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  • Mark 12:35 am on April 12, 2008 Permalink | Reply  

    God is too Big for Prime Time 

    tv-pile.jpg

    So our lives have been ex-TV for the last two weeks. I’m proud to say I’m not desperately foaming at the mouth, and Katrina and I aren’t about to claw our eyes out from the boredom. In fact, we’ve had more silence and peace around here than we’ve had in awhile. We’ve had a chance to read more, to talk over meals, and to pray together. The best part about us getting rid of our TV is the story – so if you don’t mind, let me indulge:

    We’d been trying to pawn off our TV for several months, each time chickening out – coming up with some excuse why we still needed it. It wasn’t until our good friends were putting on a garage sale that we finally worked up enough courage to pull the plug on our TV habit.

    Let me tell you, hauling a 27 inch TV down a flight of stairs and shoving it into a two door car is not an easy job – but we did it. Then we hauled it out into the middle of a field (the “best” place for a garage sale…where’s the garage!?!) and set it up next to all the other stuff we could bear to part with.

    Browsers and perusers kept eying the TV, but there were no takers. One lady “bought” it, but when she illegedly tried to “plug it into her car” it wouldn’t turn on. DUH. I’m not sure what that was all about, but we were happy to give her her money back when she started yelling profusely.

    Then came this great Hispanic couple. They wanted to buy our TV, but didn’t have enough to make the full purchase. It was the end of the day, and I wasn’t looking forward to carting that thing back to our upstairs apartment, not to mention have to deal with the ball and chain of a TV now that we finally felt free enough to sell it. So we sold it for less than it was worth, and even drove it up to their house for them. Their words were full of joy and excitement. They pointed to their family’s names in the concrete. I noticed a few Scripture verses scrawled into their front porch.

    As I was installing the TV, the wife asked if I liked tamales. When I responded in the affirmative, she left the room and brought back a big stack of homemade tamales! She confessed she was embarrassed they couldn’t afford to pay what I was asking for the TV, but would like to pay for the rest in tamales. I loved it! Believe me, those tamales were a gift of hospitality, not just a payment for the TV. I feel like I could’ve hung out there all day. It was a real place of peace.  That’s how the world ought to work in my opinion.  A world where capitalism looses ground and communism is unnecessary.  A sharing and redistributing of personal resources, rather than living off cash.  It’s old school, but I like it.

    So, much like giving away a puppy, I was glad to know that our TV was in the hands of a good family. I suppose that only reveals my covert TV idolizing, and reveals how happy I am that its out of our house.

    Now its on to bigger and better things. God is too big for prime time.

    tamales.jpg

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    • Steve 10:57 am on April 12, 2008 Permalink

      Welcome to the club, bro. There is life beyond the tube. =)

      (though, in our case, the 12″ that we kept around makes its way back to our living room right about the time for March Madness and the beginning of the Red Sox season…)

    • Mark 2:13 pm on April 12, 2008 Permalink

      i hear ya. its just not the same watching the final moments of Kansas’ victory on espn.com.

      last night however was fun – my friend brought his projector over. now that’s a technology i can live with!

  • Mark 3:37 pm on July 19, 2007 Permalink | Reply
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    Missionary Resource Teams 

    200454410-001.jpgSo what might leadership in an organic, Christ-centered network look like? When the “preacher”, “elder” and “deacon” as we have traditionally come to understand those terms have been uprooted, what might emerge from the soil? That is the question that we have been wrestling with lately, and there have been some interesting responses surrounding this that I thought I’d toss around.

    Over the last few years, we have truly seen a wave of Christians leaving church-as-we-know-it and moving into a smaller, more intimate community of friends. They meet as the Church in their living rooms, parks, coffeehouses, and anywhere life happens. We’re also seeing the un-churched or the new believers skip right over institutional churches in favor of simply living life with God and friends.

    But it usually stops there – from my limited research, at this point, no one has anything very developed on missional, organic leadership (save this guy) that extends beyond the local house church.

    My instinct says that if this is to be anything more than a flash in the pan; if there is to be any type of meaningful spiritual nurturing happening, eventually, Christians in these churches realize that they must connect to believers outside of their own little group in order to thrive. That is where leadership comes in.

    Followers of Christ realize that Christ is the ONLY head of the Church, and no one can be a mediator (priest) between Christ’s disciples and himself. If that is the case, if preachers and bishops and pastors and all that aren’t here to predigest God’s Word for us, or to function as judge for God, then what good are they?

    They listen to Jesus, and do what he says.

    It’s that simple, and its a project that will last for the rest of time.

    Some leaders (like missionaries/apostles) will work as catalysts; spreading the vision for God’s New Life anywhere and everywhere they hear Jesus calling them. Paul lived and worked like this. He never pretended to be a church’s Father, (only God could fill that role). He made it clear that God broke through the barriers that separated man and God, and nothing could separate them again. Apostles will start new communities by looking for a “person of peace” (Lk.10, Mt.9) and plant inside them the seeds and the DNA of the Kingdom. Before long, they are moving on.

    Apostles usually gather around them other leaders: prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. They work together as a team of missionaries to resource an emerging network that is spawned out of others who are listening to Jesus and doing what he says. Working around missional prayer, incarnational friendship, and pastoral discipling, a missionary resource team can participate in seeing a relational network of churches grow. Without preservatives, without burning out, without false structures…this is God’s family at work. (Eph 4:11-16)

    As long as these leaders serve the people they are in connection with by providing resources and opportunities for deeper involvement in God’s family, they will be “organic leaders”. They are the nitrogen in the soil, whereas the seeds are the new communities that are birthed deep down within God’s good earth.

    Spiritual moms and dads will naturally emerge from each of these churches, working with those God has entrusted to them. Usually, they will be the people who have been Christians the longest, though this might not always be the case. Working with a single faith community, these guides into Christ’s life will grow close with those in their spiritual family and transformation will happen!

    –People still like Google because it offers services (like Gmail and collaborative online documents) for free. Even more importantly, they don’t take up your screen with pesky ads like some of the other websites that offer free content or services. They clearly are keeping their patrons first in mind, not their advertisers. In this way, Google is like the missionary leaders of the future. As long as missionary resource teams can function for the network, and not the other way around, you will see healthy growth.

    –Leaders in traditional churches are like an exoskeleton, which allows for structure in an organism (good), but restricts how an organism can grow (bad). Endoskeletons function like leaders in organic church networks, serving “behind the scenes” and allowing the organism to grow and take its own shape.

    The only way for Jesus to truly be the head of his Church, and yet to have leaders who guide networks to become the Bride of Christ that they were called to be is to allow leaders to simple be the PEOPLE they were called to be…deep listeners of Jesus Christ.

    ———

    SO! This is written as a draft – what do you think about it? Can leadership function in this way? Is it possible to have grassroots networks that don’t do the whole corporate heirarchy mess? Do people need human leaders at all? Fill me in and help me think this through!

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    • miller 5:26 pm on July 19, 2007 Permalink

      As long as these leaders serve the people

      they clearly are keeping their patrons first in mind, not their advertisers. In this way, Google is like the missionary leaders of the future

      i have major problems with these statements and the ideas they represent.

      i would say as long as these leaders serve Jesus

      and

      they clearly are keeping Jesus Christ first in mind, not their advertisers.

      but then i think the google analogy would fall apart…

      its not about the people!

      its about Adonai! he serves the people, the people serve him…

      perichoresis!

      humble service to him, attention to him, lets us be used by him to care for his children…

      Jesus said he only does what the Father is doing…

      if we are to be like Jesus it seems we must learn to see and hear and do what the Father is doing.

      IMO

      good post

      peace

    • Benny Nowell 10:19 am on July 20, 2007 Permalink

      “Lack of Hierarchy – Instead of having a hierarchy, SEVENS will be led by a fellowship…a community of leaders sharing their gifts, wisdom, and the weight of their lives to bring a unified voice of direction.”

      This is from our tenets for SEVENS.

      I agree there has to be a new version of leadership for our churches…whatever form they take. I think that the leader that you are describing has to have a few key qualities:

      1. A deep, personal, active, alive relationship with God. They have to serve from a heart that is healed, feed, and shored up by God.

      2. They have to REALLY be able to listen for God’s direction for whatever ministry they have started or are involved in.

      3. They have to completely remove their ego from it all. Because when you are “allowing the organism to grow and take its own shape.”, It’s easy to get your feelings hurt. So maybe more than removing the ego; it should be said that this kind of leader has to really believe that God is in control and nows what He’s is doing. TRUST in God.

      4. This kind of leader has to be completely rid of the old way of thinking of leadership. And view themselves as servants.

      5. This kind of leader has to be the one that can inspire and equip his friends in the organization. Also be the cheerleader, and keep people excited about this family.

      Those are my thoughts. I’ve really been mulling this over as well since I am the leader of a ministry. I want the folks that are involved with SEVENS to be a part of a family/tribe and have a place to use the gifts they’ve been given. I know the kind of leadership we are after is going to create an organization that grows people who love and serve on their own. And won’t wait for the organization to come up with the plan.

      -Benny-

    • Mark 4:54 pm on July 23, 2007 Permalink

      Benny –
      GREAT thoughts on leadership! We’re moving forward in very similar directions, and it is encouraging to hear some of the similar things God is whispering to both of us. I think there is a new reforming of God’s Bride in this country that you and I are both a part of. It’s exciting. (And sorry for the late response! I’ve been out of town!)

      Miller -
      You’re absolutely right – As missional leaders we are to be servants of Christ, not of the people. Of course, that means that the people have to be in tune with Christ, because if the people see that they are no longer being served, and are not connected to Christ, they will revolt! (Look at the Israelites and Moses, who at several occasions almost gave up on each other.)

    • miller 9:35 am on July 24, 2007 Permalink

      the people have to be in tune with Christ

      agreed…

      but i don’t really know what to do about that except be in tune myself…

      peace

  • Mark 3:40 pm on July 12, 2007 Permalink | Reply  

    Charting the Last Week 

    It’s been over a week since the last post, so for this post I’ll quickly just write some of the things going on:

    I’m in a Life Transformation Group with (we’ll call him) B, a new friend from the restaurant I work at.   An LTG is simply just a friendship that is specifically focused on remaining authentic with each other, reading together from God’s Word, and praying for our lost friends.  It stays small (2-3 people, the 4th person is a sign that its time to grow into two groups).  Take a look here for some more info on all that.  B is fighting against some major addictions, and is ready to see Christ change his life.  Already he is interested in bringing a few other friends into our group.  Could this be the “person of peace” I’ve been praying for the Lord to show me?

    ——–

    The 411 Project is coming along!  Yesterday some of us met with Monty Lynn, a business management professor from ACU.  We were interested in hearing his opinions on how to fund the 411 project, and how to incorporate ownership of land and property.  I was expecting some pretty straightforward legal mumbo-jumbo coming from a BUSINESS professor.  But Monty, being the man of God that he is, wanted us instead to really focus on listening to Jesus and discovering how best to move forward.  What a trip…now BUSINESSMEN can be Christians too? (I’m only joking!)

    ——–

    Trina and I are thinking about making a trip down to Waco, TX in the near future to see a community that takes Acts 4 seriously.  That means that they share all of their possessions, and live in co-housing arrangements.  I’m excited to meet them because I’m always fascinated to see alternative ways to live the Christian life (they’ve been doing this for over 3 decades!).

    ——–

    There are new friendships and relationships that are really going deep this summer.  My friend Sean and I are spending more time together – something I’ve wanted to do for a long time now.  He was in MRNA as am I, and so we have a lot of the same dreams and impulses.  I hope that we have a chance to talk about possibilities for shared ministry in the future.

    Not only that, but this summer I’ve been given the chance to do more reading, more praying, and more discernment for what Katrina and I have in store for us in the future.  I’ve been hearing from God pretty loud and clear lately that we’re to spend our time in Abilene doing two things: heal and equip.  If you want to summit a mountain (or spend your life in mission in one of the world’s global cities), you’ve got to have a strong healthy body, and the right equipment. Katrina and I are not interested in only going up a 1/3 of the way.  We want to reach the peak without burning out.  We see our time here in Abilene as real life and ministry, as well as training and healing for what is to come.

    ——–

    Well, here’s hoping some more posts are on the way!

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    • Benny Nowell 4:43 pm on July 12, 2007 Permalink

      I love your heart Mark. I think I could learn a lot from you and Katrina about prayer and waiting on the Lord. Let’s get together on google chat??

    • miller 5:48 pm on July 12, 2007 Permalink

      thanks for the plug dude…

      it was indeed an amazing conversation and one i really needed to have.

      peace

    • Leanne 1:50 pm on July 14, 2007 Permalink

      Can I ask a question? This communal living thing? Won’t that exclude people by default? How would communal living match up with “going to all the earth”?

      I’m not being critical. I promise. I just wonder how this works w/out becoming something else.

    • Mark 12:24 pm on July 16, 2007 Permalink

      Leanne, thanks for the GRRREAT question! I went ahead and did some more thinking about it and thought it fit in well with my next post. I hope we can continue your conversation there.

    • Leanne 12:29 am on July 18, 2007 Permalink

      *smiles*

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