Messy Spirituality

EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK "MESSY SPIRITUALITY" by: Michael Yaconelli

"What if genuine faith begins with admitting we will never have our act completely together? Maybe messy disciples are exactly the kind of imperfect people Jesus came to earth for and whose company he actually enjoyed - and still enjoys. If you want to find Jesus today, look from Him in the midst of burned out believers, moral misfits, religious incompetents... men and women whose lives are, well, messy.

"Our churches are filled with people who outwardly look contented and at peace but inwardly are crying out for someone to love them... just as they are - confused, frustrated, often frightened, guilty, and often unable to communicate even within their own families. But the other people in the church look so happy and contented that one seldom has the courage to admit his own deep needs before such a self-sufficient group as the average church meeting appears to be" - Keith Miller

"Spirituality is not a formula; it is not a test. It is a relationship. Spirituality is not about competency; it is about intimacy. Spirituality is not about perfection; it is about connection. The way of the spiritual life begins where we are now in the mess of our lives. Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the beginning of spirituality not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws but because we let go of seeking perfection and, instead, seek God, the one who is present in the tangledness of our lives."

"Messy Spirituality has the audacity to suggest that messiness is the workshop of authentic spirituality, the greenhouse of faith, the place where the real Jesus meets the real us"

Going into the neighborhoods

We are going to be passing out fliers in the neighborhoods surrounding our new location where we are presently holding services. This is an exciting time on our church's life. We have a Community Event next Saturday February 9th followed by our Grand Opening as well as the beginning of our new sermon series, "Marriage Uncensored" on February 10th. Please pray for us as well walk the neighborhoods and pass out information about the church. Pray that we will have the opportunity to befriend some new people in the community. Please also be in prayer for our events on February 9th and 10th.

The PLANT Campaign

It has been a while since I have been able to post anything here. Our church has been in a state of transition for the past few months. As many of you know we started our church in a store front on Main Street, which quickly grew and we had to acquire another store front on Main Street to handle our children and student ministries. We have just re-located from those two buildings in down town to a brand new 23,000 square foot day care facility. It has been amazing to witness the handy work of our Lord in all of this and we look forward to what the future holds for our church.

We Are Moving

Gateway Fellowship is beginning the first stages of our "PLANT" campaign. We are currently making the first moves to relocate from our down town campus to a brand new building @ 3200 S. FM 548 in Royse City, TX

Where is the ball?

I have been reading this book entitled, "Organic Church - growing faith where life happens" It is written by Neil Cole. I want you to look at a few quotes from his book. "We want to lower the bar of how church is done and raise the bar of what it means to be a disciple. If church is simple enough that everyone can do it and is made up of people who take up their cross and follow Jesus at any cost, the result will be churches that empower the common Christian to do the uncommon works of God. Churches will become healthy, fertile, and reproductive. When church is so complicated, its function is taken out of the hands of the common Christian and placed in the hands of a few talented professionals, the result is a passive church whose members come and act more like spectators than empowered agents of God's Kingdom."
I have to admit that reading these very lines in this book has caused me to spend a great deal of time thinking about our church and how we are operating. Have we, as a church, in our attempt to do everything in an excellent manner taken that ball out of the court of some of our very own people who are willing to do ministry. Do we look over the very ones who make up our church body and go to our "professional staff" in an attempt to make things easy for ourselves. Are these some of the things that cause people to feel unconnected because they do not have any "ownership" in the ministry of the church?

Gutter Walker

I love the idea of being a Gutter Walker. You may be asking yourself, what does that actually mean? A couple of years ago, I read a book written by Craig Gross entitled "The Gutter: Where life Is Meant To Be Lived". The concept that Craig portrays is one that the church has become a place where we expect people to come to. I understand this is not a new idea nor is it something that we already do not know but his concept of going into the gutter is good. The idea that we are called as missional Christians to go out and meet the culture and community on its turf. As the Pastor of a church, I am convinced this is where we are to be in our mission. The question you need to ask yourself is this. What do the gutters look like that are around you? What is the culture and community telling you is its gutter. Are we willing to go there?