paulurban.blogs.com

Happy Halloween?

I'm not one of those Christians that think Halloween is horrible and I can only attend "Harvest Parties".  I think for most people, Halloween is a day to dress up and take pictures with their kids, and watch their kids excitedly run up to a home and get some candy (which then, they steal slowly, one at a time).

Here's what I think Halloween is:  A built in opportunity to befriend and connect with your neighbors and community.  We're called to share the love and hope of Jesus with those around us and Halloween gives us the opportunity to love people (because Jesus calls us to love people).

So, don't miss the opportunity!  Here's something you can do:  Instead of candy, give a cheesy tract about how there's a real hell & if these little kids don't want to end up there, they should follow Jesus!  (I'M JUST KIDDING!!  PLEASE DON'T DO THAT!!)

But, you could:  

*have hot cider, coffee, tea, whatever for parents as they walk around with their kids!

*Have some of the best candy on the block!

*Give special bags to the kids right around you - pack it full of candy (and the good kind)

*Go with your kids to the neighbors house!  Don't just stand back at the street, walk right up with them.  If you don't know them, introduce yourself.  If you do know them, touch base.

MAKE Halloween count!  Have fun everyone.  Stay warm.

Career or Calling?

Our staff went to Vegas two weeks ago for the Vault Conference.  Mark shared some of his thoughts last week, and you should see what he wrote.  Check it out here!  

One of the things said at the conference is that if you're going to reach people that other churches aren't or don't want to reach, it will be difficult.  It can't be a career.  A career is about climbing the ladder - larger church, bigger salary, more influential city.

Here's what Mark said (go read the rest of what he said) & (P.S. I couldn't agree more!):  

"There are other churches we can work at with bigger salaries, bigger budgets, bigger buildings, and more people.  So what.  Who cares."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guardrails wrap up

This month we've been playing off a series from Andy Stanley at North Point Church.  I love the collaboration and open-sourcing that can happen in a flattened world thanks to the world wide intra-web (shout out to Al Gore!).

Guardrails are personal standards of behavior that serve to protect us from potential disaster and direct us towards our best life.  So, what guardrails have you put in place to protect and direct.  Remember, it's better to sustain a little bit of damage now at a guardrail than disaster without.  When we don't put guardrails in our life, we often end up with all sorts of regrets.

So, be like Aaron.  Have some guardrails in your life.

 

This Sunday . . . my better half

This Sunday, Jen will be joining me on stage!  I'm so looking forward to it as we wrap up our series Guardrails at The Journey.  

We do not have a perfect marriage - you'll see that Sunday!  But, we have put in some guardrails to try and protect our marriage and family.  We'll be talking about placing guardrails in our marriages, and in our dating relationships so that we can protect ourselves from disaster and direct us towards our best life found in God.  

Everyone needs a coach

Yesterday I was helping facilitate a coaching group for pastors in Lansing.  No matter how old or young, no matter if you're a rookie or a seasoned veteran, everyone needs coaching.  Even the greats like Tiger Woods, or Michael Jordan had coaches.  Why?

We need outside eyes to look at our situation and help us see reality.  Often we're so close to the action that we can't see what's really going on.  Coaches help with that.

We need coaches to help us see ourselves.  We all have blindspots in our life and we don't see them because . . . they are blindspots (duh!).  We need people to be able to point out our blindspots.

We need people who are peers, that understand what we're going through.  They bring perspective.  They bring experience.

Who is helping to coach you?  If you don't have someone helping to coach you in your finances or parenting or job or spiritual life, you are not excelling at the level you could be.  Maybe that's one-on-one coaching, maybe that's a book, a blog, or a podcast. Maybe it's a conference.  Who do you have in your life that can bring an outside perspective, can point out your blindspots, and make sure you're facing reality?  Everyone needs a coach.

Vegas pt. 3: the game-changer announcement

Maybe I'm spilling the beans early, maybe not.  But, if you follow this blog, I want to ask you to be praying for this.  

Last week we were at the Vault Conference in Vegas, put on by Verve Church and Vince Antonucci.  We have partnered with Vince & Verve since their inception.  This May we'll be doing a Vault Midwest Conference One-day at The Journey.  We're also taking another mission trip to Vegas in February!

On Tuesday night of the conference a number of us gathered together to talk about some ways that we could partner together.  What if "relationships, not religion", what if "church for people who don't like church" could go to the most sinful places on the planet?  Doesn't that sound like something Jesus would do?  So, we're talking about how we can do that together.  What if us, Verve, and a few other like-minded churches could link together to help start churches on Bourbon Street in New Orleans?  West Hollywood?  Amsterdam?

We have the opportunity to be a part of something so much bigger than just ourselves, and we have the opportunity to take our mission to a whole notha level.  I am so excited about the potential of this kind of partnership.  

Journey - we're just a small community of faith on the shore of Lake Michigan, but when we live surrendered to God, He can do greater things than we can ever imagine.  We're just getting ready for the ride of a lifetime.  Will you be a part of it?

Vegas pt. 2: another announcement

Last week I was in Vegas with part of our team attending the Vault Conference.  Yesterday, I announced that on May 8 we will be hosting Vault Midwest.  We're incredibly excited about this.  It will be a HUGE help to people who truly care about reaching people who are disconnected from Jesus.  

I have another big announcement today for those who attend The Journey.  In February we will be taking another mission trip to Verve Church & Vegas!!  So, if you want to see Verve first hand, want to make a difference in Sin City, and want to impact people, start thinking now about attending this trip.  We are finalizing the date, but it will probably be the second full weekend of February (mid-winter break).  

We're excited for another way that we can connect with Verve and be a support to them in their reach into the brokenness of Vegas.

Tomorrow . . . one more announcement from Vegas!  And this one is potentially a game-changer!!

Vegas pt.1: Big Announcement

Last week six of our staff went to Vegas due to the generosity of a private donation.  It was awesome!  We don't go to gamble The Journey's offering, but instead attended a small conference called Vault.  It's put on by our friend, Vince Antonucci the lead pastor and founder of Verve Church.  Verve is a Church that we have partnered with by sending money to support (a few different times) and sending two teams to help serve them.  

The Vault conference is designed for church planters (starters) and leaders who want to create "church for people who don't like church".  They have the pulse on how to reach and connect with people who are truly disconnected from Jesus and many who have no interest whatsoever in church or God or faith.  This is not who most churches are intentionally reaching out to, so the conference feels like a small band of brothers.  The Vault Conference has happened for the last three years in Vegas.

On May 8, we are bringing the Vault Conference to Muskegon!!  We will be doing a One Day event, Vault Midwest, w/author & pastor Vince Antonucci. If you're a church planter, want to reach people disconnected from Jesus, are a leader in your church, you need to mark your calendar for this day.  We'll have some hotel info. and the pricing in the near future.  But for now, get PUMPED, because Vault is coming to Michigan.  If you want to stoke the fire for you or for your people about reaching the 70-80% of people in your community that do not attend church, this WILL do it.

P.S.  If you're a Journeyer - we'd love for you to participate.  We'd love for some of you to take the day off and be a part of the conference, and we're going to need a small group of people to help serve at the conference as well.

Tomorrow . . . another Vegas announcement!

Vegas Baby

This week we had our team in Vegas, because of the generosity of some private donations.  We learned (and were reminded about) a ton.  I'm going to be unpacking that in the coming week along with a few exciting announcements related to our time in Vegas, as we go next level.

A couple quick thoughts though - Vegas is crazy!!  People really do have an attitude that anything goes.  How foolish that people don't think anything about consequences while they're there.  Vegas is fun!  There's a ton to do.  We didn't get a bunch of time to just hang out, but we walked each night, and the streets are just as crowded at 11 pm as any time.  There is an energy to that city.  Vegas is sad!  There is brokenness everywhere in this country, but Vegas just smacks you in the face with it.  Jesus went to the most broken places and people, but in a 5 mile radius of Verve Church, there are 270,000 people and 11 churches.  ELEVEN!!  In our county of 170,000 there are 220 churches.  In St. Paul, MN., a town of 270,000, there are over 600 churches.  Crazy!

I'm so glad to have a continued partnership with Verve Church and what they are doing in Vegas, but Journey . . . IT IS JUST THE BEGINNING!!  Can't wait to tell you more next week.

language barrier

My oldest son loves to befriend and connect with foreign exchange students at his school.  He loves different cultures, he tries to learn some of their words in order to communicate in their language.  But, sometimes there are some funny conversations that he has, especially with the student trying to speak English.

When it comes to the church, I have often wrote on the need for the church to speak a language that is understandable to those who did not grow up with "Christian-speak".  But there's another side to that coin, and this last week we experienced it first hand, once again.

One lady said that she heard we were going to have a new "chapter" on the north side (our next site for The Journey).  

One woman asked if that "whole Christ thing mattered"?

One guy was at a worship experience where everyone was raising their hands and he said "I don't really get it, because that guy singing wasn't even that good and everyone was going crazy for him"

One woman said that she started reading the Bible (for the first time) and her boyfriend (who has some church and has read some of the Bible) told her to read it aloud and he'd listen, and her response was "why?  you've already read it."

Those who have not been in church, or those disconnected from Jesus will speak things differently than you might be used to, and HOW you respond to them is absolutely HUGE!!  If there is even a hint of "I can't believe you don't know this!" or pride, arrogance, or self-righteousness it can do untold damage to that person's interest in Jesus.  

Being known by our love, means listening, understanding and loving people enough to meet them right where they are.

I had a guy a while back thank us for explaining the difference between the Old and New Testament's of the Bible.  He said this "I always thought the New Testament was the revised edition of the Old Testament, so I never read the Old Testament".  And, if you've been in church for a while that might surprise you that someone could think that, until . . . you step out of your Christian subculture for even just a moment and realize that reasoning makes absolutely perfect sense!

If you are truly reaching people disconnected from Jesus there WILL BE a language barrier, and it's up to you to learn their language, not just expect them to learn your language.