Mighty Mouse, Part II

Ok, so last night at about 3:45 a.m. Joanna wakes me up, tells me the mouse has been struggling in the sticky trap for about 45 minutes, and says I have to do something because she has to pee extremely bad and she's not going out there by herself. Amazingly, I was coherent enough to understand what she said ... so I got up, trudged in there, and tried to figure out which of the twelve traps it was stuck in (ok, not really twelve) ... of course, under the stove, so I try to move the stove and I'll make a dramatic story shorter ... I saw a tale, I heard a struggle, I reached for the trap and ... silence. Houdini got away again (third escape for this guy) ... but the trap was thoroughly chewed and our friend had left another gift of droppings ... the whole thing must have scared the crap out of him. Anyway, stake out tonight ... coffee, headlamp, sling shot ... and victory cigar. I'll let you know what happens.

Mighty Mouse

I'm not exactly sure what the deal is ... a couple nights ago we heard a rustle behind the fridge (so we said, "Russell, what are you doing back there" ... sorry). We concluded it was a mouse (also b/c of the mouse poo everywhere). So, I bought some sticky trap thingies. We put them out and headed to bed, but after about ten minutes we heard insanity in the kitchen. Certain we had our little furry friend, I went into the kitchen to check it out. Nope. But the trap was turned upside down ... spry little mouse. So, the next night, we try again, but this time w/ a little cheese right in the middle of each trap, ya know, to make him get up there in the middle and get good and stuck. The next morning ... no mouse, but it did look like a little of the cheese was gone ... and he left some droppings for us ... ON THE TRAP. Come on, seriously. Am I being mocked by a rodent? I think so. This isn't over ...

Service Connection

Sunday we gathered at Cheswick Park to discuss and demonstrate these two values: City, Generosity. We are generous with what we have because that what we have has been given to us. We want to be be generous with our time, talent, treasure, and the truth. We value our city because there's something very special in the city ... people. We love people. And if we truly love people we will want to positively impact the city in which they live. Credibility will be gained as we demonstrate that our faith breeches the walls of a building where a church gathers.

The work went great. We had three new people, and we washed about 20 tables, plus washed and painted seven grills. Then enjoyed a quick discussion of the values, plus pizza and hang out time. Worship Connection this Sunday. Pray for us.

I Don't Go As Often As I Should ...

"... ya ever heard that before," he said with a snicker. I have, plenty. And I always wonder what sort of things are going on in peoples' hearts to cause this pseudo conviction. There are people who say they belong to a church, don't really attend, and yet, feel as though they probably should. Now, before you roll your eyes thinking this is a blog about church attendance, let me assure you, it's not. The issues in the church today go much deeper than people not showing up on Sundays. In fact I would encourage the church to attend functions where people are, instead of just expecting them to come to us.

So, anyway, where was I ... oh yea ... why the pseudo conviction? Not sure. I guess like most people in the world they feel like they should be doing something to appease the gods. I wonder if they realize that the one true God has been appeased, His wrath has been satisfied, by His Son dying a criminal's death ... and so we go to church not to appease, but to celebrate. Not to earn anything, but to express our gratitude for what has been earned. We don't go to church to appease God.

So, what's with the title? ... I was walking down the street today and started talking to a man in his yard. The comment came after I shared what I am doing here in Richmond and asked him if he goes to church anywhere. I smiled, we kept talking, and then I explained our vision for community and relational depth. He seemed intrigued. I then gave him a card, asked him to say a prayer for me and went to walk off. He responded by asking me to say a prayer for him, with an added, "I just might go to church this Sunday." So, I went ahead and offered to pray for him right then. He seemed touched, and held his hand out for me to hold. Not what I expected. I grabbed his hand and talked to God, simply and sincerely , thanking Him for listening to us, and loving us, and dying for us. I finished and looked up to see a moist-eyed older man who had been touched by a simple prayer to an awesome God.

I walked away feeling like a missionary, and affirming to myself that this is all I ever want to do ... bring God to people. So where does this leave us with the church conversation? There are people outside the church walls, with some sense of religious convictions ... they just need to encounter Jesus ... will they encounter Him in you?

First Vision Cast

It's one thing to have a vision, a vision of what could be ... what should be. It's another thing to transfer that vision to others. When you have a clear vision of what should be, it is never alone. It brings with it inspiration, clarity and endurance to keep going when the vision begins to cost more time and energy than you anticipated spending. But like I said, transferring a vision is different than having one. However, if you can transfer it clearly, then perhaps you transfer the a fore mentioned treasures as well.

So how do you transfer a vision? A vision birthed in the heart of a passionate disciple of Christ will have been formed over years of following Him, struggling with the truths He has revealed to us, and being broken over the way we fall short of what those truths demand. This is not a journey that can be duplicated in a night, or a month. So, what does it take? To be honest, I'm not completely sure. But I think if you can present it with the same passion that you felt when it was forming in your soul ... if you can pray in faith for the Spirit of God to reveal it to others as He has revealed it to you ... then perhaps God can do in another's heart what He has done in yours.

That is my prayer for tomorrow night as we begin to cast a vision for what could be in the city of Richmond ... the vision of Movement Church.

Input ... Output

So, here's something to think about ... you can you have input without output, but you can't have output with out input. Right? I think so. Consider this: you fill a glass full of water (input), you may or may not have output - it depends on if the glass is turned upside down and poured out. But if there is not water poured into the glass (no input), then it is certain, there can be no output. Seems like a pretty simple concept. But I believe it is a concept that is central to a life that is set on following Jesus.

I was reminded of this concept tonight as I went to fill up an air mattress for my father-in-law (welcome to Richmond Jim). I took out the pump, disregarded a simple diagram offering instructions and set out to plug the thing up and fill up the mattress. After I struggled for a minute to get it connected properly (who needs directions?), I turned it on and waited for it to fill up. It was making kind of a funny noise; I thought nothing of it. Trey kept coming in and messing with it, and the noise would change, but still funny. Also, it wasn't really filling up like I had anticipated, hmm. So, finally I told Trey firmly that he was not to mess with it, and I lovingly escorted him out of the room. Then I thought back to the diagram that I had barely glanced at ... it was showing something about where the air comes in and the air goes out. Then I realized why the mattress wasn't filling up and the pump was making a funny noise. The intake was on the ground, with no chance for air to come in ... no input ... no output. That's a problem.

It was a problem for the mission of filling up an air mattress, but it's even more of a problem for the mission of following Jesus and inviting others to do the same. This mission is a mission of giving. If we are not receiving, we cannot give. If you ever notice that there seems to be little output in your life, consider whether you have made one of the blunders I made ... ignoring instructions, ignoring warning signs, blaming others (poor little Trey). These are all a hindrance to having an open input valve. And without input, there can be no output.

Sweaty Kisses

Some may have decided not to read this one after one glance at the title ... but for those brave enough to check it out ... thank you, and I hope you won't be disappointed. It was a comment I heard that I just can't get out of my head. The details are a little foggy (that's code for "I'm making this whole thing up" ... just kidding), but there's a nugget of truth in this story for us to ponder.

I was at Cliff's house (for anyone just tuning in ... Cliff Jordan is the guy I'm partnering up with to plant a church in Richmond, Va), and April (wife) kissed Cliff, who happened to be sweaty, and she commented that he was salty ... to which Cliff responded, "yea, I need to drink some more water." Hmm, that's not the solution to the problem that I first would have thought of. The idea is, that if your sweat is really salty, you're not getting enough water, and so your sweat has a higher concentration of salt than it should. So ... salty sweat, drink water. Ok, but why not just go take a shower?

That's when it hit me ... there were two very distinct approaches to this issue. One approach only dealt with the surface, but one went below the surface. See, I was thinking, if you got salt on your skin, you just go wash it off. But, the real issue is - you're not getting enough water ... it's your condition on the inside that really determines the saltiness of the sweat on the outside. Then I thought, hmm, this whole concept seems familiar.

How many of us take this same approach to sin? When we detect sin in our life, we just think on the surface ... just try to wash it off. But sin can't be dealt with on the surface, because that's not where the problem is ... it's on the inside. Jesus pointed this out to the pharisees in Matthew 23:25-26: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but on the inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean."

We cannot address our sin issue with behavior modification; simply trying harder not sin will not produce any lasting results. We must look below the surface ... the heart of the matter. If God has saved you, He has also changed you. We must recognize that God HAS cleansed our hearts and made us new ... and then we can live that new life knowing that we have a new identity, not simply trying to stop doing bad stuff.

Spiritual showers like church attendance, giving money, and attempts to stop doing bad stuff are not enough to cleanse your heart ... only the blood of Jesus is enough to cleanse your heart. And if He has, recognize it, thank Him, and live in light of that truth.