So I’m sitting there in a gorgeous home after a great meal with a close friend and family whom I haven’t seen in months, and all I can think about is my I-phone.  It got so bad that while we’re discussing incredible things of the Kingdom I quietly, so no one would notice, pulled it out under the table and glanced at it.  What the heck is in this thing?

“Wonder who called?  Wonder who texted me?  Ohhh…I wonder who wants to be my friend on facebook?”  I wonder what kind of loser I really am?  Am I so into ME that I can’t stay focused on anyone else?  Am I so starved for attention that I’ll take it from anywhere else but the person sitting right across from me?  Pastors seem to be really bad at it.  ”THEY need me.”  Yeah right.  You need help!  Sure it’s a neat little device but gheez…getta life.  Or is this life now?  I’ve even found myself lying, “uhhh..yeah…just gotta check on some work stuff for City Community Church.  I’ll be there in a minute.”  I sit on a throne of lies, reeking of beef and cheese while my family’s meal goes cold.  I’m a self absorbed addict.

I’m not the only one with a serious case of self.  I’ve sat across from YOU before and YOU were more engaged with your MacPipe or IStoned or Crackberry that you were with anything I was saying.  I’ve driven next to YOU while you were popping keys in a text message to Utah or a witty twitter post while your family is starving for attention in the back seat.  Oh wait a minute, maybe that was me…

I’m publicly making resolutions; maybe then I’ll stick with em.  I’m going to be ENGAGED when YOU are around.  MacAir closed, Iphone on silent and mentally ready to slap my own hand if I feel the need to see who called. I’m going to DISENGAGE the moment YOU do, affording you ample peace and quiet to check your facebook, email or scores from around the league.  Cool?  Oh, hold on…I’ve gotta call…I’ll just be a minute…getabsorbed…n

I wonder how the disciples of Jesus woulda reacted if He would have turned around one day and said, “Hey, here’s the deal:  following Me is dangerous business.  Might get killed.  Sure you still wanna come?”

I actually think He DID say that…and most of them WERE killed.  Granted He may have not said it in so many words but it was implied in just about everything He was about.  So where in the heck did we get off thinking this was an easy ride?  That Christ = Comfort?

I look at my 11-year-old son and often wonder what type of Christ is being branded in his heart.  Is it a “come here and be entertained” Christ, full on with basketball courts, sweet videos and a stellar light show?  I mean what’s the logical conclusion for a kid that’s been mind-numbingly exposed to “the show” with no call to live differently?  Chances are when “the show” fails to deliver and is all about just trying to get him to return week after week, his so-called Christ might drop off the radar.  ”Shows” are good for a moment and if they aren’t used for the express purpose of inspiring you into a deeper relationship with a loving and dangerous Jesus, then frankly the show can’t and shouldn’t go on.  There will come a time when everyone has left the stage.

I know it’s not real popular to tell kids or even adults, “hey, this is gonna cost you everything and it might get bloody.  Like you might have to die so Christ can live in you” but that’s the reality and it will hit all of us at one time or another.   

One prepares…the other placates.  I guess I should lead the way.  Gotta first stop enjoying the show myself…getabsorbed…n

New = Different.  Or, at least maybe it should…

Indianapolis folks have been challenging me for years.,”Nathan, when you do FINALLY start this new church expression in downtown Indy (and stop just talking about it), please, for the love of all that’s pure and holy, make it different.”

City Community Church has an official launch of March 1 and we’d love to see YOU there.  Our weekend gatherings will be held at the Central Library in the Clowes Auditorium but I hope that’s where a ton of similarities stop between what was and what will be.

This isn’t boring, weekend, your-mom-dragged-you-here church nor is it a dog and pony show. For starters, we’re much more than just an hour on Sunday. Sure you’ll find gatherings full of great music, relevant teaching, a casual atmosphere and lots of fun for kids. But all of that is geared toward inspiring you to personally draw near to God and interact with the city of Indianapolis no matter what day of the week. Oh, and another thing.  We promise you’ll feel welcome here, no matter where you are on your spiritual journey (hey, we’ve got questions too). City Community Church is a place that will accept you for who you are, but also challenge you to become all you were created to be.

We’re just ordinary people with an extraordinary belief that God is doing something amazing in the city of Indianapolis. City Community Church is a brand new expression in the heart of downtown Indy, passionate about God and purposeful in loving this city and the world. We’re a community with a cause, rekindling the imagination of a city through the hope of Jesus Christ. We’re a people on a journey, moving toward the heart of God, seeking to serve the city in our own spheres of influence.

Bring in the New.  Bring on the Different.  May the world never be the same.  The Heartbeat of God in the Heart of the City….City Community Church.

What kind of environment do you exist in and why? I was so refreshed at our meeting last night at the Central Library.  

Have you ever been in a situation and then realized you were wrong or incomplete in your understanding?  If you answered “yes”, you’re at least opened to being challenged.