Many have claimed to follow Jesus while refusing to ever actually meet Him face to face.
Yearly Archives: 2010
In Exodus 19 & 20 God does something that must have been seemingly contradictory to the people of Israel. After reading these chapters yourself you may be left feeling a little confused as to God’s intentions. I know I was at first.
One the one hand, God tells Moses to prepare the people because He is going to speak to them face to face. It seems God wanted to establish that He is their God and that He desires to communicate to them directly.
On the other hand, God tells Moses to place a barrier around the base of the mountain so that the people don’t “go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it.” The penalty for doing either of these…death. And when He does show up He does so with a fanfare of thunder, lightning, and a thick cloud. The kind that they saw as He brought destruction upon Egypt. It’s almost like God is trying to keep them at a distance.
Kind of puzzling isn’t it? That is until you read Exodus 20:18-20.
Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die. Moses said to the people, Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.
That clears it up, right? Moses tells the people that they don’t need to be filled with terror over the fanfare in which God came but that God was using it so that they would fear Him.
What God was doing was establishing something that I believe our current Christian culture has lost. And to our detriment. We have embraced Him as friend but denied His kingship. We have declared the love of God while forsaking the fear of God.
Yes, our God is approachable. He wants to talk to you face to face, heart to heart. He wants you to come boldly before the throne of grace. But He is not your bff… He is KING. And we would be wise to rediscover the fear of God.
What we see in Exodus is God setting a simple precedent. He is the approachable King…
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November 15, 2010
The other day I shared about the negative space in the Bible. The idea came from my reading of Genesis 22 when I came across some of this negative space.
This is a beautiful passage with so much great content. There’s the faithfulness of Abraham, the prophetic statements and symbolism, the Messianic tie to Mount Moriah, and many many more great things to be taken from this passage. But the other day while I was reading it again I couldn’t help but ask, “What about Isaac?”
Let’s quickly go over the basic points of the story.
- God tells Abraham to sacrifice Isaac
- Isaac, carrying the very items with which his body is to be burned, notices that something is fishy since they have no sacrifice
- Abraham binds Isaac to the altar they built together
- Abraham raises his knife to kill Isaac
- The angel of the Lord tells Abraham to stop
- Abraham and Isaac then proceed to sacrifice a ram they found in the brush
A nice little story tied neatly with a bow except for one problem…What about Isaac? Nothing more is said about him again until he meets his wife Rebekah. Genesis 24:67 has this to say.
Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
Comforted after his mother’s death?! What about after his father tied him to an altar and tried to carve him like a thanksgiving turkey? I don’t know about you but I think I would need some comforting and maybe a restraining order after an event like that. There are so many questions as I ponder, “What about Isaac?”
- Do you think that Isaac dealt with father rejection issues after that? I mean most dads just neglect there kids but Isaacs almost killed him. One attempted murder trumps a lifetime of neglect.
- Do you think they talked about it afterwards or was that the quietest walk back down the mountain ever?
- Do you think Isaac heard the angel of the Lord or was it like we hear God now, more in our own hearts? Some might suggest that if he did that might ease the shock of the situation. I’m not sure. Isaac: Oh wait! you weren’t just going to kill me because you wanted to? God told you to do it? Whew! I thought it was just… WAIT! GOD TOLD YOU TO KILL ME!!! AND YOU LISTENED!!!
- I wonder if Isaac ever told that story to his sons? Esau & Jacob fussing about doing their chores and Isaac is all like, “You think your life is hard? When I was your age your grandfather tied me to an altar and almost sacrificed me to Yahweh. And I had to carry the wood for the altar, up a mountain, both ways.”
In all seriousness, I just can’t imagine what Isaac must have felt during or after that event. Rejection, fear, loneliness, helplessness. These are just some of the emotions I imagine when I try and put myself in his place. Then I think of another journey up this same mountain many many years later.
Jesus, also carrying the wood that He would be laid upon, walks to the place of his sacrifice. His Father’s hand was not stayed. The only voice from God was not the Father putting an end to this horrific scene, it was the voice of the Son.
The darkness lasted three hours. At three o’clock, Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
Mark 15:34 (MSG)
There aren’t many of us who can relate to Isaac’s story or could even comprehend what he might have felt. It’s comforting to know however that there is someone who understands all the feelings we do and don’t understand. He’s felt them more strongly than we could ever imagine and He’s ready to experience them again with us.
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October 21, 2010
In design we deal with a concept called negative space. It’s the empty space around a design or image. Where negative space becomes compelling is when it’s used as a part of the design or image itself to bring a richer concept.
Sometimes when I’m reading Scripture it’s negative space or the story that isn’t told that grabs my attention. I’m intrigued by the untold elements as if they were withheld on purpose. Not because they weren’t important but because God encourages discovery.
What you find might not be life changing. It may not even be interesting. But, every once in awhile, it may just make what is there richer than before. The negative space can never replace what is actually said but once you have come to a stand still with a passage perhaps explore what isn’t there.
Ask questions. Step back from the scene and see what seems to be missing. How does it relate to what is there? Place yourself in the negative space. How does that make you feel? What you learn may challenge you, encourage you, or it might just make you think. Either way, the negative space of scripture might be a journey worth taking.
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October 20, 2010
A church moving into a new location can be a very exciting thing. It creates anticipation and buzz. All kinds of questions begin to arise. At the Exchange my desire is that we would be a place to get answers to all those questions. No necessarily by any one individual or sermon but the exchange that takes place in the community.
What’s interesting in our move to this new location is the buzz it’s created outside of our small church. People who are not even connected to our little circle are talking about our move. As people walk by they are intrigued by the renovations that we are doing. Some even stop in to ask questions even though we haven’t officially opened up to the public.
So today I thought I would ask the #1 question that we have been asked since we started working on the new location.
Question: Where has the ARK moved to?
Great question although some might be wondering why this question is pertinent to our new church location. The reason is the ARK used to be in the same basic building that we are now meeting in.
Answer: 240 Oak St NW, Cleveland, TN 37311
As more questions are asked you can be sure that I will answer to the best of my ability.
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October 19, 2010
I don’t know about you and you might find this strange coming from a pastor but I don’t like tithes & offerings. This isn’t a debate as to whether tithing is even a biblically mandated New Testament church practice or not. I feel the terminology sets us on the wrong path.
If you look at the modern church many have stopped using the term “tithe” because of the whole New Testament debate. In order to not have to face that question we started to simply call it the offering. Say what you will about the idea of giving regularly to your local church but calling it an offering still feels a little like I’m trying to pay for something I did or didn’t do. Maybe I’m not worthy by Christ alone…I better bring an offering to make sure me and the Big Guy are square. It seems like many times we are still trying to earn something.
Perhaps it’s not even the terminology but the mindset and application that bother me. I strongly believe that followers of Christ should be generous people and even support their local church financially but the why is very important to me. Here are three things that I never want to control why people give at the Exchange.
Convenience – The tithe is an easy out and that’s why I don’t teach it. It’s too convenient. No prayer or thought, just deposit your 10% into your spiritual 401k and trust that God matches well over 100%.
Compulsion – The basket gets passed every Sunday morning and sometimes it feels like a robbery. You place some money in it with very little thought of why. You just know you’re supposed too or something bad might happen.
Circumstance – This is the main reason people give less than they should (TBD) or none at all. They know the bills that they have and so they adjust their giving based on what’s happening at the moment. Seems reasonable to me but it still isn’t God’s ideal.
So what am I proposing? I’m calling for a Psalm 40:6 focus on all of our giving. Here’s what it says in the Amplified Bible.
6Sacrifice and offering You do not desire, nor have You delight in them; You have given me the capacity to hear and obey. Burnt offerings and sin offerings You do not require.
Did you get that? No more offerings or sacrifices. Why? Because God has given us the capacity to hear and obey.
Christ was the ultimate sacrifice and offering on our behalf. There are no more to be made. Instead we have been given the ability to hear the voice of God on these matters and obey Him.
So the next time your church takes up an “offering” or you’re at the Exchange for our time of giving, don’t just give 10% because it’s easy. Don’t give because you feel the compulsive need too. And definitely don’t let your current circumstances get in the way.
Ask, hear, obey…
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October 18, 2010
This is a big step for us but I wonder if it’s too big for the time we have allotted for it. It’s a step we have needed to take for a long time but I was naive then and unwilling to lead in that direction until now. Now that I’ve come to terms with that, there is an urgency to push forward.
For some churches a big move would be purchasing their first piece of property or moving forward on some big building campaign. We just rented a small space in the center of Cleveland, TN. But when you have been portable and in most cases with absolutely no visibility, moving to a high trafficked area that is yours all week is pretty big.
There is an urgency because I know it’s the right step and it’s a much needed step. It marks an important phase of our church community. To explain what that phase is is outside the scope of this post but trust me, it’s a phase and it’s important for us to enter it.
The impatience I am feeling is because we should have done this sooner but for one reason or another I wasn’t ready. I had my eyes on a future that may or may not ever be to the degree that the needed present was lost to me. I guess I feel the need to make up for lost time and that has a tendency to make me a bit impatient.
My apprehension is the easiest to explain. This entire project is well outside of my own abilities. There is construction, remodeling, electrical, and many other areas that I have no skill or knowledge in. Furthermore, the one who has the most experience in these areas also has a job of their own and a new baby. I wonder how much he will be able to accomplish without a lot more help before he just can’t do anymore. Mind you he is the backbone of this whole remodeling. I also fear the longer that it takes the more we may decide doesn’t “need” to be done and settle for far less.
What does any of this mean? It simply means that I feel an urgency in the direction that I believe God is leading us. I am battling impatience because of the time I alone have wasted. And I am extremely uncertain that we can accomplish it all on time. Which means over the next week and a half I will be doing everything I can to learn what needs to be done and how to do it. I will be working with very little rest to see this project completed. And if for some reason we don’t make it, it will not be because I didn’t fight with all my strength to see it through.
And I won’t turn anyone away who wants to help…
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September 29, 2010
Last night 5 men embarked on a journey to take out a load bearing wall and replace it with an appropriate support system.
The offending wall
The funny thing is that four of us are really desk jockey’s. But we all have a strong work ethic and got busy stripping walls and all kinds of other demolition.
The offending wall a little closer to being knocked down.
A little more demolition and we were ready to raise the supports and start chipping away at the wall. Tearing down a wall is hard work and as I type this my whole body aches and I have blisters and gashes all over my hands and arms. Even my finger muscles hurt.
This is how far we got by 12 AM
Ii may not look like much but I promise you that was a lot of work done in the 6 1/2 hours we were there. I just want to say a special thanks to the guys who worked last night.
They are (in alphabetical order) Clark Bryant, Ed Curry, Zach Skaggs, and Kevin Stover. And a very special shout out to my wife who got us food and beverages for the work night.
There is a lot more to be done over the next week and a half so if you want to be involved please let me know when you are available and we will find something for you to do. More to come.
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September 29, 2010
In my last post I shared some of the things that I feel we’ve taken away from our previous meeting spaces. In this post I want to share some ideas that will protect the things we loved and minimize the things we didn’t like so much about those locations. This is still in the conceptual phase and we may not do things exactly like this…but we may.
Children (Half and Half) - This is not a reference to Solomon cutting the baby is half. It simply means that I think we will keep the children with us for half the service and let them have a more age appropriate time the other half.
I believe that children can learn a lot from watching and worshiping with their parents and other adults. I’m thinking we will keep the children with us during the first half of the service and then let them have a more age appropriate teaching time. This means the parents will be able to partake in the message with no distraction or worries while the children can do the same.
Teaching - For the 20 to 30 minutes the children are doing their own thing we will have a more structures time of teaching for the adults. Exactly how this time will be used is still veiled in a little mystery, even to me. I know that I will be doing more teaching in my usual style but will try to be opening up to messages from others a little more and even creating times of discussion.
Small Groups – We have all come to love the discussion time that we have been having in our home setting and I want to nurture that as much as possible. While we will be trying to make time for that in our regular teaching time we will also be focusing more heavily in small groups. Small groups is where this format works best and and I know Ed has a lot of vision for them in the near future.
Space – We are a community of artists in one way or the other. Writers, teachers, musicians, and general creativity. I want our space to reflect that. Not just in decor but in our gatherings as well.
As far as decor is concerned we want to hang local art, move to couches instead of chairs, as well as many other creative ideas. Our children’s area will be small but it will be amazing. Our hope is that the whole space will show this excellence in art.
Our gatherings should be no different. Lot’s of local art and talent. We would like to do a completely unplugged open mic night as well as other gatherings that will bring the community together to “exchange” their talents with each other.
There is a lot more to be looked at but I think that should get us off to a good start. What are your thoughts? Do you have any ideas?
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September 24, 2010
In light of the transition to our own full-time location I thought it might be a good idea to explore how we will try to maintain the things that we have learned about ourselves throughout our journey as the Exchange.
What We Learned From Meeting in a Theater
Teaching: One thing I have taken away from our experience at the theater is that we do like having a structured time of teaching both for the adults and the children.
Children: Separating the children for a portion of the service is challenging for a small church but has huge benefits for both the children and their parents.
Space: There are a number of issues here. A larger space made us feel more separated when we gathered with people we knew best. Also, the separation between fellowship and service time really didn’t fit us. Having to transition to “spiritual time” just felt unnatural whereas a more homogeneous gathering just feels right.
Another issue with the theater was anything we did we had to set-up and tear-down each week. This prevented us from being able to capture our own personal style.
What We Learning From Meeting in a House
Teaching: We really enjoyed the hearing from everyone that our discussion based teaching time afforded. There is so much wisdom and passion in each and every one of us that sometimes goes untapped. Sometimes that worked against us and it was hard to keep any focus and so some discussion would get derailed.
Children: We loved having the children as part of our gathering time. We are a family of families and everyone being together enhanced that value. It definitely had it’s challenges as well.
Young children have a hard time behaving during extended adult discussion and that makes their parents uneasy because they feel they are inconveniencing everyone else. These parents also can’t enjoy the discussion as much because they are having to keep the kids out of trouble.
Finally. these are some topics that can’t be comfortable discussed with younger children present and that can stifle conversation some.
Space: It’s small and because it’s someone’s home it doesn’t really allow for personalization of the community. I would also assume that it’s also very invasive and taxing on the person who owns the home.
The fact that its small isn’t an entirely bad thing. Too small can be a problem but just the right size small foster interactions between individuals who might not have had them before. Our house experience did that for us. Also, being in a smaller place allows the space to not feel empty. I’m now of the opinion that there is a correct size for us at each stage of our growth and that too small or even too big will affect us adversely.
So these are the things that I think we have taken away from our last two locations. In my next post I’ll share a preliminary plan to maintain the things that we loved about these experiences while minimizes the challenges we have discovered.
Until then, am I missing anything? What else have we learned from meeting at these two very different locations?
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September 22, 2010
