BLUE FISH on The Journey

HOUSE CHURCH SIGNS

2011-06-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

If you see one of these around...

You know that a Journey House Church is meeting there. Since we rotate where we meet, you might see them at more than the four host homes that serve as base locations!

IS THAT GOD?

2011-04-26T07:19:00.000-07:00

It seems funny that the first childhood memory I have of talking about God was in a church building. I remember asking my mommy (I couldn't have been more than 3) where we were, and she said we were in "God's house". That really impressed me, and of course I started looking around for God. I saw a man in the choir loft, and thinking God would be higher up because people seemed to look up when they spoke to Him, I asked her, "Mommy, is that God?" She said it wasn't, and really didn't have answers for all the many questions that now were coming to my talkative 3 year old mind....

Years later in a different town, our family was attending a big church on the top a hill. It had a big choir and a huge pipe organ that filled the back wall above the balcony. The pastor was "Dr. so and so", and was referred to as Dr. instead of "pastor". I didn't like going to that church because they had Sunday School police, who if they found you outside the Sunday School room when class was in session would take you by the ear (seriously) and pull you to class. I was maybe in second grade.

Then one Sunday while I was avoiding the Sunday School police, I found a map - well really a floor plan of the church building. The amazing thing to me was that according to this map, in one of the rooms which I discovered to be locked up tight, there were bags all tied up, stacked inside and labeled "God". It must have been traumatic to me at the time because I still remember it in detail after all these years. I went and found the church janitor and showed him the map, and although he looked concerned, he didn't open the door to let God out, or even investigate.He just took me back to my parents and let them deal with me. I still remember thinking, "Maybe they want Him in there".

How much have these experiences motivated me life direction? A therapist could have fun with it I am sure - but you can be sure that I was determined to find God eventually. I did. He showed up in many ways through my youth, but I finally recognized Him with enough certainty to claim success when I met this guy named Joe.

I was in high school by now. My parents had divorced four years ago, which created another motivation in my life around relationships. But I was searching even more intently now. Joe was a Campus Life director at my high school. He invited me to Bible studies at his house with other kids, and eventually to a big rally in Minneapolis where I was happy to show others that I had found God through Jesus. It had finally dawned on me that God wasn't living in buildings, or bags in a store room, or up in the sky somewhere, or even in black leather-bound books. But that ever since Jesus came to make it possible, He has been living in people.That's were I finally met Him for sure, and I hope you have met Him too.

TWO OPEN HOUSES CONTINUING AS NEW HOUSE CHURCHES!

2011-01-19T10:09:00.000-08:00

Two Open House hosts will continue meeting as new house churches! Ruises are starting up on March 19th, and Peabodys on April 2nd! Give them a call and pay a visit if you like.

MPR Article

2010-12-18T11:07:00.001-08:00

Hey - an MPR reporter visited us and did a nice story on The Journey! Check it out to the right - "MPR Article"

What is a "Testimony"?

2010-12-12T19:31:00.000-08:00

Ever since I started hanging out with Christians I have heard this term - "testimony". No one else really uses that word...the closest we come to it is the word "testify", which means to speak as a witness in court. Now, nobody I know (except lawyers) associates court with a place you would want to be, much less something you want to practice up for, just in case you get the honors. No, being in court usually means you are in trouble. So who wants think about being ready to "testify"?

But as I listened to how Christians used this word "testimony", I got the impression that it wasn't really something you are a witness to, but it's really used to refer to your reputation, i.e. "you might hurt your testimony", or "that's not a very good testimony to engage in that". Then it occurred to me one day as I was reading what others thought of Jesus, based on the fact that He drank wine, liked to eat, hung out with prostitutes and sinners...and discovered that He didn't have a very good "testimony"!!! (if that's what it is!)

Well, last night at our house church meeting we were all looking at Luke 8 where it tells about the guy in the tombs that was demon possessed. My friend Bruce didn't say much until the end when he pointed out something that really hit me: After Jesus freed this guy from all his bondage, and he ended up with his clothes on again and with a "sound minded", it was then that Jesus told him to go back to his people and (King James Bible) "Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee." (Luke 8:39) What got me was that it didn't say to just tell them about it, but "shew" them. When we dug a little deeper we found that the word there is diegeomai, which literally means (in our modern terms) to "walk them through it"! He wanted the guy to give them a full, demonstrated, account of what happened, not just lay theology on them.

I thought to myself how hard this would be for us today - Like a guy is in a mental institution, heavily sedated and kept in a padded cell. One day he is totally back to normal...and gets to go back home. BUT...no quiet, discrete reintegration for him, No! He has to tell everybody how he was banging himself against walls and strapped into a gurney half the time, and how this guy came and sent a bunch of spirits out of him and into a herd of pigs...well, you get the picture. Any hope of a nice quite social life is down the tubes for him!!

So what really is a "testimony"? I have to take it from this account that if nothing else, it is this: Our own personal story of how at my lowest point in life, Jesus' reckless love and grace appeared to me and proved itself in a way that removed every last hint of shame from my life, and settled once and for all the question: Am I worth it?

That kind of "testimony" is never boring to anyone, and always carries some of the power of that moment to others. I takes a lot of guts to share something like that. I have been challenged big time!

GREAT GATHERING AT PIZZA PUB

2010-09-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

The downstairs of the Pizza Pub in Cambridge was packed out Saturday night. We had a bunch of first timers, and a few of them even shared some of their stories with us. We really appreciate the Pizza Pub and the Journey teams that put this together. There are several coffee meetings happening this week as follow up with new friends!

Now we are looking forward to having our Gatherings at the Corner Cup for the rest of the school year - It will be great to be at the same location downtown in Cambridge!

SEPTEMBER MEETINGS

2010-09-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

This is coming out late for September, but here are the remaining meetings for the month:

18th - Pam Crider's: 2271 - 335th Lane NE, Cambridge, MN 5-8 pm

25th - GATHERING - 5-8 pm: AT CAMBRIDGE PIZZA PUB on Main Street

Blue Fish News

2010-08-10T16:13:00.000-07:00

We are into Luke Chapter 5 this month, and discussing it in three sections for the three Saturdays before the Gathering on the 28th.

We had three new people at Rick & Lori's on August 7th, and met another friend in their building who needed help moving, so we are going to be back later in the week.

We decided Monday night to keep asking one another each week, "Who is your 'neighbor', and what do they need?" We will be keeping the different house churches informed on needs and resources so we can respond to needs that come up - wherever we are!

Meetings for August 2010

2010-08-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

August 7th 5-8 pm Lori & Ricks

(to be added - in Isanti)

August 14th 5-8 pm Meg's

538 Old North Main St, Cambridge, MN

August 21st 5-8pm Pam's

2271 - 335th Lane NE, Cambridge, MN

If you need directions - Give a call to Bob at 763 221-4760, or keep checking this site!

Meetings in March

2010-03-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

Hey - I looks like our Blue (star) Fish group will be meeting at our house Saturday March 20th (5-9 pm)

Then next Saturday (the 27th) we are all Gathering at the Junction Bowl in Isanti!

See our main website for more details.

UPCOMING GATHERING AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE CONFERENCE

2009-10-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

Hey - this is just a reminder that next weekend (Halloween) is a big one for us - We are doing everything at the Fish House that weekend: The Spiritual Warfare Conference from 6:30 Friday night to 4:...00 pm on Saturday, then our Gathering will start at 5:00 in the upper room of the same location with a CHILi FEED, and go into a worship time with Stacy & Serit leading us in Israeli worship dance. After our open mic time, we will join the Fish House Crowd downstairs for a combined service where the message on restoring the Keys of spiritual authority in the Church will be given - that will be Halloween night. Our victory over darkness does not step aside for Halloween, it meets it head on!!!

NEXT HOUSE CHURCH MEETING

2009-10-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone - Our next get together will be at Meg's House -
538 Old North Main in Cambridge
(kitty corner from the big Lutheran Church)

Give her a call to find out what food to bring!
at 763 227-7209

ALSO be planning for the Gathering next weekend which will be right after the
Spiritual Warfare Conference at the Fish House (5:00 pm in the upper level)
It's a CHILI FEED!

So bring your favorite recipe and learn some Israeli cirlce dances
while you are there!

The Topic is (of course) Spiritual Warfare - "Giving the Keys back to the Church"
Go to the Journey's main site for more details and to register: http://www.thejourney-ecmn.org/

COMING UP THIS MONTH

2009-10-11T23:15:00.000-07:00

NEXT HOUSE CHURCH MEETING AT OUR HOUSE
Saturday October 17th - 5:00 p.m.
1087 - 313th in Cambridge

Bring your favorite oriental food (in honor of Becky Roby's birthday!)

ON THE 24th we will be at Meg's on North Main
Food (to be determined)

HALLOWEEN WEEKEND SPIRITUAL WARFARE CONFERENCE &
GATHERING AT THE FISH HOUSE! (see the main website for details:
www.thejourney-ecmn.org

UPCOMING EVENTS!!!

2009-10-08T16:12:00.000-07:00

Blue Fish Meet Saturday at Rick & Lori's, 937 Golden Way, Isanti 5:00 p.m. bring your favorite kind of chicken, or a side dish.
Spritual Warfare Conference will be held October 30, 31 @ The Fish House! Begins 6:30 p.m. Friday night and includes a ministry opportunity Saturday night at 8pm.
Gathering will also be at The Fish House and will include an Israeli worship dance team to stir things up a bit.

NOTES ON HOW THE CHURCH IS LED

2009-09-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

THE STRENGTH OF OUR WILL

Today I spotted an article in the September 21, 2009 issue of "Leadership Journal" by John Ortberg called: The Strong-Willed Leader: There is a difference between a surrendered will and a weak will. I was really encouraged to see this come to light, because over the 27 years that I have been involved with the church as an institution, I have consistently encountered teaching - both specific and implied - that God's plan for us is have no will of our own. I have observed that the resulting passivity of church culture in America, particularly as it is encouraged in the "laity" or attenders, is linked to the taking away of the "key" in Luke 11:52; It hinders those who are trying to enter the Kingdom, or domain of God. Then there is that disturbing statement in Matthew 11:12 about "violent men" taking the Kingdom by force.

So how do we square that Jesus both "set His face to go to Jerusalem" in Luke 10:51, and yet only always did what He saw His Father doing? (John 5:19) It doesn't seem a mystery to me any more. It has a lot to do with what we believe God wants from us, and what He will do if we bow our heart to Him. You see, every other god (and I use this term in the broadest sense) seeks to take power from us - to use us, and use us up. The true God is the only One who can afford to give us more power than He takes from us. (Note the promises in Acts 1:8, Ephesians 1:20, e.g.)But old habits are hard to break - we have been taught by our other gods that to come under the authority of another means we must disengage our will. At the same time we are doing this (which I beleieve is very offensive to God - kind of like bonevolent adoptive parents bringing a child home only to see him crippled by a constant, parylizing fear that they are going to beat and abuse him), He is all about the task of healing and rebuilding our will so that it is functioning again - evidenced by the ability to daily choose to follow Him. (Romans 8:14)

More could be said about this - and I hope that we as the Church will begin to grow in this understanding: that God comes to empower and repair our will, and to equip us for the spiritual battle field we live in. Passivity is not close to godlikeness - rather it takes an incredibly strong and healthy will for us to do as Jesus did in setting His face toward Jerusalem, for this where our cross awaits us...the one we are to take up daily as we follow our Savior.

Grace & Peace

EVENTS COMING UP

2009-09-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

THE GATHERING - SEPTEMBER 26TH AT THE SHED!
The Topic is "Hearing from God - Why at least every Christian has already heard God's voice"

The Shed (34092 Vickers Street NE in Cambridge) has been offered by Dale Forslin for us to meet starting this month! To show our thanks we are going to be out there next Saturday the 12th to work on clean up and whatever else is needed.

Plan to be out there from noon to about 4:00 p.m.

LATEST EXCITEMENT IN THE JOURNEY

2009-09-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well, we had four baptisms in July, and our August Gathering was filled with sharing around a campfire in the park - what God is doing among us.

The Blue Fish house church has been on an amazing journey around learning to invite the Spirit of God to teach us - as Jesus promised He would. (John 16 :12-15) We are going to breakout discussions with questions that send us into the Bible for answers, and seeing how God speaks to all of us - It has been amazing.

But lately we have been tugging on the meaning of "ministry" to each other, and what ministry really means. Ministry has been defined by some as "Our needs being met by God's resources", but how do God's resources get involved? We recognize that the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit are our only hope of "ministry" happening, so we have to go to God with our hands and hearts open, while at the same time we test what comes to us by its:

Consistency with Scripture,
Confirming fruit, and
Confession of Jesus Christ as Lord

We are beginning to see healing and freedom among us - but it's a learning process. We find we have been affected by all kinds of teaching and perspectives on these things - But as long as we can all defer to the authority of Scripture, we are going to find our way through the experiential part of our walk. He will complete the work He began in us!

JULY 25TH GATHERING - "SAVED - BORN AGAIN" WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

2009-07-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday July 25th from 5:00-8:00 at the Cambridge City Park

Food - Live band - Open mic - Drama group - Baptisms

See what the journey is about. It's the journey we are all on to discover the part of our existence that can't be measured in a lab; The part of our world that has to be learned by heart. Come and eat, sing, share your journey with others, or just hear from regular people what they are discovering in their own journeys. All are welcome.

THE GATHERING - SATURDAY JUNE 27th

2009-06-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

5-8 p.m. at the Cambridge City Park
THEME: PRAYER - "What is it and does it really change anything?"
Food at 5:00 - Worship and Open Mic at 6:00

Bring friends and stories of answered prayer!

For Home Church group information go to www.thejourney-ecmn.org

WAR & HEALING IN THE KINGDOM

2009-05-31T18:07:00.000-07:00

SATURDAY NIGHT, May 30th, the house churches of the Journey had a Gathering at Cambridge City Park to celebrate personal victories and healing. Victory never comes without a battle - so the two themes: war and healing, come together in our human experience.

When it comes to addictions, (those things that take control of our lives against our better intentions) it often requires a true battle to evict them from the claim they have on our lives. These are the things that are "energized" by the Ephesians 6:12 struggle, not just with our own weaknesses, but against spiritual enemies, without bodies. Submission to God is only a first step when it comes to confronting these "strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:4), we have to take a second step. James 4:7 states we have to also "resist", as do Ephesians 6:13 and 1Peter 5:8.

Few of us were taught this dynamic when we learned about Jesus, how ever we came to know about Him. Yet, about a third of Jesus's ministry involved "resisting" these evil spirit beings, starting with Satan himself in the wilderness. We also see Him resisting the money changers in the temple courts with a camel whip. Not the classic "gentle Jesus" we see in the paintings. When He was resisting, He was never praying, so His example takes us outside of the teaching of even most current books out on the topic of "spiritual warfare". In Jesus's ministry, there was no such thing as "warfare prayer". War was war, and prayer was prayer.

Once the dust settles, after the battle is won and the enemy is out of the "house" (that is, our bodies - God's intended temple), Jesus the Carpenter needs to go to work restoring the areas of our soul that have been damaged, including the paths that the enemy has worn so well in our mind, will and emotions. The battle is about driving out the enemy that is at war with God's design for our lives. - Healing is the restoration process after the enemy is out of the way. The picture we get from the Old Testament Tabernacle is helpful:

The teaching of Jesus ties the Tabernacle to our bodies as God's intended home, and so its design reflects the blueprint of our soul. God's idea of "salvation" gets real practical when we talk about removing any things that do not belong there, and inviting the Savior to set up housekeeping and start restoring and redecorating us - as His sacred place.

How differently do we see our life when we consider that we have been made a "sacred place" - a temple of God Himself? Some of the words shared on Saturday night reflected the power of this truth. I think it is really God's passion that we see ourselves and others as sacred places, made to be inhabited by God's presence.

Bob

EVENTS & PEOPLE

2009-05-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

THE JOURNEY - OPEN GATHERING
Food, Music and Open Mic to share what God is doing!
TOPIC: Healing & Addiction
May 30th from 5 to 8 p.m.
Cambridge City Park

Our Weekly House Churches:
BLUE GROUP - Contact Bob & Becky - nogah@izoom.net
RED GROUP - Contact Josiah & Fancey - josiahlorsung@yahoo.com
GREEN GROUP - Contact Scott & Tammie - stjmelliott@gmail.com

"Look at what they make you give."

2009-05-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks, I was reminded of this phrase, spoken by Jason Bourne (acted by Matt Damon) in the third of the Bourne sequels, "Bourne Ultimatum". He had come to the end of any desire to play the game, and spared the life of another agent who was assigned to kill him. When the other agent asked why he didn't kill him to save himself, he answered with these words. "Because, look at what they make you give." He realized that they were all being driven by a third party to play a game that none of them could win. They were pawns, and the only way out was to stop playing, possibly at the cost of their lives - which were already forfeited anyway.

None of us gets out of this life alive. All we can choose is what we will say to the world we live in with the time we have. There were many things in life that Jesus pointed out we could not hold onto as tightly if we were going to follow Him, and (as we would say) "Get a life!"

Devotion to extended family;
Devotion to employers without boundaries;
Devotion to financial gain;
Devotion to religious traditions.

I think we all see the battle in one or more of these areas on at least a weekly basis. For us in the journey, we are finding out the cost of carving out a different life rhythm as we try to walk with one another in closer proximity...and finding out that transformation always comes at a price: something like taking up our cross. It's not that Jesus didn't pay it all, it's just that getting the "flesh" (patterns, habits and attachments) out of the way is really painful. But God gives enough grace to survive it.

So, why did Jesus have to die? Partly, to show us the cost of following Him in life. Why would anyone follow Jesus in dying to what is a "normal" life to us? Maybe my answer to that is to say, "Because,...look at what we made Him give!"

GATHERINGS AND PEOPLE

2009-05-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER WALK FOR LIFE
Come Help us Keep this Life Saving Station Open!!
Saturday May 16th - Register 9 a.m., Walk 10 a.m.
Cambridge City Center Mall Parking Lot - Call 763 689-4319

THE JOURNEY - OPEN GATHERING
Food, Music and Open Mic to share what God is doing!
TOPIC: Healing & Addiction
May 30th from 5 to 8 p.m.
Cambridge City Park

Our Weekly House Churches:
BLUE GROUP - Contact Bob & Becky - nogah@izoom.net
RED GROUP - Contact Josiah & Fancey - josiahlorsung@yahoo.com
GREEN GROUP - Contact Scott & Tammie - stjmelliott@gmail.com

DIGGING INTO WHY JESUS HAD TO DIE

2009-05-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

On April 25th at the Gathering, The Journey brought us to look into why Jesus had to die. We had a few passages of Scripture and divided them among three groups, who looked them up and listened to what God might be saying to us about them. When we got back together, we were all in awe of how the Spirit of God had spoken to us - we were energized by the power of God and how He had set up so many events in history to speak of the meaning of Jesus's sacrifice.

If you would like to follow our Journey through Scripture on this topic and see what God might say to you, here are the Scriptures for the last two weeks in May:

Week Three - Fulfillment of the Law:
(1) Jesus fulfilled the requirement of the law, that sin results in death, but since He had no sin, His payment could be applied to us. He drank our cup of judgment, and gave us His cup of “blessing”. (Matt. 20:22, 26:39, John 18:11, 1Cor. 10:16)
(2) Jesus as Son of Man and Son of God holds both delegated dominion and effective dominion in this world (Matt. 28:18).
(3) Through His perfect sacrifice He prepared us for adoption (Galatians 4:8ff) and restored our spiritual dominion/authority in this world (Ephesians 2:6).

Week Four - The Lamb of God has Unique Authority
(1) Jesus identified as the Lamb of God (John 1:29)
(2) Jesus worshipped as the Lamb who is Worthy (Rev 5:12)

We will be jumping into a new topic starting May 30 at our Gathering in the City Park in Cambridge (5 to 8 p.m.) - "HEALING & ADDICTION" . All are welcome to hang out with us there!

The Gathering

2009-04-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday people from our three house churches, and other friends rushed

over to the Fair Grounds for a Gathering and ate (of course), shared some stories,

and generally enjoyed doing some music and hanging out together.

The Historical Society building was nice...

...it had plenty of room inside, and outside, ...but of course it wasn't as homey as our houses. Even so, we shared some of the amazing things that God is up to among us, and it was a great party! The topic of the night was: "Why did Jesus need to Die?" - looking at Easter just a couple of weeks ago.

So, Why? Was it to prove what God was willing to give? He had one son that was His - an amazing leader and teacher who healed and transformed lives wherever he went. God was excited about Him - In fact the only times He spoke out loud in the New Testament part of the Bible, He was bragging about Him; like "Look at My Son, I am really happy about Him!" and "Here is My Son; listen to Him!" So why did God send Him to a cross to die?

He had asked us all through the Old Testament to make HIM our greatest treasure - to show it by giving up the things we needed most for our security (the best of the sheep, the harvest, our "treasures"). Was giving His Son a way of showing that He was making US HIS greatest treasure? That He would trade His Son's life for us?!?!?! That's sure what it looks like to me.

It says that Jesus, "for the joy set before him, endured the cross..." Hebrews 12:2. It seems the Son of God had joy in opening the way for us to find His Dad - God didn't make Him do it. So that had something to do with it as well. But it seems so drastic...wasn't there another way? Jesus asked God the same thing (Matthew 26:39). There wasn't. Our sin problem was really that bad. That's what I don't think we can get somehow: that it's really that hard to get a new heart - a new life - a clean slate. We can't do it ourselves. So, it's either let what Jesus did be enough for me - 'cause God said it was - or sit in my stew and try to keep adding things to make it taste right.

So, once I accept God's help - the Jesus solution - I have to keep asking God to help me out of my stew on a regular basis. I still add things that mess it up. But that's what grace is for: not a one time event, but a lifestyle of giving back to God. I am one thankful guy!

WATCHING THE SON RISE

2009-04-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

At our April 4th meeting, where we commissioned our lead teams for three home churches, there was a real sense of anticipation as everyone considered how God had been knitting them together with others over the past few weeks.

The biggest surprise was that everyone seemed to already know what group (tribe?) they should be in! One is referred to as the "blue group", another is the "red group", and then there is a "green group". More colors will be added as more house churches are launched, but we don't expect to have to go through the same process again since future groups will be branched off from already existing groups.

So what do things look like now?

Our three house churches meet weekly - (You can e-mail me at the above address to get contact info for the lead teams); The lead teams for each church meet weekly in "triads" (groups of three - one from each house church); and all the house churches get together for a "Gathering" on the last Saturday of the month at 5:00 p.m. for food, informal worship time, and sharing of stories. This will happen at the Isanti County Historical Society building at the Fairgrounds in Cambridge, EXCEPT for July 25th when we will meet at a lake for baptisms. These monthly Gatherings are open to anyone, so freely invite people to come hang out with us for that!

Here are some pics from our Sonrise Service at the Paul's Lake landing on Easter morning.

It began and ended with a blast (I use the term loosely) of the Shofar, and included a bonfire, and some resurrection songs.

OUR NEXT EVENT

"The Gathering" April 25th - 5:00 p.m., Historical Society.
Bring your favorite "slow cooked" dish in a crock pot.

NEXT GATHERING APRIL 25TH

2009-04-07T05:38:00.000-07:00

So we have branched into three groups, and will soon need a fourth! We are having our first big multi-group Gathering (party time!) at the Fairgrounds in Cambridge at the Historical Society Building on April 25th from 5-8. Anyone is welcome - bring food to share if you can.

THE GREAT BRANCHING

2009-04-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

SATURDAY APRIL 4th IS OUR NEXT GATHERING - AT LORSUNGS' from 5:00 - 8:00pm. This will be our "branching out" day, where we will be forming our three smaller home groups, which will keep meeting weekly - EVERYBODY, BRING AN ORIENTAL DISH TO SHARE!

Our next large Gathering will be 5:00pm SATURDAY APRIL 25TH AT THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY - Isanti County Fair Grounds.

DOING WHAT WE BELIEVE
When I was in law school back in the late 80's, I remember a Jewish woman coming up to me to tell me that her Rabbi claimed Christianity to be false because it taught that you can believe something and not actually do what your belief says. I didn't have much to say in reply - I knew her Rabbi was making a simple observation...one that others had made within the church: Brennan Manning is quoted as saying, "The number one cause of Atheism in America is Christians, who profess faith in Jesus with their lips and deny Him with their lifestyles. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

And this is why our core value #9 says,"For all the theology we can conceive, at last what we DO is what we believe." We are looking at our lifestyles - not just our doctrine, knowing that all of us are on a journey of transformation, as the Spirit of God draws us.

On March 24th, we gathered again at Lorsungs and had about 35 total with kids, confirming to us it is the right time to branch out into three House Churches. We had a great time breaking the "ice" with probing questions all around.
Worship time included an action version of "Every Move I Make",and some more current favorite songs.

There was teaching from the Scriptures...

Laughing...

...and we have some of the greatest kids anywhere:

...and as we always do, we broke bread together - seeing that in sharing something as common as a meal, we are to remember the daily closeness of our Savior in our lives. He gave us His cup of blessing, while taking the cup of our sorrows for Himself. That is what family does, and what we are learning to do.

KEYS TO THE KINGDOM

2009-03-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

It was a Sunday meeting last week, and we had a group visiting from Minnetonka who is also pursuing house-church networking. We also think we may have been among the first group around to have our grills fired up this "Spring". Here are some pics:

What About the Keys?

In ancient times, Jesus spoke against the "lawyers" of His day (I know, that's why He was considered so wise) and said,"Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering." But today we wonder, what were those keys? Knowledge of what?

Keys speak of authority...without them, we are not "authorized" to open our car-our house-our firesafe at home. It's also pretty hard to drive a car without them. Are we missing some keys, and what is it we are prevented from doing without them? I have taken Jesus's words somewhat personally, being a lawyer myself, and it has compelled me to see about one thing: giving them back. It's the knowledge of the spiritual authority of the believer; the inheritance, the hope, and the power given to us all by grace; the tools of the Kingdom given in healing (physical and otherwise), victory in spiritual warfare and understanding gifts, and speaking our testimony - how God has reached into and transformed our lives.

This coming Saturday we are gathering again to eat, worship, and dialogue on our last two "core values", and we're getting ready to branch into three home groups - Exciting times ahead!

COMING UP

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OUR NEXT GATHERING IS THIS SATURDAY MARCH 28th, 5-8 pm, AGAIN AT LORSUNGS' (Six miles East of Cambridge on 95, turn into driveway across from mailbox marked "6868") We are having BBQ pork, so bring a side or dessert to share.

DATES FOR APRIL:

SATURDAY APRIL 4th, 5-8 pm, Final weekly large group gathering (Lorsungs'). We will be finalizing our three home church groups at this gathering, and each will have break-out time together this evening. These will meet weekly in homes.

EASTER SUNDAY SUNRISE SERVICE, APRIL 12th, 6:20 a.m. at Paul's Lake Landing (Paul's Lake Road North of 313th Ave, East of Hwy 65) Bring lawn chairs. (Alternate location in case of bad weather will be posted here!)

SATURDAY APRIL 25th, 5-8 pm, First monthly "Gathering" - , location (tba) probably the Historical Society Building at the Fairgrounds.

For more info, contact Bob at nogah@izoom.net or 763 221-4760.

"GROUPING OUT"

2009-03-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday the circle expanded with 22 adults and 11 kids... and started thinking about smaller, home groups. We are now getting past what even a large living room could handle. But we all learned a couple of true things, and one "fake thing", about each other. That was interesting...:)

Our break-out discussions were on our next word for RE-defining: LEADERSHIP. We batted around whether you have to be a good follower in order to lead well. We also took time to take care of each other and pray for each other - from new people to core team, it generally felt like "family". Here are some pics from the meeting:

Kids are with us most of the time, but when we go into teaching and break-outs, they have their own things to do...

You know, it was really a radical thing Jesus did when he made His cousin John baptize Him. John knew He was the Son of God, and tried to pass on the whole thing; but Jesus insisted on being a "follower" of John first, and a follower of the prophets who spoke for His Dad over the centuries. It had nothing to do with who was greater or smarter, or worthy of being followed - He came under John and the prophets so to carry the authority of John and the prophets, that the leaders who would kill Him could not rightly accuse Him of rebellion, or discounting those God had used in the past. He followed them, and then He followed His Father.

In John 5:19 Jesus says,"Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner." In other words, Jesus never had an original idea - it all came from His Father as He "shadowed" Him through life. We have a hard time following - though it would be hard to argue with the idea of following God, we would have all kinds of objections to following people; whether they were prophets, pastors, teachers or whatever. We don't want to give anyone that kind of influence in our lives. Yet, as Jesus followed His Father, He also insisted on following people whom God had used to accomplish His purpose - even though they were far from perfect.

So how do we re-think personal boundaries for people and leadership: Not to give anyone too much power ("anyone who has left father or mother...), but allowing God to lead us through people at the same time? The best we have come up with so far is to follow the lead of Jesus in others. To follow each other as we follow Him. We all need God "with skin-on" in our lives, but we know that no one is perfect. So, being patient with each other, we look for God's influence in each other's lives. What an adventure.

STRINGS ATTACHED!

2009-03-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we had some fun trying to hook a weight and lift it off the ground - Sounds easy, but try it when 13 people all have a string attached to the hook - and at first without looking! Mark here had the daunting job of trying to direct the group on how to pull their strings to guide the hook to the weight. Don't feel bad, Mark, I've never seen it done that way! But once everyone could see what they were doing, the job was done in seconds!

REDEFINING "DISCIPLESHIP"

This is a scary word to a lot of people. Maybe a lot of this is because we feel awkward asking someone to 'follow' me, like Jesus did, when our own life is so wobbly. We suggested that the invitation is not really to follow me, but to come and follow Jesus with me. Most of us could do that. It's not one of us who is in the spotlight in the discipleship, it's Jesus. Something I personally could not help noticing in the last few months was that making disciples was the ONE thing Jesus told His followers to do before He left...It was His last statement in the book of Matthew. He said that He would build the Church, and that we should make disciples. I think we have some flipping around to do on this one - So we are going to give it a shot: To ask others to come with us while we follow Jesus.

We are going to be at Lorsungs' again this Saturday March 14th, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. It's about six miles East of Cambridge on Hwy 95, turn into the driveway across from the balloons on the mailbox!

Bring your favorite chicken dish and a side or desert to share! We will be talking about branching into two or three home groups for next month, and the next two core values around what 'leadership' really is at the everyday level...and of course there will be some crazy game to get things going. ;)

CHANGE IN MEETING PLACE FOR MARCH 7th!

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LORSUNGS' HAS A LAKE in their driveway, and lots of mud. SO, we are back to Elliotts' place for Saturday night:

5-8 p.m. Saturday March 7th

At the home of :
Scott & Tammie Elliott
1004 Hillock St. N.W.
Isanti, MN 55040

From Hwy 5 in Isanti, is just up Whiskey Road from the Mobile station. Give a call if you need more info!

Remember to bring Italian food to share!

Making Circles

2009-03-03T19:49:00.000-08:00

Did you ever notice that if someone asks a group to make a circle, people always face into the circle?...and if others approach the circle, people really don't even like to make room for them to get in?

Well, we experimented with that a little last Saturday night - What if we faced our neighbor so we had one hand reaching into the circle and one reaching out, and we could keep it so others always felt invited by those on the outer ring?

That is kind of the idea with a home church network: personal connections with lots of loose ends for others to grab onto. We are taking a few more weeks to get to know each other in the big group, then we will be taking "church" home with us into two or three home churches. Then we will continue gathering as a big group at the end of each month, and celebrating what God is doing among us.

OUR NEXT GATHERING TIMES:

March 7th
Saturday night 5-8 pm at Joe & Deb Lorsungs (6868 Hwy 95 NE, North Branch. It’s about 6 or 7 miles East on Hwy 95 out of Cambridge, and look for the balloons on the mail box across from the driveway). Bring Italian food to share!

March 14th
Saturday night 5-8 pm, same place (Food to be figured out)

March 22nd
Sunday night 5-8 pm, (Food and place to be figured out)

March 28th
Celebration Gathering - (tentatively at Historical Society on the Fairgrounds)

We are working through the basics of what "home church" is about and some of the "why?"s of the movement that is, trying to simplify what it means to be "church", and to walk together with Jesus Christ. We are having some great discussions!

more info: call bob at 763 221-4760, or e-mail me at nogah@izoom.net

2009-02-19T05:15:00.000-08:00

Hey, we just got this pic of the commissioning service last Sunday when Bill Berg and NHCC Elders prayed for us:

MY TOP TEN - BOOKS (What are yours?)

2009-02-18T07:34:00.000-08:00

I know that not everyone likes to read books. Many of us, maybe even most of us, would rather read a life. I think that is why Jesus didn't write books. There are books I think I should write, but I have been slow to do that partly because I have been considering that my life should be that book before I write it. Well, that's my struggle.

Even so, there are books that have had a big impact on my life because, even though I don't know the authors personally, they have explained the message of my Savior, as presented in the Bible, in ways that have helped me understand it better. Here are my top ten:

Messy Spirituality, Michael Yaconelli
The Rabbi's Heartbeat, Brennan Manning
Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning
Victorious Spiritual Warfare, (I had the honor of contribuing - Lighthouse Ministry)
21 Most Powerful Minutes..., John Maxwell
Boundaries, Cloud & Townsend
Addiction and Grace, Gerald May, M.D.
The Shaping of Things to Come, Frost & Hirsch
The Church Comes Home, Robert & Julia Banks
Transforming Discipleship, Greg Ogden

This list is not static for me - I am always looking for others that bring light to the path. Let me know what you find!

Newspaper Towers

2009-02-17T17:41:00.000-08:00

Our first evening together was spent getting to know each other better by building newspaper towers,

and making up descriptions about each other, like:

"Beautiful Barbie, Justice James, Joyful Josiah, Notorious Nic, Bouncing Bob’s B’wife Becky, Joyful Julie, Evangelist Esther, Amazing Amanda, Judge Jeff, Brilliant Bruce, Missionary Meg, Miraculous Muriel, Precious Pam, Terrific Tammie, Silly Scott, Mysterious Mark, Ken, Jazz, and all the kids…(and I didn’t write it down either)
...", it's a little scary with all the “judging” or “justices” or whatever they were…it reminds me of my lawyer days, like walking into court! :)

Seriously, we are off to a good start in getting to know each other, with 10 kids and 18 adults! February 20-22, Becky and I will be at a “marriage encounter weekend”, so you can pray for us as the Lord moves you to… We don’t get really excited about conferences, but it will be good time away together.

Our next get-together will be Saturday night, February 28th, from 5-8 pm. It will be at the home of Joe and Deb Lorsung, at 6868 Hwy 95 NE, North Branch. It’s about 6 or 7 miles East on Hwy 95 out of Cambridge and look for the balloons on your right. We're going to do Chili night with other Mexican food. If you like milder stuff, bring it, otherwise each family can bring a main dish; and if it’s just you, bring chips and salsa or another side thing. Drinks & coffee will be provided.

We will keep meeting all together through the Saturdays in March, and in our study time we will be discussing the Biblical base for the first five of ten core values.

1. Everybody is worth dying for; John 3:16
2. We are called to love people and control resources, not the other way around; John 13:35, Luke 16:9
3. The blood of Christ really works; 1 John 1:9
4. Eternal life is great for dead people, but we’ve been provided an abundant life now; John 10:10, Ephesians 1:18-20
5. We all lead, because we all have influence; 1Corinthians 7:14, Daniel 12:3
6. We can’t lead well until we have learned how to follow; Matthew 3:13-15, John 5:19
7. If we aren’t being led by God’s Spirit, we will be driven by other things; Romans 8:14, Luke 4:1
8. We hold tightly to our personal calling, but trade our hats as needed; 1Corinthians 12:7-11
9. For all the theology we can conceive, at last what we do is what we believe; James 2:18-20
10. In the end, making disciples is the ONE thing Jesus told us to do. Matthew 28:18-20.-

We will have some break-out discussion on these.

Also at this next meeting we will set aside time to celebrate things God has been doing, so be ready to share answers to prayer and other ways God has shown up in your life!

Our First Party!

2009-02-10T20:30:00.000-08:00

So my last day officially at New Hope is this Sunday, February 15th! This marks an end and a beginning - From here on, church comes "home", and we are going to be hanging out at Scott and Tammie Elliott's house that day from 5-8 p.m. It's 1004 Hillock Street in Isanti (let me know if you need directions - e-mail me at nogah@izoom.net)

We have had 23 people say that they want to hang out more together, so we are really looking forward to doing some fun stuff and sharing more of what is God saying to us on Sunday. I expect to have some good pics to post after that - and I hope we can have a website soon.

We plan to keep meeting as a large group through March to get to know each other better before grouping up into house churches. The next gathering will be on Saturday February 28th, 5-8 again, but we haven't confirmed a place yet.

Here is a great website to check out for missional church strategy:
http://www.missio.us/

Exciting times...good to be following the Wild Messiah!

The In-gathering

2009-02-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

It's February 5th, and we are looking at the last of our four open houses this Saturday from 7-9 pm at our house (1087 313th Ave NE, near Bear Circle in Cambridge). As you may have noticed, this blog has a new name - "Mission-link". A few of us got together and thought this was pretty descriptive, and a better way to refer to what we are doing than "the missional house church network".

On the 15th, New Hope Community Church will be commissioning and praying for us, and taking as offering to provide some resources for the start up period - a real blessing!

So after the last "open house", it will be time to really get to know each other, so we will keep getting together on the weekends as a bigger group (21 as of right now) and do some things to connect better and find out how God has wired each of us - it will be fun to discover how God has been at work in the lives of others to draw them to this vision. Eventually we will see probably three groups emerge out of the big group, but we will be waiting to see how God connects people before moving into that.

If you would like to find out more about Mission-link, you can reach me at 763 221-4760, or my -email: nogah@izoom.net. Live the adventure!

Grace & Peace

Bob

A Quest for the "Ancient Paths"

2009-01-19T13:52:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah 6:16 says,

"Thus says the LORD,'Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it;And you will find rest for your souls.'"

I think that anyone who gets it is his head/heart to start a new church is instinctively drawn by the promise of this passage. The "ancient paths, where the good way is..." - It seems almost nostalgic, but the prophet's statement is obviously serious.

Well, it's not so nostalgic for me right now. In fact, there has definitely been a graduation from theory to reality as far as "asking for the ancient paths". I have just begun working with a group to start a network of house churches, connected through discipling triads with a common mission to live incarnationally in the community. What could be so hard about it? But I suppose if it were easy, churches everywhere would still be doing it!

So, where does one find a Spirit-led and empowered, multiple servant-leader supported house church network, much less cultivate one from scratch? At times I have wondered if we have messed it up by running over Jesus' claim that HE would build His Church, while he gave us the job of making disciples and witnessing to His Kingdom.

Well we're giving it a try in Cambridge, Minnesota. This thing started out with a temporary name "Omega church", but at this point the name along with most of the details of how it will happen are back sitting at the feet of the Savior, where they should be.

I would invite you to follow along on the adventure, and if you have relevant experiences to share, please comment freely on what you have seen. We welcome your input.

Bob Roby