Phriday’s Thoughts
How foolish we are. We are more obsessed with the water pump than the water. The focus becomes the pump-—not the water. We build a pump and/or well and we want everyone else’s to be just like ours. Yet, different soils, rocks, depths, and conditions all require different approaches. Acts proves house churches existed. Acts proves the church gathered in large corporate gatherings. Acts proves that there were so many people involved there had to be structure and organization. Yet, the focus was on the Gospel impacting lives. When are we going to get beyond body building contests where we stand on stages to flex our well-developed muscles? Every form and every model of church is beautiful and necessary. The various forms should never compete. They should just realize they are the compilation of the whole body of Christ and each must be valued and respected and loved. When that happens, we get traction and movement.
On another subject …I was visiting one of my Jewish friends that always makes me think. I deeply respect and love him. He’s a thinker/doer. Thinker/writer’s are nice. They sell books and speak, but thinker/doers live and change things for the better. He challenged me not long ago to be more open if not an universalist. We both love the world and people and God. He told me I’ve yet to cross that line. He’s right. I have and continue to ponder deeply over our conversation. Here are some conclusions. He told me I understood the Great Commission as a literal thing that causes me to evangelize and that short circuits all I do and all I say. Here are some of my thoughts.
First, fifteen years ago I did start with the Great Commission. It was the command--not any more. Today, I start with the Great Sermon--Matthew 5-7, and focus on the disciple. Then, Matthew 25--the way we touch the world. To me, the Great Commission is the culmination and result of reading all the rest of Matthew. I believe our global work is short-circuited often because we start at the end of Matthew instead of the first.
Second, I saw the atonement of Christ early in life as a heaven and hell and eternal life issue. It was atonement to heaven. That was it. I can’t leave that atonement because in it is who created us, …
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Why Blogging Matters
Blogging, for me, is like a farmer tilling the soil to prepare it for planting seeds. Those seeds are the thoughts you have to verbalize in your head, and think through. Others interact in real time to endorse, challenge, or disagree, but all ultimately sharpen and clarify what you think. For centuries, people were primarily narrative. But, with the Gutenberg Press, it became more reason and logic-based. The result led to having to read a book for a good thought or two or twelve. Now, you get the thought in a succinct writing and immediately people are responding. It’s like organic farming with tons of fertilizer put on the soil immediately!
Blogging has become, even at times for me, a new spiritual discipline. It is a way of discovering life and reflection. It hasn’t taken the place of my journal, but it has definitely added a dimension to it. Lots of people were pushing me to start blogging--not that I’m a great blogger, at all. It was more for them. It’s wound up becoming something more for me than I ever realized.
Sometimes, when I give an illustration in my sermons, people ask, “Did that really happen?” The answer is “yes” unless I told you I was joking or kidding. I think crazy things happen to most people every day; they just don’t recognize them. Some of us who have to speak a lot recognize them because we’re looking for metaphors and illustrations. So YES, this really happened--ask my wife.
I was in Orlando Monday for a meeting and got to visit with some of the people from Disney. I have trekked to the Everest Base Camp and so when I was offered a chance to ride the new Everest ride, I jumped on it. They took us through a special entrance for celebrities and we rode the ride twice. After that, I was walking through the gift shop getting a coffee mug (my wife adores my massive collection and knew I needed a new one). In a few minutes, this guy comes up to me and says, “Sir, I know you’re here to relax and I don’t want to bother you, but my wife is a real big fan of yours. Would you mind just saying hi to her?” I’ve never been told someone was a “fan!” My …
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Intern Richie Kim’s Response
I just could not resist posting this blog because I wanted you to read what Richie Kim wrote (quoted below) in response to the blog I posted September 21. This is very profound. Richie is one of our interns at NorthWood. A Prayer Covering
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This is for you and it is too good to pass up. If you are a pastor or church leader and don’t have people praying for you, you are in trouble.
Because you face many challenges in ministry, it is imperative that you have a prayer covering over you and your family. You need your own personal intercessors! Below are a couple of options of setting up a prayer covering.
One option is for your intercessor(s) to have a schedule of what you are doing each week or you may even send out a monthly calendar or communicate via email. Alert them of any upcoming meetings or events. This includes family events and meetings, also. Share with them your goals for your ministry and family. Update them each month or even once every two weeks. All of this allows your intercessor(s) to effectively pray for you. You may even put your intercessor(s) in your contact list on your cell phone in case you have an emergency and need prayer right then.
Another option is to set up a Prayer Shield.
Have one of your intercessors (someone whom you are very close to) handle your most intimate prayer concerns i.e.: personal struggles, character issues, financial struggles, purity issues, family problems, etc.
Have another intercessor pray for your spiritual growth or maturity.
Have another pray for your schedule of events that you have each month.
Have someone to pray for your family.
You may have several areas that need prayer. Set up an intercessor for each of those areas.
This creates a shield of covering around you and for all your needs
Be open and honest.
Example: I have a meeting this Wed and I am nervous because this person does not receive instruction well … (You told them your fear without mentioning names.)
Remember to share with them answered prayer. This fuels an intercessor.
Begin to ask God who these people would be. For deep personal requests remember to choose someone whom you can trust. You may want them to sign a confidentiality covenant.
Key characteristics you may look for in an intercessor. (but not limited to)
Quiet
Not a gossip …
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Missiology--Grab What’s in Your Face
Not long ago, someone wanted to know my “missiology.” I told them it was simple, “Just grab what God has put in front of your face.” I was traveling with a group of guys and we started acting stupid and came up with our new slogan and body movements — “Just grab it!” But it’s true. We want to be missional. We study it--desire it. Yet, I don’t know that will get us there. Instead, missional is the way we live.
Anyone who knows me knows I love God and want to see this world transformed. (I think I wrote a book on that!) But, today I awoke in North Richland Hills, Texas. Today, I must be missional right where I am. Today, I have to recognize God’s face in every situation and every person. Great opportunities to change the world may come today, but they won’t come from the other side of the world--they’ll come from here. Often people say, “You don’t have to go to the other side of the world to be missional.” How right they are! God brings it to us right where we are. We, then, have the luxury, opportunity, or whatever you want to call it, to disobey Him here or over there or whatever the case may be. Keep in mind, time and boundaries are not God’s. Issues like those are ours.
Let me give you steps on how to be missional that I learned from a new believer from the Middle East who became a believer on his own by reading the Bible. He, literally, has only a handful of believers near him and none of them are Western! These will work for your life, and they will also work for your church.
First, seek God.
Second, obey God.
That’s too easy isn’t it? Where’s the action plan? Where’s the purpose statement? Which values line up? Those two steps encapsulate how people are transforming their spaces. The biggest problem with grabbing what’s in front of our face is that it doesn’t pass through our grid of purpose, values, priorities, goals, and action plans. I live by those things, or I’d go crazy. Too much comes my way. But, I’ve also learned that my plans are not always God’s plans and I’d better have some filter for …
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Why They Start Churches--Through Their Eyes
He’s a neat guy, an ex-marine--not too crusty--but very, very sharp. His wife is a hoot! I’m so tired and, yet, have to pack tonight and be up by 4:00 am. I’m ready to get this trip over. But, what a trip! IGE signed an MOU with the Vietnamese Government, and Glocal Ventures is in it! We are to provide a model for societal engagement that will spread throughout the country. This is historic. No. 4 of the MOU says, “Promote community to community relations between America and Vietnam, focusing on Vietnamese socio-economic development by carefully expanding the “Glocal Ventures” model as established in Lao Cai Province to other provinces.” Congratulations NorthWood! This is huge--this is you--all of you!!!!! Your work has taken all of us to a whole new level. On another note, one of the speakers, Brett Scharff, was just incredible. He teaches law at BYU, and, yes, is Mormon. I like him a lot--he’s brilliant. We talked a lot of theology and other stuff. We talked genealogy, and guess what, I found out I’m related to Joseph Smith!!! No--just teasing--but he is! That’s his great uncle. His great-grandfather was Hiram Smith, Joseph’s brother. No--I’m not ready to convert, but always ready for a new friend. What a last 24 hours!!!! Last night, I ate supper with a Vietnamese friend who is always into projects. He asked me to be a judge at a world beauty contest! I turned him down, Nikki! He is having several. There is only one I’d really like to do--I think it would be a hoot. Miss World, that’s nice. Miss Tourism, that’s nice. But, Miss World Eco!!!! Yep. Now, what would that look like? No deodorant, no brushed teeth or hair, and, oh yes, hair from everywhere--underarms-- you name it!!! Reading Eddie Gibbs and Bolger book on Emerging Churches. Great, great book! INTERNS--read it! He’s describing, I think, what the church should be. I read that stuff and examine our church. And, though, we may not be in their category, what they do and write about sounds so much like us. I do think they miss it at a couple of points. Instead of A+, I give them an A. First, they speak of the postmodern world. They’re just outright wrong about that. It’s the postmodern western world. The rest of the world is primarily pre-modern and long for modernity. Sorry guys. Get on a plane and out of your western bubble. Second, they speak of all the post but forget the most important one. I think it has to do with their own ethnocentrism and desire for the west to still carry the conversationPOST-WESTERN. If they could have sat with me all day today and listened to scholars dealing with issues of religious freedom and how it works from Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, India . . . they would find out fast there’s a massive faith conversation going on globally and it isn’t the same one they’re having. Goes back to Mark Galli’s thing about our trends and world trends. Why does it matter? Because, if the only filter we use to shape the church in the West is all our post, and it ignores the global, we are going to build the most short-lived philosophical shift the world has ever seen in Christianity. It will make the duration of “postmodern” appear like ten centuries. Andrew Jones, page 51, gives me the best definition of missional I’ve ever read. I was asked the other day, “What is your missiology.” I said, “Whatever God sticks in your face, Grab it! Kingdom perspective, I like.” … So, so, so many meetings yesterday--the Committee for Religious Affairs, the Committee for External Party Relations, the Evangelical Church North, Foreign Affairs officers. It’s like that movie Ground Hog Day. The past weeks--meetings are all the same: Vietnamese: Hello and Welcome. You are nice people. Please be nice to us. Americans: Thank you - You are nice people, too. Please be nice to us. Vietnamese: How has your experience been here? Have you been taken care of? Americans: The food is good, the people are good, and our experience has been good. Vietnamese: We see much improvement and want to take that message back home. Americans: Good. We must constantly work on changing perceptions. Vietnamese: Let me give you an overview and then you can ask questions. Americans: OK, question 1 . . . (this is where it varies). Vietnamese: Option #1 Short succinct answer (praise God!). Vietnamese: Option #2 Long answer with the philosophy, history, massive details, family genealogy, flossing habits, (help us Jesus--we’re dying!). Americans: 30 minutes later, we’re trying to stay awake and look interested. Our government handler has fallen asleep along with everyone else, but me. One man even drops his pen and, startled out of his deep sleep, hits the person beside him in a sleep flinch! I’m awake--though difficult. Now, I’m trying not to laugh. One man has been threatening me with blackmail over being “culturally sensitive.” Now that he’s been sleeping—well, bring it on baby!!!! OK, you pastors out there, here are some lessons for those of you who want to engage society and deal with diplomats: -Stay awake and look interested--even if it’s like listening to the sermon from hell! -Start with a warm diplomat get scalded--start cold warm up--get somewhere. It is the job of a good diplomat to put you at ease. Coming from Texas, when someone smiles at us and winks, we think they’re our buddy! When they say they remember the Alamo, well, they’re outright special! (You should realize they probably had a meeting with a Mexican delegation only a few minutes earlier trying to figure out ways to get Texas “governmented” by Mexico City not DC!!!! I’ve learned it’s easier to read people who are reserved. Find their boundaries …
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I just returned from Vietnam where the church is exploding. What I saw on this trip, and have seen on past trips, is a church growing. It’s not because of Western involvement, or any other that I could detect, but from unique stories of how individuals came to faith in Christ through unexpected ways, and then wound up leading friends to faith in Christ. That led them to starting groups to pray and worship and reach out. I’ve yet to meet one who deliberately started out to start a church. It just happened because they were leading their friends to faith in Christ--just like Acts 11. Church wasn’t something they intentionally started to reach all these lost seekers. It was community that developed and emerged from relationships that grew due to their following Christ together.
Often when I speak at conferences or at gatherings of church planters, I’ll hear someone say they wanted to start a church because they wanted to reach seekers--that’s good. I’ll hear them say they wanted to be a part of something fresh and new and more culturally relevant--that’s good. Those that are theologically adept (like me!) will say they want to start churches to glorify God. The big thing now is we wanted to start something missional. Obviously, to me, that’s very good. But I’ve NEVER heard that in Vietnam or other countries where the Gospel is exploding--sometimes under difficult situations.
There are no talks, lectures, research, explanations or steps on what is “missional” and how to be more “missional” from the emerging church in the East--it’s just what and who they are. If you called them that, they wouldn’t know what you’re talking about. It’s fascinating. We’re dissecting the word and concepts, forming lectures and teachings on what it is, mapping out plans on how to be “missional,” and most of us have never even experienced it. It’s the rage right now. We have built a whole religious industry around it--primarily for young pastors. I was like the frog in the kettle recently in that my speaking schedule began to get too full and cramped my “involvement” schedule with how I’m actually on the ground here and working around the world. I had to choose to “speak” missional or …
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Reception at Ambassador’s Home
American Ambassdaor to Vietnam Micheal Marine and his wife hosted a reception for us at their home. Glocal Ventures, Part of Memorandum of Understanding
Judge at A World Beauty Contest?
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Meetings, Meetings, Meetings
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