Coffee House Ruminations

About a year and a half ago I had the pleasure of hearing Dan Kimball hold forth at The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod's Youth Ministry Symposium in Houston Texas. Dan is the author of some great works such as They Like Jesus But Not the Church, The Emerging Church, and Emerging Worship. He is on the forefront of the Emerging Church movement and by his own admission, a raving postmodern. Needless to say, I quite enjoyed the weekend with Dan and the insights he gave me as I find myself very much drawn to the postmodern culture and the emerging church movement.

One of the things that Dan talked about over this weekend that has come back to me more and more over the last few weeks and months is the need for church leaders to "tunnel out from our church bubble." By this he meant that we need to leave our offices, leave our circle of Christian friends and venture into society as people. We need to be ambassadors of the truth, but we need to do so as people, not Bible thumping, sin blasting, stereotypical Christians. We need to shed the Christian T'shirts and paraphernalia that we find so entertaining, yet those that don't like the church find so offensive. Instead of just saying we are Christians we need to start acting like Christians and do what Christ did. Get out of this "bubble" and head to the margins and to where people are that need Jesus.

I have felt more and more convicted lately as I have found that I have not been doing this well and not fulfilling Christ's mission to bring His message to all people, regardless who they are. We are all God's children and need to be ministered to and loved. Yes, sometimes we need the hard truth, and Christ brought this when it was needed. He was quick to point out hypocrisy in the church and to call the religious leaders to task when they were not acting like they should. He even went so far as to call them a "brood of vipers." Yikes...harsh words to those that are suppose to be the religious types. And yet that was what I found God saying to me in so many words. "Stop talking about it and do it! Stop being a mouth piece and get out and live the life I told you to. Stop hoping someone else will listen and do, GO!"

And so I have. The last few days I have spent the afternoons working from the local coffee house in Delmar, New York, Perfect Blend. I am starting to get to know the people who work here and just observe. I wouldn't say I have developed any relationships yet with any of the people who work here, but I have had the opportunity to speak to a couple. Yesterday while talking on the phone to my wife about her brother's wedding this coming weekend I was over heard by a young woman named Cheryl Duwe who after overhearing my conversation and some of the stress that was present introduced herself and told me she was a massage therapist and if we needed to, give her a call. I will admit that I was surprised she took the initiative to reach out and care after overhearing half a phone call. I was touched that she would be willing to care. But it also gave me a small opportunity to talk about faith, as she saw my Bible sitting out on the table. Turns out she is a Christian and worships up in Troy, New York at Terra Nova Church. Though I have not been to Terra Nova I hope to soon as they are church on the forefront of the emerging church movement and doing some very innovative things. Just from the things I have heard I am already inspired by them.

I may not have had the chance to witness and spread the gospel to someone who doesn't have a relationship with Christ, however I was able to make another connection with a believer and sister of the same Heavenly Father. In a lot of ways this confirmed that I am doing the right thing.

The world is changing. Christianity has to find new ways to reach people. How are you "tunneling out of your Christian bubble"?