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.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
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
*******
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
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
Saturday, August 22, 2009
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
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
Sunday, August 9, 2009
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
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
Sunday, July 26, 2009
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
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
Sunday, July 19, 2009
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.
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.
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