The Stink of Jesus

I'm in a quote mood, so one more. A couple weekends ago our staff leadership team and our elder team from VictoryPoint retreated for a night and a day of leadership conversation at Camp Geneva. Most of our connection revolved around a book we all read prior to the retreat, Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church by Reggie McNeal (a book I would highly recommend to church leaders).

That word "missional" is a sexy buzz word in today's church leadership culture, conversations and writings. I like the way Reggie defines a "missional church" - The missional church is the people of God partnering with God in his redemptive mission in the world. (actually, that should simply just be the church, because the church being the church shouldn't need the adjective "missional" or any other descriptor in front of it!).

Anyway, the conviction I came away from the retreat with is the simple fact that a "missional" church requires missional leaders. As my friend Scott always says, you only reproduce what you are. Which is why our retreat conversations led us to this paragraph in Reggie's book:

So the question for you and me in the missional renaissance gets pretty personal. Are we living what we're talking about? Are our own lives missional? Is there a spiritual attractiveness to us? Do we have the stink of Jesus on us? Are we willing to be accountable and authentic with our journeys? Are we willing to die - not just physically but to church ambitions and celebrity status? Are we frequently caught saying yes to Jesus? If we do say yes to Jesus, we help others in our constellations of influence make the same choice." (page 147)

Those are very good questions.

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death, to the other we are the fragrance of life..." (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

Do you have the stink of Jesus on you?

Our Deepest Fear

Love this quote that Dave Gibbons shared on his site recently . . .

"Our Deepest Fear" by Marianne Williamson (from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles):

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Which makes me think of Peter's words in 1 Peter 3:15, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." The hope of Jesus should brilliantly and brightly shine from our everyday lives and moments. And people seeing and wondering and wanting (and even asking about) that hope should be the norm for our lives. Does that sound like your life? Like my life? When you think about it, light isn't very useful if only ever turned on among other lights. Light is most effective in darkness! Shine on! Matthew 5:16

(I think this writing by Williamson also gets associated with Nelson Mandela's 1994 inaugural address)

Advent Conspiracy

I saw Christmas lights last night! Already! Which got me thinking of a movement I really like called Advent Conspiracy. Check out one of their previous promo videos above. Christmas can still change the world!

If you or your family are looking for some creative and practical ways to bless people around the world this Christmas, check out World Vision Gifts site or the Vox United site. Or, just look around you!

No Doe (or Buck)

I got a chance to get away this past Monday afternoon through Wednesday night for some bowhunting. I spent a couple nights up north bunking with my brother Dave in Falmouth and getting some hunting/woods time in with my dad. It was my first time getting out in the woods with a bow this year! Saw some deer (nothing to shoot at). Good times, though.

Jacee

We noticed this last spring, but a picture of Jacee continues to be the first picture in a series of scrolling banner pictures on the Holland Christian Schools website. Even her brother thinks that is pretty cool!

World Vision Experience: AIDS

This morning Steve took our church staff to Fair Haven Ministries in Hudsonville where we participated in the World Vision Experience: AIDS. It was really well done! A powerful experience! It's a huge visual exhibit with rooms and corridors that you journey through individually. You are given a digital audio player and you become one of four African children. The audio guides you through the exhibit using props and photos as you experience life through the eyes of your child (the stories are true stories of real children in Africa).

There is no cost to go through the experience. The World Vision Experience: AIDS will be at Fair Haven from November 1 to November 8, from 10 AM to 8 PM daily. You can see a photo of the exhibit on the Fair Haven web page.

Or, you can check it out at the World Vision Experience: AIDS webpage here.

I went through the experience as Mathabo.

Trick or Treat!

Magglio Ordonez (with short, blond hair), an infantry trooper and Pippy Long Stocking.

This Year's Pumpkins

Lego Table!

Our friend Bryan helped me build a new Lego Table for the kids (I say "helped" loosely, as Bryan built the whole thing - I just painted it and glued the top on!). The kids LOVE it. It's already full of creative lego projects!

Fall Pics

Instead of paying for school pictures each year, Tori takes her own with our little 5 megapixel point-n-shoot camera, gets wallet-size made and gives them to the kids to "trade" at school. Here's some of the ones she took this year. I know it's cliche, but holy cow - "they're growing up FAST!"

Jack-O-Window!

My wife Tori is AMAZINGLY CREATIVE (and also just amazing). She sees stuff in magazines, then a day later I see it in my house. She can make anything! So the other day I get a call and she asks me to pick up 5 pieces of black poster board on my way home. I assume it is for the kids. But then I drive home the next day and see that Levi's windows have been transformed into a giant jack-o-lantern! Amazing what a little tissue paper and poster board can become!

Simple + Intentional + Ongoing = IMPACT!

Catalyst 2009 Compassion Moment from Catalyst on Vimeo.

My buddy Dave turned me on to this video. I've watched it a few times now (though not without crying!). POWERFUL! The context for the video is a church leader conference called Catalyst. The first few minutes of the video are some of the conference leaders sharing, then a Compassion International “commercial” then you get to the powerful part.

To me this was a great reminder that simple, intentional and continued expressions of love can/will have powerful kingdom ripples! Be compassionate to people who need it!