“He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thes. 5:24 ESV) Recently I was asked to share what God has been teaching me as of late and I quickly replied with three words – GOD IS FAITHFUL. There is nothing earth-shattering about this, is there? No. It’s a truth about God [...]
Posts Tagged ‘church’
is your church messy or pretending?
Posted By zharrod on January 5th, 2010
I’ve mentioned it before, but my staff team here is reading Tim Chester’s You Can Change and it has been very challenging and good for me at the same time. God has used it to convict me and at the same time encourage me! I highly recommend it, you should get it like yesterday! Anyway, this morning as I was reading I was once again challenged and sat at my desk contemplating much. See I just finished the chapter on living in community and helping one another take steps of changing as we live out the Gospel in community. There is just so much to share with you, this is why you have to go buy the book and read it, but I did want to share a quote/thought with you, that is actually in the book and on Chester’s blog too!
It’s about churches and churches being safe places for messy people – like you and me. Yes I said it, like you and me! You’re a mess! So am I! But that is beautiful because God’s grace, love and work is in the midst of our messiness is more than enough! (One of the first places I was challenged by the mess I am was from the book Messy Spirituality by the late Mike Yaconelli. It’s another good read!) Anyway, I could go on and on, but here is the quote from Chester’s blog:
One alternative is to be a church in which there is a lot of pretending; in which people have problems, but in which the culture does not allow people to be open about them. Churches like this are very neat and respectable. But I know I would rather be in a messy church! Mess reflects, I think, a culture of grace. We pretend because either we do not trust God’s grace for ourselves or we do not trust other people to show us grace. (from post entitled, A messy church or a pretending church)
So what type of church are going to? What type of church do you gravitate too? Do you gravitate to churches that “are neat and respectable?” Why do you gravitate to a church like this? For anonymity, so that people don’t see your messiness? Fight it! Be real. Do community in truth and love. Know that God’s grace is indeed sufficient! May we be transformed by the Word of God, but also by the beautiful mess of community that He has provided for us…
where do churches come from?
Posted By zharrod on September 22nd, 2009
Watch this…
A couple of years ago, my friend Mike Gunn, of Harambee Church in Renton, WA, mentioned that they were sending a guy (Aaron Youngren) to Chicago with A29 to plant a new church, The Line. Immediately I got excited. “Why?” Because I love Chicago, often times I claim it as home, when I am introduced to people overseas. (I know, I know, I was merely born it what is today a suburb of Chicago, and I have a WI driver’s license and etc. I know, I know…) Seeing guys who are going on mission into urban centers to infiltrate the city with the Gospel gets me fired up. I also mentioned it to a friend, Andrew Lisi, who was moving up to the Chicagoland area to go to seminary, and the rest is history. Lisi and Aaron got connected and I’ve been following the birth of this new church in the “2nd City” for sometime via their blogs, twitter and etc. It’s been fun to pray for them and watch God do this from a distance. I would encourage you to check out what they are doing and pray for them and the city of Chicago. More over pray for all the men and women (guys like Reid Monaghan, who’s planting in Jersey!) all over the world that are trusting God to plant churches amongst people.
did you watch the 9′s?
Posted By zharrod on September 11th, 2009
I got to see a few of the 9 minute vid spots from “The Nines” on Wednesday (9/9/09), but not all of them. They are starting to circulate around the web. Here are a couple I really appreciated:
Ed Stetzer – The 9s from LifeWay on Vimeo.
If you have found any more out there, leave a comment and let us know where! Thanks.
blessing the city talk
Posted By zharrod on September 5th, 2009
Two Sundays ago I had the opportunity to preach at my church here in Prague, Faith Community Church, and it was a HUGE blessing! My dear friend, Mark, and I tag teamed to do a mini-series, Blessed to be a Blessing. I finished it up with a talk from Jeremiah 29:4-7, entitled Blessing the City. After a couple of weeks, it’s online. CLICK HERE to listen to it online (once it loads in the quicktime player you can click the upside down triangle in the lower right hand corner and click “Save as Source” to save it to your computer.) or click the podcast logo below. I hope you enjoy the talk and you go out into your city to be a blessing!
apologia for the city
Posted By zharrod on December 9th, 2008
Recently, I just put up my most recent sermon preached at Faith Community Church here in Prague. We have been working through 1 Peter for the last couple months and my stud of a pastor, Phil, gave me a couple sermons! It is a blessing to have an avenue to continue to work on and grow in one of my giftings. Thanks Phil. Anyway, you can click on the podcast logo above or the podcast dude below to subscribe to my podcasts (or you can click here to listen/watch the content online), which consist of the zhtvs you see here on the blog and also little bonuses from time to time. Plus who wouldn’t want to take zach harrod around in their iPod? Haha… That could have sounded really arrogant or very odd. Well, enjoy the talk and have a great Tuesday.
