A thankful Church Planter

I was just thinking about how thankful I am for Origin (that means all of you who are Origin) Church. So I wanted to send out an e-mail and let you know some of the things I'm thankful for.

1. Thank you for being a church who loves, worships, makes much of Jesus. Before we launched publicly I preached on John the Baptist and how easily he took his role. He had so many reasons to be self-focused. God chose him, saved him and gave him the Holy Spirit while he was in his mother's womb. He was called to be a prophet. He had a bunch of disciples that followed him. He had influence, authority, recognition. He was equivalent to a Mega-church pastor minus the camel hair clothes and the locust diet. Crazy thing was when Jesus came John readily pointed him out. In fact after acknowledging that Jesus was the Messiah two of his disciples immediately left him and went and followed Jesus. He didn't stop them. He didn't make them feel guilty. He didn't wonder if Jesus will take all of those who were following him. He wanted them to follow Jesus. This is why he said, "I'm a voice crying out..." He knew at the end of the day he was just a voice. Thank you Origin for being a great voice for Jesus. A beautiful voice for Jesus crying out in our city. The obvious love of the gospel. The kind of praying that happens throughout the week in Mercy groups and impromptu prayer times. You who come and set up and tear down each week. Those who have made Origin a community not an event. For serving those in the city regardless of personal gain. A voice in the way a lot of you have been so generous to work out with the kids, sacrificial with your money by giving to Origin and taking care of needs around you. There are a million seemingly monotonous responsibilities every week and I hear no complaining. I'm thankful that we find joy in decreasing so that Jesus can increase and instead of making followers of Origin or us we point to Jesus and praising God watch people be made alive by him.

2. Thank you for letting me preach the Bible. God has not only called me to preach the Bible it is one of my greatest joys. I love it and I love the fact we have a church that is hungry for the word of God preached hard and with passion. There are enough books written about starting church and some of them would disagree with how I preach the Bible. Starting your first year preaching through Jeremiah is not on any list for planting a church. However, the people who write those stupid books have not seen the kind of life in our church. I am thankful Origin loves the Bible. I love that the Bible is the authority in our life and if I were to stop preaching with passion most of you would not hesitate to slap me and tell me to snap out of it. I'm thankful we have a church that allows other to preach the Bible along side me. Origin has received Matt, Chad and Jordan last week. It is very encouraging that the freedom to have other people share the teaching is seen as a good thing. I love preaching the Bible, I'm called to do it and I'm thankful we have a church who loves it too.

3. Thank you for being a church that is alive. No doubt one of the comments left to me by visitors is that our church is alive. There is a genuine love and care for one anther that can be felt each Sunday Night. There is very little pretense. We have new people coming to faith in Christ. Just this past week I had the privilege to teach a new believer about communion following Jordan's teaching. It is obvious to those looking in that Origin believes what they say and that what they say is actually transforming them. I am thankful we have a church that doesn't hide the life God has given us. I think we are the loudest signing church I know. Maybe you sing loud so none of you have have to hear me sing, I don't blame you. Doesn't matter I think it's awesome. It's great that we respond each week to the Scriptures being taught. Our worship is connected to the truth of the gospel, the forgiveness and freedom we have received in Jesus. I'm thankful we are not stoic but evidently alive.

4. Thank you for being on mission for our city. 5th Sundays are a good excuse to do nothing but sit home and do homework. I am thankful that we have a church that values the mission God has put us on. God is making all things new and uses his church (called people) to be on mission towards his end. Thank you for the support behind Origin Coffee and dream the kind of dreams we are dreaming. We are moving forward and hope to see Origin Coffee up and running by early 2010, God willing. It will be a huge sacrifice for us. It will cost us all. We will have to give our money. We will give our free time. We will give our talents and energy. I am thankful that we have a church that sees the cost of mercy and runs towards it instead of away from it. REMEMBER THIS UP COMING SUNDAY IS A 5TH SUNDAY DON"T MEET AT ORIGIN BUT use it to serve others or the city, build a deeper friendship with a friend or neighbor. Begin to think of a plan now.

There are a thousand other things to be thankful for. Thanks Origin for being on the journey of life by and life for Jesus. Enjoy Turkey day tomorrow and I'm excited to hear the stories of 5th Sunday next time we get together.

The Church as a Vehicle

A question I get asked frequently is, "How should I choose a church?" or "Why does Origin run the way it does?"

Keep the main things in view. Find a place where Jesus is worshiped and preached, the church is biblically lead, right doctrine and theology is applied, practiced and transformation from the gospel is happening internally and where the mission of the gospel is going externally.

The church is the vehicle for the gospel to go out and for Jesus to be known.

Then my mind went crazy with car metephors for churches. Enjoy!

1. The pinto - The pinto is a fun one. When it came out it was small, peppy, sporty in a late 70's/80's kind of way. It was hip to the younger drivers (in fact my sister thought she was pretty cool with hers), FORD promised a lot. All this was true but became secondary when they started catching on fire and blowing up. Turns out there were several important design flaws. The motor was bad. The gas tank couldn't take a hit and it's passengers would often get burned. Either the Pinto didn't start and causing all kinds of frustrations for it's driver and passangers or if started it was likely to turn into a speeding fire ball down the freeway, Speed style. Design, engineering, reliability was bad and ultimately the laughing stocks of the car world. Thus we get the term Put-In-Nickle-To-Opperate

2. The Lotus - This is the sports car. It's fast, expensive, shinny, top of the line. Everyone who sees it, wants to take a ride so they can feel what it's like and how it handles. It instantly makes every other car seem lowly, lame and whimpy. People will naturally be drawn to it because there are very few on the road. It makes decisions quickly and handles great. It takes to the road and adapts to all kinds of situations immediately. However, it isn't really practical. It doesn't always fit the context of the road. Lot's of money is spent keeping it waxed and looking great. Unfortunately, the engine never has a place to really open up because the traffic around it. It has a tendency to lose people in it's tracks and the drivers tend to lose sight of what most people drive.

3. The Mini-Van - The Mini-van is all about practical and the family. No parent wants to drive one but that's what happens when the family get's big. The real contentment is that it fits everyone comfortably and has a lot of storage for whatever needs may arise, like costumes for the Christmas program. It's great for kids, allows for mess, easy to clean and great for long road trips. The problem is that it is weighed down when fully loaded. There is lots of fighting and whining in the back and the driver thinks back to the day when they said, "I would never get a mini-van." The mini-van is great at dropping people off at, school, soccer, gymnastics, dance, band, football, etc. but rarely is everyone going to the same place. However, there are lot's of "honor student" bumper stickers on the back for all the world to see how "great" it really is.

4. The Prius - Energy efficient, culturally responsible and green. It has multiple cup holders for all the lattes drank it will hold. Yuppies love it and green piece demands it. It comes in great colors and runs nearly silent. It is fuel efficient. It travels long distance without needing to be filled up and doesn't take much personal sacrifice since it's nice on the pocket book. There are obvious problems like the horsepower. I'm pretty sure a kids "Power-Wheel" has more torque. Try taking a Prius up whiny mountain roads. It drives great on open straight roads but when conditions change and destination call for some up hill driving the tiny little electric motor gets migrane? The Prius is great for women but the design, horsepower and small interior doesn't appeal to men who feel bad for all the other men who just suck it up because it makes their wife happy.

Our churches need to have the horsepower to cross the difficult cultural terrain. It must have speed to continually contextualize the gospel for the culture around it. It must be able to take corners quickly when sharp turns are necessary and be able to make U-tuns if it finds itself of course. Men must want to drive it and women must feel valued, appreciated, comforted and cared for in it. It must be safe for children, reiable for those who call it home and it's destination must be the most appealing feature. I'm sure there are a thousand other metaphors but you get the point. Happy driving!

There was no compassion for Jesus

I finally began listening to the first sermon in Mark Driscoll's "Luke" series today. The gift of not having to preach this weekend. I would suggest listening to the whole message but until then watch this and let this flood over your heart, Jesus is so good to me. Oh how my sins have been the sponge to the mouth that proclaimed forgiveness for those very sins.

A Parable

Rick is new to the coffee house. He has begun to spend a lot of time using the coffee house and free Internet as his office (which is why I'm here). Today he brought in his guitars. Although not very compatible to the music playing in the background he is very good with the strings. I have had a couple of short conversations with him but nothing deep and nothing tapping into the obvious life journey he has had, which he wears on his face and demeanor. So while playing one guitar I went picked up the other one and we had a little jam session. It was good times but the conversation that followed was better.

I did get to hear some of his story and as I thought it included a period of time he called himself a "Christian" or "Jesus dude" as he said it. He has walked away from "Christianity" because he was disappointed by it while part of a church, living in San Diego. It was also obvious that Rick had little clue about what the Bible actually taught or any kind of biblical-centered theology. To him God is in everything and we can do miracles everyday because a piece of God is in us.

He didn't grow up Christian he said "Jesus just made sense". On the first Sunday living in his new apartment he was woken up by drumming. Being a musician he followed the sound and found himself living right across from a church. The building didn't look like a church and the people seemed cool so he stayed.

Each week the church hosted a dinner. While all this was happening a friendship had developed between an ex-sunglass model who had become homeless. Rick described him as "drinky and stinky". One week Rick invited his new friend to the weekly church dinner. He thought it would help this guy out. He could get fed and he might even get some help for his situation. Rick brought him to dinner and the leaders asked Rick's friend to leave because he was a bother to the others. They sent him to the dumpster where they "compassionately" brought food out to him.

Rick couldn't believe it. He was confused. Angry. Embarrassed. He left the dinner and went out to the dumpster and ate with his friend. He never returned to any church. He has chosen to figure out what following Jesus looks like alone alone. He justifies his position because of the hypocrisy of the people in that church.

I just said, "I'm sorry for what that church did." I also told him the hypocrisy of the followers doesn't mean the leader is a fake. Responding like this will allow future conversations.

I walked away in thought as a "theologian". Jesus condemned the religious around him for their puffed up knowledge and their lack of humility. This was a parable being told to me. Which one understood following Jesus? The church with the right knowledge or Rick and his immature theology?

[Before you send me a bunch of e-mails on the importance of solid theology know you are speaking to the choir. I am a hammer when it comes to solid theology. This is meant to shake our solid theology into solid humble action and grace.]

Why Piper loves the doctrine of grace

He says things so simply and yet so profoundly helpful. At the expense of losing people who read this blog...you should all be reading his.

"Why I love the doctrine of grace"

Everything is amazing, no one is happy

I had a professor once that explained that we only laugh at what is true. This is prime example. You'll laugh because it's you just admit it.

Via scotteriology.

Easy to laugh at...harder to see in myself.

This picture is a metaphor for so many things. In how many ways do people want others to think they are a mansion but if one would only walk through the front door they would see the shack of their heart and soul.

Jesus nailed it,

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence...Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." Matthew 23:25-27

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