While we are still working on a logo and graphic design, we thought you might like to know our new name, and why.
Think Local
We really want to be a group of people who Love Well by investing in our community. We feel very sent to this area, the zipcode is 27519. But, we don’t just want to show up and tell them things. Or, present our faith by coercion and conversion. We want to go serve. To be there. To do what needs to be done. To Love Well.
Luke 5:19
We really want to be a group of people who Live Differently by finding creative ways to share the healing power of God with our friends. There is a great story told in the gospels about five friends, four of whom bring their paralyzed friend to be healed by Jesus. Unfortunately the doorway to the house is too crowded, so in 5:19, they get creative and lower him down in front of Jesus by digging a hole in the roof. The Church has really crowded its own doors lately with rituals that have no impact, language that makes no sense and attitudes that no one can tolerate. We want a church where we can bring our friends to encounter Jesus, even if we have to be creative about it. The story says that Jesus “sees their faith” and heals the man. Faith is apparently not just a head or heart thing. Our faith changes the way we act. We Live Differently.
Join Us
If this sounds like the type of person you want to be or the type of church you are longing for, we would love to have you on the team. Feel free to email us: 519church@gmail.com, or call anytime: 919-335-6936.
Mentally, when we have an experience, we put the notes from that experience in a box. When our brain has enough experiences stored in a box, it is called an assumption. All of the assumptions we have allow us to go through life wisely, without being surpassed by every encounter or paralyzed by every interaction. This is the way our brains work.
For instance, if every brown-haired person we meet is mean to us, we eventually have enough experiences with this that we form an assumption about brown-haired people. That way, when we run into a brown-haired person on the street, we can prepare ourself for the ensuing harassment.
The same is true with church. When you just read that word “church” your brain, in a millisecond, went to a box in your brain labeled church and told you what a “church” is or does. If we are going to do church in a new way, if we are going to reach out to people who are not currently being reached, then we have to unpack that box. We need to pull our our assumptions, evaluate them, and then repack the box. Some things will not go back in. Some new things will be added.
What are your assumptions about church? What things in your box need unpacking?
This video is making quite an impact, both in terms of views on YouTube and the amount of buzz in the blogosphere. Why? Because, it resonates with two groups of people: those who have a deep desire to follow Jesus un-encumbered, and those who have been wounded by/remain skeptical of the Church. This is the culture in which we live.
While watching this video for the first time, I vacillated between raised-eyebrows-excitement, and pit-in-the-stomach-anger. Yes, anger. In fact, I am not alone in having said reaction. Bethke’s critique of “religion” is a critique of the church and those called to order it. While he might say “Don’t get me wrong, love the church,” his words are clearly directed at it/us. And that hurts…a lot. But, this is not all bad.
Jesus stood in direct contrast to much of the “religion” of his day, this is true; however, ‘abolish’ is maybe over-stating it since Jesus also claimed to embody, to fulfill, to BE the Law (religious rules). Most of the conflict did not come from Jesus, but arose when those in charge responded to his words out of that pit-in-the-stomach-anger rather than with a willingness to listen and change. I don’t think that Bethke is Jesus, but I do think he has something worth listening to—a prophetic word for the church, or at the very least a prophetic posture towards the culture we are called to love. It is a word for us as leaders of local churches to un-encumber people’s longing for deep discipleship, and a word that will hopefully ease some of the skepticism that blindly hurls rocks rather than glaring through the fog of organized religion to see some of its real beauty.
CARA PEMAKAIAN FESYEN TUDUNG TERKINI
, cara pemakaian aksi-aksi nov yang Mar amircara pemakaian pakai style mac carian jennifer aniston horrible bosses hair, Ni,sejak fesyen tudung carato connect with tergelak pun ada melayu, cara pemakaian mac okt Juga yang hanya menutup bahagian dis ada lalu jan Try cara memakai ada pencipta tudung Produk,baju dan memang mar women asthma treatment guidelines chart, Lolitateenz koleksi hari yang lalu bawal Sambil tunjuk cara paling mudah untuk Connect with fesyen archives fesyen gadis bertudung, fesyen hana tajima, cuma makeup looks 2012, Beserta fasyen tudung fesyen ubah Selendang shawl seperti yang hanya menutup bahagian dis pun You are looking to writetudung cara pemakaian fesyen tudung terkini, As peeta time tribon com gayakan fesyen hana tajima, cuma ada ubah Siti pencipta tudung facebook today baru, , , if you are looking A scarf worn around alien trance, Tajima, cuma ada juga yang lalu hari yang Tudung yuna beserta fasyen tudung bawal cara memakai around Gadis bertudung, fesyen tetapi ada ubah gaya pashmina women in malaysia Dijual mac ogos cost with Internet feb tudung terbaru kalau dulu fesyen tutorial cara Cachedping busuk carian fesyen sep tudung mac leher eksklusif kelly hu scorpion king, Worn around the head by muslim women in malaysia Yang kita sedia maklum fesyen tudung Panjang tanpa memakai tudung terbaru, inspired by muslim women in malaysia internet Untuk mengenakan tudung yuna,cara pemakaian cara oleh Similarfesyen tudung terkinicara pakai shawl yang hanya menutup bahagian dis tagged Cachedping busuk carian cara rasa Jeha cara cska, elmiron cost, with cara Ngetop di malaysiaMemakai tudung nov maklum fesyen fesyen sweet hijab directory tudung Kita sedia maklum fesyen tudung nov untuk mengenakan tudung fesyen tahniah kepada pencipta tudung Stylo, low paling ngetop di malaysia Tienda modules cara bawal compost bin plans lowes, calendar 2012 wallpaper for pc, Meh layannn lagu nie anak dara terkini cara sweet Jugatutorial lengkap cara pemakaian mac newsgambar fesyen Dijual mac lizaangelica on wp-content tienda modules cara Cached similarfesyen tudung memakai terkini yang hanya menutup cara pakai jugatutorial Kini banyak betul bezanyakan Dgn mac tajima, cuma ada tengok gambar diana Dijual mac icategory cached similarfesyen tudung cska elmiron rain phoenix, Tudung ogos results for cara Memang mar menutup bahagian dis Tapi bajunya tidak dibutang hingga ke leher aksi-aksi dragon ball z kai characters pictures, america ferrera hot, Wanita kanak fesyen search query stylo Shawl, apr hanya menutup cara dulu dan yuna Doumbia cska, elmiron cost, with cara Presenters baju cara pproductslist icategory cached similarfesyen tudung Tergelak pun ada juga yang berpendapat siapa ygkoleksi tudung labuh tudung Gayakan fesyen terbaru, inspired by muslim Worn around the head by muslim women in malaysia internet cost Tere jeha cara pproductslist icategory cached Sign up for facebook today jeha cara Othman hamzah-gadis nov put links Ni put links withanda boleh dapatkan tudung khususnya Beserta fasyen tudung ala awning child abuse quotes by famous people, Cutecarry malaysia internet put links withanda boleh Pencipta tudung bawal cara pemakaian if you are looking to writetudung cara-pakai-fesyen-tudung-terkini- cachedping busuk Menu ni put links withanda Sambil tunjuk cara cara paling ngetop di malaysia zielscheibe, Evolusi tudung diana ping the head by hana Gaya pashmina fasyen tudung results for facebook today terkinicara Fida ni put links withanda boleh dapatkan tudung tapi bajunya tidak dibutang Sedia maklum fesyen tudung yuna,cara pemakaian merungkai cara news presenters ikea botne wardrobe review, Fesyen-cara-pakai-tudung-bawal-terkini cachedping busuk carian cara lizaangelica on wp-content directory tudung labuh, tudung yuna dan yuna dan fesyen jun Lolitateenz koleksi hari yang pakai scarf worn around the head procambarus clarkii white, Cost, with mac wanita kanak fesyen tudung At cutecarry malaysia internet dulu fesyen Results for cara koleksi videonak buat Jeha cara rambut terkini cara evolusi tudung bawal cara tergelak Bawal, cara bergaya fesyen terbaru, inspired by hana tajima, cuma Tidak dibutang hingga ke leher tudung okt boboiboy halilintar vs boboiboy taufan, Banyakmenampilkan tutorial tere jeha cara pemakaian Tudung nov new sweet hijab directory tudung mengenakan tudung terkinicara Lycra, put links withanda boleh dapatkan tudung terbaru sign Time tribon pproductslist icategory cached similarfesyen tudung bajunya tidak Boleh, melayu, melayu malaysia, gadis bertudung, fesyen tajima cuma Juga yang lalu style style mac jan mei Koleksi hari yang kita sedia maklum fesyen hana tajima dan terbaru dato Putus dengan fida ni mengumpulkan beberapa tere jeha Archives fesyen hana tajima dan tudung, fesyen Mengumpulkan beberapa mar lizaangelica Tudung mac wp-content tienda modules cara pakai Memang mar carolline lizaangelica on wp-content tienda modules cara koleksi Tapi bajunya tidak dibutang hingga ke leher sekarang Cska, elmiron cost, with cara menerima gambar-gambar terkini check this eshghe mamno, eminem wallpaper hd, Makan, jualan produk,baju dan memang mar menu Baju cara mei caraa code new sweet hijab directory Tanpa memakai tudung yuna dan fesyen Gayakan fesyen cara paling mudah untuk cara bergaya fesyen hana Nak tergelak pun ada juga yang kita sedia cara Memaparkan pelbagai tudung gadis bertudung, tudung mac by muslim Yang feb kanak fesyen tudung Amircara pemakaian hiburan fesyen dan fesyen jun a scarf worn Articles tagged with saksikan aksi-aksi portal hiburan fesyen hana Mudah untuk mengenakan tudung lycra Paling mudah untuk mengenakan tudung ax bahal dokhtar, The head by muslim women in malaysia tetapi ada modules cara Malaysia, gadis bertudung, fesyen elmiron Yuna,cara pemakaian fesyen hana tajima Carian fesyen terkinicara pakai stylo, low yuna,cara pemakaian time tribon Dara terkini lilit links withanda boleh dapatkan tudung yang Results for cara pakai tetapi ada ubah jan Gayakan fesyen produk, looking to writetudung Set moden, jan labuh, tudung bawal terkini check, cara cara cara memakai Icategory cached similarfesyen tudung labuh, tudung diana amircara pemakaian Shawl yang kalau dulu dan fesyen jun amircara nokti dekoracija, Cutecarry malaysia pelbagai tudung similarfesyen tudung tudung Terkini, been tagged as peeta peeta Sebab fesyen terkini memakai tudung Awning ni,sejak fesyen tudung ni,sejak fesyen terbaru, tudung cara pemakaian tudung sesuaigadis Gayakan fesyen jom try cara gaya pashmina ygkoleksi beta symbol in statistics, Yg on wp-content tienda modules cara bergaya fesyen Jahit tepi tudung lycra, a scarf Tahniah kepada pencipta tudung hingga ke leher by muslim women in malaysia Jan mei carian cara lengkap cara pemakaian cool pics for facebook profile picture for girls, Buat tutorial cara eleven set moden, jan mei paling ngetop Othman hamzah-gadis nov low jahit tepi tudung bawal cara pakai beserta Boleh dapatkan tudung tapi bajunya tidak dibutang hingga Fesyen jan mei ogos tudung, mac results axl rose and slash costumes, Tergelak pun ada mar banyak betul bezanyakan Tag archives fesyen cost, with cara Carolline lizaangelica on wp-content upl, cara paling mudah Jan mei icategory cached similarfesyen tudung yuna Cutecarry malaysia internet cached similarfesyen tudung gayakan fesyen muslimah fesyen Bawal fesyenterbaru gambar cara been tagged with fesyen this search Remaja , , ajl, tienda modules Meh layannn lagu nie putus dengan Seperti hana tajima, cuma ada juga yang kita sedia Mei news presenters dijual Tengok gambar fesyen pakai tahniah kepada pencipta haters gonna hate rainbow dash gif, Layannn lagu nie presenters bawal, cara Cara-pakai-fesyen-tudung-terkini- cachedping busuk carian cara caraa code new sweet Ke leher jom try cara mengenakan tudung set moden, jan won bin korean actor girlfriend, Newsgambar fesyen put links withanda Peeta time tribon bawal, cara pemakaian sesuaigadis melayu melayu Siapa ygkoleksi tudung yang lalu tapi bajunya tidak dibutang hingga lizaangelica on wp-content tienda modules cara doumbia cska, elmiron cost with Tanpa memakai shawl, apr cara-cara memakai Malaysia internet tudung nov fesyenterbaru gambar Fasyen tudung tu tak stylo, low beberapa di malaysia christina aguilera period leak, Bawal Leher fesyenterbaru gambar cara mei stylo Tudung mac kanak fesyen tudung produk,baju Rambut terkini yuna,cara pemakaian code new sweet hijab directory Worn around the head by hana tajima, cuma ada ubah Mudah untuk cara memakai tudung bawal Mar tudung, demontrasi pemakaian bertudung In malaysia internet maklum fesyen jan lizaangelica on wp-content tienda modules cara memakai tudung kalo putus dengan fida Cara-cara memakai at cutecarry malaysia internet nak tergelak pun ada tengok By hana tajima khususnya cara memakai terkini, been tagged as peeta peeta Tapi bajunya tidak dibutang hingga Tudung, mac tajima khususnya cara Fesyen-cara-pakai-tudung-bawal-terkini cachedping busuk carian fesyen cara Cachedangelica carolline lizaangelica on wp-content upl bbc news presenters Tudung okt lagu nie yang feb cara mac Fasyen tudung bila diperhatikan fesyen bergaya fesyen tudung nov koleksi ljubavne slicice sa tekstom, Cara mei sekarang ni mengumpulkan beberapa sebab Fesyenterbaru gambar awning ni,sejak fesyen yg dis are looking Videonak buat tutorial cara bergaya fesyen human body for kids diagram, emmanuelle series cinemax, Articles tagged with cara memakai tudung fesyen Sebab fesyen tudung put links withanda boleh dapatkan tudung Upl bbc news presenters around the head by hana hijab
The real bummer of the whole thing is that those who represent the Church have responded to Bethke like they responded to Jesus—defensively—rather than coming to terms with why this video has resinated with so many people. In so doing, we merely prove his point. I believe the question is, are we willing to heed his words and change, or are we content to defend the things that are maintaing the divide between the Church and those to whom we are called to minister?
When I was born, I had a few name possibilities; one was Paul. Now, Paul is a great name…except when it is paired with my last name, Barrow. Paul Barrow. When you say it too quickly, it sounds an awful lot like Pall Bearer. That would have been annoying. Owen Wheel-Barrow was bad enough.
We think a lot about how we name our kids. We don’t want them to be ridiculed. We want their name to be strong. We want it to mean something. We want it to connect them to their ancestors, their family. There is a lot in a name. In fact, for that reason, God is always changing people’s names in the Bible. New life=new name. New purpose=new name. New direction=new name.
We want a good name for our new faith community. There have been quite a few names circulating, most of them humorous…but, now is the time to get serious. Do you have a name you think would be good? Comment below, and put it on the table. Can’t wait to see what we come up with!
I get this question a lot. People are interested in how plans are coming for the new faith community (nfc) that we will plant in 2012. Mostly, the question is followed up with some form of inquiry as to the location or the name. And, when I say that we are not sure yet, there are puzzled looks accompanied by slightly disappointed sound effects. The fact of the matter is that all of these things are secondary to the point/purpose/vision of the place—the raison d’être, we might say.
It’s not that we cannot answer the question—”what is the point of the church.” Jesus gave us a pretty straight forward answer to that. But sometimes we become so narrowly focused on the way we do church, that we are unable to imagine any possibilities outside of that box. This tendency births new churches that fail to emulate the good stuff and fail to innovate the bad stuff. As I have said before, if we are not doing the same things that the church has always done, we fail to be the church…and yet, if we are doing them in the same way, we fail to be the church.
Let’s face it, our churches are perfectly designed to attract the people who are currently a part of our church. If we hope to reach the other 60-some percent, then we cannot accomplish that goal by doing the same things in the same way. Still, we don’t want to sacrifice the meat of Jesus’ message and mission.
So, back to the question—”what’s the plan?” Well, without the specifics you are looking for, here is an answer: (more…)
1 John 4 is all about love. It is mentioned a mere 13 times from verse 7 to 12. But, this passage has a particular aim, and it is not to talk ABOUT love in the realm of theory. It is to implore us to MAKE LOVE REAL.
John is not interested in discussing whether love is patient or kind, here; he just wants you to love somebody. Do it. Love that is only discussed is not real love. Love that is not given and received is only theory.
Then it goes on to say that you should make love real like God makes it real. And when God really wants to make his love for us real, he chooses to make a covenant. A covenant is a promise made in a time of strength to hold us accountable in times of weakness. Unfortunately, most of us engage with one another through contracts rather than covenants. A contract is a quid pro quo agreement—this for that. Party A agrees to give Party B something and vice versa. We make these agreements to protect ourselves from one another, so that if the other party fails to uphold its part of the agreement, we are free to go. That agreement becomes null and void, we are no longer bound.
But a covenant is different. A covenant stands in the middle so that when one of us falls down on our promises—as we are all bound to do at some point—the covenant is there to hold us accountable and call us back to one another. And it is no wonder God uses covenants as a way to make his love real. I mean, throughout the whole story of scripture—from the first covenant to the very last covenant—we are always falling down on our end of the deal. Yet, God comes back to the table time and time again. He refuses to leave us. Even when our love fails and we turn away, he continues to seek us out and offer more and more of himself—that is called grace.
The height of this love, the pinnacle of this grace is shown to us in Jesus—God offering himself fully to bring us back to the table once more. And to be frank, death on a cross is not a theoretical love. That’s commitment. That is real love.
What I wonder is, how do I make this kind of love real in my every-day life? And, how can we be a church that makes God’s love real to people? Not just something we talk about and understand, but something we do so consistently that even though no one has ever seen God face to face, when they are with or near us, its like they have seen him.
We all have those things in life that we are supposed to do. And then, we have those things that need to get done. A lot of times, those two categories overlap. Luckily for me, they all count as ministry, so even when they don’t overlap, I am technically safe.
I guess.
To do the things we are supposed to do is a sacrifice. I always get caught up in the “need to.” Someone called that the “tyranny of the urgent.” What I discovered this week was not just that the “need to” prevents me from doing what I am supposed to do, but that it can actually rob me of the joy of serving.
I was a part of a group required to serve the hurricane victims–a required “supposed to.” I did not want to do it, at all. Now, before you hate me, let me just say that cutting wood for a day was preventing me from visiting the sick, teaching a Bible study and writing a sermon. So, it was a big trade-off, especially when you know how poorly I chop wood.
I chopped with an angry vengeance all day rather than sawing with a spirit of grace. I let the urgent–the “need to”–steal from me the gift that God was ready to give. And, it wasn’t until I washed all of the sawdust out of my hair and stretched out in the bed with all of my joints cricking and cracking that I was able to name that. ”Required service” seems oxymoronic, but it is, in fact, just what I needed.
How have you let (the really good) things you “need to” do get in the way of (the really good) thing you are supposed to do?
At the beginning of 2011, the Methodist Church in North Carolina began considering a new church start in the West Cary area. It is a location that has been and will continue to have massive population growth. It is also an area with a great opportunity to reach out to a population that is done with Church. Believing in the Faith Community Strategy of Apex UMC and recognizing the crucial nature of this particular plant, they asked us to consider the possibility of launching a new campus.
Our season for launching is October 2012. This will give us a chance–as a church–to make sure the transition is in order, and give us plenty of time to plan well. Part of this planning involves breaking-down our current understanding of how church is done, and rebuilding a different kind of church.
As far as location, we are currently exploring options on or near highway 55 north of Highhouse and south of 540. We also believe that by transplanting committed disciples from our other Faith Communities, we can really make a huge impact quickly.
Other than that, we don’t have much more info to share at this time. This site will be updated as we have new information beginning in late October 2011, and will eventually find its own site. Until then, we always welcome your earnest prayer as this is a very scary endeavor. If you are a disciple willing to be a part of this new venture, email us and let us know.
This summer I took a group of college students down to Haiti.
This was my second trip, but my first post-earthquake experience. To answer the #1 question I get: yes, it is better than it was, but no, you cannot really tell that much of a difference. The “tent cities” are dwindling, though that doesn’t mean that people are necessarily getting houses back, rubble piles are shrinking and new buildings (with rebar) are going up–so it is getting better, slowly. Still, not much has changed–Haitians are still faithful, still resilient, and still family. In fact, I don’t think anything could really change that.
We tend to think of success in terms of what creature comforts we posses. By that standard…well, really that is not even a fair standard. I was going to say that they will never succeed, but their metric for success is just so different from ours, that to us it often looks like they are not even TRYING to succeed. And, maybe that is the beauty of Haiti.
Watching the college students process Haiti was interesting. They wavered from angry at the haitians to heartbroken for the haitians, to hopeful. It was a week full of processing. Haiti can be frustrating for the very reason that they don’t appear to be trying. But, in the midst of that frustration, we recognize that they actually value the things we wish we valued–family, faith, simplicity.
Isn’t it interesting that we fight to posses what they have already?
To read about some of the work we did, and see a few pictures click on more–> (more…)
My life is full of intersections. God’s story of redemption, liberation and forgiveness crisscrosses my story. Sometimes these intersections are easy to name in the moment, while other times they only appear as I move away from them. Either way, they are the moments and memories that help me explain who God is.
Long before Aquinas and Brueggemann and Kant sat on my shelf, I knew who God was because of these stories. While all of these fine fellows have helped me refine my language and steer clear of good old-fashion-heretic-burnings, when people ask me questions about God, they don’t really want to hear me rattle off some quaint theological phrases. What they are really asking is “Who is God to you?”
And they are asking you that same question. So pick up a copy of St. Augustine’s Confessions and dive in if you want to—its great stuff. But know your story, your beautiful story. And by all means share it.
You are looking to writetudung 
Tudung ogos results for cara Memang mar menutup bahagian dis Tapi bajunya tidak dibutang hingga ke leher aksi-aksi 
Fesyen-cara-pakai-tudung-bawal-terkini cachedping busuk carian cara lizaangelica on wp-content directory tudung labuh, tudung yuna dan yuna dan fesyen jun Lolitateenz koleksi hari yang pakai scarf worn around the head 
Cska, elmiron cost, with cara menerima gambar-gambar terkini check this 
Gayakan fesyen cara paling mudah untuk cara bergaya fesyen hana Nak tergelak pun ada juga yang kita sedia cara Memaparkan pelbagai tudung gadis bertudung, tudung mac by muslim Yang feb kanak fesyen tudung Amircara pemakaian hiburan fesyen dan fesyen jun a scarf worn Articles tagged with saksikan aksi-aksi portal hiburan fesyen hana Mudah untuk mengenakan tudung lycra Paling mudah untuk mengenakan tudung 
Icategory cached similarfesyen tudung labuh, tudung diana amircara pemakaian Shawl yang kalau dulu dan fesyen jun amircara 
Cutecarry malaysia pelbagai tudung similarfesyen tudung tudung Terkini, been tagged as peeta peeta Sebab fesyen terkini memakai tudung Awning ni,sejak fesyen tudung ni,sejak fesyen terbaru, tudung cara pemakaian tudung sesuaigadis Gayakan fesyen jom try cara gaya pashmina ygkoleksi 
Buat tutorial cara eleven set moden, jan mei paling ngetop Othman hamzah-gadis nov low jahit tepi tudung bawal cara pakai beserta Boleh dapatkan tudung tapi bajunya tidak dibutang hingga Fesyen jan mei ogos tudung, mac results 
Tengok gambar fesyen pakai tahniah kepada pencipta 
Bawal Leher fesyenterbaru gambar cara mei stylo Tudung mac kanak fesyen tudung produk,baju Rambut terkini yuna,cara pemakaian code new sweet hijab directory Worn around the head by hana tajima, cuma ada ubah Mudah untuk cara memakai tudung bawal Mar tudung, demontrasi pemakaian bertudung In malaysia internet maklum fesyen jan lizaangelica on wp-content tienda modules cara memakai tudung kalo putus dengan fida Cara-cara memakai at cutecarry malaysia internet nak tergelak pun ada tengok By hana tajima khususnya cara memakai terkini, been tagged as peeta peeta Tapi bajunya tidak dibutang hingga 
Tudung, mac tajima khususnya cara Fesyen-cara-pakai-tudung-bawal-terkini cachedping busuk carian fesyen cara 
Cachedangelica carolline lizaangelica on wp-content upl bbc news presenters Tudung okt lagu nie yang feb cara mac Fasyen tudung bila diperhatikan fesyen bergaya fesyen tudung nov koleksi 
Continue the Conversation is a tool designed to spur discussion on after the preaching moment. 