Brian Spahr :: Feeds
August 29, 2008
Surprised it took this Long
Well... if you have been waiting for the "Christian" version of Guitar Hero it is finally here for your mac and pc. http://www.guitarpraise.com I'm not opposed to stuff like this, although some may just dismiss it as derivative junk. I can respect that some people want to play a fun game like Guitar Hero without having to listen to 80's hard rock songs. Let's be honest, some of the content of those songs isn't exactly kid friendly. Stuff like this, however, always makes me think about missional living. How do we effectively guard against things in this world that fill our eyes and ears with words and images that aren't healthy for the soul while truly maintaining missional posture. There are "Christian" movies, music, TV shows, board games, theme parks, etc. We have created this whole Christian subculture that, while maybe well intentioned, could also end up isolating us from the very people we are called to reach with the message of the gospel in the nme of staying safe. How do we really follow the old adage, "be in the world, not of the world?" There is stuff out here that is toxic for our hearts and minds and souls, but then Jesus comes to us, not after we have left all that stuff behind. He comes to us as we are...where we are. How do we follow his lead and stay safe? Or maybe following Jesus isn't safe at all. Hmmmmm...
August 21, 2008
Worship Leadership Pet Peeves
As we prepare for the launch of this new church, I think a lot about how we want to present ourselves to the community. One of the primary entry points for the community is our worship gathering... which leads to the challenge of effective musical leadership. Came across this list of "Worship Leadership Pet Peeves" that, I think, highlights some common challenges/barriers we can create through the way we lead.http://churchrelevance.com/top-10-pet-peeves-about-worship-leaders/ I'd love to know what you have experienced that has caused stumbling blocks in your worship experience.
August 17, 2008
Elvis of the Opera
Tonight I saw something I never thought I would see...actually I'm not sure anyone could have ever dreamed of seeing what I saw tonight. What was this spectacle beyond spectacles you might ask? Tonight I saw an Elvis impersonator singing "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera. The crazy thing is, it was actually really good. He did an amazing job on a really difficult song, but I'm not sure how to describe what it was like watching his performance. I just couldn't ignore that he was "Elvis". All I could think about was what kind of commitment it takes to be an impersonator of Elvis or anyone else for that matter. I mean, if you are going to impersonate Elvis...I mean really do it, you have to go all in. You can't just stick on a wig and a shiny shirt when you have a gig. You have to have the hair and the pork chop sideburns all the time.Is there anything that you are committed ot with such fervor?
August 11, 2008
Leadership Challenge
As I consider what it means to be a leader in this new Church venture I think one of my biggest challenges is to try to be intentional about defining us by WHO WE ARE without painting a direct contrast with other churches. It is much easier to say who we are NOT, and sometimes the distinction is helpful, but I would much rather be known as Graceway Church, the church who is... rather than Graceway Church, the church who isn't.
August 04, 2008
Grace - Part 2
Continuing my reflections on baptism and grace from yesterday...Praise God there were around 600 baptisms yesterday. That truly is something to celebrate, so I hate to follow it with a but, but... my concern is that baptism, in this case, was presented solely as a public declaration of inner change... a public demonstration of our obedience to God by following his commands. This is certainly part of what baptism is, but there was no talk of what GOD DOES, or what GOD PROMISES in baptism, and from my perspective, this is the problem. First and foremost, Baptism is a gift from God. The fancy way to say it is that baptism is a "means of God's grace." It is not the only way God conveys his grace upon his people, but it is one way that we are assured he does. The talk yesterday was about being "biblically baptized", but here are few "biblical" things that were never mentioned... and I think all of these are pretty important: In Baptism, God promises to: 1) make you a child of God, for you are baptized in God's name Matthew 28:19, 2) wash you clean of sin Acts 22:16, 3) give you the Holy Spirit, which will enable you to call upon Jesus as Lord (Titus 3:5), 4) make you a member of the body of Christ, the Church (Romans 6:5), and 5) grant you child eternal life (Mark 16:16)Because there was so much emphasis on why YOU should be baptized TODAY, there was no mention of any of this...and I think that was a pretty important omission. Because Jesus is truly present in this mysterious fusion of water and word (don't ask me how it works...I'll never know how God does what God does)we are assured all of these things. Forgiveness, healing, wholeness, are all given to us free... not because of my obedience or good behavior or anything else I can do. It is only by God's grace that we have all been given these things, and again, baptism is one way that God has chosen to convey these gifts to us... to offer us a means of assurance that we have received these gifts. To me, this is much more important to consider when we talk about "biblical baptism" then whether I was a baby or an adult, sprinkled or dunked. What is most important , in my opinion, is not as much the HOW, but the WHO. YOU are not irrelevant in all of this, but YOU are also not the primary actor in your baptism, GOD is.I am so thankful for the ministry of this local pastor and this local church. They truly are making a significant impact on the community where my family lives. Please do not misinterpret these posts as just me being critical. That is not my intention at all. As the people of God we are all in this thing together...I really believe that. It was an experience, however, to which I could not help but respond. I pray that the live of those baptized yesterday will forever be changed, and that our community and the world will never be the same because of God's power taking hold of their lives. Grace and peace,Brian
August 03, 2008
Grace - Part 1
This morning I was reminded in a bold, in-your-face way, of why as a pastor I am called to proclaim God's grace (the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God) above all things. This morning Michelle and I visited a local church that was holding a baptism service and we left feeling...well...disturbed? Bothered? Offended? Concerned? I'm not sure I know exactly the best adjective to describe how we felt, but I think more than anything we left feeling compelled more than ever to be voice of grace in this community we have been called to serve. Before I go any further, I just want to say that my point in writing any of this is not condemn the practices of this church or simply to go down the same old theological roads that many have gone before...butting heads about who is right and who is wrong...what practice is "biblical" and what is not. I guess I just feel like I need to process the experience "out loud", if you will, because of all that it stirred inside of me. Basically the pastor's message today was "Today is the day for you to be 'biblically' baptized. If you were baptized as a baby it was a nice gesture by your parents, but that's all it was...it didn't count for anything so you NEED to do it again! There is no excuse to say no, because we have covered all of the bases...taken care of all that might be holding you back (they provided shorts, t-shirts, hair ties, make-up remover, flip-flops...) Today is the day (if you are in 6th grade or above), and if you say no you are being disobedient to God." At his invitation, at the end of the service 100 or so people came forward to be baptized, and throughout the day at there other services there will likely be hundreds more.I wish that I could say I was completely excited about all the people coming forward today... I mean, I am to a certain extent I am because I trust that God will be working in the lives of those baptized and that God will be present in the baptism. That being said, I am greatly concerned when anything that God has chosen to be a "means of grace" is presented as something else. So over the next few days I will spend my "thinking-out-loud" time on this blog talking about baptism and God's grace conveyed in baptism in contrast to baptism as solely an outward sign of our commitment to God.Stay tuned for more to come...
July 15, 2008
Joy
Sunday I was blessed with the opportunity to preach and preside at communion at The Well (http://www.the-well.org) in Pineville, NC. What a great experience. As a new pastor the experience of leading communion was extremely humbling. What a privilege to have the opportunity to invite the people who gathered to come to the table and receive the bread and wine, doing as Jesus commanded his disciples to do so long ago. I'm not sure I will ever be able to adequately describe the experinece of leading this for the first time.
July 07, 2008
My desk...
During my ordination service the Bishop told a story about when he first began as a pastor he put a stack of specific books in the place where he did his sermon preparation to serve as a reminder of who he was and how he wanted to be as preacher and a pastor. I am a very visual person and I thought that sounded like a good idea so as I was setting up my office last week I thought I would put my own little slant on the idea.
July 04, 2008
The New Journey Begins
This Past Sunday I was ordained. After four years of seminary and 15 years of serving in full-time ministry this service marked a culmination of part of my journey and the beginning all that is to come. Here are couple of impressions from the experience: 1) Take a good look at the picture of me in the robe and the rest of my "pastor clothes" because you probably won't see them on me very often. It actually meant a lot to me that day to wear them as a symbol of the life and ministry I am committing to...especially to wear the stole (the scarf-like thing that goes around your neck). My friend Kenyon made it out of the cast off material from Japanese silk. He took what someone else considered to be trash or waste and made it in to a symbol of God's grace. Pretty appropriate. Anyway, I choose not to wear my "pastor clothes" because, while I am called to do a specific role in the church as pastor, I am no different, holier, smarter, somehow more connected to God than anyone else. I do not want the clothes I wear to cause any barrier or confusion in this matter. Also, those suckers are hot and in this Carolina heat...well, you get the point.2) The most moving part of the service for me was having the opportunity to serve the bread at communion. As people came forward I was struck how there were people there from all along my journey to this point. My parents and Godparents were there who wre present at and made promises at my baptism as a baby. There were family friends there who have known me since my awkward junior high days, one of my high school frineds was there, my old roommate, former youth group kids, my old pastor... it was a remarkable experience that I'm not sure I will ever have the words to describe. Anyway...the service was great and now I look forward to hitting the ground running as we begin Graceway Church. A new journey begins.
