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I’m in Jakarta with our church planters--giving them a taste of the world! I get all excited watching them get excited. Man, I wish someone had taken me on a trip like this when I went into the ministry. They are meeting not only religious leaders, but regular members of churches, as well, doing abnormal stuff. So proud of these guys!

Micah Davidson is a young pastor I believe in.  I was speaking at a conference last weekend and he came up to see me.  We talked about a lot of stuff, but his last question was his best.  “Bob, what would you say to a younger pastor?” I told him the main stuff, but when it was all said and done, I told him, “Pray every day, but at least once a week get on your face before God and don’t get up until you’re weeping.  I believe it.  Why does it matter?  Because it softens our heart to the heart of God.  Stay soft so you can push hard!”

Micah Davidson is a young pastor I believe in.  I was speaking at a conference last weekend and he came up to see me.  We talked about a lot of stuff--but his last question was his best.  “Bob, what would you say to a younger pastor?” I told him the main stuff, but when it was all said and done, I told him, “Pray every day, but at least once a week get on your face before God and don’t get up until you’re weeping.” I believe it.  Why does it matter?  Because it softens our heart to the heart of God.  Stay soft so you can push hard!

Micah Davidson is a young pastor I believe in.  I was speaking at a conference last weekend and he came up to see me.  We talked about a lot of stuff--but his last question was his best.  “Bob, what would you say to a younger pastor?” I told him the main stuff, but when it was all said and done, I told him, “Pray every day, but at least once a week get on your face before God and don’t get up until you’re weeping.” I believe it.  Why does it matter?  Because it softens our heart to the heart of God.  Stay soft so you can push hard!

Book two is done!!!!!! Now, all the editing, debating, and reformatting. It deals with globalization and what that looks like for how believers and the church engage the world. I feel this huge load off my mind. Finally, my wife is happy because I’ve moved all the books in my study at home back to my office at the church! Volumes have been stacked the last few months.  I’m A.D.D. and she tries hard to be quiet when I write at home, so now she can be as loud as she wants!!! Thanks, Nikki.

I’ve written to try to help people understand how we will engage the world in the future. I wish I could just get people reading Friedman, Prahalad, and about 15 others. The best books on leadership in the church about 20 years ago were leaders from the business world. The best missiologist are those writing on globalization. It’s a fantastic future, but uncertain. People won’t have the luxury of just stumbling into the future like they have in the past. They will have to be very, very intentional.

I watched Tom Brokaw interview President Musharaff on the news the other night. He told the President the West didn’t understand how Muslims could take their offense to the cartoons and become enraged by that, but not be enraged by the riots that were leaving other Muslims dead. The President told him, it was because it was blasphemy. The reputation of the Prophet being challenged was more serious than the rioting. In the West, God has become little more than a good luck charm--in other places, He’s the center of all.

It may be hard for us to understand in the West, but they really do believe God is at the center of everything. We say the same; however, often God is the person to make my dreams come true and work for me. To them, God is God. He is at the center of everything. He must be glorified. I loved what John Piper wrote last week about “the cross was a place of insult--has been and always will be--that’s what makes Jesus unique among belief.”

A few months ago I was with a Muslim King. We sat under a canopy in the hot African sun and spoke of humanity, God, brotherhood, and dozens of other things. The thing that stood out in my mind was when I asked him what mattered more to him than anything, his response was “The glory of God!” I would have thought that King had been reading John Piper! Had Piper given his talk on the glory of God and the centrality of who God was, he would have “amened” everything--until the cross.

Father--help me be able to take insults for you as a result of obedience and following you. Spirit--fill me so those times may be times of great joy and not sadness despite difficulty. Jesus--may I emulate You in how I live and exalt You in all I do.

I had the privilege of attending the National Prayer Breakfast for the President in D.C. last week. Bono spoke--and WOW! I believe he may be a modern day prophet. He wouldn’t call himself one and definitely wouldn’t be seen as such in the establishment, BUT, he sees things and captures something in what he says and does like no one else. “I hope God is with us in our villa’s in France. I don’t know for sure, but I hope He is.” He then lists all these things that we have as a wealthy country and wealthy people. Then, he says “I hope He’s with us, I don’t know He is, but I hope He is.” Then he says, “But one thing I know for sure, the Bible says, God is with the poor.”

He said he was cynical of church because one parent was Catholic and the other Protestant and all he saw as a child growing up in Ireland was how religion made people kill one another. He then saw the religious TV and viewed them as hucksters. He, then, was blown away at how we Americans keep asking God to bless us, and, yet, He has--the wealthiest people in the world. We are all rich.

He told us the US doesn’t even give 1% to the poor and then he challenged us to give another 1%--we could then touch the poor, the sick, etc. It was powerful and courageous. Rock on Bono--sing hard dude.

We don’t see miracles because we aren’t looking for them in the right places. We wait for the spectacular, the unexpected, the obvious--so that means that many people wouldn’t see them. BUT, I’m convinced miracles are seen in how God orchestrates things and how He is always connecting things. I can’t claim to be a Calvinist--I’m a 3.5 on a good day--sometimes a 4.0 if I’m really feeling good--and sometimes a 3.0 if I’m down. It wasn’t theology that started me in that drift--too many contradicting verses--too much reading of implications from both sides to build an airtight case either way. So what did it? Seeing God put people and circumstances together.

Last week, I was in Omaha and an incredible opportunity presented itself in a country. My job was to help the church determine its legitimacy, then help them connect. Three days later, I wound up meeting with the leader of a particular country that part of that project would involve. Accident? No way! I once heard David Wilkerson say a couple of years ago how is it that one person can sit on a pew and experience God so powerfully and another couldn’t. The answer, in reality, is who has the eyes to see and hear what God is doing and who is oblivious. Help us see God.

When we started NorthWood 20 years ago, a lady named Jo Arthur was a part of the initial 19 families that launched. She was a very successful CPA and she and her husband Bob oversaw and worked in the nursery. Both of my children grew up in their laps on Sunday mornings. She did my taxes for 20 years. She did the books for the church. She did the books for other churches. She also helped set up and do the books for our NGO that’s registered globally.

NorthWood was never her “style” with reference to music--but she didn’t care. She cared more about the fact we were reaching the lost, starting churches, engaging the world than anything. She and her husband Bob are that rare combination of people who love God that have figured out, it’s really not about us--but God and God’s ways are just fine even if it’s not our preference.

Last Tuesday afternoon I visited her in the hospital. She was admitted because she was just “tired.” She rarely gets sick. I prayed with her and told her I was thinking about her. That night they sent her husband home--she’d be just fine. But she wasn’t. Wednesday morning at 4:30 am she died--unexpectedly. She died of cancer and she didn’t even know it. At first I felt anger at the doctor, the hospital--how could they miss this--how can anyone have cancer and not know it? But, then, I thought how gracious God was. Jo was going strong up till the last. She didn’t have months of slowly dying, lying in a bed. She didn’t even know she had cancer. She was just tired and went home to be with Jesus. Not a bad way for a believer to go.

NorthWood will miss Jo—but, Jo, we will be with you before too long.

It’s true, pride is sinful. But, there is this kind of pride that isn’t. It’s the kind of pride you get when you’ve washed and waxed your car and it looks really good, or your daughter or son wins an award or does something really neat. Man, how I’ve felt that all weekend!

I flew to Atlanta to visit with a couple of glocal guys that I believe in and have partnered and worked with and they’re just doing incredible. I’ve been involved in trying to help both of them wherever I can to get up and going, and beyond me. When we started NorthWood 20 years ago, we were one of the first innovative churches in Texas. We were the fastest growing for years--not anymore. New, emerging, innovative churches are exploding on the landscape and growing faster than ever (You might debate the health part)! I learned from reading history when you’re a pioneer your joy is getting to explore and discover--not being the fastest--you have to cut the trails (unless you’re Rick Warren, and I’m not).

Friday I spent time with Brian Bloye at West Ridge Church. He has started his church planting school and using what we teach at NorthWood. He now has 14 or 15 guys in the program and projecting potentially 8 new churches next year! Way to go Brian!!!! He just entered his new worship center and now has around 4000 in attendance. But, he’s not obsessed with his new building and size--like many are--but with how he keeps his people praying, holy, reaching the lost, helping the poor in his area, planting churches, and engaging the world. As I walked with him on the campus and in the community, he was so quick to stop and visit with people along the way--and it was genuine--not fake. It’s obvious why God is blessing him.

I’ve longed for years for an emerging guy like him who has a rockin’ church to be just as obsessed with “the” rockin’ church and he is and it shows--not just his own bread box. These are 8 churches HIS CHURCH is planting--not his organization or network, but his church! This is as it should be. Networks are great but church planting movements come from church planting churches--not networks, organizations, or denomination (Though, I do belong to some)! And, he’s not doing just local …

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