Arm's Length

We all love to hear stories and to hear about people and their life experience.  The practice of sitting around a table or a cup of coffee and sharing tales of ages past has been long enjoyed by our culture, but I wonder if we are missing out on another blessing .  The blessing of sharing in the stories of those we find in the Scriptures?  So often we are willing to put ourselves in the shoes of a family member or co-worker that has shared with us a story or experience, but rarely are we willing to share in the story and life experience of faithful followers that pre-date us.  

Often in my life that I realize that I have neglected to give God the recognition that He is my God and Father, but also the same God that parted the Red Sea, confronted David with his sin, and sent a whale to swallow Jonah.  The same God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the same God of Steven, Matt, and Rebecca.  

As we enter the month of March we are beginning a four week journey through the book of Jonah and in this book my hope is that we will see how closely our stories align with the story of Jonah.  During this time we will see that just as God called Jonah to go to the people of Nineveh we too are called to the people of this great city.  That we need to be willing to do whatever it takes to make God’s call to all people to be heard and understood.  

Will you join in this story?

Public Mess

Public Mess

Over this past weekend our family enjoyed some time away to connect and make memories together.  Saturday evening as we were closing down the Magic Kingdom I noticed something that I remember seeing a number of years ago that I had forgotten about.  Now it isn’t anything special but it was just a reminder that somethings just can’t always be done in private or after the crowds have left.  As we were making our way out of the park, after midnight mind you because we’re cheap and we squeeze everything out of our ticket purchase, I noticed that the gas-powered vacuum cleaners were out in force making their way around the park.  Now this is something that some people might say should have happened after hours, but I believe that there is tremendous value in understanding that Disney knows that there is a lot to be done before opening again later that same morning.  So there they were in mass with engines going wide open making the park the place that we have all grown to love and enjoy.  This was a timely reminder that as we move forward as a church, here at Port Orange Christian Church, we cannot live our lives in private and behind the walls we put up.  We need to be living our life of faith and trust in the Lord out in the light of the community that we are called to serve.  We cannot just be Christians on the weekends or even just during the holidays.  We have to sweep up our messes and take out the trash often times in the full view of the people that we live beside.  The sooner we realize that we have messes to clean up and things to put in order the sooner we will be able to trust God with the dirty work and dirty parts of our life.  God make us clean.

For Real?

Okay, so I’m not very fancy right?  But this morning I was reminded of the fact that so often we are surrounded by people, things, and even terminology that can baffle us at times.  This morning in the coffee shop I hear names of coffee drinks, at least I think they are, that sound more like names of European race cars than they do drinks.  I am sitting next to a  young man that is studying from a book that is full of medical terms and procedures that I couldn’t begin to pronounce or understand.  All this reminds me that we know what we know and unless we are otherwise introduced to something new we will remain on the outside merely looking in.  

The church can have this same effect on so many people as they walk into a narthex or foyer of a church only then to proceed to the sanctuary or chapel.  Where they can far to often get lost in the stand, sit, & kneel of a traditional church service.  I find myself more and more trying to create an environment where people will feel welcome in our little cafe & auditorium.  So that when they are brave enough to drive into a new parking lot, walk through new doors, meet new people, and hopefully meet God a person like no one else they have ever met they will not be intimidated or turned off.  None of us will continue to frequent a place where we feel out of place, un-welcomed, or not on the same playing field.  Everybody wants to be an insider right away and though they may be difficult in a lot of settings it is not impossible in the church.

This Sunday no matter where you worship make an intentional effort to bridge that, familiar to you but scary to others, gap.

DO YOU SEE WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT?

This morning as I often do I grabbed a protein bar from the house and then enjoyed a cup of coffee at a local coffee shop. But this morning I tried to be a little more aware of my surroundings than usual, not because the crime rate of Port Orange is up but because I am constantly overwhelmed by the thought that God is always aware of what’s going on around Him and at the same time fully aware of what is going on in our lives as well. So this morning what did I notice? I noticed a local pastor sitting just a table away working on his computer, on what I don’t know, but intensely working nonetheless. I saw a mother enjoying a breakfast with her daughter before taking her to school for the day, a couple of men reliving their glory days, a group of cable workers strategizing their game plan for the day, and me just sitting and observing the lives of people that are coexisting but rarely intersecting. Now the interesting thought however is that if something big, tragic, or shocking had taken place in that little coffee shop everyone in an instant would have been aligned with concentrated focus and mutual concern for those involved or in danger. What does this have to do with the church, by church I mean the body of believers kind of church? It means that we must ask the question are we just a bunch of people that coexist on Sunday mornings never intersecting with one another or are we willing to align ourselves with God’s vision during this big, tragic, and shocking time? Are we aligned with concentrated focus and mutual concern for those involved or in danger? Are you connected and intersecting with those in your workplace, family, or small group? Grab a cup of coffee or hot tea this week and try to “see” what your looking at.

I think we'll make a go of it.

This blog has been a tool that I have under utilized. I believe in my desire to make it something that was a careful reflection of who I am I have missed the opportunity to express even the tiniest bit of who I really am. I am not perfect punctuation and grammar, that is only the result of continual reading and proofing that I make the necessary corrections and capitalizations. I do promise to try my hardest to type accurately but I am making a bigger promise to myself that I will try to use this tool for what it is a tool. In this blog as sporadic or consistent as it may be I will try to process that which is my life and ministry. I have been blessed to be a part of an amazing family and have begun the journey nearly 15 years ago to have one myself. Along this journey I have had many opportunities to grow and become what God has intended. I hope that via this tool I will be able to express my thoughts and ponderings in a way that will glorify God and will challenge me to think through my thoughts. If proper grammar is a pet peeve of yours I apologize and if long dry periods between blogs is as well then I ask your forgiveness and promise to do better.

Forgotten...

Today I find myself reading two books with the word, “Forgotten” in their respective titles. One of them focusing on, “The Forgotten Ways” and the other focusing on the “Forgotten God.” As I read through the both of these books in my somewhat traditional manner of reading more than too many books at one time I cannot help but ponder the fact that we have forgotten so much. Not only have we forgotten the ways of the missional church as Alan Hirsch rights in his book or how we have forgotten about the role of the Holy Spirit in Francis Chan’s book but there is more. There needs to be a rekindling of our since of adventure as we explore and unpack God’s plan for our lives. We know He has plans to prosper us, but what does that look like? Are we living our lives with our hands cupped anticipating a blessing but with our eyes clinched tightly as to not see the adventure and fellow adventurers before us?

A few weeks ago I headed of on an adventure to cross the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia with friends, alumni, bus, and a few alligators. The adventure, I prayed, would be one that would do more than warm the back of my neck with sun, but would fan the flame of passion I have for adventure in Christ. And boy did it ever ignite and fan a flame of passion unlike anything I had experienced prior. Paul set out through much more treacherous waters than I and he never hesitated and always delighted in God’s mission. Our mission is to thrive in this adventure that is called life and not to merely survive from day to day. My prayer for each of us is that we have not forgotten our way and that we have not forgotten our God. May you be blessed beyond all happiness as we adventure together.

Evil Technology? Or not?

As I sit typing this at my outside table at Panera in Louisville, KY typing this blog I am forced to think about how will I tell everyone that I have a thought to share. Ironically I am not thinking about: telling everyone when I get back in town, or making some phone calls to friends or family, but instead I’m thinking boy I hope my battery holds out long enough for me to share this news with all my friends on Facebook and all my friends on Twitter. The news of this new thought will spread quickly over many miles in the flash of an eye and cost me nothing. The technology that is at the disposal of the church is amazing and I was reminded today that the church has always been willing to use the technology available to it. We can all read our own Bibles thanks to the work of Mr. Gutenberg, we know of the marvelous work of Billy Graham because of the wonders of radio and television, and we can watch amazing sermons from guys like Craig Groeschel at lifechurch.tv when the mood strikes us.

I myself am a little guilty of being a little slow on the up take of the use of technology, but once embracing it I have been overwhelmed by the usefulness and impact of this tool. I look forward to utilizing this tool more and more and I know that as I work to be more influential for the Kingdom that God will continue to reveal to me ways in which He has given every tool we need. May God’s Word spread quickly whether on printed page, radio waves, or social media.

In His Grip,

Matt