Stories have a special way of capturing what people are experiencing
I started this blog on May 26, 2010 as a resource for people who long to experience a simple, living Christianity that spreads easily from person to person, in other words, the Jesus Virus. My first post was An Oikos Isn’t a Building. I’m sure at least five people read that post, maybe six. Since that time, I’ve written 117 posts. And, by the grace of God, I’m now getting regular readers from all over the world: the United States, Finland, Greece, England, The Philippines, Australia, Mexico, India, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, some countries I can’t name for security reasons…the list goes on. Most of these readers probably haven’t read some of my earlier posts. But these posts related to the purpose that God put on my heart; to be a resource. So, I’d like to do a series of posts throughout 2011 that highlight older posts from 2010 which, in my opinion, were helpful for that purpose. Here is the first in that series: The Best 5 Story Posts of 2010.
I may be a blogger, but I’m also a simple church planter and practitioner who is attempting to live the life I blog about. One of the things I blog about is the stories that come out of the ministry God is giving me. Stories have a special way of capturing what people are experiencing. They can also help us learn practical lessons. If you read the following stories, in the order they are given, they also weave a bigger story. So, in that spirit, here are what I think are the five best story posts from 2010.
Story 1: Meeting the Person of Peace
Those of us who plant simple/organic churches, among those who don’t yet know Christ, look for the person of peace Jesus taught about in Luke 10:6. Here is an encounter I had with such a person: Cesar, Man of Peace.
Story 2: Following Jesus into the Harvest
Organic ministry isn’t just about leading people to Christ and planting churches (as wonderful and fun as that is). It is about following Jesus and seeing what He is up to. In the process, we end up ministering in people’s lives. That can be anything from giving a child a cup of cold water to…Here’s an example: Francisco- Another Story from the Harvest.
Story 3: Taking Others into the Harvest
When Jesus begins to give us fruit, in the form of people, we need to make disciples; that is, help them become disciples of Jesus. In the process, we should take them into the harvest with us. Here is an example of what that can look like: Burgers and Jesus.
Story 4: Learning to Follow Jesus, Not a Technique
We can be doctrinaire about how we think ministry “ought to be done.” Or, we can just follow Jesus, even when He doesn’t play by our technique and paradigm rule book. I would like to suggest that following the Lord of the Harvest into the harvest is always wiser. Here is an example: Another Story from the Harvest.
Stories 5 and 6: Gathering Under Jesus’ Lordship
When Jesus gathers us together, we find out that gathering under Jesus’ lordship is both dynamic and seldom what we expect. Here are a couple of brief stories from when my friends and I have gathered under Jesus’ lordship. You will meet some new people (friends I partner in the harvest with) and some people who by now I hope are old friends: Organic Church Gatherings – 2 Stories.
If you find these stories helpful to you in understanding what this organic/simple life, under the lordship of Jesus, is about, share it on Facebook, Twitter, another social media or email it to your friends. My calling is to share what Jesus is up to. I’m just one of many who are living this exciting and fulfilling life. And, I hope to encourage you to begin or deepen in this journey which Jesus is calling many of us, around the world, to embrace.
- Do you have stories like this? If not, do you want to? If so, do you want to share them? Feel free to send me your stories by posting a comment. I may post (with your permission) some of those stories as a resource to others.
- What one or two lessons did you learn from these stories? Do you want to comment and share your lessons with others?
- Did you find anything strange or mystifying in these stories? What would that be?
- What questions do you have about this kind of organic/simple church ministry? If you’re asking that question, probably others are too. Good questions lead to new posts.
