On October 7th, 2008 my wife handed my a little black book. Not what you’re thinking It was journal, a gift for our anniversary. I had never had a journal before, but as I opened it up these words were written in it; “in this book are blank pages of our life for you to write on. Write about our journey, what God does, and all that happens in this next chapter of life for us”.

In my first journal entry I began to write how afraid, insecure, nervous, anxious, I was about moving my family to Orlando from everything they knew. In GA we had our own house that my kids were born and raised in. Friends that were like family, a small group, a job, benefits, and an opportunity to serve with some of the most amazing people we had ever met at West Ridge Church. For over 8 years our life had become imprinted by this Church and its people. Now God was asking us to leave. In that first entry I asked God for many things… help with support cause we cant financially sustain ourselves as a young church, staff, people to actually come to the church, and then I ended with this; “God prepare to put someone in our house here (GA) and help us in our transition into a home in Orlando”.

We left Georgia on June 7th, 2009 and moved to Orlando. We put our house on the market in March and had only two people look at it. We knew we had to get to Florida to prepare for the launching of the Church and to get our kids in school. Chad Harper is a life long friend of mine since childhood. He met his wife in Orlando on a trip I brought him on. He and his wife Michelle opened their house for us to stay in. They are married with no kids. We are married with two kids and two dogs All of our stuff was thrown into 3 storage units costing us $400+ a month. We kept out what was needed and lived out of suitcases and bins. We thought with everything we had that by the end of the summer our house would sell, allowing us to move into our own home. Well, August came and and our house had not sold. We dropped the price, losing equity and the ability to pay off some of our debt, but we were still in a good position. October, November, and still our house had not sold. The Harper’s are like family! They consistently told us to stay as long as we needed. Journal entry, after journal entry I found myself pouring my heart out to God. “Sell our house! Do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine”, “allow us to have a place to call our own”, “God give us a home to settle, a place the kids will feel some stability”, etc.

Early December we got a call from our realtor back in GA. A contract on our house was made! We were so excited. What a Christmas gift! Perfect situation. They actually came through a post we did on craigslist. Because we had dropped the price we would still make up some money because they did not use their own realtor. Contract was in place with 1 contingency… financing. They were pre-approved and ready to go. 48 hours before the contract was sealed they backed out. Their credit had changed in that period and they were no longer able to be financed. What a blow. A very low point for us. “God, what are you doing?”, was my journal entry. “I don’t know if I can pray anymore”. I had prayed longer than ever. I had fasted more times in this period than I had in my entire life! “God why are you not hearing me?”. Yet every time I got to this point, I ran to to the scriptures and would read things like: John 11:40 “didn’t I tell you, if you believe you would see the glory of God”, Ephesians 3:20 “to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than you can ask or imagine”, “for I know the plans I have for you”, “my thoughts are greater than your thoughts and my ways are greater than your ways”, “if you obey me, I will be your God and you will be my people”, “take up your cross and follow me”, and so many more. God was always reminding me that he was in control.

Spring time and no house sold, price had been dropped to what we owe. We would actually have to take a hit and come to the table with money to close. We had lost all equity and all ability to erase the debt we so needed to do. The Harpers had put their house up because of some plans that where in place for a while and had a person in their house within a month. We had to move. No place of our own to go to. They didn’t kick us out. It wasn’t close to anything like that. 11 months we lived with them and their willingness allowed us to build our launch team, lay the foundation and start the church! They are part of our story.

Scotty Patterson was someone I lived with during my internship here in 1997. He and his wife Shellie who are part of our Church asked us to move in with them. Once again plans to only stay a month or two and hopes by summer that we would have our own place and we could settle. June 7th, 2010 came and went. A year in Orlando and our house had not sold. We still didn’t have a place our own. My family had prayed for this for 20 months!!! Longer than I had prayed for anything. Our house had been on the market for 15 months now. Price dropped again.

June passed and nothing. We now had 7 weeks before school. We could not stay with the Patterson’s forever either. Scotty & Shellie had been more than generous. But where would we go? What about school for the kids? Could we ever find a place to call home and settle? “God we have given up everything to be obedient, why are we stuck?”, I found myself writing. Then all I had to do was look at the Church. It was clearly evident. God is doing amazing things that I don’t even have time enough to tell you about in the lives of the people there and in our life as well. Church had become our home. It was were everything made sense, because nothing else did.

At the beginning of July we had to look at all options. Over the entire year I had not even remembered that I had a 401k from West Ridge. It wasn’t close enough to retire on and I was faced with this question… “why would I have money sitting in a place that I won’t see 35 years from now, if I live that long, and yet I can’t even take care of my family now?” The money would be enough to erase our debt and at least allow us to look at getting our own place. This would truly be a moment to think upon the words of Jesus; “do not worry about tomorrow or what the day may bring”.

We cashed it out and paid off our debt. With debt gone and the money we would save by getting our stuff out of storage, we could get a place. So we started looking at rentals. Orlando is not a cheap place to live! We looked and found nothing for weeks. Everything was dirty, damaged, or sketchy. Finally our realtors wanted to explore other options just to see. We soon found ourselves before a lender. What I thought was gonna be a quick meeting and back to renting soon changed. With our debt gone, a very good credit score, and more, we had been pre-approved and it would be cheaper than renting!!

We found ourselves within a day putting a contract on a house! It was an inventory home that was being build they they wanted to move. It had $10,000+ in upgrades and more! We negotiated all of it and found a price to settle We finally were gonna have a place. God was gonna allow us to settle. To have a house that we could raise our kids, a place for my wife to decorate and call home. A place to invite people from the church over for dinner, a place to have family come stay and visit us, a place to meet OUR OWN neighbors and reach out to them.

Day after day we went by the house. On Wednesday of last week (August 11, 2010) we got a call. File completed and sent to underwriter. Our walk through was on Friday morning and we were to close this coming Friday, August, 20th. Late Wednesday evening I received a call. I was told the loan was not going to pass through. I remembered feeling like I wanted to puke. How would I tell my family?

We were being told that the underwriter did not want to sign off because we were being seen as “self-employed” because my name was on the Church business license. They wanted 2 years of w-2’s and I only had one. They brokered it out to 6 other lenders and none wanted to pick it up. On Thursday the builders used their own lender and he also brokered it out. 10-11 lenders and none willing. Still nothing. They were asking for co-signers, more money down, all of which could not happen. What would we do? School starts in 7 days and the kids are registered in a house that we may not live in and in a school zone we may not be a part of. Then our builder called a lender who lives in the subdivision we were building. He came up Thursday late afternoon and said he would not know till Monday. Last chance. It would either happen or it was dead.

Panic, frustration, fear, anxiety all set in. It was hard! I jumped in my car and grabbed my phone. Opened my Bible program and started pushing buttons. It opened Psalm 46 “Be still and know that I am God”. I didn’t want to be still! I had been still for almost two years. But a peace came over me. “Count it all joy when you face trials and temptations, because the testing of your faith creates perseverance…”, rang through my head.

On Friday we had to do our walk through. Mixed emotions. Would it be ours? Was this salt on the wound? While doing our walk through at 9:00 am, my phone rang. it was my realtor back home in GA. WE HAD A RENTER IN OUR HOUSE BACK IN GA! I didn’t know what to think. I was so mixed with emotion. They signed a two year agreement and it was the perfect deal. It was as if God was saying… “Be still and know that I am God”. I had prayed for almost two years and God had finally done what He wanted and when. I was ok with that. I was taught early on in life “trust in the LORD with all you heart and lean not on your OWN understanding…”

But what about our place? Was it ungrateful to think this way? I needed to find space to praise God even in the confusion and uncertain future that would be before us. Sunday in Church we were ending our 21 days of Prayer. Fitting that it was during this time that all this would happen At the end of the service this Sunday the entire Church laid hands on my wife and I and prayed over our situation. We had close friends & family who were willing to pray around the clock, fast and stay up all night standing in the gap for us. After the service an elderly women came to me and told me she had a dream of me the night before. (?) She then explained that in her dream I was filled with joy, dancing and celebrating and she was so excited for me. Was it true? Could it be? Or was it just cute?

Monday came and we awaited by the phone all day. No real word. No hint of direction. Then at about 3:50 we got a phone call. It was my realtor back in GA. Our AC unit at the house their needed to be replaced! GREAT! Just more news. I about exploded. Why? How? When? What? Then at 4:10 the phone rang. It was the lender. This was his statement; “Tim I am calling to tell you that after much work, we are pushing your loan through”. I paused. He said it gets better… “we are dropping your interest rate from 5% to 4.5%.”, “we wanted to show you that our fees are great so you don’t have to come to closing with any more money, not a dollar”, “and we would like to show the builders how good we can do business so we are gonna expedite your closing to keep it this Friday”.

What? I didn’t know what to say. The money we were supposed to bring to closing would now replace our AC unit. The 4.5% would bring our house payment down even more. Completely cheaper than renting! God was at work. It wasn’t coincidence that our house in GA rented on the same weekend. It was God at work!

I couldn’t even run inside to tell my wife. I remembered this passage of scripture as it flooded my thoughts:

Deuteronomy 8
1 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors. 2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that people do not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years…

11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God,…

17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth,

I knelt in the drive way and prayed, before I ever ran in the door. I was humbled and overwhelmed. God had done “immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine”!

The story sounds great, but it has come with much sacrifice, hard times, and difficult moments. Following Jesus is NOT easy! Church Planting isn’t a game! This is tough. I know the journey has really just begun. This time of testing might be over, but others will come. I pray that I nor my family will every forget this part of the journey. That our faith has grown stronger, for when tougher times come. I know this… my journal entries will forever declare our story, so that we can and wont forget God’s work. His Word has become my refuge and strength. The first place I run to in my day. Prayer has become the center of everything in my life, something that has me longing to find how many times I can respond in prayer each day.

Thanks to all who have been praying. Thanks for standing in the gap. We still need you, but today celebrate with us, because God has given us a place to use for His glory!

During Lent I decided to give up all social media for 50 days.
No twitter.
No Facebook.
No Blogs.
With that said here are a few thoughts that I discovered by not having social media in my life.

1. Less Distracted

This first is the most obvious. Not having it allowed me to stop wondering/worrying about who posted what, reading another link, or checking my phone while out. I found I could accomplish much more in the day. Too often I would read something, click a link, comment back, check to see if someone commented on my comment, and next found out that I wasn’t getting done what actually needed to be done.

2. Social Media has replaced real interaction between people

I had no clue that without social media I would be completely on an island. I realized that all the “friends”/ “followers” that people are so worried about updating and posting for really are not that at all. Most people just want a quick glimpse. Cell phones are no longer used for actually calling people. Out of all the “friends” and “follower” I have, only about 4-5 actually cared enough to call and talk about life, instead of waiting for a quick 140 character hit. Did most do it on purpose? No. But I realized how many people have substituted real interaction for cyber relationships.

3. No more competition

Most of what twitter offered was a continual competition of who could get the next 140 re-tweet. Rooted in who had done what, who could get someone to forward out their best saying for the day and what the world needed to stop and know about them. Myself included in this. Without it I was freed from getting sucked into the competition that leaves so many questioning, struggling, and wanting to give up, because their 140 characters don’t offer or sound as great as another.

4. The important things got my first

Instead of rolling over, checking my phone, pulling up facebook, etc. I could rise each morning without worrying about what to say to twitterland or facebook world first. I could spend the first moments of my day with God and focus on my family before the kids left for school or my wife was off to her daily routine. Without social media I realized that so much of my time is hijacked by a tweet, link, post, picture, etc. It was great to set the phone and computer aside and sit with what is most important.

5. Social Media is effective

With all that I learned about not having it in my life, I also realized how quick people can connect. How quick people can respond to a need, to pray for someone in a rough place, to help a situation. With the world a click away, it was obvious that facebook, twitter, blogs, etc. are useful to communicate in the world today.

Will I continue to use it? Yes. But, I have realized the place, time and approach in my life to use social media when needed, but to release myself from the addiction that it can quickly become. Too many people have allowed it to neglect their spouses, family, and time with God, to see how many “friends” responded to a post, or how many “followers” may have re-tweeted their quote of the day. Life is more important, and people are more important. I hope to use these tools to effectively help, but not allow them any longer to replace the ways in which this world needs to understand real interaction with others.

So I’m back, but it won’t be the same

That’s why were are here. Because a God spoke the world into motion. Because a God speaks to His creation. Because God called us to obey. So when He calls… we listen.

It’s been three weeks since Genesis Church began and we have not said much about it. It’s our way of filtering through what God is doing, and not getting caught up in the hype formulated by the “church world”. This is a journey… much like discipleship. Not a competitive game for us.

We didn’t start a church to be part of the new “church planting” culture. We didn’t start a church with a desire to see our faces on some conference line up. We started Genesis Church because God said, and we responded. Yes, it took a few years of wrestling with him. Those years becoming miserable and uneasy. Wrestling with God is not something I advise for others. But we knew of the need for the local church. A place for others to participate in. A place for encouragement, support and a place to be equipped, because six days are coming. Yet, somehow we began to realize we needed this for us. Not just the community… be we ourselves were longing for a place to unleash all that God had etched inside each of us.

On January 24th, 2010 that moment to unleash became a reality. What God had birthed inside of us, the flicker that had turned into a blaze had it’s moment to release. We didn’t do preview services, like some. We didn’t do big events like others. Instead we realized that to create the movement God was calling us to, we had to be unique… it had to US! In a city, things are much, much different than a suburb or county. Lots of people, lots of churches, equalling lots of people who say; “I have a church”. So we had to be strategic and different than those before us. We didn’t search books, web sites, blogs, etc. We just decided to find God. God had created us for this, so let’s find Him and continue to find what He is asking of us. It was our desire to BE what we needed to be. Not what someone else thought we should do. If I’m correct, scripture teaches that God builds His church anyway.

However, we were not lazy. We were very diligent, and wise in our approach, use of finances, and moments in preparing for our start. For Genesis Church our gage for success will be different. I know people like numbers, and we do pay attention to those. It was exciting to have 149 on our first Sunday in a city where we were told that to have a hundred in year one is successful. But that’s not what excited me on day one. Because Genesis Church wasn’t built for just day one.

What excited me was that in week 1, week 2, and week 3 we have had families come that had almost given up on the local church. What we find to be successful is a family that hasn’t been in church for 5 years, attending for 3 weeks straight. Where we find our joy is to know that a family that has not been in church for 20 years came and returned for another week. To have families each week drive up after church is over, because they saw our banner by the road and ask for information because they are “needing a church” and would like to come the following week. Thrilled that we could give away the entire first offering we ever received completely for Haiti Relief! Not for some spectacle, but because this church will always be about helping others in this world.

That’s why Genesis Church came to Orlando. Does this city have a lot of churches? Heck yeah!
Does this city need more churches… yes!
Churches that are not here to compete with Disney or any other show. Churches that are serious about the community God has placed them it. Churches that find success not just in how many are coming, but how many are leaving transformed by the renewing of their minds.

Genesis Church has begun! We have had every technical problem imaginable for a young three week old church Our advise to all those who would like to ask… will be from what NOT to do, more than anything. But that hasn’t mattered because our success and our story is not based upon that. Our story will forever be based upon how many people

“rethink life the way God originally intended”.

Here are some pics from the first three weeks. You can finally start listening to our sermons online. But more than trying to see how “successful’ we were at launch, join us in prayer for a city called “the graveyard of church planting”. That we would be a symbol of life and light as God uses us to effectively proclaim his gospel and it would transform the way people lived.

There are more pics here because the pics below are hard to see: www.genesischurchorlando.com

Thanks to all of you who have made this story a reality. God has used you and because of it, families, people, and college students are already rethinking who God is in their world.

Over the next two weeks we are going to post our values on this blog and others, allowing for some to get a better glimpse of who God is creating us to be as a Church in East Orlando. These values are the foundation of who we are. We hope that as you begin to discover what God is doing with Genesis you will be compelled and refreshed by our purpose and desire to be obedient.

Launch date is January 24th.
Please contact us HERE with any questions or more info.

PEOPLE

People are God’s treasure. In fact he told them so in Exodus 19:5 “…you will be my treasured possession”. God‘s original design was for people to be together. All people. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4 ”Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: There was a man all alone.” This is why we value building authentic relationships with people. Jesus’ ministry & life were solely about helping, loving and reaching people. No one was ever excluded and everyone was invited to join. In following the way of Jesus we welcome, accept, invite, live with and among everyone, no matter their background, race, political party, shape, size, dress or any other idea that might put a dividing wall between two people. God’s design happens best when this way of living takes place.
//Genesis 2:18 / Exodus 19:1-5 / Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 / Mark 12:29 / 1 John 4:7-21

FAMILY

Family is important. Although each family looks very different from the next, we believe that family should be of the highest priority. Outside of our relationship with God, our relationship with family is crucial. The role of a husband to his wife, a wife to her husband, parents to children, and children to parents are painted all through the Bible. We believe that we are to help others understand that a family learning, giving, and being together has a huge advantage in discovering the life God designed for each of its members.
//Deuteronomy 6:4-5 / Proverbs 13 / Ephesians 5:21-33

On Monday night November 2nd, 2009 we met with others in the home of John & Kristie Walker for our first Genesis Church gathering. We shared how God had crossed our paths, our heart, and our vision for Genesis Church. It was a great night for others to see the people God has brought our way and who is committing to play a part in helping us launch Genesis Church.

We will be meeting again on Sunday evening November 22nd, from 5:30-7:30 pm. If you are curious about what we are doing, interested in helping a church start, or want to play significant part in the story of Genesis Church, then make plans to join us. Email here for more info: contact@genesischurchorlando.com

We are looking for others who have a heart to help those in east Orlando find the life that God originally designed for them. Join us and find others to live life together with!

The three guys in this picture above are homeless. Not in any sense of the picture you might automatically associate with the person who needs help on the street in your city. Nor am I paralleling those homeless to the one I am about to describe. We are just three guys who are being obedient to God in starting a church here in Orlando, and in the process find ourselves without a home. All of us are currently living in homes not our own, staying with friends and family in our transitions. We are “wandering on a journey” you might say. Our houses have not sold, we are trying to raise support, some of us need knew jobs in Orlando, yet all of us find ourselves walking through an unknown period (desert) with a God who is… our pillar of smoke by day, and fire by night.

A few years back I discovered something that changed much of the foundation for how I understood the phrase “following Jesus”. I had often heard things taught and preached to me like “experience this full life found in Christ” “come to Jesus and he will take away all your pain” “there is never more joy found in life than in following Jesus” “God will protect you and give you all you need”. (stick with me on this)

Are these statement true? Absolutely.

Yet, there is another side of the story that was scarcely ever told. These phrases although true can often leave a person thinking; “once I say this prayer everything will be fixed” “God will take care of it”. But what happens when it just gets more difficult? What happens when that job doesn’t work out? What happens when the wandering seems to continue? What happens when it seems as if God isn’t listening?

I’ve discovered it leaves people with this semi-false message, often discouraging them and helping position them in a place to give up.

Jesus painted a different picture to his followers. He seemed to spend more time telling his followers the other side of the story. On many occasions on his way to Jerusalem in his final week he tried to teach his followers a very important lesson.

Luke 9:57-62
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.”
Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Jesus’ message to those who would follow him, looked a lot different than most understand. Following Jesus for most of his disciples would lead to a life of persecution, isolation, and even death. Not quite the fuzzy “come to Jesus and all we be made well” message of following Jesus most hear.

Now for those of you wondering where this is going…

Does God provide? I have many amazing stories to proclaim and support that.

Does God bring protection? In ways that take most of us years to look back and understand.

Does God answer prayer? Always, we often forget He is writing the story, not us.

Does God bring this “full life”? Sure. And it’s found in ways we least expect it.

The understanding that I have begun to find is that following Jesus strips us of every comfort and expectation we might presuppose “following” Jesus means. Its leaves us living a life where we often feel as if we have lost it. It’s unknown, uneasy, it’s difficult. Travel the world and see the cost to following Jesus. See through their eyes the idea of being excommunicated from a village, or hiding in cellars because the “fullness of life” they have chosen to follow has a greater cost than most could imagine.

They understand what it means to “put your hands to the plow and don’t look back”.

Yet, ironically we find that it’s in that “sense of a lost life” “wandering through deserts” that we find the life God originally designed. The life that he had for us all along. The one we might just be to comfortable and distracted to find if it was any other way.

For us three and the other followers on this journey, it’s not about where the roof over our head is coming from right now, and it’s not so much about when the light at the tunnel will shine brightest. For the life we have found is one in which each day we get to wake and remember Jesus’ words:

Luke 9:1-6
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.” So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

This was the message to those early followers, the one most never understand. In following Jesus, people will deny you, people will criticize you, and people in some countries people will want to kill you. Still want to follow?

But… (isn’t always great to hear that small word)

Matthew 28:20 “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Following Jesus with no food, no extra shirt, no home, not enough money cannot be comprehended for some, but for others it can be no other way. For we have found that the best life is not in one built around ourselves and our comforts, but one spent trusting God for absolutely everything. A life where we are invited and sent to play our part in God’s story, sharing this good news and helping heal people along the way. A life where we come to realize that it’s not about us. That true joy in life comes not from our comfort but in helping comfort others. To reach out and help lift up those hurting, those lost, and those wandering with no pillar or fire to guide them.

Would we each like our own home?
Yes.
Would we like for support money and jobs to become available?
Absolutely.
Would we give up the desert where we get to experience God coming down around the Mountain to speak to us?
No way.

This is why we follow.
This is why we participate.
This is the “full” life we find in Jesus.

If this is how we find it, then homeless is where we will be.

A few years back a group of four guys and I decided that it was time to start learning things about God, Jesus, the scriptures, etc. at a level in which we had never known them before. The idea that we were just “passing on what we were taught” without exploring and understanding it ourselves began to ring deep within each of us. We wanted to not just gather, but explore life and the world TOGETHER. I guess you could say the “light bulb” went off. What happened in the next few years transformed each of us, and is the reason I find myself in Orlando starting a church.

This wasn’t a program we joined, it was something we just created. No study guide, just the Biblical text and some books we chose to help us understand more. Once we started we had no idea of the ramifications. A passion grew inside each of us as we discovered life transformational things about God and his design for our lives. We became engulfed with finding out as much as we could. Not just to know, but to live out in the world around us. Within that group of 5 guys, each one of us now find ourselves in different states, different roles, and playing new parts in helping change the world with message of Jesus.

That passion that started inside each of us didn’t stop within that group. Although many of us still spend a frequent amount of time in conversations, we each began to take the things we learned and find new people to grow, learn, and explore with. What we learned we found we couldn’t shut up about! It wasn’t something we were told to go do (well actually we were in Matt. 28 – I will talk about that later) but it was something we could not stop ourselves from doing.

Now 6 years later I find myself with a new group of 4 guys. This (picture above) is my discipleship, (In Hebrew = Talmidim, Haverim). Each week because we all don’t live in the same place, the 5 of us gather online in a video chat room for 1-2 hours to talk, discuss, pray, and grow with each other. The video chat room is nice, but it’s the emails, texts, phone calls and tweets that go on the other 6 days of the week that really shape the discipleship that is taking place. We find ourselves living life together in more ways than just a group meeting. Most of these guys are now transplanting their families in Orlando with us to take the things we have studied, learned, and discovered and use them to display Jesus to a new community.

Many people spend countless hours discussing, meeting, and attend conferences on what “discipleship” is and should look like. What we think of discipleship here in America is very different from the picture happening in scripture and the way discipleship happens(ed) from those in that culture. We try to box discipleship into some structure where we spend years trying to figure out how to make it work. After truly living together with a discipleship group for the these past years of my life, here are some things I have learned about it:

*Disclaimer: I believe this is a very organic thing that happens when people start living life together. Not a small group and Not a program. These lists are not “the list” just personal things I have found true in this journey.

Discipleship = life transformation & life imitation

Mark 1:16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

Hebrews 13: 7-8 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

What is visible in a disciple?
1. a transformed life
2. sacrifice
3. a passion to learn
4. obedience

How do you disciple?
1. Life TOGETHER! Through close connection & extensive time with people:
“a disciple, did not grasp the full significance of his teachers’ learning in all it nuances except through prolonged intimacy with his teacher, through close association with his rich and profound mind” (p. 55)
2. Your personal life becomes authentic and a model
3. Expand your way of life in the WORLD
4. Find yourself still passionate to be discipled:
*You are not above your discipleship group, you are an equal member in it. There is always something to learn!

What discipleship is not:
1. a quick fix:
“Our culture is fascinated with instant fixes and extreme makeovers… but discipleship has always been about a process” (p. 56)
2. a program:
It’s a life TOGETHER with God and others. Not a set time of the week.
3. an “accountability group”:
Its not a time for going through some check list to make sure you answer the questions right
4. an option:
This is the Great Commandment (Matthew 28) “to refuse to become Jesus’ disciple is to consign ourselves to perpetual childhood and condemn ourselves to a wasted, frustrating life.” (p.58)

*All quotes with page number are from “Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus”

Discipleship is the mission that Jesus left us with. Discipleship does not equal “convert”. We have tried to simplify it to make it easy on us. Discipleship is a long, messy, time consuming, daily interacting process with people.

If your wondering how this happens? If its not found in a program than who can I do it with? How do I begin?

My answer is simple… it happens when you and others are truly ready to find life the way God originally designed.

Although many days are tough, many seem to be difficult and have no end in site, my prayer is for you to keep going, find hope, and stay obedient to what God has asked you to do.

Romans 4:18 AGAINST ALL HOPE, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

[Genesis 15:1-6] After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward.”

2 But Abram said, “O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.”5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Romans 4:19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, …

[James 1:2] Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom (wisdom = discernment in the trial), he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

… but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

[Philippians 1: 6] being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

[Ephesians 3: 20] Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

Grace and Peace be with you today.

Let the journey begin! I’m kicking things off at a 3 day conference by #Rob Bell. “Poets, Prophets, & Preachers. The lost art of communication”.

I think Rob is a fantastic communicator and i am very anxious to see what he has to teach.

Pray for “eyes to see and ears to hear” as i spend 3 days learning, thinking, and connecting with others. Also pray for my wife and kids back in Orlando for these three days i am gone.

Will keep you updated on what is being taught here and through my twitter so keep checking back.

On Friday June 26, 2009 news channels all around the world broke the tragic news that Michael Jackson had passed. Instantly the internet, twitter, blogs, youtube, MTV, BET, VH1 began talking, chatting, and remembering the life of the great “King of Pop”.

I sat this weekend and frequently watched TV stations give tribute to the music legend and many thoughts flooded my mind. I remember watching as a young child the music videos, the dancing, the crowds, the packed stadiums, all displaying the creativity and excellence in which Michael brought before us. Just wished I could have learned to moonwalk, just to white for that one! I also remember the other moments… the ones which brought great sadness to the reputation and character of such a great music icon. The ones that left you baffled at the choices he would make in the midst of what assumed to most Americans as the “dream life”.

As I have watched I have realized a few things that I had never pondered before. Things that I think might just go hand in hand with how we lead our churches. Yep, a connection between church and Michael Jackson. Cause “everything is spiritual”

In 1985 Michael had a platform of stars record a song “We are the world”. An attempt to bring about awareness to the aid needed in a country called, Africa. Michael was a pioneer. He wrote songs about “making a change” (Man in the Mirror), the problem with race (Black & White), taking care of the earth (The Earth Song), all before people, countries, and the world were taking notice. Messages that in many ways have great spiritual meaning. These messages were way before Bono asked America to help in aid to Africa. Way before Obama brought a message of… “change”.

A great pioneer in understanding the world was a bigger place and that each race and people group were needed in it. Just one problem. Michael had the message, there was just no model to follow. People dressed like him, danced like him, tried to sing like him, but none of us followed him. Seriously, did any of you try to build a well when you heard the song “Heal the world”? His message through an amazing vehicle of music could go no further than our radios because there was no model to follow. The messenger live a lonely life full of controversy. There could have been a world with a “better place” if the messenger would have just looked in the mirror and “made a change”.

Isn’t that the problem with church? We have platforms, radio feeds, internet feeds, podcasts, and yet people don’t follow cause there isn’t a life to model. Paul said; “follow me, as I follow Christ”. He did not just travel from town to town, use his platform to preach a message of change, and leave. He lived it. He modeled it. He gave, He helped, He took others with him. John wrote; “Whoever claims to live in Him, must live as Jesus lived”. That what we would say from our mouth would be visible in the life that spoke it. Truth lies in the ability to step off the platform and live out the ways in which we are calling others to live. Many of us are great at giving the message. We are creative, we know what “moves” work well, we worry about excellence, but the model is missing. We use one day a week as a platform to declare the message then live lonely in hiding the rest of the week for none to see how it should be live.

Think about it….
- we teach a daily life with God, then personally spend an hour in the morning with him cause of meetings
- we engage and call people to “feel free to worship” while we stand back & “critique” the worship sets
- we pay “missionaries” to go out and do the work we should be doing together as a church
- we spend more time “creatively” trying to achieve excellence in our next series than in study for teaching

Michael was an inspiration to many. He did things at a level none will match, and none will repeat. As a church we can spend all week trying to do things at such a high “excellence” that we forget about the simplicity of modeling it. We can continue to toss out great podcasts, twitter statements, worship albums, but are people able to follow the model that we give day in and day out? Jesus said “come follow me”. Watch my life as I teach it and live it, was his message & model.

Many comments, jokes and thoughts will come of Michael over the next few days depending on your view of him. Truth is Michael made great music. Some had amazing messages. He made music videos that we will watch over and over, and the sad reality is that his departure from this earth left us with a personal life absent of the model the world wanted to see to actually make the change. He missed that part. I think all this begs the question… will we continue in the same disguise that happens in church way to often? Will we continue to declare a great message but forget to give visible moments for others to model? Is our model something that makes the world a better place? As the song suggests… It just might be time if the church wants to make the world a better place to “look in the mirror and make a change”.