what i’ve learned about [church]: part i

hello world (read: my mom, wife and local baristas…these are the ones still following me!)

September 30th was my last blog post and, well, it is time to break the silence. If you are reading this post from www.day12.org then you can see the foundation for the new ministry that Gina and I are starting with the help of a local organization and a growing list of partners. [If you are at www.tippingdinosaurs.com , I encourage you to check out the new weblog now.] Wherever you are, we pray that you too may join our effort to take the message of Jesus Christ to a world that desperately needs it.

Over the past 2 1/2 months, we’ve visited lots of churches (more on this word later) and I’ve really enjoyed it. There are some great churches here in the valley of the sun and God is using those churches in amazing ways. I’ve seen volunteers and paid staff who work tireless and give of their gifts and talents to serve others with excellence. I’ve heard stories where love and sacrifice have changed hearts and turned tragedy into a story that only God could weave.  God is good and He is using His people to do awesome things.

Over the next (undetermined when I run out of stuff to say) period of time, I’d like to share some insights into what I’ve learned and re-learned, if nothing else for a journal of my thoughts as we begin to dream of shaping culture for a new [church].  I thought I would start with what a [church] is. Beware, this thought is NOT original. But, my first observation is simply to remind myself daily that the church is not a building or a service. The church is God’s people. If you are a follower of Christ, you are part of the church 24/7/365 (insert corny jingle here).  You can’t “go to church” on Sunday or any other day. That would sort of be like saying, “hey, I am thinking about going to myself today?” What? That sounds weird…and wrong. The church is the “bride of Christ.” I don’t think that Jesus is preparing a building on a corner or an hour on Sunday to be His bride. He’s preparing you and me for that. He’s shaping us. He cares about us.

So, church, what do you say we take back the word? You are the church and you gather with others during the week in corporate worship but you are the church every second of everyday. You carry that banner. Go, be the church.

(Next post…since we are on the topic of what the church is, we’ll talk a little about this statement I hear made quite often…”The church is not here for us. We are the church and we are here for the world.”  hmmm….. but, that will have to wait.)

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love relentlessly. serve sacrificially. lead humbly.