This verse from part of today's One Year Bible OT reading jumped out at me...

Jacob to Esau: "...what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God! (Genesis 33:10 NLT) Jacob said this after Esau (the one Jacob had cheated and swindled more than once) welcomed him back into his life with open arms.

We would do well to remember this as it is the very picture of the good news we live in as followers of Christ. No matter what we have done and no matter the failures of our character, in (re)turning to the Lord as Jacob returned to Esau we invariably discover the warm embrace and the welcome smile of the One who is a friend to those like Jacob (and me)...who are very broken and far from holiness but have the privilege of knowing a beautiful and faithful God!

Just thought I'd pass it along as it made me smile to think of God warmly smiling on me!

Join in, if you want, with others who are reading the Bible this year. It's easy and I even have a Facebook group you can 'like' (Facebook.com/ReadandReceive). Details on reading plans and occasional reflections are posted there.

In my last post, I mentioned that I would be slowly and intentionally sharing some of my foundational assumptions about the Church and our church. If you are a part of the Columbia Ridge family in any way, you deserve to know what goes on in my head and my heart. You deserve to know the foundation from which we move forward. You deserve to know so that you are given an opportunity to speak into what happens in your church family, to be part of what we share of the grace we have been given, which begins with the life we’ve received, the salvation we are offered, and the ongoing favor we enjoy in walking through life with Christ together.

As I shared at The Gathering that occurred last month (everyone is always invited to one of these quarterly events!) there are several convictions I have about the mission we are called to embark on together. I will share these in this post, will share where I believe they will ultimately lead in the next post, and will share what happens in-between – how we get from here to there – in my final post on this topic.

So what convictions does this follower of Christ have?

First, I believe that the call of Christ to us is not simply to make converts to a church but rather disciples of Jesus, his reflections, fully devoted to him (Matthew 28:18-20). As such it is not enough to stop at ushering people into the grace of Christ (we must do this, but can’t stop there), we must help them become fully formed as his disciples over their lifetime. If this happens, the people we have the privilege of introducing to Christ will become more accurate reflections of him day-by-day. Such an occurrence would be a true gift of God to that individual and to everyone they cross paths with! One essential note is that we can only fulfill this call well as we move like Christ (Matthew 22:37-39; Mark 10:45) and that it is exceedingly difficult to help someone become like Christ unless we ourselves are becoming like Christ along the way!

Second, I believe that growing into a follower of Jesus, becoming a disciple and reflecting him, requires a transformation of the heart, mind and soul (Ezekiel 11:19-20; Romans 12:1-2; cp. Matthew 15:18-20). This is not something we can do on our own or even together under our own power. Rather, a transformation of the heart, mind and soul is a gift and typically occurs slowly, over time, through the tool of spiritual disciplines (e.g., fellowship, prayer, solitude, metabolizing God’s word, ministries of service, etc.) as we rely on grace and learn to walk with the Spirit (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 2 Corinthians 3:16-18; Galatians 5:22-26).

Third, we could grow to be a very large church and fail to reflect Christ and make disciples; we could remain a small church and effectively produce disciples (and vice-versa). The key is being true to our call to abide in Christ first and as such let God handle the growth of the Body as he sees fit (John 15:5). I have a hunch, however, that growth of the body numerically will follow growth of the body in discipleship and that numerical growth is essential to reach some of the long-range goals that we can work toward together (again, I’ll be writing on these in my next post).

Finally, as I’ve continued to grow in my role in this church family (which has nothing to do with some title and much to do my with what gifts God has may have given me to offer as our church family sees fit), this has become my personal goal: To, like Paul and his companions, “…proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” Colossians 1:28 (NIV) It is to this end I desire to be used, as he enables and empowers.

At the end of my life I hope to hear a “well done” for the work of presenting those in my sphere of influence as mature in Christ (this includes those in my family, those in my business, and those in our congregation and community) and for being just one of many who help our church family become all that God would intend. I pray that you would join me in this same hope!

Afloat in grace,
Reed

Funny the thoughts you think on a plane.

It had been a great day yesterday. The weather was warm and sunny and the work our team did in San Jose was very well-received. It felt good to have been given the opportunity to begin to assist one of the largest companies in the world in this particular industry, and to do so with excellence. I am so enthused about moving forward for the benefit of those we met yesterday. Plain and simple, it just doesn't get any better than that with regard to my business. 

Reveling in all of this got me thinking about more important matters. Somewhere around 35,000', it struck me that like our team, there was One long ago who traveled a great distance to offer help.

He was like us, but not just like us.

He was like us in the traveling, but unlike us in that

• he was shunned, while we were welcomed;
• his trip cost him greatly - it cost him his life - while our trip "cost us" a single day (and offered us new business);
• his goal was to change our lives and the world, while ours was to help improve one key initiative in one company.

Pretty substantial and humbling differences. The work we do is important and makes a difference, but it is nothing compared to the work of Jesus. 

Funny the thoughts you think on a plane.

Suddenly my reveling moved from what had been done yesterday in San Jose to the mission (not work) I share with the people of Columbia Ridge. Together we share in the call to reflect Christ in our world, even when it costs us greatly and even when it hurts, so that the lives of those around us - and indeed our community and our world - might be changed, redeemed. It just doesn't get any better than that!

This Friday evening (November 18th) from 6:30-8:00pm at our offices I'll be sharing as clearly as I know how the steps we need to take to move forward in this great mission and why I believe we need to do such things. Please attend if you can and if not, please pray for the success of this gathering.

I've been doing a considerable amount of thinking lately about the church, leadership in general, and my leadership. Some of this thinking has come about because of internal pressures that I'm feeling. Things like...

• desiring to lead better and in areas of my own gifting (rather than outside of them),
• wanting to equip others better in their areas of gifting and to release them to create for the Kingdom, and, 
• to do it all while balancing my business and loving my family better. 

I don't necessarily think I'm doing any of that well right now; hence the internal pressure.

There's also some external pressure as well, which is all well and good. External pressure can come from things that exert force on our church that are beyond our control (e.g., the economy and what it does in drawing off available resources, changing culture around us), things in our limited control (timelines for projects are at least partially in our control), and the pressure of a community of diversity that is Columbia Ridge (folks with different opinions on how different things should be done). Again this is all well and good as long as we can move forward together in openness and mutual care and love in Christ.

Because of that desire to move forward in mutuality, I wanted to open up and share this because I think it is important for the Columbia Ridge family to know that such thinking isn't bad at all. In fact, it gives us an opportunity to move forward in different ways, to enter into deeper trust in Christ, and to move forward together as he leads us.

At present, the Board has advocated, and I wholeheartedly agree, that a staffing and leadership group be formed in order to discern how we might move forward in a new and different manner in those regards. It has and has begun its work. I'll be reporting on it as "discovery" comes together.

Additionally, I've revisited and will be writing on some foundational assumptions, activities and hopes with regard to our congregational life together. I felt it was a good practice for me to get such things out of my head and into the world in a formulated manner. I hope you'll agree as pieces of that appear in this blog.

Finally, in some of the reading I've been doing on church leadership, the following passage from a church consultant's essay on leadership in the church (link) struck me profoundly, emphasizing our need to think and pray about our leadership structure and philosophy going forward:

"Even though congregations resemble other institutions -- with physical assets, human resources, budgets, markets and products -- the interplay of a transforming God and a change-resistant constituency, a Savior who suffered and died and constituents who avoid suffering and fear death, and a Spirit who is making all things new even as Christians are grounding themselves in tradition, makes for a complex organization... A church community draws people close to their deepest yearnings, their most vivid fears, their wounds and their triumphs, their doubts about everything, including themselves, and their native optimism or hope that life can be better... walking with God can be a discomfiting and humbling journey. The effective church leader accepts this complexity, tries to understand it, works within it, and exercises both patience and determination in trying to help people get beyond their flaws. That is demanding and often confusing work. Little in the rest of life, except the challenge of living in a family and raising children, prepares one for the challenge."

I am thankful to be part of the Community of Christ that is Columbia Ridge. I believe that we have people here that love the Lord and each other deeply and are engaging, even right now, in how we can move forward together in honor of the One who gave his life for us. Whether or not you are part of a team, a leadership group, or the staffing/leadership discovery group, you can participate in our journey forward through your prayers for the health of our congregation and the fulfillment of the mission God has given us. Please considering offering them up to the Lord regularly! Furthermore, I am open to hearing your thoughts via this blog or email. Feel free to speak up anytime.

Afloat in His Grace,
Pastor Reed

Let [the student of Scripture] approach the New Testament, not with an unholy curiosity, but with reverence; bearing in mind that his first and only aim and object should be that he may catch and be changed into the spirit of what he there learns. It is the food of the soul; and to be of use, must not rest only in the memory or sink into the stomach, but must pierce through the very depths of the heart and mind... Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) via cqod.com.

I thought that this was appropriate given the general theme of my sermon yesterday and my post from earlier this morning:

One who is full loathes honey from the comb, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet. Proverbs 27:7 (NIV)

This proverb seems to capture one of the factors that modulates our response to Scripture. The question of how hungry we come to it is important. If we are full of our own perspectives, full of our own abilities, full of our own righteousness, then even the sweetest words of God are unwelcomed or at the very least, not desired or enticing. On the other hand, if we come hungry in our soul, if we come knowing we need his guidance, his challenge, his consolation, his conviction - which are all manifestations of his one-way love, his grace - then even words that are hard to receive will satisfy.

The main application from my sermon yesterday (on the grace offered to us through God's discipline and instruction) was that we should choose the easy, rather than hard, path to being led to the peace resulting from a life fully entrusted to God (Titus 2:11-12). Taking this easy path comes as we emulate Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:7-3:3). Though he read words of the Lord that could be difficult, he tasted them as sweet, received them, and aligned himself to them. If only we could be like Ezekiel, not just reading the words of God but receiving them willingly, gladly, sweetly. If we could, we'd discover grace within them, grace that leads to the comfort of entrusting onself more deeply to the Lord.

So let's do that together! Let's not stop at simply reading the bible. Let's go beyond that by starting to receive his words to us. It's simple, really. As you open your bible, ask the Lord to highlight something for you in the reading you're about to do. When he does, ask him for the grace you need to help you act on what was highlighted. Read it and then receive it as sweetness to your soul!

If you'd like to follow along with the reading plan many use at Columbia Ridge, pick up a One-Year Bible at the local book store (or Amazon) or just use your computer, tablet, or smart phone to read each day for free (if you do this, we're on day 311 today).

Looking forward to reading and receiving with you today!

Sound Bible exposition is an imperative must in the Church of the Living God. Without it no church can be a New Testament church in any strict meaning of that term. But exposition may be carried on in such way as to leave the hearers devoid of any true spiritual nourishment whatever. For it is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself, and unless and until the hearers find God in personal experience they are not the better for having heard the truth. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts. {A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), The Pursuit of God [1948], Christian Publications, 1982, p. 9 | See the book at http://cqod.com/b/r2618}

My brother Bruce passed away on August 19th, 2011. In the months before the Lord took him through his cancer, he began to write a few things down for his four children, his wife, and the rest of his family so that we could remember him, reflect on his experiences in life and in death, and pass such things on. I really miss him. It's odd having an older brother for 41 years - an older brother who you see having so many qualities you wish you had yourself - and then suddenly not having him walking this earth anymore.

In this brief post, you'll find his obituary, a tribute (written by Kathryn, his wife), and a slideshow I put together of Bruce throughout the years. But before I get to that, I thought I'd pass along a three short sentences from his memoir that struck me and will help you know him a little bit (and give you a little glimpse into why I respect him so much).

Of his life Bruce wrote: "I was lucky that I loved the life that I was born to." Great perspective for me (and for all of us) from my brother. I'm not so sure it was just chance, or luck, that he loved his life. He worked at it and as a result loved life and made a tremendous, tangible difference in this world. Sometimes I don't really feel I lean into this life I've been given as much as I should. 

Of his cancer he wrote: "Life would now be lived one day at a time and the challenge was wringing as much from what one was given as one could. Balancing relationships, serving God, work and taking care of oneself is the same for all of us." That is perfect Bruce, taking what came his way and striving to wring as much from what he had as possible. In his last two-and-a-half years, he certainly did that, just as he had in his previous 47. He didn't let his cancer change his desire to bring something beneficial, whatever he could, into the world and into his family.

Of the tougher episodes in his life, like this cancer that took him, he wrote: "Sometimes I think that is what we live for: stories of challenge, adversity and how we overcome them. I of course liked to play the hero." You are a hero to me, big brother. I love you.

As I said, you'll find his obituary, tribute and slide show below.  

Bruce's Obituary:

A tribute: "Football"

Bruce Mueller: Photo Montage from Reed Mueller on Vimeo.

The slide show includes music Bruce loved: The Boxer (which Erin and I sang, thinking of Bruce in a small town pub in Ireland!), Where the Streets Have No Name, Stand By Me (which he "asked" me to sing for Kathryn at his funeral), I Will Remember You (which Tabitha, his daughter, sang for him at his funeral), and I'll Fly Away (which expressed his confident faith, also performed at his funeral).

After three weeks off the platform I find I'm really excited to get back up and preach this weekend. Finally... I get my shot in our Verses {that change lives} series. My verse this week is Philippians 1:27 and I chose it because it, more than any other, shaped my earliest moments as a disciple of Christ.

As I've been preparing, I've been keeping this (intimidating) quote in mind:

...sermons are supposed to be “audible sacraments.” They are not simply for the conveying of information, though that is important in a world increasingly ignorant of some of the most basic biblical and theological information. They are not simply for exhortation, still less for entertainment. They are supposed to be one of the moments in regular Christian living when heaven and earth meet. Speaker and hearers alike are called to be people in whom, by the work of the Spirit, God’s word is once again audible to the heart as well as to the ears. Preaching is one key way in which God’s personal authority, vested in scripture and operative through the work of the Spirit, is played out in the life of the church.  N. T. Wright, Scripture and the Authority of God: How to Read the Bible Today (p. 139).

The truth is that preaching still makes me nervous.

Every. Single. Week.

Over the years that nervousness has changed, though. Gone are the intense "I think I'm about to throw up" nerves that were my constant companion over my first decade of preaching. In their place now are more subtle, yet still present, butterflies in my stomach (still, ever single weekend). I kind of wish that they would just go away!

But what I don't wish would go away, and what I actually hope keeps increasing over time, is my sense of awe (and the associated spiritual and emotional fear) that comes as I realize just how miraculous the moment of preaching really can be. My hope and prayer every Sunday is to let God's word shine through in the moments when I'm speaking. I know I don't always do that, but that is my desire and it's a desire that arises from my own experience: God's word, his voice to me, changed my life forever. I desire that for anyone who happens to gather on a Sunday when I'm preaching and I promise to keep being nervous as I stand in awe at the fact that God has give me the opportunity to share.

While I can't bring heaven and earth together I do know God can as he speaks to us through scripture and as we open our hearts to be receptive to his voice.

Wherever you are and whatever your role as you gather for worship this week, let's be receptive together!