GlocalNet

1.  Began construction of our new Worship Center--21 years in the making!

2.  Our Team (small group) Ministry grew by 50%.

3.  Key leaders from around the country gathered to commit to plant churches.

4.  Record numbers of people involved in Haltom City, Puebla, Mexico, and Hanoi, Vietnam in multiple projects.

5.  Record giving to missions.

6.  Record number of Youth and Children baptisms.

7.  Because of NorthWood’s involvement in Vietnam, I was privileged to be a part of the historic talks for religious freedom in Vietnam and our NGO, Glocal Ventures, was placed in the MOU to be a model for how churches engage society.

8.  On a personal note, our son graduated from NYU, got engaged, and our daughter left for Baylor. My first book came out, finished my second one, and am now writing my third, with a fourth to follow. God help me!!!!

9.  On a sad note Bob and Jo Arthur, who helped us start our church, both passed away this year within months of each other.

Probably missing a lot. This is just some. Feel free to add to cool stuff!

National Geographic did a story on Steve Case, Cofounder of AOL, in its October 2006 Traveler Edition. He is investing $500 million of his personal money to launch Revolution, a company that “seeks to drive transformative change by shifting power to consumers.” One goal is to create “disruptive businesses” that will revolutionize how we live and vacation.

The man who has driven globalization more than Soros beyond economics through AOL, which I believe history will record, says, “I wouldn’t say the majority of Americans have embraced globalism. They’re still, for the most part, very America-centric. But there’s a recognition now, more than 20 years ago, that to really understand what’s happening in your everyday life, it’s more important than ever to develop a broader global understanding . . . But, the bigger change is more psychological. I sense a growing desire for meaning and purpose in people lives, and a growing recognition that might come from experiencing people in other cultures. The trick is figuring out a way to help travelers bridge the gap between the safety of their own culture and the foreignness of another.”

This guy sounds like me!!!! He wants to do vacations for people to have resorts in ethnic villages. I want to focus on vocations engaging society. He talks about how travel experiences are homogenized, but I would say so is life.

I shared with our interns the other day that I really believe the future of the church is more with the early twenties group than anyone else.

Ti has two families--one here not far from the Red River in Texas and one not far from the Red River in Hanoi! Five and a half years ago, our families were blessed with a bundle of hyper-active Vietnamese energy with the arrival of Ti Luu who was 17 and came as a high school exchange student. Ti has brought massive joy and a lot of cultural understanding to our family. We love him and he is part of our family. We also love his family in Hanoi. I have no doubt if we lived in Hanoi his Dad and I would be best friends.  Ti graduated with a degree in engineering Saturday, December 16, from Texas Christian University (TCU). Several exchange students who have lived with NorthWood members attend TCU. Many of them were there for his graduation. Right before he graduated, we called his Mom and Dad in Hanoi and he spoke to them. We took pictures and emailed them to his Mom and Dad immediately. Ti heads back home to Hanoi in January to find a job or start a company. We will miss him deeply but will get to see him as we travel to Hanoi. Ti Luu may well be the Asian Bill Gates. Rock and roll my Vietnamese son. We’re incredibly proud of you. Ti has taught the Roberts’ family many lessons. Here are just a few:

1.  When people come and live in your home, they become a part of your family if they stay long enough! Seeing one another day-in and day-out--in good moods and bad--you really find out who each person is.

2.  Every culture and family has remarkable things about which you can learn and bring into your own culture and family. The family loyalty that Vietnamese have is so far beyond anything Anglo-western culture gets today. When you live with people of different cultures, even in your own culture, their culture rubs off on you. Both of my biological kids would like to live in Asia. They love it there. Ti’s a big reason.

3.  What do you really believe about God and why? It’s easy to develop your positions from books. It’s an entirely different thing to develop them from life. It’s one thing to accept the assumptions of your ancestors. It’s another thing to think deeply …

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Recently, in response to the blog I posted about our interns, I was asked about developing leaders. There are several things that come to mind. These are not meant to be complete but represent some of what I’m reflecting on, even now, regarding a project in which I’m involved. Let me also say I do not, in the least, consider myself an expert in this area but a practitioner because of various ministries and projects in which I’m involved. From being a pastor, who is discipling a group of men, to working with church planters, to being involved in global development projects, here is some of what I’m learning. I’d like to also say, what I teach and what I try to do is what people like Bobb Biehl, Bob Buford, Leighton Ford, Kent Humphreys, Chris Grant, Roy Fish, and more recently a prayer mentor Vikki Porterfield, have taught me. I would also say this--I learn and get more from our interns and others I work with than they probably get from me.

First, you live the life and do the stuff you talk about. Bobb Biehl has taught me that credibility is gained by 3 threads, results-time-character. Results are simply what is seen. People generally listen not because of what you know or what you did, but because of what you are currently doing. Character is what you are. No one is perfect and everyone has flaws. Time gives us the ability to see those things, both good and bad, that helps us filter counsel from someone. It is the ability to be over consistent.

Second, you teach first from what you’ve experienced. Anyone can write or talk on a subject and, yet, not be a “doer.” Those who “do” and those who “talk” at first sound similar, but the deeper you go, the more you learn the differences and what may sound like semantics becomes key. Also, those who “experience” it will generally read more and more because they want to understand more. I’ve learned over the years there are two ways to gain influence, one is by what you know--people want to hear you talk about that. The other is by what you do--people want to hear the stories of what and how you did something. Teaching is passing on information. Mentoring is life-on-life and the more healthy experiences a mentor has, the …

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I was on a conference call last week with a small group of people with the Center for Foreign Relations. Michael Gerson, former speechwriter for President Bush and now a senior fellow at the Council, discussed President Bush’s approach to development in the world and faith. He recently had an article in the November 13 issue of Newsweek on “A New Social Gospel.” Several things stood out in my mind from the discussion:

First, faith from the government standpoint is a means, but from faith-based groups is an end. I couldn’t help but think of what we teach at NorthWood, “We serve not to convert, but because we have been converted.”

Second, the millennium campaign from the UN is trying to provide some skids for people of all persuasions to work in the world, especially the church. Yet, sadly, most people in the church have allowed the UN to become a political issue as opposed to an engagement opportunity.

Third, an observation. Too much of what was discussed was about organizations and the government and how they partner. I thought it was just the church that didn’t get how societies are developed--I was wrong. The day is now when individuals want to engage society and will do so by using their wealth and vocations. If they wait for the government, in terms of funding or connections, they can forget it. The church must not be an organization that funnels things through it. Instead, it must be a clearinghouse that connects people with people and domains of society globally.

Fourth, another observation. I wonder if the church realizes how she has marginalized herself? Because we have limited everything around the discussion of abortion and gay rights, we’ve ignored what the Bible teaches about caring for the poor, the disadvantaged, the suffering. I listened as a guy on the news with some religious rights group was trashing Rick Warren for having Barak O’Bama speak at his church. The guy said, “First abortion, and then we deal with the gay rights and then we’ll get to the social issues of poverty, etc.” And how many more years is that? And, yeah, like right--I believe that because of what I’ve seen! He reminds me of pastors who say, “Yes we’ll engage our area and then the world!” No, you don’t prioritize unrighteousness--sin is sin. You deal …

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Wow, this is weird, having my book translated in Korean! I can’t even read it! One man is an engineer, the other a pastor. The engineer stumbled onto Transformation and wanted it translated in Korean. Dave Gibbons--are you proud of me, man?

These are the greatest world changers of today heading into tomorrow!!!!!!  Postmodern, Postwestern, Postdenominational, Postoastied-- anglo, Near Global, Korean, Middle-Eastern, Hispanic, Liberian--what a group of guys.  We had fun last night.  Working with these guys has become one of my greatest joys.  They keep me sharp and focused.  What will their stories be 20 years from now?  IF they know their strengths, giftings, and then discipline to keep them focused--they’ll turn the world upside down.  One thing I’ve come to see is this--God wants to use us, a whole lot more than we want God to use us.  The challenge is not with God’s ability and desire, but with our obedience and discipline.  Focus on your calling to the Kingdom and do it guys or just feel your way through life and you’ll flounder.  Rock on guys.

Omar Reyes is point over all our missions ministry at NorthWood. Last May, at our Glocalnet Conference, several businessmen and government leaders from his Carribean Country of Belize attended. As a result of their attending the Glocalnet Conference, they invited me to come and speak to them on Transformation. So, last week Omar and I headed down and spent all day Saturday speaking on Transformation. It was a blast. The question was, “Is the Gospel only good to get me in heaven, or should it make a difference in society?”

Belize is a small country of 280,000 people with a rich history of missions. Yet, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. It was a fascinating meeting. Approximately 200 Christian leaders in business, education, and government were there--all asking the question. There may have been 10 pastors in attendance. Wow! A religious conference of laymen wanting transformation using their jobs and influence--when will we learn.

I was privileged to have breakfast with Prime Minister Said Musa. Senator Anthony Chanona was there, as well.

We just had our 7th Annual Life of Christ Drive-Thru and several thousand people drove through our campus with their families, hot chocolate, and snacks, where they saw 13 live scenes depicting the Life of Christ. It was great! I always get a kick out of the exchange students who want to be a part. Many come from non-Christian homes from Vietnam and other countries so it’s interesting to see how they interact. The Drive-Thru starts with scenes from Isaiah all the way to the resurrection.

Duc is one of our exchange students and comes from a very prominent family in Hanoi. His dad is a leader there. Duc hopes to get into college and my son Ben is trying to help him. I wanted to check on Duc and see how it was coming so I walked into a room where more than a hundred people were waiting to go to their scenes. There was Duc dressed up like a shepherd, or something. Keep in mind his parents are probably officially non-religious.

Bob: Duc who are you in your scene?

Duc: I’m the one who say, “Cwuficy him, Cwucify him!” (he says it loudly shaking his stick.

Bob: That’s good Duc. Your Father would be very proud of you!

Duc: I know. He would! (with a big smile on his face.)

We both died laughing with those around us.

I used to think the measure of leadership was tied to your ability to do things. Great leaders did great things--not so great leaders did not so great things. I was impacted by my Western individualistic narcissistic super stardom culture. In the past, being a “great preacher” or “building” a big building or “doing” something worthy of mention meant a person was a great leader. Drucker got it early on--it had to be more than “charismatic” leadership. He drew examples from Stalin and Hitler who he called, perhaps, the two most charismatic leaders of the 20th century!

Leadership, particularly that of a pastor, is really not tied to one’s ability to do great things but to mobilize people, in the context of community, to do more than they could have done alone--more than they ever could have dreamed possible.

Several of us were in a meeting recently and there were many exceptional leaders around the room. We want to change the world. It’s this thing God puts inside all of us. I challenged them that we must be leaders that are bold like lions and gifted like 10’s, but have the ability to be as quiet and as unassuming as a fly on the wall. If we can do that, we’ll lead incredibly well and may just have a shot at it.

Pastors that I’ve been experiencing and teaching for a good while, now, are mobilizers of the body of Christ to help every part engage society where they touch it. I’ve been thinking of metaphors of leadership. I think the one I like the most is that of a conduit, or a connector. Our job is nothing less than to know God’s Word, our context, people, opportunities and to connect them. I believe the more we connect them, the more flows through us. This is the only explanation of why God has put me where He has connected me in so many domains of society and the world. The principle of “faithful in small” and “faithful in much” is the visible expression of connecting. Connecting is so unassuming--just an outlet that others can pass through.

Resources and people and opportunities are like cords flopping on the floor just waiting to be connected--that’s the job of a pastor.

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