House Church

It is New Year's Day today, a fitting time as any to talk about some newness in my life...

The past two years have been wildly life changing for me and my family. There have been seasons of pain and joy unlike I have previously experienced. I am presently sitting at a computer in New Smyrna Beach Fire Station 52 typing this now, a place that I have worked very hard and very long to be. The feeling of seeing the fruition of your labor and set goals is truly amazing. 

Now, I want to share with all who care to know another big change for my family that we have been praying and thinking on for some time. I'll give you the headline and then some further detail. 

Starting in February Rebecca and I will be starting a house church in our own home as our primary church gathering time. 

A few questions have plagued us over many years and as part of this long transition in our lives the questions have been more pressing and demanding real answers. I believe that the Spirit has been pushing, prodding us in this direction, this leap into unknown territory. Finally now, we are answering. 

Question 1: What if a local church didn't require any funding to operate? What would that look like?

What if your church had no mortgage/rent, electric bill, staff salary, A/V equipment? How could the offering that came in be spent differently? What could you be freed up to do? Every preacher has said something like this: "God doesn't need a building, sound system, A/C, etc. in order to advance the Gospel." We all say that, but none of us really take it that seriously. So I've been asking myself, why don't I take that seriously? We read all about Paul's travels and Jesus' teaching with no extraordinary facility or fanfare other than their God-given gifts, which is often a far cry from how we do church now. We are going to take a simpler approach to church. 

Question 2: If you were to hit the reset button and start church over from scratch, what would that look like?

I will be the first to say that I have been as guilty as anyone else in over complicating church. In my own personal self reflection I've felt convicted to make a change. In most churches in America we have built a lot of systems that require a lot of hands on deck. Think of how many people it takes to "pull off" a Sunday morning at your church. Children's ministry, youth, band, production, greeters, set up/tear down, communion prep, custodial, financial. A lot of people are doing a lot of jobs, and all for the sake of the Gospel. Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. I will never look at that system and say that it is foolish or wasteful. I just wonder what it would look like to free those hands from the production of a Sunday morning.

To be clear I do not look down at the modern church with a wagging finger casting judgment on it. I want to try something different, something simpler in form to reach those in the world I have been placed. 

It is not my intention now to explain the ins and outs of what a Sunday morning will look like at my house but I do want all curious parties to know a few things.

• We, in no way, want anyone to leave the church they are currently a part of to come and be a part of this house church. This is not a haven for those who are dissatisfied in their church to leave it for potentially greener pastures. This is a place for those who are not involved in a local church to be in community, experience grace, and follow the commands of Christ. 
• This is something of an experiment. Smarter people than me have said you "marry the mission, date the model". If I were to view this new approach as the sole, sovereign, and only God ordained way to do church then I would be hypocritical. No one can say that there is only one way to approach the gathering of the saints. The goal is to go into all the world, to teach and obey as we have been commanded. That can happen at my house, it can happen at your church. 
• I've always thought that numbers are a byproduct, not the primary product. If this grows in number, that is great, if it doesn't I won't necessarily be bothered by that. Jesus spoke in parables "so that" only some would understand, he knew what he said would not always be popular and would not always produce lasting disciples (Matthew 13). This is something I am still growing to understand, it is hard. So, I have no real intention of promotion/marketing in this venture. You will not see a website, print material, or advertising. 
• Our intention is to take Acts 2:42 seriously. A Sunday morning will have time to devote ourselves to opening Scripture and studying together, time for prayer, sharing a meal together, and serious fun hanging out in fellowship.

Let it be said that I do not have all the answers, gosh I don't have all the answers. We are jumping out in faith, answering a conviction.  To be frank, I am nervous about this. It is a big move for us. I really don't know where this is going to go, I guess that is what faith is. At the end of the day, a Christ follower has to follow the leading of Christ. I believe we are answering that call. I ask that you be patient with me as I figure this thing out, that you give me prayer for guidance.

I'd be happy to talk to anyone who is interested in talking. Thank you to everyone who has been instrumental in my spiritual formation and journey that has led me to this place. 

Ministry/Career Update

Hey everybody, got some news to update you all with. Sherry and I have been spending ample time in prayer and we want to let you know the result.  As you know I am in the EMT/Fire Academy (which as I type this, the EMT portion is coming to a close as my finals are today and tomorrow.  Fire will begin the following week). I have known, as I have always tried to be transparent about, that my time as the Youth Pastor at Radius would come to an official close at some point as I pursue a career in firefighting.  That time has come.  As of now I am passing my role of Youth Pastor on to Sherry Rodgers. One other thing to keep in mind, again I have said all along, is that I am not leaving the youth ministry.  I still intend to be present and involved on Wednesday nights as much as my schedule will allow.  

During this time of transition Sherry and I have come to a mutual decision to swap our roles within the church.  I will be taking on the role of worship leader on Sunday mornings as she takes leadership of the youth group.  This is a prayer well covered territory as we are both excited to head more in the direction we feel called to. 

Looking forward to this adventure with you all.  See you soon. 

On Pursuing a New Career

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”  All of us had an answer to that question when we were young.  For many of us it was something like astronaut, teacher, or professional baseball player.  As we grew up our ideas changed.   We matured and figured out what we were gifted to do and what we enjoyed.  It is this process of growth that I have been going through over many years.  A decision that I have wrestled with for these years now, I have decided to act on.

I will be leaving employment at Port Orange Christian Church to pursue a career as a firefighter. 

Three things I want to make clear: 

1. This is nothing to do with a shift in my faith.  My faith in Christ is as strong, if not stronger, than ever.
2. This is not a reactionary decision in direct response to the recent situation at POCC.  This is a decision that I have been wrestling with for years.  I believe that God has made it clear to me that now is the time. 
3. I will remain on staff at POCC as long as my class schedule allows, which will be at least through August if not until the end of the year.

There are things about vocational ministry/youth ministry that I dearly love.  I love the teens, their families, and the people I work with.  Nothing will ever change that.  The more time I have invested into this kind of vocation, the more I realize that this is not the career I see myself doing for the rest of my life.  Now, I will be doing ministry for the rest of my life, just not necessarily as my paid career.  It is my desire to help others in need, to be a part of rescue, just in a different capacity. 

I move forward with a heavy heart but with a clear head.  It hurts to have to, in some sense, leave what I love and have worked hard for.  On the other hand, I have an overwhelming sense of peace in this decision like haven’t in all the years of it floating through my prayers and thoughts.  

I am excited as I look at these crossroads.  My family and I are taking a step of faith in a way we haven’t before.  We stand here trusting God to walk us through, as I am certain he will continue to do.  

Thank you all for the years of support and encouragement.  I have loved and will continue to love you all.  

"So whether you drink or eat or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

 -1 Corinthians 10:31

You just have to be a part of it...

So this is where I am at the moment...

I am currently in a good season in my life concerning connection with God. We all have good seasons and bad seasons, right now I feel more connected to God than in recent times. I have been in persistent prayer in regards to the direction of the youth ministry here at POCC. I have been asking for wisdom, guidance, and peace about where we should be going as a youth ministry, and I believe God has given me this.

The bottom line is that this youth group needs to be a place that teens just have to be a part of. Christ's love needs to be so present, so real, and so genuine that anyone on the outside would look at the group, or any individual that is a part of it, and say to themselves, "I just have to be a part of what is going on there."

This is no less true for everyone who claims the name of Christ. We all need to live lives that outwardly show that the love of Christ is present inside us. And not that our lives have to be perfect, without fault, and with smiling faces 100% of the time. But that our broken and imperfect lives reflect the grace, truth, and love that is embodied in Jesus.

So know that you bear the reflection of Christ in your lives and that because of your imperfect life lived in faith, others just have to be a part of it.

The Music That Defined Me

I moved from the category Music Listener to Music Maker 12 years ago when I got my first guitar. Since then things have changed. Music has become more than just something I did in between trips to Wal-Mart and the bank. It transcended something in me and has evolved into something of a driving force.

Now, I am not like some melodramatic teen exclaiming, “I couldn’t live without music”, hearing violins playing in my head, but things would be different without it. Apart from relationships, with both God and man, music (both the listening and creating) may be the single most prioritized and meaningful thing I know.

I tend to categorize my life by what bands or songwriters were composing the soundtrack to my life at any given time. Over the past 12 years (since Thanksgiving of my 14^th year when my great grandma bought me my crimson Aria Pro: Knight Warrior) there have been key bands that entered into my story at pivotal points.

I think about what I would call my Constants (Desmond is my Constant), like Andrew Peterson and Five Iron Frenzy, that I discovered early in my musical journey. These are the ones I listen to on a regular basis even today. There are others, like Iron and Wine and The Appleseed Cast that I might put on a top 10 list of who I enjoy listening to the most, yet still wouldn’t make it on the list of bands that defined me.

Which brings me to the reason I am typing now. Here is my list (with possible annotations) in chronological order of artists who defined a period of time for me. Now, please do not mistake this list for bands that I would still say are my favorite (though most would make that list) these are artists that, at the time, captured me and found there way to CD players or tape decks more often than the rest. Here it goes:

The Early Years (pre guitar)

Michael Jackson

The Beach Boys

I would, without reservation, still claim these two artists to be the most influential in my life as a whole. Whatever Jackson may or may not have done on his own time, he was an unbelievably gifted entertainer. I might say that Brian Wilson is the best song writer of all time, composing, without a doubt, the best song of all time: God Only Knows

Middle School (Learning the Guitar)

Caedmon’s Call

Andrew Peterson

If you have known me for any amount of time you would know that I have at times been slightly more than obsessive about Andrew Peterson. Honestly in recent years, his playing on my stereo has tapered off, though still he will hold a place in my heart that I am sure no artist ever will.

Late Middle School/Early High School

Five Iron Frenzy/The Supertones

MxPx

Obsession was in high gear when the Supertones and then MxPx entered my life. I have always loved Five Iron, even back then. As I look back now, the Supertones and MxPx, certainly the most visibly devoted-to bands of my life, seemed to fade away, but Five Iron has stuck it out for me. It was listening to them today that spawned this blog.

Late High School

Dave Matthews Band (it was a weird time in my life, I have no other words for that)

Coldplay

Late Junior year I discovered Coldplay, and it was all over from there. They defined me then, they define me now. It is strange, and I have never really thought about it this way until as I type right now. No other band has come in and grabbed ahold of me and shaped me since Coldplay came on the scene. Maybe it is due to the unbelievable accessibility to music as I am overwhelmed with new music constantly. Maybe they are my pinnacle. Either way, Chris Martin and the gang have elevated themselves to a near personal level to me.

There are certainly tons of others that I may have said at any given time that they were my “favorite band” but none of them spoke to me in a way that when I think of that year they are the soundtrack I hear.

Honorable Mention goes to (in no particular order):

Copeland

Sufjan Stevens (He is the closest to making it on the aforementioned list)

Iron and Wine

NoFX

John Mayer

Jimmy Eat World

Forever Changed

David Crowder Band

Anyway, this is my music life. Who else will be on this list?

-Adam

Letter to My Future Self

Dear Future Self,

Right now I am 26 years 4 months and 23 days old. It is Dec. 4, 2009. Right now it is 12:49am (I am choosing to be up late at a youth event) I am currently leading, in all practicality and honesty, a pretty comfy life. I have a job that I love that is more rewarding at times than others, but is my dream job. I work with people I get along great with.

I have friends that I play with. I have music which is at my disposal. I have dogs that love me (even when I don’t take them for their daily walk). I have time, time to do most anything I want. I travel without much restraint from my previous responsibilities.

And then there is my family. It is just me and our wife, Rebecca (and the dogs). For nearly four years it has been just us in the house. We can decide on a moment’s notice (or maybe a couple moments) to travel somewhere or at least go do something fun together.

However, a bit of news arrived about 8 months ago. News I had been looking forward to for a long time. News that I had dreamed of hearing since I was young. This news will manifest into my firstborn child, which is becoming more and more real these days. I am uber-excited about the matter.

I am writing to you, Future Self, because I suspect that there will be nights where you are up at 12:49 (or later) for purposes that were not of your own volition. There will be times where you may not be quite so as excited as I am now, but that is ok. The times where from the time we decide to go out and do something fun to the time it is done, is significantly longer than it is now. There will be times that we decide to just not go to whatever thing calls on us. But there will also be times where you are with your entire family, holding the one I can only feel through our wife’s belly.

I write to you, Future Self, to remind you of how amazing it is, really just unreal amazing it is. The feeling I am having now I hope you feel then. I am certain you will.

I Am Not A Racist

Our country has to come a weird place in our eternal struggle with racism. From all that I have been taught and been able to ascertain about our nation's history with racism, I have grasped this: First experience in the "new country" with native Americans was met with horrible violently racist actions. We dealt with slavery, north vs. south stuff, abolition... Time passes and we arrive on MLK, Malcom X, sit in protesst, black people being sprayed with fire hoses, I have a dream, separate drinking fountains...

Eventually we get to the place where the fight in White vs. Black isn't to the extreme that it was, racial harmony seems much closer than it ever has been before.

Now we are taught racial equality and "color blindedness" so much (and rightly so) that we have to come an interesting place, and thus the reason for this blog.

The other day I was sitting at the lunch table of Creekside Middle School and noticed that it was quite the racially diverse table. Being proud of the fact that 8th grade students showed such lack of prejudice I commented on the situation. I say, "Wow, this is a very ethnically diverse table." To which I am overwhelmingly responded by how rude of a statement that was. I was shocked, trying to explain myself that this was a good thing. They heard nothing of it, only that I was out of line for commenting on that. And asking what ethnicity a student was was offensive to them.

We have come to this weird place in our racial struggle that to acknowledge race is a faux pas. Race does not exist, this is not good. An Indian, Philippino, Vietnamese, and a bunch of white kids were sitting together for lunch and that cannot be acknowledged. We made race out to be such a problem in our history and tried so desperately to correct it. We made so many horrible and painful jokes at the expense of "minorities" that kids now have been unable to detach the minority from the pain of the joke.

We have told so many Obama-watermelon-fried chicken-Muslim-raccoon jokes that to mention that someone is black or practices Islam is bad form and insensitive.

I am of Arab decent. You can call me an Arab, I won't be offended.