TJP Meeting This Weekend

It looks like Sunday August 26th in the late afternoon/evening will work for the most people. Is there anyone who would like to host this gathering? Do we want to do a meal? If so who's bringing what? When exactly (I'm thinking 6ish)? If you can make it, RSVP as a comment here, with if you want to do dinner and if so what you'll bring.

Interesting Developments

To say that the last few months have been interesting is an understatement. A growing family, a career change, and God knows what else lies ahead. I have had a lot rattling around in my mind over the last few months (maybe even longer than that) regarding the idea of planting a church, and I have been content in having it be an item for discussion and prayer for further development far off in an undefined future.

That all changed a couple of weeks ago. On the 6th of August I was laying in bed in the early morning and heard God's call. He reaffirmed the calling He gave me when I was an 18 year old kid. It seems a bit bewildering given the struggles I have gone through in the last decade, but it was as clear as if He were speaking in my ear. I also have sensed clarification on this (which still needs more prayer and confirmation), that the ministry of the Word which God is leading me towards is in the context of church planting. Needless to say, this has been a lot for January and I to process as we contemplate next steps.

We have met with Drew Goodmanson, his wife, and David Fairchild (elder/pastors of Kaleo Church in San Diego, an Acts 29 Church) to discuss some future options (training and development). January and I have much to be praying about regarding this, and I would covet your guys prayers as well. This may very well have some profound implications for TJP in the coming years, but we will have to see where God leads. For now, I would simply ask that you all would be praying for January and I that we would hear God and discern His leading and be obedient to his call.

Piper on Church-Planting

All of us should watch this, it hit me like a freight train. Mighty words from a man of God.

meeting

Sam spoke of a meeting soon, so what are thus and then the available dates that we have to offer?

Good Conversations and the Cross-Centered Life

In the past ten days I have had a few conversations that have been extraordinarily illuminating; one with Jed and Nate, another with just Jed, and one with Daniel. They were kind of gestalt conversations (gestalt is like those pictures where you look at it one way and it looks like an old woman, but then you are told if you look at it another way it is a young woman, and then you see her, the young woman), where I saw all those who are contributors here as a group of friends, but saw them differently... in a revelatory way. I realized that though our friendships were good, our identity as a group had stagnated. There were moments of openness, truth, encouragement, and confrontation, yet for the most part we had become a bunch of mirror's reflecting back to one another that we were OK as we were (in terms of our foolishness, coarse joking, sinful habits, etc...) and that change was not encouraged. We could have great theological, philosophical, or cultural conversation; yet as I looked into my own heart and listened to the hearts of others, personal spiritual transformation and growth in Christ were seriously atrophied. But what was even more revelatory was that, at the center, each of us were profoundly struggling: sinful habits were not changing or even worsening, fears, anxieties, and various sorts of spiritual bondage were occuring in each of us and instead of being a community living together and moving toward liberty and freedom (remembering we are The Jubilee Project "proclaiming liberty to the captives"), we were either being left alone in our entangling sin and encumberances or being confirmed in it by the foolishness of the group. Hear me though, I am not saying this is entirely true of us, but it is, never-the-less, a reality. I cannot imagine doing anything regarding ministry together if we cannot first be a group who itself is moving toward the goals it proclaims to others. If we cannot be a core community moving toward "liberty, justice, and reconciliation" than we have no business multiplying a movement into others lives.

In reflecting up on this, particularly in relation to my conversation with Daniel-bro, the Spirit led me to the cross of our Lord and Savior. It is a sign to us. The cross is not a neurotic defense from dealing with our sin (individually and communally), i.e. "we've been forgiven, our past has been dealt with, now lets move on to do things for God." But rather, it is a sign to us (both individually and communally) to give courage to enter deeply into our own "decietful and wicked hearts" and find that grace truly does come to the "chief of sinners." If we open to the Spirit, He will take us down deep into the hellish depravity of our hearts, and there at the center He will reveal the love of God in Christ. The cross tells us that all our fears, insecurities, shame, guilt, pride, self-aggrandizement, and sin ultimately are the worst kind of sedition and effectively murder the son of God. If we enter this journey together we will hear ourselves the indictment that Paul pronounced on "the rulers of this age" who did not understand the wisdom of God and thus "crucified the Lord of glory." But in entering this journey down into our our own dead hearts we will discover the life of God, the resurrection of the Christ. That though are hearts are filled with all kinds of evils, the explosive resurrection life of Christ will awaken our dead hearts and overcome those evils by that awesome power which overcame Death and Hades. This is a clarion call for this community to enter together into the journey of a lifetime, and without question it will take the lives of us all, we will all be crucified daily, and yet if we lose ourselves for His sake we shall be found, we shall live.

THE REQUEST

I have been a thinking....let us set up a prayer request section on this thing. I love you all and I am willing to spend some time with the Father lifting your supplications up to Him. Please join me in this venture.

The Gospel Coalition and Where's Everyone At

If we continue down a road towards church-planting... The Gospel Coalition and Drew Goodmanson has put out some great resources that could serve as a good foundation to start thinking and talking about how to stretch your theology out into your ministry.

I am also interested in hearing where everyone is at with TJP. Maybe you could all publish some personal reflections in then next few weeks so that we can get a general tenor for where we are at. I am almost finished compiling a resource for all of us to go through together and will get that out to you ASAP.

One more thing, could we all try to set up a meeting for sometime in mid - late August? Post some comments on dates in that region that might work for everyone.