Below are excerpts from the Vision document I wrote (on another sleepless night) some time ago.
What I realized tonight, is that living the vision is not beyond any in our fellowship. Bonnie lives this vision more than I, but I thought I might provide some examples:
Bonnie for weeks cooked meals almost daily for friends with serious medical issues.
She and I are going to a friend who suffered an accident so that she can help plan and execute what is needed to facilitate our friend's daughter's wedding coming up at the end of July.
We participated with others on our block in a homecoming celebration for a soldier returning from Afghanistan.
After church I was able to pray with a brother obviously in deep depression.
Frequently, after-church interventions are embodiments of loving and serving each other, and loving and obeying God.
We have frequently been the recipients of this same love and care from the body. During our lowest moments financially (and emotionally), people brought us food (sometimes, seemingly out of the blue), gave us gift cards, and helped financially. I can't tell you how much that has meant to us both.
I feel these are all examples of what it means to be a Christian Community. These are the kind of things that are going on all over the church, but I think we can do a far better job. Even well connected people often feel alone in their troubles and pain. Too often we wait for disaster before we reach out. We need to encourage people to listen to the Spirit of God inside them prompting them to reach out. Many times, this kind of reaching out just requires some of our time to listen and pray with each other.
I think we need to keep asking ourselves: What is God prompting us to do? When I shared with Eric my concern for someone in the fellowship, he rightly pointed out that if God had put that concern on my heart, it was probably for me to do something about it.
My vision for the fellowship is to be a people who hears God and acts in love and obedience to Him to love and serve others.
Personal Vision
Or, I should say, Vision for Each Person.
a) We must love God and worship him above all else corporately and individually.
b) The fellowship of believers should be a family that loves each other. As in a family, we should feel at the same time both safe and challenged: safe to share our fears, joys, thoughts, and gifts in an atmosphere of love, and challenged to grow into the fullness of the stature of Christ. As a responsible member of the family we must listen, love, support, and encourage, as well as (at the direction of the Spirit), admonish or even rebuke each other.
This love within the fellowship enables love beyond the community of believers to all for whom Christ has died. From the safety of the fellowship, we are empowered to love those around us in our communities and workplace (even on the highway). We live the love of Christ.
c) We should serve one another. We should live lives of willing service looking for opportunities to meet the needs of others, first in the fellowship of believers (including our own families), then in the community.
d) We should grow in the knowledge of our Lord so that we might bear fruit through his power and in his name.
e) We should use our gifts to edify the body and to bear witness of Christ to the world. Here, I use gifts in a broad sense to include all the gifts of the Spirit and talents granted by God. As a fellowship, we should educate and encourage using our gifts to glorify God.
1. Those who sing or dance or play an instrument or deliver a line or reading should do so to the glory of God. Such talents are given to help us worship and glorify God. People with such gifts lead us in worship by letting us partner with them as they meet God and give their talents as an offering to him.
2. Those given a Word of prophesy, wisdom, exhortation, or knowledge or a gift of discernment must share, first with the Elders and then with the fellowship.
3. Those given a gift of healing, tongues, or interpretation must share with the fellowship.
I Corinthians 12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
4. All are called to testify of God’s work and glory, first to the fellowship, then to the community.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
Vision Statement December 2009
Thoughts on Vision
I see a two tiered vision for TCC: the first personal, the second, corporate.
Personal
First, some scripture taken from Christ’s last words to his disciples: words meant to guide both in the short period of Christ’s absence from them and after the Spirit is given to them. Each paragraph contains an instruction from Christ as to how we should live. I can’t study the words in the original language, but the verbs are active. I have italicized the commands.
a) John 13:12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant [3] is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Summary: we are called to serve one another.
b) John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” And John 15: 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, [1] for the servant [2] does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
Summary: We are commanded to love one another.
c) John 14: 1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; [1] believe also in me…6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. [4] From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Summary: We are to believe in God (New International Version: Trust in God; trust also in me.)
d) John 14: 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, [6] to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you…21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
Summary: We are to keep his commandments because we love him. Keeping his commandments demonstrates our love for him.
e) John 15: 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Summary: We are commanded to abide in Christ.
f) John 15: 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Summary: We are to bear witness (New International Version: you also must testify).
I can’t quote all of Ephesians, but I take that book as a “how-to” manual both personally and for churches. The section below is typical:
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family [3] in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Personal Vision
Or, I should say, Vision for Each Person.
a) We must love God and worship him above all else corporately and individually.
b) The fellowship of believers should be a family that loves each other. As in a family, we should feel at the same time both safe and challenged: safe to share our fears, joys, thoughts, and gifts in an atmosphere of love, and challenged to grow into the fullness of the stature of Christ. As a responsible member of the family we must listen, love, support, and encourage, as well as (at the direction of the Spirit), admonish or even rebuke each other.
This love within the fellowship enables love beyond the community of believers to all for whom Christ has died. From the safety of the fellowship, we are empowered to love those around us in our communities and workplace (even on the highway). We live the love of Christ.
c) We should serve one another. We should live lives of willing service looking for opportunities to meet the needs of others, first in the fellowship of believers (including our own families), then in the community.
d) We should grow in the knowledge of our Lord so that we might bear fruit through his power and in his name.
2 Peter 1: 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to [3] his own glory and excellence, [4] 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, [5] and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities [6] are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
e) We should use our gifts to edify the body and to bear witness of Christ to the world. Here, I use gifts in a broad sense to include all the gifts of the Spirit and talents granted by God. As a fellowship, we should education and encourage using our gifts to glorify God.
1. Those who sing or dance or play an instrument or deliver a line or reading should do so to the glory of God. Such talents are given to help us worship and glorify God. People with such gifts lead us in worship by letting us partner with them as they meet God and give their talents as an offering to him.
2. Those given a Word of prophesy, wisdom, exhortation, or knowledge or a gift of discernment must share, first with the Elders and then with the fellowship.
3. Those given a gift of healing, tongues, or interpretation must share with the fellowship.
I Corinthians 12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
4. All are called to testify of God’s work and glory, first to the fellowship, then to the community.
Although presented in outline form, no ranking is implied beyond points a) and b). Even the sub-points of e) are to be taken as co-equal with points c) and d). Actually, co-equal is not correct. As each is gifted by God, so each is empowered in a particular area, and so those areas, for that person, may become more important and most visible of that person’s ministry.
Corporate Vision
I believe that we are called to serve the community and communicate the glory and love of God to the community. I would like to think that in addition to serving the “baby boom generation” that we may also be called to serve the “Generation X’ers”: maybe even primarily!
We can’t do everything, and I don’t have a particular vision of how to proceed: I don’t know what our service will look like.
I do believe that by fulfilling the first part of the vision, the Personal Vision, we enable a people to work together to fulfill a broader corporate vision. So, in some sense, work on the Personal Vision must proceed and grow and never stop. As we enable the Personal Vision, we enable people to follow the call of Christ to serve in the broader community.
But what are we to do corporately to serve the community and engage those who do not know Christ?
I see a two tiered vision for TCC: the first personal, the second, corporate.
Personal
First, some scripture taken from Christ’s last words to his disciples: words meant to guide both in the short period of Christ’s absence from them and after the Spirit is given to them. Each paragraph contains an instruction from Christ as to how we should live. I can’t study the words in the original language, but the verbs are active. I have italicized the commands.
a) John 13:12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant [3] is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Summary: we are called to serve one another.
b) John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” And John 15: 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, [1] for the servant [2] does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
Summary: We are commanded to love one another.
c) John 14: 1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; [1] believe also in me…6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. [4] From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Summary: We are to believe in God (New International Version: Trust in God; trust also in me.)
d) John 14: 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, [6] to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you…21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
Summary: We are to keep his commandments because we love him. Keeping his commandments demonstrates our love for him.
e) John 15: 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Summary: We are commanded to abide in Christ.
f) John 15: 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Summary: We are to bear witness (New International Version: you also must testify).
I can’t quote all of Ephesians, but I take that book as a “how-to” manual both personally and for churches. The section below is typical:
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family [3] in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Personal Vision
Or, I should say, Vision for Each Person.
a) We must love God and worship him above all else corporately and individually.
b) The fellowship of believers should be a family that loves each other. As in a family, we should feel at the same time both safe and challenged: safe to share our fears, joys, thoughts, and gifts in an atmosphere of love, and challenged to grow into the fullness of the stature of Christ. As a responsible member of the family we must listen, love, support, and encourage, as well as (at the direction of the Spirit), admonish or even rebuke each other.
This love within the fellowship enables love beyond the community of believers to all for whom Christ has died. From the safety of the fellowship, we are empowered to love those around us in our communities and workplace (even on the highway). We live the love of Christ.
c) We should serve one another. We should live lives of willing service looking for opportunities to meet the needs of others, first in the fellowship of believers (including our own families), then in the community.
d) We should grow in the knowledge of our Lord so that we might bear fruit through his power and in his name.
2 Peter 1: 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to [3] his own glory and excellence, [4] 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, [5] and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities [6] are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
e) We should use our gifts to edify the body and to bear witness of Christ to the world. Here, I use gifts in a broad sense to include all the gifts of the Spirit and talents granted by God. As a fellowship, we should education and encourage using our gifts to glorify God.
1. Those who sing or dance or play an instrument or deliver a line or reading should do so to the glory of God. Such talents are given to help us worship and glorify God. People with such gifts lead us in worship by letting us partner with them as they meet God and give their talents as an offering to him.
2. Those given a Word of prophesy, wisdom, exhortation, or knowledge or a gift of discernment must share, first with the Elders and then with the fellowship.
3. Those given a gift of healing, tongues, or interpretation must share with the fellowship.
I Corinthians 12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
4. All are called to testify of God’s work and glory, first to the fellowship, then to the community.
Although presented in outline form, no ranking is implied beyond points a) and b). Even the sub-points of e) are to be taken as co-equal with points c) and d). Actually, co-equal is not correct. As each is gifted by God, so each is empowered in a particular area, and so those areas, for that person, may become more important and most visible of that person’s ministry.
Corporate Vision
I believe that we are called to serve the community and communicate the glory and love of God to the community. I would like to think that in addition to serving the “baby boom generation” that we may also be called to serve the “Generation X’ers”: maybe even primarily!
We can’t do everything, and I don’t have a particular vision of how to proceed: I don’t know what our service will look like.
I do believe that by fulfilling the first part of the vision, the Personal Vision, we enable a people to work together to fulfill a broader corporate vision. So, in some sense, work on the Personal Vision must proceed and grow and never stop. As we enable the Personal Vision, we enable people to follow the call of Christ to serve in the broader community.
But what are we to do corporately to serve the community and engage those who do not know Christ?
Christams Letter December 2009
Christmas letter Dec. 2009
Psalm 71:17 O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. 18 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. 19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? 20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.
We’ve had a pretty wonderful year! We hope you did too!
Michael started the new year with two new knee joints, on which he was able to dance (unsteadily) within a few weeks. He emerged from physical therapy (where he did a lot of whimpering) ready for anything!
In March our house emerged from foreclosure and we had a much better mortgage! We are so thankful to family and friends who helped us get through this terrible financial time!
Our ballroom dance gown business had a great year. Over two days at one contest we had over 40 dresses on the floor. We’ve added about 26 dresses to bring our total to 70 dresses for sale or rent. We’ve gotten quite a good reputation and have provided dresses for dancers as far away as Georgia!
A real high point for us was our sponsorship of a professional couple who wound up winning the Theatre Arts division at the Ohio Star Ball (that’s the one they often televise on PBS)! Megan and Vince are wonderful, besides being wonderfully talented.
Our business grew so much that we had to get a new (used) vehicle to transport the dresses. We traded in our much loved (and much used) Chrysler 300 for a Cadillac SRX! We got “such a deal” on a low mileage pristine vehicle. Once you’ve had leather seats, it’s impossible to go back to cloth or vinyl.
It wasn’t all great: in February our grand dog Dante and 2 year-old Bichon Yoder escaped and started running the neighborhood at evening rush hour. Although we recovered Dante with no harm, Yoder was hit by a car and killed. Three strangers stayed with him until Michael arrived. On the way home, with the help of other strangers on the street and in cars, Michael was able to find Dante. At home, our neighbors were with us out on the street and were a great comfort to us as we mourned. Two weeks later, our 9 year-old Bichon, Ben was diagnosed with a terminal illness and died within a couple of weeks. Too Sad: he died in Michael’s arms.
Within days of Yoder’s death, we had contacted the Ohio breeder from whom we had obtained him and found two newborn females would be available in a matter of weeks! A quick trip to Ohio with our girls (Briana and Elle), and we brought home the Most Wonderful little Girl: Millie. She is Yoder’s sister and cousin and is completely delightful!
In the spring, Michael’s Dad Byron passed away. It was not peaceful, but it was fairly short. Michael misses not being able to share old movies with his Dad.
In the fall, we were able to start dancing again and even participated in the Holliday Ball Dance competition! Too Much Fun!
It was also the year of Facebook. We are present under our business name: BonniesBelleGowns and have a great time keeping in touch with fellow dancers, friends from church, and old friends and relatives with whom we would otherwise never have had contact!
We are also excited about what God is doing through our church: We’ve had a time of turmoil, then a time of healing, and now we seem poised on the edge of a time of reaching people for Christ in new ways! Bonnie is a mentor mom for our MOPS group. We are involved in a number of different ministries and look forward to seeing how God uses us and the church in the coming year!
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