Semantics, or Verbal Acrobatics

This past week, a few of us have started to talk through the vision statement of the Gate. It leads us to an issue I have been thinking through for some time about how the church talks. We have some great words, like "salvation," "sanctification," "supplication," and those are just some of the "s-'s." The problem is that there are a lot of people in the church that don't know what some of them mean, let alone the people who are outside the doors. I'm not advocating dropping the words at all, but I do think a bit of explaination is necessary for non-regulars to to get an idea of what is going on.
An example: Some good friends of mine are computer guys. I've actually heard them joke about someone who "doesn't even know how much RAM he has." It wasn't me they were talking about, but it might as well have been. Conversations with them often turn to computer stuff. I'm with them up to a point, but there are some words I just don't know. I know bandwidth has something to do with the internet and not the waistline of the drummer. Sometimes I wish they would hand me a list of terms with definitions so that when they come up in conversation, I might be able to keep up.
Sometimes I think new people coming to a church might feel like me in a room full of computer techs. "What does that mean?" "Jesus was WHAT so that we could WHAT?" "Er, what kind of bandwith is Jesus running with?"
So, if some day our church has meetings like other churches, and you visit, I hope to have someone hand you a Glossary of Terms. As we talk of God and use those great, lasting, powerful words like Salvation, you'll understand what we mean.
But if you have computer questions...

Layin' Down the Law

Ugh. So here's the story of our lunch time today. I heated up some leftover pizza (always a favorite...or so I thought). Leslie asked if we could have a picnic in the playroom and since they were really sweet this morning I decided that was a good idea, too. Leslie sat down and I put Kenna's bib on her and sat her down as well. I then went into the kitchen to fix my lunch. It wasn't long before I heard Leslie, or "Little Momma" as we call her, tell her little sister "Kenna, sit down and eat!" I knew immediately what was going to happen. Kenna decided she didn't want to eat any pizza today. She had eaten ONE bite and thought that was enough. Well, I am NOT a short order cook, so Kenna was going to eat the pizza or nothing at all. Now something else you need to know is how much Kenna loves Winnie the Pooh. If he is anywhere in sight Kenna will spot the "cubby little tubby all stuffed with fluff". Now back to the story at hand. I had started a Pooh video for the girls right before lunch. So, I realize what my ammo is to make Kenna eat some more. Leslie finished her pizza. She asked is she could be excused. I told her she could and "why don't you go watch the Pooh video?" She responded, "OK!" and bounced off happily. Kenna thought she would get to go as well. This is where the battle began. I stopped her and told her she had to eat before she watched Pooh. The screaming that ensued was horrendous. I was in it now though. I had stated the law and now had to try my best to be consistent and follow through. (Sometimes that is the hardest part of parenting for me. I don't want to be the bad guy, but at times it is inevitable.) Anyway, she was being really stubborn which is a little strange since she is usually my laid back child. All she wanted was for me to hold her. I decided I couldn't give her what she wanted at that moment, so I ignored her. I got a load of laundry and put it in the washer while she followed me still screaming at the top of her lungs. After starting the washer I looked down at her and asked if she was ready to eat. She nodded and said, "uh huh." We walked back into the playroom, sat down on the floor and she ate 2 pepperonies. At that point I knew I had had enough and I was pretty sure she felt the same way. I wiped her tears, gave her a hug, and told her I was proud of her for eating more pizza.

So, how did I do? What would you have done in the situation? I'm open to comments and suggestions. Honestly, I'm just glad we both survived and I didn't scream or yell and loose my temper. I feel like I laid the law down in the end. She did eat more before she got to watch Pooh. Wasn't that the whole point anyway?

Counting the Cost

I recently saw the Dark Knight, and there was an interesting theme throughout the movie, for all the 'heroes.' It is one of sacrifice, of cost. Each of the protagonists faces a point where to continue in their mission is to face certain loss of something in the hope of victory over evil. The question that arises is, "Is what can be gained worth what might be lost?"

Jesus tells us in Luke 14 two parables about counting the cost. One has a man planning to build a tower and looking at his finances. The other is of a King about to go to war, who looks at the power and potential of his army. The moral in both being if you can't afford to build or to fight, don't.

When we first felt called to plant a church, we thought no cost was too high. This was vital, we had to do it, and if we did, we didn't care what it cost.

Multiple doctors visits, financial difficulties, and a year later, we often find ourselves regretting that we said that. We are barely starting and already so much opposition. Is it still worth it?

I don't think we'll know until its waaaay too late to back out. We're being tested, just like the heroes of the Dark Knight, and we may fail or succeed, but we have made a commitment to God. Its not easy, and we are in the relatively easy field of domestic church planting. What of believers who live in countries that outlaw Christianity? What of those who face martyrdom, or torture for their faith? Do they look at the possibilities for success as worth the cost?

Jesus concludes this passage by saying salt that has lost its saltiness is worthless. Huh? What does that have to do with counting the cost?

Everything. See if you foolishly pursue without considering how tough it can be, you get disheartened when it does get tough. You begin to give in, to quit, to die. You cease to be what you were called to be. You lose the saltiness of your salt.

So here we are, in the midst of the greatest challenge of our life. Will we lose our saltiness? Will we rise to the challenge?

In verse 33 of Luke 14, Jesus says we must be willing to lose it all to be his disciple. The hard lesson is that no matter what we fear we may lose it can never match what he gave up willingly on the cross. So yes, I believe, by His grace, we will endure, and we will rise. Not without our scars and wounds, but each of us who trust in Him will see Him. Your trial may be a mission, a church start, a struggle with sin, an uncertain future, an illness or any number of other things.

But take heart. He has overcome the world.

Mother - Hardest Job Ever!

Hey Y'all! This is Kristin. I figured since Chad wrote a post maybe I should too. I figured he will probably post about the Gate, so I'll be posting more about our lives in general. To start at the beginning Chad and I have been married 6 years. We have two little girls. Leslie is 3 1/2 years old and Kenna is 20 months. I am a stay-at-home mom. While I absolutely love it--it is the hardest job I've ever had! I'm thankful that God is allowing me to stay home with them. In NO way am I a perfect wife/mother. To prove that point I will let you in on what God has been teaching me the last week or so.

I have become a HUGE fan of the show "Jon and Kate Plus 8". As I watch in awe of how this family of ten relates to each other in their daily lives I realize Jon and Kate have given their children tons of fun opportunities. You see I have fallen deep into the "Selfish Mom Pit". I turn on the tv as soon as my girls get up in the morning and they watch HOURS of it during the day. I'm not talking like 2 hours it's more like 6-8 hours a day. I know this is completely wrong. I've had the attitude that I want to keep them out of my hair and quiet. As I watch Kate deal with 8 kids instead of just 2, God is showing me that I'm missing tons of fun, learning opportunities with my girls. So, now I'm trying to spend more quality time with them and enjoy the gift it is to stay at home with them during this busy, crazy, and AMAZING time in their lives.

So there you go. Just because I'm married to a minister doesn't mean I'm a perfect wife and mother. I just wanted to get that out early so people will see we struggle with the daily grind just like everyone else. One of our goals with this blog is to be completely real, honest, and transparent. We're not going to put on a facade. What you read is what you get. We desire to honor God more than anything else. Right now...I'm gonna take my girls outside to play in the sprinkler. I think that would make God smile. :)

Got a Story for Ya

A little over a year ago, Kristin and I (Chad) reached a fever pitch in our desire for something to give. Months, and in some ways years of questions, frustrations, fears, and longings came to a head. We were to start a church.
I don't know if you ever tried to start a church from scratch, but its not as easy at it looks. Unlike baking a cake, even if you have all the ingredients, how to put them together is no science, despite what some books and people tell you.
And then there's the little detail that all the ingredients are scattered about the country, and you don't yet know exactly what they are. So, the cake analogy becomes a scavenger hunt. Only finding what you want in the scavenger hunt often finds you reconsidering if that is what you really want or need. What we set out to be as a church was completely different by the time we moved to College Station, the site of our 'plant.' Gone was a desire to find funding, and be really structured. That was replaced by a very strong desire to just 'be.' Some call it 'organic,' we call it the Gate. Each step we take is into an unknown, we may rise or fall, go to the next level or step back. The things that remain are a desire to be a Servant Church and to engage and challenge the college students and young adults that most churches can't, don't, or won't reach.
See, we got to the place of being open to God's call to the unknown because we had grown bored of the lesser things that seem to bog down so many followers of Christ. Oh, we still do fall back into them, but we so hate to be stuck in that mediocrity of simply knowing about God and never encountering Him.
I guess this blog will be about that journey from here on out. It'll also be about our family's journey, and hopefully the funny stuff that happens to people who try new things.