Missio Dei Suburbia

Why Are We Fasting?

This Sunday is the fifth Sunday that most of the people in our church have fasted from food or other things from naps to playing video games as we spend time seeking God's direction for our church. It has been an uncomfortable and beautiful journey so far - one in which clarity begins to bloom in the midst of waiting for something...

It's that something that's raised the most questions - Why are we fasting? What are we expecting to happen?

Funny how things come together - as I'm writing Sunday's sermon from Mark 11:1-25, I think that Jesus in his perfect timing is about to explain why he has us skipping breakfast and lunch and showing up in a gym to pray and come to the Lord's Table...something about fig trees not blossoming and faith and hope still clinging to God.

If you're wondering 'why' and 'what' about fasting - click here and read chapter 2 of Piper's A Hunger for God.

Piper on Hospitality

Here's a link to the video and manuscript from John Piper's sermon last Sunday. Here's his thesis paragraph:

...if it’s true, as I tried to show in the message on singleness, that God’s family, that comes into being by new birth and by faith in Christ, is more central and more lasting than families that come into being by marriage and procreation and adoption, then how that spiritual, eternal family—the church—relates to each other—married and single—is a crucial witness to the world that our lives are oriented on the supremacy of Christ and that our relationships are defined not just by nature, but by Christ.

Where I've Been

Last Sunday afternoon, I drove to Birmingham with Jared Bryant and Aaron Slaten, who are on staff with me at the soon-to-be Christ Community Church (we changed the name from Christ Church Presbyterian - that's a whole other post). Given that our church is still in the start-up, creative, entreprenural phase, we needed to get some time together and brain storm and plan for the future of the church (more on that later). It also gave the three of us some time to hang out and eat way too much food together. We also found out that Jared talks non-stop in his sleep which is why he never talks in real life and that Aaron will be struck down by God if a razor ever touches his face. That last sentence is as totally fabricated as Floyd Landis' Tour de France victory, which the cool kids tell me is a bike race. I used to have bike races on my Mongoose when I lived in Montgomery - good times.