Love without courage and wisdom is sentimentality, as with the ordinary church member. Courage without love and wisdom is foolhardiness, as with the ordinary soldier. Wisdom without love and courage is cowardice, as with the ordinary intellectual. But the one who has love, courage, and wisdom moves thw world.
- Ammon Hennacy
Monday, June 15, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Servolution
I recently finished the book Servolution by Dino Rizzo. You may be wondering what is servolution. This is from the website.
A Servolution is not an event; it is a culture. Infusing this culture into the DNA of your church will change the view of the world and your perspective of the needs of those around you. This movement is rumbling throughout the body of Christ - a revolutionary army of people ready to take up this mandate. We are actively pursuing the lost, the forgotten, and the poor to show them a God who is passionately in love with them. We stand ready with one heart, saying, "I will serve others and show them the hope they can have in Jesus."
Why serve?
We serve others for several simple reasons:
1) Jesus did. Our goal as Christians is to become more like Christ every day. As we study God's Word, we learn about Jesus and the way He lived. Because Jesus loved people, He served them to show them that love (John 13). Our goal is the same, to serve people so they would also come to know Jesus as their personal Savior.
2) The church and its purpose is best expressed outside its walls. We can't sit inside and wait for the world to come to us. We've got to get out in our communities and show people that we care and that there's a God who wants to heal them.
We serve others for several simple reasons:
1) Jesus did. Our goal as Christians is to become more like Christ every day. As we study God's Word, we learn about Jesus and the way He lived. Because Jesus loved people, He served them to show them that love (John 13). Our goal is the same, to serve people so they would also come to know Jesus as their personal Savior.
2) The church and its purpose is best expressed outside its walls. We can't sit inside and wait for the world to come to us. We've got to get out in our communities and show people that we care and that there's a God who wants to heal them.
Overall, it’s a good book. I heard about the concept of Servolution several months ago from Family Church in White Hall, Arkansas. It did excite me and I only attend that Family Church once every blue moon we were are back home visiting. Well, I was in Lifeway, saw the book, and bought it.
If you are not sure whether or not the book is for you, before you buy it, read page 15 -16. If you get excited...buy the book. Some of the ideas behind this, to be honest, sound kind of like really wishful thinking…hoping…dreaming until you read about how Healing Place Church responded to events like September 11, and Katrina. The stories are touching and inspiring and will make you want to join HPC.
Here are some highlights (my interpretations of them) and quotes that caught my attention.
“If we do nothing, the result will be ---nothing!...”
Servolution is not just about the local church but about the Kingdom. The mark of a great church is the desire to build everybody’s church. If someone is hurting, then the Church should be the first one to offer help.
Rizzo has a really good example of how the church should grow/continue relationships with the hurting. “The Church and the community should be fused, working as a unit to bring about healing."
I was excited and ready to start something similar to this at our church until I read and really thought about Chapter 10…I was still excited, but realized there is more too it than just the name.
“A servolution costs those that ignite it”.
1. Count the cost. 2 Reject Fear. 3. Face your discouragement. 4. Fanning the flames.
Here are some highlights (my interpretations of them) and quotes that caught my attention.
“If we do nothing, the result will be ---nothing!...”
Servolution is not just about the local church but about the Kingdom. The mark of a great church is the desire to build everybody’s church. If someone is hurting, then the Church should be the first one to offer help.
Rizzo has a really good example of how the church should grow/continue relationships with the hurting. “The Church and the community should be fused, working as a unit to bring about healing."
I was excited and ready to start something similar to this at our church until I read and really thought about Chapter 10…I was still excited, but realized there is more too it than just the name.
“A servolution costs those that ignite it”.
1. Count the cost. 2 Reject Fear. 3. Face your discouragement. 4. Fanning the flames.
That really hit home. Am I really ready to pay the price? How many times do I stop something that I fell called, lead, whatever term you want to call it...because I think the process will cost too much time, money, etc.
Fear-need I say more.
Discouragement - more often than not. Yes. I get and sometimes stay discouraged.
Fanning the flames - complacency-my biggest challenge. I tend to relax when things are going ok. Well at some point, ok, is just not going to work...I think that time will be coming sooner rather than later.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Memorial Day 2009
I will be the first to admit, that I typically do not think a whole lot about what Memorial Day is or why we celebrate it. I usually spend most of my time figuring out what to do on my day off. Now I do stop at some point during the day and reflect on the many that have given so much. This year was different. I was working on Kansas City, MO the weekend before, so Reeca and I stayed an extra day and toured the city. One place that we went was the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial. It was surreal. I am not a huge history fan nor a big fan of museums, but some this was an exception.
I learned a lot. I have to admit, that if you would have asked me to name the good guys and bad guys, I would have gotten a few right, but not many. It was interesting to see the trenches that they fought in and the weapons that were used.
One of the first things you see when you come in is 
a glass bridge.
a glass bridge. On the glass bridge, I passed over a field of 9,000 red poppies, each representing 1,000 combatant fatalities.
I learned a lot. I have to admit, that if you would have asked me to name the good guys and bad guys, I would have gotten a few right, but not many. It was interesting to see the trenches that they fought in and the weapons that were used.Later on in one of the other exhibit halls, we got to see several posters. Here is one that explains so much about why our Grandparents and even parents saved so much.
On Tuesday after Memorial Day, I was in Memphis. I stopped by Memphis National Cemetery where my grandparents are buried and had a chance to say "thanks".
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