I’ve been reading the book of Jeremiah in personal celebration time of God and connecting with Him. I’m struck by the idea that, as a Christ Follower, none of my treasure, success, position, possessions, or power are “mine” in the sense that I have the right to use them exclusively for my own ends. They are a responsibility placed upon me by Jesus, one in which I will be called to account for. I serve, live, and breathe at His pleasure… 

This could sound frightening and controlling until you understand the goodness of God, He knows me and loves me and will lead you and me in paths of righteousness if we will submit our all in all to Him. It is good to know God!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Ahh, I hate being sick – its hard to get a clear head…  the only bright spot are Jenni and the kids – they seem to be able ot make me smile no matter how bad my throat hurts…

Popularity: 1% [?]

Correction:

Have you ever been in near-miss car accident?  Last night, Jenni and I were driving home and this cat ran out in front of us.  I saw it, but Jenni yelled “CAT!” and I jerked on the wheel and slammed on the brakes.  It wasn’t that big of a deal, but it got the adrenaline flowing and I single handedly saved a cats life (what was I thinking – sorry cat lovers). That incident wasn’t too life altering, but I have been in a few instances in a car where the maneuvers I made and the corrections I engaged were literally a matter of life or death.  In those moments, as the driver, you have to make quick decisions and changes – you must react in order to survive.  We have all come across car wrecks where the situation or the driver were such that the proper corrections were not made (sometimes because there were no feasible corrections to stop the impending crash).

I have been thinking a lot about church planting, especially the way we planted Epic – it’s called “Parachute Planting”, the idea being that you parachute into an unfamiliar area and try to find people and help them get connected to God and form a church out of it.  There are better ways of doing church planting, but that was the option we had to work with when engaging Wichita.  The early days of a church that has been started as a Parachute plant feel a little like a car wreck that might be impending.  What I mean is that in order to survive the early days of this scenario (an organization full of people who don’t know each other being thrust into relationship and leadership) the organization operates in a “Correction” mentality.  Some of you who have been with Epic for a while will identify with this.  There is a problem, a systems issue, a new challenge on the horizon and “Kent” stepped in, exerted some influence to try and course correct and then stepped out.  The honest truth is, in order for us to make it to our second birthday (which we celebrated just earlier this month), this type of leadership was necessary.

While a correction type of leadership was necessary, that type of leadership has some definite drawbacks.  It has huge potential to hurt people.  It has huge potential to give leadership to someone who should have earned it instead of inheriting it.  It has huge potential to cause the organization to become risk adverse (being afraid to take the calculated faith steps that started the original organization in the first place). This is where we find ourselves.  We are on the verge of a shift in the life of Epic, and if we don’t recognize that shift, some people will feel very much left behind or fearful of the future.  We are moving from Correction to Direction.  The problem is, just like someone coming out of a potential car wreck – folks who have existed in the two years of correction leadership may feel the adrenaline still pumping and constantly be pushing on the imaginary passenger side break (you know you do it).  You know what I’m talking about, right?  I mean, you’ve felt that fearfulness and the high alert of the adrenaline after the near-miss that causes you to be fearful and apprehensive for the next hour of the drive.

We are on the verge of a seismic shift at Epic – some of you are already feeling it in your ministry areas.  But if we cannot acknowledge that we may still have left over baggage from the previous leadership style, we may never move forward to see people get connected to God, one person at a time! “So, Kent, what’s this direction then?”  I can share the big picture – and yes, as you hear it, you will say to yourself, “Self!  What about this?  What about that?  Have you thought about this?”.  As I share this vision and direction, I want you to know I am asking those questions too, that’s kind of the point.  To focus our energy as a church into asking the right questions to fulfill the vision God is giving the church!  That to me is exciting, because it means if you are asking the right questions, then you are in the right place!  I’m not presenting a solution – I’m presenting a destination, something to give us organizational direction.

The Direction:

I believe God is calling Epic to plant new life-giving churches in Wichita and then out into the rural parts of Kansas where the church is dying.  I am not talking about one or two churches, I am talking about the potential of a reproducing movement of churches of hundreds and thousands that would impact the rural parts of our country (I believe these places are raising up generations of children that move to our cultural centers, cities, and influence the American landscape).  I do not have the full picture lined out right now, and that’s ok.  I feel like my job is going to be to keep pointing us towards the end of seeing people get connected to God, one person at a time.

If you were to ask me what something like this may look like, I would tell you that I believe the end result may look something like a hub and spoke system.  Think tinker-toys (remember, the little wood wheels and sticks?) .  You would have a hub church that spokes out into a different area or region and plants another church – this church has within it the potential to hub and spoke out another church and is expected to do so itself.  the system would create a network of interlocking spokes and hubs of churches that are sharing resources across the system and working together to catalyze a movement that would connect people to God one person at a time. This is big!  Honestly, this was the vision we started with as we moved to plant Epic in the first place – this is what got me excited about church planting, this picture God placed in my heart to see people being connected one at a time.  But the truth is, I was afraid to share this direction because it seems so big and so unattainable.   What if we fail?  What if we can’t pull it off?  These were all of the what if questions I had and that kept me from sharing this vision clearly and you may be having them as well.

I have come to the conviction that  me not sharing this direction has left Epic stuck in a correction system that has hurt us.  I believe this direction, this vision of something so great that God would have to show up for us to accomplish it, is the kind of thing that He wants us to engage in.  It is the kind of thing that pushes us to rely on Him, the kind of thing that forces us to prayer, to engaging the mission of connecting people.  it is the thing that invokes creativity and drives us to raise up leaders.  It makes everything each of us is doing to further the mission of God in the world that much more important. I am not sure how all this will play out – I think this is a 10-15 year vision.  I am working with our team of leaders to start taking this direction and working backwards to today to say, “what are our next steps as a church in the next 6 months.”  I think you will start seeing things in the near future that look much more like direction than correction and my hope is that it makes your soul sing to know you are a part of the ground floor of something that could be huge! I will say this, as we move forward there are three values that we have begun to identify about this whole process that Epic must begin to embody.

1. Reproducing - everything we do must be marked with an intentionality towards reproducing.  This means every leader in our organization is intentional about reproducing their position – if we plan on starting new churches the practical side means we have to have many more leaders and artists and so, reproduction is a HIGH value!
2. Simple – we must maintain a model that is simple – complex systems are not reproducible.  This means we will continue to push harder into connection groups, stuff for kids, outreach, and Sunday morning celebration services rather than creating a bajillion ministries for ever single thing under the sun.  Simple is reproducible.
3. Biblically Responsible – look, at Epic, we believe the bible to be God’s word, that means something for us.  It means we are going to do our best to speak where the bible speaks and be silent where the bible is silent.  We are going to be honest when we are operating in areas of opinion and take stands where we believe the bible is clear.  This matters because we are not trying to please anyone but the tri-une God of the Bible!

I believe that these three values give us a workable paradigm to begin exploring the direction God has called us to – planting hub and spoke churches to impact the rural part of Kansas and beyond!

I want to invite you to join us in dreaming!  I want to invite you to begin praying!  I want to invite you to begin getting involved and contributing your talents, energy, time and resources to be a part of the most compelling vision I have ever personally encountered!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Just wondering what it would look like if churches stopped trying to be “found” and started finding people? I think it would take individuals engaging the mission of connecting people to God, one person at a time. And it would take the church offering opportunities for us to go out and live out that mission as a community – doing the “finding” together as a team!

That’s the kind of church I want to be involved in! That’s the kind of church I long for Epic to be!

Question: Are we there yet? What could we do to get there?

Popularity: 3% [?]

Lately I’ve been thinking about the American spirit to be an individual.  We want to make a statement with our life, we want to be famous, we want to pursue our dreams, want to make it on our own.  We want to be a shining star in the night sky.  Here is the problem, you and I were created for community.  I even believe we are better in community.  I’m challenged in community, I’m encouraged in community, I’m supported in community, and I’m able to support in community.

There is a big push in American Christianity for “Personal Evangelism”, it is the idea that you personally are sharing your faith with other people.  I’m, obviously, a big proponent of this – I don’t think anything gets my proverbial engine revving as much as sharing Jesus with another person.  But lately, I have been thinking about how often in scripture there are instances of one person sharing their faith on their own.  Honestly, I can only think of two – Phillip with the Etheopian Eunich in Acts and Paul at the Aeopogus in the book of Acts as well.  There may be more, but that’s what comes to mind.  As I thought about it, most of the evangelism in the book of acts and even the Gospels came in at a minimum of 2 and was really uber effective in larger groups (think of Acts 2 at Pentecost – we know that there were at least 12 who were speaking in other languages and possible as many as 120 – thousands were added to their number that day as evangelism was done in community).

Often times Christians of today bauk at the idea of doing evangelism as a group – but Jesus sent out missionaries 2 x 2 (Luke 10), John & Peter (Acts 3) went to the temple and stirred up some minds, Acts 5:12-16 tells us that the disciples met daily in Solomon’s colonnade and that people were added daily to their number.  Paul & Silas, Paul & Barnabas, Paul & Timothy – any of those names ring a bell – interesting that we talk about them together, why?  Because they went as a team, as community.

What does this mean?  It may mean that Christians engaging their community at large as a Christian community has tremendous power that we may just be missing.  It means that doing it alone is not bad, but it may be harder than having the momentum of a community of Christ followers living out the gospel with people who don’t have gospel.  It may mean that as Christians, our Connection Groups need to join together to start thinking of ways to impact the world.  That our churches should start to come together to interact in the “Colonades” of our day – the YMCA’s, the fairs and festivals, the mall, wherever it is that people are and we can find ways to positively impact them with the gospel.

What have we been missing by simply missing community…?

Popularity: 3% [?]

On my way to meet with some guys to talk about “the next” church plant in Kansas! Cool to start dreaming on our 2nd birthday! #newthings

Popularity: 3% [?]

So, on Sunday we talked through the idea of why we don't always feel God… Here are the passages we went through with some questions to ask yourself about why you might not be feeling God like you used to… If you want to watch the sermon, you can click here http://epic4life.com/nature-response-series-seeds-8282011-2/…
———– ARE YOU OVERSENSATIONALIZING IT? "Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." 30 So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?" John 6:29-30 IS YOUR HEART HAS HARDENED? You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Matt 13:14-15 ARE YOU BEING OBEDIENT? Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him…

Popularity: 4% [?]

I don’t know if others who have gone through loss feel like I do – I think we all have a tendency to feel like our grief is somehow different. I am finding it so hard to deal with losing my dad. It’s unreal that I wont see his face again in this life or that my children will not know him. I have had to rely more on the strength of the Lord than ever before because I get knocked back so easily and it seems like life Is not shy about presenting you with an ready supply of trial.

It is not, for me, how well I come through it, but that I come through it – clinging to Jesus. I have needed Him more than ever and I have been sloppier than ever in how that comes about.

To quote John the Apostle, “Come Lord Jesus, come!”

Popularity: 3% [?]

So, I don’t know if this is creepy weird or not, but my mom is about to shut off my dad’s phone and so I went on and recorded his voicemail and their home phone answering machine message. It’s just so hard to lose any more of him than I already have. I am a mess today just from listening to it….

I’m putting the recordings up on here, not because they will hold any significance for any one reading, but for me and my family, these are precious sounds that are hard to fathom we will never hear again until eternity.

I really miss my dad…

My Dad’s Cell Phone Message:

Download Now

The Answering Machine:

Download Now

Popularity: 3% [?]

I'm really excited about this Saturday and the opportunity to give back to our community by partnering with Sonic at Greenwich 21st to give away free Medium Drinks! It's going to be really fun! If you want a free drink come out and hang with us from 2-4pm! We would love to have Epic Folks show up to help engage the community by serving drinks, mints and generally being cool! Show up at 1:30pm if you can help!

Popularity: 3% [?]