the chronicles of sarnia

Connecting with God 101

At my church we recently unveiled our new church mission and process for making disciples.  At Pleasant Valley Church we encourage everyone to: Connect with God.  Grow with Others.  Serve the World.

As a staff, we’ve been emailing back and forth, discussing at length and refining what it looks like for someone to integrate this process of disciple-making into their own life.  Well today I had an opportunity to do some seriously awesome Connecting with God.

I escaped to a secluded area in an undisclosed MN State Park with a great view overlooking the Mississippi River.   I was a little paranoid of being attacked by snakes or what not but nonetheless I was there to really make a go of making a connection.  I have made it my goal set aside time in my calendar to get away by myself, without distractions to pray, read my bible, roam around in nature, and see what God would say to me.

I decided to read through the book of Philippians.  I had my journal open so that any passages that seemed to pop off the page I could jot down and later commit to memory.  After slowly digesting the book of Philippians I found a whopping 17 passages that I wanted to memorize.  Some I had memorized in the past but needed a refresher.  Others passages that I wanted to meditate on to gain insight.  Here are a few of those passages:

Phil. 1:6  “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Phil 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ to die is gain.”

Phil 1:27 “Whatever happens conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

Phil 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

Phil 2:5-11 “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.  But made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross.  Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Needless to say, having just memorized those 5 passages my mind is pulsing with God’s word, thus increasing my connection with Him and what he says about how I live my life. 

Can I encourage you as He did me?  Hide God’s Word in your heart.  Don’t count on Sunday morning worship celebrations to be your only spiritual food throughout the week.  It’s meant to be a springboard into a deeper, abundant life in Christ.  Let God’s word dwell in you and He’ll blow open the door to Greater Things.


Anticipating Greater Things

I’m not sure what the early disciples felt when they went to the upper room but I have a feeling they had a heightened awareness of their surroundings. Anticipation for God to move. Momentum propelling them forward. Inspiration in the face of despair and courage in the face of fear. What was it like to know that God had greater things in store? That the things God wanted you to do were nearly impossible.

I love the song God of this City. We started singing it in January. Every time we sing it we have an opportunity to see God’s heart to transform our city. We sang it again yesterday after we watched an awesome video testimony. Everyone seemed to feel this momentum and urgency to share Christ and invite people to begin a relationship with God by coming to church on Easter.

I think this is a fresh wind that God is sending our way. And we’re gaining momentum! The anticipation is building! God has greater things in store at Pleasant Valley.


Being Simple Pt 1.

When you think of simple, what comes to mind?  I think of the Google homepage.  I think of the Dollar Menu at McDonald’s.  I think of velcro shoes.  Wii.  iPod.  Converse Allstars.  No Name steaks.  Why am I attracted to all of these things?  Each of these products drastically narrow my options down to a few very basic things.  Ultimately, each of these things have competitors that copy them after they see that simple works.  Why does simple work?  We live in a complex world that is traveling at breakneck speed around the clock.  Our world has a Wal-mart and/or Super Target around every corner.  Reducing the need to travel to shopping malls.  Am I the only person in the world that becomes a little overly aggressive after prolonged exposure to the white noise found in shopping malls?  Think about it.  The white noise in malls is an audible representation of the subtle chaos that passes as sane in our society.  

Put yourself back in the mall.  You see customers bustling past shop windows, up and down escalators, constantly roaming, consuming material goods to satisfy their weary soul.  At once, the white noise stops.  Time comes to a screeching halt.  Customers’ expressions are frozen.  No movement.  No sound.  The only thing you’re certain of is the  silence.  Now isn’t that nice for a change?  You can actually have a coherent thought!

Churches have taken the shopping mall approach to church: offer as much variety, advertise to your target market, get them in the door any way you can.  Once you get them in the door, it doesn’t matter where they spend their money as long as it’s somewhere.  Sometimes I experience that same white noise effect when I look at various church’s home page / calendar / mission / vision / purpose statement / flannelgraph.  Just kidding about flannelgraph.  I just wanted to say it.  Does any one even know what flannelgraph is?  It’s what the early church used before HD bigscreens were introduced to Sunday Schools in the late 1900’s.  After a while Jesus’ beard and hair became a fuzzy mess.  Ah, flannelgraph.  Those were the days.  I digress.  Isn’t that true of churches? (I’m talking about the malls again.)  We tend to solicit whoever comes in the door to attend some event or ministry.  And as long as they’re a warm body occupying a seat or filling a role, we consider it a success.    

What if instead of offering every possible ministry/event/seminar/concert/workshop known to man, we have a clear, compelling focus?  What if we stopped a hundred things that we did half-well to do a handful of things with all the tenacity and vigor that God can supply!?  That would take tremendous focus.  Unparalleled resolve.  And a miracle.

In Part 1 of this blog, hopefully you started thinking: Wow, there’s alot of needless activity in my life.  I should simplify.  If not, great.  But you may be Amish.  In Part 2 I’ll discuss what simple looks like for churches across the country and why simple is so paramount to the success of the Church (universal) in the 21st century.   

P.S.  I enjoy simple pleasures like sitting in a comfy chair with a book and/or journal, watching my daughter take her first steps (click this link to watch her take her first steps on video: http://tofkristi.blogspot.com/2008/10/new-milestones.html), eating basmati rice with out soy sauce.  Okay basmati rice with out soy sauce is not a simple pleasure, but it’s definately simple and more of a method of survival when I was a college student.

P.P.S. If I was the CEO of Culver’s, I’d say bring the menu down to three things: butterburgers, fries, and shakes.  All good things come in threes.

P.P.P.S.  Some of these thoughts are not original.  Most are somewhere in the pages of “Simple Church” by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger.  Incredible book supported by lots of data, prayer and flannelgraph.