Mixed Tape Playlist

Every week I create a playlist to listen to during the upcoming week and it’s been a while since I shared one.  Here’s what I got in my eardrums this week.  Let me know who you think I should add/delete.

Silhouette - Driveblind
The Angry Mob - Kaiser Chiefs
Solid Sender - John Lee Hooker
Everything - The Normals
Bluebird - Randall Goodgame
Rooftops - Lostprophets
Boy with a Coin - Iron & Wine
40 Acres - Caedmons Call
Dreamin’ - Weezer
Hold You In My Arms - Ray LaMontagne
Instead of a Show - Jon Foreman
Grey Clouds - Dakoda Motor Co.
Going, Going, Gone - Paloalto
Long, Long Way - Smalltown Poets
My Life Before Today - House of Fools
This is Home - Switchfoot
Alice Wading - Dirty Three
Best of You - Foo Fighters
Easy Listening - Steve Taylor
Spaceman - The Killers
Spiralling - Keane
Shattered (Turn the Car Around) - O.A.R.
Break My Fall - Plankeye
Come On Get Higher - Matt Nathanson
Spotlight - MuteMath
Sea of Faces - Kutless
Assassin - Muse
To Be Alone With You - Sufjan Stevens
One More Time - Daft Punk
Gabriel and the Vagabond - Foy Vance
She Crawls Away - Hootie & the Blowfish
Personal Jesus - Johnny Cash
Feed Jake - Pirates of the Mississippi

Tags: Music, playlist

3 Things I Don’t Dig About My MacBook

A couple of weeks ago I got my new MacBook and it’s awesome.  At this point, I don’t see myself going back to PC’s.  Getting a Mac is kinda like joining a secret society.  When I bust it out in public people randomly come up and talk to me about it and I get more glances than a hot chick in an all-male prison.

While it’s a sexy tool- and the list of pro’s is very long- it’s not perfect.  There are a few things I don’t like:

1) Eject - I use an external hard drive for my iTunes collections and I wish I could just plug in the USB when I need it and just unplug it.  If I unplug it I get a message telling me I did a bad thing and next time to go to the icon, right-click, and eject it first.  It’s annoying.

2) No SD card slot - Transferring pictures from my digital camera now requires a cord when I used to just pull he card out of the slot.  I thought Apple wanted less cords….?

3) Adapters - To connect to a projector, I have to purchase a seperate adapter.   I understand why they would leave out the output from the design of the Macbook, but they could have thrown an adapter in for the inconvinience.

What do you like/dislike about Mac’s?

Tags: apple, computers, laptops, mac, macbook, pc

Twitter Me This

Do you Twitter?  It’s a pretty cool site that allows for real-time micro-blogging about what’s going on in your day or in your brain (scary).  I know it seems silly but it can be a great touch base point for friends and family. You can update with your cell phone or computer.  Very nifty.

Here are the last 5 tweets (twitter posts) I had in the last 24 hours.

1. Just killed a spider with a hammer. That’s how I roll.
2. Rapid City: Walk into Starbucks- sun shining. (5 minutes later) Walk out of Starbucks. Snow blowing sideways.
3. Celebrating my brother’s 22nd birthday tonight!
4. TED is working on a religious project centered around The Golden Rule http://charterforcompassion.com Kinda creepy.
5. I just have to say that it annoys me when National Geographic channel calls themselves Nat Geo.

If want to discover more about twitter, watch this brief video and then join the fun at Twitter.com.  If you do, look me up.

Tags: blogging, tweets, twitter

Misunderstanding Missional Church

I know for some, the missional church seems like the trend du-jour.  As I read through articles, blogs, and books, I’m noticing that there are strong opinions about the missional church from many church leaders.  And while I don’t pretend to speak for every missional leader, I would like to address a handful of these common misperceptions.

The missional church is a new idea
Perhaps the word, “missional” is a recent discovery to our vernacular, but it’s been around for a while (since the 1800’s).  However, the command to “Go and make disciples…” has been around for a couple of thousand years.  And the missio dei, the mission of God, has been around since the fall of humanity.   It’s not a new idea.  It’s a return to an ancient call to be the church Jesus had in mind. No trend here, just obedience.

The missional church believes gathering for worship is unnecessary
The misunderstanding here is the shift in thinking, “it’s all about Sunday” to “it’s all about everyday including Sundays.”  A church that doesn’t worship Jesus is no church at all.  But let’s not limit worship to an hour a week.  That kind of dualistic thinking and lifestyle is a dangerous pool to swim in and doesn’t mesh with Scripture.  The truth is missional churches do worship Jesus by assembling together- it just doesn’t end there.

The missional church is about raking leaves and hanging out in homes
Well…actually…that’s true.  But it’s incomplete.  The missional church intends to advance the gospel abeit through public gatherings, house parties, loving thy neighbor, serving their city, or having coffee with a friend. Whatever it takes to love God and others.  Missional church doesn’t need a leaf-raking church program to help the elderly couple across the street.  They just do it.

The missional church isn’t attractional
Imagination flows heavy in missional church. So does creativity. I’m not sure where the idea came from that missional church can’t (or won’t) have compelling environments.  Perhaps the notion came from the correct rejection of reducing the church to being a big show or a building.  Maybe it has something to do with replacing language like “we go to church” with “we are the church.”  Nonetheless, missional church believes the most attractive environments are created when they are filled with compelling people.

The missional church isn’t concerned about church growth
Any missional church that doesn’t intend “to go and make disciples…” isn’t missional.  Any missional church that intends to be a holy huddle (i.e. us 4 no more) isn’t missional.  Actually, the opposite is true. All missional churches want to reach people far from God.  As many as possible.  And if that’s happening, the Church will grow.  You can’t make disciples without people believing in Jesus in the first place.  But with missional church, it doesn’t end there.   Missional church is about two things: first steps and next steps.   Getting thousands to an event isn’t church growth (concerts can do that), but making thousands of disciples is.  That’s what missional church is committed to.

The missional church is a church model
Cookie cutter approaches are rare in missional church.  What works in one city, may not work in another.  True missional churches know their context.  They’ve studied their culture and the rhythms of the people in their city.  They look at the streams of people who aren’t connected to Jesus (or a church) and ask, “How can we meet them where they are?”   The answer to that question will result is various methods, approaches, and styles.  And the missional church has to continually pay attention to the ever-changing rapids of their culture- which means their methods will change as well.  That said, my hope is that missional churches not just change with culture- but that we change culture.  That’s our challenge.

If you’re a church leader, you may have noticed that some of this describes your church.  Congratulations, you might be missional. The question is whether it’s by accident or intention.

You see, missional churches are simply biblical churches.  The ones who “go and make disciples…”  The ones who are centered on Jesus.  The ones who love God and love people.   The ones who are sent on mission by Jesus to reach the whole world with the greatest news to ever hit the planet- the gospel of Jesus Christ. That should be the mission of all biblical churches regardless of how we’re labeled.

That’s what being missional is all about.

One Church, Under Jesus,

Jason

Tags: attractional church, Church, Jesus, missional, missional church

The Story So Far

It’s been almost two months since we kicked-off gatherings for Project Church and the question I’m asked most is, “How are things with Project Church?”

Overall, I’m pumped about Project Church.  It’s humbling to be a part of something special.   We set out to be a church for people who don’t dig church (at least church as usual).  And week by week we’ve had explorers join us and some even come back.  All the while we’ve been true to the Gospel.  That’s what we wanted to do.  Be big on Jesus, big on people, and for us all to live the lives we are meant to live.  I’ve definitely been blessed and have had some profound high’s.

I’ve also felt the low’s.  And since one of our values at Project Church is authenticity, I’m going to share some of them with you.

My heart breaks more now than it used to
I want so badly for people (and myself) to live full lives by following Jesus and it breaks me to see us choose otherwise.  I truly love my church and have quickly seen the need for prayer and have had the fuel for loving yet strong teaching.  This weight isn’t a bad thing but it’s a reality that I live with because I want to see people live the lives they were meant to live.

I take things more personal
Not saying it’s right or wrong, but I’ve definitely been bummed when people don’t return to our gatherings.  Not so much the churchy people, but the ones who really need a church like ours. I don’t want to lose missed opportunities and I think we have. And when our strongest supporters can’t be there, I find it’s not quite the same.  There’s something about their support that really encourages me.

Momma said there would be days like this
Pretty much all of the things I’ve been told I would experience as a church planter have come true.  The week we had a $2 total offering followed by a $0 offering was tough. Especially with a $750 rent payment to the coffee shop.  Thankfully, God provided.  I’m also getting used to criticism. Not a week goes by that I don’t hear of some false rumor about me and my church by other Christians.  That really ticks me off and is often followed by discouragement.  Thankfully, my wife is there to cool me off and stand by my side.  I’m learning to deal with it, but again, it’s not easy.

But don’t feel sorry for me.

The truth is I love starting and leading this church.  I’m so blessed to not just have a calling but am able to live it.   Seeing the person who crossed the line from explorer of Jesus to follower of Jesus makes it all worthwhile.  Seeing people step into a church gathering who never would otherwise makes it all worthwhile. Watching people grow into the people God meant them to be makes it all worthwhile. The growth I’m experiencing personally makes it all worthwhile.  And knowing that I’m part of something much bigger than me makes it all worthwhile.

If you’re leading another church (or preparing to) please know that you’re not alone in this.

If you’re a part of another church, please pray for your pastors and do whatever you can to help and encourage them.

If you’re a part of Project Church, I love you and am so thankful that you’re a part of this with me.  God’s called us to reach a community and become a community.  We need you to help make Project Church the church Jesus had in mind.

The story of Project Church is just beginning…

Tags: Church, Church Planting, project church

This Weekend @ Project Church

Happy Friday Everyone!

This week at Project Church we explore the question, “Is the Bible True?” as we continue the series, “True or False” where we are examining some of Christianity’s most common questions.  This is an important message for anyone wondering if they can trust the Bible.

Here’s what else is on deck for the rest of the series:

October 18 - Does God Exist?
October 25 - Is the Bible True? (This Week)
November 1 - Why Does God Allow Suffering and Evil?
November 8 - Who is Jesus?
November 15 - What’s the Deal with Heaven & Hell?
November 22 - Why Don’t Most Christians Act Like Jesus?

Missional Communities
Soon we will kick-off our missional communities.  This is the primary way we connect with others within Project Church and live our lives on mission together. These smaller groups of people (6-20) provide an opportunity to develop relationships with others and live out the rhythms of authentic community. If interested, reply back to projectchurch@gmail.com.   We will have more information on this soon.

Join us Saturday night @ 6pm at the recently-expanded Alternative Fuel Coffee House in downtown Rapid City (next to the Firehouse Brewing Co.).  Bring a friend, grab a coffee, enjoy some live music, and explore Christianity’s most common questions with us.

About Project Church
The idea behind Project Church is to be an authentic community where people can belong before they believe. Where we can wrestle with doubts, explore why Jesus is such a big deal, and take next steps in living the life we are all meant to live.

Tags: project church

Ear Candy Playlist

“A man’s playlist reveals the man (sort of).”- Ancient Proverb

Spiraling - Keane
Hold You In My Arms - Ray LaMontagne
Shattered (Turn the Car Around) - O.A.R.
To Be Alone With You - Sufjan Stevens
Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn, and John
What Were the Chances - Damien Jurado
Give Me Your Eyes - Brandon Heath
Hanginaround - Counting Crows
Instead of a Show - Jon Foreman
Opened Once - Jeff Buckley
Human - The Killers
Jesus is For Losers - Steve Taylor
Mystery - Charlie Hall
If Ever - Foo Fighters
Pork and Beans - Weezer
For Always - MxPx
Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
Lost - Coldplay
Infiltrate - Worth Dying For
Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
Think I’m in Love - Beck
What’s the Frequency Kenneth? - REM
Naive - The Kooks
1979 - Smashing Pumpkins
I Wanna Marry You All Over Again - Derek Webb

Tags: Music, playlist

Porn-Again Christian by Mark Driscoll

NEWSFLASH: Porn is big.

Okay, so perhaps that’s not much of a shocker.  But I know so many guys who are struggling (and have struggled) with an addiction to pornography. This is why I strongly recommend this free e-book by Mark Driscoll called, “Porn-Again Christian.”

Driscoll kicks off the book with a startling fact:
“You are part of a culture that spends more money each year on pornography than country music, rock music, jazz music, classical music, Broadway plays, and ballet combined.”

Yeah, it’s THAT big.  It truly is America’s favorite pastime.

This book is being released one chapter at a time over the coming weeks and Driscoll tackles the topic in his usual straight-up manner and gets to the heart of the issue.  He writes from biblical point of view and if you know Driscoll, then you know he’s no Ned Flanders.  He’s going to say it how it is- which is refreshing.

Again, I strongly recommend you read it.

Porn-Again Christian

In addition, check out the information and resources at xxxchurch.com

Tags: Christianity, Mark Driscoll, pornography, sex, xxxchurch

SENT: A Movement of Missionaries

Here are some notes from last week’s message at Project Church.

SENT: A Movement of Missionaries >>>

Our Mission: “To Go and Make Disciples Who Love God and People”
This is a collision of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and the Great Commandment (Mark 12:29-31)

What does it mean to be missional?
Being missional is a posture of being sent.
John 20:21 (ESV): “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’”

Do you know what Jesus’ mission was?

• Jesus tells us in Luke 19:10 that he came to seek and save that which was lost.
• We follow Jesus and HIS mission.
• This is why this church exists: To lead people far from God to live lives following Jesus.
• This is why we are a church where you can belong before you believe.
• This is why we say that we’re a church for doubters, explorers, and followers of Christ.
• We like to think that missions is something that happens “over there.”  Truth be told, the mission is wherever you are.
• Where we are, thousands of people do not have a relationship with Jesus. Thousands.
• If you’re a follower of Jesus, does that bother you?

How does this affect your life?
John 17:15 (ESV) - “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”

• C.T. Studd (missionary in China, India, and Africa) “Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.”
• “It’s about replacing personal or Christian activities with time spent building relationships with people in the surrounding culture.” - Hugh Halter in “The Tangible Kingdom”
• Following Jesus isn’t safe.
• Relationships- Your relational network is your mission field
• Mission fits into the natural rhythms of your life.
• Mission takes place in every nook and cranny of your life.
• If you’re a follower of Jesus, then you are missionaries in your zip code.
• The question isn’t if you’re a missionary. It’s what kind of missionary are you.
• God has you given you burdens and passions.  Maybe you have a special place in your heart for homeless.  That’s a great place for you to serve.  But perhaps he’s given your friend a passion to do something with kids.  Don’t get mad at them because their biggest passion isn’t yours.
• Be thankful that God is spreading us out with various callings.
• Don’t wait for the church to organize mission activities. Just do it. Coordinate something. Call friends and family and just GO!
• Some of us simply need to dwell in culture more.  Make friends who are at a different place on their spiritual journey than you.  Not so you can beat them over the head with the Bible- but so that you can show them love like Jesus would.
• Too often, Christians retreat from “the world”  Some reject meaningful relationships with people who aren’t Christian.  They could never lower themselves to step into a bar or sit in the smoking section. We judge one another if we’re having lunch with someone they don’t approve of- a known sinner.  Funny though, Jesus did too.

How does this affect the Church?

• The church is a body of believers sent into this world.
• Faithful to Scripture: Relevant to culture
• Calling all people into a lifelong pursuit of following Jesus.
• The heart of discipleship is to become like Jesus.
• Reproduce disciples —-> Leaders —–> Churches —-> Movements
• Replace the word, “outreach’ with the word, “dwell.”
• How did God reach the world. Incarnated himself in Jesus.  Same is true with us.  We must dwell.
• Unfortunately many U.S. churches say, “come” to our cities when we’re told “go” into the world by Jesus.
• Being missional means that we see the church not as a place we go only on Saturday night or Sunday morning, but as something we are throughout the week.
• We bring the church to the people instead of people to the church.
• We are a church “for” the city/culture/people where God has placed us- Rapid City, the Black Hills, and the world.
• Evangelism - Not on the street corner passing out booklets and tracts. Not effective. What is effective is building relationships with people and, as a church, creating environments where an explorer can belong before they believe.
• Social Justice -  There are children in other countries who need fresh water and food and there are hungry and lonely children right here in the Black Hills.  There are people who are hurting and need a friend in other countries and there are people who are hurting and need a friend in your neighborhood, your workplace, your school.
• Here are three questions the world is asking: (Dave Gibbons of Newsong Church)
  1. What is my pain?
  2. What’s in your hand?
  3. Can anything good come from Nazareth?

Yes, and his name is Jesus Christ.  And he gave us a mission.  Right before his ascension to the right hand of God the Father, Jesus left his disciples these words which echo to us today.

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me
It’s all about Jesus. This movement of missionaries begins with him. He is our God and Savior. Everything we do is because we love him. We have all the authority we need because he’s the one who’s sending us. We have permission.

Go therefore
GO! This is not a suggestion- this is a charge.  It’s the mission he’s given us. Following Jesus isn’t an outside-in walk it’s an inside-out one. It propels us to a world in need of the grace and truth of Jesus.  The gospel.  “Therefore” implies we go because something has happened. Something did happen. Everything changed with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is no greater love.  Churches are sent- they don’t sit.

and make disciples
Here it is: the charge of the church.  To make disciples. Being a disciple is following Jesus and becoming more like him.  Let us not forget the first step in being a disciple- believing in Jesus.  And following Jesus is a series of next steps. Discipleship is so much more than just knowing more about God.  It’s not a program- it’s a lifestyle.  A true disciple loves God and loves people.  A disciple continuously grows.
Reproduce Disciples —–> Leaders —–> Churches —–> Movements

of all nations
This movement begins right where we are and extends to the whole world.  There are people right where we live  who don’t know Jesus.  They have no idea what grace is. This is the gravest of injustices. We must reach them.  The same is true around the world. This is why we must multiply, start new churches, think bigger, and think global from the beginning.

baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
We have to reach people with the gospel.  We will not be a church that compromises the truth for the sake of a crowd. It’s in this power that we go and make disciples. Baptism signifies that we belong to Jesus. It’s a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  It’s by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Son, Jesus Christ, and to the glory of God.

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you
Let us remember the nutshell of Jesus’ teaching: love God and others as yourself.  It’s not simply head knowledge- it’s about heart.  Yes, we teach the Bible, theology, life stuff.  But it was never meant to end there.  We love.  In fact, Jesus just commanded that we “Go” so we teach them to do that too.  Being a follower of Jesus means that you are a missionary wherever you are. At home, work, traffic, store, bar, restaurant, church, friends, sidewalk, park, movies, coffee shop, school, wherever you are.

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We end with a promise from the lips of Jesus. He is with us. He is always with us and will never leave us.  It’s in his name, by his power, with his message that we go. He won’t let you go. He’s with you always. When you feel like you can’t go on. He’s with you. When you don’t feel good enough. He’s with you. When you screw up or fall down. He’s with you. Wherever you go.

John Piper says it well in the opening lines of “Let the Nations Be Glad”:
“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal in missions.”

God help us be a movement of missionaries.

More on Being Missional:

A Fistful of Scripture
Genesis 12
Matthew 4:18-22
Matthew 20:25-28
Luke 4:42-44
Luke 19:1-10
John 17:13-26
1 Thessalonians 1:2-10
Acts 17:22-34
Luke 9-11
Jeremiah 29:4-7
John 20:21
Luke 15

A Handful of Good Books
The Forgotten Ways - Alan Hirsch
The Shaping of Things to Come - Alan Hirsch & Michael Frost
Let the Nations Be Glad - John Piper
The Tangible Kingdom - Hugh Halter & Matt Smay
The Radical Reformission - Mark Driscoll
Breaking the Missional Code - Ed Stetzer & David Putnam

Tags: Jesus, missional, missional church, project church