Viral Faith

Divine Identity Theft Identity theft is occurring in nearly epidemic proportions according to security officials in the U.S. However, I believe that the most important Identity theft has been towards the most famous individual who ever lived: Jesus Christ of Nazareth. In common identity theft (when someone uses your personal identification to leverage goods, equity, or even relationships), it is most often perpetrated by people that you know. Its typically a relative or a co-worker who manages to get access to your driver's license, SSN, or the like. Unfortunately, in divine identity theft, it is often perpetrated by those who should know him best: The church. I am not suggesting that people in church are going around saying that they are Jesus. However, I am suggesting that much of the misunderstandings regarding the nature of Jesus is promoted through churches. This is important because it is the person of Jesus that determines the course of the church. Our understanding of...

Redeeming Halloween "It seems like Halloween is a bigger holiday than Easter in this country", is a quote from my prayer partner who grew up in eastern Europe. Its always interesting when someone can see something with fresh eyes that are not conditioned by the repetitiveness of our yearly experiences. The Christian community has been divided in regards to Halloween. Many see it as clearly demonic, with its fascination with death, the occult, and darkness. A second opinon within Christian circles is to treat it as a cultural celebration and just go with the flow. Further still, other Christians see it as an opportunity to demonstrate the love of God, and embrace it. These opinions represent a continuim beginning with avoidance/denouncing to embracing/celebrating. While people along the continuium have valid arugements and sound conclusions, I think we are missing the point of discussion. Take a step back for a moment and consider my prayer partner's initial statemen...

Volunteer Opportunities as Mission USA Today had an entire section devoted to volunteerism. They report that millions of people, particularly those under the age of 40, are looking for opportunities to serve their communities. I think that this is why Jesus often asked people to help him as a means to share the good news of the Kingdom. Jesus, in John 4, asks the Samaritan woman to give him water. Jesus, in Luke 5, asks Peter to steer his boat. Throughout the ages, countless Christians invited their secular neighbors to assist and join them in their efforts to bless the world. There is a growing sense of restlessness in America. The shallowness of possession based identity and the consuming pain of greed have taken their toll. Americans are increasingly looking to be part of something that "matters". Something that gives their lives purpose and gives them legacy. While this is still miles away from the "other" centered love that Jesus modeled, it invites peop...

New Hope will be offering a different type of service this Fall. Sunday Cafe begins on Sunday evening, September 13th at 6:30PM. It is an opportunity for worship, fellowship, and discussion in a casual enviroment. Each week, the Cafe will be centered around answering a specific question. The questions are supplied by people in the community who are responding to our "God, I have a question" postcards, as well as common questions from the membership of New Hope. Interestingly, the goal of the Cafe is not to "get the right answer to the questions" as much as it is to understand how the question itself, and the assumptions in the question, relate to the overall plan of God. This means embracing not only the Word of God, but the mystery of God as well. The overall goal is to further equip believers and to encourage those seeking to know God to a deeper encounter with God. Please consider attending and inviting friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Have a Blessed Holid...

The Great Giveaway I was explaining to a co-worker that generosity is part of the character of God. God, as part of His essence, is generous. When you think about the great themes of the Bible, you can clearly see His generosity overflowing. Throughout scripture there is a push from God that the people who are to reflect His person and image, are to be generous with others. However, when we look at the American Church by analyzing its behaviors, we begin to see that those who idenitify themselves as Christians are not very generous (Rodney Starks, What America Believes). We tend to give of our income, time, and resources in ways that approaches those who are outside the church. Why is that? I think it stems from living in a consumeristic environment where we measure everything by "what does this do for me". In fact, most of us still measure our church attendance that way (The church is a community of people called together to carry out the mission of Jesus; its not real...

Seeds of Grace 2 Corinthians 4:1-2 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, (NASB) In God's economy, our weakness reveals His strength, our shame reveals His grace, and what we understand as the trash of our lives, God sees as treasure. It is interesting that God's movements seem to pick up steam when His people are most broken. The Apostle Paul understood that our ministry and service to others is a reflection of the mercy that we have received. I do not mean that in the generic sense in which all of our talents are a manifestations of the generosity of God. What I mean, and what I believe the Apostle meant, was that God ministers most powerfully through the means of grace in which we have experienced and tasted. As we continue to follow the Spirit of God to develop a movement that impacts and influence our glocal community, I see seeds of grace that demonstrate that God's power is made perfect in our weakness and that His l...

Speaking the same Language I have a confession. I love the church. I love reading about church, thinking about church, and dreaming about the church. It consumes me most of the time. As I was thinking about church I began to realize that when people speak about "church", we are often speaking about different things. I recently had a conversation with a pastor in which I realized that we were talking about two different things. He was talking about overseeing buildings, and I was talking about people and purposes. Not that building maintenance is not important, but that it often eclipses the "main thing" which is Jesus Christ moving in and through people who are completed devoted to him. Biblically speaking, the church represents communities of disciples of Jesus Christ who fulfill the mission of Jesus Christ to bless/redeem/heal our broken world. It is not buildings, traditions, or a collection of creeds and doctrines. It is this special community of discip...

Leading for Growth and Movement New Hope is in a wonderful place right now. Lives are being transformed by the love of God in amazing ways. Its a privilege to behold and an honor to be part of a movement of God. As the lead Pastor, you have probably heard me speak of being a "movement" many times. About two weeks ago, Pastor Louis Colon of Heart and Soul Church in Rochester, asked me about this term, "movements". I shared with him that as I labor in prayer for New Hope (its members, its ministries, and its mission) and God's presence and power in Rochester, God continually impresses upon my heart that He desires New Hope to be a movement that fulfills the mission of Jesus to bless the world. A movement is: A Collective, sustained challenge to the status quo (the predominant culture and beliefs) I believe that God desires that we begin to be a movement or a catalyst of change for the Rochester community. Our movement is centered around the person of Jesus ...