:: In.a.Mirror.Dimly ::

If there’s one thing that gardeners dread, it’s tomato blight. It’s almost a supernatural phenomenon. I didn’t watch the X-Files, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they covered tomato blights in an episode.

Tomato blights seem to arise from nowhere in particular, and they inflict irreversible damage to tomato plants. A plant with blight has received a kind of death sentence. It’s like bubonic plague for tomatoes.

I think we all fear spiritual blight at one time or another: a kind of lapse in our relationships with God that we can’t overcome. Maybe a persistent sin derails us, a big sin knocks us out, or the persistent tapping of doubt finally starts to resonate with us.

Spiritual blight is worth fearing because we don’t really know how to repair it on our own. When we’ve messed up so completely and horribly, what can make things better?

There is one sure remedy for spiritual blight that I know of, and it may surprise you. In a sense, repentance has a part in it, but not quite in the way you think. You don’t have to sit before God and merely wallow in your state of spiritual blight.

You need to sit before God and worship.

Spiritual blight occurs when we focus too much on ourselves, on our sins, on the wrong people, or the wrong priorities. We can’t fix it on our own because too much of ourselves is the problem in the first place. It’s like taking a plant infected with blight and rubbing it on a plant already suffering from blight.

Worship repairs us because we were made to focus on God, not on ourselves or our sins. Worship leads us to repentance and better choices. Worship grounds us in God’s reality, and in worship we can find the sacrifice for our sins, the hope of resurrection, and the peace and joy of God’s Spirit.

If you read enough of the Old Testament, you’ll find that the problem God’s people confronted over and over again was purity of worship. They always found something else to trust, something else to praise, and something else to guide their lives.

Worship was always the place where God began with his people. It fights off the false gods we trust, the priorities that threaten God’s place in our lives, and the sinful practices that alienate us from God. When we are worshipping God with all of our hearts and minds, we don’t have anything left to give to our sinful desires.

When we worship, we are repaired. When we worship, we tap into the hope that God promises us.

We don’t live holy lives by avoiding sin. We live in holiness by worshipping.

The Greenhouse

What do you think is keeping you back from God today?

Take 5 minutes to listen to worship music or to read prayers of worship (such as the Psalms) in order to restore God to his central place in your life today.

Taking Root is a series of meditations I’m writing and editing for Central Vineyard Church during the season of Lent. You can download the podcast version of each post by subscribing to my church’s podcast for each day of the series.

I used to drive from my mom’s house to my dad’s house along this huge, busy road in Philadelphia called the Roosevelt Boulevard. There were six lanes in each direction, with three express lanes in the middle and three local lanes on the side.

I always tried to improve my time and fuel efficiency by pushing my limits in the express lane.

My one obstacle to fuel efficiency and optimal speed was the first traffic light I hit on the Boulevard. If I was the first car, I could make it if I gunned it to 55 MPH right away. However, if I was second or further back, I crept along, giving my car minimal gas so that I rolled into the light without having to tap on the brake.

The stakes here were either a few minutes of waiting at the next traffic light or a few pennies of fuel. However, the game of hitting that first light perfectly took on an overblown significance over the years. Rather than driving safely, focusing on the cars around me, I carefully managed my speed and position relative to the light.

It’s a bit of a miracle that I didn’t plow into any of the cars in front of me.

Of course this wasn’t necessarily a huge risk, but after driving by that light on a trip to Philadelphia, I finally realized how foolish I can be, taking completely unnecessary risks. My friend, who is a police officer, has all kinds of stories of accidents that result from people taking risks in their cars, such as putting on makeup, texting, or running red lights.

I’ve tried to cross streets only to be nearly run over by someone on the phone or just trying to make the turn first. I know I’ve felt that tension in my car while waiting at a crosswalk and drumming my fingers as I wait for each pedestrian to meander to the opposite sidewalk.

“Just… move… faster…” I practically growl to myself.

What’s at stake if the person doesn’t hurry across the street?

Will I really gain anything if I can turn faster?

I don’t even think I can understand what goes through my mind when I feel rushed or competitive about my time in the car. Is it boredom? Is it misplaced priorities? Is it an obsession with time as a commodity?

I’d rather not think about it. I’d rather just move faster and more efficiently.

We have the means to travel fast, but we can’t always do it. When I’m denied the ability to get what I think I should be able to do, I get grumpy. It feels better to avoid personal reflection than to confront the ugly reality behind my desire for greater speed.

The possibility of speed does not mean I’m entitled to it.

Life gets in the way of what we think we deserve. God slams on the brakes like an overzealous driver’s ed instructor who yells, “Woah there buckaroo!”

The next time you’re frustrated about losing your speed or momentum, whether it’s with the kids at home, a project that falls apart, or a traffic jam, you have an opportunity to examine your expectations and what’s really at stake. You may not like what you find, but you may also find what you need to confess to God.

You may not finish in first place during rush hour, but you may find enough peace in the presence of God that coming in first no longer matters.

The Greenhouse

The next time you feel rushed or frustrated, stop to thank God for one good thing that has happened that day.

Ever lose your temper while out on the roads as a driver or pedestrian? If you feel anger at someone, you have an opportunity to pray for that person. He/she may have bigger problems than you can imagine!

Taking Root is a series of meditations I’m writing and editing for Central Vineyard Church during the season of Lent. You can download the podcast version of each post by subscribing to my church’s podcast for each day of the series.

“Serve God! Don’t give in to the lust of the flesh!”

That’s what a preacher at an Atlanta subway station bellowed at my dad and me in 1996. We were on our way to the track and field finals for the Olympics. The sudden condemnation from a supposed Christian ally stung. I began to wonder, “Are we really sinning by ‘wasting’ our time at this event?”

If that was a sin, then I had bigger problems. My dad and I had a long history of “sinning” by attending hockey games—let alone watching them on TV. Were we overindulging in America’s entertainment culture?

I have a complicated relationship with leisure and entertainment. On the one hand, I find relaxation and energy in my leisure time. So far as I can tell, viewing a hockey game makes for one relaxing evening. I’m sure you have your own favorite activity as well.

Sometimes the seasons determine how I’ll spend my evening. While hockey is my winter activity, in the summer I’ll be out tending to my vegetable garden or weeding around our flowers. Leisure like this can be a medicine that restores us. However, leisure, like medicine, can also be abused.

If I constantly need medicine, then I may either have a chronic condition that needs direct treatment or I’m dangerously addicted to medicine. I could take Aleve every day for my headaches, or I could address the causes of my sinus pressure by dusting our home in order to minimize my allergic reactions.

When I work too much or lose my focus on God’s peaceful presence, I can turn immediately to television shows or random websites for comfort or medicine. There is nothing wrong with watching a hockey game or reading a book, but my problems come when I wear myself out by working too much and then crashing in the evenings.

If my only ambition at the end of the day is to crash in the evening, then I’m relying too much on entertainment to medicate the pain caused by how I spend the majority of my day. Sometimes a hockey game or an hour in the garden is just what I need.

However, I also need to look at how work and leisure relate to one another. As someone who looks at a screen all day for work, should I always rely on a screen for my leisure? If I want to spend time in the garden, are there times when I’m avoiding responsibilities or relationships?

Some nights I should read scripture and refocus on what God may be saying to me. Other nights a novel may help me relax in the right way. Still other nights I should go out with my wife, take care of the laundry, or finally fix that broken latch on our trash can.

When I just want simple, low-input medicine all of the time, I’m either failing to pace myself during the day or I’m relying too much on the easy entertainment option. There are all kinds of medicines and cures. The TV is just one of many, and it may even be one of the worst.

I have no qualms with using a book, TV show, or garden project as a medicine that helps me unwind. I just want to make sure that I don’t live my life for the medicine.

The Greenhouse

Who or what do you rely on to “survive” the week?

Are there sources of stress that you need to entrust to God rather than a “medicine”?

Taking Root is a series of meditations I’m writing and editing for Central Vineyard Church during the season of Lent. You can download the podcast version of each post by subscribing to my church’s podcast for each day of the series.

A few months after I received a new E-reader, my wife’s Mac broke, and I had to take it to the Apple Store. I feel like you can’t fight the Apple Store. You just need to deal with the fact that you will spend the next hour or two panting over the latest devices and MacBooks.

I didn’t go in without a plan. I had my new E-reader, and I thought I could at least distract myself from all of the sleek, desirable iPads and MacBooks around me.

The worst case scenario happened.

I pulled out my black, boxy E-reader and began to compare it to all of the slick iPads and iPhones lining the counters that crowds surged to touch. What was I doing with this horrible looking E-reader? How dare I violate the Mac sanctuary with my unclean product!

My appointment at the Genius Bar was held up for about a half hour, so I had plenty of time to compare my E-reader over and over again.

Just a few months ago I had been thrilled to receive my E-reader. Just that morning I had used it to read the Bible, hardly giving any thought to its design or interface. It was fine—really just fine.

What changed?

I feel like I pass through seasons of desire for new technology. I get swept up in the sales and promotions, the glittering reviews, and the urge to simply own something brand new. However, it doesn’t take long for that luster to wear off.

Oftentimes I feel emptier after buying new things, especially technology products. It’s like I’m filling a void in my life that is unplugged so that everything I add spills out.

I walked home that day through a large mall on a Saturday afternoon that swarmed with people rushing from one store to another with large, colorful bags. Shopping to a certain degree has become just another activity like knitting or gardening in our culture. To one degree or another, we all feel that tug to fill something within ourselves with what we buy.

Do we even know what it is that we’re trying to fill?

Jesus doesn’t offer us a system for dealing with our stuff, setting income limits, or assigning percentages for tithing, but he does provide a pretty simple way to handle our possessions: give away what you can. When we give things away, we are inadvertently creating space to be filled with more of God and the joy that comes from caring for others.

Giving away our possessions neutralizes their power over us, reminding us that we are not defined by what we own. We can take it or leave, but our identity is wrapped up in what God does in us, not in what we wrap ourselves in or use day to day.

The followers of Jesus came from a wide variety of financial backgrounds, and some of his followers clearly had wealth that they held onto and used—such as sharing their homes for church meetings. By advocating generosity, Jesus wanted to break the hold of wealth and materialism on his disciples long before the word “consumer” came into being in our affluent times.

Jesus knew that generosity fills us with the things that last and satisfy, while fighting off everything that seeks to trap and enslave us. The point isn’t that we can’t buy a new technology device. The point is that we’re so generous to others that new technology devices have no power over us, and we are free to only buy what we need, rather than buying everything we crave.

The Greenhouse

Take some time to meditate on what generosity to others could look like in your life. Keep in mind that we’re all in different seasons, so we need to hear what God desires for us right now.

As you pray about generosity today, ask God to reveal whether any of your possessions have an unhealthy hold on you.

Taking Root is a series of meditations I’m writing and editing for Central Vineyard Church during the season of Lent. You can download the podcast version of each post by subscribing to my church’s podcast for each day of the series.

Taking Root is a series of meditations I’m writing and editing for Central Vineyard Church during the season of Lent. You can download the podcast version of each post by subscribing to my church’s podcast or visiting the podcast blog for each day of the series.

Today’s post is by Jeremy Slagle of Central Vineyard.

When we think of great artists, names like Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and others come to mind. But before they were recognized for the achievements in museums, they were painters employed by the church to create art. Let me say that again with emphasis: they were employed by the church to create art.

The church recognized that because God’s attribute of creativity is so important and because people are made in His image, it is essential for humans to create. It’s a part of who we are.

Children are creative from day one. Young children go through large quantities of crayons and paper, play-doh, and paste. They can’t get enough of it.

But something happens in our culture as children get older. By the time they reach middle school a vast majority no longer see themselves as creative. Many stop creating because they are afraid of what others will say about their art. Experts say that after 9th grade it’s nearly impossible to change a person’s mind about his/her creative side.

On the flip side, if you ever take an art class given through a local arts group or recreation center, you will notice a disproportionately large number of older folks. For most, it is because they are retired and they want to return to doing something they once loved to do but work and family got in the way, and they had to put it off.

Creativity Is Important to God

This, of course, is a major understatement. God cares so much for his creation that even when it turned its back on Him and decided to live for itself, He sacrificed his only son for it.

• Jesus came to earth as a carpenter’s son, learning a trade that allowed him to use his hands to work the wood that he once spoke into existence.

• In Genesis God used a craftsman named Noah to build an enormous ark which saved mankind and all of the animals.

• Moses rose to power as royal architect in Egypt before he lead his people out of slavery.

• In the Psalms we read the lyrics of a gifted writer named David as he writes songs of praise and defeat, betrayal and victory.

• King Solomon’s record of the building of the temple accounts the painstaking detail that was given by the best artists in the land as they dedicated years to building a physical building as a place of worship to the most high God.

The scriptures are filled with creative people who are called on to use their talents to further God’s plan on earth.

Being creative doesn’t mean it’s your profession or even your passion. There are creative people in all businesses and many have found it a way to connect with a part of themselves that has been dormant since they held a crayon in second grade.

Some do this with music, others with paint, but the overwhelming reason they do it is because the feel like they should. Not because they are forced to but because it brings them joy. It requires them to take time and get messy. For the believer it has an even deeper reason–to connect with the creator.

As Christians, we should see creativity as a gift: something we do to get in touch with God.

Drawing as meditation: Forget the audience

Use a sketchbook and block out any concerns about an audience. Explore where God wants to lead you. Take time to also write notes about what you are drawing. Take time to think about what you are drawing. Worship the creator and think about His design. Thank Him for giving you a new appreciation for his marvelous skills.

Involve the Family in Creativity

Creativity doesn’t have to be put on the top shelf until you’re an empty-nester. Make it a part of your routine and include your children in it by buying them a sketchbook and documenting their experiences with drawings and collages.

It’s never Too Late to be Creative–

Drawing is the most fundamental form of art. All you need is a pencil and paper and you’re on your way. Buy an unlined sketchbook and pick one thing a day to draw. Don’t worry about how it looks when you are done. It’s for your eyes only. Find groups within your community that teach drawing or plein air painting and get involved. The best way to do anything better is to practice and art is no different.

Calling for a new Renaissance

Visit a gallery show or artist group and ask them what inspires them to create. Take time to visit a museum, go to a concert, read a biography of an artist.

For Meditation:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

“A Christian should use these arts to the glory of God, not just as tracts, mind you, but as things of beauty to the praise of God. An art work can be a doxology in itself.”

? Francis A. Schaeffer, Art & the Bible

Taking Root is a series of meditations I’m writing and editing for Central Vineyard Church during the season of Lent. You can download a podcast for each day of Lent bysubscribing to my church’s podcast or visiting the podcast blog for each day of the series.

Just breathe.

That may sound simple enough. Don’t we breathe every day without even thinking about it?

Exactly.

Breathing sustains us minute by minute. It’s the most important thing you can do today. And yet we keep sucking air in and out, not realizing how important it is.

Stop and breathe.

Seriously, close your eyes and focus on only breathing.

Suck the air in and let it out in a rush. Then do it again.

We breathe constantly, a life-sustaining multi-tasking that ensures we’ll never notice the one simple thing that keeps us alive. So many other things strike us as urgent, but only one keeps us on our feet.

• We eat and breathe.
• We drive and breathe.
• We shop and breathe.
• We work and breathe.
• We cook and breathe.

We rarely breathe as a single practice. Just breathing may well be the height of simplicity. Breathing is the one thing that we must do.

When we breathe, we are alive. That is all. As we focus on only breathing, we can take a few steps forward:

Breathing Teaches Us Awareness

As you focus on breathing, you may notice that it’s hard to do. Perhaps your pulse rises. I’ve had anxiety attacks in the past, and whenever my anxiety rises, my body gives me a clue through difficulty breathing. Learn to stop and take note of the signals your body is giving you.

Breathing Gives Us Perspective

I find that I often run from one thing to another, placing too high an importance on relatively trivial matters. Few of the things that I worry about will actually threaten my life. Only by stopping to breathe and simplify my day can I spot my orientation and the unhealthy patterns I’ve been cultivating.

Breathing is easy to overlook, but it is the most essential aspect of every day. Without breathing, we would just collapse.

The more we ponder the simple practice of breathing, the more aware we can become of the miracle of life. How does sucking air in and out of our lungs sustain us?

That is the mystery of God. Our lives depend on him, and if stopping to breathe can teach us that one thing, it will be well worth our time.

The Greenhouse

Take one minute to focus on breathing and nothing else. Did it change the direction or focus of your day?

If you tried the five minutes of silence from yesterday, try five minutes of silent breathing. If you want to turn this into a prayer, try praying the Jesus Prayer in your mind as you breathe. For example:

• Breathing in: Jesus Christ
• Breathing out: Son of God
• Breathing in: have Mercy on Me
• Breathing out: a sinner.

Try focusing on breathing while doing something else today so that you focus on the breathing first. For example, if you take a walk, focus on breathing rather than your pace. If you’re buying groceries, take a minute to focus on your breathing as you walk through the store. Don’t worry about speeding through the store. Breathe while you shop.

When I first contacted Lisa Burgess about sharing her ministry story, I knew she had a tough situation. Since then, her ministry situation has only become more complicated. I’ve always been blessed by reading Lisa’s blog, but reading her post today reminds me of the power of God’s grace while under pressure.

The countdown had begun. In twenty minutes the doorbell would ring. Then it would be too late. I grabbed my husband and asked if we could pray together. Now.

In a moment of holy irony, I prayed with a man—right before my visitor would ask me not to.

I struggle as a woman in a conservative church. Do I stay and work for change? Or do I escape to enjoy freedom elsewhere?

Weeks earlier I had determined to stay. My friend Kay and I started a new Sunday class for teen girls. We’d study how Jesus touched the lives of women in the Bible. And see how he touches ours.

The day before our first class, Kay and I were pulled aside by a godly woman a few years our senior. She asked to see our classroom. Then holding us both by the hand, she bowed her head and prayed for us there.

The following day, early Sunday morning, a peer entered our room, again to pray, asking Jesus to transform us, including the teen girls, into his image.

We’ve had the class for six weeks now. One of our goals? Raise up a new generation of women who will pray, who will not stay silent. Talking things over with each other and with God helps us mature.

So what about with men?

Community calls for a blending of all who are made in God’s image. At our family gatherings, can’t both sons and daughters talk to the Father?

In my Sunday night small group, we’ve prayed in mixed company for years. It’s grown us closer to God. Closer to each other.

But no longer?

The visitor at my door was confirming it: Not for now.

Until the leaders completed their biblical studies on women’s roles, they were asking all women—both young and old, in large or small church gatherings—to refrain from verbalizing our prayers in front of a man.

A brother’s conscience had earlier been offended by hearing women talk to God in his presence. He believed—sincerely—that women should not “lead,” even in prayer. I hadn’t known.

So now what? What happens if it’s a sin to him if we do, but a sin to us if we don’t?

How do we create spiritual breathing room for us both to follow our consciences? To find grace in the tension? To maintain unity in honoring God?

I have yet to find the perfect answer. I repent daily of my resentment for even having to seek one.

But this I have found: Jesus seats all his followers—both male and female—at the grown-up table. I need not question my value before God just because I’m a woman. Nor be ashamed of my voice as I speak to him. Nor question the ministry he’s given me. If I let my opportunities dry up, my gifts may rot with them. I need to intentionally seek ways to use them.

So I pray.

I pray alone. And with the teen girls’ class. And with female friends who graciously enter my home specifically to pray.

And I’ll continue to pray with my husband.

I’m convinced God won’t be critical of who we’re praying with. He’s just pleased that we’re praying.

To him. The Father of all the boys. And of all the girls.

Access to him isn’t based on gender. He invites us all to talk.

* * *

About This Week’s Blogger

Lisa Burgess writes as an ordinary southern woman seeing an extraordinarily holy God. (And she’d write more often if she didn’t feel guilty about the time.) She blogs at Lisa notes, where she seeks truth, admits failure, and enjoys company. She’s three months away from retiring as a homeschool mom and wonders what’s up next (suggestions, anyone?). You can read more about Lisa here.

About the Women in Ministry Series

The Women in Ministry Series is a collection of guest posts that aims to:

• Provide an alternative to the women in ministry debates by telling the stories of women in ministry.
• Encourage women to explore their God-given callings.

You can stay updated on the latest post each week by signing up for the weekly e-mail list. (You also get a free E-book!)

Comment Policy: Everyone is welcome to leave a comment. However, this series takes for granted that women are called by God into every facet of ministry. This is not the place to debate that point and such comments will be removed.Women have been told “no” in far too many places. This is one place that is committed to saying “yes.” For more about the comment policy or submitting your own story, read here.

Next Week’s Blogger: Pastor Elizabeth Hagan

Taking Root is a series of meditations I’m writing and editing for Central Vineyard Church during the season of Lent. You can download a podcast for each day of Lent by subscribing to my church’s podcast or visiting the podcast blog for each day of the series.

Strawberries only grow in the summer up north. That’s nothing all that shocking, but if we can understand the implications of this, we are on the verge of planting a seed of an idea that can change our lives.

It really all starts with strawberries.

It never occurred to me that strawberries have a limited growing season. When I realized that my winter supply of strawberries has always been shipped in from places like California, I had a striking revelation.

In the past, people couldn’t eat strawberries out of season. Think about that. Millions of people were deprived of this heaven-sent berry, a top five fruit along with blueberries, for ten or eleven months of the year. A bland honeydew or tart apple doesn’t get the job done like a strawberry.

How in the world did God think it was a good idea to give apples such a long season and to keep the strawberry season so short?

My strawberry theology crisis aside, strawberries have their limits. When weather cools down, strawberries just can’t grow. It’s impossible to grow strawberries in the winter. The plants need their in-season and off-season time in order to produce fruit.

My own distance from farming has kept me from noticing how seasons work with my food, but we don’t need to look far before we start noticing seasons. From the changing of leaves, to the various sports leagues, to shows on network television and cable—our lives are ordered around seasons.

In some respects we are swept along with the seasons of life such as childhood and adulthood, but in my own life I’ve found that two things tend to happen:

1. I fight the arrival of a new season.

2. I fail to notice the need to change seasons on my own.

Either way, there’s a rhythm built into creation. Fighting against the rhythm of seasons can leave us feeling uprooted—a confused chaos of uncertainty and stress.

Fighting a New Season

Sometimes I want to keep things just as they are, fearing a change or even a leap into the dark that a new season brings. While we can fight off seasons in the grocery store and import our strawberries, we can’t stop people from changing, growing up, or moving on. Each change of season brings some losses and fresh opportunities.

Failing to Change Seasons on My Own

Sometimes we can push on in our lives as if we aren’t living in seasons. We can keep working, keep seeking the same entertainment, and keep using our free time in the same ways. Our lives become these predictable patterns that may be disappointing sometimes, but the up side is the predictability.

While some seasons creep up on us and we have to eventually figure out how to survive, these self-imposed seasons are far more challenging. Breaking these patterns and habits can be tough because we don’t see the urgency. Aren’t things working out just fine?

The problem is that our lives are generally moving at the pace of a sprint, running at top speed, trying to squeeze every last drop out of each day, but life is a marathon that demands different paces. Recognizing life as a series of seasons frees us to grow, change, and transition with the different seasons of life. Without seasons, we deprive ourselves of self-reflection and keep pushing on, adding more and more until we snap.

Unless we force ourselves to step back from our well-worn and familiar patterns, we’ll have a hard time figuring out what may be holding us back from going deeper with God. Christians recognized this dilemma, so they created a season before Easter that forces us to do just that.

Indulging in God in the Season of Lent

Lent is a Christian season that aims to point out the ways we’ve drifted from God and gives us the tools to restore a healthy balance. We don’t deprive ourselves of food or pleasure as a religious observance per se. Rather, we’re creating room so that we can splurge on God.

Lent is a season of feasting on Christ’s presence in our lives, and therefore we remove something significant as a way of creating time where God can work in us. We don’t give these things up for all time but merely for a season. Then we can restore our lives to their proper order with Christ in his place as Lord of all.

As you consider how to create space for God during this season, I encourage you to ask God to reveal one thing that gets in the way of your relationship with him. It may be food, a game, a habit, or a lifestyle choice. Even something as simple as turning off your phone or computer for a set period of time each day and meditating in a quiet space can make Lent a productive season of recuperation and rest.

Resting for a season sows a seed within us that starts to hint at what we were made to do and where we are going. If we want the fruits of hope, joy, and peace that God brings, we need to start with this seed of thinking seasonally, of giving something up for a set period of time.

By entering a season of rest, we’ll find that God has promised us sweet things for the future. Even those sweet things, much like biting into juicy summer strawberries, will pass away as we enter a new season. Whether it is a season of plenty or a time of want, may our one constant be an abundance of God’s presence in our lives.

The Greenhouse

We usually think about Lent as a make or break time of fasting. It’s like a New Year’s resolution for Christians. Failure seems inevitable. It’s so big and drastic, who can keep it up for 40 days?

While I still encourage you to change a habit or practice in your life so that you can create more space for God, each day of this series we’re going to provide a list of practices that you can test out. Think of these practices as experiments that may or may not work. You’re just sticking these idea seedlings into your life to see what sprouts.

Maybe these idea seeds will grow into something significant, but we’re not interested in creating something huge here. We’re testing some things out, and then we’ll leave the next step up to God’s Spirit in your own life. Here are some idea seeds you can try out today:

Look at the past 5-10 years of your life. Have you moved in and out of any personal seasons?

Look up the church calendar at www.explorefaith.org. Take 5 minutes to reflect on what it means to think seasonally about spiritual growth and discipleship. Write down your observations.

When I think about what I want or what advertisers tell me I want, I usually say something like this:

• Get more done…
• Work faster…
• Find more time…
• Become more organized and efficient…

Speed and efficiency are really, really important for us today.

If someone asked me how I feel, I’d probably say something like “I feel stressed, busy, and worried.” 

In other words, I want speed and efficiency, but I feel awful.

Any chance our desires are related to how we feel?

Starting this Wednesday I’m launching a new blog series called Taking Root for the season of Lent.

We’ll be exploring ways to become rooted in God’s presence in the midst of a chaotic, uprooted culture. My pastor Jeff Cannell at Central Vineyard was key in helping me put this together. We call it a Christian version of the Zen Habits blog.

You’ll be able to read the posts each day of Lent here at this blog, but you can also download a podcast for each day of Lent by subscribing to my church’s podcast or visiting the podcast blog for each day of the series. We had a group of readers record each podcast, and the series logo was designed by Jeremy Slagle.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow as we kick off the series: How Living in Seasons Changes Everything

I met with a friend the other day to talk about a writing and design project that I will soon unleash on you, but for now it’s a secret. In any case, my friend is a designer who grew up in the church, and he mentioned that our church is the first church where he actually feels like he belongs as an artist.

I’ve heard other artists share their struggles with the church in the past, and so I asked him, “What makes this church different?” I’m the new guy around here. What do I know?

He didn’t mention a program.

He didn’t talk about a curriculum.

He didn’t even talk about a small group.

“They just affirm who I am and my calling to create,” is the gist of his reply.

I’ve been thinking lately about what it means to belong in the church. We have men, women, artists, and plenty of other groups who feel like they just don’t belong in the church. After my conversation with him, I began to jot down some ideas. Here’s where I’m at with all of this:

What if the church is spending too much time trying to make us into something so that we can fulfill a greater organization goal?

In other words, I’m wondering if some churches have made a subtle but alienating shift into Church Inc®. Have we been asking people to offer their gifts to the church so that the organization can reach its full potential rather than affirming their gifts so they can reach their full potential?

In Church Inc® the people make the organization better, stronger. Artists can serve the church, but only when their gifts serve Church Inc® are they actually using their gifts to glorify God. Gifts are dropped in at Church Inc® and that’s that.

In “Church People,”the goal is to affirm people to develop their God-given gifts and to use them where they are. Church People tries to create focus so that people can hear from God, and sometimes those people will be called to serve God within the church. However, the difference comes with the function of the organization—there is a symbiotic relationship where the group and individuals serve one another rather than the advancement of the organization.

Church Inc® is a system. By and large, it has been adopted as “the way things are.” It can be equally cruel and demanding on pastors and attendees. Pastors are demanded to build something significant, and therefore they must use their people in order to build something they can feel good about.

Church People puts the people first, creating an organization that can only thrive when the people are loved and encouraged to pursue their God-given callings.

In writing about Church Inc® and Church People, I want to make it clear that I don’t see scheming people at Church Inc® who want to virtually enslave artists, coerce women, or browbeat men. However, this diagnosis could help us see part of the problem with people not fitting into church.

Men who desire adventure and challenge struggle with Church Inc® because it wants them to be nice, polite members, rather than affirming the challenges of Jesus in the Gospels to go out, serve others, to bring justice, and to lay down their lives for others.

Women who want to use their God-given gifts struggle with Church Inc® because it has limited places where they can serve, missing out on the ways that the Gospel abolishes the divisions of race and gender.

Artists who feel compelled to create struggle with Church Inc® because their gifts are only useful for the purposes of the church and its campaigns. They return to their daily work wondering how it could possibly relate to God.

In wrapping this up, I want to say that Church Inc® and Church People certainly can mix. I’m sure that a church that puts people first can easily cross the line into Church Inc® where people become tools for its goals. It’s easy to lose sight of these things.

I also want to emphasize that so much of church has been handed down to us. Generation after generation passes on church culture and customs. Who knows where Church Inc® came from?

There aren’t any sides in this matter. There’s only a state of mind, a state of mind that either puts the organization or the people first.

So long as we have organized churches, we will always feel that tension, that pull to put the greater organization ahead of the people. To the extent that we are committed to imperfectly loving our Christian communities, we will manage to fight off the wiles of Church Inc® and support the people around us because the mean the world to us—not because they are valuable assets for the future of the church.