What heaven looks like

For some people, heaven has streets of gold. That sounds great. But how is God supposed to make streets of gold if humans hold on to all the gold.

For some people, heaven will reunite us with family members. That sounds great. But how are we to be reunited then if we are unwilling to reconcile with people now?

For some people, heaven will be a place of peace. That sounds great. But how will there be peace then if we are convinced of the power of war now?

Whatever your vision of the afterlife is can only be made complete by what your actions of today are. 

It is called Fort Worth Dish Out, but I call it church

About a year ago I was fortunate to be a part of the first ever Fort Worth Dish Out (website, facebook, twitter). It was crazy fun to be associated with such an event and I am blown away at where the board is taking it these days. Frankly, it is a  source of great personal pride. 

For those who do not know what the Fort Worth Dish Out is, it works like this:

1. Everyone puts in $20 to get access, a meal, booze, fellowship and the ability to hear about 3 local non-profits.
2. Everyone hears the non-profits speak for 5-7 minutes to tell what they do.
3. Everyone votes on the non-profit they would like to support.
4. The winner of the vote gets 60% of the funds, the other two split the remaining 40%.

We can talk about this as an event or a function or a fundraiser or even as a non-profit in its own right. 

But I call it an expression of Church I want to be apart of. 

When we gather for a common cause, break bread, learn, share, have fun, fellowship, encounter new people and new ideas, give, grow and support those around us - I call that Church.

So for those of us who want the Church to continue into the future and ensure that it remains relevant, I would submit that we look at the essence of what is done on a Sunday morning, take those core elements and see what expression of church you will get. 

What can you create with some combination of these elements:

• Learning new things
• Meal
• Meeting people (old and new)
• Giving of resources
• Celebration
• Sharing
• Group participation
• Music
• Dance
• Wine

Sounds like a recipe for Church to me.

The next Fort Worth Dish Out will be held on November 4th at 809 @ Vickery (809 W. Vickery Blvd., Fort Worth, 76104) from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Liberals who watch FOXNews - uncomfortable on purpose

Scripture is often a source of great comfort for many people. When there is a funeral you can but there will be a reading from Psalm 23. When you hear 1 Corinthians 13 is read, 93.6% of the time you are at a wedding. When there is tragedy in real life or in a play, you can find scripture be a source of strength and comfort.

In the same breath, scripture is also the source of great discomfort. When Jesus tells the people to sell all they have and give it to the poor. When we read about God destroying people and nations. Where there is a difficult teaching for which there is no simple answer, you can find scripture to be a source of discomfort.

We watch the news to be comforted. This is why conservatives will watch FOXNews and liberals watch MSNBC. We watch the news in order to hear others tell us that our worldview is correct. We love to hear our side is correct and the other side is wrong and idiotic.

For many Christians, we tend to read scripture like we watch the news. We choose the places that we like that affirm our worldview. We choose the places that provide us comfort and provide discomfort for others. We choose our own canon which we feel is "truer" or "more in line with God" than other scripture.

Do yourself and the world a favor - read the discomforting scripture. Watch the "other" news channel. Allow for the possibility that you may be wrong. The irony is that by listening to only the sources that bring us comfort, we actually harden our hearts through the phenomena of expectation confirmation.