Monthly Archive for August, 2007

I want to talk about dialogue – and skiing

Published
by
Rod White
on August 31, 2007
in Community, Dialogue, Family and Planning
. 1 Comment

Summer’s almost over. No more water skiing. But at least we have our memories – at least I do. I can still remember the first time I got up water skiing. It was a whole new exhilarating feeling. It felt quite natural and very new at the same time. Now, go with me here, I think dialogue is like skiing. It is natural, but it feels new and exhilarating, too. I even like the semi-regular crash into the lake — but then you get to get pulled out again. You probably get the idea about this, even if you’ve never skied.

 Life as the Body of Christ, inhabited by God’s own Spirit takes a whole set of new (renewed) skills. Lately, I have been focused a lot on dialogue. Dialogue is the gravity that holds us together and the generator that energizes change in us and in the world – “Where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them”  (Matt. 18:28). That sentence is right in the middle of a teaching in which Jesus is trying to protect the unity of the church by describing how to dialogue in the face of conflict. He points at interpersonal conflict — “If your brother sins against you, go to him.” Then he points at spiritual conflict. – “Whatever you bind and loose on earth will be bound and loosed n heaven.”

 We created a structure based on dialogue because we are serious Bible people. We actually want to be the body of Christ, filled with the Spirit and participating in transforming the world. So our most internal leaders, the Cell Leader Coordinators are formed as a cell in dialogue. If they don’t bring any love, knowledge, attention or intensity to their dialogue, the church will be kind of flat – like some poor skier whose boat doesn’t have enough juice to get them out of the water! The way the body works, there is a spiritual ripple effect that comes from the quality of how we are relating. If the leaders are checked out, don’t show up, don’t think, have interpersonal problems, or haven’t listened to God before they speak, it makes a difference.

 Likewise, when the Coordinators have their cell meeting with their Coordinating Group (the five or so cell leaders with whom they commune and oversee), if the Cell Leaders don’t show up (physically or soulfully), won’t share openly, don’t love each other, or don’t imagine themselves as having a ripple effect in the universe by what they do, less goes on – like when a new skier can’t get up and gets so tired they give up trying! Making a difference takes a lot of trying. I think Jesus sees this constant trying as “binding and loosing.” When we are speaking the truth in love, we binding or tying down spiritual things securely in our part of the planet or we are loosening or unleashing spiritual actions and letting them go. The way we pray for each other, strategize to help each other, garner resources for our needs and goals, and discern the route toward our wonderful future, are all aspects of “keeping” things and “freeing” things.

 The devil wants us isolated and alone. We are much easier to push around and dominate if we’re just on our own, more scared and fidgety. Our broken, sin-dominated selves keep us alone, too. We think staying clear of others makes us safer, less hurtable-again. That’s why our cells are so important . But it is also why they are so hard, sometimes — a dialogue of love goes against the devil and excites our fidgetiness! A man came to the PM last Sunday night and needed to escape for three drinks of water during the hour because he ended up sitting alone and just felt weird. Being together with Jesus with us is not a skill that comes instantly for everyone! Sometimes we get discouraged about how hard it is to get some people to join us for our cell meeting. It is discouraging!  – but it is not surprising that it is hard. The cells are creating an alternative environment where people are learning life in the Spirit of Jesus. Even long-time practitioners keep growing in it. If you’re new at it, it can seem overwhelming. Love in Christ is not our native posture; we weren’t born with skis on.  The dialogue in Christ keeps flowing over us — cleansing, eroding, and washing us up on the shore of new places of grace.

If the network is going to keep expanding the Kingdom and changing the world (which is world-class skiing!), it is going to need more and more radical people who maintain our dialogue of love, skillfully and passionately. The more settled and the larger we get, the greater the temptation will be to be alone, to go watch a PM, to take a break and let all the others “do it,” or to become anonymous since “It doesn’t  seem like I’m necessary.” Not entering the dialogue will quench the Spirit among us. Face-to-face loving will keep us growing and make us a powerful weapon in God’s hands. The quality of our interactions are crucial to the gravity we have for keeping people together in love, and it is the engine that propels people into the freedom to live.

 Whenever I’m ready to go — ski in place, handles straight, I yell to the boat driver, “Hit it!” That might be a good prayer, next time you enter one of the circles that are ready to cause a ripple of good around here. Even if you might never skim water, God will get you flying behind his boat.

Something deeper than Death

Published
by
Missy Stoner
on August 29, 2007
in Community, Dialogue and Family
. 1 Comment

Remember when each fall our teachers would ask us to report on our summer vacation? Well if you ask me I could tell you about the trips I took earlier this summer, but if I was honest I would have to say my summer was colored by death. Primarily the death of two dearly loved women, who shaped my life more than I realized: my grandmothers – Esther Stoner Miller and Ruth Dourte Musser. So many have asked, “Was their death expected?” and I’ve replied, “They were 99 ½ and almost 96 years old,” so yes, on one hand we knew their time here may end soon. We prayed and longed with them for their eternal home, free from their failing earthly tents. We knew they had placed their lives in God’s hand and so death for them would mean waking up in glory – with their savior and other loved ones who had died before. Yet while we “expected” death, we who remained still felt the loss and realized death can never be fully anticipated.

Death is all around us - in nature, in war, in old age, in relationships, and in so many other ways. At times we see it and other times we choose not to see death for what it is. If our eyes are focused on this earth, death can be too much to bear. I honestly don’t know how someone can face death when this life is all they have hope for. In the midst of this life we are surrounded by death, only in God can we find refuge. Yet even when we hold on to God, death can be a difficult road. Death is a mystery, something we can expect yet something so unexpected. Death is not the end. If we look deep into death there lies the mystery, for out of death comes life. We recognize there is really no death for those caught up in God, only a moment of passing over. The mystery of eternal life, yes; moreover, the mystery that death brings life in many other ways even on this earth.

I don’t yet fully understand it; I probably never will this side of heaven. But I have seen it this summer in the death of my grandmothers; in sharing that loss with family and being able to share in the services celebrating their lives. And it has reminded me and given me hope that there is life even when the road seems dark – when those I love are facing marriage separations, difficulties in conceiving children, loss of relationships and failing health. I want to risk relying on what may be deeper, it will take some discernment and listening and it requires obeying Jesus’ call to life.

Death is a parting and it does bring sadness. We need not feel guilt because we grieve or because we weep, there should be a sense of sorrow when someone or something is gone. Yes, weep and grieve the loss, but let us not grieve as those who have no hope. We do have hope. For in death, we have not been abandoned. We have, perhaps, in that leaving been given the gift of ourselves in a new, deeper, and more lasting way.

I am indebted to Ruth & Esther, my grandmothers, for living a life that reflected something deeper than death. They both faced insurmountable personal trials and deaths, yet throughout their lives they continued to choose life and keep their eyes on eternal life. I feel them now in my great cloud of witnesses, surrounding me, urging me on and blessing my search. I’m indebted to my community at Circle for walking with me during their deaths and for journeying with me in my life as I seek to find the deeper mystery beyond death. I’m indebted to God the giver of all life, for the choice he gives us of life and death (Deuteronomy 30) and that even when I face death, if I look deep enough, I can still choose life. I pray that the next time you encounter death, you may know God’s peace as you grieve and that you may find the steps to let go and find the life God intends for us all.

Harry Potter, Beer, and Cell

Published
by
Jesse Keenan
on August 22, 2007
in Community, Dialogue and Family
. 3 Comments

All through my childhood, my mother taught me that being a Christian meant being outside of the world. “Be in the world but not of it.” This of course meant that one only has Christian friends, listens to
Christian music, and wears Christian T-shirts.  The only association that a Christian should with the “unsaved” should be for the purpose of evangelism.  Christians are set apart, sanctified, the chosen ones.
In other, more popular words, we’re Harry Potter trying to save the muggles.

Hopefully this analogy is not too trendy or obvious.  This is clearly the topic that I need to write about.  Like most of the country (and world perhaps), I’ve been captivated by the story of this special wizard.  Its a classic tale: the abused underdog learns of his innate and unique powers, which he is fated to use to save the world.  Presumably: I’m only halfway through the final book, so don’t ruin it for me.  This theme is one that I thoroughly enjoy.  Doesn’t every kid want to discover that they have super powers?  That they are destined to save the world?

Jesus!  He’s the one who gives us super powers!  To save the world!

And that’s how most Christians see things (an over simplification, of course).  Its convenient.  And certainly exciting!  Consider the Left Behind series, if you’re familiar with it.  We’re a bunch of Harry Potter’s trying to save the world.  Or at least I was.

Until one day at college, I wandered into a bar.  It was a new experience for me.  Being “in the world but not of it” means no beer.  And in doing so, I met a friend.  Another time I met with a roommate.
Another time, I made a friend.  Pretty soon, I had made real connections with real people.  Those kind of friendships, connections, really change the way you view “saving” people.  The word “unsaved” became to me akin to “mudblood.”  It had little meaning beyond the hurtful and polarizing way that it is used.

Being “in the world but not of it” developed a new meaning for me also.  Jesus was “in the world.”  As Josh spoke about on Sunday night, Jesus came into the piss of the world  (see wiki article here).  He hung out with the outcasts and the rejected.  Which, I would imagine, was, and is, most everyone.   He didn’t limit himself to the disciples or to the temple, but spent his time in peoples homes, in the streets, in the fields.

So that’s where I’ll be.  That’s where my cell is: out in public, among the “outcasts.”  Gasp, in a bar!  And we’ve had some amazing times meeting and connecting with people who would never even step foot into a home for cell, let alone a church.  And I think that’s where Jesus would be.  I think he’d rather us be sitting in the Leaky Cauldron drinking firewhisky with friends, instead of trying to save the world with a phoenix feather wand.

A night in the life of one Circle of Hope cell…

Published
by
Joshua Grace
on August 17, 2007
in Community, Dialogue and Family
. 1 Comment

Last night my cell group began by sharing our names and a little something about ourselves (always fun and helpful for those new to the group as well as us old heads) and took turns reading puns that we picked out of a bowl. This one was a big crowd pleaser:

Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says “I’ve lost my electron.” The other says “Are you sure?” The first replies “Yes, I’m positive.”

Like the other cells (thirty nine right now) we have a weekly time all together besides Public Meetings-although of course many people connect outside these times. One of our proverbs (see the 2007 Map at any of the meeting sites for more) is “our cells are the basic components of our living body in Christ. In them, Jesus is our ‘agenda.’”

After praying, we talked through what we thought violence was and when it was or wasn’t appropriate. People got to share where they were at, and also listen to others and have some healthy dialogue. It wasn’t just some abstract theory that we were trying to prove or disprove-we were actually trying to listen to Jesus and discern, learn, and work through a tough issue.

This morning I was reflecting on my cell being a basic yet incredibly important component of life in Christ. People are not only partnering with Jesus in his mission to redeem the world by being who we are together, but people are working through a lot of wonderful and difficult things. I was hanging with a friend the other day who doesn’t have such people in his life-people that honestly care how he is doing and that would actually pray for him, listen to him, encourage him, and even challenge him. God does so much healing in this cell, and so much growing and connecting.

After our discussion we shared about what we wanted to bring to God in prayer, and ended by expressing in short phrases how grateful to God we are for different things. I’m grateful for these amazing people who even in the face of cancer, family issues, roommate problems, depression, substance abuse, faith crises, work stress (to name a few) will still go together to God in gratitude for this new life that we have been given.

Here’s our other favorite:

And finally, there was the person who sent ten different puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

The Power of Time

Published
by
Joel White
on August 16, 2007
in Community, Dialogue and Interact
. 3 Comments

Recently at my cell we had a discussion about what biblical writers refer to as “The Powers.” The term is used to refer to things in our life that actively suborn the will of God. The Bible uses this term to refer to the demonic, but also more concrete and mundane ideas. The government, money, drugs, anything other than God that claims some part of your life is a part of “The Powers.”

Money, Safety and Time were the three main powers recognized in our cell. These were all things that we are trained to consider first before considering God. Of this trinity, the greatest tyrant in my life was Time. Even as I write this, I’m thinking about how long its taking, what else I could be doing, and just how much needs to be done.

Time has somehow become just one more commodity to be spent on the things we want. It is one more item to budgeted and invested properly to ensure maximum returns. Thinking about it in this way makes it understandable why every second can be considered in terms of gains or losses. I never spent enough time on it, so now I’m no good. We try to buy quality with time. And this of course is what leads to the metronome. No matter how much time we spend attempting to create quality lives, they will always lack for something.

If time really is a commodity, then it must be like every other one in that it is of limited supply. And not only is it of a limited supply, its constantly being used up. The time it took me to hit the “period” key is a split second I will never get back. Just think of how much I lost typing this sentence! Time then becomes even more demanding because it requires constant attention. We have to find ways to appreciate it. It won’t last forever after all. It’s as if an invisible metronome were constantly clicking off the rhythm in the background of my life. A tick-tock that dictates the pace and demands that something be done.

So what do I do with these two things in mind? I attempt to get as much out of Time and of Time as I can. I don’t sleep enough, I’m never satisfied with what I accomplish when I’m awake and I feel constantly guilty that I wasted Time not making better use of my Time. The truth about time is that it is limitless. We are not slaves to Time because God has freed us from its constraints. As followers of Christ, we will live forever, making Time almost irrelevant.

Obviously how we live still has real consequences as people do die and the world will end. Thinking about time this way doesn’t mean that I can indulge endlessly in some vice, it means that I am freed to follow God in the knowledge that there are infinite days of joy ahead. What do we really sacrifice if we spend time at Cell instead of watching T.V. or reading a really good book? Not much in the long run. We are free to serve unbegrudgingly because we are the beneficiaries of an unlimited gift.

Living in anticipation

Published
by
Mariko Snook
on August 9, 2007
in Community, Dialogue and Family
. 2 Comments

My life these days feels pretty centered around anticipation. That’s the nature of pregnancy, I expect.
With only another month or so until this baby arrives, I’ve been overwhelmed with a need to prepare (everything!). This nesting has me in a bit of a frenzy at times….washing the floors on hands and knees, scrubbing and re-grouting the bathtub, getting into those dusty corners with a toothbrush!, checking and re-writing list after list of ‘things to do’. All in the name of anticipation. Believe it or not, I’m really enjoying it.

I think Jesus taught some interesting things about anticipation and expectation. For example, in Luke 12:35-47 with His words on being watchful. When I was younger, these verses kind of frightened me in that whole “Left Behind” or “A Thief in the Night” kind of way. The warning of “you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” held some pretty intimidating images in my mind with a cheesy soundtrack of that old Larry Norman song.

Recently, with this different and profoundly personal experience of expectation, these words of Jesus have taken on a new and wonderful meaning. The preparations and care that I’ve taken for the new baby are out of excitement and love for this gift. I feel myself preparing to welcome this new life at the right time, whenever that may be, “a day and hour I know not”.

In a similar way, these words of Jesus are exciting and wonderful. He is encouraging us to watch and be ready for His coming. And He is coming because He truly wants to be with us. He is Emmanuel, God with us right now, but I’m also discovering that He is always coming more and more fully in different moments and in different experiences. Living in expectation and hope of His arrival is, in some sense, quite like living day to day with my excitement for the birth of this baby. The baby is already here inside me and with me in every moment, but very soon he/she will arrive and be fully revealed. Until then, I’m living in anticipation!

Shame doesn’t get the job done

Published
by
Jeff Quick
on August 6, 2007
in Action, Circle Venture, Community and Dialogue
. 3 Comments

Listen, I don’t like to brag, but I am seriously good at flaking out. I mean, no-phone-call returning, email dodging, fall-off-the-earth kind of stuff. I can drop balls like a pachinko addict.

So it is with what we will charitably call “trepidation” that I have sunk myself into a position of responsibility with Unda Water. Like, basically being the team leader. I’m far from the whole team. Matt Feldman is really the brains of the operation. Rob Larimore is all connected up. But I’m in the lead.

In case you don’t know, here’s the elevator pitch for Unda Water: We’re going to sell bottled water and give the profits to water and sanitation efforts in developing countries. A billion people in the world don’t have safe drinking water, while around these parts we’re willing to pay $1.50 for a half liter of filtered tap water.

Normally, statistics like that are supposed to motivate generosity through the use of honest shame. But guilt is a gut punch—a poor motivator. Instead, why don’t we use a little capitalist judo and redirect what people are doing anyway? Everybody wins!

So pretty much any day now, we’ll have water in our hands. We plan to talk to fair trade coffee shops around the city to sell Unda Water, and sell it at Circle events, and we’ll sell you Unda Water directly if you want to buy it straight from us.

I’m excited. I think this thing has legs like a centipede, and a legitimate concern our team has discussed is that Unda Water could get too big too fast. But as I get deeper into this process, talking the thing up, getting people on board with the idea, the looming black shape in the back of my mind is not business failure, but a well-traveled fear that I will super-flake on this.

I have two earthly things that might save me. First, my new, lovely wife, Meredith, has an MBA and will probably pull my liberal arts bacon out of lots of fires in the months ahead, so let’s just go ahead and thank her for that right now. Second, there is Circle Venture, a group of goal-oriented Jesus-lovers who want to help Unda Water happen, not dispense blame when things begin to go sideways. People who seem to have learned years ahead of me what I just told you—shame doesn’t get the job done.

This is brave territory. This is more and bigger responsibility than I ever even thought I was capable of handling. Don’t mishear me: I’m certain I can do this, I’m just scared I won’t do it.

So maybe you could pray for our little enterprise, and for me. And buy some Unda Water. That’d be a big help.