Just finished reading the book Emerging Worship by Dan Kimball.

Dan is one of the leaders of the emerging church movement. Check out their website at www.vitagechurch.com

The book has a number of powerful thought provoking questions on what it means to be the church. One of the interesting facts to me as a student of Churches is that if you roll back the clock a few years ago there was a huge battle in Christianity. Worship wars if you will where churches were confronted with a percieved need to make sure they have contemporary worship, and churches were torn apart at times over the issues.

It seems in some ways the pendulum has swung back in a different direction as many young people are turning from the megachurch type church services to an ancient future post-modern style that blends much of the beauty of the ancient church with the technologies of todays. Multi-sensory worship. A desire to shun consumerism in churches in favor of returning Christ to the center. The thought that church isn’t something to be shopping for, it’s a place of sacrificial service, and giving, and pouring out. The worship is UNTO God, not for us. Of course we get the side benefits of enjoying it as well as God loves us so much…

He speaks of the need to be missional, to know are areas, study them and then reach out in real and relevant ways. I tend to be very MODERN in my thinking, and in many ways I think the Clay County, and SW Jacksonville area still probably posesses a fairly modern mindset. I love the tactil, multisensory, arts approach and think it really has a place in church life. I have no doubt God will continue to use a diversity of styles to reach the diversity of people in the world.

It’s cool to see people pouring everything they have out in an attempt to reach people for Jesus. To think about how people learn, to think about what would really help a person put the priniciples of Jesus in to practice. They challenge the thought process that the 3 point 35 minute service with a great performance during worship is the best way for people to learn. I tend to agree that it is not, that churchlife is much more than a meeting place, a service time, a small group. We are the church whever we go..

Although I don’t see Journey in this flow, I think when we do "Why Wait Till Sunday" and analyize our thought processes on church we will bring in many different flows, arts, tacticle worship, prayer stations, and other things to show some of the diversity of ways in which people worship God and while different, all can be celebrated.

If you want your thoughts on church challenged in a good way pick up a copy of "Emerging Worship"

If you want to dig deeper into my warped brain and read more of what I have read over the past year or so visit: http://astore.amazon.com/godfirsrevo-20

Started reading a new book entitled, "Emerging Worship: Creating worship gatherings for new generations" by Dan Kimball. It has some pretty powerful opening thoughts with regards to what "Church" should look like, or be about, especially when trying to reach those who are 35 years or younger who in many ways have seemed to abandon the church as we know it.

On p. 2 of chapter one he begins to contrast the meaning of a worship service vs a worship gathering..  "Ironically , this term used to mean a time when the saints of God all meet to offer their service TO God through worship and their service TO othersin the church." over time the meaning has gotten reversed and somewhere along the line the church has almost taken on a gas station mentality of where people come to be served, to get their weekly fillup, even pop in to the quickmart for coffee and donuts.

But in days of old it was the place where the christian community came to serve, it was far from a gas station mentality, it was not a place of receiving, but a place of worship to God where saints cam offering their lives, thier prayers, offerings of praise, confessions, finances, and service to others in the community.

These are not subtle differences, they are polar opposites and in many ways I think the author is right, in reading mega church growth materials the focus in america today does seem to be a consumer mindset. DO we have the right childrens church, worship team, high tech effects, etc. Some people church SHOP, a weird phenominon. we read as leaders books like the 5 star church where we want to wow people with the love of Christ and often times it does take armies of servants to pull all of this off.

All that being said, it may be time to rethink how we do church. To maintain the excellence, the caring, the serving, but also engage people in a different way where they see the value of their service, their reason for coming to church not to be served, but to serve others. To engage to bring their sacrifices of praise, offerings, and service to their God and King.

How wonderful if we could engage people in this way. Their lives could become a LIFESTYLE of praise and worship to their king, not a church filling station mentality where they are filled up to go about their week but that they were all ready filled up because their work, their everydays lives were acts of worship to God and church itself became the overflow experience.

Lord I long for those days, make it so in our churches, in our own lives. May our very lives be love songs to you oh God..

Book Review –
The Gospel According to Starbucks by Leonard Sweet

One benefit of long flights and layovers is the ability to knock out a book rather quickly. Leonards book was really an easy read. If you don’t know much about him, Leonard is one of the premier guys in the country with regards to the Post Modern movement. He speaks regularly and has authored a number of books.
I was immediately fascinated with the book and couldn’t put it down. I completed it well before we ever arrived in Lima.

At the heart of the book was what the author calls EPIC faith – Experiential, participatory, image rich, and connection based. Throughout the book he draws analogies with how Starbucks has really captured the essence of this flow.
He correctly states that people today are longing for engagement, connection, meaningful experiences, not simply intellectual arguments.

The church had once been a place of power, but has lost ground in many circles to simply being a intellectual endeavour.
Starbucks has managed to create a lifestyle for many. They have discovered that coffee is a hospitality drink and they have gotten people to pay $4 per cup of coffee, not just because the coffee is generally good, but primarily because they have created a coffee drinking experience! People will pay almost anything for a meaningful experience these days.

He talks about how people seek out a 3rd place, somewhere apart from home and church where they can socialize. At one time the church represented that 3rd place that people built their lives around, but that era has long since passed in most places. Being replaced by a bar or a coffee bar experience.
Leonard challenges people to live for God as with a grande spiritual passion.

Starbucks goes to great lengths to ensure that nobody has a bad experience. Our churches might do well to put the same time and attention into creating great experiences for those who walk through the door.

I also believe that he correctly talks about Christianity coming to life through participation in God’s redemptive plan. Scripture memory, intellectual theological arguments, etc are useless if a person is not living them out. We need to encourage our congregations to be participatory. Participatory in terms of worship experience, the message, but even more so in terms of engaging the world around us.

At different times in church history, the church was the place where the arts and great creativity flowed from, somewhere we lost our way, but need to strive to gain it back.
In terms of his EPIC analogy – Images are a key. TV and the internet have revolutionized the way people process information. These needs to translate into the ways our messages are communicated as well. EPIC preaching he says delivers through the passion of images in a global and local context.

The final C is connectedness and this is perhaps where God has been working on me the most. In the area of real and genuine friendships. Starbucks helps facilitate this by creating safe welcoming environments that facilitate conversation.

As I write this I am alone in a hotel room in Arequipa Peru and I believe with all my heart that God is speaking to me about the necessity in my life and in the lives of others to have real, vulnerable, down to earth relationships. He has communicated it to me through multiple means, this book, another book simultaneously that I am reading, confessions of a pastor, through the IPOD message on community that was the first to pop up by brian Houston of Hillsong Church. If the things are coming in 2’s and 3’s I need to listen. This is perhaps what God wants me to hear and place value on while I am here. To take what he is doing in my heart and apply it when I get back.

I have difficulty as a pastor and individual opening up to real genuine friendships sometimes. Partly because of the role in life, but also because at times when I have opened up I have been hurt, or people like my sponsor have passed away and that level of relationship takes a great deal of work and effort. Is it worth it, yes. So, I probably need to get to work on it with more diligence again..

As he wraps things up he challenges the church to reclaim it’s role as the community builder in society. He reminds us that Jesus’ final assignment to man was not a work assignment, but rather – he chose to call us friends.. hmm..

Some big questions abound –
How can we build the church to make it a place where such connectedness can happen in our context?
A place where community and life can revolve around God and passionately seeking Him.
How can we challenge people to live their lives with a spiritual passion that is grande and not luke warm?

I encourage you to buy a copy of the book, read it, post your thoughts, join this conversation so that we can come up with ideas that might vastly improve the way we minister in our area and beyond.
The conversation is the relationship!

Book Review – In a pit with a Lion an a snowy day.
-    Mark Batterson

We all need a challenge every now in then to chase after a lion, slay a giant, or step into a firey furnace.

In the spirit of other recent works like Erwin Mcmanus – The Barbarian way, or John Eldredge’s Wild At Heart, Mark Batterson challenges the reader to get back to some of the more primal instincts of Christianity. He along with many others feels that many modern day western Christians have been tamed. Our fire, zeal, and energy that would have us Run with the Giants gone for a more passive laid back consumer Christianity.

Like many other recent works he finds an obscure Old Testament  Scripture and brings it to life. In this case 2 Samuel 23 and the story of Benaiah.

2 Sam 23: 20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab’s best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 21 And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty men. 23 He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

Benaiah rose to the ranks of being King David’s Bodyguard not by shying away from challenges, but by pressing in and seizing on God given opportunities. In this case it didn’t matter if it was a lion, or snowing, or an Egyptian with a spear. He went after them, facing his fears, turning some of the most fearful moments in his life into the most memorable.

I have a habit of writing notes in the back of books. Ones that are kind of boring get very few notes, one’s that are intriguing and make relevant points that stir in my life get more. In this case 8 pages of notes in the generous white portion of the back of the book.

So there were a lot of things that touched my heart.

Here are a few of them.

Chase your God sized dreams no matter the outcome.

Success = Do the best with what you have where you are and make the most of every opportunity.

Spiritual Maturity = seeing and seizing God ordained opportunities.

Opportunity is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God.

Our greatest regrets in life will missed opportunities.

Benaiah didn’t focus on the odds or the disadvantages. He didn’t make excuses. He knew that impposible odds set the stage for amazing miracles.

Bigger God = Smaller lions

God is ordering your footsteps even if it feels like you find yourself in a snowy pit with a lion.

How Big is your God?

To overcome fear you have to face the very thing you are afraid of.

Are you living your life in a way that is worth telling stories about?

There are 2 types of people in the world complainers and worshipers – which one are you?

The circumstances you complain about are chains that imprison you. Worship is the way out.

No adversity = no opportunity

Faith embraces uncertainty.

The best moments in your life are unscripted.

God uses risk takers
Playing it safe is risky

Where is God telling you to get out of the boat?

Is the church playing prevent defense or storming the gates of Hell?

Lion chasers are actively looking for ways they can make a difference.

God is in the business of making sure we cross paths with the right people at the right time. Jesus is the ultimate insider.

Our destiny is determined by whether we seize the God given opportunities he puts in front of us.

Don’t despise small beginnings.

Opportunities usually come disguised as insurmountable problems.

Low expectations are produced by a small prayer life. To seize God opportunities you must be in prayer mode! Look for divine appointments.

There are 2 ways to live life prayer mode or survival mode

Guess what, you will never be ready to do what God has called you do. You just have to step up and let Him do the rest.

Don’t find your identity in security or position, but in God.

Finally, in the words of Mickey from Rocky 3 – The worst thing that can happen to any fighter is that they get civilized!

    Back to me. – I couldn’t agree more with Pastor Mark. Readers- don’t let your Christianity get civilized. Live your life in the supernatural. Believe God for great things, face your fears, and make a difference in the lives of others.

Book Review with my life experience intertwined.

To Own a Dragon
By Donald Miller and John MacMurray

A special thank you to Fred Meiners from Seamark Ranch, for sharing this book with me.

From it’s opening paragraphs I was captivated. Maybe it was because I had never met my real dad, and could identify with many of the authors feelings. Maybe because I was searching for answers to my own existence and hoped that yet another book could help me better identify why I had done many of the stupid things I had done as a child, and how I could prevent myself from repeating those bone headed decisions. Yes, your pastor still makes boneheaded descisions!

At it’s core, there was a lot to relate to about feelings, emotions, spirituality, and more. I’m big on people who are real and Donald’s writing style is about as real as it gets. The Washington Post said, “Miller.. writes humorously in a poetic, bohemian style…” Never heard that before, but maybe it helps sell books.

As I see it, “To Own a Dragon” is a series of thoughts and reflections on the meaning of life as viewed through the lenses of a man who grew up with out a father in his life. As the author notes, sure there were men who did their best to play substitute father throughout the years, but not having a real father in ones life clearly alters the world view of the young man who is attempting to grow up without that father figure in his life.

Unfortunately as the author points out, many don’t navigate those waters well. I was fortunate that my mom met a man named Dan Jaffe when I was 5 years old, whom she married when I was 13, and of whom I am proud to call dad. But nonetheless, there was often a sense of abandonment, mis-trust, failure, wanting to fit in, combined with years of addiction, that shaped me until I gave my life to the Lord in my early 20’s. Even then there was years of dealing with the wreckage of the past that oftentimes still leaves me feeling less than a complete man.

Add in a boy having a boy at age 18, and sometimes even though I have been there for Matt for the 17 years of his life, I often feel I don’t do that great a job as a dad having never fully learned what that meant myself. Well perhaps I’ve digressed a little to far off the book, but these are some of the types of reflections on life that it stirred up in my mind.

In the 4th chapter the author had a great quote from Dwight Eisenhower, “The problems of the world could be fixed if every child understood the necessity of their existence.” What would happen if they were not here? Wow. What a thought, a life changing one, that when grasped was world changing for me. I mattered to God and God had a purpose and a plan for my life. If I don’t live out my life making a difference in the lives of others for him, then who will?  The author lovingly and succinctly reflects that, “God wanted to include us in His Story!” What a sobering thought.

Reading on to around p. 90 the author introduces the concept of the Wounded Soul which would become key to his concluding thoughts. I’ve discovered that everyone to some degree is a wounded soul in this lost and hurting world. Some get help and flourish, others become dead to the pain and can life out a zombie like existence.

The author touches on many topics throughout the book. He spends some time on the subject of authority. He said that in his early days he resented people in positions of authority, especially men. I could say that I have often felt the same, preferring to be a lone ranger but that stance has really never taken me very far. The author sheds light on the topic of maturity. Learning the importance of having people who can speak into your life and avoiding people who don’t themselves submit to authority or have an authority speaking into their life. This is a constant topic in Christianity, “Who’s your covering?” It’s also big in the 12 step community of AA with Sponsors and mentors to help a person along from the perspective of  being a little further down the road. It’s been a very helpful concept to me.

He spends a great deal of time talking about the importance of making good decisions and likening them to the game of chess. Fitting analogies. The two that cut the deepest for me  were the sentences that read, “Stick with your strategy no matter what your emotions are telling you.” And “The more patient and calculated Ben was, the more he was asked to lead, and the more respect he got from everyone around him.” These were great quotes that I need to write on my walls. I have a frequent habit of foot in mouth disease. ☺

How about this one, “The hardest lesson in life is learning how to lose!”

Or ,”If you act mature and don’t judge others, you will be respected.”

There was also a brief digression about work as worship to God and not selling our character for a few bucks. Both importance concepts in the life of every believer.

My final favorites, “If we are not learning, we are forgetting. If we are not getting smart, we are getting dull.”

And “I tell them I am going to do something, then I follow through, and their trust grows.”

Now the conclusion. Yes it is a spiritual one. I will paraphrase even though he writes with much more eloquence than I. In his final chapter he brings it all back to the wounded soul. He closes the book by talking about a commission in South Africa that was established by Nelson Mandela in an effort to begin the healing process after years under apartheid. Desmond Tutu was asked what kind of people should be on the commission. Tutu essentially said that the group should be comprised of victims, but not just any victims, people who had gotten through the madness yet still has a spirit to forgive and bring healing to others. To be “WOUNDED HEALERS”.

Wow, isn’t that our calling? Isn’t that how God tends to work? The bible says that “What the devil intends for evil, God turns around for the good of those who love him!” God takes our deepest tragedies, applies his healing touch to those areas of our life, then says, go back out and help others. This has been my story and the story of thousands who have come before me.

Lord, take my addiction, my fatherlessness, my character defects, my having children too young, and turn the ODDS upside down. In my life God has turned around a series of these types of situations which could have ended in tragedy and said, “Eric, use these pains to make a difference in the lives of others.” And hey, guess what, remember where it says in the bible, I will never leave you or forsake you? Your earthly dad might have done that, but I will never do it, you can be secure in that.

I can honestly say God has exceeded my expectations in every area. Danny has been more of an earthly dad then I could have ever asked for. I have been sober for over 10 years. I have the wife of my youth and we have been married longer than we were alive prior to meeting. We have the church of our dreams. Relationships beyond measure, wonderful kids.. Lord, let me never take it for granted, and let me always be real!

Mr. Miller, thank you for your work, your pain, and your honest sharing. There is no doubt you are a difference maker! May your work with the fatherless be forwarded as you help introduce them to their heavenly father.