GlocalNet

Often on my blog I write about religious freedom and persecution and how we build relationships with others that are opposite of us.  Many of my readers are not Christians - they are many different religions.  I’ve discovered our greatest enslaver is not the other - but usually ourselves.  We are trapped by addictions, past wounds and hurts, broken relationships, uncontrollable emotions - you name it.  Most of us have our hands full enough with ourselves without the devil and others!  Many of my readers are young pastors and church planters that want to make healthy disciples.  Many of my readers follow Jesus passionately and want to go deeper.

I don’t often blog about other books on my site - unless they’re global like Fareed Zacharias, Peter Jenkins, etc..  But this book is different - and I want to give a shout out of it: 

Think Differently Live Differently - Keys to Freedom
By Bob Hamp

The whole premise of the book is to understand who you are in Christ.  Don’t start with the sin, the problem, the issue at hand - start with your position in Christ.  The point of our standing in Christ is to get us back into the presence of Jesus on a daily basis like it was before the fall in the Garden.  Because we don’t deal with the sin in our lives, it opens doors of bondage be it from our own flesh or something evil.  Bob deals with how we deal with that evil and our flesh and walk in Christ.  Instead of focusing on a “zap” Bob deals with the hard work of holiness and following through on dealing with the junk in our lives. 

It has been the charismatic church (for my non-Christian friends - this is like Sufi’s, or mystics in other religions - more mysterious, passionate, and focus on divine revelation to individuals) that has made all of us more open to the Spirit, more open to worship, and more open to what it means to be “delivered” whether from ourselves or something evil so that we can find freedom in life and not live with burdens, guilt, shame, and destruction.  That doesn’t mean the mainline church hasn’t - but I would say the charismatic church has forced that issue.  But we have a problem, there …

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I just returned from DC hanging out with some of my friends: Christians, Buddhists, Agnostics, Muslims, Jews, Politicians, Communists, Capitalists, Government workers, faith leaders, and “Blues Alley” the best little church in DC on M Street in Georgetown!  I have some young friends who’ve been after me to take them around so we did a quick trip together and had a blast. 

I used to think “Multi-Faith” was one the leading characteristics of Faith in the 21st century - I’m coming to think it’s not just a trait but the platform on which we will all talk.  I don’t care so much for inter-faith – it, to me, is a politically correct version of liberals and moderates talking about “we’re all the same” and that’s just not true.  Multi-faith simply says we have our convictions in different religions.  My orthodoxy may be your heresy and your orthodoxy may be my heresy.  If we come together to build relationships so we can get along, then we have to be honest about what we believe.  I think it’s good that we find all the places that we can agree upon in faith - but at the end of the day we must be honest.  I don’t want to get to be friends with someone minimizing what I believe about Jesus and the cross hoping to later change their mind.  Neither do I want a Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, whatever - not being honest about what they believe because they want to be friends with me, or just be nice.  Faith is about truth - and that pursuit must be kind, respectful humble (the man who believes he holds the truth should be the kindest and most humble of all, not arrogant and cocky) - and above all else honest. 
The biggest conflict in the world today is between conservatives and fundamentalist believers of the major global faiths.  The Interfaith conversation leaves them out - the multi-faith conversation gives them a place and a new platform to build a relationship so they can engage with one another.  It’s critical for us to know one another and engage or we will live in a world filled with hate, suspicion, and war. 
Some of you have heard me say it’s not head, heart, and then hand - but it must be Hand, Heart, then Head - that’s what I’ve learned working …

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In the past two weeks I’ve been with college students, church planters, Hmong people, and some business leaders that are all what was called the “millennial” generation but that Zogby is now calling our “1st globals.”  I’m excited in what I see.  I genuinely believe that God is up to something in this emerging generation like none I’ve ever seen.  In American culture I started out as a boy in what I would call the “institutional” generation only to hit the tail end of the “me” or “boomer” “innovative” generation to live the majority of my life in a “postmodern” generation in which we have deconstructed everything.  I believe the planters, builders, and creators will come from this global generation that I see.  There’s a book called the Fourth Turning that’s incredible I read many years ago - been rereading some stuff in it and I believe now more than ever before the greatest thing that we have to offer this generation is values and ideas - they will do the rest.  This will be the “Jeremiah” generation that builds, plants, and establishes.  Why would I say that?

1.  They are connected to the world and ideas like no one group.  My daughter and son are friends on Facebook with people all over the world of every culture, religion, persuasion that there is.  Instead of being taught how to speak in a pluralistic world - they are growing up speaking in a pluralistic world.  Postmodern is back, have to relearn how to speak in a globally connected world a consistent message for all people.

2.  They don’t have the racial hang-ups we have.  Not saying racism isn’t an issue - just saying it’s not as big a deal as it was in the past.  They hang out in groups racially, and even with friends of different races go to one another’s holidays, events, etc.,  They work together more and instead of fearing the differences tend to value the differences, if not be fascinated by them, and use them as building blocks.

3.  They aren’t as materialistic.  Time will tell how true this is, some issues in generations are stage in life issues more than pronounced unique cultural …

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I leave in a few hours to speak to several thousand Hmong Christians in the U.S.  I’m really excited about it.  One of our pastors, Daniel Yang, is Hmong.  He was with us in Vietnam for the first time - and in ethnic Hmong areas – for the first time in his life, a couple of weeks ago, and it was so much fun.  I speak to different ethnic groups and gatherings and one of my biggest challenges is to help them recognize that no group will have the impact in the world like non-anglo Americans.  They come from the wealth, resources, and connectedness of the west, yet see life from a very different perspective and are far more global than most of us here.  They are the key to the Gospel spreading worldwide like no other group.  They are also the key to the Gospel engaging the west.  Our greatest hope, I’m convinced, in America is going to be coming from our ethnic minorities that get the world more than the rest of us and the Gospel as well.  When it comes to “Chrsitianity”, we may articulate it better - but they live it far better.

My biggest challenge in speaking and challenging ethnic groups is, first, for them to realize the impact that they can have here and, second, the impact that they can have around the world.  There is a minority mindset that can enter a person that makes them feel minimized or not as significant.  This is not good.  Our confidence is in God and the value that we have is massive in terms of making a difference in the world. 

As an American, with a connected world and global tensions, our greatest asset can and should be people that are Americans that are from those troubled parts of the world where we face tensions.  If we would involve them, listen to them, and learn from them, much of the conflicts that we have could be averted. 

The Bible says in several places that it is God who raises up nations and puts them down.  We also know that nations are more than just places with geographical boundaries - but people groups.  The Hmong, the Pashtoon, the American Indian, the Kurds etc., are all examples.  That begs the question especially with “nations” that straddle other nations - why did God allow them to do …

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Verse:  Jeremiah 15:6 ” . . . . you keep going backward . . . . ” 

Right now our country is going backwards - we all feel it.  I’m not sure it would matter who the President was or what party was in the White House.  Right now the church in America is lost - books are written about it, solutions are proposed, models are endorsed and driven - even without proof.  Desperation can make a thirsty man drink dirty water just to survive.  Be it the church or government or even a family, for that matter, when something is wrong, the focus is on, generally, the system or the institution.  This isn’t bad.  You need systems people can follow because most are geared more like engineers than artist.  You need institutions; they outlive people and hold the values and stories of tribes and peoples.  However, what must come first is the person.  You are not deciding between people, systems or institutions, just giving them their proper place.  There is only one way people move forward - you invest in them. 

Everyone has the ability to relate to about 200 people, to be friends with 60 people, to be good friends with 20, and close friends with 3.  That doesn’t change that much.  Especially as a church grows, a business grows, or any other organization - the key is to know who your 3, are and hold that as tight as possible - but to also be sure you know your 20 and your 60 - those can change and will change more - as well as the 3 sometimes.  Whether a person is super warm and embracing or cold and aloof - the same holds true when you do a people map.  Not always, but most of the time, the difference is in the smile!

As we move through different stages of life we are all building the capacity and experiences to mentor and teach and disciple.  The first people most of us mentor, and we don’t even think of it as mentoring, but we are, are our children or nieces and nephews, or some other relationship with children.  I have always had mentors in my life, and I have mentored.  Right now, I’m involved in mentoring young church planters, I’m involved in mentoring pastors who work globally, …

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Yesterday over 20 church planters gathered for our second cohort of NorthWood church planters this year.  NorthWood may well “help” plant over 30 churches this year.  First we planted 1 a year, then 2, then 5, then 8, then 10, now 30 - I dream of 100!!!  I say help because we don’t do it all - the biggest sacrifice always comes on the part of the planter.  We sponsor, which means we assess, coach, train, mentor, connect glocally, impart our values and strategies, and give a little change to the guys.  The past two years has grown so much we’ve had to get a lot tighter on our processes - which has been good.  We have the training modules, an annual gathering, a trip globally, the projects that have to be done, etc.

We require 3 key things of our plants.  First, to keep multiplying churches, don’t start a church for their city, but church their city, think like a “missionary” not a pastor.  Second, they are to work with the least, the poorest, the suffering in inner-city areas nearest them.  Third, we require them to pick a hard place in the world and serve others.  Brian Hook has simply done a phenomenal job along with others at driving it forward. 

I like these guys - I’m actually amazed at all the people that are coming through our training and want to be a part and how it continues to grow.  Church planters don’t come to us because of money - and I’m glad for that - if that were the case they sure wouldn’t be coming to us.  My focus has been how to bring our church planting here in the US in line with global church planting - until we do that - we’ll start a lot of churches but never get a movement.  One of the key things there is money - no one has enough money to plant all the churches that are needed - except God!  Money is far too much of a factor in our church planting. 

We started our module yesterday at Temple Shalom in north Dallas and Rabbi Schneider you were a big hit!!!!  I still think your initiation ceremony into Judaism slows the growth of your religion!  Here we are a group of evangelical church planters meeting in a Jewish Synagogue.  When I first asked Jerry, he said, …

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One of the neatest people that I’ve come to know recently is Timothy Dalrymple - he’s a recent graduate of Harvard - an evangelical - and one of the editors of patheos.  There isn’t a better site to get all the news of various religions than that site.  It’s one you may want to frequent.  I met Timothy when he came to find out about our multi-faith weekend and our upcoming Globalfaithforum.org - he was smart, fresh in his thinking, and very committed to Christ - a powerful combination.

I’ve put a link to several articles, one that he did for Patheos On the dire need for the imitation of Christ, one that I did Friends of all Faiths, and several that other leading evangelicals wrote like Ed Stetzer and others.  I think you’ll enjoy reading them.

Our Global Faith Forum has several sponsors that have come alongside.  As a result we have been able to drop the price.  In addition, people are hearing about it and groups are coming - you don’t want to miss it.  Os Guinness is coming to speak on Faith and Civility in the Public Square, Ray Bakke is coming to speak on the Theology of the City – and, candidly, I’ve never seen anything like this, a lot of people are asking to speak at the event.  There are special rates for college students, church planters, etc., so visit the site and sign up - it’s going to be incredible. 

Books, articles, organizations, people - are always talking about changing the world - me included.  What do they want to see changed?  What is their vision of a different world?  What sets people apart that talks about it?  Those are critical questions.  Last week I was with different people of different groups speaking of the same thing and I kept thinking about that.  I got mail with different people asking for money to change the world to something that they saw as better - we all do. 

First, are they doing something - or are they just talking about it.  This will cut out about 95% of the people who would change the world.  They may gripe, complain, give eloquent speeches and even ask for money - but in terms of sweating and getting their hands dirty at the grassroots level of change - they don’t.  I don’t care that much about the eloquence of someone’s words as much as I do the dirt under their fingernails from what they’ve been doing - that speaks volumes to me. 

Second, are they changing?  The reason a lot of people want to change things is to make it more compatible with who they are and the world they want - not necessarily what is right or best.  That will take out about 95% of that 5% left that are doing things.  This is why I love the “Gospel of the Kingdom” because it’s a comprehesive God view, and action on his part that is right and does best.  It’s funny how all the change in most people’s minds - has to be on the other.  Change will require my mind, my views, my actions, and even my faith to grow and change.  I am convinced of this - even as evangelicals - we really don’t recognize our fallen nature - we speak as fallen men and women with such confidence of what should be done without ever questioning truth and meaning.

Click here to see the article.  Outreach Magazine Sept/Oct 2010 Issue about NorthWood Church

A 9 Yr. Old in Hanoi from Glocalnetblog on Vimeo.

The video above is a little shaky but it gives you an idea of a neat 9-year-old in Hanoi.  I’ve known this young child for the past few years.  You can google him at - Do Nhat Nam - you’ll find he’s a child prodigy and has spoken English fluently since the age of 4.  I think he probably has a photographic memory.  I gave him a book to read and the next day he had read a huge chunk of it and could list some of the genealogies.  He has appeared on TV programs and been in movies, etc.  One of those cool people you just get to bump into.  Enjoy seeing yourself Nam!  You’ll make a great diplomat if not Prime Minister or President of Vietnam one day! 

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