Sarah Young (1)

For the first time in a long time, I've begun reading a daily devotional book. I'll tell you about the author, Sarah Young, and you'll understand why.

Sarah writes that in 1993 her relationship with God changed dramatically...

I had been writing in prayer journals for years, but that was one-way communication: I did all the talking. I knew that God communicated with me through the bible, but I yearned for more. Increasingly, I wanted to hear what God had to say to me personally on a given day.

I decided to listen to God with pen in hand, writing down whatever I believed He was saying. I felt awkward the first time I tried this, but I received a message. It was short, biblical, and appropriate. It addressed topics that were current in my life: trust, fear, and closeness to God. I responded by writing in my prayer journal.

Many of us in the Luke Ten Community have been on a similar journey. Longing to hear what God might say to us personally on a given day. Feeling awkward when we first begin. But, being aware of "spontaneous thoughts" and writing them down. Finding that they are often both biblical and appropriate.

Take a minute and, in the comments below, share what this journey has been like for you.

More from Sarah tomorrow.

John

CO2 - The Hyatt Family (4)

In response to the story about the Hyatt family doing CO2, Jared Looney, a church planter in NYC, posted this comment yesterday...

We recently did S.A.S.H.E.T. as a family. That is, my wife, my five year old daughter, and me. My wife and I had practiced this tool in various settings before, but doing it as a family with our 5 year old was pretty awesome.

Isn't that encouraging! Nothing excites me more than stories of children, even young children, responding to these simple ways of doing/being church.

Today, in the fourth and last part of this interview, Sean tells how his family has shared CO2 with other families and individuals. Notice again how natural and almost effortless this is. It creates a whole new picture for the term "church planting".

Also makes me think of the title of Roland Allen's famous book: The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church.

Your thoughts?

John

CO2 - The Hyatt Family (3)

There's lots of talk these days about "the missional church". The thinking is that the church needs to stop being so inwardly focused and become concerned about the needs of the world. We are told that this is accomplished by exhorting believers to change their focus and become more concerned about the lost and needy.

In the short video below, Sean tells a story that illustrates the alternative approach that LK10 takes towards becoming missional. Being missional is certainly a good thing. But, how this comes about is the critical element.

We believe that Jesus followers become more missional not by focusing on mission and trying harder but rather by focusing on listening to God. In other words, mission is not the starting place but rather the by-product of hearing God's voice. This kind of mission is natural, spontaneous and joyful.

So, two questions to ponder as you watch the video...

1. Imagine if there were hundreds (or thousands) of households in your city who were doing what the Hyatts are doing. What kind of learning would be going on in the hearts and minds of the children in those families? Doesn't this kind of "Christian education" beat what goes on in most Sunday School classes?

2. And, imagine the cumulative effect of hundreds (or thousands) of small family-centered "mission projects". How would that impact your city or region?

Your thoughts?

John

CO2 - The Hyatt Family (2)

In today's short video below (3 minutes), Sean explains two things that might seem impossible to those of us who have spent our entire lives in traditional church.

First, he explains how he has trained his two boys (aged 7 and 10) to facilitate the family's daily CO2 (CO5!) time.

(Observation: children and teens often "get" CO2 more easily and more quickly than adults who have been in the current religious "system" for years.)

Second, he tells a story that illustrates that worship flows spontaneously out of listening.

(Observation: Simple church (CO2) is built on the belief that Jesus is really present when we meet in His name and that He is a great "worship leader". Worship is no longer something that we have to "make happen". It emerges naturally out of listening to Jesus.)

Love to hear your comments about the video below.

John

CO2 - The Hyatt Family (1)

A CO2 (church of two) is simple. Two people committed to two practices as close to daily as possible.

But, the CO2 concept is also highly adaptable. Sean Hyatt has applied it to his family. (Since he has a wife and three young children, it's now a CO5!) The result is a simple way that families can function as churches (think "church = vibrant family of Jesus".

Over the next four days, I'll be sharing an interview with Sean where he tells how this has worked out in his family. Today, Sean explains that this is a model that has been sustainable over time and that he loves what it has produced in his family.

Two things for you to think about. First, what would happen to the church in America (or wherever you live) if this practice became normative for every family? Second, is there anyone you need to pass this on to?

John

Please share your comments below.

House church article in USA Today

Last week there was a positive article about house church on the front page of The Denver Post. See http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15547588?source=email

Now, comes a similar article in USA Today. What do you make of this? What encourages you about this? What potential problems do you see? Post your comments below.

John

'House churches' keep worship small, simple, friendly Updated 1d 21h ago | Comments 116 | Recommend 11

Enlarge By Karl Gehring, Denver Post, AP Darren Boyer, center kneeling beside the couch, prays with, from right clockwise, Susan Dennison, Tasha Gustafson and Jolene Larson, asking for God's wisdom regarding an upcoming decision that Brent Tribble, left, will make about his life, during a non-denominational "house church" service at Boyer's Brighton, Colo. home. The number of these new, small, organic churches is growing, according to the Barna Group DALLAS (AP) — To get to church on a recent Sunday morning, the Yeldell family walked no farther than their own living room to greet fellow worshippers. The members of this "house church" are part of what experts say is a fundamental shift in the way U.S. Christians think about church. Skip the sermons, costly church buildings and large, faceless crowds, they say. House church is about relationships forged in small faith communities. In general, house churches consist of 12 to 15 people who share what's going on in their lives, often turning to Scriptures for guidance. They rely on the Holy Spirit or spontaneity to lead the direction of their weekly gatherings. "I think part of the appeal for some in the house church movement is the desire to return to a simpler expression of church," said Ed Stetzer, a seminary professor and president of Lifeway Research, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. "For many, church has become too much (like a) business while they just want to live like the Bible." House church proponents claim their small groups are sort of a throwback to the early Christian church in that they have no clergy and everyone is expected to contribute to the teaching, singing and praying... Read the entire article here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-07-22-housechurch21_ST_N.htm?csp=usat.me

Women in MRTs?

Yesterday's post featured a video of one of the Denver MRTs sending greetings to a similar group in New Zealand. In the video, five men share some of what they appreciate about their team.

Carolyn Spencer (Clovis, NM) responded with an important question...

Hi, Are all the seven MRT's (in Denver) a group of guys only? Is connecting together this way something done more easily when its just a group of guys, or is it just as effective when its mixed company? Would this group be as comfortable if a female leader joined you at Sojourner's Coffee Shop? What is your take on including women in MRT? Carolyn

Carolyn,

Thank you for asking this question! Some of the MRTs in Denver do have women members. And, I believe my MRT would actually be more effective if there were women as a part of the team. I believe that female apostolic church planters are just as "called" and just as effective as men. I believe that it is preferable to have a MRT with both men an women.

As you know, we are coming out of a period when women were often limited in their leadership roles in the church. In the Luke Ten Community, we believe that church = family and, in that context, spiritual mothers are just as important as spiritual fathers for a healthy family. I want Luke Ten to be an environment where women are encouraged to function that way both in house churches and as apostolic church planters.

So, Carolyn, thanks for asking that question so that I could clarify our values! And, to both men and women readers, please send me stories where you see women functioning in this kind of leadership.

John

From Denver to New Zealand

What if there were small groups of Jesus followers meeting weekly to connect with one another and to listen to God for their city or region. And, what if these groups were so simple that they could multiply rapidly?

That's what an MRT is. The initials stand for Missional Resource Team. MRTs form around two practices or rhythms that allow for structure without hierarchy. In addition to six groups in Denver, the concept has spread organically to many other locations.

In the video below, a Denver MRT shares what they are learning and sends greetings to a group in New Zealand.

John

Boss or Father?

Learning to hear God's voice changes everything.

First, and most important, it changes our relationship with God. Here's how John Eldredge says it...

Whatever our situation in life - butcher, baker, candlestick maker - our deepest and most pressing need is to learn to walk with God. To hear his voice. To follow him intimately. It is the most essential turn of events that could every take place in the life of any human being, for it brings us back to the source of life. Everything else we long for can then flow forth from this union. Walking With God, xi.

A second thing that changes is how we approach ministry or mission. As with Jesus, mission flows from listening. See Jn. 5:19.

See the short video below for my interview with my friend, Hugh Brandt, on this subject of learning to hear God's voice.

Share with us your comments on what Hugh has to say.

John

Healing flows from listening

More and more we are seeing regional or citywide gatherings of house churches. This last weekend (May 21 - 22), many house churches from Denver came together for a wonderful time of worship, fellowship and teaching. On Friday night there was a time of ministry and one of the men experienced a rather dramatic physical healing. On Saturday morning he told what God had done. See below for that story.

Antennae and Sandpaper

Did you know that we all have spiritual antennas? We do. Every one of us. It's how we "hear" from God. It's those times when you're driving down the road and suddenly feel impressed to pray for someone. Right out of the blue, no advance warning. Or those times when you hear a song - perhaps a worship song - you've never heard before and all of a sudden you know again that God is alive and well and active in the world and in that moment it is as if it is just you and God on the planet and the two of you are along together in that space.

We are all born with the ability and capacity to connect with God. It is hardwired right into the fabric of each of us. That's the good news.

The bad news, however, is that over time our antennae, our spiritual receptors, can be dulled and can begin to lose their sensitivity. Lots of things can cause this dulling of our receptors; chronic pain, shame, anger, a hard heart, disobedience, sin, and the list goes on. It's as if these things are like coats of paint and over time our antennas have so many coats of paint applied that they begin to lose their receptivity. Think of Saul and David for a moment. As we read both of their stories found in scripture, we see that Saul slowly lost his ability - over time - to discern spiritual matters. This occurred to such a degree that he eventually sought out a medium to help him contact Samuel who had already died. On the other hand, David continued to grow and develop his ability to connect with and hear from God. Another way of saying this is that David's ability to "see with the eyes of his heart" continued to develop while Saul's ability diminished over time.

God knows that this numbing and dulling of our spiritual receptors happens to us over time and He is not surprised at all by this dynamic. As a result, every now and then (usually when we least expect it), God in his great kindness to us and out of his fierce devotion to ensuring that we continue to be able to hear from Him, initiates a season of shaping and transformation into our lives. Each season is different for every person, but in almost every case this season of shaping (see James 1) is characterized by struggle, pain, suffering, crisis, confusion, etc. We might call this time a season of disorientation. If you've ever had a season like this, you know from experience that nothing gets our attention like pain and suffering. Let me say that again.

Nothing gets our attention - nothing - like pain and suffering.

But, the good news is that God uses these times (regardless of how they came about...from God, from Satan, from our boneheaded choices, by accident, etc.) to help re-sensitize our ability to hear from and connect with Him. It is as if God uses these times to take a sheet of brand new sandpaper to us in order to violently rub away the old coats of paint that have dulled our spiritual sensitivity. This has been true throughout history: Moses, David, Paul, St. John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Ignatius of Loyola, St. Patrick, Watchman Nee, Brother Yun (and the list goes on...) all had a season (if not multiple seasons) where God used the struggles they were enduring to further develop and re-sensitize their spiritual antennae in order to forge a deeper level of connection and intimacy with them.

Having said all of that, other than pain and suffering, I know of no other way that God typically uses to sharpen our ability to "see with the eyes of our heart" than the historically-practiced spiritual disciplines such as fasting, or silence, or retreat, etc. The spiritual disciplines have survived in part because over time they have proven to be rituals that help to facilitate transformation and connection with God and with what is really going on inside of us.

SASHET - the first of the two disciplines that comprise C02 has this same quality. When it is done right, it has the potential to be like the metaphorical sandpaper that God uses to re-sensitize our spiritual antenna. When we show up to our C02 and we bring our whole hearts and we speak honestly and we connect in a deep way with the heart of another, we are, little by little, scraping off more of that old paint. We are cultivating our ability to connect with Gods heart.

Don't believe me? Go back and re-listen to my 2-part conversation with Tim Morris from a couple of posts ago on the blog. What you will hear is the story of a man who has had his heart healed greatly and his spiritual antennae recharged and re-sensitized by practicing C02.

The C02 Virus Spreads to Australia

I (Tim) recently received a very encouraging email from a woman in Australia named Maree. In the email, she she shared some of her own journey with practicing C02 and how impactful this experience has been for her and her new friend, Sharon. I asked Maree if I could share her email with all of you and she gave me permission.

Hi Tim,
I'm responding to your blog post from April 5th about telling stories.
I've been watching the emergence of C02 with interest, reading the blogs and checking out the LK10, House2House and simple church websites since about July of last year when I decided (and was led) to leave my traditional Sunday Church.

Since then I've had a pretty incredible awakening and many, many stories to tell of God's great love and kindness to me during this "detox "phase.

I kept praying "What should I be doing??? Should I start something???

To which the reply came "I am building my church."
OK Lord, but I must have to do something????
"I am building my church."

So I relaxed and started C02 by myself, I'm pretty good at having conversations with myself !

I earnestly wanted to hear Gods voice. One day after a rave from me about wanting to hear his voice, "How can I be sure?" "How will I know it's you, etc. etc.,I heard very clearly, "YOU HEAR WELL ....JUST BELIEVE."

Well how AMAZING is that! It completely shifted my mindset and belief. Heaps of stuff has happened and I feel so empowered, motivated, humble and privileged to be on this new trajectory and journey with my Lord.

Interestingly, every time I've gone onto the LK10 site a little voice has told me "You're not a church planter, what are you doing signing up here, this is not for people like you, what do you know about church planting."
Recently I heard another voice tell me, "You Daughter will be a church planter, 2 by 2."

Any way it's several months down the track, I recently met Sharon, we were camped next to each other at a Easter Music Festival. I was telling her and her husband Jim about C02 and before I could finish she jumped out of her camp chair grabbed my hand, shook it, and said "I'll do it with you!"

So for the past 3 weeks we have been C02'ing even though we are about 1,000 km's apart. We have both been incredibly blessed and excited about what God is doing. Sharon and Jim have had a church at home for a couple of years.

We want to start a blog and we would like permission to use the C02 videos, etc. We would like to put it in an Aussie context and generate some "local" interest. I have yet to sign up for LK10, I will do it soon but in the meantime I thought I would share a bit of my story. Sharon has some great stories too, and together we are very thankful to you guys and our Lord for this amazing, simple idea that is so fresh and uplifting .

We look forward to the days ahead, hearing God's voice and seeing his Kingdom Come!

Cheers,
Maree
P.S I am going to attend the annual conference in Dallas, a side trip for me from a holiday with my 3 sisters. I'm very excited.

What a great story, thanks for sharing it Maree. How about you? Know of a story that "must be told?"

If so, drop me an email at Lk10andc02@gmail.com

C02: Transformational or Hokey?

In this Part 2 of a conversation with Tim Morris, we continue our conversation about the impact that practicing C02 has had in his life.

We discuss the simple nature of the two practices and consider whether C02 is really transformational or if it is "hokey."

What are your thoughts about C02? How has practicing these two simple practices impacted you?

Share your experience and your thoughts in the comments below.

C02 & The Potential for Inner Healing

A major part of the power of practicing C02 is that we get to connect with both God and others at a deep level and in doing so, we are inevitably changed. In this regard, C02 is a transformational practice or discipline. As we listen to the Lord, He might tell us to do something - to be "missional" - or He might tell us to do nothing; to cease striving and to be still. For many of you, however, I would suspect that as you have practiced C02, you have begun to hear the Lord speaking words directly to you, about you. Words that reflect how the Father sees you, and how the Father loves you and how He delights in you. Words that any child would expect to hear from the perfect parent.

Recently, I (Tim Pynes) sat down at a local diner here in Denver to have a conversation with Tim Morris (pictured), a local house church leader, and to hear about the transformational power that God has begun to manifest in his life as a result of practicing C02. In the following audio recording (Part 1 of 2) you will hear Tim begin to share of how God has begun to heal some of the deep wounds of his heart as he has listened deeply and regularly to the Lord and as he has begun to connect with other men at a heart level using SASHET.

The Transformational Power of Stories

By now (assuming you have been following this blog for awhile), you know how powerful it is to hear the stories of others who are on a similar journey to you. Be it a video, or an audio recording, or good ol' fashioned text, few things have the transformational power of a story that connect with your heart and/or awakens you to new possibilities.

As Ivan Illich once said, the way you begin to change a culture is to "tell an alternative story."

That is what this blog is all about. Telling the "stories that must be told." And, we have devoted a quite a few of the 75 posts - to date - to tell you the stories of others who are experiencing and witnessing God in their midst.

Now it is your turn.

What story or stories have you been witness to that must be told?

Where have you seen God at work in your house church or in the process of practicing the two disciplines that make up "C02?" What has been the fruit that God has brought forth as you have begun to connect more intentionally with your own heart, the hearts of others, and with God?

Send us your story that must be told. Make a video of the story, or let us call you to record it over the phone, or simply write the story up. Let us know that you have a story that must be told and we'll help you get it on to this blog.

Drop me (Tim) an email at Lk10andC02@gmail.com and I'll be in touch with you to help you tell the story of what God is doing in your midst.

And the journey continues...