Reproduction - A Blog Series

Over on The RiverTree Project blog, I am beginning a 12-part series on the topic of Reproduction.  Six of the posts will be about the difficulties I am seeing with Reproduction.  And six of the posts will be about the "positives" of Reproduction I am observing through my Leadership Residency at Restore.

I will only be posting about 3 times each week, so the series will end up going through the first week of December.  But hopefully the short posts will serve me well in the future when I go back to read what I have been learning and observing during this time in my life.

So feel free to head over, learn with me, and leave a comment if you so desire.

Posted via email from erin bird's web nest

More is NOT Always Better (for Clouds or Churches)

I learned yesterday that Box.net is giving away 50 Gb (that's right - gigabytes!) to users of iOS 5.  I have a free 2 Gb Dropbox account that I use a little bit, but the allure of 50 Gb was too much. I downloaded the app (to my "old" iPhone 3GS - the budget can't support my 4S phone-lust right now), preparing to move my cloud-based items to Box.

However, after downloading the app and beginning to set things up, I learned that Box.net does not offer free syncing to those who only have Personal accounts.  I know they are a business, so I don't blame them one bit for this - they need to make money. And, they owe me nothing, so I am not entitled to free syncing for my 50 Gb account (I'm not even entitled to 50 Gb!)

But I know what this means: I will revert back to Dropbox as my default "cloud-based" account.

Yes, I only have 2 Gb with Dropbox vs. 50 with Box.  But the syncing efficiency of Dropbox, even though it has less, will tilt the scale in their favor. #more

I'm a pastor, so you knew the spiritual twist was coming...

I think many American churches and Christians make the mistake mentally that I did with Box. They think:

• More programs = better
• More Bible studies & classes = better
• More opportunities = better
• more money, more people, more "success" = better

But sometimes, the "more" we have, the less effective and efficient we are.  All those wonderful programs and studies and classes can be good things, but they often fill our schedules, thoughts, and lives so much that we miss the better task of making disciples.

The allure of "more" is real - as I experienced when I clicked the download button for the Box app.  But sometimes, getting more isn't the better option. Sometimes, more isn't really more.  Sometimes, "less" is more.

 

Posted via email from erin bird's web nest

How to use cancer for the glory of God

 

Meet Aaron and Shannon.  They are the type of couple that you like as soon as you meet them.  Shannon always has a smile on her face.  Aaron is as honest and hard-working as they come.  They love people unconditionally, and yet strive to stand up for truth.  If you were to ask me to sum up this couple in one word, I would have to say "quality."

 

Several months ago, this quality couple received devastating news.  Shannon had cancer.  And this cancer wasn't content to just sit in one organ where surgery and chemo could kill it.  No, this cancer decided to spread. And spread. And spread.

 

The news broke everyone's hearts: their daughters, their extended families, their co-workers, their small group.  And many of these people began to ask: "Why would God allow this to happen to such a quality couple?"

 

I'm sure Aaron and Shannon asked "why" at times, but rather than allow the "why" questions drive them towards anger and away from Christ, something amazing began to happen.  God flooded Aaron and Shannon with a peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7).  Their faith in Christ held them strong through these tumultuous times.  If you or a loved one has gone through cancer, you know that is a miracle in and of itself.  But God's amazing work didn't stop there.

 

Family and friends began to inquire about this amazing peace.  And Shannon would simply respond, "I have peace because I know where I'm going when I die.  I'm not worried about me.  But I am worried about you."  And she would then tell them about the gospel, the good news that Christ died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins so we could enter into an eternal relationship with a perfect God.

Lives began to change.  First it was Shannon's mom.  Then one of mom's friends.  Then one of Aaron's co-workers.  Then another co-worker.  Now on Sunday night at our 5:00 pm service, instead of just Aaron & Shannon sitting in the front right section with one or both of their daughters, there are now two whole rows filled with family and friends pursuing Christ.

 

A week or two ago, Aaron told me about something that happened at their Tuesday night Bible Study they are doing with all of these new Christians.  One person asked Shannon something to the effect of "if you had to do this all over again, would you?"  Without hesitation, she said yes.  The group didn't believe her!  They questioned her more, challenging the insane thought that someone would actually endure this painful time in life again by choice.  But Shannon's response was simple.  Aaron told me she said something like this:

 

"Look at how God has used this!  All of you are a testimony that this cancer hasn't been wasted.  I would gladly go through this again because it has brought all of you to life in Christ."

THAT is how to use cancer for the glory of God!

 

-----

One of the men that Aaron works with who has become a follower of Christ was baptized last night at our annual Palo Baptisms.  I shot this with my iPhone from probably 20 feet away, so you will need turn your speakers way up to hear Chad's story, but it's worth it.

Download now or watch on posterous

Chads_Story_-_Computer.m4v (24835 KB)

Tomorrow, Aaron and Shannon fly to Europe for an experimental procedure that will hopefully eradicate the cancer from Shannon's body.  The procedure isn't available in the States yet, and this seems to be Shannon's last hope outside of direct divine intervention.  We are praying for God's healing, and we are praying that He would even use this procedure to heal her.  Would you please take a moment right now to pray for Aaron and Shannon right now?

 

Pray for:

- Safety as they fly

- Calm hearts

- the procedure to work

- healing and long physical life

- God to continue to be glorified through this entire experience

Posted via email from erin bird's web nest

Sweet Second

My family thoroughly enjoyed watching the winter Olympics this past February.  As medal after medal was snatched up by the US, each gold-winning athlete made themselves household names in America (at least for a season).

We are inspired by those who come in first, aren't we?  Whether it is in individual efforts or team sports like hockey, anything less than gold is sometimes considered failure, or at least a profound disappointment.

This attraction to first place even comes out in our lives.  Because our society admires the "golden ones", we long ourselves to be in first place.  We long for the attention, the admiration, the rewards, and the resulting benefits.

However, God seems to have a very different economy.  It seems He esteems those who would be "silver medalists." For example:

• God chose Jacob, the second born, over his manly, first-place brother, Esau. (Genesis 25:23-26, Malachi 1:2-3)

• God's chosen one to rescue His people from a future famine, Joseph, was a first born, but of Jacob's second wife. (Genesis 35:23-24)

• God established David, the second king of Israel, as a dynasty instead of the first king, Saul. (1 Samuel 13:14, 16:1)

• The prophet Elisha, the follow-up to Elijah, received a "double portion" of Elijah's prophetic gift. (2 Kings 2:9)

I'm quite sure I could find more examples, but the ultimate example is the first man, Adam, versus Jesus.  Romans 5:17 (NET) says:

For if, by the transgression of the one man, death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.

Adam came first.  He was created perfect and sinless.  He had the unmarred image of God within him.  He was golden.  But through his willful, sinful decision to place himself above God and disobey God's only rule (Genesis 2:17) came the entrance of sin and the sting of death.

Then along came the second perfect, sinless man.  And through Him, Jesus, the Son of God, came life.  Because Jesus chose second place, putting the the Church first by dying for her sins, God exalted Him into true first place! (Philippians 2:5-11)

If you are a follower of Jesus, you are to imitate Him.  So let me ask you: Are you being like Christ, putting others in first place? (Philippians 2:3-4).  Or are you being like Adam, putting self in first place, and missing out on God's sweet second?

Image by Ambrozio on Stock.Xchng

 

Posted via email from erin bird's web nest

7 Lessons from my "Reading the Bible in a Year" Experience

I have read the entire Bible before, however I had never done it in a year.  So I decided in December last year to make 2009 the first year I read through the entire Scriptures in a calendar year.  As I blogged in January, I decided to read a certain amount of pages per day.  If my chapter didn't end at the "3 1/2 page mark," I would keep reading until the end of the chapter.  Then on my monthly spiritual retreats, I would usually read double or triple (or even more).  This method allowed me to complete the entire 66 books last week.

Here's what I gained from this experience:

1. I saw things in context more.  Context is important to me.  I was pleased to see how much my understanding of the context of a passage improved by reading three-and-a-hald pages each day.

2. I grasped the bigger story. This goes along with the previous idea.  By reading larger portions each day instead of just a chapter or a section, I could see the bigger picture more clearly.

3. I couldn't avoid the troubling passages.  Many times this year I hit passages that really challenged my theology or seemed to grate against other passages.  I'm glad I had to work through these sections and not just skim over them.  Some have been resolved, but some still are bugging me (which I actually think is a good thing).

4. I had motivation to read.  Having a goal to read the whole of Scripture in twelve months increased my desire to sacrifice the time to read.  I found myself eager to get to the Word daily, and if I missed a day, I gladly read 7 pages to make up what I had missed the day before.  But I realize my motivation only stayed high because I stayed disciplined to read regularly.  If I had gotten a couple of weeks behind, I might have lost motivation.  Thankfully the most I ever got behind was two days.

5. I had to persevere.  I'll admit - I started to get a bit antsy to skip to the New Testament while trudging through some portions of the Old Testament.  Parts of the Pentateuch got long.  The first half of Ezekiel was brutal.  The Minor Prophets weren't filled with very many "happy-warm-fuzzy" verses.  But I am VERY grateful I read each word of these portions. Many of these tough sections helped me see and appreciate the amazing grace of God more than I had previously. Plus, James 1:4 tells us that endurance/perseverance is good for us.

6. I realized I forget too easily.  My 12-year-old has been reading through First and Second Kings.  One day she was telling me about what she had read.  I couldn't recall much of the story she was sharing! I had read that section just months before, but I couldn't have repeated the story to her if my life had depended upon it.  This was convicting! (And ever worse - I almost forgot to include this point!)

7. I worshipped God. This isn't unique to reading the Bible in a year, but it was a wonderful experience I feared might not happen.  I had an unconfessed worry that reading the Bible in a year would feel more like a duty than a delight.  Yet day after day, God continued to impact me.  I was regularly humbled, in awe of Him and His plan for me and His Church.

If you have never read through theScriptures in a year, I recommend you do it at least once in your life.  With a new year just around the calendar corner, why not make 2010 the year you gain your own seven lessons on reading the whole Bible in twelve months?

Posted via email from erin bird's web nest