Marc’s Musings

I just heard a terrific presentation by Rob Hatch about the TouchPoints Initiative he’s getting to roll out across the state.

One of the speakers on a video said that the Western model is a deficit model:

• What’s wrong? and
• how can we fix it?

The Touchpoints approach is strengths based approach to helping parents:

• what is the the family doing correctly?
• what are they doing well?

During his talk, I had an epiphany. Really. I finally realized why people are so weirded out by the grace and mercy and joy and fun we experience at the Vineyard Church of Waterville.

Most everything in Western life is based on a deficit model: medicine, pyschiatry, education, counseling. Even church. Especially church?

Think about it. When do you tend to go to the doctor? When you’re sick. When do you tend to go to the counselor? When you’re “broken” and want something fixed. What do you focus on in school? What answers you got wrong.

In church, we protestants have made the deficit model an art form. You’re life is a mess whether you know it or not. It’s that way because of sin. Come to church to fix that problem.

That’s good to a point. But a steady dose of that 52-weeks a year?

You start realizing what a schmoe you really are. You don’t evangelize enough. Pray enough. Fast enough. Go to enough conferences and small groups and healing times and clasess.

No wonder people aren’t flocking to Jesus. If that’s what we’re projecting, would you be attracted?

Today, I realized what we’re doing at VCW is a strengths based approach. Yes, life sucks at times. It’s hard, even when you’re “in the middle of God’s will.” Yep, we’re not living a holy and sinless life.

So let’s move on.

At VCW, we tend to ask questions like:

• Where are you seeing God move in your life?
• What do you just love doing?
• What gives you joy?
• How have you been aware of the Holy Spirit’s involvement in your life?

At one kinship a few months ago, one person was talking about how she knew God was inviting her to pray for healing for a family member. But she totally balked. What if God really did heal? What would she do? So she chickened out.

Another group member launched into deficit-based answers: Yep, that’s how it is. You let fear in and fear ruled you. God doesn’t give us a spirit of fear.

You get the idea. Can you feel the oppression? This guy meant well. And he was simply responding as he’d been trained after decades of church going.

I jumped in and interrupted him. I was actually kind of rude in shutting him down. “Stop. No, really, stop. We’re not going there. We’re here to celebrate, to celebrate our growing awareness of God’s involvement in our life.”

Then I turned to the original speaker and said, “Did you hear how you started? ‘I sensed God’s invitation…’ THAT’S HUGE! You heard God! And you recognized it was Him! Bet you weren’t doing that a few years ago!! That’s something to celebrate!”

Yes, we want to grow in obedience to His invitations. But I seriously doubt we’ll grow in obedience if we keep focusing on disobedience.

Strengths based. It’s a much more fulfilling take on life in the Kingdom. It’s the kind of church I’d want to go to!

I’d love to put this on our local christian radio stations!

Click here to hear the new Vineyard Church of Waterville Ad

I really like movies.

And I really like movies that leave me feeling “cleaner” for having watched them.

Waking Ned Devine is one of the best in that category.

I don’t know if it’s the music, or the Irish love of life, or the humor, or the incredible actors. But I love watching this movie.

But I’m really bugged by one detail at the end. Can anyone tell me who the extra guy is raising a glass to Ned? The guy on the right.

They used this shot for the original movie posters and DVD cover and he’s fully featured in the shot in the movie. But it’s the only time we see him! He’s no where else in the movie! Who is he?!?!!

Here’s just one of the comments you missed if you missed the Vineyard Church of Waterville’s kinship tonight:

A speedboat driven by a deaf man talking on a cell phone!

Just finished our first-ever camping trip! 4 days and 3 nights at Mt. Blue State Park

Here are some random thoughts:

• totally unplugged: no phone, no internet, no pda!!
• finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!
• lots of time with the family
• awesome to see Sof curled up with Anna in the tent
• Anna climbing up Bald Mountain, chanting to herself “Pitman’s never quit”
• Caleb being the extraordinary marshallow roaster
• finding locally roasted coffee beans
• coming home and having Em tell me she loves living in town (but to not remind her she said that )

The new Harry Potter book just came in the mail!!!

See you in a couple days.

[7/25 Update: Finished reading it to Em last night at 10:30ish p.m. What an incredible story!! Tons of sermons waiting to be preached. ]

Em and the girls kidnapped me today, jumpstarting my week of vacation!

[Actually, they reminded mommy that "kidnapping" was bad. So they just came and got me. ]

…a first time visitor to your church’s kinship asks, “Do you guys always laugh this much?”

This happened last night. We all looked at each other and said, “Yeah. We do!”

Later, she told me she’d never been around people having so much fun at a church event. I encouraged her to hang around us. Joy seems to be catchy.

I’m loving the group God’s putting together here at VCW!

I married the coolest wife!

Check out her new Waterville Vineyard Worship blog.

Mark Batterson has an AWESOME blot post about a distraction in the church service.

Being a church that’s open to the Spirit, we run this risk every Sunday. I often have said, if you’re going to dance, please feel free to do that in the back. Oddly, that offended one person. Claimed I was quenching the Spirit.

Fortunately, he got over it and stayed for a couple years. I bet he still considers the Vineyard Church of Waterville as “his” church.

I like Mark’s comment on thinking of the group of people, the flock. It’s very different being in the “captain’s chair” (as my sending pastor calls it)!

Preaching through Acts, these kind of interpersonal encounters are central to this Kingdom life.