
Worship, Teaching, & Ministry @ 7-8
Sugar Consumption & Extended presence of The Holy Spirit @ 8-3:29am.

Sunday Morning:
Breakfast @ 7-8am
Packing @ 8-8:40
Leaving @ 8:45am
The most incredible encounter with God Jesus follower gathering in Santa Cruz @ 11am
The rest of your life @ 1pm-forever.

Who are you? It's a simple question, but I don't think many people really know how to answer it. I've been going through the book: Victory over the Darkness, with a friend of mine who has recently decided to follow Jesus. Who are you? is Dr. Anderson's question. Most people don't know who they are. Too, most Christians don't know who they are & because of that, asserts Dr. Anderson, we are confused, powerless, weak, defeated, live in fear, & ineffective. It reminds me of a quote I heard Bill Johnson say, "The greatest fear the Devil has is the church realizing who she really is." Who are you?

I am the salt of the earth. Matthew 5:13

I am the light of the world. Matthew 5:14

I am a child of God. John 1:12

I am part of the true vine, a channel of Christ's life. John 15:1,5

I am Christ's friend. John 15:15

I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit. John 15:16

I am a slave of righteousness. Romans 6:18

I am enslaved to God. Romans 6:22

I am a son of God; God is spiritually my Father. Romans 8:14,15; Galatians 3:26; 4:6

I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him. Romans 8:17

I am a temple--a dwelling place--of God. His Spirit and His life dwell in me. 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19

I am united to the Lord and am one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17

I am a member of Christ's Body. 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 5:30

I am a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17

I am reconciled to God and am a minister of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

I am a son of God and one in Christ. Galatians 3:26,28

I am an heir of God since I am a son of God. Galatians 4:6,7

I am a saint. Ephesians 1:1; 1 Corinthians1:2; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2

I am God's workmanship--His handiwork--born anew in Christ to do His work. Ephesians 2:10

I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God's family. Ephesians 2:19

I am a prisoner of Christ. Ephesians 3:1; 4:1

I am righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:24

I am a citizen of heaven, seated in heaven right now. Philippians 3:20; Ephesians 2:6

I am hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3

I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life. Colossians 3:4

I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved. Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4

I am a son of light and not of darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5:5

I am a holy partaker of a heavenly calling. Hebrews 3:1

I am a partaker of Christ; I share in His life. Hebrews 3:14

I am one of God's living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house. 1 Peter 2:5

I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession. 1 Peter 2:9-10

I am an alien and stranger to this world in which I temporarily live. 1 Peter 2:11

I am an enemy of the devil. 1 Peter 5:8

I am a child of God and will resemble Christ when He returns. 1 John 3:1-2

I am born of God, and the evil one--the devil--cannot touch me. 1 John 5:18

I am not the great "I AM" (Exodus 3:14; John 8:24,28,58), but by the grace of God I am what I am. 1 Corinthians 15:10

What would happen if you really believed this?