the Paper Clip Conspiracy
- Kendal Anderson
- Jan 6, 2008
the Paper Clip Conspiracy That’s why everyone, from G. Bush Sr on down, astonished as Iraqi army disintegrated in face of Allied assault. Feb 22, after 42 days bombing but only 4 days ground war, Iraq agreed abide UN resolutions; Bush declared war ovr. Q: how is it that Iraqi army, then 4th largest, soldiers outnumbered ours 2 to 1, give up w/o fight? Case study #2: Motorola/Zenith remarkably similar beginnings. Both founded mid-20’s Chicago; both exp early success; both became industry ldrs in radio/TV manufacturing. Both exp founder death 50’s. Howevr, if looked at today, find few similarities. Motorola became global giant, dealing w/integrated circuits, cellular comm.; Zenith never became major player in anything but TVs. Again: how come? What happened—or didn’t—at Zenith that kept it from keeping pace w/Motorola? Case study #3: the Church in N.Am. Recent stats: 70% churches plateaued/declining. Most major denom hemorrhaging, losing 100’s of 1000’s; every day: dozens churches close doors. Again: how come? What happened? What happened Iraqi army? Zenith? Churches across Am? Let me answer w/Case study #4: It was fall; Katie just started 1st gr. Normally Sherry picked up; but one day my turn. Not out of way; school on my route home. As I walked out door, S: Don’t forget K! ‘I won’t’ Lunch, S called: Remember K? ‘Of course!’ I wrote note: K at 3:45. At 3:40, picked up note, left office, got in car, headed school. Turned on NPR, took off. 15 min later, pulled driveway, mission accomp, walked in door. S met me: ‘Um, where’s K?’ ‘K! Ha-ha. I suppose school.’ What happened me on way home is what happened to Iraq After 42 dys getting not bombed out of, Iraqi soldiers couldn’t remem what fighting for, so quit. Zenith founder Eugene McDonald was pwrful leader who build company on charis. Personality. When suddenly died, comp left w/no compelling vision or understood purpose to guide, so floundered. Most ch across N Am hard pressed tell you why exist, who are, what about. And since most not interested in doing ch out of obligation, we don’t show up! Vision. W/o it nations surrender, companies stagnate, churches shrivel up and die, dads forget pick up children. But a nation w/vision prevails, company w/vision thrives; ch w/God-given vision accomplishes God-sized dreams. For that reason, spend our time today talking vision, mission, why we’re here, why work tails off setup/teardown each wk. Pray, then talk Who tell me what our mission statement is? Not ‘save the cheerleader, save the world.’ Right! Love God, love others, change the world Simple, but these 3 ideas = essence of what means follow Jesus; foundation of who God calls us be, as indiv, as a ch; find all ovr scrip Like to look at one at time, gain deeper understand To begin, turn Deut 6:5, p144 What mean ‘love God?’ Blieve/not, things above somthng in common: that’s what Deut 6:5 is saying: love w/heart, soul, strength to love God = order life around Him in everyth think, feel, say, do ILL: yr ago, shared storyst, Palm Beach, FL He has a website: starbuckseverywhere.net; in 2007, visited add’l 576 stores, bringing total to 457 int’l/7264 N.Am stores (92.5%!) Winter loves Starbucks; order life around When you read about Winter, you ask: Why would he do this? Jesus had clear, compelling answer Jn 10:10 – ‘…My purpose is to give [you] a rich and satisfying life.’ i.e. ‘Follow me, order your life around me, and you’ll exp life the way meant to be lived.’ Why order life around God? B/c believe Jesus is telling truth! ILL: 2004 actress Halle Barry, upon being named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, commented on physical beauty: Why do we spur each other on to follow Jesus, to love God w/all heart, soul, strength? B/c we believe that’s where life is, what we created for. Our mission; goal each Sunday = help each other rememb that, to learn how to love God more; get filled up, better at orienting lives around Jesus and his life for us. Our 1st priority is to love God. But if stopped there, would be incomplete. Mt. 22, p753, v35-38 All over scrip: loving God & loving others is intertwined: 1 Jn 4:20-21 Now, the thing: I can’t love you if I don’t know you! Core of who we are is dream of the Crossing as a safe place, where can take off the masks, let down our guard, be who we are and inspire each other toward what God calls us to become. We have dream of auth community--real people getting to know a real God. And know what? Not only our dream for us; God’s dream for us. Here: group of people eat, worship, serve together, enjoy each others’ company, united by relation w/Jesus, simply do life together. Was deeply satisfying—‘great joy and generosity, enjoyed favor of everyone. Doesn’t mean no bumps--as read further, find people then just like people now. But what marked them was commit to doing life together. And therefore, not only survived the bumps; thrived in spite of them! Our dream: to become kind of place described in Acts 2. Don’t worry, not talking about selling home and living in commune! But are talking about making commit to doing life together; about becoming a connected community, united not only by our mission, but united also in relation w/each other. Key word: homes. It’s plural. What church did: 1st, met lg grp Temple courts; then formed smaller grps, went homes throughout city. That was their connection strategy. That’s how they achieved auth. community. Guess what? We have exact same strategy here! Called Connection Groups. And in few wks, launching next! Will meet various times, homes throughout area. You’ll hear much more over next Sundays. Sometimes people: ‘Kendal, I can’t afford take time for CG.’ Listen: you can’t afford not to! If you want grow in relation w/God, you need be in relation w/others. You can’t go where God wants take you if Sun service is only sp input; you need encouragement that comes from reg gathering with people who care about you and can spur you on. I challenge you: join a CG in Feb; try it out and see what God does!
Jesus: Mt 5:14-16—‘You light of the world…No one lights lamp and then puts under basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so everyone will praise your heavenly Father.’ Jesus’ last words (Mt 28:19): ‘Go make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit…’ 3rd phrase: Change the World. We have a mission; it is nothing less than transforming the planet, shining light of Jesus in every dark place As a church, our mission must never stop at loving God, loving each others; we don’t have the luxury of closing in, getting comfortable, worshiping God, hanging out w/each other. Jesus, our leader, compels us to go find people who need his life. Two broad ways at the Crossing we want focus on changing the world: We’ll find ways do this as ch--go on int’l mission trips, partner w/churches other countries; start churches Central FL and beyond 2) purposefully serve this community. Ovr past yr, I inc impressed by God that major part of His dream for us is that we be seriously engaged in serving S Lk/W Orange. ILL: Came crystal clear: yr ago, pastor (no longer here) at Lk County zoning mtg, asked for variance. Commissioner: ‘You here 10 yrs, haven’t done thing for this community.’ I: ‘God, in your grace, let us ovr nxt 5 yrs, bcome so intertwined in doing good that if we uprooted, it painful, people not only notice, but mourn, say: Where is that ch? Where that ch saw boy w/o shoes, so pierced they adopted 10 families at Minneola Elem? Where ch providd free Thanksgiving meal? [Dr: I thought you would] B/c we’re so new, small, just beginning, temptation = what can we do? ILL: Lebanon Chronicle (Lebanon OH): Stuck in dead-end job and strapped for money, Kyle MacDonald came up w/an improbable plan: starting w/one red paperclip, he would trade on the Internet until he exchanged it for a house. 1st, he traded red paperclip for fish-shaped pen. Next, traded pen for a doorknob; traded doorknob for a Coleman stove; traded stove for an elec generator. He traded elec gen for Budweiser sign/a keg of beer, which he then traded for a snowmobile. Along the way, traded for 1 yr’s free rent in Phoenix The true story of Kyle MacDonald is told in his book One Red Paperclip. Now book being made into a movie. Fame, fortune, a book, a movie deal, and a home—it all began with one red paperclip.Lebanon , Ohio ; The Chronicle: Lebanon We don’t have much as ch yet. But it’s my goal, our dream and God’s mission for us to ‘trade up’. To take what we have and use it. And by God’s grace, what began as a little paper clip ch will grow and flourish into a bright light in Central FL It begins as we learn how to love God, love each other, then together go out and change the world around us. This is our mission, our dream, why we get up early on Sundays to set up, stay after to tear down. It’s a lot of work to get new ch up and healthy, but at the end of the day, we will really have made a diff, in people’s lives, for God/his kingdom.
A few been with us from start. Some days, you tired. As we enter 08, I invite you ‘re-up’, I’m still in. Some joined us more recently—are you in? Ready help us do what God calling us do?
