HOUSE CHURCH SIGNS

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?

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!

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

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"?

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

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

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