Huge Turnout for Habitat Orientation--Workers needed tomorrow at 7:15 AM!

We're in Colorado right now, but the one ministry we've kept very close in thoughts and prayers (and communication) is Habitat for Humanity. God has answered our prayers! On Wednesday night, we had a huge turnout for the Habitat orientation, and one hundred and seven people signed up for this ministry.

I could not be more thrilled! This is yet another sign that God is working on the hearts of the congregation at High Pointe, and that more and more people are getting excited about serving and reaching out to our community. For more information about being a part of Habitat, and some of the reasons to do so, seehttp://www.highpointechurchofchrist.org/habitat-for-humanity.

The woman from Habitat who did the orientation was overwhelmed by the church's response. And as I understant it, Habitat is already calling upon the High Pointe community to serve--tomorrow! For High Pointe members, let Chris know that you can come tomorrow morning. Habitat workers will need to meet at the church building at 7:15 AM. Chris will have coffee and donuts!

Pictures of Our Family at Glenwood Caverns in Colorado

Here are some pictures of our family at Glenwood Caverns. We took a trolley ride up the mountain, where the caves are located.

Pictures of Our Family at Hanging Lake in Colorado

Below are some pictures of our family at Hanging Lake in Colorado, taken yesterday.

Caves and Mountain Climbing in Colorado

On Tuesday, we went and explored the 2nd largest cave in Colorado. It is located up at the top of a mountain. So we took a trolley up the mountain and spent an hour or two going through the cave. At the top of this mountain, there are also a lot of rides. One ride swings you out over the side of the mountain. I was going to do this, but they were having mechanical challenges. They said if I waited, they would keep testing it and might have it ready. That was enough to scare me away.

So I spent my ticket on rock climbing with Gina. This is that fake rock climbing, with harnesses and all. Surprisingly, Gina made it about a third of the way up the rock. I made it all the way without falling! A regular Tom Cruise (Mission Impossible).

Then yesterday we all went to Hanging Rock Lake to hike up a mountain there. It was a 1.2 mile hike, going up a couple thousand feet. We thought for sure that the girls would only go on a fraction of this hike. Amazingly, both Gina and Emily--our seven and four year olds--made the entire trip, both up and down. This was a challenging climb for adults. For their little bodies, it was about a 4-5 mile trek. I still can't believe that they made it.

At the top of the mountain there is a small lake and a waterfall. I put my feet in the water. It was ice cold.

I'm not a big hiking guy, but this was a memorable experience, and the kids really seemed to love it. I think that Emily in particular was proud of herself for making the trek.

The picture here is a picture of the waterfall and lake at the top of Hanging Rock Lake. We have some more good pictures of our caving and mountain climbing adventures that I'll add to this post, so check back soon!

Have you been cave exploring or mountain climbing?

I'm Praying for the Habitat for Humanity Orientation Tonight

We had a good day today, which I will post about soon. I just wanted to take a moment to say that I'm praying for the Habitat for Humanity orientation meeting tonight (7:00 PM, High Pointe). See http://www.highpointechurchofchrist.org/habitat-for-humanity for more information about Habitat. I'm praying for a great turnout and that many people sign up, both members and friends of members from the community, to help with this effort. I am also excited that we have some great young leaders for this ministry--Trent and Amanda and Chris. This ministry has tremendous potential to build relationships, to shine our light in the community, and to bless the lives of others. I'm looking forward to hearing great things about tonight's meeting.

Have you participated in Habitat for Humanity? What do you think of this ministry?

Greetings from Colorado--how do you spend your vacations?

Hello all. We got in last night to Glenwood Springs, Colorado, at about 9:00 PM. The girls traveled great, as usual. We do not have a dvd player in the car, and right now like not having one. The girls read, play, talk, sing. All that stuff kids used to do before tv and video games. Hey, there are plenty of times I admit to usually a movie to calm the kids down. We're just blessed that our kids travel so well (most of the time).

The weather here is great--a predicted high of 86 today and very cool in the evening. August is definitely the time to visit Colorado if you are living in Texas. We are looking forward to seeing some caves, doing some rafting, and just relaxing. I don't like a lot of planned things for vacation, instead preferring to "go with the flow" and do things as they strike me. The rest of my life is so full, I don't need a crammed full vacation.

By the way, the consensus on the informal poll I got about men and women driving on trips was this: men drive 70-100% of the time.

So how do you like your vacations--a lot of planned activities and things to do, or very non-planned and spontaneous?

On the road to Colorado

Hello all. We are on the road to Colorado to see Becki's mother. It is a two day trip. Becki's mother moved to Colorado a couple of years ago, and we have not yet seen her out there. So we are getting this trip in before school starts.

I'm doing some reading on theology and pop culture, so I should have some interesting insights to share soon. And if Becki let's me take a break from driving, and my wireless card works, then I'll be able to blog again today.

Just curious - what is the percentage split of you and your spouse (male/female) of driving on trips?

New cameras show scientists seeking to copy God's designs

I read a news story this morning that said that a new camera was coming out that was shaped like an eye. The article said that scientists were seeking to copy one of "nature's best designs." See http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080806/tc_nm/camera_eye_dc_3.

It turns out that the best design for camera's is the same design for the "cameras" found in humans--our eyes. However, this is not nature's design, but God's.

As amazing as technology is--and I have the sound and audio equipment to prove it--nothing can beat the amazing capability, fluidity, proficiency, and beauty of the human body. Evidence of a creator? Or as Richard Dawkins would believe, were we created by aliens from another galaxy? I choose to believe in a creator.

Do you think that the beauty and complexity in nature is an evidence of God? What would the counter argument be?

Sunday Reflections - A Very Human Savior

Yesterday I spoke on the humanity of Jesus. Too often we dismiss Jesus' incredibly devoted life, saying, well of course he lived like that--he was the Son of God. But Philippians 2:5-8 tells us that Jesus gave up his equality with God, emptying himself and becoming nothing. He did not overcome temptation, focus on mission, love the poor and everything else that he did because he was just sort of human. He did these as a man--empowered by God, yes--but as a man.

It was Alan Hirsch (www.theforgottenways.org) who first exposed me to the thought that the haloed superJesus of most artwork was easy to dismiss. He was too far distant from us to have any impact.

But the earthly, fleshly, human Jesus who lived for God--that sort of takes away all of our excuses.

Last night we went to the small group of a young family, Travis and Stacey. Travis did a great job leading a discussion over the sermon. It was great to hear that this sermon hit home, and that the practical application was helpful. Perhaps that was what was most encouraging, that a heady theological topic like Jesus' essential nature could be seen as helpful in people's daily lives.

What we believe about God/Jesus really does impact our behavior.

Have you thought of Jesus as human or just sort of human? How does that affect the application of his life to yours?

How the "Competition" strength can be used in life and ministry

I had another good Strengths and Spiritual gifts session this morning with a great young married couple, Chris and Christy. Chris and Christy are one of the couples that we first got together with at High POinte, and we have kids that are similar in age, so we have always felt a good connection with them.

As usual, there were many things that we were able to confirm that they were already doing in their lives with their Strengths and Spiritual gifts. And we were also able to identify some possible new areas of service, such as Habitat for Humanity, help with benevolenve, raising giving for meaningful works, and more.

One interesting Strength that was identified in the session is Competition. Those with this strength like to measure their performance in comparitive terms and want to "win." I remember my professor, Reggie McNeal, at Fuller explaining this Strength. He noted that we are in competition with Satan, that we can compete against ourselves, and that a healthy competition with others can help us spur one another on to love and good works.

When you combine Competition with say, Achiever, goals and "winning" become extremely important. What this means is that someone with these Strengths will want to serve in ways where there is measurable progress, and where the ministry is always increasing. So for instance, in giving, increasing the goals of giving is much for exciting than just making numbers add up to meet a budget.

Even mundane tasks can become more fun for those with a Competition strength if they are made into a contest. Like, who can complete the most household chores or who can do it the fastest.

Each of us is made uniquely by God, and it is important for us to frame different ministries or actions in the way that best motivates us. It is the task of church leaders to help others reframe and motive them for ministry.

How else can a "Competition" strength be used in a positive way in life and ministry?

Giving work to a Hispanic who came by the church building

A man named Rigoberto dropped by the church building today. He said that he needed money to pay his bills, which turn out to be tickets. He said that he was out of work. I asked him what he did, and he said landscaping. He had only been getting $6/hour, and it all went towards gas anyway.

So, I had the idea, why not pay Rigoberto to do some landscaping work at our house? So, after giving him food, I offered this idea. After talking for a while, he said that he would be interested in this. So next Monday he is supposed to come back to the building, and then he'll follow me back to our house and start some landscaping work. I offered him $10/hour. We'll see if he comes back. If he is interested in working, then I want to help.

Is it good to offer work to those seeking help? Or should we just give people money who ask?

Reaching Out to Hispanics--What is the song "La Bamba" about?

The following is an article by Chuck Monan, who is the preaching minister at the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ in Little Rock, Arkansas. (http://www.pvcc.org/) Chuck is a friend of mine and was a fellow minister with me (or I with him) at the Wilshire Church of Christ in Oklahoma City, OK. Chuck is great writer, and his thoughts about reaching out to Hispanics are insightful.

SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel — because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.~ Genesis 11:1-9

Few people on Earth have accepted the status quo of confused language with more of a sense of resignation than Americans. As the joke goes, “What do you call a person who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call a person who speaks one language? American.”
Our linguistic liabilities have left us lacking in learning about other cultures. The implications for evangelism of remaining ignorant of those around us should be obvious.
Today in the United States, there are 37 million Latinos. At 13 percent of the U.S. population, they have become America’s largest minority. Of these 37 million Latinos, two-thirds have Mexico as their country of ancestry. And as this rising tide of Mexican immigration continues to impact America, most of us know very little about our Spanish-speaking hermanos and hermanas.

Enter Gustavo Arellano. Born in Anaheim, California to a tomato canner and an illegal immigrant, he is a staff writer for the OC Weekly. When his editor encouraged him to write a column as a one-time joke called “¡Ask a Mexican!” he couldn’t have imagined the interest it would generate. The massive response led to the column being a staple in the Weekly. Today it is carried by more than twenty papers, and has a weekly circulation of more than one million.
The questions Arellano fields are pretty wide-ranging, such as:

• Why do Mexicans have sixteen names?


• Why do Mexicans play soccer and not a real sport like football?


• Why are so many Mexicans Catholic?


• Why do so many Mexicans display the Virgin of Guadalupe everywhere?


• What is it about the word illegal that Mexicans don’t understand?


• Why do Mexicans like Morrissey so much?


• What is the song La Bamba about?

Arellano answers these and countless other questions with insight, irreverence, intermittent indecorum and insouciance. Along the way, he confronts the bogeymen of racism, xenophobia and ignorance prompted by this significant demographic shift. Add all of it up and the reader ends up with a significantly improved understanding of Mexican-Americans.

Is this important? Well, ask yourself this question: How are we going to share the gospel with people who might as well be Martians to us, so little do we know about them? PV supports three missionaries to the Spanish-speaking world in Tom Hook, Jorge Pineda and Andrew Sherrill. We are thankful for their ministries.

But what about the rest of us? Do we have any responsibilities in reaching out to a community of people coming to us, who already number 37 million? The apostle Paul said, “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22) This is a mission opportunity right at our front door.

To the work, my fellow gabachos.

-------------------------------

High Pointe recently launched a Hispanic church plant, Iglesia de Cristo, in Plano. http://www.highpointechurchofchrist.org/iglesia-de-cristo-hispanic-church-plant This is the first of several Hispanic church plants through Genesis Alliance, a joint venture with High Pointe and the Highland Oaks Church of Christ to plant Hispanic churches in the US. Several other partnering churches are now joining this work. With 37 million people, the possibilities are endless. if you know of any churches that you think might be interested, please let us know.

Do you know the answers to any of the questions Chuck cites in his article? If so, please tell us!

Is God an American?

I read today a thought provoking article entitled, Does the American flag belong in Church? by Becky Akers. See http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0728/p09s02-coop.html. For many, God and the US go hand in hand. Remember the old joke about the reason why there is a hole in Texas Stadium--so that God can watch the games, since the Cowboys are "God's team"? Similarly, many view America as God's specially chosen nation, akin to the status of Israel under the old covenant. The rest of the world surely thinks as well about this as do non-Cowboys fan think about the roof joke.

I love my country. Contrary to what those who hate us say, the US does more good around the world--by far--than any other nation on earth. Our humanitarian aid to other countries dwarves other countries.

But is God an American? Does he love us more than Mexico? Or France? Or Iraq? Or England?

We have lived in a country that was largely "Christian." In fact, the government often supported and upheld Christian values. This is largely changing, for better or for worse. Much of the history of Christianity, however, has had the church at odds with the government. In fact, the most damage to the Christian cause has been when the church/professing Christians used the state to further its ends through force--political or military--such as with the Crusades.

Read Revelation and there you will see the government at war with the church. Can you imagine the early church during the time of Nero singing, God bless the Roman Empire, and cloaking themselves in a Roman flag? It does seem impossible to imagine.

I do not want to hide the fact that I am an American. Neither do I ever want to give anyone--myself included--the idea that God favors Americans more than any other people. Remember, Jesus said to "Go, make disciples of all nations." As much as I cherish our country, America is but one of hundreds of nations on earth. God is not an American. He is the ruler of the universe, of every people. And the image that is found in Revelation is that of every people, from every tribe on earth, speaking every language on earth (not English only), before this almighty God.

Perhaps we should sing, God bless America, and Russia, and China, and Iraq, and Morocco, and Cuba, and England. And God has shown himself to bless those nations who follow him, and to humble those who do not.

What do you think of Becky Akers' article? Have you ever thought that God loves America and Americans more than other countries/peoples?

You will not believe this coincidence!

Okay, this is too wild. Jim and Donna are a couple at High Pointe. Last week, I just went through Jim and Donna's Strengths and Spiritual gifts. They are a wonderful couple who just went on a mission trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, with Let's Start Talking.

Jim and Donna used to live in Las Vegas, where Jim also served as an elder. Back in 1997, Becki and I took a choir tour that went through Las Vegas. Guess what? Becki and I stayed in Jim and Donna's house, and they gave us a tour of Las Vegas! Here is a picture that Jim sent us today of Becki and I and another choir couple from that trip. Look how young we look!

Is this amazing or what?!!

What do you think about coincidences? Are most of them merely cooincidences, or is God usually at work? What do you think?

Truth found in New Age Literature: Peace is the End of the Ego

I have been busy "producing" the last four months, seeking to start new ministries. So alas, my reading level is down. One book that i am working through right now, however, is Eckhart Tolle's book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. Tolle is Oprah Winfrey's New Age spiritual guide. His work is classic New Age. We are all a part of the divine. Knowledge of a greater awareness, the awareness that we are part of this divine and that this world is but an illusion, is the pathway to salvation. He also contains many Buddhist themes of suffering as the pathway to enlightenment. Much of this is just recycled gnosticism.

But just as Paul found truth in the Athenians' pagan poets on Mars Hill, so we seek to find truth in popular culture wherever possible.

"The ego says: Maybe at some point in the future, i can be at peace--if this, that, or the other happens, so I obtain this or become that. Or it says: I can never be at peace because of something that happened in the past. Listen to people's stories and they could all be entitle: 'Why I Cannot Be at Peace Now.' . . . Peace, after all, is the end of the ego."

Tolle, despite much untruth, has stumbled onto something here. We are often unhappy because we are self-seeking. Because we concentrate upon what we want and do not get. We do often say, i'll be at peace when . . .

Paul said, "12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Phil. 4:12-13).

Paul crucified the self and placed his centeredness in Christ. This is the great "secret" to peace. Not wanting anything but Christ. When he is our center, then peace is always found.

This is the role of missionaries (all of us today). To find truth wherever it is, and to show others Christ. Clearly, there is a lack of peace in people's lives, and the gospel has a message for this unrest.

Others themes that can be used to point towards biblical truth in Tolle's largely untruthful book:

• Suffering can bring about life change and greater awareness of larger truths.
• We can control our thoughts and not be enslaved by negative self-talk.
• The ego is the root of a lot of problems, including greed, selfishnes, and tearing down of others.
• Truth is more than mere thought.
• Self-denial is a good thing.

Have you read Tolle's book or others like it? How can we best use and sort our truth from untruth?

Local Church Planting Highlight - Charles and Julie Kiser, Dallas

The DFW area is an exciting area for church planting. One local plant to be praying for is led by Charles and Julie Kiser. Charles and his team are planting a church in the heart of Dallas, working with both young, upward professionals as well as the inner city poor. Charles went to Harding University and was trained in church planting through Mission Alive (http://www.missionalive.org/), which also partners with Genesis Alliance, a Hispanic church planting partnership between High Pointe and the Highland Oaks Church of Christ.

You can follow the Kisers' story at http://www.inthestoryline.com/. I have added this link to a new section on my blog, New Church Plants.

I met Charles in a graduate class at Harding University Graduate School of Religion. He also interned at the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ (http://www.pvcc.org/) in Little Rock, AR, where my friend Chuck Monan preaches. Charles is a top student and has a great heart. I recently contacted him to let him know that others in the area care for him and are praying for the success of this plant.

Charles’ team is in a “pre-launch” stage. They are developing relationships with non-Christians by having neighborhood parties, joining social clubs, and seeking to integrate into the community. Let’s be praying for Charles & Julie!

For some statistics on church planting, see http://www.highpointechurchofchrist.org/reaching-out/4.

How much do you know about church planting?

We're moved in--now, to the media room!

We had a great crew come over on Monday and help us move in (I'll post the picture soon). Thank you to those involved! We spent yesterday unpacking. Then the electricity went out across several neighborhoods for 3 hours. We had scheduled a Bible study, but our garage door was open when the electricity went out, so we had to reschedule.

Becki went to the kitchen and girls' bedrooms in unpacking. I went for the sound equipment. One of our friends came by and said, How did I know that you would be holding some speaker wire when I came by? She said this because her husband does the same thing when they move. It is a guy thing. And with women, it is a kitchen thing. The sound in the media room is pretty rockin'! Can't wait to have the guys over to play pool and watch a very loud action movie.

We met some of our neighbors. They were very friendly, with lots of kids. And nt only will the house be great for having people over, it is very centrally located. With high gas prices and a spread out church, this will be great.

We had James and Darlene and Al drop by to see us the last two days. They both live very close by. We are planning on starting a neighborhood, geographic small group soon. It is so much easier to invite a neighbor across the street to a barbeque than it is to invite them 30 minutes away to another house.

We have much to do and catch up with. We had planned on going to Colorado next week to see Becki's mother, but we will have to do that a few weeks later. We are so glad to be in our new home!

Have you ever been part of a neighborhood or geographic small group?

We're moving in today to a great house with a great deal!

Today is the day! We closed on our new house here in McKinney around noon today. We got a great deal on a great house--an open floor plan, lots of space and design for entertaining, and only about $65 a square foot. We can thank the Milstead team (with Keller Williams) and our agent Barb Chermack for finding us this deal. We also had a lot of "sweat equity" in our house in Liberty. Finishing out that 1000 square feet in our basement in style really paid off. And I learned how to do a lot of different things, from framing to electrical work to wiring. I'm still pretty clueless about plumbing, however. It's a good thing we know some people who do this well.

We are excited to finally be in a place. Four months is a long time without a home of our own. A huge thanks to John and Sharon for letting us stay in their home this whole time. We closed the day they returned. And the street number is 3201--the same street number as the church. Interesting!

For those who are helping us to move in tonight, thank you! We've asked people to arrive tonight around 6:30-7:00ish.

We are looking forward to many times of having the church, our friends, and our neighbors over. See you here soon!

Well, as you can see, it was quite a bit cooler up in Liberty. Gina and Emily spent the day today building a snowman. Just kidding! This is but one of a thousand pictures that we have of us at our old house there.

We spent the week packing up and loading up. We hired three professional packers for 3 hours (which turned into 4), and they did a fabulous job. Every spare inch of the truck was filled. At the end, we had a few pieces left over. We gave away some things, sold a couple of things, and took some "stuff" over to a garage sale. We both thought that it would be a good thing for us to comb through what we had and make sure that we had as much of a "travel light" mentality that we could. Have some nice pieces but not accumulate a ton of "stuff."

We were blessed to have Peter, Kevin, Matt, Roger, Judy, Briz, Tim H., and Tom help us with the move. We spent last night with Matt and Jen, and our girls (they have three) all got to play together. Gina and Emily saw many of their friends as mom and dad packed. I was disappointed that the Starbucks group wasn't meeting on Tuesday (John had to work late and had to cancel). But I was able to have dinner with Kevin and Faith on Tuesday, followed by dessert with Mike and Terri, lunch with Roger, Judy, and Dennis on Wednesday, dinner with John and Lori on Wednesday, and dessert with the after church crowd on Wednesday. Hey, you have to eat, and we used this time as much as we could. The rest of the time was spent packing.

We signed our final closing papers on Thursday, but kept possession until Friday at 5:00 PM. I spent the last two hours labeling, diagramming, and explaining the audio-visual-interent-equipment for the new owner. Without this, she would have little chance to be able to figure the system out. But if she calls a Best Buy Geek squad or home theater expert out, they can use what I have written up to help her.

We left a welcome basket, card, and information about the church in Liberty, inviting her to attend. We are going to ask some of our friends in the church there to follow up with this, giving her a personal invite. You never know when something like this might reach someone.

There are things that cannot be found much in Texas, like snow, and the friends that we have in Liberty. But we are blessed now to have great friendships that we are developing in McKinney. As Becki and I talked on the way home, we thought about all of the wonderful and interesting people that we now know in McKinney that we would never have known if we had stayed in Liberty all of our lives. Our lives are richer and fuller for expanding our circle of friends and loved ones.

We are now in Edmond, OK, spending the night in the house of another family friend of ours. We'll leave in the morning and head back to McKinney. On Monday, we'll be moving into our new home in McKinney. A chapter in our life has closed, and a new one is continuing to open and grow.

How many different places have you lived in your adult life? Did you like moving or not?

New Lineage Homes--The highest quality of homes and people

We are in Liberty, busy packing up and finishing things up for the home transfer. But I wanted to take a moment to tell you about a person and a company.

Becki and I built our home in Liberty, and we loved the end result. So we looked at builders in McKinney. We looked at Drees, Darling, D.R. Horton, Highland--but the one that we liked the best was New Lineage Custom Homes. They have a finish out and style that is incredible.

We worked with a salesman there named Michael Rubin. Michael is both a great salesman and a person of faith. We have had many conversations about his personal walk with God, life transformation, and the church plant of which he is an active member.

For various reasons, we were unable to go forward with the New Lineage home build. We could not find a house with a six month lease in McKinney, interest rates have changed, our house here sold for less than we had planned. But Michael treated us with honesty and graciousness throughout. He is having an impact throughout the company with his Christian values. In fact, everyone there, from the Principals to the engineers to the salesman, were wonderful to us. They have on their website that they value Quality, Craftsmanship, and Family--and I believe them.


In a world filled with dishonesty and corruption, I am always glad to find people and companies that do things the right way. Check them out at http://www.nlchomes.com/. Their McKinney location is in Sorrellwood Park, just south of Virginia on Hardin. Despite a slow market, they are selling many homes. I do not know all of God's working's, but I do know that he tends to bless those who are seeking to do right.

Sunday Reflections-The Good Samaritan from a New Perspective

Well, we are about two hours away from Liberty. I'm on my laptop using my broadband card. I've driven up until now, but Becki just started driving.

A bit of reflection on Sunday. On Sunday, we looked at the story of the good Samaritan. What is often missed in this story is the main point. Jesus tells this story in response to a religious leader who wanted to limit the definition of who his neighbor. At the end of the story, Jesus asks, who do you think was a neighbor to the man who was beaten up? The man who was beaten up thought that the person who had mercy on him--the Samaritan--was his neighbor. Normally, any Jew would have rejected a Samaritan as his neighbor. But in this desperate condition, bleeding on the side of the road, the man who was robbed would have realized that even a Samariatn was his neighbor. He would not have rejected his help.

This story challenges us not so much to be a good neighbor, but to realize that all people, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, faith, or moral condition are our neighbors whom we should love. This main point is often missed.

We had a man collapse on Wednesday in front of the church. One of our men, Garth, went with him to the hospital and sat with him. This man, Floyd, has a medical condition, financial challenges, and more. Garth took him to worship with us, and Garth was able to tell this man's story. The church responded to this man's need in many ways on Sunday. They have such wonderful hearts. However, in light of the story of the Good Samaritan, the story is not so much about those who helped, but in the one who was hurt. It may be that Floyd, facing challenges in his life, realized that we are his neighbors. Indeed, he said on Sunday that he wanted to make High Pointe his church home. And by letting us serve him, we are being richly blessed.

How is it that we may seek to reject as our neighbor?

A productive and exhausting week

I should be asleep right, because I am tired and we are traveling tomorrow. But often when I am most tired, I cannot sleep. So I'll think back on the week.

This past week I had two pre-martial counseling sessions, a counseling session, an evangelistic Bible study, six Strengths and Spiritual gifts assessments, a special speaking engagement at Waterview (congregation in the area), and an ad to produce. And preaching and teaching! And a lot of house-related stuff.

Well, I was going to share some more, but I am feeling sleepiness suddenly descend on me. Hoff to bed. Talk with you soon!

We're going back to Liberty

On Monday we will be heading back to Liberty. No, not permanently. But to pack up and close on our house. We hope to see as many of our friends there as possible.

Because our house still had not sold and we still had most of our things up there, in many ways we still had things open up there. This week I have been thinking about packing up our house, pulling out, and handing over the keys of our house to someone else. The house where we shared so many memories with our family, with our neighbors, and with our dear church friends. I think of the many life groups that we hosted. Of Sean and Bridget, our neighbors, and the many times we got together with them and their kids. Of John and Lori coming over and watching a movie or ball game. Of our many Christmas parties with our band members, Steve, Roger, John, and Robert. Of the basement that I finished out exactly as I dreamed, high tech and all. Of Kim and David coming over and helping us paint the basement. Of Gina and Emily running around the house. Of the last day when Judy and Dennis came to tell me good-bye at the kitchen table. Of Becki and I moving in the first time into our newly built home, and the joy we shared with each other there for 5+ years.

In a lot of ways, I was happy to try to rent the house out, to hold onto the house that we shared so many memories in and that we labored on. But we are selling it, closing on Friday. In many ways, this will be difficult and another emotional goodbye.

To our friends in Liberty, we are looking forward to seeing you! We will arrive Monday evening--maybe for the "Summer of Serving," and we will definitely be at the Wednesday evening service. On Thursday we are packing up the moving truck. We would welcome any help during the day or that evening. We will close on Friday, and pull out later that day.

For any of our friends who would like to see us, email us at jnored@yahoo.com and we'll give you our cell numbers. We'll also keep in contact with Judy at the church office. We love you guys! Looking forward to seeing you.

James and Becki

How Tolerant is Jesus?

Last night I spoke at the Waterview Church of Christ for their summer series. I attended Waterview when I was very young, and our family still has many friends there. The church was very kind and welcoming to me last night.

I was given an interesting topic to speak on--How Tolerant is Jesus? It is a topic worthy of discussion and particularly relevant in a fast changing world.

And so I ask you, how tolerant is Jesus?

Companies offer unlimited flex and vacation time with accountability--what about churches?

A recnnt Business Week article highlighted a growing trend in businesses against fixed amounts of vacation time and scheduling. Bluewolf, an IT consulting firm, allows employees to take as much vacation time as needed, and allows employees to work whatever hours desired--so long as they meet certain performance expectatations.

See http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jul2008/sb2008072_456680.htm?campaign_id=rss_smlbz.

Churches need to take note of these trends. The idea that leaders dictate all of the prescribed, "official" times to meet and all of the offficial ministries is rather archaic. Churches instead ought to offer multiple schedules and encourage members to start ministries on their own. However, loving, mutual accountability is necessary in this.

For instance, members could be expected to do three things each week--worship, Bible study, and outreach. However, these could be accomplished in many different ways--in a small group, in a discipleship triad, in a Wed night assembly, in a Monday Night for the Master, in a neighborhood get together, etc.

What do you think of Bluewolf's policy? Would this approach work in churches? Why or why not?

Top Ten Ways to Use Your Home with Fellow Christians

On Sunday, I gave a top ten list of ways that we could use our homes to show hospitality to fellow Christians. Garth asked me to post this list. So here it is!

10. Let others use your vacation home (Acts 10:5).
9. Start a discipleship group in your home (Mt. 13:36f).
8. Invite those who are grieving over (Jn. 19:26-27).
7. Help start a church with your home as a base (Lk. 10:3f).
6. Host a small group (Rom. 16:3-5).
5. Host a youth devo (Col. 4:15).
4. Invite the preacher over (Acts 16:15).
3. Welcome released inmates (Acts 16:40).
2. Throw a "Matthew" party, mixing Christians and non-Christians (Mt. 19:10).
1. Welcome visitors, both in our church "house/building" and by inviting into our homes (3 Jn. 9).

What prevents us from becoming more hospitable? How can we change this?

Could the Spirit of God be leading us to divorce recovery ministry?

Missional theology says that the Spirit has already been sent into the world. Therefore, our role is discover where the Spirit is at work and how we can partner with what God is already doing.

This theology is why a minister or church planter cannot simply go into a new area/work with a complete set of plans. Plans are good, and there are many things that need to happen in most churches in order to make the church outward focused and effective in reaching the lost. However, ministers and church planters need to listen as well and be looking for new opportunities that the Spirit is opening.

This is why it takes some time for new outreaches to begin at High Pointe. One of the things I have been trying to do is to see what types of ministries to the hurting and broken God has already laid on the hearts of the people here.

People have come to me about the need for a divorce recovery ministry here. And after mentioning this in last week's sermon, some additional people have responded, stating a need for this. This can meet not only the needs of our own people, but also can reach many in the community.

I am excited to find where the Spirit seems to already be at work that we can get behind and that will support our mission. Rather, God's mission to the world.

Do you think that divorce recovery ministries are needed in the church and community? What resources are you aware of? What do those who have experienced divorce most need?

A word on marriage--struggles are normal

I am in the midst of doing pre-marital counseling for a young couple. This and the recent marriage discussion on this blog reminded me of the need to let people know that struggles in marriage are normal. Hollywood overly romanticizes love. It is all about the mountain top experience--emotional peaks. It is about finding a person who fits you perfectly.

Love in Hollywood is not about sacrifice, hard work, or service, nor it is a commitment. Biblical love, on the other hand, is all of these things. Real love is a commitment to another person, and it requires dedication and hard work.

I would estimate that on any given Sunday, half of the marriages are really struggling. That may sound terrible. But the good news is, most of these marriages stay together.

I often talk with young couples who think that because they are fighting, they married the wrong person. That if it were real love, they would not have any issues. Happily ever after every single day.

Look, marriage is a shaping process. And it takes years to beat selfishness out of us. It takes years to get used to understanding how another person thinks.

But the good news is, at some point you begin to better understand one another. You begin to really love your spouse in a new way. You begin to want what is best for them and make them happy more than you.

Becki is still waiting for me to get to that point! :) Seriously, though. The message to young couples is this--don't fall apart when you have real life struggles in your marriage. This is normal, and it is part of the shaping process that God has for us. As someone once told me, there is probably no better way to shape a person Spiritually than to have him or her be married to someone else.

Do you think Hollywood accurately portrays marriage? Did struggles in your marriage come as a surprise to you? How did you handle these?

Starbucks is closing stores--is the end of the world coming?!

Starbucks just announced that it was closing 600 stores, cutting 12,000 employees. Is the end of the world coming? Is this the seventh sign of the apocalypse?

No, but it is a sign that the economy is slowing. As people endure some financial strain from this slowing economy, there will be many opportunities for the church to help people.

You can check ou this story at http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080701/bs_nm/starbucks_dc_4. One interesting thing to note--Starbucks, despite closing 600 stores, will still be opening 200 new stores. So some stores clearly are not "profitable," and these resources can be used to help start more "profitable" stores.

What if we "shut down" or diverted resources from non-profitable (those not reaching any converts) churches to new "profitable" churches (those churches creating converts). Would this be a good or bad thing?

A bit of a bug . . .

On Saturday, I got hit with some kind of stomach/body bug that has not gone away. So I'm a bit slow on the email right now.

The devestating effects of divorce--how can the church help?

On Tuesday, Becki and I went to look at apartments and homes that are for lease. One home was very sad. The yard was in terrible shape. The locks on the door were in poor condition. And the home in general was very dirty. From the interior furnishings, it looked like it was a divorce situation. There probably was a father with a child, living by themselves, working two jobs and just barely hanging on. No time to spend on the lawn. No energy to clean. No hope to give to the children.

I was struck with a profound sense of sadness. What problems exist in a marriage that are so bad that it was worth risking home, companionship, a mother for the children, time, energy, and so much more?

The divorce rate in the US used to be 1 in 1000. I still can hardly believe this statistic, which was taken straight out of the leading book on families, Family Ministry by Charles Sell. Today, as a nation, we are far to quick to divorce. We need to encourage married couples to stay together, to learn to love one another, and to help them conquer selfishness.

At the same time, we need to minister to those who have gone through divorce. Those who have gone through this are often financially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually overwhelmed.

In recent weeks, after having spoken of the need to minister as a church to those who are hurting, several have come to me about the need to begin a divorce recovery ministry. This is indeed a great need, both for our own members and for the community.

How can the church help minister to those who have experienced divorce? How can we help couples stay together?

New Pew Research Poll of Americans Shows Fluidity in Beliefs

I have been hit with several people who are either interested in or concerned with the recent pew research poll. In a sentence, the study finds that Americans are "spiritual," believing in God, but that they are increasingly pluralistic, non-dogmatic, and fluid in their belief systems.

Pew research looks at religious trends in the US across all religious groups. Because this is an election year, their findings are receiving additional. See the findings at http://pewresearch.org/pubs/876/religion-america-part-two.

I'll spare you a discussion about shift from modernism and postmodernism and its relative benefits and drawbacks. The fact is that people are much less concerned about beliefs today, and much more concerned about a practical faith that impacts their lives.

I know that these trends are disturbing to many. Certainly, the Christian faith has core beliefs that we must adhere to. We need to teach our children that, according to Scripture, Jesus is the only way. But we do this through an active faith that impacts people's lives (both ours and others) in the here and now. We will "teach" our children the right way by serving the poor, developing Spiritual practices, and showing them what it means to live under the rule or reign of God.

For myself, I believe that the current religious climate presents tremendous opportunity. Thirty years ago, the culture was secular. Religion was a private matter. And whatever belief system you grew up with, you kept. Now spirituality is in the open. And people are increasingly open to anyone who will show them an authentic faith. My friends, that ought to be us. If people will just give us a hearing, I am convinced that following Christ offers the most hope, the most meaning, the most fulillment, of any faith that is out there.

Here are various news articles, analysis, and reaction to the findings.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25334489/

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-06-23-pew-religions_N.htm

http://www.newsmax.com/estrich/pew_research_religion/2008/06/25/107169.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,370588,00.html

What do you think of these pew results?

New Spiritual Gifts Seminar now Available

I just wanted to let everyone know about a new Spiritual gifts seminar that I now offering. To those who have followed this blog for some time, you know how much I believe in this ministry. The seminar and and the work that I have written called Using Your Spiritual Gifts (http://www.storyofredemption.com/page20.html) are a result of over two years of biblical and doctoral research on Spiritual gifts, work with a local congregation, personal assessments, and real life application.

I recently spoke on this subject at the OC Quest lectures, and will speak on it at the 2008 Harding lectures. I have a couple of upcoming seminars--one at Prince of Peace Catholic church in September, and one to be scheduled in Ankeny, Iowa.

For a possible seminar schedule, see http://www.storyofredemption.com/page26.html. This can, of course, be adjusted based upon calendar needs.

I have really loved doing Missional Church seminars, and I have been glad to see this new seminar grow out of it. If you would like to schedule a seminar at your church, please let me know.

What did you hear about Spiritual gifts growing up as a child? What do you hear today?

We have a contract on our house in Liberty!

Hello all. We thought that we would let everyone know that there is a contract on our house in Liberty. We are scheduled to close on July 18 if all goes well. In the end, I'll have everyone know, it was our audio-visual setup in our basement and throughout the home that sold it! :)

So we will soon be taking a trip to Liberty. We may come up early and be there at the Hess' annual 4th of July party so that we can see a lot of our friends there. We'll keep you posted on our plans.

Thank you to all of those who have prayed for our house sale--particularly Diane Newhouse's class who prayed for us this every day of school. Also, a big thanks goes to Kevin Ruth (and Matt Brunk) for watching over the house for us.

Young Evangelicals have a surprising diversity of political views

Below is an intereting article on the political views of 18-29 year olds. While maintaining opposition to abortion and supporting the death penalty, they also favor strict environmental standards for companis.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080622/pl_nm/usa_politics_evangelicals_dc_1

Do these results match up with the values of younger people that you know?

Consumer Christians and the lack of discipleship

Popular Christian author Dallas Willard, who wrote The Divine Conspiracy, speaks of the rampant consumer Christianity that is in the church.

"Nondiscipleship is the elephant in the church. It is not the much discussed moral failures, financial abuses, or the amazing general similarity between Christians and non-Christians. These are only effects of the underlying problem . . .The division of professin Christians into those for whom it is a matter of whole-life devotion to God and those who maintian a consumer, or client, relationship to the church has now been an accepted reality for over fifteen hundred years."
See http://www.amazon.com/Divine-Conspiracy-Rediscovering-Hidden-Life/dp/0060693339.

In consumer Christianity, members pay dues in exchange for goods and services. The churches that have the best goods and services (programs and ministries for me and my children) gain the most members. Calls to sacrifice are rarely given in such a system. After all, one must keep the customer happy in a consumer system.

It is rare for any of us to make a decision about, for instance, where to worship, based upon anything other than self-interest. We will say, this is the best place for me personally to attend, rather than asking, where can I worship that I can best serve others? Where can I best be used by God?

I dream of a time in my own life in which I will ask this same question without self-interest.

Where do you see consumer Christianity manifest itself in the church or in our personal lives?

The solution to classroom space for churches

it really is amazing how our experience of church life shapes and sometimes, sadly, stifles our imagination. Take for instance, classroom space. In growing (or swelling) churches, classroom space often begins to become short in supply. The automatic thought? Let's build more classrooms.



Sometimes this may be necessary. But instead of doing this automatically, why not explore other options? I can vividly remember missional leader Reggie McNeal, one of my D.Min. teachers at Fuller Theological Seminary, speak on this topic. Why not hold a "Sunday School" class in a restuarant? Have members go to a local eating place, share breakfast with one another, and have a Bible lesson right there. This would allow the workers and other people eating at the restaurant an opportunity to come into contact God's people, creating openings for conversation, prayer, and dialogue.

If we are going to be God's people on mission, we will have to sacrifice. If we cannot "sacrifice" by meeting in a restaurant, how will we be able to sacrifice in bigger things. Sometimes we are waiting for that "big sacrifice," and meanwhile we miss out on daily sacrificial living.

What do you think of having "Sunday School" in a restaurant or other public setting?

Thoughts on Giving

I received an email today on giving which was quite interesting. See below.

------------------------------------------------

A friend sent this to me and it made me think.

It seems a big amount to give back to God 10% of our income, but what if it were reversed?

I dreamed that the Lord took my weekly contribution to the church,multiplied it by ten, and turned this amount into my weekly income. In notime I lost my furniture and had to give up my automobile. Why, I couldn'teven make a house payment. What can a person do on a $100 a week?

Suppose the Lord took your offering and multiplied it by ten and made thatyou weekly income? How much would you earn? This might give us some freshinsights into the stewardship needs of the congregations."Upon the first day of the week let each one of you lay by him in store, ashe may prosper, that no collections be made when I come" (1 Cor. 16:2).

Think About It!

What Percentage of the Church has what Spiritual Gifts? (Corrected)

Below is a corrected version of a previous post on this subject.

-----------------------------------------------

I have been working on Spiritual gifts discovery, development and application now for nearly three years, and it is a part of my doctoral work. I so strongly believe in this ministry, both from a missional theological standpoint as well as a practical standpoint. The Spirit is often compared to water--fluid, changing, refreshing, at work, essential to life, and uncontrollable. Still, I am excited about the discoveries that are coming to light as I do more and more research in this area.

One question I have often had is, what percentage of a church has what Spiritual gifts. How does it vary from church to church? Is it affected by the preaching and teaching that is done there? For instance, will people who are in a church with an evangelistic culture be influenced by this and see themselves as being more evangelistic? Is this a psychological influence or a Spiritual one--or are these too closely related to differentiate? Are there generational differences in gifts distribution? How much do different fellowship experiences affect these results? How about education level? Number of years a person is a Christian? And I have many more questions. It is exciting to think about knowing some of these results with a few more years of research.We have collected 55 Spiritual gifts inventories so far at High Pointe, with many more in the works. I thought I would take a snapshot of the gifts distribution at High Pointe so far.

Percentage of Each Gift as Compared to the Total Number of Spiritual Gifts Reported
3% - Administration – Coordination of People & Projects
7% - Administration – Tasks
1% - "Apostolic" / Missional Leadership
3% - Discernment
9% - Encouragement
4% - Evangelism
13% - Faith
4% - Giving
8% - Helping
5% - Hospitality
5% - Knowledge
4% - Leadership
7% - Mercy
3% - Pastoral Care / Shepherding
4% - Prayer
1% - Prophetic Ministry
6% - Service
2% - Speaking
6% - Teaching
6% = Wisdom

Percentage of People Who Have a Particular Gift at High Pointe
16% - Administration (Coordination)
39% - Administration (Tasks)
7% - "Apostolic"/Missional Leadership
16% - Discernment
50% - Encouragement
20% - Evangelism
77% - Faith
23% - Giving
48% - Helping
30% - Hospitality
27% - Knowledge
25% - Leadership
39% - Mercy
16% - Pastoral Care/Shepherding
23% - Prayer
5% - Prophetic Ministry
34% - Service
9% - Speaking
36% - Teaching
34% -Wisdom

These results are very interesting. For instance, these numbers confirm a very high percentage at High Pointe report a gift of faith. What are the implications of this as we plan our ministries, goals, and missional outreach? I plan on comparing these numbers over time, as well as comparing them to the Liberty Church of Christ, where I was previously a minister. These numbers also have a high percentage of church leaders who have taken the survey, which probably tilts the numbers towards certain gifts.

What do you think of these numbers? Is there anything that stands out in your mind, is surprising, etc.? What implications does this have for ministry at High Pointe and in the church at large?

Sunday Reflections on Fatherhood, Tim Russert

Sunday was Father's Day. Sadly, one of the great fathers and propropents of fatherhood, Tim Russert, died last Friday. Russert was one of my favorite political commentators. As the head of NBC news division and host of Meet the Press, Russert was one of the most influential men in our nation. I liked the fact that he was tough on all politicians, asking real questions. But he always did this without being mean-spirited.

Russert wrote two books on fatherhood in the last few years. The first, Big Russ and me, tells the story of his relationship with his father. This personal story had unexpected success, becoming a New York Times bestseller. Tim received 60,000 letters from people who told the story of their own fathers, and he compiled many of these in the book Wisdom of Our Fathers. Tim not only loved his father, but he loved his son, and himself sought to be a good father.

On Sunday, I weaved Russert's life throughout the sermon, talking about how good fathers are hard workers, providers, disciplinarians, encouragers, and lovers of children.

Fatherhood is so little appreciated today. This was one of the reasons I so appreciated Russert. Despite his incredible work ethic and ability, he always said that his family came before his work. His joy for family, people, and life will be missed as much as his incredible mind.

At the end of the sermon, I encouraged fathers to tell their children that they loved them, and vice versa. Russert died at the age of 58--too short a time. If you have not said these words recently to your father or to your children, there is no better time than now. We may not get another chance.

Why do you think fathers and fatherhood are not held in higher esteem in today's world? What do you think are important characteristics of good fathers?

How the Clothes Closet led to a new Bible study

I had meetings just about all day, all of which went well. One of the meetings was with those interested in the clothes closet ministry at High Pointe. We have some older workers who need to take a break from this ministry, and a need for newer workers, including some younger ones, to come on board.

It looks like a good team is emerging for this, with people gifted in service, mercy, and evangelism like Garth, along with those gifted in administration like Teresa. We even have people gifted in "tongues"--well, at least people like Diane who can speak Spanish! It was a blessing to be able to help get this ministry re-charged, facillitate the process, and then to let others run with it as much as possible. I'll be there to provide some guidance, evangelistic thrust, funds, and attention wherever needed.

While we were meeting, an single African-American mother named Pauline came in who had recently been released from prison. She needed a ride over to a house. One of our secretaries, Rebecca, offered her kindness, treating her with respect, talking with her, and listening to her story. Rebecca and I prayed for her, and then I took Pauline over to the hourse where her car was. As we rode, we discussed her life. I told her about the clothes closet, which she was interested in. She then said that she was looking to do some Bible study to "keep her out of trouble," and of course I offered to study with her. We are planning to study together after she comes to the Clothes Closet opening on Sat., June 21st. She was also looking to connect with some other single parents. I recently had some people in the congregation who came to me, wanting to start this type of outreach. So perhaps I can bring them into the study.

So while meeting about the clothes closet, God sends someone our way who is interested in the clothes closet and Bible study. Wow! God is at work.

This ministry has great potential to expand. Several people came up to me on Sunday after I mentioned it in the sermon, wanting to help. One was even a visitor! People really want to be a part of a church that serves the community. In fact, they will flock to such a church. Many times it is not the people that you serve whom who reach through the service, but others who see these works and who want to be a part of them.

What do you think abou the importance of service ministries like the Clothes Closet?

Who was Titus?

Last night in our Wednesday night class, our teacher, Bill, gave an overview of the Pastoral letters. One of the Pastoral letters is Titus. Bill raised a good question there, saying, who was this Titus? And what did he do that made him so important as to have Paul write a letter to him that would become part of the New Testament canon?

So I did a search for all of the references to Titus in the NT, and the search came up with the following 13 verses.

• 2 Cor 2:13 - I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia.
  
• 2 Cor 7:6 - But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,
  
• 2 Cor 7:13 - By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.
  
• 2 Cor 7:14 - I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well.
  
• 2 Cor 8:6 - So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.
  
• 2 Cor 8:16 - I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you.
  
• 2 Cor 8:17 - For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative.
  
• 2 Cor 8:23 - As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ.
  
• 2 Cor 12:18 - I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not act in the same spirit and follow the same course?
  
• Gal 2:1 - Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.
  
• Gal 2:3 - Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.
  
• 2 Tim 4:10 - for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
  
• Titus 1:4 - To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

From these passages, it is clear that Titus was a great help, comforter, and co-worker of Paul and others. It is always great to find close companions and friends in the Lord, people that we dearly love. I am blessed to have many friends like this.

What do you find most interesting in these references to Titus?

Thoughts on Shepherding

Yesterday, we installed four new shepherds at High Pointe. Following along with the typical Timothy/Titus minister role of installing new shepherds, I gave the new shepherds a charge to be the type of shepherd outlined in Scripture. I read from John 10, 1 Timothy 3, and 1 Peter 5.

As I read these passages, there were several things that ran through my mind then and today.

First, Jesus said that the shepherd knows the sheep and that they know his voice. In order to truly be a shepherd, one must have a following--a group of people who willing follow this person and come to them for help and guidance.

Second, the "characteristics" of shepherds that are listed are almost exclusively about character and way of life. This should point towards the emphasis in shepherding--that these are men who demonstrate to God's people what it means to walk with God.

Third, not only is shepherding itself a gift (Eph. 4:11), but there are at least other gifts associated with shepherding: teaching and hospitality. Teaching is related to not only knowledge imparted, but to a way of life that can be imititated. Since we are in the middle of a series on hospitality, I found the reminder that hospitality is a quality of a shepherd interesting. The word for hospitality in 1 pet. 4:0 literally means "love of stranger," and refers to the welcoming of those who are aliens, strangers, and those in need. This is a behavior that Peter encourage Christians to extend to one another. Shepherds must be welcoming!

What do you think are the most essential qualities of shepherds?

A church that voluntarily gave up a $50,000 sign

As a guy with interest in advertising and design, I am a fan of having church signs. Of course, this is about step number 19 or 20 in reaching people for Christ. People have to be looking for God and looking for a church in order to want to worship with a church. And some of the places that Christianity is exploding are in places like China, where Christianity is basically illegal and no signs are allowed. So we definitely should not overly rely upon them. Still, I'm for them in the US.

I was pretty amazed at a story that David Duncan, minister at the Memorial Church of Christ in Houston, TX, told at the OC Quest lectures. The Memorial church sits in a 1 mile by 1 mile little province in the middle of Houston--a province that is notoriously difficult to deal with. The church had decided to add a new sign on their property, a $50,000 sign, no less. Hey, if you've got the funds (and they definitely do), go for it. Well, the day the sign went up, the city said that they were in breach of code. The church said that it had been approved. The city then fired the person who approved the sign that very day.

The church took a stand for some time, insisting on their legal rights. But then they said, this is not the kind of relationship we want with our community. So they voluntarily took down a $50,000 sign.

They then went over to the high school, which is literally across the street from the church, and they asked them how they could serve them. Parking is horribly limited there, and so the church began to offer free parking for some of the groups that met at the school. They even allowed their parking lot to be striped like a football field so that the drill team could practice in their parking lot. They now have more traffic on a weekly basis from this than they probably would have ever had from their sign. Most importantly, they became a servant to the community.

Having had some history with this congregation, I was very encouraged and inspired to hear this wonderful story. I'm greatful for David and his leadership there, seeking to help the church there become a "missional church."

What do you think of this story?

The Bush administration and WMD--discounting contrary evidence

A recent report charges that the Bush administration discounted intelligence discussions that doubted the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. See the article at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080606/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iran_intelligence_11. To be fair, "intelligence" by its nature usually fails to be 100% conclusive. I want to use this example to bring out a point on biblical issues.

There is a tendency to create a Scriptural paradigm, and to discount any passages that seem to conflict with this paradigm. But Scripture often has a funny way of not blowing paradigms.

For instance, Paul took a vow, even though Jesus spoke against vows.
Paul went and offered a sacrifice in the temple, even though he was under the new covenant.
The kingdom of God is said to come upon those whom Jesus healed, even though the kingdom was supposed to come in a fuller way at Pentecost.
Creation is longing to be restored, even though there is supposed to be destruction by fire.

Being intellectually honest requires us to fairly acknowledge all legitimate points of view. In fact, when we do this, we actually make our argument stronger.

What verses do you feel that the church discounts or ignores?

My experience at OC's Quest Lectures

Last Thursday afternoon, Becki and I got into the car and headed off to Oklahoma City for OC's lectureship. The OC Lectures are now named "Quest," and they have a new format that includes some highly interactive sessions after each lecture. They are also offering specialized tracks throughout the year.

I am one of those helping with the Missional Church track. Last year I was on the Missional Church panel and helped facillitate, and this year I gave three presentations on the missional church. It seemed to be well received, with high attendance in the classes and good participation. I am encouraged that the missional movement has begun in the heart of Oklahoma, and that people are responding. A couple of years ago I had done some presentations on this concept with the staff of the Edmond Church of Christ, sponsored by my dear friend and mentor, Don Vinzant. One of the deacons from Edmond that was at the session said that the Edmond church had been seeking to go down the missional path for the last couple of years. It was great to hear that this was spreading beyond the top leadership there.

I also heard some great missional concepts in David Duncan's presentation. David, who was on staff at Edmond a couple of years ago, and who is now the preaching minister at the Memorial Church of Christ in Houston, Texas, gave a fabulous talk on serving the community. More on that later.

One of the things that was suggested that we cover next year in the missional church sessions was practical implications of the missional church. Mission's relationship to worship was also suggested as a topic. I am excited that people are looking forward to next year. I'm grateful to John Harrison and Don Vinzant, the co-directors of Quest, for their leadership in this area. Interactive formats are the way of the future, and may be able to help bring back the next generations. See http://blogs.oc.edu/ee/?/quest/index

Do you like interactive formats, lecture formats, or a combination of both?