In the post last year I referenced a quote from Thomas Merton that captures the significance of Ash Wednesday. I thought I would quote it in full again this year.

“In laying upon us the light cross of ashes, the Church desires to take off our shoulders all other heavy burdens—the crushing load of worry and guilt, the dead weight of our own self-love. We should not take upon ourselves a “burden” of penance and stagger into Lent as if we were Atlas, carrying the whole world on his shoulders. . . Penance is conceived by the Church less as a burden than as a liberation. It is only a burden to those who take it up unwillingly. Love makes it light and happy. And that is another reason why Ash Wednesday is filled with the lightness of love.”

As we turn our hearts towards God this lenten season may we experience liberation from the weight of sin.

I think it is essential for us to recover the power of presence in our technological age. There have been some experiments lately with doing church online. New small groups theorists are experimenting with online group gatherings, and some churches actually hold services that you can participate in by logging in online and never leaving your house. Recently, on the CNN belief blog, there was an article about a church that has experimented with having worship services on facebook.

While social media has its place, I am not convinced that it can adequately replace the power of real life presence. The problem with social media is that it allows us to filter our lives and edit our friends. If I am bored with reading your updates I can hide them with the click of a button. If I want to hide what is really going on in my life I can create a profile that puts up a façade.

When we are separated by technology we do not experience the depth of human interaction that is essential for us to thrive as human beings. Technology can remove shared experiences and memories, sacrificial service towards others, physical support, conflict, empathetic listening, and many other things that make relationships formative in our lives.

Last night Julie and I hosted our community group for people that are in the 20’s and early 30’s. We meet every other Sunday night at our home for a potluck and conversation. Right now we are taking time to tell our stories. We’re sharing about the three people, places and events that have shaped our lives. As we have been experimenting with this new group I have come to realize again the importance of real life interaction. The reality is that you can have 500 friends on Facebook and still feel extremely disconnected from community.

For this reason, I have been working to create a culture at the church where community is important. Last year we launched 5 new community groups and this year I’m working behind the scenes to launch a few more. If you are feeling the effects of this disconnected and distracted age, let me know! I would love to help you plug into a group or equip you to launch a new one.

With that being said – I’d love to hear your thoughts on this online social network blog:) You do not even have to leave your house to interact with others! I will also attach this to my Facebook page to make it more accessible. Irony noted . . .

One of the things I have learned is to distrust the estimated times given for certain repair projects. The label on the new toilet float said, “easy installation in under 15 minutes.” That 15 minute project turned into an epic 2 hour event full of emotional ups and downs.

I spent this past weekend running a new electrical line from the house to the garage. A couple months ago I noticed smoke rising from the overhead electrical line. This is never a good sign! My first line of defense is always to ignore the problem and hope it goes away, but this did not work this time. The breaker tripped and the wire was beyond repair. So on Saturday Drew and I dug a sixty foot trench and buried a new line. Daryl Berg then stepped in to help me with the intricacies of household wiring!

I’ve been reflecting this morning on the gift it is to have people skilled in the areas of construction and home repair. Without Daryl I would have been completely lost, and potentially electrocuted. Heck, I even needed coaching on how to install a drill bit as I created a path for the new wire to be hung!

In preparation for our bible read through group tonight I’ve been reading through Exodus. The book gets a bit redundant and boring when Moses talks about the plans for building the tabernacle. However, in the midst of all the details and measurements we encounter an interesting side note about two men named Bezalel and Oholiab. Concerning these two men, the Lord says to Moses, “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts – to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.”

In our Christian culture we often celebrate the gifts of teaching, shepherding, mercy and evangelism, but we neglect the more practical gifts like the gift of craftsmanship. I think it is important for us to affirm and celebrate those who have gifts in the trades and to recognize that these gifts play an important role in the kingdom of God. Thanks to all of you who have devoted your life to mastering a craft or a trade! May God continue to use your talents for his kingdom purposes.

I have written elsewhere about the dangers of aligning our faith with a particular political party. See “Why Jesus Would Be Frustrated With Cable News Networks,” and “Can Our Politics Become Idolatrous.” The main point of these reflections was to convey the idea that Jesus’ vision for cultural engagement is much broader then the vision of one political party or politician. Jesus often weaves together issues that are divided politically. Furthermore, when we associate Jesus with one side of the political spectrum, we may be forced to contradict or misrepresent the values of Jesus. The reality is that there are issues on both sides of the political spectrum that contradict the teachings of Jesus.

Despite the negative associations with the term evangelicalism, I am not ready to disassociate myself from this movement. I have thought about dropping the label from time to time, but at the end of the day, evangelicalism, properly defined, helps me understand my spiritual identity.

Evangelicalism is a very difficult thing to define. It is a term that covers a very broad and diverse movement. It originates from the Greek word euangelion, which literally means “good news,” or “gospel.” Martin Luther used the label “evangelicalism” to denote his move back to the fundamentals of the gospel. Evangelicalism in the English speaking world refers to a movement that sprung out the Great Awakening revivals and the pietist and puritan movements. Figures like John Wesley, John Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards were foundational to this movement.

Evangelicalism is not tied to a particular denomination. It is a movement that includes diverse denominations that span from Southern Baptist to Dutch Reformed. What unites these various denominations under the umbrella of evangelicalism is a commitment to a four theological emphases. David Bebbington first came up with this definition and it has become the standard for evangelical identification. Evangelicals are committed to conversionism, the belief that lives need to be changed; activism, the expression of the gospel through practical actions; biblicism, a high regard for the teachings of the Bible; and “crucicentrism,” a stress on the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Evangelicalism, then, is known for its concern for an active heartfelt faith that is committed to following Jesus and the teachings of the Bible.

Evangelicalism also came to be associated with a group of Christians who broke away from fundamentalism in the post WWII period. Evangelicals reacted against the anti-intellectual and belligerent nature of fundamentalism. Institutions like Wheaton College, Moody Bible Institute, Fuller Seminary, and Youth For Christ became practical expressions of moderate evangelicalism. In our current public dialogue evangelicalism is often wrongly associated with fundamentalism.

To me, this is a heritage that is worth holding on to. When I first studied the history of evangelicalism I felt as though I had finally understood my spiritual heritage. These emphases that Bebbington describe are worthy of our attention. Evangelicalism is a movement that leads us beyond nominalism towards an active and devout faith in God.

Furthermore, there are currently great developments happening within evangelicalism. Writers like N.T. Wright and Timothy Keller have helped the evangelical movement discover how a commitment to the gospel leads us to a holistic vision for cultural engagement. I believe that the future of evangelicalism is very hopeful.

So I suppose I should alter my initial statement. I am an evangelical and I hope that one day I will want you to know that!

However, I have come to the conclusion that I am not ready to give up the blog just yet. In fact, it is something that I think helps me hold on to my pastoral vocation.

Eugene Peterson starts his book Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity, with this rather controversial quote. He says, “American pastors are abandoning their posts, left and right, and at an alarming rate. They are not leaving their churches and getting other jobs. Congregations still pay their salaries . . . But they are abandoning their posts, their calling.” Peterson goes on to explain that while the biblical model of pastoral ministry involves a devotion to scripture and prayer, much of contemporary ministry looks more like running a business. To be sure, good administration is a gift and it is something that pastors need to do. However, Peterson is concerned that pastors have, “metamorphosed into a company of shopkeepers, and the shops they keep are churches.” Our attention has been focused more on pleasing crowds by packaging religion into an easy to use and appealing product, when we should be focused on praying, studying and providing spiritual direction to church members.

I can see how administrative tasks can quickly crowd out some of these historical aspects of ministry. I’m often tempted to begin my day by checking up on e-mails, making to-do lists, and organizing events and meetings. These are not bad in and of themselves, but they become dangerous when they crowd out the harder work of discerning God’s voice and devoting time to scripture. Many of the ‘how to’ books on ministry these days speak very little about discernment and spiritual discipline. Instead, they offer short cuts and quick strategic ideas to develop programs.

One of the reasons why I continue to blog is that it forces me to slow down. It builds in a weekly accountability for me to think, read and write. This blog is really a collection of my reading notes and spiritual reflections. Blogging for me has become a discipline that has prevented administration from overtaking the other aspects of ministry. It is a reminder that pastoral work cannot come through short-cuts but must be supported by a long term commitment to reflection and growth.

Along with this, my hope is that the blog has been a venue to spark ideas and interests in the readers. I recently re-read an interesting study put out by Willow Creek called Reveal. This study surveys the spiritual health of their church members and seeks to understand how people actually grow spiritually. One of the key findings they discovered is it that as people move further along in their spiritual lives, growth often happens in a less structured way. The programs of the church become more peripheral to the spiritually mature and growth often takes place through personal study and discipline. The research does not discount the importance of worship events and small groups; rather, it suggests that those further along in their faith need the opportunity to supplement their spiritual growth through personal initiatives. So my vision for the blog is to add an extra element to our spiritual formation process. Perhaps these weekly reflections can spark ideas or resources to aid your personal spiritual journey.

Here’s to another year on the blogosphere!

Found this funny picture on Ryan’s blog today!

I came across this quote in preparation for my men’s group this morning. This quote struck me as very odd. It is odd to think that our attempt at being very good can actually lead us towards evil, but I think Keller is on to something.

Keller is referring to a type of attitude that is similar to the Pharisees in the gospels. The Pharisees were rule keepers. They lived a very disciplined life and worked hard to avoid breaking any of the commandments. At the same time they developed a very oppressive disposition towards those who were not keeping the rules. The irony of the Pharisees approach to life is that in their attempt to be very good they ended up developing a self-righteous attitude that lead them to live a life that was not very good at all. They became angry, exclusive, and judgmental towards others.

Pharisaical religion is always a danger in the Christian life. In fact, I would say that it is one of the main problems with contemporary Christianity. Unfortunately, the church has gained a reputation for being judgmental and oppressive to outsiders. I’ve quoted stats before from Dan Kinnaman’s book UnChristian. This book traces the public perception that non-believers have towards Christians. The stats are depressing. While in 1996 86% of non-believers had a favorable view of the Christians role in society, in 2006 the number was down to 16%. When it comes to bible believing evangelicals, those with a favorable view of their role in society dropped to 3%.

I think Keller helps us understand what is at the root of the problem. When our faith is reduced to rule-keeping, we start to put our trust in our own goodness rather than in God’s grace. This develops within us a sense of pride or self-sufficiency that can have damaging consequences both personally and socially.

On the on hand, it can damage our inner soul. If we start putting our hope in our own goodness we will inevitably get frustrated when we make mistakes or fail in some way. This leads us on a pathway towards anxiety, insecurity, self-hatred and so on. On the other hand, it can also create social strife. When we base our life on the illusion of self-sufficiency and pride we can become judgmental to outsiders, exclusive, angry and so on.

Richard Lovelace puts it this way:

“Many . . . draw their assurance of acceptance with God from their sincerity, their past experience of conversion, their recent religious performance or the relative infrequency of their conscious, willful disobedience . . . Their insecurity shows itself in pride, a fierce defensive assertion of their own righteousness, and defensive criticism of others. They come naturally to hate other cultural styles and other races in order to bolster their own security and discharge their suppressed anger.”

The only thing that can set us free from the dangerous path of legalism is if we humble ourselves enough to receive God’s grace. And it does require humility. What sets us free from this never ending cycle of trying to prove our worth is by acknowledging that we actually need God’s help. This is what the gospel is all about. As Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:8, “by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”

The irony of all of this, is that it is only when we humbly embrace the gift of grace that we can start to grow in the virtues we were pursuing in the first place. That is why the whole Sermon on the Mount – the great ethical teaching of Jesus – begins with him saying, “blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, and the mournful.” The starting point towards ethical transformation is a humble recognition that we need God’s help.

The point of this reflection, then, is not to abandon virtue and the pursuit of morality. The point is that the pursuit of virtue must begin in the humble recognition that we are all sinners saved by grace. If we do not start here we have lost the gospel and the Christian life degenerates into a dangerous legalistic religion.

I listened to a sermon by Andy Stanley this week, where he uses the metaphor of a two-legged bar stool to describe what the Christian life is like when we are not engaged with the community of faith. Stanley argues that our faith rests on a very precarious foundation if we are not supported by other people in our spiritual journey. We could have all our facts about God straightened out and we could even have deep feelings of conviction and still be in danger of falling away. The reason for this is that we are all prone to wander. The writer in Hebrews gets this. The context of the verse I quoted above comes right after he quotes Psalm 95, which recounts numerous times the Israelites wanderered from God. Indeed this is the cycle we see throughout scripture – the faithful are constantly loosing sight of God and turning back towards sin and unbelief. The writer of Hebrews suggests that we are all prone to turn away from the living God. The audience of this letter is the faithful believers. He is writing to insiders.

So what is the writer of Hebrews response to this? What is his plan to prevent people from turning from God? It is amazingly simple. He writes, “but encourage one another daily.” You would think the writer might say something like, “put on an inspiring worship service with a great sermon and an alter call.” Instead, the writer reminds us that in order for us to stay on course we need to daily be in community with other believers. We need to be encouraged and held accountable to others in our every day life. The greek word for ‘encourage’ is a loaded term. It means more then simply telling people to ‘have a good day.’ It is a word that means to exhort, comfort, challenge, and encourage.

As we begin a new season of ministry at the church let me encourage you to find a place where you can pursue God with other people. Facts and feelings can only support us so much – we also need the family of faith to encourage us to keep on track. In the midst of all the things that you have going on this fall, let me encourage you to prioritize joining one of our groups at the church or initiating a spiritual friendship with someone else in the church. This Sunday we will be providing opportunities for you to see and sign up for the various groups that are going on at the church.

Listed below is a list of some of our existing groups as well as some new groups that you have an opportunity to participate in this winter / spring! We had a great visioning meeting with all of our leaders on Saturday and together we are excited to facilitate opportunities for growth and connection!

Sunday Morning Discipleship Groups: (10 am between services)
* Kids and youth programs available at the same time!

1. Coffee Talk: Crystal and Patrick Allen lead a group that reflects on the morning sermon and talks about life. (Fireside Room)

2. Journey: Mary and Randy Sundberg are leading an interactive course on the Gospel of John. It is a place to ponder scripture, seek meaning, and grow in faith together. (Fellowship Hall)

3. Nelson Grahams Bible Study: Nelson is leading a class that seeks to draw encouragement and growth from the major narratives of the Old Testament. (Chapel)

Wednesday Night Groups (6:45 at the church after simple supper)
* Kids and youth programs available at the same time!

4. Bible Read Through: Reading the bible can be challenging and disorienting at times. So Pastor Phil and Julie invite you to read through the bible this year in a community setting. Rather than reading every chapter, we’ll be following the major storyline of scripture. Phil will provide some teaching on how to get the most out of your reading. We begin the story in Genesis this week!

5. The Good and Beautiful Life: Pastor John begins the second book in James Bryan Smith’s series on spiritual formation this week. This book provides instruction on the spiritual practices of the Christian life.

Men’s Groups
6. Men’s Coffee Group: Pastor Phil facilitates this men’s group on Tuesday morning at 6:30am @ Red Leaf Coffee Shop. Current Study – “The Reason For God” by Timothy Keller

7. Men’s Starbucks Groups: Pastor John leads two different Men’s groups on Tuesday and Thursday at 7:00 am at the industrial Starbucks.

8. Men’s Breakfast: Bob Guide leads a study on Bill Hybels book The Power of a Whisper. Meets 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month. (Lower Chapel)1st and 3rd Sunday morning at 7:15 Am

Women’s Groups
9. Women’s Bible Study: Pam Graham facilitates a Beth Moore Study on Esther (Thursday 9:30 AM in Gebert Chapel)

10. Women’s Group: Janet Freece is hosting a group at her home on Thursday evenings at 6. Come for a simple soup supper and join her in a study on the book of James.

Other Home Groups Starting Up This Winter
11. Starting Feb 19, Scott and Callie Neves will be hosting a new community group for young families on Sunday evenings. They will begin with a community building curriculum by Andy Stanley called “Community: Your Pathway to Progress.”

12. Starting Mid February Larry and Traci Wood will be hosting a new group that is geared towards parents of teenagers. They will begin with some initial community building gatherings and then start a study on parenting teens called “Sticky Faith.”

13. Phil and Julie have started hosting a community group for people in the mid 20’s to early 30’s. They meet for a potluck and discussion every other Sunday evening at their home at 6:00pm

The added benefit of reading through scripture as a group is that it allowed for us to remain accountable, share insights and ask questions about what we were wrestling with.

As we start a new year and a new season of groups at the church, Julie and I have been wanting to continue to read scripture in community. So we’ve decided to continue this group by taking on the Old Testament!

The Old Testament, however, is a bit of a bigger beast to tackle. It is much longer for one thing, and it is organized in a rather disconnected way. The historical narrative, for example, is presented in two forms (1,2 Samuel, 1,2 Kings and 1,2 Chronicles). Also, the prophets, which speak into these historical settings, are separated out as different books at the end of the Old Testament.

As such, I’ve drawn on a reading plan that makes the Old Testament more manageable and more connected. I’ve organized the reading in such a way that we will be reading about 10-12 chapters a week (down from the 28 a week we did in the New Testament group). Hopefully this will allow us to engage the story in a meaningful way. From now until June we will trace the entire storyline of the Old Testament.

If you are looking for an opportunity to immerse yourself in scripture in a new and fresh way this year we’d love to have you join us Wednesdays. Since we are starting at the beginning of the bible it is a great opportunity to join in. We start tomorrow after simple supper at 6:45.

On Sunday I preached a sermon on the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. The major focus of this message was to convey the idea that if we hope to experience growth we need to start by preparing space for God’s word to take root in our life. I thought I’d share a couple thoughts from the sermon for those who were out of town and provide a venue for discussion and feedback.

New Years day is an idealistic time. We begin a new year with high hopes, often making resolutions and setting goals. Yet, for me anyway, there is also a skepticism that encroaches on this hope. Memories of past failures often discourage our attempts at change.

According to one article I read this week, 95% of new years resolutions are broken by February. Another article on new years resolutions that I read in the New York Times sums it up rather bleakly concluding, “studies suggest that human willpower is a limited resource.”

The idea that willpower is a limited resourced is actually a very Christian idea. Jesus says in John 15:6, “apart from me you can do nothing.” What we discover in the New Testament is that our ability to grow and succeed is dependent on something external to us. It is only as we abide in the word of God and allow God’s spirit to dwell within us that we can experience new life.

James Bryan Smith argues that the will actually has no power. The will is simply the human capacity to choose. It does not have any power intrinsic to itself. Instead the will makes decisions based on what ideas, practices, and social contexts influence it. The will is like a horse, and the ideas and contexts we inhabit are like the rider determining the course that the horse will go. The key to changing the course of our will is to consider what things we allow to influence us. We can’t change our will directly, but we can change the ideas we listen to, the practices that we participate in, and the social influences we surround ourselves with.

The parable of the sower picks up on this idea. It reminds us that the key to growth is creating space to let God’s word influence our life. Like a sower, God sows the seed of his word. We have the opportunity to receive his life giving word if we want. The problem is that there are all sorts of barriers that prevent us from receiving his word.

Some seed falls on the path. The problem with the path is that it is trampled down in such a way that the seed is unable to enter in. In a similar way our souls are often well worn pathways. We are used to receiving a flurry activity that prevents us from having time and space to meditate on the word of God.

Some seed falls on shallow soil. There is initial growth but since there are no roots the plant cannot sustain the scorching heat of the sun. In a similar way our pursuit of God can lack depth. It is easy to be a nominal Christian. We can be a fan of Jesus and get excited about being apart of the church for a while, but if we do not grow deeper in our faith we can easily loose heart when the going gets tough.

Some seed then falls on thorny soil. According to Jesus, thorns represent the worries of life and the lure of wealth that can choke the word of God. While its important to be informed about our world and wise with our resources, these things can easily crowd out the voice of God. The daily news and the latest stock report cannot replace the word of God in our morning routine.

So if we hope to experience growth this year we cannot start by simply amping up our will power. The will alone cannot produce change. Sustainable growth begins by creating space for God’s to influence and direct our will.

The good news of this parable is that God is generously sowing his word on all of us. The parable, at the end of the day, is not a parable of the soils, it is the parable of the sower. The story pictures a gracious God who generously pours out his life giving word even on places where he knows it might not produce anything. In the end this is a parable of grace.

So where do you need to create space to be impacted by the word of God this year? What type of soil is your life right now?

Jesus’ plan to change the world started with him taking on a position of weakness. Though he had all the resources of heaven at hand he willingly took on the limitations of humanity. He came as a weak child rather than a powerful king.

During the temptation account in Matthew 4 we also see Jesus take on some profound limitations. He was tempted to be practical and relevant by turning stones into bread. He was tempted to be spectacular by throwing himself off a cliff and performing a miracle. He was tempted to become very powerful, by gaining all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for giving his allegiance to Satan. Instead he rejected these offers and proceeded to go the way of the cross.

This begs the question why? Why did Jesus take on these limitations? Why was his model of ministry one of weakness, humility and suffering?

Throughout the biblical story we see that there are inherent gifts that manifest themselves in weakness. In the life of Jesus we discover that the way of incarnation and the way of the cross allowed him to demonstrate his love for the world. Through his incarnation he made himself present to people no matter where they were at. As he faced the cross he demonstrated his willingness to lay down his life for us that we might live.

Jesus calls us to a similar approach to ministry. He tells us in Matthew 5:2 that the entrance point to his kingdom is poverty of spirit. In order for us to learn his way of love we have to come to terms with our own brokenness. This teaches us to depend on him and it develops within us an empathy for others. There are no short-cuts to love. It can’t be programmed and controlled. The process of learning to love as Jesus loved is a costly process that involves facing limitations and set-backs. It is only as we come to terms with our own brokenness that we gain the empathy and the humility to love others.

In a church culture that longs to be successful, we need to make sure we define success correctly. Success in God’s kingdom is not measurable in attendance records, it is not guaranteed by having relevant programs. Success happens when his followers follow his example of sacrificial love. The reality is that this process often results from coming to terms with our limitations and our brokenness.

Here is a pray I came across this week that encourages us to see how God works through our limitations:

I asked God for strength that I might achieve,
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do great things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power when I was young that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need for God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all people, most richly blessed.