The Question I Must Answer the Most:

"So like....what are you hoping your church building will look like?"

I was first asked this question last summer. A well meaning lady asked me what our church would look like and I began to answer with words like- eclectic, organic growth (nothing to do with hydroponics btw), missional.. She stopped me, "No no no, what will your church look like? Will it be a little white building in the middle of the city? With things like worship hangings?" Looking her in the eyes, and with, what I hope was a gentle spirit, I replied, "Look lady if you think that is what the church looks like, we are really far from having a meaningful conversation."
We have been on the ground running (mostly up and down stairs unloading boxes) for four weeks now. I have visited four different churches right in our area. Most with decent facilities; most with hurting, dwindling congregations; The big question seems to be, "How do we get people to come to our buildings, and yeah to Jesus too." We have a great facility for them to serve in and to grow into what a disciple of Jesus is to look like. I truly feel for the leaders of these churches, many of which are amalgamating with other congregations (often those they wouldn't fellowship with a few years ago), because they have to find a way to keep the doors open, the pressure is great.
Don't get me wrong, I know that God calls different people, different congregations to do different ministry and fulfill different niches in the kingdom. It is for Him to fit and join the parts of the building, His church. Still I wonder if Urban churches and maybe even suburban churches need to have a drastic shift in thinking- instead of building buildings we have to fill- how about filling spaces within the culture with the Church of Jesus and worship - I read how Paul did this a lot when he was developing disciples of Jesus.
Just wonder how many other people will ask me this week..."So what is your church (building) going to look like?"
Just so you know- our plan for 'space' is to have a space in the midst of the city culture (targeting Gottingen Street) that will be used as a center to meet the needs of a hurting world, and bring value to the place we are planted- then we hope to have access to a worship space that will be a place that is familiar to the people of our city (praying for the Marquee Club).
BUT what we will look like as a church will be radically different then what our building allows us to do. While we are on it- funny how we try and program what should come naturally in an agape love relationship with each other...things like discipleship and mentoring...hmmm gotta go read Acts again see if Paul left us a discipleship program I can download?

"I keep praying for you, that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ will give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation that you may KNOW GOD!" -Eph 1:17
Pray for us too...

Truth Secular or Sacred?

Is there any truth that is secular or is all truth sacred? As a person engages philosophy, this a question that continually encroaches into the conversation. Can we see truth in the natural world? Can we hear truth in the words of those who have not encountered spiritual truth? Can we understand the deeper truth from the world that surrounds us or are we only able to encounter this depth of truth in the sacred? Can we find truth that brings true meaning in the secular?
I once heard a speaker describe the search for truth in culture as a guy stranded on an Island in the middle of the ocean. The guy is searching for answers to life and why his world is as it is. He finds a cache of bottles and begins to write his questions, answers and impressions on little pieces of paper. Sticks them in the bottle, seals the top and sets them out to sea. Bottle after bottle, impression after impression, question after question, some in pain, loneliness and some in joy and celebration he exhausts the amount of bottles he has but not the questions. A week or so goes by and the man sees on the horizon a bottle making its way on the surf towards his little Island. He sits and waits, and follows the progress of the little bottle. With excitement and anticipation for answers he wades out, and swims against the currents to reach out for the little bottle. Then battles back to his little island with a great deal of effort and with the promise of hope breaks the seal on the bottle. He dumps out the little note inside. With his hands shaking he reads the writing on the paper only to realize that it is his own question, his own answer.
Generation after generation seeks to know the answers to life or at the very least to describe those elements of life that give deeper meaning to one’s existence. The 21st century is no exception.

“All the creatures, on the beaches

Makin' waves in the motion picture

Won't you keep this, in between us

Search and seizure, wake up venus

The dollar bill will

Return the ill pill

Mom and Dad take your 'dont be sad' pill

Turn the screw and twist my language

Don't forsake me I’m contagious!

There’s a reason for the twenty-first century...

Not too sure but I know that its meant to be

And that it's meant to be

It's my favorite combination

Comin' down with the favored nations

Deep rotation, mutilation

Learn to give and take dictation

Oh, oh, oh, oh-oh

Like the Cain and Able

Oh, oh, oh, oh-oh

Time to run this table

There's a reason for the 21st Century

Not too sure but I know that's it's meant to be

And that it's meant to be

Read me your scripture and

Read me your scripture

Read me your scripture and I will twist it

Show me your wrist and I

Show me your wrist and

Show me your wrist and I'll

Kiss it kiss it

Oh, oh, oh, oh-oh

Like the Cain and Able

Oh, oh, oh, oh-oh

It's time to run this table

Simple Soldier, hand it over

Stop and read what you just told her

Strangulation , altercation

Of all the sex and good vibrations

There's a reason for the 21st Century

Not to sure but I know that's it's meant to be

And that it's meant to be yeah

There's a reason for the 21st Century

Not to sure but I know that's it's meant to be

And that it's meant to be

- Red Hot Chili Peppers

Secular poet after secular poet; Secular prophet after secular prophet (don’t get me started on quoting Matrix type movies); secular priest after secular priest (from Sophists, New Agers, to effeminate metro-sexual politically correct postmodern spin doctors) each tell us there is a way to discover true happiness, and world contentment, that is uniquely satisfying to each individual. Through love songs, social restructure, getting in touch with our inner child, seeking for the greater essence of global harmony, and complete tolerance of everybody’s embodiment of ‘truth’ we can find the answers. Or are we just writing questions and impressions to ourselves with little hope of discovering the greater irreducible truths? The truth that humanity can only find its true dignity, value and worth from out of the foundations of Imago Dei, having been created in the image of God.

PAX North Blog

A REMINDER!
The goal of our Blog

• not to be your sisters diary
• not to prove we are ranting lunatics
• not to have all the u-tubing, my spacing, blogging 15 year olds contact us with their latest videos

No, Pax North Blog is to share with you some thoughts, quotes, etc that will-keeping with the PAX Values- challenge you towards spiritual growth in FAITH. That you might live a life that brings the VALUE of being a Christ follower to the CULTURE we have been called to impact.

Welcome to the blog.

Welcome to the PAX North blog. This is the first entry just to make sure everything is working.