Solid Definition

I was browsing some sites today on postmodern or "emerging church" stuff and came across
this definition or description of the emeging church. I think it is pretty clear, more so than many others I have read. Leave it to Wikipedia...

Peace,

k

Can't see the Forest....

The OD is about to be 1 year old. That's right. We have been "doing" church for 1 year. We started with 27 people. Lately we are in the mid 50's every week. One week we hit 73. We have seen over 100 people come through our door. We have eaten together 52 times. We have done 28 street runs, feeding approximately 2800 people. We have worshiped together 52 crazy times. We have had four weddings. We have been a community of followers, seeking to figure out how to walk this walk. It has been an amazing year.

I was telling Jared today that we do this thing, and to us it is just, what we do. I am often amazed when I talk to others outside the community about The OD, how blown away they are by what we do. To us it is "normal". However, it is good to get outside sometimes and see that God truly is doing something cool with us. When you break it down, and look at the parts, it is pretty awesome. It really is like riding with the top down.

I can't wait to see what He does in year 2.

Peace,

K

An Encouraging Day...

I had an awesome morning this morning. I met with a bunch of leaders who are trying to do church in more relevant ways. relevant to the communities they live in. Some of them are just leaders trying to understand this "New Christianity". It was amazing to be together and share. Share questions, concerns and answers, and more questions. We shared what we do in our own contexts. Some of our churches are very different, but we are trying to do the same thing. We encouraged each other. I have been a part of many "emerging" church conversations over the past few years. I have become tired of many, because they are all about philosophy and deconstruction issues. It was amazing to actually focus on what IS happening and how good stuff is, rather than sit around bitching about what was and how bad it was. It was a breath of fresh air.

God is doing some good things in this city.

Peace,

K

Leadership

What is leadership? Someone once said, if you think you are leading and no one is following, you are just out for a walk. Often, we think of leaders as the "up front" people. They are "People of influence." Although this can be true, it is not the rule. The best leaders, shepherds, mentors are the ones that are "present". If you want to have influence, then you have to do the hard work of being available. It is easy to get up and spout some lofty thoughts, or lead worship. The real influence and leading takes place on the floor. This means having what seem to be meaningless conversations sometimes. It means listening to people, whether you feel like it or not.

I can't remember one sermon or Sunday school lesson from when I was growing up, but I remember the teachers and pastors. I know the impact or lack of it, they had on my life, by watching them live.

We tend to want position and status, NOW. We want results, NOW. We want to see the impact of our words, NOW. Well, in real life it is rarely like that. We need to be in this game for the long haul. We have to be willing to do whatever it takes. In leadership, the first "must" is, you must be present. I wish it were easier. It isn't.

Peace,

K

What a ride.....

God you are so faithful. When I am down or losing focus, you do things that just bring me back to the place of trusting you. You give more than expected. Amazing.

As many of you know, we run a food bank. We are presently helping to feed over 100 families every week. Food is just flooding in. God has given us favor with suppliers. We had to buy 4 freezers(for a total of 7 freezers), just to handle the load. We are now in a position where we are helping other food banks. God is good. I pray that as we help our community, they will see Jesus in our actions and our words.

Peace,

K

Swallowing hard

I am a fighter by nature. I don't give in easily. I strive to find what is right and live by it. This week I have been forced on several occasions to swallow my pride and let go of what is "right". It is a struggle for me to not fight back when lies are being spread. When slanted stories are being told. I am not so good at turning the other cheek. It doesn't "feel" right to me to let injustice go untouched. Yet, I find myself in this position, asking myself how shall I respond as a recipient of Grace. How did Jesus and the apostles respond to injustice and unfair treatment? They took it on the chin and focused on the BIG picture. I gotta tell you, it sucks.

Jesus said there would be days like these. So did paul and almost everyone else in The Book. God, give me faith and courage to do what is right in your eyes, not my own.

Peace,

K