I grew up in Southern California, and actually lived in Hawaii for almost a year. The beach & surfing was just a normal part of life. Now, if you hangout long enough at the beach...especially with surfers...you know...the Holy Grail of surfing is the "tube". If you can surf a wave just right...and its the right size...and you time it good...you can surf inside the tube...where the wave curls over you...as you surf through it. Its pretty wild...being surrounded on all sides with water...as you peak out of the tube, you are now in surfing nirvana. Its the ultimate. I often wonder and dream about what God thinks is the "ultimate" for His church...His people? As I hear folks who do not like church discuss their reasons "why"...I often am struck with how right their observations are. So often, what they are looking for is what Jesus desires His "church", His "people", to be. So often what they smell as phoney...wrong...distasteful...or unappealing...is indeed just that. At ECHO, we humbly listen and acknowledge. I wonder what people would think about "church", if God's people...Jesus followers...actually lived the teachings of Jesus...rather than just "know them"? I wonder if we got away from a "come and see" mentality, and became a "go and live" kind of people, what that would look like to our city? I wonder if creative worship became less about the latest technology, but more about impacting life relevantly and creating an atmosphere where people can experience God's love personally and be drawn...hearts toward God? I wonder if more gratefulness would empower people to be more involved, more caring, more giving and more sharing of their life with others? I wonder if we got away from the "us against the world" mentality...or even the "us versus the church down the street" mentality of competition... and became more of a "us in this together" kind of people who humbly seek God's guidance & direction for the greater good? I wonder if we equipped families to live out Jesus like-ness at home, and teach their own children...would it be better in the long run than replacing parenting with church programs? I wonder if we got away from event gatherings and programs, as a mentality...and became more of a people that share our lives with others...even when its messy...maybe that would have a greater transformational impact? I wonder if we moved away from a "rational" knowledge based spirituality...and moved toward a "relationally" centered spirituality... would more lives be changed & transformed? I wonder if we could realize that community transformation happens one relationship at a time...not one event or program at a time? I wonder what it would look like if we could see beyond ourselves...and even our churches...to the impact the Kingdom of God can have worldwide if we chose to cooperate in it? I wonder if we spent more money on serving real people, with real needs in our communities...if that would be more attractive than our newest, latest, greatest, state-of-the-art facility? I wonder if we chased after the heart of God for people...if that would be more beneficial than chasing after miracles, signs and wonders, for ourselves? I wonder if we pray for and live the "fruit of the Spirit" more than we seek after the gifts of God's Spirit...would more lives be touched? Would the Kingdom of God grow in us more? Would the Kingdom of God be expanded through us? Would we be more of who Jesus designed us to be? I wonder...be God's!
Brian O
Lead Pastor dude, ECHO
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