Blogging for West Hills

Well, it's official. Now I will be extra terrible at maintaining this blog. At West Hills, we are beginning a blog that will be linked to our new website with what will hopefully be weekly posts to correspond with what we're talking about at our Sunday gatherings. You can check out this blog at westhills.wordpress.com. I just put up my first post on it this week.

But since I don't keep up on things on here the best anyway, this will probably only make it worse. But nonetheless, I'll probably keep more personal things for this one.

Talk to you later and see you around.

Pray for the President-Elect

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." First Timothy 2:1-2

As everyone is most likely well aware, Sen. Barack Obama won the election yesterday and is now president-elect. Regardless of where we all stand individually within the political spectrum, I think we can all agree with the need to pray for our leaders and our nation.

We need to begin praying in new ways for President-elect Obama. Pray that as he begins setting up his cabinet and staff that the Lord would place strong believers in key positions around him, formally and informally. As our new president identifies himself as a Christian, pray that his faith would be strengthened in ways possibly not seen in the past. Pray that he would be afresh in prayer, humbly seeking God's direction for our nation. Pray that the stress of the job would not minimize time reading his Bible, but that it would draw him into it more fully. Pray that as Obama seeks to have an open ear to those of differing viewpoints, that he would be especially open to hearing and truly considering those of the Evangelical Christian church. Pray that in these and other ways, God would put his hand of blessing and direction upon the presidency.

I believe that we can agree on all of these prayers regardless of who we each voted for yesterday. Let's join together in prayer for God's favor on our president, our nation, indeed our world.

Let's seek His face...

Where is the Church?

The picture of the church in Acts 2 haunts me. It troubles me because as I look around, I don't see this church today. At least not often.

I'm thinking lately on what it would look like to find this type of people today. A church that is committed to Scripture and to intimate relationships (i.e. "fellowship") and to breaking bread and to prayer--not just to the acknowledgment of the importance of these things, but to actually highlighting them as a people. A church that actually sits in awe, captivated by the work God is doing around them--not just frustrated because he's not doing enough... A church that spends large amounts of time living life together. A church that shares possessions and sells belongings to ensure that none among them are lacking in the least. A church that gathers every day together. One that meets for prayer each day. That shares meals each day. Where its people open their homes each day. Join in communion each day. Take time to express gladness, thankfulness, and praise every day. A church that is on the edge of their seat before God among his people. A church that in the midst of this is seen favorably among neighboring nonchristians and is therefore continually expanding as outsiders become insiders.

I guess the real question is less "Where is this church?" and more "What can we do to daily become the church more fully?" What can we do? What changes can we make? What is my role? How does this set the pace of my day? How does this drive our primary gatherings on Sunday mornings? How does this make sense in our home groups? What does this look like in my living room? In my church building? As West Hills gathers? And as the global church connects?

Post your comments/ideas below if you want. But if you want to be really daring, invite another Christian sister or brother into your home and share face-to-face over a meal. Then pray together, sing together, and do the same thing tomorrow night with a larger group of 10, 20 or 50.