One of my favorite authors is Barbar Brown Taylor.  She was named one of the top 20 preachers in America.  A few years ago she wrote a very honest memoir of her decision to leave her role as pastor called Leaving Church.  She is a person who was willing to ask the hard questions and see where the path would take her.  I resonate with her conclusion:

“I thought that being faithful was about becoming somone other than who I was, in other words, and it was not until this project failed that I began to wonder if my human wholeness might be more useful to God than my exhausting goodness.”

This deeply reflective author bring to us some wonderful questions to consider about our communities of faith and self.  This weeks installment of Walking with Questions calls us to stop and ponder the type of communities and relationships that we are a part of and are creating:

“What if people were invited to come tell what they already know of God instead of to learn what they are suppose to believe?  What if they were blessed for what they are doing in the world instead of chastened for not doing more at church?  What if church felt more like a way station than a destination?  What if the church’s job were to move people out the door instead of trying to keep them in, by convincing them that God needed them more in the world than in the church?”

What if we could listen more?  What if we had the courage of Barbara to unlearn what we think we know rather than continuing to look for things that confirm what we already think?

Today is Easter Sunday.  I attended church today and was overwhelmed with the idea that “God came near” and is relational, and He has the final word on relationship.  In my jobs at camps, education, and youth ministry I’ve been called an expert in relationship ministry.  I have believed that I was that expert on many occasions.  I get asked to give advice, do weddings, help groups come together, and I have quite a few facebook friends.   I know, its a big deal… (the word friend has a “broadened” definition these days..)

When I think of the people who do relationship well, the people who I revere and wish I was more like, I become aware that my “expertise”  isn’t worth much.  They typically are are small group of people who, as Dave Jewitt would say, “under promise, and over deliver.”  They have a congruence, a consistency.  They practice what they preach, and they don’t preach what they don’t practice.  They take courageous paths, but don’t seem as concerned with changing the world.  They just make a true contribution to their little corner of it.  They are hospitable, gracious, honest, humble, and reverent towards God.  They don’t take on more than they can handle, because they know their specific role, and they give attention to that.  They let go of what isn’t theirs, knowing God is big and able.  That sounds like me in my dreams on a good day.  Also, they don’t seem to be trying real hard on these fronts.  It just flows from the inside (or at least it looks like that on the outside!)

Then I go to church today, and am reminded that God is a relational God, and Jesus demonstrates God’s relational nature by joining man and his pain.  Jesus then gives me the example of always doing what He says He’s going to do.  He relates to those who He is supposed to, and He doesn’t give everyone what they want (thats not a relationship.)  He spends time alone, He enters into pain for the benefit of those He loves, and He gives us the miracle of restraint in His response to the temptations in the desert, and to the unbelievable temptation to forgo the unthinkable pain and suffering He endured on the Cross.

And I’m reminded, that I am no expert at relationships. I’m just fortunate to be in them. I love that I get to be in relationships- with friends, my wife, my children, the folks at Challenge Quest, the people I serve, people from past jobs…  Brother, I am blessed.

I want to be better at doing what I say I do, and not talking about what I am not willing to engage.  Perhaps now passing age 40, the approval of any man or the need for my own sense of significance will not matter, and looking to the redemptive Christ will remind me, will teach me about what real relationship is.  I’m no expert- right now I’m feeling a little more like John Lennon in 1965 when he sang “I’m a Loser, and I’m not what I appear to be…”  And, I feel good in that place because I am in awe of a demonstration of grace and congruence in the person of Jesus Christ.

Easter reminds me that there is death that precedes new life.  The blossoms today give me energy to allow that death in my life to run its course- because my eyes fixed on Christ will yield a beauty I can’t manufacture in my bogus attempts, which even look very good on the outside.

Hebrews 12:2-3 tells us: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

May we today consider His example, take an honest account of our life, and let the best relationships grow from His example, from His relationship with us.  May we do what we say we do, and help others see the story for what it is:  New Life!

• Lets engage the adventure of new life!
• Lets look for the new life in acts of justice, where we care for God’s people!
• Lets let new life flow in Community!
• Lets consider who we are in the identity of new life!
• Lets look for God’s new life acting in the world today!
• Let us most of all, look to the Author of New Life.

How might you do this today?  This year?

This post isn’t going to be controversial, I don’t think.  Although the topic: What is CQ Missional?- has proven to be controversial for some, confusing for others, and a great learning process for me- interestingly enough.

This post is about the words we use that help us describe what we do, and what we’re about. We want to get to the point in the description, and have clarity (something I’m not always great at, I like the “stream of consciousness” stuff).

Here is the answer: CQ Missional helps people discover their role in making the world a better place. Its not rocket science.  We want to help people…help people.  And while these words may sound a bit “vanilla”, they are all on purpose, and each has an important meaning and context.

Those words have risen to the top in the last 5 months- as I have fumbled trying to explain how we do things and what we offer and how that is unique or enough like what the people  want to hear. Some people have chosen to not work with us because the language doesn’t sound like something we hear at my church- and that causes them concern. Thats ok.  I just want our words to be honest, real, and easy to understand for anyone we may encounter- and I’m praying that is how we operate as representatives of CQM as well.

We do believe that Christ is the center of the story. I also know that we will work with people from all walks of life- and I am jazzed to interact with all of God’s children, and ….help them discover their role in making the world a better place.  A better place in a “Lords Prayer” sort of way…  That is our working definition of Missional- and it has much to do with the Lord’s prayer when Jesus prays “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

I’ve found my time explaining what CQ Misisonal is to be very interesting in what thoughts and questions the process has brought up in my own mind.  This is good, and not easy.  I want to explain what we do because it is a unique approach, and there is a vision attached. However- I am discovering that my own need to position us as “unique, creative, out of the box, …” motivates my stream of words. It starts to look like I’m the center of the story at that point.  To contrast- I would rather be part of a work that cares about the people we come across, and simply does the things we do well to help people find their unique role in the big Story.  If we get to help people…. help other people… (making the world a better place); then we’re doing our job.

So- helping people discover their role in making the world a better place… this is what we do. I’ll write more in future posts about the purpose of each of the words and the connectedness to what we’re about as a community.  I will also use this blog to post upcoming book excerpts for us to wrestle with.

I’m looking forward to the dialog.

Please engage our different blog posts which will be produced almost everyday by a variety of friends.  These are different people who provide engaging questions and content all around the “missional” life. You’ll find opinions and questions that will be diverse and expand the “missional” thread- shoot back with your perspective! I want you to help us think.  Maybe we can help you as well.  We want to be a community that helps people, and having our assumptions challenged in this group can be one way that we help each other grow. I am so thankful for our blogging partners, and excited about the content, stories, and most of all- the lives they live. Our agreement with our team goes for 6 months, and we promise not to edit or censor  their content- trust is a big fat word around here.

I also look forward to contributing weekly and connecting with readers as someone who cares, and who is a fellow journeyman. Not Journey, as in “Don’t Stop Believing” with short guy with mullet Steve Perry belting it out (thats excellent as well…) but more like sharing the life journey.    As we walk together with this community, we will have shared experience.  Shared experience plus reflection is big time way that our ears and eyes are opened to mission and purpose.  God is speaking to us all the time.  I look forward to seeing what you and I are discovering.

Here is an interesting story of some “missional” people where words and life meet to be a part of “Kingdom come”- or in everyday language- “making the world a better place.”
http://www.parade.com/news/2010/01/17-why-we-gave-away-our-home.html

Till next week,
Chris King