25th August, 2008
Some Folks: Get A Grip!
You know what? I have spent literally thousands of hours on computer. Yep, that is right learning and programing, designing, and surfing. In last few years with all the blogging and bandwidth sharing through email and such, I can only say that some people need to get a grip! With the latest OMG stuff about if women should be ordained and how the COG is going to get through this last assembly without back-pedaling is absolutely ludicrous!
Some of these bloggers and email’s have finally got there soapbox and should I add a mic “on the GA floor” and guess what you should have been more courageous then. Your words of old “traditional” hoopla isn’t being held up anymore. You type like you are an aristocrat with long fingernails. Just tapping away on keys because you think you have something that will float in this 21st Century! Give it up! Heaven and earth are rejoicing in the formal outbreak of a radical generation who will not put up with the “false food” of bureaucracy that has choked the COG for years. If there is a dry taste in your mouth with some “crunchy” sensations that is just the dust you getting as you are being left behind to find that your salt has lost its savor.
I have read some blogs lately and I thought out loud: Why are these good, honest, and truly radical people reacting to some of the “literary chunk” that is being type and sent out on important bandwidth? Keep positive and don’t be getting into foolish disputes. Let those who live by the law get saved by the law! That is not possible! So let those who live by love get saved by love! Now that is possible, because God is love!
The “shift” spiritually is begun and there is no words nor mumblings that one can write or orate that will change what God has set forth before the foundations of the earth.
It is so interesting to draw from the history of the Internet and see how far we have come. Again, the bandwidth slows down with the “carnal” but thought to be ’spiritual” weight of words that are but a ripple in a vast ocean of real truth.
I will keep watching and reading, shaking my head, wondering from what planet these people come from!
Best
Dennis
Posted at 8:27 pm | Comment (1)
6th August, 2008
The Huggers
Today, as I was driving through the mountains of Santa Cruz, I felt the Holy Spirit impress a thought into my heart. Here in California, more precisely, Santa Cruz and Berkley, there is a university called “University of California” each campus ends with the name of the city it is attached to.
Anyway in both locations there are radical students that live in trees twenty four hours a day. The reason they are hugging the trees, per say, is to stop any developers who want to build on and bring needed change because of desired growth. This could be defined as the vision for the university’s have come to the level where new building will bring new growth and opportunity for higher education processes.
The Spirit of the Lord gently placed this thought: These are tree huggers but they are not hurting the heart of the Lord like “church huggers” are. Church huggers, those that move into positions in the church and refuse to move out of the way when growth is necessary and needed to bring higher spiritual application. The Lord is wanting to build on to His Church but the church huggers refuse to vacate their position. As we know the Holy Spirit is a gentleman. However, God is wise, He will find a place where “huggers” are not going to implant their demands on Him and there is where growth will be. Yes, they want to keep religious traditions and political aspirations. They claim ownership to what belongs to God Himself.
Sanballat and Tobiah were “huggers” (Nehemiah 2:9;4-6) and tried to stop the rebuilding of the Wall of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah did what needed to be done, built the Wall and would not debate nor come down to discuss traditions and policies. The Lord gave the direction and the mandate. Nehemiah obeyed and did not give into the “huggers” demands to hug! Because of the obedience and preparation the exiles returned and all the peoples of Israel were in their towns. (Nehemiah 7)
Church huggers need to go and stop “choking” growth and retaining religious “stuff”
Best
Dennis
Posted at 11:14 pm | Comment (0)
27th June, 2008
It’s Time To Be Radical
Have you ever thought about what is going on in this world today? Especially in America! With all the weather conditions that have broke the scales in records and continues to do so. The “great” falling away from the faith and the “lukewarm” attitude of most churches! Come on now these churches are of the Charismatic or Pentecostal persuasion. This is the summer for gatherings of church leaders to make decisions for the future of the denominations that they lead. What a time for radical faith to break out from the hearts of those leading and those being lead. What a sound opportunity is given to all those that call on the Name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, to move in radical faith.
This also declares that all should have radical expectancy. Yes, to be expectant of all that the Lord has promised. Men’s plans are good but they fail! God’s plans are awesome and they never fail! This is the time in present prayer to listen to what is being spoken by the Holy Spirit and act upon it immediately. It really is not radical to have a committee meeting about what the Lord has declared to be done. It is not time to send in a reconnaissance to see if the land is good or not! The promise of deliverance, success, healing, prosperity, empowerment, salvation is spoken from the heart of God. Listen to Him, move in faith, be radical in action!
Do not just sit in front of a computer screen and blog but move out into the supernatural and miraculous. There are souls in and out of the Church that need to see the real Jesus not the one who is often times taught with the myths and metaphysical philosophies of todays minsters. Go ahead move out there where faith is waiting to meet you!
Best
Dennis
Posted at 10:11 pm | Comment (0)
12th March, 2008
The Church In An Emergent State
Prologue: I am really positive about the vocalized emergence of the Church from the institutionalized methodology and structure that is happening throughout the world.
Where does each of us belong in this structural change? I believe everyone has place in the emergence movement but will everyone take a place. Certainly not! Some just won’t receive that this is a God created and spoken emergence and others will just feel left out for various reasons. This I hope would not happen! However, the matter is at hand and the engine has started. The warmth of the keyboards is warming the internet air space in the blogosphere. How exciting is this? WOW, I am totally on board for the journey.
I do feel a bit strange though! Let me explain. I come from a Roman Catholic background and when I gave my heart to the Lord I went back to the Roman Catholic Church and felt as though I did not belong. Actually, the priests made me feel real uncomfortable. So I happen to meet some people who introduced me to the Pentecostal Experience. The rest is history.
Like so many others, I was saved from a very deep life of sin. Drugs, alcohol, gangs, etc., so my salvation was really radical and amazing. After 32 years of serving Him there have been times when I felt as though I should move on from this COG structure and method to something that I could relate to or that did not seem confusing or hypocritical. Let me also say that it did make me feel funny because I was not a southerner and I was a hippie. I have hung in there though and have had many days of confusion. Dazed and Confused as Led Zeppelin put it. Don’t get me wrong, I look at myself and wonder how I even have become a Christian! So, now I am 57 years old and have put four children through Lee University. Two of my four children have gone on to master’s degrees and one of them is a doctor at Stanford University Hospital. The other lives in Edinburgh, Scotland and pursuing his ministry there. The other two live hear in Santa Cruz with us and are helping with our ministry. I have been pastor of 3 very successful churches. Wrestling the whole time with traditions and success by numbers, almost like a Parker Brothers game.
Then a new thing started for us about 7 years ago. Bringing the love and compassion of Jesus Christ to the people that did not make it out of the 60’s and 70’s era. They are stuck in a cultural and characteristic time warp. I have “missional” church that has about 300 members. I now also pastor a church that has a membership roll that is not even close to who actually attends the church physically. This drives me absolutely to want to smoke pot. Everyone else does in Santa Cruz! There are great churches in Santa Cruz that are missional with the “norm” of society. So again, I get concerned about my place in all this. Here is an example: at one of the ministers meetings here in California we are presented with the “real” numbers of growth. My first reaction was “I have been lied to!” The statistics were like an obituary. The growth rate was so negative, we must entitle it “shrink rate.” There were only two ministers in their thirties and on in their twenties. We had only one active church in Los Angeles, CA.: OMG moment! I left there with real thoughts about quitting this denomination and just ministering independently. Now I am glad I did not leave. When I hear and see what is spoken and typed on the internet about an emergence I shout THERE IS HOPE FOR THE COG!
My intensity level is rising and I am already an intense pastor/evangelist/missionary. Maybe that is why God called me to Santa Cruz, the most liberal city in the U.S. I hope as many people get into this discussion at Missional COG Blog site. I am inviting all you radicals out there in cyberspace that have prayed for emergence to come out and discuss this with other blogsters who want change for the better.
Listen I grew up with the Hell’s Angels and my brother was the president in Cleveland, OH chapter. I still know a lot of these guys and I watched them almost become old and no young prospects. What they did was changed their method and approach. They had an emergence in outlaw motorcycle church. Yes, that is what they call their gatherings, “church”. Now they are the largest outlaw motorcycle club in the world and still growing. What I am saying is if something like that group can stop and see the problems and are willing to change how much more the Church of God? I hope that there is a great number of men and women who are at my age and older who will join in and help these young ministers move this church from the negative to the positive in spiritual and numerical growth outside of classical traditions and theological hoopla. Not for numbers sake but for the sake of shaking off these old skins and pouring wine into the new wine skins. What are your comments and thoughts?
Yes, I have more to say shortly….
My Heart To Your Heart
Dennis
Posted at 11:08 pm | Comment (0)
17th February, 2008
Back To The Blog World
Well here I sit at my “blogging” machine, wondering just what direction to take in 2008 for all you blogsters (word not yet in dictionaries) out there in blog space! I really desire to be radical, more that I have been! I probably will write stuff that will offend the ordinary and hopefully encourage the relationally courageous. Those that really desire to see change in the world of religion and traditional realms.
I mean I can write and tell you how many I had in my “outside, without walls (literally), church today. O.K. I will: 218! So did that do anything for you? Probably not! It never does for me when I read church statistics. I really think that “normal” church is boring and packed full of pastoral worship and religious design. Sort of like a “cool” glass of milk that looks so refreshing, but when tasted it is really curdled and sour!
A friend of mine, ( a really cool dude) is starting a church in Charlotte, NC. This person has no presumptions of religion just a hope to see change in a lost heart. If I was in Charlotte I would attend his church. He meets in a restaurant. How cool is that? That kind of radical action get my blood flowing in a good way. His church is entitled The Salt Mine Church and it is rockin’ with love and great Bible teaching.
I hope that you catch what I am writing! Go to churches that have radical purpose and get out of those mausoleums that make no noise for the mouse to hear! They are just tombs that entertain the dead above ground!
Peace
Dennis
Posted at 10:00 pm | Comment (1)
9th October, 2007
This Is Not The Time To Sit Down
To many people, especially Christians are sitting on the bench; as they watch life go by with all its disturbing problematic activities. This is not the time to sit down and be silent. It is not alright to be Gay! It is not alright to wink an eye at abortion! Teen age promiscuity is on the rampage! Immorality is filling are lives through books, television and good old fashion apathy on the part of (so-called) saints of God. I am not declaring a hate war. We need to love people and keep loving them. But to be silent on the cancers of society is absolutely a helping hand to advance immorality in America. Elections are coming in 2008. What are the issues? Come on Christians, stand up for what you believe and stop being so concerned about how long church went, who wore what to the house of God or if the message was relevant to your pity party. Jesus died to set us free from sin and bondage. His public crucifixion was not silent. Tell it like it is: the devil is doing that.
Often times the reason you are feeling uptight is because the enemy has you pinned! Cast off the works of darkness and scream out “I will take a stand.”
Everyday I interact with sinners. These folks that I pastor are a mess spiritually. They love me because I am real and tell them the truth. They trust me because I am consistent with the message of deliverance and peace. They listen to me because they know in their hearts that I am not lying.
Sin is a disease. Immorality will cause infectious characteristics in personalities that will destroy homes and families. Don’t look to be popular, that is what politicians do! Look to be faithful, that is what Jesus did.
Morality or duty…never yet made a man happy in himself or dear to others. C. S. Lewis
Peace
Dennis
Posted at 1:09 am | Comment (1)