Live          Learn          Love 

As many of you know, I’m working with a wonderful group of grounded and God-centered believers in the formation of a service called, The Well, which will be unlike anything Manhattan has ever seen.  We’re not building a church, but a community. We’re forming a community that is trying to live a life that matches our words, while passionately learning Jesus Christ’s way of life and sacrificially loving beyond all differences and opinions.

Our foundation is this:

Christianity has an image problem. 

And what people think becomes their reality, and although we may not deserve all those images, some of their thoughts about us may be accurate.

The unfavorable image of Christianity can be broadly (but not completely) reduced to a few major themes:

The Church (as a body of believers)
-is hypocritical.
-is anti-homosexual.
-is too focused on getting converts.
-is sheltered.
-is too political.
-is judgmental.

We are not responsible for outsiders' decisions, but we are accountable when our actions and attitudes (misrepresenting a holy, just, and living God) have pushed outsiders away.

So, to respond to these problems we aim to come from the right perspective, connect with people, be creative, and to ultimately serve people in need. (Now let me break that down)

We aim to come from the right perspective.
-Just as Christ did not respond to criticism by merely dismissing it as unwarranted persecution, He considered the "below-the-surface" motives of criticism.
-Christ was not willing to be defined by anyone.

We strive to connect with people.
-Because Christ's primary influence was through relationships, and that influence was/is indelible because He changed people.
-We as humans are wired so that spiritual influence occurs most commonly through relationships (meaningful, trusting relationships).

We're going to be creative.
-Christ was the master communicator, and He attracted people who were unaccustomed to his style, ability and message.
-We are going to find new stories, new parables, and new ways of telling the timeless truths of the Bible's message.

Lastly, we are to serve people.
-Because Christ understood that to shift a person's perspective you need to esteem and serve them, reach out and touch them, call them by name and LOVE them unconditionally.

God wants the lives of His people to BLESS others.
-Genesis 12:2-3

The Well @ The Wareham is boldly going places that no Church in the Manhattan area has gone before. We're going to step on toes, cross boundaries and redefine the word "Church". The Well is literally a community of believers who value people no matter what background or lifestyle they choose. We simply desire to serve all who need. We are rethinking societal norms, removing the dividing barriers and reshaping the future of the world.

The Well will be coming together for the very first time at the Wareham Opera House (410 Poyntz) on Sunday, February 10, 2008 at 10am. Mark your calendars, grab a friend (or a dozen friends) and join us for an amazing morning of fellowship.

I hope this has given you a little bigger taste of what The Well is all about, and I humbly ask that you'd keep The Well in your prayers. God has already opened doors and blessed us beyond belief, but pray that He will continue to guide and direct all our thoughts and plans.

Check us out on facebook and MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/thewellmanhattan), or email us at thewellmanhattan@yahoo.com.

Living, learning and loving,

Brady

Searching for Sincerity

Recently I’ve been internally processing questions regarding sincerity.

Is the smile I’m sharing with the world sincere?  Am I smiling from my face or my heart?

Is the worship I experience on Sunday sincere?  Are the words I sing coming from my mouth or my heart?

Do I hug with sincerity?  Am I simply connecting with someone physically or am I embracing them with the love of Christ in my heart?

Do I sincerely carry the burdens of others?  Am I helping people to glorify myself or do people see Christ working through me?

Are the words I share with others sincere?   

Am I laughing sincerely?

When I pray, do I pray with the most devout sincerity?

Am I sincere when listening?

Do I love with sincerity?

And the search for sincerity continues.

I pray, knowing fully that God will provide. 

I place my trust in the Lord.

But when do I realize that prayer goes beyond talking, asking and seeking? 
When do I listen?

With words alone my prayers are empty. 

When do I realize that I’m called beyond prayer? 
What am I, as the hands and feet of God, doing to bless others?

What am I, as the hands and feet of God, doing to bless others?

Then sings my soul...

I look back on the beauty of my evening at Konza, and there aren't enough words to describe the splendor of it all! There I stand; on top of the world, the breeze is ripping through the grasses, the sunset screams across the horizon, the world stops and the chaos of life becomes the chorus in God's beautiful symphony! My soul begins to sing...

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder

(Your glory is unfathomable, rendering me completely speechless)

Consider all the works Thy hands hath made

(Your hand has made it ALL, every flower, every bird, every hill and valley was carved by YOUR masterful hand)

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder

(Your presence is REAL and your grandeur shines through it all)

Thy power throughout the universe displayed

(The God that painted every autumn leaf is the same God that holds the entire world [including our hearts] in His mighty hands...That is power)

What a blessing it was to be alive today!
What a beautiful blessing!

The windows are down.  The warm evening air is rolling through my car, and the splendor of Kansas completely encompasses me.  The sky is an excruciatingly beautiful shade of blue, setting the palette with intensity and depth.  The foreground is layered with vegetation of exceeding verdure and lushness, bringing life and breath to the land. The clouds delicately emerge from the sapphire sky, and the trees gracefully stand in the evening sun.  The air is heavy with the scent of freshly cut grass, and happiness lingers in the atmosphere.  Everything melds together creating a brilliant, vibrant canvas, upon which summer is painted. 

Summer is here.

I take a deep breath; inhaling the beauty of this moment. 

(This was just the start of a beautiful summer.  Later that evening I was whirling around on carnival rides, eating corndogs and funnel cakes, and sharing in memories that will forever be ingrained in my heart.)

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. ~Psalm 118:24