The treasure within

Romans 1:11 For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord.

Paul’s passion for people in his letter to the Romans comes through loud and clear. You can see that he doesn’t have an ulterior motive in striving to encourage and build the church in Rome. He cares deeply about people. He longs to visit them because he has something for them that will be helpful.

When we get together with others, we have something incredibly valuable to offer. Christ in us enables us to love, give, and speak words of life. In 2 Corinthians 4:7 Paul describes the Good News about Christ that we have to share as a “treasure in jars of clay.” It’s an amazing thing that fragile, unimpressive humans have the privilege of carrying this powerful, life-transforming message to others.

Helping people “grow strong in the Lord” means leading them to a place where they are full of faith, living lives that honor God, and able to lead others to Christ. Wherever we are in our spiritual journey, we can inspire and lead people to move forward in a growing relationship with Christ. I love that God uses all kinds of people in all kinds of ways. You may be no Paul and I certainly am not, but I know that we both have something valuable to impart to others. Don't think about yourself and what you have to offer - think about Christ and his power to transform lives. He's put that within YOU. The vessel (you) is by design unremarkable so that it's God's power that will be seen.

Look for opportunities when you're with your family, when you're with people at church, when you're at work, or any time you're with others. Loving God and loving people is our highest calling and what we were made for. A bunch of people who are “strong in the Lord” and who long to help others grow “strong in the Lord” will change this world.     

6 months free

As of tomorrow I will have been without sweets in my diet for exactly six months. Yes, I am a recovering addict. It freaks me out a little though that I still experience cravings for sugary desserts. Lately, I find my thoughts dwelling on certain things like the half-eaten cake sitting on my kitchen counter or the left-over Halloween candy on top of the refrigerator. Maybe craving is too strong of a term. A better way to put it is attraction. So far I haven’t given in to delicious and appealing goodies, which are basically death traps in disguise. But I do notice that they still have power to draw and entice me.

I wonder if the attraction will ever completely go away. I also wonder if the attraction will grow to become a craving once again. I wonder if when it does I will be able to resist. I can absolutely see myself back in a place where submission to a sugar craving has the power to ruin my life and ultimately kill me. I hate admitting that this is an actual possibility. I confess that this isn’t a faith-filled statement. But it’s an honest perspective. And I think it’s healthy to admit that I could go down a bad road if I allow myself to give in to an attraction for something that will suck me in and rob me of my ability to make my own decisions.

The driving force for me is that I want to be used by God to make a difference in this world. I really do. That means I need to be around as long as he wants me to be. That means that I must be wise and live a self-disciplined, self-controlled life. If I live like someone who really doesn’t have God’s overcoming power, how can I tell others that they can have his power in their lives? If I can’t overcome an addiction to something as simple as junk food, how can I possibly help the one who is addicted to heroin or alcohol or sex? No, all of those things come under the power of the Holy Spirit’s work in peoples’ lives. I believe it and because I believe it, I have to live it. Lord, I pray that you continue to work in me, giving me both the desire and the power to do what pleases you (Philippians 2:13). 

Believe, be baptized, and become a member

The first church service was amazing. Peter preached what must have been a FANTASTIC message and 3,000 people believed in Jesus. All on the same day they also were baptized. And they became part of the church - no membership class required!

It's pretty clear that whenever people decided to follow Jesus, the next step was baptism. Baptism isn't the way to salvation - our sins are forgiven through faith. But, it's the first act of obedience that God calls us to take. Baptism is an outward reflection of what has already happened inwardly when we believed.

When we get baptized it's also a public acknowledgement that you now identify with and belong to Jesus. Now get this - Jesus said that everyone who acknowledges him on earth, he will acknowledge before his Father in heaven. Yes! I want to sign up for that. You can't go wrong having Jesus say something like, "Hey Father, see Joanne down there? She's one of ours." I'll take that kind of attention all day long.

Epic Church has a baptism service scheduled for November 18, at 4:30 PM. It takes place at Roxborough Baptist Church located at 6035 Ridge Avenue in Philadelphia. I can't wait - baptisms are my favorite kind of service. Nothing is better than seeing people step forward to say that their lives have been transformed because of Jesus. Shoot me an email at joanne@epicwired.net if you want to be baptized then.

Our life is not our own. We've been bought with a price and we belong to Jesus now. Because of this we get to be baptized and we get to be members of his church. We are part of of what Jesus continues to do in the world some 2,000 years after his resurrection. Jesus' church was a big deal 2,000 years ago and it's a big deal now. Every week I'm grateful for those at Epic who worship, serve, and tell others about Christ and that we're part of this mission together.

Growing as a follower of Jesus

I'm reading a book by Andy Stanley called Deep and Wide which in many ways describes the philosophy and mission of Epic Church. Often churches focus on either reaching out and drawing as many unbelievers as possible to the faith (well, not enough churches do this actually...) and other churches focus on bringing the people they do have to spiritual maturity (actually, this probably doesn't happen too well either or we wouldn't be lacking in drawing unbelievers...)

Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20 to go and make disciples from among all nations and to teach them to obey his commands. Jesus said in Acts 1:8 to tell people everywhere about him, extending their reach well beyond those who already had heard the Gospel. So, clearly, we need to do both. Invite people who don't know Jesus to be part of his family AND help those who have believed to grow in their faith.

Andy talks about 5 faith catalysts that are present in the lives of those who are growing in their relationship with Jesus.

1) Practical teaching - if you want to learn God's word and how to apply it to your life, a good start is coming to church every Sunday. At Epic, there is always an application. The goal is never to teach you something interesting or deep just for the sake of increasing head knowledge. If you take advantage of all 52 weeks of messages, you'll come away with practical ways to apply God's word to your life.

2) Private disciplines - you've got to spend some time reading God's word for yourself. Talk to God (also known as praying) every day. Start giving back to God some of what he's given you. If you don't tithe yet (give 10% of your income to the church) then pick a percent and start giving as an act of worship and a discipline. Giving your extra that's left over just doesn't capture the true spirit of generosity. Jesus also talked about fasting. I'm not too good at that one, but I think since Jesus included that, we should too.

3) Personal ministry - God made us for a reason.The most energizing and exciting times are when God uses us to make a difference in someone else's life. This holds true whether you are being used by God to minister before hundreds or thousands on a Sunday morning or whether you are used by God to help one person walk across the line of faith or help one person take a step of obedience or to experience God's grace in a fresh way. There is no greater thrill to know that the God of the universe gave you the right words or led you in some way help someone in a meaningful way.

4) Providential relationships - there are people whom God brings into our lives that end up rocking our world in some way. These are the people through whom we either hear from God or we see God at work. You can't manufacture these relationships, but you can position yourself to encounter them. Get involved with other believers at church by serving and by getting into a life group. Don't go it alone but find people to do life with.

5) Pivotal circumstances - for good or bad, things happen that we have no control over. What we do have control over is our perspective when they happen. Everyone experiences difficult and often tragic situations, but these can be either a catalyst for deepening your faith in God or losing hope and trust. God doesn't promise that we won't have troubles but he does promise that he will be with us through them all. Don't back off from God when you need him most but cling to him, keep your eyes fixed on him, and don't doubt his love and care for you through it all.

Just bring what you have

I love the account in the Bible where Jesus turns water into wine. He took something very common - everyday, ordinary water - and turned it into wine. John 2:1-10 tells the story. At a wedding feast in Cana, wine ran out and Jesus' mother decided to fix the problem by getting Jesus involved. His hand somewhat forced, he told the servants to fill large stone jars with water and to take them to the Master of Ceremonies of the wedding for tasting. When he tasted the wine, not knowing where it had come from, he was astonished. “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”

The striking thing about this incident is not so much that Jesus performed his first miracle. It wasn't that Jesus was basically pushed by his mother to solve a problem he didn't want to solve. But it's that Jesus did then what he keeps doing today. He took something ordinary - something without real value and turned it into something totally different from what it was and into something excellent.

If you look at your abilities, your personality, your spiritual gifts, and find them to be lacking, take heart. Do what you can to be prepared. Do what you can to be equipped. But beyond that, don't lose faith. Just as Jesus turned water into wine, he will take what little you have and make it into something special.

Candy everywhere!

Argh! Halloween just passed and now we have bags and bowls of Halloween candy everywhere. My Emma went trick or treating and came home with a bunch of candy. Then, my husband way overbought candy to distribute and we now are stuck with it. What’s the big deal?

I’m an addict. I can’t deny that fact. Now, you won’t find me in an alleyway down and out and out of my mind needing my next fix, but I have spent a good amount of time in a “drunken” stupor caused by an overload of sugar. I also have frequently experienced the sickening realization that my pants are “shrinking” and I need to go the next size up. I could go on and on explaining the consequences of my addiction, but that wouldn’t be pleasant for any of us.  I think it’s enough for me to take a little time to mentally dwell on these things so that I’ll not fall back into my old habits.

People with addictions are usually advised to stay away from old haunts or people who may trigger a relapse. It’s a little hard to do this with junk food. It’s everywhere – as I mentioned already, even in my own kitchen. I’d like it if my family would give up sweets along with me, but that’s just not fair to them. Plus, my husband has seen me go on numerous short-lived diets in our 35 years of marriage – odds are that as soon as junk food is thrown away I’d run out to the store to get some more. Since I navigate around them every day at home, that has helped to train me to ignore desserts and other treats wherever I am. Bypassing goodies has become a pattern of my life and it’s a pattern that continues when I go to the movies, eat out with friends, and attend events.

Jesus, I’ve prayed for years that you give me the desire to do what pleases you and also the power to do it. One thing I know is that I still need your help – on my own I’m susceptible to failing miserably. Thank you for being faithful to answer prayer and help me continue to walk this path – even with a kitchen filled with candy!

The measure of greatness

Not too long ago I was at the park with my granddaughter and her little friends. Four-year-old Kayleigh was playing near me and in her little girl lisp declared that someday she would be a great “weeder.” I said, “Oh, you’re going to be a great leader?” I was pretty impressed that such a little girl already had that kind of resolve and drive. Kayleigh stood up tall, puffed out her chest and quickly responded with pride, “No, a great weeder,” and proceeded to pick up a handful of grass and scatter it.

That made me laugh, but when I later considered the conversation, I was still impressed. Greatness as God measures it isn’t about doing something that appears lofty in others’ eyes. Serving others is the key. Someone who is a “weeder” to the best of her ability and does so to serve others just may attain a high level of greatness.

We have a lot of people who serve at Epic. Those who stuff programs, set up tables, serve donuts, put together signs, or welcome guests don’t receive any public acclaim. But in Jesus’ eyes, they are great. And really, who are we trying to impress, if not Jesus!

Jesus approached his disciples one time and asked what they were talking about, but they didn't answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. He sat down with them and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”

This was not the only time an argument arose over which of them was the greatest. Another of these times Jesus took a little child and said, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”

Notice that Jesus didn't tell his disciples not to seek greatness. He told them how to be great. As a church, we’re committed to being a place where people who are far from God can discover that they don’t have to be. We’re all about welcoming all of those whom God has led through our doors and giving them the opportunity to meet and experience this God who loved them so much that he gave his Son for them. I think that serving others to make this possible – to welcome people into relationship with God – is a work of true greatness.   

I don't live there anymore.

I just experienced something really unusual. So unusual that I have to write about it. Craving something sweet, my mind began to think about what we might have in the house to eat. My first thought was frosted flakes with milk. Then I recalled (with some actual elation) that there was a bag of candy on top of the refrigerator. I grabbed the bag, sat down in front of the TV, and opened it. Now this was a bag with all kinds of candy – Snickers, Milky Ways, Twix, and other assorted good things that I like to eat. I looked at the candy, totally intending to eat as much as I wanted. Soon there would be a pile of wrappers on the table next to me. I was okay with that. But something inside of me said “no” and without any reaI regret, got up and threw it all away. I have NEVER done that before. Once I get the food in front of me, once I make a mental decision to eat something, that’s it. There’s no going back.

But I don’t live there anymore. Eating that candy would have been the first time I’ve eaten junk food since May 18. For the past three months I have been on a low-carb diet. Somehow, with God’s help I’ve changed my eating habits. I’ve even started going to the gym most days. I never lose weight easily, and in all this time I’ve only lost about 25 pounds. But still, it’s something. And I feel better. I no longer experience the sluggishness that comes from indulging in way too many cookies. Or cupcakes. Or pie. Or ice cream. I almost forget what that sugar rush feels like. The tasting and the eating feel good, but the afterwards... not so good - just regrets.

But I don’t live there anymore. God took me from there to here. It’s a different place. A place I’ve never in my life lived in for more than a few weeks at a time. I’m more than a little afraid that I’ll move back to where I came from. I know my weakness. But today God showed me that there’s a chance I can make it.

Finding purpose makes serving easy

I’ve been reading a book this week called The Power of Full Engagement. In it, the reader is asked to identify his or her purpose in life. When the questions “What drives you? What is your passion? What really grips your heart?” are asked, that’s a pretty easy answer for me. I really want to see the church grow. I want to see us make a difference in the lives of people, especially within the Philadelphia area. I want to see people who attend Epic experience transformation and a growing relationship with Jesus.

Getting to be part of something so meaningful makes it easy to serve. This past Sunday I helped out at the Children’s Check-in Center. I loved it because I got to connect with some families and let them know that they and their children are really valued and welcome at Epic. The cool thing is that by the time I met with each family, they had already been warmly greeted by at least two other people and had been invited to enjoy coffee, bagels, and donuts in the lobby. These touches would also be followed by several more, all speaking the same message of acceptance, love, and passion for God.

Yesterday 88 people served on Epic teams at the Manayunk and Center City locations. Just one of these 88 was the main speaker. It takes a lot more than one person to accomplish our mission. I love that as a church we are all in this together and doing something that is worth devoting our lives to. Purpose? Yes, we’re full of it. 

I had so much fun on Sunday!

Epic's second of four monthly preview services took place this past Sunday. After so much work getting ready for the service, it's so energizing to actually be there, participating in the service and ministry taking place. I love it, love it, love it!

No one can tell me that God doesn't take pleasure when people who were formerly far from him are being welcomed into his family. If I feel such joy in seeing people experience him; I know that God, whose love knows no limits, feels this even more.

As for those of us who started Epic, we're just glad to be where God has placed us. Yeah, we can be bumbling idiots at times (well, speaking only of myself on that note!), but our hearts are for reaching people and for making our lives count for something that matters. Yeah, I think at this moment, I'm doing what God called me to do with my life. And I'm okay with that. :)

Waiting for class to begin...

Gosh, I wish I knew what I wanted to be when I grow up! I'm a grandma now, and here I am, still in college, waiting for a class to start. I think I want an MBA - at least I started it, so I'd like to finish. And I think it will be useful in my current profession. But at the same time, I'd love to go to Bible school. And maybe study computer graphics. What to do? I feel like I'm running out of time to do it all!

It's so much fun, though. I attend Drexel University in Philadephia, and the bulk of the students there are in their twenties. I really enjoy being around young people and the energy they bring to every endeavor. It makes me feel alive to work really hard and to still have challenges in my life that can't be handled easily.

I have two children who are teenagers and two who are in their early twenties. I'm not sure that they don't all think I'm over the hill. They don't see me taking part in class discussions, meeting with students outside of class to study or work on projects, or shooting the breeze with other "kids" just like a regular person. LOL. In their view, I'm way, way not cool. I'm just mom. Which, out of all my jobs, I'm most honored to be. If I could get an "A" in parenting, that would be my greatest achievement. Okay kids, get me that great grade!

Epic is the kind of church...

The topic of "church" is such a loaded subject. We all approach it with perspectives that color our thinking and bring an immediate impression - good, bad, holy, irrelevant, vital....

I hope that Epic will always be the kind of church where people who feel far from God can come and find normal people living out their faith with honesty, transparency, and love. We try to speak a language that people understand - not use a bunch of religious terms that no one really can explain in normal English. Our music, our media, our messages are meant to be understood and relatable to anyone who comes. Otherwise, what's the point?

If we don't use the language of our culture, we can make a real mess in our communications. Like the Braniff International Airways advertising faux pas created when they claimed in Latin America that patrons could fly "en cuero." Braniff was talking about the comfy leather seats in the aircraft, but "en cuero" means "naked" in Spanish! Frank Perdue of Perdue Farms once claimed that "it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken." Translated to Spanish (which it was) the slogan reads, "it takes a sexually aroused man to make a chick affectionate." Then there was the Swedish furniture giant IKEA, which christened a set of office desks "FARTFULL," causing way too many giggles in the U.S.

Silly stuff - but these communication snafus illustrate how important it is to speak the right message in the right way. And Jesus was clear that reaching out to people and including them in the church family is important to him. The church needs to be a place where all are welcome, all are received, and all get the chance to experience God's best in their lives.

Growing up, I went to church every week. The service was only an hour long (shorter if I was lucky) and I didn't understand or pay attention to most of what went on during that hour. But going to church was a duty - a religious ritual that somehow made me "okay" in God's eyes for another week. Kind of weird thinking, isn't it - doing some meaningless task (albeit with a poor attitude) in an effort to please God - like that would make a difference?

Anyway, I remember church as boring and irrelevant. My fault? Sure! No doubt there was some good stuff being taught. But maybe at a church where extra effort is made to communicate in a way that draws even the unconvinced to give the message a listen, we can make a difference in the lives of more people. And that's what we want to do - is get the chance to earn a "listen" and engage hearts and minds in meaningful conversation.

I love Emma!!!

I never really thought such a little child could have such a big influence on our family. Little Emma Joanne made her appearance into our lives on 8/24/07. She's my granddaughter and she and her mom live with our family.

Emma is blessed to be surrounded by people who love her and want to hold her and play with her. We'll have to work hard to make sure she doesn't get spoiled - but not too hard - we can't help it! Isn't she adorable? She is 10 months old and already a ham for the camera. Pictured with her is my son Andrew and below him is my daughter Ellen, Emma's mom.

Working on the finances...

I've spent the past week catching up on Epic's bookkeeping and paying bills and issuing reimbursement checks to staff. Doing the bills, even at home, always freaks me out a bit. At home I leave that job to my husband. Let him work out the details...funny how routine expense add up into gigantic numbers!

Anyway, I also updated Epic's budget based on the latest figures and including the addition of a third theater for children's ministry. For the next six months of 2008 we'll need an average of $14,000 MONTHLY to make ends meet. Yikes! Now that we've started the church, we've developed some overhead. Of course, part of the budget is to pay for continuing outreach and promotion. Can't stop reaching out now - we're looking to make a big impact in the community. That's what we're here for!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that this church planting is a continuous walk of faith. It's going to be a while before the church becomes self-supporting. But hey - God has been so faithful to meet our needs - there is no reason to think he won't continue. Got to remember that he is the one who called us to do this and he'll provide the means to make it happen. Can't wait to see what comes next!

Our first service

We had a really great first service. 79 people came! That was amazing!!! We had a lot of friends and some of Kent's relatives come to support us, but we still had well over 40 people who just came because they wanted to check out a new church. It was surreal to see strangers streaming in to take their seats. What made them decide to come to this church that we decided to start??

Well, the answer is that it's God's church. He called us to start the church and he called those people to come. I'm really, really grateful to God for letting me be part of the experience of planting a new church. It's so much more work than I thought it would be - especially considering most of us on the team work full time jobs and have families or other things in our lives that we can't just totally put on hold - though many things have dropped off our radar so we could concentrate on getting ready for our first service.

But I love the work. It's exhausting at times - especially when passing out door hanger promotions in 90 degree temperatures all day or when spending days building equipment cases. But even then, the work is energizing to me. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else! I feel real pleasure in doing the little things that added together will make Epic the kind of church that will lead to changed lives - and a changed city.