GlocalNet

I remember dragging my kids through the painting galleries in Hanoi.  They would kick and scream, but now they love it.  They like the paintings, the bags, the music, all of it.  You can’t underestimate the power of art in a culture.  There’s something about the food, the smells and flavors.  With history, it’s the story.  With architecture and topography, you see the place.  BUT, in art, you feel the place. 

Since my son Ben’s grown up at NorthWood, he’s heard all the stories and teachings about using your job to make a difference. He’s launching his first project to do some business in Vietnam, and, around the world for that matter, in opening markets to people who would never have a chance, by starting off first with paintings.  You can visit his site at http://www.globalartinferno.org/

Artists really do struggle, around the world, far worse than here.  I met these guys, in the photo, in the main open market in Lisbon, Portugal a couple of days ago.  They are painters that don’t have much access.  I visited with them.  Maybe Ben will be able to include them.  Not sure, but they reminded me of the painters I’ve met in Vietnam, the Middle-East, and other places.  The guy in the second photo is from India, but travels with a group of painters throughout Europe.

I’m proud of you, Ben.  Keep practicing it.  You’ll stumble some, but keep moving forward.  Keep figuring it out.  In the end, anyone can make money with the right breaks, connections, and resources, but to do business, not just to make money, but to raise others up, that honors God and blesses others.

Just so you know who these guys are . . . . The four of us standing together are myself, President Jorge Sampaio, former President of Portugal and UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al Faisal of Saudi Arabia, and Oliver McTernan of Forward Thinking.  The next picture is of me and my new best friend Abdulkarim Gheewala.  The third picture is His Royal Highness and I talking.  He was very curious about this concept of the “rapture.” The last picture is Shamil Idriss, he is the one who pulled the meeting together, the Deputy Director of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, and is a young, brilliant, global emerging leader.  He will probably be Secretary-General of the UN before it’s all over! 

I must not know what Missional Church is.  I received the current Leadership Journal issue that dealt with this issue.  It was all about “converts” and “church”, absent as to engagement.  That isn’t to say church and converts don’t matter, it is to say we have made missional about us, and not them, about redefining church and not enlarging and engaging the Kingdom of God, a big mistake.  When will we get back to disciples and society?  This was what “making disciples” of “all nations” is about, raising up spiritual and loving people to touch nations with the love of God glocally!  I don’t know what I am, or what we would be labeled, as a church.  I just don’t think it matters.  The power is in the outflow of the love of God, not in the brand or label. 

NorthWood, and other churches, have engaged the inner-city and the world aggressively.  We have come to it, not on our terms, but on their terms.  If you’re serious about that, it will put you in places and with people that you never expected.  As I was speaking at this meeting in Lisbon, I told them, “It started with my hands, and I did what I did out of obligation to be true to the life of Jesus.  When I started using my hands it captured my heart, and now I love those I feared the most.  …

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I’ve been in a meeting of the U.N. with the Alliance of Civilizations.  It’s been a pretty incredible time.  There were about 20 of us, 6 ambassadors, a President, a Prince, a political and social activist, and me, a pastor from Texas.  Oh yes, the majority were Muslim!

I gave out my book Glocalization.  I was short one copy.  There was a French secularist there, so I didn’t give him one when forced to choose who didn’t get one.  He asked, “Why?” “Well, since you don’t believe in God, I don’t want to waste your time with why we as Christians do what we do.  These other people want to work with us in engaging the world in development.” “Don’t get me wrong,” he said, “I believe that the ability to believe in God is a great gift!  I just don’t have it!” “I can fix that for you!” I told him.  He replied, “I’ll bet you can.” So, I’ll send him a book after all. 

Later this week I’ll share some reflections on my meetings.  I can’t discuss a lot of it, but I can tell you about some of the cool people I met, what they do, and their worldviews.  The essence of the meeting was:  How do we communicate with each other? 

For now, the most exciting idea that came from the meeting was from a little Muslim man from India that looked like an elf with a long white beard!  He thought that what had been done in London would be good to do in Dallas.  To get all the imams and pastors together and have a huge baseball game!  I like it.  He suggested American football, not understanding it.  I told him that might create a bigger divide as people “hit” one another.

It’s amazing how isolated we are, and how little we really know about each other.  For some attending the meeting I was the only Christian they had ever been that close to.  After being together a few days they began to ask me lots of questions about us, as Christians, Why we do what we do?  What does the Bible say about the second coming of Christ?  Why do Christians fear Muslims?  It was incredibly fascinating and a lot of fun.

Last night Nikki and I had supper with Phuc and Thao and their 3 children.  They’ve spent a lot of holidays at our home when our children were a lot younger.  Now it’s reversed.  Of all the people I’ve known in my life, I would have to say the rarest person I’ve ever known is Phuc Dang.  He has an incredible life story, as does Thao, his wife. Phuc and I are going to team preach a sermon at NorthWood in November. He has some of the most incredible people skills of anyone I’ve ever been around. Phuc and Thao came to NorthWood not long after they married.  First, as an intern, then a staff member.  He has pastored and worked with major NGO’s in the U.S. and Vietnam.  Everyone who meets him knows there is something about him.  Having known him for many years and worked with him, there are some lessons we can all learn from him. 

He sees the good in everyone.  Therefore, when he tells me to be careful or go slowly with someone or some group, I listen. I’ve never heard him speak ill of anyone, but he will say, “Be careful pastor Bob.” When he does, I do.

He refuses to be discouraged or quit.  I’ve seen him in tough places, but he doesn’t give up.  He may shift to his circumstance, but he remains clear in his call and mission.  I’m not saying he doesn’t get upset or frustrated.  He’s not Jesus. 

He is a constant learner.  He’s working on a PhD right now in leadership.  He always studies God’s word.  He has a background in mathematics, and is always working on “God formula’s” and such.  I can’t understand half of what he tries to explain to me.  I was never that good in math!

He can adapt wherever he is.  He’s traveled with me all over the US as well as to Australia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Egypt, and I can’t remember all the other places.  He always knows his context and knows how to handle himself. 

He values unity.  Be it the Church, or his Vietnam, whatever, he’s always trying to be a bridge builder to bring people together. 

Phuc is truly a global citizen having lived in Vietnam …

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For the past 25 years, over and over again, the reason given for starting churches is because it is the best known method of evangelism.  Sooooo . . . we start churches to do evangelism.  Acts didn’t do that.  Jerusalem saw a church emerge out of evangelism, and it wasn’t just “pray the prayer”.  Antioch was the same.  It was disciples living in the society first and then a church emerged.  I write about this in my book The Multiplying Church.

Let me give you some other reasons, that I think are huge.  First, it has to be the context of the Kingdom.  If we focus on the Gospel of salvation, we get converts and a Sunday event.  If we focus on the Gospel of the Kingdom, we still get people who follow Jesus, BUT we also focus on the “reconciliation of all things” in the world and in the community.  This means that “church” becomes a force for good and transformation, not just a Sunday event.  I could talk and write on this all day.  We have so narrowed the Great Commission to baptisms that we have unintentionally marginalized the church in society. 

Second, we were never commanded to plant churches, but to make disciples.  Most western models of church planting are tied to raising up “preachers” to plant churches.  We will never get to movement like that.  Instead, if we focus on creating a different kind of disciple, not only will we get a different kind of church, but a lot more of them.  We really believe in the T-Life model, more and more, as we move forward.  Some of us are studying it even more to see how we can ramp it up. 

Third, the conversation is no longer private.  Muslims, Communists, Bhuddist, Athiest, Hindus, all read my blog and are my friends.  Make no mistake, they read yours as well.  I do the same with their’s!  Salam Alaikum!  Namaste!  Sinchow!  It’s funny to how we write and speak as if it’s an insider’s conversation.  That may be true, but it’s an insiders conversation in a public forum and square called the internet.

Here’s what I’ve learned from my friends around the world, most have no beef with Jesus.  They like him and his message, even if they disagree with me about who he is.  Most people around the …

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Saturday I spoke at the missions conference of River of Life Christian Church in San Jose, CA.  It’s a primarily a Chinese church, mostly 1st and 2nd generation from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China.  It’s probably the largest protestant, Chinese church in the U.S.  I then spoke in all 3 services Sunday with an interpreter.  Pastor Tong Liu started the church 12 years ago.  At their 2 year mark they started their first church.  They have now started over 67!!!!!  They work globally and have the same 3 dimensions that we do.  They have added a fourth, the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.  I agree with that. It’s at the core of T-Life.  There were so many similarities in what I’ve seen from my friends around the world.  His ministry is much like mine, training planters and working globally.  He is a kindred Spirit.  I’m excited about this new friend. 

Their ministry is tied to worship, the cell group, and what they call “glocal impact”, which they got from someone I’m a little familiar with.  He had read my book Glocalization 3 times.  It’s interesting that the book I wrote which is doing the best, is the one I that was the easiest and fastest to write, without thinking nearly as much.  The book, The Multiplying Church, has been doing well for years. Transformation has sold more, and is more for everyone.  BUT, my favorite to this point, and the most impactful book, in my opinion is Glocalization.  College students, businessmen, and internationals get it.  American pastors don’t really go for that book nearly as much.  Though they think “contemporary” and “innovative” in worship, it seems to stop there.  It doesn’t go beyond worship services and maybe a few projects.  That will change I’m convinced.  A new generation and a global church is making that happen. 

One other thing that really stood out was PRAYER.  They had a small prayer chapel and have maybe 4 prayer meetings of different groups a week, and on the side of the prayer chapel walls are small rooms you can go into and pray.  It reminded me much of Korea.  I loved it.  We gotta get that!!!!!!!

My big sister was part of raising funds for Baylor’s School of nursing for these six “robots”.  I called them dummies, but was corrected very quickly, by everyone! Dean Lot spoke, along with the interim President of Baylor David Garland.  While there, I got to see the man who signed my diploma from Southwestern, Dr. Russell Dilday!  BUT, the highlight was getting to see Mrs. McCall, the widow of the late Abner McCall, who signed my diploma from Baylor back in 1980!!!!

My first memory of life was with my big sister.  I remember being in a small wooden parsonage, up on a bed, laying on my stomach, looking at my sister and us making faces at each other!  We still do that sometimes.  These “robots” cost a few hundred thousand apiece.  They simulate everything a human body does so that a student learns first to work on them before working on a human being.  They scream, cry, laugh, breath.  All of it. One even has a baby! 

I wanted to kick them and make them scream, or give them a shot, but I was told I couldn’t.  I could have had so, so, so much fun in that room.  If only my little brother Mark had been with me.  Wow! the fun we could have had. Instead I had to act dignified.  Oh well. 

It was suggested we should have those created for a church, snoring dummies, preaching dummies, happy dummies, sad dummies, complaining dummies, all kinds of dummies.  Life, however, is real and we don’t always get the luxury of “practicing”.  Instead, we have to be ready to act in the moment.  I just can’t imagine anyone in this life, not living with the presence of the Holy Spirit guiding them every moment.  Think about it, he lives within these earthen vessels, makes our bodies his temple, and guides us in all we do so that we can always bring glory to God.  Just like you did, Sandy, in raising the money for those “robots.”

I was reading Amy Colon’s blog for church planters wives on our site, “They have all the Fun!”, and thought it was really good.  It made me want to talk to you guys about being good husbands and fathers.  This is the most important thing you’re going to model to your church.  You can do it.  It’s a qualification for ministry, as a matter of fact.  Paul writes, if you can’t lead your family, why do you think you can lead the church? 

I don’t think there is anything more difficult to do in ministry than to start a church, if you do it right!  Anyone can do some brochures and have a gathering or a Sunday event, or whenever the time is, but to see it be the church, that’s another thing.  With our emphasis on engagement in glocalnet, both local and global, it can take even more time, and the result is a lot more exciting as well.  It takes time, energy, creativity, the ability to hear God and recognize moments.  In short, it takes every minute of every waking hour.  The first two years are particularly difficult, you don’t have enough money, people, or time to get it all done, but the highest level of risk is also present.

Having said all of that, I still believe there is enough time to be a great Dad and husband, as you plant a church.  So how do you do it?

1.  Praise your wife daily.  Find something unique or special that she’s done and brag on her.  You build her up or tear her down.  You may say you never say anything negative, but if you never say anything positive, it’s like ignoring her and who she is.

2.  Encourage her to have interests outside of the ministry.  Those wives who have identities outside of their husbands will be far happier, more productive, and even better leaders than those who have to operate in the shadow of their husband.  That doesn’t mean they aren’t called to it and shouldn’t be involved.  It just means they need a space of their own, and you should encourage it. 

3.  Take your wife out weekly, even if you’re broke.  Buy a $.99 cent cup a joe and sit somewhere and talk.  I can’t tell you all the stupid things I’d do …

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I couldn’t be more proud to be the senior pastor of NorthWood than I am right now.  Thursday night nearly a thousand people gathered to worship, each wearing one of four color T-Shirts, Green, Blue, Red, or Yellow, that signified which house they were working on.  We sang with all our hearts, prayed, heard testimonies, and received challenges.  I prayed at the very end.  I asked the little children who were present to come forward and look out at the auditorium and all the people there, while we prayed.  I told them, “This is the church, not Sunday, come a sittin’ and listen, but Thursday, commissioned to go and sweat and work and serve in the name of Jesus”. 

The work has begun and we have 24 more hours to have all 4 houses finished. 

The kind of “Asian” lookin’ guy - Sherman Chau, head of Glocal Ventures from Hanoi.  He’ll be with us a few months and, man, am I glad.  He’s a riot.  I call him “The Wild Chihuahua” now that he’s in Texas!  Rock on NorthWood - you da’ man!

My daughter is very philosophical in her views.  She’s also an incredibly compassionate person.  She spent the summer working at a homeless shelter, disadvantaged children’s school, and no telling what else.  Right now, while a student, she’s involved in a program that holds babies that have been abandoned.  She’s studying social work.

Jill writes:

I think the thing that sets us apart as humans and makes us unique is our own
theoretical design of the ideal person. Each one of us has a mental perception
of what or who the ideal person is, but each of our perceptions differ in
numerous ways. We see a diverse spectrum of value in different character
strengths and view the severity of character flaws in different lights. Every
person strives to be that ideal person in their mind, in both conscious and
subconscious ways, and that is the strive to live up to one’s potential. The
ideal person that is in someone’s brain is also what they would look like at
their personal full potential. As a Christian, I think God gifted all of his
creation with different strengths and talents. He also constructed our brains
which make up who we are as people. We all have weaknesses to account for, but
using our diverse strengths to become our version of the ideal person in our
minds is what differentiates us as a diverse population. We are not unique,
simply because of who we are, but because of who we strive to be, which directs
the essence who we are.

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