Pastor of Fishing

Supernatural church…hmmmmmm

 This chapter is the hardest for me as a pastor in the church. You see there are plans we can make and have a great things happen, but not be in God’s will.  It becomes a crazy thing when we look at a church and ask the question are we supernatural?

 I look at my church and I want to see a revival of our souls.  I beg the Lord to grow us and move us to a place of being in the wind of the Spirit.  Let’s just forget about all the scorecard crap and focus on the lives and the souls of those that the Spirit brings us!

WOW!  Imagine how it will be?  Imagine the craziness within the church?  Our plans would be shorter term?  Our direction would be pointed at a horizon…

 I do not want to write more on this…I am just going to end this chapter on this…

 Are you ready to have a life that is Spirit lead…that grows into a contagious wildfire that rips through the church that makes heads turn and stirs the soul?  Are you ready to be a vessel?  I am…

Share on Facebook

Tags: American Church, attitude, christian, Forgotten God, Frances Chan, God, Holy Spirit, life, missional
Posted in Forgotten God, Holy Spirit | No Comments »

Ugh…did he really have to write this chapter?  I always wanted to be that guy…the one that just gets all the information of God dumped right into my lap.  I want my plan all laid out and told to me in an instant.  A great download of the Spirit that prepares me for everything to come and is a simple easy package.  Open and read the contents inside for a wonderful trip with God…UGH!

 Commitment to a daily following…a chance to look over the next 10 minutes is something that truly pushes me to ask the question what does the next 10 minutes hold for me.  When it is all said and done I have to truly look at the concept of not having a “little God” in my life…hmmm

 Ok so I am picturing the view of what it means to run from Hell to the arms of God?  Do I truly run on a daily basis to get as far from the edge as possible so I don’t even give the hint of going towards Hell? MAN! Really?  It is now begging the question “What now?”  How do I push myself out of a semi-moral realm?  I have this some days.  I have these moments when I just don’t care.  I don’t want to get pushed or to follow…I…want…to sit.  Oh trust me everyone says sit, its ok, right?  Its ok to just take a week off from listening to God and just ignore the Spirit and frankly just end up in a world that is well..Godless RIGHT?

WRONG!

Share on Facebook

Tags: American Church, christian, church, Forgotten God, Frances Chan, God, Holy Spirit, life
Posted in Forgotten God, God, Holy Spirit | No Comments »

Day 1 Reading of Genesis 1:1-3:24

The recount of the Creation story always stirs my soul.  We see the intention of a purity started by God and set in motion that truly gives us this sense of wonder and awe.  Chapter 1 creates an image of an inventor in my mind.  God is inventing this whole experience before him.  Setting up all the items that need to be in place to keep Creation running.  It reminds me of setting up a fish tank and how you have to go in certain orders to make it all work right.  You can’t just put fish in without the water, and the plants, and the stones and the filter and all the other things in place for the fish to survive.  If you set up a tank right and with the right fish everything can just run on its own…very little maintenance.

The order and the method that God works for the start of creation is mind blowing to me.  All the attention to the detail in how it all will flow.  All the possibilities  accounted for in a sequence of events that will forever change the existence of Creation.  I can understand why scientists think there was a big bang…imagine the force that was unleashed into existence by the snapping of God’s fingers to create light?  The massive amount of energy that flowed out to start the universe would be cataclysmic.  It truly would be a big bang!

What about the day of rest?  This always has intrigued me.  God takes a day to rest…a time where He is not working just kicking back and doing what?  Enjoying Creation?  I wonder if He walked around like you do in Google Earth?  It would be interesting to see it in action.

As the serpent approaches Eve we get this very distinct image of just how harsh the next steps will be.  Every time I read this account I want to just cry out to Eve, “DON’T DO IT!”.  The slow motion of the , “NOOOOOO” just never works.  Adam and Eve lose their innocence.  So often with youth I see this happen.  It could be sexual interactions, drugs, alcohol, or whatever it may be that robs them of their innocence.  From then on they see the world with different eyes.

This story also shows how man tries to hide their sin from God.  How we think we aren’t being seen when we truly are.  Even now after all we have learned from God we still try to do this as man.  What we do sometimes in our feeble attempts instead of just living within the spirit.

It is interesting in Genesis 3:22  how man became like “them”.  Its interesting that through this knowledge we are no longer just an image but we are like.  We now have lost our purity…it all changed.

Share on Facebook

Tags: bible, christian, chronological, creation, God
Posted in God, chronological reading in a year, creation, life | No Comments »

Recently I have been asking the question to my personal self, “How is my relationship to God size up to the disciples and Christ?”  Asking this question can result in a variety of answers, but the one that I know is common is secure.  Chapter 5 delves into the concept of having a real relationship with God and specifically the Holy Spirit.    Chan points out very vividly the concept of being “known” by God as we see in Galatians 4:9. ( Galatians is a book that truly can rock your world if you choose to dig into it.)   The concept of having a relationship with God that is secure is very crucial in our existence as a human created in God’s image.

What does it mean to be known by God?  This is the theme we see in the beginning.  We see a deep picture of how God can know us and what that means to be His child.  This is very different than a slave as is pointed out.  This means that our toils in life are not to just be a “servant” of God but actually part of the family! How many times have I turned my faith into a works based attitude…instead of my works being the product of my relationship?

Do we view our faith as we live in exile in our own country?  The story of the South Korean missionary that was held hostage.  Do we have that zeal about our faith everyday?  I am starting to beg this question of my own life…can I truly look at each day in a way that is in relationship with God where the Holy Spirit is my life line?

Lately in life things have been hitting me and I have to deal with them on a daily basis.  The pastorate is one that is very misunderstood by many and frankly I am seeing it in a whole new light as well.  What will NEF look like in 5 years if the major attitude is to be Spirit lead…and we are truly not concerned about our security in heaven as much as knowing our God as He knows us!

Lets talk about the volume of life for a moment…I am finding more and more how I can focus my world and keep the volume low when it comes to the noise.  I am learning to be focussed and not get into the multitasking funk of life.  It is in this anxiety of “doing” that we lose our “being”.  Are we taking the time to relax and enjoy our lives as well?  Are we finding the peace within the noise?

One final point I really want to hit on…Do not let your baggage get in the way of your relationship with Christ!

This past week in particular I have talked to a few people where their pasts were holding them back from their future.  God loves to recycle our junk and make beautiful ornate creations…so let Him!  We didn’t call Him the creator for nothing.  I can’t stress enough how our pasts can drag us down unless we just give it up and move on!  We have so much to enjoy with the Lord if we just let go of the past and fly on!

Share on Facebook

Tags: attitude, christian, Forgotten God, Frances Chan, God, Holy Spirit, mentality
Posted in Forgotten God, God, Holy Spirit, life | No Comments »

When hearing someone’s take on the Holy Spirit I usually end up cringing at first.  It seems that lately everybody has an opinion on what or who the Holy Spirit is…even me!  As I read this chapter it echoed the words of the Scripture.  The concept of grieving over my injustices and rejoicing over my loving actions.  What is that truly like?

This chapter really pushed me to start asking the questions to my Lord how do I communicate with God and particularly the Holy Spirit.  It has pushed my prayer life into more than just a one time a day, or a moment in time that I focus, but into more of a checking in throughout the day.  A txt msg conversation with the Holy Spirit of sorts.

I know at first this may sound cheapened, like I am not making a ritual or having a reverence for my time, but more and more I am viewing it as being in battle.  I can’t help but view our walks as a piece of the greater battle.  Everyday I am constantly reminded of how fallen our world is and every step is moment where the Holy Spirit may have some insight/direction on my moves.  Intel as you may call it.

The reality is that all the schooling in the world will not prepare you for when the Holy Spirit needs you for a task.  Yes I said need and probably can throw in there want.  God has us as a piece of the battle, a force that He needs here on earth.  Sure I get the big picture and sometimes don’t have the details of it all, but I love when I have that direction, drive, and focus.

So what did these basic truths create for you?  Did you get stirred up a bit in your prayer life?  How you interact with God?

Share on Facebook

Tags: christian, Forgotten God, Frances Chan, God, Holy Spirit, prayer
Posted in Forgotten God, God, Holy Spirit, life, prayer | 4 Comments »

Recently as a Christian in America I have been struggling with how I fit in within the grand scheme of the Kingdom. Saying this I do not mean I am struggling with my identity as much as I am saying how does it all work? The bible portrays the early church as a very active force, a force that is almost super hero like and seems to impact the areas that it touches on a regular basis. The early church seemed to truly be one that was transformational in its surroundings. I take this passion and drive of the church of Acts and start to look at how it applies to me today. What created this effort that was so powerful?

I am lead to look first at who was doing this? It was men and women that had a personal interaction with Christ and then those that were touched by the Holy Spirit. They had faith that meant something to them because they wanted to be close to their Lord as well as reach out to others. How did they preserve this passion?

I am embarking on a journey in my life as a pastor because I will be solo at the church. It is a time of transition and uncertainty which drives me to my knees on a daily basis. I am striving to help those in my care to press closer to God and seek His heart for them. When I look at the Church of Acts I begin to weep because I feel in many ways we are so far from the mark. I begin to look at my own world and ask how does this change? How did we get here? What do I as a pastor need to do to lead in this day in age?

Being a pastor in today’s age means I have a mark on me. When I say the word pastor people automatically have a built up stereotype or generalization of who a pastor is, what we do, and how we act. Its almost automatic for many depending on their background. Lately this has been a weight on me. I have spent so long not to live inside a box of others and now…the box is so well defined by those in my world that I tend to want to just rip it away completely and not have that title at all.  Did those in the Church of Acts deal with this label?

I guess where I am going with all this I think is what does it mean to me today? How do I lead in a time when Christians are so poorly defined in our culture? A time when the term Christian is not welcomed always, when being a pastor is not necessarily a positive word, and finally a time when people are searching for a “spiritual” connection to those around them…how do I function around all this?

As I look back on Anabaptist history and reflect this with the Church of Acts I see disciplines formed. Ways of creating good formations of their spiritual life that keeps themselves strong under the times of pressure. Whether its communion or prayer it seems that in order to succeed there needs to be a way of passing on what is good to those that go ahead of us. Recently I feel that as a pastor in the post modern world there is a disconnect from pastors of previous generations to a point where I feel that sometimes I am teaching the old dogs instead of them teaching this pup. Its hard some days.

Recently I have been finding myself pressing for the discipleship that Paul shows to the church leaders of the early day. Pressing to be in relationship with other pastors to sharpen me and push me into something more than I am now. Wanting to be pushed into a direction that creates a stronger man of God is what my heart’s desire is. It has been very difficult forming this wise counsel. It seems that many pastors are just getting by and not really pushing their congregations to grow…I could also just be critical, but it seems that with all these churches around me our towns should look vastly different. Our towns should at least be changing for the better instead I see area after area around me looking bleaker and bleaker. I guess in the end I want to see growth of the Kingdom around me and I want to be a part of it.

Share on Facebook

Tags: American Church, christian, God, ministry, missional, pastor
Posted in God, church, pastor | No Comments »

Most of you know me already as a big anti-fear guy.  I am finding that the majority of the reasons things are not done by a church or an individual is the fear of the what-ifs.  This fear can be formed out of a variety of things.  As stated in the book, fear is normal…but is it a pattern that God wants from us when we read Scriptures?

This is something that is tough for me as I look to those around me.  I hate even when I don’t do something because I am a wuss and am afraid.  This chapter though focussed alot on are you ready to be open to the Spirit?  Are we ready to let our guard down?  Can we open our hearts to the Spirit and what He has for us?

Recently in my own walk I have been trying to be more obiedient not so much in the “rules” of the bible but more in how the Holy Spirit is teaching me.  Things from being more organized to setting down foundational spiritual disciplines…all of these are keys to a fuller life with Christ.  So what makes us afraid to tread into the deeper waters? 

Chan has a header that questions,  “What if God doesn’t come through?”.  I think many times this can be us or the concept that nothing happens so now what?  Fear of praying boldy is a difficult journey at times.  As Chan continues to write I notice he goes after our own compensation for the lack of answer from him. 

There is alot in this chapter…so I want to hear from all of you on what it is that you are afraid of?  What slows you down with the Spirit?

“Fear is faithless and Faith is fearless!” – Roth

Share on Facebook

Tags: American Church, christ-like, christian, fear, fearless, Forgotten God, Frances Chan, God, life, theology
Posted in Forgotten God, God, Holy Spirit, blog, church, life | 3 Comments »

In starting this book I was very taken back by the way Chan interacted with the Jehovah Witnesses.  It wasn’t his method but more his post game analysis of himself.  I began to remember in my own life when I found treasures of Scripture that went against what I was taught growing up.  One of these area for me is money.  I found that the call God puts on us for stewardship is so far from how I personally actually practice it.  The scriptures open my eyes more and more to the submissive nature I lack when serving the Kingdom.

Chan calls us to be analyzing the way we interact with the Spirit.   He brings up this notion that we don’t necessarily acknowledge or see evidence within our own churches of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit that is talked about in the Epistles tell us of an amazing power that putis our sin to death.  The Spirit is able to gift us supernaturally and assist us when we humanly could not perform the task at hand.  Should our lives not look radically different from our old?  Maybe for some of us we have been Christians so long we have no old life…and we have become stale?

There is a piece of text that I want to bring up regarding church growth, “Even our church growth can happen without Him.  let’s be honest:  If you combine a charismatic speaker, a talented worship band, and some hip, creative events, people will attend your church.  yet this does not mean that the Holy Spirit of God is actively working and moving in the lives of the people who are coming.  It simply means that you have created a space that is appealing enough to draw people in for an hour or two on Sunday.  It certainly does not mean that people walk out the doors moved to worship in the awe of God.  People are more likely to describe the quality of the music or the appeal of the sermon than the One who is the reason people gather for “church” in the first place”

I want us as a class to focus this week’s discussion on the facts of the Holy Spirit working in our own lives.  Tell us some tales when He has been present as well as maybe some areas you need to start acknowledging.  I mentionedd my finances before…one area also for myself is the methods of giving a sermon.  I feel very inadequate to preach and be in the position of the church at this time…it is truly the Holy Spirit that keeps showing up and covering the bill in my life.  I encourage you this week to truly seek time with the Lord before all else…make sure you spend time relating to the Spirit before your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend, before your job, before your kids, press into this beautiful gift of God called the Holy Spirit! 

Live in the Spirit…not next to it!

Share on Facebook

Tags: American Church, christian, church, Forgotten God, Frances Chan, God, Holy Spirit
Posted in Forgotten God, God, Holy Spirit, church | 4 Comments »

Well its the last night here…and frankly I thought I would have more time to write and update, but it has been 6am up and 1-2am and I am back in bed throughout the week.  The intensity of it all has made me feel like a rushing wind that blows me away.  Today and yesterday were very heavy days for me because I had to give my seminar.  We also had a real wrestle on the concepts of peace.  What does that mean to be a peacemaker and how does it work in our world today?

I found that here at Convention one needs to come with an listening heart.  I say this because the Holy Spirit is always trying to talk to us, but are we actually tuning in?  Greg Boyd tonight spoke and really gave us a world that includes the Holy Spirit on a regular basis.  He talked of the craziness that God took him through that just didn’t seem normal to the world.  He called us to a challenge to live as ambassadors.  The thing that really stuck to me was the discussion of the Roman Soldier and his affairs.  The soldier doesn’t concern himself in civilian affairs, instead he is concerned about his orders and his superior officer.

Tonight, I sit and just lean back in the chair in awe of the Holy Spirit.  I am staking a claim today to work at listening better.  I am going to be exploring with others at my church and in my world this concept of listening.  Tonight we exercised this on our walk home.  I stopped our group and asked us to pray.  See, we walked past a homeless man that said hi to us.  He didn’t ask for money just said hi, and I said hi back.  It was his eyes, something pierced me…as we walked on for about a block I was just disturbed with this nagging thought to help him…Thus the group gathered and prayed for us to raise funds for this man.  We gathered the money and we had 2 t-shirts (extras cause some of us bought new one’s at the concert).  I walked back and asked the man if he believed in God.  He said yes and I shook his hand and palmed him the money and handed him the T-shirts.  I looked at me confused and I smiled, “God told me to give it to you.”  I turned and walked off.  We were walking down the block and I turned back to see the man clutching the tshirts and looking to the sky…He knew where his help came from.

I write this to give testimony to the freedom within the spirit.  The dollars well it was like $100 that we raised in that moment.  I ask…what more can we do if we just “tune in” to the Holy Spirit?  More to come and this is just the start…a passion and fire has been fanned and fueled for more amazing things to come!!

Share on Facebook

Tags: christian, Convention, God, MCUSA, Mennonite
Posted in Convention, God | No Comments »

I am sitting on my porch enjoying one of my favorite ways to relax…tea and a cigar.  Its pleasant tonight just thinking about the weekend and the concept of Easter.  I try my hardest to enjoy Easter, much like Christmas I get frustrated with the commercialization that goes on around a time that is meaningful and special to individuals of the Faith.  It also is a time for me to dig deep inside and ask the question…do I show I believe?  Its our actions as believers that exemplifies the image of Christ.  It is our walk that people should talk about when discussing our faith.  Do we show that Easter happened?

Anyways, just saying, take some time to be silent and just take in the concept of Easter and what it all is…I know I am going to again and again right now on the porch…

Share on Facebook

Tags: christian, God
Posted in God | No Comments »