Thoughts on our vision for a church of extravagant worshipers.
Tag Archive for 'Edge'
“generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. . . and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.” (Ecclesiastes 1:4, 11) These lessons in the book of Ecclesiastes helped transform my life and mindset years ago. . . and still does. Something about a good slap in the face from reality helps you make sure you’re not taking life for granted and sleep walking through life.
Yesterday I was out exploring back roads with my son. We passed an old cemetery and decided to stop. The sign said it was established in 1861. We found the burial plot of a Civil War soldier and someone who (according to their head stone) had been born a slave, sold away from his mother at the age of one. It was one of those moments that was filled with interest, reflection, wonder and a tremendous heart call to breathe in the air I have right now because it won’t always be there. Continue reading ‘Ecclesiastes, life and eternity’
While many know my story about deliverance from the drug lifestyle, I don’t think I have ever slowed down and taught (in depth) about what I learned and the process of how to be free. I am reminded regularly of how epidemic the problem of substance abuse is. I have met SO MANY who struggle in that area. So, over the next few weeks we’re going to set the subject on the table.
The preparation has been a fascinating journey for me. I walked through a lot of memories and asked myself a lot of questions. But, most importantly, I am dedicated to trying my best to make sure we focus on God’s Word and let the answers rise out of studying it. It was interesting to try to walk the balance between being autobiographical and purely biblical. So, I looked back to find some of the most meaningful things from the Bible I learned through the time of walking away from drugs. I also have tried to develop a pattern of “owning” books on Sunday’s – so people can achieve some kind of understanding of individual books. Putting those ideas together, I decided to link it all to a look at the book of Ecclesiastes. Read it. It’s a trip (to use drug phraseology). That book actually helped me tremendously in the early days of my walk and was fundamental to giving me a sense of truly never wanting to go back to the old way of doing things again. For a time the old life looked appealing – now it doesn’t at all. I would love to see God instill in all of us that His ways are not just right – but BEST, on every level. I think Ecclesiastes, in all its weirdness, will do that. So, even if drugs haven’t been your struggle, I’ll bet you’ll have a good time looking into one of the Bible’s most unusual books.
See you this Sunday.
http://www.vimeo.com/5033614
Some of the reasons we do what we do when it comes to art and creativity in church.
Keep in mind, there is much more to say but I’m trying to boil it down as much as possible.
Our Senior Leadership Team took a couple of days this week to attempt a final wrestling with the Edge / Summit debate. We knew we needed to make a decision and move forward. And we have.
Here is a “Top 10″ list of things to keep in mind about our proposed solution:
PROBLEM. We have an undeniable problem. We have never attempted to ignore, hide or NOT be proactive about solving it. The problem is that the Edge is growing and needs more space to continue to grow, while the Summit is declining.
Continue reading ‘The Summit-Edge solution’
We told everyone to watch my blog for updates on what is happening in the Edge-Summit discussion. In this post, I want to give you a peek into why the question doesn’t have an easy answer and has not finally and fully been answered. We are committed to resolving the issues and coming down on a plan within the next week. In the meantime, here’s a glance at a principle that keeps the discussion lively to say the least.
I’ll begin with a story from Jesus life:
Continue reading ‘More Summit-Edge discussion.’
We might as well say it: we’re in a weird spot with more questions than answers at this point.
Edge growth at 11 is stuck for the time being. It’s prime time and we have filled it. Edge 9 has enabled us to move more people in and we should continue to do what we can do to fill it too. Then what? Where do we go in the short term? Do we invest in setting up another site even before the mall? The mall is currently beyond our reach financially. We have to grow into it.
And, it’s no secret – the Summit is in decline.
Continue reading ‘Summit-Edge Vision Questions’
