On Wings of Stooges

Sometimes I worry that the Church looks to the world like the Three Stooges, full of great plans, but mostly failing because everybody wants their version of the plan to be the plan. Of course we all have a plan. Every christian leader I've ever met has a plan.

Rabbit Trail Alert! Except for those that have chosen to be above the plan. It takes great dedication and focus to achieve this spiritual status. Mostly these sage individuals can be found sitting in Christian coffee shops, reading books about other people's plans and talking about how they don't have one. You can always spot the leader with no plan, because he or she is always there to keep you company when you stop by for coffee.

I'll tell you right now I have a plan. Some days its all I think about. What should God's people commit to? How should they organize themselves? What will success look like?

What worries me is when I look around and see so many plans, so many churches that I begin to ask myself, is this God's plan? Is this how God planned for the world to see His message, His people, His gospel exemplified? I begin to understand why some Christians are willing to tolerate almost any degree of deflated worldy Christianity before they will walk away from their church or denomination. Its that dream of being the church we were meant to be.

Rick Warren, who along with countless others has taught me a lot about churches, talks about knowing your taget audience and setting your ministry to task with that person in mind. I'm scarred to death he is right, very right. Targeting a specific kind of person may very well be the key to excellent effective ministry.

But is that really the gospel? Is that really the church God planned?

Dogs and cats, living together bound by a common Creator, Savior and indwelling Spirit, I thought that was the plan. And that's why some days I look at my church and the 17 others within 3 square miles and wonder whether to the world we look more like the Body of Christ, the Kingdom of God,.. or merely three stooges rolling around on the floor, going for the eyes, trying to make sure our plan comes out on top.

Take Care
Aaron

Hope Pres Angst

Everytime I come into contact with a church that labels itself emergent it feels like I'm walking past the cool kid's table in Jr.High. Everyone's polite when you talk with them, but the fact is they have a guy with cool tatoos painting abstract images of God in their worship while I've got an... organ.

The truth is we are all almost always looking at our own church and comparing it to the others around us. The cumulative effect is to leave the Body of Christ feeling somewhat like a Jr. High lunch room. We know each other, we're even polite to each other, but deep down we believe in being the way we are or we at least feel most comfortable being the way we are. Their way is not our way. So we sit at our own table with our own people and sometimes we talk about those people.

I think there are a few myths about church that need uncovering. Maybe we can spend some time these next few weeks doing so, always pointing the scrub brush at ourself first of course.

So, I suppose the question at hand is, what does the lunchroom feel like to you? Do you ever have that my church/their church angst and what can we do about it?

Take Care
Aaron

Somewhat Illustrious Beginnings

I have been informed that I must include a picture of myself with this site. I'll be sure to write more about myself in the profile section at the top right of the page. Until then here is the picture you've been looking for.

Take Care
Aaron

Dying to be Great

I am a very small man, at least that is how I see myself when I walk in front of the mirrored glass doors at the bank. Mirrors are everywhere these days.

Sometimes, all the time, when life is busy, when I can feel God (yes I believe in Him) smilling at me I begin to feel big, even huge. In fact these days I feel pretty big quite often. A few weeks ago I took my oldest two kids camping for the first time. We made a fire, roasted hotdogs, went hiking. I showed them how to walk down a steep canyon and not slip. They showed me how cool centipedes are. We arrived at the bottom and they sat waiting for me to lead on. It was one of those moments where you know you are big. This is that moment.

I've never blogged, but I expect this will be a bit about my efforts to be big and my belief that for humans being big is closely tied to Jesus of Nazareth. If I am potential, He was and is completely actual.

Take Care
Aaron