Sabbath Saturday
It’s that time of the week. Sabbath Saturday. A time for our family and our church to rest. A time to Replenish. A time to Receive from God the gift that He gave himself after six full days of Creation – Rest.
We won’t be Blogging, Texting, Tweeting, Emailing, or Updating our Status. Our Status is Sabbath. We choose to Turn Off. We choose to Unplug. And somehow…all that stuff seems to get along fine without US for one day. And somehow…we seem to get along fine with IT for one day.
How are you Choosing to Sabbath this week?
Where Does Grace Go?
Theologically speaking, Grace is the Game Changer of the Christian Faith. It is one of the Quintessential Key Distinctives of the Christian Faith. The fact that while we absolutely deserve nothing from God, he extends and offers himself to us, even in our darkest and most desperate state…that changes everything.
There’s infinitely more to say here about the Reality of Grace. We could spend a lifetime…and all of Eternity. But the point of this post is not to explore the Definition of Grace, but the Destination.
- When it comes to the idea of a Holy and Perfect God offering his life and love to you and I…
- When it comes to the idea of Sin being Forgiven…
- When it comes to the idea of Grace…
Where Does it go?
For most people the Reality of Grace tends to occupy one of three destinations
- The Head
- The Heart
- The Hands
The Head – You understand the concept, can probably even communicate it well, but have a harder time fully receiving it and offering it to others. You have probably been going to church for a very long time.
The Heart – You have no problem receiving it but live largely unaware of the cost, the price, the sacrifice of Grace. Grace is also something you have no problem experiencing for yourself, but tend to keep it for yourself.
The Hands – You love helping people, serving people, making sure everyone else is taken care of, but it is often a subtle attempt to “earn” grace” which by it’s very definition can not be earned.
God’s ultimate desire for you is that you would Understand, Experience, and Extend His Grace as freely as you have received it from God. That’s how you were created to live, but the reality is, many of us don’t.
So, where does Grace go with you? Head. Heart. Hands Where do you sense God is inviting you to experience his Grace more in this season? What do you need to do about it?
Soul (simpli)City Sundays – The Art of Searching Your Heart
Soul City Sundays have been a rich time of community, worship, prayer, and spiritual development. We have decided to focus for the next four weeks on the journey of Transformation and what it means for us to love God with all of our HEART, SOUL MIND, & STRENGTH. This past week we kicked things off with focusing on our hearts.
God deeply cares about the state of our heart because He knows that it is the heart that houses LOVE… and LOVE is the acid test of our real relationship with Jesus. So searching the condition of our heart is essential to our transformational journey. Yet we tend to shy away from it. If we are physically sick we try and figure out what’s wrong – we go to a Dr., we take Medicine; we change a behavior so that we can remedy the problem. But for so many when there is a heart problem, they simply don’t know what to what to do or where to turn. The Bible says that the way to assess the heart is by searching it….
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23 – 24
“As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”
Proverbs 27:19
The state of our heart is a reflection of the state of our life and is often that very reflection that shows up in our emotional and relational lives. One of the very best books I have read on this topic is by Pete Scezzaro - “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality” He says quite plainly
It is impossible to be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature.
:: You have probably seen many times – the man that can quote the entire book of Romans by heart and yet has remained emotionally dead to his family most of his life.
:: The woman who gets up every morning to spend time with Jesus and then goes and gets ready and progresses through her day with a spirit of duty and obligation to others and has never truly felt alive.
This is not what God intended – he intended that our Heart never stops growing and reflecting His love. But over time – many of us learn to PROJECT that which we actually REJECT in our lives and it has a direct impact in our emotional & relational life.
:: We don’t know how to express healthy emotion so we reject that about ourselves – push it down – bury it in our hearts and project a reflection of “Everything is OK”
:: We don’t know how to deal with the anger that we have towards an experience in our childhood so we reject the healthy processing and we push it down – but it ends up projecting in our life through a short fuse, or an impatient spirit.
:: We have a person that we know we need to forgive and instead of moving towards them we hold on and bury our contempt in our hearts and reject the work that God might be doing and therefore we project a judgmental spirit.
So what might it be in your life? Do you…
:: Reject healthy Sorrow and Loss therefore you are unable to Project Brokenness and Repentance?
:: Reject Humility and therefore it is causing you to Project Pride?
:: Reject Joy and Excitement about life therefore it is causing you to Project a Bored and Complacent spirit.
:: Reject Peace and it is causing me to Project Impatience & Fear.
:: Reject Discipline and it is causing you to lack focus and purpose.
Change Your Idea of Impossible
A year and a half ago I heard Andy Stanley rip through a quote in one of the Greatest Leadership Talks I’ve honestly ever heard. He threw it out there like a Thought Grenade, gave a few thoughts and moved on…but it stayed with me. The quote is from an older Leadership Book by Joel Barker. In it, he asks,
What do I believe is impossible to do in my field…but if it could be done would fundamentally change my business (Ministry / Church)?
–Future Edge/The Paradigm Book, Joel Barker
This is a profound question that can and probably should bug you. It’s the kind of quote that cuts through our Cynical Sideline Second Guessing. It exposes our deepest fears and uproots our most shallow excuses. It’s the kind of thought that just sits there tapping it’s finger on your desk and asks – “Well…What are you waiting for?“
What’s that thing that if you’re Church, Your Ministry, Your Non-Profit figured out would unleash whole new opportunities and usher in whole new realities? What is that Obstacle that has either been Holding You Back or Keeping You Stuck? What One Thing could have the potential to change Everything. ”But it’s impossible“, you say. Sure it may seem impossible, but that’s only because you’ve convinced yourself that God needs YOU to figure it out and make it happen as opposed to Him. You forget that Impossible is a word that isn’t a part of God’s Vernacular.
What is It? What’s that Game Changer? What’s that Secret Sauce? What’s that Golden Ticket? We’d love to hear. Because odds are, someone else somewhere may have already figured it out or may be close to figuring it out and you just don’t know it yet. Someone may be asking the same question and you can begin to collaborate. Someone may know someone who knows someone who has a cousin that can actually make it happen. What is it?
Are you willing to let God lead you through it? Are you willing to lead others through it? Are you willing to look foolish? Are you willing to fail? Are you willing to succeed? Do you know what IT is?
Try not to forget – God is quite comfortable with what we consider Impossible, so go ahead…bring it to Him (and us) right now. And for God’s sake…Lead.
Mustard Seeds of Faith, Trust, and Sacrifice
Early on into the process of deciding to launch Soul City Church I felt God give me a prayer to pray every time we hit our common speed bumps of fear, control, and desiring comfort.
“God please turn my Fear into Faith, my Control into Trust, and
my desire for Comfort into Sacrifice.”
Today I hit all three speed bumps. I realized how much I am afraid of when it comes to giving up our jobs and financial security. I realized just how out of control I am when it comes to the fact that I can’t make someone buy our home, and I realized how I crave comfort when it comes to my lifestyle.
After flopping around in the reckless fear, control, and comfort for a while I was taken straight to the passage in Matthew where Jesus breaks it down for his disciples as to why they could not cast out a demon and said this…
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you
have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move
from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.
Matthew 17:20
So I went to my cabinets and grabbed a container of Mustard Seeds and asked God to give me that kind of faith, trust, and desire for sacrifice today. I put three mustard seeds in a bowl representing my fear, control, and desire for comfort – and asked God to turn them into faith, trust, and sacrifice.
How about you – What kind of mustard seed faith, trust and sacrifice do you
need today?
Cynicism, the Luxury of the Bored
It happens often. Someone will mention something that a Church, or Pastor, or Author said about something that I disagree with. They are looking to me for a response. They are looking for that response because so many times, that’s exactly what I’ve given them. Some cynical remark about how crazy that Pastor is or how I couldn’t make it 5 minutes in that church. Some condescending joke about how they write or the way they preach or how bright their teeth are or whatever. This is cynicism. And it is nothing more than a luxury of the bored.
Cynicism is the snot nosed off spring of Criticism and Sarcasm. The only thing it has actually done is tear down what others have done. It offers no value, no alternative, no originality. It is weak. It is destructive. It moves nothing forward. And it reveals size of the vision of the one who utters it.
Those of us who have committed ourselves to the Cause of Christ, to the Vision of the Kingdom are battling quite litterally against the forces of Hell itself…and we’d rather make jokes about a churches we’ve never even been to.
We are combating sin and resistance around every corner…and we spend our time and energy judging someone because we disagree with their theology.
We carry the Hope and Love of Jesus into a Hurt and Hopeless World….and we choose to make fun of Mega Churches or Mainline Churches or Our Own Church.
The Capacity and Veracity with which you can tear down one of our own with some cynical remark reveals how small our vision is and ultimately just how bored we really are.
It’s one thing to be Critical. It’s one thing to have Opinions. It’s entirely another to be Cynical and Sarcastic. If we were ever truly aware of the mission God has put us on, the only thing we would be Cynical of would be Cynicism.
I Confess – I’m a quick Cynic. I’m quick to pass judgment through sarcastic comments of people I’ve never met and churches I’ve never set foot in. To all my brothers and sisters I have judged, mocked, and made fun because I assumed I knew better, I am sorry.
Maybe you feel a little confession coming on too. We’d love for you to share it here…or, if it’s easier, you can just be cynical of this post.
No one can use my name to do something good and powerful, and in the next breath cut me down. If he’s not an enemy, he’s an ally. Why, anyone by just giving you a cup of water in my name is on our side.
Mark 9:39-41a
Be.Loved
I (Jeanne) finally heard Gigi say “I Love you” this morning. I’m sure to the average person it would sound like a 16-month old jumble of mashed up consonants and vowels, but to me it was clear – “I LOVE YOU” came out of her mouth all by herself. She was probably able to say it because of 2 things – she hears it all the time and she it experiences it all the time. I pray that in her little 16 month old mind when she thinks of her parents she thinks of Love.
I have often times asked people – when you think of God what do you think He thinks of you? Sadly, far too many people do not answer with LOVE – they answer with words like disappointment, distant, anger, etc.
The journey of transformation will always take us to the question of “what does God think of me?” and it is essential that we understand that it is impossible for God to feel anything other than LOVE for us. I love how David Benner says it in his book “Surrender to Love”
“God’s love is never compromised by anger. The presence of anger does not mean the absence of love – particularly in God. Love is God’s character, not simply an emotion.”
Even at our lowest moments, even in our deepest sin – God never stops loving and it is His love that actually propells us on the journey of transformation to becoming the people that He created us to be.
This is most beautifully exhibited in the life of Jesus, even in his moments of confrontation, moments of anger, moments of intense truth speaking he never stopped loving….
So today, simply be reminded :: LOVE IS GOD’S CHARACTER. NOT SIMPLY AN EMOTION THAT HE FEELS TOWARDS YOU.
BE.Loved
Borrowing Faith
I’m starting to believe that God lovingly pushes us to the very edge, the very limit of our faith so that we are forced to borrow Faith from Him. This is the reality that we have begun living in ever since we said yes to God’s idea for this Church.
We are living at a level of Faith in God these days that we have never lived at before in our entire lives…and yet…it still doesn’t feel like enough. When we look at all that has to happen each day for Soul City Church to simply get off the ground, we are floored and overwhelmed. We simply don’t see a way to raise all the money we have to raise through the BE Campaign. We simply don’t see a way that we are going to be able to sell our house. We simply don’t see a way that we are going to find a home in the city where our family can thrive. We simply don’t see a way for all those moving to Chicago with us to start Soul City to be able work through all these exact same details in THIER lives. We simply don’t see a way.
But we live by faith, not by what we see. ((2 cor. 5:7))
And that is exactly where OUR faith comes to an end and GOD’s faith steps in. I don’t know how it all works in God’s economy, but it seems like the very faith it requires to believe IN can only come FROM him. He is the one who gives me the faith to actually believe in him at all. And every time my faith grows weak and my sight grows strong, I am invited back to his office to take out another loan. To borrow against my lack of faith. To leverage my life as collateral. To take one more step forward, following him. This is how God grows our faith, by planting the very seed himself.
This is where we’re living these days. This is where we’ve ALL been invited by God to live. No matter what we see, this is the faith God longs to give us.
So. Where is God lovingly pushing you to Borrow Faith from Him these days?
Destination: Transformation
I always remember getting extra excited as a child when our class would go on a field trip. I loved our scavengers around the Chicago-land area. Trips to the Shedd Aquarium to learn about marine life, outings to the Art Institute to view the great works of Picasso & Renoir, a Wendella boat ride down the river to drink in all of the awe-inspiring architecture of Chicago. It was a wonderful way to get out of our normal classroom environment and be able to get up close and personal with whatever we were studying.
I am reading an amazing book right now called “Influencer – The power to Change Anything.” It is a great read. The authors have boiled down that to create change in behavior we need to help people alter their mental maps of cause and effect. When we find a way to help people change the way they think, they are well on their way to changing their behavior. And the two primary questions behind the possibility of change for everyone is…
“Will it be worth it? & “Can I do it?”
For so many years I think the tendency of the church is to try to verbally persuade or pep talk people into change. To drag people into a room. Plop them into a seat. Ask them to sing out loud with a bunch of strangers. Give money. Listen to one person talk for 45 minutes. And then go home changed! I have been guilty of this tactic many times.
When it comes to helping people BECOME who God created them to be I have been wondering if it actually might be more helpful for us to take people on Field Trips of Transformation. To allow them to get up close and personal with people that are answering the questions of “Will if be worth it? & Can I do it?” I know in my own journey when I have witnessed first hand in the life of another person that Jesus has truly brought about real transformation – it gives me hope that it is possible in my life. I am convinced that is why shows like the Biggest Loser have drawn such a following – It’s like a field trip of real change.
I absolutely love gatherings and I can hardly wait for Soul City Church to start gathering on a regular basis. But what if when we gathered on the weekend, in homes throughout the week, as we serve our neighbors in need, as we open up our space to the community – what if all of it served as a constant Field Trip for TRANSFORMATION. A constant story in motion – letting people get up close and personal to the reality that TRNASFORMATION IS WORTH IT AND IT IS POSSIBLE with JESUS.
So, as you think about your life and your world…
- If you could take me on a field trip of TRANSFORMATION – Where would you tell me to go?
If you had just NINE minutes to say anything…
It has been so cool to be a part the NINES today – an innovative FREE conference hosted by Leadership Network and Catalyst. Around 10,000 people are “attending” from all over the world. It is my hunch that conferences Will and SHOULD look like this more in the future.
The NINES gives Pastors and Thought Leaders the opportunity to share ONE thought for Church Leaders in just NINE minutes. There’s a TON of great stuff, all of which will be available free for download later this week.
So, our question for you is this :: If you had NINE minutes to share ONE thought to Church Leaders – What would it be?
go ahead…the clock is ticking…
Church and the Stressed Out City
As we prepare to head to Chicago to launch Soul City Church we know that we will face unique opportunities and unique challenges to live out the Kingdom of God in the City. We recently came across an article in Forbes that rated Chicago as the Country’s most Stressed Out City…for the Second Year in a row! Awesome.
Forbes sites that over crowding, poor air quality, a high 11% unemployment rate and free-falling home values have created a cocktail of constant worry affecting many in the Windy City. Again…awesome.
So, the question is – What can a church do to love and serve the Stressful Realities of people in their city. We all know that Chicago isn’t the only stressed out place on the planet. As our lives grow ever complex, Stress seems to be a given. So what do we do? How do we live? How do we serve? How do we create a City of Peace in the midst of so much Stress?
We’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas…
a Blueprint for a New Church
Something is happening in Atlanta. There is a movement of churches starting that are committed to living out the Kingdom of God in the city. We couldn’t be more excited to be in partnership with these churches and to be friends with the incredible teams that are starting them.
One of the churches that we’ve been praying for and cheering on is Blueprint Church. They have such a radical and well developed vision for transforming the city of Atlanta with the love of Christ. They just held their “Kick Off” service this past weekend to an unbelievable turnout. We are excited to see what God is going to do next through Blueprint.
If you live in the ATL or have friends in the city, you should consider checking out and supporting Blueprint Church. Here’s a Video Snapshot of what they’re all about…
Rebuild The City from Blueprint Church on Vimeo.
Find out how you can get involved at Blueprintchurch.org
A 3″D” Relationship with God (pt. 3) – Discipline
The third “D” to a 3- D life with God is Discipline. I’m sure the very word produces a response in you. The reason I know that is because it produces a response in me – and most of the time if I am honest the response has something to do with guilt.
For many of us the story of Discipline has a common thread woven throughout our different experiences. You desire to be physically healthy – but you’re unwilling to work hard at it. You desire to know God’s Word – but you are unwilling to discipline yourself to set aside a time in the day to focus on reading and meditating on it. You desire to be financially free – but are not willing to say no to the designer jeans that everyone else has. You desire to be patient with your kids – but when you have found yourself saying 15 times “Please – share with your Sister” – it’s on the 16th time that unfortunately you loose our cool.
There are so many things that I desire to do in my lifetime – but at times I am just plain unwilling to put the hard discipline to the test to make it happen. But desire without discipline usually turns into dead dreams. It’s in the small and the big moments of life that I need discipline when I want that iced lemon loaf at Starbucks that would go so well with my coffee…to the courage that comes from disciplining myself to work hard at raising all of the necessary funds to start Soul City Church.
I was reading in proverbs today and this simple verse jumped out…
- “Slack habits & Sloppy work are as bad as vandalism”
- Proverbs 18:9
Wow – do I really believe that – do I really believe that my sloppy and flabby disciplines are as damaging to the personal property of my soul, as vandalism is to a building or home. I would be crushed if someone came into my home with a baseball bat and ripped through my rooms destroying what has become a sacred space for me and my family. I would be angry, sad, hurt, and would probably desire a certain amount of justice to be served.
Why don’t I have equally strong emotions when it comes to my sloppy disciplines. A vibrant and transforming relationship with God will require not a sloppy discipline – but one that is fueled with a steadfast faithfulness and commitment to the task of training your soul to do what was originally put within it to do.
So why don’t you try this simple exercise :: God I will discipline myself to….
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.
.
Here is what I wrote:
God I will discipline myself to have some significant conversations this week with some key people that are in the process of praying about their connection to Soul City Church. God I will discipline myself to drink more water – I confess my love of coffee – but I know coffee all day is not good for my body! God I will discipline myself to put my cell phone and laptop away from 4:30 – 8:00 so that I am present with my family. God I will discipline myself in my writing this week – I will complete a chapter by Monday. Because I believe that desire without discipline usually turns into nothing more than dead dreams.
a 3 “D” Relationship with God (pt. 2)
(part 2 of 3)
Somewhere along the way being FINE became our facade for spiritually mature. Many of us have believed a dreadful lie that it’s better to cut ourselves off from desire – than to actually live into the depth of all that we long for in life. When someone asks how we are doing we robotically puke our canned response “I’m doing fine – How are you?” Most of the time I think we are just waiting for the other person to return our question with the same response… “Thanks for asking – I’m doing Fine also.”
What would you do if someone responded to your question with – “I am in the middle of pleading for God to give me the deepest desires of my heart – it is overwhelming, filled with raw emotion, sometimes I am anxious and afraid, I honestly wonder what I will do if this doesn’t happen, etc….how are you?” Most of us have a hard time living that deep into our desires – or if we do we struggle with feeling like our desires reveal immaturity – instead of maturity. But desire is essential in our life if we long to live completely ALIVE in Jesus.
I love what John Eldridge says in his book, “Desire“
“Why are we so embarrassed by our desire? Why do we pretend we’re doing fine, thank you, that we don’t need a thing? The persistent widow wasn’t too proud to seek help. Neither was the psalmist. Their humility allowed them to express their desire. How little we come to God with what really matters to us. How rare it is that we even admit it to ourselves. We don’t pray like Jesus because we don’t allow ourselves to be nearly so alive. We don’t allow ourselves to feel how desperate our situation truly is. We sense that our desire will undo us if we let it rise up in all its fullness. Wouldn’t it be better to bury the disappointment and the yearning and just get on with life? As Larry Crabb has pointed out, pretending seems a much more reliable road to Christian maturity. The only price we pay is a loss of soul, of communion with God, a loss of direction, and a loss of hope.”
I (Jeanne) am realizing that to step out onto the wobbly faith limb of starting this church has been one of the greatest movements that could have happened in our life. I no longer go through any kind of canned motion when it comes to my desires. I am acutely aware of my desires every day and it has allowed me to live in a healthy desperation for God.
So why don’t you try this spiritual exercise – Finish the thought, “God my deepest desires are…”
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Here is what I wrote
- God I desire for you to lead me towards the people that you have already prepared to be a part of soul city church. Increase my desire to trust that you will direct and prompt them and that I won’t need to convince or beg people to come. God I desire for you to regularly surprise me with the provision of our financial resources for our family and for Soul City Church – increase my desire for sacrifice. God I desire for you to simply sell our house. God I desire to be more humble, honest, and bold in my leadership. God I desire to be more patient, fun, and silly with my kids this week.
We would love for you to leave a comment with what YOU put in that space of DESIRE. It is such a simple exercise and such a good reminder to not let DESIRE die in your life.
And make sure to check back over the next few days to hear how DESIRE works together with Discipline and Dependence.
