a good reminder

I found this piece of truth from John Calvin's "Institutes" an encouragement yesterday. To remember that we are in God's hand, and to recognize this grace and release ourselves to it is a comfort, even in the midst of crazy weeks and seasons. This nugget comes from II.2.11 of the Institutes:

"I have always been exceedingly delighted with the words of Chrysostom, 'The foundation of our philosophy is humility;' and still more with those of Augustine, 'As the orator, when asked, What is the first precept in eloquence? answered, Delivery: What is the second? Delivery: What the third? Delivery: so, if you ask me in regard to the precepts of the Christian Religion, I will answer, first, second, and third, Humility.' By humility he means not when a man, with a consciousness of some virtue, refrains from pride, but when he truly feels that he has no refuge but in humility. This is clear from another passage, 'Let no man,' says he, 'flatter himself: of himself he is a devil: his happiness he owes entirely to God. What have you of your own but sin? Take your sin which is your own; for righteousness is of God.'"

day dreaming

"People don't come to church for preachments, of course, but to daydream about God" (Kurt Vonnegut, Jr). On Friday, we gathered some folks in our home to daydream about church. The folks who came have supported us in the church plant endeavor in one way or another, and I invited them to come and support us again as we begin to put words to our thoughts on church. I asked the crew what they value in their current church or what they would love to see in church. I was surprised when nearly everyone expressed the importance of community. Using different words, they expressed that church is/should be a place where one feels supported and can support others, where one is known, where one feels relationally safe, where one is a part of something greater than themselves, and where one is not just one, but one together w/ others... church is/should be an authentic community.

I believe we all long for authentic community, the place described by the group Friday. I love the idea of living a life w/ others where we are: 1) intentionally growing inwards (creating safe, fun places where we grow socially together and others feel the warmth of Christ), 2) intentionally growing upwards (growing in our faith and knowledge of our creator together), and 3) intentionally growing outwards (discovering and experimenting how we can live our faith in Jesus out in our neighborhoods, serving others). I love the idea of living a congruent life w/ others where these 3 rhythms of life inform each other. I believe others will be attracted to such congruency, and God will use it to draw folks to Himself. My prayer is our daydreams about God and church will continue to find words and feet and we move forward together.

room to breathe

I just finished a book entitled "How We Decide", by Jonah Lehrer. The title says it all; it’s a book about how our brains make decisions. Traditionally, it was thought that purely relying on our rational mind, w/ as little emotion as possible, was best. But, the author asserts that using all facets of our minds (both reason and feeling), in a balanced manner produces the best results. Not only that, but knowing when to step back and think, and when to follow your hunch, and being aware enough to know when to employ each. It was a fascinating read, w/ lots of interesting examples and research. One study explained in the book kept jiggling in my head after I read it. Here’s the excerpt from the book:

“Consider this experiment. You're sitting in a bare room, with just a table and a chair. A scientist in a white lab coat walks in and says that he's conducting a study of long-term memory. The scientist gives you a seven-digit number to remember and asks you to walk down the hall to the room where your memory will be tested. On the way to the testing room, you pass a refreshment table for subjects taking part in the experiment. You are given a choice between a decadent slice of German chocolate cake and a bowl of fruit salad. What do you choose? Now let's replay the experiment. You are sitting in the same room. The same scientist gives you the same explanation. The only difference is that instead of being asked to remember a seven-digit number, you are given only two numbers, a far easier mental task. You then walk down the hall and are given the same choice between cake and fruit. You probably don't think the number of digits will affect your choice; if you choose the chocolate cake, it is because you want cake. But you'd be wrong. The scientist who explained the experiment was lying; this isn't a study of long-term memory, it's a study of self-control. When the results from the two different memory groups were tallied, the scientists observed a striking shift in behavior. Fifty-nine percent of people trying to remember seven digits chose the cake, compared to only 37 percent of the two-digit subjects. Distracting the brain with a challenging memory task made a person much more likely to give in to temptation and choose the calorie-dense dessert… The subjects' self-control was overwhelmed by five extra numbers.”

What I found so interesting about this study was how it related to another book I read a few years back, "Margin" by Richard Swenson. In "Margin", Swenson asserts that we live a marginless existence, where our time is maxed out, finances are constantly stretched, and, as a result, our relationships are on the back burner. He advocates the act of simplifying our lives, allowing for more margin; margin to give to others from our time and wealth, and margin to be present w/ others doing the things we love.

The parallel from the study from "How We Decide" w/ the choices in refreshments and living w/ margin seemed obvious. When we max out our lives, financially, mentally, and relationally, we end up living a life we will wish we did different. We make lifestyle choices that we may regret, ranging from an unhealthy diet to having a distant relationship w/ our family. In John 10:10, Christ tells us, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” He came to give us not only a life, but a rich life. I believe many of the values we hold in North America are not helping us live the full lives Jesus desires for us. I believe this fuller life He desires for us is a life that allows us room to breathe, room to observe what God is doing around us (and praise Him for it), room to jump on board w/ what He is doing, and room to engage those around us who are both joy-filled and full of grief.

I don’t want to be overwhelmed by 5 extra numbers, or five things that will take me away from being present w/ others or would blur my vision of the God who is constantly present w/ us. I’m not advocating that we quit our jobs or blow off responsibility; I am, however advocating that we chill out a bit, take a deep breath, and consider how we can engage ourselves in the things that have greater purpose, and perhaps trim the unnecessary things that may slow us down from loving God, and loving others.

stamps

Come May 11th the cost to mail a letter will go up by 2 cents in the States. I thought this would be an easy and inexpensive way to bless my neighbors. Most of us still use snail mail, and it stinks when we’re caught on the increase. So next week I’m going to pass out envelops w/ some 2-cent stamps in them and my card.

As we are about to start our new church I find myself daydreaming about this community to-be. My hope is to live life w/ a community of people who share common lifestyle desires. 3 characteristics of my desired lifestyle include: 1) Hanging out together (over meals and/or drinks, and participating in what’s already happening (like the running club in the previous post), 2) Growing together in Christ (through reading the Bible, praying, worshipping, and eating), and 3) blessing our neighbors together (whether it’s regular service to others, or random things like giving away stamps. In these 3 things the common thread is authentic community w/ friends and God. If any or all of these aspects seem cool to you let me know. Jesus told us that the 2 most important things is to love God and love others; my prayer is that this will be the lifestyle I live and our new church focuses on.

i'm proud of my wife

I'm proud of my wife. Yesterday, we received news that a refined version of her master's thesis is going to published in an special edition of an academic journal called, "Mental Health, Religion, and Culture" (http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/carfax/13674676.html). We don't know when it will be in print, but we know she got in. Her research revolved around how women develop their identity as women, when they grow up in cultures that are not their home culture. These people are often called "Third Culture Kids," and include children of missionaries, international business people, and overseas military personnel. My prayer is that her research will help folks understand their upbringing and further empower them to be all they can be. Kate, my wife, worked very hard on this, and deserves this recognition. Getting research published was a goal she never thought she would accomplish... but she did it! She's smart and beautiful. Well done Kate; I'm very proud of all you do!

the run

This week I went to my 1st community run w/ Fairhaven Runners, a running store near our home. Every Tues. @ 6pm they have an “all paces run.” I thought it would be a great way to meet folks and make a community connection. I enjoy running, so it seemed like a natural fit. It was a cool time. I can tell that people know each other. They were very welcoming.

I ended up running w/ the group that was a bit above me, but it was a good challenge. I would never run at that pace by myself, but w/ the group I was able to keep up. Synergy, I guess. When we run together we are able to encourage each other along. In the case w/ this running group, they did not verbally push each other on. I was encouraged simply by their presence. I was thinking this is similar to our lives as well. I believe we are able to do more, and do it better, when we are in community. To be surrounded by folks who share the same rhythms of life offers support, accountability, friendship, and resources. As I think about the church we plan to start, the picture of group running together fits. Together we had purpose and synergy. My prayer is that we will run better together.

coming together

Tis the season to come together. I've been thinking about the strategy, vision, and values I hope the new church will have. As I do so, it feels a bit artificial (not my feelings or the ideas that are coming forth, but the process). These things (strategy, vision, and values) are things that we put a lot of work into, and then often put them on the shelf and forget about them. The process at times seems to place a higher priority on the process itself, rather than the people and their relationships (when it should be reversed). So I guess I am questioning the process, while at the same time acknowledging its value.

My hopes for the church revolve around developing a way of life together that is rooted in authentic relationship - relationship w/ God and w/ each other. I desire to find a common rhythm (to borrow a term from Mosaic - http://mosaicnw.com/ ) or rhythms together, w/ those 2 relationships at the center, that welcomes others, that's informed and growing in our walk w/ God, and that looks outward and serves others. As we begin to come together in different ways, I hope we'll come together in one of 3 ways: hanging out together, growing in Christ together, or serving others together. These 3 components are 3 elements of a lifestyle that I would like to share w/ others, a common lifestyle the church shares. These 3 lifestyle elements can be our strategy, our vision, and our values. Let me know how you see yourself sharing in this life w/ us.