FAITH CHURCH-CEDAR LAKE

Cool stuff in case you missed it this past weekend!

Signs, Signs...Everywhere Signs...

 Yesterday Pastor Kevin challenged and encouraged us to be reckless.  Here are the six main points of "Recklessness Encouraged":

1. Reckless Prayer

2. Reckless Blessing

3. Reckless Service

4. Reckless Story-telling

5. Reckless Joy and Celebration

6. Reckless Invitations

As I mentioned yesterday, I was struck that all of these areas of recklessness are about God drawing people to Himself through other people.  A very low percentage of people have been drawn to Christ through a sign in front of a building.  It's more about the church, you and I, being "signs" in our relationships with others.  Throughout the history and growth of Faith Church, God has worked through people inviting others to worship, inviting others to be a part of their mini-church, serving the needs of people and reaching out to the community.  YOU ARE OUR BEST SIGNS!!  As people walk past you, interact with you, watch you and study you, hopefully they are seeing a part of the story of the gospel.  A story of love, compassion and redemption. 

I will continue to work to resolve the sign issue at the Cedar Lake campus.  If we really think about it and the church is being the church, there are "signs, signs...everywhere there are signs"...YOU and ME!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mountain or Molehill

As I shared yesterday, there is a conspicuous absence of any signage indicating our presence at Hanover Central High School.  We are currently honoring the request of the school's administration to not put any signs out front on Sunday mornings when we are occupying the building.  This causes us some problems since we are using the Performing Arts Center which is back of the school and not visible from the street.  Many of you were wondering why there were no signs!  What about guests?  If I invite someone, they won't know where to go!  These are all important and valid concerns. 

As we attempt to work through this issue with the school, I would ask for your prayers.  I mentioned that it quite possibly could be spiritual warfare...after all, Faith Church is gaining influence and becoming more of a presence in Cedar Lake!  As I seek opportunities to meet with school administrators and school board members, our prayers will help lift this up to God. 

Our relationship with the school personnel has been great and so far I believe both entities have been blessed by the relationship.  As far as I can tell, we have honored every request by the school and are in no danger of violating any local or state or federal law.  In fact, I believe we are well within our rights as defined by the Constitution and we are certainly not violating The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment (this is a great time for you to brush up on your knowledge of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights!)

Are we/they making a mountain out of a molehill?  Are there creative solutions to this problem without creating unnecessary tension?  Is this just a matter of needing better communication?  Is this a sign that our time at Hanover is nearing it's end?  Is this an opportunity to stand up for the rights of people of faith in this country?

This journey of Faith-Cedar Lake has been an adventure and I have been amazed at every turn by the faithfulness of God and the commitment of you, His followers.  As we continue to journey together, please join me in being the church, regardless of the status of a building...with "one foot raised" to heaven.

Coming Soon

Come follow the lives of five people, who in the midst of wrestling through the circumstances of their present, attempt to see them through the nearing promise of Christmas. This story of hope revealed will feature original drama by the Faith Theatre Company as well as original music and video.

Is "micro-blogging" worth more time and energy? I'd rather be trout fishing in the northwoods of Wisconsin...or hiking Camelback in Phoenix...or snorkeling in Jamaica...or biking along Chicago lakefront...or sea kayaking off the shores of La Jolla...or eating ceviche anywhere

Back in the Saddle

I just wanted to let all three of my blog followers to know that I am back from a short vacation to sunny Phoenix, Arizona.  I had a great time with Karla as we hiked, ate good food, read good books and relaxed.  Spending intentional time alone is something I would recommend to all couples.  Get away from distractions and focus on each other.  It gets high marks in my book!

I look forward to getting back into the swing of things including a regular blog schedule.  I may start with the story of how I narrowly escaped death when a huge cactus fell on my rental car!

Racism

I recently attended a workshop called "Joining the Multicultural the Journey".  It was a gathering of church leaders who are very much interested in racial reconciliation and what that means for local churches.  It was good to learn more about the history of racism in the United States, to hear from people of color about the current struggles in this country and to be challenged as churches to be a part of the solution rather than part of the problem.  The claim has been made that "Sunday mornings are the most segregated time in the United States" because people of all races and tribes and nations tend to gather with those who are most like themselves.  I am not sure that this is inherently wrong.  But I do believe that heaven will look quite different!

The discussion at this workshop has challenged me to think about my own behaviors and attitudes toward people who are different than me in terms of ethnicity, religion and socio-economic status.  Do I make judgments about people that are unfair?  Do I love my neighbor as myself?  Am I a part of the problem or part of the solution?

The same questions can be posed to local churches, Faith Church included.  Along with these questions, we can ask if "faith communities" are working to bring unity to the church or if they are perpetuating a divided and racist culture that has existed from the inception of this country.  It seems to me that racism still exists today either in overt disdain or subtle attitudes.  And the church, the body of Christ, should be the most unifying force on this globe to bring people together.  The ground is level at the foot of the cross.

²⁶You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, ²⁷for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.   Galations 3:26-29

op⋅por⋅tu⋅ni⋅ty

[op-er-too-ni-tee] a situation or condition favorable for attainment of a goal.  The goal of Faith Church is to reach those who are disconnected from Christ and grow those who are connected.  There are several "opportunities" coming up for Faith Church to fulfill it's call and goal.  Check it out.

1. We will be serving a Thanksgiving meal to the Cedar Lake community at the Boys and Girls Club of Cedar Lake on Wednesday, November 25, 4:30-6pm. If you, your family or your mini-church would like to serve or contribute to this serving opportunity, please let us know!

2. Service in the Streets.  On Wednesday, December 2, we will be sending teams to homes in Cedar Lake to do small projects for those in need.  What an opportunity to show the love of Christ!

3. These are tough economic times.  As a family called Faith Church, we want to help those who are part of the family who are in a time of need.  The Faith Family Market collects food and distributes it those who could use some groceries.  You can contribute by bringing in non-perishables.  You can also take the opportunity to use this resource if you need help.

4. You will soon be hearing about an opportunity to provide Christmas gifts for the families of those who are in prison.  The program is called Angels of Hope.  It's coming soon.

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

I Can See Clearly Now...

  "I can see clearly now, the rain is gone..."  This little song lyric pretty much sums up my Trunk or Treat experience this past weekend.  I have to admit that the relentless rain on Friday and the windy conditions had really dampened my Trunk or Treat spirit.  I was skeptical that people from the community would come out for an event when the conditions all day were pointing to a washout.  I was taught a lesson about optimism and using every situation as a possible way to reach out to a community.  Here are some observations about a very successful Trunk or Treat event:

1. The leaders and volunteers were awesome.  Many people gave me compliments, to which I must say, "It wasn't me.  It was planned and implemented by other leaders and servants.  They rocked!"  Thanks Beckie, Minta, Sharla and so many others! (This dude named Steve who had neck surgery a week ago was out there grilling hot dogs for crying out loud!)

2. I got to meet and greet many people. Connections!

3. We brought life to a strip mall that hasn't seen that many people in a long while!  Thanks to Doug and Kris for access to the place.  The space worked very well!

4. We were very secure.  Especially because Superman (pictured above) was there.  I believe he also led the kids in some rowdy singing (based on this photo)!

5. Whenever you run out of free hot dogs, chips and candy, the event HAS to be called a success!

6. At one point, as a I looked to the west, God reminded me how great He is.  "I can see clearly now, the rain is gone...it's going to be a bright, sun shiny day!".