Sabbath Day 21



Three of five weeks now completed. I must admit that at this point "doing nothing" is starting to feel quite normal. I'm both excited about the new things that January will hold and a little sad to think about this season ending. Hopefully, these last two weeks will continue to prepare me for working again. I am excited to blog about what I am confident is the "next thing" in my life, but I need a few more weeks of prayer and consulting before I go public with it.



I've dropped a little over ten pounds and I am starting to feel spiritually and emotionally lighter as well. Debbie and the kids are doing well-just dealing with the joys and frustrations of having me around so much!



Our house is finally set to close (again) tomorrow. We have been staying with Chris Duncan since Thanksgiving and he has been a gracious host...I'm off now to eat a low-fat Turkey meatloaf. Pray for me.

Sabbath Day 16-A Fresh Understanding.



I have had a rather peaceful breakthrough in this third week of resting.



Some thoughts about my calling into simple church life:



I would honestly rather live a life true to my calling than live a seemingly succesful life outside of my calling. God has called me to follow Jesus with my friends in simple church life. He has called me to pray for a church planting movement in my city and to encourage anyone who has the same calling on their life (whether they be Christian or pagan). As far as church and mission go, that's pretty much it.



Here is the peaceful breakthrough: It might not work. It might fail and I might look incredibly silly. I might embarass all of my Christian friends who used to be so proud of my "potential" to do amazing things "for God". I might even be an embarassment to myself and my family. It's all OK. Because I would rather be a faithful failure than a secretly disobedient success.



So if everyone in Apex leaves and goes back to the megachurch of their choice, I will be supportive of them and faithful to my call to simple church.

If there is no more money for Apex to support me, I will not worry or complain, but I will get a job and be faithful to my call to simple church.

If my closest freinds are called away from this vision and encourage me to go with them, I will miss them, but I will be faithful to my call to simple church.

If the media labels us a cult and calls me an extremist, I will pray for them and not respond, but I will be faithful to my call to simple church.

I would rather die poor, lonely, unnoticed and faithful than die comfortable, beloved, famous and a liar.



In the words of some other reformer, "Here I stand. I cannot, I will not recant."



Pax,

Joe

Sabbath Day 13



I am so refreshed right now that it is hard to believe how frustrated and weary I was just a few weeks ago. I had no idea how much I needed this time to prioritize my life. I want to thank my friend Mike Steele for seeing this need in me. I would also like to thank the Apex community for this gift of time.



A few new ideas have crystalized over the last four or five days. I am very excited about them. I would have to say that I have a spirit of anticipation and honest hope for the future unlike anytime in the last three or four years. Finally, a little mania to mix into my depression! God is rapidly expanding my worldview and faith to see Him in so many arenas. Again, your prayers are coveted as my Sabbath nears its midpoint.



Wherever you are may He give you peace...and rest.

Sabbath Day 8



I am slowly falling into a daily pattern. I have been working out in the mornings, followed by a time of prayer and scripture reading. (I'm reading Ezek. now.) My mind is slowly defragmenting. I have had some new and refreshing ideas for the first time in a long time. The biggest learning so far is that I have severly limited my vision of what is possible in my lifetime. As much as I have tried to live simply and denounce materialism I have dicovered a hidden fear of not being able to make enough money to provide for my family and to help provide for my larger household. This fear must be honestly replaced with faith in a providing God. I know the opposite danger is to be idle or lazy and call it faith...I haven't known myself to be drawn to those sins. If anything I am tempted to work too much.



This all boils down to risk-taking is some form. So...for those of you who think that I am already a rather risky individual I am tempted to say, "You aint seen nothing yet." But that is a rather cheesy expression, so I will allow it to remain a temption and ask for your continued prayers for my faith and courage.



Your resting friend,

Joe

Sabbath Day 5



Resting is so hard...I don't know how. Today felt very frantic and busy. I have lost five pounds and shaved my Kevin Rains memorial beard. My 2 day trip to San Diego was good but one day too short. I felt that I had to leave as soon as I was breaking through. I will try to get back to where I was tomorrow. I did get to hang out with my new friend Jason Evans. You can read his blog...



I will try to refrain from anything close to a revelation until next year, but here is a journal entry from 2 nights ago as I sat alone and wrote my passing thoughts while meditating on the patio of a seafood place, eating Mahi Mahi and pondering the bay and the people passing by:



I'm sitting alone in a romantic restaurant on the San Diego coast...That would be a great opening line for a country song, except that this is exactly where I want to be.



The water ripples to prove that there is a wind that my face cannot feel.



From where I sit, I can see only one star, but I can hear three different languages.



I'm starting to feel that romance is unique to the human experience. It is not a lie and yet not quite a blessing. Just a mystery...Romance is a great human mystery...unless it is a Divine mystery that has somehow leaked onto us from above.



Of all of the manmade eyesores pushed against and into this harbor, one is most repulsive. The industrial plant seems evil tonight.



We are all deathly afraid of the dark. This would be such a scary place without the gas lamps and flickering candles.



The waters whisper to a traveler that there is peace a mile deep just one inch below the chaos.



Of all of the vile pollutants we have unleashed on the earth, nothing is as deadly or insidious as our constant rediculous noise-making.



There is something magical about the surface of the water that seperates us from the fish. We can fairly easily, though often inconveneintly, go to visit them whenever we want. But they cannot climb out to look at us. I wonder if there is a magical surface that seperates us from God...Perhaps it is the sky? No, it can't be...it must be something of a different dimension than what seperates us from the fish...could it be time? Yes, it might be time. We cannot climb out of time because we breathe in time just like the fish breathe in water. But He can come to see us...it would be as easy (and inconvenient) as me standing up and jumping into the bay. This is, of course, incarnation. To a fish it is a miraculous intrusion into aquatic history. To me it is exactly the opposite of a miracle. It is the humility of jumping off of a perfectly dry pier.

Rest...



Today begins a 35-day sabbath. I am to learn to rest and pray. Please pray for me that I will not misuse these days. I am also going to begin a healthier lifestyle in regard to diet and exercise.



I will be going to San Diego this weekend to pray and isolate myself. I am thinking about attending a conference in New Mexico Dec. 27-29 by Richard Rohr, a Franciscan who has influenced me of late. Other than that I will be here in Vegas attempting to simplify and create space for God.



My friend Megan has agreed to save my cat...and there was much rejoicing...

Save My Cat?



Will anyone out there (in Vegas) save my cat? He is very groovy and friendly. None of the no-kill shelters will take him because he hasnt had his shoots for a few years. The pound is the only option and they will kill him if he isn't adopted within 72 hours. This could be a great lesson in the doctrine of redemption! E-mail me if you can help. I need to find him a home by Monday.

A Rather Difficult Week



Hello all. I have just finished moving all of my stuff into a storage unit. My house is set to close this afternoon, but it might get pushed to next week now. We are living at my friend Chris Duncan's house until ours is completed in May/June. Moving is hard.



Debbie, my wife, has been very sick for the last few days and was unable to help much with the move or with the kids. They thought she had mono, but now think it might just be strep (is that how you spell it? ) She is doing a little better today, but it sucks to be sick and homeless. I feel really sad for her.



The time has come for us to give up Cosmo, our cat of seven years. He doesn't seem to fit into our current or future living arrangements very well. I am sad about it, in a manly "its-just-a-cat" sort of way. I am searching for a no-kill shelter in town since all of my friends seem to despise the feline race.



There is nothing like having a deathly ill wife, an empty house and a lame duck family pet to make a creature a wee bit emotional.



My Sabbath starts this coming Thursday. Please pray for me. I may or may not blog during my sabbath.



Peace to you.

Too Many Saints, Too Little Time



St. Martin of Tours was a very cool dude. He started a monastic community planting movement thing in the days immediately following Constantine. (late 300's) His biography is public domain. Click here.

Be Ready



As followers of Jesus we are called to be ready and alert. Nearly every book in the New Testament eventually gives this command. I have come to believe that the opposite of being ready is being busy. The opposite of being alert is being distracted. Another way to see this command is to say that Jesus has called us NOT to be busy or distracted so that we can be ready to move with him (follow him) at any moment.



This is not the advice that you will find in the Management/Leadership section of your local Barnes and Noble. The "succesful" gurus will tell you to be proactive. Jesus says be reactive. The world will say prepare yourself and your environment. Jesus will say prepare yourself so that you can react to your environment.



I am currently preparing to wrap my life around three disciplines. I honestly believe that if I can create the proper space in my life for these disciplines God will take care of all of my secondary dreams and desires. I have come to see that devotion to these three expressions will lead me into all truth, so long as my heart is right before God. My disciplines?



1. daily prayer and solitude

2. repetitive reading of the Scriptures

3. extensive time with my friends

See This Movie Fast



There is a Jerry Seinfield movie called Comedian (click here to go to the official site) in limited release and fading quickly...I've seen it twice. It is a must see for anyone who has ever thought about stand up comedy...Jerry freaken rocks...

A Glance at the Dashboard of Life



My life friend and mentor Kevin Odor is always asking me about my "fuel tanks". He makes me gauge my energy level in three areas of my life: physical, emotional, spiritual. I hope to come out of my upcoming Sabbath fueled up in all three areas.



Today's readings:



Physical: I am less than half a tank. I am tired and have been a bit gluttonous of late. I have been much worse than this in years past, but I have been much healthier as well. After two nights of 8 hours of sleep, I am gaining momentum.



Emotional: Historically this has been my lowest reading of the three. However, I would have to say that I am at 3/4 right now. (I have never been full emotionally, so this is great news!) I can never remember a day when this was my highest reading...it is both encouraging and a little scary.



Spiritual: I am empty...just some fumes. I am not so much drawn to sin or evil (I seem to not even have enough energy to will to sin, if that were possible.) I just have no capacity to participate in the disciplines or to honestly love people these days. This tank is in crisis and must be the first to be addressed during the sabbath.

Sabbath



I am so weary these days that I cannot imagine having the energy to wake up the next day. When I am this tired, I hear the criticism of my life much louder than the encouragements. I have had some difficult criticisms of late that quickly internalized.



I am taking a five week Sabbath from Thanksgiving to New Years. I am so grateful for the time to rest and pray...but it feels like years away. I feel like a marathon runner in the twenty-fifth mile...how can I finish with absolutely nothing left to give me energy? I must trust God to keep me alive and alert...I look forward to being rested again someday soon. Rest is a gift from God and the only one that I desire today.



May He give you rest, dear reader.

Simple Church Explanation, Because People Always Ask...



This document came from our last No. American DAWN meeting...



A certain “DNA” seems to be present within the indigenous simple church movements of North America. This DNA, though unplanned, shows that God is moving in a universal and mysterious way among peoples who were not influenced by the same people or ways of thinking. Like all organic beings, the church has a DNA, a basic make-up that makes her what she was intended to be. The three categories that are making up the DNA of simple church movements in North America are:



1.) A commitment to truth as revelation through Jesus and the Scriptures.

2.) A commitment to an understanding of gospel that is fundamentally relational, nurturing and familial.

3.) A commitment to understanding that every church is apostolic (sent out) and missional (on a specific journey).



In English, we can use “DNA” as an acronym to teach these truths:



D - Divine Truth

N - Nurturing Relationships

A - Apostolic Mission



Divine Truth includes the following concepts:



· The Living and Triune God of Israel and our ancient Christian fathers and mothers is the rightful King of the universe.

· God’s Kingdom has come to us in Jesus Christ.

· The universal church is God’s people, living within the continuation of the true story of Israel, Jesus and the church.

· Jesus is himself the essence of Truth. Truth, then, is a person, the Divine Word.

· Jesus is the head of every church and He holds the agenda.

· The Holy Spirit guides the church into the reality of God and his ways.

· The Holy Spirit is at work today healing the hurting.

· The Bible is our sole curriculum for teaching, training and mission.

· God is in ongoing communication with his people in many ways.



Nurturing Relationships includes the following concepts:



· The primary metaphor for church is that of a family.

· Most churches will remain small in order to operate as a family.

· Leadership within the church closest resembles parenthood with spiritual mothers and fathers.

· The church family is inclusive to all people regardless of age, sex, race or socio-economic status since it is a witness to the availability of God’s Kingdom.

· The church is made of people who have voluntarily submitted to serve each other for God’s sake.

· The church is a participatory community, in which people share their lives with one another.

· Children are a blessing and a vital part of a church, showing adults how to truly enter the Kingdom.

· Each church is committed to loving other churches of Jesus-disciples since they are part of a wider family within the Kingdom of God.

· Finances and resources are shared as needed within a church family. Abundant resources are then given to the poor and to support church planting.

· Every church is a community of priests.



Apostolic Mission includes the following concepts:



· The church itself is apostolic (literally, sent into the world).

· The church is committed to encouraging and releasing disciple-making movements.

· “Organic” simple churches allow for churches to emerge within walking distance of every person.

· People are attracted to the church by the transformed lives of sinful people, the unique lifestyle of the church family (holiness), and the unconditional love that the disciples have one for another.

· Apostolically and prophetically gifted people lead missional initiatives within the church.

· Clusters of churches are networked and cared for by a team of evangelists, shepherds and teachers who equip disciples for ministry.

· Churches are called to disciple the nations.

· Many of the best leaders of the church are still in the harvest fields.

· The financial and other resources needed for church and mission are in the harvest.

· Overseers who act as models and mentors lovingly lead local churches.

Unrelated Meanderings



I have been traveling a lot of late. My trip with my boys was good. We went to Reno and logged some quality time together. I was able to connect with an old friend there which was very healing. It looks like Paul and Jamie Evans may be going to Reno to start simple churches there. I am excited about the possibility of sending them.



I just returned from the North American DAWN Associates meeting in Colorado. It was encouraging. I will share more later.



I am going to grow a beard becase my friend Kevin Rains looks so cool with his.



Pray about Sabbath for me. I need to rest in God.



I was not hired at the community college. Turns out they want me to be qualified or something stupid like that. That would take a minimum of 2 years, I don't know if I want to work there that badly.



Dave Nixon is coming to lead us in a multi-church retreat in Prescott, AZ this weekend...Dave's my protestant franciscan house renovaten' friend from Cincy...He makes me happy.



Debbie and the kids are going to visit Memaw and Papaw in Indiana this weekend. Pray for Debbie as she will be trapped in a plane with my kids. Pray for the pilot that he stays off the juice.

This Week



I will be leaving Las Vegas this Thursday with my friends Joe Patton, Tommy Peterson and Jeff Flick. We don't know where we are going...or why we are going. We want to experiment with God and see where he takes us. I'm feeling a tug toward Reno, but we may go to Socal or to a Native American Reservation in Arizona. I hope that we can learn a little something about listening and praying apostolically. Pray for our experiment and I will let you know what comes of our time together.



Also, it looks as though our house has sold to the second people who looked at it. Escrow is set to close December 5.

Trusting or Testing



During my recent blogging sabbath I was confonted with the harsh reality that most of my adult life has been consumed with testing God. Testing is so close to Trusting that it is easy to confuse the two. The 40 day fast of Jesus models trust for us and it is there that we hear him say, "Do not test the Lord your God." What's the difference? I still cannot say that I fully know, but I am inclined to believe that Trust is knowing that God will be on the other side of whatever leap is next. Test is jumping just to see if God is there to catch. Trust comes from being full while the test is an act of empty desperation. It is a leap all the same, but it is the difference between the leap of a child into a father's arms and the leap of a grown man from a burning building. The child fearlessly jumps because the father is good. The man fearfully jumps beacause the fire is bad. Both find a better place.



My buddy Kierkagard would likely say that test comes before trust and I would have to agree with him from my own experience. I hope that he would agree with me in saying that after many years of testing, it sure does feel nice to trust once in a while. I think not that I was so much purposely sinning as a tester, but I now see that real life is saved for those who trust. And so, for me, comes the next and possibly most significant conversion of my Jesus Journey...shall I convert to life within a God-bathed reality and leave behind the matrix of fear and doubt? I think I shall...It is a great irony, but I see that my final test of God might be to actually TRUST him with my whole life.



A conversion awaits me. Yet another night of the soul is about to give way to the light of dawn. I can smell the morning sun approaching and feel the dew of change upon my feet...I will let you know when this conversion in me is at last complete. Until then, I trust you to him, dear reader.

Another House Update



As it turns out, Tina changed her mind at the last second. We were, however, able to talk with her and may meet her socially again. Another couple is making an offer as we speak.



Today is busy: I spoke at Canyon Ridge, had a good breakfast with Zach and Shad from my hc, im leaving now for Jimmy and Nicole's quasi-hippie wedding, then im hanging out with my improv comedy team, then dinner at the Moreales....

House Update



A single lady named Tina is close to buying our house. Please pray for her. (It would be great for us as well, but my heart has gone out to her for some unknown reason.) It seems to me that God may be using this situation to draw her into the Kingdom. She may be a person of peace as well.

What's Going On



Hello all. It's been a while. I must say that blogging takes a backseat when life gets crazy. Here's some stuff:



1. We are selling our house so that we can move into a new home in March with 2 other families. We are trying the "for sale by owner" route for now. If you know anyone wanting to move to NW Las Vegas with an extra $157,900 sitting around let me know.



2. I have applied to be a part-time prof. at the local community college in the philosophy and religious studies department. I am slightly less than qualified, but I have a shot and really want to try it. Please pray for God to open a door that I can walk through.



3. On the church planting front, we seemed to have crossed over 30 churches in the Apex network. My friend Ramon has been updating the Apex Website I have heard of 4 or 5 new churches that may have started in the last 2 weeks...that's cool. Apex celebrated five years last week with one of our best gatherings ever.



4. Yo estudio espanol a las community college of southern nevada todos los mates y jueves. Muchos hispanicos vives en Las Vegas (mas de 20% de la ciudad habla espanol solamente.) Jesus amore los hispanicos tambien. Oras por mis amigos hispanicos en Las Vegas.



5. I am leading 2 Tyrannus training classes using a more eastern guru-apprentice style. It has been a wonderful experience in both settings.



6. I am listening to a new John Adams book on CD and reading a book about Caesar's tenth legion. I'm in history-geek mode these days.



7. I am thinking about fully converting to Christianity, but I will explain what i mean by that at a later time.