more about the model

My personal study continues to be centered around the following question: what are we to be about?

My friend Randy emailed me and even left a comment in response to my last blog (which attempted to recount the salient points from his sermon last Sunday...)

In his response, Randy basically said that it was not only through 'serving' that we show Christ's love to others, but it is by using our other God-given gifts that we 'attract' people to the risen Christ. Certainly he is correct!

As I continue to ponder and study this subject, I am surrounded by churches who seem to be thoroughly missing the point!

So many of our brothers and sisters are using man-made measuring sticks to gauge their progress and growth. It is easy (and much less subjective) to count the butts in the seats than to really delve deep into what our growth should actually be....

So I try to look at Jesus' model to decide how we should plan for and judge our growth...

(incidentally, I am fully aware that there are many who would question the question itself! Many will wonder about the validity of the "planning for" or "judging of" growth... some would say it is a very humanistic way to look at Christianity... that's a different - and worthwhile - discussion, but one for a different time.)

And I return to the points Randy expressed in last Sunday's sermon...

• reach others through our spiritual gifts
• assimilate them into our community
• equip them to use their own God-given gifts to reach others

So, as I look around at our churches, I wonder if that simple model has been abandoned. (admittedly I am making a judgement without being intimately familiar with their exact method and situation...) but it would seem that many churches are placing a whole lot more emphasis on:

• worship styles
• building amenities
• glossy brochures
• classroom space
• slick multi media
• parking lots
• simulcasts
• sermon as the centerpiece
• (do you notice a theme? all these things seem to have two things in common:)

1. almost ALL of them place emphasis on a 2-hour-a-week time period and ignore the other 166 hours of the week!
2. they all talk about what WE do! (even in my language, I need to speak in terms of 'God working through' us)

Don't misunderstand: I am a firm believer that if Jesus were alive today He would use every available method and technology to reach the hurting... (imagine Jesus with a BlackJack and an unlimited texting plan... everyone who needed Him would receive a text every hour which would remind them of His presence!)

I believe we should always use the very best methods available to reach and teach...

It is when we become so enamored of the methods that we begin to chase waterfalls. We forget Jesus' simple method and begin keeping score using the wrong rubric!

I don't know how to 'keep score' on how well we are doing... and the older I get, the less important 'keeping score' becomes....

and now I feel like I am just rambling! :-)

Blessings!

What is the church's purpose?

Randy Willingham spoke during our worship assembly yesterday, and I was challenged (as usual) by a concept he presented...

He encouraged our growing congregation to consider its purpose and focus... very thought-provoking indeed!

What I gleaned from his comments was that, in order for the Riverside Body to continue to grow in the correct way, we must develop followers of Jesus; and the way to develop disciples is to show Him to those around us by serving them...

Here is the truly remarkable thing he kept repeating (and he said it much more eloquently than I record here)... to truly develop these 'servant disciples', we must:

1. serve others, then
2. invite those whom we serve into our community, then
3. assimilate these 'new members' into our community, then
4. train and equip the 'assimilated served' so they
5. become servants, who then
6. serve others
7. (repeat as necessary)

Note what he did NOT say... he did not encourage us to:

1. build a bigger 'worship barn' to
2. house and train worshippers better so they may learn to
3. worship better, so they can then
4. train other worshippers

don't misunderstand... I know growth can be a beautiful thing... and I recognize that buildings sometimes play a role, and that the building and renovating of buildings is a necessary part of numerical growth... but my fervent prayer is that (with regard to church buildings) we continue to divorce ourselves from the long-held, time-honored, and ungodly notion that 'if we build it, they will come'

Neither did Randy encourage us only to:

1. invite folks to our building and
2. meet their needs so they can
3. 'join' our church, so they can then
4. learn how to teach Bible class and
5. learn how to lead singing and
6. serve on the Lord's table

again, don't misunderstand... I know we need to develop Bible Class teachers and song leaders and public pray-ers... but we miss the fundamental thrust of discipling if we simply train ourselves to better serve ourselves...The primary purpose of making disciples of men is so they will then make disciples of men, who will then make disciples of men!

So, how does this plan look in action?

• It's the young family who was blessed by our Angel Food ministry who now help organize the Angel Food orders the second Saturday of each month!
• It's the couple whose marriage was saved by attending a Dynamic Marriage seminar who not only help set up for the latest seminar, but regularly encourage other young couples not to give up!
• It's the young couple who sent their two precious children to our VBS two years ago.... then brought the same two angels to VBS last year... who decided to become a part of our Riverside family just last weekend... (Any bets on whether this mom and dad help with VBS next summer?)

What a beautiful plan! I am tempted to say that its beauty lies in its simplicity... but, truly, its beautiful simplicity lies in its imitation of Christ!

So... maybe every church should check their 'growth plan' against Jesus' plan...

God Bless You!

VBS 2007 - Galillee by the Sea - WOW!

What a week we just finished at Riverside!!! Our Vacation Bible School effort was a huge, unqualified success!

The children enjoyed gathering time in our auditorium (songs, announcements and the donning of period costumes by children and helpers alike) followed by Tribal Time, where they learned the story for that night...

Then the kiddos went outside to the living marketplace, Galillee by the Sea... there they found a village marketplace, including 12 shops (a dozen tents surrounding the town well, which served as its center) staffed by dozens of shopkeepers and helpers in full costumes, showing their shop wares and helping the kiddos 'live' a day in the life...

Their ears were treated to festive period music piped from hidden speakers as they were greeted not only by the shopkeepers, but by the beggar at the edge of town and the ever-present tax collector, who went around asking the 'shoppers' if they had paid their dues.

Adjacent to the shops was the village playground where the children played games from Bible times, and next to that was the Synagogue School which each child attended each night to learn about the customs and religious practices of the day...

Twice each night, a story was acted out around the well... This year's dramas included Peter and Andrew's parents having a lively discussion about their sons quitting the family fishing business to follow Christ... another found the momma of the little boy whose basket of food Jesus used to feed the multitude accusing Andrew of stealing her son's lunch! - incredible!

Then, after spending the majority of the evening in the marketplace and playground and school, the kiddos were alerted by the sound of an ancient shofar that it was SNACK TIME!!! ...because VBS would not be VBS without koolaid and cookies!

After a final gathering time in our auditorium, the kids were dismissed to go home... but not before we reminded them to come back the next night!

This VBS was the best ever! Over 100 people from our 220-member congregation volunteered their time to make this an unforgettable experience for those who attended... including all 3 of our Elders! Altogether, over 150 different children between the ages of 3 and 12 attended, with our largest night registering 132 kiddos!

God was glorified, the children learned about Jesus, and we were all made better by having played a part!

I am so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful group of believers!

justice vs mercy

Why do I struggle to fully understand the grace of God?

Perhaps it is because justice is a more worldly 'where-I-live' concept, while mercy is decidedly not. There are very few times on this earth when a person doesn't get what they deserve...

Maybe it's because receiving something you deserve makes better sense than getting something you don't. I am a big fan of justice... I cheer when someone gets what they have earned, whether good or bad.

Or maybe it's because most of us have a fundamental misunderstanding of Mercy and Grace. I believe this is the most likely reason I don't get it...

The Bible teaches that God is a just God. It also teaches that He is a merciful God. How can both be true? Aren't these character traits polar opposites? Aren't they mutually exclusive?

According to Paul's inspired writings, when God looks at me He sees His Son. Since His son is sinless, that means God sees me as sinless... so where is the justice in that? I deserve eternal death, but I am given eternal life. How can a just God give me something so obviously undeserved?

Some have said that God's mercy and grace are New Testament concepts while his justice (and wrath) are Old Testament principles... I have a hard time getting my mind around that...

Could it be that God's Mercy and Grace are reserved for His people.... and His Justice is reserved for those who never name Him as their Lord? just asking....

At 45 years old, I am just beginning to develop a rudimentary understanding of God's grace... it is still very mysterious to me... but whether or not I EVER fully understand it, I know this: I am eternally grateful for it!

Blessings!

Vacation Bible School at Riverside

Well, the day is fast approaching! Vacation Bible School 2007 starts in just over 48 hours... and it will be terrific!

Each year most of the members of our congregation pitch in and make this event the very best VBS ever! Every year I wonder how God will use us to an even greater level than before... and every year I am astounded by His power and His plan!

This year's VBS is Galillee by the Sea... and, for 5 days, our back lot will BECOME Galillee by the Sea! We will erect an entire village of tents which will represent a Seaside village during Jesus' time.

A couple hundred kiddos will be placed in tribes and get to spend a couple hours each night living in this seaside village complete with shops and playgrounds with tribeleaders guiding them... and where a real live drama is bound to break out at any time...

I can't wait!

a little let down

Well, we are all safely back from our Panama trip... back to work... and I know it is natural, but I am feeling a little let down... I think we've caught up on our sleep, and we are all blessed with feeling well, but still... a little let down after such a mountain top experience.

Anyhow, I know God uses us where we are to work His plan...

And there's no time to be down, as our Vacation Bible School begins Sunday night! It is thrilling to see all the kids from our community come to our facility and learn about Jesus... this year is Galillee by the Sea, and we are very excited!

God Bless!

Panama Mission Effort - Day 7 - June 8

Well, this is our travel day! Up especially early, we are at Lyn & Joy's by 5:50 to catch the big bus back to Panama City... Tearful goodbyes to Holly and Josh, who will stay behind... Lyn, Joy, Ben and our translators are making the trip with us...

7 hour bus trip, broken up by a lunch stop in Santiago... we ate at KFC!

We arrive in Panama City at 2:50 (made really good time), and went straight to the Panama Canal to do the tourist thing... there is a very nice visitor center at the Miraflores Locks, and we took full advantage! It was a very impressive sight to watch as a huge ship made its way from one end of the locks to the other... very cool!

Afterwards, we boarded the bus and stopped at a souvenir stand about the size of a large flea market... most of us bought our Panama souvenirs here, and got some really good deals!

Then on the hotel CentroAmericana where we would spend our final night in Panama before boarding the plane for home... We ate at a nice restaurant adjacent to the hotel, then retired for a short night's sleep (need to leave the hotel by 6 to get to the airport in time).

This trip was absolutely incredible! I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to foreign mission points several times over the past decade, and I am more excited about the possibilities here in Panama than any others I have been involved with...

On a selfish note, I thank God for providing this opportunity for my family! And we are forever grateful to the Riverside Church of Christ for their support, without which it would not have happened!

My cup is so full.

Blessings!

Panama Mission Effort - Day 6 - June 7

Today is our free day... we have three choices: Beach trip, Volcano hike or Coffee plantation... (river rafting was cancelled because of rain - and there has been a LOAD of it! Some of our people have reported seeing animals in pairs....)

Breakfast is own your own this morning...

We walked to a very scenic overlook for the devo this morning, and Neil brought a very meaningful devotional thought... then we circled up and held hands and sang several songs while looking at the beautiful view!

Then back to Lyn & Joy's to catch our respective rides for our excursions...

My family went to the beach; I drove the van, and in addition to my family, Josh, Tatiana, Pablo and Sheila made the two-hour trip... we stopped for breakfast at the same roadside restaurant we stopped at last night on the way to worship at David... it was awesome!

Then on to the beach! After a 2-hour drive, we finally rounded the last corner and the beach opened up in front of us... the view was spectacular! The ocean has always moved me, and this view of the Pacific ocean was singularly moving. We had the entire beach to ourselves... unbelievable.

We spent 3 hours playing in the surf, chasing sand crabs and body surfing in the 10 foot waves... an extraordinary experience! Cara and I went back to a small village to buy some refreshments, and returned with cokes and plantain chips and a couple sweet breads from a roadside stand...

After we ate, we decided to head back... we needed to get ready for the final night banquet and we had a two hour drive ahead of us.

We stopped briefly at the mall in David before heading up the mountain to Volcan... we got back by 4:30. What a day!

We got ready for the banquet and met at the Loco Pollo for the evening meal! It was Cara's birthday, so after a sumptious meal of Tacos and Burritos, Joy brought out a very pretty birthday cake and we sang happy birthday to Cara! She was thrilled! Joy had a few words of thanks to the team, then each team member took a turn to speak. It was very heartfelt and very emotional!

After dinner we returned to our quarters to pack and bed down for our last night in Volcan... we were asleep by 11 or so...

Panama Mission Effort - Day 5 - June 6

We are up at early again today... about 5:30 am... at Joy & Lyn's for breakfast by 6:30. Fruit and Scrambled eggs and oatmeal.

David Brightwell did a great job bringing us our morning devotional thought. We are walking to school by 7:30. This is our last day to be in the school, so our feelings are mixed; we will miss these little guys!

We are told to abbreviate our schedule so they can make a very special presentation to us before we leave.

Incidentally, we are providing snacks and or a meal each day we are there... many of these children walk several miles to and from school, and get nothing to eat.

All goes well, then it is time to go to the gym for the presentation. It is the most moving presentation I have ever seen... each class sang a special song or recited a poem... then they asked each team to come to the front for a special gift. Each of us got a small keychain... very meaningful gift!

After many tears, we walked back to Joy & Lyn's house... we are pretty quiet on the walk back... and very full!

We had lunch (spaghetti) then some walked to town while others took a well-deserved siesta...

We have planned to travel to David to worship with the church there at their midweek assembly. Bus leaves at 4:30 pm sharp! We stopped at a roadside restaurant about 10 miles down the mountain, and it was terrific! We had blackberry milkshakes and derritidos... delicious!

We were a few minutes late, and it was raining hard... so only about 8 members from David were there. But we had a wonderful time with the brethren there!

Then we boarded the bus to return for Lyn and Joy's...

Back at Volcan by 9:30... in the bed by 10 pm... another wonderful day!

Panama Mission Effort - Day 4 - June 5

We are up early again for our second day of work in Volcan... Since Doyne drove the van to our cabin last night, we kept it overnight and drove ourselves to Lyn & Joy's this morning. We were there for Breakfast by 6:30, and Nick brought our morning devotional thought on the porch; he did an excellent job, as usual!

7:30 - we walked to the school to begin day 2 of our 3-day school program. The teams began their day in much the same manner as day 1, rotating through the classrooms and giving our lessons to the 6 classes...

The farm team continues to clean out ditches and build fences... rain held off til after noon today.
We had home made Tamales for lunch; Joy's dear friend and neighbor Donnie made them, and they were authentic and delicious! Corn meal, meat, olives, all wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked...

After lunch we split into 3 teams and canvassed the neighborhood to invite people to our evening Bible study. Very successful, as 50 or so showed up!

Many showed up early (as it began to rain), so we fed them... I won't say that it was a feeding of the 5000 or anything, but we had plenty of grilled hamburgers for all! ...then the 24 children went inside and had their own Bible lesson while the adults had a very spirited Bible study about John 4 and the woman at the well! Hezekias had some very good comments...

Afterwards we said our goodbyes and the men took the van back to the cabin as the ladies prepared for bed. Another God-Blessed Day!

Panama Mission Effort - Day 3 - June 4

We were up early to begin our work in Volcan... the van picked us up at 6:15 and we ate breakfast at Lyn and Joy's at 6:30, consisting of fresh fruit, oatmeal and scrambled eggs. Doyne brought the devotional and did a terrific job of encouraging us to keep our good attitude throughout the week...

The work at Volcan has three points of emphasis:

1. teaching morals - using Bible stories - in the elementary school which is only about 3/4 mile from Lyn and Joy's
2. building fences and other work on Lyn and Joy's property
3. evening Bible study on the porch (which will serve to establish the church in Volcan)

The School teams left for the school at 7:30, as we were to begin by 7:50 and finish by 11:30... I was a part of one team, doing puppet skits in Spanish and acting out the Bible story afterwards. The other men stayed behind and worked on the farm, though their day was cut short at 10 am by rain... (it is the rainy season, and you have to be really flexible to survive!)

We are working at the school in 2 teams... each team repeats their lesson 3 times per day for a total of six 'audiences' so all grades are covered. These children are so welcoming and attentive... God has provided a truly awesome opportunity to our teams, allowing us to teach morals (using Bible stories) in their public school! Incredible!

After school, we returned to Lyn and Joy's for lunch and a bit of down time before our canvassing of the neighborhood; our intention is to invite as many people to evening Bible study as possible... today, though, the rain was too heavy for us to go door-knocking. We did, however, get a ride into town for some 'light shopping'. We went to Romero's to buy some towels (we forgot to bring some) and we bought ice cream cones for a quarter each... then we decided to walk back to Lyn & Joy's, but the light rain turned torrential about half way there... so we sought refuge on the porch of a small store, and bought some plantain chips and Mountain Dews (in the bottle!) and sat on the porch waiting for a ride... finally Joy showed up in the van to take us back... and we chilled out til dinner.

We ate dinner about 6, then people from the community who had already been invited to the study started arriving. There were about 35 adults on the porch, and we studied the first six chapters of Daniel and discussed how God's hand was always directing his life, just as it does our own. Pablo translated back and forth, and we had a great study.

Important note: A young man from Panama City named Hezekias is with us this trip... Joy and Lyn are sort of 'interviewing' him as a possible candidate to help lead and establish the church in Volcan. I believe God has indeed blessed us by placing this wonderful young man in our path!

We said our goodbyes at about 8:30 and prepared for bed... the men returned to our cabin and were asleep by 10... getting rest for the next busy day!

Panama Mission Effort - Day 2 - June 3

We were up early - about 5:30 - ate a traditional breakfast of Huevos Revueltos (scrambled eggs) and pancakes, then packed up for the remainder of our westward trip on into Volcan in Western Panama... but first we made a planned stop on this Lord's Day to worship with the body which meets at a place called Santa Marta.

Santa Marta is a community of about 1000 people which is situated on the side of a mountain near the city of Penonome (where we slept last night)... about 45 minutes by taxi (the Santa Marta taxis are actually 4wd Toyota pickups with two benches and a headache rack). About 30 of us loaded into three taxis for the trip, which is routinely made impassable by high waters... today the waters are low, so we crossed with no difficulty. This taxi ride was the most incredible one of my life! We went from Penonome (300 feet above sea level) up and down the face of this mountain (up to almost 3000 feet above sea level) until we reached the community of Santa Marta... the most beautiful and rugged terrain I have ever seen.

The people greeted us warmly and we visited for a little while until it was time for worship... Jose (one of the church fathers) led singing and began worship, then Doyne led the songs that we knew... in English, then in Spanish... it was AWESOME!!!

Then I delivered a message - through Pablo, who translated - about how Jesus commands us to live with confidence and 'break down Hell's gates'... it went pretty well...

While I spoke, the ladies conducted Kingdom Kids, complete with skits and puppets and songs... again, AWESOME!

We all gathered again in the building, and Jose introduced us to the entire congregation as they stood up at the front of the building... then Jose asked if we might bring a team to Santa Marta to conduct a medical mission, and we agreed that we would begin planning to do just that!

We ate lunch, consisting of KFC which we brought and beans and rice which they cooked... it was delicious!

After we ate, Jose showed me the school where we might house our medical mission...

Then, after tearful goodbyes, we boarded the taxis for the 45 minute ride back to our bus and van... again, the scenery was absolutely breath-taking!

At the bus, I walked up to a roadside stand (tiendita) and bought a couple cokes and some plantain chips (which became a favorite of ours) for the girls... very much appreciated!

We then boarded the bus and van to continue our westward trip along the Pan American Highway to our 'home' for the week, Volcan.

We stopped at David (at the foot of the Volcano; about 45 minutes from Volcan) for supper at McDonald's, then climbed back on the bus for the final 45 minute jaunt up the mountain to Lyn and Joy's house.

We went from 300 feet above sea level to over 6000 feet above sea level in a little over a half hour... ears popped 3 times! Finally arrive at Lyn and Joy's - a beautiful and recently added-on-to house with a bunk room and 3 bathrooms to acommodate our team... the ladies stayed at Lyn and Joy's while the men stayed a couple miles away at a cabin in town.

A beautiful end to a wonderful, long day... we were all in bed by 10:30 or so...

Panama Mission Effort - Day 1 - June 2

God was watching over us as we traveled from Mountain Home, Arkansas to Panama City, Panama. Our van trip was uneventful and the flights (from Little Rock to Houston - 80 minutes - then from Houston to Panama City - 3 hours, 50 minutes) went very smoothly!

At the Panama City airport we cleared immigration then claimed our bags and went through customs... and had a very happy and tearful reunion with Joy and Lynn and Josh (and LaJeana and Hannah, who had traveled down the week before...) as we loaded our 22 team members and their 44 big bags (plus carry-ons) onto a 15 passenger van and a 30 passenger charter bus... we finally got under way for the trip westward about 8 pm...

Lots of excitement on the bus and van... the bags were stacked so tall on top of the bus that we were unable to go very fast as we traversed the Pan American Highway toward our first night destination - Penonome!

We arrived at the Hotel Guacamaya in Penonome, Panama around 11 pm... there we met the third of our translators (we met 2 as we landed in Panama City), who lives in Penonome. Christina Hidalgo is a Walton Scholar student at Harding (as are our other translators Tatiana and Pablo, whom we met at the Panama City Airport).

In bed by midnight, very exhausted from a long day of travel... team is doing great!

What a Week!

Well, last time I posted, it was from the Little Rock Airport awaiting our first leg of the trip to Panama... and now I am sitting in an internet cafe in a small hotel in Panama City, Panama... and the trip is over!

I said I didn´t know how connected I would be from Volcan... the answer is I was NOT! so I will be catching up on posting over the next few days...

Wow! It was wonderful on so many levels! from the Santa Marta church to the school where we served to the visit to David and the church there... to the Panama Canal outing... it was incredible!

Time is short now, as we wait on the taxi to take us to the airport... the rest of the team are about to board their flight as I write this... we are on a later flight.

just suffice it to say, for now, that I am very very full! and so blessed!

more later...

On the way to Panama

Well, we are in the airport in Little Rock waiting to board the plane for the first leg of our trek... we should land in Houston with just over an hour layover. We are all praying that our LR-Houston flight is on time, so we have time to change terminals for our Houston - Panama City flight....

Spirits are very good... some are a little nervous... and everyone shares a feeling that we are indeed blessed to have this opportunity and to be a part of this great team!

Everyone seemed to get a good night's sleep, and God is blessing us with a bright sunshiney day for our travel...

I will post blogs as internet is availlable.... don't know how connected we will be in Panama... and I'm quite sure we won't have any time to blog in Houston.

Blessings!

Realizing a Dream

I have had many goals in my life; some are noble, most are decidedly not. But tomorrow, God willing, I will realize a goal I set almost a decade ago... to take my entire family on a foreign mission trip.

Randy English (think modern-day apostle Paul) introduced me to foreign missions the year after my mom died in 1996. He and his wonderful wife (who has borne him 5 beautiful children) have lived in American Samoa for almost 20 years... Randy invited me to join him on one of his many mission efforts in the South Pacific Islands (yeah, I know, we used to kid him about his 'tough assignment'... we used to call his the 'grass skirt' ministry... incidentally, if that's what you think, please please go with him just one time).

When I arrived in Port Vila, Vanuatu (after 14 1/2 hours on an airplane), I had no idea what to expect. I soon learned how spoiled we Americans are; I learned the difference between 'wants' and true necessities. I soon began to truly understand how unbelievably blessed we are to live in America... I pitied these poor, uneducated people, and looked on them with sympathy...

Before I left, that pity was no longer directed at my new friends in this third-world country.... I was questioning who should be pitying whom. They did not have the latest gadgetry... no IPods, no laptops, no cell phones... no watches, no electricity, no indoor 'facilities'...

But - incredibly - they were happy! They believed strongly in God. They loved each other. They believed that He was in control and He would provide... why wouldn't they? He had proven to them time and time again that He was and would.

I cried when I left; I thought then that it was because I would miss them (true)... I thought then that I was emotional because I was sorry for them... Looking back now (a decade later), I think I can say with certainty that I cried not for them, but for me. I went to teach these poor, uneducated people about Jesus. But I learned a lot more from them about Him than they learned from me... tons more!

I learned that we Americans are truly blessed. But I learned that we Americans have long forgotten how to use those blessings to bless others. These people have little, by our standards. But by God's standards, they are the wealthiest people on His earth.

When I got back home from that first trip, I told my wife that I MUST take my family on a mission trip.

I have returned to the foreign mission field 8 times in the past decade; I have been blessed to travel to 4 countries on 3 continents in that time.

But tomorrow, for the first time, my wife and three daughters will join me on a mission trip to Panama.... and I simply cannot wait!

Blessings!