We are in the midst of a migration! I don't mean the migration of Canada Geese, or song birds, or even the impending annual movement of Maine Snowbirds to their wintering grounds in the land of the early bird special.

I'm talking about the migration of our church to the land of LLS, our movement into being a church all about Loving God, Loving People, and Serving the World.

As our church migrates into an LLS mission & method, what will LLS look like in a person's life? LLS will look like Inside Out Love: Love for God inside will move me to love people outside myself and to serve others inside and outside the church.

Discipleship moves along a predicable path. People sense that something is missing, they perceive God's love and call on their life and they respond by beginning a relationship with Him. In the early days of discipleship, the relationship to the church is almost incidental. A person's Christianity is a very personal thing at this time.

As the relationship grows, we begin to love the things that God loves, and God loves nothing more than people. So as we grow in love for God, inside, we find ourselves (sometimes against our will – just read about the disciples of Jesus), moves to love people outside ourselves and outside our comfort zones. This brings us to the place where our relationship with God loses its solitary nature, and becomes a relationship with God and with God's people.

God's not done with us yet. As we keep growing, in love for God and love for people, we're moved to express that love by serving others, whether that's inside or outside the church.

So where are you in that process? Have you ever taken a personal inventory of your own growth as a disciple? Have you considered if you are moving forward or sitting still?

If you'd like help in processing that question, shoot me an e-mail. We'll have coffee and talk about it.

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Monday was a big day for our family. It was the 10^th anniversary of the day my wife almost died. On October 8, 1997, when Justin was 3 ½ months old and Giovanni wasn't even a glimmer in anyone's eye, Tracey had open heart surgery to repair a congenital defect. The initial surgery went well, but later in the day, complications developed and by 5 p.m., Tracey was in a down hill slide that appeared to have a very rocky bottom.

As Tracey was failing, with blood pressure readings akin to those of a mannequin and the complexion of one of these young, trendy “Goth” girls, the physician's assistant in charge of her post-op care kept adding more and more drugs to raise her BP, to no avail. The nursing staff was sure that the surgical team would check on her in the morning when they made their rounds. I was sure that, without some intervention, I would be making funeral arrangements at that time.

I was confident that God was in control and I didn't really fear losing my wife. I was, however, quite frustrated that the medical staff didn't seem to know that this 29 year old new mother wasn't supposed to die that day. They seemed to be more concerned with not disturbing the on-call heart surgeon, and they were definitely concerned with not being pressured to call anyone for help by some layman.

God's concerns overruled theirs that day and my wife is healthy and happy a decade later, and even went on to have another child. But for quite a few hours, it didn't look like that was going to be the case. That's where God comes in.

At the time of the event, I just so happened to be pastoring a church, in which there just so happened to be a young physician from California, who just so happened to be completing a fellowship in the same hospital in Maine where Tracey lay dying. At the end of his shift, he stopped by the ICU to say hello. Despite cardiac care not being his specialty, he couldn't help but notice that she was in the express lane to check out (and I do mean check out!).

He asked questions, and wasn't thrilled with the answers so he stayed with me for about 6 hours. Around midnight, when Tracey was all but gone, our valiant young doctor stepped across a professional line and ordered the nurses to contact the on-call heart surgeon. The heart surgeon was only in the room with Tracey for minutes before rushing her off to the OR for her second cardiac surgery of the day, which saved the life of my precious and beloved wife.

Our young church member was disciplined by the hospital for interfering in my wife's care. Everyone agreed she was about to die, but nevertheless, policy is policy.

One of the reasons I love the Church is that it's not just a social network, or a support system (it is those things, but not only those things). It is very truly the Body of Christ, through which the Lord frequently accomplishes His work in our lives.

The people we worship with aren't merely acquaintances, or pew mates. They're not just the folks with similar enough zip codes, taste in music, and theological beliefs to land in the same building on Sunday morning. These are the people with whom we are growing in Christ. These are the people God is using to challenge us and spur us on toward Christ-likeness through our relationships with each other. These are the people whose words and hands and feet and hearts God will use to minister to us in the darkest and scariest moments of life and in the high points we celebrate together. The people you go to church with on Sunday, may prove to be the same people God uses to save the life of one you love on Wednesday.

Embrace your Church family, warts and all, because they are truly your family and they truly form the Body of Christ with you and for you.

Loving God, Loving People, Serving the World.

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“How do I get to know God without having to read the Bible?” That's a great question! There are many people in the world who will tell you all about God without you having to take the time to wade through the Bible. Some are quite trustworthy, others are very much wolves in sheep's clothing. The good news is that the wolves eventually get found out. The bad news is it may be too late for you by the time that happens.

There really is no substitute for reading (or hearing) the Bible for yourself. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Faith in God is a consequence of hearing the word of Christ; both the Word spoken by Christ, and the Word spoken about Christ. And those words are kept in the Bible.

Where do I begin? Not at the beginning! Why not, because countless people have gotten “bogged down in the begets” and have given up. Start with John's Gospel and look at how Jesus relates to other people, or if you're into action stories, start with Mark's Gospel, which has Jesus “on the move” and uses the word “immediately” a lot. Start with the Gospels and let Jesus show you what God is like. You can't go wrong there.

How do I, a mere mortal, interpret the word of God? Ask yourself some simple questions about what you're reading. Like, “Who wrote this? To whom was it written? What was happening at that time?” All this information is readily available on-line, or in the introduction to the particular book you're reading. Then ask yourself, “What would this have meant to the original audience?” When the Apostles wrote the Epistles, they did not have you in mind. They were writing to real people with real problems, doubts, questions, etc. who were given real answers. When we read those answers, before we start to extrapolate meanings for the 21^st century, we'd better try to get a handle on the what it meant to the intended audience in the 1^st century.

After we have a good handle on what it meant to the original audience, then it time for the most important question of all; “So What?” We have to answer this all important question because without it, we've only filled our heads with knowledge and not recognized God's guidance for our lives. Which brings us to the last issues; prayer and action.

Ask God to reveal to you the relevance of the text for your life, and then don't be surprised when He answers. After He answers, through scripture, the leading of the spirit, circumstances, or the voices of others, act on what He has revealed to you. That's the real sign of knowing God; acting on His will as you come to understand it.

And finally, ask questions.  Not knowing the Bible is the state in which we all entered the world.  No one possesses an innate knowledge of the Word, so don't be ashamed to ask questions.  People want to  help, because someone once helped them.  My dad used to say, "How can you ever learn anything if you don't ask questions."  Good point, Pop!

Happy reading.

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I've asked Frans to create this blogspot for me on our church website because there are always little thoughts that I'd like to share and have feedback about that would generate too much e-mail if sent out to our e-group.

This inaugural post is a system test, just to figure out the hardware, software, brainware.

We are bombarded with information opportunities everyday.  My goal in blogging is to promote thought/discussion on matters pertinent to spiritual life and the mission & culture of Compass Point Community Church. A hope that we can use this tool to share ideas and challenge ourselves and each other to grow in Grace and live out our mission; Loving God, Loving People, and Serving the World.

Grace and peace to you.

Ken 

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