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  1. Nostalgia. . .

    February 27, 2009 by Nate

    I’m currently reading through the book of the Acts of the Apostles for my quiet time. It’s been such an enlightening experience looking through the eyes of the early followers of the Way and peeking into their experiences as the Church first entered the world. It must have been an exciting time.

    But as the church scattered abroad, I can’t help but wonder if the Apostles ever thought, “I wish things were the way they used to be.” I mean, the church was pretty successful for a while remaining in Jerusalem. But Christ had told them to go around the world. And around the world they went.

    Churches sprang up everywhere. Starting in Jerusalem, then Antioch, then Corinth, Rome, Philippi, Ephesus. . . the new movement spread like wildfire. How many times do you see phrases like, “and about three thousand were added to their number that day,” or “and a great number of people were brought to the Lord”? Over and over again we see the church surging in the number of people reached.

    “Remember when we were all in Jerusalem? Man, those were the good ol’ days! When we were healing people in the big city, sharing all we had, giving speeches in all sorts of languages. I never even studied Italian, and there I was, speaking it!”

    As I read through passages where major changes were taking place in the early Church, I began to feel nostalgic. I began to miss the days just a few short chapters ago when all the believers assembled in Solomon’s Colonnade.

    Just a few months ago, Liquid Church was a group of believers meeting in one place. Early on a Sunday morning, I could walk up the Hyatt stairs and brush past Mike. We’d walk together up to the top of the stairs and chat with Lauren and Tom. The stage would be shared by both David’s moving vocals and Jens’ intense shreds. Bobby and I would lead the same group of kids in learning and worship.

    But so much has changed since then. David and Jens no longer share the stage. Mike and Tom no longer greet people on the same set of stairs. Bobby and I no longer share the lesson for children.

    Watching Mike introduce the service in Morristown brought me back to those days. The days when “all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade.”

    And I found myself thinking, Remember when we were all in Morristown? Remember when we gave away gasoline and car washes? Remember when we raised money to build wells in Africa? Man, those were the good ol’ days!

    But I’m wrong. No, these are the “good ol’ days.” The moments we’re in right now are the ones to treasure and make the most of. It’s nice to remember, but without those difficult changes, Liquid would have half the impact that it has now. And the Kingdom of God is moving through New Jersey twice as fast as it would if we were all still meeting in Morristown.

    After the church spread out beyond the borders of Jerusalem, these words were written: “The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.”

    See how far we’ve come?

    Category Christianity, Church, Friends, Personal, Scripture Musings | Tags: | No Comments

  2. A sobering reality. . .

    February 24, 2009 by Nate

    I was enjoying a tall Hyatt-prepared yogurt parfait (the Mike Leahy special) the afternoon following my return to Liquid Kids in Morristown. Overall, it was a fantastic day, and while I missed my friends and family at Liquid New Brunswick, it was such a blessing reconnecting with old friends in Morristown.

    During my parfait-eating session, my friend Yuzo (Francisco to many) said to me (in his endearing broken English), “You are one most influential people at Liquid.”

    Whoa. Talk about a world-rattling statement. Sure, it was a compliment, but the weight of that statement hit me like an ACME anvil.

    Influence is defined as “the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others.”

    That’s a lot of responsibility, if you ask me. Responsibility I never asked for, and if I had my way, I’d try my best to get rid of. I was perfectly happy just hanging out in the back of the service, enjoying the music and learning from the sermons.

    But here’s where everything changed. I asked God to help me grow. And as it turns out, growth comes through stretching and expanding, and those are rarely comfortable experiences.

    As I thought about what Yuzo said, I started to realize the truth in his statement. I recalled my first year attending Liquid Church, sneaking into a service and sticking close to my best friend, and then dwelled on my last month here, spending an average of 16 hours on a Sunday serving the people of this church. How did I get here?

    The realization that my sphere of influence has grown dramatically over the last year and 8 months is a sobering reality to live in. Suddenly I’m entrusted with the care of people’s hearts. Suddenly I have to be careful about how I interact with people. Suddenly I have to think about every action and every word.

    And if I were completely honest with myself, I’d have to say that I haven’t been very careful.

    So now I stand here asking myself, Am I ready for this kind of responsibility?

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

  3. The pain and power of the Church. . .

    February 9, 2009 by Nate

    My friend and I were having coffee yesterday with a girl from Rutgers when I started thinking about how important church is.

    But it’s heartbreaking when I look around at so many churches and see arguing, bickering, gossip, and bitterness pervading the congregation, and all too often, the staff.

    Jewel (the girl from Rutgers) had some very insightful views on the Church that weren’t too positive. And frankly, I’d have to say that I agreed with her. Churches are hurtful groups of people that are more concerned with being right than they are with living right.

    Jewel is an agnostic. And her view of churches represents the prevailing view. Arrogant, bitter, judgmental, nonsensical. And the Church has done nothing to change that view.

    Christians are known for condemning people who are different, and then telling them that we love them.

    Love them? Yeah, right.

    We just want to beat them over the head with our opinions.

    So, if I have such a low opinion of church, why is it so important to me?

    Well, for starters, it has hurt me in some very profound ways. It has instilled in me an unhealthy fear of God and a desire to please God through rule-following. I figured that since the way to please the elders in the church was through following rules, that’s how I would make God happy.

    I know the church can change. It has to change.

    Jesus said that he came to earth so that we “may have life, and have it to the full.” (Jn 10.10)

    Correct me if I’m wrong, but trying to please God by following a bunch of rules isn’t exactly a full life. And living under the constant judgment of Christians is a painful way to live. It’s this pain that drives so many people out of the Church.

    People like me.

    But the Church was given great power to do good in the world. While many Christians have forgotten its purpose, there are a handful in the world who realize that the Church should be more than a Christian Country Club.

    When Jesus established his church, he did so with these words: “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

    This new church was described like this:

    All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.

    They were world-changers characterized by love. . . because Jesus said to them, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

    That’s what church is supposed to look like. That’s the church’s power and calling. It’s not about proving to the world that we have all the answers, because we really don’t. And it’s not about telling everyone that they’re sinful and broken, because everyone already knows that humanity is flawed.

    It’s about love. And I believe I’m supposed to be a part of that. I believe I’m supposed to change the world through love.

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

  4. Does this make you angry?. . .

    February 4, 2009 by Nate

    This makes me sad and upset. I feel like this is doing more harm than good. I found it in an actual Q&A section of a website:

    Q – What does the Bible say about things like mystics, mediums, psychics, conjurers, witches, tarot readers, palmists, astrologers, clairvoyants, etc.?

    A – REPENT OF IT NOW!
    . . . .

    Q – What happens if I don’t turn from my sin, repent and accept Jesus?

    A – YOU WILL BURN ETERNALLY IN HELL.

    Q – I want to change, but how can I?

    A – You must first realize that YOU are lost. (You are lost if you have not trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior (John 3:18). You must then repent toward God. To repent means “to turn”. Turn with your heart to God. Turn from unbelief in Jesus to belief (placing your trust) in Jesus. You must believe that Jesus died for YOUR sins, and died as YOUR substitute. Your faith (trust) must be in Jesus Christ. You must ask God in prayer, in your own words, from your heart to forgive you and to save you. This must be a genuine and sincere prayer, not just the act of repeating some words provided for you. “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” (Acts 16:30,31).

    TURNTo God (With your heart; with faith and sorrow for your sins and unbelief).

    TRUSTIn Jesus Christ (With your heart; Trusting Him with your eternal soul; Wanting and willing to receive Him as your own personal Savior.)

    TALKTo God (From your heart in prayer; in your own words; express your sorrow for sins, and desire for forgiveness, and for Him to save your soul.)

    Maybe I’m just skeptical, but I doubt a lot of people (if any at all) responded positively to this. It’s a little embarrassing actually.

    Category Church, Social Justice | Tags: | 1 Comment

  5. Homesick. . .

    February 3, 2009 by Nate

    I’m about to tell you a secret. I’ve been keeping this to myself for a while.

    I miss being in Morristown on Sunday mornings. I built relationships there. I learned, served, and loved. Leaving hasn’t been easy.

    And it hurts. A lot.

    And circumstances haven’t made the transition easier either. Am I glad to be a part of what God is doing in New Brunswick? Of course I am! It’s always exciting to be a part of something new. Am I excited about the new work taking place there on Sundays? Words can’t even come close to describing how psyched I am!

    But when I think back to the days I was in Morristown, and how smoothly things run at Liquid Kids Morristown, how big the volunteer team is, and how awesome it was working with Bobby (Liquid Kids Director), I grow jealous. I hear Satan whispering to me, “LK New Brunswick isn’t as successful. People here don’t care as much as the people in Morristown do. Maybe you should go back.”

    The internal struggle was heightened when I noticed how small the team in New Brunswick is. How can we serve so many people with so few hands? I thought. How can we create a successful program and an effective environment if no one is willing to help?

    And then it seemed like God was sending me a signal. Bill, our student ministries pastor, got a message from the only assistant for my program. She was sick and wasn’t going to show up.

    And I thought I heard a voice say, “You can’t handle this, Nate. Go back to Morristown. You need the Margin. Besides, this isn’t your job. It’s not your responsibility.”

    Anne Jackson sent me an email with these words: “Stay prayed up about where you think God is calling you to go. Stay where you are and wait it out—or move on. Either way He’s going to teach you and use you throughout this tough process.”

    I prayed. Harder.

    And answers started coming.

    The kids, despite my assumptions to the contrary, were actually learning (see yesterday’s post). My one missing room assistant was replaced by three people willing to fill in the gaps at the very last minute.

    And the one that made my heart melt. . .

    I was chatting with a couple team members about the fact that I’d be back in Morristown for a day. My campus pastor’s daughters overheard me talking about it and ran to their mom. “Mommy!” they shouted. “Can we go to Morristown that day too?”

    I’m starting to think I’m gonna be homesick for New Brunswick that weekend.

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

  6. They’re learning. . .

    February 2, 2009 by Nate

    February’s theme at Liquid Kids is “Fairness.” As we talked about what it means to treat everyone fairly, one little boy in a Jets Brett Favre jersey decided to give his two cents.

    LK Leader: “If someone is mean to you, should you treat him the same as you treat people who are nice to you?”

    Danny: “No.”

    LK Leader: “Really, Danny? Why do you say that?”

    Danny: “If he’s mean to you, maybe something bad happened to him. So you should treat him better than you treat people who are nice to you because he really needs it.”

    Wow.

    Sometimes I get discouraged when I feel like the kids just aren’t getting it. But there are moments when they show us that they actually understand what we’re teaching them.

    Like nine-year-old Callen, who, practically out of nowhere, recited the Bible verse for the month when I fully expected only one kid (not Callen) to remember it.

    And then there are kids like Danny. I didn’t teach him that. His parents may have, but probably not explicitly. He’s observing the world around him, taking note of how things work, watching the people who are setting examples for him, and realizes that there’s more to this life than what he can see.

    I can’t wait to see what he can do.

    Category Church | Tags: | 1 Comment

  7. Out of the mouths of babes. . .

    January 19, 2009 by Nate

    In my post “Trust. . .,” I mentioned the special kind of love that God has for children. Evidence of that love is a unique gift God has given them—the ability to love unconditionally.

    I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to teach children about God’s love, but there are times that I fail in living out that love. There are times I mess up, and there are times I have to be stern with them. It can’t be fun being the kid who gets called out for goofing off during a lesson.

    And even though I’m supposed to teach them, more often they can teach me. I learned a lesson from them on Sunday. My campus pastor’s kids aren’t always the most well behaved in the bunch, but they know something about love. Whether instinctively or thoughtfully, they understand love better than grownups do.

    In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul wrote that “love. . . keeps no record of wrongs,” and it “always trusts.”

    Mike’s kids tore after me on Sunday after lunch. “Nate!” they yelled, as they wrapped their arms around my waist. “Where are you going?”

    “I’ve gotta go back to Morristown now,” I said.

    “Do you have to?” they asked.

    I melted.

    They didn’t remember the times I got fed up with their antics and took away their snack time. They’d forgotten the moments I put them on the spot for speaking out of turn. They kept no record of the incidents I brushed them off to take care of some administrative work that could have waited till much later on.

    “Love keeps no record of wrongs.”

    And they trusted that, even in my less-than-happy moods, I still had their best interests in mind.

    “Love always trusts.”

    It’s how God loves. Kids can teach us something about that in a very powerful, unique way. Do you want to learn?

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

  8. Giving away $6100. . .

    January 14, 2009 by Nate

    I thought I’d make you aware of a little raffle going on at Anne Jackson’s blog. If you’re into Bible study software, this raffle is for you. Just head over to flowerdust for instructions on how to enter.

    Category Christianity, Church | Tags: | No Comments

  9. Taking church to the people. . .

    January 13, 2009 by Nate

    It wasn’t until recently that I got to experience a God-sized spiritual tsunami. I can’t help but feel completely humbled by those few experiences. And they’re all directly related to my church. I’ve written about witnessing God touch the lives of villagers in sub-Saharan Africa through the love and sacrifice of His people here in New Jersey. I’ve also told you about the smiles I saw on the hundreds of people seeking relief from last summer’s soaring gas prices as they received an unprecedented discount from the pockets of His followers in Morristown.

    But this past weekend, I was part of something so overwhelming, it can only be described as a God thing. No amount of man’s effort could have moved so powerfully or stirred the Church in such an incredible way. History was made. Not just in the life of Liquid Church, but in the life of the Church as a whole.

    On January 11, over 2000 people experienced the gospel of Christ in a whole new way. And not just in Morristown, NJ, but also in New Brunswick and across the world via Liquid’s brand new iCampus.

    Church can be a frightening thing for someone who’s never been to one or hasn’t set foot in one for many years. Why? What reason do people have to be afraid?

    Have you ever stopped to ask yourself that question? Have you ever wondered why your friends, family, and co-workers are so apprehensive about visiting church?

    May I submit that they’re afraid because they’ve seen how church-goers act? They’ve seen the bigotry, the hatred, the infighting, and the backbiting. They know that Christians are more judgmental and condemning than almost any other group of people.

    Who, in his/her right mind, would willingly go to a place filled with people like that? Besides, “I can’t go to church dressed like this. And I have to get my life cleaned up before I go anyway.”

    One Sunday several years ago, a girl was getting ready to go to church. As she was stressing about what to wear, her younger brother, who was not a believer at the time, asked her, “Does God care about what you wear to church?”

    She replied, “No, but they do.”

    I’ve seen the faces, and I’ve heard the stories. And it makes me sick to think that churches are so self-absorbed that they miss out on the people who really need them to show love.

    But in New Brunswick, NJ, over 450 people experienced church for the first time, and they walked away with smiles on their faces. They experienced God’s love because almost 200 people who knew about church decided that it was time to show them what true love is like. The love was so overwhelming that 10 of the 2100 people who experienced Liquid this week decided it was time to take the first big step in their journeys of faith: believing Jesus’ words, death, and new life.

    So, thanks to a family of Christ followers in Morristown, New Brunswick, and Melbourne, the love of Jesus is entering places it might never have reached were it not for the BHAG of Liquid Church—”Take Church to the People.”

    Category Christianity, Church | Tags: | No Comments

  10. Announcements. . .

    January 5, 2009 by Nate

    Hey friends! I just want to take a moment to share with you a big moment in the life of my church. This Sunday, January 11, we will be launching our newest campus in the heart of Central Jersey. Liquid Church New Brunswick officially marks the beginning of our adoption of the multisite church model as we continue to follow our vision of taking church to the people. So, on 1.11.2009, we will begin hosting six live services: 9 & 11am, and 4 & 6pm at the Hyatt Morristown; and 9 & 11am at the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick.

    But that’s not all, folks. For those of you who don’t live anywhere near Morristown or New Brunswick, you can still celebrate the momentous occasion with us. . . because on 1.11.2009 we’re also launching the Liquid Church Internet Campus (or iCampus, for short)! If you’d like to participate in a live online worship session with Liquid Church, just swing by Liquid’s iCampus website on Sunday, Jan. 11, at 11am EST. (Unfortunately, if you’re in Melbourne, Australia, live online worship takes place on Monday, Jan. 12, at 3am. But then again, if you’re in Melbourne, Australia, why not just join up with our Liquid Church Melbourne peeps? To find out more about Liquid Melbourne, check out their page on Facebook.)

    To make way for all the changes taking place at Liquid, we posted a new website. Check it out at LiquidChurch.com.

    So mark your calendars, everybody. January 11, 2009, is going to be a huge day!

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

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