Jason Salamun

From the J.R.R. Tolkien classic, The Return of the King:

“But Sam lay back, and started with open mouth, and for a moment, between bewilderment and great joy, he could not answer. At last has gasped: “Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue? What’s happened to the world?”

“A great shadow has departed,” said Gandalf, and then he laughed and the sound was like music, or water in a parched land; and as he listened the thought came to Sam that he had not heard laughter, the pure sound of merriment, for days upon days without count. It fell upon his ears like the echo of all the joys he had ever known. But he himself burst into tears. Then as sweet rain will pass down a wind of spring and the sun will shine out the clearer, his tears ceased, and his laughter welled up, and laughing he sprang from his bed.

“How do I feel?” he cried. “Well I don’t know how to say it. I feel, I feel” – he waved his arms in the air – “I feel like spring after winter, and sun on the leaves; and like trumpets and harps and all the songs I have ever heard!”’

“Behold, I am making all things new.” – Jesus (Revelation 21:5)

Can you answer this question in one sentence?

What

Is

The

Meaning

Of

Life?

?

?

?

?

Francis Chan, Joshua Harris, and Mark Driscoll are all influential leaders within the church today and recently, they had a round table discussion, and the cameras were rolling. It’s worth a watch.

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He cried.

The mailman, who collects the mail from the where my P.O. box is located, cried.

He’s a gruff, middle-aged fellow with his head shaved bald, thick goatee, and a baritone voice that’s difficult to understand. His demeanor is as approachable as  Squidward from Spongebob Squarepants.

For the last couple of years, our paths have crossed as I swing by to pick up my mail at the same time he collects everyone else’s.  At first, I didn’t think I should bother him. He always looked so busy (and mad), but I would walk by him as he emptied the bins from the mailboxes, flash a quick smile, and tell him to have a nice day.  He’d reply with a nod.

Eventually, I mixed it up by asking, “How’s it going?”  He would reply, “Can’t complain.”  For two adult males, that’s a pretty deep chat, and this has been the extent of our interaction the last couple of years.  From time to time, I would change it up by asking, “What’s up?” or “Big plans this weekend?” or “How ’bout this weather?”  But, keeping to form, he would answer back with replies no greater than five words and the same sourpuss expression on his face.

Last week, our paths crossed, and I asked my typical, “How’s it going?’ drive-by question on my way to check the mail.  This time he paused, which led me to pause, and behind his shades, I saw a tear drop.  I asked him if everything was okay. He said it wasn’t and pointed to his wedding band.  It turns out, after nearly 25 years of marriage, his wife had left him for another man.  I put my hand on his shoulder in sympathy as he revealed how hopeless he feels.  How he’s been trying to stay busy, but eventually, he has to go to bed, and that’s when it hurts the most. I just listened and tried to encourage him.

“The one thing keeping me going right now,” he admitted, “is my son, who’s in college. He’s all I got.”  He went on to tell me how proud he was of him and also how he’s still hoping his wife comes to her senses and returns home.  ”I’d take her back in a heartbeat.”

In my mind, I was asking God for the right words or gesture to share.  One thing that came to mind was, “hope remains.”  We talked about hope. About having something to live for.  About how he has a lot of life ahead of him.  He agreed, but I know it’s difficult to see the sky when you feel like you’re buried underground.

We were interrupted by another worker and we gave our farewell’s as he loaded packages and I moved on to check my mail. As I walked back out, he motioned me over, gave me a big bear hug, and thanked me.  I told him I’d be praying for him. With a cracking voice he said, “You have no idea how much that means, bubba.”  I’ve never been called bubba before.  It’s kinda redneck, but I took it as a term of endearment.

I haven’t seen him yet this week. I’m sure I will.

I hope he calls me bubba.

I hope he’s clinging to hope.

I hope he comes to know the source of it.

I wonder how many opportunities like this I miss because I’m too busy or too caught up in my own little world? Too many, I’m sure.

God, open my eyes to see as you see and to love my neighbor as myself. Amen.

Those crazy dreamers.

Just when things are set to cruise control, those crazy dreamers come along and change the course.

Just when roots are firmly established, those crazy dreamers come along and shake the tree of complacency.

Just when times get to be predictable, those crazy dreamers come along and interrupt the status quo.

Everybody tells you to dream- but not everyone wants (or expects) you to actually follow through with it.  Especially if it rattles their cage.

Dreaming is safe.

Doing is daring.

Ignore the critics and cynics.

But listen to wisdom.

And advance that dream you crazy dreamer.

That’s why you’re here.

If grace is true, it changes everything.

If grace is true, it changes me.

If grace is true, then going the extra mile is the norm.

If grace is true, then my tips are more than the waitress deserves.

If grace is true, it means I will forgive all those who hurt me.

If grace is true, then I would give my full attention to each person I come across today.

If grace is true, then I wouldn’t withhold my encouragement to another.

if grace is true, then I wouldn’t try to avoid certain people.

If grace is true, then I would accept every Facebook friend request that another human sends me.

If grace is true, then I will seek to give more and spend less.

If grace is true, then I will give that homeless guy downtown a few bucks even if I think he’d spend it unwisely.

If grace is true, then I would treat people who love me the same as people who don’t.

If grace is true, then I wouldn’t cut people off in traffic or hurry and beat someone else for a parking spot.

If grace is true, then I would not play favorites.

If grace is true, then I don’t believe in just second chances but a million chances.

If grace is true, then Christ gets 100% of me and nothing less.

If grace is true, hope always remains.

How has grace changed you?

Inspired by the Beatitudes…

Blessed are those who stub the toe of their life while stumbling through darkness.

Blessed are those who feel like they’re drinking expired milk on a hot day.

Blessed are those who need a big hug more than a big finger.

Blessed are those who are climbing a mountain of ice with no tread left on their shoes.

Blessed are those who want to put a giant band-aid on the wounds of this world.

Blessed are those who never feel at home.

Blessed are those who’ve been rejected by the establishments.

Blessed are those whose hearts have been shattered and can’t seem to find all the pieces.

For YOU are exactly who Jesus came for.

“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!”

That was the sound we were greeted to when we arrived at the movie theater where our church meets. During the course of our gathering, we had a bird flying through the lobby, a bird flying over the theater seats ready to drop bombs, and three baby birds drop from the ceiling onto the stage where I was preaching.

Crazy.

Somehow, these birds found a home and today, the birds revolted against the humans who dared intrude upon their space.  Fortunately, we had a seasoned pro in our midst. A first-timer in fact, who handled the baby birds and made sure they were properly removed. He immediately earned the nickname, “The Birdman.”

Again, crazy.

I’m pretty sure I was the only preacher in America who had baby birds falling around him on stage. The amazing part, after all of this craziness, three people began a relationship with Jesus during our gathering. How about that?

But that’s the way it goes in church planting, and in life.

Sometimes, it’s the crazy events that lead to something amazing.

I’m often asked about Project Church. What we’re about. How we roll. What’s up with the name.   Here’s a brief summary about the DNA of Project Church.

THE PROJECT

God’s project is the renewal of all things and he has called us to join him! That’s the trajectory of Project Church: To Join God in His Mission in the World. We exist to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) by living out the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40).

In other words, our calling is clear: Love God. Love People. Live Free. And our passion is to make disciples of Jesus and help start gospel-driven churches who do the same.

As we go, this is the operating system that guides every discussion we have, every decision we make, and every direction we take:

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

JESUS – All arrows point to Jesus
GOSPEL – Grace changes everything
STORY – Guided by the unfolding narrative of the scriptures
MEANING – Every life is significant in the Story of God
MOXIE – Make bold moves
HEART – People matter to God and they matter to us
MISSION – For the city, for the world, because of God
COMMUNITY – No one walks alone
AUTHENTICITY – Real with God, ourselves, and one another
IMAGINATION – Unleashing creativity, reflecting the Creator
PRAYER – Aligning our hearts and wills to God’s
SIMPLICITY – Clarity over complexity

DESIGN

Project Church is structured in a way that helps us focus on keeping the main thing the main thing.

This means we intentionally limit formal programs and instead focus on these three aspects of our church being the church. Each also serve as an entry point into our community and are equally significant.

Personal Relationships

• God, being a relational God, created us for relationships
• The Gospel travels on relational highways
• Our relational networks are our mission field
• Project Church all boils down to relationships

Missional Communities

• Beyond a small group into a genuine biblical community
• Journey together
• Care for one another
• Live out Rhythms

Weekly Gatherings

• Worship Jesus through teaching, music, prayer, & connecting.
• Celebrate God and recalibrate around his mission in the world.
• Designed with both explorers and followers of Christ in mind.

Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ is the collaborative effort of authors Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola.

Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote, “A mind stretched to a new idea, never goes back to its original dimensions.”  Thanks to these two authors, the collective mind of the church won’t go back to her original dimensions either.

They both have reputations as being rubber-bands in the Church.  Len Sweet often stretches us forward while Frank Viola often stretches us back. They’ve helped the Church rethink and return to what it means to be the Church and in this latest work, they take us to the one who is the point of it all: Jesus.

The book is radical in the purest sense of the word. Returning us to the author and founder of our faith. There are no new ideas, only fresh expressions of ancient truths.

Their aim is straight-forward:

“So what is Christianity? It is Christ. Nothing more. Nothing less. Christianity is not an ideology or a philosophy. Neither is it a new type of morality, social ethic, or worldview. Christianity is the “good news” that beauty, truth, and goodness are found in a person. And true humanity and community are founded on and experienced by connection to that person.”

What I appreciate about this book is that it’s about the Who rather than the what. So many works of theology are filled with propositions (what’s) that fit nicely into spreadsheets and Sweet and Viola paint with an artists’ touch that illuminates the revealed Christ (the Who) while still leaving room for mystery (see Chapter 5).

This book is saturated with scripture. From the get-go, Sweet and Viola invite us to journey with them and see how Christ is the point of both the Old Testament and the New.  They lead us to the cross and remind us that God incarnate loved us enough to “become sin incarnate.” They hold up the victory of the resurrection, the hope of a new humanity, and how to God the Father, our life is wrapped up in Christ.

They challenge readers to not just imitate Christ, but share in his life. To not just fend off idolatry by trying harder, but by grasping the grandeur of Christ. To not ask Jesus to get into our wagon, but for us to hop into his.  To not simply see Jesus as simply another “cause”, but to see Jesus (period).

If there was one minor hiccup in the book it would be the lack of flow. This is bound to happen with two established authors. Sweet and Viola have such distinct writing styles, and sometimes it can be difficult to follow the bouncing back and forth between the authors. They don’t always identify who is writing what section, but readers of their previous works (like me) will identify their voices quickly.  I’d recommend reading a chapter at a time if they want to maximize your experience.

Otherwise, this is a a fantastic book that makes much of Jesus.  It’s clear they want us to know him, not just know about him. They care more about Who you believe in, not just what you believe. They don’t merely present Jesus as a means to an end, but herald him as the means and the end.

All arrows point to Jesus and it’s for this reason that I highly recommend Jesus Manifesto!

Thank you, Len and Frank. You clearly love the Lord and have given the Body of Christ a real gift.

Get your copy