Life In Stereo

Have you ever seen those pictures that are usually a bunch of scrambled shapes, or dots, or lines and don't make any sense and people tell you that they see a horse, or a dolphin, or a cross, or something in the picture.  The first time I ever saw those stereograms I thought everyone else was crazy.  I couldn't see it.  All I could see were random lines and curves and squiggles, and definitely not a horse, or dolphin, or cross.  For me, just like most people, seeing is believing, and I just couldn't see it.

Priests

I was reading through the book of 1Kings not long ago and a passage in chapter 13 stood out to me.  Starting in verse 33, it says, "Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people.  Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places.  This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth."  Those are strong words.  I don't know about you, but destruction from the face of the earth isn't something I want said about my family.


What really captured my interest was this idea that anyone who wanted to be a priest he appointed, from all sorts of people.  That got me to thinking, who should be a priest?  Who shouldn't be a priest? And what is a priest anyway?

Biblical Misunderstanding

Have you ever read a passage of Scripture and totally misunderstood it, then later read it again or listened to a message and realized how wrong you were?

A couple of weeks ago we were studying the book of Ephesians at one of our neighborhood BYOB (Bring Your Own Bible) studies.  We were taking turns sharing thoughts and questions and passages that stood out to us during the week when one of our neighbors turned our attention to Ephesians 4:29.  We read the verse and a few of us commented and then another of our neighbors shared that she had always understood that verse to mean that cussing wasn't right unless it was really necessary to make your point or to let the person you were speaking with know that you were serious.  We all thought she was joking, but she wasn't.  In fact she read to us her translation of that verse.

Clergy Appreciation Day

Those of you who know me know that I don't consider myself to be "clergy" although I do like the term neighborhood chaplain (read this post).   So when I received a card this weekend from one of my neighbors in honor of Clergy Appreciation Day I was quite surprised.  I've been a staff member in various churches in my past and I can recall a handful of times when I received a card or an email or a hug from someone expressing appreciation during the month of October (Clergy Appreciation Month), but this one stands apart from all the others.  The handwritten note on the card simply reads, "Thank you for keeping our cul-de-sac family spiritually healthy."

I don't think I can take credit for that.  The spiritual health of the families in our neighborhood is something much bigger than me, but what affirmation and encouragement.  This card didn't come from one of the neighbors who have been worshiping with us Sunday mornings.  It didn't come from one of the neighbors attending our Friday night BYOB (Bring Your Own Bible) studies.  It came from a neighbor whose work schedule keeps her very occupied on weekends, but who still recognizes our cul-de-sac as a "family."  Did you notice that in her note?  She didn't say, "my family," or "our families," but "our cul-de-sac family."  That's what I was talking about in my last post.  I am so encouraged.

May the Father bless you and your family as you love those around you into His family.

Blessings,

Shiloh

Family

I was challenged and refreshed by a statement that Alan & Deb Hirsch made at the Live Sent Conversation last week in Lakeland.  They stated that our current conservative, American view of family isn't the same as the meaning usually conveyed by Scripture.  The "nuclear" family of husband, wife, two kids and a dog (you get the picture) is not the same family that was represented when Scripture uses that word.  Most of the time when you read the word "family" in Scripture the meaning is larger than the nuclear family that we have grown accustomed to.  Other renderings would be household, clan, tribe, group of families, or even nation.

Missional Church

There's been a lot of discussion (at least among pastors and church planters) over the past few years about missional church.  What is it?  How is it different from traditional church?  Can a traditional church be "missional"?  What does a missional church look like?  What makes a missional church missional?  Is "missional" just a buzz word that will fade into oblivion in a year or two?

All of these are good questions that deserve to be answered, though I'm not sure I am qualified to give all the answers.  I saw a video today at a Live Sent/reSymbol seminar in Orlando that I thought captured the heart of what a missional church is.  In fact, I thought the video was brilliant.  So, I figured I should pass it along to you and let you watch for yourselves.  The video was made by Jeff Maguire and can be found at the website sayingitsimply.net.  Let me know what you think.
Blessings,
Shiloh

The Chaplain Challenge

Every neighborhood needs a chaplain.  Let that sink in.

I'm not talking about a professional, paid-position, or title of chaplain.  I'm talking about person who has a deep love for Jesus, and a deep love for his neighbors.  I'm talking about a person who earns the trust of her neighbors so that when a crisis happens she is asked for prayer and comfort, and when there is a celebration he is asked to host.  I'm talking about a person who offers hope to the hopeless (maybe in the form of a hug or prayer), rest to the restless (maybe in the form of babysitting), and food to the hungry (maybe in the form of a word of Scripture).  I'm talking about a person who has invested her very life into the lives of those around her, and who has invited his neighbors into the depths of his being, behind the masks, to the core of who he is.  Every neighborhood needs a chaplain.

Does your neighborhood already have a chaplain?  If so, please share your story.  If not, consider that God may be calling you to be the chaplain of your neighborhood.
Blessings,
Shiloh

Coaching

I had a great adventure last week.  God provided me with an introduction to coaching through Rick Wheeler and Bob Bumgarner of the Florida Baptist Convention.  I'm not really sure what I expected, but my immediate thought was one of athletics when I signed up for this class.  What I discovered is that this kind of coaching is more like a vehicle that carries people, you know like a stage coach.

The Journey

I heard a quote yesterday while at a coaching conference that I thought was absolutely brilliant. Here it is: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others." The context of this quote is our life journey, specifically our spiritual life journey.

Shifting Our Thinking - Part 4

Happy New Year! I hope your new year is blessed as you seek the Father and His will for your life. I have been blessed as I continued reading through Missional Renaissance by Reggie McNeal. I've been summarizing the three shifts that he outlines in his book that individuals and churches will need to make if they are going to thrive and reproduce spiritually in today's culture. So far I summarized the shift from an internal to an external focus and the shift from program development to people development. This time I am going to summarize the shift from church-based to kingdom-based leadership.