Month: May 2009

The following has been written on the go from my phone, please excuse typos, spelling, and grammar.

So I have been thinking a lot lately about what “outreach” or “evangelism” looks like, mostly what it looks like here in my current world (the Poland stuff is eventually on it’s way, but we’re forced to lean on God for that). Here we (believers from here) are able to move around fairly well without leaning on God for much. Our basic needs are easily met, and most of all we “fit” and understand what’s going on around us.

So with that said, how do we be relavent, “seeker sensitive”, and Jesus focused? Firstly I don’t think we need to be sensitive to “seekers” as long as we are being and doing what Jesus highlighted – grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love. A seeker is going to be attracted to that, that’s what draws most people to Jesus. I believe we can utilize media, web, etc but we should not be attempting to mimic the secular media just because it “works” for them. I seriously grieve at things like “god tube” and facebook style sites for “christians”, the heart is good, but the segregation is what will kill the church. Jesus didn’t tell the disciples to huddle and segregate, nope, he said go, into the world and make disciples.

And then we have the other side of the spectrum, the ultra sensitive. The ones that sometimes are almost no different looking in their life then anyone else, except for maybe a tatoo or a few less beers when with their peeps. This side does a better job at relating with all people, and accepting people too. Yet, in my observance the desire to be approved and accepted by all, often leads to violations of the truth and when hard times come, the power of God lacks in being the driving force behind decisions.

There ought to be a happy medium, or should there? I myself am beginning to lean on a amazing concept – leaning on God’s spirit in me to drive my relationships, decisions, and not ideals of some evangelistic “style”. I’m in my infancy, and still struggle with whether or not I’ll be accepted or rejected… which isn’t mine nor yours to fear, but it’s freeing. God actually knows what he’s doing… imagine that.

So what are you going to lean on? Your own understanding? Or his? It’s scary – but he is so graceful!

So I'm running late today, been more tired than normal, but we've been going to bed at decent times….

But I woke up after a very odd dream. I dreampt that I was (I think) driving from our house to a MAX station (light rail in Portland) that I don't normally use, even though it's closer – it doesn't have any parking. So in the dream I was going down the hill to this station, and I had someone with me who I don't know and didn't see their face. But this person said "oh, don't worry about catching that one" referring to the train we could see just in the distance. They proceeded to say "there is a type 4 right behind it, and in service not just testing!"… So this is the weird thing, "Type 4" is the new kind of MAX trains here in Portland, and so far they have only been testing them.

So we pulled up to the Ruby Junction station, and magically I was on the train – the person with me was gone, and I guess took my car too. I tried to find a seat but all the seats were taken, and no one was talking nor was there anyone else standing, and I felt that there was some unspoken rule that I couldn't stand either. I went to the front of the "train" and found a seat just behind the driver – which was like a bus configuration not a train.

I sat down only to realize the seat had very little space and I my knees were crammed up against the cusioned wall that separated the driver's area and the front-right seat. The "train" started to move and at first was on tracks – it stopped at the next stop, which was not E 181st, as normally the blue line is, it was some place else. Two ladies got on – but they boarded upfront just like on a bus. They stood in the stairway and started taling to the driver in broken english, then the driver started talking to them in Polish!

I was then able to reach under my seat and adjust it, and slide it back so I fit right, somehow this didn't bother the people behind me. As I listened to the driver and ladies I was able to follow the conversation just enough to realize they were looking for a dog. The dog was somewhere SE of whereever we were.

Then I looked out the front of the window and thought to myself "I don't think were're in Portland anymore". Because when I looked out I saw that we were on what looked like a rural Polish highway. And the driver was driving like it. We went around a bend to the right — and I woke up.

Any dream interpreters?