EL’s Dribble

As I talk to more people about our community I realize that the disconnect most often begins at this point: that church is not something you build/create, but the church is who you are.

Now this isn’t new news. It has been long talked about among many of this generation’s church planters and failed mega-church dreamers. I can hear them now, “We need to BE the church! Not DO church!” But in the end, most people still do church. I see this because many still see church as this thing you build.

It’s not necessarily all wrong in that there is an environment/ethos that each person of a church community contributes to. And that “thing” then becomes the driving force to do/build/create “church” as we know it.

Though some of that isn’t wrong, we miss something very crucial… that if church is something outside of you then that thing can easily become the “product” – the thing we produce. Whether it be the physical aspect of the building or an expansion of the organizational entity [more groups/worship services, etc.]… that becomes the thing we produce. And we miss out on why Jesus does what he does.

Jesus didn’t die on the cross for more buildings or even more worship services. He died so that the world [you, me and the person you hate] would be reunited with the one who loves and discover for themselves their need to love him back. And it’s this love relationship that begins a transformation in us that we can’t do ourselves. And that transformation within us that spurs on a transformation in others. In the end, Jesus died for you and me.

Which means that we’re the goal… we’re the destination… we’re the reason Jesus bore our shame and guilt so that we would live and live freely, fully and purposefully. You see, goals are never expendable. They’re your goals. You don’t give those up. But the means by which you get them are expendable… you use the ones that work and ditch the ones that don’t.

When the entity of church becomes the goal, the people are expendable. But if people are the goal, the entity of the church [methods/structure] is expendable. It becomes about developing people and just finding the means to get there. It’s not building the church and finding the people to get there.

Now we can go 100 ways with this from here on out… questions come up like, “Is it wrong to build buildings?” or “Why do we always veer towards putting out a product?” or “Why is this post so darn long?”

But we’ll go with one short example…

We do a Sunday worship thing once a month. That requires another post all together I know. But in anycase, lately I have had some of my leaders take turns doing the corporate teaching time. They learn how to prepare, listen for the Holy Spirit, practice their public speaking and learn how to shepherd people from that vantage point. It’s overall been very good. No outright heresy as of yet. They’ve all had very powerful things to say… and have helped people understand Jesus better. It’s not perfect and they have plenty of room to grow… but they’re doing great. I’m proud of them.

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I know that it was just Father’s Day, but I went through some old files and found an old post that I meant for Mother’s Day… so here goes:

It’s been a while since I’ve shed a tear for mom. But as cliché as it is, Mother’s Day still does it. And it’s a simple whisper to myself that I miss mom. That I miss her presence and her words of wisdom; she was the voice of reason for our family.

I thought recently of how the legacy of my mom lives strong in me. And that will automatically get passed on to my kids. There is so much of who she is that is alive in me. Her caring touch; her welcoming spirit. I’m not all like my mom, but she lives strongly in me. And I’m proud of that. And I’m proud that my kids will get to experience her in me.

I guess that’s really the picture of discipleship… and the picture of multiplication. I think about how mom never really got to see the fruits of her testimony, the impact her life has had on others. But we get to enjoy it and it gets passed to others. The others will never know who passed on the legacy to us… but they’ll get to experience it. And that’s the movement of God.

Mom, when I picture you, you’ve got this huge smile… the one that I always see first whenever I see you. You never fail to express in a multitude of ways that you’re just glad to see me and that you’re proud of me. Even that will do more for your grandkids than you’ll ever know. Thank you mom. I love you… Happy Mother’s Day mommy.

From the Urban Dictionary:

Not to be (stereotypically) confused with Jesus freaks or aimless gang members. A Soulja, is anyone who has gone through hard times and fought against adversity. A Soulja’s strength comes from within, strength of mind, body, soul, and character. A true Soulja would have learned from his/her mistakes, taken responsibility for his/her actions and gained strength to never back down. Someone who knows no limits to his/her own power and God given abilities. A person who serves their people, lives by a strict code, and is never afraid to stand up for what they believe in. Someone who is willing to fight for their home, family, property, etc, but is not necessarily part of a conventional service (Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, etc). A Soulja cannot be defined by race, age, background, location, or economic status.