Taking in a girl from the streets

With several deadlines, hurricane Ike, an upcoming Spiritual gifts seminar this Saturday, and a crisis with one of our friends, I knew that I would need to work through my day off this week.

So I was at Starbucks today, working on various things, when a woman who was sitting nearby hesitantly approached me. She asked me what I was reading. Again, I was looking through the Using Your Spiritual gifts material. She asked what it was, and I replied that it is a study that seeks to help people discover how God has made them, and how they can use their gifts to serve God and others.

This woman clearly was "down on her luck." She had been crying. She needed rest and a warm shower. As I began to gently ask questions, she told me her story.

She had come down to see her grandmother, having taken a bus to see her. McKinney was an intermediate stop on her way back to Ohio. But someone had stolen her bus ticket. Her husband's phone was disconnected. And she had no money.

For the past few days she had slept in the place where they put shopping carts oustide at Kroger's. During the day, she hung out at Starbucks, and the workers had showed kindness to her, offering her free drinks and letting her stay there all day.

I asked her, If you could ask God one question, what would it be? She said, What is my purpose? Why am I here? She had been abused by two men--the second had left her with a noticable limp. She had made mistakes in her past, but had managed to finish high school. But church people had treated her cruelly. She had dabbled in witchcraft, but then put that behind for Christ. Still, she had tried to commit suicide.

I asked her if she had eaten, and she said she had not. So I offered to take her to go eat, and she readily agreed. Alyssa, one of the Starbucks workers, agreed to watch her bags while we went to go eat.

I called Becki to join us for this meal, and had Christy, one of our secretaries, call about a bus ticket to Akron, Ohio. No bus left today, but one would leave the next morning. I had Christy order the ticket online. Then we told Vanessa that we had bought her a ticket, and told her that we would put her up in our home tonight. She started to cry, and was very thankful.

Vanessa came home with us. After cleaning up, she played with the kids, who enjoyed playing with her. She showed me some of her pcitures on facebook, including the one I've posted here. It is a reminder that those who are homeless, even temporarily, either have or at one time were a part of, a family.

Vanessa said that this was the compassion that she had not received from church people. They had been harsh and judgmental, telling her she was going to hell.

I do not know what will happen with Vanessa when she gets back home. I do not know if she will have a husband there or not. But I hope that somehow this encounter may help restore her faith in God and his purpose for her life.

I never thought that I would be encountering someone like Vanessa at Starbucks. It seems, for whatever reason, God is sending people into our lives that really need help.

Have you ever had an encounter like this? Have you ever felt that God has put someone in your path to help?

The Power of a Praying Wife - How this book led to a Spiritual conversation

Today I went into FexEx Kinko's to have bound some copies of Using Your Spiritual Gifts. The woman at the counter, Shaunna, knew exactly what I wanted to have done. She said that "some guy" comes in each week to do this. (Others from the church have gone to have these bound). Here is how our conversation went:

Shaunna: So are you a part of a church or something?

James: Yes--the High Pointe Church of Christ, right up the road. (I describe where it is.)

Shaunna: I need to go to a church. Do you have a Wednesday night service? I work on Sundays.

James. Yes, we do. Are you married?

Shaunna: Yes, I am.

James: We have a class on The Power of a Praying Wife.

Shaunna: I've heard that is a good book. Lord knows I need all of the prayers I can get. (Someone else at the counter said, Me too.) I'll be there Wednesday.

One of the benefits that we have in living in a "Spiritual" culture is that there are many books and films that have religious themes that are very popular. People who do not "go to church" read these books. They are at Barnes & Noble and in the checkout aisle at the grocery store.

Shaunna was familiar with Stormie Omartian's book, The Power of a Praying Wife. See http://www.highpointechurchofchrist.org/womens-bible-study for this study that is being offered at High Pointe. It happens not only to be popular, but also a very good book.

We can use the spirituality that is in our culture to reach out to others. I recommend that Christians carry copies of popular Spiritual books to work and have these lying out on their kitchen counters. These books can spur Spiritual conversations.

What popular books on Christianity or Spirituality do you see in the checkout aisle or elsewhere?

National Day of Encouragement

Good job, guys! Today is National Day of Encouragement. I heard about it while driving into work today. And since it was not a "national day" that I had heard of before, I googled it.

Here is what Wikipedia says about the National Day of Encouragement.

"The National Day of Encouragement was announced in 2007 and hopes to occur each year on September 12th.

The Encouragement Foundation at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas launched an all-out effort to get Americans to participate in this Day of Encouragement. The first proclamation for the Day of Encouragement was made by Mayor Belinda LaForce of Searcy, Arkansas on August 22, 2007. In September the honorable Mike Beebe, the Governor of Arkansas, signed a proclamation making September 12th 2007 the 'State Day of Encouragement' for Arkansas. President George W. Bush also signed a message making September 12th the official, 'National Day of Encouragement.' The Encouragement Foundation is already making plans to get more states involved in next year's National Day of Encouragement."

So this day was started by Harding University--it is a small world. Below are some news articles on this day.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/arkansas-founded-national-day-encouragement-gets/story.aspx?guid=%7B1DA14193-80D4-40A6-8F77-D1C01AE28203%7D&dist=hppr

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/harding-university-challenges-oklahoma-tennessee/story.aspx?guid=%7BE1284650-9C76-4ED9-9557-ED0A93B1B12C%7D&dist=hppr

http://www.wgntv.com/pages/landing/?Chicagos-Very-Own-National-Day-of-Encour=1&blockID=54860&feedID=209

What do you think of this day and this story? Do we need more encouragement?

Fireproof your marriage!

Below is a recommendation from one of my friends in Kansas City, Janet, about a movie that is coming out in a couple of weeks. One of our memers here, Gary, has also sent me information about this movie. It is a movie that can help our marriages. Check out her story below!
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Last week Karie and I won tickets to see an advanced prescreening of a movie from K-LOVE (a local radio station). Tuesday night was the big night and I have to write to you and encourage you in the strongest words possible to go see the movie when it comes out.

The movie was "Fireproof". It is made by the same people (a large Baptist church in Georgia) that made "Flywheel" and "Facing the Giants". While their previous two movies were excellent, they did seem to lack a bit in quality (such as filming, acting, effects, etc), but not this time. For this movie they actually hired a Hollywood studio to help them (Samuel Goldwyn Pictures (He was the "Goldwyn" of Metro Goldwyn Maier (MGM)), so the special effects, filming, and acting are just as good as anything that Hollywood can produce.

Now the important part...it is the story of a couple who are having SEVERE marriage trouble and are on the brink of divorce. Days before they were to file for divorce, the husband's (Kirk Cameron) father challenges him to a 40 day love dare. This is a wonderful story of how God brought their marriage from the brink of divorce and restored them and of how God worked through them individually to bring them to Christ. This is a completely 100% clean movie with absolutely nothing objectionable in it and it has a VERY powerful and positive message of marital commitment and faith in God.

The movie is being released nationwide on Friday, September 26. The theaters have agreed to give it only a 1 week trial run. What this means is that if there aren't enough people that go to the movie on Friday, Saturday and Sunday September 26-28, then after the first week it will be pulled from the theaters. This movie has such a powerful life-changing message that has the potential of changing tens of thousands of lives and marriages as well as introducing these people to God, it would be a terrible shame for this to only be in theaters for 7 days. I encourage all of you to make plans now go to this movie on one of these three days and bring as many people with you as you can. I know movie tickets are expensive but I strongly believe it is money well spent.

To see a movie trailer, learn more about the movie or to see a complete listing of all theaters nationwide that will be playing this movie, go to www.fireproofthemov ie.com.

What struggles do most marriages face? How can we best "fireproof" our marriages?

Government bails out mortgage companies-a sign of irresponsibility in society?

On Monday, the government decided to guarantee the loans of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, two private mortgage companies that provide funding for 3/4 of home loans in the US. These companies made millions while times were good, but now are being bailed out by the government because of the sub-prime mortgage mess.

While the presidential candidates have been clamouring for the government to do something about the mortgage crisis, in fact, this act may anger many voters. See http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080909/pl_nm/usa_politics_bailout_dc_1. The majority of home owners have been responsible with their mortgages, and this action seems to reward risky and irresponsible behavior by homeowners and companies.

Is this government bailout a sign that people today do not want to take responsibility for their actions?

A conversation with a former Boston movement member

Yesterday, we had lunch with a family from High Pointe who was converted to Christ by members in the Boston Movement. The Boston Movement, now called the International Churches of Christ was a discipleship movement in churches of Christ that arose twenty years ago or so. In its best moments, it challenged Christians to a devoted life to Christ and a commitment to evangelism. At its worst moments, it was controlling, highly manipulative, and cultlike. My friend at lunch said that we ought to keep the former, and avoid the latter.

Most every moment like this starts because something is missing in the church. While the Boston movement may have gone astray, it was seeking to correct a real problem in the church--complacency and a luke warm faith. Discipleship should not be controlling and hierarchical--it should be mutual and relational. However, many Christians have no people in their lives with whom they seek to grow in their faith, and most Christians are not seeking to share their faith. The result is a shallow Christian experience that reaches no one. This must change, both for our sake and the world's.

Have you had any experience with the Boston movement?

New evangelistic Bible study begun with young man

I did not have a chance to write about it yesterday, but on Tuesday I began another evangelistic Bible study with a young man. He is the boyfriend of one of our young adults. We had a great first study out at Starbucks. This young man has a belief in God, but has questions about suffering, Christ's divinity, and the many different religions that exist.

These questions are common for people today. If there is a God, why is there such suffering? While this question has been asked before, today it is personal. If there is a God, why has such suffered happened to me? Why is my life such a mess and so painful?

The question of Jesus' divinity is alive and well today, as movies like the Da Vinci Code show. In fact, 42$ of Americans believe that Jesus sinned while on earth. http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=122

In regards to other religions, Barna also reports that 44% of Americans believe that "the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths."

The evangelistic Bible study that we are going through together is a study that I have written for people who are asking just these questions. It is called The Story of Redemption. You can download a free copy of this study at http://www.storyofredemption.com/page4.html.

But Bible study alone will not reach many seekers today. They must experience the Christian faith. Try it out. See if it "works." See if it brings meaning and value into their lives. And so along with study, we must invite seekers to come alongside of us and serve with us, pray with us, share fellowship with us. Of course, in order to do this, this must be a life that we are living ourselves.

We should not be afraid of learning truth by experience. If Christianity is true, it ought to be true on every level.

What are the dangers of learning truth only through experience or only through the mind?

High Pointe helps provide clothing for those displaced by the hurricane Gustav

Today, High Pointe was asked to provide clothing for some local citizens who have not been able to return home yet because of hurricane Gustav. Some of our workers from the Clothes Closet and outreach team worked today to put together the clothing requests and deliver them. A big thanks to these workers.

It is great that others are beginning to see High Pointe more and more as a church that provides help for those in need. There are three more potential hurricanes heading to the coasts, so we need to be ready to respond as a church.

Do you know anyone who has been affected by Gustav?

Divorce Care and Recovery group gathered at our house

Last night we invited over to our home anyone who had been through a divorce, either as an adult or as a child, or those who simply had a heart for this ministry. It was the first group that we have had over in our new home, and we had 27 adults come out to this gathering.

Those present briefly told of their interest in the gathering and briefly told their stories. Then we ate. This was followed by a discussion about what the needs were for this group, and what opportunities also existed in reaching out.

The needs of this group include:

• Social needs - There is a need for those who are divorced to feel like that "they have a place." With so much of church life focused around married people and some of the marginization of this group in the past, this feeling of belonging is important. It was decided that a monthly gathering in a home, with a meal, and a time for people to more extensively tell their stories--basically, the format of the gathering at our house--was the best format for this.
• Study needs - Several expressed the desire to study marriage, divorce, and remarriage. There are many challenging issues here of course, and this is not an abstract issue--it has a major impact on people's lives. In my own mind on this issue, some things seem clear, while others are less clear. I usually have to take things on a case by case issue. A teacher was identified for this type of class.
• Recovery needs - For those who have very recently gone through a divorce, working through issues like hurt and anger are especially needed. One ministry tool, DivorceCare, was identified by one of those attending as a good resource. Something like this needs to be offered in the future.

In regards to outreach, the monthly social gathering is a great place that those who have gone through a divorce can invite others to attend. A DivorceCare type of offering is something that can be promoted and advertised to the community. One person told me that it would be good to have this type of ministry offered during the Holidays--a particularly difficult time for those who have experienced divorce, as this traditional time for family gatherings is often a time of pain due to family separation.

Matters of divorce are not easy. Of course, divorce happens for all kinds of reasons, and there are always two people involved. Many times, divorced people are misunderstood as well. For instance, one divorced person I know has told me that she was not looking for someone to say that what she had done was okay--but she wanted to be loved and have someone walk with her. That is what we should do for all of us, no matter what we have gone through. As Philip Yancey says, the church is a hospital. Another person has told me that though his divorce was the result of his wife leaving him, he has not been asked to teach or do anything in worship since that time. This should not happen.

May we reach out to all people, no matter where they are, with love, grace, and truth.

McCain Picks Sarah Palin, Alaska's 44 Year Old Governor, as VP

Well, I had planned on blogging today about Barak Obama's Democratic nomination presidential acceptance speech last night. And then the news of John McCain's vice presidential pick began to leak out.

According to reports, McCain has picked Sarah Palin, the young Alaskan governor. She is pro-life, a mother of five (one child with Down's Syndrome), a former Ms. Alaska runner-up, and clearly an outsider to Washington.

McCain has definitely succeeded in changing the conversation from Obama's historic night. This will give some excitement and interest to McCain's campaign. And this is a play for disenchanted Hillary Clinton supporters, who are disappointed that she was not the Democratic nominee. These are positives for him.

On the negative side, she only has two and a half years of experience in state wide office. This makes it harder to make the experience argument against Barak, which is easily one of the best arguments against him.

This is definitely a gamble, which speaks a lot of McCain's personality. It looks like he really is a Maverick.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/29/sarah-palin-seen-as-gop-rising-star/

What do you think of McCain's pick?

Brian McLaren Endorses Obama - Should this be the role of a religious leader?

Well known Christian author Brian McLaren endorses Barak Obama for president in this youtube video. Should this be the role of a religious leader?

The long history of Christendom shows the dangers of the church being too closely aligned with the state. Inevitably, the church begins to use power to accomplish its purpose, rather than transformation. And corruption seems to quickly follow. Furthermore, many non-Christians see Christians as being too involved in politics.

On the other hand, should Christians pretend like the politial process has no bearing on our faith? What about Rick Warren's interviews with Obama and McCain? Was this a good or bad thing?

The Office: What challenges do you face at work?

One series that I am planning coming up will be "The Office: Practical Christianity at Work" or something like that. More and more, people are looking for help in living out their faith in practical ways. They want help in daily Christian living.

In the past, Christianity has been perpetuated as primarily a Sunday thing. Spiritual gifts were determined so you could serve on Sunday. In the church building. In the nursery. Etc. Things are great things to do and great places to serve. But so often, there was zero application for the overwhelming amount of time people spend in their neighborhoods, at home, and in the workplace. This is why in our Spiritual gifts assessments, we seek to cover all of these areas, and not just sign people up for church-based ministries.

So, to help me in this series, I ask you--what challenges do you face in your job/workplace?
What stresses?
What frustrations?
What challenges to your faith?
To your ethics?
To your morality?
To your family?
What is life like in corporate America?
What is your boss like? Your colleagues?
What opportunities do you see?

We can not get enough food---for those who are in need

When I say that we can not get enough food, I do not mean us personally. Most of our waistlines attest that we get enough food. I am talking about food for our food pantry.

We put out a call last week to our members, alerting them that our food pantry was empty. On Sunday, we had bags and bags of food lined up outside the office doors. This shows the great hearts of our people, who respond generously when they know about needs.

This week--unbelievably, most of the food is all gone. We have had a flood of people coming in who need groceries. We give them food and pray for them. One man, Christopher, when I asked if we could pray for him, hugged me and starting crying uncontrollably. As Linda, our secretary, and I prayed for him, he continued to cry. He has seven children, and wants to provide for his family. He said that his grandfather was a Baptist minister, and that his grandfather said that if he needed help, the church would be there for him.

Christopher was also interested in work. Interestingly--coincidentally--providentially?--someone (we are not sure who) called in this week to the office, saying that they needed some fence work done. When Christopher said that he was interested in work, Linda told him about the fence work that needed to be done. He said, "I'm a fencer." So we are going to try to follow-up on this. Coincidence--or providence?

I plan on communicating to our members that the food pantry is a constant need, not a one time emergency low. With the downturn in the economy, our location, and what we are asking God to do--to use us serving the community--we are getting a tremendous number of people coming in. We spent almost half the morning today distributing food, talking with, and praying for those who came in. If we will each just buy a little extra when we get our groceries and bring in, we can continue to provide food for our community.

How do stories of people like Christopher affect you?

Providing Work for Those in Need

We're back!


There is a lot of "catch-up" to do from being gone. You know how it goes. But with email and my Blackjack, there were not too many surprises. With email and my Blackjack phone, for better or for worse, I kept up with most of what was happening while away. You are less overwhelmed when you get back, but you are potentially more distracted while gone. Maybe we should just check email while traveling to and from our vacation spot.

One thing that is clear is that there are still a number of ministries that we need to develop/shore up, such as the Young Professionals ministry, ministry to widows, etc.

Another ministry that we need to develop is that of providing work for those who need it. We always give food and clothing for those who come in to the church building who have financial needs; however, there are often other, legitimate needs that we cannot meet. A Hispanic man named Christopher came in today needing help with his electricity bill. We do not have funds for this, but I offered him some yard work for $10 an hour at my house. (This is the second guy I have employed.) He was very eager to do this. So he will be here shortly, and I'll get him started.

We need to get a list of people who would be willing to offer work for those who need it. Yard work seems to fit the background of most of those who are coming in. It also is a bit safer, since it is outside. The people coming in, however, have not seemed like threats at all. They simply need work.

Would you be willing to offer work to those who need it? If so, what kind of work would you offer?

Alan Hirsch is coming out with two new books!

Alan Hirsch, world renowned missional leader, author, and my teacher at Fuller Theological Seminary, is coming out with two new books by November. I could not be more thrilled. The first is The Forgotten Ways Handbook, a practical, follow-up work to The Forgotten Ways. The Forgotten Ways is the best book I've read on creating missional church movements, structures, and leadership in a local church. My class was blessed to be one of the first to go through this material, as Alan gave us a pre-publication copy and went through the material with us. The missional handbook should be a great practical tool. See http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Ways-Handbook-Practical-Developing/dp/1587432498/ref=pd_bbs_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218903978&sr=8-5.

The second work, ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church, is a Christological look for how we should live, based upon the lifestyle of Jesus. I know that Alan has been working on this book for a couple of years now with Michael Frost (a phenomenal speaker and evangelist).

There is an interesting phenomenon about Alan's works. Most people who have a heart or gifting for mission read them and think, wow, this is dead on. It is--true, so very true. It touches on all of the things that I've been thinking about. In fact, I probably could have written this book or would have over time. In discussing this with him over lunch one day at a little diner in Pasadena, Alan said that this feeling was a common phenomen. He took it as a sign that this was the work of the Holy Spirit, and that these thoughts were not just things that he had dreamed up on his own.

If you are interested in the missional movement, you could not do better than to read Hirsh's works. Here is the link to the works on Alan's blog. http://www.theforgottenways.org/blog/2008/08/15/two-new-books-by-novemberyay/#more-474

Have you read any of Hirsh's works? Did you get any sense that you had had some of these ideas somewhere in your mind?

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?