Leaving for Peru on Sat

In just a couple more days I head out for Peru again. As I explained in a previous post, we are even more committed now than ever to planting churches in the Yacus Valley, and are going to be going back there more regularly. I am taking our Associational Missionary, Craig Nalls, with me on this trip, hopefully in preparation for future trips. And several of you pastors who read this blog, should prepare to go with us in March or July of 2010.

But I want to fill you in on my agenda while I am there next week so that you can pray.

1. As I alluded to, one of my goals on the next several trips is to train others who may take trips down to Peru. So I want to carve out a place for Peru in Craig's heart. That will be my goal for all of you leaders who go with me over the next few trips.
2. The first of my main two goals for going back so soon is to check on our prospects. Miguel has been meeting with a group in Julcan and a group in Molinos. I need to discern whether or not these are true believers, or just seekers. We need to get the church meeting together regularly. I am going to spend some time with them strengthening them in the faith, and casting the vision for a church in Julcan, and Molinos, and Masma, that will help foster the church planting movement that we want to see there.
3. Secondly, I want to spend a lot of time with Miguel and Sergio, our disciple-makers. I want to inflame their passion for Christ and the advancement of His Kingdom there. I want to cast the vision of their crucial role in the planting of churches, and the reaching of the Yacus and Yanamarca Valleys. I want to train them in disciple-making, and leadership development, and church planting strategy; as well as the reality of what constitutes a church, and what it looks like there.
4. Also, I want to meet with the mayors of the towns and work with them about our upcoming trips in March and July. I want to try to discern the needs that we can meet, and figure out all the logistics for coming there again. We want to maintain a good relationship with them.
5. Finally, we are going to get to meet our partner pastor Scott Dollar of A Place Called Hope Church in Lethbridge, Alberta, CAN. He is going to be there this week as well. I have only met him on the phone and through email and Facebook. And although the parameters of our partnership have changed somewhat in the last year or so, together we are still committed to ensuring that churches get planted in the Yacus and Yanamarca Valleys, because our home base while in country is the same town of Jauja. He will be working mostly in Acolla and the area to the north of Jauja, and we will be laboring in Julcan and the area east of Jauja. But we will be helping each other where we can while in country on future mission trips.

So pray:

• for the hand of God upon us and our work, we are desperate for Him
• for our eyes to be open, and hearts to be sensitive to what God is doing there
• for His church to be already there, or first established
• for us to stand firm in His strength against the attacks of the enemy
  
• for safe travel and good health, we leave Sat 14th, return on Fri 20th
  
• for our families at home
  
• for favor in the eyes of the mayors
• for success in vision-casting and training, and God to fire up our disciplers
• for growth in Christ for our groups of believers
• for proper planning for the future
• for lost to be reached for Christ
• and most importantly for God to be glorified in all things

Thanks for your faithfulness to read and pray! Through your help in the trenches of prayer, the muscles of omnipotence will move, and Christ will establish His church as an outpost in the vast darkness that blinds so many in the Peruvian Andes!

"There's A Man With a Machete in Our Church!"

Well, I just figured I would share the most memorable night of our Fall Challenge Week (revival). People usually remember revivals because people come to know Christ; or marriages get saved; or passion is rekindled in their spirits; or God moves in a spectacular way. But we will remember this one for a totally different reason.

FCW goes from Thurs night to Sun morning. Thurs night was fairly normal revival, good attendance, good worship, good movement of God upon His people, and a great start to our week. But then on Friday about halfway through the speaker's message, a man somehow ended up in our building. He was really drunk, and he had one of those strap-on deer-hunting flashlights on his forehead. AND he was carrying a big machete!

For a few minutes he walked up and down the back hallway screaming and beating on the doors with his machete. One of the doors that he knocked on was the door to the nursery, where the women and children were, and they opened the door to see this guy with his machete looking back at them. Needless to say, they were terrified! Slamming the door they began to text message several people out in the church for help.

Well, it was church, and so everyone's phone was off or on silent. So they were trapped. Not good, with a possible deranged killer loose inside the building. Eventually this guy found his way into the back door to the choir loft behind the pulpit, and he stumbled right in to the worship service with his light and machete, about 10 feet from the pulpit. Needless to say, this was unnerving to lots of people. And Erika was elbowing me and punching me, telling me to "do something!"

The light on his forehead distracted most people from the large machete, and so most of them didn't see it. So nobody was panicking yet (except Erika and the ladies in the nursery). After I decided that this wasn't a skit to go along with the message, I found the biggest guy in the church, and told him to come with me. (I needed someone to tackle him that was bigger than me)

We went to the hallway, and told the man to come to us out of the sanctuary. He wouldn't! And he wouldn't give us the machete. So, I did what any brave pastor would do--I told my big deacon to watch him real close, told the other deacon to go check on his wife, and I went to get my gun from the truck and call the cops (not necessarily in that order).

By the time the deputies got there (less than four minutes, but seemed like forever, kudos to all my boys and the TCSO), the man had changed his mind, given us the machete, come out of the choir loft, and said he needed to find a restroom. And right before they arrived, one of our men in the church, who happened to be a neighbor to this guy, came back to fill us in (where were you the last ten minutes!!!!).

He said that this guy was like the town drunk, lots of substance abuse issues, and probably just needed a ride home. And so we said, you go and see. And so he went into the restroom, and talked a bit, deputies arrived, and we got that guy a ride home. Not in handcuffs, much to dismay of my nursery workers, but out of our church all the same. What a night! And I stepped into the sanctuary just in time to pray the closing prayer as if nothing happened, like anyone believed that!

It makes me smile now (because I don't believe that this man's intention was to hurt or scare anyone), but then it was really scary. None of us wanted to be on the news the next day. In our day, you just don't know. Don't think many people remember much of the sermon. But we did learn how ill-prepared we were for just such an event. And there are many changes to come about how we handle things like this, and much preparation is in order. We are also very grateful to God for His mercy upon us. For even though this guy was very drunk, and very confused, this could have gone really bad. We are encouraged that Satan us using strategies like this to distract us, and trust that something big in the Kingdom is on the way.

Please pray for us as we continue to deal with the after effects of an event like this. Pray that we forgive, fix our eyes upon Christ, refuse to live in fear, and prepare in wisdom for future events. Hopefully we never have to deal with such an event, but in my short pastoral ministry, this has now happened twice in six years.

Help us, Lord, to live and handle situations like this in a way pleasing unto You!

Christians and Halloween II

All I know is that this is definitely an issue where all the answers are not clear, and also that many parents think about. And that Lew and Matt need to get together and study Rom 14 together ;) . If I had know that this blog post was going to generate so many comments, I would have waited to respond to my parents until now, because the discussion has been interesting and helpful for the most part. I am simply going to post my response to this young couple. Some of you may think I am too harsh, and some will think I am too lax, but this is just where I come down. And I don't think to be a "good Christian" that you necessarily have to agree with me. Ultimately his is a matter of liberty that should be approached with thoughtfulness, biblical honesty, care for other brethren, and not flaunted or
legalized. I hope that it is helpful at some level.

Thanks for your email. That is a tough question. Let me say up front that the bible doesn’t speak specifically about Halloween. And that I don’t think there is necessarily a right or wrong answer, because of no explicit biblical prescription. And I do think that well-intentioned bible believing Christians can disagree on this, and will come down on both sides of the issue. I don’t think it is a hill to die on. That having been said, I do think that there on principles in the bible that can be helpful. And you will find lots of material on both sides on the internet, some good and some bad.

But I will tell you both what I think, and what Erika and I do. But the bottom line will be that you and Jason will have to talk it out and figure out the path that God would have you and your family on.

If it were solely up to me, I don’t think I would encourage my kids to participate. Obviously there are some dark overtones with a celebration of the undead. And the whole observance verges on occult practice and is devoid of anything godly. But much of the same can be said about Easter and Christmas. Do the research on those and you will find mostly pagan roots, and things unhelpful to biblical teaching. But we don’t completely jettison those holidays. And I don’t think that Satan is out more on that night than others, or anything weird like that. Some Christians go way overboard in my opinion.

Erika and I have mixed feelings about it all. We were both raised trick or treating, and it didn’t seem to do much damage. And I guess I don’t have the backbone, and Erika doesn’t have the heart to refuse to let them go out and get candy. So we participate, I guess. But like Christmas and Easter, we just emphasize the right things, and don’t make a big deal about it. We don’t encourage them to dress up in scary stuff. We don’t decorate the house or the yard with ghosts and black cats. We carve pumpkins, but we put crosses in them instead of faces. And in general we don’t make a big deal of it all. We let the kids dress up as princesses or musketeers, or pumpkins or whatever. At Christmas we don’t mention Santa much, but obviously it’s everywhere, and if the kids ask, we tell them the truth, but we make the focus of Christmas Jesus, and the same with the Easter bunny. But we don’t go overboard on getting them to disbelieve in Santa either. And we get them gifts for Christmas morning. And sometimes they ask, and we don’t lie, but don’t make a big deal of the non-Christian parts. It’s all in how you approach it.

If you all decided that your conviction was to keep your kids from Halloween, I think that would be fine. However, don’t harp on others who don’t feel that way. But if you feel the liberty to participate at some level, I definitely think that there are lines to be drawn and limits to set. I am not sure that this is an issue to fight over, but I do believe it is an issue to be thought through from a Christian standpoint. I may blog about it and see what kind of response I get.

I hope this helps, sorry I couldn’t give you more clear guidance. But I believe it is an area where we can rely on the Spirit, and do what we feel is best.

Blessings,

And just by the way, Lew wrote a very humorous blog post on Halloween that you will get a kick out of. You can read it here.

Thanks for reading...

Christians and Halloween I

As a pastor, it brings me great joy to know that people the church I serve are striving to know and live truth. And as one of their spiritual advisers, I get to help them make decisions about life and family and the faith (a responsibility that I do not take lightly, and am constantly amazed at how people listen to what I say).

So I get an email from a young family with small children this week that asks me what I think about Halloween; and should believers participate, if so, how much? This is a family that has been recently converted, baptized, and are now asking questions about their family life and their new faith. They have been doing some research on the internet, and realize that the opinions on this matter vary greatly.

But before I post my reply with my thoughts and convictions, I thought I would just give all of you a chance to chime in on the question. That's what blogging is about, right? The quicker, freer exchange of ideas? So, what do you think? Should Christians be involved in Halloween?

Link Between Obedience and Feelings

Deuteronomy 28:28 says, "The LORD will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart."

I was reading this verse this morning in my devotional time. By the way, just want to praise the Lord for how good He has been to me in my devotional time in the mornings lately. The context of the verse is the covenant faithfulness of God to the His people. And the promise of blessings that will flow from obedience to the covenant in every aspect of life, as well as the promise of curses that will follow those who choose to ignore or forsake God's commandments and covenant. Remember that these promises are made to His people, not the the world at large. And I noticed a link that was interesting to me.

God says that if they are disobedience, covenant breakers, adulterous in their heart toward Him, this is one of the curses they will experience. God says first in this list that He will cause them to be insane. This puts a new perspective on mental illness (this is not to say that all mental illness is caused by disobedience, just that it is a possibility). And this is so scary, because barring the intervention of God again on behalf of this person, they may never have the mental capacity (not to mention spiritual capacity) to repent and be obedient again. Verse 45 says "Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you." Makes you want to warn those that slip down this road to diligent to obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments (v. 1), so that they might retain their sanity.

God also says that if they don't follow Him in obedience, He will cause them to be blind. This was a word that is used to indicate spiritual or religious blindness. So not only will they struggle with their own natural bent toward sin, but God will cause them to be blinder (how do you like that word). Again this is a scary judgment. And also a reminder of how much the restraining hand of God actually prevents us from sinning daily, rather than our own diligence or determination. "O to grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be/Let that grace now like a fetter by my wandering heart to Thee." We can claim no credit in our fight to see the glory of Christ, although we are responsible to seek. And also a reminder of how God is determinative in whether or not we see the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Finally, God says that if they don't walk with Him in covenant keeping obedience and love, He will cause them to be confused in their heart. This was the part that was so interesting to me. Here is another link between feelings and obedience. Basically God says that if you are disobedient, you will feel confused in your heart. Your feelings will be messed up due to your lack of obedience and covenant faithfulness. Take a relationship for example: if a spouse is disobedient to keep their covenant to love, cherish, care for, etc. the other until death do they part, is it any wonder that they spend much of the reconciliation period confused about what they want or about how they feel? This is why we must not totally rely on our feelings, but trust God to tell us what to do, and do it whether we feel like it or not. We do this not only to be right with God, but to feel right toward other things in life. Again another scary promise, and reminder of God's sovereignty even over our feelings. O God, grant us right feelings toward You, and toward others, and toward things! One of my constant prayers is that God will change my heart, and give me proper desires for Him.

And this verse is only one of 53 in the chapter that deal with the curses that will follow disobedience and breach of covenant with God. And yes, we are under the new covenant, but a covenant it still is. So let this be a reminder to us to not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them. (v. 14) Ultimately disobedience, as this verse reminds us, is idolatry, 1 Sam 15:23 says, "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD..." O, Lord, rip the idols from our hearts that cause us to stray from You! And help us to walk in obedience that we may experience the fullness of the blessings of Your covenant, and avoid the outpouring of Your chastisement!

Thank You, Lord, for the richness of Your word, and the depth and breadth of your covenant! Thank You for your mercy, grace, and faithfulness to me and to Your bride!

Law Enforcement Appreciation Banquet

This weekend our church reached out to the law enforcement community in Tift County. We wanted to let them know that we really appreciate the sacrifices that they make on a daily basis. As a chaplain, I have a small window into the things that they put up with on a regular basis from the public, the stress that wears on their families and other relationships, the long swing shift hours, the image impressed upon them by us, the potential life and death situations they face, and all of this with a very meager wage.

So we invited a former deputy, former state trooper, who now operates a ministry to law enforcement officers to come and share with them over dinner provided by our church, complete with homemade desserts.



Brian Stewart of Simple Message Ministries did a wonderful job connecting with the officers and sharing the gospel. He also brought Law Enforcement New Testaments to give out to all the officers. Our ladies (and men) did an excellent job cooking, organizing, and serving. And the whole night was great.


We invited four agencies and their families to come: the Georgia State Patrol, the Tift County Sheriff's Office, the Tifton Police Department, and the ABAC Police Department. I think that we had about 100-120 people come. We were hoping for a few more, but we know that God truly ministered to those who came.


Please pray for our Law Enforcement family here in Tift Co. They are a very honorable group of men and women who serve incessantly. Pray for their families who deal with a lot because of their service. The divorce rate nears 80% in LEO (Law Enforcement Officers), life expectancy is reduced by 21 years compared to the general population, and suicide and alcohol abuse is much greater than the general population. Also, pray for Brian Stewart and his unique ministry to LEOs. This is his full-time endeavor, along with his wife and three children. I fully endorse his ministry if you are ever doing events like these. And finally, pray for my ministry as a chaplain, and that of our church. Pray that much fruit will come with time as we gain trust and opportunity to ministry.


And to all of you who helped make this happen, THANKS! May your reward be showered upon you! You did a great job!

Sharing Life IV

I asked permission to post the contents of an email that one of my triad members sent me. He agreed, and thus this maybe the best testimony to their effectiveness; at least to God's work in our lives...

"You know when I started out, we agreed to do this just to get the "Preacher" off our backs and on to someone else. We figured we could get the hour down to about 30 minutes a meeting. Do our time and get it over with. BOY was I wrong. One hour is not really enough. I did not know I had such a desire and such hunger for Gods word until now. My whole life has changed. I only wish I would have had someone to direct me to a Triad the day after I got saved. Instead I starting my walk in Christ alone. I struggled for a long time because I did not understand a lot or how to get started. Because you didn't give up and talked me into doing the Triad, I have so much to be thankful for. Because of the Triad I no longer look at my pastor and my friend in the same manner. I look at them as close friends in Christ. Someone who will be there if I ever need to be picked up. Someone I have have a lot of confidence and trust in. True brothers in Christ. I have learned and grown so much in my relationship. My wife will tell you I am not a reader, but this is one book I can not put down. I am in it almost every day. I'm even excited about starting it over from the front with a new group just to get to go back through the book again. I feel like you can ask the hidden questions that you hide in the back of your mind and together figure out the answer without being embarrassed or looked at funny because you didn't already know the answer. It may be different with the others, but I have been truly blessed. Finally, you come away feeling like, now you are being equipped to make disciples as God has called us to do. Proverbs 27:17 ...... Iron sharpens Iron, and one man sharpens another."

God has truly blessed us!

Thanks for reading!