Next

This past Friday I completed the last course necessary to finish up my studies at seminary. It only took me three years to finish what is officially a one year full time course of study. I found study at seminary to be hard and the fact that I did not like being a student didn't make it any easier. I cannot imagine doing it and trying to learn Hebrew and Greek as well. And they are such useful languages to have in everyday conversation. 

It all becomes official next weekend (it can't be official yet, they haven't given me access to the alumni portion of the seminary website yet). Now I have the opportunity to audit classes (listen to lectures, no papers, no reading requirements, no exams. Why didn't I think of that sooner? Oh yeah, they wouldn't let me) and observe the classes I would have had to take had I stayed in the original degree program I was in. 

I never would have thought in 2008 that I would be working full time in ministry but I am. I never thought I would be working through seminary at a pace that it would take me 6 to 7 years to do what I thought I could knock off in 2 or 3, but it did, and that only worked because I reduced it to a one year requirement.  My hat's off to the men and women who do it in the officially allotted time. You are better than me, but chances are I am older than you. The mid-50's is not the ideal time to be a student in my book.

So what is next? Full time ministry, yes. That will continue. But also doing what I find the hardest thing of all to do. Being more like Christ as I move through the world. His standard of perfection is a struggle for me daily, and it is the thing I really wish to do well and do full time (unlike being a student).

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.  For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.Romans 7:18-19 (New King James Version)

Trying to meet His example, the standard He lived up to perfectly. That's what's up next. Trying to live a life He would have me live, doing it daily and not getting hung up in the book smarts and the study, but in people. Doing His will as I move along, and not worrying about the things I would have chosen to make important.

Funny thing is that has been what has been up next all along.

How Do You Fit In?

A woman's leadership ministry is not where you would expect to find me. I am not a woman (nor have I ever played one on TV). But I have been privileged through the world of social media to meet some of the women starting a new ministry, LeadHer, and I am hoping to support them as I can. We are  hopeful at the ministry I work at, EvanTell, to be able to provide really good evangelism training and teaching materials. To come alongside these women in ministry to partner and provide their evangelism training needs. That is what we do, that is what we like to do. And we try to do it as well as possible. Thrilled to be able to develop a partnership between EvanTell and LeadHer.

But I wanted to offer support as a Christian man to as group of Christian women starting off on following hard after the Lord and working in His harvest. As I thought about blogging in support I decided to talk to the men who support the women who are getting this off the ground.

Encourage. Applaud. Support.

New ministry can be scary, because while God knows the path, we are just learning it.So be there for the women you love and support them. Proverbs 27:17 talks about iron sharpening iron. In this case, be the steel in their lives to support them as they throw in with total trust in the Lord. They believe, but help them in their unbelief. (Mark 9:24)

Because they are fallible. They are sinful in their nature. They are human.

Just like you. Just like me.

And they need our help. Just like we need theirs.

And they deserve our help.

Probably more than we do.

They have to depend completely on the Lord, just like us.

So men, get behind them, get on board.

Let her LeadHer.

Avoiding A Spiritual Caldera

Caldera. I like that word today. A caldera is a basin like depression formed by the explosion or collapse of the center of a volcano. You have all the heat and energy and activity. Then the bottom falls out of the top and you have a caldera. A kind of sunken look, a mere shadow of the former power and energy you once saw flowing from that volcano, when it was full in its' passion and activity and rocking the world immediately around it.

Doesn't sound like a good idea to have a spiritual caldera, does it? Who wants a collapse, when we need the fires to be burning as hot today as when we came to faith in Jesus, as hot tomorrow and each day until He comes back or calls us home.

I clearly want to keep the fire stoked, don't you? So I am in the Word daily, recently I started participating in an on-line bible study (my first) on Psalm 119 with some really cool and very godly women (and a guy or two), I work at an  evangelism training and outreach ministry, I attend seminary part time, I try to focus hard on my prayer life.

I am stoking my fires as best I know how right now. (Know how right now. How now, brown cow? Not sure where that came from. Possibly a mini-caldera, an attention implosion.) I am a little shy of 8 years into my faith walk, and I want to make sure that fore keeps burning bright. 

I know it isn't about the volume of activity but the level of intensity. So I am trying to do all these things as deeply, as sincerely, with as much fire as I can. I hope I am succeeding. I will keep going. I choose to avoid the caldera of a cooling passion for the Lord. I want the fire kept hot so I am stoked for the Lord, but that the fire also burns away what is worthless in my life, what is worthless in the pursuit of the Lord and the giving to Him of all glory.

I hope you are doing things to keep your fires stoked up to their full potential. Anything less than a blazing bonfire is not giving God the glory He so richly deserves from each and every one of us.

We (I) are open to suggestions as I (we) keep stoking things up at our (my) end.

The Passion of Life

Having spent a good chunk of last week in and around the annual convention of CareNet and having participated in the first National Care For Life Forum that we co-hosted with them on Friday, I was impressed most of all with one thing about the people I got a chance to meet and talk with.

Passion.

They all had a passion for the ministry they were doing, promoting and defending the sanctity of life. They had a passion for the Lord, knowing in their hearts that true progress in sanctity of life issues and initiatives would only come through faith and trust in Jesus Christ and His intervening grace to change minds and move the mountains that are in the way.

These are people on the front lines of the sanctity of life battle daily, who bear a large part of the brunt of criticism, ridicule and attack by those who say they are for choice, but are really for their choice, and no other. These are loving, caring people, who choose not to judge, but to love on and offer alternatives to the abortion juggernaut they face, one fueled by media support, government support and overwhelming financial support.

They have passion, but they have peace as well. The peace of mind that comes from knowing you are near to and working on something that is dear to the heart of God. If they have trouble sleeping at night, it is because they are anxious to get up the next day and do more, or they concerned they did not do enough on the day that just ended.But it is not the torment of knowing that they are doing something wrong, it is the drive of wanting to do more right.

They have passion, but they are not wild eyed religious fanatics. They are intelligent, thoughtful, concerned and deeply caring people.

If the ministry I work in is doing just some small amount in encouraging, exhorting or edifying them, I am so grateful for the opportunity we were given to do so; it was a privilege from the Lord. I can only pray the good discussion and ideas that circulated at the Care For Life Forum will turn into actionable plans and goals.

To all I met last week, and to those I didn't; thank you for what you are doing.

Technorati Tags: CareNet, EvanTell, sanctity of life, Jesus, God, Lord

Sanctity of Life

I am going to enjoy today. As part of the ministry I work with, we are going to be spending the better part of the day meeting with people who are heavily engaged in the sanctity of life arena. I call it an arena because it is a better for those who hold to a Christian worldview. Life is sacred because life is created by God. Humanity was made in His image, and each individual life begins at the moment God conceives of it and allows it to happen. Life is a spark from the finger of God.

It will be interesting today what new thoughts and perspectives come out of the day of conversation and brain storming. I am interested to see how we can make an evangelistic approach become an even more important facet of the issue. Know Christ, trust Christ and I think you will place more value on all life as Jesus did. To share Jesus is to share life.

There are people who have dedicated their whole life to working on various parts of this issue. I hope to meet some of them today, to be encouraged and edified by their wisdom and knowledge, their passion and drive. To learn better how to do what they do daily.

I hope I come back with a lot of good thoughts I can share in the future.

I hope to come out of the day a better person than when I went in.

The Means May Change, But My Lord Does Not

It should be apparent from the lack of activity in this blog for the past few months that I am struggling with blogging. It seems that I have been revisited with that old nagging feeling that I have had since I started doing this in the middle of 2008, relevance. Is what I have to say even worth writing down, let alone reading? I am still not sure and that is why I struggle, from the hiatus I took the summer of last year, the barren desert of blog posts this summer (maybe it is a seasonal thing, I hadn't thought of that until just now).

I have blown up my twitter account (for the second time, this time wiping it out just north of the 16000 follower mark, the first time making just a little over 8000) and now bump along just under 50. I also have limited my tweeting. So it appears I may questioning the effectiveness of the methods I am using. As an aging boomer in my mid-50's, born in the mid-50's (that conjunction of facts will get out of alignment soon), I wanted to explore the methods of communication being used today. I am still unconvinced I have a voice to add to this arena. I am not sure anyone wants to hear me here. I am not sure I want to be hear. Maybe I am better off with an old 8 track and a couple hard copy books (the bible and maybe LOTR by Tolkien).

Maybe I just need to focus on what I do not want to see change: the Gospel message and my saving faith. In the ministry I now work in, we define the Gospel as ten words taken from Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8,

Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead

We also hold that one needs to have saving faith:

Knowledge of who Christ is
Acceptance of His person and work
Trust in Christ alone for salvation

Some really clear and simple concepts to state, yet incredibly broad and complex in how they can change your life and you can change others. So maybe rather than worrying about the method I need to use I should just focus more on the message, and let the Lord take care of the means.

I would say I am back, but based on my beliefs, I was never away. I just might not be here as much, and I need to be OK with that. As long as I am doing the work He puts before me, do I really need to worry about how I go about doing it?



Technorati Tags: Jesus, Tolkien, LOTR, Gospel, EvanTell

A Post to my Slog, er, Blog

Putting up blog posts in 2010 have been a challenge for me, just check my archive list to see just how challenging this year has been. I am making a major goal of 2010 to be still blogging in January 2011.

But every once in a while someone gives me encouragement that keeps me going. Unexpected encouragement coming from previously unknown directions. Yesterday I had two of those, so I just had to write about it to keep the blog moving along for at least another day. A new follower on twitter sent me a tweet telling me she will be following the blog. Someone from my church read a post of mine on my Facebook wall (made for the blog at the ministry I work at) and found it encouraging today. Not my blog, but it was my post, and I'll take it from whence it comes.

Just a line or two but a big boost to my determination to keep things going. Thank you both. I am always appreciative of the comments and encouragement any of my social media endeavors get. There is so much going on that it is nice to know that people notice your small voice in the thunderstorm raging all around you.

So, I will try to be faithful to the blog for the remainder of 2010. While I do not expect it to be easy, I am sure I will be glad if I keep it going. God has used it to bless me over these past two years, and I am glad I took that first step in this journey.

So my advice to any fellow bloggers, keep going, we do not slog alone. And actually, it is pretty good advice for life in general. Keep going,we are not alone. Reminds me of one of my favorite passages of Scripture, which I have used before:

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6 (NASB)

I have to remember this every time I struggle through something in my life. So I will have to think of it daily, but no more than seven days a week. Max. If I am a work in progress, faith in Him requires I keep going until He says I am done.

Path to Leadership

Today I begin a leadership study that I will be doing with several others at work, utilizing Handbook To Leadership. It is a 52 week study of leadership values in Scripture, 5 days a week. The type of study that you can tailor to the time you have for study and reflection, but one that you would definitely prosper from spending more, rather than less time. It is a great leadership guide for those of you looking for something easy to work with. The study I am embarking on is just part of the book, it is rich in biblical resources that help you study leadership and the character of leaders that is grounded in Scripture.

Make your ear attentive to wisdom,Incline your heart to understanding;
For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding;
Proverbs 2:2-3 (NASB)

These are a few of the verses in today's reading, the first day of the study. The message is clear to me: leaders need to search continually. Search for wisdom and discernment. Leaders do not get to rest in this search, the job is never finished, the goal is never reached. But the journey can be so rich.

Those who look to you to lead will benefit greatly from your search, but it is you who will prosper the most, for you will have gained more wisdom and discernment if you seek the wisdom of the Lord. The Bible is a great manual on leadership if you just seek out the wisdom contained within, place their by God for our benefit and comfort. It does not matter whether you lead in business, government, or ministry. Leaders must lead, leaders must search, leaders must learn.

As you cannot rest in leadership, it is a good thing you can rest in Christ as your Lord. He will get you through your journey, take you where you need to go as a leader, if you let Him lead you.

Busy in Prayer

I have not been blogging much of late, but I have been quite busy the past month. Visiting family for Thanksgiving, trying to wrap up the semester at seminary. I have also stepped into a full time ministry position at EvanTell, joining the team there in the past week as Chief Operating Officer. I am excited about my role there, and what the future holds for the ministry and me.

I have also been in prayer, for my role within kingdom work, for on going support for the ministry I am now joining, for the planning of new year at my church. As I have watched my schedule grow fuller and activities escalate, I have come to realize I need to be in prayer more often.

The busier life is, the more to need to stop and come before the Lord. It is clear that there may never be enough time to do all I want, but there is never too much to do that I cannot stop, thank Him for His blessings, ask Him for His strength and acknowledge that His will, not mine, be done. The danger of a busy, productive life is in thinking that one is the prime mover in it, not God.

So I look to Him in prayer and thanks. For giving me opportunities, for filling my day with reasons for joy, for giving me what i need to do what he wants. A new role awaits me in 2010, one I would not have thought of as I entered 2009. But the comfort I have is the fact that He may have surprised me, but I am doing just what He planned.

Technorati Tags: EvanTell, prayer, 121 Community Church, God, Lord, Jesus, ministry

A Thought For The Day

I attended an Igniter Lunch at Evantell yesterday and heard Dr. Stanley Toussaint from Dallas Theological Seminary give a talk. As usual, Dr. Toussaint was on top of his game, and deep into the Word. Some of the thoughts he conveyed:

• The Cross is 3 dimensional: up and down, across and out
• When you think of the Cross, the about sin, God and people
• When you think of sin, think about our redemption; we are bought by the Lord, it is permanent We are never back out on the market to be bought again.
• When you think of God, think of propitiation; God is satisfied by what Jesus was done
• When you think of people, think of reconciliation; we need to turn back to God. It is one way, God never turned from us

He summed it up nicely in what I like to think of as a thought for the day:

• Sin is paid for
• God is satisfied
• All that is left is for people to turn to God in faith

He also gave what I thought was a great point from his first year of seminary. If someone has trouble accepting that Jesus died for all of their sins, past, present and future because how could He die for our future sins; ask them how many of their sins had they committed before Jesus died on the cross. Great way to think of the sufficiency of His sacrifice, the atonement is still working 2000 years later.

Dr.Toussaint packed a lot into a short talk, so glad I went.

A Simple Message

I guest blogged this post on Worldprayr a few days ago. I participated in an evangelism seminar at my church yesterday. I thought this was worthwhile posting again here in my own blog. Here goes.

The Gospel of our Lord is a very simple message, and incredibly powerful in its simplicity:

• Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead
  

There it is in ten words. See, simple, really. If you do not believe me, check out what the apostle Paul has to say:

• Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
  

But in that message there is so much more we can say to those who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

• for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)
  

Yes, that means all of us, no exceptions. All of us fall short of the mark. (The Greek word for sin hamartia, comes from the root meaning to miss the mark). I am no better than you, with or without Jesus in my life. I am a sinner, and so are you.

• For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
  

Yes, we are all sinners and earn the wages of our sin, eternal separation from a holy and just God. As sinners we earn that payment in full. So far, the message is not too hopeful. But wait, there is more.

• But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
  

It is the divine escape clause. We cannot escape our sin, we cannot pay the penalty for it, but someone came who can. Jesus Christ.

• For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
  

And the Lord gives us eternal life, gives us salvation, as a free gift because He loves us so. He loves us enough to send His Son to die in our behalf. And if you truly accept him as your Savior, if you tell Him you know you are sinner deserving of eternal punishment, if you tell Him you believe Jesus died for you and rose from the grave as the only way to your salvation, this gift is yours forevermore.

• Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. (John 5:24)
  

No one can take form you what God has given you here. You have eternal assurance of eternal salvation. The gift of God cannot be shaken.

So you see it is a pretty simple message:

• Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead
  

It is a simple message. Coming from the despair of a sinful life to the hope brought by a Redeemer. Eternal salvation, eternally assured as a gift from God once you accept Jesus as the Savior of your life and the only way to eternal life. Ten words that pack the most meaningful punch that your life can ever experience.

If you want more, check out http://www.evantell.org/ for more on as clear gospel message, and http://www.act111.org/ for free on-line evangelism training to help you share the message.

If you have some time, here is a short video to watch:

Listening With Passion

I spent some time yesterday with a great group of people in a ministry I care deeply about, Evantell. These people are teaching me so much about being passionate in the service of the Lord, of evangelizing the good news of Jesus.

They speak of their ministry with passion, and they also listen with passion. A love for the ministry, a love for spreading the good news, a love for people makes them eager to hear about others.

They listen with passion. I am going to enjoy spending more time with these folks, learning from them, sharing with them, rejoicing in the work they do for the Lord. You feel good just talking to them because they care deeply for you. They are modeling the will of our Lord each and every day.

I will be talking about this group quite a bit going forward, because they have some exciting stuff coming up soon. They are going to be a key brick in the wall of my ministry for what I pray is many, many years to come.

Good News

Take the time to watch. It is a great way to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.

Evangelism Today

If you have the time, listen to this radio interview that Michael Easley did with Larry Moyer of EvanTell today on his inContext radio program. Some practical advice on how to evangelize in today's world and why the church is not doing enough today.

The Beauty of An Ordinary Day

Today is an ordinary day, much like any other in my life. But it is beautiful to me. I have seminary, which I love going to, love attending the lectures at. We have a praise chapel and I know the guy leading worship today, Joel Engle, the lead pastor at The Exchange, making it a lot more personal to me. Tonight I have an event to attend with the Evantell people, a great group of people to spend some time with, people who love the Lord and working in His service.

It is a beautiful, special ordinary day. Ordinary in the eyes of everyone else, just another guy going through life, but it is special in my eyes. That is what makes it beautiful, the way this day makes me feel.

It is a day I can hardly wait to get started on, so I need to wrap up this post.

Because it is an ordinary day that I am going to revel in.

And I am going to pray that God puts it on my heart to feel this way everyday.

People I like, if you happen to be in the neighborhood

Well, both people and organizations that I like. As I move down the road (the name of my blog is a result of my musing on Matthew 7:13-14), I find myself privileged to meet really great groups of people who have true heart for the Lord. Here are some of them:

• Telos Bible Church . My good buddy and first pastor, Bernard Bourque is the senior pastor here, and if you are ever in Branson, MO looking for a place to get some great bible teaching, here it is



• Kanakuk Institute . Another friend, Keith Chancey, started this organization, and if you want to meet a fantastic group of men and women, recent college grads, with tremendous heart to serve the Lord, check them out



• Evantell . The Gospel. Clear and Simple. I cannot say enough about what Larry Moyer and his team do here. Focused, direct and clearly having eyes on Jesus, and Him alone



• NeedHim. Maybe you have seen or heard their advertising. If you ever need someone to talk to about your faith, they have volunteers staffing the phones around the clock. Drew Dickens and team do a super job



• 121 Community Church . My home church. Where I go to be refreshed everyweek in the word of God. If you are near DFW airport some Sunday morning, stop by and visit, hear Ross Sawyers preach and teach.

Why do I mention these organizations? Like I said, I like the people. Also, we need to recognize, we need to acknowledge the community from which we get encouragement, from which we gain affirmation, from which we draw strength for the daily battle. These are some of the people who have made my walk on that narrow path a little easier to navigate over the past few years. I want to thank them, I want to tell them to keep doing what they are doing.

I could make this journey without people like them and finish, for I have the Lord by my side. But the trip would not be as rich if it is devoid of community like this. I encourage you to think about the community that surrounds you, to affirm and celebrate it. There is no need to make your own journey alone.