Conduit Church Update

Hey Everyone

I so enjoyed our first official gathering as Conduit Church. Due to our location issues, it’s going to be difficult to lock in to a consistent Sunday night gathering before the end of the year. I was just so blown away by who God is joining together for this work.

I’ve had a lot of folks asking if we can get together again soon. After investigating the calendar, it seems that the only time that really works is this Monday night. It’s last minute and I don’t want you to feel any sort of pressure to be there if you’re otherwise committed or have stuff going on with the kids school schedules. We’ll meet at Journey Church again.

If you have kids and plan on coming, please RSVP to this email address so we can have a good idea and can properly serve them. We’ll meet at 6pm again and unpack some more of the vision for Conduit. We’ll post the teaching again on the podcast if you can’t make it.

UPDATES:

CHRISTMAS IN HAITI: Philip Peters and Theresa Swain with Restore Haiti did a tremendous job getting Christmas gifts to our kids in Haiti. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard in making that happen. When you’re opening your gifts on Christmas day, know that there are a whole lot of kids in Haiti who will get to do the same.

CHURCH LOCATION: The search continues for a location in the Spring Hill area. I’ve had some great conversations with schools, real estate agents, and other pastors in the area. There is a real sense of community among the pastors and I’ve been given some great wisdom on the area.

WEBSITE: Our very own Breezy Baldwin has been working on the website. please go to www.conduitmission.org and get a look at her work on that site. You can also see the new church logo there as well. The website should be up and running very soon.

$$: I have been actively working the phones with pastors attempting to fund raise for the church. We have some support from Journey Church and my goal is to have other churches lock arms with us as well until we get on solid ground. If you would, ask the Lord if He would lead you to start tithing into the church. We don’t have any overhead right now, but will soon start encountering the start up costs. You can donate online at the www.conduitmission.org site. Click on donate now, and put “church plant” in the subject line. You can also mail a check payable to Conduit 256 Seaboard Lane C-103 Franklin, TN. We’re set up and legal so there is a full tax deduction available to you.

SERVING: I’ve been asked by many of you about where you can serve. By January I’ll have a firm grasp of what we’ll need, and those that feel led can let me know. With the work we’re doing for our partners internationally in addition to the “normal” church things we’ll have a wide array of possibilities.



TIMELINE
· Dec 12, 2009- Pastor Jamie will be making the announcement at Journey Church that they are sending us out to plant Conduit Church in Spring Hill.


· January 10, 2010- Journey Church will do an ordination service, ordaining me into full time ministry. (my mom is smiling in heaven)

· Sometime at the end of February or the beginning of March Journey will have a “sending service” as they officially send us out to be Conduit Church. We'll get the exact date locked down in the next couple of weeks.

As for Conduit Church- starting in January we’ll begin having weekly gatherings for a time of prayer, fellowship, teaching, worship, strategy and if I get my way, food. We’ll use these times to mentally, spiritually, and pragmatically be ready for March.
As we move into March we’ll have full blown services. We’ll use the month of March to get our stuff together. Make sure our systems for children, worship, etc are all in place.

We’ll use these next few months to unpack our Villages (small group ministry), get our Children’s ministry resourced and Jim Henderson staffed up with the folks he needs, build the infrastructure for middle school and high school ministry, as well as the other ministries that will be needed.

Although we’ll have been meeting together since January, we’ll have an official launch service on Easter Sunday in April.


I look forward to seeing those of you who can make it Monday. Please know that I'm praying for you each individually. Please pray for the work God is calling each of us to do. I like the prayer that Paul prayed from prison in Philippians. He didn't pray God get me out of here, he prayed God help me to use this opportunity to communicate the gospel clearly. Amen.

Darren

PS- The teaching portion of last weeks gathering is posted. It includes a word from Jim Henderson and his heart for the ministry to kids at Conduit Church. You can find it at www.darrentyler.podomatic.com

Super PS- If you feel led, remember that $15 feeds a kid in Haiti for a month. You can donate at www.conduitmission.org put "food for haiti" in the subject line.

Conduit Reborn- Sunday Night 6pm

One of the challenging things about Conduit over the past couple of years was the idea of trying to identify what it was. It's a Bible Study that studies the Bible but also with the ability to respond to the Jesus that we encounter in those pages. I spent a lot of time an energy trying to say what I didn't think it was. We just never got around to calling it was it actually was.

We've been Conduit of His Word. We have believed that God's Word truly is what He promises it to be. We have allowed it to divide our own souls, cutting away the impurities. We've adjusted our lives as we embrace every chapter, every verse of His Word. As we've gone through the Word, the Word has gone through us, and we have been transformed.

We've been Conduit of His resources. The well over $100,000 we've given away has changed the lives of people here in Middle TN and around the world. Refugees were fed, college students in Ghana given a chance, our precious kids in Haiti eating, educated, and raised in the gospel, set captives free through Place of Hope in Columbia. We have been a supply line for the Church on the front lines declaring the gospel.

We've been Conduit of the gospel. We've responded with our lives by obeying the simple call of "go". We've gone and been the personal hands and feet of Jesus to people around the world, especially in Jacmel, Haiti. The Spirit has moved in, through and around us just as Jesus promised.

What do you call a group of Christians gathered together like this? Forgive me for stating the obvious, but in the book of Acts it's called a Church. Conduit is a church. We're responding to that call, to that invitation from God. Those of us that began when this was was birthed are now being joined by those of you who have felt the Lord leading to lock arms, to further the work of the kingdom. We have truly only scratched the surface of what God can do.


In John 10 Jesus said that you and I would have rivers of living water flowing from within us. It said He was speaking of the Holy Spirit to come. What would that look like, for a group of believers to have rivers of living water flowing from them? I mean, we get it esoterically and metaphorically, but what does that look like on a quite literal level? We'll talk about that on Sunday.

I'd like to invite the Conduit family to join us this Sunday night for our first official gathering as a Church. It'll be a time of worship, of prayer, of consecration. It'll be the beginning of something beautiful.

Details:
6:00pm Journey Church. Building 8 In The Factory.
Childcare will be provided.
We'll be done by 7:15.
I'd like to ask the older kids, middle schoolers and High School age to be part of the gathering.


I hope you can make it. We're so excited to serve beside you on this amazing journey that God is calling us all on.

Blessings,
Darren Tyler
Conduit Church

A Conduit of His love to the community in front of us, and the world around us.

Conduit November 30- God Will Find You

In June of 94, I flew to Atlanta GA. One of the senior agents at Vanguard Entertainment Agency had encouraged me to come and check out the possibility of becoming an agent. They were booking Carman back when he was still cool, The Newsboys before and while they were cool along with other Al Denson kind of CCM acts.

I had never booked a show for a band in my entire life so I was a perfectly long shot candidate for this gig. I was 23 and too stupid to know that, so I went with an enormous amount of optimism. I was going to get this job. Ignorance truly is bliss.

I was dating someone at the time, and we were dramatically mismatched. She was into Oscar Parties and French Cuisine. I was into Country Music and burgers. Besides, she was taller than me. We had broken up once before but it didn’t take. This felt like a perfectly good way to break it off. I would get the gig, play the “I don’t do long distance card” and presto.

Right before leaving for Atlanta and a day after breaking off the other relationship I had, quite by surprise, run into Shannon Anderson at the Mall where she was assistant managing a shoe store. I hadn’t seen her in a long time. She’s really fun to look at so I was very pleased to see her again. We had dated for a few months a while back but hadn’t seen or talked to each other in almost 2 years. She had played the “it’s not you it’s me card.” It worked the first try.

It was a perfectly innocent encounter. As I recall her washing machine was broken, so I offered her to do laundry at my place while I was out of town. I had no ulterior motives. I wasn’t doing the ol’ “you can do laundry at my house” move.

I came home from Atlanta a week later completely down trodden. The gig didn’t materialize like I naively thought it would. It looked like I would continue down the road of professional waiter/ rock star wannabe. I still had my white Washburn guitar, my crappy peavey sound system, and a dream. I felt like I would be stuck doing that forever. Khaki pants, green apron and bow tie on the weekdays, matching denim jeans/ jacket on the weekends.

And then it happened. Something hit me quite by surprise that summer that was completely not in my plans. I had completely unexpectedly borderline accidentally fallen in love with Shannon. We had a relationship forming that was not scripted, it was out of the blue, it was God.

I was smitten with Shannon Anderson the first time I laid eyes on her. She had just moved to Tulsa, OK in a Chevy Impala that was the envy of senior citizens everywhere and probably would’ve qualified her for the seniors discount on coffee at McDonald’s. I was impressed with her spunk in that at 19 she drove the 1,000 miles from Park River, ND to Tulsa, OK all alone. As I got to know her, I found out she was so much more than a pretty face. She loved (still does) God so much. She is one of the most caring and compassionate people I’ve ever known. She loves to give, to serve, to love.

In the summer of 94 We were both on the same page. If we were going to be in another relationship this one was for keeps. I proposed to her on one knee in a fountain in a restaurant in Tulsa that has long since gone out of business. Looking back on it, I was the exact kind of guy that if one of my daughters brings home someone like that I’m going to have a heart attack. I had based my entire life strategy on the premise that something neat would happen.

We had started dating in July, were engaged by August and married by December. It was a whirlwind of young love and God’s sovereignty wrapped into one six month period. I didn’t find God’s will that summer; God’s will found me. If I had gotten that gig in Atlanta there would be no Shannon Tyler. There would be no Madilyn, Ashleigh, Lauryn and Ethan.

In November, right before the wedding I got another call from Vanguard Entertainment. The job was materializing after all. Chuck Tilley, who I am grateful for to this day for giving me my start in the music industry, hired me to be an agent in his company.

Shannon and I got married as planned in December and very soon after were loaded up in a Uhaul for Atlanta, Georgia. The first bands he gave me to work with were Ian Eskelin and a little no rent acoustic guitar rock band in a mini van called Jars of Clay. Next up was Third Day (they had an excellent conversion van) and we were off to the races. This was the start of my 15 years of working in Christian Music, but more importantly the start of my 15 years and counting with Shannon. We have lived a lot of life together. I can honestly say that I know what Paul was talking about when he wrote of a God that was able to do more than I could ask or think. (Eph 3:20)

I’m remembering that tonight as God is leading my family on a new journey. We certainly haven’t sought this. God pulled it out of His hat. I remember those months in the summer of 94. I was restless, wondering what I was supposed to do with my life, wondering if I was going to be doing the same thing until I died, wondering if God really did have a plan for my life. This time the feeling wasn’t dire, I mean, seriously, I have a great gig. If this is what God called me to grow old doing then no problem. There was a definite unsettling. There was a realization that there was something coming. There were lots of unanswered questions.


Moses’ brother Aaron is being groomed to be the High Priest in Exodus 28 and 29. This was a guy who was sitting around minding his own business in the desert, and God picked Him. Aaron didn’t have to find God’s will for His life. God’s will found him. There wasn’t even any such thing as High Priest before. There is no way Aaron could’ve dreamed that would be his gig some day. I wonder if Aaron felt the same kind of restlessness, the same kind of tension, wondering if he was going to be forever in the same fields, working the same sheep, if this was all that God had for him.

And then out of nowhere, in just a few months, He was the guy that Hebrews would tell us is the picture of Jesus Christ, the High Priest.

We’re going to talk a little about that tomorrow night. If you’re in an unsettled place, a place of wondering what’s next, a place of wondering if God has something more for you, tomorrow would be a great time to join us.

We’ll meet at 730pm at Journey Church. Building 8 in the Factory in Franklin, TN.

Blessings,
Darren Tyler

www.conduitmission.org if you have $15, you can feed a kid for a month in Haiti. If you’ve got a $32 a month, you can sponsor one of our little ones there.

IMPORTANT: WE HAVE A DONOR WHO HAS AGREED TO MATCH DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR UP TO $5,000 ANY MONEY THAT WE RAISE TOWARDS FINISHING OUR HOUSE IN HAITI. IF THE LORD LEADS YOU, EVERY THING YOU GIVE DOUBLES TOWARDS THE HOUSE. WE'RE SO CLOSE ON GETTING THIS FINISHED.

Conduit Nov 16- God's Dream

I started Platform Management in 2001. October 2001 to be clear. If you’re astute you might realize that it was not a great time in history to be starting a new endeavor. One month after the attacks on 9/11 I was putting out a shingle for a new management company in the Christian Music Industry. It wasn’t that I was especially spiritual and intuited the Lord calling me to launch Platform. To the contrary, the company that I launched a couple years earlier with some friends was flaming out in the most spectacular of forms.

In the late 90’s someone in the high tech space with an idea and even a half-baked resume could score multiple millions of dollars from VC companies. So you now had an idea, a dude, and a lot of cash. Their first obstacle as a newly funded company was building out a leadership team of people with very specific technical skill sets and abilities. The money was flowing in the Bay Area and we had this idea that a head hunting firm focused specifically on that area, and the high salaries that were being handed out, could be very successful. We were almost right.

Along with 3 friends we started just such a company called Shikare. “Shikari” is a Hindi word for big game hunter. In the spirit of cleverness and in celebration of the “new ecommerce economy” we added an e at the end. We were headhunters that focused specifically on wireless application and other software companies in the San Francisco and Silicon Valley area. Our business model was to approach the abundance of recently funded high tech companies and offer to help them build out their leadership teams.

It was our job to find the well guarded, highly valued, uniquely skilled folks in companies like Cisco and Price Waterhouse Coopers and talk them into taking a gig with our client. It is one of the only industries where my skills as a talent agent in the music industry would come in handy. I was trying to sell the talents of a person who thought they were worth more than they were to someone who thought they were worth less than they were.

We had received an interesting amount of cash up front in the form of seed funding as well as 100,000 pre IPO shares in the company that funded us. Our compensation would be somewhere between 20-30% of their first year salaries. We took this in a combination that was usually half cash and half stock options. These were Pre IPO options with no vesting period. We had a very reasonable intention and realistic expectation of becoming wealthy.

I don’t know that I ever articulated it, but part of my motivation, which seemed so noble at the time, was that when I became wealthy, then I could retire and pursue ministry full time; never having to worry about money. I could just imagine what it would be like to be financially secure, and then have the ability to serve God without a care. It’s embarrassing when I look back on it to see how full of crap the idea was. I mean seriously, not a single disciple or early church guy set out with that idea. It’s a perfectly American idea, but not remotely Biblical.

The problem was we were a little late to the party. March of 2000 was when we received our funding. It was also, coincidentally the peak of the Nasdaq run. The air in the dot-com bubble had started to leak. As it is with many bubbles, the majority of us were blissfully unaware of the problems that loomed ahead. A domino effect had begun.

Investors had finally come to their senses. Companies like “Excite@Home” or “Flooz” or “Pets.com” had to be able to make money in order to make money. This “new economy” was not new at all. The companies started folding by the minute. The stupid sock puppet from the pets.com commercial was in hiding.

The hard to find talent for our clients were suddenly in great abundance. The folks that were almost impossible to find, were suddenly looking for jobs. The CEO of a company that we worked with told me, “Darren, I like you, so I’m gonna shoot you straight. It would be a better use of my money to stand on the roof and throw it down to poor people than to retain you guys. I’ve got piles of resumes on my desk.”

And then, 9/11 happened. The preponderance of our customers and clients were of a Middle East descent. In the climate that followed 9/11 the country had changed and with a majority of our business being done with folks who were considered suspect by default, it was the final bloody nail in our coffin.

Those coveted pre IPO stock options were completely worthless. They would have been just as valuable had I used them to paper the walls in my bathroom. We split what money was left and went home.

It was during this time that I realized my only option was going back to the Christian Music business that I had left. So on a wing and a prayer I launched Platform Artist Management. I remember saying at the time. “you know it’s always been pretty easy to know in the past when it was time to move on from a company I started, we were out of money. Watch God let this company be successful and see if I’ll walk away from it then”. Those are words that are ringing in my ears as God is unpacking this vision for Conduit; Church.

Platform Artist Management happens to be successful. In the middle of a down economy, and the music industry as a whole being crushed, our little management firm is doing well. And of course, it’s now that God would ask me to walk away.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not looking for pity nor am I looking for props. This is no sacrifice. Not that I won’t miss it, not that I won’t miss the financial security. But when I consider all that Jesus has done for me, and when I consider what awaits me and my family in eternity, this isn’t a sacrifice; it’s just obedience. It’s just putting my money where my heart is.

In Ecclesiastes 1 we see the word vanity, which is also translated as vapor in relation to the work and toil done by humans. I learned that money is indeed like vapor. I could see it, I could experience it, but it was ultimately impossible to hold on to, to grasp, it was vapor.

The truth is I still get to pursue ministry full time, and not worry about money. Not because my plan worked and I have an abundance of money, but because I have an abundance of God. I can choose to worry, or I can choose to trust God. I assume I’ll dance with both of those from time to time. Maybe my American dream won’t come true, but dreams aren’t real anyway. They’re ultimately, well, they’re vapor.

Tomorrow night we’re going to dig into Exodus 27. I’m excited to get back to our study of finding Jesus over and over again in this amazing book. We’ll be back at Journey Church at 730pm.

Darren Tyler

CONDUIT MISSION: thanks to everyone for keeping up with our child sponsorships in Haiti. If God is moving in your heart, please consider signing up at www.conduitmission.org to sponsor one of our kids in Haiti. It’s $32 a month and we can feed, clothe, educate and spiritually mentor a child. And if you want to meet them? Come with me to Haiti in April.

Conduit Nov 1- Lessons From Larry

If you want to go to Charrit Creek Lodge, I wish you the most sincere of luck in getting there. Tucked firmly inside the Big South Fork National Park, it is accessible only on foot or horseback.

Myself, Drew Cline, Kortland Fuqua, and Jamie George found ourselves on the latter as we made our way to an elder's retreat for my home church, Journey. The plan was to ride the horses to the lodge 12 miles and then keep the horses there at the stables for rides into the surrounding forests and mountains.

Ask 5 random people and they'll tell you they haven't heard of this massive sprawling 125,000 acre Nat'l park covered with forests, gorges, bluffs, mountains and rivers straddling the TN/ KY border. It's located only 2 1/2 hours from Nashville on the Cumberland Plateau. When you hear the weather people say "it's going to snow up on the plateau", this is where they're talking about.

Upon arrival at the lodge you'll find a structure built somewhere in the mid 1800's with some additional structures built more recently. Say around 1920. There is no electricity. The ceilings in the bunkhouse were all short, very closed in. The website describes this as the cozy accommodations. They were so cozy that at one point Jamie hit his head so squarely on the top of the surprisingly short door jam that it knocked him down. People in the 1800's were clearly much shorter than we are 150 years later.

There are family style meals served by a full time inn keeper like dude who lives in a smaller cabin. He's been here for 8 years living with no electricity in a cabin in the woods. My first impression would be that someone who lives here full time on purpose might have some issues. I had envisioned a dark well inside the staff quarters. If you were to eavesdrop you might hear the words "it wants to put the lotion on". (my apologies for the obscure reference from Silence of the Lambs. just calling them as I see them) The guy actually turned out to be quite normal. His name is Brian. He's a marathon runner, and quite the cook I might add.

And then there's Larry.

Larry has been on this mountain for 30 years. He runs Southeast Pack trips and is equal parts mountain man/ ladies man. He's got plenty of TN accent, but not the deep drawling kind as much as it is lively and entertaining. His catch phrases were "heavy duty" and "rock and roll". As we pulled up to his barn, Quiet Riot "Bang Your Head" was blaring.

He seems to live life with his finger on the trigger, with 21 horses, a dog named Winchester, and a cool duster. No question if you needed a posse that Larry was your guy. Larry figured out that what he calls regular life, people like you and I call adventure. He has figured out that people would pay an interesting amount of money to live his life for a few days.


Every time I couldn't get the horse to do what I wanted, Larry would shout, "operator error". Larry told me later that day, "they're pretty much stupid. They could buck us off at any minute and run away. They don't. How stupid is that. " This caused a philosophical shift in my approach to Spur. I had been thinking of it more like a carnival ride than a partnership between myself and Spur.

One night after dinner, Larry offered us a moonlight ride. This sounds way more romantic than it is. To be clear it's riding your horse through the pitch black in the woods. You begin to understand exactly what happened to the headless horseman. Larry had been into the vodka a little bit that afternoon and there was definitely a question about the laws of drinking and driving applying to the horse. Ultimately I decided that since the horse hadn't been drinking we should be just fine.

Larry said; "boys, you gotta trust your animal". I asked Larry about his comments a couple days earlier that the horses were pretty much stupid, and he said ah, forget about that. He said they could see better in the dark. I asked him what about getting my head knocked off by branches. Larry said, the "problem with being tough, is that it's tough".

He took us on a trail a couple miles through the dark woods to the top of an overlook that was stunning by day and breathtaking by night. This dangerous ride turned out to be the highlight of our retreat. Learning that life with a guide is so much easier, so less scary. As long as I knew Larry was leading the way, I had a sort of calm. He had been this way before. After 30 years of this, he knew where he was. There were scary moments, but overall it felt peaceful. I was bolstered because I was with a band of brothers whom I trusted. I had Spur, whom I was forced to trust, and who proved himself trustworthy.

I learned that with the right folks around me, the right guide in front of me, the right horse beneath me, that I could go places and experience things I would've never dare think of by myself. We stood there on the edge of a cliff while Drew sang How Great Thou Art accapella and God was there.

There is so much that we've accomplished at Conduit because we've done it together. We've gone places that we wouldn't have gone because we did it together. We have an amazing guide in the Holy Spirit and Jesus who carries us. He is indeed trustworthy. We're not an institution. We're a band of people saying yes to the adventure, the danger, the beauty of a relationship with God. How is it possible that the idea of "church" became so boring, so domestic over the centuries?

What I realized Larry meant wasn't that Horses were stupid, it was that they were servants. They have the power to kill me, or at the very least throw me a few feet in the air and choose not to. They're not stupid, they're servants. They're trustworthy. They're not tame; they're just kind.

Tomorrow night Conduit is back at the Tyler house. It's chili night! A couple of you have already responded with what you're bringing. Please check out the list below and email Shannon at spaigetyler@yahoo.com with what you can bring.
We'll be kicking off at around 630 with the food and 730 with the worship and teaching time.

Darren Tyler
THE LIST:
If you can bring one or more of the below, please email Shannon at spaigetyler@yahoo.com
2 people to bring Chili
1 bag Tostitos
1 fruit
1 veggies
2 Desserts
5 two liter bottles
1 crackers
2 side dishes

Conduit Oct 26- The Tears Of A Muslim

Endrian is a kindergarten age child being raised in a Muslim family in a tiny house on the outskirts of Semarang Indonesia. Endrian’s father suffered a stroke and is paralyzed from the waist down. He’s a proud man, and without a wheel chair “walks” with his hands while dragging his limp lower body. There are not government programs, no social security disability, no way to support his family. This is especially bad news in a community that in the throws of poverty. The onus is on Mom to provide. In a world where most Father’s can barely subsist, mom being the breadwinner is an exercise in futility. Endrian seems to be unaware, but there is a look in his eye that conveys seriousness, almost as if on some subconscious level that he understands the magnitude of the situation.

Kevin is a singer in a rock band. He screams, sings and jumps for a living. He is married with a beautiful daughter and they live a not so stereotypical rock star life outside of the not so rock star town of Lexington, KY.

He heard a sermon from his pastor a few years back about loving his enemies. It was the kind of thing that we hear from our Pastors from time to time, but for some Holy Spirit reason it really stuck this time. While thinking about what it looked like practically to love his enemy, the opportunity arose for him to sponsor a child with Compassion International. When Kevin saw the photo and information of Endrian, the young Muslim from Indonesia, it seemed like a perfect way to live out this command.

Maybe Endrian himself wasn’t Kevins enemy but Islamic radicals have declared us all their enemies. By loving Endrian, Kevin and his wife Julie are part of a spiritual counter insurgency that doesn’t involve tanks or missiles. It is subtle, it is pure, but make no mistake; it is an assault on hell.

I sat as a spectator as Kevin and Julie had traveled around the world to meet this young man and his family whom they loved but had never met. For 3 years they have faithfully sponsored Endrian through compassion. They’ve written letters back and forth. They’ve sent pictures. It’s kind of like a pen pal with benefits. This little 2 dimensional guy was very much a 3 dimensional real live human being. Watching them meet face to face for the first time was one of the more moving experiences of my life.

It was blazing hot inside this little house with no running water, let alone air conditioning. We could see the Mosque that Endrians family attends from his front door. Here we were, a handful of Christians, serving this family while their Mosque offered no support other than a clear if not spooky call to prayer that could be heard multiple times a day. (kind of like the church bells that used to wring out from the Methodist church in my home town, just a little more eerie)

We were invited inside where we all sat on the floor and us Americans did what we do best in those situations, sweat. We were given a tour of the home, we saw all 3 rooms. They ran a little snack shop out of the front door of their house. We were told that they were able to set up this business that is the only source of income for their family from money that Kevin and Julie had sent for a Christmas present.

Sitting in a circle on the floor Kevin asked the family how he could pray for them. The 22 year old son (also living in the home) answered simply and succinctly: “Muslim”. Our translator was uncomfortable with any questions that had anything to do with Jesus. If you know Kevin, you know that doesn’t necessarily stop him. He handled it like a pro. He and Julie were kind, caring, compassionate and an excellent example of Jesus to them.

The law in Indonesia states that someone of one religion is not allowed to teach someone of another religion. On your government ID you check a box next to your religion. I’m not 100% but I think the options are Islam, Hindu, Christian, Buddhism, and Catholicism Almost 90% of the worlds 4th largest nation check the box marked Islam. (When I asked our host what box would you check if you’re Jewish, her response was “well, um, you don’t”.)


The only way that this law can be subverted is if the person being taught or their legal guardian signs a legal document stating that it’s OK. This is taken very seriously, and as I write this I know of a couple of Sunday school teachers sitting in a Jakarta prison for violating this law.

As is often the case with the Lord, an obstacle turns into an opportunity. Local churches provide supplemental education, medical services, and much needed food for children. The Church, the bride of Christ, is alive and well in countries like Indonesia. The churches aren’t just a gathering place for a show on Sundays. They’re a real live service to the community. Organizations like Compassion International make possible the financial provisions to carry out this mission.


There are many Muslim families who sign the legal documents to allow for churches to teach their children. Many of them are coming to know Jesus and slowly but surely, so are their families. Endrian’s paperwork at the church still has “Islam” checked by his religion. I personally think it’s just a check mark. Islam might be marked on the paper, but Jesus is marked on his heart.

God has His thumb on this boy and his whole family. His mosque, which is 100 yards away gives them nothing. However, God sent Kevin and Julie all the way around the world just to give him a hug. Don’t’ tell me that God doesn’t have a plan for him.

If we would’ve shown up with just gospel tracts and a bull horn and preached the gospel with just our voices, I’m not sure what kind of impact, if any, we would’ve had. I’m sure between the few of us we could’ve cooked up some skits or broke out the puppets. Instead we showed up preaching the gospel with our lives AND our mouths. We were part of the larger Body of Christ doing our part. Providing the muscles while these wonderful believers do the heavy lifting.

As we left, I saw something that showed we had made an impact. There was no altar call, no bowing heads closing eyes and raising hands. What I saw were tears. I saw tears in the mother’s eyes. I saw tears in the 22 year old sons eyes. I saw tears in the father’s eyes. And there, in the tears of a Muslim I saw the Holy Spirit at work.

He was drawing them, wooing them, calling them. The gospel is being taught to Endrian on a daily basis. We couldn’t win his family with a lecture, but look what we did with love.

Tomorrow night we’re back at Journey Church. 730pm. We’ll dive into Exodus 26. We’re looking at the tapestries that cover the tabernacle as well as the veil that was inside of it. As with everything in the tabernacle, it’s a picture of Jesus. A beautiful veil hung on wood. Ring any bells? I hope so. There are many many more bells to be rung in this chapter.

Blessings,
Darren
www.conduitmission.com remember that you can feed a child in Haiti for $15. Donate at the Conduit Mission site.
If you’re interested in sponsoring a child through Compassion International, please email me and I can point you in the right direction. If you already are, please don’t stop. I have seen first hand what God can do through this act of love.

Conduit Oct 11- The War On The One Who Is Terror

On the way to Memphis Sunday morning I had been listening to CNN on XM radio. The blow hard pundits for hire were out in force debating whether or not we should be sending more troops into Afghanistan. I was sleepy because I had to leave at 6am and the dunk’n donuts coffee hadn’t kicked in yet. One sure way to wake up is to hear someone who is completely loony tunes, who has never seen battle, make crazy statements that are based on something other than common sense. CNN does this very well for me.

I was going to visit a new friend who launched a church called Nations Church in Memphis, TN. www.nationsmemphis.tv This is one of those churches that I’m pretty sure God is really jazzed about. They’re not flashy. They meet in the fellowship hall of an old school church of God that as best I can tell is on life support. In fairness they did have candles and fabric draped tastefully from the ceiling and super arty looking painting depicting different values of the church.

But that wasn’t what made it so cool. Here in the protected, sheltered, white suburbs of Memphis, TN was a church that existed to bring Jesus to the Nations.

The pastor announced that there were 3 men that were going to Afghanistan. Based upon my radio experience this of course peaked my interest. It was my automatic assumption that these would be 3 of America’s finest military men heading over to serve our country in one of the armed service branches.

They were leaving in a few hours and we were going to pray for them. Imagine my surprise when 3 burly looking, quasi bearded, white dudes came to the front who looked nothing like army dudes. They weren’t going as soldiers. They were going as missionaries!

One of the very few things that resonated with me from the CNN show was a profile on a man named Greg Mortenson. Greg and his organization are building schools in Pakistan. Morteson says that educated women can serve as a firewall against extremists. He said that for a young man to pursue Jihad he has to get his mother’s blessing, if he doesn’t receive this, then it is a shame to him.

I had never heard this but that profound truth is something that resonated with me. To the best of my knowledge Greg isn’t a Christian and depends on education alone. What if we introduced Jesus into the mix? Who on earth would have the courage to go? What would a Christian mom say of her son going to Jihad?


Imagine what could happen if the message of Christ, of peace, of salvation was being brought to this war torn people with the same passion and precision that Greg Mortenson is delivering education. I saw 3 men today that weren't imagining it, they were doing it.

As I write this they are probably somewhere between Atlanta and Dubai. They’re going to be on a plane for 24 hours and then enter into this war torn region exhausted, anxious, and maybe even afraid. Paul would tell Timothy in 2 Timothy 2 that he should endure suffering like a good soldier, something that these men will clearly put into practice.

There is indeed a war going on in the Middle East, and it runs far deeper than our bunker busting bombs can reach. Paul told the Corinthians that our military technology is of no use in this war. He said that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty. They are mighty to the pulling down of strong holds.

It’s above my pay grade to know exactly what the United States Military should be doing in Afghanistan. I am grateful that It is not my decision. As Paul commanded, I pray for my leaders in government. This is my duty and I do it gladly.

While I don't know what the Government should be doing it is dramatically clear what we as the Body of Christ should be doing. We need more troops on the ground. This is a nation that needs Christian’s who have the drive and courage of Greg Mortenson but the zeal and power of Christ like the apostle Paul

I was honored to see these 3 spiritual soldier’s heading to Afghanistan. They’re going to preach the gospel to the poor. They’re going to open the eyes of those that are blinded by the darkness. They’re going to release those that are oppressed. They’re going to be Jesus hands and feet in a battle that only He can win.

As I think about them. As I think about their wives and children and their tears that flowed while we prayed today, this exhortation from Paul comes to mind.

Ephesians 6:10-12 declares, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

You and I serve as a supply line in this battle. Conduit has sent over $100,000 to provide for the troops that are on the front lines. This is an important endeavor. People’s lives, their very eternity depends on it.

We have been on the front lines. We have one of our own, Victoria Ware, who is serving in the Dominican Republic in this army of God for the next 6 weeks. I’m proud to serve our commander beside you. And one day, the ground skirmishes will be over, when our King comes back and the war will be won. Amen.

I’m sorry to tell you that there is no Conduit tomorrow night. It’s a long story but I’m going to be enjoying a “strolling dinner” (not sure what that means) at a fundraiser for the Gospel Music Association. Believe me I’d much rather be hanging with you guys opening digging into the truth of Jesus in the Tabernacle. We’ll make it up next week.

Please spread the word.

Blessings,
Darren

Conduit Oct 5- God's Building Program

Without fancy church building consultants, no faith commitment cards and no fund raising thermometer on the wall, Moses stood before the people of Israel and asked for their help in building the tabernacle. The first church building program in history was to construct something that was little more than a giant tent with a lot of gold inside. The type of tent that could’ve been on MTV cribs, as long as they didn’t film the exterior.


Israel was sent out of Egypt with gold and silver given to them in the voluntary plundering that kicked off 40 years of exciting wilderness wandering. They would’ve been rolling deep in the exact laundry list of items that Moses was requesting. They thought they struck it rich. In reality they did, but it’s interesting to note that they were carrying the building supplies for the tabernacle.


What really struck me was how the people gave to this building project without any sort of pressure, guilt trip or power point presentation. Exodus 25:1 tells us they gave as their hearts prompted them to. This is a thought that Paul would echo in his letter to the Corinthians when he said that each man should give as he is able, as the Lord leads, with joy. (2 Cor 8,9)



We see throughout the Old Testament, taking care of His earthly house was of significant priority to God. He told Moses in Exodus 25 and many more times, to build this tabernacle to the exact specifications that He would give him. God would ordain Solomon to build a magnificent temple using the pile of wealth that David had set aside as provision. Centuries later God would go so far as to command Cyrus king of Persia to rebuild the temple. (a sort of spiritual outsourcing)


As we consider how important God’s earthly habitation was in the Old Testament, it begs the question: What does it mean to take care of God’s house today?


It’s really a misnomer to call our church buildings of today God’s house or the house of God. The New Testament tells us that we are each individually the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 6:19) That’s fancy spiritual speak for God dwelling in us individually. The metaphor goes further to suggest that collectively as the Body of Christ we make up a temple of the Holy Spirit. Each of us are the building blocks, or stones and Jesus Himself is the cornerstone. (Eph 4:19-21)


At the risk of stating the obvious, if we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, then taking care of our brothers and sisters in Christ is of paramount importance to God. If your temple, like mine, is doing great then congratulations.


That being said, perhaps it would do good for us to read to the words of Haggai.

Haggai 1: 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"
5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."
7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD. 9 "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house

Living in paneled, well maintained home while God’s house is in ruins. It’s a thought that gives me pause as I consider the efforts and energies put into architectural structures are being served so well, while tens of millions of spiritual temples lie in ruins.


I’ve heard it said that if every believer were to tithe that we could pay off the entire debt of every church in America and feed every hungry person in the world. I don’t’ know if that’s true, but I wonder if it would matter. I wonder if too many of the churches would build bigger buildings, incur larger debts and all the while the real temple of the Holy Spirit remains in ruins.


Paul commanded us in 1 Thess 5:11 to build each other up. I know there are spiritual connotations in a statement like that, but I wonder if there is a physical element as well. You can’t read something like 2 Cor 8 and 9 and not know that serving the Body of Christ that are poor and oppressed is important. Maybe building each other is a far reaching command.


Would you mind searching your heart as I search mine. I know that there are literally tens of millions of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are marginalized, starving, and/ or persecuted. There is a temple that lies in ruins, what would the Lord ask of us.

I want to state that I’m not opposed to having facilities for us to gather in as believer’s. I just wonder if our priorities are out of whack. I know our brothers and sisters in Haiti make due with excruciatingly less in their church facility. I’ll bet we could find some areas that we could simplify and refocus those resources.


When Nehemiah considered that his people were in “great trouble and disgrace” he wept. (Neh 1:3) His compassion quickly turned to action. I pray that God would break our hearts, and move us to action.


Hope you can join us Monday night at 730pm. We’ll be back at Journey Church.


Darren

GOD’S BUILDING PROGRAM- If God is speaking to you, and you’re looking for a place to direct resources to building God’s house, we’d be happy to be the Conduit for you. Whatever money you donate will go immediately into the hands of our brothers and sisters, the temples of God in Haiti, Africa and right here in Middle Tennessee. You can donate online at www.conduitmission.org


Parenthetically, I think that there is one progress thermometer that does exist in heaven. The gauge of progress is blood.

John wrote in Revelation 6 of a time of justice that was coming. Under the inspiration of the Spirit John wrote that he saw under the altar those that had been “slain because of the word of God and the testimony they maintained”.

They asked God how long must they wait for their blood to be avenged. They were told “just a little longer”. And then this provocative statement: “until the “number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed was completed”. The thermometer if you will, filled with blood, will one day reach it’s fullness. God said in Deut 32:35 “vengeance is mine”. Our God is a God of love and mercy and.. justice.

2 Years of Conduit in One Video/ Song

When you look into the eyes of the people from Africa, Haiti, and Indonesia you see a resilience. You can see what faith can do.

Happy Birthday Conduit

On September 16, 2007 I sent this email:



*******

You may or may not notice, but I am typing a full half octave higher than before. If you show up on September 16, I'll explain in more detail. But in the meantime, if you want to get a read on what happened to me, go rent Braveheart and forward it to the end of the movie. You know, the part where he is strapped the table screaming freedom!?

Shannon and I have missed you all so much these past few months. I have missed getting to share with you all of that TMI stuff that was so cathartic for me, and so kind of you to humor me by reading. I have missed getting to search the scriptures with you.

In my down time this summer, God began to stir something inside of me. I began to ask myself a lot of questions that I had never asked before. I began to see stuff in the Word that I had never noticed before.

Through this process I started thinking…

• What if there was a gathering of people that got together weekly and didn't "study" the Word like some sort of academic exercise, but searched the scriptures for the treasures that lie within?

• What if that last question was not just semantics?

• What if it was a gathering that was simple, no fancy programs, no org charts, no fancy research, no pencil pushing consultants with clipboards and opinions?

• What if in simplicity there was almost zero over head in the budget?

• What if big impact didn't have to mean big attendance numbers?

• What if it could meet in a neutral location on a main street that is highly visible?

• What if this gathering found out that the Word is exactly what God promised it would be to us?

• What if the water of the Word softened our hearts, allowing the Potter to mold us into the image He desires?

• What if we get into the Word and begin to care about the things that Jesus cared about?

• What if every week an offering is taken just like normal, but the vast majority of it is given away to the front lines of feeding, clothing, and housing those in need all around the World?

• What if we could partner with just a handful of organizations and move just a small amount of the abundant resources in this region to places with nothing?

• What if together we really could do more?

• What if?

The picture that I believe God showed me was of a conduit. What's that you city boys and girls ask? A conduit is a fancy word for a pipe. If you were to tear the sheet rock off the walls in your home you'd find conduit throughout that house all of the electrical wiring transferring power safely from one place to another. If you're driving around the Midwest and see farmers watering their crops, the sprinklers, nozzles, etc are all connected to a conduit which goes to where the water is; allowing it to freely move from a place with plenty of water to a place with no water.

A conduit is not fancy. It's not expensive. It has no moving parts. It's all around you but you never see it. And yet, without it there is no electricity in your walls and no water in the fields of Nebraska.

And thus, on September 16, 2007 at 7pm at The Listening Room in Downtown Franklin we will launch the Conduit Bible Study. We will search the scriptures verse by verse. We will feed on the milk and the meat of the word. And lest we become spiritually fattened for the kill, we will respond to it with action. Not Faith or Works. It's Faith that Works.

We'll follow the model that Paul gives us in 2 Cor. 8 & 9. There will be no pressure, no emotional strings being pulled. We will just all give what we can in a strategic manner, giving what we each personally can, and when it's combined together we can put it in the bucket, and almost immediately funnel it, or "Conduit" it to organizations who are taking care of the poor all around the World. (for those of you following along, they are the "nozzles" in this analogy)

I hope this all makes sense. I'm more excited about this than I have been in a long time. If you want to be prepared for what is coming read in the first few chapters of Acts how the early church worked. Read 2 Cor. 8 & 9 and see that those verses we love to quote about God blessing us for giving, are talking about giving to the poor.

If you don't mind, would you send me a quick email letting me know if you plan to attend? It would just be helpful if I could get a rough estimate of what to expect on our launch night. The Listening Room isn't a giant place and I want to make sure we're prepared.

That sound you hear is the heart beat of God.




********




Like any living and breathing organism, Conduit has grown and matured. In the early days I spent a lot of energy trying to define Conduit by what it was not, more than by what it is. I was pretty adamant that it “isn’t a church”. After all we don’t have a children’s pastor and I actually “go” to church at a real church.

As Conduit has grown, so have I, and those that have been apart of this little corner of the Kingdom of God.

When I look back at the initial vision, I see that short of us still being in downtown Franklin, we have absolutely held true to the vision.

We’ve been a Conduit.

Conduit of His Resources: We’ve taken in and given away over $100,000 dollars. Those resources are feeding, clothing, educating, serving in Christ our brothers and sisters in Haiti. They have served our brothers and sisters at Place of Hope who are battling for their lives against addiction. Refugees were fed in Myanmar. A school is being built in Ghana to train young men and women to be Christ like leaders to serve their nation. 96.5% of what has been taken in to Conduit has been given away.

Conduit of His Love: We’ve taken trips to Haiti where we served our brothers and sisters spiritually and physically. The medical clinic we held in Jacmel, Haiti was profound. We witnessed first hand the food that is being given to the children there through our work. Uganda, Haiti, Indonesia, have all seen Conduit “boots on the ground” in the past 2 years.

Conduit of His Word: We continue with our original vision of being a Bible Study that actually studies the Bible. We’ve dug deep in the Word and found that the treasure of Jesus is found on every page.

As for the future? It’s looking good. God is continuing to write our stories individually as well as the story of Conduit collectively. For starters, we’re no longer defining Conduit by what it’s not. What is it exactly you might ask? In the coming weeks and months we’ll unpack that.

Tomorrow night we’re NOT going to be meeting at Journey Church. Instead we’re going to be meeting at my home in Franklin. It’s going to be a mini celebration of 2 years of God moving in our lives. We’ll hang out on our patio, light up the fire pit, and talk about Jesus.

If you plan on attending, please email me and I’ll gladly get you my street addy.

If you could bring some sort of drink, side dish, secret recipe something, feel free to do so.


Blessings,
Darren

Conduit September 22- Postcard From Alaska

The thing about Alaska that is different from where I live is the disparity between the numbers of things that can kill you. While it’s not entirely likely it is in fact possible that an innocent walk through the Anchorage City park could end as a piece for “When Animals Attack.” Putting all rationally statistical arguments aside, it is an option.

I found myself very curious about this and quizzed just about any local who would talk to me about their experiences growing up in Alaska. It seemed everyone had a story of an encounter that had either happened to he or she personally, or someone they knew. Stories of hunkering down on a golf course while a herd of Moosen (the plural for moose?) surrounded them. There was a story of getting lost and dying. There was the youth pastor who crashed his plane into the mountain, someone taken out by the bore tide, and of course, the bears.

For some reason the bears really stuck in my mind like my irrational fear of flying. The thing that I found the most disturbing was the complete lack of continuity on the advice for what I should do in the highly unlikely yet entirely possible event that I would encounter a bear.

I was told by one person that I should look the bear in the eye. Another local when I suggested that I would look the bear straight in the eye responded with “what would you do that for? That’s crazy.” I was told to hunker down and play dead, covering my neck and head, I was told to stand firm and “act big”. I asked, like should I raise my arms over my head? This was met with a phrase I would come to hear often in Alaska: “What would you do that for?”

The lady at a local grocery/ bait shop/ bakery told Adam Agee and I that we shouldn’t worry because it’s the fall and unlike the Spring they’re full. She earnestly suggested that if we were going to walk in the woods we should wear bright colors and make a lot of noise. I was wearing black and scared silent. As we headed out the door she offered helpfully, “you know you ought to be careful the bears might be hunting.” As we drove away I was struck by the fact that if they’re not hungry then were they hunting for sport?

The one resolute piece of advice that was absolutely the same from everyone was that I should not, under any circumstances, for any reason, run. This was very sad to me because in that situation, the only response I could see myself mustering was a sort of muppet like flailing of my arms and wilding running away.
It was clear with all the conflicting advice we were getting that we were going to have to come up with our own plan.

Brian Calcara, Stellar Kart bass player/ former Iowan suggested very helpfully and quite seriously that we should yodel. He was pretty certain that he had heard this before. I was pretty certain that I was going to let him do the yodeling. Draw attention to himself while I snuck off.

There were 4 of us wandering around on foot on Saturday and I figured that should we encounter a bear that my odds went down to 1 in 4 of getting taken down. The fatal flaw in my thought process of course being that I was with a bunch of skinny musicians. Any God fearing, flag waving, American bear would go for the big meal instead of the skimpy one given the chance. There was also the chance of using one of the skinny guys as an appetizer and me as the entrée.

Alas, after all this mental energy that I had expended, we never saw a single solitary bear. In fact our entire wild life experience was a bald eagle at about 2,000 feet away, a ground squirrel and a guppy looking baby fish in the lake.

Yodelleheehoo

The thing I found most frustrating about Alaska was the results of my photography. I would see this majestic mountain range, or vast expansive view, or towering glacier and eagerly snap pictures. When I looked at the photos I realized that it was so one dimensional. There was no depth. No perspective. No reality of just how overwhelming it was. It was just a picture.

I guess that’s how the people of Israel must have felt and maybe still feel when participating in the feasts outlined in Exodus 23. In these festivals we find pictures of a Messiah who was yet to come. These weren’t just dinners like our Thanksgiving feast. They were much more deep, much more profound.

When we look at these feasts, it’s like a photo album of Jesus. The beautiful part is that you and I don’t have to live in the photo album, we have the real thing. And just like Alaska, He’s way better in real life.

When I got home today, I didn’t walk past my wife and go inside to kiss the picture of her on the wall. No way, I wanted to real thing.

At Conduit tomorrow night we’re going to get a look at some of the pictures of Christ in Exodus 23. As always the more we get to know the Lord the more in love we are with Him. Our love for Him has resulted in over $100,000 being distributed to our brothers and sisters in Africa, Haiti, and right here in Middle Tennessee. That’s not just a picture of Jesus, it is Jesus in action through you and I.

We’ll kick off at 730pm at Journey Church. Building 8 in the Factory. I hope you can make it.

Darren

Remember that $15 can feed a child for a month in Haiti. For $32 a month you can feed, clothe and educate that child. All donations to Conduit are 100% tax deductible and continue to go right through our account and directly to the people we are serving. You can donate online at www.conduitmission.org

Conduit Aug 22- Indonesian Conduit

As a people group probably the only thing more embarrassing than being colonized by another nation for spices would be if you were conquered and colonized by the Dutch. It would seem before the Netherlands became preoccupied with building dikes and windmills they had aspirations of world domination and spicy foods.

While other nations were being conquered by exciting and powerful nations like Great Britain and Spain, Indonesia was colonized by The Netherlands. Other nations were being invaded for things like lumber and gold, Indonesia was dominated for nutmeg.

Indonesia is what is known as an archipelagic country. That’s fancy geographical talk for a bunch of islands that constitute a nation. It’s kind of like a nationalized grand version of Hawaii without the grass skirts. There are technically 17,500 islands that make up Indonesia, only 6,000 of which are inhabited. It’s highly likely that Gilligan and the Skipper as well as the cast of Lose were stranded on one of the other 10,000.

In one day this nation lost 200,000 people when the tsunami hit 5 years ago. It’s a nation that has been wrecked by war, natural disasters, and terrorism. It’s a nation that needs Jesus.

It’s probably just my American arrogance that I know so little about the 4th largest nation on the earth. 237 Million people make up this country that is 86% Muslim. And it’s just like the Lord to provide an opportunity to take me well outside of my comfort zone.

Tomorrow I’ll join my good friends Kevin and Julie Young and Stephanie Waldrop of Compassion International as we journey to the other side of the world. Kevin and Julie have been sponsoring a boy through Compassion for the past few years. They’ll meet this young man face to face this week. What a great expression of God’s ultimate love than a trip around the world for a hug.

It never occurred to me to go to Indonesia. But God is full of surprises. The book of Acts is rife with examples of God telling someone to go somewhere that they had never been, somewhere they maybe hadn’t even thought about, somewhere that God had a specific assignment.
I can’t wait to find out what He has for us there.

There won’t be Conduit on Monday night, please spread the word. If God is moving on your heart at all to be part of feeding our kids in Haiti or finishing the home that we are building there, remember you can do that at www.conduitmission.org.

Philip Peters tells me that we have another trip to Haiti coming up in November. If you’re interested in being part of that trip, email me.

If you should pray for me this week, pray that I can communicate the gospel clearly. Pray that I can be a witness with my life. Pray for my family who is giving up daddy and husband for another week.

Blessings,
Darren

Conduit Aug 9- Steak House Conduit

A Pastor friend of mine recently said that He didn’t really see it as very exciting to go through the Bible chapter by chapter. That’s quite a statement for a Pastor. Of course, it probably is the opinion of most people. After all it’s really long and there aren’t any pictures.

When you come to chapters like Exodus 21 it seems like that opinion could hold weight. On the surface, what could be more boring than going through the laws that were written 3500 years ago addressing cultures and traditions that have long since passed away.

I don’t own an ox. I don’t know anybody who owns an ox. To my knowledge I don’t know anybody who knows anybody who owns an ox. And yet God included pertinent information for owners of oxen in this passage.

It also forces me to ask hard questions. Did God endorse slavery? It’s easy to shoot from the hip and say of course not but then you see a law addressing treatment of slaves in Exodus 21. How does that reconcile? It definitely seems more appealing to get to the parts about being blessed and healed.

If you agree with Paul that all scripture is “God breathed” then that means every thing in this book is important on one level or another. That means that every page is important. Every page contains pictures of Christ, instructions for living, promises of God, all important enough in Gods mind to include in His book.

The writer of Hebrews differentiated some of the Word of God as milk and other as meat. (Heb 5:12) It's not so much that any of the Word is harder to swallow, it's more a question of whether you and I are mature enough. (Heb 5 again)

It’s fair to say that the next few chapters of Exodus might fall under the “meat of the word” category. They’re not the elementary teachings of Christ that Hebrews 6:1 speaks of. They're not the milk, the baby food. Have you tried baby food lately? It might be nutritious, but it is anything but delicious. It might be food, but it is absolutely not enjoyable. Who wants a jar of Gerber's when Morton's is available?

We’ve always strove to be a bible study that actually studies the bible. These next few chapters are definitely strong meat chapters. In real life I’m very pro meat. I love steak. I think we can cut it up into bite size pieces so that it’s more palatable. We might even break out some A1 and flavor it up, but it’s still meat. It's still good stuff.

What’s the practical use of diving into the meat of the word? Hebrews 5:14 tells us that “by constant use of the Word that the mature train themselves to distinguish between good and evil.”

We live in a society right now where the lines of good and evil are blurred. The Word is what helps us to distinguish between the two in the world around us and in the hearts inside of us.

I encourage you to bring your notebooks, bibles and pens this week. For some of you that means bring your iPhone or laptop and I’m good with that.

Pull up a chair, it’s dinner time.

Monday, 730pm at Journey Church in Building 8 in the Factory. Also webcasting at www.mogulus.com/conduit

See you then.

Darren

If you had 3 meals today and some snacks in between, congratulations. You just ate more in one day than most kids in Haiti will eat all week. If you went to school in your youth you have accomplished what the vast majority of Haitians will never obtain, an education. In Haiti the government doesn’t provide these things. It’s the church, it’s you and I that can make a difference in both this life and the life to come of the kids in Jacmel, Haiti. You can donate any sum large or small. $15 will feed a child for a month. You can also commit to sponsoring an individual child for $32 a month. You can do all this at www.conduitmission.org

check out the blog at www.darrentyler.com
the podcast available at www.darrentyler.podomatic.com

Conduit July 27- The Whole Truth

Exodus 20:16 Don’t bear false witness against your neighbor.

It’s been said that liar’s don’t go to hell when they die. They go to congress.

This week the Democrats blocked the Republicans from sending out a mailing to their constituents regarding the health care bill being worked on. The reason for blocking it was because the Democrats say it’s untruthful. Republicans, for their part, are calling for a flag on the play because they believe it’s very truthful. Each side is accusing the other of lying.

It’s fascinating to me how both sides can say that the other side is lying. Somebody has to be telling the truth right? It’s especially confusing on an issue like health care that is a monumental problem with a lot of moving parts.

As best I can tell it’s not so much that either side is lying in the traditional sense of the word. Rather it’s that they both take a simple piece of accurate information from a very complex situation and declaring it the whole truth.

Of course convoluted problems require convoluted solutions; solutions that can’t be communicated in a 30 second sound byte. Instead we get a piece of the truth, told it’s the whole truth, and are expected to believe it.

It’s my position that taking a piece of truth and declaring it as the whole truth is in and of itself a lie.

More specifically I think it’s an example of bearing false witness.

The only example in scripture where the phrase “false witness” is used as an example is in Matthew 26. . As Jesus stood accused the chief priests and Sanhedrin sought out false witnesses to testify against Him. The ones that they finally found some one who testified that Jesus said He would tear down the temple and rebuild it in 3 days.

That is what He said. It was a piece of the truth but not the entire truth. Another way to put it is that it was the right information but the wrong implication.

He was talking about his body and the resurrection from the dead in 3 days. In fact the disciples would look back to that statement as a foundation of their belief in Him. (John 2:19-22) It was an early example of “gotcha” politics.

Bearing false witness is definitely lying but it’s deeper, it’s more dangerous, it’s being tricky with the truth.

It’s not just politics of course. It’s a part of our every day lives.

Every time you or I say the words, “ you know (INSERT NAME), they’re really good people BUT”. This is always followed by something that completely negates that fact that they’re a “really good person. The justification for this is usually that it’s true. We somehow feel justified in sharing bad information about each other as long as it’s true.

It’s a part of the truth, but not the whole truth. It’s the right information, but the wrong implication. The whole truth is that person who is a brother or sister in Christ that I am “speaking the truth about” is a blood bought, robed in righteousness, positionally pure (I know positionally isn’t a word but it sounds good) and engaged to be the Bride of Christ. They are someone that Jesus loves very much; that He is very passionate about.

When we do this we’re aligning ourselves with the one that Jesus himself said is a liar. Revelation 12:10 records that Satan accuses us before God himself. The stuff that he says about me, well it’s a piece of the truth. “God you know Darren lied about” or “Darren stole” and that part is true. But it’s a piece of the truth, and if it’s declared as the whole truth it’s a lie. The whole truth is that Jesus paid the price of that lie and that theft.

Here’s the great news.

1 John 2 says if any man sins, know this, we have an advocate or a defense lawyer with the father. John goes on to call Jesus the “good and faithful witness.” Jesus tells the whole story. Yes they have sinned but my blood has cleanses them, and the father says case dismissed, lack of evidence.

So the question for me is am I a false witness like Satan or am I a true and faithful witness like Jesus? Acts 1 records that some of Jesus last words was calling you and I to be His witnesses. A true and faithful witness is called to tell the truth, the whole truth, not just a piece of it, or just being tricky with it, but the whole entire truth.

I love my wife very much. If someone says, “well you know Shannon, I really like her but you know (INSERT SNARKY COMMENT)” that is going to infuriate me. It’s going to cause me to come to her defense. To put it simply, it’s not going to go over well.

How should I expect that Jesus would respond with me trash talking His bride?

Are we being good and faithful witnesses for our colleagues, the people we work with, our friends and family? Am I telling the truth? Maybe instead of the “you know Darren, he’s a really nice guy BUT”. Maybe we can just stop with the “but”. Don’t go any further than that.

And if you’re thinking, well it’s not true! Be a good and faithful witness on behalf of Jesus, He’s the one that makes it true about you, and He’s the one that makes it true about the person we’re so tempted to speak badly about.

We’ll dig more deeply into this tomorrow night at Conduit. I hope you can join us.

Darren

www.darrentyler.com
Feeding a child in Haiti is only $15. Amazing. Basically the cost of 3 trips to Starbucks. Pray about sponsoring someone full time. We have a waiting list of kids that we can be feeding, sending to school, clothing and mentoring to Jesus in Jacmel, Haiti.
If you’re giving a regular offering or sponsoring a kid or feeing a kid know that we don’t hold your money. We’ll put it to work immediately. You can donate or sponsor a child at
www.conduitmission.org

Conduit July 20- Stealing Time

Jesus Himself said that unfaithfulness is the only thing that makes it lawful for a marriage to break up. The church is called the Bride of Christ. I don't think it's accidental then that Jesus would in another place say He'll never leave me nor forsake me. In my own unfaithfulness He'll never leave me. He gives Himself the out, and then doesn't take it. What an awesome God we serve.

That was last week.

This week we hit Exodus 20:15. Thou shalt not steal.

When you dig deep into the Hebrew. When you exegete the original Hebrew language you see that this phrase really says, "don't steal". It's pretty simple. Straight forward. If you're like me, you probably would be inclined to check this one off your list and get on with the "no false witness command." Hang with me though.
Would you consider spending time at your work on Facebook or other personal internet adventures as stealing? If your employer is paying you for your time there and your taking that time and using it for something else, doesn't that count?
A survey in 2005 by www.salary.com found that the average employee confessed to spending 2.09 hours per day on the internet for personal reasons. And that was BEFORE FACEBOOK! The survey tallied up that personal time wasted is costing employers $759 Billion Dollars. That's the entire amount of the stimulus package.

If you've ever taken longer on your lunch break than you're allowed, or fudged your numbers on your tips when reporting for payroll, or just straight up taken something that isn't yours it's all stealing.

Of course, Malachi 3 says that a man robs God himself by with holding his tithes. Yikes.

Paul says in Romans 7 that part of the reason for the law is that it shows me where I'm wrong. It's not that the law is wrong. It's me that's wrong and the law just points it out.

Paul says in Ephesians 4:28 that he who has been stealing should steal no more. He doesn't leave us hanging. He gives us a game plan.

Paul goes to tell us the way to overcome this by working hard, but also, by giving to those around us who are in need. It makes sense why Zacheus who had given his life to the Lord would respond by giving half of all his possessions away to the poor. He was living out what Paul would later write about.

Conversely, it's interesting to me that the rich young ruler told Jesus that he had kept the commandments, and specifically named stealing. And yet when Jesus told him to give away his possessions "to the poor" and follow Him that the young man couldn't do it. He walked away. Perhaps stealing was more a part of his life than he was willing to admit.

Stealing is a way of me saying to God that He is not taking care of me in the way that I think He ought to. It's taking matters into my own hands. Out of a fear of not having enough I take more.

Living generously is saying to God that I trust that you're taking care of me and that when I give this away that you'll provide me with more.

Of course that's what we're doing at Conduit. We're living generously. It's a great vehicle for you to participate in giving to those that are in need. If you've sponsored a child in Haiti already thank you so very much. Some of you have sponsored more than one.

If not, I would ask you to prayerfully consider it. $32 a month will take one of the kids off the waiting list in Jacmel Haiti. It'll put them in school, clothe them, feed them, and most importantly put them in a constant position of being mentored by Pastor Rodrigue and the brothers and sisters at Restoration Ministries in Jacmel, Haiti.

If the Lord is leading you, go to www.conduitmission.org and you'll find a link there for sponsoring a child.

If you don't have the resources, remember that just $15 will feed a child for a month.

Make up for that facebook time at the office. Feed a kid in Haiti. (ok technically that was a guilt trip and Paul in 2 Cor 8,9 says you don't have to give if you're doing it out of guilt)

Hope to see you tomorrow night at 730pm. Journey Chuch in Building 8 in the Factory in Franklin, TN.

Darren Tyler
www.darrentyler.com
www.darrentyler.podomatic.com for the podcasts


ANNOUNCEMENT- Tomorrow night Ben Holeton has asked if he could share a little bit of how his own personal life intersected with what we learned last week. He has felt the Lord leading him to speak openly about his experiences. Due to the sensitive nature of the conversation we won't be webcasting or recording that portion. Hope you can make it.

Conduit July 13- Naked And Unashamed

When Jesus started talking about marriage he said these words that are recorded in Mark 10:5"It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. 6"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.'[a] 7'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,[b] 8and the two will become one flesh.'[c] So they are no longer two, but one. 9Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

Interesting choice of words; “for this reason”. What reason? Maybe it was because of their hard hearts. In Matthew 5 Jesus says that if I look upon a woman and lust that I have already committed adultery in MY HEART. (emphasis mine) It's a heart issue. Adultery is just a symptom of a sickness in my heart. Just because I haven't shown symptoms doesn't mean I'm not a carrier.

He goes on to say that in the beginning this was how it was meant to be; one man one woman. And when I look back at the Genesis account I see that they were “naked and unashamed”. (Gen 2:25) They were together. After Adam and Eve had been together for the first time, it says that God called their name “Adam”. (Gen 5:2)

From Song of Solomon to Hosea to Revelation, God would over and again use the picture of husband and wife as the picture for His relationship to us. (It stands to reason why there will be no more marriage in Heaven since the picture will no longer be needed.)

When all is right in a marriage, those moments of intimacy is as close we can come to on this side of heaven to understanding the picture of our relationship with God. With that in mind we see why it is that God would ask so much of us in marriage and why the enemy would attack it so fiercely. It’s the very picture of God and us. Tearing it apart damages the picture.

As an aside; It’s easy for us to sit and throw rocks at those we think have it all wrong, specifically in terms of sex. We go to Romans 1 and can dish out some serious theological rocks and declare them as “fools”. (Matt 5:22 If you missed last weeks teaching feel free to download it and see why Jesus equated that with murder)

What we skip is that Romans 2 Paul goes on to say that we shouldn’t be passing judgment. It’s not that what we’re seeing is or isn’t sin, but he says that in passing judgment we’re doing God’s job. I guess in short, He doesn’t need Holy Ghost Junior. If you want a good look at what Romans 2 is talking about, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_hSyYfY9kc&feature=channel_page


In John 8 it’s recounted that there was a woman caught in the act of adultery that had been brought to Jesus. They didn’t bring the man along so we know that they weren’t really interested in the law as much as they were trapping Jesus in his own words. (Deut 22 and Ex 22 both say that BOTH should be killed)

If He said let her go, it would’ve been fodder for their fire as Jesus being a law breaker. By the same token saying to stone her would undo the message of grace He was bringing. Of course Jesus did neither. He said, let “he who is without sin, cast the first stone.”

You know the story. He bent down and wrote on the ground. The very finger of God that wrote the 10 commandments, bent down to write again. It’s not recorded what exactly He wrote, but what we know is this. One by one, from oldest to youngest, they all left. Of course we don’t know, but I kind of wonder if he was writing down the names of each individual there and right alongside of the name, the sin they were guilty of.

He looked to the woman and said, “woman where are your accusers?” She said that they had all gone. Every last one of them. And here was this woman, who was no doubt naked since she was caught in the very act of adultery standing there.

It’s not lost on me that she was standing there as it was in the beginning. She stood there naked, and maybe for the first time in her life: Unashamed.

There is much more to discuss. There isn’t one of us whose lives have not been affected or indirectly affected by adultery. There is so much hurt, destruction, and grief. There is also restoration. We’ll talk about all of that.

Monday night at 730pm. Hope to see you there.

Blessings,
Darren

LUKE CALDWELL FROM ESTERLYN WILL BE LEADING WORSHIP TOMORROW NIGHT. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW LUKE A LITTLE BETTER YOU CAN GO TO WWW.ESTERLYN.COM YOU CAN DOWNLOAD BOTH OF THEIR ALBUMS FOR FREE. NO GIMMICK. DIGITAL COPIES OF BOTH RECORDS. FREE.

1. Don't forget you can feed a child for a month in Haiti for $15. so easy. just click on www.conduitmission.org and you can donate online. Just skip Star Bucks for a couple weeks and you've got a kid covered for the month.

2. Pray about sponsoring one of our kids in Haiti full time. It's $32 a month to feed, clothe, educate and shower a child with the Love of Jesus. You can do this at www.conduitmission.org as well.

3. We had another lemonAID stand in Dallas, TX this week. special thanks to our friend Michael Slaughter and the people at Nations Church. If you're planning on doing the lemonAID stand this summer let me know so we can report back.

Conduit June 22- Place of Hope Part 2

It had been several weeks since I had seen my dad. It was circa 1983 and he had been sick for some time. It had become apparent that he wasn’t going to be coming home anytime soon so we made a three hour road trip to Omaha where he was at the VA Hospital. It was my mom, all 4 brothers and my grandparents.

I don’t remember much about the visit other than he had to come down to see us because hospital rules did not allow children in the patient’s room. I remember that he looked really different than the last time I had seen him. I was too young to articulate it but losing 40 pounds can really change the look of someone.

What I specifically remember is after they wheeled him back upstairs we waited there with my grandma for what seemed like hours. It seemed like it because it was. Years later I would learn that the reason she was gone so long was that my dad had gone into cardiac arrest and had actually died before being resuscitated. All the while we were blissfully unaware and stir crazy in the waiting room. When my Mom and Grandfather came downstairs they never said a word.

I don’t mean this to be a commentary on government controlled health care but what started as a simple appendicitis had grown to my dad being hooked on prescription meds and dying. This all happened in the squalid conditions of a VA hospital. It was after this moment that my mom decided to take matters into her own hands.

Alongside of our pastor Patsy Busey, she went back to Omaha with our dear family friends Duane and Diana Covey. They were told he was too sick to leave and that they wouldn’t allow him to go. Knowing that staying was just as much of a death sentence Duane informed them that he would kick down “every damn door in the hospital” (as it was later quoted to me) to find him. He was a marine corp. vet and they believed him.

My dad was soon on the way to a faith based nonprofit hospital in Oklahoma that took in people whether or not they could pay. We fell into the “could not pay” category. Within moments of being seen he was diagnosed. He was addicted to prescription painkillers, a fact that was overlooked for months in the government operated hospital. The VA had locked him up in a psych ward and medicated him out of his mind.

With the Christ centered nature of the treatment he received in Oklahoma he was out and on his own in just a couple months. He’s been clean for 30 some years.

This Fathers Day I’m reminded that addiction tried to steal my father. It wasn’t a government hospital that pulled him through it was Jesus and those that were listening to His call to serve the poor.

This wasn’t consciously one of the reasons we decided to support Mike Coupe and Place of Hope. Rather it’s just one of those Godincidence type things. It’s just like God to place this ministry right in front of us at the exact moment we were praying about who we should send our financial resources to.

There are moms and dads in Place of Hope at this very moment who will be restored to their families. Conduit plays a role in this through our financial commitment to Place of Hope. We are an active and vital part of the ministry of restoration. We are rescuing hostages from the hands of the enemy. We are setting free the captives.

I had some testimonials forwarded to me from our brothers and sisters who are in treatment at Place of Hope that joined us last week at Conduit. I’m putting a few of them below. Notice the phrase “saved my life.” Take it from someone whose own father almost lost his life to this disease. That is not hyperbole.

It’s fitting that we’re at the 5th commandment to honor our father and mother on Fathers Day weekend. If you haven’t noticed in our previous studies, these commandments are super meaningful to our lives and this one is no difference. With most of us not living at home anymore it might not seem like this commandment is a throw away. Believe me when I say it’s not. Hopefully you can join us tomorrow night.

Blessings,
Darren


Below are the testimonies from our brothers and sisters who are being rescued from the evil that is addiction through the ministry that is happening at Place of Hope.

“I would like to thank the Conduit group for supporting the Place of Hope. The Place of Hope has saved me from sure death by showing me a new and wonderful way of life. I have given my will and life completely to God and He has given me peace and strength like I have never had before. I believe my life has purpose now and I know what my purpose is. I want to share this gift with as many other people as I can. God has taken away my desire to drink and use drugs and given me a desire to know more of His will for me.”
- Matthew T.

The contributions that you make as such a small group are simply amazing. Through your donations to the Place of Hope you have saved my life from the drugs and alcohol that consumed me. You have given me so much hope and faith. May God always bless you with all of His blessings.”
- Todd H.

“I wanted to thank you for coming to ya’lls place. It helped me a lot. It’s good to see people help other people they didn’t know.”
- Lonnie C.


“My experience at Conduit on Monday night was amazing! I felt very blessed to have met many of the young men and women that help so unselfishly and generously to the Place of Hope. It was very inspiring. Thanks from the bottom of my heart. It’s believers like you who believe for people like me until I can believe for myself. God bless you all!”
- Rhonda H.

“I was touched and impressed to listen to what the Conduit Ministry has done so selflessly for all of us at the Place of Hope and other ministries.”
- Jeffrey D.


“I was so confused when I walked into these doors at the Place of Hope! Through day after day of hearing the Word, now I have a purpose in life. The Place of Hope saved my life!! Brother Mike Coupe is kind, going out of his way to help somebody. I wished I be more like Brother Mike Coupe. I cannot say enough about the Place of Hope!!”
- Chris B.


“I would like to thank Darren and the Conduit Group for all you have done for me. You have saved my life. You are an inspiration to us all.”
- John L.


“I have been at the Place of Hope for six weeks and I enjoyed our visit to the Conduit meeting. The Place of Hope has saved my life. I now walk with the Lord and we appreciate your contributions and support. We are the lepers of the 21st century and the Conduit judges no one. I give ya’ll my deepest thanks. Ya’ll are part of the Place of Hope.”
- Michael R.

Conduit June 15- Place of Hope

If you’re Lindsay or Brittany and you find yourself hooked on drugs and/ or alcohol after you call your publicist , you head out to a resort style detox center and begin plotting your comeback. The biggest decisions are should you call Oprah or Barbara first.

If you’re poor and in the same situation your monumentally screwed. You can walk into an emergency room and say the magic words “I’m feeling suicidal” and they have to take you in. But it’s just a band aid solution. The church isn’t very well suited for the combination of a spiritual and medical battle that is addiction.

If you’ve ever witnessed or personally battled with addiction you are familiar with the sense of hopelessness that comes alongside it. The starts and stops, the failures and successes, the lost and found moments are all part of the slide. You’ve seen how it can seem like you’ve finally beaten it, only to see it start over again.

It’s easy to sit and throw rocks of blame. It’s seems so simple that they did this to themselves. Of course if you’re a child and it’s your single parent that “did it to themselves” as best you can tell you just want your mommy back. It can all seem quite hopeless. But it’s not.

God chose an alcoholic named Mike Coupe as a messenger of hope. Mike had his own battle with alcoholism and through Christ he defeated it. 2 Corinthians 2:4 says that God comforts us in our troubles SO THAT we can comfort those in any troubles with the same comfort we ourselves have received. The very thing the enemy meant for harm in Mike and his families lives God has used for good. If Satan had only known, I’m assuming he would have left Mike alone.

God interrupted Mike’s life with an idea that He could be used by the Lord to make a difference in someone’s life, to change someone’s personal history. Alongside Dr. John Brown, Mike started Place of Hope in Columbia, TN over 10 years ago. That idea has since become a sixty-four bed facility that according to their website “provides quality care for adult men and women and their families, throughout the Middle Tennessee region.”

Place of Hope also includes a temporary shelter for the homeless and a daily hot meal for the hungry and elderly. In addition, they collect, recycle, and give away clothing, furniture, and household goods to the poor. In His first public declaration of ministry, Jesus stood up and read from Isaiah. It was like Jesus "mission statement". Included in that statement was a promise to bring liberty to the captives and to preach the gospel to the poor. Mike lives this out every day.

Conduit financially supports 3 different ministries. Place of Hope is one of them. We are blessed to be one of their largest donors. We are an active part of the supply line to the troops on the front lines right here in our own back yard.

Mike will be joining us tomorrow night at Conduit to share the story of Place of Hope. It’s a fascinating journey filled with testimonies of God providing time and time again. I’m always inspired after spending time around Mike. He’s a perfect example of what can happen when someone like you or I just simply surrender to the call of God on our lives.

He takes ordinary people and does extraordinary things.

We’ll be starting at 7:30pm in the Theater at Journey Church in Franklin.

I hope you can join us.

Darren

You can see more about Place of Hope at www.placeofhope.us

www.darrentyler.com

Conduit June 1- God Branding

One of the things that I learned early on being a manager was that artists like free stuff. Of course, this is not unique to artists, it’s somewhat of a human condition lived out at the sample tables at Costco every day. (I get borderline giddy when they break out the chicken wing samples.)

Almost without exception one of the earliest questions I get from a new client has to do with endorsements. It’s a great lesson to teach a young artist that there really isn’t any such thing as a free lunch or more specifically free guitar. A corporation isn’t in the business of giving out free stuff to artists because they think it’s cool. There is very much a business transaction going on. The transaction is simple, they pay you with free stuff and in exchange they get to tell people that you’re playing, wearing, driving, or slathering their stuff on.

They’re playing to lowest common 8th grade denominator that if the cool kids are doing it everyone will want to. And of course, it works. When Suzuki sponsored the Kutless tour it was their expectation that they would sell motorcycles and cars as a result of their investment. The good news is they did.

If you’re a baby band nobody has heard of you are not a potential endorser, you are a potential customer. Thus little to no free stuff for you. As the name of the artist grows, so does the desire of a company to align them selves with the name (In modern circles we like to call it “the brand”) of the artist or band.

As is always the case when lawyers and handlers are involved the deals can get way more complex and sophisticated but at its base that’s what an endorsement is all about. Your name side by side with a product or service acts as an endorsement or verification of the legitimacy of the product or service.

As an artist it’s important to not put your name next to things you don’t support, stand for, or even for stuff that has bad quality to it. The reason is simple, your name, no matter how popular, does not bring legitimacy or quality to a bad product or service. It might boost initial sales or whatever, but ultimately if the product or service is inferior or offensive it brings the name of the artist down, not the quality of the product up. It can actually bring damage to the name or “brand” of an artist.

When God was writing up the 10 commandments with His own hand He puts this commandment in the top 3.

Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain;

It’s pretty easy to have total buy in with the no murdering or stealing ones, but why would this one be so important? I do agree that someone ought not to evoke God and damn if you bang your shin but If it were just referring to cussing, could that have made the top ten?

The KJ version doesn’t say to not speak His name in vain but rather not to “take” it. The NIV uses the words “do not misuse”. It’s oversimplifying to suggest that it’s just referring to speaking His name wrongly. That is part of it, just not all of it.

In Matthew 7 Jesus said that there will be some who come to Him on that day (referring to judgment day) and say Lord, we cast out demons in your name, prophecy in your name, do miracles in Your name? Jesus said something that is at best provocative and at worst scary; He said He will say on that day “I never even knew you”.

It’s almost as if Jesus is painting the picture of what we would call a “name dropper.” You know the type, dropping the names of famous or powerful people as if they’re friends even when they likely only met them in passing. It’s evoking a name to make them feel or appear more than they are.

When I’m dropping the name of Jesus as if I know Him and meanwhile keep up my own agenda, lifestyle, systems that’s very much taking His name in vain. It’s utilizing His name for my own agenda. Offering up my opinions, systems, programs, judgments, in the name of God doesn’t make my agenda look any better, rather it brings defamation to Gods name. After reading what Jesus said it ought to make me afraid.

It’s easy to point the finger at a televangelist wringing people out of their money to support a lavish lifestyle or shooting and killing an abortion doctor. I also think this could apply in our institutional churches where we’re building programs, systems, regulations, judgments in the name of God that look nothing like God.

Jesus gave this as a warning for us to be able to recognize them as false prophets. (matt 7) The good news is He said it would be super easy to spot them. He said we would know them by their fruit. What does the Bible call fruit? In Galatians Paul says that the fruit of the spirit is Love. Not how many people are being “reached” or how many “souls” are saved, that’s not the fruit. (those are more branches being attached to the vine)

I guess maybe it’s better to think of it the other way around. Instead of me trying to sign up God as my endorser, I should be signing up as an endorser for God. Philippians 2 says that His name is above all other names. There isn’t anyone with a bigger name for him to score as an endorser, so he picks you and me.

And what is God selling? Not to be cheeky but He’s not selling anything, He’s giving it away. He’s offering life, salvation, service to the poor and vulnerable. To put it simply, Love. When I’m spending my time offering Gods stuff. When I’m spending my time preaching the gospel, serving the poor and vulnerable, loving my family well, I’m an endorser for God.

In doing this it’s not just good branding, it’s God branding.

Tomorrow night we're back at Conduit and will be unpacking this commandment. I have more to unpack on this topic and I'm sure you will too. Come prepared for a fun conversation.

Blessings,
Darren
www.conduitmission.org
remember that $15 will feed a child in Haiti for a month. pray about it and see if God might lead you to partner with us.
www.darrentyler.podomatic.com the teachings from Conduit all posted here.