The wrong question or the wrong train of thought

The wrong Question:

I love questions and I love people that ask questions. When people ask genuine questions, that means they have a true interest in finding a REAL answer. Although I love questions, I do believe that you can ask the wrong question.

One wrong question that I get asked often is, "what church do you go to?" I hate that question because usually when someone asks you that question, they already have an idea of how they want you to answer. They want you to respond with a name of some institutional or organized "church". Unfortunately I can't answer that question with most people's perceptions of how they want you to answer. I don't view "church" as being an institution, I see the church as being "the body of Christ", G-Ds people, a community of G-Ds people etc. So to answer that question is tough.

This question however has encouraged me to think a lot about "what church I go to". For example I sometimes attend a worship service at Northstar Vineyard but don't consider this to be a church I go to. I go because there are some very good friends that "worship" there on sunday morning and I do enjoy being able to sing songs of praise to G-D with other people that passionatly love Jesus. But I can't limit this to being my church. Instead I have been trying to map out in my head what "my church" is and it is soooo freakin huge it is incredible. I hang with other disiples of Jesus from all over cincinnati who say they go to different churchs. Crazy enough sometimes these people who are in my immediate "church community" know each other and are connected in different ways. They are from different races, backgrounds, cultures, areas of town etc. and I can call on them at any time for prayer, to hang, for a favor, to share a thought etc. This expands my church community so much farther!! In fact my "church" goes even further than cincincinnati, but to other cities, states, and even counties. WOW!!!

Then I begin to think about the amazing things G-D can do through the "body of Christ" as a whole. Damn!!!! We are everywhere with infinate dreams, influences, jobs, places, gifts etc. My church is the "body of Christ", "the kingdom of G-D", a diverse crazy group of people who passionatly follow and serve YHWH. It makes me smile and reminds me of how awesome and powerful our G-D is to be able to "plant a church" or "organize" his people that goes way beyond my ability to understand or comprehend.

I also get asked often if I will come and be a part of someone's church or if I am interested in checking out there church or need to see what this person's church is like because it is different than anything else that is out there...I think I need to respond with, "Hey come check out my church...it is huge...it does amazing things...it is different than anything else that is out there!!!! We do stuff that is different and there is not box or building that can keep us from doing amazing things!!!!"

Coming soon: A blog called "A Christmas ASS!"

Who is leader and who should be leader? Questions!

I have recently been studying Chronicles in the Bible for the past couple of months. Through my study, I have read about kings who were good, followed G-D, and were obedient in how they lived and how they led. I have read about other kings who were bad, chose to not follow or honor G-D, and were not obedient to G-D in how they lived and how they led. And then I have read about other kings who were good, obedient, and honoring in the beginning of their reign as king, but then fell away from G-D and became bad kings.

Then recently my wife and I were reading some of Chronicles together and I questioned why there seemed to be so many more kings who were corrupt and evil then there were kings who were good and followed G-D. She answered me with what seemed to make sense. She said, “ultimate power corrupts. When someone has that much power, they are not living in community, they let there power get to them and then become corrupt and no longer focused on G-D or how he desires for us to live” Very interesting. That really makes sense. (I mean think of our politicians, police men, leaders in the school system or non-profit organizations, etc) Is that why, G-D didn’t necessarily want to allow the Jewish people to have kings or judges to rule his people? Wasn’t it the Jewish people who continued to insist that they wanted a ruler such as kings and judges and so G-D eventually allowed this to happen? Wasn’t it G-Ds people who desired these rulers and not G-D? Even thinking forward, G-D didn’t necessarily set specific rulers to rule His church (ex. Pastors), but that is something that many of His people still say they need. Does that make them wrong? But then again, there are many church pastors, etc, that fight and struggle with power, or being led in wrong directions, or not focusing on G-D but on other things such as “cultural relevancy, money, becoming bigger, doing, sin, sexual scandals, money scandals etc.

Does ultimate power corrupt? Does G-D really desire for us to have the kind of leadership we now have in most churches? Does G-D desire to be are ultimate focus as we move and live as “His Church”?

I am going to begin studying Leviticus, Numbers etc. in the Bible to see how G-D answers most of these questions, to try and understand G-Ds heart and desire, and to see if my current understanding is right, wrong, or can just learn a bunch of very cool things from my ultimate King!!!!

Maybe most of this doesn’t make sense, or could be communicated better in words, but I think are some very interesting and challenging questions to ask. I pray that G-D blesses these questions and reveals REAL answers that make sense in my head and in my heart.

REAL meaninful lives...Bono @ NAACP awards

Check out this video from the NAACP awards. This is a sweet ass speech from Bono and a challenge for us to live crazy, but REAL meaningful lives!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6P6v4bNxJQ

the best is at the end!!!!