During the month of April, we've been working hard, very hard. God has blessed us with a cool location in downtown Menasha...the rent is truly affordable, the layout works well for a 'relational' church and it's simply an answer to very specific prayers. Never in two million years would I have suspected or dreamed that we would plant in downtown Menasha. But I'm seeing now how God is making a lot of sense on this one. A lot. You see, Menasha is a striking blend of the rich and the poor and a few in betweeners. As a church, we feel very connected to loving people right where they are and not taking the attitude of 'I need to fix you.' And being in Menasha sort of levels the 'playing field' of the economic and racial diversity in this area.
We are a people that desperately love people and we just want a chance to explore God's love and power with others on that journey, as well.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Saturday, April 14, 2007
no more hard labor required for men & epidurals are okay for the ladies
A friend of mine, Amy, shared a new insight with me regarding the 'curse' in the garden. She noticed that the curse was only upon the serpent and the ground. Good point.
The impending consequences of Adam and Eve's choice to sin turned out to be subordination, hard work and painful child birth. These were results from sin...so it's critically important to note that Jesus redeemed us from our sin and this redemptive trend is what allows us to move passed the painful consequences.
Men are no longer required to do hard labor, women get to have epidurals and we can have successfully co-equal partnerships. Of course, this redemption leads to opening the door to women in ministry, too.
From Genesis Chapter 3
14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
Notice in verse 15, that there is a special 'enmity' between Satan and women. Enmity: hostility, hate, antagonism. Interesting. So, maybe if we don't fully accept the redemptive gift of Jesus, the enemy has a special lock on harrassing us? Holding us back, etc.
Let's keep the conversation going.
The impending consequences of Adam and Eve's choice to sin turned out to be subordination, hard work and painful child birth. These were results from sin...so it's critically important to note that Jesus redeemed us from our sin and this redemptive trend is what allows us to move passed the painful consequences.
Men are no longer required to do hard labor, women get to have epidurals and we can have successfully co-equal partnerships. Of course, this redemption leads to opening the door to women in ministry, too.
From Genesis Chapter 3
14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
Notice in verse 15, that there is a special 'enmity' between Satan and women. Enmity: hostility, hate, antagonism. Interesting. So, maybe if we don't fully accept the redemptive gift of Jesus, the enemy has a special lock on harrassing us? Holding us back, etc.
Let's keep the conversation going.
the wonder of Scot's Jesus Creed blog
I highly recommend Scot McKnight's challenging blog: www.jesuscreed.org
a woman pastor? did Jesus redeem that curse of subordination, too?
It took me years to accept the beautiful call of God on my life. Most likely, a lot of the ministry-family-shtuff I witnessed growing up dissuaded me... hmmm...PLUS, there's the issue of women pastors.
To hear Jesus through the not-so-silent screams of 'HERESY' was a painful obstacle for me, and nearly for every other human within reaching distance. Thankfully, my family and close friends had already arrived at redemptive conclusions about women in ministry.
Redemptive? Just take a look at Genesis up till the curse and try to find evidence that women were intended to be subordinate. Remember, that the particular Hebrew word for 'help' for the man in the phrase 'help meet' is a word used almost exclusively as help from God alone...like God was providing a divine conduit for blessing, wisdom and power through the woman. Doesn't sound too subordinate...at a minimum it sounds like a pretty powerful co-equal.
As a related side note, I've been attending some community gathering events focusing on addressing poverty in our area. The groups are attempting to bring diverse clergy members together (I think being a Vineyard/woman/pastor makes me pretty diverse :). We 'clergy' are attempting to partner with secular organizations, hoping that the common ground of concern for poverty will be powerful enough to make a difference. I love this. But I don't love it that I'm the only female pastor in the room. It's interesting sitting around the table with all male pastors. (not too sure if all of them think I'm legit...thatsokay)
At least I have my Vineyard pastora girlfriends. Yep, I said girlfriends. We can be pastors and still refer to our friends as girlfriends. It does not diminish what God is doing. (not even a little bit :)))
I'm beginning to find a peaceful rest in what God has taught me about his intentions and these teachings rest with the redemptive trend of scripture. So, to go back to this redemptive topic, I thought it might be helpful to share a bit more with you. To clarify some things, the 'traditional perspective' is that it's doable to read, understand and live out a 'literal' translation of the Bible. Word for word, not contextualizing or remembering that our best translations are limited...also not admitting that Jesus sacrifice redeemed us from the curse.
My new friend, Scot McKnight, professor and writer, briefly explains the wonder and challenge of the redemptive trend hermeneutic:
"Does the redemptive trend hermeneutic — which asks us to see movement in the Bible and beyond and to take that movement into mind when we apply the Bible –, so: Does the redemptive trend take the Bible from the lay person’s hands or does it make explicit what we (and the Church) have been doing all along? How many of us think it is wrong to wear clothing of two different kinds of material (Lev 19:19)? How many of us think Jesus’ statement to sell our possessions and give to poor (Luke 12:33) is permanent? How many of us think women need to cover their heads (1 Cor 11:6-7)? Now I don’t want to debate specifics, but I do want us to grapple with how we treat such statements and why we treat them the way we do and to ask if we don’t already have a redemptive trend hermeneutic at work but are just uncomfortable with applying it to women in the Church? (I know, that’s a long question.)"
I like Scot. :) I like what the Holy Spirit is doing to blow some dust off our old paradigms. We know people that need Jesus just as much as we do, and it's time for woman who are called and gifted to step up to the plate, lay aside our fear of man, and obey God.
To hear Jesus through the not-so-silent screams of 'HERESY' was a painful obstacle for me, and nearly for every other human within reaching distance. Thankfully, my family and close friends had already arrived at redemptive conclusions about women in ministry.
Redemptive? Just take a look at Genesis up till the curse and try to find evidence that women were intended to be subordinate. Remember, that the particular Hebrew word for 'help' for the man in the phrase 'help meet' is a word used almost exclusively as help from God alone...like God was providing a divine conduit for blessing, wisdom and power through the woman. Doesn't sound too subordinate...at a minimum it sounds like a pretty powerful co-equal.
As a related side note, I've been attending some community gathering events focusing on addressing poverty in our area. The groups are attempting to bring diverse clergy members together (I think being a Vineyard/woman/pastor makes me pretty diverse :). We 'clergy' are attempting to partner with secular organizations, hoping that the common ground of concern for poverty will be powerful enough to make a difference. I love this. But I don't love it that I'm the only female pastor in the room. It's interesting sitting around the table with all male pastors. (not too sure if all of them think I'm legit...thatsokay)
At least I have my Vineyard pastora girlfriends. Yep, I said girlfriends. We can be pastors and still refer to our friends as girlfriends. It does not diminish what God is doing. (not even a little bit :)))
I'm beginning to find a peaceful rest in what God has taught me about his intentions and these teachings rest with the redemptive trend of scripture. So, to go back to this redemptive topic, I thought it might be helpful to share a bit more with you. To clarify some things, the 'traditional perspective' is that it's doable to read, understand and live out a 'literal' translation of the Bible. Word for word, not contextualizing or remembering that our best translations are limited...also not admitting that Jesus sacrifice redeemed us from the curse.
My new friend, Scot McKnight, professor and writer, briefly explains the wonder and challenge of the redemptive trend hermeneutic:
"Does the redemptive trend hermeneutic — which asks us to see movement in the Bible and beyond and to take that movement into mind when we apply the Bible –, so: Does the redemptive trend take the Bible from the lay person’s hands or does it make explicit what we (and the Church) have been doing all along? How many of us think it is wrong to wear clothing of two different kinds of material (Lev 19:19)? How many of us think Jesus’ statement to sell our possessions and give to poor (Luke 12:33) is permanent? How many of us think women need to cover their heads (1 Cor 11:6-7)? Now I don’t want to debate specifics, but I do want us to grapple with how we treat such statements and why we treat them the way we do and to ask if we don’t already have a redemptive trend hermeneutic at work but are just uncomfortable with applying it to women in the Church? (I know, that’s a long question.)"
I like Scot. :) I like what the Holy Spirit is doing to blow some dust off our old paradigms. We know people that need Jesus just as much as we do, and it's time for woman who are called and gifted to step up to the plate, lay aside our fear of man, and obey God.
Friday, April 13, 2007
a sprinkle of vintage treasures
Today, a few friends and I drove my dad's truck and hauling trailer to Green Bay. We scoped the town for vintage furniture treasures to sprinkle throughout our new church space. We had crazy fun. It was ridiculous. To say the least, I'm not gifted at backing up a hauling trailer.
We selected ten chairs...beautiful splashes of color, truly dated from the 50's and the 60's. Our precious find of the day...a gem of a couch...deep red, tan and beige. $20....try not to be jealous.
Our next journey will involve searching for a love seat and possibly one more couch.
I must say...the experience was more than your 'run of the mill' shopping adventure. There were many special moments for us. It's what developing friendships looks like...pretty cool.
I love these Vineyard folks. Thank you, Jesus. I'm loving life.
We selected ten chairs...beautiful splashes of color, truly dated from the 50's and the 60's. Our precious find of the day...a gem of a couch...deep red, tan and beige. $20....try not to be jealous.
Our next journey will involve searching for a love seat and possibly one more couch.
I must say...the experience was more than your 'run of the mill' shopping adventure. There were many special moments for us. It's what developing friendships looks like...pretty cool.
I love these Vineyard folks. Thank you, Jesus. I'm loving life.
Monday, April 9, 2007
I forgot Easter???
Can you believe this? I forgot that Easter was coming up until a couple days before...I did remember it a few weeks ago and forgot again. To say the least, you might wonder if I have any religious bones in my body. I guess I don't have many left. (amy defining religion as: man-made efforts and traditions to connect with God on a mostly superficial level)
Don't misunderstand, though. I love Jesus and love the fact that his love and power resurrected Him. That's so amazing and I am deeply thankful that he demonstrated his love like that. I guess the 'holiday' of Easter just doesn't click with me. A new friend of mine said, "I don't remember Jesus saying anything like, 'thou shalt celebrate my resurrection in early spring'..."
If I remember correctly, we can remember his death and resurrection every time we break bread. Now...I do NOT think it's wrong to set aside this season like the early church and honor the sacred process of church history. Nah, I think it's really cool. But the holiday is not the sacred thing. It's Jesus. He is the point. The gift of Jesus' loving sacrifice. His gift of the Holy Spirit.
I like what the author Anne Lamott said about such things, "We are Easter people living in a good Friday world." She said something on that order...and man, I guess that's pretty true. I also think that sometimes even 'we' forget that are 'Resurrection' people.
Are we not people who know that Jesus' death and resurrection makes all things new? ...that real, abundant life is available. Sometimes we forget that and wallow around in a Good Friday, broken, mire of life that feels like Failure with a capital F.
From my pastoral heart, I want more for us. I dream of a church community that spends so much time loving each other through the details of life and healing, that we remind each other of who we really are and who Jesus wants to be in our lives....and that out of this healthy place of genuine relationship, we would serve others with a heart like Jesus.
Don't misunderstand, though. I love Jesus and love the fact that his love and power resurrected Him. That's so amazing and I am deeply thankful that he demonstrated his love like that. I guess the 'holiday' of Easter just doesn't click with me. A new friend of mine said, "I don't remember Jesus saying anything like, 'thou shalt celebrate my resurrection in early spring'..."
If I remember correctly, we can remember his death and resurrection every time we break bread. Now...I do NOT think it's wrong to set aside this season like the early church and honor the sacred process of church history. Nah, I think it's really cool. But the holiday is not the sacred thing. It's Jesus. He is the point. The gift of Jesus' loving sacrifice. His gift of the Holy Spirit.
I like what the author Anne Lamott said about such things, "We are Easter people living in a good Friday world." She said something on that order...and man, I guess that's pretty true. I also think that sometimes even 'we' forget that are 'Resurrection' people.
Are we not people who know that Jesus' death and resurrection makes all things new? ...that real, abundant life is available. Sometimes we forget that and wallow around in a Good Friday, broken, mire of life that feels like Failure with a capital F.
From my pastoral heart, I want more for us. I dream of a church community that spends so much time loving each other through the details of life and healing, that we remind each other of who we really are and who Jesus wants to be in our lives....and that out of this healthy place of genuine relationship, we would serve others with a heart like Jesus.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
to quiet down my busy mind and find a hiding place
once upon a time there was a worship band called Ten Shekel Shirt. i've heard they are not together anymore.
the title of this blog is a favorite phrase from one of my most treasured songs. i'm not sure i can adequately express the euphoric spiritual places these heaven-breathed songs spring from...
maybe you'll google them or myspace them and these songs will do nothing for you. that's okay. you may have found your own.
if not, please do find something that brings you near Him. there's nothing like feeling His closeness. like the very beat of his heart rumbling through your form.
more lyrics that bring me to Him:
i'm here to meet with you
come and meet with me
i'm here to find you
reveal yourself to me
as i wait, you make me strong
as i long, you draw me to your arms
as i stand, it's in your grace
you come, you come and fill this place
lord come, lord come and fill this place
a prayer of mine this morning:
you comfort me and soothe
my restless spirit.
needing your hand upon my head,
turn my face toward your approving gaze.
i lock arms with you jesus.
i am yours.
the title of this blog is a favorite phrase from one of my most treasured songs. i'm not sure i can adequately express the euphoric spiritual places these heaven-breathed songs spring from...
maybe you'll google them or myspace them and these songs will do nothing for you. that's okay. you may have found your own.
if not, please do find something that brings you near Him. there's nothing like feeling His closeness. like the very beat of his heart rumbling through your form.
more lyrics that bring me to Him:
i'm here to meet with you
come and meet with me
i'm here to find you
reveal yourself to me
as i wait, you make me strong
as i long, you draw me to your arms
as i stand, it's in your grace
you come, you come and fill this place
lord come, lord come and fill this place
a prayer of mine this morning:
you comfort me and soothe
my restless spirit.
needing your hand upon my head,
turn my face toward your approving gaze.
i lock arms with you jesus.
i am yours.
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