“A woman … was bent over and quite unable to stand up straight.… When [Jesus] laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.” —Luke 13:11–13

Lutheran minister and public theologian Nadia Bolz-Weber offers a sermon on the sacred nature of the human body:

I want to start by saying from the pulpit to you who live in bodies which society deem as broken or deficient—that you are already whole…. Today I speak of the woman with the bent back [Luke 13:10–17] allegorically and metaphorically and spiritually and not as a commentary on the bodies of any of God’s children specifically.

But also the woman with the bent back has made me think a lot about the bodies of God’s children specifically. Our individual containers of the holy. These inconvenient and disappointing and majestic wonders of God that carry us through this life from womb to tomb.…

I do not know her story but I do know that the designations society places on us when our bodies are deemed too much or too little—too fat, too mannish, not masculine enough, too Black, not small enough, too loud, not pretty enough, too limited, not young enough—that the man-made designations our God-made bodies are given can add up—so much so that it can feel like a spirit is binding us, keeping us from taking up the space our dignity affords us as children of the most high.

Jesus restores the woman’s posture and the way she relates to her community:

She stands up straight, her shoulders back, her chin raised, her eyes available to give and receive light and love and recognition. She stands among them with the full dignity afforded her by her creator….

I do not know the designations that the world has given you, or the things that have been said about your body or done to your body. I do not know what binds you. But … how amazing is it that a human body is also what God chose to take on to be with us?… That God would, as we say, slip into skin and walk among us … that God would choose to make God’s home in an actual human body—in the person of Jesus of Nazareth….

All of this is to say, that God saves you IN your body, not FROM your body. Your body is in the same form and substance as that which God chose to put on and walk among us as Jesus. Your body is holy and beautiful to God—your young, old, fit, fat, cis, queer, disabled, strong body. For after all, it is the human body in which God placed God’s image, the imago dei. God could have chosen to place the imago dei—the image of God—in the mountains, but instead she put it in our bodies. We might experience the awesomeness of God in the mountains … but we see the image of God in the human body in all its perfectly glorious diversity.

____________________________________________________

Joy Fueled

Join Us Jesus: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30

MSG Research shows that 65 million Americans are done with church as most know it, but at least half of them are not done with God. Many of these are seasoned pastors, missionaries, church planters, elders, seminary professors or church staff members—in a word: leaders. This mass exodus is a staggering reality that cannot be ignored by those who know and love Jesus. One in every three adults in the United States committed their life to God but has since given up hope of finding joyful community within the churches they have known. Yet ironically, vibrancy and joy are what we have been promised. Jesus said, “I have come so that they (my sheep) can have real life and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of” (John 10:10 MSG). And again, “I have told you these things for a purpose: that my joy may be your joy and your joy wholly mature” (John 15:11 MSG). Sadly, the experience of many who have shared in the life of a congregation and served the church for decades has been the opposite: a guilt-ridden, duty-based, judgmental experience, void of true joy, that has left them still searching for the life Jesus promises. Perhaps you are one of those people. Perhaps you left the church discouraged, hurt, frustrated, angry, or just apathetic. Maybe you are still there, still trying to effect sustainable transformation but find yourself discouraged and tired, overwhelmed, losing hope. Either way, you’re looking for better answers. You’re done being guilted, cajoled, judged and expected upon. You are ready to encounter this joy and vibrant life Jesus has promised is your birthright as a child of God. We would like to offer you just that: joy as your primary source of motivation that leads to the vibrant life in community that Jesus promised. With our combined 100+ years of Christian ministry in the pastorate, the mission field, church planting and Christian education, John, Kent and I (Toni) have experienced how powerful this joy is and how you can nurture it in yourself, in your family and yes, even in your church—whatever form that might take. Joy, in fact, is a far superior fuel for motivating us to grow and mature emotionally and spiritually. In the following pages, we will define this joy and explain a common but harmful fuel source or motivation that many of us in the Christian world have succumbed to. Understanding this damaging motivation is so important that we will devote three chapters to it. In subsequent chapters, we will explore how mission can be a spontaneous explosion of joy. Then we will unpack this motivation from both a scriptural perspective as well as from a neurobiological perspective. Finally, we will reveal the implications of being joy-fueled for individuals as well as all expressions of the church, both locally and globally. We will also introduce two of our favorite people: Roland Allen, an Anglican priest who wrote almost a hundred years ago about the importance of joy as our primary source of motivation, and Dr. Jim Wilder of Life Model Works, whose study of joy as our primary source of motivation has paved the way for many to find relational wholeness. Notice we say “primary” source of motivation. We acknowledge that throughout Scripture, other motivations are drawn upon to “spur us on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrew 10:24 NIV), motivations such as fear of bad things happening and pleasure of rewards that could come. We do not want to negate these motivations, as they may all serve good, necessary and helpful roles to a certain point in our human development. However, while they might be useful fuel for a little while, the energy they give dies out. In Joy Fueled, you will discover the only fuel that will go the long haul, lead you into mature relationships with others and with God, and give you the strength to endure the cross set before you. It is the very motivation that allowed Jesus to do the same: joy. “For the joy set before Him He endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV). After 10 years of coaching individuals, families and churches in the joy-fueled way described in these pages, LK10 has seen a spontaneous, world-wide movement spring up. People come to us every day for training and equipping in how to become more vibrant and effectively pass on what they have found. From six continents and across the divides of race, class, culture, privilege and politics, we are seeing joyful community rising. It has been our deep delight to witness this movement emerging. It is our deep joy to share what we are learning.

Now, we offer these experiences, ideas and practices to you. We are confident that Jesus wants to fill you with great delight. There is hope for you to find this vibrancy that comes from joy-fueled relationships. The unforced rhythms of grace we share in these pages not only help you nurture joy in your own life and family but also in the communities you serve. Our online resources document stories from around the world of individuals, families and church leaders like you finding deep delight in connecting heart-to-heart with their loved ones and with the God who loves us. Do you have all the joy you want? Would you like to know how to nurture joy in yourself, your family and your community? Are you ready to reimagine church and reclaim joy as your motivation? The journey awaits you; the promise is real and we are here to cheer you on.

White, John C.; Daniels, Toni M.; Smith, Dr Kent. Joy Fueled: Catalyzing a Revolution of Joyful Communities (LK10 Core Values) (pp. 1-6). LK10. Kindle Edition.

• Previous Entry: Previous Post
• Next Entry: Grief Precedes Gratitude