Nancy Beach

Ministry in Mansfield

     This past weekend I had the privilege of teaching the message at 3 weekend services for Crossroads Community Church in Mansfield, Ohio.  This 13-yr-old church now meets in a renovated retail space, one which they have beautifully transformed into a place that feels warm and inviting.  Those are the same words I would use to describe their team, including the Creative Arts Leader, Lori Biddle.  

     Ohio is a state where the economic downturn has been brutal.  This church was spared by God from being in a difficult place financially through a turn of events just a few years back.  Crossroads had purchased land on which they intended to build.  But there was a roadblock having to do with zoning, and they were not permitted to build - so they sold the land.  Wondering what in the world God was up to, the church tried to turn this disappointment around and eventually bought a deserted Phar-Mor space located in the center of Mansfield activity.  At much less cost than the original plan, this space serves them very well.  Once the economy tanked and the local GM plant announced it will close down, the entire Crossroads team could see that God had spared them a big debtload at just the right time.  What a great story of God's grace!

     My own church has a similar story in our Willow Creek history file of God's faithfulness.  We originally tried to purchase property on the opposite corner of where we now sit.  We thought it was the better option - but it became unavailable and we bought the other piece.  Not long afterwards, the land we thought we wanted was "condemned" to become a forest preserve.  Had we owned that land, we would have been in big trouble!  We didn't understand at the time...but God knew best (as He always does).

     Do you have any similar stories of a God rescue that you did not understand at the time, but now in the rear-view mirror look at differently?

Gordon's Ladder

     I'm studying for a talk to give Labor Day weekend about how it is that we "Become" - how are we actually to mature in Christ, to, as Paul says, "grow up into the fullness of the full measure of God."  One of the reasons I love meeting with the creative team on a service is that they always contribute ideas to me that I had not considered.  So as we were brainstorming, someone said, "Have you ever heard of "Gordon's Ladder?"  I had not.  She then described a training model that was developed and is taught out of UCLA that describes how people ascend a ladder of progress in learning any new skill.  Here's what it looks like (imagine this like a ladder from the bottom up):

Unconsciously Unskilled...Consciously Unskilled...Consciously Skilled...Unconsciously Skilled

     When we learn how to drive or how to run a marathon or how to play an instrument, we may start with no awareness of the skill at all, or even no need or desire to pursue that skill.  Then through practice (and no stage may be skipped!)  we can gradually develop the skill.  The height of maturity is when we can perform the skill without thinking all that much - it becomes second nature.

     I love what this has to say about spiritual formation.  The goal for maturity in Christ would be that eventually, through the spiritual practices and the power of the Spirit, we are able to respond in the moment, almost without thinking, the way Jesus would respond.  We become increasingly conformed to his likeness, baring the family resemblance!

     Have any of you heard of "Gordon's Ladder" or used it in any way?  It was very new to me, and I've enjoyed noodling on what it means for our growth in Christ...

THE POWER OF DECISION

     In preparation for a message I'm working on, I've been digging in again to my collection of Dallas Willard books.  His writing always stretches me.  Usually I have to read a sentence a few times to fully grasp the depth of what Dallas says.  But these words from The Divine Conspiracy are painstakingly clear:

...in the last analysis we fail to be disciples only because we do not decide to be.  We do not intend to be disciples.  It is the power of the decision and the intention over our life that is missing. We should apprentice ourselves to Jesus in a solemn moment, and we should let those around us know that we have done so.

     We will become more like Christ, mature in Him, only when we decide that is our intention.  Too many of us go through long periods of time when our intention is more to coast along, to plateau in our growth - and we're good with that!  This Fall I'm sensing a strong need in my own life to be far more intentional in the direction of greater maturity.  None of us, as my pastor often says, drift into full devotion.

     Currently a lot of my friends are in training for the October Chicago marathon.  This is not a goal I have ever strived for!  These friends tell me about their training plans, how many miles they must do each week in order to have hopes of finishing the race well.  I realize how absurd it would be for me to show up on race day, having only ever run about 3 miles at a time, and then attempt to complete 26 miles without falling apart.  I have not trained for that challenge.

     The analogy is obvious.  What is my training plan this season for full discipleship?  What are my intentions?  Can I put into place a workable plan?  I'll keep you posted on the development of my own transformation plan.  I'd love to hear about your intentions...

SPECIAL DAY

     Every summer since my girls were little, I would do a "special day" with them somewhere in the Chicago area.  When they were young, we would ride the train into the city and visit the Children's Museum, or go to the local zoo, or spend the day at a water park.  Now that they are 19 and 16, the plans for the day seem to have morphed into our favorite thing to do as a threesome - seeing great Chicago theatre.

     Yesterday was this year's "Special Day" - the agenda included a little shopping around Lincoln Park, dinner at an Italian restaurant, and then the main experience of seeing the play "Up" at the Steppenwolf Theatre.  Not to be confused by the movie with the same title, this play portrays a fictionalized version of a very real event.  You may recall the California guy who tied 45 helium balloons to a lawn chair and ascended l6,000 feet into the air back in the l990's. This play, directed by Tony-award winner Anna Shapiro, explores the intersection of personal dreams and practical life issues in the lives of that small little family.  We were inspired by the strong performances and the creative staging of this play, and the thoughts the piece provoked are still ricocheting around my mind and heart.

     The best part of the special day was debriefing with my girls, both of whom are passionate about theatre.  There's nothing like connecting with your loved ones in any arena that connects you.  For me and my girls, it's the wonder of that moment just before the play begins, the anticipation of what is to come.  Then we love to take it all apart afterwards, earnestly exploring what worked for us and what seemed to miss, and, of course, analyzing all the performances and choices.

     Have you experienced any special days this summer?  I sure hope so...tell me about one of your moments.

That Back to School Feeling

     Friday I will take my l6 year old daughter shopping for her "first-day-back-to-school" outfit.  Though she is taller than me and about to start her Junior year in High School, this is a tradition that will culminate in our annual photo with her standing on our steps at the front door of our home.  Johanna has already purchased her school supplies without me (her big sister went along for that job), which made me a little sad.  When I was growing up in the Chicago suburbs, we started school after Labor Day.  Usually the weather was still hot and muggy, but I selected a wool jumper and sweater for that ideal first day look!

     Though I am far from my own school days, I still know the exhilaration of a fresh start in the Fall season.  I want to get some new pens and notebooks, catch up my calendar, and dive in to the projects that await.  There is a sadness that summer is gradually coming to a close mixed in with the excitement of the new ministry year about to begin.  

     My 86 year old mother used to work in the attendance office of our high school.  Though she hasn't held that job for over 20 years, she tells me that every August she still has that back to school feeling, and misses the opportunity to head back to her familiar role and friends.  Life certainly has a distinct rhythm, and for me, the Fall has always felt more like the start of a new year than I sense in January.

     How about you - are you getting organized and ready to hit the ground running for autumn?  Or are you seizing every last minute of summer, eeking out every moment of sunshine and dreading what is to come?  I feel a little bit of both.  But for now, I'm going to sharpen a few pencils and start making some lists!

POWERFUL WORK OF GOD IN TUSCALOOSA

     I invested my weekend "consulting" with a church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, home of the biggest football stadium I've ever seen where the mighty Crimson Tide rule the town every Saturday in the Fall. The First United Methodist Church is located right in the heart of this city on a major downtown street across from First Baptist and First Presbyterian.  But a few years back, the Methodists decided to try something new, and rather radical for their community.  In their beautiful main sanctuary, they continued offering two traditional services on Sunday morning.  They built a team to create a new, more contemporary service in a space that was utilized previously by the youth.  Known as "The Bridge", this service has exploded in growth.  Currently they offer two traditional services and two Bridge services simultaneously.  The Bridge services quickly ran out of room.  So the church decided, with some pushback from longtime members, to renovate the sacred "Fellowship Hall" that was infrequently used for prayer meeting and the occasional banquet.

     I was delighted to see the newly renovated space packed full at both 9 and ll am with eager worshippers.  The Bridge team is led by Pastor Mary Bendall, a young thirty-something woman who bleeds with vision and enthusiasm for this venture.  In just 30 hours, I felt a strong connection to the team which includes a lawyer named Cooper who also serves as part-time associate pastor.  God is at work in this place, with lots of people who have not entered a church for many years choosing to check out the Bridge and make a commitment to Christ.  

     Whatever I was able to offer this young team, they gave back ever so much more to me.  I was lifted by their passion and fueled once again to give my best to the kingdom.  When any one of them talked about the other members of the team without those members present, they spoke with such respect and love and appreciation.  It was beautiful to behold.  The Bridge team faces more challenging decisions with what to do next, as the room is full twice.  But how much more invigorating are those kinds of "problems" when so many other churches are facing declining attendance and the difficulty of maintaining buildings that are not full and no longer vibrant.  

     As Bill Hybels says, "There's nothing like the local church when the local church is working right."  I am grateful to be a witness to a local church working right down in Tuscaloosa.  Way to go Bridge team!

PREDESTINATION CONVERSATION WITH MY DAUGHTER

     I am back to my normal schedule, having hosted the Leadership Summit last week.  For my reflections on the Summit from an artist's perspective, please check out my newsfeed on cultivateonline.org 

     Yesterday, we picked up our 19-yr-old daughter Samantha from camp, where she was a counselor to middle school girls for 6 weeks.  It was a tremendous, though obviously very stretching experience for her! The best part of the summer from her perspective was getting to know other devoted Christ followers her age, and any opportunity she had to hang out with them.  I think this was particularly significant for Sam because she goes to a secular university and has few opportunities for this kind of interaction.

     These young college students talked about all kinds of things.  So in the car as we were driving down the hilly and beautiful roads of Missouri, Samantha asked my husband and me, "Do you believe in predestination?"  Not a topic I expected to be discussing!  It's been years since my studies in seminary and graduate school that I've really pondered much about this theological question.  I find it fascinating that these young people are so animated in their dialogue about Calvinism, etc., and what it means to their own thoughts about the faith and evangelism.  My husband and I shed what little light we could on the subject, but also admitted that to us, our views one way or the other have not made any difference in how we live our lives as Christ followers.  We believe our Sovereign God knows everything that will happen, but also take our responsibility seriously to continue to serve in the kingdom, hoping to see every person we encounter come to faith.  In other words, predestination is not on the forefront of our minds day to day.

     The current summer issue of "Leadership" magazine is a fascinating exploration of the next generation and what is unique about their thinking, their values, and their approach to faith.  I urge you to check it out.  

     Are a lot of people wrestling with "predestination" these days?  Please let me know your perspective and whether you see similar conversations erupting among the young people you know.  Perhaps I need to break out my notes from "Systematic Theology" so I can intelligently converse with my daughter and her friends!