First Things First
Why am I writing this blog?
Why am I writing this blog? I love the church, and the church needs help. If you read my blog My Story of Willow, about my experience at Willow Creek Community Church, you will see how this is true in a local body of Christians. And it is not just at Willow Creek. Over the past years there have been several high-profile scandals that have rocked the Evangelical Church. More than the scandals themselves, there have been issues with the way the church has handled them. When I say church, I am not talking about the particular organization, but the body of Christ. I am talking about people who are in Christ, Christians. It starts with those called to lead, but it also includes those who are being led. There are spiritual paradigms in the church that need to be understood and reimagined or, dare I say, reborn.
So, I am writing to help the church change. I titled it Our Life in Christ because it will focus on our new life; a life so different and so beautiful, but a life that is not completely understood. I will point out issues or problems that detract from our realization of this life. But, the ultimate objective is for the church to understand all God has for us, so we will experience “life and life abundantly.”
Why am I writing this blog?
Why am I writing this blog? Wait, didn’t I just answer this question? No, why am I writing this blog? I ask myself this question every day. I am probably like most of you, I never went to seminary, I don’t have an MDIV degree, I’m not even a trained writer. So, why am I writing? I am compelled to write. Please bear with me as I explain.
I have been a Christian since I was eight years old. I grew up in the church. I had many spiritual ups and downs over the years. I wanted to be a fully devoted follower of Christ, but I couldn’t seem to consistently do it. One day I was so sick of myself that I was ready to give up, so I cried out to God. He answered me in a miraculous way (that is a story for another post). He showed me that life in Christ is not about trying harder or being more devoted. It is about being the new creation He made me to be. This is teaching that I didn’t receive from my local church. Obviously, there is so much more to say and understand about our new life; and there are some things that we may need to unlearn. I am not saying these things are not taught anywhere, but it isn’t prevalent in most of what I hear or read. That is why I am compelled to write.
I was telling my best friend that I was unsure about writing this blog, I felt there were already many people writing about how to live our life in Christ and doing it better than I could. He said something that I hope not to forget, “but you have a different voice and one that needs to be heard.” I hope and pray that was the Holy Spirit speaking through him. I desire God to use me for His glory and for the love of His people. Beyond my desire to share what God has taught me, I believe He has given me gifts and talents that have shaped my “different voice.”
In addition to my experience with the church, my career background in the medical device industry helped shape my voice. Most of my work was in new product development. I spent my time working with others to solve real medical problems. We were very successful at developing simple, effective solutions and products for those problems. The skills. talents, experiences and, most importantly, the spiritual gifts God has given me, have coalesced over the past several years and brought me to this place. My hope is that God will use my voice to provide a new perspective to the church. This is why I am writing this blog.
Modus Operandi
The key to developing a new product that solves a real health issue is to first understand the problem. This sounds like a no-brainer, but it is amazing to see how often solutions are developed before the problem is truly understood. It is imperative to dig down and determine the root causes of the problem and to define which cause would be best to address. In complex medical problems there may be many facets to consider and it is often difficult to sort through the plethora of issues. There may be many causes that could have multiple solutions. However, one of the keys to developing innovative products is prioritizing efforts on the cause that, when addressed, will have the biggest impact. It is the same with problems in the church.
We must discern the root causes of the problems we are facing. There are many people talking about the problems and some are recommending solutions, but often they aren’t addressing the right cause. So, the solutions they are recommending are not going to be very effective. Some of causes people are pointing to are organizational, some are policy or method driven, and some are even focused on a particular person. However, from my observation and research, the root causes of the problems in the church today are spiritual. We have not dug deep to discern how our perceptions and practice of our life in Christ have brought us to where we are today.
Due to the spiritual nature of the issues we are facing, my main source of information will be the Bible. Once again, this seems like an obvious choice, but it can also be a source of contention among Christians. There are many highly educated and godly people who disagree on Scripture. Sometimes it is difficult to know who is right and who is wrong in interpreting the Word. However, as one of my pastors has told me, the best way to interpret Scripture is through Scripture. I may use quotes from other sources, but I hope to do so sparingly and primarily to show a current view or opinion. While it is clear that God gave people gifts of teaching, and there are many godly teachers in Christendom, I am wary of relying too much on other people’s words. I have seen too many instances where people have been critical of someone’s writing based on the people they quote. Fairly or unfairly, writers are often judged by association. I hope people will assess my writing based primarily on its own merits, judged by the Bible, not based on someone I may quote.
What’s Next?
In coming posts, I will look at root cause of the problems affecting the church. Again, this is not just the organization, but the body of Christ. Also, it is not focused on one church or a particular denomination, although there may be some parallel to my other blog, My Story of Willow. That blog shows my perspective of working through specific crises in our local church, by providing information and recommendations for repentance and healing.
My desire is to help the people in Christ, Christians, in their relationship with God, the Church and the world. These three relationships encompass our earthly existence, and determine how we approach life now, and in the age to come. I hope you will join me on this journey to understand our life in Christ.