Culmination and Commencement

Yesterday was an interesting day in my life. It was a day of culmination, but also a day of commencement.

Thursday was the day of the Iowa caucuses. After months (years, for some) of various candidates campaigning in the state, it finally arrived. While I haven't (I don't think) blogged about the actual 2008 race aside from my hopes that Virginia's Mark Warner would run, I became a Mike Huckabee fan in the early summer, back when he was simply a second tier presidential candidate who was quite witty, engaging, and the only authentic person who was running. I didn't have any hopes that he'd actually win a primary, but then something happened.

Over the past couple weeks, my level of excitement began to build as he started surging in the polls, starting in Iowa, but then steadily across the country. Not only do the other candidates running for president leave much to be desired, but Huckabee actually offers something that none of the other candidate's do... he brings something completely new to the political process - a way of thinking that has caused the republican establishment to revile him. He is not "one of them" as both they, and he, frequently remind us.

Challenging the establishment is something that has been on my mind lately. Not questioning a political process, but wondering why it is we do church the way that we do it.

When I read the Bible, the church model that is prescribed is far different that what we live with today. I wondered why. Each element we have today, and why we do it, I was curious about. I thought that I would need to spend plenty of time researching this, just to put to rest my own personal concerns. But then, when I was blog surfing yesterday, I randomly stumbled upon this post by Brant Hansen. Check it out, and then come back here.

Thanks for coming back.

So it turns out, a book that deals with the exact issues that I had been wondering about is coming out this month! It was a moment of excited fear in my gut as I realized that these issues clearly are bigger than me, and are on the hearts and minds of many others out there.

So I'm not going to delineate my issues with the church establishment now because that will come with time on this blog. But it was exciting to know that there are "professionals" out there talking about this, and I'm even more excited to see where God takes it.

Culmination and commencement. After months and months of anticipation, Mike Huckabee scored a huge win challenging his party. On the very same day, I stumble upon a book that puts everything that I was taking issue with in one place, challenging our modern church. I feel like I have a book that was written just for me, done by professionals. It takes out the stuff that would seemingly slow me down (research)so I can rapidly put it to good use - both within my own church and in my life. Huckabee challenges his party, not because he hates it, but because he wants to make it better where its weak. In a far greater way, I hope that those of us who see the dire need to reform our church is not because we don't like it, but simply because we want to return it to its biblical (not man-made) roots.

When you arrive at your destination victorious, it is a great feeling. However, starting a journey such as this is actually far more exciting. The destination and end result will be far more incredible than anything the world has ever seen. Literally.