I dig that sax!

I have a friend that pastors CELEBRATION Fellowship so I decided to pay a visit, unannounced. I prepared by visiting their website for directions and other information. The site promised to be seeker-friendly and offer a theraputic application of the good news. You may visit for yourself @ www.celebrationnet.com. Gail and our friend Darrell went with me. It was nice to have the shared experience and their perspectives.

Drove in just as the 9:00 service was exiting. There were cars and foot traffic all around. Luckily there was an available parking space in the guest parking area which was located conveniently near the main entrance. Members and "regular attenders" parked in gravel lots on the lawn. As we parked, I noticed several people wearing casual wear, e.g. jeans or shorts.

As we entered the outer doors of the building there were two ladies handing out programs. Each was wearing a badge identifying them a usherettes?. It was a little congested in the breezeway and foyer. To the right and a little behind us was an area for coffee and donuts. It was a little too crowded to participate. I think that the nursery area was that direction also, but we were hustling into the worship center and were not need of those services. We made our way in with the others who were gathering and found a place to sit. The chairs were plastic, molded folding chairs and they were a little close together. It was probably to increase seating capacity and the service was full but not over-crowded.

There was a couch center stage with a small table. Behind the couch was the choir area. It had been converted to an area for the praise band, which included a sax (actually a pair though played by the same individual). The lead guitar and the sax contributed to the worship time with appropriate solo interludes. A ladies trio assisted the leader with vocals. The music consisted of a series of praise choruses but was moving and energetic. An atmosphere of free worship permeated the room. There was freedom to sit or stand, clap and sing or respond with contemplative silence. The visual elements contributed to my experience and were not distracting.

There was a drama skit that followed the music (this explains the presence of the couch at center stage). It was appropriate for the morning's sermon and done well.

Now I've known James for years. I had warned those who were with me to buckle-up. When he hit the stage, it was petal-to-the-metal. Knowing his background in Biblical languages I was prepared to received something new to think about. I was also prepared to "listen quickly." It's kinda like hopping on a treadmill that's already in motion. You'd better match the pace quickly or you're in going to be in deep trouble.

The service ended without an invitation or alter-call. That's a new experience for me though for years I did it that way in youth ministry every week. Afterwards, the pastor came by to harrass me and let me know that he'd spotted me in the crowd. We talked briefly about the ministry of the fellowship and their contextualiztion of their vision.

It was a great experience of worship and encouraging to know that God is still at work in simple lives.

Lectio Divina

"Lectio Divina: A way of Praying with Scripture," Cutting Edge 4, no.2 (summer 2000): 18. Quoted in The Younger Evangelicals by Robert Webber, p.184.

Preparation
     Have the group members prepare themselves for prayer in whatever way is beneficial (e.g., silence, imagining Jesus, etc.).
     First let the group know you are about the read a verse or a short passage, and invite them to listen for a word or phrase that , as the Benedicitines say, "shimmers" - something that "beckons you, addresses you...something that stirs, unnerves, disturbs, grabs, or touches you."

Read the Passage
     Read it aloud twice in an unhurried way, the second time more slowly - perhaps by two different people.
     Ask people to repeat the "beckoning" or "shimmering" word or phrase to themselves.
     Invite each person in the group to speak that word or phrase one at a time. Allow this to be a slow movement, with spacious time between the speaking. Perhaps the group may agree simply to take turns around the circle, with each speaker indication to the next person (by a gesture, a touch, a word) when he or she is finished.

The Passage Is Read Aloud Another Time (perhaps by a different person than above)
     Have the group attend to the feeling or image in them which is connected to the word or phrase they have spoken.
     Each person in the group briefly states his or her feeling/image. Use the same process as when the word/phrase was spoken.

The Passage Is Read a Final Time (perhaps by yet another person
     Have each person attend to the way this word or phrase, feeling or image, connects with the context and situation of their life right now. How does it relate to what they have heard and seen this day? How does it connect with what is happening at home, at work, in leisure time, in their community, in society, in the world, in nature?
     Take an extended time of exploring the connection (in thought, in a journal, in art). How is God present to you in that connection? Is God calling you to anything in your present circumstance?
     Briefly share with the group what you have discovered. Go around the group in the same process as above.
     Invite the group to a time of silent contemplation, a time of simply resting with and receiving what God has offered them. Close with extended silence, resting in the presence of God. A spoken blessing or prayer may complete the silence.

Community wanted:

Amanda confesses:

I want so much to have those kind of friendships where no matter what I say I know they'll be there to support the person I am: not the person they want me to be.

The quest for authentic community can be painful and difficult. Be that kind of friend and pray for God to bless you with that kind of friends.

Post-denominational church

vs. "non-denominational"

It's not that I don't appreciate who I've been for the last 30 years. I do. Really. I'm extremely grateful for those who have invested in my pilgrimage. I just want to walk side-by-side with other friends and fellow-travelers and share their journey and walk together for a while.

It's not a theological issue for me. It's just that my experience has been and continues to be some of those who wave the denominational banners tend to be exclusionary rather than inclusionary even towards those of a simular theology.

I remember a former pastor telling me once, "we can participate [in campus ministries] with other [youth ministries] as long as we're in charge."

Now I don't think that anything could be further from the truth. But that's just my....

view from here

The church of Oprah

Interesting article on Oprah in Religion News Blog. There's a section called, "Oprah by the numbers."

19: Winfrey's age when she became the youngest person and first African-American woman to anchor the news in Nashville, Tenn.

22: Age she became a newscaster at WJZ-TV in Baltimore in 1976.

$275 million: Estimated annual revenue generated by Winfrey's businesses.

30 million: Average number of Americans who view her show each week.

$30 million-plus: Amount Oprah's Angel Network has raised for nonprofit groups since 1998.

19: Number of years the Oprah Winfrey Show has been the top TV talk show.

12,000-15,000: Number of e-mails Oprah.com receives weekly.

55 million-plus: Number of U.S. homes in which Winfrey's Oxygen cable network for women is available.

1 of 100: Ranking of Winfrey by Time magazine among most influential people of the 20th century.

?What if Christ-followers followed so well that Jesus could average 30 million Americans really tuning in each week and penetrate the hearts of the men, women, and children in 55 million U.S. homes? ...I wouldn't care about Time magazine's rating but I'd be pumped about the Kingdom impact that could radiate throughout the world.

just my view from here...

Fundamentalist Islamic speaks out on Churches in America

In his book, The Crisis of Islam : Holy War and Unholy Terror Bernard Lewis (Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton) spoke of Sayyid Qutb, one of the first "fundamentalist" leaders. Qutb spent several years in the US studying and later wrote several books. Lewis says of him that he observed:

Churches in America, [Sayyid Qutb] said, operate like businesses, competing for clients and for publicity, and using the same methods as stores and theaters to attract customers and audiences. For the minister of a church, as for the manager of a business or a theater, success is what matters, and success is measured by size-bigness, numbers. To attract clientele, churches advertise shamelessly and offer what Americans most seek-"a good time" or "fun."

Read more of Tyler Hopkin's blog here.

Signposts

Good and Evil vs "Naughty and Nice"

Art provides a kind of mirror held to the culture it exists in. We can learn much about ourselves by looking into this mirror. Artists provide signposts that tell us where we are... give us reason to hope... tell us how far east we have wandered from the Garden of Eden.

- Timothy Roth       

Best apologetic

The best apologetic,then, is not to defend but to open the door of my heart and mind...

- Timothy Roth      

Let's be honest

Oh sure we say "love the sinner, hate the sin;" but let's be honest, we really hate the sinner too... [we'd have to]actually deal with issues, messy lives, complications and shades of grey rather than rest comfortable on our "black and white" principles. What would Jesus do, really!?

- Julie Ann Vingers     

Cross Island Chapel, Oneida, New York, USA

Hampton!

You and Bekah gotta check this one out... World's Smallest Church

I added SHIPOFFOOLS to my sidebar. Lots of fun...

What a concept...

Open the doors and give the buildings back to their communities; sell the treasures; let them be houses of refreshment, rest and life!

- Lumensis     

Dog-tail Davis surfaces in Brownwood

Rick Davis, formerly with the Evangelism Division of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, is back in the pastorate. Brownwood... are you ready?

You just gotta love this guy. Here's a new quote that bears repeating

The fact is that a lot of our churches are just flat out growth proof because of bad attitudes exhibited by church members.

Catch up and follow along with him at:

Rick Davis, Pastor
First Baptist Church
208 Austin Avenue
Brownwood, TX 76801
Phone: 325-646-8505
davrick@gmail.com

Call, write, come by. We have the best barbecue in the world.

Home Teams

Sunday evening I returned to Centerpoint to observe and participate in a kick-off fellowship for their small group home teams.

There were 16 adults plus the facilitator in attendance, about half of those who attended the morning service though the youth may have met somewhere else. A delightful couple was visiting and commented that they had been drawn to attend this week because of the home teams. Another woman testified that she had come into the church fellowship through a friend's home team. After some preliminary discussions, we divided into groups of four to participate in an "African Bible Study" exercise, I'll save those details for later as well.

That time closed with a season of praying for one another. The specific instructions were to pray only for the others in your group and not for yourself. "Trust the others to pray for you and you commit to pray for each of them this week." Each prayed for the others and received prayer for themselves and then left with an assignment and commitment to continue praying throughout the week. The atmosphere was warm, casual, and mildly intimate.

It is interesting to me that hearing the short, simple prayer requests of others and committing to pray for them built a strong connection with a small group of strangers. Oddly enough, they seem like friends.

P.S. Maryjo I'm praying for your joy; Jake for your ministry; Ron for your leadership. God bless each of you.

His Peace.

Sunday, September 11th

... I visited Centerpoint Church - Burleson, Texas.

Found the location on the internet. Also reviewed the site for design and content. I find it a little uncomfortable that their domain name is "www.ourpoint.org". I know that "www.centerpoint.org" is taken but I would advise them to consider "www.centerpoint-burleson.org" as a better alternative.

Their Worship service is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. I arrived approx. 9:40. I sat on a side street to observe the arrivals. There were a few drop-offs but most came in couples or women with their children. There were 26 vehicles in 36 parking spaces including 1 of 2 handicap spaces. I waited outside to enter just as services were starting (on purpose).

Childcare was provided via Nursery (birth thru 2 yrs), Minnowzpoint (pre-K), and Kidzpoint (K-4th). Older children (5th and up) and adults met in the Worship Center which was newly remodeled and looked great. Sight lines were good; volume was good. There were 39 in attendance including 2 in the sound booth. The church had recently removed the pews for nice, high quality, comfortable stacking chairs. I noticed that some had pockets on the back and some didn't. There were 124 chairs (not counting the 2 in the sound booth) which would allow for 100 comfortably.

They had their time for announcements (and perhaps welcome) before I came in. The music was daisy-chained with little transition between. The lead vocalist was a layman who seemed very confident and competent. He was accompanied by a woman vocalist, drummer, and guitarist. The atmosphere was very worshipful.

Following the music, the Interim Pastor led in prayer and shared a message from Luke 15. It was an interesting and refreshing approach to a very familiar passage. I intend to use the idea soon so I'll save the details.

He closed the message with a statement to the effect that if anyone wanted to respond he was available at the back of the auditorium after the service concluded. Then he led again in prayer followed by a closing song. Now. I've been Baptist for a long time. It seemed to me to be premature and anti-climatic eventhough for years that's exactly how I did youth services every week!

Following the closing song I spoke with several who greeted me cheerfully. All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I plan to attend again.

Sodom and Tulsa

Thanks to Jimmy for his blog last Saturday (September 03) entitled, "I Need to Move Away From Tulsa"

Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.

-- Ezekiel 16:49       

Katrina: I'm Ok Registry

the YOUNGER Evangelicals

Robert Webber on church leadership:

From the very beginning of Christianity, the question of leadership has been an issue in the local church... Clearly the business model is out of step with two thousand years of history. ...the nagging question is, What about the laity? Do they have a calling to ministry, or are they primarily the sheep...

exactly

i figure if you cant be who you are, then what's the point

- Hampton       

The world is searching for authentic expressions of faith. It's not our failings that keep them away, it's our false piety, self-righteousness and condemnation.

Best Worship...

the best worship to me is when all cultures are present in the same place giving their gifts back to God. That is the sound of Heaven.

- Marc Davidson

Today's Ekklisia

Here's a great quote:

"But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning... Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust."

How well that might apply to thousands in America who are looking for an alternative to the institutional church. The most interesting thing about the quote is its source - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Letter from the Birmingham Jail) dated April 16, 1963.

Unfortunately what Dr. King warned could happen in the 60's finally did happen later that decade and continues to happen today. Yet, in spite of the Church's shortcomings, God moved in a new way through the "Jesus Revolution." Now He is moving in new ways beyond our imagination.

Thanks to Anthony Smith for the quote.

His article in Next-Wave resonates with the same heart as the Bible Study I shared Wednesday evening. (I'll blog on that latter.) Anthony writes,

I want to be a part of Christian community...a local ekklesia. But I want to feel at "home". Not in a consumeristic sense, but in a sense that it will challenge me, provoke me, encourage me, to be a part of the missio Dei or God's mission