Duggar Family --- this morning in church I asked what people knew about them .. as part of a quick series of pictues of famous families.  As things were said across the congregation, one voice said "They're Mormon" ... and without thinking or correcting ... I repeated that statement.  I want to apologize as the Duggars are a Christian family that are associated doctrinally with Baptists.  This can be found by browsing the internet. That is what happens when in a person repeats things without stopping to think about what one is saying.  Again ... I apologize for not correcting the statement.

Super Heros

When I was a child I had visions of being Super Man.  A real American hero who would out perform any Olympic track star (“faster than a speeding bullet,” etc.), stand up against evil and uphold the American way, and save damsels from distress (there was only one girl of interest on my block and she was the object of my 8 year old desire).

The television shows about Super Hero’s fueled my passion and my dreams and the comic strips and books of the late 1950’s gave me reading material for late at night.  I played Super Hero games in the orchards, at the neighbors, and around the “block” that I lived on.  I had a cloak of invisibility or cape, anti-gravity boots, a cool costume, and a mask to hide my Super identity.  I was in every way a Super Hero and my mother’s smirky smile just confirmed my ever growing confidence level.

I guess I wanted to be significant, to do something significant, and to leave a significant impact upon my world (which was made up of one city block in Springfield, Michigan).  I wanted the younger kids like George, Tom, Donnie, Phil and Steve to look up to me and to want to do the things that I had done or was in the process of doing.  At that age, the dirtiness of sin or ego hadn’t really corrupted my motives --- I really wanted my block to be a good place for a kid to grow up and play … and for families to enjoy life.

So I flew, I ran, I fought the shadows, and I developed skills that would enhance my ability in this cause.  And today … I still want to be a Super Hero to some kid, some younger person, or some young Christian who wants to make a difference.  But now I am very aware of my limitations and humanity … I’m older and I don’t fly as high as I used to, I run … but in too many directions, while physically stronger now … I have far more enemies and villains to fight then I used to, and my skills often grow rusty from the damp spirit of complacency that creeps over me like a morning fog.

But my desire is still there … I still want to be a Super Hero … I still want to make a difference … and I still hear the approving voice … not just from my 92 year old mother but from my never-aging eternal Father.

I hope that as you age … and mature … that you stay childlike in your dreams and desires and listen to the voices that approve of you as a Super Hero.

Fly High!  Run Fast! Fight Hard!  Keep developing and using the skills to impact your world!  And most of all find a younger person and inspire them to do likewise.

 

 

 

SUMMER MEMORIES ...

MEMORIES - Barbara Streisand sang that song decades ago and its haunting melody will still occasionally drift through my sub-conscious; especially when there are transition points in life.  Below, I’ve shared just a few of my memories from this summer and ask that you reflect on these and your own, and then mull over the questions that I’ve provided.  Happy memories :)

 

... alone in the midnight

I can dream of the old days

Life was beautiful then

I remember the time I kenw what happiness was

Let the memory live again ...

Memory – This has been the most incredible summer in my short, and yet long life.  Seemingly endless sun, the scent of a beautiful spring lawn, the vivid color of growing flowers, the joy of those non-existent mosquitos (at least so far), and lying on a beach in Florida “watching” life and people with a group of surfers.

·         What natural and social joys have you discovered or re-discovered this year?

Memory – Spending four months on The Game, clarifying to the best of my ability the disciple making process that we use at Grace Church and challenging people to Get Into The Game.

·         Where are you in The Game and what are the next steps for your spiritual development?
 

Memory – Two weeks in India connecting with key disciple making leaders in that nation and from around the world.  In particular, a trip up a long winding river on an old diesel billowing boat, the shores lined by tall smoking chimneys that produced bricks from the mud of the river bank, the excited faces villagers as they ran to the shore and waved, and then spending a hot afternoon in a tiny village telling the inhabitants the story of Jesus.  Men, women, and children responded eagerly with many questions and in the process a new church was born.  I walked away smiling and thanking God for the chance to see the book of Acts in person and awed by the power of the Spirit in the darkness of paganism.

·         How have you seen God work in the midst of cultural and spiritual darkness, and in what ways did you partner with Him?

Memory – Spending time with committed workers and leaders of the church; hearing their pain, their failings, their joys, their dreams, their ideas, and the story of their lives has made me feel part of a team and part of something that really matters.

·         Who are those people that challenge you spiritually, encourage you emotionally, and refresh you socially?

Memory – Hearing the unmistakable voice of God while walking down a road, feeling His presence while discouraged, and recognizing His prodding to reach out, shut up, do right, and get going at various moments of my 2012 journey.

·         When have you felt God’s nudge upon your life in 2012?

I would love to have you tell me some of your favorite memories of the summer of 2012.  Send me an email and let’s share life …

 

... Daylight

I must wait for the sunrise

I must think of a new life

And I mustnt give in

When the dawn comes

Tonight will be a memory too

And a new day will begin ...

 

 

Back! Wow ... it's been a while!

As a way of getting back into things after a very busy and taxing summer, I wanted to share an article that appeared in Ed Stetzer's blog last week. I thought it would be a good read, especially in light of our conclusion of THE GAME sermon series on being a disciple who makes disciples.

I hope you enjoy the article and that you will be stirred to "be a missionary" where God has placed you right now.

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

I was deeply saddened to hear the news about the passing of Calvin Miller moments ago. It was always a joy to learn from him.

A native of Enid, Oklahoma, Dr. Miller was a faithful servant of the church. Though he only pastored two churches in his lifetime, his 25-years of service at Westside Church in Omaha, Nebraska, shaped his ministry and that of many others. Under his leadership, Westside grew from 10 members to over 2,500 when he left to join the faculty of Southwestern Seminary in 1991. Since 1999, Dr. Miller had served at Beeson Divinity School (one of my alma maters).

A prolific writer, he authored more than forty books and countless poems and free-lance articles.

Dr. Miller was deeply committed to the evangelism, apologetics, and cultural engagement for the cause of Christ. He even contributed a "Letter to the Church" for the Mission of God Study Bible (that essay is below). When he asked me to endorse his book, Letters to a Young Pastor, I felt like a kid was asked to endorse a celebrity. (You should get the book)

He was never one to seek the spotlight like so many others. However, those who knew Dr. Miller knew of his unabashed fervor for the word of God and his desire to make Christ known among the nations.

Dr. Miller knew the importance of story as well. A wonderful wordsmith, he would use the element of story in such a way that cold facts and dry doctrine came to life in ways rarely seen. His poetry was an outpouring of his devotion to both his Savior and his sweetheart, Barbara Joyce.

Like many, I will miss Dr. Miller. He has greatly influenced my, my ministry, and my writings.

As he wrote in his memoir Life Is Mostly Edges:

The edge is a good address. It is a good place to remember our temporariness. It teaches us to spend our time wisely. So our last days can become our best days.

Life is good. So is God.

And life with God is full of glorious daybreaks. After all, it was God who gave me the courage to walk the edges of a life that was never mine!

May we all not take for granted each and every daybreak and remember we are living a life that is ultimately not ours.

Thank you, Dr. Miller.

---

A Letter to the Church by Calvin Miller, from The Mission of God Study Bible

To every Christian who reads this book: you are a missionary. Missions is the joyous work of informing the world that it is loved. Missions is unrelenting in its desire, it pushes in flaming light against the dark walls of human ignorance. It is honest about all things eternal: we can be free only when we know the truth (Jn 8:32).

Missions is clear, cold water--a cup of grace, a draft of life in the desert. It is as free as air, yet as precious as a pearl buried deep in the brokenness of the human spirit (Mt 13:46). Missions is a message, as simple as two words Jesus Saves--one noun, one verb--and yet this simplicity is God's broad banner posted just above the gates of eternity (Lk 19:10).

Missions is ravenous in its hunger to please God. It knows no other purpose for its existence. It lives for the single pleasure of hearing God say, "Well done, good and faithful slave (Mt 25:21). You have told the truth in a false world, you have turned the iron key of liberty in the steel door of hell, and the captives are freed (Lk 4:18)! For this liberation you have been called "missionary."

Missions is a divine madness that hears the voice of God's only begotten, crying from a mountaintop, into all the world (Mt 28:18-20). It takes this cry to bed and pillow every night. It wakes at every dawn, as Christ whispers in the heart, "I was dead, but look--I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades" (Rv 1:18). You must arise for I have come to seek and to save that which was lost. There is no time to waste, the world is loved and doesn't know it. Hold out your hand and I fill it with gold, and you must go out to give the gold away, making rich all those who are poor in spirit (Mt 5:3). Tell all those who starve about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rv 19:9).

To every Christian who reads this book: you are a missionary.

No matter your credentials. All who name the name of Christ have been ordained by the urgency of God's agenda in a fallen world. Missionaries are not just those special few who have accepted some certificate of some profession. They are not servants of a special calling. Missionaries are all those who have said "yes, Lord!" To say "I believe" is to understand that you have accepted the commission to go into all the world, starting right inside your home, your village, your nation, your world. You have been empowered. Christ has breathed upon you (Jn 20:22). When Christ moves in, you move out. Out where? Out there! Outside your narrow life. Anywhere is the place to start. So start. Seek! Knock! Any door will do (Mt 7:7). You need no grand beginning point.

There, it is done! You have spoken to someone the entreaty, "Come with us to Christ!"

Congratulations! You are a missionary and missionaries are the merchants of hope. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring Good Tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, Your God Reigns (Isaiah 52:7).

But be not proud! In redeeming the world all arrogance is precluded. There are no good, arrogant missionaries (2Co 12:5). Christ's ambassadors (2Co 5:20) are men and women made humble by the immense size of the message given to them by Earth's Lover. They feed on the bread they give away. They remember who they were when they met Christ, and just that little act of memory causes them to weep that that they once stumbled into grace, before they were ever called to dispense it. Now they are driven by the joy of God's call, they are the cleansed unclean, the forgiven forgivers, the wounded healers. Nothing is more important than their preachment. They live for it, they die for it (1Co 9:16). They will not change their minds and they cannot change the subject. They are intentional about one truth, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did" (Jn 4:29). I can baptize you only with water, but He will baptize you with fire and the Holy Spirit (Lk 3:16). Thus holding forth the world in their left hand they reach for heaven with their right hand, and the gulf between time and eternity is pulled shut (Lk 16:22). The world at hand is made one with the world that is on the way.

All we who know Him are the heralds of God, missionaries blind to our own greatness because we have served a magnificent obsession, a glorious compulsion, "Jesus lives, Jesus saves." There is no other significant, eternal truth (Ac 4:12).

The day we became missionaries we were no longer good at the sedentary life. The word "go" forbids us to settle into the plush present, for we know that the future is where we were meant to live, for only the future holds the possibility of us making our next disciple (1Co 9:19). Of course we love our last convert, but that believer has only fueled our fever to meet the next one.

Here in this volume you hold the grand marriage of the Word of God and the Commission of God. This is the book that holds the definition of forty holy men, the Bible writers, who have defined the heart of God. Missions plus the Word equals everything. You cannot serve just one of these, for to serve the Book is to serve the mission (Php 2:16). To fail to serve either of them is to choose to serve neither. Read herein what God has for you, then do all that you have read. Only then will you enter into life a whole person waiting on God, and knowing who you are. And knowing who you are you will find pleasure in your identity (Php 3:8,10).

Your life belongs to the world. Your zip code is the globe. You are a missionary.

LIVE WISELY ...

This week the Christian faith lost (in this life) one of its great spokesmen in Chuck Colson.  He was a glowing example of a transformed life, a brilliant speaker, an articulate defender of the faith, a dedicated servant of prisoners and a tireless advocate for the betterment of society.  He wasn’t a perfect man, but he was a good man.

King David prayed to God: "Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life."  Psalm 39:4

Chuck was 80 years young at the time of his home going and since his conversion to Christ; he intentionally lived with the end in view.  Colson understood that he had only one short earthly life to accomplish something significant for the Lord, and he lived with great gusto to that end. 

James the brother of our Lord wrote in chapter 4 of his letter, ¹⁴ “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

It is no different for us.  Our earthly life is so microscopically small in relationship to eternity, and it passes seemingly in the twinkling of an eye – even 80 years.  From time to time we should pause and reflect up on who and what we are living for, the manner of our lifestyle, and the legacy that we will leave behind for others. 

One news commentary stated, “In 2008, Colson was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal for “his good heart and his compassionate efforts to renew a spirit of purpose in the lives of countless individuals.”

What will you be remembered for when your earthly life transitions into your eternal life?  What will be said about you and your life contributions?  Who will you have influenced and will that influence have been for the glory of God and the good of mankind?

We read in Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

The meaning of the original Hebrew is a request that God help us realize how short our lives are.  The implication is that when we realize how little time we have left to live, we should live it wisely.”

May we be challenged by these Biblical truths and by the example of Chuck Colson to live each day wisely - starting today!

EASTER???

John 20:1 - 18

THE CONFUSION

¹ Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. ² So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

·        This week ask a few people about the meaning of Easter and about the empty tomb.  Listen to what they have to say the meaning of the holiday and to their explanation as to why the tomb of Jesus is empty.  Would you describe them as being more Convinced or Confused?

THE EXAMINATION

³ So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. ⁴ Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.

⁶ Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, ⁷ as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.

⁸ Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. ⁹ (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

·        After you talk with people about the meaning of Easter and the subject of the empty tomb, challenge them to honestly examine the historical facts concerning the resurrection of Jesus (offer to provide one of the JESUS books that Grace makes available for this purpose).

THE QUESTION

¹¹ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹² and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

¹³ They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

¹⁴ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”  Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

·        Ask some people this week who Jesus is to them [Liar? Learned Teacher? Lunatic? Legend?  Likeable Guy?  Lord?] and whether they feel they have or can have a personal relationship with Him.

THE REVELATION

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

¹⁷ Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

·        Pray that the Lord will reveal and make Himself known to the people you have talked with and that they might respond positively to Him.

THE CONFESSION

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

·        Use the week of Easter to talk with others about your faith in Jesus … it’s a choice that I hope you will take advantage of.

Are You A Winner??

What would you do with $640 million dollars?



Seems as everyone was talking about it this week and the excitement just continued to grow as time for the Mega Millions Lotto drawing drew close.  It was interesting to listen to what people said they would do with their winnings: “Pay off bills.”  “Quit work.”  “Go on an incredible vacation.”  “Give some to a charity.”  “Help people.”  “Invest a good chunk of it.”  “Help the Lord’s work.”  “Move to a nice place.”  “Build a beautiful home.”  “Buy a championship hunting dog.”  “Fill my car up with gas.”



Maybe even more interesting was the spirit of “good will” that was evident.  I heard statements like “Hope you win!”  “Good Luck!”  and “Remember me with your winnings.” passed around by friends and strangers alike.  Good will that rivaled that of  Christmas and New Year’s.



And somebody did win … although it’s uncertain at this time how many people actually are in on the winning numbers.



The idea of being incredibly wealthy can sure stir the imagination and encourage people to dream toward a brighter tomorrow.



Take a few moments and think about the following passages of Scripture.  They speak of the goodness that God has bestowed upon His children.  As Christians, do they create a sense of excitement within you?  What will you do because of the riches God has given to you?  Has the realty of your inheritance changed your lifestyle and attitude?  Are you living differently because of what God has provided for you?  Has your wealth made you dream “God-sized dreams?”



Ephesians 1:18 ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,



Ephesians 3:16
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,



Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.



1 Timothy 6:17
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.



Philemon 1:6
I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.



Now ask yourself if your excitement over these riches matches what you would have felt had you won the $640 million lotto.  I don’t know about you, but I tend to get excited about what my heart and mind truly values in life. 



Hope you see yourself as a winner today.

DELHI - The Unthinkable Does Exist

If you are a parent, what would be the worst thing that you could image for your children; for your family?  Poverty?  Hopelessness?  Disease?  Unemployment?  Death?  Malnutrition? Addiction?  Children sold into slavery or prostitution?  Starvation?  Abandonment?

Today I saw virtually all of this during a short stint at one of the many slums of Delhi, India - a city that is the 8th largest in the world with over 16 million people.  According to the Hindu News, some 52 percent of the city's population live in the urban slums; where all of the above takes place daily.  And our particular slum had tens of thousands of people living in conditions that bordered on the unthinkable.  Here is just a portion of what I experienced:

**Safe drinking water was problematic, **sewers ran literally down the middle of 8 foot wide alleyways, **homes were stacked on top of each other on every side, **entire families and extended families lived in rooms that are not much bigger than 10 x 10, **disease of every kind was rampant, **tons of garbage was strewn everywhere, **the men and children were wearing mud-caked, dirty, and tattered clothes while the women wore incredibly colored clothing in an attempt to maintain their respectability and culture, **a heavy dank smell choked our sensibilities and airways and left me feeling suffocated, **a feeling of demonic oppression from the countless pagan temples through-out the slum covered us like a heavy morning dew, and **hundreds of children followed us like we were the piped piper leading them from darkness into light.  **Less than 8.2% of the people we saw had a bathroom they could call their own .. the rest had to go in the streets, next to their homes, in the flowing ditches that streamed down "main street," or hike to stand in line at a foul public restroom.

I along with the GYI Lead Team [http://gyi.cc/] were there at the invitation of Rev. Abraham Sahu of the Full Gospel Trust of India / Philadelphia Church [http://www.tfgtrust.org/] to learn how a compassionate church can make a slight dent in the misery of the multitudes of a dark and sin-afflicted world.

The church was truly "Jesus-like" in their attitudes and actions and demonstrated God's love in countless way.  They had a school for all ages, fed hundreds of homeless children, provided business and computer training, ran a Biblical school to introduce people to Christ [only .416% of the people are Christians], established programs to rescue people from addiction, slavery, and prostitution, created a financial institution for the people, ministered to lepers, HIV/AIDS affected people, and the dying, interceded and dealt with those who were demonically oppressed and possessed, and provided legal advice and advocacy to those who need it.

My senses and emotions were on overload as I took this all in and tried to process the "WHY" of the situation.  I wanted to fix it ... or at least help; something that I think any moral caring person would have felt.  But after walking through the slum, talking and praying with residents, and learning hundreds of facts and figures .... I simple sat stunned by it all and reflected on God and His love for humanity. 

What must He think when He sees the effects of man's sin and selfishness upon His children?  I know that my heart felt just a little broken by what I had experienced and I know that His is too --- because He loves all of mankind.  He loves us all so much that He sent His Son to die for the penalty of our sin, to make a way for us to be empowered by His life here, and to seal us for eternity when we turn from our sin and place our complete faith in Him.

That is what the church is all about ... that is what your lives should be all about .... bringing God's love to a world that desperately needs Him.  I hope that Grace will be a church like the church that I experienced today ---

CALCUTTA {Kolkata} -- Where do we even begin?

‎The first few days of my India trip have been spent in Calcutta, India which is a city of 16 million.  I flew from Grand Rapids to Detroit, 8 hours to Amsterdam, 5 hour layover, 8 hours to Delhi, India, 8 hour layover, and then nearly 2 hours to Calcutta. 

The traffic is incredible … how a gazillion cars can all maneuver here … it’s like ants streaming toward or away from a picnic.   

I have been at the GYI Forum listening to discussions and reports on church planting, movement building, and leadership development from around the world.  Today we take several hour bus ride only to then get on boats and take a several hour boat ride up the river to take part in church planting --- Indian village style.  I will be very much like the book of Acts lived out and experienced.

Here’s a brief snapshot of India today:

·         It is the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people (2011 census),

·         One in six people on the planet live in India

·         India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing China with its population reaching 1.6 billion by 2050.

·         India has more than 50% of its population below the age of 25 and more than 65% hovers below the age of 35.

·         It is expected that in 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29 years, compared to 37 for China and 48 for Japan

·         Only the continent of Africa exceeds the linguistic (2000 language groups), genetic and cultural diversity of the nation of India.

·         India is the most populous country of Sikhs, Hindus, Jains and Bahá'ís.

·         India contains the majority of the world's Zoroastrians (even ahead of Iran),

·         India is home to the third-largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia and Pakistan.

The following comments are from Steve Addison, an author on movements of God, on his observations of India.

·         Christianity is an Indian faith - Christianity made it to India during or soon after the apostolic age. There is good reason to believe it was the Apostle Thomas who brought it there.

·         There have been followers of Jesus in India for 2,000 years.  Today Christians account for less than 3% of the population, but they are directly involved in 20% of primary education; 25% of care for widows and orphans; 30% of work with the handicapped, AIDs patients and lepers.

·         In Calcutta we are told that the largest church is 4000 people. The second largest is 400 people.

 70% of India’s 1.2 billion people live in its 600,000 villages, the rest live in the 5,000 towns and 380 cities.  The question from a Christian perspective is … “What will it take to see communities of disciples multiplied throughout every village, town and neighborhood?”

 And that is why I’m in India this week … to learn what we can do to reach the people of India one person at a time.