So last Saturday I showed the WLA arts team a video that really messed with me in June. It was Francis Chan at the Willow Arts Conference. I recently read an article he wrote for Worship Leader Magazine in which he talks about how his church is trying to get back to a biblical model of church. Here's what he writes:
There are probably many of you who want your church to function like the early church, but how do we get there? Start with what you can control. In other words, start with yourself. It's wrong to blame others for the condition of the Church. And it's silly for leaders to blame followers.
The elders at Cornerstone (his church) started with what we could control. We can't control other people. We can't make the people at Cornerstone "break bread in their homes" or "sell their possessions". We also can't control God. We can't make Him do "wonders and miraculous signs" through us...I can however sell my possessions as others have need. I do have control over that, so that became our first step. As we do our part, we trust God to bring about the "awe" and "wonders" in His time.
It was a beautiful time of sharing as our elders laid "everything" at each other's feet. We surrendered the keys to our cars, homes, and bank accounts. I actually believed the elders who looked me in the eyes and said, "What's mine is yours. If anything ever happens to you, I will support and care for your kids as much as I would care for my own. I will be your life insurance."
He goes on to tell of how that mentality is now starting to spread in their church. WOW! How awesome is that! If we are to make God known through our love, how obvious must it be to those around them that they love God?
This is messing me up again. I realize how much I love my "stuff". I realize how much more I could do if I surrendered my stuff to God...sold some off to be more free to love and help others. I don't know what this looks like for me yet but I think I'm going to try it.
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Tim - I would make a strange recommendation of books to you if you are looking at loving stuff less. It is one I am almost finished called "the Plain Reader". A compilation of essays by Amish and other 'plain folk'. It is messing with MY mind. People who are intelligent and elloquent and madly in love with Jesus making the hard choice to leave the dependence on stuff and technology and move to a community - as they describe it - of love. You'll never look at your 'stuff' the same way. The book is funny, open, and non-judgemental. Ycan check out the copy from the public library...
ReplyDeleteawesome! Thanks Lindy. I'll look to pick it up :)
ReplyDeleteTim...isn't this really just about you wishing that I would share my tricked out Sarari van with you?
ReplyDeleteOkay, more seriously: Here is a book that I haven't read, but after reading this review I was pretty compelled. I think what I'm gathering from your post is that the issue is not to focus on loving stuff less only, but in loving something else more. Of course that would be God, and by extension, others. Here is the link: http://www.challies.com/archives/book-reviews/love-or-die.php
ReplyDeleteSort of the link, because I'm not technologically advanced enough to add some cool html tag to it to make it look slick.
great looking book Barb! I tried to go pick it up but amazon is out of stock. I'll put it on my wish list! Thanks for the reccomendation.
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