Simple

Stefan Reed is the LifeGroups/Missions Pastor at LifeChurch.tv's South Oklahoma City Campus. As guest blogger for Craig Groeschel, he recently posted some excellent thoughts on "simplicity."

http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/2007/11/07/guest-blog-stefan-reed/

Prayer for a Friend and His Son

I have a friend - a brother in Christ - whose son is in Iraq. His son is a natural leader and warrior, and has medals that came from battles that would attest to those descriptions. The weight of having a son in Iraq is weighing on my friend and his wife, especially as news today tells us that another soldier was killed by an IED.

Questions are many, and so I ask that prayers would be many as well. Answers are hard, but maybe the best we can pray for is safety for the son, and the presence of Christ for the parents. May both be known and be real in these days.

Thank you for praying as well.

Peace.

William Fitzsimmons

If you're looking for some excellent acoustic music, you might give this cat a listen.

http://myspace.com/williamfitzsimmons

Thanks to Joshua Longbrake for the head's up!

Enjoy!

Into the Wild

In 1993, Outside magazine published an article dealing with the death of Chris McCandless. That story generated more reader feedback than any story in the history of their magazine. You can read the story here.

The story became a book, and has now been made into a movie. Eddie Vedder has put together a stunning soundtrack. I say all of that as an intro to the movie trailer.

It is my plan to see the movie this weekend - I'll let you know how it was!

Prayers for the Weekend

This is a huge weekend in the life of Tulip Street Christian Church. A candidate for our Lead Pastor position will be visiting with us, and the agenda is full. We have an extended interview with him tomorrow, his wife will be touring the area with a Realtor, and there is an all-church pizza party tomorrow night with some informal Q&A. Sunday, our candidate will preach both services, then later in the day, TSCC will hold a church wide meeting to put our finger on the pulse of the church. Lastly, the leadership of the church will meet Monday night to plan our next steps. I have been responsible for planning most of this weekend's events. My tendency is to go over the details again and again (and again and again) looking for oversights, errors, etc. It's really hard for me to say "this is good and I can move on to something else." This has drained me in a scary way. At a time when I so very much desire to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His leading, I am finding myself feeling cold, empty, and false. I would deeply appreciate your prayers this weekend. For our candidate, for our church, for God's purposes to be known, and even for me personally. Thank you in advance. I gotta tell you - I'm feeling like "a donkey on the edge!"

Pumpkin Pie Spice

My days are crazy busy right now. Some of you have emailed asking about a post from our Catalyst trip - I hear you, and want to share about that experience. But even in these busy days, I am reminded that it is a glorious time of the year. The chill in the air and the color of the leaves all serve as reminders that Fall is upon us.

And this changing of the seasons brings with it something that grants me incredible joy and truly gladdens my heart (No Paul, not Chimay. At least not this time!). The makers of International Delight coffee creamers have released their limited edition seasonal enhancers of caffeinated goodness. And king among these special creamers is the much-anticipated Pumpkin Pie Spice. Oh, the smoothness! The richness! The simple decadence! Share a coffee with me, laden with this spiced nectar, and you will hear me proudly proclaim, "Pumpkin Pie Spice, so nice!"

Aren't the simple pleasures in life somehow always sweeter?

Words for Tulip Street

Rick McKinley, Lead Pastor of the Imago Dei Community in Portland, OR preached a great message last April 15, entitled Personal Transformation. On their web site, McKinley says this about the message:

After the series on the prodigal son, we are left
with the lingering question; "what does it mean to come home to the Father?" God
is embracing us without any work on our part? Really? Whether we are coming home
from a distant country of sin, or the backyard of legalism, we are left to
navigate the Father's embrace. What does God want to do now that you are
home?

The book of Isaiah gives us some insight into
these questions. Jesus quotes Isaiah 61 at the inauguration of his ministry. It
is a chapter filled with hope. This hope is centered on the fact that deep,
authentic transformation is available to us! The most important thing you can do
with the gospel is believe it. How does God want to transform you? For those
living in poverty, God promises good news. For those who are broken hearted, God
promises whole hearts. For those in bondage, God promises freedom. For those who
grieve, God promises comfort. Ultimately, it is for his glory that you are
transformed. As people see your story on display, God is glorified. We are
transformed because of how great Jesus is, not because of how great we are for
Jesus.

Here is the bottom line for us at Imago Dei
Community: The world does not need more large churches filled with converts, it
needs radically transformed disciples. How can we pursue this
together?

At Tulip Street, the Leadership Team is convinced that God is calling us to rediscover what it means to be a disciple. To ask how are disciples made, and then to consider how disciples live in such a way as to further the Kingdom of Christ. Because of this leaning, there are a couple of bullet points that jump out of McKinley's words, and we must let them take root in our hearts: (1) We are transformed because of how great Jesus is, not because of how great we are for Jesus. And, (2) The world does not need more large churches filled with converts, it needs radically transformed disciples.

So, Tulip Street, hear this: I am praying that we always keep Christ in the fore-front of everything that we say, do and think. May we understand the God-Centeredness of the Gospel, and realize that the greatness of Christ allows us to live as transformed people! I pray also that our definition of "disciple" would be true to the teachings of Scripture, and that we would be known as true followers of Christ. There IS a difference between being a believer and being a disciple. May Tulip Street Christian Church be known as a disciple-making church where Christ is glorified in all things and in all ways!

I and the other leaders are working diligently to make those things become reality for us at TSCC. And like Imago Dei, we simply ask, "How can we pursue this together?"

Come and join us. Are you up for it?

The Message of Jesus

If you ever think the Message of Jesus gets "lost in translation" then you'll appreciate this skit featuring the music of Lifehouse. I'll trust that this will speak to your soul in a powerful way.
[Thanks to Amy Brothers for sharing the link! :)]

REVERB

I'm leaving this afternoon for Atlanta. Hot-lanta, the thought of which makes a chubby guy cringe. Man, can I sweat. But I digress.

The Catalyst Conference is amazing. Really. As much as "amazing" is over-used these days, it's still a great word for this Leadership Conference. If you want to check it out, click here.

I am tired, though. Kind of worn down. And a looooong van ride awaits. I would really be grateful if you could quiet your heart and pray for myself and all of the elders of Tulip Street Christian Church as we head south. I'll trust you to know what to pray.

But as tired as I am, I'm excited too. I get to see good friends. Hear some speakers that are really seeking God's face as to what to share. Eat great food. Worship with 10,000 other people who are leaning hard into the life God is calling them to. I am expecting God to be present in and over this whole event. May it be so.

Peace out.

Hello #2000

At the end of last week, this simple collection of my rambling thoughts and reflections on things in our world reached 2000 "hits." 2000 folks have visited these pages. Amazing. Maybe more amazing is that the bulk of them are from outside Indiana. Heck, some are from other countries! Crazy thing, this new-fangled Internet. :)

So, to all of you who drop by from time to time, I say thank you. I'd love to hear from you if you care to leave a comment. And you're always welcome to visit again!

Peace Out.