A Theology of Brokenness

I was first exposed to this when I bought the Ambassador's album "The Chop Chop" a couple of years ago now. I have just been reminded of this afresh in the last month or so as God has been humbling me (breaking me) and reminding me of just how dependent I am upon Him. In the Gospel of John, it says that those who bear fruit, God prunes so that more fruit can be born. The end result is beautiful, in that God is glorified and the believer experiences true joy in Christ. But the process...whew!

Listen to this sermon track. I have also tried to copy most of the words below.

A Theology of Brokenness by Pastor Eric Mason

If you are going to walk in the implications of the Gospel, then you’re gonna have to be married to the understanding of the principle of brokenness.

Brokenness is the mark of a person that is qualified to be used by God. But at the end of the day people that are being used by God in a crazy way, in an off the meter way are people that have been cracked at, who have been lunged at by God and God has done something to them.

Broken can mean…
Shattered
Crushed
Maimed
Devoid of arrogance
Disabled
Crippled
Distressed
Fractured
Handicapped

Brokenness, based on the Scriptures, is the spiritual state by which one is disarmed of one’s self dependence and pride, therefore leaving one disabled and in desperate need of help, thereby making one a viable conduit for the glory of Christ.

In Training

This September I will once again be running on behalf of Sunshine in the Chicago Half Marathon. (If you would like to join me, check out the Flashlight). Last year I didn't start training "seriously" until August. However, this year I am starting now. I am watching my diet (except for the cookies and milk), I am lifting much more consistently, and I have begun running along the lake again. Lord willing, I will be in better shape come September 12th this year. We are looking for more runners to run for Sunshine this year. Would you be interested?

Seek To Show Hospitality Audio

As many of you know I recently preached a message on Biblical Hospitality at two different churches. It was recorded at City Lights International Assembly on Sunday June 6th. If you are interested in listening click here.

I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to share this message, and humbled by the way God worked! It was definitely all Him!

Got Faith?

During my vacation, I have been thinking and praying about a couple of different "themes" that God seems to be pressing on my heart. One of those themes is the importance of faith.

In a few days, I will be fully immersed in another summer season of ministry with Sunshine. This will be my 9th summer of ministry with Sunshine! I am excited for it to begin. However, at the same time I am challenged by the thought/question of what I expect God to do this summer. I am convinced that He wants to do big things in us and through us. Sadly too often I limit His largeness. It is so easy to slide into what is comfortable, and to be content with small prayers and small results. I don't want that to be the case this summer. I want to seek Him for big Kingdom impacting things, and I want to serve Him with fervency and anticipation.

Sometimes I am guilty of looking at others who are in ministry and thinking "I wish I had that type of faith." Or I look at the believers in the book of Acts, and think wouldn't it be great if God did that today. The thing is, He still can. God has not changed. His Holy Spirit is still alive and active. The men and women and the Bible are no different than you and I. As Pastor Chan reminded me James 5:17 states, "Elijah was a man just like us." In "Crazy Love" Chan states, "As chronicled in Hebrews 11, the God that the people of faith served is the very One we serve." Later he adds, "When you pray, your prayers are heard by the same God who answered the Moses' prayer for water in the desert, the God who gave Abraham and his barren wife a son, and the God who made the slave Joseph second in power only to Pharaoh (pg 116)." Do I believe that? Do you?

I am also in a season/situation in my personal life where I am not in control. In other words, "my hands are tied." I have no choice but to trust God. There isn't another option. This is hard. This is stretching. The following words out of Francis Chan's "Crazy Love" really resonates with me. He states, "This place of trust isn't a comfortable place to be: in fact, it flies in the face of everything we've been taught about proper planning. We like finding refuge in what we have already rather than in what we hope God will provide." Whew! That is rocking me right now.

The Bible states in Hebrews 11:6 it states, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Lord I believe, help me in my unbelief.

Seek To Show Hospitality

The next two Sundays I will be preaching a message on the topic of Biblical hospitality. Here is my sermon outline thus far. I have greatly enjoyed studying this mark of God's people. I covet your prayers as I share this message with God's people on the next two Sundays.

Seek To Show Hospitality
Romans 12:13 = Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

(1)The Meaning of Hospitality

Hospitality = Greek word = philoxenia = love of strangers


(2)The Mandate of Hospitality

Hospitality is to be a mark of both…
a) Church Leaders
• 1 Timothy 3:2
• Titus 1:7-8

b) Church Laypersons
• Hebrews 13:2
• 1 Peter 4:9

(3)The Motivation for Hospitality
a) His grace
• “God’s grace calls for gratefulness, and gratefulness calls for a welcome of the stranger.”

b) His example
• The Table Fellowship of Jesus

(4)The Metamorphosis of Hospitality
a) Missional Transformation

b) Personal Transformation

“The practice of hospitality is an alternative to a life focused on consumption and materialism. God lends us our homes and possessions to use for Kingdom purposes, not just for our own comfort and entertainment. Hospitality ensures that we maintain a right relationship with our possessions.”
David Anderson “Unleashing the Family” pg 427


“Hospitality must be relearned and activated if we are going to reach the nations in our cities.”
Dr. David Anderson in “Hospitality in the City” pg 243

“God’s mission in the city is much larger than seeking the transformation of the poor or strangers. His purpose is to transform all the people of the city, including the people of God. God brings us together in the city for mutual transformation. The Spirit is changing all of us into God’s likeness. This makes openness to change essential for the Christian who seeks involvement in ongoing transformation. Only in this state of embracing vulnerability and accepting change as a gift can a person begin to welcome others. The person who does not want to change cannot afford to welcome others.”
Mowry pg 118

Vision Trip

I just had the opportunity to spend 5 days with my Grandpa and Grandma Clark in Simi Valley CA. My grandpa is now 93 years old, and my grandma turned 85 this year. They have been married for 64 years!! The last few years, I have made it a point each spring to fly out an spend time with them (and my other family in Simi - love you guys!). I didn't really grow up near my dad's parents, so I have always looked forward to our yearly time together.

My grandparents met in church. My grandfather was serving a military term in England, and while there he visited various churches to preach and sing. On one particular outing he sung and preached at the church of a young Phyllis Joyner. She played the organ and he sang, and let's just say they caught one another's eye:) She would eventually move back to the states with my grandpa and they would serve in ministry together for over 4 decades. He pastored 4 different churches in Michigan. He was a passionate proclaimer of the Word of God (he did it with a sparkle in his eye), and each of his churches shared his passion for missions work. My grandma continued to play the organ, raised a family of three (including my dad), and blessed each congregation with her selfless love and intercessory prayer. My grandparents have never had much, but they have always had enough. They never owned a nice car. They never had an extravagant home. However, they would be quick to testify of God's faithful provision for them. One thing that has always been evident to me is that my grandparent's possess the joy of the LORD. They love the Lord, they love people, and they love to laugh.

My grandpa's health is declining now. His mind is still sharp (especially his Scripture knowledge), but his body is breaking down. It was honestly hard for me to see this up close this time. I realize it is a part of life though. In the midst of this, I was so blessed to see my grandparent's interaction with each other on this trip. My grandma now serves my grandpa each meal on his couch, as it is difficult for him to make it to the kitchen table. She makes sure that he takes his various medications (and she is stern with him when needed if he is stubborn). Each night she helps him get into bed, and tucks him in. There are also times where she has to help bathe him after a humiliating episode, and let him know that things are okay. My mom made a comment to my grandma about how challenging this must be. My grandma responded in her own cute way, "this is what we do, for better or for worse." As I sat watching TV with my grandpa the other day he told me, "God has blessed me with a great helpmate. I am blessed." As I listened to my grandma tuck him in last night he thanked her and said "God bless you."

64 years of marriage, 4 decades of active ministry service, 3 kids, 8 grandkids, and a growing number of great grandkids. They also have numerous ministry relationships that span many years and geographic locations. My grandparents have lived for Christ and they have lived for others, and God has been so faithful to them. I continue to take note of their life. I too desire to have a best friend, a teammate in ministry and family (keep praying y'all, I'm getting closer:)). I also aspire, by God's grace, to have their enduring joy in the Lord and faithfulness and longevity in service to the King. I am thankful for the example of my grandparents, and for this recent visit that proved to be a "vision trip" for me.

The Beauty Of The Body

On Sunday April 25th I worshiped and preached at New Hope Church of SW Michigan in Lawton MI.

On Sunday May 2nd I worshiped and presented at Glorious Light Church in Chicago.

On Sunday May 9th I worshiped and celebrated Mother's Day with my mom at Lawton Evangelical Mennonite Church in Lawton, MI.

On Sunday May 16th I returned to worship at my home church in Chicago, Christ Bible Church.

Tomorrow (while on vacation in California) I will worship at Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley California.

Next Sunday (May 30th) I will be worshiping and preaching at Living Hope Neighborhood Church in Richmond, California.

Sunday June 6th I will be worshiping and preaching at City Lights Assembly in Chicago.

All of these churches are very unique. I love all of them! Some of the churches that I mentioned above are predominately white and some are predominately black. One of the churches is a multi-cultural church plant, and one was planted by a Nigerian missionary. Each of them are seeking to make a "glocal impact" - meaning they are committed to reach their neighborhood and the nations. Each worship service is different (different songs, different styles, different service lengths, etc.). Individually and collectively they are a beautiful picture of the body of Christ.

I am thankful for this 7 week journey and for the opportunity to celebrate Christ with my brothers and sisters at these different assemblies. It is a beautiful thing to realize that amidst our differences we are all One underneath the banner of Christ.

Some day I want to get all of the above churches in one arena for a joint worship service! Wouldn't that be crazy? Wouldn't that be beautiful?

Playing It Safe?

I am re-reading Francis Chan's "Crazy Love." It is a book that God has used to challenge me greatly, to examine my love for Christ, to re-think generous giving, to continuously check my comfort level as I follow Christ. I was reminded of this youtube clip of Pastor Chan in which he likens many of our lifestyles for Christ as "straddling a balance beam." I think, especially given our American Dream influenced Christian culture that we live in, this clip is a good challenge to self-examine whether or not we are playing it safe.

Thoughts??

Something Was Missing

I recently attended a 3 day preaching workshop at a church in the west suburbs of Chicago. It was a gathering of pastors and ministry workers from all different denominations and churches. Some of the men were from the Chicago area, and some had travelled quite a ways to get there. The main sessions were excellent! The breakout sessions were very helpful and engaging. Overall, I had a great experience at the training and learned some valuable tools that I can implement in my own preaching and teaching. However, something bothered me each day I was there and as I drove away from the training on that Friday.

Here is what bothered me. This was a meeting of multiple church leaders from various denominations. This was a conference located just outside of a large metropolitan area (a metropolitan area that is racially and culturally diverse). However, the conference attendees were 95% white and all of the main session speakers were white. The worship was VERY white.

If this conference was in an area that is predominately white, then fine. If this conference was for a certain denomination that is predominately white, then fine. This was not the case though.

Right now the world is becoming increasingly urban, and cities are becoming increasingly multi-cultural. The Church is growing rapidly in South America and Africa. In the US, although it is reported that the church is dying, ethnic congregations are growing (check out the book The Next Evangelicalism if you don't believe me). Given these current realities, I don't think we should ever settle for homogeneous gatherings - especially interdenominational gatherings in metropolitan areas. It is an incomplete picture of the body. We miss out on opportunities to learn form one another and to celebrate our cultural differences and our unity in Christ.

As John Piper states, "Christ died for a diverse bride." Just look at Revelation 5 and Revelation 7 at the beautiful scene of Christ's multi-ethnic bride worshiping together in heaven. If this is God's heart, should it not be ours?!

As the Church in this generation we must care about this! As the Church in this generation we must God to allign our hearts with His "All-Nations" perspective and "All-Nations" compassion.

I don't write this post to bash the conference I attended. If fact, in a loving way, I wrote a smaller version of the above post on my evaluation. I just want Christ's bride to make Him look good. This is an area where I pray that the Church in this generation will rise to the occasion. Let's be learners, and let's be lovers of all nations.

Returning To The Blogosphere!

I haven't done an update in a minute. I have been busy, as we have finished the school year. However, I do have several "blogs in the hopper." They will be forthcoming. I am heading to California today, and it is going to give me a lot of much needed time to pray, rest, reflect, journal/blog, etc. I thought I would share this short 1 Minute Sermon that is worth checking out. Enjoy!

Safe Families

I just posted a blog update on our Sunshine Ministry blog, the flashlight. Please pray for us on this new ministry journey!!

A Legacy Of Love

Last night my Grandma Wilson (my mom's mom passed away) peacefully at around 9pm. She was 85 years old. The last 3-4 years of her life had been challenging ones for her with ongoing health issues that made getting out of bed each day a painful experience. Although her body continued to deteriorate in her latter years, her mind was as sharp as ever. I will miss my grandma very much, but at the same time I am thankful that God took her home yesterday.

Over the last few days, various memories of my grandma have been on my mind. There are many things that I admire as I think about my grandma, but I think her greatest legacy will be her love. She loved my grandpa, she loved her kids, and she loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren (and even her great,great-grandchildren). You could not visit grandma's house without knowing that you were loved.

I grew up within walking distance (or a short drive) of grandma's house. It has always been one of my favorite places to visit! I never left with an empty stomach. I loved dinners with her and my grandpa, and watching television while eating popcorn and coke. In addition, my grandma always made sure that the house was "stocked" with milk and oreos when I came to visit.

When I moved to Chicago and began working in ministry here, my grandma became one of my most faithful supporters (with her prayers, her love, and her financial giving). She refused to send her checks to Sunshine, because she wanted to ensure that I got every penny:). Each month, she sent me a little card with her monthly check. Although she never totally understood how her grandson who grew up in Paw Paw came to love Chicago and serve in ministry there, each time I would see her she would make it a point to tell me "she was proud of me and what I was doing."

This past week I was able to visit with her on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, before she slid into a coma late Wednesday afternoon. I will always cherish that visit. She was very frail and very tired, and continued to go in and out of sleep. However, during the moments she was awake she was very sharp and grateful for everyone who was there to visit. I was able to tell her that I loved her, and she told me how much she loved me and how much I made her smile. I was even able to joke with her as I always had. Just before lunch time some friends of hers visited who happened to be musicians. The man brought his harmonica and his small guitar. We all surrounded my grandma's bed and he played hymn after hymn about the hope we have in Christ. I could tell that my grandma greatly enjoyed the songs. We then circled up for prayer, lifting up my grandma and trusting the Lord for his will to be done. It was a very emotional time for me. Later that afternoon, my grandma slid into a diabetic coma.

My grandma had a peace about dieing, a peace that only came because of her faith in Christ. She was ready to go home to be with her Lord. My grandma was never one to be outspoken about her faith in Christ. However, she lived her faith out loud. You could see the love of Christ in her countenance, and in the love she showed to everyone she met. You could see the love of Christ in her hospitality and in the love you felt when you were at "grandma's house." I rejoice in the fact that she is no longer suffering, but rather worshiping in the presence of King Jesus!

I will always be grateful for the relationship I had with my grandma. She was such a special lady! I will miss her SO much!

Low Expectations

Yesterday morning I had the opportunity to spend time with our Bridge Builders group (89 college students here for the week) as they had a chance to meet two pastors who serve nearby us on the south side. My intent heading into the morning was to do a brief orientation with the group and then to leave. However, after staying and hearing Bishop Peecher share I decided to stay with the group for their time with Pastor Brooks as well. God was definitely sovereign in orchestrating my time yesterday morning. I heard two amazing testimonies of the power of God displayed on behalf of His people through two pastors and two churches. Both men shared how God did the impossible on their behalf. It both inspired me and caused me to reflect on what I am believing God for. Do I believe that God can do amazing things in and through me, through Sunshine, through my church (Christ Bible Church), etc?

This morning I read a daily devotional from "Experiencing God" by Henry & Richard Blackaby entitled "Raising Our Expectations." It states, "Too often we settle for much less than what God wants to do through us. We read in Jeremiah 32:27: 'I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?' and we answer, 'No Lord." Yet, when we face difficult situations we begin to qualify our belief in God and lower our expectations of what God will do. It is one thing to God could perform a miracle in the Bible, or a thousand years ago, or even in the life of a friend; it is quite another matter to wholeheartedly believe God can do anything He chooses to do in our lives!" Later, it asks the following questions: Do you sense there may be far more that God wants to do through your life than what you have been experiencing? Ask God to show you what it is, then be prepared to respond in faith and obedience to what He tells you.

These last couple days of experience and reading made me want to re-visit a question that Floyd McClung threw out for the new year, "What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?" If I'm honest, I don't often think, dream, and pray for BIG things. I too often articulate a faith in a BIG God while asking and expecting "normal things" to happen. I want to grow in this area, dreaming big dreams, praying big prayers, and trusting in a big God.

Lord I believe, but help me in my unbelief. If I could quote my dear and trusted brother from the Bay, "You feel me?"

A Few Minutes

The following is a video of Francis Chan responding to the persecution of Christians that is currently going on in India. It is hard to watch, but I would encourage you to watch it all the way through. When you are finished, I encourage you as Francis does to spend a few minutes in prayer for the Christians in India. This really puts things in perspective.

Keep Praying, Keep Giving

Our young people are raising money all this month for kids their age in Haiti. This has kept the tragic events in Haiti on my mind, as we continue to talk about it, continue to pray for them, and continue to raise money. I have prayed that even as the media and the cameras shift their attention elsewhere, that we "the Church" would not be quick to move on. The road to recovery is going to be a long one for the people in Haiti, and we need to stand with them. The relief agencies, the development organizations, and the Church in Haiti need our ongoing prayer support AND they need our generous giving. Last weekend at camp we focused our attention on 1 John 3:16-18. This passage makes a direct correlation between Jesus display of sacrificial and selfless love on the cross, and in turn our response in showing sacrificial and selfless love to others. We cannot separate the two. They go hand in hand. Verse 17 states, "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no compassion (compassion always leads to compassionate acts) on him, how can the love of God be in him?" The recent events in Haiti serve as an "in our face" opportunity to BE the Church and to respond with compassion. I am so encouraged by our young people at Sunshine who "get it" and are giving generously and praying sincerely about this!

The following is a video that was produced by "Churches Helping Churches" (a non-profit organization that was started by Pastor James McDonald and Pastor Mark Driscoll in the days after the quake to assist churches in Haiti) entitled "Who Will Rise Up?"



This second video was produced by Reach Records for a song entitled "Far Away" written by Lecrae. He performed it live at a Hope for Haiti event in Minneapolis. All of the proceeds from the song and from their Hope for Haiti t-shirts will go to relief and development work in Haiti.



This 3rd video, is a song written and produced by Kirk Franklin entitled "Are You Listening?" It features an all-star cast of gospel artists. All of the proceeds from this song will also go to the relief and development efforts in Haiti.

Flashlight Update

I just posted an update on our ministry blog, the Flashlight, entitled "Still Sore From Camp." We were at Sunshine Cove this past weekend for our annual winter camp retreat. It was a great weekend!

The Flashlight

I am now doing the updates for our ministry blog at Sunshine entitled, "The Flashlight." I have done a couple of updates in the last two weeks, and I hope to update it a couple of times a month. Click on the link above to check it out!

We Can Be More

This is just another example of how God is working in and through the art form of hip hop for His Glory!



Check out the first single "We Can be More" (Ft. JR), from Sho Baraka's highly anticipated sophomore album Lions & Liars! Get it now on i Tunes

Everyone wants love. Everyone needs love. Everyone at some point has expressed or experienced love. However, love is so misunderstood and abused. With "We Can be More" Sho attempts to communicate love from a perspective that goes beyond the contemporary views of lust and selfishness.

For another taste of what you can expect from the Lions & Liars album, check out Sho Baraka's Revolutionary Died video. A revolution is coming 3.30.10

Don't Waste Your Life

I first was introduced to the Don't Waste Your Life concept in the summer/fall of 2008 when I read John Piper's book entitled "Don't Waste Your Life." It was around that same time that Lecrae released his single by the same title. The video for the song is show below, and his lyrics are just below the video. The beginning of a new year is a good time to think about how we are "spending" our life, or in other words what are we "devoting ourselves to?"



I know a lot of people out there scared they gone die
couple of em thinking they'll be livin in the sky
but while Im here livin man I gotta ask why
what am here fo I gotta figure out
waste my life/ no I gotta make it count
if Christ is real then what am I gone do about
all of the things in Luke 12:15 down to 21 you really oughta go and check it out
Paul said if Christ aint resurrect then we wasted our lives
well that implies that our life's built around Jesus being alive
everyday I'm living tryin show the world why
Christ is more than everything you'll ever try
better than pretty women and sinning and living
to get a minute of any women and men that you admire aint no lie
We created for Him outta the dust he made us for Him
Elects us and he saves us for Him Jesus comes and raises for Him
Magnify the Father why bother with something lesser
he made us so we could bless Him and to the world we confess him
resurrects him so I know I got life matter fact better man I know I got Christ
if you don't' see His ways in my days and nights
you can hit my brakes you can stop my lights
man I lost my rights I lost my life
forget the money cars and toss that ice
the cost is Christ
and they could never offer me anything on the planet that'll cost that price

Suffer Yeah do it for Christ if you trying to figure what to do with your life
if you making money hope you doing it right
because the money is Gods you better steward it right
stay focused if you aint got no ride
your life aint wrapped up in what you drive
the clothes you wear the job you work
the color your skin naw we Christian first
people living life for a job make a lil money start living for a car
get em a house a wife kids and a dog when they retire they living high on the hog
but guess what they didn't ever really live at all to live is Christ yeah that's Paul I recall
to die is gain so for Christ we give it all he's the treasure you'll find in the mall
Your money your singleness marriage talent and time
they were loaned to you to show the world that Christ is Divine
that's why it's Christ in my rhymes That's why it's Christ all the time
my whole world is built around him He's the life in my lines
I refused to waste my life he's too true ta chase that ice
heres my gifts and time cause I'm constantly trying to be used to praise the Christ
If he's truly raised to life then this news should change your life
and by his grace you can put your faith in place that rules your days and nights

Ten Things To Think About In The New Year

I recently was challenged to think more intentionally about this new year by a good friend's (Allan Greig @ Africa Revolution) blog entry. This short list was actually sent to him by a Pastor/Missionary out of Cape Town, Floyd McClung. Here are ten questions to think on as you continue into 2010...

1. What’s one way, you could utilize time, to increase your enjoyment of God?

2. What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

3. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?

4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?

5. Who are three people you can disciple more intentionally?

6. What is the most helpful way you can build community with a few other followers of Jesus this year?

7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

8. Who is the person you most want to encourage this year?

9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

10. What single thing can you plan to do this year that will matter most in ten years? In eternity?


Shout-out: This picture is for you Gus aka Pastor Aaron!