from March 2, 2014 prayer update

This will be my last monthly update as part of Pioneers. It has been a good seven year ride. The last four years of the ten years I was part of Advancing Churches in Missions Commitment were under Pioneers umbrella, followed by the past three years as part of Pioneers Church Partnerships Team. There is much that I have loved about Pioneers, including their mission of initiating church planting movements among least reached peoples and their core values. I have many fond memories of the people and the churches God allowed me to partner with and serve. But as Philippians 3:13 reminds me: “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead”.

When you receive my next monthly update, we will officially be part of The Navigators Church Discipleship Ministry. I am very excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.

The Navigators was started by Dawson Trotman in 1933. Today more than 4600 staff from 70 different nationalities serve in 107 countries among 220 people groups in 174 languages. Our U.S. and international headquarters is at Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs. Our organizational motto is “to know Christ and to make Him known”. Our mission statement reads: “To advance the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of laborers living and discipling among the lost.”

I read Acts 16 as part of my devotional reading this past week. Paul and his team are on their second missionary journey in this passage and hope to take the gospel into Asia, but are somehow prevented by the Holy Spirit. Plan B was to go into Bithynia, but again the Spirit prevented that effort. Then in a vision God provided the clarity Paul was seeking. God would have him and his team take the gospel into Europe, starting in Macedonia. In verse 10, Paul immediately responds with obedience and enthusiasm to the clarity that God provided.

It is my heart’s desire to do the same with the new opportunities that Lord has provided for us through The Navigators. These open doors came through months of seeking God for clarity regarding His desires for our lives, with Him opening up a vehicle that would better fit the gifts and passions He has placed within us.

Please join with us in praying for this new work. Pray that it would bear much fruit, fruit that would last, and be a work marked by answered prayer that honors Christ. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you.” – John 15:16.

from February 20, 2014 personal update

April 1 I will officially leave Pioneers and begin my new role with The Navigators as part their Church Discipleship Ministry. I will serve local church leaders in the south central U.S. (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas). You will be hearing more about The Navigators (www.navigators.org) and my role with them in the months ahead.

After months of searching for an organization and role where my God-given gifts and passions could better be utilized, I have found my landing place. Thanks so much for your prayers during this time of transition. I looked into more than 100 different opportunities. Since October I have given serious and prayerful consideration to three great opportunities. My first choice among those three options was with the Navs. Their application and vetting process has been slow and thorough, but it is now completed.

The Navigators was started by Dawson Trotman in 1933. Today more than 4000 staff serve in 107 countries. Our U.S. and international headquarters is at Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs. Our organizational motto is “to know Christ and to make Him known”. Our mission statement reads: “To advance the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of laborers living and discipling among the lost.”

Christ drew me to Himself more than 41 years ago as a freshman at The University of Texas at Austin. A few months after my conversion I got involved with the Nav work at UT. They laid the foundation for my spiritual journey and service with Christ. From 1973 to 1980 as an undergraduate student, a graduate student, and then as a recent graduate, I was actively involved with the Nav work at UT. I served as interim campus director (lay volunteer) for the UT Nav work during the 1996-1997 school year, and I served as associate staff (lay volunteer) with CDM (Church Discipleship Ministry) from 1995-2000.

God has used many different people and organizations as part of the process of helping me become more like Jesus and more effectively join with Him in His mission in the world. At the top of that list of people and organizations is The Navigators.

We are thrilled to remain in Austin, my home of 41 years. This will provide important continuity for our two children as they finish out their high school years. And I am thrilled to continue to serve local church leaders in their Great Commission efforts. For the past 13 years my vocational focus has been consulting and coaching local church leaders in the area of local and global cross-cultural outreach, with a special emphasis on church planting among least reached peoples. First as a regional director with Advancing Churches in Missions Commitment and then through Pioneers Church Partnerships Team. That passion remains unchanged. I am delighted to now be able to extend the scope of my consulting and coaching work with local church leaders into the six areas where CDM concentrates their efforts: leadership, life-to-life, mission, outreach, small groups, and spiritual maturity.

For those of you who of you who currently give to our work, we pray that you will make the transition with us to The Navigators. We will continue to depend on a team of faithful financial and prayer partners to make our work with local church leaders possible. Please continue to give through March 31 using our account with Pioneers. In April Pioneers will transfer all remaining funds in our account to our new account with The Navigators. Please begin giving through our new account with The Navigators on April 1. I will soon provide you with information about giving through The Navigators -- where to send checks, how to set up an electronic funds transfer, and other convenient giving options.

Thanks so much for your faithful partnership with us! We thank God for you. Please continue to pray for us as we make this transition. And please do contact me with any questions or concerns you may have about any of this. May God receive great glory as we move forward into this next stage of life and kingdom service.

from February 2, 2014 prayer update

This was my third consecutive year to be involved with churches in SW Kansas. I taught three Perspectives classes there in March 2012 and again in March 2013. Last weekend I had the opportunity to teach four times (Friday evening, Saturday evening, Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon) at a church missions conference in a small rural church near Garden City. I also had the opportunity to share my story to the nations with the church’s Saturday morning men’s group. A story that I shared in four stages: clueless, getting started, searching for my role, and engaged.

It was a delight to interact with two 20 somethings that participated who have a heart for the nations. One wanting to serve in Nepal, the other in China.

In a world where we often believe “bigger is better”, this church is a great reminder of what God can and often does do through small churches. Sunday morning attendance at Pierceville Federated Church is under 100 (as attendance is in more than half of all churches across the U.S.). Their mission statement reads: “A great commission church with a great commandment heart”. I love it! This is a church that has a history of devoting 40% of its annual giving to missions through an annual faith promise process. How many big churches do you know that can make that claim?

Remember the story in Mark 12 of the widow who gave two copper coins. She was commended by Jesus for her generosity. First, because she gave out of her poverty. Second, because on a percentage basis, she had given more than any of the wealthy gave.

I wonder if we are sometimes inappropriately impressed by what large churches do in missions – with large professional staffs, lots of short term missions trips, lots of dollars given, a steady stream of new long-term workers for the harvest, ... Would we still be as impressed if we looked at it on a percentage basis? What are God’s expectations of a church of 100 vs. 1000 vs. 10,000?

The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 seems to indicate that the master was equally pleased with the two talent servant that produced two additional talents as he was with the five talent servant that produced five additional talents. Why? Because they had the same results on a percentage basis.

John Rowell’s 1998 book, Magnify Your Vision for the Small Church, is the story of what a small Atlanta church was able to accomplish in Bosnia when they became deeply committed to the work there. God has used it to encourage many small churches to aspire for great things among the nations.

How about your church, how is it doing?
• Do your people take the great commission seriously, treating it as the marching orders for the Church, individually and collectively?
• Do they know what the Bible teaches about missions?
• Are they well informed about what God is doing among the nations?
• Are they praying strategically and fervently for the nations?
• Are they giving sacrificially for the nations?
• Are they seizing local cross-cultural opportunities with ethnic minorities, the poor, international students, and recent immigrants?
• Are they going, short-term and long-term?
• Are they focusing most of their energies on the two billion people living among people groups without access to the gospel?
• And are they doing these things in proportion to the resources that God has entrusted to your church, whether it be 100 people, 1000 people, or 10,000 people?

from January 5, 2014 prayer update

2014, a new year! Lots of new opportunities. I am not a big believer in New Year’s resolutions. But I am a big believer in personal and organizational goal setting. I have some great hopes, aspirations, and goals for 2014.

The apostle Paul was a forward focused person. In Philippians 3:13-14 he says, “… forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

As I enter my 59th year, I really want to see meaningful forward progress in my character development. There are three interconnected character areas that I am looking to God to change in my life: anger, patience / extending grace to those who give offense, and critical spirit. These are engrained traits that won’t change overnight. but they can change over time and with God’s Spirit’s enablement. I am looking to God to do a deep work in my life in these areas that will be lasting and Christ honoring.

In my spiritual life I want to carry forward my 2013 goal regarding prayer. I made some progress last year, but not as much as I hoped. I am asking God for consistency and fervency, to extensively claim Biblical promises, and to meaningfully connect with Him. One of my life goals is to become a powerful intercessor. I also plan to continue my practice of reading through the entire Bible each year accompanied with some simple journaling.

Kathy and I celebrated our 30th anniversary last month. I want to see growth in our marriage in 2014. It is easy for unhelpful patterns to develop over time. Kathy and I want to develop helpful patterns that will enhance our relationship and better reflect Christ to our children and to a lost world.

This year will be a year of transition for me with my work and ministry. I will be transitioning into a new role with a new organization early this year. I am looking to God to provide a new venue for kingdom service that better fits the gifts and passions He has placed within me. I am currently praying through three good opportunities and actively engaged in application and vetting processes. I look forward to announcing what this new opportunity will be soon. Associated with this will be extensive new staff orientation and training. Cultivating lots of new relationships. And a renewed focused on fundraising (as I will need to raise several thousand dollars in new monthly support for ministry expenses, medical insurance, retirement, and organizational administrative fees). Fundraising is hard for me, so I welcome your prayers. I am continuing my graduate program in intercultural studies at Columbia International University in 2014. My spring class is titled “Acts in historical, theological, and missiological perspective”. I plan to take a class in the summer and in the fall as well. And hope to complete my graduate program in 2015.

How about you, what goals have you set for 2014? Would love to hear from you.

from December 1, 2013 prayer update

I am teaching through I Peter in 13 sessions in the “PrimeTime” adult Bible fellowship in my home church. We are now past the half way point of the class. I have titled the study “holy living under authority and in adversity”. Not a very creative title, but very descriptive. I Peter has three major themes: holy living, living under authority, and living in adversity.

Peter discusses the importance of right thinking in becoming holy. Salvation is not only about what happened in the past, when we were declared “not guilty” by God because of the imputed righteousness of Christ. There are important present and future components to our salvation. The present component is often referred to as sanctification. It the life-long process, beginning at conversion, of being set apart from the world to God so that we might become more like Christ. This is not a pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, self help, approach to spirituality. It is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that starts with the mind and works its way from the inside out. A transformation that begins with allowing Scripture to thoroughly form our worldview, it then shapes our beliefs and values, ultimately resulting in lasting changes to our external behaviors.

The month of December for most Americans is focused on Christmas. It is a time of the year that I have mixed feelings about. Some of our thinking about Christmas is appropriate and firmly grounded in Scripture. But much of it is extra-Biblical, grounded neither in right thinking nor in honoring God.

George Barna in his book, Pagan Christianity, explores the pagan origins of much that we call “Christian” in the Western world today. Many of the traditions and practices at Christmas are described in this book. As a missions practioner, I can appreciate the effort of believers in any setting where they are a minority taking practices from their pagan culture and infusing them with new meaning and significance. In part that is what has happened with Christmas. The difference is that until recent decades, the “Christians” in the Western world have been the majority culture. We could have taken far greater liberties than we did to develop the traditions and practices at Christmas around solidly Biblical themes.

The crass consumerism and materialism that is now associated with Christmas each year offends many. And rightfully so. Stores and media now aggressively begin the day after Halloween to exploit the shopping frenzy of a people who seem to never be content with what they have.

What is Christmas really about? You already know. It is about God become man, beginning as a helpless infant to a poor, unwed teenage mother. It is about a man who led a perfect life. He never sinned, not once. It is about a man who taught as no one had ever taught before, as One with real insight and authority. It is about a man who regularly met needs and served others, sometimes in miraculous ways. It is about a man, who in the prime of life, was betrayed by a close friend, falsely accused in a farce of a trial, and condemned to a humiliating and extremely slow and painful death. It is about One who died as a substitute in our place, for all the times we have strayed from a far less than perfect life. And it is about One, who three days later, rose as a victor over death. The God-man who paved the path back to a Creator that we had turned our backs on. Providing life and power and hope and new perspective in the process.

“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11

Let us remember, celebrate, and worship this Jesus at Christmas this year!

from November 3, 2013 prayer update

I have heard from a number of sources that if our work and ministry engagements do not align at least 70% with our gifts and passions, it is not a good long-term fit. I believe there is a lot of wisdom in this statement.

Since I shifted from my 10 year role with ACMC into my role with Pioneers church partnerships team two years ago, I have been increasingly experiencing a lack of strong alignment. I love Pioneers, her mission, her core values, and her top leadership. But the fit I have with the team I serve on has been far less than a 70% alignment.

I am very grateful that Pioneers is supporting me as I seek to find a role that will better fit who God has uniquely made me to be. As I have reflected, sought input, and prayed deeply about this I have come to the conclusion that my gifting is primarily in four areas: teaching, consulting/coaching, writing, and administration. My passions lie primarily in six areas: adult education, discipleship, training workers, leadership development, developing ministry models and strategies, and church planting among the least reached.

I developed a life mission statement many years ago. It reads: “to honor God by serving as a model and catalyst to individuals and churches for reproductive engagement in the Great Commission locally and among the least reached.” This statement has served as a great benchmark for assessing opportunities that God brings into my life. It has been a huge help in determining whether I should pursue an opportunity or politely say no.

Rarely, if ever, does a job or volunteer opportunity provide a vehicle for us to engage 100% in our gifts and passions and also align well with our sense of life mission. But that 70% standard is an important one. It is one that is at the forefront of my thoughts and prayers as I seek out the next step God has for me in work and ministry.

How about you? Are you serving long-term in contexts that are a good fit for who God has uniquely made you to be?

from October 6, 2013 prayer update

Todd Johnson published an article titled “globalization, Christian identity, and frontier missions” in the Journal of Frontier Missiology in 2010. In it he discusses important trends with missions. One of those trends is that Christians have little significant contact with Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists.

The task remaining globally is predominantly among these three religious blocks. Sadly globally 86% of all Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists do not know a single Christian. They have few, if no ways, of hearing the gospel and believing. Even in the U.S., 60% of ethnic non-Christians do not have a relationship with a single Christian. And 70% of Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists.

According to J.D. Payne, in his recent book, Pressure Points: 12 Global Issues Shaping the Face of the Church. The U.S. is the largest immigrant nation in the world, with 43 million first generation legal immigrants (Russia is second with 13 million). There are nearly a million international students in the U.S. (with 194K from China, 100K from India, 70K from South Korea, 34K from Saudi Arabia). And there are 571 UPG (unreached people groups) in the U.S. and Canada. This is less than 10% of the UPG’s globally, but still not an inconsequential number. God has truly brought the nations to our doorstep.

There are also 51 million religiously unaffiliated individuals in the U.S. (third to China and Japan). And this number is rapidly growing. Thankfully well over 95% of these atheists and agnostics are in relationship with one or more Christians, and do have access to the gospel.

In last month’s personal reflections I shared about the Explore God campaign in my home of Austin. 370 Austin area churches working together to engage in spiritual conversations in low key ways with tens of thousands of Austinites. I heartily commend these efforts. Wouldn’t it be great if something like this happened in every major metropolitan area in the U.S. But even if it did, we fail to properly understand important components of the great commission if we focus most of our outreach energies of folks like ourselves. We must make ethnic communities and individuals from Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist backgrounds a strategic priority.

I have been part of a multi-church, multi-generational missional community for 19 months. Our focus recently narrowed from engaging Austin area Muslims specifically to engaging Arabic speaking Muslims. Our objective is to see a rapidly reproducing Arabic speaking church planted in Austin. We are partnering with a Syrian pastor toward that end. We are a small missional community of a little more than a dozen and our impact to date is small. We saw two Arabic speaking couples come to Christ this summer. But our heart, our vision, and prayers are large.

Get out of your comfort zone. Engage the lost. And make special efforts to engage those with little or no access to the gospel. There are lots of ways to get started. If you’re not sure how to get started, let me know. I would be delighted to help point you to folks that can be a helpful resource.