Secret followers

I was reading a familiar story this morning - the story of the burial of Jesus from John 19. I've probably read it dozens of times in my life, and yet today I saw something I've never seen before. Check it out:

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night.

Did you catch that? Look at it again - a secret follower of Jesus who was accompanied by another man who had been so afraid to be seen with Jesus that he went to Him at night - these are the men who end up with the body of Jesus, preparing it for burial.

All day long I've been thinking about this. I wonder about a lot of things. How did these two secret followers of Jesus find each other? What was it like to be burying Jesus after having been too afraid to be seen with him in public? Were they ashamed? Were there regrets? What was their conversation like?

Then again, this particular moment seems to be a very public thing. They go to Pilate (and Mark's gospel tells us that Joseph "went boldly to Pilate") and ask for the body. Both of these men are prominent people. They have a lot to lose in this moment to be seen as sympathetic to this "blasphemer" and "enemy of Rome". Their secret following seems to have taken a public turn.

Here's what I take from this though. The story of Jesus death is surrounded by other stories of people who totally blow it. There's Judas who betrays Him, the disciples who desert Him, one who denies Him, a crowd that mocks Him, religious people who reject Him, and these two guys who are afraid to be seen with Him.

I don't know about you - but I've found myself in just about every one of those groups at some point. And there's been more than one time in my life when I've been afraid to be known as a Jesus follower. But resurrection changes that doesn't it? No one knew the reality of Jesus death more than the guys who wrapped his body, placed it in a cold, hard tomb, and sealed it up. We don't know much about what happened to Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea after the resurrection. But I can guess. My guess is that their secret was out of the bag. I bet their fear gave way to hope, to new life, and to resurrection.

Jesus has that affect on us. He transforms us. He changes us. He embraces us. Whether we've denied Him, rejected Him, deserted Him, mocked Him, or even been afraid to be seen with Him.

May you be encouraged today to follow Him boldly.

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Jon and Jenny

Last week Kim and I said goodbye to some dear friends who came to mean so much to us in the short two years that we knew them. Jon and Jenny James (in the picture above, with Andrew in the middle, for reasons only Andrew could probably explain) were part of the launch team of Story Church. (In case you don't know what that is, it's basically the handful of people who commit themselves to helping to get a brand new church off the ground.) We had been meeting in my house with about three other families on a weekly basis when Jon emailed me one day out of the blue. He and his family were looking for a church and he said that they would like to come to one of our meetings to get to know us. Little did we know that we were about to meet some of the most critical team members Story Church would have in our first two years.

Over time as we began to get to know them, Jon and Jenny fit like a glove. I quickly learned that Jon was not only very smart, but an incredibly gifted strategic thinker. I had always heard that God would provide just the right people at just the right time for our church, but this was really unbelievable. Jon and I met at least once a week to talk about the church, to dream big dreams and to talk about how to create the systems that would make Story Church sustainable. He saved me time and time again from myself as I would start down some trail without a plan. Where I tend to be big picture, Jon always helped me to think practically and to ask the important questions of how we get there.

Jon played in the band, rarely missing a week. He set up our sound system. He built the carts we use for our setup. He created the online tools we use to track and measure the health and effectiveness of our church. He gave generously from day one. He managed our volunteers - from the first time they served to the scheduling to the shepherding of each one. For the first year of our church Jon even pulled the trailer with his truck.

Jenny served in our kids ministry from day one. When she wasn't with our kids, she was the first face people would connect with as she would welcome them from the stage. And all this while carrying around a small man / large baby we know and love as Jimmy.

On a personal level, Jon really helped me to get to know this city that I've come to love in Durham. Jon introduced me to Cosmic Cantina - where we regularly debated the merits of the Chicken Burrito vs. the "Old School" Chicken Burrito. He introduced me to Parker and Otis, now one of my favorites. And then there's Bali Hai and the unceasing quest to get the most food for the best value. No one can stack food better or create a more complete bridge of food than Jon. I should also credit Jon for my transition to coffee - as he introduced me to the mocha, the gateway drug I needed to make the jump. He took me to a Duke football game, but more importantly, he got me in to Cameron to see my first Duke hoops game.

Jon and I laughed a lot. Which to me was maybe the most important thing of all. Jon became a friend for me in what were some of the most lonely times of my life - those first two years of the church planting process. I don't know if I would have made it without a friend like Jon.

We always knew that Jon and Jenny would only be here a short time as he finished up his PhD. I can only say the time was too short. It's hard to completely explain how much Jon and Jenny have meant to my family, and to the Story Church family. Our church may not have made it this far, but certainly not in its present form if it hadn't been for this amazing couple.

Jon and Jenny have moved on to Cleveland where Jon goes to work for the Federal Reserve. I know one thing for sure - Cleveland just became a better city. I thank God for the time we had with the James family and pray that He blesses them in every way in the years to come.

We had hoped to have one last Sunday with Jon and Jenny to publicly acknowledge them and the contribution they made to Story Church. In the end, that wasn't possible. But if you have benefited in any way from the ministry of Story Church it is only because of people like Jon and Jenny. Please don't hesitate to let them know how thankful you are for them by responding here, or send them a message on Facebook here, or here.

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Dear Church Planter

Church planter, I want to talk to you today about numbers. Every church planter faces the temptation to measure the success of their church by numbers. The number of butts in seats, and the number of dollars given in offering. Those two numbers - butts and bucks, become the dominant numbers above all else. And let's be honest, they are pretty important stats. Without people, you don't have a church. And without finances, you can't continue to have a church. At some level these are important numbers. But while these numbers tell a story, they don't tell the WHOLE story.

Two weeks ago we had some of our highest numbers ever. It was close to our highest attendance, and it was by far our highest offering ever. And on Monday, I was feeling pretty good. We had turned a corner, we were on our way forward, ready to hire staff, ready to take our city for Jesus. And then there was this week. Below average attendance, and our lowest Sunday offering ever. And you know what? Monday I felt like sitting in a dark room and listening to Depeche Mode all day.

But then I was reminded of a different set of numbers:

• 1 - the mom who attended with her family on Mother's day and though in her 60s said it was the first time in her life she was moved to tears as God spoke to her through worship.
• 2 - the couple beginning to see God put their marriage back together.
• 3 - the number of kids who were dedicated on Mother's day as parents and families committed themselves to following Jesus together as a family.
• 4 - the family of four who have started coming recently and are finding new life.
• 5 - the family that just moved 2,500 miles to be part of the Story Church team.

So church planter, numbers are important. Attendance and offering are important. But they aren't the most important. A crowd doesn't mean lives are being changed. A great offering doesn't mean that marriages are being healed. Be faithful with what God gives you now, celebrate the numbers that matter most - and in the end, I believe those other numbers will be just fine.

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