Missionaries to Desert Dwellers

I have always said, “Move when things are going well in ministry versus going badly.  This way there is a better chance of moving with right motives.”  

Well, no problem there.  Things couldn’t be going better in ministry.  This Sunday we will be baptizing 5 of our neighbors in our backyard and another one will be baptized as soon as our schedules coordinate.  In the last year we have seen 8 of our immediate neighbors come to Christ and another 4 in our Monday night church.  Twelve new believers this year as the power of God’s presence has shown up in our neighborhood and in the lives of some parents of recovering addicts.

So then if ministry is going so well why move?  Yes, our family will be moving to Phoenix, AZ this March.  We have been asked to launch a network of Organic Churches for the Free Methodist Church starting in the southwest in AZ, NM, and southern NV.  We will maintain our relationship with the Church of the Nazarene through coaching and consulting relationships and partnerships.  We will still be on contract with the Church of the Nazarene for the better part of this coming year working with denominational leadership and districts in the expansion of the current NOCN project.

We have positioned ourselves in our neighborhood with an apostolic mindset of launching out starting new churches and raising up leadership to carry on so that the new works are not dependent on us.  We have been working with that same mindset in the Nazarene Organic Church Network and will now be helping the Free Methodist in the Southwest do likewise.  One of the most exciting parts for me is that my wife will be able to partner with me in this endeavor.  Not that she hasn’t partnered with me to this point but now we will be able to both be full time in this ministry.  She will be able to be a stay at home mom and my personal assistant. Dreams do come true.

We will be making the move to the Phoenix area in March during spring break.

We are looking forward to this new phase of our life as we embark on a new missionary journey to the Desert dwellers of the Southwest.  We will desperately miss the incredible neighbors and friendships that have become family to us here in McKinney.  We love you each and every one.

We would covet your prayers as we embark on this new journey.  Moving is never easy and always adds stress to your life.   Pray as we begin to develop new relationships that God would grant us the same favor in AZ that we have had in our neighborhood here in TX and that God’s presence would go before us and reside with us in our new home and neighborhood and community.

I know that this raises a lot of questions for many of you I have been privileged to work with the past few years.  I would welcome your questions and the ongoing conversation of how we can continue to work together and partner together for the Kingdom of God.  I am sure it also raises many questions for others who will read this that I have not worked directly with but with whom we share parts of our lives. I would also welcome your questions.

I know many are curious about the “ORGANIC CHURCH”… no it is not a fruit cake cult.  For more info on what we have been up to this site will help to explain much of it.  www.organicnazarene.net I will be happy to answer other questions about it and what we will be doing more specifically in AZ.

Looking forward to the journey and the conversation as we go through this time of transition.

Arby’s Angels – another divine encounter

Four high school juniors walk into an Arby’s restaurant unaware of how a divine encounter would shape the rest of their day, week and possibly lives.  I was also unaware of what God had planned at Arby’s.  As I sat alone in this Arby’s dripping horsy sauce all over the table in front of me the thought occurred to me that not many people frequent Arby’s at 2:30 in the afternoon in McKinney TX.  Then four happy girls walked in and ordered their lunch and took their seats over by the windows behind me.  Because they were to my back I was unaware of the conversation and the nervous awkwardness that was taking place.  “should I…”, “well if you are going to get on with it or sit down… this is getting awkward with you standing there.”  As I finished my lunch and wrapped the horsy soaked foil into a ball it was a now or never moment for her.  As I turned to stand from the booth there she was right in front of me blocking me from even standing let alone leaving.  As I dropped back down into the booth I heard these words spoken with a nervous smile.

“I know this is probably pretty awkward for you and you may find this very strange, but I feel like I am supposed to simply tell you ‘Jesus loves you’.”

Totally caught off guard and as a person who is rarely at a loss for words or a quick comeback, I found myself speechless.   It was an awkward moment for both of us as I mumbled the words, “yes he does and he loves you too.”  Then I paused and said, “I am so impressed, I am a pastor and I … I am so impressed”.
This led to the “no ways” and “how cools” from her onlookers and then entered all of us into a divine encounter, including the fifth girl who showed up wondering who in the world this old man was sitting with her friends.
The conversation included the bible studies they will be leading at McKinney North High School and how they want to make a difference in their school and in their world.  We talked about LTGs (Life Transformation Groups) and the importance of consuming God’s word.   Then we talked about one of the girls desire to make a difference in her world by helping those caught in human sex trafficking in other parts of the world.  What she didn’t know was the reality of that right here in our own state.  So we talked about what this group of girls could do to make a difference right here and impact their world for Jesus.
I thought I was just going to get a quick late lunch… I didn’t realize I was going to encounter Christ in some high school girls.
After about a 20 – 30 minute conversation and prayer together at Arby’s, I left struck by the fact that these girls, united together were serious about their faith and living it outside the walls of their church.
Thank you for the McKinney North Angels who let me know that “Jesus loves me”!
you will be in my prayers as you take Christ incarnate into your school, community (Arby’s) and to the utter most parts of the world.

“This may seem a little awkward but … I just feel I am supposed to tell you, Jesus loves you!”

In the field or in the barn?

As I think about Luke 10:2 and the plentiful ripe harvest described, I am struck with a truth often overlooked in today’s church world. The truth is this…. The harvest is in the field not in the barn.

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few, ask the Lord of the harvest therefore to send OUT workers into his harvest field. GO! I AM SENDING YOU OUT like lambs among wolves.” Luke 10:2-3

In Mark 4 “A farmer went OUT to sow his seed…”  I wonder, are we spending a little too much time trying to harvest the harvested?  Are we spending a little too much time in the barn and not enough time in the field.

I asked this question at a semenar I was doing recently and the response I receieved when I talked about spending time building relationships with those in the “world” around us, not as projects but in caring relationships, didn’t surprise me.  The response was from scripture and creates a tension in the church world.  Can you guess what the passage of scripture was?

1 Cor. 15:33 —- “Don’t be misled… Bad company corrupts good character.”

So now what do we?  There is no shortage of scriptures that call us “out” and no shortage of scriptures that call us “out”.  We are to come out and we are to go out at the same time… Feel the tension yet?

What are your thoughts on this?

Churching the unchurched??????

I have been wondering a lot about the mission of the church and how often I read about reaching the Unchurched.   Is it our mission to “church” the “unchurched”? somehow I think we have come to believe that we have reached our goal if the unchurched cross the thresholds and sit in our sanctuaries.  We are rewarded for butts in pews and bucks in plates.  We have not so subtly created a culture where if your butt is in a pew and your buck is in a plate on Sunday morning we are not to concerned with where you were Saturday night.  We wrongly assume that all is well because of where you sit on Sunday morning.  The more we reward butts in pews and bucks in plates the more we move away from our mission as the people of God the “Church”.

We have been called to go and make disciples not church the unchurched. Unless however we redefine what we mean by “unchurched”. When we use this word we tend to define it by those who “don’t attend a church on a regular basis”. This definition leads us to try and get them to our buildings. Another definition for us think about is the church as a people verses a place. Now when we think of the “unchurched” we are talking about reaching people for the Kingdom not a location.

In fact when the “unchurched” are interviewd the discoveries in these interviews reveal that the “unchurched” are not looking for another club to attend but to be connected to authentic genuine people in community.

Ed Stetzer comments in his blog, (http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/04/interview-with-trevin-wax.html)

“But much of what the younger unchurched are looking for is found in the character of God and what our churches are called to be. Note that I said what our churches are called to be, not necessarily what they are.”

Would it change how we did ministry if we saw people as people not as butts in pews and bucks in plates?  Would it change how we did ministry if the destination was changed from our facility to the Kingdom of God?  Are we successful if the unchurched enter the church or are we more successful when the “church enters the unchurched”?

What if you were to reach people for Jesus and disciple them in community relationships but they never cross the doorstep of your church?  Would you be ok with that?  How would you feel about them?  Would you consider them unchurched, unsaved, or even a lesser class of Christian?

Here comes the Bride – Big Fat and Wide

OK women try this – tell your husband that you only want to be married on Friday’s. The rest of the week is for you to do what you want, when you want, and with whomever you want. Oh and you want to be known as his bride whenever it is in your best interest. At times take off the ring so no one knows and at other times, when the right people are watching put it on and make it clear you are married to him.

How long do you think this relationship would last?

God uses a variety of images in Scripture for us to know and understand what a relationship with him looks like. One of those is the picture of the bride. The church is called the bride of Christ. From my perspective, much of the church only wants to be married on Sunday. They want to repeat the wedding every week but never really be married.

James 4:4 says, “You adulterous people…” Is the church of today married to Christ but sleeping with the world?

A bride is to be a bride 24/7 and she should live and act like a bride all week long.

When I do weddings I typically include a comparison between the wedding and a marriage.  It looks something like the following…

• The wedding is an event
• The marriage is a lifetime

• The wedding is where vows are made
• The marriage is where vows are lived

• The wedding is celebrating
• The marriage is serving

• The wedding promises are made
• The marriage promises are tested

When and how did we come to believe that the church is defined by the wedding not the marriage?

Jesus, I only want to be married to you on Sundays.  The rest of the week is for me to do what I want, when I want, and with whomever I want.  There will be times when I will want those who I am with to know that I am a Christian but at other times it would just be too uncomfortable and not in my social best interest if they know so I will at those times hide our relationship.  But I want you to know that i am committed to you and you alone every Sunday….

Who’s YOur Daddy?

Who’s Your Daddy? No I am not talking biologically but spiritually? Let’s start with the biological though and see what we learn about our spiritual family and God’s design for his church.

I don’t find too many parents who don’t expect their children to grow up and become parents. It is natural and normal for parent to raise their children with the expectation that one day they will have their own children and those children their own.

This is not any different than Father God’s expectations for his children.

Why is it ok to be a Christian for 30 years and never “Grow up” and leave home and give birth to a new generation of Christian children? who will grow up and leave home.

Do you see a problem with a 30 year old still drinking from a bottle?

Do you see a problem with a 30 year old complaining about not being fed and unable to feed him/herself?

Do you see a problem with a bunch of “grown ups” sitting in their “house” acting like selfish children complaining about the “radio station” dad has playing for the family, or crying and complaining about the way their “house is decorated”, or about not being “fed”.

One of the roles of a parent is to equip a child to become a parent. Isn’t that the role of a disciple. One who can “go and make disciples” who can “go and make disciples”?

One of the roles of a child is to be teachable and learn from the parent and Grow up and apply and implement the lessons taught by the parent and then become a parent and pass on that DNA and those lessons to their children who will hopefully go and do likewise.  Isn’t that the role of a disciple.  To be teachable with the purpose of application not knowledge.

So… Who’s your daddy? and Whose daddy are you?

So… Who’s your mommy? and Whose mommy are you?

Is it time you grow up… get off the bottle… move out… and pass on all that training you have been soaking in for the last ??????? years?

Oh yea “I don’t feel ready or prepared” to be a Spiritual parent… How many parents felt prepared when they went to the hospital to have that first baby? suck it up, walk out the door into that wonderful, uncomfortable, messy, rewarding world of spiritual parenthood.

I can hear some of you saying now, “not everyone becomes a parent”.  “That is not my spiritual gift”.  True, not everyone becomes a parent and maybe that is not your gift.  However, let’s be honest we are way out of balance in the church world and if the biological world operated the way the church world does we would be doomed.

Let’s be honest, that is most often said out of fear and as an excuse!

By the way, who was Jesus talking to when he said, “go and make disciples”?

Why Change?

Keep your coins I want change!

Why Change?  Why not just keep doing things like we have always done them?

Some thoughts on change…

Change:   “When the winds of change blow hard enough, the most trivial of things can become deadly projectiles.” ~ poster at www.despair.com

Change:  “The key to change is to let go of fear” ~ Rosanne Cash

Change:  “Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.” ~ Anonymous

Change: “What do you fear, my lady?” … “A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them. and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.” ~Aragorn and Eowyn in “The Two Towers” Lord of the Rings.

“Our fear, like hers, should be that we would go through life and not make a difference, that we would be stuck, a captive for life in a safe but meaningless existence.  There are many in the kingdom of God who feel like warriors trapped behind normalcy and the expectations of what has always been.” ~ Niel Cole, Organic Leadership

I love this last line – I believe there are warriors who have allowed their fears of the unknown to trap them in the comforts of the known and their warrior skills and abilities go wasted.  And then there are many warriors who, because of their fear of going through life and not making a difference are stepping out and taking a risk for God.  Stepping into the unknown and leaving a life of normalcy and what has always been and are using their God given skills to change the culture and world around them.

Which one are you?  When the battle is over will you have hidden in the fox hole of meaningless existence or will you have been a warrior who’s life made a difference?  When it is all said and done I want to have lived my life to the fullest and have made a difference.

Things that make me go WOW!

I have been thinking about how much we take for granted in our world today. After watching a video clip from Conan I thought I would make a list of some of the things that make me go WOW! There are so many things in our world today that should amaze us but instead we simply take them for granted or worse yet find ourselves ungrateful for them. So here is my list…

1) Laptops with wireless internet and the ability to communicate instantly (and yes I said instantly) with people around the world. When I stop and really think about this it makes me go Wow! When you find yourself frustrated with your internet connection and its speed, go back to the old way and get out an envelope, write the letter, put a stamp on it and give it to a guy on a horse who will put it on a slow boat to China and then pray that it even arrives.

2) a cell phone where I can be driving down the road with a little thingy jig hanging on my ear and push a button and say, “call Rob’s cell” and bada bing boda bang I am talking to my wife. When I think about this it makes me go WOW! When you start to get frustrated with dropped calls go to the nearest dumpster and drop in your phone and go back and do it the old way. Go home and plug in your rotary dial phone and wait for the party line and stop complaining.

3) Air travel – When I think of the amazing reality that I can sit in a seat 35 thousand feet in the air and get from point a to point b in an incredibly short period of time it makes me go WOW! Next time things are delayed or you are a little uncomfortable – go back to the good old days and get in the wagon and hope you make it to your destination this year and alive.

4) I pod and mp3 players and the new way we do music and the ability we have to download a song or a sermon or a podcast or a book or a video and plug it into a jack in my car or put on my headphones and listen to what I want when I want makes me go WOW! We could go back in time and only be able to listen on phonographs, 8 tracks, or other “ancient” forms.

5) Electricity - flip a switch – lights come on. Wow! could be candles.

6) sunsets and the expanse of the universe - WOW! God is amazing. Could be all one color.

7) Clothes - WOW! we can walk into a store and find the style we like and buy a different outfit for each day. – Could be a scratchy fig leaf that is the same style for everyone and the same color. Not to mention finding ones that fit.

These are just a few things as I sit here on my laptop that make me go WOW! What causes our dissatisfaction with what we have? Where does our entitlement attitude come from? Why do we have so much and have such a hard time appreciating life and the things we have filled our life with?

• We live in a world where many will go to bed hungry again. (I have eaten all day)
• We live in a world where 27 million are enslaved to the demands of another, for their pleasures and greed (I am free to come and go as I please)
• We live in a world where many would give all treasures for clean water (I get it cold and fresh from my refrigerator with crushed ice)
• We live in a world where kids are raising kids because of the death of parents (I enjoyed every year of my life taking on responsibilities at appropriate ages)
  We live in a world where…

You get the point! I would love to know what makes you go WOW! Add to the list and lets be grateful people.

A Chip And A Sip

What did you eat yesterday? I had a scone and coffee for breakfast, 2 enchiladas, rice and beans for lunch, and hamburger helper and corn for dinner. I tend to eat well every day. I didn’t say healthy but enough to sustain life. I couldn’t survive on a “chip and a sip”.

I have been thinking a lot lately about my spiritual nourishment.  In our Organic Church we share a meal together each week much like they did in the New Testament times. This meal time is when we share communion. Communion to me has become far more than a “chip and a sip”.  Communion is a meal.  It is when we are reminded again of our dependence upon God for life.  It is when we share that life together with great friends.  It is when we realize that we are “His body” together and His body needs spiritual nourishment.  I have come to the conclusion that I no longer want a “chip and a sip” for communion, not that it is wrong, but because the meal has challenged me at a deeper level in my relationship with God and friends.

Next time you share communion, whether it be with a chip and a sip or a meal with friends be reminded that our spiritual lives are dependent upon a regular intake of Him the “bread of life”.

Just like I can’t live physically on a “chip and a sip”, I can’t live spiritually on a “chip and a sip”.

How is your spiritual health – Are you getting enough to eat?

Organic Essence of the Church

Well I am back. Not sure how often I will post but wanted to share what has been on my mind. I have been thinking a lot lately about Luke 10:2 and Mark 4.

Luke 10:2 says,

“Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send out workers into the Harvest”

Over and over Jesus used parables to teach about his Kingdom. These parables often had an “Organic nature” to them. The parable that best defines the Organic Essence of the church for me is the Parable of the Sower in Mark chapter 4. This parable is in fact a foundational parable in understanding Jesus parable teaching on the Kingdom. Through this parable I have come to believe that the organic essence of the church is its reproductive nature.

Mark 4:1-12 describes the farmer scattering his seed and it landing on four different types of soils.

* The path
* Rocky places
* Among thorns
* Good Soil

In verses 13-20 he explains this parable. It reads as follows:

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? how then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the Word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sow on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop – thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”

The organic essence of the church is its reproductive nature. From the beginning of time God created a reproductive process by which seed would reproduce according to their kind.

In this parable it is interesting to note the third soil. I believe that this is where much of the church world lives today. They fill the sanctuaries and homes across our nation but have been sterilized by the things of this world rendering them “unfruitful” or non reproductive. They look like plants, they smell like plants, they have all of the markings of a fruit bearing plant minus the fruit.

The organic essence of the church, whether it meets in a conventional manner or in a home, is reproduction. The fourth soil, the “good soil”, is the church at its purest. It is producing a crop – in exponential amounts. It is when the church gets back to its organic essence that it will change the world. Satan is not threatened by three of the soils. It is the fourth soil that scares him and causes him to fight so hard to deceive the church into believing that they can continue to live in one of the other three and be fine. Many today are deceived, believing that more people sitting in a building is reproduction.

The heart of the Organic Church movement is to rethink what it means to be and “do” church and to rework the soil of our lives allowing the seed of God’s word to penetrate and naturally reproduce a crop – thirty, sixty or even a hundred times. “For the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”

“Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.”

Let’s go be the organic church everyday, everywhere