This evening I was talking with my oldest daughter–a second grader–and she was tellling me about clouds and the weather. It's been the subject in her science class the past few weeks.
"Daddy, the weather was really, really warm today, it was pretty windy, and the humility was really high."
"The what," I asked?
"The humility was high."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yeah," she said, pausing "the hudminity, or whatever it is that makes things sticky."
I had to laugh. A simple variation in one word radically changed the meaning of the whole conversation.
What a different world we would live in if the humility was high. There'd be a lot less aggression and more peace; less hatred and more forgiveness; less arrogance and more kindness; less revenge and more mercy. We'd be more willing to admit we were wrong, and we'd be less self-absorbed.
In Philippians 2:1-4, Paul writes, "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
Paul then urges us to become more like Jesus and follow in his steps by quoting an ancient hymn called the Carmen Christi (Phil 2:5-11). This hymn describes Jesus' willing descent from the splendors of heaven to a life of humble service and an outcast's death, but ends with his triumph over death and his reinstatement as LORD of all.
In other words, Paul is telling us that the way of humility is the path to becoming more like Jesus.
So thanks, Kiddo, for that reminder to be more like Jesus. And I pray that your life will always have high humility.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
The Lord Is In The Hiring (Anchor House Update #5)
It's been a couple of weeks since my last update, and I hope you are well. We've been pretty busy in the Feldbush household and I just haven't felt like writing when I've had the down time.
Now, I figure it's time I catch you up to speed on what's been going on with Anchor House. We've met twice and are getting ready for our third worship time tomorrow. Our times of worship, reflection on Scripture and fellowship have been wonderful.
Our numbers have been small, six at both gatherings and at first I felt kind of discouraged that more of the people I had invited hadn't shown up. But God sent some encouragement through my friend Bill who reminded me that numbers don't "mean a thingh...just that the LORD is in the hiring...
all that to say that when you're running a house church, you're likely to have to wrestle with such variedness..."
I like that phrase, "the LORD is in the hiring."
As a pastor, you start to determine your success based on the numbers of people who show up. I mean, look at the book of Acts. Thousands are converted at a time and God adds to their number constantly. And when, only a few show up, it must mean that I'm not successful.
But I've gotta remember "the LORD is in the hiring." I read that to mean God is the one drawing people to himself, and the people who come are the ones he wants there. My responsibility is to be faithful as a pastor and offer the Bread of Life to those who do come.
Growth will happen, but it's gonna take time and I need to learn patience. The church we find in the book of Acts didn't just spring up in the 10 days between Jesus' Ascension and Pentecost. There was 3 years of Jesus working day in and day out with the 12 Disciples. Yes, there were the crowds, but they were fickle, hanging on his every word one day and abandoning him the next (see John 6) So I guess I'm not in such bad company.
It will take time for the core group to develop and discover how to live in community together. And then when the growth does happen we'll be ready for it.
Jesus said that when even 2 or 3 gather in his name he is present, so I take comfort knowing that even though our numbers are low, Jesus has been with us and, really, what more can I ask for?
The LORD is in the hiring. Thanks, Bill, for that reminder.
And a great big thanks to everyone who has been praying for Anchor House these past weeks. I really appreciate it!
Peace In Christ
Mark
Now, I figure it's time I catch you up to speed on what's been going on with Anchor House. We've met twice and are getting ready for our third worship time tomorrow. Our times of worship, reflection on Scripture and fellowship have been wonderful.
Our numbers have been small, six at both gatherings and at first I felt kind of discouraged that more of the people I had invited hadn't shown up. But God sent some encouragement through my friend Bill who reminded me that numbers don't "mean a thingh...just that the LORD is in the hiring...
all that to say that when you're running a house church, you're likely to have to wrestle with such variedness..."
I like that phrase, "the LORD is in the hiring."
As a pastor, you start to determine your success based on the numbers of people who show up. I mean, look at the book of Acts. Thousands are converted at a time and God adds to their number constantly. And when, only a few show up, it must mean that I'm not successful.
But I've gotta remember "the LORD is in the hiring." I read that to mean God is the one drawing people to himself, and the people who come are the ones he wants there. My responsibility is to be faithful as a pastor and offer the Bread of Life to those who do come.
Growth will happen, but it's gonna take time and I need to learn patience. The church we find in the book of Acts didn't just spring up in the 10 days between Jesus' Ascension and Pentecost. There was 3 years of Jesus working day in and day out with the 12 Disciples. Yes, there were the crowds, but they were fickle, hanging on his every word one day and abandoning him the next (see John 6) So I guess I'm not in such bad company.
It will take time for the core group to develop and discover how to live in community together. And then when the growth does happen we'll be ready for it.
Jesus said that when even 2 or 3 gather in his name he is present, so I take comfort knowing that even though our numbers are low, Jesus has been with us and, really, what more can I ask for?
The LORD is in the hiring. Thanks, Bill, for that reminder.
And a great big thanks to everyone who has been praying for Anchor House these past weeks. I really appreciate it!
Peace In Christ
Mark
Monday, April 9, 2007
Good Friday Reflection (Anchor House Update #4)
The final post that originated as an email sent to family and friends regarding Anchor House. It was written on April 6, Good Friday, 2007
Today we remember the greatest gift ever given to humanity–the death of our Lord. His enemies and detractors hoped they were getting rid of a thorn in their flesh once and for all. After all, "He saved others, but he can't save himself," they thought.
His closest friends had all but abandoned him, scattered like frightened sheep when he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before. His mother stood helplessly by, watching her precious boy suffer agonies beyond description. As the weight of the world pressed down on him, he even felt abandoned by his Father. "My God, why have you forsaken me?" he pleads. Creation itself mourns the suffering and death of the Creator as the mid-afternoon sun gives way to the blackness of night and the thunder booms and the earth quakes as Jesus breathes his last.
Living 2000+ years later, and having the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, it's easy to skip over the feelings of complete shock, dismay, and abandonment experienced by the disciples. To them, in that moment, it was not "Good Friday." Their hearts were broken. They were left reeling, fearing for their lives. The corpse of their best friend lying in a cold tomb.
If this is where the story ended, the death of Jesus would simply be the story of one more good man, misunderstood by the powers, who died a martyrs death for a good cause.
But the story doesn't end there. Early on the first day of the week, God again breaks into history, Jesus is given back his life, he appears first to the women who so faithfully cared for him, then later to his best friends who mistake him at first for a ghost until he eats some fish just to prove to them that he was flesh and blood. Love had conquered death. The power of sin was broken once and for all. The hope and assurance of life everlasting was given to all who would believe in Jesus, accepting the grace and forgiveness that he offers to each one of us.
As the prophet Isaiah, put it, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).
Now looking back through the lens of this reality, we can call that Friday, Good Friday, knowing God was making everything right again between himself and humanity. The Mountain of the Skull, now becomes a Mountain of Mercy, where the crimson, perpetual tide cleanses our hearts and souls. (Imagery from the song "Beautiful Scandalous Night" by Derri Daugherty and Steve Hindalong.)
The hope that Jesus offers to us through his death and resurrection, is the hope that is the cornerstone of Anchor House. It is the hope of forgiveness instead of condemnation; the hope of new life instead of death; the hope of being reconciled to God instead of being rejected by him. It is the hope that brings us boldly before the Throne of Grace, with Jesus our Intercessor.
Tomorrow, Anchor House will meet for the first time at 2:30 p.m. It is my deepest desire that Jesus, and Jesus alone will be glorified as we meet; that he will work in us and through us to be beacons of that hope shining in the world around us.
Thank you everyone for your continued prayers. May God richly bless each of you.
Peace In Christ,
Today we remember the greatest gift ever given to humanity–the death of our Lord. His enemies and detractors hoped they were getting rid of a thorn in their flesh once and for all. After all, "He saved others, but he can't save himself," they thought.
His closest friends had all but abandoned him, scattered like frightened sheep when he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before. His mother stood helplessly by, watching her precious boy suffer agonies beyond description. As the weight of the world pressed down on him, he even felt abandoned by his Father. "My God, why have you forsaken me?" he pleads. Creation itself mourns the suffering and death of the Creator as the mid-afternoon sun gives way to the blackness of night and the thunder booms and the earth quakes as Jesus breathes his last.
Living 2000+ years later, and having the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, it's easy to skip over the feelings of complete shock, dismay, and abandonment experienced by the disciples. To them, in that moment, it was not "Good Friday." Their hearts were broken. They were left reeling, fearing for their lives. The corpse of their best friend lying in a cold tomb.
If this is where the story ended, the death of Jesus would simply be the story of one more good man, misunderstood by the powers, who died a martyrs death for a good cause.
But the story doesn't end there. Early on the first day of the week, God again breaks into history, Jesus is given back his life, he appears first to the women who so faithfully cared for him, then later to his best friends who mistake him at first for a ghost until he eats some fish just to prove to them that he was flesh and blood. Love had conquered death. The power of sin was broken once and for all. The hope and assurance of life everlasting was given to all who would believe in Jesus, accepting the grace and forgiveness that he offers to each one of us.
As the prophet Isaiah, put it, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).
Now looking back through the lens of this reality, we can call that Friday, Good Friday, knowing God was making everything right again between himself and humanity. The Mountain of the Skull, now becomes a Mountain of Mercy, where the crimson, perpetual tide cleanses our hearts and souls. (Imagery from the song "Beautiful Scandalous Night" by Derri Daugherty and Steve Hindalong.)
The hope that Jesus offers to us through his death and resurrection, is the hope that is the cornerstone of Anchor House. It is the hope of forgiveness instead of condemnation; the hope of new life instead of death; the hope of being reconciled to God instead of being rejected by him. It is the hope that brings us boldly before the Throne of Grace, with Jesus our Intercessor.
Tomorrow, Anchor House will meet for the first time at 2:30 p.m. It is my deepest desire that Jesus, and Jesus alone will be glorified as we meet; that he will work in us and through us to be beacons of that hope shining in the world around us.
Thank you everyone for your continued prayers. May God richly bless each of you.
Peace In Christ,
Spring Cleaning & The Spiritual Life (Anchor House Update #3)
Another post that was originally sent via email to friends and family regarding the Anchor House church planting adventure.
Last Sunday (4.1.07), the weather forecast called for rain most of the day, so instead of continuing my project of replacing windows at Stepping Stones Learning Center (www.steppingstoneslc.org) where my wife works, I opted to clean the kitchen. And I mean clean the kitchen. I took the knick-knacks off the tops of the cabinets and washed them down. Got out the gallon bottle of ammonia and poured it into my wash water and wiped down the dust up there. The dust on the cabinet above the stove was particularly stubborn as the grease from cooking made quite a sticky mess, so I had to break out the Oops, an industrial strength cleaner and de-greaser. I also pulled out the stove and refrigerator and was attacked by an army of dust bunnies. The floors got washed, the dust bunny army was vanquished and everything returned to normal in our kitchen. In short this was a Spring cleaning that was several years in the making.
"That's nice," you're saying, "But I thought this was about Anchor House. Not your home chores." And yet, it is about Anchor House.
This process of a thorough cleaning is really what the spiritual discipline of accountability or confession is all about. Getting our spiritual lives in order by the grace of God and the support of our brothers and sisters in the church. Accountability is a vital aspect of 2 of our core values at Anchor House. Spiritual Growth (or Discipleship) and Authentic Christian Community.
If we are to experience growth in our spiritual lives, we must be willing to pull out the refrigerator and mop down back there, we'll need to get the Oops and clean out those stick messes that we find. But we are not alone in this process. We have a few close brothers or sisters to help us, encourage us and for whom we can help and encourage as they sort through the junk in their lives. I believe this is what James meant when he wrote "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16).
As we learn to be accountable to a few people, it becomes easier to share our lives in authentic community with a larger group of brothers and sisters. Christian community, I believe, means sharing our lives, our time, our resources as a way of strengthening and building up the body of Christ. Together, we are stronger than we are alone.
Thanks to all of you who have expressed an interest in this adventure and who are praying for us!
Peace In Christ,
Last Sunday (4.1.07), the weather forecast called for rain most of the day, so instead of continuing my project of replacing windows at Stepping Stones Learning Center (www.steppingstoneslc.org) where my wife works, I opted to clean the kitchen. And I mean clean the kitchen. I took the knick-knacks off the tops of the cabinets and washed them down. Got out the gallon bottle of ammonia and poured it into my wash water and wiped down the dust up there. The dust on the cabinet above the stove was particularly stubborn as the grease from cooking made quite a sticky mess, so I had to break out the Oops, an industrial strength cleaner and de-greaser. I also pulled out the stove and refrigerator and was attacked by an army of dust bunnies. The floors got washed, the dust bunny army was vanquished and everything returned to normal in our kitchen. In short this was a Spring cleaning that was several years in the making.
"That's nice," you're saying, "But I thought this was about Anchor House. Not your home chores." And yet, it is about Anchor House.
This process of a thorough cleaning is really what the spiritual discipline of accountability or confession is all about. Getting our spiritual lives in order by the grace of God and the support of our brothers and sisters in the church. Accountability is a vital aspect of 2 of our core values at Anchor House. Spiritual Growth (or Discipleship) and Authentic Christian Community.
If we are to experience growth in our spiritual lives, we must be willing to pull out the refrigerator and mop down back there, we'll need to get the Oops and clean out those stick messes that we find. But we are not alone in this process. We have a few close brothers or sisters to help us, encourage us and for whom we can help and encourage as they sort through the junk in their lives. I believe this is what James meant when he wrote "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16).
As we learn to be accountable to a few people, it becomes easier to share our lives in authentic community with a larger group of brothers and sisters. Christian community, I believe, means sharing our lives, our time, our resources as a way of strengthening and building up the body of Christ. Together, we are stronger than we are alone.
Thanks to all of you who have expressed an interest in this adventure and who are praying for us!
Peace In Christ,
Anchor House Update #1
This initial post comes from a couple of emails I sent out to family and friends when I was planning to plant a new church. I'm sharing it here for those who are new to the whole Anchor House adventure.
I last worked as a pastor in 2003. Even though I've been working as a carpenter for the past 3 1/2 years, I haven't stopped feeling that at some point, God would open the doors for me to get back into ministry again. I believe that time is now.
For several years I have dreamed of a smaller, more intimate church that could be easily replicated; where every member was encouraged to grow as a devoted disciple of Jesus; where the Christian life was lived together in authentic Christian community; where Jesus is worshipped as Transcendent Lord of All and loved as our Brother; where each member was actively encouraged to discover how their spiritual gifts fit into the church and how to use those gifts as a leader in the body of Christ.
This past January, I had breakfast with Raj Attiken, President of the Ohio Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and shared my dream to plant a church built on these core values. He liked what he heard and gave me his blessing to go ahead with this new worshipping community.
The name of this new worshipping community is Anchor House and the name comes from Hebrews 6:19-20 which says, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf." Thus, Anchor House is to be a church community that lives out the hope we find in Jesus Christ.
We began meeting Easter Weekend (Sat. April 7). It was a small gathering, just six of us including my wife and 2 daughters, but the Spirit of God was present and we had a wonderful time of worship, reflection of John 15:1-17, Lord's Supper and fellowship meal. We will continue meeting each week and God will bless, no matter what happens.
Let me close with this text from Matthew 16. Jesus has just asked his disciples who he is: "16 Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'
17 Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.'"
Verse 18 tells us that it is Jesus, and Jesus alone who will build his church, and the rock foundation is the confession that He is Lord. We are not the ones who make the church succeed or grow, we are merely the laborers Jesus calls along to be his hands and feet on the earth. And this is most certainly true for Anchor House. Yes, I believe God has given me this dream and called me to this work, but on my own... well, it just wouldn't get off the ground.
Blessings to each of you this week!
I last worked as a pastor in 2003. Even though I've been working as a carpenter for the past 3 1/2 years, I haven't stopped feeling that at some point, God would open the doors for me to get back into ministry again. I believe that time is now.
For several years I have dreamed of a smaller, more intimate church that could be easily replicated; where every member was encouraged to grow as a devoted disciple of Jesus; where the Christian life was lived together in authentic Christian community; where Jesus is worshipped as Transcendent Lord of All and loved as our Brother; where each member was actively encouraged to discover how their spiritual gifts fit into the church and how to use those gifts as a leader in the body of Christ.
This past January, I had breakfast with Raj Attiken, President of the Ohio Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and shared my dream to plant a church built on these core values. He liked what he heard and gave me his blessing to go ahead with this new worshipping community.
The name of this new worshipping community is Anchor House and the name comes from Hebrews 6:19-20 which says, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf." Thus, Anchor House is to be a church community that lives out the hope we find in Jesus Christ.
We began meeting Easter Weekend (Sat. April 7). It was a small gathering, just six of us including my wife and 2 daughters, but the Spirit of God was present and we had a wonderful time of worship, reflection of John 15:1-17, Lord's Supper and fellowship meal. We will continue meeting each week and God will bless, no matter what happens.
Let me close with this text from Matthew 16. Jesus has just asked his disciples who he is: "16 Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'
17 Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.'"
Verse 18 tells us that it is Jesus, and Jesus alone who will build his church, and the rock foundation is the confession that He is Lord. We are not the ones who make the church succeed or grow, we are merely the laborers Jesus calls along to be his hands and feet on the earth. And this is most certainly true for Anchor House. Yes, I believe God has given me this dream and called me to this work, but on my own... well, it just wouldn't get off the ground.
Blessings to each of you this week!
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