2010: Renewing the Mission

The church where I minister does not have an official mission statement. Perhaps that is bad. A positive that comes is that I get to continually write possible mission statements that reflect who we are and what we are trying to become.
As I think about 2010, I have developed a new mission statement. Perhaps it will help us move a bit closer to the task God has before us.

We, a local body of Christ, part of the larger body of Christ, devote ourselves to doing the will of God as it is revealed in his infallible word, the Bible.
We exist to glorify God in our collective worship, to reach out to the lost with the gospel, and to build up one another in love.
Knowing that we are saved by grace through faith, every member is encouraged to use the talents given by God to serve others and to grow in faith toward God and his Son Jesus Christ.

It’s Sunday Again: The Paralysis of Fear

Fear is paralyzing. Big challenges go unaccepted; big jobs remain undone. The “what if” gets in the way of the “what can be.” I remember taking an evangelism course a number of years ago that defined fear this way: False Expectations Accepted as Real.

The ideal New Year’s Resolutions are simple, limited in number, and principle-based. Here’s a possibility: In 2010 I will give no place to fear. In the spiritual realm, fear looks to human power rather than God’s power. Down at the church house, fear sacrifices possibilities for improbabilities. The Old Testament is filled with stories of those who overcame fear to demonstrate God’s power: Abraham, Gideon, David, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel…. One can easily come up with a much longer list with a little thought.

Paul’s admonition in Philippians 3 remains a good guide: press forward to escape complacency, unshackled from the memories of the past, spirits buoyed by what is before, press forward. The concept of pressing forward is that of hot pursuit. It is more than following, as it is translated in some versions. It is energetic, but to merely press forward may not be intense enough. Pursue the things of God–regardless!

Software, Freeware, and Church

Large segments of the contemporary church are stuck, as in the mud. The church has developed its own little box from which is cannot escape. It cannot escape in part because it does not want to escape. It does not know it needs to escape. It cannot recognize that there is a brand new (and better) world out there.

Let me share an illustration (partially borrowed, but I don’t know the original source) from the world of information technology (IT) and computers. If you use a computer, you probably know about freeware as opposed to the software programs you have to buy. Software development communities produce Open Source software (the Linux operating system is an example), then give the software and the source code away. This approach to software development seems weird in our consumer culture. Why would people contribute time, talents, energy and resources simply to give the product away for free? Isn’t there a lot of money to be made by restricting software access? Isn’t Bill Gates rich? Isn’t the stuff you pay for better than the stuff you can get for free?

This presents an interesting question: Why do people continue to pay hundreds of dollars for operating systems when they can get Linux free of charge? What compels us to spend money on commercial Office Suite software when Open Office is free? Answer: We are uncomfortable with things that go against the dominant thinking of our consumer culture. We are taught to spend money and expect a product in return. We think quality is somehow directly proportional to the amount of money invested. We have been taught to focus on the product. What if we focused on the process instead of the product?

The MAC vs. PC debate is fun. Last year, Oklahoma Christian went from providing students Dell products loaded with Microsoft products to Apples. You may get more frills with the latest gizmos and gadgets and you may also provide what students think they want (consumer demand driven), but having either does not make one a better computer user. Some people in the computer world approach things differently. Those who develop Linux want to create passionate contributors to the project instead of passive consumers of a product. As a result, Linux users need to know a little bit more about their computer’s history, architecture and hardware and how it all works together to take full advantage of the benefits Linux offers. The ultimate goal of the Linux development process is not to create a better operating system–that is a byproduct. The real aim is to create a growing software development community populated with better computer users, programmers, developers, and contributors. The strength of that community rests in creating an open, collaborative environment that allows people to contribute in multiple ways to this ongoing process.

Thanks for sticking with me to this point. To paraphrase Paul after a lengthy discourse on marriage and husband-wife relationships in Ephesians 5, I am speaking about the church. Two options exist in the contemporary church world. The choice is counter intuitive. We are tempted to make the wrong decision. Let me describe the choice this way: There is the pre-packaged version that you have to pay for, and then there is the free version (grace and all).

There is a consumer version and a participating version. There is the let someone else do it version, and there is a version that demands your involvement. There is a product version of church, and there is a process version of church.

For years, our world has told us that the former approach is the better one. Wrong! The biblical approach is the latter one. Church is not pre-packaged, already thought out, performance for spectators, feel good entertainment. Church is about you and God. Participation and involvement are mandatory. Church is daily. Church is a process. You never quite arrive. You never wrap your hands around the product and say, “I’ve got it.” Church is not about a product—whether salvation, or the precise duplication of a first century model. Christianity is about thoughtful worship, meaningful prayers, committed lives, and Christian people. The goal at church is to develop better Christians, better Bible students, more benevolent caring people, more intimate fellowship, more open ways for everyone to answer the call of God in their lives.

Baxter Graduation Report

The week in Honduras was superb in every way–weather, activities, graduation, reports, visits, even the board meeting. The number of graduates was slightly lower this year, but our eight graduates will make a difference in the world. They are going to Nicaragua (assisting with Mision Para Cristo), El Salvador and eventually to join a Mexico City Mission Team, Peru, and to the U.S. for continuing graduate studies. They represent dreams for new churches, additional training for ministry in Latin America by well-trained and experienced Latin Americans, and a bright future for the church.

A couple of dozen graduates of the CELO extension program joined another 30+ who just graduated in Cuba. Thirteen countries were represented at the various graduation activities. Attendance at the combined Sunday morning worship was very good–the count was near 1000.

I hope you will be able to attend a graduation ceremony sometime in the future–your spirit will be buoyed by the hope and potential you will see in the eyes, hearts, and dreams of those students who go forth to make a difference for the Lord. As we look toward 2010, several projects are waiting in the work at Baxter–construction, a significant increase in enrollment, a large number of students in the apprentice program, more distance learning students and the possibility of increased Internet use, videoconferencing possibilities…. If you could assist with a small (or large) monetary donation, or would like more information, please contact me. Or you can check out the Baxter website to learn more about how you can help.

Above all, we ask your prayers as we strive to make a difference all across Latin America.

A Final Michigan “Post”

At least for this trip to Michigan, this will likely be my final post. We travel home tomorrow.

Yesterday was a delightful day–visits, encouragement, beautiful weather (although brisk). Peeks of sunshine and breaks in the clouds to show bright blue sky. As the day progressed, the afternoon rain with temps in the 50s brought back memories. The locals are reminding that winter is not too far away, and the typical speculation about the first snow is intensifying–maybe the weekend, early next week, lots of October left….

The church has responded with great interest to the seminar on evangelism and missions. Through the years, the Holmes Road church has generally been an evangelistic church, and that spirit and expectation continues to be part of the DNA of the congregation.

We are reminded of the ebb and flow of life–the nature of our world. Many with whom we worked in the 70s and 80s are no longer here, both because death takes its toll and because of moves and other dynamics. Others whom we tried to encourage have responded to our efforts are are now faithful servants. Some talk to us of weddings and funerals and shared family events. Others remind us of how we shared special times that intertwined our lives forever.

God has blessed us to be able to share this time with one of the special churches in our life. We are reminded that life goes on without us, and that our role in this world is temporary. Let us do what we can where we are–depending on God to give the increase.

Holmes Road: A Special Day

The first official day of our evangelism and missions series was equal to the anticipation! To renew friendships in Christ and establish new ones is always special. I understand that the attendance was good, a much larger than normal number returned for the Sunday evening activities, and we ate together twice (noon and evening)!

The weather is cooperating–typical Michigan fall (at least as we remember it). Alternating overcast and sunshine, energizing brisk temperatures. We will spend time visiting, encouraging, remembering, and dreaming for the future. Our time with the Holmes Road church represents over 25% of our lifetime of ministry. Pray for us; pray for this special church. God has a unique plan for the future!

Expectation: What Will God Do?

What a magnificent beginning to the time we are sharing with the Holmes Road Church. Some two to three dozen men assembled yesterday for the men’s breakfast and “in house” retreat. The excitement and expectation was obvious. The ladies’ day was well-attended and delightful (according to Jan’s report). I am confident these will provide the springboard for a great evangelism/missions seminar.

God works in mysterious ways. Our task is to join him in the work he is doing in those places where we can. Sometimes we want more than God wants; often we do not see the ways God is at work. Only spiritual people discern spiritual things. When we havae done what we can in the planting and watering process, God gives the increase!

Pray always that we might wait on the Lord–therein is our strength!

It Feels Like Michigan

Michigan!  We arrived yesterday with no travel problems. Almost as though in honor of our arrival, the Lord has sent a cold rain this morning–mid-40s and raining, the forecast is for rain and moderate temps (mid-50s) throughout the day.  We may not find it convenient to do some of the sightseeing and reminiscing that we were planning for today, but we will certainly feel the memories, and the color (almost non-existent at this point in the lower peninsula) will certainly intensify over the next few days.

In the conversations of last evening, we are reminded already that life is made rich by the people God places in our lives more than by the “stuff” of experiences and possessions.  This weekend we will be reminded of those riches; we pray that we may also enrich others. 

Holmes Road: Sharing Memories

Jan and I fly to Michigan tomorrow to share some special time with our friends and spiritual family at the Holmes Road church (Lansing, Michigan) where we ministered for a little over eleven years.  It is hard to believe that the years have flown by so rapidly–22 years since we left that ministry to move to Oklahoma!
We are looking forward to this trip–sharing a vision for ministry, evangelism, and missions. The names and faces have changed, but much of the ministry system looks like it did when we helped set it up. The missions fervor has continued–the dream for sharing the good news of Jesus has not waned. We have had multiple opportunities to visit this church over the years, but this time will be special.
Pray for the good that can be done as we redream the possibilities for missional ministry and missions.