Seeing is Believing: My personal tour of the aftermath of the Colorado Springs Wild Fires.

The adage “seeing is believing” was my experience five hours ago, walking through the rubble of what was left from the aftermath of the wildfire that ravaged 350 homes and scorched more than 18,000 acres in Colorado Springs.   It’s one thing to be alarmed by watching the events on TV but it is a completely different shock factor witnessing firsthand the homes that have been destroyed by the fire.

Seeing the completely leveled homes (I didn’t even know fire could do that), the intense burn smell in the air, walking through charred household items while trying to avoid stepping on broken glasses and other sharp objects, fumbling through home items to make sense of what was left, seeing several Fire and Water Restoration vehicles and workers etc, all enhanced the veracity of the recent fire events.

Derek Webb, one of my favorite Christian singer/songwriters begins his modern-day rendition of the “Rich Young Ruler” with the words: “Poverty is so hard to see when it's only on your TV and twenty miles across town.”  I liken the truth of Webb’s song to my personal experience touring what was left of the fire.  Although I witnessed like everyone else, the fire spiral out of control on that fateful Tuesday, June 26, I must confess that the gravity of the devastation has been minimal to me because I watched it on TV as I did any other TV programming and I am far removed from the location of the ruins-I live 10-15 miles away.  But that all changed today.  After touring through what was left of the fire, I have developed three deeper things.

First, I have a deeper appreciation for the work the firefighters did and how many homes they actually saved.  What could have been a citywide catastrophe with more homes lost was minimized and for that I thank them immensely.

Second, I have a deeper empathy for the families affected by the fire.  Although many of us would agree that material things are just “things” and can be replaced, it is important to note that many of the items lost had sentimental worth and that several families did not have an opportunity to salvage their most important items.  In addition I cannot help but think of the displaced families who currently do not have a home to call theirs.  This can be especially hard on children.

Third, I have a deeper remembrance for the families affected by the fire.  While we continually observe in the U.S., an incredible and heartfelt response from citizens at the inception of a catastrophic event  (e.g. Katrina, Joplin Missouri Tornado, and September 11 attacks), soon after the initial relief, many resume their regular lives forgetting that the “real work” of rebuilding has just begun.  My first hand tour of the ruins have left an imprint in my mind and heart and will cause me to remember to pray for those affected while thinking creatively of ways we can position ourselves to respond to the ongoing needs that will arise.  Alethia, the Greek word for "truth" literally means, "to not forget."  Let's us seek truth by not forgetting but remembering through prayer those affected by Colorado’s most destructive fire

  

The Spirit of the Missional Movement Pt 2

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is part 2 of a 2-part series] Click here for Part 1

Finally, renaming brands a particular set of ethos.  For example the political words “conservative” and "liberal" have a unique set of beliefs, attitudes, and practices that are attached to it.  So when someone says "missional," we who adhere to the missional way of living are instantly aware of the guiding values the word entails.  


That being said, the list below reveal my top 10 What Is and to p 12 What is Not of the missional movement. 


What Missional is not?

1. Missional is not latest church cultural fad that will last 15-30 years before moving to the next one.
2. Missional is not a style of church i.e. traditional, contemporary, emergent, missional.
3. Missional is not traditional missions or a traditional missionary.
4. Missional is not social action or social justice.
5. Missional is not a ministry division of the church.
6. Missional is not a church program.
7. Missional is not a ministry approach or strategy.
8. Missional is not a service or outreach project.
9. Missional is not a church growth strategy.
10. Missional is not a feeling.

The word "missional' can encompass some of the above (definitely not all), but is not limited to any of these. 

What is Missional?

1. Missional is what God did by sending His Son Jesus Christ to inhabit our world bringing with him righteousness, peace, joy, grace, and freedom.
2. Missional encourages the Christ-follower to emulate the missionary work of the missionary God.
3. Missional is the perspective to see people as God does and to engage in the activity of reaching them.
4. Missional is a renewed perspective (way of life) that is lived out everywhere and at all times.
5. Missional encourages all Christ-followers to live out their primary calling as Christ's ambassadors to those who don't know Jesus.
6. Missional involves both the proclamation and demonstartion of the "good news."
7. Missional begins and ends with disciplleship.
8. Missional is a spirit, a movement of God calling us back to His original purpose-stated in Genesis 1 & 2-to cultivate the earth.  Another way of saying this is that we "stop consuming and start creating."
9. Missional embraces Shalom, which means wholeness.  It calls the church to be holistic (emotional, physical, intellectual, and social) in all of its dealings. 
10. Missional is the "way of the cross," living daily in such a way that imitates the sacrifice of the Messiah. 
11. Missional calls us to be active participants of local and global missions. 
12. Missional is a lifestyle that emulates the complete life and work of Christ.

The Spirit of the Missional Movement Pt 1

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is part 1 of a 2-part series] Click here for part 2

In light of how movements come and go, I'd like to address the spirit of the missional movement and displace any misconceptions people may have about it.

If you are new to the missional conversation and not sure what it means, missional is simply a new way of reminding us that we are "missionaries."  We who subscribe to the missional movement adopt the thinking, practices, and behaviors of a missionary beginning with our own zip code all the way globally.  It is a call back to the spirit and purpose of the church.  We believe everyone has been called to missions and not just some.  Our inspiration comes from the Sacred Scriptures that depict a missionary/sending God who in turn sends us to bring healing, hope and restoration to everyone and every place.  Among the many missional scripture passages, the three classic ones include:

1. John 1:14 (MSG)

"The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.  We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish”

2.    John 20:21 (MSG)

“Jesus repeated his greeting: "Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you."

3.    Matthew 28:18-20 (MSG)

“Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age"

If you are wondering why we’ve come up with the new term “missional” instead of sticking with the familiar "missions" and "missionary" words, it is because renaming words can help to restore its meaning especially when the original worth of the word is lost.  For example the value of the word "awesome" is misplaced in our society since we call many things “awesome,” including food, animals, hairstyles, electronics, furniture, sticks, rocks, etc, so calling God awesome in the same way we do everything else just doesn't quite do it ya know?  So we rename to recapture significance.

The act of assigning new names or renaming is depicted throughout the Sacred Texts as Jacob was renamed Israel, Abram to Abraham, Saul to Paul, and the land of Israel called Desolate renamed to Beulah (married).  The reception of a new name, in Jewish tradition denotes the conferring of a special divine mission.'"  God gave Abram and Sarai a new name for their "special divine mission” to bless the earth while Jesus gave Simon a new name “Peter” (rock) for his “special divine mission” to help build His church.  And in the spirit of this biblical tradition, the missional movement has a new name for its special divine mission to recapture the true nature, spirit, and purpose of the Church. 

America The Beautiful

As Christ Followers, we are reminded today that true patriotism is met with Kingdom stewardship in that we will use our influence as Americans to be a blessing to all.

Patriotism is less about a blind love for one's country and more about God-given influence.  Similar to the narrative of Abraham and the origin of the nation of Israel, God has blessed us so that through us all the nations of the earth will be blessed.  This is what makes us beautiful.

Genesis 12:2 "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great (famous), so that you will be a blessing"

"America!  America!  God shed his grace on thee.  And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shinning sea"

Happy birthday America!

Why Evangelism alone will not work

I preface this blog by saying that I do believe in the gift of evangelism and its unique power to communicate the gospel to Sojourners and non-believers alike.  People who posses this gift have an incredible ability to communicate the Living Word in such a way that it is alive and attractive. Furthermore the scripture compels every Christ-follower in their missions endeavor to utilize this gift.  That being said I do believe that evangelism alone is not sufficient to bring about good news to the lost and that Christian teachings that emphasizes evangelism ONLY without a robust teaching of "good news" may potentially be limiting the gospel.

The word for "evangelize" which comes from the Greek noun "euaggelion," literally means "glad tidings," or "good news."  This is also the same word for "gospel" in the New Testament.  Likewise the Greek verb "euaggelizo," means to "announce good news," or "to preach the gospel."  What this means is, yes we cannot bring about the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ without "announcing" or telling others about the good news but telling people the good news alone without demonstrating (showing) the good news WILL NOT WORK.  My own missionary experience has affirmed this.

Though the word evangelism is repeatedly found in the Sacred Texts, a closer look into the narrative of Christ will reveal that evangelism was always done in conjunction with demonstration of the good news (Demonstration is physical act of serving, giving, loving, restoring, and bringing healing to those that need it most).  Consider the following verses from the book of Luke that depicts Jesus’ evangelism:   

·       "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel (announcement) to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted (demonstration), to preach (announcement) deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind (demonstration), to set at liberty them that are bruised" Luke 4:18.

·       "And it came to pass afterward, that He went throughout every city and village, preaching (announcement) and showing (demonstration) the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with Him" Luke 8:1. (Note in this passage, that “glad tidings,” the literal meaning of evangelism, comprises of both preaching and showing).

·       "And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching (announcement) the gospel, and healing (demonstration) every where" Luke 9:6.

The Hebrew word shalom (wholeness), calls us to seek a “whole-listic” understanding of the gospel and not a buffet-style gospel where we pick and choose what we want.  So I ask you today, what’s it going to be?  Will you let your both your words and actions do the evangelism.