Some Thoughts on Spiritual Practices

-- Read Genesis 28:10-22

Like Jacob...“We wanted more. We wanted a deeper sense of purpose. We wanted a stronger sense of God’s presence. We wanted more reliable ways both to seek and to stay in that presence -- not for an hour on Sunday morning or Wednesday afternoon but for as much time as we could stand.

And yet the only way most of us knew to get that was to spend more time in church. So we volun- teered more, dreamed up more programs, invited more people to more classes where we could read more books. The minute we walked back to our cars, many of us could feel the same old gnawing inside. Once we left church, we were not sure what to do any more. We knew some things we could do to feel close to God inside the church, but after we stepped into the parking lot we lost that intimacy. The boundaries were not so clear out there. Community was not so easy to find. Without Tiffany windows tinting them blue, people looked pretty much the same. From the parking lot they looked as ordinary as everything else. The only more out there was more of the same.

That, at least, is how it looked to those of us who had forgotten that the whole world is the house of God. Somewhere along the line we bought -- or were sold -- the idea that God is chiefly interested in religion. We believed that God’s home was the church, that God’s people knew who they were, and that the world was a barren place full of lost souls in need of all the help they could get. Plenty of us seized on those ideas because they offered us meaning. Believing them gave us purpose and worth. They gave us something noble to do in the midst of lives that might otherwise be invisible. Plus, there really are large swaths of the world filled with people in deep need of saving.

The problem is, many of the people in need of saving are in churches, and at least part of what they need saving from is the idea that God sees the world the same way they do. Like Jacob, people seem willing to look all over for this treasure box marked ‘GOD’. They will spend hours launching prayers into the heavens. They will travel halfway around the world to visit a Monastery in India or to take part in a mission trip to Belize. The last place most people look is right under their feet, in the everyday activities, accidents and encounters of their lives.

No one longs for what he or she already has, and yet the accumulated insight of those wise about the spiritual life suggests that the reason so many of us cannot see the red X that marks the spot is because we are standing on it. The treasure we seek requires no lengthy expedition, no expensive equipment, no superior aptitude or special company. All we lack is the willingness to imagine that we already have everything we need. The only thing missing is our consent to be where we are. Many years ago now,a wise old priest invited me to come speak at his church in Alabama. ‘What do you want me talk about?’

‘Come tell us what is saving your life right now,’ he answered. It was if he had swept his arm across a dusty table and brushed all the formal china to the ground. I did not have to try to say correct things that were true for everyone. I did not have to use theological language that conformed to the historical teachings of the church. All I had to do was figure out what my life depended on.” -- from “An Altar in the World”, by Barbara Brown Taylor.

Based on the following texts, what do you think the spiritual practices that sustain our life in community should be?

-- Micah 6:6-8 -- Matthew 22:34-40

Five Crucial Questions

One of the difficult things whenever you are charting new ground is to free yourself from the bonds of where you have been before. What I mean is, when you are considering launching a new kind of Church, the first thing you reach for are the forms of Church to which you are most accustomed.

Therefore it is very difficult to have a discussion that is fresh because we our lenses are always colored by those forms we know. Some we like and some we don't. This can sometimes lead us to ask the wrong questions, sending us down the wrong road entirely.

In an effort to ask the right questions, here are five that seem important to me at this moment. Don't answer immediately. Take some time to be in prayer. If you think of another question, add a comment so people can be thinking about those questions, as well.

* What spiritual practices will drive Our community?

* What will be the goals of our community?

* By what measurement(s) will we define success?

* How important is being ‘successful’ in fulfilling our goals and aspirations?

* What leadership model(s) will the community adopt?

Timing

Timing is a difficult thing. You can say or do something one day that is a total flop, but you might try the same thing a little later, and it works perfectly. I think often that is a question of timing - ours vs. God's.

When I was fired last April 3oth, I thought the timing was all wrong (not that I wanted to get fired at all!). Lily had one year left before going to school all day, and Amy desperately wanted to spend much of that time with her (instead she is working all day!). I was hoping for Nathan to be able to finish out his time at PRCA, since he was going into 5th grade and PRCA ends after 6th grade (that's still up in the air). I had been looking for an opportunity to do something different for some time (but no doors opened up to us) - it felt like I was cut adrift when I received that letter saying I was terminated. No clear path, unsure what to do or where to go.

And yet, looking back, God seems to be ordering all things. The last months have flown by as we have sought the Lord and experimented with what it means to live in true community, and to collectively study the word of God deeply. We had a very successful retreat in January, a great time of togetherness and seeking God's will in which so many took a leadership role in one way or another. We had a wonderful coffee shop concert in North Arlington that drew in a lot of people.

Now, as we continue to heal, I am starting to hear different things from different people. Some are ready to 'move on' and 'find a path'. Some think we should find a bigger facility. Some are scared to 'lose' the community that God has forged over the past few months if we were to grow too large.

Let's do this...let's continue to ask the Lord what HE would have us do. Rather than coming up with great plans on our own, let's seek the Lord and be silent before Him. Where would He have us go? Where can we join Him in the kingdom work he is already blessing? What might God say to us through an apostle like Paul - for good and bad? Most of all, let's be patient as we seek His face. I believe He will make Himself known to us when the time is right!

Think about these words God spoke to Solomon in I Chronicles 28:

⁹ "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. ¹⁰ Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work."

THANKS!

Thanks to:

1. Bill Akins

2. Connie Bingham (and Earl!)

3. DeeDee

4. Jamie Williams

5. Anne Stovall

6. JP

7. Micah Lewis

8. Casey Brown

9. Amy Gibbons

This is the order my posts were answered this week. I will be passing out free gifts this Sunday at House Church...Micah, I'll get you back when we have lunch...also, you and I are in charge of the next mentoring group as Grady will be in Africa!

I appreciate you chiming in, as I have no other real way to know if what I am communicating is effective or not. Thanks too, for your kind comments - we are so pleased to open our homes, Bill, and so proud to be journeying together with such a fine group of believers. It renews my faith in God to be with you all!

Grace and Peace

Ryan

Just a check to see if anyone is listening

OK, so this is a test - only a test. A test of: 'is anyone actually paying attention to this blog'?

So, make a comment, and receive a gift, it is that simple. Your comment can be, I want my free gift! That's OK! Even if you don't want or need a gift, put a comment down under this post, please.

Language of the Ordinary

LANGUAGE OF THE ORDINARY

-- Laura Bardwell

Spirit, come;

sit at my soul's table.

Eat bread, drink wine.

Speak the language of the ordinary

broken in grace.

Come, and will you tell me the story of my faith?

Tell me again what it could become.

Open wide the doors of houses it might build

With your steady craftsman's skill.

Then go, visit others,

upturn the telling of their tales.

But leave an imprint of your visit

on this chair, the handle of the jug,

the cloth's stain.

Give at least the memory of your breath

to the smoke of candles spent

here at the edges of this room.

Scripture for this Sunday

Sunday we will be going through a number of Paul's letters, and it would be good if everyone could take a moment to read through them ahead of time. Take some time and jot down the similarities and differences between these passages. Here are the scriptures:

* I Corinthians 3:1-4:5

* Ephesians 4:1-7

* Ephesians 5:1-21

* Philippians 2:1-11

* Philippians 4:2-9

* Colossians 2:6-15

* I Thessalonians 4:1-12

* I Timothy 5:1-6

* Titus 3:1-11

Hope this finds everyone well!

Prayer for our Path

I found this prayer in something I was reading this week, and thought it was particularly appropriate to the current season in our lives.

We have been shown many paths

Laid out before us by our modern world.

Give us the discernment to walk on the path of your choosing.

As we love, may your love grow within us

And by the limitless thrust of your constantly-creating hand.

We thank you for the ways you hold us together

And guide us on our way;

Let your kingdom come.

- New Providence Community Church

Let us also pray for our friends who received news this past weekend that was less than what they were hoping for. They also are seeking direction; let us pray that God will point each of us in the direction He would have us go.

Grace and Peace,

Ryan

Our trip last weekend!

For those that might have wondered where I was last weekend, I was on a teen trip! My great friend Greg Pirtle was short chaperones for a road trip, and asked if I might be willing to come along. I said I would, especially if he allowed me to bring MY youth group (Kara and Becky!) - he said yes and so Taylor, Kara, Becky and I joined 40+ teens and chaperones from the Greenville Oaks Church of Christ up in Allen for a long weekend trip to Memphis! It was great and I was very thankful for the opportunity for Becky and Kara to hang out with so many wonderful Christian teens! Thanks to Hoover for preaching in my absence!

New Pics!

Now that is community! Amy Foster holding a sweet, sleeping Willow Colvin during our recent House Church Retreat! For more pics from our retreat, check out my facebook album!

OK, so I have been thinking about what it means to 'do Church'. Right now I am reading a very interesting book, and thought I would pass along this quote for you all to comment on!

'The image of much contemporary Christianity could be summarized as holy people coming regularly to a holy place on a holy ay at a holy hour to participate in a holy ritual led by a holy man dressed in holy clothes for a holy fee. Since this regular performance-oriented enterprise called 'worship service' requires a lot of organizational talent and administrative bureaucracy, formalized and institutionalized patterns developed quickly into rigid traditions. Statistically, a traditional one- or two-hour 'worship service' is very resource-hungry but produces very little fruit in terms of discipling people, i.e. in changing their lives. Economically, it is a high input, low output structure. Traditionally, the desire to worship 'in the right way' has led to much denominationalism, confessionalism and nominalism. This not only ignores the fact that Christians are called to worship 'in spirit and in truth', rather than in cathedrals holding songbooks. It also ignores the fact that most of life is informal, and so too is Christianity as 'the Way of Life'. Do we need to change from being powerful actors and start acting powerfully?'

-- From 'Houses That Change the World' by Wolfgang Simpson

THANKS!

Many, many thanks to so many who did SO much to make our retreat a success!

Thanks to Connie Bingham, who did our prayer material before the retreat. To Kara, Corey, Jonathan, and especially Holden (who made the extra effort to come), thanks for doing a great job with the music. To DeeDee, Amy Foster and Taylor for organizing the snacks and to all of you for helping to bring them. To Jamie for bringing all the fun games, and for Jeremy sharing his heart with us around the Communion Table. To Bill, Donna, Corey, Deanne and Amy Gibbons for being such wonderful small group discussion leaders. THANKS!

And to each of you who came and opened your heart to the Lord, and His plan, THANKS! May we continue to listen for the Lord as we journey together!!

Grace and Peace to you this day!

Friday Prayer Material

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If

anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last,

and the servant of all." [Mark 9:35]

Prayer: Lord of All: In serving others, the

ability You give me to love and the wisdom to love is

necessary. Show me where people need me and how to

best serve you and others in your Kingdom. Lead the

way Lord, that I may follow, and enable me to be

Your selfless servant. By the power of THE Name above

all names, Amen.

Thursday Prayer Material

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with

all your soul and with all your strength and with all

your mind and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.

[Luke 10:27]

Prayer: God of Everlasting Love: I need

the power that can only come from you to really love

other people. Please open my heart and fill it by

the power of Your Spirit to love You with all of my

heart and to also love others deeply. I need

your power to enable me to be less self-minded and

more other-minded. Along with love for others, grant

me also the wisdom to know how to love them and what

they need.

Wednesday Prayer Material

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

[James 1:5]

Prayer: My Dear Father, I need your wisdom to stay

on the path You have chosen for me. I ask that you

give me the wisdom to love and serve you and the

wisdom to love and serve others. I ask you for

wisdom for our group of believers as part of your

body, to know your desire for us and the path you

would have us take. Show us where we fit in Your

Kingdom.

Tuesday's Prayer Link

So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

[Luke 11:7-8]

Prayer: My Lord, I want to seek you. I want to seek

Your Face wholeheartedly. I truly want to know You.

I ask you for singleness of heart and mind. Give me

the desire to seek You and Your Kingdom first above

all else. In Jesus’ powerful name, Amen.

First Prayer Link

Thanks to Connie Bingham, for doing all of these...each day there will be a new prayer prompt, so check back each day!!

Be still, and know that I AM God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth…for Who

is like the Lord our God, the One who

sits enthroned on high, who stoops down

to look on the heavens and the earth?

[Psalm 46:10; Psalm 113:5-6]

Prayer: Your Majesty, My Lord and King, the Great I AM: As I sit in still quietness today, reflecting on You, I ask that you reveal Yourself to me. Please help me forget myself today and show me more of Who You are…Your ways, Your greatness, Your glory and give me more understanding of just how Awesome and Wonderful You are. I ask this by the power Jesus’ name, Amen.

Opportunities

I feel really blessed by our efforts to extend the borders of the kingdom this past Sunday at House Church. For those not able to be present, I asked everyone to bring 5 $1 bills. I had 5 different envelopes...one for an orphan in Brazil, one to adopt a homeless man or woman at the Union Gospel Mission and sponsor them for 16 meals, two envelopes for two different folks who are out of work, and one for a friend who is desperately ill and often controlled by her husband. We were able to put about $30 per need in an envelope simply by everyone bringing 5 $1 bills! Awesome!

If you couldn't come, or would like to add to any of these envelopes, please bring some cash Sunday - I will have all the envelopes available, and then I will deliver the gifts with help from some of you this next week!

If you haven't been to the Greatest Gift Catalog Ever site, check it out at http://www.thegreatestgiftcatalogever.org/ You and your family can give real life gifts to needy folks right here in our own community this Christmas.

This Sunday we will be discussing Luke 22:7-38, and sharing our meal together during our normal House Church time. Hope to see you all then!

3D Glasses

It seems to me that the problem I have faced recently is that the story I though I was living as 'real' was in reality, a hologram. I looked at it, and the characters of my story seemed deep, rich and multi-dimensional. But then, when conflict entered the picture, many of these characters in my story turned out to be made out of cardboard and propped up with bricks.

Which made me think of these cool 3D Christmas glasses we own. When you wear them, first of all, you feel super sexy, because they are green with little Christmas bulbs on them, and, because, well, they're 3D Christmas glasses.

When you look through the glasses at the lights on the tree, you see the little light with NOEL written above and below the light. Whoa! Cool! Everyone loves these glasses. We paid $2.99 for them fifteen years ago at Drug Mart, but people still ooh and aah over them every year!

The down side is that when you take the glasses off, you realize it wasn't real. It was cool, it amazed me for a minute, but it was only a party trick. Which is fine if we are talking about a $2.99 pair of 3D glasses from Drug Mart. We got all the value that was required from them.

But it's not OK when we are talking about the community of faith. Too often, I think, people's experience of 'the church' resembles our 3D glasses. A certain person comes into a group of people who seem to be different. People who extol the power of God as well as the grace of God. These folks invite you to put on the glasses and you are moved by a song, a sermon or an event. Whoa! This is awesome! I wish I had a pair of these glasses to give everyone I know!'

So we continue looking through the glasses until one day the Christmas tree gets dry and brittle and combusts, threatening to burn everything down in its path. We take off the glasses to rub our eyes and decide whether or not we are dreaming, whether this is really happening or not. But as soon as we take the glasses off, we realize that nothing we were seeing before was real.

And now the person feels gypped, because what they wanted was an authentic experience of God, but what we handed them was a $2.99 pair of 3D glasses from Drug Mart.

I long to quench my thirst for the almighty though a day-in and day-out, authentic experience of God. And to be challenged by my community of faith to settle for nothing less. But even as I write these words, I am not sure exactly what this would look like. But, just as Columbus struck out to find a new world, I too, long to find this.

We have scheduled a retreat for January 8-10, 2010. This week I have asked many of you to play one role or another during the course of that retreat. I would again encourage you to free your calendars and come along as we seek God's face together.

Thanksliving

One of the most painful lessons to learn these last few months has been the awful truth that the 'reality' I had been living for the last several years was, in reality, a hologram. It looked good, liked the eagle on the credit card, but it simply wasn't real. I knew this because of all my 'close' friends who apparently forgot that I existed overnight. Friends who had accepted love and hospitality from our hand but then turned their backs on us when we were no longer useful to them. Folks who claimed to follow Christ, who claimed we were 'family', yet couldn't be bothered to lend a hand when we were down and nearly out. This has been a most bitter pill to swallow for someone who has preached community and togetherness within the body of Christ throughout his entire adult life.

However, this bitter pill has also made me more conscious of those relationships that are sweet and solid and true. It has made me even more conscious to say what I mean and mean what I say. So, in that spirit, I offer you these 10-ish statements of Thanksliving this November, 2009:

1. Wisdom, coupled with belief, is a powerful entity. I am so thankful to Betty Nelson and Bobby Hoover for providing me with both. They both believe in me, but also are not afraid to offer me their wisdom when they think I need it. For this I am deeply grateful.

2. I believe that Joy and Hope are the most noticeably 'different' qualities in a Christian's life. I Peter says that you and I are to 'always be prepared to give the reason for the hope that we have.' This would seem to suggest that folks should notice something different in us, something joy-full and hope-full, and then ask us about it. In the face of extremely difficult times DeeDee and Earl have always been just such a breath of fresh air in my life. You guys are like a cool Summer Breeze that never seems to stop blowing, even when times are tough.

3. Faithfulness and Fidelity are traits I value above all others. Greg and Bill, I appreciate the way you have stuck by your guns in the past months. From the meeting about 'wineries' forward, you have been completely consistent and forthright, even when you felt I needed to change something I was doing. But you have never treated me differently than you had previously. To my entire House Church, and especially to the group that hosted the 'meeting' - Bill, Donna, Greg, Betty, Bobby and Terry, I say thanks for your willingness to stand tall for what you believe to be right.

4. Stepping up to the plate is hard to do, but we always seem to grow best in times of adversity. It seems like it forces us to take steps we wouldn't ordinarily make. I was so aware of this one Sunday at the Elliott barn when Ray suggested that he had been on spiritual autopilot but he was now awake and listening for what God had to say. That was such a powerful moment for me. I also remember asking Connie to close us in prayer on one of our first Sundays, and she looked at me and said, 'I would be honored'. And I knew that those words were COMPLETELY true. This painful experience was opening doors before my very eyes.

5. Sometimes the most beautiful moments come in the simplest activities. There are some Sunday nights, when we have shared the common meal at AXIS, and had our devotional, when I look around the room(s) and smile. Different groups will be deep in conversation, laughing and talking and sharing community. I LOVE IT!

Then out of nowhere, someone will say something, or I will break into one of my comedy routines or someone will do something goofy, and then Taylor will start laughing. Now let me tell you, there are few pleasures in life as rich as Taylor Price laughing deeply. Her eyes roll back in her head, and briefly her breathing is suspended. Then she rocks forward, while she waves her hand in front of her face, telling us not to do anything else, or she may explode. Recently we have added Amanda McLemore to this mix, and to get the TWO of them going is a rare pleasure indeed!

Or it might even be out at my fire pit on a Tuesday evening, a place Keith Bailey loves and calls his own. We get to talking and laughing, and I am trying to keep Kara from disturbing the ladies Bible study that is going on inside, because she is so loud, boisterous and full of life. Few people I know enjoy life like she does, and it is infectious!

Or it may be our wonderful book club, which rarely studies the actual book assigned, but more often than not really DOES Church.

Small, simple, everyday moments that make for a rich life.

6. HONESTY. Rare and beautiful though it is, I have begun to experience it within the community of Christ in recent months. From finding out that a certain blonde sister tried smoking and driving her daddy's truck at age 13, to a certain brown brother who helped his older siblings in their illegal escapades because his hands were the smallest, I have begun to know the people I worship alongside deeply and honestly. Sure they have foibles, but how awesome is it to know someone inside and out? To know that you can truly depend on someone and that you know the real them. I mean, I have known Stacy for over 8 years, but have now learned more in the last 6 months about her than the rest of that time combined, and how great a gift is that? Stacy is a treasure!

And I know I already said this, but it is a powerful thing to be in a group of people where Donna can say 'What the Hell does that mean?' in response to part of the sermon, which was a VERY truthful response that I am sure many people have wanted to express during the sermon time. Or to have Jeremy Walraven ask one of his really deep questions because he feels like he can! Those are GREAT moments!

7. FAMILY. Let me tell you about family. Family is being allowed to feed jello to Amy Foster after her surgery (she HATES to let anyone help her) - or Anne bringing us dinner when we are stressed out beyond belief - or the joy of watching my children watch Becky Bingham come through the door - or having Betty Nelson as a surrogate mother - or having so many people around who also love your children - or having your best friends fly back from Panama at the darkest hour of your life. Now those are experiences of family.

8. HOME. Lester, Taylor and Caitlyn have all mentioned how much they feel at home, well, in our home. Yet for me I feel the most at home within the safety and proximity of this group of people. Even when Jamie and Jeremy are being robbed once, twice, three times a lady - sorry, couldn't resist :-) - there is the book club showing up at their door, coming to help pack boxes and get the stuff out before anything else can be stolen. And I swear to you, in those moments when their 'home' was being transported down to David and Cindy's house, there was still a feeling of home to me, because we were together, sharing even in the painful moments of life.

9. Youth and wisdom coming together. My children get to have a fun 'kid' song each Sunday. Donna doesn't always want to play along :-), but I will assure you that someday Nathan, at least, will remember doing Church in his home in such a way that he truly was a part of what was happening.

And to have young couples like Jamie / Jeremy, Corey / Deanne and Robert / Sofia, right alongside folks like Betty and Bobby, who are perched on the entrance ramp of their ninth decade on this earth. To have teens like Kara and Becky, as well as 'mature' folks like Jack, Theresa, Bill, Donna, DeeDee and others who have been around people of faith for quite some time now. That is truly a 'community of faith'.

10. To have a community of people that value the arts - from JP's guitar playing to Donna's sewing - to Greg's artwork - to Kate's jewelry - to Kara and DeeDee singing, for all of these and more, I am truly grateful. I was blown away at the response to our little coffee shop night, and I look forward to more opportunities to share as we use all of the avenues God has given us to express ourselves for His glory.

11. Finally (I did say 10-ish!) I am remiss if I do not include my wife, who lovingly cleans our home every week so that we can have house Church and AXIS in her space. She never complains about cooking or cleaning or having so many people in our home, but always plays the role of perfect hostess, even though she now works full-time, and for that I am grateful. I could ask for NO BETTER partner in my life than Amy, and even as we celebrate 18 years together, it get better and richer every year.

So, all that to say, THANK YOU! For being a part of our lives and sharing the blessing of who you are, THANK YOU! And may we all continue to be richly blessed as we seek His face!

Grace and Peace

Ryan