GlocalNet

When we started NorthWood 20 years ago, a lady named Jo Arthur was a part of the initial 19 families that launched. She was a very successful CPA and she and her husband Bob oversaw and worked in the nursery. Both of my children grew up in their laps on Sunday mornings. She did my taxes for 20 years. She did the books for the church. She did the books for other churches. She also helped set up and do the books for our NGO that’s registered globally.

NorthWood was never her “style” with reference to music--but she didn’t care. She cared more about the fact we were reaching the lost, starting churches, engaging the world than anything. She and her husband Bob are that rare combination of people who love God that have figured out, it’s really not about us--but God and God’s ways are just fine even if it’s not our preference.

Last Tuesday afternoon I visited her in the hospital. She was admitted because she was just “tired.” She rarely gets sick. I prayed with her and told her I was thinking about her. That night they sent her husband home--she’d be just fine. But she wasn’t. Wednesday morning at 4:30 am she died--unexpectedly. She died of cancer and she didn’t even know it. At first I felt anger at the doctor, the hospital--how could they miss this--how can anyone have cancer and not know it? But, then, I thought how gracious God was. Jo was going strong up till the last. She didn’t have months of slowly dying, lying in a bed. She didn’t even know she had cancer. She was just tired and went home to be with Jesus. Not a bad way for a believer to go.

NorthWood will miss Jo—but, Jo, we will be with you before too long.

It’s true, pride is sinful. But, there is this kind of pride that isn’t. It’s the kind of pride you get when you’ve washed and waxed your car and it looks really good, or your daughter or son wins an award or does something really neat. Man, how I’ve felt that all weekend!

I flew to Atlanta to visit with a couple of glocal guys that I believe in and have partnered and worked with and they’re just doing incredible. I’ve been involved in trying to help both of them wherever I can to get up and going, and beyond me. When we started NorthWood 20 years ago, we were one of the first innovative churches in Texas. We were the fastest growing for years--not anymore. New, emerging, innovative churches are exploding on the landscape and growing faster than ever (You might debate the health part)! I learned from reading history when you’re a pioneer your joy is getting to explore and discover--not being the fastest--you have to cut the trails (unless you’re Rick Warren, and I’m not).

Friday I spent time with Brian Bloye at West Ridge Church. He has started his church planting school and using what we teach at NorthWood. He now has 14 or 15 guys in the program and projecting potentially 8 new churches next year! Way to go Brian!!!! He just entered his new worship center and now has around 4000 in attendance. But, he’s not obsessed with his new building and size--like many are--but with how he keeps his people praying, holy, reaching the lost, helping the poor in his area, planting churches, and engaging the world. As I walked with him on the campus and in the community, he was so quick to stop and visit with people along the way--and it was genuine--not fake. It’s obvious why God is blessing him.

I’ve longed for years for an emerging guy like him who has a rockin’ church to be just as obsessed with “the” rockin’ church and he is and it shows--not just his own bread box. These are 8 churches HIS CHURCH is planting--not his organization or network, but his church! This is as it should be. Networks are great but church planting movements come from church planting churches--not networks, organizations, or denomination (Though, I do belong to some)! And, he’s not doing just local …

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We do this “turbo” church planting conference twice a year--we have this big one in May (200+)--but then these two smaller ones (20) that are condensed and initially were designed to train guys to plant churches who couldn’t come in May. I’ve come to really like them. There aren’t as many guys and you can talk a lot more and question a lot more. We’re in the middle of one right now and it’s so cool to see the changing face of church planting here in the States. Still not nearly enough--but a lot more non-anglos getting into the scene. At this one, we have 3 Vietnamese, 1 Chinese, 1 Korean, 7 Latin Americans--the rest anglos. Ed Stetzer is one of the speakers and is doing a knockout job. Still, the questions of the future church are framed by anglos and many out of our Western emerging church genres. I don’t think it will be much longer before the West is forced to wake up and listen to the global non-western conversation--but I still wonder when the Western church does wake up how much of what has been said will be totally irrelevant to everyone?

Yesterday, with his permission, I told the story of Tracey Goen and his work in Africa. He was a lot of fun to be with. He’s a very unorthodox guy. You can read Tracey’s story in the November issue of Christianity Today @ http://www.ChristianityToday.com. We spent a week together in Egbe, Nigeria. We went out with the Fulani people, 30 million strong, nomadic, cattle ranchers--it was very fascinating. We’re mobilizing churches there now.

As we were riding out, Tracey began to talk about what it was like for the men to have multiple wives and all the tension, etc. He told me he always took them “power pills.” What are those? He answered, “Viagra!”

“What?” I asked him. He said when there are multiple wives there are lots of issues, jealousies, etc., and trying to be fair and keep everyone happy was really a chore. I asked Tracey if he would be willing to do a men’s retreat at NorthWood and pass out free samples! He declined. I thought of how this would have been good for Solomon and others in the Old Testament.

Tracey’s been made a Fulani King--a white man, a Christian, a doctor--he’s totally identified with their culture. Who would have ever thought in a million years God could use Viagra for evangelism?!!!

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