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  • Mark 9:33 am on August 3, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

    New Godgrown Website! 

    Today is my birthday!  As a flip – we have a gift for you! After a solid 5 years as a simple blog, we are completely redesigning Godgrown.net to become a fully functional website – complete with a brand new design! Check it out!

    The new website is PACKED full of new features to help provide “resources in spiritual formation for the missional life.”

    Online Courses

    Right on the main page – you’ll see a bar going across the screen – “Mono, Micro, Meso, Macro, Mondo…” this is our fresh series on the Christian life – looking at the layers of Christian community!  We are most excited right now about the Meso – or small group/house church – Layer.  It is at the cross-hairs of Christian community – the place where your sense of belonging, love, and purpose collide – and where identity and intimacy are formed.  You can register for the Meso Course, starting Sept 1 here!

    New Pages

    New thoughts on our Focus/mission, a straightforward list of ways to subscribe to Godgrown, and a simple way to support our work.

    Connections

    We wanted the new Godgrown to be a place to easily discover networks of faith – both in Chicago and around the country.  So we’ve developed a healthy Connect page, that puts faith communities we’re connected to front and center.  Our local church network we’re a part of is the Underground Church Network, so we’ve connected Godgrown’s site to that prominently.  All this, as well as our Twitter site and Facebook page, and the Pray4Chicago Project, as a way to jump into the mission of God…

    Resources

    Finally – we’re fleshing out what resources we have to offer!  I’ve mentioned the Online Courses, but you can also request us for a seminar or workshop for your church or group.  You can also sign up for spiritual direction and/or missional coaching from yours truly!

    —–

    I am very excited about what will be possible through the website – and the new “blog collaborative” we’re developing!  Please feel free to leave a comment about the new design on this post – and help me thank Katrina for all her work to make this possible!

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  • Mark 8:55 am on March 13, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Richard Rohr   

    And – by Father Richard Rohr 

    And

    And teaches us to say, “yes”

    And allows us to be both-and

    And keeps us from either-or

    And teaches us to be patient and long suffering

    And is willing to wait for insight and integration

    And keeps us from dualistic thinking

    And does not divide the field of the moment

    And helps us to live in the always imperfect now

    And keeps us inclusive and compassionate toward everything

    And demands that our contemplation become action

    And insists that our action is also contemplative

    And heals our racism, our sexism, herterosexism, and our classism

    And keeps us from the false choice of liberal or conservative

    And allows us to critique both sides of things

    And is far beyond any one nation or political party

    And helps us face and accept our own dark side

    And allows us to ask for forgiveness and to apologize

    And is the mystery of paradox in all things

    And is the way of mercy

    And makes daily, practical love possible

    And does not trust love if it is not also justice

    And does not trust justices if it is not also love

    And is far beyond my religion versus your religion

    And allows us to be both distinct and yet united

    And is the very Mystery of Trinity…

    — Father Richard Rohr

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  • Mark 11:08 pm on January 28, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Frank Viola   

    Five Unmovable Principles 

    Have you read Finding Organic Church by Frank Viola yet?  I recommend it – he has steadily grown on me over his last several works, and this is his most practical and reasonable book on the world of starting and sustaining authentic Christian communities.

    Viola devotes a whole section of his book to “Practical Steps for Beginning.”  His first chapter in that section, “Five Unmovable Principles” is what I want to mention briefly in this post.

    These are 5 values, or goals that each person in a house church MUST strive for as they are starting a new community together.  Otherwise, it is certainly doomed to become another pet project, run by men and not by God.  Viola says that embracing these principles however, will help a community avoid the major pitfalls and disappointments that so many house churches are hammered with in their first year.

    …I would say that after years of helping plant house churches, seeing some fail and some thrive, that his list dead on.

    They are:

    1. Become like little children.

      2. You may have been a spiritual guru in your last church or at seminary, but now you’re called to drop your agenda, gifts, ambitions and simply be a humble sibling in the Lord.   Unlearn as much as you can at the start.  Lean on Christ alone.

    2. Your feelings will get hurt.

      3. People will let you down, and you will disappoint others – no getting around it.  You will not get your own way.  Strangely you will be most offended by the vices in others that most reflect your own.  When someone hurts your feelings, that is the moment to see exactly what kind of person you are and want to become in Jesus.

    3. Be patient with the progress of the group.

      4. This may be “simple church” but its not simplistic, and its not a microwave!  It took 9 months for you to be born, its similar with an organic church.  All the unlearning and rebuilding going on in hearts of your church family takes time.  Certainly everyone’s clock is not the same as yours, but never fear – there is progress – visible or not.

    4. People will leave your group.

      5. Be honest, working towards a house church with no regular sermon, large-group worship, children’s classes, etc is a tough shift for many Christians to make – even non-Christians have certain expectations for what “church” is in America.  WHEN (not if) people “check you out” and then “shop elsewhere” do your best not to wish them anything but the best, do not judge their motives, and do not pressure them to stay.  Maintain instead a liberal atmosphere of freedom and a presence of God’s Spirit.

    5. People will experience exciting spiritual growth and healing!

      6. Don’t forget that it is in this context that people were designed to grow.  It is their natural habitat to flourish – socially, and spiritually.  It is in intimate, small groups that transformation occurs – and it is in these committed families of love that hold the seeds to upend the world and transform it for GOOD.  Watch with expectancy as lives are changed and healed, and as ideas for local mission and service are hatched!

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    • Jay Abels 11:33 pm on January 28, 2010 Permalink

      Wouldn’t it be nice if there were just some guarantees and a system that always worked, when you did it right. But, we would loose the excitement of seeing God work and experiencing growth.

    • Rachael 12:07 pm on January 29, 2010 Permalink

      These are great, Mark! I can tell you from me and Stephen’s experience the last year and a half in a more traditional church that all of these same concepts apply :) Our church would be much more authentic, spiritual and more successful if everyone was able to remember these things…

    • Mark 12:22 pm on January 29, 2010 Permalink

      Rachael — Thanks for the input! Very truly, people are people, no matter how or where they meet. I agree with you that if we can trust each other enough to take off our masks, we can experience the healing that God intends for us. I appreciate you guys for your willingness to be real with those in the church, and out of it.

      Jay — Ha, its true. So quickly and easily do I reduce “EVERYTHING” down to “five unmovable principles” or “three easy to follow steps.” Pour, mix, serve. Voila!~ “Church!” Not so fast… your comment is a good reminder that not even these 5 principles are a guarantee that God’s Spirit will take ahold of a group! Good thoughts.

    • Jay 8:34 pm on February 11, 2010 Permalink

      I remember the first time I dug up a little plot and planted some vegetable seeds. They just didn’t grow according to my time schedule. I managed to pull up a few little carrots trying to speed their growth. Now it is funny, until I think about maybe having uprooted some young Christians who have just sprouted. He gives the increase, but not on our timeline.

    • Mark G Willis 9:27 am on February 12, 2010 Permalink

      Very sobering Jay – regarding the gardening metaphor – I think you might find this OLD video of Frog and Toad interesting!

      http://godgrown.net/blog/2007/10/03/frog-toad-and-organic-growth/

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