Our Daily Perception
What if we woke one morning to find all of the colors we knew the day before to be transformed into the compliment of those hues. Greens turned red, blues now orange, yellows to purple. The ways in which we perceive our world would be radically changed. The sky becomes an optical pumpkin and the grass like the glossy red lipstick your mother used to wear (at least it wouldn’t smear off when you rolled in it). We would have to reconsider the reality of everything. How would we approach our new world?

Jasper Johns, the 20th century visual artist, recreated many ordinary things including the American Flag. His photolithograph Moratorium, 1969 gives us a sense of what it means to reconsider our world. He renders the flag orange and green (complimentary colors). He felt that everybody knew what the flag represented as a symbol, but nobody had really looked at it in a long time. Johns helps us to understand what it means to have eyes that can see and ears that can hear (Matthew 13:14-16) so that we might rightly perceive the realities of our world. Scripture tells us this is why Jesus spoke in parables. Even before Christ walked the earth these beautiful words were first uttered when God sent Isaiah to a people who had been hardened- that they might see and turn to be healed (Isaiah 6:8-10). Isaiah’s response to God was clear “Here I am, send me” (vs.8).

Every new day I have a seeing and hearing problem. My heart is hardened. My assumptions, perceptions, and colors from the day before inhibit me from seeing and hearing the day as new. I am not seeing the world for what it is (both the good & evil), not hearing the every so quiet voice of God when He speaks. I am all too many times hard and unwilling to reconsider each moment, each experience as a place of connection with God.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about John’s work is that if we stare at the center for long enough, and then look away, wherever we look the red, white and blue can be seen

Since our Church Planters residency has officially started I want to begin keeping you updated on our ministry activities each month.

In October I had some wonderful opportunities to speak at a young adult worship gathering at Faith Community Church in Croton and preach at the Bowie Church of Christ. I received positive feedback from both messages. I also finished teaching a relational Evangelism Class at BACC, which also received a lot of positive feedback. This month I reached the half way mark of my first seminary course.

In November we will be starting a young adults/young married couples small group, which will serve as a working model for our future church small groups. I will also be teaching at Discovery Weekend (Bay Area Community Churches membership class). Also I will be working with Compassionate Outreach team to plan and lead a large outreach to the community for Lent and meeting in the Church Planters forums to discuss all things church planting related. All of these experiences are preparing us as we continue to dream about our future church.

Be looking for an important letter we will be sending out over the next week regarding the giving process and check out our monthly update and other fun stuff online: www.neighborhoodchurches.org

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Happy November,
Joey

+ Thanksgiving for a wonderful opportunity to preach at the Bowie Church of Christ. Thanks to those of you who came.

+ Thanksgiving for the opportunity to speak at a young adult worship gathering at Faith Community Church in Crofton.

+ Thanksgiving for finishing the Relational Evangelism Class at Bay Area Community Church.

+ Continued prayer for our family as we finish the support raising process.

+ Prayer for pace and Rhythm as I begin serving in different capacities- teaching, speaking, discipling, planning and preparing for church cultivation.

+ Prayer as we begin a small group for young adults and young married couples that will serve as a working model for small groups when we begin our first church.