A few months ago I blogged about the name Logan James and where it came from.  Well on July 31st, we actually were able to take Logan to camp and share the story with him.   Here's some video from our first trip to camp:

“Real Church”. What is it? How is it defined? Is it possible? Can we find it?

In the opening pages of author Larry Crabb’s latest book, Real Church, he describes a real church as one which does the following:

“…will teach spiritual theology, that stirs a hunger for spiritual formation that surfaces the need for spiritual community that then marshals its resources for spiritual mission.”

This description seems like a very solid premise to build a church on, therefore I was excited about diving into this book. I, myself, am seeking guidance from God as I prepare to embark on a new journey in church-planting, so the title interested me to see more of what Crabb was speaking about.

Truthfully, I found the first half of the book to be a bit slow, as Crabb spent a lot of time outlining his experiences in how churches have been failing to live out the vision that he describes above. His assessments seemed legit – most of which stems from our addictions to ourselves; he clearly points out why there are so many churches struggling in our culture.

However, half way through the book Crabb picks up the pace as he begins to discuss the marks of a “real church.” I found myself consistently agreeing with him as he presents his ideas. The church Crabb describes is one that realizes we’re all sinners, dealing with addictions to something who need Christ, and gathers to seek God’s Truth through intimate community. It feels as if sometimes we tackle that goal from the wrong direction – we seek community first, and then realize we are sinners last, limiting the power and grace that God gives and wants to use within His body, the church.

Real Church is worth the read by those who are struggling with the idea of getting up every weekend for church. This book will challenge you to first look inward to see if barriers are preventing you from experiencing church, as well as help you identify marks to look for in churches who are practicing Real Church.

Family and Friends:

Four summers ago, my friend Mark and I ventured across the Long Island Sound to raise money for charity. When Mark returned home to Vancouver, he ran with the idea and created a similar event to raise money for cancer research known as Kayak for a Cure (KFAC). Four years later, his event continues to grow and KFAC is raising lots of money for cancer research through the Canadian Cancer Society.

This year, I have the opportunity to be in Vancouver with Chelsey and Logan and to be part of the event. We were lucky to have enough frequent flyer miles to make the trip. How exciting for me to get to paddle in an event that seemed like a dream as we floated across the sound in New York four years ago.

But there’s more to the story as well. Cancer is a part of everyone’s life in some way, whether we’ve had ourselves, or we know someone who has – it’s touched us all.

Last November, Chelsey’s Uncle Rillis had a broken hip. While in the hospital, they found cancer in his bone and lungs. Rillis had two rounds of chemo before he passed away in February 2009. A few weeks later, in March, friends of ours through work gave birth to a little girl named Zoe. From ultrasounds prior to birth, the doctors had reasons to want to examine her a little more once she was born. During that examine, they found cancer in her adrenal glands that has since moved into her liver. At 4 months old, Zoe has had one round of chemo already.

Will you join me in honoring these two friends and the countless others who have been affected by cancer and help sponsor my paddling in KFAC. Your $20 gift will help in fighting cancer by going towards research.

Thanks,

Andy