Be In and Of the Body

Yesterday morning, both my wife and I were a bit under the weather. In an act of self-mercy (as well as being merciful to others) we stayed home and watched our church services via webcast at the 121 Community Church webcast.

It was good to be able to participate in the worship service, to be able to hear the weekly sermon, especially since the whole church the study Experiencing God over a nine week period. Basically, you do the daily devotionals, come to church on study and listen to a message grounded in what was covered that past week, and then over the upcoming week discuss both the personal and corporate reflections in a small group setting. And we are doing it 1st graders and up. A pretty cool thing to do. (By the way, we have some good sessions on evangelism coming next weekend.)

But while my wife and I got to participate via a webcast, it drove home one point with crystal clarity: for us, there is no substitute for worshiping in person in the body as the family of Christ. It was good to be part of a service yesterday, but it was not what we would have chosen to do otherwise. Although it opens an avenue to worship when events require other than traditional, in person attendance, there is nothing like the genuine article. To open our church to others who may not experience our worship services is a great thing, but I pray it brings people in to worship with us in person when circumstances allow, I pray it drives a hunger to do so whenever possible.

There is nothing that strengthens a personal walk with God like spending some time walking it with others:

"and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near."
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NASB)

It was a good reminder in this age of burgeoning social media, where we can stay "connected" to others as never before, how alone we can truly become if we do not exercise that part of us that requires us to be social beings, in concert and connection with others on an intensely personal level. Do not be lulloed into thinking thatany connection is as good as being with people; being with people in heart, in spirit and in body.

Be in the body as well as being of the body; especially as you try to be be in the world but not of it.

The Old Grey Mare

Church Crunch is running The "I'm a Blogger and I Need a Business Card" Contest. Go over and check it out. And stay on his blog and learn a lot of stuff about ministry and social media and cool technology.

As an aging boomer, I am somewhat tickled that the business card, a decidedly low tech piece of social media, is still highly desirable. What it says to me that personal, face to face, hands-on social interaction still resonates within us. We need it.

Even in the burgeoning world of social media, it is still important to have one. I do, that's it in the upper left. It has a title of Business Consultant and Seminarian. It has a cross. It raises an eyebrow or two as I hand them out. And yes, it has my blog address on it.

I need a card because I need to stay connected to both the print and electronic world. I think there is a place in community for both. I think both enhance the social interactivity of our culture if used properly.

The business card is an invitation, a badge and a claim stake out in the world. It is an ice breaker, a memory jogger and a collectible. I have bunches in rubber bands and some in card cases. But I do use them when I am looking for someone in particular, a product, a service or just a name and number.

Simple yet elegant. The business card thrives in an internet world.

A Definition of Community

This is a recent picture of my friend wheel off of my Facebook profile. To me, it is a graphic depiction of what one intertwingled community, that of my Facebook friends, looks like. Every once and a while I look at it to try to understand how connectivity between people is building as my network grows. There are some well connected segments across the top (my church, 121 Community Church) and top right (the Kanakuk Institute) and a loner contingent across the lower right side. Not that these folks are loners, they are quite social, it is just they do not link in with others in this particular world of mine. This wheel probably says much about group dynamics and how they develop that I have not even begun to think about.

It is a picture of how community can develop over time, especially when using tools that were not available just a few years ago. The key to this type of community is working to keep it growing deeper as the on line aspect makes a surface relationship quite easy.

I think of community with God and how easy it is for me to keep my relationship with Him on the surface with the tools He has provided me. The death of Jesus for my sin allows me the access to the throne in prayer and supplication, in praise and joy 24/7. Yet if I do not reach out it will be a relationship on the surface only. To my loss and dismay.

So this wheel reminds my of that and the need to connect beyond and beneath the surface. Other than that, I like the pretty colors.

God Whispers

I was on Facebook with a friend the other day, and something came to me that I had not really thought about before. It dealt with how loudly God speaks to us, the nature of His speaking voice.

After all, God can trumpet from the heavens, and I think that would certainly catch my attention. A celestial voice from the clouds saying something like "Hey Andy, what WERE you thinking?" would get me to pause and reflect. But only after I stopped shaking, that is. And only after I got over the embarrassment that all the other people who heard Him were wondering what on earth I did to earn such a celestial remonstrance (Assuming they were not inwardly shivering, waiting to hear their own name boom out).

And I guess that's the point. God does not want us embarrassed, worrying about the next time we hear that heavenly trump blaring. He wants community, He wants closeness, and He wants His presence to warm us. Sitting and quietly listening is not something that today's world seems to encourage in us. Why would it, if we are not of the world, but of Him? The real challenge is marshalling all the resources that are at our disposal and directing their activity through us to Him. The real challenge is coming before Him, quietly and humbly to seek out His wisdom and His will. God wants us before Him ready to listen to what He has to say to us.

So God whispers to us because He wants us to lean in close to Him to hear what He is saying. And I have to do a much better job of listening closely, quietly and for as long as He wants me to.