Sacred Digital: Chuckk Gerwig

Much of "evangelism" in the last many years seems to have been riddled with cracks and fissures... questions arise as to how effective they have been... and are...but... Some things are brewing that may have an impact on a world power-walking away from Christendom. A new network of mission-focused and Scripture-centered leaders who desire change is gathering. It's so new it doesn't have a name yet. Dan Kimball and Erwin McManus are two of the cats at the core of it. I'll be looking into it as it unfolds. Check it out here.

Also on the horizon is the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism in Cape Town South Africa in 2010, it's going to be a gathering of Christian world leaders seeking how to best move forward in reaching this new world in this new time. The last World Congress in 1974 in many ways set the direction for how the people of that era were reached, this Congress will work on how to effectively reach the people of this time . If you think I should attend this gathering, nominate me by going to this link. No pressure but if you sense I should be part of this let them know. God knows if He wants me there or not - I'm cool either way.

More than all this, more than Congresses, networks, books and sermons... friends, pray for and spend time with people who are unconvinced about Jesus. Change your life to let this happen more this year than last, I beg you on behalf of Jesus. Jesus is savior alone, make Him visible personally, incarnationally, and regularly to your local daily world because the Mission matters and the Mission is you and I this day.

Our psychedelic themed series : The Experience is now complete. Our explorations of God's Word on experiencing Joy, Peace, Grace and Service are in the rear view mirror but available to be downloaded or listened to online free at our website's media vault and on iTunes. Elevation Santa Cruz podcasts are found most easily by searching Chuckk Gerwig.

This Sunday is a Worship and Communion celebration and then we launch the next series: Mortal Combat exploring the scriptures view of relational conflict and how to perform a HOLY headlock.

I'm stoked on the new series coming to E this weekend! Here's the official blah blah blah yada yada -

We mortals DO combat with each other as natural as breathing. Why is it that friends, relatives, lovers and family find themselves in conflict and discord? How do you manage the "challenging" people in your world? What does the Bible mean when it talks about the "flesh" in a believer's life? How do you learn the Samurai's art of honest self-examination? How do you confront others without all the fireworks, drama, relationship-nuke and pain? Come explore the art of Christ-like confrontation with us at Elevation. Mortal Combat opens this Sunday -March 15th.

On the Gerwig iPod: Steven Wilson - Insurgentes, the new U2 release and a bunch of Black Label Society. AND In my spare time - a friend loaned me his Xbox 360...uh oh time sucker brain eater...

Apple is ingenious, innovative and probably something else cool starting with the letter "I" but I don't do the 3 words starting with the same letter thing (you know this if you've heard me preach). Today Apple released a microscopic new iPod Shuffle that talks to you. Now that you too can be guided by voices, Joan of Arc Style.

On my non-verbal iPod: The new Chris Cornel album - Scream ...man that boy can SING.

The latest Elevation ad in the local alternative press rag The Metro looks like this, very iPod commercial vibe: Great work Nicole!

It makes me absolutely postal when someone's ultra-conservative post-biblical personal ideals, traditions and hoodoo get promoted as true core Christian values and virtues. So many Christians with so many extra-biblical ideas, so many whack jobs with mega-media exposure. There are so many legalists and folks with their extra rules making the way to Jesus seem so ugly, bland and bizarre.

Jesus pulled the trigger on a slow gun with dull bullets at Pharisees who sacrificed the gracious Word of Scripture for their post-scriptural personal preferences and traditions which they had codified into THE NEW RULES. (..."you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” - Mark 7:13). All these NEW RULES keep people from considering our amazing Jesus and that's bad juju.

Here's an article in Newsweek that made my skin crawl sideways - a little stomach bile shot up my throat as I read it. If you follow the links embedded in the article to the Quiverful folks they'll let you know THE NEW RULES i.e. if you intentionally choose to limit how many kids you have through contraception or vasectomy etc you're not being a good Christian, you're not trusting God. Every believer should be free to live their convictions in their own house but no one should add NEW RULES making them seem like biblical mandates for all.

Like I said Sunday night... they make these handy rubber dealies - too bad they don't work on crazy ideas.

ht: Ed Stetzer

I love my friends and church family so I write the following with a pastor's heart of compassion. Pornography is a destructive world-class Devil's Pit weapon. Truth be told the majority of men both Christian and not-Christian view pornography at some point in their lives. Many view it with regularity and find themselves in a shameful magnetic downward spiral that they both hate and enjoy. Funny, no one wants to talk about things like porn and masturbation even though they are common temptations and sins; maybe we're too polite to be honest and help each other grow towards holiness.

Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle has just released a free E-book that you can read online or download pdf. I challenge you to take 30 minutes to sit and read it if you are a guy or a gal who sometimes views porn, masturbates frequently or a parent of an adolescent teen boy - (As a 24 year youth worker I found that 99% of the Christian teenage guys I was working with had regular or sporadic bouts with porn / masturbation.)

As a pastor, my heart for my friends is that each person would examine themselves, move towards holiness and live honestly with one another in the area of sexual purity. Shame and secrets suck the joy out of life, the Truth sets us free. Get free, stay free - you are loved by Jesus even when sex sins drag you into a dark pit.

Also check out XXX Church for some EXCELLENT info, help and resources.

CALLING is a foggy concept. Church planting is trendy, exciting but MAYBE not for you, or maybe it is...Are you called? Another gem from that cat in Seattle.

There's been a lot of discussion, blogging, tweeting, book writing and carrier-pidegeon buzz about the decline of protestant and evangelical churches in America. The Catholic Church is also seeing closures and numeric decline here in the United States. CNN has an interesting article about the downward spiral. The other day a friend mentioned to me how she feels most people don't see churches as places for real spiritual help anymore. Food for thought, impetus for change. Be of good cheer, it's an exciting time to re-imagine Jesus' church for a new century.

Here's the latest ad for the Metro (the Santa Cruz alternative newpaper / magazine). Our goal with these is to simply become visible and vibe-erant to those who aren't aware of Elevation since they are not in the church subculture. This is my fav of all time.

This Sunday we explored the Art of Self Reflection in Conflict at Elevation. As an application we emailed the whole body a tool that my staff and I wrote to help the body invite God into the process of self evaluation.

An idea we found for saving on wasted printed materials (and more importantly trees) is to send a Constant Contact email flyer of these types of application projects so they arrive during the service and are ready for them to use when they get home. We use Constant Contact for all our E-mailings it looks great, is inexpensive and fast. In fact we've used it to such great extent that we have never yet "postal" mailed anything to our people. Here is the conflict tool, use it if it's helpful to you.

THE CONFLICT NAVIGATOR

First:Pray this Passage

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. - Psalm 139:23-24

Next: Ask yourself and / or Jesus a few questions:

What is the real issue Lord?

What started this problem?

Did I handle the conflict to the best of my ability?

What fighting style have I been using in this conflict?

How has my sarx (the sin nature) shown itself in this conflict?

How have I sinned in this?

What is my role in the solution and resolution?

Have I been absolutely truthful with this person and myself?

Have I retreated from the situation or person and not dealt with the issue fully?

Are words have I spoken to the other person that were unkind or harsh, what were they? Jesus, what do you ask me to do about this?

Jesus, what things would you say to the other person in the conflict if you were me?

Am I harboring contempt or bitterness for this person over another (unaddressed) issue?

How have my actions (overtly or covertly) harmed the other person?

Have I blown the conflict out of proportion and let it cripple / ruin our relationship?

Have I really considered their point of view?

What is their side of the story?

Am I more concerned with 'winning' than loving this person?

What more do I need to do to resolve the conflict / repair the relationship? What would you have me do next Lord?

Now LISTEN: Through the Word:

Ask God to speak to you through his Word and read:

Matthew chapters 5-7 Sermon on the Mount - Ask, “Jesus what do you want me to do, what attitude are you calling me to?”

Read this passage and ask if it is totally true of you in this situation or if you have more reflecting to do

Psalm 119:59 I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes

.

Finally: Plan a time and place to meet with the person about the issue

I have SND, social networking disease. I can be reached at Twitter as chuckkgerwig ...screen catchy name huh? I'm on Facebook too. I have a pavlovian response to status updates txts, emails and calls on my Iphone. Call the doctor, get me a shot - I'm a sick, sick man.