Generation Axis Blog

Whispers, Obedience, Miracles

What comes to mind when you hear the word OBEDIENCE?  For me, it’s pictures of getting in trouble and being disciplined as a child. Or perhaps legal authorities who keep the law. And every once and a while, thoughts of obedience bring about a stirring of joy that comes with responding to God’s whispers.

 

I find it interesting that we call this ‘obedience’ to God, because ignoring those whispers does not, from my understanding, come with a direct punishment. God’s desire is to bring life, and to bring it abundantly. His promise is for life eternal. A life of fulfillment that comes from being ONE with Him.

 

This ONE-ness happens when we walk in the way God designed. Sure, this can be called obedience. But I sense that it’s much more compelling than just adhering to regulations in order to avoid punishment.

 

This morning while reading Acts 4, I freshly discovered the story of Peter and the apostles. They were preaching the resurrection of Christ and multitudes of people were being healed and thousands had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. For this, religious officials were jealous and skeptical and put them in jail.

 

While in jail an someone sent from the Lord opened the prison doors, released them and said, “Go to the temple and share the whole message of this life.” Without hesitation, they followed that whisper, or loud voice, or gut feeling…however it came.

 

They were in direct violation of doing exactly what they had been imprisoned for. Yet, when re-captured and taken back to jail with questioning. They responded, “We must obey God rather than men. Jesus has been raised from the dead. He will redeem all men and offers forgiveness of sins. We have witnessed these things, so we HAVE to tell the story! This is the message of life. The Holy Spirit is upon those who follow the way of God.”

 

Because they were willing to step out, take a risk, and follow the incomprehensible guidance of God’s way…they got to experience miracles. Witness multitudes of people coming to believe. And, receive the fullness and freedom of being ONE with God.

 

God’s whispers are all around. His miracles are stirring every day! Will you take notice? Will I listen and respond? If not, what happens? We miss out! Independently walking in our way, we are separated either slightly or significantly from God. For a being created to be one with our creator, this is the greatest punishment imaginable. It hurts.

 

However, walking in ONE-ness with God is the reward. He is the life-source, true fulfillment, and abundant love. Want to see a miracle? Tell the story of what you’ve seen. Tell it with boldness. It is the story of LIFE! Take a risk, respond to that whisper, just for today walk in the Way.

 

*All scriptures paraphrased by author

 

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Devon Noonan is an Oklahoma girl with Colorado blood who loves the outdoors and eating all types of ethnic foods. Spanish Tapas, anyone? :) Devon serves as an Intern with Axis in the area of Leadership Development and support, and absolutely loves what she does! She will graduate with a Masters in Leadership in May and leads a Missional Community Hub in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago.

 

Murder

I’m reticent to admit to this outright, but, in recent weeks I have experienced a slightly morbid fascination with serial killers. I mean "morbid" in the strictest and most literal sense of the word, since the subject deals with some of the most grisly and senseless methods of killing that history has ever recorded. I say this with some degree of trepidation, since I know that bringing up these atrocities in some way gives them credence. Writing about such actions, even in a condemning way, can still inspire others to more dastardly crimes.  If that were not enough, to bring the human element into it, it’s surely not healthy to think extensively upon such terror without a real reason to do so. It’s also quite blatantly go against the council of the Apostle Paul in Philippians IV:VI  which states "whatever is true... honorable... just... pure... etc.... think about these things."

To be sure, I don’t want to in anyway glorify the crimes that murderers and other people of their ilk commit. After looking over the lives of some of the most infamous convicted serial killers*—Harold Shipman, Gary Ridgway, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Jack the Ripper, etc.—I am completely unable to sympathize with these individuals. I don’t see any justification for their actions, no matter how wretched their upbringing was or how imbalanced their genetic makeup may be. In short, for better or for worse, I see some of the most despicable excuses for life that mankind has to offer.

The two serial murders I have been most sickened by are John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer. The reason for this, in part, is based on the timing of the events (mostly in the 1980s and 1990s) and my own geographic location in relation to where the murders occurred in (Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, respectively).

Of all the serial murderers, Jeffrey Dahmer’s life seems to me to be the most peculiar. He was a shy, soft-spoken young man who had an obsession with dead bodies. He committed his first murder at the age of 18. He was a closeted homosexual and severe alcoholic. Dahmer picked up many of his victims in gay bars in downtown Milwaukee where he coaxed men into his apartment. He then upon multiple occasions drugged, raped, killed, dismembered, and even sometime ate his victims before disposing of them. He was finally caught when a would-be victim escaped from his apartment and flagged down two police officers. When the officers came into his apartment they found the remains of humans littered throughout his home. Dahmer confessed to killing 17 individuals, and was convicted as a sane individual.

Whilst Dahmer was in prison serving one of his multiple life sentences his father recommended him some books that focused on absolute truth and the created order. Dahmer would later become a born-again Christian; he was baptized in a pool at the facility just months before he was bludgeoned to death by a fellow inmate. Though some have debated the authenticity of his conversion, by all accounts from his father and his pastor, Dahmer was sincere. The prospect of such eternal forgiveness taken at face value was illuminated by a record appropriately titled Rats in Heaven**.

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Is this not the most frustrating part of G_d’s gospel? That forgiveness even extends to the vilest creatures borne unto the earth. In all humility, my only response is simply this: Is this not the most beautiful aspect of G_d’s gospel?

Why must we think the G_d extends grace to even those who selfishly take others’ lives? I can think of three reasons: Moses, David and Paul. All of these men were murderers to various degrees and yet each was heralded as pivotal to the Judeo-Christian faith. Each man put an end to their murderous ways and was used mightily in G_d’s redemptive purposes.

The cruelest irony of a serial murder is that they so willing to kill others’ sin but not their own. The object of their wrath is blind to their own proclivities. And so they feel the urge to kill again and again and again. Lest I need to bring Exodus XX:XIII into our consciousness—“Thou shalt not murder”—or Jesus’s expansion on this idea in Matthew V:XXI-XXVI***, we should rest assured that G_d is just and there is consequences and judgment for such actions.

The only Biblical mandate for murder is to one’s own sin. The thesis of influential Puritan John Owen’s book The Mortification of Sin is this phrase: “Always be killing sin or it will be killing you."

As it turns out, the phrase was co-opted by Romans VIII:XIII****: Put to death your old self. When you're not at war with your own capricious bent—or in fact do not know there is war at hand—you are in serious danger. That is the message that extends to murders and monks; pedophiles and priests; sinners and saints. No one said it is easy. But it must be done,

___________

*A serial killer is defined as someone who murders on multiple occasions with a significant “cooling off” period between acts.
**Discogs: Suffering & the Hideous Thieves; Rats in Heaven; 2004.
*** "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.”
****“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

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Matthew Siefert is a writer currently located in Arlington Heights. He has written for a number of publications and companies in the Chicagoland area. He fancies himself a theocentrist, but be sure he fails to live up to that title on a daily basis.

I'm Fat, Short, and Lazy-Thoughts on Identity

I don't know about you but I grew up being told I could do whatever I wanted to when I grew up.  I went through the classic astronaut phase, dreamed of being a pirate for awhile, and even wanted to be a professional basketball player.  But you know what?  I don't like math enough to be an astronaut, I'm not violent enough to be a pirate, and I'm too fat, short, and lazy to be a professional basketball player.

We should all (hopefully) reach a point where we begin to realize that we can't do everything.  It is a good and healthy thing to realize your limitations.  Not enjoyable but good and healthy.  Just as we begin to realize what we cannot do we should also learn what it is we do well.  While I am too fat, short, and lazy I do love reading, (most) homework, and working with people of all backgrounds.  I'm an above average communicator and I'm really passionate about helping organizations succeed.  

Too bad this isn't an easy process.

This quarter I took a class entitled Mathematical Statistics.  At my school we are required to take two stats/econometrics classes and there are two tracks: a more conceptual track for the general public and the mathematical track for people who enjoy pain (or math).  For some reason I decided after the first of the two classes to move from the conceptual general public track to the one of pain.  I thought to myself I'm a smart guy, I want to be the smartest guy when I walk into a room, and smart guys take mathematical statistics.

The last 10 weeks have been full of realizing things I cannot do.  The course is quite literally greek to me and today as I take the final exam for the course, I will be happy to limp away merely passing the course.

I realized something I cannot do.  I will never, no matter how hard I try, be a brilliant econometrist.  It just won't happen.

We really don't like being told that now do we?  We hate being told we can't accomplish something but there are things in this world that we cannot do.  I cannot be anyone but me and my life will get a lot more enjoyable and easier when I stop wanting to be anyone else and start wanting to be me.

I think we often forget how special we are.  Each and everyone of us is made in the image of God and is uniquely perfect.  That's right perfect.  I'm not saying perfect in the do no wrong sense but perfect in the just right sense.  God isn't disappointed in you and you shouldn't be disappointed in yourself either.

So today, try and stop wanting to be someone else and try to find joy in who you are at this very moment.

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Andrew Means is a graduate student at The University of Chicago studying Public Policy and a member of the Lincoln Park community. His passion is to help non-profits succeed at making a difference in the world by evaluating their results and helping them achieve best practices. If you like Andrew's posts, be sure to check out his personal blog at www.andrewmeans.typepad.com and follow @meansandrew on Twitter.

Luke's Final Words

Luke's final Words from Axis on Vimeo.

My Boring Story

I don't know how many of you heard Donald Miller's message from Sunday, but it was amazing.  He said our lives are stories and great stories require wanting something, conflict, and resolution.

I am not in a place in life where I feel like I'm living a great story.  I doubt many movies would be made about a 24 year old married guy, going to grad school and freaking out about paying off student loans who watches an unhealthy amount of Seinfeld episodes.

But then I remembered why I got married, why I went to school, and why I'll have all these student loans (Can't really explain the Seinfeld episodes other than by saying if reincarnation exists I'd like to come back as Jerry). 

Two years ago I entered the Willow Creek internship program with hopes and dreams of becoming a successful church planter.  I wanted to spend a year at Willow making connections, gaining experience, and getting ready to start a church in downtown Chicago.

Then God interrupted my plans.  I began to get in touch with deep longings of my soul.  Many of these longings surrounded helping fight poverty in our world.

Now that freaked me out.  I knew nothing about fighting poverty.  I knew a lot about ministry.  I had never tried fighting poverty.  I was already pretty successful in ministry.

Over the course of the year I garnered the courage to say to God, "Wherever you lead me I will follow."  After 9 months of unemployment and 6 working for Axis, I started the Master of Public Policy program at The University of Chicago.

It's been hard.  I don't like hard things.

Conflict.

I think a lot of us in our twenties are in a conflict stage of life.  Many of us have begun to take a risk and follow our dreams.  The safety of our families is behind us and we are truly on our own for the first time.

So if you feel like your life wouldn't make a great movie, take heart, a lot of us feel that way (at least I hope I'm not alone in this).  I think a lot of us feel like we exist just to pay our bills, find a spouse, and do the next thing.

What we need to do is ask ourselves WHY we are doing those things.  That answer will speak volumes about your life.  If it is because you need to pay the bills, find a spouse, and do the next thing you should probably re-evaluate. 

But maybe you are just like me and have forgotten your dreams.  It is so easy to do.  When we dream we risk and when we risk we will face conflict and conflict can often blot out our dreams.  So remember WHY you are doing the things you are doing.

Go and live a great story!

Paul suffered for you.

Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. [philippians 1:12-14]

i love this. Paul is so humble and such an encouragement for the church then, as he is now. while writing this he was in prison. in PRISON. i dont know about you, but if i was in prison i just dont see myself being a very happy or positive person. and i think that is why this is a bit hard to read. because paul is the complete opposite. he is accepting of it and has completely remained 100% faithful to our God.

in this short passage Paul is trying to encourage us not to worry about his current circumstance, being in prison and suffering. he is trying to encourage us with the fact that his sufferings are sooo important for the furtherment of the gospel. it is because of his suffering, along with the other disciples (and of course Jesus) that we have FREEDOM. that we are free to love God and love ourselves and love eachother. FREELY.

let us walk in that freedom and truth today as we live our lives. let us continue to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters all over the world that are suffering and even dying for their belief in Christ.

people are dying in parts of the world simply because they are christian.

let us not forget about our freedom.

Who is your story for?

 

 

    I love a good story.  As a kid I was a voracious reader, devouring books as though they were Hostess Swiss cake rolls (by far my favorite “banned” treat as a child).  My favorite part of meeting new people is getting to know their life story, and then, as I get to know them better, learning how that story has shaped and formed them.  In my younger days I used to wish for a different story, one with more adventure, grit and danger.  I have a pretty picture perfect life story.  I’ve been incredibly blessed with two loving parents, family and friends that make life good, and virtually no major disaster or drama.  I was a goody two shoes who played by the rules, which was easy because I was never really tempted in the first place.  The closest I ever came to drugs was when the smelly kid pulled out a bag of weed on the bus home in 9^th grade.   I immediately joined every possible after school activity to insure I would never have to take the bus again.   Dork. 

    Anyway, the white picket fence suburb I grew up in gave me a story that is tame, and safe and would never inspire a made for t.v. movie.  I always found myself daydreaming big dramatic moments.  Even my conversion to Christ took about three years longer than it needed to because I kept waiting for that “moment.”  Something akin to God speaking to me while being held hostage in a bank robbery.  Telling me that he would spare my life if I promised to finally give it to Him.  A moment that ended with me sharing Christ with the bank robbers who then gave their lives to Him and let all the hostages go.  You know, no big deal….dork.

    I think that’s why I love Paul’s story.  Oh the drama and excitement!  My overactive imagination could not have written it better myself.  You have this hardcore Jesus hater, on his way to relentlessly hunt down the people of “the Way,” struck blind as he hears the voice of Jesus.  By the time God restores his sight he is not the same.  Saul became Paul.  He is now in the temples, preaching that Jesus is the son of God.  He has become like those he once hunted.

    I love in Acts 22 when Paul speaks to the Jews who are trying to arrest him.  He clearly shares his story with them, boldly telling of what Christ did to him, for him and through him.  Paul was the perfect person to share this testimony to this group of people because of who he was before Christ changed his life.  He was once like them.  As Saul, he would have been in that crowd, calling for the death of the one who proclaims Jesus as the Messiah.  If anyone’s story had a hope of softening the hardened hearts of this crowd it was Paul’s.  The scene makes me imagine a modern day picture of Bill Maher attending some atheist convention as a changed man, sharing with the crowd his and God’s story, impacting them as only he could.

    It also makes me wonder whom my story is for.  Tame as it may be, it is the story God and I share and it has potential to impact someone.  Who is your story for?  Does your story contain parts you are ashamed of?  Segments you wish you could edit out?  I’m sure Paul cringed when he thought of the damage he caused while he watched Stephen being stoned to death.  I’m sure he would have liked to gloss over why he was on the road to Damascus in the first place.  But who Paul was is what makes his story so compelling.  What Christ redeemed and saved in you is what will give hope to others.  And if you’re like me, wondering if you would have a greater impact if your story had a bigger rock bottom moment, or some crazy loud message of hope and redemption…well, there are so many people who’s lives haven’t been so rocked to the core that they have no place to turn but God.  Maybe those people need to hear how God works in the mundane moments of life and woos ordinary people in ordinary ways.  Maybe those people need help becoming aware of the voice of God in the tamer moments of life.  You are unique.  God has worked uniquely in your life.  Who can be impacted by your unique story?

 

Written by Colleen Powell who is a former Willow Intern who has a passion for God and his Kingdom. She resides in Oak Park with her husband and serves as a Youth Pastor, Speech Coach, and Mentor. 

 

In But Different

 The word Christian certainly gets thrown around a lot.  We have Christian t-shirts, Christian candy, Christian action figures, Christian cruises, Christian hunting, even Christian Ultimate Fighting teams.  And I find myself wondering, "What makes these things Christian?"

All this was triggered when I went with some Axis Chicago leaders to hear a smart guy named Gabe Lyons speak.  Gabe is the co-author of UnChristian and has done a lot of research regarding perceptions of Christianity.  One of the questions that he asked us is whether we thought America was no longer a Christian nation.

That got me thinking, "What makes a nation Christian?  What makes anything Christian?"  To me a Christian is someone who is committed to getting out of the way and allowing God to change the world through their life.  Someone who recognizes the fact that they are broken, lost, and in need of help from God.  Can a book be that?

As I was thinking about all this I was reminded of the great New Testament author and early church founder Paul.  Paul did not make money from ministry.  He often would not even ask for money as he traveled around the world starting churches.  Paul made his money as a tentmaker.

The question that came to mind is this, were Paul's tents Christian tents?  Did he inscribe the flap with Scripture verses or market them to missionaries on the go?  No!  He just made tents.

In my opinion the American church today is caught in a culture bubble so large that many hardly see the light of day outside of it.  American Christians walk around with Christian books under their arm, Christian t-shirts on their back, Christian music blaring in their iPod.  They play basketball in Christian basketball leagues, go to Christian counsellors, make their friends at Christian small groups, and hope to find their life-partner at a Christians singles event.  Christians have their own concerts, days at amusement parks, schools, favorite politicians, and tv shows.  Literally everything found in the world has been brought inside the Christian sub-culture solely by adding the word Christian before it and I think it is killing the American church and American Christians.

In our effort to not be "of the world" we've left it!  We've become obsessed with finding whatever is cool in culture and re-creating it (often times badly) inside our own culture so we can feel hip, cool, and progressive.  Really we are just letting culture dictate the church instead of truly engaging with culture and finding our own identity in it!

In our effort to become relevant to culture we focused on making poor counterfeits and have now become irrelevant. We need to leave the Christian sub-culture behind and actually engage with people.  We should care more about engaging the person, the individual, through relationship than showing them that their is a "Christian" band that sounds just like their favorite band out in the world.  People don't need their world Christianized, they need to be told that their is a beautiful hope that helps infuse the life, the world, they know with such beauty that it cannot be resisted.

Now I know much of this is not applicable to all of us but what I want us to ask ourselves is this, are we engaging and truly living in the world around us?  Do we value our co-workers as much as our friends from our missional communities?  Do we have any friends that live entirely outside the Christian sub-culture?

The way to change the world is not to become like it but to live in it.  That goes against everything the Christian sub-culture is about.  

So join me.  Let's leave the bubble and live in the world but different from the world.

Income Inequality vs Opportunity Inequality

“ ‘Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan...“ ‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers.

 Throughout the land that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land. 
 “ ‘If anyone among you becomes poor and sells some of their property, their nearest relative is to come and redeem what they have sold If, however, there is no one to redeem it for them but later on they prosper and acquire sufficient means to redeem it themselves they are to determine the value for the years since they sold it and refund the balance to the one to whom they sold it; they can then go back to their own property.

But if they do not acquire the means to repay, what was sold will remain in the possession of the buyer until the Year of Jubilee. It will be returned in the Jubilee, and they can then go back to their property. 
“ ‘Anyone who sells a house in a walled city retains the right of redemption a full year after its sale. During that time the seller may redeem it If it is not redeemed before a full year has passed, the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to the buyer and the buyer’s descendants. It is not to be returned in the Jubilee.

 But houses in villages without walls around them are to be considered as belonging to the open country. They can be redeemed, and they are to be returned in the Jubilee. -Leviticus 25 (Excerpts)

I am sure you are wondering why I am starting off with such a huge passage from the exciting book of Leviticus but it came up in my reading plan today and something in it caught my eye.

Leviticus is a book full of many of the laws that God wanted the Jews to follow and this passage is looking at a thing called Jubilee.  It occurred every 50 years and debts were overlooked and homes were returned to their owners.  At least that was my understanding until I looked a little closer.

It says that if a poor person sells his property and cannot find someone to purchase it back for him it should be returned to him at Jubilee.  The basic idea behind this is that we rent the land from God so no one of us should own it.  And property was really about what the land was used for.  So instead of purchasing the land a person would purchase the right to use the land, live on the land, until the next Jubilee.  Then it was returned to the original family.

EXCEPT, homes that were sold in walled in cities.  These could be redeemed (bought to give back to the original owner) within one year but after that the property was not to be transferred back, not even at Jubilee.

Why this difference?

 I think it has something to do with opportunity and wealth.  See, I don't think God is against wealth, just an uneven distribution of it.  Many people point to Jubilee as an example of how God wanted a very equitable society but I think more than monetary equality what God really wants is opportunity equality.

Homes in walled in cities were just places to live, not opportunities to take care of yourself and family like a plot of land outside of a city.  Outside of cities people still lived on the land and grew crops.  So what I think this passage is really getting at is that God wants everyone to have the opportunity to take care of themselves.  It seems He doesn't really care about the property itself, or He'd want the walled in cities to be included in Jubilee, but the opportunity.

We live in a time of great income inequality.  Take for example The Waltons, the family behind Walmart.  Their net worth is somewhere around $90 billion.  The bottom 40% of Americans, all 120 million of them, have a network around $95 billion.  The top 1% of our country controls roughly 1/3 of the nations wealth, more than the bottom 90% combined.

This income inequality is not the only problem though.  The real problem is that this income inequality has lead to opportunity inequality.

I think we could all agree that a white kid from Lake Forest has very different opportunities than a Latino youth on the West side of Chicago.  Wealth redistribution alone will not solve that problem but I believe that the reason God wanted some redistribution was to provide for opportunity redistribution.

A family who had their property returned to them at Jubilee still needed to work it to gain anything, it wasn't a handout.  We need to help provide opportunities for all people to succeed.  We need to support equal education opportunities, small business loans, and laws that prevent discrimination.

What God intended was not to deplete the wealthy in one big handout to the poor, what He intended was to ensure that everyone had an opportunity to better themselves, provide for their family, and in turn ensure that the poor were taken care of.

The problem of income inequality in this country is great but the greater problem is one of opportunity inequality.

The Value of Existence

 Earlier this week in my micro-economics class we talked about the value of public goods.  Public goods are the things whose consumption by one individual does not affect the consumption of another.  For example a park, a sunset, or national defense.  The problem with public goods is who should pay for them and how should they be distributed and restricted.

Our conversation revolved around how should we value a public good and what caught my attention was the last value, the value of existence.  Essentially we should protect and value something solely because it exists.

There is something beautiful and sacred in that statement.

I think Christians should really be the ones trumpeting this value.  We should be at the forefront of protecting existence.  There is something humble about valuing something not for what you can glean from it but solely because it exists.  You aren't asking anything just allowing everything.

It is a beautiful reminder that all is a gift from God when we begin to value things for their existence.  Everything has a place and is connected in some way that we cannot see.  So the destruction of one thing destroys a part of myself in that I am losing something that God designed.

So let us pick up the value of existence and hold it high for all is a gift from God and all is connected in a way that we cannot always see or realize.

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made."

Rich's First Devo of 2010...

Rich's First Devo of 2010... from Axis on Vimeo.

What would you change about "Church"?

Before we dive into the question "what would you change about your church", lets get some context and meaning behind what church is.  Our senior Pastor Bill Hybels coined the incredible phrase “The Local Church is the Hope of the World” but I’d like for us to dive into the question: What is the Local Church or Church for that matter?  Where do we get this word from and how do we organize this (Ecclesiology) in light of two other really important terms, those being Christology and Missiology?

I once heard this described by Alan Hirsch and ever since then it stuck with me.  We have to start with Christology, from there we move to Missiology and from there we develop Ecclesiology.  Something similar to this: 

1. Christology    (the study of the life of Christ)
2. Missiology     (the study of the mission of Christ)
3. Ecclesiology   (the study of the Church)

 As God’s people and as leaders in the Church we have to constantly evaluate the function of the church in this order, to gain holy alignment with what God meant for his people we have to diligently align ourselves and first look at Jesus, then look at his purpose on earth, his mission, then from there finally we look at how we can organize our efforts as the Church.  Do you see how crucial this is?  Its amazing to me how often we get off track and organize churches or ministries like Axis that form, encourage and produce lifestyles within the people that make up the community whose mission and life are so contrary to the mission and life of Jesus.  As a ministry we are committed to consistently checking ourselves, checking our ministry and checking our initiative’s to make sure that our mission and the lifestyles that we are encouraging or producing through Axis is in complete alignment with what Christ’s life looked like, this is essential!

So back to the question what is the Church and where do we get this word from?  We see the English word of “Church” used in the Bible 112 times, however only in the NT.  In the New Testament however the place where we get our English word for church is taken from the Greek word Ecclesia which is translated into church.  So where does this word come from, the answer is that we get the word ecclesia from the Hellenistic world, the Greek world used this term to refer to gatherings or assemblies of people in their cities.  

 In the late 1^st century as God’s people were sent out in the power of the Holy Spirit we see that Christ is for everyone, 1^st for the Jew and then for the Gentile as we read through Mark.  When the Gentile, or Greek communities responded to Christ therein we get the word ecclesia, meaning an assembly of people, however now with a Christian or Kingdom of God connotation.  Knowing that the Greek word ecclesia means church, we now understand the word ecclesiology which means the study of the church and how it’s meant to function or operate.  

So how would you suggest that the “Church” is working?  What do you love about the “Church” and what would you love to change?  

Blessings.

-Jon Peacock

Have you thought about the Resurrection lately?

If you think about it doesn’t it seems like we only talk about the resurrection once a year? Every Easter we gather and celebrate Christ rising from the dead, and many of us perhaps have become all too familiar with the story.  Maybe it has lost its effect on us, perhaps we’ve even become numb to it, or only think about it once the Easter baskets and Cadbury eggs are on the shelves at Jewel.  (I just got hungry)
I know this can be true of each of us, and certainly true of me.  It’s often that another day, month and year passes and I don’t feel like I have fully absorbed the significance and meaning of the resurrection.
The resurrection is not something that we should just think on once a year, perhaps its not just held to Easter lilies, weird green stuff in my Easter basket (yes I still have an Easter basket) Jelly Beans, and Easter Egg hunts, no the Resurrection must be on our minds, and must effect our daily lives because the Resurrection is without question central to our faith!  

Imagine if the resurrection was not true.
If the resurrection did not happen, then the teachings of the Apostles were merely an act, our personal faith would be a farce, the Apostles would have lied about being eye witnesses and therefore could not be trusted about everything else they said, our sins would still remain, our separation from God would be still be our reality, the sacrifice of Jesus would be nothing more than noble, Jesus’ visit to earth nothing more than an interesting road trip with a fatal ending, the after life would be something that we would fear, death would certainly still have its sting, our faith would have zero foundation and each morning we would awake with no future hope at all. 

This would all be true if the Resurrection did not happen!  However the resurrection did happen and therefore the resurrection is central to our faith, central to our future, and central to our daily focus.

What is one way that you can tap into Resurrection power today? What is one way, discipline, or sacrament you can institute in your life to keep the Resurrection fresh in your heart and mind? 

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Greed & Generosity, Really Just the Same Thing

 There are a few core concepts that are taught to every beginning economist; people are rational and make rational decisions, having more of any good is better, and that everyone exhibits utility maximizing behavior.  This last one is an interesting one.  To understand what it's saying you have to understand a few concepts.

First the idea of utility.

Utility is a good thing.  It's something you want more of.  A good feeling, confidence, but mostly to economists, money.

So the idea of utility maximizing behavior is essentially saying that we all do things that get us more utility.  Essentially we're all selfish.

But is this true and what ramifications does it have on generosity?

Take the recent outpouring of money follow the tragic earthquake in Haiti this week.  We are never going to see that money again.  Haiti was the poorest country in the world before the earthquake and I don't see it as becoming an integral part of economy anytime soon.

An economist would say this outpouring of generosity is just a result of our wanting to feel good about ourselves or relieve our guilt.  Essentially even when we give money we give for selfish reasons.

What do you think?  Why do you give?

Make an invite!

You know your friends, their journey, their roadblocks, and their interests better than me or any Pastor ever will.  So the idea of  me telling you or suggesting what the next key invite might be for your friends is simply crazy.  That being said I have found something that is quite outside of the box to be true.  That is invite your seeking friends to church.  wow.  I know this is ground breaking and due to what I just wrote I'll probably publish a book on that radical insight.

 Something I've seen time and time again is that my seeking friends need another voice of truth in their life and often times this does help them come to a place of trusting Christ, and that my friends also needed to see other people besides me that were passionately following Christ.  Although this may not be the “in” thing, it is part of the iScatter thing and something we can’t deny the power of.  When you look at your own story, you may prove that what I'm saying is in fact true.  Too many of us have had a powerful Church experiences that became a catalyst toward choosing to follow Jesus...so make the invite.  That being said I highly recommend being smart about this.  Find out the sermon topics for the weekend and build an experience around the invite.  Grab breakfast or lunch, or whatever but make the invite something that will connect with your friends and something that will add value to their weekend.  A weekend like this upcoming weekend is ideal.

As we come to the close of our 30 days of iScatter my hope is that your increased intentionality will turn into a new way of life.  A lifestyle of intentionality, a lifestyle of thinking about your seeking friends.  My hope is that your intentionality will not end today but only continue throughout the rest of 2010.  Those of you who chose to do this I commend you and believe strongly that God does as well.

Over the course of the next 30 days our new friends down at Lake Wood Baptist Church outside of Atlanta in Gainesville will carry on the iScatter torch.  Please be in prayer for their Community as they scatter the love of Christ through intentional conversations!

Blessings.

Jon Peacock

Keep on movin'

In Luke 10 Jesus said to the 72 that if you go to a town and are not received well (welcome to my world) no biggie just keep movin’.  Jesus knew the danger of getting evangelistically “stuck” due to resistance or our perceived failed attempts at having intentional conversations.  He goes on to say in verse 16 that “hey if they reject you they are rejecting me so don’t take it so personal”.  We have found that the “knocking the dust off” principal is one that is essential to see the iScatter challenge become one of impact and excitement and without question it's essential to live a lifestyle of love and intentionality.  It’s so important to see that Jesus prepared them for the inevitable; resistance and perceived failure.  As we come to the final 2 days iScatter for the Axis Community we have to acknowledge the inevitable as well so that you and I are not surprised. So maybe today you woke up feelin' like you've  totally botched a conversation and royally screwed up, if that's you then do what Jesus would tell you... keep on movin’!

Have a great day and stay warm!!

Jon Peacock

How to build Community

I came across this today and love it!  Some of you ended 09 pretty much in isolation.  Make 2010 different!

 

Blessings.

Jon Peacock

 

Will you answer the call?

In a day where Evangelism makes most followers of Jesus flinch or run the other way our mission is to see opposite transpire!  The thought of not intentionally Scattering the love of Christ through intentional conversations is a thought that is one not Biblical but also a thought that takes the easy way out.  iScatter is not about taking the easy way out. On the contrary it’s a challenge that will bring you to the end of yourself and cause you to step out and fully trust your “sender” to do what only He can do.  In many ways we have turned the “Great Commission” into the “Great Suggestion”, not fully owning that our verbal sharing of Christ is part of the deal.  It’s not for those gifted in “evangelism”, however it’s for those who have been given the gift of Grace.

Our hope is that as you continue to commit to the iScatter way of life  you will find your seeking friends place their faith in Christ and in the process find your heart preserved as well.  Have a great day and be careful out there :)

Blessings.

Jon Peacock

A great Blog by my big brother to start the year!

Hey guys my older brother Jason just sent out a great email on getting 2010 started off on the right track.  I think you will really enjoy!!

-Jon Peacock

 

Happy New Year!  I would break into song with “Auld Lang Zyne” but I have no idea what it means or if I even spelled it right.  Who started that anyway?  I love the beginning of a new year.  It’s like approaching a fresh round of golf.  I get a new scorecard that doesn’t show the double and triple bogeys from last year.  It fills me with hope and excitement that this year will be better than last, regardless of the fact that I still have the same swing.  How about you?  Have you made your list of New Year’s Resolutions yet? If you’re like me you probably knew back in June that you needed to make some changes, but for some reason it doesn’t feel right starting on them until January.  How did you do on last year’s list? What makes it so difficult to achieve these resolutions?  Sometimes I feel like the lady I saw the other day.  As I watched her chain-smoking a pack of Camel’s, it was obvious that her resolution was to quit smoking.  How do I know that, you ask?  Because she was wearing a patch!  Smoking with a patch on… says it all, doesn’t it?  Whether it is to quit smoking, lose weight, budget more wisely or read our Bible more, our resolutions are really nothing more than goals we set for ourselves.  This Christmas one of the things we bought our son was a hockey goal.  On Christmas Eve my wife gave me the task of putting it together….big mistake!  She had obviously forgotten that I had a “mechanical bypass” as a child and have zero skills when it comes to putting something together.  As I opened the box, the only contents were several pieces of PVC pipe, a net, and a single sheet of directions.  No need for directions; after all, I know exactly what a hockey goal looks like.  Piecing together the final pipe and stringing the net in place, I stood back and admired what I had just completed.  I had constructed a perfectly good…… bird house.  What??!!  It didn’t even resemble a hockey goal. What happened?  I had ignored the directions.  The same is true of our resolutions.  We have a picture in our minds of what the completed version of our goal looks like, but we fail to get any direction on completing it.  The Bible has a lot to say when it comes to achieving our goals; here are just a few of them.  The first step is to: G et Real!  Before we can get where we want to go, we have to begin with where we truly are.  Too often we live in fantasy land.  Don’t believe me?  Try this.  Pull out your driver’s license and try to read your height and weight while keeping a straight face.  That’s what I thought.  Denial is not just a river in Egypt!  Read James 1:22-24.  To summarize it: when you look in the mirror, don’t question the accuracy of the reflection.  Sometimes the truth hurts; but to move forward, we have to deal in reality. Next, work on O ne at a time.  Read Philippians 3:13-14.  Paul focuses on one thing.  Since you have now faced reality and focused on one resolution, go get some A dvice.  Read Proverbs 15:22.  Think about it; if you really knew how to do what you are wanting to do, you would have already done it.  The final steps are to set both L ong range and S hort range goals.  The long range goals set the destination; the short range gives you the steps to get there.  Have you ever watched babies learn to walk?  They fall, trip, stumble and bumble over everything in their path, but one thing you can be sure of: they are always moving forward.

Have a great week!

Jason Peacock

To be added to our distribution list please email us at jwpeacock@bellsouth.net

Mary Was Blessed, Are You???

I love my hub.  We have some of the most honest and interesting discussion of any group I've ever been a part of.  Last week we looked at the passage from Luke where the angel comes to Mary announcing to her that she will become pregnant.  

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

We honed in on that angels calling Mary favored, or as seen in other translations, blessed.

What does it mean to be blessed by God?

I'll be honest and say that the idea of a blessing from God has always made me uncomfortable.  It conjures up images of televangelists screaming into cameras that you too could be blessed if you just made a call and small donation to their organization.  Or pastors preaching about how those who love God live long, happy, and wealthy lives.  It seems that a lot of people think that if you drive a BMW and show up at church occasionally you are blessed by God.

And this would be fine (despite the total consumerism involved) except that it doesn't seem to hold true in the Bible.

Jesus purposefully spent time with those in the shadows of society.  The sick, the immoral, the uneducated.  These were the people Jesus went too first!  When he met someone who many today might called blessed, He often challenged them and asked them to realign their values.

It's almost like Jesus preferred to spend time with people who knew they had a need for Him.  Whose identity wasn't wrapped up in their car, paycheck, or degree.  It's not that these people don't need Jesus as much as anyone else, they just don't always realize it.

Our faith is built upon the idea of connecting with depravity, our own and that in the world around us.  As Scripture says, "The mountains will be made low and the valleys filled in."  Those who are mountains need to be lowered a little so those valleys can be filled in.

I'm also very uncomfortable with the idea that a blessing from God is something I can achieve.  If they are then if I only behave a certain way, achieve a certain something, or whatever I'll be blessed.  It turns very into a religion I can control.

When the Bible talks about blessing they seem to attach the word to an odd group of people.  I've been spending a lot of time listening to talks on the Sermon on the Mount this fall and I've been struck with the language that begins this most famous of Jesus' sermons.  It's how I'd like to end this post and I think it's something we should all reflect upon this Christmas season.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

We Have The Power

 Last night my wife, Tovah, and I finally got around to seeing Food Inc., a very enlightening and well made documentary on the American food industry.  I highly recommend seeing it.  It's informative and fair and the story of the American food industry is something that we all need to know more about.  More than almost anything else, food affects our daily lives, our health, and our democracy and we know surprisingly little about where our food comes from.

During the movie Tovah started talking about how corrupt our government is and how abusive they are of their power and while I wholeheartedly agree I responded by saying, "It's because we allow that to happen."  I feel like we've forgotten that we, the people, actually hold the power in this country.  

I know many people would balk at that statement saying it is far too idealistic but I believe it to be true and I think we need a little more idealism.  When our leaders abuse their power or act not in the best interest of the country we, the people, must hold them accountable.  When they pursue wealth and prosperity for the few and not the whole, we must not stand idly by.

I am not saying it will be an easily won war but it is one that we cannot abdicate because we are intimidated.

We must no longer allow ourselves to be deceived by the lie that there is nothing we can do, that we could not stand up against corrupt legislatures and inhumane corporations.  That is the lie they are peddling and we have bought for far too long.  We the people are in control and if you don't like something, do something.

Every time you make a purchase you are showing what you care about.  Are you buying products that are made safely, by companies that respect their employees, and in ways that care for the earth or are you purchasing products without any idea of their origins?  Are you making conscious decisions and sacrifices to buy products that you know are better for you and your family?  Are you paying attention to the actions of your representatives in government?  Do you even know your local representatives?  

If we abdicate that power, then yes we have lost but it is not because of the strength of our enemies but our own weakness.  We can and we must stand up for our beliefs and hold our elected officials accountable.  We must never forget that in this democracy, we hold the power.

Why I Don't Like Altar Calls

 The first book I’ve picked up for winter break is Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein.  The book explores behavioral economics, basically the study of why people make decisions that economics says they shouldn’t make.

I just finished the chapter on temptation.  See, in economics temptation is a very interesting thing.  Economists believe that more of any good is, well, good.  That by having the option to consume more we will consume exactly how much we like and leave the rest alone.

But life doesn’t play out like that does it?  We’ve all been to parties where we’ve eaten so much we’ve made ourselves sick or drank more than we wanted to.  Why do we do this?  It’s because of what George Loewenstein (the guy who came up with this) calls the “hot-cold empathy gap.”  Basically we make decisions on a continuum between two states, hot and cold.

When in a cold state we are able to separate ourselves from the decision and act more “rationally.”  We often view people who live in this state as very calculating and almost heartless, a complaint many people have of economists.  When in a hot state however, the smell of good food becomes overwhelming and the wine is flowing, and it wouldn’t really hurt if we had just a little bit more to eat.  (Side note-if you eat with other people you eat more.  Up to 97% more if you dine with more than 7 other people.  So if you want to lose weight start eating alone.)

So what does this all have to do with my beef with altar calls?  I feel like often times we design our worship services to move people towards a hot state.  We get the lights going, the music pumping, and emotions run high.  Then when the room is as “hot” as it’s going to get we ask people to make a huge life altering decision.

I just don’t think that’s fair.

Becoming a follower of Christ is a major decision and should be contemplated, thought through, as well as felt.  I’m not saying that some decisions aren’t best made in a hot state, I’m just saying that I think it’s a trick we Christians use far too often.

I can’t remember the number of times I went to the front of the auditorium in response to an altar call after an especially powerful night of worship.  Some of those moments probably did lead to life change but I feel like most of my life is spent in a cold state.  God is quiet.  Life is hard.  I don’t especially feel like being a Christian and I think that if we too closely associate spirituality with hot emotions then we’re setting people up to fail when life gets hard.

That’s why I’d like to see fewer altar calls during emotional services, maybe even fewer emotional services.  Not that emotion is bad.  God can often speak to us through them, but I think the decision to follow Jesus shouldn’t come after a moving chorus of “I Surrender” but after wresting through this life changing decision.

Life's Significant Small Moments

 Do you ever have a moment that is course changing and significant and yet it would appear completely menial to anyone but you?  I had one of those last weeks and because I’m proud of myself I thought I would share it with you in hopes that you would rejoice with me.

To understand the significance of this moment you need to know a few things about me.  First, I’m a very driven person.  It’s one of those qualities that I am most proud of and yet often causes me the most trouble. For me, my internal drive can come from the God oriented place where I just want to partner with my Father and unleash my potential on the world in love.  On other days I feel that my significance and worth come from my accomplishments and that if I don’t follow every opportunity and excel at everything I put my hand to then I am letting down God and the world, my life won’t be fulfilling, and I am worthless.

The second thing you need to know about me is that I hate letting people down.  From the time I was a young child I was taught to follow through on commitments and to never step down after committing to something.  To step down was to be a failure.  This, mixed with my overly excited terrier like zeal for success, can often lead me to over-committing myself.

A few weeks ago I overcommitted to something out of this desire for success.  I felt like to be successful I needed to take up this opportunity.  I began planning for a life that wasn’t even close to happening, not because it was what I wanted but because it was what I felt like I should want, that it would bring me the most success.

I began to feel anxious and stressed but I felt like if I turned down this opportunity I would one, be letting someone down and reneging on a commitment which I had made, and two I would be letting down God and the world because I wasn’t taking this opportunity that could lead to future success.  Something in me told me that if I didn’t follow this path for my life I would be a failure.  Really the lie is that if I didn’t relentlessly pursue success that I would be worthless and unworthy of anyone’s love.

A week ago I decided to not let that lie rule my life.

It didn’t happen in a blinding light, choir filled, Hallmark commercial.  I was just sitting on the brown line heading to my hub’s gathering when I felt God say, “You don’t have to believe that.  I want you to be free to be who I created you to be.  It’s ok to say no to this.”

Now I’m not one of those guys who has spiritually significant moments where I feel completely different one second to the next but this was one of those times.  I literally felt the anxiety in my chest loosen and the burden on my back fade away.  I can honestly say I’m a different person.  Not that I won’t struggle with my drive for success or my identity but I won a battle and to me that’s a big deal. 

I feel like we often move through life so quickly that we miss these small significant moments.  I’m grateful that God helped slow me down and realize the battle I had won.  I hope I won’t forget it because I know before long I’ll be in another situation where I feel my worth hanging on my success and I need to remember that God whispered truth in my ear that night as I sat riding the el.  And when I remember, maybe it will give me enough courage to slay the next lie that comes my way.

Home for the Holidays is Not Always a Happy Song

For many within our community I am sure they are excited to head home for the holidays and celebrate with their families over food and wine.  But for others of us the holidays aren’t exactly sources of joy and can even bring deep-seated pain to the surface.  For those of you in this situation, I understand.

There are many in the Axis communities whom if they head home will face brokenness, anger, turmoil, and pain.  Family members caught up in ugly addictions, spouses torn apart by divorce, aunts and uncles that no longer speak with one another because deceit or abandonment from long ago. 

To those of us in that situation I ask, what does it look like to be Christ in our families?  I am genuinely asking this question because I do not know.  My family has been torn apart by divorce.  I barely see my father and hardly know the man that he is, and my mother’s pain is so deep that I do not know how to care for her without being hurt myself.  What would Christ have me do now?  What would it look like for me to incarnate Jesus in my own family and can I even do that?

When I picture Jesus in my family I see someone who is gracious, forgiving, who is so secure in the love of His father that he can scoop up the pain of the world and not be overcome by it.  I do not see any of those qualities in me.  I see Jesus being open and honest, calling my family into account for our actions but in a way that doesn’t cause shame but bathes our darkest secrets in a loving light.  I am unable to accomplish that.

So what does it look like for me to love my family this holiday season?  I’m not really sure but I think it will begin with a prayer.  Cheesy I know but I honestly don’t know where else to turn.

God grant me grace to forgive those things that still bring tears to my eyes and anger to my fists when I think upon them.  Unclench my hands and free me from my own anger.  Help me to trust that you are just and will protect and because of that promise I can engage my family fully and openly.  Grant me the courage to be honest, to share openly and not brush under the rug anything that needs to be seen in the light of day.  Give me hope that tomorrow can be better than today and that healing for all is possible.  But mostly God, be with me.  Be near me and come quickly when I call.  I cannot do this alone.  I cannot do this without You.

reading the bible...

I am sitting on my couch trying to get some time in with god. It is so hard for me often to actually sit down and read the bible or pray. Yes I am a missionary and all that good stuff but that doesn’t mean you are super holy or spend hours a day sitting in a dark corner reading the bible and sweating blood praying… but a little while ago I was at a point where I needed an answer. You probably know exactly this kind of situation: god, please answer me to the question I have and please give me the answer I WANT. I knew in the back of my head that this is a very dangerous situation I am getting myself into by asking god that. So I sat down and promised god to read the bible and pray everyday for an hour. And I did. The thing was that god used the situation where I spend time with him to tell me a lot of other things than to answer my question. But the question also was not anymore that important to me since he showed me a lot of other answers around that. I really kept reading and praying since then, (still waiting for that answer) but god is showing me sooo much more. Have you been ever exited to tell others about what you read in the bible? I think that is what god wants us to be. Having him speak through little things in our life.  I am new touched and exited to read and talk to god again every day new. I want you to share what you read in your bible and what touches you in your heart with your friends. Stuff what bothers you and what amazes you and makes you happy. I do that a lot  and through sharing, others tell me what god tells them and that often really speaks into my life. I would love to hear what god tells you.