28 February 2008

Book Review: The Jesus of Suburbia


Have We Tamed the Son of God to Fit Our Lifestyle?

I picked this book up off of my dad's bookshelf when I was there this past December/January. It first caught my eye because of the title.
In the Acknowledgments section, Mike Erre states that he is no longer under the assumption that he has ever had an original thought. He attributes all of his thinking and insights to mentors and writers that have shaped his approach to life and ministry. Fair enough. I appreciate that kind of candor and authenticity... mostly because I think that's the case more often than not these days... be it in film, music or academics. I mean really, when was the last time we saw some really original innovations in the world of mathematics??? (I digress).

True to his admission, there isn't a whole lot of new material in here if you've already read the authors' works that he credits in his acknowledgments: Erwin McManus, Rob Bell, Dallas Willard, JP Moreland, etc. Even the title (what grabbed my attention initially) is the name of a Green Day song from the American Idiot album.

I know Mike... by that I mean that I've met him, we've played some pick-up basketball together, and we probably have known each others' names from the pre-Mariners/South Coast Community Church days. I also really like Mike and think he's doing a great job at Rock Harbor.

While the message presented here isn't radically new, it is a radical call to really knowing Jesus, rather than "simply knowing about him." Mike attacks American Christianity as it tends to present Jesus as "the purveyor of the American Dream," a predictable and safe Jesus that has more or less been reduced to the study of risk management.

The Jesus of Suburbia joins a collection of emergent works that are calling the next generation to a radical re-commitment to their faith... and more importantly, to live that faith out in today's culture.

If Donald (Blue Like Jazz) Miller's works focus on Christian spirituality as an explanation for beauty, meaning, and the human struggle, and Erwin (The Barbarian Way) McManus' goal is to maximize the divine potential in every human being, then Mike Erre's message is a call to the American church to begin "demonstrating the message of Christ," not merely explaining it.

This is a simple, straightforward retrospective on what it means to live out our faith in today's society; a good read worth picking up.

26 February 2008

Basic Evangelism

One of the things that I try to be aware of is patterns. If I begin to recognize patterns in ministry, relationships or culture, I tend to take notice, and often times, those are the things that I will share on this blog. However, in the interest of privacy and anonymity, I'll refrain from using the names of people that I encounter.

One of the patterns that I've recently recognized is the challenge that Christians have with evangelism - sharing their faith with people in their everyday lives. I've had no less than six conversations in the last two years with young Christians admitting that this is a struggle for them. The people I've had these conversations with range from new believers to full-time missionaries (if you can believe that).

As best I can tell, the struggle primarily lies in the ability to naturally incorporate their faith into their relationships with non-believers. They either don't know how to share their faith in relation to the Gospel narratives, or they don't know how to naturally engage people who don't share their same beliefs, background or upbringing.

At least two of the people I've talked with simply stated that they don't know how to share their faith without the appearance of having "an agenda," or making the other person feel like a project. The missionaries I've spoken with confessed that they "don't know how to cultivate missional relationships with non-believers." When I heard this, the beast in me writhed and seethed; teeth bared, muscles clinched, knuckles white - missionaries who don't know how to build relationships with non-believers?!?!?

(I'll refrain from addressing the obvious topic of the church's responsibility to train and develop her people for the Great Commission... at least for now).

...The still, quiet Spirit in me, however, wept; broken-hearted, exhausted, defeated - missionaries who don't know how to build relationships with non-believers. Isn't that why we're here? Nevermind the fact that we're ALL called to live out the Gospel and share Jesus... missionaries leave their homes and their families; obedient to a call to go preach the Gospel to a foreign land.

For a long time I didn't understand this struggle. Not that I'm an evangelistic dynamo, but I've never really experienced difficulty in making friends with non-Christians. As Jasheen says, "They're not monsters. They're not mutants. They're just people, like you and me." Here's where much of the rub likely lies: the us-and-them approach. I've even heard missionaries refer to non-believers as "neo-barbarians." I don't know a person here who wouldn't take offense at that. As far as I can tell, there is no us-and-them until judgment day, where the Lord separates the sheep from the goat. There's just US, inasmuch as we are all inhabitants of a fallen world... and we all need Jesus (whether we know Him or not).

Lately though, I think I've discovered what the problem may be. I think that Christians, often times, over-think their approach to evangelism. They consider strategies, systems and methods for connecting with non-Christians. I'm not suggesting that we just float through our days and engage people at random. I think there is purpose and merit to recognizing where God is moving and getting involved. I also agree with being intentional about seeking out relationships with people who don't yet know Jesus.
But instead of operating from a recipe of one part fear, one part ignorance, and one part passivity, I suggest that we look to the people that we observe in scripture. Of course, there are accounts of evangelism in scripture, but lately I've been looking at the people that encountered Jesus personally for the first time.

There is one pattern that I see in almost every account of someone encountering Jesus: they went and told others what they saw, who they met, what they experienced. They just said, "Come and see." Whether it was Andrew (John 1:41-42) who stopped what he was doing and at once, found his brother Simon and told him that he'd found the Messiah, and brought him to see Jesus; or the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4) who left her water jug, rushed from her encounter with Christ and said to the men, "Come and see a man..."; or Mary Magdalene (Mark 16) who after seeing Jesus risen from the dead, went and reported what she'd seen; all of these accounts and more reveal the most basic form of evangelism: I've seen Jesus. Come and see Him for yourself.

People were compelled to share Jesus with others. Aren't we? There were no long discussions about how to tell people about the Messiah. They just rushed out and said, "Come and see." Three little words that leave the rest up to the Spirit and the free will of those sought out.

It's not rocket science. It's not brain surgery. It's not a military surgical strike. Sometimes people may think you're nuts. They may think you're a fool. They may say, "NO! I don't want to," but our job is to simply bring people to see Jesus. It's certainly not the only form of evangelism. There are countless ways to share your faith... through words and action; through apologetics and discourse; through mercy and generosity.
But if you struggle getting to know non-believers; if you have a hard time cultivating missional relationships with people at work or in your neighborhood, perhaps you could apply the most basic approach we know:

OPERATION: ANDREW - Come and see the Messiah! He changed my life... perhaps He'll change yours.

25 February 2008

Sunday Worship


The most valuable thing the Psalms do for me is to express the same delight in God which made David dance. - C.S. Lewis

Early last week my friend/colleague, Stuart, rang me to ask if Jasheen and I would be willing to lead Mosaic in worship that upcoming Sunday (yesterday). Jasheen and I have been on Mosaic's worship team before, but as she, Gabrielle and Isabelle were all recovering from some sort of virus that's been circulating, I told Stuart that we could not commit to that since we had no idea what the week would look like as far as practice and preparation went.

I suggested an alternative style of worship (since there were no available musicians for the gathering). After sharing my thoughts, Stuart promptly asked if I would facilitate it. So I did.

With Easter approaching, and coinciding with the passage this week (Mark 16), I put together a playlist of worship songs with a resurrection theme. Instead of standing and singing together as we usually do, I provided an art station, a writing wall, and the freedom & encouragement to assume whatever physical position people might prefer when worshiping God.

To be honest, I wasn't quite sure how it would go over. As the first song began to play, people slowly began moving about to different stations. One of the highlights of the set was the way it engaged the children in our community. One of our core values in our Sunday expression of worship is including the children in as much of the gathering as possible. Worship is fundamental aspect of our faith and practice, and I love including the children in a way that invites them into the experience.

Some of the artistic expressions and written words were deeply moving and profound (from children and adults alike). As people talked at their tables, I wasn't sure that they weren't just socially catching up with one another, but in today's team meeting and debrief, I was so blessed to hear the impact that it had on several of the people there.

For some, it was a refreshing detour from the conventional style of worship we're accustomed to. For others, it was a completely new and eye-opening experience. One young woman who has been attending Mosaic, but is still very much in a seeking/exploring posture, was at first frozen, unsure of what she was "supposed to be doing." As the worship time unfolded though, she was moved to tears by the words of some of the songs and gained an appreciation for worshiping God in a fresh, new way.
The experience led others to openly discuss worship at their tables and their paradigm(s) of worship were expanded.
Gabrielle blessed and entertained the community by both dancing and praying out-loud during an instrumental piece played during a time of verbal prayer and thanksgiving.

I really wasn't sure how the whole thing came off, but I was so encouraged to hear that it's an experience the community would like to incorporate periodically at Mosaic.

The whole purpose of the alternative worship set was not simply an alternative to not having available musicians, but it was to provide an opportunity for people to connect with God in a new way. I believe that God has designed each of us to connect with Him in unique ways. Some connect with Him outdoors, through natural revelation; others may experience Him best in silent solitude; still others may require a visceral experience, holding a cross or a Bible... or perhaps the smell of incense helps bring them into a posture of worship. Some may even express worship best through giving - a service offering, a word, or a monetary gift.

The important thing is that we take opportunities to experience God in different ways. Corporate singing is good, it may be the best way for some to connect with God, but as each of us are uniquely and wonderfully made, it stands to reason that there are multiple ways for us to encounter Him in worship.

I hope this entry will stimulate your hearts and minds, and encourage you to explore the different ways to worship our King!

17 February 2008

Enough!

For the first time since we moved into our flat, we're lighting the No Vacancy sign. Upon reflection, we have either hosted or been hosts in other homes every month since last September, barely getting three or four nights strung together in row to have with just our family. We're resilient, but not seven-straight-months-resilient.

When we moved into our flat we offered it to the Lord to use as He saw fit. And we committed to be generous and hospitable with it. What followed was the installation of the proverbial revolving door. From people 'coincidentally' popping in around meal-time, to folks camping out in our lounge for free wireless internet, to people crashing in the guest room because it's either too late or too cold (or both) to go home, our flat has become a safe-haven, home-away-from-home for many... and we're happy to provide that. The Lord has blessed us to be a blessing.

Jasheen and I love having people in our home. It gives it flavor and texture and life. But we also understand that it comes at a cost... especially to our still relatively young marriage.

We are thrilled to have Jasheen's dad coming to visit next month... and hopefully my brother (Patch) the following month. That leaves one month before those arrivals to hang the No Vacancy sign and gather in close together to recover and recharge. Our marriage and our kids need this time and we are grateful to God for it.

As Rudyard Kipling said, "Now I lay me down to bleed a while, only to get up later and fight again."














14 February 2008

12 February 2008

So what are we doing now?


We left CRM more than seven months ago to join staff with Christian Associates International (CAI). Technically, that means that we transitioned out of a role in leadership development, and into the role of church-planters.
...but what does that really mean?

A trip back to California this past Christmas season helped me realize something... and may explain why we've had such a difficult time recuperating monthly donations to our ministry that were lost in the transition... people aren't really sure what we're doing.
I'm hoping to share a bit about CAI and Mosaic and perhaps enlighten you as to what it is that the McKenzies are currently up to.

Christian Associates is an organization committed to the movement of establishing communities of Christ-followers all across Europe, who seek authentic relationships with God and with each other.  By extending Christ's love, grace and truth, combined with the deep desire to impact our cities by generating hope, serving needs and seeking justice, we believe that the multiplication of similar missional communities can spread throughout Europe in a grassroots movement.

Jasheen and I are now a part of one such community of faith.  Mosaic is the developing church-plant that we have joined.  Mosaic is an international group that gathers regularly and informally.  As a community, we are committed primarily to engaging the unchurched people of our city.  Our desire is to provide the opportunity for every man, woman and child in the west end of Glasgow to hear the gospel message clearly communicated and to see it dynamically expressed through loving, missional, reproducing bodies of believers.
We share an appreciation for festal and celebratory gatherings in harmony with times of quiet reflection.  One of our core values is learning and exploring ways to live out our faith and express Christian community in ways relevant and practical to the 21st century.  We do this through our Sunday expressions of worship, as well as in the ways we seek to missionally serve those in our surrounding neighborhoods.

As with many young churches, we strive to establish our identity as a community of Jesus Christ.  And as many young churches, we are almost in a constant state of flux - be it growth, mission, or shared, sacrificial roles of responsibility and service to the community.  Jasheen and I are entering Mosaic at a time that seems primed for the gifts and contributions that we have to offer.
  
Jasheen is a natural evangelist, and she thrives in roles of relationship-building with people in our neighborhood.  God has used her personal experience of coming to Christ in a dynamic way to connect with people who have the same questions and skepticism that she once had toward the Bible and 'organized religion.'
My passions also lie in building relationships with those outside the church, as well as in the areas of spiritual formation, discipleship and spiritual growth.  As our roles develop and solidify with Mosaic, we are seeing opportunities to exercise these gifts and passions in several ways that will supplement the work already begun through Mosaic in these areas.  We are wading in to help in areas of discipleship groups, home groups and coaching/mentoring relationships.
As a couple, we seek to strike a healthy balance between body life and missional life in our community - both bringing people to a safe place to explore who Jesus is and what it means to enter into relationship with him, as well as helping those already in relationship with Him discover a deeper, more intimate knowledge of a life in Him.
Growth in the size of Mosaic is not a primary concern for us, as much as growth in depth of relationship with Christ for those already a part of our community of faith.  We know that numbers will increase if we simply endeavor to bring people to Christ in the same way we see people do that throughout the Gospels.  When people encountered Jesus, their first response was almost always to go and tell people who they saw and bring them to see for themselves. We have no overly developed strategy of reaching the world beyond living out God's truth and love and giving people the opportunity to discover Jesus in the same way we have.

One of my favorite expressions in scripture is, "Come and see."  It's the simplest, most basic approach to evangelism.  When Jesus encountered the woman at the well (John 4), she left what she was doing and went to tell those in her town about the man who knew everything about her.  She simply invited people to come and see this man who could be the Messiah.
As Jasheen and I grow into our roles at Mosaic, we continue our ministry of inviting people to come and see Jesus.  And now, as a part of a Christian community, we're also able to take part in helping others discover the depths of joy that can be found in authentic intimacy with our Savior. 

I hope this clears up any questions that may have been out there about our new organization and new roles in ministry.  As always, we appreciate your prayers and support, and we are so very grateful for those of you that have partnered and will partner with us in these areas.

11 February 2008

Book Review: Community 101

"Whether community happens or not may not be left to chance. Christians are under obligation to make it happen, and to make it happen as God intends it to be, not according to their own traditions and preferences, and certainly not according to alien patterns of non-community imported into the church from a world that is itself bereft of the joy of authentic community and yearning for it." -- Community 101 (p.44)

com-mu-ni-ty [kuh-myoo-ni-tee] - noun
  1. a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.
  2. a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists.
  3. Ecclesiastical. a group of men or women leading a common life according to a rule.
Community 101, by Gilbert Bilezikian, is one of those books that if you'd asked me if I've read, I would reply, "Parts of it." It's been on my shelf for years and I have regularly referenced it during my experience(s) with community life, but I figured it was time to read it in its entirety.

In essence, Bilezikian is making a rational and passionate cry for the church to fulfill its essential nature and calling. A backwards way of saying that would be, the church is not fulfilling its essential nature and calling in the current conventional model that most of us are accustomed to.

In the past I've groaned a bit about how the word community has become one of those overused (and misused) Christian buzzwords.  Like any word in the English language, it is nothing more than a principal carrier of meaning that we use to communicate or express sentiment and emotion.

Bilezikian states that authentic community is absolutely critical if the church is to fulfill the mission that God intended for it.  The first third of the book focuses on the commutual interrelationship between oneness and community, resting firmly on the concept that the Trinity (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) is the original community of oneness.

Bilezikian does a wonderfully thorough job of laying a biblical foundation to all of his talk on the importance of community.  As stated before, he draws on the centrality of community, as well as siting the story of the Fall when community was lost, how community was once again reclaimed through Jesus Christ, and ultimately the community of oneness created by God - the Holy City, the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2).

In addition to the extensive commentary on the community of oneness, Bilezikian goes on to address how community can be expressed within the ministry and leadership of the church.

If you have never given serious thought to what it means to be a member of the bride of Christ; to belong to the body of believers... not just by way of salvation, but by way of obedient, submissive, sacrificial living, I urge you to pick up this book and read it now.  You'll discover that living in community cannot be a side issue or optional for Christians.  It is as important to God as one's salvation.  Without community, there is no Christianity.  Community is central to God's purposes for humankind - not manufactured community; not selective community; not exclusive community; not mandatory community - biblical community, as described, defined and demonstrated in scripture, found at the intersection of the two segments of the cross, where those who are reconciled with God can be reconciled together.

There is a rebellious nature in all of us.  There is no place for lone rangers in the fellowship of the unashamed.  I know this firsthand.  When I have been a lone ranger in my own ministry life, I have found myself apart from the community, isolated and separated from the oneness that God intends for all of us to have.  No one has the right to claim exemption from community for being different (I Corinthians 12:14-16). Nor does the body consist of only one kind of element or one kind of member - sameness is not a prerequisite for membership in the fellowship.

There are myriad examples of unhealthy, imbalanced communities all over the place. Nevertheless, as stated earlier, without community there is no Christianity.  I encourage you to discover the importance of life in community as stated in Bilezikian's Community 101.