Church Visits
For the past two Sundays, I’ve been away from Life Pointe. I miss it. But, I have enjoyed being a face in the crowd, seeing how other churches do church, and meeting some new people. So far, I’ve attended Crossroads Community Church (Lawrenceville, GA), Mountain Lake Church (Cumming, GA), and Robert Church of God (Robert, Louisiana). Before I come back and we start up our Revolution series, I thought I’d give you a run down on my church experiences elsewhere:
Mountain Lake Church
Gary Lamb and Dale Henderson are always talking about Mountain Lake Church. So, I had to check them out. We went to the 4:30 and 5:45 services on Saturday night.
Carol Jones, their Children’s pastor gave us the tour and answered all of our questions. Shawn Lovejoy, the lead pastor was friendly and hospitible just like everyone else that we met there. David Putnam, the Executive Pastor started a new series called "Minimum." It was about doing less so you could be more. I was especially glad to hear David. He co-authored "Breaking the Missional Code" with Ed Stetzer. We had a decent conversation before we left. I hope to make it back in February for the Church Planters conference.
Crossroads Community Church
I had planned on going to North Point Church in Alpharetta. But, it was closed on New Year’s Eve. Our backup plan was to go to Mill Creek Community Church at the Mall of Georgia (a theater church like Life Pointe) but it was closed as well. I guess the churches were closed to give people a break to hang with family…not a bad idea. The attendance at Life Pointe was really low the last two weeks with people like me and others out of town.
So, we ended up at Crossroads Community Church in Lawrenceville for the 11 AM service. It was jam packed. We ended up sitting in the lobby with about 200 people. The music rocked and everyone was engaged. There was a real depth to the experience. They highlighted some of their funny moments from 2006 via video and two hosts. Then, Dan Reiland spoke. We got to chat a bit.
It was a good morning especially since I also ran into some college buddies. We went out to eat afterwards and really enjoyed ourselves. I did not expect to have such a great experience. Their website really undersold the significance of who they are. I went in expecting a good service in a medium sized contemporary church (200-300 people) and found people stacked everywhere on a very rainy holiday weekend.
Robert Church of God
Robert Church of God is where we spent Christmas Eve. Kelly’s dad, Carl Webb pastors this church about 45 minutes from New Orleans and Baton Rouge. It is a great church where everyone is received like family. It is a traditional church that makes you really like traditional church.
I always look forward to our visits to this church. You can expect people to find iout about who you are. There are no strangers. I hope you enjoy the pics and can feel yourself there with me.
Book Review: Plastic Jesus
Plastic Jesus is a good conversational book written by self professed metrosexual, ex-football player, human sexuality professor, and teaching pastor, Eric Sandras. The whole metrosexual/football fanatic seemed like a contradiction. But, I’m dealing with it, especially since I enjoyed the book.
I’ve just recently finished "The Jesus of Suburbia," a similar book. Like I’ve written before, I tend to binge on like topics until I can’t take anymore. Eric does a great job of cutting through the pretense of Christianity, the plastic facades and encourages followers of Jesus to abandon the manicured exteriors of suburban Christianity to embrace authenticity in relationship with Christ and others. 
One of my favorite parts of Eric’s book was his retelling of a ministry trip to a small village church in Brazil accessible only by boat. This small church building was absolutely packed and this village was receiving the Gospel of Jesus. At the height of of this spiritual rich moment, the crowd parted and a woman who was well known in the village approached the altar with her six year old son. The boy was paralyzed on his left side.
Eric described how he was positive this boy would be healed. As he prayed, it became obvious that the boy would not be healed. Eric’s faith had turned to doubt as he questioned how God could allow this woman and boy to be shattered this way.
In some kind of turning point in the way Eric would live, he broke from his pastoral persona and told the lady that he did not know why God did not heal the boy. But, as "waves of love for the boy overwhelmed him," he said, "I do know that God loves you." Eric goes on to share the story of this woman and boy and how the woman had felt nothing but abandonment in her life. This woman left repeating over and over how amazed she was the God loved her. While she experienced acceptance, Eric experienced doubt about who God was.
This experience sums up the contradictions of the faith in Jesus Christ that Eric has experienced and shares that the Bible has called us to live. According to Plastic Jesus, faith in Christ is a commitment to a depth of experience with a God that has not been totally figured out and a rejection of compartmentalized, orderly, and success-oriented suburban Christianity.
I enjoyed it and would recommend it to just about anyone regardless of their spiritual location.
Merry Christmas
From the budding metropolis of Robert, LA, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Kelly, the girls, and I are spending some time with Kelly’s family. We missed the Life Pointe crew very much on Christmas Eve. But, we are very thankful for our team in Miami that keeps the train moving down the tracks so we can recharge.
The change of pace has been enjoyable. But, I miss the rhythm of Miami and the church family that has come to mean so much to us. This Sunday, Earl Cushman, the pastor at World Harvest in Pembroke Pines and the Multi-cultural Ministries Director for the Churches of God in Florida will be finishing our Christus series on Apokolypsis (or "What Will Happen We Jesus Comes Back to Earth for the Second Time").
The
n, get ready because January 7th is going to start with a bang. We have 25,000 New Year’s Mailers hitting Homestead during the first week of 2007 to promote our Revolution Series. This will be a personally challenging series that I am very much looking forward to leading. Let’s start it out right by inviting some "Revolutionaries waiting to happen." If you bring them, they will get an engaging, in-your-face Sunday to start out the New Year. We’ll be hitting on four issues most people wish they could get a handle on: Time, Relationships, Money, and Habits.
Until the next time…keep doing what you guys do, serving the King and serving one another.
John Smulo – Christus II – Present Tense Jesus
John Smulo came in this weekend to speak on Present Tense Jesus (mp3) at Life Pointe. You can subscribe to the LPC podcast here. I had a great time giving him the $2 tour of Miami. The side effects are that I haven’t had any sleep this week. But, sleep is optional. Enjoy a couple pics from the boat. The first pic is my "little mama." The second is Dr. Smulo in the flesh.
New Readers
I want to say welcome to the Planter Planet, Jimmy Hammond, Bernabe Belvedere, and David Boggs readers who are finding their way over here.
Take a second to check these guys out. You should especially check out David Boggs, my redneck college buddy from Louisville, KY. Planter Planet is an aggregation of Church Planting blogs where you can find content like the Christmas Eve in Canton video (as seen on Hannity & Colmes) from another redneck pastor, Gary Lamb. Thanks to John Chandler for adding me there.
On Hospitality
Perhaps, the greatest key to fulfilling Christ’s command to go and make disciples is practicing hospitality. It is an act of mission, not as a means to an end but as a characteristic of the Christ transformed life.
- Hospitality is a missional practice.
- It is required of bishops.
- It is a charge for the church.
- It is a godly practice.
- It is an act of worship.
- It is a blessing for the giver and receiver.
- It is an act of grace.
- It is needed for the spreading of the message of Jesus.
- It is a sign of wisdom and maturity.
- It should especially be shown to refugees in a strange land.
- Hospitality should be shown to friends and strangers alike.
- It should be practiced cheerfully and without grumbling.
In the Garden, we see God walking and sharing with Adam. In speaking to the church at Rome, Paul encourages the church to hospitable to strangers (more specifically meaning to have "a love of strangers") going as far as lodging them in our homes.
At Out of the Cocoon, Paul Walker quotes from "The Shaping of Things to Come" how hospitality awakens spiritual hunger. In the book, Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch call us to "Be extraordinarily loving : unrelenting kindness and
radical hospitality speaks louder than words. By this we are not
thinking of a pious, holier-than-thou attitude, but a much deeper and
more profound love that connects with an alternative and
counter-cultural reality.
Andrew Hamilton at Backyard Missionary had a series of posts on ministry in suburbia. They focused heavily on hospitality. Andrew takes a look at our proximity, regularity, depth, conflict, the message, and the supernatural (see post 1, 2, 3, and 4). His words are worth considering as we show hospitality to our neighbors.
It seems that our interaction with Christ, having been received by Him should naturally produce a hospitable heart in us. But, it doesn’t. Living a hospitable life is a challenge to begin. Hospitality can be challenge. It takes us out of our comfort zones. But, it is good and right and beautiful.
Other blogs engaging in discussions on hospitality:
PGF Outbox: Markus Watson on Hospitality – Al Hsu: Hospitality in Suburbia – Greetings from the Experiment House: Eating Together –
Thank you for the links
It’s always nice to get a new link from another blog. When someone thinks I have something worth sharing with their readers, I notice and am appreciative. So, thanks for the links, fellas.
Check each of these five guys out:
Friend of Missional
Adrian Warnock
Steve Wright
Church Marketing Sucks
Clint & Heidi’s Blog
A Poem on Transformation
We had another Baptism at the Bay Sunday after our morning service. We talked about the baptism of Jesus and what it meant. We sat in the sand and shared how we came to Christ. Josh came to Christ through Valarie. Another Josh came to Christ and then lead his mom to Christ. It was great baptizing both of them on the same day.
Melinda came to Christ after a series of personal traumas and a persistent brother. In the last couple months, she has brought a lot of people to church. Through her, her father-in-law also made a decision to pursue Jesus. Melinda put her thoughts about her own baptism and transformation on paper and shares this:
Dec.10, 2006
My Baptisim
Beneath, below I buried that old me I know.
I buried her deep below.
I prayed that you would forgive my sin; I vowed not to take
Life for granted again.
Today I sealed my packed with you- and with my next
Breath you made me new.
I’ve laughed, and cried but did not realized, the pain
You endured to die.
To die for me, to rise up again, to be the fresh air I
Now take in.
Beneath, below you cleansed my soul- in me your purpose
shows,
Your love grows, your spirit flows- In Me Your Promise
Glows!
Awesome. The really amazing thing is how automatic the mission of Christ is to people like Melinda and Josh when they begin following Christ. When true transformation begins, mission is natural. It seems that the longer we follow Christ, the less automatic missional living becomes.
Christus 1 – Mere Man, Absolute God
Christus 1 – Mere Man, Absolute God
Subscribe to the life pointe church podcast here.
Steve Wright of the Hot Dog Church
In 1993, I was a sophomore at Lee University. Sitting in a chapel service, Dr. Conn introduced some guy who was leaving the staff of a large church to move to the Tenderloin District of San Francisco to start Providence Christian Center.
Steve Wright was one of those guys moving to the Bay. Since 1994, Steve has pastored Providence affectionately known as the "Hot Dog Church." Providence is a place where the poor can enjoy a good meal (hot dogs) and a message of hope (Jesus). It is bilingual and multi-site with a second location in San Pablo. It is a place where the mission of Christ is primary. It is a missional church living out the love of Jesus in most beautiful ways.
Steve leaves San Francisco in about a week to pastor an urban campus of Central Church of God. Steve is a guy you should get to know. I thought I’d pass out a link to his blog so you could get to know him a bit.
On Portability
Bob always has great stuff going on. It continues on His Momentun Conference blog as he interviews portable church pastors. I dig it. I especially dig his latest interview with Carlos Whittaker of Sandals Church in Riverside, CA. I don’t know much about Carlos. I do know he has a very symmetrical bald head, which is cool.
On Politics
A couple years ago, I made a decision not to push politics at all from the pulpit. That can be difficult for me personally at times. I’m a news junkie. I follow political news as much as anything. I have very formed political opinions. Some of them are formed from a Christian worldview. Those are my non-negotiables when choosing a candidate for whom to vote. Others are formed from my personal pragmatism. Those are my negotiables.
Ultimately, I believe that as our hearts are transformed by Christ, He will lead us in choosing who our leaders should be. We will filter our decisions through the values of Christ prioritizing our choices based on His stated values.
Non-negotiables for me include:
- Free speech/right to assembly.
- Sanctity of human life, especially life that cannot protect itself and is totally dependent upon people like me who will speak on behalf of the defenseless.
We rent space out in our church to other congregations because of the level of difficulty it is to secure meeting space and receive favorable zoning for churches wishing to buy land and build. I have several friends that pastor in Miami whose ministries are being run out of properties they own because they do not meet the 2.5 acre requirement for church zoning. Yet, you can find multitudes of groups that are free to assemble on small properties without excessive governmental interference. Such groups would be theaters, schools, daycares, elks lodges, veterans groups, restaurants, health spas, political groups, etc…
Free speech is a foundational right expected by every American. It is necessary for the Church to function similarly to how it presently does in America. Without free speech, other issues are unable to be advocated on an equal level with others. Still, I know that without free speech, the Church can continue to expand. When communist China kicked out the missionaries, killed national church leaders, and outlawed religion not sanctioned the State, the Church in China grew at a pace never seen before. It did this in the face of intense persecution.
My second non-negotiable is the sanctity of human life. Millions of babies are aborted annually. The government fights against genocide overseas. Yet, we endorse the practice of infanticide here in our hospitals. This is a big issue in America brought upon us by a group of unaccountable Supreme Court Justices. I will vote for a pro-life candidate every time when given the option. There may be nuances in our positions on the sancitity of life. But, I think Christians should find unity on this position.
When it comes to the negotiables: Capitalism, welfare, environmentalism, taxes, wars, citizenship, etc…, I think that as believers, we should make room for one another’s preferences, interpretations, likes, and dislikes. The community of God is not about the advancement of political agendas and controlling government. It is about being that hands and feet of Jesus Christ in our communities and around the world.
Follow My Conversations
If you are bored and would like to stalk me around the internet, you can follow my conversations on other bogs around the net by clicking here. You can also click on the CoComment
chicklet
on the left sidebar under "Blog Utensils."
On Continuationism
Dallas News shared a story yesterday about an ongoing controversy in the SBC as a result of a message preached by Dwight McKissic at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. During his chapel message, he made the comment that he had a private prayer language, a reference to a manifestation of Spirit Baptism found in the book of Acts. You can catch up on what is being said below. For the sake of this blog entry, I am want to write about my understanding of this practice. Tim Challies interviews Dr. Wayne Grudem and Dr. Sam Waldron to show each perspective. Its worth the read.
I am a continuationist. I believe that the Holy Spirit is still moving and functioning as He was during the Book of Acts and at the time the Epistles were written. I embrace the Charismata and see no Scriptural end to the gifts of the Spirit. I believe the Canon is closed. I have never spoken in another earthly language as the Spirit of God directed me. I do "pray in the Spirit and with understanding(1 Cor 14:15)." I am dependent on the leading of the Holy Spirit and also fully embrace the authority of Scripture. I do believe in miracles and the Scriptural manifestations of the Holy Spirit though I would have a more strict interpretation of 1 Corinthians 14 than most Pentecostals/Charismatics. I feel that both of those descriptors may be narrow or incomplete in their description of my doctrinal understanding.
I love and appreciate my pastoral friends who are cessationists. I do not have an affinity for a rejection of spiritual things that are simply rejected because they are too spiritually messy, inconvenient, or decentralized. Certainly, arguments can be made that "prophecies have failed, tongues have ceased, and knowledge has vanished away (1 Cor 13:8)." I think that is a legitimate theological perspective on the Scriptures. But, it concerns me when any Scriptures are marginalized because of our discomfort.
I thought I’d throw that out there so you can get to know me a bit better as well as sharing this journey the SBC is on presently. I hope you enjoy the conversations below:
McKissic’s letter to SWBTS – Dallas News – Burleson on McKissic – How It All Went Down – Wes Kenney: 1st Impressions – Restive Baptists Meet – Nathin Finn: Solutions
New Blog Linking Policy
The new policy is on my left sidebar. Reciprocal links. Check it out.
On Working Toward a Civil Conflict
The whole Mark Driscoll vs. People Against Fundamentalism (PAF) mess has me thinking about conflict. By nature, I thrive on conflict. I believe it is an area in which I’ve grown and still have some growing to do. Here are some of things I’ve learned on a much smaller scale than Driscoll. Of course, that doesn’t mean that I’ve mastered those principles.
CONFLICT OBSERVATIONS
- You will never meet someone you agree with 100% of the time.
- It is ok to be linked together with other Christians who approach life and ministry from very different angles.
- It is not okay to be linked with other Christians who stand in opposition to core Scripture.
- It is normal to have significant disagreements with someone else and never reach unanimity or even agreement.
- The Gospel does not require us to be clones of one another.
- When engaged in conflict, it is paramount to challenge ideas and respect people.
- Avoid continuously contentious people.
- Conflict passionately for the important things.
- Honor Christ. Honor the Scriptures.
- Don’t believe your own hype. You don’t know everything, see everything. You are not always right.
- Be willing to conflict for the people and ideas you are committed to.
- Stand up for the guy who is having difficulty standing by himself.
- Never stand up for someone who is unwilling to stand up for himself.
- Always stand up for the ones who are unable to stand for themselves.
- Commit to the principles of Jesus and live in His shadow.
- Disarm tense situations with kind words, even in the middle of conflict.
- Affirm your commitment for the people with whom you are in conflict. Make them feel safe even as you disagree with them.
- And when conflicting, you don’t have to win, compromise, or lose to end a conversation.
- And, in a direct commentary to PAF, you should never elevate your personal preferences or causes above the core cause of Christ. It is not our duty to attempt to humiliate every ministry that does not value our preferences or non-essential convictions.
I am learning daily how important it is to handle conflict well. Our approach to conflict is as important or more important than the outcome of conflict.
Disappointed in Seattle
If there is a pastor that I enjoy, it is Mark Driscoll, pastor at Mars Hill Church. His frankness, relevence, and fidelity to Scripture is very refreshing in an age where theology and honesty seem to have taken a backseat to pragmatism and political correctness.
Following his comments on Ted Haggard where he gave encouragement to men to guard their testimony and marriage, he caught significant heat because of a true statement that caused the people at People against Fundamentalism to be offended. They subsequently labeled him as mysoginistic and set out to accomplish three things:
- To alert the city of Seattle to Mark’s pejorative language.
- To see Mark removed as a religion columnist for The Seattle Times.
- To see a sincere apology from Mark for his comments and a pledge to cease demeaning women in the future.
First, it is incredibly disappointing that a "Christian Group" would set out to try a brother in the court of public opinion over an issue without first approaching him personally as Scripture dictates. Had they gone to him directly, I am of the opinion that this still was not an issue of sin. This was an issue of strong language/advice in the presence of a strong culture of permissiveness. It was pastoral advice to other young pastors who increasingly are struggling through personal moral failure. Mark spoke strongly to them while at the same time demonstrating great compassion for a fallen pastor and his family.
The fallout is that Mark, one of the few great voices for orthodox Christianity in Seattle has indeed been removed as a columnist for the Seattle Times. The city of Seattle has been alerted. But, it has also been alerted to the intolerance Christians have for one another, fully violating the indicator of God’s grace to the world. In this case, there is a whole city that now knows Christians not for their love of one another but for their disdain for one another.
Finally, Mark did apoligize to the group for using language like "chickified" when describing effiminate guys. Mark’s apology engendered an apology from Paul at PAF. Yet, Paul showed up at Mars Hill on Sunday with a sign that said, "Thank you for apologizing, Mark." I think the hypocrisy of this group of liberal critics is deafening.
So what if you think that Mark Driscoll or any other pastor uses language that you find offensive to one’s politically correct sensibilities? Does that give a fellow professing to follow Christ license to harm the cause of the Gospel in the public arena. Appeals for social justice are fair. But, they do not trump Scripture. We cannot afford to promote laws of our own liking above that of Scripture.
My concern and even frustration has little to do with my agreement with or affinity for Mark Driscoll. It has more to do with the family of God making tolerance for one another in areas of interpretive difference. Mark was speaking as a pastor/leader. PAF was acting as dissidents, critics, and public antagonist to Paul on behalf of a specific pet cause. This issue is hardly an issue of core Scriptural doctrine where Mark would be labeled as a false teacher. This was a pet cause of some cat in Seattle who had a bone to pick with a pastor. Rather than raising light to expel what he considered to be dark, he raised hell to expell Mark. The result is a black eye for the Gospel in Seattle, a town that could use some more strong, quirkly personalities to promote the Gospel and fewer wanna-be Rosa Parks minus the cause.
Mark Driscoll posts that tell the story 1 2 3 4 – Seattle Times article – Seattle Post-Intelligencer article – Bob Hyatt on the Driscoll Sitch – People Against Fundamentalism Blog and his columnist gloat & meeting with Mark (Paul closes comments here)
Thanks to Church Marketing Sucks for the mention and trackback. I’ll at least offer up my thoughts re: "How a church should respond" on the CMS blog.
Velvet Elvis
I just closed Velvet Elvis. It was worth the read. I’m not going to do a whole review kind of thing but, I will say I very much enjoyed Rob Bell’s story. I mostly enjoyed hearing his personal struggle through faith and church leadership. He’s a great story teller. I was captivated by his telling of Christ as Rabbi. The controversial part?! Doctrine. His liberty with core doctrines is just that…his liberty with core doctrines. They are true or they are not. The only controversial thing was its existence in his book…not the ideas themselves. They didn’t have the weight they needed to really be controversial. Actually, they seemed kind of like straw men.
I can’t watch movies twice. I can’t read books twice. I might be able to read this one again. It was motivational. I agree with Rob that the Christian faith needs to be repainted. The repainting that it is in need of is not due to poor theology. It is due to believers who choose not to follow, Christians who are self-consumed and selfish, and a church who quit trying to be covered by the dust from the sandals of Christ.
Nativity Church
Disadvantage of having church in movie theater = setup and teardown.
Advantage of having church in movie theater = showing the Nativity Story on Sunday AM.
Disadvantage of having mission minded people in church = can’t think of any
Advantage of having mission minded people in theater = they give up their seats so that someone else can watch.
Thanks to all the Life Pointe types out there who made today decent for someone wanting to grab a seat in service today. I didn’t think we would have 100+ that couldn’t get in.
How will you stir the waters?
Ed Stetzer shared some "Disturbing Trends in Baptisms" via the Knowing Church Fact File on the NAMB website. The problem? There were fewer baptisms in 2005 than 2004. This is a problem. But, it is not a problem for the Southern Baptist Church only. In 2004, the Church of God has for the first time in its history closed more churches than it opened. You can look at several church fellowships, denominations, and associations and find similar statistics.
There is a reason for the decline. The cause can be laid squarely at our feet. We are the reason. I’ll let you help me get more specific concerning cause. I really appreciate how Stetzer concludes with an optimistic, forward-looking heart. He says:
We can bemoan declining baptisms for another year or we can ask
ourselves several hard questions. Why do some churches reach people and
others do not? What can we learn from them? What passion have we lost?
What will it take to stir the waters of baptism once again?
What do you say? As a pastor, life group leader, Christian businessman, grandmother, student, or denominational executive (I’d love to see you respond) how will you personally stir the waters again? How will you more effectively share the transformative Gospel of Christ with your slice of the world? I think that’s a question worth discussing.
(thanks to Nathan Finn for the link.)
Subscribe to travisjohnson.net
Guys and Gals, if you’ve been reading my blog by clicking a link and checking to see if I’ve added an entry, you are so 2001. Subscribe to my feed and make your life easier. I track about 50 blogs daily ranging from missional church to marketing to blogger friends without having to click through a long list of blogs. I do it all at one site: newsgator. For you super-organized types, Newsgator allows you to create subfolders for your feeds so you can keep like content together as well as tracking keywords.
Also, if you are a blogger, consider showing some link love. If you have good content and link to me, I’ll reciprocate. Just let me know with a comment or an email to tjohnson at life-pointe dot com.
about
travis 2.0
-
Flickr Photos
More Photos 
twitter feed- pastortrav: My boy has kicked the crib to the curb. Tonight he's sleeping in his own bed...hasn't moved. That's the end of the crib in the Johnson casa.
- pastortrav: @scratchdough those are some pretty decent guys if I say so myself.
- pastortrav: @KeysTreasures :)
- pastortrav: @bibliata I just left Europe 2 weeks ago....had a blast. Would love to come back.
- pastortrav: @daveferguson that's really good stuff.
