Organic House

A few Sunday’s ago my wife and I went through our normal routine.  We slept in, got up and fixed breakfast, relaxed for a few minutes, then headed to our friends house where we would enjoy a nice Sabbath day.  We call it Organic Church, but we like to think of it as being the church.

The day started out fairly normal and was going pretty smooth until I went to put something in the car and came back making a statement about how filthy it was on the inside.  Apparently this was the wrong thing for me to say, because what followed was a very heated fight between me and my wife.  All of this happening while we were walking out the door and headed to church.  It wasn’t pretty!

Has this ever happened to you?  Ever feel like just staying home, because you’re way too pissed to go and “fellowship” with a bunch of people who don’t fight with their spouse.

If you do find yourself relating to this scenario, the big question would be, what did you do?  Did the following circumstances include a big smile once you got to your church gathering place, even though you were burning and pissed on the inside?  Did you give the appearance to everyone that things were just fine in your life?

One of the things we agreed to when we started the Organic Church with our friends was agreeing to be real.  No more fake and no more putting on a show for the sake of making ourselves look good.  We agreed that we have to be honest and transparent with each other, otherwise the people we are trying to reach will quickly see that we are no different than any other church.

So, when I walked in and sat down in my usual spot at the table for our morning conversation, I didn’t say a whole lot.  In fact I was so pissed and so angry by what had just happened between me and my wife, I’m sure others could sense the tense situation.  One of my friends even asked if I was awake yet and I think I said “yes, I’m just really pissed off right now.”  So, he asked if I wanted to go talk.

What followed was a “real” opportunity for me to express what was going on and how I really felt inside.  I could have easily put on my “fake” smile when I walked in the door and made everyone feel like things were just fine, but where would the lesson have been in that?  The true lesson came by being honest, talking about and sharing it with my friend, and then praying that God would help and see me through this tense moment.

I honestly felt so much better after we talked and had the opportunity to enjoy the rest of my Sabbath day, instead of stewing and steaming the whole time I was there, missing out on the opportunity to experience God.

Church can be real, and honest, and transparent.  I’ve experienced it and would encourage more people to give it a shot.  If you try it and the person on the receiving end doesn’t respond in a way that would help you work through your problem, then maybe you should seek a church that is real and willing to stop the fake pretending and self indulging all for the sake of making ourselves look good.  It’s time to show we aren’t perfect and we’re all carrying around a little garbage we’re ready to unload.  And trust me, you may not smell any better when you get rid of the garbage, but you’ll definitely feel better from getting rid of that heavy load!

Define Worship

I dare you!  I double dog dare you!  Wait for it…I triple dog dare you to define worship.  What does it mean for you to worship God?  I used to refer to worship as the service that took place before the sermon and lasted for about 30 minutes, on Sunday’s, in a building, on the corner of such and such street.

Lately worship has been a different experience for me.  It’s really hard for me to explain, so let’s just say it has new meaning.  I’ve been telling people all day that I feel a new joy in my heart I’ve not felt for years.  I have a renewed interest in the church and how my participation and involvement has kingdom impact.

Take for example the conversation I had at my office today.  I stepped into the accounting office to get a phone number from one of our administrative assistants and the lady who does our payroll said “hey we went to a Nazarene church this past weekend.”  I responded “really, which one was it.”  She told me it was one in Oklahoma City and then the other lady said to me, “Don’t you go to a Nazarene church?”

My answer was a little confusing.  I could have just said “yes,” but I felt the opportunity to tell them about our new Organic Church, which is a group of Nazarene’s who have decided to be the church instead of just going to church, and the result was a really great conversation.  When I was talking about it, the payroll lady said “do you find that you are experiencing worship in new ways.”  Her comment blew my mind, because it was like she had read my thoughts.  That is exactly the thought has been on my mind all week!

As we talked, I shared with her how I feel we’re all connected and we’re connected because of God and His involvement in our lives, she actually got it.  Then she told me about a recent conversation she’d had with a young lady from Japan, visiting her daughter her in Texas.  She told me about how she had told this young girl, who is a Christian, that even though she may never see her again she will see her again in Heaven.  Pretty cool I thought.  We are all connected and it does have eternal implications.

I proceeded to tell her that I felt like our conversation was a form of worship, because God was listening and participating with us in our conversation.  She agreed!

I think it’s cool that worship is now defined by the ways I experience God daily and recognizing that the opportunities he places in our path are opportunities to commune with Him.

What do you think?  Is it possible to worship God in other ways than only through music on Sunday morning?  What are some of the ways you’ve worshiped God this week?

In Crisis…Who do you call?

Being the parent of any child can present it’s own set of challenges.  Being the parent of a special needs child can sometimes be a little overwhelming.  And whatever your situation may be, when crisis strikes, who do you call?  Who are the people in your life that you feel the most comfort from when you need to hear a voice of reassurance?

On Wednesday of last week, our son who has struggled with a drooling problem since birth, because of a Chromosome Deletion Disorder, had a little surgical procedure where they went in and injected the salivary glands with Botox.  This procedure will eventually block the gland to keep it from producing the excess saliva that pools in the front of our son’s mouth and spills out over the lips.  We were very excited about such a simple procedure and couldn’t wait for it to happen.

This past Friday night we started seeing some complications, but didn’t realize the severety until Saturday evening, when he could no longer swallow any food without gagging and throwing up.  Even simple liquids and eating pop sickles were becoming difficult for him to swallow.

We called the hospital like we were supposed to and the neurologist had us go to the ER.  Long story short, we’re now at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas and will be here until he can be transferred to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children on Tuesday, where he’ll get a swallow study that will help them identify what is going on.

Right now he’s resting comfortably in bed after a nice dose of Benadryl to help him sleep.  He was getting very crabby with so little sleep last night and nothing to eat for the past 24 hours.  He’s hooked to an IV for fluids and will be receiving an NG tube (Nasogastric intubation) for food, as soon as the arm restraints arrive.  Arm restraints!  Sucks!  But the reality is he’ll yank the tube right out of his nose.  He’s already tried the IV inserted into his hand.

When crises like this hit you and your family, who do you call?  Everyone should have someone they can call, but sadly enough, many people are alone and don’t have anyone they can call.  They have to endure this alone.  My wife and I are in a bit of transition right now from our traditional church to more of an organic church model, so I don’t really feel connected enough to call my pastor.  I do feel connected enough to call our friends from our small group, our friends who are here to help start the organic church, and strangely enough, to contact people I’ve met via social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Triiibes.  Why would I feel more comfortable contacting them over my local pastor?

I don’t have the answer.  It’s just what it is.  Some how the power of the internet is making the world a little smaller and the church a whole lot bigger.  It feels somewhat empowering to use Twitter to send out a little message for people to pray for our son and to know that in a matter of minutes thousands of people could be praying for him.  I’m sure some would say the personal touch is not there with the social networks, but that’s why we also have close local friends that we can call and also ask to pray.  Having both as an option is a bonus and if I can get people across the county and possibly around the world praying for a little 9 year old boy lying in a hospital bed in Dallas, then I’ll take that option.

What about you?  Do you have people you can call in a crisis?  Do you use social networks like Twitter to help you get the word out when you have a need?  Would love to hear your thoughts!