GUEST BLOGGER: Aaron Cauble on "leading worship"

Today I will highlight my Arts Pastor here at Mosaic named Aaron Cauble. Not only is he one of the best music leaders I have ever been around, he is one of the best, if not the best, Pastor I have been around in the true sense of the word pastor (shepherd). This is some of the best stuff I have seen on leading the Body of Christ through the Arts to build it into maturity and have a thriving music/arts ministry. Here's what he had to say about leading music...

In my humble opinion, here is what's needed in a 'worship leader' (side note:  I usually call them the 'music leader' or 'worship music leader' so that we don't perpetuate the idea that music is the only way to worship.  By calling them the 'worship leader,' you are saying that they are in charge of all elements of worship in a church body.  I see teaching and preaching as worship, prayer as worship, encouragement, obedience to God's commands, etc.  Although some might argue it's just semantics, I believe our language should reflect our ideas and philosophies.  

1.  Sensitivity to the Spirit:  a worship music leader has to know how to listen to God and adjust fire at His leading 

2.  Humble:  there are far too many worship music leaders out there that do not have a humble spirit (the greatest of you must become the least) 

3.  Teachable: willing to receive wise council from others and be a part of an elder (or pastoral) team (be a team player and allow input from others into what you do)  

4.  Creative:  you must be reinventing yourself all the time or you and your body will get stuck in a rut; be willing to have consistency, but also be able to break the mold at times 

5.  Song-writer:  a music worship leader should be able to write songs that pertain to their body specifically and the season in which they're in.  If we believe in the creative God of the universe, He will give us songs to share with the body 

6.  Organized:  there is a certain amount of administration that goes along with organizing your team (printing chord charts, scheduling practices, making sure all media elements are there, organizing a service, etc.) 

7.  A musician:  someone that knows their music theory and their instrument well and has a well-rounded knowledge of the other instruments in the band so they can communicate musically with them 

8.  A basic knowledge of sound engineering:  you don't have to be an expert, but you should know the lingo so you can help the sound guy out and speak his language (if you're a church plant, you may be setting up the sound system by yourself) 

9.  Pastoral:  a worship music leader is going to be shepherding people on and off the stage (music team and congregation included) 

10.  Saved : they know Christ and are growing in their faith (their life bears fruit... you see evidence in their lives that they have been transformed by the gospel) 

11.  Servant of all 

12.  Faithful:  musicians can be flaky at times; you want someone who is dependable, does what they say they're going to do, shows up on time, makes their ministry a priority 

13.  Grows leaders:  they understand how to multiply themselves and teach others how to do what they do; a lot of music leaders I see get burnt out because they're leading every week, it makes more sense to grow up other leaders and give others the opportunity to lead because they bring something different to the body that you don't have and it empowers them 

14.  Prophetic: able to hear from the Lord and share it with others; can share words of encouragement and exhortation 

15.  Learner:  has to be able to adapt to the context of their body and of the times they live in; always learning new songs 

16.  Connector:  connects with other people that do what they do so they can learn from them and have a sense of community with the global church (hang with dudes from other churches and denominations that are team leaders) 

17.  Is engaged in the music/arts community outside of the Church (engages the musical domain of society, has music friends that aren't saved, goes to see or play live music in clubs, bars, etc., shows love to and has a heart for musicians that don't know Christ; not stuck in the church bubble)

Guidelines for leading worship:

1.  Be living a life that is rooted in the gospel so that you can be ready at all times to lead people in musical worship ("be ready in season and out of season"), so that when you lead people, you have something to say because you have been rooted in Christ and are listening to the Spirit at all times 

2.  Confess sin beforehand, come clean before the Lord to lead others in worship 

3.  Practice the songs and know them well so you don't have to worry about chords and lyrics and meaning while you're leading people; it should be 2nd nature to you and locked into the sub-concious before you ever play it in front of a group 

4.  Don't play a song unless you are fully convicted by its message 

5.  Listen to the Spirit as you lead and be willing to adjust your set according to His leading 

6.  Don't be affected by people's physical response (don't let their lack of response hinder you from worshipping, or their over-exuberance distract you), but also discern where people are at in the room so you can get a vibe for what's going on during the service (this can change from week-to-week drastically depending on what people are dealing with at the time) 

7.  Lead your team and give them physical or verbal cues so they know where you're going 

8.  Do everything you can to keep things flowing smooth (especially your transitions between songs and service elements) 

9.  Communicate well with the preacher beforehand and during the service (know where he is going so you can structure the songs thematically around the message and during the service watch them for cues if they feel like God is leading them a different direction or if you need to sing more songs) 

10.  Have a spirit of authority and humility (be bold, be filled with God's power) 

11.  Don't be something you're not (be genuine); if you're struggling, don't feel the pressure to put on a happy face (people can sense when you're not being genuine) 

12.  Sing and play your guts out (worship the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength, mind!!!)

is Capitalism killing the Church?

I preface this blog with the following comments. One, I do not consider this a criticism of the Church but a challenge to the Church that I myself have been challenged with. Second, I love the Body (Church), am a part of the Body & want to see it grow into maturity, unity and watch God
build something upon Christ that the "gates of Hell will not even be able to overcome it." Third, I am not an expert on anything. i am just trying to be a learner & these are my honest observations.

In America we've definitely created a "celebrity" Christianity within the sub-culture (which we shouldn't even have) of the Church. We've allowed the economy of America to become the economy of the Kingdom and call it "ok" because we're Americans. The problem with this is that the church was never intended to be ran like a business and the gifts of the Church were never intended to be exploited and make money off of. The paradox of the Kingdom economy in which we give all away freely & watch our King do miraculous things with that sacrifice has long been lost in our country and one of the major reasons I believe the Church is exploding globally but not here locally in the US.

I have put on many events, concerts, & conferences over the years and have been asked to speak at even more. Over the past two years God has really been convicting and changing me about these events and what we've turned them into. For instance, we have agents now doing all the booking for all the "personalities." We've allowed money to determine where and when we go instead of the Holy Spirit! I know what bands & speakers charge for an event and I know this keeps them from going to speak in Bronte, TX to a youth group of 20 or a church of 100. It's not that I believe "being rich" is the driving force but money definitely is. Maybe it's the security of money or the life we think money should provide for us.

Can you imagine Paul telling the church in Ephesus, "I'm sorry but this is my ministry and my lively hood, I just can't afford to come speak to you about the Kingdom and the Church." Yet so many "ministers & pastors" say that everyday. WHY is it I always hear, "there's a business side to the ministry too?" Really? Where'd we come up with that? To justify us making a ton of money off of a gift God has given us?

You say, "well I gotta feed my family." True, but the very premise of that statement implies you are trusting yourself to provide for your family rather than God. Has He not called you & gifted you? Why do you feel the need to use that to provide instead of just letting Him use you AND provide.

In Ephesians 4 Paul tells us God has given us all gifts according to the grace of Jesus & that they were given to us for one reason: to edify and build up the Church. Not for personal gain. Not for making money & definitely Not for making a living.

This is where capitalism has steered us wrong. It teaches us to find something that sells, package it and beat as many competitors (other churches) as we can. Kingdom economy tells us to Be who Jesus told us to be & follow the Holy Spirit whether we make any money or not COMPLETELY trusting Him to provide and grow our Church.

Furthermore, there are the events themselves. We say,"well we have to charge to cover the expense of the event." Why? Let's go without the $15000.00 light show and $10000.00 sound system. Let's not have the bands make $25,000.00 & a speaker $10,000.00. The irony of a "hipster" speaker yelling at me to be missional from a stage that screams attractional & an event that charged me money to learn from this guy is driving me insane. Or the worship band telling me at a concert that "they're not here to entertain me, but to lead me in worship of Jesus" then ironically charges me $28-$35 to lead me in that worship.

If we really care about the movement of the Church then where are all the people in the Body offering their gifts to the Body to help it grow into that? Why not speak for free? Why not offer your books for free? Why not play for free? The rest of the world is. I just pray the WEST doesn't try & CAPITALIZE on the movement across the globe and kill it by turning those pastors and apostolic leaders into celebrities here. We should just shut-up, go & learn and be willing to change our whole paradigm here.

Do I really need to pay over $200 to somebody to help me find Passion? Why? If we're really passionate about a movement through young adults & college students shouldn't this be offering our gifts to the Body instead of charging for them?

Furthermore, we throw events lately designed to teach about the Kingdom and that living for the Kingdom is what we need, yet all the speakers & bands are from this celebrity culture or from mega churches. What we're really teaching is the same paradigm but in a different package: Bigger is better and you're an expert if you have a large church. Furthermore, they'll even lead on church planting yet never planted their church OR were CELEBRITIES before they plant their church and had 1000 people show up the first week of their existence. Is this really church planting & should I be learning how to plant a church in Urban Chicago from them while paying money just to learn how to reach more Christians?

One of my mentors/friend/fellow Church planters should be one of the one's speaking but he won't get asked because his church only has around 100 people. Apparently he's not an expert because 100 people isn't success (well at least in Capitalism it's not) However, in their first 3 years they've already helped start or support over 5 other church plants. That's the KINGDOM yet no one is lining him up. WHy? BEcause of capitalism. We know PEOPLE WILL NOT PAY & ATTEND OUR EVENT IF WE DON'T HAVE THAT ATTRACTION NAME. What a messed up system and no wonder the Church is in crisis in the United States.

A few mega church pastors I have spoken too have confessed to me that the majority of their growth are from Christians & not from the lost. This doesn't surprise me.

We'll bring in Josh Hamilton to speak at our churches & then we advertise on Christian radio. Really? Who are we trying to reach? Why not advertise on ESPN radio and try to reach the lost people that might be interested instead of building your church by killing neighborhood churches. We need neighborhood churches impacting their communities and reaching the lost, not mega-churches offering something better for the "Christian Consumer" that will kill all the surrounding churches around it. Thats Capitalism.

I have some mega church pastors who are great pastors and leading their churches to Be the church. It's not the mega church that is the problem. You see we need neighborhood churches and mega-churches reaching the lost & impacting their cities. We need all types of churches.

But the issue isn't just with leadership, it's with all of us. Why are we buying the product? WHy do we jump churches looking for the next best thing instead of SERVING where we are and being active? We think we're entitled to be served (capitalism) instead of serving (Kingdom). WHy do we not trust Jesus to provide therefore only going where jobs take us? It's the entire Body that needs to grow.

Why is it there are only 3 or 4 gospel preaching churches in my neighborhood of 190,000 and the biggest one is less than 200? Why is it Ashley & I moved here by ourselves & yet earnestly pray for co-laborers because of the darkness & the harvest is so plentiful and the workers so few?

Because we allow money, family & convenience to determine where & when we go instead of the Holy Spirit. Why are there more Christians in China than Chicago and so many churches and workers in the suburbs and the south and nobody coming to the urban areas of our country? Because we don't want to give everything up for Christ, only what we want too.

Until we adhere to the economy of the Kingdom, & offer our entire lives, our gifts, our money and everything we are to Christ and watch Him build His church, were going to continue to let capitalism kill the church. I for one, am too tired of this paradigm and being in Chicago has re-inforced to me I don't have time to mess with it anymore. None of my homeless members or street kids care who plays my music and who speaks. The gospel is transforming their lives and that's what being missional is.

I love the Church and all the good that it is doing in the USA and how Christ always moves despite us. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't try our hardest to make it reflect our Head (Christ as much as we can!)

I am definitely encouraged by the generation coming up. I believe they are turned off by what's described above and they are looking for authenticity. Check out this article written in relevant magazine. This is how a lot of the younger thinkers are thinking and where they're moving.
I want to see the great commission fulfilled and believe the Church should carry out this task. Hopefully we can get out of our own way at times and accomplish this in purity without having Capitalism coincide with it.

SUMMER MINISTRY STAFF

Here's our SUMMER MINISTRY STAFF for Mosaic Church. We are so blessed and thankful to have them! Please be praying for them throughout the summer as they are an integral part of the continued start of Mosaic Church here in Chicago.

JASON IVIE
My name is Jason Ivie and I am from Weatherford, Texas. I currently go to Dallas Baptist University where I am a biblical studies major. After graduation I plan on going into full-time ministry.

(from left to right)

AUTUMN BRIDGES
Hi. My name is Autumn Bridges. I’m from Parrish, Florida. I’m a senior at North Greenville University in Greenville, South Carolina studying Interdisciplinary Studies with Christian Studies, Elementary Education, and European History. I’m excited to be part of the Parachute Project church planting team this summer in preparation for further mission service, including the Journeyman program after I graduate.

NATALIE FLOYD
I am a native of the Washington D.C. area, and a graduate of James Madison University in Virginia. I recently completed my Masters of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and hope to pursue a career in counseling. I have a heart for church planting and a deep love for the city of Chicago, and I’m so excited to be a part of the work God is doing among His church in the city.

AMBER HESSE
I am from Fort Wayne, Indiana and am a student at Huntington University in Huntington, Indiana. I am a senior studying Educational Ministries and Missions. I’ll be graduating in May 2012, after which I plan to work as a USC2 Missionary (United States or Canada Missionary for 2 years) or in a job where I can be involved with ministry work. I want my life to be fully showing others Christ’s love and the hope that I have found in Him.

Bungee Jumping, Faith & Our House

I made a deal with God a little over 2 years ago. Ash & I knew we were called to plant a church and that we were going to plant in Chicago, so I told God we would move when He sold our house in Denton. This only made sense. It's really expensive to live in Chicago & there was no way we could afford rent in Chi-town & a house payment in Denton, TX at the same time, so I gave God the terms of the deal. Unfortunately, I was obedient to God and listening to Him in all the areas of selling a lot of our possessions, moving away from all of our family, starting a church and living by faith financially EXCEPT for with our house. It's almost like I didn't have enough faith He could really do all of this, so I wanted the house to sell first in order to be a "sign" that God would provide and clear the way for us to move to Chicago.

Good logic huh? Well earthly that is, and almost all people would agree it was good logic, but it's not in the Kingdom of God. What makes sense in the Kingdom of God is obedience. No matter what the call is and how much sense it makes. That's whats great about being a son or daughter of the King is that all we have to do is obey. He takes care of us, provides for us and has all the resources at His disposal to use us to accomplish His will & bring glory back to His kingdom. When we don't trust, don't obey and use GOOD LOGIC all we do is bring glory to our kingdom and the world sees no existence of a powerful, almighty God but only says, "well that just makes sense."

Well, as many know, our house never sold. We were newly married, waiting to move to Chicago and do our best to keep OverFlow Ministries going in Denton, as well as prepare it for our departure. Fall came. Winter came. Spring came. No house sold.

Then, this past May for my 30th birthday, I decided to go bungee jumping. I went to this place in Dallas where I could bungee jump off a ledge for a 7 story drop. However, when I arrived there I also noticed a "free fall" from a 160 ft drop. Basically, what this meant was that I would be lifted 160 ft in the air and then just dropped out of a harness and fall (with nothing attached) 160 ft into a net that hopefully caught me! That free fall was the most exhilarating few seconds of my life! The bungee jump was a little different, however. I climbed the windy staircase up to the 70 ft ledge getting more scared as I traveled a new story. I finally hit the 7th story, saw the Dallas skyline and walked to the ledge. There a teenager met me, attached a rubber band to me and said, "On the count of 3: jump! 1,2,3..." and no jump. My legs were like jello and I was frozen on that ledge. He counted again and again and every time he hit 3 I wanted to jump but I couldn't get off that ledge. It just made no sense! I was on a perfectly good ledge where it was safe and comfortable with a perfect way down: the stairs. My wife is down below with the FlipCam waving as I feel like I've been standing on that ledge for 30 minutes. Then the teenager started talking noise and calling me names and saying my wife would lose all respect for me if I didn't jump. My man pride was hurt now so when this punk kid got to 3 this time I finally----fell off the ledge headfirst 70 ft and it was AMAZING!

On the way home it hit me what the difference was between the two jumps. Why was bungee so much harder for me than the free fall? Well, because the free fall I was just dropped 160 ft and once I got on the lift I was stuck and had no choice whether or not I wanted to be dropped. However, with the bungee jump I actually had to JUMP! No one was pushing me off the ledge, I had to trust that the rubber band would hold and although it didn't make any sense to do it, I had to have faith. I knew the cord would hold, or if it didn't the big pad would catch me, and so really I had nothing to fear. I just had to trust it, and jump.

Summer came. Still no house sold. I had told FBC Denton no matter what I was leaving by the end of the summer. I had helped them find my replacement and August was fast approaching. What was I going to do. I was taking a shower one morning and spent time praying as I often do, and God spoke to me and brought me back to the bungee jump. He said, "just jump. Trust me. I never made the deal with you that your house would sell before you would move, I just told you to move to Chicago and plant a church." I was on that ledge with God scared again. I told God my deal made sense and I liked the free fall better. I wanted to know why God couldn't just sell our house and drop me and Ash in Chicago? He told me clear as day again, "Jump."

I went to my wife with the news and after praying she said, "ok, let's do it." We went to Chicago to find an apartment, and after 4 days came home empty handed and discouraged. But I kept hearing the words "Jump" and so, after returning home to Denton, I got on Craigslist one more time to search for a place to live and one popped up that was exactly where we wanted to live and was in a price range we could afford. BUT there were no pictures! (This is a huge deal when moving anywhere, but especially in the city). But, again, I heard the words, "Jump." I prayed and told God, "ok I'm all in" and Ash and I jumped. We signed the lease the next day and set our moving date. Within hours of faxing our lease to Chicago, I got a call and we got a contract on our house. Didn't make any sense, but God get's glory because only He can do that and it took our trust obedience for Him to show us and the world, He will provide!

We moved to Chicago, started planting our church, and God was good. Once you jump, you really can't go back to the ledge. So, when we got to October and got the news the lady was backing out of her contract on our house, we were upset for a little bit, but then prayed and knew that we had jumped, God has shown the ability to provide and will do so again. So we prayed and had confidence God would sell.

Thanksgiving and Christmas came. No sell. Valentines came, still no sell. Spring break came, still no sell.

I had a quiet time one March morning and was reading through the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus tells His disciples to "ask and it shall be given to you" & went on to tell them how when a son asks a father for a loaf of bread he doesn't receive a snake so how much more will your Father in heaven give to you. I got convicted. I just knew God was going to sell our home, but i never had specifically asked Him to in some time now. Jesus didn't give an example of someone asking just for anything, the son asked for a specific loaf of bread. Now, Jesus never said if the son received the loaf, but He was saying the gift the Father would give would be good. So i prayed specifically for the house to sell that morning.

WIthin one hour, our realtor calls me and tells me he's about to sell my house and we had a contract by the end of the day. God wanted me to ask so I wouldn't think the house would just sell, but that HE would sell it. He is my provider and when He asked me to jump He told me He would take care and I needed to trust, but that din't mean I still didn't need to come to my Dad and ask Him for anything.

At the end of March I came to Texas and was speaking at FBC Denton. But before doing that, I got to close on the house. I have no idea how we were able to afford our house payment in Texas and the expensive rent we have here in Chicago but to only say GOD DID.

Jumping never makes sense but when you think about it, it really does. Obedience to our King in His kingdom brings Him glory and as our King He will provide. To God be the Glory.

Will you jump? Will you forget about what makes sense and go for it? Live a life that is so beyond you and your comfort and live for His kingdom and watch Him provide, get the glory and use your life to show people that He is the one true God. If you're not seeing the power of God in your life, it's because your life is too safe and you're too dependent upon yourself.

I just can't believe I never jumped sooner...what a life I was missing out on.

Are You an Oppressor?

This past monday, I had the privilege of going and hearing Najeeba Syeed-Miller speak at a conference at the University of Illinois-Chicago. She is a brilliant Professor at Claremont School of Theology & one of the leading Muslim women in the U.S. Our paths have crossed different times. One of my mentors, Bob Roberts, Jr held a conference called Global Faith Forum where he brought her into speak and I met her there. I also have spent time with her father while traveling with Bob, and when I found out she was speaking in Chicago, I decided to go learn some more. Her topic assigned was the "role of women in traditional Islam" and if it is changing, or more importantly, should be changing. I was fascinated by what she had to say, and I cannot do her justice in this blog by summarizing, but part of what she said inspired me to write this:

Are we oppressors?

Our first response to that question is a quick no. I mean, we live in the modern day United States where equality flows like milk & honey. However, a deeper look into our culture shows many oppressed people ranging from homosexuals to Muslim-Americans and racial tensions still exist in areas of our nation. Ironically, Najeeba's talk wasn't necessarily focusing on oppression, but this is the gist of the part of what she said that brings this all together:

She was talking about the role of women in Islam and how some view them as oppressed, but we ought to be careful to view them that way as a whole. Because, although some would like to be "liberated", others feel they are not oppressed because they have "chosen" to live the way they are and are not "forced." And, how they choose to live is their way of more closely following God. She went on to not try to even focus this just on women, but on the basic human right we have to choose.

This really got me thinking. The opposite then, of oppression, is the right to choose. To choose how you live your life. To choose which religion you will follow and how you will follow it. In one word: Freedom.

Therefore, to be against freedom of religion would be to be for oppression. To be against the building of a Mosque would be for oppression. To be against your child being friends with Muslim children would be for oppression. To be against building a church in the Middle East would be for oppression. Not allowing someone to choose their religion and force them to believe like you is to oppress them.

Jesus modeled this for us often. One story that sticks out to me is found in the New Testament in the book of John, chapter 4, where Jesus "had to go to Samaria." There he sits at Jacob's well and encounters a Samaritan women who happened to be a prostitute and He crossed socio-economic barriers (Samaritan's being on the bottom of the totem pole in any Caste system), and gender barriers to tell her He had the kingdom of heaven for her. He told her He was the living water and that a day was coming soon when eternal life could dwell inside of her if she "chose" to follow Him. She did that day and so did many in her village. What was Jesus teaching us when He went to this women? Why not just go to the leading man in the Village? Why was He even going to the Samaritans at all being a Jew? He was showing us that He loved all people and that His love knew no barriers and wants all people to have the choice to respond to Him.

I have seen oppression with my own eyes in South Africa & Palestine. We have all seen it in the Sudan, Egypt and other places throughout history. However, to move forward as people living in a multi-faith & multi-ethnic world, we must choose to love all people and not contribute to oppression because someone disagrees with us and our beliefs. As a follower of Jesus & his teachings, I must choose to love all people and fight against oppression.

I was visiting with Najeeba & a colleague of hers before she spoke and we were talking about multi-faith and I said that it must go beyond discussion and enter into engagement. "Hand. Heart. Head." is model that Bob Roberts developed that we are trying to do. Multi-faith, or interfaith, has always been about discussions between pastors, imams, rabbis, etc., to see how we can find some common ground. I have been a part of many inter-faith panels at the University of North Texas and they are all usually the same. The problem with this approach is they start with the "head." I was not friends with the other members of the panels and I would never see them again until another interfaith panel occurred. I just knew we had irreconcilable differences and that we didn't believe the same things no matter what "pluralists" were trying to tell us. Bad approach. It did nothing to change the stereotypes I had because I still did not know "them." (people of other faiths)

We need a new platform. Instead, we start with the "Hand." We partner together to make our cities better. Bob's church Northwood in Keller,TX has done this many times. They have done Habitat for Humanity houses with Muslims, Jews, and Christians all working together and other projects serving together to make their cities better.

This leads to the "heart." In working together, we become friends. You realize after roofing together or serving the homeless together that we really do like each other and we can be friends. Bob's church has had members go to each other's houses for dinners with people from other faiths and the ladies have even gotten together to learn how to cook each other's food.

Then we can get to the "head." Now, because we are friends, we can talk about all of our differences and agree to disagree. But because we like each other we still have a relationship, my stereotypes have been broken and you are no longer "them" to me but my friend. Now we can talk things out as friends instead of panelists.

Most importantly, however, this process enables the movement to the masses. It goes from religious leaders in each religion having a dialogue to the people in our different congregations engaging in a multi-faith movement to make our cities better and learn to love one another.

Hand. Heart. Head.

Let's love all people and be people that lead to peace, not more oppression. We have enough of that in the world already.

Harvest is Plentiful; Workers Are Few

Growing up in church and now being a pastor in a church for over 10 years I have heard, memorized, study and preached many verses of the bible. One verse has been sticking out to me a lot more recently, however:

"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."

These words of Jesus I have known my entire life. I have seen the verse used for mission trips, for projects, to get volunteers to sign up for church events,etc. I have always known it to be true and have always used it to motivate myself & followers of Jesus to be about the work of the Kingdom.

However, I have never "felt" it to be more true than I have since moving to Chicago. God has brought me to the fields and has shown me the harvest. He has given me more homosexual friends than ever before. He has given me more friends who do not even have Jesus on their radar than ever before. He has given me a new city that needs people to engage it with God's love. He has given us favor with our local school. He has given us favor with some of our community development groups. He has given us favor with the local park district. Yes, I see the harvest. I see it everyday. When you are in the bubble of American Christianity, where all we do is surround ourselves with other Christians, christian schools, christian music and shop only at "Christian" stores, we began to lose sight of the harvest. We began to think the world really is ok & become numb to the hurt around us. We become oblivious to the injustices taking place. We become disinterested in the lost and just think, "if we can only get them to church." That way, they can hear a message from a Pastor, hear songs, and I really don't have to do anything but invite them and I've done my part. This gets us off the hook from investing in people's lives, loving people, and actually rolling up our sleeves and working the fields.

BUT when you let that bubble burst and your eyes are opened to a whole new world, you realize that there is a harvest and that the workers really are few.

What would it look like if churches began releasing their people into the harvest? What would it look like if instead of churches spending 90% of their energy getting people to come to church, they spent 100% of their energy sending people into the harvest? What if instead of 20% of church members being actually active in the ministry of the church, 100% of the body was active? What would our churches look like? What would our cities look like as we released a movement of Christ's love in the city?

This begs the question: what role are our churches really playing in the cities we live in? What if, instead of the church seeing the city as a resource, the city viewed the church as a resource? How cool would that be that as churches we were having such an impact on our city that they were coming to us to help rebuild, develop, and make the city better. AND doing it all in the name & love of Jesus. Wow, I get excited just thinking about all we could do as churches!

This is the vision of our church. I have experienced the harvest too much now to turn my back on it. Some of the harvest is ripe, and some of it still needs to seeded, and some of it still needs to be watered. But WE NEED workers. Ashley & I are about as stretched as we can be and be productive in the fields. We have set up a framework with DNA & a vision to be about the ministry of reconciliation in the city of Chicago, but we need workers to come and join in what God is doing here. To put it frankly: we need workers. I pray for God to give us co-laborers every day. To bring us people from Texas that feel called, or people from the Chi-town area, or people from Africa (or wherever He brings) that would be willing to sacrifice the comfort of the American Christian bubble and be about the harvest in Chicago.

BUT more importantly, I pray that Christians would sacrifice the comfort of the American Christian bubble for the harvest wherever God has called them. Whether that be in dallas, nyc, la, chicago, shanghai, bethlehem, or bronte (tx)!

Don't get me wrong I would love for people to come and join us and I'm continuing to pray for that because we need it, but God's ministry of reconciliation is bigger than what we are doing. For my eyes have seen the harvest, and unfortunately, my eyes don't see many workers. Will you open your eyes, sacrifice, & work?

Proud of My Wife...

I know Ashley is going to be embarrassed by this but I wanted to take the time to let people know this: I am really proud of my wife. In honor of her starting school tonight, I wanted people to know how she continues to amaze me.

Ashley is an amazing woman of God who loves Jesus more than me and challenges me to be better. I could not have asked for more of a blessing from God than the opportunity to journey with Ashley by my side through this life.

She's amazed me with her trust to pick up and move with me to Chicago, not only leaving our families behind but our comfort too. Not many women would do this and for her too, not only shows her commitment to Christ, but to me as well.

She's amazed me with her strength to spend many nights here in the big city of Chicago by herself (as I have had to travel) without getting scared, not missing a beat, and not losing sight of our vision and continuing the work of why we're here.

She's amazed me with her endurance to "plant" a church with me and be very active in partnering with me to see this thing through.

She's amazed me with her ambition to get her Master's in ESL (starting classes tonight).

She's amazed me with her sacrifice to go to school, work a full-time job (not just for money but to reach her co-workers), and put up with me. Lord knows that is not very easy at all and is a full-time job as well. I know I am not easy to live with sometimes, as even Selah (our dog) gets tired of me.

I am amazed at her compassion for people, children, and her passion and desire to see people come to a loving relationship with Jesus.

Ashley, I am thankful for you and your desire to see God's kingdom advanced, first in our family, and also to the world.

I. love. you.

Social Gospel or Gospel Evangelism? Is there a difference?

I often get asked by many who hear how we're starting our church with engaging our city & world by serving and volunteering if I, therefore, believe in a "social gospel." Now, usually when I get asked that, what that really implies is "where's the evangelism?" If we are volunteering at our local school, helping our community host events, help clean up the park, partner with members of other faiths for the good of the city, then that must mean I do not believe in "evangelism" and only in helping fix society's problems.

I often seen this phrase posted or have heard it many times: "Evangelism is not a beggar telling another beggar where to find bread, it's a beggar taking another back to the place where he can eat Daily Bread." Proponents of this phrase say that a person's greatest need is to be saved and rescued from their sins so therefore the only thing the church should be concerned about is their salvation.

However I ask, will a beggar believe there is actually "daily bread" if he knows no existence of tangible bread? Will a world believe in an unconditional, everlasting love if they've never been shown it by the people who claim to have it (the church)?

This is why I do not think you can separate Gospel into "evangelism" & "social" because they are one and the same a part of a whole process: Gospel. Therefore, I holistically believe in the Gospel. The full, encompassing Gospel that Christ wants to reconcile all things to Himself (Colossians 1). That means that He wants the whole person, the whole city, & the whole world reconciled into His name and we are to be "minister's of reconciliation." What better way to show my neighborhood the love of Christ in that I love them by serving them? Isn't this the example of Christ? He came not to be served but to serve. He healed the sick, spoke up for the poor & oppressed. Told us to take care of the widows & orphans & He fed the hungry. BUT that's not all He did. He casted out demons, preached HIS news to the people, forgave sins and died for us that we might have life. He did both because the Gospel is both. When we focus on one & neglect the other we are missing part of the Gospel and missing on part of the ministry of reconciliation.

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day I wanted to give you an excerpt of what he said in a "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" to white pastors who were criticizing him. Not only are his words about the church and gospel powerful, but also prophetic. He makes no distinction between "social problems" & "gospel":

"In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churchmen stand on the sideline and mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard many ministers say: "Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern." And I have watched many churches commit themselves to a completely other worldly religion which makes a strange, un-Biblical distinction between body and soul, between the sacred and the secular. I have traveled the length and breadth of Alabama, Mississippi and all the other southern states. On sweltering summer days and crisp autumn mornings I have looked at the South's beautiful churches with their lofty spires pointing heavenward. I have beheld the impressive outlines of her massive religious education buildings. Over and over I have found myself asking: "What kind of people worship here? Who is their God? Where were their voices when the lips of Governor Barnett dripped with words of interposition and nullification? Where were they when Governor Wallace gave a clarion call for defiance and hatred? Where were their voices of support when bruised and weary Negro men and women decided to rise from the dark dungeons of complacency to the bright hills of creative protest?"
Yes, these questions are still in my mind. In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, I love the church. How could I do otherwise? I am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson and the great grandson of preachers. Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists.

But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust."

What if the church stood beside Dr. King and showed the love of Christ to all people instead of saying, "Well social issues have no real concern of the gospel." Would the struggle have ended sooner? You notice it even made Dr. King ask who was worshipping in those churches and what God they believed in? Why? Because He saw no action to the love they were preaching and the"gospel" they believed in.

Look at that last prophetic phrase. Has it come true in America? Are we irrelevant to our world & society because they see no love & service from the Church? I am afraid we are, but the whole, real Gospel can change that. That's why we serve not to convert, but because we are converted. Go and preach the Gospel and let's change our world, as we serve, tell others about His love and Christ saves and reconciles.

Theology from My Snow Dog

In the past few weeks we have gotten a lot of snow here in Chicago and amazingly not one day has school been cancelled! This is new for us. In Texas when it snows the whole state shuts down. No one drives, everyone stays home and plays. Here, everyone is still driving, buses are going and kids have to sit in school while I'm out playing in it!

This is the first winter for Selah, my Siberian Husky puppy and her first experience with snow. For those who don't know, Siberian Huskies are a medium-size, wolf-like dog. Huskies are an active, energetic, and resilient breed whose ancestors come from the extremely cold and harsh environment of the Siberian Arctic. Siberian Huskies were bred to pull heavy loads long distances through difficult conditions. The dogs were imported into Alaska during the Nome Gold Rush and later spread into the United States and Canada.

In other words, they were bred for the snow and to work long hours in it. Now Selah doesn't work, as in pull a sled, but she does play hard. And when she first stepped foot in the snow, even though she had never seen it, it was like she was finally home. She immediately had extra energy like she had drank a Red Bull and began pulling me like I was her sled. When we finally got to the park and I let her off leash she ran all over the place, stopping only to stick her head completely in the snow like she were an Ostrich. She would make doggy snow angels, hunt squirrels and just play forever this first snow day.

And then it occurred to me: even though she had never experienced snow, or sledding, as soon as she was in the element she was bred to be in, she thrived and did exactly what she was created for instinctively. When she was in Texas (out of her element) we never noticed some of her behaviors as we do in this colder climate.

This is true for us as well.

We were created to be in community with the communal God and with His body. Obviously our sin has taken us out of this "element" and we don't thrive in it. We don't experience life in this element. Every time we sin, it's like we remove ourselves from the very element that we were created for. That's why Jesus said the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy life. He comes to take us away from what we were bred to do.

HOWEVER, when Jesus reconciles us back into His kingdom, we have life. Thats why Jesus said, "I have come to give you life--and to the full." He came to bring us back into the element we were created to be in. In this element we thrive. We have life. We experience our purpose. We are excited about what we are doing.

As we celebrate the birth of Christ this season, remember why he came: to bring us back into the place we were created to be in. As I watch Selah play in the snow and as she hates leaving it to go inside, God reminds me and asks why I would ever leave too? And He then reminds me of His son and His grace that brings me back every time. I want to be where I was created to be, how about you?

Why Serve?

Many people have been asking me how we are starting our church and what we are doing right now in Chicago. Here's the short answer: We are serving.

Why?

There are many ways to start a new church in a new city. Every new church at some point in time "introduces" themselves to the city they belong too. Many do this by spending a lot of money on creating an amazing mail out that says something catchy hoping to get 1% of that mailer as a return to attend one of their events or services. It also serves a purpose of even if they throw the mailer away, they at least know who you are now by name.

Here in Chicago with our new church, we've taken a different approach. One, because of resources. We simply cannot and do not want to spend the money on a mailer. Two, and more importantly, we want to "introduce" ourselves in a different way. When people hear of us, we want it to be for a REASON instead of for a piece of paper. AND when they do receive a mail out or flyer later on (just not an introduction one), we want them to have a point of reference: "Oh, that is that church that does..." What?

What is it we want to be known for in our city? Love. That we love God so much we love our city.

I would rather introduce our new church to the community by consistently serving it than by doing a "mailer." This advances the kingdom, impacts our community & saves money.

That's the answer to the question I've gotten of why we've been serving our school and our community since we've been here and what we're trying to accomplish. We are the body of Christ and we should be showing the love of Christ to all people. Not so that they will come to our church but because we should love them. My new friends may never come to my church, but I will never stop serving them. Furthermore, we are establishing DNA in our church so that when people do join, they know that they are joining to serve. We will make our school better and be a part of God's ministry of reconciliation in our city.

Here's a cool story:

One of the first events we partnered with the community on was a Scarecrow Extravaganza where the community got businesses to sponsor and build a scarecrow for a week-long display the week of halloween. Kids and families would then show up and build their own scarecrow to go in the lot with the sponsors. The lot was our local school courtyard. We decided to be a sponsor to help our community. We were the only church that did this and it was a lot of fun. We even saw the school principal there and she came up and gave Ash & I a huge hug, even though we've only been serving in the school at that point for 2 weeks. God was showing us the importance of what we were doing. Then he added another blessing. A lady who runs an on-line newspaper for our neighborhood and has over 7,000 followers covered the event, and we got "free" publicity to our neighborhood that we didn't even have to pay for. And, more importantly, we were becoming known for what we wanted to be: we love our neighborhood.

We need to shift our focus from the church to the kingdom. When we start a church our focus is "church". When we advance the kingdom, we can change a city & the world. We will make decisions based on the kingdom, not based on how many people this will bring to my church. We serve our cities no matter what, because it is about the kingdom and not my church. That's why we serve.

Kingdom. Disciple. Society. Church. Start with Kingdom and make disciples that engage society and God will build His church. So why serve? Easy as what my dad always told me when I asked why: "Because your Father said so."

Multi-Faith: Lessons from Global Faith Forum

Many people have been asking what I learned/taught at the Global Faith Forum, but most people have been asking me, "what was it like?" (For those who haven't heard about the GFF, check out www.globalfaithforum.org) There were many amazing speakers from all faiths represented and I was humbled to learn from them.

Here's a few of my thoughts and what I took away.

First off, in being with Muslims, Jews, & Christians on the same platform, you learn to appreciate and love them for who they are. It puts a face on the issue of Park 51 (NYC Mosque) and the Israeli history. That's one of the things we really stressed in our breakout session we led, because relationships change everything. The reason there is so much misunderstanding between all of our faiths is because we do not have relationships with each other. Therefore, we talk about the other with our own instead of talking about each other with each other. However, if we have real friendships, not just conversations, then everything changes. We begin to care and love people, serving them with the love of Jesus because they matter to God, but also now because they matter to us. Bob Roberts, jr spoke on how we have to start with the hand (serving & working together for the good of the city) instead of the head (all of our theological differences) because if we start there, relationships will be extremely hard to form.

Second, we do not have to demonize other religions to make ours look good. If we really believe what we believe is Truth, then why do we feel the need to tear someone else down? For Christians, let jesus speak for himself and stand on that. We do not need to demonize the fact the Jews reject Christ as Messiah or demonize Mohammed in order to make Jesus look better. If we really believe Jesus is God, does he not look better himself? Relationships help us not to do this as well.

Third, we do not need to get our information on what we think of other religions from the media or from our own tribes, we need to go to the source. A lot of the speakers at GFF really stressed this. We have to be careful not to form our opinions of one another based on the media and chain emails. We have to have real conversations with people of other faiths who really know what they believe in order to really understand. We do so much damage with our tweets, emails, and Facebook statuses by spreading information about other religions that we do not even know to be true because we did not get it from the source. We should be using the media platform to spread the news of what we do know: what we believe and loving others.

Fourth, we live in a global world and we must learn to love each other, stand for religious freedom for all people, respect each other, and help fight injustice together. I am an evangelical which means this: I believe God created all things, we sinned and needed redemption but couldn't do it ourselves, so God became fully man while staying fully God as Jesus and died for our sins, redeeming us back to a relationship with God and is coming again.

However, just because I believe Jesus is the only way to get to God, does not mean that I do not love others. In fact, because I believe this about Jesus I love others even more. Why do we see the need to demonize, hurt and build barriers between us and other people because of different beliefs? That's not what Christ would do. That's not what the Quran teaches. That's not in the Talmud.

We need a new platform called Multi-faith. A platform where we do not compromise what we believe, admit we have irreconcilable differences, but began building relationships and loving one another as well as serving together.

Serve and love others not to convert, but because we are converted.

I love people and will continue to love people whether they accept Jesus or not. Relationships and serving others for me cannot just end because they believe different than me or reject Christ. If this was so, Christ never would have gone to the cross (ultimate serve and ultimate love) because we all rejected Him. But because i have a relationship with people I am able to share what I believe. So, I love and serve because I am converted, not to convert. I believe Jesus does that part, I'm just called to love Him and love others.

Will you join this multi-faith platform?

Encounters of a Thai Waitress & A Palestinian...

Since moving to Chicago, every Friday at 2pm I go to lunch at Thai Classic restaurant in the Lakeview neighborhood. I meet with the staff & leadership of Chicagoland Community Church, who is the local church helping us plant and encouraging Ashly and I. In so doing, I have met the waitress there that serves us every week. She is from Thailand and is one of the nicest people I have met in Chicago. She knows we are Christians and that there are two pastors there every week and she loves serving us and talking with us. Some weeks we ask her what we can be praying for her about and she'll tell us. Jon, the pastor of C3, has even given her a book to read based upon one of the requests that she made. God has been using us and the conversations so far, but nothing like what happened recently.

About a month ago, she came up to us and the first words out of her mouth were, "I met one of your kind here yesterday!" She was very excited to tell us the story of a Christian man named Sami Awad (http://samiawad.wordpress.com) and how this man from Palestine talked to her about Jesus and what He had done for him and how now he was promoting peace in Israel & Palestine. This blew her away, not only because she couldn't believe someone would give up so much just to follow Jesus, but also because the number one request she always had us pray for was for "peace." Sami was in town to show a documentary and speak at DePaul University. He invited her to come to it after their conversation at the restaurant and she went. This opened a door for more spiritual conversation with her and gave me an opportunity to pray for her in a different way. I also found Sami's blog and began reading his story to know more about the man she had encountered.

Fast forward to this past weekend, where I was attending and leading a breakout session at Global Faith Forum (www.globalfaithforum.org) in Keller Tx. One of my mentors, Pastor Bob Roberts, Jr (www.glocal.net) and the church he pastors where I received my training for church planting, was putting this conference on. I was to lead breakout session on friday, so on thursday night I was just attending and hanging out/meeting all the other speakers in the green room.

Bob comes in right before the night is to begin and begins introducing people. He says a name that I couldn't get out of my head as he introduces, "Sami Awad." For about five minutes I was trying to figure out how I knew that name when it finally clicked: Thai Classic!

So I went over to Sami and asked him if he had been in Chicago in the past month. He had said he had been and I proceeded to ask if he remembers eating at a Thai restaurant, to which he answers yes he had, and "We had a wonderful, crazy waitress who was very interested in our story. So I invited her to come to the movie presentation that night at DePaul and she came. She was extremely nice."

It blew my mind that this was him. I proceeded to tell him that Thai restaurant was my Thai Classic and I eat there every Friday and i know that waitress and she couldn't stop talking about your story!

So, yesterday, I went back to Thai Classic because I had to tell our waitress this story and who i had met. I took a picture with Sami that night I had met him, and after talking with her for awhile yesterday I got my iphone out and asked her if she recognized this man? She said, "Oh my gosh," and she began to flip out. She couldn't believe that I had met him and spent the weekend with him talking to him, and that I was going to Palestine in January. We proceeded to talk more about this "coincidence" for awhile and that I didn't believe it was a coincidence and that I believe God was moving and that I would love to talk with her more about that!

I learned in 7th grade going through a book entitled, "Experiencing God" that God is always moving, and we must just join in where He is. That's exactly what I am doing here. God was moving in Chicago way before I was here and now I am just looking to join in. There are no coincidences here, He is advancing His kingdom. When we finally grasp this and began seeing all things as opportunities to join God in His work, we will see His kingdom advance, churches planted, and cities transformed. Where do you see God moving?

Knowing Your City #1: Politics

When trying to engage your city and make disciples it is important to actually KNOW your city and what makes it tick. In my short time in Chicago so far, I have learned that one of the areas of society that almost every single citizen engages in here is politics! And yes, since Al Capone has been here politics have been dirty and still are here. (Let me preface the rest of this blog by saying I am not affiliated with any party and vote different each year, think Obama is doing the best job he can and fully support him as my president, and I am an evangelical.)

Being from Texas we think we are political but this is a different kind of political. Every one from the dog walker to the trash dumpers to the lawyers and doctors all are very involved in the political process and very OPINIONATED!

I am, and always have been a cynic when it comes to politics, so therefore, I have always been somewhat politically apathetic. I have just gotten by knowing enough about politics to have a casual conversation and move on. However, as I have multiple conversations each day with all of my new friends politics come up in almost every conversation. I am learning now as much as I can to be relevant in those conversations. However, after learning more and more, the more of a cynic I have become so I don't know if that's good or bad! To me if you have to compromise your beliefs in order to get elected (which all party politics do) then you can't change anything. You have people in your back pocket that helped you get elected so therefore you have to please them now. It's really corrupt when you think about it. Thats why Obama cannot be Pro-life even if he wanted to. That's why Republicans can't take certain stances against death penalties, gun laws and some social programs. Why? Because they ran on a certain party line and people helped to get them elected on that line and now their hands are tied as to what they can do. THEREFORE REAL CHANGE cannot take place.

Which brings me full circle. I am learning about politics to engage in conversation, but I know what real change our society (and my new friend) really need. That's the love of Jesus Christ. Think about it for a second. He was the exact opposite leader of our politics we have today. In fact, some people tried to get him to "run" on their political lines. Some wanted, and thought, that Jesus could re-establish the political kingdom of Israel to the ultimate place. Jesus could have ran on that ballot, but He didn't. He didn't compromise His beliefs or calling and instead accomplished the greater purpose of why he came: to make a way into His Kingdom. He stood firm and never compromised, and that brings about real change.

If we get certain issues passed into law in our country is that really going to change people's lives? The kind of change they need? If we get elected the candidate that promises "pro-life" is that really going to help the 500,000 orphans in our country? Will it even end abortion?

Far too long in our country Christians have put too much hope in elected officials and have counted on people to bring change that simply cannot.

My hope is not in elected officials to bring about change but in the Father, his kingdom, and His church to BE the change and help transform lives. As followers of the Way that should all be our hope, because that's CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN.

Chi-Town & The Church in Acts

Living in Chicago, one of the major global cities in the world, has been SO REFRESHING! Over the past two years I have been trying to live more missional and escape the "Christian bubble" we all get in, but true freedom for me was found in removal. Not just regionally, but spiritually. For the first time since probably high school, all the people I am surrounded by everyday are lost and as far from Jesus as possible. And I love it! I have been to more bars in one month of living here then I have in my entire life. It makes me wonder, why did I ever get away from the world? Why is it that Christians are only surrounded by other Christians? Why do we recluse into the church and do our best to serve the world but not love it enough to build relationships with the world? No wonder the world doesn't step foot in our doors and we get discouraged from the rejection of our invitation.

Maybe the rejections of our invitations should tell us the world doesn't want what we're inviting them too! But what if we change what we invite?

What if instead of inviting people to church, we invite them to the Kingdom of Heaven?

Huge difference. POWERful difference. In reading the book of Acts recently and seeing the Church be born and spread I am convinced and encouraged that no worship service I start, no band that I get, no catchy preaching I preach is going to save the people in this city.

Sure doing this could get me a crowd and get me my numbers by getting all the bored Christians at their boring churches to come and join my new fun one until they don't like mine anymore and go somewhere else, but what does that accomplish? What am I going to do about all the lost people I meet and hang out with everyday? What is going to convince them Jesus can change their entire existence? An awesome band? A good service? Or is it the Kingdom of Heaven and the power of the risen Lord?

We use words like "relevant,"contemporary", "band that plays U2", "messages that help your life" to describe our churches.

Acts uses these: "signs", "wonders", "healing", "persecution", "scattered", "disciples", "teaching", "sharing", "giving up EVERYTHING" , "building up Body of Christ".

And these are just a few. The first church didn't spread because they were the "cool, new thing", it spread because they completely relied on the power of the Holy Spirit. They didn't talk people into following Jesus, they performed signs and healings to show the power that could change their lives. Because of this, the Church was persecuted and had to leave Jerusalem. Did that stop them? Nope. They understood the Great Commission: As you go make disciples. They kept doing the same thing there and saw the persecution as an opportunity to share the power of Jesus instead of complaining about losing their homeland and city. What if we stop starting worship services, satellite campuses, etc (and call it church planting), and instead engage our world, make disciples and watch God build His church?

Where's the POWER in the Church in America?

We trust too much in models and styles and our own talents and not enough on the Power of the Holy Spirit.

In a book I'm reading entitled "The Lost History of Christianity," I recently read something that jumped out of me:

"The best argument for Christianity was that its holy men and women were so close to God that they could defy the laws of nature and demonstrate divine power through acts of miracle and healing."

The author Philip Jenkins was referencing the spread of Christianity in it's early birth throughout the middle east and asia up until the time before it even came to Europe (which is usually where we pick up the story). He went on to say:

"All forms of Christianity, East or West, emphasized charismatic and miraculous themes, to a degree that separated them from more rationalistic Muslim contemporaries."

I'm praying for that in Chicago and across our country. I'm praying that I will be so close to God that He would use me to demonstrate His power through my acts! I'm praying that the Church would be open to the moving of the Holy Spirit and that through us He would do something that can only be explained as the power of Jesus Christ. That's the only way all my new friends in Chicago will come to Jesus and be a part of His body. And then we will have the Church, and then we'll have a movement.

I didn't move here to start a worship service, but to be used by God to build His church.

Lessons from Chi-Town...

I am going to start blogging ideas/concepts/lessons that I am learning while planting a church in Chicago. Here's today's:

As a Pastor, if we spend more time preparing a sermon during the week than making disciples then it's no wonder the church in America is in crisis.

I told my wife last week, "I miss preaching." You see, I've always preached somewhere. Whether it was traveling at an event or in a local church, I've preached for the past 10 years of my life and it has become one of my major strengths and giftedness. However, since moving to Chicago I haven't preached once. The summer is over so no more youth camps. No new events scheduled here, because no one knows who I am. We haven't "launched" a large gathering yet, so no congregation to preach to on a sunday. What's a pastor to do??

This is why I am convinced we've got this whole "church" thing backwards here in our country. Don't get me wrong, preaching has a place in the church and I will continue to use this gift, but it can't be the end all, or even the most important thing. But profoundly, in America, it is. People choose a church not based on the teaching of the Bible, but "how" they teach the Bible. In other words: Is the guy/girl any good? Is it entertaining? How many Inception video clips were used this week?

Because of this, it has put tremendous pressure on pastors to deliver a flashy message to meet the demands of their customers or they will go to another church and get what they want there. This has caused Pastors to spend most of their time preparing and studying for their sermon.

Does it really make sense to place most of your weeks time and energy into a 30-45 minute presentation? Thats 30-45 minutes out of 10,080 minutes in a week? How can that be a good steward of our time?

What if, though, Sunday wasn't the most important day? What if we replaced the "event" with the church? What if as Pastors we spent our week making disciples and mobilizing them to go into their domains and make more. Then everyday becomes the most important day of the week and everyday we carry out the great commission.

You see everyone asks me when I am going to launch my church, but what they're really asking is, "When are you going to start a sunday event?" I've already launched my church. We launched when we got here and started meeting people, prayer walking, and sharing the gospel. I didn't move to Chicago to launch a worship service, I moved here so God could build His church.

One of the most refreshing things of planting a church here in Chicago is that I spend most of my day trying to engage people and our community in order to make disciples.

What if I would have always done this? What if Pastors would lead out in this and what if we could get our churches to do this? Now, that would be something worth preaching about.

Real Men Cry...

I don't know if society has taught me that "real men don't cry" or if I somehow came to that conclusion on my own, but I have always felt like I was just being a "girl" anytime my emotions got the best of me and I began to cry. So, I would try everything possible not to do it. Even as a little kid, I remember being on the soccer field or basketball court and never wanting to come out of the game so I would play hurt. BUT, I never wanted the embarrassment of crying in front of all those people. Of course, as I have gotten older I have actually cried more. I remember crying by myself my freshman year of college because I was going through a tough time with life, but it wasn't in front of anyone. First time I can remember letting loose in front of people was my granddad's funeral, and then again at my other grandpa's funeral. I have also let my guard down with my wife and have cried with her.

The reason all of this is fresh on my mind is because I recently moved to Chicago. I cried leaving my nephew Corbin because, (although I will miss all of my family and friends), he will grow and change so fast that I felt I would miss a lot of it. I also cried (and I felt really stupid for this one) leaving my dog Cooper. He had been a companion dog for me for 6 years and we had been through a lot. So, I am an emotional guy, and for me to hold those emotions in has meant for almost 90% of my life I haven't been real to other people or myself. I have had a guard up, not letting people into an area where I was comfortable being my true self.

I am convinced this is a huge issue for us in the American church. We are not real with each other. Furthermore, this has me convinced that we are missing a level of the Biblical church--the basic level (house, cell). Sure we have home groups where people share "community" with one another through a meal and bible study and go and do fun things together. That's like calling Facebook "real" community. I want to be in a community in the body of Christ where I can be real. Where I can laugh. Where we can pray for one another and really know what is going on. Where I can share my needs and I can meet the needs of others. Where I can cry.

This is a picture of the body of Christ that is the true church, where people are true. This will lead to a real community that becomes strengthened to not stay inward focused but goes out and changes the world. If we don't have real community what do we have to offer the world? If all we do is bring people into an event where 1000's are gathered every sunday have we accomplished helping them discover their eternal purpose of being in community with God and in community with others? We've given them false community by having a "greet" time or inviting them to a class or home group. We need REAL community, or else I don't think we can change the world. You see, real men do cry. Be real.

Living a Story...

I do not want to just write a story that captivates readers and audiences. How boring is that? Living a story that impacts and influences people making their lives better, now that is a journey worth going down. My wife and I are about to begin a brand new chapter in our living story. We are moving to Chicago (from the nation of Texas) to plant a church. We want to live a story in such a way that by serving and loving our new community people are drawn into a bigger story than one we could ever imagine. You see God told us to live a story. All of us. He even calls us "living stones" in Peter's letter to the church. In Paul's letter to the Ephesians he says that all people who follow God are to use their lives to "build" the body of Christ up. We are to use our life's story in such a way that it makes others lives better in Christ and it builds His church. God actually wants to use our story as we live as "living stones" to build His church in Chicago. We are very excited to be on this journey, but we are anxious as well. We are moving September 1 and neither one of us have jobs yet. We have not sold our house yet in Texas. There are so many unresolved issues in this story that we are living and yet, God continues to take us down this journey with peace and provision. If we were able to conquer all of these conflicts and issues (and there will be many more as journey on) then we would not need God to build His story, we would be building our own. How boring is that? We want to be a part of a bigger story than that. Living a story that engages and changes a city. Living a story that as we meet with world leaders from the Middle East in D.C., NYC and around the world, that we help engage and change their cities. All of this from us being obedient and living our little story in Chicago. I have no idea the climax or conclusion of this story. But that doesn't really matter. I do not even know the next conflicts around the corner. That doesn't matter either. If I knew all of that already, how boring would that story be? But living the story, as unknown as it may be, as God's living stones using our story as a stone to build up His church, now thats a story worth living. What story are you going to live?

A NEW JOURNEY...

I am excited to be finally starting a blog! As I transition from the College Pastor at First Baptist Church Denton TX and into being the Pastor of Mosaic Church in Chicago, IL (a brand new church plant at www.mosaicchicago.com), i hope this blog not only serves the people in Chicago but the people I come in contact with along this journey. My travels take me many places and I pray that these humble thoughts that are revealed to me on the words of Jesus (and the occasional rant on random things!) will serve as food and energy for your own journey as you strive to follow Christ or discover His teachings for the first time.

know the Truth. walk the journey. be free.