Word of Beard

'He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.' John 1:10

Imagine if your family didn't recognize you in the morning. If you had to demonstrate your love for them in very explicit ways again, a deep love that only a deeply connected father/husband figure can display for his family.

Imagine pointing out the elements of you that were inside each of them. The characteristics of yourself in and through them. While speaking against those character traits that you hadn't planned for them.

Modeling, not forcing.

Function Junction

The game is happening. Realistically the 'play' button never ceases to be in use. But the most important may be the 'function' key.

Each of us has malware within causing us to malfunction on some level. Addictions, poisonous relationships, sub-par family baggage, abuse, self-deception, disease, dysfunction...malware. And each virus perverts the perfect functionality we all have access to in and through Christ. He incarnated a new code, a new list of options.

Function. Change your settings, the script - something only the Holy Spirit can do: the Counselor, the Guide, the heart and mind Renewer. Once the Spirit begins that work in you...He never ceases.

The Spirit gives us the unction to find the malfunction junction in our lives...have you?

Read: Philippians 1:3-11, 2:1-13 / John 14:25-27, 16:5-11 / 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Spacesaver...

Spaces.

All of us live within a wild matrix of relational spaces. While there are four key spaces that all of us ramble about in, most of us only utilize a couple within our regular rhythm of life. And of those two-three spaces we only intentionally develop healthy relationships within one or two.

Public - 100 or more people/ work, concerts, community events, church services
Social - 25-75 people / parties, family gatherings, large classes, clubs
Personal - 5-15 people / immediate family, small groups, gangs
Intimate - 1-3 people / mentors, accountability, coffee groups, card nights, discipleship

The numbers may vary, that's not the important piece. What is important is a healthy use of space and defined relationships.

Who knows everything about you? Yes, it's awesome that your spouse does, but guys need other guys who know their strengths and weakness' etc. We need these intimate relationships that meet the deep 'one-anothers' in Scripture.

What small group are you part of? Who are you regularly sharing meals with, enjoying family time with? Who do your kids regularly get to hang out with and see you model life alongside?

What social gatherings are impacting your life and are you giving yourself to? Do you know your neighbors and hold bbq's? Is your small group a part of a larger community of 35 or so? In other words, do you have a good size spiritual family you don't get lost in.

What about the public sphere. Why is this important? To belong. Belonging to something bigger than ourselves and our spheres of influence is vital to remaining teachable and humble. The greater church is good for this: worship service, corporate teaching, greater vision, huge mission and simply the physical display of the body of Christ at large!

Spaces. We need each of them. In the last post I noted how Jesus displayed them with the ultimate goal of making disciples...the eternal use of space in action.

Weirdly Normal...

Graffiti art at one time was simply vandalism. Then it became artistic vandalism. Then it turned into a form of artistic expression, only some of which was purely vandalism. Now it's a full blown artform where money is made and graffiti is commissioned worldwide...and in some cases still vandalism.
Most things that seem weird to us at first are simply another persons normal. Normal doesn't make something right and quite honestly some peoples definition of normal is pretty stinkin' weird. Weird doesn't make something wrong though it does warrant healthy questioning.

Jesus was weird.

Even today, the average church leader if witnessing it first hand here and now, would disagree with his methodology (blanket statement not supported with factual evidence). We would wonder at his miraculous works, question his passion and doubt his teachings. Even as we hold his Word in our hands and hearts I doubt we would legitimize his ministry.

However, my desire isn't tear down the modern church, I'm a part of it and wouldn't consider abandoning his bride. My desire is to see the same ethos of Jesus' ministry play out in our own. The same mindset he had while on earth carry us through our days. The same philosophy of ministry shape our own. The same practical elements he displayed in building the church be lived out here and now.

His Personal Style:
He personally stayed close to at least 3 men whom he trained and shared life with, almost all of life for several years. Close enough that at least one was willing to speak up against the Lord...only to be put back in his place!

He built a solid team of 12 with whom he trained and sent. These he spent only a little less time than the 3 above.

He interacted regularly with at least 70-120 other followers he would call disciples. And he taught regularly to crowds in the hundreds and thousands.

He even spent massive amounts of time during his public ministry healing, eating with and talking with the masses between Caphernaum and Jerusalem.

To Jesus this was normal ministry. To others only some of this was normal for a Rabbi. For others yet this was blasphemous living.

His New Normal:
As the rock-star of his day - the miraculous healer, fantastic teacher, homegrown prophet and 'possible' messiah - Jesus did not pull away from the crowds outside of his teaching to create space. He spent more time with them.

Jesus didn't spend all his time alone with his 3 closest friends/disciples. He spent much time with them and balanced it with the masses.

Jesus managed to raise up leaders, lead a small group of men passionately willing to follow him anywhere, and regularly share his life with the world around him...all the while mapping out and equipping his disciples for the greatest missional movement ever set in motion in the history of mankind.

And he even managed to spend quality time with the Father amid his sacrificial mission.

His weirdness created a new normal.

He was obedient to his authority. He was humble in action. He was confident in theology and mission. He was gracious in confusion. He was direct in opposition. He was firm in condemnation. He was solid in clarification. He was passionate about reconciliation. He was committed to salvation.

Can we as leaders of the church: pastors, evangelists, teachers, prophets, preachers, apostles, administrators...disciples - both lay and vocational - can we really create a better system for unfolding the kingdom here and now? While Jesus never said, 'only do church the way I have done it' - out of all the models he could have implemented during his short time with his people he chose intimate, life-sharing discipleship with a few and large community teachings with the many...and intertwined the two beautifully under his watchful eye.

Let's disciple a few for a season of time. Then repeat.

Let's enter into smaller Christian communities and do life together.

Let's meet the masses, meet their needs and be and share the word.

Let's gather and worship with great teaching regularly.

I'm not sure the church is truly using Jesus' life and ministry as the model for how we do life and ministry today. We've got some things down. Others, maybe the more important things, not so much. Let's rethink the weird and the normal in life, ministry and Scripture...and keep transforming until our disciples look like Jesus'.

Word of Beard

'But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out it's by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; it's leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.' Jeremiah 17:7-8

What is a true disciple? This is.

All of one's life, attitude affected by the truth of Christ. And this spoken by the Father several hundred years before the incarnate Christ. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and His desire for His church is the same as well.

Question: Are you this sort of disciple? Is there any other?

Ravaged & Redeemed: Guys, Games and Porn...

The other night I attempted to lead a discussion with PatrisMC, a young adult community I lead. I say attempted because it may very well have been the most chaotic 'discussion' I've ever experienced...and I've spent years leading elementary and junior high discussion groups.

Now, let me say that I genuinely love this group. I truly believe the Spirit has created and spear-headed this community launch and is working to shape a new generation of disciples. That said, in several folks there is, quite simply, an inability to focus on the word, on others, on one topic...on one fruitfully developed thought for more than 60 seconds at any given moment.

I need movement. I enjoy technology. I track well with many transitions and rabbit trails - things movies and video games provide - and yet there's no replacement for genuine, respectful, honest exegesis and whole-hearted, whole-minded wrestling with the Scriptures in a group setting. Many voices. Many thoughts. Many experiences. One Word.

Jeremiah 17:5-10 was the focus of the discussion. A descriptive contrast between the person who trusts in mans strength, the flesh, the material world and worldly wisdom - and the person who confidently trusts in YHVH through Christ, the Word.

The cursed and The blessed. The ravaged and The redeemed.

I've been pondering that chaotic discussion in light of this passage all day. And in the mean time I stumbled across this article titled The Demise of Guys.

It's rare to meet a young dude (and more and more young ladies) who isn't or hasn't been addicted to some form of fast paced, insatiable, ever expanding, always renewed and yet extravagantly-destructive and life-depressing drug: video games, vulgar movies, social media, porn, ______.

To Jeremiah, God described what a truly free and purpose filled life is founded on and the fruit that comes of it. The Lord also terrifyingly described the cursed man, his foundation and the blindingly-depressed life that is his reward.

I felt this tension in the room the other night. In the midst of that discussion on Gods words to Jeremiah I could feel the spirit of the cursed pressing in on the Spirit of the blessed. I couldn't focus. I became  frustrated and many times quietly asked the Lord to bring focus and freedom to those in the room enslaved by the idea that 'whatever I want to do, whenever I want to do it is good and right and healthy.'

That false mindset founded on the quick fix and immediate gratification of self-pleasure and fulfillment has enslaved so many in the coming generation. It hasn't brought freedom, growth and maturity but only a perverted sense of empowerment and an atrophied and, if existent, faith to those who claim to believe in the very Christ who actually is life and who actually teaches against the temporary lusts of man.

The article above only reinforces what Jesus and the Apostles taught. That there is a path that leads to destruction, and as intense as that statement is, our bodies and the perverted abuse we put them through preach this to those who know us best and beyond.

It's quite the focused statement isn't it, to say that trusting in the Jesus of the Scriptures is the way to eternal life, purpose, freedom and fulfillment. And yet it takes so much faith, so much awareness of the correlation between the spiritual, philosophical, scientific life around and within us. It's such a simple truth loaded with all the complexities life offers...

Needless to say. It was a chaotic discussion the other night and yet I get it. There are supernatural forces vying for the hearts and minds and souls of each person during each hour, of each day.

Read Jeremiah 17:5-10 and Read The Demise of Guys. Cursed? Blessed? Ravaged? Redeemed?

Word of Beard

'You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.' 1 Thessalonians 1:6

Paul and his co-authors were speaking directly to the Thessalonians in their context, but we've much to learn from these notes. If you suffer for the Gospel in any way as an imitator of Christ, and you've been convinced of the Truth of the Gospel and you know the model that was Paul's life...then the work of the Spirit in the Thessalonians is also at work in you.

So in this verse we see that the Holy Spirit carried the message along from town to town and generation to generation (2 Peter 1:20-21), stirred within them a perseverant heart allowing them to stand firm in the Truth (James 1:2-3), and transformed them into models of Christ-likeness (Philippians 2:13).

The Spirit also brought about joy, one of the key elements in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). He brought joy to the Thessalonians and He brings it to us through the Word here and now. He is the embodiment of it and is given to all disciples of Christ. No disciple can be a fully functioning imitator of Jesus without also experiencing His supernatural joy.

Joy frees us from the trap of self-esteem, depression, circumstance and suffering...and this only comes from the divine power of the Spirit.

So, be imitators of Christ.

The Thessalonians were transformed by the Gospel and their new lives were models to those who knew of them. How about your life?