30 Day Freefall

30 days or bust.”
“All or nothing.”

It has to be this way…30 days to raise $100,000, and if we fall short, nothing happens. To dream, especially publically, involves risk because it’s hoping and planning for a future with no guarantee of certainty, except this time, if we fail everyone will see it. To accomplish our goal of $100,000 in 30 days, we know there’s only one way.
To stare risk in the face and jump.
(its at http://www.indiegogo.com/bankshouse2 in case you haven’t seen it)

When we were children, dreaming wasn’t scary.
It was really the only thing we knew how to do.
Remember dreaming with no rules or limits?
Remember the little kid in you that could be anything you wanted to be when you grow up?

Hello tension.
It feels like a war going on inside us.
Kid vs. Grown Up, coming to you live on indiegogo.com“Hello world, we have a dream of converting a warehouse into a space for our generation to gather to worship Jesus. We need to raise a lot of money in a not many days.”

We feel like kids with a big dream, and can’t imagine our Father not wanting to make our dream happen. But then again, we’re grown up now, and we’ve all experience disappointment, missed expectations, failed dreams, mistakes, and pain.
The tension is scary.

Yesterday we jumped.
Now we have a 30 day freefall. Everything is in slow motion. In the air I turn my head and see a crowd of people watching. Some are mouthing the word “don’t jump.” Some are watching, wondering what will happen. Some are wondering why we’re jumping in the first place…what could possibly be below worth jumping for?
But I’ve already jumped. Its too late to turn back.
I’m not jumping alone though. Our whole community is jumping with us because of what we see when we close our eyes…something beautiful that’s worth jumping for. Something the crowd hasn’t seen. Yet.
And within the first 24 hours, many of you have already joined us in the air.

So for us, 30 days to $100,000 is jumping off a cliff, leaping for a future that we feel beating in our hearts. Its more then a building. It’s our passion to help make space for our generation to discover and experience the goodness and love of God all over again.

The math feels like a formidable opponent.
Yes, we raised $4,000 in the first 24 hours, but we need to do that for 29 more days. Yikes. Unfriendly voices in our head are saying there are sharp rocks at the bottom. We are choosing not to listen…instead, to believe in what we’ve seen.

We’re asking you to pray and see if this dream is a God idea, not ours.
And if the answer is yes, to jump with us…to jump believing what’s below is better than where we are now. To NOT base this decision around probability, but around the possibility of what could happen if we all jumped together.
Today, jumping means bringing your financial pledge to the table, and to share this dream with your world.

Anyone can look at the amount raised, and see how many days we have left, and think, “the odds don’t look to good, better wait and see.”
Welcome to the crowd.

Or you could jump with us, feeling the freedom of leaping for something bigger than ourselves. Something that takes God to see an impossibility bend. 
Let the kid inside win.

What if a movement grew out of this one dream?
A movement of reclaiming empty, unused space and re-purposing it for the Kingdom of God. Not just in Knoxville, but in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Cape Town, London, Sydney, and beyond. Reclaiming space for the people of God to live and breathe as they family of God, inviting the lonely and orphan home.
Warehouses, homes, offices, empty lots…the world says we’re in recession, and space is costly. The Kingdom of God is never in recession though. It’s always on the move, making space for the hungry and thirsty to come inside and rest.

Let the freefalling continue.
Kid vs. Grown Up, Live from Indiegogo.com will continue airing for 29 more days. 
You can watch, or you can jump with us.

Finding the kid inside,
Nathan

p.s – jumping is more fun.

His Story

Found this in a old journal of mine this morning, dated May 2nd 2010.

Its a simple faith deceleration over our generation.
Stirs my heart again…

“God is raising up a people who will tell His story. They are full of God’s Spirit, flowing in creativity that this world hasn’t seen. This level of creativity has been entrusted to them by the Creator himself because they have given their lives as stewards of God’s Kingdom. They have died to the flesh, and a Holy pursuit has taken over them. Their King’s values and virtues are written in their hearts. They live and breath to do His will. Their perspective of life comes from above, and thus their discernment in this world is deadly accurate, deadly to the stronghold’s of the enemy. Ever person they come in contact with is seen through the eyes of love. Boundless creativity will be released to those who’s desire is to partner with God in drawing the nations to Himself. Its time for the Kingdom story to be told. Its time for the Kingdom to be fleshed out in every facet of society with breathtaking beauty, because we serve a beautiful God. Its time for the Church to come out of hiding and be filled with the Spirit of God, the great Spirit of Love. Movies will be made, songs will be crafted that will cast out confusion and awaken hearts to the never ending calling of their Father to come home. An army of lovers freely given to our Father’s will are gathering. Are you one of them?”

Bonheoffer

I rarely take a breath in and forget to exhale. Especially while reading a book. But with Bonhoeffer’s biography by Eric Mataxas, I guess this is my exception. (For those that don’t know, Bonhoeffer was a theologian, pastor, and author in Germany during WWII, and was eventually imprisoned and martyred for his faith.)

Wherever Bonhoeffer stepped, even in the darkest of prisons, people witnessed his constant joy. He lived and breathed peace. He was a man absolutely for others. He was a pastor, not by title alone, but at his core. Prisoners would find him and pull on his life, the life of Christ inside of him. On his last day on earth, Bonhoeffer’s fellow prisoners asked him to hold a church service, with one of the most vocal askers a professed atheist. He read from Isaiah 53:5 (“By His stripes, we are healed.”) and 1st Peter 1:3 (“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”)

Just as Bonhoeffer finished his closing prayer, a SS guard stormed in the prison, demanding Bonhoeffer relocate to another prison, which happened to be notorious for being a place to go die.  Bonhoeffer said his goodbyes to his prisoner friends, closing with these words.

“This is the end. For me, the beginning of life.”

This is where i forgot to exhale.

Because after 542 pages of this man’s life, i understood God had prepared him for this moment in time.
Reading the detailed process of Bonhoeffer’s relentless pursuit of Christ and willingness to follow when NO ONE else was has taken my breath away.
A hero, yes. But more than that. A prophet whose words live on, who stirs my heart to be willing to follow Jesus, even unto death.

Please read this book if you have sometime. Its long, heavy, and quite intimidating to read. And to finish was a long process, in which i almost gave up at various points.
But wow, I’m so glad I finished. His life is a prophetic call to live obedient to Christ above all else.

When the foundation of the German Church was crumbling at all sides be the relentless onslaught of lies from the Nazis,  Bonhoeffer held to the truth.
Religion can’t withstand these lies. On a true relationship with Christ is strong enough. Truth moved Bonhoeffer to risk everything. He did, and was hanged for it, requested by enraged Hitler himself two weeks before his suicide. But he died knowing it was now the beginning. The long walk to freedom was over. He had arrived.

Bonhoeffer wrote about “Religion-less Christianity.” He had a vision of faith in Christ without the dead works and empty traditions. Just Jesus.
And he was one of the few that stood up to the lies, and proclaimed the truth of Christ with boldness during WWII from within Germany.
May we learn from his story.

Finally, watch the author of the biography give an INCREDIBLE speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in D.C
It is well worth the 30 min video

For an introduction into Bonhoeffer’s books, read “Cost of Discipleship” – so good!
Here’s a quote from it.

“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

Beauty and Purpose

When you gaze upon beauty,
purpose is sure to fall like sweet rain.

Not just any kind of beauty.
The author of beauty.
The perfection of perfect.
It’s in this place that we discover there’s a story being told with our life. A grand masterpiece of a story, given to us by our creator.

And its here that the weight of our call is felt.
Our story isn’t finished.
We have much to do.

But here’s the catch. As my dad has said,
“If purpose comes first then our hearts will turn to worship what we do rather than the One who gave us our story.”

If we respond to the call, but forget the unsurpassed beauty of God, then we will worship the work of our hands instead of Jesus.
Epic fail.

May we be a generation that re-defines the American dream.
“I will give my life away for another. I will boldly pursue my destiny and calling, but I will never forsake my God who has given my story, who is the reason why I breath, who is the source of life. I will climb the mountain of the Lord. I will sit at His feet and pour out my love.

We must feel our inadequacy to hold this line. We can’t without God.
Cry out to Jesus for his ever flood of Grace.
I promise you, in the Presence of Jesus, our call is clear.
Clarity comes. Boldness explodes.
But we must never trade our call for the presence and perfect beauty of Jesus.
We are worshipers, secure as sons and daughters of God.
Everything else we do is like lifelong recess on the world’s playground.

As Heidi Baker says, “All fruitfulness flows from intimacy.”
We can’t afford to forget. The world is crying out for the sons and daughters of God to be revealed.
But first, beauty.

Sift and Dig

A brother is a true brother when he digs for the gold inside of another. He diligently sifts through the rocks, dirt, and the all around rubbish for the hidden gold on the inside. He never gives up. He doesn’t back away when he comes up empty. He keeps trying, month after month, year after year. And when he finds the gold, he does what Jesus would do. He hands it right back over and says, “This is what I’ve found in you. This is the gift of God inside of you. This is what I see. This is what I know.”

A sister is a true sister when she digs for good soil in another. If she finds toxic soil, she keeps digging. It doesn’t scare her. If she finds dry and barren ground, she brings her sister water for her soil, words of life, and the water sees fruit grow from the good soil of commitment and pursuit. Toxic soil isn’t to be so scary we run the other way. The Holy Spirit is the master gardener, and is asking if you would be the rookie apprentice. We have much to learn, but the Holy Spirit is ready to teach.

“May your love still abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment.”  - Philippians 1:9

A part of being a real community is that we see the “stuff” in others. This is all part of God’s healing plan, because through relationship and the gift of trust and acceptance, we can help see the hearts of others healed. We will never know the joys of community if we see the crap in each other’s lives and we run away. No, Jesus calls us to sift for the gold and dig for the good soil.This is what I think it means for love to abound all the more in knowledge and discernment. When we pursue true community, we will see stuff that’s hard and painful. We will have intimate knowledge of each other’s fears, insecurities, and sin. But this is our crossroads, a place where this knowledge can either cause offense and the withholding of love, or it will cause love to abound all the more.

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1st Peter 4:8

Well said Peter. And here the healing continues. Here is the joy of relationship.

Today I experienced a brother digging for the good soil in me. And breaking through the toxic soil brings out some of my greatest fears. Things I’m embarrassed of are in me. This flares up when the pick ax breaks through my hard ground. But then my brother accepts me even still. He doesn’t run away. He actually runs into the scary places with me. This is family. Family runs with you to fear’s edge, and jumps off with you, knowing God will catch us both.

Come on Jesus, we believe you for a family revolution to break in into our broken and wounded relationships! For the Church to walk as a family together. Life to life. Home to home. For the world that’s known no family to find one carrying the name our Father and to be invited in. Amen!

Andrea Marie + Here Begin = HAPPY YOU

The Backstory
Sometime in late 2008, I (Nathan) was in Chicago at a church worship event, and I heard a girl named Andrea sing for the first time. Her effortless guitar playing blew me away. Then add smooth and angelic vocals to the mix. And did i mention anointed? I was hooked. I remember thinking, “We’ve got to figure out a way for her to join us.” So I did what any smart guy would do. I gave her our EP. Now for few who could appreciate this, lets just say the old EP wasn’t the prettiest to look at. We learned the hard way that certain colors on Photoshop don’t quite look the same once printed. So I reluctantly handed her this dark-green-but-almost-black looking cd and said she should take a listen sometime.

Fast forward a few months. The details are a bit vague in my memory (Will should know them), but I ended up seeing Andrea in Kansas City over the New Year and invited her to record with us on our next album (Radiance). She said yes. Success. So sometime in early 2009, we tracked a song with her in the Banks House Studio. Recording is quite the bonding experience, and we were all sold on Andrea being part of our community. Especially Will. He was more than sold. Now its his story to tell, but lets just say some magic happened, and sure enough, Andrea eventually became a Reagan. (For all the females that want the details, you’re gonna have to hear them from the source)

Recording Process 
Once married, Andrea and Will tucked away into the studio and started working on Andrea’s solo album. 6 months later they’ve emerged with a masterpiece.  The core of the album centers around a grand piano in the Reagan’s living room, an acoustic guitar, and the stories of Andrea’s life told through soaring melodies and poignant lyrics. This album wants to be listened to from start to finish. Then again.

Help us spread the word!

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