Hey - just a quick update to let you know that Mars Hill Community Group #2 is officially underway. It was great to gather together at Sauced (www.YourSauced.com), a fun little hang out spot in the Paseo Arts District.
As we sat around nibbling on pizza, getting to know one another, and enjoy conversation, I was very aware that this was a time and place that the Kingdom was breaking into. Jesus could be experienced because we weren't boxing him in and programming him out.
So, if you're young OR young of heart, come spend Thursday evenings with us at 7:30pm for dinner and community.
Later.
Ben.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
This Beautiful Mess.
On Mondays I'd like to blog some of the highlights from the KAMP's Gathering talk.
I' d like you to blog some of the highlights from your perspective, not just the talk, but the relationships and the stories of transformation that we are experiencing together.
So here goes...
We started Mars Hill because we believe every generation must ask the question: “What does it look like for us to BE the church here and now?”
We are passionate about BEING the church, not simply attending it.
It is our turn to step up and take responsibility for who the church is going to be for the next generation. It is our turn to redefine and reshape and dream it all up again. It is our turn to rediscover the beautiful, compelling idea that a group of people, surrendered to God and to each other, really can change the world.
We are learning that the church is at its best when it gives itself away. It is when the church gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting nothing in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display.
The church has spent way too much time, energy and resources attempting to DO church outside of the box. We are not trying to think outside of any box. THERE IS NO BOX. If I had a box and a sledgehammer, I would demolish the box and ask God to set us all free from religion that boxes God in and boxes people out. And Jesus came to announce that those that we think are out are actually in.
Jesus came to announce and invite us into a new kind of Kingdom.
Mark 1:14-15 says, “Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
Luke 17:20-21 says, “20Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within[b] you."
You see the Kingdom of God is this upside down, inside out, backwards, anti-hierarchy, paradoxical, last are first, lose your life to find it, die to live, give to receive, kind of reality. A new reality is already upon us. The vision Jesus paints for his followers is that of a heavenly reality landing smack dab in the middle of everyday life. The Kingdom is how things really are.
We are on a journey. We have not arrived. We don’t have this all figured out. The Kingdom of God is a journey not merely a destination. Earth can become like heaven and people can be saved from hell on earth. We are on a journey. We are moving forward. We are not going to sit around and lament the downward spiral of culture and the church. Today is a new day.
New world order is coming, called the kingdom of God and it will bring beautiful order to our normal messes and a beautiful mess to our normal orders.
God’s Kingdom is a reality ushered in and discovered by questions. And this journey is guided more from pursuing profound questions than seeking practical answers. Jesus was always following questions with questions. What does it look like for us to BE the church here and now? What are the essentials of being a disciple of Jesus in OKC here and now? What are the non-essentials, the Jesus AND stuff? Which parts are leftover encumbrances from generations gone by? I ask you to leave behind, as best you can, preconceived ideas AND ideals – presumptions of knowing what’s best. To ask some questions and really listen for the truth. Not our reality. But a new reality. The Kingdom.
God’s Kingdom is a reality ushered in and discovered by stories. Stories and questions are connected. And stories are connected to experience NOT mere knowledge. Jesus was a story-telling machine. He tells us that His way AND ultimate reality will be understood through story. Mars Hill is committed to measure success by stories of transformation.
The Kingdom of God is NOT a science it’s an art. Many of us have experience life as a giant paint by number kit. This is a big blank canvas, waiting for something of beauty to emerge. This is not church by numbers, faith by number or life by numbers. This is art. This is the Kingdom.
I' d like you to blog some of the highlights from your perspective, not just the talk, but the relationships and the stories of transformation that we are experiencing together.
So here goes...
We started Mars Hill because we believe every generation must ask the question: “What does it look like for us to BE the church here and now?”
We are passionate about BEING the church, not simply attending it.
It is our turn to step up and take responsibility for who the church is going to be for the next generation. It is our turn to redefine and reshape and dream it all up again. It is our turn to rediscover the beautiful, compelling idea that a group of people, surrendered to God and to each other, really can change the world.
We are learning that the church is at its best when it gives itself away. It is when the church gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting nothing in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display.
The church has spent way too much time, energy and resources attempting to DO church outside of the box. We are not trying to think outside of any box. THERE IS NO BOX. If I had a box and a sledgehammer, I would demolish the box and ask God to set us all free from religion that boxes God in and boxes people out. And Jesus came to announce that those that we think are out are actually in.
Jesus came to announce and invite us into a new kind of Kingdom.
Mark 1:14-15 says, “Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
Luke 17:20-21 says, “20Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within[b] you."
You see the Kingdom of God is this upside down, inside out, backwards, anti-hierarchy, paradoxical, last are first, lose your life to find it, die to live, give to receive, kind of reality. A new reality is already upon us. The vision Jesus paints for his followers is that of a heavenly reality landing smack dab in the middle of everyday life. The Kingdom is how things really are.
We are on a journey. We have not arrived. We don’t have this all figured out. The Kingdom of God is a journey not merely a destination. Earth can become like heaven and people can be saved from hell on earth. We are on a journey. We are moving forward. We are not going to sit around and lament the downward spiral of culture and the church. Today is a new day.
New world order is coming, called the kingdom of God and it will bring beautiful order to our normal messes and a beautiful mess to our normal orders.
God’s Kingdom is a reality ushered in and discovered by questions. And this journey is guided more from pursuing profound questions than seeking practical answers. Jesus was always following questions with questions. What does it look like for us to BE the church here and now? What are the essentials of being a disciple of Jesus in OKC here and now? What are the non-essentials, the Jesus AND stuff? Which parts are leftover encumbrances from generations gone by? I ask you to leave behind, as best you can, preconceived ideas AND ideals – presumptions of knowing what’s best. To ask some questions and really listen for the truth. Not our reality. But a new reality. The Kingdom.
God’s Kingdom is a reality ushered in and discovered by stories. Stories and questions are connected. And stories are connected to experience NOT mere knowledge. Jesus was a story-telling machine. He tells us that His way AND ultimate reality will be understood through story. Mars Hill is committed to measure success by stories of transformation.
The Kingdom of God is NOT a science it’s an art. Many of us have experience life as a giant paint by number kit. This is a big blank canvas, waiting for something of beauty to emerge. This is not church by numbers, faith by number or life by numbers. This is art. This is the Kingdom.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
It Was My First Time.
My 4 1/2 year old little girl Harley is taking swim lessons this week at an Edmond city pool. Monday morning was overcast and stormy which caused the first day to be cut short. She was disappointed BUT a good sport about it all.
Last night at bed time she prayed asking God to "help it not rain tomorrow". She wanted to enjoy the full blown swim lesson experience. And guess what, it was a beautiful sunny day.
This evening as we were hanging around the house, playing in the backyard and enjoying some family time...Harley began to tell me about swim lessons. Her eyes lit up as she remembered her prayer from the night before. "I ASKED GOD TO HELP IT NOT RAIN TOMORROW AND IT DIDN'T RAIN...IT WAS MY FIRST TIME."
Harley was aware that God was listening to her prayer AND that God was aware of her desires AND that God was in active in her life.
Childlike faith...
And in that moment I thanked God for loving my little girl far more than I could ever love her! She has the best Father I could ever want for her.
And so do you...
Pray today.
Open your heart.
Speak out a desire.
Last night at bed time she prayed asking God to "help it not rain tomorrow". She wanted to enjoy the full blown swim lesson experience. And guess what, it was a beautiful sunny day.
This evening as we were hanging around the house, playing in the backyard and enjoying some family time...Harley began to tell me about swim lessons. Her eyes lit up as she remembered her prayer from the night before. "I ASKED GOD TO HELP IT NOT RAIN TOMORROW AND IT DIDN'T RAIN...IT WAS MY FIRST TIME."
Harley was aware that God was listening to her prayer AND that God was aware of her desires AND that God was in active in her life.
Childlike faith...
And in that moment I thanked God for loving my little girl far more than I could ever love her! She has the best Father I could ever want for her.
And so do you...
Pray today.
Open your heart.
Speak out a desire.
Monday, June 18, 2007
The Right Questions.
A couple of late night thoughts from Peter Block's "The Answer To How Is Yes" via Joseph Myers "Organic Community".
Transformation (side note: Mars Hill is committed to measuring success by stories of transformation) comes more from pursuing profound questions than seeking practical answers.
When we look for tools and techniques, which are part of the How? question, we preempt other kinds of learning. In a sense, if we want to know what really works, we must carefully decide which are the right questions for this moment. Good questions work on us, we don't work on them. They are not a project to be completed but a doorway opening onto a greater depth of understanding, action that will take us into being more fully alive.
So, what questions are you pursuing?
What questions are working on you?
Let's ask some profound questions together.
Transformation (side note: Mars Hill is committed to measuring success by stories of transformation) comes more from pursuing profound questions than seeking practical answers.
When we look for tools and techniques, which are part of the How? question, we preempt other kinds of learning. In a sense, if we want to know what really works, we must carefully decide which are the right questions for this moment. Good questions work on us, we don't work on them. They are not a project to be completed but a doorway opening onto a greater depth of understanding, action that will take us into being more fully alive.
So, what questions are you pursuing?
What questions are working on you?
Let's ask some profound questions together.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
For Your Consideration.
Consider "Four Things" from Erik Lokkesome, founder of www.BrewingCulture.com.
First, the world says it is all about you. It's not. It is about God and others.
Second, you will not do anything great without friends by your side.
Third, we need people with long-term vision for their work. A patient, persistent vision for change.
Fourth, safe is not a word in the Christian vocabulary. This missionary named CT Studd said, "some want to serve within the sound of church and chapel bell. I want to run a rescue shop a yard from hell." That is where the leader should be - a yard from hell.
First, the world says it is all about you. It's not. It is about God and others.
Second, you will not do anything great without friends by your side.
Third, we need people with long-term vision for their work. A patient, persistent vision for change.
Fourth, safe is not a word in the Christian vocabulary. This missionary named CT Studd said, "some want to serve within the sound of church and chapel bell. I want to run a rescue shop a yard from hell." That is where the leader should be - a yard from hell.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Next Generation Leaders.
I have been spending a couple of hours at lunchtime on Mondays with my cousin Cale. Cale is one of those people that is just flat out likable. He has been married for nearly one year. And is in the process of buying a home with his beautiful new bride in...MID-TOWN OKC!
As Cale and I have been spending time together and I think about how and why God is re-connecting us, I think about leadership. Cale is a leader. You are a leader. And one of my values and purposes is to help develop next generation leaders.
We are working through some wonderful material together, Catalyst Groupzine: The Culture Issue. Learn more about Catalyst at www.CatalystSpace.com and www.CatalystConference.com.
So here are some highlights from Ben Ortlip's article in Session 01 - Engaged In Culture.
"Instead of viewing church as taking place on our campus, we need to start exploring ways to help others encounter the presence of God in everyday life. If we honestly evaluate the premise of the modern church, there's not much about it that's designed to engage the culture.
For the most part, modern churches employ and invitational strategy for engaging culture. Our success at impacting the culture hinges on our ability to get them to show up...for something.
Our impact is limited to what we can accomplish on Sunday morning, or Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, the unchurched continue to exist in a world where Sunday morning is the time for playing golf or planting shrubs.
Instead of putting the focus on getting people into church, this other strategy seeks to get the church into culture.
Just to be clear, we're not talking about moving the church into cultural channels. We're talking about moving the churched into the culture. That's how Jesus taught his disciples to do it. It's how the early church did it. AND IT'S WHERE OUR GREATEST POTENTIAL LIES TODAY.
Engaging culture is more than speaking church to those in attendance on Sunday. It's about becoming an organic part of the culture itself."
Let's dialogue about this a bit...
As Cale and I have been spending time together and I think about how and why God is re-connecting us, I think about leadership. Cale is a leader. You are a leader. And one of my values and purposes is to help develop next generation leaders.
We are working through some wonderful material together, Catalyst Groupzine: The Culture Issue. Learn more about Catalyst at www.CatalystSpace.com and www.CatalystConference.com.
So here are some highlights from Ben Ortlip's article in Session 01 - Engaged In Culture.
"Instead of viewing church as taking place on our campus, we need to start exploring ways to help others encounter the presence of God in everyday life. If we honestly evaluate the premise of the modern church, there's not much about it that's designed to engage the culture.
For the most part, modern churches employ and invitational strategy for engaging culture. Our success at impacting the culture hinges on our ability to get them to show up...for something.
Our impact is limited to what we can accomplish on Sunday morning, or Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, the unchurched continue to exist in a world where Sunday morning is the time for playing golf or planting shrubs.
Instead of putting the focus on getting people into church, this other strategy seeks to get the church into culture.
Just to be clear, we're not talking about moving the church into cultural channels. We're talking about moving the churched into the culture. That's how Jesus taught his disciples to do it. It's how the early church did it. AND IT'S WHERE OUR GREATEST POTENTIAL LIES TODAY.
Engaging culture is more than speaking church to those in attendance on Sunday. It's about becoming an organic part of the culture itself."
Let's dialogue about this a bit...
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
VZD's & Gay Pride.
Just had a wonderful lunch at VZD's. If you're not aware, it's located at on Western Ave. & 42nd Street. The cheeseburger and fries...good.
More importantly.
Made a new friend, Mike LaPrairie. He is a part of a wonderful community, OKC 1st Church of The Nazarene. Mike and his family moved to mid-town OKC in 2003. What I love about their move to mid-town is that they became ACTIVE, INVOLVED, INVESTED, AWARE.
He and I are in agreement that the future culture of OKC is already taking shape and it's being shaped from the inside out...from downtown and mid-town out. Mike, his family and friends are keeping, cultivating and creating culture.
On Sunday June 24th they will be handing out water to participants in the Gay Pride Parade that passes in front of their house each year. They will BBQ with neighbors and pass out water to those walking in the parade. Yes, a good, christian, church-going, straight family enjoying community with the Gay & Lesbian citizens of OKC.
It sounds like a Kingdom that Jesus came to announce was near and already among us.
It is not the church as an institution that engages and influences culture. It is the church, you and me!
Thanks Mike for BEING!
More importantly.
Made a new friend, Mike LaPrairie. He is a part of a wonderful community, OKC 1st Church of The Nazarene. Mike and his family moved to mid-town OKC in 2003. What I love about their move to mid-town is that they became ACTIVE, INVOLVED, INVESTED, AWARE.
He and I are in agreement that the future culture of OKC is already taking shape and it's being shaped from the inside out...from downtown and mid-town out. Mike, his family and friends are keeping, cultivating and creating culture.
On Sunday June 24th they will be handing out water to participants in the Gay Pride Parade that passes in front of their house each year. They will BBQ with neighbors and pass out water to those walking in the parade. Yes, a good, christian, church-going, straight family enjoying community with the Gay & Lesbian citizens of OKC.
It sounds like a Kingdom that Jesus came to announce was near and already among us.
It is not the church as an institution that engages and influences culture. It is the church, you and me!
Thanks Mike for BEING!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Our Town.
Last week my wife and our little girls headed to Bricktown to take in a Redhawks game.
It was a beautiful 2-weeks-before-the-official-start-of-summer kind of an evening in OKC.
After paying $5 for parking and $18 for tickets we were in the gate.
We met up with my wife's parents and siblings along with a friend or two to enjoy the game.
It was the end of a busy Tuesday for us and we were ready for a bite to eat.
Hotdogs and drinks for the three us ran a whopping $26.
And about the 5th inning it was time for some additional ball park treats.
Peanut for me, ice-cream for our 4 year old Harley, and a pretzel for my mother in-law totalled $11.
As I sit here and type, I am just now realizing I stiffed the dip-n-dots guy the 50cents I assured him I would bring right back.
So a little quick math and the total for our night's activities...$60.
I love living in OKC. This is a wonderful time for our town. Opportunity seems to abound.
But as my family made our way off of the elevator in the parking garage that I paid $5 to park in for 3 hours or so (just a reminder that 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day & 3 billion people, that's half the world's population live on less than $2 a day)...there stood two of my fellow OKC citizens rummaging through a trash barrell looking for what appeared to be dinner from someone's discarded to-go box.
We live in a city of opportunity, no doubt about it.
The question is opportunity for what?
I hope our collective answer somehow involves two of our finest citizens.
It was a beautiful 2-weeks-before-the-official-start-of-summer kind of an evening in OKC.
After paying $5 for parking and $18 for tickets we were in the gate.
We met up with my wife's parents and siblings along with a friend or two to enjoy the game.
It was the end of a busy Tuesday for us and we were ready for a bite to eat.
Hotdogs and drinks for the three us ran a whopping $26.
And about the 5th inning it was time for some additional ball park treats.
Peanut for me, ice-cream for our 4 year old Harley, and a pretzel for my mother in-law totalled $11.
As I sit here and type, I am just now realizing I stiffed the dip-n-dots guy the 50cents I assured him I would bring right back.
So a little quick math and the total for our night's activities...$60.
I love living in OKC. This is a wonderful time for our town. Opportunity seems to abound.
But as my family made our way off of the elevator in the parking garage that I paid $5 to park in for 3 hours or so (just a reminder that 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day & 3 billion people, that's half the world's population live on less than $2 a day)...there stood two of my fellow OKC citizens rummaging through a trash barrell looking for what appeared to be dinner from someone's discarded to-go box.
We live in a city of opportunity, no doubt about it.
The question is opportunity for what?
I hope our collective answer somehow involves two of our finest citizens.
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