Resource Page on the MPVCC Website

We now have a "Resource" tab in the upper right-hand corner of the church website (soon, BTW, to be updated). Check it out here. There are three documents that are worth checking out:

1. A position paper on women in leadership in churches (I'm for it, and more importantly, I think the Bible is too).
2. An article to help inform us of a biblical perspective of financial stewardship. Read, think, dialogue, pray, and commit to what you believe God and the Bible are speaking to you.
3. A graphic (pie chart) of our 2009 budget. Click the graphic to enlarge it. (The percentages in parentheses are the healthy percentages for a workable budget.)

To go directly to the "resource" page click here.

Finally, I am so pleased with all the enthusiasm and people stepping up with creative ideas, and offers to serve. It's really very impressive...

Learning to Love Well

Yesterday we spoke about our vision for 2009. (It would be good for us as a church to take some time and focus on the fundamentals this year...)

1. Our vision for this year is simple and to the point: Learning to love well. (Pete Scazzero states this as his thesis statement in the book The Emotionally Healthy Church - p. 18)
   
2. Loving authentically and honestly – and venturing below the waterline to those places that hinder true and godly intimacy in the scope of all our relationships.

I also provided a snapshot of contemplative spirituality, which we will be focusing on later in the year…

1. My (current) understanding of contemplative spirituality is that it is about building spiritual and holy rhythms into our lives (sometimes it’s called a “rule of life”).
   
2. It is also about growing a quiet center in our hearts -- where we enjoy communion with God (Did you get a chance to read the My Heart, Christ’s Home booklet by Robert Munger?).

What does communion with God mean? It means that we are creating space in our lives to be with Christ. This is where Henri Nouwen, a Dutch-born Catholic priest and writer , reminds us of an excellent perception of the fundamentals/basics...

1. Nouwen said, “To pray is to listen…” To encounter Christ is to learn how to listen. The work of prayer – or growing intimacy with Christ -- is to create that space and to learn how to listen.
2. What are we listening for? (Nouwen says it so well…) To pray is to listen to, or for, the One who calls you, my beloved -- "my beloved daughter," "my beloved son," "my beloved child." This is what Jesus heard from his Father when he came up out of the water at his baptism.
3. To pray is to let that voice speak to the center of your being, to your guts, and let that voice resound in your whole being. Who am I? I am the beloved. That's the voice Jesus heard throughout his life and his ministry.
4. If you can’t hear that voice above the tapes that are already playing in your head then seek out some prayer and help...
5. If we can hear God’s voice saying we are beloved we can deal with an enormous amount of success as well as an enormous amount of failure without losing our identity.
6. True ministry (and evangelism for that matter) starts when we operate out of the understanding that we are beloved. We claim our belovedness and use it as a response to all the voices and tapes that play in our heads.
7. When we discover our belovedness by God, we see the belovedness of other people and begin to call that forth.
8. What we are talking about is the definition of obedience… (The Church has made “obedience” a “religious” word, not a spiritual word.) The primary action of Christian obedience is for us to make room in our lives to hear God call us beloved.

Click here for an excellent article by Nouwen entitled Moving From Solitude To Community To Ministry. Thanks to all the people who are stepping up to get things done and make things happen -- you help make this fun!!

Vision Sunday

There's a story about a major corporation that launched a new brand of dog food. Through research, they developed the most sophisticated, most nutritious dog food to date and poured millions into marketing it.
But it didn't sell...
Out of frustration, the corporation gathered in a Chicago hotel. The national sales manager got up and said, "What's the problem? We have this nutritious product that is cheaper and better marketed than our competitors' product. Why is nobody buying it?"
There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Then, from the back of the room, a salesman from Atlanta drawled, "The dogs don't like it."

Sometimes vision is overrated. As this story reminds us, vision is no match for reality. Here's a great quote (I think):

"A vision from God goes beyond simply recognizing that change is healthy; it celebrates the ability and opportunity to change." (Anonymous)

The above quote speaks to our vision for 2009: A Quest for Authentic Christian Spirituality. I (prayerfully) decided not to teach on "Enlarging Our Soul Through Grief & Loss" this week. I want to spend some time dreaming about possibilities for this coming year. If you go back a couple of posts (or click here) you'll find a questionnaire related to uncovering your spiritual passion. If we take the time to think deeply about our God-breathed holy passions it will help us think through the many opportunities before us. It's still important that we manage ourselves within the tension of grief and hope (or vision). We've also had some pretty cool people step up and take on some ministry responsibilities in the last couple of weeks. I'd like to take the time to acknowledge them and pray for them. Also, families talk about finances, so I'd like a chance to give a macro overview of our 2009 budget. Finally, we'll have a chance to interact and dream out loud together. And then there's worship...

Also, soon there will be a couple of documents that will be downloadable from the website. One is a position paper regarding women in leadership. We have added two women to our preaching/teaching team, which can be a hot-button for some people. So, read the article and if you'd like to dialogue, I'd be happy to. The other is an article on financial stewardship. This is especially important, I think, in a down economy like ours -- as a nation we're being forced to re-think how we spend our money. Via con Dios...

VERIFYING VALUABLE VISION

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3

When Jesus went to the cross he was looking ahead, past the shame and the agony to the joy of fulfilling his Father's purpose. Jesus was not, in any way, manipulated by his feelings or his circumstances. Why? Because he possessed a clear VISION.

The Value of Vision
VISION is a motivational incentive which is absolutely necessary for success in any long-term venture. Proverbs 29:18a (NAS) declares, "Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained." VISION serves us by empowering, sustaining, and restraining us during perplexing times. VISION is empowering because it provides us with focus, confidence, and enthusiasm. VISION can also be scary because it assigns us a measurable standard to evaluate our progress (or lack thereof).

Verifying Vision
Webster's Dictionary defines VISION as, "the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be." Another excellent definition for VISION is "to have a clear mental image of a preferred future, imparted by God to his chosen servants, based upon an accurate understanding of God, self, and circumstances" (Barna Research Group). VISION is an intangible quality which, if found lacking, leads to a lifestyle of desires never achieved and goals never reached. The attending frustration and despair are born out of an endless cycle of "good intentions" that remain nothing more than that.

Victorious Vision
There are at least four observations from Hebrews 12:1-3 that, if heeded and responded to, will make it possible for God's VISION to be revealed and released in us:

1. Lay aside every encumbrance and sin. First of all, we are to take all of our known sins and their effects upon our life to the cross. The Greek word for the phrase "lay aside" is APOTITHEMI (ap-ot-eeth'-ay-mee) and means to cast off, or to put away. The Greek word for the word "encumbrance" is OGKOS (ong'-kos) and literally means weight. The Greek word for the word "sin" is HAMARTIA (ham-ar-tee'-ah) which means to miss or wander off the path.
2. Run with endurance. This statement means to have Christ and his purpose as the main and most important objective of our lives. The Greek word for "run" is TRECHO (trekh'-o) and means to have a track on which to run while exerting all of one's effort to succeed (see also Matt. 6:33). The Greek word for "endurance" is HUPOMONE (hoop-om-on-ay') and means steadfast consistency; not wavering from the course, even when suffering is required.
3. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Just like a fighter pilot 'locks on' to his/her target, we are to 'lock on' to Jesus. The Greek word for the phrase, "fixing our eyes" is APHORAO (af-or-ah'-o) and means to look away from all distractions - Jesus wants our undivided attention on a regular basis.
4. Despise the shame. Reject the inevitable shame that will come from following Jesus. We live in a secular culture that is often carnal and profane in attitudes toward committed followers of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us that, "an unspiritual man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him." Because we appear to be foolish to "unspiritual" people it is natural for them to attempt to change us through shaming us. Shame is painful. Jean-Paul Sarte characterized shame as, "a hemorrhage of the soul." Jesus did more than endure shame, he despised it. The Greek word for shame is AISCHUNE (ahee-skhoo'-nay) and means the sense of disgrace and the humiliation that accompanies such disgrace. The Greek word for despise is KATAPHRONEO (kat-af-ron-eh'-o) and means to think little, or nothing of; to dismiss. This shame that is inflicted on us is a false shame, born out insecurity, which is easier to dismiss when we know that it's coming.

A wise person has declared, "A vision without a task is but a dream; a task without a vision is only drudgery; but a vision and a task is the hope of the world!" There is much more to life than just trying to get by. It is imperative that we persist and invite God to build a VISION for his purpose into our lives.

Here at M-PVCC our vision for 2009 is: A Quest for Authentic Christian Spirituality. We seek to live authentic lives, we seek to be Christian, and we seek a spirituality that is informed by our authenticity and our Christianity. As the picture at the top of this post suggests, this is not a sprint, it's a marathon. I am joyful to be on this journey with you.

This Sunday's Text: John 5:1-15 (The Healing at Bethesda)

This Sunday we will be looking at John 5:1-15 and asking the question: Do we have the courage to pursue emotional health? My intention is to lift four components of what it means to pursue emotional health from the passage. There are, however, a lot of very cool insights that we probably won’t be able to develop much on Sunday; so I thought I’d share a few here (my thoughts have been informed by commentary at BibleGateway.com)…

The picture above is a map of Jerusalem during the time of Christ. The Pool of Bethesda is shown in the circle (the NE corner of the city). Notice from the passage (v. 1) that the pool is near the “Sheep Gate.” This probably means the pool was used to bathe the sheep before they were taken to the temple. Yuk!! The picture below is a replica of what the pool, which was spring-fed, looked like. Bethesda comes from two Hebrew words -- beth and hesda, and means “house of grace.” Notice the five porches supported by columns (or what the NIV Bible calls a colonnade; the NAS uses the word porticoes). This area has been excavated in Jerusalem – the pool was actually two large trapezoid-shaped pools with a 21 foot wide space between them. The whole structure was enclosed by porches on each side with a fifth porch over the area dividing the two pools. Further down is a picture of what the Pool of Bethesda looks like today. Finally, by way of introduction, many commentators refer to the man who was healed as a Judas figure. The thinking behind it is that he apparently “sold-out” Jesus to the religious leaders who were making a case to put Jesus to death (v. 15).

With that said, this passage can be divided into three scenes:

Scene I
Jesus is back in Jerusalem for an unspecified feast. He visits the pool where people with various illnesses gathered to seek healing. Jesus takes the initiative, as he did with the woman of Samaria (see previous chapter), and approaches a man lying by this pool who had been ill for 38 years. We are not told exactly what was wrong with him. The NIV translates the general term astheneia (weakness or disease) as invalid. We are not told how long the man had been coming to this pool, but he had been there long enough to miss the stirring of the water a number of times.

The man finds himself in a situation of utter hopelessness and futility. But while the man cannot get to the pool, Jesus gets to him. The man is met by the One who is the constant source, not just of healing, but of life itself.

Jesus initiates the contact by asking if he wants to get well (5:6). John's gospel stresses both divine sovereignty and human responsibility, and here we see both Jesus' sovereign approach to this man and the importance of the man's own desire. What would we say to Jesus if he asked us if we wanted to be healed of our own illnesses – physical, spiritual, or emotional? Do we want to be rid of our addictions and other sins? A few minutes of authentic thought on this question could lead us to fresh depths of heartfelt repentance. It seems like a silly question - of course he would want to be healed. But perhaps the man has grown accustomed to his disability – what I call "becoming secure in our insecurities." Perhaps he would prefer the known pain to the terror of the unknown, with all its new responsibilities?? It’s important to note that God finds each of us as helpless as this man. The good news is that he desires to grant each of us life – with this caveat: God cares more about our character than our comfort.

This man has no idea who Jesus is. Instead of giving him a hand into the pool Jesus gives him immediate and complete healing. To be able to walk and carry his mat after thirty-eight years meant he received not just healing from his illness, but also strength and muscle tone.

Scene II
After describing this healing John mentions this occurred on a sabbath (v. 9). The religious leaders reproach the man for carrying his mat on the sabbath (v. 10). The Old Testament does not prohibit this activity, but rabbinic interpretation of the command not to work on the sabbath did prohibit it (m. shabbat 7:2; cf.). Since Jesus explicitly commanded the man to carry his mat we have a conflict between interpretations of God's will. The religious opponents believe the man is sinning as he obeys Jesus' command. The opponents ask, "Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?" (5:12). It turns out that the man at the pool does not himself know who Jesus is (5:13). Jesus keeps a low profile (I wonder why??).

Scene III
Jesus does not leave him in this ignorance but, in this final scene (5:14-15), he finds him in the temple. Again Jesus is taking the initiative. Jesus now speaks to him in a seemingly abrupt manner: "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you" (v. 14). The man had earlier obeyed Jesus' command, but it had gotten him into trouble with the religious leaders. Now he disobeys (at least from some commentator's points of view) Jesus' directive to stop sinning, as he seemingly betrays Jesus to the religious leaders. He seems to be caught between Jesus and religion, and he seemingly does not choose wisely. He now knows the name of Jesus, but he continues to be ignorant of Jesus' true identity (sound familiar?).

There is a connection clearly drawn between this man's sin and his illness (5:14), whereas a later passage (see John 9:3) seems to suggest that not every illness is directly linked with particular sins. This informs us that it would be unwise to view every illness as connected to sin. Having said that, it would also be unwise to reject the idea that there is never such a connection! In practical terms it seems wise to take any illness (or crisis) as an occasion for a sincere examination of conscience. And certainly, just because there are no crises in a person's life does not mean there is no sin to turn from (cf. Lk 13:1-5).

Asking this man to stop sinning seems like an impossible request, but it is actually part of the good news, implying that he has been forgiven (cf. Jn 8:11; Mt 9:1-8; Mk 2:1-12; Lk 5:17-26). Here we see Jesus taking away sins in the world -- forgiving even those who will go on to betray him. There is a theme in this gospel (and 1 John) that Christ-followers have been freed from the power of sin. Jesus is challenging this man to a new life, the life from above (John 3:3, 5). The barest glimmer of desire on this man's part brought Jesus' healing to his life, and now he is invited to move far beyond his weakness -- both physically and spiritually.

Jesus is healing a person who (apparently) is not even an active seeker of truth, and in doing so he reveals the graciousness of God. Here we have God's love revealed, which embraces even one who ends up betraying him. God is good.

DISCOVERING (OR AFFIRMING) YOUR SPIRITUAL PASSION

Last Sunday I spoke about being PASSION DRIVEN. My thinking is that, often times as Christ-followers, we will spend much of our time fighting our un-holy passions instead of getting in touch with our God-given holy passions. Following is a questionnaire that will help you to think and pray about getting in touch with your God-given holy passions. During this season at MPVCC I would love to see people connecting and aligning with their God-given holy passions. Please keep me posted...

• Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence. Matthew 22:37 (MSG)

• And now, isn't it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God? You're more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible. 2 Corinthians 7:11 (MSG)
  

A. A person's PASSION often leads them to some compelling action. It may be a PASSION for unwed mothers, the poor, unbelievers, youth, politics, students, etc. This is part of God's way of directing us to the place where we can best make our unique contribution.

B. Carefully consider the following questions to identify and state your PASSION. Assume that money, time, or abilities are not an issue.

1. What local, global, political, social or church issues cause a strong emotional stirring in you?

2. What kind, or group, of people do you feel most attracted to?

3. What is the area of need that is of ultimate importance to you?

4. If you could not fail, what would you do in order to make a difference?

5. In what area(s) of the church's current ministries would you like to make an impact with your life and unique gifting? OR, in what area would you like to be involved in helping start an effective ministry?

6. Conclude with a (concise) statement, or use some key words for what you understand your PASSION to be at this time. "In light of the above I would say that I have a PASSION to . . . (or for . . .)

Invitation to Journey: January 11, 2009

Highlights from Sunday's sermon...

I. Overview of what’s coming…
A. This years journey: A Quest for Authentic Christian Spirituality with a running list of theme possibilities to explore...

• Emotional and relational health/maturity – we develop EH through our capacity to be self-aware, to self-manage -- and love well.
• Prayer and contemplative spirituality -- The building of rhythms that intentionally cultivate our relationship with God.
• Sexuality – churches don’t talk enough about sex and sexuality. This year we'll be doing an expository study of Song of Solomon – the more we unpack the metaphors in SS, the wider our eyes will get :)
  

B. Book list for 2009 - click here (and scroll down a bit).

C. Selah means pause, and calmly think or reflect. Used 72 times in Psalms and 3 times in Habakkuk 3 (which one commentator describes as a highly emotional poetic song). Let's make this a selah week as we work our way through the 12-Point Spiritual Assessment.

II. 12-Point Spiritual Assessment (we’ll take it again in Dec)

1. Am I content with who I am becoming?
Every day we get one day closer to who we will ultimately be. Am I satisfied with who this will be? (Pro 19:23; Phil 4:11-12)

2. Am I becoming less religious and more spiritual?
The Pharisees were religious; Jesus is spiritual. Much tradition is religious, while relationship with Jesus is spiritual. (Roms 6:14; 7:4-6; 8:3)

3. Does my family recognize the authenticity of my spirituality?
They see us whole. We would like to believe, and must believe, that if we are growing spiritually, our family will recognize it. (1Jn 1:7)

4. Do I give-to-get-to-give-again?
John Wimber used to remind us that the reason we give is not just to “get,” but to, “get” -- so we can give again - and again, and again. Are we giving away that which God blesses us with? (Pro 11:24; Lk 6:38)

5. Do I have a quiet center to my life?
Peace is not just the absence of conflict, but the absence of anxiety in the midst of conflict. While our world system defines peace as (merely) the absence of conflict. (Psalm 46:10; 131:2, MSG)

6. Have I defined my unique contribution?
Do we know what we can do effectively? The need is always bigger than any person can satisfy, and so our call is simply to handle the part of the need that is ours to do. (Song of Solomon 6:9)

7. Is my prayer life improving?
One test of our prayer life is this: Do our decisions have prayer as an integral part, or do we make decisions out of our desires and then immerse them in a sanctimonious sauce we call prayer? (Lk 18:1; 21:36; 1Thes 5:17)

8. Have I maintained a genuine awe of God?
Awe inspires, it overwhelms, it intimidates our humanness, it inspires worship. Awe isn't learned; it is realized. (Ps 66:3; 68:35; 111:9)

9. Is my humility genuine?
Humility is not denying the gifts and power that we have, but admitting that the power comes through us, not from us. (Col 3:12; James 3:13)

10. Is my soul being fed?
We have different personality and character traits that need developing or dwarfing. That means we must search out the spiritual food that feeds our soul. (Phil 1:9)

11. Is obedience in small matters being built into my reflexes?
We can obey God out of fear or from love. God prefers love. (2Jn 1:6)

12. Do I have joy?
God doesn't need us, he loves us; and we don't work for him to earn his love, we work for him as a result of his love. He lets us work in order to mature us. That brings joy. (Jn 15:11; Mat 13:44)

• "Joy seems to be distilled from a strange mixture of challenge, risk and hope." (Keith Miller)
• "Joy is the serious business of heaven." (C.S. Lewis)
• "Joy is not happiness so much as gladness; it is the ecstasy of eternity in a soul that has made peace with God and is ready to do His will." (Anonymous)
• "Peace is joy at rest and joy is peace on its feet." (Anne Lamott, quoting her pastor)
  
• The Cycle of Romance ->Disillusionment ->Joy. Romance will eventually give way to disillusionment. To have an illusion is to have a false idea, so disillusionment is actually a good thing. If we embrace the reality of our illusions it will lead to -- joy. After joy comes romance (again). This cycle can become a "joy builder" in our lives.
  

A spiritual assessment is more than a statement of condition. It is also an indication of spiritual potential. May the coming year be a season growth toward your destiny in Christ.

III. Next 2 weeks:

• 1/18 - The Courage To Pursue Emotional Health (John 5:1-15)
• 1/25 - Enlarge Your Soul Through Grief & Loss (Matthew 26:36-46)