I love this book already and I haven't even read it.  Every except that gets posted somewhere just seems so on target.  What do you think?

"Would your community be any different if your church disappeared tomorrow? Have you ever asked yourself this question? Have you ever considered it with others at your church? If your church suddenly disappeared, could the community even recover? Or would they go on as though nothing at all had changed?

What is happening at your church that is worth talking about? When people leave your service, are they thinking about the e-mails they need to send and the football game they want to watch—or are they thinking deeply about their own choices and thinking how they might make a difference in someone's life this week?

Sadly, for most of us, the answer is a resounding “no.” We didn't even have to think that long about the answer. Our church is great for our friends, our family, and us, but there is little measurable impact on the community. There is little happening that is making a difference outside of the few dozen or couple hundred who regularly attend.

Wouldn't it be great if a local church had a vision big enough to capture people's hearts and motivate them to action, so it had an impact on the community? Wouldn't it be awesome if a church was so effective people began following Jesus, growing in their faith, and as a result, the community was being loved and served?

I love the way John 1:14 is written in The Message. It says Christ “became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.” He came to us—met us where we were. In Jesus' case, the neighborhood was a rural, agricultural society in first century Palestine. He immersed himself in that culture. He wore the clothes, used the language, and illustrated his stories with the signs and symbols of the day to communicate the Gospel of an upside down kingdom here on earth.

If Jesus physically entered twenty-first century America, I believe he would do much as he did in the first century. He would hang out with normal people in the real world, and he would reserve his strongest words for the entrenched religious leaders who love their traditions more than they love their people. I believe he expects no less from us.

The goal of Pop Goes the Church is to stretch your thinking. If you have bought into the belief that church is exclusively for building up the believers, I want you to reconsider. If you think a church service cannot help believers grow AND be attractive to non-believers, I want to convince you that it can. If you have never experienced a church service that stays true to the Bible AND is comfortable for your non-religious friends and you don't think it is even possible, I want you to explore the possibility. The community around you is dying without Jesus, and it is your God-ordained duty to wrestle until you find the best way to reach them. And once you do, don't apologize." - Pop Goes the Church excerpt copied from wiredchurches.com

"Is it war we love or the rush we crave? The heroic action? The defining moment? The struggle that gives meaning? Something peace rarely provides." - Denise Levertov, Catastrophes from Oblique Prayers

we long for peace,
but it's the struggles that give meaning

we crave joy,
but it's pain that provokes life

we seek forgiveness,
but it's the mistakes that generate wisdom

we cling to hope,
but it's despair that reveals faith

we ache for love,
but it's hate that ignites passion

we are so human,
as we are drawn to the divine

- me, from everything must change tour

I just read a fascinating article in a new magazine from wiredchurches.com.  The author suggests that church leaders have a disease called "The Curse of Knowledge". 

"The problem is we have no memory of what it is not to know.  And so our churches, led by people plagued with the curse of knowledge, provide experiences and design services that feel right to people who know stuff, but totally miss the boat when it comes to people who don't."

"The Curse of Knowledge disables most of us (who have been in church for years) from being able to see our services in the same way as someone who has no room for church in their lives."

Oh yeah, I'm feeling the curse.  With a call to emerging ministry hanging over my head, what am I doing?  Still planning contemporary & traditional worship.  Why? Cause that's what I know now.  What I sense and what I can't quite put my finger on is how to get beyond the knowledge to the calling.   I'm feeling the tension of trying to follow a distant call versus being the best I can be here and now with the knowledge I think I have mastered. 

"But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God." - 1 Corinthians 1:27-30

I think it's time to get a little foolish.

Last night I lent my voice to IMPACT (Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregations Together) to advocate to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors to address the affordable housing crisis in the area. It was kind of a big deal to me (I like writing words, but not so much speaking them, especially to a room full of people), but putting it into perspective with those struggling with this crisis every day, I felt it was the least I could do. My prayer and mantra as I prepared was - it's not about me, it's not about me, it's not about me, please Lord don't let me make it about me, it's about you and your people.

Want to find out more about this crisis, I'm collecting resources @ www.squidoo.com/ahcville.

My name is Kim Wilkens and I am also with IMPACT. In the past few months we have come to these meetings and shared some of the struggles of those directly affected by the affordable housing crisis in our area.

I want to give you another perspective. I am not directly affected by the affordable housing crisis. My family lives in what local realtors call a "prestigious community" on Pantops mountain. We don't worry about paying the mortgage each month or being able to go to the doctor when we need to or putting food on the table or sending our child college. You could say we are living the good life in Albemarle County, BUT at what cost. Through the research process at IMPACT, I am learning that the cost is high:
- From the poverty report published in November, we learned that about 20% of Albemarle County citizens live below the "self-sufficiency standard" and 27% of our children age 5 and under also live below this standard.
- From Albemarle County schools we have learned that 320 children became homeless in the 2006/2007 school year.
- From the TJPDC State of Housing report, we learned that there is a deficit of almost 4000 affordable housing units in the area for extremely low income households earning less than 30% AMI.

Bottom line, we've learned that there are citizens in Albemarle County struggling to meet their basic needs of food, health and shelter. We know that when those basic needs aren't met, the stress placed on the individual, the family and the community have repercussions that are costly. We know the affordable housing gap will only get worse, especially with the recent subprime mortgage crisis.

A recent Housing Study from Harvard University suggests that "living in decent, affordable housing may provide a platform upon which low-income families can get jobs, build their incomes, and achieve financial security" The report goes on to say that if the affordable housing crisis is not addressed, "other economic, social, welfare, educational, and environmental priorities will be undermined".

IMPACT strongly encourages the Board of Supervisors to take the lead in addressing the affordable housing crisis in our community. In this year’s budget cycle we would like to see monies from specific funding streams for affordable housing to address the crisis for families that earn under 30% AMI. We want to see you take proactive steps to show that solving this crisis is a priority for the County and consistent with your mission to "enhance the well-being and quality of life for all citizens through the provision of the highest level of public service consistent with the prudent use of public funds".