What is LORE?

I was asked an interesting question today: “If you were not a part of (insert church name here) (as a “minister”), what would your ministry be?”

It was interesting because this thing has been brewing in my heart and my head for quite some time.

You see, I love the mystery of God.  It is enticing.  It is life-altering.  It is uncomfortable.  And it is fascinating.

What I love so much about it is the opportunity to explore.  As a human and everything that comes with being a human (physical, emotional, spiritual), there is so much to give in this exploration.  You can sing about it, write about it, paint about it…the possibilities are endless.

And this is where LORE comes in.

I’ve been a rebel nearly all of my life.  What?, you don’t want me to do that?  Ok, I’ll do it.  Name it, I would have done it…it took some time, some introspective moments, some crying, some fighting, but I’ve changed.  I explored the word rebellion and in it I found two words – Lion and rebel.

I remember as a child listening to my father read to us the stories of the Chronicles of Narnia.  And I love how C.S. Lewis captures Christ as a lion – ferocious, loving, terrifying, and gracious.  As I wrestled with rebellion, and lions, and rebels, I found that I wasn’t much of a rebel when I rebelled against God.

Everyone does that.

So instead, I decided to become the Lion’s rebel, one who fights against the weight and pull of the world.  And in my exploration of this idea, I stumbled (really it was an accident) on a simple acronym: LORE (or LiOn RebEl)…and I found the meaning behind the word delightful: the body of traditions and knowledge on a subject, typically passed from person to person by word of mouth.  It’s origin is German, meaning to learn.

I want to provide a place for those of us who want to learn more about the mystery of God, what it means to be a rebel for him and not against him, and all of the emotional, physical, and spiritual entanglements that come from that.

I want to explore – do you?

If you’re interested, the door is wide open.  The way is vague but straightforward.

email me if you want to be a part of LORE – I’d love to not be the only one doing this…

jfrank@lionrebel.com