Mars Hill Journey

Final Mars Hill Update.

2008-09-18T10:13:00.002-05:00

Friends.

We at Mars Hill have shared a wonderful relationship with Skyline, another young church in downtown Oklahoma City. We have been exploring the nature of this partnership over the last nine months. It has become evident to both communities that we can accomplish far more together than we ever could apart.

From the beginning, we have sought to become an extended spiritual family sharing life and mission together. Our family is growing and our Missional Community is being joined by other Missional Communities all across the metro area:

Northeast Edmond (Wednesday at 6:30)

Led by John & Tiffany Gwynn

South Edmond (Wednesdays at 6:30)

Led by Aaron & Vanesa Niles

North OKC (Wednesday at 7:00)

Led by Joshua & Amy Newberry

NW OKC #1 (Sundays at 6:00)

Led by Doug & Melissa Mason

NW OKC #2 (Wednesday at 6:30)

Led by Jeremy & Stephanie Hume

Brian & Kathy Lovelace

Paseo (Wednesday at 6:30)

Led by Rex & Lanie Barrett

Quail Creek (Wednesdays at 6:30)

Led by Matt & Megan McClintock

This network of Missional Communities will come together to celebrate the King and his Kingdom on Sunday mornings at 11am. The KAMPs Gathering will no longer take place on Sunday evenings.

Together, we will now be referred to as Skyline - A Network of Missional Communities Following The Way of Jesus and Integrating God's Mission for The World Into Our Daily Lives.

Skyline Gatherings are held at 123 Robert S. Kerr - OKC, OK 73102.

The Skyline mailing address is PO Box 1216 - OKC, OK 73101.

Please begin making tax-deductible financial contributions to "Skyline".

We are in the process of re-launching a new website at www.SkylineOKC.com.

I encourage you to subscribe to receive email updates at www.ProjectOKC.com to stay up to date on missional living opportunities taking place in urban OKC. Please mark your calendars and make plans to participate in the AIDS Walk of Oklahoma City on Sunday, October 5th at 2pm.

Many of you have been attending Skyline over the last several months of transition and I look forward to many more of you merging your life into the life of this newly forming community. I will be teaching this Sunday at Skyline concluding a conversation on what we believe. Next Sunday, September 28th we will begin a new conversation through the book of James.

Please let me know if you have any questions and how I can be of service. My new email address is Ben@SkylineOKC.com.

Better Together.

Ben.

This Sunday - September 7th.

2008-09-04T16:35:00.001-05:00

Friends.

I hope that you've had a good week.

I look forward to gathering together this Sunday - September 7th, 5:30pm at KAMPs.
Please bring a finger food item to share with the group.
Let me know if you have any questions.

See you soon!

Take Care.
Ben.

KAMPs Missional Community.

2008-08-14T15:23:00.000-05:00

Summer seems to be a natural season to step back, slow down and simplify. Christianity and the accompanying church life has become increasingly complicated. Jesus said that the essence of Christianity could be summed up in two inseparable commandments: Love God and Love Your Neighbor. Simple yet more powerful than we know. This summer we have committed to learning and living out the wonders of loving God and others simply and powerfully. Summer has been a time to rest from work and now the summer season is coming to a close and we enter into a new rhythm - a time to work from a place of rest.

We will be getting together at KAMP's to further explore what an extended spiritual family on mission together looks like on Sunday, September 7th & 14th at 5:30pm. This will be a focused dialogue on the future expression of the Mars Hill Kamps Gathering and our growing partnership with Skyline. I encourage all those who have invested, loved and shared in this journey to attend.

The Gods Aren't Angry by Rob Bell screening at KAMPs on Sunday, August 24th at 5:30pm. Where did the first caveman or cavewoman get the idea that somebody, somewhere existed who needed to be worshipped, appeased, and followed? And how did the idea evolve that if you didn't say, do, or offer the right things, this being would be upset, agitated, or even angry with you? Where did religion come from?

There will be a back to school event for all Refugees this Sunday, August 17th from 5:30 to 7:30pm at Flower Garden Park. This event will include food, activities for kids and a back pack giveaway. We will be providing all Refugees in OKC and all the students living at Jamie's Landing apartment school supplies for the upcoming school year. Please make plans to be a part and consider now how you can give financially to this effort. We will be providing everything for burgers and dogs but we need you to bring an easy side or dessert in bulk (we may be feeding up to 150 people).

I will be concluding the teaching conversation through Galatians and transitioning the conversation to explore Missional Communities at Skyline ( www.SkylineOKC.com ) this Sunday, August 17th at 11am.

I look forward to connecting and celebrating with you on Sunday!

Working From Rest.
Ben.

Thought From Jim Wallis.

2008-07-24T10:51:00.002-05:00

Just heard a piercing thought from Jim Wallis, author of God's Politics and Great Awakening.

He said, "We have growing churches and dying neighborhoods."

Let that bounce around your head and heart.

Talk To Our Father.

2008-07-24T10:37:00.002-05:00

I wanted to pass along a matter of prayer from a member of the KAMPs Community. I assured them they we would join them in prayer and pain, even now. I prayed that the SHALOM of God would surround and invade. Would you talk to our good Father about this family?

"Hey if you don't mind could you guys pray for my family? Especially my brother matt and his wife stephanie...she was pregnant with triplets and was due in late October, but she went into labor and long story short they lost all 3 babies yesterday...they are up in Missouri right now and they are both just ridiculous amazing people and really torn up obviously right now...thanks"

KAMPs Missional Community.

2008-07-23T16:50:00.001-05:00

Summer seems to be a natural season to step back, slow down and simplify. Christianity and the accompanying church life has become increasingly complicated. Jesus said that the essence of Christianity could be summed up in two inseparable commandments: Love God and Love Your Neighbor. Simple yet more powerful than we know. Living out the gospel means desiring for one's neighbor and neighbor's family that which one desires for one's self and family. Living out the gospel means bettering the quality of other people's lives spiritually, physically, socially, and emotionally as one betters one's own. This summer we are committed to learning and living out the wonders of loving God and others simply and powerfully.

The Gods Aren't Angry by Rob Bell screening at KAMPs on Sunday, August 24th at 5:30pm. Where did the first caveman or cavewoman get the idea that somebody, somewhere existed who needed to be worshipped, appeased, and followed? And how did the idea evolve that if you didn't say, do, or offer the right things, this being would be upset, agitated, or even angry with you? Where did religion come from?

There will be a back to school event for all Refugees on Sunday, August 17th from 5:30 to 7:30pm at Flower Garden Park. This event will include food, activities for kids and a back pack giveaway. We will be providing all Refugees in OKC and all the students living at Jamie's Landing apartment school supplies for the upcoming school year. Please make plans to be a part and consider now how you can give financially to this effort.

Rex and Lanie Barrett are leading a new church planting endeavor in the Paseo Arts District. They will begin building community on Wednesday nights beginning August 6th. We encourage each of you to consider participating and spreading the word. Email RexBarrett@mac.com for more info. Rex will be sharing at the KAMPs Gathering on Sunday, August 10th at 5:30pm.

There will be no KAMPs Gatherings on Sunday evening, August 3rd.

Our friends at Crosstown Church have invited members from the downtown Church (Big "C") to join them for a downtown prayer journey on Tuesday, July 29th at 7pm. The group will meet and the prayer journey will begin at the Myriad Gardens.

I will continue the teaching conversation through Galatians at Skyline (www.SkylineOKC.com) this Sunday, July 27th at 11am. The morning Gathering will be followed by a shared meal together. That evening we will be getting together at KAMP's to further explore what an extended spiritual family on mission together looks like.

I look forward to connecting and celebrating with you on Sunday!

Free To Live.

Ben.

KAMPs Missional Community.

2008-07-14T14:13:00.002-05:00

Headed to New Life Church (www.NewLifeChurch.org) in Colorado Springs for the annual Desperation Conference (www.DesperationOnline.com). Really looking forward to hanging with friends there. So, I'm sending out the KAMPs Missional Community update early this week.

Fusion Church ( www.FusionOKC.com ) will be hosting Servants Training Weekend July 18-20. When Jesus left the most exclusive gated community in the universe and relocated among us, He sparked a revolution: an upside-down revolution of love and justice. Join us for an introduction to a radical new way of doing justice in the inner cities of the world.

We will join Fusion Church for a combined Gathering on Sunday, July 20th at 5pm. Craig Greenfield from Servants to Asia's Urban Poor (www.ServantsAsia.org) will be sharing on "Solitude, Community & Mission". Servants to Asia's Urban Poor is an international movement: a network of Christian communities living and working amongst the urban poor in Asia's mega cities, participating with the poor to bring hope and justice through Jesus Christ. Fusion is located in the Plaza District, 1755 NW 16th Street (between Classen and Penn).

I will continue the teaching conversation through Galatians at Skyline (www.SkylineOKC.com) on Sunday, July 27th at 11am. The morning Gathering will be followed by a shared meal together. That evening we will be getting together at KAMP's to further explore what an extended spiritual family on mission together looks like.

Remember and reconsider the words of Jesus in Matthew 5. This is what he said: "You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. You're blessed when you're content with just who you are-no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought. You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat. You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being care-full, you find yourselves cared for. You're blessed when you get your inside world-your mind and heart-put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

Be Blessed.

Ben.

The God's Aren't Angry.

2008-07-14T12:18:00.003-05:00

Love starting a Monday morning with "good mail". In my mail slot at Bridgeway sat a little red cardboard box, that I just knew had to at least be interesting mail and it was. My DVD copy of Rob Bell's latest tour talk had arrived, The God's Aren't Angry.

"Where did the first caveman or cavewoman get the idea that somebody, somewhere existed who needed to be worshipped, appeased, and followed?

And how did the idea evolve that if you didn't say, do, or offer the right things, this being would be upset, agitated, or even angry with you?

Where did religion come from?"

You can watch a few previews at www.TheGodsArentAngry.com. Now don't go out a buy a copy. I spent the $20 for all of us. And we will schedule a viewing at KAMP's in the not to distant future.

KAMPs Missional Community.

2008-07-10T12:03:00.001-05:00

Our friends at Crosstown Church have invited members from the downtown Church (Big "C") to join them for a downtown prayer journey on Tuesday, July 29th at 7pm. The group will meet and the prayer journey will begin at the Myriad Gardens.

Fusion Church (www.FusionOKC.com) will be hosting Servants Training Weekend July 18-20. When Jesus left the most exclusive gated community in the universe and relocated among us, He sparked a revolution: an upside-down revolution of love and justice. Join us for an introduction to a radical new way of doing justice in the inner cities of the world.

We will join Fusion Church for a combined Gathering on Sunday, July 20th at 5pm. Craig Greenfield from Servants to Asia's Urban Poor (www.ServantsAsia.org) will be sharing on "Solitude, Community & Mission". Fusion is located in the Plaza District, 1755 NW 16th Street (between Classen and Penn).

Tommy Bailey will be leading us in worship and Richard Galloway from New York City Relief (www.NYCR.org) will be our special guest at KAMP's this Sunday, July 13th at 5:30pm. Please bring a dessert to be shared with the group. In 1989, Richard and his wife Dixie founded NYC Relief, a front-line urban missions program which not only provides food and clothing for the urban homeless, but connects them from the street with life-changing Christian programs. NYC Relief exists to connect the poor, oppressed, and addicted with a path toward help and hope. Through outreach partnerships, we seek to be a bridge between human need and resources to meet those needs. These things we do.that others may live.

I look forward to connecting and celebrating with you on Sunday!

Love & Justice.

Ben.

Baby Dumping.

2008-07-08T10:45:00.002-05:00

I wanted to pass along the latest update email from Floyd & Sally McClung. Floyd influenced my life greatly as a 16-year old through his efforts with YWAM.

When the storm drains are cleaned twice a year in our area, the city's waste management reports seeing small, dead, baby bodies. This is traumatic for the city workers, and its reported that a psychiatrist is on staff to debrief the workers. "Baby Dumping" is officially undocumented by officials, but it is not uncommon.

What is more alarming than mothers literally throwing their newborns away, is that no one is doing anything about it in our area. Until now. "Baby Safe" is a ministry to rescue unwanted babies. A team working under the auspices of All Nations has come together from various ministries and churches to make the project a reality - including caring for the mothers who are struggling with poverty, fear and abuse. We have prayed, done "due diligence" research, and now we ready to launch the ministry. Through Baby Safe we will be able to help mothers who choose life over death for their babies.

One baby's life was radically changed when he was found in Masiphumlele, one of the poorer communities where we work. He was tossed aside, still in his mother's placenta, abandoned in a black garbage bag. He was left for dead, but thankfully found by a group of children. This little boy is now a thriving 5 year old. He was adopted by a wonderful couple found through a local church. Through Baby Safe we aim to save other baby's lives like little Luke.

Baby Safe is committed to presenting an alternative to abortion, and we hope to prevent children from being abused and severly neglected by presenting mothers with an alternative.

Children rescued through Baby Safe will be placed in loving, Christian adoptive families. The precious hope of Jesus will also be presented to women in crisis as well as other social service resources meant for women and children in need.

When the little boy mentioned above was rescued and brought to his new home, this verse was read over him: "On that day you were born, your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean...no one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather you were thrown into an open field, for on the day you were born, you were despised. Then I passed by and saw you kicking in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood, I said to you, "Live!" (Ezekiel 16:4-6 NIV).

We believe that God will rescue the helpless through Baby Safe and make a life long covenant with the children who will be saved.

If you would like to learn more about Baby Safe, contact Bethany at bethanyallnations@gmail.com Bethany is a graduate of CPx, the All Nations training program. If you would like to receive information about CPx, write to allnationssa@gmail.com

KAMP's Missional Community.

2008-07-02T14:41:00.000-05:00

Summer seems to be a natural season to step back, slow down and simplify. Christianity and the accompanying church life has become increasing complicated. The life that we have been given has become marked by condemnation rather than grace and chaos rather than peace. Jesus said that the essence of Christianity could be summed up in two inseparable commandments: Love God and Love Your Neighbor. Simple yet more powerful than we know. Living out the gospel means desiring for one's neighbor and neighbor's family that which one desires for one's self and family. Living out the gospel means bettering the quality of other people's lives spiritually, physically, socially, and emotionally as one betters one's own. This summer we are committed to learning and living out the wonders of loving God and others simply and powerfully.

Catholic Charities has asked us to help them throw an Independence Day celebration cook-out onThursday, July 3rd from 5:30-8:30pm at Flower Garden Park - on NW 46th between McKinley and Classen. All the Refugees that have arrived in Oklahoma City over the last year have been invited to the celebration, totaling around 100 people. We will need to provide 100 burgers & buns, 50 all beef hotdogs & buns, charcoal and condiments. We will also help cover the cost for an inflatable to ensure the kids have a great time as well. Please let me know if you will be able to help contribute food or finances to the effort. I hope that some of you will be able to join in as we continue to engage, bless, serve and build relationships with our neighbors from afar.

Please join us at SKYLINE (www.SkylineOKC.com) this Sunday, July 6th at 11am. There will be no KAMP's Gathering due to the holiday weekend.

Richard Galloway from New York City Relief (www.NYCR.org) will be our special guest at KAMP's on Sunday, July 13th at 5:30pm. New York City Relief exists to connect the poor, oppressed, and addicted with a path toward help and hope. Through outreach partnerships, we seek to be a bridge between human need and resources to meet those needs. These things we do.that others may live.

Our friends at Fusion Church (www.FusionOKC.com) will be hosting Servants Training Weekend July 18-20. When Jesus left the most exclusive gated community in the universe and relocated among us, He sparked a revolution: an upside-down revolution of love and justice. Join us for an introduction to a radical new way of doing justice in the inner cities of the world.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Ben.

A Church That Is The Message.

2008-07-01T11:07:00.006-05:00

I feel like I am always throwing out random thoughts and quotes from people I'm reading and / or listening to. Not always the most original blogger, but here goes a new thought from a new book I started last night by German Wolfgang Simson: Houses That Change The World.

"I dreamed of a community that is a s simple as one-two-three, yet is dynamic; an explosive thing, able to turn the world and a neighborhood upside-down. The church as a supernatural invention, endowed with God's gift of immortality; a means to disciple each other, and to make the life of Jesus rub off on each other.

A church, which does not need huge amounts of money, or rhetoric, control and manipulation, which can do without powerful and charismatic heroes, which in non-religious at heart, which can thrill people to the core, leave them speachless with joy and astonishment, and simply teach us The Way to live. A church which not only has a message, but is the message. Something which spreads like an unstoppable virus, infects whatever it touches, and ultimately covers the earth with the glory and knowledge of God. A church whose power stems from its inventor.

The church I dreamed of is like a spiritual extended family - organic, not organized, relational, not formal.

A church that can multiply like five loaves and two fish in the hands of Jesus, where it's people are its resources.

God is changing the church, and that, in turn, will change the world. Church as we know it is preventing Church as God wants it."

KAMP's Missional Community.

2008-06-26T15:31:00.001-05:00

Living out the gospel means desiring for one's neighbor and neighbor's family that which one desires for one's self and family. Living out the gospel means bettering the quality of other people's lives spiritually, physically, socially, and emotionally as one betters one's own. Thanks to all of you who lived out the gospel on behalf of the Refugees and residents of the nearby apartment complex. It was truly a beautiful sight to see individuals and families gathered together from all over the world, from all different socio-economic standings and various religious beliefs. We will be sharing video and photos from our time together on Sunday at KAMP's.

The KAMP's Gathering will take place this Sunday, June 29th at 5:30pm. Cole will be leading and journeying with us in worship and Rex will be sharing the following message:

It is exciting to see what God is doing in His church in America and around the world. His kingdom is growing and nothing can stop this expansion from happening! Jesus spoke to Peter in Matthew 16:18 saying: "You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out."

God is building his Church, He is empowering us to do more then just sit in pews being entertained by high power preachers and pop star singers. He is calling us to something great, to do something exciting. This is a story so compelling that people in countries where the Gospel is illegal are more than willing to stand brave and proud to confirm that Jesus is their life and Lord, even to the point of death.

Bob Roberts Jr. in his book "The Multiplying Church" says: Where faith has exploded, it has never been because of the multiplication of mega-churches, but of smaller churches from 50 to 200. This happened in the early church, Europe and throughout American history, and now it is happening in Asia.

The small movement that began in about 30 AD is the Church that continues on its unstoppable path today. Join us this Sunday as we discover how we, as a small gathering in Oklahoma City, have a huge part to play in the Church global. Find out how you as an individual are part of a much bigger picture and why it is so important to be connected.

I look forward to celebrating and connecting with you on Sunday.

Thanks.

Ben.

PS - We will be Gathering at SKYLINE (www.SkylineOKC.com) on Sunday, July 6th at 11am. There will be no KAMP's Gathering that evening. We will be Gathering at KAMP's on Sunday, July, 13th at 5:30pm. We will have two special guests with us that night, Tommy Bailey and Richard Galloway from NYC Relief (www.NYCR.org).

Something Every Christian Should Do.

2008-06-25T12:12:00.005-05:00

When I read the latest update from World Vision, I was immediately struch with the that "Child Sponsorship Is Something Every Christian Should Do." My family sponsors a little boy through Compassion International. While we are not always the best at sending notes and coloring pictures, I don't let that kind of silly guilt lead to inaction. So every month, $32 is automatic withdrawn from our account to ensure that Williamson Joseph will not die from hunger. Stop the craziness. Don't delay. Sponsor a beautiful little boy or girl. Now. Every Christian Should.

WORLD VISION -- EVERY 7 SECONDS A CHILD DIES FROM HUNGER

Dear Friend,

In addition to several recent Asian disasters and African conflicts affecting the lives of children, there is a deadly situation that is rocking the world as a whole. Called the "Silent Tsunami," it is the severe and growing international food shortage - one that is fast becoming a crisis.As a result, children are slowly - yet quietly - starving to death. In fact, at this point in time, a child dies from hunger every seven seconds. That's more than 14,000 children each day from among millions more who are suffering. The voices of these suffering and dying children must be heard.That's why I'm writing ... to tell you that together, we CAN do something about this developing crisis right now.

www.WorldVision.org

Give the ultimate gift of Child Sponsorship - the foundation on which World Vision is built. Where just over $1 per day provideslife-saving and life-sustaining essentials to children and theirfamilies, such as: * Nutritious food* Clean water* Medical care* Disease prevention aid* Educational supplies and opportunities* And much moreI know that you, too, have a heart for children and will consider doing what you can to help in this developing food shortage crisis. Thank you for your prayers and support for deserving and suffering children.

Sincerely,

Rich Stearns

President, World Vision U.S.

P.S. Remember, your gift of Child Sponsorship comes at a time when the global food crisis is combining with other recent disasters to create one of the most serious situations affectingthe lives of children. Please help us help starving children.

A Call and Commitment To The Urban Core.

2008-06-24T17:16:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share with you a right up done by Stacy May regaring the V360 effort here in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City: A Call and Commitment to the Urban Core

Forbes magazine recently named Oklahoma City the country’s most recession-proof city. Forbes cited a strong housing market, decreased unemployment and growth in agriculture, energy and manufacturing as contributing factors to its economic health. This is good news for residents of Oklahoma City. And it’s good news for a team of church planters who are passionate about bringing spiritual revitalization to a city that’s thriving economically.

From the inside out

City Catalyst Lance Humphreys attended the initial Vision360 meeting in Orlando in the fall of 2006. Lance wanted to participate in Vision 360 because he believes God wants to transform cities through the church in a way he hasn’t seen in his lifetime. He left the meeting asking himself, “What is God already doing in our city as it relates to church planting?”

Meanwhile, Executive Director Ben Nockels, and his wife Shannon, were living in Colorado Springs when God began to speak to their hearts about the importance of church planting. God led them back to Oklahoma City where they launched Mars Hill Church. “It was never about planting a church,” Ben says. “It was always about planting multiple churches. We knew this was not about our church plant, but about serving the entire city.”

From the beginning Lance and Ben had a sense that the urban center of Oklahoma City was to be the focal point of their efforts. They had observed the physical rebuilding that took place in the center of the city following the Oklahoma City Murrah Federal Building bombing in 1995. “The inner city became the focal and rallying point for renewed faith in our city,” Lance says. They longed for and believed that spiritual revitalization could take place just as economic revitalization had. And they felt the spiritual revitalization was going to take place from the inside out. “If we could impact the urban center then we could impact the entire metropolitan area,” Lance says.

Ben agrees: “Starting with the most forgotten, under-resourced and broken kids is going to be the avenue to really transform our cities.”

With a heart for the poor and broken, they started moving forward with a vision for their city that transcended what any one church could do alone.

Step by step

The following steps were key to launching Vision360 in Oklahoma City:

Narrow focus - The decision was made that for the first five years the team was not going to do anything that didn’t impact the city center. They felt that area was where the Lord had asked them to begin and they strived to keep their vision focused specifically on that area. This led to success in bringing both board support and financial support.

Networking - They built a relationship network with two groups of people that were already involved in church planting: young church planters and established churches who had a history of reproducing or had the capacity and heart to reproduce. “I began by building relationships with church planters in the urban center,” Lance says. “A core of five young church planters and myself began to dream about what it would look like to replant the church in Urban Oklahoma City.”

Invitations - In the past six months Lance and Ben started inviting business and city leaders into the process. “We have aggressively pursued church leaders and business leaders who already demonstrated a buy-in to the vision,” Lance says. “We’ve gone after the people we want to work with. We’ve met individually with pastors we wanted to be involved with.”

An Education Strategy

Like many urban settings, Oklahoma City is a mix of racial and ethnic groups, wealth and poverty, youth and families.

The Oklahoma City vision includes identifying the 15 most vulnerable, at-risk schools and launching churches within those schools. The at-risk status is based on free and reduced lunches, academic scores, volunteer base, etc. Each school is the gathering place and the built-in missional focus. “Kids are a gateway to parents, parents are a gateway to families, families are gateways to neighborhoods,” Ben says. “And what are cities made up of but a system and network of neighborhoods?”

They are currently in the process of identifying the vulnerable communities, working with school board members, and determining how they will begin to recruit and train church planters to go into those communities.

Business Leaders

A team was pulled together from a cross-section of the city including young entrepreneurs and more established leaders. The first fundraising event took place in late February of this year and was hosted by the former mayor of Oklahoma City in his own home. The response was fantastic and there are 20 members currently on the board. The first official board meeting took place on June 5.

“When I moved back to Oklahoma City we began meeting people,” Ben says. “Many of those people have been strategic in getting Vision360 off the ground. We met as friends and those friendships turned into partnerships. There is a real clear sense that God was at work long before any of this came about.”

From Across The Big Pond.

2008-06-13T10:47:00.003-05:00

Listening to a sermon this morning from across the big pond and Steve Chalke made some most intriguing comments:

"Jesus never asked us to worship him. He asked us to follow him. Worshipping Jesus is easier than following him. And in following him we worship him."

"As Christians we have been taught to say our prayers. But you don't really say prayers. You ache prayers. You long prayers."

"Churches wait for Jesus to reveal himself before they get involved. But Matthew 28:19 says that when we go and get involved with the affairs of the world that Jesus will be with us always. So we go and there he is revealed."

Kamp's Missional Community.

2008-06-12T10:59:00.001-05:00

Summer seems to be a natural season to step back, slow down and simplify. Christianity and the accompanying church life has become increasing complicated. The life that we have been given has become marked by condemnation rather than grace and chaos rather than peace. Jesus said that the essence of Christianity could be summed up in two inseparable commandments: Love God and Love Your Neighbor. Simple yet more powerful than we know. This summer we are committed to learning and living out the wonders of loving God and others simply and powerfully.

Consider the words of Robert Lupton:

"It is more blessed to give than to receive," said Jesus.

Receiving is a humbling matter. It implies neediness. It categorizes one as being worse off than the giver. Perhaps this is why we tend to reserve for ourselves the more blessed position. I came to the city to serve those in need. I have resources and abilities to clothe the ill-clad, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless. These are good works that our Lord requires of us. And there is blessedness in this kind of giving. But there is also power that allows me to retain control. My position as a helper protects me from the humiliation of appearing to need help. Even more sobering, I condemn those I help to the permanent role of recipient.

When my goal is to change people, I subtly communicate: Something is wrong with you; I am okay. You are ignorant; I am enlightened. You are wrong; I am right. If our relationship is defined as healer to patient, I must remain strong and you must remain sick for our interaction to continue. The process of "curing," then, cannot serve long as the basis for a relationship that is life producing for both parties. Small wonder that we who have come to the city to "save" the poor find it difficult to enter into true community with those we think needy.

"It takes everyone of us to make His body complete, for we each have a different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others" (Romans 12:4,5).

I need the poor? For what? The question exposes my blindness. I see them as weak ones to be rescued, not as bearers of the treasures of the kingdom. The dominance of my giving overshadows and stifles the rich endowments the Creator has invested in those I consider destitute. I overlook what our Lord saw clearly when he proclaimed the poor to be especially blessed, for theirs is the kingdom of God (Luke 6:20). I selectively ignore the truth that monied, empowered, and learned ones enter his kingdom with enormous difficulty. The community into which Christ invites us is one of interdependence. We are called to mutual sharing and the discovery of gifts Christ has concealed in the unlikeliest among us.

Please join us at SKYLINE this Sunday, June 15th at 11:00am. My friend Stuart Cranford will be sharing a Father's Day message about the impact of the life and sudden death of his own father. Please visit www.SkylineOKC.com for more info and driving directions. There will be no KAMP's Gathering that night.

Mark your calendars and make plans to participate in a care and celebration day with Refugees on Saturday, June 21st or Sunday, June 22nd (be flexible as the date is a bit in limbo as of this morning). We will be coming together to love more of our neighbors simply and powerfully. Please be thinking of ways that you can bless and engage these beautiful people.

Please let us know how we can serve you and serve with you this week.

Giving & Receiving.
Ben.

Now, Here's What Bothers Me.

2008-06-11T13:39:00.003-05:00

Excerpt From "Theirs Is The Kingdom".

Now here's what bothers me. Why would Christ say, "Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God" (Luke 6:20)? Could it be that our achievement values differ from the values of the kingdom? And his comments about the first being last and the last being first in that kingdom - what does that say to us well-ordered leader types? You see why it disturbs me, don't you?

KAMP's Neighborhood BBQ Photos.

2008-06-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to pass along some photos Rex Barrett took from the KAMP's Neighborhood BBQ a couple of weeks back.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rexbarrett/

Theirs Is The Kingdom.

2008-06-09T15:38:00.002-05:00

I wanted to share with you a new book (to me) that a couple of friends recommended by Robert Lupton entitled, "Theirs Is The Kingdom - Celebrating The Gospel In Urban America". I first heard of Robert Lupton in conjunction with Community Christian Development Association (www.ccda.org).

I plan to share some excerpts from the book over the next several weeks.

Consider this:

"My wife and I saw the city as a mission field and ourselves as missionaries carrying the light of the gospel into the darkness of the ghetto. How surprised we were when we discovered that the One who had called us already preceded us. Those to whom we came to share our faith frequently had more faith than we did.

So it was that God's children who suffer most from crushing poverty became the very ones God used to speak to us of our own spiritual poverty. From those who had very few material possessions, we learned about our bondage to things. And from those who had much to fear and little to hope, we learned courage and faith."

Mars Hill Update.

2008-06-04T17:22:00.000-05:00

Summer seems to be a natural season to step back, slow down and SIMPLIFY. Christianity and the accompanying church life has become increasing complicated. The life that we have been given has become marked by condemnation rather than grace and chaos rather than peace. Jesus said that the essence of Christianity could be summed up in two inseparable commandments: Love God and Love Your Neighbor. Simple yet more powerful than we know. This summer we are committed to learning and living out the wonders of loving God and others simply and powerfully.

Consider these words from Randy Frazee's book, Making Room For Life:

I envision a life that is not as hectic. We always seem to be on our way to the next place, never really arriving at a destination.

I envision a life with either more money or less expenses. I strongly suspect it's less expenses.

I envision a life with less time in the car and more time for walks. Can this ever become a reality?

I envision life where there is a time for work and a time for play. I love to work, but I just want it to keep from getting offside. I want to play more, but I think after all these year I've forgotten how.

I envision a life with less fast food in the car and more spreads of home cooking with family and friends. Shoving burritos in our mouths while driving can't be what God had in mind for us. We have lost the beautiful art of sharing a meal together. I want to regain that art.

I envision a life of less accumulation and more conversation. I already have way too many manuals on how to care for the stuff I bought. Plus, people have to be more interesting than things. I don't think most of us really know for sure.

My list goes on and on, and I'm sure yours does too. We are an advanced people with vast resources. We've invented speed and time-saving technology that couldn't be fathomed a hundred years ago. We have more discretionary money than any people in history, though we usually spend it all before it even comes in. We have the freedom to choose like no other people in any other time. With all this going for us, why does it feel as though we've gone backward instead of forward in our quest for a quality of life?

The KAMP's Gathering takes place this Sunday, June 8th at 5:30pm - Robert and Rebecca Prince will share with us their personal story, journey and quest to Make Room For Life. Ryan Gikas will lead and journey with us in worship.

Please join us at SKYLINE next Sunday, June 15th at 11:00am - My friend Stuart Cranford will be sharing a Father's Day message about the impact of the life and sudden death of his own father. Please visit www.SkylineOKC.com for more info and driving directions. There will be no KAMP's Gathering that night.

Mark your calendars and make plans to participate in a care and celebration day with Refugees on Saturday, June 21st. We will be coming together to love more of our neighbors simply and powerfully. Be thinking of ways that you can bless and engage these beautiful people.

I look forward to celebrating life together in God with you on Sunday, 5:30pm at KAMP's.

Making Room For Life.
Ben.

KAMP's Neighborhood BBQ.

2008-06-02T16:27:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to say that we had an amazing time yesterday evening at the KAMP's neighborhood BBQ. Thanks to everyone who made it a very special day in the life of our community. And by community, I don't mean "church community". I mean the larger community. We became an integral thread to the fabric of the neighborhood. We experienced first hand what it looks and feels like to love our neighbors simply and powerfully.

I will post some photos as they become available.

Mars Hill Update.

2008-05-28T16:43:00.002-05:00

Summer seems to be a natural season to step back, slow down and SIMPLIFY. Christianity and the accompanying church life has become increasing complicated. The life that we have been given has become marked by condemnation rather than grace and chaos rather than peace. Jesus said that the essence of Christianity could be summed up in two inseparable commandments: Love God and Love Your Neighbor. Simple yet more powerful than we know. This summer we are committed to learning and living out the wonders of loving God and others simply and powerfully.

Join us at SKYLINE ( www.SkylineOKC.com ) this Sunday morning, June 1st at 11:00am. I will continue the teaching conversation through the book of Galatians and lead our extended community in communion.

The KAMP's neighborhood BBQ will take place this Sunday, June 1st at 5:30pm. We will be gathering on the lawn off 26th street just to the north of Wesley Church. We need a group to come around 3:30pm to help with setup and flyer distribution. We need everybody to bring lawn chairs, dessert, drinks, or disposable plates, cups and plasticware to share. Please make plans to attend, bring friends and let us know how you plan to help.

The KAMP's Gathering will happen as usual next Sunday, June 8th at 5:30pm. Robert and Rebecca Prince will be sharing their experience of "Making Room for Life" and Ryan Gikas will be leading and journeying with us in worship.

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, June 21st. We will be serving and celebrating with refugees from Myanmar (formerly burma).

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace. May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy. And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

May God Bless You.
Ben.

She.

2008-05-28T13:10:00.003-05:00

I was working through some info I had compiled related to church planting for the V360 effort and came across the farewell letter I sent to the staff at New Life nearly two years ago. I concluded the letter with an excerpt from Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis:

One of the central metaphors for God and his people throughout the Bible is that of a groom and his bride. God is the groom; his people are the bride. I like this because it makes the church a "she". We need to reclaim this image. The church is a she.

She's a mystery, isn't she? Still going after all this time. After the Crusades and the Inquisition and Christian cable television. Still going. And there continue to be people like me who believe she is one of the best ideas ever. In spite of all the ways she has veered off track. In spite of all the people who have actually turned away from God because of what they experienced in church. I am starting to realize why: The church is a double-edged sword. When it's good, when it's on, when it's right, it's like nothing on earth. A group of people committed to selflessly serving and loving the world around them? Great. But when it's bad, all that potential gets turned the other way. From the highest of the highs to the lowest of the lows. Sometimes in the same week. Sometimes in the same day.

But she will live on. She's indestructible. When she dies in one part of the world, she explodes in another. She's global. She's universal. She's everywhere. And while she's fragile, she's going to endure. In every generation there will be those who see her beauty and give their lives to see her shine. Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against her. That's strong language. And it's true. She will continue to roll across the ages, serving and giving and connecting people with God and each other. And people will abuse her and manipulate her and try to control her, but they'll pass on. And she will keep going.

Who Gets To Narrate The World?

2008-05-22T14:05:00.002-05:00

I dove into a new book last night by Robert Webber...

Who Gets To Narrate The World? - Contending For The Christian Story In An Age of Rivals.

An excerpt from the back cover:

The late Robert Webber believed this question to be the most pressing issue of our time. Christianity in America, he preached, will not survive if Christians are not rooted in and informed by the uniquely Christian story that is the gospelof Jesus Christ.

This is the burden of Webber's final book, Who Gets to Narrate the World? Contending for the Christian Story in an Age of Rivals. Convinced that American evangelicals are facing the demise of their entire way of life and faith, Webber challenges his readers to rise up and engage both the external and internal challenges confronting them today. This means that Christians must repent of their cultural accommodation and reclaim the unique story the Christian story that God has given them both to proclaim and to live.

Mars Hill Update.

2008-05-21T13:10:00.000-05:00

The Crisis Continues.

2008-05-21T10:56:00.000-05:00

The Crisis in Burma continues...

Today in Myanmar, 2.5 million people cling to survival after the disaster that hit two weeks ago. The latest state television update in former Burma has declared the death toll after the May 2nd cyclone to be 77,738 people. Another 55,917 are still reported missing.* Thousands swarm the roadsides of a country void of the foreign aid it so desperately needs. Children, destitute and orphaned, are picked up by vicious traffickers prowling the disaster area.

This week, David Batstone travels to Myanmar to approach the crisis situation.

Last Fall, Not For Sale partnered with Thai Abolitonist Kru Nam to build a shelter for 125 kids rescued out of the sex trade industry. Today, she implores us to intervene again as Burmese children trafficked into Thailand are being rampantly sold.

It's time to build a shelter, and it's time to act fast.

Not For Sale, this week, has partnered with a foundation that will match EVERY DOLLAR we donate, up to $25,000. Our goal is to raise $50k in the next two weeks. The shelter will be on the border between former Burma and Thailand, and will provide the critical care necessary to rescue Burmese orphans out of slavery. Kru Nam's village, as is, cannot support one of the growing needs in this crisis. But together, we believe we can raise enough money that can.
DONATE now. Every dollar you give is worth two. Join the call to action in this crisis.

* Statistics obtained from www.nationalpost.com

What Is Love?

2008-05-21T10:06:00.000-05:00

1 John 3:16-19 says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another. If any one of you has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has not pity on them, how can the love of God be in you? If you see some bother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality."

New Blogging Buddy.

2008-05-19T13:38:00.002-05:00

Robert Prince has recently started blogging. Please check it out, subscribe, add feeds and spread the word.

http://openmeandread.blogspot.com/

Not Far.

2008-05-19T13:32:00.002-05:00

Kingdom. How things really are (ultimate reality) and how things should really be (the will of the Father). Kingdom. Bringing this future reality into the present (heaven to earth). So how does this kind of Kingdom reality find its way near to us and to those we live and love among?

Mark 12:28-34 says, "The Greatest Commandment 28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. [e] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' [f] 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' [g] There is no commandment greater than these."

32 "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

So when we love God and our neighbors...The Kingdom Comes!

Mars Hill Update.

2008-05-15T15:12:00.001-05:00

Hey Everyone - Just A Brief Update This Week.

Please mark your calendars for Sunday, June 1st. We will be hosting and faciliating a block party for the neighborhood surrounding KAMP's.

I'm excited about our new friend Terry, who we met through Sharefest. You see, Terry is a hard working loving husband and father. He wakes up around 5am everyday to head off to a construction site for the day. He is excited about building a business so that his children will have a promising future. This kind of hope is not often found in urban neighborhoods, particularly in the urban African American community. Where there is no hope, despair abounds. Despair is what happens when you're tired of being desperate. And there are entire family and neighborhoods living under a cloud of despair.

But not Terry and his family. Terry aspires to have a BBQ restaurant some day. For now, he has a big smoker that he hauls around on a trailer preparing amazing food for family and friends. I'm glad to say that Terry will be providing the food for the block Party on June 1st.

Do you see the significance of this? A neighbor cooking dinner for his neighbor in a neighborhood that needs hope. And we the church, we will make an invisible God visible by facilitating such an event.

Go to the people, Live among them, Learn from them, Love them, Start with what they know, Build on what they have: But of the best leaders, When their task is done, The people will remark "We have done it ourselves." - Chinese Proverb

Please let me know how you would like to help participate.

I look forward to casting vision for the summer months and celebrating communion with you this Sunday evening, May 18th at KAMP's.

Please let me know if we can serve you or serve with you in any way.

Have A Great Day!
Ben.

Never Eat Alone.

2008-05-15T10:44:00.003-05:00

There is a popular business book entitled: Never Eat Alone. That title has stuck with me over the last couple of years as a good reminder to engage engage engage. Why do anything alone when you can do it with others? That is really what Christian life and community is all about.

So yesterday, I had about an hour or so in between meetings and it landed right around lunch time. After a quick trip to the bank I decided I had better grab a quick bite to eat. That morning I had really been thinking about Jessica, Javeyon, Anthony, Jada and Montrel - our friends in the KAMP's neighborhood (see http://marshilljourney.blogspot.com/2008/04/fruit-of-sharefest.html for the back story).

So I made my way over to 33rd & McKinley and found the entire little family there together. After hanging out in the living room for a bit, I decided to take the two older boys (age 7 and 6) for some lunch. We landed at Irma's for some cheeseburgers. It was too much fun sitting up at the bar downing burgers and root beers with two little men who I am confident will be a part of my life for some time.

So, Never Eat Alone!

A Little Link Love.

2008-05-15T10:40:00.003-05:00

This week I spent a couple of hours with some guys on staff at River Tree Christian Church from Canton, Ohio. Great guys. Really trying to work at turning their 4,000 - 5,000 member church inside-out. I love their pursuit. They came to OKC to learn about being church in missional and urban ways. I am grateful that there are faith communities in our town that can not just talk about it, but show them where the TRANSFORMATION is taking place.

Check out:

www.LoveCanton.com

www.LovePortland.org

Emerson.

2008-05-13T16:40:00.002-05:00

Everybody in Oklahoma City needs to go spend time at Emerson Middle and High School. They focus on alternative education for those that have had dilequency issues or those who have become pregnant or parent a child as a teenager. There is a nursery onsite that has 40-50 babies from day to day. These teenage mom's have the wonderful opportunity and are given the necessary support to continue their education. I spent an hour or so there today and wept as I saw these beautiful teenage women, kids, daughters, mothers.

New Rob Bell Book.

2008-05-08T15:51:00.006-05:00

OK - pleasant surprise from Amazon today. Rob Bell and Don Golden will soon be releasing a new book entitled: Jesus Wants To Save Christians - A Manifesto For The Church In Exile.

A description from Zondervan:

There is a church not too far from us that recently added a $25 million addition to their building. Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long ago about a study revealing that one in five people in our city lives in poverty. This is a book about those two numbers. It's a book about faith and fear, wealth and war, poverty, power, safety, terror, Bibles, bombs, and homeland insecurity, It's about empty empires and the truth that everybody's a priest, it's about oppression, occupation, and what happens when Christians support, animate and participate in the very things Jesus came to set people free from. It's about what it means to be a part of the church of Jesus in a world where some people fly planes into buildings while others pick up groceries in Hummers.

Mars Hill Update.

2008-05-08T14:37:00.000-05:00

Easter is the season of HOPE. The message of Easter is that the way of being in Jesus, the way of living the new resurrected life is through participation. The original metaphors of the faith found in the New Testament and early church are old metaphors that need to be made new. The Easter Season is the time to recapture some of these old metaphors and make them new and fresh. The primary metaphor for the Easter season is the church as the resurrected people living a resurrected spirituality. Because of Easter we are in union with Christ.

Pentecost Sunday ends the extraordinary season that began on the first Sunday of Advent. In approximately six months the church has been carried through all the saving events of God - his incarnation, manifestation to the world, life, death, resurrection, and ascension as well as the coming of the Holy Spirit. All these crucial events form faith and the spiritual life.Pentecost plays a crucial role in salvation history. Pentecost results in a clearer and deeper understanding of Jesus and the Spirit continues to pour out an understanding of the faith. The coming of the Holy Spirit resulted in a new empowerment. It was here that the mission of the church given by Jesus just before his ascension began to take form. Christians have always marked Pentecost Sunday as the birthday of the church. The church is, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the continuation of the presence of Jesus in and to the world. The metaphor of "the body of Christ" that became common in the early church captures this incarnational dimension of the church. While Christ is seated at the right had of the Father, he is also completely present in a mystical way through his body, the church.

I would like to point your attention to the Mars Hill Journey blog(www.MarsHillJourney.blogspot.com). Here you will find the updates, articles, insights, book reviews and ideas that are influencing our journey together. I encourage you to take a look around and join the conversation.

Please mark your calendars for Sunday, June 1st at 5:30pm. We will be hosting and facilitating a block party for the neighborhood surrounding KAMP's. We need people to help with passing out flyers, food, inflatables, face painting, yard games, etc. If you have any ideas or areas that you would like to contribute, let us know and make plans to do so.

This Sunday, May 11th, we will be gathering together on Sunday morning at 11:00am with the newest downtown church, SKYLINE - located at 123 Robert S Kerr. Parking is available off Dean McGee between Broadway and Robinson. KidCity is available for all children up to 5th grade. Check out www.SkylineOKC.com for a map and more info.

Hope To See You Sunday At Skyline.
Ben.

Transformation.

2008-05-08T10:58:00.008-05:00

Here in words is the heart overflow of one of my best friends, Lance Humphreys. I hope you are inspired by how God is already at work among us.

"Jesus wants to TRANSFORM Oklahoma City for His glory. The days of individual churches or ministries getting glory are over. The days of being satisfied with obscure, incremental gains are coming to an end. Our city is entering a season where everything is being shaken. It’s grass roots, neighborhood by neighborhood and it’s at the highest levels of government and business. It is signs and wonders, unity in the church, harvest of salvation, and TRANSFORMATION in every segment of society (social justice, business, government, agriculture, arts and entertainment, medical, and communications). People will come from all over the world not to see what a single church, ministry, social service, or business has done, but what God has done. God will do a work in Oklahoma City that will impact nations. God always goes after the heart, and he is going after the heart of our city.

I believe God is going after the heart of OKC, and the heart of our city is downtown. You may recall that in October of 2006, while on sabbatical I sensed God saying that transformation was coming to OKC, beginning among the most marginalized in the center of the city and spreading to impact the entire region. Days later I received the phone call that connected us with an international vision to see cities transformed through uniting business and church leaders together in church planting (Vision360). Bridgeway has since become a catalyst in uniting business and church leaders in OKC to focus missionally on the heart of our city. Over the next 3 years we are partnering with other churches and business leaders to plant a church in every one of the 15 most vulnerable schools in Oklahoma City.

When Stacy and I moved back to OKC from Colorado to be a part of Bridgeway it was with a sense of a call to a city not just to a church. I can recall being in OKC for Christmas when we lived in Denver. For two afternoons I drove every street from 50th south to downtown praying for the city and envisioning a day when the church would rise up in the city center, uniting rich and poor, black and white, young urban hipsters with boomer suburbanites, worship and prayer filling the old cathedrals and mission filling the streets."

Shalom.

2008-05-06T09:59:00.002-05:00

An excerpt from Shauna Niequist's book, Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life.

There is a way of living, a way of harmonizing and hitting a balance point, a converging of a thousand balance points and voices, layering together, twisting together, and there are moments when it all clicks into place just for a split second - something deep inside that feels like peace - and that the place I'm trying to get to.

I have glimpses every once in a while of this achingly beautiful way of living that comes when the plates stop spinning and the masks fall off and the apologies come from the deepest places and so do the prayers, and I am fighting, elbowing to make more of my life that life. I want that spirit or force of happiness that is so much deeper than happy - peace that comes from your toes, that makes you want to live forever, that makes you gulp back sobs because you remember so many moments of so much un-peace. I search for those moments the way I search for beach glass, bits of glitter along a desolate expanse of sand, and I want those moments to stretch into hours, into days.

The word I use for it is shalom. It's equilibrium and free-fall, balance and shake. It's a new dance, a new taste, the feeling of falling in love, the knowledge of being set free. It's that split second cross between fact and a feeling, something you would swear on in a court of law but couldn't find words for if you tried.

To get there, I'm finding, is the hardest work and the most worthwhile fight. Shalom requires so much, so much more than I thought I would have to sacrifice, and it scrapes so deeply through the lowest parts of me, divulging and demonstrating so many dark corners. It's something you can't fake, so you have to lay yourself open to it, wide open and vulnerable to what it might ask of you, what it might require you to give up, get over, get outside of, get free from.

Shalom is about God, and about the voice and spirit of God blowing through and permeating all the dark corners that we've chopped off, locked down. It's about believing, and letting belief move you to forgive. It's about grace, and letting grace propel you into action. It's about the whole of our lives becoming woven through with the sacred spirit of God, through friendship and confession, through rest and motion, through marriage and silence.

Shalom is happening all around us, but it never happens on its own. The best things never do happen on their own, and shalom is the very best thing. In the same way that forgiveness never feels natural until after it's done, and hope always feels impossible before we commit to it, in the same way that taking is easier than giving, and giving in is easier than getting up, in that same way, shalom never happens on its own.

It happens when we do the hardest work, the most secret struggle, the most demanding truth telling. In those moments of ferocity and fight, peace is born. Shalom arrives, and everything is new. And when you've tasted it, smelled it, fought for it, labored it into life, you'll give your soul to get a little more, and it is always worth it.

Shalom.

The Multiplying Church.

2008-05-05T12:29:00.003-05:00

I wanted to pass along a post I received this morning from Bob Roberts. I'm glad to be able to call Bob a new friend. We have met a time or two and he will be making a visit to Oklahoma City tomorrow to spend some time with a handful of young church leaders. Really looking forward to it.

Bob says:

The Multiplying Church: Why Start Churches?

Why have people started churches throughout history? We don’t have any record of people starting churches in Jerusalem. We do have house churches. The question as to why we are starting churches is crucial to our future. We want to see a movement that will transform societies similar to what has happened in the past and is happening in the East.

If you look at the chart on page 28 of The Multiplying Church, Antioch started churches for transformation of the person and the world, but particularly the city. Acts 17:6 “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here.” I believe that is where we are moving. I believe 2010 it will become an emerging verbalized reason people are starting churches. For now the primary motivation for starting churches is the oft quoted statement about church planting being the best method of evangelism ever invented. This is true. However, it’s critical for us to see the big picture of Christ bringing reconciliation to all things. That reconciliation starts with a person accepting Christ but should never stop there. Most of our evangelism in the West is about very self-centered, personal conversion. Instead, through that personal transformation, the family, the city, the nation, and the world should be in the process of reconciliation - even healing the broken structures and institutions of society for mercy and justice.

Why 2010? Here’s why…

Save A Tree.

2008-05-01T16:32:00.004-05:00

So this morning I decided to take a trip by Mardel because I was in need of a particular commentary on Galatians. Mardel is some kind of bizarre. I think about Mardel as "The Marketable Jesus". It's just so gimmicky. But here I was hunting and hoping that they would have a copy of the book. Of course they didn't, I should have just saved the trip and gone to Amazon.

As I roamed through the store I picked up a copy of Relevant Magazine and flipped through its pages. There was one particular article that peaked my interest so I thought I would pay them for it rather than find a chair and read it on site. I made my way up to the register and was greeted by Pam or Marge or Lois (some elderly lady type name...I can't quite remember). As I set me Relevant on the counter, she was playing it cool. She the grandma...me the young "cool" preacher kid, she must have been thinking.

After I paid way too much for one magazine, she stuffed it into a PLASTIC mardel bag. I told her she could save the bag and I would just carry the magazine out, if that was alright. To which she replied, SAVE A TREE. I walked out of Mardel - the marketable Jesus, laughing and thinking. Plastic Bag...Save a Tree. Something's not quite right with that picture. Oh, but how Relevant grandma Marge must have felt in that little moment, Ha!

Mars Hill Update.

2008-04-30T17:27:00.002-05:00

Easter is the season of HOPE. The message of Easter is that the way of being in Jesus, the way of living the new resurrected life is through participation. The original metaphors of the faith found in the New Testament and early church are old metaphors that need to be made new. The Easter Season is the time to recapture some of these old metaphors and make them new and fresh. The primary metaphor for the Easter season is the church as the resurrected people living a resurrected spirituality. Because of Easter we are in union with Christ.

The Mars Hill schedule will change some for the summer months. There will be a number of opportunities for us to continue to engage our surrounding community. We will be creating time and space for relationships to grow and friendships to be made. We will also continue to partner with other downtown area church plants to serve and celebrate. Please pay special attention to the announcements that are given and the email updates you receive. Be sure to ask lots of questions along the way and spread the word on where and when we will BE the church together.

Next Sunday, May 11th is Mothers Day. We will be gathering together on Sunday morning at 11:00am with the newest downtown church, Skyline. For those of you who recall, this community served alongside of the Mars Hill community for Sharefest. Skyline is located at 123 Robert S. Kerr. Parking is available off Dean McGee between Broadway and Robinson. KidCity is available for all children up to 5th grade. Check out http://www.skylineokc.com/ for a map and more info.

There will be no KAMP's Gathering on Sunday evening May 11th or 25th. We will be Gathering on May 18th and again on June 1st.

This Sunday, May 4th is the Seventh Sunday of Easter: The Prayer of Jesus. On the Sunday before Pentecost it is fitting that the church remember the final prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 17). Here is yet another sign of resurrection spirituality: the oneness of the church. This does not mean that we can't recognize the diversity of the church, but it does speak to our prejudices and our failure to affirm the essential oneness of the church. The true truth is our unity in the person of Jesus Christ - God who became man to restore fallen creatures and creation. We are a community of communities. We may have our differences, but they are slight by comparison to what we hold in common.

Harry Truman said, "You can accomplish anything in life, provided you do not mind who gets the credit."

We will be taking a special offering this Sunday in order to bless some of the single Moms in the neighborhood for Mother's Day!

Please join us this Sunday for the KAMP's Gathering to be followed by dinner together.

Better Together.
Ben.

PS - In the spirit of oneness, check out and join ONE - The Campaign To Make Poverty History (http://www.one.org/).

Something I read this morning.

2008-04-29T11:47:00.000-05:00

Something I read this morning...

Henri Nouwen wrote in “The Way of the Heart”…

“In solitude I get rid of my scaffolding: no friends to talk with, no telephones calls to make, no meetings to attend, no music to entertain, no books to distract, just me - naked, vulnerable, weak, sinful, deprived, broken-nothing. It is this nothingness that I have to face in my solitude, a nothingness so dreadful that everything in me want to run to my friends, my work, and my distractions so that I can forget my nothingness and make myself believe that I am worth something.”

Get It.

2008-04-24T10:08:00.002-05:00

I have one of the most remarkable "Grand-Father-In-Laws" in the world. He is a remarkably hardworking and generous man. He has accumulated some measure of wealth over the years but it has never gone to serve or benefit himself or his standard of living. It has always been about the other. He has taken an interest in me from the first time I met him when Shannon and I were just dating.

He loves God and the church, so there has always been a particular interest in our church endeavors. He has contributed financially to the Mars Hill community from the very beginning, even when he didn't always GET IT.

This past Saturday he was in Oklahoma City visiting. He came over to KAMP's during the middle of Sharefest and witnessed us meeting Jessica and shifting gears to help her move. I was able to tell him about urban OKC, Kamp's, the neighborhood, what God is calling us to BE, etc. We sat on the porch and just discussed all sorts of things.

Here is an email I received yesterday from Shannon's Uncle Dan regarding my Grand-Father-In-Laws experience and perspective:

ben

i can't tell you how much my dad was impacted watching your efforts on Saturday. he related the shopping cart story. his words were, 'i never have seen anything that is more "Jesus" than what they were doing that day.'

i think my dad sometimes struggles with the social gospel aspect of the emerging churches. but when he sees it played out in real life - HE GETS IT.

love what you are doing. glad to hear you can see God in the failure of your own home buying situation.

take care,
dan

Robbie Seay Band - OKC.

2008-04-22T16:42:00.002-05:00

Just Spreadin' The Word...

Robbie Seay Band will be at the Backroom of Bridgeway Church this Sunday night. He is the last band of the night, so I plan to slip over after the KAMP's Gathering. Perhaps you'd like to join me...

The Fruit of Sharefest.

2008-04-22T14:57:00.002-05:00

On Sharefest Saturday as we mowed, pulled weeds, picked up trash, hauled off debris, planted flowers, etc., I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Jessica, a single mom of four.

That particular day she was moving - from her sister's house on 11th & Indiana to 33rd & McKinley. She was pushing a shopping cart down the street with her personal belongings overflowing. I inquired as to what she was doing and she informed me that she was moving. To which I asked if she was moving with a shopping cart. To which she replied yes. To which I said, not anymore you're not.

We shifted gears that afternoon and help Jessica and her four beautiful kids - Jaeviyon age 7, Anthony age 6, Jada age 2 and Montrell age 1, move into their own place, a little garage apartment.

Sunday night we took an offering in order to help fill her fridge and pantry with food. While I delivered the groceries last night, I noticed she didn't have a washer or dryer. And because of a minor housing disaster in my own family, we happen to have our washer and dryer sitting in storage for the next six months.

So later this week I will take her ours. I would gladly go through our housing disaster again, because of it we are now in a place to give her a washer and dryer.

Acts 4:32-35 says, "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were NO NEEDY PERSONS among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles fee, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

My New Working Home.

2008-04-21T11:16:00.003-05:00

Recently I moved into some office space at Bridgeway Church (www.BridgewayChurch.com). They have been so gracious to welcome me into the mix and provide a "working home". It's been beautiful to collaborate with these wonderful men and women. Amazing what we can accomplish together when we don't mind who gets the credit or what church name is on it, etc. Go figure, multiple churches and leaders working together for TRANSFORMATION!

Mars Hill Update.

2008-04-17T16:06:00.004-05:00

Please join over 80 churches for Sharefest ( www.ShareFestOKC.org ) this Saturday, April 19th from 9-3pm. We will be gathering in front of KAMP's (NW 25th & Classen) at 9am to receive instructions and group assignments. Each group will be assigned one side of a street to accomplish whatever is necessary to "BEAUTIFY" it. This will happen through mowing, tree trimming, limb removal, litter clean up, and planting flowers, etc. Please bring whatever equipment and supplies necessary to tackle these projects and leave the neighborhood surrounding KAMP's looking a bit more like heaven on earth.

This Sunday, April 20th is the Fifth Sunday of Easter: Ministry of the Church. Beginning with the fifth Sunday of Easter, there is a decide shift in the Easter emphasis. We know the time between the resurrection and the ascension was a time of teaching. Luke informs us that Jesus appeared to his disciples "during forty days...speaking about the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). Here is the shift. Jesus know that he had to prepare his disciples for his ascension and return to the Father. He had to address the question of how he would continue to remain present with them and guide them in his physical absence. Jesus prepares his disciples to BE the church, his body, the continued presence of Jesus in the world. Jesus taught his disciples that "the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). Now the disciples and soon the church had to learn how to become ministers of the people, following the example of their Good Shepherd.

I look forward to being the church with you this Saturday and then celebrating with you on Sunday at KAMP's. Tommy Bailey will be with us to lead the worship celebration.

Experience The Shift.

Ben.

Mars Hill Update.

2008-04-09T16:56:00.000-05:00

Easter is the season of HOPE. The message of Easter is that the way of being in Jesus, the way of living the new resurrected life is through participation. The original metaphors of the faith found in the New Testament and early church are old metaphors that need to be made new. The Easter Season is the time to recapture some of these old metaphors and make them new and fresh. The primary metaphor for the Easter season is the church as the resurrected people living a resurrected spirituality. Because of Easter we are in union with Christ.

Please mark your calendars and join over 80 churches for Sharefest (www.ShareFestOKC.org) on Saturday, April 19th from 9-3pm. We will have four working teams to engage the neighborhood surrounding KAMP's with kind acts and practical help. We need all kinds of lawn and tree trimming equipment to tackle some of the projects we have planned. Please let me know if you are willing and able to contribute in this way.

I would like to point your attention to a series of five videos that Ryan Marshall has posted on his blog (www.5and2fish.com) from Oklahoman Editor Ed Kelley. I love how Ed Kelley is leveraging his influence and joining the God of the oppressed for the good of others, to be a voice for those who have know voice.

This weekend I had the privilege to meet Miki Farris, founder and executive director of the Infant Crisis Services (www.InfantCrisis.org). Infant Crisis Services believes every baby and toddler deserves life's basic necessities. With the help of the community, Infant Crisis Services supplies life-sustaining formula and food as well as diapers and clothing for babies and toddlers in times of crisis. It is hard to imagine that in the richest nation of the world there are babies and toddlers who go to bed hungry, yet it happens every day right here in Oklahoma. Our state has the 8th highest incidence of childhood poverty in the U.S.Infant Crisis Services serves more than 900 babies and toddlers in central Oklahoma each month.

This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Easter: The Good Shepherd . The image of the good shepherd, the shepherd who will give his life for his sheep, is that of servant leadership. Jesus the Good Shepherd has given his life for us, his sheep. And having been raised from death, he now leads us on into green pastures. This is the primary mark of a good shepherd. He is willing to die that the sheep might live. This is what the story of the cross is all about. The fourth Sunday of Easter reminds us that we have a leader, the Good Shepherd whose voice we are to hear, whose life we are to follow (see John 10:1-21).

Please let us know if we can serve you or serve with you in any way this week.

See You Sunday At KAMP's.
Ben

The Story of The World.

2008-04-07T09:19:00.003-05:00

I have the unique privilege to serve on the teaching team at Skyline Church (http://www.skylineokc.com/). This mean I get the share with a wonderful new downtown community once a month. This Sunday I was with them and the notes and thoughts from the talk are included below. Help came from Robert Webber, NT Wright, Donald Miller and John Eldridge. We explored God's word, as much more than a guide book for Christians but as the reality and story of the world.

We are in the midst of an incredible story.

In a world of competing stories, we need to recover the truth of God’s word as the story of the world, and to make it the centerpiece of life.

Our story is ANCIENT and it is FUTURE. We REMEMBER where we came from and ANTICIPATE where we are going. To know where this journey will take us we must know where it has been. We have roots that take us back to the BEGINNING OF TIME, to the beginning of God creating and entering into relationship with HIS people.

Principles are used for a story to make sense –

Lead Character or Protagonist: All good stories have a good lead character. You evaluate a good lead character by asking, “What would happen to the story if we removed the character from it?”

25 year old Jenna Lee leads an organization called Blood Water Mission, an effort to drill 1,000 clean water wells. What would happen if you removed Jenna Lee from the story? One person is seven (around 1 billion people) has no access to clean water.

As we approach the story of God through the scriptures, we must fundamentally believe and experience God as good and merciful and just and loving and true.

Ambition or what the character wants: Most good stories are not centered on a man longing to acquire a Volvo and when he gets his Volvo and drives it off the lot the credits role.

Conflict or hard times: lead to change with negative and positive turns. There has to be conflict in a story. We hate conflict but we must learn to love it (James 1).

If I were to tell you that I woke up and walked up and down a set of stairs twice OR if I told you that last year I climbed Everest twice. Same story, one is just more interesting than the other. One has more conflict.

Resolution or how the story comes to a close.

The most powerful way to teach and educate is with story. We talked about how to become a disciple is to not simply know what the rabbit knows, but to be like the rabbit, to do what the rabbit does. Now it was said of rabbis that they would learn the text, live the text, teach the and die the text. Our western world is a world of analysis and logic, whereas the eastern world of Jesus and the scripture was a world of mystery and imagination. A world of story.

Neuroscience tells us that the brain reconceives reality in the shape of story and that we tell ourselves these stories. There were tourists in Indonesia who were laughing and videoing the tsunami wave because they could not reconceive another story than the one they were living in, which was fun, vacation, etc.

The scripture from beginning to end, keeps telling stories: Adam & Eve, Cain & Able, Noah’s Ark, Abraham & Isaac, Jacob & Esau, Exodus, Moses, Joshua & Jericho, David & Goliath, David & Bathsheba, Job, Solomon, Nehemiah, Daniel & The Lion’s Den, Hosea, Mary & Joseph, Elizabeth & Zachariah, John the Baptist, JESUS, birth, temptation, baptism, parables and stories and examples and displays, a bunch of letters to a bunch of people and churches, etc.

The bible is narrative after narrative, story after story and nowhere does the bible stop and say, “This is what the story is about or this is what the story means or this is what so and so is really saying”. The point of the story is the story itself. The story drives us back to and deeper into the story. And stories transform and change us.

The story is powerful enough. We tell and hear stories and it’s like adjusting a compass. We hear and engage the story and we find true north.

Maybe the narrative is enough. When we hear or see a great story we don’t stop and talk about what we can learn from a story, we relive it and retell it and allow ourselves to be shaped by it. It’s not about extrapolating the 5 steps to a great this or 3 steps to the best that.

How do we approach and read the Bible? Most of the Bible does not consist of rules and regulations, lists of commands to be obeyed. Nor does it consist of creeds, lists of things to be believed.

Much of what we call the Bible is not a rule book; it is a narrative. And how we approach the Bible is of utmost importance. If you don’t understand or know the purpose of a thing all you can do is abuse that thing.

It’s one thing to go to your commanding officer first thing in the morning and have a string of commands barked at you. But what would you do if, instead, he began “Once Upon A time…” or in our case, “In the Beginning…God”. And what if Genesis was more about story than it was about science.

The authority which God has invested in this book is an authority that is wielded and exercised through the people of God telling and retelling their story.

The story is told in 5 Acts:

Creation – Many stories begins “Once Upon a Time” but our story begins “In the Beginning God”. Our story, our journey, our view of the world begins with a creation poem. Can you feel the beat, the rhythm? And God saw that it was good…6x…and God saw that it was very good. Here we find a vision of how the world once was and what the world will once again become.

Psalm 8:3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Fall - The enemy tempted the first humans, and darkness and evil entered the story through human sin and are now a part of the world. This devastating event resulted in our relationships with God, others, ourselves, and creation being fractured and in desperate need of redeeming.

Israel – the clan of Abraham and later the nation of Israel (and later the church), which develops out of this clan, will be an instrument of blessing to the surrounding tribes and nations.

Jesus - Isaiah 7:14 says, “See, a young maiden will conceive. She will give birth to a son and name Him Immanuel, that is, “God with us.”

John 1:1 – In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God…John 1:14, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us…God took on flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood…

Church - We believe that we live in the age of the church and that God continues to take on flesh and blood and move into our neighborhoods and that he does so through you and me, his people.

Acts 2:42-47 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

The New Testament would form the first scene of the 5th Act, giving hints of how the play is supposed to end.

God wants to catch human beings up in the work that he is doing. He doesn’t want to do it by-passing us. He wants us to be involved in his work. And as we are involved, so we ourselves are being remade.

Story is the authority that really works. Throw a rule book at people’s heads, or offer them a list of doctrines and they can duck or avoid it or simply disagree and go away. Tell them a story, though, and you invite them to come into a different world (a kingdom reality).

Great revolutionary movements have told stories about the past and present and future. This past Friday, April 4th was the anniversary of the death and assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. They are still telling his story. They are still going back to an old motel. They are still remembering and recalling. Quoting and reciting.

And that is exactly what the Bible is: the story of the greatest revolutionary movement the world has known.

How can we handle this extraordinary treasure, responsibly? How then shall the bible be read? We have to let the Bible be the Bible in all its oddness and otherness. We have taken the Bible and made it ordinary.

A dominant error of some Christians is to say, “I must bring God into my story. The ancient understanding is that God joins the story of humanity to take us into his story. There is a world of difference. One is narcissistic; the other is God-oriented. It will change your enter spiritual life when you realize that your life is joined to God’s story.

I once understood the gospel as God asking me to let him into my narrative, to find room for him in my heart and life. But now I realize that God bids me to find my place in his narrative.
One crisis of Scripture is that we stand over the Bible and read God’s narrative from the outside instead of standing within the narrative and reading Scripture as an insider.

The original meaning of the biblical narrative became lost as conservatives rushed to verify the Bible as a historical and scientific document.

In our reading of the Bible we have been stuck between extreme objectivism and extreme subjectivism. The overly objective approach would work to uncover the one single meaning the author intended to convey. The subjective approach would disregard the author’s intent and argues that the meaning of the text is the meaning the reader takes away from it.

We must read the bible as true, as God’s true story.

Scripture is the book that assures us that we are the people of God when, again and again, we are tempted to doubt.

Scripture is the covenant book through which the spirit assures us that we are his people and through which he sends us out into the world to tell the Jesus story.

The purpose of the Church’s life is to be the people of God for the world. The church can only be this if she is constantly being recalled to the story and message of scripture.

Listen to the words of Tim Keel, “NT Wright describes the story of God in time happening over five acts: creation, fall, Israel, Jesus, and the church. The church is the human society that bears the image of Christ and participates alongside God in the redemption of all things. While each of the previous acts come to an end somewhere in our distant past, we still live in the age of the church. It is our vocation to continue what we see happening in the pages of the New Testament – the whole bible actually – not exactly in the same ways as those who have come before, but postured in similar ways as those who have come before, but postured in similar ways in the power and under the inspiration of the same spirit. To do so requires us to live deeply in the story of God, not in the collected facts about God.

In the book Colossians Remixed, authors Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat describe this story as an unfinished drama. They add a sixth act to Wright’s five: the consummation of all things in God. “We are now living in Act V and are on the stage as actors in this divine love story that seeks to restore the covenantal bond between the Creator and his beloved creation. Our task is to keep the drama alive and move it toward Act VI, recognizing that in this final Act God becomes the central actor again and finishes the play. But how do we move the drama forward? We turn to the Author and ask for more script. And the Author says, “Sorry, but that’s all that’s written – you have to finish Act V. But I have given you a very good Director who will comfort and lead you.” So here we are with an unfinished script, at least some indication of the final Act and a promise that we have the Holy Spirit as our Director and we have to improvise. If we are to faithfully live out the biblical drama, then we will need to develop the imaginative skills necessary to improvise on this cosmic stage of creational redemption. Indeed it would be the height of infidelity and interpretive cowardice to simply repeat verbatim, over and over again, the earlier passages of the play.”

Revelation 12:11 says, “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;

Many Stories end with “And they lived happily ever after”, and as we see in Revelation 21 our stories ends like this,

“Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

And we are giving our lives to living out that future reality now.

A Re-Re-Post.

2008-04-04T10:15:00.001-05:00

This is mostly for my own benefit som I don't forget this thought from Ron at Cross & Crown. Thanks Ryan (www.5and2fish.com) for the reminder.

“What if just one small group of people from 1/4 of the churches listed in the phone book picked a specific area of their community, set up a “home base” and just started doing what Jesus did? They would begin meeting their neighbor’s needs, meeting each day to pray, intentionally invest into the youth and children of that community, share their life and faith. What would happen? I bet you could use your imagination. I think you would have some very frustrated news stations. They would have to spend their time reporting on all the cool transformations because fewer bad things would be happening. The city would change. Other towns would take notice. Why don’t we do it?"

Ancient Future Worship.

2008-04-04T09:16:00.004-05:00

Yesterday evening as I entered the house around 5:45pm or so I noticed that a new book from Amazon had arrived and was waiting for me on the arm of the couch. I always get an email update letting me know that my order has shipped. So I was anticipating receiving "Ancient Future Worship" by Robert E. Webber.

http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Future-Worship-Proclaiming-Enacting-arrative/dp/0801066247/ref=pd_sim_b_img_3

I have been reading through some of Webber's writings and leaned on them during the season of Lent (you may have noticed). Through getting familiar with him I realized that he had been diagnosed with cancer.

Robert Webber died of pancreatic cancer on April 27, 2007. So this would be his last work. As I cracked its cover and even now as I write I was overpowered by the work and words of a man in his final months, weeks, days and moments of life. These are among his final words to the world, to the church, to us.

Here is an excerpt from the back cover:

God has a story. Worship does God's story. There is a crisis of worship today. The problem goes beyond matters of style--it is a crisis of content and of form. Worship in churches today is too often dead and dry, or busy and self-involved. Robert Webber attributes these problems to a loss of vision of God and of God's narrative in past, present, and future history. As he examines worship practices of Old Testament Israel and the early church, Webber uncovers ancient principles and practices that can reinvigorate our worship today and into the future. The final volume in Webber's acclaimed Ancient-Future series, Ancient-Future Worship is the culmination of a lifetime of study and reflection on Christian worship. Here is an urgent call to recover a vigorous, God-glorifying, transformative worship through the enactment and proclamation of God's glorious story. The road to the future, argues Webber, runs through the past.

Robert E. Webber (1933-2007) was, at the time of his death, Myers Professor of Ministry at Northern Seminary in Lombard, Illinois, and served as the president of the Institute for Worship Studies in Orange Park, Florida. His many books include Ancient-Future Faith and The Younger Evangelicals.

Luby's Love.

2008-04-03T10:22:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I have a bit of a confession to make. My family has been to Luby's the last two Wednesday nights. I secretly like going to the cafeteria. I think I like it because it has ties to my childhood when we would meet my Grandparents there for lunch many Sundays after church. The crazy thing is I still recognize some of the employees. The cool part is that on Wednesday nights kids eat for free, so it makes it a great option to eat out and still get some veggies in your kids.

Last night as we walked in I instantly saw a new friend and ministry partner, Matthew Myers. Matthew owns a company called Giant Partners, which recently purchased Catalyst, etc. (www.CatalystSpace.com). Matthew was there will his lovely wife, Kim and their two delightful children, Tess and Jesse. Matthew invited us to join them for dinner. So they stepped out of their place in line and joined us at the back of the line so that we could share dinner together. I was taken aback by their willingness to engage my little family with such kindness. You never know what you're going to get when you invite a family with a 1.5 year old and 5 year old to join your for dinner. You just might end up mashed potatoes in your lap, etc. But nonetheless, they braved the elements and made the invite. It was a gesture that will not soon be forgotten.

As we sat down to enjoy our meal. I realized that Matthew and his family have been coming to Luby's on Wednesday nights for some time. And each time they come, they always invite someone in line to join their family for dinner. Most of the time it is a elderly single person. You see Luby's is one of those happy and sad kinds of places. You have families dining together. You have a diverse racial mix. But you also have little old men and women eating alone. And I am proud to have a friend like Matthew Myers who is not afraid to give a little Luby's Love!

Mars Hill Update.

2008-04-03T10:16:00.002-05:00

Easter is the season of HOPE. The message of Easter is that the way of being in Jesus, the way of living the new resurrected life is through participation. The original metaphors of the faith found in the New Testament and early church are old metaphors that need to be made new. The Easter Season (the time between Easter Sunday and Pentecost) is the time to recapture some of these old metaphors and make them new and fresh. The primary metaphor for the Easter season is the church as the resurrected people living a resurrected spirituality. Because of Easter we are in union with Christ.

Please mark your calendars and join over 80 churches for Sharefest ( www.ShareFestOKC.org) on Saturday, April 19th from 9-3pm. We will have several working teams to engage the neighborhood surrounding KAMP's with kind acts and practical help. We need all kinds of lawn and tree trimming equipment to tackle some of the projects we have planned. Please let me know if you are willing and able to contribute in this way.

This Sunday is the Third Sunday of Easter: Worship. Worship is the constant celebration of the Easter event. It is in worship that resurrection spirituality is learned and experienced. We gather - To hear the good news - To break bread together - To go forth and tell others. Inside this fourfold pattern is the content of the death and resurrection and the message of hope.

Our work in worship is to do the work of remembrance and hope. In worship we remember God's acts of salvation in history, especially God's work in the death and resurrection of Jesus to be a sacrifice for our sins and to be a victor over the powers of evil. Therefore in worship we anticipate his coming again, the total destruction of evil, and the reign of God's shalom (meaning: peace, nothing missing, nothing broken, and complete) over the entire created world.

So worship signifies God and God's mission to rescue creatures and creation. But note what this kind of worship does. It does something for those who do the work of proclaiming and enacting God's work. It transforms them. Every Sunday is a "little Easter," a celebration of the Easter event (Robert Webber).

I look forward to sharing and celebrating communion with you this Sunday, April 6th to be followed by dinner together.

Shalom.
Ben.

City Rescue Mission.

2008-04-02T15:04:00.005-05:00

Last night I spent a couple of hours with Ryan Edwards over dinner at Lido.

Ryan and I go back a few years now to when we were living in Colorado Springs. It's amazing to think about how God has led Ryan through a wild journey in the last year or so.

Ryan connected with the mission and vision that surrounded the Mars Hill Journey from the get go. He and I spend Friday afternoons in Colorado just talking and dreaming about the future of this church that did not yet physically exist but existed very much in our hearts.

Ryan quit his job, left his friends and moved to OKC where the only people he knew was my little family. He has faithfully served this church-planting effort in ways that only God can adequately reward him for.

Today, he is living among the beautiful and broken people at the City Rescue Mission along with Ester Kim from the Mars Hill Community and several others. I love that young men and women in their twenties are pursuing and spreading a kingdom that lasts forever.

And yes, that's peanut butter easy cheeze style - disgusting, I know!

Chinese Proverb & Jewish Prophet.

2008-03-31T12:50:00.003-05:00

A little truth for you on a Monday morning...

Go to the people, Live among them, Learn from them, Love them, Start with what they know, Build on what they have: But of the best leaders, When their task is done, The people will remark “We have done it ourselves.” —Chinese Proverb

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. - Isaiah 58:6-12

Bee Movie.

2008-03-31T12:45:00.002-05:00

Another fun movie we checked out this weekend was Bee Movie (www.BeeMovie.com). I found this thought shared at the very onset of the film to be rather fascinating for one reason or another.

"According to all known laws of aviation a bee should not be able to fly. Its wings are to tiny to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway, because bees don't care what humans think is impossible."

The Kite Runner.

2008-03-31T12:37:00.001-05:00

This weekend we rented The Kite Runner (www.KiteRunnerMovie.com). I highly recommend you check out this great story of redemption.

Weekly Update.

2008-03-31T12:24:00.000-05:00

Easter is the season of HOPE. The message of Easter is that the way of being in Jesus, the way of living the new resurrected life is through participation. The original metaphors of the faith found in the New Testament and early church are old metaphors that need to be made new. The Easter Season is the time to recapture some of these old metaphors and make them new and fresh. The primary metaphor for the Easter season is the church as the resurrected people living a resurrected spirituality. Because of Easter we are in union with Christ.

It is highly appropriate that the second Sunday of Easter should focus on the church. The church is the community of God's people that is defined by the Easter event and called to live out the resurrected life. The second Sunday of the Easter season is a good time to call the church to be the community of the resurrected people. Easter is a time to call the church back to its roots, back to its original identity. The proof of the resurrection is not in rational argument but in the community of resurrected people. The church is called to be a sign, a witness to the Easter message that Christ has overcome the powers of evil. The church is called to be the embodied reality of a resurrected people who live out the reality of resurrection (Robert Webber).

This Sunday, March 30th we will initiate a focused effort of "Listening to Our Community". Often communities are developed by people outside of the community that bring in resources without taking into account the community itself. We are committed to listening to the community residents, and hearing their dreams, ideas and thoughts. Listening is most important, as the people of the community are the vested treasures of the future. The priority is the thoughts and dreams of the community itself. What the people themselves believe should be the focus.

Next Sunday, April 6th the KAMP's Gathering will be followed by dinner together.

On Saturday, April 19th we will join over 80 church in the metro area for Sharefest - an annual event to highlight and celebrate the numerous ways our faith community touches the needs of our city with help and hope.

Christ in Us, the HOPE...
Ben.

Easter '08.

2008-03-25T00:33:00.001-05:00

Lent, the 40-day period of preparation for Easter concludes. Henri Nowen once described Lent as the season during which winter and spring struggle with each other for dominance. Others refer to this season as a time of "Bright Sadness". Lent is a time of fasting and mourning, of repentance and renewal, of identifying with Jesus in his suffering so that we can identify more fully with his resurrection at Easter.

Lent reaches its climax during Holy Week, itself a journey within a journey. Easter is the season of hope and for the disciples it was a forty-day long experience.

Romans 6:4-9, 11 says, "We were therefore buried with him through baptism in to death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him in a death like this, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slave to sin - because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

Yes, resurrection is for you personally. And we need personal resurrection because we have grown all too comfortable being captive. We celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead and that we too can be raised from the dead.

But our personal resurrection is good news for the world. We must practice resurrection. The world is broken and desperately in need of repair. All that is so dead and wrong will be made right and alive.

Revelation 21:1-7 says this - Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.”

This is what we long for. This is what we hope for. This is what we ache for. We are giving our lives to leading, loving and living out that future reality now. And for these early Christians, this future reality had nothing to do with leaving this world.

God Makes All Things New! And the first picture we have of this future reality is found in the empty tomb. Sin has lost its power. Death has lost its sting. From the grave you’ve risen, VICTORIOUSLY!

Matthew 28:1-20 says, “After the Sabbath, at dawn of the first day of the week (Sunday), Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

White is the color of Easter and of the resurrection, for it is the color of new, clean, and set apart.

And with that, we come full circle in this journey of lent. Psalms 51 says, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

Read Psalm 51 from Message.

The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid…

1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.”

1 John 4:17-18 in the message reads, “God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. 19We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.”

…for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.

Jesus can be trusted. Can the church be trusted? I have a dream that people will say of the church, “You’re still here”.

Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed to the mountain Jesus has set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshipped him. Some, though, held back, doubted, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission (Co-Mission: We are not doing anything for God – We are doing it with God) you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded (John 13:34: a new command I give you, love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.) You. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

We have people telling people to tell some people to tell somebody until we ourselves are here being told. So go tell someone about the resurrection, about new life.

Nobody is doing any proving here, only telling. We can’t prove it but we can point to it, by telling the resurrection story and living into its reality and power.

Some things you can’t argue with because they are so flesh and blood they just are. While watching Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, Harley asked, “Does everybody die?” And in that moment I talked to my five year old little girl about our bodies dying but that what's on the inside lives forever. I became a resurrection believer in that moment all over again. Because there is nothing right about dads and daughters being separated by death.

To all of them, even the ones full of doubt, go witness to it.

We believe because we see and experience resurrection. We see people leaving Friday for Sunday, death for a life transformation.

So we spread resurrection and hope and life. Resurrection is a reality that a community puts on display for a world that needs it. This early community referred to themselves as the Body of Christ. They believed that through them Jesus was still present.

The Church is a living breathing display of a whole new world God is bringing about right here and now. That’s what the Kingdom is all about, the way things really are and the way things should really be.

The Good news is that God hasn’t given upon on the world. A resurrection rescue is underway. Yes, Jesus is saving us from our personal sin. It starts deep within us and God shows us what it looks like to put flesh and blood on and live the resurrection out.

Who will we bring resurrection to?

Over and Over.

2008-03-21T10:40:00.002-05:00

Something I came across from Seth Godin (www.SethGodin.typepad.com).

"Persistence isn't using the same tactics over and over. That's just annoying.
Persistence is having the same goal over and over."

Our goal over and over again is to BE the church, God with skin on - Love with skin on!

Palm Sunday.

2008-03-20T12:47:00.003-05:00

Going to post the notes and thoughts from the Palm Sunday talk. These notes may not be exhaustive of all that was said or all that well put together on paper. I'm sure I added and I'm sure I left things out. To give a little credit where a lot of credit is due - I leaned on Rob Bell, Brian McLaren & Ray Vander Laan for help on the subject matter.

Traditionally called Palm Sunday also known as Triumphal Entry Sunday. A week before his crucifixion, Jesus entered Jerusalem, the focus of the Jewish people. Millions of Christians for thousands of years have reflected and studied and asked questions about his entry.

Matthew 27:1

Chief Priests – ruling minority elite and it their job to help the Jewish people obey God, and show the world what God was like. These people decide they must kill Jesus. They bound him led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

Why would you want to kill someone like Jesus? What was his message? Why does the ruling establishment decide this man must die?

They turn him over to Pilate the governor. Why didn’t they kill him? Who is Pilate? What historically is going on? Who is Pilate and why is he a roman governor in Jerusalem?

The Jewish people had been under foreign occupation and oppression for centuries. Since 586 BC, a succession of empires – the Assyrians, Babylonians, Medo-Persians, Greeks and Romans. They wanted to be free to live in their own land without outside interference, occupation and domination.

Zealots – Herodians – Essenes (Sadducees) - Pharisees

The Roman Empire ruled the world. Julius Caesar tried to consolidate everything. His adopted son Octavian who later changed his name to Caesar Augustus became the first Caesar, who ruled the world from England to India.

A global superpower with one leader at the top overseeing the whole thing. Caesar Augustus believed he had come from heaven to earth to bring about universal reign, that he was the son of god incarnate on the earth. He used a propaganda phrase “Caesar is lord”, and “There is no other name under heaven by which people can be saved than that of Caesar.” He instituted a 12 day celebration of his birth called “Advent of The Caesar. You could offer sacrifices to him to forgive your sins. These foreign oppressors began to divinize the political leaders.

When you conquer the whole world, how do you rule countries from distances that might take you three weeks to travel to by horse? How do you rule and maintain order?

Caesar Augustus died which led to Caesar Tiberius. At the time of Jesus Tiberius was ruling.

In the ancient world you would spread the word of your reign through coins. The coin of Tiberius had the image and inscription of Tiberius. When you conquer a land you would demand a tax or tribute to raise money to conquer more lands. If you were a Jew in Israel and Rome had conquered you do you pay the tax the tribute? Caesar says he’s god and if I pay the tax am I acknowledging that Caesar is God? But if don’t pay the tax then we will be in danger of rebelling against the empire and Caesar kills those who rebel.

Some religious leaders want to trap Jesus so they bring him this current debate. Should we pay tribute to Caesar (the worshipped son of a worshipped god)? Jesus said, “You give to Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is God’s”. What does that say? Caesar is not god! The first commandment is thou shalt have no other gods and the second is thou shalt not make any graven images or idols. So if you are a Jew trying to obey the Ten Commandments this is a real issue. So when Jesus is asked should we pay, Jesus says show me a coin, which means he doesn’t have a coin and the leaders pull out a coin which means they do have it thus saying, “Caesar is the son of god”.

Now, Tiberius has an issue because he can’t be everywhere at once. In the region of Judea, Caesar appointed a roman to go to Jerusalem to rule in his place. The man he chose to rule on behalf of the empire was Pilate, governor of the land. Pilate was a historical ruler and governed this region. His job entailed living in Israel ruling trying to maintain order. If you are Pilate, you do not want these people to raise a ruckus. Your job was to maintain order.

Pilate did not live in Jerusalem, he lived in Caesarea. But he has a problem.

Luke 22:1 says, “Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover was near. The Chief Priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death…”

What was Passover all about?

Exodus 3:7 – Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey…The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt.”

The Jewish people are living in the land of Egypt enslaved by the pharaoh and God sends a messenger to them. God is the God who hears the cries of the oppressed. God rescues these helpless slaves out from under the hand of a foreign oppressor and once a year they would gather at a time called Passover to celebrate their god of the oppressed. They had been under the bondage of a foreign oppressor. God hears the cry of his people when they are in trouble and they would gather to celebrate when god rescued them.

200,000 Jews would gather to celebrate at the temple that God brought them out of slavery. If you are Pilate, you’re not very excited about this Passover. Your job is to maintain order and here they are celebrating. What if they all gather and start talking about an overthrow of sorts. You do not want them to celebrate to loudly or too long. Your job as Pilate is to keep these people well behaved and if you know 200,000 are coming to Jerusalem how do you send a message “don’t even think about it”?

Once a year Pilate leaves Caesarea and marches into Jerusalem sending a message that says do not mess with Rome. It would begin with the roman eagle saying the Roman Empire is coming. Behind the eagle would be the roman soldiers sending a message that resistance is futile submit or die. They had the cross as a punishment. Everything is about power and strength and domination. The roman army on the march evoked fear and terror. They march through your village to let you know who rules the world.

At this time, 80-90% of people in Israel are peasants and simple farmers, the working class, very poor simple good people living off the land. The Roman army is marching through your village saying don’t you even think about it. Pilate would ride on horse a sign of power strength and military success. All this to remind these Jewish pilgrims to not even think about rebelling. Pilate enters Jerusalem from the west.

This same week something else happens.

Luke 19:28.

Soon after Pilate enters from the west, Jesus directs them to get a donkey.

Luke 19:35
Luke 19:37

Blessed is the KING. What word is not the word to be using and shouting about now? KING. A large crowd of people shouting about another king is not a good thing. Pilate just entered from the west.

Luke 19:39

Some of the religious leaders (Pharisees) rebuke them telling them to keep quiet. But Jesus says if they stay quiet the stones will cry out. The crowds thought they were welcoming a king who would overthrow the Roman Empire. But they would soon be disappointed.

Luke 19:41

He wept over the city.

Matthew 21:1-11

He doesn’t walk. He does something else. Let’s explore how he enters the city. It is loaded with significance. Your king comes to you gently riding on a donkey. Jesus rides in to say I am the one who is coming.

Remez - They would quote the first part of the verse (remez) knowing you would know the rest of it. The second part is when things get a little edgy. They would have continued the quote from Zachariah 9. A chariot is a symbol of war. Ephraim was a symbol of the Jews. He takes away the weapons of war from the Jews and declares peace to the nations.

Jesus enters from the east and he doesn’t enter on a horse or on foot but on a donkey because Zachariah said some things about a future king. He will come on a donkey because he is opposed to war. He will take away the weapons of war and will extend peace.

Pilate enters from the west garbed and armed in all of the trappings of war. Jesus enters from the east but does Jesus choose a donkey randomly or for a purpose. The purpose is to say, “My kingdom is totally at odd with that kingdom”. Jesus stages an intentionally visual reality (kingdom – how things really are and how things should really be) of a totally different kind.

He is weeping and children are rejoicing. Why is Jesus weeping? In the year 70 the Jews went to war against Rome and they were absolutely destroyed. In the city of Rome there is the Titus (roman general) arch to commemorate the roman army destroying Jerusalem. Jesus weeps because they don’t follow the better way.

There are two ways to enter a city from the east and from the west and the writers of these gospels are confronting us with the way of Pilate and the way of Jesus. Which way? There are two ways to enter into a conversation, treat employees, deal with conflict in marriage, deal with pain, run your house, and treat people. We are confronted with two ways and Jesus pushes us which way? My way or the way you’ve seen. Horses or donkeys? My way or the way of Rome and the world? Two ways to enter the city, from the east or from the west?

Many who cried “Hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:9), were soon to join in the shout “Let him be crucified” (Matthew 27:23).

Why did he die? This nice Jewish rabbi? Why was he killed?

In the upper city the chief priests and elders of the city, the powerful wealthy elite lived. While 80-90% were barely making ends meet but in the upper city are a group of Jews who are in partnership with Pilate, they are getting rich off the people giving money to god. They are living in absolute luxury among the religious rulers who were supposed to be leading the people into obedience to god. The people are experiencing poverty and the elite are growing wealthy

John 12:19

The Pharisees said to one another “look how the whole world has gone after him. There are two ways to enter a city. This is true for people churches groups of people nations.

The temple of god has become corrupt; the elite group of leaders is exploiting people for their own power. Jesus says this is not right that it grieves the heart of god and god is the god who hears the cries of the oppressed. He is willing to die for the everyday normal people who are being trampled. He goes to the cross for a better way.
Matthew 26:36 – 27:54 (Passion Account)

Henri Nouwen – “In the world sadness if you’re sad, you cannot be glad. If you’re glad, you cannot be sad – be happy and forget your troubles. In the spiritual life it’s precisely the opposite. You embrace your sadness and trust that, right there, you will find gladness. That’s what the cross is all about. I look at the cross, a sign of execution, of pain, of torture, and see it as my hope.”

Mars Hill Update.

2008-03-20T12:45:00.001-05:00

I thought I would begin posting the weekly update here...

Lent, the 40-day period of preparation for Easter continues. Henri Nowen once described Lent as the season during which winter and spring struggle with each other for dominance. Others refer to this season as a time of "Bright Sadness". Lent is a time of fasting and mourning, of repentance and renewal, of identifying with Jesus in his suffering so that we can identify more fully with his resurrection at Easter.

Lent reaches its climax during Holy Week, itself a journey within a journey. Romans 6:4-9, 11 says, "We were therefore buried with him through baptism in to death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him in a death like this, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slave to sin - because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

Next Sunday, March 30th we will initiate a focused effort to "Listen to Our Community" in and around the KAMP's area. Christian Community Development Association ( www.ccda.org ) - a wonderful organization whose mission is train and inspire Christians to reclaim and restore under-resourced communities will be a guide for us in this effort. Read some of their philosophy on "Listening" below:

Often communities are developed by people outside of the community that bring in resources without taking into account the community itself. Christian Community Development is committed to listening to the community residents, and hearing their dreams, ideas and thoughts. This is often referred to as the felt need concept. Listening is most important, as the people of the community are the vested treasures of the future. The priority is the thoughts and dreams of the community itself. What the people themselves believe should be the focus.

Join us as we follow-up with this "listening" effort by beginning to help meet some of these needs on April 19th & 20th.

God Makes All Things New! I look forward to celebrating Easter with you this Sunday at KAMP's from 10:45 - 12noon.

Fully Alive.Ben.

Sacred Pathways.

2008-03-14T13:49:00.003-05:00

Another beautiful early spring day in Oklahoma City! Late this afternoon I'm headed to Egan, OK to some remote retreat center to teach at a youth retreat for Edmond First United Methodist Church.

In a couple of different sessions tomorrow I will talk about the rhythm of a disciple: Come, Follow Me, Go, Be Like Me, Make Disciples, Come, Follow Me, Go, Be Like Me, Make Disciples.

But tonight as we open the retreat with a time of worship. I will get the chance to open and set the stage for the rest of the weekend. And I hope and pray that the Holy Spirit will shatter some of the preconceived religious notions and baggage that many of these young people will be weighed down by. Religion is a crushing load. My guess is that many of them will need to be set free in order to follow Jesus.

I hope that their relationship with God will be loosed from the box it has been confined to. Remember, there is no box! I pray they will experience the freedom to live and experience God in new and refreshing ways. In the ways they were uniquely wired to.

I am going to utilize some big ideas and resources from a book by Gary L. Thomas, "Sacred Pathways". Here is a link to an assessment that will help identify your Sacred Pathway. Check it out.

http://common.northpoint.org/sacredpathway.html

Vision 360.

2008-03-13T21:08:00.002-05:00

Here is a brief summary of a newly developing kingdom endeavor in urban OKC.

By the way, I'm listening to Jon Foreman's Fall and Winter EP. Amazing!

Vision 360 Oklahoma City

What is the vision for Oklahoma City? Spiritual transformation

Oklahoma City is experiencing the kind of transformation that only comes from the presence of Jesus and His Kingdom. The tool is the church. New expressions of church, envisioned by citywide strategy, encouraged by a relational network, and resourced with the tools for fruit, are flourishing throughout the city. Those churches are impacting every area of society, including the vulnerable, the economy and business community, education, the arts, and government. It’s an urban movement, starting among the most marginalized and spreading outward to impact a region. And in the DNA of the movement is the destiny for a city to impact the nations.

What is the challenge? Spiritual decay

Haggai 1:4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"

Oklahoma City is rapidly becoming unchurched. Only 21% of the people in OKC regularly attend a Christian church. The 18-25 generation are abandoning the faith in record numbers.

Spiritual issues require Kingdom solutions: High divorce rate, low value on urban children, racism, the church is least visible where it is most needed.

What is the strategy? Church Planting

New churches are most effective in reaching new generations, new residents, new people groups, and especially the unchurched.

New churches are 6-8 times more effective at reaching non-Christians than established churches.

New churches reinvigorate existing churches in a community.

So what is happening now and in the short run?

In the first three years we’ll plant 15 churches in urban Oklahoma City
Networking and resourcing existing church planters
Establishing a “1 year” board of business and church leaders
Raise $2 million to hire staff and begin resourcing the church planting strategy
Develop a city strategy for church planting that radically crosses all boundaries
Work with existing churches to recruit, assess, train, and resource effective church planters
Start NOW deciding how we will reproduce what God is doing here in a city far away.

Somebody Stop Me.

2008-03-13T21:03:00.002-05:00

Somebody stop me. Two posts in two minutes. I think I'm on a roll!

Here is a an intriguing rant or rave that I came across from a fellow Okie, Anne Jackson at www.FlowerDust.net.

“what’s the deal with most modern churches? i understand the idea of local churches, but doesn’t that mean a body of believers within a community (not necessarily a “building”)? and with technology the way it is nowadays, can’t a community be practically anywhere? why do i feel guilty for not serving in my local “building” when i know i serve others daily in my life. why do i feel guilty for not being in a small group or always going to a service that my local “building” coordinates when i know i hang out with other believers regularly? why do i feel guilty when i don’t tithe to my local “building” but i give money to other believers and causes that i feel led to give to? is the culture of the modern church one that is so singularly focused that the local church has become an institution and not a lifestyle, which i think is the way the new testament intended it to be? i know there is a need for churches in our culture, but why do those churches make other ways seem unacceptable?”

I'm Back...In The Saddle Again.

2008-03-13T20:56:00.003-05:00

OK - so you know it's been a little while since you've updated your blog when the gentleman you're sharing lunch with teases you about your most recent post being LAST YEAR, ouch! And you can't remember the password to log into your account, wow! Thanks to Rex linking me in his post, here I am making amends with all three of you out there.

Advent Conspiracy - Spend Less & Give More.

2007-12-10T15:38:00.000-06:00

Rainy, cold and icy weather here in Oklahoma City. A small group of us gathered at KAMP's for a time of worship and prayer. Always good to be together. Here are some of the random, not so put together talking points from the talk I would have given. Join us this Christmas Season as we Worship More, Spend Less, Give More and Love All.

Here goes...

We have seen Christmas become something…crazy! We have begun to dread the holidays rolling along. The internal pace of our lives get faster and faster, busier and busier. The lists get longer. Anxiety over things left undone gets higher. We get quicker when we should be getting slower. And what we need to do is STOP! Nobody else is going to do it for you. End the business and just be present to the people God has put before you, the need put before you. How would Christ have us celebrate his birth? It wouldn’t be full of stress and anxiety but peace. And we experience anything but peace.

Part of saying “YES” to Jesus means that we say “NO” to over-spending and over-consumption. We say “NO” to these things so we can create space to say “YES” to Jesus and the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The National Retail Federation is forecasting that Americans will spend around $474.5 Billion this Christmas, an average of $859 per family. And many people will be paying off this Christmas 7 to 8 months from now.

1. Total US consumer debt (does not include mortgages) reached $2.46 Trillion in June 2007(Source: Federal Reserve).
2. Around $1.5 Trillion on credit cards.
3. At least one in 10 consumers have more than 10 credit cards in their wallets. However, the overall average number of credit cards per consumer is four.
4. U.S. consumers racked up an estimated $51 billion worth of fast food on their personal credit and debit cards in 2006, compared to $33.2 billion one-year ago.
5. The size of the total consumer debt grew nearly five times in size from 1980 ($355 billion) to 2001 ($1.7 trillion). Consumer debt in 2007 now stands at $2.5 trillion.
6. The average household in 2007 carried nearly $8,500 in credit card debt.
7. This data tells us that Americans carried approximately 786 billion dollars in credit card debt and that number is expected to grow to a projected 965 billion dollars by the year 2008.

See Matthew 6:19 - For Jesus, it is about what we treasure. And where our treasure is there our heart will be and our heart is the wellspring of life, so we guard our heart in ways. Beyond your needs, it is easy to see what you treasure measure by money. When we are dealing with money, we are not dealing with money, but rather the heart. When Jesus talks about the Kingdom he uses metaphors of passion and desire. Because we can move anything to get to our treasure.

See Matthew 25 - The king, Jesus, identifies himself with anybody anywhere that has a need. He refers to those in need as his brothers and sisters. There are these people that he calls “righteous” that didn’t think they had seen a king in need. Oh No. For Jesus it is about being generous. Jesus speaks of 2 people that actually went to hell in Luke 16 and again with the parable of the man who built bigger barns.

See Luke 21 - Don’t give out of your wealth. For Jesus, it is about proportion. What can you give? Debt is keeping us from even thinking about generosity.

We are saying how much we love people by the amount of the price tag.

A few estimates say that:
1. $20 Billion would provide water, basic health and nutrition for everyone in the world lacking it. Roughly the same amount Americans spend on ice-cream in one year.
2. $18 Billion provides food to everyone in the hungry and lacking food. Roughly the same amount Americans spend on make-up in one year.
3. $10 Billion provides solves the water crisis. While Americans spend $15 Billion on perfume and cologne in you year. One child dies every 15 seconds because of lack of clean water.

How do you think God feels about how we live and the suffering in the world? Are we not all God’s children? We are enjoying the very best of life. Yet at times for many of us we feel like we don’t have that much because we see all these people that have more. And our stuff seems average, outdated and not good enough.

See Genesis 1:26-31 & Genesis 3:1-2

From the beginning in Eden, Adam & Eve, men and women, you and me had everything they and we could ever want, yet they feel they need MORE. The children of Israel, again you and me, were liberated from slavery in Egypt.

See Exodus 16:2-35 & Numbers 11:4-20

God is leading them through the wilderness with a cloud by name and pillar of fire by night. And I’ll the while, bread comes from heaven and water from rocks. And they are not pleased from the menu selection…they complain.

Maybe what we have is enough. Perhaps it is more than enough. You’ve heard it said that, “You cannot have too much of a good thing.” I suspect Jesus might have something different to say on the matter.

See Luke 18

Christmas has become about getting what you “want”. We hear, “what do you want for Christmas?” What if giving people what they want isn’t actually kind to them? Too much of a good thing ceases to be a good thing. You can have good in excess.

In saying “NO” to over-spending and over-consumption we are then invited to say “YES” to giving more and to giving in relational ways. If this stops at spending less money, we have stopped short the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

What if the best question isn’t, “What do you want for Christmas?”, but “What can you give for Christmas?”

Jesus redistributed wealth.

See 2 Cor. 8:1-15

Nothing tells the story better than when the church lives like Jesus.

See 1 Timothy6:7-19 & 2 COR. 9:6-14

This Christmas Season join us as we Worship More, Spend Less, Give More and Love All!

The Story Continues Again...

2007-12-07T11:14:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to pass along another piece of our story, journey and life together...

"After reading your last update, it left me thinking how refreshing it is to see a church actually DOING..... That has been my biggest frustration as an adult church-goer. It seemed like most of the churches I attended in college and thereafter were self-serving. They did wonderful work for members----but everything was self-contained. It felt wrong to me not to be out in the community serving others. I think it's great that your church is holding on to the true charge that comes with being a Christian."

Be Encouraged.
Ben.

The Story Continues.

2007-11-14T23:18:00.000-06:00

The amazing story of God and his people continues...

This was received from a member of our community in relation to sharing a Thanksgiving meal at a local AIDS hospice that is home to 29 men and women living with and dying from HIV/AIDS. I love the honesty. It is inspiring. Loving is not always easy but it is right and it is good. They took a leap into unknown God territory. It takes a leap of faith to follow Jesus into the places that naturally we would rather not go. I am proud to be the church with people just like this.

They say, "Just wanted to let you know that I will be at North Winds tomorrow. I have to be honest with you, I’m excited for the chance to grow and learn and love on people, but I am very anxious about it as well, because I hate to say it, I have never done anything like this before. Is that not crazy? I committed my life to Christ over ten years ago and have never stepped out of my comfort zone enough to love on people...... I am looking forward to it, but I wanted you to know, in case you saw me acting a little weird, or not looking like, I know what I’m doing, it’s because I don’t know what I’m doing. I know it’s just about sharing life with people, which I am good at, but anything you can point out to me would be helpful."

The Dangerous Taste of Hope.

2007-11-02T21:31:00.000-05:00

"Signs of Emergence" continued.

...if we are seeking the new, then what we were practicing was the old, and therefore God was not in what we were doing anymore.

Such a divine departure is rightly shocking to us. We see an example of it described in Ezekiel 10: God ups and leaves the temple. "No temple, no place, no people, no box, no church, not agenda, no theological position will ever require me to stay where I am don't want, be co-opted into something I only half agree with, be pressed into the service of some cause you made up because I am who I am."

We believe that there is no box that God fits all nice and tidy into...There Is No Box!

To admit that God can and will leave is to allow the dangerous taste of hope into otherwise stagnant waters. It is to admit that the life of the disciples is not sedentary but nomadic - moving on to where sustenance lies, not staying where sustenance once was. It is to appreciate that the journey of faith is not a static conversion but an evolution of the Spirit. The very fact that God can move on means that hope is possible. That we are not stuck with what we have. That this isn't it.

We are beginning to move on, to let go of the side of the pool, to wade into the deep. We at times seems to live, move and be in this place between where sustenance was and where sustenance is. We must keep moving forward rather than lunging back in times of uncertainty. Aren't you glad that in all areas of life, that this isn't it.

Only Grief Permits Newness.

2007-10-31T15:12:00.000-05:00

We continue to look at "Signs of Emergence"...

...the first stage of the waiting process is grief.

There is a spectacular lack of grief in our churches today. The texts of so many Christian magazines, sermons and songs are all woven into an enormous blanket of denial that we wrap warmly around us, smothering the honest doubts with an ever-optimistic hue of "everything is good and God is with us." Hands are raised , but never to ask questions, only in surrender to programs of services, outreaches, prayer meetings, and worship. Eyes are shut, less blinded by glory as blind to the facts that numbers are falling, churches are closing, the "revival" didn't come, society is losing interest, and our circle of influence is decreasing.

This is a moment of repentance. We have allowed our culture and the Church to drift apart. We ought to find truth each Sunday: instead we go for doses of fiction, enough to cloud our perception for the week ahead that everything is OK.

We must do it, we must stop all the programs, stop the meetings, stop the denials, dismantle the structures, face our fears and disappointments, and weep for the absence, weep for the emptiness, weep for the pretense, weep for the fiction. Weep until we can see our barrenness clearly, for only then will we have made room for newness.

Quotable.

2007-10-26T17:29:00.000-05:00

Last night I hung out the backroom at Bridgeway (www.BridgewayChurch.com) and listened to Floyd McClung who is currently living, serving and loving in Capetown, South Africa. You can read more on Floyd's adventures at www.FloydandSally.org. For now, here are the big ideas and thoughts that I scribbled down during the evening.

Floyd and his community are working with a group called African Hope Crafts (www.AfricanHopeCrafts.org) - a jewelry company that employs only people living with HIV/AIDS. Crafting jewelry for two days provides enough money for a month of low-level living. You gathered the feeling that people living with HIV/AIDS have become unemployable in many regards, thus the power of this effort. It causes me to want to spend money with compassion in mind rather than consumption.

He talked a bit about his recent book release, "Starting A House Church" (http://www.amazon.com/Starting-House-Church-Larry-Kreider/dp/0830743650), stating its purpose and premise being to provide principles that encourage the church of tomorrow to do and be church simply enough that it will work everywhere.

I have not fact checked the next series of statements that he made. I only have room to believe they were communicated with integrity and right intention.

"If we don't trust, we will give up."

"We need a values conversion."

"Africa is the only country not experiencing economic growth."

"There are 860 million people in Africa and 460 million claim to be Christian."

"Africa has been evangelized but not discipled."

"We need to serve those that were once enslaved."

"There are 540 unreached people groups in Sudan."

"It is the aim of Islam to have a mosque every mile in Africa."

"What would happen if we sent soldier of love not war to the middle east?"

"Lead by not leading."

"We don't institutionalize community, we inspire it by living it."

"I believe in functional leadership, leaders are those that lead."

"There are 3.5 million whites (total population 45 million) in South Africa that have never been in the home of a black person."

"The strength of the American culture is our initiative, can do attitude, optimism. This is bad if it is not married incarnation, can't do and shouldn't do. Just because you can doesn't mean you should."

"Leadership is more horizontal than vertical. There are times where we are in front of, next to and behind."

"Spirituality in the US is about hype and promotion."

"Church should be done in all spheres of life...church is life."

"Sunday is not the game. Sunday is halftime. And the game is played outside the church walls."

"How does God see his church?"

"Let God breathe on our hearts so that we will hope again."

A Dangerous Invitation for Newness.

2007-10-24T15:09:00.000-05:00

Thoughts on Advent from Signs of Emergence continue:

...The perception of the new step will come only to those brave enough to stop dancing the old. We fear that if we stopped for a week, a month, a service, a moment, we might be forgotten, or lose our momentum, weaken our profile, appear ill-thought-out and failing.

Our friends at NorthView Community Church recently cancelled their weekend worship services at the church campus and encouraged those in their community to get together in homes so that they might know and be known, life on life. Our friends at Bridgeway cancel their celebration gatherings a couple of times a year. One reoccurring Sunday that gets the boot is on Memorial Day weekend. Services get canned so that people can go play and enjoy friends and family without feeling any kind of obligation to show up. And even in the Mars Hill community, we've shifted gears or cancelled our weekly KAMP's Gathering in order to foster life, not church life, but life to the full. We have to stop dancing from time to time so that we can get caught up in the song of God and his people the church all over again.

We must be brave enough to stop if we are to see change. Our structures must serve us, not us serve them. The only way to consider whether our structures are serving us is to stop and reflect on them. To dismantle them; take them apart piece by piece. Expose them to the air. Lay them on the ground and let everyone walk around them and get a good look at them. This is the beginning of empowerment; we must allow people space and time to return to the deep simplicity of things, and spend time mulling over the fundamentals.

What in your life are you "mulling over"?

To stop people in their tracks, to stop yourself, and suggest that the way to higher peaks is actually to return to the valleys, is a brave act of true leadership.

I hope I am found brave.

This is a dangerous invitation for newness, carrying the risk that those we give such freedom to might freely walk away, or freely imagine something better than we had. But freedom must be what we are about. So the truly free, the brave who truly seek God, will always have periods, commas, full stops, punctuation marks, pregnant pauses, silence. Where those around them are given the freedom to reimagine and rethink.

My hope is that together as the church and together in local communities we can have genuine dialogue, and that we will reimagine and rethink TOGETHER. Pockets of the frustrated and embittered do us no good. The best form of criticism is creativity and the best form of creativity comes out of community.

It seems that at the start of this new century we are living in a particular advent, that we are being called to wait for new birth again. No matter how impatient we get as a society, with processing speeds rising and our whole culture velocity increasing ever faster, we cannot speed up pregnancy. In this advent that we find ourselves in, between the "modern" church that was and is dying, and the emerging church that is not yet, we must exercise patience. We must stop and wait.

The church is experiencing separation, marginalization, trivialization, and exile from the world it seeks to serve. And it is therefore experiencing these things from God too, for if the church is not connected to its host culture and society, it is not where God wants it to be, and therefore not where God is. If the church is not missionary, it has denied its calling, for it has departed from the very nature of God.

So, we seek for where God is already at work among us and we join him there.

If God is doing a new thing, we must apply ourselves to perceiving it or risk becoming custodians of empty stone buildings and historical curiosities ourselves.

Rwanda Clean Water Project.

2007-10-21T22:21:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to update our reading community...

We raised the $3,000 necessary to provide clean water to 750 people in Rwanda.

I encourage everyone to read and learn more at http://www.rwandacleanwater.com/.

Advent.

2007-10-19T10:51:00.001-05:00

Signs of Emergence...

...But before the church can change, before I can change, before anything changes, comes waiting. A pause. A rest.

I have felt for sometime that I am having to learn, what I refer to as "Slowness". It's not laziness. Not unproductive. Not aimless. But slow. Gradual. Incremental. Subtle. And in this slowness I am finding patience, energy, focus, discipline, growth, change. The more I "slow" down, the more I accomplish. Weeks feel like months.

This is nature's way, decreeing as she does that movement from one direction to another cannot happen instantaneously.

The ship is turning just as surely as the earth is rotating. You don't necessarily feel it but you sense it, know it, experience it.

So against our hasty judgement, before we can experience the transformation that is vital to our survival, we will be required to wait. To be acted on gently, gracefully, and peacefully. Shaped, not crushed; guided, not dragged.

Matthew 16:18 tells us that Christ is building his church. Not you. Not me. Christ. We are caught up in his movement, his story, his work. We are joining him rather than asking him to join us. I really resonate with the author's words, "Acted on gently, gracefully, and peacefully. Shaped, not crushed; guided, not dragged."

It is vital to note that the task is urgent, but if our response is to be anything more than another flash in the pan or botched attempt to become culturally aware, then we must avoid haste.

Good things come to those that wait...strength will rise...we run and don't get weary...walk and not faint...do you not know...have you not heard...our father does not get weary...he brings passion to a willing heart...even when youth get tired and faint...strength will come to those who wait.

We must realize that if we are to see real, long lasting change, then it is going to take time; it is going to be a lifelong quest.

Are you committed to a lifelong mission with Christ in community with people?

Violent change tend to shear, to break the whole as one surface part moves and leaves the rest of the body behind unaltered.

In his seminal work "Future Shock", Alvin Toffler describes the psychological damage that occurs to people when they are overwhelmed by intense change. He talks about future shock being a disease of change, a sickness that people suffer that is not so much about the direction of change as the rate of it.

For our own health, we need change to occur not at revolutionary speeds demanded by power-wielding dictators or company boardrooms but at the evolutionary speeds of the empowered human body.

So, here we are again at the importance of the empowered individual, you. Consider yourself empowered to lead the way, to initiate the changes needed.

Before the church can change, before I can change, before things change - before change, we must wait. Caught "between the now and the not yet".

We wait for the one who whispers, "Behold, I am doing a new thing...Do you not perceive it?" (Isa. 43:19)

We've Been Workin' On The Railroad.

2007-10-18T12:40:00.000-05:00

Signs of Emergence...

If Christianity is to remain "vital", then it is, in the truest sense, "vital" that we understand change: for an organism to show signs of life, it must show it can respond to its environment, and for the church to retain a vibrancy about its faith it must "adapt and survive".

Even if there is little evidence of change visible to the external observer, the process of the church thinking is a healthy sign that we know that things cannot stay as they are.

I am in agreement and feel the above statement is indicative of where the church is today. A conversation is underway and the church is thinking again. But we must not confuse our talk and thought and theory will real change, with action.

From biology to economics science concurs: to stop changing is to die.

It has perhaps been our reluctance to think, and thus our slowness to change and respond to a civilization that since the Industrial Revolution has phenomenally accelerated (increased its rate of change), that has put us in this near death situation.

The question, then, is not shall we change, but how to do so.

If the people who built the railroads in the US were actually interested in transporting people, they would now own the airlines. But they don't. The industrial historians tell us that the reason for this is that once the railroad companies had completed the huge task of driving the lines across the US, they lost their focus. Instead of continuing to pioneer ways of allowing free movement of people, they lost sight of the key end and focused internally on the one means to that end that they had made.

How have we Christians lost our focus and begun to focus internally?

For a century or so, this was no problem because the railroad was still the best way to get around, but with the advent of the airlines the railroad companies were overtaken by a mode of transport that was massively better.

Perhaps our "century" has come to an end?

What the railroad owners failed to appreciate is that if you are to "keep the main thing the main thing," as the management speak goes, it is highly likely that at some point you are going to have to fundamentally change the way you operate, and this will probably involve having to deconstruct the very modus operandi that you are currently using.

What is the main thing for Christians and the church?

The route to change must not be through the exercise of power but through an exercise in empowerment.

To me this means that change will come by and through the people, not the paid ministry professionals.

Can we as the church buck our own trends by working to change alongside other institutions, rather than twenty years behind them? I believe we can. I believe we have a unique opportunity to show how an institution that is widely acknowledged to be out of touch, is largely ignored by those it seeks to serve, and is completely detached from the blossoming interest in things spiritual, can face its fears, stop tinkering with the railroad, step down into the dark alleys, and explore completely new ways of being.

Signs of Emergence.

2007-10-17T08:10:00.000-05:00

Today we will begin working through a recent read, "Signs of Emergence - A Vision for Church That Is Organic / Networked / Decentralized / Bottom-up / Communal / Flexible / Always Evolving" by Kester Brewin.

As I've done before, thoughts, ideas and quotes will be shared from the book and then I will make my comments or pose questions in bold and hopefully you'll make a comment and contribute to this conversation.

So for now, a couple of thoughts from the preface.

It is the idea of a constantly re-forming, learning community that is one of the driving passions behind this book (and series of blogs). We have for too long been trapped in cycles of boom or bust: hailing each new movement as the be-all and end-all of faith, only to slam it into the ground in a flurry of burnt-out ministers and angry members a few years later. It need not be this way.

We are not looking to become the next "thing" or be a part of any new "model". The dream is the church - simple, powerful, subtle, radical, evolutionary, revolutionary. Let us not put our hope in some expression of the church but rather put our hope in the person of Jesus.

We must restrain ourselves from being too quickly critical of the successes or failures of emerging congregations. Instead, we must attempt to form them as learning communities, with the mechanisms for their regular renewal built into them, and seek to commit ourselves to the relationships within them, rather than the structures around them.

The key to Christ's Church being built and his kingdom being advanced is RELATIONSHIP. I invite you to commit yourself to a people and community, not an organization or institution.

This is one of the beauties of a faith built on death and resurrection. The body of Christ will continue, eternally. But these little bodies that we build, trying to bring some structure and rhythm to the relationships we share, need not carry on forever. While the relationships continue underneath, the vehicles we commandeer to take us on various stages of our journey will zoom and splutter and will - sometimes - need abandoning. This has certainly been my experience in the communities I have journeyed with, and I suspect that we will see many more emerging churches, or umbrella groups, fail in the coming years. In a healthy learning environment, such things ought not to be perceived as failure (though many may want to spin it that way); rather the shedding of an old skin, to allow the inhabitation of a new one, better fit for purpose.

Remember, Church is not the point. Jesus came so the might have life and life to the full NOT church life and church life to the full. LIFE. And life is made up of a series of personal encounters and meaningful relationships. If we miss people, we miss life.

It is desperate if we can imagine nothing will ever change; we are, on the other hand, filled with hope if we believe that Christ is still desperate to incarnate himself in every myriad community in every changing season.

Christ is still desperate to incarnate (make himself know) himself in YOU. God took on flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. And God taking on flesh and blood looks a lot like you.

Chesterton's famous quote comes to mind: "It is not that Christianity has been tried and found wanting, rather it is that it has been found too difficult left untried."

New AIDS Walk Photo.

2007-10-16T21:53:00.001-05:00

Somehow we failed to get a photo of the entire group.

But this photo contains a couple of the members missing from the last photo.

Wheelchairs.

2007-10-16T10:36:00.001-05:00

I mentioned in the last email update that the North Winds Living Center (AIDS Hospice) is in need of 3 new or slightly used wheelchairs for their residents living with and dying of HIV/AIDS. Here is a response from an old friend (she lives in Texas with her husband and baby daughter) and reader of the Mars Hill Update.

"I've really been enjoying reading the updates on what's going on with your church. Makes me wish we lived in OKC so we could be a part of it. I was just wondering if you still need wheelchairs for the AIDS hospital.....if you do, email me the church's address and I'll ship one to you. Take care and God bless you."

So jump on board if you can help.

And let me know if you'd like to be added to the Mars Hill Update list.

The Story Continues...

2007-10-15T15:33:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to pass along a message from Danny Morton, my new friend and the President of the AIDS Walk of Oklahoma City, Inc.

"Thank you so much for your support of AIDS Walk 2007, your contribution of advertising in the Gazette and your presence at the Walk were both a great gift to the HIV/AIDS Community.
I will keep you informed as we start planning for AIDS Walk 2008 (we have set the date for Sunday October 5th 2008) and will certainly seek your help and input as those plans progress. Thank you again to you and Mars Hill."

So, mark your calendars for October 5th, 2008, can't wait! I assured Danny that we will engage and rally the faith community to participate in this wonderful event and important cause.

Big Blue.

2007-10-10T09:21:00.000-05:00

If you ever want to stir some serious curiosity...just blow up a 25-foot blue elephant that has Porn Sunday on it. We had several great conversations with people from the community as to the purpose of Big Blue.

Porn Sunday.

2007-10-09T14:21:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday we participated in Porn Sunday. A couple hundred other churches joined in to "Confront The Elephant In The Pew". You can learn more at www.PornSunday.com. I encourage you and your church to make plans to participate in '08.

We have a wonderful couple in our community that can offer wisdom and experience in handling with sexual brokenness and/or addiction. Please contact me privately at Ben@MarsHill.tv if you need help!

Here are some of the stats on porn...

Number of pornographic web sites: 4.2 Million (12% of total websites)

68 million daily pornographic searches (25% of total search engine requests)

2.5 billion pornographic emails (8% of total emails)

People who regularly visit Internet porn web sites daily: 40 million.

Christians who said pornography is a major problem in the home: 47%.

Breakdown of male/female visitors to pornography sites: 65% male - 35% female.

30% of unsolicited e-mails contain pornographic materials.

Women, far more than men, are likely to act out their behaviors in real life, such as having multiple partners, casual sex, or affairs.

Porn revenue is larger than the combined revenues of all professional football, baseball and basketball franchises.

US porn revenue exceeds the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC at $6.2 billion.

The porn industry is a $57 billion dollar industry

Average age of first Internet exposure to porno is 11 years old

Largest consumer of Internet porn 12-17 age group

90% of 8-16 year olds have viewed porn online (most while doing homework)

"Americans aged 13 to 18 spend more than 72 hours a week using electronic media--defined as the Internet, cell phones, television, music, and video games." Source: CNet

"87% of all teens are online." Source: USA Today

70% of teens have viewed pornography.

20% of men admit to accessing porn at work

10% of adults admit to Internet sexual addiction

Child pornography generates $3 billion annually.

13% of women admit to accessing porn at work

17% of all woman struggle with pornographic addiction

Women favor chat rooms 2x’s more than men

1 out of 3 visitors to adult websites are women

9.4 million women access adult websites each month

Love Walks.

2007-10-08T11:12:00.001-05:00

A remnant of the Mars Hill community at the 2007 AIDS Walk of Oklahoma City.

(Courtney & Daniel are not pictured but a new pic will follow including)

We are becoming a community that loves mercy, does justice and walks humbly.

Facing Christianity's Crisis.

2007-10-04T08:16:00.000-05:00

Here it part two from the Time.com article posted yesterday. I appreciate the comments from David McLaughlin. This is in interview, Q&A style, so it should lend itself well to a response...from you.

I'll highlight the statement made and questions posed by the interviewer.

Tuesday, Oct. 02, 2007
Q&A: Facing Christianity's Crisis

TIME: You seem like a low-key type. Would you be opposed to describing the change in non-Christian perception of Christians as a "crisis?"

Kinnaman: Actually, an early version of the book title was "The Crisis of Christianity." Mental and emotional barriers regarding Christianity are higher than ever. As the young generation becomes the dominant part of the population, skepticism of Christianity will become a permanent and unavoidable feature of life in America. Christians do not have to like what outsiders are saying, but we have to deal with the negative image we have.

Yet Christians constitute a large majority.

Sure. For instance, Christianity is still the main spiritual route through adolescence. But because this generation of adolescents is exposed to a whole range of spiritual perspectives through entertainment and friendships, and puts a high value on individualism and experimentation, it is more and more affected by non-Christian attitudes. Even among the 'outsiders,' a majority tell us that they've attended a Christian church, usually for several months. They give it a test drive. But despite these experience — often because of them — they come to many negative views about Christianity.

Can you give an example of one of the complaints by non-Christians and a possible response?

Christians are known as judgmental, arrogant and quick to find fault with other people. Well, biblically Christians understand that we all sin, so we shouldn't be finding fault with individuals. But you often get situations where, say, a single mother comes to a congregation looking for assistance and spiritual help, and all she hears is, 'You shouldn't be a single mother.' That gives the impression that while Jesus loved flawed people Christians do not. Young outsiders knew the phrase 'Love the sinner, hate the sin,' but said what Christians really mean is 'Hate the sinner along with the sin.'

But there are some areas where Christians and many non-Christians do have differences of principle and not just practice, right? What about homosexuality?

A majority of Americans continue to believe that homosexuality is inappropriate. And the Christian biblical perspective is that it is not consistent with Christian discipleship. But non-Christians regarded it as our biggest negative, and most of the Christians we sampled agreed. Many Christians say, "That's not something we're willing to negotiate on." And, certainly, this is based in historical Christian convictions and scripture. But they need to guard against not wanting to grapple with the complexity of homosexuality, against trying to give very simple answers to very complex stories, and against feeling they can solve some of these deep issues without personal friendships with gay men and women. Christians are reluctant to admit sexual issues such as divorce and pornography that are more widely accepted within the Christian community than homosexuality. That opens us to charges of hypocrisy, both by people who genuinely want to talk and those who just want to score points. The two sides ought to have some respect for each other — and the responsibility should be on Christians to lead by example instead of just shouting at others through the ballot box or talk shows.

Is there some danger that Christians who read your book would feel you are telling them to compromise their beliefs for the sake of popularity?

We are quite clear in the book the popularity is not the goal, and people should not determine faith convictions based on whether they make sense to everybody else. But for Christians to understand, accept and learn from critics is something else.

I was struck by the criticism that Christianity had become too political. Do you think that that concern is the driving force behind the major shift toward criticism on the part of non-Christians?

I truly think the different perceptions stem primarily from changes with the generation doing the perceiving, not the Christians. The age group we interviewed is very skeptical and savvy and exposed to a wider array of information and worldviews than at any time before in human history. The research was spread out over three years, so this is not a brand-new, anti-Iraq, anti-Bush impulse. But the political arena has certainly contributed to people's perceptions of Christianity and Christians are perceived to have used their influence to gain or control sources of power. Critics point out that this is a very different engagement than Jesus modeled. Right or wrong, it's a fascinating point of criticism.

"Too involved with politics" also garnered a 50% negative rating among churchgoers. Do you think this bodes a future political withdrawal?

A Christian withdrawal from politics is unlikely, especially since born-again voters typically have higher turnout levels than other groups. However, born-again Christians have become more sensitive to being used for political purposes.

If Christians take your book seriously, what might the Christian future look like?

Whether they read the book or not, they'll have to respond to the issue. Christians will be forced to deal with hostility and frustration on the part of outsiders. They will be pulled in many different directions. People will do their best to address the crisis, but disagree on its severity and solutions. For instance, there is a strong push by many Christian leaders take seriously the commands to love and serve others and contribute to the common good of society. Many different voices will compete to define that movement.

Do you hope non-Christians will read your book? What could they get out of it? In what ways might it help solve the problems it describes?

It is written primarily for a Christian audience, but we hope non-Christians see our efforts to face reality. We are saying that the Christian community in America, in all its varieties, has to own up to its problems. That starts by simply admitting we've been un-Christian.

Given the proportion of Christian young adults who have attitudes and criticisms similar to the non-Christians, what is it that keeps them in the church?

Kinnaman: I don't know. We haven't explored it in depth�yet. That's our next project, actually.

Christianity's Image Problem.

2007-10-03T15:29:00.000-05:00

Below is an article featured on www.time.com. This comes from a highly anticipated book on my part, "UnChristian". You can learn more www.unchristian.com. I invite you to read and reply here. I'll post part two tomorrow...

Tuesday, Oct. 02, 2007
Christianity's Image Problem
By David Van Biema

It used to be, says David Kinnaman, that Christianity was both big and beloved in the U.S. — even among its non-adherents. Back in 1996, a poll taken by Kinnaman's organization, the Barna Group, found that 83% of Americans identified themselves as Christians, and that fewer than 20% of non-Christians held an unfavorable view of Christianity. But, as Kinnaman puts it in his new book (co-authored with Gabe Lyons) UnChristian, "That was then."

What do you think are some of the unfavorable views that non-Christians in Oklahoma City have? What can or should we do to remedy?

Barna polls conducted between 2004 and this year, sampling 440 non-Christians (and a similar number of Christians) aged 16 to 29, found that 38% had a "bad impression" of present-day Christianity. "It's not a pretty picture" the authors write. Barna's clientele is made up primarily of evangelical groups.

Kinnaman says non-Christians' biggest complaints about the faith are not immediately theological: Jesus and the Bible get relatively good marks. Rather, he sees resentment as focused on perceived Christian attitudes. Nine out of ten outsiders found Christians too "anti-homosexual," and nearly as many perceived it as "hypocritical" and "judgmental." Seventy-five percent found it "too involved in politics."

It would seem that the love the sinner, hate the sin bit has not been convincing. When it comes down to it, there are some who just plain hate the sinner. Tragic!

Not only has the decline in non-Christians' regard for Christianity been severe, but Barna results also show a rapid increase in the number of people describing themselves as non-Christian. One reason may be that the study used a stricter definition of "Christian" that applied to only 73% of Americans. Still, Kinnaman claims that however defined, the number of non-Christians is growing with each succeeding generation: His study found that 23% of Americans over 61 were non-Christians; 27% among people ages 42-60; and 40% among 16-29 year olds. Younger Christians, he concludes, are therefore likely to live in an environment where two out of every five of their peers is not a Christian.

I like the shift away from unchurched to non-Christian.

Churchgoers of the same age share several of the non-Christians' complaints about Christianity. For instance, 80% of the Christians polled picked "anti-homosexual" as a negative adjective describing Christianity today. And the view of 85% of non-Christians aged 16-29 that present day Christianity is "hypocritical — saying one thing doing another," was, in fact, shared by 52% of Christians of the same age. Fifty percent found their own faith "too involved in politics." Forty-four percent found it "confusing."

Maybe when we begin to have problems with our own religion will we begin to change and begin following Jesus.

Christians have always been aware of image problems with non-believers. Says Kinnaman: "The question is whether to care." But given the increasing non-Christian population and the fact that many of the concerns raised by non-believers are shared by young Christians, he says, there really is no option but to address the crisis.

The Rise of Apostolic Leadership.

2007-09-25T22:07:00.000-05:00

Today, I will highlight the last of six new realities presented in "The Present Future". I hope that this has been beneficial to you and that we are better for it.

I'll turn my thoughts and this blog to another recent read next week.

I'm headed to Ft. Worth with a great group of men and leaders in the Church of Oklahoma City. You can learn a bit more about our endeavors at www.Vision360.org. And I look forward to sharing some thoughts on our time with you.

New Reality Number Six – The Rise of Apostolic Leadership.

You are being asked to lead during a time when you are not sure where all this is going. If previous history is an accurate indicator, the kinds of changes we are undergoing will not settle out for another century or more.

This really encourages me to slow down and seek an evolutionary approach to change rather than a revolutionary approach that demands change now. Let's not euthanize an old model and latch on to a new up-and-comer. The cycle of change may in fact be: conception, celebrate, wait, birth, infancy, grow up, life, come of age, death, grieve, resurrection.

Wrong Question #6: How Do We Develop Leaders For Church Work?

This is probably harsh, but who cares about church work? Kill the bubble -Serve the world!

We are training mechanics to work on machinery of the church industry when we need a new engine. We need transitional leaders who will help the church find a new expression in the emerging world. What does this leadership look like and how will it be developed?

I'm sure I'll get to this in more depth with a future blog book review, but try this on for size. If the railroad people were really concerned with transporting people then they would own the airlines. But instead railroad people became about the railroad and were passed by, left in the dust, reminiscing about the good ole days of superior travel by rail. Meanwhile people are whizzing by overhead. What is our version of transporting people? What does this mean to the Church? Let's not miss the point.

Tough Question #6: How Do We Develop Leaders For The Christian Movement

While the term "movement" is becoming quite cool of late, I still love what it entails, movement, journey, change, go, new, next, flex, give, take, stretch, etc.

The goal of a congregation’s leadership development process is to create a core of leaders who are capable of strategizing, launching, and conducting a mission for expanding the kingdom of God.

What strategies do you often think about? What are you becoming convinced of? What new thing would you like to see? What has never been done? Where does the light of the kingdom of God need to push back darkness?

I believe Jesus is the hope of the world. I believe God has called out a people to make sure the world knows this. These people are the church. Nothing less than dying to ourselves will free us from ourselves so we can come alive to God and become captured by his heart for people.

Let's be a people that are full of hope. Let's extend that hope to people everywhere. Let's be the church. What do you need to die to? Be freed from? Come alive to? Be captured by?

Wake Up.

2007-09-24T21:04:00.000-05:00

Here are the thoughts and ideas shared at this past week's KAMP's Gathering.
We continue our journey of The Art of Living.

See Mark 14 1-9.
3-5Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper. While he was eating dinner, a woman came up carrying a bottle of very expensive perfume. Opening the bottle, she poured it on his head. Some of the guests became furious among themselves. "That's criminal! A sheer waste! This perfume could have been sold for well over a year's wages and handed out to the poor." They swelled up in anger, nearly bursting with indignation over her.
6-9But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why are you giving her a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. You will have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives. Whenever you feel like it, you can do something for them. Not so with me. She did what she could when she could—she pre-anointed my body for burial.

She did what she could when she could…
People sitting around are mad, upset, they are criticizing…talking about perfume and money
Jesus says they missed it…what she has done is beautiful…preparing for burial…act of worship to god…holy sacred act
Teaching us to see a whole other world, other story, greater depths…
they see jars, perfume, etc…
Jesus see something holy profound…
Jesus is aware of the sacred and the holy…in the midst of the mundane

See Genesis 28:10-22.
“10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway [c] resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." 17 He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."

Jacob is on the move…not aware…odd dream…calling…work…God was here the whole time…wakes up to a god that has been present all along…not god just showed up…wakes up from his sleep and his spiritual sleep…finding the god who has been there all along…becomes aware of a god who has been there…and I’ve missed it…

Come into the awareness that god has a call a work for you to do…what do you want nothing more than…purpose…what you’re made for…what needs to happen to accomplish that…divine urging…and we are waking up to it…and then God showed up…no you did…and then we became aware…

See Exodus 3:1-12. "1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up."
4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."
5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." 6 Then he said, "I am the God of your father, [a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
12 And God said, "I will be with you."

Ends up in midian standing at a bush that’s burning…the bush happened 40 years after he arrived in midian…God speaks to him…how long has he been walking through this section of land…was god speaking the whole time…or did he hear when he stopped…is the ground you walk on holy or has god been present the whole time…waking up to holiness and deepness….we wake up…

As a follower of Jesus, a person of the way, mastering the art of living… Developing radar for the sacred and the holy…not that god shows up…we show up

See John 5:1-18.
The Authority of the Son
16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working." 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

At this point they believed the prophets quit speaking…Romans are in control…no freedom to worship…that maybe god has stopped working…my father is always at work…we believe this..school, work, buying things, interacting…god is doing something here, right here where you are…every relationship, person, time, mess, those rejecting god, interactions with people you cannot stand, pursuing, loving them, what if we internalized that god is always at work…Jesus sees a depth to the experience that others are missing…Jesus is fully awake

Mastering the art of living is becoming fully awake…shaking off the slumber…cutting through the fog…

God is speaking, at work, convicting, showing us, prodding, pushing, tapping on shoulder, telling us your loved, that we are ok, your not alone, always at work with you doing something, calling, reminding you, speaking into you values

John Robinson, “Honest to God” – “For Christianity, the holy is the depth of the common, just as secular is not a (godless) section of life but the world (God’s world, for which Christ died) cut off and alienated from its true depth. The purpose of worship (church) is not to retire (escape) from the secular into the department of the religious, let alone to escape from this world into the other world, but to open oneself to the meeting of the Christ in the common. The function of worship is to make us more sensitive to these depths; to focus, sharpen and deepen our response to the world and to other people. The test of worship is how far it makes us more sensitive to the beyond in our midst, to the Christ in the hungry, the naked, the homeless and the prisoner."

the purpose of worship is not to escape, but to opens oneself up to the Christ in the common

The point of church is not to meet god, but that we learn to see and find god everywhere in life…being woken up to the Christ who is present everywhere

The function of worship is to make us more sensitive to these depths…
This opens us up and wakens us up…

See Genesis 28 Again.
Certain Place – in between nowhere and nowhere…not a temple, tabernacle, church, Christian bookstore, event sponsored by a church, wilderness, rocks and stones, god has been here, anyplace, a certain cubicle, hall, dorm, driveway, neighborhood, home, road, store, relationship, phone call, email, certain place…

We feel like we’re missing it…that its over there…it’s easy believe that if I went there…challenge who you are and what’s going on here…lameness follows you from town to town…wherever you are there you are…learn to be here…hear god here…wake up…

What happens when you master the art of living…taking steps…now…the revolution is alive and well within you…love has to spill over…the revolution is alive and well wherever you are…my god is always at work…we want to make sure that we don’t look for it over there…but that the revolution is here…in you…around you…take off your shoes…stop listen…here…the kingdom of god is among you, in you

God is alive all over the place…enter in and the kingdom will be alive here, now…waking up to a god that has been here all along and we were sleeping

God is near…god is always at work…not somewhere else or just there…here near…you and me right now near…speaking, convicting, wake up I have things for you to do…too much noise…listen to me and you’d understand…Jesus on palm Sunday…if you only knew what was happening today in your midst…waking up to the sacred

Luke 19:41 When the city came into view, he wept over it. "If you had only recognized this day, and everything that was good for you!"

Closing Prayer.

Ephesians 1 says, “15-19That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn't stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!

Pray that the eyes of your heart may me enlightened…here all along, just not aware…show us how loaded place and people are…give us radar to see what me miss…eyes to see what’s around us…

The Shift from Planning to Preparation.

2007-09-21T10:09:00.000-05:00

This continues our look at "The Present Future"...

God is making waves all around the North American church. Some churches are going to get to ride them. These are the churches that are prepared to get in on what God is up to.

Wrong Question #5: How Do We Plan For The Future?

Tough Question #5: How Do We Prepare For the Future?

People tire of visionless activity and organizations, but people never tire of vision when it’s the right one.

Vision is discovered, not invented.

Listen. Listen to the heart hopes of the people you lead. Ask them what they would like to see God do in their lives and in the lives of the church and in the community.

So, we're listening. What do you have to say? I love this language. What are your heart hopes? Stop and listen to your own heart. What is it telling you? Not your head. Your heart. What would you like to see God do in your own life? What would you like to see the church, our church become?

I recently posed this question to some in our community. Here are the short one or two word responses to what they hope Mars Hill would be and become: a place of challenge, pursuit of God, know Jesus, be Jesus to people, full, deep reservoir, functionally and usefully deep, diversity, scandalous grace, radical inclusion, people of peace, whole, complete, abnormally normal, social work church, accept the rejected, go to the margins, love everybody, you add to the list.

Look. Look at your town, your city. Look at where you are. Look at what’s going on around you.

So, what do you see around you? Your neighborhood? Workplace? Community? City? What is happening all around us? What is the most natural response?

Talk. When do you see the energy go up?

What gives you energy? What are you passionate about? What are you indignant about?

In the emerging world people are increasingly looking for intentionality and organic to be joined together. What do we value? Values are demonstrated by behavior.

Here are some values that have risen the surface: culture, ideas, change, relationships, knowledge, real, alive, local church, spirituality, creativity, openness, family, risk, life together friends, evolving, leadership, flexible, poor, adaptability, marginalized, gospel, forgotten, future, next generation, urban context, you add to the list.

Create venues where people can practice the core values.

Where do you, me and us practice what we preach? Let's remember that we the kingdom of God is not a kingdom of words but rather a kingdom of action. Because after all, talk is cheap!

Every idea for ministry needs to be accompanied by a list of values it champions.

Our world is in no shortage of ideas. Let's be a value-driven community.

Often we tell children they need to spend more time on the things that come the hardest to them, leaving underdeveloped those talents that are most natural.

What are your most natural talents? Are you putting them to use? And for whose benefit?

Balance is a myth. Leaders are “out of round” in the areas of their passion, their giftedness and their vision. Your best shot at making your best contribution is for you to get better at what you are already good at.

In what ways are you "out of round"?

Someone in our community said that, "the world and the Church is being robbed because people are not utilizing their giftedness and uniqueness."

The church is so self-absorbed that most inquiries will tend to perpetuate innovations in doing church, not being church.

Together, let's keep turning outward. Serve our community. Extend mercy. Exist for others. And love more than others think is necessary.

The Story Continues...

2007-09-20T20:42:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest feedback on our journey together...

"I've been around Mars Hill a couple of times in the past month or so and it's been really refreshing. I'm pumped about your heart for a church that is ACTIVE and moving. I spent the summer overseas and coming home has left me aching for ministry outside the walls of a church."

What refreshes you in life?
What do you ache for?

Tell us your story.

Much Love.
Ben.

The Return To Spiritual Formation.

2007-09-19T09:43:00.000-05:00

Here are the continuing thoughts from "The Present Future" by Reggie McNeal. Specifically we'll be looking at New Reality Number Four – The Return To Spiritual Formation.

Wrong Question #4: How Do We Develop Church Members?

Have you ever joined something? What was it like? Good, bad, indifferent? Did it feel holy? Sacred? Were you joining an organization or becoming family? Have you found your tribe?

We have made following Jesus all about being a good church member. The truth is, the North American church culture extracts salt from the world and diminishes the amount of light available to those in darkness who need to find their way.

I think I'd rather be a good husband, dad, son, friend, neighbor, citizen than a good church member. A good church member sounds so sweet and tame. I want to be a good follower of Jesus, his words and his actions. A follower of Jesus sounds like a risk and adventure.

Tough Question #4: How Do We Develop Followers of Jesus?

What does discipleship mean and look like to you?

The church is there to help people develop an abundant life promised to them by Jesus. Imagine helping people see how God can get into the life they already have instead of asking them to give up their life for the church. This means less church activity and more people development. Life has been getting pushed to the side.

If we miss living life in all of this, well, we've really missed it.

In many cases, we’re not peddling Jesus – we’re peddling church with the assumption that if people will come to church and convert to churchianity they will get Jesus. What they often get is a poor substitute. Evangelism that will introduce Jesus to this culture will flow from people who are deeply in love with Jesus.

I've probably said this before and I will most certainly say it again.

If we pursue community we may not find a cause worth living for.
But if we pursue a cause worth living for we will most assuredly get community of the best kind.

If we pursue friendship we may not find discipleship that changes us.
But if we pursue discipleship that changes us we will most assuredly get friendship of the best kind.

If we pursue church we may not find a Jesus who saves.
But if we pursue a Jesus who saves we will most assuredly get church of the best kind.

Disney Princesses On Ice.

2007-09-19T09:28:00.000-05:00

Hope the week is going well for everybody out there.

I spent last night at Disney Princesses On Ice with my wife, 4 year-old daughter Harley AND some wonderful friends of ours along with their 3 year-old little girl. Both of the girls were decked out in the princess get up, darling. I

was first of thankful that I was able to bring Harley to such an event. She was completely mesmerized by it all. The climax for her was the appearance of Cinderella.

In the midst of overpriced everything there was a wonderful moment provided us by the Make A Wish Foundation (www.Wish.org). Two beautiful little girls were invited on to the ice to spend time with their heroes, these Disney Princesses. Make A Wish grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. So you can only imagine what these little girls and their families have endured.

I'm not sure what I'm trying to say here exactly. But it was Good, Kind, Just. It made me wish I could bring every underprivileged little girl in OKC to such an event, so that their dreams could come true OR to help them begin to dream again OR for the first time.

What if the church helped people live again, dream again, love again, smile again, dance again, cry again, give again, on and on and on?

Move Into The Neighborhood.

2007-09-18T11:04:00.000-05:00

Here is some thoughts, ideas, scriptures shared in our journey toward living the best possible kind of life.

See Genesis 1.
Genesis 1 is this beautiful creation poem. Good…good…good…

Genesis 2:18 says, “God said, "It's not good for the Man to be alone;”

Break in the rhythm…its all good…and then something about a person being alone that is not good…something about loneliness…tragedy and suffering…tragedy and suffering alone…something about loneliness…somebody left you…taps into something deep…as bad as it gets…our primal origin…loneliness is the first thing God said is not good…

The flip side…somebody saying they won’t leave…or I’ve been there…telling their story and its your story…they understand…I could have sworn I’m totally crazy in this feeling…and you realize you’re not the only crazy one…somebody voices something that you have been feeling all along…a music album…that puts words and sound to you…powerful words, ME TOO…yes I’m not alone…when somebody joins us understands gets it…and when somebody puts in word what is a loose rumbling in your soul…loneliness is not good…loneliness is conquered with connection…you’ve gone through something terrible and somebody committed to going through it with you

See Hebrews 4:15-16 - The High Priest Who Cried Out in Pain.

Does God know what it’s like?
Jesus is the high priest…he knows what we’re going through…early Christian belief was that God came to earth…god in the flesh…knows what it’s like…

John 1:14 says, “14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only [Son], who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
14The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.

Jesus is showing us what God is like…love, compassion, passion, patience, kindness, etc.

See Hebrews 12:1-3.

The one who came among us…who understand…knows what we’re going through…

Endured, to go through the worst kind of suffering possible, betrayed, denied, spit on, slapped, mocked, insulted, falsely accused, condemned, humiliated, scorned, killed

In addition to knowing what’s its like to be human…he knows what its like to suffer

The God who knows what its like…not distant…someplace else…waiting up there…not sitting up above with a beard…crash in like a parent at a high school party…on the cross…I know how you feel…”you don’t know what its like”, yes I do

See John 14:9-14.

Do you want to know what God is like…look to me…God is working through me…living in me doing his work…God took on flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood…living in and working through what God is like…in my actions and words what God is like

Incarnation – in the flesh, personification, embodiment, manifestation, materialization, living form

God coming among us taking on flesh and blood

The first Christians didn’t stop there…this historical moment had endless ramifications that went on to today…not a one time historical event…it had implications for everyone of Jesus’ followers

See I Cor. 6:19.

The group of you it’s a plural…speaking to a community of people…god lives in your midst…he lives there…living in you…working through you…same language…all of you working together…a body of followers…a body of Jesus

See I Cor. 12:12-13.

You are Christ's body—that's who you are! You must never forget this.

Like a body…something to add…everybody does its part…you would be acting like Jesus…you are a temple…as you act and speak…you as followers of Jesus are showing the world what Jesus is like…they would get a sense of what God is like…If you were there loving serving accepting…if they came into the group…they would see what Jesus is like…the same way that God is present in Jesus…Jesus is present in us

That is the point of the incarnation…God came into the world and screamed alongside of us
I’m thirsty, forsaken me, I don’t want to do this, wrestling, sweating drops of blood,
God is not distant, removed, knows what its like, present

God loves to show up dressed as people…and he’ll show up looking like someone you least expected…he has know concept of favoritism, status, prestige…that why we are like a temple of God…we have the potential to show the world what God is like…Jesus showed God in the flesh, now you show Jesus in the flesh…Jesus looks an awful lot like you…

We don’t sit around passively…we are the temple, the body, Jesus on display, making an appearance that looks like you

Incarnational possibilities…developing radar for when God wants to show up…they were like Jesus to me…at the moment they needed it…god showed up…

If you keep the cross a one time historical event we are robbing it of its mystery and power…the incarnation…a God who shows up…and you have the opportunity to put this in action…

Be-Incarnation – God shows up as people, show the world what I am like…Jesus is teaching us Be-Incarnation…simply trying to act like Jesus in the world…orienting your life how god is…

A New Reformation - Releasing God's People.

2007-09-14T13:30:00.000-05:00

A new reformation is upon us. And as Rick Warren suggests, its a reformation of deeds. If we could find a way to turn an audience into an army, consumers into contributors, spectators into participants it will change the world…it’s time to stop debating and start doing…it’s time for the church to be known for love and not legalism…for the church to be known by what we are for rather than what we are against…it’s time for the church to be the church!!!

The first Reformation was about freeing the church. The new Reformation is about freeing God’s people from the church (the institution). The original Reformation decentralized the church. The new Reformation decentralizes ministry. The new Reformation is moving the church closer to the world. The new Reformation is distinguishing followers of Jesus from religious people.

Where do you need to experience freedom to go and be? Where has the institutional church seemed to bog down or hold you back? Are you moving closer to the world? Maybe you've identified yourself as "christian", but can you identify yourself as a follower of the way?

People outside the church bubble are not waking up on Sunday morning hoping to find a church they can help make successful.

This is such a simple and profound idea that it blows the mind. Why do we fool ourselves into such nonsense? I hope for people to begin to connect with people, not people connecting to an organization. What would it look like for the church to spend time and energy serving those not in church on Sunday morning? What if we measured the size of our churches by the number of people in our community that we are engaging and serving? For example, Mars Hill could have a church of 32,000 inner-city kids and teens that are represented in our community. Let's spend time and energy going and serving them and their families.

Wrong Question #3: How Do We Turn Members Into Ministers?

Tough Question #3: How Do We Turn Member Into Missionaries?

How do we deploy more missionaries into community transformation? This will require that we not only release ministry but that we also release church members.

To be a christian, a follower of Jesus, a person of the way is to be a sent one. So, to stay is not to follow. Jesus is on the move. Will we go? Will you follow? Where is he already at work among us?

If you are a church leader, be aware that when you head down this road toward developing a missionary force, you are going to do some significant soul-searching and ministry reprioritization. You are going to be challenged not only to release ministry, you are also going to be challenged to release members from churchianity, to quit gauging their spiritual maturity by how much they "support the church."

Let's not self-protect and self-preserve our position, power or profession at the expense of the world and the kingdom breaking in and through. Lead by letting go, giving away, resourcing, inspiring, encouraging, equipping, etc.

This is what life in the church bubble can do to you. It shrink wraps your vision down to the size of your church.

Let's dream big dreams. Be faithful with small. Act where we are. Here. Now.

An honest search for God today would lead the church back into the world.

Maybe this is why Jesus said the poor would always be among us, so that we would go to them and in doing so enter into the kingdom and find God. We ask, "Where are you, God?" God asks, "Where are you?" We invite God to come into our midst, our church services, our meetings. God invites us to join him in the forgotten places among forgotten people.

The problem is that when people come to church, expecting to find God, they often encounter a religious club holding a meeting where God is conspicuously absent.

God be with us and let us be with God.

Create a culture informed by missiology and create venues where people can practice being missionaries. The key is to have a practice of saying “yes” to people’s ideas about ways to be on mission.

I want the culture of our church to be freedom - to say yes, find away, make a way, remove the barriers, etc. AND a culture of passion - where people are chasing their dreams and fulfilling what God has put in their heart to do and be.

Adopting a missionary approach will require changing the scorecard. Until we start making heroes of people who decide to be and act like missionaries, we will fail to turn club members into missionaries.

Be a hero of the faith today. Be the church to somebody.

The Right Kind of Heroes.

2007-09-13T16:51:00.000-05:00

We have heroes in society, culture and the church. We have witnessed large fast-growing churches that have an enormous personality of a pastor at the core and/or top of the church. And we have traditionally and currently been making these and other stage personalities the heroes of the faith. I recommend that we begin making heroes out of the right kind of people...people just like Zach Hunter. I want our church and every next generation church to be full of Zach Hunters.

September 2007
True Story: A Modern Day Abolitionist With Zach Hunter

Zach first heard about the plight of modern-day slaves three years ago. He realized slavery is not just some outdated thing found in history books, and he felt motivated to do something. At age 12, Zach launched a campaign called Loose Change to Loosen Chains to raise awareness and funds to help end slavery. Hundreds of groups are now furthering the campaign and students around the world consider themselves abolitionists.

I Have A Dream
My dream is that my generation would develop a love for the poor and the oppressed; that we'd serve them and in doing so would grow closer to God. God tells us who He's for and who He's against: He's always on the side of the poor, the orphan, the widow, the oppressed. When we get closer to the hurting people in the world, we get closer to the heart of God. Specifically, I hope that in my lifetime we will see the end of slavery. A big dream, but one I believe we can see happen.

Gathering Up Courage
In May 2006, I was given an opportunity to speak about modern-day slavery to nearly 15,000 people - one of the biggest crowds I'd ever seen, let alone spoken to! I previously struggled with an anxiety disorder in elementary school, and when I looked out on the crowd, some of those old fears came rushing back. But I knew I had the chance to let people know of the millions who are suffering around the world as slaves. I decided to take the stage, trusting God would give me courage. I explained the truth of slavery to thousands of people that night.

The courage I need to show is nothing compared to the courage of many others who face death and danger every day. Soldiers who put their lives on the line to defend their countries. Firefighters who enter burning buildings. And certainly, the courage required of every man, woman, and child in slavery who must wake up today and face their oppressors. Each of us faces situations in which we need to gather up our courage. When we do, it's as though the courage multiplies like yeast in dough, allowing us to be even more courageous the next time we're called upon.

Passion Awakened
My generation has been numbed to passion in many ways. We have been anesthetized by all of the stimulation in our culture. But I also hear in students a desire to wake up and feel something deeply - to be moved. It seems as though God is doing this as my generation comes face to face with some of the awful suffering occurring around the world. When I speak, I often meet students afterwards who are experiencing something new - passion. It's like a troubling in their spirits that I believe is the call of God to join Him in bringing relief to others. I'm confident that if they answer, they will experience the closeness to God that they dream of.

Taken from The Catalyst GroupZine Volume 3: Courageous in Calling, © 2007 by Catalyst and Thomas Nelson Publishers. Used by permission.

Zach Hunter is a 15-year-old abolitionist and author of Be the Change. Visit his website at http://www.lc2lc.com/.

The Shift From Church Growth To Kingdom Growth.

2007-09-13T08:34:00.000-05:00

Here is the next post in a series of six regarding "The Present Future" by Reggie McNeal.
We will turn our thoughts to new reality number two: The Shift From Church Growth to Kingdom Growth.

Our working definition for "the kingdom" is how things really are and how they should really be.

Here goes...

New Reality Number Two – central to church growth teaching was an admonition that church leaders should assume responsibility for the growth of the church. We have the best churches men can build, but are still waiting for the church that only God can get credit for.

I immediately think of two stories Jesus told pertaining to growth and his kingdom.

The Parable of the Growing Seed 26He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."

The Parable of the Mustard Seed 30Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."

Wrong Question #2: How Do We Grow This Church? (How do we get them to come to us?)

Several decades of the church growth movement’s emphasis on methodologies have conditioned church leaders to look for the next program, the latest “model,” the latest fad in ministry programming to help “grow” the church. I am constantly asked, “what’s next?” The focus of the church is on itself, on what it takes to succeed.

I believe wholeheartedly that we must change. But there is a difference between revolutionary change and evolutionary change. We are not looking for the next model or expression of church. Our church model will flow from the people that make it up and the nature in which they live their life. We want to be value-driven, not model driven. We can drive ourselves crazy in pursuit of the perfect model, living in a world of either-or, when we desperately need to adopt a both-and view of church. Either-or thinking leads to inaction because your mind will never stop and your feet will never start. We buckle under this kind of pressure, throw our hands up in the air in frustration. Remember that if we pursue church we may in fact miss Jesus. But if we pursue Jesus. who is alive and active today, we will get the best church imaginable.

People who are successful or competent in one way of thinking frequently resist a new approach. This is why revolutionaries wind up as the defenders of the status quo.

Tough Question #2: How Do We Transform Our Community (How do we hit the streets with the gospel?)

If they aren’t going to come to us, then we’ve got to go to them. This is turning the church inside out. We can keep trying to get them to want what we have or we can start offering what they need.

It's a bit cliche I know, but we are a church that says "go and be" not "come and see".

Missional spirituality requires that God’s people be captured by his heart for people, that our hearts be broken for what breaks his, that we rejoice in what brings him joy.

Our hearts need to be captured for all of his people, not simply the church-going ones. What breaks God's heart? What brings him joy?

The message to people outside the bubble is: Become like us, believe like us, dress like us, vote like us, act like us, like what we like, don’t like what we don’t like.

Remember that Jesus was full of scandalous grace and radical acceptance.

Kingdom thinking challenges church thinking.

Where are you currently being challenged in your thinking?

I think we are unaware of what we have to offer people.

Are you in touch with your story in God? Is your faith fresh and active? Is it easier for you to talk about church than Jesus? It it personal?

We’ve got to take the gospel to the streets. This is the only appropriate missional response to the collapse of the church culture.

I agree. It is time to put the ministry of the church in the hands of the people and the church back on the streets where it belongs.

Where are you seeing the kingdom grow in your own city and community? Where is the kingdom breaking in? Let us know.

What Is Success?

2007-09-12T09:03:00.000-05:00

I recently had the thought that goes a little something like this...

What if "successful" is not really success at all? What if we've been playing with the wrong scorecard? The wrong set of rules?

At MH we are committed to measure success by stories of transformation. Here are a couple comments I received this week from those participating in the journey.

"Just wanted to say we really enjoyed Mars Hill this last Sunday. We're both really drawn to the mission and ideas about being the church/followers of Jesus, instead of just going to church. Thanks for all you (that's you too) do!"

"Hi there! I just wanted to let you know that your message last week had a huge impact on my friend. She has gone through a big unexpected life stress and she has picked up the phrase "unforced rhythms of grace" (see Matthew 11:25-30 in the Message) as her motto. I know it is God's awesome compassion and love that prodded her to come on Sunday. I appreciate the sacred space that Mars Hill creates that allows for grief and celebration. Have a super great week!"

We'd love to hear bits and pieces of your story - your journey!

The Collapse of The Church Culture.

2007-09-11T16:13:00.000-05:00

Hey - Going to blog my way through a recent read, "The Present Future". Read this through with a group of serving leaders to our new and forming community. I'll throw out the thought and ideas shared in the book, make a few comments here and there and hopefully respond to your own reflections and responses.

Here goes...

I believe the search for models can often short-circuit a significant part of a leader’s journey into obedience to God. The Bible is not a book of models; it is a record of radical obediences of people who listened and responded to the direction of God for their lives. I am not looking for the next way to do church, I am looking for and following the person of Jesus, the most loving gentle revolutionary I've met.

New Reality Number One –The death of the church culture as we know it will not be the death of the church. This church culture has become confused with biblical Christianity, both inside the church and out.

A growing number of people are leaving the institutional church for a new reason. They are not leaving because they have lost faith. They are leaving the church to preserve their faith. Do you know anybody that has an active faith and life in God, and does not participate in a local church? I do.

Wrong Question #1 – How Do We Do Church Better?

We've talked a lot about this through the MH Journey. Our aim is to BE the church. What does BEing the church look like and entail for you? What do you value along the way? How do you spend time? What does your community look like? What role does the local church play in all of this?

Faced with diminishing returns on investment of money, time, and energy, church leaders have spent much of the last five decades trying to figure out how to do church.

Many congregations and church leaders, faced with the collapse of the church culture, have responded by adopting a refuge mentality. This is the perspective reflected in the approach to ministry that withdraws from the culture. We want to engage and shape the current culture and create the future culture of OKC? What ministry are you a part of that does not directly benefit other Christians?

Evangelism is this worldview is about churching the unchurched, not connecting people to Jesus.
Some churches go to the opposite extreme. Instead of choosing refuge, their response to the collapse of the church culture is to sell out to the culture.

I am beginning to think that we need to "unchurch" the "churched" a bit.

The point is, all the effort to fix the church misses the point. You can build the perfect church – and they still won’t come. Church-hopping is for church people. Church leaders seem unable to grasp this simple implication of the new world – people outside the church think church is for church people, not for them.

I am sick of trying to dream up or craft a perfect church. I'll take it messy and beautiful. In the hands of wonderfully ordinary hero people like you and me.

Tough Question #1 – How do we deconvert from churchianity to Christianity?

North American Christians think in terms of its institutional expression, the church, as opposed to thinking about Christianity in terms of a movement.

A movement necessitates, well, movement. Where are we going? Where are we stuck?

Are we inviting people to become followers of Jesus OR to convert to the church.

I want to put the person of Jesus on display and invite people to put their faith in him by beginning to live a certain kind of way, the best kind of way, the way of Jesus.

Is there a chance that the nonchurch culture doesn’t associate Jesus with the church.

We need to recapture the mission of the church. In the bible we encounter a God who is on a redemptive mission in the world. The central act of God in the OT is the Exodus – a divine intervention into human history to liberate his people from oppression and slavery. The decisive act of the NT is the divine intervention of God into human history to liberate his people from oppression and slavery. And now God has a purpose and an assignment for the liberated people. They were chosen to be the priests of God, representing him to the whole earth.

The vision seems clear, consistent and ongoing.

The church was never intended to exist for itself. Jesus preached that God was for people, not against them. People don’t trust religious institutions because they see them as inherently self-serving. So they are off on their own search for God.

The church has lost its influence because it has lost its identity. It has lost its identity because it has lost its mission. The church’s mission: to join God in his redemptive efforts to save the world.

When I read the above mentioned mission of the church, bells went off in my head and heart. That's the mission and identity of Mars Hill: to join God where he is already at work among us in downtown and midtown Oklahoma City in his redemptive efforts to save not condemn those he loves both Christian and UnChristian.

People of The Way.

2007-09-10T10:50:00.000-05:00

Great Gathering this week. Loved worshipping with Jenna Davis (http://www.jennadavismusic.com/).

The Art of Living.
John 10:10 says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
I came that they (A)may have life, and have it abundantly.
I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it [a]overflows).
My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
I came so they might have life, a great full life.
I have come so they can have life. I want them to have it in the fullest possible way.
I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”

John 8:31 says, “31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

"If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you."

The truth gives freedom to be you...The best version of you…the best possible way to live.
If…Then...The truth will set you free
Live as I made you to live…
Jesus is not inviting us to know things in our heads, believe
Inviting us to live in such a way that we experience something, the living god
Not interested in a head full of facts, live a certain way

Before they were called Christians (AD 60), they were called Followers of the way or “People of The Way”…known for how they lived…the way…huge meals…make sure everybody has enough…needy…share…take care of each other…widows and orphans…compassion…poor and needy

If you make the Christian faith this floaty spiritual thing…you miss Jesus’ message…
Knowing comes from living….then you know the truth

THE WAYS OF JESUS

Matthew 6:12 says, “12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Center of the new way of living is to live as we have been forgiven and to extend forgiveness to others.

See Matthew 18:21-35 says, “A Story About Forgiveness"

Live as if you’ve been forgiven by god…and when you’re wronged, set them free…
WHO DO YOU NEED TO FORGIVE…SET FREE?

See Matthew 6:25-34.
What is a better way to live? Full of panic, bound by worry, anxiety or not.
Where do you need to be set free from panic, worry, stress, anxiety.
Living as if you trust god, don’t worry don’t be anxious
Let god take care of you

See Matthew 11:20-30, “The Unforced Rhythms of Grace"

Take my teachings, my yoke, my way
Different rabbis had different sets of rules, which were really different lists of what they forbade and what they permitted. A rabbi’s set of rules and lists, which was really that rabbi’s interpretation of how to live the Torah, was called that rabbi’s yoke. When you followed a certain rabbi, you were following him because you believed that rabbi’s set of interpretations were closest to what God intended through the Scriptures. And when you followed that rabbi, you were taking up that rabbi’s yoke.

One rabbi even said his yoke was easy.
The intent of a rabbi having a yoke wasn’t just to interpret the words correctly, it was to live them out. In the Jewish context, action was always the goal. It still is.

See James 1:22-25 & James 2:14-25.

28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Every once in a while, a rabbi would come along who was teaching a new yoke, a new way of interpreting the Torah. This was rare and extraordinary.

Where are you weary? What is the burden you now carry? Could your soul use some rest? What do you need to learn about the unforced rhythms of grace?

See Matthew 18:15-17.
Who has hurt you? Do they know about it? Or are you just spreading it all over the place?

See John 17:20-23.
Who do you have junk with? What are you avoiding? Who are you severed from? What funky relationship?

See Matthew 20:25-28.

I came to serve you, when you live in my flow you serve and give your life away
People that are selfish live in a world that is shrinking…those that give and serve their world gets bigger and its growing…you are here as a gift to the world…try living this way as a servant wired by god to give to others

How do you orient your life, as one who is serving? Have you come to serve and give your life? In giving our life away, we find it!

See John 20:24-31.
Bunch of stuff Jesus did that is not in the bible, but what I’ve written down is so that you would believe and that by believing you might have life…live it out…believe it so that it will affect how you live so you will have life in his name

If it’s a head thing…you’ve missed it…you believe so that you begin to live…start to live a certain way…just try it…take a leap and try living…the best way

If you were to visit a church gathering in the first 200 years, “I want to be a Christian” they would say begin living the way and teachings of Jesus…to begin living this way…not to start believing a particular way or getting all of your questions answered...if it stuck after a year or two…you would stand up in front of the community…and say it is true…you would say I have become a “follower of Jesus”…

Birthday Parties For Prostitutes.

2007-09-07T08:57:00.000-05:00

I want to share a story with you this morning. It comes from an excerpt that was read from The Secret Message of Jesus at last week's Gathering. It says so much. It resonates well.

My friend Tony was in another time zone and couldn't sleep, so well after midnight he wandered down to a doughnut shop where, it turned out, local hookers also came at the end of a night of turning tricks. There, he overheard a conversation between two of them. One, named Agnes, said, "You know what? Tomorrow's my birthday. I'm gonna be thirty-nine." Her friend snapped back, "So what d'ya want from me? A birthday party? Huh? You want me to get a cake and sing happy birthday to you?" The first woman replied, "Aw, come on, why do you have to be so mean? Why do you have to put me down? I'm just sayin' it's my birthday. I don't want anything from you. I mean, why should I have a birthday party? I've never had a birthday party in my whole life. Why should I have one now?"

When they left, Tony got an idea. He asked the shop owner if Agnes came in every night, and when he replied in the affirmative, Tony invited him into a surprise party conspiracy. The shop owner's wife even got involved. Together they arranged for a cake, candles, and typical party decorations for Agnes, who was, to Tony, a complete stranger. The next night when she came in, they shouted, "Surprise!" - and Agnes couldn't believe her eyes. The doughnut shop patrons sang, and she began to cry so hard she could barely blow out the candles. When the time came to cut the cake, she asked if they'd mind if she didn't cut it, if she could bring it home - just to keep it for a while and savor the moment. So she left, carrying her cake like a treasure.

Tony led the guests in a prayer for Agnes, after which the shop owner told Tony he didn't realize Tony was a preacher. He asked what kind of church Tony came from, and Tony replied, "I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning." The shop owner couldn't believe him. "No you don't. There ain't no church like that. If there was, I'd join it. Yep, I'd join a church like that." Sadly, there are too few churches like that, but if more of us understand the secret message of Jesus, there will be lots more.

I want to be this kind of church in Oklahoma City, regardless!

Wouldn't It Be Awesome...

2007-09-05T09:35:00.000-05:00

Here's an excerpt from Brian McLaren's, "The Secret Message of Jesus" (www.BrianMcLaren.net). It parallels our current journey on the Art of Living.

"Jesus was master of making the music of life - not just with wood and string, tuners and frets, but with skin and bone, smile and laughter, shout and whisper, time and space, food and drink. He invited the disciples to learn to make beautiful life-music in his secret, revolutionary kingdom-of-God way. He helped each of them learn the disciplines and skill of living in the kingdom of God. They watched him play, watched him live and interact, and imitated his example until they began to have the spirit of his style, the power of his performance. Then, after his resurrection, he said, "This was your master recital - living through the agony of my rejection, humiliation, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. Now you are ready to be sent out as masters yourselves - masters of my secret message, masters in living in the kingdom.

Master musicians do three things. First, they continue to practice their craft. If they don't continue to practice, they'll get rusty and nobody will be interested in their work. Second, master musicians perform. They play! They bring the joy of music to audiences everywhere. And third, they are authorized to take on students themselves.

So, Jesus called twelve student or apprentices - which is what disciples means - and demonstrated the art of living in the kingdom of God. He gave them three years of private lessons, if you will.

The whole kingdom-of-God project, then, began as a community of people learning to love and play the music of the kingdom in the tradition of the Master and his original apprentices. The story of the kingdom is the story of his band of life-musicians over the last two thousand years. From parent to child, mentor to mentoree, teacher to student, friend to friend - the art of living, performing, and teaching in the kingdom of God has been passed down through centuries and passed on across continents. Often their music has been sweet and beautiful, but - we must admit this - too often it has also been ugly, out of tune, unworthy of the Master composer and musician they claim to follow. Often, after an especially bad season of disappointing performances when the art of the kingdom is nearly lost, a new master musician will arise and reinfuse the tradition with vitality and passion - a St. Patrick, a St. Francis, a Teresa of Avila, a Hildegard of Bingen, a John Wesley, a CS Lewis, a Desmond Tutu, a Mother Theresa. Many of us feel that the Christian tradition today is in need of some new artists who have the music of the kingdom deep in their souls to revive the tradition in our world, especially in the West."

Wouldn't it be awesome if Christians became followers of Jesus?

The world needs a better version of the church.
The world needs a better us.
The world needs a better version of me.

Love to hear some thoughts from "out there".