DownshoreDrift

"Worshiping an Imaginary God" ~ C.S. Lewis on Pride, Part 2

"God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

Pride asserts itself in independence from God. In pride, we find self-focus and selfishness. Basically, everything that has to do with self and that is opposed to and opposed by God finds its roots in pride. Pride finds a peculiar home in the religious, because we sometimes think that we have arrived, that we are special, and that we have a right to look down on everyone else. We don't see that in our pride, we are actually shutting ourself off from others and from God and are exalting ourselves.

C.S. Lewis, from Mere Christianity, has more to say about this.

How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with Pride can say they believe in God and appear to themselves very religious? I am afraid it means they are worshipping an imaginary God. They theoretically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of this phantom God, but are really all the time imagining how He approves of them and thinks them far better than ordinary people: that is, they pay a pennyworth of imaginary humility to Him and get out of it a pound's worth of Pride towards their fellow-men. I suppose it was of those people Christ was thinking when He said that some would preach about Him and cast out devils in His name, only to be told at the end of the world that He had never known them. And any of us may at any moment be in this death-trap. Luckily, we have a test. Whenever we find that our religious life is making us feel that we are good - above all, that we are better than someone else - I think we may be sure that we are being acted on, not by God, but by the devil. The real test of being in the presence of God is, that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object. It is better to forget about yourself altogether.

As for me, the way that pride can often come up is through an almost overwhelming self-focus. Am I measuring up? Am I good enough? Am I doing enough? Do people like me? It is exhausting. Modern psychology would say that it is a self-esteem issue, but in reality, it is a pride issue. I am exalting myself and my opinion of myself above anything that is appropriate.  Even though I am being hard on myself, in reality, my focus is on myself and not God. It might look good on the outside, but really, it is pure self-centeredness. A proper view of myself comes only from worship of God. As Francis Schaeffer says, we are not nothing. But, we're not the focus of the universe either. God is not a character in my story; I am a character in His. My pride, and your pride, no matter how it manifests, can only be dealt with at the Cross. It is only when we gaze upon Christ and bow the knee before Jesus that our pride, whatever it looks like, can be dealt the fatal blow, causing true humility, which consists of a God-and-others-orientation, to flow from within.

At least that is how I see it at this point. I am sure that I will learn more later.  

I Am Going To Start Writing About the SBC and #GCR Again . . .

Not that I expect anyone to really care, but I thought I'd make the big announcement anyway, it being my blog and all. :)

Back in the day (2006-2008), I used to write quite a bit about SBC issues. Even though I have been Southern Baptist for years and graduated from an SBC seminary, I learned a lot about the SBC, how it works, and who the principle players are. I learned about state conventions, local associations, the seminaries, and our mission boards. I met a lot of people and developed a lot of contacts. I also met some other guys who were blogging on the same things and we blogged together for awhile in a venture called SBCOutpost. We made some waves, brought up some important questions, offered a lot of great solutions, and critiqued the SBC and its decline from many different angles. After a while it all got old and I grew weary of it, as did most everyone else. But, now, much of the discussion that began in 2006 is coming to a head in June of this year at the convention in Orlando with the proposals being brought forward by the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force (GCRTF), a group that was appointed by SBC president Johnny Hunt to study the SBC.  

I agree that we need a GCR. I have supported it from the beginning and I still do. The SBC, as a whole, is in serious trouble. Continuing to do business as usual is not going to address the massive problems that we are facing. However, the recently released GCRTF progress report did not go far enough in addressing the problems that beset us, in my opinion, and I fear that the direction that it did go will not make much difference in the long run. While I agree with much of what was said, the compelling rhetoric of the first point was not accompanied by many action items or recommendations that are executable. There is no roadmap to seeing spiritual renewal - only another call for it. But, the rest of the progress report was full of actionable items that dealt with restructuring and reappropriation of funds. I am afraid that this approach will only exacerbate the problems that we are facing. Actually, I am convinced of that. If the SBC does not or cannot initiate a grassroots gospel movement, then we are in serious trouble and no amount of restructuring is going to make a bit of difference. I believe that we can do that with the structure that we already have if we focus on the right things and stop being so obsessed about money and who gets what. That is not the first question that should be asked. Money follows vision and right now, no one, including the GCRTF is putting forward a compelling enough vision that people and churches can tangibly participate in. It seems to be a top-down approach that will be very difficult to implement.

So, absent any compelling vision that captures my imagination (apart from the first point that is full of biblical injuctions), over the next couple of months, this local church pastor is going to have the audacity to put a vision forward for whoever wants to read it and comment on it. I am going to show how the current structure of the SBC is capable of initiating a GCR so that existing dross and waste will be eaten up rather quickly by gospel movement. We have to change our culture and there is a relatively simple way to do that. I am going to write about how that can happen in a rather surprising way.

I would also like to hear from readers who have their own ideas (If you are interested in SBC stuff, as some of my readers still might be, although most have moved on - if not, ignore these posts and read the others that will also still appear). Most of the bloggers from the past have either stopped writing or are in league with the GCR to the point that they dare not critique it. Now is not the time for half-measures and restructuring proposals. Those of us at work in local churches know that none of that will make a bit of difference five years from now. So, what are your ideas? How would you propose to see renewal in the SBC? 

Maybe we should start by revisiting Dr. Danny Akin's axioms of a GCR and what the SBC applauded last year. Then, we can compare that to what the GCRTF submitted in their progress report. Then, we can ask how the two relate to one another and how a true GCR can result from the direction that we are headed and how the structure that we already have could facilitate all of this if the people within it worked differently. We might take some other roads along the way, but hopefully, we will end up with a good perspective on where God is moving in our churches and how true revival can erupt in the 40,000+ Southern Baptist churches in America so that we can take the gospel effectively to the ends of the earth.

Of course, I will write about other things along the way as I usually do, but inserting this focus into my normal writing on spiritual issues seems like a worthwhile, short-term writing project. I'll be finished with this by June, but I imagine that I will learn a lot.

Hope you read along.

Creating Missional Movement: Apostolic versus Pastoral Leadership of the Church

I am at a training conference today at the Alabama State Board of Missions led by Dr. Curt Watke on something called APEPT missionality. The idea is that every church has the roles and functions of the apostolic (sentness), prophetic (analysis), evangelistic (gospel proclamation), pastors (shepherding/discipling), and teachers (organizers/communicators). He is saying that all of these roles are needed for the church to be healthy. Dr. Watke leads the Intercultural Institute for Contextual Ministry: http://www.iicm.net .

One thing that is striking me at this point is that when the pastoral/shepherding role dominates the church, the church remains static. It is focused on nurturing and taking care of believers and tending to their needs. This is what most people expect from the local church. They expect the church to be there for them, to encourage them, to marry, bury, and support and counsel them. All of that is good and needed, but that is not all that the church is supposed to be. Without the prophetic impulse, we miss what needs to change both personally and corporately. Without the evangelistic, we don't take the church beyond the meeting house. Without teaching, people do not grow spiritually and things are chaotic.

But, the most glaring omission in the local church today is the apostolic. I am not talking about the original 12 Apostles. I am talking about the role of apostle that speaks to the "sentness" of the church. In this perspective, the apostolic is related to the missional - it actually means the same thing. The gospel is to be given to movement amongst and beyond the people of God. When the apostolic is predominant, movement is accepted and is regular. When the pastoral is predominant, then movement ceases and things become static. Which is the true vision of the New Testament church? Is the NT church a movement or an institution? Whenever it becomes an institution and ceases to be a movement, it might look good and organized, but it is not the church. It might attract consumers but it does not make disciples. Is the pastoral necessary? Absolutely! But, the NT church was led by the apostolic/missional impulse, not the pastoral. The pastoral is to complement the movement of the gospel expressed missionally, not dominate over it.

I think that we need to get things back in order biblically. Of course, the prophetic also exists to bring discernment and to keep the church moving in the direction of gospel advance. I am a pastor, but I recognize that if all I do is focus on shepherding those who are already there, then we are missing our calling. A lot of other churches are as well, I think.

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C.S. Lewis on Pride ~ Proud People Cannot Know God

The Christians are right. It is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began. Other vices may sometimes bring people together: you may find good fellowship and jokes and friendliness among drunken people or unchaste people. But pride always means enmity - it IS enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God.

In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that - and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison - you do not know God at all. As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.

~ from Mere Christianity

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Blessed Are the Mourners - Seeing Something Of Jesus I Have Never Seen Before

I have been gripped by the Beatitudes over the past week or so and last Sunday, while I was preaching, God showed me something of Himself that I have talked about but never really grasped the way that I have since then. Words won't be able to express this and when I have tried to explain it, I stumble and bumble all over myself. It can only be summed by saying that Jesus is enough.

I was working through the Beatitudes and I hit Matthew 5:4 that says, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." I realized that when I mourn, I am blessed, not because mourning is a good thing in and of itself. Who wants to mourn? Who wants to be sad? But, I realized that in the perspective of what Jesus was saying, when I did mourn, I would be blessed because Jesus would show up and comfort me. It is better to mourn and be comforted by Jesus than it is to be happy and healed and whole without Jesus. Pain + Jesus is better than Pleasure without Jesus. He is all I need. He is my satisfaction. I am not to just hope that He makes everything better. HE is better. I am not to just hope that He heals me and gives me a good life. HE is healing. HE is the good life. I am not to continually hope that Jesus will give me good things apart from Him - there are no good things apart from Christ.

I have been saying that Jesus is not a means to an end. What I mean by that is that Jesus is not the way to have a good marriage, good kids, material comfort, or a happy life. That would be idolatry and would put a good marriage, good kids, material comfort, or a happy life as the goal or god of our life with Jesus as the way to secure it. Bible believing Evangelicals have their own prosperity gospel. We might not say, "Sow your seed of $100 and you'll get $1000," but we do say, "Follow Jesus and you will have a good life. You marriage will be awesome and your kids will be awesome and YOU will be awesome."  So, we have these expecations that if we follow Christ, everything will work out and we will be supremely happy all the time. But, what if things don't work this way? Jesus said that in this life we will have trouble. So, you can't make deals with God to get your way. I get all of this. Our goals should not focus on ourselves, but rather, we should seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to us. God gives us these things because He is good and because He loves us and because He has a way for us to live. But, they are gifts from a loving Father. We don't earn them and we definitely don't use God to get them. He will not be manipulated and if He chooses to not answer all our prayers the way we want, He is still good and He is still God. God is not a character in our story. We are a character in His story.

But, this past weekend, I realized this truth on a deeper level. While I have laid down my bargains with God on the follow-Jesus-and-get-the-happy-life thing, I have still believed that He was the way to everything I wanted in the Christian life. I wanted power in ministry. I wanted things to be right. I wanted spiritual and relational healing. I wanted a strong, growing church. I wanted to make an impact in the world. I wanted people to love me and for all wounds to be healed. I wanted to be whole and complete and free of pain of any sort . . . all good things, no doubt, but if those things are my goals, then where does Jesus fit in? You got it. He is the way to get those desires met. In that, Jesus becomes subservient in my heart to the things that are related to Him. If I find my identity and worth and significance in things connected to Christ - His gifts - and not in Christ Himself, then what have I become?

Then, in a flash, I was faced with the proposition - would I take pain and struggle and hardship and rejection - mourning, sadness, and many tears? Would I take all of this if it meant that Jesus would be there to comfort me? Would I stop seeking after healing and wholeness and rejoice in my sufferings because through them I meet Christ? Would I give up seeing Jesus as a means to spiritual attainment and instead find myself in Him? Would I give up even good, spiritual, religious things as my main goal and instead find my life hidden with Christ in God? Do I really think that He is better? Do I really want to know Him or just His blessings?  I am not trying to create a false dichotomy here between The Giver and His gifts. However, the presence of suffering and loss and sin and grieving and mourning in the world causes us to recognize that things just do not always work out the way that we desire. What do we do with that? Will we attempt to use God to alleviate the pain and therefore make the freedom from pain the main thing? Or, will we keep our eyes on Jesus even through the pain, knowing, being totally confident, that He is greater than even our freedom from pain and also knowing that He will comfort and heal with His presence?  As accurately as I try to explain this, I am still failing I fear.

"Blessed are those who mourn."  When I find myself mourning, hurting, saddened, brokenhearted, I need not despair. Those are real emotions and they come from loss in this world and I don't need to shut them off. I need not look to my pain and wonder why a loving God would allow me to hurt or go through this. I don't need to wonder why God won't show up and relieve my suffering. He is greater than the pain. I can lift my eager eyes to Heaven and know that there is a Savior who lives to intercede for me and He has sent the Comforter to comfort me in all my troubles and that He is near to the brokenhearted and the nearness of God is my good. I need not look for healing and wholeness and spiritual, emotional, and relational health and success. Instead, I only need look to Christ. He is my satisfaction and my hope and if I meet Him more clearly in the midst of mourning and suffering and pain, then I praise God for the mourning and the tears and the suffering and the pain and the rejection and the hurt - because those things have brought me to my Blessed Savior in Whom all the treasures of the universe beyond my comprehension reside. It is in that state that He shows up and comforts me and I see Him. For when I have Christ, I have all things and there is nothing good that exists outside of Him. When I have Jesus, I have healing because He is my healing. So, if when I mourn I am comforted by Christ, then I am truly blessed above all men who do not mourn but also do not have Christ.

Jesus flips everything upside down. He is not the way to be saved. He is salvation. Jesus is not the way to the spiritual life. He is life. Jesus is not the way to heaven. He is Heaven. If anything, even heartache and pain, allows me to see Jesus more clearly, then I am blessed - not because the heartache or pain was a good thing. It is not. It stinks and it hurts and it causes me to mourn. God understands that. But, Christ will show up and bring comfort to my heart and He is better than anything - even not going through the mourning in the first place.  Realizing this changes everything.

That is what I am starting to see at a whole new level and I pray that this truth would completely permeate my life. Seeing this is really the only way that we can consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds because we know that the testing of our faith develops perseverance (James 1:2-3). Seeing this is the only way that we can rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4). As with many things that you learn about God, you see it for a moment and then often lose it. The things of this world or our hardened hearts choke it out. I pray that I am good soil and that Christ is always before me and that this seed of truth would produce a harvest in my heart a hundred times over. I appreciate your prayers for me along those lines as well.  I still feel as though I have explained this poorly and grasp it barely. Perhaps it will grow and I will see this more clearly. I hope so, because just a taste of seeing Jesus in this way has been one of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring experiences of my life. It is a taste of Christ that fills me with more hope and joy and courage and love than words can explain.  

Bart Barber on The GCR Task Force Progress Report

I haven't interacted with my old friend Bart Barber in quite some time. We used to have some great debates back in the heyday of SBC blogging circa 2006-2008. But, I was wondering what he thought about the GCR Task Force's Progress Report, so I checked out his blog. He writes a very thoughtful couple of posts about his take on the GCRTF's work and finishes up by saying this:

This is not a report that "blows up" anything. Praise the Lord. This is a report that respectfully recognizes the value and substance of previous generations' accomplishments and then determines to build upon them.

Were you expecting this report to amount to Moses come down from the mountain with the thing that somebody else was going to do to inaugurate a third great awakening to spread across the globe? Then you're likely to be underwhelmed by this progress report. Obviously, a <1% reallocation of money and a few points of restructuring are not going to mark the sea-change of our spiritual future.

If, however, you were expecting (as I was) a few points of denominational restructuring that stand a chance of helping a little bit, then maybe you're pleased with this progress report. I know that I am. I plan to vote in support of these measures, and I hope that you will do so, too.

That is pretty much how I saw it. Bart also says some really good things at the end about the need for all of us to turn to the Lord and serve Him where we are. Absolutely. So, overall, I agree with Bart's assessment about what the GCRTF is putting forward.

Bart and I would probably disagree, however, on whether or not a modest proposal is a good thing. We have been told that the SBC was facing a crisis of historic proportions and that this was a "watershed" moment. But, at the end of the day, we are looking at proposals that basically advance some minor restructuring. Or so it seems. Interesting.

What do my SBC readers (for those who actually have a clue as to what I am talking about) make of this?

Why the #GCR Will Not Work the Way Its Leaders Hope

Last night, the GCRTF (Great Commission Resurgence Task Force) of the Southern Baptist Convention released their mid-term progress report on the work that they have been doing to help bring renewal to the SBC. They are going to release the whole report full of recommendations in early May in preparation for the SBC's Annual Meeting in June where it will be voted on. The GCR came about after a groundswell of people calling for massive change in the SBC over the past several years. Here is a link to the full report.

One of the best things that GCRTF leader, Ronnie Floyd said last night was this,

While tonight you will hear our vision that does ask Southern Baptists to considering changing some things, we realize our number one need is to return to God in deep repentance and experience a fresh wave of His Spirit upon our lives, ministries, and work of our denomination. We need a fresh and compelling vision that will only come when we are right with Him.

He is absolutely correct. The SBC is in decline. We have lost our vision and we are focused on many of the wrong things. But, it is not just a loss of vision at the top in our denominational agencies. Our fundamental problem is coming up from our churches. I think that Dr. Floyd and the GCRTF realizes this, and on this point, they are on target. We desperately need widespread renewal and it must begin at the local church level.

He goes on to say,

. . . We believe that every local church needs to begin to operate as a missional strategy center. After the church gathers for worship, the church must scatter and send the people to advance the Gospel. When ministers see themselves as missional strategists and churches begin to operate as missional strategy centers, releasing and sending our people to advance the gospel regionally, nationally, and globally, we will begin to penetrate the lostness in our world.

This is also correct in that the local church must carry out the Great Commission. The local church is to be on the front lines of what God is doing in the world. I have heard SBC leaders say over and over again that the denominational structures of the SBC exist to help the local church carry out its mission. Absolutely right. But, do we really see the local church in this way? That is the rhetoric. But, what is reality?  Theologically, we do see things this way. In reality, we do not.

Much of what was said last night was excellent. It was really good rhetoric. But, when it came time to bring out concrete proposals, the rhetoric did not match up with the recommendations. Here were the 6 proposals according to the Baptist Press article:

1. Calling Southern Baptists "to rally towards a clear and compelling missional vision and begin to conduct ourselves with core values that will create a new and healthy culture within the Southern Baptist Convention." The "missional vision" is "as a convention of churches, ... to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and to make disciples of all the nations." The eight core values are Christ-likeness, Truth, Unity, Relationships, Trust, Future, Local Church and Kingdom.  ME:  This is really good. I like these ideas. They are in the Bible and are the character of Christ and I am glad that they are being highlighted by the GCRTF.  But, how will they be carried out? How will they be implemented? When the other plans were rolled out, they were not connected with these values. I like words. I use them all the time. But, it is easy for words to just be words.
2. Recommending the North American Mission Board "prioritize efforts to plant churches in North America and to reach our nation’s cities and clarify its role to lead and accomplish efforts to reach North America with the Gospel." The North American Mission Board needs to be "reinvented and released" by implementing a direct strategy for planting churches in North America "with a priority to reach metropolitan areas and under-served people groups," Floyd said. The plan also calls for NAMB to assist churches in evangelism, discipleship and developing current pastoral leadership. It calls for NAMB to decentralize operations into seven regions and recommends releasing the entity from "cooperative agreements" with state conventions over the course of four years to free up money for national strategy.  ME:  So, NAMB is given the huge mission of planting churches all over North America, especially in the cities apart from state convention agreements. The result of this will be a much larger NAMB working everywhere with churches all over the U.S.  NAMB will come in and work in areas that were once reserved for state conventions, but for everything else, state conventions will be responsible. This creates yet another duplication of resources and work, unless the state conventions just go away altogether. I imagine that they will want more CP money for this, but how will this work, exactly? If you said that NAMB should work in pioneer regions where there are few churches and small state conventions, I can see it. But, everywhere? With no state agreements? It will be easier at first, but it will duplicate resources and strategy long-term.  Plus, NAMB is the only SBC entity that was really targeted for complete reorganization here while most everything else stays in tact. It is also the one that has been through repeated failure and lacks political muscle right now.
3. Requesting Southern Baptists "entrust to the International Mission Board the ministry to reach the unreached and under-served people groups without regard to any geographic limitations." "Globalization has flattened the world," Floyd said. "While years ago a people group was located within a specific geographical location, this is no longer reality. Reality today is that these people groups are located all over the world, including the United States.... Most of the 586 people groups that do not speak English in the United States have [IMB] strategy coordinators working overseas with the same groups. With geographical limitations removed, a new synergy can be created in international missions." Floyd added: "We believe that with this bold and needed change, we are positioning our convention of churches for a major evangelistic harvest, a discipleship revolution and an unprecedented, exponential explosion in church planting."  ME:  How will this be funded? The IMB will receive about $2 million more dollars a year when the percentage of CP giving that leaves the states and makes it to the national SBC goes from 50% to 51%. But, the IMB is struggling mightily with budget problems right now. So, you give them all of the foreign people groups in North America and add $2 million to the budget to do it? Plus, how much confusion will erupt at this point when you have a city that has local Baptist churches, a local association, a state convention, NAMB trying to plant churches, and the IMB working with ethnic groups? All in one area! And, none of them are working together necessarily and money from offering plates is going to all 5 groups. We keep saying that the local church is the front line of world mission, but we keep sending other groups to the frontlines. The reason that the IMB makes sense is because local churches cannot effectively go overseas. But, it makes little sense for the IMB to work in the U.S. apart from a consulting role when it comes to reaching ethnic and foreign language groups, in my opinion.
4. Moving the primary responsibility for Cooperative Program promotion and stewardship education ministry assignments from the Executive Committee to the state conventions. ME: I don't see where this makes much difference other than taking some money from the EC and reapportioning it elsewhere. Of course, it now makes the primary fundraisers for the SBC the State Conventions, where an average of over 60% of CP money stays, instead of making it to the foreign mission field. Does this sound like a good idea?
5. Reaffirming the Cooperative Program "as our central means of supporting Great Commission ministries" and establishing a broader category of "Great Commission Giving" to celebrate all the financial support – CP giving and designated giving -- local congregations provide for Southern Baptist missions. "We are not recommending any changes to the Cooperative Program but are reaffirming it as our central means of supporting the Great Commission ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention," Floyd said, saying the task force calls upon every church "to work diligently at giving more through the Cooperative Program." ME: So, we're not changing the CP, but we are changing the way that money gets counted as CP giving. Ok. There are a couple of reasons for this: 1. So that megachurches like Dr. Floyd's can give to different things in the SBC and still have it count as CP gifts. 2. So that churches can bypass their state conventions and give directly to what they want to support and call it CP giving. The reason that all of the money that you give to SBC causes needs to be counted as CP giving is so that those churches get credit and so the pastors of said churches can gain appointments to certain committees and seats of power within the SBC. If that is not the case, then who cares if the money your church gives to whatever it wants is counted as CP or not?  
6. Raising the percentage of Cooperative Program funds received by the International Mission Board in the 2011-2012 budget year to 51 percent and funding the increase in part with monies previously allocated to the SBC Executive Committee for Cooperative Program promotion and stewardship education. The proposal would reduce the SBC Operating Budget allocation of 3.40 percent by 1 percentage point, or roughly $2 million, and add it to the IMB's budget, currently at nearly $320 million. Calling the proposal "both symbolic and substantial," Floyd said, "This means that for the first time in our history, more than one-half of all monies that come from our churches through the SBC Cooperative Program will go to the reaching of the nations.... We believe this is a great move forward and we need to do all we can to reach the nations." ME:  Ummm, really? Over one-half of all monies that come from our churches through the SBC Cooperative Program will go to the reaching of the nations? That makes it look like that over half of the money that my church gives to the CP goes to the IMB. But, what he means is that AFTER the states take their 60% of CP money, or so, THEN, 51% that goes to the national entity makes it to the IMB. Just wanted to clarify. That comes to about an extra $2 million per year making it to the IMB. Oh, and by the way, they were just given the responsibility of taking the lead on reaching the unreached people groups from other countries that live in North America . . . where we have over 40,000 local churches . . . and thousands of local associations . . . and over 30 state conventions . . . and NAMB . . . and where over 90% of all funds given by Christians stay. Wow.

Okay. So, I am not trying to be critical here. These are all good men, I am sure. But, after reading over these proposals and knowing what kind of trouble the SBC is in and knowing how much desire that exists among so many people in the SBC for change, this looks like, well, it looks like not much of anything. I mean, this is basically some adminstrative and bureaucratic manuevering to put some money and responsibility in different places. It seems far less ambitious than the SBC restructuring in the late 90's that did not solve anything. How are these recommendations going to address the massive problems that we have and be a catalyst for the change that we need? I have been supportive of the GCR, but I am confused as to what is really going to change in the life of people and local churches. Of course, they say that real change has to start on an individual level. With this, I agree. But, if that is the case, then how is that being fostered and encouraged?

All in all, I've come to the conclusion that the SBC is no longer capable on any level of leveraging movement among our churches. I don't think that either state or national leadership of the SBC is able to swing any type of top-down renewal or resurgence. People just are not paying attention. Even a day after this report has been given, there is very little reaction to it. How is this going to get out to the people who are not paying attention? And, even if it does, what difference will these recommendations make? My great fear is that people got their hopes up and thought that some big changes were on their way, and now, when this is what we are looking at, most will realize that nothing much is ever going to change in the SBC.

We'll see. But, that is how this all strikes me. Instead, the change that will come to the SBC will happen with individual churches, Baptists, and leaders begin to take ownership over the mission themselves. That is what the GCR leaders want. But, when that happens, it won't work the way that they want it to. It will look way different than anyone can possibly imagine and it will mean the end of the SBC as we know it as it loses its centralized nature and becomes more of an organic network of churches with the initiative happening at the local church level instead of in the offices of those who control CP money.

And, that might be exactly what needs to happen.  

 

More on the Multi-Site, Video Venue Church . . .

Yesterday, I wrote a post in the Multi-Site, Video Venue church that initiated a pretty good discussion. I learned a lot and must confess that my feelings about that style of church are now different in several areas. I really appreciate the comments of James, Rachel, and Kasey and my seminary professor from a decade ago, Don Simmons, on Facebook. They told me about their personal experiences with this style of church and about how much growth they and others are experiencing. I am glad and am under no illusion that single-site, live preaching churches are doing a better job of making disciples across the board. It also looks like churches like Northpoint Community Church led by Andy Stanley in the Atlanta area are really intentional about building community and making disciples. Maybe their concern for what could go wrong with this type of model has caused them to intentionally focus on the biblical nature of the church in a way that they would not have if they were just trying to draw a crowd. The testimony of the people going to these churches has definitely caused me to take a closer look at this. So, I am thankful for that.

I have one more area of concern, however, and I must admit that it is personal. It comes from being a pastor who preaches and teaches multiple times a week. Maybe other pastors are better at this. Actually, I know that they are and I am definitely no Andy Stanley. While I believe that the Gospel and the Word of God is applicable to all people everywhere, I am very much a relational teacher. In other words, I think about what is going on in the lives of the people that I am speaking to. I look for feedback. I ask questions, even during the Sunday service. All the while, I am trying to connect and relate what I am saying to the listener. The message is not just a presentation of information, but it is dynamic in my heart and life and it builds throughout the week as I think about where we are as a community of faith and where God might he taking us in Him and in the world. A few years ago, someone criticized my preaching by saying that they didn't think that I understood what our people were going through on a day-to-day basis. All preachers get criticized for that at times, but I really took what they said to heart (after I got over it). The preaching event, as I see it, is meant to be alive and dynamic and interactive, at least on an emotional level, in that the preacher breaks the bread of life to people that he is entrusted with to shepherd, feed, and help grow in the Lord. I guess that it is just really personal for me and I don't see it as a job or a talk or a speech. Perhaps my struggle is not with the form of the multi-site video venue church as much as it is with the impersonal nature of mass communication on every level and how you overcome that. I know that liv preaching becomes impersonal when the crowd reaches a certain size as well. I agree, which is why I like our Wednesday night Bible study with around 40 people best of all.

I don't think that everyone sees this the way I do. I completely understand that most people who go to church don't see this or understand what goes on in the heart of a preacher. But, I do. And I know the difference between when I am presenting information and when I am laying my heart out on the floor. Obviously, lots of guys can do that through a video camera. But, when I watch that, I can't escape the feeling that I am listening in on the conversation that he is having with the people that he is with. Maybe that's because I know what I am thinking and feeling when I attempt to proclaim the very words of God.

Maybe I will figure this out and get better at it. Maybe I am wired to pastor smaller churches where I personally know the people and can see the people that I am teaching grow and struggle and grow some more, confident that God is always working. I am not saying that those things can't happen in larger churches and I will minister to as many people as God allows, but if I were to ever lose the sense of opening up a vein and bleeding all over the floor when I preach, as though lives depended on it, I would probably need to do something else. Like I said, lots of people can do that through video. But, looking people in the eye is a big part of it for me and it would be weird to not have that.

At the same time, I also recognize that lots of people are looking for different things when it comes to a church and a personal relationship with the pastor is often not high on the list. Again, I am just sharing from my perspective. Pastors are a shrinking group, overall, and it will be interesting to see what happens when a growing American population, a struggling economy, aging churches, a shrinking pastorate, and the rising popularity of multi-site video venue churches all meet. That will be interesting. But, I don't doubt that God can use anything to accomplish His purposes, so, we'll see.

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Are Multi-Site, Video-Venue Churches a Good Idea?

I have thinking about this quite a bit over the past few months and have decided to weigh in with some thoughts. I'd appreciate any other opinions on this as well. The new trend in church growth is for successful churches with popular pastors to start new congregations in other places by broadcasting their preaching via video to the new site. These sites usually have a campus pastor and small groups. Sometimes, they have live worship and sometimes it is simulcast in as well. Multi-site churches are springing up all over and I have to admit that I don't get the appeal.

I understand the desire for good preaching and to be connected to a successful, well-resourced church model. Americans love to be around and hear from "winners" and successful people. But, getting up on Sunday morning week after week to watch a guy in another city preach on a video screen? You cannot possibly know him and he cannot possibly know you. His message is not contextualized to your context, your community, or the gathering at the satellite site. Sure, you have a campus pastor, but why can't he preach? If he did preach the message and person of Jesus Christ, would people not come because he wasn't the celebrity preacher? If that is true, then why are they coming? I am not against a hub church doing this for conferences or on occasion to disseminate information or vision, but every week?

If we are appealing to America's desire for celebrity now in the local church, that is a problem. Why can't we raise up leaders who can preach and lead? What does it do to the faith of people who are a part of a video-venue multi-site church? Would it reinforce passivity and spectator Christianity? How are the dynamics of biblical community affected by this approach? I agree that it might seem appealing in the 3-5 year span, but how can this be sustainable in the long run?

My wife says that she doesn't see much difference between the video venue church and the megachurch. Good point. If people like megachurches they will probably like video venue churches. But, what does that say about our view of church? At least in the megachurch the man preaching is around. He is a real person, not a TV character. But, if the average person can't know the pastor of the megachurch either, then that is also a problem.

Anyway, I obviously have a lot of questions about this and my opinion of the multisite video venue church is not good.

What do you think? What are the implications of this? Why would people want this? What affect will this have in 10-20 years? Interested to see what others think.

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:Update: I wrote this post this morning and after engaging in discussion with readers in the comment stream, I am learning a lot. I pecked the post out on my phone and just intended to present my initial impressions on the growing surge of multi-site, video-venue churches and some questions that I had about it. Going back and reading it now, those questions presented in machine-gun-fire-staccato makes it look like my opinion against this is much harsher than it actually is. I tend to start from a strong position on something, which is what inspires me to learn more about it while trying to keep an open mind. I'm weird that way. Thanks to all those so far who are attempting to answer my questions and help me see a broader view on why this is working well for many people. No doubt, the way that we have done church in the past has problems and I definitely do not want to shut down creativity. I just wonder where this will lead long-term.  

Still Grieving Over Haiti - What Do We Do Now?

Someone asked me today if I had recovered from my trip to Haiti yet. I told them that I had recovered physically, but emotionally and spiritually, I was still very affected. I cannot get the vision of the Haitian people out of my minds. The children, the men and women, the injured, the sick, the hungry, the scared. So many have lost family members and loved ones. Homes destroyed. Futures wrecked. They were a poor people to begin with, but they are a beautiful people. The worth of a person or a nation is not found in how much money they have, but rather in what God thinks of them. God loves them, I know that to be true. Do we love them, or have we moved on?

I am trying to figure out what I am supposed to do next. What are any of us supposed to do? The big organizations and the media tell us to give money. But, then you find out that what has been given has not made it to Haiti yet. It is on its way, but there is so much that has to be done to move the massive amounts of supplies that are needed in an organized way. There are so many obstacles in the way. I get that. But, it does not change the fact that people are suffering right now. Rainy season starts in March. Do you realize how many people are sleeping outside? How many children? No, just giving more money is not the answer. That is the easy thing to do. Cut a check for $100 and send it to one of the big disaster relief organizations and then go on with your life. That soothes the conscience, but the reality is that it is not filling the bellies of the children who are going to bed hungry again tonight - a bed that consists of some blankets piled on concrete in the open, or maybe under a sheet that is stretched out like a tent. The truth is that we do need to give money - but we also need teams of people to go and distribute the food and medicine and help with providing supplies to put up some temporary structures to keep people out of the rain and sun. We can't just feel good about giving some money. We also need people to go in teams and do the work of helping people and proclaiming Jesus.

I got to be on a team like that at the end of last month when I went to Haiti. They are Helping Hands Foreign Missions. They are not very large, but they are being the hands and feet of Jesus. They are bringing the Kingdom of God and Jesus said that the Kingdom was like a mustard seed, or yeast, or a treasure hidden in a field. Little children find it. I am finding that bigger is not always better in this type of thing. We just need to help people. Helping Hands is doing exactly that. If you want to invest in an organization that is truly impacting people in Haiti right now, I highly encourage you to support what they are doing. They are going back on March 8 and need people to join them either then or in the subsequent weeks. If you can go to Haiti, you should, and you should do it through this group.

Here is their blog from the weeks that they spent in Haiti. Read about how they ministered Christ and stepped into places of suffering. The blog is really full of some incredible stories of God working by putting this team exactly where they needed to be to minister to and feed and care for hundreds and hundreds of people. Watch this video that aired on CBS News in Atlanta about the work of Helping Hands in Haiti. Pray about what you can do and be the hands and feet of Jesus in a country that is suffering greatly.

  

Miracles in Haiti: Multiplying Food and Supplies Among Baptist Medical Teams

The following story from Baptist Press perfectly illustrates the point that I was making in my post earlier today. If we follow the Lord into hard places and show up, we can trust Him to multiply our provision and do miracles that astound us. If we try to work everything out in our own strength ahead of time, then we only have our own strength to depend on. We need to depend on God way more in the area of disaster relief. There is a way of Jesus here. Read my post from this morning and then read this report of God's miracle working power among a Baptist medical team that arrived a week after the earthquake:

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (BP)--Six state Southern Baptist Disaster Relief medical teams are among the first Baptists to minister in Haiti since the deadly 7.0 earthquake on Jan. 12.

SBDR medical volunteers from Arkansas and North Carolina have already come and gone, and Kentucky and Mississippi teams arrived on Monday, Feb. 1. Florida and South Carolina medical volunteers are due to arrive in Port-Au-Prince on Wednesday, Feb. 3.

The Mississippi and Kentucky teams wasted no time after arriving on Monday, turning a small library into a pharmacy and treating 550 patients. The Mississippi team is operating a small hospital out of a Haitian Baptist church located on the edge of one of Port-Au-Prince's larger tent cities directly across from the national capitol building. The Kentucky team is working at a clinic near the presidential palace.

North American Mission Board disaster relief consultant Terry Henderson and a team of six will leave Atlanta on Thursday, Feb. 4, to serve as an incident command team in Haiti. They will link up with Fritz Wilson and Dennis Wilbanks of the Florida Baptist Convention, who are on the ground in Haiti for the second time since the earthquake.

Henderson and his team will be busy planning logistics, lodging, transportation, feeding and communications for SBDR's eventual "D Day" -- the day dozens of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams from the state conventions begin to be deployed to Haiti, a process that will extend over many months.

The Arkansas medical team was the first to land in Point-Au-Prince, ministering from Jan. 19-22.

Veteran disaster relief workers Tamara Gore and Jerry Gay were two of the 10 members of the Arkansas unit. Nothing prepared them for their first drive through downtown Port-Au-Prince, they reported. The unmistakable smell of death was pungent and everywhere.

Haiti was in only its seventh day following the devastating earthquake. More than 100,000 bodies had already been recovered, and most had been buried in mass graves to stave off disease. The temperature was in the mid-80s.

"I was in the first car," said Gore, a law enforcement chaplain from Benton, Ark. "You could see the bodies. We would pass a collapsed building and you would smell the bodies. Everybody knew what it was without talking about it."

Gay, associate missionary for the North Pulaski Baptist Association in Sherwood, Ark., thought he had seen it all after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"I've never seen anything even close to this disaster, even Katrina," Gay said. "My wife and I both worked after Katrina. It was bad but this was a different kind of bad. This was sudden with no warning. At least there was some warning for Katrina."

Gay said his worst memory came while riding in downtown Port-Au-Prince one afternoon. Spotting the rubble of a flattened building and trying to stomach the accompanying stench, Gay asked his driver what the structure had been. The driver told him the building had been a school.

"Immediately, I thought of my little granddaughter back in Arkansas," Gay recounted. "I thought I was ready for what I would see, but my mind raced to my granddaughter.... That's the kind of thing people who come down here need to be prepared for."

As the additional SBDR teams arrive in the Haitian capital in the days and weeks to come, Gay advises them to know why they're going before they get there.

"The mission ought to be clear," Gay said. "Folks need to be mentally, emotionally and spiritually prepared."

Gore said it another way: "I would tell disaster relief people that they need to be prayed up before they get there, because they don't know what they're going into and what they're going to be dealing with," said the 51-year-old chaplain with 28 years of experience.

Gore said the Arkansas medical team -- two medical doctors, four nurses, a nurse practitioner, a physical therapist, an emergency medical technician, a crisis counselor and Gay, the unit's communications expert -- flew directly into Port-Au-Prince via Mission Flights International (MFI) on Jan. 19. They set up a clinic at El Shaddai Baptist Church on the northern outskirts of Port-Au-Prince, near the airport and across from the U.N. compound.

During their four-day stint, the team saw around 70 patients a day at the makeshift clinic, including children from the El Shaddai Orphanage where they stayed at night.

The two physicians -- one a pediatrician, the other a surgeon and pediatric urologist –- treated patients for broken bones, cuts, abrasions, depression and stress-induced gastro-intestinal problems. They also saw patients who had to be transported to other medical sites because of the more serious nature of their injuries.

The clinic had no electricity. Team members slept on air mattresses on the floor. Gore said sleep was difficult at best because of the tropical heat and the nightly crowing roosters and bleating goats and sheep. Gay had the only cell phone that worked. Otherwise, communications was possible only by satellite phones.

Until the Arkansas team departed Haiti on Jan. 23, its biggest concern was running out of the precious antibiotics, pain medicines, bandages, snacks and other supplies they needed to treat the Haitians. Because of weight restrictions on the MFI plane, the team had brought only two large black bags of medical supplies.

But here's where both Gore and Gay tell a remarkably consistent story -- the story of just one of the miracles in Haiti so far.

"The first night there, we were afraid of running out of supplies," Gore recounted. "So when I gave the devotional that night, I talked about the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with the loaves and fishes. I talked about how we needed to pray for God to bless what we had, show us how to distribute what we had, and that God would give us what we needed."

Unbeknownst to the rest of the team, the two physicians and the physical therapist circled the two medical bags of supplies that same night and also prayed that the supplies would be sufficient, Gay said.

After two days and seeing 180 Haitian patients, Gore and Gay both insist that the two bags -- neither of them cram-packed even upon arrival -– were still full at the end of the second day. They said the same was true of a large sack of peanuts, cheese snacks and pretzels donated to the team by Southwest Airlines. Two days later, the bag had more snacks than they started with.

"People can draw their own conclusions," Gay said. "We're not crazy people, we're professional people. We carried in two bags of supplies. The bags were full but not bulging. When we got ready to leave, it was all a couple of us men could do to zip up the bags. Nobody came in and gave us any additional supplies or snacks. We left two full bags for the next medical team coming in.

"All we could do is look at each other and laugh -- knowing that it had to have been God who had multiplied that stuff," Gay said.

Gay and Gore both said they are already making plans to return to Haiti. In addition to the two men, the other eight members of the Arkansas medical team were Deborah Quade, Angela Titus, Emily Magnusson, Rebecca Brown, Carl Garvin, Larry Gore, John Redman and Katherine Durham.
--30--
Mickey Noah is a writer for the North American Mission Board.

What if we had had 60 teams in Haiti within the first 3 weeks instead of 6? What if we were feeding people who are starving?  Could God protect and supply those teams as well? I don't want to presume upon God or tempt Him. We need to make sure that we are being led by the Holy Spirit. But, sometimes I think that we don't hear from God because we think that we already know what we can and can't do and we make decisions based off of our ability instead of God's supernatural power. I am so thankful for the team from Arkansas and I praise God for the miracle of multiplication that He provided.

Haiti Reflections: Why the Agonizingly Slow Response From Christians?

It has been over 3 weeks since the earthquake in Haiti. Hundreds of thousands are homeless - millions are affected. Up to 200,000 lost their lives. People all over Haiti are incredibly open to the gospel. It is not just food and medicine that they want. They did not just lose homes and loved ones. They want hope. They want to believe that there is a God who loves them and has not forgotten them. Christian ministries are still just barely trickling in. We have been intimidated by the size of the disaster and are obsessing over security concerns and logistical problems. Meanwhile, Haitians continue to suffer while we take our cues from the UN and State Department. I know that things need to be coordinated and organized. I know that certain rules need to he followed. The mistakes of the Baptists from Idaho should be lessons for all of us. You have to have your act together. I am also not suggesting that we go over there handing out tracts and doing Back Yard Bible Clubs. The Haitians need food, water, medicine, doctors, and shelter. But, over three weeks after a massive disaster like this and we are still trying to figure things out? Have we lost our nerve? Do we want everything to be guaranteed and secure? We try to arrange things so that we can go and come back with little cost to ourselves, it seems. Or, we take a long-term view on everything before we even show up to give a cup of cold water. I don't know how to solve all of Haiti's problems. It is a desperately poor country that has had massive problems for a long time. But, I do know that right now, there are people in need who are crying out to Jesus for help. What is taking us so long? What took so long?

I think that Christians might be thinking about disaster relief the wrong way. We are taking our cues from the large disaster relief organizations and NGO's and we are trying to replicate what they are doing through sending massive amounts of supplies and aid. We also try to raise lots of money. That is great and we should do that, if possible, in the long-term. But, that should not be the first step. As Christians, the ministry of presence and the Spirit of God is what we have to offer. We are salt - we preserve and season - we are not the meat. We are light - we illuminate and give vision. We are yeast, not the dough. We make the whole thing rise. We are a small seed, dying and then growing. When we try to be the meat and the dough and the forest of trees, we end up grinding to a halt and paralyze ourselves with inactivity, trying to figure out the whole before we even engage a part. We leave little room for God's Spirit to guide us.

The Church is Different From the UN

On Thursday, January 28, I stood next to the capitol in a small, mobile medical clinic that was run by our team in Port-au-Prince. We saw a couple of hundred patients that day. We shared the gospel and prayed with a couple of hundred more. Everything ran smoothly and was in order. We conversed with and cared for the people. Around 3PM or so, a half block from where we were, the UN showed up and started distributing food. It was without warning. There was no humanity to it. People came running from all directions, fearful that the truck would leave and they would miss out. A crowd of 3,000 gathered and quickly got out of control. They came running back down the street with food in their hands. They also came back with information that 3 people had died in the melee. This event made the news, by the way. We were a half block away and were experiencing total peace while chaos erupted right down the street. I am fully confident that we could have distributed food with the same measure of peace as we distributed medical care. God was working there and it was not just us. Christians often forget the power of God.

The difference between the UN operation and what we were doing was night and day. Yet, it seems that the Christian community often takes their cues from the UN instead of just showing up and being salt, light, yeast, and seeds. We are raising lots of money but we are paralyzed in distributing it. We need to go, put people on the ground who are wise and self-sufficient, and administer grace and help in a time of need. No, we cannot feed 500,000. But, we can feed 500 and trust God to multiply that as large as He wants. Didn't Jesus show us how to do this with loaves and fishes, a little boy's lunch that God multiplied?

There is a way of Jesus, even in disaster relief. Salt, light, yeast, seed, loaves and fish. Trust God to multiply and do miracles. Do not be afraid of losing your life. Yes, be wise and work with others. Yeast has to work with the dough, remember? But, none of this can happen if we show up late or don't show up at all.

Finally, let me just say that I praise God for every ministry and Christian that is trying to help, even if they are moving slowly. This is not meant as criticism. I am not calling out anyone in particular here. My point is that I think that we are looking at a lot of this wrong, at least in the initial stages. I think that we have unknowingly adopted the world's methods for some of what we do and we are forgetting our mandate and the power of God. I am not throwing stones. But, I would not be faithful to what I have seen and the enormous need there if I did not say that I think that in the Kingdom of God, there is a better way, perhaps a way not traveled as much as it should be. I think that there is a way of Jesus, even in disaster relief, and it is imperative that we find it.



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The Saints and the Soul of New Orleans

As a New Orleans native, the Saints have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. The first football game I ever attended was against the Detroit Lions in a preseason game in the Superdome. I was 6 or 7 years old. My Dad and uncle were in the old Tulane Stadium in 1967 for the first Saints game when John Gilliam ran back the opening kick-off for a touchdown. I remember Archie Manning, the paper bags, the Aints, and all of the losing. I remember Bobby Hebert, Dalton Hilliard, Eric Martin, and the Dome Patrol. As a kid, I remember having my heart broken over and over again. I remember saying that I was done with them, and then they would always draw me back in, sometimes against my will. I remember my Papaw yelling at the TV and Sunday afternoons in the fall filled with misery as yet another season went down in flames. My Dad and I could always talk about the Saints no matter what else was going on. From time to time, the Saints would make the playoffs, only to be destroyed by the Vikings or the Eagles or Falcons, erasing all of the hope that had built up over the year. Through it all, the city of New Orleans has been in love with their football team since its inception and now that the Saints are going to the Super Bowl, the Who Dat Nation is in delirium.

I think that New Orleans bonded so closely with the Saints, in part, because they were losers. The losing and the loyalty and the promise of "Wait 'till next year," seems to embody the spirit of the New Orleans in some strange way. After Katrina, when there was so much devastation and death and the Superdome was turned into a refuge of last resort, a lot of people lost hope that the city would ever return. But, the Saints did return. A little over a year later when the Saints played their first home game against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night and that punt was blocked for a touchdown two minutes into the game, the rebuilt Superdome, the city, and everyone associated with New Orleans erupted in emotion. I watched on TV and I cried. I knew what it meant. The announcers were quiet for 37 seconds while the fans in Superdome screamed away the pain, the loss, the anger, and the frustration that had gripped their lives over the past year. The cheers of the people of New Orleans carried that team all the way to the NFC Championship Game. 3 years later, the Saints are in the Super Bowl.

It has been said that the Saints are a comfort for a city and a people that have lost so much. No, that is not true. They are a sign of how far the city and the people have come. New Orleans is rebuilding house by house, block by block, business by business. The New Orleans Saints reflect that and the people of South Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast have seen their team as reflective not of what was lost, but of what has been gained. Next year has come, and with it the promise of something better for a people who havve suffered so much.

I know that it is just a game. It is just football, not anything eternal, and whether the Saints beat the Colts on Sunday in Miami or not, people will get up the next day and go to work and keep rebuilding and keep looking forward to better days. They will celebrate a great season and how it pulled a city and a region together and they will look forward to next year. I know, it's just a game. But, if a game and a team can embody what it means to be from and miss a place, then this team has done it. When you think about human culture and what it means to be alive and have relationships and shared experiences and memories, then what is happening with the Saints right now, in a sense, does make it more than just a game.

I wish my Papaw could see this.

The Saints and the Soul of New Orleans

As a New Orleans native, the Saints have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. The first football game I ever attended was against the Detroit Lions in a preseason game in the Superdome. I was 6 or 7 years old. My Dad and uncle were in the old Tulane Stadium in 1967 for the first Saints game when John Gilliam ran back the opening kick-off for a touchdown. I remember Archie Manning, the paper bags, the Aints, and all of the losing. I remember Bobby Hebert, Dalton Hilliard, Eric Martin, and the Dome Patrol. As a kid, I remember having my heart broken over and over again. I remember saying that I was done with them, and then they would always draw me back in, sometimes against my will. I remember my Papaw yelling at the TV and Sunday afternoons in the fall filled with misery as yet another season went down in flames. My Dad and I could always talk about the Saints no matter what else was going on. From time to time, the Saints would make the playoffs, only to be destroyed by the Vikings or the Eagles or Falcons, erasing all of the hope that had built up over the year. Through it all, the city of New Orleans has been in love with their football team since its inception and now that the Saints are going to the Super Bowl, the Who Dat Nation is in delirium.

I think that New Orleans bonded so closely with the Saints, in part, because they were losers. The losing and the loyalty and the promise of "Wait 'till next year," seems to embody the spirit of the New Orleans in some strange way. After Katrina, when there was so much devastation and death and the Superdome was turned into a refuge of last resort, a lot of people lost hope that the city would ever return. But, the Saints did return. A little over a year later when the Saints played their first home game against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night and that punt was blocked for a touchdown two minutes into the game, the rebuilt Superdome, the city, and everyone associated with New Orleans erupted in emotion. I watched on TV and I cried. I knew what it meant. The announcers were quiet for 37 seconds while the fans in the Superdome screamed away the pain, the loss, the anger, and the frustration that had gripped their lives over the past year. The cheers of the people of New Orleans carried that team all the way to the NFC Championship Game. 3 years later, the Saints are in the Super Bowl.

It has been said that the Saints are a comfort for a city and a people that have lost so much. No, that is not true. They are a sign of how far the city and the people have come. New Orleans is rebuilding house by house, block by block, business by business. The New Orleans Saints reflect that and the people of South Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast have seen their team as reflective not of what was lost, but of what has been gained. Next year has come, and with it the promise of something better for a people who have suffered so much.

I know that it is just a game. It is just football, not anything eternal, and whether the Saints beat the Colts on Sunday in Miami or not, people will get up the next day and go to work and keep rebuilding and keep looking forward to better days. They will celebrate a great season and how it pulled a city and a region together and they will look forward to next year. I know, it's just a game. But, if a game and a team can embody what it means to be from and miss a place, then this team has done it. When you think about human culture and what it means to be alive and have relationships and shared experiences and memories, then what is happening with the Saints right now, in a sense, does make it more than just a game.

I wish my Papaw could see this.

Haitian Orphans and UNICEF's War Against International Adoption

On Wednesday of last week, I found myself traveling through the rubble strewn streets of Port-au-Prince on my way to the US Embassy. We went there to inquire about bringing 50 Haitian orphans to the United States. A ministry that I am familiar with called Bridges of Faith in Alabama has the facilities and the desire to take care of up to 50 Haitian orphans on something that the State Department calls a Humanitarian Waiver. When we got to the embassy we were told that the Haitian government was allowing orphans to leave the country last week. But, then things changed. Inexplicably, they changed direction and now no orphans were leaving Haiti. The 10 Americans who are now being detained in Haiti got caught up in this confusion, it appears. Some reports state that they had permission but they needed one more piece of paperwork to leave the country. What they did was not wise, but the rules have kept changing in Haiti regarding the orphan situation. Apparently, UNICEF (United Nations Childrens Fund) is playing a huge role here.

According to reports, UNICEF has a standing policy against international adoption (see HERE).  According to missionaries in Haiti and other reports from those trying to adopt, UNICEF has pressured the Haitian government to adhere to their policies on international adoption and cease releasing children to adoptive parents that have already been approved. The U.S. government is trying to get the children released and a stalemate has ensued. This is what we were caught up in at the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince and it is why the policies changed. The UNICEF perspective is that children in poverty-stricken condiitions are better off if they stay in orphanages in their native culture than if they leave their native culture and go to families in other countries. You can debate this all you want, but that is what is behind the fact that Haitan orphans are not being allowed to leave right now. UNICEF saw an opportunity to spread their philosophy to Haiti and they have a lot of money that the Haitian government needs. At least that is the story that is being reported by people in Haiti who are in the know.

As for the 10 missionaries from Idaho, the media is presenting this like they are bunch of sex traffickers that got caught. Did they make a mistake? Yes. Were they foolish and ill-informed? It appears that they were. However, it is easy to speculate that an example is being made of them to send a message that children are staying put, despite the best intentions. One report stated that they had full approval from the orphanage and the parents of the children that they were taking. 21 of the 33 children had parents and those parents actually put them on the bus to get them out of Haiti and to the Dominican Republic. I don't know the full story. It is doubtful that anyone does at this point. I fully understand the need to have things documented and for the proper paper work to be done. Actually, I fiercely support things being done the right way when it comes to children. There are many ill-intentioned people out there that would take advantage of a situation like this and it is possibly that the group from Idaho was in that number. But, when international power plays begin to get involved in things like this, then the story is not always as it appears. 

The role of the church is to be an advocate for justice and righteousness all over the world. The Haitian children should be protected from predators that would seek to exploit them in this time of disaster. At the same time, children that can be taken care of and provided for in these types of situations should be. If they cannot leave Haiti, then we should go to them and help care for them there. The 11 year old orphaned girl that we rescued from sex slavery last week is burned into my mind. Fortunately, she is in an orphanage that we are working with and is not being prostituted on the streets of Port-au-Prince. But, how many more are suffering? What else can we do?

My heart aches. 

Is It the Wind That Moves the Trees?

The whole concept of Downshoredrift is that God is always working - He is always initiating. We are not the initiators, but rather, we are to respond to the Divine Initiative. God is always working, always redeeming, always restoring, always saving and reconciling the world to Himself through Christ. In understanding this, we must realize that we are to follow Jesus (which implies that Jesus is moving through history) and not try to get Him to follow us. We are characters in God's story - He is not a character in our story. Believing this fundamental truth caused me to be in Port-au-Prince, Haiti last week and always leads is to unexpected places.

Eugene Peterson has a great perspective on this in his book, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places:

"G.K. Chesterton once said that there are two kinds of people in the world: when trees are waving wildly in the wind, one group of people thinks that it is the wind that moves the trees; the other group thinks that the motion of the trees creates the wind. The former view was the one held by most of humankind through most of its centuries; it was only in recent years, Chesterton said, that a new breed of people had emerged who blandly hold that it is the movement of trees that creates the wind. The consensus had always held that the invisible is behind and gives energy to the visible; Chesterton in his work as a journalist, closely observing and commenting on people and events, reported with alarm that the broad consensus had fallen apart and that the modern majority naively assumes that what they see and hear and touch is basic reality and generates whatever people come up with that cannot be verified with the senses. They think that the visible accounts for the invisible."

Are we man-centered or God-centered? Am I self-centered or Christ-centered? I confess that I am often the former. As I grow in maturity, my prayer is that I be conformed to the image of Christ, that I realize that it is the wind that moved the trees, not the other way around. God is always working. Faith gives is eyes to see that, and in seeing, we rejoice.



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Final Reflections on Haiti

I am sitting on the veranda of a restaurant overlooking the Caribbean on the south coast of the Dominican Republic. I had a good night's sleep in a bed after a hot meal. I even had a shower last night! It is amazing how grateful you can be for the little things. This will likely be my last report on Haiti - when I return home, my attention will be diverted to other things.

My heart is heavy for the children of Haiti - the adults too. They are a kind and happy people, even in the midst of so much suffering. They were so grateful that we were there. My job with the team during the times that we were doing the medical clinic on the plaza, was to float from station to station and help where I could. I was also assisted with the evangelism team. In doing this, I had the opportunity to walk up and down the line of people waiting for medical care. At times, the line would grow to 150 people standing in the hot sun for hours. They were so patient and grateful for even a sip of water. In all that time, they maintained good attitudes. The Christians in the crowd continued to praise God and look to Him.

Many asked why God allowed the earthquake to happen. They asked me of there sins were worse than the sins of other nations. I told them that Jesus was once asked the same question about a tower that fell on a bunch of people and killed them. He said that there sins were no worse than the ones who did not die - but unless we all repent, we too will perish. I told them that Haiti's sins were no worse than America's sins. But, there was a message for all of us in the earthquake: unless we all repent, we will all perish. The Haitians understood that judgment was coming. So many were grateful to be alive, and in gratitude mixed with fear of God, they repented and turned to Jesus - almost 200 of them in 2 days (I was wrong on the 150 that I earlier reported - it was more).

Many rejected Christ as well. One guy yelled at us because he said they needed food, not Jesus. Many more did not respond. I shared Christ with one young man named Phillipe James for about 30 minutes. He was a musician in his mid-20's with dreadlocks. He spoke English very well so we were able to talk freely. He had lots of questions about God but was not ready to leave his sinful lifestyle behind. Phillipe did not believe in cheap grace. But God was working on His heart. I could sense the conviction and the struggle. Phillipe wanted to know Jesus but he could not leave his old life. I told Phillipe that I would pray for Him and that I hoped that he would one day come to Christ. I told him that I hoped to see him in heaven one day. He is homeless like so many others in Haiti, just wandering the streets. Please pray tha he finds a home in Christ.

I want to close out my reflections by writing about Patricio. Patricio helped us throughout the week and always had a great attitude. His smile was infectious. I called him Snoop because he looked just like the rapper, Snoop Dog. The thing about Patricio was that he lost his wife and 2 children in the earthquake. His house fell in on his wife and the children's school fell in on them. He lost his home and his entire family. Today (Sunday), the team was going to dig through the rubble for Patricio's family. Yet, he continued to help us serve others all week long. If I lost my wife and children that way, I could not see myself doing what Patricio did, much less smiling like he does. May God bless Patricio today.

The world will soon move on from the Haiti earthquake to something else. But it will forever mark these people. They still believe in God - perhaps more now than ever. They are crying out to Jesus by the hundreds. They need help that they know only God can provide. As Christians come and bring food and medicine, may they also give a reason for the hope that they have in Christ. May they come and hold the babies, rocking them to sleep, like the German teenager with our team. May they bandage wounds like Butch, my friend from North Georgia. May they give out cups of cold water and pray and comfort and build shelters to protect from the sun and rain. May we show who Christ is through our deeds, demonstrating the Kingdom. May we also tell them who Christ is through the gospel, the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.

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Other Ministries in Haiti

In one of my updates, I said that we are not seeing other Christian ministries in Haiti. I was corrected by a couple of my readers who said that they were getting updates from several different ministries that were on the ground. I am glad that others are here. I can only speak to what we have seen. We have traveled from the coast to the mountains. We have been to the U.S. Embassy and to the airport where all of the international relief organizations are staging. We have seen many tent cities and thousands upon thousands of people in desperate need. One of our team members who spent his days taking severe cases to the hospital saw a couple of guys from Samaritan's Purse. We have not seen anyone ae at this point. I am sure that other Christian ministires are here, especially if people are getting reports. I just have not seen them or heard about them. But, that does not mean that they are not here, of course. No matter how much I have seen, our view is very limited. The need is so vast that you could have 100 groups here and I would not see them. So, I just wanted to make that correction lest people think that I was trying to contradict other reports.

Whether there are 5 ministries here or 5000, the same point remains: the need is so great and the people are so spiritually hungry that I pray that more doctors, nurses and people to minister come and assist the Haitans in need. That is just one of my prayers fpr these people.

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Back in the Dominican Republic

I am traveling on a bus out of Haiti to the DR after an experience that will forever mark me. I served on a team of Americans, Germans, and Hatians. We spoke English, German, French, Spanish, and Creole. There were over 30 of us. Some of us are leaving, but more are coming. I praise God for each and every person that I worked with and for Helping Hands Foreign Missions. Right now, we are traveling through the Hatian countryside on our way back to Santo Domingo. We will fly out tomorrow.

We operated a clinic right outside the broken down capitol building in Port-au-Prince the last two days. We treated almost 500 patients. Many were sick. Some had broken bones and wounds. There were many children and babies. The lines of people to see us stretched down the street, but they were just a few of the 600,000 living in tent cities right in that area.

People here are spiritually very hungry. They are afraid of another earthquake and they are turning to God in droves. Person after person came up to me and asked me how they could know God. As a team, we saw over 150 people turn to Christ in two days. Others rejected the gospel, but you could see God working on the hearts of many.

Yesterday, one of our team members was helping a little girl. She had lost her whole family in the earthquake and was only 11 years old. She had been picked up on the streets and was being used for sex slavery. I don't know exactly how it happened, but she was able to get away. When I saw her later, our team had gotten her and were taking her to an orphanage that we knew about. God had us there at that time to be able to rescue that little girl. I am thankful.

We are working with the orphanage and a ministry in Alabama called Bridges of Faith to bring 50 orphans back to Alabama. Please pray that we can work this out.

Haiti is in deplorable condition. It was already unspeakably poor. Now, there is no electricity, drinking water, or food. People cannot live in their homes. Tent cities are everywhere. The UN is dropping off food, but that will often cause a riot. 3 people were killed a block from our clinic at the capitol the other day when the food was being distributed. But still, people are doing their best to return to a sense of normalcy. There are many Haitian Christians here who are trying to serve God in the midst of chaos.

We are at the border again trying to leave. My prayer is that many more ministries and Christians would come. Fear should not keep us sleeping safely in our beds at home. The hands and feet of Jesus are needed here. I praise God that He called me to come here. Jesus wants to be ministered to and worshiped here in Haiti. This is the altar for the American Church. Will we bow down and worship Christ here by ministering to those in need? We have already done so much through giving. Now is the time for people to come. It can be done. But, there are almost no Christian ministries here yet. Now is the time for Christian doctors, nurses, and others to come who can just show compassion and give a cup of cold water in Jesus' name. I really hope that more come very soon. The need here is beyond description.

My prayers are with the Haitians today.



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Update from Haiti

I am borrowing a friend's iPhone. My phone is not working in haiti. I'll just quickly go stream of consciousness for an update. Total destruction, death, sorrow, poverty, hunger. Everyone is living outside. Fear of another earthquake grips everyone. Hot, dusty, filth. Sickness, injuries, broken limbs and lives. Today we set up a clinic outside the broken palace. We saw over 250 patients. We saw over 100 come to christ. I have to go, but please pray that we can get 50 orphans out of the country to Alabama. That is a possiblity. One other thing: the chrisitian ministries still are not here en masse. Why not? Hopefully, they are coming. The people are so scared and open to god right now. Please pray.



Damon Whitlow

Director of Technology

Advergents, LLC.

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