10.3

That neighbor I was helping drywall was out on a evening walk with his family. I was on the front yard to turn our water main back on ... long story. They stopped, and we chatted. The wife asked if I was planning any more trips with work. The questions about my work got us talking about how I am trying to get more Christians to think differently about the practices of our faith, that our practices be less encumbered by traditions and more rooted in our love for God and love for our neighbor.

She who has not yet met Christ was totally intrigued. "Are there other Christians who think like this?" We left the conversation agreeing that we should talk more.

I spent a few hours of spare time working on our neighbors' garage. It was something I did in response to what Jesus has done for me. Like Jesus and Paul, I am a son and a willing bond-servant of my Father.

This small response to God's call on my life then opened the door for my neighbors to approach me about my faith.

It's started. I can't wait to see Christ make himself known to this whole family. And to share fellowship with with them in Christ.

9.25

A couple weeks back, just as I sat down to watch the NFL season opener, I got a text. My neighbor was wondering if I could give him some consult on some work he was doing in his garage. I'm no "do it yourself" expert, but I am a couple steps ahead of my neighbor. The timing was uncanny. Just as I was set to relax, someone asked me for help. So uncanny, that I immediately sensed God's humor.

Within a couple minutes, I was in his garage. I made a few recommendations. Offered an electrician contact. Before leaving, I told him that once the electrical work was done, I'd be happy to help him drywall. I'd had one prior drywall experience, but as I've indicated, it was one more than my neighbor had.

Two weeks later, I've been over to the neighbors on three separate occasions to drywall. It's been a good way to build our relationship further. And serve God as I serve him.

9.3

Fear is the disease of humanity. It is what rushed in with that first bite. It's what continues to drive up the body count. Death resides in us all and the smell of it is the fear. Christ came to take away the power of death. The wrath of God. If God has acquitted us, what court will prosecute us. That's Paul's argument.

One day, I will be free of this disease that eats away at me. The Spirit of Christ in me assures me of this hope. Until that day, Lord please give me the strength to overcome the temptation to succumb to this power. Give me the strength to live as a free man. Unafraid.

If this is true ... oh, man. Right? If this is true, it is good news indeed. How can we keep this to ourselves and in the end, look at him and tell him we believed it all along?

8.12

Talked with a friend about evangelism, specifically the question of proclamation vs. relational. He told me that he found the recent emphasis on relational evangelism frustrating. In some instances, he felt that the relational evangelism holds people back from proclaiming the gospel. It tends to make us dependent on ourselves to be winsome, charming. Almost as if we need to cozy up to someone before we can tell them about Jesus.

In a way I agree. I don't much like an emphasis on any particular approach. The reason I don't like it is that an emphasis on any form tends to be concerned with the bearer of the good news. Evangelism isn't some activity that stands alone. It is part of a broader call to love. The good news begins with God loving the world, loving us. We are set free to love others. The heights of this love is demonstrated when we love those who do not, cannot love us in return.

Evangelism is the sharing of this good news in love. Love is concerned with the other, and so in evangelism, love ought to be concerned with the recipient. The bearer of the good news ought to set aside comfort, preferences, self fulfillment. Love presses us to try to figure out what would be best for the recipient. Let's not get hung up with effective evangelism or our particular gifts. With evangelism like all else, let us be ruled by the law of love.

8.1

Took Jacob out for a surf this morning for his birthday. One of his friends came along. Over the past year or so, I've been taking some of Jacob's friends surfing. There are about four or five boys who routinely go with us. The kid who went this morning is the most dedicated. He happens to also be on Jacob's water polo team - both club and High School. In the past year of countless hours on the pool deck, we've begun to build a friendship with this kids' parents too. They are great people - humble, considerate, kind.

With the potential for a long term friendship for all of us, I'm looking forward to what God will do with the ties he is building.

Taking thirteen, fourteen year olds surfing is not my ideal for "going for a surf." Gotta go pick them up, round them up. Some of them don't know what they're doing. It's hectic. I've grown accustomed to surf being my place, a getaway.

I may have said this before, but it bears repeating. It's not the great sacrifices that keep us from getting involved with people, it's the minor impositions. Not the sword we fear, but the paper cuts. I'm learning that imposition is the pathway to relationship. Friendship. Fellowship. Community.

I've let my son impose on my surf. Because of Christ, I've let him and his friends disrupt my peace. And this morning, I had such a great time sharing waves, conversation, laughs with the boys.

7.24

I am discipling a cousin. It started with re-connecting, couple BBQs, and inviting him to our fantasy football league. This spanned four or five years - mostly sporadic until fantasy football. While watching football one evening, I asked him if he'd be interested in getting together more regularly to talk about his faith. He said, "yes."

Last couple times we got together, we talked about fellowship. He does not have a Christian friend. At the moment, he is not very interested to going to church. I'm not convinced enough that I am going to say to him, "You have to go to church, man." So, we've talked about his people. There's a handful of people who make up his "family," his "tribe."

Okay, so if these people are going to eventually be, to a degree, your "christian community" you'd better get started. (Laughter and agreement)
A good start is to begin praying for each of these people. Begin with the inner circle. If right now, you can only manage 2 or 3, great.
The other thing you want to do is you'll have to change the narrative. This will take some doing and a good deal of time. You and your friends have a story. Chapters have been written; a narrative established. God has not had a part in your story. The story has to shift. It begins with him entering the plot.
How? Not sure. He's writing it, so you should ask him. I think it will involve a couple things: An identification with Christ and obedience.

7.16

It is the height of club water polo season. I spent a good chunk of the past weekend at our son's water polo tournament. Our kids' involvement open doors for us into existing communities. His water polo team and the players' parents make up a pretty tight knit community.

Right now our goal is to be a part of this community. This means we are engaged in our children's pursuit of the sport of water polo. It is in itself important. Water polo and this team is not merely a context to be used for imparting the REAL important thing - the gospel. If we do not value what the community values within reason, then we will remain apart. This also means we are getting know the people who make up this community. In the same spirit, we are not getting to know them so that we can impart the gospel. We are getting to know them because relationship with them is in itself of great value.

It's a subtle shift, but sometimes in trying to elevate the gospel we diminish it. By failing to recognize that the gospel gives meaning to all things, we sequester it until we've set up for it its delivery. The gospel is not the point. It's the whole story. Christ is beginning, middle, and the point.