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  1. A nice vibe. . .

    May 4, 2009 by Nate

    Wow. . . it’s been a long time since I last posted. Sorry for the unexpected hiatus.

    Today was an interesting day. I got to work/church around 6:15am and got started on getting the roadcases out of our loading trucks. (For those of you who haven’t figured it out yet, I work for a portable church. We meet every week at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick, NJ and the Hyatt Hotel in Morristown, NJ.)

    As I was getting our roadcases up to the second floor, I walked past a Hyatt employee who stopped me only to say a quick few sentences: “Hey man, I love that Liquid Church! Every Sunday there’s such a nice vibe in here!”

    I couldn’t have been more proud of my church than I was in that moment.

    Sure, it’s awesome to hear people talk about how powerful Tim’s message was or how touching Jens’ worship leading was.

    But this Hyatt employee may have never even been to a Liquid service. He may have never experienced a Tim Lucas sermon or a Jens Madsen song. He may have never even had the opportunity to share a word with Mike Leahy after a passionate service.

    Yet his life has been directly impacted by Liquid.

    Which then begs the question. . .

    Are we living life so that others may see Christ in us? Or are we relying on music and messages to tell them about him?

    Category Christianity, Church, Personal | Tags: | No Comments

  2. I saw God. . .

    April 20, 2009 by Nate

    I took a little vacation from Liquid Kids yesterday. It was a huge blessing for many reasons. First, I got out of bed a full four hours later than I usually do on a Sunday morning. Second, I didn’t have to drive 35 minutes to get to church. And third, I didn’t have to work.

    A completely stress-free Sunday (to an extent).

    As I walked into our Morristown campus, a little nostalgia hit me as I navigated the crowded Liquid Kids area and made my way up the stairs to the main service.

    I joined the service as a congregant, and for the first time in several months, I had no cares as I bowed before my Creator in worship.

    That encounter with God, as powerful and intense as it was, paled in comparison to what I experienced after the service ended.


    * * *

    Before Liquid launched our New Brunswick campus, I was teaching elementary school lessons for Liquid Kids in Morristown. It wasn’t easy leaving the kids in Morristown when we launched our second campus, and saying goodbye to many of the kids with whom I’d developed relationships was one of the more difficult things I’ve had to do.

    As Liquid New Brunswick got off the ground, I slowly began to forget the closeness I had with some of the people I said goodbye to in Morristown.

    It’s not necessarily a bad thing; it’s just the nature of change.


    * * *

    As I passed the church welcome center on my way out, I ran into a girl named Tania.

    I was struck by the amount of excitement on her face when she saw me walking by. It was like she couldn’t wait to wrap her tiny, grade-school arms around me.

    I’ve blogged about this before, but it was especially evident in that moment.

    Tania asked me where I’ve been, why I left, and when I was going to come back to teach her. I explained everything to her as simply as I could so that she could wrap her young mind around it.

    When her mom came to take her home, Tania shouted a final “See you next week!” I wanted to melt. How could I say, “I won’t be here” to her?

    I think God was showing me something about himself in that small interaction.

    In many ways, God is like a child. We may abandon him, walk away for weeks, months, or even years. We may forget about him, and go about our own business. But when we draw close to him, he can’t wait to run to us and wrap his arms around us.

    And like a child, he truly believes he’ll see us again soon.

    I saw God in Tania on Sunday. It was quite an encounter.

    Pay attention to the children in your life. You just might learn something about your Creator if you do.

    Category Church, Personal, Spirituality | Tags: | No Comments

  3. Resurrecting the weary. . .

    April 19, 2009 by Nate

    Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
    The LORD is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
    He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.

    He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.

    Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;

    but those who hope in the LORD
    will renew their strength.
    They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.


    On any given Sunday in Morristown and New Brunswick, there are dozens of tired, weary people pouring out their lives and hearts in service to the Kingdom of God. And as difficult as it is seeing my brothers and sisters weakened under the pressures of a busy Sunday, I know that the almighty Eternal One is immersing them in his strength.

    Sometimes it appears that promises like the one in Isaiah are unfulfilled in our lives. We’re tired, worn out, burned out, weakened. And yet that miraculous strength has yet to show up to rejuvenate us, to refresh us.

    But that strength doesn’t exist to help us out of a jam or to lift us out of weariness.

    It exists to bring glory to our God. To remind us that, even in the moments where God feels distant, uncaring, or nonexistent, he is still in control.

    To remind us that resurrection takes place all the time. To remind us that God is still in the business of giving life to the dead.

    That strength is promised to those who trust that kind of resurrection power. So as I sit at a desk in my church’s offices, thinking about all the weary faces I encounter every Sunday, I am reminded of the power that calls the dead out of the grave.

    To my brothers and sisters on staff at Liquid, when the strength-sapping Sundays come around, remember the power that can send you into the skies on eagles’ wings. Remember the power that conquers death.

    And remember it belongs to you.

    Category Church, Friends, Scripture Musings, Spirituality | Tags: | No Comments

  4. Christianity’s future in America. . .

    March 13, 2009 by Nate

    I’ve often wondered if Christianity is in need of a facelift. According to the 2008 American Religion Survey, the results of which were just released last week, mainline Christianity has suffered a significant decline.

    According to David Gushee of the Associated Baptist Press (see this op-ed piece), this decline signals a winnowing process that is taking place in Christianity.

    Am I discouraged by this? Not at all.

    First, I believe that nominal Christians will fade away. Christianity will no longer be defined by the people who self-identify as Christians but don’t truly believe in Christ. A movement that sheds its fat will be far more effective.

    Second, Christians will begin to cross denominational lines and reconsider their more controversial identifying doctrines in favor of working together to spread the Gospel and share Christ’s love.

    Third, Christians will slowly move away from the culture war they’ve been waging these past few decades. They’ll soon begin to realize that a political battle is not the battle we’re meant to fight.

    Sure, the [C]hurch will be smaller because of it, but a stronger and more effective group of Christ-followers will emerge.

    Category Christianity, Church, Direction | Tags: | 1 Comment

  5. It’s all worth it. . .

    March 12, 2009 by Nate

    In anticipation of the upcoming Prison Break series at church starting this weekend, I’ve decided to go through Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi.

    I’ve often marveled at the joy Paul expresses through one of the most difficult times of his life. He’s in prison, chained up, and waiting to be executed, yet still he writes, “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! . . . . Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice!”

    How is it that Paul can write such powerfully uplifting words in those circumstances? What was driving him to live life this way?

    Lately I’ve been feeling God calling me toward ministry. A number of times over the past several months I’d begun pursuing that call in different forms: taking steps toward a full-time ministry position at my home church, putting together my application to seminary, applying at various full-time ministry positions around the country.

    But every time I find an open door, it closes before I reach it.

    And I find myself asking God, “Is it even worth it?”

    No, it’s not. Not if my pursuit is after the things of God rather than God himself.

    I’ll admit it’s not easy when he puts a desire in your heart but tells you to wait before you can obtain that dream. It’s even more difficult when you know your dream is something that he would be proud of.

    But the reality is no matter how noble or God-pleasing my dream may be, attaining it will never bring me joy.

    And while my disappointments and difficulties pale in comparison to Paul’s sufferings, I get discouraged, I complain, and I grow frustrated with my circumstances.

    And I have to ask myself, “Why can’t I celebrate like Paul did if my life is circumstantially much better than his?”

    Paul discovered why it’s all worth it. He discovered how to rejoice in every circumstance. He discovered where true joy can transcend his situations. Because his celebration was based on something other than his circumstances.

    The answer sounds cliché (especially if you grew up in Sunday School hearing this kind of cheese being sung), but it truly makes all the difference.

    Jesus.

    Because he is the sustenance for the entire universe. Because his life is the center of all of history. Because his death is love defined. Because his resurrection is the beginning of new life for humanity.

    Because this kind of love is what we were designed for.

    There is no reason to live. There is nothing to live for.

    Because it’s not worth it to live for anything.

    Except Jesus.

    I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

    Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

    ~Philippians 3.8-14

    Category Church, Personal, Scripture Musings, Spirituality | Tags: | 1 Comment

  6. The serving chart. . .

    March 11, 2009 by Nate

    This chart was too good to leave alone. I want to thank Prodigal John and Stuff Christians Like for the awesome concept.

    Category Christianity, Church, Personal | Tags: | No Comments

  7. Revealed through us (pt. 3). . .

    March 10, 2009 by Nate

    (Continued from my previous post. Read that first.)

    . . . Paul wrote that regardless of motive, as long as Christ is being preached, he rejoices. So why is it that anytime we see people proclaiming Christ through a method we don’t fully understand or use ourselves, we get our panties all bunched up and cry, “Heresy!” or shout, “Stuffy!” or, “Cold and unfeeling!” Is it really our place to do that?

    If Christ is truly at the center of our lives, we would recognize that his word is in fact being proclaimed and preached through methods we may consider “unusual” or “out of the ordinary.” But he’s not at the center, and so we argue and bicker about what the other church is doing.

    And therein lies the problem. Our lives and churches are no longer Christ-centric. He’s been replaced by whatever gift he’s given us. X Church is a teaching- and doctrine-centered church. Y Church is a service- and outreach-centered church. Z Church is a connection- and community-centered church.

    And guess what? All three churches are practicing idolatry. I don’t think I’m stretching things either.

    The [C]hurch is the Bride of Christ. As such, her sole responsibility is to love him and do what he says. Like a bride’s devotion to her groom, the [C]hurch is supposed to be obsessed with Christ’s whole being. How long can a woman repeatedly say to her husband, “I love that you’re a musician,” without saying, “I love you”? How long can that continue before he gets pissed that she’s not in love with him, but rather in love with his job or abilities?

    If a church constantly says that their gifts are more important than the gifts of another church, they’ve abandoned Christ and replaced him with an idol. They’re worshiping teaching/service/community and not Christ.

    And don’t get me wrong. I’m not against “specialized congregations.” If a church is made up of people who are good in just one of those three functions, awesome! Expand on that and sharpen your skillset, but know that it was given to you by God; it isn’t God, so it’s not worth arguing with the church down the street over. Because the moment you’ve done that is the moment you’ve turned the gift into the god.

    Category Christianity, Church, Spirituality | Tags: | No Comments

  8. Revealed through us (pt. 2). . .

    March 9, 2009 by Nate

    (Continued from my previous post. Read that first.)

    . . . But why is it that so many churches focus on one of those gifts, at the expense of the other two? I understand there are churches that are made up completely of one kind of people. But the sad trend that’s built up among many of these congregations is that they argue with other churches that their gift is the “right” gift.

    Let me use an example. X Church on South St. is made up of people who are great students of the Scriptures. They know the Word of God inside and out, and they are well versed in proclaiming the truths embedded in the Bible. “Christ was the greatest Teacher that ever lived, and we are his students, charged with becoming teachers ourselves. So we must give ourselves over to the study of the Word,” is the motto of X Church.

    But along comes Y Church on Bank St. Y Church is made up of people who have been given the gift of a humble servant attitude. They pour God’s grace into the community around them, serving food to the homeless of the town, rebuilding dilapidated or devastated homes of the needy, and handing out free newspapers to the commuters at the train station. Y Church’s motto is this: “Christ served the least of these. He stooped down and became a Servant to the people of earth. As Christ’s servants, we too must share that spirit of servanthood.”

    And then Z Church opens up on Morris St. full of people who know what it means to love and connect with others. Everyone at Z Church devotes their time to listening to each other, learning about each other’s hurts and desires, and filling each other with love and grace. “Christ knew how to connect with people lovingly and without judgment. As the children of God and brothers and sisters with Christ, we must learn to love sacrificially.”

    But X Church thinks Y Church is lenient with their doctrine. And Y Church thinks Z Church is too busy having conversations instead of working. And Z Church thinks X Church is cold and unfeeling. And X Church thinks Z Church relies too heavily on emotions rather than rational thought. And Z Church thinks Y Church has no concept of the true heart and longing of the people they claim to be serving. And Y Church thinks X Church believes themselves to be smarter than anyone else, which is why they won’t serve the community.

    So a church war breaks out. X Church takes out an ad in the local paper calling Y Church heretical. And Z Church puts a PSA on the local radio station calling X Church stuffy and boring.

    And all three churches have forgotten why they’re doing what they’re doing. They’ve forgotten whom they belong to. They’ve forgotten that Christ longs to reveal himself through them. . .

    (Post continued here. . .)

    Category Christianity, Church | Tags: | 1 Comment

  9. Revealed through us (pt. 1). . .

    March 6, 2009 by Nate

    But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
    ~Philippians 1.18-19

    Not too many years ago I spent a lot of time arguing about all the little details of inconsequential doctrines that, in retrospect, did more to hinder the movement of the Gospel than I thought. But there I was, more concerned with getting my point across than with investing in someone’s life.

    And when I run into people who act the way I used to act, I get disgusted. I want to yell, “Don’t you know that your argumentative debates and judgmental rants are doing more harm than good?”

    But I have to remind myself that God is still using those people. I may be turned off by their methods, but they’re still instruments in God’s hands.

    I was talking to an old friend last night about some of the aspects of people within God’s Kingdom. Each person has his/her own spiritual gifts that reveal something about God in that person.

    Take Bill, Mike, and Tom, for instance. Bill, the Student Ministries Pastor at Liquid Church, has quite obviously been blessed with the gift of compassionate love. God has chosen to reveal His attributes of community, love, and openness through Bill. On Tuesday mornings, Bill sets aside time simply to invest in our friendship. He has no agenda and no ulterior motive. We shoot into Morristown for an early cup of coffee and just learn about each other.

    Mike, the Campus Pastor at Liquid Church New Brunswick, has been given the gift of service and humility. God’s mysterious nature as the ultimate Servant is very visible in Mike. He asserts no authority over anyone, but gently cares for people where their needs are. On any given Sunday morning, Mike has already poured my coffee, and is probably waiting for me to turn my back so he can set up my room when I’m not looking.

    Tom, the Campus Pastor at Liquid Church Morristown, is an entirely different story. His obvious gift is knowledge and wisdom. He can spend hours poring over the Scriptures, and months later recall the deep mysteries embedded within them. And he has the creds to prove it. With degrees from Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Dallas Theological, and who-knows-where-else, Tom has clearly been chosen to reveal God’s occupation as the Master Teacher.

    And when these three men work together, the Kingdom really begins to move forward. . .

    (Post continued here. . .)

    Category Church, Friends, Scripture Musings, Spirituality | Tags: ,,,,, | No Comments

  10. Maybe not at Liquid?. . .

    March 3, 2009 by Nate

    I sometimes think about what God may have for my future. And these past few days have really heightened the frequency of these thoughts. The question that often races through my mind is “What if. . .?” An email I received yesterday pushed “What if?” into a new direction.

    What if God moves me away from Liquid?

    What if His mission for me takes me away from the body of believers I’ve grown to love and cherish more than any group I’ve been associated with?

    Honestly, the thought scares me. I ordinarily shove that thought into the back of my mind and continue doing what I’m doing. But lately the thought has been sitting in my head, unwilling to move or pass on.

    Liquid is my home. My spiritual safehouse. The church welcomed me while I was in my most broken state. They were the instrument God used to heal my emotional and spiritual wounds and to get me started on a journey of faith I never dreamed possible.

    I seriously do not want to leave. But maybe I have to. Maybe I’ve grown too comfortable here. Maybe my gifts are better used elsewhere. Maybe God is preparing a place for me to serve in a greater capacity.

    Then again, maybe God is making me realize that it’s not about Liquid or the people there. It’s about Him. Maybe Liquid Church is my final destination, and this part of my journey is designed to show me that His Kingdom is moving quickly and powerfully in other venues as well.

    But wherever He puts me, His love and presence are already there.

    This month at Liquid Kids I get to teach the children about Hope. Hope is more than just a dream, a wish, or a desire. It’s a belief that at the heart of the darkest circumstance, God is working for our good. Or, for the sake of the kids’ collective minds, “Hope is believing that something good can come out of something bad.”

    Separating from the people you love most is a heart-wrenching experience. But “goodbye” to one thing is always “hello” to something else.

    So now I’m mentally and emotionally preparing myself to say goodbye. My desire is that I don’t have to, but if I do, I can have hope that “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (emphasis added).

    Category Church, Direction, Personal, Prayer | Tags: | 2 Comments

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