Bapa's Notes

PROGENIES OF MERCURY

     I have to religiously do this twenty minutes non- stop, slow- paced jogging. At midlife, the experts warned us about the risk of getting those deadly cardiovascular diseases, which are common among many Forty-agers like me. I considered this daily exercise as my sacred duty to keep this body going until its eventual expiration.

 

    The mechanical pounding of feet in these rubberized runners' lanes is a metaphor reminder of my own mortality. I jog with this sole aim of trying to extend this diminishing lifespan. I am reminded of my grandfather who died at the full age of ninety-five and I noted that he was not a jogging enthusiast. He was not a sports' fanatic. At the last ten years of his life, he gained so much weight. Those later years, he was happy sitting on his favorite reclined chair, listening to radio commentators discussing local politics. But, when I inspected his past youthful lifestyle, I found out that he was industrious through hard labor, he had worked in his vast farm aided by able farm animals and he was contented on healthful fish diet, and these could be some remarkable attributes of his unusual long life.

 

    If I could measure the distance and the number of pacing that my jogging fanaticism has accumulated for the last 25 years, I do not know how far it could bring me. I only observed that my metabolism is still working remarkably well. I still have an unchanged weight for the last 13 years, which means I did not gained or lost any. There are some who skip this indispensable discipline because of overwhelming adult responsibilities. Others only remember this healthy regiments whenever their family doctors required them. They only step into physical exercises as a reactionary mode to some uncomfortable chest pain or the growing pot belly that portrayed more men like a perpetual prego, waiting for surgical incision by some skillful hands of obstetricians.

 

    I still jog. We are progenies of Mercury, with wings on feet, perpetually running or perhaps jogging wherever we are.

 

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Upside-Down Leadership

 

Organic House Church

 

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Super

 

By Ken Eastburn

Organic house churches are my passion, of course. As I visit and observe house churches I find some similar patterns. I love what is happening within the house church movement, but there is always room for improvement. So, let me present some things that I believe many house churches should focus on doing better.

But first a couple of qualifiers: First, when I talk about Organic House churches I am mainly referring to ones in the West. There are some of the items on the list that are not an issue with many house, simple, organic churches in developing countries.

Second, there are always exceptions. If your house church excels at one or two of the items on the list please don’t take offense. I’m not talking about you. Give yourselves a collective high five and pray about other areas in which you can improve.

Here are the first five. The next five will come next week.

1. Set Goals.For many years I was part of churches where the staff would meet for a day or weekend at the beginning of the year and plan the calendar for the entire year. This would leave little room for the direction of the Holy Spirit as we moved forward.

   On the other hand, many house churches do the opposite. They become so dependant on being spontaneous that they avoid anything that looks like planning. For many of us this is a reaction to living in an over-programmed paradigm. I see God being very intentional throughout scripture. He told Noah exactly how and when to build the Ark. God seemed to be setting and executing goals with the Israelites, Gideon, Paul, and the list goes on. Even Jesus was subject to the Father’s timing and plan.

   Of course we need to seek the Holy Spirit as we set goals. And of course we need to be willing to hold our plans loosely. But if your Organic Church does not have a mission and vision then it will not be sustainable for any length of time.

2. Engage Culture.It is very easy for Organic Churches to meet week after week and never love or even know their neighbors. Organic/house churches are often critical of bigger legacy churches for being attractional and not going to into the community. However, house churches are often just as guilty. They end up catering to their friends and family and doing what comes easy. The Great Commission is a commandment to all believers. Sometimes the most dangerous mission field is our own neighborhood.

   As a great resource for engaging your culture I would recommend Robert Logan’s book The Missional Journey.

3. Reproduce.It is natural for healthy organisms to reproduce. Planting new churches in most third world countries is not even an option. They just do it, and do it quickly. I have heard of churches in South East Asia that start a church on a certain day and then that church starts another one a week later. They are so excited about the gospel that they cannot contain themselves. 

   In the West Organic Churches often fall into the same bad habits that they have learned from their culture.  They fear for their safety, they believe that everyone has already heard the gospel and they become complacent.

4. Teach people how to use their spiritual gifts. We all have God given assignments that we can use to edify the church. The wonderful thing about an Organic Church is that we can see many gifts being used every time we gather together. Spiritual gifts are not meant to sit idle. When you see a certain gift in someone, affirm that gift and talk about it as a group. Help each other nurture and excel in their God-given gifts.
5. Coach. Coaching is different than our Western concepts of leadership or mentoring. Coaching is the practice of coming alongside, listening and helping you reach your full potential. I have had the benefit of some great coaches as I have journeyed down this Organic Church path over the last few years. None of them have tried to be the Holy Spirit, but they have helped me to listen to God’s voice and move appropriately. I believe that coaching in the house church is a valuable tool that most people never take advantage of.

If I can help you with any of the above practices, please don’t hesitate to ask. It’s what I love to do. Next week I will share the remaining 5 things we can all do better.