Sunday @ LibertyHill

* Great response on vision sermon: engaging people in the life and mission of Jesus
* Altar full of folks praying for God to give us clarity on the direction of the church
* We are not going to just be "comfortable"
* Tyler takes his small group to Starbucks to share testimonies
* Hanging w/ the family on a rainy day
* UGA football next Saturday.

SafeHouse

Tonightmy family joined a group of about thirty folks on a journey to experience the face of homelessness. We journeyed with an organization in Atlanta called SafeHouse (http://www.safehouseoutreach.org/). Here are some of my thoughts:
* Homelessness has a face: Christian, four years old. Him and his mom sleep on the street every night and if they are lucky they can get into a shelter. He ran up to Jaden started hugging him and said we are going to be "cousins."
* I am proud to serve a church where a challenge to go to downtown Atlanta and walk among the homeless can be given on Sunday morning during a sermon and thirty people show up ready to go.
* I am proud to serve a church where students and elderly are ready to serve
* I am proud to serve a church where the staff understand that ministry happens on the streets and what we do in the office is preparation. When it comes to walking the streets the division of church staff and church member is stripped away and we just become brothers and sisters.
* The truth is my children learned more about Jesus and missions through their experience tonight and the conversations leading up to and after the experience then they would sitting in five years worth of Sunday School lessons. We learn through experience. The stories of Jesus are real and not something we just find cute and cuddly in a classroom.

God revealed a powerful truth to me as I walked the streets of Atlanta tonight. God said, "There is a difference between "sheltering" and protecting your children. A lot of parents don't get the difference. I never want to shelter my children from the hurts and pains of the world because that is where God is. We are not protecting our children if we shelter them from the experience of life. As a parent I am to protect. We have had our children pray for kids who don't have homes, food, or a mommy or daddy. Because tonight we chose not to shelter our children, the prayer was real.

"Dear God give Christian, my new cousin, a home, a daddy, food, and help Christian know Jesus" - Jaden Prickett, 6 yrs old.

You only get this kind of good stuff when the church hits the road!

Still Believing,

Jamey

Unchurching the Church

I am more convinced that the call to make disciples includes "unchurching" the church. We have created a church culture that insists on "come and see"instead on the words of Jesus "go and make." There must be a conversion within the walls of the church. We have become settlers when we were called to be pilgrims. Pilgrims are on a journey. Pilgrims travel on the Way. The early church used the image of a boat. The safest place for a boat is at sea and not tied to the dock.

Sunday @ LibertyHill

* The worship rocked!
* Lesson: the Holy Spirit and technology is unpredictable
* 9:45 small group great discussion. the discussion and perspectives are amazing.
* good response to people who are tired of playing it safe and ready to get out of the lazy-boy lifestyle and risk it for Jesus!
* Met a new person.
* Jaden got a haircut. He wanted it "spiked."
* cut grass - is it ok to cut grass on the Sabbath if you enjoy it?
* spend the rest of the evening with my honey eating my favorite dessert - chocolate ice cream.

Walkin w/ Jesus

"In that new way of living and new form of society which is called the Kingdom of Heaven, there are no nations, there are only individuals." (Quote from Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago).
As followers of Jesus we are called to reach individuals. It means we cannot distinguish from going across the ocean or going across the street. We go where we are sent to reach people. Another way I like to define missions is simply taking a walk with Jesus. If you decide to talk a way with Jesus today don't be surprised by the places he may take you.

Building or People

Jim Peterson in The Church Without Walls writes: "The First Century churches did not invent many new forms. They used this existing social structure, the household, as its basic vechicle. This is where ekklesia/church happened. The message tended to flow within a household, adn from household to household, following natural networks of relationships. There were almost no church buildings for the first 300 years of Christian history. Homes were used. Usually the nucleus of a church would be a household. In terms of forms, the church was almost invisible."
Today we feel that church cannot be done without a building. The day that being church is removed from the homes is the day that church is removed from everyday life. We turn guest into visitors and participants into spectators. Want my definition of church: Where two or more believers are living out the Kingdom of God as it is taught by Jesus.

Still Believing,

Jamey

Moved By The Spirit

This past week I have heard stories about people being "moved by the Spirit" to do certain things or say certain things. Last night in our bible reading Sharon and I read how Simeon was "moved by the Spirit" to enter the Temple at the same time that Jesus' parents were bringing him to be presented before God. The Holy Spirit moved Simeon to be where Jesus was.
The same happens today. The Holy Spirit leads us toward the presence of Christ which is usually in the hurts, scars, and pains of our world. Its like two magnets that are attracted to each other. If we will be lead by the Spirit it will always be in the direction of Jesus.
I had to confess last night that if I was "moved by the Spirit" I probably wouldn't notice because I am moving so fast at my own pace. Its time for me to slooooooooow down and listen!

Still Believing,

Jamey