BrianBrunke.com

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.

Community Makeover 2009

Today I spent the day working with guys from our church at two homes and an elementary school. We cleared land and hauled tree limbs away to the chipper. None of us were paid to be there and it was a great opportunity to serve others. One of  the homes belong to a single lady who’s trees had overgrown her roof and we were honored to be able to take them out and also to clean out her gutters.

When I got home, man was I dirty and sweaty! I had Melissa take this “dirty” picture of me.

It was great to be able to serve and I am blessed to be apart of a church that believes in serving others. May Christ be glorified this weekend through our service!

This past week and the week that is just beginning have  spurred some thoughts that I have been musing over and I wanted to share a few of them:

• It was was year ago that I finished up my job in Cincinnati and I moved down here to Georgia. On Aug 1 it will be a year ago that I officially started at Velocity Church. This is rather ironic given that Velocity held its last service this past Sunday.
• We are feeling the financial pain of not have a job. We have $10 in our checking account and wont see a significant check till the second week of August.
• I am hopeful about job prospects and opportunities. I have participated in a couple of phone interviews and have another scheduled for Wednesday of this week.
• This weekend our church Westridge is participating with 35 other church in Community Makeover weekend. I have volunteered to help on Friday and I will be working a couple of projects at some people’s homes. I am excited to be part of this and will try and take/post some pics from the weekend.
• Savannah is getting bigger by the day it seems. Today she is 6 weeks old. The next challenge is eating from a bottle and sleeping more than 3 hours at a time at night.
• Finally, Melissa and I have take up the challenge of eating healthy and losing weight. We have both set goals and hope to remain faithful to them.

God has been faithful to us and I am sensing this part of our journey is nearing its end! Please continue to pray for us and please feel free to contact us! We love and miss all of our friends and family.