The simplicity of the definition and the visual demonstration is outstanding. If we can just agree top start here we would be headed in the right direction.
I have to say thanks to James Nahrgang for pointing out this video on my friend Brad Andrews’s blog.
This post is long overdue, but as many of you know by now is that Mitch made it to Cultivate and Story. It was made possible by the generosity of people that decided to assist someone that they didn’t even know.  It was amazing how quickly people reacted to call for help to make the trip a possibility for Mitch. Within 90 minutes of my initial posting the necessary funds had been pledged.  Within 36 hours Mitch was able to purchase the airline tickets to make the flight form Denver to Chicago. The majority of those giving to Mitch were also attending Cultivate and/or Story or they were within some form of ministry position like Mitch.
This event opened my eyes to that fact that people are willing to help, but many times are not sure where or how to help. Here are some thoughts on asking and motivating others to help.
It was a great learning experience and glad I was a part of it.
Next week the Cultivate Conference will be taking place October 27th in Chicago at Park Community Church. I am looking forward to the opportunity to learn from some of the most talented and influential leaders in ministry communication. Cultivate is designed for those that are responsible for influencing how churches communicate. This conference will focus on collaborative development of content and new delivery ideas. It will be made up interactive work sessions that allow you to work through ideas and challenge your way of thinking with others.
On the following day, October 28th in Aurora at the Paramount Theater there will be Story. Story is a first-of0its-kind experience for communicators. This event will allow those in attendance to have the opportunity to experience and learn from some of the most effective communicators of the Gospel. Story is sure to change the way we communicate in ministry. This is another great opportunity that I am being blessed with the opportunity to experience and learn from.
All that being said I am looking to assist a brother to make his way to Cultivate and to Story. Mitch Bolton had planned to make the trip from Colorado to the Windy City, but funds fell short. Many of you will know him as @muntz on Twitter and his #iphonepicoftheday. What I would like to do is see if we can assist him in raising the money necessary to purchase him a flight from Denver to Chicago. Mitch is in a communications role at his church and this would be a valuable opportunity.
I am looking for assistance in raising the necessary $250 to $300 to get him a round trip airline ticket. I will ensure that he is picked up at the airport and has a place to stay when in town, as well as pitch in the first $50. We need to make every effort to have raised the money no later than Friday, October 23rd at 5pm. This will give me enough time to coordinate with Mitch on the available flights and pray that tickets do not clime to high. Please help get Mitch to Cultivate and Story.
I am currently working on a method to take donations online, but do not want this to hold us up. Here are few current options:
If in the event that the funds are not raised in time or airline tickets get too high I will refund every dollar received.
” Such grace is costly because it call us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost the life of his Son: “ye were brought with a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”- Costly Grace by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
I had received some awesome encouragement during men’s group and wanted to give an old-fashioned praise report. We were discussing Job and as we tend to get sometimes intense and not always careful on our volume. A man walked up and asked if we had an open chair to which few of answered, yes. He introduced himself as Frank and explained that his family was in the car, but wanted to join us and asked the time and interval we met. It was really encouraging to have some confirmation that this group could have a positive influence on others, but also that our often loud moments discussing scripture where not offensive.
My old men’s group got back together for the first time in 11 months on Saturday, August 15th after I stepped down from leadership of the group. We decided to meet at the location where the group was meeting 5 years ago when I first joined, Panera Bread in Oswego. It was an encouraging seeing 10 of the 15 guys I invited showed up to get this started once again. This group of men has been through ups and downs and has come back together as though we were always there and had never stopped. I realized this group had really become more than a bunch of guys who meet to discuss the topic of the week or because a church encouraged us to meet regularly to experience community.  We are a group of men from many different churches, if we attend at all, that has and is experiencing real community and not a pulpit buzzword. We have actually grown into each other’s lives and dare I say it have grown to be brothers.
I am looking forward to the early Saturday mornings, once again.
I keep finding myself in conversations discussing what is to come, promises of heaven, and the certainty of hell. The subject is something that I am all too familiar with and have been more than eager to jump right in the middle of it with my absolutes and practices rebuttals. This has came all too easy, with my years of absoluteness and closed minded training that I received in a Christian denomination that’s focus was on health, wealth and having all the answers. I can’t tell you how many times that I have been through Revelations 21 and marveled as a child the descriptions that were derived on the materials and architecture of heaven. As I’ve grown older and my faith has matured to the point that I believe I can say it is my own I have come to believe that so much of the conversation around heaven and hell is an exercise in missing the point.
Let me be clear that I do believe it is natural and I myself enjoy wondering and discussing what it may be like one day. But, should our focus be on the wonder of heaven or the absolute destruction of hell? I am inclined to say no. I believe the Gospel teaches us to focus on loving God and people. Our hearts and actions should be focused on bring heaven to the earth now and bless people around us now. Shouldn’t our consuming desire is to serve our God, Love God, and serve those that He loves, which is tough, because that is everyone. If we could set our minds on these things wouldn’t our lives be complete? Wouldn’t heaven become no less important, but no the focus of our existence and allow us to invest in our responsibilities now? Shouldn’t heaven be a bonus and the real prize is true fellowship with our Lord Jesus? When I stop and think that I have been chosen and pursued by God to be in relationship with Him I am not sure what Heaven is or Hell is really matters any more.
An incredible statement by Jason Salamun that I thankfully ran across because of Jay Bakker:
The message of grace isn’t the denial of dirty hands; it’s an amazement about the water of forgiveness that cleans them.
Today, I listened to a live webcast for Story that was hosted on Story Unfolding. It provided some great insight to what is coming in October and served as a catalyst for my eagerness and excitement for this event. The speakers were a diverse group with such speakers as Pete Wilson, Ben Arment, Anne Jackson, Shaun Groves, Lee Steffen, and Natalie Grant, which at times was just entertaining here them interact. Shaun Groves was especially real during the session and open to things that concern him and make him vulnerable. One thing that continues to plague me is what will be my comfortableness at the event, since I will be most likely one of the few laypeople attending. Regardless if I do stand out or blend into the crowd I am going and I will participate what will surely be an exceptional, educational and entertaining event. But, my real hope is to walk away being inspired and energized with new ideas for sharing the Gospel and planting a church.
I started a study of 1 Samuel this past weekend with my Men’s Group. We went over 1 Samuel 1 and dissected verse by verse. It was an informative couple of hours of reflection on Hannah’s predicament and her faith. It is interesting to think that God always seems to use the most unequipped people to change the earth or the direction of His church. Hannah was to give birth to Samuel the last judge of Israel and the one to anoint Saul the first king of Israel, but there was one issue, she was barren. Hannah was praying on the steps of the template for a son; which she swore to give to service of God.
There is much more in this story, but I repeated this to account for an observation made by a member of the group. He had commented on the great faith these people had in the Old Testament and how most of these great figures of faith were nobodies of their days. These people were rarely were witnessed to the great miracles and lived in seclusion only to visit the temple for special occasions. He then expressed his guilt and concern over our lack of faith, since we have all these examples of God providing for others and most importantly we now have Christ. I think he has a great point, why do we have so little faith?
I believe this lack of faith is due to our inability to rely on anyone but ourselves and our conceit. A.W. Tozer penned that he believed our current condition as a result of our loss of the majesty of God and dependence upon ourselves. “With our loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness and divine Presence. We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence. Modern Christianity is simply not producing the kind of Christian who can appreciate or experience the life in the Spirit. Be still, and know that I am God, means next to nothing to the self-confident, bustling worshiper…” (A.W. Tozer – 1961)
So, what do you think?
I know some may feel I am mincing words, but I am thinking out loud here.Isn’t a revolution something that is more likely to bring destruction and division not the inward change that is actually sought? Revolutions force change on a system or people, not actually bring them to a change. Revolutions are usually marked with violent changes to individuals or systems in an attempt to change thinking or behavior. Maybe real transformation comes from a gradual change in thought and behavior and not a change in behavior that is forced or demanded? A traumatic change that is forced is a revolution to that person’s thinking. But when a person changes their thoughts and behaviors through growth and development that is evolution. Doesn’t REAL change in character come from the growth in an area in your life, not the change that you are required to do.
Take this example. I can tell, require, my son to not make fun of his sister or he will be in grounded from an activity. He most likely will comply with my demands, as long as that which may be taken away is important to him and we are near. But it never fails, when we are not around trouble ensues. His sister will come to us complaining about what her brother said about her. My son hasn’t really changed at all, but only changed his behavior due to a demand; if he had a real heart change then it would not come up again. I could argue that my son has suffered a revolutionary change of thinking that he has been subjected to. When he adopts the change gradually over time and makes it a part of his core being, because he believes in it than that would be an evolutionary change.
Continued later . . .
I am a broken man that follows Christ, a devoted husband that loves his wife, father of 3 incredible kids, and Emerging Reformer with a desire to do something to impact and positively change people around me.
Twitter: @cyriljones
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eMail: gospelpimp@gmail.com