A Day in the Life

The Answer to Arguments

2011-09-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

From the book Let the Journey Begin by Max Lucado.

Sometime ago my wife bought a monkey. I didn't want a monkey in our house, so i objected.

"Where is he going to eat?" I asked.
"At our table."
"Where is he going to sleep?" I inquired.
"In our bed."
"What about the odor?" I demanded.
"I got used to you; I guess the monkey can too."

Unity doesn't begin in examining others but in examining self. Unity begins not in demanding that others change, but in admitting that we aren't so perfect ourselves...

The answer to arguments? Acceptance. The first step to unity? Acceptance. Not agreement, acceptance. Not unanimity, acceptance. Not negotiation, arbitration, or elaboration. Those might come later but only after the first step, acceptance.

Do You Have a Hole in Your Heart?

2011-09-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

Continuing with the book, Let the Journey Begin by Max Lucado, I enjoyed this entry:

Perhaps the wound is old. A parent abused you. A teacher slighted you.

And you are angry.

Or perhaps the wound is fresh. the friend who owes you money just drove by in a new car. The boss who hired you with promises of promotions has forgotten how to pronounce your name. your circle of friends escaped on a weekend get-away, and you weren't invited...

And you are hurt.

Part of you is broken, and the other part is bitter. Part of you wants to cry, and part of you wants to fight. The tears you cry are hot because they come from your heart, where there is a fire burning. It's the fire of anger. It's blazing. It's consuming. Its flames leap up under a streaming pot of revenge.

And you are left with a decision. "Do I put the fire out or heat it up? Do I get over it or get even? Do I release it or resent it? Do I let my hurts heal, or do I let hurt turn into hate?"... Resentment is the deliberate decision to nurse the offense until it becomes a black, furry, growling grudge...

Unfaithfulness is wrong. Revenge is bad. But the worst part of all is that, without forgiveness, bitterness is all that is left.

New Books

2011-08-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

I, like many, have gone to Borders to raid the graveyard of unsold books at discount prices. I don't know whether to feel bad for scavenging the misfortune of our town's best bookstore, or feel good for helping their poor bottom line. Nonetheless, I bought 10 books and have finished one and started on the second. In my usual form, I will pick a few highlights here and there and share them.

Today's selection (and probably a couple more) come from the book Let the Journey Begin by Max Lucado. It is a devotional-style book. It's titled Revenge Is a Raging Fire.

Resentment is the cocaine of the emotions. It causes our blood to pump and our energy level to rise.

but, also like cocaine, it demands increasingly larger and more frequent dosages. There is a dangerous point at which anger ceases to be an emotion and becomes a driving force. A person bent on revenge moves unknowingly further and further away from being able to forgive, for to be without the anger is to be without a source of energy.

That explains why the bitter complain to anyone who will listen. They want-they need-to have their fire fanned...Resentment is like cocaine in another way too. Cocaine can kill the addict. And anger can kill the angry...

And it can be spiritually fatal too. It shrivels the soul.

Hatred is the rabid dog that turns on its owner. Revenge is the raging fire that consumes the arsonist. Bitterness is the trap that snares the hunter.

And mercy is the choice that can set them all free.

Light Speed

2011-03-17T07:42:00.000-07:00

Life is passing by at an incredible speed. Each week I tell Greg, "It's youth group day already! It was just Thursday last week! It was just Sunday!" Where do the days go? I guess it means I'm enjoying life more now than I ever have. I love directing Sunday School. I love working a couple of hours and coming home to do church stuff. I love seeing the kids from church twice a week. I love teaching them on Sunday and deciding what they'll be learning. I love having the college group here on Friday nights. I love leadership meetings. I love retreats. It's all fun!

I'm exciting to see our backyard taking form. I got an iPhone a couple of weeks ago and have told everyone that I didn't think I could love an inanimate object this much! It's amazing what that thing will do.

So I have to ask myself, what is different now than what was going on a few years ago? One thing is that I'm not landscaping, which caused my body great pain. I'm not reading as much, which I would like to be doing, but I just don't seem to have the time, and when I have the time, my brain doesn't have the concentrating power because it is wiped out. I think the main reason that everything is amazing right now is because I have a focused purpose in ministry. Being an administrator is great and easy, but coordinating children's ministry is even better. I recently learned that the main reason people are depressed is that they lack purpose in their life. I've never had to deal with depression and hope I never do, but I can see that. I also learned that one of the major causes of healed depression is having a purpose in your life.

Time to get ready for work. It's youth group day! Again!

Have a blessed sunny, beautiful day.

Yes!

2011-01-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

I love to see God working in people's lives. It's more exciting than a Super Bowl game. Whether I'm spectating from a distance or God allows me to help encourage someone in His will, it's an absolute blast! I guess it's God's way of encouraging all of us.

Have you ever been around a new believer? Their enthusiasm is catchy. It continues to fan the flame in all of us on this amazing journey.

The only way we miss this joy is to keep our faith to ourselves and not get involved in other people's lives. Discipleship is on way to get up close to where the action is. If you're not a Paul or a Timothy in someone's life, I encourage you to do so. Find someone to mentor you or find someone to mentor. Sure, there will be bumps, but it's like the real estate market . . . it always goes up eventually.

Have a blessed, foggy day!

Long Time, No Write

2010-10-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

Let's play catch up. Hmmm. I think I last wrote in early August, when we got our kitten Faith. She's doing well. Has 'kitty flu' at the moment, but getting her spunk back.

Work is good. I continue to work on writing a book, but am currently facing writer's block. It's a good challenge to work through. I've got the skeleton of the book and am working on putting the muscle on it. The muscle is about 60% done.

Church is good. We're working on our Harvest Party, then we tackle Christmas, then an advance (leadership retreat), then VBS.

Greg and I have been working on a layout for the backyard. Still! Today we got sod. We haven't tapped into the mainline yet or installed sprinklers, but we have sod in the backyard. I guess landscapers can put the cart before the horse sometimes.

I'm reading two books, slowly. The first is Mentor Leader by Tony Dungy and the second is Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Both are good. Crazy Love is kicking my backside, though. Ouch!

Had a cool experience yesterday at work. A friend of one of the ladies came in with her 1 year old daughter. Very cute. I waved and smiled at the baby. The mom was around the corner and the baby strained to see me. I waved again. Then the baby arched her back to be put down. Mom put her down and she walked around two corners and right up to me in the office, stopped, put her arms up for me to pick her up, (and of course I did!) and she sat happily on my lap playing with my necklace, glasses, mouse, pen, paper, and calculator for about 15 minutes. My boss, who is pregnant with her first, said, "She just walked right up to you!", repeatedly. She was so cute! Yeah, I like babies, at least the ones that don't scream when they see you.

Kristen is in MacBeth as a drummer. Lots of late nights rehearsing. Glad when she can come home after school again.

Mark is doing well. It seems like overnight he grew up.

Not much else is happening. Have a blessed Saturday!

She's turned a corner!

2010-08-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

For the first two weeks we had Faith, our kitten, she was very sick. Between an upper respiratory infection and an infected eye, not eating too much and sleeping a lot, it reminded us of Sputters, our pukey kitty we had to put down after 13 years. Faith hadn't gain any wait in 9 days. She had a constant fever. The eye ointment was working but the antibiotics didn't seem to fix anything. Then the eye infection went to the other eye.

After I took her back to the vet, her fever broke that night. It was back a little the next day, but then was gone for good. He eye infections completely subsided. Saturday she started playing, running, jumping, chasing our other cat, and being a kitten. What a joy!

She's hilarious. It's so entertaining watching her and Kira play together. Today Faith gets her stitches out and hopefully gets off her antibiotics.

Wahooo, we have a kitten!

A Little Respite

2010-08-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

A week ago Sunday our church celebrated their one-year anniversary. It was great seeing friends we haven't seen in a while. It was also great to hear Greg reminisce about the last year in the life of God's church. Each time we put on some sort of event, it gets easier. I think I don't stress as much, as I get more experience under my belt.

Preparations weren't too hard. We bought almost 20 lbs. of tri-tip. Greg and I prepared it the night before, then we popped it in the oven Sunday morning. When it was done, I wrapped each roast in foil and put it in the ice chest to get it to church. The grill was cleaned and fired up and on they went. Pretty good stuff for our first try. Many people, from leadership to neighbors, prepared dishes and brought them to share. We even had a cake made by one of the mom's of the kids on our kid's leadership team. A wonderful thing happened at the celebration. Greg had Kristen go up front with all the kids that go to the Saturday swim parties. She had taught them the books of the New Testament. She demonstrated how she taught them and taught the congregation as well, and had the kids do them. Everyone was very into it. John DuPree, one of our Elders, and the top guy of The Harvest Group was very impressed. So impressed that he asked Kristen to be one of the speakers at the Traction Conference held in Sacramento in January. Traction is a missions conference for 18-24 year-olds. She will be teaching the books of the New Testament as a drama presentation. As a speaker she gets to attend the whole conference, Wednesday through Saturday, for free. Cool, huh?

On Tuesday after the celebration, we got our new kitty Faith. She came home with a bad cold. Sneezing, runny nose and eye, then her eye became infected. She's on amoxicillan and eye ointment. She no longer has to be on pain medicine which made her sleep alot. We're just waiting it out. Some days are better than others.
Last weekend we went to A Lovely Place, and once again, loved it! I got to work on a project I've been hammering away at, which was great. We saw a fox carry a rabbit up the hill in its mouth, 4 deer, and a squirrel. We love that place!

I think that's about it for now. Keep praying Kristen gets a job soon! School starts in 2 weeks!

Have a blessed warm Tuesday.

Aaaaawwwweeeee!

2010-08-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

The vet called yesterday to ask all the pre-op questions and then let me know since we were doing a de-claw, we couldn't bring Faith home until Tuesday after 10:00 a.m. (which means 12:00, when I get off work). Bummer!!!!! A whole week since we adopted her! The wait is killing me! I guess if I can wait 6 weeks for Mark, I can wait a week for the kitten!

The Best Week Ever!

2010-08-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

We've had a wonderful week! These are not in any particular order.

1. Mark is home!!!!!!!! With a cold, but he's home!!!!!!!
2. We adopted a kitten! I named her Faith. She comes home Monday afternoon. She's a total snuggler. Our other cat is aloof and is Kristen's so this one is mine. She's perfect! Not the best picture of her, but she's 3 months old and just beautiful.
3. Kristen had 2 job interviews. The hospital, and a vet office. I hope she gets the vet office one. She's much better geared towards animals. Michael's is interested in her, they just have to get permission to let relatives work together.
She wants that job the most.
4. I don't have to do landscaping anymore! That means that I can work my other job in the mornings, which I prefer.
5. The weather is supposed to be in the 80's for the next week!
6. It's Friday and Sunday is our one year celebration of our church!!!!!
Have a blesssed Friday!

Relief! Joy! Anticipation!

2010-08-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

Mark is back in the states from his trip to Turkey! He called last night and we had a great chat. I can't wait to see him! Kristen washed his car. This valley is notorious for layers of dust and dirt on things that don't move.

We had a great leadership meeting yesterday. We planned our 1-year celebration coming up this Sunday. Can't wait!

Gotta eat breakfast and get ready to go to work. Lots of errands this afternoon.

Have a blessed warm, sunny Monday.

Very Satisfying Day

2010-07-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

The weather is beautiful, upper 80's, low 90's. I've been able to cut back on landscaping. Kristen is over her toe infection. Mark comes home from Turkey in a week. This afternoon I'm going to organize the bathroom cabinets.

The last two days at work I've been able to organize the file cabinets, do payroll, and program! I never thought I would miss it. As I dug in, I found myself in that 'zone' again. Working on big, long, hairy formulas. Looking up function names online, in help, and in an Excel book (the book was no help at all). Focused, talking to myself, raising my hands up in the air and saying "Yes!" when I fixed a problem. It took me back to my days at Gallo, and the time flew by. What my boss was expecting me to work on sporadically over the course of the rest of this year, I have almost done. I think. We'll see what he says when he sees my graphs when he gets back. Tomorrow I get to make everything look pretty, since the data is there and the graphs are working. Exciting!

Worship practice is here tonight, so I'll be getting the words into the laptop for Sunday. Speaking of church, we are celebrating our one year anniversary of starting weekly Sunday services. It's August 8th at 9:00 a.m. if you would like to join us. BBQ to follow. Go to our website here. I've been making a little gift for everyone. They turned out great! I can't believe I did it. I bet everyone who knows me won't be able to believe I did it either!

We're also planning a community-wide evangelistic seminar where people can learn how to share their faith. It will be held at Family Bible Center, 5 East Main Street Turlock, CA on September 11th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Evangelism resources will be available for browsing and buying. This will be the first of a 3-part series on evangelism.

Blessings on this beautiful Thursday.

The Days of Middle-Age Have Come

2010-07-28T07:37:00.001-07:00

I dare glance at the bookcase, I fear
My old friends, many more to be read, I tear.

Days gone by, enthralled, empassioned, I read
A heap of work, a mountain to climb, I dread.

The days of middle-age, have come
The brain forgetful, coming more quickly, for some.

The desire still remains, to read, to write
The days sift through my fingers, and too, the night.

God's Perfect Timing

2010-07-19T07:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at church sure had it's moments! It was one of those days when you think the enemy is up to no good and working overtime. It was a test of my attitude and patience. I give myself a B-. We got a couple of calls the night we came back from Monterey that our refreshment person and our Sunday school teacher (married to each other) got very sunburned the day before while rafting and wouldn't be going to church. I had to pick up the refreshments and do set up the next day. Not a big deal, everything was ready to go.

Our worship leader got a call 15 minutes before he came to church that his guitar player wouldn't be coming to church.

Our AV person was camping for the weekend so I was asked to set up the projector to the computer and run the words for worship. I didn't think it would be too hard since I had set up that kind of projector many times at Gallo for presentations in PowerPoint. However, running our worship software proved a little different. For the whole hour before service, I worked on it. I had an image for a while, but not the right size. My monitor on the laptop was doing strange things. Then I lost the signal all together. A quick call to our AV guy proved futile as he was out of range. On my own. Greg and our worship leader were great trying to help. Greg got the kids to set up the refreshment table and called us to prayer about the AV equipment.

I got a call while working on the projector that our greeter, who was also scheduled to work in the nursery, had an eye infection and wouldn't be coming to church. I was also to fill in doing the greeting as well, as well as my normal duties. Fortunately, the babies and toddlers we were expecting didn't come either.

At about 3 minutes to 9:00 I finally got the projector and computer working together and the words were just like they were supposed to be. I quickly handed the bulletins out and sat at the laptop to start worship. The first song wasn't going well on the screen so Greg gave me a quick tutorial he learned from our AV guy. Then the rest of the songs went smoothly.

Mid service I was asked to get a watermelon and knife out of the fridge for an illustration Greg was doing. While I was in the kitchen, the new baby arrived with mom. She was 4 lbs 6 oz, so tiny! They came into the service, Greg stopped the service and prayed for them and they stayed for the rest of the service. Fortunately, the person who translates for her was at church yesterday.

What a crazy Sunday service! I'm thankful God pulled everything together and that the kids came early and helped with the refreshments and other setup responsibililties.

A Day Away

2010-07-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Greg, Kristen, and I went to Monterey for the day. You gotta love traveling from 100 degree weather to high 60 degree weather. It was great. We did the typical touristy things: Fisherman's Wharf, the beach at Asilomar, Cannery Row. We had lunch at the Grotto at the wharf and dinner at Pea Soup Andersen's on the way home. We ate too much and still had leftovers. Here are some pics:

All Kinds of Good Things!

2010-06-23T16:01:00.000-07:00

Seeing my last post was 5/30, I thought I would update you on all kinds of good things that have happened in the last few weeks.

1. Mark went on his mission trip to Turkey on 6/21. He should be back August 5.

2. Kristen is job hunting. We had fun shopping for 'work clothes'!

3. I got a part-time job as a bookkeeper for Vail Creek Jewelry Designs, Inc.

4. I'm working for Greg 2 5-hour shifts per week.

5. We're trying to schedule a few days away. Can't wait!

6. We took Kristen and Mark to San Francisco Saturday to see Wicked for Kristen's
18th birthday. It was fantastic!

7. We're doing a lot of organizing around the house. Yeah!

8. Sascha has recovered very well from her stroke.

9. Casey is calming down. Puppy stage is finally ending.

10. A family in our church just had a baby girl, a month early, but mom and baby
are doing fine. The baby's name is Casey and will be home in 6 weeks or
less. Only 2 lbs. at birth!

11. Saturday swim parties are a hit! Greg is developing 3 student leaders.

12. My mom had back surgery and is doing fine.

Off to work. Praying for cool wind today.

Have a blessed warm Thursday.

Trying to Relax

2010-05-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

This month has been a whirlwind. So much busier than I ever remember Mark's last month of high school. Work was busy, I finished Kristen's scrapbook, took her to catch her bus for her senior trip at 5:00 a.m. last Saturday, picked her up at 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, planned and decorated for her party, went to her graduation and hosted her party, was on a procurement committee for Sober Grad Night, chaperoned Sober Grad night Friday night from 12:15 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., had an overnight guest for graduation night who showed up unexpectedly at my house that afternoon, interviewed and got a part-time job, have a full-time job possibility, and am planning on starting a women's Bible study on the Old Testament this Saturday. My body is trying to catch up on sleep but it's having some trouble. Too overstimulated from all the excitement I think. Enjoy the pictures.

End of the School Year

2010-05-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

We're in the home stretch. Last Friday night we went to Kristen's Junior/Senior Banquet. The theme was Phantom of the Opera. We entered a brick cave and all the Juniors were dressed in white dress shirts and black slacks. Some of the Juniors had roles to play, like Carlotta. She had a beautiful burgundy gown and a white wig that was over a foot tall! The opera house owners were in tuxedos and of course, you had the stars and the phantom who wore a tux with cape, and a half white mask. After entering the hall, each family was assigned a host to escort them to where their pictures were taken, then to their assigned table.

The tables were beautifully set. Each graduate had a long-stemmed rose at their place setting. Each table sat 3 graduates and their parents. There was an appetizer bar set up with fresh fruit, different kinds of cheeses and crackers, and pastries, and punch.

After opening in prayer, the first course came. The dinner consisted of salad, chicken cordon bleu with green beans and roasted potatoes and chocolate mouse finished the meal. Each table got a bottle of Welches white and red sparkling grape juice.

We were entertained by the performers mouthing the words to 3 or 4 phantom songs as they acted out the songs. After dinner, there was a slide show of the graduates from infant to senior picture. The graduates had an opportunity to share their thoughts during 'open mic'. The principal got up and shared the scholarships the kids had been awarded as they applied to different schools as well as what schools they planned to attend.

The evening was closed in prayer. It was a wonderful experience!

Our First Baptism!

2010-05-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we did our first baptism. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. After the baptism, we had a BBQ. Yummm!!!! Can't wait until the next one! Enjoy!

Touch Continued

2010-05-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with Chapter 5, Holy Disgust by Pastor Rudy Rasmus. BTW, have you read Holy Discontent by Bill Hybels? It's a great little book, a quick read, and a must read for anyone trying to figure out what they're supposed to do in their spiritual walk, primarily in ministry.

Most of us are wary of taking bold stands, because we don't trust our anger to be a form of holy disgust. To be honest, there's every reason to have that hesitation. The vast majority of anger and defiance that we see - in others and in ourselves - isn't holy at all. The goal of these emotions isn't justice and restoration; it's revenge.

Complacency isn't a fruit of the Spirit, and passivity and fear aren't products of a life of faith. Holy disgust crystallizes our thinking and propels us into action.

We are naturally in awe of powerful people, and we assume that they achieved power because they've earned it. Or maybe we've seen what happens when someone questions the motives or actions of these leaders. At one point, Jesus healed a blind man, and the Pharisees questioned him about the event. When he didn't give them the answer they wanted to hear, they kicked him out of the temple. For him, and for some of us, crossing religious authorities can lead to being ostracized. But for many of us, fear drives our decisions. It's much safe to get along by going along, keep the blinders over our eyes, and avoid making waves. And we keep going along to avoid the guilt and blame we'd suffer if we said, "Enough is enough!"

But another factor keeps us locked into toxic religion: when powerful people promise we'll get wealthy and healthy by following their directions.

Malcolm Gladwell observes that our preoccupation with the acquisition of things is our primary faith challenge, because it steals our hearts away from God and isolates us from people in need. We may get a new house or car or pretty dress or electronic gadget, and we enjoy it for a while. But soon we notice that somebody else has a nicer one or a newer one, and the fire of desire burns hot. It's hard to be committed to God's purpose, God's plan, and God's promise when they don't include a fifty-inch plasma television set with the latest audio equipment.

My talk that morning included an update on my recovery from the cussing habit my father passed on to me (384 days and counting!). As soon as my update was finished, a well-dressed family from New Orleans, sitting near the front of the church, got up and left. Was it something I said? I would have thought they'd be impressed that I've stopped cussing!

We've had dozens, maybe hundreds, of well-dressed people come to St. John's, but most of them came only one time. They look around, and they feel uncomfortable with the needy people they see sitting next to them in the pew. At that moment, they have a decision to make. The question may not be formulated in a crystal clear way in their thinking, but it's instinctive: Do I want to stay here and be part of a gut-level, caring community, or do I want to go down the street to a church where people look, smell, and sound more like me?

(Of missions trips) Observers report, though, that the most significant change occurs in the hearts of those who go, not the ones who are the recipients of their efforts.

Just a word of advice for today's blog. If you notice someone doing something wrong (illegal, immoral, unethical, unbiblical, etc.), please confront them. If you don't, you're basically an accomplice, especially as a believer, regarding another believer. What you could lose on earth will be less than you could lose in the spiritual realm. Do the right thing, at all times.

Have a blessed sunny Tuesday.

Touch Continued

2010-05-09T15:43:00.000-07:00

We'll continue with my highlights from the book Touch by Pastor Rudy Rasmus. We'll start with Chapter 4, Through His Eyes.

Expectations are premeditated resentments.

Fear is the root of these expectations. We're afraid that person - a family member or a stranger - will crack the shell of safety that we've carefully constructed to protect ourselves.

Until our own fears are cast out by God's great love for us, we'll continue to see every person as a stepping-stone to reaching our own selfish goals or a threat to our safety and significance.

"If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance" (2 Cor. 1:6 NIV). Did you get that? His distress helped him minister more effectively because he could identify with others' sufferings, and the comfort he experienced enabled him to pour out comfort to others who were hurting.

As we experience more of God's unconditional love - especially when we feel most unlovable - we'll be more secure. Then we won't see others as threats, and we'll be able to truly love them.

Truth is the foundation of a caring community. Faith, though, doesn't insulate us from trouble; trust in God gives us strength and insight so that we can handle those troubles instead of being overwhelmed by them.

Those are all excellent thoughts to meditate on. As I read some of them, I went, "Ouch!" And some where, "Ain't that the truth!" I've had seasons of fear and seasons of great peace and faith. If you truly consider how very much God loves us, how very patient He is with us, and why He created us, I think you come up with a formula for not being fearful. What could we possibly be afraid of when God is in control? What could we ever go through that others haven't already gone through and made it through just fine? We have God, omni-everything. What on earth is there to be afraid of?

Have a blessed cloudy Mother's Day!

Update

2010-05-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

Greg is feeling much better. He'll be preaching this morning. This afternoon we'll be attending Kristen's play at 2:00 with family and friends. At 6:00 we have a membership class at our house. Fun, fun, fun!

Sascha is still recovering. Kristen has a cold. She's playing the bongos this morning for church and Greg decided not to bring the pulpit but to preach on a stool with a music stand. It's almost like having our own church building, not lugging those things to and from church. Nice!

Have a blessed sunny, breezy Sunday!

New Book

2010-04-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Kristen, bought me a book for Christmas. It's called Touch and it's written by Pastor Rudy Rasmus. He pastors a church Called St. John's in downtown Houston. Side note, Beyonce grew up in this church and wrote a little note on the back cover.

I'm only on chapter 6, but thought I would share a few of my highlights.

The ministry of St. John's exposes fear, hurt, and doubt in each of us, and it lavishes love to heal these wounds.

The more I experienced the touch of His love, kindness, forgiveness, and strength, the more revolution God caused in my heart. I began to see myself as an advocate for the marginalized around me: drug addicts, homeless people, gays and lesbians, gang members, and misfits.

One day, a well-dressed lady who was a corporate professional came to me with a complaint, "Rudy," she said with a tone of disgust, "things just don't seem to be improving around here. What are you going to do about all of those people?"

I believe people have built-in radar to detect the level of acceptance we offer them.

ENGAGE BEFORE JUDGING
LOVE BEFORE LEAVING SOMEONE'S PRESENCE
PERSONAL PAIN IS FERTILE GROUND TO LEARN TO LOVE
REAL LOVE REQUIRES DEFENDING THE HELPLESS

(About a lady he knew in the neighborhood) She looked the facts squarely in the eye, and then she stepped up, spoke the truth, and took action. I've tried to follow her example by being brutally honest about people and circumstances, and then defending the rights of the helpless and hopeless against exclusion, racism, and all forms of injustice.

What can we expect when we choose love over fear in relating to people? We can expect most people to repay our love with trust and loyalty, but we can also expect a few to try to take advantage of our kindness, and a few of them will despise us. That's the range of people's responses to Jesus. Why should their response to us be any different?

And the reason for our limited ability to love might be that we live in fear and try to protect ourselves from being hurt again.

C.S. Lewis said, "Pain is God's megaphone." He uses it to get our attention. God uses our pain to deepen our dependence on Him so we move past fear and we learn to live in love. When we experience God's love, we can lower our guard of self-protection, and we can really love people.

According to Robert Linthicum in his book, Empowering the Poor, ministries can be characterized by their attitude toward "the least of these." Some churches have ministries "to" needy communities, some minister "in" those communities, and some minister "with" needy people.

Ministering "to" needy people is keeping the at arm's length. A suburban church may take old clothes to a shelter and drop them off. They expect the effort will help in some way, but they have very little contact with homeless people or abused women and children served by the shelter.

Many churches minister "in" their communities. The building is found in the town or city or countryside, but they see people outside the church as "them" instead of "us." They see their church as a haven from the injustice ad heartache outside the church, and they develop a fortress mentality. If people come to them, the church will try to find them some help. But if they don't come, that's fine too.

Instead of the church being a fortress to protect us from threatening people, the church is a family that cares for all of its people, the saved and the lost, the rich and the poor, the clean and the smelly. Churches that minister "with" their communities live in love, not in fear.

That's a good chunk to chew on for today, three chapters in fact. The next chapter deals with our fears. Tune in again!

Blessings on this sunny Friday.

Sad Face :-(

2010-04-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

This week our beloved dog Sascha of 15 years suffered a stroke. We don't know exactly when it happened, but she is walking with her head tilted, not walking straight and stumbling, and has some visual damage.

There is nothing the vet can do but he did gave us hope. He said with damage at this low to moderate level, she can recover after three weeks of rest. We can't give her blood thinners, as this could increase the bleeding in the brain if it hasn't stopped yet. She wants to walk, and even run, but she can't get her blood pressure up. We continue to keep her separated from our 3 year old golden retriever, Casey, as he is too rambunctious for her delicate condition. The vet said if she is vomiting consistently to let him know and he will give her some strong car sickness medicine for the nausea. If she starts seizing, it would be time to put her to sleep. Right now she's not in pain or discomfort, other than being really dizzy. He said it was like being a kid spinning around several times, then trying to run or walk a straight line. I get that.

So we're watching her and are hopeful her dizziness and head tilt will lessen in a few weeks and she'll be able to walk straight again.

Please pray for her full recovery. She's the best dog we've ever had. Loving and protective, gentle and loyal.

Have a blessed sunny Thursday.

Too Funny to Miss!

2010-04-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

We saw Kristen's play Friday night. It was hilarious, just like the brochure said. I was not expecting Kristen's character. I didn't recognize her when she walked on stage. The costumes and make-up were so good, you can't tell these are high schoolers! This is a laugh out loud comedy that pokes fun at Christians and the silly way we sometimes do church. In the end, it all works out and hearts are changed. Friday Greg was on an embankment at a customer's house in Modesto and started to slide into dry creek. He grabbed a vine and didn't realize it was full of nettles. His hand was red, swollen, throbbing, and prickly until the next day.

He's better now.

Have a blessed sunny Saturday.

Back to Work

2010-04-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

After being off all but 4 hours this week, and that 4 hours was in the rain, we've got a full day ahead of us today. Greg said to pack breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yuck! I'm eating breakfast at my desk as I type, so maybe it won't be as bad as I thought.

I'm going through a New Testament survey book with a friend and I love it! I'll be starting the Old Testament survey book with another friend in 2 weeks and can't wait.

We have a busy weekend with Kristen's play opening Saturday night at 7:00 at Sunrise Christian Church. Here's the info, if I haven't already posted it.

A Hilarious Comedy About the Church

Pastoring a new flock didn’t sound so difficult . . .
But nobody told him he’d be working with Turkeys!

Performed by the TCHS “Class Act”

Dates:
Saturday April 24 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday April 25 at 7:00 p.m.
Friday April 30 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday May 1 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Sunday May 2 at 2:00 p.m.

Sunrise Christian Church, 1000 E. Monte Vista Ave. Turlock
Tickets $5 to $7 at the door

Off to work!
Have a blessed cloudy Friday.

EQUIP Update

2010-04-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

This Sunday we're having a special kid's service. Children will be singing songs, reciting memory verses from VBS, giving testimonies, and reading scripture.

This Saturday we are having a baptism class and in a few weeks a baptism and bar-b-que. We will be having an interpreter for the parents of the children who will be baptized who don't understand English very well.

A membership class is also on the schedule and we're planning another leadership meeting soon.

Our small groups are going great. Greg and I are about ready to lead one ourselves for those with rotating work schedules.

The "Harvest Gathering" of Churches for God's Greatest Glory is a powerful, 2-day conference for churches throughout Northern and Central California. It is an opportunity for believers to hear from dynamic plenary speakers, interact with dozens of mission organizations, attend workshops to learn about strategic opportunities, and connect with like-minded believers from throughout the region. April 30-May 1 at The Home Church in Campbell CA.
This was a huge blessing to our team last year and we encourage anyone interested to go and check it out.

For more info on EQUIP's calendar of events, go to our website at .

Have a blessed gray Wednesday.

A Little Shove

2010-04-17T08:25:00.000-07:00

Two friends have told me that although my book review blogs were good, my best blogs are the ones where I share what God is teaching me or what is being revealed to me. This will be one of those kinds of blogs, and hopefully good!

A friend of mine and I are starting a study of the New Testament. I started blogging on the Old Testament survey study we did about a year ago and the same author, Bill Jones has come out with the companion book, Putting Together the Puzzle of the New Testament. I can't wait! Thursday night I had some quiet time alone. Greg was in the bedroom watching Flash Forward (too stressful for me), Kristen was at her drama rehearsal, Mark was at his college group so I had the living room to myself. Yeah!!!!! I love those times.

I was reading the introduction to the book, which is more like a summary of the book when I read a sentence that stopped me dead in my tracks and brought me to tears, remorse, and repentance.

Lately, as you know, I've been very busy. Work, Easter, VBS, etc. During that time, I missed about 6 quiet times in a row. That's about my limit anyway, before I sit down and catch up, which was also what I was planning on doing Thursday night. I know God is waiting for me to join him, but I also tell myself there is grace when I don't make it every day, and I do make up for it, sort of. God chose this sentence to get my attention:

There they struggled with the tendency of turning away from the living God who loves and cares for them and turning to gods made from the hands of the Canaanites.

I felt I was doing the same thing. I had a tendency that I struggled with - putting God on hold while I put other things first in my day. In so doing, I was choosing to turn away from the living God who loves and cares for me. I started to feel some of the pain that God must feel when we do this, when I do this. He loves and cares for me. All the time, no matter what. And yet I struggle with the tendency to turn away. How horrible of me. I turn to gods made from my hands - business, tasks, stuff all screaming, "I'm urgent!" But these things are not important. God is the most important thing I have.

I sat, I cried, I apologized over and over. I let the moment of correction wash over me, not wanting to hurry it, but to experience it fully.

Today I am 1 day behind. I need to do yesterday and today. Reading through the Bible in a year helps me keep on track, otherwise I have a tendency to let it go much more. The schedule is a tool to help me stay accountable, it is not a God. There is only one God, and He corrects me.

Have a blessed sunny Saturday.

A Grand Send Off!

2010-04-15T06:49:00.001-07:00

The Coburns joined us about 8 months ago for a season of recharging, healing, refocusing and direction. We expected this season to be from 4-6 months and all sensed their time with us was winding down as God has called them to start a small group in their home in Manteca. Under the covering of their previous church in Manteca, they already have many couples asking to be part of their ministry.

We announced their move a few weeks ago to give the congregation time to say their good-bye's and Sunday we had their family up front for a time of prayer and encouragement. After service we had cake. Tuesday night three families traveled to their home in Manteca for our monthly prayer meeting. Many prophetic words were spoken as we prayed for Dan and Audra, their children, and their ministry. It is an exciting time for them as they see where the Lord is ultimately calling them.

Many blessings to the Coburn family. God will do great things through them with their willing hearts to serve Him at all times.

Wheeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

2010-04-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

You know the exhiliaration of coming off a roller coaster ride? You're coasting into the final stretch as they apply the brakes, your hair flying backwards, or, if it's short, straight up. You have this silly grin on your face, that if you're lucky, the picture they just took makes you WANT to buy it.

That's how I've felt the last couple of days. So, if you've been reading my last couple of blogs, you saw the spiritual warfare taking place, mostly in our business. Then, early last week, our marriage was attacked. Fortunately, it was only a couple of days and by the time VBS started, we were on good footing again.

VBS was great. It was a spiritual high. Such a reward could only have been preceded by warfare, as the enemy knew what was coming. I have to say we were very drained. It sucked every bit of energy out of us but it was all worth it to see many kids come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

VBS itself was only 2 hours each day for three days, but we were there for 5 hours each day, which included setup, registration, and tear down. Much easier if we had our own building and could have transported everything needed once.

We started in the sanctuary with worship from Turlock Christian's Worship Band, which was great. Here they are practicing before we started the first day.
After worship, a few instructions and an introductory skit (written by Alex Gutierrez and performed by Alex, Jessica Bardini, Kristen and a few others as extras)
the kids were separated by age group and started their rotations. Some stayed in the sanctuary for a time of Bible lesson teaching (the theme was Heroes of the Bible) and the teaching separated girls from boys where the girls learned about Esther and Ruth and the boys learned about Gideon and David Wednesday and Thursday respectively and Friday everyone learned about the mystery hero, Jesus. Some kids went to crafts, led by our Sunday School teacher Amber Hutcheson and some went outside to play games that had to do with the theme and hero of the day. One of the games was throwing water balloon bombs at a 9 foot tall plywood Goliath, made by Dick and Mark Pritchard and painted by Kristen, when studying David. Goliath had signs attached to him like gangs, drugs, gossip, selfishnes, pride, etc.
After game time outside, it was snack time. I got to be in charge of registration and snacks and loved doing both. Their snacks were trail mix with cheetos and m&ms and cereal, brownies, mini cinnamon rolls, goldfish, and fruit cocktail. They also had lemonade, tang, and water.
Before VBS the first day, we got to play jumprope. Here's Greg and I giving it a try. I won! At the end of the day the kids came back together in the sanctuary and got to see the resolution to the intro skit from the morning. Sometimes they got a new skit. Before and after VBS the kids got to go into the Dora the Explorer bounce house. After VBS each day, the kids were treated to popcorn, manned by our actresses Alex and Jessica. The crafts included paper machet balloons, painted rocks, and bookmarks.

As VBS progressed, kids were rewarded with stars for attending, bringing a friend, memorizing up to 4 Bible verses a day, winning games, doing acts of heroics (like praying for someone, comforting, peacemaking, serving, etc.) and a few other things. At the end of VBS the highest performers of each age group were given their choice of prizes, like t-shirts, games, CDs, posters, etc. The kids were also given an opportunity to accept Christ the last two days and many did for the first time. Some were kids that went to our church, and others didn't go to church or went to other churches. That was the highlight for me!

To see all the pictures from VBS, look at the slide show below.

And Another Thing!

2010-04-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

So, we're visiting my mom yesterday and we leave Kristen's 5x7 of her homecoming picture up there. Not a really big deal, we'll get it back at the end of the month when they come down for Kristen's play.

So, I'm getting things ready for today's Easter service, and I can't find the tray I bought Tuesday for the refreshments! I looked everywhere. I don't know if I even brought it home. It's on the receipt, so I know I had it at the register, but can't find it anywhere. I used a larger tray I also bought Tuesday, so it worked out. Just another frustration.

Now that Easter is over, I wonder if the attacks will stop. Probably not until VBS is over I'm guessing.

Easter service was great. I loved the baby dedication, worship, and sermon on Spiritual Strength. The weather was a bit chilly, but we made it through. The kids had a great time finding eggs in the grass. One of the people in our church brought chocolate crosses and handed them out to everyone at church! We also had special music, she and her sister sang Amazing Grace. It was beautiful.

I'm looking forward to a nap, but I'm told we were invited to a birthday party, so we'll go there first, then crash. Glad there is nothing else scheduled for today!

Have a blessed Resurrection day!

It's almost laughable!

2010-04-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

As if my laundry list of our week or two wasn't enough, it just keeps getting better!
1. Today we lost a set of keys for work.
2. Greg had two guys coming to help us with a weedeating job and he had to piece together 3 pieces of equipment to make one weedeater.
3. Then we lost the gas cap to one of our weedeaters. The funny thing was, we had an extra gas cap because two weeks ago the oil cap broke and we bought the gas cap by accident, but we couldn't find our extra today. We went to one of our supply stores and they didn't sell them.
4. One of the keys we lost is to our storage unit so we couldn't park the trailer in there tonight. It will cost $50 for the storage unit people to break our lock, or $65 for a locksmith to come out. Last time this happened (oh yes, this has happened before!), the storage unit people loaned us their lock cutters for free. The times they are a changin'!
5. My back is killing me and I think I may have to go to the doctor.
6. There have been more, but we can't remember them, thank goodness!

Here's the good news:
1. The big mower is working and tomorrow we have 2 jobs left and we're done for the week! (Assuming no more equipment malfunctions)
2. We get to go out of town Saturday for several hours, and Mark got the day off to go with us!
3. It's almost Easter, and the bulletin is almost done, the fliers for VBS are printed, the baby dedication certificate is done, and the refreshment stuff is ready to go!
4. A lot of the VBS supplies are ready!

I just can't wait for this week to be over! Have a blessed cool, Thursday evening.

It's Pouring!

2010-03-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

I've often titled blogs like this When it Rains, it Pours, so I thought I would be a little different today.

Taking into account that it is before Easter, I can understand why we are experiencing the things we are experiencing.

It started three weeks ago when Greg got sick.

Then the belt on our big mower came off.

Then I got sick.

Then Friday we lost our trailer's license plate in Modesto. I know where we lost it. The Modesto PD was too busy to look for it, so Greg went back up after work and couldn't find it. We did a missing plate report on our way to Tracy yesterday and as I write, Greg is standing in line at the DMV to get a replacement plate.

Then yesterday the same belt came off, along with a large spring, and the drive belt. A spool holding the blade belt was bent. No mower for 24 hours or more. We were very fortunate to be able to drive the mower from where it broke to the trailer and up onto the trailer.

We're also trying to figure out why our taxes are higher this year and are combing through income reports trying to find overstatements. This is a pain and a hassle.

All this while trying to plan for Easter and VBS, landscape the backyard for graduation, and keeping our discipleship and counseling appointments.

It's a little busy, but God is sufficient for all our needs. We're not irritable. We're looking at this time as part of the territory of Pastoring.

I don't mean to whine, just sharing. The Bible tells us to share one another's burdens as well as joys. I don't mind sharing either. What I do mind is when people are unwilling to share the difficult situations. It really robs the body of opportunities to minister and intercede for one another, which promotes spiritual growth.

Thanks for reading. Have a blessed cloudy Tuesday.

Updates!

2010-03-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

Something strange happened. I hit 500 blog posts and I had no desire to post. It was like coming to a stoplight and the light never turned green. There I sat with nothing to say. Well, now it's time to update everyone on all kinds of stuff.

EQUIP Update:
1. We had 4 kids accept Christ in our worship service a month ago. Yesterday some kids from Turlock Christian joined us to deliver 450 flyers to neighboring houses on the westside, inviting them to our Vacation Bible School April 7-9. Today we had 6 new kids come to church, and got 7 registrations, 6 of which came from one of the kids!
2. Greg and I reconnected with 2 families we've helped in the past. It was great seeing them again and helping them out.
3. Still praying for a building of our own.
4. We had 23 kids in church today. We may have to switch rooms with them soon. They're outnumbering our adults!
5. We've got a baby dedication planned for Easter. We also have 2 people in our church with birthdays on Easter this year!

Personal Update:
1. I'm back working with Greg 3 days a week and feel very good. The arms are good, the shoulder is almost fixed. I was told last week that I'm 'on the other side', meaning that there is no impingement, but we just have to keep stretching it for the next month to get full range of motion back. It doesn't hurt anymore, just an ache here and there, especially after work.
2. Easter is almost here. The busiest day of the year for churches, which we are one, and the busiest day of the year for landscapers of churches, which we have three. We're in a double crunch but doing well and on track. Greg is feeling a little scrunched this week, preparing his Easter sermon, getting all our customers done, going to see my mom on Saturday, and we have 2 meetings this week at night.
3. Mark is planning a 6 week missions trip to Turkey in June/July with Monument. (Monte Vista Chapel's college group via Campus Crusade for Christ). He is raising $3500, so if you'd like to help, send a check with his name on it to Monte Vista Chapel. He's a junior at CSUS taking 15 units and working 2 part-time jobs, as well as being on Monument's worship team playing keyboard.
4. Kristen is a senior at Turlock Christian, working hard on her senior project, which is called "Whether or not Dads are important in a child's life". She has to present both sides with multiple references. Pretty involved. Powerpoint, oral presentation, written report, etc. She's also working on her part in a drama which will be at Sunrise Church April 23-25, 30 and May 1-2. She plays a church secretary of a dysfunctional church. It's a high comedy. I can't wait! She also plays drums for our church on Sunday mornings.
5. We're hoping to get our backyard done before Kristen's graduation. Fence, sprinkler system, sod, plants, fruit trees, shade trees, etc. Our taxes were more than expected so this and a few smaller things are waiting for that first.

Now you're caught up! I hope to blog more after Easter. Blessings on this gorgeous Sunday evening.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-03-04T08:01:00.000-08:00

I'm on a roll. Continuing with Discipleship Defined by Floyd McClung.
Discipleship is not telling other people what to do, nor is it a rigid set of rules and practices for spiritual growth. Nor is it a way of relating for "moderns" that does not apply to "postmoderns."

While discipleship involves helping each other grow in Christ, it doesn't mean we take responsibility for each other's decisions.

People grow the most when they learn to hear God's voice for themselves. The aim of making disicples is to point people to Jesus. There is no greater joy for people than when they discover God's will for themselves. As much as we may be tempted to give people the answers or "fix" them, God alone can transform the human heart.

Making disicples is not an option, it's a command.
Jesus said, "Teach tme to observe all things I have commanded you." Obedient disciples make disciples. It's the heart of what we do. There is nothing more important than investing our lives in other people. There is no more crucial role for leaders in the church. When leaders invest their lives in other leaders, it's discipleship at its best. Why? Because only those who live with apostolic intent can create a leadership culture conductive to attracting and releasing more leaders. When a leader develops other leaders, the impact of one life is multiplied many times over. It produces more fruit for the kingdom of God.

Making disciples is personal in nature but global in scope.

Making disciples begins with building relationships with people who don't know Jesus.

Making disciples is another way of describing church planting.

Making disciples is God's way of transforming cities and nations.

Sadly, many leaders are getting people to make decisions about Jesus, but they are not making disciples for Jesus.

Discipling someone means intentionally identifying with God's interests in that person's life.

There are churches and movements today that produce these kinds of disciples, while others don't come close. The reason some churches and movements produce these kinds of disciples is because the leaders have been captured by a vision of laying down their lives for the purposes of God. If the people who lead have this kind of passion and vision, it will be passed on to others. unless we make disciple-making our main agenda, all our visions are fantasy. It's the difference between dreaming and doing. And to do the job really well, we have to make our main business making disciples who make disciples.

Personal discipleship helps create the truest form of trust between people. Not just the kind of trust that believes a person is reliable, but trust that is based on knowing that other people have our best interests in mind. It's the trust that comes from people baring their hearts to one another. It's the trust that results from dealing with conflict in healthy, loving ways. It's the trust that says, "I want input from you, even if it means significant adjustment to my character or plans."

Trust takes time, hard work, connecting from the heart, humility, and lots of transparency. Trust is the assurance that you can rely on people to tell you the truth, knowing that they believe in you. Trust creates safety and assures others they can open their hearts to one another without fear of retribution. Without a strong sense of trust, people build walls, lift the drawbridge to their heart, and live behind barriers of suspicion and cynicism. Amazingly, we can pull down walls of mistrust through being vulnerable to another person. Discipleship embodies this way of relating.

Disciples make disciples. There is no shortcut and there is no other way for a church or movement to reproduce itself.

That concludes the book! The appendix gives five core practices to start and multiply simple church communities. They are:
1. Pray
2. Meet
3. Disciple
4. Gather
5. Multiply

This has been a fascinating and motivating book. I have heard people say that reading Christian books isn't good because it's not the Bible. I disagree. If God can inspire people to write the Bible, he can inspire people today to write good Christian books that motivate and explain in today's language the message and purpose of the Bible. They are no substitue for the Bible or my daily reading and time with God, but they pour into me the same way sitting across the table from someone giving me wisdom about the Bible does. It's like listening to a good sermon.

My kids have a video game called Sonic that has this little critter running really fast down roadways. Every so often he hits a patch and is propelled even faster. You want to hit those patches because you are racing against time. It's the same with my Christian walk. I'm racing against time. The days are evil. We are running a race to expand the Kingdom of God. These Christian books motivate me and encourage me to disciple others and help me keep in mind the whole reason I was placed on this earth: to give God glory and pleasure and win souls. They spur me on a little faster.

Have a blessed Thursday!

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-03-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

Down to the wire on this book by Floyd McClung. Continuing with the last post on The Heart of Everything.

Passion and purpose come at no less a price than Jesus and his disciples paid to possess them.

"I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, let him follow me."

Jesus is the grain that fell to the ground and died. Those who have loved and obeyed him down through the centuries are the disciples of Jesus, the new grain that his seed produces. But notice the qualifier: these disciples of Jesus are people who have lost their lives. They have died to the cares of the world. They have taken up their cross, followed Jesus, and are devoted to obeying him with singleness of mind and heart. They are faithfully and fiercely focused on obeying Jesus' command to make disciples.

Jesus chose personal investment in people's lives as the primary way he did church. The Sunday-centric model of church will not change the world. Some think the church started on the day of Pentecost, but I disagree. Jesus led the first New Testament church. He modeled for us how to do church by the way he gathered and invested in the lives of a few men and women. He modeled a new way of doing church. He gathered, equipped, and mobilized faithful men and women into a movement of devoted followers. This kind of one-on-one intentional relationship is the key to helping people get freed from their brokenness and turned on to serving Jesus. Discipleship isn't a school or program, but a lifestyle of passion and purpose passed on through personal investment and involvement in one another's lives.

Discipleship is helping another person to know, love, and obey Jesus.

This same pattern is repeated throughout church history. One amazing example is a Sunday school teacher named Edward Kimball back in the 1880's. Kimball began to strike up a friendship with a few young men in his Sunday school class. Kimball was particularly committed to a fellow classmate fresh from the farmlands who had begun working in a nearby shoe shop. One day Kimball decided to visit his new friend at work. He entered the shop, found him in the back room, and struck up a conversation. Later he led his friend to a personal relationship with Jesus.

When describing this young man years later, Kimball said, "I have met few friends whose minds were spiritually darker, or who seemed more unlikely ever to become a Christian." But Kimball's faith in his new friend and his investment of time and personal mentoring made a huge impact. His new friend was D.L. Moody, who went on to become an evangelist who led tens of thousands to Jesus. Eventually Moody invested in the life of a man he met in England, named F.B. Meyer. Meyer was a pastor who resisted Moody's evangelistic zeal and fiery preaching style, but responded when Moody invited him to the States to spend time together. Meyer was deeply impacted by Mood's personal life, more so than his preaching.

Meyer in turn influenced a man named J. Wilber Chapman who decided, as a result of his friendship with Meyer, to go into full-time evangelistic ministry. One of Chapman's disciples was a man named Billy Sunday. Sunday in turn spent time discipling a group of businessmen in North Carolina. After years of praying together, these men were prompted by God to invite an evangelist named Mordecai Ham to speak to a citywide gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina. During one of the meetings conducted by Ham, a young teenager came forward and gave his life to the Lord. His name was Billy Graham.

Edward Kimball started a chain reaction in 1880 that eventually reached the world's most influential evangelist, Billy Graham. By investing in a few people's lives, these men passed on to each other what had been given to them. They followed the example begun by Jesus when he spent time with a few young men many years before, pouring himself into their lives.

You can have that kind of impact on people. Start with who you know. Who can you influence today? Call them up and invite them to coffee. It's that easy. It's that simple. God can use you if you avail yourself to Him. Hop on the chain. If you don't see the benefits of your investment in this lifetime, you will when you get to heaven.

Blessings on this rainy Wednesday.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-02-16T10:09:00.000-08:00

Up to my ears in taxes, but trying to finish this book by Floyd McClung. Today we'll look at what is at the heart of everything we do.
Jesus said the parable of the sower gets at the heart of everything we do. Notice how important Jesus ranks this parable in all of his teaching: "But if you can't understand this story, how will you understand all the others I am going to tell?"

This story strikes at the heart of what Jesus modeled for his disciples, and what he expects of us today. He sowed the seed indiscriminately and abundantly in all the towns and villages of Galilee. He said there were going to be four responses: callousness-the hard ground; quick acceptance without depth-the shallow, stony soil; those who respond but then are caught up in the cares of the world-the thorny ground; and those who respond with depth and sincerity-the soft soil.

Here is what I learned a long time ago about disciple-making: look for those who are genuinely open and want to grow, and invest lots of time and energy in them. I learned that I am not responsible for making people grow who don't want to grow. I love them and pray for them, but I don't chase after them. I continue to love them and serve them while I look for those who are serious about knowing and obeying Jesus.

But loving people unconditionally and making disciples are two different things. If we don't make a distinction, we will confuse the Great Commandment to love our neighbor as our self and the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.

If we would love God with a pure heart and do the possible, God would do the impossible through us.

Disciple-making is looking for those God has selected for us to disciple and passing on what God has deposited in our lives. It is the heart of everything we do that counts for God.

Building a disciple-making culture and birthing a disciple-making movement does not happen by accident. Passionate people catch the fire that burns in them from someone else and in turn pass it on to others.

There is a valley of dry bones God wants to use, but those bones won't become an army until they are prophesied over. The dry bones are the poor, the rebellious, the marginalized of society, the broken, the young, and-if they are willing to humble themselves-the rich and powerful. For the dry bones to live again there has to be desperation for change. The dry bones are those people longing for someone to believe in them. They carry wounds, have been abused, suffer from AIDS, are widows and single parents; they look scraggly and are often so poor they have lost hope of finding a purpose in life.

Having been a single parent for 13 years, (that's not me, btw) I sometimes felt like dry bones. Inside I knew I had gifts and abilities, faith and obedience, but I sometimes felt people looked at me as something much less. I remember being asked one day, "How was your Christmas?" The words were fine, but the tone was, "You poor thing, you must have had a horrible Christmas." If she only knew how awesome my Christmases were! I remember being asked if I needed anything done around my house. I so appreciated the thought, but I also knew that someone was viewing me differently because I didn't have a husband to do some things for me. I guess you can't be treated totally the same as a married person when you're a single parent, but it was always my goal for my kids to have as normal an upbringing as possible, in spite of their circumstances.

I have a great appreciation for my church at that time. They looked past my broken marriage and gave me opportunities to serve in ministry. Sometimes too many opportunities! They made me feel whole and worthy. They saw my potential and trusted me. Though I was never discipled, God taught me greatly during those years. Look past someone's circumstances and see them as God sees them. God uses the poor, the foolish, the persecuting, the fisherman, the tongue-tied. Who is in your life that wants to grow? Pour yourself into them.

Have a blessed sunny Tuesday.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-02-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

Movements, Not Just Meetings by Floyd McClung:
In his book, Organic Church, Neil Cole describes his journey of disenchantment with church growth seminars that explained the secret to growing churches revolved around clean bathrooms and plenty of parking spaces.

Cole describes his coming to the realization that God wanted him to help birth a movement that radically lowered the bar for what it meant to be a church, but raised the bar for what it means to be a disciple in the church. By aggressively sharing Christ and making disciples, their movement, Church Multiplication Associates (CMA), grew in just a few years to over eight hundred churches in more than thirty states in America and twenty-five countries around the world.

...simple-church movements are spurred in their growth by personal discipleship. It is people discipling people. Programs don't disciple people. Buildings don't disciple people. People disciple people.

It is the heart of what we do in our own movement. In Cape Town, I meet with Nelis weekly, who in turn disciples Timothy, who meets several times a week with three young men, and if they trust Christ, Timothy will train them to reach others also. In Pretoria, it was Gawie who discipled Cobus and Marlize, who in turn discipled Gustaf and Marina, Frans, and Werner, who are now leading the simple church. Cobus and Marlize are now in the Middle East, where their dream is to build a movement of simple, reproducing communities carried forward through disciple-making relationships.

In South Asia, it is Bob and Sonam pouring their lives into the new leaders of a simple church of believers from Hindu and Buddhist backgrounds, who in turn are making disciples of family members and neighbors, who are discipling others as they put their faith in Christ.

When we first think of being a discipler, it can be a scary thought. It sounds like such a big responsibility. Really, it's just being a friend. Someone who cares enough to correct the things that are out of line with God's word and encourages. It's being a good listener and a faithful prayer. Who isn't already doing that with at least one person in their life? But we also must be strategic. Pick people who are willing and desiring to grow. People who will benefit from the experiences you've already had. At the same time, it's good to find someone to pour into you. If you're a fairly mature believer yourself, find an accountability partner. Accountability is kind of like routine maintenance. It's just what you need to stay on the right track, sharing new discoveries in God's word and encouragement. Be purposeful. Be obedient.

Matthew 28:19-20 says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Have a blessed rainy Tuesday.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-02-05T15:16:00.000-08:00

Last Chapter by Floyd McClung: The Heart of Everything
His [Jesus] way of making disciples was to select and focus on a few, ask them to join him as he reached out to people, then teach them in more depth what his stories meant and how the message applied to their lives.

The Holy Spirit led Jesus, but Jesus also had a plan. He was not just spontaneously doing whatever came to mind that day. He was intentional. He carried out his plan from a whole different paradigm. If we want to birth movements and not just more meetings, we have to change our paradigm as well. Don't try to create a new wineskin and fill it with old wine. Don't rearrange the way you do worship services and call it a revolution.

Jesus bypassed the cumbersome religious structures and irrelevant worship practices of his day and started something living and organic. The word organic is a good one to describe a spontaneously reproducing simple-church movement because it describes something that grows naturally, without artificial additives. It consists of elements that exist together in natural relationships that make growth and multiplication possible.

Notice the way Jesus got the disciples exercising gifts of leadership from the outset, before they were ready. Jesus didn't wait for disciples to be born again, baptized, trained theologically, and supervised under a safe religious system with guaranteed controls before he involved them in leadership. He got them out telling others about him within a few weeks of being with him. He led the movement he began from underneath, very quickly involving the disciples in leadership assignments without mentioning positions or titles. He had a radically different paradigm from the religious leaders of his day-and of our day as well. After all, the journey of discipleship doesn't start when a person comes to faith in Christ, but long before.

By the way, have you ever asked yourself when the disciples actually were born again? Think of it this way: if you began a movement now the same way Jesus got things going in his day, it would mean telling everyone you meet about Jesus, watching who responds with keen interest, and then selecting a few people who are most open and investing lots of time in them. You would start to meet with this group of seekers in times of discussion over a meal. You would ask one of them to read a few short verses from the words of Jesus, another to lead a discussion about what Jesus meant and how his teaching applied to their lives, and still another to teach a new song they wrote.

You would encourage them to tell their family and friends what they were learning about Jesus. You would meet in their homes, not yours. You would want as many of their friends and family to sit in on the discussions as possible. When you would come together as a group around a meal, you would model a facilitative style of leadership that got everyone involved, carefully taking a back seat so you could encourage their development. You would be pleased as they quickly took ownership of what was happening.

You would have already met one-on-one with your disciples behind the scenes, asking different ones to take part in the group gatherings. You would ask each member of the group to help make it happen in different ways, and then you would coach them, seeking to instill in them leadership values that would prepare them to lead new communities as they sprang up. You would encourage them to gather their friends and family members and tell them about Jesus.

I have questioned Greg about when the discipleship relationship starts. He had the same answer as Floyd McClung. Long before someone is a believer. When you look at how Jesus did discipleship above, it's easy to see how simple it is. I think when we start overstructuring discipleship, that's when it gets difficult for us as well as the disciple. People are generally trustworthy. They want to please and succeed. As you start or run your small group, look at how much trust Jesus gave his disciples. Everyone had a role to play in the meetings. I'm not just talking about hosting. I mean leading different areas. This is how people grow the fastest, by actually being given an opportunity to try leading. Don't be a ministry hog by talking the whole time during the meeting, except for a question you throw out here and there. Remember, the point is discipleship, and it happens better when there is more than just a teacher/student format.

Blessings on this cloudy, breezy Friday.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-02-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

Today we'll look at the 5 Apostolic Passions Floyd McClung has chose to be his core values:

1. Apostolic Abandonment - Too many people want the same amount of fruit the apostle Paul enjoyed without paying the price that Paul paid. Paul died. He died to everything. He died daily. He was crucified with Christ. This strong-willed, opinionated man knew that he must die to self. He reckoned himself to be dead to sin so he could be alive to God in Christ Jesus. Paul declared tot he Galatians that he was dead to the world and the world was dead to him. One translation says Paul had been "set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate."

We have chosen apostolic passion only when our hearts long for Jesus to be worshipped by our neighbors and in the nations. When that passion beats in our hearts above all other passions, then we knew we have exchanged our life for his.

Apostolic Focus - We have sseen one of the greatest enemies of apostolic passion is lack of focus. You can expend energy on all sorts of good ministries and not get one step closer to living with apostolic intent. God has called us to live single-mindedly for Jesus. We must focus, or we won't obey.

Focus on what? Obeying Jesus. God wants a people for himself. Being busy for God without sharing God's passion for more worshippers for his Son is good religion, but it's not the mission of God. Whatever you do for Jesus must lead to this one thing: that Jesus has more worshippers who know, love, and obey him. Call that what you will. I call it making disciples; other people call it church planting. But make sure that above all things you do what he commanded us to do: go, teach, baptize, and make disciples. That is apostolic focus.

2. Apostolic Praying - A young man in Bible school offered to help a well-known preacher years ago when he was ministering on the streets of New York City. The man of God asked him how much time he spent in prayer. The young student estimated about twenty minutes a day. The preacher told him, "Go back, young man. Go back for a month wand pray for two hours a day, every day for thirty days. When you've done that, come back. Come back, and I might consider turning you loose on the streets where there is murder, rape, violence, and danger. If I sent you out now on twenty minutes a day, I'd be sending a soldier into battle without any weapons, and you would get killed."

Here's the challenge for you: ready everything Paul says about prayer, then ask yourself, "Am I prepared to pray like that?" In his various letters Paul said that he prayed "night and day with tears . . .without ceasing . . . with thankfulness in the Spirit . . .I pray constantly . . .boldly . . . for godly sorrow . . . against the evil one." If we want Paul's passion, we need to pray as Paul prayed.

3. Apostolic Decision-Making - There are too many overfed, under motivated Christians hiding behind the excuse that God has not spoken to them. They are waiting to hear voices or see dreams - all the while living to make money, provide for their future, dress well, and have fun.

Apostolic decision-making starts with a fresh encounter with God, then leads to a burden for lost people. Most people ask where-and-when questions without a revelation of God's glory burning in their hearts. Is it any wonder they never hear God say "Go!"? They have not cultivated a passion for the passions of God. Lesser desires are holding them captive.

4. Apostolic Courage - Courage is the quality of those who see the need in the world, have faced their fears, and choose faith instead of fear. Courage is overcoming our struggles by facing down the lies of the enemy that have been holding us captive. Courage is not the absence of fear in the face of danger; it is the willingness to trust God in spite of danger. Courage is believing that God's grace is sufficient for every situation, and then acting on that belief. I am convinced that in myself I would deny God if I were persecuted. I am banking on the grace of God. That, to me, is courage.

Courage does not come arbitrarily to the brave; it is taken hold of by the obedient.

5. Dangerous People - If you have apostolic passion, you are one of the most dangerous people on the planet. The world no longer rules your heart. You are no longer seduced by getting and gaining the things of this world, but you are devoted to spreading and proclaiming the glory of God.

Next we'll look at making disciples, then we'll be done with this book. I love the story above about the street evangelist. He knew the dangers of being unprepared when going out to fight spiritual and physical battles. In our church we use a term called "prayed up". Greg often asks our Pastors and intern before they have something important to do, "Are you prayed up?" There is a spiritual preparation that needs to take place whenever we step out to do something for God and, therefore, against the enemy. Are you prayed up?

Have a blessed cold, cloudy, windy, Thursday.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-01-31T21:03:00.000-08:00

Working throught the Camel chapter by Floyd McClung:
One Focus Above All Others
The one theing that transcends all others, the focus we are to have above everything else, is the glory of God. That's all that matters.

To quote John Piper: "If the pursuit of God's glory is not ordered above the pursuit of man's good in the affections of the heart and the priorities of the church, man will not be well served and God will not be duly honored."

Seeking to know the will of God without a revelation of the glory of God will lead to resisting, reacting against, and negotiating over the will of God.

Big Cars with Very Little Engines
Millions of Christians have given up on conventional church, not becuase the church demands too much from them, but because it demands too little. The church in the West is stuck in a rut of building-based, Sunday-centric, pastor-oriented Christianity. If the experience of attendig church on Sunday mornings boils down to sitting next to strangers for one to two hours, listening to another stranger (the pastor) talk for thirty to forty minutes, and then going home, it's no wonder that 80 percent of those who attend church are frustrated.

The church was not placed on this planet to entertain people for one hour a week.

The Need for Apostolic Passion
What is apostolic passion? I don't know what it means to you, but for me passion means whatever a person is willing to suffer for. In fact, that's the root meaning of the world. It comes from the Latin Patior and Passus, meaning "to suffer." It is what you desire so intensely that you will sacrifice anything to have it. Show me your checkbook and your appointments calendar, and I will tell you what you're passions are.

The word apostle means a sent one, a messenger. To be apostolic means we are sent on a mission. The apostolic calling of the followers of Jesus includes forging new ways for how we do church and pioneering new places where we do church. To be apostolic is to be radical, to be adventurous.

Apostolic passion, therefore, is a deliberate choice to live very intentionally for Jesus among our neighbors and in the nations. It has to do with being committed, to the point of rejection or death, to spreading the message of his love. It's the quality of those who are on fire for Jesus, who dream of making disciples for him.

I've given you just a smidgen of text on the glory of God. There were several pages on it. I suggest picking up the book and reading it. Understanding the glory of God really puts life in proper perspective. Another good resource for understanding the glory of God is Cat and Dog Theology by Bob Sjogren.

We have 2 small groups (care groups) starting the 9th and 11th. If you're interested in more info, please email me and I will give you the details.

Have a blessed Sunday and Monday.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-01-30T20:19:00.000-08:00

Now we get to see Camels 6 and 7 of Floyd McClung's book.

Camel #6: Frantic Pace of Life
Don't buy into the lie that the world determines how fast a pace of life you must live. And don't let your kids buy into it either.

If there are no margins in your life, you will not have time to hear God. Passion for Jesus and his purposes in life are chosen, then nurtured by those who refuse to let the world shape them in its mold. You are free to say no. If you don't the camel of frantic living will hunt you down, run you over, and then dance on your grave!

Camel #7: Conventional churchianity
Erwin McManus [from his book The Barbarian Way] speaks the truth when he says God is not unwilling to stand against the very church he started: "Two thousand years ago God started a revolt against the religion he started. So don't every put it past God to cause a groundswell against churches and Christian institutions that bear His name. If he was willing to turn Judaism upside down, don't think for a moment our institutions are safe from a divine revolt. I am convinced that even now there are multitudes of followers of Jesus Christ who are sick and tired of the church playing games and playing down the call of God. My travels only confirm that the murmurings of revolution are everywhere. I am convinced that there is an uprising in the works and that no one less than God is behind it."

Many people are leaving institutional churches, not because they don't believe in church, but because they do believe in it. They are not leaving because they have lost their faith; they are leaving so they won't lose their faith. The church has become a hindrance to the spiritual growth of many people. George Barna estimates that 53,000 people a week are leaving the church in America.

Why have so many left the church? They haven't! You can never be any less church than you already are as a follower of Jesus. What many people have discovered, and many institutional church leaders have yet to realize, is that church is who you are, not where you go. Sadly, many people are so addicted to the programs of the church, they aren't able to enjoy the beauty of simple, organic church. Institutional church has made them weak instead of strong. They need others to do church for them.

God is a God of order, but that doesn't mean he won't move against the order of man and create some holy disorder to get people to experience church as he intended it.

We measure greatness by how big an instituional church becomes, how many books an author has written or how moving a person is as a speaker. But God measures greatness by how faithful we are to him.

Amen! Camel #6 struck me in this piece. The frantic pace of life. I see it everywhere. Texting, cell phones, video games, internet, just to name a few of the things that pull our focus away from God and others. These, of course, aren't bad themselves, but when they occupy our thoughts and our actions beyond what is necessary, they can make us unhealthy in may ways. But it is a choice. Remember the good ol' days (think Walton's Mountain) when kids went to school, came home, had a snack, did homework, chores, ate dinner, and listened to the radio WITH THEIR FAMILY while mom and grandma knitted something to keep them warm at night? Back then there weren't the high statistics of people dying from heart failure like there are today. Ever think the stress of being pulled in too many directions has something to do with that, coupled with fast food consumption that helps encourage the fast-paced lifestyle?

Let's start saying no to the unimportant, unnecessary wants in life, the wants that we want because everyone else seems to want them and think them important, and strip our lives of the things that give us short-term fulfilment and immediate gratification. If we took these things out of our budget, how many children could we sponsor in another country? How much could we sent to Haiti? How many first aid kits could we send to Africa to tend to AIDS victims? I guess when we focus more on ourselves than on others, we spend our money on ourselves instead of on others. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21.

Have a blessed weekend.

Just a Little Catch Up

2010-01-29T16:18:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've blogged on what's going on at the Hazenberg household, so here goes:
Sunday Greg was presented with a beautifully handmade lectern. He was so surprised! Our Youth Pastor, Josh Kemper, asked his step-father, Mike, seen below, to build it and he did a beautiful job. With cherry, walnut, ash, and 50 hours of donated labor, Mike put raised crosses on the front and inlaid Greek symbols for alpha and omega with a cross in between on the desk face. Greg, Mike, and I and probably others had tears in our eyes as Greg saw it for the first time. I apologize for my poor impromptu photography. I think there is something wrong with my camera. Kristen took a better picture below with her camera.

Also this week, my ophthamologist appointment went well. My cornea is a little thicker than normal, which produces higher pressures, but they don't hunt that down with medications anymore. So I'm good for another 6 months! My optometrist said my left contact was -2.25 but my vision in that eye was -3.0. That explains my bad vision! So that's all good too!!!

Kristen went to the oral surgeon this week and found out she has 2 impacted wisdom teeth. Three of the teeth haven't erupted yet, but one barely did. If the insurance gets back to us quickly she should have all four out on the 18th of February.

Kristen was asked to Homecoming and will be wearing a burgundy gown. They are going to see the play "Wicked" in San Francisco and have dinner. She's very excited.

Greg had surgery on his arm today to remove a 50 cent piece-sized skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma. It was done by Joe Romeo of Romeo Medical Clinic. (We love our medical center. Everything is in one place!) He was in and out in less than an hour. Deep and shallow stitches, and he can shower and work. The shallow stitches come out in a week, the others dissolve. Local anesthesia. He's all good!!!!

Mark has been fighting a cold and a little sleep deprivation but he's almost done with his winter-term class on Nazi Germany. He love the subject. He's now working with the Jr. High at New Life Christian Center.

This Sunday, the 31st, we'll wrap up our last sermon on Reaching Out, then we start a 4-part series on Family. I'm excited that Greg and I will be sharing what we do to nurture a healthy family emotionally and spiritually the 7th. Josh Kemper will speak on the 14th on A Healthy Family is Learning to Communicate Well, Dan will speak the 21st on A Healthy Family is Learning to Spend Time Together, and Dick will speak the 28th on A Healthy Family is Learning to Grow Spiritually and Emotionally.

I got back on the mower this week, twice. Boy am I sore. I trip to Atkinson Chiropractic and I'm all good!!!

Have a blessed sunny Friday!!!!

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-01-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

As promised, now we'll look at the seven camels that distract us by Floyd McClung.

Camel #1: Dabbling
Are you a spiritual dabbler? Do you borrow from other people's walks with God but have little or no intimacy with the Father yourself? Are you constantly shifting focus in your life, running after the newest, latest, "prevailing word of the Lord" as some people call it? Is it hard for you to put down roots emotionally in a community of people and build deep friendships of trust and accountability? If your answer to these questions is yes, you may have developed a pattern in your life of spiritual dabbling. To dabble literally means to have a casual or superficial interest in something, to paddle, play, or splash in the water. Spiritual dabbling may feel good, but God has much more for you.

Camel #2: Plateauing
We plateau when we stop growing. A plateau is a period or phase when there is little increase in our life. It is a season of life intended for our personal growth and development in which little headway is being made. God invites us to a lifetime of learning and spiritual growth. He is continually at work in us to form us to be like his Son, Jesus.

Spiritual growth cannot be separated from the testings of God. God tests those he loves. If we, or others around us, don't create the circumstances that test us, you can be sure that God will do it for us. He loves us too much to leave us on our own. If we fail the tests God takes us through, we plateau.

I have nothing against big churches, but then can be convenient places of hiding for those who have plateaued spiritually, including the pastor or others on the staff of the church. You can go to church and hide in the church. If this is you, you need to take time to do some serious spiritual homework if you are going to get off the plateau and move on to higher ground.

Camel # 3: Inner vows
An inner vow is a promise we make to ourselves, normally in response to pain or difficulty we experience in human relationships. Typically the vows we make use language like "I'll never do that again" or "I won't ever let anyone get that close to me again." Or, "Whatever it takes, I will make sure that never happens again."

The problem with making vows is that they imprison our heart. They set us on a course of action that locks us into a certain kind of behavior. Vows determine how we think and how we see. An ungodly inner vow gets us locked into idolatrous thinking patters that become an inner belief system. Ungodly inner vows rob us of true passion. Because they are based on fear, shame, unbelief, and a drive to prove ourselves to others, they rob us of our freedom to obey God. Or we strive to obey God for the wrong reasons. Inner vows can be discerned through the help of the Holy Spirit or a good counselor, and they can be broken through the power of the Cross.

Camel #4: Unclear vision
Nothing is more confusing to people than a leader or a person who frequently changes direction. I call this "blowing an unsteady trumpet." When the sound of a trumpet warbles or is off key, it does not inspire anyone, and it certainly doesn't make great music.

If God has spoken, then blow the trumpet and call the people to action. But don't call them to action in one direction and then blow it again and ask them to charge in another direction. If you are seeking direction, find out what God is saying and stick with it. Don't change because it gets tough, or because it is more exciting to move on to something new.

Godly passion grows as a response to a clear, steady, consistent vision of God's glory saturating the planet through movements of organic and obedient churches. Know what part God has given you in this worldwide movement of movements and stick with it. Don't waver and don't look for new direction when things get tough. Stick with what God says. It may take many years of consistent obedience to realize all God has planned to bring about through your life. Faithfulness is a long journey of obedience in the same direction, empowered by a sweet-tasting grace of God.

Camel #5: Financial Security
The most God-glorifying gathering I have attended on the subject of finances was called Generous Giving. The name says it all. Good stewardship is not about accumulating but giving, not about hoarding but sharing. God expects us to be wise stewards, and that includes investing and making a profit. But the treasures that will be enjoyed forever are those that are the result of investing in people's lives for eternity, not the ones stored up on Wall Street.

If you experience a loss of fervor for spreading the gospel, it may be in direct proportion to the amount of time you are occupied with your future security. If that is the case, it's time for some honest evaluation. Jesus said it very clearly:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

That was a pretty long 5 camels. Next time we'll do the rest. This time I just want to add something to camels 4 and 5. Camel 4 talks about unclear vision and the context is that of shifting from one vision to another. I agree this can be very unclear for a congregation. Anything handled in this fashion can make it unclear and leave people without a firm foundation, whether it is ministry (like having a great idea and hyping it up, getting everyone exciting and involved, then never doing it again), or a new way of preaching (whether the norm is topical or walking through an entire book of the Bible), it will be fresh and new when it changes but if it is not consistent to a degree, it can throw people off. Vision, as well, needs to be consistent. Seek God, cast the vision to the congregation, and put it before them often and in different ways so that every person attending knows where the church is headed and what they believe and stand for. Someone once said that they were church shopping and knew they found their church because the first day they attended they knew where that church was headed and what they believed. Other churches they attended for a few weeks never mentioned their vision or values. Be consistent.

Camel #5 talks about financial security in the context of investing on Wall Street. I think it is much more common that people invest in Wal-Mart. We are a nation of shoppers and the advertising companies who serve retailers know this. Americans have a reputation around the world as being materialistic and greedy. True, we have a lot, make good money, and live comforably compared to most nations. But I think it is important to evaluate what we really need compared to what we want. I think we often have additctions to shopping. We go into a store, not really needing anything, but just wanting to waste time or get the thrill of getting a good bargain. We come home with a treasure that moth and rust destroy and thieves can come in and steal. Junk. Stuff. Future garage sale items. Future trash can items. Why? Because there is something deep down inside us that we are trying to satisfy and we're looking in the wrong places. I would rather take that money and invest it in a college fund to enrich my children's lives than blow it on coffee, shoes, make-up, or clothes. I would rather give it back to God, generously and abundantly, because it is His to begin with. I have much satisfaction and peace giving back to God and God continually provides for all my needs. I can't outgive Him. I have faith in His faithfulness. He loves me so much. This is where true satisfaction lies when it comes to money. Investing in God's treasures . . .people. One way our church is showing practical love is that we are beginning to bring food to church and after church take it to the homes around us and give it away. Whether it is a bag of tangerines, a gallon of milk, or the cookies and muffins and coffee that don't get consumed during services, we are putting feet to our faith. It's all about where our focus lies.

Have a blessed cloudy Monday.

One man's mission of hope in Haiti

2010-01-22T20:43:00.000-08:00

This is a great place to donate for the relief effort in Haiti. We have donated here. Watch the story that aired on NBC on this man and his organization. One man's mission of hope in Haiti

Also, to learn more about their organization and how they got started in Haiti, as well as how to donate online, visit their website here.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-01-22T20:18:00.000-08:00

We're on the home stretch now, more than halfway through the book, more like 2/3 actually. Floyd McClung has given us much wisdom. In this chapter, Watch Out For The Camels, we learn three ways to learn faithfulness and what it means to be a focused person.

Being what the Bible calls a faithful servant is essential to pleasing God and doing what he calls us to do. Jesus promised that the person who is faithful in little will become "lord over much." In the same passage, Jesus taught that the servant who is faithful over mammon - things - would earn the right to be a steward of spiritual matters. In other words, if you don't pay your bills and don't keep your word, professing readiness to obey God is just so much hype. God can't trust a person with spiritual treasures who is not faithful in the practical issues of life.

Jesus taught in the same passage that a person who has not learned to be faithful in "another man's vineyard" will not be master of his own. What Jesus meant by this was that learning to serve another person's vision or ministry, learning to be faithful in our service under someone else's leadership, is a prerequisite for being trusted by God to lead others. Serving people teaches us lessons that prepare us for finding our place in the kingdom of God.

It may help to define what it means to be a focused person. It means to give a determined, concentrated effort and your full attention to the particular thing God has called you to, such as an assigned responsibility or a commitment to do something. It means sticking with something until it is finished.

Focus is not just about what we see outside ourselves. Focused people have a fixed point of reference in terms of their core values and standards as well. They have inner strength. Some people may think focused people are stubborn. I think of them as reliable. They don't change their message or behavior to please the crowd they are with.

Focused people are not moved by lack of approval. They have deep inner convictions that allow them to give their attention to the one thing they are assigned by God.

If you are passionate about engaging your culture with others in organic church, you will have to say no to many good things in life. You will have to reduce the circles in your life, the spheres of activity that draw you away from faithfulness to what you believe in and are committed to. Simple church requires us to simplify life.

Modernization, with all its advantages, also has disadvantages that can cause us to live a fragmented and harried existence. We normally live at a hectic, speedy pace that mitigates against what organic church, the ecclesia, is called to be. You don't have to consciously say yes to sin and temptations to be compromised by our modern way of life; just go with the flow. Do what is expected of you, and you lose the battle for focused obedience.

Tomorrow we'll look at seven camels that distract us. But for now let's touch on a couple of the points made above.

Faithfulness. Have you ever noticed how God takes us through little things, then builds upon them? Maybe we start off with making coffee at church on Sunday morning. We're behind the scenes. No one really sees us, but if we're not faithful, like if we sleep in instead of showing up on time, there is disappointment and frustration. If we are faithful, God gives us bigger responsibilities. It's through this building process that we learn many lessons and God, in turn, continues to mature his disciples. I was teaching a Bible study last year and we were talking about faithfulness as we studied the story of Ruth. Someone had an epiphany and said, "I think God is telling me that if I take better care of the things I already have, God may give me more and better things!" You should have seen how bright that light bulb was that went off in her head! Since then, she has worked very hard in her home and God has blessed her with better items. God is faithful.

Focus. In re-reading this text, I was reminded of two experiences which were quite opposite. I was sitting with a friend once, just the two of us, discussing a variety of things and learning about each other. In the hour or so we were together, her cell phone went off with calls to texts several times. Each time she said "Excuse me," and apologetically took the call or texted back. None of these interruptions were emergencies, but it seemed as though this was a normal part of her day, to stop whatever she was doing, and respond to whatever distraction came along through her technology. In contrast, I met with three different ladies this week. Two were in public settings and one was at her home. In each case, whether cell phone or home phone, they began ringing. In all cases, not one lady even flinched to answer. One even turned off her phone completely. I must say I felt much more valuable to these three ladies than I did to the first I described. I saw a maturity in these three ladies that I admired.

I make it a policy not to interrupt a one-on-one meeting by answering the phone. I believe the person I am with is more important than whatever else may try to interrupt our time together. The only exception is if I hear my child's voice on the message machine saying they are ill and need to be picked up from school, then I will pick up. Otherwise, the call can wait until I'm available to return it. This decision starts with a time of thought (without distractions), to really consider what is important to us. We must consider what it is that we value and make sure that lines up with God's principles for how we live our lives. Life is made up of many choices. Who we are and what we say and do are the result of the choices that we make. Are you content with the results of your choices? If not, spend some time in prayer and seek God to help you determine where you need to make different choices. Read God's Word (Proverbs is a great place to start) and discover His will in this area.

Blessings on this cloudy Friday night.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-01-14T06:57:00.000-08:00

The latest highlights from Floyd McClung's book:

Apostolic leaders are called to focus their gifts and energies, and the gifts and energies of those they lead, on winning, maturing, and multiplying others in church-planting movements. They can do this in the marketplace and in the nations. If they do this well, they are "wise master builders." Not to do so is to be a foolish builder.

If you are devoted to apostolic ministry, and gathering and multiplying new disciples for Jesus does not excite you, there is a good chance you need to go back to the Cross. You may need to fall in love with Jesus all over again, to catch a fresh vision of why God made you they way he did. Effective disciples of Jesus know what they are called to do, and they do it single-mindedly. It's certainly not for their own entertainment or fulfillment that they are called to follow Jesus. They are not gifted with the gifts God has given them to bounce from one visionary endeavor to another. They are called to build God's church, no matter what their vocation in life.

I am convince it is not the famous but the faithful who will receive the big crowns in heaven.

Ten Characteristics of Courageous Apostolic People

1. Vision
2. Faith
3. Building, not just blessing
4. Miraculous supply
5. Starting new churches
6. Settle disputes and apply discipline
7. Appoint and coach local church leaders
8. Suffer persecution and endure hardship
9. Impart values and vision
10. Movements and networks

Leading reluctant people and helping them overcome their objections and fears is what helps leaders stay close to God.

When I look at the list above, and compare Greg to it, it is obvious he is an apostolic leader.

1. The first thing he did when he asked God to confirm the name of our church is to receive the vision from God.
2. He has an unwavering faith, believing God for the impossible. How many other people do you know who would plant a church in the poorest part of town?
3. He started building our church with a prayer walk and prayer meetings.
4. I remember Greg telling me of a conversation he had with God about 30 years ago. He was working hard in his landscaping business, at the time focusing on becoming more successful than his brothers in business. He was considering buying a house and saving for retirement. God told him not to. He struggled with this, as would I, that it wasn't logical not to plan for the future. But God knew his plan for Greg. Someday he would marry me, who had a house and a retirement fund. He didn't have to worry about it, just focus on what God was calling him to do at the moment, and God would take care of the rest.
5. He started a church.
6. He is often brought in to settle disputes and facilitate healing between people.
7. He's built an awesome launch and leadership team and continues to add and develop leaders.
8. He lost a wife to diabetes, and one to her adultery. He lost his dad to cancer. He's been financially poor. He's been accused of things and had his pastor not defend him or try to bring truth and restoration to the situation.
9. He has taught our vision and values to our team over 6 months and helped us live it out.
10. We want to be a church that plants other churches.

Yeah, I'd say Greg is apostolic. It's very cool living with someone who's passion is God's passion. Never a dull moment!

Have a blessed Thursday.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-01-10T19:36:00.000-08:00

Continuing on with Floyd McClung's book.

Like Jesus when he worked as a carpenter is intended by God to be an example to those in the marketplace. They are just as called and commissioned to minister within their vocation as those who go to other nations. By working as a carptenter, Jesus was modeling how he wants the church to infiltrate every sphere of life.

The strategy Jesus followed in the next season of life, the three years of intentional discipleship with the twelve, modeled the goals and methods we should follow no matter what vocation God has called us to. In the two seasons of his life, Jesus both validated the sanctity of ordinary life and modeled how to intentionally make disciples as we do ordinary life.

To be dedicated to Jesus is not first of all about being a missionary or pastor but being intentional and obedient in making disciples.

Apostolic people take the church to the world; they don't wait for the world to come to the church. God always intends the fruit of apostolic service to result in more obedient disciples for Jesus. That means getting them together in small, simple gatherings, then equipping and encouraging them to obey all Jesus taught us to do. When th Holy Spirit falls on such a missional community and it begins to grow out of control, a church-planting movement is born.

Without its apostles, the church becomes hopelessly ingrown, and ultimately disobedient to Jesus' commission to disciple all nations. When local churches, Christian organizations, and educational institutions marginalize or exclude those with apostolic passion, they can no longer expect to be fully obedient to Jesus.

We had a great speaker in church today. John Dupree from the Harvest Group and one of our board members, blessed us with an awesome talk on being a Cross Cultural Christian. It hit home for many I heard and was very timely for many. I took special joy in hearing him talk about being apostolic, the very thing we've been looking at in this book recently. He confronted selfishness, taught on giving and on the great commandment. He talked about the top line and bottom line of the Bible, Bob Sjogren's wisdom. It was very equipping.

We also had an opportunity to start to say good-bye to the Hicks family. Though they were with us for only 4 months, we have been blessed by their heart, their humor, their ministry, and all the things that make them a great family. They will be missed.

Have a blessed Sunday evening.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-01-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

Continuing with Floyd McClung's book, this section titled Strong but Weak.

Being courageous is about believing God for what he puts in your heart to do for him, and then doing it. It doesn't mean you have it all together, or that you always have faith to move mountains, but it does mean stepping out in faith to obey the next thing God tells you to do, whether you're twenty years old and have been walking with God just a few years or you have known Christ for decades. One of the problems with not seeing ourselves as courageous is that we don't take up the challenges God has for us.

I have discovered that God is more concerned about my passion than my ministry. I have learned that if I keep my heart on fire for him, he will take care of my ministry.

I have learned that these times are arranged by God for us to seek him. It's his way of putting desperation in our hearts for him, to prepare us for the fresh word he wants to give us. These types of experiences usually precede a major decision in our lives. As I said, it's God's way of preparing us, of stirring our hearts to be alone with him so we can hear his voice.

Courageous Leaders Mobilize Courageous People

When you inspire your friends and people around you to obey the commands of Jesus and model obedience to Jesus yourself, you are courageous. When you go one step further and intentionally invest in the lives of those you are discipling to obey the Great commission, you are equipping them for courageous ministry. The word equip is used by Paul in Ephesians 4:12. It was originally a medical term used to describe what happens when a broken limb is mended and set straight. To equip someone is to mend what is broken in his life so he can go all out for Jesus.

We join his mission by living a lifestyle of personal evangelism, prayer, and disciple-making, and by inviting others to do the same. Reaching out to the unchurched and poor of the earth is central to God's purpose for the church and for each of our lives. When Jesus was crucified, he was led outside the gates of Jerusalem. Apostolic people follow Jesus' example and go outside the gates. We go where we are not comfortable. We take risks. We get away from comfortable and familiar church life and get among the people.

I really like the definition of the word equip used above. It is funny that for many of the people in our church (me included), there have been deep spiritual hurts in their lives. God has led them to our church to mend, get rid of misconceptions, and be set straight to follow Jesus with their whole hearts. God even brought a couple one week who had been spiritually hurt, and after Greg listened to their story and prayed with them, sent them back to their church to work out the problem with those who had hurt them.

Ephesians 4:12 was the scripture that God used to name our church EQUIP. I was reading a church planting book I had picked up and read this scripture in it. My eyes kept going back to the word equip, as though I hadn't read it or comprehended it. Finally I got God's point, that was what He wanted us to name our church. Bringing the word to Greg was interesting. Greg didn't immediately latch on to it. But being the Godly man he is, he prayed, saying, "God, if this is the name you want for our church, because it is so unique, you've got to show me why. You've got to give me a reason, some proof, this is of you." Sure enough, God showed him within a day the acronym that would be our vision: "Everyone Qualified, Unified, Ignited in Purpose." It is this acronym that encompasses our values and purposes. Pretty cool.

We went over our vision and values last Sunday. This Sunday we're having one of our elders come and talk about outreach. If you're interested in checking us out, our times and location are on our website at http://www.equipchurch.org/.

Have a blessed overcast once again, Friday.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-01-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Starting Chapter 4, The Next Bono-or Is It Billy Graham by Floyd McClung.

I have discovered [that], because I have a dream in my heart of what the church is called to be, I am not the prisoner of those who don't share my dream. I dare to dream because God has deposited some courage in my heart. It is his grace to me, and I receive that grace to follow my dream.

Changing the way we do church has to be motivated by something greater than a dislike of the old ways. It must be apostolic in the biblical meaning of that word. We must be deeply convinced that the church as been commissioned to go into the unknown, that we have a life-changing message, good news for those who have never heard it, and that everywhere we go we are to establish outposts of the kingdom of God.

Jesus is the model for changing the old way of doing things. He broke with the Jewish ways of doing things that he himself had initiated, and if he did it to the Jews, what makes us think he will not change the church today, the very church he began two thousand years ago? The need for a radical reformation is just as great now as it was then, much more so than is widely emphasized or taught.

For example, though he was sent by the Father to launch a worldwide movement, Jesus spent most of his time investing in a few people, particularly marginalized and broken people. There are thousands of churches in the cities and villages of Africa, but too few of them are modeling holistic, discipleship-based church like Jesus did in Palestine. The men and women Jesus spent most of his time with were not powerful, famous, or recognized as leaders in his day, Jesus chose twelve ordinary men and a few women to be the first leaders of his movement. He invested in them, mentored them, and taught them how to do life. His influence on them changed how the men treated their wives, how they did business in the marketplace, and how they handled their finances. He commissioned them to make more disciples (like he had done with them), who in turn were to raise up still others. Jesus started small and personal, but he had something vast and global in mind. The commission Jesus gave his first disciples reflected the greatness of the one who sent him. He worked on a personal level because the Father cares deeply for people, but he gave his disciples a worldwide commission because the Father also cares for all nations.

I believe all those who say yes to Jesus today receive the same commission as the original twelve apostles. We may not all be apostles by gifting, but we are all charged to be part of the apostolic mission of the church.

So here's the question: Are you participating in the apostolic mission of the church? Are you discipling someone? Perhaps being discipled? Are you seeing Sunday morning as the game, or the huddle? Is your playing field the foyer of your church, or your community? Do you meet regularly with people for prayer? Do you stop and pray for needs when someone shares with you? Are you part of a small group? The book of Acts has all kids of examples of what it means to be apostolic. Ephesians 4 has lots of examples of leadership. Study the playbook, get a coach, huddle on Sunday, then head out into the community to play ball! The superbowl is just around the corner!

Have a blessed overcast Thursday!

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-01-06T09:05:00.000-08:00

Continuing with the chapter called Courage to Change by Floyd McClung, this section is titled, Leaders Need Friends Too.

Having numerous people in your life can actually prevent the development of significant friendships. Jesus preached to the crowds, but he built his friendships with a few close associates. He knew the difference between a follower and a friend. And we must as well.

We can and should build friendships with those we disciple. Every effective leader invests in the lives of a few people at a time. In-depth personal discipleship takes the sting out of the lonely leader syndrome and creates a culture of friendship and community in our church. Genuine personal discipleship involves friendship. You can't invest yourself in someone's life without becoming friends. Paul said, "We loved you so much that we gave you not only God's Good News but our own lives, too."

There are times when I have to say no to a coworker. When that happens, I sometimes must take off my friend hat and speak firmly about what I believe is right for everyone involved. That kind of talk is a test for friends and coworkers, but talking truth with each other is absolutely essential if we are to grow together as real friends and healthy coworkers.

Is this too difficult to do? Not for Jesus, and not for us either if we are willing to grow in the skill and honesty it requires.

Apostolic Teams and Their Role

Elders in a simple church serve to equip and disciple the members of the church, or network of churches, they serve. Apostolic teams focus on pioneering among those who have not yet heard the good news, moving throughout a network of churches. Apostolic teams give oversight to pioneering movements. They cultivate and uphold a set of core values that empower such a movement. Local church elders care for the flock under their charge; an apostolic team does the same thing but also cultivates a church-planting culture of faith and vision for those who have never heard the good news.

Apostolic teams are focused. They are not satisfied with just overseeing the affairs of a local church. They burn with a desire to plant churches and reach those outside the influence of the gospel, especially those who have never heard of God's love in Christ. Apostolic teams are not apostolic because the team members are prophets or apostles. They are apostolic because they have a vision to plant churches where the gospel has not yet been proclaimed. You can be an apostle by gifting and fail to fulfill the purpose of your gift. Apostles are pioneers by calling, but they start new churches to fulfill their calling.

I have a very simple way of defining apostolic teams: they do what apostles did in the book of Acts. They preach the gospel, make disciples for Christ, plant churches, and appoint and coach elders of local churches. They believe God for the impossible and pull down Satan's strongholds. They suffer and sacrifice for what they believe in. In short, they win, gather, and multiply disciples and churches for Jesus, especially where people are unchurched and unreached.

You can talk about being apostolic until you're blue in the face, but if you don't plant and reproduce churches, you're not apostolic. If you worship and fast together to hear God's plans and strategies for the lost, and then lay hands on those God' appoints to be sent out, you have the beginnings of an apostolic team.

Death Benefits: The Price of Leading a Dry-Bones Army

We are called to die. Not just once to sin, but as a way of life. By dying to our rights, we find life. That means dying to our opinions, dying to the right to be understood, the right to be represented, the right to be loved, the right to be treated justly, and all of our other rights. Very few leaders understand this truth. They strive to find their role, their ministry, how they fit on the team, and so on. It is sad to watch men and women strive to keep what they have to give up anyway if they are to be part of God's mission. Jim Elliot wrote in his journal, "He is no fool who gives that which he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose."

That was the end of chapter three. I love that quote by Jim Elliot. Greg has been teaching the concept of dying to oneself to some of our leaders. He's teaching what it truly means to be a shepherd. We are blessed to have a humble, teachable team, but as mentioned above, sometimes there are those who have a grandiose dream of a high position in a church. Perhaps their dream includes sitting behind a large desk, having people come to them crying with problems, having the perfect thing to say, and being the hero. Maybe they see themselves preaching or leading worship to large crowds of people who adore them. Perhaps a big salary and car are part of the picture. It's a beautiful daydream, isn't it? But the reality of serving God is often much different.

Greg told the story Sunday of going to Nicaragua near Honduras to visit an old man who was a shut in and had recently stopped talking. This man had planted many churches in his lifetime and led many to Christ. But now, he was discouraged. He would write, "Where have all the brothers gone?" Meaning, "Why isn't anyone visiting me in my old age, I've impacted so many lives, where are they? Have they forgotten me?"
In order to visit him, Greg took an ambulance ride for over 6 hours over horrible roads to get to the edge of a river. There, he found out, he had to get in a canoe and travel up the Cocoa River for 2 days. With him where a team of men from Argentina, and other countries, to visit this man. When they finally arrived at his house, he was sitting in his chair, unable to walk or talk, but able to motion. He was happy to see he had visitors. This team of men laid hands on him and prayed for his healing before going to bed in a house across the road.

The next morning the team heard commotion from the old man's house. They ran across the road. His wife couldn't find him. He wasn't in bed. They finally found him in another room, praying to God for his visitors. He could walk and talk! All this to say, that sometimes we have to put aside our agendas and die to our comforts and go outside ourselves to minister to others. Six hours in a cramped ambulance with seven other men, three days in a canoe. But look at the joy it brought that man, a servant of God himself, in his last days. This is what we're called to do. Hospital visits in the middle of the night, consoling grieving and counseling feuding families, confronting sin, taking hits to our character and responding with grace, believing God for the impossible, hugging the homeless and praying for the lost. I'm sure my eyes haven't even begun to scratch the surface of what God has in store for us, but I try to keep my heart prepared for the unexpected. It's not about us. It's about giving God all the glory he so abundantly deserves. We are His servants, He owes us nothing. We are to seek Him and obey. Plain and simple.

Hve a blessed overcast day.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-01-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

This segment of Floyd McClung's book is on Team Leadership:

Each person needs opportunity and encouragement to serve side by side with their gifts and passions. Just how does diversity on a team glorify God? There is a unique honor God receives from a team of people who subordinate their individual personalities to work through his or her differences and fears. The glory God receives from a team learning to work in such a way is much greater than that which comes from one-person leadership models. Each team member has to accept the invitation to go to the Cross with each new challenge the team faces. Dying to one's rights, preferences, mistrust, and old ways of relating is the price to pay for team unity.

Harnessing the gifts and callings of a group of strong-willed, gifted, and opinionated leaders takes a major work of grace on the part of each member of the team. It can be done, but not without the leader getting involved in each of the team members' lives, spouses included. It takes years of sacrifice, humility, and continued growth on the part of each member of the team for it to work.

Team members who are not open with one another about their fears, their hurts, and their sinful tendencies make it impossible to build a foundation of trust. Patrick Lencioni, in his brilliant book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, defines trust as "believing other members of the team have my well being in mind." Trust means I want people to help me by speaking into my area of ministry, my personal performance, and the deep places of my heart.

Failure to build trust in a team is damaging because it hinders healthy debate, resulting in little or no heartfelt commitment to decisions, avoidance of mutual accountability, and getting sidetracked from our mission. Without trust a team cannot be a team, certainly not a team that reflects the love that exists between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. A team without trust and mutual submission cannot experience the oneness of spirit and purpose that God intends them to have. ...team ministry is almost impossible where the team leader is not a father to hose on the team.

The funny thing is I was going to comment and in the process refer to Patrick Lencioni's book, but Floyd did it for me. I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with others, either in a secular or spiritual environment.

There is so much truth in these paragraphs. I've been on great teams who worked together, as well as potentially great teams that totally missed the mark. Patrick's quote, "believing other members of the team have my well being in mind", is called charitable assumption. I've been guilty of bringing baggage into teams where I thought there was no charitable assumption. I just automatically thought people didn't like me for whatever reason because in my past people have make judgments against me for no reason. This in itself caused people to not treat me authentically because I didn't have an authentic view of myself and projected that. If someone isn't being who they really are, they are cheating themselves. I much prefer being around people who are honest about who they are, good, bad, and ugly. Most believers will naturally treat others with charitable assumption. Those that don't need to be taught.

Have a blessed, overcast Saturday.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2010-01-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

The holidays sure have a way of sidelining our plans, don't they? I hope to finish up this book with you shortly, then review the two books I've read since I've read this one. I'm also reading two more simultaneously, so I will give you those when I'm done as well. Lots of great stuff to ponder!

Now, continuing on with Floyd McClung's book:

Perhaps it is helpful to summarize the nature of spiritual authority this way:

1. Derived authority: The authority that has to do with earning the right to lead others. Derived authority is the consequence of godly character, wisdom, servanthood, humility, and recognition by others of a person's gifting and calling.
2. Delegated authority: The authority given to a person by someone else. A person with delegated authority must also earn the right to lead people spiritually.
3. Distributed authority: The authority given by Jesus to all those who know, love, and obey him. It is distributed to everyone in the church but is only effective if it is exercised in humble obedience to the commands of Jesus. All those who are Christlike share in the spiritual authority that Jesus gives to all his children.

But the authority Peter speaks about in 1 Peter 5 is the responsibility spiritual leaders have to serve God's people with love and integrity, not the power to command or control those they lead.

Below is a list of scriptures that clarifies the scope of authority spiritual leaders have been given by God, with clear conditions and restrictions: [I have included links, where the book spelled them out]
1 Peter 5:1-5
1 Tim. 5:17
Titus 1:5
Acts 20:28-31
1 Thess. 5:12-13
Heb. 13:17
2 Tim. 4:1-2
2 Tim. 2:24-25
...Jesus defined authority as influencing people by serving them. If we serve, we have influence, and if we influence people, we have spiritual authority in their lives. In this way, authority is defined as the privilege of influencing others by exercising one's spiritual gifts in a Christlike manner.

But how do we know if we are exercising spiritual authority the way Jesus did? The following questions may help:

1. Does it liberate or does it enslave?
2. Does it lead to conformity or does it bring creativity?
3. Does it bring dependence on man or God?
4. Does it produce servility or servanthood?
5. Does it depend on law or grace?
6. Does it destroy or does it build a person's confidence?
7. Does it equip people to function in faith or does it produce fear?
8. Does it produce accountability or anarchy?
9. Does it equip people for ministry or does it make them spectators to the ministries of others?

That's a good chunk for today. Let's talk about number 3 today. Does it bring dependence on man or God? Sometimes in the church today, when someone approaches a leader with a question about how they should go about doing something, whether ministry-related or personal, it is quicker and easier to give the answer we believe in our heart to be the clear, logical, generally accepted direction and be done with it. What this creates, however, is a dependence on man. The individual will continue to approach that person or other leaders with their questions about what to do. This creates a dependence on man. The better way of handling it is oftentimes to advise the person to seek God's direction themselves. After all, who will give the right answer everytime? Being human, we can certainly lead people astray, even without intention. This advice will cause the person to spend time on their knees, seeking the all-knowing God of the universe. This creates dependence on God. People will come and go, but God is here to stay.

Now where does that leave godly counsel that the Bible talks about? Godly counsel can and should be sought but not with a frequency that causes dependence on the godly counsel (man). Be wary of this also: when you seek godly counsel, does the godly counsel immediately give you an answer off the top of their head, or do they insist on having time to pray about the situation themselves first, seeking God, modeling that posture before you, and then come and confirm or not confirm the direction? I would be wary of any godly counsel that I wasn't absolutely sure had the spiritual gifts of wisdom and/or knowledge, and who gave me a quick answer. Even when seeking godly counsel, we should always seek God first.

I believe I blogged previously about a quote from the book that said the best Pastors are the ones who teach their congregations to hear God's voice for themselves. I believe this is one of the most import things that can be taught to equip someone in life and in ministry. We must depend on God first and foremost in our lives above anyone else.

Have a blessed cloudy New Year's Day!

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2009-12-14T12:58:00.000-08:00

Continuing on with my highlights and thoughts on the book by Floyd McClung.

Three Responsibilities of Those Who Lead in a Simple-Church Community

those that are given spiritual leadership are called to lead. It is going in front. It is making decisions and persuading others to be part of the decision. You can tell a leader because he or she has a following. He is not thinking in terms of hierarchy, but of relationship and responsibility.
Three primary responsibilities of those who lead in a local ecclesia:
To guard
1. Against wolves from within (Acts 20:28-30)
2. Against false doctrine (2 Tim. 4:1-5)
3. Aginst decievers (2 John 7-11)
4. Against those who cause divisions (Rom 16:17-18; Titus 3:10)
5. Aginst influences of sexual promiscuity (1 Cor. 5:9-13)

To govern
1. By caring for people.
2. By teaching God's word.
3. By correcting people in error.
4. By appointing other elders.
5. By making decisions.

To guide
1. By teaching the Word.
2. By discipling and equipping others to lead.
3. By imparting passion for God's glory to others.

Simple church by its size and nature needs a coaching and supporting leadership style, not a directing or delegating manner of leading.

Submission to Spiritual, Task, and Teaching Authority
The Bible makes it clear that we are to be committed to a local community of Jesus-followers. Being part of a simple-church community includes submission to true spiritual authority, which means we are humble enough to allow ourselves to be served by others with spiritual gifts we don't have. Some have erroneously taught that to be part of a simple church or house church is to be free from all spiritual authority. In fact, submission to a person or a group of people who follow Jesus is a sign of spiritual maturity. That includes submitting to those who lead. However, there is a difference between submission and blind obedience. Obedience for the sake of obedieince is not good. We can obey evil as well as good; we can obey man when we ought to obey God. Nor is obedience that produces conformity biblical obedience. Obedience to spiritual leaders in order to gain acceptance feeds an unhealthy need for approval.

Three Kinds of Authority
Task Authority
A person put in charge of a task or projects gives assignments and direction. Under him or her is a group of people whose responsibility is to comply with the leader's instructions as promptly and efficiently as they can.

In a work situation, sometimes we just needd to be told what to do and do it.

Teaching Authority
Teaching authority is based on the ability to persuade. The pastor or leader who balks at being asked legitimate questions needs to understand the difference between the different types of authority.

Spiritual Authority
The purpose of spiritual authority is not for passive compliance but for people to be motivated from the heart by Jesus' commands. Those with spiritual authority have responsibilities to guard, govern, and guide those they are given authority to lead. Their task is made easier if those they lead submit to their leadership. If their leadership is exercised in a mature manner, they will seek to influence those they to hear God for themselves and obey him from the heart. Spiritual growth happens through self-discovery, not imposed obedience. The purpose of spiritual authority is to inspire people to obey the commands of Jesus and to equip them for service, not command or control people's lives.

The essence of Christian maturity is a response from the heart to the will of God and to the direction given by spiritual leaders.

A spiritual leader may be a channel of God's Spirit motivating a person, but that person still needs to internalize what God is saying to him or her. Telling people what they must do, and why they should not do something else, may get a leader the immediate results he or she wants, but it doesn't produce spiritual maturity in others.

The exercise of spiritual authority in relation to this kind of obedience should be aimed at helping people discover the will of God by hearing God themselves. If people know how to hear God themselves, then spontaneously reproducing movements of simple churches are much more likely to happen. Top-down spiritual authority stifles a movement, making the leaders the bottleneck through which all decisions must pass. But when people hear God for themselves, they can get on with the work God has called all of us to do.

Tomorrow we'll look at a summary of spiritual authority, among other things dealing with leadership. Today I was able to work about and hour and a half with Greg doing landscaping. It was great. Though I have pain, while I was working, I felt no pain. Tomorrow it may hurt again, and possibly even worse, but it was better than staying home thinking about it. I hope to continue working through my healing over the next few weeks. Have a blessed sunny Monday.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2009-12-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

Continuing with Chapter 3 by Floyd McClung.

It's About Bonding and First Impressions
The challenge in church today is that people are imprinted by other people who don't have the DNA of radical New Testament church. They have bonded to meeting-oriented church, to church done for them by pastors, and to church that is conducted in a building one day a week. They have a DNA of dependency on the life-support systems of Sunday school, youth programs, and men's and women's ministries. I often picture this kind of churchgoer as a very sick patient in an ICU ward, in isolation, hooked up to a life-support systems. And that is what conventional church does for many people. They are dependent on the ministries of the church. church for these people is not a radical movement where they are leading people to Christ and baptizing their converts weekly, but something that exists to serve them, to keep them alive.

If the leaders and members of conventional churches are busy maintaining the business systems and structures of the church and don't have time to be winning people to Christ, the people will bond to the Western business-oriented DNA of their leaders. If their leaders don't reproduce followers of Jesus, the people won't believe it is a high value in the church. If the leaders see themselves as the ones who run the church instead of those who preach to the lost and disciple new believers, then the people will be imprinted with that DNA. The DNA of a church at the deepest level sets the pattern of who the church becomes. It is that pattern that determines how everything else grows and reproduces, or doesn't grow at all.

Like Jesus, we don't have the right to say who can and cannot do things for God. We cannot set limits on people's spiritual authority.

God distributes authority in simple-church communities to each person. People who lead do so without needing permission or position to get on with carrying out the Great Commission. One's covering is found in his or her position in Christ, and not in human positions above them in the chain of command. It comes from heart-level humility that others recognize and accept.

The dangers of the top-down hierarchical model of command-and-control-type leadership is that it ties people to a chain of command and creates dependency on other people for empowerment and permission to minister. A codependency is developed that is unhealthy and will not lead to reproducing churches spontaneously.

Many people fear that without the top-down model of leadership there will be no clear authority. This is a false assumption based on bad experiences or lack of experience, or worse, a lack of understanding of how God designed his church to function. The strongest authority one can have is spiritual authority. If a person's life does not warrant them influence in the lives of others, then they won't be respected. But if they speak with wisdom and insight, and serve with a humble attitude, people will notice and will follow them, regardless of the person's title or position. Jesus led in this manner.

I have personal experience in this area. I was once removed from ministry by the person above me and was no longer allowed to disciple anyone. I knew at the time this was very wrong, unhealthy, and unbiblical. But, wanting to submit to my authority and keep peace in the church, I obeyed. Looking back, I wish I hadn't. Floyd explains above how our ultimate authority comes from our position in Christ. I see many loyal church-goers struggling in this area. Their scope is limited to the immediate church, not the Kingdom of God. They put their Pastor above their God in making decisions. Is it because the ramifications of not obeying the Pastor appear more immediate and threatening than the wrath of the Almighty? What if the Pastor is wrong? Greg encourages all our leaders to question his direction, to line up what he says with what the Bible says. He tells them to obey the Bible if he's wrong. He expects that. He has always done that. Once it cost him his job as Associate Pastor, but he did the right thing.

Do you have the courage to do the right thing? I wish I had.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2009-12-11T14:58:00.000-08:00

Now on to Chapter 3 by Floyd McClung.

Paul patiently waited to appoint leaders in the churches he started until they had time to grow and find their way. Sometimes he left them to develop on their own, encouraging them to build on the values, truths, and passions he imparted to them while he was with them. He trusted the Holy Spirit in them to guide them.

There is a time and place to train spiritual leaders. But if we get ahead of God's timetable inpeople's lives, it may actually hinder natural development. If we try to force growth in spiritual leaders before they are ready, it creates problems, such as a performance mentality, unhealthy dependency, and an inability to think and discern for oneself.

Those who appreciate the beauty and innate order of God's natural design for the church serve the church with the greatest wisdom.

What gives the church cohesion on such a model? Its values and vision. When the values and vision of the kingdom are clearly understood by those who father and mother a movement, and they are clearly articulated for all to understand, and imparted through discipling relationships, the DNA of the movement takes hold in people's hearts.

Our present forms of church government are perfectly suited to produce the resuls we are now seeing - that is the problem! How we typically lead and organize churches is built on a model of maintenance and direction, not heared for spontaneous expansions. We have learned how to control the church, but we struggle to learn how to allow the Holy Spirit to be in control.

Because we are Sunday-meeting focused, instead of everyday-movement focused, we immediately think about how disorderly our church meetings will become if there is no order. But think bigger: if our churches are growing spontaneously, our problems will change. Our focus will not be about meetings alone, as important as they are, but how to disciple the leaders as they disciple new converts and equip leaders to lead and reproduce themselves.

Structure should never control life, only serve it. Only involve people in structures who are secure with being out of sight and serving. You don't use a water hose to build water pipes in a large block of houses, nor should you invite someone to be an elder who doesn't have water flowing through them to the lost, or has only a small flow of life. Elders are people who "eld," who do the stuff of ministry outside the flock as well as inside. If they have the values and live the vision, they are already bringing water to the thirsty.

That's a good chunk for today. So many things to comment on! Let's do paragraph #1 today. Paul patiently waited to appoint leaders in the churches he started until they had time to grow and find their way. Sometimes he left them to develop on their own, encouraging them to build on the values, truths, and passions he imparted to them while he was with them. He trusted the Holy Spirit in them to guide them. This is often a struggle for me. Greg and I have had many conversations about many people on this very subject. For those of you who know me, I'm more task-oriented. I like efficient meetings, bullet lists, to-do lists, and read through the Bible in a year checks boxes. Do it and move on. Greg is very relational, which shows God's sense of humor in putting us together! Often I will catch him saying something cute, like, reaching for a cracker, choosing the broken one, and saying, "I'll take the rejected one." Show's his Pastor's heart too. Many times he'll treat inanimate objects like they have feelings. Cracks me up. I digress . . . Back to the point.

Often, I will see someone who might need correction in an area. Nothing major, but maybe they don't quite have the Christian perspective on a particular action or belief. I'll want Greg or I to talk to them about it. I know if I was off base on something, I would want to be put on the right track. I've had people do this to me along my walk and I have SO appreciated it. It's kind of like there are two types of people: those who tell you there is brocolli in your teeth, and those who let you walk around all night with it. Which are your friends? I'd rather have one friend than a whole room of non-confronters.

Greg, on the other hand, picks his battles carefully. He will wait. And for me, wait for what seems like months and months. He chooses other things to talk to the person about. He trusts the Holy Spirit to do much of the convicting of someone's heart. He is a gentle shepherd. Me, if given full reign? I'm the pointy end of the rod. Fortunately, we balance each other out quite well and I'm learning how and when to confront people, and when not to.

You might be curious as to the areas where I've been corrected by caring people in the past. I've probably blogged on these before, so if I have, please forgive my forgetfulness.

The first was a male, Christian co-worker I asked for advice one day. My kids were little but entering the age of trick-or-treating. My husband, whom I was legally separated from, was always very much against celebrating Halloween in any fashion, even giving out candy at our door. I asked my co-worker who also had children, a little older than mine, what his family did that night and if he thought trick-or-treating was okay. Though I don't know all the details, the gist of it was that trick-or-treating originated in Satanic rituals and pagan beliefs. He reminded me of the verse, "If you're not for me, you're against me", and "Don't give the devil a foothold." I was convinced, and my children have never trick-or-treated or asked to go. We don't give out candy at our door. We usually turn off the lights and watch tv. In the early years, I posted a sign on my garage door that read "We do not participate in Halloween", which got the neighbors used to not knocking on my door.

The second instance I remember was my women's ministry director gently educating me on how to choose a qualified leader. I was wanting to get out of leading my group for single moms and was seriously considering another single mom in the group. This lady was energetic, her kids not too young to require a lot of need, fairly faithful in her attendance and great relationally. She had gone through some ringers in her life and had a good pool of experience and compassion. I felt it was a good match for her also because it would help grow her. I hoped it would help her focus more on Jesus and less on her relationship with her boyfriend. It was a healthy next step for her in ministry, from just serving in task ministries, and acutally shepherding someone.

I received an email from my leader who clued me in to the qualifications of a leader of people. They had to live a more exemplary life than this lady was leading. She was having a sexual relationship with her boyfriend. At the time, I knew that, but felt she could better relate to other ladies in the group who were in the same place. I felt I often came across as too high and mighty as I was very sold out on purity. I was gently corrected and am thankful for that to this day.

Another time I was told I should share more of myself with others, meaning opening up about my past. I tend not to go there for two reasons: 1. I don't think anyone cares. 2. It's in the past and though it may contribute to who I am today, my past doesn't define me. I prefer to live in the present and look forward. I think now it is good to share, when needed to help build bridges relationally. I always will answer questions about my past, I don't hide anything, but at the same time, my past doesn't monopolize my conversation. I prefer to listen to others.

So, that's where I'm at and what I think about letting the Holy Spirit lead others to repentence. I try not to be too spontaneous or impetuous in fixing situations.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2009-12-07T14:44:00.000-08:00

Finally continuing on with Floyd McClung's great book, here is what I liked in this chapter titled, Asking the Right Questions.

Simple Versus Complicated Church
I believe there are distinct advantages to such a simple expression of church and ministry:
1. It is simpler to get things done. It doesn't take a long time to conduct the business meeting of the church!
2. Accountability is more natural and powerful with two or three people. It is more difficult to confess sins or weaknesses with a larger group of people.
3. There is greater flexibility. It doesn't take long, or involve as many decisions, to change or adapt to new opportunities.
4. Communication flows more easily with a small group of people. Misunderstandings can be cleared up more quickly when the group is smaller.
5. There is greater proximity ot people who don't know Jesus. It is natural for a small group to meet in a restaurnat or bar or office, thus keeping a group located among people who don't know Jesus.
6. Direciton is more quickly and clearly confirmed in simple church. God often uses two or three others to confirm what he says to us.
7. Leadership stays natural and relational. When the leadership functions in a small group of people, it is much more difficult for it to function from a lofty position since everyone knows each other.
8. Multiplication can happen spontaneously as the group grows. It doesn'ttake a worship band, a fat check, a telemarketing campaign, and a new building to plant a new church!

The difference between complicated church and simple church is that the complicated church relies on programs to disciple people, while simple church empowers people to disciple people.

I believe deeply and fervently in the marriage of church and mission. One of my coworkers said to me at one point, "You don't believe in direct sending, do you?" He clarified that he believed local churches should not and could not send missionaries directly to the field, that they were not gifted or anointed by God to send people as missionaries apart from missionary organizations. That kind of thinking seems a long way from the church of Antioch in Acts 13.

On the other side of the coin, there are many local churches that have no vision for the nations and no room in their thinking or their leadership for visionary leaders that are not part of their local church. These churches are ingrown and controlling. Their view of God is too small and their understanding of church is too narrow.

A person with a vision is not a prisoner of a person without one.

Vision from God for his church will give you faith for the church you are part of. You will see how much God loves the church. You will pray for her and weep for her and, if necessary, leave her. You will be free to love, forgive, and submit to her and her leaders as well - if that is what God says to do.

When God imparts a vision and finds someone with courage to take hold of that vision and run with it, God himself will stand behind it. If he gave it, it is his vision. He will complete what he starts in you, as long as you obey him and act with integrity and humility. Even if you make mistakes, God will rescue you if you ask for his mercy. No force on earth or demon in hell can keep you from the will of God if you walk obediently before God and humbly before others.

[Speaking of his training program for doing simple church.] Interestingly, we have to train people from traditional and institutional church backgrounds out of the old way of doing church, and orient them to the new paradigm of simple church. I jokingly say to those we train, "You never have to worry about losing your job because you will never have one." In other words, they key to passing the torch to the next generation of leaders in simple-church-planting movements is never to hold the torch, speaking of positions and titles. We teach people to be servant leaders who raise up others to carry the torch from the beginning. This is a new style of leadership that requires serving behind the scenes, being secure enough to be a coach to new leaders without poistion or title. The goal of a simple-church-planting movement is not being an up-front pastor or elder but being a spiritual father or mother to a movement of elders and church planters.

That's plenty for today. The part I would like to comment on is the last paragraph. "being secure enough to be a coach to new leaders without poistion or title." I don't believe it is always a sense of security that makes a person want a position or title. Sometimes it is a belief that they will function better in society with other institutional church leaders if they have a position or title, as the church culture expects it. It's a way of identification and an element of communication. Whether that is true or not is debateable. A person can always explain, "I don't have a position or title. In our church, we all do the work of God, as is needed at that moment. Some of the things I do or have done are . . ." That would actually help to open up a dialogue of simple church methods and paradigms. I don't believe we always have to conform to those around us to be effective in carrying out God's will for the church.

I also believe that sometimes people desire positions or titles out of pride, self-centeredness, and ego. Some people have a goal to have the most lofty job title in an organization. The Bible makes it very clear that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6. My mom always quoted "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18. Pride in someone is always the negative thing that I identify in a person first. Whether it is in their words, their mannerisms, their actions, their lifestyle, etc. For me, like seeing an alcoholic or ex-alcholoic, I can spot it a mile away. Pride is the thing I like to work on correcting in a person, and it is not always easy, comfortable, pleasant, or enjoyable. It can hurt, and it should. It is a deep rooted evil that God opposes in people.

Know that pride is the unhealthy version of what a person thinks of him or herself. The healthy version is what the Bible tells us to do. It is to have an honest estimation of ourselves. That means we shouldn't think too lowly or too highly of ourselves, but know what our strengths and weaknesses are and continue to strive to become a better person. "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Romans 12:3. Even when we have a true estimation of ourselves, it doesn't mean we go around flauting all the positives. Your good points will be evident to all. We don't have to impress anyone but God, and he knows our hearts and our thoughts, and sees all our actions.

I Survived!

2009-12-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

It was one of those weekends that don't happen too frequently, that makes you take a deep breath, lead with your helment, and try not to get a foul. All last week was packed with things to do, like painting the sets, taking care of a sick child, typical stuff like laundry, dishes, and dusting, Christmas shopping and wrapping, and many, many others. Friday was my birthday and I looked forward to a slice of cake from Old Tyme Pastries and seeing Kristen on opening night at the Gaslight Theater. So began the treadmill, a good pace, but there is an element of stress that comes when your youngest is on stage all by herself for a 12 minute monologue. She did great. It was my favorite birthday gift.

Saturday was full of more details, the bulletin, wrapping presents for the set, and gathering all the many items needed to make my part of Sunday happen. My mom, brother, and sister-in-law stopped by with turkey soup and their Christmas gift. Then they went to see her perform. I cleaned house and Greg helped make snacks for our Leadership Team White Elephant Christmas party. It was a blast. After everyone left, we worked on church stuff for another hour or two until Kristen came home around 11:00.

Sunday, we loaded everything into the truck and car and headed to church by 7:30. Mark helped Kristen with her car windows and she came and played the drums like a very exhausted trooper. Still fighting her sinus infection, she did great, then left at 10:30 for the theater for her next 2 performances. Church was great. We had Mike do his Christmas Rap, Arline, his friend, came from Tracy and sang Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song), my favorite, we had a great and very original Christmas sermon that especially blessed one of the ladies who was visiting, and we handed out a gift to each family. Tear down began, and it was something. We must have broken 10 glass ornaments on the floor. The tree was definately a learning experience, especially when you have to set it up and tear it down each week.

After church, we came home and waiting for Greg's mom to arrive from Escalon. I went to buy some roses for Kristen and headed to the theater. Greg and his mom soon followed. She was turning around in a neighbor's driveway when she arrived at our house and her car died. Greg had to push it to get it parked in front of our house. We didn't know if he could fix it, if she had to spend the night, or just what was going to happen, but we enjoyed the performance and Greg got the car working when we got home. She arrived safely back in Escalon last night. It was great seeing our Youth Pastor's family and another youth at the theater to see Kristen, as well as Kristen's dad and step-mom.

Yesterday afternoon and evening, Mark was in Carol Fest at Stanislaus State. We could have gone, but were too tired. I'm glad I got to experience it 2 years ago when Mark was a music major. We enjoyed a quiet evening watching Greg's team beat the Vikings and I dozed off and on during the game.

Kristen is exhausted and not over her sinus infection, so she's home sleeping today. We saw snow flurries outside this morning for a brief minute. Greg is home preparing for his next sermon. He can't cut grass in the rain. It's a blessing.

So today, it's catching up on details that didn't get done last week, like blogging, and trying to catch up on sleep. The next blog will be on Floyd McClung's You See Bones, I See an Army. Have a blessed rainy Monday.

A Must See

2009-12-05T08:21:00.001-08:00

If you haven't seen the Turlock Christian High School Drama, "It's a Wonderful Life", you've got to. Jeffrey, who plays George Baily, did an amazing job. He sounds just like Jimmy Stewart! Leon Fox, who plays Mr. Potter, was also amazing, sounding just like the original. Casey Franco, who plays Clarence, was also equally impressive, sounding just like Clarence. Kristen did a fabulous job with her monolog as Mary's mother, a jewish woman, in Swaddling Clothes. Touching and funny. Mrs. Dawn Davis, the director, once again pulled out amazing performances from all the actors. It was truly an enjoyable, heart touching evening at the Golden Gaslight Theater in Denair. Today's performances are at 2:00 and 8:00 and tomorrow at 2:00 and 7:00. Adults $7.00 and can be bought at the door. The junior class has wonderful holilday goodies to purchase as well. Don't miss this holiday classic event.

Flexibility Was the Word Yesterday

2009-12-03T08:45:00.000-08:00

I sit at my desk remembering all the things that happend yesterday and my eyes glance over to the Franklin Covey catalog I get. (Time to re-order my calendar pages for 2010!). On the front cover are the words, "I am a planner." How true! Me too! That didn't seem to matter at all yesterday.

I got up, showered, did my shoulder stretches and sat on the sofa with my Bible, thinking, "Ah, this is so nice! Kristen will drive herself to school, Mark will drive to school, Greg will go to work, I will spend a couple hours with a dear friend, hit the grocery store on the way home, start the laundry, and spend the next few hours finishing painting the set for Sunday, catch up on my list at my desk, and take Kristen to her oral surgery consultation at 3:30. It's going to be a great day!"... Ha!!!

Kristen got up, not having gotten dressed for an hour (she's been not feeling well) and asked me to write a note to get her out of class early, as the teacher was planning to dismiss the kids early today, but I had to sign her out at the office, since Kristen is under 18. Which meant, driving to school at 2:30. My first flexibility moment. "Could you also drive me to school?" My second flexibility moment. Ugghhh. "Sure." "Could you make my lunch? I'm running late." "Sure." My third flexibility moment. I take her to school and come home.

Mark got up and said, "Mom, I think I need your help with something today. I ran over a screw and my tire is going flat. Can you follow me to the tire store to drop off my car and take me to the college? (Which also meant, and could you pick me up at 2:30 and drop me off to pick up my car at the tire shop). My fouth flexibility moment. "Sure." "I'll call my friend and tell her I'll be late." I asked him to call around to see who had his tire in stock and get the best price. He found my tire store was $20+ cheaper, had it in stock, and could have him out in 30 minutes. He decided he could wait for the car and be late to class. "I'll call my friend back and tell her I can come now." My fifth flexibility moment.

I saw my friend and spent a little more time than planned, but it was a great time of sharing and learning. My sixth flexibility moment. I come home and was greeted at the door by our 2 year old golden retriever who once again jumped the six foot wooden gate on the side of the house. My seventh flexibility moment. I put him in the backyard and went to the bathroom. When I came out, he was gone. I opened the front door, looked at the driveway, and here he comes again! I put him in the backyard and tied him up, getting mud all over my shirt, pants, and shoes. I came in and changed into my paint clothes. After all, I had to get back to my planat some point, and now seemed like the time to do it!

I put on the laundry, noticed the dog dish was dirty and decided to clean it. As I'm washing the dish, the phone rings. It's Greg. "I'm so glad you called! I have to tell you what the dog did." When I finished, he told me Kristen called him and is sick at school and needs to be picked up. My eithth flexibility moment. I left and picked her up in my paint clothes. I connected the dots of her symptoms with a list on TV of the swine flu. Sore throat, body aches, tiredness, etc. I decided to call the doctor.

They could get her in at 2:30. My ninth flexibility moment. I called and rescheduled the oral surgery appointment. I worked on the laundry tried to finish my quiet time. No painting in sight. The doctor said she had a sinus infection and was negative for swine flu. Yeah! She had the same symptoms Greg and Mark had. I hope I'm not next.

I came home and then left to get her prescription. I had to wait about 30 minutes so I finished my Christmas shopping. I went to the counter and asked for the prescription I had just dropped off. I paid for it and my items and came home. When I called Kristen to come take her medicine, I noticed they had given me the auto refill prescription that had given Kristen hives two weeks ago, not the antibiotic. I had to go back. My tenth flexibility moment. They wouldn't take it back. It was in a plastic/foil heat sealed bag, like a bag of candy, obviously had not been tampered with at all, and they wouldn't give me my $20 back. Not a happy camper at all! I got the antibiotic after being advised to call the regular pharmacy manager tomorrow. Now they're infringing on my plans for tomorrow! Gggrrrrr. I had had a good attitude until this point, now I was losing it. I was nice at the pharmacy, but not happy when I got home.

Anyway, I hope I can go to the grocery store and paint today. I dare not make any further plans for today in case God isn't finished dealing with my inflexibility.

Have a blessed foggy Thursday.

Preaching Rotation

2009-11-19T08:18:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard, Greg is not preaching this month, but instead we are rotating through the very talented men in our church who will be preaching. Dick Pritchard preached the first weekend, Josh preached last weekend, Jason is preaching this weekend, and Dan will be finishing up the month preaching. Dick and Josh have done a great job and I'm sure Jason and Dan will also. If you're available at 9:00 a.m., please come and support them.

We have a lot of special things planned for the three services in December. You won't want to miss them. Seriously!

Have a blessed chilly Thursday!

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2009-11-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the hiatis, you'd think I'd have more time, not working! So many things to do!
Continuing with chapter 2 by Floyd McClung.

Being incarnational means relating to people in ways that allow us to identify with people without compromising our message.

Paul preached, gathered the new believers, taught and baptized them, and then trusted the Holy Spirit in them to empower them to live thier faith in their culture, not apart from it.

Some people believe that the attractional approach to church is about improving our programs, projecting better audiovisuals, and getting people to come to our church instead of the church down the street. It caters to the consumer mentality of shopping around to find the church that fits us. There are church growth conferences dedicated to better parking lots and more appealing children's programs. When I hear people talking like this, I feel what Jesus must have felt like when he cleansed the Temple. What have we come to? Better parking lots? The right packaging of our worship set? Is church really that far gone in our Western ways of doing things?

I believe there are distinct advantages to such a simple expression of church and ministry:
1. It is simpler to get things done. It doesn't take a long time to conduct the business meeting of the church!
2. Accountability is more natural and powerful with two or three people. It is more difficult to confess sins or weaknesses with a larger group of people.
3. There is grater flexibility. It doesn't take as long, or involve as many decisions, to change or adapt to new opportunities.
4. Communication flows more easily with a small group of people. Misunderstandings can be cleared up more quickly when the group is smaller.
5. There is greater proximity to people who don't know Jesus. It is natural for a small group to meet in a restaurant or bar or office, thus keeping a group located among people who don't know Jesus.
6. Direction is more quickly and clearly confirmed in simple. church. God often uses two or three others to confirm what he says to us.
7. Leadership stays natural and relational. When the leadership functions in a small group of people, it is much more difficult for it to function from a lofty position since everyone knows each other.
8. Multiplication can happen spontaneously as the group grows. It doesn't take a worship band, a fat check, a telemarketing campaign, and a new building to plant a new church!

The difference between complicated church and simple church is that the complicated church relies on programs to disciple people, while simple church empowers people to disciple people.

That was such a good end note, I'll end there. A few comments:

On the paragraph on attractional church. I believe it is very easy for people (church staff, congregation) to believe this is the best model to reach the community for Christ. After all, it's like luring ants to a picnic. You make it smell good enough, they're bound to come. It makes sense. But is it Biblical? Did Jesus spend time making his message 'look' and 'sound' good? No. He was at times offensive, angry, and frustrated. But he delivered the message of salvation clearly and without compromising. He didn't sugar-coat it. He talked about sin. He even specifically pointed out the sin in the people he was talking to. There's conviction for you! Let's be basic in our message, not manipulative, wrapping the Gospel in twinkling lights. Some might say we should strive for excellence in trying to reach every one we can for Christ. Yes, we should strive for excellence. But let's not compromise. I believe God made the Gospel attractive and powerful and able to stand on it's own without us interferring with it to try and make it better. It is timeless. It works by itself, yesterday, today, and forever.

Also, on catering to the consumer mentality of shopping for church: I think 'the consumers' have it backwards. WHERE IS PRAYER? It is not about US finding a church that fits US. We should not be consumers here. If God is Sovereign Lord in our lives, God should be directing us to the church He wants us to attend. He does this with His purpose for our lives in mind. We should be praying about where He wants us to go and be obedient to that calling. We should not attend a church because our parents do (if we're over 18), or because our friends do, or because it is where we accepted Christ, or because it is the only church we've ever attended. We should attend a church because it is where God has called us for this season. The season may last a lifetime, or less than that. There is no sin in changing churches when we are on our knees before our King and are led to go elsewhere because God wants to teach us something else under another Shepherd. The Shepherd doesn't own the sheep. God does, and He calls the sheep as He wills. Though loyalty is a great thing, it is secondary to calling. Who and what are you being loyal to? Don't be so loyal that you sacrifice the care and feeding of your soul. You won't be as useful to God as quickly if He has to heal the damage caused by you being in the wrong place.

Blessings on this cold, windy Wednesday.

Let This Challenge You

2009-11-13T11:58:00.000-08:00

If you're not already excelling in the grace of giving, here's a great place to start. If this 4-year old can do it, you can too!

http://www.stevenfurtick.com/uncategorized/financial-management-from-a-4-year-old%E2%80%99s-perspective/

Crazy!

2009-11-09T15:21:00.000-08:00

As if the frozen should and tendonitis wasn't enough, I came down with a UTI 2 weeks ago. Fortunately I just finished 7 days of antibiotics and was feeling mostly better by the time we went away this weekend for our anniversary to A Lovely Place, where we go every year. The day before we left, however, I was cooking for 4 hours, making spaghetti, chili beans, apple crisp, and a couple batches of chocolate chip cookies. As I was stirring the spaghetti on the back burner, the steam from the pot of beans on the front burner gave me a rip roarin' burn across my stomach. The pain left in about 3 hours. The skin started coming off the next day. Now it's a little green. Not to worry, though, I see the Dr. on Wednesday for my shoulder. It may be more than a frozen shoulder, the Physical Therapist said today, as I can't do my exercises without gobs of pain. So, we'll go down the xray, MRI route like before to rule out other things like bone spurs, rotator cuff tears, etc.

Greg came down with a cold over the weekend and he's in bed trying to sleep. He has to work tomorrow. It's always something!

Shoes in church

2009-11-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

I showered and shaved............. I adjusted my tie.

I got there and sat. In a pew just in time.

Bowing my head in prayer...... As I closed my eyes.

I saw the shoe of the man next to me..... Touching my own. I sighed.

With plenty of room on either side..... I thought, 'Why must our soles touch?'

It bothered me, his shoe touching mine... But it didn't bother him much.

A prayer began: 'Our Father'............. I thought, 'This man with the shoes, has no pride.

They're dusty, worn, and scratched. Even worse, there are holes on the side!'

'Thank You for blessings,' the prayer went on.

The shoe man said............. A quiet 'Amen.'

I tried to focus on the prayer....... But my thoughts were on his shoes again.

Aren't we supposed to look our best. When walking through that door?

'Well, this certainly isn't it,' I thought, Glancing toward the floor.

Then the prayer was ended........... And the songs of praise began.

The shoe man was certainly loud..... Sounding proud as he sang.

His voice lifted the rafters........ His hands were raised high.

The Lord could surely hear. The shoe man's voice from the sky.

It was time for the offering... And what I threw in was steep.

I watched as the shoe man reached.... Into his pockets so deep.

I saw what was pulled out......... What the shoe man put in.

Then I heard a soft 'clink' . As when silver hits tin.

The sermon really bored me......... To tears, and that's no lie.

It was the same for the shoe man... For tears fell from his eyes.

At the end of the service........ As is the custom here.

We must greet new visitors, And show them all good cheer.

But I felt moved somehow.............. And wanted to meet the shoe man.

So after the closing prayer........ I reached over and shook his hand.

He was old and his skin was dark...... And his hair was truly a mess.

But I thanked him for coming......... For being our guest.

He said, 'My names' Charlie.............. I'm glad to meet you, my friend.'

There were tears in his eyes........ But he had a large, wide grin.

'Let me explain,' he said.......... Wiping tears from his eyes.

'I've been coming here for months.... And you're the first to say 'Hi.''

'I know that my appearance.........'Is not like all the rest.

'But I really do try...................'To always look my best.'

'I always clean and polish my shoes..'Before my very long walk.

'But by the time I get here...........'They're dirty and dusty, like chalk.'

My heart filled with pain.......... And I swallowed to hide my tears.

As he continued to apologize........ For daring to sit so near

He said, 'When I get here...........'I know I must look a sight.

'But I thought if I could touch you..'Then maybe our souls might unite.'

I was silent for a moment............ Knowing whatever was said

Would pale in comparison... I spoke from my heart, not my head.

'Oh, you've touched me,' I said......'And taught me, in part;

'That the best of any man.............'Is what is found in his heart.'

The rest, I thought,................. This shoe man will never know.

Like just how thankful I really am. That his dirty old shoe touched my soul

You are special to me and you have made a difference in my life.

I respect you, and truly cherish you.

A Little Braggin'

2009-11-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

I'm so proud of my daughter. Here's why:
1. Every year of Jr. High and High School, she participates all week long in homecoming week by dressing up in the particular type of costume set forth by the student body. This, though it has been embarrassing at times for her, shows how much school spirit she has and how much she is dedicated to participating in school activities. She works on the float every year, though only a handful of kids from her 50 student class do so. Here she is this year as a superhero:

2. At the end of Homecoming week this year, the kids had MORP. Prom spelled backwards, as the girls ask the boys. It's not a romantic dinner/dance kind of thing. It's a friend/activity kind of thing. This year she asked a very nice young man from her class. I asked her why she picked him out of all the boys in her school. She said, "He's the only boy who I've never heard anything unwholesome come out of his mouth." This shows her priorities. She isn't interested in the muscle-bound, cute, athletic boy because of how he looks. She looks at the character of the person to decide who she wants to spend time with. 1 Sam. 16:7 says, But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Here they are before they left for the Standford football game as Robin Hood and Maid Merriam.

3. Last night she had to drive her new car to youth group for the first time. She's been working on driving the manual transmission. She was very apprehensive. Greg and I left to go to dinner. When we got home we were happy to see she had driven her car. When she got home she said before she left she called her Youth Pastor and asked him to pray for her. He prayed for her on the phone. She said she felt at peace afterwards and was able to drive there. I'm proud of her being able to ask her Youth Pastor for prayer and seeking God for strength. Today she drove her car to school all by herself for the first time. She's growing up!

4. She's braver than I was at that age. Her wisdom teeth are coming in. Because she's had braces, she wants to get them pulled, as they're crowding her other teeth and she doesn't want to waste the thousands of dollars the braces cost. How thoughtful!

Okay, I'm done bragging for now. Thank you for indulging me! Have a blessed Thursday evening.

Fantastic post

2009-11-05T15:33:00.001-08:00

Check out Perry Noble's post:

http://www.perrynoble.com/2009/11/04/15-signs-that-a-church-is-in-trouble/

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2009-11-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

By Floyd McClung, here are my highlights from the first half of Chapter 2.

You don't have to go to a Bible school for four years to be a leader in the church. In fact, Jesus defined leaders in the new way of doing things as servants. If leaders are servants, anyone who serves God's people through their gifts, leads.

We win battles by fighting in the opposite spirit. Instead of violence, we fight with peace. Instead of anger and hate, we fight with love and forgiveness. Instead of power, we fight with humility. Instead of demanding our rights, we fight with meekness and transparency. Our weapons are not those made with human hands, but they are fashioned in the hearts of humble people.

Such a focus of serving and engaging our culture will continually drive humble and fearless people to their knees in dependence on God for fresh outpourings of the Spirit.

Being "full-time" for God is not about being called to a religious vocation or the mission field but about realizing that no matter what our vocation or where we live, we are called to represent the heart of God and share the love of Jesus all the time. Holistic spirituality means that making money and earning a living is not the primary purpose of any occupation, but being there for God - active, subversive, and courageous - is our calling and purpose.

The apostles of the church are not all up-front, highly charismatic personalities.

An apostolic church is a church that is gripped by the imperatives of Jesus to preach the good news and plant new communities of faith. Apostolic leaders are missional. That is, they align themselves with the mission of God. An apostolic leader is one that believes the whole church is a sent church. Their defining values are to win, gather, and multiply kingdom-minded communities that reach unchurched people, impact culture, and touch nations. Apostolic leadership is God's mechanism for mobilizing his people.

Institutional churches have ignored the role of the evangelist, prophet, and apostle. Pastors and teachers have had more than their share of recognition. It's time to restore greater balance to all five of the equipping gifts that Paul describes in Ephesians 4, but not in a top-down, command-and-control structure.

Apostolic leaders encourage holy dissatisfaction, risk taking, questioning, and experimenting.

I have found personally that to the degree I am caught up in maintaining church structures, something in me dies. My creative gifts and energy turn inward and I am less effective in every way.

In a real sense, a true biblical maverick acts in a prophetic manner by exposing the lies that the dominant group tells itself in order to sustain its shared illusions.

Being incarnational means relating to people in ways that allow us to identify with people without compromising our message.

Paul preached, gathered the new believers, taught and baptized them, and then trusted the Holy Spirit in them to empower them to live their faith in their culture, not apart from it.

That's enough for now. There's more, lots more. Think about these statements. Do they agree with your view of church? Do they make sense? Are they totally different from what you've always believed and experienced?

Have a blessed sunny Monday.

Think about this . . .

2009-11-02T12:19:00.001-08:00

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2009-10-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

These are my highlights from chapter 1, called, Holy Frustration, by Floyd McClung.

That he invites me to be a coworker in sharing his love with others never ceases to amaze me.

[re: the church in the book of Acts] They were a dynamic movement of small communities, spontaneously breaking out all over the city. They occasionally met together in big celebrations in Solomon's Porch at the Temple. They gathered in each other's homes, crowding into living rooms and gardens and workshops, wherever they could find space to gather and worship and pray for their friends and family. They were infiltrating every part of the city.

Think about the power of what was happening: they often spent times fasting and worshipping and speaking words of encouragement to one another. They preached boldly about Jesus. Common people were discovering unknown abilities to teach, pray for the sick, serve, and organize. Everyone was involved. The whole church was actively engaged, not just a few. [unlike many churches today where 20% of the people do 80% of the ministry]

Local churches can easily become a spiritual Harmony Bay, locking people up instead of setting them free, with church leaders who mean well but, if not led by the Spirit, turn the church into a world unto itself, cut off from reality.

The church that does not carry a passion to reach the world isolates people behind walls of cultural irrelevance. When that happens, pastors and leaders serve like guards on the prison walls instead of liberators sent to pull down the walls. They stand as caretakers of dry-bone cemeteries instead of speaking life to the dry bones.

The very word for church in the New Testament is about an empowered citizenry commissioned to lead, not control. Ecclesia, or church, did not convey a Sunday meeting to go to or a boring, building-oriented place where a few people did all the ministry and everyone else was a spectator.

It was an assembly where everyone had an equal right and equal duty to take part.

He [A Bible teacher friend of the author's] challenged us to gather them in small groups and, as we were able, in celebrations. He called this process "building" in contrast to "blessing." He told me that doing ministry without a clear aim to build a healthy community, an ecclesia, was irresponsible. He said God had something better in mind. He challenged me to build a discipling community that we would lead and care for and that would in turn become part of God's mission.

Two paradigms, the Building Paradigm, and the Blessing Paradigm

Building                                                        Blessing

Focused                                                   Following spiritual fads
Strategic                                                  Lost in church culture
Intentional                                               No clear outcome
Building a movement                              Living for the moment
Pioneering spirit                                     Pleasing others
Long-term thinking                                 Short-term mentality
Fruit that remains                                  Immediate results
Fathers and mothers                              Hirelings
Building spiritual foundations               Adding to what others do
Values oriented                                      Meeting oriented
Spiritual sons and daughters                 Crowds and meetings
Reproduction                                         Production

Every apostolic leader must face this challenge: will I build what God has called me to build, or will I extend what others are doing? You want to know why potential apostolic leaders don't make this transition successfully? Lack of courage. God lifts his grace off church leaders to get them frustrated enough with the old way of doing things so they seek a new way of doing church.

He [God] cares for the old ways but injects new life into his church through those people who are courageous enough to change.

One of the things I committed to was to do nothing that did not lead to new church communities being started. The results were amazing. God blessed our efforts.

When I told the pastors of the churches we had been attending that we wanted to start new churches, they reacted. In fact, I didn't meet one leader in the city who encouraged me as a young visionary to dream about starting new churches. They were concerned with losing church members. They felt the city didn't need more churches. Some of these leaders were inside the walls of "Harmony Bay" and were doing their best to guard the prison from attack. They were good men at heart, but they were locked into a way of thinking about church that was narrow and sometimes controlling. I decided I didn't want to be the kind of leader that reacted unfavorably to young visionaries.

I believe God wanted us to reach the outsiders, not coddle the insiders.

As I have traveled the world, I have found that the ministries which lack resources and credibility are often the very ones that have the most to offer in terms of creativity and inspiration. What they lack in money and status is made up for in courage and vision.

There is a great danger in defining church according to our past experience or dry theological explanations. Describing church is not the same as defining it. God has created the church to be a dynamic, growing, powerful movement, not a static doctrine. The Holy Spirit invites every generation and every race of people to create new expressions of church. Jesus called these new expressions "wineskins."

Don't try to fix the church. God is not calling us to fix what he has created. Don't focus on changing the people and the churches they are part of. It is time for a new wave of church leaders to be released who do church in brand new ways. As you read this book, I hope you hear the Spirit speaking to you. God may be calling you to believe him for your generation and your culture. Dare to believe him for a new way of thinking and a new way of acting, based on God's Word and infused by God's Spirit.

New Ways of doing church must be born on our knees, out of desperation for God.

Boy, that was a full chapter! Holy Frustration, or as Bill Hybels calls it, Holy Discontent, is something I never heard of before until I read Bill's book. That's when all the pieces of my head and heart starting coming together and making sense. That was right before God called us to pastor. It was God's way of laying a foundation for me that spring boarded what He was bringing next. It made it so much easier to accept His calling when I understood the big picture. If you're feeling frustrated or discontented with any aspect of church, seek God about it. Ask Him to reveal the purpose behind your frustration and reveal His plan for your life. Being stuck in frustration is a terrible place to be.

Blessings on this breezy, cold Wednesday.

You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

2009-10-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

I'm about 1/3 way through this book and am loving it! Here are my highlights from Chapter 1 titled Five Beliefs that Changed the way I Do Church, by Floyd McClung.

Perhaps one of the reasons we have lost our relevance is because we spend so much time and energy thinking of ways to make the sacred hour on Sunday more attractive to saved people, rather than equipping saved people to take the church to world. Amen!

God created us to need a challenge so big it changes everything we believe and hold dear.

...church is not an institution but an army. Believers in the rest of the world are not devoted to doing church in religious buildings but to gathering anywhere and everywhere they can to study the words of Jesus and to pray and worship. The participants in this revolution believe they are at their best when they meet in twos and threes, not two and three thousands. And they don't see their small gatherings as the purpose for church but as the means for them to be encouraged in their longing to see more people know Jesus.

...but I do believe the more complicated we do church, the more difficult it is to reproduce. Complicated ways of doing church are overwhelming and difficult to feel part of. How many people believe they can start or lead a megachurch?

They key to starting churches that reproduce spontaneously is to be Jesus to lost people.

But the fact is that the bigger and more complicated a local church becomes, the more people and the more money it takes to lead one person to Christ.

I concluded many years ago that all followers of Jesus interpret the teachings of Jesus and the impressions of the Spirit via an inner set of core beliefs that, for better or worse, guide their lives. These five guide my life:

1. Simple church
2. Courageous leadership
3. Focused obedience
4. Apostolic passion
5. Making disciples

I believe the effectiveness of any movement that makes a lasting impact will be measured by how effective it is in fostering a culture of discipleship that thrusts its members out among the lost.

Yes, the lost. Those people. The unlovely. The dirty, the smelly, the homeless, the addicted, the middle-class upper management ladder-climbing folks who can do all things through themselves. Your neighbor, your sister, your father, your child. It's time we stop hoarding the greatest gift we've every been given and start giving it away. Afterall, it was free to us, and is free to everyone else.

Blessings on this beautiful fall Monday.

End of Book, Beginning of Book

2009-10-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

I went to blog some more on Just Walk Across the Room by Bill Hybels and found I had no more highlights! I remember enjoying the whole rest of the book so much I couldn't highlight all of it. I really enjoyed it. If you're wanting a soft launch into sharing your faith, this may be the book for you. It's gently written with lots of real-life examples.

I've started my next book and like it very much so far. When Greg saw what I was reading, he said, "He's a really great author!" It's titled You See Bones, I See An Army by Floyd McClung. The subtitle is Changing The Way We Do Church. Part of the Foreword reads, "You See Bones unapologetically presents us with the challenge of church-planting." Got me right there.

The title comes from Ezekiel 37:1-10. Here it is in The Message version:

God grabbed me. God's Spirit took me up and sat me down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. He led me around and among them - a lot of bones! There were bones all over the plain - dry bones, bleached by the sun.

He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

I said, "Master God, only you know that."

He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones: 'Dry bones, listen to the Message of God!'"

God, the Master, told the dry bones, "Watch this: I'm bringing the breath of life to you and you'll come to life. I'll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You'll come alive and you'll realize that I am God!"

I prophesied just as I'd been commanded. As I prophesied, there was a sound and, oh, rustling! The bones moved and came together, bone to bone. I kept watching. Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them. But they had no breath in them.

He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, 'God, the Master, says, Come from the four winds. Come, breath. Breathe on these slain bodies. Breathe life!'"

So I prophesied, just as he commanded me. The breath entered them and they came alive! They stood up on their feet, a huge army.

If you're like me, one of the first things you read when considering a book is the Table of Contents. Here it is:
Forward
Five Beliefs that Changed the Way I Do Church
You See
God Grabbed Me

Part One: Simple Church
1. Holy Frustration
2. Asking the Right Questions

Part Two: Courageous Leadership
3. Courage to Change
4. The Next Bono - or Is It Billy Graham?

Part Three: Focused Obedience
5. Watch Out for the Camels

Part Four: Apostolic Passion
6. Big Cars with Very Little Engines

Part Five: Making Disciples
7. The Heart of Everything

Appendix A: Five core practices to Start and Multiply Simple church Communities
Appendix B: Suggestions for Starting Two- and Three-Person Discipleship Groups
Appendix C: The Three Core Values of the Kingdom
Appendix D: Recommended Books for Further Reading
Notes
About All Nations

I can't wait to finish this book, who know, it just might be the next book we have our leadership team read!

Blessings on this sunny Wednesday!

Just Walk Across the Room #4 by Bill Hybels

2009-10-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

In this book, Bill tells us what it means to live in 3D in regards to sharing our faith. Here they are:

1. Develop friendships with people in your world and then take risks to
2. Discover their stories.
3. Discern appropriate next steps.

Bill talks about one way to help someone out is to be a resource provider. Sometimes you can just offer them a book or tape to check out and that starts the curiosity juices flowing. Follow up with them to discuss their impressions of what they've read or heard. That can lead to further conversations as they continue to ask questions. In order to move from initial reactions to making a significant impact in their life, use the "Be With" factor.

At a Willow Creek leadership retreat a number of years ago, I introduced something called the "be with" factor in summarizing Jesus' approach to having the most significant impact on the people in his world. Jesus most profoundly influenced his disciples by doing life with them. He invited them into his world, and he got into theirs. Undeniably, the disciples' most momentous life-change happened during their mundane, everyday times with the Lord.

Are you committed to being with the members of your various social groups - doing life with them, sharing yourself with them, rubbing shoulders with them? If not, what's holding you back? Christ modeled the life earnestly, and authentically. And friendships that are strong today can always be traced back to that first conversation when someone chose to engage, someone chose to seek out the other person's story, and someone was willing to pay attention to occasions when the right resources would meet a few needs.

Bill goes on to relate a story of someone in his church who was trying to reach out to his neighbors. He was getting nowhere inviting them to church and trying to engage them in spiritual talks. He was discouraged, feeling he was part of a 'loser' neighborhood. Soon he came up with a plan. He challenged one of his neighbors, "I bet I can put together a better kickball team than you can." "You're on!" Soon, they averaged 65 parents and kids every other Sunday night. Soon everyone was helping plan the event, they enjoyed holiday festivities together, and eventually, some decided to try their church. There's more to this story, but you'll have to read the book!

Like Bill says in his book, "Friends, this isn't rocket science."

Blessings on this cloudy, rainy, sunny, breezy Monday.

Just Walk Across the Room #3

2009-10-18T17:32:00.000-07:00

By Bill Hybels. Here we go with Chapter 4.

Points for Practicing Commonality: . . . relax your agenda enough to uncover what they're involved in. . . . watch for ways to build bridges instead of walls when you are discovering people's stories.

This is a really an important point, so I'm going to expound on it. Case in point: A few months ago, I was working with Greg at one of our retail store accounts and a man in his 50's drove up to our truck and trailer, walked up to me (Greg was about 75 feet away) and started asking me questions, rapid-fire. "Have you ever read the Bible?" I responded, "Yes, I have." He responded, "Well, have you read it carefully? There are things in it that aren't quite true. Here, I'll give you this, read this. It will explain everything. Do you know where you'll go if you die tomorrow? It's very easy to misunderstand the Bible." On and on he went, barely giving me a chance to answer his questions or correct him. I did get to spit out that we were Pastors hoping this would slow him down, but it didn't. He responded, "Well, many Pastors have been misled by the Bible, it's hard to decipher." I told him I wasn't interested in his booklet (J.W. WatchTower). I was being as nice as I could, knowing I was representing Christ, but motor mouth was more interested in his agenda than building trust or a bridge with me whereby I would even be open to continue the coversation with him. He finally left when Greg told him three or four times thank you, but we weren't interested and that we had to continue working.

Here's another experience I had. I man in his 60's and a boy about 6 came to my door, all dressed up in slacks, dress shirt, tie and jacket. The little boy did all the talking. He asked if I was interested in learning how to do better in these tough financial times. He asked if he could leave a booklet with me on how to manage my money better. I said, sure. I knew he was in training for something, I just didn't know what. Then finally the man spoke and asked if they could come by the next week after I had a chance to read the book. I said sure. They never came back. The back of the booklet showed they were either Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses. Now, if I were to get all dressed up, coach a child in how to deliver a message, carry around booklets, and represent my particular faith, asking if I could come back, and getting an affirmative answer, I WOULD MAKE SURE I CAME BACK! To me this showed a lack of integrity, not following through on a committment. Either that or they were lying to me, never intending to come back, and just wanted to get a book in my hands to read, thinking coming back would make sure I was prepared to discuss it when they came back. Both experiences left me very disappointed and disgusted.

Pushing agendas at people almost never leads them to Christ. In fact, it's one of the many reasons people are leary of Christians and Christianity in the first place. Be genuine in your relationships with people. Ask God to prepare the soil ahead of you and to open doors for you to speak when the time is right. Closing the deal should never be the motivator. Loving people, showing Christ's genuine care for them, opens the doors. Share your own experiences when they are ready to hear them. Don't use Christian jargon. Genuine care for people builds trust and bridges to their hearts. That's the first step.

Blessings as this storm comes in.

Just Walk Across the Room #2

2009-10-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry I missed a few days. After a storm, there are a lot of downed trees and debris that needs to be cleaned up. I'm pooped! Here are my highlights from chapter 3 by Bill Hybels.

[Horse Trading with God] . . . but privately they come to God and say, "I'm really not cut out to take walks across rooms, God. I'm terribly uncomfortable with risk, edge, and adventure. And frankly, this whole 'mystical' realm isomer unnerving than I can even articulate! . . . But here's my deal, God. I will get all over spiritual development. I will be a Bible knowledge hound! If you want, I'll throw myself into building Habitat for Humanity homes - every summer, if fact. I will climb all over volunteerism - I'll show up at church five nights a week if you ask me to. You let me off the evangelism hook, and I'll prove my love for you in half a dozen other ways if it kills me. That's my deal."

If Christ-followers' tactics only went this far, I would still hang my head in dismay at the selfishness and ugliness of it all. But things can get even worse than this. I've seen scores of Christ-followers get so cut off, having horse-traded away any sense of responsibility or adventure about reaching people, that they actually get annoyed with those outside the kingdom of God.

Instead of walking toward people who need God's redemptive love, they step into a mode of no longer wanting anything to do with them. Self-proclaimed followers of Jesus Christ develop an aversion to nonbelievers, going to all lengths to avoid the exact people Christ came to redeem.

The aversion can become so intense that a Christ-follower has to plumb new depths of dysfunction to deal with it. "Here's what I think I'll do," she says. "I'll set my alarm so that in the morning, I'll get up to Christian music. I'll email my Christian girlfriends all throughout the course of my workday so that I can stay pumped up with Christian thoughts. At break time, coffee time, lunchtime, I'm going to sit by myself and read my Bible. Then, I will fill up my evenings with family and church activities, and (if I watch television at all) it's only Christian shows for me. I'll go to bed, wake up tomorrow, and start all over with Step One. My life will stay exactly how I want it to be: simple and safe. Spotless and uncluttered. Protected and predictable. Just the way I like it." . . .It is the polar opposite of the way of Christ.

. . . there is unparalleled joy in knowing that God is using you to shape and mold another person's life.

Kind of hard-hitting for Chapter 3, but good stuff nonetheless. I was here once too, not even realizing it. Then I got a passion to see people grow through discipleship. Then God called us to plant a church, which means reaching the lost as well. Step by step, God leads who will follow.

Blessings on this warm, sunny Saturday.

Just Walk Across the Room

2009-10-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

As promised, I'm sharing my highlights from this book by Bill Hybels. I thought I was a very good book with great advice on how to share our faith. Bill is full of passion for sharing the greatest gift he's ever received, as we all should be. There were mini sermons and times when I read through it faster than others, but I have enough highlights to share. I hope you are re-ignited to share your faith when you see how easy it really is.

[Jesus, paraphrased] "Be people who are willing to seize every opportunity I give you - not motivated by guilt or fear or obligation, but just with an eye on me, a pliable heart, and a passion for my people."

Knowing that the God of the universe has equipped you to bestow the greatest gift in this life on another human being, choose today to lead a life of impact - eternal impact.

But as far as I'm concerned, there is only one paradigm that will not wear thin with the passing of time. These days, I'm more convinced than ever that the absolute highest value in personal evangelism is staying attuned to and cooperative with the Holy Spirit.

If I'm serious about being transformed by God's Spirit, then I can't shy away from the discomfort and awkwardness and ambiguity that exist when I abandon my safe Circle of Comfort.

[Regarding the parable of the seed sower] Jesus went on to promise that despite where all the other seed fell, some seed fell on good earth and produced a harvest beyond the farmer's wildest dreams. We cannot forget the reality of this fourth soil, friends. Jesus pledges to us that some of the seed we sow will fall on good soil.

Leave what's comfortable for that which is eternally significant. Risk your life for this, and know that you will never regret your decision. He challenges us to do the same. "What does it profit a person," Jesus once said, "to gain the whole world but forfeit their soul?" (Mark 8:36)

In short, "You cannot give up! Be seed-sowing fools, if you want to think of it this way, because someday-during one of those times when you risked taking a walk across a room-that seed is going to fall on the right soil, take root, germinate, and sprout. And you will fall to your knees in disbelief, saying, 'Thank God I did not give up! Thank God I did not flee to my little insular Circle of Comfort and stay there in hiding. Thank God this seed fell on good soil."

Those were my highlights from the first two chapters. I know you're missing a lot, but think of them as teasers. Maybe you want to buy or borrow the book. Stay tuned for more highlights!

Blessings on this warm evening.

Taking a Turn

2009-10-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

Greg has taken a turn for the better. He woke up this morning with an alert mind and much less phlegm coming up. Yeah! Good timing too, we need to move a lot of our bedroom out of the bedroom today, and he needs to get a bale of straw for the dogs. He also needs to work on this Sunday's sermon. I hope his energy and alertness lasts most of the day.

For me? Thankful that I get to take rainy days off as well as days my boss is sick. That certainly won't happen if I get another job. But, I will get holidays and vacation days off, something I don't get now. I think it's still better being self-employed. Got to go to the post office, since they were closed yesterday. Got to go to the credit union, since they were closed yesterday. Got to get gas for the car. Glad the laundry and shopping is done!

It's a great day to read. I got to read 60 pages of my Just Walk Across the Room book by Bill Hybels and finish it last night. I'll be sharing that tomorrow.

Blessings on this dark, windy, rainy, Tuesday!

Great Service

2009-10-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

What a great service!!!! Seriously. Greg wasn't able to go on the men's retreat because he came down with a virus last week, but we had 6 of the 8 or so in church and each one gave their testimony of their weekend. Each man had a different story of what their highlight and experience of the weekend was. Each one saw God do something different in them. All of them made us laugh like crazy. Some brought tears to my eyes.

This dove-tailed great with Greg's sermon on fear, anxiety and worry. He read Chicken Lilttle. We had the clip of the Newsboys Houston We Are Go with the lead singer reciting Isaiah scripture on not fearing. You can see the video below. The scripture is at point 6:08. We prayed for each other around our tables. It was awesome!

Being part of a small church has advantages and disadvantages, but one thing is for sure. When the schedule or clock is not the priority in a service, you never know where the Holy Spirit will lead. We will stop and pray for each other for as long as we need to. We will sing extra songs or choruses, we will have all the testimonies, not just a sampling of a few. Even if we had 30 guys go repelling, we would have not had a sermon and had all testimonies for a couple of weeks. Yes, it was that powerful. God used the repelling retreat to shape the men as much as He used their testimonies to feed the rest of us.

Blessings on this beautifully perfect Lord's day.

Great Joy

2009-10-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

I had a time of great joy yesterday, a couple of times actually. First, during my quiet time, I pulled out my Life Journal from last year. I started reading my entries dated from April to July. It was fascinating seeing the journey I made from trials and faith and hope to where we are today with our church plant. Being my first journal, I never had this experience before. Each entry was like a mini devotional. I thought of the two ladies who I meet with regularly and how each of them could benefit from some of the entries.

Then I met with one of the ladies. We had a great time of sharing and encouraging each other. I love our times together.

Last night I read the journal entries to Greg. I saw his wheels spinning on how to incorporate some of the entries into services or classes. He was excited to hear the fighting words I used, when others think of me as reserved.

Today I get to meet with my other lady. I look forward to this meeting each week. Pouring into each other, listening, and encouraging. I can see how the Holy Spirit is using us in each other's lives to teach and build each other up, often without our knowledge. Discipleship is so fun!

I encourage you today to find someone to pour into or who can pour into you. God didn't make us to be lone rangers, but to do life together. That's the best part!

Have a blessed, sunny, cool day.

Men's Retreat

2009-10-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

We have at least 10 men going on a men's retreat this weekend (Friday/Saturday). They will be going to the mountains to go repelling on a 90 foot mountain.

Please pray for God to do incredible things in their hearts, for safety, and deepening relationships with each other.

If you would like to go, please contact jason@jasonhicks.com, josh@equipchurch.org, or greg@equipchurch.org. The cost is $50.00 and a licensed repelling instructor will be present.

Another Great Post from Perry Noble

2009-10-06T07:03:00.000-07:00

Read it here.

Answered Prayer, Again!

2009-10-04T20:42:00.000-07:00

We've been seeing God answer prayer lately. Here's one story:

One of our members, Steve, has an Aunt Peggy, who was scheduled to have an angiogram on Friday. We had prayed at a prayer meeting the Tuesday before that Steve would be used in a special spiritual way in the situation to minister to her and/or her family and to be sensitive to their needs. During the angiogram, she got worse and they decided she needed a quadruple bypass operation immediately. That night, before surgery, 7 people came to her bedside and said, "You know, we don't know where you stand with God and we would feel a whole lot better with you going into this surgery knowing you had accepted Christ." About the 4th person got to see her accept Christ. She was overwhelmed God sent so many people to make sure she was right with Him before the surgery.

After the surgery Friday night, she didn't wake up. She didn't wake up Saturday. The doctors were saying that they didn't expect her to recover. Steve's late wife Ana had often been awakened by the Lord to pray for people during the night. On Sunday morning at 4:00 a.m., Steve was awakened to pray for Aunt Peggy. The burden on his heart was that she was lonely. He didn't understand since she hadn't woken up after surgery, but he prayed for her not to feel lonely for the next 2 hours, until the sun came up. During these 2 hours, Aunt Peggy woke up just long enough to write Steve a note telling him she felt very alone. Then she went back to sleep. The note was delivered to Steve from Aunt Peggy by her son Sunday morning. Steve called us Sunday morning to say he wouldn't be at church, that he was going to see Aunt Peggy instead, and asked for us to pray for her during the service.

At 9:30, when we finished worship, Greg prayed for 3 people in our church, one of which was Aunt Peggy. We found out later that day that Aunt Peggy woke up at 9:40, stayed awake, and by 10:00 they took her off oxygen and said she would be fine. She went home a few days later.

We also had a little girl's back healed after praying for her as well. God responds when we seek Him through prayer. I'm so glad we are a praying church.

If you have a prayer request, you can send it to me at sandy@equipchurch.org and I will make sure it is prayed for at our Tuesday night prayer meeting.

Blessings on this cool, breezy, Sunday night.

Beware

2009-10-03T08:28:00.001-07:00

Apathy in the church is like cancer. It starts undetected, often grows slowly, and eventually kills.

Great Post

2009-10-02T07:37:00.001-07:00

If I didn't have such a healthy Pastor, I'd want to go to this guy's church. Read Perry Noble's blog for today here.

New Addition to Our Family

2009-10-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

Introducing, Kristen's new car. It's a 1996 Honda Civic LX, power windows, power door locks, cruise control, AM/FM Cassette, A/C, 5 speed. It's beautiful. Congratulations Kristen! Good job saving your money all these years!

Intuition?

2009-09-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

We are looking for a car for Kristen and intuition tells me Honda Accords and Civics in her price range have a reselling ring happening in the valley.
I went to check the mail across the street and 2 guys in their early 20's asked if my son wanted to sell his Honda Accord that was parked on the street. Then they said they were going to leave a note for my neighbor who's car is dusty from lack of use, to see if he wanted to sell. Their phone number was from the bay area.

Just calling the ads for cars for sale make me suspicious in so many ways. We may start looking at Toyotas, and at car lots. Not that reselling vehicles is illegal, but I think there's something not quite right about people making a living this way. Posing as car owners, but really being just dealers without a license.

Anyone know an honest person wanting to sell a reliable car? Let me know.

How Would You Introduce Christ?

2009-09-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

Bad Kitty!

2009-09-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

Kira must now be in the toddler stage. She's almost a year old. Kristen found her in some precarious places in our kitchen. She wanted to be in the china hutch so she made room for herself by getting rid of the napkin holder and napkins.

Mark found her in some other interesting places.

Just thought I would share.

The Coburns!

2009-09-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

The long awaited picture is here! Dan and Audra and kids joined us to develop our Worship team. Here they are. Joe 14, Gabriella 5, Audra, Levi 1, Mikayla 9, and Dan. Welcome!!!!

Lovin' It!

2009-09-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

If you read my last blog, you know I'm probably thinking of McDonalds right now. I understand why people don't have TVs.

Anyway, what I'm lovin' is the weather. After 4 months of praying for cold wind while I work, today I have it! Speaking of work, Greg and I are thinking I need to find another job. Landscaping is just way too hard on my body. So, if you know of a job where you work, let me know. I'd like something with a large organization, like TID, Foster Farms, Safeway, etc. You can read my employment history on facebook. Though I don't look forward to not seeing Greg all day, or the possiblity of working 5 days a week instead of 3, it's probably a necessity. We'll probably hire some burly guy to take my place in the business. I don't want Greg to have to handle the whole route all week by himself. He needs time to prepare sermons.

Time to hit the mower. It's a short day for me, yeah! Greg gave me a long list of church stuff to do. Blessings on this cloudy, breezy, cool day!!!!

All Fours

2009-09-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

As I was sitting at my blog dashboard, I saw that it said I had 444 blog posts. The saying popped into my head, "Dial all 4's for legal help." I had heard that commercial so many times that their little reminder line stuck, so that when I saw all 4's, I thought of their legal firm.

God tells us to do something like that. He says to hide His Word in our hearts. That means to read it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it. The purpose is so that when we need strength to fight a battle or just to stand firm, God's scripture will encourage us. When we need wisdom to make a decision or mentor someone, His scripture guides us. And when we need to share our faith, His Word reminds us how.

I don't know about you, but memorizing scripture gets more difficult as the years go by. How I wish I had memorized more 20 years ago! Please encourage your children to continue to memorize scripture into their teens, 20's and 30's when their brains are still operating at peak performance. It will give them a strong foundation as they enter the later years.

Have a blessed very warm, Lord's day.

One Body, Many Parts

2009-09-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

Greg, working the nursery during worship this last Sunday morning. If he wasn't the Pastor, this would be where he would probably love to serve.

One Body, Many Parts

1 Cor. 12
12.The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13.For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14.Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15.If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16.And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17.If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18.But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19.If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20.As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21.The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22.On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23.and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24.while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25.so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26.If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27.Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28.And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29.Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30.Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues ? Do all interpret?

Tooooo Goooood

2009-09-24T07:21:00.000-07:00

One of these days I'll write my own material, I promise! I have 2 blogs I want to get up, but I have to share this too. Perry Noble blog for today.

You've Got to Read This

2009-09-23T08:50:00.001-07:00

Another great post by Perry Noble.

As Promised

2009-09-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

Or at least I'm 1 for 2. I had announced that the Hicks had joined our church and now I have a picture!

Video of EQUIP Church

2009-09-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

Josh created and uploaded this video of our church to YouTube. You can watch it here. He did a great job!

Too Good to Pass Up!

2009-09-18T17:06:00.000-07:00

I just had to link to this blog from Perry Noble. I find him to be very on-track and love his straight-forward way of equipping his readers and church. Check out 18 Signs That A Staff Has Lost It's Mind.

Here's another of his that is equally dead on track. 15 Ways To Destroy Your Marriage.

Good News/Bad News

2009-09-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

It's baaaacccckkkk! Let's start with the bad news. I have frozen shoulder syndrome (adhesive capsulitis) again, this time in my left shoulder! 60% of all frozen shoulder patients get it in the other shoulder withing 2-3 years. I went to the physical therapist and it was 2 years and 2 days since my last diagnosis and beginning of therapy.

Now for the good news. You can never get it in the same shoulder twice, and since I only have 2 shoulders, I won't have to face this again! I also know that by New Years I was good as new, so 3 months of exercises, 1 hour 3 times a day, and I'll be done! After the physical therapy stretching and doing exercises yesterday it already feels better. We're also catching it a little sooner this time in the process since I recognized what it was and didn't have to go through an x-ray, MRI, and injection like last time.

My prayer is that it doesn't interfere with work. Already there are things I'm having trouble doing, like starting equipment and lifting in certain positions. Thankfully winter is coming, which means our customers will be on a 10-day rotation, instead of 7-day, which eases up our work load a little.

You can learn more about it here.

What a Weekend!

2009-09-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

We met with the Hicks Friday night to start catching them up on the Leadership Training we did with the team over 22 weeks. We had a great time of sharing the last hour as well. Saturday was preparing for Sunday, then after service on Sunday, Greg had a men's BBQ while I watched my 49ers beat his Cardinals. Then we hosted a membership class for a couple hours Sunday night. Needless to say, Greg is more tired than I am and he opted to switch our work schedule around a little. We'll be home today resting and doing all the things we didn't get done last week or over the weekend and will do today's work on Wednesday, which was going to be a day off. It also allows us to pick up Kristen from school at noon. Mark couldn't do it because he's in school all day. It's a blessing to be self-employed and have this kind of freedom as we plant a church.

So, today we recuperate and catch-up, enjoying the cloudy start to the day. Blessings on this cool Monday.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

2009-09-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

I ingrained that in our son as he was taking piano lessons from ages 8-18 and it paid off! He's played at 2 weddings, plays at 2 churches, and was asked to lead at a 3rd church. If he hadn't practiced, I doubt any of those would have happened.

Our daughter is a slightly different case. She never practices her drums, has played in a church worship band and at school in their worship band, and seems to pick up new techniques without blinking an eye. She's an exception, because she's gifted at it.

For most of us, our Christian walk lies somewhere in between. We are taught things week after week, in small group, on Sunday morning, and in our own times alone with God. The question is, how much do we practice what we've learned? Sure, some of us are gifted in certain areas and that makes it much easier to practice in that particular area, such as evangelism, hospitality, or generosity. But what happens if we never practice what we're learning? How effective would we be? The Bible talks about readying ourselves, or equipping ourselves, for the work before us. If a runner never runs, how fast would he be? Would he ever win a race without being specially gifted at it?

The first step in practicing is putting ourselves in situations where we can actually do what we've been taught. I've never had the gift of hospitality, but this last year, as we've had to host over 20 leadership meetings in our home, host prayer meetings and counseling and discipleship meetings, I've had lots of opportunities to practice hospitality. Now it doesn't bother me at all. I like cleaning the house and cooking and having people over. If I never placed myself in that position, however, I never would have overcome my fear and learned that I enjoy it.

As you learn new aspects of your Christian walk, I challenge you to ask yourself how you can put yourself in new environments to foster what you're learning, then practice, practice, practice! Whether it's evangelism, compassion, forgiveness, service, or something else, continually put into practice what you're learning.

Blessings on this odd-weather day!