This will be my last entry here at the old scruffy blog. As of today our new website at scruffychurch.com is up and running. Check out the new scruffy blog there. Articles from this blog have been moved over there, so come check it out and stay up with the scruffy blog. And as always, thanks for reading.
Tom
I count myself fortunate to have experienced many different modes of church. In my early life I was part of a fairly liberal church where, with the exception of church traditions such as the way you dress, and the type of music used, there wasn't much legalism. In this environment, anything went. There wasn't much said about the Bible's stance on moral issues. These ideas were left completely to the individual to sort out. Of course with this, was a complete lack of biblical teaching on moral issues. Then later in life, I attended a strict, legalistic church where the pastor was in charge. From the pulpit we were indoctrinated with every form of church legalism known to man. We were told how to dress, what music to listen to, what moral decisions to make on just about every topic you can think of.
What struck me later in life is that neither of these experiences were very Biblical. On one hand, there was no moral compass. God was ok with whatever. So why even study the Bible to try to figure out what's ok and not ok with God? On the other hand, in the legalistic culture we were told that all sorts of things were "sin". Of course, if you try hard enough, you can justify any legalistic idea you want by using the Bible (out of context usually) to prove your point.
Obviously if you read the Bible, you know that God is not ok with an "anything goes" way of life. So I won't bother to comment on that in this blog. Rather, let's look for a moment at the legalistic church culture that I believe is killing Christians. (spiritually speaking)
Recently, I've run into so many legalistic Christians, that I'm quite frankly disturbed by it. We in church culture have become masters at using the Word of God to push moral agendas that suit our own moral issues, yet may not have much basis in scripture. Let's take the issue of drinking for example. Ok, this may get me in a bit of trouble, but it's an easy example to use.
Clearly the Bible has some things to say about drinking. Our favorite: Eph 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Clearly that means that getting drunk is a sin right? And naturally we can assume that drinking altogether is a sin...right? Well that is the traditional thinking on the topic. But let's examine that passage IN CONTEXT. Eph 5:15 Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Hmm. Interesting. When read in context, it appears that the subject matter is NOT about drinking as a moral issue, but rather living a wise life and making wise choices so that we treat each other with love. We are to honor each other in obedience to the second commandment of Christ; to love each other. "Do not get drunk WHICH LEADS TO DEBAUCHERY." Is "drunk" the issue or is "debauchery"? Does drunk = debauchery? I think in many cases, it can. For many, drunkenness leads to nothing but sin. You know the kind of drunk I'm talking about right? We have names for them: "the happy drunk", "the sad drunk", "the angry drunk", "the fighter drunk", "the horny drunk", "the idiot drunk", "the crazy drunk", "the stupid drunk". Some of us, when we drink become stupid drunks. Yet others of us can drink to the point of moderate intoxication and remain completely morally grounded. Biblically, I don't think the issue is getting drunk...it's getting stupid and for many... sinful.
If you look at the Bible's various comments on drinking, they seem to be more advice than command and they most often have to do with being sinful while drinking. Yet, on occasion in the Bible, drinking (even to excess or intoxication) doesn't seem to be prohibited. Take the wedding at Cana for example. Christ's first miracle was to turn water into wine. Some legalists have claimed that this was just grape juice and not alcohol. Oh come on. Seriously? Read it: John 2:1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
Why did they serve the best wine first back in those days? Because the people would get at least drunk (merry) enough to not be able to tell they were drinking cheap wine later in the evening. So did Jesus' wine contain alcohol? You bet. But more interestingly, why didn't Jesus refuse to make wine considering the people were "in sin" because they were drinking plenty of alcohol already? Maybe because it wasn't sin?
Now chill out. It's not like I'm promoting getting drunk, or even drinking for that matter. But I don't believe the Bible treats the subject in the same legalistic manner as the church traditionally does. Getting drunk for many is just stupid. So if that's you, don't do it...k? If you're an alcoholic, DON'T DRINK!!! If you're around recovering alcoholics, consider them before you drink in front of them. But conversely, don't tell me it's a sin to drink if the Bible doesn't say so!!! The same goes for many moral issues that the church seems to have a bee in their bonnet about. I'd love to get into some of them right now, but I'll bet I'd get fired. So we'll just do this slowly. I'll save other issues for later on down the road.
My point today is that this sort of legalistic interpretation of scripture cause many to feel condemned. We often use our legalisms against the very people the scripture is designed to set free from guilt and shame. And sadly we heap all new forms of guilt and shame upon them. For years, as a pastor I did this with the issue of divorce and didn't even know it! In my early days I was part of a church that taught it was a sin to get divorced.. and also remarried. In fact, if you were an ordained minister in this church, you would lose your credentials if you got divorced, regardless of why. In those days we loved to say "God hates divorce". This phrase does not exist in scripture by the way, but let's examine the concept nonetheless. Does God literally "hate" divorce? If He does, then clearly divorce is a sin right? Here's an important question: who created a means of divorce in the Old Testament? Ooh...ouch.
How can we call something sin which God gave His approval of in certain situations? Of course if someone chooses to divorce for sinful reasons, we can call it sin, but is divorce by definition a sin? For years and years, I used to stand up in front of the church and celebrate those who were married for extended periods of time in my sermons depending on the subject matter. I didn't even realize during all those years how I was making those who lived through a divorce feel. Well I'll tell you how I made them feel...dirty and shamed. The subtext underneath the celebration of those who were married for a long time was "how sad for you that you couldn't make it." I may as well just have called them "dirty" for getting divorced. Obviously they didn't have "what it takes" to stay married like the rest. After all "God hates divorce", consequently, He isn't too happy with you for getting one.
But as I get older, I am starting to see things differently. God hates it when people are unfaithful... to each other and to Himself. That much is clear from scripture. So when it comes to divorce, it is a sin or is "unfaithfulness" the real sin? It's like drinking... is it the drinking or the debauchery that's the real problem? With divorce, it's not about the separation, but the unfaithfulness that led up to it. How about we start spending more time teaching people to be faithful rather than forcing them to stay together in abusive or unhealthy situations because of some sense of obligation to a law that doesn't exist in scripture? Again, am I promoting divorce? If that's what you think, then you are completely missing my point. I have been in the "anything goes" culture and it doesn't work either. But can we really call drinking or divorce sins if God gives some measure of approval to them in scripture? What about the case where a spouse has an affair and leaves. Should this shame the faithful spouse forever? Should the faithful spouse never be allowed to experience the joy of remarriage?
What about those who are not alcoholics, and who don't get drunk to the point of debauchery? Should we outlaw drinking? Should we say "one drink isn't a sin, but 2 is"? Uh, who gets to make that law? Or, should we be teaching people to live as responsible [faithful] adults in every area of their lives? Shouldn't we be teaching that we should make wise choices and avoid debauchery and sin? More importantly, do we have the right to stand in God's place and impose a man-made law to ensure people act accordingly? Sorry, but I don't think so. In fact, that might be the real sin... to stand in God's place and write His law for Him. Ooh, ouch again.
Look, before you get your panties in a bunch, let me reiterate: Sin, bad. Debauchery, bad. Disobedience & rebellion, bad. God has some rules. See the 10 Commandments for a basic idea. But many of the rules we impose are not God's. In fact, when you examine the scripture you just may find that some things aren't as wrong as we once believed. Should we all go out now and get drunk and divorce our spouses if we don't like them? Of course not! If that's what you think I'm saying then you aren't reading this, you're filtering it through your own legalistic mindset. Getting drunk isn't necessarily a good idea. And getting divorced for no reason is "unfaithfulness"...er...sin. But let's not kill people with legalism. Every Sunday in the American church, people leave feeling condemned, unworthy and unclean. Rather than setting them free with the mercy of God, we run them off because they can't measure up. How sad.
Do we tell them what sin is? Duh. Of course we do! Do I really even need to say that? But we tell them about "real" sin. Real sin is to not love the Lord our God with all our hearts. Real sin is to not love our neighbor as ourselves. These are the two great commandments of Jesus. Everything else is based on these two principles. Without love, we will commit many sins against God and each other. And yes, we can obey "laws" and have no love. But we will be pleasing to the legalists!!! Grr. What's the point of that? I'd rather enjoy some of what this life has to offer and love God and my neighbor rather than feel a false sense of security because I don't drink. But hey, if that's your thing...have fun. Oh, but I doubt you will. Sarcasm intended. Is that a sin too?
I was at Willow Creek's Leadership Summit this year and WOW did God ever speak to us. In times like these it's very easy for people to become self-focused. Money's tight, people are losing their homes, jobs are tenuous or nonexistent... times are tough! So yeah, it's very easy to be self-focused. And truth be told, being self-focused isn't a bad thing...it's often necessary.
However, in times like these it's also good to take a page from Christ's playbook. He talked about how important it is to take care of our neighbors. The example we get from the Apostles is the same when in Acts we read about how Christians shared what they had with everyone who had need so that everyone was taken care of.
So what do we do with that? Some today still preach communal living. While communal living may have its benefits, for most of us it conjures up images of cults. So I doubt communal living is the answer for people losing their homes. However, there is something to be learned from this idea of "community" when it comes to how we as the body of Christ ought to be caring for one another.
I posed this question at church a few Sundays ago: "How can it be acceptable to any of us that ONE MORE FAMILY in our community loses their home if we can help it?" I used the example of a dying child. I asked our church if one of our kids were dying and all we had to do was raise a few thousand dollars to save the child's life, wouldn't we empty our pockets, purses, and wallets to ensure the child's survival? Yet with other issues we often have less urgency. Prioritizing in this way (in my view) is wrong. Because unless we become a healthy church and can take care of EACH OTHER... how can we be a part of saving the lives of starving children elsewhere? So if you think of it this way, our tendency to put ourselves first prevents us from helping those who Christ told us to go help.
Therefore, the only hope we have of truly fulfilling the mission of Christ is to get out of our self-focused mode and start thinking about our broader community. If we CAN help it, we NEED to help it! So no, it's not acceptable to me that one more family in my church and community loses their home! NOT ONE MORE. But what can I do about it?
I cannot do a single darn thing. But WE can do anything we put our minds to because we know it's the will of God to LIVE THE GOSPEL in our community. This isn't rocket science. But if because we're afraid of these economic times, we hoard what we have and refuse to help... well, I wonder if the mission will ever get off the ground. The lesson in scripture for this sort of economy is for the church to band together and ensure that we are able to survive and move forward, advancing the Kingdom.
So I challenge you to step up. Consider this next time you think about your giving. Consider this next time you think about your time...whether or not you will volunteer. One of the guest speakers at the Willow conference said "Churches are like football teams, but they only huddle". They go to church on Sundays and they huddle...and they huddle during the week...but they never get out and play the game. Time to stop huddling. We already know the gameplan. We've been reading about it, hearing sermons about it, and learning about it in Sunday School for our entire lives. Enough talk. Break the huddle and get in to the game!
I'm gonna be a bit selfish for this blog entry. But I want to speak about a very important word in the Bible: REDEMPTION. When we think of the word REDEMPTION, we often think only in terms of being redeemed from the threat of hell and receiving eternal life, which we also often call "Salvation". However, this isn't the only redeeming activity the Lord is up to. God desires to redeem us, not only for Heaven's eternity, but for the here and now. We often forget that our relationship with Him is about living in the here and now, not just worrying about whether or not we're gonna make it to Heaven.
In the past year I have seen the amazing redeeming power of God in my own life and in the life of The Urban Church. On many occasions, there were those who thought "this is it for Urban", or "this is it for Tom". Both the church and me personally have struggled through some very difficult circumstances, yet even in the midst of these circumstances, God has proven Himself faithful. In the past year we have had to endure many challenges that should have decimated Urban. Yet even with great transition and important people leaving, God has continued to bless Urban with growth and vital new blood. And in my own life personally, God has brought a form of redemption that I never knew was possible.
For my entire adult life there have been deep longings that have never been met. Without going into personal detail, suffice it say that they are now met in the most amazing of ways. A close friend and pastor commented to me recently that it is amazing how God has brought redemption into my life. As everyone at Urban knows, I have been recently married. My story reminds me of Job. While I don't compare my life to Job's suffering, I am reminded that like Job, God restores what is lost because He is concerned about our redemption even in the here and now.
In Job's life, God restored unto him everything that he lost when Satan was allowed to test him. I have a similar story and am so thankful for my lovely wife and two beautiful daughters. In our wedding ceremony, God continued to remind me of His intention to redeem. What I mean is that for the few days leading up to the ceremony, Venice, Florida was fraught with super hot weather and overcast, dark skies. On top of that the wind did not stop blowing. This is not a good recipe for an outdoor beach, sunset wedding. For days we didn't even see a sunset. So we could only guess at the exact timing of it. On the day we were to be married, the clouds opened and the dark skies brought an immense rain storm that seemed to be centered on the Venice/Sarasota area. Needless to say, we were a little afraid that it would rain on our plans to be married on the beach. But as God uses the rain to redeem the land, He used this storm to redeem our day. By midday, the sun was out and the weather was much cooler. And because the front had passed, by the time of our ceremony the wind had died down. This was important because I sang a song to my wife during our ceremony and if the wind had remained strong, we wouldn't have been able to hear it... or the guitar music my good friend was providing during the entire event.
Then, as you can see, we had the most beautiful sunset ever as the perfect backdrop for a perfect wedding. It was truly miraculous. God used what many might view as coincidences, to remind me that we were not only in His will that night, but that He had redeemed what was once considered to be lost. And "thankful" is not a big enough word to describe my response to God's redeeming love. This redeeming love is being expressed every moment of every day by my wife and beautiful, loving daughters. Of course, I view this as God's love expressed through His children. This love is pure and not based on the past, for the very essence of REDEMPTION is to be cleansed from past mistakes and to become a new creation in Christ. God has redeemed the things of old, whether good or bad and made all things new. This is the power of a redemption that only God can provide.
I can't help but wonder what Job must have felt when he stood in awe of all that God restored unto him. Did he regret what had happened? I don't know. But as I look back at the last year, I have no regrets. There were moments when I didn't think I could survive it, but in hindsight I see now that God used the circumstances of my life to bring a REDEMPTION that I could never have imagined or foreseen. So I bow to His infinite wisdom and thank Him for the trials of life that brought me to this moment of complete redemption. This redemption has brought a fulfillment and a joy that I have never before experienced.
Though your life may look bleak at the moment, remember that God redeems what is HIS. So stay His. He cares about your here and now. You may have lost your job, your home, your car, or even your family. Like Job, you may feel utterly decimated, yet God REDEEMS what is HIS. Your cries do not go unnoticed and your past will not stand in the way of God bringing about HIS will in your life. God wishes to erase the mistakes and shut the mouth of the accuser. That is the nature of REDEMPTION. If you will only trust in Him, He will redeem you, for you are HIS. It's not just about getting to Heaven anymore... it's about living in the redemptive, healing, presence of the God who loves you every single moment of every single day. Why am I writing this today? Because the word of God reminds me to "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so". So there you go. I am REDEEMED!
God is also in the process of redeeming Urban. What was once lost will be found again and the accuser will have no say regarding the establishment of God's house. God will redeem what is His. Like I always say, "Urban has undergone many difficult trials, but we're still here." God will not only sustain us and provide... He will redeem. Our only job is to remain faithful & hopeful and God will do the rest. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.
Urban is about to host McRest coming up starting July 19th, and throughout that coming week! Many of us at Urban are very very excited for this opportunity. It's a chance for us to support people that have lived within and around our community that are struggling to stay or get back on their feet. It's a chance to show God's love in a practical way to people, and to band together as a community in doing so.
But one thing that the entire community at Urban should take note of is this. One year ago, yesterday, we had service where we shared dreams that all of us at Urban had because we were finally getting the opportunity to move into a building that we could call ours 24/7, 365. It was a chance to for those of us at that time to say... Here is what we believe God would want us to do with this blessing he has given our congregation.
And here we are, one year later, and the dreams and hopes that people put up on that board that evening are being accomplished! We've met several of them, really! But hosting McRest is a very huge thing for us. If you were to have asked me two years ago if this would have been happenning, I'd have likely said, "No way!". But the reality is... God is much, much bigger than my human brain can comprehend. His vision to reach people, connect those who are disconnected from Himself is far more awesome than I or anyone of us could have ever realized here at Urban! I am geeked... truly truly geeked, to be a part of God's work here at Urban... preparing to bless people that are far less fortunate than I.
And you know what's even more exciting than that? I'm going to be participating in this work of God's with people that dreamt with me as well as people who came to Urban as a result of the dreams being noted, prayed over, and realized! I'm so blessed... I know... it sounds corny... probably just like Pastor Tom said today that I love corny cheesy stuff.... but it's true. I am so very blessed to be a part of God's work here at Urban, helping hurting, connecting disconnected, making a difference.
I'm not saying it's easy to pull it off, and we still have a lot of donations to receive to make this entire opportunity happen, but I after seeing the team of volunteers meet this week, and seeing the blessings that happenned after it of donations being given, I am so convinced that God's behind everything going on here at Urban. I am so happy God is pulling the strings, pushing the buttons, challenging our congregation and leadership to continue to grow.
In the coming weeks, there will be stories that come from the preparation and execution of God's work here while Urban hosts McRest that we'll likely post or share with each other and with the surrounding community at large. So stay tuned!
Oh, and BTW - just because you're reading this, and you hear me saying how awesome God is handling all of the necessary items needed and preparation and volunteers, that by no means is meant to say that we have all the things we need, or people we need to volunteer to bless these people that come to stay at Urban this month. So please, if you come to Urban, and haven't signed up to help yet, We need you. The people coming to stay at Urban need you. God wants you to grasp the calling He's placed on the people at Urban, (which includes you!!!!) and get up and participate. If you're interested in helping, but haven't been able to sign up yet, please make sure you catch Lenka Perron or any one of the Pastor's here at Urban (Tom, Tom, Micha or myself) to get more information and sign up.
Thanks for reading, and hold on to your hats... God's gonna blow the socks off of us and our guests this month!!!!!
I have to admit I was uncertain how to react when I saw that the bond for the East Detroit School District passed by a slim margin of just over 1,800 votes for to just over 1,750 votes against (credit clickondetroit.com for that data).
Then I googled census in Eastpointe, and came to realize that as of the 2007 Census (which I realize could have changed significantly) had over 32,000 residents in the city of Eastpointe (credit wikimapia.org).
Let's assume 25% of the residents in Eastpointe left over the last two years, for whatever reason. That leaves 24,000 residents in the city.
Then, let's assume that of those 24,000 residents, let's assume 35% of them are kids, under the age of 18, ineligible to vote. So we can assume that leaves 15,600 residents in Eastpointe who are over the age of 18.
Now, let's assume that only 1/2 of those 15,600 residents are registered voters. That's 7,800 voters.
7,800 voters, and 3,600 voted. That means 1/2 of the people of Eastpointe who could have voted whether to approve of the bond or not for the school district did not even bother to vote. Do we blame that on not knowing about or hearing about the special election? Do we blame that on indifference? I'm not sure which, but I'm disappointed to see that.
I made it out to vote at 5 to 8 last night, and made sure I got my ballot cast. It was important to me to vote. Maybe, as the parent of two children in the ED school system, I care enough to do so, whereas others did not. I don't know.
But all I do know is that it appears to me that there is a lot of speaking done in the lack of voting in an election. But none of that matters. It's what the votes say at the end of the day, not what the lack of votes say, that determines what happens with our tax dollars. I would think that would be a motivator to more than just 1/2 of the eligible voters, assuming all those numbers were accurate.
I end up asking myself... I wonder what God thinks about something like that. I wish more people took an active part in their community. I know I don't do enough for my community, but I do try, and I wonder what others think when they see that ONLY HALF of people who even bothered to register to vote actually went and did it. Like I said above, I wonder what God's thinking? I wonder what God's trying to get us to do about it. Is it anything you think about?
I've had a lot of time recently to reflect on what it means to live life to the fullest. There are 2 main reasons I think it's hard for many to live life to the fullest.
1. I think it's hard for many of us to do because we choose to accept a life of condemnation instead of the freedom Christ came to offer us.
There are no shortage of people in most of our lives standing in line to accuse, condemn, and criticize us. It's part of the "human condition". Yet Christ came to reveal a life of freedom from condemnation. He once said to a prostitute, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (John 8:10)
Yet most of us in our everyday lives choose to accept the condemnation of others and live in that condemnation. Jesus said "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36) This freedom Jesus is speaking of is two-fold. First, it's freedom from sin. You and I can tap into His power to overcome sin in our lives when we choose to follow Him and surrender our will. Secondly, He is speaking of a life free from the many things that keep us from living life to the fullest. When ignorant people choose to condemn and criticize, you do not have to accept it as truth, for if you are set free... YOU ARE FREE. Live in that freedom. Accept the mercy of the Father. God is not the one who is keeping a record of wrongs. You are. In the grand scheme the words of other people are inconsequential. Only God's words matter. Our identity is not in mankind, but in Christ Jesus, the Redeemer.
2. The other major roadblock to living a life of freedom and fullness is stress. How many of us are "worrying" our way through life. Worry and stress are tactics designed to keep your eyes focused on the temporal instead of the eternal. Forget living life to the fullest... or even at all, if we cannot see beyond our current circumstances. God desires us to be forward looking people. Looking forward to the "hope we have in Christ Jesus" instead of being bogged down by the here and now. Yes, we have to deal with the here and now, but as quickly as it came, today will be gone and it'll be tomorrow. God wants to empower us to see the eternal, not be discouraged by the temporary. The job loss, the sickness, the divorce, the relationship problems... they are all temporal. But the hope we have in Christ is FOREVER. It is ETERNAL.
Jesus said in Luke 12:27 "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
Knowing that God is on our side in this way what do we really have to be worried about? This is what it means to be focused on the eternal instead of the temporal.
When we learn to overcome these two roadblocks, we are on the way to discovering the richness of this life. Learn to shut out the voice of the "accuser of the brethren" and live in the eternal not the temporal. I encourage you to refocus your prayer life for the month of April on these two principles and ask God to show you what real life is.
Lots of really cool things have happened over the last year... moving into our building, all the people getting connected to Christ, baptism services, Christmas Eve Candlelit service, more and more people attending growth groups, real relationships forming, just a ton of great things!
Well, there's something else that's just awesome to see starting to happen here at Urban now too. Our guys are starting to get together on a frequent basis and getting to know one another. You can see it happenning more and more on Sundays and at Growth Groups during the week. And I think it's really great! As guys, we need opportunities to get together to have fun and also to learn more about what God has to say about how we should live our lives as husbands, fathers and friends to each other, to become men of integrity.
So we're gonna to have our next hang out Saturday May 2nd at the church! We'll barbeque like only guys know how and maybe play some hoops, or touch football, or some cards indoors if it's raining. So plan to bring a monster sized steak or whatever you want to grill and all the fixin's you'll need!
I was reading earlier today in the Bible and thought I would share this verse from Philippians 4:8-9.
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."
As guys trying to be men of integrity, maybe take some time over this next week to think about what this verse from the Bible means to you, or how thinking about those things and focusing on them could impact your life. Challenge yourself to do so. It will definitely be something I'm going to do, because there are things in my life that I'm focused on that don't deserve my attention, and other things that do. So I'll be spending some time each day thinking about this verse, and I hope some of you might too.
See you Saturday May 2nd at Urban!
Well sorry it took me so long to blog about this. I've been extremely busy lately but the real reason is that I didn't have a decent picture of the tattoo to upload. The story of this new tattoo is pretty cool. For about 3 years now I have been considering a tattoo, but truth be told, I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to pain. But I've had this design in my head for all that time. Recently a good friend who had been filling in for me at the church when I was on sabbatical shared an idea with me. He basically had a really cool sermon idea about God's love, using some tattoo symbolism. He shared that he always thought it would be cool to have someone get inked in church while he was preaching the sermon. We laughed and I half-jokingly said, "you could totally get away with it at Urban". A short time later I learned that someone at the church is a tattoo artist. I won't share his story just now, but it didn't take long for God to bring the pieces of the puzzle together in my mind. I realized... "Hey, I want a tattoo, Jeff wants to preach about it and have someone get one during the service, and I have a guy who can actually do it!"
So yes, we were just crazy enough to do it. About a month ago we arranged to have me get tattooed while Jeff preached. At first I don't think most people knew what was going on. After the music, I just sat down in the sterile area up front that we had set up and Jeff got up and started speaking. In a few minutes the tattoo was started and people started to hear the buzzing of the needle. Then Jeff started to describe what was going on and the congregation erupted in applause. That was kind of surprising, but I think people were really diggin' the whole scruffy church vibe of what was going on.
In the middle of Jeff's message, he brought a microphone over to me and asked me about the tattoo's symbolism. I described it's meaning and shared the scriptures that applied to it. The short version... The tattoo is essentially 3 links of chain, although the links are made up of 3 stranded cord or rope, not steel. From a distance, it kind of looks like chain and up close it looks like knotted rope.
The fact that it's chain represents my calling as a pastor and bondservant of Christ as the Apostle Paul describes it.
That there are 3 links represents God's continual presence in my life in all three facets of His personality; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The 3 stranded cord comes from the Old Testament where Solomon talks about how a cord of 3 strands is not easily broken. In my life the 3 strands became 2 and subsequently the cord was broken. (symbolically) The reason my tattoo is made of unbroken 3 stranded cord represents my future marriage which I fully believe God will bring about when I find that right person. So whoever my future wife is, this tattoo is partly for you.
The fact that the tattoo is on my left shoulder represents my relationship with my God. In much the same way a wedding ring is worn on the left hand, this tattoo is a marriage symbol of sorts between God and I.
The pain was also significant and reminds me that often, really great things in life come with an amount of pain. Pain is a part of life, yet amidst the pain God often does the most wonderful things. Amidst my own life's pain, God has brought me to amazing new places in my relationship with Him and also with many of those who love me. I can honestly say that because of His love for me, my life is good...challenges and all.
Lastly the permanence of the tattoo reminds me that no matter what, I cannot run, hide, deny, turn off, or get away from God's love for me. His love for us is permanent and there is nothing we can do to stop Him from loving us.
When the service was over, there were several people who came to me with tears in their eyes because they were so touched by what God was revealing to them thru this rather out-of-the-box morning. Jeff's message was perfect and God used it to penetrate hearts and do some amazing things in people's lives. I think one of the coolest things God did was to help people understand that they are loved and accepted. You see most of the people in our church have tats. A lot of them keep them undercover and some people feel self-conscious because at some point in their lives some Christian or church made them feel dirty for having tattoos. What a shame because that's utter crap!!! Yeah, I said it.
Without getting into a theological debate on the blog, I'll just say in short that the Bible does not prohibit tattooing. Marking your body to identify you as someone who worships an idol? Well that's a different story. But tattoos are not evil or bad. And shame on any church or Christian who cause people to feel unworthy of God's love just because they have some ink in their skin. One of the coolest things to happen on tat Sunday was when a guy in our church brought a Bible up to me while I was getting inked and showed me the passage that says "God does not judge by outward appearance". That's the truth of the matter. A relationship with God has nothing to do with outward appearance. God loves the scruffy and imperfect. By the way, that describes everybody no matter how highly one thinks of themselves. We are all scruffy!!! So Dave, thanks for doing that, it really touched me that morning. And it is so right.
Not only does God love the scruffy, but so does Urban. Want to come and be accepted no matter how you dress or look? No problem, come on out.
Ok, now a little about tat addiction. When I first set this all up, I was convinced in my mind that it would only be this one... no more. "No way I'll get addicted to tattooing, remember I'm a wuss with pain?" It was so weird. When the artist told me he was done that morning, I felt a let down. AH! Now I get what people with multiple tats have been saying. There was something about the experience that was deeply spiritual. I can't describe it. If you don't have any tattoos, you won't "get it" any more than I did. But I am ready for number 2. Yep, it's true. I plan to have an Icthus done. (the ancient fish symbol for the church) Number 3? Who knows. No plans for a number 3. Yet???
Anyway, the art turned out great, the tattoo is exactly what I wanted and turned out how I wanted it to. The artist is AWESOME! Great job. I wouldn't go to anyone else. You rock. I am so grateful and honored to have had you do my tattoo. Truly honored.
Ok, that's the short story of the crazy pastor who got his first tattoo during a Sunday service.
I heard a great quote the other day while watching House M.D. I just got hip to this show a few weeks ago and fell in love with it. I think Hugh Laurie's character is a riot. Anyway, it was actually Robert Sean Leonard's character that said this, and what a great quote it is: "You can't punish the man without punishing those that love him."
Have you ever thought about the words you say about others in that light? I preach about gossip rather regularly at Urban because it's such a big problem throughout the church nationwide. Gossip unfortunately has become an accepted part of church culture and I'm not specifically whining about gossip about myself. It's everywhere and rampant. Why just the other day I had a friend tell me about how gossip nearly destroyed them emotionally. In recent months I've had many individuals come to me with tears telling me how the gossip they hear from others is "hurting them". Can you hear the words from the quote from House?
The Bible deals with this subject more than a few times because as James puts it in James 3, "How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so."
When I heard the quote on House, this scripture took on an entirely new meaning. Gossip is most often used as a weapon... a way to punish those we disagree with or are offended by. We often justify our tongues with words like "accountability" or "truth", yet the Bible is abundantly clear about accountability and truth and nowhere does it justify gossip, malicious talk, slander, lying, or even disclosing what one believes to be "truth" as a means of accomplishing these things.
When we gossip, we forget some really important concepts. For example.. GOD's ROLE in the whole matter. Isn't it up to Him to bring light into the darkness? Yet when we use gossip as weapon we are acting in His place, attempting to do His job. In reality, we are not doing "the Lord's work", we are acting at the bidding of the great deceiver who's primary goal is to disrupt all that God is doing. For example, gossip has been the cause of thousands of church splits over the years. Is this "the Lord's work"? One wonders. (not really)
I heard another wonderful quote the other day which gives us a solid course of action I think. Excuse me for being vulgar, but this was the quote: "If you didn't hear it from the horse's mouth, you heard it from the horse's ass". Yeah, it's funny, I know. It made me laugh out loud when I heard it. But it does offer us a good piece of advice. If we didn't hear it from the source (or if we're unwilling to go seek out the source), then we need to shut the gossip down because to admit the gossip into our hearts is to allow Satan to rule a part of our lives. We will become deceived. It's the only possible outcome. How can I say that? Well, it's simple...think about it. Ever hear the old saying "there's 2 sides to every story"? Well actually there's many sides to every story, and if you don't hear them all (from the sources) and hear them with an objective ear, then you DON'T KNOW the whole truth. You only know a skewed version of it. And believe me, every version is somewhat skewed. It is skewed by our filters, life experiences, and hurts. We can't help but filter. We all do it and unless you're Mr. Spock, you can't help it no matter how smart you are. And if you're honest, you'll have no choice but to admit that most of the time when we gossip, it's an attempt to appear to be the person "in the right". "I'm right and they're wrong and here's why..." Ok, I realize we're not all ready to admit that about ourselves so I'll move on.
Our only alternative then is to follow the Bible's advice and shut up, shut down those who won't shut up, and leave the rest to God. That's the biblical "high road". Sadly, we Christians (myself included) have become so self-righteous that we can easily justify our mouths. It's time to listen to the advice of Lamentations 3:26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. 27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. 28 Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; 29 let him put his mouth in the dust-- there may yet be hope; 30 let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. 31 For the Lord will not cast off forever, 32 but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33 for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.
Get it? We need to learn to live in silence and allow God to do His will. Take David and Saul as an example. Saul was a bad king. But he was the king that God chose to give to the people. Whether or not they liked it, Saul was God's choice. Saul wasn't perfect, but that did not negate God's will. If anyone had cause to criticize this imperfect king it was David. David was routinely treated with contempt by Saul and in the most unfair of ways. Yet what did David do? In his "righteous anger" did he lash out at Saul? In 1st Samuel 24 we read “It is a serious thing to attack the LORD’s anointed one, for the LORD himself has chosen him.” This was David's reaction to the idea of bringing harm to Saul. It is reasonable to argue that this is dealing specifically with killing a king which God forbade. Some use this to say we can never criticize church leaders. This is not at all what I'm saying. Church leaders can and should be held accountable, but there is a process set forth in the scriptures for such accountability. We cannot skirt around God's process and expect God to bless it. If we disagree with the way our criticisms were handled or received when we went through God's process properly (do we even fully understand it?), then our only recourse is to remain silent and let God handle it from there. Yep... back to the silence thing again. To do this requires great faith and trust in God. Are we ready to really trust Him? But this post isn't specifically about church leaders. This is just an example of how we tend to find ways to justify what we say about others. This principle need to be applied in every relationship in our lives. It's a universal principle that God wants His people to get a hold of because if we don't, our "noise" will damage everyone that hears it.
In truth there is great wisdom to be found in silence. For it is in silence that we best hear the voice of the Lord. It is in silence that we are able to shut down the voices of our own anger, resentment, depression, disgust, or whatever other voices are raging in our heads. It is only then that we are fully able to receive the wisdom and peace of Christ. "Righteous anger" gets us nowhere. In fact, I think it's a great disservice to teach that it's ok to have "righteous anger". Jesus was able to do have it, but then again He was fully righteous. We are not...we are merely cleansed sinners. We are made righteous by His blood, but we are not fully righteous in ourselves. Yet we think we can control our minds and our tongues as we act and speak in anger. Yeah, good luck with that. (sarcasm intended) Remember, we're only human and imperfect. We all have filters, most of which we aren't even aware of.
So how about we try following the most difficult advice scripture has to offer. Have the faith to trust God and not try to do His job. Try remaining silent when others speak of you and let God handle it. It will go against every natural instinct you have, but when you do it, you will hear the Lord speak to you in ways you never knew possible. When others speak gossip to you follow the wisdom of silence and ask the person to stop speaking because by listening, the gossip will end up affecting you in some negative way. "You can't punish the man without punishing those who love him." Truer words were never spoken. The wisdom of Solomon from House M.D. Pretty cool.
As 2009 is now here, I wanted to say that I am purposefully committed to understanding what thing in my life that I have not surrendered to God. The truth is, the last week or two, I have been feeling like something in my life is missing. Something needs change. Last night, as I sat around my family, and we talked about what many people make... those famous, or infamous New Year's resolutions, I realized that I heard my family making resolutions similar to my own. And then it hit me. I've been realizing that I need to surrender areas of my life to God that I have never really let Him have before.
Surrender to God never means that everything will be good in your life because you do it. Life's challenges never seem to go away. In fact, it seems all the more apparant that when you do surrender to God's plan for your life, and turn things over to Him that the road gets much harder, because it's totally not what Satan wants. It's a contradiction to his purpose... to seek, kill and destroy. But I'm really wanting to surrender what I haven't to God, because I know for certain that the more I give up what I don't already have control over but try to that God gets glory for it. And I love God so much, I want His will to be done in my life, my wife's my daughter's, my son's and my friends and extended family too.
I pray for those people in my life to surrender to God, as they never have before. I believe that through our surrender, God is allowed to do a work in and through us that He never has because we haven't allowed Him to up to this point. Enough of that. It's time to be real. time to be serious about the surrender to God in 2009. Surrender to God's will. God's teaching. God's plan for you.
If you are interested in knowing more about what surrendering to God is and seeing what Urban is doing for God when we surrender to His plan for our church, come check out a growth group this winter, and find out more about Urban's mission to connect disconnected through servant evangelism. I can say this from experience, that when you surrender to God, it seems to be much more natural to have the mind of a servant toward others.
Happy New Year, and Rock On, Urban!
Wow, what can I say about 2008? For me it had a lot of great moments, but it also had a lot of moments that just plain SUCKED! So it's a mixed bag. There are lots of things to complain about, but also a lot of things to be thankful for. Yet the Bible teaches us to be thankful for ALL of it. What's up with that? How do we do it? How do get thankful for the challenging times? Isn't it easier to just get mad at the stuff that sucks and lash out? Sure it is. But again, the scripture gives us completely different instructions. Oh...so much easier said than done huh?
However, I have found gratitude to be the best weapon against Satan's attempts to discourage and defeat us. So in 2009 I choose new victory by CHOOSING to be thankful for ALL of 2008...even the stuff that was bad. Because in the end what God is doing is much better than all the bad combined. Satan likes to tempt us to believe that the bad stuff is SO bad that it negates all the good God does. Sadly, we all too often fall for it don't we? But God is so good and is always doing great things. And a moment of bad does not negate the good. It doesn't work that way.
Let me rephrase that. Think of it this way. Often we screw up right? Maybe we do something or say something that offends a friend. A lot of times when this happens, the friendship is over as though there was nothing good about it in the first place. People love to say things like "I THOUGHT you were my friend", as if they never really were. Yet when you step back and analyze it you may find that it was just a momentary screw up. Perhaps the person had been a good friend all along, but just screwed up. Even when the friendship is forced to end, there are still good things God did during the time you were friends, so why throw all that out because you are no longer friends today? That's where gratitude can really help us become victorious over bitterness, anger, resentment, and most importantly vengeance.
If we learn to be grateful for ALL the good God did even amidst the bad stuff, Satan will have a diminished ability to cause us to sin because our eyes are firmly affixed on God. So when someone wrongs you, don't hate them for it. Instead, choose to look for what God is wanting to do in your heart through the difficulty and then CHOOSE to be grateful for what was good about your relationship during its time. When we destroy hate with love and bitterness with gratitude, we win. When we choose hate and bitterness...we're the only ones who lose. I have found this great truth to be universally true: When you're bitter or hateful, it only hurts you...the other person doesn't care. So embrace new victory by embracing a new way of life in 2009. As we enter the new year you will find new victory as you allow God to change your heart.
Hi all, I'd like to introduce you to my new little buddy Malcolm. Malcolm is an 18 month Bichon Frise mixed with some sort of terrier (most likely). I got him at the Humane Society in Detroit. When I met him, he put his paws up on my lap and looked at me with those eyes and it was all over. He won.
I got his name from an old tradition found in the Bible. Back in Bible times, people would often make up a name and assign it a special meaning. For instance, Hannah named her son Samuel saying, "because I asked the Lord for Him". So over time, Samuel became synonymous with a gift from God. As I was thinking and thinking about a name for my new little friend, I wanted to find a name that to me meant "comfort". Then it occurred to me that I had some special friends who have been an amazing source of comfort to me during the darkest hours of my life. Their last name is Malcolm so I chose that name for my new dog because they (and he) are such a great comforting presence in my life. So I named him Malcolm saying "because he comforts me and is a gift from the Lord". That's how I feel about my friends too...not just my dog. :)
When I met him he had the craziest haircut. They basically just shaved him down at the shelter but left a fro on top. Here's the before shots:
When I got him home I spent a few minutes giving him a trim. He looks much better now huh?
I was a little nervous about how my cat might react, but I was pretty surprised. When Malcolm came into the house he immediately went over to the cat and started licking her head. She meowed a little, but was completely cool with it. No hissing or anything. Whew! It was actually quite amusing.
Thanks so much to my good friends at church (Steve, Sherri, Shane, Tina, and whoever else was in on this surprise) for giving me such a great gift. I really missed having a dog around the house since my last one passed, so this is the best Christmas gift I could have gotten this year. I can't wait for ya'll to meet him in person.
Every so often you come across a song that God uses to seriously altar your perspective. Mercy by Kristene Mueller is such a song for me. Ever since discovering Kim Walker at JesusCultureMusic.org, I've kept an eye out for new music from them. Kristene's album, 'Those Who Dream', came out a couple of weeks ago when I was really needing a word from the Lord. When I got to the track Mercy, many things came into a new perspective as God spoke powerfully into my life.
He reminded me of His amazing grace and ability to sustain us through the storms of life. But more importantly, He spoke about making sure that He has my whole heart, not just most of it. I am amazed at the way God uses music to speak to us. (at least to me) I'm not sure if I transcribed the lyrics perfectly, but here they are:
What shall I do with you my love?
What shall I do with you?
For your loyalty to me is like the morning clouds,
like the dew that goes away so early
What shall I do with you my love?
You keep bringing me sacrifices to ease your mind
But it’s your heart that I want
Hasn’t it been a long road?
Disappointment
Chasing after lovers that just throw you away
Are you done fighting now?
All the love that takes delight in you?
Shame was never meant to be your portion
You keep bringing me sacrifices to ease your mind
But it’s your heart that I want
Though your sins are red as scarlet I will wash them white in my mercy
Though your sins are red as scarlet I will wash them white in my mercy
Though your sins are red as scarlet I will wash them white in my mercy
What shall I do with you my love?
What shall I do with you?
You keep bringing me sacrifices to ease your mind
But it’s your heart that I want
I am reminded of all the times in my life when I "served" Him with all I had, but did He truly have all of my heart? I have learned so much in the past 2 months about what it means to really love and trust Him completely as opposed to merely serving Him with my deeds and trying to "do right". Mercy reminds me every time I hear it that there is so much more to really knowing God than "doing" and "believing".
I think this is where so many Christians go wrong. We believe and we even serve, but do we really trust and love with the entirety of our hearts? Often when we go through tragedy God brings the truth to light and shows us where we lack in our relationship with Him. Sadly at this point, many people will turn their backs on Him. And we often choose to blame Him. But if we allow Him, He will use that light, not to condemn us, but to bring us to all new heights in our love for Him.
This is the Mercy of God. I know... because I'm experiencing it right now.
Job said "Though He slay me, I will hope in Him." I have had reason as of late to really ponder those words. Don't get me wrong, I don't compare my life to Job, that would be silly. Compared to the persecution of our brothers and sisters all over the world who are literally dying for Christ, my life is of no comparison. Yet we would all agree that life often gives us great difficulty, much of it beyond our ability to handle. So when that happens what do we do?
The most typical response is to blame God or worse, to run from Him. I think we have all had moments where we've done this. Yet there is a profound lesson to be learned from Job's life. With all he went through, he said that no matter what life dealt him, he was intent to follow God and trust in Him alone. Easier said than done right? All I know is that when life deals us the worst, God is there the most. If we cling to Him during the worst of it, we will find Him like never before. We will hear from Him in ways we never knew previously and we'll find a strength and comfort that without it we'd be utterly defeated.
Does God bring us difficulty? Does He bring tragedy? Those are honest questions. Many cliche's are uttered during dark times which quite frankly make things worse. "Everything happens for a reason". "God won't give you more than you can handle". Crap, crap and more crap! Both of those lame cliche's basically say "God did this to me". If everything happens for a reason, then God must have done this terrible thing to you "for a reason". Uh...no. God is not the author of tragedy. Will he use the worst circumstances for good in your life if you look to Him? Yep, but that's not the same as Him doing bad things to you for some higher purpose. The same goes for "God won't give you more than you can handle". The Bible doesn't teach that. In fact, the Bible teaches that we will go through things that quite frankly, we can't handle. If we could handle it all on our own, we wouldn't need God! But remember, it's LIFE that deals us more than we can handle, not God. God is our strength to deal with what we cannot handle. Without Him we'd drown in our problems and eventually disconnect from Him in a fit of anger and resentment.
Many people ask me as of late "Tom, how do you do it?" Look, I'm no one special. I'm just a man. And my life often deals me situations that I just can't handle. But I know who my salvation comes from. I know who my rock is. My responsibility is to live as uprightly before Him as I can no matter what happens...to serve Him at all costs. When I was young and living a life of sin, I was unable to live for anyone but myself. But when I found Christ, I became a new creation...a forgiven, cleansed, blood covered child of God. The past is wiped away, forgiven, and cleansed. Knowing all this gives me the strength to trust in the one who saved me. It reminds me that no matter what happens in my life, He's got my back and working in my life in a redemptive way. He is my safety. Though I suffer, even if He slay me with the worst life can throw at me, I will hope in Him because He alone is my hope.
When we determine to serve God "At all Cost", we find a new peace and strength that only comes from our creator who loves each and every one of us as if we were the only one on Earth. I am struck by God's words in Jeremiah 17...
5 Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” 11 Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool.
12 A glorious throne set on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. 13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water. 14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise. 15 Behold, they say to me, “Where is the word of the LORD? Let it come!” 16 I have not run away from being your shepherd, nor have I desired the day of sickness. You know what came out of my lips; it was before your face. 17 Be not a terror to me; you are my refuge in the day of disaster.
God is our refuge and strength. He alone will save us from the day of disaster. Trust in Him and everything about YOU will change.
A few weeks ago I saw a news story on FOX News about 30+ pastors who were challenging the IRS's "Johnson Amendment" that restricts a pastor's right to free speech from the pulpit on Sundays. Read about it at Alliance Defense Fund. Basically the IRS uses a tax code to prevent pastors from speaking about political candidates from their pulpits. The premise of the Alliance Defense Fund's action called Pulpit Freedom Sunday is to challenge the constitutionality of the Johnson Amendment. They basically say that the constitutional right to free speech trumps the Johnson Amendment and they are 100% right in my opinion. The constitution guarantees the church's right to speak about any issue they view as moral or biblical from the pulpit. This right was freely exercised up until the IRS rule was enacted in 1954. Whether or not someone agrees with what a pastor says from the pulpit is irrelevant...he or she has a right to say it without being intimidated by the IRS threatening to revoke their tax exempt status. By the way, as a side note I can't help but wonder if Rev. Jeremiah Wright has had his church's tax exempt status challenged? I honestly don't know. However, as much as I vehemently disagree with many of his statements and am personally offended by his views, I would support his legal right to say what he wishes from his pulpit.
Back to the point... From the beginning of the United States, the church has partly shaped our national history and political landscape. As another ADF article correctly points out: "Historically, churches have emphatically, and with great passion, spoken Scriptural truth from the pulpit about government and culture. Historians have stated that America owes its independence in great degree to the moral force of the pulpit. Pastors have proclaimed Scriptural truth throughout history on great moral issues such as slavery, women’s suffrage, child labor and prostitution." Just try to imagine a Unites States where the church did not stand up against these moral issues. It would be a very different America to be sure. Yet because many disagree with the church's leanings politically, they would like to see all of that change. I fear where that road may lead us.
I commend those pastors who participated in Pulpit Freedom Sunday and hope and pray that the Johnson Amendment is eventually ruled unconstitutional. I for one have very strong feelings about the upcoming election, but I admit that I have felt intimidated and constrained to not say certain things from the pulpit over the years. Seeing what the pastors who participated in the ADF action have done makes me feel like a coward to be totally truthful. Yet their willingness to risk emboldens me and for that I am grateful and optimistic.
So I'm looking around on iTunes to see what is new out there and I ran across a new, well not really "new", album by David Crowder. Why all the remake albums? Well, that's for another post. Anyway, I saw some new videos and one of them is for the song Neverending. In the preview window it looked like he was playing a tiny guitar. When I played the video preview I had to laugh because that tiny guitar was a Guitar Hero Controller. I'm not sure exactly how he was triggering sounds with it, but I gotta give it to DC for his imagination. I remember seeing him in concert last year and him playing a "Keytar" with what he called "a really phat beat".
Dude is weird, but a lot of fun. Way to incorporate Guitar Hero into your show man. Ok, so let's have another album!
Well, we're all moved in and it's been an awesome first 2 weeks in our new church home. Our team of dedicated volunteers worked themselves to exhaustion to get things ready for our opener on August 3rd. Now that we're moved in and off and running, it's time to get down to the business this move is all about...connecting the disconnected.
Starting this week, we're hosting youth meetings, a new recovery group, a prayer night, and lot's more to come. From this new launching pad, we'll be exploring all new areas of ministry that we previously only dreamed about.
Here are a few pics of the new launching pad.
The church from 9 Mile Road. Hey, we have a sign! Now you can find us.
The Front Entrance. Come on in!
Newly landscaped reflection area. Come hang out or sit in peace and reflect.
When you enter, this is the Information Table. Find out all about Urban!
Come on in and relax in the Hospitality Center.
Chillax.
Coffee anyone? We're such a coffee culture...
The main worship space. This is where our weekly service happens. It's a lot smaller than our last space, so we're pretty sure we'll be going to 2 services on Sunday mornings soon. 
The Kid Focus/Tribe (students) space downstairs. 
Kid Focus/Tribe space from the other way. Think they should have picked brighter colors?
Well, that's it for the moment. Hopefully more pics to come soon. But for now, come join us in our mission to connect people to Christ and His people! See ya there. 10am Sundays.
Well, it's been 11 years in the making. As of August 3rd, Urban will be meeting in our new home in Warren, Michigan. We can't describe how excited we are to finally have an entire building that we can use for ministry however and whenever we feel led by God to do so. With the new building comes a new time for Sunday services. As many of you know, we've been meeting for 2+ years at 5pm. This was done out of necessity when we left our last location. Up until then, we had always met at 10am. Since the move to 5pm, we've struggled because most people just don't want to come to church on Sunday evening...they prefer the morning.
So in an effort to reach the disconnected of our community and connect them to God and His church, we will be moving services back to 10am starting August 3rd in our new location. We do this not out of convenience or preference, but because of MISSION. Mission is why we do all that we do here at Urban. For us, it's about connecting people to Jesus and making sacrifices to see the mission of Jesus accomplished in our community.
With this move, come all new opportunities. As those who have been helping with the renovations have probably noticed, there is great need in the surrounding community for hope. We will be right in the heart of an ever-worsening area of Warren that needs the hope that only Jesus can bring. I believe we are being planted strategically by God, right where we are needed the most. I think of it like an oasis in an ever widening desert. Our hope is that people will come and drink from the waters of life, but our hopes do not end there.
"Our mission" as the Bible puts it is to "go into the world", not just wait around for them to come in. With the new opportunities to minister to people comes a new responsibility to stand up and be counted as God's missionaries to our world. The call of Jesus is to leave the past behind and "follow me" and become fishers of men. As we embark on this new leg of the journey, I challenge you to do the same. With whatever God is speaking to your heart, I challenge you to leave the past behind and follow Him at all costs. It's this Apostolic passion that drives the mission of the church and these Apostles are the ones who will build the Kingdom of God while others merely look on from a distance. Let's never be mere onlookers. Instead, accept the Apostolic call to serve, live, and even die if necessary for the cause of Jesus.
Join us as we celebrate this Apostolic calling in our new home at 10am on August 3rd, but come prepared to accept the challenge to respond. Our new home is located at 14217 E. 9 Mile Road, Warren, Michigan, 48089.
Click here for Mapquest Map:14217 E. 9 Mile, Warren, MI 48089
Who knows? Maybe I'm just a little depressed. I don't think I am. I'm just get a little bummed every so often when I see so much potential going untapped and under-developed. Lately, God has been opening my eyes to the gift of people. I'm seeing people more and more as the amazing gifts they really are...people with tons and tons of potential and beauty. I guess that's why I'm a little bummed. Weird huh? God shows you something good, yet it bums you out. Well, it is good... people I mean. I'm glad that God is helping me see what I'm seeing, but I have to admit, it drives me nuts to see people putting their gifts on the back burner and in many cases, letting them go to waste.
As I've pondered this little tidbit, I've started to realize that with most folks there's a common denominator. They won't commit. They won't start sucking on that lozenge so to speak. But why won't they commit? That's the tricky question. Maybe they don't believe in themselves. Maybe they don't manage their time well, so they're overwhelmed with life. Like I said, that's a tough one.
I have no great insights and no answers. I guess I'm just sharing my sadness at my observation that people struggle to commit and therefore really miss out on all that God has for their lives. One thing I do know is what won't work. It's senseless for me to say "Hey, commit". That works about as well as filling a cavity with Pez. So, I guess I'm clueless today. The only thing I can think to do is encourage everyone reading (especially you scruffy-ites) to slow down for 5 minutes and talk to God and ask Him about His plans for your life. Are you living in them?
God believes in you. As I'm so fond of saying "God isn't looking for you to fail, He's standing beside you saying 'you can do it'". And you can. You can do that ministry. You can get your spiritual life in order. You can get your marriage off the rocks. You can spend more time with your kids. You can devote more personal time to spirituality and prayer. You can.
