A Blog by Jason Salamun

When intangible dreams evolve into tangible realities, it’s pure magic.

Yet one of the great scandals of our day is how many dreams remain just that- dreams.

We reside in a culture that shouts, “chase your dreams” to our face yet whispers, “don’t cause a scene” in our ear.

As a result, we exchange the thrill of dream chasing for the pill of rat racing.

I should know.

My life is a dusty bookshelf of forgotten and neglected dreams.

Sitting still while I seek God’s will.

But God doesn’t make it that complicated.

When you see your neighbors house on fire…

You do something about it.

All around you are fires (needs, hurts, injustices, fears, you name it) that need to be put out.

Do you see them?

God has equipped you with talents, passions, and resources to help extinguish them.

Will you?

We’re not promised tomorrow but we’re here today.

For a reason.

Follow Jesus, turn your dream into a mission of love, and go until you get a no.

At least that’s what I’m learning to do.

Ever had a pebble chip your windshield?

If you have, then you know that the first thing you do is get it repaired.

If you don’t, that small chip will turn into a big crack.

I’m guessing there are relationships in your life right now that have a small chip.

This leaves you with two options:

1) Ignore it (and hope it just goes away)

2) Take care of it (and don’t take your chances)

If you ignore it, odds are that small chip in your relationship will grow into a full-blown fracture.

If you take care of it, you may prevent that small chip from becoming a full-blown fracture.

Make the first move.

Take care of the chip.

And don’t do crack.

I love Conan O’Brien.

I even named my cat after him.

He used to do this skit called, “In the Year 2000.”

Where he’d peer into the future.

Funny stuff.

This is my attempt to look into the not-so-distant future.

At shifts I see looming or arriving in churches.

They are coupled together but they don’t all hold pinky fingers.

I’d be curious to see which shifts you dig and which ones you don’t.

What you see as either/or and what you see as and/both.

Read carefully and leave a reply.

.

Churches starting churches.

Churches launching campuses.

.

Pastors leading from out front.

Pastor leading from up top.

.

The development of leaders.

The replacement of a leader.

.

The Bible opened on top of the collected works of Seth Godin, John Piper, and Rob Bell.

The Bible laying beside collected works of Seth Godin, John Piper, and Rob Bell.

.

The peer-to-peer networking of the church.

The power-grabbing consolidation of the church.

.

Discipleship as a first-step, next-step, grow-as-you-go, journey towards Jesus.

Discipleship as an online program, just-take-this-class, activity about Jesus.

.

Iron-sharpening-iron community.

Anonymous-staying-anonymous community.

.

Churches sending Christians.

Christians consuming churches.

.

Becoming the church Jesus had in mind.

Becoming clones of the church you’re favorite leader had in mind.

.

Orthodox in theology, open in methodology.

Open in theology, open in methodology.

.

Jesus as the end.

Jesus as the means to an end.

.

Shaping culture.

Shaped by culture.

.

Preachers and teachers communicating with their family.

Preachers and teachers communicating with hologram technology to an audience.

.

Courage in the face of rejection and persecution.

Compromise in the face of rejection and persecution.

.

I could list more, but that’s plenty for now.

Let’s talk.

What do you like/dislike?

Do you agree/disagree?

What would you add?

I love my city.

But.

My city is a strange brew.

Starting a new church here has opened my eyes to it.

On one hand, there’s a solid Christian sub-culture.

Christian events do very well here.

Christian music concerts & festivals.

Evangelistic crusade-type-things.

There are lots of bumper stickers & fish symbols on cars indicating membership to the Christian sub-culture.

You can often find pro-life picket signs near the local Planned Parenthood.

And there are loads of churches.

Religion runs heavy here.

So why in the world are we starting a church here?

It looks like the “culture-war” has already prevailed.

That’s the thing.

It’s all a smoke-screen.

We’re missing the point.

All that prominent Christian culturalization has had little impact on real issues.

There are still lots of broken homes and broken hearts.

There are still issues of racism.

There are still hungry children.

There is still an us vs. them mentality.

There are still self-righteous, judgmental hypocrites.

I should know, I’m a recovering one.

Don’t get me wrong.

There are some super churches and loving Christians in my city.

But the general impression is this:

Get saved and change into this Christian t-shirt.

Jesus didn’t live, suffer, die, and rise so that we could create a silly sub-culture.

He came that we might have life, and life in full.

That we might bring light into darkness.

That we might change the story.

That we might love others as ourselves.

On the other hand, there are thousands and thousands of people in my city who want nothing to do with church.

For many, Jesus isn’t the issue.

They just don’t want to wear the t-shirt.

Or stick on a goofy bumper sticker.

Or hand out tracts at the mall.

Or give up listening to good music.

Or dump their friends at the bar.

They don’t want to be THAT guy or gal.

They don’t want to be religious.

They want an authentic faith that doesn’t turn people into something creepy.

I don’t blame them. I don’t either.

The good news is this:

Jesus offers something better.

Something real.

His grace.

His love.

Himself.

Too often, Jesus is presented as the means to get to heaven.

That’s incomplete.

He’s not the means, he’s the end.

Love Jesus and heaven follows.

Not the other way around.

Project Church exists for those outside the Christian sub-culture.

For the explorers who are still trying to figure out what they believe.

For the followers who are trying to live out what they believe.

We’re not here to add to the sub-culture.

We’re here to change the story.

Not because we’re great.

Because Jesus is.

Jesus is always better than religion.

If you want to kill a movement.

Institutionalize it.

Make it the norm.

Get people comfortable.

Movements are like kites, they need a wind to rise against.

Movements tell a different story than what is being told.

Movements require an antagonist.

If you look at movements in history, this is a common thread.

Jesus sparked a movement of love against the backdrop of a fallen world.

America was a movement of freedom against the backdrop of a monarchy.

Rescue Missions are a movement of generosity against the backdrop of poverty.

But.

If you want to ignite a movement.

Don’t just find an enemy.

Find a cause.

A rallying cry.

A better story.

Fix your eyes on it.

Advance in that direction.

And don’t stop.

When you encounter some wind.

Grin.

Because it’s not just resistance.

It’s traction.

And you’re on your way to becoming a genuine movement.

Just make sure you’re moving in the right direction.

Project Church is all about Jesus.

In him, God became a man, entered our messed-up story, and changed the story.

He died for us so that we might live for him.

As a result of what Jesus did (and is doing), our hope, our project, is to be the church Jesus had in mind.

Not some religious institution of self-righteous, judgmental hypocrites.

But a movement of love of jacked-up yet growing people who are exploring and following Jesus.

Who are taking our first steps and next steps in living the lives we are meant to live.

Who are an authentic community of grace, truth, mission, and meaning.

Our style and methods may not be typical,

but make no mistake about it,

Project Church is

all about,

all for,

and all because of,

Jesus.

As a result, this is the church we strive to be.

Biblical.

We believe in the timeless truths of the ancient scriptures.

We aren’t looking to invent some new religion.

That’s lame.

We also aren’t seeking to push the Bible down your throat or beat you over the head with it.

That’s not how we roll.

But we do believe the Bible is relevant to our lives.

And since Jesus said it was all about him, we recalibrate our lives according to it.

It’s our supreme court and ultimate authority and no person, philosophy, or teaching is above it.

We figure if God says it’s his very word, then it should be a big deal to us.

It’s in the Bible where we discover the gospel.

The good news of the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.

Grace means God can’t love us any more or less than he already does.

There’s nothing that can separate his love from us.

It sounds too good to be true

yet

there’s no purer truth in all the universe.

In Christ, we get what we don’t deserve.

Him.

And his ever-flowing, over-flowing, love and forgiveness.

We simply need to believe it and receive it.

And because we get what we don’t deserve, we are free to give grace to others.

It’s not always easy- but it’s always good.

We all wrestle with doubts and none of us have it all figured out.

But at Project Church, you can belong before you believe.

Missional

Our mission is to do what Jesus said:  To go and make disciples who love God and people.

It is a collision of what’s known as the Great Commandment & the Great Commission.

We will stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves and offer hope to the hopeless.

We will fight against injustice and guilt-based religion by our actions and the Gospel.

In serving others, we serve Christ.

We will never forget that our ultimate mission is to bring good news and be good news to those around us.

We are to tether ourselves to Jesus and go as far as He leads.

We are called to be carriers of grace and infect all those around us.

Too often, the church has attacked the culture in which we live.

This is the equivalent to throwing rocks at the house of the very people you’re called to love.

Jesus showed us the way to change a story is to enter a story.

All around us are a multitude of stories that need to be changed.

We can’t make all the stories better.

We wish we could.

But we can make some better.

And some is better than none.

Our greatest hope and mission is for folks to meet the One who restores stories.

Relational

Project Church boils down to relationships.

We get this from God.

After all, He is in relationship with himself as Father, Son, and Spirit.

When He created humanity, He designed us for relationships- with Him and one another.

It’s in the fabric of our being.

This is why God calls us to essentially love Him and people.

Love can only travel on relational highways.

The very highway He constructed.

Our challenge is to love like God does.

Right where people are.

At Project Church, our aim is to be real with God, ourselves, and each other.

Church was never meant to be a bunch of people who sit in pews, put on masks, and go through the motions.

Instead, we’re to be a family where no one stands alone.

Because relationships are so important,

we seek less churchy activities and more friendships with people despite where they are on their spiritual journey.

If anything, the church is to equip people to go through everyday life to build and develop genuine relationships.

Not keep them corralled in church buildings like cattle.

This may seem to be a given, and perhaps a bit elementary,

But we are about intentional, genuine relationships.

This is where the rubber meets the road in terms of following Jesus and being the church Jesus had in mind.

Other people and places will do a lot of things better than the church.

U2 concerts have better production (and music) than the church.

United Way helps more people than the church.

Disneyworld has more entertaining kids environments than the church.

Neighborhood bars often have better community than the church.

Facebook has a better online presence than the church.

I could go on.

But.

There’s one thing the church has to offer that no one else has.

Grace.

Because of Jesus.

No people or place should outdo the church on grace.

Ironically, it’s not what folks generally associate the church with.

Sad.

Sad indeed.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

As you focus on your systems to improve your church experience.

Remember this.

Someone, somewhere, is doing it all better than you.

But what they can’t do…

Is outgrace you.

Or can they?

I guess the answer is up to you.

Project Church is not organized around religion.

We’re centered on Jesus.

There’s a big difference.

Religion ends with guilt.

Jesus begins with forgiveness.

Religion adds burdens.

Jesus carries burdens.

Religion enslaves.

Jesus frees.

Religion is about what I have to do.

Jesus is about what he has done.

Religion sees us vs. them.

Jesus sees us.

Religion leads to pride.

Jesus leads to humility.

Religion is salvation by morality.

Jesus is our salvation.

Religion brings religious institutions.

Jesus brings movements of love.

Religion separates itself from the world.

Jesus steps into the world.

Religion is about rules.

Jesus is about grace.

Religion tries to change people.

Jesus changes people.

Religion produces self-righteousness.

Jesus is our righteousness.

Religion points a finger.

Jesus took the blame.

Religion makes judgmental hypocrites.

Jesus changes judgmental hypocrites.

Religion lost.

Jesus won.

Religion’s no match for Jesus.

It’s easy to think of the crucifixion of Jesus as a historical act.

A “back in the day” sort of thing.

It’s true.

But not completely true.

It’s also a today thing.

And a tomorrow thing too.

You see, I’m still killing Jesus.

Every sin I commit

is another sin he had to suffer and die for.

We’ll never understand how great our Savior is

until we realize how great our sin is.

A sacrifice marked in time bleeds into all times.

If not for Jesus, I’d be hopeless.

Lost.

But in Jesus I have hope.

I’m found.

Jesus took the pill of sin.

And swallowed it on my behalf.

In my place.

For my sin.

Because of him and him alone.

I am reconciled with God.

Made right so they say.

Christ became the worst of us.

In order to save us.

Why would he do such a thing?

Love.

He loves me.

He loves you!

So in this season,

We remember.

We celebrate.

We recalibrate.

It’s all about Jesus after all.

Who he is.

What he’s done.

What he’s doing.

God became a man.

Entered our messy story.

To change the story.

He is the hero.

Yet we killed the hero of the story.

God being God

Used our injustice to make us just.

Jesus being Jesus

Died for us so that we might live for him.

Death couldn’t contain him.

Sin couldn’t defeat him.

Jesus didn’t tap out.

He countered.

Rose from death.

And won.

For us.

Remember his sacrifice.

Celebrate his resurrection.

Recalibrate your life.

On Jesus.

Not just on Good Friday.

Not just on Easter Sunday.

But everyday.

Live free.

Because of Jesus.

There’s a great lie floating around our culture.

That some things are secular.

And other things are sacred.

It’s perpetuated by church-going and God-rejecting folks alike.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Psalm 24:1 tells us the earth is the Lord’s along with everything and everyone in it.

God’s a big God.

He doesn’t look at his creation and see a slice that he doesn’t control.

Neither should we.

Yet Christians do this all the time.

Secular work.

Secular music.

Secular movies.

Secular schools.

Blah, blah, blah.

And culture lets them.

It keeps them out of their hair.

But it’s all a lie.

Everything is sacred.

This world is full of sin.

Things aren’t as they should be.

Yet Jesus stepped right into the mess.

I sin a lot.

I am not as I should be.

Yet Jesus stepped into my mess too.

Thank God Jesus didn’t act like many Christians.

He didn’t see me as secular and avoid me.

He loves me, redeemed me, and is changing me.

What would happen if we started seeing everything as God’s?

Whether it was intended for him or not.

Culture.

Work.

Politics.

Food.

Places.

The internets.

Everyday things.

Everyday people.

It’s all his.

Every story is about him.

Every song longs for him.

Every philosophy is searching for him.

Look for it.

When you learn to see God in all things,

even ungodly things,

it will rock your world.

Because you begin to get a glimpse of the hugeness of God.

That he’s bigger, better, and more sovereign than you can imagine.

He’s working through things many Christians would not approve of.

He even works through the messiest of people.

People like us.

Stop splitting your life into slices.

By what you think is God’s and what’s not.

The truth is this:

If you’re a follower of Jesus,

God gets the whole pie of your life.

Not just a slice.

You are free to be whole.

You don’t have to pretend to be any more or less than you really are.

Stop believing the secular/sacred divide lie.

Stop living it too.

You’ve got better things to do.