Marriage Wisdom for Mophead and Awnna

We had a great time sharing funny stories and bits of marriage wisdom that we have learned along the way last Sunday. If you can remember what you shared, or thought of something after the fact, please post it here so that we the lovebirds can access it when they really need it....after the honeymoon!

Continuing the Vision conversation

A couple nights ago Aaron and I were playing Halo 3 and the conversation turned from eradicating evil in the world (by shooting it) to talking about what God is doing in our midst. We both decided that we needed to somehow keep our "Vision" conversation going as well as to finish this book that God seems to be using to reorient the lenses through which we SEE.

I thought Aaron ended our conversation at home church two weeks ago on a wise note. He reflected back to us that the conversation had noticeably veered away from it usual topic of "us" and toward who God was calling us to be for other. While affirming this leg of our conversation he also challenged us to spend some time further exploring what this more general birds eye view of God's vision might look like in practical terms for us as a community...how we might structure ourselves, practices we might share, priorities, dreams, hopes, fears, etc.

So I would like to start this post as one avenue of re-sparking this conversation. Have you had thoughts on this topic that you have not yet had opportunity to share with the group? Have you read the proposal that Jen and I put together 6 months ago that got this thing rolling? What resonated with you, what didn't? Do you have specific hope and dreams for the way church "should be" if Jesus was its primary leader and the Kingdom of God was its only goal?

Maybe we can link this with our name discernment process and spend the whole night of Nov. 4th on these related topic? What do you think? Like the name process, if we are honest, respectful, and prayerful about this conversation I think the Spirit will have something to say to us on this topic!

What's in a name?

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it."

Revelation 2.17

Names seem to be very important to God....names he gives himself to describe his attributes, names he give to the children of his prophets, new names that he give to apprentices who risk journeying with him, even the name he gave to his Son through angelic pony express. This verse most likely references a prophetic hope expressed by Isaiah toward the end of his book, "The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow." Isa. 62.2 "You" here in the Hebrew is plural, like y'all...referring to his covenant people, not you personally. This prophesy comes just after "The Year of the Lord's Favor" chapter (Jesus' inaugural sermon text) and as a prediction of restoration after the doom that was to befall Israel, the "choice vine" that chose to become wild and unproductive, because they rejected (or lost track of in the business of life) their destiny and design (Ch.5)

Names convey meaning. Our greatest hopes and desires. To God they foreshadow both destiny and purpose.

God is doing an amazing work in our midst. His fingerprints are all over us, individually and as a newly formed/forming body of Christ follower. He is not just bringing us together for our own health, enjoyment and well-being, but so that we might learn to live in His blessing so that we can be equipped and empowered to be a blessing to all we encounter (and all we will never encounter this sided of heaven as well). We are called into his presence to be blessed so that we would be a blessing to the nations!

Several people in our group have suggested that it is time for us to tune our ear to what the Spirit might be saying in regards to what our new name ought to be. I believe they are right. It needs to be a name that is reflective of what God is doing in our midst, personal to who we are and what he is shaping us to become.

So I am asking us to prayerfully start dreaming and brainstorming ideas...anything that comes to mind, no filtering required. But do share why you think your ideas might represent who we are becoming...a scripture, what evoked/inspired the idea, what impression or emotion this name represents to you. Put them in a post on this blog, and then lets start pondering and sharing our reflection as we respond to each others posts. Share what strikes you positively from each persons submission, and then share any new ideas that emerge from this exercise. I really believe that if we do this honestly and prayerfully that God will whisper something into the midst of this conversation that will resonate with all of us and will become a commissioning for us.

Lets spend the next two weeks leaning into this, and then we can talk more meaningfully as to what name God might be giving to us on the November 4th, when Aaron an Awna rejoin our group as man and wife....yippee!

Let the listening begin!