Dr. Matt Powell

Redefining Christianity in Suburbia

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Redefining Christianity in SuburbiaI remember in college, being in my last year of study, and being thrown a huge curve ball.  In all of our music classes everything had revolved around a baseline system.  That system was called “Movable Do.”  It is that aged old system you are at least remotely familiar with – Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do.  I know how you feel… you are suppressing the urge to sing the song from the Sound of Music.  Anyway, we reached a point where they removed that system and altered the foundation that everything else had been based.  This new system was like walking into a class finding a teacher who was suddenly speaking an entirely new language.  Everything we had thought previously… our entire frame of reference was now pulled out from under us completely.  It was a shocking and overwhelming moment.

Many people who grow up around our western church, and maybe most specifically our suburban church, have been raised with a definition of Christianity.  This definition has been imposed and formed by the culture at large.  Often we are raised equating the idea of Christianity with either being a good person or, for those of us who grew up inside the church, we have defined it by a prayer that is repeated in a sacramental fashion.

There is a passage in Matthew’s gospel that is particular hard for me to think about –

“Not everyone who says to me, Lord Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, Lord Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

This means it is very important how we approach this idea of being a Christian.  We have to fight against the cultural definitions and see a journey that begins with putting authentic faith in Jesus.  This authentic faith is authentic because it touches every nook and cranny of who we are as individuals.  This means that where we go to church, how often we attend, or whether our name is on a membership list isn’t the crux of the conversation.  This cannot be overstated because the #1 answer I get during any spiritual conversation with someone in the community is a reference to what denomination they belong to or what church they attend.  Too many times ‘attend’ just refers to walking in the doors of a building once a year, twice a year, or at best once per month.

We are called to follow Jesus, abide in Jesus, and trust in Jesus.  This journey (the ups, downs, struggles, and victories) is what it means to be a Christian.  It is a daily adventure which forever changes the story of our life.  We are individuals who are called to follow, abide, and trust.  Then, the church is called to navigate this journey as an authentic community being transformed by the love and grace of Jesus Christ.  Not only is correctly defining Christianity hugely important to you and me but it radically changes the conversation we have with others.  Have you ever experienced a spiritual conversation that was quickly met by the credentials of someone’s denominational affiliation?  Have you ever heard the, “we go to *name-a-local-church* and we really enjoy it”?  How can you participate in reclaiming the biblical definition of Christianity amidst your everyday conversations?

 

Matt Powell serves as teaching pastor at Crossings Community Church, a body of believers whose mission is to engage, equip, and empower homes for gospel transformation in Katy, TX.

The Customary Suburban Dog

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The Customary Suburban DogYou can’t live within the throws of suburbia without an all-american dog!  You don’t have to have three of them like we do we but everyone needs at least one.  We brought Shiner home just after Christmas this year as an eight-week-old puppy.  He is definitely my dog. I house trained him.  I stayed up at night with him when he first came home.  I feed him.  And, I train him.  But I LOVE doing it.  He is our second Labrador Retriever.  Our older one is about twelve-years-old now.  He and I didn’t bond in the same way because he had to spend a good chunk of time away from us early on in his life.

Why in the world am I telling you about my dog? I know that is what you thinking… Aside from the fact that I can because this is my site, he does fit into the larger theme of things here at Suburbia Uncovered.  Shiner has been one of the greatest conversation points between me and my neighbors over the past 6 months.  He has also forced me to GET OUTSIDE.  There is something about a well behaved dog that brings comfort and conversation between strangers.  It is no exaggeration that my relationship with the man who lives directly across the street from us has exploded over the past six months for no other reason aside from us finding common ground through my dog.

Shiner is fun… he is stress relief for me… and I have really enjoyed having him.  But, he is also another small tool (although he is not really that small) that I can leverage in my efforts to engage life with my neighbors.  Maybe you have a dog and you walk it religiously every evening around your neighborhood.  I want to encourage you to view that as a God-given opportunity.  Use that time to pray for the homes that you are passing.  Use it to embrace new opportunities to converse with the neighbors that God has brought around you.  And hey… if you don’t have a dog this is a great excuse to go out and get one – for the glory God, by all means.

 

Doing Mission in Suburbia, Katy Tx

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Doing Mission in Suburbia, Katy Tx“Those who can’t do, teach.”  I’m sure you have heard that saying some place before.  The saying alludes to this idea that people who are not able to succeed in a given field can revert to teaching in that field.  Well, I have not hidden the fact that I am the pastor of a church called The Crossings.  We are a church in the middle of stereotypical suburbia.  Every word I speak in the pulpit or over coffee is placed within the suburban context.  God has called me – and so many others, I believe – to be a missionary in this suburban sprawl called Katy, Tx.

There has been one very small thing that we have done which has produced more encouraging moments than anything else over our five years of residence in this neighborhood.  It really is ridiculously stupid to admit this is a “new” engagement for us.  But, we fall into the same traps that everyone else does here in suburbia – we get too busy.  It really is true that we find ourselves too busy managing church to talk to our neighbors about Jesus.  How asinine is that?  I’m ashamed to admit it… but I’m committed to being honest with my journey.

Here it is… we have started spending time outside.  Yup, it is that simple.  We realized after living in our current home for five years that we really did not truly know a single neighbor.  Sure, we waved and recognized some faces on the way to the mailbox.  But, the fact remains, we were not in the habit of having life-on-life conversations with the community in which God had placed us.  So what did we do?

As a family we began to sit outside and let the kids play.  We sit on the front porch and play with our children and our puppy.  At times we allow the kids to eat their evening meal outside and then spend a few minutes playing.  We look for every opportunity to just be there – visible.  I don’t have any mind-blowing stories of how we have seen Jesus heal demonized home owners.  What has happened is we have begun to see the same people repeatedly while meeting others for the first time.  The conversations between us and our neighbors has multiplied exponentially.  It has been amazing how God has connected the dots.  We will talk to one neighbor who mentions seeing us out with the kids or throwing the retriever dummy for the dog – it seems to break walls and create some comfort.  We have had some pretty deep conversations with some and just a hello to others… but it is PROGRESS!

We are praying that God continues to use these interactions as an opportunity to live as Jesus – incarnate within a community, through relationships.  What would it look like for you to spend more time outside?  If you have kids, sit in the driveway and let them play… If you have a dog, play with it or begin training it… How about a flowerbed?  Do you have a flowerbed?  Start working in your yard and looking for opportunities to engage life with those who live around you. Just take that simple little step and GO OUTSIDE!