:: eric michael bryant ::

The teleseminar from Tuesday was a great time! Thanks to all who joined us from Germany, the U.K., Australia, El Salvador, and across the U.S.!

Here were some of the key points for Catalyzing Community:

Principle #1: Cause creates community.
Our cause = moving people to become the person God created them to be.

Principle #2: Meet the needs of those around us.
We need to seek to meet the physical, emotional, economic, and spiritual needs of those around us. We should be pursue helping change the environment and change the individual who is looking for change.

Principle #3:Reach out to Xenos
Hospitality means loving strangers. A similar word, “hospice,” means “a safe place.” Our homes, our businesses, and our churches should become safe places for strangers to experience kindness and love.

Principle #4: Develop authentic friendships with those you know.
OIKOS is the Greek word for household (family, neighbors, co-workers and friends)

Principle #5: Allow people to belong before they believe.
We should never allow our convictions to become a litmus test for friendship. In fact, we should actively pursue friendships with people – even people with whom we may disagree. Go to www.mosaic.org/faq for more on the staff process at Mosaic.

Principle #6: Raise up a team of leaders to replace you
MPAC = Ministry through a pastor, assimilator, and catalyst
We need to make decisions based on who is not yet here rather than who has been here the longest.

Principle #7: Start Over

Listen to the conference call at my site’s audio messages at Catalyzing Community Audio

As always, special thanks to Daniel Decker for putting this together!

Send an email to teleseminar@ericbryant.org if you would like to join us for the next one:

“Moving People from Brokenness to Wholeness” on Sept. 10th at 10am (P.S.T.)- based on Uprising (a.k.a. The Character Matrix)

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Seth Godin pointed me to Scobleizer’s post entitled: “Is getting ‘more traffic’ your real goal?”

He points out that Fred has 45 million viewers, which is really quite remarkable, but what have these 45 million viewers been moved to do (other than laugh)?

Scobleizer writes: “Why not get into the traffic race? Because I’d rather be in the race for a smart, focused audience. That’s where the real action is. If traffic is your goal, here’s the formula. Do something really stupid that’ll make people laugh. Me? I’ll stick with having a few thousand people passionate about learning more from innovative technologists and other leaders.”

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I discovered a sad fact: the porn industry has had an increase in revenue as a result of the government’s stimulus checks.

Pornography is a rampant and destructive problem with all sorts of hoffiric implications such as breaking up relationships, destroying trustworthiness, fostering abuse towards women, and even contributing towards human trafficking among other things.

Through some of our support groups and small groups at Mosaic, we have seen some remarkable transformations for guys struggling with addiction. This past week, Kim McManus shared a powerful message (listen here) on the subject and brought up a couple who shared their story.

A powerful spiritual truth Jesus shared which has been a guiding force in my life has been: “The pure in heart will see God.”

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It’s been great to receive so many positive emails and blog posts from people who have read Peppermint-Filled Pinatas. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to share.

If you’ve done something in your neighborhood or with your church that may be inspiring to others, let me know! I will post it on my blog. The author of the post at the end of July which has received the most comments will receive a free copy of Erwin McManus’ new book “Wide Awake” or the new Wide Awake DVD.

Post your “PFP moment” (as Dana Evans one of the leaders at one of the Mosaics in New Zealand has called them) on your blog or you can email me at eric@ericbryant.org with a brief one to two paragraph description of your “PFP moment.”

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I thought you would enjoy this article “Meat Market Ministry” by Jason Jaggard, one of our Catalysts at Mosaic.

Jason shares some of the highlights and challenges of  our church meeting in a nightclub on Sunday nights (for 10 years now) and reminds us that two signs of a healthy church include sexual immorality and heresy. 

Don’t believe it?  Just check out Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, Galatians, etc..  I would also add another two signs of a healthy church would include chaos and conflict. 

Enjoy the rest of the article here!

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Join us for a free teleseminar on Tuesday, July 15th!

I need your help, post or email me (eric@ericbryant.org) the topics you want to discuss/questions you want to ask and your preferred time of day.

Hope to talk with you then!

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One of my mantras is: “Don’t complain about something you aren’t willing to do anything about.”

Sometimes I need to remind myself of this motto. In fact, I know I need to have a few hard conversations in the next week that I have been avoiding.

Check out this great article about how we succumb to seven deadly habits in our efforts to control others around us.

“…most of the emotional turmoil you experience is directly traceable to the fact that you’ve learned to try to control those around you through …punishing, complaining, blaming, threatening, nagging, criticizing, and bribing” according to psychiatrist William Glasser, MD, president of the William Glasser Institute in Chatsworth, CA, and author of Choice Theory: A New Psychology of Personal Freedom (HarperCollins, 1999).

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As I am sure you are, we are praying for those affected by the tragedies in Myanmar (cyclone), China (earthquake), Lebanon (gun battles in the streets), and the U.S. Midwest and South (tornadoes and fires).

The Huffington Post included an article called “Angry Earth.”

In this globalized world in which we live, I have been amazed to receive email updates from more people in China and Lebanon and people from Myanmar than from people in the midwest or Florida. I am reminded of how small our world has become. As a result, what happens halfway around the world affects us more than ever before.

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I am still reflecting on a great trip which included Preston, England; San Jose, CA; Lynchburg, VA; Richmond, VA; Huntingtown, MD; and College Park, MD. Here are some more of the highlights:

PRESTON MARKET (Me and Adrian)

RELEASING BALLOONS AT EAGLE EYRIE CONFERENCE CENTER

THE COSTIC FAMILY (Lee and Deneen were some of our best friends in Seattle)

“BLESSING OF THE BIKES” RALLY with VIC SIMPSON from EMMANUEL

MOSAIC COLLEGE PARK ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Darren Plummer and his team are doing a great work near the University of Maryland.

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(For more on this graph, check out the Business Resonance blog)

On my recent travels I have been enjoying the BusinessWeek podcasts. In a recent one about the possible recession we are experiencing, the analysts discussed the options businesses have:

1. Cut back all research and development funding and focus on what must be in the short-term.

2. Make short-term sacrifices in order to gain long-term results by working to expand market share.

Option #2 is a brilliant idea!

Politically, President Bush called for Congress to pass a bill approving $700 million in food aid to offset the skyrocketing cost of food such as corn, wheat, and bread. This move provides help to those who might see us as enemies and may alleviate potential unrest in places such as Egypt. More importantly, it is the right thing to do. Could the US gain “market share” in terms of the way others perceive us around the world?

In our churches, as finances are tight, we need to re-evaluate our spending and make sure we don’t neglect those with the greatest need physically (usually the ones who are affected first and the most when the economy is hurting) and spiritually (it is easier to invest in ourselves rather than investing in those who don’t yet contribute).

With this in mind, appreciate your prayers as our community at Mosaic looks to serve people this weekend at Big Sunday and as we seek to love, serve, and reach out through ambitious events (“Love Letters” from She Community), new gatherings (South Bay starting June 22nd), and new relationships.

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