Ecclesiastes is becoming one of my favorite books in the Bible. I think it has a unique resonance with our postmodern culture. I like to think of it as the postmodern epistle. Here are some random reflections.
Mirage
1:8--"We are never satisfied." I think that most people believe in "the mirage." A mirage is an optical illusion sometimes seen in the desert or hot pavement that appears to be a pool of water.
Some people live their lives hoping and expecting to arrive as some place in the not too distant future where they are satisfied. But I think it's a mirage. We'll never be satisfied. We'll never arrive. We'll always be works in progress. And we ought to always have a measure of "divine discontent." I think "eustress" or "healthy stress" is a much better picture of what life ought to be like.
Jazz
The entire book of Ecclesiastes reminds of Blue Like Jazz. The author likens God to Jazz--just like good Jazz music, God doesn't always "resolve." Ecclesiastes is Jazz--there are lots of unresolved chords until you get to the final chapter. That makes for some "unresolved" verses that don't seem to make sense without the entire context of the book.
Another way of thinking of it is this--chapters 1-10 are the diagnosis and chapters 11-12 are the prognosis or prescription.
Selfishness
I'm convinced that wealth and pleasure and knowledge and power can be good things--but not if they are seen as ends in and of themselves. I'm more and more convinced that selfishness is hell. That seems to be C.S. Lewis' take in The Great Divorce. Hell is shrinking into our selfishness until we removed from everyone including God.
I think Solomon is miserable because his seeking is self-seeking. He says in 2:10, "Anything I wanted, I took. I did not restrain myself from any joy." True joy is found in seeking God's glory not our own.
Homeostasis
I love the truth in chapter three. Life is made up of seasons. It is a swinging pendulum, an ebb and flow. Like the Nantucket Nectar bottle cap says, "If every day were a good day there would be no good days." We've got to embrace the ups and downs and see value in the mountains and valleys. There is a homeostasis to spirituality.
Timing
Ecclesiastes is a book about divine timing. Part of it is understanding the seasons. And part of it is taking the long view. I love 3:11, "God has made everything beautiful in its own time." I think part of timing is not delaying. 11:4 says, "If we wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done." As a "P" on the Myers-Briggs and a Perfectionist, that verse is one I've memorized.
Two keys I've learned to help me deal with my fear of finality is to do "drafts." I have a hard time "tying off the umbilical cord" but drafts helps me do that in stages. And 11:6 says, "Plant a variety of crops." In other words, try lots of different stuff!
360 Degrees
Omniscience is a 360 degree perspective. You see all the way around an issue. I think most of my best decisions I've got a 1 degree perspective. Compared to God I have such limited knowledge. I may take three or four factors into consideration compared to a million factors that God is considering. That is why I've got to trust Him because He knows best. 3:11 says, "People cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end."
Truth is kaleidscopic.
3:14 says, "God's purpose is that people fear him." The word fear means "reverence" or "awe." I'm more and more convinced that if we truly lived our lives "in awe" of God just about everything else would take care of itself. That is what Heaven will be like--unadulterated awe. We'll live in jaw-droping, eye-popping, body-stopping wonder! I think we'll be absolutely overwhelmed.
Insecurity
I'm more and more conscious of my own insecurities. 4:4 hurts. "Most people are motivated to success by their envy of their neighbor." Pride is a by-product of insecurity. Many people never get to enjoy success because they were motivated for the wrong reasons which robs us of job!
Thought-Full
Chapter 5 is about being thought-full or mind-full. "Mindless offerings to God are evil." I've always believed that the more knowledge we have of God the greater our potential to worship God. God wants us to worship him in spirit and in truth (the opposite of ignorance). Ignorant worship is like saying "thank you" but you're not sure what for! It's a little disingenuous.
The Cloud
I think lots of people feel like they live under a a cloud--a cloud of guilt or cloud of fear or cloud or angst. 5:17 says, "Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud--frustrated, discouraged, and angry. I've seen this theme resurfacing in my life and teaching more and more.
Lot
5:19 says, "Accept your lot in life." I think this is wanting what you have instead of having what you want. 6:9 says it this way. "Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don't have." Those are two fundamentally different approaches to life that will determine how happy someone is.
I think part of this is accepting who you're not!
100% Present
Solomon tells the young man to enjoy his youth. 11:9 says, "Enjoy every minute of it." We've got to seize the moment. 12:6 says, "Remember your Creator now while you are young."
At the end of the day it's all about stewardship--how we spent our life. What did we invest our time and energy and money in? 6:12 says, "In the few days of our empty lives, who knows how our days can best be spent?" Solomon answers his own question in 12:13. This is where he finally resolves the chord. "Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person."
There is an old hymn that says, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey." It's true. The recipe for misery is to try to have it both ways--a little holiness and a little sin. The recipe for true joy is absolute obedience.

It's Day 18.
I'm going to "raise the bar" on this forty days of prayer and fasting.
I want to add the New Testament to my "reading goal." I'm almost through the Old Testament less than half way through this forty days and I want to read through the New Testament in the New Living Translation.
I'm also adding a writing goal--I want to complete a Soulprint manuscript by the time the forty days are up. I'm a "P" on the Myers-Briggs so I live in the "world of endless possibilities." I'm a "starter." I have an entreprenurial spirit. But I need to force myself to be a finisher. I don't know how many manuscripts I've started and not finsihed. My personality type needs "deadlines" so I'm giving myself one.
One word in Psalm 96:3 has really inspired me to write--"publish"--it sort of jumped off the page and into my spirit. The full text says, "Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does." That is my "writing verse."
The desire to finish a manuscript and see it published has been a source of angst in me--growing angst--for the past ten years. It's one of those clouds that seems to hang over my head. I'm such a perfectionist that it's hard for me to "tie off the umbilical cord." With the Lord's help I'll do it before this forty days is done!
Two thoughts on prayer.
Samuel Chadwick said the greatest answer to prayer is more prayer. Prayer begets prayer!
I think a healthy prayer life has a strong verticle element, not just a horizontal element. We tend to focus on horizontal human needs, but I think powerful prayers enrapture the horizontal needs into verticle praise of God. I think living for the glory of God is being vertically oriented versus horizontally oriented.
I'm impressed with the way, in the book of Acts and the historical books of the Old Testament, when the going gets tough they get verticle!

I spent some time praying at Results Gym today. The gym is where we used to meet when it was Giddings School. It brought back lots of memories--took me back to my roots. I'm not sure if it's my personality, but I like going back to my roots every once in a while. It keeps me humble and grateful.
When I go back to CBC, the balcony in the chapel brings back lots of prayer memories. I logged lots of hours in prayer. A few years ago we took a trip back to Alexandria, Minnesota and I've got a picture by the cow pasture when I felt called to ministry. Those places are my gilgal and mizpah and bethel.
When I look back I seem like such a different person than I was eight years ago. I think about how a few decisions really altered the trajectory of my life. I could so easily have been on staff at a church in Missouri or Chicago, but by the grace of God, was led to DC. And I think about the way God opened the door to pastor at NCC. It makes me think of Proverbs 16:9--one of my fall-back positions. We plan our course, but God orders our steps!
Poor
I have a growing burden for the poor in DC. I really think we have the potential to do something on a much larger scale. I think one of the greatest things we ever did was our Convoy of Hope in 1997--we gave groceries to 5,000 people. I think about helping the poor like I think about helping our missionaries. The more we bless our missionaries and the poor the more the Lord is going to bless us. Proverbs 28:27 says, "Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing."
First
I think putting God first is the key to just about everything. It's so simple. We seek His kingdom first. In other words, His priorities are our priorities. We give him the first fruits. We give him the first time slot of the day. We give him the first and best of everything we have to offer.
Sharing My Faith
I find that just about everyday I'm looking for opportunities to share my faith. It isn't always in words (though I'm praying for those opportunities). Sometimes it's a smile. Yesterday we helped a neighbor move a wood cabinet. I felt like I was sharing my faith in a practical way. I'm beginning to see everyone I meet as someone I can influence for Christ.
I'm not sure I have to share my faith in "traditional" ways. I wonder if the Lord can use my writing and preaching to influence more people in a non-threatening way. That's one thing I'm praying for.
Fresh Fire
I'm reading Jim Cymbala's book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire and I'm so inspired by it. I see so many similarities. We started with a core group of nineteen. I was in my mid-twenties. And it was rough going at first. I'm not sure I would have attended the church if I hadn't been the pastor!
A few thoughts from the book:
"God is attracted to weakness." I believe that.
I think we want to be self-sufficient, but it ends up hurting us. I've always believed that it was possible and laudable to be financially independent. But I question my motives. I think "independent" is the wrong word. I think some people's dependence upon God decreases as their wealth increases. Their wealth becomes their source of identity and reliance and dependence. Proverbs 30:8 is fascinating. "Give me neither poverty or riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs." Here's why. "For if I grow rich I may deny you and say, 'Who is the Lord'?"
The turning point for Brooklyn Tabernacle was a boat trip when God spoke to Jim Cymbala and said "Spirit to spirit"--"If you and your wife will lead my people to pray and call upon my name, you will never lack for something fresh to preach. I will supply all the money that's needed, both for the church and for you family, and you will never have a building large enough to contain the crowds I will send in response."
The Tuesday night prayer meeting at Brooklyn Tabernacle became the barometer--the gauge by which success and failure are measured.
I feel that same kind of subtle shift happening during this forty days of prayer and fasting. If we are praying, everything else will take care of itself. I think prayer is the plow that breaks up the hard ground and prepares it for planting and ultimately leads to the harvest.
For what it's worth, Jesus never taught the disciples to preach. He only taught them to pray.

We did a prayer walk at Ballston Common Mall today. I've found that some days it is easy to pray and other days it's hard to pray. I'm not sure I know why. Today was easy! There was something about praying at the Mall that gave me a sense of confidence and excitement. I think part of it was deja vu to February of 2003 when I did a prayer walk at the Mall when we were trying to figure out where to launch our next location.
I'm praying for miracles to come out of these forty days of prayer and fasting, but I really felt like the Spirit spoke to me today and reminded me that it's a harvest. Every prayer, every message, every outreach, every video plants a seed and those seeds will produce a harvest of souls. I think sometimes praying for miracles instead of working for harvests is a cop out. It's both/and--pray like it depends on God and work like it depends you.
I find that the better I'm doing spiritually the more I'm focused on influencing others. I find a more acute awareness of opportunities to share my faith. Sometimes it's as simple as a smile. Proverbs 15:30 says, "A cheerful look brings joy to the heart."
I think the worse I'm doing spiritually the more I think about myself. It's tough to get outside myself.
It's tough to describe, but there is a subtle shift that happens when we're doing well spiritually. Jeremiah 15:19 says, "You are to influence them; do not let them influence you." I think this is a fundamental measure of spiritual maturity--how much you influence others toward good versus how much others influence you towards bad.

Day 16
We did a prayer walk at Ballston Common Mall today. I've found that some days it is easy to pray and other days it's hard to pray. I'm not sure I know why. Today was easy! There was something about praying at the Mall that gave me a sense of confidence and excitement. I think part of it was deja vu to February of 2003 when I did a prayer walk at the Mall when we were trying to figure out where to launch our next location.
I'm praying for miracles to come out of these forty days of prayer and fasting, but I really felt like the Spirit spoke to me today and reminded me that it's a harvest. Every prayer, every message, every outreach, every video plants a seed and those seeds will produce a harvest of souls. I think sometimes praying for miracles instead of working for harvests is a cop out. It's both/and--pray like it depends on God and work like it depends you.
I find that the better I'm doing spiritually the more I'm focused on influencing others. I find a more acute awareness of opportunities to share my faith. Sometimes it's as simple as a smile. Proverbs 15:30 says, "A cheerful look brings joy to the heart."
I think the worse I'm doing spiritually the more I think about myself. It's tough to get outside myself.
It's tough to describe, but there is a subtle shift that happens when we're doing well spiritually. Jeremiah 15:19 says, "You are to influence them; do not let them influence you." I think this is a fundamental measure of spiritual maturity--how much you influence others toward good versus how much others influence you towards bad.
Posted by Batterson at July 29, 2004 10:06 PM
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Here are some thoughts on conversion.
Gordon Smith says, "There is really only one tragedy in human life--the failure to become a saint."
We need a new language of conversion. In the 1950's A.W. Tozer said the words "accept" and receive" were past their prime. We need more concrete word pictures to help people visualize the different dimensions of conversion. The langauge of conversion determines the way in which a conversion is worked out. Gordon Smith says our "language of conversion needs to resonate with the deepest longings" of the people we're trying to reach.
I like thinking of conversion as a "chain reaction." It sets off a number of simultaneous reactions. Conversion is kaleidscopic.
Emotional Conversion
I think some people believe with their head, but they don't believe with their heart. They haven't experienced an emotional converstion. They are still plagued with guilt (shame about the past) and anxiety (fear of the future). They don't "know they they know." The conversion hasn't permeated the deepest regions of the heart.
I think other components of conversion include an intellectual conversion where we know the truth and the truth sets us free. This is the "eureka" moment when the Spirit of God removes the veil and reveals himself. I think we need to undergo a volitional conversion. This is letting God get in the driver's seat and giving him the keys to your life. And I think there is a spiritual dimension . This involves the spirtiual transaction that takes place. We become a temple of the Holy Spirit. Our sin is forgiven and forgotten (this can also be considered the legal or forensic dimension).
Pictures
I think conversion is like activating a credit card account. Once it's activated you have access to credit. The way we gain access to our spiritual credit--what Christ has already done for us on the cross--is by activating a relationship with Christ.
For what it's worth, faith is the only thing that can activate the account. And faith is the only thing that increases the credit limit. Romans 4 says that against all hope Abraham, in hope, put his faith in God. He was "fully persuaded" that God had the power to do what he had promised." Verse 22 says, "This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness.' The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him who raised Jesus from the dead."
I think we need more "concrete" pictures of what Christ has done for us on the cross. I think every generation needs to play off of different pictures depending on the historical context. As Gordon Smith says, "Conversion never happens in a historical vacumn." I think the gospel is relevant in every generation because it speaks to our deepest longings, but those longings change based on time and place.
I think there was a time when the gospel played off "the fear factor." Conversion was "life insurance." But I'm not sure that is the cultural climate we live in. I think we need more positive appeals--appeals that play off of our highest hopes rather than our deepest fears even though the gospel addresses both. I think the gospel as an "invitation to a party" in Luke 14 is a good example of a positive appeal.
Sinetics
I think the way we see conversion is affected by the way we see sin. Sin is a waste of energy. Sin is a waste of potential. Conversion helps us reach our potential energy.
Sin is trying to meet a legitimate need in an illegitimate way. Conversion is meeting our deepest needs God's way.
Sin is total independence from God. Conversion is total dependence upon God.
Sin is sickness of the soul. Conversion is health and wholeness.
In a sense, if we always acted in our best self-interest we would always obey God. Sin is like a self-inflicted wound. We self-destruct. Jeremiah 7:19 says, "Are they hurting me? Most of all they are hurting themselves."
Sin is death. Conversion is life.
Final Thoughts
I think conversion is a process. Soren Kierkegaard said, "Do not be afraid of the laborious pace of conversion."
Every conversion is absolutely unique!
We need to help people write their spiritual autobiographies. And as Gordon Smith says, "One writing of our story is not the last writing." We need to keep writing and rewriting our story.

Here are some of my ramblings as we think about starting a fourth experience in the fall.
Questions
I think a huge part of church is deprogramming or deconstructing what we've done and rethinking or revising our experiences. This blog is an attempt to rethink what we're doing by "thinking out loud." The ultimate goal is life change. We want to see people take the "next step" in their spiritual journey. For some of them that is one step closer to Christ, for some it's crossing the line, for other's it is leaving something behind or taking something away, for other's it's breaking a bad habit, for other's it is putting a principle into practice.
I think it's easy to create "co-dependent" Christians--they need their weekly fix. Church is something that is "done to us" rather than something we do. I'm concerned about that. I want us to help people "discover things for themselves." I think deep change rarely happens while "listening." I think it happens in prayer or reflection or service or confession.
As we plan our services I think there are some key questions that need to guide us:
What is the big idea? Can we express it in a single sentence? What does God want to do in people's lives this week? How can we creatively help people put this message into practice? Is there a creative way to help them "cross the line"? Is there a creative way to help them make some kind of commitment?
I think we ought to do a Journey Sunday at some point during the ID series--maybe to end the series. I think the "Rain" video from Nooma would be a cool closing segment on helping people understand God's heart for his children. If we do a message on our identity as "Children" that would be a cool closing segment."
Reconaissance
I'd like to do reconaissance in a few places:
Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan does something called "Doubt Night." I like the idea of a service where the agenda is determined by the questions of people attending. I've always wanted to try some kind of Q and A or dialogue after a message, but the theater isn't as conducive to that. I think too many churches are answering questions people aren't asking. Questions insure relevancy!
I'd like to check out Solomon's Porch in Minnesota. From what I've read it seems like a very "open" participatory experience that may give us some ideas for our Saturday night service @ Ebenezers (our coffeehouse on Capitol Hill).
I'd like to Check out a prayer service at Brooklyn Tabernacle.
I'd like to check out H2O in Orlando--both their Thursday night deal and their weekend service.
And I'd like to check out one of Westwind's monthly worship gatherings.
Next
Here are some "questions" I'm wrestling with as we prepare to launch another service in the fall. What should our next "experience" or "gathering" look like?
I like the idea of a more "open worship" format that allows for selahs--reflective pauses--and possibly "what the Spirit saying to us" moments--allow room for a word of knowledge or prophetic word. We allow the Spirit to amend the agenda! I've always wanted to experiment with a Q & A that allows for dialogue. I like worship experiences that take me where I've never been instead of a "been there and done that" kind of linear approach to church. One way to do that is to allow more participation because different people will take the meeting in different directions. Of course, sometimes they'll take it where you don't want it to go! But even that can be a learning experience.
Possibilities
Church in the round--I like the idea of setting up a very different seating arrangement. I can see doing some kind of setup that is much more personal or interpersonal. It removes the "moat" between the pastor and people. I think "mixing it up" has a positive effect--new begets new. New places beget new perspectives. New expereinces beget new insights.
Stations--I like Stations because they are "best of both worlds" approach. You can stay where you are and worship (and feel comfortable doing that) or go to one of the stations and pray or confess or take communion. I think we definitely want to design Ebenezers so this works in that environment.
Names
If we go back to different experiences at different times I think we need new names that give identity.
I like the idea of doing a more creative bible reading via video--Frontline does a good job of this. They use moving backgrounds to help people visualize Scripture. I like the idea of doing more "Scripture videos." This would be a new genre of video. I think the "Forgiveness" video (Micah 7:19) and Reagan video (Romans 5:6-8) are examples of "Scripture videos." For the ID series I could see doing a video at the cow pasture in Alexandria where I was "called to ministry" and God really re-routed my calling/destiny. It is my damascus road. I think we need to bring Scripture to life via moving images--it turns a two-dimensional text into three-dimensional images. I think the "Bring me to Life" video selah was an exposition of Ezekiel 37.
I think our laptop gives us creative license to do more "on sight" stuff. For example, I think we can capture some video clips of people on the way in, edit them during the service, and actually show a video at the end. It's not real-time, but it's getting close. We could have an "interview station" or "story station" on the way in where we pull people aside who are willing to be interviewed or we do some "candid camera" questions based on a message topic. An example would be turning our "group share" time at Inward Bound into a video. We'd ask people--what was your most embarassing moment? Then we turn that around and show it at the end of the service. "On the way in this morning we asked some of you about your most embarassing moment." Here are a few of the answers! I think it'd create a participatory or family feel.
I like the ideo of a "video recap" from week to week." I'm envisioning a 90-second recap during the offertory of what we talk about the previous week. This could be part of our "preview" (towards the end of the loop) or during the offertory. Or possibly as part of "video announcements" if we move that direction.
I really like the idea of being more intentional about candles in the theaters--they create a sense of sacred space. I think we need lower house lights and more candle light to help create a sacred feel. I think there is tremendous potential at Ballston for this kind of setup--stations, candles, etc. because of stage space. It's a little tougher at Union Station.
I like the idea of a "reflection question" to begin and end some Club events or Coffeehouse services. It's tougher to begin services at the theater with a subdued or reflective feel. We tend to start more upbeat there which is great. I think a coffeehouse or club is more conducive to reflective worship.
I think we want to continue to be creative with props and artwork and symbols. For the ID series, for example, possibly "fingerprinting" people on the way in one morning. It'd have to be optional, but it'd be a cool way to making it a unique morning.
I think we could use "parchment" paper or butcher paper or play dough or clay or any other number of props to help people think about themselves. If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be and why? If Pastor Mark was an animal, what kind of animal would he be? We could turn Jeremiah 18 into a "hands on" message. Anything to help people participate. Give everybody some play dough and have some fun!
Just as we have "physical comedy" I think we need "physical messages." The Old Testament prophets used their bodies to communicate. They spoke in "word pictures."
There are such powerful images in Scripture. We need to help people picture them. How do we do it with "the bottle of tears" or "bowl of prayers" or "book of remembrance" or "blotting out our transgressions." How do we communicate those images in a five-senses/three-dimensional ways?
Rhythm
I think we need to be more sensitive to the church calendar. There is a rhythm to the Old Testament that is missing in the postmodern church. Next year I'm going to use the forty days of Lent as a season of prayer and fasting. There were three feasts in the Old Testament built around important historical events like Passover and rhythmic events like the harvest.
I think the seasons in our culture are "New Years"--people are ready to make changes. Love is in the air around Valentine's Day. I think Lent is an important spiritual season that the Prostetant church has largely overlooked. We also overlook Pentecost. Summer is a unique season for churches. And then "Back to School" is a momenum building season. And of course the "holiday season" between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The Missing Pieces
Here is part of what I think our current services are missing:
More informal dismissals where people can tarry--we have time constraints in the theater. We don't have very many "selahs" where people can reflect or meditate. I like the idea of "reflection questions" or "confession times" or "Scripture meditations" via video. The goal is to get people to actually think and feel a message--to get a message from their head to their heart. I think an example was the Inward Bound reflection question--am I building altars to God or monuments to myself? I think gaps in a service allow the Spirit of God to alter the tone or agenda of a service. I want to allow for Spirit-led "amendments." This also allows for spontaneous expressions of praise or prophecy. I like people doing "different things"--stations. The value of Journey Sundays is not allowing people to "go through the motions." They got out what they put in. I like pushing people this way every once in a while. I don't want to make guests feel awkward, but I want to get people out their "Sunday morning Routine." I also love the idea of "honest talk about tough issues." I like the give and take of a Q and A. I think it'd make for some interesting Sundays.
William Dryness says, "We must listen carefully to this generation and reread Scripture in the light of their dreams and fears. Then perhaps we will present the gospel and plan our worship in ways that respond to their quest and reintegrate words and images. It is possible that we might actually win the battle of words but lose the battle of images. And losing that battle could well cost us this generation."
I think one role of the preacher is taking the pulse of a particular generation or geography. Charles Spurgeon said preaching was like a doctor choosing medicine for a patient--you can't randomly choose. Spending time with people and finding out where and how they're hurting is critical. I think the prayer wall we did gave me more insight into the needs of the congregation that anything we've ever done. You discover where people are at.
I think we need a service that is more "raw." Our service are "well done" right now. And that is fine. But we need some "rare" or "raw" experiences that are a little more edgy.
I'd like to redefine announcements as "connection points."
I think we need to do a "Connection" after each service where people can meet the Lead Pastor or Point Pastor or someone on staff who will tell them about NCC. I think we need a "ten minute" kind of gathering just to help people get connected quicker.
End Goals
I think we need to do more thinking about end goals or end results:
We want to help people take the "next step" in their spiritual journey. We want to help people become more like Christ--more committed followers. We want people to live in "daily dependence" upon God. We want to glorify God in creative ways. We want people to "live in awe" of God. We want people to walk the talk Monday to Friday. We want to challenge people to "cross the line" and commit their lives to Christ.

I think one of the things I've always grappled with is my ability to trust God for the big things, but doubt him in the little things! I trust God with my eternal destiny, but doubt his ability to meet my temporal needs! I think most of us don't need "a faith that moves mountains." We need faith to believe God for the molehills!
I think one of the big challenges that most Christians face is what I would call "disconnects." There is a disconnect between our head and head, between believing and feeling. I think most Christians "believe" they are forgiven, but they don't "feel" forgiven. The truth in their head hasn't made the one foot journey into the heart.
I think one of the paradigm shifts we need to make is understanding the fundamental fact that God is for us not against us! Proverbs 13:21 says "Blessings chase the righteous." It's like we've got homing devices or magnets for the blessings of God! The Lord wants to bless us! He wants to favor us! Romans 8:31 says, "If God is for who, who can be against us?" I think getting this truth deep into our heart of hearts is absolutely critical to our spiritual help. It gives us a feeling, in the words of Oswald Chambers, of "inner unconquerableness."

One of threads that is weaved throughout Old and New Testament is awe. That is a pretty good end goal: we want people to live their lives in awe of God. Our weekend experiences need to be designed to fill people with "a deep sense of awe" (Acts 2:43).
One of my deepest held convictions is that no one walks through our doors by accident. Every one is there by divine appointment. We have a unique window of opportunity to speak into people's lives and alter the eternal trajectory of their lives!
If you asked the average person to supply adjectives for church, descriptors like boring, irrelevant, hypocritcal, outdated would probably top the list. That is a long way from I Corinthians 14:25--"They will fall down on their knees and worship God declaring, 'God is really among you'." We want people to have a "God encounter."
Our weekend experiences are NCC's primary portal--that is how most people come into contact with NCC. I think the mantra is true--as the weekend goes so goes the church. Everything else we do is important--especially small groups. But I think weekend services set the tone for the body at large.
When I preach on Sunday I'm cognizant of the fact that a half hour is multiplied by the total number of people in attendance. I pour my life into preaching because that half hour is multiplied by approximately 700 people. So one message equals 350 hours--nearly two weeks!

When we influence another person we never know what kind of ripple effect it will have.
I think of the people in my life who have had a profound impact. Many of them don't even know how much they impacted me.
For example, I remember a missionary (Chris Smith) speaking at our church when I was a teenager. He prayed and prophesied over my afterwards. That prophecy has been a fall-back position for me ever since. When I'm going through a tough spot or I'm at low tide I'll often think of those prophetic words that continue to encourage me more than a decade later. I'm sure he's prayed and prophesied over thousands of people and wouldn't even remember me. But his life influenced my life and hopefully my life is influencing others who are influencing others.
In 1858, Edward Kimball, a Sunday School teacher, led a shoe saleman named D.L. Moody to the Lord. D.L.Moody became an evangelist who, preaching in New England in 1879, awakened the evangelistic zeal of F.B. Meyer, a pastor, who later preached on a college campus and led J.Wilbur Chapman to the Lord. Mr. Chapman became involved in the YMCA ministry and asked Billy Sunday, a former baseball player, to preach. His preaching brought such a wave of revival in Charlotte, N.C. that local businessmen planned another revival that used Morticai Ham. During his meetings a young man named Billy Graham heard the gospel and gave his life to Jesus Christ and the ripples continue to expand in an ever-widening circle of influence! Edward Kimball describes the turning point of Moody's life this way. "I determined to speak to Moody about Christ and about his soul and started down to Holton's shoe store. When I was nearly there I began to wonder whether I ought to go in just then during business hours. I thought that possibly my call might embarrass the boy, and that when I went away the other clerks would ask who I was, and taunt him. I determined to make a dash for it and have it over at once. I found Moody at the back part of the building wrapping up shoes. I went up to him at once, and putting my hand up to his shoulder, I made what I afterward felt was a very weak plea for Christ. I don't know just what words I used, nor could Mr. Moody tell. I simply told him of Christ's love for him and the love Christ wanted in return. That was all there was. It seemed the young man was just ready for the light that then broke upon him, and there, in the back of that store in Boston, he gave himself and his life to Christ."
Who would have thought that Edward Kimball, who taught a little class of boys, could affect the eternal destiny of so many souls?

I'm really rethinking spiritual formation--how do people grow into Christlikeness. Are our "services" designed to optimize growth? How do we help people cross bridges and pass milestones in their spiritual journey? The Old Testament is full of rites and rituals. There are some in the New Testament (Baptism and Communion), but I wonder if we don't need some more Mezuzahs and Ebenezers. I think we need to add some more physicality to our spirituality.
More on that a little later.
Postmodern Missionaries
I think church planters need to view themselves as postmodern missionaries. We need to rethink and rediscover and reinvent evangelism, worship gatherings, preaching, and spiritual formation for postmodern generations.
This blog is some of what I've been rethinking. The end result will be another service in the fall, but I'm not content with just doing what we've done in the past. I think we've got to consider all the options, discern the wind of the Spirit, and then take a calculated risk based on what God seems to be doing. As with everything else, it'll be an experiment.
We used to give each of our worship experiences a different name to create an identity. FYI--I like worship experience or worship gathering to "worship service." Service is what we do when we leave!
The problem with our first go at it was that they were too alike to really justify different names. I do like the idea of renaming them and trying to create different experiences. I think the easiest way to do it is by venue. Venue determines 75% of what you can and cannot do. A movie theater is an awesome venue, but it doesn't allow some of the creative options that a club or coffeehouse would. For example, it's difficult to do stations or create an altar or allow for Q and A in a theater. It is more observatory than participatory by virtue of the venue.
Pastoral Roles
I like to redefine my role as pastor via metaphors. I think of myself as a spiritual coach. As a spiritual coach I'm trying to push people past their limits. I want to stretch them for one reason--so they play up to their potential. I didn't always like my coaches at the time, but they pushed me in practices to prepare me for the games--when it really counted. My role is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. The word "next" is at the heart of my pastoral lexicon--I always want to push people to be thinking of the next step in their spiritual journey.
Another pastoral metaphor is that of an engineer. I'm trying to engineer experiences or environments that facilitate spiritual growth. I can't "make" people grow. But I want to be an expert at creating opportunities where people can grow. I want to "set people up" to experience God and see God in new ways.
New
If we're still doing church two years from now the way we're doing church now we're doing something wrong. We're living off old manna. I think we need to always be reinventing ourselves.
I like to think of church in developmental terms. I have an eight-year-old son. I have no idea what he'll be like twenty-five years from now--what he'll look like, what he'll do with his life. His identity will totally change over the years. He'll be the same person, but a very different person. NCC is an eight-year-old. I hope, Lord willing, that I'm still pastoring NCC twenty-five years. But I have no idea what we'll look like, what we'll feel like, or who we'll become. Our identity is always changing and morphing.
It's amazing how many times the Psalmist says, "Sing to the Lord a new song." We need to experience God in new ways. We need to take people to new places. I think that is the quintessential challenge of ministry--presenting ancient truth in brand new ways. Truth is kaleidscopic. We reveal the beauty of truth when we help people see it from different angles.
At our Inward Bound Retreat we did "stations." We've done it before, but one station was new. We did a "wash" station. The "cleansing ceremony" or "rite of purification" is a thread that runs throughout the book of Leviticus. As I reflected on those rituals I recognized a "physicality" to them. There is something about a physical action that helps us internalize spiritual truth. So we washed people's hands to symbolically help people internalize the truth that Christ washes our sins away. It was a powerful experience because it was new. I doubt that a single person there had ever experienced God in that way.
We also tried to give people a "new picture" of forgiveness via video. We played off of Micah 7:19 that says God casts our sins to the depths of the sea. We did an "on location" video shoot (with underwater camera) because we wanted to give people an image to hold on to. We wrote out confessions and put them into a confession box on Friday night. Then we threw the confession box to the bottom of Lake Habeeb with Audio Adrenaline's song "Ocean Floor" as a backdrop. It was a powerful picture that I'll never forget. Swinging Pendulum
I think so much of ministry is about the tension of opposites. Job 11:6 says "True wisdom has two sides." I think truth is found where tensions collide! The way that works in my life is that I find my teaching and my life is a "swinging pendulum." It's tough to stay centered. I usually underemphasize something in my life and overemphasize something else. Then the pendulum shifts.
I see this in my devotional life--swings between Bible reading (eating) and Prayer (breathing). I have a hard time keeping them in perfect balance. I also see it in my teaching. We try to swing between what we call "outreach series" that are more milk than meat and "discipleship series" that are more meat than milk. It's tough to keep a balance. I see this in my life theologically. I tend to swing back and forth on the supernatural--the amount of emphasis I'm giving to miracles and spiritual gifts and the Holy Spirit.
I think spirituality is a rythym thing or momentum thing. There is an ebb and flow that can't be controlled or manufactured. You just have to "go with the flow" by "keeping in step with the Spirit." You have to lick you finger, put it up in the air, and see which way the wind of the Spirit is blowing. It is more art than science!
Altars
As I've read Scripture and researched other churches I've made a few observations:
There sure are alot of "altars" in the Old Testament. I'm not sure that we're very good at capturing or celebrating or commemorating spiritual milestones. I think our worship gatherings need times where people can create an altar via a selah--a time of reflection or meditation or journal writing. I'd love to produce some journals for some of our series so people can take notes and more importantly, write down what God is saying to them and what they are believing God for. I've always felt like we needed a service that ended with the altar. We need opportunities for people to linger or tarry in God's presence. I have always felt like our best services were the ones where people didn't want to leave. We did an informal dismissal, but no one left. I don't think every service needs to end that way, but it is one of the things I like about the Club and future coffeehouse. It'll be conducive to this kind of environment. A theater really isn't. Our services are pretty programmed--and they have to be. But we need to complement that with a service that has a more "open feel" and isn't as programmed.
The word "education" means "to draw out." To often we try "to stuff in." We try to fill people with in-formation and then wonder why there isn't trans-formation. It's because we don't allow people to discover things for themselves. Our services aren't "open-ended" enough.
In a sense, I think the creation of altars is like "marking a trail." They are reminders of how we got to where we are which seems to be a big concern of God. He doesn't want us to forget.
Vows
Another major Old Testament theme that is see is "sacred vows." It is amazing how many times David talks about the different vows he's made to God. Psalm 76:10 says, "Make vows to the Lord and fulfill them." Vows are a step beyond goals or resolutions. They are a sacred promise. I wonder if we "let people off the hook" too easily by not challenging them to make concrete commitments to God. I think we need to be more creative in challenging people to take concrete steps in response to messages.
I need to temper this with Ecclesiastes 5 which says it's better to not make a vow than to break a vow. It is serious business!
Order of Service
I think we need to rethink our "order of service"--the different elements that make up a Sunday morning experience. We need to be more intentional in communicating "why we do what we do."
I think we need some more formal elements like a "call to worship" and "benediction." But we need to do them in a way that recaptures their original intent--to prepare people for worship and to bless people as they leave. We used to do a "focus thought" that helped get people focused on our theme for the day. But that seems to be one of those elements that isn't urgent so it doesn't get planned.
I continue to wrestle with "preparatory worship" and "responsive worship." I think worship is both/and. It prepares us to hear the word--it opens our spirits. I've always likened worship to a "lock."
I asked my wife to marry me on a boat ride on Lake Michigan with the city of Chicago as a backdrop. In order to get onto the lake you have to go through the lock because the water levels of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River are different. The lock allows you to "rise to the level" of the lake. I think worship allows us to rise from the natural to the supernatural. It prepares our spirits for what God wants to do in us.
But worship is also responsive. The Holy Spirit touches "spiritual never endings" during a message and worship can be a more meaningful response after the message is already preached. I envision a both/and approach with "open worship."
Crossing the Line
I think we need to find creative ways to help people "cross the line" and put their faith in Christ. The "altar call" and "sinners prayer" were effective measures for a season of history, but we need new ways of helping people sign on the dotted line.
We've tried this different ways in the past--pick up a book (First Steps) or talk with someone about the decision you've made or celebrate communion for the first time or fill out a connection card or raise a hand. I'm not 100% satisfied with any of those "next steps."
I think this requires rethinking conversion. I'm hoping and praying for a unique way of doing this that fits NCC's DNA. It needs to be a "defining moment" which I think requires some kind of physical step or action.
I'll explore this more in a future blog.

It's Day 14 of 40. I spent the last several days up at our Inward Bound Retreat at Rocky Gap without Internet access so this is a compilation of several days worth of reflection and revelation.
Radical Minimum Standard
I think one of the things I'm discovering is that a "lukewarm" relationship with Christ is miserable. I like thinking of "lukewarm" as "room temperature." You just fluctuate based on your surroundings. You have one foot in and one foot out. The end result is a loss true joy and true freedom and true power.
Peter Marshall said, "We are too Christian really to enjoy sinning and too fond of sinning really to enjoy Christianity." That is where so many people live--no man's land between holiness and sinfulness. They are miserable because they are “too Christian” to enjoy sinning and “too fond of sinning” to enjoy Christianity.
In his book Unstoppable Force, Erwin McManus says we need to emply a "radical minimum standard." He says, "When we are afraid that the minimum is an unreasonable maximum, we limit the Spirit of Christ from working in the hearts of those who genuinely desire to be used by Him." Bingo.
Closer
During our tiki torch worship on the beach on Saturday night, Steph felt impressed that the Lord wanted to know what we wanted from him. It reminded me of Solomon's dream in II Chronicles where the Lord asked Solomon, "What do you want? Ask and I will give it to you." Solomon answered wisely. He wanted wisdom. And because he wanted what God wanted he got so much more!
There seems to be a theme in what the Lord is speaking to me and NCC. At our staff "pray and play" retreat in May I felt like the Lord asked a question and it dictated the agenda of the entire retreat. I felt like the Lord was asking each of us, "What do you desire of me?"
Well during our worship session I felt like my answer was pretty simple: I want to be closer to God. I want to be so close to God that when others are around me they feel close to God.
I think there are a few keys that really come out of Inward Bound. The first is purity. The Talmud says that sin pushes against the feet of the shekinah (glory of God). So when we sin we're pushing God away. C.S. Lewis has a powerful description of Hell in The Great Divorce. He basically pictures Hell as a place where people shrink smaller and smaller into their selfishness and move farther and farther away from each other until they live in utter loneliness. That's where pride eventually takes us!
I think humility is the other key. Psalm 138:6 says that God "keeps his distance from the proud." I remember going through a season a few years ago where my "prayer mantra" was "I humble myself before you." I would pray it over and over and over again. I feel like I'm back to that place.
Silence
One of the highlights of Inward Bound for me was "a vow of silence." We did a prayer walk around Lake Habeeb. I enjoyed the sounds of nature--owls hooting and crickets cherping (or whatever they do). It just so happened that I was reading in the minor prophets that morning. Habakkuk 2:20 says, "The Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him." Zephaniah 1:7 says, "Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord." I think silence can be the highest form of worship--words escape us. I think that's what is happening in Revelation 8:1 during the half hour of silence--a cosmic collecting of breath.
Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God." One of the highest places a relationship can reach is being comfortable enough in each other's presence that you can be quiet--not because you don't have anything to say but because you just love being with that person.
Blaise Pascal said, "All of man's miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone." I felt my spirit recalibrate as I sat by the lake and just listened to the Creator and His creation. I got rid of all the "white noise."

It's Day 10 of prayer and fasting.
I sometimes like personalizing Scripture by inserting my name or realizing that all the Old Testament references to the Temple now refer to me--I am a temple of the Holy Spirit. I read Isaiah 62 today and substituted DC for Jerusalem. It makes for a pretty powerful prayer. Here's a compilation:
"Because I love DC, because my heart yearns for Washington, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. Your new name will be the City of God's Delight and the Bride of God, for the Lord delights in you and will claim you as his own. O Washington, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray to the Lord day and night for the fulfillment of his promises. Take no rest, all you who pray. Give the Lord no rest until he makes DC the object of praise throughout his earth."
I head off to Rocky Gap for our annual Inward Bound Retreat today. The timing is perfect. I came up with a formula a few years ago: change of place plus change of pace equals change of perspective. Jesus was always retreating and reentering. Can't wait to "steal away" with God this weekend.

We did another "prayer pilgrimmage" from Union Station to the Capitol this morning. I really feel like our prayers are planting seeds that will reap a harvest.
Havest Joy
Isaiah 16:10 says, "Gone now is the gladness; gone is the joy of the harvest...I have ended all the harvest joys." I think joyful churches are churches that are reaping a harvest. The joy is proportionate to the harvest. I've felt lately the importance of us refocusing on reaching the unchurched and aggresively going after the lost in keeping with Luke 14.
I'm amazed at how much "joy" is talked about the in Old Testament--it seems to be an important barometer. I'm praying Isaiah 35 for DC. The last verse says, "They will be overcome with joy and gladness." Isaiah 28:5 says, "Then at last the Lord Almighty will himself be Israel's crowning glory. He will be the pride and joy of the remnant of his people."
Isaiah 22:11 says, "All your feverish plans are to no avail because you never ask God for help." I think praying and planning and inseperable. Planning without praying is worthless! I think I've wasted so much time and energy on the hampster wheel with my "feverish plans" but they don't get me anywhere. I'm been so impressed with Haggai 1:5. "Give careful thought to your ways: you have planted much but harvested little."
I don't want us to spin our wheels as a church. I want to make sure we're doing what "seems good to us" and "seems good to the Holy Spirit." I'm not content with doing "what seems good to us." Like Moses said in Exodus 33:15, "If you presence doesn't go with us, do not send us up from here."
I'm reminded during this season of prayer and fasting that "better is one day in the courts of the Lord" than a thousand elsewhere. I'd rather have one word of wisdom from God than a thousand words of wisdom from man.
I think prayer is the key to effectiveness--doing the right things--and efficiency--doing things right.
Culture Shapers
I read yesterday that America is on the verge of losing it's "majority prostetant" status. I think Protestants make up 52% of the country--down from 63%. I think it signifies something bigger. There is a war being waged for our culture. We can bury our heads in the sand and ignore the fact that we've "lost ground" or we can do something about. We can "curse the darkness" or "light a candle." I felt impressed today to pray for Christians to rise up in "culture shaping" professions--politics, entertainment, education, journalism.
One reason I love NCC is because it is comprised of culture shapers. I think we need to view culture shaping professions as "mission fields." I think we need to think in biblical categories and realize how strategic these occupations are.
Educators shape the mind. What is taught or isn't taught will form worldviews and paradigms. Politicians define boundaries. I believe a nation will blessed based on how closely it's laws approximate the laws of God. Where there is divergence there unrighteousness. We need some Christian entertainers--musicians, artists, filmmakers--who glorify God via creative expression. And we need people who compete in the marketplace of ideas via journalism--people who aren't afraid to speak the truth in love.
Collective Sin
Someone mentioned this morning that it is tough to pray for others when you've got sin in your own life. I have "gaps" I'm trying to close, but once we confess our individual sin, then God uses us to repent for the collective sins of the city. I felt impressed to repent of two sins this morning.
The first is the sin of Molech. The Israelites did human sacrifices--sacrificing their children to Molech, the god of the Ammonites. I don't know that I've ever "taken it to heart" or been impressed the way I was this morning. But is the sin of abortion any different? We have sacrificed millions of babies on the altar of convenience. God forgive us!
I think the second sin is sexual sin. We're in the middle of a nation wide battle to define right and wrong as it relates to marriage. There is sexual confusion because we call right wrong and wrong right. Lord forgive us for moving the ancient boundary stones.
I'm reminded that where sin abounds grace does much more abound.

It's Day 8 and I'm read through more than half the Old Testament already. I've found that the more I read the bigger my appetite becomes. I don't think I've ever read this much Scripture in this short a time.
Window-Shopping Prayers
I'm reading a great book titled Adventures in Prayer by Catherine Marshall, wife of Peter Marshall (former Chaplain of the Senate). She says too many Christian pray "window-shopping" prayers. Window-shopping can be enjoyable and it costs nothing, but you walk away empty-handed. She says, "Too many of our prayers--private and public--are just browsing among possible petitions. We expect nothing from our prayers except perhaps a euphoric feeling." I think too often we pray and forget what we prayed for so even if that prayer is answered we fail to give God the credit. That is probably one reason for a prayer journal to track what we're praying for.
I think another angle on this is Yonggi Cho's comment that "God doesn't answer vague prayers." I'm praying for more specificity in my prayer life. What do I want to believe God for? I think an example is the prayer desire the Lord has birthed in my heart to see Acts 2:41 happen once in my lifetime. I'm believing that at some point I'll be part of 3,000 people baptized in one day! I don't know how or where or when it'll happen. But I'm believing for it.
The Prayer of Helplessness
Catherine Marshall also writes about what she calls The Prayer of Helplessness. She says, "Helplessness is one of the greatest assets a human being can have." The more helpless I am the more credit I'm bound to give God. Helplessness forces us to really rely on God--and that's the goal. II Corinthians 1:9 explains why bad things happen to good people. "This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God." God wants to move us from a place of total independence (sin) to total dependence (Spirit-led).
It's about daily dependence. We need to take up our cross daily. There were daily sacrifices at the Temple. The manna had a daily expiration date. I don't want to live on leftovers! And the only way to avoid that is to be in the word on a daily basis. For what it's worth, the King was commanded to read the word daily. Deuternomy 17:19 says, "The king must always keep this copy of the law with him and read it daily as long as he lives." The Psalms that speak of David meditating on the word day and night are a fulfillment of this command.
The bottom-line is this: I think our most effective prayers are the ones prayer out of helplessness. And we all qualify on that count.

I just finished reading a book titled Strongholds by Peter Wagner.
I'm really immersing myself in anything and everything I can read on strategic prayer. The focus of the book is something called spiritual mapping that I find to be a fascinating topic. Spiritual mapping is "an attempt to see our city as it really is, not as it appears to be." I think is the combination of research and revelation. This blog is a little of both.
It is spiritual espionage. When I pray I often feel like the twelve spies who did reconaissance in the Promise Land.
The Strong Man
Cindy Jacobs says that spiritual mapping is dicovering "inroads Satan has made which prevent the spread of the gospel and the evangelization of a city for Christ." In other words, what are the footholds or strongholds in a city?
There is a pretty straightfoward principle in waging spirtual warfare--you have to bind the strongman first. Luke 11:21 says, "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own homestead, his possessions are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied, and distributes his plunder.
In order to bind the strongman you have to identify the strongholds. I think spiritual mapping is like an x-ray or ultrasound of the city--it reveals problem areas (the reason for the pain and sickness). And it reveals opportunities. It reveals the schemes of the enemy. Paul said he didn't want Satan to "outsmart us." So he said, "We are very familiar with his evil schemes."
I think we underestimate the authority available to us as children of God. Matthew 18:18 says, "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." To bind means "to prohibit, to forbid, or to fasten with chains."
The Personality of a City
I think part of spiritual mapping is discerning the "personality" of a city. What is the personality of DC? I don't feel like I've got a complete handle on this, but I have some insights based on living and pastoring in this city for the past decade.
I love Meg Greenfield's book Washington. It's a must read for every Washingtonian. She says there is a "nervousness" in this city--everybody is up for election. Your position is never secure--resulting in high levels of uncertainty and insecurity. And there are always people competing within congressional offices for positions, competing for government dollars, lobbyists competing for time and attention. She says there is a "pretense" about this city--everybody has this public persona.
DC is definitely politically correct. George Otis Jr. says, "Tolerance is the opposite of discrimination." But he says, "My fear is that when tolerance becomes exxagerated, it might take us two steps backward and the end could be worse than the beginning. When tolerance is supreme, the only thing not to be tolerated is intolerance. Christianity, by nature, is seen an intolerant because it claims that God is absolute, that His word is truth, that His morality is normative, and that only through Jesus Christ can lost human beings regain their personal relationship to Him. Christianity is anything but politically correct."
DC is a place of power. There is a saying that floats around DC quite a bit--"Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely." I think most of the people elected to political office have good intentions--they want to make a difference. They believe in a cause. In the words of Charles Dickens, DC is "the city of magnificent intentions." Despite good intentions, every elected official faces the danger of corruption by power.
I think another "god" is a false view of freedom. In America, we want the freedom to do whatever we want to do. And usually that translates into the freedom to do what is wrong. But Jesus gives us the freedom to do what's right.
I think one key to identifying strongholds or footholds is understanding what idols a culture or city worships. In DC, the idol is positions of power. There is a never ending jockeying for position.
Personal Strongholds
Gary Kinnaman says personal strongholds are "things that Satan builds to influence one's personal life: personal sin, thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and behavior patterns."
Joy Dawson calls them "holes in our armor." They are places where we're vulnerable. When we sin we open ourselves to enemy attack. In II Chronicles 18, King Ahab disguises himself and goes into battle despite a prophetic warning. Verse 33 says, "An Aramean soldier, however, randomly shot an arrow at the Israelite troops, and the arrow hit the king of Israel between the joints of his armor."
Curses
You can't read the OT without noticing how prevanlent curses are--some are the result of disobedience, some are the result of a prophetic curse. Some curses are generational and some are territorial. But Proverbs 26:2 says, "A curse without cause shall not alight." Jesus broke the curse of sin--and every other curse with it. All the promises of God are yes in Christ (II Corinthians 1) and all curses are broken.
Spiritual Perimeters
I believe in establishing "spiritual perimeters." Just as Israel walked, sang, and prayed around Jericho for seven days, we've done prayer walks around Capitol Hill, Union Station, and 201 F Street, NE. I'd like to pray where the original forty boundary stones were laid by Benjamin Banneker. I am a believer in "on location" prayer.
Kjell Sjoberg says, "Part of spiritual mapping is to ask the Lord for prophetic words and visions concerning churches, cities, and nations." I believe Isaiah 35 is a prophetic passage inscribed on Union Station. It's no accident that it adorns the gateway to the Nation's Capital and National Community Church. It says, "The desert shall rejoice and blossom as a rose." It is a promise of spiritual renewal.
Collective Sin
Sjoberg makes a great distinction between individual sin and collective sin. Individual sin is the sin I've committed, need to take personal responsibility for, and confess. Collective sin is sin committed by a race or group or city, and while we may not have participated in it personally, we can repent of it. Ezra did it. Moses did it. Daniel did it. They stood in the gap and repented of collective sin.
In Old Testament times, one expression of revival was tearing down altars and idols. In our culture, that means tearing down false ideas and philosophies and arguments. It is intellectual idolatry. It is intellectual pride. It is more intellectual than physical.
Spiritual Mapping
In the coming months I want to get a better handle on the factors that make up the personality of the city. Among them are historical factors, physical factors, and spiritual factors. Bob Beckett says, "A way to communicate or talk with a city is to study and research the city's history and heritage." Beckett likens it to putting together a jigsaw puzzle.
Parish
More and more I feel like Washington is my parish. I watched my Father-in-Law plant a church, invest more than thirty years of ministry in one place, and bear unbelievable fruit because the roots went so deep! Starting with one person, Calvary Church in Naperville impacted thousands upon thousands of lives. I'll never foget his funeral--the longest line-up of cars I've ever seen. It stretched for miles. All because he was committed to one place.
I feel that same kind of commitment to Washington. Bob Beckett says that some pastors/churches never seen the kind of impact they could have because they lack territorial commitment. I think the Lord is birthing a more genuine love for this city in my heart.
I still remember praying in the observatory gallery at the National Cathedral in May of 2003. I remember praying in a 360 degree circle for the city and asking God to give us the land. I believe those prayers will be answered in the years to come. We've seen the "first fruit" but we haven't experienced the harvest yet. The harvest is yet to come!

It's been an incredibly busy day--seven hours of meetings. But what a difference when the day starts in prayer.
A few observations:
Too often I allow my emotions to rule my spirit instead of allowing my Spirit to rule my emotions. Things happen virtually every day that can hijack me emotionally--anger, discouragement, anxiety, guilt. And if I allow them to, they'll ruin my day. But I feel like I'm learning to allow my Spirit to rule the day.
I just read a great verse, "Those who fear the Lord will fear nothing else." That is the heart of this process for me--caring less about what people think (fear of man) and caring more about what God thinks (fear of God). Living a fearless life. One of my definitions of faith is the willingness to look foolish. God often calls us to do things that look fooolish on paper, but they (in keeping with the anniversary of Neil Armstrong's famous Moon Walk) are one small step yet one giant leap.
I'm noticing how often David references "vows" in the Psalms. That doesn't seem to be part of our New Testament experience, but I wonder if it should be. It sure seems like making vows and fulfilling vows was one way David stretched himself spiritually.
Psalm 61:5 says, "You have heard my vows, O God." Verse 8 says, "I fulfill my vows day after day." He made vows when he was in trouble. Psalm 66:13 says, "Now I come to your Temple with burnt offerings to fulfill the vows I made to you--yes, the sacred vows you heard me make when I was in deep trouble." I'm not sure if this is prescriptive, but it seems like David uses a vow to get him out of trouble. A few months ago when I hit bottom, a vow helped me bounce.

I think the thing I'm learning today is that the key to maintaining spiritual momentum is not getting distracted. I think "Seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness" is making our relationship with Christ the focal point that everything else revolves around.
I'm finding that during this forty days I'm thinking about God when I get up in the morning and thinking about God when I go to bed at night. And that hasn't always been the case. Too often my first thought is how much I need to do that day and my last thought is how much I need to do the next day!
The issues, challenges, discouragements, energy drainers, and problems in my life haven't changed. What has changed is my focus. I don't allow those things to pull me away. They push me toward Christ.
The one change I see is that I'm not dealing with the accumulation of sin in my life. Too often we wait to deal with sinful thoughts, attitudes, behaviors until they accumulate and overwhelm us. I find that during this forty days I'm "isolating" those sinful issues in my life and dealing with them. I'm so far from perfect, but I feel like I'm "managing" those sinful issues better by isolating them, repenting of them, and trying to establish new patterns of righteousness in my life.
One last thought on distractions. Blaise Pascal wrote extensively and brilliantly on "diversions." He said, "If man were happy, the less he were diverted the happier he would be, like the saints and God." I'm finding that to be true! I think the more sinful we are the more diversions we need to keep our minds off of it. The more righteousness we become the less diversion we need. God becomes our "eternal diversion"--the source of joy unspeakable and full of glory.
I think David ranks near the top of "least diverted" persons in the Bible. He meditated on the Lord and the Word day and night. He found delight in the law of the Lord (and He didn't even have the full revelation of Scripture we have). By the way, his one diversion (watching Bathsheba from the Balcony) proved to be his downfall.
God is calling us to live in "undivided devotion" to Him (I Corinthians 7:35). In other words, we never take our eyes off of Him just as He never takes His eyes off of us.

Five days into this forty days of prayer and fasting I'm finding that I'm living out of the overflow of what God is doing in my heart. In past, there were times that I had to "get myself to worship." When I came into the worship gathering this morning I "couldn't help but worship." I couldn't lift my hands high enough or sing loud enough. There is a sensitivity that is almost identical to being in a very emotional state where anything can set you off--but in a good way. I'm in a highly spiritual state where my spiritual nerve endings respond to the slightest impulse. I think the biblical word, from the KJV, is "quickening." I'm just more responsive to the Spirit of God. I have quicker reflexes.
The message this morning was exactly where I'm at: God is more concerned with who I am becoming than what I am doing. I've always felt like NCC won't outgrow me as the undershepherd. It is John Maxwell's "law of the lid." One of things I sometimes say to staff and leaders is this: you are more important than your ministry. I need to make sure that I'm growing personally and church growth will take care of itself.
The greatest mission field isn't half-way around the world. The greatest mission field is me! A theme that seems to be recurring in this forty days is that God is more concerned about what He can do "in me" than "through me." I'm excited about what God is going to do through me. But I'm even more excited about who I'm becoming in the process! Sometimes we confuse the ends and the means. Oswald Chambers said that what we consider the process God considers the goal.

It's day 4 of 40. The excitement builds. I'm amazed I haven't made this discovery before, but so much of spirituality is understanding personality--the way we're wired. I need physical challenges--a goal, a race, a competition. I need to be training for something. In the same sense, I'm learning that I need spiritual challenges.
I think it started in May when I decided to stop drifting. I felt like I had hit bottom and I wasn't bouncing. And I realized how far I had drifted from my original calling and passion for ministry. I decided to go back to basics and made several "vows" for the month of May. And it worked. I won't forget spending part of an afternoon on the last day of April praying at Haines Point by the Awakening sculpture. It turned the tide in my life.
I think this forty days of prayer and fasting is showing me again how I'm wired. The way I gain momentum spiritually and get my rhythm back are via challenges with specific goals and timeframes. It's that simple. And I think that's the way God designed it.
There is a weekly rhythm called the Sabbath--it is designed to help us recalibrate spiritually. And then there were three week long festivals designed to get people out of their normal routine and refocus on God. I think the postmodern church is missing some of those rites and rhythms. We see glimpses with retreats and missions trips and extreme weeks, but we need to be more intentional and strategic in finding ways to keep momentum and rhythm.
Big Heart
I've learned that I develop a heart for those things I invest in. Prayer is a form of investment--I'm investing spiritual time and energy into whatever I'm praying for. The more I pray for the city the bigger my heart is for the city. The more I pray for my family the bigger my heart is for my family. It's that simple. If you want a heart for missions invest in missions! Pray for missionaries. Go on a missions-trip. Invest in missions. The more I pray the softer my heart gets and the bigger my heart gets.
Bragging about God
I want to reframe evangelism. According to recent research I read, only 1% of Christians have ever lead anyone to faith in Christ. I think part of the problem is that evangelism needs to be a natural overflow of our love for God. I like to think of evangelism as bragging about God. You love God so much you can't help but talk about Him.
Psalm 34:1 says, "I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord." Evangelism is a form of worship. The traditional way of thinking about worship is that worship is bragging about God to God. Our worship is directed toward God. Evangelism is not stopping when we leave a worship gathering. We just keep bragging about God to others! Evangelism is a form of worship.
Worship is one form of spiritual warfare. It is one thing the enemy can't stand. I think part of the reason is that it brings back memories of Lucifer who was the chief musician before his fall from heaven. Worship is the way we push back the enemy and expand our boundaries.
I think II Chronicles 20:21 is a microcosm of worship as spiritual warfare. "The king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his glorious splendor." And when we worship the Lord fights our battles for us. "Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours but God's." Verse 17 says, "You will not even need to fight." And sure enough. God defeated the enemy and all King Jehoshaphat had to do was have his troops gather the plunder! Here's the lesson: when we worship God fights our battles for us! Worshippers are on the frontlines!
Worship is the ultimate weapon and we don't use it enough. I think it'd be cool to do some "worship warfare" at different places around the city as a way of expanding our boundaries. I never cease to be amazed the way God transforms a theater or night club into a sanctuary when we begin to worship!

Isaiah 55 says that the Word gives bread to the eater and seed to the Sower. In his Journal, Jim Elliot makes a great distinction between the two. Bread is of "immediate use." But seed is for "future use" in a sense. There isn't an immediate benefit--it needs to be planted, grow roots, and eventually bear fruit.
I like thinking of the word as "seed." If I'm not in the Word on a consistent basis then I have no seed to sow into other people's lives. And my life won't produce a harvest. It's that simple. The size of the harvest is dependent upon the amount of seed and the amount of seed is contingent upon how much we're in the Word.
One more thought. As a pastor, one of the dangers I face is trying to get a word from God for others. My relationship with God can become utilitarian. I need to allow God to speak into my life before he can speak through me. I need bread--what God wants to do in me. And I need seed--what he wants to speak through me. The word gives me both/and.

Forty days seemed like a long time a few days ago. Now I'm wondering if I'll even scratch the surface of what God wants to reveal and do in that timeframe.
At the end of this forty days I want to care more about what God thinks than what people think! I think this forty days is more about God changing me than me changing others. God always does a new work in us before He does a new work through us.
Prayer Focus
One prayer focus today was that God would help me communicate truth more effectively--that is my passion and calling. When I felt called to preach at nineteen years of age I accepted every opportunity to preach that was presented. I cut me teeth in missions and nursing homes! I've always tried to appraoch every message like it's the last. Some of that is my selfish human motivation--I want people to like my preaching. But on my best days, I just want God to speak through me. I'm always praying to God, "Help me help people." Like every other pastor, sometimes I preach because I have to--I'm on the calendar. But more often than not I preach because I have to--I've got a word of God from God that I've got to get out.
I'm praying for metaphors. I'm praying that the Lord will help me see analogies and parallels everywhere I look so that I can more effectively communicate Scripture. I've found that the Lord often speaks to me in pictures or images. I love to pray and preach in pictures! I think the key to incarnating the gospel so a generation can understand it is picking the right metaphors that "paint a picture." Jesus was the master of metaphors!
I'm also praying for a more prophetic edge. I want to communicate timeless truth but I want to do it in a timely way. I feel like one gift the Lord often uses me in is a "word of knowledge" which is the Spirit inspiring me to say the right thing at the right time to the right person. I think the epitome of preaching is when an entire message is "a word of knowledge." There is no greater confirmation than someone coming up to me after church or emailing me and saying "that message was for me." That is the Holy Spirit at work.
Praydc.com
I checked out a cool website yesterday--praynewyork.com. It inspired me to develop a praydc.com website. The goal would be to help people pray more strategically. I envision links to other churches, prayer groups, a prayer wall, and some interactive or virtual prayer tours of DC. I'm hoping it results in a "rising tide" of prayer for the city.
Isaiah 35
I'm praying two passages for DC. One is Isaiah 35. Verse 2 is actually inscribed over the entrance to Union Station. "The desert shall rejoice and blossom as a rose." I'm praying that springs of living water would spring forth in the dry places (verse 6-7). It's no accident that that verse is inscribed on Union Station. I believe it will play a geographical and spiritual role in what God does in this city. We've often referred to Union Station as a "beachhead." I believe it is a "fountainhead" as well.
Ezekiel 47
The other passage I'm praying is Ezekiel 47. A river of healing flows from the Temple. And there is a "rising tide"--ankle-deep, knee-deep, waist-deep. And then it was "too deep to cross without swimming." I think we're ankle-deep right now. But the tide is rising!
Praying Things Into Existence
Over the years I've learned that different groups have different prayer initiatives at different times, and to my discredit I haven't gotten involved because it wasn't where I was "at" spiritually. I don't think prayer movements happen from the outside-in. I think they happen from the inside-out. I believe in "praying things into existence." Most of our small groups and ministries aren't the result of "pleas from the pulpit." We prayed that God would birth a vision in someone's heart. I believe groups, ministries, movements are "prayed into existence." There is a dual-creation. The first-creation is spiritual--prayer. The second-creation is physical.
I think too many efforts fail because visions are "imposed" instead of birthed in prayer. When a vision is birthed in prayer there is an ownership, and that ownership results in passion, and that passion is what keeps a movement going when the going gets tough. I think the eventual success of every endeavor can be traced back to the headwaters of how it started. If it started in prayer it's destined to succeed as long as it is sustained by holiness.
I feel like this forty days of prayer and fasting is the difference between a faucet and fire hydrant. The trickle of revelation and inspiration is turning into a steady stream.

About thirty NCCers gathered @ Union Station @ 7:14 to do a prayer walk this morning. I can't even put into words what it meant to me to see that many people who want to intercede for the city. I know we do what we do to honor and glorify God, but I felt such a sense of gratitude for each person who was there! A few days ago I was out praying and I bumped into another NCCer between the Capitol and Union Station who was praying as well. It was so cool to cross paths in prayer. I'm hoping lots of NCCers cross paths in the coming days while they are out praying around the city.
Here's what I felt the Lord impress on me today. I really feel like it's important to involve my family in this forty days of prayer. I tend to be pretty self-motivated and love to pray "by myself" but I want my kids to develop a heart for this city and be part of what God is doing--they aren't too young. Josiah (the King, not my son) was seven years old when he began to rule over Israel and He became one of Israel's greatest Kings. So I'm going to creatively involve my kids in this forty day experiment.
I also felt led to pray for an opportunity to lead someone to Christ in the next forty days. And I don't mean from the pulpit. I'm praying for an opportunity to share my faith personally and help someone cross the line one-on-one. I'm excited to see what doors of opportunity the Lord is going to open up.
Two metaphors came to mind this morning.
The Ripple Effect
I was sitting by the reflecting pool on the east side of the Capitol with a beautiful breeze and the sun shining off the water. As I sat there I picked up some stones and threw them into the pool. And I prayed that just as those stones caused a "ripple effect," that our prayers would case a ripple effect in this city. I believe they will.
I got an email from an NCCer last week that I'm cutting and pasting here because it was such a powerful reminder of the importance of praying. And "where we pray" can make a difference. Here's the email.
i was reading your blog from the other day about praying, and it hit me (i'm not quite sure why it never occured to me before) that ncc would have functions at club nation and pray there. i used to go there on friday nights, and did a lot of ungodly things there. lately, it's been on my heart that people must have prayed for me at some point, such as family members when i was a child, but it never occured to me before that my chosen church prayed for me before i was even aware of it's existence. my first time back at this club in a few months was for the comedy club, and it was eerie to be back there in the saved and new state that i'm in now. the memories of what i'd done seemed to haunt me as i walked up to the building, where i felt something inside me that didn't want to be there. maybe it was shame. maybe it was the stone cold truth of it all that i was so blind to at the time. but i thank God for the prayers that went up and go up inside there now. maybe i wouldn't have felt so called from there without them. thanks!
Our prayers have a ripple effect that we are often unaware of.
Depth Charge
The other metaphor that came to mind was the way prayer is a form of "depth charging." A depth charge is an explosive that is dropped beneath the surface of the water and it causes things to float to the surface. In the same sense, prayer is a like a depth charge that causes emotions and thoughts to come to the surface! I'm more in touch with myself--my subconscious thoughts and repressed feelings when I'm praying. It allows me to really examine my motives and see who I am. When I'm not praying my life becomes so superficial. But prayer has a way of transforming my life so that it becomes so much more intentional.
Decisions
One last thought. I'm reading through the Old Testament during these forty days. I was reading in II Chronicles 10 today. It is a turning point in the history of Israel--the kingdom was torn in two! If you read the story, all the division and infighting can be traced back to one bad decision. Our decisions have a ripple effect.
Verse 8 says, "Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and who were now his advisers."
Rehoboam wanted to hear what he wanted to hear. Instead of relying on the "life experience" of the elders, he surrounded himself with "yes men" who would tell him what he wanted to hear.
A couple thoughts. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." When I make decisions about who serves in leadership and who will serve as "advisers" I look for people who aren't afraid to play devil's advocate. I think "friction" is what shapens us! Too often we surround ourselves with people of the same personality type or political persuasion or cultural influence or church background. And we end up living in a "ghetto." Rehoboam surrounded himself with his boyhood friends. In a sense, there is nothing wrong with that. But he needed some "outside influence" in his life. He needed some counterintuitive people in his life. Instead, he choose to stay in his "small world" and remain "narrow minded" by only exposing himself to his cronies.
One last thought. God makes perfect decisions because He is omniscient. He has a 360 degree perspective whereas we see 1 percent of the issue involved.
Here's a way of thinking about it. God takes every factor into consideration, gives each factor the perfect weight, and then makes a decision based on all the factors involved. The reason we make bad decisions is because we're not omniscient. God takes infinite factors into consideration. We take 3 or 4 factors into consideration. That is why we need to consult the Lord and make decisions that "seem good to us" and "seem good to the Holy Spirit" (Acts 15:28). One reason Rehoboam should have listened to the "life experience" of the elders is the simple fact that they'd been around the block a few more times. Wisdom is taking more factors into consideration and thereby being able to make better decisions.

It's Day 1 of my forty days of prayer and fasting. I always hesitate to share these kinds of thoughts because I believe you can "lose the blessing" when what you do becomes "public information." I believe our purest deeds are those done in secret. But I also feel like I want others to learn what I learn through this process.
There is nothing "special" or "sacred" or "spiritual" about starting forty days of prayer and fasting @ 7:14 AM on 7/14, but it is a helpful milestone for me. I've found that I need goals and markers and milestones to help me remember the vows I've made. Just as I need physical challenges (running a half-marathon for example) I need spiritual challenges. That is the way I'm wired.
So I've decided to fast soda for forty days (if you knew how addicted I was to vanilla coke and cherry coke you'd know what a sacrifice this is). I always feel like "giving something up" helps me stay cognizant of what I'm doing.
I'm also going to read the entire Old Testament in the next forty days. I feel impressed that the forty days aren't about God hearing my voice, as much as, it is about me hearing God's voice. I want to dream His dreams and think His thoughts. I want His desires to be my desires.
I'm convinced that the deepest level of transformation isn't behavioral or intellectual or attitudinal or emotional. The deepest level of transformation is motivational--it is a transformation of my desires so that I want what God wants. That process doesn't happen overnight.
There are certain passages of Scripture that become "gravitational fields"--they magnetize you and pull you in so that you cannot escape the truth. Psalm 37:4 is one of them for me. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." I think this is square one or ground zero. And the way that happens is by allowing the word to wash us (Ephesians 5:26) and humble us (Deuteronomy 17:20). The word is what reveals our desires. Hebrews 4:12 says, "It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are."
So here we go. I'm not sure where I'll end up forty days from now, but I get tired of thinking the same old thoughts or saying the same old things. I'm tired of old manna. I want God to take me where I've never been before. I want to spend less and less energy on the things of the flesh and more and more energy on the things of God.
This forty days of prayer and fasting is not an end in and of itself. It is a means to an end. It is about becoming so filled with God that He naturally overflows from my life and impacts the people around me without me even trying to do it. I honestly think most of my ministry has been "ministering from emptiness." I want to "minister from fullness." Jesus said, "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks."

I'm going to begin 40 days of prayer and fasting on 7/14 @ 7:14 AM. There is nothing "special" or "spiritual" about 7/14 or 7:14, but it's a helpful reminder to me--a spiritual milestone. It is also an allusion to the incredible promise in II Chronicles 7:14. "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land."
This passage is one of those conditional promises that starts with that little yet large two letter word--if.
I'm a huge fan of counterfactual theory--a branch of history that asks the "what if" question. For example, in 1260 AD, Kublai Khan asked the father of Marco Polo to send 100 Christian teachers to share the gospel with the Chinese people. His request was never granted. The missionaries turned back when they ran into high mountains and harsh conditions. What if those 100 missionaries had made it to China and shared the gospel with them?
A few weeks ago the Holy Spirit dropped a question into my spirit--"What if 700 NCCers started interceeding for this city?" What would happen? What kind of spiritual impact would it have? What miracles would happen as a result? Who would come to Christ as a result? There is only one way to find out--just do it.
I believe there is one two-letter word between us and the blessings of God. It's the little word "if." We have not because we ask not.
There are four conditions in II Chronicles 7:14.
The first condition is humility. A move of God always has "humble roots." As we humble ourselves it allows God to use us in greater ways. How do we engender humility? I recently read a fascinating verse in Deuteronomy 17. Moses gives a prescription for humility to the future king of Israel. The king had to copy the law onto a scroll for himself, keep it with him at all times, and read it daily. Verse 20 says, "This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud." Scripture is preventative medicine! It keeps us from getting proud. So I think a big part of this forty days of prayer and fasting is to spend time in the