MITCHELL BLOG

Taft - The Incredible Restraint of God

The majesty and incandescent power of God is staggering. More than staggering, it is unimaginable. “The stars are the work of your fingers,” said the Psalmist. He barely touched what he was describing. Reality? The Big Bang came from his hands…time came to be from his intention…space is a consequence of his purpose…and matter is the stuff of his creation. We literally cannot imagine the power at his disposal. He can do anything!

But he doesn’t. I am struck by the incredible restraint of God.

He can show his power in such a way that we cannot not believe in him. He can move the stars to form the words, “I am here!” He can suspend the natural order to perform miracle after miracle. He can make us so that we have no choice but to acknowledge him and love him with all our heart.

But he doesn’t. Why is that?

Think about this with me…if you had the power to make someone love you, would you do it?

No? Why not?

Because enforced love is not love, but only a sentimental form of tyranny. And so we see the restraint of God. He uses words. He speaks through others. He implores. He inhabits mortal history. He takes on the role of father. He woos us with truth, with promise, and with the assurance of his everlasting love. And then, incredibly, he sacrifices for us.

I am struck by the incredible restraint of God. It is the source of all freedom. And when I decide that I will love him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, that love is uncoerced, pure, and happy…

and then……….. both I and my love for God become eternal.

Marina - Finding Contentment

            Contentment….hmmm…that’s a tough word.  It’s funny; my husband and I have been seeking contentment and living in ‘perfect balance’ for all the almost 16 years we’ve been married.  We were talking the other day, again about something we were struggling with, and I said to him: “This is what  we’ve been talking about for years…how weird/frustrating that we’re still on this journey with  these issues!!”  And his response: “Of course we are, because I think finding a perfectly balanced life is impossible…it’s a myth!”

            And so we continue on our journey of dealing with weaknesses we had years ago, albeit we are better equipped to deal with them, we have more wisdom to handle them, and more experiences that have proven how trustworthy our Lord is.  It all reminds me of the apostle Paul begging God to take away what he calls a ‘thorn’ in his flesh.  I love God’s response, and I again look to that for the answer for my own weaknesses.

            “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  2 Corinthians 12:7-10

            Is there an area of your life that you are begging God to make easier, and He’s just not quite answering the way you want?  Could it be that He’s saying to you “My grace is enough for you, my child; rest in my grace, and peace will come.”??  So be it…the only way to contentment is through Him.

Shawn - Postmodern Manifestations of 1 Corinthians 14

Last night, our little church time was fantastic!

We met at someone else's house, were led by someone else's inspiration from Christ, and were blessed by an overwhelming feeling of FAMILY.  There is such power when people come together, let down barriers, and allow God to speak to us in various ways through each others' gifts!

Paul, when writing to the Corinthian church, was addressing some issues of confusion they were struggling with in their corporate gathering times.  It seems that they were experiencing chaos in an expressive environment without boundaries, which opened the door for certain individuals to dominate the spotlight in the use of their gifts. 

As he puts forth in 1 Corinthians 14:26, "Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you."  In the original Greek, it is clear that "each one" had the role of bringing something to share, in an environment that valued all the gifts and the people who brought them.

How different this is to the highly organized & perscribed methods we in the West tend to approach 'church.'  Like so many other things, we tend to overcompensate for errors. 

Taft - Dimensions of God?

I want God to be bigger than I am…much bigger! We have so sanitized him and reduced his stature so that he will fit into our feelgood culture that we have lost sight of the God “whom to know is to fear.”

Scripture gives only hints of his dimension. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof…” “’The earth is my footstool,’ saith the Lord.” And more. When he descended on

Mount Sinai

in cloud and fire the mountain trembled and the people feared that the sound of his voice would bring their death.

Astronomers tell us of the incredible and explosive beginning to the creation of time and space. They tell us the size of the universe…and that it is growing. There are more galaxies than we have yet counted…billions of them…each with billions of suns in a dynamic and changing universe that is savage, violent, and beautiful with wonder.

Scripture tells us he was there…creating…at the beginning, and that he will be there at the end, when all else ends and he creates a new heaven and a new earth.

My mind boggles…and can only be empty of imagining what he is really like, for I lack the ability, the imagination, and the language to describe him. Jesus is his face, but even he is only the tiniest sliver of the completeness of God. We can only say that God is greater than we can imagine and stranger than we can ever imagine. We cannot even describe him as alive in the sense that we know life.

How can we know him? How can he possibly be concerned with the minutia of our mortal lives? How can there be an interface between his eternal, immense, creative person and our mortal, blindingly brief lives?

And yet there is. And yet God himself said,

 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast

and have no compassion on the child she has borne?

                                                Though she may forget,

                                                            I will not forget you!”

                        See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…”

                                                                                    Isaiah 49:15

Incredibly, though we cannot grasp him, he sees us, knows us, and speaks of the tenderness of a nursing mother to describe his feeling for us. It is more than I can understand. I can only accept it and be captured by his determination to both create and to know his creation as a mother knows the child at her breast.

Incredible.

Taft - Communication or Information?

I am awash in information…Facebook requests, emails, television, texting, a daily newspaper, news magazines, many books, snailmail, and more. I am awash in information, but I crave communication. 90% of communication is non-verbal, that’s a proven fact. Eyes, movements of the body, facial cues, touch, the way words are shaped, tone and volume, posture, the way breath is taken in and metered out, the speed of words and expressions…all these and more combine to express emotional content, intention, sincerity, availability and so much more.

With the ubiquity of computers it is information up, communication down. Our young people are especially affected by this electronic imitation of life. As they enter the ocean of information they are slow to develop the skills of intimate communication and lagging in learning the intricate interplay of social etiquette by which we acknowledge the value of another’s expressions, needs, and worth.

I know, I am expressing the bias of my age as well as the concern I feel. Yet and all, at the end of the day, facing a full queue of email messages, I would much rather hear the voice, see the face, and experience the sensations of communication. A screen is just a screen, but a face is a feast.

What do you think?

 

Shawn - Our Church Adventure

We're still doing what we set out to do, and yes it is still an adventure!  Not because it's so difficult to understand: endeavoring to experience the type of church lifestyle we see embodied in the first few chapters of Acts; but because to recontextualize those description into our lives today is so vastly different than what church lifestyle has come to be known as in America today.  We are not 'against' conventional churches at all.  In fact, we partner with 'normal' churches.  That's what we call them - then people ask 'then what does that make you?'  Abnormal I guess.  Anyway, this makes for a continual adventure!

Two and a half years ago, we set out to start a movement - or really just to throw ourselves into the force of a larger movement of God - of bringing the Church Experience back into the hearts & homes & hands of ordinary people.  That means that we seek to reignite lay-leadership (aka, not paid leadership) so that all Christians realize that
1) WE ARE THE CHURCH, all of us.
2) SMALL CLUSTERS OF THE CHURCH CAN/SHOULD GATHER SIMPLY, doing life together.
3) WE CAN SPREAD GOD'S LOVE TO THE WORLD AROUND US THROUGH ACTS OF SERVICE! 

We started with a small gathering of people in our own home, all of us already followers of Christ.  Of that original group, a few have since reconnected with their previous 'normal' churches, one family is implementing these ideas into their neighborhood and a local church in Wilsonville, and the other family is still with us.  Since then, we have added several other individuals, families, and even other groups...almost all of whom were previously unconnected with another church and/or Christ.  We are blessed to be experiencing what we set out to experience - praise be to God! 

We now have 11 different weekly groups going, comprising about 55 individuals.  The groups are as small as 2-3, and as large as 15-20.  The one in our home is the largest, when everyone shows up on the same night :)  We also now have a separate, public non-profit to carry out service projects in partnership with public businesses, government entities, etc.  A lot has happened in the past couple years, and it's been a blessing to be part of what God is doing!

Shawn - How We 'Do' Church?

A friend recently asked about one of our groups, "is it a gathering, a small group, a service?"  First of all, let me put you at ease that it’s not an environment that has a lot of religious expectation or pressure for any of us.  When I say ‘religious’ I’m referring to manmade traditions that have grown up over the ages that can tend to distort the pure & simple truths of God.  In fact, it is clear in scripture that Jesus was not a ‘religious’ person, but was interested in restoring ‘relationship’ between God and people in the thick of messy, everyday life.  There were extremely religious people in His day, and they were the recipients of His criticism...indeed, they were the ones who had Him killed.

So when I say that Jesus was not religious, I'm obviously not defining 'religion' as belief in God or adherence to Godly morals or anything like that.  But isn't it true that there are zillions of traditional practices and doctrines in various forms of the Christian faith that have little or no basis in scripture?  Isn't scripture supposed to be our guide?  I'm kind of a 'call it like I see it' kind of person, and although i have lots of tolerance for people who believe differently than i do, i don't have much patience for Christians who are so caught up in the religious practices of Christianity that they totally miss the relational intention of Christ!  I try not to be condescending & judgemental, but it really bothers me when my brothers & sisters in Christ fall into the same traps as the Pharisees & Saducees of Jesus' day.  There is so much messed up theology and tradition these days, that we embrace the simplicity of the very first gatherings of the Church, as recorded in the New Testament.  

    "All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching [the New Testament], and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer." (Acts 2:42, NLT)

We call our times together “Community Groups”….because experiencing community with others who are on a similar journey is a central focus and value for us.  We see life with God as a JOURNEY.  We’re not all at the same place, but we’re all on journey in the same confusing world using the same compass.  We talk and get to know each other a lot, eat, laugh, eat, discuss issues we are dealing with and how the Bible speaks to our situations, eat, pray, sometimes sing…..and did I mention we eat?  It’s very informal and personal, more like a potluck dinner party than a church service.  A central value for us is connecting with each other in ways that encourage us all. 

That’s it in a nutshell.

Taft - The Center of Faith

A miracle stands at the very center of our faith. The death, burial, and resurrection are a miracle. Take that miracle from Christianity and the faith will crumble into irrelevance. Jesus wrapped himself in miracles. One would think that any observer of his ministry would be driven to belief. Not so. Listen to John’s observation from 12:37-38:

“But despite all the miraculous signs he had done,
most of the people did not believe in him.
This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted:
‘Lord, who has believed out message?
  To whom will the Lord reveal his saving power?’”

It is my observation that people believe what they want to believe, irrespective of evidence. Evidence counter to what we are ready to believe can always be rationalized, or ‘spun.’ But we believe in God, and once the existence of God is accepted, miracles are small stuff, mere illustrations of a greater truth.

I ask you to be honest enough to acknowledge God as a God of miracles. Here’s an example that will give you heart…”those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life is begun! All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did.” (II Cor. 5:17-18)

That’s the miracle at the center of our faith brought into the daily grind of our personal lives. From the cross of death comes new life as we are restored to God. Will you believe it? Will you take God at his word and live as though he HAS done what he says he has done?

Have fun today! You are fully forgiven! You are now an eternal creature standing in the prologue of life! Water to wine? Walking on water? Healing the blind? Small stuff compared to what he has done for you on the cross. For you he has shattered the power of death and cast open the gates of eternity. Eden is restored.

“Dear God in heaven, how great you are. When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers, I am completely humbled. How can you even think of me when the whole universe is yours to enjoy? Did I not have your promise that you think of me and love me, I would not believe it. I am humbled by your cross. I am ashamed, but grateful. I want to give myself to you without reservation. Make a miracle of me! Change my heart and heal my life. Remove my preoccupation with myself and turn my eyes to you. I trust you. I will follow you. In Jesus name, Amen”

Marina - In His Steps

Serving God is full of complicated motivations, is it not?  As I served in the ‘normal’ traditional church for 2 decades, I am not 100% sure I was doing it for God.  I think I was, but the pats on the back from all the other Christians weren’t bad either!  As I have ventured out into ‘non-normal’ church and serving those less fortunate than myself in my own community, I have become keenly aware that my motives may not have been so pure.  I didn’t know I’d miss the pats on the back quite so much.  That’s a yucky thought…I want to serve God because it’s a pure and honest desire of my heart!  I’m learning that as I clean bathrooms of the needy, listen to the words of the lonely, prepare meals for the fatherless and the single moms (today’s widow, I should say…)- none of which can ‘pay me back’- this is where I get to experience the real heart of Jesus.  Didn’t he tell his followers that when we feed the hungry, visit those in prison, clothe those without clothes…that’s when we served Him?  Now, I’m certainly not categorizing service to God in ‘good, better, best’; I’m merely suggesting we do a motive check.  I have been so challenged, and continue to be challenged, to serve God in whatever capacity He puts me in.  And I grow more in my service to Christ when those situations do not include anyone ‘noticing’ my work or giving me a great public praise for how godly I am.  Striving to be like Jesus forces me to lay down my pride, ego, and ambition…and just follow in His steps.

Taft - A Life-Long Passion

I turned 67 last week. The weight of age is heavy upon me and my perspective on the essentials of life is changing. I have spent 45 of those 67 years in the professional ministry and now wish I could go back and have “overs.” My life has been full of programs, campaigns, rallies, training, and more administrative work than I would ever wish to see again. I was often so busy that I had little time to devote to the essentials, and my faith and my family suffered.

I am now trying to recapture some of what was lost…the passion of Jesus. A student of scripture and of history, I have reflected today on his passion.

“The next day, the news that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem
swept through the city. A huge crowd of Passover visitors
took palm branches and went down the road to meet him.
They shouted, ‘Praise God! Bless the one who comes in the name
of the Lord! Hail to the king of Israel!’…Then the Pharisees said to each other,
‘We’ve lost. Look, the whole world has gone after him.’”
John 12:12ff

To him Jerusalem would be the city of his death…and resurrection. To the crowd, as it sawing him coming, he was like a rock star. He was a celebrity, sensation, and expression of the power of God. He made the people feel good and he gave them hope. He entered the temple, sat down in the middle of the largest temple court (jammed full with people), and began what would be several days of healing and teaching to a crowd that was starved for the Bread of Life, blind for the Light of the World, parched for Living Water.

I know now that we are no different than they…that I am no different than they, save for one thing that makes us even poorer…we know who the Messiah is…we know how the story comes out…but still so many of us are unfed, unwatered, in darkness, craving the presence and the work of God. That’s why we pursue his passion, isn’t it? We crave God. We wish to somehow reach behind the façade of “religion,” behind the songs, the prayers, and words and find ourselves in the presence of the Almighty. As surely as Jesus rode into Jerusalem, we want him to ride into our lives.

I tell you (even as I tell myself), he is eager to do so. I find that I must daily invite him into my confused, occupied, sinful little life.

“Dear Jesus of Nazareth, Come to my heart right now. I ask you to make your home in my life and to possess me fully. I willfully give up those things I have held to rather than you and I ask you to be my king. Live your purpose in my life. I pray this in your name, Amen.”

“Ride on, King Jesus,
no man can hinder thee.
Ride on, King Jesus,
Make my blind heart to see
Ride on, and reign in me.”