More from the Divine Commodity:
In the economy of God's kingdom, big does not beget big. It's precisely the opposite. The overwhelming message of Jesus' life and teaching is that small begets big. Consider: God's plan to redeem creation (big) is achieved through his incarnation as an impoverished baby (small). Jesus feeds thousands on a hillside (big) with just a few loaves and fishes (small). Christ seeks to make disciples of all nations (big) but starts with a handful of fisherman (small).
Silence, prayer, love, friendship, fasting , hospitality... these are tiny and seemingly inconsequential mustard seeds that, when fully grow, become the largest plant in the garden.
I think the vision of MainStreet is big, but it is starting with a small group of committed people. Crazy what Jesus can do!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
And a Thought on Community...
More from The Divine Commodity:
Henri Nouwen once observed, "Community is the place where the person you least want to live with always lives." When we abandon ship because it holds people we don't like, we also abandon community.
More thoughts on that later...
A Few Thoughts on the Church...
Jeremy was given the book The Divine Commodity by our friend Joe. In it, Skye Jethani writes about the loss of imagination in the church, and how we've fallen prey to Consumer Christianity. There are SO many good thoughts in this book, and I feel like they're super applicable to our situation - especially in light of the church plant. Anyways... on to one of my favorite passages from the book:
"...What impacted a person's spiritual growth most were personal Bible reading, prayer, meditation, a meaningful relationship with a friend or mentor, and serving others... All of these practices are relationship-focused... It is the community of Jesus' followers on earth - men, women, and children filled with God's Spirit, living in communion with Him, one another, and the world. It is a spiritual and relational entity. And this church is critical to the advancement of God's mission in the world and an essential component of our spiritual formation.
In the New Testament we see the earliest Christians organizing their communities to provide for the poor, ensure proper instruction, and extend formative and corrective discipline. Every relational community, like a family, needs structure. But the goal of any structure should be strengthening, not replacing, human relationships which are the medium God uses to carry out his transforming work. The Holy Spirit inhabits human beings, not institutions...
The goal should not be abandoning one structure in favor of another, but rather fostering meaningful human relationships through which real ministry happens...
Beginning on the smallest scale, this means relearning the lost art of friendship."
Thursday, February 17, 2011
It's swimming...
I think it's funny how God shows up at just the right time in just the right way to let us know He's in control.
I started classes again, so now there are a few days each week I leave the house at 6:30 in the morning and walk back through the door around 10 PM. Yesterday was one of those days. Jer had spent the whole day meeting with people, but returned to an empty house.
When I got home, he was in a funk, mostly about 'momentum', but also about feeling lonely. And I don't like it when Jeremy is in a funk... I don't deal well with sadness. But I was completely absorbed by the fact I hadn't been home yet (needed to unload groceries, unpack my garbage, take my bath...) He decided that to spend time together, he would clean the bathroom while I did my thing so we could talk (best husband ever!)
But he was still pretty low when I was ready to go to bed. And then... the kid kicked me. Or flipped over. Or did something to say 'Hey! I'm here too!' It was a pretty cool moment in our house - the first time I was really aware there was something inside me. Jer and I have both decided that God gave us this baby as a reason to spend more time together. And as a way to not be consumed by church stuff.
It totally worked last night. So thanks, God.
I started classes again, so now there are a few days each week I leave the house at 6:30 in the morning and walk back through the door around 10 PM. Yesterday was one of those days. Jer had spent the whole day meeting with people, but returned to an empty house.
When I got home, he was in a funk, mostly about 'momentum', but also about feeling lonely. And I don't like it when Jeremy is in a funk... I don't deal well with sadness. But I was completely absorbed by the fact I hadn't been home yet (needed to unload groceries, unpack my garbage, take my bath...) He decided that to spend time together, he would clean the bathroom while I did my thing so we could talk (best husband ever!)
But he was still pretty low when I was ready to go to bed. And then... the kid kicked me. Or flipped over. Or did something to say 'Hey! I'm here too!' It was a pretty cool moment in our house - the first time I was really aware there was something inside me. Jer and I have both decided that God gave us this baby as a reason to spend more time together. And as a way to not be consumed by church stuff.
It totally worked last night. So thanks, God.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Well. Huh.
So it's been awhile...
In the last two months, Jer and I found out we're having a kid. AND the church reached its funding goal (yay). So last week Jeremy got paid for the first time. And now I find myself drifting off into daydreams of how much we will tithe to the new church and how much we can hide away to send this kid to college someday. Or retire. Or whatever. Because for the last 6 months we have been living on one salary and a couple of generous gifts from friends. Having 2 paychecks again makes me feel like we are really, really rich.
There are two things you should know about my money habits: 1) I love saving money and hiding it away. Love having a safety net for those just-in-case moments. 2) One of my spiritual gifts is giving. I haven't met too many other 20-somethings who like writing out checks to charitable organizations. And these two things don't always line up together so well.
So here's where my mind has been going: in 3 years, we will need to become a self-sustaining church, bringing in money to do ministry and hopefully pay Jeremy the same salary that's set right now. Quite frankly, the Berg's don't really need everything he's being paid because we've learned how to live on less. Not that it's been fun, but we can do it. Our church planting director told us to just tithe back whatever is in excess, which I'm totally cool with.
Right now are launch team hovers around 30 people, but about 80% of those are college kids or young adults. Meaning: not a lot of extra funds. And a lot of young people haven't established budgets or spending habits that include regular tithing. We think throwing $20 into the basket every couple of weeks is good enough. So how can Jer and I model healthy giving habits? When I think about the amount that we are planning to tithe each month, it sounds GIANT to me. But that's mostly because we will be giving from a 2 income family, and I'm used to that anymore. I am also excited to trust God with that, though. It's totally something we can work into our life.
And then there's this kid thing. How do you even know what that will cost? Will I want to go back to work once it's here? If we return to a one income family, can we still tithe the same amount (that would be sacrificial for sure!) MainStreet will need money, and if it's not there, Jeremy won't get paid. And do we keep moving towards the cafe? And will that even help at all or will it become a financial burden? Oh the questions! And wrapped up in this is our desire to share our new excess with our friends in need... bump up our monthly giving to a few of our missionary friends and add a couple others to the list (not kidding - this stuff brings me joy!) But will we set expectations for them with what we give, and what happens if I quite my job and we drop it back down?
I think I'm more aware of this stuff than ever because the last 6 months have made us rely on God for our financial needs each month... 3 times completely and totally needed the gifts our friends gave. And I want to be that kind of friend for others. That, and we've had to raise the church funding ourselves. (I should really say Jeremy did this... I wasn't much of a help). We know what it's like to be on the other side of the fence now.
Anyways... this was a really unconnected post, but that's what's been running through my head this week. How do we live generously but still within our means?
In the last two months, Jer and I found out we're having a kid. AND the church reached its funding goal (yay). So last week Jeremy got paid for the first time. And now I find myself drifting off into daydreams of how much we will tithe to the new church and how much we can hide away to send this kid to college someday. Or retire. Or whatever. Because for the last 6 months we have been living on one salary and a couple of generous gifts from friends. Having 2 paychecks again makes me feel like we are really, really rich.
There are two things you should know about my money habits: 1) I love saving money and hiding it away. Love having a safety net for those just-in-case moments. 2) One of my spiritual gifts is giving. I haven't met too many other 20-somethings who like writing out checks to charitable organizations. And these two things don't always line up together so well.
So here's where my mind has been going: in 3 years, we will need to become a self-sustaining church, bringing in money to do ministry and hopefully pay Jeremy the same salary that's set right now. Quite frankly, the Berg's don't really need everything he's being paid because we've learned how to live on less. Not that it's been fun, but we can do it. Our church planting director told us to just tithe back whatever is in excess, which I'm totally cool with.
Right now are launch team hovers around 30 people, but about 80% of those are college kids or young adults. Meaning: not a lot of extra funds. And a lot of young people haven't established budgets or spending habits that include regular tithing. We think throwing $20 into the basket every couple of weeks is good enough. So how can Jer and I model healthy giving habits? When I think about the amount that we are planning to tithe each month, it sounds GIANT to me. But that's mostly because we will be giving from a 2 income family, and I'm used to that anymore. I am also excited to trust God with that, though. It's totally something we can work into our life.
And then there's this kid thing. How do you even know what that will cost? Will I want to go back to work once it's here? If we return to a one income family, can we still tithe the same amount (that would be sacrificial for sure!) MainStreet will need money, and if it's not there, Jeremy won't get paid. And do we keep moving towards the cafe? And will that even help at all or will it become a financial burden? Oh the questions! And wrapped up in this is our desire to share our new excess with our friends in need... bump up our monthly giving to a few of our missionary friends and add a couple others to the list (not kidding - this stuff brings me joy!) But will we set expectations for them with what we give, and what happens if I quite my job and we drop it back down?
I think I'm more aware of this stuff than ever because the last 6 months have made us rely on God for our financial needs each month... 3 times completely and totally needed the gifts our friends gave. And I want to be that kind of friend for others. That, and we've had to raise the church funding ourselves. (I should really say Jeremy did this... I wasn't much of a help). We know what it's like to be on the other side of the fence now.
Anyways... this was a really unconnected post, but that's what's been running through my head this week. How do we live generously but still within our means?
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
A.W. Tozer
So I'm not one to sit and read theological books. I'm more of a British-Chick-Lit fan. But yesterday I picked up a copy of The Counselor by A.W. Tozer and started reading. Only 4 pages in, I knew I was going to love the book.
If any church is to be a church of Christ, the living, organic member of that redeemed Body of which Christ is the Head, then its teachers and its members must strive earnestly and sacrificially with constant prayer...
The Christian Church ought to be useful to the whole community. A Spirit-filled congregation is useful in the neighborhood.
I would like to see a church become so godly, so Spirit-filled that it would have a spiritual influence on all of the churches in the entire area.
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