Missionary to Melbourne

Do Your Job

2009-09-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

One of the things I enjoy the most about being in the States for six months is all of the information on local and national sports teams. It is possible to see some games in Australia, but only on cable, and they will only show a select few games. So I soak in all of the sports info that I can during furlough.

One of the ways of doing this is listening to sports talk radio. Now I don’t agree with everything that is said on these stations (especially when the fans call in) but most of the talk radio programs are very informative. But something that I heard on one of those stations yesterday made me think about spiritual growth.

Tedy Bruschi is a linebacker for the New England Patriots, a professional football team. Yesterday after playing with them for thirteen years he called a news conference to announce his retirement. Following the news conference they played a portion of what he said that stuck in my mind.

Bruschi began talking about a sign that was inside the facility where the team trained. Although everything on that sign was important, one phrase stuck out to him as a player. It was simply the three words, “do your job”. Towards the end of his retirement speech he turned around and said to his coach, “my job is done.”

Discipleship is something that the Lord has given me a deep burden for. Because of this I read lots of books and articles on the subject of Christian growth. At times it can get really confusing because each book seems to have a different way of mentoring people and motivating them to serve the Lord (and sometimes it seems as if each author thinks that their way is the only one which works). This is not only confusing but also frustrating since all of the growth philosophies are founded upon Scripture.

Those three words “do your job” spoke to me this morning as I thought about Christian growth. Maybe we are making it too complicated or confusing for people. Perhaps all the steps, charts, graphs, and alliterated outlines are actually making things worse! Is it possible that all a person needs to follow in order for growth to come is “do you job”?

Now each one of us have specific callings from God for our lives. But many times the Lord also has certain things which he desires for us to accomplish each day. And growth could simply involve finding out what those things are, and doing them. The graphs, charts, and mission statements are also useful, but only if they lead us towards the accomplishment of the goals God has for our lives.

Maybe it is more complicated than just doing your job. But there is still a part of me that wants to complete the Will of God for my life through his strength. So that someday I can say to Him that the job is done.

Put The Sledgehammer Away

2009-08-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest challenges I face in ministry is the issue of motivating people to do things for the Lord. This is especially true because many people have adopted a relaxed worldview. Basically it means that they have a laid back attitude about life in general.

Personally I see some benefits of this attitude because it keeps a person from over reacting then things don’t go their way. Also it usually allows the person to have an area of “margin” in their life (extra money, time, energy). Of course if taken to an extreme that same attitude can lead to complete laziness.
Another drawback of this lifestyle is that it becomes very hard to motivate someone to do anything that goes above and beyond the average commitment. The question then becomes, “how do we motivate those people so that they will attempt to achieve greater things?”

Many people prefer a sledgehammer when motivating someone to action. By this I mean they share verses of Scripture and then go into great detail about how the listeners aren’t obeying God’s Word. Often the goal is to make a person feel guilty (or possibly convicted) about this wrong, and become motivated to change.

It is my personal opinion that this kind of motivation doesn’t work well most of the time. Now observe that I didn’t say it doesn’t work (I believe that it does) but that this philosophy doesn’t work well. A number of times this kind of motivation will lead to action on the part of those listening. But that commitment doesn’t last long. Often the decision is forgotten and abandoned a few weeks later.

Does this mean we shouldn’t confront people strongly with the Word of God? Absolutely not! There are definitely situations where proclaiming the truths of Scripture in an unapologetic way are demanded. This is especially true when dealing with “strong willed” (which is a nice way of saying stubborn) people (like myself). We should definitely keep the sledgehammer in our toolbox, but maybe it just shouldn’t be the first tool we reach for.

My other observation about the sledgehammer method is that in a number of cases it is the person who does the job of confronting. Again, I absolutely agree that Scripture needs to be taught in a powerful and uncompromising way. But it is the job of Holy Spirit to convict people (John 16: 7-11). And the Word of God is the tool of God to convict individuals (Hebrews 4:12).

The problem with the sledgehammer philosophy is that often it results in our doing too much. I believe that it is the job of a teacher or preacher to clarify the meaning of Scripture. This allows the Holy Spirit to use that truth to convict the hearts of others. While there are situations that require a more direct confrontation, our responsibility is point the eyes of people to God through the text.

When I begin to give personal opinions on issues or directly confronting sin then I am in danger of overstepping my bounds as a minister. For in a sense I am trying to do the job of Holy Spirit by making people feel bad so that they will change. And yes this may lead the person to change, but often it is one that they do in their own strength, which in the end creates a worse problem than before. The sledgehammer is a very useful and necessary tool in the ministry, but it must be handled with great care, and skill. So don’t throw your sledgehammer in the trash can, and make room for it in your tool box. Just make sure it isn’t the first thing you reach for.

My Very Long Journey

2009-08-19T06:34:00.000-07:00

One of the questions I am most often asked is how the Lord led me to Australia. The only way to answer that is by by sharing my personal testimony of how God worked in my life. This story used to be a central part of my ministry presentation but after being on the field the focus is placed upon my present and future ministry. The story of God’s leading me to the mission field is relegated to an introduction that takes less than five minutes. Unfortunately the story takes place over fifteen years so I sort of have to move through it at warp speed.

Because of this I decided to share my personal testimony in a more unedited (meaning long) fashion. By that I mean it takes four and a half pages so I won’t be offended at all if you don’t read it. Many of you have already heard my story and are probably tired of listening to it so I decided to write a long post for my blog explaining it in detail. It is my prayer that this testimony will uplift and encourage you in the Lord. Also that it will focus your mind on the faithfulness of God.

The Lord began a great work in my life on easter Sunday night 1992. Dr. Wayne Fulton, pastor of my home Church Salem Baptist, was preaching on the need for men and women who would make a difference for God. To this day I honestly can’t remember the passage that he used for this message. I do however remember God touching my heart through the Holy Spirit and challenging me to become one of those people who were completely committed to him.

At the time I refused to give the Lord control of my life. This wasn’t because I selfishly wanted to satisfy my own desires. Instead there was a feeling in my heart that God couldn’t use me. Basically I believed along with many other people the lie of Satan that I was worthless. This wasn’t “low self esteem” but instead a form of pride that enjoyed feeding off the pity of others. I understand now what a sinful response this was, unfortunately as a ninth grader I didn’t. So instead of submitting to the Lord I left Church that night feeling sorry for myself.

After arguing with God all the way home I finally decided to give him complete control of my life. At the time I still didn’t view myself as much more than worthless, but honestly felt God could still use me. To this day I will never forget kneeling beside a white wicker chair in the patio at my parents home and giving the Lord control of everything in my life. That moment is burned in my mind because after rising from that chair in my heart I knew that the Lord would use me. This wasn’t a charismatic “voice” or wind moving through the trees. I simply knew that the Lord would use me for his honor and glory.

For probably the first time in my life I had confidence in my heart. This was because I saw myself as a child of God instead of a worthless piece of trash. At the time I felt as if God would begin using me in a power way soon. Although the following years gave me opportunities to glory if the Lord, that chance to be used didn’t come for many years.

During my remaining three years of High School God challenged me to become more of a leader spiritually. Those years were very important because up until that time I was very quiet and introverted. I jokingly tell people that I had the social life of a large rock, but that wasn’t too far from the truth. It was wonderful to see the God give me the confidence and strength to become the leader he wanted me to be.

During four years of college (1995-1999) I honestly expected God to show me his will for my life as in where to serve as a missionary during college. Actually he placed a calling upon me to begin planting churches in New York City. I had the opportunity to go there on a missions trip in the summer of my freshman year and felt the Lord really working in my life.

Also during college the Lord gave me a deep burden for discipleship. Specifically this had to do with teaching deep truths of the Word of God in a practical way. There are many people in the U.S. and especially other Nations who desire teaching from Scripture but don’t receive it. As I learned many lessons during college classes the Lord broke my heart over those people in need.

In 1999 I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical Studies. In my mind it was now time to become actively involved in ministry, but the Lord did something strange instead. He completely took away the burden that I had for New York City. Within a few weeks I knew that ministering there was not God’s Will for my life. Unfortunately I had not idea what was God’s Will!

This was obviously very frustrating for me because you want to have a clear idea of your future after graduating from college. But when I asked God for direction he challenged me to continue my education. This as you can imagine was not what I wanted to hear. But after fighting it for months I began classes for a Masters Degree while at the same time having no idea where the Lord wanted me to serve.

In 2003 I received my Masters Degree from Piedmont Baptist College’s Graduate Division. Towards the end of that time the Lord began putting the idea of serving in Australia within my mind. He also put a peace in my heart that this was definitely his will for my life. While this was encouraging a part of me wanted to see the Lord keep the promise he had made eleven years before in 1992. That is use me in a powerful way, not so that I could show everyone how powerful I am, but in order to bring Glory to God.

Before that happened The Lord challenged me to quit my job and retire from the work force at twenty seven in order to do raise support full time. This was another test of my faith because I was going $300 in debt each month since support was not high enough to financially care for my needs.

I can remember the day after I quit my job driving part way to a meeting in Florida. Laying on a bed in a motel room in Georgia writing my first real prayer letter. You can imagine that it would have consisted of the words “send money now!” in extremely large font! But instead all I could do was write about the peace of God that was in my heart.

A few months later I went to Australia for three and a half weeks in February 2004. It was during that time the Lord placed the city of Melbourne on my heart in a real way. And God used me in a powerful way so that Christ could be honored, keeping the promise he made in 1992. But that wasn’t the most moving thing he did during my time there.

I had the opportunity during my visit to see a new missionary come to the field for the first time. I was surprised to see a large group of Australians waiting around the doors which separated customs from the actual airport. When the missionaries came through those doors the Australians rushed forward, jumping over the barrier that was supposed to separated them, and embraced the new workers. I stood at the back crowd and looked forward to the day when I could come through those doors and be embraced by the Australian people. Basically Melbourne Australia became my home, the place where my heart was, in February 2004.

Almost three years later on January 10, 2007 at approximately 10:00 pm I walked through those same doors that separated customs from the main airport. This time not as a visitor who was coming to stay for a month, but a missionary who would live and die in Melbourne. What’s the point of my story? SImply that God is faithful. It took about fifteen years for me to become a full time missionary in Australia. But I can honestly say it was worth every year, month, day, hour, and second of waiting now that I am in the center of God’s Will for my life. May God bless and care for you my friends on your own very long journey, and keep you faithful.

Finances or Relationships?

2009-08-18T13:18:00.001-07:00

As a missionary I am in a interesting position as it relates to my needs. The Lord gives me the opportunity to share prayer requests publicly when presenting my ministry in the form of prayer requests. And it may seem strange to some of you, but I have really wrestled which prayer requests I should share.

Obviously almost every missionary is in need of financial support. Even those who are able to live comfortably on the finances they receive would like to receive more because of the ever increasing costs of living. During deputation my ministry presentation climaxed with a request for financial support, or prayer that the Lord would supply my needs.

I still have financial needs and desire new support. But that is no longer the thing which I ask people to pray for. Most people would understand that there is a financial need anyways so there is no real need for me to share it. So instead of challenging them concerning support I ask for something which is actually much more precious. That’s people who would be partners with me in my ministry.

Now allow me to briefly explain what I mean by this. Many missionaries encourage people to sign up for their prayer letter each month. And once each month they send a ministry update either by email or regular mail to the supporters. I currently do this with a number of people. But there is a desire in my heart to have sort of a stronger relationship with those people. One where we would communicate back and forth with each other during the month.

This could involve a lot of different things like sharing prayer requests, or blessings from the Word of God. Or maybe just telling someone that you are having a bad day. Almost all of it would be electronic (facebook, skype, blog, twittter) but even that electronic communication can minister to the hearts of others.

Last weekend I spoke at a supporting Church in Maryland and it got me really thinking about this. I expected some people to remember me since I had been there before and they supported my ministry. But I was totally overwhelmed by the love and acceptance that they gave to me. I actually developed some close friendships in that short amount of time (Saturday night to Monday morning) and those friendships were a great encouragement to me.

The church also sent me home with the largest check that I have ever received in my ministry. But I could have returned with nothing and my heart would have still been filled with joy. For in the long run having friends who will stand by you in the hard times is much more important than finances. And many years after the money is gone those close relationships will be stronger than ever.

I had the chance last Friday to talk with a close friend about my ministry. We were discussing what the Lord did through me in Australia and the burden he had placed upon my heart. I finally asked her to tell me what in her mind discipleship, or mentorship was all about. She answered by telling me people wanted to be loved and accepted.

That conversation and my experience last weekend encouraged me to focus my energy on developing closer friendships with those who receive my prayer letters so that they will truly become partners in my ministry. For it is ridiculous to focus on financial needs while much more important ones are left unmet.

We Can Do More Than Just Survive

2009-07-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

Evaluation is a very good thing in life. But sometimes we may be evaluating ourselves with a standard that is far too low so that it is easier to achieve our goals. I was thinking about that truth this morning because one of my goals during my six month furlough is growth. Part of this involves looking at what I did well during the first term of service in Australia. And more importantly it means finding what I could do better.

An important part of evaluation is to have a standard which you measure yourself with. A standard can be made up of things like Scripture passages, Bible Characters, family members, friends, or mentors. From time to time we will then check how we measure up to those standards. If there is room for improvement then it will motivate us to put forth more effort. And if we are currently living up to the standards set then there is little need for growth.

But what if our standards are set too low? Is it possible to live our whole lives trying to accomplish certain things only to find later that we should have accomplished more? What triggered these thoughts was a three and a half mile run I had with my brother Michael (age 29) and a good friend Glenn (age 24).

Both I and my brother were not in the best of shape. So it was slightly encouraging when we finished averaging a ten minute eighteen second mile. Running a ten minute mile is a good average, especially for someone who is out of shape. Glenn on the other hand ran a nine minute eighteen second mile which is of course one minute faster than the rest of us.

What makes this feat more incredible is the fact that for the first half of our run Glenn was right with me and Michael. This means he ran the second half at least one minute faster than the first. Imagine what he could have done running the entire three and a half miles at that speed!

Glenn had very a very different goal (standard) than the rest of us. Our goal was to simply survive the run without collapsing. He had the goal of running a very fast time and beating what he had done in the past. Now having making my standard survival is just fine when we are talking about running for more than three miles. But what if simply surviving becomes my goal for other areas of my life?

Let’s say that I make this the standard by which my ministry in Australia is evaluated. If my goal is simply maintain status quo will there be any growth? Doing what everyone else is doing isn’t always a deep sin, but it is if I could do more. If I am settling on just surviving instead of running ahead then according to Scripture I am in sin.

This doesn’t mean I travel to the other extreme and become a spastic individual who acts without thinking. Instead it means that I am very careful to do more than the status quo whenever possible. And maybe set my standards a bit higher as time passes. It is necessary to do this because of all God has done for us. And many times we can do much more than just survive.

Is it always the Teens Fault?

2009-07-16T09:49:00.000-07:00

How do you motivate teenagers? That is a very hard question to answer, and it is very possible that there is no one way to answer it. Yet as an individual who works with youth I feel it is an important subject to discuss.

Yesterday I began by looking briefly at the two different methods of motivating young people in the Church today. The first is basically to demand that they do whatever Scripture says without any discussion. The second challenges us to love them and earn their respect. In time the respect will cause them to obey our teaching.

Both of these methods are a bit flawed in my personal opinion. The first is much better because Scripture is used prominently, but it lacks love or grace. The other uses huge amounts of love with little Scripture or confrontation. It is important that we find a view of motivation which combines the best of both methods.

Before we begin talking about that though there is one very important truth to get across. That being, it isn’t always the teens fault. In other words, if there is a problem motivating individuals, all of the blame usually can’t be placed upon those youth.

Now granted there are some young people in youth groups who honestly don’t care about God at all. But most of the time there aren’t any overly rebellious kids. And since all of the blame usually shouldn’t be placed upon them, where should it go? That’s right, on the people who teach them.

One of the most powerful influences on a teenagers life is our expectations of them. These are the things that we expect them to do (bring a Bible to Church on Wednesday night, don’t use the Lords name in vain). If we place very high expectations upon them then they will rise to meet those requirements. But if we set very low ones the youth will meet those as well.

One thing I have noticed over the years in my ministry is that I many times have placed too low expectations on the youth I work with. It comes from the idea that teens are always going to be immature and unable to live up to high standards before graduating from High School. This philosophy is discussed thoroughly (and proven wrong) in the book “Do Hard Things” by Alex and Brett Harris.

When we place low expectations on youth then that makes us part of the problem. This is illustrated by a story told by Pastor Andy Stanley at a leadership conference. He was talking about having a problem getting his two sons to take the trash bins back to the house on trash days.

His house was at the top of a hill so going down to get the bins and bringing them back up became a task that Mr. Stanley’s sons obviously didn’t look forward to. So on trash days it became a weekly ritual for Andy to tell his sons four times that the needed to go get the trash bins.

He recounts coming home one day to find the bins had not been taken in and becoming angry. But then he realized that he was partly to blame for what had happened. Every week this pastor would tell his sons four times to get the trash before actually getting serious enough to threaten them with discipline. By doing this he basically trained his sons to believe that Dad really didn’t mean it until he says get the trash bins for the fourth time.

Realizing he had had placed low expectations on his sons Stanley decided to do things differently. He took both of the bins up by himself without saying anything to his sons. One of them saw him doing this and asked why he had decided to complete their job. “No reason it just needed to be done” he replied. He then said, “oh by the way, I get your allowance this week”. He never had a problem with their not taking in the trash bin again.

It is true that some of the motivation problems are the result of immaturity or rebellion in the hearts of young people. But perhaps it is necessary to take a long hard look at ourselves before pointing an accusing finger at them.

How do you motivate a Teenager?

2009-07-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

I love working with teenagers, and have loved it ever since I started doing so during College. Last week I spent an afternoon playing ultimate Frisbee with thirteen missionaries kids and having the time of my life. There are quite a few different reasons why I enjoy ministering to teens.

For one thing they are full of energy and excitement which can be contagious. I honestly act differently around teenagers than I do with adults. This is in no way disrespecting adults, instead being around loud outgoing youth seems to make me the same way. Spending time with them is also an amazing way to learn more about the way teens think and live. Most of what I know about youth culture comes from just listening to what they say.

I could go on listing reasons why I love working with young people but this isn’t about that. Today my mind is focused on what I dread about youth ministry. That is motivating those energetic outgoing kids to grow in Christ. Now first of all let me say that a huge number of teenagers who I work with are living for the Lord. But a lot of times this only comes after trying very hard to motivate them.

For some reason it is very hard to get teens interested in spiritual things. Some believe that this is because the younger generation holds to what is called the “buy in principle”. In other words they will not become actively involved in anything until it has been proven to work. So maybe these youth are just thinking about or testing what it means to live for God. But that still doesn’t make it any easier to motivate them.

Adding to this problem is the fact that there doesn’t seem to be many proven methods to motivate them. Basically there are two options. One is to tell challenge them strongly from Scripture, the other is to earn their respect through love. Given the choice of these two philosophies I will choose the strong challenge but even that doesn’t seem to work all of the time.

My issue with the challenge method is that many times it becomes unloving and lacks patience. Lets say for instance that you wanted to develop the habit of having daily devotions in a Church youth group. Some taking the challenge method would demand that the teenagers start having devotions every day. Can you see where there is no love seen in discussion, explanation of why it is important to have devotions, or encouragement here? Now for some youth groups that refuse to do anything over time you would need to be faced with this strong confrontational style. But part of me wonders if this is what we should use at the very beginning.

The second method in my mind is worse than the first because it uses little Scripture. The foundational point of this philosophy is getting the teens to like you so that they will obey whatever is said in the lesson. Now I by no means have a problem with earning the respect of young people. As a matter of fact I believe that this is absolutely essential if you are going to have a strong ministry.

My problem is the fact that love isn’t as good of a motivator as Scripture. And from experience I can testify to the fact that just because youth like you, doesn’t mean they will obey the truths of Scripture. I guess there has to be a balanced method of motivation which combines the truth of a challenging philosophy with the love and grace of a respect philosophy. The problem is very few of us know what that looks like.

my καταφυεγο

2009-06-11T00:02:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite Greek words used in the Bible is καταφυεγο(pronounced katafuego). It is actually made by two words φυεγο(which means to flee) and κατα (which means to or towards). It is only found once in the New Testament (Hebrews 6:18) where it is translated “flee to refuge”. So the idea of this on simple word is running towards a place of safety in the context of Scripture.

The word καταφυεγο focuses on the act of fleeing towards safety, but to me it also places an emphasis on the place where safety is found. And in that sense I believe that we all need to have a καταφυεγο in our lives. Now the true source of our rest and refuge is in Christ (which is stated in Hebrews 6:18). By there is a need for a physical place, or person who we can run to in times of need as well.

One of the hardest things about coming to Australia was the fact that I didn’t truly know anyone here. I had met some of the missionaries before but we didn’t have close friendships. And because of this there was no refuge or καταφυεγο for the first few months. Thankfully the Lord soon provided a large number of friends and homes who I could turn to in times of need. But one of the greatest sources of strength was a veteran missionary couple the Winans.

Don and Lola Winans are missionaries on the field of Australia who have made discipleship and counseling a major focus of their ministry. This is actually true of all my coworkers, but it seems as if they had a specific calling to helping those in need. And the greatest way of doing this was making their home a καταφυεγο for others.

It was a well known fact that people were welcome at their home at any time. There wasn’t any need to call and let them know that you were coming (although it was appreciated) just show up and they would always welcome you inside. This was especially true for those who were struggling or discouraged. You would always be given a cup of coffee, something to eat, and a listening ear, along with a nap in pastor Don’s recliner if you were interested!

The Winans home became a καταφυεγο or source of strength for me on Sunday afternoons. Most times I wasn’t discouraged at all, but those afternoon visits were still something I looked forward to. After living by myself and eating my own cooking for a week it was always good to sit down to a home cooked meal and enjoy fellowship. It was a place of rest and refreshment for me along with many other people.

In December the Winans began making plans for a six month furlough in the States. They had begun talking to me in November about moving into their home and living there until my furlough in July 2009. After a few weeks of number crunching and praying I agreed, and have been there since February.

One of my prayers after moving in was that this house would continue being a καταφυεγο for others. And though things aren’t as organized, or the cooking as good, the Lord has allowed me to minister to a number of people at this house. And as a result I have learned that there is great joy and encouragement found in being a καταφυεγο for others.

The Lord also burdened my heart about creating a placed which can become a καταφυεγο for teens and young adults in local Churches, as well as unsaved youth. This will either be by renting a home, or possibly buying a house. Either way working with the Winans has reminded me that there is a great need for creating places of refuge.

The Sin of Low Self Esteem?

2008-09-10T23:47:00.000-07:00

Is having low self esteem a sin? That was the question that went through my mind last Sunday afternoon after church. What got me thinking about this was an interesting discussion that took place during Sunday school that morning. We were comparing the wisdom of men with God’s true wisdom. As the class progressed, some men brought up specific forms of human wisdom that should be rejected by Believers.

Our Sunday school teacher who is very well trained in doctrine and Scripture, brought up the fact that psychology was being used in Christian ministries today. He felt very strongly that any kind of psychology or counselling methodology did not belong in the Church. This was because much of that information comes from human wisdom instead of Scripture. I happen to agree with him that psychology has no place in public ministry within the Church. When it is used there will always be the temptation to move away form Scripture and preach mans wisdom completely. Also much of the change that takes place through psychology or counselling does not truly affect the heart. So band aids end up constantly being placed on a wound that needs surgery.

Our discussion on the usefulness of psychology in the church led to what I view as a more serious question. Is having low self esteem a sin for Believers? Some in our class would answer that question with a strong yes. In their view those who are struggling with low self esteem need to repent of that sin to God. In one sense I agreed with them that those who struggle with this many times focus on themselves instead of God which is a sin. But to say that low self esteem itself is a sin isn’t something that I can agree with.

I have suffered from low self esteem for the majority of my life. It is not something overwhelming that requires medication or counseling. Instead it involves a part of my mind that is constantly telling me that I can’t do things. I realize that this is Satan trying to discourage me so that I cannot accomplish God’s Will for my life. And by focusing instead upon Christ and the standing I have in him by God’s grace I am able to overcome those temptations.

But according to a few men in my Sunday school class last Sunday I am a sinner because I struggle with low self esteem. The discussion reminded me of a conversation I had with a good friend about my low self esteem issues. He told me repeatedly that I was wrong and simply needed to repent of my sin and stop doing it. What he did not understand is low self esteem (or a tendency to put myself down) is literally a part of my personality. It is not just something that I can turn on or off.

There are thousands of people in the world today who suffer from low self esteem. These people literally feel as if they are worthless and nobody could possibly love them. It is true that they focus too much on their own problems and allow those feelings of worthlessness to permeate their lives. But they are also in great need of Christ’s love and acceptance. This can be done by leading them to saving knowledge in Christ, and then focusing their eyes on the glorious blessings they have as a child of God. But it also involves embracing these discouraged souls and telling them of a God who does not feel they are worthless. We must come up with a much better response to their problem than, “stop it.”

Redefining Failure

2008-09-01T23:37:00.000-07:00

“If you are where God wants you, fulfilling the responsibilities he has given you, you are successful. In fact, when that is the case, you are as successful as you will ever be.1 Success's is remaining faithful to the process God has laid out for you.2”

This paragraph reminds me of a conversation that I had with a friend a few months ago about failure. We were discussing the fact that many people (including both of us) are afraid to take chances. After a while she asked me why I was afraid to take risks. I told her that I was afraid of failure. The truth is that most of us if we were honest would say the same thing. That was when the conversation took an interesting turn. My friend asked me for a definition of failure.

Her question surprised me and I had to think about it for a few moments. How do you define failure? Finally I told her that failure was when things don't turn out the way that we want them to. In other words, If I attempted to teach a class in a way that led to discussion instead of simply lecture and nobody talked, then the class was a failure. This is the definition held to by most people today. If they don't agree with it verbally, their actions and attitude confirms it. Just look at someone who makes plans and things don't turn out perfectly. Most times they become discouraged because the entire situation is viewed as a failure.

But is that the true definition of failure? As our discussion continued I along with my friend came up with a hypothetical situation. Lets say a person is commanded by God to go witness to his friend. He does so in a spirit of love and truth, sharing the Gospel in a way that is pure doctrinally, but also with an attitude of humble love. His friend rejects the Gospel and slams the door in his face. Has the Christian failed? He did everything that God called him to do in the right way. Therefore the answer to the question is no, he did not fail. Instead this christian accomplished God's Will for his life.

Our definition of failure must change. If a person does God's Will in a way that brings glory to God then he has not failed. Do you realize what that means? It means that we can fall flat on our faces and still take confidence in the fact that, if we have completed God's Will, we are not failures. Literally what we are given is a freedom to fail! Now obviously we should not just go out and try to do things poorly. But this new definition of failure can give us the confidence to go out and attempt things that may not work out. Even those things that probably won't work out!

In about two months on October 27 I am going to begin teaching a class on Bible Study Methods using materials from the Bible College where I am currently ministering. It will be taught at a local church on Monday nights at about 7:00. This is something that I wanted to do for months, taking the college classes to the people instead of asking them to come to the college. The only problem is that I don't have any students.

Not only that, but there has been very little interest in the college classes at this time. Yet I feel that God has called me to begin planning as if a large amounts of students will come. So I am creating flyer's and letters promoting the class. Preparing lesson plans and power point presentations to use in the class sessions. Talking to pastors about holding the class at their facilities. I realize there is a high chance that on October 27 there will be no students. All of that work can be for nothing and I will go down in a blaze of glory. But I am willing to take that chance. Because no matter what happens on October 27, I will not be a failure.

Andy Stanley, Visionnering, pg.46, par.1, ln.3
Andy Stanley, Visionnering, pg.46, par.2, ln.1

He Knows My Needs

2008-08-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

God in the month of August gave me financial blessings that I am incredibly thankful for. In recent months the American dollar became very weak in the Australian economy. Seventy seven cents of our currency was equivalent to one Australian dollar when I came in January 2007. In July the cost had risen to ninety six cents on the dollar and it was expected that both dollars would have the same strength soon.

While I am a single young man and can live easily on a small amount of money, the weakening of U.S. Currency was frustrating. Especially since I was hoping to move in a year to an area that had higher rent costs. In my heart I knew that God would care for those financial needs in his perfect way. But there was still anxiety and fear about the financial situation as well.

Then earlier this month the American dollar began to gain strength. For weeks now it has held strong at eighty-six cents on the dollar! The change is probably the result of Americans driving less and using less fuel. It results in more than one hundred dollars of new income for me in the month of August. I am fairly certain the American dollar will go down again. But for now I am rejoicing in the financial help God is giving.

The fuel here in Australia has become less expensive as well. In July gas was as expensive as $1.70 a liter ($6.80 a gallon) during the week. It was reported that families could not pay for necessities such as groceries because of the high fuel prices. Many people in both the U.S. and Australia stopped driving as much because of those prices. As a result the price went down and in July fuel could be purchased for $1.50 or less per liter. This was a great blessing for me because I do a lot of driving.

This morning as I checked the balance of my missionary account I found yet another pleasant surprise. A Church had taken me on for $75.00 of support a month! This was surprising because I had not been contacted by the church or talked to them recently. That extra support will definitely be useful as I continue serving God here in Australia. The last month has been one of great encouragement as God reminded me he knows what my financial needs are. He will not always meet them in a dramatic way like new support, or lowering fuel costs. But that does not mean he is blind to the needs I have. I am so grateful that God this month reminded me he knows my needs.

Lend Us A Hand

2008-08-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

Recently I read this story about a catholic minister and the boys he met one day. It made me think about how many times the unsaved call out to Believers for help. Sadly most times we are too preoccupied to ever hear their voices.

“While walking to his parish one day in clerical garb, a couple of kids called to him from across the street. ‘Hey mister would you stop being a minister long enough to give us a hand?’ Stunned by the words but braced for the challenge he crossed the street. When he arrived on their side he found that the chain of one of their bikes had broken and needed to be fixed. So he knelt down right there on the sidewalk and started to dismantle the bike and remove the chain. The two young brothers couldn't believe that this minister would actually get down to help them. And they were even more surprised when he proved skilled at fixing their problem.

When he had finished repairing the bicycle, they apologized for making him get his hands so filthy with oil and grease. He shrugged it off. ‘No problem fellas. Want to learn how to get off grime like this?’ ‘No way’, one of them said, ‘you cant get that off here.’

‘Let me show you,’ he continued. Once again he got down on the ground, but this time he gathered up dirt and washed his hands in some loose soil. After he scrubbed the dirt into his hands he turned to them and said, ‘do you know where we can find some water?’ The boys said, ‘we live right around the corner. Come with us.’

So the three of them went marching right into the kitchen of their house, much to the surprise of their mother, who was asked to move over at the sink as she stood open mouthed at the strange priest her children had brought home with them. ‘Thank you for letting me wash my hands here,’ the priest said as the boys watched the water work its magic on his hands, restoring them to spotless purity. The mother then asked him to stay for tea. He confessed that this was one of the strangest pastoral calls he had ever made, but also professed to having learned a lot about ministry in the postmodern culture from this one incident.[1]”

[1] Dr. Leonard Sweet, Introduction to Organic Church (Neil Cole)

Flawed Extremes

2008-08-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about the terms conservative and progressive. Here in Australia the conservative Christians are the ones who are very rigid and do things the way it was ten or fifteen years ago. The progressive Believers attempt to bring change into the church and are constantly looking for the next new idea. It is not surprising that both of these groups don't like each other and encourage people to adopt their ministry philosophy instead of the others.

I sort of got caught in the middle of this war between conservative and progressive Christians when I came to Australia. Both groups wanted me to make a decision on whether I would be conservative or progressive. The situation was very hard for me because I didn't completely agree with either group.

I agree with the strong doctrinal stand that the conservatives take. On the other hand, I personally feel that the church should grow and change its methods of ministry in order to make a stronger impact upon their community. Doctrine is never changed under any circumstances though.

I liked some of the new methods that the progressive churches used. But could not agree with all of their methods, or the weakened doctrinal position that those methods were based upon.

My response was to become involved with both groups. Friends told me that this was not possible and sooner or later I would have to choose one group. But after a year and a half I still have strong relationships with both conservatives and progressives. We don't always agree on everything but that is just part of life. In those situations we agree to disagree except when major doctrine is in jeopardy. Sometimes it feels like I am walking a tightrope hundreds of feet in the air while working with both groups. But that is a small price to pay in order to become a “balanced Christian.”

Both the conservative and progressive extreme have their problems. A part of me feels as if a new group of Christians should be developed. A group that takes the doctrine of the conservatives, and blends it with the creativity and growth of progressives. The doctrine will give us a foundation to evaluate and judge all new methods. And the methods will allow us to share God's timeless truth in a way that is applicable to the current culture. The problem is nobody is really clear on what balanced Christians look like. We as Believers must spend time studying the Scriptures and meditating upon God's character (Holiness balanced with love). As we study God's Word he will show us what it means to live the balanced Christian life.

It is important that we start thinking about what it means to live in a balanced way. This doesn't mean that we totally accept all of the new spiritual growth books that come along. It means we come to the realisation that both extremes are flawed in their own way. And in order to reach the next generation, we must allow God to help us think outside of our categories.

Pulling the Plug

2008-08-18T22:04:00.000-07:00

About a year ago I began working with the youth group at a local Church on Wednesday nights. This was a very exciting thing for me because I love working with teenagers. I also believe that youth work is part of my ministry here in Australia. The ministry was a challenge because I did not know any of the young people at that church (I attend another one on Sundays). But I prayed as the ministry began that God would give me wisdom and guidance in what to do on Wednesday nights.

We started out small with five teens coming regularly. That actually helped things because I was able to get to know them better. Over time I began to learn what kind of ministry made the strongest impact upon their lives. And adapted my teaching style to one that met their needs. Instead of spending twenty minutes on Scripture I gave a fifteen minute devotional and followed that up with lots of discussion.

After adapting to their way of doing things more teens started to show up on Wednesdays. We started getting around thirteen every week! This made it a lot harder to control the larger group but it also was encouraging to see the ministry grow. Over the summer the youth group did not meet on Wednesdays. This gave me a chance to talk with the other youth leaders and plan what we wanted to do in the coming year.

Unfortunately for a number of reasons the youth group meetings have struggled greatly. Partly because the parents don't come to Church on Wednesday nights. Part of it is because the teenagers have other obligations at school or with sports teams. Some families with children are no longer attending the Church. For whatever reason we now two teens showing up each week, and three at the most.

This situation is hard because I am faced with a very difficult decision. I could continue ministering to the few teenagers that come on Wednesdays and pray that others start coming. Or I could totally change the way we do the youth ministry. The first choice means I just keep doing what I have been but with more energy. In the latter situation we would shut down the meetings on Wednesday for a short amount of time (a month to two months) and spend those weeks praying about what to do next. Planning and thought about future plans will take place during that time as well.

A few weeks ago I gave serious thought to that decision on the way home from a Wednesday evening service. It was a bit discouraging to think about going from thirteen teens to one or two. But at the same time it helped me understand what to do in the situation. Before getting home that night I decided to temporarily pull the plug on those youth meetings. There were a few reasons for my making that decision. But the strongest one was the fact that the ministry was simply not working any more.

Surprisingly there was a voice in my mind that did not want me to do that. It practically screamed that it would be too embarassing to admit that the ministry was not working. The voice encouraged me to simply go out and continue doing what I had been. Only this time I needed to put more of myself into it. And above all other things it told me that admiting the ministry on Wednesday nights did not accomplish its purpose made me a failure.

I know that voice all too well. It is my human pride that demands I never show any kind of weakness. It is in direct conflict with another voice in my mind. That of the Holy Spirit which reminds me that change is not a sinful thing. And that adapting or recreating a ministry when necessary brings great glory to God. I am not sure what the new ministry on Wednesday nights will look like. The new plan may fail miserably. But I do know that it is better to change and grow as a ministry than to ignore the fact that you are slowly dying.

Pulling the Plug

2008-08-17T00:53:00.000-07:00

About a year ago I began working with the youth group at a local Church on Wednesday nights. This was a very exciting thing for me because I love working with teenagers. I also believe that youth work is part of my ministry here in Australia. The ministry was a challenge because I did not know any of the young people at that church (I attend another one on Sundays). But I prayed as it began that God would give me wisdom and guidance in what to do on Wednesday nights.

We started out small with five teens coming regularly. That actually helped things because I was able to get to know them better. Over time I began to learn what kind of ministry made the strongest impact upon their lives. And adapted my teaching style to one that met their needs. Instead of spending most time on lecture I gave a fifteen minute devotional and followed that up with lots of discussion.

After adapting to their way of doing things more teens started to show up on Wednesdays. We started getting around thirteen every week! This made it a lot harder to control the larger group but it also was encouraging to see the ministry grow. Over the summer the youth group did not meet on Wednesdays. This gave me a chance to talk with the other youth leaders and plan what we wanted to do in the coming year.

Unfortunately for a number of reasons the youth group meetings have struggled greatly. Partly because the parents don't come to Church on Wednesday nights. Part of it is because the teenagers have other obligations at school or with sports teams. Some families with children are no longer attending the Church. For whatever reason we now two teens showing up each week, and three at the most.

This situation is hard because I am faced with a very difficult decision. I could continue ministering to the few teenagers that come on Wednesdays and pray that others start coming. Or I could totally change the way we do the youth ministry. The first choice means I just keep doing what I have been but with more energy. In the latter situation we would shut down the meetings on Wednesday for a short amount of time (a month to two months) and spend those weeks praying about what to do next. Planning and thought about future plans will take place during that time as well.

A few weeks ago I gave serious thought to that decision on the way home from a Wednesday evening service. It was a bit discouraging to think about going from thirteen teens to one or two. But at the same time it helped me understand what to do in the situation. Before getting home that night I decided to temporarily pull the plug on those youth meetings. There were a few reasons for my making that decision. But the strongest one was the fact that the ministry was simply not working any more.

Surprisingly there was a voice in my mind that did not want me to do that. It practically screamed that it would be too embarrassing to admit that the ministry was not working. The voice encouraged me to simply go out and continue doing what I had been. Only this time I needed to put more of myself into it. And above all other things it told me that admitting the ministry on Wednesday nights did not accomplish its purpose made me a failure.

I know that voice all too well. It is my human pride that demands I never show any kind of weakness. It is in direct conflict with another voice in my mind. That of the Holy Spirit which reminds me that change is not a sinful thing. And that adapting or recreating a ministry when necessary brings great glory to God. I am not sure what the new ministry on Wednesday nights will look like. The new plan may fail miserably. But I do know that it is better to change and grow as a ministry than to ignore the fact that you are slowly dying.

Teaching with Passion

2008-08-04T22:56:00.001-07:00

Last week I began teaching my second semester class at Victoria Baptist Bible College. The feeling I experienced during the first class session was very different from the one I felt when beginning first semester. I didn't know the student who I was teaching, had very little experience in teaching on campus, and was not totally sure what would be expected of me during the class. All these things made a bit nervous when teaching my first class in April. But my first second semester class session last Tuesday was totally different.

Actually this new attitude started about a month and a half ago. I was reading from a book on leadership that discussed the importance of being passionate about what we do. The author began to explain that many individuals do their jobs without energy, enthusiasm, or creativity. While they accomplish their jobs these individuals are left feeling unsatisfied because it isn't something they are passionate about.

As I read from the book it became clear that I was one of those people with no passion. I covered all of the information that I had in that class and did it very well. And I did put energy and hard work towards my teaching. But there was no real passion in first semester. I completed my goals, but did not look forward to teaching during the week. The morning I read about the importance of passion I decided that next semester would be different.

I began by thinking about the burden that God has placed upon my heart. It was a calling for discipleship that teaches truth in a practical way. Then I developed a teaching style that fit with that calling. Last year my teaching style involved covering the questions or reading that the student completed the night before. Then I would take some time to focus on the Biblical principles found in that lesson. There may have been some discussion questions at the end.

This semester the class session still revolves around the students homework. But pointing out the principles in that class work is not the end. Instead I use illustrations to show how the principle works in daily life. Some come from research and others come from personal experience. I also use video clips and audio to illustrate the truth that we discussed during the class session.

One of the core values in my class this semester is being able to think about what you have learned. In other words, it is not important to just know information. But the student should be able to think about the principles he learned. In most classes I bring up a hypothetical situation or belief that is different than the one he holds to see if he can defend his view or show the weaknesses of others.

Another core value is application. We get into many interesting conversations about how the Biblical Truths we learned can be applied to the Australian Culture. As I write this article I am excitedly thinking about tomorrows class period when we discuss whether sarcasm (good natured joking is a huge part of the Australian culture) is honoring to God. I realize that it has only been a few classes, but I truly feel that God is using my teaching ministry more now.

What does that mean for the rest of us? Find the passion, burden, or dream that you have from God and invest your time in it. It is true that not everyone that not everyone can do something that they are passionate about (current statistics tell us few are). But we can all find those passions and invest our time, energy, and perhaps finances into them. Even if it is for a few moments each week, taking time to do something you love makes a real difference. It will give you an excitement and adrenaline rush that is absolutely amazing.

Thinking and Driving

2008-07-21T22:30:00.001-07:00

I love my Ipod. It is an absolutely crucial part of my life that I could never do without. But my use for the Ipod is different than most others. I do listen to music while running at my local gym, but that is not my primary use for it. I use my Ipod for listening to podcasts.

For those of you who may not know a podcast is a weekly program that is downloaded to your ipod each week. You can subscribe to podcasts that deal with news, sports, leadership, religion, literature, or a number of other subjects. Since I live in a suburb on the outskirts of Melbourne, a lot of time is spent driving during the week. And most of the time I listen to podcasts while doing so.

Those files on my Ipod make me laugh, smile, cry, or shake my head in frustration. But more than anything else they make me think. I personally believe that one of the greatest habits a Believer should have today is the ability to think. And sadly this characteristic is rarely seen. To me this means being able to think through, defend, and discuss your beliefs about a subject. I don’t believe that this is lacking because most Christians are lazy or ignorant. Instead it is because we do not challenge our way of thinking.

If you look at the podcasts I have downloaded on my Ipod you may be surprised by what you see there. I have the preaching of man who claimed that religion is the worst of corruptions.[1] I listen to a group of people who feel the Churches job is to redeem the culture that we are in. Therefore helping cure social problems becomes more important than the Great Comission. I used to listen to a minister who feels that there is no literal Heaven or Hell. Instead he believes that places like war torn Countries are Hell. And by helping them with their physical needs we in turn create Heaven.[2]

I listen to other episodes that loudly preach the ecumenical Gospel. In other words, it shouldn’t matter what kind of beliefs that two people have about God. As long as they both love Jesus those individuals should worship together. Two weeks ago I heard a pastor state that he was not a preacher or an administrator. Instead he was a dreamer. By saying this he was giving the message that preaching or doing the day to day work in a church is unimportant. Last Sunday I listened to an interview done with a young man serving God in poor countries. He believes that embracing one another regardless off beliefs about God leads us all closer to Christ.

Do I agree with what I hear in these podcasts? No I do not! I want to make crystal clear that I in no way agree with ANYTHING that I have put in this article! But I am very grateful for those podcasts. Because they made me think about my own personal beliefs. They have also made me defend those beliefs, and find flaws in the arguments of others. I have even learned a few things that can be used in ministry (within the context of correct doctrine). I have driven many kilometers since my arrival in Australia. And I have spent many of them developing the important habit of thinking.

[1] Erwin McManus, Soul Cravings, entry 10, par.8, ln.3
[2] Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, pg.147, par.2, ln.1

Revisiting a Torture Device

2008-06-26T01:53:00.000-07:00

On May 19 I wrote an article on my blog about a painful workout machine at my gym called the lat pull. In that article I described the pain that I went through while using it. I also discussed how the only reason I continued using it was in hope of someday becoming stronger. I since learned that the correct name for this torture device was a chest press. But that didn't change the fact that it put me through lots of pain.

One of the worst parts about using the chest press is that I go through four sets of fifteen reps. From a seated position I have to push out a bar that has a certain amount of weight (in my case 50 pounds) attached to it. A few weeks after joining the gym the first two sets weren't really that hard to accomplish, but as I began my third set it would get a lot harder. Repetitions eleven through fifteen in the third set would take almost all of the energy out of me. So the fourth set is almost impossible to finish without stopping to rest. For a long time I couldn't get past the tenth repetition of that set without stopping.

Every time I worked out on the chest press I dreamed of the day that I could finish all four sets without taking a break to rest in the middle of one. I knew that stopping in the middle of an exercise made the workout a lot less effective. But at the same time my body could not physically finish the sets on it's own. So I decided to initiate a growth plan that my body could accomplish. Every time I worked out on the chest press my goal was to do one more repetition than last time.

I had a clear set goal of finishing all four sets on the chest press without stopping. But that goal was too large, so I was forced to set up the small goal of doing one better than last time. I wasn't always able to accomplish that goal. But after a few weeks the chest press started becoming easier to handle. I still wasn't able to finish the last set without a break to rest. But I began by being able to finish the second set without stopping. A few weeks later the third set started to seem easier and soon I was able to fight through it without quitting.

I can remember the day that I actually got up to the eleventh rep in my fourth set very clearly. Every time before that I had always quit after number ten. Then last week I actually got up to number thirteen! The goal of finishing strong was closer than ever before. I tried to finish the last set Monday but was unable to. I took some extra time walking over to the chest press for the fourth set this afternoon. I settled in and waited a few seconds thinking about what I wanted to do and took a deep breath before beginning. I got to thirteen and felt like there was no strength left, but somehow I finished the last two reps. It wasn't pretty but I had accomplished my goal!

I wasn't able to finish the second set without stopping when I started working out. There were times when I would quit at ten and not even try to do fifteen reps. Those days it seemed impossible that I would ever finish the first ten reps in my last set, much less finish it without resting. Since that goal was overwhelming to me I set a smaller goal that was achievable. And slowly I made that goal harder and harder to achieve. Finishing the second set without resting turned into finishing the third. And finishing the third became getting past the tenth rep in the fourth set, which became getting to thirteen, and then I achieved the impossible goal.

It is easy to become overwhelmed when we face challenges. It is important when facing them to break them into smaller things which we can accomplish. The majority of growth is done slowly one step at a time. So setting lots of small goals instead of one massive one would be the best way to accomplish our dreams. Of course once you meet those goals you have to set other small ones in order to continue growth. That's why in a few weeks I will change the weight from 50 to 60 pounds and begin doing battle with the dreaded chest press once again.

Five Important Minutes

2008-06-23T02:56:00.000-07:00

The month of June has been a missions emphasis at the church I attend in Australia. As part of this focus one Sunday was devoted to the church becoming a home base for missions. This included things such as discpling Believers, training leaders, and sending out missionaries. The Friday before my pastor called and explained that he wanted to have illustrations of how the local church can train leaders. He asked if I could give a brief five or six minute overview of how the Bible College trains individuals through it's distance education program.

My pastor was very apologetic about only giving me five minutes and promised to let me come do a full ministry presentation soon. But the fact that it was only five minutes didn't really bother me. I was excited about having this opportunity to talk about the passion that God placed upon my heart. I did pray though that God would use the words that I said in those five minutes to make people think about taking classes.

I was nervous during the morning service sharing with others the CTT (Church Based Theological Training) ministry. Having only a few minutes made me think a lot about what I was going to say, and how I could say it in the best way possible. The day before I had remembered my favourite professor in College. What made him so influential in my life was his passionate teaching style in class. But he was also a mentor who was constantly giving advice to me along with other students. And not only that but he was a friend as well. This professor is one of the few I know of who would actually sit and eat with the students.

That Sunday morning I talked about that college professor who made an impact upon my life. And how that was what I desired for the CTT ministry to become. I ended by saying that I would love to become a teacher, mentor, and friend to any of them who desired training. It felt good to share with the church the passion of my heart. But I didn't feel as if a five minute story would spark any real interest. After the service a man from the church began asking questions about the classes that I would be teaching. He also asked for more information about the classes and showed interest in doing on in the future. This was exciting because up until that time nobody had expressed much interest in the classes.

That afternoon while eating lunch at the pastors house I had the chance to have a good ten minute conversation about the classes that I would be teaching. Another gentleman there began asking questions about what was taught and allowed me to describe my vision for the classes in more detail. While he did not express interest in taking a class he did ask a lot of questions about them. I could see him taking a class in the future if he has the time.

That Friday night I went to a Bible study that was held at a church members house. After the devotional and prayer time was finished the husband asked me in front of six other people if I would begin discipling him once a week! This would not be done using Bible College material but is still a wonderful teaching opportunity.

In less than a week two individuals showed interest in taking one of my classes at the Bible College, and another asked me to disciple him. I can't help but think that happened as a result of my five minute testimony about having a passion for discipleship. My prayer now is that God's Will would be done in this situation. It would be a great encouragement if one of the men who expressed interest would start taking a class from the college. But even if that does not happen I am still amazed with what God could do with five short minutes.

The Sin of Embarrassment

2008-06-20T03:13:00.000-07:00

This morning I read something that made me think about failure. While that is not a very positive subject that people enjoy thinking about I am glad that I did. Because it made me realise how many of us turn mistakes or failure into something much more serious than it really is. The statement that made me start viewing embarrassing mistakes differently was, “at the end of our lives, we'll regret opportunities missed a lot more than mistakes made.”1

The article continues to show proof from two sociologists. They did a study on regret and how it changes over time. According to the study over short term we tend to regret our actions. These are things such as mistakes, failures, or anything else that will embarrass us. But years later we regret inaction. This would be avoiding a hard or scary situation because we were afraid of failure. These statements are backed up by the results of their study. Over the course of an average week regrets for actions outnumber regrets for inaction 53 percent to 47 percent. But when people look at their life as a whole, inaction regrets outnumber action regrets 84 percent to 16 percent!2

Nobody enjoys failing or making themselves look foolish. But it seems as if making a mistake has sort of become an unpardonable sin that must be avoided at all costs. Maybe we fear failure a little too much. Because the regret of failure, though painful at the time, will only last for a little while. This doesn't mean we should go around doing things with little or no preparation. It does mean we should be willing to fail.

Why do we fear failure or making a mistake so much? It is probably because of the embarrassment that comes when we do those things. Last Sunday I was running the power point for a church that was having it's organisational service. People from Churches all around came for this special occasion. About ten minutes before the service the pastor began working with the laptop and I jumped up to help him. About that time I tripped on a chair and came very close to doing a face plant on the floor! The noise from the people let me know that everyone had seen my lack of coordination. So I did what just about every man does in the situation and acted like nothing happened!

After the service was over I moved very slowly past the chairs and looked where I was stepping to keep from tripping again. It is funny how small embarrassing experiences have such an impact on us. But those same experiences can be used to help us learn important lessons. They can make us strong, wise, mature Believers. Yes the lessons can sometimes be painful to learn. But in the long run they help us immensely.

Interestingly I read from another book this morning an anonymous poem that goes perfectly with the article. “There was a very cautious man, who never laughed or cried. He never risked, he never lost, he never won or tried. And when he one day passed away, his insurance was denied, for since he never really lived, the claimed he never died.3” Failure is something painful. But the pain of a foolish mistake will be nothing compared to the regret of a life spent avoiding risks.

1Catalyst, Courageous in Calling, pg. 25, “Chase the Lion” par.1
2Catalyst, Courageous in Calling, pg. 25, “Chase the Lion” par.2
3Peter Irvine, Win In Business, pg.107, par.3,ln.3

Free Discipleship

2008-06-19T02:45:00.000-07:00

God has given me the wonderful opportunity to serve him at a bible college in Melbourne, Australia. I really enjoy teaching classes on campus, but my passion is in the classes that are taught at local Baptist Churches. The college has a distance education program where an individual (usually me) meets with small groups of Believers in churches once a week. The students will be discipled using college level material that can later be used for class credit if they are interested in pursuing further studies.

The material itself is good. But it is the small group type setting that I think really makes these classes great. It gives people the opportunity to be taught truth, but also discuss what is taught, apply it to their lives, ask hard questions about it, and get clarification. These small groups also minister to the emotional needs of students for acceptance, encouragement, and comfort. The relationships developed in these situations are great sources of help for both the teacher and students as well.

In January I taught a young man named Tim using the colleges discipleship program for a few weeks. His pastor had begun teaching the class but was too busy to continue. Since the lesson was pretty basic I decided to spend some time learning more about Tim the first time we met. Within about five minutes he started talking to me about a serious struggle he was going through. Tim had become married while unsaved and although he accepted Christ as his Savior, his wife had not. A month before that class she left him. What made things so hard for Tim was that he still loved her and wanted to reconcile their problems. But she was not interested in being married to him any more. The fact that they had a little girl didn't make things any easier.

In my classes with Tim we spent time covering the lesson. But we also spent a lot of time talking about what God wanted him to do. And about the love he still had for his wife. I realised that Tim simply needed someone who he could talk to about the struggles he was experiencing. And that class gave him the opportunity to do that. There was one other student in the class but he was well aware of the situation, and helped me encourage Tim.

At the end of four weeks the class was finished. I honestly wanted to continue teaching Tim because the truth of Scripture would be a great source of strength to him. But I knew that having a place to talk about his emotions was helpful as well. Inwardly I prayed that he would take another class so that we could continue meeting together.

In May my prayers were answered when Tim's pastor said he was making plans for the next class. I talked to the pastor about the situation and learned that Tim needed good christian friends more than ever before. There was a great desire in my heart to start the next class that very week! But sadly the class still has not begun.

Tim has an outstanding bill from the previous class that he took at the Bible College. And of course he will not be allowed to take another class until he has paid the balance of his first one. This does not upset me because it is a wise move on the part of the Bible College. If payment for classes was not demanded, then students could take classes without paying at all! And the college deserves payment for the good quality education that are received by the students.

What bothers me is the fact that Tim may not be able to pay his bill. Currently the Australian economy is lower than it has been in some time. And many people in Melbourne are having a hard time paying for groceries or petrol (gasoline). In a hard financial time it is very probable that Tim won't have the money necessary to continue taking classes. Maybe he would have enough to pay his outstanding bill, but not enough for the next class.

I feel with all of my heart that Tim needs to continue taking bible college classes. They would minister to his spiritual needs by pointing him to Christ as the one true source of hope. And they would also give him the encouragement and strength he needs at this time. But I will not go against the colleges rules about students paying their bills. So by God's grace I will do the next best thing. In a few weeks I will begin meeting with Tim again and discipling him using my own books and Bible studies. These meetings will be totally separate from my Bible college responsibilities, and will in now way use the colleges material. This probably will put a lot more work on me, but I feel that those in need should be ministered with the Word of God, even if you have to do it for free.

A Wooden Stage and a Door

2008-06-16T02:57:00.000-07:00

This month is a missions emphasis at Grace Baptist, the church I attend in Australia. The special events include a fellowship dinner after church where people bring kinds of food that can be found in foreign countries. I was going to bring biscuits and sausage gravy as an American dish but thought better of it. My pastor brought up the possibility of having some teenagers and young adults perform a short drama or skit during the dinner. Because he knew I was interested in that kind of thing he asked me to do it.

Immediately I began thinking about a large wooden stage that is found in the chapel of Piedmont Baptist College. I graduated from Piedmont with a bachelor of arts degree in 1999 and a Masters in 2003. I have some wonderful memories from my time there. But the best ones involved that wooden stage. Because for almost five years that was my stage.

I started doing short skit announcements on that stage in my Sophomore year of College. Those simple skit announcements turned into elaborate performances. I quoted The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe from that stage, as well as the Road Less Travelled by Robert Frost. I performed fake wrestling manuevers from that stage. I recited a love poem that I had personally written from that stage! But beyond a doubt my greatest memory was being part of a dinner theatre production there.

Every year the Junior class of my college has a dinner theatre that includes a nice meal. It is followed by an hour and a half to two hour play (almost always a comedy). More than anything I wanted to be part of the dinner theatre but only students were allowed to be actors. Since I had already graduated and was on staff it was not possible to act in the drama. But during my last year working at the college the director gave me a part.

I will never forget the feeling that I had backstage that night. It was a strange mixture of fear, adrenaline, excitement, worry, and frustration all at once. I can still remember standing behind the door that I would walk through when entering the stage. As the lights went down for actors to go off stage I closed my eyes and savoured the moment. The lights came on and for a brief second I stood there at the door trying to calm my nerves and pounding heart. I held my breath, reminded myself for the thousandth time to say my lines slowly, and turned the knob. The night was a huge success! That was the last time I did anything on the stage but I couldn't think of a better way to go out.

Now after all of this rambling you are probably wondering if I have a point. What I have just written clearly shows that I am passionate about acting. I can't guarantee that I was the best actor at that dinner theatre, but I can guarantee that I enjoyed it more than anyone else. Yet I have not become involved in much acting since that that night in 2003. I still do tell jokes and stories to entertain people. And I would take part in a Christmas or Easter play if asked. But acting wasn't something that I was actively involved in.

Why is it that I don't do something that my heart is so passionate about? To put it simply my love of acting was drowned out by needs and crisis situations of every day life. There are more important things to spend my time on than directing a skit or taking part in a play. So I put it off until later. Oh I still remembered the wooden stage and the dinner theatre. But I sort of “buried” my passion to act and direct so that I could focus on more pressing matters.

We are all passionate about something. And most of us bury it in the sand because we don't have the time or energy to pursue it. But taking the time to dig that thing up and do it can help us greatly. Being asked to put together a skit for the missions banquet reminded me how much I love acting. And it filled me with that same adrenaline, fear, anxiety feeling I had backstage in 2003. I sure did miss that feeling.

A Long Wait for Coffee

2008-06-12T23:00:00.000-07:00

I had to wait longer than usual for my coffee this morning. Actually my whole routine of getting a coffee at a local Gloria Jeans, and drinking it there while studying at one of their tables was thrown off. I noticed something strange when a large crowd of people had gathered around outside. Inside it was absolutely packed so I decided to come back later after doing some shopping. About an hour later I returned to find people lined out the door. On a normal Friday I can almost immediately walk up and place my order. This morning there were six people in front of me! What usually took about three to five minutes instead took fifteen.

What could possibly make such a dramatic change in the amount of people visiting this coffee shop? They were giving out free samples of coffee at a table outside. Also in honor of it being Friday the 13th they decorated the shop with cobwebs and halloween decorations. While the servers were all dressed in halloween costumes.

As I stood waiting for my coffee I began to think about what brought all of those people there. For most of them the answer would be a small sample of coffee that was given to them outside. But small cups of coffee alone should not bring in that many people, so it wasn't just about the coffee. The large crowds came because they were being given something that they wanted.

What I witnessed this morning illustrates an important truth. Offer people what they want, and they will come to you. Applied this truth challenges companies to find out what their consumers want, and then give it to them. In this case of course the people who were shopping this morning wanted to actually sample the coffee that was prepared inside for free. I imagine many people after drinking that free sample went inside and paid more than $3.00 for a coffee.

Companies all around the world apply this simple truth. That is why suggestion boxes can be found in many restaurants or coffee shops. To find out what the customers want from the business. And if those suggestions aren't too hard to implement many times they lead to changes being made. As I stood waiting for my coffee this morning another thought crossed my mind. What would happen if churches actually offered to individuals what they wanted?

Now allow me to explain what I am saying. It is not my belief that churches should give unsaved people a questionnaire about how the church should change, or ask them what they want church to be. Neither should the church ask their members what they want to have. Both of these actions will lead to a consumer religion where people will attend the church as long as it gives them what they want. This also leans towards a management type approach to church ministry.

Each of us has certain desires in our hearts. A desire to be loved, a desire to feel safe, a desire to be satisfied. Each of these desires will find their ultimate fulfilment only in Jesus Christ. But we can be used as vessels to meet those desires in an incomplete way. What would it be like if we offered to the unsaved a place where they would feel loved and accepted? What would be the result if they were connected with loving Believers who helped them in times of need? How would the react if we treated them with respect and dignity?

Sometimes we get the idea that an outreach ministry has to be elaborate with flashy lights and video presentations. While the large scale outreaches do succeed things don't have to be that complicated. All it took to bring customers to Gloria Jeans was a table with coffee, coffee plunger, milk, and a lady who served it. It was incredibly simple yet lots of people came. As I walked away with a well earned cup of coffee this morning (I never got my table) I began to think about how this principle of management could be applied to a discipleship ministry. There has to be a balance between becoming a spiritual McDonald's and ignoring the needs of others.

Relational Teaching

2008-06-12T22:16:00.001-07:00

Those of you who receive my prayer letters know that I have a passion for teaching. This passion comes from a burden that God has placed upon my heart for discipleship. Since mid March I have had the wonderful blessing of teaching a student at the Bible College where I minister two days a week. That opportunity was a great encouragement to me because it showed that passion truly did come from God. It was also encouraging to know that God was giving me an opportunity to live out that passion.

In the view of most people teaching just means the transfer of information. But I feel that teaching should be more of a mentorship type of ministry. This includes developing a relationship with the student, applying the truth that is taught to the students life, getting the student to interact in the learning process, and helping the student in times of need among other things. This kind of teaching style is not carried out much because it is almost impossible to implement in large groups. But having only one student made the mentorship philosophy easy to attempt.

My student is a young man named Jonathan Wolfe. He is only eighteen but shows more maturity than most adults I know. On Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings I will pick him up from a local train station at 8:39. Then after classes have ended I drop him off at another train station around 2:00 in the afternoon. While I greatly enjoy my time teaching Jonathan, I feel those rides to the college and train station have made a greater impact.

During those rides we have discussed the doctrine of election, foreknowledge, and atonement. We talked about the difference between a Calvinist and a hyper Calvinist. But it wasn't all theological discussion. We talked a lot about cars and the stunts that he attempts with a friend on their bikes. We discussed the great sports of Aussie rules football, and rugby. We shared stories of good times with friends, and laughed at some jokes.

During those trips and over lunch at the college we have talked about more serious issues. Such as American and Australian politics (he is extremely conservative), the prices of oil and gasoline, the differences in our two cultures, and historical events. This week in class we discussed in detail the subject of confronting other Believers in Christ. Among other things we asked when should confrontation take place?, how does God want it to take place?, what are the different views of confrontation?, and is confrontation Biblical since God is the only true judge? (that was just Wednesday!).

All of this connection and discussion have developed the beginnings of a close friendship between us. In May I attended a youth rally where teens from churches in the area gathered for a day of fun and teaching. When I got there a basketball game had already started with what appeared to be about twenty to twenty-five teenagers. I had barely stepped onto the court before Jonathan walked over and shook my hand. Then three times he said loud enough for all of his friends to hear, “this is my teacher”.

My time with Jonathan has reminded me that teaching involves more than just giving information. It involves becoming a part of the persons life and ministering to their needs. I am pretty sure that he would not have been so excited to see me if I had just taught the facts. I thank God for allowing me to become part of Jonathan's life. And pray that he will allow me to do the same for many others.

Worth the Wait

2008-06-12T22:15:00.001-07:00

When I came to Australia in 2007 I was worried about many things. Fortunately my finances was not one of them. The American dollar has always been more powerful than the Australian dollar. In 2004 the exchange rate was around 55 cents so that you would receive almost two Aussie dollars for every one from the US. By the time I arrived it had risen to 77 cents, but it still helped to gain extra money on the funds I transferred from America.

Today the exchange rate has risen to 96 cents and it is almost guaranteed that the dollars will be even by the end of the year. There is even talk of the American dollar becoming weaker than the Australian. This is a hard time financially for missionaries here who receive funds from the states. Especially those who are paying mortgages on houses. But in the midst of the financial turmoil I am incredibly blessed by God, and have no problems with money.

I have a business account here that pays the expenses that relate to my ministry (and are therefore non taxable). Upon arrival in Australia I made plans to transfer money from my Baptist Mid Missions account in Cleveland Ohio to the business account. The funds would be used to purchase items I needed to have such as a car, computer, and furnishings for my house. This is usually a fairly large amount of money and is referred to as outfit and passage.

Outfit and passage is crucial for a new missionary. So it is very important to make sure that you raise enough money to pay for necessities. Horror stories are told of missionaries who raise too little and have a very hard time surviving on the field. Because of this I contacted the Australian Missionaries in early 2007 and asked if I had raised enough money to get started. Their answer made me very nervous. The estimate that I had been given was $4,000.00 to $5,000.00 to little! I was encouraged to use the entire amount of the estimate on a car alone!

I can still remember the sinking feeling of depression I had while reading that e-mail. It had taken a very long time to raise the amount of funds that where in my account already. To raise another $5,000.00 seemed impossible! But I knew that God would be faithful to provide the finances that I needed. And though it took longer for me to leave for Australia, plenty of money was raised in my account.

In February 2007 I was faced with the decision of how much money to transfer from my account in the US. I was tempted to request the smallest amount possible because the funds themselves would be taxable income. But after wrestling with it mentally I decided to bring in more money than I would actually need for Outfit and Passage. The extra money would be used in emergencies.

Today that extra money is still in my business account, and I thank God for it. I can now clearly see that he was preparing me for this time in Australian history before I left the United States. He led me to contact the missionaries to see if I had raised enough money. He provided the extra finances for my outfit and passage so I could live comfortably in Australia. He laid it upon my heart to transfer more than enough money.

Each one of those instances, finding out I need to raise a lot more money, having to delay my departure, and bringing over a large amount of taxable income were discouraging situations for me. And in each of those situations I was not terribly excited about doing God's Will. But today I can look back at those situations and thank God for them. For it is because of those experiences that I can have peace in my heart even though the American dollar is weaker than it has been in the last eighteen years.

An Encouraging Evaluation?

2008-05-22T02:57:00.000-07:00

I had a meeting with members of the Baptist Mid Missions field council last Tuesday night. The field council consists of the president, vice president, and secretary treasurer of all the missionaries in Australia. It sounds like a very serious meeting but was actually a time of great encouragement and fellowship for me.

About six months ago I met with the field council so that we could evaluate how I was doing. I shared with them some issues I was struggling with and we talked about how to deal with them. They gave me lots of advice at that meeting which proved extremely useful during the months that followed. Now six months later they wanted to have another meeting to check up on my progress.

As I sat down into an easy chair with a cup of coffee Tuesday night I wasn't worried about the meeting. There was no fear in my heart about failures or weaknesses being pounded into my head repeatedly. The biggest reason for that was because I knew the people who sat in that room with me. And I knew that they were only interested in helping me grow to become a stronger missionary. Their goal was to build me up, not tear me down.

To my left was the secretary treasurer of Baptist Mid Missions Australia. Because of this position it is her unfortunate responsibility to care for my business account. There are two accounts for me in Australia. The first is a personal account that I use for items that are not ministry related. The second is a business account that will pay for ministry expenses. It is necessary to have both accounts because it is required by the immigration department of Australia.

About a year ago she took control of my accounts and soon found it was a very complicated job. The fact that I send her receipts for ministry items that I spend personal money on for reimbursement probably doesn't make it easier. But she never once complained about how much work she had to do for me or how hard it is. Instead she does an absolutely amazing job keeping my finances organised. Other times she and her husband have had me over for wonderful dinners. One sticks in my mind because she made me real southern food. It consisted of biscuits, bacon, eggs (scrambled in the bacon grease of course) and sausage gravy. That fattening but delicious meal alone showed that she was willing to help me in any way possible.

To my right was the pastor of the church I attend in Australia. He is officially the vice president of Baptist Mid Missions Australia, but he means much more to me than that. He is a mentor who has given me countless pieces of advice that have helped me in my ministry. He is a friend who will call me just to see how I am doing that day. He is the selfless individual who drove for forty five minutes just so he could have coffee with me at a local McDonald's. He is the counsellor who listens to me vent when I have a bad day.
He was the first person I called when someone broke into my car last month. And even during the meeting he gave me a quick wink of encouragement so I didn't take things too seriously. Sitting across from the secretary treasurer was the vice presidents wife. I have eaten wonderful meals at her house countless times and spent long afternoon with them both. Just last Sunday I came to their house at 1:00 for lunch and ended up leaving at 7:30 (I think they wanted me to stay later)! She is always willing to give me advice and help when I am in need.

Across from me was the president of BMMA. This man is also a great encouragement and friend. He is currently working with a solicitor (lawyer) to help me gain a permanent residency visa to Australia. Before I even came to Australia he was instrumental in trying to get my permanent residency visa application accepted. I have spoken at his church on two different occasions, and he is the first pastor to schedule a meeting so that I can present the CTT ministry. During the evaluation he asked me about any struggles that I was experiencing so that other missionaries could help. He asked me what I wanted to do in the future, and didn't just dismiss my plans as dreams. He expressed concern about my living so far away from the other missionaries and asked about my getting homesick. His last question was, “how can we help you”?

I left the meeting late Tuesday night exhausted but happy. It made me thankful that I have such a strong support team in Australia. It also reminded me of how important it is to have people who will lovingly help and support you. Because things will always go wrong in life. And for those who follow Christ there will be extra “drama” from Satan trying to discourage them. At those times a strong group of mentors who will help you is vital. I could go on about the friends and role models I have in Australia but it would take too long. I do thank God for every one of them though. A solid support team can even turn work evaluations into encouraging and fun experiences!

Pain Equals Growth

2008-05-19T03:02:00.000-07:00

As I used a terrible tool of torture called a Lat pull at my local gym this morning a thought occurred to me. Almost every type of growth involves pain in one way or another. When there is no pain then there is very rarely any growth. This is not just true for physical growth but spiritual, mental, emotional, and all other types as well. Which leads me to wonder why pain has to be involved in growth.

It should be easy for us to grow into mature Believers of Jesus Christ. But instead the road to maturity is filled with painful hills and depressing valleys. It is tempting to become frustrated by this until we remember that Adam was the one who got us into trouble in the first place. If he had not disobeyed God's command along with Eve it would be easy to become like Jesus!

Living a Godly life in today's age is a very painful thing. But God has given us sources of strength and motivation to make us faithful. First and foremost we have been given an incredible standing in Christ as children of God. And because of this we also have a close intimate relationship with God himself. But another source of help for the painful journey is role models.

Role models are those people who give you motivation and support when you are struggling. They have give guidance when you are confused. But more than anything else they become a model that you strive to achieve. You see those role models go through painful trials and yet remain faithful. And their maturity challenges you to become more mature when facing pain. It is true that we should find our greatest source of strength in Christ instead of men.
But we can find motivation and strength through watching Godly role models as well.

Which brings me back to the horrible torture device called a Lat pull. It consists of pulling down a bar attached to weights that puts a massive amount of pressure on my chest and abdomen. I have to do four sets of fifteen reps. The first set wasn't terribly bad. But when I was struggling after number five on the second set I knew I was in trouble. On each of the last three sets I could not finish them without taking a rest after ten repetitions. This is not a terrible thing considering this was only the second time I worked out at the gym. The bad part was that I really wanted to stop at ten.

There was a reason I chose to finish each set even though my arms begged for mercy. Standing a few feet away from me where men who were lifting with the heavy weight machines. These were not professional body builders but still quite impressive. And as I watched those men lifting their heavy weights there was a small part of me that wanted to do the same thing. Now I am never going to be the muscle bound weight lifter. But I can begin doing the heavy weight exercises someday.

Growth of any kind is usually painful. Because of this it is very hard to have continually sustained growth on our own strength. Which is why having a Godly role models is so important. As we watch them live for God in the midst of all situations there will be a small part of us that wants to be just like them. And their testimony will be a source of help as we attempt to grow. We must surround ourselves with true role models. Ones who may not be able to lift heavy weights, but have integrity and holiness, which is much more important.

Many Small Steps

2008-05-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

For years I have wanted to run in a marathon. I realise that this is not a dream that many people have. It is just that something about the idea of running twenty three miles is exciting to me. Actually it is being able to cross the finish line and know that I have done my best is what I look forward to.

Unfortunately running a marathon is not a very easily obtained goal. It is a long and painful race that demands the runner be in good shape. Otherwise they will collapse after running a few miles! That is what makes accomplishing this dream so hard. A person does not go to bed one night and wake up the next morning ready to run a marathon. Instead finishing the race is the result of months spent exercising, dieting, and training. A person would probably need to start preparing for a marathon almost five or six months in advance!

Doing something like this means you have to evaluate many of your decisions with that one goal. When I make a decision I will have to ask myself, “will this help me get stronger physically?”, or “Is this going to make it harder when I run today”? If nothing else keeping that goal of running a marathon in my mind will make me evaluate my decisions. In short it will take discipline and lots of small steps (making the right decisions) to accomplish my goal instead of a few large ones.

That is the way most of our goals or dreams are obtained. And sadly that is why so many of us don't live out those dreams. We aren't willing to spend the necessary time preparing ourselves for the opportunity to accomplish them. Sometimes this is because we are too busy with other things to spend time preparing for something so far in the future. But normally we don't do it because preparation almost always involves hardship and pain.

I will never be able to run a marathon the way I am right now. So this afternoon I am going to start the process of preparing myself. Step one has actually already been accomplished by my beginning to run four to five days a week. But in about two hours I will take another step that for me is much more painful (literally). This afternoon I am going to join a gym.

I have wanted to join a gym and work out with weights for years, but I never did. Partly because of embarrassment over only being able to bench press the bar. But more importantly because weightlifting is a painful experience, especially at first. So I had a long standing argument between my body that did not want to go through pain, and my heart that knew I needed to get stronger in order to run a marathon. I finally decided to join the gym in order to accomplish my goal.

The background on my desktop is a picture of me running a 5k race (3.2 miles) on July 4, 2005. At the time I had lost a lot of weight and ran three 5k races that summer. Right now I am 10 pounds heavier than the person in the picture, and nowhere near as fit. But I am going to become that physically fit again. It won't happen overnight, but take months of hard work. But by God's grace I will be able to get myself back into “running shape”. This is not done by one leap of faith, but by taking one step at a time.

Loving Confrontation?

2008-05-04T23:12:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I finished a book that discusses of the most important attributes of a mature Believer.1 Sadly very few Christians have developed this characteristic. And most of those who do use it don't know how to do it correctly. It is the ability of confrontation. There is a good reason why most of us don't take the time to view confrontation as a characteristic that needs to be developed. For most of us the word itself brings up the mental image of a person blindfolded before a firing squad.

We seem to believe that confrontations consist of a group of people pointing another persons faults. The “confrontation” ends with the person at fault being beaten in submission and repenting of what he has done wrong. This is not really a confrontation at all, but what is referred to as an intervention. These are reserved for individuals who are involved in situations that are damaging not only to them but those around them such as addiction. Confrontation consists of lovingly pointing out to another person how they are hurting you in the relationship.

As I read this book it made me realize that our view of confrontation is totally different from Gods. In Colossians 3:5-17 Paul challenges Believers to walk as children of God instead of the unsaved (3:5). This involved allowing love to be the foundation of all their relationships (3:12, 14). It also included walking in unity with other Believers and reconciling when there differences (3:13). God's peace was promised if they walked in humble love and unity (3:15). But interestingly they are commanded to confront one another as well.

In Colossians 3:16 Paul commands the Believers to “admonish” one another. Admonish here comes from the Greek word noutheteo. The word is translated to “caution or approve gently”. So according to Scripture to confront someone means to show them something that they are doing wrong in a spirit of love. The best way to do this is simply point out to the individual where they are rebelling against God and let Scripture speak for itself.

It is true that stronger confrontation is needed when a person refuses to repent. And a stronger confrontation will be necessary for more serious sins. But confrontation does not have to begin with our kicking down the door and demanding that the person change. I believe that one of the reasons few of us (including myself) don't confront those who hurt us is because the very act of confrontation frightens us. When in reality a confrontation could be as simple as, “you know I would really appreciate it if you would not just point out what I do wrong. Let me know what I do good sometimes!”

This gentle form of confrontation will not offend the other person if it is given in an attitude of love. Actually it will create an opportunity to have more open and honest communication in the relationship. It is when we don't share with others how they hurt or offend us that the real problems start. The pressure builds inside of us like a volcano until we simply explode in anger someday about something that has nothing to do with the real reason why we are upset. These blowups have destroyed many more relationships than humble confrontation.

So join me in trying to learn this new habit of loving confrontation. It may be very hard for you to do at first like me. But in time honest and open and honest communication will become a part of our daily life. This is not to say that we just go around looking for someone to confront, or go to war just for the sake of going to war. But it means we will not bury the feelings of pain when we are hurt by others. Loving confrontation will allow us to keep balance in our relationships. We will not be a human doormat that everyone walks all over. But we will not be a human volcano that everyone will be afraid of either.

1How to Have the Difficult Conversation You've Been Avoiding, Dr. Henry Cloud/Dr. John Townsend

Thinking About the Future

2008-04-10T23:28:00.000-07:00

Not having my car around this week has given me lots of time to think about things. There are some hard decisions for me to make in the next year and they commanded a lot of my attention this week. One of the biggest decisions was where I would live after coming back from my first furlough.

I am planning to take a six month furlough in the United States in June of 2009. In April the lease that I have on the house I am currently renting ends. For the last year I have told everyone that I planned to move somewhere closer to the city when I came back in January of 2010. The plan is to live with friends between April and June. Or possibly rent the house on a monthly basis if they would allow me to do so.

There a few reasons why I want to move from my current house. The biggest one is because the area I am staying in is far away from where I minister. I drive forty five minutes both ways to get to church on Sunday mornings. This gets pretty expensive when it takes about $50 to fill up my tank. Thankfully my little car gets excellent gas mil age. The long distance makes it hard for me to spend time with friends because one of us will have to drive a long ways.

There is a positive side to my living in this area though. This is by far the cheapest housing that can be found anywhere. Normally a small house or apartment will cost $250.00 a week for rent. I rent a three bedroom house complete with front and back yard for $185.00 a week! If I do move to a closer location it will mean having to raise more funds. It will probably take at between $200.00 and $300.00 of extra support.

Right now I have two options about my living accommodations. Moving to a new location closer to where I am working. Or stay where I am and saving up money to buy a house. Renting a house for $250.00 a week will end up costing about $1,100.00 a month. That gets pretty close to the payment that you would actually make on mortgage! The problem is the housing market in Australia is worse than it has been in years. Every house is at least $200,000, and the standard interest rate is above 8%.

Right now my heart tells me to stay here in Melton for a few more years until the interest rate goes down (if it ever does!). That time will allow me to save up money for a nice down payment for a small home. But at the same time if my teaching ministry continues to expand I will find myself traveling more and more during the week.

It may seem strange that I am worrying about something that is almost a year away. I have always been the kind of person who likes to look years in advance. I am planning things in my mind that probably won't happen for at least three years (I wrote about it in the article “taking a moment to dream”). I would really appreciate your prayers concerning this situation, I want to make sure that I rely on God's wisdom instead of my own.

Losing My Freedom

2008-04-09T03:29:00.000-07:00

In November I was involved in a minor traffic accident. Another car hit me from behind when I was stopped at an intersection. The result was a decent sized dent in my cars bumper. About a week after the accident I called my insurance company and they gave me the number of a repair shop. I brought my car by the repair shop in December and they told me it could probably get fixed in January. They ended up calling in March and scheduled to have it fixed on last Monday.

So I drove my car over at 8:00 Monday morning. Then I decided to walk the four miles back to my house since I needed the exercise. I was hoping that the car would be fixed by Tuesday since it would not take too long to fix the dent. But when I called Monday afternoon they told me the damage was worse than originally thought. So the car would not be ready until Thursday.

It may seem strange, but losing my car for three to four days made me very angry. I don't get upset about much because losing your temper doesn't help fix the problem, but not having my car until Thursday really frustrated me. Why would that make me upset? There were actually two reasons. The first was that I would have to ask other people to drive me to work on Tuesday and Thursday. Thankfully the missionaries who work at the college live less than five minutes from me, and were more than happy to drive me.

But there is another reason for my frustration and anger. For those three days I lost my freedom. I could not get into my car and drive to the coffee shop where I usually studied because it was too far away to walk. It wasn't really not having coffee that bothered me, but the fact that I couldn't get in the car and drive somewhere.

Not having my car has reminded me how much I love having freedom. The freedom to go where I want when I want to do it. Losing my car takes that precious freedom away from me for a few days. But all other types of freedom are precious to us as well. The freedom to make our own choices. The freedom to try doing things differently. Freedom to express our view on a subject even though people disagree with us. But is it right for us to act as if losing some of that freedom is the end of the world?

Monday night I went to a local grocery store for some well deserved ice cream. When I am driving it takes less than four minutes to get there. It took me about half an hour to walk to the store and back. Yes it was a little bit frustrating for the trip to take almost ten times longer walking than it would have been driving. But I lived through the ordeal. Walking to the store and back did not kill me, and it was actually kind of nice walking in the warm night air.

I called the repair shop this afternoon because it was Wednesday and I was hoping my car was finished. Instead they told me that my bumper had to be completely replaced, and the new part would arrive Thursday. That meant the car “should” be ready by Friday. So I will be making the thirty minute trip to the store and back for a few more days. But I am thankful to learn that it is possible to live without a car.

The Art of the Cuppa

2008-03-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I went out to lunch with my adopted Lebanese parents and their extended family. Fifteen of us (a small group for them) enjoyed a great time of fellowship. As we ate our food I was asked a question that I have answered countless times since coming to Australia. The question is whether I like Australia or America better. And I answered that question last Sunday the same way I had all those other times. I would rather live in Australia than America.

I deeply love the United States, and will always be proud to be an American. But there is one big difference between the U.S. And Australia that makes a big difference for me. I got to the restaurant at about 1:15 Sunday afternoon. I left the host's house about 4:00 in the afternoon. The reason why I didn't leave from the restaurant was because we had not yet had a “cuppa”.

The routine for lunch or dinner at someones house goes something like this. You sit around and talk while the dinner is being cooked. Then following dinner you sit around and talk a bit more. Sweets (dessert) is served shortly afterwards with coffee. You usually sit around for an hour or so after the coffee having fellowship before leaving. The churches in Australia actually have “cuppas” after church so that people can stand around and talk while drinking coffee and eating cookies (biscuts). It is very rare that everyone will be gone before 1:00.

Why does lunch at a persons house take three and a half to four hours? Because Australians make relationships and connecting with one another a priority. Almost everything in the Australian worldview revolves around relationships. And therefore taking time out of the day and having a cuppa (cup of coffee or tea) while talking is more than just sitting around and having a chat. It is a cornerstone of Australian culture.

Because cuppas are so important coffee is almost a religious thing in Australia. If you don't drink it people will think that you are strange. I didn't drink coffee when I came here but that soon changed. I can still remember my first cup of coffee in Australia. Actually it was a cappuccino given to me by a pastors wife during a church fellowship at their house. I loved it from first sip, and now remind her that my addiction to coffee is because of her (although I am not totally addicted yet).

I have grown to love cuppas. During the week they don't last for more than three hours. Sometimes they just last for a few minutes. But it gives friends a chance to slow down for a few moments and share what is going on in their lives. It is not really about the coffee at all. It is about reconnecting with people who you know and love.

Not many people have cuppas in the United States. We are all so busy with life that it is almost impossible to just take a few minutes and talk with an old friend. I do understand that we all constantly have things that need to get done. But the Australian people make time to connect. They may even put something off until tomorrow that they can do today in order to have a cuppa. I am not saying that this isn't a dangerous thing to do. For if we continue to procrastinate on important things our lives will suffer the consequences. But being in Australia has taught me that if people make connecting with others a priority, they will find time for it.

There have been many times since I came here when I was discouraged about situations that weren't going the way I wanted them to. But after sitting down with friends and sharing the burdens I experienced the peace of God. Sometimes having a cup of coffee with a friend means I have to drive forty-five minutes both ways to do so, but it is worth it. The experiences I had led me to minister to others in this way.

About two weeks ago I finally broke down and bought a Plunger (french coffee press) so that I could make coffee at home, and real coffee (Gloria Jeans Caramel flavoured). I am praying that God would give me the chance to have some friends over for a good cup of coffee. But if not thats okay, I can enjoy it by myself.

Creating Creativity

2008-03-20T23:55:00.000-07:00

I was drinking a coffee at a local McDonald's this afternoon when I read this interesting statement about the Big Mac. In a Ukrainian Big Mac the beef patties come from Hungary, the lettuce from Ukraine, the bun from Russia, the pickles and sauce from Germany, the sesame seeds from Mexico, and the cheese from Holland.1 The world is so diverse today that eating a Big Mac has become a multicultural experience!

Reading about the diversity in the world made me think about a meeting I had last Wednesday. I along with one of my friends met with the pastor of a local church. His church had a thriving youth ministry and we hoped to use some of his ideas for our Wednesday night ministry. A young woman who coordinated the activities and youth services attended the meeting as well.

It took about ten minutes to figure out what this pastor and the coordinator were passionate about. They focused on the importance of having strong leadership, and creativity. As they answered my questions I learned that being creative was truly one of the core values for their ministry. The pastor was quick to point out that they didn't just want to, “be different for the sake of being different.” But they were very serious about giving people freedom to try things that were different.

The entire ministry was built around this idea of what I would call “creative liberty”. Even the leadership style which they spent a large amount of time talking about was centred on it. The pastor explained that there is not one youth pastor for that church. Instead there is a core group of leaders who all get together and make decisions regarding the youth group.

This team philosophy of leadership is becoming very popular in churches today.
While I think it is a great way to foster creativity (everyone gets to voice their opinions) it is flawed because there is no real leader. Without a true leader who makes final decisions the group of leaders would just go in circles. The church met this need by making the coordinator authority to make final decisions.

When I came to that meeting I expected the pastor to talk about the program that they used. Instead he went out of his way to say that they didn't follow a curriculum or program. When we met for a coffee that night my friend pointed out that was the last thing he expected to hear. Actually I would have felt a lot better if they had told me about a program that they used. I love being creative in things that I do (I am always looking for ways to “recreate” myself). But basing a ministry on it is very scary.

Creativity leads to a roller coaster ministry. Some nights what you use will really connect with the teens. Some nights it will bomb miserably. It is much easier to use methods that you know the teenagers will like. But where there is little creativity there is little reward. It is one of those big risk big reward things. So even as I write this post I am thinking about how to become more creative in my speaking and leadership.

I am not quite ready to make creative liberty a pillar upon which my ministry is built. But the diverse multi cultural world around us demands that we show creativity in how we do things. Yes there will be moments when creativy turns into organised chaos, but that is the price that must be paid for growth. Toward the end of the meeting I asked Mel (the coordinator) whether or not all of their ideas worked out. She told me that there were some good nights and some bad nights. Then she said, “but that's what makes it fun” with a big smile. Maybe it's just me, but it seems as if she has a warped sense of humour.

1Leonard Sweet, Soul Tsunami, pg.369, par.3, ln.10

Meeting Physical Needs

2008-03-20T23:11:00.000-07:00

I have never been much of a handyman. Some people are naturally gifted with the ability to fix things and work with their hands. While God has given the ability to make people laugh communicate with passion, I am not very good at fixing things. Usually when things needed to be repaired at my parents house I would let my father and brother do it. I would always be there to supply tools and follow instructions. But my general attitude towards jobs like that where, “somebody needs to fix that (not me).”

Now that I am renting my own house that attitude no longer works. For instance a spring hinge for the screen door on my front porch broke a few days ago. I could walk out that door every day and say “somebody needs to fix that”, but it will never get fixed. At some point I will have to buy a new hinge and install it myself. You can't always rely on someone else to fix your problems. Because of that fact this afternoon I bought some things I needed to do odd jobs around the house.

We are surrounded by problems and needs that are much more serious than a broken spring hinge. Problems such as poverty, hunger, climate change, diseases, and overpopulation. These social needs cry out for our attention every day. It is true that meeting the social needs of those around us is not as important as their spiritual need. But we can't ignore these needs either. There are individuals who feel that curing societies social problems is God's calling for the church today. I wrote an article last month about the problem with this philosophy (A New Great Commission).

How do we help meet those needs? The first step is to start discussing them openly. I was talking with some friends after the lesson at a Young Adults Bible Study last Monday night. I enjoy having conversations with them because they are extremely socially conscious. In other words, they think a lot about the physical needs of those around us such as poverty and famine. We began talking about the fact that churches seem to be at different extremes when approaching these issues.

The first group feels that curing social ills are the calling of Believers today. The other does not minister to the physical needs of those around them at all. “Why can't they just be more balanced?” I asked in frustration. It is possible to meet both the spiritual and physical needs of the lost around us. Of course the spiritual need is met first because these problems need a serious “spiritual surgery” (Ending the Dump Truck Method).

During that conversation we began thinking of how those physical needs can be met in a balanced way. Obviously we did not come up with the answer that night. But it was the first of what I hope will be many conversations about how we can meet the problems around us in a Biblical way. The problems around us are great and we need to begin thinking about how each one of us can start meeting those needs.

Some Believers will be able to do huge things such as invest money or become actively involved themselves. Others will only be able to talk with friends about finding solutions to these issues. Whether we become involved in a large or small way, soon it will be time to do something more than say, “somebody needs to fix that.”

Ending the Dump Truck Method

2008-03-17T23:42:00.000-07:00

One of my college professors described the way that most students take exams as, “the dump truck method”. Basically this means they will dump massive amounts of information they don't really understand on paper. Even though they many times don't truly grasp the information these students will get good grades on the test. Of course using the dump truck method doesn't really help them because most of that information will be forgotten in the future. And the truths which are still remembered usually aren't applied.

As a person who used the dump truck method countless times during High School and College I understand it's usefulness. But there must be a better way of learning and applying information. The blame for using this method of learning and test taking should be placed upon students who refuse to study ahead of time. But some teachers are also taking some of that responsibility upon themselves. They believe that, “True Biblical teaching doesn't take place unless the students have learned. If they haven't learned, I haven't taught.1” As a result these instructors focus on reaching specific goals in their classes instead of just giving out information. And therefore become more like coaches instead of teachers.

Recently the professor I work with at the Bible College helped me develop lesson plans for my classes in April. He told me to make very specific aims (goals) for each class that can be evaluated later. This would be done by asking questions like “what will they learn?”, “what will they do with it?”, “what do they already know?”, and “how can I assist them?” These questions can make a big difference. It takes a general goal (“we will learn how to make paper air planes”) and makes it specific (“we will learn how to in ideal conditions create paper air planes that will travel an average distance of twenty to thirty feet”). These specific goals will in time turn into habits and responses. And those responses will help the student years after the class has ended. That is why I feel this form of teaching should be viewed as coaching. It focuses on preparing students for things that they will face in the future.

Thinking about teachers/coaches reminds me of a professor at Bible College. I took a class from him on counselling those in need with Scripture. In one of the first classes he told us about having trouble breathing because of nasal congestion. He would take medicine and it would clear up, but only for a few days. Finally he went to the doctor and learned that surgery was needed. Following the surgery he did not have any other problems.

The professor went on to explain that many people don't deal with serious problems correctly. They will put a band aid where surgery should be done. The rest of the classes that semester was about finding the real problem when dealing with those in need of counselling and dealing with it using Scripture. To this day when ministering to those in need around me I try to find the core issue that they are struggling with instead of making them feel better for a short time.

I realise that it isn't possible to make dramatic impact upon students in each class. But teachers can develop within their students character traits and habits that can help them be successful in the future. Becoming more of a coach than a teacher will not keep every student from using the dump truck method. But it will plant seeds in their hearts that can make them stronger people in the future.

1Bruce Wilkinson, The Seven Laws of the Learner, pg.17, par.2, ln.1

Shattering My Comfort Zone

2008-03-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

As a teenager I attended a camp affiliated with my church during the summer. I loved going to that camp because it gave me a chance to see friends who lived in other states. But the reason I kept coming back was because it challenged me. One of the foundational goals of that camp was to help push teenagers “comfort zones”. In other words the counsellors and other workers challenged campers to try new things that they may not have attempted before. Many times I was nervous while doing these things, but in the end pushing my comfort zone always made me a stronger person.

Last Saturday night I did not just push my comfort zone. Instead I shattered my comfort zone into thousands of little pieces. About three weeks ago one of my friends at the church I work with told me about a young adults activity that was coming up. They were going to take a dancing lesson! For an hour and a half a trainer would walk them through a dance routine and at the end of the session they would attempt it on their own. These sessions were great for exercise and just having fun so a lot of people decided to go.

When people asked me if I wanted to go I immediately answered with an emphatic no. I have never in my life taken any kind of dancing lessons, and did not want to start. Basically I was embarrassed about making myself look silly by not being able to keep up with everyone else. But my friends all kept encouraging me to come since a bunch of them couldn't dance either. After a few weeks I finally agreed to go. The plan was to go out there for ten or fifteen minutes then watch everyone else.

When I got to the activity Saturday I was a nervous wreck. My nerves weren't helped at all when I realised that there was nowhere to just sit and watch everyone else. Whether I liked it or not I was going through the entire lesson! I put myself in the very back of the group and prayed that I would not break any body parts. After doing some stretches we began learning the routine. At first I felt pretty good about being able to keep up with everyone else without making too many mistakes. But the instructor kept on adding more complex moves to the routine, and I kept trying to move farther back.

Since there were so many of us the instructor split us into three smaller groups. I was in group two but there was not too much room to move because there were so many people in my group. After a break I saw that a lot of people in group three had either moved or left. I knew that getting into group three would give me a lot more room. But group three only had three people while the other groups had about ten. Being in group three would make my lack of coordination really obvious. But I decided to just join the group and have fun.

Towards the end of the lesson our instructor had each group do the routine by themselves. As I watched the first two groups perform I felt sick. It is not easy to hide bad dancing skills when there are only four people in your group! Finally it came time for my group to perform. I took a deep breath, and did the best that I could. There is little doubt that I was the worst dancer in my group but people cheered us anyways.

I left the activity at 8:30 with sweat dripping off my face and my shirt was soaked. My back and legs were killing me when I got up this morning. But I am still happy I went. Because there is a certain satisfaction that comes from challenging our comfort zones. Challenging our comfort zones is not about being the best person out there. It is about forgetting the fear in your heart and just having fun. It is about forgetting the mistakes you made and trying better next time. It is about accepting the challenge and doing your very best. Many of us live our lives believing that comfort zones are supposed to be protected. But maybe they were meant to be shattered.

Running in 95 Degree Heat

2008-03-12T23:42:00.000-07:00

The Internet tells me that it is 85 degrees outside, but I know that it is a lot hotter than that. The actual temperature is about 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit). But that didn't stop me from running for about two miles this afternoon.

I used to run almost every day for exercise when I was in the United States. When I got to Australia I decided to continue this habit to keep myself in good shape. During the first two months I ran five days a week and lost a lot of weight. Only to gain it all back again when I moved into my own house. The excuse was that I didn't have any place to run, but there was a walking trail very close to me. The reason I stopped running was because it was too hard.

A few summers ago I ran in three 5k races. In order to do well in those I applied myself like never before to running. At one point I was running eight miles a few times each week! I even ran for eleven miles with my brother during that summer. There is little doubt that I was in the best shape of my life that summer. What made the difference between last year and a few summers ago? I was definitely in better shape and more committed when I ran the 5k races. But where did that commitment come from? It came from the realisation that people believed in me.

My parents were in attendance at each of the 5k races that I ran. And after each one they would tell me how well I did. They took a number of pictures during the races (one which is currently the background my computer for motivation). My father would tell me every day how proud he was of me as I walked into the house with sweat pouring down my face. They would both tell everyone at our church about how well I was doing. And of course they cheered like mad when I ran by during the race.

In time the dream of running an eight and half minute mile became my motivation. But before that my motivation was the encouraging words of my parents along with many friends. It was those words that gave the strength to keep running when my legs felt like they would fall off. And it was their belief in me that fuelled my desire to run a faster sprint today than I did yesterday.

Which brings me to my mid afternoon run in 95 degree heat. My parents are able to see me on a web cam when I talk with them during the week using Skype. Last month they started commenting on how I was starting to look healthier. And once I told them that I started running again they got really excited. Now at least once a week they make sure that I am running, and tell me how proud they are because I am doing it.

It is amazing the power that can be found in simple words of encouragement. They can take a young man who isn't exceptionally gifted in athletics and turn him into a person who runs eight miles three times a week. And they can cause a person to run in the hot Australian sun so he can get a good workout (don't worry, I drank huge amounts of water and took a thirty minute nap afterwards).

I am a long way from where I should be physically but that's okay. Because I know that I won't quit this time like I did last year. Last year my motivation was getting in shape. But that motivation kind of gets weak after a while. Some people use music from their ipod as motivation to get over that last hill. While I do use my ipod it isn't my motivation. Instead I use the encouraging words of my parents. It is going to get cold in a few months when the Australian winter begins. And when the desire for fitness or ipod won't get me out the door, my parents belief in me definitely will.

My First Ghost Story

2008-03-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

We live in a world of experience consumers who always want to “feel things”. That makes it very hard for the ministries in local churches. And it makes things especially hard for those pastors who preach sermons every Sunday. After all, we are supposed to preach God's truth so that people will change, not give them a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Those ministries who make getting an emotional response from people their goal are destined to fail. In time those people will not be entertained anymore and start searching for a church that makes them “feel” better. Is it possible to connect with people emotionally through a sermon without watering down the message? I believe that it is possible through one of the oldest methods known to man, the art of story telling.

When I think of story telling it takes me back to an experience that happened many years ago. I was a young boy and the church my father pastored sent a group of people on a missions trip to Canada. Since my mom and dad where going I along with my brother got to go as well. The only problem was we were driving to Canada instead of flying. And for a little boy riding in a van for most of the day isn't fun at all.

After a few days on the road I was getting pretty bored. But then one of the men in my van started to tell some stories. I am not sure why he started telling them, maybe he saw that I was bored, but I will never forget those stories. See these were not just any stories. They were ghost stories. For what seemed like hours he told me stories about ghosts who haunted people at night. And after each one I begged him to tell me another.

The next day I made sure that I got on the same van as that man. Not only that but I had my younger brother with me! We both sat and listened as he told us one story after another. Today so many years later I still remember feeling excited, nervous, and a little bit scared at the same time. Every feeling came from those stories.

I can remember on another occasion camping out with my class mates in the fifth grade. While we were going to sleep I asked my teacher Mr. Detant to tell us a story. So as I laid in my sleeping bag he told the story of a little boy named John who was sent by his mother to buy some chicken liver for supper.

John found some meat with a sign that said liver which the butcher was selling cheaply so he bought it. Later that night he heard a voice far away saying, “John I want my liver”. The voice came up the street and through John's front door asking for his liver the whole time. Suddenly John realised that he had eaten a human liver instead of a chicken liver!

John escapes the house and is chased by the ghost only to fall into an open grave. And the last thing he heard was, “John I have my liver now”. I can't remember anything else from that camping trip but I can remember every word of the story. And I also vaguely remember having a hard time sleeping that night.

Stories have a way of connecting with us and staying in our minds. They also many times bring an emotional response. Christ himself even used stories in the forms of parables in his teachings. It is hard to keep the balance between allowing people to “experience truth” while at the same teaching truth correctly. But using stories that illustrate the truth of God's Word is a wonderful way to keep that balance. And many times years after the truth has faded from our minds the story will remain.

Experience Consumers

2008-03-06T22:56:00.000-08:00

Next week I will be turning thirty-two years old. And though I told my parents to just put money in my bank account, they insisted on sending me presents. So yesterday I picked up a box from my local post office and ripped it open immediately after getting home (my parents told me to open the box when I got it). What I found inside was precious.

Most presents in that box where less than fifteen dollars. But to me they were precious treasures. Because each one of those items had vivid memories attached to them. There was a coffee cup from the gas station where I stopped to get fuel on those long deputation trips. A daily desk calendar with my favourite comic strip. A penguin Christmas ornament that reminds me of all the penguins I bought my mother the last Christmas I was at home. Every item that I pulled out of the box meant something special to me.

The experience reminded me of Christmas and birthdays when I was younger. Like most children I wanted the latest video game, computer, or electronic gadget as a present. Christmas was especially exciting for me. I would shake the presents with my name on them and try to guess what was inside. Christmas morning would be filled with happiness as I ripped open the brightly wrapped packages. But I always felt sad after all the presents were opened. I can remember one Christmas being surrounded by presents and at the same time unhappy. Part of this is because the excitement of opening presents was over. But I believe there was something deeper to it.

For years people have been consumers of things like electronics and clothes. But today they have become consumers of experiences. This is because the feeling of love and care that I received from the gifts in that birthday box are much more powerful than any item. Millionaires spend their lives seeking for what I found in that box. But these experiences of love are hard to come by.

Post modernity promised us happiness and success like never before. But it has not lived up to that promise. “We have pagers, answering machines, e-mail, phones, cellular phones, and modems. We're more connected than ever before, and we're more lonely than ever before.1” We have an entire generation of people surrounded by things but at the same time unhappy.

How do we help cure this problem? Through simple acts of kindness. One of the most meaningful presents in my box was a bag of Starburst jelly beans. That bag of candy probably cost less than $2.50, but it was a prized treasure to me. Obviously the jelly beans are not a prized possession (though I like jelly beans). It is the memory that is attached to that bag which is so precious.

My parents know that I love jelly beans. They could have gone out and bought any kind and I would be thrilled. But they asked me what my favourite jelly beans where. Now to some people that would not be a big deal. But seeing that bag made me feel incredibly loved. My parents where not only willing to just send me jelly beans. They went to the trouble of finding my favourite kind and sending them.

What's the point? A $2.50 bag of jelly beans can give the experience which can't be bought with millions of dollars. Because that candy along with the other items in my box where given in love. The gifts in that box challenged me to show love towards others. Never before has there been a greater need for simple acts of kindness. People all around us crave love and acceptance which can't be found in money or things. Perhaps it is time for us to connect with those people, and start sending them boxes of treasures.

1Leonard Sweet, Soul Tsunami, pg.193, par.3, ln.4

Taking a Moment To Dream

2008-03-04T20:40:00.000-08:00

I love to day dream. It has been that way ever since I was kids creating epic stories with my imagination. I would constantly dream of what I wanted to do when I was younger. But daydreaming is for children not adults. Our lives are far too busy to dream of what we want to be in the future.

Every once in a while I catch myself day dreaming, but will immediately bring my mind back to reality. Those dreams will be almost impossible to accomplish. And even if I did a lot of pain and suffering would be involved. It is much easier to just beat those dreams into submission with reality. But today I am not going to beat those dreams back. Instead I am going to close my eyes and allow myself to day dream for just a moment.

I see a coffee shop that is run completely as a ministry to Believers in Melbourne Australia.

It will be a place where they can receive solid teaching from God's Word during the week.

It will be a place where they can take workshops or modules to help them mature as Christians.

It will be a place where they can receive counselling or help from other Believers.

It will be a place where they can meet and connect with other Believers.

It will be a place where they can discuss theology with each other

It will be a place where everyone will be accepted

It will be a place where Believers learn how to have a balanced philosophy of ministry instead of going to extremes.

It will be a place where the lost of Melbourne can be ministered to

When I close my eyes I see that coffee shop. Will God give me the opportunity to do this? I am honestly not sure. What I do know is the dreams God places in our hearts should not be ignored or covered up constantly. So close your eyes for a few moments today and let yourself dream. And pray that God will allow that dream to come true if it is his will. By the way, you are all invited to have a free cup of coffee at my shop in about three years.

Non Drastic Change

2008-03-03T20:34:00.000-08:00

Next month I will begin teaching my first full time class at a Bible College in Australia. I am confident that God will use me because I have spent the last year preparing myself for this teaching ministry. Much of that preparation came through research and reading. But part of it came through talking with Believers in the area. I asked many of them what I should do in order to become a strong teacher at the Bible College. I was interested in hearing their advice, but also wondered if many of them would give the same advice.

Surprisingly almost everyone who I asked voiced the same desire. They said it in different ways but their answer did not change. It was not for classes that challenged them academically. It was not for classes that were more practical. More media in the class room was not asked for. Instead I was told repeatedly by Believers that they wanted flexibility.

Flexibility in the mind of these Australians is that the Bible College adapt to their needs and schedules. There was a desire for classes to be offered at night and in module forms so that those who work during the day can take them. There was also interest in giving students more liberty in the way they choose which class to take.

The results of my question surprised me. Currently there are not many students at the Bible College where I minister. I was afraid that in order to gain students serious changes would have to be made. But after talking to these people I see that is not true. They simply want more flexibility or freedom in the way we do ministry.

Flexibility is one of the hardest characteristics to develop in ministry. You run the risk of adapting to the needs of others too strongly and giving them control instead of God. Or you adapt too little and end up with a weak ministry. It is very tempting to just give up on being flexible altogether and ask that others adapt to our way of doing things.

Even though it is tempting we must not refuse to be flexible. But it is important to make sure we are flexible on the right things. It is okay be flexible (adapt or change for the good of others) with our methods of ministry. It is not okay to be flexible with our doctrinal or theological beliefs. The role of leaders in ministry is to clearly understand what their methods, and doctrinal beliefs are. This way they can be flexible (with methods) and inflexible (in doctrine) at the same time.

It is easy to become discouraged when it seems change is needed in ministry. This discouragement can lead people to make drastic changes which may not be necessary. Many times a few small changes in the methods will bring new life and energy to the ministry. Change does not have to be about tearing everything down and building it again. Usually it just involves finding what the people want and giving it to them.

My Lebanese Family

2008-02-28T22:48:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday night I had dinner with one of my best friends in Australia and his family. It was a wonderful evening of great fellowship and amazing food. Driving home I thought about how thankful I was for the love and care that family had given me. They basically treat me as is I am one of their own children. What is surprising about that is the fact that they are Lebanese.

I currently work in a church that has a number of families who moved from Lebanon to Australia years ago. At first I was a little bit nervous about befriending these people because of the current political situation in Iraq. It was not afraid that they would hurt me but wondered if it was even possible to develop strong relationships with them.

In my mind the war in Iraq is necessary because the United States was being threatened. But I was worried about the situation there affecting my relationships with these people. It would be very easy for them to avoid me or treat me poorly because of what is happening in the middle east. Thankfully the exact opposite happened.

Instead of rejecting me these people accepted me as if I was one of their own! And along with acceptance they gave me a family structure that I can rely on here. Being around these believers allowed me to learn a lot about the Lebanese culture. What I found was that the most important thing in the world to them is family. Everything revolves around family for them. Shortly after Christmas I was having dinner with a Lebanese family and they talked about having twenty extended family members over for dinner. To them that was not a big deal at all. there were ten people at the house last Tuesday when I ate and it was done regularly.

Different people within this Lebanese church like my friends parents have become sort of an Australian family for me. They go out of their way to look after me and make sure that I am being cared for. This concern is coupled with the love and acceptance that they constantly show. My friends mother actually told me Tuesday night that she wished I was her son. I was flattered by the offer but was afraid I would stand out in the family pictures.

When I arrived in Australia I had a number of different needs. Slowly I met those needs one at a time. But for the first few months I could not meet my emotional needs. This was very frustrating for me since I am a relational person. I can remember becoming very depressed about my lack of friends in Australia last March. In my desperation I asked God to bring me friends. In his mercy God did much more than that, he gave me a family.

There are countless other people who God has used to meet my emotional needs. But my relationship with the Assad family is special because it shows the beauty of the body of Christ. God in his infinite wisdom attached a young man from the southern United States to a family that is from Lebanon. This was something that nobody could have ever planned or expected.

I do miss my physical family from time to time, but God has given me a group of people who can fill that void nicely.So as I drove home with enough food to last me more than a week I thanked God for my Lebanese family. For my Lebanese mother who gives me so much food every time I come visit. For my Lebanese father who always gives me a hug and makes sure that I am doing well. For my Lebanese brother who I can say absolutely anything too, and know I can trust him. And for a God who constantly reminds us that me that we are all one body in Christ.

A Complicated Relationship

2008-02-22T02:13:00.000-08:00

Because I am involved in a teaching ministry I spend time reading books that will help me grow spiritually during the week. Those of you who read my blog know that twice a week I do this at a local coffee shop. But every other day I read at the food court of a shopping center near my house. It is not always easy trying to study with all of the noise. Reading at the coffee shop is especially hard because I am surrounded by people who are laughing and talking with their friends.

My house is less than five minutes from the shopping center. There I could read and meditate on what I am reading in perfect peace. Why then do I choose to study at a food court instead? In January I made a decision to do this because I felt isolated from the lost people of my community.

A number of believers today believe that our goal should be to redeem the culture we live in. This refers to meeting all the physical needs of those around us. While there is a need for the love of Christ to be displayed, redeeming the culture is not the churches main goal. Fulfilling the great commission is. So I feel that those believers are wrong even though they show a great zeal for the work of God.

But there is another group of believers who have a very different relationship with the unsaved. They choose to separate themselves from the world completely. This decision is usually based upon the Scripture passage where Believers are encouraged to, “come out from among them (unsaved) and be separate.1”

I totally agree that we live in a wicked and depraved world. I also believe strongly that God desires for us to be different in the way we live. But this verse does not tell us to isolate ourselves from the world. The context of this passage refers to Christians worshipping with the pagans in Corinth. It can also refer to any relationship that is detrimental to the testimony of a Christian. This would be a situation where a Believer begins to act like the unsaved person he or she is close with.

It is very important that we as Believers interact with the unsaved around us. For one thing we are commanded to be lights to a dark world.2 We are also commanded to have a strong testimony before the lost that will lead them to God.3 It is hard to do either of these things without interacting with the unsaved. This separation from the world actually ends up hurting our testimony.

These people run the risk of becoming part of what I call the “christian bubble”. I actually wrote a post on this subject in December, but those who live in this bubble interact with Christians exclusively. It is a wonderful thing to have fellowship with other Believers. But if we only spend time with other saved people, how will we complete the great commission?

Another risk is taking up what is called the “bunker mentality” as it relates to the unsaved culture. This philosophy is explained in detail in other books.4 The basic point of it is separation from every part of the world (tv, movies, music, etc.). This is usually done to keep a holy relationship that honours God. While a Godly lifestyle should be our goal the bunker mentality completely ignores the command to be lights to the lost world. It is hard to be a light for Christ in the christian bubble. It is impossible if you are in a bunker.

We have been called by God to have a relationship with the unsaved. This is a very complex relationship because much of what they do is sinful in the eyes of God. But at the same time we must be involved with them if they are going to hear the Gospel of Christ. The good part is that it isn't hard starting these complex relationships. Sometimes it can be done by something as simple as where you study during the week.

1II Corinthians 6:14-18
2Matthew 5:14
3Matthew 5:15
4Walt Mueller, Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture, pgs.134-154

A New Great Comission

2008-02-21T01:04:00.000-08:00

Because of my location in Australia I do a lot of travelling. To help pass the time I listen to podcasts while driving. For those of who don't know, podcasts are free audio files that can be downloaded onto an ipod. I enjoy listening to sermons that are downloaded in podcast form. I also listen to other podcasts that can help me grow in my ministry.

As I drove home from a prayer breakfast this morning I was listening to a podcast about Christians being involved with unsaved people. Actually the podcast was advertising a seminar that a group would be holding in New York City. They explained the event as something that could help Believers, “redeem the culture.”

Now I am very interested in reaching out to the unsaved people around me. I am also interested in helping those who are in need. What I have an issue with is the fact that “redeeming the culture” has become the new great commission for many Believers. They focus on ministering to the physical needs of the lost and put very little emphasis on the spiritual needs.

What does it mean to redeem the culture? It means to clothe and feed the poor in our community. It means to help provide medical care for those who are not able to afford it themselves. It means becoming actively involved in aiding the needy of other countries. All of these are excellent ways of displaying the love of Christ. But should feeding and clothing the poor be the main goal of our churches?

What Biblical proof is there that makes redeeming the culture so important? Almost every one of the churches involved in this redemption movement will point to Christ's command that we love others as ourselves.1 I have read books written by individuals who focus completely on this one verse and seem to ignore the great commission.2 In essence that verse is their great commission. It is a new great commission for the postmodern world.

But does this passage deserve to be our new great commission? A simple study of the verses context answers that question. Christ told his disciples in Matthew 22:39 the second greatest commandment was to love one another. Therefore there must be a greater commandment than that one! This is to love God above all other things.3 The passage itself shows that this new great commission is faulty.

So where does this new great commission come from if it is not found in Scripture? In many cases it is an attempt of Believers to gain respectof the unsaved. Many of us have turned a blind eye to the great needs of our culture (poverty, famine, disease, etc.). We have not done much better job taking care of the earth that we live in. These acts have earned us the reputation of people who don't care about social issues (a reputation that most of us deserve). Young pastors and leaders, especially in the emerging church movement, have taken it upon themselves to change that perception.

Should we be known as people who don't care about the poor and needy around us? Of course not. But neither should we respond by going to the opposite extreme and resurrecting the social gospel! The great commission is still bringing souls to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Yes it is much easier to do this after feeding the hungry and clothing the needy. But maybe we should think about redeeming the souls of the lost around us through Christ's death on the cross before we try to redeem their culture.

1Matthew 22:39
2Matthew 28:19-20
3Matthew 22:38

Hidden Mercy

2008-02-19T19:58:00.000-08:00

Last Monday night I was teaching at a young adults Bible study held at my church. That was the first time we met for this Bible study and I wanted to create a lot of discussion. So I decided to teach on the somewhat controversial question, can God be loving and judgemental at the same time?

Most times during our christian walk we have no problem believing that God is loving and merciful. But then we will experience painful situations that are a result of God's judgement or testing. In those times we find it much harder to believe that we serve a merciful God.

For about ten minutes I taught about the mercy and encouragement that we receive from God. Trying to start discussion I asked the question, “we all believe that God is merciful don't we?” After a seconds a young woman sitting less than three feet from me said, “well no.”

She was not disagreeing with me because of hatred towards God. On the contrary she is saved, and loves God. I asked her to explain what she meant by saying that God is not merciful. She proceeded to talk about a time when one of her family members was very sick. In time this loved one died and the girl was felt in her own words, “all alone.” The memories of that painful experience caused her to question whether or not God was actually showing her mercy at that time.

I did not confront the young woman for what she had said. Actually I respect her for having the guts to say it. For we all have been in her situation at one time or another. Going through a time of great pain and crying out to God for mercy. But the relief that we pray for never comes. In those moments we do not question the existence of God, but a part of us wonders why he did not show us mercy.

After hearing her story many of us in the room began to talk about painful situations God brought us through. There was the story of a teenager who wrecked his car and was scared to drive again. A married man shared how he in the past would step into the shower and cry uncontrollably. A nurse talked about the emotional pain that she experiences in her job. I talked about getting involved in a terrible traffic accident that totalled both my car, and the one that hit me. As depressing as those stories sound hope came through them.

We all shared the pain of those experiences. But we also shared the mercy that we experienced along with the pain. Of how God allowed the teenager to walk away from his wreck without injury. God's giving the married man a wife who was able to help him in his time of need. His giving the nurse emotional strength that she needs in stressful job. And his giving me an incredible peace immediately after destroying my car.

The mercy is there all the time along side our pain. But many times it is hidden. A better way to say that is we are blind to that mercy. We have our definition of mercy that involves God taking away all of the pain that we are experiencing immediately. But there are other forms of mercy. And God in his infinite wisdom gives to us the form of mercy that we need the most at that time.

As the discussion ended I began to think about just how blind many of us are to God's mercy. That is why we all as brothers and sisters in Christ must help one another see that mercy which they may be blind to. And we must ask God to open our blind eyes to see the mercy that seems so hidden.

Its Not About the Suit

2008-02-16T23:17:00.000-08:00

Last month I received an e-mail from the principal of Victoria Baptist Bible College sharing that I would be teaching a new class in April. Immediately after receiving that e-mail I began to prepare myself for this wonderful teaching opportunity. About a week after the first e-mail I received another one from him. I excitedly opened it wondering if it contained information about the student. Instead it reminded me that I needed to wear a suit when I teach.

I appreciate the fact that VBBC requires lecturers wear a suit when teaching. It shows that professionalism is a very important part of the colleges culture. But as I read that e-mail I was struck by the fact that true professionalism involves much more than just wearing nice clothes. It refers to a way of life that affects the way that people make decisions.

On Wednesday nights I work with the youth group at a local church. There are a lot of young adults at the church so they have a few activities for them each month. I go to as many of them as possible because it allows me to spend time with people my age. Spending time with those young adults has shown me what it really means to be professional.

Most of them are either in management positions or soon will be managers at their jobs. But this is not because they wear a suit or nice clothes to work every day (although it probably helps). It is because they are always trying to do things better than before. And this usually results in their work being better than that of their coworkers. This passion for doing everything with all of their might is the heart of professionalism.

Professionalism is about more than just wearing fancy clothes or making sure your shirt and tie match. While these are important true professionalism comes from an attitude. An attitude that constantly asks the question, “how can I do this better?” This question is not asked so that you can focus on what we are not doing well. It is asked so that you can continue to grow in your development. It is asked so that you will never be satisfied.

For a long time I have had a picture in my mind of what professionalism looks like. It is a person dressed in suit who remains silent and talks very little. He is very serious at all times and never tells jokes. A professional person does not take time to enjoy himself but most work constantly. I am grateful that my friends have shown me what professionalism truly looks like.

Professionalism is a person who gives all of their heart to everything they do. They are extremely organized and driven, but at the same time enjoy having fun. Above all other things the professional person is passionate about doing things better. They refuse to be satisfied with what they did in the past but are constantly looking forward to what they can do in the future.

My suits are pressed and hanging in my closet ready for April. And I look forward to wearing them as I teach. But I pray that people will not be impressed with the clothes I wear. Instead I want them to be impressed with my passion for doing things with excellence.

Uncommon

2008-02-14T21:53:00.000-08:00

“The truth is that most people have a better chance to be uncommon by effort than by natural gifts. Anyone could give that effort in his or her chosen endeavor, but the typical person doesn't, choosing to do only enough to get by.1”

That paragraph has been running through my mind since I read it Wednesday morning. Actually just the one word “uncommon” sticks out. It is written by Tony Dungy, coach of the Indianapolis Colts professional football team. Today he is one of the most popular and successful coaches in sports. But things were not always that way.

In his book “Quiet Strength” coach Dungy tells the story of his upbringing and how he got to the NFL. Surprisingly he experienced a great deal of adversity while trying to play professional sports. But he did not allow any of those obstacles to keep him from achieving his goal. While telling his story Dungy shares the things that motivated him to keep going when times got hard.

One of his strongest motivations in life came from the words of his College football coach. “Success is uncommon and not be enjoyed by the common man. I'm looking for uncommon people because we want to be successful, not average.2” The rest of the book chronicles coach Dungy's dedication to become someone who is “uncommon”.

In February of 2007 Coach Dungy's Indianapolis Colts won the Super Bowl. There is no greater accomplishment for a coach in the National Football League. Many of us probably wished we could have been Tony Dungy in that moment. But we did not see the painful road that led him there.

The story of Tony Dungy reminded me of where success comes from 85 to 90% of the time. There are individuals who are exceptionally gifted and are able to become successful because of their talent. But those kind of people are extremely rare. The majority of people who become successful do so not because of their talent, but because they work harder than anybody else.

I am not saying that if we give our all to God he will reward us each with an NFL championship. And I don't believe that he will bless those who work hard with great financial blessing. But I do feel that God has a special blessing for those who decide to work hard and excell even in the midst of difficulty. It seems as if God has so much more for each one of us. And if we would give more of ourselves to the task that he has for us we will experience great blessing.

Every day I have a choice before me. The common average life where I do just enough to get by. Or the uncommon life that is filled with pain and obstacles. More often than not I choose the safe easy road, along with millions of other people. But I can't help but wonder what happen if I walked the uncommon road on a daily basis. While I am not sure what physical blessing it would bring, I do know it will bring me closer to God. And having the reputation of someone who is uncommon will be reward enough.

1Tony Dungy, Quiet Strength, pg.29, par.3, ln.1
2Tony Dungy, Quiet Strength, pg.29, par.1, ln.1

Learned Immaturity

2008-02-06T22:39:00.000-08:00

Suffering is a normal part of the Christian life. No matter how much we hate to admit it those who follow God will suffer at some point. We are told clearly in Scripture that the Godly will suffer.1 Christ himself realized that suffering was a necessary part of his ministry on the earth. That was why he willingly went to Jersusalem even though Jesus knew the terrible suffering that he would face there.2

Every Christian knows that they are in a spiritual war and will be attacked by Satan3 But when that time of suffering comes many of us respond with shock and confusion. We react much like Peter who could not fathom that God's plan could possibly include suffering. He along with the other disciples believed that Jesus would simply walk into Jerusalem and overthrow the Roman Government while on the earth. This is why his first response to Christ's message of his death was to reprimand him.4

We don't go as far as to reprimand God when we suffer. But we respond to suffering in other very immature ways. No child gets everything that he or she wants. And when they do not receive what they want most young people respond in an immature fashion. This could be throwing a temper tantrum, becoming bitter, not talking to our parents, and many other things. Amazingly these immature responses many times resurface in the lives of adults during suffering.

As a child I would always have a “pity party” when things didn't go my way. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what a pity party is, basically it consists of sitting around feeling sorry for yourself. My pity parties were usually characterised by putting myself down (“I am fat”, “I am stupid”, “I am ugly) and isolating myself from others. The goal of a pity party is to make people feel sorry for me. This resulted in people spending time with me and giving me compliments until my bruised ego had healed.

Within all of us is a learned (habitual) immature response to suffering. This response many times begins without our even knowing it. Looking back I am ashamed that self pity was my response to suffering. Yet I still find myself leaning toward the pity party response whenever times get hard. This is because a part of me (sin nature) wants to isolate myself and overdose on television when experiencing suffering.

We can not face suffering on our own power. Facing painful situations without the help of God will only start the cycle of our immature response. But with the Lord's help we can begin a new cycle. A cycle that involves responding to suffering in a Biblical way as we obey God. Starting a new cycle will not be easy since our old immature response is such a huge part of our lives. Many times that new response begins with one simple act.

By God's grace I am continuing to develop a more mature response to suffering. When I come under attack from Satan I immediately leave the house. From there I will go somewhere and read a christian book, or pray about the situation. This more mature response was used by God to encourage me in a time of loneliness last Thursday (Facebook and Homesickness).

We all have forms of learned immaturity. And if we are not careful those immature responses will be copied by those who close to us. So with the Lords help we must act like adults, even when it hurts.

1II Timothy 3:12
2Matthew 16:21
3Ephesians 6:12
4Matthew 16:22

They Know My Name

2008-02-05T19:40:00.000-08:00

Last month I started studying at a local coffee shop on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It gave me a chance to enjoy a good cup of coffee and interact with some people from the community.

I love going to that coffee shop on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I would actually study there more than two days a week but that gets hard when a cup of coffee costs $3.50 (I usually spend about $50.00 a month on coffee)! Why do I enjoy going there twice a week? Because the employees go out of their way to make me feel welcome.

It was recently revealed that Starbucks coffee had nine and a half billion dollars of revenue in the 2007 year. This is a four billion dollar increase from their sales in 2004 (five billion). It is doesn't seem possible that a company could make more than nine billion dollars by selling coffee and desserts! But those who work at Starbucks as well as the people who get their coffee there know it sells more than just coffee. It sells what has been referred to as the “Starbucks experience”.

Everything in a Starbucks coffee shop, from the paintings on the wall, to the music is focused on one goal. To help people reconnect with one another. The furniture is made up small circular tables two or three friends can sit and talk with each other easily. The smell of coffee is the first thing you experience upon walking into the shop. It is planned that way because that smell puts people at ease and leads to having casual conversaton. The employees are asked not to wear any kind of perfume or cologne so the smell of coffee is not overpowered.

But the most ingenious thing that Starbucks does is asking for your name when you order a coffee. Actually there are two reasons why they do this. The first is so that you can be called when your coffee is ready. But the other is so they can learn the names of the customers who come regularly.

The coffee shop where I go twice a week is patterned after a Starbucks in almost every way. Right down to asking for your name when you order. One Tuesday morning I came into the coffee house and ordered just like I always had, and then it happened. The girl at the register didn't ask for my name at all instead she just punched some buttons and the name John magically appeared on the screen. As simple as that was the fact that she actually knew my name made me feel good.

A few days later as I left one of the employees called out to me, “see you later John.” Again I became excited that this young man who I didn't even know would call me by name. And this morning when I came in I was greeted with “hey John how are you”. They have called me by name a number of times now, but I still get an adrenaline rush when I hear them say it.

That experience at my local coffee shop has reminded me how we all as individuals crave love and attention. Sometimes we feel as if meeting that craving takes a complex plan and lots of hard work. While many times it does, that need can also be met with something as simple as remembering someones name.

Two Opportunities

2008-02-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

Those of you who receive my prayer letter regularly know that I have a great desire to teach God's Word. Last month I asked you to pray that God would allow me to teach one class at Victoria Baptist Bible College in 2008. Since that time God has not only answered your prayers, but given me more than I asked for!

On January 13 I sent out the e-mail that asked you to pray for teaching opportunities. Sixteen days later I was teaching a class! God gave me the opportunity to begin teaching the Doctrine of Salvation to a young man named Tim last Tuesday night. He shows a great desire to know the word of God and study it further. I am praying that he would continue his training with the Bible College curriculm after the first class is finished.

I thank God that I was able to begin discipling Tim last Tuesday. There are many individuals like him in local Baptist Churches who desire to know more about the Word of God. The problem is these Believers are hesitant about receiving training from the Bible College. They feel that the only people who need that training are those who are called to be a pastor or missionary. Please pray that God will help them understand that all Christians need to have a strong understanding of Doctrine.

While I greatly enjoyed working with Tim, a part of me wanted to teach a class on campus. This teaching uses much of the same material as the colleges discipleship courses. The difference is that on campus classes include higher academic standards, and more class work. They are reserved for those who do feel called to full time christian service.

The missionaries who I work with at the Bible College are currently in the states on furlough. On Saturday morning I received an e-mail from them informing me of a new student who would begin on campus classes in April. They also told me I would be teaching at the College on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. In twenty days God gave me not only the opportunity to teach one class, but two!

Last month reminded me of how perfect God's timing is for our lives. If we are patient and wait on him he will provide for our every need. January also showed me that there Australian people interested in receiving training from the Bible College. During February I plan to present the discipleship ministry of Victoria Baptist Bible College to churches in the area. Please pray that if it is God's Will I would be able to find new students interested in discipleship. Also pray that I will be faithful to God's Word as I begin my teaching ministry.

Homesickness and Facebook

2008-01-30T21:49:00.000-08:00

This post will be different from almost all of those you have ever read on my blog. The goal for this website is to share updates on my ministry in Australia. I also enjoy writing posts that can minister to others. I was planning to write an encouraging article to put on the blog this afternoon. But that was before I got really homesick.

About an hour and a half ago I left my house and went to a local shopping center. I had to leave the house because I was overwhelmed by a feeling of loneliness and homesickness. That is strange because I have only felt homesick a few times since coming to Australia, and always got over it quickly. The fact that I talk to my parents twice a week and see them on a webcam while doing it is the reason why. But the homesickness that I felt this afternoon was stronger than ever before. And it's all because of facebook.

For those of you who don't know, facebook is a website where people put pictures and information about themselves. They will then be able to communicate with other people. If someone wants to communicate with you they send a friend request, and you must confirm it. It is a fun way to keep in touch with friends who you may be far away from.

My friends in Australia had been telling me about facebook for months so yesterday I finally signed up. The website then sent out friend requests to all the people in my e-mail address book. I honestly did not expect to end up with a large amount of friends on the website since I had just joined. Wow was I ever wrong.

Today I have eighteen friends on facebook. Included in that is friends from college, teenagers who I minstered to at a camp, along with counselors at that camp, people who I used to work with, fellow missionaries, my best friend from college, college students who I taught as Junior High teens, and friends who I have not seen in forever.

With each new friend a fresh wave of emotions came over me. And along with those emotions vivid memories. In a moment my mind was taken back to eating lunch with my friends at the party table at college. Standing in a circle of Junior High teenagers with tears in my eyes as they prayed for me. Hugging teens goodbye after a week of camp and wishing I did not have to. Suddenly more than anything else I wanted to be with my friends again.

I am trying to think of a really nice way to end this post but I can't think of one. The homesickness is gone now but the memories still linger. And while there is part of me that misses my friends there is a bigger portion that sees those memories as precious treasures from God. So I thank God for those treasures even thought it hurts sometimes to think about them.

Worth Five Months of Waiting

2008-01-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

On January 13 I put an article on this blog that described my great desire to teach (My New Years Resolution). I had become frustrated by the fact that after being in Australia for a year I had only taught one class. This frustration soon became discouragement. And in time that discouragement led me to believe that the situation was hopeless. It got to the point where I honestly believed that nobody wanted to take classes at the Bible College where I minister.

I later saw that discouraged attitude was hindering me from being used by God. So with the new year I renewed my commitment to pursue this passion to teach God's Word in a practical way. I also began developing lesson plans on the material that I hoped to teach soon. Along with this preparation I prayed that God would give me the opportunity to teach if it was his will.

The Bible College currently sits on the property of a local Baptist Church. The other missionaries who work at the college are currently in the states on furlough,so I go by at least once a week to pick up the colleges mail. I had a chance to talk with the Churches pastor last Wednesday when I came by.

This pastor is currently teaching a class of individuals from his church using the Bible Colleges materials. About five months ago he contacted my fellow missionaries about the possibility of getting some help teaching that class. At first I got excited about this opportunity to possibly teach for the Bible College, and offered to help the pastor with his class.

After not hearing anything for three months I had pretty much given up on that teaching opportunity. Then two months ago he asked me if I would be willing to teach the class for him. My excitement once again went through the roof. Only to come crashing down since two months had passed since he mentioned that opportunity. I reminded him on several occasions that I would love to teach the remaining class sessions, but things never seemed to work out.

Last Wednesday as we sat talking he mentioned the possibility of my teaching that class. I tried to keep calm as my excitement rose because I had heard him talk about the class before. But this time he actually scheduled a night and time when the class would be held. After five months of waiting I would finally teach that class!

Last night I had the opportunity to teach a class on the Doctrine of Salvation. What amazes me is that I taught that class sixteen days after writing an article asking for prayer about this. In a little more than two weeks God answered a great prayer in my life. And being able to explain God's truth last night was well worth waiting five months for.

Meeting Follow Up

2008-01-26T22:45:00.000-08:00

I want to thank all of you for praying about my visa meeting last Thursday. Nothing was really decided in that meeting because the solicitor (lawyer) we met with wants to see all of our financial records first. So in a few weeks we will be sending him financial records from Baptist Mid Missions home office in Ohio, BMM Australia, and the Bible College where I work. He will receive my personal financial records as well. The plan is to show the finances as a whole (BMM International, BMM Australia, Victoria Baptist Bible College) instead of just Baptist Mid Missions Australia.

Another thing that we discussed is how to get future missionaries permanent residency visas. The Solicitor told us that there is a way which could possibly accomplish this. We would need to prove that Baptist Mid Missions Australia is a subsidiary of Baptist Mid Missions in Ohio. The home office has enough funds to cover the visa's financial requirements. So future families would be able to gain permanent residency on the basis of BMM Internationals funds.

While this plan is not guaranteed to work I am praying that God would allow it to. It is very important that future missionaries are able to have permanent status in Australia. Also we have a family that should be arriving in the next two years as full time missionaries. Please pray that with the solicitors help we will be able to gain the proper visa's for them.

While nothing was decided regarding me in Thursdays meeting, it became obvious that gaining a permanent visa for myself will be a fight. In the solicitors opinion I would not be allowed to take the new plan of action because I have already applied once for a P.R. Visa through the normal channels. What decides whether or not I receive a visa has everything to do with finances.

Because of recent immigration laws the government of Australia asks that individuals be paid by companies in Australia. This of course is an issue for me because I receive my salary from the United States. The laws also demand that those who apply for a permanent visa have a very high yearly salary. This is to make sure that we do not end up living off of the government which I totally understand.

The bottom line to this whole situation is quite simple. If the Immigration department decides to take in account the financial status of BMM International in the states as well as BMM Australia I will probably get my visa. If not then according to the solicitor I am “doomed” (which wasn't too encouraging). A part of me wanted to just give up on getting a permanent visa. But by the time I got home God had changed my mind. So I am going to send all the financial records I have to the solicitor, and pray that God's will would be done.

Please pray that this plan for obtaining permanent residency visas for new missionaries would work. That is actually why I decided to meet with solicitor in the first place. It was my hope that by gaining a visa I would become a precedent for other missionaries. Also pray that God's will would be done in my visa process. I am perfectly happy to continue renewing my two year religious workers visa while here in Australia. But it would be nice to become a permanent resident.

A Big Meeting

2008-01-21T00:55:00.000-08:00

As many of you know I encountered some trouble obtaining a permanent residency visa before coming to Australia. My application for that visa actually ended up being rejected by the immigration department. A few years ago an Australian business brought in workers who where severely underpaid. These workers ended up depending upon government financial help because they did not have the resources to live on their own.

As a result of this the immigration department passed a law that asked for more than $40,000 of guaranteed annual income. They also asked for the first three years income up front. Of course I could not produce the $120,000.00 for a permanent visa. So at this time I am working with a religious workers visa that will be renewed every two years. The big difference between a two year visa and permanent residency is that I am not part of the Australian national health care program. And since I have health insurance in the U.S. The P.R. Visa situation did not really bother me.

Every March the missionaries in Australia have a annual business meeting. Last March the permanent residency issue was brought up. There is a way to possibly gain one without paying the first three years income up front. It involves asking a solicitor (lawyer) to write a letter requesting a permanent residency visa for the individual. I am honestly not sure how the letter is written or how the entire situation works. There is no guarantee that it will gain a visa at all, but it has worked for at least one pastor in our area.

A motion was made at the business meeting to contact a solicitor and have a letter written requesting a P.R. Visa for me. Everybody at the table was excited about the idea and voted to have it done except for one. I wasn't crazy about the idea at all, and may have voted against it if I was allowed to (first year missionaries don't vote). I didn't feel that my not having a permanent visa was such a problem. After all the only difference between me and the other missionaries was that they had health care in Australia. I must admit that I was also a little bit embarrassed that they were making such a big deal about me.

Today my idea about the situation has totally changed. That's why this Thursday I am going with two other missionaries to meet with a solicitor. What changed my mind? I now realize that the permanent residency situation is not just about me. The new immigration laws will affect every other missionary that comes to Australia. There are financial implications of these laws as well, such as paying taxes and retirement. While I as a bachelor can live comfortably with these financial restrictions, families with children may not.

Please pray as I prepare for this meeting. I will be leaving for it at 2:30 on Thursday (10:30 Wednesday night). Right now we plan to begin the process of having my letter written at this meeting. Pray that if it is God's Will the letter would obtain my permanent visa. This would allow me to become a precedent for missionaries coming in the future. And if you think about it pray that I will let people make a big deal about my problems if they want to.

The Smokers and Skaters

2008-01-17T22:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I finished a very interesting book that talked about youth work being “cross cultural ministry”.1 It points out that today's post modern youth have their own language, music, style of dress, belief system, and philosophy about life among other things. All of these characteristics make up an actual youth culture Therefore anyone working with youth must enter into their culture and share the Gospel in a way that they can understand.

While I found what the book talked about very interesting, I had a hard time paying attention to it. Recently I started doing a lot of my reading at local coffee shops or shopping centers. Yesterday as I read about our need to enter the culture of the youth around us dozens of unsaved teens walked by me. Young people who probably did not know Christ as their Savior.

I watched as eight teens gathered outside about five hundred yards from where I sat to smoke cigarettes (because it made them look cool). Directly over my shoulder where six or seven teenage boys all dressed in clothes that made them look like rap artists (because it was cool). As I watched these smokers and skaters I realized that we as Christians must come to them with the Gospel. Because they definitely are not coming to us.

For months now I have been asking God to give me a ministry where I live in Melton. And I believe that yesterday God showed me that ministry. To bring his Gospel to the unsaved youth in my community. Find that out is the easy part, but how to go about doing it is the real problem.

I could go out and sit with those kids who smoke every day. But that would just scare them all off or make them feel uncomfortable. And besides I don't smoke because it is an unhealthy practice. Yet if I don't go to be with them, then how will I ever be able to minister to those young people? The answer is by trusting God.

If I force myself into the “culture” of these young people I will be rejected. But if I develop a relationship with them slowly, over time they will invite me in to their world. This kind of ministry can take months but the results are worth it. Today I went back to the same spot where I saw all of those teenagers yesterday. And I prayed that God would allow me to connect (start a relationship with) some of those teens. I believe that he will give me that opportunity if I am faithful to him.

I am not the kind of person who approaches people who he does not really know. And trying to start relationships with teenagers who have little respect for authority or God scares me. But I can't get past the fact that God wants me to do more than just read about ministering to unsaved young people. He desires for me to actually do it.

He wants me to slowly become a part of their lives over time. To develop a deep relationship with them that is filled with love and acceptance. To open my house to those young people and let them come over all the time (while also looking into purchasing a home security system). God wants me to start teaching his truth in a way that makes sense to them. He wants me to be a moral compass that points that in the right direction.

I am definitely not ready to do all of those things yet. But I can leave the comfort of my home and study within five hundred yards of those teens who need Christ. And look forward to the day when I can come closer.

1Walt Mueller, Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture, Intervarsity Press, 2006

My New Years Resolution

2008-01-13T01:03:00.000-08:00

I have never been much or new years resolutions. They are usually totally forgotten by February or March. So I never make them at all, except for this year. I have one new years resolution that is very important to me. That is not to give up on my dream of teaching Doctrinal truth as part of Victoria Baptist Bible College.

I have had a passion to teach deep spiritual truth in a way that is practical for some time. That dream comes from the wonderful story found in Nehemiah chapter eight. It refers to the spiritual rebuilding of Israel that came after the physical rebuilding of it's walls. The Jews had been scattered abroad and some had forgotten God's law while others had never heard it.

A scribe named Ezra took it upon himself to read, explain, and interpret God's word with the help of Levites God's word (Nehemiah 8:1-8). A great revival took place as a result of this practical teaching (Nehemiah 1:9-9:3). God through that story placed within my heart a passion to teach the truth of his word in a way that is practical, but also Biblical.

During the year of 2007 I attempted to realise that dream on a few different occasions. But God did not allow me to teach a class on campus. I was able to teach a class with what is referred to as the Church Based Theological Training Program. This is a mentorship program of the college that allows an individual to teach college level classes to one student or a small group. I greatly enjoyed teaching a young man named David a class with the CTT materials.

In mid October the college principal began talking to me about running the CTT program. This was an amazing opportunity because small groups that focus on lots of discussion fits great with my vision from Nehemiah. I worked with the principal to develop a presentation to share with churches about the CTT ministry. In November after the presentation was finished I was given control of that particular ministry.

After months of waiting I had what I wanted. You think that I would immediately give all of my energy to that opportunity. But instead I didn't try to advertise the ministry. In fact I have not had one opportunity to share my burden for the CTT program! This is not because I am worthless person who quits on things easily, because I am not. Instead I was a little bit discouraged about not being able to teach up until that time. After trying to teach twice and not being able to, I didn't want to fall short a third time in the same year.

With the new year that passion in my heart to teach has returned. On Thursday I began to spend an hour each day preparing lessons using the CTT material. I am doing this completely in Faith because there is not much interest in the colleges classes right now. At the same time I have a voice in my head that tells me it is pointless to try again. But I know that God does not want me to stop just because it is hard.

Please pray for me that I would be faithful to my dream for teaching. I am not asking for students, although that is a great desire of my heart. I am simply asking for the commitment to keep on trying even when it looks hopeless. For when I have developed that kind of commitment God will bring me students. Not because I want them, but because I deserve them.

Opened Doors

2008-01-10T22:44:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of my leaving the United States for Australia. 2007 has flown by so quickly it hardly seems that I have been here for an entire year. But I have learned many things about the way God works in our lives. The Lord taught me this year the importance of waiting for his timing.

When I arrived in Australia on January 10, 2007 I expected to immediately become involved in missions work. But God did not give me opportunities to minister at the college I am working with. There weren't many opportunities to serve in local churches either. I was involved in a exciting youth ministry, only to leave it after six weeks. I prepared to teach three classes during second semester at the Bible College. But God did not allow me to teach any one of them.

For much of this year it seemed as if I was trying to walk through open doors of ministry. But God would always close those doors in my face. At times this was frustrating because I felt like I was doing little for the Lord in Australia. But in those discouraging times I always knew that it was God's Will for me to wait. So I focused my attention on developing relationships with Australian Christians.

Now one year later God is beginning to open up marvelous doors of opportunity for me at my local church. In 2008 I will also be running a young adults ministry that meets once a week outside of church. I will lead a small group at my local church as well. On Sundays I will be helping teach an adults Sunday school class, along with children's church, as well as develop power point presentations for the message.

I am teaching a group of teenagers from another church on Wednesday nights. I also lead and coordinate those youth services. I am currently beginning work on a strategic plan for the youth group along with other members of the leadership team. What makes this strange is that I have never had this kind of leadership position before.

I have also been given control of a distance education program that is offered by the Bible College. I am currently presenting that ministry in local baptist churches, and praying that God will provide students for me to teach. And by God's grace I will soon be teaching a class on the doctrine of Salvation.

In the year 2007 God has made me an active minister at a local church, a leader of a growing youth group, and a teacher of college level classes. Some of this has to do with the fact that I have a gift for working with teens and teaching. But my talent is not what opened those doors of opportunity. It was God. I firmly believe that he has given me these ministries because I did not force the door of opportunity open when he closed it.

I need your prayers now more than ever before dear friends. For I want to give all of myself to each one of these ministry opportunities. And it will be very easy to get burned out by doing too much. Pray that God will give me the strength to be the best minister, leader, and teacher that I possibly can be. The year 2007 has given me wonderful opportunities. I can wait to see what God does in 2008!

My Annoying Doorbell

2008-01-10T22:42:00.000-08:00

The people who lived in my house before me had a doorbell installed. Every time someone rings it will play a different tune, and I hate it with a passion. It is probably the most annoying doorbell ever invented. It isn't so bad the first few times you hear someone ring it. But after a while it can really get on your nerves. And I have heard my doorbell ring many times.

The family next door to me has five children. Two of the youngest are a brother and sister named Ashleigh and Cory. Around July they started come over to my house every once a while to sell something for their school. These days they come by a couple of times a week to give me a flower or to say hello. But I think that they come over for much more than that.

Living next door to their house has allowed me to learn a lot about their home life. For instance I know that Ashleigh and Cory's parents yell and scream at them a lot (especially their father). And the words that they use are not the best for young children to be hearing either. Mom is at home with the kids but dad is gone most of the day. And there is a little baby in the family that takes up a lot of their mothers time. So in a lot of ways they get neglected.

Last Wednesday I was working on a video presentation that I would share with a church that night. This presentation was giving me a lot of trouble so I wasn't in a talking mood. Unfortunately Ashleigh and Cory were. They rang my doorbell repeatedly to give me flowers and tell me jokes. At first I put up with it, but then told them that I was busy. They continued to ring so I decided to ignore them. This just resulted in the doorbell being rung over and over.

The day before Ashleigh and Cory had cleaned some things out of my front yard. They asked if I would let them clean some more. Happy to get them out of my hair for a few minutes I agreed. But it wasn't ten minutes later that they started ringing the doorbell again. There is a patch of weeds in my front yard that needed to be pulled. They wanted to pull those weeds for me, but I didn't want them to do it alone. I promised to help them as soon as I ate my lunch.

A minute after I had put my hamburgers on the grill the doorbell rang again. At this point I was really getting frustrated. I had specifically told them not to ring the doorbell until I was done with my lunch! When I opened the door they pleaded with me to help pull weeds before eating my lunch. In that moment I realized that weren't looking for weeds to pull. They were looking for someone who would pay attention to them.

In a few minutes I had turned off the grill and changed my clothes. Then we spent about half an hour pulling all of the weeds out of my front yard. Later I let them inside my house and got them something to drink (they had never been in my house before). And when the job was done I took them for a ride in my car to the local grocery store, and bought some ice cream. It took about forty five minutes to do all of that, but the impact it made upon Ashleigh and Cory was immeasurable.

I still don't like my doorbell. And I am thankful that the kids next door don't ring it constantly every day. But my experience this week reminded me of how many children, teenagers, and adults desire someone to just pay attention to them.

Having A Go

2008-01-07T23:25:00.000-08:00

I am used to spending early January traveling with my family. We will go see my mothers family in West Virginia, and then be with my brother in Lexington Virginia. Both Virginia and West Virginia are cold in late December and early January. It is almost always snowing in West Viginia over the holidays. That is why it felt so strange to go surfing last Thursday.

Three weeks ago a friend who helps with the youth group I teach talked to me about the possibility of a surfing trip. A young man who lived in another area of Australia runs a ministry where he would bring surf boards and equipment so teens can learn to surf. And he had contacted my friend about taking the youth group surfing at a nearby beach. My first response to that was, “there is is now way I am going surfing”!

I have never been surfing in my entire life. And I did not want to embarrass myself in front of teenagers by trying to surf (I do that enough already). But yet I was out there with them last Thursday. And the reason why has a lot to do with a well known Australian phrase. There are phrases in Australia that are not used in the United States. And many times those phrases teach us something about the Australian culture. One that God has used to help me understand Australians better is, “have a go”.

In America there is a focus for excellence. This is a very good thing, and is one of the main reasons why we are such a prosperous nation. But this focus can also be a hindrance. For sometimes we will not attempt things that we can't excel at. Yet excellence only comes through practice and patience. The Australian view that is summed up in, “have a go” has a different focus. This focus is doing the best that you can. The Australians still desire excellence but also respect those who try even though they aren't gifted in it.

Last July I learned the true meaning of “have a go”. I was on a missions trip in Sydney, and went on a trip hunting for kangaroo. I didn't try to shoot any animals because I am not that great of a shot (city boys don't have much to shoot at for practice). Later on though I did do some target shooting with rifles. After trying to hit the target and failing miserably I got mad at myself. A few moments later one of the men told me to try hitting another target with a different gun.

I declined because I didn't want to embarrass myself any more than I already had. That was when he turned to me and said, “Australians respect a man who tries more than one who doesn't”. I ended up taking the second gun and hitting the target, after which they celebrated as if I had killed a thousand kangaroos.

I believe that in many ways God is like that. He does desire for us to give him our very best. But many times he will challenge us to do things that we don't exactly excel at, just to see if we will try. That was why I went surfing at a beach Thursday knowing full well that I would never actually stand up. Because I serve a God who simply desires a willingness to try. And then of course to try again until you get better.

The year 2008 holds many challenges for me. And it would be easy to back away from them and instead only attempt the things I can do well. But I would be turning my back on opportunities to display God's blessing, strength, wisdom in my life. So I have made a commitment to at least attempt those challenges that God brings. And I have my work cut out for me. The young man with the surfing ministry is coming back next year, and the words snow boarding where mentioned.

Are We Listening?

2008-01-03T21:49:00.000-08:00

I love working with teenagers. I am usually more comfortable in a room full of teens than a room of adults. What I don’t always love is the rebellion that teens have against authority. Or the fact that they won’t listen to me when I ask them to do something. Or their talking to one another and looking off into space while I share a lesson I prepared. I am well aware of the fact that is the way teens act towards all authority figures and not just me. Sometimes I am tempted to confront or judge the teens I work with because they don’t treat me with respect.

I am not saying that disciplining teens and confronting their disrespect is wrong. But normally their disrespect is the just the result of a deeper need. This is seen in an article that a teenage boy put on his blog. No clue what im gonna do about anything or everything.....I wanna just disappear…Why am I so ugly?.....I look in the mirror and I wanna claw my body to shreds….So imperfect…Im sorry im sorry im sorry and I lie and I lie and I lie and im not worth it and im not good enough and all I want is someone to hold me….and for some reason everything is crashing down….I should be happy now but im not.1

The sad fact is that teenagers around the world are struggling with feelings of depression, loneliness, or worthlessness. But they don’t want anyone to see those feelings. This is where the sins such as disrespect, rebellion, and other things come in. Even more discouraging is the fact that adults are struggling with those same feelings themselves. They just cover the feelings up with more serious sins like drug addiction, or pre marital sex.

So how do we respond to teens who refuse to obey us? Discipline which makes them pay consequences for their actions is very useful. But in my eyes that should be a last resort. Otherwise we would be disciplining every teenager who didn’t listen to the lesson! Instead we should listen to what they are saying. In many cases that is what they are longing for anyways, someone who will listen.

Confrontation of a problem teenager can produce good results. But taking that same teen to McDonalds for a meal and talking about what is going on in his life will do much more. It will allow you to find what they are struggling with and help them care for that need. Yes there will be some who continue to cause trouble no matter how loving you are. But you can rest in the fact that discipline was not the first response but something that they brought upon themselves.

The same book that had the blog article tells the story of a rebellious teenage girl. She had a wonderful relationship with her mother until she turned twelve. Since that time their relationship had been terrible. She wrote a poem for her mom entitled message from daughter to mother. In it she wrote, “somehow I have lost my mouth, somehow you have lost your ears.2” The deepest desire of many teenagers is to be heard and understood. And meeting that desire will impact even the most rebellious teens.

1 Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture, pg.18, par.2, ln.1
2 Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture, pg.19, par.4, ln.9

Confrontational Love?

2007-12-27T21:27:00.000-08:00

Confrontation makes me uncomfortable. Perhaps that is because I have a picture in my mind of what it is supposed to look like. The very word confrontation make me think of an unsaved person or rebellious believer being told how sinful they are by a group of Christians. There is no love or grace involved, only judgment and anger. I fear that this is what many of us think confrontation is. “Often when people hear the words rebuke and confrontation, they think of a radical moment of truth telling, a long list of stern indictments against a person who is significantly rebellious or who has tragically wandered away.”1

Biblical confrontation does not have to look like this. Confrontation always involves two different things, the truth we share, and the attitude we share it with. Truth can be shared in a way that will convict and change the individual while also involving an attitude of humility and love. But many times I find myself sharing truth in an attitude of judgment instead of love. And the attitude we have as truth is shared will many times decide how a person will respond.

After graduating from College in 1999 I began working there in the admissions department. During that time I got to know many of the students, and especially underclassmen. In time I became a “counselor” or sorts for them when they had a problem. One of my counselees was a freshman girl who had a very serious low self esteem issues

She had a learning disability which made it hard for her to learn. That along with other situations in her life led this girl to view herself as worthless. Her one goal in life was to have a boyfriend, because as long as she was dating, there was reason to believe in herself. She soon began a tumultuous on again off again relationship with a guy from a nearby school.

As a result of this crazy relationship she had terrible mood swings. One day she on top of the world, the next she felt like dirt. Many of the students realized the relationship was wrong, and told her to break it off, but she wouldn’t do it. After a few weeks simple requests for a break up became more like demands. After a while a lot people basically just gave up on her because she refused to change.

I happen to be one of the thousands of people in the world who suffer from low self esteem. I have been able by God’s grace to find victory and confidence through my relationship with Jesus Christ. And more than anything I wanted my friend to have that same victory. I wanted her to find an identity in Christ instead of a boyfriend. But I also knew the kind of emotional pain she was experiencing.

I started talking with her during lunch about her emotional struggles. I shared a lot about how I used to (and still do from time to time) struggle with feelings of worthlessness. I told her that she was making her boyfriend into a God, and the happiness would not last. But I never said it in anger or judgment. It was more like I didn’t want her to make the same mistakes I made in the past.

In 2003 I left the Bible College and began deputation full time. And sadly my friend was still riding an emotional roller coaster. But I felt that my loving words of challenge would be used by God to impact her life. In 2006 I saw her for the last time before leaving for the mission field. She had a huge smile on her face and seemed incredibly content with life. Oh yeah I almost forgot, she was single. Not only was she single, but she was satisfied being single!

Now I know that there is a big difference between low self esteem and more serious sins. But God used my friendship with her to teach me a very important lesson. It is possible to share truth in a humble loving spirit. Yes it takes longer than direct confrontation in a spirit of judgment. But in the long run it is much more powerful

1 Paul Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemers Hands, pg.203, par.1, ln.1

Asking The Hard Questions

2007-12-26T21:39:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I began teaching a group of teens at a local church on Wednesday nights. At first I taught them using power points and twenty minute lessons. After about a month I realized that strategy would not work well with them. Most of these teenagers came from a family or culture that stressed open communication. So my teaching style that involved lots of lecture with very little discussion seemed strange to them.

After realizing how important communication was to them, I centered the Wednesday night service around open discussion. I would share verses of Scripture, and ask them questions about what God is saying in that passage. After a while we began to discuss some controversial issues during the lesson. Things such as politics, terrorism, homosexuality, sex before marriage, and dealing with depression.

At first discussing these things frightened me. They are subjects that I would never be comfortable talking about in a church service. But I was amazed at how the teenagers responded when I brought up the controversial issues. They began to become actively involved in the discussion and helped me think about the response that God would have for us. In a few weeks I went from speaking to a group of bored teenagers to making sure that only one spoke at a time instead of three!

What made such a difference in the youth meeting? I believe part of it was that they could talk about things that they couldn't discuss anywhere else. Teenagers today deal with issues that we could not possibly imagine. So having a place where they can feel safe enough to ask hard questions and discuss those messy issues is important. I was very careful in these discussions to make sure that they were honoring to God. I always began with a devotional from Scripture that had to do with the subject we where discussing. And I would ask questions during the discussion that would draw us back to Scripture.

As believers living in a postmodern world we are surrounded by the unsaved. And if we commit ourselves to interacting with the unsaved they will ask us hard questions. Questions that have to do with the subjects we many times don’t discuss because they make us feel uncomfortable. Because of this we must learn to communicate about those subjects in small groups. Those discussions will help us develop answers to those hard questions.

I do not believe that subjects such as homosexuality and terrorism should be discussed from the pulpit of a church. But I do believe that they need to be discussed. Talking about those issues will probably make you uncomfortable just like I was. But those moments of discomfort will reap great rewards. Like being able to give a well thought out answer to the unbelievers question. And being able to not only state our view, but defend it as well.

Balanced Confrontation

2007-12-23T21:23:00.000-08:00

I am not the kind of person who enjoys conflict, so I avoid it at all costs. This fear of conflict creates a problem when dealing with the unsaved. Many unbelievers will be involved in sinful practices that must be confronted. I know that God wants me to connect and minister to the unsaved in my community. But he also desires that I confront sin when it is committed.

As a believer in Jesus Christ I can't just overlook sinful actions of the lost. So how do I confront those sins? This question is a very important one since Christians are many times seen as judgmental. In fact 87% of the unsaved people who took part in a recent survey said that the word “judgmental” summed up Christianity for them.1

How could this many people view us as judgmental? A lot of it has to do with the way we confront those who are in sin. A definition for confrontation in the mind of some believers seems to be, “pointing out any sin that needs to be dealt with in a judgmental fashion.” These individuals point out every sin in the lost person's life and demand that they change immediately.

Is this how God wants us to confront sin? I honestly don't think so because it does not include love or grace. There are other Christians who make the love of Christ the foundation for their confrontation. These individuals are many times like me and don't like to conflict of any kind. So they won't confront the sin of those around them. And if they do it is in a way that will never make the unsaved person feel uncomfortable.

In my view neither of these styles of confrontation are right. The first does not take into account the love of Christ. The other does not include conviction of any kind. Somewhere between these two extremes is healthy confrontation. And it can only be found by balancing the two extreme views. The focus of the first view is truth. Truth is the most important thing and it does not matter how you come across as long as it is given. The second stresses love in a very strong way. For them the most important thing is that the unsaved person not feel bad.

So true confrontation will combine truth and love. The message will not change at any time (sin will still be sin). But the methods, or ways that truth is shared, will be loving. Those who stress truth will tell an unbeliever he is a sinner and needs to stop sinning the first time they meet. Those who stress love might bring up the subject after about a month, but not in a way that will condemn that person.

True confrontation will develop a close relationship with that person first. After connecting with the unbeliever he will lovingly point out the sin in that persons life. The confrontation itself will be carried out in a spirit of humility. Some may say that this view goes easy on the sinner. But a loving confrontation that comes from a friend is much more powerful that a judgmental one.

We live in the midst of a fallen world. Being a light to the darkness here involves confrontation of sin. But we must be careful that it is done in a way that balances both truth and love. For if we don't it will be very hard for change to take place.

1Kinnaman, UnChristian, pg.28, par. 2

One Small Step Out

2007-12-20T19:02:00.000-08:00

When people talk about becoming involved in the lives of unsaved they usually think about doing something drastic. “Escaping the Christian bubble” is seen as demanding a complete change in the way we do life. But many times God gives us opportunities to interact with the unsaved in more subtle ways. And as we take those God given opportunities we will be able to have an impact upon unbelievers for Christ.

Last Monday I was at a shopping center that is less than five minutes from my house. I was surprised to find that a Gloria Jeans coffee shop had opened up there. Gloria Jeans is a chain of cafes here in Australia. They are known for having very good coffee, and an environment where people can relax and talk with friends.

Now as strange as it may seem I believe that God brought that coffee shop to Melton just for me. See I spend a lot of time reading books that help prepare me for ministry. I also do a lot research for lessons that I teach at churches. I usually study at home, but was interested in finding another place to study. A place where I can actually interact with lost people while doing my reading.

A few weeks ago I went through Melton on a Monday morning looking for any coffee shops where I could study. The closest thing I found was a McDonalds but I didn’t really think a fast food restaurant was the best place to do that. But the small Gloria Jeans coffee shop would be just perfect for it.

Next week I plan to begin studying there at least two days a week. During that time I hope to continue learning more from God’s Word. But I also want to connect with some of the staff, and regulars there. The relationships will allow me to have open minded discussions with unbelievers about spiritual things. And in time I will share with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

For a while I was looking for a huge thing that God wanted me to do in Melton Australia. I expected him to give me some great ministry for this community. Instead God led me to a coffee house. That reminds me that God does not always want us to take giant leaps of faith for him. Instead he just wants us to take small simple steps as he opens the door.

Escaping The Bubble

2007-12-17T22:05:00.000-08:00

Adapting to the foreign culture is one of my main goals here in Australia. But for my ministry to be strong I must also adapt to (become involved in) the lives of the unsaved around me as well. This means I must actively seek out the unsaved and develop relationships with them. And then through those relationships I will be able to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the past I would call for unbelievers to attend a service or outreach at my church. This philosophy demanded that they come to me instead of my coming to them.

Recently I have been reading a book that chronicles the results of a three year study on how the unsaved view Believers.1 Throughout the book different views are shared that the unbelievers have concerning the church. The chapter I read from today described Christians as “sheltered”. On the first page of that chapter is a statement from an unsaved twenty-two year old young man that challenged me. “Christians enjoy being in their own community. The more they seclude themselves, the less they can function in the real world. So many Christians are caught in the Christian bubble.”2

What made that statement so amazing is that this morning I read the exact same thing in a totally different book written by the Pastor of a church. He points out that for many of us our goal is to, “build a stronger and thicker bubble around us protecting us from the outside while we create this very strange Christian subculture inside.”3

Both this pastor and unsaved young man make the same point using the same word (bubble). We tend to only spend time with other Believers, and have very little interaction with the unsaved. The more I thought about this the more it convicted me. I am called to be different from the world, but at the same time actively involved in it. It is a wonderful thing to spend time with other believers in fellowship and encouragement.
Yet I have a hard time naming one unsaved person who I am close friends with.

It is unhealthy for my social life to consist only of Believers. But that is still true for many of us. “We go to church on Wednesdays, Sundays, and sometimes on Saturdays. We attend small group on Tuesday night and serve on the Sunday School advisory board, the financial committee, and the welcoming committee. We go to barbecues with our Christian friends and plan to group outings. We are closed off from the world.” 4

I don’t believe that we are only spending time with Christian friends because of sin in our lives. The truth is that almost all of us are so busy we don’t have time to interact with our friends at church. And developing relationships with an unbeliever is a very slow process. But what I read today made me stop a few moments and think. In many ways I am currently living in the “Christian bubble”. But by God’s grace I will find a way to escape it.

1 David Kinnaman, Unchristian, Baker Books; Grand Rapids Michigan, Copyright 2007
2 David Kinnaman, Unchristian, pg.121, par.1
3 Dan Kimball, They like Jesus but not the church, pg.42, Par.1, ln.3
4 David Kinnaman, Unchristian, pg.130, par.3, ln.5

Circumcision of The Heart

2007-12-13T21:08:00.000-08:00

Romans 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

We all have specific Scripture passages that make dramatic impacts upon our lives. Verses that have been used by God to help us become more like Christ. Romans chapter two verse twenty-nine is one of those verses for me. God taught me its truth after one of the hardest times of my life. I had just finished my Junior year in High School and was really looking forward to the summer.

That year had been especially hard on me. I was given my first real leadership opportunity by becoming part of my schools “student council”. On the first day of school I had lots of ideas about making the school a better place. But none of those ideas worked. So a few months after school started I was ready to quit!

On a Wednesday evening that summer God showed me one of the reasons all of my plans failed. One of our youth leaders spoke from Romans 2:29 about having a circumcision of the heart. He talked about the Jews who were proud of being circumcised physically (2:28), and believed that circumcision was part of Salvation. But Paul in this verse points out that a physical circumcision was not what God really cared about.

Those who were circumcised took great pride in calling themselves “real Jews”. But a real Jew in eyes of God was one who had a circumcision of the heart. The truth of that passage made me really think about my life. That God cares more about my heart (my personal relationship with him) than the outer actions of Christianity.

I am by no means saying that God does not want us to pray, attend church, and read the Bible. But there is more to Christianity than that. Being a Christian means having a close relationship with God where we seek his will, and then submit to it. The actions of Christianity (reading the Bible, going to church) flow out of that relationship!

Later on that night I talked for a long time with one of my friends about what that verse meant. And God made me realize that while I was saved, and doing all of the right things. I did not have an intimate relationship with him. That was why I struggled so much the year before. It is hard being the spiritual leader at a school when you are neglecting your own relationship with God!

That verse and the moment it impacted my life are still burned on my mind. But more importantly that truth is written on my heart as well. And it is a reminder for me that it is not enough to have teenagers read their Bible during the week. But I am to help them develop an intimate relationship with God as well.

Becoming A Southern Australian

2007-12-10T21:43:00.000-08:00

Less than ten minutes after coming through customs at the Melbourne International Airport I was given the words of advice that have stuck with me for the last eleven months. Those words have helped me gain the respect of Australian believers, ministries with youth in multiple churches, and a solid foundation for future ministry. Without that phrase there is a good chance I would not have any of those things right now. What were the words that shaped my ministry so powerfully, “things are different here John”.

Melbourne Australia in a lot of ways looks like large cities in the United States. But the similarities stop there. The Australian culture is drastically different from the American one I grew up with. And how I respond to the differences in Australia will decide how successful my ministry will be.

It is very easy for me as an American to do things the way that I am used to doing them. But many times the American way clashes with the Australian way. Sadly many of the Australian people are used to seeing Americans continue doing things that clash with their culture. I don’t believe that they are offending people around them on purpose. But refusing to adapt to the Australian way of doing things is offensive nonetheless.

Early on I made a commitment to adapt to the Australian culture as much as possible. I knew that I would never become a full fledged Aussie in their eyes but always a yank (all Americans are yanks in Australia). But trying to do things their way would allow me to gain their respect. I have made many changes in my lifestyle since coming here. But one of the most drastic has to do with my bedroom closet.

Actually it is what I leave in my closet that is drastic. I received two very high quality men’s suits for Christmas last year. I carefully packed them in barrels before having them shipped from the U.S. to Australia, planning to wear them when I preached at churches. While at home in North Carolina I always wore a suit and tie when I preached at a church.

Well in Australia nobody wears a suit or tie to church. Actually hardly any of them wear dress shirts either. Instead they wear blue jeans and shorts along with t-shirts or polo shirts. Suddenly I had a choice to make. I could continue wearing my suit and tie to church every Sunday. Or I could adapt to the Australian way of doing things. In the end I decided to make a compromise.

On Sundays I wear non dress pants with a dress shirt, and tie. Neither part of the suits that I received last Christmas are worn, although I do wear the dress pants from time to time. While speaking at another church in the area I actually spoke in khaki pants with a polo shirt. And to my amazement, God did not strike me dead with lightning!

Today I have a lot solid relationships with believers at the church I attend regularly. Relationships I probably wouldn’t have if I wore a suit to church. For by leaving my suit hanging in my closet I sent two very powerful messages. “I don’t think that I am better than everyone, and want to serve in a way that is meaningful to you.”

A Computer or a Basketball?

2007-12-05T21:37:00.000-08:00

In August I began ministering to the youth group at a local church on Wednesday nights. The idea was that I would teach there for about a month. And if things went well then I could continue teaching for the 2008 year. I came that first night excited to see what God was planning to do. Instead of giving them a lesson I decided to share a few verses of scripture, and my testimony. It was surprising how well they responded to what I said that night.

The next Wednesday I came back with a well thought out lesson from the book of Nehemiah. I had spent a lot of time developing that message through Biblical study. I was also using a well written book on leadership that used truths from Nehemiah as a foundation for my lessons. But surprisingly the lesson did not go as well as I thought it would. So the next week I tried harder to develop a lesson that would speak to their hearts. Only a few teens showed up. And those who did come didn’t show much interest.

It soon became obvious that my lessons on Nehemiah were not impacting their lives. So I asked them what kind of lessons they would like to have on Wednesday nights. Their response was something that they could live out on a daily basis. The subject of peer pressure was also discussed. So the next day I checked all the Christian bookstores in my area for books on peer pressure. And of course there weren’t any. So I began to develop and write my own lessons on peer pressure.

The next week I came in with a well thought out lesson on how to deal with peer pressure. Not only that but I also had a power point presentation to go along with the lesson. Not just any power point presentation mind you, but a professional power point presentation that used templates purchased off of the internet. As I went through the lesson I moved from slide to slide using a wireless mouse. The entire presentation was very professional.

After about five weeks of my professional presentations we had the church service in a different location. The one that is usually used did not have power, so we met at a YMCA building just down the street. I started into my professional lesson as always but soon noticed that none of the teenagers were paying attention to me. Their eyes were on me, but their minds were miles away. In that moment I had to ask myself what kind of ministry I wanted in that church. Did I want a ministry that just gave information? Or did I want a ministry that truly impacted the life of those young people?

On the way home from church that night I completely scrapped my ministry philosophy. And the next week over Doritos, candy, and chips I learned what the teens really wanted on Wednesday nights. A few weeks later I came on a Wednesday evening with the ministry tool that God has used in an incredible way. It was a basketball.

Every Wednesday night I play basketball with a large group of the teens at that church. During that time I am able to learn their names, and truly connect with them. And that is what I have learned is the most important thing. A lesson that teaches scripture clearly is a powerful thing. And a professional power point presentation is nice. But that is not the most important thing to teenagers. What they want is someone who will come down to their level and accept them. I don’t bring my computer to church on Wednesday nights anymore because I don’t teach with power point. But the kids don’t really care, just as long as I bring the basketball.

A Paintboard In Times Square

2007-12-02T23:29:00.000-08:00

The summer after my freshman year in college I took part in an open air evangelism missions trip. Almost two of those weeks were spent in a city that was part of Ukraine (formerly Russia). And two of those weeks were spent in New York City. Interestingly I had more fear when ministering in New York than when I was overseas. Part of this was because I am not an outgoing person who has the gift of boldness. Giving a tract to someone in my small town of Winston Salem, North Carolina was hard for me. Handing out tracts in New York City was something I honestly did not look forward to.

God did help me get over my fears during the two weeks in New York. I vividly remember the day we went down into the New York City subway system to share the gospel. I was supposed to share use a simple magic trick using three ropes to portray all of our sinfulness in the eyes of God. The first time I did it the only thought on my mind was, “I wonder if I could defend myself with one of these ropes if somebody attacks me”. But by the end of the day I was actually enjoying myself!

I had the opportunity near the end of my second week to share the Gospel in times square. That is the main road through downtown New York that has all of the broadway shows and businesses on either side. It was amazing what God did in my life during those two short weeks. Even though my experience in New York took place eleven years ago in the summer of 1996 I still remember it as a time when God used me powerfully.

I believe with all of my heart that God used me during those two weeks in New York. Although I was not able to lead someone to the Lord I did see many unsaved people come forward and take a tract out of my hand so they could learn more about Christ. But times do change and with changing times our methods for ministry must change as well. If I was ministering today in New York city I would not rely upon an open air evangelism ministry. Nor would I use a rope trick to share the Gospel in the subway stations.

I view things like open air evangelism as good ways to share the Gospel. They can definitely be used by God to lead a lost soul to salvation. But these methods do not work as well as they did eleven years ago. We live in a culture that has dramatically changed since the year 1996. Television, movies, and music have completely changed as well. Why even we are very different people than we were eleven years ago!

Society has changed in so many ways since that Friday night I ministered at Times Square. And we must change with it to impact the lost for Jesus Christ. Our Theology will never change for any reasons. But our methods must be changed so that they are relevant to the year 2007.

Two Thanksgiving Feasts

2007-11-26T22:20:00.000-08:00

Most of us have fond memories of thanksgiving. And of course I am no different. There are many things I am used to experiencing during the thanksgiving season. Like seeing my aunts and uncles and cousins for the weekend. Eating massive amounts of food. Playing a game of phase ten with my family. And of course getting up at 4:00 in the morning to go shopping the day after thanksgiving!

One of the things that I worried about was what would happen during this thanksgiving. Being thousands of miles away from family can be kind of hard during the holidays. I expected to be depressed or discouraged last Thursday and Friday.

I talked to my parents and relatives for an hour on Thursday (Wednesday night in the states). It really. helped to hear their voices over the skype internet program I have on my computer. And because of my webcam we were actually able to see each other while talking! Later that afternoon I put up my Christmas tree and did some work around the house. At no time in that entire day did I become emotional or depressed about not being be with family for the holidays. I was actually surprised at how calm I was.

The next morning I got out of bed just in time to watch the last ten minutes of the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions football game (it was 3:00 Thursday afternoon in the U.S.). At about 8:30 I talked to my parents and relatives again for an hour. And then I was left by myself on Thanksgiving day thousands of miles away from my family.

I had been invited by two different families to have thanksgiving dinner with them last Friday, but I declined. I did this to see what it would be like to experience thanksgiving alone. Would I be filled with sadness and homesickness? Or would my heart be filled with joy that comes from God? I did not try to escape or “medicate” any kind of painful feelings that facing thanksgiving alone would bring. Instead I purposely decided to stay at home Friday.

At 12:30 I turned off the football and walked into my kitchen. For the next two hours I read from books that I am currently working through in order to strengthen my ministry. The truths in those books along with God’s Word encouraged, comforted, and challenged me. They were a spiritual feast for my heart that needed strength in that time. As I studied God placed within my heart an incredible peace. And that peace became stronger as I thought about what God was teaching me later that day.

At 7:00 Friday night I sat down to wonderful thanksgiving meal. There was a juicy t-bone steak that I had cooked on my own grill. Extra crispy French fries (one of my guilty pleasures), along with fresh bread. And for desert I had Tim Tams which are Australian cookies dipped in chocolate. Add coke with a cup of coffee and you have a meal fit for a king! But that physical feast was nothing compared to the spiritual feast that I experienced earlier that day. And though a juicy steak and well done French fries makes for good eating. It can never compare to the peace that can only come from God.

I thank God for the peace that he placed in my heart over the thanksgiving season. But more importantly I am thankful for the opportunity to come before him in a time of need and feast upon his truth.

What the Whole World Craves

2007-11-19T21:49:00.000-08:00

We are called by God to be lights in a world of darkness (Matthew 5:14). Being a light means to connect with the unsaved and transform their lives through the power of the gospel. As we become involved in the calling of God upon our lives, he will fill our acceptance cravings with his unconditional love. And that love will definitely give us more satisfaction and fulfillment than romance, money, or things.

But we should not just be a light to the world so God will fulfill our cravings for acceptance. We should do it because there are unsaved people all around us who hunger for love, acceptance, and healing. And they are trying desperately to fill their hunger with everything that the world has to offer. Only to find that none of those things bring happiness.

Meanwhile we have the one true cure for acceptance cravings. That is the unconditional love of God that comes as a result of Salvation. After receiving Christ as our Savior we are accepted by God with a love that overwhelms the imagination (Ephesians 3:19). This is an unconditional love that will forgive us whenever we fail. And a grace that will accept us even though we don’t deserve it. Yes God will judge us if we continue to sin. But this judgment is God’s way of bringing us back to the place where we can be blessed.

This love that we experience in our hearts is what the entire world hungers for. The love of Christ can put a stop to abuse, suicide, drug addiction, murder, and many other acts of violence. For many of those violent acts are attempts to find a release from the emotional pain a person is experiencing. Most acts of rebellion and sinfulness towards God would also be stopped if those individuals experienced Christ’s love.

But sadly few unbelievers have experienced the love of Christ through us. What is even more frightening is the fact that some churches actually try to get as far away from the world as possible. Now it is true that Christ does not want us to live like the world. But neither does he want us to hide our light (Matthew 5:15). How can we be a light to the world if we isolate ourselves from it?

Being different from the world but actively involved in it is not an easy thing to do. But God has not called me to isolate myself from the world. Instead he challenges me to, “take the light and jam it down the throat of darkness.1” I am honestly not sure how God wants me to be a light for him in the city of Melton. But with his help I am beginning to look for ways that I can become involved in the lives of the unsaved here. Opportunities to share with them the love of Christ, and the good news of God’s Word.

I hold in my heart the cure for much of the emotional pain that is experienced in this world. And it is a selfish for me to keep that cure locked up inside of me and not give it to those who are hurting. May God give me strength to share my story in a spirit of humility. And may God’s amazing love begin to impact the lives of others because of one brightly shining candle.

1 Organic Church, Neil Cole, pg.15, par.1, ln.1

Rooted and Grounded in Love

2007-11-18T22:03:00.000-08:00

I have recently been reading the book “Created for His Glory” by Jim Berg. In this study of Ephesians Mr. Berg focuses on the blessings that we have in Christ. Last week as I read his book, one phrase of Scripture stuck in my mind. Since then I have not been able to stop thinking about that phrase.

In Ephesians 3:14-21 we find a prayer of the Apostle Paul for the church that was in Ephesus. Paul begins by praying that God would give them strength that could only come from the Holy Spirit (3:16). H also prayed that Christ would dwell, or have control over their lives (3:17). But then he ended verse seventeen by praying that they would be, “rooted and grounded in love.”

Community is one tool used by God to fulfill our acceptance cravings or longings for happiness. But another is ministering to the needs of others in love. This goes totally against the philosophy of our post modern culture. The natural response is to take our needs and make them the focus of our lives. But are we being “rooted and grounded in love” when we do this? Of course not!

The only way we can be “rooted and grounded in love” is by putting the needs of others above our own. In other words, when you see someone who is in need, help them. There are people all around us today who are struggling. And though we can’t meet all of their needs a kind word or encouraging letter can do a world of good.

A few Saturdays ago I was cleaning house when my phone rang. It was one of the pastors at the church that I attend regularly. He called to ask if I wanted to go get a coffee somewhere. I told him that would be fine and asked where we needed to meet. He then told me that he was at a McDonalds less than four miles from my house.

Now you must understand that this pastor lived at least forty five minutes from me. And he had much better things to do on a Saturday than drive to Melton and have a coffee! But that did not stop him from taking the time to do it. I was absolutely floored by his act of kindness, and we had a wonderful time of fellowship that morning.

It is not easy to focus on the needs of others. Especially since we have so many needs of our own! But taking a moment out of the day to meet the needs of others will allow us to be “rooted and grounded in love.” And that random act of kindness or encouraging word will be used by God.

Handing In My Man Card

2007-11-14T21:41:00.000-08:00

There are certain things in this day and age that men are just not comfortable doing. These things have been compiled into a list that, although unspoken, are taken with the utmost seriousness. Any man caught doing one of the things on that list will condemn himself to weeks and months of ridicule by his friends. Men jokingly say that repeated infractions will result in you handing in your “man card”.

Some of the items on this list are as follows. Real men don't use the word cute in any conversations. Real men don't watch chick flick movies by themselves. Real men don't ask for directions. Real men don't use scented hand lotion. Real men do not purchase or burn candles. As important as the other rules are there is one which is enforced more forcefully than any other. Real men don't talk about their feelings.

I am not sure why this rule was put on the list. Maybe it is because all of our heroes on television or the movies never talked about their feelings. They don't even ask anyone for help, much less share their emotions. I mean you never see Rambo talking about his self esteem issues! Many of us also never had male role models who were open about their emotions. The fact that our culture looks upon asking for help or sharing feelings as not being masculine doesn't help either.

In early June I went to a rugby game with some of my friends. After the game I had to find a train to take me home from the stadium. Surprisingly one of the guys who came offered to drive me home. That was a pretty big deal since I lived about forty-five minutes away. On the way home we talked about cars, music, and movies (guy stuff). By the time I got to the house we had become pretty good friends.

Every few weeks I will meet him at a local McDonalds. It just gives a chance to relax and catch up with what is happening with each other. I am currently involved in the youth group at his church, and he teaches the young adults. So we talk a lot about what we think God is doing in our ministries. We both enjoy and reading books and will discuss things we are learning from them. And of course there were conversations about we wanted to do in the future. Although the book conversations were pushing it, we did not make any of the laws in our man code.

Then one Saturday night that all changed. I honestly don't know why I did it. Maybe it was the cappucinno that I held in my hand. Maybe it was the table that we were sitting at. Maybe it was the smell of french fries in the air. Whatever the reason, I began to talk with him about my low self esteem, and how it affected the way I interacted with people. Suddenly I became very nervous. I had committed the unpardonable sin and talked my feelings!

To my utter amazement my friend told me he felt also had a hard time interacting with people sometimes. Instead of laughing and making fun of me, he confessed to feeling the same way! Even more amazing was the fact that I felt great after telling him about my shyness. We actually had a long conversation about how to become more confident when meeting people we don't know. And at no time during that long conversation about my feelings did God strike us with lightning!

In the following weeks we continued to slowly talk about our emotional struggles or burdens we are dealing with. And in doing so found there is something very therapeutic about spilling your guts all over a table at McDonalds. Simply facing emotional pain in our hearts is not enough. We must also deal with that emotional pain. And one of the best ways to do that is discuss those struggles with a trusted friend. Now that I realize the first man rule is flawed I am beginning to wonder if the other ones are as well. Maybe this means all men should go out and buy scented candles! Well, let's not get carried away.

Sacrificing for a Social Life

2007-11-13T00:12:00.000-08:00

Last April I moved to the city of Melton. I am able to rent a very nice three bedroom house here. It has a large study where I read, and write articles for my blog. It has a large backyard that is greatly enjoyed by my cat aussie. It is in a quiet rural area that is not too close to the city. And the rent on this house is very low. I am absolutely thrilled with the house itself. But I would move tomorrow if I had the opportunity!

The problem is not the house that I live in, but the place where I live. Don’t get me wrong Melton is a beautiful place to live. But it is far away from the larger growing communities of Melbourne. It is also far away from the places I am currently ministering. This means I spend a lot of time driving (It takes about forty minutes to get to anywhere). It also means I have to spend a lot of money on fuel for my car.

Because I live so far away there is a temptation to only leave Melton when I absolutely have to. After all, why drive for an hour or an hour and half just so I can drink coffee and talk? Instead I could just stay home and save a lot of money on gas. But the money that I save will not fill the longing for acceptance in my heart.

God created us to be relational beings. There is a part of us that can only be filled by contact with other people. That is why before the fall of man God looked upon Adam’s being alone and saw it as something that was not good. To live in a state of isolation is to live a life that is unnatural. But many of us have a social life that is virtually non existent. There are many reasons for this. But probably one of the greatest is that having a strong social life (connecting with lots of friends) takes sacrifice.

Connecting with friends in true community during the week does take sacrifice. It takes a sacrifice of time, energy, money, and many times our own plans. So we decide the price is just too high and promise to spend more time with friends in the future. The result of this is a culture of busy people who are desperately lonely. “George Gallup has said, ‘Americans are among the loneliest people in the world’ In the midst of busy lives, overcommitted schedules, and congested cities, we feel alone.”1

Lately I have only been driving far from Melton when I absolutely had to. That would be on Wednesdays, Sundays, and every other Thursday. I have been praying that God would give me opportunities to connect with other people. But then I realized that he wanted me to take the initiative of connecting with others. The best way to do that is move into a house closer to the city. I will not be able to do that until probably early 2009. So Monday morning I made out a plan that involves leaving Melton five times a week regularly instead of two to three. I am also in the process of working out a sixth opportunity.

I am the kind of person who likes to save money each month for future expenses. Now I will have to spend some of that future expense money on fuel. It also means I will spend a lot more time on the road. But those sacrifices are nothing when compared to the close relationships I will have.

1. Andy Stanley, Creating Community, pg.22, par.2, ln. 1

A Pastor and A Friend

2007-11-11T22:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I said say goodbye to a dear friend. Phil Waters is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church my home church in Australia. And at 3:30 yesterday afternoon he left for a year long furlough in the United States. There was a huge crowd of people from different churches who met yesterday to see him off.

Phil Waters is a mentor to me along with dozens of other people in Melbourne. But more importantly he is a true friend to all of us. We meet a lot of people in our lives. And a small number of those people become our friends. But then there will be a few people who can be viewed as best friends.

Those are the friends who will stand by your side when everyone else has left. That person will show genuine interest in how you are doing. They will always be there for advice and counsel. And that friend can be trusted with things that you would not tell anyone else.

Pastor Phil is more than just my pastor, he is my friend. For almost three months he worked to get a permanent residency visa for me. He personally answered dozens of questions that I had about the visa situation. When my visa application was declined he personally called me in America to share the news. He told me at least six times during that conversation that the visa rejection was not my fault.

When I came through customs at Melbourne International Airport on January 8 he was there to meet me. In the first months of ministry he would always ask me how I was doing. When I said fine, he would look me dead in the eyes and ask if I was sure. At the darkest moment of my ministry he was there with me giving comfort and wisdom. When I was struggling with issues on the field I shared them with him over a cup of coffee.

On the day of Australia’s Grand Final (Australian Super Bowl) I watched it at his house. I have had Sunday afternoon dinner at this house a number of times. He always goes out of his way to encourage me when I see him. And makes sure I know that he loves me. The amazing thing is that I am not the only person he has this kind of relationship with. He is a true friend to countless people in the area churches.

As I look at Pastor Phil I see the kind of man I would like to become. He has a ministry that is not based upon flashy gimmicks or the latest church growth philosophy. Instead it is build upon the close relationships he has with others. The night I came to Australia I greeted him as “Pastor Waters”. He responded, “John it is just Phil here.” In the last nine months he has gone from being Pastor Waters spiritual leader, to Phil good friend.

A Reason to Get Up at 5:30

2007-11-07T22:45:00.000-08:00

I am not a morning person. That’s why I was not too excited about getting out of bed when my alarm clock went off at 5:30 this morning. There are a few things that will get me out of bed before 6:00 am. Those things are Christmas, an important meeting, and coffee at Strudels. Strudels is a coffee shop about thirty minutes from my house. And on Thursday mornings I go there for a cup of coffee. But it is not the coffee that gets me out of bed.

What drives me to get up at 5:30 is the fellowship that I have while drinking that coffee. Two or three Thursdays a month I will meet a group of pastors at Strudels. We laugh, tell stories, share prayer requests, and even vent at times! But more than anything else it is just a time when we can encourage one another.

There was a time here on the field of Australia when I was struggling. Complicated issues had come up and I was faced with some very hard decisions. The fact that I did not have experience dealing with the kind of situations I was facing didn’t make things any easier. It was at that confusing time in my ministry when those times of fellowship became precious to me. The three pastors who I meet with have more than forty years of experience between them. And they were a great source of wisdom and guidance for me in a time when I didn’t know what to do.

I have come to Strudels on a Thursday morning struggling with discouragement over what was or wasn’t happening in ministry. But I was always filled with energy and enthusiasm on the way home. Why is that? I firmly believe that God created us to be relational creatures who would crave close relationships. Therefore that longing for happiness in our hearts can be filled through true community (friendship).

That community is something we should all seek after. A community where you can voice frustrations without wondering whether or not you will get in trouble. A community where you can share personal struggles without fear of judgment. A community where you will be accepted even though you aren’t perfect. A community where you can get help in a time of need.

The sad truth is there are very few communities like that today. But those close friendships can be developed over time. Of course there is a good chance of getting hurt, betrayed, or used in those kinds of relationships. But true community is one of the few things that can fill our longings for happiness much better than the worlds “junk food”.

That is why I am trying to develop other communities like the one at Strudels on Thursdays. Yes I will probably get more than a few emotional scars. But at the same time I will be able to feast upon the satisfaction that comes from true Christian community. And that is definitely something worth getting up at 5:30 for.

Feasting on Jelly Beans

2007-11-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

For most of us there are certain foods that we have a weakness for. In my case that food is jelly beans. They have been a favorite of mine since I was a child. If I could eat anything that I wanted jelly beans would make up breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Obviously I don’t eat them three times a day. For one thing it would make me sick, but more importantly food like jelly beans will not truly satisfy my hunger.

Our body needs nutritious food that includes proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and vitamins. Sugar from junk food may give us lots of energy for a short amount of time. But soon we will crash from our sugar high and become even hungrier than before. The point is it takes more than sugar to satisfy our bodies.

In our physical body is a hunger that can only be filled with food that is good for us. Filling that hunger with jelly beans will be pointless. We also have a spiritual hunger in our hearts, a hunger for happiness. And it can only be satisfied with healthy spiritual food. This is the kind of food that only comes from a close relationship with God.

But most of us try to fill that desire for happiness with “spiritual jelly beans”. This can be things like money, romantic relationships, success at work, and material possessions. But these “jelly beans” don’t satisfy our hunger either. They may give us a momentary feeling of happiness, but that feeling will quickly pass like a physical sugar high.

Scripture tells us the story of man who feasted on spiritual jelly beans. He had everything the world could possibly offer. But yet in the end all he could say was, “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:2).” In Ecclesiastes we see King Solomon’s search for significance (happiness) in life. He was on of the most powerful, if not the most powerful king in the history of Israel. But his power, riches, and fame could not satisfy the longing in his heart.

Yet while Solomon feasted on spiritual junk food God offered to him the one thing that could fulfill his hunger. And the same thing is offered to us today. The longing for happiness in our hearts was created by God himself, and can only be filled by a relationship of dependence upon him. In other words we come to God, and ask him to fulfill our spiritual hunger. When we do he will give to us a feast of spiritual truth that bring a joy and peace that rises above circumstances. Physical and spiritual jelly beans are not bad things necessarily. But they are meant to be a desert that finishes a meal, not the meal.

I am not okay

2007-10-30T00:06:00.000-07:00

We all go through times of serious emotional pain because of our cravings for acceptance or discouraging circumstances. And most of us go through those painful experiences alone without anyone helping us. This is sad because there are usually good Christian friends who desire to help us through those rough times. But their help is usually refused because we are afraid to admit that we need it.

For some individuals this is a pride issue. There is no way they will make themselves look weak by asking for help. For others it has to do with low self confidence. They don’t feel their problems are important enough to bother other people with. Some refuse help because they are afraid that people will laugh at them. The reason for this denial of help is really not that important. The problem is found in the fact that by refusing the help of others, we choose isolation.

Isolation involves hiding that pain whether it is depression, discouragement, or a broken heart so that nobody sees it again. Of course keeping these emotions bottled up inside of us is not very healthy. We become emotional volcanoes that build up pressure until we erupt in anger, bitterness, or maybe self pity. Obviously this is not the way God planned for our acceptance cravings and emotional pain to be dealt with.

We all end up being emotional volcanoes at one time or another. It is just easier to say, “I am okay” in times of need than to ask for help. I know that for a fact because “I am okay” used to be my response to almost every offer of help in time of need. The reason for doing this was primarily because I used to struggle with low self confidence. I felt that everyone else had problems that were much more important than mine. And to add an extra burden to them with insignificant problem would be wrong.

My emotional isolation became a problem when I came to Australia in January. There is a lot of stress during a missionaries first term on the field. And though I was usually “okay”, there were still bad days. But I would not let anyone know about my struggles.

Every year the missionaries in Australia have an annual meeting to discuss business for the upcoming year. One of the things that we discussed was attempting to get a permanent residency visa for me. I am the only missionary without one, and the Australian laws for visa’s at this time are very strict. The thought of not having a permanent visa was very frustrating to me. But when they brought up plans to help me with the visa I immediately spoke against it. I told them that I was doing fine with the two year religious workers visa (which was true). In other words, “everything is okay”. It was then that one of the veteran missionaries looked me dead in the eye and said, “no it’s not okay”.

That day I realized the other missionaries at that table truly cared about me. And that they were genuinely interested in helping to meet my needs. That my problems that seemed so unimportant to me, were very important to them. Since that day I have learned how to stop saying “I am okay” when things aren’t going well. Slowly I am learning that sometimes it is alright to say “I am not okay”.

Romance Junkies

2007-10-28T23:47:00.000-07:00

I thank God for the peace that I have in my heart as I write this entry. Over the last eight months I have been able to develop close relationships with Believers in many local churches. I am currently ministering in at least two of those churches on a weekly basis. And in the coming months I plan to become actively involved in a Bible College here. Though there are some bad days I am truly satisfied with what God has given me in Australia.

But that was not always the case. In 1999 I graduated from College with a pastoral degree, and a heart full of dreams. I was seriously dating a young woman, and had a clear understanding of what God wanted me to do in life. Two months after graduation I was single, and had absolutely no idea what God’s will could be. My craving for acceptance became very strong during those months. And of course it was kind hard to feel good about myself while in that situation. So I turned to something that countless people use to fill their acceptance cravings. I began to look for a girlfriend.

Dating relationships are very high on the list of things used to meet acceptance cravings. This is because the emotional highs of the relationship satisfy our desire to belong. Unfortunately those emotional highs don’t last forever. Especially if both people in the relationship are just using it to feed their own cravings. Sadly I had to learn that lesson the hard way.

My desire for acceptance became very strong in the fall of 1999. I just needed a reason to believe in myself. One day a friend told me that a young woman at the college was interested in going out on a date with me. I was working at the college while seeking God’s direction so it wasn’t hard to start spending time with her. Within a few weeks of meeting we went out on our first date.

The first date was a wonderful time for both of us. We shared stories, laughed, and learned a lot about each other. I probably could have floated home that night instead of driving in a car. The emotion of that first date satisfied my acceptance cravings for days. I could not have been any happier.

Almost one year later I ended our relationship. In honesty I had been miserable in the relationship for the last four months. The relationship that I hoped would forever satisfy my acceptance cravings made me worse instead of better! Since that time I have found that Christ’s love is the one thing that can truly fill our desire to belong. More importantly I learned that dating relationships can not fill our craving for acceptance. They may fill it for a month or two, but in time the emotional love will fade.

That fact does not keep countless singles from desperately seeking their next boyfriend or girlfriend. And with each heart wrenching break up they begin their search again. Instead of allowing God to truly satisfy the cry of their hearts, they seek to fill it with romance. Having tried to do just that, I can honestly say that romance is a poor alternative to the unconditional love of Christ.

Television and French Fries

2007-10-28T23:43:00.000-07:00

I will never forget that Tuesday afternoon. It was a cold rainy day but I was excited about beginning my teaching ministry at a Bible College less than two weeks. At about 3:30 there was a knock at my door. The college principal had come to tell me that I would not be teaching my class. The student who planned on taking the class had decided not to. I had spent six months preparing the notes for that class. And then in one moment something that I had been working on since February was taken away from me.

The initial anger turned into frustration. And that frustration soon became depression. By 3:45 I was dealing with the depression in my usual way. That involved lying on the couch while watching huge amounts of television. For almost seven hours I laid there in front of the tv. The only other thing I did was make a quick trip to the grocery store. There I bought the other half of my usual response to depression, French fries.

It is amazing what a person will do when they are discouraged or broken hearted. We should deal with the pain and ask God for strength and help in that time of need. Or we should call a close friend and share with them the painful feelings in our hearts. But that is not what we do. Normally we will try everything in our power to take that pain away. Ignoring the depression or alleviating the pain for a short time is much better than dealing with it. Because by facing our feelings of hurt or frustration we will experience even more pain.

So we “medicate” our pain with different things. Some of these are addictive and will drive us farther away from God. But most are not sinful at all. My drug of choice when dealing with depression is French fries and television. I enjoy it because for a few hours I forget all about the pain that is in my heart. But at some point the French fries will all be eaten, and I will have to turn off the television.

In that moment I usually realize that I totally wasted hours of my day. Not only that, but I spent the same amount of time eating French fries that had no nutritional value whatsoever! On top of that there is guilt from using French fries and tv instead of God to deal with my pain. So I usually found myself feeling worse than when I started!

Is it really worth trying to escape our pain when we feel worse afterwards? I am thankful that God has shown me a better way to deal with depression and discouragement. But step one for me is usually the hardest. It simply involves facing the pain instead of trying to escape or medicate it. Then God is able to give me his peace even in the midst of the pain. But it all begins with my deciding to embrace my pain instead of running from it.

Selfless Rebounding

2007-10-25T03:48:00.000-07:00

We all have a craving for acceptance by others. And this craving can not be filled through physical things like money, things, or relationships. It can only be ultimately be filled by Christ and his love. But these desires for acceptance can also be filled within relationships where a Christ like love is experienced. But what does a Christ like love look like when it is lived out in our lives? One of the strongest characteristics of this love is selflessness.

When I think of selfless love I am reminded of one summer afternoon many years ago. Our youth group would go to a camp that was run by our church every summer. Teens from churches all around would come to that camp. There were a lot of activities that week which we enjoyed. But most of the young men were focused on one activity. The counselor versus camper basketball game. Sure the campers got killed every single year, but it was still a lot of fun. And every one of the young men dreamed of scoring a lot of points in that game.

I of course was no exception. But I never ended up playing in one of those games. That was not because they wouldn’t let me. In fact I probably would have had a lot of friends cheering for me if I did play. The fact that I had no athletic ability kept me from playing with the other campers. I was afraid of embarrassing myself in front of everyone else. And it was a good idea to put our best players on the team.

During free time a lot of the guys would play basketball. Some were practicing for the big Thursday night game. Others were just having fun. Even though I wanted to play with them it rarely happened. But one day when there weren’t many people around I began to shoot basketball. Since I was pretty much the only one there I was forced to run and get the ball when I missed the basket (which was pretty much every time). Soon a girl started shooting with me. I have forgotten her name (I believe it was Melody) but I will never forget what she did.

After a few minutes she stopped shooting and positioned herself under the basket. She would catch the ball when I missed, and passed it back to me. That in itself was an act of service. But then she began to compliment me! Every time I missed a shot she would tell me what a good job I was doing. She went out of her way to find something to encourage me about even when I missed. I walked away from the court that day feeling as if I had hit a three pointer that won the staff counselor game. All because a girl who I hardly knew decided to set aside her own needs, and encourage me.

An Unfulfilled Craving

2007-10-16T01:57:00.000-07:00

We all want to be accepted. This desire for acceptance drives us to do many things as teenagers so that we can be seen as “cool”. But that hunger for approval does not fade as we get older. If anything it gets stronger. “The desperate need to belong doesn’t end with high school graduation; it haunts us for the rest of our lives.”1 As adults we still seek for ways to fulfill our desire for acceptance. We no longer buy the in style clothes so that people will respect us. But we will purchase the latest cell-phone or electronic devices for that same reason.

Buying expensive shirts will not bring us unconditional acceptance. Neither will the latest digital camera or PDA. Those things will bring us popularity for a short amount of time. But before long a new style of clothes, or better technology will come along. And when that happens you will have no choice but to spend more money. This vicious cycle can only end with a huge amount of debt, and normally not many friends.

Others try to fill this need for acceptance through dating or marriage. The emotion at the beginning of a romantic relationship is definitely enough to make a person feel accepted. But the emotion of the relationship will only last a month or two. Most of those who fill their acceptance cravings through relationships will end the relationship after the emotion is gone. They will go from one relationship to another desperately seeking something that can fill their longing for acceptance. But their vicious cycle is destined to end in a broken heart and countless shattered relationships.

Still others seek satisfy this hunger through money. They make becoming rich the goal of their entire lives. And some of them do reach that goal. But they are never satisfied with the money that they have. Almost all of them are focused on getting just a little bit more. “If I make more money then people will have to accept me”, they tell themselves. But those individuals are so focused on making money they don’t see the pain they are bringing upon themselves, and others. Their cycle will end with huge amounts of money that can not bring happiness to their souls.

Why is it that people try to fill this longing with acceptance with countless things, but never satisfy it? The reason is because that desire can only truly be met through an intimate relationship with God. For it is only through God that we can find true acceptance. Others will accept us as long as we have the latest technology, the relationship is filled with emotion, or we have lots of money. God will accept us unconditionally if we will repent of our sins and turn to him. But sadly we many times try to fill that craving in our hearts with things that will never really satisfy. While rejecting the one person who can truly satisfy it.

Swallowing My Pride

2007-09-20T23:39:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I made a very foolish mistake. A Thursday night was spent grading assignments from a class that I had recently finished teaching. I began to become concerned when a quiz and paper were not found with the other class work. That concern became fear when the missing assignments were not found in my files. An hour later that fear had become full fledged panic. Somehow I had lost two of the student's assignments!

The next morning I felt terrible about what had happened. There was a temptation to give the student an A for the assignments because I knew that he had given them to me. His quality of work pretty much guaranteed he would have a high grade on the missing assignments. Of course I could not do that because it would be dishonest. So I began to form a plan that would let as few people as possible know about my mistake.

My first thought was to only contact the student. He had done the work on his computer, and it was possible for him to send me those assignments by e-mail. Telling him about my mistake was a very hard thing to do, but what I dreaded more than that was telling the missionary who I worked with at the Bible College. He had worked very hard preparing me for my class and showing me exactly how things should be done. I felt very ashamed about what I had done, and wanted to make sure he didn’t find out at all costs.

I tried to read at the kitchen table that morning like I usually do, but was not able to concentrate. Finally I sat down at my computer and sent an e-mail to my co-worker. About an hour later he called me at home and helped fix the mess that I had made. Though I still felt bad about losing the assignments later that day I had a peace in my heart because I did the right thing.

We all make mistakes as human beings. What separates those who are successful from the unsuccessful is our response to those mistakes. For most of us the normal reaction is to hide that mistake from others and under no circumstances ask for help. But going to close Christian friends and asking for help in that time of need is a much wiser course of action.

The thing that keeps us from doing that is the same thing that made it hard for me to contact the missionary. We usually have a strong feeling of shame after making a big mistake. But it much easier to swallow our pride and confess what happened, than to fix the entire problem ourselves without anybody knowing (I know this from experience). I thank God that I was able to learn from this situation. I have learned that student’s assignments should be graded and handed back as soon as possible so that they are not lost. But more importantly I learned that the temporary shame of admitting mistakes is worth it in the long run.

Emotional Bricks

2007-08-24T02:20:00.000-07:00

Developing personal based relationships is quite easy for people. But beginning a heart based connecting relationship is very hard. Why is it so hard to connect with people? It’s because the only way to have access to another person’s inner circle (deep feelings, and failures) is to first open your inner circle to them. And that is a very painful thing to do.

It is a strange feeling to be in a church surrounded by more than two hundred people, and at the same time feel totally alone. That was the way I used to feel every Sunday morning. I had many personal based relationships, but very few that were heart based. That was my fault completely because I refused to let many people into my inner circle.

I don’t believe any of us have an inner circle of feelings when we are children. All of our fears, worries, and other emotions are openly shared. But as we grow older feelings like failure, embarrassment, and pain inflicted by others become quite common. And each of those painful situations becomes a brick in the emotional wall that goes around our inner circle.

In a way that wall in our heart is a good thing. It keeps us from experiencing emotional pain. It also allows us to keep some things private. It is not a wise thing to share very personal information with everyone we know. But the wall can result in what can referred to as “emotional isolation”. This is when we refuse to share the emotional contents of our inner circle with anyone. The emotionally isolated many times have lots of friends. But there is no true friend who he has connected with on a heart based level.

“Ironically, sometimes when we feel there is no place for us in the world, we choose to live a life of isolation and disconnectedness.”1 Emotional isolation results in frustration, pain, and depression. Interestingly our attempt to escape all emotional pain (by building a wall) results in excruciating emotional pain. But more importantly it can lead us to living a very selfish life that focuses on our needs instead of others. “We may feel safe alone, but when we live without any semblance of community, it is easier to justify violence, or at least indifference to the welfare of others.”2

I know that God desires for me to begin teaching CTT classes in local Baptist churches. But I have decided not to put on a show or make promises in order to bring in students. Instead I have asked God to show me students that could be interested in taking classes. The next step is to connect with them, and develop a close friendship. A relationship where they are comfortable sharing with me the feelings in their inner circle. But that can only come as I share my inner circle with them first.

Tearing down the emotional wall around the inner circle is a very frightening thing. It can not, and should not be done quickly. So my plan is to begin sharing small pieces of my inner circle whenever possible. And slowly but surely the wall will come down one emotional brick at a time.

1 Erwin McManus, Soul Cravings, Intimacy, Entry 5
2 Erwin McManus, Soul Cravings, Intimacy, Entry 6

Quality Not Quantity

2007-08-23T01:12:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been thinking a lot about how to get new students for the Bible college where I work. In an attempt to find the best way to bring students I looked at two popular church growth methods. The first is what I called the entertainment method of growth. This philosophy puts on an entertaining show every Sunday that is meant to make people feel good about themselves. The second method uses attraction to bring people in. It involves finding out what the unsaved want, and giving it to them. While these methods result in large crowds, neither will work in the long run. The entertainment method is short lived because it is hard to keep entertaining the same people every week. And the attractional method will work until another church begins doing more to “meet needs”.

I don’t want students who will take CTT classes for a month or so and then quit when it gets hard. So how can I develop students who are committed to class for the long haul? The first answer to that question is very slowly. Many times churches want to bring in huge amounts of people right away. That is why the entertainment and attractional methods are so popular. A large quantity of people can easily be gained in a short amount of time with these methods. But strong ministries are not built upon people of quantity. Instead they are built on people of quality. And gathering in people of great quality is very hard work.

One of the most important ways to bring in quality people is through connection. This word has been used a lot lately so I will try to define it. Connection is the development of an intimate (close) relationship with others. The reason I use the word intimate is because this relationship goes much deeper than a normal friendship. It is bringing people together on a personal and heart based level.1 A normal friendship helps us to know others on a personal level. But connecting with others on a heart based level means we minister to what I refer to as, “their inner circle”.

Shortly after coming to Australia I put a post on my blog called “ministering to the inner circle”. It was based upon a fascinating discussion I had with an Australian believer one Sunday afternoon. He explained to me that the Australian people (and all people for that matter) have two kinds of relationships. Most people had access to what he called the outer circle. This was the information they would feel comfortable sharing with anybody. Things like how their favorite sports team is doing, their family, their job, and things of that nature. But a few select people are able to be part of the inner circle. This part of them included their fears, failures, frustrations, and deep needs. After talking to him I am convinced that this is not only true of Australians, but all of us as well.

Why is it important to connect with prospective students on a heart based level? Because close relationships will bring in more students than the worlds greatest power point presentation. Not only will students be more comfortable becoming involved in CTT if I have connected with them. They will also be more likely to complete the classes if they have a close relationship with the teacher. Becoming part of their inner circle will take a huge amount of time. But that student will be far more likely to continue in the program than one who is only there because he feels good, or his needs are met.

1 Dr. Henry Cloud/Dr. John Townsend, Making Small Groups Work, pg.71, ln.1

Attract Them To Jesus

2007-08-20T01:23:00.000-07:00

One of the most popular church growth movements in this day involves what is called seeker sensitive services. These services are based upon what has become known as the attractional focused ministry. Those who use this attractional outreach claim that the most important job of the church is to find the needs of the unsaved and then meet those needs. Basically this means, “The church serves as a purveyor of religious goods and services.”1 The job of the church then becomes “bringing people from their culture into the church to partake of the programing that targets their felt needs.”2

Churches who use this outreach claim that it comes from the public ministry of Christ. He met the spiritual needs of great multitudes through preaching. But he also met their physical need of hunger by feeding 5,000 with a few loaves and fish.3 According to them this proves that Christ, “appears to be modeling attractional church growth strategies of doing what was needed to gather many people to hear the preaching of the Gospel.”4

This attractional outreach is much like the entertainment method I have written about in an earlier post. The entertainment type ministry is totally focused on creating an emotional response and make the people feel better. That attractional type finds what the unsaved want, and gives it to them.

The problem with this outreach method is quite clear. Scripture no longer is the final authority for what is done in the church. Instead the unsaved people the church tries to reach are it's authority. The end result of this method is not very different from that of the entertainment one. The people will come only as long as their needs are met. They don't attend the church because of love for God or other members. They only come to consume religious goods.

The attractional method is used in many ministries other than church growth. The difference in using the attractional outreach for other church ministries is that the saved are consumers instead of the unsaved. Just choose the kind of people you want to involve in the ministry (youth, young adults, singles). Then you find what they want in a ministry, and give it to them. Large ministries can definitely be developed using the attractional philosophy. But that does not change the fact that the needs of people decide which decisions to make instead of God's word.

It would be easy to find out what Believers in local churches want the CTT ministry to become, and then give it to them. But that ministry philosophy would create religious consumers who take classes as long as their needs are met. That does not mean I don't think that the needs of others should be ministered to. But the true motivation for taking a CTT class should go much deeper than just getting what you want.

1 Mark Driscoll, Confessions of A Reformission Rev, pg.25, par.4, ln.2
2 Mark Driscoll, Confessions of A Reformission Rev, pg.25, par.4, ln.4
3 Mark Driscoll, Confessions of A Reformission Rev, pg.27, par.1
4 Mark Driscoll, Confessions of A Reformission Rev, pg.27, par.1, ln.2

Entertain Them Into Jesus

2007-08-16T01:43:00.000-07:00

In late August I will begin approaching pastors concerning the possibility of teaching bible college material in their churches. I am convinced that it is God’s will for me to begin planting CTT (Church Based Theological Training) classes in Melbourne. The problem I am facing is how to promote those classes.

It is very unlikely that a pastor will allow me to immediately begin a class in their church. This is not because they don’t want me to teach a class there. It is because at this time there are very few individuals interested in taking classes. So a lot of my ministry for the first few months will involve promoting the CTT program.

I know that God desires for me to plant classes local Baptist churches. The question in my mind is, “how do I get the people to come?” This same question is asked by pastors around the world on a daily basis. Unfortunately there is not an easy answer to that question. So I began researching different methods used by churches to bring people to services. I hoped that one of these strategies would help me reach out to prospective bible college students.

A popular method used by churches to gain members is entertainment. The church that uses this method will put on a show every Sunday. The goal of each service is to gain some kind of an emotional response. They will make you laugh, cry, and shout for joy in the same service. Many people will continue to attend that church because they “felt good.”

It is easy to see the problem with this method. Everything is geared to get an emotional response. The focus is not on actual transformation of the heart or life. They just want the people to feel good. This kind of promotion will bring in members by the truckload. But a few months later they will either be burned out, or have left the church. The problem with basing your ministry on entertainment is that it gets harder to entertain people every single week. After a while they get bored and leave for the next church that makes them feel good.

I must admit that this method is the one that I am most comfortable using. God has given me a talent for making people laugh. He has also allowed me to have an outgoing entertaining type personality. Most people are frightened about getting in front of large crowds. My greatest passion in life other than preaching God’s word is acting. I just love entertaining large audiences of people, the larger the better. This is not really because I am a great actor. It is more due to the fact that I am totally relaxed in front of large crowds.

If my personality had its way my presentation of CTT would turn into an entertaining combination of stories and jokes. And there is a pretty good chance that I would gain students because of a funny joke or tear jerking story. But those students would come because I made them feel good, or cry. A few months later they will no longer be taking CTT classes. Yes I can still make people laugh during my presentation. But I must make very sure that they are coming as a result of God’s conviction or call instead of an emotional response.

A Balanced Holiness

2007-08-14T00:03:00.000-07:00

We see the God of love in our freedom and free will. But how does that fit in with his holiness? In my view the holiness of God is his strongest characteristic. Most believers in traditional churches would agree that, “holiness occupies the foremost rank among the attributes of God.”1 This truth is proven by the fact that God creates divisions between himself and what is sinful. The Jews were not allowed near Mount Sinai when God came to down to give the ten commandments.2 There was also a division in the tabernacle between the most holy of holies where God dwelled and the holy places.3 Clearly God is perfectly holy and can not allow sin.

It is true that God can not allow sin to go unpunished. But at the same time he is merciful and gracious towards us. Mercy is, “God’s goodness manifested towards those who are in misery or distress.”4 In other words mercy is God showing kindness to those who are in need. Scripture contains many passages that refer to the mercy of God (Ephesians 2:4, James 5:11, I Peter 1:3, Psalms 102:13, Romans 11:30).5 The Bible contains countless stories of sinners who received God’s merciful kindness instead of judgment.

And then of course there is the Grace of God. This refers to giving someone a free gift that they could never earn on their own. The greatest illustration of God’s grace is obviously the death of Christ on the cross. None of us could have ever deserved what Jesus did for us. But he still bore our sins upon the cross and paid the price for those sins with his blood.

What does this all mean? The answer is that there is a balance to God. He is at the same time both holy, and loving. Mercy and grace are two very strong characteristics of God’s love.6 Does this mean that we should continue sinning so that God has to forgive us? Of course not!7 For the mercy and grace of God are not as strong as his holiness. In fact the showing of mercy or grace toward a guilty sinner is, “optional with God”8 Grace and mercy will always be offered, but not always be given. At some point a sinner will face the condemnation of God for his continued sin.

By looking at God’s holiness, mercy, and love at the same time we have a complete view of him. He is not the God of love who allows us to do everything we want. Neither is he the God of judgment who is always looking for someone to punish. He is a God who does not desire to punish us for sin, and because of that will usually reach out with mercy and grace. But at the same time if we reject his mercy and grace we will be judged. Having a clear understanding of God is very important for us today. It helps us to understand it is not his will for us to be legalists. But it is not his will for us to love everyone into Jesus either.

1 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.84, par.2, ln.1
2 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.84, par.2, ln.4
3 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.84, par.2, ln.5
4 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.86, par.5, ln.1
5 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.86, par.5, ln.7
6 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pgs.86-87
7 Romans 6:1-2
8 Henry Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, pg.87, par.3, ln.1

A Balanced Love

2007-08-09T22:51:00.000-07:00

Over the last two weeks I have looked at the two main views of God that are held today. Although both views have strong points neither one is totally correct. Those who believe in the loving God view feel that his unconditional love keeps him from judging sin. This foundational truth leads them to see condemnation of sin or rules as something terrible in the eyes of God. The problem comes when they try to motivate Christians to do good works for God. Most times those who hold this view end up contradicting themselves by stating that God has unconditional love, and then later showing his demand that we be missionaries to the world.

Those who believe in a judging God are little better. They focus totally on the things that God does not want us to do. There is a serious danger of focusing so much on the outer person (following the rules) that the inner person (personal relationship with Christ) is ignored. This view also opens the door for legalism, and putting personal views on the level of Scripture.

So which God is the correct one? The actual answer is both. This “balanced view of God” does not go to either extreme. Instead it states that God is at the same time both holy and loving. I will illustrate what this looks like in later posts. But first it would be helpful to have a basic understanding of what I mean by “a balanced God”. I personally believe that God's holiness and love are two of his strongest characteristics. He expresses his love to us in various ways. God's love is first seen in the fact that he does not force us to do anything. Mankind has been given freedom to choose whatever way seems best for him. This has been true ever since Adam and Eve were placed in the garden of Eden.

This does not mean God will not convict our hearts through the Holy Spirit when we disobey him. Neither does it mean that we will not suffer consequences for our actions. But it does clearly show that God will allow us to choose the path of sin. A God of judgment would never let this happen.

God gives us much more than just freedom through his love. We also receive acceptance. He does demand that we confess our sins, and accept Christ as our savior in order to be saved. This is a part of his holiness that can not be compromised. But God will accept anyone who is willing to repent of their sins. Some people can get the idea that God will not accept us until we have made ourselves good people. But that is not true at all. The Bible is very clear about the fact that any sinner who comes to God can be saved. A God of judgment would give a long list of rules or requirements to meet before becoming saved.

All of us who are saved have also received grace from God. Actually this grace is offered to all believers and unbelievers. Just because an unbeliever rejects God's grace doesn't mean he could not have been saved. Grace is viewed as receiving something that we did not deserve. And salvation definitely fits within that definition. None of us could ever claim to deserve salvation. But because of God's grace it is given to us as a free gift that could never be earned on our own. This as well goes against the God of judgment view.

If I stopped explaining the balanced view of God here it would be incomplete. But that doesn't change the fact that God does give us liberty, acceptance, and grace. It is encouraging to remember that we do not serve a God who enjoys judging sin. Instead we serve one who is, “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”1

1 II Peter 3:9

A Militant God?

2007-08-04T01:50:00.000-07:00

In an earlier post I began discussing the correct view of God. The two major ones being that God is totally loving, and that he is militantly against sin. I have already pointed out that the God of love view is incorrect because it gives no way of motivating people. It also leads to a culture where there are no real absolutes. But is the militant view (God of judgment) any better?

The God of judgment view focuses all of its attention on his holiness. Because of this those who hold to this view spend the majority of their time pointing out commands of God for our lives. Of course I don't believe that there is anything wrong with proclaiming how a Believer should live. But placing a huge amount attention on what we should not do many times does more harm than good.

The high school that I attended as a teenager definitely believed in the God of judgment view. That does not mean I didn't enjoy being there. During my years there I developed many close friendships, and learned a lot from my teachers. God used the experiences in that High School to make me a stronger person, and I was able to be part of the student government for two years. I still have many fond memories of my days there.

But my love for that high school could not change the fact that it preached a God of judgment. Many sermons preached in our chapel services were little more than men yelling at us about what we were doing wrong. And out of those sermons came rules concerning what we should or should not do. Those rules were shared and explained in almost every Bible class, most devotionals given during the week, and basically every sermon we heard. After a time it seemed as if following those rules was the most important thing in our walk with God.

The danger of this view concerning God appears in two ways. Number one is the fact that when following the rules becomes the most important thing in life, it is very easy to start preaching personal opinion. Looking back at the sermons I heard at my high school it appears that at least 80% of them were using Scripture to preach personal opinion. The real danger with this is that in time if personal opinion is preached from the pulpit it is viewed on the same level as doctrine.

Personal opinion issues were defended at this school as strongly as Salvation by grace through faith. This leads to what I feel is the true failure of the God is judgment view. It focuses on the outer person instead of the heart. Now I don't feel in any way that it is wrong to enforce rules in christian school or elsewhere. But making those rules the most important thing just creates a generation of Pharisees. Christ called those men white washed sepulchures because they looked good on the outside, but on the inside they were filled with dead mens bones.

I thank God that during my time at the high school there was a group of young people who truly wanted to give God control of their lives. But that is not the normal result of holding the God is judgment view.

There is a very well known story of a man who came forward following a service at a church to be saved. The pastor of this church held very strongly to the God of judgment view. He brought the man before the church and told them that the gentleman wanted to be saved and join the church. He then told them that would happen as soon as the man cut off his long hair. This was to be done by a barber who was kept at the church for just such an ocassion.

God desires much more than a person who follows the rules. He desires believers who will develop an intimate relationship with him. A relationship of dependence that involves giving him control of their lives every day. And that is what will lead a person to follow the rules in a correct way. Not because they are being watched all of the time, but because they want to.

An Unconditional God?

2007-07-31T00:26:00.000-07:00

An author once wrote of visiting a church where the Pastor made this bold statement. “There are three things in this church we will never do.”1 “We will never give a condemning message like some churches do. We will never make you uncomfortable or make you feel like you have to change. And we will certainly never emphasize holy living like so many legalistic churches do.”2 His words were met with thunderous applause.3 The pastor then stated emphatically, “we are a loving church not a militant one”4

In the day that we live there are two different views of God. There is the loving God who accepts and forgives all people while refusing to judge sin. And there is the militant God who judges those who do not do his will. These two views of God have split many a church and destroyed denominations. They have begun countless debates and probably ruined hundreds of relationships. But there is still no real consensus on which view is the right one.

The kind of church that is referred to in the beginning of this post clearly holds to the “loving God view”. This view basically believes that God gives to us unconditional love. This love does not have to be earned or deserved in any way. Those who take this view of God to the extreme believe that organized religion is wrong since it is a way of earning God’s love. “In this it appears that all religions are the same. They give God a name and then establish the rules that we must follow if we are to gain his favor and affection.”5 They see religions putting conditions before others as sinful because God does not do it. “When a religion is created on the subtle premise that God withholds his love and you must submit to the system to earn that love, I consider it the worst of corruptions.”6

Now most of those who hold this view today don’t feel religion is the worst of corruptions. I sincerely believe most if not all of those people are Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. But their focus is still on the unconditional love of God more than anything else. These individuals feel that a person must accept Jesus Christ as his or her savior. But following this there is nothing they really need to do for God. While this is not usually preached from a pulpit like in the church we saw earlier, this message is shared by the churches actions.

The problem with this loving God view is that there is no way to motivate Believers once they are saved. This is especially true of those who hold to the extreme view that believes religion is corrupt. So how do they remedy this problem? By contradicting their statement that God’s love is unconditional. Interestingly the author who believed so strongly in the unconditional love of God in another one of his books challenges Believers to be missionaries.7

He proceeds to share that churches have been too easy on Believers. This has resulted in, “apathy, disinterest, compromise, and even rebellion.8” Instead we must live according to the standard written in the Word of God. And specifically become missionaries to the lost souls around us. Now this looks totally different from the view of God that believes he don’t have to earn his love in any way.

The author does try to explain himself by saying that this challenge is not to what he calls legalism, or an unbearable yoke.9 Instead it is our way of bringing freedom to those who are in bondage.10 But no matter what this is called it still contradicts the God is unconditional love view.

I believe with all of my heart that God is loving. What I don’t believe is that his love is unconditional. Will God accept the sinner who comes to him? Of course he will! But that sinner must confess his sin, and live a holy life. The proof that the loving God view is incorrect can be found in those who follow it. The majority of them are unmotivated, and doing nothing in the lords work.

1 Eric Ludy, God’s Gift to Women, pg.165, par.5, ln.1
2 Eric Ludy, God’s Gift to Women, pg.165, par.5, ln.3
3 Eric Ludy, God’s Gift to Women, pg.165, par.5, ln.7
4 Eric Ludy, God’s Gift to Women, pg.166, par.1, ln.1
5 Erwin McManus, Soul Cravings, entry 10, par.3, ln.1
6 Erwin McManus, Soul Cravings, entry 10, par.8, ln.3
7 Erwin McManus, An Unstoppable Force, pg.202, par.4
8 Erwin McManus, An Unstoppable Force, pg.202, par.5, ln.1
9 Erwin McManus, An Unstoppable Force, pg.207, par.7, ln.1
10Erwin McManus, An Unstoppable Force, pg.208, par.1

A Weak Foundation

2007-07-27T01:13:00.000-07:00

Every professor or pastor who has ever taught theology is faced with this same question. “Why do I need to know theology if I am not called to be a pastor or missionary?” It is true that an intense study of theology in a college or seminary is normally reserved for those called to full time christian work. And theology can be very hard for those who have not studied it to understand. But that in no way means that the lay people in churches don't need to know theology.

Today the need for teaching theology is greater than ever before. This is because much of what is done in the church is based upon an incorrect theology. Since I am beginning a teaching ministry in local baptist churches I decided to start reading books on church ministry. The books that I read were written by pastors of what would be called mega churches in the United States. What I found as I read those books was that these pastors had very good methods of ministering in the church. But their theology was horribly wrong.

In a post directly below this one I tell the story of a pastor who realized he was trying to achieve the worlds view of success. His challenge was to pursue what God calls success instead. That story spoke to me and impacted my life. Sadly the theology that is found in the rest of his book is totally wrong. He has good stories and methods, but they are built upon a wrong theology.

His whole view of doctrinal truth is based upon the fact that, “the bible is open ended”.1 Instead of coming to God to teach us his truth through the illumination of the Holy Spirit we rely upon our emotions. Feelings and the arguments of others decide what God is saying instead of Scripture.

Some people may not feel that this view is important. But it opens the door for all kinds of other wrong beliefs. Like referring to interpreting the Bible literally as, “warped and toxic.”2 Or we should not confront sinners or believers about their sin.3 Or that since all things are reconciled to God (Colossians 1:20) there is no such thing as saved or unsaved people.4 Or that there is no such place as real Heaven or Hell. Hell instead is, “living out of sync with how God created us to live.”5 So that means the aids crisis in Rowanda is the true meaning of Hell.6 Therefore we can bring Heaven on earth by curing the social ills of our society.7 And because of that litter and pollution are two of the biggest sins we could ever commit against God.8

The book that I am referring to in this post, and the one directly below it symbolizes many church ministries today. They have Godly goals and methods (Death to Superpastor) but the theological foundation the ministry is built upon is very weak. Today more than ever before we must be discerning of the theological beliefs held by the ministries we are involved in. And discernment can only come by having an understanding of theology.

1Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, pg.46, par.3, ln.1
2Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, pg.53, par.5, ln.2
3Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, pg.138, par.8, ln.1
4Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, pg.146, par.5
5Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, pg.147, par.2, ln.2
6Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, pg.147, par.6
7Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, pg.148, par.5
8Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, pg.158, par.3

Death to Superpastor

2007-07-24T01:53:00.000-07:00

I was recently reading about a pastor who began a very succesful church in the United States. The first service at the church was attended by 1,000 people. Less than a year later the attendance had grown to 4,000 each Sunday. At this point they did not have enough room for any more people. So the church purchased a mall and used its facilities for their services. After being at the church for two years 10,000 people attended the church for one of its three sunday morning services.

It is amazing to think about pastoring a church of 10,000 people. Most pastors could only dream of accomplishing such a feat. But the pastor of that massive church felt differently. In the book I was reading he told the story of hiding in a closet before the second sunday morning service. In that closet he wanted to totally walk away from the church. His only thought was how far away he could get before the second service began.

What could possibly posses a man to walk away from such a successful ministry? In the pastors words he was trying to become “superpastor” in his ministry. In other words he wanted to do everything on his own without anyones help. And like so many other ministers he ended up burned out and discouraged.1

Later the pastor went to counseling to help him deal with the stress of his job. While there the counselor made a statement to him that dramatically changed his thinking. “Your job is the relentless pursuit of who God has made you to be. And anything else you do is sin and you need to repent of it.”2 He then suddenly realized the source of his frustrations came because of a wrong goal. It was not God's goal for him to become “superpastor”. Instead it was the will of God for him to become like Jesus Christ.

We all dream of what we want our lives to look like. It is not wrong to dream. The problem comes when those dreams become the most important thing in our lives. Because God does not decide how succesful we are by our riches or fame. He bases his view of succes on how much like Christ we are. That is why the process of sanctification is far more important than become “superpastor”, “supermissionary”, “superbusinessman”, or any other people who are successful in the worlds eyes.

I have a dream of what I want my ministry to be. That dream comes from the vision that God has given to me. But personal growth is more important than making that vision a reality. That's why I am trying to make sanctification my focus. And the day that changes I must be willing to do what the pastor who I read about did. He took superpastor out back and put him out of his pathetic existence.3

1Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, Pgs.96-104
2Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, pg.114, par.5, ln.1
3Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, pg.116, par.1, ln.1

Practical Theology

2007-07-20T01:54:00.000-07:00

Recently I began to read a few books on systematic theology. Instead of reading chapters at a time I cover four or five pages a day while taking notes. While reading Lectures in Systematic Theology by Dr. Henry Thiessen I found a statement that really made me think. Dr. Thiessen in chapter one discussed some wrong views concerning theology. One of those beliefs is that theology has a “deadening effect on the spiritual life”.1

This view holds that theology is not really important because it does not help a person grow spiritually. Some who believe this feel that theology is only for pastors or missionaries, and not lay people. Dr. Thiessen agrees that theology can have a deadening effect spiritually. “Merely intellectual acceptance of a set of doctrines is insufficient to produce spiritual results, and unfortunately, and unfortunately many people have nothing but an intellectual loyalty to the truth.”2

Following his confession that merely knowing doctrine can not truly transform a life came the statement that meant so much to me. “That theology has a deadening effect upon the spiritual life is true only if the subject is treated as mere theory. If it is related to life theology will not have a deadening effect upon the spiritual life, it will, instead, be the guide to intelligent thinking about religious problems and a stimulus to holy living (italics added)3”

That sentence was impressed upon my mind as I read it. God has placed upon my heart a burden to help young people choose his own will instead of their own. Specifically this would be done through a teaching ministry. The question was what should I teach to those youth? There are countless Bible studies for small groups and teens today. They cover a huge variety of subjects from purity, leadership, and relationships, to discouragement, courage, and discipleship. I honestly did not what the Lord wanted me to teach until I read that sentence in Lectures in Systematic Theology. And suddenly I knew what kind of lessons God wanted me to develop.

Though I am not sure when God will open the door for me to start teaching young people again I am already beginning to write the lessons. I am doing my best to take what I learn from a classic work of systematic theology and develop it into a lesson that is clear and practical. For it is only after young people see a clear picture and themselves that they will separate from their own will.

1. Thiessen, Lectures on Systematic Theology, pg.5, par.2, line2
2. Thiessen, Lectures on Systematic Theology, pg.5, par.2, line8
3. Thiessen, Lectures on Systematic Theology, pg.6, par.2, line1

Choosing God's Road

2007-07-03T02:38:00.000-07:00

I will never forget the turning point that came in my deputation ministry. I had been involved in deputation for almost three years. I worked very hard during that time but could not raise the support needed to leave for the field. I just did not see the results that I expected to after three years. In the fall I took part in a missions conference at my brothers church. It was a great time of fellowship and encouragement with other Believers. But I did an absolutley horrible job with my presentations. If the church itself had burned down while I presented my ministry it would not have gone any worse! It was then that I realized something had change with the way I did ministry.

My first thought was to develop a new strategic plan for the deputation ministry. While strategic plans are not a bad thing God challenged me to do something very different. That was read books which would help prepare me for ministry. So I began a routine of spending a few hours reading at my parents kitchen table every day. I started out with books on leadership, and soon had read all of the books I had on the subject.

Over the following months I read books on relationships, growth, counseling, church planting, spirituality, strategic planning, and teaching among many others. As I read those books God began to give me a clear understanding of what it was he wanted me to do in my deputation ministry. It was then that I realized why my deputation ministry was not growing. I was using my own wisdom to make decisions concerning the ministry itself. And as long as I relied upon my own wisdom God could not bless me in the way he wanted to.

So as I read God's Word and other books I slowly changed the way I did ministry. This time instead of walking in my own wisdom, I did things the way God wanted me to. The result was amazing. In one year I raised almost the exact amount of support that had taken me three years to raise. This was not because of my confidence or enthusiasm, or words. Instead it was because I chose to walk God's road and obey his will instead of walking my road and obeying the sinful nature.

A Visit To The Party Table

2007-06-27T03:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I e-mailed the syllabus for the classes that I will begin teaching on July 25 for evaluation. Sending them made me think about teachers who impacted my life. The Lord has given me the opportunity to be taught by great men and women of God. But one professor from Bible College stands out in my mind. If my teaching style can closely resemble that of any teacher I have ever had it will definitely imitate his.

He was a passionate teacher who showed great amounts of emotion while teaching. He was also one of the colleges most demanding professors. The exams in his classes where one of the few that could not be passed by frantically studying for a few nights. To get a good grade you literally would have to think through a book of the Bible, and sometimes more than one! But what makes him so special to me is something he didn't do in class.

It was during my Sophomore year in college when I took his class. I had a lot of friends, and enjoyed spending time with them every day. So every day we would all spend about an hour eating lunch. Actually we were some of the first ones to get there, and the last to be thrown out. Very little of that time was spent actually eating of course. We would tell stories, laugh at stupid jokes, and just have a good time. Not surprisingly we were very loud while this was going on. After a few weeks our lunch table became what was known as “the party table”.

Normally the professors would eat with other faculty and staff. That was why I was so surprised when the passionate demanding professor walked towards the party table. I was shocked when he asked if he could sit down and eat lunch with us. No professor had ever done that before! We let him sit down, and before long he was laughing at our jokes and sharing his own stories. In the weeks that passed I noticed that he almost always sat with the students. Before long students actually started coming to him when they needed advice. A lot of his lunches turned into counseling sessions. But that didn't seem to matter to him.

When my class graduated we asked him to give the commencement address. We did it because he was not just a professor, but a close friend. He took a risk and became actively involved in our lives. And by doing that he became a mentor instead of a professor. God has given me an incredible opportunity to teach doctrinal truth to Australian nationals. And I am looking forward to teaching them how to practically apply those truths. But I am praying that God would allow me to do more than just that. I want to find, and minister to the needs of their hearts. For what good is it to fill a mind with doctrine while the heart is broken?

No Longer Alone

2007-06-14T00:32:00.001-07:00

One of my biggest frustrations in the first months of ministry is the lack of strong relationships with missionaries and Australians. I am the kind of person who loves to be around people and a social life is very important to me. I expected to make many friends when I came to the country in January. But by late March that had not taken place. As the weeks and months passed my irritation over not having close friends became discouragement. That discouragement came to a head one night after dinner. For almost an hour I voiced my frustrations about lack of friendships to the missionaries who I had been staying with. I asked them why God did not give me friends and mentors to help in my ministry. Their answer was that I should wait for God to develop those relationships.

A few Sundays later I began a month long internship at a local church in the area. Following the service he took me out to lunch and I spent the afternoon at his house. While watching sports on television we talked about the burden and vision that God has placed upon our hearts for ministry. Later we laughed and shared stories over cups of coffee. That night I excitedly told the short term missionary who was staying with me at my house about what had happened. After more than three months I was finally beginning to develop close relationships with other believers!

For the last four weeks I have been involved in an internship at another local baptist church. Two of the missionaries who minister there as pastors were used by God in my life. Specifically they were a source of Godly council and advice. When I encountered a very stressful situation in my ministry their help was greatly appreciated. If it had not been for their timely advice I would not have been able to calmly deal with the crisis I faced.

These two men have also been used by God as a source of encouragement. Whether it is by calling me at home just to make sure that I am okay, or asking how I am really doing, they have taken it upon themselves to help me. That does not mean I don’t struggle with hard decisions and stressful situations. But it does mean I have Godly mentors who I can come to in that time of need.

Another pastor in the area has taken me under his wing as well. He is one of the greatest encouragers I have ever seen. Every time I see him he makes sure that I know how much he appreciates me. He has sent a message to my phone on more than one occasion to just let me know that I am doing a good job. I will never forget the night he took myself and my short term missionary friend out to get coffee after church on a Wednesday evening. The coffee is not what I remember but instead I remember the interest he showed in me. And that interest was an incredible source of encouragement to me.

These four men are just a few of the many close friends, mentors, and encouragers that God has given to me in the last two months. One of my biggest fears when I came to Australia was the loneliness that I would experience. I knew that Satan would take me through periods of loneliness. I also knew that without close friends, mentors, and encouragers I would not survive. That is why these relationships I have developed are so important to me. There are still days when I am forced to walk the valley of loneliness, but I thank God that I don’t have to walk it alone.

Worth the Price

2007-06-14T00:30:00.000-07:00

I am a dreamer. My day dreams when I was young were different from those of other children. Mine included elaborate stories that created imaginary worlds. I would think about those worlds for hours on end, only to continue the story the next day. As a teenager I loved to write and dreamed of writing a book. As a college student I dreamed of graduating with honors. While taking my Masters degree I dreamed of becoming a leader with strong management skills. During four years of deputation I dreamed of developing of discipling college and high school students. I dreamed of developing a small group’s ministry as well.

Those dreams along with countless others were never realized. And they all failed for the same reason. I was not willing to pay the price to see that dream fulfilled. It is possible that the God did not want me to see any of those dreams become a reality. Sometimes he does not allow us to pursue those dreams in our hearts because it is not the right time. But even if those dreams are not God’s will for our lives he still desires us to pursue them. The only thing that should keep us from pursuing those dreams is God closing the door.

God many times places dream in our hearts and challenges us to pursue them. But those dreams always come with a very high price. You must study while others are having fun in order to graduate with honors. You must exhibit strong discipline, self confidence, and develop your strengths in order to become a strong leader. You must study the Word of God intensely in order to truly disciple others. And most times when faced with the high price of our dreams we all quit.

God has placed in my heart a vision for what he wants to happen in the field of Australia. A vision for a ministry that takes new believers, and gradually develops them into spiritually mature disciples of Christ. I know that God desires for me to pursue this vision or “dream” that he has placed upon my heart. I also know that I will have to pay a very high price in order to see that dream realized.

I guess it all comes down to one question. Is seeing this dream realized worth the price I have to pay? And of course the answer to that question is a very strong yes! I have a long journey ahead of me as I pursue this dream of my heart. But one thing is for sure. By God’s grace I will pay whatever price needs to be paid in order to fulfill his vision for my ministry. That means I will probably endure years of pain, suffering, loneliness, discouragement, and frustration. But it also means that I will be able to see God take the dream he placed in my heart and make it a reality. And that is well worth ten to twenty years of suffering.

One Passion

2007-06-04T02:17:00.000-07:00

Recently I began to read books that would prepare me for my teaching ministry in late July. I decided to focus on leadership books because I found the subject interesting, and they would help me develop important leadership qualities. There countless books on leadership today. Go to a local Christian bookstore and you will find an entire shelf of them. That’s why it was very interesting that one principle seemed to be repeated in all of the books that I read.

The principle was worded in different ways but the truth is the same. Successful leaders do a few things, and do them well. One book in particular challenges the reader to find the one passion or calling that God had given to them. Once that passion is found they are to focus all of their energy on doing that one thing with excellence. This truth goes totally against what I thought about being a leader.

I always viewed a successful leader as one who could do anything and everything with excellence. Because of that a lot of my focus would be on what I viewed as weaknesses. I felt that in order to be a strong leader I would have to develop those weak points into strengths. But as a result of my reading I see that is not true at all. Actually it will hurt my ministry because I will be doing a number of things in an average way instead of a few things with excellence.

So many people think that they can’t do a great work for God because of their weaknesses. But we each have a calling from God. He has placed within each of our hearts a passion to do a specific work, and given us the talents needed to accomplish that work. And those who find that passion and develop it will be successful in his eyes.

In case you can’t tell my passion is for youth. Specifically my calling is to disciple young people so that they can become spiritually mature. Because of that I have committed myself to focus whole heartedly on that one thing. For me to become involved in administration would be foolish because God has gifted me for work with youth. That is not to mean that I should refuse to do anything but youth work. But instead that I will make God’s calling my main focus.

It is a wonderful thing to realize that we can all be mightily used by God. We just need to dig up, cultivate, and develop the calling he has for our lives. I can guarantee you that working with youth will not make me a lot of money. I will not become world famous or be written about in a magazine. But I will have a happiness and peace that the rich or famous will not know. I will be able to pour my whole life into the calling of God for my life. And in the eyes of God I will be successful.

Facing a Crisis with Confidence

2007-06-01T03:00:00.000-07:00

Six months ago I boarded a plane in Charlotte North Carolina and began the long trip to Australia. I felt I was prepared for the spiritual warfare and attacks that I would receive from Satan while on the field. But just six days after arriving here I was totally discouraged. While that discouragement did not last it made me understand that I wasn’t as prepared as I thought. It was not loneliness or homesickness that discouraged me. It was the crisis situations that I faced the moment I got to Australia.

For me a crisis is a serious problem that can’t be fixed on your own power. Actually the crisis situations weren’t the actual problem. My response to them was what caused all of the trouble. Most times I would try to “ignore” the crisis thinking that if I procrastinated long enough it would go away. This is one of the most popular responses in times of need, but rarely if ever works. All I would end up with was a bigger crisis that would have to faced later. Realizing this was not going to fix my problems I decided to try another approach.

My second response is also a very popular one. I would simply try to take care of the problem myself. This tactic would not do much better than the first one because I didn’t have the strength to handle those needs myself. Sometimes I could handle a crisis on my own, but the emotional stress that it put on me wasn’t worth it. I knew that there had to be a better way to respond.

God did show me a better response to crisis situations, but it scared me almost as much as my needs. The response was to ask others for help when I face a crisis. This scared me because like many men I viewed asking for help as weakness. After a few months on the field I faced the choice of being viewed as weak, or dealing with problems on my own. Knowing that dealing with needs on my own would lead to discouragement and stress I chose to be viewed as weak.

I began to share with close friends and other missionaries what I was struggling with while on the field. I also constantly asked my family for advice using skype. The most amazing thing happened after I began doing that. I was not viewed as a person who was weak. Instead the people who I asked for help actually respected me more! God used those conversations to develop close friendships.

In the last month I have faced more crisis situations than ever before. It honesty feels like I face a new one each day. But I don’t run from them or act like they don’t affect me. Instead I face them with courage. But that courage does not come from my strength. It comes from the fact that I have an army of friends and family standing behind me. It is because of their prayers and encouragement as well as God’s strength that I am able to face crisis situations with confidence.