Monday morning leftovers

Yesterday we talked about trusting God and planting for the future…even it feels like you are starting with nothing. Above is a picture of our first Sunday (2/10/08) at Fat Daddys nightclub…complete with a fully stocked bar, plastic deck chairs,  and a Buddha statue in the audience. :-)  Below is  a pic of our (in)famous children’s area (complete with a two bars, a cigarette machine, and go-go dancing cages.)

Here’s what it looks like to fill Easter Eggs with cash, and “plant” the last of the church’s money the lives of people with needs in the community a few months later on Easter Sunday.

The “rules” from that First Easter Sunday giveaway.

If you missed it, you can hear the rest of the story on the podcast here.  http://actionchurch.com/2012/01/22/you-reap-what-you-sow-week-3/

When you trust God, you NEVER actually start with nothing.
When you trust God, resources stretch…and miracles happen.

Miracles Underground

I know winter is still in full force here in York county…it’s actually just beginning…but I’m looking forward to spring.  I’m ready for the weather to warm up, the trees to sprout leaves, and the grass to “magically” appear.

Here’s something to remember though:  There’s a LOT going on underground that we can’t see.  Even when our lawns seem “dead”, there are countless miles of roots LIVING below the surface, just waiting for the right conditions to grow again.

We can’t see below the surface.   We can’t see seeds and plants sprout and grow roots deep into the soil.  We often can’t see the results of the countless hours (and dollars) spent on our lawns and gardens until many months later.

That’s the nature of sowing and reaping.  It takes time.  There are seasons of quick growth…and seasons when everything seems to be “dead”.   Every seed we plant doesn’t “come up”.  (That’s why you use a lawn spreader to seed your lawn instead of individually planting grass seeds) :-)   It takes longer than we thought…and costs more than we imagined.  But, It works. We depend on God’s principle of sowing and reaping in everything from our lawns…to to our food supply.

When you see a brown lawn or leafless tree today, I hope you take the time to remember:   Even when it appears that nothing is happening-God is performing miracles underground.

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9

Opportunities-not Guarantees.

Sunday I shared one of the most compelling reasons I have for wanting everyone to live in community with other followers of Jesus as part of an actiongroup:  being a member of the actionchurch crew over the last three years.  I never thought that being part of planting a church would change my mind about what it means to be part of a “small group”…but it did…completely.

From the very beginning, forming actiongroups was part of the “plan”.  What we did not plan, was that for the first 18 months actionchurch was an “actiongroup”… a small group focused on praying for and working on a place called actionchurch where we could comfortably invite our friends who were not “church people” to come to church.  As planning and prayer moved into action (which by the way-it ALWAYS should) We launched our first services at Fat Daddys Nightclub and more people gathered with us to make music, create art, teach children, carry heavy things, provide funding, clean bathrooms, make coffee…whatever it took to make our dream of actionchurch come to life.

Somewhere along the way to becoming the well-oiled machine that is the actionchurch crew  (It is simply amazing to think about all they accomplish each week) true “Christian Community” happened.  It happened over coffee, donuts…and a LOT of cigarettes. :-) It happened as heavy items were carried, and sometimes dropped.  It happened over spontaneous lunches and planned celebrations.  It happened at weddings and parties.  It happened during conversations and fervent prayers for mutual and personal disasters.  It happened through laughter, sarcasm, and occasional tears…but one thing is sure…it happened.

I shared Sunday that there have been weeks where the ONLY reason I had the courage and the strength to show up and attempt to do my part on Sunday mornings, was because of my friends and fellow crew members. (Most of whom I had never met before launching actionchurch)   Without their help, encouragement, sarcastic comments, determination, and support, actionchurch would have ceased to exist years ago.  (And we would have all missed out on all of the wonderful things that God is doing each week now!)

That’s my story.  I’ve already deleted half of it and it’s still too long for a blog post, but it’s the reason that I am so convinced that the VERY BEST PART of actionchurch is NOT just coming to Frank Theaters on Sunday mornings and sitting in a comfy red leather seat.   The best part of church happens before and after the music starts and the final prayer.  I want EVERYONE to experience that kind of community each week.

Here’s the thing though, as I was thinking back over the last three years of being part of the crew, I realized that there were many people who were part of the crew for short periods of time.  People who came and went.  People who started with great enthusiasm and then drifted away for various reasons.  I realized as I thought of them that they would NOT have the same feeling of community and “belonging” as I do from being part of the actionchurch crew…the original “actiongroup”.   Somehow…some way…for a variety of very good and legitimate reasons I am sure…they missed being part of it.

I realize this morning that the very best we can hope to offer as we launch actiongroups is opportunities to form community…opportunities to be part of groups that will change your life and create memories and friendships that will last forever.  Each group formed will be an opportunity to use talents you never knew you had…opportunities to develop skills that no one else had noticed…opportunities to be encouraged and pushed to live a life that is somehow “More” than you had imagined-just as I have experienced as part of the actionchurch crew.  The rest is up to you.  The rest depends on signing up, showing up, and opening up.   So many opportunities…no guarantees.

Nobodies from Nowhere

Sunday in the sermon I said something unusually dumb.  (Notice I said UNUSUALLY…I find myself saying dumb stuff all the time. :-) )   I said that one of the most unusual things about how we started as a church, one reason that I am so sure that God was with us, is that we were “nobodies from nowhere”.  There was absolutely zero reason for anyone to come to  a bar on Sunday morning to attend church put on by unknown people with absolutely no experience, background, or backing in starting churches.

Come to think of it. That isn’t that unusual at all.  If fact, it’s pretty much the MOST usual way that God does business.  It’s one of the ways he shows his power throughout history. The mark of a great coach is not one that can craft a winning team from all-star players, but one that can take a group of “nobodies” to the state championship. (Yeah, that analogy was brought to you by the series finale of Friday Night Lights…I’ll miss you Coach Taylor).  God shows his great power again and again by leading ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

Abraham? The “Father of Nations”? Just a nobody from nowhere with a beautiful wife, fertility problems, and an extremely disfunctional family background.

Moses?  Just a nobody from nowhere, fresh off a forty year stint herding sheep in the desert while running from a murder rap.

David?  Nobody from Nowhere. The youngest son of a little know family whose gig was (you guessed it) herding sheep.

The examples are endless, God even sent his own Son Jesus to live as a Nobody from Nowhere as is evident from this really spectacular introduction by one of his earliest followers:

45 Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”    “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.  John 1:45-46

Here’s the great news though:  If you are a nobody from nowhere, if there is no reason that people would suspect that you would be part of greatness…you are perfectly qualified to be part of Jesus’ kingdom plan for earth.  God is looking for people just like you.  You are EXACTLY the kind of person he recruits for his greatest assignments.

And, If you are in York County and are looking for a team to join, I hope you will be part of our crew of “nobodies from nowhere” at actionchurch.  We are just getting started…

Fishing

 

I was fortunate enough yesterday to spend time on a catwalk overlooking the Susquehanna river fishing for catfish with my son.  I didn’t catch anything.  I tangled my line so badly I had to restring my reel.  It was hot.  My feet got sunburned.  I broke my line and lost a bait and weight rig, and I TOTALLY enjoyed myself!

Seriously, it was a great morning.  I can’t wait to go back. I’m sure that next time I’ll “hook the big one”.

Jesus started his ministry here on earth by recruiting fisherman to join him and urging them to leave their nets to “fish for people”.   There are MANY great analogies that work when it comes to comparing the work of the church with fishing, but here’s what yesterday makes me think  though:   It matters who you fish with.

I had a great time fishing on the river yesterday, not because conditions were great or I had great results… I enjoyed the time spent with my son. Fishing with friends and family can make a “bad day of fishing” a pretty great time!

I am grateful the group of family and friends that I “fish” with at actionchurch.  We’ve had some great “catches” of the last three years.   We’ve had other weeks where everything went wrong…when it seemed that no one was “biting”.  That’s when doing life and church with people you enjoy being around becomes most important…it matters who you fish with.

If you are looking for a group of people to serve God with…a group of people to fish with…a group to spend life Loving God, Loving People, and Taking Action with:  I don’t think you will find better that the crew of actionchurch.

18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.  Matthew 4:18-20