Way of the Cross

Last year on Good Friday was the first time I meditated on "The Stations of the Cross." It was at St Michael's Anglican Church in Charlotte. My mom, Bene' (my son) and I went and it was a good experience. They also had outdoor "Stations" set up so I went on my own on a couple other occasions last year. When I prayed those outdoor stations I used a less traditional form I found in Celtic Daily Prayer. I really found it to be a sobering and encouraging spiritual experience.

I have always wanted to weave spiritual formation opportunities in with the missional activities we promote through Common Heart. Last month we began planning and working on a prayer garden and prayer trail at The Commonplace. The first theme for the wooded trail is a "Scriptural Way of the Cross".

Several people have volunteered create artwork to focus our attention on 14 separate events startin with Gethsemane and ending with Jesus' burial. I have begun to work on the meditations for the trail. These meditations will be put together in a booklet and can be done as a private meditation or in a group. We would love to have others involved in these creative aspects of the project. There are also opportunities to help reclaim the space for the prayer garden and prepare the trail. If you would like to help in any way contact me.

As we get closer to Palm Sunday and Passion Week on March 28th, watch for a post with times to join in and walk the trail with us.

Blog More - Done!

Alright. My first of the three Pre-New Year's resolutions is now complete with this post. I have blogged more (than last year in the first 30 days of January). Still working on blogging often and regularly.

So let's renew that resolution and let's make it blog even more.

Here are a couple series that I will be working on .

1. Markers on the Road. The first was "No Longer".

2. He/She said - They will each start like this first post did "John the Dwarf said,"

3. Book reviews - The first was "The book of the Shepherd"

4. Of course there will be blogs about Common Heart like this one "The Common.org and Common Heart."

If you would like to subscribe to my blog you can do it here, and you will receive each of my notes along the way in your email box.

TheCommon.org and Common Heart

One of the most exciting things to me about Common Heart is how we connect people who would probably never meet. Rich & poor, black & white, Latino & Anglo, church folks and folks that have given up on church, meet and develop relationships that benefit each other spiritually. It’s all about living in God’s love and being a part of his grand mission. For years, through Common Cupboard, we have used groceries to open doors and hearts.

Late last year we discovered a web based tool, TheCommon.org. (No, I did not name it. Hard to believe, I know.) This is a cool program that would enhance any community of people. Churches use it. Community organizations, YMCA’s and non-profits all use it throughout the country. What it does is connect needs with the abilities to meet those needs.

So let’s say that you know a elderly couple on a fixed income that has some plumbing issues. You can post it on the site and people with the ability to help will see the need, and can respond. Or, let’s say you have an unused exercise bike, you can post that in the marketplace and give it to someone who will use it. Or, maybe your church has a workday around the building with many projects You could start an initiative on TheCommon.org and keep in contact with those who will be coming out to help with the specific projects,

Well, Common Heart is in the process of launching this tool for our volunteers from 20 local churches. It will give us the opportunity to use many different ways to open doors to God’s love as it connect more people in very practical ways.

A cool benefit of TheCommon.org is that communities can blend, share their needs and abilities with other communities. So if your church had a community on the site, it could blend with Common Heart. Now the needs of folks from both communities will be shared with people in either community with the abilities to help. I think this is so cool. So let’s imagine just 6 communities of 50 -75 members each in our area that all blend with Common Heart. Now the needs of the folks we serve will be sent out to a possible 350 or so people who may be able to help and connect in a way that will demonstrate God’s love. Our ability to activate and equip people to serve just increased amazingly.

To sign up for Common Heart’s community go to Sign up for TheCommon.org. Or, if you would like discuss how your church or community could be using this cool resource, contact Keith at CommonHeartMC@gmail.com.

Here is are links to a couple video about TheCommon.org.

TheCommon.org - In Book Form

TheCommon.org - Coffee Shop

Equipping Saints to Serve

"Equipping Saints to Serve" is the mission of Common Heart Missional Community. Acts of kindness whether giving groceries to someone in need or buying a cup of coffee for a stranger, or just taking a moment to speak a kind word to a cashier can all be ways God can use you as an agent of his kingdom to draw people to himself.

Jesus in the sermon on the mount called each of his followers "the light of the world". He says that on no one lights a lamp and puts it under covers, but instead it is lifted up high so that it can give light all around. He continues to say that a city on a hill can not be hidden, but is seen by all. To me what he is telling us is that no one is going to see what God is really like unless they see him through us and in our daily lives. Jesus didn't intend for us to hide out in our churches, or to hide behind our fears, instead he has called us to engage our world, our culture, the people we come into contact with daily with his love. The truth is people will learn about God from us it is inevitable, but what are they going to learn?

Jesus goes on to say in that sermon that we should serve people in such a way that they see or experience the good things we do and give God the praise for it. In other words, there are ways to interact with people that will point them to God, and there are ways that might leave a bad taste in their mouth. We strive to demonstrate God's love to an unbelieving world in such a way that, one by one, hearts are softened and drawn along in their journey to God. Our serving, our loving, our good works are like bread crumbs along the path that leads people to the Father's house.

This is the common heart beat we share. We are followers of Jesus who love God and love people. We seek to serve as Jesus served, and to be about our Father's mission on earth today. Ultimately we seek to see people drawn into the arms of God.

As we encourage a “common heart”, we seek to equip by outfitting the follower of Jesus with what he needs to serve. Our first missional endeavor, Common Cupboard, is a place where followers of Jesus can “equipped” with groceries to give away freely to those in need. Along with some simple training, mentoring, and prayer, a follower of Jesus can be equipped to demonstrate God's love in such a way that people's hearts are softened to God and led gently along their way to Jesus.