Jeremiah 4:18

“It’s the way you’ve lived

that’s brought all this on you.

The bitter taste is from your evil life.

That’s what’s piercing your heart.”

Not much to say on this other than the truth that shot itself right at me. “It’s the way you’ve lived,” not the things I believed, or the people I hung out with, or the persona I achieved…it’s the way you’ve lived that determines what you believe, who you’ve hung out with and reputation you’ve received.

As I move into today, another week of discernment and baby steps let me walk uprightly, speaking of truth that spurs my life, not talking so much that I can’t live at all.

If you want to watch something very inspirational, and simply a lot of fun…check this out, you won’t regret it!

Last night Anna and I had a chance to hang out with Tom and Jessie. Anna and Tom are friends from way back during public school days in Victoria and currently Anna is volunteering with Tom’s organization called GiveMeaning an awesome organization that helps non for profit companies raise the necessary funds to keep in business. If you have a non profit organization (especially you churches!) and are looking for a way to raise money for certain projects online you should check out the GiveMeaning website.

Jessie, Tom’s fiance is a muscian and you can listen to a song of hers here. She has a great sound that is a good mix of the Dixie Chicks and Nelly Furtado.

We had a great time chilling, and eating Indian Food in Kitsilano and hope to connect again soon.

As I mentioned in the last post, Jeremiah is helping me get my focus back on track. I had felt that I was putting undue pressure on myself to do something entirely human, when what I am doing is entirely not.

Some of you may be wondering, “What on earth is he talking about?” well basically there is something spiritual about starting a church. It’s not about gathering all the social activists into a room and calling it church, it’s not about taking people who are already christians and getting them to leave their church and join yours, it’s not about putting on the best “show” so that people will come to your meeting, it’s much deeper than that, and all those ideas come off rather “human” and somewhat forced and manipulative.

When I mentioned I had strayed, I didn’t mean I went out and encorporated a major marketting campaign that would bait people into being involved, but what I had done is rely on human methods of starting a organic movement of the people of God, of which will never be sustained by human activity, but only through spiritual connectedness and community.

Jeremiah 4:1-2

“If you want to come back, O Israel,
you must really come back to me.
You must get rid of your stinking sin paraphernalia
and not wander away from me anymore.
Then you can say words like, “As GOD lives . . . ‘
and have them mean something true and just and right.
And the godless nations will get caught up in the blessing
and find something in Israel to write home about.”

What stands out the most to me in this, and although it sounds harsh is where it says that “godless nations will get caught up in the blessing,” have you ever thought that the churches role is to bless those who have no church, no God, no religion? Sure godless sounds bad, but the literal point remains, the church exists to bless the world, not just the insiders or Christians.

My hope in all of this is to begin a movement of God’s people who bless the world, and in that witness God drawing some of those into a deeper spiritual relationship with Him to become part of what we call “church,” so that the nations can “find something in Israel [Vancouver] to write home about.”

After reading a little more of Jeremiah I am beginning to get very encouraged. To be honest though after reading chapters 2-3, I was beside myself in what i would call dis-array in that I was confronted with my tragic humanism. What do i mean by that you ask? Well basically i have the tendancy to organize myself so well that i think success is based on my structured life. And jeremiah called me on that, and challenged me to rethink what i really think about what success is. I realized i had been following “other gods” so to speak. I have begun trusting in the God of organization and numbers orientated success, when i should be celebrating the many relationships and friendships i have developed over my time here in Vancouver. With that said i think i am on track now, but barely…so i must continue coming back to God for guidance everyday, not just when i am down and out!

Hey everyone, thanks for all of your thoughts and ideas for the 80/20 post I put up a few days ago. This is an important concept for me in my journey and so I wanted to do a good job summing up much of the thoughts brought forward in this blog. Please continue to add the the blog post I will continue checking it, and this week i will post a detailed response to the ideas.

cheers

In a job where ambiguity is my description, and experience is my nemesis I recieved a word from God through Jeremiah today:

“Before I shaped you in the womb,

I knew all about you.

Before you saw the light of day,

I had holy plans for you:

A prophet to the nations–

that’s what I had in mind for you.”

But I said, “Hold it, Master GOD! Look at me.

I don’t know anything. I’m only a boy!”

GOD told me, “Don’t say, “I’m only a boy.’

I’ll tell you where to go and you’ll go there.

I’ll tell you what to say and you’ll say it.

Don’t be afraid of a soul.

I’ll be right there, looking after you.”

GOD’s Decree.

GOD reached out, touched my mouth, and said,

“Look! I’ve just put my words in your mouth–hand-delivered!

See what I’ve done? I’ve given you a job to do

among nations and governments–a red-letter day!

Your job is to pull up and tear down,

take apart and demolish,

And then start over,

building and planting.”

Looks like a great conference this weekend at Regent!

I think i may have to check it out. Any other takers?

I have had to process a lot of what has been going on in east van in church planting over the last few months. Not only do circumstances lead me to process, but I have also had to think and rethink a lot of what I have been told either in seminary or in the many books i have read. But as i walk this practical road of “ministry” i find it not so cut and dry.

Take the classic 80/20 principle that states that for many phenomena 80% of consequences stem from 20% of the causes. For a long time this has been used in churches to say that 20% of the people do 80% of the work. And there are countless books and articles out there to help you not allow this principle to be lived out. But what if “work” is poorly defined, and what if this principle doesn’t have to be fixed but redeemed? Could this principle if redefined be effective in a new wave of leadership and church planting?

I haven’t had a lot of comments on my blog of late, but i would love some ideas on this. I have some of my own, but if you have any links on this, or ideas please share below.