GlocalNet

I’ll write as much as I can. I have 15 minutes. Everything that could go wrong did—schedules, meetings, planes, all switched, changed--you name it. Wound up spending a lot of time in DaNang--not supposed to, but it was good. About to meet with the Party Chairman of the Dak Lak Province--makes him on the Central Committee here. First time we’ll be as a group in a meeting--a journalist, pastors, businessmen, etc. Several good things seem to be in store.

This morning I got up early and ran along a river on a path in downtown DaNang. As I was running over a huge bridge, Vietnamese were there and, when I got around 20 feet from them, they kept turning around to look at me. I couldn’t understand why. Once before when that happened, I had pulled my shirt up to my face to wipe the waterfall of sweat--they laughed at my highly sculptured abs--thanks to Texas BBQ and BBIC! But, I couldn’t figure out why people kept turning around and looking this morning and, then, I saw it-- the way the sun was shinning, it was casting a long shadow of me and they would see it coming up from behind them. WOW! Made me think of the Spirit. That’s how the Spirit works. You don’t see the Spirit, but you know the presence of the Spirit and it makes things happen. Can’t define it, but you sense it. Spirit, be all over our meetings this day.

I was running around a lake near the hotel where I’m staying when I came up on a father and son running. The son was wearing his long gym shorts like I saw my dad wear his boxers as a kid-- right up under his chest! Watching that little fat Asian kid run left me laughing. I passed him and he speeded up--not wanting the fat white guy to pass him. He was grinning. He and his dad went right, I went straight, when all of sudden I was on this green moss over the sidewalk that was slick. My feet went flying out from under me. It was a perfect slide as if I was playing baseball! All these Vietnamese with black teeth and one tooth and no teeth were laughing so hard at me and when I looked up, they all stopped. When I grinned at them, they exploded with laughter. It made me see how much people respond to how you respond. How much do we really see? How much do people really let us in? If we don’t see what’s real, no solution works.

In Vietnam, and already crazy things are happening--the schedule changing--much of what I’ve come to expect over the years, so it’s ok. I just need really good discernment to hear with my eyes, see with my ears, smell with my hands, taste with my nose, etc. … Discernment is everything. Facts are only part of the story. To get to the truth, often you have to experience other senses.

Had the craziest thing happen--met a guy here who came because he had read my book, knew I was coming and he wanted to meet me. He wants me to get a million of my Transformation books out there. He’s a business guy and was telling me my book is for people like him--not preachers!

Jill - if you’re reading this I saw you on the way back from my run. I have you on video when you were about 8 years old showing all the adults how to cross the street in front of the Daewoo. I stood at that corner after running and caught my breath. Thinking of you in your pants, your Aussie hat, and the proud smile you had telling them to do like you did--you’re an awesome daughter, Jill. Study hard--this place …

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Last week, I stopped by Bob Buford’s office to introduce him to one of the world’s greatest church planters. His church has over 20,000 in a nation that is primarily Muslim--this guy is the real deal. Before leaving, Bob asked me a frequent question, “Roberts where are you headed to next--what have you gotten yourself into right now?” So, I told him about Vietnam and what we were doing--then I asked him to pray for us while we were gone.

He didn’t wait until I left. He just started praying and it was so natural at first I didn’t realize he was praying. His eyes opened--gazing up out of the corner of his eye--just talking to God matter-of-factly about what was going on and how serious it was.

I thought about that a lot. That’s how prayer should be--natural, in and out of our daily life as natural and as frequent as eating, speaking, laughing, etc. I believe that’s the only kind of prayer that has the power to change anything.

When I’m in countries meeting with diplomats and key leaders, I always try to pick up a gift to take them--a pen or something. Being that I’m headed to Hanoi with the Institute for Global Engagement to discuss “Religion and the Rule of Law,” I was thinking about getting some gifts. Then, it hit me--American Gospel by Jon Meacham that just came out would be a great book, due to the subject, etc. But, then, just taking a book, albeit from the managing editor of Newsweek, as good as it would be, still not very unique--unless . . . I got him to autograph it. I told my assistant, Mrs. Johnnie Morgan, my idea. She called me a few hours later, and sure enough, she pulled it off!!!!!! What a woman!!!!! So, just in time before I left, I got the autographed books with a couple of personalized copies, one for me and one for Johnnie.

Thanks Jon--you da’ man! I’d like to reciprocate. Though I bought your 50 books at regular price, I’ll sell you 100 of my books at half-off for you to distribute to all your writers. Not only will I autograph them, but I’ll send you a signed 8 x 10 photo of myself, as well. You can frame it and put it up in your house, or carry it in your portfolio (I’ll send a wallet size, as well.) I’m sure you’ve heard of me, Billy Graham, Robert Schuller, Rick Warren, Bob Roberts--that’s me--I’m the one! Though, I’ve never met any of those except Rick Warren and then I had to pay him to go out to lunch with me. But, hey, it’s the thought that counts. My mother read my book and said it’s the best book she’s ever read!!!! It’s called Transformation. My next one is called Glocalization: How Followers of Jesus Engage a Flat World. Thomas Friedman is going to be hounding me I know, but you come first--no worries.

(This is satire — lest someone think I’m serious!)

Many of you followed my blogs while I was in Vietnam last June. Much has happened since then. The first-ever conference on religion, security and the rule of law in Vietnam is being hosted by international scholars of all faiths. I was invited to return with Chris Seiple’s NGO, Institute for Global Engagement, www.globalengage.org, who is putting the conference together, along with other Vietnamese leaders. I’ll be taking several pastors and businessmen with me who will be observers, along with a few others. This is huge! They’ll get to see everything I saw on the last trip minus a couple of excursions that would just take too long to get to--and then sit and observe the conference. You can follow my blog--I’ll email as much as I can to my incredible assistant Mrs. Johnnie Morgan.

I ask all of you who love Christ and care about His church to pray for us aggressively. I met with the prayer team at NorthWood and they are praying for us and will continue to do so. There will be very fast-paced meetings, with many key people, from the time we arrive to the time we leave.

The past few days, I’ve been involved in a couple of major emerging initiatives--what’s happening in Vietnam and some other things here in the U.S. NorthWood is now building her first-ever 2000 seat Worship Center and we are continuing to grow at a steady pace. I have felt like Ezekiel with many wheels turning around me and basically what I am doing is like some highly-charged electrical switch box connecting wires to wires as they come through me to get the right people and the right resources connected.

I used to hate those long flights overseas--I actually look forward to them now--they are very quiet and I can gear down. I’m gearing down right now as you read this--somewhere over the Pacific at 40,000 feet. One thing I’d like to ask those of you who read this is to PRAY! Much is at stake. It’s serious. God is in control--there’s hope!

Randy Miller, our Discipleship Pastor, and Matt Wellborn, our Connections Pastor, called me.

“Bob, where are you?”

“I’m in my office here at the church--where are you, Randy?”

“I’m on my way there Bob--don’t move and I need 10 minutes of your undivided attention.” (Ever asked an ADD person a question like that--good luck!)

They charge in my office--big grins--obviously excited--they are as excited as two little boys who just got off a roller coaster for the first time and want to go again.

“Ok, you know how Rick Warren says to add a zero to your goals?”

“Sure Randy, that’s good.”

“Well, we have 200 small groups this year. We got to talking and thought 2000 groups--how would we do that--and then we thought why not add another zero--20,000 groups.”

Then, they proceeded to share their ideas--and it was great. This is going to take many, many months to try to pull off and I can’t say what may or may not happen, but I saw a dream, or vision, birthed.

Later, that same day Omar Reyes, our missions point man and Community Development Pastor saw me and said, “Bob I’ve got to share with you this wild idea I’ve got.” It was very, very similar to Randy’s--freaked me out. Now, I saw something beyond our vision or dream, but something God is birthing--those things always happen!

You’ve heard it said before that children need us--that they’re helpless and dependent on who we are. But, I say to you, adults need children. We need them because they model faith, trust, innocence, and a thousand other things that the older we get, the more we grow, the less we remember what is “real”.

Jill is now out of our house and living on her own. We took her last week and dropped her off at Baylor. It was incredibly exciting for her and that’s what I wanted. She’s crazy and loud like me. When it was time to leave, we prayed, hugged her, and eased out of her dorm room. We weren’t 10 feet down the hall when, from behind her door, we could hear a loud shrill “Finally!” Nikki and I grinned at each other.

Now that my “nest” is empty and there are no birds chirping at my feet, I find myself always looking toward the noise of birds chirping! We have a Learning Center for children at our church. I like quiet when I work--as much as possible. When it gets loud I make sure the doors are closed so I can concentrate--I have one of those ADD things. This past week, I’ve left the doors alone.

The first 20 years we grow up--the next 20 we’re still growing up but we’re helping our kids grow up, as well. Then, we reflect the rest of our life about what growing up is all about — we’ve just spent 40 to 50 years growing up ourselves, or someone else.

Father, thank you for Ben, Jill, and Ti. They all think they’re now out on their own and they’re grown up. You know, God, they still have a lot more growing up to do. Other than provide counsel and insight when asked, there’s not much left for my parenting. What growth happens now, happens from the skills I’ve taught them about observation, discernment, and transparency. Help them grow themselves through You and in You.

Sunday our family had a blast with Ti, our Vietnamese exchange student, and his sister. She just graduated from NYU Law School--not bad! We ate good food and laughed our guts out at Ricky Bobby. When we’re together as a family, we have good debates and discussion on politics, religion--whatever. We came home and were talking about corruption in all governments and the answer to it. Here’s part of the conversation:

Bob: Well Ti, you know the answer to government corruption?
Ti: I know what you would say?
Bob: What?
Ti: Christianity.
Bob: Yeah. And you know why, all you have to do is look at Christian history--redemption and lift is what one guy calls it . Weber also acknowledges wherever Protestants go, things develop.
Ti: Yeah. But it’s not true.
Bob: It’s history. How can you not say that?
Ti: Because it’s still corruption. When you have colonialist coming into other countries to take their resources, even if it’s by Christians, it was wrong.
Bob: But the whole of the story is Christians aren’t all perfect but the overall result is better than it would have been.

The more I thought about it the more I felt like I missed the point of the discussion. The reality is the church has not always been on the right side of issues. I don’t know that we can honestly and always say the church or Christianity is the answer to corruption. BUT, without debate I can say following the example of Christ and living the truth that he taught--that is the answer. I focused on Christianity as a history, instead of Christ as a person. I missed the point.

Because of the ministries in which NorthWood is involved, I often have the privilege of interacting with pastors, missiologists, agencies, and other practitioners where we discuss missional and engagement and what that looks like.

It has become apparent to me, over time, the difference in the approach I was traditionally tied to and the one by which I now live. The more traditional approach is to start with the preacher-missionary-denomination-religious-whatever and then focus on planting the church and get some converts and one day, when you have time, engage the society, because, after all, why send a man to hell with his stomach full--so focus on the sinners prayer.

That’s really not how I approach it. First, I start with the seed of the Gospel and how it is being lived in my life. Second, through relationships, I plant the seed by starting first with society--the ills and issues and challenges and opportunities that are there. Third, from the Gospel to the Society, individual conversions take place and, finally, the church emerges. Now, you have a church that isn’t born to do evangelism and transformation, but it’s born out of evangelism and transformation--a new DNA--an Acts 11 DNA.

I was in meetings at Disney World while Nikki and Jill went to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and several other things. I wanted to be there with them, but just couldn’t. I got finished with my meetings Friday night and high-tailed it to the Magic Kingdom. I got there and met them as they got of the ride called Space Mountain. We walked over to the castle and from there waited for the parade and fire works. It was awesome! As it began, little kids would say, “I can’t see daddy, I can’t see!” Like a great wave, I watched Dad’s put their sons and daughters on their shoulders. I asked my 17-year-old daughter, “Jill, can you?” Her reply, “No Daddy.” My reply, “Move over a little!”

In that instant, I realized this is the true job of a parent--to get their kids up on their shoulders so they can see farther and more than they have or ever will--that’s good parenting. If you have little kids, and I’m sure most of you reading this do, put them on your shoulder tonight and tell them, “You’re taller than me now--tell me everything you see.” Then slowly move in a circle. Think about it.

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