Living Questionable Lives

Can I go now?

When I learned the topic would be evangelism, my enthusiasm for the mission seminar dropped sharply. I was already there so it was too late to leave. But I was in for a surprise.

Living questionable lives

Based on the bible passages 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 and 1 Peter 3:15-16 the premise of the talk was that few people are the evangelism type. The rest of us can live "questionable lives". What does that mean? Sometimes 'questionable' can means dubious, but in this context it just means something that might cause someone to ask a question.

In 1 Peter 3:15, St Paul gives advice for when we're asked about our faith. But that hardly ever happens. Our lifestyles are generally so predictable and non-intriguing that no questions are asked.

High predictability, low impact

There's nothing evil about a "fine upstanding middle-class lifestyle in the suburbs ... but if we’re trying to live questionable lives, then cutting the lawn, saying hi to the neighbours, washing our car, walking the dog and driving to the office every day is hardly an intriguing lifestyle".

Five Habits

The talk was based around the book Five Habits of Highly Missional People by Michael Frost. Both as individuals and as groups our habits are what make us the type of people we are. The habits outlined in the book, and the talk I was at, help us to be people (or churches) who are missional. They help us become more Christlike, more generous, and more connected to people outside of church.

I recommend reading book. Here are the five habits/challenges:

1. Bless 3 people this week. It can be an affirmation, by serving or with a gift.
2. Eat with 3 people this week. We have to eat anyway, why not eat with someone?
3. Listen. Designate some time with no distraction to let God in and follow his prompting
4. Learn. Designate time to learning about Jesus. Read the Gospels or other books.
5. Sent. Journal the ways you're demonstrating the values of God.

There's more detail in the book, but that's the basics.

Overall, this is quite different from a lot of what church does. But church can possibly help. If you're in a church and can find others in who are interested in this, it may be helpful to make a small group to help you form these habits as part of your life.

Come and watch church? No thanks.

Church can appear to be set up for a show. We have stage lighting, a sound system, music and plenty of seats for people to relax and enjoy the entertainment. Particularly at Easter or Christmas time we feel like 'putting on a show' about our faith.

Karl Vaters has a different take. He reckons that in an age of Netflix and YouTube, that "church members wearing fake beards and bathrobes singing Christmas carols or reciting the Easter story doesn’t capture anyone’s attention".

But it's not just that. It's way more effort than it's worth, and it makes us look like passive consumers of religion. People coming to church for the first time aren't after a stage show, he says.

They’re more likely coming because they want something more authentic, applicable and challenging in their life.

So what's his idea?

His alternatives include "come and help" - where people can join your church doing projects to help people in the local community. "Come and give" is about inviting people to give to a cause that is not the church itself. Both of these demonstrate a church that cares for other people.

"Come and have fun" is about being part of a community of people and "come and learn" events offer practical help to the community.

When a person comes to a church, they should see our faith at its deepest and best. Not a sanitized-for-your-convenience version that doesn’t have enough depth and meaning to make a difference.

If this sounds good to you, check out Karl's article in full.

Finding Money

When I buy books at a charity second-hand book sale, I'm not expecting financial gain. But that's what happened at the Lifeline Bookfest.

I picked up about 10 books that day, and was flicking through my purchases, and discovered $35 in one of the books (Radical by David Platt).

What to do? I checked the inside front cover for the previous owner's details - to return the money to them. The only words were "P.121 Just giving stuff away". Page 121 had some interesting words on Jesus...

"What if he told you and me to sell everything we have? What if he told us to sell our houses for simpler living arrangements? What if he told us to sell our cars for more modest ones - or for no cars at all? What if he told us to give away all but a couple of sets of clothes? What if ..."

A few pages earlier, the author mentioned that if we have shelter, clothes food and transport (even public transport) we are in the top 15 percent of wealthiest people.

I wonder if the money was intentional. As well as giving the books to support Lifeline's work with those in need, perhaps the money inside was a gift to the person buying this book. The previous owner's way of paying it forward.

It reminded me that part of why I buy books at Bookfest is to rescue great books and share them around. So if you know me personally, check out my library on Shared Bookshelves - and feel free to borrow any of these books from me. I'll add more as I read them.

If you're a far away reader, why not start a similar thing yourself? Put a list of your books on your church notice board - or on Shared Bookshelves - or on facebook for your Christian friends. It could be a real blessing to someone else.

PS. You probably won't find money in books you buy at Lifeline Bookfest, but you may get something even more valuable by reading these books. There are great Christian books available at a bargain price.

How to turn away 8 in 10 visitors

We know a church's website is important - if the church is looking to connect with the community. Now we know exactly how important it is.

8 out of 10 people visit your website before attending
Some churches work on 'greeting' newcomers that arrive on a Sunday - and that's fine. But if a church really wants to create a good first impression, the website is even more crucial. For 80% of people, the first greeter is not the person at the door - it's that page on your website.

In 7 seconds they decide to stay or go
At first this stat surprised me. 7 seconds seems so short. But then I thought of my own browsing experience. Particularly when googling something. From a list of search results, there might be a few that look interesting. We'll click on one, have a quick look, and either stay for longer, or go back to the google page and click something else.

Some of our church websites could do with improvement in these areas. Firstly, to have a site that doesn't repel people in under 7 seconds. Secondly, to make it simple and intuitive with relevant information easy to find.

Shared Books - Shared Blessings

Sharedbookshelves makes book sharing easy. It's a website, and phone app, that enables church members to list, share and borrow Christian books with one another.

How it works
As members add their individual books, a searchable online library is born. Church member Dan may be interested in reading a book by Shane Claibourne. Sharedbookshelves shows that Steve has a copy. Now Dan can borrow it from Steve next time they meet.
There are extra features to discover, but that's the basic concept.

There are so many good things about an idea like this.

It helps us grow in our Christian walk
Having accessible books means we are more likely to read them. We don't have to worry about the cost - or finding the time to get to a bookstore.

It shows great stewardship
Popular books can be bought by a few people and shared around church, rather than being bought by everyone and left on shelves to gather dust. Apart from financial savings (which could now be donated to mission) it also shows good environmental stewardship of resources, and helps us avoid too much consumerism.

It helps strengthen Christian community
Now there's something for Dan and Steve to talk about on Sunday after church. Typically it's "How's your week been?" "Fine, and you?" "Fine.". Now it can be a meaningful discussion of the chapter Dan's just finished reading.

Perhaps it's not surprising that the early believers shared their possessions. It was great then and it can be great now.

Blue Like Jazz - at your church

The Blue Like Jazz movie seems to have ended its run in cinemas, but from April 30 will be available for you to screen at your church.

I did short review in an earlier post, and a more in-depth review for Journey magazine - and I thoroughly recommend it for older teens and adults. It has the ability to particularly resonate with people at the beginning of adulthood, and trying to figure out how their faith connects with the world out there.


It's the kind of movie where you could invite people who aren't churchgoers, or that you could watch as a church or small group. To reflect on the themes in the movie, the website offers a bible study and various discussions guides.

Related links: Movie website and synopsis
Screen the movie at your church