I'm grateful today to God for allowing me and others to see His activity so evidently in the lives of people around me. Yesterday was an incredible day at UCity Fellowship. Celebrating the journeys of four very dear friends (Lonnie and Angela Clouse and Trent and Carmen Post) is an honor. I will miss them all tremendously, but I am so excited to be a part of the next thing that God has for them as they establish and lead orphan care initiatives in Ethiopia and Mexico. I look forward to visiting them in their new works and planning effective partnerships for the Kingdom.
To follow a morning like that with a Baptism Celebration - was amazing. The way God continues to transform the lives of people young and old just completely floors me at times. Here is an email I received last week from a man who was baptized yesterday.
David,
I’m writing to you because of the deep connection that my wife and I have felt since attending UCF for the past month. I can’t speak for Nancy but for me, the moment that I walked through the doors, for the first time, I knew that there was something powerful working and that I belonged.
I was raised in an Episcopal church and ran as fast and as far as I could when I turned sixteen. While I never stopped talking to God all of these years, I have not attended a church since long ago because the message that I kept hearing didn’t jive with what I knew to be true; it doesn’t matter who you are, where you’ve come from, or what you’ve done but it’s what’s in your heart.
We used to live in a small town named Stanfield. Nancy worked in Concord and I was self-employed working all over the area. Our oldest son was struggling in the local school system and we were struggling financially. One day on her way home, she still can’t explain it; she was passing First Assembly and pulled in. She walked into the school office and asked for a tour, it was pajama day and the Principal happily gave her a tour; in his pajamas!
She promptly came home and proclaimed that we were sending Blake, our only child then, to that school; HOW! was my reaction…? Well, we stepped off the edge and SOMEHOW we found a way.
It was Blake’s sixth-grade year that this occurred and now he is going into his senior year at college and the part that God has played in his life is almost overwhelming.
I recount that story, and of course there’s many more, just to acknowledge the role that God has always played in our lives but that I have never truly served HIM.
Listening to the Rhodes’ story Sunday was something that Nancy and I are way TOO familiar with. I know and believe that as Tim said, “God has been breaking me down”, over the past three years which has left a huge hole in my life, and I think Nancy’s too. That’s what got me to the doors of UCF a month ago. The really cool thing….since we’ve been attending, some of the stuff that I care about deeply, veterans and Marines in particular, has entered my life at UCF. Something wonderful happened with this on Sunday and I spent most of the gathering crying!
As I look back over the years, it is so obvious that God has played such a huge roll in our lives, because there really is no other explanation. And because of the love He has shone to us, Nancy and I know it’s time to get off the sidelines.
I have listened to the cd and read the booklet but I have to say that when I saw this booklet a couple of weeks ago, before even reading it, I knew what I was to do. The cd sealed my commitment. I am ready to make “a public declaration to a new association with Jesus Christ” and be washed. Since revealing my desire for Baptism to my family, Nancy has also expressed her desire to be baptized.
My oldest son Blake has never waivered from the path; he has been an amazing example of Gods’ handy work and, if you accept our request for Baptism, I would like for him to be involved, if possible.
Thank you for this ministry,
Ron DuDonis
And if this was the only story like this, it would blow me away. But there are so many more amazing stories of God's activity.
Again ... I am grateful... just very grateful.
Showing posts with label UCity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UCity. Show all posts
6.07.2010
5.18.2010
The Cry of the Adopted!
There is a lot of talk that always happens in churches about being a “mature Christian.” And honestly a lot of it is a bunch of crap! The things that people usually point to as marks of “maturity” quite often have nothing to do with spiritual formation. They usually include some knowledge of the Bible with the ability to quote portions of it, and being able to have a conversation about spiritual things in which you have some new knowledge or insight to share. I hate conversations with people who define maturity this way and I get frustrated with churches that tend to facilitate this idea through their “dispensing of knowledge” approach to doing church. Just come on Sundays and hear what the master of knowledge has to say… and you will be mature! What a joke!
I think a better indication of maturity has a lot to do with how much we see ourselves as orphans adopted by God and how that plays out in this world. It has a lot to do with how we view this world and how we talk to God about it. Maybe the first mark of moving toward maturity is when a person looks at the world around them and is struck with the idea that “this is not right.” Again I want to share with you a portion of the book Adopted For Life by Russell Moore.
“The Spirit drives us to discontentedness with the status quo, and so we call out together for our Father’s attention. The Abba cry just might be the most easily misunderstood aspect of the biblical revelation of our adoption. How many of us have heard Abba described as an infant cooing out the words “Da-da” or “Papa”? This cry though, in the context of the Scriptures, is not an infantile cooing. The Abba is a scream! It’s less the sound of a baby giggling up into his father’s face, and more the sound of a child screaming “Daddy!” as his face is being ripped apart by a rabid bulldog. It is primal scream theology.”
“The Bible tells us “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence” (Hebrews 5:7) Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is screaming to his Father for deliverance, to the point that the veins in his temples burst into drops of blood (Luke 22:39-44). That’s the Abba cry. It’s the scream of the crucified.”
“For all of the disturbing aspects of the orphanage in which we found our boys, one stands out above all the others in its horror. It was quiet. The place was filled with an eerie silence, quieter than the Library of Congress, despite the fact that there were cribs full of babies in every room. If you listened intently enough, you could hear the sound of gentle rocking – as babies rocked themselves back and forth in their beds. They didn’t cry because no one responded to their cries. So they stopped. That’s dehumanizing in its horror.”
“That’ where the Spirit is leading us, in Christ. The Holy Spirit doesn’t lead us to be the toothy, giddy caricature of a “Spirit filled” Christian. The Spirit leads us to see when we are in enemy-occupied territory, and he teaches us to rage against that machine. We’re frustrated right now when we see images of a python swallowing a pig on a nature program on television, when we see a billboard for a divorce attorney, when we hear of children swept away by a mudslide in the Third World, when we find ourselves gossiping about an acquaintance. The Spirit leads us to cry out with the rest of the universe, “O God, deliver us from this! This is not how it’s supposed to be!”
“It is through this kind of praying that we know we have “received the Spirit of adoption as sons” (Romans 8:15). Through this, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs” (Romans 8:16-17). Sometimes this passage confuses believers because we assume this means there’s an internal prompt, reassuring us that we’re really children of God. We assume this means a kind of peace in our hearts, a tranquility of assurance. It’s actually the opposite.”
“The Abba cry is a groan. Paul tells the church at Rome that because of the curse, “the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” But it’s not just the creation screaming. Paul writes that “we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:26). When we recognize the groaning of the universe – and groan with it – we are confessing our own part in the curse. We recognize then, all around us, the need for a crucified Christ, and we endure suffering because we know that it is only in his shed blood and pierced flesh that the universe will be restored.”
So when is the last time you cried out to God, because you knew he would hear you and respond as a Father who deeply cares?
Love loud…risk often…hope always,
David
I think a better indication of maturity has a lot to do with how much we see ourselves as orphans adopted by God and how that plays out in this world. It has a lot to do with how we view this world and how we talk to God about it. Maybe the first mark of moving toward maturity is when a person looks at the world around them and is struck with the idea that “this is not right.” Again I want to share with you a portion of the book Adopted For Life by Russell Moore.
“The Spirit drives us to discontentedness with the status quo, and so we call out together for our Father’s attention. The Abba cry just might be the most easily misunderstood aspect of the biblical revelation of our adoption. How many of us have heard Abba described as an infant cooing out the words “Da-da” or “Papa”? This cry though, in the context of the Scriptures, is not an infantile cooing. The Abba is a scream! It’s less the sound of a baby giggling up into his father’s face, and more the sound of a child screaming “Daddy!” as his face is being ripped apart by a rabid bulldog. It is primal scream theology.”
“The Bible tells us “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence” (Hebrews 5:7) Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is screaming to his Father for deliverance, to the point that the veins in his temples burst into drops of blood (Luke 22:39-44). That’s the Abba cry. It’s the scream of the crucified.”
“For all of the disturbing aspects of the orphanage in which we found our boys, one stands out above all the others in its horror. It was quiet. The place was filled with an eerie silence, quieter than the Library of Congress, despite the fact that there were cribs full of babies in every room. If you listened intently enough, you could hear the sound of gentle rocking – as babies rocked themselves back and forth in their beds. They didn’t cry because no one responded to their cries. So they stopped. That’s dehumanizing in its horror.”
“That’ where the Spirit is leading us, in Christ. The Holy Spirit doesn’t lead us to be the toothy, giddy caricature of a “Spirit filled” Christian. The Spirit leads us to see when we are in enemy-occupied territory, and he teaches us to rage against that machine. We’re frustrated right now when we see images of a python swallowing a pig on a nature program on television, when we see a billboard for a divorce attorney, when we hear of children swept away by a mudslide in the Third World, when we find ourselves gossiping about an acquaintance. The Spirit leads us to cry out with the rest of the universe, “O God, deliver us from this! This is not how it’s supposed to be!”
“It is through this kind of praying that we know we have “received the Spirit of adoption as sons” (Romans 8:15). Through this, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs” (Romans 8:16-17). Sometimes this passage confuses believers because we assume this means there’s an internal prompt, reassuring us that we’re really children of God. We assume this means a kind of peace in our hearts, a tranquility of assurance. It’s actually the opposite.”
“The Abba cry is a groan. Paul tells the church at Rome that because of the curse, “the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” But it’s not just the creation screaming. Paul writes that “we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:26). When we recognize the groaning of the universe – and groan with it – we are confessing our own part in the curse. We recognize then, all around us, the need for a crucified Christ, and we endure suffering because we know that it is only in his shed blood and pierced flesh that the universe will be restored.”
So when is the last time you cried out to God, because you knew he would hear you and respond as a Father who deeply cares?
Love loud…risk often…hope always,
David
5.15.2010
The Terror of Being Adopted
Many times when I am sharing the idea of the gospel with those who have not believed or received it, I use the idea of adoption. It's imagery is so perfect... (maybe that is why it's in the Bible!) But one of the facts of adoption is so profound yet rarely shared in the gospel conversation. It makes sense when we are talking about physical adoption, but we don't want to admit it when it comes to spiritual adoption. The fact is that when a child is first adopted - literally when he or she is transferred into the arms of their new mom and dad, they are usually NOT FEELING WARM AND CUDDLY FEELINGS. In fact they are probably SCARED TO DEATH! Think about it, they barely know their "mom and dad." The experiences are often times so new that all they long for are the "safe" confines of the predictable orphanage - no matter how grotesque the situation was. Reminds me of the people freed from slavery in Egypt only to whine about how they would rather return to that slavery than the face the risk that comes with freedom.
But spiritually this happens as well. When a person believes and receives Jesus Christ as Savior the spiritual adoption is complete and that person is given the "right to become the son of God." Yet this person knows very little about the nature of their new adoptive father. Nor have they experienced any "adventures" of risk and faith that their father loves to take them on. These were my thoughts when I read this portion of Adopted For Life by Russell Moore.
When Maria and I at long last received the call that the legal process was over, and we returned to Russia to pick up our new sons, we found that their transition from orphanage to family was more difficult than we had supposed. We dressed the boys in outfits our parents had bought for them. We nodded out thanks to the orphanage personnel and walked out into the sunlight, to the terror of the two boys.
They'd never seen the sun, and they'd never felt the wind. They had never heard the sound of a car door slamming or felt like they were being carried along a road at 100 miles an hour. I noticed that they were shaking and reaching back to the orphanage in the distance. I whispered to the boys, "That place is a pit! If only you knew what's waiting for you - a home with a mommy and a daddy who love you, grandparents and great-grandparents and cousins and playmates and McDonald's Happy Meals!
But all they knew was the orphanage. It was squalid, but they had no other reference point. It was home.
The fact of the matter is that many new believers are scared to death at what their new adoptive father has planned for them. No matter how bad their life was - it was their life - and it was home. But now there is a journey into the unknown. A journey where you feel your way around "by faith and not by sight." Now there is a relationship that requires trusting someone other than yourself. A thought so scary that you find yourself reaching out with your arms for your past orphanage life. It is terrifying... and yet God sees it as exciting. God knows the good things he has planned for you. He has such great stuff in store, but He requires trust (faith) to experience it. The thing with God is that the new experiences he wants to take us on NEVER END. Each of them require us to let go of our "safe life" and learn in a fresh way to trust and hold on tight. So some of you need to let go of your crappy life regardless of how "safe" it is, some of you need to get over any failures of the past and gear up for another "adventure," and some of you who are already launching way out on a new journey just need to hold on tight to God. HE IS GOOD, not safe, but GOOD. You can trust Him.
Love loud... risk often... hope always.
But spiritually this happens as well. When a person believes and receives Jesus Christ as Savior the spiritual adoption is complete and that person is given the "right to become the son of God." Yet this person knows very little about the nature of their new adoptive father. Nor have they experienced any "adventures" of risk and faith that their father loves to take them on. These were my thoughts when I read this portion of Adopted For Life by Russell Moore.
When Maria and I at long last received the call that the legal process was over, and we returned to Russia to pick up our new sons, we found that their transition from orphanage to family was more difficult than we had supposed. We dressed the boys in outfits our parents had bought for them. We nodded out thanks to the orphanage personnel and walked out into the sunlight, to the terror of the two boys.
They'd never seen the sun, and they'd never felt the wind. They had never heard the sound of a car door slamming or felt like they were being carried along a road at 100 miles an hour. I noticed that they were shaking and reaching back to the orphanage in the distance. I whispered to the boys, "That place is a pit! If only you knew what's waiting for you - a home with a mommy and a daddy who love you, grandparents and great-grandparents and cousins and playmates and McDonald's Happy Meals!
But all they knew was the orphanage. It was squalid, but they had no other reference point. It was home.
The fact of the matter is that many new believers are scared to death at what their new adoptive father has planned for them. No matter how bad their life was - it was their life - and it was home. But now there is a journey into the unknown. A journey where you feel your way around "by faith and not by sight." Now there is a relationship that requires trusting someone other than yourself. A thought so scary that you find yourself reaching out with your arms for your past orphanage life. It is terrifying... and yet God sees it as exciting. God knows the good things he has planned for you. He has such great stuff in store, but He requires trust (faith) to experience it. The thing with God is that the new experiences he wants to take us on NEVER END. Each of them require us to let go of our "safe life" and learn in a fresh way to trust and hold on tight. So some of you need to let go of your crappy life regardless of how "safe" it is, some of you need to get over any failures of the past and gear up for another "adventure," and some of you who are already launching way out on a new journey just need to hold on tight to God. HE IS GOOD, not safe, but GOOD. You can trust Him.
Love loud... risk often... hope always.
5.14.2010
The Orphan is...
The more you think through the reality of adoption, the more you come face to face with the spiritual realities of God as my adoptive Father and me as the former orphan who is now fully his child. The more we engage in fighting for the sake of the orphan, the more we get a picture of how God fights for us. When I read this part of the book Adopted For Life I was struck with this reality.
"Imagine for a moment that you're adopting a child. As you meet with the social worker in the last stage of the process, you're told that this twelve-year-old has been in and out of psychotherapy since he was three. He persists in burning things and attempting repeatedly to skin kittens alive. He "acts out sexually," the social worker says, although she doesn't really fill you in on what that means. She continues with a little family history. This boy's father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather all had histories of violence, ranging from spousal abuse to serial murder. Each of them ended life the same way, death by suicide - each found hanging from a rope of blankets in his respective prison cell.
Think for a minute. Would you want this child? If you did adopt him, wouldn't you keep your eye on him as he played with your other children? WOuld you watch him nervously as he looks at the butcher knife on the kitchen table? Would you leave the room as he watched a movie on television with your daughter, with the lights out?
Well, he's you. And he's me. That's what the gospel is telling us. Our birth father has fangs. And left to ourselves, we'll show ourselves to be as serpentine as he is." - Russell Moore
Yeah well, when I imagine myself as an orphan, I always think that I would be the good orphan, the one everyone would want. I would be likable and would probably only be in the orphanage due to some tragic set of circumstances that killed both my parents and many of my family members instantly and all that was left was me. And the first family that took me in would love me, because after all, I'm me. A great kid who got a raw deal in life and wound up an orphan. And they would love me, not so much because they are completely full of love, BUT because I am that lovable.
Yeah well, that is the lie I want to believe to deflect the truth about who I am as a spiritual orphan. The bible says that I was "dead in my sins" and that "while I was helpless... Christ died for me." I wasn't helpless because of all the unfortunate circumstances that "happened to me." I was helpless because of the choices I made. The orphan is me. BUT that's how great God is. He was never phased by my sinful heritage, my sinful choices, my deep brokenness. He moved, at great cost to himself, to secure my adoption.
"Imagine for a moment that you're adopting a child. As you meet with the social worker in the last stage of the process, you're told that this twelve-year-old has been in and out of psychotherapy since he was three. He persists in burning things and attempting repeatedly to skin kittens alive. He "acts out sexually," the social worker says, although she doesn't really fill you in on what that means. She continues with a little family history. This boy's father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather all had histories of violence, ranging from spousal abuse to serial murder. Each of them ended life the same way, death by suicide - each found hanging from a rope of blankets in his respective prison cell.
Think for a minute. Would you want this child? If you did adopt him, wouldn't you keep your eye on him as he played with your other children? WOuld you watch him nervously as he looks at the butcher knife on the kitchen table? Would you leave the room as he watched a movie on television with your daughter, with the lights out?
Well, he's you. And he's me. That's what the gospel is telling us. Our birth father has fangs. And left to ourselves, we'll show ourselves to be as serpentine as he is." - Russell Moore
Yeah well, when I imagine myself as an orphan, I always think that I would be the good orphan, the one everyone would want. I would be likable and would probably only be in the orphanage due to some tragic set of circumstances that killed both my parents and many of my family members instantly and all that was left was me. And the first family that took me in would love me, because after all, I'm me. A great kid who got a raw deal in life and wound up an orphan. And they would love me, not so much because they are completely full of love, BUT because I am that lovable.
Yeah well, that is the lie I want to believe to deflect the truth about who I am as a spiritual orphan. The bible says that I was "dead in my sins" and that "while I was helpless... Christ died for me." I wasn't helpless because of all the unfortunate circumstances that "happened to me." I was helpless because of the choices I made. The orphan is me. BUT that's how great God is. He was never phased by my sinful heritage, my sinful choices, my deep brokenness. He moved, at great cost to himself, to secure my adoption.
Adoption Is War!
God is using UCity to lead a movement of compassion for the orphan. There are ten families in our church who have either adopted or are in the process of adopting... and many more to come hopefully. This Summer UCity will send out two of our own families to lead orphan care initiatives in Mexico and Ethiopia. And God has given me a vision of ensuring that every adoptable child in the NC foster care system is adopted. I know God has called us to this task and I look forward to seeing how He accomplishes His work through us as we dive out deep... way in over our heads. The following is a quote from a book that is rocking my world... Adopted For Life. Are you ready to join the WAR?
"Adoption is one the one hand, gospel. In this adoption tells us who we are as children of the Father. Adoption as gospel tells us about our identity, our inheritance and our mission as sons of God. Adoption is also defined as mission. In this, adoption tells us our purpose in this age as the people of Christ. Missional adoption spurs us to join Christ in advocating for the helpless and the abandoned.
As soon as you peer into the truth of the one aspect, you fall headlong into the truth of the other, and vise versa. That's because it's the way the gospel is. Jesus reconciles us to God and to each other. As we love our God, we love our neighbor; as we love our neighbor, we love our God. We believe Jesus in heavenly things - our adoption in Christ; so we follow him in earthly things - the adoption of children. Without the theological aspect, the emphasis on adoption too easily is seen as mere charity. Without the missional aspect, the doctrine of adoption too easily is seen as mere metaphor.
But adoption is contested, both in its cosmic and missional aspects. The Scriptures tell us that there are unseen beings in the air around us who would rather we not think about what it means to be who we are in Christ. These rulers of this age would rather we ignore both the eternal reality and the earthly icon of it. They would rather we find our identity, our inheritance and our mission according to what we can see and verify as ours - according to what the bible calls "the flesh" - rather than according to the veiled rhythms of the Spirit of life. That is why adoption isn't charity - it's war.
The gospel of Jesus Christ means our families and our churches ought to be at the forefront of the adoption of orphans close to home and around the world. As we become more attuned to the gospel, we'll have more of a burden for orphans. As we become more adoption-friendly, we'll be better able to understand the gospel."
All of the above is from the book Adopted For Life by Russell Moore. Many more quotes to come.
"Adoption is one the one hand, gospel. In this adoption tells us who we are as children of the Father. Adoption as gospel tells us about our identity, our inheritance and our mission as sons of God. Adoption is also defined as mission. In this, adoption tells us our purpose in this age as the people of Christ. Missional adoption spurs us to join Christ in advocating for the helpless and the abandoned.
As soon as you peer into the truth of the one aspect, you fall headlong into the truth of the other, and vise versa. That's because it's the way the gospel is. Jesus reconciles us to God and to each other. As we love our God, we love our neighbor; as we love our neighbor, we love our God. We believe Jesus in heavenly things - our adoption in Christ; so we follow him in earthly things - the adoption of children. Without the theological aspect, the emphasis on adoption too easily is seen as mere charity. Without the missional aspect, the doctrine of adoption too easily is seen as mere metaphor.
But adoption is contested, both in its cosmic and missional aspects. The Scriptures tell us that there are unseen beings in the air around us who would rather we not think about what it means to be who we are in Christ. These rulers of this age would rather we ignore both the eternal reality and the earthly icon of it. They would rather we find our identity, our inheritance and our mission according to what we can see and verify as ours - according to what the bible calls "the flesh" - rather than according to the veiled rhythms of the Spirit of life. That is why adoption isn't charity - it's war.
The gospel of Jesus Christ means our families and our churches ought to be at the forefront of the adoption of orphans close to home and around the world. As we become more attuned to the gospel, we'll have more of a burden for orphans. As we become more adoption-friendly, we'll be better able to understand the gospel."
All of the above is from the book Adopted For Life by Russell Moore. Many more quotes to come.
4.29.2010
UCity :: Transforming cities, neighborhoods and families... one person at a time!
What does it take to transform a city in a way that those who are being transformed AND those who don't want to be transformed (or feel that they don't need transformation) all agree that the transformation is a good thing? Many churches aren't attempting city transformation at all. In fact, their transformation strategy is simply "for everyone to come to our church and agree with our leader, then we will all be changed." Others churches seem to think that transforming cities is all about changing laws and forming political action committees. And while those who are being changed by this see it as a good thing, those who aren't being changed are repulsed by the arrogance and the judgment that comes from these churches. These churches tend to focus their money and leadership energy on the programs of their church, building buildings for people to come to, and sheltering their kids from the "evils" of the world around them.
In the book of Acts 2:47 it is said of the first believers that they "enjoyed the favor of all the people." The first followers of Jesus, lived their lives in such a way that everyone around them (whether they agreed with them or not) thought that what they were doing was a good thing. At UCity - we are focused on transforming cities, neighborhoods and families... one person at a time. It is a community of transformation. We are a "fellowship" (a united group of people) seeking to serve the world around us in a manner that everyone can see our love.
I have read the book The Tangible Kingdom. In it the author talks about how he helps people who are used to going to other churches around get familiar with his church that is pursuing city transformation. I have quoted him and added to it. I like it.... a lot.
"I just want you to know that we're not a church, we're a mission to Harrisburg/Concord/University City. I don't feel any compulsion to feed you spiritually, but I will look after your spiritual formation. I believe you won't grow unless you live like Jesus lived and try to do what he did with people. This mission probably has nothing to offer you. However, I am interested in finding out if God brought you to us, and what your part in serving this city might be. And I am fully confident that if you open yourself up to imitating Jesus, you will begin opening your lives and your homes to those in need around you. As you do participate in this missional community, you will find friends surrounding you and a life that is true life."
Get ready for a focused city transformation... UCity.
In the book of Acts 2:47 it is said of the first believers that they "enjoyed the favor of all the people." The first followers of Jesus, lived their lives in such a way that everyone around them (whether they agreed with them or not) thought that what they were doing was a good thing. At UCity - we are focused on transforming cities, neighborhoods and families... one person at a time. It is a community of transformation. We are a "fellowship" (a united group of people) seeking to serve the world around us in a manner that everyone can see our love.
I have read the book The Tangible Kingdom. In it the author talks about how he helps people who are used to going to other churches around get familiar with his church that is pursuing city transformation. I have quoted him and added to it. I like it.... a lot.
"I just want you to know that we're not a church, we're a mission to Harrisburg/Concord/University City. I don't feel any compulsion to feed you spiritually, but I will look after your spiritual formation. I believe you won't grow unless you live like Jesus lived and try to do what he did with people. This mission probably has nothing to offer you. However, I am interested in finding out if God brought you to us, and what your part in serving this city might be. And I am fully confident that if you open yourself up to imitating Jesus, you will begin opening your lives and your homes to those in need around you. As you do participate in this missional community, you will find friends surrounding you and a life that is true life."
Get ready for a focused city transformation... UCity.
4.09.2010
UCity :: Weekly Update
Three Things to Know
1) UCity's Love Revolution Project is moving forward. We will be announcing the total giving pledges in a few weeks. So if the Lord has led you to make a commitment to this project for the next 24 months and you have not filled out a pledge card, you can pick one up on the program table on Sunday morning.
Here is a story that I heard today from one couple in our church. Through seeking the Lord, they felt the Lord leading them to sacrifice over the next 24 months to reach a certain commitment level. They both also felt led to make an additional commitment of more than $2500 and wrote on their commitment card "we don't know where this money is going to come from, but will give it as God provides." Well they called me today to share with me that through a series of circumstances they received a tax return of more than $4,000. This was a surprise to them because they run their own business for four years and have always owed money at tax time. After celebrating God's provision, I told them, "I LOVE WHEN GOD GETS PERSONAL." I love when individuals decide to trust God's leadership in their lives in ways that lead them to "risk often" in a personal manner. I love to witness faith grow as God comes through in more than adequate ways. I love what our church is becoming as each family and each individual seeks the Lord and trusts in Him. We will all grow to be a community that walk by faith and not by sight.
2) Our mission team to Red Springs Mission Center in Robeson County (poorest county in NC) was a huge success. In typical UCity fashion, I heard that the mission center staff were surprised at how much was accomplished by our group. We have some amazing servants at UCity and it shows all the time. A huge thanks to Brandon Todd for leading this first of many trips to care for the poor in our state.
3) A new series starts Sunday - METAMORPHOSIS :: True Life Stories. This series is going to blow you away. I know because it is already blowing me away. The stories of how God changes lives are amazing. As we hear and celebrate these stories, we are celebrating God's work and giving hope to those who need change. If you know of anyone struggling in their marriage, you need to do everything you can possibly do to get them to UCity this Sunday! This story is one that God has used in my life to teach me two things I will share on Sunday. Get ready!
1) UCity's Love Revolution Project is moving forward. We will be announcing the total giving pledges in a few weeks. So if the Lord has led you to make a commitment to this project for the next 24 months and you have not filled out a pledge card, you can pick one up on the program table on Sunday morning.
Here is a story that I heard today from one couple in our church. Through seeking the Lord, they felt the Lord leading them to sacrifice over the next 24 months to reach a certain commitment level. They both also felt led to make an additional commitment of more than $2500 and wrote on their commitment card "we don't know where this money is going to come from, but will give it as God provides." Well they called me today to share with me that through a series of circumstances they received a tax return of more than $4,000. This was a surprise to them because they run their own business for four years and have always owed money at tax time. After celebrating God's provision, I told them, "I LOVE WHEN GOD GETS PERSONAL." I love when individuals decide to trust God's leadership in their lives in ways that lead them to "risk often" in a personal manner. I love to witness faith grow as God comes through in more than adequate ways. I love what our church is becoming as each family and each individual seeks the Lord and trusts in Him. We will all grow to be a community that walk by faith and not by sight.
2) Our mission team to Red Springs Mission Center in Robeson County (poorest county in NC) was a huge success. In typical UCity fashion, I heard that the mission center staff were surprised at how much was accomplished by our group. We have some amazing servants at UCity and it shows all the time. A huge thanks to Brandon Todd for leading this first of many trips to care for the poor in our state.
3) A new series starts Sunday - METAMORPHOSIS :: True Life Stories. This series is going to blow you away. I know because it is already blowing me away. The stories of how God changes lives are amazing. As we hear and celebrate these stories, we are celebrating God's work and giving hope to those who need change. If you know of anyone struggling in their marriage, you need to do everything you can possibly do to get them to UCity this Sunday! This story is one that God has used in my life to teach me two things I will share on Sunday. Get ready!
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