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Monday, May 23, 2005

Church Planting

I lied. The Ethiopia post wasn't my last. Here is a short blurb I wrote for a magazine article about NCC and church planting. Just thought it'd be worth blogging. These are the kinds of things we talk about and think about on the staff level, but I think blogging is a way I can let NCCers "in the loop" so to speak. The more NCCers who have a strong sense about who we are and what we're called to do the healthier we'll be as a church. Blogging is one way everyone can become an "insider" so to speak. I think blogging is about sharing inside information. So here's a little history and philosophy of ministry.

Movie theaters @ metro stops throughout the Washington, DC area. That's our vision in a nutshell. I went into church planting with the traditional mindset: buy or build a building as soon as possible. But doing church "in the middle of the marketplace" has become part of our DNA. We love doing church in movie theaters (theaterchurch.com). We currently have four services in two locations--the movie theaters @ Union Station (four blocks from the Capitol) and Ballston Common Mall in Arlington, VA. Our next location will target the Northwest quadrant of DC. We also do a monthly worship event in the largest nightclub in DC and we're currently building a three-level coffeehouse on Capitol Hill as a place where the church and community can cross paths. Theaters, nightclubs, and coffeehouses are what sociologist Ray Oldenberg calls "third places." We feel called to redeem those third places and turn them into worship spaces.

NCC is a multi-site church. We will continue utilizing video technology to launch new locations around the DC area. But we're also committed to planting autonomous churches. We're taking a both/and approach. Two years ago we created a "church planter in residence" staff position. We launched our first church planter (Scott Aughtmon, Pathway Church) in Palo Alto, California in 2005. We immediately brought another church planter in residence on staff (Josh Karrer) who we'll launch in 2007. At some point we'll develop a church planting school in DC. In the medical world there are hospitals and teaching hospitals. In the church world there are churches and teaching churches. We feel called to be a teaching church. That's what being a church planting church is all about. It is about raising up and releasing the next generation of church planters.

I think the most important and most difficult role of a leader is creating culture. We've been very intentional at NCC about remaining a movement. We structured our bylaws to avoid becoming a bureaucracy. Meeting in rented facilities keeps us mobile. And we have an incredibly creative and innovative team that loves to experiment with new ways of doing church. All those factors have contributed to our momentum as a church. But bringing on a church planter in residence is one of the best things for our culture because we're always in the process of training and launching church planters. It keeps us from becoming stagnant. Too many churches are centripetal. They are unhealthy because they are ingrown. Planting churches fuels the centrifugal force and keeps us from becoming self-centered as a church.

Ethiopia

I'm checking out of the blogosphere for the next ten days. We leave this afternoon for Ethiopia and I don't think we'll have internet access. It's so wild that ten days without internet seems so unbelievable. In some ways, it is a "technological fast" that isn't all bad. The flight will take about twenty hours so I'm packing lots of books. We'll be loving and serving the people of Ethiopia via outreaches. I think I'll be preaching a few times as well. We also have one excursion planned into the Awosh Game Park.

It was July of 2000 that I went to Ethiopia last. And it was about ten days after returning that my intestines ruptured. The doctor said it was totally unrelated to my trip to Ethiopia, but I've always doubted that. I don't have that same feeling of "invincibility" that I had when I went five years ago. I sort of feel like I'm facing this unspoken fear that has lingered on the back burner for five years. I'm getting back on the horse or back in the saddle. I'm excited to see what God does in us and through us. I'd appreciate your prayers while I'm gone!

Sunday, May 22, 2005

Sunday Reflections

It was awfully nice to be able to "sit back" and relax today at church. I love to preach. It's my gifting and it's my calling. I'd shrivel up and die if I couldn't give expression to that calling. But I need a break from the pressure every once in a while. It's amazing how much spiritual and emotional energy goes into a single message. I still preach each message like its the most important message I've ever preached. It's just the way God has wired me. So it was really nice to "get fed" this morning. It was also great to introduce Pastor Paul in a preaching context to all of NCC. He said several things that really resonated and encouraged me. He said, "God is vulnerable to people's feelings." I love that about God. John 11:35 says so much despite being the shortest verse in the Bible. "Jesus wept." He also said that unmet expectations is the way God gets our attention. That is so true in my life. They force me to recalibrate. I feel recalibrated at the end of the day today.

Screen on the Green

Call me doubting Thomas but I just wanted sure how our inaugural screen on the green would be. I thought it was a great idea. But I was concerned about weather. And I was concerned about whether people would come or not. We pulled up at 7:25 PM and there were no parking spots. Lora said it best: "it was a smashing success." Most of the people there I didn't recognize. It was so cool to see so many people having so much fun. What a blast. Note to self: don't wear shorts and sandals with no socks when it's going to drop into the 50's. But even the cold winds at the end were fun because we bundled under our blankets. I love the creative ways we bless the communities we serve. Go outreach ministry and children's ministry! As a parent, thanks for blessing us again! And thanks to everyone who held signs and served popcorn and ran media! We didn't "roll credits" at the end, but thanks for serving so faithfully and joyfully!

The Rest of the Story

So I met a guy camping this weekend who I've never met before but he was instrumental in us buying 201 F Street without me knowing it. Check this out. In the 1980's he went to historic preservation and said they need to deem the "run down shack" on 201 F Street a historically contributing building. And they did. So here's the deal. If it could have been bulldozed I'm sure someone would have purchased that property before we even saw it eight years ago. It was that "historical tag" that scared many a potential buyer away. To make a long story short, I thanked this guy for helping us buy the building more than a decade before we started praying for it. I honestly believe the Lord used him. By the way, he is totally excited about Ebenezers coming to the neighborhood and he said he'll be our best customer! I think the first cup of coffee should be on us!

Saturday, May 21, 2005

Fetal Position

I've concluded that twelve hours of moving one day and camping out the next day isn't a good combo! I took Parker camping with his cub scout pack last night. Parker must have woken me up a dozen times. And I'm just not cut out for sleeping on the ground. It's really hard and cold. And I forget to clear the ground so there were sticks jabbing me in the ribs all night. We set our record. We moved from the tent to the van at 1:30 AM. Pride was out the window! We still froze and even in the fetal position I'm too big to sleep in that van. It was one miserable night of sleep. And then at 5:11 AM Parker asked if we could get up. Get up from what? From not sleeping? Isn't it amazing how one bad night of sleep can affect you? We are such sleep-dependent creatures. A little sleep deprivation and we're all out of whack. Can't wait to sleep on a mattress tonight. What did people do before mattresses? They must have been grumpy all the time. Good night.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Coffeehouse Service

I promise this is my last blog of the day. I think I set my blogging record today! I've had this recurring thought recently that I wanted to get some blog reaction to. I think there are ways of doing church that no one has thought of. Part of what has gotten me thinking about this is our prayer meetings. We didn't really have an "agenda" going into them and it was so cool to see how the Lord led us by prompting different people to share different things. It was exciting to see the way the Spirit led. I'm afraid that most churches and most services are missing that element of surprise.

I really want to think long and hard about our Saturday night service at Ebenezers. I have a feeling that it'll be it's own animal. I think it'll feel very different than our services @ the theaters. I really want an interactive element. I've dreamed for years of doing a service that allows for Q & A. I used to be afraid of that idea, but now it excites me. I don't even mind questions that are confrontational or controversial. I think it allows for honest dialogue that is missing from so many churches. Those can be some of the best "teaching moments."

I don't really want the "service" to feel like a church "service." I want it to feel like something else. Maybe it's part talk-show, part rock concert, part prayer meeting, and part conference. I'm not sure how the elements combine, but I want to "invent" a new format or way of doing church. I don't want it to be different for difference sake. I just want it to be unique because the Holy Spirit gives us unique ideas.

All of that is to say this: feel free to share any ideas about what a "dream" coffeehouse service would look like? No holds barred. What elements would it contain? Are there any "secular" models that we could learn from? Have you had any past experiences that you'd like to see incorporated into the coffeehouse service? Speak now or forever hold your peace. Actually, you can speak later too. I think we'll be thinking about this for several months. I'm planning on two reconaissance trips to check out a couple churches that are doing things different. Two churches on my hit list are Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis and Mars Hill in Michigan. I want to see how they do their Doubt Night.

Mark Batterson

I got an email yesterday from someone who read my blog who has a son named Mark Batterson. How crazy is that? I didn't know there was another one of me. I remember years ago checking our surname. I think there were something like 314 Battersons in America. I looked up our kid's names to see if anyone was named Parker, Summer or Josiah. Anyways, it's sort of wierd finding out that someone has your same name. I had no idea!

The 316 Chapter

I think one of the greatest feelings in the world is when you're totally exhausted and totally energized at the same time! That is how I feel tonight. I spent twelve hours packing and moving today! I'm wiped. But it feels so good to have the mission accomplished. My office has now moved back to 205 F Street, NE. We're one step closer to occupying Ebenezers. This was sort of a "half step." My office is pretty small but so was my office at 316 F Street, NE. One of the things I love about NCC is that we still feel like that Silicon Valley start-up with corporate offices in someone's basement or garage. NCC has that feel. It's pretty wild saying goodbye to 316. Lots of good memories. It seems like yesterday that we were moving in there. The 316 chapter is coming to a close!

Recommended Books: Relationships

Here's my "top ten" for relationships. Some of these focus on marriage, but others are helpful across the board. The book How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the most instrumental books I've ever read it. I read it as a senior in college. It was one of two books that got me addicted to books.

The Love List by Dr. Les and Leslie Parrott
Catching the Rhythm of Love by Neil Clark Warren
7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen Covey
Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
The Language of Love by Dr. Gary Smalley and John Trent
Relationships by Dr. Les and Leslie Parrott
The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

a ton of books

Alright, after having packed 50 boxes of books and decided to part way with three entire bookshelves of books I've had to face the truth: I'm a bibliophile. The crazy thing is that I remember where I got most of these books. I remember when and where I read many of them. One of the old books I found was the book I was reading when I felt called to ministry. It was dated 8/19/89. Pretty cool to find that one. I wonder how much my books weigh? I bet that all of my books, if put on a scale, would weigh at least a ton!

Recommended Books: Science

My aching back. We're moving offices right now and I'm running out of gas already :) Only six more hours to go! I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone while I pack my library of books. Here are some of the books in my science section that I've enjoyed for a variety of reasons. They range from Physics to Biology to Neurology to Mathematics. So, for what it's worth, here are some of my author mentors. As with all books and authors, I don't agree with everything they write or some of the philosophy behind their ideas. But the ideas in their books have stretched my thinking in some way.

Can a Smart Person Believe in God? by Michael Guillen
The Physics of Christmas by Roger Highfield
The Arithmetic of Life and Death by George Shaffner
The Heart's Code by Paul Pearsall
E = MC2 by David Bodanis
Beyond the Cosmos by Hugh Ross
First You Build a Cloud by K.C. Cole
The Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas
Frames of Mind by Howard Gardner
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Brand and Yancey
The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking

Life is Good

I'm always inspired by people who turn ideas into companies. Two brothers, John and Bert Jacobs have a t-shirt company (www.lifeisgood.com) that grossed $40 million in sales in 2005. That's alot of T-shirts! Almost all of their shirts have one message: "Life is good" with different designs. I love the simplicity! Bert said, "Life is good is the way we feel about the world." Of course, $40 million later they might want to change it to "Life is great." I hope this doesn't come across the wrong way because I've never been a "christian t-shirt" wearing person. But I'm amazed at how popular "conversational t-shirts" are and I'm wondering if Christians need to get in that game. I'm not talking about confrontational t-shirts or cheesy t-shirts. We've all seen too many of those. But I want to wear my faith on my sleeve in a way that represents Christ. Just a thought. Someone needs to design some cool fitting clothes that have a positive message. God is good would be a decent start. I've even thought twice about turning some of our core values into conversational t-shirts. They might strike up some redemptive conversations.

Multibillion-Dollar Ideas

I know I sound like a broken record sometimes, but I think one difference between successful and unsuccesful people is what they do with their ideas. Successful people have a mechanism for capturing their ideas and then acting on them. Unsuccessful people forget about them. I read this week about how Jeff Taylor got the idea for Monster.com. It was 4:30 AM. He was an ad agency owner at the time. He woke up and wrote down a flurry of graphics and text on the pad of paper next to his bed. Then he got up and went to a coffeeshop and spent the next five hours jotting down his business plan for the job search engine. Taylor has a poster in his closet that says: "Eighty percent of life is showing up." That sums it up pretty good. He said, "It would have been pretty easy to have rolled over and gone back to sleep, and that would have been a multibillion-dollar opportunity I would have let go by." How many of us have gone to sleep and lost billion dollar ideas? That's how ideas die. I just a huge believer in Habakkuk 2: "Write down the vision." It can be a sketch pad or napkin or journal. Just this week I was going through my "stuff" because we're moving offices. I found a napkin from Uno's pizzeria with some pretty amazing ideas I'd written down years ago. I kept it. There is a little food stain on there, but it reminded me again of how important it is to "take captive every thought." This is especially important for those of us who are Spirit-led. I know of an NCCer that has a prayer journal that has really inspired me. She can look back on that journal and remember exactly what she's believing God for. It's about documenting our lives and documenting God's faithfulness.

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

blog survey

I'd like to experiment with a little blog survey. A few years ago I came across a cool survey of 50 people over the age of 95 who were asked one question: if you had to live your life over again, what would you do differently? For what it's worth, the three top answers were:

1) Risk More
2) Reflect More
3) Do more things that live on after I die

So here's my blog survey question: If you had to do your twenties over again, what would you do differently? Feel feel to post your comment or email me @ mark@theaterchurch.com. Thanks for giving it some thought.

I'm Asyncronous

I'm asyncronous! It's amazing how good I am with email and how bad I am with voicemail. It dawned on me today when I realized it took me four days to return a voicemail someone left for me. Why is it so hard for me to return phone calls? And why is it so easy for me to return emails? I'm just not a phone person. We don't even have an answering machine on our home phone. I think the reason is simple. A phone call is an interruption. Email is asyncronous. I can answer it when I want to answer it. I don't feel the same time pressure. When someone leaves a voicemail it's like the clock starts ticking. I don't feel that way with email. So I've concluded that I'm asyncronous. So if you want to get ahold of me I'd recommend email versus phone :)

Night Night

I was putting Josiah to bed tonight and I had a thought. He hates going to bed. He cries every night. You'd think he'd get used to it. There has never been a night where he hasn't gone "night night." But I guess he's a normal three year-old. So I had this thought tonight. Someday we won't go "night night." Revelation 22 says there is no night in heaven. So I decided to tell Josiah that we won't have to go "night night" in heaven. He asked if we could go :)

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Email Testimony

I got another one of those amazing "email testimonies" today that I can't not share. I thought it'd be an encouragement to the entire NCC family. I, of course, got permission to share it.

This family visited NCC over the Easter weekend. I still remember meeting them and being so impressed that they'd go to all the effort of finding the Third Place to be part of our Good Friday service. The last year has been a "winter of the soul" for them, but their visit to NCC seems to have changed the spiritual seasons in their lives!

Mark,

During our trip preparations we decided to attend a church while in DC. I drove through the night Thursday to make a tour of the White House at 830am. We attended NCC for the Good Friday service. When we left, my wife and I looked at each other and began a conversation that started something like this "Would it be at all possible to move here." We actually began to contemplate what it would be like to move to DC just to attend NCC. The effect was not just on my wife and I. Our two older children also chimed in about the possibility (both are on the journey but have not yet accepted Jesus). My son's blog now contains a link to "the cool church in DC."
We attended the Easter service and again spoke longingly about the possibility of moving. Unfortunately it is not possible. But for a time we dreamt of the possibility. Your teaching was excellent but more impressive was the fellowship we witnessed between the community. I could tell that God is moving within you and NCC. DO NOT underestimate this gift you have been given. Of all the churches we have been to NCC is the most vibrant we have experienced.
The experience God gave us at NCC has helped move us out of "winter." We have been following along with messages and blogs and continue to be challenged by your teaching. Our hope is to find a community like NCC--just a little closer to home.
I pray that God continues to bless NCC, that the members recognize the gift they have received and that God would somehow bring fulfillment to the very name chosen for this church. I believe, Lord, that Your purposes may be bigger than touching the DC area but that You may actually be using NCC to touch our NATIONAL community.

It seems like a cliche to say that "God is up to something" but God is up to something! I sense in my spirit that NCC is being prepared for something bigger in scope than we could imagine. I hope that doesn't produce an ounce of pride. I hope it drives us to our knees to seek God with greater intensity! And this email was such a huge encouragement and confirmation that I couldn't not share the testimony.

I am so grateful for the "email prayer" prayed for us. I want to offer a "blog prayer." Lord, I pray that this family would find a church that would fit like a perfectly tailored piece of clothing. I pray that all of the children wouldn't just accept Christ. I pray that they'd sell out and learn to love you with all of their heart and soul and mind and strength. In the name of Jesus, so be it (Amen).

Direct Mail

We did a direct mail campaign when we launched NCC @ Ballston in 09.03 and you always wonder about the efficiency and effectiveness of those kind of marketing efforts. Do people actually come as a result? I got a cool email from an NCCer who is moving soon, but it was neat to hear about the way NCC has changed their lives and it all traces back to one of our mailers. They gave me permission to share part of the email.

Well, the time has come for us to move to a more suitable climate for us northerners, namely the Twin Cities in MN. We have spent 3 wonderful years here in DC, and it's been great sharing our time here with all of y'all (we're practicing the y'alls this week, so we can sound real southern when we go back). You have all had a big impact on our lives, and we are so grateful for the memories we will take with us from National Community Church.

Before finding NCC we spent one pretty miserable year here, on the 16th floor of Skyline Towers, not finding a church we liked, and without a car and long bus-commutes and a very busy 1st year, we didn't have much time to seek out new friends. Then we moved to Ballston and got a flyer in the mail about this new church opening up a few weeks later. We decided to try it out, and what a blessing it was! Instantly we had people surrounding us, welcoming us to small groups and sports, and it didn't take long before we felt like NCC was really family. God put us in Ballston for a reason! Even if the church was big and busy, people really took the time to help us feel like we were a part of it. We truly appreciate that!

Some of the things we really enjoyed: Smallgroup (which became big group) and Leslie's, football on Sundays, an amazing baptism in the ocean last October, awesome worship, great movie nights at Gavin and Philips, Girls' nights at Mexicali Blues, never getting what we ordered at Mexicali Blues..., craft nights, dessert nights, Club events, and most of all getting to know so many God-loving people have really made moving from here so much harder than we ever imagined. We will really miss you, and should you at any point find yourself traveling to/through Minneapolis, you're more than welcome to visit.

Every once in a while it's so healthy and so important to step back and marvel at the lives that are being touched because of what NCC is doing. It's not about one person. It's not about one ministry. It's about a group of people being the church! It's so tough to see people move away from NCC, but I've always felt like we are a "missionary-sending" church! We can't control when people come or go, but we can bless them while they're here! And, oh yah, I think we'll keep sending out direct mail pieces :)

Harvest

I was so encouraged by something an NCCer emailed me yesterday because it resonated with my spirit. "It seems that God is stirring NCC corporately to think big to get us ready to play a role in what He wants to do in this city as a whole." I believe that.

We had a great men's prayer time this morning and I felt like the Lord gave me a Scripture promise. The promise is Matthew 25:24. I felt like the Lord said we would "harvest where we have not sown and gather where we have not planted." I also felt like the Lord promised John 4:38: "I sent you to reap what you have not worked for." I sense in my spirit that we're on the verge of harvest. And we're going to harvest what others have prayed for and worked for before we even came to this city! That doesn't mean that it's going to be "easy." Harvesting is hard work. But I just sense that what we harvest is going to be what others have planted.

After the Lord put these things on my heart, one of the guys shared Amos 9:13. I love that passage. "The days are coming when the reaper will be overtaken by the one who plows and the planter by the one treading grapes."

God, bring it to pass we pray!

meetings

I had some interesting meetings yesterday. I hung out with my former roommate from Bible college, Brad Rosenberg. It was fun to connect and catch up. He pastors a church in Cincinnati, Ohio.

I met with an NCCer who moved to Florida last July. He is running for congress. It was fun to hear how God was orchestrating things in his life. We hated to see them move, but it'd be fun if he came back as a member of Congress.

And I had lunch with an AP reporter who is writing a book about the way business, politics, and religion are changing. It's an interesting concept. I've always believed that one dimension of being "as shrewd as snakes," means we need to learn from the "best practices" of non-church organizations and individuals. So I'm fascinating by the way the book overlaps those different arenas. I told him that the multi-site movement of churches has learned an awful lot from Starbucks and McDonalds and Wal-Mart. By the way, having just read through the book of Acts, I can't help but think that Paul invented the concept of franchising. It's called missions. I don't mean to denigrate the missional or supernatural nature of the endeavor, but Paul was opening new markets for the gospel. It was a multi-site movement.

Monday, May 16, 2005

the club

Last night's club event was one of the most powerful prayer meetings I've ever been part of. I realized again that you get out of worship experiences like that whatever you put into it. I went into it riding the wave of ten days of prayer and fasting. I think that made me much more sensitive to the Spirit of God. It's no wonder that I prayed with more boldness and confidence. And I sensed words of knowledge and pictures as I prayed for people at different points. There is nothing like praying for something that God reveals to you to pray for!

I spent some time at the "sand station" writing my sins because I sensed the Lord saying to me, based on James 5:16, that "the healing is in the confession." I think confession is a key to healing so I spent some time confessing my sinful attitudes and motivations.

Then I spent some time at the "stone station." I wrote the number "7" on my rock symbolizing the seven miracles I'm believing God for. And I prayed through each of them. I sensed some breakthroughs in those seven different areas.

It was six years ago that I saw a vision of NCC meeting in movie theaters @ metro stops around the DC area. I'm praying for a greater harvest at NCC. I'm believing for radical conversions. I'm praying for tens of thousands to come to Christ. And I saw them coming last night. I believe the harvest is ripe! I think the key to seeing things happen in the physical realm is seeing them in the spiritual realm.

Then the Lord revealed something too me. I tell twenty-somethings "you have no idea where you'll be and what you'll be doing in ten years." That is true of almost everyone. I would have never guessed ten years ago that I'd be doing what I'm doing where I'm doing it. But too many of us "settle down." Our lives become predictable because we become creatures of habit. I never want to "settle down." I sense in my spirit that I'll be doing things in twenty years that aren't even on my radar screen right now. That's exciting to me. I sense a stirring that is tough to put my finger on.

I claimed one of the seven miracles in the spirit realm and sensed such a peace and confidence that it has been "bound in the spiritual realm" and it will be "bound in the physical realm." That is what happened with 201 F Street. God had his hand on it and didn't allow anyone to purchase it for twenty-five years! It was bound in the spiritual realm for NCC. We didn't purchase it until February 7, 2002, but God put a contract on it twenty-five years earlier. We bound that contract in prayer for eight years!

I haven't shared this in too many circles, but when I was in Seminary the Lord spoke to me during an intense season of prayer and told me that I'd be "a voice to my generation." I don't know exactly what that means, but the Lord has reminded me of that prophecy on multiple occasions. I feel like I'm finding my voice right now. I sense that I'm on the verge of God using me to speak to more people in more places. That isn't something I'm seeking out. I'm a homebody by nature. I'm totally satisfied preaching at NCC week in and week out. But God seems to be opening doors of opportunity.

I love it when God confirms something in prayer. I kept praying "reverse the curse" last night. I pray that spiritually in terms of sin. God wants to resurrect those parts of us that have died because of sin. But I pray it physically as well. God wants to reverse the effects of spiritual and physical and spiritual entropy. So I was praying reverse the curse. And someone prayed Galatians 3:13 over me. I looked it up and what a confirmation of the prayer direction the Lord was giving me. It says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole'." What a confirmation.

One last thought. I prayed that God would increase my measure of faith. It was interesting that I sensed a strong leading to pray for "increased capacity" for someone last night. And later that night someone prayed those exact words for me! So God must be increasing our capacity individually and corporately! I pray that God would supersize us!

Saturday, May 14, 2005

The Digital Age

Our generation is living through the greatest technological revolution in the history of humankind. If we were to go back ten or twenty years and take away all our technological developments it would shock us how much technology we take for granted. It'd feel like we were back in the stone age. We're the proverbial "fish in water" that doesn't know it's "in the water" because it's never known anything else. Technology is the water my generation grew up in. Remember when you had to find a pay phone to ask your mom to pick you up at the mall? Remember when the sony walkman was the greatest thing since sliced bread? Remember when a 56K modem was blazing fast? It wasn't that long ago. The latest and greatest technologies become dinosaurs at the speed of light these days! The shelf-life of technology is measured in weeks and months instead of years and decades.

I still remember my dad's first cell phone. He even had a speaker installed in our car complete with a little antenna. I think it cost something like $57.32 per minute in talk time so he didn't use it that often, it felt like our car had been transformed into the Battlestar Galaxtic (or something like that).

I officially entered the digital age in 1994. I bought my first computer. I was one of AOL's first one million subscribers. And I bought my first electronic organizer. Unfotunately, the organizer only lasted a few months. I put it on the roof of our car while I opened the door one day. I'm guessing it held on for a few blocks, but it eventually fell to its untimely death and all of my data died with it. I got my first painful lesson in the importance of "backing up my data." I wish I could say that I learned that lesson the first time, but I've had to relearn that lesson with computers and phones too! I still have an old hard drive that died with all of my data on it. I'm hoping that someday I'll be able to resurrect that hard drive so I'm hanging on to it. And I dropped my first palm phone into a bucket of water. I discovered that digital data can't swim. Digital has it's drawbacks (it's not water-proof), but analog data (pencil on paper) doesn't do so well in water either! Anyways, when my first electronic organizer died I briefly reverted back to a paper calendar, but that didn't last very long. I had been bitten by the digital bug. There was no turning back!

I sometimes wonder what people did bc or bcp (before computers or before cell phones) . When our Internet is down at the office we joke about not knowing what to do. We might as well just go home! All of our offices are in close proximity to each other, but we usually communicate via email instead of voice. Heaven forbid that we'd use our feet or voices to do what our fingers can type! We'll send an email to someone five feet away rather than use our voices. It's easier and quicker.

It is amazing the way cell phone technology has developed. There are now 182 million wireless subscribers. 40% of 12-14 year-olds own a phone. Sprint users sent 300 million photos over their phones last year! Americans spent $4 billion on data services last year because we're becoming more and more dependent on Internet-access everywhere. There are actually services available now that will locate the nearest public restorm or send weather forecasts or traffic updates. You can even find the nearest Sushi bar in Arkansas for a small monthly fee!

It's funny to think back about Lora's first cell phone. Her first phone was for "emergency use" only. It was a great way of justifying to ourselves something we didn't really think we needed. But the "emergency card" gave us grounds to get one. It's amazing how quickly our definition of emergency changed from "flat tire" or "carjacking" to "anytime I need to talk to you about anything." Technology has a way of changing our convenience standards!

It's hard for me to imagine not having my cell phone in meetings. I'm not a meeting person so I am able to review my calendar and surf the internet and answer email or trade options. I've made and lost tens of thousands of dollars trading options during boring meetings! And it all happens on my phone.

I read an interesting article in Forbes magizine about the advent of what the article called "cellevision." It was titled "Coming Soon to a Tiny Screen Near You." One of the interviewees, Lawarence Morrisroe, is obsessed with his phone. It's a digital camera with video playback, bluetooth wireless capability, a memory-stick and three-inch screen. He watches his favorite show, The Family Guy, on his cell phone. Not only does he take pictures with his phone, he uses it to send them to his Weblog. Oh yah, his phone is also a phone! Morrisroe, a Yahoo manager, said, "I can't picture myself without it. I want to be connected 24/7 so I can document my life journey." Cells phones are more than phones. They are used to archive our lives. They are banks and TV sets and calendars and computers.

By the way, one of my favorite things about watching movies from the Eighties is seeing the "cell phones." Those old cell phones remind me a little of my old glasses. They were HUGE.

58%

I read today that there is a 58% drop-out rate for twenty-somethings. In other words, 58% of kids who grow up in church will become what we call "dechurched" by the time they turn thirty! That is an unbelievable attrition rate. The church has to ask some tough questions. Why are twenty-somethings hitting the eject button? The answer is pretty simple in my opinion: if the church was perceived as relevant to their lives, twenty-somethings wouldn't stop attending. But there is a disconnect between what is happening in their lives and what is being talked about in Church. Lord, forgive us and help us! I feel so passionate about reaching emerging generations it's tough for me to put into words. We've got to do better than losing 58%. That's not acceptable!

Random Reflections

I just finished my journey thought Acts. Here are a few reflections. There was such a "sense of urgency" for these early believers. There was nothing passive about the way they approached life or God. I had never noticed it before, but the jailkeeper in Acts 16 who was assigned to guard Paul and Silas didn't just get saved...evidently he and his family got baptized in the middle of the night. What does that say about the importance of baptism? They didn't even wait till daybreak! That is intriguing to me.

Acts 17:16 says, "While Paul was waiting for them (Silas and Timothy) in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols." He could have viewed his waiting as "down time." He could have kicked back. But Paul impacted the city of Athens because he didn't view "waiting" as non-productive time. I'm sure he could has justified non-action. I deserve a break. I'm going to "lay low" until Silas and Timothy show up. But Dionysius and Damaris are among those whose lives were changed because Paul redeemed the time he had to wait for Silas and Timothy to show up. What if we viewed all of our "waiting" as opportunities to share our faith? What if we viewed waiting in line at the store or waiting in the doctor's office or waiting at the airport as opportunities instead of inconveniences. Just a thought that has challenged me today.

Acts 18:18 and Acts 19:19 are two keys verses in my spiritual praxis. Acts 18:18 says, "Before he sailed, Paul had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken." I think we've got to find creative and meaningful ways of making and keeping vows that challenge us spiritually. It is a way of keeping it fresh and mixing it up! I think that is a vital part of spiritual growth. The reason it's so meaningful to me right now is because I'm experimenting with spirtiual disciplines this year and we're in a ten day "experiment" called our "Pentecost Fast." I can actually see this Pentecost Fast becoming part of my annual rhythm--a season each year where I'm focused on being refilled with God's Spirit. I know it's a daily thing, but we also need special seasons set aside to seek God. I feel more full of the Spirit and more sensitive to the Spirit because of this fast. And I think that is what Pentecost is all about. Here's the bottom line: when you're full of the Spirit ACTS happens!

I love Acts 19:19 too. "A number who had practiced scorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachma." I did the math a few years ago and I think it equaled about $50 million in today's money. I think we've got to find ways to physically symbolize what is happening spiritually. We try to do that with some of our club events and retreats. We want "physical rituals" that make spiritual experiences more memorable!

Acts 19:18 says that those who repented "openly confessed." Can I make an observation? I say this every time someone has the courage to confess. Whenever someone confesses sin in their life I always tell them that my respect always goes up not down. Most people are afraid of confessing because it might "change the way people think about them." I've been around long enough to know that everybody has secret sins. Everybody has things they feel shame-full about. So when someone confesses sexual sin or harmful choices they've made or bad attitudes I'm never surprised. It doesn't lessen my opinion of them. It increases my respect. I think the enemy wants us to suffer in silence and shame. Confession breaks the power of the enemy!

Hollywood Missionaries

I just finished my journey through the book of Acts and here is the thought that came to mind: someone needs to make this into a movie! In some ways, I think it's tougher recreating fact than creating fiction. But the plot and drama and action is unbelievable. I couldn't help but think about how amazing it is that I'm pastoring a church that is part of the Church that started that way! Wow. Does the Church really know how it got started? Acts is our heritage.

I loved The Passion by Mel Gibson because it captured some of the intensity of what actually happened. I pray for some anointed movie producers who have a passion to retell the stories of Scripture in multi-sensory ways.

One reason I'm so passionate about movies is that I gave my heart to Christ as a five year-old after watching a movie called the Hiding Place. I believe in the power of the screen. The church shouldn't just be condemning ungodly entertainment. We ought to be producing stuff that competes and rivals that entertainment and has a godly impact. I know there are some efforts out there like the Damah film festival. I love the Nooma videos. NCC actually won an Angel Award for The Reel NCC 2003. But I'm thinking on a much larger scale. It's sort of cool, one of our interns this summer is a movie major. He'll spend the summer with us, but hopefully he'll be a Hollywood missionary. We need more of them.

Friday, May 13, 2005

Immunizations

I just bumped into a guy this morning who is part of the construction crew that is working on Ebenezers. He has been coming to church for the last month after a six year hiatus from church. It was so cool to hear about the way God is speaking into his life. He said that NCC is like a weekly shot that keeps him going spiritually. Having been to the travel nurse yesterday to get shots for my trip to Ethiopia, I liked the analogy. My arm is a little sore and I got a slight fever, but those shots will give me immunity to Hepatitis and other diseases. I think some sermons cause soreness and slight fevers, but they ultimately keep us from getting real sick. I've always believed in the "cumulative effect" of sermons. I think they build up spiritual immunity. Sermons are immunizations.

By the way, this guy also told me about how many people have commented on the verse of Scripture we wrote on the foundation wall and the handprints we traced on the walls! I think it's one way that we're dedicating this project to God and sharing our faith with everybody who works on the coffeehouse!

Centripetal Churches

Acts 13:2 says, "While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting" the Holy Spirit appointed Paul and Barnabas as missionaries. This is a turning point for the church. They could have become comfortable. They could have become what I call a "centripetal" church. The word "centripetal" means: tending toward centralization. Every church must resist the tendency to become ingrown and exist for itself. By the way, every person must resist that too! But the Holy Spirit didn't allow them to sit back. The Holy Spirit is a centrifugal force! He called them to open new markets for the gospel. That is what God has called us to. If I had to describe my desire for NCC in a nutshell it might boil down to this: I want us to remain a movement. That is what I see in the book of Acts. The church was called "the Way." It was a movement. It's not called the Book of Thoughts or the Book of Structures. It's called the Book of Acts. I think it was the lack of bureaucracy that enabled the church to grow so big so fast. Sure, they faced issues because they didn't have any policies in place. That is what the Jerusalem Council was for in Acts 15. But they remained a movement. I never want NCC to become an "institution."

I think we've created a culture where we'll continue to experiment with new things. And I think a multi-site model doesn't allow us to sit back and relax. We're continually thinking about new markets. They go by different names. Our Iconium is NW DC. Our Lystra is Alexandria, VA. Our Syria is College Park, MD. As long as we're worshipping and fasting I don't think we'll become a centripetal church. I never want to become satisfied. There are always new markets to be opened.

Crazy Idea

Friday is "crazy idea" day. Forgive me in advance for this blog. I was talking with someone yesterday who is a board member of a church that has some "bureaucracy issues." He said that he thought their constitution and bylaws should be written on toilet paper! I thought that was pretty funny :) The thing is...he said this in the context of a church meeting :) Not everybody thought it was funny! Anyways....I had this idea. I've read recently about people renting out their foreheads and abdomens for advertising space. Someone needs to invent a toilet paper that doubles as advertising. You've got a captive audience! You know what I'm saying? I think it could really be a good idea. Call it "toiletising." I'm actually surprised that no one has thought of them. We turn everything into an advertising opportunity! I'm surprised toilet paper manufacturers don't sell advertising space "by the square."

Bon Appetite

I may have already blogged this, but Matthew 5:6 has gotten into my spirit this week: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." I was reminded again this week that what we starve must die and what we feed must grow. It's as simple as that. We don't have sin problems or holiness problems. We have hunger problems. We're too hungry for ungodly things. And we're not hungry enough for the things of God. I said to someone yesterday: if I could give a person one gift I think it might be an insatiable hunger for the things of God. I think this season of fasting is teaching me so much about appetites.

I went to the Wizards game last night and the smells were killing me! It was a mild form of torture to be fasting food and smelling the hot dogs and nachos and pizza. But it also made me realize that our appetites are something we can discipline.

I think pornography is feeding one's sexual appetite in unhealthy ways. It's a form of spiritual cholesterol than causes a hardening of the heart. I think bitterness is like eating poison. It is feeding a cancerous tumor than grows uncontrollably. I think covetousness is hunger for what's on someone else's plate! Spiritual maturity is managing our appetites!

I'm thinking in terms of appetite and hunger these days because that is the language Jesus uses in Matthew 5:6. I think reading Scripture is digesting truth. It is the way we feed our spirits. If we are hungering for the wrong thing it's because we're not full on Scripture. By the way, Scripture comes in lots of different flavors! I think there is a Scripture to feed every appetite! Bon Appetite!

What do you need to starve?
What do you need to feed?

Reject

I'm amazed at how many people accepted the message in the book of Acts. It says that people were "added daily." I know alot of church who would love to grow by conversion growth at a rate of 365 per year! And some days it was on the order of "thousands per day." That is absolutely astounding. But I think we overlook the quantity of rejection and persecution they experienced as well. I think our ability to handle rejection has a huge bearing on us spiritually. I find two clues in Acts 13 to help us deal with it.

Acts 13:46 says, "Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles." That is fascinating. The early believers didn't take rejection personally. They put the ball back in the court of the rejectors. They recognized rejection of the gospel for what it is: the rejectors were only hurting themselves! And they basically said that anybody who rejects the message "doesn't consider themselves worthy." What a way to frame rejection! So when someone rejects the message we don't have to feel bad like we've somehow failed. We feel bad for them because they don't consider themselves worthy. Instead of doubting themselves, the disciples felt bad for the rejectors because they are the ones "missing out." They didn't think of themselves highly enough (see themselves the way God sees them) to accept the message.

And Acts 13:51 says, "They shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." They didn't allow rejection to rob their joy! That is so impressive to me. How did they do it? How did they maintain the joy when the world was persecuting and rejecting them? They literally "shook the dust off their feet." That is a fascinating "ritual" that happens throughout the gospels as well. I think most of us carry rejection around with us and it weighs us down. But we need a ritual way of releasing rejection. It may be ripping a picture and keeping that shredded picture as a reminder. It may mean writing out a confession and then flushing it down the toilet. It may mean a bonfire like Acts 19:19. One way or the other, we need ritual ways of burying the past. Otherwise the past buries us!

Random Reflections

Here are a few observations as I read and blog my way through the book of Acts.

It seems like baptism was a much bigger deal than we make it. There were so many instances where people got baptized immediately--Acts 2:41, the Ethiopian Eunuch, and even Paul in Acts 9:18. There is virtually no gap. I think we've downplayed the role of baptism as a rite of passage. We've always made baptism a big deal. I think our baptism by the bay and bonfire baptisms are some of the best things we do as a church. But I wonder if we need more frequent opportunities for people to get baptized. Part of the challenge is that most theaters don't have baptismals!

I'm amazed at how often God gives such specific direction. He tells Philip to "Go south on the desert road." He tells Ananias to "go to the house of Judas on Straight street." He reveals specific instructions to Peter while he praying on the rooftop in Acts 10. I think most of us wish God spoke to us with this much clarity. I also realize these are instances where there was no room for error. I have gotten specific direction before, but God generally leads in more subtle ways. I do have a fall-back position that gives me confidence. God wants us to get where God wants us to go more than we want to get where God wants us to go. And God is awfully good at getting us there!

James was martyred in Acts 12:2. Here is what that tells me. Amazing miracles happen. But amazing "tragedies" happen too. I wonder if that "tragedy" shook their faith at all? God, why didn't you protect him? How could you let this happen? I think I'm realizing that it really boils down to this: how can I most glorify God? Miracles and martyrdom both accomplish that purpose in different ways.

In some ways, the early church was just like the 21st century church. There were early adopters, late adopters, laggards, and resisters in the early church too. A major shift happens in Acts 10 when Peter goes to the home of a gentile named Cornelius. Eating with uncircumcised gentiles was not Kosher, but God revealed to Peter that it was ok. But that didn't mean it didn't make waves. Acts 11:2 says, "The circumcised believers criticized him." There always has been and always will be resisters to the move of God. And they are often well-intentioned. These resisters were the protectors of "orthodoxy." It's been said that the last seven words of the church are: "We've never done it that way before." This is the first instance of that. Thank God the early church had early adopters who had the courage to do church the way it's never been done before. They broke thousands of years of tradition, but I'm the beneficiary for their willingness to do something unprecedented.

The story in Acts 12 is one of my all-time favorites because I can relate to it. The believers pray for Peter in prison and there is an angelic jailbreak. And Peter shows up at the house where the people are praying for him. He knocks on the door, but they don't believe it's him. They couldn't believe it when God answered their prayers! I think a lot of my prayers are like that a lot of the time. I'm more surprised when they are answered than when they're not. It's just good to know that despite all the amazing things that happen in the books of Acts, the early believers weren't unlike me. Sometimes they had a hard time believing that God did what they asked Him to do.

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Leak or Spill

I am so encouraged this morning. When we live in faith mode God orders our footsteps and we're able to see and seize divine opportunities. That happened this morning. I've crossed paths with a guy who is an athiest a few times these last few weeks and we just had a hour-long discussion where I laid out the gospel and he was like a sponge soaking it up. Praise God. I've been praying for "radical conversions" and this is one. He is so close. It was amazing to hear in "non-biblical terms" how he feels like God is working in his life. And it was so much fun trying to present the gospel in understandable ways to him. I don't know that anything is more exciting that feeling like God is using you to nudge people closer to faith in Christ. By the way, I think holiness is the key to faith mode. Sin is like a leak that cause faith to drain. When we aren't leaking God fills us with faith. I feel like God has fixed some leaks and I'm filled with faith. Ultimately, either we're leaking or spilling. Either faith is leaking out of us wherever we're sinning or faith is spilling out of us. By the way, joy spills out too. And peace. And laughter. Lord, fix the leaks so we spill.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Ebenezers

Our prayer meeting at Ebenezers was amazing last night. I'm not sure I'll ever forget praying in the pit. There was something about climbing down the ladder and standing on the foundation that was so meaningful to me. We spray painted I Samuel 7:12 onto the wall behind the stage as an altar to God's faithfulness--"Hitherto the Lord has helped us."

I also put II Chronicles 7:12-16 on the wall as a way of claiming that promise.

Pastor Joel had a great idea today. We used to lay hands on the walls at 205 F Street and pray through the wall that abuts 201 F Street asking God to give it to us. So he came up with the idea of taking markers and tracing our hands. And then we invited everybody to write a Scripture or promise or miracle they were believing God for. It was so incredible to hear the way God was leading different people. All I can say is that tonight built my faith. Eight years ago this was an impossible dream or crazy miracle. But God it making it reality. And it helps me believe God for the impossible dreams and crazy miracles I'm believing Him for now.

I wrote Ezekiel 47:6 on my hand. And I wrote four words: unplanned, unprecedented, uncontainable, and unhindered. I'm believing that God's presence will fill Ebenezers in a powerful way. I prayed over the doorframe and prayed that everybody who walks into Ebenezers would experience God. And I wrote Acts 2:41 x 1 on the wall.

I sensed in my spirit that we laid the spiritual foundation of the Ebenezers tonight. Praise God.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Prayer Reflections

We had a great time of prayer today. I love praying with this group of guys on Tuesday mornings! Here are a few of my prayer reflections. By the way, I'm learning the importance of capturing what it is that I'm praying for. It helps me continue to pray for those things.

I was reminded again that what we starve must die and what we feed must grow. Holiness is really an issue of starving the wrong things and feeding the right things. I felt compelled to pray Matthew 5:6: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." I'm praying that we'd lose our appetite for ungodly things. I pray that ungodly things would become repulsive to our spiritual taste buds! And I'm praying that our appetite for the things of God would become an insatiable hunger and thirst. I'm praying that we would taste how good God is and become addicted to righteousness.

I continue to sense how important encouragement is. I think the enemy wants to discourage us every time we mess up so we get into a defeatist mind set. The reality is that we are "more than conquerors." In other words, we're not just called to defeat the enemy. We're called to crush him! I was reminded again this morning that one of the mains sources of discouragement is wrong expectations. I think managing our expectations is so important. We need sanctified expectations. If our expectations are too low we'll settle for less than God has planned or promised. If we have the wrong expectations we'll experience disillusionment. I think that is what happens when God doesn't do what I want Him to do when I want Him to do it or how I want him to do it. What we need are the right expectations. We need to know what to believe God for. And we need high expectations because He is able to do "immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine." God, sanctify my expectations!

One of the guy's prayers really resonated with me today. He prayed, "I pray that we wouldn't just pour cups of coffee. I pray that we would pour cups of spiritual blessing." I'm believing that Ebenezers will be a "divine radiation zone." I'm believing that the presence of God will be the intangible that sets it apart. I'm praying that just as people we're healed by Peter's shadow in Acts 5, I'm praying that Ebenezers would cast a shadow on Capitol Hill. I can't wait to climb down the ladder, get into the pit, and pray God's blessing on the walls and foundation of Ebenezers at our prayer meeting tonight!

Mental Pictures

I've been thinking alot lately about what it means to have a sanctified imagination. I think it means we dream God dreams. But I also think it means we use our imagination in the way we read Scripture. I'm not talking about coming up with "crazy" interpretations that aren't based on good exegetical practices. I'm just talking about using our imagination to enter the stories we read. Using our imaginations to dream of ways to put truth into practice. I agree with Albert Einstien. He said, "Imagination is more imporant than knowledge." I think what's lacking is a sanctified imagination. I was just talking to an NCCer who leads one of our small groups--a fantasy baseball group. And they decided to serve the local little league by volunteering as the "grounds keeping crew" at one of the baseball fields. What if 800+ NCCers had ideas like that and acted on them? We'd be impacting this city at every turn! What's lacking isn't knowledge. What's lacking is imagination. God, sanctify our imaginations!

I'm praying that God would give us pictures of the crucified Christ and the resurrected Christ. Someone emailed me yesterday and reminded me of the passage in the gospels about the ascension. Luke's gospel says, "while he was blessing them he left them." I love that picture! We need to see pictures of Jesus washing feet and pictures of Jesus seated on the Throne high and exalted. Lord, I'm praying that you would give us mental pictures of you. I'm praying that they would help us "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." I'm praying that, like Stephen in Acts 7:55, that I'd see Jesus! It says, "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God."

I'm praying for mental pictures that help me live with the same kind of courage Stephen possessed. He wasn't afraid to be martyred for his faith because he wasn't looking at the Sanhedrin. He wasn't looking at the stones in the hands of his killers. He was looking at Jesus!

The Miracle of Favor

For the last several years I've been so impressed in my spirit to pray for favor. If I were asked how we were able to purchase Ebenezers and rezone Ebenezers my answer would simply be: "the favor of God." There is no other explanation. I pray favor for my kids all the time. I pray that they would grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and with man (Luke 2:52). As I read stories in the Old Testament I see "favor" as one of the themes in the life of Esther and Nehemiah and Joseph. All I'm saying is this: I desperately want and need the favor of God in my life. And thank God that we are favored. In his very first message, Jesus said he came to "proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

I just stumbled across an awesome passage in Acts 7:10. It says, "God gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh King of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace."

I think "the favor of God" is one of those overlooked and under appreciated miracles. I think the favor of God is every bit as much a miracle as keeping the planets in orbit or healing cancer. But it's more intangible so it's tougher to quantify. But the favor of God can land you an interview or get you a promotion or earn you acceptance. So I'm thanking God today for "the miracle of favor."

Seven Miracles

In keeping with the homework assignment this week I've identified seven miracles I'm believing God for. Please forgive the cryptic way that I blog them, but I sort of feel like Nehemiah outside the wall. I'm not quite ready to "go verbal" with some of them. But God and I know what they represent.

Habakkuk 2:2 says, "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets." I think "blog about it" is a fair 21st century translation. I want to put these in writing to help me remember them and so that I have a record to look back on and praise God for when these miracles become reality.

To be perfectly honest, I'm concerned that some of these miracles may be more man-made than God-inspired ideas. I feel a different level of conviction about each one. Some of them have become convictions in the pit of my soul. For example, Acts 2:41 x 1, is a promise I felt like God gave me last summer during my forty days of prayer. I believe I'll see Acts 2:41 once in my lifetime. I'm not sure how it will happen or where it will happen or when it will happen, but I'm believing God that I'll see 3,000 people get baptized at the same place at the same time.

Here my list of seven miracles I'm believing God for. Some are long-term and some are near-term. One way or the other, I'm praying for and hoping for and believing for these seven things:

Acts 2:41 x 1
5 Digit
50/1M/50
U.S.
2M Idea
C07
Asthma

Monday, May 09, 2005

Shipwrecks & Snakebites

I continue my read and blog my way through the book of Acts. If you're a linear or sequential kind of person please forgive me, but I read Acts 27-28 today. I think I've read those stories several dozen times, but this series on miracles helped me see them in a different light.

Thank God for shipwrecks and snakebites! Acts 28 record a revival that happens on the Island Malta. But that revival would have never happened without two "tragedies." It was a shipwreck that took them "off course" and forced them to make an emergency landing on Malta. It wasn't on their itinerary. They didn't plan on getting off on the Malta exit. But God used that shipwreck to strategically position them in the right place at the right time. Then another potential "tragedy" happened. Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake. The people thought Paul was cursed, but when he didn't die from the venom they believed he was a god. Long story short, he got to share the gospel with the chief official of the Island named Publius as a result of those two tragedies.

So here is my thought for the day. Have you ever prayed for a shipwreck or snakebite? Me neither! But God can use those "tragedies" and turn them into opportunities to display His power and wisdom and grace. So praise God for shipwrecks and snakebites. I never thought I'd say that, but that is precisely what happens in Acts 27-28. God turns tragedies into opportunities.

If you want to experience a miracle, sometimes your ship needs to wreck or you need to get bitten by a venomous snake. It's those life-threatening problems that "set things up" for God to display His glory. Most of us perceive shipwrecks and snakebites as problems. Maybe we need to see them as miraculous opportunities!

Friday, May 06, 2005

A Spirit of Boldness

Boldness seems to be one of the primary byproducts of being filled with the Spirit in Acts. In fact, what I find interesting is that the early believers didn't pray for God to deliver them from their circumstances. They prayed for boldness to go through their circumstances. If the truth be told, I pray for deliverance more than boldness. I'm so impressed with the way the disciples didn't back down in the face of opposition. They didn't back down when they were arrested by the Sanhedrin, the religious establishment. They didn't back down after they were thrown in jail in Acts 5:19. In fact, after the miraculous jailbreak they didn't run away. They went right back to where they were arrested.

Spiritual boldness boils down to Acts 5:29: "We must obey God rather than human beings!" I'm realizing more and more that there is a tension between the fear of man and the fear of God. The two cannot coexist. The more "fear of man" I have the less "fear of God" I have. And the more "fear of God" I have the less "fear of man" I have. I think too many Christians are cowards because they are slaves to the opinions of people. But when God sets us free from the "fear of man" then we aren't afraid of looking foolish which equals faith (at least in my lexicon). Faith is the willingness to look foolish. But the "fear of man" keeps us from exercising faith. So we live reasonab

Monday, May 23, 2005

Church Planting

Ethiopia

Sunday, May 22, 2005

Sunday Reflections

Screen on the Green

The Rest of the Story

Saturday, May 21, 2005

Fetal Position

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Coffeehouse Service

Mark Batterson

The 316 Chapter

Recommended Reading: Must Reads

Recommended Books: Relationships

a ton of books

Recommended Books: Science

Life is Good

Multibillion-Dollar Ideas

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

blog survey

I'm Asyncronous

Night Night

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Email Testimony

Direct Mail

Harvest

meetings

Monday, May 16, 2005

the club

Saturday, May 14, 2005

The Digital Age

58%

Random Reflections

Hollywood Missionaries

Friday, May 13, 2005

Immunizations

Centripetal Churches

Crazy Idea

Bon Appetite

Reject

Random Reflections

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Leak or Spill

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Ebenezers

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Prayer Reflections

Mental Pictures

The Miracle of Favor

Seven Miracles

Monday, May 09, 2005

Shipwrecks & Snakebites

Friday, May 06, 2005

A Spirit of Boldness