christopherhildreth

Watching Moses

Posted January 7, 2008 by Chris
Categories: Context, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Me

I love the Old Testament stories of Moses. He led the children of Israel through many disheartening situations; he delt with revolt and rebellion; but through it all he eventually took them where he had wanted to take them for many years. At the end of his life, he ended up only seeing the Promised Land.

I believe that this could be a parallel to what many in the religious community are experiencing. We have a tendency, at least in America, to consume. We buy things we don’t need because we are told we “need” them, but we know we really don’t have any need or use for them. The same is true for spiritual experience. We have become “spiritual consumers”. We want to feel something or hear something or be given something, but our response, most often, is not to let these things flow out of us to others. By in large we simply consume more; in effect wasting spiritual experience for the sake of self-gratification.

Don’t get me wrong, spiritual experience is wonderful, but if it leads to nothing more than an over active appetite for more of the same, I fear we have missed the point of these experiences. If anything we should walk away from these experiences knowing how much we are all connected in the spirit, not with a singular point of view that amplifies our self view. When we approach the spiritual with an attitude of emptiness in order to be filled, we experience the truth. If we come to experience and then use the experience to lift ourselves, we have made a mistake.

These experiences, if they are true, lead us closer to God. As we near Him we embrace the oneness of spiritual things. When we abandon the self, we embrace our real self. “To live, we must die.” I do not intend to simply watch the great things of God, I intend to be actively involved with them. I hope that you too will desire to truly experience and not simply consume.

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Fast Start

Posted January 4, 2008 by Chris
Categories: Starting

This year is beginning with a fast pace. It seems to me that this year is going to be one that is full of completions – a year of “getting things done”. I know that we all have things that we wish we had done in the past, so let’s take this year as an opportunity to get to it and finish these things. This year I want to encourage you to “seize the day” in every area of your life. Let this year be a year that you can look back on and remember as a year where many great things happened!

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Happy New Year!

Posted January 1, 2008 by Chris
Categories: Influence, Me

This year has brought the beginning of this blog and an awareness of the influence of words. I can’t wait to see what 2008 holds and where this journey takes us!

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Creativity

Posted December 30, 2007 by Chris
Categories: Books I'm Reading, Creativity, Influence

Right now I’m reading the book Creativity by Mathew Fox. I bought it because of the “people who bought this book also bought this” from Amazon. I know it’s just a way to make more sales – and they did with me – but it looked like a book I would like and I bought it. I’m about half way through and had to make a comment on it.

My big thing right now is Influence – our use and misuse of it – even when we aren’t aware of it. 2008 for me seems to be laying out like a year where I hope to utilize some of the information and knowlege I have gathered over the past few years about the subject.

I’ve discussed the idea of a few books with a publisher and hopefully, either with them or with others a book could be on the way. Hoowever, this book, Creativity, is a unique one. The quotes in the book come from a wide variety and the ideas are very creative – pardone the pun. I like to think outside the normal quadrant and sometimes it gets me in trouble. In this book you’ll find commentary from Thomas A’Quinas to Buddah.

In short I am loving it.

It is provoking me to think more about the idea of truth and the Spirit of Creativity and our responsibility than ever before. As far as Influence is concerned – to not use our influence to utilize out God-given creativity in the world is a sever misuse of our current place in creation.

Can’t wait to finish and see where this takes me.

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Christmas 2007….countdown to ’08

Posted December 25, 2007 by Chris
Categories: Cultural Ideas, Me

Well, we’re having a good time in Florida for phase two of Christmas. We started out Saturday and then went through the 3 services on Sunday. We had Christmas “unplugged”. The focus was on the opposite aspects of Christmas. We opened with a room full of blow-up Christmas yard decoration singing six or seven Christmas songs like, The Christmas Song and A Holly Jolly Christmas. Afterward we shifted into focusing on the fact that we are loved by God, and that He wants us to celebrate and imitate Him!

And on top of that we also celebrate that the great people of Lifepoint gave over $6000 to World Vision to help in areas as vast as soccer balls to chickens and ducks.

Hear is hoping that you have the greatest Christmas experience this year can bring!

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who did Jesus love?

Posted December 9, 2007 by Chris
Categories: Context, Cultural Ideas

When we talk about Jesus and His relationship with His disciples we often mention that John was the disciple Jesus loved. I think we forget that it was John who was writing those words to begin with and the relationship events that we find in scripture between Jesus and the other disciples.

When we think of Peter we think of an abrupt sometimes rude fellow who puts his foot in his mouth, but I would like us to reconsider. One of the best parts of the Gospels is found in Matthew chapter 16. Jesus goes to His disciples and askes them who people say He is. Jesus gets positively ecstatic congratulating Peter on knowing “who He is”.

After that Jesus begins to talk to the disciples about His death. I love what happens in verse 22. Peter pulls Jesus aside and basically gets on His case. Look past the conversation that ends with “Get behind me Satan”, and see the unique relationship they both have. Peter feels comfortable enough to speak plainly to the guy that a few moments earlier he has designated as “the Christ, the Son of the living God”.

I am so thankful that Jesus allows Peter in to His “space”. Jesus is not abrasive, but He responds with the same amount of relationship as Peter. The great thing about this interchange is that Jesus doesn’t close Peter off. In fact, He uses Peter to explain the purpose for his death.

All this before the transfiguration.

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Jesus, the Tomb Raider

Posted December 9, 2007 by Chris
Categories: Cultural Ideas, Lifepoint, Message Series

Today an interesting thought crossed my mind. In reading the story of Lazarus we find Jesus, the man, speaking out into the ether of the next world and bekoning – actually commanding – Lazarus to come back. He’s communicating with Lazarus who is dead and has been for three days. Jesus always seems to go against what He is “supposed” to do. Likewise, He continues to call us to do things that seem to others to be different than what we are “supposed” to do.

Later, Jesus begins a dialogue with His disciples about His coming death. Another thought is that Jesus prepared His disciples for the topic of death by allowing Lazarus to die in the first place. Sometimes the things we think are way outside the scope of God’s will for us could be right smack dab in the middle of his plan.

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The Art of Christianity

Posted December 1, 2007 by Chris
Categories: Context, Cultural Ideas, Influence

Earlier today, I read an article about the great Masters. It stated that during the time in which their great works were painted, much of what we see in museums was actually painted by their students. The students copied the Master in order to learn the fundamentals about dimension and perspective. Once the student became proficient in their ability to copy the Master, the Master allowed them to hone their own skill set.

Once the fundamentals were in place the student was given the opportunity to explore other ways of creating art.

I can’t help thinking that this applies to us as well. When we follow our Master and study so that our brushstrokes mimic the Master’s, he then steps back and lets us become creative with the story and tell it in new ways. We must always keep the perspective correct, but whether we embrace Realism, Impressionism, Cubism or Modernism the Master looks with favor on the things we create.

Without first being taught by the Master we can never hope to achieve anything, but with the tutelage of the Master we can “do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these.”

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Messy Spirituality

Posted November 30, 2007 by Chris
Categories: Books I'm Reading, Context, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Influence

A friend of mine reminded me of this book, Messy Spirituality. I had picked it up a few years ago when I was involved in youth work. Yaconelli was known for his “freeness” and in this book does a masterful job at expressing the incredible love of God for His children.

In spite of and probably because of our shortcomings we see that, as the Shack so eloquently put it, He is “fond of us”. So often I wonder if we seclude ourselves into the walls of the church because we are afraid of entering into the world. Could it be because we are afraid of the judgment of others as we enter the world. Could it be that in entering the world we are afraid that we will find that we should have been there all along and have wasted precious moments sitting on the wrong side of a glazed window.

Is a building really necessary and can it become a hindrance rather than a blessing? Is the cost of upkeep worth the lost community influence through helping the poor and needy?

I don’t know the answer, and would not presume we should all sell our land and give to the poor. It simply gives me pause to consider that the areas we are being drawn to serve in are outside the church walls.

Perhaps a new monasticism is emerging. Where once monks secluded themselves inside the church to find God, possibly now monks will seclude themselves outside the church in order to find God.

Maybe a greater portion of spirituality and grace can be seen in the faces of those who choose not to enter the church. Maybe it is outside in the harsh surroundings that we discover the pleasant scent of communion and conversation.

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Go Green

Posted November 26, 2007 by Chris
Categories: Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Lifepoint, Message Series

During our series on Pop Culture issues, we had thought the music week would bring some negative comments, but there weren’t any. Most people enjoyed it and related to what we were saying. Yesterday we brought up the subject of the environment. We challenged people about consumption and waste.

Although we did receive some comments, by far the attitude has been positive. We used the Iron Eyes Cody commercial from the 70’s about polution to introduce the concept. We ended with a challenge to at least change a light bulb.

I don’t know how many bought energy efficient light bulbs, but I do know that we haven’t scooted from the issues that our people deal with each day. Our philosophy is simple. If you are asking questions about something in your home or in your own mind, we should be asking them at church. We don’t have all of the answers, but at least we can begin the conversation.

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