Lecrae’s story.- 7 frequently asked questions on missional communities. This is a great resource, especially as we’re transitioning to missional communities.
- The reinvention of Switchfoot.
- Jen Wilkin on Worship together as a family and How to transition kids into big church.
- Amazon Fire takes on the iPad.
- Tony Morgan on 7 roles the senior leadership can’t delegate.
- SPIN Magazine’s 26 album’s that matter the most this fall.
- Sam Luce on 7 tips to keep your kids on mobile devices.
- Pat Robertson responds and it gets worse.
Archives
All posts for the month September, 2011
I preached on the identity of family on Saturday night and the response has been great. People at Revolution are excited about the possibilities of missional communities and what it means to be on mission as a community.
One of the most common questions I get is, “What if I burn out?”
Now, speaking as an introvert, I can relate to this question. I’d rather sit at home with my family, watch football by myself. People and conversations can be draining.
While this fear is real, I think it covers up what is really going on in our hearts. Many of us aren’t worried about burning out, some are. But most of us are worried about letting people into our lives. In the other three identities: missionary, servant and learner. You can do those with sin in your life. You can do those without letting anyone see you with your mask off. You can even do those without anyone else, you can do it in isolation. The family identity goes up against the idol of our American dream. It forces us to get out of our comfort zone, not worry about getting the approval of others, we will have to give up power and control. It nails all the idols of our hearts.
I think that, more than burning out, personality (while real and valid) are the reasons we don’t like the family identity.
We also have a very real fear of being hurt. In our culture, the amount of people who come from broken homes, have had people close to them lie, betray and hurt them are at an all time high. The idea of purposefully opening your life up to someone, letting someone in is crazy when you sit back and think about it. Yet, I believe the family identity is not only something we called to as followers of Jesus, it is also foundational and brings to life the other three identities. Being on mission, serving and learning go to new places when done within the family identity.
This weekend is one we have been talking about at Revolution for a couple of months. We start introducing Missional Communities this Saturday, where they will meet, who will lead them, what their mission will be and how you can get into them.
We will also be continuing our series Uprising and looking at the identity of missionary. When one thinks of a missionary, they often have images of someone who goes to Africa, stands on a street corner and yells at people, maybe hands out tracts and is always telling people about Jesus. It can be that, but being a missionary is also something that should happen as naturally as breathing in everyday life.
Just like the family identity, we want to uncover how we can live this out in everyday life. How can you be a missionary where you work, in your neighborhood, at the soccer field, Starbucks, or store.
Many times the reason we don’t go on mission is because we are scared, thinking we won’t know the right thing to say. We don’t want to push Jesus on anyone, or we think we aren’t ready.
What if, being on mission is the key to community? What if, we don’t really uncover biblical community, the kind we are called to without going on mission? Does mission always mean talking, can our lives be mission without saying anything? What if mission was the one thing we were created for, and if we don’t live this out we will miss what God wants for us in our lives?
These are just a few of the questions we’ll uncover.
I say this every week, and mean it every time, you do not want to miss this week at Revolution as we launch MC’s and continue our series. So, do whatever you have to do to be at Revolution this week (and bring someone with you, you never know how a simple invite can make an eternal difference). An easy way to invite someone is to send them an e-vite.
Remember, we meet at 4:15 & 6pm at 6620 E 22nd St.
See you Saturday.
We have 2 services at Revolution for a variety of reasons: wanting to give options to people, having more room for guests in the service and in Planet Rev, allowing our volunteers in Planet Rev to attend a service and to allow kids and students to attend a service.
It can be hard to bring kids into the service, to transition them, but it is crucial. I believe that you should bring your kids into the worship service with you as soon as possible. But, the question of how can be difficult.
Jen Wilkin, a member at the Village Church in Dallas, Texas, writes a great blog on raising children to worship God. Here are a few posts that we recommend to parents with young children:
In this post Wilkin speaks candidly of her experience with her own children in worship and emphasizes how important is is to model to them what ‘big church is all about.
Here Wilkin gives parents more of a ‘how to’ when it comes to bringing your young children into church. Very practical and very helpful.
Thanks J.D. Greear for the links.
Every year in October, several churches in Tucson put on The Great Adventure Men’s Conference. The past 2 years, I’ve been able to be a part of it through speaking at it.
This year, I’m doing 2 breakouts that I’m really excited about: Experiencing Freedom Everyday and What a Man Is. Here is a list of the other breakouts that are being offered.
If you are a man, you should be there. It is definitely worth spending your Saturday with other men. The simple reason is that so many men wrestle with things, hurt, addiction, pain, depression that they wrestle with alone. They wonder if it makes them disgusting to God, if God is real, what does it mean to feel God’s love as a man. How do they parent, love their wife, not be a wimp, provide for their family, have goals, not be lazy. And most places in our culture and sadly, most churches do not give them any help or guidance.
This is a place to find it.
“When God had mercy on us, when God revealed Jesus Christ to us as our brother, when God won our hearts by God’s own love, our instruction in Christian love began at the same time. When God was merciful to us, we learned to be merciful with one another. When we received forgiveness instead of judgment, we too were made ready to forgive each other. What God did to us, we then owed to others. The more we received, the more we were able to give; and the more our love for one another, the less we were living by God’s mercy and love. Thus God taught us to encounter one another as God has encountered us in Christ. ‘Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God’ (Romans 15:7).” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
