ARTICLE: Heaven May Not Be Where You Think It Is

The following is an article I wrote recently for the Our Home Town News in Vanderbilt, MI. I write weekly in the religious section.

“If you died today, do you know if you’d go to heaven?” the young lady asked me as I was outside working on my truck. She was a pretty, well dressed teenager accompanied by another girl who looked very similar.

Maybe their sisters, I thought. “Is your church pastored by Pastor So-in-so?” I asked. They both nodded in response. “I know him. He and I have had lunch together. Tell him Pastor Toby Neal says, ‘hi’.”

“Y…you’re a pastor?” The young lady looked back at her companion as she asked.

“Yes, I pastor the Pigeon River Baptist Church, just three or so blocks up the road here,” pointing as I replied. I smiled and winked as they looked sheepishly at each other.

“Then I suppose I didn’t need to ask you that question, did I?” We laughed and they soon went on their way. As I waved goodbye to them that day I wondered: do we go to heaven?

It was a common thought in Jesus’ day that everyone had their own “kingdom”. Their rule. Their way. Their kingdom was within them. Jesus said once that, “the Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21) In other words, God’s kingdom could replace their kingdom as their kingdom. This was the exact message of Jesus when he taught the disciples to pray saying, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Heaven will be coming here. In fact, Jesus says it’s already here, in us.

Perhaps Jesus would find the question, “if you died today, do you know if you’d go to heaven” a strange one to ask, after all it’s here, in us, and will be here with us on earth.

This kingdom, heaven, should appear in us as it is with God. In other words we should no longer be living out our kingdom, but God’s. Therefore heaven in us looks a lot like God’s will, God’s ways. And God’s ways are contrary to ours often. In fact our kingdoms clash and do battle on a regular basis. The apostle Paul said in one of his letters, “Walk in the Spirit (God’s kingdom) and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (your kingdom).” (Galatians 5:16) Maybe having heaven on earth means living out heaven from within as we exchange kingdoms: ours for God’s.

In that same letter Paul said that all these things (Galatians 5:19-21) if done would mean those who did them would not inherit the kingdom of God.” Did he mean that if people practiced thoughts and things that were against God’s kingdom that they couldn’t go to God’s kingdom or that his kingdom would come to them? Some times we think that doing this or that will keep us out of heaven when maybe God is trying to tell us that it will keep heaven out of us.

And maybe that’s because we don’t understand where heaven is. After all it might not be where you think it is…

GROUP: Mancelona

Several years ago I started reading intensly about “small groups” and “cell groups”. In all the books they speak so much of the transformation and fellowship that is vital and experienced in community in group.

And, boy are they right!

Our Mancelona group is living proof of all that they have said, in my opinion.

Last night we had everyone that has been apart of our group together for the first time, plus a new teenage boy named Ben. I think we had 11 total.

There was a closeness and a … I don’t know…an attention to what we were talking about that I don’t know if I have experienced before. Maybe it was me? I had liberty to really talk to them about what a relationship with God is about - it’s not about religion! We talked about abiding in Christ, and exchanging our kingdom for his, and about God helping up produce good fruit in our lives and about listening to the Spirit speak to us and acting on it immeditately.

We shared prayer requests and a lot of them were for sick loved ones who need that vital relationship with Jesus. It was just awesome. I feel that our group is really going to be committing their lives to follow Jesus, soon. I believe God will (is) leading us to plant a small group-based church in that area! If you pray, pray that God will lead up as he would have us to go, and that we would lovingly and willingly follow and let nothing stand in our way in helping each other and other center their lives on Christ!

GROUP: Mancelona

Last night I helped lead the new small group in Mancelona, hosted by Mike and Brandi Clark. We had two people who were apart of our first group two weeks ago who could not make it because of family reasons, but we had three new people join us. I found it interesting trying to hold some continuity with people who were there before not there and then new people there. It was all good though.

My favorite part of the evening was when we broke into a men’s group and a women’s group and read James 5:16 and confessed things that are hindering our relationship with others and God, committed to fixed them as soon as possible (Eph. 4:26-27), and committed to hold each other accountable to getting it done this week. Then we prayed in our separate groups committing ourselves to God and each other. It was a very powerful thing.

The group had some great insights, and shared some stories about their friendships that were close to their hearts. I think the three new people will be back to continue to grow in their upward relationship with God. I’m thankful for the opportunity to help shephard this new group, and we are asking God to do great things with us, hoping to split the group in several months and do it all over again to expand and see many in the Manceloa area begin to center their lives on Christ.

Resurgence

One of my favorite Bible teachers, Mark Driscoll, has a new blog, which I believe is going to be apart of a bigger internet resource/movement called Resurgence. Check it out here.

Life Groups: Someone else’s perspective

Here’s a link to a fellow blogger whose church has begun the move to a cell group model. He has written his thoughts about their experience doing life together in groups so far. Here’s the link.

GROUP: Gaylord Group

Tonight I had the privelege of attending what I am (for now) calling the “Gaylord Group”. This group is lead by Kenny White. They have a time of discussion about the morning message, then they watch a video series called, “How A Soul is Converted” and discuss any questions about the video content, then they eat which allows everyone to get to know each other better.

I came in late, and the topic of discussion was “should a pastor drink alcohol” or something to that affect. I believe the discussion was concerning the wording of 1 Timothy 3 which says the pastor be “not given to wine” (which means incontrol of). This wording is different than it is for the deacons which says the deacon should not “be given to much wine”. Some believed from this passage that pastors couldn’t drink it and deacons could, but in moderation.

Of course, Paul tells Timothy to drink wine, and Timothy was the one annointing the elders! It obviously means that he shouldn’t be controlled by it.

From what I understand that was a topic from their previous group setting (I wasn’t there), and evidently the answers given tonight resolved or answered whatever was discussed in the previous week.

The video was good, and well laid out. It did spur some questions, mainly about the events of Genesis 3. One question that I raised was about the “truth” that the serpent told. He did tell the truth. God said if they ate the fruit they would die. (Which we believe happened spiritually) However it was the serpent who said, “no, God doesn’t want you to be like him knowing good and evil” - which God said happened.

The food for the night was “taco soup” - W O W. Everyone pitched in and brought various things and we feasted! There was a lot of laughter and everyone talking to everyone; the relationships there have been building for some time, and it was encouraging to be apart of.

MOVIES: Angel Eyes (&a personal update)

Disclaimer: I have not seen all of this movie, and when I did see it, I saw it on TV, so I can not vouch for the language used, or any sexual sense (I saw none)…

Last night, Carrina and I watched some (almost) all of this movie called Angel Eyes. I found it interesting, but having missed the beginning, I had to wait a bit to put the pieces together. Meanwhile, as they came together, I came undone. I balled like a baby (so much so that I had to leave the room)! Now, I normally cry at movies with some heartrenching stuff, but this movie was over the top with it.

Maybe it was just me, but when he went through the scene about his kid and wife dying…man, I can’t take that stuff! I pictured me alone, loosing my wife and kids and I just lost it. It was rough.

Of course, I was emotional that night anyway, mainly because I was stressing out about my Sabbath. Several months ago I started taking a Sabbath rest every Saturday. No cell phone. No internet. No church stuff. Just me, God, and family doing whatever we wanted, away from it all, having a blast and enjoying ourselves. Well, I’ve been doing 7 days a week for so long now with church stuff that I forgot what a Sabbath was. I was stressed because I didn’t know if I could go the day without thinking about work, etc. It was weird…maybe I am starting to know what it means to “keep the Sabbath and make it holy”…?

By-the-way, I managed. I let Carrina sleep in, then I went back to bed after she got up. She left to go tanning and enjoy some alone time while the kids and I played all afternoon, until Alaina started running a temp, then she and I layed down together to try to take a nap (that was fun, she’s a hoot!). My best friend and cousin stopped by to visit, which was nice. Then, Joshua and I went to see Narnia, which we both loved…his favorite part, “When I got to see the Lion” (Oh, I hope he does someday!). Then Carrina and I cuddled when I got home, and she went to bed, and I stayed up to check the sports and drop a note on my blog…

No kids. No job. No life

Yesterday Carrina’s mom took the kids our a couple days - wo-hoo! We had a dinner date that evening with a new church-planting pastor in Gaylord, so we left early and went shopping. I got a new pair of shoes; Carrina got whatever she wants - cause she’s hot, and cause she deserves it!

Anyway.

We went out to eat with Jonathan and Cathy Mays of Jacob’s Well. We went to the Bamboo Palace, a little Chinesse/Thai place south on Old 27 - it was great! Good food, nice atmosphere, and the coversation was filling! Safe to say we had some GREAT fellowship last night with those two! Jon, if you’re reading this: can’t wait until Wed morning, and we HAVE to hook up again like that, soon!

So, afterward Carrina and I are driving around wondering…”what do you want to do?” There is nothing to do! All this joy and elation of not having our kids and being “free” and we were…bored! I mean we drove around and talked, but in the end, nothing to do.

She said, “who could we visit?”

Nobody.

The only people we wanted to visit were to far away for a quick drive.

Basically, the jist of this thing is this: when we are doing “churchie” stuff, or with our kids, we really don’t have a life outside of those two things. I realized last night that that is sad…

GROUP: journaling the journey

For many of you who read this blog you know that our church (Pigeon River) has started moving in a new direction (again!). That direction has been to decentralize from church (as we have made it) to Christ, our Commonalities, Cell Groups and our Communities.

We’ve canceled one of our regularly held “services” (no one can tell me why we call them that?) to make room for this new direction and to begin the process of decentralizing from church being a building, place and end to it being a family with a Father, a people of a Person and community within the Kingdom.

We are forming a Cell Group Vision Team that will be meeting to strategize and exicute the vision. We’re hoping to launch the groups “offically” in the fall. Until then, I expect some groups to “unoffically” pop up.

I didn’t expect it to happen so soon…!

This past week we’ve had three groups meet, and they will continue meeting weekly. One in Mancellona, one in Gaylord and one in Vanderbilt. Already we have as many if not more people involved in “group” than we did coming to our Sunday night “service”! And it has only just begun…

I want to use my blog space to, among other things, journal about the transition and about how our groups are doing (mine in particular). I hope you’ll chime in from time to time to offer suggestions, ask questions, or let me know how you’re doing in your group (assuming you’re in one).

My Involvement
So far I have been involved in two out of the three groups. I plan on being involved in all the groups initally, but the third meets when one of the others meets, and I must be at that one. The group that I meet with on Sunday nights is located in Mancellona, in the home of a young man I baptized as a follower of Christ, and who heard one sermon on small groups and called his friends, family and others to invite them to one then said to me, “can you come out on Sunday and lead this…I got em here!” AMEN! So, while helping to disciple him (it’s a group project - no pun intended) I am leading a group of people, some of whom don’t even know Christ (that’s okay!). We’re working our way through TOUCH’s Community Life Series. We’re going through “Looking Upward: helping your group members develop a supernatural relationship with God.” by David Finnell.

Our group time was awkward at first, especially since I knew only a couple of them, and that is an understatement. We soon began to share about any experiences we’ve had with church. A couple of them walked away from “church”, due to relationships. The couple hosting it are ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses.

We talked about our relationship with each other and God out of John 17, and we spoke candidly and openly about how God sometimes didn’t seem to be near, how our relationship with him is a lot like our relationship with each other, and about how the first step to getting to know him is to communicate with him (pray). We ended by committing to pray for each other every day, and to talk about things we needed prayer for when we met. I can’t wait to see them all again - they grow closer to my heart each day that passes!

The second group that I am apart of meets in Vanderbilt and consists of two elderly couples, one lady who does not work, a new Christian, and a man I have been discipling and who is helping me lead the small group effort. One of the elderly couples wasn’t up for meeting, and the newer Christian was really sick, so the four of us who were able met in a local restuarant and discussed our God given talents, and how we battle our inadequices and fears in our mind through faith. We encouraged each other greatly, and are looking forward to gathering with the others who were unable. I will be taking them through the same material I took the Mancellona group through.

If you pray, keep these three groups in prayer, and pray that we would be equipped and encouraged to submit, love and serve one another and welcome, include, and make connections with those who don’t know Jesus yet so that we might share and show Jesus to them that their lives might be centered on Christ with us. Thanks.

READING: Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger

I am working my way through Ronald J. Sider’s book, “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: moving from affluence to generosity“.

I had pretty much finished my sermon for Sunday (”Consider the Poor“) before reading some of this book. But, reading it solidified what I want to speak about. It also helped shed some light on the whole “Why did Sodom & Gomorah get destroyed?” question (yeah, weirdly enough, people ask these questions).

Reading books like this cause me to pause and consider my lifestyle. I am considering how my abundance is being used for others lack. I am considering if my lifestyle is what God wants it to be or what I want it to be.

And, I don’t know. So, I’m really going to be looking at this more and more and hopefully Jesus will help me be what he wants me to be in this; that I will be like him as he has predestined.

ME:Catching up

Things have been looking up lately. Maybe it’s because “everything’s going my way”. Well, not everything, but certainly my perspective has been getting better. I just want to keep looking up.

I know I haven’t written on here as much, but my “pastoral world” has been pretty hectic lately. I told my wife I am going to take two whole days off this week (Fr/Sat) and I told her it had been several weeks since I had had one. She said, “try months.”

Oh.

Needless to say I haven’t been on my computer as much as in the past, so I haven’t been typing on here as much. So what’s been keeping me busy? Mainly visiting, discipling, and starting and maintaining cell groups as the new direction of our church to help center people’s lives on Christ. Yeah, a little putting out of fires here and there, but mostly it has been positive (it is what you make it, but without having to “make it” it has been positive…which is nice). Also been making some new friends and building the old ones. Always good stuff there. And the holidays always mess with your schedule… funny how rediculously stressful “holy days” can be? Weird, but fun.

LOVE WINS

As many of you know I am developing a “man crush” on Rob Bell, teaching pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church (read about man crush’s here - scroll down).

On their church website they have a Global Outreach page at the bottom of which is a link to a section called “Love Serves”. On that page is a link to a book they have published called, “The Love Book“. The book is mainly stories of their global work for the Kingdom, but the headings are what caught my eye as I first kimmed through it…

LOVE ACTS

LOVE RIGHTS WRONGS

LOVE SHOWS UP

LOVE LOVES

LOVE DOESN’T QUIT

LOVE IS DANGEROUS

LOVE WORKS TOGETHER

LOVE SACRIFICES

LOVE WINS

Up & Runnin

The new comp is up and running…and it is sweeeeet…now I just have to get things back to how they used to be.