The story of Flight 93 is the story that will live on in the lore of our history, that stuff of Paul Revere and Bunker Hill, of Iwo Jima and Omaha Beach. Fighting against odds, victory and defeat that becomes blurred as the definition of hero stands out. I hate that 9/11 has become a political buzzword, useful in election years and platforms, but rarely used for true reflection. I remember, on the first anniversary of 9/11, on my way to work, I cried uncontrollably. I couldn’t explain it. I had no connection to the event, yet for some reason, I was racked with emotion.
I had just ventured out in starting a church, and in the midst of the instability and insecurity, I found myself understanding where my true value lies. As I reflected on those that died, some in valor and some without any warning, I knew that hope would spur me on. Hope for making the world a better place, for embracing my idealism against the winds of cynicism, for saying that I cherish my family and not being cliche.
Watching some of the coverage tonight about the families who lost loved ones, I was able to spend some more time reflecting. Kylie came out of nowhere and gave me a kiss. It felt good to turn off the TV and give her a hug.
I’m sick. First week at work was good, lots of fun meeting people and making the Chamber as best as it can be. My good friends Patrick and Raquel came through this weekend, had a good time catching up. Right now I’m just focused on not falling over (it’s the meds, not the illness). Kylie’s sick too, so right now Erika is holding this place together.
Right when we seem to be finding our groove, something throws it off. Oh well.
Whew. We’re finally at home, not just in our house, but at home. My mom came this weekend to help us unpack, hang pictures, and get all the little things in order so we can just rest. We moved in last Monday, so tonight makes a full week of being here. We’ve met the neighbors (very nice folks I can see being friends with), painted two rooms, unpacked everything, and even managed to throw more stuff away.
Tomorrow I start my job working for the Hutto Chamber of Commerce. It will be a great way to invest in the community and just to get the vibe of Hutto. Plus, I’ll be doing a lot of the stuff I love (creating systems, maximizing potential, stuff like that). However, it will be the first time that I have a “real job” since Kylie was born. I’m gonna miss getting to see her as often as I do, but for now it’s just a part time gig (hopefully full time sooner than later). This week I’ve been going at breakneck speed just so I could slow down this weekend before the big plunge. Life is about to get very interesting, and I’m excited to see where God will take us.
I’m fighting the dichotomy between moving fast and taking it slow, pressing onward and being still. Is it possible to do both? I’ve heard that some sharks die if they stop moving (just checked on Wikipedia, it’s true). Is it true for me as well? I’ll probably include some of my thoughts more in depth over the next few days, but for now, I need to rest (ha). Tomorrow it begins.
While I was back home this weekend, Erika and I went to see Talledega Nights. Like Anchorman, The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is about a guy that thinks he’s got a good grasp on who he is and what he’s becoming, only to find that myth shattered and rebuilt into something better. Will Ferrell is great at playing these clueless egomaniacs, and overall the movie is great.
My favorite scene (again, like Anchorman, most of the scenes have a liberal use of ad libs) is the prayer at the dinner table. Ricky Bobby likes to imagine Jesus as the baby in the manger, and prays to him as such. Others imagine him as a ninja, or a figure skater. It’s great to hear these conversations that I grew up with (usually around Thanksgiving or Christmas) finally make it to the big screen.
There’s some flat notes in the movie (Molly Shannon is just annoying), but overall it’s a great movie to just enjoy for pure fun. The ending is unexpected (playing off of cliche movie endings that should fit), and while there are some crude moments, the film has heart. It will easily be quoted (”Help me, Tom Cruise!”). Be sure to stick around for the bloopers and edits during the credits.
Well, we’re here in Hutto. We sold our house last Monday, and are staying with Brandon and Cindy while we finish up our house here. It looks like we should close either Monday or Tuesday, barring any of more stuff that’s caused our delay so far. Erika is already involved with the Hutto MOMS club, and Kylie’s enrolled in a local dance studio (she starts next week).
I had lunch at the Hutto Chamber of Commerce today, and really enjoyed myself. It’s great when you meet people who are passionate about serving the community. You don’t often find others who truly love sacrificing their time and energy to make others happy.
Anyway, I’ll probably be silent for the next week or so until we get into the house, but I thought I’d keep everyone up to date.
Sunday was my last day at Genesis Metro. In two weeks, I’ll be moving to Hutto to officially begin Resonate Community Church. I had the opportunity to speak one last time, and I shared about the simplicity of Kingdom Pursuits. Feel free to leave any of your thoughts or reactions in the comments.
UPDATE: I know, I know. I sound like a chipmunk. I’m working on it (any Audacity users out there?). In the meantime, enjoy a full-length sermon in half the time!
A few years ago I reviewed Spiderman 2, and quoted a Newsweek article:
Much has been made of the fact that “Spider-Man” was the first post-9/11 blockbuster, and the conventional wisdom is that the film was a phenomenon because America needed heroes again. But maybe it’s something more. To the rest of the world, the superhero symbol of the United States is Superman—broad shouldered, unconflicted, virtually indestructible. For decades, we’ve preferred to see ourselves that way, too. Spider-Man is none of those things. He’s burdened by self-doubt. He wants to do the right thing, but isn’t always sure what that is. He’s constantly forced to choose between helping others and helping himself. He looks tough, but he’s easily injured. In America after September 11, Superman was who we wanted to be. Spider-Man was who we were.
I wrote that Spiderman is a better superhero, the best actually, because he embodies a little bit of all of us. It’s the story of the frail finding strength, the weak becoming powerful. Superman was a has-been of the early 20th century, irrelevant to the reality of our times.
But I was wrong. Bryan Singer has managed to create a movie that restores the glory of Superman, giving him a unique and necessary voice within the superhero genre (and our lives too). The story picks up after Superman returns after years years of soul-searching among the stars, and the wreckage of Krypton. The world has moved on, especially Lois Lane, who has won a Pulitzer prize the her story “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.” (It’s apparent that Superman was gone on 9/11, causing much of the disdain for his disappearance.)
Superman returns to show that the world, does indeed, need a savior. They are striving after one, crying out everyday for rescue. Marlon Brando reprises his role as Jor-El, and has this to say: “Even though you’ve been raised as a human being you’re not one of them. They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you… my only son.” For all the melancholy, troubled superheroes we worship, Superman shows us that we still fall short. We need a savior, someone stronger, faster, more powerful than we can ever dream. We need a light to show the way. The Christ imagery throughout the film develops the concept of why Superman truly resonates with us as humans. We have a distinct need for someone greater than we are. And when we find someone who is our Savior, our lives are changed. Even when Superman is unable to save the day, we still want him back, to try again. Deep down, I think that, even when we feel that God has let us down, we desperately want him to try again.
Just hearing the Superman Theme (now my ringtone), it gives you this sense of wonder, of freedom, knowing that there is something still inherently good in this world. We just need to look up in the sky.
So last time I mentioned that I would explain what I mean by “living inside-out”. It’s the criteria we judge our success on, so it’s important to get a decent understanding of what this kind of living looks like. Put simply, living inside-out means authentic transformation.
But let’s start at the beginning, shall we? I think that within us there is this longing for significance that is imprinted in every human being. Whether you want to call that a soul, a spirit, chi, whatever, it’s there. The Bible says that God has written eternity in our hearts, and I think that we all (to some degree) know it to be true. It’s a knowing that goes beyond the rational mind, but undeniable nonetheless. When that part of us is awakened by the light of Christ in our life, he begins to pull the very image of God from within our hearts and give it hands and feet. We suddenly find that, starting at the very basic level of thought, priorities, and desires, we are changing for the better. Our lives truly have significance and meaning. And as we find our heart and mind being renewed and opened to Christ, we start living differently. Inside-out.
Authenticity is key in this process. Before we can begin to overcome our struggles, we need to admit they’re there. I think a lot of churches want to you live a good life, then come to church. But if we can’t find a place where we can be honest with each other that we do, in fact, struggle in this life, then we’re probably not going to find much hope for changing. Transformation without authenticity is often short-lived and short-sighted. It’s based purely on emotions (most often guilt). Now, some people are content to be authentic, but never experience transformation along the way. Authenticity without transformation is stagnant and mundane. It’s lazy and a cop-out.
At Resonate Community, we want to live inside-out, constantly seeking to live a life that reaches the full potential that God has in store. We know that we’re not perfect, and we need all the help we can get. That’s what church should be all about. People helping each other find the heartbeat of God for their life. He is desperately seeking after us, calling us with the hope that this life can mean something more. If we can open our hearts to it, we’ll find our souls awakened by the author of eternity.
How do you go about creating community? Just because you live in a community doesn’t necessarily mean you live in community. I’ve found that one of the greatest needs of my generation is the need for community. We grew up in disconnected homes, and that lack of being connected has made us value a rich, community-driven lifestyle. Sites like Digg and MySpace are all about groups of people interacting together. Massively-multiplayer online games (MMOs) like World of Warcraft seek to establish a connection. But very few of us actually have a true sense of community, of reliance and appreciation for each other in a tangible sort of way. Most of the time, we encounter communities where we don’t belong, or where cliques squelch any individuality that we have.
Unfortunately, this happens at church, too. Many churches are glorified high school cafeterias, where “outsiders” aren’t truly welcomed (at least not before they join). We say we’re a community of believers, but often that means we’re a community of people gathered around an event or a program. Jesus made it clear that true community forms around a cause (Matthew 4:19). At Resonate Community, we want to show people how to live inside-out, or lives of authentic transformation (I’ll post more on what this means later). This lifestyle is available to anyone and everyone, even if you’ve never been to church before. I think that, as we help others find this kind of life, they’ll want to join us in our cause. And as we bond together, community forms. Suddenly, it’s not about what we wear or what kind of car we drive or how busy we are, but it’s about helping others find the heartbeat of God.
As Resonate Community gets started, we want that passion to sustain us. Not everyone is going to “get it.” Some people will always think that church means wasting your time for an hour or two on Sunday morning. We think there’s more to it than that. Church can be a place where people find who they really are, and are happy with what they see.
I’ve spent the past four years of my life invested in a church called Genesis Metro. I’ve made lifelong friends and have grown more in my faith than I thought I could (or needed to at times). And now I’m preparing to leave all of that behind for a new beginning. I must be crazy. Planting another church seems to be quite reckless of me, especially since I’m risk-averse. But there’s a call that can’t be denied screaming in my head that this is the right thing to do.
Others are joining me on this journey in hearing God’s call. They’re taking big steps of faith. You’ll probably be reading some posts of theirs soon. For now, we’re calling ourselves Resonate Community Church, because that’s really what we want to do. We resonate community. You know when you listen to some really big speakers how it seems that your heart is keeping rhythm with the music? That’s our desire. We’re making God’s heartbeat our heartbeat. And he has a heart for people, even those that can’t hear him yet.
