BrianBrunke.com

The New Century Version of Matthew 5:3 says,

“They are blessed who realize their spiritual poverty,
for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.”

I was struck by the phrase “who realize their spiritual poverty” as it underscores our blindness from our dependence upon God to meet our needs. It is only when we realize that we need God, that we will open ourselves up to seeking God. I have seen that it is when I declare and acknowledge that I am broken and empty without God that he awakens in me the desire to be filled with more of the things of God. Our church has made it a priority this year to be more focused on God and the health that is found in pursuing him more. I have resolved to fill myself more with the things of God and to that end I have resolved to be a better husband and father, to read God’s word every day, and to place myself into accountability relationships that are grounded in Biblical community. May I be blessed as the Lord has promised as I declare my spiritual poverty before him in this new year.

I have been taking a bit of a break over the holidays from blogging, tweeting, and Facebook but now that the holiday season is just about over, I wanted to take a minute and reflect on the year that has passed and look ahead this new year.

I wish I could say that 2009 was a great year but overall it was more bad than good. I have been tested and stretched in ways that I never would have thought in 09.  Losing your job and the stability that comes from it was very difficult. I enter this new year with a greater appreciation of “my daily bread” and God supplying all my needs. My family has expanded and the gift of a daughter has been a tremendous blessing on me and my wife.  Spending time with her and knowing that I have been given the responsibility to raise her, has put things into new perspective for me. It has also given me tremendous hope and joy.

In this new year I hope to accomplish some great things. I will be teaching later this month at Atlanta Christian College and it is my hope to pass along my knowledge and experience to my students. Teaching has been a dream of mine for some time now and I hope to be able to teach more as opportunities present themselves. I am praying for additional opportunities to serve at my church. Tomorrow, our pastor Brian Bloye will announce plans for this upcoming year and I a praying for opportunities to be involved in those plans. One opportunity that I will be participating in will be coaching journey group leaders at Westridge. One of the coaches in moving and I will be taking over coaching his groups very soon.

Happy New Year and may this year be even better than the last!

Merry Christmas from the Brunke Family

Christmas Letter 2009 – Click to download

In the most recent edition of Catalyst Leadership there is an article entitled “Walls do Talk” by Paul Louis Metzger in which the author talks about a recent trend in many churches of replacing the community that happens around meeting at the Lord’s Table for communion with the “real community” of a conversation over a late’ in a coffee bar on the church’s campus.

The following introduces the topic,

“Consider that in many churches the coffee bar has displaced the Lord’s Table as the place where real community happens. Due in part to the neutralizing of sacred space that has been popular since the 1980s, churches began removing or de-emphasizing the Lord’s Table and introducing coffee bars. Without doubt the desire has been to build community by offering people a culturally familiar setting to engage one another. But we must ask: What formative message does a coffee bar convey?

Metzger asks a great question, “what does this trend convey?” What message are we sending either implied or unintended? The communion table or the celebrating of communion communicates a message of community that is based on a far deeper level than just friend sharing together over some coffee. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to meet as friends in Christ and encourage each other to be more fruitful disciples.

Metzger goes on to say,

Both the coffee bar and Lord’s Table affirm community, but the kind of community they affirm differs significantly. Churches with coffee bars may have to work harder to ensure they are fostering community around the values of Christ rather than casual consumerism. At the same time, there is no guarantee that a church that prominently displays the Lord’s Table and forgoes coffee will automatically model unity, pastoral care, or break down cultural and generational cliques.

I believe there is a place for both the coffee bar and the Lord’s table as both affirm and build community. The challenge is how?How do we unite in celebration around the death of Jesus which is the uniting factor of all christian relationships while also afirming our needs to grow through sharing and being together in social settings.

Perhaps the answer is found in returning to the book of Acts and seeing that the early church met around the table and shared a meal of remembrance together (The Lord’s Table) while also meeting together for the purpose of being together and building community (Coffee Bar).

What about your church…does it contain a coffee bar? Has that space become the place where “real community” happens? Is there such a thing a sacred and non sacred space? Is celebrating the Lord’s Table been replaced by something else in your church?

Having lived here in the city of Atlanta for a little over a year now I have become familiar with the term “Hotlanta” which is often used to describe our city.  There is a movement a foot to rid the world of the term. Apparently Atlanta residents do not like the term and do not use it when describing the city but those from outside the city use it often when speaking of Atlanta. I would like to know what you think, “do you use the term Hotlanta?” “Would you like to see the phrase done away with?” “What term or phrase would you suggest be used in its place?”

Westridge Church where Melissa and I attend is in the midst of a series called “Fearless” where we are taking about money and finances. In doing my prep reading for a class that I will be teaching at ACC in January on Ethics I read some advice from John Maxwell that I wanted share.

Maxwell writes, “To keep money from becoming a master, I recommend doing the following:”

• Earn your money: People who earn what they have posses a great respect for the possessions of others

• Be scrupulously honest: Bend over backwards to make sure that all your financial dealings are above-board, not only for the sake of others, but also for yourself.

• Be Generous: It’s been said that we make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Giving not only helps others and frees us, it also puts money into perspective better than anything else we can do.

• Use credit wisely: King Solomon advised, “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.” To maintain your freedom, refrain from incurring debt.

-Excerpt taken from John Maxwell, “There’s no such thing as “Business Ethics”" Center Street. Boston 2003

Yesterday on my trip home from the gym, I pulled into a Kroger gas station to get some gas for my SUV. The station was moderately busy and so I proceeded to wait for an open pump. I pulled up behind a large “truuck” (That’s what they call em in Georgia!) that I thought was just sitting there because the owner had gone to the window to pay.  3, 4, 5 minutes went by and the owner of the truuck had not returned yet. I saw that another pump was going to be available so I pulled my SUV around to that pump and proceeded to start pumping my gas. I happened to notice that the truuck that I had been waiting on to move had in fact just been sitting there! The owner had been sitting in the cab the whole time! I went over to this guy an asked him why he was just sitting there, occupying a gas pump when people are trying to fill up and are even waiting behind other drivers. Truuck guy was completely clueless that he was doing anything wrong. He was even oblivious to the fact that I had waited behind him for like 5 minutes myself. I guess I just don’t get some people!

This picture sums up the last few days of flooding here in the Atlanta area.

If anyone would like to help people who have been affected by this flood, our church Westridge Church is hosting a team from Samaritan’s Purse who have come to help thus who have been affected in our area of the city.  Many people have lost everything and the worst part is many of these people did not have flood insurance! I will try and post more information in the coming days as our area slowly recovers and the waters recede. The link from Samaritan’s Purse has ways for you to donate money or your time. Please be praying for the people in our area and for our church as we respond to help people in the days and weeks ahead.

“I am praying for them. I am not praying for people in the world but for those you gave me, because they are yours.” John 17:9 NCV

Our church just finished a series called “United” where we studied the prayer of Jesus for 4 weeks along with several other churches in our area. This morning I was re-reading John 17 and this verse jumped out at me. I think that it jumped out at me because so many people say that they are praying for you and do not mean it. That is not to say that everyone who says that they are praying for you in not in fact praying but the fact that Jesus says that he is praying for me and for us as his followers carries some weight with me. So you might ask what is Jesus praying for us? The answer comes in verse 11

“Holy Father, keep them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they will be one, just as you and I are one.”

Jesus is praying that we would live in unity in the same way that He lives in unity with God the Father.

I take great comfort in the fact that Jesus thought enough of me to pray for me and then die for me!

Challenge:  How am I living as an answer to Jesus’ prayer in John 17?

As August gives way to September I had to stop for a moment and ask, “where did the summer go?” Time seems to be flying by and before I know it Christmas will be here. I really like the Fall and I am excited for its arrival. Fall is my favorite season of the year. Fall is football season, crisp days, jean and sweaters, windows open in the house. I will miss the longer days of summer but I am happy to trade them for the crisper days of fall.