Enklings Studio

New Thanksgiving Video from Sharefaith.com

Let me know what you think. 

Simply,

Tim

www.sharefaith.com

Why Would You Be At Church When The World Comes To Your Door?

Halloween is this Saturday, and in our neighborhood, the world comes to our door.  Last year over 400 kids came by and got some great candy, a warm greeting and a lot of compliments on some scary costumes.

It will probably seem strange to many reading this that there are some who feel compelled not to be at home on this night.  That Halloween is evil and should be shunned as an event.  That people who celebrate it are unaware of the evils of dressing up and meeting your neighbors where they live.

In Churches all over America, there will be "Harvest Celebrations" as an alternative to the evils of Halloween. While these good intentioned folks are doing what they do, their neighbors, the very people they seek to reach, are walking by their dark houses shaking their heads at the lack of care they see for even the simplest of graces, an open door.  I'm all for Harvest Celebrations - but have them on a different night when you can invite your neighbors and they'll be able to come.

What would Jesus do?  I think he might buy the best candy he could afford and open the door to the sounds of joyful children.  Most likely he would be out on the street knocking on your door Halloween night, with the children surrounding him and shouting "trick or treat!"  He probably is one of the "least of these" that rings your door bell when no one is home.  (see Matthew 25:31-46) 

When the world comes to your door, where will you be?

simply,

Tim

Religion vs. Faith - Follow The Money

My friend, @MichaelHyatt, posted on his blog this morning a disturbing video of a book burning Church which has launched a good discussion on the difference between faith and religion on his site.

While I don't think any right minded person would condone what this little 14 member Church in North Carolina is doing, there is a much greater issue between faith and religion that isn't being talked about much except in some of the emergent Church venues.

According to Barna Research in 2001, the average operating budget for Protestant Churches in the U.S. was around $115,000 a year.  This may not seem like much, especially to our bloated lifestyles out here in California, but if you multiply this times the number of Protestant Churches in the U.S. which is around 225,000, you come up with over $25 BILLION dollars being spent each year in the U.S. to keep churches running.  This doesn't include Catholic, Jewish or other denominations such as Latter Day Saints.  It also doesn't include special Church fundraising for building projects, etc.

With over 1 billion people in the world today facing illness and death from lack of food security, it's time we made sure the money we donate to non-profits (including churches) goes to solving basic problems, not building more infrastructure.  With an average of 16,000 children dying each day from hunger related issues, we need to question every expenditure we make personally, what our churches and organizations spend and what our government spends.  This is unacceptable.  One needs only to follow the money to see what is most important to us. 

Can we do both-fund religious organizational infrastructure and give to the poor to meet their most basic of needs?  Perhaps, but the number of hungry people around the world grew by 100 million in one year. Something isn't working.

Let the crazy book burners get their 15 minutes of fame if they must, you and I have much deeper issues to grapple with.

Simply,

Tim

What's Your Value?

It's easy to get caught up in our equity based society and see our value in such a limited way.  Take a look at this video to get a different perspective.

Simply,

Tim

Psalm 71 and 9/11

The day after 9/11/2001 I wrote a song based on Psalm 71.  We sing it at our Church, but I don't think I've ever told anyone the significance that I came across this verse while the world was turned upside down those days after such a tragedy.

Here's the part of Psalm 71 that spoke to me that what was true thousands of years ago to a young Shepherd-King David, was also true as we looked to the sky for answers:

Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God,
       you who have done great things.
       Who, O God, is like you?

Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
       you will restore my life again;
       from the depths of the earth
       you will again bring me up.

You will increase my honor
       and comfort me once again.

I will praise you with the harp
       for your faithfulness, O my God;
       I will sing praise to you with the lyre,
       O Holy One of Israel.

My lips will shout for joy
       when I sing praise to you—
       I, whom you have redeemed.

My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
       all day long,
       for those who wanted to harm me
       have been put to shame and confusion.

Here's a video of the song.  Please excuse the quality, one of these days I'll get a better recorder (and a better voice!)

Simply,

Tim

Amazing Video of 10 Year Old Gracyn Den Bestin with Kari Jobe

Gracyn (10) received a heart transplant on April 15, 2009 and joined Kari Jobe in singing Healer which was a life-changing song during Gracyn's waiting period for a heart. Read more of Gracyn's story at www.shinevision.com.

Thanks to Randy Davis for pointing me to this beautiful video!

Everything Must Change - Brian McLaren

I just finished reading "Everything Must Change" by Brian McLaren.  I've enjoyed all of Brian's books as he is a contemplative thinker and not swayed by what is popular, but by what he believes.  So many vilify Brian as the founder of the emergent Church movement (whatever that is) and for his unwillingness to engage in arguments about doctrine.  Most of the detractors I've come across have only read the party line notes on the books, and have not really engaged him or his work.  Cathy and I sat with him once at a publisher's dinner and we both we're affected at how peaceful he was and how gentle his ideas flowed across the table.

Over the past 4 years, I have come to the realization also that everything must change.  If you've read much of this blog and others I write, you know that I believe a contented life, one devoid of the need for more, is the one philosophy that I have been seeking to live out.  In the process I have shed my consumer mentality and embraced the philosophy that enough is enough.  I know now that focus on the ills of this world and on "the least of these" is what being a person of faith requires.  This is also part of the message of this book.

McLaren's book is a methodical look at what must change and how it could change starting with people of faith if we all make a choice:

A choice to stop believing that the equity system is about a few getting more and start believing that all should have enough.

A choice to stop believing that prosperity can happen without sustainability and start believing that what we do to our environment and each other matters for our future and to God.

A choice to stop believing that funding security will keep us safe and start believing that making the world a better place to live, for everyone and everything, will eliminate the need for war.

This philosophy though, is not a simple choice between capitalism and socialism, democrat and republican, developed and underdeveloped, rich and poor, good and bad.  The yin and yang of the world is broken down in many shades of many colors.  Black and white won't do anymore.  It's time we stopped focusing on the line that separates, and shift our gaze to everything else so that the lines become out of focus and eventually disappear.

Back to the book, yes, I thought it was good, but more important, it's to the point and relevant.  No, I don't agree with everything the author believes, though I do agree with most and I most certainly agree with this book and the solutions presented within.  Label me if you like; join me if you will in agreeing that:

Everything must change.

Simply,

Tim

Business As Mission?

I've been watching the growing trend around "Business As Mission" on the web and particularly on LinkedIn.

I fully understand the desire to link our occupations to our faith, I think it's right and normal for a Christian to do.  And there are some businesses that truly are missions in the literal sense of the word such as the many micro-finance businesses (though mostly non-profit) that loan small amounts to business people in third world countries to help people start businesses that will support their families.

  For a business to remain in business, they must be aware of what keeps them in business - profit.  If you take your eye off that goal, the business will eventually fail.  When you're in business, you need to count the cost and be focused on staying in business.  If you don't care about profit, you should be a non-profit and thus a mission. 

So how could "Business as Mission" work?  The same way"Life as Mission" does, I suppose.  You can easily be in business and lead a missional life.  As believers, our faith should seep into and out of everything we do.  God puts us where He wants us.  As the Bible says, some of us are feet, some are hands, some are ears and some are eyes.  Which is more important, the heart or the brain?

The Church are* not just the Pastors and the buildings or the missionaries and the worship leaders.  The Church are* the community of believers and some of us are in business and some of us are in ministry, but all of us are a part of the mission of the Gospel.

Simply,

Tim

*In information services, you hear it said that the "data are..."  The data are not the collection, that's the database.  The data are the individual pieces of information, thus are referred to as "are".  I think it's the same with the Church.  The Church "are" all of us.  I doubt this could ever possibly catch on, but I think it would help us understand better that the Church are not the institutions, but are individuals, each having a part of the whole and responsible for our part.  We are the body of Christ.  The Church are the body of Christ.  Hmmm...what do you think?

The Small Group - really funny

Missed Opportunities

"Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, 'Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this deserted place.' But Jesus said, 'You feed them.' 'Impossible!' they protested. 'We have only five loaves of bread and two fish. Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?' For there were about five thousand men there. 'Just tell them to sit down on the ground in groups of about fifty each,' Jesus replied. So the people all sat down. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and asked God's blessing on the food. Breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples to give to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!"

So this is a famous passage out of Luke 9 about the feeding of the 5000.  Before this there is the story of the disciples going out and performing all sorts of miracles healing the sick and preaching to the villages in the surrounding area.  

What slays me about this is Jesus' statement in the middle of this passage: "You feed them." 

Have you noticed that before? They just got back from healing a bunch of sick people and performing miracles in the name of Jesus and yet this is "impossible"?  The disciples didn't get it and missed out an an opportunity to be used in more miraculous ways. Jesus handled it and fed them all, but do you think it's any coincidence that there were 12 disciples and 12 baskets left over?  Point made.

You realize don't you, that this is what Jesus is saying to us today: "You feed them."  It's not metaphorical.  It isn't flippant.  It's expectant.  "You feed them."

Don't miss out on being the conduit for the miraculous.  Trust that even though the task is perhaps monumental, God is asking you to do something. If you don't, He'll likely get it done, but you'll miss out.

What is God asking you to do?  If He's asking, you're equipped.

Simply,

Tim