Challenger Deep

In May of 2010 I began an adventure that I call Challenger Deep, the quest for the mind of Christ. The name "Challenger Deep" comes from the deepest point of the ocean, a spot in the Marianna Trench off the coast of China. Challenger Deep is over 36,000 ft deep, 10,000 ft deeper than Everest is high. That's some hole! I see the mind of Christ like this. Paul speaks of this in 1 Cor.2:10. "The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God." Not only are these deep things revealed in the word of God, but they are revealed in the life of the Word of God, Jesus. It is not just what Jesus did and said, it is what he was thinking when he did it and said it. We will not do and say what he did and said until we think like he did. "Your attitude (mind) should be the same as that of Christ Jesus," Paul taught (Phil.2:5). So each morning at around 6:00 AM I pour through the words and actions of Jesus to see what I can discover about his mind. It is an amazing journey.



Casual Christianity is content to sip off the top. Casual Christians pick from the bottom of the tree where the fruit is within easy reach. Captive Christians have an insatiable desire to know Christ deeply. I believe one of the clearest ways of discovering whether you are a casual or captive Christian is by how often and how deeply you pursue the mind of Christ. To be a disciple of Jesus means to sit at his feet and learn from him. As Mary did, we choose the better part. We have many choices in life on how we spend our time. If people are going to see Jesus living in us then we will have to spend a lot of time with him. No short cuts. And, we must not spend time in the word merely to win arguments. The New Apologetics is about first being won by Jesus and then helping others come under his divine influence so that transformation will take place.



Sunday at Central (Church of Christ in Sarasota) we will kick off 2011 with an introduction to the New Apologetic. If you are in the area, join us.

Welcome

Welcome to my world! Scarry thought. First, why Casual to Captive? Because George Barna identified seven faith tribes in the US. The largest tribe is Casual Christians making up about 2/3 of the adults in the US. These 150 million adults claim Jesus but their thinking and lifestyle does not verify the label. About 16% of US adults are identified by Barna Research as Captive Christians. These folks are sold out for Jesus. They may not all believe the same doctrine, but they agree on one thing-Jesus is Lord. So this blog is dedicated to moving folks from the casual tribe to the captive tribe.

So what will you find here? Since this is my blog and pertains to my life you will see a variety of things addressed. These pertain to the hats I wear: Central Church of Christ ministry, Sarasota County Fire Dept. chaplaincy, mission wortk in Haiti, and BAANK (Believers Against Abuse and Neglect of Kids), as well as my family. Some will be news and some will be "preaching"(i.e. sharing what Jesus is teaching me).

So what does my hats have to do with moving folks from casuals to captives? The only way I know to talk about this is in the context of my life. In essence you will be seeing me "work it out" as I go through life, or what is left of it. You will get my summaries, struggles, encouragements, invitations, announcements, and insights. I hope you do respond. I hope to post a couple of times per week, and link through Central's website (www.centralsarasota.org) and Baank's website (www.baankcentral.com).

So here we go. My introduction to Casual to Captive comes Sunday at Central. Jesus is Lord! Rod