Spiritual Co-Dependency

We had an interesting discussion this morning in our Emerging Leaders group. A friend of mine brought up the fact that sometimes he feels overwhelmed by new "Christ-Followers" that have come to trust him for guidance and wisdom. While this is certainly an admirable trait of his (and he is one of the most humble men I know), he was exhausted from helping those he has helped in their journey.

The question then becomes how we help relatively new Christians as they continue their journey. We have to realize that everyone is at a different "click" on the journey track. Even those who are still trying to figure stuff out are still on the journey track. It is easy to think of this in terms of a horizontal line stretching from left to right with the center being Christ. The journey comes before, during, and after Christ.

I wonder though...what if Christ is not ON the line, but rather in a multi-dimensional aspect is above, below, around the line, etc. Christ is omni-present. This concept makes more sense. The ultimate goal in a visible term however, is to move from left to right on the journey. How do we help those who move along the track? I think Christ would say that we help them by sharing reality with them. By sharing life. Our story. Their story. HIS story. It doesn't really matter where someone is on the "line" but it does matter whether we find ourselves on the line with them; sharing in the journey together. If we share in this journey the way Christ has showed us, then there is no doubt that we will move along this line together. It may only be one click at a time, but we will continue.

I am not sure where all of this is going, but my friend understands the complexity of this subject. He understands what it means to live like Christ. The journey is difficult. But He has shown us the path. Will we, as my friend has so bravely found, have the courage to follow?

Hide and Seek

I am interested in this concept of "hide and seek." It seems that God is (and has) always seeking us, but our human instinct is to hide. It's sort of like the game, really. We hide, God counts to ten and then tries to find us. But we hide. Sometimes we hide really, really good. So good as a matter of fact, that we don't want to be found. We want to stay hidden; separate; apart.

I like the idea of turning the tables. What if we began to seek, to find the answers. Or to at least begin the discussion, even if the answers never reveal themselves. Even better - what if we seek TOGETHER. In community. Community with God and with others. If you seek me, you will find me. Seek and you will find. I like this idea. It's time to quit hiding and join in the adventure of seeking God - together.

Buckets

I was challenged by some comments I heard by Rob Bell recently. Rob is the main teaching pastor at Mars Hill Church in Grandville, MI, and is also one of my favorite speakers. He talked about collecting ideas for his messages in what he calls "buckets." Buckets are any ideas that might spur thinking at some point in time. It might be this month, next month, or next year, but buckets should be logged somewhere and "seasoned" along the way. At some point they might become "chunks" and take shape towards a message or concept.

I hope to use this site to collect my buckets as well as challenge others to make deposits along the way. God intended for us to share life in community - I don't want to be limited by my own creative thoughts - my buckets would have very few drops in them - so I ask those of you who might read this blog to feel free to comment at any time. Feel free to challenge any thoughts or ideas, and most importantly, help to fill as many buckets as you can along the way.

It is my hope that through this process we can discover and experience Christ and what He has to teach us. I am a life long learner with the ultimate Teacher, for my Rabbi has an easy yoke, and He is asking us to follow.