"I
put no stock in religion. By the word religion I have seen the lunacy of
fanatics of every denomination be called the will of god. I have seen too much
religion in the eyes of too many murderers. Holiness is in right action, and
courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves, and goodness. What god
desires is here [points to head] and here [points to heart] and what you decide
to do every day..." - Kingdom of Heaven
Some things are so good that you just need to hit "copy and paste" and share it with the world. This is one of those things.
A few things I think we can learn from this video.
1. One man can start a movement.
2. A movement need not be started by the most skilled member of the movement.
3. When beginning your movement and you look around and no one else is joining the dance, just keep dancing.
4. When the one guy who joins your movement slowly fades away, keep going.
5. Before you know it, the people joining your movement won’t even know you started it.
6. When your movement takes a life of it’s own, just let go. There will be no stopping it.
7. The very people who are staring at you like your nuts as you
movement alone, will be the very same people dancing the hardest in the
end.
"...I believe we have failed to embrace our God-given freedom to use our creativity
in the task to which we have been called. Although Christ’s calling on our
lives to spread the gospel is clearly communicated in the Scriptures, the
methods by which we are to do that are not. Like the disciples after Pentecost,
we, too, have been given the freedom to take the gospel and run. (When everyone
needs the gospel, there is no wrong direction.) One would doubtfully assume
this to be true, however, if they were to survey the landscape of Christianity
in America. Sadly, many churches have come to look eerily similar in form and
expression. In some cases, creative expressions have been mocked and ridiculed
for nothing else than their unwillingness to conform. The church must reclaim
its freedom to creatively express itself in whatever ways are necessary to reach
those in unique local contexts. The following proposal is an effort to do
exactly that..."
Don’t talk about leadership.
Never trust people with any significant responsibility.
Avoid risk.
Assume you are the expert.
Stay clear of men and women who might challenge your leadership.
Never ask things of people that require any real sacrifice.
Make sure all major decisions have to go through you.
Never expect much of others.
Don’t model personal development.
Invest your time and energy in those who are most needy.
Make sure you remain the most talented person in the room.
Don't talk about leadership.
This video is poignant, beautiful and packed with truth. Wisely invest 8 minutes of your life and watch it. And if you're a Jesus follower, grab a couple close friends and spend some time wrestling with the questions this modern day parable brings up and its implications on our lives and ministries.
I love this short film. It beautifully portrays our human tendency to resist that which is mysterious and unpredictable. Only in worshiping religion do we attempt to reduce the great narrative of God and humanity to a static, symmetrical cupboard of do’s and don’ts. Why are so many of us afraid to embrace and celebrate the God-given uniqueness of each person? How can we possibly think that God’s ultimate goal for us is to look, act, feel, believe and behave in exactly the same way? Like the young boy portrayed in this film, we will discover entirely new colors, shapes and dreams for our lives if only we are courageous enough to step outside the demands and confines of religious dogma and consider what the book really says about us and its author.
If only we will do this, perhaps we will find ourselves more gracious and loving with those who disagree with us. Perhaps we will find entirely new designs and colors and shapes along the way, ones that inspire, guide and empower those who don’t know where to start or who find themselves stuck in a world of black and white. Perhaps we will find ourselves drawn to the author who believes in us enough to leave so many pages blank, yet to be written by us, and us alone. Perhaps we all need to rethink the cupboards we have built for ourselves.
Dear Aaron,
At the time this letter was written to you, a lot was going on in your life. You were in your first year of seminary, weeks away from finally finishing up that pesky undergrad work, wrapping up your first year interning with Mosaic in L.A., trying for child number two, excited for your brother Jake’s little one due in a few months, and just coming off an incredible experience in CO with your newfound brothers of RhythmInTwenty.
Undoubtedly much has happened since. It is likely that you are now a father of at least two, perhaps more. You have probably been back in Lincoln, NE for some time now, started a new work there, moved back into your little house on Everett Street and enjoyed a few thunderstorms on your back deck. Who knows, maybe you even finally got that rusty orange Jeep Wrangler you’ve wanted for so long.
Aaron, I need you to hear me. A time will come, perhaps it already has, when you are going to get to a point where you begin to look for greener grass again. It is in your nature. Perhaps the slow pace of Lincoln life has you once more itching for the opportunities and excitement of a big city. Perhaps the grind of ministry has you longing to escape to the mountains of Colorado so you can finally work on the river. Or perhaps you are slowly realizing that your life will never quite be able to keep up with your dreams. Whatever the case, you need to stop whatever you are doing right now, shut off the music, power down your smart phone, put the laptop away and remember for a few moments.
You need to remember that God has called you in no uncertain terms to pursue the young adults of Lincoln, NE with the reckless grace of Jesus Christ. You need to remember the calling given you in the green hills of Scotland to speak; no matter how inept or insecure you might feel. You need to remember that which led you to plant Kineo – a work intercepted, but a calling that never changed. You need to remember that night in February of 2009 when you came to understand what that ancient passage in Joel was referring to. You need to remember the visions you saw of the "contagious" movement that would saturate the dark spaces and holes of Lincoln, NE. You need to remember what it was like to fight tears through nearly every session at Catalyst West Coast as God affirmed your call to Lincoln over and over again and as He urged you to finally own that calling and begin praying for the city.
Aaron, you must REMEMBER! You have been called, not requested. Your ambitions are not your own. Your dreams are not your own. Your vision is not your own. Your LIFE is not your own. Your days were ordained for you before one of them came to be. Do not question your call. Do not question your commitment. Own it. Embrace it. Live it.
Welp, I just landed in good 'ol Denver, Colorado to spend a few days in beautiful Estes Park. (There is nothing quite like flying over the Rockies - so beautiful!) I am here to take part in an event called Rhythm In Twenty. It is a ministry of Harbor Ministries - a non profit started by my good friend and mentor Tim Bohlke last year. This particular event is all about helping twentysomething leaders clarify their God given gifts, passions and calling while finding a sustainable rhythm for life and ministry. I don't know about you, but I have seen way too many friends and friends of friends burn out from the demands of ministry; or worse, they pour themselves into ministry to the neglect of their first ministry: their families. So this is something I really believe in and am excited to be a part of. I am getting ready just now to hop a shuttle from DIA, but for anyone interested, here is a video of my good friend and mentor, Tim, talking about the vision behind this thing. See you on the flip side!
RHYTHMinTWENTY from Harbor Ministries on Vimeo.
One of Mosaic's strongest suits is quickly becoming its endeavors in short film. Many of the people who collaborate on the projects are professionals in the industry who volunteer their time - a very cool perk of being in L.A. Today I found out that Erwin and company are working hard right now to get copyrights worked out for future projects so that shorts and bumpers can be made available to other churches and organizations to use!
For anyone out there looking to get a taste for Mosaic film...
The first place to check out is Mosaic's Kevin Wilson at Compass Films. You can check out some of his work on the site. Shorts that have been shown at Mosaic include Beauty, Waking Up and Water Artist.
Also, Awaken has some films online that can be purchased and used. (For some reason, the shorts and bumpers weren't working when I last checked. Must be tech issues, but keep checking back if you're interested. There are some good shorts here.)
Finally, Mosaic has a YouTube page that has a lot of different content on there. There are performances from Mosaic gatherings, clips of Erwin teachings, shorts and bumpers, etc. For fun, here is one of my favorite shorts from the last few month. Enjoy!
BENJAMIN BUTTON: For
what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever
you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change
or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the
worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that
startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet
people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of.
If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over
again.
[Photo RT:]
Have you ever met someone who loves their city?
I love people who love their city. Their attitude is infectious. Their contributions are invaluable. And I trust them. You can always count on those who love their city to take the people around them into consideration before making decisions. They are the people who always seem to have the skinny on what is going on in the community. They are aware of new developments, new businesses, new faces and many, if not all, of the social hot spots and goings on. They read the "local" section of the newspaper not simply to download more information, but because they genuinely care about what is going on in their city. They are the ones most likely to serve on community development teams. And the best of them are always looking for ways to add meaning and value to community life. I love city lovers. And I get the feeling that God does too.
The other morning I came across a passage that intrigued me. It is Psalm 102:12-14:
“But you, O Lord, sit
enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. You will arise
and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed
time has come. For her stones are dear to your servants, her very dust moves
them to pity.”
In reading this passage, I am struck by the great love of the people for their city. We are told that each stone was precious to them. Indeed, their hearts longed for its very dust.
And perhaps even more interestingly, the Psalmist appears to appeal to God's mercy on the basis of their love for their city. In other words, he appears confident that God is more likely to restore Jerusalem and bless its people if He knows that the people love their city, as he does. Very interesting.
It makes me wonder how often our prayers asking God to bless our lives and our ministries fall on the deaf
ears of a God who waits for someone to come along who will love their
city more than themselves. My mind immediately goes to men like
Nehemiah, who when moved by compassion for his city, selflessly rushed
to its aid, risking his life to lead the people in rebuilding its great
walls; or Joseph, who in his faithfulness in selflessly serving others,
God rose to political power in order to save hundreds of thousands of
lives through the careful stewardship of Egypt's resources.
In my personal opinion, I think love for one's city is a fundamental requirement for spiritual leadership.
What we are talking about here is a God-given burden for one's local
context. As we draw near to God, our heart becomes more and more
aligned with his own. As we walk down the street, shop for groceries,
pick up our kids from school, or sit at the local coffee shop, our
hearts ought to burn for those around us with the same kind of loving
intensity that burned in Paul as he walked through Athens.
This burden for our city ought to be
the rallying point of our personal ministry. When things get
exceptionally hard - when monies counted on are suddenly gone, when
staff positions have to be cut, when trusted friends leave our side,
when expectations are failed, when we experience failure, when our
critics mount up against us, when we on the brink of burn out and don't
think we can go on any longer - it is our personal call to the people
of our city that we must keep coming back to. When we feel beaten and
bloodied by the battles and burdens of leadership, we must fall to our
knees and see the faces of those in our city - the broken and hurting
all around us.
Perhaps God is just waiting for someone to come along who will be faithful to love your city well.
