September 2007 Archives

as i look back over the last few weeks of blogs, i realize that we have talked a lot about where we are and where want to go, both as individuals and as a community... we've called that the journey.

through that process i have put all the emphasis on the individual knowing that we as a community is only the sum of its parts... no pressure it comes back to you, to me, as individuals and the journeys that we embark on.

i am afraid that the thought and even dream of the journey is something that everyone wants and even desires, but seems to be elusive. it seems to be something that is so hard to stay the path, step after step, turn after turn... knowing all the while this is reality... this is what and who i am supposed to be.

so my question becomes simply... where is your confidence?

is it that you are still lacking confidence in God?

is it that you still feel not fit for the journey ahead?

the reality is that you are NOT... i am NOT... BUT HE IS!

will you trust... will you have confidence in God?

then and only then does it begin to make sense!

F

the act, process, or result of moving...

i know that many of you/us took that first big, huge, amazing step into the unknown this month. you have the desire to take the plunge, to swim in deep waters and see things from this new perspective.

you have stepped up to the "hole" and you are ready to jump in and see where it takes you.

Go!

but...

WARNING: when you do this, your life will change!

then... the movement begins

F

prepare yourself today as we and you get ready for the gathering tonight at the REALM. the last three weeks we have explored in depth the reality of the repercussion of a life built on anything other than the person of Jesus. luke is very clear in chapter 6, verse 49, that the "house" the life that is NOT built on Christ is a house, a life that is destined for complete destruction.

tonight we come full circle with this reality...

we discussed me... my life, your life built on solid foundation
we discussed us... when i choose to move, when you choose to move, WE MOVE!

tonight we discuss what will happen to the world around us when me, you, us decide to live this way?

the movement begins...

F

last night at the gathering, our weekly event at the REALM for high school students, we continued our current series in foundations and explored what that looks like when it happens across a community.

the challenge was simple... it was practical... it was powerful...

WILL YOU MOVE!

from the surface it doesn't seem as though this thought has much to do with a community at large, but more to do with the individual within the framework of that community. but the reality is that it has everything to do with the community at large. you see, again it is quite simple actually...

as you move... we move!

its that simple.

from a bird's eye perspective, if we are not moving, then you are not moving.

will you move?

F

you have to know where you are and be willing to go someplace else... that's a journey.

staying in the same place is NOT a journey...

are you willing to go someplace else?

go.

F

several years ago myself and a couple of other guys were having a conversation with an author who made a brilliant statement, "ignorance is not the barrier, the illusion of knowing is."

lately, as i have been talking about this "new perspective" (new meaning different, not original) it seems as though i am reminded of this several times a day.

it is very difficult to communicate with people who think they know. ever talk with someone and their response to you was, "yea, i know"? because we think we know, because we think we see, we are in fact blind. Jesus said this to a group of pharisees who thought they "saw" what Jesus was talking about, but because their response was, "yea, i know" they were saying that there is nothing new that you can teach me, he replied you are blind... translation (if you need one)... you DO NOT UNDERSTAND! you just don't get it.

i never want to be one of those guys who sits back and remains unteachable because i think i know...

i never want to be disillusioned with thinking my opinions are best, my ideas are brilliant or that you can never teach me something that i do not already know.

my hope for us this year is simply this...
that we may have:

new eyes...
open hearts...
ready minds...

God is so much bigger than what we have made him... don't you think its time to stop worshiping that small little God that you made and worship the one that made you?

F

does this need anymore explanation?

F

have you ever watched the way a child lives life?

what do you think of when you think of a child?

innocence, trusting, wonder, possibility, creativity, ingenuity, curiosity...

if we are to fully grasp the vibrancy of a life lived to its fullest, we must learn, or should i say, re:learn, the art of living as a child. its no wonder that jesus said that one must become like a child to fully understand, to grasp the immensity of what it means to follow. a child, through his or her innocence, trusts and loves unconditionally because they know no other way. it is just who they are. we can spend all night trying to justify just who we are and who we have become, and why we have become that, but really, at the end of the day who is more fulfilled? who is more satisfied?

may we trust with a heart that is naive...
may we explore with eyes of wonder and possibility...
may our life be that of a child...

after all, are dandelions weeds or flowers?

F

friday night and all afternoon saturday, i was with men from my church at the annual men's retreat. they had graciously invited bruce and i to come out and lead them through some leadership and team building exercises throughout the course of the event. i had the opportunity to learn from guys that were 20 and guys that were 75. i was amazed that the gentlemen that were well into their 50's, 60's and 70's were just as anxious and open to learn from guys that were younger, as we were them. look to unexpected people and unexpected places for wisdom and possibly a different perspective than you own.

F

i have to admit ever since i heard the rumors of the iphone coming out, i was immediately obsessed and since its debut i have tried several times to get out of my current contract and switch... yes i am an "apple" guy and i'm obsessed with the imagination and ingenuity of a company that continues to raise the bar and change the industry with every product they unveil.
So, as we all have witnessed microsoft's lame attempt to knock the ipod off its pedestal (thanks marko for that one) with the zune mp3 player, here is a parody of the zunephone... enjoy!

i had a great conversation yesterday that was a great reminder that the health and maturity of our relationships in life are a good indicator of the health and maturity of our relationship with God...

we will NEVER have a relationship of depth, intimacy, vulnerability and love with people when our relationship with God is ankle deep in a creek that is drying up. when our relationship with God is severed and disconnected, our relationships with others will be severed and disconnected... they will never be connected on a level that is beneath the surface... they can't be!

life can be frustrating when we don't connect with people on a deep level to just be in relationship with us... the reality is that we often settle for surface relationships because that is all we know... the great tragedy in that truth is how often we settle for a surface (at best) relationship with God because that is all we know.

i know that you want to KNOW God deeper and more intimately...
i know that you want to KNOW people deeper and more intimately...

we all do... it is who we are, it is who we were meant to be...

get out of the creek bed and find deeper waters...

swim.

F

as i sit and reflect on the week that was i am reminded of the sobering fact sometimes in life, there are things that you cannot control. i had a conversation with a girl whose parents after 20 years of marriage have decided to call it quits... or a kid who ran away from home for two weeks to try to "figure things out"... or a girl who has just recently started her journey with God and receives negativity at every turn...

with so many people in different places of life, on different parts of the journey, on different paths with different backgrounds and different hurts and pains, with different hopes and dreams...

it seems at times overwhelming...

jesus was asleep when a great storm fell on the sea where the disciples were... scared for their lives, and in panic they woke jesus to help them. jesus responded with these words, "you of little faith." then proceeded to calm the winds, the rains and the waves. their response, "who is this that even the winds and the waves obey?"

there are times in life that the storm hits and we don't know why... better yet we don't understand.

KNOW that God's power is greater than you needs.

the storm will come.
the storm is inevitable.
the way that we respond to the storm will answer one question... where is your faith?

F

eugene peterson writes a brilliant transliteration in "the Message" on what Paul writes in Philippians 3:12-14... he says, "i'm off and running, and i'm not turning back."

Q: how many of us can say that right now?

"i'm off and running, and i'm not turning back."

may we run together toward Christ...

F

i recently learned an invaluable lesson from a friend... he defined the difference between what it means to be transparent and what it means to be vulnerable.

let me preface the explanation first by saying that transparency use to be enough... well it was enough in a world where we did not invite people into our lives. we were honest, some might even argue authentic (the new buzz word) but not vulnerable. the point of the blog is not semantics, but a better understanding of what it takes to truly cultivate community.

with that said...

transparency is disclosure without invitation.
vulnerability is disclosure with invitation.

when we are vulnerable, we INVITE people to go further than simply just listen... we invite people to navigate life with us, to take relationships to a deep, below the surface level... we begin to desire accountability instead of shallowness...

vulnerability is the foundation of community...
community is the sum of individuals who get this...

welcome to the journey...

F

will this be the year that "community" happens? will this be the year that we take serioulsy the need our humanity demands for community?

we have been talking about cultivating and creating a culture where pure community exists in our identity for several years now. our ORIGINS groups are the place that community needs to happen. ORIGINS is the place where needs can be met, "home" can happen and belonging is reality. when we decide to be vulnerable with one another, the environment changes... then and only then does community become our reality. No masks, no perfect people, just you and a desire to be a part of something that is bigger than you.

remember... VULNERABLE = LOVABLE

enjoy one another... we were designed to navigate LIFE with one another... we were never meant to go alone.

explore.
connect.

F

i had a friend earlier this year tell me that he felt like he had just jumped into a river...

have you ever been in a river before? what happens in a river? a river naturally flows. it doesn't have to wait to be told to flow downstream, that is just what a rivers does, that is what a river is.

i feel as though we have just took the plunge ourselves. see, what my friend was explaining to me was the feeling that you get when you live in obedience to the calling that has been placed on your life. if you consider yourself a follower of Christ, obedience is our calling. that is what disciples are, that is what disciples do. they can't help but follow. that is who i want to be. that is who i want us to be. that is who we need to be.

when you jump into the river, you let the river take you on the journey to end up at the destination.

are you willing to jump in?

F

last night we took our first steps as a community down the path that has been paved for us to journey this next year. i stated last night that it was a dream come true of sorts. the process of discerning the direction of where to go, where to take us as a community this year has been a process that has taught me and us countless, priceless lessons a long the way.

things will happen this year that we have never experienced before. i know that sounds presumptuous... but it will be our reality. the sum of our community called the REALM is made up of individuals, you and me. it is our responsibility to...

explore.
connect.
live.
love.
be.

happy trails...
F

Change of pace + change of place = change of perspective
i first heard this from mark batterson...

it is important to create the opportunity to slow down, experience things from and in a different context in order to see things from a fresh new perspective. I have been in buffalo, NY for the past week on vacation. i love that place. it is my hometown and the place where i grew up. i have deep affection for the place and the people.

it was a great time to reflect, dream, cultivate and affirm the direction for the next year at the REALM.

F

We just got back from our vacation to New York... it is always good to be with family. Do not take family for granted. September here we come...

F