HCLM BLOG

Today we met with a guy who is looking to start his own church, he seemed a little frustrated with the organized church. It's not hard, when your connected to a local church body, to lose perspective. You can get so worked into the mechanics of keeping an organization running that you forget what it's about. Or on the member side. You can get worked into doing things for the church that you forget to be the church. I think that's a real challenge.
I am trying to remember myself, and initiate systems (what's your L Team?) that help others remember that life with Jesus is better than life without him. It is true that the lessons of Sunday sermons and confirmation classes and of bible studies are meant to be put into practice. Following Jesus is about a better experience of life now and later. Anyway my lunch with that guy made me think of that.

My brother, who has been out of the country for several months, recently sent me an email asking about our newest president. He said that he and the people he’s traveling with have heard a lot about “the changing face of America.” He wanted to know what he should check out to figure out what that really means. Three things came immediately to mind:

1.      I don’t know if he was here for this point in the election, but I will first tell him to check out the speech that Obama gave on race relations. You know when the news wanted to talk about his pastor. I thought that speech was pretty good

2.    The next thing I will tell him to check out I learned about in a Time article. They mentioned how Obama and his team are sort of leaving classical economics behind in favor of what is called “behavioral economics.” Apparently classical economics is based on the theory that consumers will make decisions in their best interest, and those consumers will keep companies in check; this way if you feed the systems it works in the best interest of all involved. As I read it part of the new approach says that consumers won’t always choose in their best interest (they won’t spend more money for the electric car even though it’s better for them in the long run) so the government puts things in place to nudge the system in the direction of the greater good. Sounds smart until you realize that someone has to decide what the greater good is.

3.     The last thing that came to mind is that his first interview with al jazeerah. I will tell him to read some about his approach to foreign policy. He seems to be ready to talk in a fairly open-ended way.

He usually reads this blog, so you should tell him how you think Obama is contributing to a changing face.

Last week I was at this conference and heard two smart,successful, and passionate guys speak about church planting. One of the guys plants churches out of his church in east texas (I know the home of big churches and bigger hats). Nevertheless, he has some good ideas that encouraged what I’ve been thinking and are still rattling around in my head.

Here’s the point I’ll share: the reason to start churches is to bring more people into the kingdom of God and the key to starting churches is to make disciples. This may not sound very groundbreaking until you realize that disciple making is tough, and filling up worship service for one hour a week may be easier. This guy says if we are able to release the Holy Spirit into people’s lives to such an extent that their lives are transformed and they become disciples, a church will just naturally happen.

He even takes this approach with his mission work, both locally and globally. He is making friends and with his words and actions releasing the Holy Spirit. Trusting that the Spirit will do the heavy lifting, of conversions. Here’s an op/ed about him in the Washington Post.

As I drove home last night I was in a really good mood. Our Softball team is playing on friday nights at this sweet softball complex and I had just finished a game. As I drove home I realized that I really like playing softball, we don't even have to win (though that would be nice). I just like being out there and running around. So I'm driving home in a good mood, and this song comes on the ipod. It's a good song, and I'm singing along (you know how you do when your in a good mood and alone in the car) and it comes to this one line "from thee like pisgah's mountain we view our promised land." After the game I had prayed "Lord give us joy in our lives." I was thinking that this life was pretty good. But when I heard that line, I backed it up and played it again.
Pisgah is the mountain that God brought moses to, so he could see the promised land, when I heard that line I realized, "I'm having fun playing softball, enjoying good music, heading home to my wife and my son. But the next stage is going to be even better." It's hard to explain, but right then I was seriously thinking let's be there now. I'm ready. More than that, I was excited for it. It was a fun moment, let's me know I really believe all this stuff.

I was watching a news show the other day. Every friday they have these two guys debate the weeks news. I like listening to these guys because they're smart and, for the most part, gracious. Anywho there were two things said that have stuck with me:

1. He said that he figures most people are pulling for Obama's ideas to work out because they have hitched to him for their "fate, fortune, and future." As he goes so goes their lives. It made me think..."I am not counting on Obama for my fate, fortune or future." I mean I can see why americans would, but I consider myself american only secondarily. I have hitched to Jesus for my "fate, fortune, and future." As Jesus goes so goes my life. It made me think, I wonder what percentage of people following Jesus would see that distinction and which percentage would just throw themselves in with all the other americans. Remember as we follow Jesus we are citizens of his kingdom first, america is second at best. Our king is much more trustworthy then their president both with the things of this world and the next.

2. As they spoke about the changing economy they mentioned "We have to learn that there are no transformational purchases. No ipod, lipstick, or masarati is going to change who you are." I thought, wow that is profound for a news program (I guess that's pbs for you). But that is so right. It's hard to remember that even if you get that car that is new, sensible, good for the enviroment, looks cool and is marketed to the sort of person you want to be (big truck, hip hatchback, smart green car) you are still going to be the same person...it won't change your life. I think that's something that we relearn and remember over and over again. At least I do.

So…here is a prayer I’ve sort of been praying

Father it’s true that we want to be in the center of yourwill. We know that’s where we’ll have peace: freedom from doubts and worries, fearsand anxieties. We know there is provision there, and joy. Tune our hearts tosense where that is, and then the courage to go there boldly. Open doors for usin the days and weeks to come. Go ahead of us in authority.

Knit together our little daughter, and tell us what her nameis. In and through Jesus your son. Amen

Yesterday (april 19) we told the story of God punishing Israel with deadly snakes. That was kind of a bummer story to hear. But as he tends to do, God also made a way out. He told Moses to make a bronze snake. If people wanted to, they could look at the snake and be healed. So sometimes God punishes his people in order to correct them. The interesting thing is that the story of the bronze snake doesn't end there. A thousand years later that bronze snake is still around. The Israelites carried it all through the desert, and put it in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem. But when that snake is mentioned again it is being shattered. King Hezekiah destroys it because the Israelites had started worshiping it. Can you believe it? They were worshiping the thing God worked through to save them instead of God himself. They had turned it into an idol. What a mess we are.

I have been thinking lately that we (read the followers of Jesus gathered in lake mary that call themselves Holy Cross) have bitten off a big piece. I mean it's one thing to convince your larger group of churches (read the district of 55 or so churches around the country that Holy Cross is a part of) to pay a pastor to come and do some new things in a 25 year old congregation. It's another thing to knit the aforementioned followers together in authentic relationships through teams that pursue pieces of the life Jesus bought for them, and release some of those followers to start new leagues of teams in outlying towns all in a time when people are finding they have less and less money.
It hasn't taken long for the vision of people living, loving, and learning together to catch on. We first started talking about the idea in September. Since then we have added well over 100 people to the teams that were already existing. I just checked, there are over 350 people involved in L Teams right now (what's your L Team?). But it is cool to see how quickly the idea has caught on outside Lake Mary as well. A member who moved to Mt. Dora and was finding herself less involved in church services rediscovered that following Jesus ivolves the whole of life and took up the challenge of meeting the need her community had for an organized and efficient food pantry. Out of that came a book study considering a christian approach to politics. The day is coming when the vision of Holy Cross (read the followers of Jesus gathered in lake mary that call themselves Holy Cross) takes root in a whole new league in Mt. Dora; they'll worship together, meet the needs of their community and grow the faith of believers. Similar things are happening in the Downtown Orlando area. People are meeting to learn more about the word of God and look for opportunites to share it. One day they'll have their own league to.
See the vision of L Teams is big. We are praying that God will use the followers of Jesus gathered in Lake Mary that call themselves Holy Cross to change Central Florida. We've bitten off a big piece, but we have a big God and are excited to see what he'll do with some followers who are ready to see him work!

So did you catch that he is risen? I don't know about you, but I had a blast Sunday morning. I mean it was a really good time. I love standing up there trying to look all of you in the eyes at the same time and reminding you of the one thing that I know is true: Jesus is alive. That is the Gospel straight up and it can change lives. I am preaching this weekend and part of me wants to just say the same thing over again.

So in what may be our last brisk morning of the first half of 2009 I went for a walk to our neighborhood starbucks. Those walks are as much about the thinking along the way as they are about the coffee at the end. This walk's thinking was a little all over the place but alighted several times on how fun palm sunday was two days ago. People in the courtyard, rockin band, pumped up preacher and big L Teams buzz. It all adds up to a good time. This is a good time of year for Jesus followers, a couple special services this week to remember the big deal, then the big deal itself this Sunday.
Once I thought over that, the thinking touched down on our burgeoning L Team community. I am excited about the way teams are springing up. They are all over the board with more people being added all the time.
Then I thought I wonder how many people know the full vision for L Teams…I’m out of time but will say more later.