Kyle Mitchell

Thoughts on Sacrilege

Just finished my latest read: Sacrilege by Hugh Halter.  If I had been told that this was a book about the Beatitudes, I'm not sure that I would have picked it up.  Let me just say that I would have missed out on a personally challenging book that also completely resonates with the vision for Mosaic. 

I am still trying to figure out how to both be a part of a new community as well as lead a new community of Christ-followers that seeks to be genuinely make Christ known in and through our relationships.  Sacrilege inspires both sides of this desire.  There are challenges to individuals living a life of light in the world as well as insight on how to lead others to pursue the passion of revealing Christ to their world of friendships and be a part of the Church and her mission. 

He walks through Jesus own words and unpacks them with applications for this generation.  So many want to criticize the church or even abandon the church because of what they see or believe that the church has become.  Sacrilege seems to be a call back to the mission of Jesus by seeking to inspire those who follow Him to live the way that He lived. 

It's an "easy read", but I'm not so sure it's going to be easy application.  I'm looking forward now to going back through and unpacking some of the nuggets from each chapter.  I would encourage you to join me.

My Next Read: Sacrilege

I got my new book "Sacrilege" by Hugh Halter today! I'm excited about this book because I'm craving a challenge in my walk with Christ. The back cover enticed me. "What does it really mean to be like Jesus? It is safe to say most Christians do not live like Jesus did, have the same influence on people he had, or draw even the slightest curiosity from the onlooking world. Jesus's ability to attract people and win there hearts was directly related to how he challenged their assumptions about religion. He not only gave them a unique, personal way to follow him but also showed them how to participate.in his mission. Sacrilege exposes the patterns of thinking that have held the church hostage for years and inspires you to rethink the way you understand Scripture, family, Spiritual formation, conversion, church, sin, and more. Your faith may never be the same. And that's a good thing." I can't wait to post what I'm learning. Let me know if you get the book and read it too!

Memory Markers

   I have to admit that today is one of those days that just really couldn't be any better.  Mosaic and friends gathered in a backyard to celebrate 4 boys who have given their lives to Christ and witness their baptism.  Caed was so sad last week when the rain postponed the day.  He has been talking about it for months.  And he loves sharing the day with his close friends, Adam and Andrew. 

   As their dad, It feels so great know that each of my children have come to the place where they know their need for grace and understand what Jesus has done for them on the Cross.  It's such a simple yet profound understanding.  I know it will rock their world for the rest of their lives as they continue to grasp how deep, how wide, and how vast is the love of Christ for them. And I know that they will look back on this day, where the sun shone brighly, and the water was cool, and friends stood around watching their moment of testimony.   The moment has been marked into their minds and will be looked back upon I'm sure as they continue to grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord.  I'm grateful to be the one that has baptized all my children.  I remember the day that I welcomed them into the world.  I remember the day they all prayed to accept Christ into their lives. And now I remember the day they all were baptized in my arms. 

 

The Verge Network

As Mosaic continues to develop and emerge, I'm often asked to describe where this is going.  Well, as best I can tell, God seems to be drawing people that want a highly relational expression of community that can't be found in current church expressions where the majority of people come and watch or observe others teaching, worshipping, and leading.  Mosaic isn't a place one can "hide" or sit back and observe for very long.  It's a place that brings one to relational commitment fairly quickly because of the way we discuss Scripture, share our stories, and worship in intimate ways. 

One of the many organizations that seems to be leading the communication for the development of "Organic" Church is The Verge Network.  They have a series of 7 questions that helps to articulate and explore some of the core elements of a Missional Community.  I would say that Mosaic resonates with these.  Not that we already embody them, but that we, as a group, long to see them develop in and through us. 

It's been my desire to post these discussions and have a discussion here on my blog about them, but time constraints (and my ADD brain) often sidetracks me into other areas of life.  But this post is a summary post and thought it would be a great place to start the sharing of information. 

Change of heart

Generally I'm not a fan of what I call "Church-in-a-box". You know the pre-packaged, scripted, everything you need done for you, no need to pray or anything, just re-use it stuff. I think it's because I've seen it used and abused where it becomes a substitute for prayer and Bible study, and walking by the Spirit. What often starts off as a tool to accomplish what God wants to accomplish slips into a crutch where a leader just opens a package and follows the instructions. I equate it to boxed meals. Sure it's food but is nutrition missing from all the processing? What is the extra cost for packaging? How long has it been on the shelf? Things are always better when made from scratch by someone who knows how to cook.

It's one thing for a leader to use resources to become better equipped for a task and another where the leader uses resources to be spiritually lazy and irresponsible with their time. I do believe that people who create resources do so with a passion to equip. And it's up to me to use the resouce responsibly, prayerfully, and genuinely.

I say all that to say that I had previously written off Orange Material as church in a box stuff. Probably due to the context of my first exposure to it. I first encountered Orange as a parent in a church where it was a program presented to me and my family without any relational connection. It appeared as though relationships weren't necessary, just buy the stuff, open it, use it and bam, we have church. I admit I never went to a conference and heard the heart of Orange. As a parent, I only got what the church leadership showed me. And for me, all spiritual growth and life comes from relationship and connection to God and other people.

Now I see orange in a different light as the relationship part has been revealed to me. I began my search looking for tools as a parent that I could use with my own kids. I'm now leading a church where the goal is to equip parents to equip kids.  I wanted tools to help me connect with my own kids. I started taking a second look at Orange because another friend kept telling me about it (relational influence).

I can still see it as church in a box, but I've also seen the heart of the designers of the tools and their emphasis on relational influence. It is all about equipping parents to connect and invest in the hearts of their children. It's not something to just take my kid to, but something I do with them. That fits Mosaic and that fits me.

Mosaic isn't a church to attend, it's a place to become, along with others, a people pursuing Christ who is pursuing them. Orange provides parents tools to connect with their kids to learn about God and discover Christ together. That I like! It's not about starting a children's ministry. It's about equipping parents and being in relationship with them creating intentional community. First as a nuclear family in a home then as a spiritual family as Church.

So, Orange is currently what we use in Mosaic to equip our parents to equip their kids to know and serve Christ. I thought I'd never type that.

Caed's Compassion

This last Tuesday night Caed, Ian, and I went to a meeting to learn about "Help Build Hope - Haiti". This is an organization that is mobilizing a massive relief effort for the people of Haiti. They showed this video in the presentation and during the middle Caedmon turns to me and asks, "Dad, what's an orphan?". He had just learned that Haiti's orphan population doubled in one day to total 600,000! He was shocked to learn what an Orphan is and he becam very sad and said "Dad, We MUST build homes for them!" He is right! I told him I would. He wanted to help and was saddened to learn that this project required that you be 13 or older. I told him that He could help spread the word and so don't be surprised if he passionately asks you to help build a house on April 30th with his dad! When we got home as we were praying our bedtime prayers he said he was going to pray for the people in Haiti. I told him Thai was a great idea. He said, "I'm going to ask Jesus to come back from Heaven tonight and take us all there, so the children in Haiti won't be alone another night!". Tears streamed down my face as a little child prayed for the children of Haiti and he begged God to give them a home on earth or in heaven. I prayed that He would do both! I went to bed that night praying that I would have Caed's compassion and that Jesus would return and put an end to the struggle of our world, but that if He waited that I would use tomorrow to help someone in His name! Christ did not return yesterday, but He is here in those of us who believe in Him! May He be seen in me! May I serve others with compassion and love!

Reflections 2010

Obviously at the end of a year people look back over the past and forward to the future. It makes it easy to reflect when the snow is falling and the fireplace is lit. This atmosphere prompts the inner life to rev up.

The passing of the first anniversary of the loss of my mom jumps to the front of the list.  Life has made profound shifts within the family and of course things are NOT the same. That doesn't automatically mean that things are bad, just drastically different. My personality focuses on the positive changes. Anyone can identify the negative impact. It takes little effort or insight to see critical things. So for my blog, I choose to see the blessings of a new era. If I could, I would want the old era back. I loved the normalcy of life with Mom in it. But that is no longer an option.

My relationship with my dad has grown in 2010. We have opened up and shared much of our thoughts with one another about most any topic. It is something that I've always wanted, but it seems that it is the fruit of my mom's absence. He also began dating in 2010 and wow the changes that has ushered in. I will not blog about all the details, but it has stirred deep emotion within everyone in the Mitchell family system. Nothing has escaped the seismic shaking and the on-going aftershocks of his post of "in a relationship" on Facebook. Sifting through all the emotions and speaking often with God and supportive Christian friends friends, I believe has continued the healing from the on-going grief that bubbles up. I love seeing my dad smile again.  I love seeing him think about his future again.  For me,  I'm very grateful for my co-workers at PCHAS who listen, encourage, support, and give such great council. I love that God placed me in a ministry that serves children and families with such devotion, and that has included much ministry to me and my family. 

Mosaic: I could and probably should create an entire new blog post. I still feel that I learn more everyday about what being in this church is all about. Following Jesus at such a fresh and uncharted way in 2010 continually leaves me with more questions than answers. I am much more of a learner than a leader these days, that's for sure. What I love about the journey is the fresh authenticity of those involved. No one is pretending and all are pursuing Jesus with a real and open passion for Him. We are learning from one another. We are discovering how to be the church in a simple and authentic way. I am learning to let go and let Jesus lead. Not an easy task for my "Type A" self. I will probably always be learning that lesson. I must confess it would be a lot easier to just go and attend a church and there are some great churches around me. They offer great experiences for my kids. They offer trips and programs that seem very appealing, especially for my kids, but I also look back at the past year of discipling my kids and love what I see in them. I want to teach other parents how to personally pour into their children instead of letting the church do all the work. I have loved being a youth pastor for almost two decades, but I feel that I have stolen such joy from parents because I have been there instead of them. Mosaic forces me to equip others to serve their families. It feels like the right way to do it for me.

Mosaic has not grown in large numbers, but I do feel that we have become more of a family. We are all at different life stages, yet like a family we are connected by a love for Jesus and a love for one another. We have started a second church in Italy and that has kept the ability to remain close and yet grow. I still think we have a lot to look forward to in 2011 and I can't wait!

On the family front I still believe that God placed an amazing woman/wife/mother into my life. We are not a perfect couple, nor perfect people, yet we both love Jesus deeply and He fuels our love for each other, so it is a love that grows and grows. 2010 has been no exception. We have fascinating children that both frustrate me and delight me. With each passing year their personalities emerge and they are become such amazing individuals. I'm so glad we have four kids! It is a huge financial cost, but oh the rewards are priceless. They are all so fully human and stretch and teach me daily to die to self and serve. There is NEVER a day without lessons for me to learn and a need for Jesus to fill me. Because otherwise I would be drained and completely spent.

This is probably my longest blog ever and I'll be surprised if anyone reads the whole thing, but for me just writing it has filled my heart with gratitude for how richly I am blessed. 2010 has been filled with the fullness of God and my prayer is that 2011 will be as well. I can not predict or control the future circumstances, but I can rest fully assured in the promise of Jesus to be with me through it all. Which means it will be another great year!

Latham

This past week I got to spend 4 days at Latham Springs Baptist Camp with Makenzie, Ian, and Abby. 

It was our first Children's Camp for Mosaic and what an exciting milestone for us.  I loved sharing one of my most sacred places (I accepted Christ here, was called to ministry here, and proposed to Lisa here) with my children. 

Children's Camp has never been "my thing", but when you're the pastor of a small church it means you wear all the hats.  Normally Lisa wears this hat, but since she had surgery it got tossed back onto my head.  God knew I needed stretching and He knew just how to get that done.  (Toss me in a group of 500 children for 4 days with NO way out.)

This was also the first camp where I was actually "Dad" and pastor.  For Ian, he was glad I was there.  For Makenzie, she wanted to be away from dad (and her brother).  So we tried to keep our distance and see her at mealtimes and worship where she sat as far away from us as possible.  Ahhh, the preteen has fully arrived.  Fortunately, she had Abby to hang out with, however, Abby liked sitting around me, so that put her in a bit of a pickle.

Being with Ian for 4 straight days, without a break, was not nearly as much of a stretch as I thought it would be. (Those who know Ian know what I mean).  I saw a new side of Ian that was very introverted and mature.  He was the explorer of his surroundings and didn't really need all the people around him (they just seemed to get in the way).  He challenged himself to kayak, climb the rock wall to the top, jump off the zip tower, and climb up the inflatable iceberg.

As always, when you take 4 days to read your Bible, pray often, worship Christ, and listen.  He will speak.  He made me more grateful for my family.  He reminded me of Galatians 6:9 "Do not grow weary in doing good for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if you do not give up".  He reminded me of the legacy of ministry that I've been a part of since that conversation with Him at 17 on the back row of the Tabernacle.  Four days for me meant a VERY thankful heart.

Longings

Lately I've been doing a lot of praying, reading, and thinking. I have a clear desire to reach people who don't find the current expression of Church of much value or meaning. This is difficult for me for several reasons. One is that the Church is one of my passions in life and it pains me that others don't share that love, yet I too can see her flaws and understand their criticisms. I just long to be in the body of Christ and could never walk away from her.

Another reason is that I'm not entirely sure how to reach them. I'm entirely convinced that Jesus wants to reach them and loves them more than I'm capable of understanding. How to communicate Jesus with relevant passion remains my task. It seems that peoples lives are full, if not overstuffed. There appears to be little room for community and connection with others.

Often those I talk with love Jesus, but see no need for the culture of the Church. I can't say that I disagree, however, I'm not convinced that the culture of the Church in America is what biblical community is all about, but what many have grown comfortable with and so just accept. But there is more, so much more, when all of life is viewed through a relational lens.

We are created for relationship with God and one another. Our relationships create the soil for vibrant living. It is something that every human shares an understanding of and longing for in life. It pervades every culture, race, and country. Being in relationship makes us human.

Therefore, if the Church is ever to be what she is intended to be, relationships must matter. Jesus will be seen clearly in the way we love and invest in people.

Jesus Manifesto

I finished reading the latest book by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola this morning, Jesus Manifesto.  Even while I was reading it, my leadership and thoughts became shaped by the content.  At some level I think we'd all like to agree that Christ is the center of our lives, yet as we examine our daily behaviors and choices we are typically the center of our existence. 

It is so easy to become distracted by the events in our lives, both the pain and the joy, and become preoccupied with our own agenda.  At least it is for me, anyway.  While I was in the process of being inspired by the call to "restore the supremacy and sovereignty of Jesus Christ", distractions abounded.  So a reminder that Jesus is my EVERYTHING, couldn't have come at a better time. 

I will admit that at times the book seemed a little disconnected, in that the chapters seemed to be stand alone chapters, but they are all still inspiring and thought provoking.  However, the content speaks for itself.  I resonated with the call to have a church that isn't an organized institution, but a vibrant community of passionate pursuers of Jesus Christ, who is the head.  I think that many new believers fall in love with Jesus, and then are taught to serve the Church, instead of being the Church.

Here are some of my "take aways":

1.  Am I so captivated by Christ's love that He is why I live? work? serve? love?  Unfortunately, I still live way too much for me.  There is a lot of me that needs to die and a lot of Christ in my that needs to live.

2.  Is Mosaic a gathering of believers that are in hot pursuit of Christ?  Am I leading by example?

3.  At Mosaic is Christ celebrated, embraced, and allowed to speak?

4.  Giving Christ my life is a daily, if not in each moment, decision.  It's made easy when I'm captivated by the beauty and trustworthiness of Christ himself. 

If you are looking for a resource to inspire you to fall in love with Jesus, you know where to look. It challenges your intellectual understanding of Christ and stirs the emotional love for Christ.  Which, I believe is a good combination!