The Gathering

Hi. Well, it's been a while. I'll do better next time. Now, down to business.

We've been doing something fun the last couple of months. We've been inviting some other small, simple churches from around the Atlanta area to join us once a month for a time of singing, praying, teaching, hanging out, and just general celebration together. It's still taking shape, so we don't know exactly what it will look like as it moves forward - but so far it's been encouraging to connect with other churches and encourage one another.

With all the benefits that we proclaim regarding small, simple churches, there are also some dangers that are inherent in this way of being church. One of the biggest dangers is becoming disconnected from the larger body of Christ. In fact, as I understand it, many house churches form precisely for the reason of disconneting themselves from others in the body of Christ (just in case you're wondering - that's not good). So the monthly gathering is one way to avoid this danger of disconnection. Think of the description of the church in Acts 2: the dynamic between meeting in homes and gathering together at the temple (though we don't know exactly what that looked like). As a side note, there are other activities we're thinking through that will also allow us more connection with the larger body. More to come on that later.

I also thought I'd share that since my last post, one of the girls we hang out with has become a follower of Jesus. Watching her grow closer to Jesus brings me more joy right now than just about anything else I can think of. God is so amazing.

--Derik

Double dipping

Well it has been a while since anyone has posted anything... so i thought i would double dip from my own blog and catch y'all up quickly.


quick update
Because i am avoiding studying i thought i would give y'all a quick update.
Finals are here! Rejoice, let the people rejoice... i think... :)

Ansley, who y'all will remember as the girl who left Macon, is engaged! Yeah Ansley. Charise's wedding in this January. Yea Charise! More on what is going on witht he group later... there have been changes... lots of them... but like everything in life, God ordained.

Actually it has been an amazing semester filled with lots of God grabbing my attention. I've gotten to know some good people better and i have been challenged by people i have known a while too. Overall i can not complain.
Soon after Civil procedure on Friday I will catch y'all up on what is going on here in Macon. For now here is a peak at the thoughts of the moment

This morning people were giving prayer requests about the physical issues that the people close to them are going through... and i was listening... a mother with 4 kids who has cancer, a college freshman with cancer... to a guy being sent to Pakistan to work... and the thought that ran through my head is this.

We all die.

That is not a big surprise, we can't avoid it, it happens. But we don't all live... some of us rather be safe than live... The question that i have to ask myself is did i live well and did i die well?

I get very tied up to living life... and that is because until Christ took a hold of me, life meant nothing to me... so for me wanting to live and Christianity are the same thing... but i think it is as i am getting older that i understand what it really means to live life. It is not just feeling everything to the extremes, it is not just having fun, or loving people, though that is part of it... but it is not being afraid of death or dying and being willing to risk your life for Christ... that is life... and it doesn't mean that you get shipped off to a far away land, though it might be that too... but am i dying, right here, right now.

The funny things is that it is often easier to say "Yes God" to sending you to a dangerous war zone... than to say "Yes God." to the person who is hurting you in this very second. Will I say “Yes God” when my husband is hurting my heart? It is often easy to say "Yes God" to the person who is persecuting you for your faith than then person you love persecuting you... and you saying, forgive them Father they don't know what they are doing. My greatest heroes have been women who have forgiven the men who have raped them, their grandfather who molested them, the coach who assaulted them. They are my heroes... because the gospel message of forgiveness, mercy, grace, is not just an intellectual exercise for them but a stark and very real reality. They have forgiven the people who hurt them and are still in relationship (some of them have to be because of blood) with them... and their forgiveness is still there. Those are my heroes.

Anyways that is a brief catch up. I pray i live well and die well.

till the next catch up

The Latest Happenings

Hi there. I thought it was well past time to update the blog with some of the latest happenings at Logos. We've been going through some transitions lately. Here are a few:

1. Two Logos folks (Nnena & Joseph) returned back to their schools (Mercer Law School & Brewton-Parker, respectively) after spending the summer with us here in Atlanta. We enjoyed our time with them here and now pray for them as they seek to share Jesus with the students around them.

2. At the end of August, Heather followed her lifelong dream of moving to New York City. She is now living in Brooklyn, working at a coffee shop on the NYU campus, and meeting with a simple church seeking to infiltrate NYC with the love of Jesus. You can keep track of Heather's journey at her blog .

3. Danny has taken a consulting job to help make ends meet financially for his family. Although this usually takes him out of town during the week, he's still hard at work with his normal Logos responsibilities.

4. In October, we'll be bringing together our groups with some other simple churches for a time of worship and celebration. This gathering will become a monthly occurrance. We'll be sharing more details on this as the time draws near.

So change has been the norm for us lately. Luckily, one of the strengths of the way we do church is our adaptability. The more complex something becomes, the more difficult it is to adapt to change - and the church must always be able to adapt to the constant change that is life. Adapting is rarely easy and can often be confusing and uncomfortable, but if the church is to be an effective missional agency, it must learn to embrace change and thrive in uncertainty. Thank you so much for your continued prayers.

--Derik

Macon Year Two

The beginning of this year has brought some changes for our Macon group. Number one change is that one of our members has decided that law school and being a lawyer was not the right fit for her. Ansley, previous blogs, is not coming back. Her leaving changes the dynamic. Ansley was definitely excited about what was happening and what could happen here in Macon. In addition Ansley and Sommer have a special and close bond... Sommer misses 'her heart'. Law school is a mentally difficult place and Ansley was her friend,her strength that helped her get through the last semester.

But in other news Ben has come back more excited and ready to meet. Praise God!. Energy is so needed right now. I am excited about the new people that might join us. On a selfish level I need the energy and the freshness of people passionate about God and talking of Him. And so I am excited and hopeful of the new class and what they will add to us and the fact that Ben's heart is in it. Thank you God.

So pray for us. Pray that we will buckle down and chase God. Pray that in chasing God we will pull other people with us. Pray for more direction and more deliberate actions, actions that matter such as prayer. Hello prayer the greater work. Pray for some of the new people to challenge and motivate us to see beyond ourselves to what can be. There is hope for life here at Mercer. There really is hope.

Well that us all from us...

We covet, desire, need, beg for your prayers. Pray for us.

Leadership

Ephesians 4:11 mentions several roles or functions of church leadership - apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher (some scholars argue that pastor and teacher refer to one person who should be designated pastor/teacher - but we'll assume for this discussion that it refers to two people - thereby giving us five roles).

In future posts I would love to discuss the purposes and functions of these various types of church leaders. I'd also enjoy discussing elders and deacons and how they fit into the mix. My question for now is this: Do we see all of these leaders in the church today? Is there a healthy balance between these leadership functions, or have some risen in prominence to the detriment of others? Should there be an equal balance between the five or not? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

--Derik

so what does it mean for me to be light?

What is a christian place in social issues? Right now i am figuring out my theology on the topic... Today i had dinner with Ann, an old roommate of mine. She and i are going to enter into dialouges about social justice/theology... again the question is what is the christian role in society? Is the gospel only salvation of sins or are there other issues tied into it... Now before everyone thinks i am floating off into outer space let me state that true change, lasting change, life only comes from Christ... I still believe that my calling (our calling) is for people to know God in a real manner (not sunday school christianity but real life)... so what does that look like... but can we as Christian ignore the realities around us... such as racism, poverty etc... does the christian role in the world as being salt and light stop short of anything other than Jesus came and died for our sins. Is that the only type of light we are supposed to be?

Anyways that is what i am grappling with right now... it plays heavily into every person I meet that is not a Christian... I think the best way to describe the mind set of the people i know is this quote from a book i started reading. Here a young jewish man is in South Africa during apartheid. Gets into a conversation with the author of the book about how God is calling him to know Christ but one thing holds him back
" I looked at James [jewish young man] and replied ' James i believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again for you.' James 'I believe that Ron i really do... I just don't want to be like the white Christians (black people too) here. They sing about the love of Jesus and the joy of heaven, but they don't care about justice in South Africa. If i become a Christian, will I have to give up the struggle?"

What is a whole view of Christianity? What is the complete gospel? Why did God punish the isrealites for their lack of concern about the poor or justice... what does that mean for the modern Christian.

I pray that this summer i learn about that... I pray that through Ann and I talking and exploring and being honest with each other we find some sort of solution for how God is calling us. As i was reading today I was reminded how woefully little i know... and how hard my heart is. I will be the first to admit my heart does not break daily for the poor. my heart does not break daily for injustice. my heart does not break daily for people that go hungry everyday... what is my role in showing people all of Christ's heart. What is all of Christ's heart?

this was not a short note. :)

Community and Solitude, Part 1

"Let him who cannot be alone beware of community.
Let him who is not in community beware of being alone."
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

These are some of the most insightful words I've ever read regarding Christian community. Community is high on the list of modern buzz words, which means that everyone is using it but no one really knows what it means. I use it a lot, and I'm not always sure I know what it means. That's unfortunate - because it's a concept that's integral to the normal, everyday life of a follower of Jesus.

There are many different angles we can take in discussing community, but for my next few posts I would like to narrow the focus to the balance between community and solitude. I believe understanding that balance is one of the keys to understanding what a healthy community looks like and how it functions. It is not "the" key to understanding Christian community - that would be understanding community as existing only in and through Jesus Christ. But achieving a healthy balance between community and solitude (fellowship & seclusion, speech & silence) would be an important piece to fit into the larger puzzle of Christian community.

The healthy balance of community and solitude in the life of a Jesus follower is not grist for the mill of incessant theological ramblings. It's important to me because it's one of the things we are struggling to learn at Logos. How much time should a healthy community spend together? Is there a minimum amount of time? How much is too much? Are there some things that must happen during that time together? What expectations should one bring to his/her community? How does solitude play into all of this? I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on this. You'll get more of mine later. Thanks for listening.

--Derik

The scent of Sommer or why I needed community this morning

So i ran into Sommer this morning at the gym... it wasn't until later on that i realized how much i needed her.
Sommer started sharing with me what she was reading, learning, and what God was teaching her... and i was soaking it all in. You know how sometimes you forget that you are hungry. And then you smell something that reminds you of your hunger? She brought a sense, scent, of life with her this morning. And i needed that to remind me that I am hungry for God.

Thank you Sommer.

High Cost

A high cost
That was the thought that was running through my head when I left the Seder dinner, and it almost made me cry.
The Jewish community is amazing. His family is amazing, strong and close. His sister invited me to her Bat Mitzihav... the whole evening I was invited into their world.

Their love and passion for each other and a desire to see each other succeed and be happy is amazing. The depth of love that everyone has, and in his particular family there are few secrets. There is nothing hidden and the family friends speak freely into the lives of the children. They are full of life and laughter. The house laughed, even when sad, it laughed.

They made sure I understood everything that was going on. “Wait slow down, this is Nnena’s first seder make sure she sees and understands.”

We sang songs and prayers. There was one song that stuck in my head the song had a phrase, Dayeinu, and what it meant is “Thank you God for over doing it,” And we said this after each verse in a song about how God brought them out of Egypt. The way the Seder book explain the song was that ‘the point of the poem is to express gratitude for every facet of God’s miraculous deliverance. The poet feels the living power of each gesture of divine favor, irrespective of the total result. Had You only done this and no more- it would have been enough for me to feel Your divine love. The principle of dayeinu, or giving thanks even for the partial and incomplete, is crucial for living in this uncertain world… We thank God every day for the miracle of being alive.’

Early in the dinner there was a sack that contained three pieces of Matza and one of the pieces of Matza (Afikoman) was broken and hidden for the children to find at a later time. I think one of the amazing things was when the children found the Afikoman… and the parents had to give a ransom to get it back from the children. Ah you see the symbolism? But the things that got me was that there was a twist to it, the children could give ten percent of the ransom they got for the Afikoman and their parents would match it and they would give it to some one else in bondage and someone who needs help. Hum…

After dinner we continued the story from the Seder and at a point of the story his uncle looked at me and said “we believe that the Messiah has not come yet and we are still waiting for him.”
I heard what he was saying under that statement.

Everything they are and their world is tied up in being Jewish… and being Jewish means waiting for the messiah to come… there does not seem to be a middle ground… their identity is being Jewish, the family is Jewish, their community is Jewish and the messiah has not come… but He has.

That is why the cost is so great. I understand why when someone becomes a believer and their family is Jewish or Muslim why it is so hard. Because in a way you are rejecting your family… I can’t put it in better words. I am sorry. But all I could think of when I left the dinner that evening was how great the cost was. And now I understand better the greater persecution that occurred in the Bible, the pain of being separated from your people. I understand why you must hate mother and father to follow Christ, because it would seem and be that, you had rejected the faith of your fathers what made you Jewish. You would be rejecting your family.

You would be rejecting an amazing colorful family that is full of love and life.

The cost is great

Welcome to Macon

Well my sister and her friends met my mission field last night. They came in town for a missions commissioning and after the service came to a law school party. Well after the fire alarm was set off in the elevator, Jay got sick, and the landlord called the cops (truly not as dramatic as I make that out to be) we headed downstairs into the apartment of the girls in the house. There as we were heading out the door to go back my house, Lizzy got sick. And while Matt and Ashley were in the bathroom taking care of her, the guys asked my sister and crew why they were here. So with a drunk girl throwing up in the bathroom they proceeded to tell three equally as drunk people about the mission trip they were taking. John and Charles were very curious and started thanking them going on their trip.

Welcome to my mission’s field girls.

I was talking to one of the Vanessa, one of Ori’s friends, about it. She said the thought that running through her head was “well when the Lord opens a door.” I laughed.

What was cool about last night is that almost everyone from our Monday night meeting was there. Even people who normally do not get out was there to support the band (we have a law school band. They are great!) or to wish Cheryl a happy b-day (the whole reason we were there).

Prayer requests: When you hang out with people there is always temptation. Pray that as a group we are strong and also individually. Also I will be going with Josh to a Seder dinner at his aunt's house this Wed. I have always been curious and now i have a friend who will let me come! Pray for good conversation with him and the family. Also pray that they understand that i am coming to learn and enjoy their culture. Pray that I don't make a fool of myself trying to pronounce Hebrew. lol.

Praise: For the first time since I have been at Law School there was actually mixing of the races at a party. That is huge for Mercer. Honestly the school can be rather segregated but I guess so is the rest of the world.

Thanks guys!

Oh and if y’all want to meet the gang, after finals there will be an end of year party. Everyone is invited. May 12th 2006. The band will be playing and you can meet some of the people I talk about and love.
Till then

-n

Logos Macon

For those of you who do not know... there is a group of us who meet in Macon... all of us are first year law students... anyway the meeting have been going well with lots of talking and thinking... here is a question that one of the crew tossed out this week. I'll see if i am allowed to publish some of the thoughts that are flying back and forth with us over e-mail.

Also feel free to think and wrestle with us too... we (logos macon) are reading the posts and want to know what y'all think and how you are struggling growing, having great or not so great conversations... journey with us, please.

-n


Ansley's question

Okay, y'all...I tend to be verbose when I'm not sure how to articulate my thoughts, but I promise to try to keep this short. I guess one question that remains for me after last night is this: when do we let honesty into relationships with others? When is silence as we "build the relationship" just avoiding the topic...and when is silence condoning the behavior? Does that make sense?

I think there is a line that we tow when we're in relationships that are not based in Christianity...relationships with non-Christians, or "hypocritical" (from Monday's discussion) Christians. I guess I don't know where that line is, when you're too close, and when it's okay to cross it?

Maybe it'll help if I make this specific: I have a good friend who is not a Christian and has no interest in becoming a Christian. Some have suggested that I cut her out and move on. I disagree. But it's true that there is a certain depth that this relationship will never reach because we don't have the spiritual connection needed to reach the deepest depths. So IS there a point where you have to let these people go? Is there a point where you have to bring up the topic and force the conversation? Or is it okay to go on forever without the discussion?

When is it necessary to be honest about ourselves outloud? Not just live the light?

I hope this makes sense. Thanks, y'all.

Have a good week. - Ansley

Nothin' Much

Well, we don't seem to have a lot of comments on the posts so far, but it's all good. Feel free to comment if you'd like. If not, just sit back and enjoy the ride. It's been a pretty normal week for me: a couple of days with my Sudanese friends, quite a bit of time in coffee shops (even though I don't drink coffee), some time in study, a bit of time in meetings (good meetings), and most importantly some great time with God. Friday is my rest day so I went to the park and read. Then I went to a German restaurant because I was missing Europe. Good times. Tomorrow it's back to work at the coolest job in the world - helping to start new churches. See ya.

--Derik

Just Pondering

What role should tradition play in shaping the church? This is a question that often rolls around in my head and was recently brought to the forefront in a conversion I had with a friend. I am especially concerned with this question for two reasons:
1. I love church history and feel a very strong respect for and connection with believers who have gone before us.
2. Logos is described by many as a non-traditional church.

Let me frame the discussion. At Logos, we begin to answer the question, "What is church?" by looking at Jesus. By observing who Jesus is and the mission for which He came to earth, we are able to understand the mission of the church. Once the mission of the church is firmly grasped, forms and structures can then be implemented to achieve that mission. A few specifics are given in scripture to help guide the church (Lord's Supper, baptism, the importance of leadership, etc.), but there is relatively little discussion regarding external forms and structures. It just so happens that at Logos we believe a very simple form is the best way to pursue the particular mission God has given our church.

So here is the question: Are we at Logos actually disregarding or disrespecting church history because our forms and structures are not guided very much by church tradition? My friend says that getting one's forms and structures from scripture alone is discounting the movement of the Spirit in guiding believers who have gone before us. While I do not agree, I do recognize the temptation for each generation of church to think they have it all figured out and thus not appreciate the efforts of past generations. But are we as believers really to honor and imitate the external forms and structures of our forefathers, or is it only their faith that we are to imitate? Does anybody out there have a clue what I'm talking about? Who gets to decide which traditions to keep and which ones to let go? When is church tradition important as a link to the historical church and when does it become an empty ritual carried on because "that's the way we've always done it"? These are the weighty questions that steal sleep away from me and keep me on my knees. I would love to hear some of you thoughts on the matter (don't feel like you have to be as long-winded as me).

--Derik

So what does it look like for me to be deliberate here? Well I had just read the newsletter that had gone out for logos… and it hit me with conviction and a sense of lostness. I started asking God so what do I need to do here to make a difference, God I have gotten so wrapped up in my world, how can I reach people. God this is serious business and I have lost sight of that again. What do you want me to be what should I do… And then I hear a knock on my door and it is josh.
“You rolling with us to shamrock tonight.”
“naw I got things I need to do.”
“it smells good in here.”
“I cooked some stir fry… do you want some?”
“You serious,”
“yeah, hold on a sec”
... so josh came in and we talked… up until this point he had not told me about what went down with his girlfriend. A few weeks ago josh came over to the house and we talked for a while… he was not doing so good… anyways we had not talked since then… well josh came in the house and as I was grabbing some stir fry he started catching me up on what happened in new york… we sat down and then talked more.
“she hurt me man, she hurt me real bad. How could she do this to me. But I got to take it like a man.”
“So does taking it like a man mean, not cry or to push through it.”
“Push through it…”
As I was talking to him I thought “God what do I offer him?” I’ll pray for you seems so not adequate. Advice seems so… all I could do was tell him, encourage him to not let this destroy him? Was that even the right thing to say… forgiveness seemed like a paltry foolish thing to offer him right now… he needs to push through this… what good will the words I offer him do with out Christ? I don’t know. But after we got deep in the conversation he stopped eating, pushed his bowl away.
“I can’t eat anymore talking about her has made me sick. Thanks though”
So we stopped… he got up to go get ready to go to shamrock and he and clif just left the house.Maybe the answer to my prayer was found in that knock.Sometime I struggle here in macon. I don’t have one people group per say, I have many. How do you reach someone who is jewish and close with his family (that ties into a lot), how do you reached the churched ones. What are the words to say… I don’t know I am trying to figure that out… but when my head is on straight, and my heart is right, I want to reach people here… the question is how how how.

God help me always see the seriousness and the urgency of right now.

The Beginning

This is the initial post for Logos Church. We'll figure this out as we go. Enjoy.