Church and Culture - An Integration

This last Sunday, March 1, I got a chance to preach on the subject of church and culture. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 9, talks about the choices he made to reach many different people, in various contexts, in various ways, through a variety of means, and all for the sake of the Gospel. He makes it clear that there is a way in which a careful consideration of culture is important as we look at how to integrate culture with our faith, and specifically with our call to reach outside the walls of our church!


https://app.box.com/s/kvzhomri9b4jugjq8f4p9qpe7kglp6k3

How God Moved the Wiebes to Arvada

Some of you that follow my (extremely neglected) personal blog may recall this post where I started the story of how God moved us to Denver. I noted then that the story was just beginning, and I'm sure I still don't even realize how true that is.

As you know from previous posts, we've been planning to head up north at the end of this school year and have been focused on some of our last steps in the church planting mentoring process. Our Arvada community group is going great, and we're busting at the seams of the house we meet in up there. We've been praying for God to provide a 2nd home as an option to further grow the group somehow. Be careful what you pray for!

We engaged a realtor a couple of weeks back to start looking at housing up north. We weren't in a hurry by any stretch, but we wanted to start thinking about what we could afford and which neighborhoods we were interested in. The next house is one we're hoping to stay in for a long time. Because the market in Highlands Ranch (where we live currently) is so hot, our realtor advised us, as we expected, to find the next house first. We'd plan to put in a contingent offer on the sale of our house before even putting ours on the market. Average days on the market in our neighborhood is about 7 days, so we knew it would likely go quickly. (Plus - let's be real. James and I whipped this place into lovely shape when we moved in.)

We went to look at a few homes a week and a half ago, and at the end of the trip our realtor, Kevin, said he had a nephew who was looking for a house just like ours. Kevin said he'd just started a "Coming Soon" listing and told us the starting price he'd put on it which significantly exceeded what we had thought the house was worth. He asked us if that number was ok, and of course we said it was. (And yes, for those parental types out there, we did go home and read over the comparable information to make sure we weren't crazy high or leaving money on the table.) We set up a showing for the nephew the following week.

Given that our house wasn't even listed yet, we had to be home to let the nephew in. They had their own realtor (the wife's sister), and they were right on time. Ellie met them out front and told them they should buy the house. (Thanks, Ellie.) They toured the house, asked us a few questions about the neighborhood (which we of course RAVED about - will SO miss our neighbors) and commented on how great the basement was.

We got the call two hours later that we'd have a full price offer in hand by the end of the night!!!!!

We were stunned. And overwhelmed. And humbled. And literally moved to tears. Apparently, God wants us to go plant a church up north! So much so, that he's just going to swoop in and sell our house for us months before we'd planned to. Seriously. Why do we even make plans?

God is really amazing, though. It's been an internal struggle on when to move, because things are going so well up in Arvada and are slightly hindered by our not being there yet. Not to mention, we spend a lot of quality family time in the car driving up there right now. It's a sacrifice I'm happy to make in the short term, but the sooner it ends, the better. I love that God just came in and solved that question for us!

So, now what? The original contract had a 45-day timeline, but we countered with 60 days, and they accepted. As I write this today, we have 58 days to find housing. Obviously, we're hoping and believing that God will help us find a house that will suit our family for many years to come. The thought of moving twice (again) makes me sad. BUT, we know for sure that he has a plan. Whatever it is, we will walk through it.

Also not sure what we'll do about the girls in school. We'll talk to their teachers once we know where we're going and will continue to pray and make a decision when the time comes. Commuting them back here is on the table, but we're also fans of them meeting friends there as long as the academic side isn't to their detriment.

We are definitely sad about leaving Highlands Ranch. It's a great town, our neighbors are amazing, and our church family here is also amazing. In the end, it may only be a difference of a few weeks, but it feels like a lot just because it was so unexpected.

Please be praying for us as we look for houses. It is definitely a seller's market up there also (although not quite as bad as down here). Pray that God makes it clear to me and James where we are to go. And pray for our kids and also just that all will go smoothly with the sale of this house. Off we go!

Both A Stranger And A Neighbor

In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus has a conversation with a man who is asking him about what constitutes being a good neighbor, as we're directed to be in the Great Commandment - "Love your neighbor as you love yourself!" We don't know the man's specific intentions with his questions, but it seems as though he's trying to get out of doing something he doesn't particularly want to do. 

The link below is to a sermon I preached on this subject on 2/16/15. In this audio I seek to answer two questions: 

 1) Who, really, IS my neighbor? 

 2) What does it mean to be a good neighbor?

https://app.box.com/s/oub2hh8jlx5trz4o6dfkgco4ymqizs1k

 

Some Thoughts on Women and their Role in Ministry (from Amy)

Women's roles in ministry is a big topic. It's one that I really became more keenly aware of in college when I chose to attend a Christian university affiliated with the Church of Christ. I've heard many people say things like "My parents said I could be whatever I wanted to be." or "My Dad was the head of our house, and he made all the decisions." I think in many cases, our upbringing shapes our view on women and their roles. Those two statements essentially exemplify two extremes. I know some friends who experienced the former who feel very empowered to go conquer the world. And then I met some lovely girls in college who were (just keeping it real here) paying thousands of dollars for a Home Economics degree in hopes of meeting a husband and staying home. (Note: I have no issue with that goal. I just think paying thousands of dollars at a private university for it may not be the best use of funds.) For the record, I believe marriage is a partnership and that if it's operating in a Godly way, both members get a voice in the decisions and will lovingly come to a conclusion even when they don't agree.

In my case, my parents very well may have talked to me about being whatever I wanted to be, but it's not what sticks out. I knew I was supposed to go to college - that much was clear. And I also remember my dad steering me towards a career that was in line with my talents. He may have wanted to me to make more money than the career path I was planning, but it just felt like he was trying to give me good life advice. (For the record, I'm glad I listened. I think teachers are some of our world's heroes, but I know for sure I am not meant to be one. That was the path my young mind originally had planned on.)

As I entered college at a traditional Church of Christ school, I realized what a big issue the role of women in ministry could be. This denomination, among many others like it, traditionally places some significant limits on the roles of women. To be fair, some of the more contemporary "CofC" churches have loosened up on this stance significantly - for which I applaud them - but there are rules at some churches that the only teaching role a women can fill is to teach boys in Sunday School up until a certain age. Otherwise, they would be "exercising authority over a man" - stunning.

As James and I think about the church plant, our bylaws, and the role of women specifically, I'm struck most by looking at how Jesus himself treated women. One of the first women he met was Anna, a prophet. He forgives and blesses the woman who covers his feet with perfume and kisses them. There's the woman he healed simply because she touched his robe, and women were the ones that first learned of Jesus' resurrection. This was all during a cultural time where the men dominated society! Jesus' treatment of women differed from the cultural norm of his time.

I work full time for an accounting firm as a Finance Director. I am blessed to get to work from home unless I'm traveling, and I have the flexibility to go meet a friend for coffee on occasion if my meeting schedule allows it - it often does. Some have questioned my job and whether I can be an effective church planter's wife with a job like that. I have even been quoted statistics of how many church plants fail if the wife has a career. Here's what I know. I know that my job is something I hold with an open hand. God can have it or change it - anytime he wants. If he asked me to quit it tomorrow, I'd quit tomorrow. For right now, though, I see my job as an enormous blessing handed to me directly from him. I really love the people I work with and what I'm doing. In fact, I've never loved my job more. That's not to say it's not hard or there aren't hard days, of course, but what job worth doing doesn't come with some hard days? In the midst of my demanding job, God is still giving me opportunities to meet new people, invite them to dinner or coffee, and build relationships. Imagine how much more I'll be able to do that when I'm not living 45 minutes from those people! And the true blessing of my job in this season is the financial freedom it gives us to be able to focus all of James' efforts on the church plant itself. We consider it a true blessing that he doesn't have to go get a full time job and try to do church planting on the side, as many church planters are forced to do. This will make a huge difference in both his ability to concentrate on doing ministry and developing relationships with people, as well as continuing to be involved as a father and husband.

I just attended "If: Gathering" this weekend with some friends. (Have you heard of this? If not, I encourage you to check it out. You can listen to the replay at ifgathering.com. Actually, by the time I'll post this, you can't. You have to buy it now. But you should.) It was a conference for women held in Austin that live streamed to groups all over the nation and world. The theme was around faith this year, and the teaching was out of Joshua. I will attempt to eloquently sum up my thoughts, but first let me start by giving you my favorite quotes.

• From Jennie Allen: If we're asking the questions "Am I enough?", "Will I be safe?" and "What will it cost?", then we're in the wrong book completely - the wrong narrative. This may be a hard reality, but it's so so true. We're NOT enough. But God is enough. It won't necessarily be safe. And it may well cost everything. Those aren't the questions. The story is about God - not us. How can he use us to dangerously affect the Kingdom for him?
• From Jen Hatmaker: God is good. All the time. All the time. God is good. We know we believe this in the day, but we find out if we believe it in the night. 
• Also from Jen: Faith is not the formula to get the good stuff, it IS the good stuff.
• Still Jen: It's safe to be faithful to a faithful God.
• Still Jen: Faith doesn't erase insecurity, doubt, suffering or fear...it just overcomes them.
• From Ann Voskamp: He crafts the beauty of women...refines you, defines you, remakes you, renames you: Beloved.
• Also Ann: Forgiveness is really forgiveness when forgiving the unforgivable.
• Still Ann: Woe is us for comparing our race to another's race when we are to be running for God.
• From Vivian Mubani: We have a limited view of God when our friendships are monocultural. (LOVE this.)
• From Christine Caine: Being faithful doesn't mean you're fearless. It just means you're more full of faith than fear. (Think feeya. She's Australian, mate.)
• Also Christine: The famous 7 last words of the church: We've never done it that way before!
• From Bianca Olthoff: Results are God's responsibility, response is ours.
• Also from Bianca: Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean God didn't promise it to you or that it doesn't exist. You just don't possess it yet.
• Still Bianca: Just because your progress isn't obvious doesn't mean your faith isn't working.

Our small group discussion was so good - really hitting on the hard questions. Things like: How can you trust a God who didn't promise us a lack of suffering? The answer? You can't. I think God didn't make that promise to us for a reason. You don't trust in the lack of suffering or good circumstances. The trust is that he will be there to help you overcome them. And the trust is in his larger plan and that he is some how, some way, working it out for good. We also talked about getting to a place where we want what God wants more than we want what we want. This is a daily - sometimes multiple times a day - question. Can we constantly relinquish our wants and desires for his? Such a simple question with such a hard answer.

And there was such a good discussion on race. Dear God, please ensure our new church is diverse. Not even just racially, but socioeconomically, politically, all of it. What I love so much is that even with our small community group, there is already clear diversity. I pray so much that it continues. I don't want a church that looks and is all exactly like me. We are made strong in our diversity. May we be leaders in the conversation on improved race relations in this country.

And then we had such a great discussion in our small group about the purpose God has given us as women. One of my friends heard a comment on the radio from a Christian woman that said: Behind every great Christian man is a good Christian woman. While that might sometimes be true, Lynn Hybels made a great point of how so much of the suffering in the world is experienced by women and children. We all have a purpose in joining God's kingdom to love the marginalized and those who are suffering. Also, if Jesus took time to recognize and honor women, it leads me to the conclusion that women's roles in ministry are not to just be the invisible Christian women behind the great Christian men. God puts specific purpose inside us all - man or woman.

Which leads me to our last main conversation topic. What if we don't know what our "purpose" is yet?? What if we feel it's more than the day to day ministry of our families and the local places we may serve? I admit, I'm blessed to know my purpose - for now. But three years ago I didn't know it. And if I'm being super honest, I didn't even want to. I thought I was fine where I was. Thank God, he changed my heart. If you're in a place where you are asking God for your purpose, know that I'm praying he reveals it to you. I have such a heart for all women (and ok, yeah. I guess for the guys, too. Whatever.) to know and live in their God-given purpose. Dear God, may it be so. Amen.

Thinking More Specifically...

For the past couple of years since embarking on this journey, I've read a lot of books, talked to a lot of people, spent countless hours in contemplation and reflection on how I arrived here, and many other hours engaged in conversation with Amy as we sit in the hot tub sipping on a glass of wine. Though the schedule has, at times, been extremely hectic between my responsibilities, her job, our children, and the attempt to develop relationships with lots of different people, it has been a fun and exciting time in our marriage and family too. There are both benefits and distractions that come with lots of reading, but I think, at the end of the day, there are more pros than cons.

One benefit is that I have been continuously challenged in my thinking. My thinking about church. About God. About my salvation and the process that has occurred since. My thinking about people - both those who believe and those who don't. Issues about gender and homosexuality. Issues about the nature of thought and perception. The complexities of communication, on both micro and macro scales. And perhaps most of all, about what in the world God wants to do with me, with Amy and I, with our family, with the new little community group we're a part of since early November, and what he might want to do with our now upcoming church plant.

The fact is that that could look like lots of different things. We had a prayer meeting a couple of nights ago. After laying out a few updates on what we've been up to in the last month, and before we took some time to pray together as a group, a couple of wise and more chronologically experienced members of our group asked some important questions. "What is your plan for this thing, say in 5 or 10 years?" "Have you given any thought to how you'll do church once you start having a regular gathering or church service?" I'll add here that these questions were not meant to stump me or to put me on the spot. These two people had listened to our update, and just spoke what they were thinking, which I appreciate.

After taking a few moments and trying to really wrap my head around both of these questions in order to give a real answer, (as opposed to a pre-packaged and neatly wrapped response) I tried to paint a picture that was neither too specific nor too general. I have found that much of my life in the last two (or ten) years has been spent walking through that tension. Amy and I have dreams and ideas and hopes and wishes for what this might look like in 6 months and 6 years, but absolutely none of those things are poured in concrete. They can't be. There's too much that God has yet to reveal to us. And I think we are learning to be okay with not knowing. So much of our story has been about that work in our hearts. And so much of the story of scripture, particularly related to the development of faith in people, has to do with the principle of "going without knowing".

Control. Security. Predictability. Safety. We've had to leave all of these notions in God's hands. We've had to let go of things. We've had to practice setting things down. And then re-setting them down after we picked them back up in a moment of worry or panic. Only to realize that we had to do it once again when we had picked things back up out of busyness or distraction. And while that hasn't come without some pain and discomfort at times, we can also look back and see that it truly was "for our good". And in that process, God has slowly and purposely and consistently chipped away at some of our old ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. We came across a statement by John R. W. Stott in a book we were reading a couple of weeks ago that really brings this to a sharp point: "To me, the essence of being a radical is being willing to subject one's inherited traditions and conventions to biblical scrutiny."

In that prayer meeting, one of things that I shared was the vision statement for Fringe Church. It has gone through a few permutations over the last 9 months, but I think we may have something solid here:

Love God Wholeheartedly. Love Others Sacrificially. Make Disciples Intentionally.

As I look back at my experience of church over the last number of years, I realize that I have spent time at all three of these things. But if I'm honest, I have viewed these as singular activities or purposes, as though I'm doing one of them in isolation.  I've put my "spiritual activities" into categories. And I've come to two conclusions. 1) If I'm doing something out of a genuine love for God (not to earn his favor, but because I know I am a well-loved son of God already) then it is likely that what I'm doing falls into at least two and possibly all three of these categories. 2) I will not practice any of these three principles accidentally.

Said another way, Jesus and his kingdom must occupy the central space of my life. Imagine your life as a wheel with spokes that spread out from a central hub. If I choose it, I can place myself (my wants, my will, my desires, my priorities) at the center of that wheel. And the spokes of that wheel, as I move through life and the wheel goes around, the pieces of my life that extend out from that center will spin around me, and as a result will all point back at me, and will be representative of the things I value. Each spoke has a different name. Family. Work. Hobbies. Marriage. Children. Church. Jesus. Friends. Laundry. (I don't know about you, but laundry takes an inordinate amount of time for what it really is.)

If, instead, I choose to put Christ at the center of that wheel, make him the hub around which all parts, pieces, and aspects of my life revolve, then the wheel takes on a totally different look. Do you remember "spin art"? It was this toy that had a flat, little table that sat on top of a little motor that made the table spin. You would clip a piece of paper to that table, turn on the little motor, and the paper would go around in circles. And as a burgeoning artist, you would take a squirt bottle of paint and, with supreme caution or reckless abandon, drip different colors onto the paper, making incredible patterns that would be nearly impossible to duplicate if the paper weren't rotating. Whatever paint you put at the center of that spinning piece of paper would spread outwards, and whatever color you used the largest volume of would become the primary color of that new piece of
 art.

The same principle applies here. If we place our selves as the center hub around which our lives spin, then "me" ends up as the primary color on the canvas of our lives. Or, if we put Jesus there, then our lives, whatever spokes of that wheel we might name, start to take on a Jesus-hue. They start to sound like, look like, feel more and more and more like Jesus. He will begin to permeate all of our activities, and thoughts, and priorities. And this is what I want. I want it for me. I want it for my marriage. I want this for my children. I want this for the church we will plant. I don't want Jesus to just be one spoke, one hour a week, one set of activities - one of many priorities. I want him to be the hub around which my life revolves. In 50 years or a week, whenever the days of my life come to their unpredictable end, I want someone who looks at the canvas of my life to see Jesus splattered over it, in every part, piece, and corner.

Fringe Faith - Sermon from 1/18/15 about Fringe Church

I (James) got an opportunity to preach at our home church yesterday. It was the first time that we've shared this information with the whole church and it was a fun message to prepare and to give. I shared about why we're doing Fringe Church in the way we are, how we've gotten to this point, what's been happening over the past few months, and what we're hoping to do over the coming months.

If you're interested in listening to it, please click on the link below.  I'll likely be sharing a message about once a month and will be sharing the audio for those as well. Thanks!

https://app.box.com/s/8k2698n1wl1heq215bzjjoqc3xhjh9ba

One Foot in Front of the Other

Have you ever taken on a task or a mission in your life that was years in the making? Maybe in the beginning you weren't even sure what the mission exactly was.

2015. I think back over this young century so far. At the beginning of it, Amy and I were 23 – babies in many ways – getting married. I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, and Amy was kicking off her accounting career. Zero plans to be in ministry back then.

Our position with Church at the Ranch where we were brought on to train to be church plants began two years and one week ago. But really God started our mission in our hearts long before that. It started way back in Texas when my counseling practice was set up at our church. It continued when that turned into me taking on some church responsibilities and overseeing the small group ministry. It continued further when God distinctly and definitively called me to be in ministry. It continued further when things changed at our Texas church requiring us to think about what was next. And it continued even further when God loudly and clearly called us to move to Denver – BEFORE he would provide me a job. Then it continued even more when I was one of 70 applicants to apply for my position at Church at the Ranch and the search committee unanimously felt led to choose me and Amy for the position. No seminary degree, limited previous church experience, but God wanted me. So humbling – and I’m so grateful.

It continued even further as God has worked on me and Amy over the last two years to give us a heart for the fringe and a vision that is different than the traditional American church of today. It continued as we searched for our church plant location originally thinking it was one area and God closed those doors leading us to another. It has continued as we’re meeting more people in the new area each week, and the small community group we’re a part of is already busting at the seams.

What it feels like is a snowball. (Hey – we live in Colorado. Roll with me on this – pun intended.) It started small, but God asked us to roll it up a hill. So, we did. He asked us to keep rolling, and we did. And now it feels like we’re almost at the top of the hill. The momentum is about to change. And we can’t wait.

There are a few things we know. We know God is currently leading us to the community of Arvada. We know God has opened some great doors with a non-profit called Jefferson County Prosperity Project that will allow us to partner in service from the very beginning – something we want to be a heartbeat of our church. We know that we have one other couple on our core team committed to this mission. We know God has given us a passion for the people in Arvada and for planting this church. We know God is moving in the hearts of our Arvada friends – lives are being changed for the better. People are getting to know God and learn to follow Christ.

But there is so much we don’t know. When exactly does God want us to take the leap to move up there? Who else will join us to be part of the core team? Where will our children go to school? Who does God want us to meet and disciple and minister to? What in the world are we supposed to put in our bylaws on how to govern a church that hasn't started yet? Will we need a nanny or should we look for a preschool? Who will help support us financially to get this off the ground? What innovative church planting ideas are out there that God wants me to hear/learn/talk through with other pastors?

As we start to crest this hill we've been climbing, there’s a mix of knowns and unknowns. The challenge is in making plans by faith in an effort to follow the will of God while also leaving room for flexibility if it changes. God doesn't always answer our questions on our timeline. So, we make the plans based on what we do know and the doors he’s opening. At the same time, though, if things change and doors start closing or he starts opening the window on the right instead of the door on the left, we’re trying really hard to keep our hearts open to move and react as he leads no matter what.

Because, we know this: We don’t want to go anywhere he doesn’t lead. Not ever. This is His work, and we are the vessels. Not for one footstep do we want this to be about us. The best way we know to avoid that is prayer. Constantly looking to him to guide us each step of the way.

2015 looks big for us. We anticipate it’s a huge year of relationship building and discipleship. We anticipate there will be a move for our family. We anticipate that our little community group – or maybe two community groups soon – could turn into a little church service. We anticipate 2015 will be a year of loving our neighbors – really loving them.

With the above as a lens, we will leave you with this thought. We look at those of you reading this blog as our support network. We know many of you are already praying for us, and we beg you to continue and remember us in prayer. We so appreciate that, and it’s exactly what we need – now and as we continue. Specifically, please pray for the specific people God is calling us to reach this year. Pray for the timing of when we should move. Pray for God’s wisdom and leading. Pray for additional people to join our core team. Pray for the transition for our kids and for personal friends for them and for us. Over the break, we got some work done around the business side of starting a church. We are officially incorporated in the state of Colorado, we have a PO Box, we have our Constitution drafted and are working through our bylaws. We have a checking account and can officially start accepting donations. Even though we plan to start this ministry out of our home, we have hopes down the road to move to a coffee shop or other community-oriented location. Of course it will take funding to get there. We’d humbly ask you to pray about whether God is leading you to support this mission. Monthly or one-time gifts would be equally appreciated. We can accept checks made out to Fringe Church as well as donations through Paypal via the link on the right. And yes, any donations will be tax deductible and statements provided. Thank you in advance for your love and support.

May you have a blessed 2015 where each step you take is in God's will.