working man

I'm loving the fall so far. I can handle this weather for sure, but I know that it will change. It is a season of transitions. Each of our summer rhythms are changing into new fall rhythms. Along w/ starting new small groups, beginning mentoring college guys, and continuing our Monday Bible study, I've starting working part time at a great neighborhood coffee house, The Firehouse Cafe (http://homepage.mac.com/mattchristman/firehouse/index.html). In my humble opinion, it is by far the best neighborhood hub, gathering neighbors and building community. I'll be working about 20 hours a week, and will see if this is too much this quarter (then adjust if necessary). I'm excited to have already begun meeting folks and develop new relationships. I figure I could knock on 50 doors, or work for a few hours and meet more people in a manner that is more organic, non-intrusive, and natural. I feel very blessed that God opened this door for me. You can pray that He would continue opening relational doors as I build deeper relationships w/ coworkers and regular customers.

lectio divina

While doing a tiny bit of research for a friend I stumbled upon this well worn gem called "lectio divina". It's an old Christian practice that beautifully, and meditatively, brings prayer and scripture reading together. It can be a powerful practice. I was reminded of it again while looking through the book "The Inner Room: A Journey into Lay Monasticism", by Mark Plaiss (2003). I think I may try to incorporate lectio divina into my week, and see how it goes. I invite you to join me, perhaps with reading the Psalms. Let me know how it goes if you do. Here's the excerpt from the book:

Chapter 12: More Prayer
“…Monasticism has a special tradition with scripture. That tradition is known as lectio divina, or holy reading. First and foremost, lectio is prayer. In lectio you do not so much read scripture as heart it with your heart. Lectio is not an academic exercise. In lectio you do not read scripture to decipher theology or prove a point. Lectio is not about knowing God, it is about experiencing God. Lectio is about listening.

Lectio is not a devotional. In a devotional, the person is active, petitioning, praising or beseeching God. The line of action goes from person to God. Lectio is just the opposite; God comes to the person and the person listens.

Lectio divina begins with a deep reverence for the Word. In Bible study, one may mark the text, underlining certain passages or scribbling comments in the margins of the page. That is not the case with lectio. Here, you do not impose your opinions or thoughts on the text.

You do not, however, simply grab a copy of the Bible, flop down in a chair, open the book and begin immediately to plow through Paul. Before entering into lectio, you cut yourself off from where you have been: going to another room of the house, leaving the house and going to church, stepping outside to the quiet of the yard or a park. Having found the appropriate site for prayer, you prepare your mind and soul for prayer. You take some deep breaths; you ask for God’s presence. One such prayer might be, “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of your love.” Many kneel or light candles as this prayer is prayed. The idea is that you are separating yourself – emotionally, physically, and spiritually – from what you had been doing prior to lectio.

You begin by reading the text slowly, and aloud, if desired. Reading aloud dispels distractions and helps to internalize the words being read. There is something about words rolling off the tongue that gives them more impact. You read until a certain word or phrase strikes a chord. That word or phrase is then repeated over and over, allowing it to seep into the soul. This rumination is the prayer. This is the essence of lectio. The chewing and the gnawing of the Word brings God into the depths of your being.

How much text should be covered in one reading? That is the beauty of lectio. There are no rules, and therefore no pressure, about the amount of text to be read at any one sitting. On time only a single verse may be covered. At another time only half of a verse may be read. Still other times several verses of scripture may be covered. Several months may be required to read an entire book of the Bible. The amount of text covered is never the issue. The issue is allowing whatever is read to be mulled over in the heart, allowing God to enter your being.

Although the amount of text to be covered is never important, consistently practicing lectio is important. Lectio should become a habit. Breaking open the Word should be a regular form of prayer…”

redemption song

I have given up on trying to finish John Calvin's "Institutes of the Christian Religion" in a year, but I continue to read and meditate on this great work. Today I finished Book II, Chapter 6, which focuses on Christ as our redeemer. I'd like to share a piece of the this chapter’s final section on the comfort we have in Christ:

“I wish to impress upon my readers... that the first step in piety is, to acknowledge that God is a Father, to defend, govern, and cherish us, until he brings us to the eternal inheritance of his kingdom; that hence it is plain, as we lately observed, there is no saving knowledge of God without Christ, and that, consequently, from the beginning of the world Christ was held forth to all the elect as the object of their faith and confidence. In this sense, Irenæus says, that the Father, who is boundless in himself, is bounded in the Son, because he has accommodated himself to our capacity, lest our minds should be swallowed up by the immensity of his glory (Irenaeus, lib. 4 cap. 8)... the meaning merely is, that God is comprehended in Christ alone."

I love this piece; it causes me to give praise to God, that He is a Father who defends us, sustains us, CHERISHES us, and faithfully brings us the end. He does all of this through His Son, Jesus. I especially love the quote from Irenæus. Knowing that if we as humans, w/ our limited bodies and minds, were to fully engage w/ God’s glory, we would be consumed by His awesomeness. So desiring relationship w/ humanity, God sent Jesus so that we may approach Him safely. It is a beautiful picture of God's grace, His power, and our need for Him.

support

This past week our car broke down. “Big Red” was a little jumpy as we drove around, so I got on the horn and called around. I spoke w/ folks from auto parts store and a couple mechanics, and the common denominator was our “mass airflow sensor.” I looked at our existing one and it was visibly damaged, so I figured it was a sure thing. By the time I figured out that this was probably the problem, the car wasn’t starting at all. Poor Big Red.

It was from this point forward I realized again how blessed we are by the people around us. A friend and neighbor from cohousing drove me to an auto parts store to order a new airflow sensor, which was a fun time of chatting and getting to know her a bit more. The next day, another friend/neighbor drove me back to the store to pick up the part. Again it was a great time of connection. Returning home to our dead car, I installed the new part; and to my dismay Big Red didn’t start! Apparently, my gamble to save a few bucks did not pay off. So figuring I had created enough damage, I resolved to take the car to the shop. But how to get it there? Again, my neighbor came to my aid and said he would tow me to the mechanic, but he didn’t have a tow strap. So we knocked on some doors around cohousing, and another neighbor/friend couple helped out, by cutting us some thick rope for the tow. Thankful, we towed the car to the shop w/ no troubles. Being Saturday, the shop was about to close, and said they could not look at it until Monday. Knowing Sunday was the next day and I had to lead music in Lynden (30 minutes away) that evening, I wondered how we were going to make it there. But, you guessed it; someone else came to our aid. Our good friends from Lynden drove down and hung out w/ us Saturday evening, bringing w/ them a loaner car for us to use. We were able to meet all of our obligations on Sunday as a result of having this loaner car.

The (hopeful) end to our car story came this morning when I received a call from the shop. They said that, in fact, I did install the right part, but neglected to finish the job by connecting a tube that came loose at some point, that I did not notice. I picked up the car, w/ no charge from the mechanic, drove it home (running like a champ – hooray for Big Red), and dropped off the loaner car to our friend’s place of work, here in town.

This whole experience was a bit of a pain in the neck, but made me realize, again, how blessed we are by those around us. In the short time we have lived in WA, we’ve made great friends who have supported us in incredible ways, practically, relationally, and prayerfully. Being on the receiving end of these things makes me resolve, again, to be there for folks who need some help and/or encouragement. Last week I was encouraged by Hebrews 10:23-25. I want to learn from and live out what it says. It reads, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” I would encourage you this season to join me, and think about how you can live these words out. He has blessed us richly in many ways; so, let us be a blessing, in His name.

looking ahead

As the rain comes down a bit today, I’m reminded that fall is not too far away. Fall is a great time to start things, find our life rhythms again, and to again connect w/ our communities on a more regular basis. With these aspects of fall in mind, I am looking, daydreaming ahead and planning.

In the fall I’d love to find new expressions of our life and church rhythms. Those being: to be social, to deepen our spiritual walk in Him, and to live out our faith through service. I hope that as the church plant continues gaining momentum we will actively pursue times w/ each other, to simply hang out and be social, whether it is w/ movies nights, coffee times, the Wii bowling tournament I’ve been daydreaming about, or spontaneous times together. I hope we’ll communally deepen our spiritual walks together. We’re planning on continuing w/ our Monday Bible group, and will meet together to pray and daydream about the future of this ministry. Some of my daydreams include starting a men’s morning group and another small group (maybe focused on prayer and food?). I also hope that we’ll find room to serve our neighbors, neighborhood, and city together, maybe w/ a monthly service project in Happy Valley.

I believe we are all called to live these communal and personal rhythms of being social, deepening our spiritual lives in Him, and living our faith in service. Social, Spiritual, Service: these are aspects of the lifestyle I want to live, and would love to live out w/ you in the church plant. Let me know if any or all of this sounds good to you. We’d love some help in starting these new groups, or for you to simply join us along the way. It is an exciting time, and I am excited for this next season.

encouragement from the trail

In the last couple of weeks I have been very encouraged by my neighbors here at cohousing. We have truly enjoyed all of our neighbors. They have welcomed us in ways I never thought possible. We connected right away w/ one couple here (in fact, before we even moved in). They have since become dear friends, w/ whom we share struggles and joys w/. Just recently, we have gotten to know other neighbors more closely and are building new friendships. A couple weeks ago one neighbor, w/ whom we talk and laugh w/ on a regular basis, out of the blue brought up spiritual matters w/ us, sharing where they've come from and where they're at now. I felt so honored that they would share this aspect of their life w/ us, knowing our vocation and all. These topics of conversation have continued ever since. Then, just this week another neighbor shared awesome words of encouragement w/ us. They said that since we have moved in (3 or so months ago), folks around here have rethought their perceptions of Christians. They've seen how we and our friends have welcomed and been friendly w/ others, how we parent, and how we're not too weird. This perception of us has shattered some people’s old paradigms of a stuffy, overbearing, and legalistic Christian faith. Again I felt so blessed to hear these words. I will tuck them away, and bring them out on a rainy day when I need a boost. I love my neighbors, and pray that we can continue to allow the Holy Spirit to tactfully guide our interactions, for His glory.

prayer

I decided to post all the old prayer letters that I've sent out to interested folks, since November 2008. They show the progression of my thinking and the process of what we're doing. This month's prayer requests are on this coming month's prayer letter. You can access all of them on the prayer link to the left.