Is God Crazy...?

So is there a rule out there that says how often you should blog? I can tell you right now that I will probably be the most inconsistent out of all of them, oh well.  So where did I leave off last night.  Just a minute...sorry, I had to go back and check.  So is it true?  Is God really crazy?  Now before some of you get all hung up on the word crazy, relax!  I'm not bidding for us to really think that He is actually a few bricks short but more about our reaction to some of the things that He asks us to do.

You know, I think a lot of the time we think He's crazy in what He is asking because what He is asking for is going to cost us something.  Whether it be getting rid of our pride, or taking us out of our comfort zones, or maybe, just maybe he is asking us to reach out to that person we see everyday but we don't do anything about it.  We sense that we should give him/her a blanket, or shovel their driveway or invite them over for dinner, or just say hello and take 5 minutes out of our soooo busy schedules (input sarcasm) to ask how they are doing, or give the person on the corner whatever is in your pocket, but we don't do anything, that's crazy! we think.  They're just going to waste their money or sell their blanket or whatever, or think, they won't wanna talk with me....Hey, here's a though, how do we know what they want?  I can just hear Jesus saying, Nate, I don't care what he or she does with it, don't assume what you think they are going to say, I care whether or not you listen to me and do what I am asking you to do.  Hmmm....I digress.

So we're on a journey.  I can't really see the massive mountain ahead of me, maybe its a meadow, I really don't know.  I suppose if I knew, I wouldn't really have to trust God for what's next right?!  So some of the things we identified (Mexican friends) in what was our current reality in "doing" church, was actually quite alarming.  They said, and I quote, "We say we are a family, but we don't act like one. We don't experience authentic community and yet that is what we want.  We are quite comfortable, and that's not a good thing. We are not attracting any 'not-yet' followers of Christ, we are not being faithful with the little that we have been given, we really aren't committed, kinda half-committed..." The list went on but I'll save that.  What was impressive to me was that they were NOT satisfied with what was going on!  They wanted something different, not just to be different or do something different but because what we were doing was not working and felt as well that God was calling us from mediocrity to something more committed.

And so we began to meet in a home.  What do you think happened as a result of this?  Yes, we lost some people.  Thankfully they are followers of Jesus and they can find another community to go to.  I'm ok with that!

So what were some of the challenges in meeting in a home?  Well, the catch all phrase I have heard millions of times, but what do we do with the kids? You sense a little panic in that question?  I wasn't panicked but the question was asked.  You know what?  Again, I had another growing conviction about something.  Why can't the kids be WITH  the whole time?  Think about this for a minute:  The Latin culture is very family oriented, broken yes-but that is not a Latin thing nor Mexican but across all cultures.  They take their kids everywhere; parties, movies, restaurants, peoples homes, parties, other parties, soccer games, whatever, kids go where the parents go.  Then it donned on me, why is it that one of the only places where "we" segregate kids in this culture is at CHURCH???? Its true.  Scenario 1. Families come, families sing, families sit and pray then the kids are shuffled off OR Scenario 2. Families come and the "church" takes their kids away to some other place.  Yes, yes, yes, I get it.  I'm not lambasting the "system" in the Evangelical church worldwide for this style of segregated family worship...or am I???  But I've read, and studied and still studying the NT church and see many places where whole families worshipped together, they prayed together, the learned together, they sang together, they dialogued together.

Before you say anything, I'll tell you that I have never done this before ok.  I have never "found" a different way in the way we "do" church in Canada.  Though I don't think I spent too much time thinking about worshipping differently. So I said to our people, This is what I see in the Early Church, I believe God calls families together to worship, learn, listen, pray, sing, hear the Word.....together, so that is what we are going to try!  I received a (surprisingly) resounding YES!!!  How awesome is that.  So Sunday number one came, January something, we had families worshipping together in a home.  How sweet does that sound?  It was very sweet, but let's remember that we have never done this before, parents and singles aren't used to "having kids around" and oh ya, Kids make noise! I chuckle....do you think its possible that us adults can learn from children??  I end this blog with many stories pending on how this has gone, and with something I remember Jesus saying once...."Let the little children come and don't hinder them, don't stop them, and stop keeping them away, and don't forbid them..." ~ you pick the translation.  I like them all.

Saludos

n8