Category Archives: church planting

It's Simple But it's Good

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Six years of education centered around theology, eight years of college level education overall, working in Portugal as a missionary for two years, working for six years starting a new faith community, and beginning a new and different movement here in downtown Vancouver…and my greatest insight, the thing that has struck me the most, what I’ve learned most through my crisis with cancer is that the “good news” is…well…good. When it’s lived out (particularly when it is lived out radically) it is tangibly good to those who experience or observe it. For someone who considers themselves a follower of Jesus this should be common sense, “duh”, obviously, of course-type of information. And yet, and yet…AND YET it is not so commonly experienced! I see far too many people who are followers of Jesus and yet seem to not experience the goodness of it themselves! They equate following Jesus with going to church, they equate it with a system of rules, with a system of morality, etc. While I believe church is a part of the goodness of following Jesus, and while I believe that Jesus invites us to say “no” to certain things…the reality is that when those things are the core to your belief I think you’ve missed the boat! You’ve missed what’s so good about the “good news”.  Going to church isn’t good news–being a part of a community of people who love you no matter what, who will be honest with you, who care for you, and who invite you to learn to reciprocate–that’s good news! Understanding yourself by what you say no to is not good news to anyone (unless you’re a seeker of control)–but learning to say no to things that are destructive to self and others–that’s good news!

Simply put, good news is good. Its tangibly good. It’s noticeably good. It’s nearly irresistibly good. It’s attractively good. And it took me getting cancer to really believe, see, and experience this.

Jesus invites us into a life that the Bible refers to as gospel (good news) and I hope it doesn’t take you getting cancer to truly and honestly believe it in all its beautiful simplicity.

How to Help

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I have been getting so many kind and sweet emails, Facebook messages, and texts asking how you can help. First off…thank you thank you thank you! Thank you for how you’ve already helped get us thus far, thank you for your willingness to both offer help and many of you who have not offered because your worried about trying to give us adequate space–both are a gift! As I keep saying over and over again: you all are amazing and we would not have the courage to move forward if it were not for the cloud of beautiful people that surround us.

I’m not speaking in hyperbole here when I say that receiving help has been the second hardest part only behind finding out I had cancer. I love helping people but I do not love being helped. I feel vulnerable and…well…helpless. And I don’t like that. So this post is difficult to write, but I know its important. For the sake of my wife, my kids, and myself I realize that I need to write this blog. Letting y’all help our family has been one of the most transformational experiences in my life (again, no hyperbole here) and I’m working hard on not letting my pride ruin it!

So after racking my brain for a bit here, if you’d like to be a part of helping our family, at this point in time here is how I best know you can do that:

  • Meals. I did not think that having meals brought to our house would be as big of a deal as it has been. But its been huge! By the time we get to dinner all of us are exhausted, stressed, and on edge so to have a meal prepared is an amazing gift. If you’d like to help, our wonderful friend Erika Albright has volunteered to coordinate this. Go through her ’cause she makes everything easier and keeps my clouded brain from messing up all the scheduling! Find her on my facebook friends (http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=688805708) or email her at: ealbright2k3 AT gmail DOT com
  • Texting. For the last two months we’ve been flying by the seat of our pants. We don’t very well know what we’re doing tomorrow or what we’ll be up for doing the day after that. Because of this iIt’s been the little surprise and random things that have brought some great joys. We’ve found that some of the greatest and most subtle gifts are from those who randomly text things like “can I grab you a coffee right now” or “can we get you anything tonight” or “do you want us to stop by at all today”. Text messages like this allow us to easily say “No, we’re good” or ” No, we want to just be alone right now” OR “yes, please, we’re dying for Krispe Kreme!” or “Please come play with my children before I kill them.” We don’t do scheduling well these days, but we do SOS texting quite effectively. (if you do not have my number and want it, email or facebook me. ryan@renovatus.com)
  • Finances. I have to be honest and say that we have absolutely no idea what lies ahead for us financially. There’s obviously going to be mounds of medical bills–but even beyond that we have two difficult realities that we’re working with. First off Jess is not working right now both because her job as a teacher limits Summer job opportunities and because of the nature of what we’re going through she does not really have time to work! Secondly, my job, my role, my calling is in starting a new Jesus movement here in the downtown Vancouver community. The Grassroots Conspiracy (as we’re calling it) is just taking root…and yet I do not know what lies ahead for me and therefore for my leadership of this movement. Financially speaking it was at this exact moment right now that I had been planning on solidifying Grassroots Conspiracy’s financial future through continued fundraising and possibly a part time job on Main Street…and now all this. We are beginning dialog with some respected people trying to figure out what all this looks like, but until then, and in response to people’s question regarding financial need–here are ways you can help financially:
    • Come to the July 14th fund raiser hosted at Pop Culture! It should be a blast and I think they’ve got some great music and stuff planned. It’s from 7-9 and all ages are welcome! (you can find its facebook page titled “Fundraiser for Ryan Woods!”)
    • Online gifts. Due to my role as a church planter (another way of saying we’re starting a Jesus movement) we’re able to receive both special gifts and reoccurring gifts through this website. It safe, secure, and fairly simple. http://su.pr/1VwRyQ Again, while we’re uncertain what, how, or if we should continue the fund raising process for our work, if you would like to be a part of getting us through this, this is one easy way.
    • Snail Mail. Similar to above, if you would like to send a check to help our family with medical expenses or whatever you can do so by sending PO Box 873575 Vancouver, WA 98687 written to “Renovatus” and marked for Ryan Woods.
    • Columbia Credit Union. Our local bank was kind enough to offer to setup a donation account. If you live in the ‘Couve and it is easier, you can go into any Columbia Credit Union and say my name or give them this number #444289 and donate directly into the setup account.
  • Garden. This one may seem a little out of left field…but I love my garden…and yet I’m kind of helpless to take care of it as I should! I tried and succeeded one day in watering my front and back garden areas only to realize that it about killed my body for the rest of the day. If you ever want to help water my garden in the morning, or help tie up my growing sugar snap peas, etc. I’d love the help! The best way would be the texting approach, to drop a text offering to come over and water would be easy and would allow me to say “yes please!” or “No, my mom is here and is taking care of it”…now if we could only get some sun up here in the NW!
  • So much more. I realize there is so much more I could write. I have tried to focus on the immediate practical needs–but at this point much of my time is spent in prayer, in research, in learning about clinical trials, in learning about what resources are available to us a part of the spinal cancer family, etc. Many of you are praying, many of you have shared information regarding research, and many of you know resources. I know there are many ways here that y’all can help and I’m wide open to receive it.

Thank you all for your love, your care, your support, and your prayer. You are making love more and more tangible in my life and I cannot say thank you enough.

Joining the Dispatch Fun?

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Since January of 2009 I have put together a monthly (OK, maybe it doesn’t always turn out to be monthly, but that was the goal!) newsletter. It has morphed and changed over the years as much as I myself have changed and become a different person focused on different things. Today I refer to it as a Dispatch from Downtown as it chronicles the activity and dreaming of the Grassroots Conspiracy movement that we are a part of starting here in downtown Vancouver, WA.

One of my goals is to not just tell you about what we are doing but to allow you space to enter into some of the life and movement of our downtown community. Therefore much of the content in these Dispatches is written by amazing individuals from our neighborhood who are living and dreaming the Conspiracy into reality. As I spend the next week putting the finishing touches on June’s Dispatch from Downtown I want to invite anyone and everyone who is interested to sign-up to receive it! If you’ve been following my blog and our journey through all this health stuff then you’re fully aware that what there truly is amazing things happening here in downtown Vancouver. There really is a Grassroots Conspiracy emerging where a whole community is developing around the Jesus idea of love, compassion, dying to self, and generosity…I just never expected or intended to be the guinea pig in the middle experiencing it all! I thought I would be the one doing it but instead I’m the one receiving it!

So my invitation to you is if you are not currently signed up to hear the stories, to read the report of the amazing things going on I would be remiss if I did not invite you to join in the fun! So below is a quick and easy way to join. Oh, and please feel free to invite your neighbors, friends, co-workers, aunts, uncles, chia pets, second cousins twice removed, mothers, fathers, and small little babies to join in the fun too. The story is getting too good to miss out on!
peace.

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Causality or Conspiracy

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It’s funny how one of the first places we all went when the tumor stuff started was cause. Why in the world would a tumor pop up in the middle of my spinal cord in the middle of my back? (clearly and soberly the hope is that it didn’t metastasize from some other place. If this ends up being true then the jokes just aren’t quite as funny! Which makes me want to write this blog sooner than later! Ah!) I’ve been joking about how I never should have started taping my cell phone to my back as I walked around. Damn celular radiation! Then we had some who have questioned the 1920’s community home that we live in. Are we living in a mold-infested and toxic laden home that is causing both my son and I to have negative and surprising health concerns?! We’re all trying to figure out the why question and so I’ve decided to make a list of some of the things that changed 4-5 months ago. These things are potentially directly correlated to the emergence of the tumor in my spine and Jones’ swollen lymph nodes and must be treated as so:
  1. Valentines Day. Could our over consumption of chocolate and excessive euphoria due to the mad card making we did for my wife really have caused something like this? Timing would say yes!
  2. Obio the cat. Ok, so maybe we already had Obio at this point…but I feel like I started being annoyed at the way he used his kitty litter right about this time period. This was a major change and cannot be ruled out.
  3. That one dude. You remember who you are. I met you at the pub, we talked about gardening and chickens and such. You had brown hair, drank some local brew…I feel bad but our meeting just so happens to coincide and I cannot rule you out ’cause I think at one point you brushed up against my back.
  4. Ikea Rug. This ones it. We bought that grey flowery rug at Ikea and put it right upstairs in our bedroom where I sleep! Correlation made and confirmed!
  5. Costco membership. I knew there’s just too much good stuff at Costco, too many free samples, too many flashlights in one package…too much to not make a connection to the fact that we started shopping at Costco again at the beginning of this year. Coincidence? Only my surgeon can say.
  6. Christmas. So maybe I’m stretching back a little too far here, but there is a chance that Christmas did this to me. Christmas brings with it all sorts of alternative and new experiences. Eggnog, yule logs, bearded men in chimneys…
  7. North Carolina. I should have never gone to North Carolina! Spending time with JWH and the Rutba people, watching Durham literally shut down after an inch of snow, and sitting in a classroom under the tutelage of my professors must have done something to my body that was irreparable!
  8. Exercise. I think I remember trying to actually exercise at the beginning of the year. I’m a little fuzzy on the details right now but if my memory serves me correctly I tried to exercise and even that attempt may have given me a tumor. Important note to self: for the sake of my family do not go running, weight lifting, or use any elliptical machine.

Changing gears and speaking a big more seriously I am not one to look for causes. I am not one to seek out justification, to try to figure out how God has “willed” something like this to happen. My five year old son seems to share my perspective because the night before my surgery I sat down with my son and tried to have a special conversation with him regarding “daddy’s big day”.

Jones: “daddy, it’s not that big of a deal”

Me: “You don’t think so?”

Jones: “People all over the world have tumors right now”

Me: “I guess you’re right. I guess this is something new to our family but it’s actually pretty normal on a global perspective huh?”

Jones: “Yeah. And many of those people are dying from them.”

Me: “Dying? I like to think that many people are finding new life as those tumors are removed from  their bodies!”

Jones: “What about people in Africa who do not have access to adequate medical facilities or doctors?”

Me: “Wow, you’re right. I guess we should feel really lucky and special that we live in a place where we have such good doctors huh?”

Jones: “Yeah. Can I have another pillow I’m ready for bed.”

Me: “Sure. Goodnight.”

Talk about perspective right?! Stuff happens and we don’t know why. Sometimes we’re blessed to find a cause and sometimes we are not. In my case…and I may look foolish in saying so I just can’t help but marvel at the timing of it all. The week I finished grad school and entered into what was supposed to be a two week sabbatical period was when the painful symptoms emerged. Then week following my two week sabbatical was the moment I had been counting down to when my time was completely 100% freed to do what I had been working toward doing for four years–namely giving myself completely to the work of creating the Grassroots Conspiracy in the downtown community. Instead on that first “free” Monday I was on my back for eight hours in MRI machines. Timing wise nothing was going according to plan, my eagerness to enter into new activity kept getting interrupted by all this health stuff! A good friend of mine and someone I respect deeply reflected that it

Seems like health issues come in waves, especially when…on the cusp of some strategic ministry breakthrough.

Essentially it seems like when big things are about to happen big things tend to happen (I’m quite the writer eh?) The irony beauty of all this is that instead of ME trying to work and create something in our community, everything has been turned around. I’ve been thrust into the test tube of our own dreaming. We sought out to create a community of people who are learning to buy into the Jesus way of dying to self and living for others and rather than having space and energy to live it out myself I am being forced to be the guinea pig. At first I hated it, it embarrassed me to be the recipient of all of your love. Today it still embarrasses me and continuously freaks me out as my family is showered with the love, care, and selflessness of an entire community! I’m supposed to be caring for you! I’m supposed to be doing this, I’m supposed to be coordinating meals for MY neighbors, I’m supposed to be helping YOU. Oh the irony beauty of it all. You all are amazing. Whether you like it or not you are living out the Christian narrative. Isaiah 61 captures the backwards nature of it all–broken people are bound up, mourning is turned into joy, justice if found, beauty instead of ashes–everything is turned around made backwards and beauty emerges. Love it.

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.

and its happening before my very eyes…

Like Jones said, “tumors happen”. The real story here is that prayer, love, and sacrifice that has been given to my family because of you all does not “just happen”. You people are co-conspirators of the greatest kind.

It's All About People

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I’m making this up, but I think I’m right.

If you’re in business then it’s easy to think that it’s about the bottom line. It’s about income and expenditures. If you make more than you spend in a consistent, ethical, and reproducible way you should be good to go.

If you’re into religion it’s easy to think that it’s about figuring out what’s right. Its about the right religion or the right path. If you’re following a religion that is right and leads to outcomes that resonate with your definition of rightness then you should be good to go.

If you’re into philosophy then it’s easy to think that its all about thinking rightly. Right outcomes are less important than right processes that develop people along a pathway of consistency (I think. Honestly I get very lost in philosophy).

If you’re into art and creative expression then its easy to think that its all about freedom. It’s about the freedom to express who you are, what you see (or do not see) in the world, and to bring a voice to what might be left blank otherwise.

If you’re into education then its easy to think that it’s all about gaining information. The more we know the more power we have over our choices and our future. Knowing more gives us greater power, control, freedom, responsibility, and a whole host of valuable and important things.

If you’re into humanitarian work it’s easy to think that its all about fixing things. You recognize that the world is broken and your heart does not let you go on without being a part of the solution. So you build wells, you organize soup kitchens, and you care for the broken people and systems in our world ’till they are fixed.

Each and every one of those is of huge value (though I know that we each will value one much more highly than another!). But none of those are enough. None of those outcomes stand.

Because it’s all about people.

Actually, let me back up one more step. It’s all about this radical Latin phrase called the Imago Dei–that humanity is indelibly marked with the image of God. That you, I, him, her, that dude, that kid, and that one snarky old dude over there are all first and foremost created in the image of something first of all perfect, gracious, loving, creative, and beautiful. Broken as we are, in need of fixing, in need of more knowledge, greater freedom, consistent thinking, right ends, and even success–none of those things define us.

What defines us is our identity as a part of humanity.

Business, religion, philosophy, education, art, social work, and the many other elements of life that should be listed all come down to the same thing–how do we honor, cherish, nurture, and love the beautiful things we’ve been given–namely each other?

Obviously I’m not dumb enough to think I’m writing a blog post trying to answer that question. I’ll write that four point blog tomorrow.

But I’m also not going to be foolish enough to say that my wife and I are not making an attempt at an answer. For Jess and I (and those who are conspiring with us!) our response is this whole crazy stupid idea of creating a new Christian movement in downtown Vancouver that seeks to see a Grassroots Conspiracy emerge where people are finding new life in person to person interactions across streets, blocks, and neighborhoods.

We’ll see if it works…but the way I figure is it can’t hurt!