Dribblings of a disciple

Giving - to church or missionaries or ???

2011-03-08T21:05:00.000+01:00

Just a quick thought for today. As I’m reading through the BIble in a year and am in Numbers and God is instructing the Levites to give a tithe of the Israelites’ tithes, He makes it clear that they are to give the best of what they receive. I’m challenged to consider the quality of my giving and the motive behind my giving.

“You must present one-tenth of the tithe received from the Israelites as a sacred offering to the Lord... Be sure to give to the Lord the best portions of the gifts given to you.” (Numbers 18: 28,29)

Do we give the best of what we receive to our local church, mission agency, missionaries, organizations? Or do they receive from our leftovers? I don’t want to get into the discussion of where your “tithe” should be given, but rather the motive behind our giving and the quality of our gifts.

As a former full-time-on-the-field missionary, I could tell you stories of “gifts” that we received that were more like curses or burdens because they were someone’s cast-offs or leftovers - low in quality, though somewhat higher in quantity (of value).

As well, I can tell you stories (praise God that there are more of these than the other kind) of gifts that we received that were incredible blessings - phenomenal vacations that we could never afford, luxurious dining opportunities, automobiles, computers, money, and so very much more!

All I am asking today is that we look at the QUALITY of our giving more than the QUANTITY of our giving.

In today’s vernacular, “I’m just sayin’...”

Feet in the sand...

2011-01-11T09:24:00.000+01:00

As I mulled over my life today, I recalled a night which I spent on the beach in Hawaii as a college student. I was with some friends and we stayed up all night long talking, laughing and enjoying the cool moist sand under our feet and between our toes.

Still sitting in the sand, we stayed until we watched as the sun rose over the cloudless blue horizon.

It was a spiritual experience that I cannot express in words.

I don’t think I can ever duplicate it either (even if I were to return to Hawaii to the same spot and time of year) - nor do I desire to do so.

I did decide that I wanted my wife & kids (and their spouses) to live through the same experience. Will it be the same for them? I don’t know.

All I know is that the opportunity to experience something so beyond us, so vast, so gorgeous and beautiful is a once-in-a-lifetime deal.

It's okay to be ordinary...

2010-11-11T18:09:00.000+01:00

I've been mulling over this concept for the past week or so - how to glory in the ordinary.

Let me back up a few steps and ask a question: What is this obsession that our society (really, the world) has with super-stardom? Why is it that Hollywood stars (and not so “stars”) have such a hold on our attention? Why do sports “stars” cause fixation with millions of followers? Why do we turn our heads and do double-takes when we see someone “famous”?

What is it within us that draws our attention to others like that in such a way that makes us even frustrated or disappointed with our “ordinary” lives?

I'm struggling to make my own thoughts & feelings tangible as I recognize that it is in the ordinary that God does His extra-ordinary work. It is in the ordinary person that we see our extra-ordinary God!

I'm really wanting to develop this concept more as I have come to realize how ordinary I really am and how important it is to accept that truth so that my extra-ordinary God can use my ordinariness to show His extra-ordinariness to the world.

Our society is so caught up with trying to be extra-ordinary that everyone pursues his/her own path - usually in opposition to that which God desires - and finds themselves trying to be something they're not, thus making themselves ordinary. How many people really reach the level of super-stardom? How many people really will be remembered by the world 10 years after their deaths? How many of us would be recognized by millions of people if our mugs were put on national (or international) TV and nothing else said?

I just want to impact the lives of the folks with whom I'm in daily contact - the ordinary folk, through ordinary relationships in ordinary living. BUT, all of that done under the leading, loving, guiding hand of an EXTRA-ordinary God moving in and through and around me! THAT'S an extra-ordinary life!

“I’m just an ordinary guy walking with an extraordinary God.”

Now, THAT would be an excellent tombstone inscription!

Guest Post: Linda Shattuck

2010-07-20T18:57:00.000+02:00

My wife, Linda, posted this note in Facebook yesterday and I thought it was so good that I’d post it here:

“THE CLOUD” - Linda Shattuck

It's been a little over a year since our return, our permanent return, to the US from Slovakia. Much has transpired. It has not been all easy, but it has been the best. That doesn't mean it has always FELT like it's the best, but since I know that God is in control, then I also know that it is the best. God's plans for me are for my good, to give me a future and a hope.

I've been asked many times how we came to return at this time, how we knew that God was, indeed, bringing us back to live full-time in the US, specifically in Phoenix, AZ. I've had many answers, all make sense, but I had a revelation of sorts last week while walking Lani. I had come home from work and since Kelly had a busy few days, asked me to take her for her walk; to be honest, I was a semi-zombie.. the walking dead! I was talking with God and this thought popped into my mind; the Israelites "wandering" in the desert.

Okay, so what has Israel in the desert have to do with the Shattuck's moving from Slovakia? Well, it isn't the desert! Slovakia was anything but a desert. Beautiful, lush countryside. Phoenix, yep, this is a desert. But the desert isn't the key idea. It's the cloud. If you've read the story of the people of Israel in the desert for 40 years with Moses in the lead (and not because they were lost or Moses, as a man, wouldn't stop to ask for directions), then you know that the people would camp in a spot until it was time to leave. God was present with them, leading them, and protecting them; He was like a cloud during the day, a pillar of fire during the night. When the cloud or fire moved, then the people packed up and moved; when the cloud or fire stayed still, then people camped out. With over 2 million people, can you imagine the size of that cloud? How quickly did it move? I'm guessing, GUESSING, that it wasn't really fast, since people had to get ready and move. I bet that some people noticed it moving before some of the others did. In our case, God was like a cloud over us in Slovakia. About 2 years ago, maybe a little longer, I sensed that the cloud was starting to move, I sensed that God was leading us back to the US. Kelly didn't notice it. Why? Because it wasn't time for him to notice maybe. Who knows? But through lots of haggling and praying, Kelly too noticed that the cloud was moving. I jokingly think that he didn't move until the "sand" of the "desert" beneath his feet began to get too hot to stay still. God used many things, such as finances, and also people to convince both of us that we needed to return to the US.

For now, the cloud, well, in Arizona more like the fire, has settled and we are here, settling in, waiting on God. For now, He wants us to stay exactly where we are. A sign?? In this economy, we both have jobs. In our area, there are a lot of RN's who are out of work, but I have a job that I love. Kelly put in an application for only one organization, went through the hoops, and was hired a little more than a month ago. It would have been SO EASY and really make a lot of sense, for Kelly to have pursued some sort of ministry position. After all, he's really, really good at that. But again, the best. God did not want him to minister in that area but in the secular world, to be salt and light in the darkness, so to speak. He's now working for Apple. We've heard that only 1 in over 300 people who apply with Apple are hired. Kelly is one of them. And, he loves his job too!! God is good ; )

What does the future hold? Only God knows and so we are content to wait. Is it easy? Not all the time but He is faithful, He is trust-worthy, He is able. God lead us here. The cloud/fire is still.

Sex Café

2010-04-15T23:54:00.000+02:00

I haven’t blogged in a long time, but as I came across this blog entry, I just had to put it up on mine. I’ve lived in Europe. It’s still hard to imagine that people can be so base as to sell other humans.
****************

(copied from an entry on FlowerDust)

Thursday morning, our first meeting was with a young woman about my age who, for safety reasons, I’ll identify as L. We met her outside in the middle of the city, where she hopped in our van. I immediately liked her. She was intelligent and witty, and when we asked her where we should go for our meeting, she directed us toward a cafe in a nice part of town and said she had a surprise for us.
We took seats at a table under the patio as the sun was beginning to warm the new spring air. We ordered a round of espresso (tea for me) and began to make introductions. Tom went first. Then Brad. Then me. Then Simon, as he set up his camera so we could film L’s story and hear about what her organization does.

Our waitress, a young, pretty girl who surprisingly spoke enough English that I could actually communicate I wanted green tea instead of black, brought us our drinks. L. took a sip of her cappuccino and asked us if we were ready for our surprise.
After a day like we had yesterday, we were ready for anything.
“The reason I brought you to this cafe is because there is a story here. When I first moved back to Moldova, I came here with a friend. It seems like a totally normal restaurant.”
I looked around. It had nice tables and chairs and the shops across the street were for designer clothes. I didn’t feel like I was in a developing country. I could have been on a street in Paris for all I knew.
“As I spent time here, I learned that this cafe is the main hub for girls that are trafficked out of Moldova.”
Our team sat back stunned. Even S., who is our driver and has worked in the social sector of Moldova for years was shocked.
L. continued to tell us a similar story to what we have heard regarding young girls and the need for jobs. 90% of Moldova immigrates out of the country for work because the unemployment rate here is so high. Girls out of the ninth grade (the required level of completion) when coming from abusive, alcoholic, or unattended homes, as well as orphans, will look for jobs. Foreigners actually own this cafe (amongst others) and will hire the girls as waitresses or cooks or to clean. They learn just enough of several languages over the course of a few months to a year and are promised promotions or transfers in restaurants in other European countries.
And they get trafficked.
I immediately wanted to take our waitress and throw her into our van, knowing what almost certain fate awaited her.
It’s not like this industry is completely a secret, either. Men, especially foreign men, visit these cafes for a reason. If L. and I wouldn’t have been there with the men from our team, more than likely they would have been offered a girl.
I lifted the mug of tea to my lips and wondered how many girls had filled that mug before. How many had served tea in it. How many had bussed it off the table and washed it.
I wondered where they were now.
L. proceeded to go through a newspaper and read to us ads that are ads that are intended to lure girls in. Ads for renting rooms or apartments often get young Moldovan girls and foreign university students kidnapped when they go to see if the apartment is what they’re looking for. Jobs for nannies who can travel. Jobs for waitresses.
She even told us her own story – how, when she moved to Chisinau, she was looking for an apartment. Out of the hundreds of listings on the pages, only a handful or so were legit. She almost went to look at one but had a strange feeling about it after speaking with the owner, so she had a male friend call to check on it.
It was one used for trafficking.
She could have been a victim herself.
As we sat around finishing our drinks, we noticed an ever-increasing stream of foreign men beginning to sit at surrounding tables. They came from inside the cafe and sat and stared at us.

We acted like we didn’t notice, boldly keeping our very large camera out, and kept filming L. and her story.
Before we left, I noticed two young, very pretty girls walking outside the cafe. They were almost too young to be that pretty. One was maybe fourteen – the other one sixteen or seventeen. I was surprised when they walked into the cafe, and later took a seat behind us in the corner of the patio.

They didn’t receive a menu, but a husky middle aged man with salt-and-pepper hair sat down with them. He discreetly handed the older girl a large sum of money. She looked up to him laughing with flirtatious but noticeably empty eyes.
We paid our check and left, as the presence of the traffickers got to be a little too intense. L. and I stood on the sidewalk while Brad went in for a moment and we witnessed another young, pretty woman approaching the cafe. The husky man got up suddenly and began yelling at her. She managed to keep her distance on the other side of the patio railing but they were screaming loudly at each other in Romanian. I asked L. what they were fighting about.
“Something didn’t happen right…something didn’t happen right at all,” is what she said. She nodded over my shoulder.“Those men behind you. They’re not Moldovan. They’re here for something.” I slowly turned around and pretended to look at the cafe door. Two very well dressed middle-eastern men were behind me and seemed to be negotiating with one of the cafe traffickers.
It was surreal. We were standing in the middle of trafficking deals going down all around us and at the same time, families sat at the patio eating brunch. Maybe some of them knew, maybe not.
But the darkness that was now exposed to us was almost blinding.
Here we were.
In broad daylight.
In a nice part of the city.
…buying coffee at the same time girls and sex were being sold.
We walked to our van talking about how we couldn’t believe what just happened. The five of us said goodbye to L. and she walked to wherever it was she was going. What an incredibly brave woman to know exactly what would happen where we would be and to show us exactly what we needed to see.
We waited a few moments and drove around the block, passing the cafe again. The eight or ten men that had been keeping an eye on us were all gone in the five minutes it took us to circle back. The patio, except for a few maternal-esque women and the family, was empty.
I always assumed that sex trafficking went on in the brothels and the strip clubs. In Moldova, there are none. When we’d ask around where this trafficking took place, it seemed like nobody knew.
But when we did find it, it would be like watching a girl get sold outside at a Panera in your nicest suburb.
As I continued thinking throughout the day, I realized that it doesn’t matter what my perception is on how or where or what sex trafficking looks like. I can pretend to be shocked (and honestly still am) that it happened in such an open location.
But the bottom line is this:
We all know it happens.
It happens.
It.
Happens.
It may have been dangerous for us to be there. It probably would be if we went back. But this is a subject we must continue to stare in the face and say – dangerous or not – this can not happen.
This cannot happen on our watch.
Because if we know about it, if it’s happening on our watch, we’re responsible to do something about it.
Today we’ll be learning about what we can do to help stop it. We’ll meet a girl who was trafficked from this exact cafe two years ago and is now in the care of L. and her organization.
I can’t help but wonder if, when she worked in this cafe, she served somebody tea from the same cup I drank from yesterday.

2010-03-09T08:19:00.001+01:00

The gal at Coldstone Creamery made a mistake and gave me way more ice cream than I ordered - I'm NOT complaining!!!

Plantar Fasciitis - argh!

2009-12-22T16:07:00.000+01:00

Got hit by plantar fasciitis this past week. I felt it coming a couple of weeks ago, but thought it was something that I could “push” through and would be fine after some stretching and such.

I’m glad that I have a couple of weeks off from tennis - not because I don’t want to play - au contraire! I’d rather be playing!

But, with the onset of plantar fasciitis, I need to rest my foot and ice it and treat it to get over it, so this is good timing.

Take care of your feet! Once you start having problems with them, it’s hard to find the time to stay off of them!

Encouragement Through A Phone prayer meeting

2009-12-22T15:58:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, the firm of “Four J’s and a K” met by phone to pray for one another as we all are seeking the Lord’s direction for the future.

The four “J’s” stand for the first names of friends of mine and, of course, the “K” is for Kelly.

We met for one hour by tele-conference. We discussed briefly where we were regarding our “job” status and what we believe the Lord has been telling and/or teaching us.

We spent about half of the time in conversational prayer, lifting up one another, seeking Jesus’ face and listening to the hearts of our brothers as they cried out to the Father for guidance, assurance and peace in these tumultuous times of uncertainty.

The pain, frustration, feelings of emasculation and more are only exacerbated by the Christmas season. All of this leads - often - to a sense of loneliness and even abandonment.

If you are unemployed and desperately want to connect with others who are in the midst of the same challenges, feelings, experiences, then let me know and you could be invited to the next prayer tele-conference of the “4Js & a K“ that will take place just after the new year.

Really, with literally millions of us in this ”condition,“ don’t you think that we can spare an hour every couple of weeks to re-align with our Lord’s heartbeat, His plan, His will, His desires? Join us.

All of us found encouragement, hope, and peace through a simple phone call. If you don’t want to join us, start your own small network of prayer support with 2-4 other friends and watch what God does.

Church or Country Club?

2009-12-16T17:17:00.000+01:00

As I play more tennis these days and my wife, Linda, and Nathan, my youngest son, express an interest in playing, I have found myself considering the possibility of joining a tennis club or country club for the very purpose of having a pool of players from which to draw - as well as professionals to help us all improve & advance in our skill-level abilities.

As I perused one country club’s web site, I was struck by a few phrases:

Membership in this country club, a private club, is by referral.

Proper tennis attire is required, "T" shirts and running shoes are not permitted.

We do not accept cash or credit transactions, all charges are billed to members' accounts.

While visiting this country club, we ask that you adhere to appropriate country club attire. Jeans and other denim are not allowed anywhere on club property. Collared and mock shirts are requested for gentleman and collared or sleeved shirts for ladies.

Now, while I don’t have a problem with these rules for a country club, I wonder if we haven’t adopted them for our churches and, thereby, created an exclusivity that was not meant for the church.

What are the Biblical principles & truths regarding the church - especially regarding new people, non-believers?

Does our church welcome the new person with open arms or are there some behaviors, lifestyles, dress codes, hairstyles, speech patterns & lingo that are not allowed in “the church”?

Are we more concerned with how the newcomer presents himself/herself than we are about his/her eternal destiny?

Do we require newcomers to sign on the dotted line BEFORE they can avail themselves of the wonderful benefits of the local church (Bible teaching, counseling, friendships, financial aid, assistance, etc.)?

Does our church present itself in a way that communicates that it is a refuge FROM the world? That it is a place where the dirty, the homeless, the hurting, the sinful, the broken are not welcome to display their flaws in any way?

I fear that the average, white, middle-class or upper-class church is more about what WE want than what JESUS wants. That the call from Jesus to those who need healing, help & cleansing is directed to other churches - maybe those downtown churches - but not ours. We want a refuge from the world in our little church building. We want separation from the pain, suffering, dirt and sin that goes on in the world.

I have only one thing to say: Our refuge is in Jesus Christ - not a building or a group of people. Together, as we find refuge IN HIM, we realize this one truth: It doesn’t matter WHERE we are (i.e. in the most despicable of surroundings) or WITH WHOM we are (sinners of the most vile kind), we ALWAYS have a refuge IN JESUS CHRIST.

Church or country club? What’s yours?

Cosmic déjà vu?

2009-12-16T16:49:00.000+01:00

I don’t know what else to call this thing that I’ve experienced 3 or 4 times in my life. It’s very difficult to explain, let alone describe - but I’ll try.

Last week, Sunday to be exact, I parked my car in the church’s parking lot, exited and began walking to the auditorium to participate in the worship service.

As I crossed the parking lot and stepped onto the sidewalk, everything took on a surreal kind of flavor - sounds faded away, but at the same time were intensively heightened in my brain. Colors became dull & gray, but also took on a sharper, more defined kind of HD quality at the same moment. The young people hanging out in front of the youth building became a few of the billions on our planet, yet their faces, mannerisms, demeanor and appearance were strikingly etched in my memory.

My thoughts bounced from an earthly perspective to another perspective - beyond earth.

At that moment, I felt suspended between heaven & earth. I felt torn between this home and my heavenly home.

I felt strangely removed from “today” and warmly connected to “timelessness.”

I know. It sounds like I was tripping on some kind of hallucinogenic.

I remember the first time I had this kind of experience. I was a new believer in Christ and I was in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The same surreal sense came over me and I remember thinking - as I passed hundreds, maybe thousands, of people on the street that day - “Why is it that we -- all of us human beings who have been put on this single, solitary planet with the same basic needs & wants -- cannot find a way to co-exist in a humane manner?” We pass each other on the street and don’t even acknowledge one another with a look, let alone a greeting. We act as though we - ourselves - are all that matters; that no one else matters or is of importance or value.

These moments, though few, are memorable as they put a new spin, a new perspective on day-to-day living and how easily we forget that there are others around us who would welcome a simple head nod of acknowledgement, a small smile of recognition, a word of greeting.

Maybe we can’t “change the world,” but we can change the world around us, don’t you think?

Cheesy?

2009-12-10T00:09:00.003+01:00

I came across this today in the line of duty. I'm really sorry, but I have to categorize this as "Cheesy."

Life Markers

2009-12-01T07:37:00.001+01:00

I had a great talk with my long-time buddy this morning about life
markers. He asked me,"What are the markers the Lord has laid out in
your life over the years?"

He followed up that question with these:
1. Is the Lord Jesus expanding my influence?
2. Is my character growing? Am I becoming more & more like Jesus?
3. Am I serving the Kingdom? In spite of my "transition" am I allowing
Jesus to use me for His purposes?
4. How has the Lord shown Himself to be faithful in my life to date?
5. How is the Lord revealing Himself a) through me, b) in me and c) to
me?

Great questions for meditation & cogitation.

More on these after I have taken time to think through them.

Kelly

Ezekiel's encounter with God

2009-11-11T15:46:00.000+01:00

It is most interesting to me that in the 8th chapter of Ezekiel, we find what it is that God TRULY hates.

At the beginning of the chapter, the Lord takes Ezekiel to the north gate of the inner courtyard and shows him the large idol that “made the Lord very jealous.” The Lord proclaims His dismay that His people worship this idol.

The Lord, then, takes Ezekiel to a spot where there is a small hole in the wall. This was preceded by the Lord saying, “...you will see even more detestable (sins) than these.” This statement has a rather ominous tone to it and I expect to encounter the more culturally unacceptable sins in this next setting. And when the Lord tells Ezekiel to dig into the hole and he finds a doorway, I’m thinking some kind of base, sexual deviancy will be the focus of the next sinful actions of the people.

However, Ezekiel finds the spiritual leaders of Israel worshipping idols of various kinds. The Lord asks Ezekiel, “...have you seen what the leaders of Israel are doing with their idols in dark rooms?” and then proceeds to declare, “Come, and I will show you even more detestable sins than these!”

The Lord then takes Ezekiel to the north gate of the Temple and shows him women weeping for the (false) god Tammuz.

And, finally, the Lord takes Ezekiel to the entrance of the inner courtyard of the Temple and there shows him 25 men with their backs to the sanctuary worshipping the sun!

The Lord then asks, “Is it nothing to the people of Judah that they commit these detestable sins...?”

I am rebuked as I realize that the greatest of sins is idolatry - and that idolatry is virtually the only sin we commit. We replace God with habits, desires, activities, actions, thoughts and philosophies every day of our lives.

Idolatry is prevalent and rampant today in our culture. We worship the beauty of the creation (otherwise, why such emphasis on “washboard abs“, wrinkle-free faces, heads full of thick, gray-free hair and more)? We worship the systems that were set up to support life on this little blue ball (the weather, governments, philosophies of life & thinking, etc.) and we worship whatever gives us a sense of value, purpose & meaning in life (causes like ”going green“, self-flagellation, self-sacrifice and more).

These things are not necessarily bad, but any time they take any precedence over the priorities of the Kingdom of God, they become idolatry and, therefore, sin.

Ouch!

Discovery Men's Retreat

2009-11-07T18:41:00.000+01:00

I just returned from a Friday night/Saturday morning retreat with the Discovery Church in San Diego, CA.,

What an incredible weekend. What an expression of grace, forgiveness, and love.

To hear the story of Ted & Gayle Haggard was amazing. To live the forgiveness and love that was shared by the men & friends of Discovery Church was even better.

Here are just a few quotes from the weekend:

“When you displace responsibility & blame, you make that entity your lord.” Ted Haggard

Victimization is a double-edged sword.

“I’m not worthy.“ (My worth is determined by the value of that which is used to buy me - 1 Pet. 1)

And/or ”I’m okay, but you’re not okay.“

Psalm 1

There is no way to be healed outside of the tree of life - only being good (according to the tree of the knowledge of good & evil) does not lead to healing but to a focus on performance, not grace and the self, not Christ.

Gayle made a statement at the beginning of her interview during the Sunday morning worship service that went something like this:

”Before the crisis, our marriage was stronger than I could remember. Ted was clinging to me more than ever and we were closer than ever before.“

I thought that to be a real challenge to the men of our day. We men think that clinging to our wives is a sign or act of weakness and that we grow weaker as we become more vulnerable to our wives. ”Au contraire!“ It is really just the opposite. And in Ted & Gayle’s situation, I believe that it was that intimacy that Christ developed in them that kept them together through their crisis.

”Sobriety is the control of an area of my life that, left uncontrolled, would be my destruction.“ Ted Haggard

And a thought to chew on for a while; it comes out of Rev. 21:8 - it is the cowardly who are thrown into the Lake of Fire first. Isn’t that interesting?

God's crooked ways are straighter than our straight ways

2009-11-07T18:15:00.000+01:00

I had a conversation with Dave Pollard this morning during breakfast at the Discovery Men’s retreat. He shared with me a story about a missionary who served in Brazil for 20 years.

This young man was called by God to Muslim ministry. He studied & learned Arabic and prepared for his move to a Muslim country. As he pursued one option after another, each door was closed.

He ended up going to Brazil to train Brazilians to go to Muslim countries because Brazilians are more accepted in Muslim countries than Americans - and he spent 20 years doing that!

As a result, he probably impacted more Muslims than he would/could have if he had gone to a Muslim country on his own.

The “crooked way” of God led to a greater fruit-bearing than man’s “straight way.”

“God’s (seemingly) crooked ways are straighter than our straightest ways.”

Catalyst 2009 - Professor Splash - World Record

2009-10-10T06:28:00.000+02:00

Well, I’ve spent another great 3 days at Catalyst 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. For now, I just want to post a video of Professor Splash (Darrin Taylor) who, in the Gwinnett Arena sets another record for high diving from a platform 35 feet 9 inches high into 12 inches of water. AMAZING! Watch this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNciDWfOszM&feature=youtube_gdata

More thoughts from Catalyst to come. Check back in a couple of days!

A thought about contentment from God

2009-09-29T23:02:00.000+02:00

Here’s a good prayer for the day - although, with the direction of our economy, we may be FORCED to live this way (at least the 2nd part)! ;-)

O God, I beg two favors from you;
let me have them before I die.
8 First, help me never to tell a lie.
Second, give me neither poverty nor riches!
Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.
9 For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?”
And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.

Ahh, this is certainly something that the average American (you? me?) should learn to live!

Money woe turns to money "whoa!"

2009-09-28T00:23:00.000+02:00

“Even in darkness light dawns for the upright” states Psalm 112:4.

There is much truth in this verse and we have seen this even this week.

As we, upon deciding to return to the USA for an indefinite period of time, considered making one of our goals to get completely out of debt, we wondered what kind of a long-term goal that would be.

When we were informed this past week that our paycheck would be “cut” to about 1/4 of our supposed-to-be amount, it was a dark moment in our week - frankly, in our month!

However, in the midst of “darkness dawns light for the upright“ and that is so true for us. Through a series of strange events, we see a brighter light at the end of the long tunnel than we have ever seen in a long time.

It is possible that, with the exceptions of school loans that we have taken out for our kids, we will be debt-free within in 3-6 months! What a blessing that will be!

“Even in darkness light dawns for the upright.”

Sad news. Family, again.

2009-09-26T01:18:00.000+02:00

Just on the heels of Candace & Luke’s announcement of pregnancy, comes the announcement from Andy Nemcik that his brother, Mike, has passed away.

He was 81 years old and, according to Andy, passed into the Lord’s presence early on Friday morning. Andy walked through Scripture with him to verify his relationship with Jesus Christ as His Savior and is convinced that Uncle Mike (Utco Mike as we fondly call him) affirmed his commitment to Jesus as His Lord.

He will be missed. He was a gentle, loving, kind and generous man, uncle, brother and friend. Please pray for the Nemcik family, our family and friends as we all process the loss of our beloved Utco Mike.

Blessed news! Family growth!

2009-09-25T13:10:00.000+02:00

I just sent out our latest P.a.P.U. (Praise and Prayer Update) with an announcement that our family continues to expand through the addition of Samantha Fuller.

Well, last night we received a call from Luke & Candace that THEIR family is expanding, too. That means that I will be a Grandpa in about 9 months! That also means that I’ll be married to a Grandma! She’s too young to be a Grandma! But she looks great!

We thank the Lord for the joy of seeing our family expand in so many different ways!

Money woes again

2009-09-24T08:04:00.001+02:00

We were informed - again - today that our paycheck this Friday will be about 50% of what we've been receiving for quite some time (and that's been about 50% of what our paycheck should be).

So, it looks like we're going to have to tap into our one and only investment and maybe an IRA (ugh!).

I read that the IRA cashing-out option is up a whopping 44% this year! Looks like we aren't the only ones in that boat.

Well, we're thankful that we have those options to fall back on during these incredibly hard times. It's all the Lord's money anyways and if that's how He wants it used, well, who am I to argue with the Creator of the universe (& that includes finances!)

Tennis!

2009-09-23T07:48:00.001+02:00

I had the joy of playing competitive tennis tonight! Linda went with me to a city tennis center to watch me train against the backboard. I ended up playing 3 sets of doubles with 3 different partners throughout the evening.

Wow! I went through a CASE of WD-40 trying to loosen up my rusty strokes, serve, volleys, overheads and more.

What a thrill to experience the adrenaline rush of competition, the challenge of maintaining focus in the midst of losing and the rush of hitting an unbelievable winner in the heat of battle.

Ahhhhhhh. It feels good to do something that you feel created to do.

I haven't played serious competitive tennis in over 30 years and it feels like I've only been out a few months.

I'm going back again later this week. I'll be more rested, in better shape, better stretched out and wiser.

Welcome to The "Fog Club!!!"

2009-09-21T21:26:00.001+02:00

THE “FOG CLUB”

Over the past few months, friends, family members, supporters and pastors and missions team leaders of supporting churches have asked the same question that you may even have somewhere in the back of your mind, “So, where are you these days?”

The literal answer to that question is, “Phoenix, Arizona.” But that’s not the question that you all are really asking us. You, along with others, want to know what is up with regards to our future, our ministry, our lives and plans.

Our immediate response is, “That’s a VERY good question.” And the usual follow-up is something like, “We are walking with Jesus in a fog. We know that we are doing what He wants us to do right now. We just do not know what He wants for the future.”

I, Kelly, have been most obsessed with this “fog” in which we have been living for the past few months. I have found some comfort in knowing (and communicating with) others who are experiencing the very same “fog.” The “fog club” (as I affectionately call it) includes pastors waiting for their next ministry assignment, missionaries, CEOs, COOs and several others. When the waiting becomes too frustrating for one of us, we “vent” to some of the others and find the Lord appropriately admonishing, encouraging, reproving and/or rebuking us as needed.

The “fog of waiting” (as with real fog) plays with your senses, though the spiritual and emotional senses as opposed to the senses of sight, hearing and touch in physical fog. There are times when it seems to me that the Lord is “putting something together” and the fog appears to begin to lift. The emotions rise as well, but are quickly dashed as, upon entering denser fog, I realize that it was simply a pocket of lighter fog which I had misread as the end of the fog bank.

Traveling through a fog bank has it’s directional challenges. Up and down, east and west and north and south all LOOK the same. They all FEEL the same and, to a large degree, they all SOUND the same. But they are not the same. And that’s the biggest threat and challenge. It is during these times that I most need - and desire - the hand of the Lord on my shoulder leading, guiding and protecting.

The “fog of waiting” is not all bad. It’s cool, dark, quiet and protective from the prying eyes and “advice” of others. It allows me to move about in relative obscurity. It blocks out the panorama of the rest of the world around me, thus giving me a false sense of “all is well” with the world. It’s coolness relieves the stifling heat of work that often causes trickles of sweat on my brow. And, for a while, that makes me not want to enter the heat of the sun.

I know that I need to move forward, but after having been in the fog for so long, it’s easy to fear the penetrating sunlight, the heat, the expanse of life outside of my little fog-created world.

As much as I do look forward to “the exit,” I don’t want to dash ahead out of the waiting zone before the Lord has accomplished in my life - and in the lives of others - what He wants to do in this time. It is so against my nature not to have a definite plan, a concrete ministry or job waiting for me when our Home Ministry Assignment ends. But God is the One Who freely moves in and out of time accomplishing His desires & plans and I must, I will, wait upon Him and for Him. (I say this as I grit my teeth, not knowing how much longer the waiting will last.)

I love this promise from our Lord: “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” AMEN!

I will wait for the Lord.

MRI Results

2009-09-18T02:02:00.000+02:00

Just a quick MRI results update (on my left shoulder and bicep)...

I DON’T have a torn rotator cuff - PRAISE THE LORD! That would have probably required surgery, rehab, and much more time!

I DO seem to have impingement of the shoulder. What does that mean? I’ll try to explain it as best as I can (though Linda should probably writing this up!)

Impingement is caused (in my case) by inflamed bursae (that’s the plural of bursa). The bursa is like a shock absorber between the shoulder bone and the muscle tissue of the shoulder (see the picture). When it gets irritated (inflamed) it swells and pinches the muscle tissue, ligaments and other items located nearby.

In my case, it appears that the bursa is inflamed and is pinching not only the muscle tissue in the shoulder (thus causing limited range of motion, pain and aching), but also the bicep ligament, thereby causing pain in the upper bicep region of the arm.

The doc suggested a series of Cortizone shots over a period of a few months to reduce the inflammation. If that doesn’t work, then there are other options to consider & pursue.

So, I received my first Cortizone injection (of my life) into my left shoulder bursa and I have to say that after only almost 4 days that I do sense a bit of improvement in that I have less pain.

Waiting for God to move...

2009-09-16T18:42:00.000+02:00

In reading E.M. Bounds’ book “The Necessity of Prayer,” I came across this paragraph that is apropos to my setting in life right now, as it is in the lives of many others who are currently waiting on the Lord for either clarity regarding their future or simply for a new job.

What a blessing to know this God who is all-knowing, everywhere-present, all-caring and yet, at times, seems to be slow in providing or responding to our pleas. I will be patient and wait for Him - it may not be easy (actually, I know it’s NOT easy) - because I know Him and I know that His plans, ways, timing and gifts are what are best for me - for you, too.

“Yet faith is called upon, and that right often to wait in patience before God, and is prepared for God’s seeming delays in answering prayer. Faith does not grow disheartened because prayer is not immediately honoured; it takes God at His Word, and lets Him take what time He chooses in fulfilling His purposes, and in carrying on His work. There is bound to be much delay and long days of waiting for true faith, but faith accepts the conditions –– knows there will be delays in answering prayer, and regards such delays as times of testing, in the which, it is privileged to show its mettle, and the stern stuff of which it is made.”

By the way, I DO recommend this book - it’s a classic on prayer.

SuperStar-dom Christianity

2009-08-11T20:07:00.000+02:00

As I was walking into the hospital for some quick blood lab work just a couple of days ago, I spotted my reflection in the window and the thought crossed my mind, “Do they have any idea who is coming through the door?”

The thought grabbed my attention for several reasons:

Do I know who it is that is coming through the door? How well do I know myself?

Am I someone that the people in the hospital SHOULD know? If so, why? What is it that I possess/know/do that they would WANT to know me?

Why would they want to know me? What will they gain from an encounter with me?

Funny how the “I” became such a central focus of my thinking.

My thoughts ran ahead of me and scampered on down the timeline of life to my headstone and questioned me. “Do you REALLY think that you can make a difference in a city of a million people, in a state of over 5 million people, in a country of over 300 million people, on a planet of over 6 BILLION people?”

They continued to press me, “Do you really believe that after 100 years of living on this planet (most of those years absorbed by sleep, eating, figuring out what you’re called to/want to do with your life) that after 20 more years, you’ll even be remembered?”

Ouch!

Nancy Ortberg, in her book “Looking for God”, states that it seems like the church has adopted the “Superstar approach“ and adapted it to the local church ministry. We hear about the life-change of celebrities, sports stars, political figures and more. But what about the people like one lady I’ll call Phyllis who spent the majority of her life caring for an ailing father right up to his death bed. Who spends her time praying for people like my family and our ministries and serving ”behind the scenes“ doing attendance for church and Sunday school? What about them? There are - I guess - millions and millions of these silent saints, quiet servants and pillars of God’s Kingdom (maybe not viewed that way in the local church, but there are lots of things viewed differently in the churches than the way God sees them. But I digress.)

Back to my original thought...

When I realized that my lone presence on this planet for the past 51 years hasn’t created any significant historical changes (at least for the record books), the next thought brought me back to reality and, with it, peace.

I’m NOT SUPPOSED to be the focus of my life - or anybody’s life. JESUS CHRIST is supposed to be the focus. So, if I do my ”job“ correctly, I will leave people behind who are more focused on Jesus because of their interaction with me. It may be small or grand in scale, but the purpose of my life is to lessen and for Jesus to increase. My shadow should dim throughout my life as His darkens. My words should fade as His sharpen. My voice should hush as His shouts.

Stink! Just as I thought I was getting this figured out, I realize that I’m still way too self-centered (read SELFISH!) and not nearly enough Christ-centered in my thoughts, words & deeds.

Oh well, Lord willing I’ll have another 50 years to ”get it right!”

Book review - "In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day"

2009-07-28T22:10:00.000+02:00

I just finished a book titled "In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day" written by Mark Batterson. The subtitle is “How to survive and thrive when opportunity roars.”

I thought I’d write down some of the thoughts I gleaned from this book in hopes that it will spark an interest in you to read this book.

Not all of the following thoughts come directly from the book. Some are thoughts that I have summarized from thoughts that the author sparked in my thinking:

“Uncertainty creates adventure.”
“Bad days enable us to love & appreciate good days.”
“No problem = No miracle“
”You/Others intended ___________ for evil for me, BUT God intended it for good!“
”He (God) has not forgotten me.“
”No risk = No reward”
“Risk-free faith does not exist.”
“We need to criticize by creating.” Michelangelo

“The biggest risk were the greatest opportunities.”
“Lion-chasers are always on the lookout for God-ordained opportunities.”
“Faith gives us the dimensional freedom to overcome our human limitations by exiting space-time via prayer.”
“God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go... If you keep in step with the Spirit.”
“To the infinite all finites are equal.”
“Don’t accumulate possessions; accumulate experiences.”
“Are you living life in a way that is worth telling stories about?”

“But here’s the catch: Opportunities often look like insurmountable obstacles.”
“Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshiping what’s right with God.”

“A fascinating study done by Professor Vicki Medvec reveals the relative importance of subjective attitudes over and above objective circumstances. Medvec studied Olympic medalists and discovered that bronze medalists were quantifiably happier than silver medalists. Here’s why: Silver medalists tended to focus on how close they came to winning gold, so they weren’t satisfied with silver; bronze medalists tended to focus on how close they came to not winning a medal at all, so they were just happy to be on the medal stand.”

“Faith doesn’t reduce uncertainty. Faith embraces uncertainty.”

“Let me tell you something about stepping out in faith. You almost always second guess yourself.”

“Prayer helps us catch the opportunities God throws our way.”

“We are called to conform to Christ. And Christ was a nonconformist. So conforming to Christ results in nonconformity.”

There is much more to glean from this book, but you’ll have to read it for yourself. VERY encouraging and the challenge to live a life of wise risks is very clear.

You're not forgotten!

2009-07-28T04:54:00.000+02:00

I listened to a message by Scot McKnight today as I ran. The point of the message was that God has not forgotten us. What a breath of fresh air!

In light of today’s economy, and so many people out of work and wondering about the future, realizing & recognizing that God is still present in all of the details of life is a very encouraging truth!

Scot really encouraged me, especially in light of our situation: that of having returned to the USA without a clear answer from the Lord as to what is on the horizon.

God has not forgotten you, either. Many times in history, people experience waiting on the Lord. In the waiting, the Lord does what He needs to in order to prepare us for the work to which He has called us. (Eph. 2:10)

You are not forgotten - no matter the feelings, the lies, the situation - you are not forgotten.

Hating the waiting?

2009-07-27T18:34:00.000+02:00

Waiting. Oh, how I (sometimes) despise the word. I don’t mind waiting if I know that I will be waiting a specified amount of time. For instance, if I schedule an appointment with the doctor and am told that I need to arrive 30 minutes early to fill out forms and such and then I can see the doctor - I can wait. I’ll bring a book to read in the meantime.

But, if I’m told that my appointment is at 7:30 a.m. and at 8:00 a.m., I’m still waiting for the doc, I start getting a little antsy. By 8:15, I’m getting frustrated and at 8:45, I’m starting to steam.

Do you ever feel that way?

I know that it must have been hard for Abraham & Sarah (at the time Abram & Sarai), when God promised them offspring and years passed before any sign of pregnancy took place. I mean, when GOD says something is going to happen, IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN! The thing that we often miss is the TIMING of the promise. Nowhere at the initial mention of the promise of offspring did God promise Abram & Sarai that they would have a child during the following year.

I repeat the statement from the book, “Learning to Wait” by John Ortberg, “What God does in us while we wait is as important as what we are waiting for.“ Bad grammar, I know, but a true statement nonetheless. Nothing of good quality takes place without thorough preparation.

Still, waiting for several years for an answered promise from the Lord is difficult.

So, I can’t really complain when I look at our situation and see that we’ve been back in the U.S. only 2 months and have spent the better part of the time waiting.

One thing I’ve noticed is that waiting can be passive or active. I can wait impatiently or I can wait ”in the Lord“ and let Him do what He wants to do in me while I wait.

When I wait ”in Him,“ I wait expectantly for Him to do IN me what He wants to do in order to prep me for the work that He has prepared me to do (Eph. 2:10).

Preparing for something is as important as doing the ”something.“ Often it doesn’t seem that way, but good things or great things don’t just happen, they are the results of good or great preparation.

When I realize that, I don’t hate the wait - I anticipate the wait.

Personalized prayer

2009-07-27T07:00:00.000+02:00

I just got off the phone with a brother who has recently gone “through the mill” in life. In the past year, he has lost his wife due to cancer among other things.

He made one statement that has rung in the hollows of my brain ever since. “I’ve been counseled to pray ”In Your name“ as opposed to ”in Jesus’ name.“ the point is the emphasis on a more personal communication. Rather than praying in the name of Jesus as in the 3rd person, I am to pray in the 2nd person - ”in Your name.“”

Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Waiting... still and "the call"

2009-07-22T05:16:00.000+02:00

I hate waiting - always have. I drive in the fast lane, head for the self-checkout lane at the grocery store, call “single” at the ski lift in hopes of catching some other single at the front of the line, own an iPhone (so I can check email, weather, currency exchange rates & more any time of the day), will not purchase an “adequate” anything (computer, internet connection, car, power tools, etc.) because “adequate” usually means - to me - slow, underpowered, INadequate.

I know that I’m impatient and don’t wait well, so I’m very conscious when the Lord intentionally makes me wait that it must have some higher purpose.

I recently read a very short book by John Ortberg entitled, “Learning to Wait.” In it, he paraphrases a quote from another author (Ben Patterson?) and states, “What God does in us while we wait is as important as what we are waiting for.“

Holy cow is he right. The time of waiting, wondering, questioning, pondering, doubting, struggling and - sometimes - hoping, is intense.

I’ve been ”waiting“ for the past couple of months - ever since the Lord made it very clear that we were to pack up all of our belongings and head back to the USA.

Today, I had lunch with Dr. Jim & Shirley Cook, my first pastor and also the (former) president of the Bible College and Graduate school where I obtained my Bachelor’s (Pastor Studies) and Master’s (Sacred Theology)degrees. At 79 years of age, he is still traveling around the world preaching, teaching & training. What an inspiration.

During our conversation, Pastor Jim said that what has been lost in today’s churches & seminaries is ”the call of God“ on a person’s life. I agree. I think that we have so professionalized the ministry of the Kingdom of God that we have forgotten that it is the Holy Spirit, God, that calls us to His work. It is HE that energizes us, leads us, moves us and guides us!

So, as I ponder the truth of ”the call“ in the ”waiting room of God“ I ask myself, ”How do these work together?“

Don’t they seem to exist one in contrast to the other? I mean, if I know my calling, then how much waiting do I really have to do? And, while I’m waiting, isn’t it more or less simply a momentary rest, reprieve or shift from one task to another in the calling that He has given me.

I’m not opposed to waiting - especially if, as in our case, the Lord has made it clear that that is the role for now - but as with anything, it is possible to overdo it and end up forever ”waiting“ for the ”perfect will of God.“

Right?

So, the guard against that - in my mind - is to be diligent in prayer and have many others standing with us in that time of waiting. Would you pray with & for us during this time as we ”wait on the Lord“? Thanks.

Isaiah 40:28-31
”Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.“

Transition blues

2009-07-13T23:13:00.000+02:00

In how many beds have you slept in the past month?

That’s not a provocative statement, is it? :-)

Just during the past 7 days, Linda and I have slept in 6 different beds.

Our lives are so full of change, shifting and adjustment that it’s hard to find a “normal” rating anywhere. Tonight, we leave for Phoenix again because our container comes in tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. and we have several people coming over to help us unload (we have 2 hours to unload the container without extra cost). We hope to achieve that goal because the temperatures are expected to reach 111 degrees!

Back to transition... One of the marks of transition is the feeling of not belonging. You feel like you don’t have a home. You feel like you don’t have a place in life. You feel like the days are passing and there is no real purpose or meaning to them. It’s like riding a roller coaster over and over and over and over again. At first, the thrill is addicting and enjoyable and even therapeutic (for those of us who enjoy roller coasters). Then, you make adjustments for a different thrill (from the very front seat to the very back seat, then with your eyes closed and arms raised and on). After a while, you realize that the scenery doesn’t change and you don’t go anywhere - you can’t get anywhere because that’s not the purpose of the roller coaster.

At the same time, you feel like your routine is non-existent. You can’t find a rhythm for your day-to-day existence. You can’t get a grasp of forward motion. Everybody else’s lives seem to be so much more meaningful than your own.

You begin to question your day-to-day activities and struggle to find meaning in them. Your existence seems to be non-essential, unimportant and hollow.You laugh easily, but the laughter is punctuated with a sigh. Tears rise easily at the mention of a person, animal or nation in any kind of pain.

It’s a good time because your heart is tender, sensitive and responsive. It’s a crappy time -- for the exact same reason. Who wants to cry at the plight of penguins in Antarctica? It’s a time of self-probing. A time of de-toxing from the frenetic activity that so often masks our hearts with pseudo-compassion that motivates us to salve our consciences through giving financial gifts or anything but ourselves.

It’s a painful time because you’re stripped of all of the masks, layers, shells, and coverings behind which we often hide behind.

I’m reminded of a visit to a masseuse in Slovakia many years ago. As she dug into my calf muscle, nearly causing me to break out in a cold sweat, she asked, “Does that hurt?”

I grunted an affirmation with a head nod and said, “But it’s a good hurt.” Because I knew that the result of the pain from the massage would be less pain in the days to come.

I’m pretty confident that these “transition blues“ are a ”good hurt.“ At least, I HOPE so! ;-)

Andy Stanley strikes again

2009-07-13T22:57:00.000+02:00

I listened to a message by Andy Stanley while on my bike ride this past Saturday. I can’t stop thinking about one comment that he made during his message. I’m paraphrasing (and that could be dangerous with the questionable nature of my memory!) here: When you’re in debt, you have more than one master.

You see, if you come in contact with an opportunity to give to a need and the Lord stirs your heart to give to that need, but because of your debt you cannot give to that need, you have a master that is limiting your ability to give to a particular need. The desire, the vision and realization can all be present, but if your debt is such that you cannot give, then your master is truly the credit card company or loan company or whatever company/individual it is to whom you are indebted.

OUCH! That hurts. It hurts because it is true. It also hurts because I have experienced that very scenario.

Here’s what Jesus says: ““No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Matt. 6:24

Now, I know that some debt may be at times unavoidable. And some debt is acceptable when the investment actually will bring a greater return on your money. However, as I consider my own financial situation, whether it is justified or not (as I’d like to think almost all of our current debt is), it is still debt. I am still limited in my ability to give to the work of the kingdom. Therefore, my desire, my dream, my goal, is to remove myself totally from indebtedness ASAP so that when the Lord stirs my heart to meet a need, or I see an opportunity to give to something or someone that could have Kingdom impact, I can give generously!

I only want one master - the Lord Jesus Christ. I don’t want CitiBank or Visa or whoever telling me, “Sorry. Yes, it is a great opportunity. It is a great need, but you have to pay ”me“ first, then you can use what’s left for your other Master.” Argh. No thanks.

Not to mention, I don’t like the idea of being in debt with the future of our country looking like it does. I’d like total freedom from the constraints of this worldly system. That way, when the Lord says, “Give!” or “Move!” or “Invest into My Kingdom here!” I can do it with total abandon and freedom and joy!

Disappointment with God - expressed

2009-07-10T16:58:00.001+02:00

This past week has been an interesting test in my walk with Jesus.

Just a week ago on Friday, July 1st, we were informed that our container (with our household stuff) had arrived in Los Angeles. That’s the good news. The “bad” news is that there was a “hitch” in the process because we had a “firearm” in our container and the shipping company has a strict “No Firearms” policy.

The “firearm” that was in the container is a rifle that is powered by pumping up air pressure and shooting hour-glass-shaped pellets. Now, the definition of a firearm is a weapon that can or is designed to launch a projectile by an explosive. Now, an air gun is not a firearm for the very reason that there is not explosion whatsoever.

On that basis, we had no concern when we loaded the air gun into our container in Slovakia.

However, upon arrival in L.A., someone WAS concerned with it’s presence and the container was marked for a special & more intensive exam. This exam would include an x-ray of the container and then, if decided by the U.S. Customs Dept. a manual examination. “Manual examination“ means that all of the contents of the container would be removed from the container for manual & visual examination. That alone would cost us an extra $1500. The x-ray costs $200. Storage for the 2 days of delay would cost $200. That pushes us close to the $2000 mark on top of the almost $6000 to ship the container from Slovakia to the USA.

Early in the week, we began to pray, and ask others to pray, that the Customs agent would show mercy and pass our container on to be shipped to us in Phoenix.

However, as the week wore on, we received more information that pointed to the inevitable & dreaded $1500 exam. I remained faithful that the Lord did not want to ”waste“ $1500 on this exam, knowing that there was nothing of any consequence in the container that breaks the law, and knowing that it would be a waste of their time.

On Thursday (yesterday) at about 10:00am, I received an email stating that the container had just been x-rayed (cha-ching, $200 out-of-pocket) and was being transferred to the manual examination area. Stefanie, the rep from the shipping company prepared us for the worst.

We happened to be in Phoenix at the time, walking into Borders’ Bookstore. As I read the email, I sighed deeply.

”What’s wrong?“ asked Linda.

”Honestly? I am disappointed that the Lord didn’t intervene and stop the Customs agent from doing the manual exam. I’m frustrated that He has $1500 to waste on an exam that will be fruitless. I really thought He’d intervene and stop it.“

Martin & Lenka were with Linda & me and as we sat down to lunch we prayed - once again - for God to intervene and cancel the exam. But if not, then to provide the funds to pay for the extra expenses.

At about 11:30am, I received the following message from Stefanie, ”I think I have FABOLOUS news for you!!!! I am waiting on confirmation but it looks like customs cancelled the intensive exam.“ And, sure enough, the exam was cancelled.

Even if God had NOT intervened and cancelled the exam, He would still be good. But I wonder, if I would see Him as good as I do now. After all, it’s HIS money that would be ”wasted“ on that exam.

As we have recounted the story and wondered why He did what He did, when He did it and how He did it, we wonder - as we and others often do - what He was doing in the midst of it all.

I think, along with Linda, that He wants us to make it clear to Stefanie just WHO really is in control. So, Linda & I have decided to send her a little gift of thanks for all of her work on our behalf and a little explanation of our perspective on how God DID intervene to cancel the intensive manual exam and explain why we follow Him.

I’ll keep you posted on the outcome...

Change from "Missionary Musings" to "Dribblings of a Disciple"

2009-07-01T20:25:00.000+02:00

Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I changed the title of my blog from “Missionary Musings” to “Dribblings of a Disciple” recently.

Why?

It seems to me that “musings” was a bit lofty for me. The word “musing” is defined as “an instance or period of reflection.” Seeing as how my ability to focus on any issue or topic is quite short-lived, I thought that “dribbling” would be more appropriate for my style of “cogitation.”

Dribbling. The noun form is “dribble” and is defined as “saliva running from the mouth” or “foolish talk or ideas, nonsense.” Dribbling can also mean “fall slowly in drops or a thin stream.” That’s usually the way that my thoughts come out - they dribble. And as they dribble out of my mouth and I form the actual words, I begin to understand what it is that I am thinking. It’s a form of thinking called “figure-it-out-as-you-say-it” thinking.

I have to process ideas verbally. That’s why this blog is good for me. It’s almost as good as sitting down with someone and bantering about thoughts, ideas, suggestions & such, but not quite.

So, from this day forth, my “dribblings” will keep coming as they have, but the context (that of being a disciple) is a bit broader than that of a missionary.

All that to say, “Hey, I didn’t like my blog title, so I changed it.”

Most of y’all didn’t even notice, though now, did you!? ;-)

Lizard spotting

2009-07-01T18:19:00.000+02:00

While on my bike ride the other night, I spotted this litter critter skittering through the underbrush. I stopped by to watch him and wondered if he were more dangerous to me or I to him. Turns out, I’m more dangerous to him. Cute little guy, but he is carnivorous! ;-)

He’s called a Short-Horned Lizard.

Haven’t seen any snakes - well, I have seen one snake, but someone or something had killed it and torn it into a few pieces. But that doesn’t count ‘cause he has to be alive.

Gospel thoughts

2009-06-30T21:53:00.000+02:00

Just watched a video clip with Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church in Highlands Village, near Dallas.

Here are some thoughts (some of mine and some quotes from Matt) for your consideration:

1. We have too much emphasis on information and not enough on transformation. The church has been too much about “width” and not depth. Depth is being obedient to what we         know from Scripture.

The Gospel is about transformation, not information.

The key is being obedient to what has already been revealed to me.

When I don’t apply what I know, what the Lord has revealed to me:
        * I kill my intimacy with God
        * Destroyed the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through me

2. There is a total disintegration of real authenticity & community in our churches.

We need encouragement and rebuke on a regular basis.

Rebuke is never received well - it is either received in shame or defense by discrediting the one who brings the rebuke.

We’re not encouraged when we NEED to be encouraged and we’re not rebuked when we NEED to be rebuked.

3. We have an absolute lack of building an authoritative church.

Too many pastors are cowards hiding behind their position.

4. We think that size has something to do with success.

5.We have taught our people that spiritual growth & formation happens quickly. It doesn’t. It takes place at a crawl!

Spiritual formation is a LIFELONG process! Every “baby-step” forward is progress. We won’t be completely spiritually healthy until the day we die, the Lord kills us or comes back for us.

Ouch. This is what I like about Matt. He tells it like it is. He has always spoken the truth in love. And he’s solid theologically - not bad for a guy who didn’t attend seminary!

Thoughts & quotes from the book "Mad Church Disease" by Anne Jackson

2009-06-21T04:18:00.000+02:00

I’m reading an interesting book by Anne Jackson titled “Mad Church Disease - Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic.”

Very interesting reading and well worth reading by anyone in church or full-time Christian ministry/work.

Here are a couple of quotes from the last chapter I read today:

“...we can never rid ourselves of the past - the good or the bad... The successes, the failures, the joy, and the pain are all beautifully woven together to make you who you are at this moment... We should look at our past as a gift and not a burden. And as such, we should steward it like any other gift we’ve been given... By taking our focus off the dysfunctions of our past, and changing it to how God can work through us as He uses our life journey - our history, our present, and our future - we are less likely to burn out.”

And here’s a quote that she uses from Oswald Chambers, “If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Hime, and He will make use of you every minute you live - yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.”

Godliness with contentment is great gain...

2009-06-21T03:01:00.000+02:00

Don’t you hate that word “contentment?”

I’ve been challenged all of my life to be content. Be content with what you have; be content with who you are; be content with where you are in life; and more.

But for someone who likes to push the envelope, to find his limits, to go faster, farther, do better, more, bigger, it’s not easy to be content.

BUT

There are times when the Lord is able to push through my thick skull and communicate HIS desire in a given situation.

2.5 years ago was one of those times. At the time, I owned a perfectly good Apple Powerbook G4 laptop computer. It was 3 years old and I had no problems with the machine - well, except for the fact that it was “old” in computer terms. The newer machines were out and - wow! I lusted after a new MacBook Pro. I drooled. I wanted. And I was no longer content with my rock-solid, dependable Powerbook.

The short version of the story is that I did work through my discontentment issue with the computer I had. No sooner had I truly become content with the Powerbook, it was stolen from me! And, due to the blessing of a supporting family in the US, I received a brand-new MacBook Pro less than 1 month later.

Well, discontentment has again raised it’s ugly head - but this time, it was defeated in “short order.”

Last Monday, Linda & I went to look at a car to purchase for our use. It is a 1998 Lexus. The car was owned by a man who had another Lexus (a 1999) that was his daily driver, but cost $1000 more than the ‘98. Initially, when I talked to him on the phone, I had a very good sense about this purchase - very different from the other owners & cars we had met and driven.

We had pretty much decided on the ‘98 and told the seller so, but there was one “issue” with the car that we wanted him to work through to finalize the purchase.

On the drive home, I began to do my usual “wangling” regarding the newer, nicer Lexus for more money.

“Linda, do you realize that we are only $200-400 short of the price of the more expensive Lexus? We could probably manage to scrape it up during the week.“

Linda countered, ”We decided on a limit and the 1998 is at that limit. Besides, we need money to buy a bed, pay for my 1-semester of schooling and other settling expenses when we move into the rental on August 1st.“

As much as I didn’t like it, I knew she was right and even right then admitted it. ”You’re right. I will be content with the ‘98. It’s a nice car and the price is really good anyways.“

Well, the seller called on Wednesday evening to inform us that the problem was different than he had thought and was going to have someone check it out and would get back to me. I told him that we were committed to buy the car still and just wanted to know what the problem was before we bought it. He said he would get back to me later in the week.

Today, he called.

Short version? He sold the ‘98 to another couple that came to look at the car last night (Friday). They were willing to take the car “as is.”

HOWEVER,

He told me that he liked the work that we’re doing for the Lord and that we “seemed like nice people” and, therefore, would sell us his 1999 for the price that he was selling his 1998.

When I told Linda, she wept. I wept with her. We have such a great & awe-inspiring God!

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

So, on Tuesday, we’ll be going up to Phoenix to purchase a newer, nicer Lexus than we had thought we would be getting for the same price as we had already decided that we could afford.

When Doug, the seller called, he said, “I usually give $500 from every car sale that I make to a local church. Since I’m selling 2 cars (the 1998 Lexus ES300 and the 1999 Lexus ES300), it would be $1000. So, I figured that instead of giving the money to a church, that I could bless you guys by selling you the 1999 for $1000 less than the 1998. What do you think?”

“We’ll buy it!” I blurted. “Thank you!”

“Well, don’t thank me. I’m the one getting blessed here and it’s really cool!” he said.

“Isn’t that the way it is with blessing others?” I said. “The giver is blessed and the receiver is blessed. It doesn’t get any better than that, does it?”

It doesn’t, does it? You see, when our hearts are free from the entanglement of the “more is better/bigger is better/newer is better” trap, several things happen:

        God is free to bless.
        Others are free to give.
        You are freed to be blessed, bless and rejoice in God’s work, not your own “wangling” and manipulation.

Wow, I only wish I had learned this lesson a lot earlier in life!!!

My beautiful wife!

2009-06-19T18:04:00.001+02:00

I thought I'd add a pic of my MUCH better half - wouldn't you rather look at her than me? She's weeding our daughter & son-in-law's front lawn as I write this. Yes, I'm going to help her RIGHT NOW!

Testing PixelPipe

2009-06-19T17:57:00.001+02:00

I'm testing out a program called PixelPipe that enables you to post to several services at one time (ie, Facebook, Blogger, MySpace, Twitter, etc.)

So far, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace have worked flawlessly, but Blogger is giving me trouble.

Testing...

2009-06-19T17:50:00.001+02:00

Testing PixelPipe for iPhone

Identity challenges

2009-06-15T17:48:00.000+02:00

Transitions like this one back to the USA always have a way of stripping away all of the fluff that we often use to identify ourselves.

Fluff like our jobs, ministry positions, clubs, sports teams, even possessions (cars, houses, recreational machines like boats, motorcycles, quads, etc.)

Having left Slovakia just 2 weeks ago, I have been stripped of:

Ministry positions of youth ministry director in our church

Elder status in our church

Team leader of GEM-YM (Greater Europe Mission’s Youth Ministries)

All recreational involvement of any sort - sports, etc.

Possessions - sold our car, gave away a ton of stuff (camp materials, books, and more)

Packed all of our remaining goods into a 20-foot container (with room to spare I might add) and sent it on an ocean-going ship. So all we possess is what we brought with us on the plane in 7 suitcases

And now we are house-sitting for about 5 weeks, then we’ll travel for another 3 or so and finally on August 1st we will move into a house that we’ll call home for at least a year

So, my identity has been stripped down to what it should be: a child of God.

That’s it.

Over 32 years ago, as a new believer in Jesus Christ, I remember coming to a realization: As a child of God, I am simply to know my Savior and daily do what He asks me to do.

At that young age as a follower of Christ, this thought crossed my mind and cemented in my heart the kind of posture I am to have towards my Lord: If He asks me to do nothing but to sit in a puddle on a sidewalk for the rest of my life, that is what I SHOULD do in order to find the deepest fulfillment in my life. The question is, would I do it?

If my identity is truly ONLY in Christ, then it should be no problem for me to do that. If my identity is connected to anything else, I would struggle with that simple and strange request from my Lord. Wouldn’t you?

Thankfully, the Lord has more productive (at least in our eyes it appears more productive) work for us to do. But, really, if that were His command to you, would you be content to do it? I struggle with that myself - and I’m feeling it more now than ever, thanks to the recent transition.

Back in the USA

2009-06-15T17:19:00.000+02:00

“Back in the USSR, you don’t know how lucky you are...”

The old Beatles’ song is reverberating in my head as I sit here, just over 2 weeks after our arrival in the USA (or the USSA as one calls it - the “United Socialist States of America“). I’ll leave the political bantering for others to debate...

What I’ve enjoyed about being back in the States:

Seeing old friends and spending time with them

Meeting new friends (mainly Samantha (Sam), Caleb’s girlfriend)

The availability of ”stuff“ and the variety of ”stuff“ (more flavors of soda than one can imagine) and the ease of finding a solution to a given problem (ie, finding a dog training setting to help our Labrador get over her fear/aggression issues with other dogs (caused by a German Shepherd’s attack on her as a 6 month old)

The weather here in Arizona - 90-95 degrees is really a nice summertime temperature!

What has taken/is taking time for adjustment:

Driving 20 minutes to an hour to get to a desired location (car shopping, malls, church, etc.)

Re-acclimating to the American culture (whatever that means, I just don’t yet know)

Realizing that just because a friend is just next door in another state, that does not mean that it’s only a 2-3 hour drive

Realizing that driving is almost a ”have-to“ in this culture and that walking is hardly a means of transportation, but more a mode of exercise

Georgia Youth Workers' Summit 2009

2009-05-12T05:14:00.000+02:00

Didi madloba - Georgian for “thank you very much.”

That’s what comes to mind as I try to summarize what took place during this past week in the Kakheti region of the Republic of Georgia as Tagg Wolverton, Holly Davis and I invested time, energy, money & heart into the lives of youth workers from across the Republic of Georgia, Belarus & Armenia. All together, we numbered about 20 youth workers.

Pictured here: Ciskara, Tato, Samuel, Gocha, Mushegh, Kelly, Pavel, Iza, Tagg, Nino, Holly, Ana, Lea, Natia, Eka, Dali, Tino, Elijah, Alex - not pictured: Ana, Maja, Brian

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first of this kind of gathering in Georgia and, thanks to the Lord, was encouraging and challenging to all present.

Brian Wolf, a missionary with I.G.O. (International Gospel Organization?), organized the event. Brian has been in Georgia for just short of 5 years, is married to a beautiful Georgian woman, Maja, and is involved in church planting, youth ministry and other key areas of ministry effecting healthy, growing churches throughout the Kakheti region (the eastern-most region) of Georgia.

While all-day Friday & Saturday morning sessions were focused on foundations of ministry to young people, discipleship & leadership multiplication, Saturday afternoon & Sunday afternoon were designed as panel discussions for question & answer and idea-sharing & stimulation.

Cross-cultural issues abound around the world and North Americans are not the only people to commit faux pas when operating outside of their home borders. During our time in Georgia we encountered French Christians traveling throughout the country who, upon their arrival, presented at least one host family with an “acceptable menu” of food items for their meals while in Georgia - brazen, to say the least!

As well, we watched Armenians wrestle with the Georgian culture and the Georgians struggle with Armenian expectations. I’m withholding details out of sensitivity to those involved.

Expectations play a large part in cross-cultural relations and they can be devastating if not handled in a mature manner.

I have to say that Tagg & Holly really seemed to connect with the youth workers throughout the weekend. Holly, through her excellently effervescent personality and constant smile, drew the youth workers to her through her casual, open style of communication and seemed to give them hope & ideas for their own local ministries.

Tagg, in his dry, Southern-style humor and quick wit broke barriers & stereotypes of “older” youth workers. As well, Tagg’s exceptional ability to draw the “issue” at hand into a system-wide discussion - laced with practical suggestions & ideas - opened their eyes to a balanced approach to ministry to young people. Both exhibited a comfortable confidence that comes from experience in ministry & a solid relationship with Jesus Christ. What a joy to watch them serve these young youth workers and give them hope, encouragement and joy in their ministries.

Brian was beaming with joy as we discussed the results of the Youth Workers’ Summit. He was encouraged for 2 reasons: 1) He saw his youth workers light up with joy, enthusiasm, energy and desire to discuss, dream and move forward in their ministries and 2) he realized that the training that he had done in the past years was basically right on - at least in comparison with what we shared during the weekend. As well, he enjoyed the fellowship with native English speakers - as did we.

We definitely accomplished our goal of encouraging, equipping and giving hope to these young youth workers.

How can we improve for the future? That’s a topic for another post. Stay tuned....

The God of "The In-Between"

2009-05-02T10:14:00.000+02:00

Margaret Feinberg in her book, “The Sacred Echo,” states that God is the God of “The In-Between.” What is that you ask? I’ll tell you from personal experience that it is true. God is present in those times when we don’t know what will be or what we should do, where we should go at a given junction in life.

I think God likes those in-between times. In fact, I think He loves them in our lives because it is in those times that He is very important to us - that in those times of fog, ambiguity, confusion, wonder, fear, uncertainty are the times where our antennae are tracking Him closely - waiting to hear from Him, see some sign from Him, grasp something tangible from Him or hear a word, any word, from Him.

And if you don’t think that these are days of uncertainty for us (“us” meaning “the Shattucks), you certainly have not been reading our updates or in communication with us re: our immediate future.

In summary, this is what it looks like:

on May 26th, the 20 foot container arrives and we have 6 hours to pack it with all of the household belongings that we’re taking back to the USA with us.

on May 31st, we fly out of Vienna to the USA

We’re leaving a country that we love dearly, that we have worked hard to serve, reach with Jesus Christ, and still see much work to do

We’re returning to our beloved home country that is racked with weird diseases, political ”discomfort,“ fear, economical instability, rising unemployment, and whose cultural nuances, values and such are stranger to us than ever before (having been gone for 13 years!)

There are questions re: our future. I want to pursue a doctorate (will that happen?). Linda wants to work for a while as a nurse, but she needs to return to school for a semester to re-acclimate to the nursing work environment.

How will this move back impact our supporters, their support (prayer & financial) and such.

So many questions, so few answers - for now. Though there is much uncertainty, we are certain of many things, some of which are:

God is still on His throne!

The Lord Jesus still loves His creation and especially His children!

He is still leading us!

He will reveal our next steps in His time and in His way.

We look forward to seeing what He’s got in mind!

It is ALWAYS an adventure to walk with Him!

”Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.“ Phil. 4:6,7

Rhythms & Melodies

2009-04-24T16:27:00.000+02:00

I wish I had something profound to write here, but it’s nothing really profound - especially if you are older than 30 years old. Simply put, we live in the rhythms and seasons of life. We’re born, grow up, marry (most, I guess), have & rear children, watch them leave the nest and return with grandkids (not my experience as of yet!) and we die.

The most amazing thing about all of this is that we were totally non-existent before birth, then suddenly, we exist - body, soul, spirit, mind, emotions, desires, will and all! Then we spend the next 60-100 years learning, scrapping, wondering, wandering, fighting, loving, hating, learning, adjusting, settling, scheming and much, much more. And all this for what? In hopes of leaving a miniscule scratch on the surface of life so that in generations to come people will remember us, revere us, worship us?

It certainly seems that way!

Now don’t take me as a cynic. I’m cynical, but not to the point of insisting that this life has no purpose or meaning. I think that this life has tremendous purpose & meaning. But I think that it is preparation for the future! Not the future that we experience in this life, but the future which we will experience when we pass from this world from our earthly bodies.

I think, as Jesus submitted, that this life is only the beginning of something MUCH bigger, greater, and that we are to find what our place is in that life. Jesus offers to us a unique role in that “future life” as His children, in His family, representing Him while we are still here on this planet in this life. It is a strange thing to even think that we at all exist.

But by the grace of God we would not even possess a body, let alone the capabilities to reason, desire, plan, understand, connect with others, etc. In that, I have to simply say that rhythms & melodies I sense & experience as I walk through life are written by the Great Choreographer, Who has His own plan for the song He is writing and the dance He is designing for us to sing & dance in His strength, time, plan and to His glory and blessing of His creation.

So simple. So elegant. So difficult when I let my proud heart scribble my out-of-sync-and-out-of-tune notes on the pages of His composition. Sing HIS song today. Dance HIS dance today. I am releasing all I am - once again (sigh) - to the hands of the Great Choreographer, the Grand Conductor.

European Evangelical Alliance (EEA), Coma-Ruga, Spain

2009-04-23T07:11:00.000+02:00

As I sit here watching the sun rise, I listen to the dull rumble of a huge engine on some kind of ocean liner out in the Mediterranean Sea and the splash of small waves on the shoreline.

What a great location for a gathering of network leaders from all over Europe to meet and pray, talk, brainstorm, get to know each other and dream with the Lord about His desire for Europe to know Him.

Although, I must admit in my heart that of the maybe 100 men & women here, about 700 million Europeans are represented by them. A daunting task it is for us to take on.

The most encouraging element for me from this weekend is the time with Tagg & Holly as we prepare for the Youth Workers’ Summit in the Republic of Georgia. Colin & Melissa Piper and the Proffitts are also encouraging as we talk about the future and how Linda & I could possibly fit into their plans.

It’s nice to be by the salt water again. I do miss the salty air, waves splashing and the feeling of sand between my toes as I walk barefoot along the shoreline.

What’s next, Lord? I look forward to what You have in mind....

Day of prayer & fasting

2009-04-20T17:18:00.000+02:00

All in all, about 24 people connected with me for prayer today! What a blessing! My wrists are tired from jumping from window to window in Facebook & Skype as i prayed with you all!

And for those of you who prayed and did not connect - THANK YOU! I know there were several of you who did so because you sent me emails telling me of your prayer on our behalf.

Thank you all so much!

A little smile can make a big difference

2009-04-20T07:55:00.000+02:00

I just got back from my walk with Lani (our 2.5 year old black Lab Retriever). I started taking her on walks regularly last week when Linda was struck with a bladder infection that restricted her to a distance of 3 meters from the toilet!

I noticed that since we went on our walks at about the same time every day, that we’d see many of the same people each day (except for Saturday & Sunday).

As we passed each person, I would nod, give a little smile (not the huge toothy grin that we Americans are so famous for) and greet them with a “Good morning.”

After the first few days, several folks began to respond in kind (no smile - with the exception of one lady who I think really likes Lani - or maybe I’M the one she likes! ;-) Hey, I may be 51 years old, but I’m still good-looking! ) :-)

Today, the beginning of the work week, we went out again and I noticed that more of the same faces were responding with “Good morning” greetings and even a few smiles.

I don’t care what people say about Slovaks/Central Europeans, I think that they’re kind people in general and just need a little reason to show it.

Invite to pray with us!

2009-04-19T16:57:00.000+02:00

Tomorrow, Monday, April 20th, is a special day for me.

I have set aside the day to pray with you online! From 11:00 am - 5:00pm (Central Europe Time - GMT+1), I will be available online to pray with you. The purposes are: a) for us to thank the Lord for 13 (almost) years of blessing in our ministry here in Europe, b) to praise Him for what He is doing in, through and around YOU and, c) to ask Him to provide financial & other needs for our move from Slovakia to the USA. If you’d like more details, you can email me, comment me on this blog, check out the Day of prayer & fasting on our Facebook or simply connect via chat in Facebook or Skype between 11:00am and 5:00pm GMT+1.

Hope to see you there!

Running with the Bulls

2009-04-19T16:38:00.000+02:00

I just finished the book “Run with the Bulls Without Getting Trampled” by Dr. Tim Irwin. I won’t go into the contents of the book here except to say that I was encouraged, rebuked & challenged by the contents therein.

At the beginning of the final chapter in his book, Dr. irwin quotes Max DePree: “It is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.”

Change is unavoidable if we want to make progress, to grow, to make any sort of impact in any way, shape or form.

In 1993, the giant ferry MS Estonia sank in the Baltic Sea during a storm. 850 people drowned in that accident in spite of dozens of lifeboats floating only a few feet away from the sinking boat. The people clung to railings and other parts of the ferry as their “comfort zone” and refused to release long enough to swim to safety to the nearby lifeboats. Tragic. As a result, the sinking ferry sucked many to their death as it plunged beneath the icy waters.

In one of the final paragraphs in the book, Dr. Irwin writes, “I’m trying to figure out which of my efforts achieved their purpose, what may by holding my back, and what must I stop pouring resources into. What work should I stop doing? Which opportunities should I turn down? I have anxious moments and find it very difficult to let go of the safety rails of the familiar. Although I find change to be unsettling, it also holds great promise.”

WOW! If that doesn’t describe where I am today, I don’t know what does!

Irwin believes that it is the “compelling whys” that motivate us to true change/transformation. These “compelling whys fall into 3 categories:

Pain - ”Pain is the most unpleasant but the strongest driver of change.“

Potential Consequences - ”...probably sources of pain, but the prospect of that pain is so unpleasant that it can change our behavior.“

Future Promise - ”Future promise shows the benefits of change. If we lose weight, we’ll look and feel better.“

As I look into the future (a very short distance away!), I see tremendous challenges ahead of me. At the same time, I see a need for tremendous changes!

Thanks Dr. Tim for your insights and encouragement!

Being part of a church

2009-04-14T07:59:00.000+02:00

Psalm 84
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
2         I long, yes, I faint with longing
to enter the courts of the Lord.
With my whole being, body and soul,
I will shout joyfully to the living God.
3         Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young
at a place near your altar,
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God!
4         What joy for those who can live in your house,
always singing your praises.
Interlude

I know that this passage isn’t speaking directly about church attendance and I’m one of the last people who would be pushing church attendance in and of itself as a means of spiritual growth. BUT, I often ask the people in our church (whenever I have the privilege to lead the service or preach or something from “up front”), if they gave any thought about the worship service before they arrived “on site.”

I wonder, how many of us long for the worship service in our churches? When was the last time your heart yearned to be in the church building during a worship service, to be with His people in worship & prayer & praise? Have you (or I) ever fainted from longing for the fellowship of the believers?

And when we’re present, do we worship with our “whole being, body and soul... and shout joyfully to the living God?” Or do we sit silently, still, unmoving, unmoved, unaffected by the entire service?

We serve the Highest, most Gracious, most Holy, most Powerful God - none comes close!Is He not worthy of our total engagement - body, mind, soul & spirit - when we worship, serve, pray and praise?

I’m rebuked. I’ll work on having a bigger perspective of Who He is when I gather with my brothers & sisters to worship on Sunday.

O Lord, Your dwelling place is indeed lovely!

Spring sunrise

2009-04-08T07:14:00.000+02:00

Slept in this morning, but when I got up this is what greeted my eyes when I opened the blinds for my daily morning weather check. Pretty cool, huh?

Stress

2009-04-06T07:45:00.000+02:00

Stress is an awful thing when it’s in an overload amount. It, in small amounts, can act as a motivator, but too much causes pain, lock-up (physical & emotional & intellectual).

King David experienced stress in Ps. 73. Listen to what he said:

“I envied the proud...they seem to live painless lives... bodies are healthy & strong... don’t have troubles like other people...not plagued with cruelty...have everything they could ever wish for...scoff & speak evil... crush others... boast against heaven...”

These kinds of thoughts come from within us, not from outside. David went on to say, “Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside.”

And the final thought from this psalm, “But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things You do.”

Gratitude. Thanksgiving. It certainly has a way of changing our perspective. This morning as I awakened, in spite of some of the physical pains I was experiencing, I realized that I didn’t have 2 of the ones which I had when I went to sleep last night. I chose to focus on the disappearance of the 2 and thank the Lord that they were gone and that I had less pain than last night.

As a result, my heart rejoiced, my mind was full of thanks - in spite of the workload for this week that lays ahead of me - and my attitude changed for the better - in a big way!

Thank You, Lord, for the ability to be thankful and to give thanks and “feel” thankful!

Whom have I... but You?

2009-04-02T07:34:00.000+02:00

Ps. 73: 25-28
“Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. 26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. 27 Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. 28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.“

My body (health) is certainly failing. Backaches, joint issues, allergies, etc. plague me. At this very moment, I am counting 7 ”issues“ that plague me on a daily basis in my physical body (ankle, calf, back, shoulder, bicep, eyes & allergies (not counting the individual allergies - just bunching them together!). It’s funny how we accept these as ”normal“ and continue on living life.

I’m not against maintaining good health through proper diet, exercise & rest. But I don’t want to spend so much time ”maintaining“ my body that I forget to use it for it’s purpose - to impact the lives of other people for eternity.

I think that this is why some people who live long lives look forward to Heaven! Pain is a natural part of life, but constant physical pain is tiring & wearing. I truly admire people who in the midst of battling cancer or some other form of unremitting, relentless pain manage to keep their hearts, minds & eyes focused on the eternal value of life.

I tend to want to ”pack up & go home” when I “suffer” for 2 or 3 days (or weeks) from some physical ailment or injury.

But, that’s not all bad because it does remind me of my true home, my eternal home, where I’ll spend the rest of forever with Jesus. That’s sounding better & better all the time!

What I'm created to do

2009-04-01T09:07:00.000+02:00

Recently, my regional leader asked me the following questions:
        What is the ideal job description for me?
        What does that entail & look like?
        What job/ministry includes my passions?

Here are my thoughts:

I need a place/job/ministry where the following is possible on a regular basis:

> Mobility - It is important for me to get out from behind the desk and do things. I need to be “out and about” at least sometimes. I am rarely happier than when I don’t have to be cooped up in an office, but can get out and do things or be with people.

> Creating/Innovating - It is important for me to be able to propose and/or implement new, creative ideas. I need to be appreciated for my ability to see things in innovative ways and come up with creative solutions. I am happy/fulfilled when I am in an environment where creativity & innovation are appreciated.

> Pioneering - It is important for me to launch new ventures. I need the opportunity to take on brand-new , never-before-accomplished tasks and see them accomplished. I am “fired up“ when trying a new ministry or ministry approach for the first time.

> Risk - It is important for me to know that I am taking some risks. I need to be involved in a ministry where things are not always predictable and in which the outcome is not always determinable in advance. I am ”jacked up“ when I have made a risky decision and things end up with positive results.

> Influencing/Impacting - It is important for me to feel that I have had a significant impact on others. I need to be valued for my ability to work at least as hard as anyone else. I love to put in long, hard hours and see the fruit of my labor in my ministry.

> Working primarily with young people is an absolute must. It is a non-negotiable. They are the key to effective, long-term change in any culture or country.

5. What job/ministry includes my giftedness?

> Traveling to new locations to visit, explore, investigate and dream of new possibilities for ministry innovation & development

> Going to locations where ministry to young people either does not exist or is barely functional and meeting with parties interested in exploring, initiating and/or developing ministry to young leaders

> The setting must include in it extensive time with people

God speaks - more like a whisper

2009-03-26T11:40:00.000+01:00

As I lay on the table with peat moss in bags placed across my back and something that generated heat on top of those (this process is called “rasha-leena” in Slovak), feeling the heat pervade the muscles and relaxing them, I fought the urge to fall asleep. I wanted to hear God even in this moment of “pampering.” I wanted to know that He could speak to my heart even in the midst of something as mundane or earthly as physical relaxation.

And speak He did. Well, it was more like a whisper. But it was unmistakeable. Linda & I had been talking about the future, about ministry opportunities, about Home Ministry Assignment and what would come after. We talked about the question of my desires for the future, for ministry fulfillment (is that an oxymoron?), what would be the perfect job description for me/us and much more.

This happens at the beginning of every HMA (Home Ministry Assignment). I find myself looking back over the past few years and asking the question, “What have I done with my time? Into what have I/we invested the resources (prayer, time & finances of those who partner with our work here in Europe)? Better yet, into WHOM have we invested?

What difference have we made by our presence in Slovakia & Europe? Will there be a hole caused by our departure? Will people yearn for the days that we walked among them?

What if we were to never return to the same area, church, ministries, people groups? In 2 years from now - or 5, 10 or 20 years from now - will people be different because of our presence and time spent here in Europe?

And then come the questions re: the future? Do we want to continue to work with young people? If not, why not? If not with young people, then with whom?

So, what did God say?

He ever-so-softly whispered to my heart, ”Can you see yourself investing your time, energy, finances, resources and those of your prayer & financial partners into people other than young people?“

I almost answered out loud. ”No! I cannot!“

I MUST have the joy, privilege, duty, opportunity and life of investing into young people. I MUST. It is that for which I have been created, formed, honed, shaped and released by God the Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit.

I MUST and I WILL - by God’s grace & power!

Dream with Domca and Owen

2009-03-26T01:31:00.000+01:00

***** It’s 1:09 am on March 26, 2009. Just woke up from a dream and decided to write it down.*****

I was driving through a small European village, when I spotted Domca standing a little ways away from the road standing at what appeared to be a bus stop. Linda was in the car with me. I stopped, backed up and fumbled with opening the window to yell out Linda’s window to Domca, “Kašleš na svojich ľudí?” I was being sarcastic and the question means, “Are you kissing off your own people?”

I was, of course, sarcastically referring to the fact that she had not seen Linda & me in the car driving by and that she had not reacted to our presence in “her” village.

Domca didn’t hear me and I realized that I hadn’t rolled the window down but a small amount and that I had backed up too far. So, as I returned to the optimal position, this time with the window down, I yelled again in her direction, “Kašleš na svojich ľudí?”

Unfortunately, she had started to walk further away, but she turned and looked in our direction for a moment before walking on. I drove further up and yelled again. I stopped the car, got out and began yelling yet once again, “Kašleš na svojich ľudí?” in the direction I last saw her.

As I moved in the direction I last saw her, I noticed that people were staring at me. I explained to them in Slovak, that I had seen a young woman walking this way and asked if they had seen her. One man answered in British English, “I have no idea what you’re saying, old chap, but you’re welcome to join us.”

I suddenly realized that I was standing in the midst of some members of an extended family that happened to be out and about. I switched to English and in short time found out where Owen & Domca were living. I immediately went to visit them and was welcomed warmly.

After a good dinner with some of the extended family members, Domca, Owen & I were sitting in a living room with a fireplace laughing at my story of yelling at the bus stop and in town.

I changed topics and asked them how they were doing. My question met with a long, uncomfortable silence. I was really saddened. I had performed their wedding ceremony not barely 2 years ago and here they were already having serious problems.

I asked what they were doing the next day and was pleasantly surprised to hear that their day was free.

“Linda and I also have the day free. How about lunch together? I’ll bring the wine and Linda.”

“Great!” they blurted.

“Great. Only you fix lunch at your place so we can have some place private and after lunch, we’ll talk about your relationship and we’ll see if we can’t help you through this time.”

*****End of dream******

I woke up and immediately sent an email from my iPhone to Owen & Domca to ask how they are doing.

We know that we don't know a lot!

2009-03-22T07:39:00.000+01:00

God has brought us to a crossroad in our lives & ministry. We are leaving Slovakia for Home Ministry Assignment on May 31, 2009. We know that the Lord is leading us in this.

We know that the Lord has a place for us to live in the USA - but we don’t know where that place is.

We know that the Lord has a job for Linda somewhere in the USA - but we don’t know where that is.

We know that the Lord has a plan for our day-to-day ministry time in the USA - but there are many variables that we don’t know.

We know that we have much support to raise - but we don’t know whom the Lord is going to use to partner with us.

We know that our work in the Kingdom has not come to an end - but we don’t know exactly what the Lord’s future plans are.

Hm, we don’t know much about the future. But we DO know the One who has the future in His grasp and - for now - that is sufficient for us.

We’re returning to the USA to raise support, get out of debt (incurred by living in Europe on insufficient income), get some more training or education (Kelly is praying about pursuing a doctorate) and continue serving in the Kingdom of God.

Please pray with us regarding God’s leading. Please pray for wisdom, clarity and direction.

Good words from God

2009-03-16T07:17:00.000+01:00

From Psalm 63, I read words of encouragement - at least, for me today, they are encouraging words...

“O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you.My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy. I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.”

Another dream - with motorcycles!

2009-03-09T09:30:00.000+01:00

I dreamed that I was riding an incredibly powerful motorcycle, realizing that it was far beyond my ability to control it, yet enjoying the ride.

Suddenly, I was in the midst of a motorcycle race. Though I was able to keep the motorcycle moving ahead, it moved very slowly and the tire spun consistently as I tried to gain traction. it was obvious that I wasn’t using the right gear. In spite of the fact that I had downshifted several times, I was still in the wrong gear and came to that realization when I spotted my father on the roadside. “You’re in the wrong gear,” he said to me. “I know. I’ve downshifted to 1st - down on the peg is downshifting, right?”

He gave me that look that I know all too well as the “I-can’t-believe-that-you-won’t-listen-to-me” look (which I have passed on to my children over the years as well) as I realized that he was right. I stepped off of the motorcycle and allowed him to put the bike into the right gear. He handed the bike over to me and I took off in a flash, enjoying the power, freedom & security of starting from the right gear and gaining the traction that I needed in order to compete in the race. (end of dream)

One interpretation:

1. The "dad" here is really Jesus/God.
2. You've been part of something powerful and beyond your ability to control...the growth of the kingdom of God...
3. God/your heavenly Father, is in the process of pointing out that you have tremendous power, potential, ability, and are part of something much much greater than you are aware of...and you are spinning your wheels. Ineffective, stuck, ....trying to participate in what's really going on and yet stuck in the wrong gear.
4. God wants you to let him recalibrate you, get your abilities and powers back in gear so that you can go and do and enjoy what He is really calling you to do.

What I find interesting is that this is the same theme, in a sense, as the last dream you had (swimming). God is showing you that there is so much more for you out there and that it is time to stop spinning your wheels, using old tools, techniques, paradigms, viewpoints, organisations, visions, that are no longer suitable. Sure, you can get some traction but it isn't where the real "ride" is.

Dream & interp: Swimming, dead shark and more

2009-03-03T07:53:00.000+01:00

The night before last, I had this dream:

I dreamt that I was swimming in the ocean for a very long time. It was pleasant, but difficult at the same time. The salt water felt good on my body. The waves & swells weren’t so big that they totally hindered my progress.

At one point, noticing that I was completely out of sight of any land mass, I came over one swell and spotted in the nearby distance a black fin - a shark! My heart raced in fear and anticipation of what to do and where to go! No one else was around, no other help available. As I peaked on the next swell, the fin was obviously closer, yet moving oddly.

My heart screamed in panic as I looked for other fins and saw none. As I neared the fin (not voluntarily, but by virtue of the swells and current), I realized that the shark was dead and simply floating in the water. I dove under water to watch just as the final buoyancy gave way and the shark sank slowly out of sight.

I woke up.

Here is the interpretation that one friend sent to me:

I think this is an amazing dream. First thing to notice is that you are an active participant in the dream, not just watching for the sidelines. For me, your swimming "for a very long time" which is both pleasant and difficult is your time in Slovakia. There was enough buoyancy in the salt water to keep you floating. There was enough work/purpose in Slovakia to keep you floating, in place. I find your use of the work "pleasant" interesting as opposed to saying your swim was exhilarating or exciting.

Since you have been swimming a long time, it seems like you must be moving away from something, toward some new horizon, since you aren't swimming in place.

Your journey has now taken you out of sight of what is comfortable to a swimmer... land mass. You can no longer see where you left from, nor can you see the land mass you are heading to. Perhaps the first land mass represents what you are leaving behind - ministry in Slovakia, GEM, people, etc. And again, to point out, you are making the journey, not thinking about it or watching someone else, or even watching yourself. Perhaps this is saying that even though you may feel the "leaving" is at the end of May, the "leaving" has already started. Also, the unseen land mass represents the unknown "new". And even though it is unknown, you are still bravely, actively swimming towards it, without knowing what the "it" is.

So... when one normally sees as shark ... what do they do? They try to get away from the shark - climb in the boat, get back to land. What did you do? You kept going... very brave! You conquered those "what to do" and "where to go", and probably stayed still, which is a strong position, did not panic and thrash. God often asks us to just stand still - be still. Both offensive and defensive.
You experienced panic and your heart screamed in fear ..... very normal reactions, but you didn't die from fright, you didn't thrash, you didn't turn around and go back in the opposite direction (from where you started the swim) etc. You "were still" - exactly the right position for dealing with a shark, right? You didn't like it, but you confronted the source of your fear, only to find out it was dead - it had no power. The only power the shark had was what you gave it .... you made it a fearful creature, when he was dead.

I think it is great that you watched your "fear shark" sink out of sight - you let it go, you didn't hold on to it, you didn't try to revive it ... I am guessing that you felt relief at watching your fear go away.

I would do a little study on the shark. Obviously he is a predator and a very efficient, deadly one - just like satan. God chose this dream symbol for a reason. Perhaps the fears that you are confronting and letting go of are not only deadly but they are also "prehistoric". I know that when I think of sharks, I think they are kind of prehistoric. I guess what I am trying to say is that these fears are long-standing, old ones, but deadly. And of course the enemy means them to be deadly and wants to you keep "holding on" to them. But you are letting them sink.

I think this dream is full of victory, full of leaving the old behind, and actively going for the new.

Just some first thoughts.

God's catalyst!

2009-03-02T07:30:00.000+01:00

Wow. God has a way of lighting a fire under us sometimes, doesn’t He?

In short, He has cancelled our Big House English Camp for this summer. (long story, but I won’t go into it here).

As well, our last paycheck (for February) was 1/3rd (30%) of what we need to live here and that on top of last year’s average of 52% income level.

And since we were planning to return to the USA in August/September anyway, we have decided - prayerfully - to return to the USA at the end of May.

BAM!

All of a sudden, we have 3 months to pack everything up and make the move back.

We still don’t have a place to live in the US (we’re trying to settle in the San Diego area). We don’t have a vehicle lined up there either. We have to decide whether or not to sell our car here in Slovakia, where to store our stuff, etc.

But, that’s all stuff that I call “details” and the bigger picture is what God is doing in our lives and how He is directing us. There is a lot to consider. A lot to pray about. A lot of options and opportunities “out there” and we’re praying for God’s wisdom and direction.

Thanks for praying with us!

A Twilight Discussion

2009-02-03T23:17:00.000+01:00

We promised our English Circle that we’d take them to the movies this week after English Circle. The best choice for a movie was “Twilight.” (That probably tells what the other choices were like!).

So, in preparation, we went to see “Twilight“ last night. We probed the movie for symbols, quotes and any kind of connection that we could use for springboards into discussion about life & eternity & Jesus and us.

Well, we certainly didn’t lack for material! After the movie, we went out for ice cream and had a very lively discussion about the movie, it’s contents, intents, messages, symbols and characters.

We actually basically got kicked out of the mall because they were closing and our discussion had run into closing time.

There’s one line in the movie used a couple of times that goes something like this, ”I had never thought about how I would die. Dying in the place of someone I love seems like a good way to go...“

From there, I made a connection to Jesus giving His life for us. And therein was my opportunity to share Christ with the 3 non-believers present. There were mixed reactions at first, but we sense an openness to hearing more! PTL!

Here’s a pic of us at the mall just after eating ice cream and having our discussion!

Cracking the ice in a coffee shop

2009-01-26T16:51:00.000+01:00

I’m sitting in a coffee shop in our little village of Podlavice (pronounced “Poh’d-law-vee-tsay). I came here in anticipation & hopes of meeting the owner/manager of the shop in order to gain a better perspective of the community in which we live and be available to be used of the Lord in His work and plans for the expansion of His Kingdom.

I had no idea what the Lord had in store! He’s not Slovak - he’s Yugoslav! His son & daughter-in-law run another shop (ice cream & coffee) on the Town Square under the Clock Tower (some of you may know the place of which I’m speaking). He has several other shops around the country, hotels, other buildings that he rents to various businesses (pharmacies, etc.) and works the shop in our village here because he lives here (upstairs from the shop) and because the business here is much slower than his other businesses, so - for him - it’s rest!

What a character. I’m praying for him. Please pray for him as well. Simply pray for him as the ”coffee shop owner“ and the Lord & I (not that you pray to me, but when you ask about him, I’ll know) will know about whom you’re asking!

I’ll be back for more coffee & ”kremesh“ -- and conversation!

Discussion with Martin & Rasto

2009-01-21T12:32:00.000+01:00

Last night, after the youth leadership meeting, I had the privilege & joy of discussing the issue of Christian conscience & freedom with the two guys in the photo - Rasto (pronounced Raws-tyo) and Martin.

We talked, disagreed, agreed, shook our heads, nodded our heads, interrupted, waited patiently and more of the things typical of a good, jaw-tiring Bible discussion.

In the end, we prayed together, and that was the sweetest part. We agreed to pray further on the matter and seek Christ’s face & desire. The result? Unity - in spite of diversity.

God is good, isn’t He? Diversity is foundational to a healthy body of Christ. Everyone serving as HE leads. Everyone following HIM. Everyone obeying HIS COMMANDS. The result? Unity, growth, glory to God and new believers in the Kingdom!

Please pray for me as I continue to disciple & be discipled here in Europe! Thanks.

What it's all about!

2009-01-21T12:12:00.000+01:00

This past weekend, Linda, Nathan & I went to Berlin, Germany, for the Greater Europe Mission Field Leaders’ Conference. What a great time of fellowship with men & women who are re-capturing the desire & urgency to win Europe to Christ!

Greater Europe Mission has re-tooled it’s vision & mission statements. In case you’re interested, here they are:

Vision: God expanding His Kingdom through all people of Europe to the world
Mission: Disciple all peoples of Europe through rapidly reproducing churches

What is exciting to me is the focus/emphasis on the word “disciple.” 12 1/2 years ago, Linda & I came to Europe with our 4 kids as a response to God’s calling & leading.

Why did God call us here? To make disciples who would make disciples who would make disciples! Just as in 1 Tim. 2:2, “...and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” I like to call this “D4.” 4 generations of disciples.

Please pray for us as we continue to “make disciples of all nations” (Slovakia, Georgia, Ireland, and more!)!

English Circle begins again!

2009-01-20T07:59:00.000+01:00

English Circle kicked off 2009 with these four students present: Lenka, Ada, Eva and Miso. Please be praying for them (and us!) as we seek to build relationships with them to introduce Christ to them!

Lenka is a regular at English Circle!

Peto and Ada helped Emily lead English Circle during the fall semester.

Nathan also helps out at English Circle and Martin Jirku visited the Circle in December!

Ada is also a regular.

Petra and Ada work on an exercise and get a little help from someone

Kelly & Linda always participate and have a great time doing it!

Kelly is telling Santa (Peto) what he wants for Christmas as we explain how commercialized Christmas works in the USA

Linda writes a new word on the board as Eva and Miso work through an exercise

Miso looks a little confused and asks for clarification

Eva reacts to a question

Ada explains how the next exercise is going to work

One of the greatest compliments!

2008-12-24T07:31:00.000+01:00

I remember many, many years ago as a new believer in Jesus Christ when a man whom I deeply respected commented to me how Christ was visible in me.

That was the greatest compliment I could remember ever receiving.

I was humbled and almost embarrassed because I realized that God really was working through me and I feared that the joy of that truth would be overcome by my pride - the pride of knowing that God was working through me and that that made me special.

Now, the truth is this: God does work in and through us. But, what we often forget is that it is HIS work IN and THROUGH us, not ours, that makes “things happen,” that changes us, that impacts other people. So, it’s not pride to recognize that truth.

However, it is pride when we begin to see ourselves as better, more righteous or closer to God than others because of God’s work in us.

That with which I struggled wasn’t really about God working in me. What I realized was the tendency in me to turn God’s amazing work of grace and make it a badge of pride. Something like, “See! God is working in me. Aren’t I special? I AM special and a little better than many others because of it. As a matter of fact, I am holier than others because of how close I am to God.”

Interesting how quickly the grace of God becomes twisted in our minds and becomes a work of our own fleshly, selfish me-ism.

That statement made so many years ago affected me deeply. I WANT to walk with God. I WANT to know Him deeply. I WANT to be used by Him in His work, in His way & timing.

I simply want to walk with Him. Then, if He should choose to impact others through me, the greatest compliment would be for me to hear what Zechariah 8:23 says, “And they will say, ‘Please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

That’s the greatest compliment ever!

What a compliment!

2008-12-23T10:04:00.000+01:00

Zech. 8:23 - “And they will say, ‘Please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

Wouldn’t this be the ultimate compliment to hear from another person?

The truth is, for born-again believers, that He is indeed with us. However, we have to ask the question whether we are with Him? Whether we walk with Him as He does with us?

More pix from our kids' program

2008-12-21T10:26:00.000+01:00

We r watching the kids' Christmas program at our church

2008-12-21T10:24:00.000+01:00

Salvation, fruit and John 15

2008-12-04T07:40:00.000+01:00

It is interesting to me that so many people use this passage to “prove” the possibility of losing one’s salvation. It appears to me to do just the opposite.

The concept of being a branch that does not bear fruit is a branch that is “unsaved” is inconsistent with the notion of losing one’s salvation.

In John 15, verse 2 starts with this Greek phrase: “παν* κλημα* εν* εμοι* μη* φερον* καρπον* αιρει”

Directly translated, it looks like this: all/any branch in Me wasn’t bringing fruit

It’s the phrase that “in Me” that is so interesting to me. A branch “in Jesus” cannot be a branch without salvation. But this is a branch that is not bearing fruit.

Further, the branch that is not bearing fruit (a continual condition, not a one-time act), is not “cut off”, but is “lifted up” (the Greek word “airo“) in order for it to receive better light & air and not be sitting in the dirt/mud.

The simple & short conclusion is that it must be possible to be a branch and not bear fruit - it must, therefore, be possible to be a believer in Jesus Christ and not bear fruit.

Just musing...

"The Great Choreographer"

2008-11-26T05:10:00.000+01:00

I have a new name for our Lord. I don’t mean to be disrespectful at all to our great & gracious God, but He certainly IS the Great Choreographer!

The word “choreography” comes from the Greek in the late 18th century and has the sense of a written notation of dancing. It comes from 2 words being joined together - “khoreia” which means “dancing in unison” and “grafos“ which means ”to write.“

Originally, the main responsibility of a choreographer was to ensure that a ballet was well-executed in the unison of the various dance moves so that through the gestures, arm movements, poses, motions, colors, sounds and all, the ”message“ of the ballet was clearly communicated to the watching audience.

As I have been traveling through this magnificent country, I have been struck with how “The Great Choreographer“ does a phenomenally amazing job of choreographing lives, countries, histories, but even hours, minutes and seconds to bring people, places, times and situations together

Key thoughts to remember regarding The Great Choreographer:

He is the one who decides what the Big Picture should look like

He is the one who determines who plays what role in making the Big Picture ”work“

Our role as ”dancers“ is obedience to The Great Choreographer

The choreography may appear incomplete, chaotic, confusing or just plain bad - from the dancer’s perspective - at a given time

It is not our individual dance that is the focus of the choreography, it is the dance of the whole choreographed dance troupe

As a dancer, my privilege is to watch my part contribute to the whole, the Big Picture, which the Great Choreographer Himself knows intimately and is working to bring to a climactic expression of His greateness, love, holiness and so much more!

I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts about The Great Choreographer. I heard recently that John Eldredge called Him ”The Grand Weaver“ or something like that? What other names do you recall that ring true with this attribute of our Lord?

Dallas Stars vs LA Kings game

2008-11-14T02:53:00.000+01:00

This is our view at the game!

Candace & Dad @ Newsboys Concert

2008-11-09T04:06:00.000+01:00

Hey,

We're enjoying the Newsboys in an outdoor concert in Tucson!

My son-in-law coaching middle school basketball

2008-11-05T00:33:00.000+01:00

Update

2008-10-21T04:56:00.000+02:00

Sat in the Denver Airport for 4 hours more tonight than planned. The plane to Phoenix had a hydraulic leak, so they bought a new part, installed it, tested it and tested it and now we’re airborne.

Had a wonderful weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I stayed in Don & Pat Ball’s home. Very nice home, wonderful people! Pat came with the Tulsa team in the summer of 2007 to help with our Big House English Camp. Don is a hoot! I love that guy! We talked motors, cars (he’s got a Chrysler Crossfire with a magnaflow exhaust! Wow! I’ve attached a couple of pics of the car and Don in it), ministry “war stories,” theology, current events, and life! I could spend weeks sitting and talking with them. Don’s got more stories to tell than the Library of Congress!

Here are a couple of pics of Don and his Chrysler Crossfire:

Spent time with Nancy Davis, Tom Reynolds, Jamie Elliot, Michelle Snider, Jennifer Smith and Carla (Nancy’s daughter) a few times throughout the weekend. We had the privilege of presenting a summary of the camp at Kirk of the Hills - a supporting church in Tulsa) and then I shared about our work in Slovakia. God was good.

I chatted with Brad (Don & Pat’s son-in-law) for a little bit on Sunday afternoon. He has a business called Hicorp (signs, etc. for advertising) and works with Young LIfe ministries quite extensively.

I also was privileged to have coffee with Dan Bair (the missions pastor from Kirk of the Hills) and discovered that the pastoral staff at The Kirk has read the book “Simple Church” by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger (previously I had the wrong author - that’s what I get for going from memory on an airplane ride after a long weekend!). They are desirous of moving that direction - at least with their new church plant. Dan was encouraged to hear of our plans to assist and encourage a similar approach to church planting in Slovakia.

All in all it was a great weekend. I even got to go shopping with Don Ball and was able to buy a dress shirt, 2 polos (Izod and Geoffrey Beene) and 1 silk shirt and a casual Hobie shirt (retail $60) for a grand total of $75. He’s quite the bargain hunter (and finder!).

Observations on America

2008-10-14T22:43:00.000+02:00

I’ve now been back in the USA for 31/2 weeks. I’ve made a few observations. They may not be profound to you, but they have become startlingly (is that a word?) obvious since I lived here for a year in 2005-2006.

Here are some theologies of the USA (a country I deeply love & appreciate!):

The Theology of Comfort - If there is one theology that is “preached” in the USA, it is this one! I’ve ridden in or driven busses, planes and cars in the past 3+ weeks and the vast majority of complaints have been in the context of comfort - hard seats, not enough leg room, too hot, too cold, too noisy, no food, no toilets, etc., etc.

If it’s not comfortable, it’s not right and it needs to change. Comfort reigns king in the realm of decision-making in our country. Convenience. Availability. People apologize to me for putting me on “the guest bed” (I’m thrilled to have a place to sleep!) or for not having Wi-Fi or Starbuck’s coffee (now, that one might be unforgivable!).

Others reel in shock and/or horror at my decision to travel 12 hours by bus to visit friends/churches/supporters. “Why don’t you fly? It’s so much more comfortable.” True, I think, but then I miss out on the time to think, read, rest, listen (to other people preach for 2.5 hours on a recent prophecy they heard at their local church outreach) and see the country from the ground.

I think comfort is over-rated. I like sleeping in a sleeping bag in a tent on hard, rocky ground - for a time - to get close to nature and away from the chaotic rush-about over-scheduled, over-committed thing we call “life” in the USA.

The Theology of Entitlement - This theology goes hand-in-hand with the Theology of Comfort. We have the right to have ice in our soft drinks, to drink alcoholic beverages, go on vacation, eat 4 times as much food as we need, buy 2 times as much stuff as we need, rest, relax, take it easy, enjoy entertainment and on and on.

We believe that we are entitled to everything that the next guy has. He has a house? I should have a house. He has a boat? I should have a boat.

The Theology of Gluttony/Materialism - Recently, I was in Atlanta, Georgia, and as I walked through the neighborhood where I was staying (a mighty fine neighborhood it is, too, I might say! - enormous houses (some with even 6 bathrooms!) and STILL their Lexuses (or is it Lexi?) and Toyota Land Cruisers and other fine automobiles are parked in the driveway (why do we park in driveways and drive in parkways? (thanx to Steven Wright for that one) because their garages are brimming with STUFF! I stood in the driveway of one home and admired the collection of stuff that was stacked, stashed & jammed onto shelves & piles in their garage. “Hm”, I pondered, ”I could really use that and that.“ Then I laughed at my momentary conversion to the Theology of Gluttony/Materialism. I didn’t even know I ”needed“ that thing until I saw it sitting in the garage prominently on display for my lusting eyes to covet. I know that’s what marketing is all about - making me want what I don’t have - but suddenly need - so that I will buy it and then stash it away after a use or two.

It’s even come to the point of deception, this Theology of Gluttony/Materialism. One commercial touts that if you purchase their allergy medicine, not only are you stopping those nasty drips, sniffles and itches, but as a bonus you get 2 hours of time! (That’s nothing new. Jim Croce sang ”Time In A Bottle“ some 35+ years ago!) But really, I’m buying time? How stupid do you think I am?

And further, what is with the gluttonous portions of food in restaurants? I can’t buy the child’s portion (something about my age!), but that’s exactly what I’d like to buy! I don’t need to buy lunch, breakfast & dinner all at once - which is usually what I end up eating when I go out to eat in the USA. I love the food, but no so much of it!

I’m going to make some people mad with this next statement. Why do we preach against lust, greed, envy abortion, murder, and so many other sins, but not about gluttony in the USA? Forget the fact that obesity is costing us literally billions of dollars a year (maybe if we trimmed down, we could get out of debt!) and is affecting our productivity as a nation. The fact that gluttony is a sin should worry us more than anything else.

I’m sorry if you’re offended. And I KNOW that some people have health problems that cause overweight issues. But when 30-40% of our NATION is obese, we need to take a hard look at what causes are in place and what to do about it. And, Christians, we are just as at fault - if not more - than the rest of our nation. When t-shirt sizes change (I used to wear an X-Large, now I wear a medium and I’m basically the same size as I was 25 years ago.) to reflect the average size in the nation, we need to take stock and ask, ”What’s happening?“

Gluttony, materialism, entitlement & comfort are acceptable sins in the cultural realm of our nation. It’s wrong. Let’s look at our nation’s condition through the eyes of someone who can be more objective than we are - Jesus Christ.

Is it right to eat so much that I gain 10, 20, 50, 100 pounds while so much of the rest of the world is starving? Young people - if you’re serious about making a difference in the world hunger problem, trim down yourselves!

Is it right that we can’t give to charitable organizations because we spend so much of our income on stuff that sits in our over-laden garages?

And what makes us think that we deserve a bigger ”this“ or better ”that“ or another ”one-of-those“? Where do we get the idea that we deserve anything? It’s by the grace of God that we’re here in the first place. Let’s not forget to be thankful for what we have and to learn to be content with what we have and to work to not pursue anything that doesn’t propel or project the Kingdom of God forward. Let’s go back to ”seeking FIRST His Kingdom and His RIGHTEOUSNESS and (then all) these things will be added to you.“

And the next time you’re backside hurts from sitting in an uncomfortable chair, be thankful that you had a chair (or a seat)! Use those ”uncomfortable“ and ”inconvenient“ settings to ask yourself ”Is it really all that bad?“ Maybe it’ll be an opportunity for some physical exercise (we could all use more of that!), or to smooth off some rough edges that grow from too much comfort - who knows?

I’m sure that Jesus was uncomfortable on His cross - but what a pay-off! Aren’t you glad His Theology of Comfort didn’t guide His decision to stay or not stay on the cross?

Me, too.

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Andy Stanley #2

2008-10-14T22:29:00.000+02:00

Andy Stanley wrapped up the conference with “Recent Random Thoughts On Leadership”

*** “To reach people no one else is reaching, we must do things no one else is doing.” (This is a quote he took from Craig Groeschel) Andy elaborated on this thought by emphasizing that he’s talking about radically different things, not just tweaking an already-existing service, ministry or activity.

The “Take Away” is: Become preoccupied with gaining those you haven’t reached as opposed to those you are trying to keep.

*** “The Next Generation product almost never comes from the previous generation.” (Quote from “Focus” by Al Reis) My job is to recognize the good/great ideas!

The “Take Away” is: Be a student not a critic. Critics rarely learn anything. Usually, the things that are most threatening to me are those things that are most unfamiliar.

*** What do I believe is impossible to do in my field... but if it could be done would fundamentally change my business? (from “Future Edge/The Paradigm Book” by Joel Barker)

The “Take Away” is: Pay attention to the people who are breaking the rules.

*** If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what would he do? Why shouldn’t we walk out the door, come back in, and do it ourselves? (from “Only The Paranoid Survive” by Andy Grove)
        No pain, no change.
        Where are we “manufacturing” energy? These are the areas where we’re needing to make changes!

The “Take Away” is: Acknowledge what’s not working and own up to why you are unwilling to do anything about it.

*** “When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near.” (from Michael Hammer)
        I don’t want to be an expert in how to do ministry in the past 15 years.. I want to be at the epicenter of how to do ministry NOW!

The “Take Away” is: Don’t let success overshadow your vision.

Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure.

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Andy Crouch

2008-10-14T20:14:00.000+02:00

Andy Crouch - author of “Culture Making”

Okay, I’m going to confess something here. This session was the most difficult for me to swallow. Not because the language was techo-jargon or I couldn’t follow his presentation - he was quite clear & well-prepared.

My problem is this: Are we, as disciples of Jesus Christ, called to shape culture? To make culture?

One of Andy’s early comments/questions in his talk was, “Why aren’t we shaping culture? Copying, condemning & critiquing culture is what we’re comfortable doing.”

Here are some comments from Andy’s talk:

Gen. 2:15 - We are to cultivate culture, to take what is good & keep it good.
Rev. 21:2, 26 - We are to create culture.

CREATING CULTURE:

It always starts in community/together (often with 3 people) - something becomes possible when culture is changed, that originally did not exist or is makes something possible

Then he communicated how to begin change:

Start with 3 people - Andy calls 3 the “suspension of impossibility”
Then you bring in others to have between 3-12 people to build DEPTH
And finally, you expand to 120 people which gives you BREADTH.

Constantly ask others who their 3-12-120 are?

What are you cultivating/creating?

Celebrate the answers.

Maybe I need to read his book to catch the essence of his talk. Maybe I just needed a cup of Land of a 1000 Hills coffee (I discovered this at Catalyst and the Rwandan coffee is excellent - trust me. I’m picky about my coffee and this is good stuff.)

Anyway, I felt like I lost the point of Andy’s talk. Sorry, Andy, nothing personal and I’m certainly not “dissing” your book or work. I just wonder if the Kingdom of God is about changing culture as a strategic point as opposed to a by-product of people becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ and serving & meeting the needs of the world as an expression of the Kingdom.

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Dave Ramsey

2008-10-13T21:10:00.000+02:00

Dave Ramsey, a personal money management expert, was a hoot! He is funny, passionate & committed to excellence!

Dave has a radio talk show on finances that is heard throughout the nation. He also has a TV show and has written several books.

Here are some of his thoughts from his talk “The Enemies of Unity” from Gen. 11:5:

ILLUSTRATION:
        1 Belgian plowhorse can pull 8,000 lbs. by himself
        2 Belgian plowhorses (who have not been trained to work together) can pull 24,000 lbs. together
        However, 2 Belgian plowhorses (who have been trained to work together) can pull 32,000 lbs. together - 4 times as much as 1

The point? Unity, synergy & training!

You cannot have synergy without unity.

Few organizations experience real unity.

The 5 main enemies of unity are:
- Poor communication
- Gossip
- Unresolved disagreements
- Lack of shared purpose
- Sanctioned incompetence

Poor communication can take many forms, but when the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing, strife sets in.

Gossip is degrading and will destroy a church or organization.

A successful leader develops & maintains a culture in which negatives are handed up (to a leader who can do something about it) and positives are handed down & laterally.

By definition, gossip is when a negative is discussed with anyone who can’t help solve the problem.

Unresolved disagreements happen when a leader doesn’t know they exist or when that leader avoids confrontation. A leader must have a backbone!

A little confrontation cleanses the wound and allows the parties to go forward in a spirit of unity.

When you are aware there are hurt feelings and/or disagreements, act quickly and decisively. (Don’t have the “squirrel-caught-in-the-middle-of-the-road theology.) Nobody ever shot anything with, ”Ready! Aim! Aim! Aim! Aim! Aim!“

Lack of shared purpose is caused when a leader doesn’t re-state the goal, the vision and mission early and often.

It has been said that sanctioned incompetence demoralizes. (Be kind. Investigate. We are all incompetent at something.

Team members will eventually become demotivated when someone else on the team can’t or won’t do their job and a leader will not take action.

For the sake of unity in the entire group, the leader must go to battle early and often with any of these enemies of unity.

When unity is valued in the culture, the team will also act to keep these enemies from the gate. (Knowledge & perception remove fear.)

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Tim Sanders

2008-10-13T21:03:00.000+02:00

Tim Sanders (former Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo!) spoke on the topic of taking your faith into the marketplace in his talk titled, “Saving The World At Work.”

His core message, as he dictated it to us was, “Tell your people to take their values to work!”

Here are a few thoughts from his talk:

If not you, then who? If not now, then when?

As an individual, I have virtually nothing; in community, however, we make a great stew!

“Good is the new great!” (The meaning behind this is that people want to work for companies that do good in their communities or the world. People will actually change jobs to companies that do good.

The Law of Interdependence - make people successful and the world comes to you!

The Law of Observed Reciprocity - also called “Contagious Compassion” - Leaders gauge reality and give their people hope (how appropriate in our current situation with the 100+ billion dollar bail out.

A single act of compassion can create a ripple of love. One person stepping out boldly to commit an act of compassion can create a ripple effect of compassion throughout a community - even the world!

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Craig Groeschel

2008-10-13T20:41:00.000+02:00

Craig Groeschel is senior pastor LifeChurch.tv which includes 12 physical campuses & an internet campus (whatever that means!).

On a “fluke” (I really don’t believe in “flukes” or luck), I was walking through the Gwinett Center’s exhibition areas and spotted a flyer on a table in the food court that caught my attention. Next to the flyer was a black “it” cut out of card stock paper with a note glued onto it that said, “You’ve found it! Return ”it“ to (such & such a table) for a free copy of Craig Groeschel’s book titled, ”How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It.“ So, I returned it and received a free book. After I read it, I’ll give you run-down and some of my thoughts about the content.

Craig’s talk “Finding It When You’ve Lost It” was captivating at worst and cage-rattling in my soul at best!

His text from Scripture was Joel 2:12-14 and he named the “it” that “something special of God, without defining it further than that.

With ”that“ said, here’s what he said about ”it.“

God makes ”it“ happen.

We cannot create ”it.“

”It“ is not a model, system or program.

The upside of ”it“ is that lives are changed.

”It“ attracts critics.

Sometimes our ministries quench ”it.“
- How am I measuring success? By inward obedience? or by something else?

Simple prayers bring ”it“ back.
- Prayers like ”God, stretch me!“ There is more in you! You think you’re at the end of your rope, energy, strength - no, there is more in you!

Who/What will stretch me to help me get ”it“ back?

God must stretch me to get ”it” back.

Before God can stretch me, He must heal me.
Before He can heal me, he must ruin me.
Joel 2:12-14 - “weeping, mourning & fasting”

Am I broken at the things that break God’s heart?
Am I angry at the things that anger God?
Do I have a passion for Jesus above all else?

My prayer from this segment by Craig is:
        Ruin me!
        Heal me!
        Stretch me!

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Seth Godin

2008-10-13T20:17:00.000+02:00

The short & sweet of Seth’s talk, “Tribes” is “Where’s my tribe & what am I doing to feed & care for them?”

“Am I doing something FOR the tribe or TO the tribe?

A tribe is defined as a group of people, often self-selected and often with a leader. A tribe is also defined by who isn’t present. The point is CONNECTION.

WHAT THE TRIBE WANTS:

To connect

To create meaning

To make a difference

To be noticed

To matter

To be missed

sethgodin.com

tribes.com
crossfit.com

You EARN a tribe, you don’t deserve one.

Statistics & research show that it is now 4 Degrees of Separation, not 6.

The move in marketing now is not Marketing Management, but Tribal Leadership, so now some other questions appear:

How do I grow my tribe? (The simple answer is to ”escalate the positive deviants.“)

How do you start a tribe? You have to start with at least 10 people. Any less and the tribe will not grow or continue to exist. 100 people is better and 1,000 is excellent.
- Do something people criticize!
- Find people who are alone in the world
  - Find people who are like those who are alone in the world.
- Put people together who normally would not be together.

It’s about LEADING, not CONTROLLING!

Nobody follows mediocre!

Become a ”heretic!“ (Martin Luther)

Heretics challenge religion while still embracing the faith.
Heretics don’t let rules & religion stand in the way of their faith!

Leadership = marketing and vice versa.

WHAT LEADERS DO FOR THEIR TRIBE:

They challenge their tribe.

They create a culture for the tribe.

They are curious (and continue learning for the good of the tribe) (italics are my added thought).

Leaders get charisma when they lead - not before.

They communicate to the tribe.

They connect the tribal members to each other

They commit themselves to their tribe.

Seth then donated a copy of his latest book ”Tribes“ to each of the 12,500 Catalyst Conference attendees! After I read the book, I’ll give some more feedback on this whole concept of tribes.

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Brenda Salter McNeil

2008-10-13T19:27:00.000+02:00

Brenda Salter McNeil wrote the book, “A Credible Witness.”

Her talk was entitled, “Shake It Up” and came from Acts 1:8 and Acts 2:1-12

Here are thoughts from Brenda’s talk:

“God wants to change the world more than we want to change it!”

The spread of the Gospel starts where we are, but it doesn’t stop there!

Jerusalem = our home
Judea = close to home, but not home - sub-cultures fit in here
Samaria = hostile territory - we don’t identify with these people at all
                - We are uncomfortable with them
                - We feel weird around them
                - This is where we’re going to feel like we’re going to get shaken up!

Catalytic events provide the substance for movement.

God always intended for His Kingdom to be GLOBAL. We need to find out where we fit in with that GLOBAL PLAN!!!!!

Catalyst Conference 2008 - Jim Collins

2008-10-12T20:04:00.000+02:00

Jim Collins (www.jimcollins.com), author of the book “Good to Great” had a boat-load of things to share with us Though not a believer, his approach to business has strong Scriptural ties & foundations. Here is some of what he shared with us:

“Not all of life is equal.” (with regards to seasons of life)
“Good is the enemy of great.”

“We are not imprisoned by our circumstances; we are freed by our choices - mostly, the choices that are not visible to others.”

We need to foster a culture of discipline in our organizations, churches, etc.

He uses an illustration of a bus for building a great organization. The first thing he says that is crucial to do is to get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off of the bus. In that context, he stated, “When you start compromising the quality of people on the bus, you will fail.”

Better “who’s” on the bus produce completely naturally better “what’s.”

The ultimate preparation for the future is the “who” you have on the bus - not the whats or anything else.

The cornerstone of a culture of discipline is the ability for the leaders to articulate their responsibilities, not titles. True leaders do not need managing, they need leadership. Leadership that recognizes the abilities of a leader and releases him to carry out his responsibilities is good leadership.

“Whenever you feel the need to tighten up your management of someone, it’s probably because I have the wrong person on the bus - or best case scenario, that the right person is on the bus but in the wrong seat.

“Pay your mentors back by mentoring others!” (Peter Drucker said this to Jim Collins)

“The presence of a To-Do List without an equally robust ”Stop To-Do List“ is undisciplined.”

The questions spinning in my head re: this seminar are:

Do I have a culture of discipline in my PERSONAL life? My family life?

Do I have the right people on the bus in the various ministry works I lead?

Am I passionate about my work? How am I contributing to those with whom I work?

And am I resourcing those with whom I work (do they have the people, money, brand recognition, etc.) that they need?

Catalyst Conference 2008 thoughts - Andy Stanley - 1

2008-10-12T14:08:00.000+02:00

Last week, I had the privilege (and that’s what it was) of attending the Catalyst Conference at the Gwinett Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

As always, it was like trying to drink from a fully-opened fire hydrant. My brain still hurts. My heart still races when I think of what God did through the speakers, the worship and so much more!

I’ve decided to do several short blurbs (each from a particular session) in hopes that I can pass on to you some of what I heard/learned and what I’m processing as a result and how the Lord spoke to me or touched me through it.

(There is no particular order to the choice of sessions...)

Andy Stanley spoke from Nehemiah and called it “Louder Than Words.” His main Bible text was Neh. 5:6-18
(more messages by Andy Stanley at www.northpoint.org)

The question he answered from his talk was: Why, in verse 12 and then again, in verse 13, did these leaders - who had been confronted by Nehemiah so directly about their abuse of power - so quickly, immediately and without complaining agree with Nehemiah and promise to return what they had wrongly taken and not to do it again?

Why didn’t they argue with him?

In short, it is because of Nehemiah’s MORAL AUTHORITY.

Moral authority defined is: public alignment between our creed and our deed.

Nehemiah’s moral authority was a 1:1 ratio. Read the chapter and you’ll see why. Nehemiah PRACTICED what he PREACHED for 12 years before he had the confrontation with the leaders.

Moral authority is the only influence we (as leaders) really have on people. It is ALL WE HAVE.

“People who really influence us rarely have authority over us.” Andy Stanley

Andy then applied these truths to 3 areas: Forgiveness, Finances & Family. The following is from what he stated per each point:

        FORGIVENESS: This is our message! Forgiveness in Christ Jesus! Our moral authority here is to forgive ASAP every single day of our lives!

        FINANCES: Is there hypocrisy in our finances? Do we have a problem raising funds because of financial hypocrisy? Do we live according to Scripture in our financial lives?

        FAMILY: “If my wife/family thinks that the ministry is my mistress, I have no moral authority in their lives.”
                “I’m the only dad my kids will ever have. Why would I sacrifice that for a different role that many others could do just as well - or better - than I?”

Moral authority, character, integrity - these are words that captivate the heart of the follower of Jesus Christ.

First, we must BE disciples of Jesus Christ. Obeying Him in our family responsibilities, financial dealings and ministry work. Then, secondly, we can DO the work that He has called us to do. To reverse these two points is to destroy the essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Visit with Jim & May Manion

2008-10-06T18:48:00.000+02:00

Yesterday we attended church at Sierraville Community Church in Sierraville, CA. It is the smallest of our supporting churches (about 30-40 in attendance on Sundays).

We had the privilege of sharing about our ministry in Slovakia & Europe and what the Lord is doing in our family, work & lives. It was really nice to re-connect with this church of believers walking with Jesus.

After church, we were invited to have lunch with Jim & May Manion - long-time friends, members of Sierraville Community Church and (Jim) a California Highway Patrolman for 30+ years. They blessed us with a wonderful Mexican lunch and time together talking about life, family, our country & ministries.

Thanks, Jim & May, for blessing us!

Jim & May Manion

CMA Article - "Keeping the main thing the main thing"

2008-10-06T18:00:00.000+02:00

Here’s a link to an article written by Neil Cole, director for CMA (Church Multiplication Associates) and author of “Organic Church” and “Search & Rescue: Becoming a Disciple Who Makes A Difference.”

http://cmaresources.org/node/269

I found it disconcerting that in one research project that many churches listed as foundational elements for a Biblical/healthy church the following items:

1. A group of believers gathered together regularly...
2. That considers itself a church...
3. That has qualified elders present...
4. That regularly practices the ordinances of baptism and communion as well as church discipline...
5. And that has an agreed-on set of doctrinal beliefs and evangelistic purpose.

As Neil Cole mentioned, the Lord Jesus was completely left out of the equation. The typical response is that Jesus is a given in the equation. But why do we assume that to be the case? As many of us know (especially if you have traveled much), to assume that Jesus is present in the church is just that, an assumption! There are too many other desires, egos, etc. vying for attention - and, unfortunately, often winning - that we cannot ignore.

I think one of the greatest challenges for a pastor/church leader is to keep the local church focused on Jesus Christ in everything - administration, leadership, organization, ministries, relationships, etc.

A commitment to “keeping the main thing the main thing” (namely, Jesus Christ!) is a good assurance to keeping things in their proper perspective and place.

New forms of church - random thoughts

2008-10-02T18:14:00.000+02:00

Next week, I’ll be attending the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, GA. A “pre-conference” event will be with NewThing. They are into new forms of church that will reproduce.

I was invited to be a part of a group of 150 leaders from around the globe to attend this “pre-conference” event and trust that God knows what He is doing by allowing me to be there.

I’ll give you a run-down on the event hopefully the evening of the event. This is my first real contact with them, so I’m not sure what to expect.

I do really like their front page on their web site (NewThing.org) where they very prominently displayed “A catalyst for the movement of reproducing churches.”

More later....

Linda, Mirka & Candace

2008-10-02T18:04:00.000+02:00

I just thought I’d put a pic of 3 beautiful women in my life! Linda, my wife, on the left, Mirka, a gal pal of Candace’s who came to the USA for Candace’s wedding and, of course, one of my princesses, Candace.

(I was also testing the ability of my blogging software to upload photos into my blog.)

Cool hair, huh? I asked him if I could take his picture and he was more than happy to oblige!

2008-09-30T10:59:00.001+02:00

I spotted this guy as we drove through Mesa, Arizona, today, and he let me photograph him. Cool, huh?

Wedding day!

2008-09-27T20:02:00.000+02:00

It’s September 27, 2008. Candace & Luke will be tying the knot in about 3.5 hours.

I dreamt about the wedding last night and ever since I’ve awakened, I have been struggling to identify the emotions running through my gut, mind, veins.

I’m nervous - very nervous. Part of that is certainly due to the fact that I have the privilege & responsibility of officiating at the wedding ceremony for the Unity Sand and Candace & Luke’s first Lord’s Supper as a couple. But that’s not the biggest thing that I’m dealing with emotionally.

Linda & I talked about it and she explained it as the “passing of the baton” of care of my first little girl to another man and that I’m not 100% sure that he can care for her as I have and blah, blah, blah.

Actually, I believe that Luke is VERY qualified to lead Candace and I really don’t fear that he’ll be able to care for her emotionally, spiritually, financially & otherwise.

I know that I’m not losing a daughter, but gaining a son. But there’s still something else that is weighing on my heart and I still can’t put my finger on it.

I’m wondering if this is the “leaving” part of the relationship that is mentioned in the book of Genesis in the Bible. It would certainly make sense in that the Scriptures say in that passage that a man is to leave his parents and “cleave to his wife.“ I’m wondering if the feelings are more like a ”cleaving“ of my relationship with Candace so that she can then leave us (Linda & me) and then become one with her husband, Luke.

I do believe that there is more than a mental assent to the leaving and cleaving. I believe that marriage is a union that takes place physically, emotionally & spiritually. I’m further convinced that divorce is a rending, a tearing of the one again into two. And, as we all know, when something has been glued together, it never comes apart into two again as cleanly as it was when they started as two separate units/things/people. (I believe that is why divorce is so messy in so very many ways.)

So, with all of that in mind, I guess this feeling of ”loss“ is real, but not in the sense of a loss when someone dies and the person is no longer present with us. I believe it is a loss of a primary role of leadership/headship/impact/influence and perhaps more.

So much for waxing eloquent in my final hours as a virgin ”father-in-law.“ I’ll post more if I get some insights from others who have had this experience and give me more insight.

Any thoughts from you?

My view on my walk this morning in Tucson, Arizona

2008-09-21T03:27:00.003+02:00

This is today's sunset in Tucson, Arizona

2008-09-21T03:25:00.001+02:00

Elder Ministry Farewell Barbecue

2008-09-15T09:11:00.006+02:00

Last night, I said good-bye to the elders at our church as it was my last official function as an elder and as chairman of the elder board.

I made a baton and wrote the following verse on it: “Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.”

As I passed the baton of the Elder Board leadership to Milos, I stated why I believed that this elder board was a gift from God to the church and encouraged them to continue to seek His face, listen to His voice (above the voices of the congregation) and, above all, to love Jesus Christ first and foremost and then to love people to Him.

Here are a couple of pics from our barbecue. It was a bittersweet time. God is good.

Our newest elder is sitting to my right - his wife just gave birth to a son this past week.

Milos (pronounced “Me-lowsh”) is the one with the goofy grin at the end of the table - makes you wonder about his leadership abilities, doesn’t it? Actually, he is very qualified and the entire board & church recognizes it. Pray for him, please.

The passing of the leadership baton.

Today is the start of Yarmok - a week-long cultural festival

2008-09-12T19:26:00.000+02:00

Ministry opportunity

2008-09-09T11:31:00.000+02:00

I received a phone call from the Baptist Union president this morning.

He's asked me to get back to him in the next week or so about a request.

He has asked me to be a part of a "2-man team" for the central region of the Baptist pastors. The other person role is to function as an administrator (handling the logistical issues of where to meet, when, etc.). My role would be spiritual leader for the monthly meetings of the pastors in the central region.

I asked him to clarify what that means (spiritual leader) and here is a summary of what I recall him telling me:

1. The spiritual leader is to guide the pastors meetings to stay focused on being disciples and making disciples.

2. The Baptist denomination as a whole has stopped nurturing disciples at all levels. We need more than sharing at these meetings, we need the pastors to be able to leave knowing that their hearts and lives are pure before the Lord and that when they lead & preach, that people are following their example, not just their words.

3. The Great Commission & Great Commandment are to remain high priority during these meetings.

That means that on a monthly basis I need to be with these pastors and it may mean mentoring some along the way if the need arises (Tomas didn't say that, but I'm extrapolating from our conversation.)

The Central region will be meeting from now on in Lucenec (about 45 minutes from Bystrica), not Poprad (almost 2 hours away). (Yesterday, they divided up the regions - again - as they should be.)

Okay, so what do you think? I'd appreciate any feedback, hard questions, etc., so fire away!

Thanks for praying for/with me on this. I'll share my position on this after I hear from you all.