The Jonny Morrison Blog

"Gospel and..."

2011-12-15T14:24:00.000-08:00

    I’ve spent most of my life apart of the church. Going to Sunday school, youth groups, edgy alternative saturday night services, church camps, and the works. Each one building upon the foundation of the other to give me some semblance of the reason we congregate to worship. In the midst of this onslaught of power solos and Christianize I think I learned more about the sub-text of worship than anything else.

    Sub-text is a tool used by actors and writers alike to communicate without communicating. Facial expressions, body language, vocal tone––each communicates something different––or something unifying–-without ever having to say a thing.

Without meaning to the church does the same thing––what we spend our money on, our time talking about, what we wear; each gestures communicates something different about the character we are portraying to the world. Good or bad each piece of sub-text is absorbed––building upon the foundations of the prior, piece by piece a sub-textual worldview of the church emerges.

    The message often sounds like the “gospel and,” the beauty of the gospel story is rarely removed but it often has a predicate, like the the “gospel and cool,” or maybe it’s the “gospel and money,” or the “gospel and poverty,” take your pick of predicate to modify the subject, it doesn’t really matter which one it is.

    The problem is rather implicit. Anytime we as the church modify the subject something has gone wrong in the telling of the story. We have taken the focal point of the story––the gospel––and added our own little sub-text, weighting the gospel in our favor, making the gospel story a little bit more about us. But the gospel has never been our story it was never meant to be.

    Anytime we add our own ideals we pollute the story with our fractured sensibilities. Its not easy for us to handle a story that doesn’t revolve around us––a story that calls us to participate in something out side of own paradigm. Humanity has never done well with not being God, but truthfully have we done well as God?

    I don’t want to sound condemning, or try to say that you can ever communicate the gospel without a little subtext––or that you should even try. Personality in the midst of story telling is always good, just not at the expense of the story.

    The only question to ask is, what story am I telling? With my words, my life, and my subtle gestures. What story is the church telling? With its words, its life, and its subtle gestures.

Church plant list

2011-12-08T20:03:00.001-08:00

Hey check it out, myself and East Ave was featured on liberties 2011 church plant list. Totally arbitrary but cool.

2011-11-12T16:17:00.001-08:00

I want to say more, but it would only be of detriment.
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“On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return. ”

-Annie Dillard

Organic

2011-09-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

This is a blog I wrote for the East Avenue blog a few weeks back and figured I'd publish it up here too, seeing as how I have not been very active on my own blog in a while. Maybe this will give everyone a little insight into why that is.

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Church planting. It’s an interesting phrase that we at East Avenue and in truth the Christian body in its entirety throw around. Implicit in this phrase is the sentiment that what ever is happening is organic, that the church in its creation is an organic agricultural like process. Like corn, but organically grown corn, not American chemically mass-produced corn. However it seems that organic isn’t truly at the center of church planting, that many of us in the church planting world aren’t using the organic means but instead are using some kind of church based chemical compound to experience rapid immediate growth.

Maybe its big advertising budgets used to buy billboard space on I-15. Or maybe its hip graphic work and “sick” videos plastered on some kind of cool flash based website with lots of awesome flash based things doing whatever flash things do. Maybe its Pastors and leadership teams rocking lucky jeans and affliction t-shirts, or skinny jeans and organic wheat based v-necks that can be used a dietary supplement or toilet paper. Sometimes its watered downed gospel, entertainment based worship, and impersonal community.

It seems that often these things actually do cause rapid growth; congregations with the biggest budgets do seem to grow the largest fastest. But in agriculture chemically induced growth cause damages, it ruins soil zapping the nutrients right out of it, it damages the harvest meaning we don’t experience all of the richness God intended, and its simply not as tasty.

The question that remains then is weather or not this same way of thinking can be applied to church planting. What happens when we induce growth via fancy advertising, or cool graphic work, or easy Gospel? Does it harm the soil, damage the harvest, is it as tasty as God intended?

When we force grow congregations, inducing size with manufactured attractions I think we damage the way our community views us. Its not new to spend lots of money on making church attractive we have be doing that in a serious way well for a really long time. People are getting use to the spectacle of church, and are beginning to fill that there isn’t a whole lot to back up our fancy graphic work. Each time the world encounters an impersonal congregation or a weak Gospel they are robbed of the beauty and depth that the church can offer. The more people experience this type of inorganic church the more they become hesitant to experience any church. The soil is harmed, the harvest is damaged.

Not only does this type of church hurt those outside of it, it also robs its members of the richness the church can posses. Without the depth of the Gospel and the realness of community church is just a social gathering, another club of many for Americans to participate in, another club that must fight for the support of its members. But church isn’t a club or a social gathering, it’s implicitly a family, a place to not escape the imperfect of the world but to be immersed in it. To experience the material, the dirty, and the odd of people and learn to love them and be loved by them, it’s a place to practice the way of Jesus, and to find the support to practice Jesus outside of this corky family. It’s not easy to keep things real and dirty, we have a propensity to polish and shine, but the church isn’t clean shes dirty and imperfect and that’s exactly as God intended her to be. But it is in this reality that the richness and depth of church can be experienced, the real tasty part of organic.

This type of church isn’t always conducive to rapid growth, but I still believe its worth doing otherwise I wouldn’t. It’s worth fighting against my own inclinations to grow big and fast, because that growth isn’t deep or rich. Its worth learning every day how to make Jesus the very heart of the East Avenue community, because in Jesus is were depth and heart and soul come from. It’s about choosing one now rather then many latter, being personal and fighting individualism.

Its about trying to participate in resurrection, and I think it’ll be worth it in the end, because well, it already is.

Mouthpiece of the Fish

2011-07-13T11:14:00.001-07:00

I have stepped into the ocean

Not with gills or fins or

The mouthpiece of the fish

I have stepped into the ocean

Immersing myself within deep blue

Every orifice full of crimson tides

I have stepped into the ocean

Unable to breath or see

But full of life and vision

I have stepped into this ocean

And I am clean and weightless

My heavy heft his heaved

AFG

2011-06-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend in the greaty Salty Lake was the Utah annual Art-Fest which as always is an amazing weekend of music, art, food and strange collection of other.

However this weekend was exceptionally special because of a brilliant artist named Andrew Goldring. Andrew happens to be a friend of mine that has attended The Village since our inauguration. I have had the pleasure of seeing him preform a few times and every time I walk away dumfounded. This weekend was only different in the sense that it was one of the greatest performance I have ever seen Andrew give, it was chill inducing. As of Sunday and his magnifient preformance at the Utah Art-Fest, Andrew's CD has been out, go to His website pay as much money as you can afford too (it's up to you how much you pay) and download Andrew's CD and listen to it until you can see him play and then some.

http://andrewgoldring.bandcamp.com/album/tired-desires

Under pressure

2011-03-08T17:18:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite passages from the bible is in John 1, where John the apostle is talking about John the baptizer. He says, “He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.” I like this because for me it kind of takes the pressure off, what I mean is that it reminds me that I myself am not the light, I am not what brings men to repentance, I am not the one who holds them to account, and I am most definitely not the one who is their savior. I am just a witness; just someone who is so enthralled by the one that is those things that I talk about Him often.

Its not that I don’t need to be holy or work towards righteousness, but it does mean I can be human and I can be all right knowing that I am human. That’s one of the great things about the bible and why I like reading it so much. It is full of stories of people who were used by God but were not perfect in their pursuit of holiness, its full of stories about people who weren’t willing, or educated, or wealthy but all people who despite themselves were used to testify about God. Like in the book of Acts where we see Peter giving into serious social pressure and excluding the non-Jewish from worship services. Or where Paul and Barnabass separate thus facilitating one of the first church splits.

I think one of the dangerous things about the system we have built in American Christianity is that we place religious leaders on a pedestal and expect of them to be super holy and super righteous, and because we have placed them on such a high pedestal when they fall they rarely recover. Which is sad not just because we lose gifted men and women, but because we so shame the grace of God that is the reason we can pursue holiness at all.

As a community of Christ it is our privileged and responsibility to express grace in our acceptance of one another and of those that have fallen. In Romans Paul says that we should be characterized by unity, and that unity will only be established when we accept one another like Christ accepted us. And if you look at how Christ accepted us it wasn’t in our holiness or our righteousness, but it was in our everything that isn’t pretty or holy. As Romans continues to say Christ accepted us while we were still against Him, while we were still sinners, and while we truly did not deserve acceptance.

That’s the beauty of the Gospel, love and reconciliation. That those (being all of us) who couldn’t have relationship with God and could not be apart of His family because of this huge wall (known as sin) that was separating us from Him can now know Him and be loved by Him because the wall is gone, destroyed by the death of Jesus.

If Christ can love and accept us while we were enemies of God, then I think we can love and accept one another.

Village Video

2011-02-14T10:16:00.000-08:00

If you havent seen it yet here it is!

Relevant mag: Is Christian art to clean?

2011-02-01T20:43:00.000-08:00

Check out this article on Relevant Mag, I enjoyed it and I think you will also.

Village update

2011-01-16T19:17:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone Ive been super busy the last two weeks thanks to everything that is happening at the Village. I am not complaining by any means Im truly loving every minute of it but it is a bit time consuming.

If you have not had the chance to check out whats going on yet you need to come and experience the rhythm of the Village.

If you cannot come however then at least check us out on vimeo @ vimeo.com/groups/villageslc we have a few videos up there that do a good job in demonstrating what happens on Thursday nights.

Village Launch

2011-01-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

What an incredible night at the very first official Village.

Our launch was awesome, and if you missed it, well you missed alot, but come next Thursday it will be even better.

Everyone involved was incredible, thank you for all your hard work.

www.villageslc.com to look at pictures from the night

Village update

2010-12-23T22:52:00.001-08:00

The Village launch date is drawing ever closer and after a series of strange and unfortunate events I have again been awed by the graciousness of God.

The Village

2010-12-15T21:46:00.001-08:00

A few months ago I posted a coming soon tab on my blog and if your curiosity got the better of you clicked on the tab and saw a graphic advertising something called The Village. At this point your head was most definitely spinning with mixed feelings towards this ambiguous title. “Is it a new section of the blog tied into the meladramatic fictional M. Night whats-his-name’s movie The Village?” This was your most immediate thought guaranteed and I hate to disappoint the masses, but it is not a section of my blog interconnected to M. Night whats-his-name’s movie. What it is, is infinitely more significant and awesome. Because I have felt the outcries of the despondent blog readers to answer the question what is the Village I felt that it was finally time to do so.

In January myself and a few other ordinary radicals will be launching a community called The Village. We have been working on the project for the last three months and all who are inclined to participate will experience the culmination of our efforts.

This project was started with the hopes of building community and that is why we have dubbed it the Village. We believe truly that inside of honest community people can begin to shed the shackles of insecurity and express themselves free of judgment and worry. Inside this type of community people can ask questions of God, spirituality, ethics, and life and not worry about being seen as petty or obtrusive. Inside of the Village we hope to build a community that people can grow in, serve in, create in, and share in.

Within community questions that need to be asked can be asked and answered and a pursuit of authentic spirituality can begin. This is not something easily quantified or measured but it is a goal of The Village. We want to help foster a genuine pursuit of Jesus in the lives of the students who are apart of The Village.

If community is fostering authentic spirituality it can begin to also cultivate missional living. As a community we do not want to take what we experience and horde it to ourselves, because if we do we aren’t loving others or God. Within the community of the Village we believe there be a safe place to serve and to work on behalf of the Gospel of Jesus. We want to as literally as we can follow the way of Jesus, and to do this we need to be in the streets feeding the hungry, in the prisons visiting the lonely, we need to be with the broken showing them and sharing with them the love of Jesus.

This is The Village; this is our purpose, our design, our mission, and our passion. Email me for more info, but the only way to really understand The Village is to come experience it for yourself on January 6^th @ the warehouse.

Insomniac

2010-11-10T18:48:00.000-08:00

No kiss to wake the early shine

or to embrace the accents of coffee

‘nd the sweet ash of early morning drags

No touch to rouse noon appetites

or to swell amongst the mockingjays

Whilst the he-bird sings so whimsically

No love to sleep the silent eye

or streetlights to silhouette distant lullabies

sung by passing insomniacs whispering in the night.

Ponderings of a Pilgrim

2010-11-05T19:18:00.001-07:00

I have nothing more to express then what is rhythmic and true. Forth coming from nibble fingers that dance in flow with memories of days long gone and forgotten.

This is my vanity my futile end, the lost recesses of wisdom and sensuality. To scrape and wage against the past pretension that binds like religion to Hume.

What am I that you are mindful of me, what am I, a shell of lost thought that you consider me. What are my circumstances that bring forth your imminence?

I wish not to fight the cradle, but my deception writhes against solidarity. Listen to this, the ponderings of a pilgrim long past my destination.

A shell is hallowed and deceptive nothing more then a tomb inscribed with words that fade as the horizon.

Breathe of truer eternity then the vanity of thought provoking eloquence.

Drink of beauty deeper then the façade of vacated premises.

The secret is exposed in the grandeur of creation, it is the world else where, and the saints vision of beatitude. What it is is worth having.

In the whirlwind

2010-10-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

As the crisp night seeps into the morning light

all is awoken to see this newfound glory

the blissful eve of the greater design.

For we are the contingent and live and breathe

based on the grace that has been given us.

And when this new land is laid bare before our eyes

a gift of passion renewed fresh each dawn

we as pilgrims meander through

fraught with finding Him that creates.

He is deep in the whirlwind,

immersed within the practice of His existence.

Creating, Sustaining, Wooing.

Hey there

2010-10-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody I know its been awhile since I posted anything on here don't worry I havent forgotten you Ive just been busy. Very soon I will let you in on what I have been busy doing and I will have more to write about.

In the meantime go to Emaideas.com and check out the writings we have up there if you havent already.

5 Things ordinary people should know about coffee

2010-08-11T17:10:00.000-07:00

I was reading a forum today that was asking baristas what 5 things ordinary people should know about coffee and the specialty coffee industry, heres what I thought of:

1. A macchiato has nothing to do with caramel and vanilla and is not what starbucks tell you it is so please stop asking your baristas for one.
2. A dark roast coffee does not equal more caffeine.
3. Espresso is not a bean but a method of extraction
4. Enjoying a lighter roast coffee allows you to experience the true flavors of the region the coffee is grown in. This is one of my favorite things about coffee and is a major part of what I spend my time doing.
5. All coffee shops and types of coffee are not the same and are not all equally made. There are good and bad coffee shops all over the place find the good ones and frequent them often. Never buy folgers or any other pre-ground coffee its robusta which is gross, and bad for your palate, as well as for the earth.

Other things people should know but are not on my top 5:

6. There is no 'x' in espresso
7. Fraps will kill you
8. Being a barista is not just a job to get someone through college but is an art and good baristas are made that way by years of practice and passion and a continued hunger to learn as the industry changes. (so please tip the good ones well they rarely make what they should, the good ones that is)

Hit me up things you think people should know about coffee and the specialty coffee industry.

Behind and before the progress.

2010-07-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

Robert Frost told us that he would traverse the road less traveled I wonder if he did. There is always a road though isn’t there? An autobahn speeding concentrated speed demons from one place to another, or a barren desert roads between Salt Lake City and well anywhere. No matter what we do we are always on some type of road even if we pull over to the side for a smoke break we are still on the road just not moving and before to long we stamp out the slow burning light of yesterdays progress and move ahead of smoke driven mechanisms.

And there in and of itself is the deep metaphysical purpose. There is a road and it looks little like the roads most traversed, we know it as little more then the pilgrims’ way. It is slow of progress and saturated in the ponderings of wiser men then we. This road leads nowhere we know but we do know it meanders down the deep pacific blue, and all suspect it will go somewhere wonderful.

Beautiful Invitation

2010-07-14T17:11:00.001-07:00

When you think of the word repent what comes to mind first; an angry street preacher spitting flies into driving cars and carrying a sixteen foot cross condemning the world and spouting STDs as consequences, or do you think of a gracious, benevolent, loving Jesus. I guess it all depends on who you are and what you know the definition and consequence of repentance to be. For much of the world it seems that people think of repentance as just a notch above getting fired, something that equals religiosity and the loss of all fun and excitement.

I’m not sure where these presuppositions surrounding repentance developed but let me be the first to tell you that if you believe repentance to be the beginning of a boring existence your wrong. When Jesus spoke of repentance He spoke of something beautiful, an act where we stop living in one kingdom and begin to live in another one.

In fact when we see the word repentance it is generally right after we have just heard something about the kingdom of God. “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand,” repent for the kingdom of Jesus is about to break lose on the world. The reason John the Baptizer and Jesus taught this way was because of what they knew the kingdom of God to be, something different, something beautiful, something counter-cultural.

The difference and the beauty of the kingdom is wrapped up in the lifestyle of its citizens, a people group who have no boarders but exist throughout the world and yet still hold allegiance to one another and Christ above all. A people group who are following the example of their leader the slaughtered lamb and dying everyday for people who don’t know and don’t love them. These people put no stock in material wealth but sell their belongings as needed to provided for the needs their communities. This is the beautiful difference that is the kingdom of Jesus, the kingdom of God.

It makes sense then why Jesus and John would have taught repentance after talking about the kingdom of God because to repent means to turn. To turn from the old lifestyle to give up the ways of the word and to live a different kind of life. Often when we think of repentance I think we think of a prayer and a few choice words that we say to God and maybe it is partially that but it is so much more, to repent is to live differently and that kind of repentance is beautiful and radical.

I wonder if the street preacher who is spitting flies and spouting STDs knows that he’s ruining the beauty of repentance. Because he is and what Christ offered looked different it was an invitation to be apart of a beautiful story and a beautiful kingdom that thrived in the midst of the kingdoms of the world.

A sad yet awesome day of world cup action

2010-06-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

Today was a sad and glorious day for the world cup. First It was glorious to watch Switzerland defeat Spain in a match were Spain had already been declared the winner.

It was a sad day however to see South Africa lose so dramatically to Uruguay (who played awesome). Despite the major home field advantage South Africa just could not meet Uruguay's relentless attack. Not all was lost though because we did get to see some incredible passion and skill from Tshabalala the South African mid. Thats the glory of soccer though, and the emotional roller coaster that is the World Cup.

A better way to War

2010-05-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

Photo by: Tory Hallenburg (tlburg.blogspot.com)

I don’t know how much you pay attention to national news, but I like to read articles on BBCnews.com. I like to know what is going on in other countries it helps me feel apart of the world rather than just apart of America. The reason I ask though is because of what is going on in Jamaica right now, with Christopher “Dudus” Coke, the Jamaican government, and the people of Jamaica.

Christopher Coke is one of the worlds most wanted drug lords, and the Jamaican prime minister recently agreed to extradite him to America on drug/weapon trafficking and murder charges. When Jamaican police tried to apprehend Mr. Coke however the people of Jamaica began to fight against the government to protect him.

Seriously? The people are protecting a wanted drug lord who is linked to hundreds of deaths and kidnappings in Jamaica and around the world, the innocent and criminal alike are protecting him. Why? In one of the articles by BBC news Jamaican people were asked the same question, they replied by saying that Mr. Coke was there when they needed him unlike the government. One woman said that if your mom dies Coke buries her, the government taxes her. Another person said that if you need Mr. Coke you can find him, everyone knows how to get hold of him and he will listen to the people, but very few have ever even seen the Prime minister in flesh. The general consensus was that Mr. “Dudus’ Coke was doing what the government officials were not and that’s why the people protect him.

Despite who this man is and how he makes all the money he is giving away the people love him and are actively fighting the Jamaican government in order to protect him. Aristotle says that effective leaders are defined by their ability to show that they are for the people. If a leader can demonstrate actively that he cares for his people and that their interest matter to him, he will have the love and loyalty of his people. Obviously Mr. Coke has done this incredibly well.

Reading the articles about Coke and Jamaica got me thinking about America and our war on terrorism. America represents around 5% of the global population but accounts for nearly 49% of the military spending. Right now we are waging war in two places and pouring billions of dollars into the operation, we all know we don’t have the money and we all know we will continue spending what we don’t have. We also know that since we have been in Iraq one million citizens have perished, and I can’t imagine their families are happy about that.

What I am trying to get at is that maybe there is a better way to wage a war on terrorism. What if America had instead of invading Iraq in force invaded in generosity? What if we had gone in and spent money on schools, hospitals, and scholarships? Maybe if we had first invaded in a way that would better the country and help the people the Iraqi people would begin to think that America was for them in a way that Sodom was not. And maybe just maybe Sodom would have lost power as the peoples state improved and their view of America became favorable (in doing this we would probably spend less also).

Abraham Lincoln once said that if we befriend our enemies we also destroy them, why don’t we apply that philosophy to our foreign policy a little more often. Its just a thought, but its effective in Jamaica and that isn’t the first time a criminal has won the loyalty of a people he was using. Let me know what you think I am always interested!

Perception?

2010-05-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the average American teenager will spend around 150.00 a week? Or did you know that 1/3 or Americans have a total of three vehicles? Or did you know that 3.5 Billion people live on less then 2 American dollars a day? I am just wondering if you wonder about this. Because I think in America it is easy to become separated from the real world to begin thinking that America is really all there is, or that everybody else is probably like us, or that its weird that people live on less then two dollars a day. In truth however there is only 300 million Americans where as there is 3.5 Billion people living on less then 2 dollars a day, it looks like we are the weird ones doesn’t it?

Now don’t take me wrong here I am not saying its wrong that Americans are wealthy because I am not. My only worry is that in our wealth and prosperity we will forget about the realities that are just beyond our border, and historically that seems like a dangerous thing to do.

It’s hard though; I mean it’s hard to think about other people around the world when you have so much to deal with right here. The more stuff we accumulate the more time we have to put into taking care of the stuff we have accumulated and the more stuff we have to take of the more stuff we need in order to care for that other stuff. It’s the cycle of accumulation and with all that stuff on our minds there really isn’t room for thinking about things that don’t directly impact us.

Isn’t that kind of egocentric though? I know that’s a harsh word but isn’t that what is happening here in America? If it is what’s happening in America we truly are in a dangerous place think of Egypt, Israel, Rome all fell shortly after they forgot others in order to take care of all their stuff. When stuff consumes your mind there isn’t much room left for other people, so we begin to forget that in amassing wealth and protecting that wealth we might be negatively impacting some other group of people. For example American consumes 20 million gallons of oil a day and imports the majority that. The Persian Gulf is a region with the largest oil reserves in the world Saudi Arabia being number one and Iraq a close competitor. The Persian Gulf houses some the most holy and important places in Islamic faith, how does it look to Muslims and Persians when America has invaded their holy places and is exporting their oil? I am not saying America is in the Persian Gulf for oil; but I am saying that perception is reality.

What I am trying to get at here is that if you have lost 1 million country men to an invasion a term like “Iraqi Freedom” looks different then if you are 3,000 miles away talking about freeing Iraqi people.

This is just my train of thought; I am not saying that it is right or wrong just that it’s on my mind. What’s on your mind? What do you think about all of this? Am I totally off base here or am I not following the leads to the inevitable? I want to know your mind on these issues because I am truly working it all out right now.

P.S Micah 6:7-8

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

with ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I offer up my firstborn for my transgression,

the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has showed you, O man, what is good.

and what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

Irresistible Revolution

2010-04-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne and I must say it was one of the more challenging books I have read. Shane is a man who will deny that he is living very radically but that's because he compares his life to that of early church fathers. However when comparing his lifestyle to ours it is incredibly radical and very beautiful. As you read the book Shane takes you on a journey with him to Calcutta, Wall street, Willow Creek, and the inner streets of Philly and gives you a chance to see what he was doing and most importantly to meet the people that changed his life.

I don't want to give to much of the book away because it is better to read and experience it for the first time, but be prepared to feel either guilt or conviction. I don't think it is Shane's goal to make others feel guilty, but it is hard not too. As you read about His story you will become incredibly inspired and also begin to feel guilty that you have not sold all your possessions to live in a community in inner Philly, or that you are not living for people the way that he is.

Do not allow yourselves to just stop at feeling inspired and guilty though, take those feelings and change them! Go out and find ways to love those that are not being loved, treat them like Jesus would. I don't believe you need to sell all you have live like Jesus, I just believe you need put Jesus and others above all the stuff you have. If there is a struggle for power between our possession and others than maybe we do need to sell it and give the money away. I truly believe though that if we live like Jesus told us too in Matthew 25 than our possessions will hold no power over us.

When we bring the unloved into our homes, when we visit the hurting in prison, when we feed the hungry we are doing exactly what Christ asked us too. The more we put others before ourselves the more it becomes a way of life, and the more we will want nothing but Jesus and the community of love known as the Church.

More than a forgotten element

2010-04-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

If you are at all connected with the modern church and the rhetoric surrounding it you are most likely aware of the discussions concerning what is missing from our present body. Men and women inside the church have spouted many reasons things are not right, a lack of social justice, lack of community, too seeker sensitive. You have probably felt the same thing about the church at one point or another, and maybe you felt that one of the reasons already listed is the missing factor in the modern church. You are probably right the church is missing community, some churches are too seeker sensitive, and even social justice is sometimes neglected; but I am not sure that is truly the heart of the issue. I think if we look into the churches in the New Testament will we see community and social justice, but I think if we look deeper and compare our present church to the original body we will see that what we are missing is much more grave and tragic.

All of us have probably had the feeling something is missing but could we ever imagine the magnitude of what we are truly feeling? I don’t think we have, otherwise what is missing wouldn’t be. I believe (I am not the first to hold this opinion) that what the modern church is missing is the Holy Spirit. I think as Francis Chan calls Him, He is the forgotten God. Can you image that, forgetting the Holy Spirit? If we are just thinking about it, it seems impossible that we have forgotten God, but it seems true. How often do we think of the Holy Spirit as God? How often do we think of Him as a distinct person? How often do we think of Him as a member of the trinity? How often do we meditate on the concept that the Holy Spirit is living inside of us, God in us? How often do we think of Jesus words in John 14:7 when he says that it is for our good that He goes away so that the Holy Spirit might come?

Jesus called the Holy Spirit the comforter and counselor, imagine that! Jesus is saying that it is good that He leaves us so the Holy Spirit can be our counselor and comforter. If I were to ask if you would like to have Jesus standing by your side to comfort you and counsel you, you would respond with a resounding yes! Do we think of our relationship with the Holy Spirit in the same way? If we don’t it is time that we do, because Jesus said we could, and we should.

I always knew the facts about the Holy Spirit but when you truly meditate on Him and all He desires to do, it is mind blowing. I encourage you to spend some time meditating on the Holy Spirit and the role He desires to play in your life.

I believe that if the we were to recognize our need for the Holy Spirit and submit to Him than all the other things we feel are missing would show up in greater supply. The Holy Spirit deepens our love for the lost and for each other, He increases our understanding of God, and because of Him we can have a more intimate relationship with God. All things the modern church is missing.

Think and pray on this, and tell me what you are feeling.

Read these Bible passages and just ponder Him.

John 14,15,16

I Corinthians 2:9-11

Romans 8:16

Romans 8:26-27