I hope some of you will accept this challenge and ask God to help you grow in your marriage.  You will find God speaking to you as you read a chapter of Proverbs a day and look for verses that apply to you.  Some will straight-out speak to "husbands" or to "wives."  Other verses will deal with issues you face as a spouse such as anger, lust, laziness, unkind words, etc.

If you will make a committed effort to "work on yourself and pray for your spouse," I think you'll find the God of the universe is walking beside you. No one cheers louder for our marriages than God himself.  He is the architect behind the whole design of marriage.  And when a marriage is centered in Christ and defined by grace, it reflects the glory of God and Christ's unbreakable love for His church.

If you want to dive a little deeper into the biblical teaching about marriage, here's a few of the central passages:

-Genesis 1:26-30, 2:18-25

-1 Corinthians 7:1-7

-Ephesians 5:21-33; Colossians 3:18-19; 1 Peter 3:1-7

Few things are better than a really good marriage, and few things are worse than a bad one.  The good news is, marriages aren't static.  We can forgive, grow, heal, learn more about one another.  We can allow God to guide our marriages into wholeness, fulness, and life!  

So...let's get moving...

I wish you could have seen the owner's face when I handed him the boxes of cookies.  I told him we just wanted to let the guys in the shop have them since they always take good care of our cars.  He almost looked stunned.  It was funny!  He said "wow, thanks man.  That's really nice of you guys..."

It was funny because he almost didn't know what to say.  And it was just boxes of girl scout cookies.  Nothing special.  But I realized as I drove away how rarely we do anything kind for those around us.  We go through our days seeing people as commodities...just there to bring us our food, ring up our groceries, repair our vehicles, etc.  But people aren't commodities.  They are human beings with souls.  They are people made in the image of God with hopes, dreams, worries, wounds, families, etc.

Whenever you and I take the time to care, to put a smile on someone's face, we bring the Kingdom of God to earth.  When we pause long enough to learn someone's name, to let them know they matter, we bring heaven to earth. It's a really simple thing.  Sometimes something as small as cookies, or a kind word, can change a person's day.  

I'm learning that this matters.  It matters to God and it matters to those we show kindness and care to.  I'm trying to see people as more than just individuals who exist to meet whatever need is in front of me.  I think of my Afghan friend that owns the tailor shop I go to, or the family from Cambodia that owns the donut shop, or my favorite door man at the theater who is from Argentina.  They remind me that God is the God of the whole world.  He is the God of all people.  

I titled this post "Small Acts of Not-So-Random Kindness" for a reason.  We took cookies to the mechanic shop because we wanted to show love and appreciation.  We also hope that in time we can see some of the guys there start taking steps toward God.  In a sense, we felt "prompted" by God to reach out.  I believe if we'll go through our days listening for God's voice, we'll begin hearing him.  He speaks.  He prompts.  He's at work ALL THE TIME and sometimes we get to join him.  Sometimes it's as small as a few boxes of cookies.

Let me challenge you to start MEETING the people in your world.  Ask God to show you how you can be a blessing to someone.  It will also help you remember that there's more going on in the world than whatever "junk" you are dealing with.

More on "promptings" in a few days... 

It's the idea (for many it's a belief) that you can be a committed Christian without being on mission with God.  Let me say it a different way.  It's the idea that you can be a mature and growing Christ-follower without actively loving the lost around you.  In this "idea system" people have traded the gospel of grace (we're saved & grown by the grace of God alone) for religion...or law (we are now Christian and must avoid cussing and being around "bad" people).  This results in a retarded, dysfunctional faith.  One that is not growing and does not reflect the heart of God revealed most clearly in Jesus Christ.   

This is an extreme perversion of biblical truth.  One CANNOT be a growing and maturing Christian without being on mission with God.  It's simply not true.  God does not redeem individuals so that they can sit around talking about with translation of the Bible is the best with their pathetic Christian friends.  

But the question is, how do we do this and still remain distinct.  It's hard , no doubt.  But Jesus taught that's it's possible and modeled it in His own life.  Remember the "salt & light" bit.  Jesus said be "light" (be in the world, invade it, overcome the darkness), but he also said be "salt" (remain distinctive as you do...let the world be seasoned by you, not vice versa).

Mark Driscoll, in The Radical Reformission: Reaching Out Without Selling Out, has a great list of biblical principles for deciding how to engage the world around us.  I hope you will find these helpful...

Questions to Ask:

(1) Is it beneficial to me personally and to the gospel generally (1 Cor. 6:12)?

(2) Will I lose self-control and be mastered by what I participate in (1 Cor. 6:12)?

(3) Will I be doing this in the presence of someone who I know will fall into sin as a result (1 Cor. 8:9-10)?

(4) Is it a violation of the laws of my city, state, or nation (Rom. 13:1-7)?

(5) If I fail to do this, will I lose opportunities to share the gospel (1 Cor. 10:27-30)?

(6) Can I do this with a clear conscience (Acts 24;16)?

(7) Will this cause me to sin by feeding sinful desires (Rom. 13:13-14)?

(8) Am I convinced that this is what God desires for me to do (Rom. 13:5)? 

(9) Does my participation proceed from my faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 14:23)?

(10) Am I doing this to help other people, or am I just being selfish (1 Cor. 10:24)?

(11) Can I do this in a way that glorifies God (1 Cor. 10:31-33)?

(12) Am I following the example of Jesus Christ to help save sinners (1 Cor. 10:33-11:1)?

Hopefully Driscoll's suggested questions will help you navigate the waters of cultural immersion.  We MUST be on mission.  We MUST.  We are redeemed to "new life" so that we can join God in His passionate pursuit of those still far from Him.  It's how we ultimately worship God and bring Him glory.  And it's the context for the transformation God brings to those He redeems.  In short, He purifies us as we are on mission with Him. 

Just wanted to let you know that this is the first of an email "blast" I'll be doing to all Ridgers on a weekly basis...usually on Thursday or Friday.  Many of you know we kicked off a new series in Acts last week called "Beyond Ourselves."  We want to see how living for more than our own desires & own comfort, actually meets our deepest needs and allows us to be part of something much larger than us!    

I wanted to ask you to think on a few things before this Sunday...  Is the Spirit of God and the full life of God available to everyone...or is it reserved mainly for a select few?  In other words, does God want everyone to experience the abundant life He promises, or just a few "religious elites?"  I think many times, most of us feel that a dynamic & meaningful relationship with God is only available for "other people." We're going to see how God answers that question this Sunday.  

Acts is a crazy, wild book of the Bible.  You've got people possessed by spirits, people falling out of windows because the preacher talks too long (for real), and on and on.  I'm super-excited to see what God teaches us through this series!  It's gonna be a fun ride... 

Below are a few "upcoming events" & opportunities to get involved.  I'll keep updating these week by week. 

Have a GREAT weekend  & I'll see you guys on SUNDAY!

Matt

__________________________________________ 

Coming Up at Ridgeline....

Bible 101  "Learning To Read the Bible for Transformation"

-Saturday, January 29th   10-11:30am    $10

-Matt & Sharon's House  (38236 Hermosa Ct.  Murrieta)

-If you're new to the Bible or not reading it regularly, THIS IS FOR YOU!

-Learn how to engage Scripture, hear & respond to God, and get some tools to take with you!

Women’s Bible Study

-Kicks off Friday, February 11th  7-8:30pm

-6 Weeks in Philippians

-If you enjoying hanging out with other women & exploring God’s

Word together, you’ll love this!  (sorry guys...only women!)

-Six Friday nights in a row

-Email allison@iamridgeline.com for more info...  

BBQ & Service Day @ Sommerset Apartments

-Saturday, February 12th   11am-1pm

-Help us bbq hotdogs & give away food and drinks!

-We'll also be helping to clean-up around the apartment complex...

-This is a GREAT chance to start living BEYOND YOURSELF. 

Family Night @ PUMP-IT-UP

-Thursday, March 10th   6-8pm   Adults are FREE, Kids are $5 each

-This place is AWESOME!!!  Nuff said!

-Bring a friend, neighbor, etc.

One-2-One (or sometimes two..haha) Discipleship/Mentorship 

-Want to grow spiritually but don't know how...this is for YOU!

-We will pair you with someone to meet with once a week for 13 weeks...

-You'll go through a booklet called "Growing In Christ" and begin exercising your "faith muscles"

-Ask about this one at the HUB table on Sunday...

On The Horizon....

Website Overhaul & Update

Within the next 2-3 weeks, we are going to make several changes & additions to the website.  We're going to add some helpful stuff and useful resources, as well as some new sections!  Be looking for it...

"The Loop" Newsletter

Within a week or two, most of you should have received your first Ridgeline newsletter in the mail.  This is gonna be 

a GREAT communication tool that will help keep you informed (in "The Loop"...get it?) and give us an opportunity

to show pics, etc. from recent events and make sure everyone knows what's coming.  We'll also have short articles and 

communication pieces from some RCC pastors/leaders each week.

Easter Egg Hunt @ TES  

We're working on using the school property for an Easter Event for the kiddos on April 23rd. We'll keep you informed...

Softball Tournament in May

Self-explanatory, haha.  Shooting for a Saturday morning in May, coed, we'll bbq after.  Fun day for families, singles, dogs, whoever.

I hope we remember that we do events like the Chili Cook-Off because they provide opportunities for us to help people connect with others who are pursuing a relationship with Christ, or at least exploring one.  We do events like this because people have learned to dislike Christians, distrust the Church, and discount the Bible.  But when we gather socially & invite those we are learning to love, we find that we all have more in common than we realize.  

We often forget how lonely most people really are.  We forget how many people go through each day wearing a "mask."  But honestly, most of us only need to look into our own hearts to remember these truths.  The Church is the place where we don't have to hide anymore!!!  The Church is the place where we can throw the masks in the trash be real before God and others. The Church is the place where we accept people as they are, because we know that we need God's grace as much as they do.  This is where life becomes REAL!  When men and women stop running away, stop flaking out, and start learning to live in community with others and relationship with God.  And when it happens...when it happens it's a beautiful thing!  There's laughter and tears, frustration and joy, repentance and healing, hope and empowerment.

So I hope you'll invite a friend, a neighbor, a coworker to the Chili Cook-Off. I hope you'll bring someone with you...have someone meet you there.  I hope we all do!  Because it's not about getting people to show up to "our thing"...it's about helping people connect with others who can walk with them toward a life with God.  When God's involved...when his Spirit is moving...something as simple as a Chili Cook-Off can become a catalyst for life-change!!!  For someone, it becomes the day they stopped hiding. I wonder who it will be this time...  

So I called a buddy to come get me.  I knew that a rebuilt engine would run several thousand dollars and was NOT looking forward to breaking the news to my wife!  I realized how far back this would set us financially...even Ramsey couldn't help us with this one!  But as I waited for my buddy to pick me up, I thought about my healthy children, great marriage, good friends.  I thought about God's faithfulness...demonstrated over and over in past years.  And I knew we'd be fine.  Anyway, by the world's standards, being a two-car family is a sign of pure wealth!  Haha.  That one honestly didn't bring me any comfort, although it was a sobering dose of perspective.

I got a few quarts of oil, just for good luck, and realized my truck was only a little low on oil.  So it probably wasn't the engine that locked up.  I decided to start it and see what happened.  It started...  It was running pretty rough but I made it to my mechanic, Mike Mattis at Pro Auto.  You're welcome Mike!  He agreed that I had some issues in the engine area so I left the truck with him.  Although I was not looking forward to the repair cost, whatever it might be, I knew it would be substantially cheaper than replacing the engine.  So that was a relief.  A few hours later he called me and said he had it all taken care of.

Apparently, there was nothing wrong...mechanical at least.  I actually had a couple of large RATS make a nest in my fan assembly area.  A few minutes after I started my truck at Albertson's, they decided to go on a "walk-about" and met their untimely deaths!  So long suckers!!!  But their nasty fat bodies were still stuck in there, creating havoc as my fan assembly tried to do its job.  

The day before all this happened, we were looking at a place in the Bible where Jesus challenges his followers to live for God and not the things of this world.  Ultimately, Jesus says we can't serve (be slaves to) both God and money (success, power, status as well...).  The incident with my truck made me realize again how fleeting material possessions can be!  Money comes, money goes.  Success comes, success goes.  Relationships come, relationships go.  Vehicles come, vehicles go. Jobs come, jobs go.  Houses come, houses go.  BUT GOD REMAINS THE SAME!  His character NEVER changes!!!  His love endures FOREVER!  And we can build our lives on him with great certainty!!!  

This is why followers of Jesus build their lives on God and nothing else!  Jesus wasn't a babbling simpleton who wondered around 1st century Palestine making brainless statements about God.  He knew the truth about life.  He knew how things REALLY work.  And he still does!    

One of the challenges we face is how to help people begin to grow after they cross the line of faith and are baptized.  We want a clear and simple process to help people begin their new journey as committed followers of Jesus Christ.  Sooo...  Saturday night I was eating at a BBQ place in Austin with one of the friends I was sharing our challenges with.  While we were waiting on our food to come out (which was AWESOME by the way!!!!!), David brought up the struggle we've had to find the right "tool" for us to use.  He came to faith as an adult, several years back, and has been learning...growing...and living for Christ ever since.  He is now helping other guys cross the line of faith and live for Jesus as well.  

So casually, as we're drinking tea & eating bread, Dave tells me about a 13-week study he did right after becoming a believer.  He said it was "easy to use, not intimidating to a new Christian, and really helped him begin to grow."  He shared how he met with another more mature believer once a week, asking questions and learning what it meant to follow Christ.  Dave said "I can still quote the 13 Bible verses I learned during that time...they helped me build a solid foundation..."  While Dave was still talking, it dawned on me that this was a "holy moment!"  It dawned on me that God had "showed up" and was answering a need we've had at Ridgeline.  I realized that the conversation we were having was "divinely orchestrated"...and I was in awe of the goodness of God.  Here, at dinner in Austin, God was answering a question we've had for months through the casual conversation of a friend!

This was an awesome moment for me because David was not just saying "here's what I used to start growing after becoming a Christian."  But here was a guy I know personally and know that his walk with Christ is bearing the kind of fruit that is supposed to characterize Christians.  And he was saying "I don't know if this will help you...but here's how I got started...here's what I used that was really helpful..."  

So here's the point.  God is always popping up in places and ways that we do not expect!  God is always speaking, always working, always moving!  Do you notice where he's working in your life???  In The God Hunt, Karen Mains writes about seeing God in the everyday world.  Mains challenges people to go on a "God-hunt."  She challenges us to recognize God speaking in the people around us, or circumstances, something we're reading, something unexpected or unusual.  

Part of what it means to be a follower of Christ is cultivating a "divine awareness"...an awareness of God's presence and working.  When we look for God sincerely, we will find him.  He pops up everywhere, working in people and places we would never have guessed! He popped up in my world during a casual conversation at a BBQ restaurant in Austin, TX on Saturday night.  When you're going about your "normal" business and suddenly realize that God is present...God is speaking...God is providing...it is a remarkable experience!  

So are you looking for God?  Are you cultivating a "divine awareness?"  We're going to talk more about this in coming weeks...but for now...I encourage you to start looking for God.  Go on a God-hunt!  Saturday night was great for me...BBQ & God...it doesn't get much better than that!!! 

Basically Jesus says that he didn't come to contradict or do away with anything in the Old Testament.  Not at all.  He came to fulfill it.  When Jesus says "Law & Prophets" he's using a phrase that summed up all the teaching of the Old Testament.  Jesus is saying that the entire redemptive history of Israel has been leading up to him.  It's all about Jesus.  The New Testament understands the OT as pointing toward Jesus Christ.  

Jesus says that he obviously didn't come to abolish the Old Testament, he's the One the whole Old Testament was leading up to.  He's the point.  He's the One.  Jesus is saying "It's all about Me!" He fulfills the law and the prophecies.  His sinless life met every demand of a righteous God.  He's the One sent by God to bring redemption to the whole world.  Therefore, Jesus basically says it would be folly not to listen to him, not to obey what he commands.  Life in the new kingdom, the new community that Jesus is building is based on learning to live out his teachings.  That's what determines "greatness" in God's eyes.  

Jesus says that the righteousness of his followers should surpass even the most "religious" person.  Why?  Because it flows from a changed heart!  It's a righteousness that comes as a gift from God through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  

At this point, Jesus jumps into the "meat" of his message.  He begins teaching his followers what this righteousness looks like when it's lived out. We began seeing this yesterday with Jesus' teaching about our heart toward people, reconciliation, and learning to handle anger before it handles us. Jesus does what the Old Testament law was powerless to do...he transforms human beings from the inside out.  That's good news.  

This morning we looked at the "Salt & Light" passage in Matthew 5.  My brain is always on super-stupid autopilot by the time church is over, but there are a few more things I'd like to share.  

God intends our lives to point people to him.  This is true individually but it's also true on a national & international level.  In a sense, there's not a "secular" world and a "sacred...or church" world, there's ONE world and it's ALL God's!  As followers of Jesus, we are God's "ambassadors" in the world. We are the ones who do his bidding, through his power and for his glory. The Bible says that we are dual citizens of heaven and earth.  

And ultimately we're not just trying to be a positive influence in a broken world, we are bringing the reign of God to earth.  We are ushering in the kingdom of heaven.  In other words, we're not asking God to get us from "down here" to "up there."  We're asking him to make what goes on "up there" go on "down here!"  This is where Christ-followers come in...

Salt & light Christians have been behind all great moral progress in human history.  Christians have led the way in prison reform, medical treatment for the those in chronic poverty, abolition of the slave trade and ultimately slavery itself, the establishment of orphanages and extended care facilities for the elderly.  Christians have led the way in educating the masses, providing quality care & dignity for special needs children and adults around the world.  And Christians are currently leading a full-frontal assault on human trafficking, child sex-trade, and the systems of injustice that keep these practices going.  This is what it looks like to usher in the kingdom of heaven to earth!  This is what it means to bring the reign of God to earth!

A biblical scholar named D.A. Carson gave a good picture of what it looks like on an individual basis.  Carson says "Such Christians refuse to rob their employers by being lazy on the job, or to rob their employees by succumbing to greed and stinginess. They are first to help a colleague in difficulty, last to return a barbed reply. They honestly desire the advancement of the other's interests, and honestly dislike smutty humor. Transparent in their honesty and genuine in their concern, they reject both the easy answer of the theologically intoxicated and the laissez-fare stance of the selfish secular man. Meek in personal demeanor, they are bold in righteous pursuits."  Carson says it well.  Let me add, such Christians feed those who are hungry and befriend neighbors that others avoid.  They reach out to the marginalized and help the poor. They speak for those with no voice.  They extend grace freely, show mercy consistently, and forgive quickly.  This is what it looks like to usher in the kingdom of heaven to earth!  This is what it means to bring the reign of God to earth!

This is what it looks like to be salt & light.  Way too often we're so busy having church, we're so busy doing church, that we don't have time to be the church!   Let's BE the church Ridgeline.  God has purposed our lives to be a preserving, zestful, purifying influence in the world.  Let's do it!  We REALLY CAN do this!  We REALLY CAN be engaged & distinctive at the same time.  That's the Way of Christ.  That's our way...

I believe at the very core, it's about love.  It doesn't seem like that's the accepted understanding though.  For too long the church has been fixated on the externals.  You need to dress a certain way, act a certain way, vote a certain way.

You can almost hear church-goers ask... What's love got to do with it? 

You need to listen to a certain kind of music, only hang out with people who are "already convinced," put your kids in Christian schools, read only a specific translation of the bible, and on and on it goes...

What's love got to do with it?

I think we've lost the way.  I think we're asking the wrong questions, or more often, not asking questions at all.  Jesus said, when asked by a few religious dudes which commandment was most important to God, "love God with ALL you are, and the second is tied directly to it, love those around you like you love yourself."  Jesus said if you can do these two things, you will fulfill all that God desires!  Jesus also said that it was by the unique love we have for each other that the world would know we are indeed followers of Jesus.

What's love got to do with it?  EVERYTHING!

Ridgers, we may come up short in some areas, but we better not be found lacking in love!  We're gonna love those around us, those we come in contact with daily, and those God brings to Ridgeline.  Republican or democrat, conservative or liberal, educated or uneducated, heterosexual or homosexual, under-resourced or over-resourced, black or white, we're going to love.  We're going to love because God loves.  We're going to love because love changes hearts.  We're going to love because God loved us first.  We're going to love because it shows we really are followers of Jesus Christ.

It ain't about stickers, or clothes, or music, or political affiliation.  It's about love.  So let's bring it!  

See ya on the streets... 

So why do it?  Why put the hours, the sweat, and the money into these door-hangers?  It's a legitimate question.  Let me answer that with three simple words-BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER.  People matter to God and they matter to us.  We want people to know this.  We want them to know Ridgeline is church where they can be REAL.  We want them to know that you can have a sense of humor AND be a Christian.  I know, I know, shocking! We want them to take a chance on God...to trust that he might be the answer to the questions in their soul.  

We've said for the last several weeks that you're going to be placing these hangers on the doors of REAL people with REAL problems.  There will be a single mom who pulls one off her door and wonders if the people who put it there might really care enough to help her with the enormous tasks she faces each day.  There will be a man pull one off who just lost his job and is filled with more fear and anxiety than he can show his wife and children. There will be people who are in the pit of despair...people who are on the verge of divorce...people who are contemplating suicide.  There will be others still reeling from the pain of losing someone close.  And there will be some who have simply been longing for something more in life but didn't know where to look.  

Right now we just see doors.  In the months to come we will see people. People with names, stories, fears, wounds, dreams, and a longing to be known and cared about.  Ultimately they will come to know that God is what they've been missing.  It matters.  It matters A LOT.  When you touch a door, ultimately, you touch a life.  And let me assure you of this...God IS with us! God really does care and he really will help us.  He wants his Church on earth to THRIVE.  He wants every human being to know and love him.  We can count on his blessing and his power as we become his hands and feet on earth.  Be encouraged!

The Bible says "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we WILL reap a harvest if we DO NOT give up."  This is truth we can stand on in the weeks to come!

Let's get it done.  See you on the streets!!!

I'm reading a book right now entitled The Volunteer Revolution.  The author is the founding pastor of one of the most influential churches in North America and has seen first-hand what happens when people find a place of service.  

"The satisfaction most people are looking for comes from being in the middle of life's action, not on the sidelines.  Following Jesus is something people do, something that takes time and burns calories and stretches capacities as individuals and entire churches roll up their sleeves and activate their faith by serving others.  It takes commitment and perseverance.  Intentionality and selflessness.  But nothing can match the rewards for those who find their place to serve and jump in!"

I believe God has given us a unique opportunity to pour ourselves out in service.  Meeting at TES puts us at the very center of the greatest needs in Temecula.  As you've heard us say on Sunday morning, TES is the lowest socio-economic school in the district.  The need is great!  We're going to be loving on and serving the teachers, working around the campus to improve the overall look of the school, and meeting the needs of the children and families of TES as God leads.  

Yesterday morning I went up to the campus early to take some pictures and think through what we'll be doing.  I got pretty fired up!  There's faded paint peeling off the fences and parts of the building itself.  There's grass and weeds growing up through the cracks in the pavement and sidewalks. Bushes and trees are overgrown, flowerbeds and planter boxes neglected. There's trash all around the campus. I began imagining what it will be like to see small groups of Ridgers working off and on throughout the summer...making a difference!  I imagined the connection and relational growth that happens as we serve together.  I imagined the look on the teacher's faces when they come back in August and see all that has been done.  I imagined the renewed sense of pride we could give the teachers, children, and parents as we transform their campus.

Let's make a difference!!!  It's going to take all of us.  When Jesus mobilizes his local church, not even the power of hell itself can stand in the way of God's people!  I look forward to sweating with you all as we pour ourselves into TES this summer and in the coming year.  Let's do this!

We're also going to have the opportunity to see God change lives as we place door-hangers on 15,000 homes a week for four weeks in a row. We're going to need people who are willing to walk for a few hours a week and help get this done.  We'll have some mission teams coming in to help but will still need a lot of Ridgers to get it done! More on this next week...

Love All, Serve All-

Matt

As I watch people come and go, it dawns on me that the Promenade is a crossroads of culture here in the valley.  Everyone comes here.  You've got teens, senior adults, young families, singles, etc.  You see what people wear, what they do with "free time," where they shop, what kinds of food they like. And as you hear segments of conversations, you learn what's on peoples minds.  You learn what people are talking about, what they're worried about, what's going on in the culture around us.

I wonder what Jesus would say to us in our day, in our culture.  Who would he hang out with?  Who would he confront?  What would he think of his church today?  How much of himself would he see in those who claim to be his followers?  What would he observe about our heart for the people around us?  What would he observe about my heart for people?  How much of himself would he see in me?  

Our mission, the reason Ridgeline exists, is to help people "outside" the church come to know and love God in a way that transforms their lives.  And as I watch all of these people come and go in the mall...I wonder what it would look like to actually show them the love of God.  I wonder what it would be like to show them the grace of God.  I think we live in a culture that has been "talked to death" by the church!  No one wants to "hear" anything else from the church.  They want to "see" something from the church.  So let's show them something.  

Let's LOVE without conditions.  Let's extend GRACE (undeserved favor) to people around us in reckless degrees.  Let's start examining our own hearts, our own lives, and our own relationships.  I hope when people in our valley come into contact with Ridgers they experience a kind of radical inclusiveness that draws them toward God.  

So many people...   

I started thinking about the younger generations (and I include everyone from their mid-forties down here) in America and how our lives are characterized by pathways to poverty.  Let me explain.  We feel the need to buy a cup of coffee (even in economic times like these) at a place like Starbucks and pay $3-5 for what would cost us .30 cents at home.  And we don't just buy high-priced coffee once in awhile...we'll do it 2, 3, and maybe even 4 or 5 times a week.  Our parents & grandparents who love coffee have spent years drinking coffee they made at home (including the sugar, cream, and flavoring that some like) for a tiny fraction of what younger generations are blowing at high-priced coffee houses.  And what did they lose?  Now...I buy things from time to time that I don't need.  We all do.  But what I'm talking about are the "habits" that seem to create pathways to poverty.  We buy vehicles we can't afford because we're trying to "look" a certain way.  We buy house we can't afford.  We buy designer clothes we can't afford.  We want to acquire in 3 years what took our parents 30 to get.  For some reason, we feel entitled.  

You're probably thinking what's the point?  Why the the spending rant Jeffreys?  Here's why.  The same habits that create pathways to economic poverty, I believe also create pathways to spiritual poverty.  The habits of instant gratification, chronic hurry, and obsession with image instead of reality keep us from living in a way that allows the LIFE that God offers to flow through us.  Jesus once asked a startling question.  He asked "what it profits a person to gain the whole world, and lose his or her soul?"  The point Jesus was making is that there's a reality beyond just what we see. There's more to the life we know than just the accumulation of material & financial things.  The life of meaning, peace, abundant joy, rest, significance, and fullness that we crave as human beings comes only to those who are willing to slow down, create room for God to work in our lives, and trust Jesus to do what he promised he would.        

So here's what I'm thinking now.  Why don't I want to know my neighbors??? That's jacked up.  I grew up in America...a great country but one which supremely values individuals & not community.  I grew up in Texas...the most individualistic state in America.  And, I grew up in the country...where we liked our land and wanted others to stay off it.  In short, I'm "wired" to not want to know my neighbors.  I'm wired to see them as an inconvenience that must be tolerated because we live in a neighborhood.  

I realized, even though there's still an internal battle, that I DO WANT to know my neighbors.  As a Christ-follower I should want to know and love those that live around me, as Christ himself would do if he lived in my house.  I want to throw the best parties on the street.  I want the people that live on my street to know they are welcomed.  Eventually & ultimately I want them to know the God I know.  I want my dream to be God's dream, not the American dream.  It's awesome that we live in an area where people from every corner of the world can be found!!!  I want to know them, to listen to them, to dialogue with them.  I want then to know the radically inclusive love of God.

I'm learning (though slowly) that my "privacy" isn't high on God's list of priorities.  Nor is "the American dream."  God has a global heart that beats passionately for all people.  I want to be apart of a community (church) of committed Christ-followers that consistently invites anyone & everyone to join us!  That's my passion.  So...let the fence stay low.  And maybe one day my heart will be transformed enough that my first thought won't be "I wish the fence was higher so my neighbors don't have to see me and I don't have to see them..." 

But........yesterday I realized that it's nuts to believe the state of California in 2009 is in worse shape than the world around which the church in the first century was born!  Let me put it another way.  Do we really believe that the early church faced less obstacles and smaller ones than we face today???  That's crazy!  The early church faced tremendous social, political, and fiancial opposition~yet it gained momentum & influence!  The believers we see in the book of Acts (a book in the Bible that's basically church history) had a faith that gave them the courage & hope to overcome the circumstances around them.

In the second chapter of Acts we see that among the early church, "all the believers were together and had everything in common...selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as they had need..."  Part of the power of the early church was its ability to provide an alternative culture where there was oneness, generosity, and hope!  We have the chance to do the same thing in unique ways today.  We have the opportunity to be a community where the over-resourced gladly share with the under-resourced and neither take advantage of the other.  Our faith is not in the government but in Jesus!  The church offers (at least it should) the kind of "life" and relational connection that nothing else in the world can.

In short, we don't have to be afraid of the economic challenges around us.  This is where the church can really thrive!!!  Where else in these crappy times can people turn for hope, help, and true community???  Non-Christian historians in the 2nd & 3rd centuries remarked at the churches ability to provide and care for its members and the larger community.  They marveled at the reckless generosity of the early church.  One historian remarked that "among the Christian church, there are no poor...everyone with need is taken care of..." 

This is when God can shine!!!  This is where he can demonstrate what his church can be!  When investments dry up, jobs are lost, and the future seams uncertain and bleak...this is where God does some of his greatest work!  I'm fired up to see what he will do.  Let's dare to be continually generous and care for those around us.  God will give us enough resources to meet the needs around us...trust that.  Together, we can see God do incredible things!  Who can you help this week?