Cutting Edge

It was 10 years ago that I first met Jeff Bailey and Steve Nicholson. Jeff was a student at a seminary near where my parents lived, and he had invited Steve to speak to a small group of his classmates. Through a series of improbable events, I found myself in the room.
At some point, slumped down on the couch and looking somewhere between bemused and bored by the questions, Steve looked around the room and asked a question that has stayed in me- “Where are the young adults willing to lay it on the line, take a risk, trust God, and go plant a church?”

In the Old Testament, the Kingdom of God was related to Jewish messianic expectation. It was connected with Jewish eschatology, their hope for the future. In historic Judaism, the Kingdom of God was understood in a nationalistic sense. The people carried a military hope—geographic and political—that a nationalistic kingdom might once again be established. It would be a future empire just like the rule of King David. The first century Jews were looking for another king like King David, an anointed Messiah to lead them to political power through military might.

Book Review

The story of the Journey Vineyard will likely never appear in a “how to” book. It is a simple story of God wanting a Church in a sleepy tourist community in the shadow of Yosemite National Park. It is a story of exceptions, exceptional people, and an exceptional area in central California.

Ross and Mary Nelson have been married for thirty years, and have four children whose ages range from 17 to 34. For many years they pastored a Lutheran church in Geneva, Illinois while at the same time caring for their son, now 25, who has Down’s Syndrome. While in Geneva, however, they began attending conferences at the Evanston Vineyard, and eventually planted a Vineyard church in Elgin, Illinois in 1990. In 1995 they handed leadership of the church over to Tom and Jill Severson in order to move to the small, rural town of Tomahawk, Wisconsin.

One only has to visit to Boise, Idaho, to see why the Vineyard’s environmental stewardship movement has taken root there. If you think “potatoes” when you think Boise—think again. Rather, think “high desert paradise”, because it is a sermon for the senses on the glory of God.

“The SUV in the driveway, the golden retriever with a red bandana romping with two children in the front yard, the Colorado winter vacations, the bumper sticker with MY DAUGHTER IS AN HONOR ROLL STUDENT AT HUBBLE MIDDLE SCHOOL—those are the dreams of the denizens, like me, of suburbia.” So writes David Goetz in his book, Death by Suburb.

Rich Nathan is the senior pastor of the Columbus Vineyard and an internationally known writer and speaker on a remarkably wide variety of topics. Under his leadership, Columbus Vineyard has grown to over 7,000 weekly attenders, and has become a major influence for the kingdom in it’s community. They have planted 22 churches, established a massive community assistance center, seen hundreds come to Christ, founded the Vineyard Leadership Institute, and contributed deeply to the Vineyard movement as whole.

1. Short-term mission trips. Not only do short-term mission trips invigorate you spiritually in terms of sharing your faith, they also can energize the missionaries you are aiding. Short-term trips are extremely beneficial in the context of helping church planting movements. Don’t balk at an opportunity to participate in a trip of this nature.