Following Christ is NOT easy

You know being a Christ follower... a true, sold out, cross carrying,
born again follower of Jesus Christ is not easy. I mean come on...
isn't it much easier to only follow the parts of the Bible that we
actually like or not going to cost us anything? If we are going to
challenge the status quo... if we are going to be open to doing some
thing that is completely radical for the Kingdom of God... then guess
what... it is NOT going to be easy.

Lately, I have been studying my way through Ezekiel, because has
called me to do some things that is not very pleasant. He has called
me to address sin... ugly, arrogant, sin in some people's lives.
Frankly... I don't want to do it. Because like Ezekiel when God sent
him to that obstinate and stubborn house of Israel... he knew that the
Israelites where going to talk trash, talk smack about him. Matter of
fact, God gave Ezekiel a hard head, because He knew that Ezekiel was
going to have to deal with some stupid stuff. He knew that Ezekiel
was going to need endurance for the long haul.

To be a heretic is going to mean, that you are going to do things
that those that are pretending to be Christ followers... or those that
are just filling a pew seat on Sunday... might think is irrational,
might think you have lost your mind... they might think that you have
just plain gone insane. I told somebody the other day, that I would
just love for God to let me get comfortable for a little bit... I
would love to know at times what it means to be lazy when it comes to
being a Christian. But you know what... now that I have thought about
it... I wouldn't want it any other way. I have realized that God has
made me resilient for a reason. He has made me hard headed like
Ezekiel for a reason. Whether it is to plant a church... whether it
is to start a new missions ministry... whether it is go to a segment
of your city and to bring the Kingdom of God... Jesus came to give us
life... life abundantly. I don't think this life is one that is to be
boring.

Now get out there and make a difference for the Kingdom!

Ezekiel = God Strengthens

Since I started this blog, I have been going through a valley in my
own spiritual and personal life.

There are some things that God has called me to do... and I need to
get them done over the next few days. They are not pretty and matter-
of-fact, it is confronting some people on sin and calling them to
repentance and go over a path to reconciliation & restoration
spiritually, emotionally, physically and relationally.

Over the next few days, I will detaching a bit from the world while I
do this... this is something that is new to me... but some thing that
I must do. Sometimes, following God... and His calling on your life
is not fun, pretty... etc.

In preparation for this, God has had me hanging out and studying
through Ezekiel. In many ways, Ezekiel was a heretic to many. He went against the flow of things and challenged the status-quo.

Which is quite adequate since Ezekiel actually does mean "God's
strength".

I just ask you if God puts me and my family on your heart over the
next couple days to say a prayer for us.

I look forward to being back and even blogging about some of this
after the weekend is over with.

A Glimpse of the Future

I am reposting this from Lifechurch.tv's leadership and innovation blog...

http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/2009/01/30/a-glimpse-of-the-future/

Great video. This is not the first time I have seen this, but everytime... I ask myself how are we going to do ministry in the future?

Godsmac.com Podcast

In the last year or so, I became "friends" with Gabe Taviano from the website http://www.godsmac.com or follow him on Twitter [@godsmac] where he talks about faith and technology.  Although, we have never met in person, we communicate all the time through the different social medias... Twitter, Facebook, etc.  I have been a big fan of what Gabe has been doing through technology here in the Columbus, OH and online at his different blogs, social medias, etc.  

The other day, Gabe twittered me and asked if I would like to be on the 50th podcast to discuss some aspect about faith.  I gladly accepted and last night he released the 50th podcast where Sam Soffes [@samsoffes] from http://www.lifechurch.tv, one of the most innovative churches in America.  If you don't know about Lifechurch.tv then you need to check them out.  Personally, their Sr. Pastor, Craig Groeschel is a current day pastor that has made a HUGE impact on my spiritual and personal life.  Their Innovation Pastor Bobby Gruenwald has also impacted me to get me thinking and pushing the bar when it comes to innovations within the church.  

I would invite everyone to go to http://www.godsmac.com and download & listen to the 50th episode of their podcast.  Also, on Tuesday, February 3 @ 9pm we are having an online meeting of people that follow godsmac.com... we would enjoy you coming online there and praying with us, discussing with us faith issues and even what it means to follow Jesus in our day to day lives.  

Blog moving URL to maljr.com

Hey everybody, 

I am switching my blog over to it's own domain AND url...

so over the next few days the blog will be spotty but soon the new address will be

maljr.com

I am moving most of my entire digital world over to Google... most of it... calendar, contacts, email, web has been on Apple's MobileMe platform.  Soon I will be moved completely over to Google on my MacBook, iPod Touch, etc.  

Thanks!

Test blog post

This is a test to my blog from new email address

MLK and the Missional Church

This is some what of a follow up to my last post on change within the
American church. I just saw this article about Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. and the missional church.

Good article, especially the part on social justice within the church.

http://www.nationalministries.org/front_center_mlk.cfm