DownshoreDrift

Church as Missionary Gathering Next Week in St. Louis: Networks, Starfish, and Spiders

Next week, Marty Duren and I are headed to St. Louis (January 12-13) to join with a small group of pastors to discuss the concept of the local church acting as the missionary both globally and locally. We will be talking about church to church networking to engage in global missions work as well as domestic church planting. I really believe that these kinds of networks are the future. Because of the ease of communication and travel, the need for bureaucratic hierarchies in our missions involvement has been lessened. God has given the Great Commission to the local church and for years, we farmed it out to parachurch organizations because the local church chose not to be obedient. That needs to change and it is changing. There is a role for parachurch organizations, but it needs to be the the role of assisting the local church much more than we presently see.

Church to church networking has great possibilities. I wrote an essay almost two years ago on the conept of the Starfish and the Spider as outlined in the book by the same name. I applied the concept of networking to Baptist life at the time. I also wrote a summary of Emerging Network Theory that is very helpful, I believe. The parts in quotes comes from the book Linked by Albert Laszlo-Barabasi.  I believe that the time for this concept is now. There are thousands of churches all over America that are full of latent resources (people, gifts, talents, money, etc.). What if these churches began to work together in peer-to-peer relationships? What if we did more than talk about things and actually did things together? The work that we are doing in India is a great example of how this can happen. We have connected with a group of ministries in India that are networking together to provide an interface for us. They are also working together amongst themselves. We are creating a network of churches here in the States to work with them. They submit projects to us that go along with the agreed upon basis of our cooperation and we fund these projects as we are able. They report to us their progress and we pray for them and encourage them. We also visit with them periodically to check on their progress and see what else we can do. The indigenous church around the world is growing and it is time for American churches to come alongside and assist them. The day of the American missionary being the only one blazing new trails for the gospel is coming to a close. We have partners all around the world that we should be working with and we are now at a point where the local church can begin to do this like never before.

We can also partner together domestically in ways that can be very effective. There are many areas of the United States that are in desperate need of ministry and new churches. A network of likeminded churches can come together and directly plant domestic churches through funding, working with church planters, and helping to support new ministries. If 5 churches are working together, think of the possiblities if there is no bureaucracy to fund. If every dollar goes straight to the work being attempted, there is much greater accountability and involvement from the local church.

I believe that this is much closer to how things happened in the early church. Denominations have their place. They provide a sense of identity and cooperation that is still important. There is a place for denominational missions and missionaries. But, I believe that they should be assisting the local church far more than we currently see and the relationship between the local church and the missionary should be much stronger than it now is. If churches with similar visions could network together to get resources and spiritual life to places of need, how much greater impact could we have?

I hope that we are able to make some headway in talking about this next week in St. Louis, January 12-13. Pray for us. And, if you want to join us, you are welcome to do so. The gathering is intentionally small so that we can have a lot of conversation, but anyone who wants to come is welcome.    

What If We Had Given It All Away? Part 2

A few days ago, I speculated about the amount of American household wealth that has been lost in the past year. I found out how much has been lost, and it is staggering. This includes savings, stock values, retirement accounts, and home values. It comes out to over SEVEN TRILLION DOLLARS. Seven trillion dollars of household wealth has evaporated in the past year. Unbelievable.

These numbers come from Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis:

2007 Q4 -$1.46 Trillion
2008 Q1 -$2.42 Trillion
2008 Q2 -$0.39 Trillion
2008 Q3 -$2.81 Trillion

Mish goes on to say, "$7.08 Trillion in wealth has vaporized in the past year. Figure 2008 Q4 to be as bad as Q3. If so, roughly $10 Trillion in household wealth will be vaporized in little over a year. And looking ahead, there is no reason to believe the stock market, the housing market, or the economy will show signs of recovery anytime soon."

How much have Christians lost? What if we had invested our share of this in Kingdom work a year ago? If you figure that there are 300 million Americans and 40 million evangelical Christians (common number), that means that evangelicals make up approximately 13 percent of the population. If you figure that evangelicals lost as much as everyone else, that would put their loss at $1.3 trillion over the past 5 quarters (15 months). If you just took 10% of that, that is $130 billion.  I know that these numbers are just speculation and cannot be proven exactly, but I doubt that I am far off. By and large, evangelicals tend to be more prosperous financially than the nation at large.

So, what if evangelicals had given away $130 BILLION last year to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth, fight global poverty, bring holistic economic development, provide clean drinking water, fight disease, care for needy children, and feed the hungry? What if we had given away even a fraction of what is now gone? Evaporated? Never to be seen again? 

How different would our world be? How many lives would have been saved? How many would have heard the gospel and believed? How many things would be different?

It is all gone now and we have nothing to show for it. We are all scrambling trying to maintain our standard of living while the world sinks into economic ruin caused by selfishness and greed. Have we learned anything? Will we learn anything? We are blessed to be a blessing. When will we realize that God has given us amazing blessings so that we can bless and care for others. If we fail to do so and use it on ourselves, what will our response be when it is all taken away? 

Greed is idolatry. You cannot love both God and money. I am not saying that it is wrong to enjoy a nice standard of living. I am just saying that we have lost so much . It is now gone. What if we had seen our wealth differently? What if we had seen it as a resource to bless others instead of as something to store up for ourselves? What if?

It's the Most Wonderful Week of theYear!!!

My favorite week of the year started yesterday (between Christmas and New Year's). We have family visitng, presents are everywhere, we just ate brunch a little while ago, and we just had a foosball tournament with the new foosball table. Peyton, my 7 year old son, is beating everyone like 21-3. He is ridiculous. Caelan is running around in a dinosaur costume and the kids are about to play a board game. We are doing nothing except sitting around, hanging out, eating, reading, and resting. My favorite things to do!

Except for Sunday services, I'll be off work this week. We might travel to my hometown and see my Dad or we might not. I don't know yet. At any rate, we plan to rest, reflect, enjoy being together, and give some thought to what the new year holds for us.  After a long and stressful year and a long and stressful holiday season, this upcoming week is exactly what we need. I might write quite a bit this week, or very little. Basically, I plan to rest, think, and enjoy being with my family. I hope that you get a chance to do the same. This is a great week for some vacation.

What are your plans? Reading any good books? Watch any good movies?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

What Difference Will Christmas Make in our Lives This Year?

Christmas thoughts fill our minds, even as the wrapping paper sits in crumpled heaps in the corners of our living rooms. Meals have been served and children have laughed and danced. The rushing around and the shopping is finally over and we are all slumped in our chairs enjoying a much deserved rest at the end of weeks and weeks of festivities. One question haunts and startles me: Have we celebrated the birth of Christ, or have we celebrated something else?

The Crucified King has come. Jesus emptied himself - made himself nothing. He became a servant. He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. He made himself nothing taking on the very nature of a servant.  A servant. He did not come to be served but to serve. He gave himself as a ransom for many. A suffering servant. Broken, beaten, despised and rejected. A man of sorrows. We esteemed him not. God was pleased to crush him. He who knew no sin became sin for us that in him we might become the righteousness of God. He was wounded for our transgression, crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him. By his stripes we are healed. He came to serve, not to be served.

As Christmas celebrations come to an end and we move on with life, I wonder if we are any closer to being anything like Him. We talk a lot about our identity in Christ. Are we serious? Is Jesus really our identity? Are we willing to suffer and serve? To be poured out and broken? Do we consider others better than ourselves? Do we sacrifice ourselves for others? Do we have the same attitude as Christ Jesus? He became poor for us so that we might become rich in Him. Are we willing to be poor so that others might become rich in Christ? Are we willing to give up anything to incarnate Christ? Has Christmas come and gone and left us exactly the same as before? Has anything changed in our hearts and our lives? Do we want anything to change? Tough questions, I know, but these are the questions I am asking myself after considering the birth of our Savior while I live a life of material excess.

The Pope gave his annual Christmas message today. I have made it a yearly habit to pay attention to this message because it usually speaks to issues in the world that the Evangelical Church refuses to touch. We don't talk about war and peace, unless we are talking about America waging war so that we can keep the peace for ourselves. And then, we defend the practice. We do not talk about economic issues or issues regarding the rich and the poor unless we are talking about how we can be rich so that we avoid being poor. Pope Benedict XVI told us that we were headed to ruin because of economic selfishness. He is right. We are selfish to the core. I am simply defining selfishness as a preponderance of thought and activity directed toward ourselves. I admit that I am selfish. I think primarily of my own desires, my own comfort, and my own situation. Not good. Money and comfort and fun and pleasure have become our gods. Maybe it has always been that way, but the sad thing is that it is that way for Christians as well as people in the world. There is little discernable difference between the world and the church in this. There should be, but we cannot seem to grasp it. Maybe we cannot grasp the difference that should exist because our hands are so full of cheap and tawdry things. We cannot grab God while holding onto this world.

Do we hate God? Another tough question. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24 that if we try and serve two masters, if we love money, then we will end up hating God. We cannot love both God and money at the same time. There are a lot of preachers out there that will not tell their church the truth about God and this world because they are afraid that they will be rejected and will lose their comfortable church jobs. They will not lead their church the way that they are supposed to because they are afraid that their people will fire them. A couple of months ago, when talking about addressing issues of racial prejudice in our churches, I had a pastor tell me that he could not call his church to righteousness in this area. If he did, he would be asked to leave. He was close to retirement and did not want to rock the boat. How do we love God and pursue retirement? How do we love God and fear that our church might fire us? Many of us refuse to share Christ with anyone because we are afraid that they will reject us. How can we love God and fear the rejection of man at the same time?

Jesus went through a lot for us. Actually, everything. He put on flesh and made His dwelling among us. He became so very small  - a baby, born in a stable among animals, attended to by shepherds and pagan astrologers. I wonder if I love Him. Do I love Him enough to make Him the center of my existence, to obey Him no matter the cost? Do I love Him enough to want to be like Him? To serve like Him and live for Him? To allow Him to live through me? To join Him in His sufferings? Or, do I just love His benefits? Do I just love what He does for me?  When it comes to Jesus, do I just love the presents? Am I just a consumer, hoping to get something else that makes me feel good? When the wrapping paper is crumpled in the corner and the shine has worn off, do I go looking for something else to satisfy? 

If Christmas means anything to me, I must live differently. I must be the hands and feet of Jesus. I must care about what He cares about, not just a little here and there, enough to get by, but a lot.  All the time. I have not been that person, not like I could be. Because of grace, I do not feel condemned over that fact. I fully trust God's forgiveness and unconditional love. But, I do feel convicted. I am convicted, and that is good. God is kind and His kindness leads me to repentance. I want to die with Christ and live for Him. His grace and love compels me to nothing less.

Christmas must mean something - the real Christmas, not the tinsel and wrapping paper Christmas. So, because of grace and the love of my Savior . . . 

I repent. Or, at least I want to. I don't know exactly what that means in this case, but I know that I want to know the real Jesus more. Maybe I should just ask Him to show me and take it one day at a time. Maybe, I can experience Christ in my heart and my life afresh this year if I ask Him to have His way with me. Maybe a miracle can happen. 

Maybe it already has begun. 

Christmas Meditations: What If We Had Given All That Money Away?

How much money net worth have you lost since September? With the market crash and the loss of equity in my home, I have personally lost thousands of dollars. I don't even look at my retirement accounts. The belief is that we will eventually get all that back, but many economic analysts are doubtful. Between the plummeting value of our real estate and the markets, Americans have lost trillions of dollars in net worth over just the past 6 months.

So, how are you managing? Are you miserable? Has your life fallen apart? Are you dead yet? Did the loss of money destroy your life? Hopefully, if you are a follower of Christ, the answer will be a resounding NO. Yet, I couldn't help but think about the poor around the world. The 1.5 million children a year who die because they do not have clean drinking water. The 3.5 billion people in the world who live on less than two American dollars a day while the average American teenager spends nearly $150 a week. The 1.6 billion people in the world with no electricity. The 40% of people in the world who lack basic sanitation while Americans use and throw away 49 million diapers per day. 

Trillions of dollars lost in the economic collapse. How much did Christians lose? Recent estimates are the Christians in America give around 2% of their income to local churches for ministry. How much do you think we lost in the last 6 months? How much money just vanished into thin air with nothing to show for it? 

What if we would have used it to bless others? For only $10 billion, every man, woman, and child in the world could have clean drinking water, yet we spend almost $500 billion per year on average on Christmas presents. What if just a fraction of the money that we lost over the past 6 months had gone to bless the poor, to support missionaries, to build the Kingdom of God? What if we had not been so selfish and we had not been trying to build our own Kingdoms of Comfort? What if?

It is all gone now. Moth and rust has destroyed it. Many of us cannot afford our pricey, lavish homes. We've spent the blessings of God on ourselves and we wonder why we lack a sense of purpose and why with all of our wealth, the number of Americans taking antidepressants has tripled in the last decade.

What if we had given it away? What if we had blessed others? What if we had followed the example of the Wise Men who traveled hundreds of miles to lay gifts at the feet of the newborn Savior in Bethelehem? What if we had not just thought about ourselves?

It is all gone now. We will scramble and work to get it back so that we can live in comfort while millions die around the world without their basic needs being met or without knowledge of salvation in Christ. It is not even because of them that we should live differently. It is because of God. God is the great giver. Freely we have received, now we are to freely give. When we live with open hands and hearts, we reflect the glory of God and we live in communion with our Creator. When we store up treasures in Heaven, we worship God with our faith and our lives. When we horde here on earth, we worship ourselves.

Who will we worship this Christmas season?  

Sunday Worship: The Incarnation and the Real Meaning of Christmas

Jesus became flesh and made His dwelling among us. That is how John 1 speaks of the Incarnation of Christ, what Christmas is really all about. Jesus gave His life for us. In turn, He calls us to give our lives away for His glory. I ran across some preaching by Paris Reidhead today, and I wanted to share it with you. He was a missionary to Africa in the 20th century and a leader in Christian development among the poor. This is an amazing story of how some young Moravian missionaries incarnated the gospel of Jesus Christ a few hundred years ago. I wept when I heard this story in deep conviction at my nominal Christianity.

“Two young Moravians heard of an island in the West Indies where an atheist British owner had 2000 to 3000 slaves. And the owner had said, ‘No preacher, no clergyman, will ever stay on this island. If he’s ship wrecked we’ll keep him in a separate house until he has to leave, but he’s never going to talk to any of us about God, I’m through with all that nonsense.’ Three thousand slaves from the jungles of Africa brought to an island in the Atlantic and there to live and die without hearing of Christ.

Two young Moravians heard about it. They sold themselves to the British planter and used the money they received from their sale, for he paid no more than he would for any slave, to pay their passage out to his island for he wouldn’t even transport them. As the ship left its pier in the river at Hamburg and was going out into the North Sea carried with the tide, the Moravians had come from Herrenhut to see these two lads off, in their early twenties. Never to return again, for this wasn’t a four year term, they sold themselves into lifetime slavery. Simply that as slaves, they could be as Christians where these others were. The families were there weeping, for they knew they would never see them again. And they wondered why they were going and questioned the wisdom of it. As the gap widened and the housings had been cast off and were being curled up there on the pier, and the young boys saw the widening gap, one lad with his arm linked through the arm of his fellow, raised his hand and shouted across the gap the last words that were heard from them, they were these, ‘MAY THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING!’”

Where is this type of Christianity today? Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5 that the love of Christ compelled him. Does it compel us? Reidhead, in another sermon says that we are stunted in our devotion to the Lord because we have come to believe that the chief end of God is to make men happy. Our happiness is our end goal and we use God as a means to an end. That is humanism, not Christianity. Instead, our lives should be focused on living for God's glory, not our happiness.  Watch this clip and ask God to speak to your heart:

 

Reidhead says, "The liberal says the end of religion is to make man happy while he is alive and the fundamentalist says the end of religion is to make man happy when he dies." Both have completely missed the point as both are completely human centered. We have missed God entirely. For further reference, here is Reidhead's most famous sermon, "Ten Shekels and a Shirt."

As we reflect on the Incarnation of Christ this Christmas, here is a question for us: Are we living for our happiness or for the glory of God? Is God a means to our happiness in life, or is He our great reward. The answer to that question is the difference between humanism and Christianity.

EDIT:  After writing this post, I got curious about the two young men who sold themselves into slavery. What became of them? I found out some interesting things. Their names were John Leonard Doper and David Nitschman. Nitschman actually had a wife and young children when he answered the call of God. They thought that they would never return home and that they would indeed, sell themselves into slavery. But, God had a different plan. What God wants from us is to be a yielded vessel. Here is the rest of the story:

John Leonard Doper and David Nitschman inspired their generation and generations to come to lay down their lives for The Lamb. As it turned out, neither man had to actually sell himself into slavery. The Governor of the island would not have let them. His attitude towards the black slaves there was such that to allow a white man to be enslaved would have been too much for him. The missionaries arrived in St. Thomas in December of 1732. At first, Nitschmann supported the two of them with his carpentry vocation, but he only stayed at St. Thomas for four months. Dober tried to make a living as a potter, but there wasn't any good clay to make pots. He did, however, get a job as the steward of the Governor's household, and later as a watchman, which allowed him to be closer to the slaves. By 1734, a contingent of 18 missionaries arrived to help out and to spread the missionary work to the neighboring islands of St. Croix, St. John and others. Conditions for the missionaries were difficult, and many of the early missionaries died. In fact, Moravian missionaries leaving Europe to go to the Caribbean missions always took two things with them: A Bible and their own headstone. There isn't any rock to speak of on those islands, and the missionaries knew that most of them wouldn't come home. And yet, they went in droves! Talk about fully committed to God's work! Dober eventually went back to Europe as part of the administrative head of Moravian Church. Nitschmann returned to Hernhutt Germany, to his wife and children later becaming a Bishop, and led a group of Moravians to form a colony in America in what is now Georgia. And here's an interesting tidbit: On the voyage over, their ship encountered a hurricane (February 5, 1736). As you can imagine, there was a great deal of panic onboard?except with the Moravian group led by Nitschmann. Instead, they sang hymns and were calm. One of the non-Moravians (an Anglican, actually) was very impressed by this. He stayed with the Moravians, and later studied with them in England. This was none other than John Wesley, who later went on to form the Methodist Church. Dober and Nitschmann's work was fruitful. Their mission field is now known as the Eastern West Indies Province. There are 52 Moravian congregations still running strongly today. "That the Lamb may recieve the reward of His suffering!"

If Christmas means anything to us, may it teach us to live for the glory of God instead of our own happiness. The amazing thing is that God will bless us with Himself and in Him is every good thing! 

If You Want to Make Enemies, Oppose Gay Marriage

Al Mohler, president of Southern Seminary, has an excellent article today about the controversy surrounding Rick Warren's selection to give the inaugural innovation for Barack Obama. The Left and pro-Gay rights advocates are furious that Obama would choose a pastor who supported Proposition 8 in California which outlawed gay marriage. Even though Rick Warren has been civil and has tried to rise above party politics and traditional divides, because he believes that homosexuality is wrong he is being opposed vehemently. Mohler makes some excellent points in his article, saying that no matter how relevant and cool you try to be in being tolerant and open to other viewpoints, if you cross the line of not accepting gay marriage, you are going to be villified. I would disagree with him in that I don't think that Warren has been trying to be "cool", but I do understand what he is saying about some Christians wanting to prove their relevance and worth to an aberrant culture.

I think that Mohler is right and it is the great contradiction that exists in Leftist thinking. They call for tolerance and sensivitivity to diverse views, but really that means that they want room for their own views to be preeminent. There is no room for opposing views at all. I am not trying to rail against homosexuals. The Bible teaches very clearly that homosexuality is a sin, so I oppose it just like I would any other sin. But, the Bible also teaches us to love all people, even those who struggle with sin. We should also recognize that we sin ourselves lest we become self-righteous. Jesus died for us while we were still sinners (Rom. 5:8), so we should express the same sacrificial love.

But, we should also realize that even if we love sacrficially and are very tolerant and open to people, as soon as we express that there is a Biblical standard on this issue, some people are going to become very angry. They are going to call names. They are going to throw fits, protest, and disparage. They don't want to hear the Biblical standard. They don't want anyone around who would call their lifestyle sinful. Eventually, they will push for that type of language to be considered "hate speech." The reaction to Warren praying at the inauguration shows that everything that takes place in this arena is part of the battle for them.

We live in a post-Christian culture. We need to realize that and understand that as Christians, persecution over holding to Biblical truth is coming. Many Christians will rethink their position on this issue in order to be loving and tolerant and be accepted by others. But, it is not loving to say that something that God calls sin is okay. That means that God doesn't know what He's talking about and the Bible is not our authority. I don't usually take positions here on issues like this, but the opposition to Rick Warren giving the prayer has been so vehement and shocking to me that I felt something needed to be said. Does anyone remember when Ellen Degeneres kissed another woman on her sitcom "Ellen"? There were protests and shock expressed. How far have we come in just ten years? Now, that would be nothing.

So, what do we do? I am not suggesting that we take over the country and write letters of protest. I am not wanting you to send in money to your favorite Christian ministry to fight the evils of homosexuality. I am saying that we should expect to be persecuted. 1 Timothy 3:12 promises us that "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted . . ."  Just by lovingly stating what Scripture says means that people will reject you and persecute you. You don't have to be a religious fanatic or right wing crusader to be demonized in the press. Is there any evangelical more middle of the road and understanding than Rick Warren? We need to make sure that we are always loving and that we not judge others (biblical mandates), but at the same time, we need to teach our children, our families, and others the path of life that God has laid out for us. We should not be afraid to do so, even if we are persecuted.

I lived in San Francisco in the late 90's. I knew a lot of gay people. I worked with them at different jobs that I had. I ministered to them in the ministry that I did in the city. Most of them were good and kind people in the way that they treated others. One lesbian lady was a boss of mine at a job that I had and she was one of the best bosses that I've ever had. She really cared about people and I cared about her deeply as a person. This is not written as any form of attack against gay people. I am just saying that as Christians, we need to make sure that we affirm what God affirms and express what He opposes so that people can clearly hear the words of life and choose God over death in a culture that is immersed in it. We will not get this guidance from the media or the merchants of opinion. We only get it from the Word of God.

Missional Holidays, Part 2

Eugene Peterson says that it is the role of the pastor to keep the community attentive to God. In speaking of community here, I think that he means the church. He is right and I take that role very seriously, however imperfectly I carry it out. But, I also think that it is the role of the church to make the larger community attentive to God.  God is always working (John 5:17) and He works through us, His body. So, every Christmas season, we have begun looking for ways to be attentive to God ourselves and to call our community to be attentive to God as well.

This year, we have seen some amazing things happen. We had our annual Thanksgiving Dinner where the place was packed and we had 19 nations represented.  Two weeks later, we had our annual Christmas Extravaganza, where we joined with Family Life Bible Fellowship, a predominately African American church for a night of worship, singing, dance, instrumentalists, food, and fellowship. It was amazing to see people from different churches and cultures come together as one in Christ. Christmas is about the Incarnation and we got to experience Christ in our midst through this gathering. I really feel that when we do these things, we are prophetically saying that we live differently from the world. The world divides according to all kinds of things. In Christ, we come together. Where there is strife and struggle in the world and peace is usually false, in Christ, all dividing walls are taken down and we are one. This is our lost witness and it must be reclaimed. I am not talking about oneness based on nothing, but oneness based on Christ and the unity that He has already provided for us.  If Christmas is about Jesus being made flesh to bring us salvation and redemption, then the best thing that we can do is to herald the reconciliation that we have in Christ. We are reconciled both to God and to one another. Praise God!

A few years ago, we also started doing "A Time to Serve." I actually read about a church in Colorado that did this and ripped the whole thing off from them, so I am not claiming originality. Each year, we develop 8 or so service oriented projects and get people to lead them. Then, others in the church sign up for them and carry them out. We will wrap presents for people for free at the local Wal-Mart, have children sing at retirement homes and homes for disabled children, adopt needy families and buy presents for them, pass out Christmas cards in the neighborhood around our church, etc. Each year, the projects vary, but the point is that we encourage people to serve someone else and to share the real meaning of Christmas. It has gone well again this year and I praise God for all those who are taking part.

Last night, we danced, ate, laughed, and laughed some more. And, we ate. Our LIFE Group had our Christmas Party at our house. We had almost 40 people come over (adults and children) and we had a great time. Christians don't seem to have a lot of parties, or if we do, we tend to be pretty stiff about it. But, not this group. I love our group because they are made up of real people that know how to share life together, laugh, cry, give, and minister to one another. We have seen God do miracles in one another's lives and we have been able to intervene and intercede for one another. There is little pretense. Basically, this small group of people acts as the church within a larger church and it is a blessing to be a part of it.

I really do want to brag about my church. Gateway Baptist is the finest church I have ever been a part of. It is not perfect and it is not made up of perfect people. But, they know that they aren't perfect and they depend on God's grace. They also really want to follow God and make Him known to others. I have a lot of friends that are pastors and I hear stories about the struggles with their churches. Honestly, I can say that Gateway does not struggle with the vast majority of things that other churches do. We give God the glory, but I think that the reason is that we have kept following hard after God a top priority in our fellowship. People who have other agendas or who don't want to do that either repent and live for God themselves (that is always what we work toward and there is much love and grace for people to do just that), or they don't stick around very long. I was telling some folks last night that it is a blessing to know that there is a church that is supportive in what we are trying to do so that we can all face a broken, needy world together, instead of us all having to focus on unnecessary problems within the church. Jesus living through His people is a beautiful thing.

I just wanted to praise God and thank Him that in this time of Christmas celebration, He causes us to be attentive to Him and enables us to represent Him to others. That's about all that I want for Christmas and I have already received it. God is good. 

Give That Pig a Ten!

My 7 year old son, Peyton, was watching an animal talent show on Animal Planet a few minutes ago and he came and told me about a pig that was playing the piano. He said, "Daddy, there was this pig that was playing the piano. He played, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." One of the judges gave him an 8, and two of the judges gave him a 7 (out of 10). I don't know. If it were me, and a pig could play the piano, I'd give him a 10."

I agree, Peyton. How do you not give a piano playing pig a 10? Must be SEC football refs. 

Amazing Christmas Celebration!

On Sunday night, we had our annual Christmas Extravaganza. We joined with Family Life Bible Fellowship, a predominately African American Church in our city and had a wonderful time. We formed a mass choir, had drama, dance, songs, and instrumentals done all by the children and adults of our churches.  It was beautiful.  At the end, the pastor of Family Life, Lenard Slater, shared a message with us about worship. God touched our hearts and drew us together. This is the third year that we have done this, and it was the best celebration yet. There was standing room only in the sanctuary and every seat was taken.

Today, I was at lunch with a group of pastors and we were talking about churches working together and the tearing down of walls between blacks and whites in the South. He said something very important, I thought. He said that the issue of integration was a matter of Law. It was the right thing to do, but it did not change the heart. The Law does not change the heart of a man - it only regulates the behavior. What we needed was Grace. Grace changes the heart. The Church is to bring change to our nation through the work of Grace. The true work of integration will only happen when the Church gets involved and works from a Grace perspective. Isn't that how we were saved? The Law had no power to save us. Only God's Grace could save us. I added in, that Grace did not come without the sacrifice of Christ. In the same way, we are called to sacrifice to bring Grace to others. But, when we begin to live out Grace in our relationships with one another and we see people the way that God sees them, we will be amazed at what God does in our lives, our churches, our city, and our nation.

So, Christmas time is here. May we celebrate the Incarnation of Christ by bringing Him everywhere we go. May we be the hands and feet of Jesus and bring Him into our neighborhoods.