Veritas - A Missional Community of Authentic Worshippers

Death by Suburb

2009-07-09T07:40:00.002-05:00

I have been doing a lot of thinking over the last year regarding Suburbia. Mostly in relation to what does it mean to be missional in the suburbs. My wife and I wrestled with this question and whether we needed to move to a more "urban" area in order to be missional...but I think that is, in one way, a cop out. Being missional is about where you are planted. Yes you can be missional in the urban area...the needs are easier to see. But you can also be missional in suburbia. I got to see a great example of that at a church in Bucks County called the Well. Todd Hiestand is the Pastor and he has written a great deal about being missional in suburbia, which has been tremendously helpful to my journey.

So the other day while in my favorite bookstore, Ollies...(good stuff cheap) I found the above book "Death by Suburb" by David Goetz. So I picked up and began reading. Goetz lays out 8 toxins of Suburbia and 8 Spiritual practices to counteract the toxin.

The 8 toxins are: I am in control of my life, I am what I do and what I own, I want my neighbors life, My life should be easier than this, I need to make a difference with my life, My Church is the problem, What will this relationship do for me, and I need to get more done in less time.

The 8 Spiritual practices that he lays out are: The Prayer of Silence, The journey through the self, Friendship with those who have no immortality symbols, Accepting my cross with grace and patience, Pursuing action, not results, Staying put in your church, Building deep and meaningful relationships, and Falling in love with a day.

Here are some quotes from the book that resonated with me:

"I think my suburb, as safe and religiously coated as it is, keeps me from Jesus. Or at least, my suburb (and the religion of the suburbs) obscures the real Jesus. The living patterns of the good life affect me more than I know. Yet the same environmental factors that numb me to the things of God also hold out great promise. I don't need to escape the suburbs. I need to find Jesus here."

"The kingdom of God often appears plain, ordinary, small, in the moment."

"Even in suburbia all moments are infused with the Sacred. God is really present where I live..."

"The practice of solitude may be the most important spiritual discipline for the suburbs. And it is probably one of the most difficult to practice here."

"A friend with a special needs child (and five other kids as well) recently said to me that he thought one spiritual issue of our community (which has a median household income of 75,000) is how hard we work at appearing not to have any issues. 'The sad thing' he says, 'is that you wind up with a bunch of folks who appear to have it all, but are miserable. They're trapped in the attractive veneer of being 'perfect people.' That, by its very nature, negates the transparency to form a deeper bond with a human being."

"The perfect suburban life is bogus."

"Coveting may be the most toxic indulgence of the suburbs, and the life practice to overcome it requires the discipline to face another kind of person. This person is not like me. This person in not like my neighbor, whose house I covet. This person is invisible to me, because I am facing in the wrong direction- toward those I perceive to have more than I."

There are a lot more quotes that I could share but I close with this one...

"forget trying to live a safe, gated life."

Purple Door Arts and Music Festival

2009-07-01T12:52:00.003-05:00

Several months ago while working through ideas for promoting Veritas in the community, I thought about the Purple Door Arts and Music Festival. I know a friend of mine had a booth there last year and I thought that it would be a good fit for us at Veritas. I found out about the details regarding the application and the cost, and sent off the application with the applicable fee. The other week I heard back from the festival that we have been accepted as a "vendor".

I am really excited about being at Purple Door and share with those who stop by about Veritas. We are currently working on several things that we will be giving away to anyone who stops by. This coming Friday Matt Wheeler (our worship leader) will be recording some original worship songs. We are also hoping to have another couple from our group lay down some of their original music. So at Purple Door one of the things we'll be giving away is a CD of original music from our community.

We'll also be giving away brochures, postcards, coffee mugs, and various other items to promote our launch in September. If you are at Purple Door this August (August 14-15) stop by and say hi.....

The Commodification of Jesus

2009-06-29T13:45:00.003-05:00

So yesterday I got back from the Creation Festival in Mount Union, PA. We have gone every year with the youth group from Hempfield COB. It was a bittersweet time because this will probably be the last one for a while. But I have this love have relationship with the Festival.

I love hanging out with people. I love eating with people. I love seeing people I haven't seen for awhile and catching up. I love some of the bands and the speakers. But the one thing that drives me up a wall every year is the jesus junk that is being sold...especially alot of the T-Shirts.

The one that bothered me the most this year is represnted by the picture above. It said "mcJesus..Over one bilion saved." This shirt to me represents a troubling trend..the commodification of Jesus. What this shirt is really saying is that Jesus is a product that can be bought and sold. That when we "accept Jesus" into our lives we are making a business transaction. That we "go to a church" on Sunday and attend a worship service, where we are being served by the Pastor and leaders. Also there is the whole problem of consumerism that Tony Campolo speaks about in "Lord Save Us From Your Followers". We are way too comfortable with consumerism in the evangelical world.

Maybe I read into things too much....but people need to think about what they are making when they make t-shirts that they think are clever. Most of the time they are a rip off of something in the world, which is not clever, not original, and not artistic. And there are the meanings behind the t-shirts that the designer didn't think about. Jesus is not a product to be bought and sold. Jesus is Lord and is to be followed and served.

Sin Nature and Being a Parent

2009-06-22T14:11:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a crazy crazy day. I got up and we went to Sunday School/Worship at Hempfield COB. Then we left and went to my Brothers house for a picnic. Following that we dropped in on a party for a couple from HCOB who have been married 50 years and are like grandparents to Kaiden and Trinity. Then we went to Core Group, and ended at home by making dinner for tonight's dinner with Jonny and Jenny Baker (hope to blog about this experience tomorrow before I leave for Creation)

Anyway during our time at my brother's Kaiden was playing with a portable game unit of a boy that my brother is currently watching (a pseudo nephew if you will) and went up on a balcony area. He looked down at us, and at the game unit and then proceeded to throw the game unit onto the ground. It hit some rocks and bounced, and the screen was cracked. I asked him what he was thinking, and he had no good answer. So we told him that he will be paying for a new one for Kayne. Well that didn't go over so good. He said he was sorry...not for breaking it, but that he had to use his money.

As I have reflected back on that experience, I realize that the sin nature is with us from birth. Now Kaiden is 5 and I have seen the sin nature but it was very evident yesterday. But I also realized something else, that I do the same thing as a child of my heavenly father. I take something that I've been blessed with, and use it in a different way than was intended, and I end up "breaking it". Kaiden took something that he was blessed to play with, and used it as a baseball, and then broke it. I take my gifts, talents, etc... use them to benefit me, and don't give praise to God for those blessings. I take something that was created to be holy and pure, defile it, and break God's original intention, which was perfect, and then it doesn't work like it once did.

But something else I realized as I was standing there fuming and upset with Kaiden. While part of me wanted to strangle him, a bigger part of me wanted to hug him and tell him that I still love him. And it dawned on me, when I take what was originally meant for good, twist it, distort it, and sin, God still is there loving and caring about me. That doesn't mean that punishment doesn't come with the love, but that through the punishment God still loves me and wants the best for me.

That's how I spent my father's day.....being frustrated with my son, but loving him still and being aware of my own sin nature and God's never failing love for me.

Moving Forward

2009-06-17T13:07:00.003-05:00

Things seem to moving forward with Veritas as we work towards our September 13 launch. Here are a few exciting things that we are experiencing right now.

1. We have signed a lease for one year with English Presbyterian Church in Marietta for only 400 dollars a month. I believe this will be an amazing partnership with English as we begin and develop and grow. I still feel that in the future we would love to inhabit a place where we can develop a third space (whether business or not..I'm not sure...) much like a previous post.

2. We are having many conversations with people about joining our Core Group. I had a meeting on Monday night with a great couple that we connected with through setting up a time to go visit a church in Bucks County called The Well. I also have a dinner with a couple on Saturday night.

3. The Pastor of the Well also let us know of someone else in Lancaster county who was part of the Well and is now in Lancaster county...we'll see where that leads.

4. Finances are slowly coming together...to a point that I think we can make a go at this on a part-time level, and I won't need to work full-time and work on the church plant as well.

5. Saturday morning we are doing a FREE Car Wash to bless the community.

6. Monday night we are having dinner with Jonny and Jenny Baker from Grace in the UK while they are here teaching at Lancaster Theological Seminary. I met Jonny when he was here 2 years ago, and then again when I went over to London 2 years ago. I am looking forward to that.

7. Visiting the Well on July 5 and looking forward to the experience and talking with the Pastor.

All in all I am really excited about the journey that we are on, and what God will do in the future in and through us. That doesn't mean I don't get nervous, scared and worried at times, but I do know that God is in control and he will take care of us.

So Beautiful Post #3

2009-06-11T09:43:00.003-05:00

So the other day I finally finished the Leonard Sweet book "So Beautiful" dealing with "the divine design for life and church" that Sweet says is "MRI- Missional, Relational, and Incarnational". I enjoyed reading this book as I haven't read anything lately from him. He is coming to Lancaster in August, but I won't be able to see him at the Parish Resource Center due to being on vacation...but someone from the church who works there says that she'll get the book signed for me...which is nice.

There is so much in the 3 chapters that it would take me pages and pages just to share what spoke to me in each chapter. As I said before the book is separated into 3 chapters, 1 chapter for Missional, 1 chapter for Relational, and 1 chapter for Incarnational.

Here is a smattering of quotes from each chapter that stood out to me.

"Sometimes missional is not going anywhere but being missional where you are."

"Which takes more bravery and initiative? Knock unannounced on the door of your next-door neighbor's house? Or travel halfway around the world to build a house for a stranger as part of a church mission trip? The closer you get to home, the more ingrained the inertia and expected rules of behavior."

"The mission of the church is to continue Christ's ministy on earth."

"The question is not a church-going community but a non-going church."

"To build a non-going church, you make sure that the bond with Jesus is weak, that every decision is tepid and triple-checked, and dissuade people from taking risks."

"The church can never be "on a mission" because that presupposes an "off" switch, and you can't be "off mission" and still be a church. The church is mission."

"The ultimate story of the Bible, the metanarrative that unlocks the whole story, is that God is on a mission, and we are summoned to participate with God in that mission."

"We are more concerned with winning arguments and battles than winning friends and losing the self in truces of truth."

"A Jesus disciple is a channeler of truth, beauty, and goodness, one who lives Christ's life into the world, one whose being is a convection current of love with high conductivity."

"We don't serve a propositional, attractional, or colonial God. We serve a missional, relational, and incarnational God."

"I find that my faith suffers nothing by leaving a thousand questions open, so long as I am convinced of two or three main lines."

"Hold to Christ, and for the rest be totally uncommitted."

"It is extremely difficult for the church to think of church less as a place and more of a set of relationships, a network of networks that can be nourished in multiple spaces. The church is not a set of propositions, buildings, or beliefs: The church is a network of relationships...with God, with the Scriptures, with each other, with creation."

"Our starting point is not telling people where they should be, but being with people where they already are 'while going' and catching up to the Spirit."

"But the incarnation blows the distinction between the sacred and the secular out of the water."

"It is wisely said that Christians who marry the spirit of the age will soon find themselves widowed, but it is equally wisely said that those reacting against this temptation might find themselves simply opposing the spirit of the age with the spirit of a former age."

"When Paul addressed the crowd at Athens in Greece, he never quotes a scriptural text, but takes a page out of their own books and calls them to 'repent'"

"You are the body of Christ: that is to say, in you and through you the work of the Incarnation must go forward. You are meant to incarnate in your lives the theme of adoration- you are to be taken, consecrated, broken and distributed, that you may be the means of grace and vehicles of Eternal Charity."

I could probably keep going as they is much in the book that really connected with my reality of planting Veritas as "A Missional Community of Authentic Worshippers." I would recommend getting this book if you have interest in the missional conversation.

Give Me Your Eyes

2009-06-08T14:05:00.004-05:00

Yesterday during our 10:15 AM Worship Gathering at Hempfield COB, a music video was played that connected with the theme of the morning. I had never heard of the song, as I am not a huge listener of the local Christian radio station. But I was impacted by the words to the song, and the writer captured one of my prayers as I sit in "public spaces" and bump into people.

The song is called "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath and here are the lyrics:

Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere,
Why have I never cared?

Chorus:
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
Yeah
Yeah
yeah
yeah

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what's underneath
There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work
He's buying time
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Chorus
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
Yeah
Yeah
yeah
yeah

I've Been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all along

Chorus (x2)
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
Yeah
Yeah
yeah
yeah

Lord...give me the eyes to see people the way you do, through the eyes of love, compassion, mercy, and grace. Give me a heart that breaks with the things that break your heart. Give me eyes to see where you are moving so I can join you in that work.

From the Father's Heart

2009-06-04T11:46:00.003-05:00

The other week Kim and I attended Netzer, which is a network of emerging leaders within the COB and from other denominations as well. I have only been there 2 times but each time God has shown up in huge ways at just the right time when I needed confirmation that this step that we are taking in planting Veritas is indeed God's will.

During Netzer Kim and I read selections from a book entitled "From the Father's Heart" and it spoke volumes to us. So Kim decided to buy the book for me for my birthday. Well she picked it up yesterday and as I flipped through it last night, it seemed like every entry as almost directed right at us. This book, I am sure, will help us on our journey. In the dark moments, I am sure God will speak through the words of the book.

Here is an excerpt from the book that speaks to me...I am sure it will speak to you as well.

"Delightful Deliverer!
You are not wrong to be stepping out in faith at the moment. Am I not the one who released you into this path by My very own words? Just remember not to judge by outward appearances. Also, refuse to retreat into doubt and introspection when some of those little steps you are taking seem to fall short of shaking heaven and earth. Bear in mind- it is first the seed and the sprout, then the stalk and the foliage, and finally the flower and the fruit.
Son, our Kingdom is an enduring one. It is built on a Solid Foundation-- line upon line, precept upon precept- here a little, there a little. Our Kingdom is a quiet one, but an invincible one. Is it noise and fireworks you want, or power?
I have spoken these thoughts to your heart already, but I knew you would enjoy having them confirmed..Keep moving! I AM!
Proudly! Joyfully!
Dad"

I pray that these words inspire you and encourage you as they have to me.

Ignition Quote

2009-06-01T10:22:00.003-05:00

Last night during our Veritas Core Group development time we were going over our Ignition Bible Study looking at Acts 6-8. We had some great discussion about those passages but then we came to a quote in the book and it blew me away. So I thought I would share it on this blog.

"When we examine the God of the Bible we find that he is concerned with the whole of creation. His purpose is to bring about his peace on earth and to establish the Kingdom of God in its fullness. He desires to see fallen humanity redeemed and the building up of the people of God. He is deeply engaged with his creation and drawing people to himself. Mission begins with God, not us. He has invited us to participate with him in bringing about the salvation of creation."

This quote is amazing and to me shows what God is all about, what the gospel is, and what our role in sharing the gospel is all about. We get to participate with him in bringing reconciliation, and redemption to our fallen world. We get to help right the world. We get to help redeem the broken creation by taking care of the earth. We get to be a part of drawing people to God. It is an amazing responsibility but also an amazing privilege.

So Beautiful Post #2

2009-05-27T11:39:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned yesterday I have been reading So Beautiful by Leonard Sweet and it is filled to the brim with all kinds of thought provoking quotes, ideas, concepts, and theology. There is so much in the introduction itself that instead of taking one post for the introduction, I need to have 2. In fact I believe I might have to post 2 parts for each chapter (Introduction, Missional Life, Relational Life, Incarnational Life, Epilogue) this book is that full of great stuff.

Here are some more quotes from the book that really spoke to me.

"Everyone is dispatched to be a missionary. Your baptism is your commissioning as a missionary."

"The church is to reach out both with the good news and as the good news. We as a community are the good news (or are supposed to be)."

"When we attempt to lay a new template (MRI) on top of an existing structure that was built for something else, Fritz warns, we will eventually return to the 'path of least resistance', the path that the underlying structure was designed to accomplish. But 'with an appropriate change in the underlying structure of your life, the path of least resistance cannot lead anywhere except in the direction you really want to go.' A change that can succeed is one that changes the path of least resistance, and this is made possible only by a true structural redesign."

"Missional is the mind of God. Mission is where God's head's at.
Relational is the heart of God. Relationship is where God's heart is.
Incarnational is the hands of God. Incarnation is what God's hands are up to."

"Christianity is about a design for living as authentic human beings: a trialectical process of missionalizing, relationalizing, and incarnationalizing your life and community."

"that a trifecta of truth comprised of a missional God, a relational Son, and an incarnational Spirit is what makes orthodox Christianity distinctive and is at the heart of Christian exceptionalism....... each one of these 'distinctives' is what is scandalous about orthodox Christianity to other religions."

Tomorrow I will share a little about the second chapter: the missional life.

So Beautiful

2009-05-26T15:55:00.003-05:00

Saturday afternoon I picked up the mail and found that I had received my next book for being a part of the Ooze Viral Bloggers...and it came on my birthday. The book is called "So Beautiful" by Leonard Sweet. I have spent some time reading it and I am in the 2nd chapter. I will be blogging about each chapter over the next several days as I read it.

In the book Sweet talks about two types of Church, the APC Church (Attractional, Propositional, and Colonial) and the MRI Church (Missional, Relational, Incarnational). The book is laid out in 5 chapters. The first is the Introduction, followed by one chapter for each part of the MRI, and the epilogue. Just like every Sweet book I have ever read So Beautiful is amazingly researched (you should see the footnotes at the back of the book..I think they go on for 45 pages.) He also loves acrostics....MRI, APC, EPIC.

There is so much in the introduction but here are a few quotes that stand out to me:

"The attractional church thinks that if they build it, and build it hip and cool, people will come."

"The church that is missional had better know how to attract people to Christ."

"APC Creates A- Members, P- Believers, C- Consumers. MRI creates M-Missionaries, R-Disciples, I- World Changers."

"Jesus gave us 'the form of a religion without religion' or alternatively, an 'irreligious religion' or an 'antireligion' Jesus didn't do establishment church."

"Christianity minus Christ equals religion"

"These are the best of times to be the church. These are the worst of times to be a church"- Reggie McNeal

"We become imago Dei by participating in the Missio Dei"

"There is no spiritual life. There is only life. One life where the spiritual is not separate but the whole."

"Missional is not a program arm of the church or a line item in the budget. It is living a life born in the very being of God."

"You can't program MRI into the church anymore than you can program missional or program relational or program incarnational. The words missional, relational, and incarnational are not tag phrases in the slanguage of faith but the operatic sweep of the gospel in brevity, beauty, and threeness."

I'll share more from the introduction and the chapters over the next few days. It's a good book so far and one that I would recommend to anyone.

Third Spaces

2009-05-20T08:18:00.003-05:00

Many people are probably aware of the concept of Third Spaces developed by the sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his book "The Great Good Place". For those who aren't here is a little run down of what Third Spaces are from Wikipedia.

"The third place is a term used in the concept of community building to refer to social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home and the workplace. In his influential book The Great Good Place, Ray Oldenburg (1989, 1991) argues that third places are important for civil society, democracy, civic engagement, and establishing feelings of a sense of place.

Oldenburg calls one's "first place" the home and those that one lives with. The "second place" is the workplace — where people may actually spend most of their time. Third places, then, are "anchors" of community life and facilitate and foster broader, more creative interaction. All societies already have informal meeting places; what is new in modern times is the intentionality of seeking them out as vital to current societal needs. Oldenburg suggests these hallmarks of a true "third place": free or inexpensive; food and drink, while not essential, are important; highly accessible: proximate for many (walking distance); involve regulars – those who habitually congregate there; welcoming and comfortable; both new friends and old should be found there."

So your coffeehouses, pubs, bars, etc are Third Spaces.

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about Third Spaces and the problem that most Pastors have with them...they are so busy that they can't be in them. I know that has been true for me in the past and I am seeking to change that.

One thing that I am thinking about is a rental space that is literally next door to my house. I am in the process of thinking through the idea of renting the space next door, creating a third space out of it, use it for all kind of community events, have coffee and bakery items for sale all the time, and then use the space for Sunday Worship gatherings. The one problem as far as Sunday worship gatherings is there is no space for nursery and children ministries in that place..we would have to use my house for those things..which could be doable.

This idea is just in it's infancy..though I am trying to find out what it would cost to rent it and if I can fix it up (paint it, etc..). I'm interested in your opinions...what do you think? And what kind of community activities/events could we hold there (some ideas are story time for children, after-school tutoring, music nights, movie nights, open mic nights, karaoke night, etc..)?

Don't Weep for the demise of American Christianity

2009-05-15T11:59:00.005-05:00

The other night I sat down over drinks with a good friend. We talked about his family, the upcoming birth of his 1st child, and as we usually do, talked alot about church, mission, and theology. I love getting together with him because he challenges me, he encourages me, and gives me hope that Veritas is heading in the right direction.

He just sent me a link to a great article written by Greg Boyd called "Don't Weep for the demise of Amercian Christianity". It is well worth the read. Check it out at http://www.gregboyd.org/blog/dont-weep-for-the-demise-of-american-christianity/

Quote

2009-05-13T13:54:00.003-05:00

Here is a short quote that I just remembered today as I talked with a friend about church planting. It resonates strongly with me and gives me hope.

"When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: Either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly."
Author: Edward Teller

August 31 (the last day at Hempfield) seems like the end of the light, or a cliff and after that just darkness. But we have faith and either we'll fly or have something solid to stand on.

Exiles

2009-05-12T07:55:00.003-05:00

I mentioned yesterday that I wanted to share a quote from the book "Exiles" by Michael Frost regarding the dreaded word..evangelism. These thoughts came to me on Saturday when I was visited by a Jehovah Witness, who was at my front door. Here is the quote from the book:

"For too long the church has been preaching to a world that will no longer listen. As a result, many exiles are nervous about 'preaching Christ'. As I mentioned, I acknowledge that they have been turned off by exploitative and manipulative evangelistic methods and repelled by an oversimplification of the gospel to a few short points in a brief tract. They would rather perform acts of service that 'share the gospel' with someone, for fear that they might become the very thing they wish to avoid: a narrow-minded, bigoted fundamentalist. This is an overreaction, though I understand where it comes from. But exiles need to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. As we go about our lives, practicing proximity, presence, and powerlessness, there will undoubtedly come a time for proclamation. It probably won't take the form of an uninterrupted monologue. In all likelihood, it will occur over multiple conversations, over a period of time, with those who we live among. But it will be the kind of private discourse that is intimate, personal, and life-changing, precisely because it has emerged out of a loving, long-term, trusting relationship between equals."

This paragraph so contradicts, especially the last part, how the Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses practice their "evangelism". There is no dialogue. There is no multiple conversations...just a knock on a door. And there definitely is no relationship. As I said yesterday, and the quote from the book gets at, the best way to share your faith is in the context of a relationship. Which means that not only your words need to point to Christ, but more importantly, your life needs to look like Christ...and that is tough stuff.

Jehovah Witnesses

2009-05-11T08:01:00.005-05:00

So Saturday was a beautiful day to be outside. It felt so good to have the sun shining, the birds singing, and to just spend time outside. We were getting ready for company to come and I was running errands. I had some downtime so I went onto our back patio and sat down to finish reading Rob Bell's "Sex God". As I had pulled in a few minutes before from an errand I had noticed guys walking around our neighborhood in suits. I knew they weren't Mormons because there were more than 2 of them and they weren't dressed alike. Anyway, I was continuing to read the book when I heard a knock on our front door. It was a guy with a suit on, holding a tract, and a bible. He began to walk through the tract that he had and I just kind of let him for a bit. Then I stopped him, and shared that I was a Pastor and that he could save the tract for someone else. I shared where I was Pastoring and then found out that he was a Jehovah Witness. I didn't have the desire to get into a theological discussion with him and so he left.

This began me thinking about this type of "outreach". Does it work? Do people really hear them out and then really show interest. I said to Kim, "It's like trying to sell me a 'product' that I didn't ask for and I don't want." It got me thinking of evangelism and how Christians have done it. Can evangelism be done without the context of a relationship- sure. Can God change a heart through a stranger sharing a message- sure. Does it happen that way most of the time...I don't believe so. I believe evangelism best happens in the context of a relationship, slowly over time, where the person knows they are loved, no matter what the "end" result. I will be sharing a quote from Exiles tomorrow regarding this very thought. I end with the thought from Saint Francis, "Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary use words."

Enough Post #2

2009-05-07T14:06:00.002-05:00

Normally I don't do more than one post a day but I wanted to post my final thoughts on the book Enough by Will Samson that I finished last night. I want to share a list of various things that Will listed as ways of interacting with the issues that he presents in the book. This can give you some ideas as you seek to, what he would call, build Eucharistic communities.

Plant a Garden
Develop Prayers of Gratitude
Eat Together
Buy Right
Think Wholly, Act Wholly
Get Out of Your Car
Invest differently
Tithe Relationally
Spend Locally
Act into a New Way of Thinking
Pray the Daily Office
Develop New Rhythms of Life

He also lists some great ideas of what kind of practices Eucharistic communities might practice:
Practice God's presence
Practice the belief in enough
Practice Gratitude
Practice Celebration
Practice Giving

Some really good thoughts and ones that I will keep coming back to as we plant Veritas. I'd encourage you to pick up a copy and read it for yourself, or you can borrow my copy. Either way, take some time and read this book and then look at how you may say, "enough is enough."

Derek Webb

2009-05-07T08:29:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite musicians and songwriters is Derek Webb. Most of the time I tend toward the heavier end of the music spectrum but Derek has such profound lyrics that when I am in the mood for guitar-based theological gems, I pull him up on my iPod. As I was coming to work this morning I was listening to his 2008 Election addition of Mockingbird. I was listening to two songs and these songs spoke profoundly to me in a new way...even though I've heard these two songs many times before. The songs are Rich Young Ruler and My Enemies are Men like Me. The lyrics for both songs are below.

Rich Young Ruler:

poverty is so hard to see
when it’s only on your tv and twenty miles across town
where we’re all living so good
that we moved out of Jesus’ neighborhood
where he’s hungry and not feeling so good
from going through our trash
he says, more than just your cash and coin
i want your time, i want your voice
i want the things you just can’t give me

so what must we do
here in the west we want to follow you
we speak the language and we keep all the rules
even a few we made up
come on and follow me
but sell your house, sell your suv
sell your stocks, sell your security
and give it to the poor
what is this, hey what’s the deal
i don’t sleep around and i don’t steal
i want the things you just can’t give me

because what you do to the least of these
my brother’s, you have done it to me
because i want the things you just can’t give me

My Enemies are Men Like Me:

i have come to give you life
and to show you how to live it
i have come to make things right
to heal their ears and show you how to forgive them

because i would rather die
i would rather die
i would rather die
than to take your life

how can i kill the ones i’m supposed to love
my enemies are men like me
i will protest the sword if it’s not wielded well
my enemies are men like me

peace by way of war is like purity by way of fornication
it’s like telling someone murder is wrong
and then showing them by way of execution

when justice is bought and sold just like weapons of war
the ones who always pay are the poorest of the poor

Enough

2009-05-06T07:43:00.005-05:00

So the last few days I have been reading "Enough" by Will Samson that I received from being part of the Ooze Viral Bloggers. It's been a good read and there are a lot of things that I resonated with strongly. I have again realized, as I have many times before, that I am caught up in this cycle as well. That I consume more than I should when it comes to resources (food, energy, etc..) and that I don't often look at ways of consuming less (doing more for the environment, eating less, spending less, etc..) This book opened my eyes to some other ways of interacting with issue of contentment in the age of excess. Here are some quotes from the book that I resonated with.

"G.K. Chesterton once famously quipped, 'Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried."

"Jerry Falwell suggested that 'God is pro-war'. Several leading evangelicals suggested that the invasion of Iraq would open up 'exciting new doors' for proselytizing Muslims."- As a pacifist, I couldn't disagree more strongly to these sentiments.

"But we are most like Christ when we are incarnated in the life of the other."

"As Robert Farrar Capon notes, every miracle of Jesus except one, the cursing of the fig tree, was a miracle of the restoration of creation."

"But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."- Jeremiah 29:7...hmm Jeremiah 29...I think I shared the other day about a Scripture in Jeremiah 29.

"Our Communities should tell a story of Christ in the Eucharist, a story that there is no longer Jew nor Greek, homeless nor homeowner, addicted nor clean, broken nor whole. Rather, we are all to be broken, blessed, and offered to a world in need."

"What would it be like to be formed by communities consumed by God and God's vision for the world, and to present our community itself as an alternative vision to individuals consumed by the mindless consumption of stuff?"

"The radical nature of the early church was due to many aspects, but one of the greatest was the notion that each person was responsible for living out the gospel himself or herself; each person was responsible for the creation of what two writers recently called 'the tangible kingdom."

"I mentioned the missionary writer Lesslie Newbigin before. He had a big phrase for what we are talking about here. He said that our congregations serve as 'hermeneutics of the gospel.' (Hermeneutics is just a fancy word for interpretation.) In other words, the way we act tells a story; it interprets for the broader culture the story of Jesus. Our lives, and the lives of our congregations, become a kind of new gospel account, written in public and for all to see. If the American church in the age of consumer excess were to tell a story, what would that story be?"

I'll share later about some concrete action steps that the author gives in order to deal with this issue of consumption in our personal and corporate lives.

Confession

2009-05-05T10:36:00.003-05:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about Confession. You see we are working on trying to get the word out about Veritas in a creative, experiential way. We are hoping to get booths at various events (Marietta Day, Columbia Day, Bridge Bust, etc..) The other day at Trinity's Birthday party, a member of our Core Group said, "Why don't we do a confessional booth like in Blue Like Jazz."

I have been thinking about that comment for the last few days, and am toying with it. Trying to figure out how we would build it, what we would make it out of, and various details like that. Wondering if it would work and connect with people here in Lancaster county. What are your thoughts...I invite you to respond in the comments about what you think, and if you would build it, how would you do it?

The original story about the Confessional Booth from Blue Like Jazz is below:

Each year at Reed they have a renaissance festival called Ren Fayre. They shut down the campus so students can party. Security keeps the authorities away, and everybody gets pretty drunk and high, and some people get naked. The school brings in White Bird, a medical unit that specializes in treating bad drug trips. The students create special lounges with black lights and television screens to enhance their mushroom trips.

Some of the Christian students in our little group decided this was a good place to come out of the closet, letting everybody know there were a few Christians on campus. Tony the Beat Poet and I were sitting around in my room one afternoon talking about what to do, how to explain who we were to a group of students who, in the past, had expressed hostility toward Christians.

I said we should build a confession booth in the middle of campus and paint a sign on it that said "Confess your sins." I said this because I knew a lot of people would be sinning, and Christian spirituality begins by confessing our sins and repenting. I also said it as a joke. But Tony thought it was brilliant. He sat there on my couch with his mind in the clouds, and he was scaring the crap out of me because, for a second, then for a minute, I actually believed he wanted to do it.

"Tony," I said very gently.

"What?" he said, with a blank stare at the opposite wall.

"We are not going to do this," I told him. He moved his gaze down the wall and directly into my eyes. A smile came across his face.

"Oh, we are, Don. We certainly are. We are going to build a confession booth!"

We met in Commons—Penny, Nadine, Mitch, Iven, Tony, and I. Tony said I had an idea. They looked at me. I told them that Tony was lying and I didn't have an idea at all. They looked at Tony. Tony gave me a dirty look and told me to tell them the idea. I told them I had a stupid idea that we couldn't do without getting attacked. They leaned in. I told them that we should build a confession booth in the middle of campus and paint a sign on it that said "Confess your sins." Penny put her hands over her mouth. Nadine smiled. Iven laughed. Mitch started drawing the designs for the booth on a napkin. Tony nodded his head. I wet my pants.

"They may very well burn it down," Nadine said.

"I will build a trapdoor," Mitch said with his finger in the air. "I like it, Don." Iven patted me on the back.

"I don't want anything to do with it," Penny said.

"Neither do I," I told her.

"Okay, you guys." Tony gathered everybody's attention. "Here's the catch." He leaned in a little. "We are not actually going to accept confessions." We all looked at him in confusion.

He continued, "We are going to confess to them. We are going to confess that, as followers of Jesus, we have not been very loving; we have been bitter, and for that we are sorry. We will apologize for the Crusades, we will apologize for televangelists, we will apologize for neglecting the poor and the lonely, we will ask them to forgive us, and we will tell them that in our selfishness, we have misrepresented Jesus on this campus. We will tell people who come into the booth that Jesus loves them."

All of us sat there in silence because it was obvious that something beautiful and true had hit the table with a thud. We all thought it was a great idea, and we could see it in each other's eyes. It would feel so good to apologize, to apologize for the Crusades, for Columbus and the genocide committed in the Bahamas in the name of God, apologize for the missionaries who landed in Mexico and came up through the West slaughtering Indians in the name of Christ.

I wanted so desperately to apologize for the many ways I had misrepresented the Lord. I could feel that I had betrayed the Lord by judging, by not being willing to love the people he had loved and only giving lip service to issues of human rights.

For so much of my life I had been defending Christianity because I thought to admit that we had done any wrong was to discredit the religious system as a whole. But it isn't a religious system; it is people following Christ. And the important thing to do, the right thing to do, was to apologize for getting in the way of Jesus.

The booth was huge, much bigger than I expected, almost like a shed complete with a slanted roof and two small sections inside, one for the person confessing and the other for the one hearing it. We built a half-high wall between the two rooms and installed a curtain so the confessor could easily get in and out. On our side we installed a door with a latch so nobody could come in and drag us away. Nadine painted "Confession Booth" in large letters on the outside.

People walking along the sidewalk would ask what we were doing. They stood there looking at the booth in wonder.

"What are we supposed to do?" they would ask.

"Confess your sins," we told them.

"To who?" they would say.

"To God," we would tell them.

"There is no God," they would explain. Some of them told us this was the boldest thing they had ever seen. All of them were kind, which surprised us.

I stood there outside the booth as a large blue mob started running across campus, all of them, more than a hundred people, naked and painted with blue paint. They ran by the booth screaming and waving. I waved back. Naked people look funny when they are for-real naked, outside-a-magazine naked.

The party goes till nearly dawn, so though it was late we started working the booth. We lit tiki torches and mounted them in the ground just outside the booth. Tony and Iven were saying I should go first, which I didn't want to do, but I played bold and got in the booth. I sat on a bucket and watched the ceiling and the smoke from my pipe gather in the dark corners like ghosts. I could hear the rave happening in the student center across campus.

I was picturing all the cool dancers, the girls in white shirts moving through the black light, the guys with the turntables in the loft, the big screen with the swirling images and all that energy coming out of the speakers, pounding through everybody's bodies, getting everybody up and down, up and down.

Nobody is going to confess anything, I thought. Who wants to stop dancing to confess their sins? And I realized that this was a bad idea, that none of this was God's idea. Nobody was going to get angry, but nobody was going to care very much either.

I was going to tell Tony that I didn't want to do it when he opened the curtain and said we had our first customer.

"What's up, man?" Duder sat himself on the chair with a smile on his face. He told me my pipe smelled good.

"Thanks," I said. I asked him his name, and he said his name was Jake. I shook his hand because I didn't know what to do, really.

"So what is this? I'm supposed to tell you all of the juicy gossip I did at Ren Fayre, right?" Jake said.

"No."

"Okay, then what? What's the game?" he asked.

"Not really a game. More of a confession thing."

"You want me to confess my sins, right?"

"No, that's not what we're doing."

"What's the deal, man? What's with the monk outfit?"

"Well, we are, well, a group of Christians here on campus, you know."

"I see. Strange place for Christians, but I'm listening."

"Thanks," I said. He was being patient and gracious. "Anyway, there is this group, just a few of us who were thinking about the way Christians have sort of wronged people over time. You know, the Crusades, all that stuff …"

"Well, I doubt you personally were involved in any of that, man."

"No, I wasn't," I told him. "But the thing is, we are followers of Jesus. We believe that he is God and all, and he represented certain ideas that we have sort of not done a good job at representing. He has asked us to represent him well, but it can be very hard."

"I see," Jake said.

"So this group of us on campus wanted to confess to you."

"You are confessing to me!" Jake said with a laugh.

"Yeah. We are confessing to you. I mean, I am confessing to you."

"You're serious." His laugh turned to something of a straight face.

"There's a lot. I will keep it short," I started. "Jesus said to feed the poor and to heal the sick. I have never done very much about that. Jesus said to love those who persecute me. I tend to lash out, especially if I feel threatened, you know, if my ego gets threatened. Jesus did not mix his spirituality with politics. I grew up doing that. It got in the way of the central message of Christ. I know that was wrong, and I know that a lot of people will not listen to the words of Christ because people like me, who know him, carry our own agendas into the conversation rather than just relaying the message Christ wanted to get across. There's a lot more, you know."

"It's all right, man," Jake said, very tenderly. His eyes were starting to water.

"Well," I said, clearing my throat, "I am sorry for all that."

"I forgive you," Jake said. And he meant it.

"Thanks," I told him.

He sat there and looked at the floor, then into the fire of a candle. "It's really cool what you guys are doing," he said. "A lot of people need to hear this."

"Have we hurt a lot of people?" I asked him.

"You haven't hurt me. I just think it isn't very popular to be a Christian, you know. Especially at a place like this. I don't think too many people have been hurt. Most people just have a strong reaction to what they see on television. All these well-dressed preachers supporting the Republicans."

"That's not the whole picture," I said. "That's just television. I have friends who are giving their lives to feed the poor and defend the defenseless. They are doing it for Christ."

"You really believe in Jesus, don't you?" he asked me.

"Yes, I think I do. Most often I do. I have doubts at times, but mostly I believe in him. It's like there is something in me that causes me to believe. I can't explain it."

"You said earlier that there was a central message of Christ. I don't really want to become a Christian, you know, but what is that message?"

"The message is that man sinned against God and God gave the world over to man, and that if somebody wanted to be rescued out of that, if somebody for instance finds it all very empty, that Christ will rescue them if they want; that if they ask forgiveness for being a part of that rebellion then God will forgive them."

"What is the deal with the cross?" Jake asked.

"God says the wages of sin is death," I told him. "And Jesus died so that none of us would have to. If we have faith in that then we are Christians."

"This is why people wear crosses?" he asked.

"I guess. I think it is sort of fashionable. Some people believe that if they have a cross around their neck or tattooed on them or something, it has some sort of mystical power."

"Do you believe that?" Jake asked.

"No," I answered. I told him that I thought mystical power came through faith in Jesus. "What do you believe about God?" I asked him.

"I don't know. I guess I didn't believe for a long time, you know. The science of it is so sketchy. I guess I believe in God though. I believe somebody is responsible for all of this, this world we live in. It is all very confusing."

"Jake, if you want to know God, you can. I am just saying if you ever want to call on Jesus, he will be there."

"Thanks, man. I believe that you mean that." His eyes were watering again. "This is cool what you guys are doing," he repeated. "I am going to tell my friends about this."

"I don't know whether to thank you for that or not," I laughed. "I have to sit here and confess all my crap."

He looked at me very seriously. "It's worth it," he said. He shook my hand, and when he left the booth there was somebody else ready to get in. It went like that for a couple of hours. I talked to about thirty people, and Tony took confessions on a picnic table outside the booth.

Many people wanted to hug when we were done. All of the people who visited the booth were grateful and gracious. I was being changed through the process. I went in with doubts and came out believing so strongly in Jesus I was ready to die and be with him.

I think that night was the beginning of a change for a lot of us."

Youth Sunday

2009-05-04T10:56:00.004-05:00

Yesterday at Hempfield COB was Senior High Youth Sunday. The Sr. Highers led both services with the theme "Standing on Holy Ground" I had asked a Senior if she would be interested in creating a piece of art during the services based around the theme. The two pictures above are of the painting that she created. She started at around 8:10 during the 1st service, worked through the 9 AM Sunday School hour, worked throughout the 2nd service, and even into the graduation luncheon held after the service. The end result is amazing. I have put it in the narthex of the church building for people to see it. I was so amazed at all of the youth yesterday. It was a good day.

Another note...I believe the artist who created this piece has some interest in coming to our Church Plant once we get up and running. I asked her sometime ago if she would create a piece of art for each series that we do and I believe she showed some interest in doing that. She is an amazingly gifted artist and I will be glad to have her create art at Veritas.

Jeremiah 29

2009-04-30T10:57:00.004-05:00

This, for some reason, has been an up and down week for me. One day I am up and positive, the next I am down and negative. My emotions are all over the map and I'm not always sure what causes the up and down of them. A lot of times is what I experience in the course of a day. I get an e-mail from someone who has some interest in the core group...up I go. I talk with my parents who don't understand what I am doing and I think believe that I am committing my family to homelessness...down I go. I become aware that someone has given financially to support this dream of planting a church..up I go. I look at what we need financially and the gap that currently exists...and down I go. What a crazy ride....

But the other night God used a familiar passage of Scripture to speak truth to me and to my heart. God has used this verse in similar times in my past, and it was the right time to hear these words again. The words come from Jeremiah 29.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."_ Jeremiah 29:11-13. Verse 11 is what stuck out to me and I am trusting that God does have plans to prosper me and not to harm me, to give my family hope and a future.

Enough by Will Samson

2009-04-28T10:18:00.003-05:00

The other week I blogged about becoming a member of the Ooze Viral Bloggers in which you sign up, you pick a book, they send it to you, you read it, and then you blog about it on your personal blog as well as their blog site. Well yesterday I went home and the book "Enough" by Will Samson was waiting for me. I haven't had the chance to start reading it yet, as I was finishing up Chapters 1-3 of Exiles by Michael Frost for our Core Group development meeting on the 10th. But tonight I plan to begin cracking it open and reading it.

I flipped it open though last night and I believe there will be much to comment on. One thing that caught my attention right off was in regards to Civil Religion and Christian leaders response to what happened on 9/11/01. I just scanned that section but it talked about how far we have come in 2,000 years when Christianity was a persecuted, alternative, counter-cultural, peace-driven culture, to now when Christian leaders were supporting the attack on Iraq.

So I look forward to reading it and blogging about it. If you have the chance, pick up the book...I'm sure you'll enjoy it, and you'll also be challenged by it, as I am sure I will be as well.

Not Alone

2009-04-27T11:35:00.003-05:00

Last night during our Core Group development meeting we had a time of musical worship with our Worship Leader, Matt Wheeler. During the worship we sang an original worship song that he had written. I had sung it before, but it struck me last night. That we are not in this thing alone. We have God, the Holy Spirit, our Core Group, and a bunch of supporters praying and supporting us. It is good to know that when things get scary, or difficult, or we struggle that we are not alone. That the Lord is with us and has called us into the ministry of Church Planting, and he won't leave our sides. That all the worries (Finances, Core Group, Growth, etc..) that we have, God will provide...maybe not in the way that we think or hope..but in his way and his time. God is so good.....

Here are the lyrics to the song "Not Alone"

We’re here before You, Lord
Waiting for Your answer
We’re not alone
No, we’re not alone
Your words, Lord, are pure
Like silver purified
We’re not alone
No, we’re not alone
You will sustain
In these times of waiting
You will sustain

The just will live by faith and the faithful
Will live out justice
You are my strength
The just will live by faith and the faithful
Will live out justice
You are my Lord

You are high and lifted up
Crowned with the stars
We’re not alone
No, we’re not alone
Still, you speak to my heart
I can hear your still-small voice
We’re not alone
No, we’re not alone

You will sustain
In these times of waiting
You will sustain

The just will live by faith and the faithful
Will live out justice
You are my strength
The just will live by faith and the faithful
Will live out justice
You are my Lord

Reflection on Exponential

2009-04-23T14:06:00.002-05:00

As I sit here in the Orlando Airport waiting for my flight I've had some time to reflect on the last 4 days and my experience at the Exponential Conference. Let's say if I have the opportunity to come next year I would love to...and bring a team with me.

God spoke to me throughout the conference and especially during the last Plenary Session. I know that God has called me to plant Veritas and that he will take care of us in a number of ways (people, finances, etc...) God reassured me numerous times that he has his hand on me. I remembered quite a few times the line "Don't forget in the darkness what you found in the light" from the song "Light and the Sea" by our Worship Leader Matt Wheeler. He helped me see just how awesome our team that we have assembled thus far is. I also gained wisdom about core group development, service ideas, and various other issues. I also won a software package called Converge which helps with details...and if you know me....I need that help.

So I am refreshed, renewed, and ready to hit the ground running in developing the core group, seeking out new people to join us, finding our Sunday gathering space, and developing various Random Act of Kindness events. I am blessed with my family's support...my wife is an amazing woman. I am blessed with awesome kids. I am blessed with the great opportunity and responsibility on working on helping to build the kingdom of God in partnership with Jesus, the Holy Spirit, our team, and other churches.