Becoming Human

I am very excited about a new relationship forming between NHC and Renovatus church in Charlotte, NC. Jonathan Martin and the staff of Renovatus have just been great. We look forward to a long lasting and life giving relationship with them. In light of that, NHC will be joing forces with Renovatus this holiday season. We will be going through the "Becoming Human" series on Sunday mornings with them. This is an exciting adventure, as neither church has ever done anything like this.

You can get more information about the series on the Renovatus website.

5 Holiday Exhortations

This Sunday I took a moment to be very pastoral at NHC. As we enter the holiday season, I always feel it incumbent upon me to offer some pastoral wisdom. This is the season that promotes excessiveness, business, and often, selfishness. So let me give you 5 Holiday Exhortations to help us make it through the holiday season.

1. Don't be excessive. Abstain from excessive eating, drinking, and spending.
2. Enjoy the holidays; both the religious and secular sides of it. If it promotes joy, peace, and goodwill- then take advantage of it, for this was the way of Christ.
3. Relish in all things good. The angels announced "peace on earth, good will toward men". Take this season and live in that spirit.
4. Take time to rebuild strong relationships with those in your family.
5. Pastor's Orders: Be a servant to Christ by being a servant to others. Find ways to be intentionally kind to others this holiday season.

God Hates the Holidays!

Apparently, and I was not aware of this, God hates the holidays. Indeed, it is true. This morning I came across an article, and I will not even honor it with it a link, written by an angry "Christian" journalist. The point of frustration that this writer had was: that in recent years the city of Asheville has changed the name of it's annual parade from being a "Christmas Parade" to a "Holiday Parade". The writer goes on to say that the "pagan heathens" of Asheville are stealing away our Christian heritage (as if this is even possible).

I'm trying really hard not be cynical here. Although, I have to be honest, its getting harder and harder within our present church culture not be a little cynical. Since when does the name of parade become a matter of faith? Seriously? It's called a holiday parade, because it is done before Thanksgiving and includes Christmas floats! Christmas is a holiday; guess what, so is Thanksgiving. Its just one more thing for the church to gripe about. That's all it is. We have become miserable failures at carrying out the work of Christ, instead of facing the music we whine about the actions of the secular world. Then, we wonder why the post-modern world is irritated by us?

I'm sorry. Really, I hate being cynical. But its a parade name. The writer of this article said he will not come to the Asheville parade or shop in Asheville anymore. Great! That's one less moron we have to deal with this holiday season. (Did I just type that out loud?)

But, honestly now: Does it not speak of the shallowness of our faith when we view the name of a parade as a matter of faith? What we should be terribly tore out of the frame about, is the number of Ashvillians who were sleeping out in the cold last night. Or, how un-Christlike the church has become. We should be mad at the cruelty, evil, and darkness in our world. Why aren't we angry at the current AIDS epidemic that is plaguing both the gay and straight communities of Asheville? We're supposed to mad about a parade name?? Give me a break. We have missed the mark.

I do understand that Christmas, as a Christian holiday, has been largely commercialized. Personally, I'm okay with that. Christmas has become more of a winter festivity. However, the goodness, charity, and unity promoted during this season (from the secular world and church) are nothing short of Christlikeness. We should embrace the holidays as a time to be like Christ, the one who was "peace and good will toward men".

One final note: The theme of Asheville's parade this year was "The Art and Heart of Giving". Really now? Perhaps the church can take a lesson from the "pagan heathens" of Asheville. Imagine having a celebration of giving, of having a heart of giving. Now, let me praise the name of this year's parade: "The Art and Heart of Giving". I watched the parade to day, and I saw the church floats that came through. I read all there religious statements, you know: "Jesus is The Reason for the Season", "The Greatest Gift of All", etc. There was even a cradle to cross to heaven's gates float (which I found to be a little gay). And I wondered, how much of Christ's mission has been relegated to just getting heathens saved; rather than being a message of personal and communal transformation? In other words: Did Christ come to do something soteriologically only, or was his message one that is relevant to our life now? I think the latter. I can't seperate the gospels away from the teachings of Christ. Teachings that taught intentional and profound goodness. The "greatest gift" cliche should not imply the great "get out of hell free" card, but the completely absurd teachings of love, acceptance, and forgiveness. That's the kind of Christ I serve, and the kind of holiday I am going to enjoy.

Renovatus

Throughout one's life, there are these moments of unforgettable spiritual renewal. Moments, that are indelibly etched on the material of our lives. This past weekend was one of those times.

This weekend me, and the awesome staff of NHC, went down and spent some time at Renovatus church in Charlotte, NC. My good friend, Jonathan Martin, has planted this really great church. The church is planted firmly in the heart of the artistic community in Charlotte. Right now, a portable church, that meets on Sunday, but is life-giving and active all the time, and everywhere it can be. I know my friend Jonathan despises labels, and so do I; but Renovatus has found its own niche, and I do mean its own niche. In turn, it has created its own church culture, and its own Christian community. As Jonathan explains it, the church has evolved around the people that have helped make it. Renovatus is more than a brand, more than a vision, more that a mission statement. It is people, a community. A community that acts outwardly as the Kingdom of Heaven itself.

We went to spend the weekend in training with some of his staff. We ended up spending a lot of time with Lisa Koons, a beautiful woman of God. We went for one thing, but strangely enough left with another. Different, yet much more valuable. As Lisa begin to work with the group, it was apparent that she saw something we didn't. In a profoundly prophetical way, she opened us up, and opened up to us. It's one thing to be trained in missiology; its quite another to be trained in spirituality. We dealt with the latter.

I will be the first to admit. Such journies into the depths of the soul are hard! Now I know why Paul rekoned this act of causing the flesh to perish so that the spirit might live as being crucified. There were moments where I wanted to get up and leave, because the challenges were too hard, and the questions required to much honesty. I was purged. We were purged. After lots of tears, and kleenexes, we were lead into a time of prayer and debriefing at the 24/7 Urban Prayer Room.

I can honestly say it was one of the most important spiritual awakenings that I have ever been part of. New life was breathed into NHC. Thank you so much Renovatus. We look forward to having a great relationship with Renovatus. Who knows what might be in store.