Archive for November, 2009
Breaking The Silence
What a great week we had this past Thanksgiving. I’m tempted to say it was one of my favorite Thanksgivings ever. We didn’t eat turkey and dressing, we didn’t go skiing, we didn’t make it to Estes Park, and one of our kids got the flu…and it was wonderful.
I’m serious. This isn’t some ‘look at the spiritual takeaway’ devotional/inspiration story. It just ended up being one of the more relaxing Thanksgivings we’ve ever had. Coop got so sick on Wednesday morning any hopes we had making a late run to the mountains ended as he threw up in the waiting room of the doctors office. The girls and I sat in the car eating Qdoba. Amazing how many of life’s precious moments happen while eating Qdoba.
Instead of family meltdown and just heading the car back to Topeka, we had a couple of wonderful days of rest, watching movies, playing catch-phrase, watching football, and eating rotisserie chicken. It sufficed for a turkey substitute. Took the girls hiking in Castlewood Canyon. Friday, Coop and I watched the Iron Bowl and despite Alabama beating the Kitty Cats of The Plains, he was feeling well enough to head downtown to catch the Christmas lights of Denver.
Wasn’t what we planned…ended up being much better I think.
Being Sick
Cayden was sick this weekend. It’s never fun to be sick, especially on the weekend. But there are some benefits of being sick.
First, you get to cuddle with dad.
Second, you get to be waited on hand and foot.
Third, you get to catch up on the old episodes of Mythbusters.
Oddly enough, this formula along with plenty of liquids is the sure-fire way to healing.
I meet monthly with some other pastors and the topic of ‘getting out of a spiritual rut’ came up. I got to thinking, this formula would work with this kind of sickness as well. It’s never fun to be drained or sick spiritually but if handled correctly it can be a place of great healing and comfort.
First, cuddle up with Dad. Get alone, get silent. Don’t ask for anything, just sit in His presence.
Second, let Him wait on your soul. Psalms, songs, prayers of others.
Third, catch up on the old episodes of Mythbusters. Those wonderful stories of how God proved His faithfulness over and over again.
I’m learning so much about following the Lord through my kids.
The Church Is His, Not Ours
Last Saturday night, a team of us went to Westside Family Church in Lenexa. We were there mainly to observe (steal ideas) their children’s ministry. Here’s my list of what has left an impression on me…
* Every staff member I’ve met has a “Kingdom” mentality. The Church is His, not ours. They ask the question ‘How can we help you be better at reaching others where you are?’
* Humility seeps through this organization. As large and ‘successful’ as Westside is, you don’t get the ‘we’ve got it down attitude.’ The people we’ve talked to have been honest about their failures in hopes others don’t make the same mistakes.
* Commitment to make the experience as understandable and enjoyable as possible. This applies to everything from the moment you walk in the door (one central entrance) to checking your kids in to worship. Everything is clear, simple, and neat. There is both a deepness and simplicity in the teaching.
These are just my initial impressions.
When 1 Metaphor Isn’t Enough
So I was pretty stuck Monday and Tuesday with the message for Sunday. Frustrating but fortunately I’ve learned to not be quiet about this when this happens. God will use other people to help if you let them all know you need help.
Enter Georges Boujakly and the Creative Team. Georges (is it a French/Canadian thing to put an ‘s’ on the end of perfectly good words and not pronounce them??) may be the shortest person I know but he is also the deepest. I told him about my stuckness. We had used the battleship vs. cruiseship metaphor in describing the church last week but there is so much more to the church than just this picture. Where to start? How to communicate this?
Georges handed me the book From Eternity To Here by Frank Viola, who I loved on This Old House. (Okay, not that guy.) He said read this…it’s going to help you. He smiled, hugged me and then said something I already knew but apparently needed reminding of –
“Grant…don’t start with the metaphor then go to the text. Start with the text. You’ve done your best teaching when you simply let the text speak and come alive.”
Well, no duh. Thank you, Georges. Creative Team listened to me ramble and was a place for me to think out loud with the ‘new’ information from Georges.
What was the ‘new’ information? Shockingly nothing new but something very ancient.
When speaking of the church, God uses three main metaphors — all them found in — wait for this — EPHESIANS! God has a ridiculous crazy sense of humor.
What are the metaphors? The Bride of Christ, the House of God, and the Body of Christ. All in Ephesians, all have OT roots, all adding a key piece of whyChurch. And that’s the fun that awaits us on Sunday.