Sunday Starter for 11.30.08

Hey gang, I won’t be with you tomorrow, as its International Missions Day and we have a guest speaker, Dan Sheard, who will be preaching.  And while I don’t know what text Pastor Sheard (from Calvary Baptist Church in Rising Sun and a former IMB missionary to Martinique) is going to use tomorrow, I suspect he’ll be talking about missions.

One of the main messages of the Scripture is that God is a missionary God.  By that I mean He is always pursuing us.  His Incarnation is the greatest example of His missonary nature.  He was willing to leave His heavenly abode to come to earth in search of…you and me!

Here’s my question: if God is a missionary God, pursuing others with His love, is there any reason why we shouldn’t be a missionary people?  After all, we are supposed to exhibit the character and nature of God Himself.  And if we are to be a missionary people, the question is begged, ‘Am I a missionary person myself?’

How you answer that goes a long way toward indicating whether or not our church will be the missionary church it should be.  For missions to happen as it should, it cannot be representative, but comprehensive.  It is who we are to be.,.on mission for Jesus. Period.

Fridays are for Friends and Family 11.28.08

It’s Friday again, and while we’re all stuffed from turkey and tired out from shopping, we take a few moments to pause and reflect again on “friends and family.”

This week’s edition starts with Bob Roberts, who recently wrote on his blog about “The Church of the Now.”  He notes that the church of the ’80s and the church of the ’90s were characterized by different values from the current church, and he frankly likes it better in the “now” than in the past.  Read about it here.

My family and I went earlier this week to the National Archives in Washington, DC.  It’s a must see for any tourist (or resident) in the area.  Among the documents housed there are the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States, Bill of Rights, Louisiana Purchase and Emancipation Proclamation.  It also houses one of only a handful of copies of the Magna Carta from A.D. 1215! Check out the government’s website about it here.

In view of that, Leonard Sweet has long had posted on his website an item called the “Magna Carta of Trust by an Out-of-Control Disciple.” It’s a great document and one after which more of us ought to pattern our lives.  Check it out for yourself here.

My son, Jonathan, this week on a dinner trek to the Burger King in our neighborhood decided to try out for the first time their Triple Whopper with Cheese.  It’s an unbelievable 1230 calories (but what is that to a growing teen-age boy, right?).  After eating it he was hyped up for hours, claiming it was a “ball of flaming energy in my belly.” Hmmm…

With tomorrow’s “Iron Bowl” (Alabama vs. Auburn football game for those of you who don’t follow such things) upon us, Ian Rappoport of the Birmingham News writes about the turning of the Tide in his blog.  Read about it here, then watch ‘Bama and the Tigers tomorrow on CBS at 3:30pm in one online sports site this week called “the best football rivalry in the nation”…Roll Tide!

And finally with all the turkey we’ve eaten this week I thought it might be fitting to end my post today with a video found on You Tube, simply called “Thanksgiving Turkey,” to the tune of Gloria Gaynor’s disco hit “I Will Survive.” Enjoy, everyone…

Until next time!

Time to Express Thanks

I love Thanksgiving…way back in my early childhood I came to appreciate this holiday in a special way. Sure we always had the food, the family and the football; those things were always a part of the day that made it so special.  But there was more.  My Thanksgiving was always focused on God.

We would have a worship service at our church, sometimes that morning, other times the night before.  It was often a testimony time more than anything, as people would share what they’re thanking God for that season.  And every year we’d get the usual–my family, America, our church, etc., but sprinkled in would be some unusual words of gratitude, like “I’m thankful for glass, or shoelaces, or portable heaters.” These are things we often take for granted, but have truly blessed our lives.

So in the spirit of the holidays, let me say thank you to many in a traditional way and then to add my twist on a season of gratitude for us all.

I am thankful to my God for His love and faithfulness. I am thankful for the revelation of Jesus Christ and the indwelling Spirit.

I am thankful for my beautiful wife, Joyce, and our three wonderful children–Sarah, Jonathan and Rebekah. They are all a delight to me and an encouragement to my own growth in life and with the Lord.

I am thankful to my parents and extended family for their support and investment in me over the years. They are precious and special; I would not be where I am today without their guidance.

I am thankful to the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware for the privilege of serving its churches and leaders in the ministry of church planting. It is a blessing and a joy to serve among such a liberating and forward-thinking family of staffers and congregations.

I am thankful to the Calvary Baptist Church in Bel Air for allowing me the opportunity to worship and grow with them during this time of transition in their life. They will always hold a special place in my heart as a result of the things we have experienced together this year.

I am thankful to the church planters and other friends in my life who once again this year have reminded me of the values of perseverance, innovation and hope which are so evident in their testimony lived out before the world–and me–daily.

I am thankful to Missional Press for believing in me and in PlantLIFE, and the difference the book can make in the lives of churches and church planters. You have been supportive every step of the way…and I look forward to a continuing relationship in the years to come.

Finally, my unique twist this Thanksgiving season: I am thankful for Facebook, which in my estimation is the best ministry tool created in my lifetime (and that’s a long time!). Not only have I been able to reconnect with old friends and keep up to date with my family; I’ve also been able actively to network with colleagues in ministry, keep up with the membership in my congregation like never before, and to build new key relationships with others who may open further doors of opportunities for planters down the road.  And I still feel like what I’ve discovered is but “the tip of the iceberg.”  There’s so much more yet to come…

Well, that’s my “blog list” for this Thanksgiving season.  I was actually an adult before I realized that for many Thanksgiving never even included God (I was sheltered, I know).  My hope and prayer for each of you is this: may your heart be tender and humble as you remember the love and grace of our Heavenly Father, who has blessed us beyond compare.

“Give thanks to the LORD; His mercies endure forever.” (Psalm 136, over and over and over) Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

Monday Morning Rewind: Surviving the Fires of Life

It was a great day yesterday as we delved into chapter 3 in the book of Daniel.  It’s the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, confronting King Nebuchadnezzar and his image of gold.  The consequences for their refusal to bow down and worship him (or “it,” the idol) would be severe…death in a fiery furnace.  Yet, they refused to lower their belief in an Almighty God and his directions for their lives (“no other gods before me”).  What do we learn from their experiences that can help us in facing the fires of life in our day?

First, cultivate character. By character, I refer to “the stuff we’re made of.”  It’s the internal fortitude and workings over time that prepare us for events like this.  These men had prepared for years, probably a couple of decades, for the adversity of such a day…and they were ready because they had allowed God to build His character and strength into them.  Someone has said “unless you know what’s worth dying for, you’re really not able to know what’s worth living for.”

Second, establish priorities. Do you know what’s the most important thing in life?  These guys did; their devotion and commitment to God came first.  They were unwilling to let anything else rival that.  They sought God’s will and believed that they had discerned it…and that can only happen when we are aligned with Him.  He must come first; these guys knew that.  When He does, everything else makes sense and falls into place as it should.

Third, don’t compromise with the crowd. It would have been easy to give in and do like everyone else, but these three men refused to do that.  They really had no “plan B,” though they recognized that God might have a plan to which they were not privy.  Regardless, they refused to let the “world squeeze them into its own mold.”  They stood fast and let their testimony ring in the ears of those who commanded they conform.  It would later make a tremedous difference in the lives of those who’d heard it!

Finally, walk with God in the midst of the fire. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were joined by a fourth man in the fire and “the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” So said Nebuchadnezzer, as he noted the presence of God with them in the fire.  Note that God does not remove us from the fire; rather, He chooses to walk with us through the fire, and to bring us out of it unbound and unharmed.

Malcolm Muggeridge, the British journalist who came to know Christ late in life, wrote this in one of his final books (Homemade, 1990):

Contrary to what might be expected, I look back on experiences that at the time seemed especially desolating and painful with particular satisfaction. Indeed, I can say with complete truthfulness that everything I have learned in my 75 years in this world, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my experience, has been through affliction and not through happiness.

You see, fire shapes us, marks us, motivates us, prunes us, simplifies life for us.  It is not God’s intent to let the fires of life destroy us; they are there rather to refine us.  At this Thanksgiving time of the year, let’s remember our God, who is always able…as He in fact enables us to survive the fires of life.

Sunday Starter for 11.23.08

Tomorrow’s a big day for us; we have the community firefighters and EMTs joining us for worship.  It will be a great time of celebration and thanksgiving as we express to them our thanks and gratitude for their service and sacrifice on our behalf.

The message and interview time tomorrow will deal with “Surviving the Fires of Life.”  We all face them; that’s just a fact of life.  But how do you address them when they come to you?  Our initial reaction to these fires is to run from them, right?  We don’t want to be “burned” by them or for them to hurt the ones we love.  Yet, firefighters run toward them…why?  Could it be that they value something more than self-preservation?  And could it be that God doesn’t intend the fires of life to destroy us but to refine us?

If that’s true, then how can the fires of life be as useful to us as they are to a forest or to a automobile’s engine or to a smith’s metaling process?  And if we realized this, would we react the same way when fires confront us?

Hopefully, these thoughts will get us all thinking as we delve into this topic even more tomorrow live in Bel Air or on this blog Monday…

Fridays are for Friends and Family 11.21.08

Well, it’s the end of the work week again and that means it’s time for this blog to reflect on what others are posting on the web.  Today we start with a series of videos that Ed Stetzer has posted…a “disagreement” he had with Al over missional ministry.  Check out the first one here, and then go to Ed’s website to see the others as well.

This past week in Baltimore, Perry Polnaszek, the genesis for “Touched Twice United,” was in town.  I had the opportunity to get to know Perry and Andrea, his wife, when they graduated from Southern Seminary in Louisville and moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts, to start a new church through the influence of their ministry.  TTU is a Christ-centered organization that mobilizes volunteers from local churches to host free clinics which strive to meet the medical, spiritual, and physical needs of the guests — all on a budget of zero dollars and zero cents. The organization is now sweeping the nation, and you need to know about it’s impact and pray for it’s growth in the days ahead. Check out their website or the Facebook group “Touched Twice United” for more info.

On the lighter side of life, my friend David Phillips noted recently on his blog that Sara Evans, the country music star, and Eva Longoria, of television fame, accompanied long- standing Alabama football  fan favorite, Jay Barker, to homecoming this year.  Barker, the last quarterback to lead Alabama to a national championship, is now married to Sara Evans.

The Star Trek “prequel” movie is coming out next spring (#11) and it has a new movie trailer that’s out.  In light of that, the Simpsons recently released their version of a hypothetical follow-up Star Trek 12 movie. Now I don’t usually cite the Simpsons, but since I’m a long-standing “Trekkie” and some of you might be too, I thought you’d enjoy their trailer.

My daughter, Rebekah, is a huge “Dancing with the Stars” fan (anybody else like that out there?).  Well, as a result, I’m posting a picture here that I believe I first found on the Pop Culture blog at USA Today online.  It was so funny I thought you all needed to see it.

Updates

PlantLIFE: Principles and Practices in Church Planting is now available for online purchase at amazon.com and bn.com…it lists at $16.99, though you can purchase it for 10% off at bn.com…

Audio files of Dr. Ed Stetzer’s messages at the BCM/D Pastor’s Conference and Annual Meeting are now available for you, too.  You can go to the BCM/D Annual Meeting site for the audio files here and fill out a request form online and they’ll be sent to you at NO COST, compliments of my office…FYI, the Live Blogging I did last week for the Pastor’s Conference received the highest number of hits of any blog post I’ve ever done…

Scheduled to be with here to lead conferences and speak in 2009:  Nelson Searcy from Journey Church in New York City on March 17 (Launch: Church Planting training) and 18 (Evangelism and Stewardship training) and Dan Kimball on May 12 (Emerging Church and Why the Unchurched Don’t Like the Church)…put these dates on your calendar and plan to join us…registration information will be available soon.

Finally, I’ll have more information on church planting (including my newest podcast with Ed Stetzer), my family and a couple of humorous things, too, on this blog Friday, so check back then.

Monday Morning Rewind: Stand Up for the Truth!

Sorry for the time away, but the past week has been CRAZY, with our Annual Meeting and then a training event in Colorado!  But I’m back home now, and plan to be more settled for the reminder of the year…

Yesterday we looked at Daniel 4-5, with an emphasis on the “writing on the wall” experience as it affected Daniel in chapter 5.  While the context indicates the story deals with Belshazzar and God’s judgment upon him for his arrogance and disrespect of Almighty God, the focus of my message dealt with how we respond in such situations.  Daniel is a wonderful example of speaking the truth, in spite of the consequences.

To be sure, when the consequences are adverse we may be afraid and hide even from the truth.  But in this particular instance, the consequences are advantageous, yet even the promise of reward or promotion does not “make” Daniel act in any different way than he would have otherwise.  The consistency and integrity of his life are hallmarks worthy of admiration.

So how did Daniel do it…act so upright and humble, regardless of the outcome?  First, he went to the source of truth to find truth. He acknowledged that God was the source of all truth and thus he turned to him for the wisdom and courage he needed.  Belshazzar, on the other hand, keeps looking for answers from human sources; however, only God can provide the truth that he (or any of us) need.

Second, he actualized the power of that truth (found in its source). He lived it out and reminded Belshazzar that his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, had failed to acknowledge Almighty God’s sovereignty over his life and service, even as king of an empire.  Consequently, he was “humbled” by the source of all Truth–God Himself–until he repented.  Daniel reminded Belshazzar that he already knew this (and yet he too had failed to acknowledge God’s truth or power).  Man cannot do this indefinitely without having to be held accountable for such disrespect.

Finally, Daniel refused to hide behind falsehood, recognizing that it was a coward’s solution to a God-sized situation. Instead, he trusted God and told “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth” to the King.  He hid nothing (though his message was unpleasant to hear) and did not make it more palatable just to improve his own image or station in life.  The result of his courage was admiration and respect from the king, along with all the rewards promised, but even more, the knowledge of a clear conscience before God, who had given him the message to deliver without compromise in the first place.

Daniel stood up for the truth, and we are all the better for it.  Do we have the courage to do the same, no matter what the consequences may be to us personally?  My guess is that we will, if we respect God and are more concerned about what he thinks than the opinion of others.  It will take trust, courage and humility, but do it, we must.

BCM/D Annual Meeting: Tuesday Morning LIVE BLOGGING

This morning is the final session of the BCM/D’s annual meeting here in Dover, Delaware.  There are 324 reported messengers, along with 71 visitors at the convention this year.  The worship team from the Harmony Hills congregation of Global Mission Church of Washington, DC, is leading in worship this morning.

Frank Page, the most recent former President of the Southern Baptist Convention and self-described as a “Baptist Forrest Gump,” is up to speak this morning.  “Reveal the Hope” is the title of his message.  “Spiritually to our nation we have said ‘find your own way;’ but we’ve said to our world ‘we’re too busy doing our church work and fighting amongst ourselves as Baptists.’”  He notes that less than 227 years in the last 3500 years of recorded history has there been no war on the planet.  But there is always available peace with Christ.  We also have wealth of position “grace in which we stand.”  We can also hope to share in the glory of God.

The passage for his message is John 4:7-30.  This woman’s experience began with a revealing of self, to see herself as she really was.  Often we don’t want to deal with the “revealing of self,…”we’ve become experts at running from the truth and hiding from the Holy Spirit.  We rely on a substitute righteousness instead.  We fall back on cultural Christianity.  It tells me I’m okay.  Second thing we do is substitute and compare…to other people and feel like we’re better than them.

The woman also had revaled an emptiness, the depths of her heart.  But He revealed Himself as the Messiah, the answer to her emptiness. In that moment her life was tranformed, hope came into her life.

The woman also received hope, and then revealed hope.  She shared her story back in the village as she returned to tell them about Jesus.  She had been the talk of the town; now she took to the town the talk of Christ.  The call of God for all of us is to find Jesus Christ, then to share Jesus Christ.

Hope remembered…hope rejoiced…hope revealed.

After Frank Page spoke, the President of our convention Rick Hancock called for other nominations for office.  For the office of 1st Vice-President the only nomination was Bob Lilly from Cantonsville Baptist Church in Maryland, who was elected by acclamation.  For the office of 2nd Vice-President, Harold Phillips from Pleasant Valley Church in Port Deposit, Maryland was nominated and then elected by acclamation.

Rev. Ron Stanley, president of the General Mission Board of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, came to bring their Board’s annual report.  The budget discussion began.  Dr. Lee, our Executive-Director, talked about how productive we’ve been this year.  He noted our efforts in church multiplication, our Youth Evangelism Conference, the international ministry in Ocean City, the new Deep Creek resort ministry, our new Women’s Conference, the Girls Camps with record numbers and e-quip.net training…we may be doing some of our best work.  But at the same time, it has been tough fiscally.  BCM/D had to adjust the budget as the year progressed.  So the GMB is presenting a 2009 budget of 4.6 million ($735,000 less than last year’s budget).  “At the end of the day we are dealing with a stewardship issue.”  Lee noted that our vision, mission, objectives and commitments to constituents have not changed at all.

The budget has been recommended and approved without discussion.

There was no miscellaneous business brought before the Convention.

BCM/D Annual Meeting: Monday Evening Session LIVE BLOGGING

Tonight’s session is usually the highest attended at the BCM/D annual meeting.  So far, we have a little more that 300 people registered, give or take.  The BCM/D Chorale has sung and the orchestra is currently leading in worship while a special offering is taken for the upcoming EMBRACE Wilmington effort.

The first election of officers is up next, followed by the Evangelism portion of the BCM/D staff report.  The finale of the night will be Dr. David Lee, the Executive-Director, as he brings his annual message to the Convention.

Nominations have been opened for the election of President of the Convention.  John Gauger from Perryville Baptist Church has nominated Rev. Byron Day from Emmanuel Baptist Church in Laurel, Maryland.  No other nominations were made.  Thus, Byron Day was elected President for the coming year by acclamation.  No other nominations were made for any positions tonight.

The BCM/D Evangelism presentation was done by video.  It was picture after picture of baptisms from all across the convention.  My guess is at least 100 baptisms were shown from rivers to swimming pools to traditional church building baptistries.  Thom Thornton, state director of evangelism, is now recognizing the churches with the highest number of baptisms for the last annual year.

The Chorale and Orchestra led the crowd of messengers in worship with “You are God Alone.” Now Bill Archer is leading them is singing “Midnight Cry.”

Dr. David Lee is preaching on “In the Eye of the Storm” from 1 Corinthians 13:13.  He notes that Paul was the master of the summary statement (e.g., Romans 6:23; Romans 8:28).  “And now abideth faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.”  He served in hurricane-ravaged Mississippi in his early ministry storm.  He never has experienced the “eye” of a storm, though some of his friends have. In the eye itself the wind is calm, the sky is clear. In the eye of the storm, some go out and tidy up and even clean up the mess that’s started.  But you have to do it quickly, because the other half of the storm was coming.

The Corinthian church was in the eye of such a storm, with more to come in the days to come.  He believes the BCM/D is in the same “eye” of the storm.  He’s afraid that the backside of the storm may be even more difficult.  However, we have time to prepare.

1. We must strengthen our faith….”now abideth faith.”  There is a theology of faith, “what should I believe about God?” and the key question is “How big is God?” Then there is the theopraxy of faith, “what I do in my life based on my faith?” Here the key question is “Is God big enough?” It’s not always easy; it may be really tough.  Doing what we’ve been trained to do may not be enough.  We can’t fix what we’re facing without Him.  Just surviving the storm is not good enough.  It’s going to take faith! Do Baptists hoard money just like the banks in American are accused of doing that brought about this economic questions? BCM/D is known for being bold, to take the steps necessary even in the eye of the storm.

2. We must get busy telling the story of hope…”now abideth hope.” The landscape around us has changed but it has done nothing more than make things clearer for us.  The changing world and our economy has made a difference.  The generations following us have a very different view of denominationalism from those who have gone before.  What does our world need most? The hope of the Gospel. What do we have to offer? The Gospel of hope.  We know exactly what we need to do. Soon we will launch a futuring initiative for our convention. For 10 years we have been doing business on a previous plan.  But now we must look forward to a new plan and vision.  The core of what we must do is get the message of hope to a world that needs to hear it.  It’s not time to go independent; now more than before we need each other.

3. We must figure out this whole love thing…”now abideth love; and the greatest of these is love.” At the end of the day love is the only thing that will win us a hearing with others.  Love is all that really gives us credibility in a culture that is quickly running away from God.  Most of our churches are plateaued or declining.  Why is that happening?  True, some have past their relevancy.  Some are just trying to keep the institutional machinery going.  But the main issue is that those who call themselves followers don’t get along with each other.  Paul encouraged the Corinthians to consider a better way.  Love never fails.

The church has always done better in times of Kingdom expansion during persecution.  But not usually with Baptists “on the front end.” Baptists want to silence the “dreamers.”  We cannot stop dreaming and trusting.  Keep move forward boldly as we plant churches…as we do missions… Be sure to tell the story of hope. Take it to the people who so deperately need it.  There is not a limited supply of the love of God!  In fact, the more we give, the more our capacity to receive it.

Dare we ignore the wise counsel of the apostle Paul?