Uffizi Mission Project

What would a government run by Jesus Himself look like?  There are all kinds of opinions about creating a theocracy, a human government passing laws based on Biblical principles…

But, what if secretly, almost unnoticed by most, Jesus was actively governing and changing things by grass root movements?  You couldn’t find him on the O’Reilly factor or Larry King, or even talking truthiness on the Colbert Report.  He wouldn’t be behind the golden microphone with Rush, or chatting it up on Air America.  For now, it would be as it is in the gospels, a sweeping movement of normal folks simply having faith and calling on his name.

I see this happening in Santa Barbara.  You can see it at The Village Apartments on the West Side.  It is as simple as a reduced crime rate.  The Turner Foundation purchased the 70 units there with a pretty simple plan, to bless the residents.  I have personally witnessed the change of atmosphere.  It has happened through prayer, prayer walking, festive meal sharing, exploring the gospels, the development of a community center, gifted piano lessons.  But behind it all is the governing arm of God.

There are a couple of scriptures to explore here.  One a fanatical dream vision from Isaiah, the other is a simplistic promise from Paul.

Isaiah 2:2-4

2 In the last days       the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established       as chief among the mountains;       it will be raised above the hills,       and all nations will stream to it.

 3 Many peoples will come and say,       “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,       to the house of the God of Jacob.       He will teach us his ways,       so that we may walk in his paths.”       The law will go out from Zion,       the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He will judge between the nations       and will settle disputes for many peoples.       They will beat their swords into plowshares       and their spears into pruning hooks.       Nation will not take up sword against nation,       nor will they train for war anymore.

Romans 10:1313“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

The peace making government of God is not so far away, and does not depend on human lawmakers.  It is raised by faith.  If you go to the West Side Movement Page, you can see how calling on the name of Jesus has affected the crime rate at the Village apartments.  You will also find ways that you can join in the fun.

Please leave a comment below on these thoughts on theocracy… just sign up, create a password, and comment!

Well, for the first posting on the new uffizimission.org (and because it is the new year), I must address some of the skeptics (myself included) on whether or not this “liquid church” idea would amount to anything at all. For those of you who may be new to the term, the idea is that church can take all sorts of forms, especially when it is church done within culture. My strategy has been to develop “water holes” throughout the city, where wanderers could find living water, even by “chance.” (of course we don’t believe in chance - it is all the weavings of the Holy Spirit)The first home of liquid church is North Star Coffee Company. I have been there for two years, discovering incarnational ministry on State Street. I have had dozens of conversations with regulars, always moving forward in dialogue, often diving into the identity of Jesus straight forward. Let me share how just this week, people found living water at North Star.Lee came in last Friday morning to find me at North Star. He is a friend from our Pershing Park meal sharings. He found me to tell me that a few doctors told him he probably had lung cancer, and that they were going to plan an operation soon. I asked him if John and myself could pray for his healing. He agreed, and we stepped into the office to pray for him. We prayed specifically that he would be healed. Wednesday night he found me at Pershing Park to tell me that the lump on top of his lung had just about disappeared, and that the doctors were shocked and that now he would not need surgery - no cancer was there. He told us that while we had prayed for him, he felt heat where the lump was - he believed that God had healed him. He joined us at our New Wine mens gathering this morning, and shared his testimony. Now some men at New Wine are working to help him find housing and work, and he has hope. I got to see the transformation from a man with no help last Friday, to a man who had huge hope this Friday. He now has a new energy to follow Christ.Also, this morning I sat down with a friend at North Star, and we were able to talk specifically about whether he had a desire to follow Christ or not… I have known him for about a year and a half now, and over the past three months have witnessed God reach out to him in numerous ways. He told me he went to a church some weeks back and had a vision of a child being born, and felt that it might be his time for a new birth. God has set the table for Danny to understand becoming a new creation in Christ. I find that all I have to do is follow up what God is doing.There are other water holes being dug, at the Village apartments, on State Street, at Pershing and Alameda Park. These are the ones I know about - God is doing so much more!So, thanks for being a half skeptic with me - and partnering with my family and the Uffizi community. God has gently led me in the paradigm shift. I believe 2008 will be full of more stories such as these.I will have more up on this site in the future, where I can share with you specific opportunities you can join in. Give me some time to figure out this new stuff, but before the month is over, there will be more on here as we journey together.Please leave your comments below - I want to get others in on the conversation.  You just have to sign in and create a password.  You can leave a first comment and then I invite you in forever!  Ha!  Thanks for reading.

Hello All! Welcome to The Uffizi Mission Project! We look forward to a great new year and seeing what God does in this new season. Please stay tuned for updates on: events, discussions, and opportunities to share!