Our Stories

i shared a little bit at our staff meeting this morning about stories.  pm talked a little bit in the message this weekend about my story at ncc- how i started off as a volunteer, seeing a need to serve the homeless community, and being faithful to that calling.  but as time went on, i made a shift in careers by going to a discipleship training school in germany, then became and intern, then part time staff, then full time staff- and finally now having the opportunity to lead the team to berlin…  it is a long and nuanced story.

what i shared however, is that testimonies like mine are a bit of a paradox.  on the one hand, it really brings out an awe and reverence for God and how big and sovereign He is- and how unique my story and path is.  on the other hand though, it is really not anything special at all- it is the norm.  God wants to and is  writing a unique and nuanced story for each of us.  it just so happens that all too often, we never look around to see it.  we miss the miracles and the provision.  we miss the calling and the faithfulness of God.

so what i shared this morning is that we need to help people identify what it is that they are a part of.  we need to help our people understand that God is doing big things in all of our small lives.  part of the discipleship of our people is helping them have open eyes and hearts to the things that they are a part of already and seize the opportunities in front of them.

*hasler

Snowpocolypse in the Hood

so i just could not blog about this, because it was just too classic…
it was a crazy snowy weekend in dc as most know and well, it is clear that this city has issues during a storm like this.

it was fun to be able to bond with the neighborhood a bit though, which is a core value of our house anyway.  so we got out and shoveled some sidewalks and stairs of those around us-  it’s the practical revolutionary stuff that i was writing about last week.

the best story however, came from a little trip to our corner market.  one of my roommates and i ventured over and the little store was open, but not letting people in.  the owners, an elderly asian couple, were tag teaming- with the old man shuffling around getting what people wanted and the wife ringing it all up.  this of course caused a line to pile up out the door.  the funniest part however, was that you had to yell through the bullet proof glass door what it was that you wanted.  and what we found out was this- in our neighborhood, on a snow packed evening, at the little local store, only the best and most vital items are being purchased.

we stood in line, with all of the folks yelling through the glass, sometimes multiple times, for the following things:

‘i need a pack of menthol cigarettes’
‘gimmie that bottle of zinfindel’
‘can i get one of those powerball slips’

hahaha- and on and on it went- beer, wine, cigarettes and lottery tickets- throw in a 99 cent soda or bag of chips and people were getting all of the necessities to survive the lock in!  we laughed… hard.  and, well… then- we bought a pack of yuengling and sierra nevada.

*hasler

The Simple Way/Conspire

shane claiborne has been one of the more influential teachers from afar for me and my walk with Christ over the past few years.  his passion to serve the poor, live simply and in community, and help raise awareness both inside and outside of the church about what following after Jesus really looks like in our world today, has been nothing short of inspiring.

his community, the simple way, has experimented this year in releasing a quarterly publication called conspire, which consists of articles, stories and various forms of art to invigorate and celebrate the efforts of Christ following communities around the world.

this time around, i submitted an article for the coming spring addition.  it is some reflections on my story and the way that the berlin initiative kind of came about.  we’ll see if they use it-  if they do, i’ll send around the link- if not, then i’ll probably post the story here at some point.

*hasler

Stoking the Revolutionary Heart

i got the chance to get together with a guy yesterday who is contemplating quitting his job and really following his passion to go after what he feels God is calling him to do- to minimalize his life, to serve the poor, and make a difference by breaking out of the norm.

as he shared, he talked about how when he moved to dc from college that he had high hopes of living simply, serving, and displaying all the things that he wrote about in his papers… but then… like with many- life happened.  and as the job came, and the responsibility, and the routine, all of the sudden he was stuck in a life that he did not seek out, in what seemed to be overnight…

how does that happen?  how do we go from ‘irresistable revolution’ to 9-5 madness?  i’m not sure how to nail it down specifically, but what i do know, is that it takes resolve, courage and a alternative plan to get out of it.  so we talked through some things- some steps to take initially.  and in a way i found it interesting that i was the more cautioning voice, but not in a way of talking him out of it, but to be sober and methodical.  this was not to have him reconsider, rather it was to assure that through the process of breaking away, he does not become disillusioned.  because on paper it looks great.  in your spirit, you want it to change everything overnight, but in reality, there is due process that must occur if you really want to reach your ultimate goal.

in some areas are there radical steps that need to be taken…? yes indeed.  but more often it is the things that take longer and we have to be patient in and persevere in that really help us succeed in living differently- set apart from the world- the way that God calls us…

it was refreshing to see someone realizing the state of things- and wanting to make a change. may God be with him…

*hasler

Fasting for Vision

the ncc staff is corporately fasting lunch this week, as well as spending the noon hour together for prayer.  we’ve had two days of great revelation-  this initiative is doing us good in so many ways.  first of all, it is a sharpening of spiritual disciplines in general… but aside from that, it is stretching us and also providing a venue for each of our staff member’s gifts.  for those with a more prophetic gifting, this kind of thing is golden.  it is definitely fun to see different people come out with strengths at different times.

for what it’s worth- today was all about he Holiness of God.  that was a strong theme in the things that we shared-  everything from entering the Holy of Holies to ‘minister’ to the Lord… to the passage in revelation that explains the chorus in heaven singing ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty’… to the mirrored passage in isaiah.

the word that i received was from leviticus 22- talking about the way to deal with the ‘holy things’ that were presented to the levitical priests.  i think that the Lord wants us to preserve and guard the holy things that are given- to steward them and understand the depth of what His Holiness means.

*hasler

M.I.A. for LXVI

i suppose i should have posted about mid-week last week, that i would indeed be m.i.a. due to leadership retreat planning.  once a year ncc takes all of it small group, ministry and potential leaders away for a 22 hour high speed retreat in west virginia.

this year definitely went over the top with our theme lxvi: from garden to city.  we took people on a journey through the bible, which starts in the garden and ends in a city.

from dance routines, spoof videos, emcee humor galore and a roast or two- the comedy and fun was definitely in full effect.  but beyond that, there were amazing moments of worship and teaching from pmark, pheather and pjoel.  all three of them ‘brought it’ in different capacities.  the common thread in all of them however, was passion and zeal, for the word of God, the vision He has for us as a church, and the expectation that He has for us as those leading.  we’ll be at some point posting the sessions somewhere- and i highly recommend checking them out if you want to know more about where we are going this year.

all of it though was for our leaders- to bless and encourage them.  we ended the whole retreat with a great time of worship, communion and commissioning.  it is so amazing to be able to pray for over 200 leaders and send them back to dc with a prophetic word and anointing.

in the end, we were all exhausted- and some of us actually stayed an extra night due to a crazy snow storm.  it was a fun time of storytelling and even a little spontaneous late night 90’s karaoke…

definitely the best retreat yet…  but maybe we say that every year…

*hasler

The Ten Commandments

i was led to exodus 20 this morning- which is the part of the bible that contains the ten commandments.  when’s the last time you actually read them?  here they are:

Exodus 20: 1-17
And God spoke all these words, saying,

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

“You shall not murder.

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You shall not steal.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

now often around parts of scripture that get a lot of attention, like the ten commandments, we sometimes fail to see the other meaningful text surrounding it.

in this case, there are a lot of interesting things that are going on.  first of all, the fact that God speaks so directly to Moses is always captivating.  but what is really amazing in this encounter is that God allows for the Hebrews in the desert to also encounter God.  in chapter 19, it specifcally states that the Lord will descend upon the mountain (mt. sinai)  in verses 10-11 it says:

the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.”

is this messianic prophecy?  it wouldn’t be the first time that God appeared in the sight of the people on the third day-  and when Jesus appeared on the third day, his resurrection- He was there to completely fulfill the law that was given right here in Exodus.  very cool stuff…

*hasler

A1:8 Blogging

i’m blogging again this week over on aoneeight.org/blog.

it’s going to be crazy with leadership retreat planning- but i’ll get a few posts up for sure.

i just wrote some thoughts on justice and mercy in regard to the earthquake in haiti.  it is a passion point for me- that we are reminded of our call as a church to acts of mercy- but also of justice.

*hasler

Miracles and Focus

our tuesday morning staff meetings have really been taken to a new level of late.  we have been sharing some amazing wins as well as gathering together for some great times of prayer and encouragement.

this morning was no different.  pmark also shared a wonderful miracle that we experienced as a church along with some vision for the future.  and vision is one thing that we certainly do not lack around here.  there is going to be a lot of big things that the Lord is going to do in the next year, but also over the next ten years.

the sobering part of it for me is always the idea that in spite of us- God is moving.  and it is not something that we can spark or hinder- we can merely participate or not.  and it’s when you see how amazing He is and the awesome things that He is doing, that you get that feeling of Holy fear and you absolutely do not want to miss out.  and this is the ‘fear of the Lord’ kind of stuff that gets you on your knees for gratitiude but also for repenetence- and you ask God to refocus your heart and mind on the things of Him.  sometimes it takes a miracle for us to recalibrate our attention, and spur us on to obedience.

He will build His church- we can align ourselves to Him and help that process, or ignore it and miss out- creating our own mere finite empire of nothingness.

*hasler

Suffering and Anxiety

matt chandler’s preaching has been very influential to me over the past year, as i know it has for many others.  his voice has been a great supplement to my spirit from outside my community here in dc- and i have appreciated the podcast-discipleship.  with that, his recent illness has impacted me and i have been faithfully praying for him along with so many others around the country-

i have continued to follow the story at the village church as it progresses and enjoyed the fill in teaching by the other pastors and elders there.  yesterday i listened to several messages from the time in the aftermath of matt’s tumor diagnosis.

the messages, which are clearly reflecting the situation concerning matt’s struggle, have been very apropos for me as well-  though i am not personally fighting through illness at the present moment, there has been a bit of anxiety and fear that has been creeping into my spirit lately… so the messages, especially the one on anxiety, have been of great encouragement.

the best of all however, was the sermon from dr. john piper on suffering entitled ’subjected in hope’ on december 27th. it is a bit heady- but it is in my opinion, one of the best explanations of suffering i have ever heard.  in times like these, when there is a corporate questioning over isolated things like haiti, or ongoing things like the orphan, slavery or water crisis- it is a message that could provide some clear perspective on what is really going on in the world.

the bottom line is, that God is great- things went awry- and He is currently setting it all up for greatness once again…  there is a powerful paradigm shift when you view the world through the macro lens of God’s amazing plan.

*hasler