monkinabus: blog of derek dominguez

Why do we make it so complicated?

"The Beginner's Bible : Timeless Children's Stories," Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI,  pg. 480 - 483.

Inttroducing the Missional Church by Roxburgh & Boren

I'm already loving "Introducing the Missional Church: What it is, Why it matters, How to Become One, " by Roxburgh and Boren. It's affirming to me and encouraging. Like other books it summarized and puts into words concepts my heart already embraces. Here is a nugget from the first chapter as they quote Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury,

"It is not the Church of God that has a mission. It's the God of mission that has a church.""

Can the church please start showing up?

    Two years ago we just started "showing up" down at the Rowland Rebele Family Shelter. We had made an appointment with the director and simply asked if we could tutor the children one day a week for an hour after school. I think there was some suspicion at first regarding our motives as we are Christians and many times in Santa Cruz Christians are seen as having hidden motives to really only care about getting people "saved." We thought it would be helpful to the children to keep them up to speed on their school work and to give the parents a needed break. It soon "took off" and we moved to tutoring the kiddos 3 days a week as we built trusting relationships with the families living at the shelter and the staff.
    Our just "showing up" was making an impact. I soon found myself asking the question, "I wonder how else we could be a blessing and service to those living at the shelter?" So, I made an appointment with the director and simply asked, "What are your two or three greatest needs you think we could help out with?" This January we are going to begin to help assist them with watching the children in the evenings so the parents can attend certain workshops to help them maneuver through this season of life. We're also going to begin to take the kids on particular field trips or out for park days. All of this has grown out of us just starting to "show up."
    The latest venture coming out of our faithful volunteering at the shelter was the opportunity to serve in another capacity over this last Christmas season. High Street Community Church, Faith Community Church and Vintage Faith Church here in Santa Cruz teamed up together to mobilize our three churches to collect a list of items the shelter needed. The week before Christmas I packed up the 2,500 diapers and 100 pairs of infant pajamas along with a long list of other necessities they needed for the families. They were thankful and the items will go to good use. This wouldn't have been possible unless two years ago we had been willing as the church to start "showing up" and desiring to be a compelling force of goodness and wholeness. Isn't this what the church is supposed to be about, moving out into the community and beyond the church "walls?" Are we not supposed to be going to the places God is already at work in blessing people? The church needs to continue to be willing to"show up" in the places God is already at work and stand back amazed at how he then opens up further opportunities to bless and serve.

I Didn't Have A Clue:Reflections from the 2007 Global Summit On AIDS and the Church

      It has been a week since we returned from Southern California and my attendance at the 2007 Global Summit on AIDS and the Church. The event was life changing for me personally for a number of reasons. I soon realized after arriving and hearing the first plenary sessions that I didn't have a clue about the issues at hand and how significant the church's role is. I would soon be steamrolled by a wealth of information, from a variety of ways, and from multiple directions. I underwent my own "shock and awe" campaign by the Spirit using the conference to transform my heart.

I had no clue......
..."AIDS/HIV is the biggest public health problem the world has ever faced and has surpassed all other plagues.
...more than 30 million people have AIDS in the world.
...it has spread to every country in the world.
...9 out of 10 children living with the virus are African.
...there are 15 million orphans alone in Africa due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
...there are more than 143 million orphans in the world.
...8,500 people die a die from the virus, many of which leave children behind.
...there existed stigmas in my own heart about those who have AIDS/HIV.
...more than one million Americans have AIDS or HIV.
...that in the next hour alone ate least 257 children will be orphaned due to the virus.

I had no clue a week later I would daily and continually be thinking about the reality of the situation and how children in particular are effected. I had no clue God would wedge the cause of the widow and orphan into my heart, turn my life upside down, and give me a bit of his own heart and what he cares about. I had no clue God would convict me that saying I care about the "voiceless" and "least of these" is empty unless I'm willing to do something about it. I had no clue a week ago. Do you?

Why do the bells only ring once a year?

    The bells ring once a year. The sound of the "ding..ding..ding..ding" is continuous as you leave any number of grocery stores during the holiday season. They ring and ding, asking you to give. During the holiday season some charities claim half of all contributions are given in the weeks leading up to the holidays. Why do people seem to give more during the holiday season? Why does our generosity peak during a few weeks out of the year when we hear the bells wooing us to remember those in need and give? Would we give in the same manner if it weren't for the holiday season and if we didn't hear the bells ringing?

    Our resources in America are abundant, but we still have to be reminded to give. If the charities were overflowing with an abundance of resources would the bells in front of the stores still be ringing during the holidays? We give for a few weeks and then it ceases. Giving and our generosity are limited to infrequent events of spontaneous giving and not a way of living for most people. These are broad generalizations, but the church in America seems to follow this same pattern.

    We give when asked, but not as part of a continuous overflow from the abundance of resources we already have been given to redistribute to those in need. We get passionate and give around the holidays, but what about two months later? How is the church developing a rhythm of living and existing, where the giving it exhibits for a few weeks is a continuous stream of generosity. The church develops "compassion" projects to do or support during the holidays when these initiatives should not be something we pour into just for a season, but should define who we are throughout the whole year. Our compassion in action should become a way of living that flows from a collective heart of generosity.

    The bells should never be needed. The bells definitely shouldn't have to remind the church to open up the storehouses of the resources we have to bless those in need a couple of times a year. We shouldn't have to develop compassion projects to serve the community. We should be at our core defined by compassionate giving as a way of existing as Christ's followers. Why do the bells only ring once a year and how do we respond? Do you give when you hear the bells? Why?

   

Being the Church

I found this bumper sticker last week as I was cruising by the game store here in Santa Cruz down town. This bumper sicker summarizes a lesson I've been discussing with Tate on-going as we get ready for church on Sunday mornings. I think she is still confused at the age of 3 /12 by what I mean when I tell her "she is the church" every time she tells me we are going to church. I suppose it isn't any less confusing for then when I ask her, "What is the reality of your existence?'" Hopefully when she comes to an understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus she will also understand what this means more concretely. What do you think?

Poet, Prophets, and Apostles

Many rightly argue Christendom is over and done with. The church has been pushed to the margins in society. The once central and authoritative role it played in the culture has dissipated and until it understands its  present status of marginality in the present, it will have a difficult time maintaining a fervent witness. The marginal "place" the church finds itself in isn't necessarily negative, but an opportunity for the church to give birth to a new witness.