Did you ever think about how much easier life would be if you didn't have to deal with people? I jest, of course, but one of my old adages is - "Ministry would be a piece of cake if it weren't for the people."
Yes, yes, I know -- ministry is about people. But there have been many periods in my ministerial career that have frustrated the snot out of me because of the human factor. People can be such jerks!
Now when it's me who is under attack, it's difficult. But when it's a friend or especially a family member -- that's the time when you just want to flank the attacker and take him out, or at least divert his attention from his intended target.
I can't go into details, but it's happening. It's distressing when you see Christians attacking their brother or sister. It saddens me because there is no good that comes from a broken relationship that is left unmended. Are we not one body? "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!'" (1 Cor. 12:21)
It angers me because I see the enemy accomplishing his purposes without having to do a thing but sit back and watch.
Too often, the first thing to be tossed aside is the love that we are expected to have for one another -- that which Jesus Himself says we need for the world to know we are His disciples. "Speak the truth in love." Okay, a paraphrase, but is this not a command for us as followers of Christ? First - "the truth"...
Know that what I am saying is the absolute truth and not assumption or speculation. Second - "in love"...
What is love?
Patient
Kind
Doesn't envy
Doesn't boast
Not rude
Not self-seeking
Not easily angered
Keeps no record of wrongs
Whew
Doesn't delight in evil
Rejoices with the truth
ALWAYS:
Protects
Trusts
Hopes
Perseveres
Never fails
(1 Cor. 13)
Yeah - we're human. We won't always get it right. But that shouldn't keep us from trying, and allowing each other the grace to fail us.
Again, Paul:
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Eph 4:2-3)
Christ is our example. Did He hold anything against any of those whose rumors nailed Him to the cross, or those who carried out the execution? No - it was for them and each and every one of us that He died.
His only motivations were love and the desire to glorify the Father.
All of our actions must be to this end.
Period.
Jun 17, 2007
Jun 11, 2007
Boldness
Listening to Erwin McManus the other day, I was blown away by a statement he made. It had to do with boldness in personal witnessing. You know -- that thing that causes most of us to get hives when faced with it.
I don't recall his exact words, but if I may paraphrase...
The boldness that is most important is not the boldness to share the Gospel with another in the moment that the opportunity presents itself.
What is most important is the boldness to live one's life in such a way that those who observe it want to know more about what makes it different and special. That's what opens the door to natural conversations in which one can then share one's faith without the pressure of "witnessing".
Simple.
I don't recall his exact words, but if I may paraphrase...
The boldness that is most important is not the boldness to share the Gospel with another in the moment that the opportunity presents itself.
What is most important is the boldness to live one's life in such a way that those who observe it want to know more about what makes it different and special. That's what opens the door to natural conversations in which one can then share one's faith without the pressure of "witnessing".
Simple.
Jun 4, 2007
Left behind
So in the past 6 weeks, two families from our orientation class have moved overseas to their respective fields of work with GEM. I'm thrilled for them, but it makes us long all the more for that day when it will be us.
Of course, as most of you who read this know, part of our delay in getting to the field full-time is out of deference to our daughter Molly, as she has only finished her first year at university and, while getting closer all the time, isn't quite ready for us to move overseas.
We are also still in the midst of raising the funds that we need to live on while we're there and to cover all of the costs associated with the move. We have this feeling that the pledges of support will be there at the same time that Molly is ready. So far, God's timing has been perfect, although not exactly what we had planned. He sees it all, beginning and end, and knows what's best for us.
But the one really cool thing is the fact that He has made it possible for us to be in Ireland several times during the year and begin our work. In fact, this method will make our transition to life overseas much easier, as the groundwork is being laid and relationships are being formed. Now, when we do move, we'll just pick up what we've started in our work and won't have to worry about that while we're trying to acclimate ourselves to a new culture and way of life.
The truth of the matter, however, looks us squarely in the face. The sooner we have the money, the sooner we will be moving. So now it's just a matter of connecting with those who are supposed to be supporting us financially on a monthly basis and having them begin their giving. It's simple -- just not that easy. God knows who they are and it's our job to find out.
So we haven't really been left behind by our colleagues. God's plan for them was a little different than for us.
We'll get there soon enough.
Of course, as most of you who read this know, part of our delay in getting to the field full-time is out of deference to our daughter Molly, as she has only finished her first year at university and, while getting closer all the time, isn't quite ready for us to move overseas.
We are also still in the midst of raising the funds that we need to live on while we're there and to cover all of the costs associated with the move. We have this feeling that the pledges of support will be there at the same time that Molly is ready. So far, God's timing has been perfect, although not exactly what we had planned. He sees it all, beginning and end, and knows what's best for us.
But the one really cool thing is the fact that He has made it possible for us to be in Ireland several times during the year and begin our work. In fact, this method will make our transition to life overseas much easier, as the groundwork is being laid and relationships are being formed. Now, when we do move, we'll just pick up what we've started in our work and won't have to worry about that while we're trying to acclimate ourselves to a new culture and way of life.
The truth of the matter, however, looks us squarely in the face. The sooner we have the money, the sooner we will be moving. So now it's just a matter of connecting with those who are supposed to be supporting us financially on a monthly basis and having them begin their giving. It's simple -- just not that easy. God knows who they are and it's our job to find out.
So we haven't really been left behind by our colleagues. God's plan for them was a little different than for us.
We'll get there soon enough.
May 17, 2007
Doolittle did a lot
So Belinda Doolittle was voted off American Idol last night. Sad to see her go, but I must say that the top three are all deserving of their standing.
Belinda is an amazing singer and performer, but the really cool thing for me dawg is that Christ shone through her throughout the competition. In fact, it was great to have several committed Christians in the top ten and to observe the grace with which they handled themselves in the midst of what must be tremendous pressure. Of course Jordin is a strong believer and I'm guessing she'll end up in the top slot, but we'll see.
Who knows, maybe Blake will end up getting saved as a result of his close relationship with some good examples of genuine Christian faith. Wouldn't that be cool!
I'm looking forward to watching Belinda's career develop - as it's sure to do.
You go girl!
Belinda is an amazing singer and performer, but the really cool thing for me dawg is that Christ shone through her throughout the competition. In fact, it was great to have several committed Christians in the top ten and to observe the grace with which they handled themselves in the midst of what must be tremendous pressure. Of course Jordin is a strong believer and I'm guessing she'll end up in the top slot, but we'll see.
Who knows, maybe Blake will end up getting saved as a result of his close relationship with some good examples of genuine Christian faith. Wouldn't that be cool!
I'm looking forward to watching Belinda's career develop - as it's sure to do.
You go girl!
May 15, 2007
final Ireland entry...
Picking up where I left off a couple of posts ago, we made our way to Carlow, traveling through some beautiful country.
We enjoyed supper with Seamus and Jenny O'Callaghan and their three kids. Seamus is the pastor of Carlow Community Christian Church and Jenny oversees the worship ministry. After we had eaten, the worship team members began to show up.
Until recently, CCCC had been going through a season without a worship team and Jenny led worship on her own. They are now blessed with a group of people who have committed to the worship ministry and they asked us to come and do a workshop with them for vision-casting and to help them to focus on their task as worship leaders.
It was a great evening and we really enjoyed our time with everyone.
The next evening, back in Dublin, we got together with some friends of ours who have started a church plant in the Blackrock area. They are traditional Irish musicians and we try to meet up when we're in town for an evening of music and worship. We love sitting around the living room, instruments in hand, playing and worshiping together. It's always a highlight of our trip.
Friday it was off to Galway on the west coast of Ireland for our conference with Aontis, formerly known as The Association of Evangelical Irish Churches. We were a bit concerned that the turnout may be low, in part because Galway is in the midst of a water crisis and you can't drink the water. This is all due to a little critter called cryptosporidium, a nasty parasite that has contaminated the entire water supply from an unknown source.
This conference was to include people from churches from across Ireland. We ended up with about 15 people from about 4 different churches -- not quite what we had hoped for. But even though we were few, it was a really good weekend, none-the-less.
It was great to have Jay and Rachel with us to help lead worship and Jay was still able to do a guitar workshop which ended up being a big hit with those who participated.
We finished early enough for us to make it back to Dublin at dusk. Sunday morning we went into the City Centre and attended services at Core Church. Ravi and the team did a great job leading worship and we enjoyed the rest of the service as well. Core is very unusual as Churches of Ireland go. The Church of Ireland is Anglican and generally very conservative regarding liturgy and worship service forms. Rarely, if ever do you find a CoI congregation that is as charismatic and progressive as Core.
We made it home safe and sound Monday evening. Molly picked us up and she ended up spending the night.
Good to be home with Molly, but our hearts are still in Ireland and we look forward to returning this fall.
We enjoyed supper with Seamus and Jenny O'Callaghan and their three kids. Seamus is the pastor of Carlow Community Christian Church and Jenny oversees the worship ministry. After we had eaten, the worship team members began to show up.
Until recently, CCCC had been going through a season without a worship team and Jenny led worship on her own. They are now blessed with a group of people who have committed to the worship ministry and they asked us to come and do a workshop with them for vision-casting and to help them to focus on their task as worship leaders.
It was a great evening and we really enjoyed our time with everyone.
The next evening, back in Dublin, we got together with some friends of ours who have started a church plant in the Blackrock area. They are traditional Irish musicians and we try to meet up when we're in town for an evening of music and worship. We love sitting around the living room, instruments in hand, playing and worshiping together. It's always a highlight of our trip.
Friday it was off to Galway on the west coast of Ireland for our conference with Aontis, formerly known as The Association of Evangelical Irish Churches. We were a bit concerned that the turnout may be low, in part because Galway is in the midst of a water crisis and you can't drink the water. This is all due to a little critter called cryptosporidium, a nasty parasite that has contaminated the entire water supply from an unknown source.
This conference was to include people from churches from across Ireland. We ended up with about 15 people from about 4 different churches -- not quite what we had hoped for. But even though we were few, it was a really good weekend, none-the-less.
It was great to have Jay and Rachel with us to help lead worship and Jay was still able to do a guitar workshop which ended up being a big hit with those who participated.
We finished early enough for us to make it back to Dublin at dusk. Sunday morning we went into the City Centre and attended services at Core Church. Ravi and the team did a great job leading worship and we enjoyed the rest of the service as well. Core is very unusual as Churches of Ireland go. The Church of Ireland is Anglican and generally very conservative regarding liturgy and worship service forms. Rarely, if ever do you find a CoI congregation that is as charismatic and progressive as Core.
We made it home safe and sound Monday evening. Molly picked us up and she ended up spending the night.
Good to be home with Molly, but our hearts are still in Ireland and we look forward to returning this fall.
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