Real Christians.................

We designate people as "christian" according to what they believe. The World designates people Christians by what they do............... and that could mean..... how they emulate who they follow! Just an interesting thought.

"If you want to know who the true Christians are ask the poor, the imprisoned and oppressed. They will tell you."  (Gandhi)

Chains of Conformity.....

"The Chains of conformity click in tiresomely monotonous unison. But Jesus' life was anything but conformist, the lives of his followers anything but mechanistic. For first followers, there is only one "right" answer. And that is Jesus. (I am A Follower. Leonard Sweet. Pg 222)

Stop Fighting

"Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms." C.S. Lewis

Working the Church Machinery is fun, fun, fun.....!

“What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use— men of prayer, men mighty in prayer" 

E.M. Bounds

It's Hard To Look At Our Soul......

"It is easier to sail many thousand miles through cold and storm and cannibals, in a government ship, with five hundred men and boys to assist one, than it is to explore the private sea, the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean of one's own being alone. (Henry David Thoreau)

Sometines Preachers Voices Should Just Be Silenced.

I'm speaking about myself. I'm tired of the sound of my voice when I speak. I no longer feel scripture is muffled and in need of my exposition, stories, illustrations, quips and quotes. The truth is there. Look at it, read it, digest it, live it. When you do, you will finally understand how small the pastoral role could become, should become. There is a place, but its working from behind, as we walk with sheep.

The more visible " Leaders" become, the more invisible Jesus becomes. Trust me, one day when you're older, you will look back and see it.

"One of the most famous sermons of the Middle Ages was given by an anonymous monk who announced he was going to preach on agape, or the "love of God" The sermon was to take place on a Saturday evening just before dusk. For those who were present the next moments represented what Walter Benjamin once called "chips of messianic time." Instead of mounting the pulpit that evening, the monk sat silently in his seat. The setting sun shone through the stained-glass windows with an eerie glow. When the cathedral was finally dark, he went to the altar and lit a candle. Then he walked over to a statue of Jesus on the cross. In silence, he held up the candle to illuminate the wounded hands. For several minutes he lit just the hands. Then he moved the candle down to the feet and held the candle there for several minutes. Then he moved the candle up to the open side and then finally to the crown of thorns. After doing all this, the monk pronounced the benediction, and everyone left the church in silence—pondering the greatest sermon they would ever hear, a wordless worship of the One who loved us so much he would die on the cross for us." (Leonard Sweet. I Am A Follower. Pg 243)

Missionaries: Sexy Flashy Shiny Pasted Smiley Crispy Pastoral Suity and 1940's Hand shaky People Need Apply

This article so resonated.... "What sells" gets the Moula..... I know a lot of great international workers who had to drop out, who were excellent at their job, but lousy at church sales. And other showmanship stars lousy workers, and lousy to work with.....They were too sexy for their church, just way too sexy...... so how could you not support them.

But just for those of you out there who are not kiss ass kind of people, but genuinely love Jesus, and his church, but are too humble to "Sell themselves".... I got out of that Sexy game, and we still get support. We stripped off umping to a lot of foolish demands and expectations of supporting churches, and you loose some, you win some others....Just be you... don't play a game... Never tell your story.... tell the story of the people you live among so that we westerners can get out of our ethnocentric and myopic self and get a glimpse  of the world. Print this off and give it to every mission committee and recruit.

The Sexiest Missionary Wins

Dear Missions Pastor/Church Leader/Generous Supporter,

You know that thing we talked about the other day? Where sometimes missionaries use misleading language in their newsletters and updates to sound more productive then, perhaps, they actually are? Remember that?

Ok. Well. Sometimes, you're the problem.

xoxo,

~jamie

In 2006, U2 frontman, Bono, (literally wearing rose-colored glasses) called the Church to action in Africa during an interview for the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. I was there. It was kinda awesome. It was a bold and honest interview and it created a fervor for justice and aid for Africa's poor and marginalized nations. It lit a fire. And that fire launched Africa Missions to the top of the missionary food chain.

Africa became a rockstar. Everybody wanted in.

Six months later, El Chupacabra and I found ourselves sitting across the table from a pastor as he explained that he wouldn't support our effort to get to Costa Rica because, “You guys are great. You're good communicators, you've got vision, and I really believe in what you're doing... but... I just can't sell Costa Rica... Are you sure you're not called to Africa? Our people want Africa.”

As we left, reality sunk in; Our mission wasn't sexy enough.

Honestly, we could totally understand why. I mean, really, sending a family to a largely Christian, tropical, vacation destination to do missions should be a tough sell. But, we were going to help launch Latino missionaries into the world, and “the world” includes Africa - so we hitched our wagon to the “Save Africa” train and had all of our support raised in 7 months. The end.

Just kidding. That wasn't the end.

Sometimes, the message from church leaders and individual supporters is that a paycheck is directly linked to a missionary's ability to come up with a good story. That's how the “Missionary Code” is unwittingly pushed on hard-working missionaries with boring but important jobs... like, I dunno... maintenance. (It's hard to write home about plunging the same toilet twenty six times in three days for Jesus. It's not sexy, but I know missionaries who do it.)

Everybody knows that “building relationships” is a Sunday bulletin snooze-fest, but the people in the pews go wild over Wham-Bam-Raise-Your-Hand evangelism. (Oh, sexy street-evangelism, you sly dog.) So “building relationships” morphs into something more palatable, like “planting seeds of Faith” (nobody ever argues with “planting seeds”- it's, like, Holy Spirit approved). Then, five hours of office filing becomes “praying over every detail of our ministry”, and having a beer with another missionary to engage in the messy but necessary act of commiseration, makes the newsletter cut as “fellowship, planning, and development”.

The point is that, while, yes, there are crappy missionaries who take advantage of this creative language to get by doing little or nothing – and we cannot ignore that problem – there are others, invested, engaged, hard-working men and women in the field, who sometimes feel roped in to this word play because the Church insists on overly spiritualized reports from missionaries whose work they don't entirely understand.

A good missionary needs more than your money. They need your sincere interest in what they are doing and how they are doing it. They need you to cheer them on through the rare exciting moments in missions, and also, the dragging, boring, everyday, “why the hell am I here?!” times. They need your f-r-i-e-n-d-ship. They need your prayers to stave off the very drama that so many crave hearing about.

Sadly, when sex sells, crime and illness become a missionary's bread and butter. When your house is burglarized, or your car is stolen, or you blow out your knee, or you give your kid a concussion by accidentally hitting him in the brain with a surfboard... *ahem* I mean, like, for example... that's when supporters perk up. They want to know more, they connect with your 'suffering', they feel bad and they want to help – and all of that is sweet, and kind, and caring (and, truly, missionaries need extra $$ during those times!) -  but, ironically, when a missionary is dealing with junk like that, they are the least engaged in their work. Drama steals a missionary away from the good and important things they ought to be doing. But drama is sexy, and the sexiest missionary wins the prize.

Sexy missions doesn't equal healthy missions. We are remiss when we simply assume that, because a missionary's reports are filled with spiritual fireworks, they must be thriving. Every missionary's well-being depends on a trustworthy relationship with their supporters, and the ability to express their struggles, defeats, and failures without fear of losing their resources. (Oh, and here's a tip: A missionary who never seems to have struggles, defeats, or failures should raise some red-flags.)

Healthy, real, legit missional work begins with a heavily invested church and a fully understood missionary. Pastors, leaders, and supporters need to make the time to connect with and be available to the missionaries they're in bed with. Only through loads of regular two-way communication will a missionary be able to share the true ways God is working in and through them. In the same way, by taking a keen interest in what our missionaries are really up to, the Church will be able to wisely discern the truth about a missionary's effectiveness and/or appropriate fit in the field.

We'll have to take off our rose-colored glasses and bring our expectations of missionaries down to Earth, but when we finally throw off that trendy neglige, we'll be left with the actual body of Christ, doing good work in the world. 

And that is just...um... titillating?

All Of Life Is A "Mission Trip" Join The Greater Journey

There should be no such thing as short-term missions. This is where we live now..... everything is about kingdom mission.

"Is what you are doing right now worthy of Jesus' incarnation, death, and resurrection? Are the footsteps you are following the ones that lead to unexpected places, outside the bounds of institutionalisms, legalisms, moralisms, and mannerisms? When all of life becomes a mission trip, you are a pilgrim on life's greatest journey." (Leonard Sweet. I Am A Follower. Pg 232)

The Fake Me - What's The Real Story?

The fake me is the glossy image I try to portray so that I look better than I am, and the fake me is also the image most people develop about me... the good or the nasty image. I've lived most of my life feeling like no one knows me, because few if any have tried.

"Living out of the false self creates a compulsive desire to present a perfect image to the public so that everybody will admire us and nobody will know us." (Brennan Manning)

"Our lives are composed of stories and songs, each an extravagant artwork worthy only of its Creator. And they don't need to be perfect to be beautiful." (Leonard Sweet. I Am A Follower. Pg 231)

Discussing Church Issues......

In Church culture you can't actually discuss any weaknesses, issues, or down right failures in the church system without them waching you with a label that is meant to just shut you up....  But in my book to understand a problem, you have to be open to looking at it, disceting it, discussing it, accepting the flaw, or failure. And only then can you actually build a better option.  

This guy is just negative, bitter, and justifying his negativity ;-) .

"Expressions of sharp and even violent criticism of religion and the church have been welcomed [in this collection], for they usually imply sincerity of thought. If caustic criticism of religious institutions and practices is irreligious, then Amos, Isaiah, and Jesus were very irreligious men. In fact, that is exactly what many of their contemporaries took them to be.

(Halford E. Luccock (1885-1960) & Frances Brentano, The Questing Spirit) From....... KI

Preserving Your Faith.............!

Why Organic Church Is Not Exactly a Movement by Frank Viola

"I've been gathering in organic expressions of the church (as defined above) for the last 21 years. And from my observations, many of the people who are leaving the institutional form of church presently are leaving because they are following a spiritual instinct. They are saying and thinking, "There has got to be more to Jesus Christ and his body than this." Or as Reggie McNeal once put it, "A growing number of people are leaving the institutional church for a new reason. They are not leaving because they have lost their faith. They are leaving the church to preserve their faith."

(Frank Viola)

Hierarchy Is Great... As Long As I Am On Top.

"Followers move more from Spirit than from strategy and structure. If we have learned anything while under the lash of the leadership literature, it's that the more you spit into the wind, the more spit gets blown back in your face.

First followers don't begin with an end in mind so much as they begin with a horizon in view. This is not easy to understand—or to do, as horizons are ever vanishing and then reassembling. But tell the astronauts in Apollo 13 that they should have stuck to the plan
and kept the end in view. After an onboard explosion in 1970, the
three astronauts saved the mission and themselves not by undeviating
attention to the original plan but by improvising and by keeping the
horizon in view.

Such improvisational living tends to cut against our Gutenberg
grain. Francis Fukuyama, in The Great Disruption, argues that
"human beings by nature like to organize themselves hierarchically.""
Even democracy is a form of hierarchy—a hierarchy of the majority.
We don't dislike hierarchy in principle, only "hierarchies in which
[we] end up on the bottom.""
(I Am A Follower. Leonard Sweet. Pg 228)

Who Will Come Out And Play?

"Many stories emerged in the wake of President John F. Kennedy's assassination in November of 1963. Most poignant of all, perhaps, was the event that took place in the life of his young namesake, John Jr. Shortly after his father's funeral, little John-John, whom most baby boomers can still picture saluting his father's casket, approached a family friend, William Haddad. "Are you a daddy?" John-John
asked. When Haddad said yes, John-John pleaded, "Then will you throw me up in the air?"

Little John-John missed his father and yearned for the lift that only a flesh-and-blood father could give him.'' We all long for that kind of lift from time to time, which is another reason we need to be part of a community of followers."
(Leonard Sweet. I am A Follower. Pg 224)

Friend of Missionaries

My husband's grandparents headstone reads, " Friends of Missionaries"

 

Usha Rees  (India)

Simple Service By Simple Servants With Simple Love

"A follower does not need credentials or recognition. A follower does not need to be the trained lifeguard, the seasoned executive, the fount of all wisdom, or the one in charge. A first follower only needs to show up and be there and, when appropriate, point the way for
others who are traveling the same direction."
(Leonard Sweet. I Am A Follower. Pg 211)

The word Written On Our Hearts Goes With Us Everywhere.

Some times we forget the word is written on our hearts....... like if the book was miss placed for a few days... the word is, some how, no longer there or in our life. The word in the mind is better than a word sitting on a table, every time.

"For decades a story has been passed around about the legendary writer G. K. Chesterton. Among a group of friends the question was posed, "If you were stranded on a deserted island and could have only one book, which one would you choose?" Most in the group said, "The Bible." When Chesterton answered, he replied, "Thomas's Book of Ship Building.". (I Am A Follower. Leonard Sweet. Pg, 206)

When The Work Is Finally Over

A touching story.....

"Ruth Bell Graham (1920-2007), the wife of evangelist Billy Graham, is buried on the grounds of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her headstone bears a phrase she chose herself—words that so moved her husband that on his first visit to the gravesite, he asked his staffers to read them to him three times. They are worth rereading here as well, a fitting reminder of the nature of every life's journey: "End of construction. Thank you for your patience "" (Leonard Sweet. I Am A Follower. Pg 204)

Jesus Said Geed My Sheep.... Not Lead My Sheep.

This quote does a great job expressing every danger I see about about this current leadership conversation today.

" Our leadership fetish has created knuckleheaded, clenched-fist categories of clergy as leaders and laity as followers. Clergy are the high and lifted-up people. Laypeople just "lay" there and receive the ministrations of the high up and lofty. Such a view reflects an underfaithed understanding of the power of Christ and the mind of Christ that dwell in every disciple. Pastors tend to call the body of Christ followers and themselves leaders. But like leader, pastor is a term used but one time in the New Testament. This very fact should cause us to stop in our tracks. We have come to believe that most Christians cannot follow Christ on their own. They need mediating offices, intermediaries between Jesus and themselves. This has created in the church a culture of control that is fast approaching clericalism. Besides, we never forget the scriptural defensive: shepherds are the leaders, and sheep are the followers. But Jesus' charge to Peter was to 'feed My sheep,' not 'experiment on my rats," "teach my performing dogs new tricks" or even "lead my sheep to follow the shepherds of the moment," The disciples were instructed to feed the sheep, not lead them, Christ will lead them. Jesus is the Shepherd, We are the sheep. All of us. (Leonard Sweet. I Am A Follower. Pg 180)

Get A Clothesline....For Relationship

It can be argued that all that has gone wrong with the modern world can be traced to the invention of the clothes dryer. (Well, almost). Hanging clothes on the line was when people talked to one another in backyards and across balconies, shared clothespins and swapped family stories, arranged front-porch conversations and restaurant rendezvous." (Leonard Sweet. I Am A Follower. Pg 176)

I Don't Need To Stand Out Of The Crowd.

This Quote is where I feel I am at these days. Not making a point, not trying to sell a message. Just simply and silently living, on the back burner, behind the main dish, out of sight... drawing no attention. I like being here, and wished I understood it when I was younger. Life is so much better when your not trying to build a legacy, something that will out last you. Only thing I want to leave behind is Jesus, and some good relationships, in Africa, and in Canada. 

 

“In the second half of life, it is good just to be a part of the general dance. We do not have to stand out, make defining moves, or be better than anyone else on the dance floor. Life is more participatory than assertive, and there is no need for strong or further self-definition” (Falling Upward. Richard Rohr.120).

I'm Just Beginning To Understand At 45 Yrs Old

What I thought I knew and understood, I no longer understand so well any more. Not because I've compromised on anything, it's simply I'm seeing the holes in the platitudes I've been fed and adopted at every level. There are holes in theology.

"The first of Luther's 95 Theses was about brokenness, that Jesus willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance. in other words, brokenness is the ongoing, lifelong reality. It isn't something you get past It's a continually deepening revelation of your own impotence without the Spirit that's why you meet people in their eighties, godly men and women, who say, 'I think I'm just beginning to grasp the gospel." (Larry Crabb)

Placing the Stepping Stones Of Failure.

I've made a lot of stairs..... ;-) ..........

"You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space." (Johnny Cash)

We will help......

Will we..... really?

"To those people in the hut and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves." (JFK's 1961 inaugural address in reference to Peace Corps)

You're Going To Miss me When I'm Gone!

I just love this cute song... Makes me want to get on my motorcycle and just drive away.
I was planning a trip to the Gaspe Bay Peninsula this summer, and asked my wife to come along.... It's always better when she is with me, everything is. But She declined this trip.... Told her I was sending her this video when I leave for the adventure.

But maybe that's the joke.... she won't :-) 


Lyrics

I got my ticket for the long way 'round
Two bottle whiskey for the way
And I sure would like some sweet company
And I'm leaving tomorrow, what-do-ya say?

When I'm gone
When I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my hair
You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

I've got my ticket for the long way 'round
The one with the prettiest view
It's got mountains, it's got rivers,
It's got woods that give you shivers
But it sure would be prettier with you

When I'm gone
When I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my walk
You'll miss me by my talk, oh
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

I've got my ticket for the long way 'round
These feet weren't built to stay too long
And I'll go there on my own,
But you'll miss me when you're home
It's for you dear that I sing this song

When I'm gone
When I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my hair
You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

When I'm gone
When I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my walk
You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

Doing Something Right.

"Sometimes you face difficulties not because you're doing something wrong, but because you're doing something right."

No Creed But Christ......or we have Denomonationalism

"When one takes theology or creed as the center of Christianity, it naturally follows that there must inevitably be a division of Christians into denominations and sects." (Kokichi Kurosaki (1886-1 970), One Body in Christ,)

If They Control God.....Get Out

So, my very dear friends, when you see people reducing God to something they can use or control, get out of their company as fast as you can.( 1 Corinthians 10:14. MSG)

Lighthouse Warning of Danger, or to Lure You In?

"However, it was an undecided sort of building in certain ways. Its brightness would have some liken it to the aforementioned lighthouse; but was it a pulsing warning to stay away, or was it a beacon of life glistening in the sun and offering refuge? Most men couldn't decide and neither could Mike. These two options being unreconcilable, a duplicitous feeling emerged in most onlookers. They began to feel that one or the other, warning or welcome, had to be a lie; an attempt to cover up the truth. If it truly was a place of life, then the lie of warning was sent out to keep others away so they wouldn't have to share their riches. If it was truly a warning of danger, then the appearance of life was a lure to entice prey into some sort of snare. Either reality was untenable to most and so they simply avoided the place altogether." ( The Bastard Tree. M. C. Lang)

Where is The Dusty Footed Messiah In This?

"My friends Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost have shared with me the experience of visiting the Vatican. Each of them strolled separately around the magnificent structure, taking in the grandeur of its gold- plated ceilings and ornate artistry. But at some point they bumped into one another, and one of them posed the question both were pondering. "Where is the dusty-footed Messiah in all of this?" What Alan and Michael were questioning was whether Jesus was feeling at home in such gilded glory. Does Jesus need our help, what- soever, to be glorious?.............. But I am also haunted by Alan and Michael's question, and never more so than at leadership conferences, where the stage lights flash, the smoke machine billows its mystery cloud, and the band drives the beat with the backdrop of the featured leaders image(s) flashing on enormous digital screens amid a laser-light show. Can we even fathom Jesus walking onto that stage after all of that? Does Jesus need this kind of help to make him attractive? Have we shrunk him down so small in our imaginations that now we must enlarge him with media magnifying glasses? "What are the implications of the exaltation of expertise in the creativity and style of the producers of such "preachertainment"?"

(I Am A Follower. Leonard Sweet. Pg 150)

Leadership Listening Is A Lost Art

"The leadership craze in many churches today has produced an overreliance on strategy, planning, and programming led by the sharpest and most knowledgeable thinkers on executive church staffs. Decisions are based on careful research, thoughtful study, and astute data analysis. Worship is professionally programmed and produced to create a certain experience. And this is not a problem in itself. The problem is that trust practices, such as preparing for a decision by listening in prayer and waiting for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, are increasingly rare and foreign to the leadership mentality."

(Leonard Sweet. I Am A Follower. Pg 158)

No Idea Where I'm Going

"I have no idea where I am going... but I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.” (Thomas Merton)

Truth Can Get You Pissed Off.

“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.” -- Gloria Steinem"

When Christians Are Like Muslims.

"Grasping this revolutionary feature of the faith has proved enormously challenging for Christians through the centuries. In fact, it could be argued that in terms of the actual functioning of their faith, many Christians are more Muslim than Christian. Compare a fundamentalist Christian to a fundamentalist Muslim. Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet and a vital part of Gods revelation, but he is not the ultimate revelation, exactly the same thing—that the Jesus revelation  is only a part of Gods revelation, and that the ultimate revelation is the entire body of Scriptures, not the body of Christ. Like Muslims, fundamentalist Christians cling to autographic truth when we have been given the Author of truth." (I Am A Follower. Leonard Sweet. Pg 145)

What kind of Lighthouse Is That Place?

I've shared several quotes from the fiction Christian (Or is it?) novel called, "The Bastard Tree".
 Never really thought about it, but I know it's truth as a fishing vessel captain. Some lighthouses guide you to port while others warn you to stay and steer away. Even though the vessel is "safe" in port, is the captain and crew really looked after. That port could have a scoundrel fish buyer who economically bleeds the boat, and families working her, dry.

This paragraph really hit me, as it might apply to a list of places I know. At first, I know what you are going to think it's talking about.....and that I am implying that very thing.... but you'd be assigning your thoughts to me.....;-)

That is not the building talked about in the story... or is it?

This paragraph captivated me, as it reminded me that every place with a shingle out front, is really about marketing or managing control over something. Could it be anything else? I'm wondering.... and still musing over my list.  

"However, it was an undecided sort of building in certain ways. Its brightness would have some liken it to the aforementioned lighthouse; but was it a pulsing warning to stay away, or was it a beacon of life glistening in the sun and offering refuge? Most men couldn't decide and neither could Mike. These two options being unreconcilable, a duplicitous feeling emerged in most onlookers. They began to feel that one or the other, warning or welcome, had to be a lie; an attempt to cover up the truth. If it truly was a place of life, then the lie of warning was sent out to keep others away so they wouldn't have to share their riches. If it was truly a warning of danger, then the appearance of life was a lure to entice prey into some sort of snare. Either reality was untenable to most and so they simply avoided the place altogether. And yet, in spite of that, it should be........ But there is another explanation that Mike briefly pondered in his strange musings about the street. Perhaps the vitality and life of the place were acquired by feeding on the life of others. After all, Perth was in real estate, and all the successful Realtors in town had their hands in the new economic growth along the highways —the very developments that were sucking the life from Main Street In that case, both the vitality and the ominous flavors of the place fit. Even the lighthouse metaphor took on new zest with this outlook; it was surely a beacon—but of cannibalism and hypocrisy. In any case, one had to wonder how amongst such death, this one business could be so healthy?."

( M. C. Lang. The Bastard Tree. Pg 154)

Climbing Steeples To Find God

"I sought to hear the voice of God and climbed the topmost steeple, but God declared: "Go down again - I dwell among the people.” - Newman"

What's Our Story As A Church?

I so want to be invisible in His story. It was not always the case as a young minister trying cut some success, some recognition, and glory(though I'd never have called it so back then). Now I believe people need Jesus, not me. I don't want to be up front anymore. However, as I point people to Jesus, if they want me to, indeed, I will walk with them as a friend. If not, I'm happy and confident enough to leave them at the foot of the cross. They are in good hands there.

"The church also has stories it loves to tell. But all too often these days, the church's stories are about success, leadership, justice, happiness. When ministers become social workers, preachers become motivational speakers, and evangelism becomes marketing, the result is a gimcrack gospel that is tawdry tacky, and cheap. Asked, "What story do you love to tell?" a first follower's first answer is, "I love to tell the story of... Jesus and his love." In a celebrity culture, leaders are the center of their stories. In biblical culture, the self is decentered. Jesus followers are supporting characters in a story where God is the star. The story of a follower's life is not about him or her at all but about what the risen Lord has done and is doing. At the end of our lives, our story is really his story." (I Am A Follower. Leonard Sweet. Pg.144)

Truth is Jesus (person) Not a book.

The "book" is true and accurate. But the truth is the person who revealed and manifested it.. Jesus. The book points us to him, and is the bibles importance. The Spirit testifies to the reality, beauty, and truth of Jesus. However, I know people who sound like they point to a book more than they point to a person.

"In fact, even though Christians are almost always linked with Jews and Muslims as the three "peoples of the Book," there is a sense in which at least one of the three children of Abraham has gone off in a different direction. Ask Judaism where truth is revealed, and it opens the Torah. Ask Islam where truth is revealed, and it opens the Qur'an. Ask Christianity where truth is revealed, and it points not to a book but to Jesus the Christ himself...... "I am the truth."' Surely that's the most astonishing claim of human history. Jesus didn't claim to be a bringer of the truth or to have a message of truth. If that were the case, then the gospel would be nothing but information that could be grasped cognitively. But Jesus was both messenger and the message. He was both preacher and the text that was preached. To know the gospel ... to really know the gospel ... is to know him who is the good news....... I immediately immersed myself in our sacred texts and traditions and learned from them that it is dangerous to separate three things that enliven and enfaith us: Jesus, Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings Christ to life, and the Scriptures point us to Christ. Separate one from the other, and you risk writing another chapter in the history of the waylaying and wrong-footing of the Christian story." (I Am Follower. Leonard Sweet. Pg 14)

DON"T Ever Break the Spiritual Speed Limit........

"Every follower has a body with a different speed limit. When we ignore those limits - or refuse to get off the highway - we may well be forced into rest by fatigue or even illness" (Leonard Sweet)

You have permission. Are you tired and burdened with your religious activity?
Get off the highway. Take a break.
Jesus said he yoke was easy and his burden light..... Is your church burden easy and light? Didn't think so. Something is WAY out of whack then. 
Ever notice that we never get tired of seeing people and spending time with people we are invested in? That is why artificially created events don't work... they suck the life out of us...

Shake Your Booty For Jesus.... Oh Yes You Can....

"When the New Testament was translated into the Eskimo languages, there were sometimes no corresponding words for the biblical concepts. For example, the Bible says the disciples were filled with joy on seeing Jesus. But since there is no word for joy in the Eskimo dialects, the translators had to find another way to express the passion of the passage. In their research , they discovered that one of the most joyful times for an Eskimo family is when the sled dogs are fed in the evening. The dogs come barking and yelping, running about, wagging their tails furiously. The children squeal with delight, and. the neighbors too become part of the happy commotion. It is an altogether joyous time.

The translators chose to use that particular event; to help convey the meaning of the biblical passage. As a result, when the passage was translated back into English, it read thus: "When the disciples saw Jesus, they wagged their tails." (I'm A Follower. Leonard Sweet. Pg112)

Pickle Weaned Saints

"In vain I have searched the Bible, looking for examples of early believers whose lives were marked by rigidity, predictability, inhibition, dullness, and caution. Fortunately, grim, frowning, joyless saints in Scriptures are conspicuous by their absence. Instead, the examples I find are of adventurous, risk-taking, enthusiastic, and authentic believers whose joy was contagious even in times of full trial. Their vision was broad even when death drew near. Rules were few and changes were welcome. The contrast between then and now is staggering." —Charles Swindoll

Our Guardian Angels Are Bored.... Forget Clarity...Trust.

"Our guardian angels are bored." (Mike Foster)

"On the first morning I met Mother Teresa after Mass at dawn. She asked, "And what can I do for you?" I asked her to pray for me. "What do you want me to pray for?" I voiced the request I had borne thousands of miles: "Pray that I have clarity." She said no. That was that. When I asked why, she announced that clarity was the last thing I was clinging to and had to let go of. When I commented that she herself had always seemed to have the clarity longed for, she laughed: "I have never had clarity; what I've always hid is trust. So I will pray that you trust." (I am A Follower. Leonard Sweet. Pg 124)

Yes I'm Cynical About Religion!

I found that this explained the heart of a cynic. Try as one might, you just can't make that go away... What I have found is that though I am still cynical about a lot of things in religion, I have come to the place where I can grant people freedom to pursue their path, and I am OK with that.
However, I still have little time for the management games, and the obligations people would try to force on anyone to get back into that show and help run it again. I need the people (church) and I assemble with the people (church). But I don't need the exhausting programs, nor do those we offer them too. What they need is real connection with others. There any can grow, and there they can't hide what journey they are really on (Or not) by mere attendance to something.

"My glass, while not necessarily half empty, is usually half full of sarcasm, cynicism and insecurity. And I need you to be gentle with me. We calloused cynics aren’t as tough as we seem. That’s the ruse. The truth is we build these emotional walls so dang high because we’re hiding behind them. We’re not strong like you, we’re all soft and broken on the inside and the walls are our only defense.

We’re wounded and messy and hurt and we can’t take what we dish out – maybe it’s annoying, maybe it gets old, maybe our negative sense of humor offends or confuses you, maybe you wish we’d, for the love of God, unruffle our feathers, or that the dark night of our soul would be over already. But please, be patient with us. Anything less and you only inflict more damage, you feed the great big ball of cynicism that we live and fight with daily.

Just bear with us. I know it’s not fair. I know it’s not always easy. But be gentle with the wounded, be kind to the cynics." (Jessica Bowman)

Most Goals Are Just a Noose

"What is a normal goal to a young person becomes a neurotic hindrance in old age." Carl Jung

A Weed.

I think this applies to people as well.... what do you think?

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."
Ralph Waldo Emerson, in Fortune of the Republic, 1878

Surprised By What Is in Our Heart

" "Gray smiled and basked in his thoughts for a moment. "Nothing is hidden in love. There are no ulterior motives. In a world plagued with selfishness and the suffering it births, vulnerability is very difficult. But that is exactly what love requires—it cannot exist in shadows. That is why your relationships are so shallow and your love is so immature. You put on a mask and present it to the world. Likewise, the world has its own masks. The relationship is artificial and false, with selfishness pulling the strings from behind the scene like a master puppeteer...
"Love is naked  and  vulnerable.  It  gets trampled  by selfishness again and again. Yet it persists, overcoming death, which cannot hold it. That is its transforming power. Do you realize that in this world it often takes suffering to strip your masks from you? It is often only in the pain of suffering that honesty finally surfaces. Most are surprised at what's in their own heart, but that is where real relationship begins-honesty. When someone sees you for who you are—naked and broken—and still accepts you without trying to twist you to fit their insecurity, then that is love; that is intimacy; that is transforming."

(The Bastard Tree. M.C. Lang, pg 99)

Stop Caring About Peoples Opinions

"The moment you stop caring what other people think — is most likely when you start doing what God wants."