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The secret of the church then and now is not a remarkably gifted individual like Saul (or someone as uniquely gifted and talented as you). The secret to the blessing and health of any church is Almighty God. Period. It’s not you, it’s certainly not me, or anyone else we are tempted to think is indispensible to the cause.

Paul, Swindoll (72)

There was no church yesterday due to Memphis being one big ice rink. So we got together with some other families in the complex to worship God.

People . . .

My new assignment has placed me smack-dab in their path. Yeah, I know. People are everywhere. But, what I do now puts me in an uncomfortable position. I engage.

I step onto a porch, knock on a door, look someone right in the eye, and engage. It’s exhausting and exhilirating.

Before, most strangers that crossed my path stayed at a safe and comfortable distance. Now, I seek out complete strangers to talk to (usually in Spanish).

It’s scary. “If knocking on a stranger’s door doesn’t scare the crap out of you, then you’re not human.” a wise sage once said.

And it is good. It’s good because it is a part of the journey that God has called us to live. Also, it’s good because I am learning to stop relying on myself and start walking in His Spirit.

This really happened.

It’s 6:30pm on Wednesday evening and we’re in a BIG rush to get to church.

Me: Lori, you need to get out to the van now! Everyone is waiting.

Lori: (Holding her stomach and grimacing) But, Mr. Ryan, can I stay home tonight? My stomach hurts.

Me: Sorry, but you have to go.

Lori: But, I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!

Me: Go get on the van. You can use the bathroom at church!

Lori: Eeewww! I’m not gonna poop at church! That’s a sin!!!

As we drove past Arkansas Skatium on our way home from church, one of the girls had this comment to make:

Girl: Man, I’m a pro at ice skating. I look like that Chinese woman. What’s her name again?

Me: Michelle Quan?

Girl: Yeah, that’s the one. The first time I went ice skating, I didn’t think I could do it. But, I got out there and started flying like a swan.

Wow.

Here is a list of things that I believed at one time or another about God and myself. Some are of more consequence than others.

What about you? Share some of your busted myths in the comments.

- God isn’t cool with having fun.

- God expects me to get dressed up for church.

- Knowledge of the Bible equals a relationship with God.

- I should say ‘bless you’ after someone sneezes because ‘That’s what Jesus would do.’

- I can be good enough.

- If I don’t capitalize the word ‘God’ I will be smote.

- If I don’t read the Bible and pray everyday, God gets mad.

- I have to earn God’s acceptance and love.

A friend emailed this to me last week. You can find it at http://marshillchurch.org. My favorite part is the third paragraph. What do you think?

When it comes to doctrine, culture, preferences, traditions, lifestyles, politics, behavior, etc., Mars Hill Church takes a “closed-hand/open-hand” approach. The closed hand hangs onto the non-negotiable tenets of Christian orthodoxy: sin is the problem, Jesus is the answer, the Bible is true, and Hell is hot.

The open hand, however, allows room for differences when it comes to secondary matters; we liberally allow freedom for conscience and wisdom to guide where the Bible is silent. The open hand fosters unity among the diversity of expressions found in the Mars Hill congregation: Democrats and Republicans, soccer moms and indie rockers, carnivores and vegans, trendy bohemians and Microsoft nerds.

Hence, Mars Hill Church is in favor of good beer (in moderation), great sex (in marriage), and even tattoos (Jesus has one). But our goal must always be love and concern for our friends so that we don’t enjoy our freedom at the expense of their faith.

In this way, we are seeking to simultaneously heed the Bible’s commands to have sound doctrine (1Timothy 4:16; Titus 1:9, 2:1), to love our Christian brothers and sisters (1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 4:7-21), and to avoid unnecessary divisions (Romans 16:17; 1 Corinthians 1:10, 12:25; Titus 3:10).

Today, on the God’s Politics blog, Shane Claiborne posted a great article about ‘reimagining’ Christmas. Here’s an excerpt:

A few years ago I remember a pastor friend telling me they tried something a little different for their Christmas services. Instead of the usual holiday décor and clutter of the sanctuary, they brought in a bunch of manure and hay and scattered it under the pews so the place would really smell like the stank manger where it all began.

Read the full article here.

My good buddy Adam Copeland is a Marine currently serving in Iraq through spring of 2008. He just posted this entry about the church. It’s good stuff.

This is where we got to Church. It’s in Surco, Vista Alegre . . . about a 20 minute drive from our house. It’s kind of small. We like it a lot. Right now we are teaching a Sunday School class in English. Jeff and Judy Hughes started this class and we are filling in for them while they are in the U.S.

The pastor right now is preaching verse by verse through the whole Bible. It’s so good! Right now we are still in Genesis. We cover a chapter or two every week.