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Get to Know Neighbors by Throwing Parties

By Jeremy Myers
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Get to Know Neighbors by Throwing Parties

This practical post on getting to know your neighbors is by Sam Riviera. Sam is a frequent contributor to this blog. See the bottom of this post for more articles in this series about getting to know your neighbors.


In the previous posts in this series (see link list below), we discussed how to get acquainted with our neighbors and then building relationships with them.

Neighborhood Once we have built relationships with at least some of our neighbors, we’re ready to move on to the next step: group events.

People sometimes try to host group events, such as a backyard barbecue, before they have developed relationships with their neighbors. We have discovered that this is almost always a mistake. Group events always function more smoothly when we know and have already established a relationship with most everyone we invite to the event. So don’t rush the steps of building friendships with your neighbors.

But once you have developed relationships with your neighbors, you can build on those friendships by hosting a group event at your house.

Group Events

Group events are great opportunities for neighbors to get to know each other better, both those we already know, and those we barely know (even though those people may live just half a block away), or don’t know at all. Through group events we will discover new things about each other, including shared interests. We often discover that neighbors we assumed were unfriendly are actually very friendly.

When we’re planning the event, we try to make sure that everyone we invite knows someone else in the group in addition to my wife and me. Since we know everyone in the group, we introduce people to anyone they don’t know. Since everyone already knows someone, the people they know also introduce them to other people. Conversations that begin at group events are often continued in the days and years ahead.

Our First Neighborhood Group Event

Here is what happened at our first group event for our neighbors.

[Read more…]

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship, friendship, love, neighbors, parties

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The Greatest Act of Courage

By Jeremy Myers
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The Greatest Act of Courage

Courage Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela once said “Courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

This is a great insight.

Although maybe John Wayne said it slightly better: “Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway.”

People sometimes think that the courageous person does not feel fear in the midst of great danger and potential personal harm. But this is not true. If someone is facing great danger and they feel no fear, they are not courageous, but ignorant and foolish. Fear is natural and normal in dangerous situations. The courageous person is not someone who feels no fear, but who runs headlong into danger despite the fear.

Yet while I like this understanding of courage, it is usually only applied to acts of valor that we might see on a battlefield or in a daring rescue operation. We think of the soldier who charges forward against a spray of enemy bullets to rescue a wounded comrade. We think of a policeman who stands alone against criminals intent on doing harm, holding them back until reinforcements arrive. We think of firemen who enter burning buildings to pull terrified children from the flames.

These are all, undoubtedly, great acts of courage. But I do not think they are the greatest possible act of courage. No, the greatest possible act of courage is the courage it takes to forgive.

The Courage to Forgive

When we are wronged, slandered, hurt, or abused, our entire body, soul, and spirit screams against the idea of forgiveness. We want revenge! We want retaliation! We want the person who did us wrong to suffer as we have suffered.

But more than that, we do not want to be hurt in the same way again. We fear that if we forgive someone for what they have done, they will continue to abuse and hurt us in similar ways.

[Read more…]

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: courage, cross, Discipleship, fear, forgiveness, Jesus, love, Nelson Mandela, suffering, synchroblog

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The Truth about Truth

By Jeremy Myers
7 Comments

The Truth about Truth

Jesus is the truthOne of the best ways to reach people for Jesus today is not to try to persuade or convince them through rational arguments and persuasive reasoning.

Certainly, some will respond to this, and so there is a place for it, but the majority of people today are relational in their approach to truth.

Most people are not asking, “Do I want to believe like you do?” but instead are asking, “Do I want to live like you do? Do I want to be like you?”

Whether you agree or not, most people today believe that beliefs result in behavior.

If your behavior stinks, people assume your beliefs stink too, without even knowing what it is you believe.  

If you want to convince people of the truth of Christianity, the best way to “argue” it today is not through reason and and rational propositions, but by becoming more and more like Jesus in everything we do.

Since Truth is a person (John 14:6), truth is best learned through knowing that person, Jesus Christ, and truth is best shown by living like Him.

Of course, it is not as easy at it sounds. I am convinced that most of us Christians and many of our churches have a very skewed idea of who Jesus was, so while we think we are living like Jesus, we may actually be living like Judas.

If you want to reach our culture for Jesus, the best (and most biblical) thing you can do is show people Jesus and invite them to follow Jesus with you.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship, evangelism, following Jesus, love, missional, service, truth

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Church Plant Rant

By Jeremy Myers
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Church Plant Rant

Below is a post from Gary Lamb (which is no longer available on his site). Lots of people see glory in church planting, but what most don’t realize is that to plant in such a way that genuinely reaches lost people, there’s more gore than glory.

church plant rant

Here is what Gary wrote about that:

Every church planter I meet says they are starting their church to reach those that are disconnected from God. Many of them grew up in church, became Christians at a early age, and don’t even have a relationship with someone far from God, but they are going to reach those far from God. I listen to a lot of podcasts, watch a lot of videos from other churches, and it breaks my heart to know they are doing a lot of things and a lot of things well, but reaching those far from God is NOT one of them.

I have learned that most church planters REALLY don’t want to reach those far from God, they really want to do church in a cool way. There is a difference. Just because you have great video, loud music, dress casual, and use movie clips doesn’t mean you are reaching those far from God.

I honestly believe most planters would freak out if they started having to deal with the issues that come from reaching truly unchurched people. It is messy, ugly, scary, and actually can keep you from growing because it scares the hell out of those who grew up in church.

We had a person on our staff a couple of years ago who came here because he wanted to be part of a church that reached unchurched people.  The first time his wife sat next to a couple of lesbians, he was rethinking that.  This guy was a nice guy, but he couldn’t handle the ugliness that comes with reaching those that are far from God.  He literally walked around the church on Sundays with a look of terror in his eyes.  He didn’t want to reach lost people, he wanted a church where he could come and wear whatever he wanted and impress other Christians because he was at an church with a little edge.  It wasn’t long before he was running for the hills.  He couldn’t handle the messiness of reaching those with problems.  The sad thing is he isn’t alone.  Most guys can’t handle it.

When I say it is messy, I don’t think most guys understand what I mean, so allow me to walk you through my week that just got done. This is a pretty typical week at Revolution and the side 99% never see.

  • I have a bottle of pain pills worth about $400 on the streets sitting in my desk that one of our people’s spouse brought me after finding them. The name on the prescription isn’t the name of the person who brought them because they were bought on the street.
  • I had another one of our people lose their job for stealing thousands of dollars from the company they work for.
  • I have a addict in our church who has relapsed and in the process is about to lose EVERYTHING and he doesn’t even know it.
  • I set up an intervention for an addict that will take place this week. This is his last chance and he doesn’t even know it.
  • Last night I was at the ER until 3 in the morning because one of our people took a razor blade and slit both his wrists, his neck, and took around 80 sleeping pills. He’s alive, but I have to say it was the most horrific thing I have ever seen in my life.

All of that was just from this week. That is the life of reaching those disconnected from God. None of those people care how “cool” our church will be tomorrow. All they care about is we have created a place where they can come with all their crap and feel loved and connected.

I’ll be honest and tell you that there are times when pastoring Revolution freaks me out. There are times when I think it would be easier to do what most guys do and plant a church that really is a place for other Christians to come hang out and talk about how we are reaching unchurched people instead of doing it. I think that would be easier, but we would not be charging the gates of hell with that mindset. There are enough guys around doing that and doing it well.

Canton didn’t need another church. Canton didn’t need another church with loud music, casual dress, and “relevant” teaching. Neither do most of the towns where guys are planting. However, Canton did need a place that was loving the unlovable. It needed a place that was willing to get it’s hands dirty and deal with the messy crap that takes place in the lives of those far from God.

When a guy wants to tell me they are starting a church to reach the disconnected, I always ask them if they are sure they want to do that. I don’t think they understand the cost that comes with it. It literally can almost kill you at times.

BUT, if they do understand the cost, they will realize it is nothing compared to the reward of seeing lives changed with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is worth whatever cost there is. I would put everything on the line to continue to do what we do because the payoff is so huge.

Most guys won’t.

end rant.

Thanks Gary, for laying it out for us!

2013 UPDATE: I am not a fan of church planting any longer. I now believe that we don’t plant churches, we simply be the church by loving others whom God places in our life. Simple. Easy. Natural. …And it looks like Jesus.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: church, Church planting, Discipleship, love, mission

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I’m Going into Missions

By Jeremy Myers
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I’m Going into Missions

When I tell people I am going into church planting, the most common reaction I get from people is, “Why? Don’t we already have enough churches? Why can’t you just pastor an established church?”

The truth is that I don’t care as much about planting churches as I do about helping people come into a deep and vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ. Here is a video that explains more: (Wait for a few seconds after you press play….)

If this sounds more like missions, that’s because church planting IS missions. Church planting is state-side missions.

So when people ask me why I’m going into church planting, I think I’m going to start saying, “I’m not. I’m going into missions.”

world missions

2013 UPDATE: I am no longer in “church planting” but I am still in “missions.” I have had some changes in my theology regarding church, and I now believe that we don’t plant churches or go to church, but we ARE the church by loving the people around us whom God brings into our lives. It is simple, easy, and looks like Jesus.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Church planting, Discipleship, love, missions

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