GlocalNet

Rabbi Jeremy, Pastor Bob, and Imam Zia posing for this picture!!  We had volunteers from the synagogue, the church, and the mosque come together to clean up 3 different houses in each of our areas!!!  We wound up on the news - but the real news is how we are doing things together and getting along.  Zia - I love you in a T-shirt man!!!  Didn’t know you imams could be that casual!  Last week while I was briefly in the Middle-East my wife hosted Muslim, Jewish, and Christian women in our home as they practiced learning to cook Kosher, Halal, and Lard!  I’m having fun with you guys -

Tomorrow the rabbi is having a ceremony for his 8 day old son and I’ll be there - I wonder if they’ll let me participate???  Not sure what’s going to happen at that ceremony - I’ll tell you guys tomorrow.  I do have my old Bowie knife sharpened just in case! 

MissionSHIFT July 12-15, 2010

Join today’s leading missional thinkers and practitioners at Ridgecrest Conference Center as we engage the missional conversation for the 21st century. If you believe it is time for the church to engage in the mission of God, missionSHIFT will inspire and prepare you to cultivate a missional movement in your church and community.

Register today!

Speakers include:
Bob Roberts
Ed Stetzer
Matt Chandler
Alan Hirsch
and many more!

All last week I was with a small group of global pastors whom I’ve been meeting with for the past 3 years. It was so much fun.  There are 12 of us with a combined total of 18,750 churches, representing 1,750,000 followers working in 82 countries!  We are collaborating together and learning to speed each other up! 

Last weekend Nikki and I chilled as much as we could. I did jury duty yesterday. 

Eddy Leo was with us and led a small group as if it were one of the 2,500 cells they have in Jakarta - it was incredible.  We went to a baseball game and Eddy got his picture taken with a highway patrolman.  Friday, Rusty and Jane Mayeax hosted a reception for all the tutors working at the Academy of West Birdville, an inner-city school.  Then, Nikki and I hung out downtown Fort Worth where they were shooting a TV show for the Food Channel.  Some guy named Tyler Florence, I think, was there and I had my picture taken with him. 

I will have a normal week - kind of - then Jill graduates from Baylor!!!!!  Only to start her masters in July!!! 

Last week Vicky Porterfield, who is the prayer intercessor for our group, showed me this and Wow! was it powerful!!  It’s from John Wesley’s journal:

Sunday a.m., May 5-Preached in St. Ann’s.  Was asked not to come back anymore.
Sunday p.m. - Preached at St. John’s.  Deacons said “Get out and stay out!”

Sunday a.m., May 12 - Preached at St. Jude’s.  Can’t go back there either.
Sunday p.m. - Preached at St. George’s.  Kicked out again.

Sunday a.m., May 19 - Preached at St. somebody else’s.  Deacons called special meeting and said I couldn’t return.
Sunday p.m. - Preached on the street.  Kicked off the street.

Sunday a.m., May 26 - Preached in meadow, chased out of meadow as bull was turned loose during the service.

Sunday a.m., June 2 - Preached out at edge of town, kicked off the highway.
Sunday p.m. - Preached in a pasture, 10,000 people came to hear me in afternoon.

We can’t give up - no matter how hard it is, no matter …

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Is the church truly a reflection of the body of Christ?  What does the body of Christ look like?  All Anglo? All Hispanic?  All Vietnamese?  No.  Let’s start from Revelation 7:9-10, the body of Christ has every nation, every tribe, every people, and every language. A couple months ago Pastor Bob asked me:  “How can we become more multiethnic?”  I began to pray and ask God to reveal to me what He desires for us to do.  I began to purposefully seek out our ethnic families in Northwood, greeting them, calling them, taking them out to lunch, inviting them to my home and ministering to them.  More and more, I began to see that there are so many nationalities represented at Northwood!  They are Indian, Korean, Chinese, Malaysian, Singaporean, Mexican, African American, Trinidadian, Laotian, Hmong, Iranian, Vietnamese, etc.  Further more, as I heard their stories, I began to understand that they are here at NW because they believe in the leadership and vision, but they don’t feel like they are part of the family yet.  Thus, some of these families have been thinking about looking for another church.  That was when God laid upon my heart to gather these families together to talk, share their hearts and fellowship in meals together.  The response was tremendous. Once a month, each family brings a small dish to share while we meet in the fellowship hall to share about their talents and gifts, education/professional background, vision for the church.  I began to help plug them into NW ministries by introducing them to the leadership.  More and more, they’ve shared that they feel more at home in NW.  They now invite friends, families, and neighbors.  Now, the next phase is to get the other NW members and leadership to come meet/greet/share and connect. 
What are the lessons?
1. Pastor Bob had a desire and a vision. (Luke 11:9 ““And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”)
2. There was an intentional seeking out of these people (cell concept), also a reflection of how Christ seeks us out (Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”)
3. Everyone matters (1 Corinthians 12: 4-6 “There are …

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Real Time Connections

I love my big sister.  This last weekend she had a book signing for me on my new book Real-Time Connections in Tyler.  My daughter surprised us and showed up as well.  In some ways my sister Sandy - and my daughter Jill are very much alike.  How?

1.  They both love loud colors and bling jewelry!  Just look at ‘em!  When I travel - if I see something “out there” I know Jill will love it. 

2.  They both love to laugh and have a good time.  Wherever Sandy or Jill is, there’s a party going on.  It’s loud - it’s long - its fun - and yes - it gets exhausting!

3.  They are both very passionate about what they believe in - be it nursing, social work, or especially Jesus.

4.  They are both prayer warriors.  They know what it means to get on their face before God.

5.  They both love helping people.  One minute I was hearing about Jill helping someone with serious problems at Baylor then on to Sandy talking about helping a young single mother. 

6.  They both get mad at me at times.  It’s usually their fault and never mine, though. 

7.  I love them both. 

Recently I have been talking about healing at NorthWood.  We had a prayer service a couple of Sunday nights ago where some came asking for healing and so the elders prayed for people anointing them with oil.  There’s more I don’t know, than I do know about healing.  What I know for sure is that God does heal and we should ask.  God ALWAYS answers.  Here’s the answer:  yes, no, or not yet.  Guess what?  The same reason for all 3 answers is God being glorified and magnified in us.  I saw this video and it blew me away.  I don’t know this guy - but man - what a man of God.  He asked God, felt he was healed, but then found out he wasn’t.  His response was the same in both thinking he was healed and finding out he wasn’t - for God to be glorified.  This isn’t some sterile theological position - this is this guys life.  Watch slowly, listen, and grow.

The Story of Zac Smith from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

Concluding this group blogging project, Bob gives his thoughts on what Real Time Connections is about, his thoughts on the book, and his insights into why he wrote it when he did.  You can go HERE to read Bob’s closing remarks.

Today Mike Kress writes his thoughts on Chapter 10 “Stop Subverting the Message” of Bob’s Book Real Time Connections.

Today, we take a look at Chapter 9 “Making Space for Everyone” where Laura Boggess says,

“Bob Roberts, Jr. was thinking these concepts too, just from a slightly different angle. I was thinking of accepting differences inside the church–or at least showing love to people with differences. Roberts had a bigger picture in mind. Well, duh. The title of the book we are reading is Real-Time Connections: Linking Your Job with God’s Global Work. So small-minded me gets a lesson in Big Picture thinking, and I’m all the better for it.”

Take a look.

Bonnie Irving takes on Chapter 7 of Bob’s newest book, Real Time Connections - “Serving Together”

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