Becoming Relevant #1

The dictionary defines relevant as:  “having significant and demonstrable bearing upon the matter at hand.”  Talking with Steve Baker (Steve is planting our next church around O’Hare, in Elmhurst, IL) provided some good insight into this term that is used to describe so many different things in culture today.

We were talking about the recent rise in popularity for Jeremy Lin (he plays basketball for the New York Knicks).  He is being talked about almost daily on ESPN, he made the front page of USA Today, and basketball fans are caught up in the Lin-frenzy.  Steve had an interesting insight:  “Lin is relevant because he is being talked about by the public.”

This led to a discussion on the different ways the church he is starting can become talked about or relevant to the city of Elmhurst.  We (Ignite) want to start churches that will be relevant parts of the communities in which they are started.  Our current churches do many different things to be relevant:  starting a Teen Mops ministry (Adventure Christian Church in Bradley, IL), packing backpacks for underprivileged school children (Crossroads Christian Church in Joliet, IL), providing winter coats for children in Northwest Indiana (Suncrest Christian Church in St. John, IN). Each of these churches (and others we have started) are relevant participants in their community.

In my next blog, I will share a recent story of relevance from one of our newest churches.   I am looking forward to seeing the church started in Elmhurst.  A church that will have “significant and demonstrable bearing” on the community as we bring the love of Jesus lived out.

An Interesting Feeling

Have you ever felt like you were all alone?  This past week, my wife and I enjoyed our first cruise (we were celebrating our 30th Anniversary).  We had a wonderful time, seeing new things, meeting new people, spending time with my sister and brother-in-law.  The first night, as we were cruised through the Gulf of Mexico, I had a strange feeling of isolation.  Looking out the porthole, there was nothing but dark skies and water rushing by.  Sitting there, I realized how alone we were on the water.

We docked the next day at Cozumel.  Pulling up to the dock, we saw a huge ship that had docked already.  Soon another cruise liner pulled to the pier.  By the end of the day, there were four cruise ships in port.  Though, I felt we were all alone on the water, in reality, there were three other ships in near proximity.  Sometimes looks (and perceptions) can be deceiving.

I thought about this experience in relation to something from Elijah’s life.  He traveled to Mount Horeb fearing that Jezebel was going to take his life.  Elijah complained to God that he was the only one left in Israel who had remained faithful to Him.  After a couple of interesting experiences, God told Elijah that there were 7,000 people who had refused to worship the false god, Baal.  Elijah’s perception was off, he was not seeing what was really there.  God intervened to show him what was reality. (1 Kings 19)

Sitting at the porthole that first night, I told my wife:  “Kind of eerie being out here all alone.  Only God knows where we are.”  (Maybe a little over-exaggeration?)  I realize that even when we feel the loneliest, we are never alone, God is always there for us.  (And He knows exactly where we are!)

What Lies Ahead for the Church?

A couple of weeks ago, I sat in a room with 20 church planters as we talked about the church of the future.  We started the meeting with a video from Apple Computers which showed a college professor interacting with his computer.  The computer was scheduling appointments, doing research on command and thinking of ways it could enhance a presentation the professor was getting ready to give.  Watching this interaction, I thought of the way that Siri (Apple’s program on the new I Phone 4S) interacts with her users.  I told the planters as the infomercial came to an end, “Look at the date.”  The video was created in 1988.

Steve Jobs had the ability to see what was coming.  He was also able to create culture that would demand the products he was planning on developing.  Anyone who has an I Pod, I Phone, or I Pad, is participating in a culture that was created through the years by Apple.

The question I asked our planters, “What do we need to be doing now to prepare for the future that is coming?  How will the churches we plant need to be different than we are now?”  We took time to dream, to consider trends occurring now and to discuss ways that we might need to structure for the coming future.  We did not arrive at any concrete conclusions that day, but I know that if we don’t start thinking and dreaming now, we won’t be ready for what is coming.

I want the church to be ready for the coming future.  We cannot afford to react to what is happening around us.  Maybe if we get out ahead of the curve, we can help show the need for Jesus that the world does have.  Being proactive instead of reactive, there’s a thought!

What Does God Think?

I love the fact that the Bible is “living and active”.  A passage that’s been read many times in the past can suddenly bring a new insight.  This was what happened to me today as I was reading through Matthew.

The thought arose after Jesus baffled the Jewish leaders with a question on the authority of John the Baptist.  Talking among themselves, they said, “If we say ‘From men’ — we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”  (Matt. 21: 26)  The insight crystalized as the leaders responded to Jesus’ parable of the wicked tenants.  The Jewish leaders knew that Jesus was talking about them, so they looked for a way to arrest them.  “But they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.”  Matt. 21:46

In both of these instances, the leaders were afraid to act because of what the people thought.  I could identify with their reaction, for there are times I don’t act because I’m afraid of what others might think or say.  Instead of being concerned about what people think, maybe decisions should be based on, ”What does God think”?  When all is said and done, it really doesn’t matter what others think if God is directing my steps.  If I want to please my Father, I need to be willing to stand up and speak up for Him, regardless of what others may think.

The Jewish leaders lived in fear of what the people thought, I wonder what the result will be to choose to live with the ”What does God think?” mindset?  That’s a choice I want to pursue.

Enter New Life

2011 ended with a bang for the Hurley household when our grandson was born on December 31.  He arrived after a long 26 hour journey (for both baby and mother), but everyone is doing well.  I cannot describe the feeling that ran through my heart as I heard him crying behind the closed door soon after his birth.  I felt this overwhelming mixture of love, joy, a fierce protectiveness — I started crying as I stood there waiting to see him for the first time.  What a gift this little man is for our family!

Talking with my son as they prepared to bring him home a couple days later, I asked, “Are you feeling the fear of fatherhood?”  His reply, “Oh, yeah!”  I reminded him that the initial fear of being entrusted with this new life would soon leave (but never be completely gone) and told him that he will be a great daddy to his son.  I also told him as I watched him with his son, “you have so many new things coming ahead of you, enjoy them all”.

With the arrival of 2012, we all have a new calendar ahead of us.  I know the new things that are on Ignite’s horizon:  another new church plant around O’Hare (in Elmhurst), new partnerships to be formed, new planters to be recruited, the beginning of the cluster model for planting in this region.  I look forward to what is coming.  Each church start brings the new life of Jesus into communities of Chicagoland.  New life that brings joy and love to many different lives.  I think that 2012 is going to be a great year!!

A New Appreciation

One of the Christmas traditions in our house is the reading of the Christmas story (Luke 2)prior to opening presents.  Reading it this year, I looked across the room at my 9 month pregnant daughter-in-law and had a brand-new appreciation for what Mary must have been feeling as the events of that chapter unfolded.

I observed my daughter-in-law move restlessly as she sought a comfortable position, I saw the pain on her face as the baby kicked her in the ribs and the effort it took just to get up out of a chair.  I realized that Mary and Joseph had made the 80+ mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem when she was at the same stage of pregnancy.  She was also a first time mother and had never experienced the birth process.  She was alone at this critical time, without her mother, only Joseph by her side.  (I wondered how much help he was in this situation?)  Despite these realities, Mary made the journey and began the role she was called to complete.  She lived the words of her declaration to the angel Gabriel, “I am the Lord’s servant.  May it be to me as you have said.”  Luke 1: 38

Experiencing Christmas this year in our context of having a baby soon to be born into our household gave me a new appreciation for what Mary did as Jesus’ mother.  What a faithful servant of God she was.  What a Gift she brought into the world!

Anticipation

Anticipation is something we all understand.  We all know what it feels like to look forward to something.  As the day draws near, the excitement builds until it peaks as the anticipated event happens.  Right now, my wife and I understand this well as we await the birth of our first grandchild.

The other night, my son called to let us know that his wife was having contractions that were about 10 minutes apart.  We soon went to their house to wait together.  All night, the contractions continued without getting any closer.  After returning home, we rejoined them at the hospital on Saturday to find out what was happening.  After an hour on the monitor, the nurse came and explained that everything was fine, but that this was not active labor.  We are still waiting with anticipation.

Christmas season is all about anticipation.  My encouragement:  anticipate ways you can bring joy to others during this time of the year, anticipate seeing God in action around you, anticipate partnering with God to bring his good news to people who need to experience it.  Look for ways to be a positive influence and when you see opportunity, take action.

I’m looking forward to the new life soon to enter the Hurley household.  Make time during the holiday season to thank God for the new life he promises to everyone through Jesus.