Renovare International Conference

Richard Foster and the Renovare association have long been near to my heart.  Richard has proposed a balanced strategy of spiritual growth around six streams of historical faith; contemplative, charismatic, evangelical, incarnational, social justice and holiness.

This approach has always been helpful to me as someone who sees great diversity in the spiritual reality of inclusiveness.  As a pastor of an inter-denominational church this approach is huge.  All these aspects are important and highly important in a balanced spiritual life.

It was amazing to see Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Eugene Peterson and John Ortberg on the same stage!  What a great historical moment!  The theme was “The Jesus Way” taken from Peterson’s book.

Some great take homes for me were; “The Kingdom is not at risk!”  “Slow down to speed up!”  “Spiritual growth must be hand crafted.”  “Formation and Mission are of necessity connected.”  A great word describing spiritual growth is “apprentice.”  Not a new thought, but some of the new resources available helping carry this out are exciting.  James Bryan Smith and the new IVP series looks very very promising.

A new and fun word was “simplexity” from Will Mancinni.  Keeping things simple in the complex nature of our environment.  A guppy is more complex than a star!  Size isn’t the issue so much as the nature of systems that bring life.

God is a “mystery” and churches are to be “puzzles.”  A puzzle has all the pieces and when connected show a great picture of the kingdom.  Make sure you are clear in what you are showing to your community.  Clarity is huge.

John Ortberg’s message on the role of the Holy Spirit in the Jesus Way was awesome!  He introduced a new process of spiritual formation in development called Monvee (Latin for my life).  This is a web based way of creating hand crafted spiritual formation plans for people in your congregation.  I am excited about this for MCC!

Stephen Machia did a real powerful job of helping me see that it is the “rules of life” that help keep us grounded when the ground is shaking around me!  These rules of life are really daily guides for building a life.  Get them right and you will get life right.  Some lessons from St. Benedict applied to some challenges we face today was a great “ancient future” kind of moment for me.

Lots to reflect on, great spiritual feast, sort of like the feasts we regularly had on the Riverwalk!  San Antonio was a great place!

Great Information and Challenge Sunday

It was great to renew ties with Kent Paris, counselor from Nehemiah Ministries in Urbana, Il this past Sunday.

Kent was here to share with both Epic and Exchange communities on the topic of our faith, scripture and dealing with homosexuality.  It was the conclusion to our Adversity and Taboo series.  The two teaching were a little different so you might want to pick up the CD or Podcast of the one you didn’t hear.

Always hard to stay biblically accurate and seasoned with grace but Kent did a great job with the topic he has been addressing for over thirty years and experienced personally. 

Homosexuality is on an equal par with all sexually immoral behavior.  That is hard for all people to hear including Christians.  For some reason we at times want to make it worse than adultery or pre-marital sex etc.  Scot has done a great job teaching on the whole sexuality topic and certainly left no doubts about our stance on that moral issue.  Homosexuality is like all of those other things God disapproves of.

Our challenge as followers of Jesus is to love those who are in sin just as he did.  We aren’t to throw stones but are to love and value each human as Jesus would.  Value however does not mean condone or ignore obvious immoral behavior.  Those behaviors hurt all kinds of people and make our lives less than what God intends.

This issue will continue to be one we all need to pray about as we publicly address with those we deal with every day.  We are to be salt and light and not hiding in the dark!  Keep praying the price loved ones!

A First at MCC in Mission

We are about to complete a first time effort at a Micro-business in advancing our mission in Congo.  This weekend we are packing the Woodmizer portable sawmill for shipment to Congo. 

This has been a $30,000+ project with African Christian Mission.  Ed and Brenda Buell have worked hard at finding a way to help Christians in Bukavu, Congo with a way to work and as a result help the churches also.  There is 600 acres of trees available for harvesting.  This is a way of teaching people to fish and not just giving them a fish.

Our family at MCC have really stretched in their giving to make this project a reality.  God’s people are awesome! 

A team will be leaving in August to help train some people and get the sawmill up and running once it completes its journey.

My prayer is that God will use this effort to feed people and grow His Church!

WTHI Report at MCC

http://www.wthitv.com/dpp/news/news_wthi_terrehaute_church_economy_20090405_1412

Kairos “A Special Time”

I just got back from my first Kairos, it is an “Emmaus Walk” for prisoners.  It was held at Wabash Valley Correctional Facility.

I stepped in at the last minute to replace my friend Dutch, but who could ever replace him!  Dutch was my “prison ministry buddy”.  Dutch’s heart for prisoners was contagious.  I taught in the Plus Unit with Dutch at WVCF many times.  But this was different.

I had experienced the power of a 4 day retreat with men and women on the outside so they say, but this one on the inside was a whole new experience.  Words will fail me for sure.  But let’s just call it “Emmaus on Steroids” so that those of you who know the lingo will know what I am trying to say.  Intense would be an understatement; but it fits.

God met 42 hardened criminals and showed them what love is really all about.  Can you imagine not having a McDonald’s hamburger for 11 years and then “there it was!”  The guys pigged out on burgers and fries for one lunch and I was truly humbled.  I as you know would not be impressed!  But that is exactly what one of my family members experienced.   He ate four big macs and I stopped counting the fries!  We had fried catfish from a loving church; 300 lbs to be specific.  It was awesome.  They ate ice-cream and pie like they had never seen it before! 

But as you know one of the highlights of a week-end like this are “love letters.”  They call it Agape.  I had personally hand written 42 of them.  For me that is real love!  I am not much of a hand writer!  It is even hard to read to say the least.  But with tears in his eyes, he told me, he had not had one letter in 10 years.  You can imagine the impact these 42 letters had on him.  It was truly over-whelming. 

Several guys gave their lives to Christ.  Many, Many, forgave lots and lots of people including fellow inmates.  Some told their stores that would rip your hear out.  One of the most powerful times was when the nine on my team went around our table and each prayed over the other.  Two of the guys had never ever prayed out loud let alone for someone else.  They were a puddle of tears and overcome with the presence of God.  I was really really touched when my new friend “M” prayed over me and asked God to bless my little brother who was in prison and that he would know what a special brother he had.  “M” was a hardened gang member that I never ever would have expected those words to come out of.  He had the most powerful and personal prayers of the bunch. 

Another one of my new friends “J” said he was not at the point of accepting Christ as his Savior “yet.”  But that the team members had really made him think for the first time about God and a loving father.   His father had beat him senseless on many occasions and burned him badly.  He really saw God as a mean hateful father.  “J” was tough, is tough.  But I really believe he will follow Jesus at some point.  We saw two inside gang members forgive each other, promise to pray for each other and promise to make a difference in the yard. 

Now I know what some of you are thinking, “yeah right.”  Jail house religion.  Well, maybe so, I have seen my fair share for sure.  But I have to say, not all of it was that.  Not any more than the “church house religion” I have seen.  Fake is fake.  But God truly was present and powerful and did some really amazing things. 

I heard one of my students from a Plus Class “speak the words he had been taught by me” verbatim and with conviction to a whole room of guys.  That class was over a year and a half ago.  It wasn’t some rote lesson, it was from a true learning experience that made a difference in his life. 

There are times when I can’t get people on the outside to want to come to a class, but I had one of “my boys” say he would pay to have me come and teach again.  You know what, he wasn’t kidding.  Oh how we forget real hunger. 

I am physically exhausted, spiritually stretched and humbly amazed at the love of a Father and the grace he shows not to the well but to the sick and the hurting. 

By the way, for those of you who baked cookies, you can not believe the grace and love they showed to guys who just needed a cookie and a cup of coffee served to them with love.  THANKS!

Easter Is Almost Here!

Hi Guys!  Want to let you know how pumped I am about Easter at MCC!  On Sunday, April 12, we will have 2 services – 9AM and 11AM.  We will offer full children and pre-school ministries and a celebration that is, well, I can’t even tell you how great things are coming together!

Easter is the time of year that people are more open to coming to church.  They may be waiting for someone to ask them.  Be that person!  Let me ask you to do 2 things:

1.  Pray.  On Sunday, April 12, there are people who will have their lives pulled toward   Christ.  Let’s be praying that God would do that in a big way.  Pray for your friends.  Pray that when you ask, they will say “Yep!”

2.  Get creative.  Send your friends a text, an email, or call them.  There is even a facebook group that you can use as an invitation.  You can find that at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=56542274222&ref=ts.

This is an amazing time of year for open doors for people to attend church, let’s not miss it!

Drawing Near to God

This phrase appears in Lk. 15.  The sinners pushed close to Jesus to hear him.  I say pushed because I am sure at times it was a real challenge to get close.  You ever been there?

Sometimes I think He is whispering to me and I just have to get closer.  Yes, I can be hard of hearing!  How about you?

I kind of wondered about that this past week.  I have been a bit overwhelmed with all the “things” I “need to do.”  Sometimes it can be a bit distressing as a pastor.  So many things to do and so little time!  But then, aren’t we all as followers of Jesus in spots like that.

As you have read, my friend Dutch passed away suddenly a few weeks ago.  His death left a big hole in the Kairos that was going to be held at Wabash Valley Correctional Facility.  It is an “Emmaus” retreat held at prisons.  Dutch had a deep passion for both those communities.  When the call for help went out I thought I heard the Lord pretty clear, “send me!”  So I said yes.  I don’t like last minute in anything if you know me.  So it was a loud voice!

The next few days I really wrestled with it, the commitment, the time and all the things that needed to be done in the next two weeks all added to my pile of “to do’s.”  But as I sat in the group meeting this Saturday it was pretty clear I had heard His voice and all would be well.

I called for help at church this morning for lots and lots of dozens of cookies.  Chocolate Chip cookies are a big deal for a Kairos.  I was really behind in getting my 100 dozen!  So I asked and yes, lots of my folks at church are “chipping in” and will give some cookies in Jesus name.  Bless you! Bless you!

I will be hand writing 42 notes to prisoners over the next two weeks. Praying for them and the team and giving myself to  following Jesus in spite of my fleshly hesitance.  Pray for me!  Pray for our team.

I will give all the “other things” I could be doing and maybe should be doing for what I believe is a best choice.  Friends do that for friends.  Isn’t it great that Jesus calls us friend!  Thanks to my friends for jumping and helping!

A Great Friend Has Joined the Army of Heaven

My great friend Dutch Gunyon joined the heavenly army this past Monday afternoon! 

He was one of God’s dangerous men on the earth.  He lived bold and followed Jesus close.  I am not saying perfect, you know how death can distort who we really are!  Don’t mean to do that, Dutch would choke!  But I do mean he never backed off a challenge when it came to ministry.

Emmaus, Chrysilis, Kairos——all of those knew his love and passion for helping to change lives.  He was a hard worker in those communities and made the Devil cringe!

He took on prison ministry head on!  He not only went, he established a ministry called New Beginnings.  He was at the front of starting the PLUS program at Wabash Valley Correctional facility.  A faith based program that was his life.  He gave time, money and sweat to make it work.

He took on the challenge at 67 yrs old to go to Congo with me and help rehab a house for rape victims.  He knew the danger for himself physically with his heart issues the danger of the country of Congo.  But he went anyway!  He was great and loved every minute of it as he loved life every minute. 

It is moments like this when the reality of keeping your lists short and life close that I cherish.  It always keeps me centered on each day and how wonderful it is. 

I will miss him, Maryland Community Church will miss him.  I am praying for his lovely wife Kathy and what God will do to make his mark continue to change lives!

Our Reproach Has Been Taken Away

I saw in the Trib-star a few weeks ago that Bishop Tino Smith was going to have a special Black History meeting at his congregation. He promoted it as a time to declare that the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King had now been fulfilled. He was referring to the election of Barak Obama to the presidency. He invited several caucasion pastors to come and celebrate with him and his congregation.

I was of course interested in this meeting because of my involvement with my friend pastor Terry Clark before the election in a public discussion of race and politics. I emailed Terry to see if he was attending. He told me he was. That did it for me, I was going.

The evening was attended by about 80 people; with three caucasion pastors, and the Mayor Duke Bennett. There were several speakers sharing what the election of an African American to the presidency meant to them. Each was well done and had some great historical moments pointed out.

Bishop Tino Smith gave the main address and asserted that a “great reproach had been taken away” with the election of Barak Obama. Much like in the O.T. when sin was covered by atonement. I am not sure this is the case, but it is an interesting assertion for sure! The spiritual overtones of the election were highlighted in many different connections to Dr. King and his dream.

The highlight of the night was with pastor Smith, a strong proponent of protest, said that protest was no longer the tool of unity in Terre Haute. Only spiritual power can bring about unity. Amen to that! Then he brought pastor Keith Taylor up and in a sense laid a mantle of leadership upon him to help with this great unity charge. Pastor Keith has an African American worship pastor and has been a great model in unity. He then invited pastor Clark, pastor Linda Jo Peters and myself to come up. We sang, we prayed and we proclaimed an new day in Terre Haute.

I must say, it was moving and it was significant. I am a little sad that, as usual in our city, the crowd was small and the number of pastors was few. But sometimes things begin small. Maybe this will be a mustard seed of faith to start a huge new day of unity. Please make it so Lord Jesus!

Reflection of Ted Haggard’s Interview on Oprah

I have followed the issues that have surrounded the life of pastor Ted Haggard closely. For many reasons, but mostly I always desire and pray for the healing of God’s people and not their slaughter. We should bind up the wounded and not execute them. Jesus came to heal the hurting and redeem the lost not condemn. Hard these days with a lot of very public tragedies.

I don’t know why Ted has went so public with his healing process. This always leaves you and your family so vulnerable. I could see that on all the families faces on Oprah this past week. He was also on Larry King and will have an HBO special coming up soon. This is of course so so public and so so questionable.

But I can’t help but reflect on some things I heard from Ted that should cause us all as followers of Jesus to think and pray through.

Here is one quote from Oprah’s site on the interview: “I kept trying to deal with it within spiritual circles, and that didn’t work out,” he says.”

First, how sad that spiritual circles didn’t help! Not so sure what is going on here. He didn’t listen? He didn’t understand? He didn’t obey? He was given bad help

Second, what is a normal box? This whole issue must revolve around the creation model in Genesis. This isn’t about therapy so much as it is reality. Maybe some reality therapy! I do not believe God crated male, female and “mixed up.” There is no doubt that our broken world leads to all kinds of “un-normal” behavior; see Romans 1 for example.

I must make it clear, homosexuality isn’t any different than any other abnormal behavior or what I would call sin. It is very clear from scripture that certain sins carry different consequences. The consequences of homosexuality are certainly much different than say lying.

The major issue that Oprah kept hammering home in her interview was that lying was the problem not Ted’s actual sexual behavior. The drug issue seem to fade into the background. No doubt, I give Ted a lot of credit for coming out and admitting to his lying and deception. That was huge. But his admitting to lying doesn’t change his sexual misconduct. All sexual misconduct is sin; not just homosexuality. I don’t want to have anyone miss that.

Another quote: “Earlier in their marriage, Gayle says Ted had told her that he struggled with homosexual thoughts, but now—decades into their marriage and five children later—she assumed he had those thoughts under control.”

This sexual problem had a long history. Evidently others, no one knows how many or who all knew, but it appears like quite a few. It was evident that there were other spiritual friends who knew also. Why did it all have to crash this way? Do we not have ways to help leaders who are struggling in a more healthy manner? Unfortunately not easily, inexpensively or clearly. Someone could have, should have helped Ted get his drug problem and sexual problem under “control” before the public shame and the huge hurt it caused New Life church. The restoration process after had many things we should learn from. Not easily fixed for sure. The Catholic church is wrestling with these kinds of issues and we protestants aren’t any less in need.

Another quote: “Now, I do believe the Bible is the word of God. I believe God’s ideal for us is to live in heterosexual monogamous marriages. I just believe that,” he says. “I think it’s an ideal, just like I wish there wasn’t divorce. So an ideal is that there not be divorce, but there is divorce. An ideal is that heterosexual monogamous marriages would be there, but that’s an ideal.”

I am not sure Ted intended this “idealism” to be taken as a negative but it appeared to me it was. We as followers of Jesus make the ideal a benchmark to be proud of and not ashamed of. Today in our post-christian world this is quickly becoming true. Somehow being an idealist is a bad thing. It isn’t, and without it, we are in trouble as a culture. The body of Christ must not normalize the “non-ideal”.

Another quote: “After going through this experience, I believe everybody is in need of redemption. Some sins are more socially unacceptable than others, but we all need redemption, and [God] graciously provides it,” he says. “And I know, from firsthand experience, that he loves unrighteous people. Because when I couldn’t seek him anymore, he came and got me.”….At his lowest point, Ted says he even contemplated suicide. “Jesus came to me, and he said, ‘Now we’re ready. Now I can save you.’ And that’s when my life started to change,” Ted says. “Because he sought me instead of me seeking him.”

I was and am a little confused about “the saved” stuff here. Sometimes we religious folks can make salvation stuff rather confusing by both our behavior and our rationalizations. This seems to be a little of both! I know at times the followers of Jesus can and do live in unrighteous ways. God will break us, as he did Ted, and when we are broken we will repent and begin our healing and sanctification. Sometimes the old saying is true, “the bigger they are the harder they fall.” I know from my perspective God is always the seeking Father and we are not always the seeking son. it is good that our Father seeks us even when we are running at full speed away from him

The final quote: It sounds like you’d make a better minister now,” Oprah says. “No question,” Ted says. “Now that I’m disqualified, I’m qualified.”

Well, is that so! Maybe that is what Ted is trying to get to. If so, the question is who qualifies him! Back to my issue of helping hurting leaders in trouble. That decision isn’t his. He has shown a lack of ability to make good decisions for a while now! I am convinced with more experience than I care to mention that fallen leaders can be restored; but why is the question always around back to the pastorate? Isn’t there better and more suitable roles? I would hope and pray so. I am sure I would not want Ted for my pastor starting tomorrow, how about you?

Here is what Ted says on his website: “In the fall of 2006, Ted Haggard suffered a personal and family crisis causing him to step away from his positions as senior pastor of New Life Church and the presidency of the NAE. Two years later, Ted Haggard has emerged a stronger, wiser man with his family intact. Ted Haggard is a pragmatic and compassionate thinker who is known for thinking “outside of the box.” His emergence from crisis has proven him to be a man who has the courage not to give up and he lives to offer hope and help to others to equip them to live a better life.” He, his wife, Gayle, their five children, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter live happily together in their family home in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Wow, don’t we wish it was that simple!