Godgrown

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  Mark 12:35 pm on September 16, 2010 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Dave Phillips, Quentin Steen, Randall Mark Peters   

  Book Review: Colors of God 

  

  Colors of God: Conversations about Being the Church written by Randall Mark Peters, Dave Phillips, and Quentin Steen is a breeze to read through – but doesn’t touch on much that has been covered in other similar books.

  This is the second book in as many months that I’ve read in a “dialogging style” meaning the authors write their content out like a script, a la “Peter: text text text…. Quentin: response response response…”  If you’ve read John Perkins’ and Shane Claiborne’s new book Follow Me to Freedom, you know what I’m talking about.  Personally, I found this type of book one of the hardest and most frustrating to read.  It seems like a thinly-veiled attempted to start a conversation that we’re not really able to participate in.  Honestly, I’d rather them craft a singular voice, rather than splicing together a few conference calls they had.

  Okay – so they lose a few points for style, but they make up for it in content!  They bring up some thoughtful points around issues they believe are major theological elephants in the room at most churches.  They use a fairly pointless metaphor of “colors” to bring these issues up – Blue = the Gospel (do we see the Gospel for all it is?) Green = Healthy Living (does our theology promote life and health or bitterness and death?) Red = Inclusive Community (how does our church involve folks interested in associating with us?) and Yellow = Cultural Engagement (we need to go to R rated movies).

  I suppose the underlying premise of this book is that if we just tweaked our understanding of these issues, the church would be “fixed!”  There is some truth that when you learn new realities, you begin to change your behavior.  But too much head knowledge doesn’t necessarily shift to new tangible realities.  I’d rather see us focus the Colors of God on what the Gospel is doing in practice in their church.  If I could hear their stories of how this theology of a radical Gospel is affecting how the members of their church changes how they treat their mailman or how they approach world issues, I think the book might have held my attention.

  There were some scandalous statements sprinkled throughout the pages.  They dance around the issue of “universal salvation” around the pointlessness of “confessing your sins” and other tenets held dear by most churches – but they answer most concerns in a FAQ chapter for each Color.  For instance, to counter the accusation of a “universalist” label, they answer in their “Red FAQ” that the the salvation is offered to everyone, but not everyone takes it – they’d rather stay out of God’s inclusive community – but they put a little twist on that saying that most folks who refuse to come around God’s inclusive community will be the religious elite!

  Simply stated, there just wasn’t much grabbing me in this text – I’d say its a skim – especially if you are a pastor at a church, wondering what major “roots” lay at the heart of why in their congregation there is so much guilt, so much exclusivity and pride, and so many remain secluded from their culture – this book may offer some deeper theological insight.

  Now, aside from the text itself – I’m thankful there are guys like Peters, Phillips and Steen willing to be brave enough to challenge the conventional approaches taken by much of evangelicalism in our world today.  We need only MORE of this dialogue…giving people legs to stand on as they question assumptions and move out into new territories in faith.  A spirit of inquisitiveness and bravery was quite refreshing as I read through the book.  If you’ve never read other books of this type (and there are quickly becoming TOO many in our bookstores these days…) then pick it up and let them take you for a drive.  You’ll thank them for it.

  
   

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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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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!

  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!

  

  Mark, Jay Abels, and Rachael are discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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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.

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    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…

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    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.

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    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.

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    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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  Mark 11:35 am on January 6, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  Prayer and A.D.D. 

  I’m still learning what it means to find freedom in discipline.  There is discipline that can evoke freedom, and then there is just strict, dry discipline.  There is discipline on one side, and spontaneity on the other.   I don’t think I’ll ever get a good balance of freedom through discipline this side of heaven, but I know that the continual training in godliness is the goal, not perfection.  Much like a violin player that disciplines herself for years will eventually be able to have the freedom to play incredibly complex works with ease – almost as a form of meditation.

  The other day I heard a great quote – that “absolutely unmixed attention is prayer.”  — Simone Weil.  It takes focus and discipline to stay centered on a single action or thought in our world today.  Millions are diagnosed (and misdiagnosed) with Attention Deficit Disorder each year – and now they are proving that for every hour a toddler spends in front of a television set his chances of developing symptoms of ADD increase 10%.  No surprise there!

  Truly look around at your world.  Think about the hundreds of items grasping for your attention – even as you read this.  Advertisements on web pages, TV, radio, clocks, phones, in-boxes, billboards…Twitter, email, Facebook…events coming up, Christmas cards to respond to, projects to plan, light bulbs to change out…on and on it goes.

  So what is prayer in this lifestyle?  Could it be that your earliest experiences in prayer might be of some practical help here?  Closing your eyes and holding your palms together fingers extended is the way most Christian children are taught to pray.  In fact, Buddhists and other faiths meditate in similar form.  Recent research has discovered that we focus and meditate best when our most sensitive nerve endings are a “closed circuit.”  Your finger tips for example are filled with some of the most sensitive nerve endings on your body – its your fingers that allow you to engage your world in the most tactile way.  So holding your palms and fingertips together is sort of your way of saying to the world’s distractions, “I’m taking a break,” and begin training your mind and soul to dive deeply into God’s presence.

  

  “So when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray…”  (Matthew 6:6)

  Jesus was pretty clear that God is not held behind locked doors or in special places for special people.  Yet in his teaching on prayer, he specifically states that some places and positions are better for pray at than others.  I think that the human body is affected by the posture in which we pray.  The brain is active in different places when we smile and lift our open hands up to the sky than when we are crouched in the fetal position over a cup of coffee and a computer screen. The earliest Christians often prayed facing East (orient), because they wanted to “orient” themselves toward where they knew Jesus was going to return from.  Try bowing in your prayers.  Try facing east.  Try lifting up your hands.  Try prayer-walking.  Let your whole body in on what your mind thought it could keep to itself with regards to your prayers.  See your prayers transform.

  If you are looking for “unmixed attention” when you pray, maybe it has less to do with your ADD diagnosis, and more to do with the simple fact that we are being bombarded with things seeking our attention – and yet God is not in those things – he is in the still small voice that so often gets crowded out by the whirlwind of our lives.  Listen.  Close your eyes.  And close your circuits off from the outside world.  Meditate and see where God shows up.

  I’m still learning what it means to find freedom in discipline. There is discipline that can have freedom, and then there is just strict discipline. There is discipline on one side, and spontaneity on the other. I don’t think I’ll ever get a good balance of freedom through discipline this side of heaven, but I know that the continual training in godliness is the goal, not perfection. I am happy to have a wife that seeks rhythms and discipline in her life – she agrees that through discipline there is freedom. Much like a violin player that disciplines herself for years will eventually be able to have the freedom to play incredibly complex works with ease – almost as a form of meditation.

  The other day I heard a great quote – that “absolutely unmixed attention is prayer.” – Simone Weil. It takes focus and discipline to stay centered on a single action or thought in our world today. Millions are diagnosed (and misdiagnosed) with Attention Deficit Disorder each year – and now they are proving that for every half-an-hour a toddler spends in front of a television set his chances of developing symptoms of ADD increase 10%. No surprise there!

  Truly look around at your world. Think about the hundreds of items grasping for your attention – even as you read this. Advertisements on web pages, TV, radio, billboards…Twitter, email, Facebook…events coming up, Christmas cards to respond to, projects to plan, light bulbs to change out…on and on it goes.

  So what is prayer in this lifestyle? Could it be that your earliest experiences in prayer might be of some practical help here? Closing your eyes and holding your palms together fingers extended is the way most Christian children are taught to pray. In fact, Buddhists and other faiths meditate in similar form. Recent research has discovered that we focus and meditate best when our most sensitive nerve endings are a “closed circuit.” Your finger tips for example are filled with some of the most sensitive nerve endings on your body – its your fingers that allow you to engage your world in the most tactile way. So holding your palms and fingertips together is sort of your way of saying to the world’s distractions, “I’m taking a break,” and begin training your mind and soul to dive deeply into God’s presence.

  “So when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray…” (Matthew 6:6)

  Jesus was pretty clear that God is not held behind locked doors or in special places for special people. Yet in his teaching on prayer, he specifically states that some places are better to pray at than others. I think that the human body is affected by the posture in which we pray. The brain is active in different places when we smile and lift our open hands up to the sky than when we are crouched in the fetal position over a cup of coffee and a computer screen. If you are looking for “unmixed attention” when you pray, maybe it has less to do with your ADD diagnosis, and more to do with the simple fact that we are being bombarded with things seeking our attention – and yet God is not in those things – he is in the still small voice that so often gets crowded out by the whirlwind of our lives. Listen. Close your eyes. And close your circuits off from the outside world. Meditate and see where God shows up.