I like blogging. However, I am not sure if it is my thing. It is starting to feel more like a journal, less of a conversation. I guess without the conversation, I feel like I am writing opinions into thin air. That is just awkward.

Maybe I feel that my last few posts were cynical. They are not (well, maybe a little :)). But without the honest conversation I thought they might produce, they come off as negative- at least to me. And that is not my goal for blogging.

Sorry (if anyone is reading).

So, you all might not hear from me for a while. Or, maybe I will write without the expectations of responses. Or, maybe I will just get edgier and edgier until I invoke more comments

Shalom.

The role or office of the prophet was very important in the history of Israel. In fact, there is a very large section of our Bible that is called ‘the prophets’. Many scholars say that the role of a prophet was a huge part of Jesus’ ministry. And even in the early church (Eph 4) we see that the office of the prophet was identified and considered given by God.

So my honest question is: Where did all the prophets go?

I had a little fun with this question- trying to imagine what I know of biblical prophets in the context of some modern church structures. Still, my question is honest and I would love to hear what you think. Is there a role for prophets in the local church? Does the “prophetic voice” still exist? Where is it at work in the ministry of the church today?

Top Ten Reasons Churches Don’t Hire Prophets

10) Lack of social etiquette and people skills

9) Calling for repentance is not part of the church growth plan

8 ) The ministry of the prophet would focus primarily on the church leadership responsible for hiring him/her (especially the executive director of …).

7) No accredited seminaries have prophet degree or ordination programs

6) Most prophets are more commonly known as “heretics”

5) “The board” has never heard of a prophet and doesn’t understand why we would need to hire one (especially when we need more directors, secretaries, administrators, and team leaders)

4) We like the budget just the way it is

3) Most prophets would not look good on our webpage (not that the pictures on our webpage are of the people in our church anyways).

2) Can you imagine a prophet trying to go through the canidating process?

1) The “prophetic voice” was not high on the spiritual needs survey

Hey friends…

I do not mean to be cynical with this poem.  It has just been a long winter and I have not been outside much.  And I miss experiencing God through nature.   So, seeing images of nature during worship services has been difficult for me.  Don’t change them Alex, they are still very cool.  And for the record, communal worship services in buidlings (yes, malls) are some of the most powerful and Spirit-filled experiences of my life.  Still… poets must write.

Images on the Screen

Dark orange sunsets sink into oceans

Strangers worship in deserts with unbridled emotions

Fields of wheat dance under Montana skies

Though truth’s on the screen, reality lies

Cause I’ve stood on the mountains and heard them sing

Whitewater falls thundering praise to their King

I’ve slept in the night under heaven’s ceiling

I’ve joined in its chorus and know its feeling

I’ve walked the edge of this earth where land becomes sea

Ridden its waves and learned to be free

I’ve been lost in this song that creation well knows

But now I am lost in this building, its pews and its rows

Cause you can’t feel the wind when you’re surrounded by walls

And nature’s shouts grow faint when we worship in malls

You can’t see the sky when you’re looking at screens

And if the picture’s not us, what’s it all mean

Love is beautiful, but loneliness is real

Charity inspires, but its greed we feel

We do this life in the in between

Balancing reality with faith unseen

So while hope hums songs of things to come

Those dreams ahead aren’t where I’m from

For the life lived now swells with tension

Peace on earth with too much pain to mention

Sins forgiven and grace for fee

Still I’m held captive to the beast in me

For heaven is now, but not quite yet

Cause a new creation still regrets

So while light and darkness rarely loose

We live in their shadows, and in them choose

I believe if one contemplates the nature and purpose of the church, they will inevitably find themselves pondering the mission of God in the world. I also believe that if anyone contemplates the mission of God in the world, they will find themselves pondering the nature and purpose of the church.

That is to say, practically, God’s mission of redeeming the world does not exist without the church. And it is also to say, that when the church forgets (or marganilizes) God’s mission, it forgets how to be itself.

Sometimes I wonder how often I deceive myself. I wonder how often I stray from the way of Christ without ever knowing it. I wonder how far we wander from God and go our own way.

It is not difficult to say that most of us are uncomfortable with our weaknesses, failures, and broken parts. When it comes to our weaknesses, we ignore them, flee from them, hide them, or fight them (almost always privately). Rarely do we embrace them. Rather, we like to live and lead out of our strengths. We put in front of others our gifts, knowledge, talents, successes, and so on. And in the process, most of the time, we push our weaknesses deeper inside ourselves… hidden and often times undealt with.

Yet weakness and brokenness is something that unites us as humanity. We are all weak. Yet some of us still cling to the myth that we can push our weaknesses and inadequacies aside, muster up our talents, and “succeed” in this life. But what I am learning, is that this is not the way of the Christain life. Still, there remains this danger that we can build our lives, and the church, on our talents, strength, knowledge, and will power. Don’t misunderstand me, we can bring our talents, gifts, and God-given knowlege to the feet of Jesus to be used to build His Kingdom. But Paul teaches us that God’s power is made perfect through our weaknesses, not our talents.

So do we lead out of our weaknesses? Or do we downplay our weaknesses as we grow and trust in our talents and knowledge? Are we guarded about our imperfections and vulnerabilities, or are we transparent in weakness? Are we defensive or open? Are we aware of our deep brokenness, amazing ability to get things wrong, and the fact that we are still very much “in process”? Do we DELIGHT in vulnerability, showing God’s power and grace?

I believe there is a danger in the church today to hide our weaknesses and operate out of our strengths. There is a temptation to glorify ourselves, our talents, our worship bands, our church style, our knowledge, etc. But it is in our weaknesses that the power of God is shown… and God glorified.

People get brokenness. If we flee, and fight, and hide, and downplay this in our lives, highlighting our talents, programs, and vast knowlege, the world will not resonate. But if we present our brokenness to God and to others, the grace and goodness of God is made known in powerful and world changing ways.

What do you think? Does this resonate with your life with God? experience in church? the tension in your soul?

Here is a quote I found in Michael Frost’s book Exiles:

Only when the last tree has died, and the last river been poisoned, and the last fish has been caught, will we realize that we cannot eat money. - Cree saying

If my life is a song

I must be singing it wrong

Cause the beat in my head

Isn’t the trail my feet tread

Like words on a screen

I just parrot what I’ve seen

Cause the world’s chorus is loud

And I’m just a voice in the crowd

So the music in my soul

Isn’t the melody in control

And harmony is hard to find

When there’s just ruckus in my mind

But I am fighting the lost time

Listening for the rhyme

Cause though the song hasn’t been sung

It’s on the tip of my tongue

How much do we believe in others?

When it comes to others’ dreams, talents, roles, visions, goals, abilities, call… do we believe in others?  Do we encourage one another? spur one another on? equip? affirm? bless?

It seems to me that we live in a world that constantly limits and labels people.  People are reduced to job descriptions, social status, and a heirarchy of skill sets.  The world defines people by what they do, their education, their appearence, and personal judgement.  And then this is how we relate to each other.  People become a product of where they live, their job, how much money they make, and a few hobbies (for personal distinction).  The problem, of course, is that most people, when you get to know them, are much more than the sum of their parts.

People are souls who have stories, and passions, and talents, and dreams.  People are icons of God, called to a life that reflects beauty, and redemption, and the Kingdom of God.  But it is my experience that these dreams have been beaten down deep inside of us to the point where they almost never come out.  And so, in the mean time (which turns out to be the rest of our lives), we walk around as a sales representative with a wife and two kids who like to go fishing on the weekends.

So my question is: do we believe in others?  As the church, do we seek out the call of God in others’ lives- help them re-discover God’s voice, nourish the long-beaten dream, and equip them to live into it?

Or do we revert to judgements and limitations?   Do we pigeon-hole our brothers and sisters into certain roles at church?  Do we only bless people in what we think they are called to do (which is a really deceptive way of putting our limitations on others)?  And the questions go on…

What gives me hope are those who still believe.  I am attracted to my brothers and sisters, leaders and pastors, elders and family, who still belive… in me, in God’s Call on my life, in my dreams (as crazy as them may be), in the power of God.  I have hope because of the people who believe, and encourage, and bless, and equip, and affirm, and send.  And I desire to be this person in the lives of others.  The mission is huge.  If we limit each other and weigh one another down with our judgements and small agendas, we will surely fail.  But if we build the dream in others, equip them to live into it, and let them press forward- the Gates of Hades will not prevail.

Who do you believe in?  Are you encouraging them, equipping them, affirming them, blessing them, and freeing them?

Sometimes I assume I know what the gospel means.  What I mean is, that when I read the Bible and see the word “gospel” I gloss over it taking for granted that I understand what Jesus and the biblical writers mean.  However, when I take some time to slow down and study, I realize how little I understand about the gospel Jesus proclaimed.   What I understand is my gospel.  My gospel is small- mostly about individuals getting right with God to secure a place in heaven.  Jesus’ gospel was the proclamation of the Kingdom of God- and it was big, and and mysterious, and world-changing.  It is not that my gospel is wrong or unbiblical.  It is just reduced.  In my gospel, God is out to save a few people that will believe in Him.  In Jesus’ gospel, God is out to save the world!

In C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch, and the Waredrobe” some kids stumble into a magical land where it is constantly winter.  The land is under the spell of the White Witch (the satan figure) who has made the land permenantly frigid so there is no Christmas (I believe I am getting the story right).  But as the kids continue on their journey, they experience moments where the winter gives way to spring.  The snow begins to melt, birds sing, flowers begin to bloom.  Confused, the kids ask what is happening.  The answer: “Aslan (the Christ figure) is on the move!”

Maybe this is a glimspe of what Jesus meant when he proclaimed the gospel of the Kingdom.  The world as we know it is in one long winter.  There is sin, death, depression, brokenness, war, and hunger.  But in Jesus, spring is on the horizon.  Aslan is on the move.  Through God coming near- through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection- winter has lost its power.  Yes, individuals are set free from their sins and made right with God.  But there is more.  All of creation is yearning to be set free from sin’s winter.  The gospel of the Kingdom seems to hint at it all being made right- all of creation under the reign of God- at harmony with Him, with each other, and with creation.

God is on the move!