Community of Truth

I think Pharaoh's problem was that he didn't live in a community of truth. What would have happened if some dude would have come up to him and said, "umm yeah I'm pretty sure you don't have jack squat to do with the water level of the Nile, and I'm real sure you are not descended from the Sun." Well I think it's safe to say that that dude would not live long. And why would he not live long...because truth has no relevance in a community of lies.

Feeling Freedom

I didn't share this with you guys on Thursday night, but going to River Oaks was a very freeing experience for me. Everytime I've been there over the past year I would break out into a sweat and my heart rate would go way up and I'd pretty much be completely uncomfortable. Thursday was so different...I felt at peace there as if I was free from what had been following me around. It's all very supernatural...not easily explainable. So this is where God is working in me...in the unseen and yet very real.

Snapshots of Exodus

The Nuts and Bolts of dreaming beyond ourselves and wondering how such a beautiful book could have be written.

Exodus is just the Barasheet...beginning

Questions from Aaron

I'm considering something Aaron asked Matt and I this weekend. Who is Jesus among us, why did he come to town and (paraphrase) how do we organize ourselves in response? We have been told in the past that we "need a system to sort through the story of scripture" and so in polite response I say "This is our system". Still lots of questions, but I feel as though there is a solid foundation emerging. Here's the real deal for me...this is going to be a lot of work and I'm scared as hell. We are not depending on 'marketing' to build our church, but instead authenticity and passion to reach people for the Living Christ. ~beautiful~

Amazing Things From Strange Places

So many questions and possibilities ...I'm just wondering about issues of structure and vision. Where will we be in a few weeks...months...years? Several people have given me hope for the future and possibilities for direction.

Writing about dead Christians

I've been reading this book entitled Heroes of the Holy Life and I'll be honest...it makes for some lame reading. One thing I have realized is that we live in such a different Christian culture than the pastors and evangelists of old. There was this Christian ethic that was open accepted back then. Knowing Jesus seems to have been easier in some ways. So you keep getting these pictures of mass conversions and city-wide revivals. How does that translate to us?

I Realized Something Today

Today Dr. Dendiu talked about a model of counseling that views many people's reoccurring sin as a means of escape. We are hurt somewhere deep in our soul and so we continue to sin as a means of mysteriously escaping pain. It hit me as one of the biggest truths in my own life. Amazing, God really said something through that discussion. I'm finding new freedom as of late and I didn't know how wonderful it could be. I think I'm actually coming to terms with past hurt and that seems to be where change happens. It's an Exodus out of a bondage that I was unaware of...

The First Few Steps

Exciting isn't it! All the what ifs that don't seem scary, but rather inspirational. The three of us met on Saturday morning...coffee and pancakes (or french toast in my case) and I just get the sense that we can do this. We can live out that which we have been called to. Right now we seem to be caught up in the detail work, but I know that we can emerge with ultimate direction and purpose. God is making himself known in many places and sometimes we just have to stop and say wow...I didn't expect to find Him here.

What are we leaving behind?

Today I wrote a letter that was the beginning of something and at the same time it was the end of something. We are going to a new land, a place of promise where we hear God desiring the indwelling of righteousness. As we leave I can't help but wondering what we are leaving behind for good and what we might return to. New traditions, old traditions. Old habits and new habits. Saturday morning, pancakes, coffee, and our new direction. What do we need to learn as a community, what do we hear God teaching us so that we may teach others? I am excited, terrified, and humbled.