TILL HE COMES Blog

Yesterday I introduced you to my “life prayer.” After I wrote that post, I went and read the other blogs that I read (68 of them), and found another prayer that I want to start praying daily. It comes from my church planting coach who doesn’t know me: Vince Antonucci. (I’m coached by reading his blog every day). Here is what he wrote yesterday:

God, I want more. I want to love, cry, smile. I want to be a radical. I want to pray. I want to sweat blood. I want to feel. I want intimacy. I want passion. I want power, resurrection power. I want to see You. I want to touch Heaven. I want to hurt, to suffer. I want to walk, run, and fly. I want to scream. I want to rejoice. I want to laugh till I ache. I want to ache. I want to care. I want to be in the rebellion. I want to lead the rebellion. I want to be the rebellion. I want to live with reckless abandon. I want to be astonished and afraid. I want to dream. I want to see visions. I want to hear the clatter of dry bones coming together. I want good friends. I want to love my enemies. I want holiness. I want to experience the sacred, the divine. I want to hallow Your name. I want to walk on water. I want to dance on water. I want to touch the sick, I want to experience their pain, I want to heal them. I want truth. I want to be set free. I want to be hungry, and I want to be full. I want the Spirit. I want to drink the Spirit. I want to be falling down drunk on the Spirit. I want guidance, direction, discernment, wisdom. I want to be a warrior. I want to never look back, turn back, or go back. I want to attack. I want to cause trouble. I want to induce fear. I want to turn the world upside down. I want to pour myself out and pour myself into today like there’s no tomorrow. I want to be comforted. I want to thirst for righteousness. I want to be an agent of justice. I want to shine. I want to blaze. I want to bathe in grace. I want beauty from my ashes. I want to seek first the Kingdom, I want to bring the Kingdom, I want the Kingdom to fill me up and spill out of me. I want to carry the cross till my legs burn and my shoulder bleeds. I want to see that the tomb is empty. I want Jesus. Lifted up, easy to see, leading my life, overwhelming my life with His life. I want Jesus. I want Jesus.

Thanks, Vince! I want that too. Thanks for being someone who can help show me the way.

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Yesterday I made a post about how God is a stripper, meaning that He strips things out of our life to make us more usable for Him. I’ve been going through some trying times in my life recently, and amidst all of the frustration and questions of “Why, God?” it was as if God said to me, “Jeremy, it’s because you’ve been praying for it! I’m only answering your prayers.”

You see, one of my prayers while in seminary has been for God to make me into the kind of person He can use to reach the kind of people that many churches cannot or will not reach. More on that in future posts…  I guess that to make me into that kind of person, God has has to strip me of some things.

So the anwer to “Why God?” is “He’s answering my prayers.” 

In fact, He’s answering my “life prayer.” The prayer of my life is not found in the Bible. Oh sure, I pray the prayers in the Bible, and I pray Scripture, but the prayer I pray most frequently was penned by my favorite poet, John Donne. If I had realized how painful the answer to this prayer would be, I’m not sure I would have ever started praying it. 

Anyway, here is my prayer, as prayed first by John Donne in Holy Sonnet XIV.

Holy Sonnet XIV 

Batter my heart, three-personed God; for, you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise, and stand, overthrow me, and bend
Your force, to break, blow, burn and make me new.
I, like an usurped town, to another due,
Labour to admit you, but Oh, to no end,
Reason your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captive, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betrothed unto your enemy:
Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

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God is a stripper. No, not that kind. (Though if you believe Jesus, strippers are probably closer to the Kingdom of God than many religious people - Matt 21:31.)

When I say “God is a stripper” I am reminded of a “looking for work” advertisement I saw in the newspaper a few years ago. At the top of the ad in big bold letters it said, “I’ll strip for you!” This ad was placed by a lady who owned a furniture stripping company. She was offering to strip and refinish your wood furniture. If you have ever tried to refinished your furniture, you know how valuable her services are. If I had to refinish the antique table my wife and I own, I would hire a stripper.

But all of us have something more important than our furniture, and that is our life. And in the life of every single one of us there are blemishes and defects. We all have areas of our life that need to be refinished, refined, or removed. And when we pray, “God, make me usable to you! Make me into the kind of person who can do great things for you!” He comes in and begins stripping away all in your life that holds you back and drags you down. He makes you into something useful.

Such a process is long and painful. It feels as if God has abandoned or forgotten about you. But when you emerge out the other side, you are beautiful and usable for His purposes.

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For the past six weeks, I’ve had an all-out war with a family of squirrels. Sometime last fall, or over the winter, they decided to make our home their home. We certainly enjoy opening our home for guests, but a squirrel family, though cute, are unwelcome guests.

When I first discovered the holes they were chewing through our house, my thought was to get out my gun and shoot them. That’s what I would do if I were still in Montana. But being in a suburb of Dallas, I thought that the neighbors wouldn’t appreciate me shooting a gun next door, and so went down to Home Depot to get some poison. As it turns out, it’s illegal to poison squirrels in Texas. Instead, I was supposed to use to a live trap to capture them. So I went to the Irving Animal Shelter to get my trap.

I caught the first squirrel in about two days. I used apples and peanut butter as bait. Then I reset the trap and waited. For a week, I never heard another squirrel, so I figured they left. I returned the trap and got up on our treacherously steep roof to patch the holes, then went into the attic and put screen over the other holes.

The very next day, I heard the squirrels chewing new holes to get out of our house. Since I had closed off their exit doors, they decided to make new ones. So I went back down to the shelter, got the trap again, set it, and caught another squirrel, then waited and waited, and not hearing anything, patched the new holes, and returned the trap. 

The very next day, I heard the squirrels chewing new holes to get out of our house. Since I had closed off their exit doors, they decided to make new ones. So I went back down to the shelter, got the trap again, set it, and caught another squirrel, then waited and waited, and not hearing anything, patched the new holes, and returned the trap. (Yes, I meant to repeat the last paragraph. Do you see a pattern here?)

Two days ago, I got up on the roof and through some super-sleuthing, figured out where the nest was, and tore part of the roof off to get at it. I spent an hour or more pulling nesting out of my roof. In the process I found two dead squrrels. (I didn’t kill them, honest!) Today, I patched that hole in the roof and will return the trap to the Animal Shelter. Tomorrow, I fully expect to hear squirrels chewing holes in my house.

Why am I sharing all this? I believe that God wants to teach us things through nature. It is, of course, one of the four primary ways God teaches us things (the other three being Scripture, conscience, and other people). These squirrels have taught me that when a door is closed, sometimes you just have to chew a new one. If you throw up your hands in defeat and say “God’s not opening any doors for me!” you’ll starve to death.

I’m facing a time in my life right now when all the doors seem closed, and have been wondering why God doesn’t open one for me to walk through. “I’ve got a family to feed!” I tell Him. But I’m beginning to think that by listening to squirrels chew holes in my house, God is telling me He doesn’t want me to go through any of those doors I’ve been knocking on. Instead, He wants me to chew a new one. I’m excited to see where I come out, but I hope the owner of the house doesn’t get too mad…

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When going into church planting, planters are advised to look up the demographics of the place they are thinking of planting in. Today, I found a site with a special set of demographics you won’t find anywhere else. If you want to reach into the guttes of life and find a place that needs the Gospel, a place filled with people who to be shown grace, love, kindness, and mercy, check out the following demographics studies by Forbes Magazine:

http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/14/cities-sinful-lander-forbeslife-cx_lm_0213sinful_land.html?partner=weekly_newsletter

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I’m a bookoholic. I am always reading at least ten books at once, and I have made a little rule with myself that I can’t buy another book until I’ve read half a book. Yes, my rule allows me to buy two books for every one I read. I don’t see a problem with that, but I’m still in denial.

Anyway, I’ve been waiting for a certain book like a man waits for his wedding night. Well, maybe not quite like that. And look what I got in my e-mail box today:

CBD Shipment Confirmation

ITEM 068188	DESC I Became/Christn	QTY 1	PRICE EA 9.99	SHIP DATE 02/19/08	SHIP VIA USPS

---

So for the next week or two, the mailman is my best friend. Since I’m currently jobless, I’m going to sit out on the front step with a stack of books and a beer and wait. (Well, not a beer since I’m at Dallas Seminary, and we’re not allowed to drink.) And once my mailman buddy brings me golden bubble-wrapped package, all those other books will go bye-bye for a while. Besides, who needs a job anyway?

Why am I so pumped up about this book? It’s the first book by my favorite blogger, Vince Antonucci, and is called I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt.

I (clearly) haven’t read it yet, but I can tell you that if the book is anything like the blog, go buy the book right now. I bought mine from Christian Book Distributors.

Once I get it and read it, I will post a short review here. I’m sure the book will live up to all my “wedding night” expectations. (Don’t let me down, Vince!).  Oh, and for anyone who wants, here is an excerpt from the book.

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David Murrow is one of my favorite authors. Not only that, he is a creative thinker about how to reach one of the hardest segments of our culture–men. Here is what he wrote about a new paradigm for church planting that he has been rolling around in his head. I think he is on to something here that will help all of us do a better job at making disciples. Thank you David! I look forward to reading the rest of his thoughts on this. 

Today’s most talked-about church models are polar opposites: megachurches and house churches. Megachurches attempt to draw thousands each weekend with a combination of professional music, top-flight preaching and a phalanx of ministry opportunities. House churches assemble a handful of believers for intimate fellowship, personal expression and a sense of belonging.

These approaches have both strengths and weaknesses when it comes to reaching men. Megachurches offer amazing quality – but they’re so big men can fall through the cracks. House churches offer close fellowship – but they can become ingrown and a bit stale.

I’d like to suggest a third model for the local church, based on Luke 10. I call it The Seventy-Two Church. It’s an idea that’s been rolling around in my head for a couple of years. It’s a hybrid – a cross between a house church and a typical congregational model. It bears some resemblance to the Methodist societies that led so many to Christ in the 1700s and 1800s. Let me share the concept with you and see what you think.

How we plant churches now. Almost every church plant begins as a weekly worship service. The goal is to present good preaching and music so that people start coming. Eventually you buy property and build a building. The idea is to create a large gathering of strangers (a crowd) and eventually work these folks into the life of the church (the core). This is the concept that built Saddleback into one of the world’s most influential churches.

The weakness of this approach is obvious: as the church grows, its ability to minister to individuals is diminished. Big churches know this, so they work overtime to get people into small groups. But most church attenders never find their way to a small group. So these churches draw big crowds, but their impact on their members’ lives is not what it could be (Willow Creek recently admitted as much).

Now, what if you flipped the equation? Instead of growing a large worship service, then trying to get people into small groups, why not build the church on small groups in the first place?

This is how Jesus did it. He started His church with one small men’s group. Twelve regular guys learning, doing and living life together.

Eventually He expanded his reach to 72 men (see Luke 10). Now, where do you think these 72 came from? How were they trained? The Bible does not say. But I have a theory: if each of the 12 apostles trained 5 more men, you’d have 72 men either directly or indirectly trained by Jesus.

Why couldn’t you establish a church today based on this model? Its centerpiece would not be a weekly worship service, but rather a network of relationships – in this case, seventy-two men who are all being personally discipled every week.

I hear paradigms cracking all over the world. I can imagine the objections are already rising in your throat. Bear with me a moment, as we see how a seventy-two church might work in the real world.

Structure and leadership are crucial. Our new church plant starts with a leader (let’s call him Pastor Jack). His first task would be to call 12 men to a rigorous, demanding course of discipleship. Jack would meet regularly with his twelve, focusing on the basics of the faith, including mutual confession, accountability, Biblical living, beating temptation, and practical service to God.

Once friendships form among the men, Jack would pair them up two-by-two. He would give each pair of men a nickname. (Jesus dubbed James and John “The Sons of Thunder.” That sounds nice and manly.) Jack would send each pair out to do stuff together: ministry, recreation and fun. The idea is to get them working together as a unit.

After a year or so, Jack would have a dozen trained, committed leaders who will become the foundation of his church of seventy-two. Then Jack would issue the big challenge: each pair should go out and find 10 more men who really want to grow in faith. Jack would continue to meet with his original 12 men to help them form their groups and raise their men up to maturity.

Assuming the pairs fill their groups, you’d have 72 men being discipled. (12 original disciples, leading 6 groups of 10 men each = 72 men). The foundation of Jack’s church is not a weekly gathering of strangers but a rich honeycomb of men becoming like Jesus. These men are already in accountability pairs, following Jesus as a team.

At this point, a church of 72 would look more like a men’s ministry than a church. But don’t worry; you’re just laying the foundation. Christ told us to build upon a rock. He looked a Simon (a man) and changed his name to “Rock.” It’s time we begin building our churches not on preaching and music, but on the bedrock of transformed men. Upon this rock you can build a strong, enduring church.

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I finished reading Jim & Casper Go to Church by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper over the weekend. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy the book, but I also appreciate the various blogs managed by Helen (see chapter 5 in the book) over at Off The Map. Go check them out.

The two main things I took away from this book is the incredible value in (1) visiting other churches, and (2) inviting (or hiring) people who don’t believe the way we do to come and brutally critique our churches. Doing these two things would probably change the way most of us do church, and for the better. (As a side note, check out what LeadershipNow says about why businesses should hire “Insultants.” The same thing applies to churches.)

What I found most encouraging about the book is that Matt Casper, the Atheist, had many of the same critiques of modern “churchianity” as I do. Since I want to go into church planting to embrace and engage people just like Casper, it was encouraging to see that in some ways, I am on the right track. His concerns about what is going on in the churches he visited with Jim are similar to many of the concerns I have.

The most challenging aspect of the book is how Jim, the Christian, rarely tried to correct or fix Casper’s views. Casper, as an “outsider” really did misunderstand what some churches were doing and why. I sometimes found myself thinking, “Why doesn’t Jim explain that to Casper?” But at the end of the book (pp. 149-150), Jim explains why he didn’t. There are three basic reasons: First, when people visit a church, they generally don’t have someone there to answer their questions and refute their misconceptions. Second, most Christians in the pews wouldn’t know how to respond to Casper anyway. Third, most of us Christians are too defensive and argumentative toward people who criticize the church. Instead of trying to develop genuine relationships with people, we most often try to win arguments. That’s no way to reach out. Rather, we should let their critiques stand, and maybe change the way we do some things.

I could go on and on about this great little book (even though there were some things I disagree with). Let me just give you a few of the best quotes:

Jim: “A while back (1,700 years to be exact) the church drifted into the religion business. I call it beliefism — the worship of the right beliefs — and what you’re hearing today is a version of beliefism. Rather than Christians giving priority to what we do, we’ve been taught a view that tells us what’s really important to be known for is what we believe” (p. 7).

Casper: “Is that what Jesus told you guys to do? Put on a  Christian rock show that’s visually and sonically indistinguishable from a non-Christian rock show, change the words, and call it church? Is that pulled from the Bible?” (p. 18; cf. similar statements on pp. 39, 67).

Casper: “Outreach only lasts so long. The first step is always pretty good, polite outreach: ‘Would you like to come check out our church?’ Then it’s ratcheted up a notch: ‘Have you thought about where you’ll spend eternity?’ And then, they throw in the towel: ‘Have fun in hell, sinner!’ Maybe I’m exaggerating, but you get my drift” (p. 95).

Casper: “I understand that Christians believe Jesus was free of sin, but my impression is that he didn’t focus on that. He wasn’t like, ‘Look at me! No sin at all! Be just like me!’ Based on what I’ve read, his main thing was going out and helping the poor and those who were suffering, and instructing others to do the same” (p. 100).

Casper (note this from an Atheist!): “If the Bible is really the Word of God, it’s very, very important to not take it out of context. I mean, that’s the rule that applies to most every phrase ever said, so you’d think it’d apply tenfold to the Bible! …You can’t take a snippet of the Bible out of context and misuse it, or spin it, to support your particular pitch. That’s twisted” (p. 141).

The book abounds with such insights from an Atheist. I recommend reading it, and then going out and finding an Atheist or two to come visit your church and tell you what he or she thinks. Tell them to be brutal. And whatever you do, just listen. Don’t try to defend yourself. And don’t do this as some sort of marketing pitch to get Atheists to attend your church. That’s just dishonest. Be genuine. Be real. Just try to make friends. And if you can’t do that, I suggest shutting down your church because you’re not doing anybody any good.

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It has been said that the unexamined life is not worth living. In a similar way, I believe that the unexamined faith is not worth believing. Truth, in my opinion, can stand up to any and every question. I believe that if a person believes something, and is afraid or scared of questions which challenge that belief, and they refuse to consider such questions, they don’t really believe, but instead are brainwashed.

You see, there is a vast difference between believing something and being brainwashed, but on the outside, both look exactly the same. Both types of people hold to certain views tenaciously and use similar terminology to state their views. But someone who believes, does so because of the evidence. Someone who is brainwashed does so in spite of the evidence, and even shuts down (or should I say “shouts down”) anybody who raises questions that might challenge their convictions.

How can you tell whether you believe something or are just brainwashed? You have to ask yourself why you believe what you do, and also how you respond when someone challenges your beliefs. If you believe because “so-and-so said it” you are probably brianwashed. It doesn’t mean you are wrong, but what you have done is allowed someone else to do your thinking for you. In other words, you are allowing them to write their beliefs on your brain. This is brainwashing at the most basic level.

Also, if someone comes along and challenges your beliefs by raising questions or pointing out areas of weakness in your beliefs, and rather than admit that you don’t have answers to those questions, you ignore the questions, and scoff at the person asking them, and use ad hominem attacks and a variety of other logical fallacies to discredit what they are saying without actually dealing with what they are saying, you have an advanced case of brainwashing.

To really believe something, you not only have to know what you believe, but why you believe it. And if the “why” is “So-and-so said it” you better hope that person is completely trustworthy, reliable, and infallible.

But don’t take my word for it. Think it through on your own.

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Ever wonder what a woman can get for a man on Valentine’s Day? The stores are full of things men can get a woman…chocolate, flowers, cards, jewelry…but there is nothing to get for a man. My wife says this is because Valentine’s Day is more for a woman than for a man. Of course, that’s because what a man wants can’t be sold in a store…but that’s all I’ll say about that.

Anyway, if you ladies really want to get a gift for your man, let me suggest the following:

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