Is It in You?

 

Alan Hirsch calls it the “Apostolic Genius.”  The early church had it.  John Wesley had it.  The Church of today explosively growing in China has it.  Do you?

 

He defines it as the “primal missional potencies of the gospel and of God’s people.”  He shares “the awakening of that dormant potential has something to do with the strange mixture of passionate love of God, prayer, and incarnational practice.  Add to this mix the following: appropriate modes of leadership (as expressed in Ephesians 4), the recovery of radical discipleship, relevant forms of organization and structures, and the appropriate conditions for these to be able to catalyze.”

 

“When these factors come together, the situation is ripe for something remarkable to take place.”

 

Is it in you?  Of course it is.

 

This spring we watched a new bloom.  Last summer my son worked for a condo maintenance firm mowing.  Their company had to clean out a flower bed of some under-appreciated perennials.  The owner offered my son two, old, seeming worn-out rose bushes to take home and transplant.  My wife planted them for the following spring just to see what would come up.  As it turns out, we ended up witnessing the unfolding of the most glorious, old fashioned rose we have ever seen.  You should have seen it come into full bloom.  At first, the bud was its own mixture of white and a deep, yet brightest red.  It looked like it was made out of raspberry swirl ice cream.  Then, the more it opened it turned solid crimson with a beaming yellow center.  Though transplanted in totally foreign soil, it was in its DNA meant to be glorious.

 

And so too are you.

 

“Greater is the God who is in you than you who are in the world.”

“We have been crucified with Christ and we no longer live, but Christ lives within us.”

“We have not been given a spirit of timidity but of power, love, and self discipline.”

“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”

 

What can we say?  Acts 2 already lives in you.

 

Over the next several weeks Hirsch will lead us into better understanding what all that means, but consider where you start.  You already have it in you.  You didn’t need to go to a special seminary or church growth conference to have it (maybe if anything just to better untap it).  You don’t need to toss up your hair with mousse and get a tat or ear ring.  The Apostolic Genius is already living within if the Spirit of God is working in your life.

 

According to Hirsch, this new DNA is comprised of six fundamental beliefs or elements:

 

1.  Jesus is Lord.

2.  Disciple Making.

3.  Missional-Incarnational Impulse.

4.  Apostolic Environment.

5.  Organic Systems.

6.  Communitas, Not Community.

 

I am looking forward to the opportunity for further study with you.

 

All to Thrive in Christ,

 

Chris

 

 

 

 

 

"Is It in You?'

Alan Hirsch calls it the “Apostolic Genius.”  The early church had it.  John Wesley had it.  The Church of today explosively growing in China has it.  Do you?

 

He defines it as the “primal missional potencies of the gospel and of God’s people.”  He shares “the awakening of that dormant potential has something to do with the strange mixture of passionate love of God, prayer, and incarnational practice.  Add to this mix the following: appropriate modes of leadership (as expressed in Ephesians 4), the recovery of radical discipleship, relevant forms of organization and structures, and the appropriate conditions for these to be able to catalyze.”

 

“When these factors come together, the situation is ripe for something remarkable to take place.”

 

Is it in you?  Of course it is.

 

This spring we watched a new bloom.  Last summer my son worked for a condo maintenance firm mowing.  Their company had to clean out a flower bed of some under-appreciated perennials.  The owner offered my son two, old, seeming worn-out rose bushes to take home and transplant.  My wife planted them for the following spring just to see what would come up.  As it turns out, we ended up witnessing the unfolding of the most glorious, old fashioned rose we have ever seen.  You should have seen it come into full bloom.  At first, the bud was its own mixture of white and a deep, yet brightest red.  It looked like it was made out of raspberry swirl ice cream.  Then, the more it opened it turned solid crimson with a beaming yellow center.  Though transplanted in totally foreign soil, it was in its DNA meant to be glorious.

 

And so too are you.

 

“Greater is the God who is in you than you who are in the world.”

“We have been crucified with Christ and we no longer live, but Christ lives within us.”

“We have not been given a spirit of timidity but of power, love, and self discipline.”

“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”

 

What can we say?  Acts 2 already lives in you.

 

Over the next several weeks Hirsch will lead us into better understanding what all that means, but consider where you start.  You already have it in you.  You didn’t need to go to a special seminary or church growth conference to have it (maybe if anything just to better untap it).  You don’t need to toss up your hair with mousse and get a tat or ear ring.  The Apostolic Genius is already living within if the Spirit of God is working in your life.

 

According to Hirsch, this new DNA is comprised of six fundamental beliefs or elements:

 

1.  Jesus is Lord.

2.  Disciple Making.

3.  Missional-Incarnational Impulse.

4.  Apostolic Environment.

5.  Organic Systems.

6.  Communitas, Not Community.

 

I am looking forward to the opportunity for further study with you.

 

All to Thrive in Christ,

 

Chris

 

Candy Coated Donuts

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2  

 

As I mentioned last week, it represented a major paradigm shift for the Wrights:  sustained, heavier than air flight.  As a kid growing up, I learned that if I jumped off the roof of the garage, no matter if I had a cool Superman cape on or not, I would fall to the ground…and hard.    The biggest hurdle to overcome is impossibility.   I stepped into a Tim Horton’s this week for a meeting.  Thought I’d get a little something before we got started so I glanced at the case.  That’s when I saw the world’s most decadent, over-the-top confection…a cream-filled, chocolate icing topped long john covered with crushed M and M’s.  No way!  How can they get away with that?  Candy covered donuts?  My modern, healthy food scruples began to crawl.  Then I thought to myself, “Why do I have a problem with this?  This breaks my paradigm.”   So then I thought, “What makes a paradigm?”  I concluded at least in the moment, my values:  whole grain over white flour, complex carbohydrates over refined sugars, light protein over empty calories, etc., etc.  My wife has trained me well.   Got me thinking, “What are the values I hold onto that keep me from embracing more kingdom values?”    I made a list of things I’ve seen us start to invert for the sake of Christ as I have traveled the district…   The value of one lost over 99 in the fold.  Do a majority of our resources go toward ministering to those in the pew or those still on the streets?  Unfortunately, many congregations today in North America are inverted, and thus one could say, Anti-Christ.  Many in Miami Valley however are shifting.   Humility over entitlement.  Washing feet over climbing the clergy collared ladder.  There is no ideal appointment.  The best appointment is usually the one that’s waiting where we are after we give it our best leadership.  So many of our colleagues are committing to slogging it out for the long, hard-fought haul.  Way to go!   Outreach over building maintenance.  While many are still trying to do both, push may come to shove and we won’t have any other choice but to go missional.  The economy may not ever be what it was.  How should we organize ourselves for the new normal?   With what values do you struggle?   I heard of a church recently that flipped their sanctuary.  Instead of everything focused on the front altar area, they flipped it.  Now, the rear is the old altar, where people come in, and where handicapped seating is now provided.  Everyone faces just the opposite, instead of the high and holy place they turned toward their old doors…to the world.    What new values do you need to embrace to be even better, kingdom agents of change and transformation?   Thriving in Christ with you,   Chris  

The Power of Positive Thinking

“God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.”

I Corinthians 1:27

 

“The Power of Positive Thinking”

A Lesson from Our History as the District of Innovation

 

Did you know Rev. Norman Vincent Peale grew up in our district?  His father was pastor of Greeneville First way back when.

 

Struggling with a debilitating, low self-esteem, Peale recounts the day he accepted Christ in our very own Darke County led in prayer by his dad…

 

Finally Father said, “Norman, are you willing to let this great Doctor, Jesus Christ, treat you for that inferiority complex? If you will let Jesus take charge of your mind, indeed your whole life, you can be freed of this misery which, if it continues, can destroy your effectiveness.” I was profoundly impressed and said I would give my life into the hands of Jesus.   

 

Now I must confess, I always thought Dr. Peale was a little kooky.  My grandma loved him.  I though did not.  On visiting the Crystal Cathedral one day with some colleagues, however, I learned that Dr. Peale was the main inspiration of Robert Schuller.  Now, I had always thought Dr. Schuller could be a little kooky too, but I still respected him nonetheless.  You cannot deny that God has used him over the years especially when, as I knew it for myself, his ministry saved my dad.

 

During high school, my father had been unemployed for almost a year.  If it wasn’t for the Hour of Power every Sunday morning, I don’t know where my dad would be today let alone me.  Our family needed every bit of that “Power of Positive Thinking” that we could get.

 

So, now I have to like Dr. Peale too, especially since he was one of our former M.Y.F. kids.

 

I thank God that the Lord raises up people for a special time and place, despite how the rest of history and even Christendom will judge.  What kind of leader does God need today?  What kind of leader is God looking forward to calling forth in you?

 

You have my permission to be as kooky as you need to win people for Christ.   Maybe, just maybe, God will use you to change someone’s destiny.

 

Thriving in Christ with you,

 

Chris

 

Latest and Greatest God-Stories:  “Signs of New Life”

 

1. “Anchored in Peace” Prayer Rally is planned sponsored by several of our UM churches including Fairview and Grace in Dayton.  May 2, 1:00pm across from Hara Arena at the corner of Wolf and Shiloh Springs.  Did you know sellers do not need to conduct background checks?  Come and show your support.  Work toward peace and justice.

 

2. West Elkton UMC celebrated resurrection morning with great enthusiasm!  We had 48 at sunrise service and a great breakfast after with around 70.  We had 116 for our 10:30 worship service and at 3 PM we had over 60 at our Easter egg hunt.  What a day and what a mighty God we serve!   Sandra J. Apgar

 

 

What is your latest God Story of new life?

 

 

"Controlling Versus Controlled"

“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. “  II Timothy 1:7, NAS

 

“Controlling Versus Controlled”

A Lesson from Our History as the District of Innovation

 

Did you know the Miami Valley was the Silicon Valley back in the early 1900s?  Kettering, Patterson, and the Wright Brothers were just some of the more famous personalities.     

 

If God first revealed God’s Self as Creator, maybe we can feel a little more freedom in our experimentation for the Kingdom.   What lessons, therefore, from their days of innovation can we apply in our own as we seek to maximize our service to Christ and His mission?

 

The mind set the Wright Brothers had to overcome was enormous.  It represented a major paradigm shift in their day:  sustained, heavier than air flight.  Imagine getting your mind around that for the first time?  Flying in a vehicle that was heavier than the air around it went against all conventional wisdom.

 

Key to their success was not in the development of a more powerful engine, however, but in the mastery of control.

 

The three critical parameters in flight dynamics are the angles of a plane’s rotation around its main center of mass are known as pitch, roll, and yaw.

 

Pitch...the up and down orientation of the nose as it faces into the wind.

Roll...the side to side tilting or balance.

Yaw...the left to right orientation of it the plane’s overall position in the air.

 

The Wright Brothers figured out a way to control all three of them.  That actually was one of their main inventions, not the development of a more powerful engine, but what became known as “three axis control.” What helped them most in their discovery was their work with bicycles.  Learning to ride a bike is an art of balance as much as it is a factor of how much hoof we have in our pedal.

 

I need to hear that.  God has given us a spirit though that covers both and, in fact, adds a third: “power, love, AND self-control.”

 

The Spirit wants to give us success in all three.

 

As you recover from knocking it out of the ballpark for Christ this Easter, it is just as important to replenish our ministry strategy and the posture of our soul as it is our strength.

 

Thriving in Christ with you,

 

Chris

 

 

 

"Changing Lives"

“This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.”  Colossians 1:6 (New Living Translation)

 

This was sweet.  Ran into someone this past week who told me for the very first time they made a decision to go into the ministry as the result of a message I gave over ten years ago.  I poured it out for that message.  Truthfully though, I didn’t know it went a-n-y-w-h-e-r-e.   One of those times you didn’t know if you honored God or not.  God showed up anyways, as always.

 

As a result, this person’s life was forever changed.  Their next ten years were changed as well as all the rest.  This weekend when you preach, know that you aren’t just preaching the most high and holy moment of Easter.  It’ll be great no matter what.  It’s Easter.   You might very well though be preaching for the next ten years…of someone else’s life.  Preach, lead, and serve for a ten year track record that you might not ever realize.  Knock it out anyways.

 

Just for fun, read the verse at the heading one more time (just in case you didn’t read it the first).

 

Thriving in Christ with you,

 

Chris

 

 

Latest and Greatest God-Stories:  “Signs of New Life”

You can email me yours if you’d like to share.

 

1. The people of Mechanicsburg and Nation Chapel UMCs have taken the tradition of feeding their congregations on Easter morning and turned it around and upside down this year by feeding the community by going to the community! On Sunday, April 4, the congregations will come together to serve a free community Easter breakfast in an empty former coffee shop storefront in downtown Mechanicsburg.  A local Fair Trade coffee roaster will provide delicious coffees, the local IGA juice and fresh rolls, and the food the churches traditionally cook for themselves on Easter morning will be used instead to feed our neighbors. Live music from the Nation Chapel worship band, special Easter treats for the children along with radical hospitality will surely spread the joy of the Resurrection Day! 

 

2. Tipp City UMC just completed a Paul Borden Consultation weekend.

 

3. Greenville EUM will be celebrating Easter in their brand new building.  Wow is it nice!

 

What is your latest God Story of new life?

 

"Spring Forward"

“If anyone is in Christ they are a new creation.”  II Corinthians 5:17

 

Don’t you just love Spring?  My dad got his fishing equipment out this last week, started to clean it, and got it ready for the first outing of the year.  My son took his first jog in the country.  My youngest daughter got a new pair of cleats for fast-pitch and the other, laid out the other afternoon working on her tan base for prom (for real).  My wife got some Easter colored Hershey Kisses for our candy dish.  And I worked on getting our kayaks licensed for their inaugural trip down the river.  We chunked up the snow drift in front of the house so it could melt faster.  Birdseed is now in the feeder.  We grilled out the first batch of chicken and got the blades on the mower sharpened.  My dog wants to go outside more.  I got a new pair of tennis shoes.  How have you gotten ready for this new season of life that God wants to bring?

 

The following are just some of the more recent God-Stories from throughout our District where new life is getting ready to bust out because people made preparations for Spring.

 

You too can email me yours if you’d like to share.

 

1. Prayers and best wishes are extended to Aldersgate UMC as they partner together with Rev. J.D. Grigsby to launch a new AME Church in Huber Heights called New Visions.  Launch service is scheduled for Sunday, March 28^th 4:00pm at the Wayne High School Auditorium.

 

2. Nation Chapel took a new step of faith and hired a youth pastor, Matt Yoder, who recently started his candidacy process here in the Miami Valley. 

 

3. Vandalia UMC held an anniversary celebration for the incorporation of their city and invited the whole town.  What a great blockbuster type of event to demonstrate a new level of commitment to one’s community.

 

4. Grace UMC of Dayton held a vision and strategic planning seminar for their church to help launch a new season of fruitfulness.

 

5. Several of the ethnic churches in Dayton have been working with a consultant and trusting God as they reach into the future.

 

6. Springfield Faith (the merger of LaGonda, Story Hypes, and Central) is in its first full year of existence laying the ground work in new staff, leadership structure and ministry for a new legacy in Christ and their community.

 

7. Pemberton UMC started a new monthly men’s ministry entitled F.I.R.S.T., after the first Saturday.  The acronym stands for Faith, Integrity, Responsibility, Strength, and Trust.

 

What is your latest God Story of new life?