On September 16, 2007 I sent this email:
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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
Sunday, September 27, 2009
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
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
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