the    sides

From Wayne:
Why do you value these things?

From Zack, (I’d link him but he blogs less than my brother-in-law):
How can the things you value give you a better MUG time? (BTW, MUG = Mystical Union with God, it’s a stumin thing.)

Good questions. First to Zack, (another answer a question with a question moment)

What constitutes a MUG in your mind?

Now, onto Wayne…

the short answer is because I value people. Hopefully, one day I’ll value people just like Jesus does.

But here are the specific types of people I value…

The Spiritual Misfit and Wounded Believer who is fed up with fakeness, irrelevance, and double-speak. They hate churches who are more concerned about building their empire than caring for the poor, widows, orphans, hungry, and disenfranchised. They have been hurt/abused by “Christians� and possibly jaded and bitter. They are looking for the ‘revolution’ they thought they signed up for, a place to heal, a place to belong, and a place to make a difference. They don’t have all the dots connected and are suspicious of those who do.

The Pagan Seeker/Atheist who is curious to see if Christianity works but doesn’t want an argument or be ‘sold’ Jesus like a vaccuum cleaner (to steal from Don Miller). She wants a conversation and a chance to observe and not be judged. She wants to taste unconditional love without the requirements of being a believer, member, or even a good person. She wants both community and cause because she feels those holes inside herself. She wants an arena to be genuine.

The Roaring Lamb who is tender with the lost, attempting to live out of the overflow of their love for Jesus, compassionate to a fault with the seeker, the wounded, and the confused, uncompromising in living in community and reproducing other roaring lambs.

Because I know Jesus is the only One who can heal and restore them
AND because they need to connect to Him
AND because I want to help them connect with Him
AND because HE wants to connect with them,
I embrace these shared values WITH them.

transformational over educational
community over isolation,
authenticity over polish,
interaction over instruction,
risk over caution,
questions more than answers,
partnerships over ‘do our own thing’
experiential over observation,
impact (community, missional living) over incubation (isolation and withdrawal)

which translates into these…