BLeach

Real Transformation

A few weeks ago some of us from the Philly Project team visited Eastern State Penitentiary. This historic prison is located in the middle of one of our three focus neighborhoods in Philadelphia.

Eastern State was the first prison in United States history to attempt to reform prisoners rather than simply punish them. The goal was to make prisoners penitent, thus the name penitentiary.

The Quakers were instrumental in the philosophy behind the prison. They believed that the heart of every person was good. So if a criminal spent enough time in deep introspection he would eventually confront the evil in his actions and desire to change.

In an effort to force that introspection, the prison took solitary confinement to an extreme level. Prisoners were by themselves 23 hours a day! Furthermore, when they were allowed to spend a few minutes outside, they wore a mask so they couldn't see anyone else or be seen themselves.

As you might have guessed, this much intense solitary confinement didn't have the results that the well-meaning founders of the prison had intended. Instead, it caused some inmates to go crazy, and was eventually abandoned as too cruel a punishment.

Our time at Eastern State Penitentiary reminded me of the great lengths hundreds of politicians, reformers, activists, religious leaders, and philosophers have taken to change the human heart. Yet there's only one person who can effectively transform a person's heart.

Jesus Christ.

His passion to transform people in Philadelphia is why we're moving there to plant churches. Jesus has the power to do what no institution can do. And I believe his life-changing power will be experienced in Philly like never before!

Will I Become an Eagles Fan?

With the NFL Draft scheduled to take place tomorrow night, and the world, the state of Michigan, the city of Detroit, a few people I know wondering what the Lions will do with the second pick, I thought I'd answer one of the most common questions people have asked me since I announced we'd be moving to Philadelphia to plant a new church.

Will I become an Eagles fan?

There are a few arguments people have offered as to why I should become an Eagles fan.

• The Lions are losers argument: This is a weak argument. If I was going to switch my allegiance simply because the Lions aren't competitive, I would have done it about 25 years ago.
• The missiology argument: Doesn't a missionary seek to understand the culture and adapt values that are important to the people he's seeking to reach? This argument, admittedly, is better than the first.
• The parenting argument: When you have one child you don't think you'd ever have the capacity to love another child in the same way. Yet, parents who have additional children don't love the first any less. Their love simply expands. This is probably the best argument I've heard.

But still, here's my struggle.

For me, following a team is not a business transaction or missional strategy. It's a relationship. So I don't know how to make an intellectual decision to love another team.

I love the Pistons because I grew up attending games at the Palace with my dad. I still remember watching Vinnie Johnson hit the game winner at the buzzer to bury the Trailblazers for a second straight NBA Championship. 

I love the Lions because I grew up watching Barry Sanders embarrass helpless defenders in the open field. I still remember watching him break 2,000 yards in a single season at the Silverdome.

I love the Red Wings because I grew up watching Yzerman and the Russian Five bring the Stanley Cup back to Hockeytown. I still remember ordering pizza during late playoff games, making up a Red Wings special, and getting it.

So will I become an Eagles fan?

Probably...but not because I make an intellectual decision to try and reach people or switch to a better franchise. I'll become an Eagles fan the same way I became a Lion's fan.

I'll watch a game winning drive with my son. I'll get caught up in the excitement of a city championship. I'll stay up late watching a playoff game roll into overtime.

And I'll fall in love.

A Thought for Teams

As our team has started developing for The Philly Project, we have intentionally been slow to talk about roles. We made this decision for a few reasons. 

First, a church plant is like a baby, rapidly changing and developing. As a result, a role that needs to be staffed in month one may be different than a role that needs to be staffed in month 9. 

Second, roles will change based on our context. If we wind up planting in a neighborhood without any teenagers, we may not need a youth pastor.

Our philosophy has been to focus on getting the right people on the bus, and then addressing roles once the team is defined. Instead of committing to a position, we're asking our team to commit to the mission and values of our new church, the people of Philadelphia, and to Leah and I personally as leaders.

Of course, the challenge this approach creates is the tension of developing and defining roles within the team after it's been formed. This will be an important process for us that will be informed by our mission as a church, the needs of our target neighborhood, and the gifts of each team member.

This afternoon I met with Jane Patterson. Jane is a professional leadership coach who specializes in team coaching. She is also a member of Allison Park Church and a believer in the Philly Project. She is volunteering her time to coach our team as we continue to develop relationally, spiritually, and strategically. So thankful for her generous help!

Today she reminded me that every member of a team fulfills two distinct roles.

• Outer Roles: This is the more obvious role and includes the tasks of ministry as outlined on a job description.
• Inner Roles: This is the less obvious role and includes the personality that each team member contributes to the team. For example, each team needs inner roles like big picture thinkers and process thinkers; strategic people and tactical people, optimists and pessimists. Jane pointed out that even a complainer or two can be helpful so that venting can happen in a natural way within the life of a team.

It was a great conversation and opportunity for me to think about the development of our team. And it made me even more thankful for the variety of gifts and personalities that are represented on our team so far!

Asleep in Strange Places

We're traveling to Michigan later today for ministry this weekend. Looking forward to preaching the morning services at Freedom Christian on Sunday. I'll also have the opportunity to share the vision of the Philly Project!

Yesterday afternoon God gave me a message I'm calling Asleep in Strange Places. Daniel had every reason to be stressed out. He was a political refugee. His co-workers hated him. And once Darius signed the decree they suggested, he faced an impossible choice to either continue praying toward Jerusalem, or face certain death. Yet the contrast in Daniel 6 between Darius and Daniel is amazing. 

While Darius is pacing in the palace, Daniel is sleeping in the lion's den. Counter-intuitive indeed.

Contrary to popular opinion, peace is not the absence of trouble. Rather, it's a deep, abiding trust in the grace of God, experienced in the Presence of God. That's why the Bible is full of stories of people sleeping in strange places.

Daniel sleeps with lions.

Peter sleeps in prison (Acts 12.6).

Jesus sleeps in a boat during a violent storm (Mark 4).

If stress affects our bodies negatively so that we can't eat or sleep, supernatural peace sets things right. No matter what you're experiencing today--stop pacing, start praying, and sleep like a baby!

The Things You Set in Motion

One of the reasons I plant churches is because I believe our success is not only measured by what we accomplish, but also by the events we set in motion. 

Who knows what history changing chain of events you might launch through your life today!

I saw this commercial on Sunday during the final round of the Masters. What might be happening 30 years from now because of what's happening through your life right now?

Another Weekend in Philadelphia

Leah and I enjoyed three terrific days in Philadelphia this past weekend. Here are some random reflections.

• Several of our team members joined us for this trip. So good to introduce them to the five neighborhoods we've been focusing on.
• Leah designed a fun, interactive competition to help us tour the neighborhoods. It lasted Thursday and Friday and included trivia, neighborhood history, demographic info, and other random games. 
• I love my wife's creativity!
• After walking through each neighborhood, we'd gather on a street corner to share observations and pray.
• I can't even describe how helpful it was to get input from our team. I'm still processing much of what we experienced, but I think two or three of the neighborhoods emerged as our likely target.
• While we work to narrow our focus toward a launch neighborhood, we're simultaneously broadening our focus to see the city as a whole. One of the driving factors for our decision is to find a place from which we can launch our future church plants.
• In other words, we want to strategically position ourselves for continued multiplication.
• During this trip Philadelphia actually started feeling more like home. The weather was great, the city looked beautiful, and Leah and I talked a lot about what it will feel like to raise our family there.
• I'm also finding my way around the city much better.
• Being with some of our team members felt like being with family. This is a huge answer to prayer, since Leah and I are moving to a city without a pre-existing network of relationships.
• Philly has great food. I'm serious. Really, really good.
• I'm concerned about blowing up to 300 pounds.
• This trip was also the most exhausting so far. We started every day early and ended late. But spiritually and emotionally it was an invigorating three days!
• There is one thing that all five of our focus neighborhoods have in common--people! There are thousands of people everywhere!
• When Leah and I felt God calling us away from COTK, we decided it wouldn't be the size of an organization or ministry that would attract us, but the size of the opportunity. The more time I spend in Philadelphia the more my faith explodes. Planting churches throughout this city really is the opportunity of a lifetime!

There's a lot that will be developing with The Philly Project over the next few weeks. Stay tuned to the blog and our website to continue experiencing the adventure as it unfolds!

Missionaries Like Jesus

We're driving to Philadelphia today to spend the weekend with several members of our team. Most of them are moving to Philly from various parts of the country. We're all missionaries. And our task has me thinking more and more about Jesus, who happened to be the greatest missionary of all time.

Jesus moved into a very different, sinful culture. Heaven to earth--that's a big move! There has never been a missionary who experienced a bigger cultural transition than Jesus.

Second, Jesus immersed himself in that culture. Jesus didn't learn about sinners from a distance. He shared life with them. He ate with them. He learned their language by attending their parties. He befriended real people.

Third, Jesus was able to truly befriend people without ever sinning a single time. He never condoned sin or participated in it. He didn't lose his flavor or blend in. He taught the Scripture and modeled the Kingdom of God in a radically counter-cultural way.

And then, before he finished his missionary assignment, he sent his disciples to do the same type of missionary work. As the father has sent me, even so I am sending you (John 20.21). 

I feel honored to move to Philadelphia to be a missionary like Jesus!

What about you? In the context God has called you to, are you a resident or a missionary?

Some Philly Project Updates

We continue to push ahead in our work to launch a church planting network in the city of Philadelphia! Here are a few random updates.

• We're still living in Pittsburgh for another few months, working with our supporting church and laying the groundwork for the church plant.
• I'm enjoying my time at Allison Park Church. They have great momentum right now. This was an exciting update from Jeff--our godfather of church planting!
• This weekend we'll be traveling to Philly for three days. Excited about several of our team members joining us.
• Thursday afternoon and Friday will be full of touring our five target neighborhoods. It will be good to get some input and feedback from some others on our team.
• Some of the people on our team don't even know each other yet, so we'll do some fun, relational building activities this weekend as well.
• More than anything, I'm looking forward to some time to pray together as a team.
• I desperately want prayer to be the foundation for our church planting efforts.
• Speaking of prayer, would you consider signing up for our prayer team if you haven't already?
• You can sign up here.
• Our dream is to build a prayer team of 500 people praying five minutes a week for the Philly Project. We're currently approaching 400! Will you help us get to our goal?
• If you sign up for the prayer team you'll begin receiving the Philly Five, a weekly email with five strategic prayer points.
• Looking forward to adding some more interactive elements to phillyproject.com in a few weeks.
• I have enjoyed meeting many pastors and church planters throughout the city of Philadelphia. God is already doing great things in our city!
• I'm disappointed by the Mcnabb trade. I've always liked Donavan Mcnabb, and hate that he's leaving now that I'm coming.
• My personal opinion is that this is a mistake by the Eagles.
• We're doing as much research as we can right now about the city. If you come across an interesting article or link connected to life in Philadelphia, I'd love for you to email it to me.

Certain Uncertainty

To be certain of God is to be uncertain in all your ways.

I've always loved reading that quote from Oswald Chambers. But I don't always like living it. Yet it seems like uncertainty has been the recent theme of my life.

• When Leah and I resigned from Church of the King to follow God in planting a new church, we didn't know where we would go.
• When God called us to Philadelphia, I had never been there in my life.
• When God called us to Philadelphia, I didn't know anyone there and wondered where our team would come from.
• We still don't know how we're going to sell our house in Michigan.
• We still don't know where we'll live in Philly.
• We still don't know which neighborhood our church will be launched from in Philly

We're certain that God has called us to do this. But that's about it!

Meanwhile, God has really been encouraging me this weekend to embrace these uncertainties as opportunities to trust him. 

In Luke 9, a man who was apparently impressed with Jesus' ministry made a big statement. I'll follow you wherever you go. Jesus' response was brilliant. You know, the whole "foxes have holes but I don't have a place to stay response."

First, it encourages me as I wonder where we're going to live in Philly to know that Jesus himself was homeless!

Second, when this guy expresses a desire to follow Jesus, the invitation is to a life of uncertainty. Sure! You can follow me. But I can't tell you where we're going to stay tonight or what we're going to eat tomorrow.

When Jesus calls us, He doesn't always tell us where the provision is going to come from. In fact, I think our ability to accomplish something great for God is directly related to the amount of uncertainty we're able to bear. If you demand that resources are readily available and outcomes are easily predictable before responding to God, then you'll most likely miss the opportunity.

We don't always think of Easter Sunday as a day of uncertainty, but originally the disciples had no idea how they're futures were going to play out. All of their plans were buried with Jesus. The three days between Good Friday and Easter Sunday were packed with uncertainty.

Yet this verse is stunning! Go ahead, read it again. These women, after visiting the tomb of Jesus, go home on the Sabbath and rest. Did you catch that? Suffering from uncertainty, sandwiched between the cross and the empty tomb, they go home on the Sabbath and rest.

When we face uncertainty we want answers. But God wants our trust!

Additionally, the resurrection reminds us that any uncertainty we feel related to the plan and call of God is only apparent uncertainty. The outcome is not undecided. God knows what is around the corner. Our responsibility is not to share his knowledge, but to trust His leading.