Everyday as prayer....

Alan Hirsch....The Forgotten Ways.

The Jacob's Well Barber Shop Quartet (Jim, Mike, Dan and I...don't ask, you wouldn't understand, trust me) attended 'Mission Movements' a day seminar with Alan Hirsch, sponsored by New Community Church and Ecclesia Spokane-(our emerging leader-pastor cohort). It was part of a collaborative church plant/church planter training program a group of us local pastors are dreaming together about. The goal being...creating a local church and extra-local ministry training path for new missional endeavors in Spokane and beyond.

Alan did a bang up job on giving 6 key elements that must be present to see mission impact and true organic church life grow and explode...or as he says..."The Boom Factor". We engaged a ton of content that dealt with theology, ecclesiology and missiology....great stuff!

Afterwards a group of us headed to the Steam-Plant Grill for beers and a chance to unpack the conversations and material. I had the privialge of meeting some new co-laborers, paticularrly Paul, lead brother at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.

I find myself continuing to bless God for His wonderful body of churches and leaders in Spokane. I deeply treasure my pastor friends and the churches they serve. I have never had such a bond with a group of men and women developing across denominational and generational lines. The richness, diversity and giftedness is truly special to be part of. Learning from, leaning on and laughing with those who you not only call co-laborers but...friends...is a gift. Spokane is a good place to be part of the Body of Christ.

Finding people to journey with that you understand, believe in and trust is so rare. The folks in this co-hort are real, transparent, human, fun to be around and void of that pastoral pompous pea-cocking that so often accompanies most "pastor thingies". This is the first group of leaders that have approached "doing stuff" first by "being together". The emerging works in the future are going to come from true developing relationships...not just "project based, cause related or event tethered"" relationships. Being known...not just being used to accomplish something...is one of the gifts the emerging generations have recovered and offer to all who have gone before and who are coming after. I praise God for the generations.

Here is Alan, giving a intro to the material we covered.

Team Canada....

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. -Isaiah 60:1-4

Years ago, I was sitting in a basement room, during a biblestudy, in the YWAM building called 'The Samaritan Inn", in Amsterdam, Holland. I was overwhelmed with the diversity of people from many different nations that were present. I was captured by the international and multi-cultural aspect of missions abroad. I had prayed and longed to come to do mission in this city but the Lord continually said No. He called me to return year after year...but never to move there. I was feeling a bit despondent in the meeting and opened my bible and turned to some passages in Isaiah that glimmered with prophetic purpose for my future. God spoke to my aching heart about the days to come...when He would send me the nations. I was encouraged that the Lord had not put a love and burden for the nations on my heart with no way to fulfill that burden.

This last week, we hosted one of three teams that came to Spokane from Prairie Bible Institute in Alberta Canada. 7 students (5 girls and 2 guys) stayed at our church for 5 days and joined us in a week of prayer, discipleship, teaching, service and mission. This team came to study "Community Development" in preparation for an upcoming trip to Guatemala.

This week involved working in the CRC clearing out junk, sorting donations and preparing stuff for sale in our upcoming rummage sale. They sorted clothes and organized goods. They helped our Community Dinner team prepare the meal and served during the dinner. Some of the team joined me in delivery of meals after the dinner to four homes in our neighborhood. Tuesday night we split the team up into three groups and put them in 3 refugee homes for a night of cultural immersion to prepare them for their trip to Guatemala. Wednesday morning we shared a big Karen breakfast.

The team helped us give the CRC a makeover, with a new paint job, decorations and cleaning. We spent one day doing a service project in the neighborhood for a family that has a number of disabled family members. Their yard was in desperate need of cleaning and clearing. We removed 7 truck loads of garbage and yard debris to the dump. It was hard work but the family was so blessed. They also were able to join and help two different days with our Refugee Tutoring program, one night with the Kid's Team and another with our Adult team.

In-between these activities we unpacked the gospel and mission, prayed and contextualized book learning with street action and visited people I partner with and places where mission takes place outside our immediate area. It was a full week...and what I treasured most...was that all these activities were in-between the normal "church days" where most church activity takes place. My dream of being a church that lives out mission during the week and comes together on the Weekend to truly celebrate what God is doing during the week...is finally coming to pass.

There were many times during the week, where I was reminded of the Lord's words to me. As I sat in one of the Burma refugee's homes with students from Canada, Australia and different parts of The United States...that word was materializing before me. This week I have seen a number of confirmations to the trustworthiness of God's prophetic words to me over the years. I stand blessed at His faithfulness.I throughly enjoyed my time with the young people from Canada. Sharing life, mission and hearts, seeing God be made known to them and through them, was a gift to experience. I pray that we will see such a program of Urban Mission and Community Development emerge in the future, maybe in partnership with a likeminded institution or bible college. The fruit was really good.

Here are some pictures of the various things we did this week.

The Sacred claim...

Jackie Pullinger was born in Britain in 1944. She had a great love for music even in her childhood. At 22, Jackie Pullinger wanted to become a missionary, but no society would take her on. So she went on her own to Hong Kong in 1970s and began a pioneering work among drug addicts and Triad gang members that continues today. Jackie still works among drug addicts and street gangs. You can read her about her journey in her book "Chasing the Dragon."

Instead of "Church Planting"...

This is my idea of church planting....tending what God is growing and planting seed in places least expected.

A child can water a flower.

A child can plant a seed.

God gives everything else.

Just plant, care and celebrate the glory of God in the beautiful mess. Using the words "church planting" in our local conversations, is something I plan on dropping for a more accurate word...a word, that I have not found yet. I kind of like "Missional Communities" as far as emphasizing mission and community...but I still don't feel like that defines what I sense inwardly. It's not the wording of the work that I see but can't quite formulate. Church planting in an area that already has THE CHURCH is a misnomer. When I read the verse below:

"How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel! "Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters. Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water. - -Numbers 24:5-9

I see more church activating...than church planting.

"Tents of Jacob" embodies the image of "work" or mission, or a gathering, or ministry. Setting up Tents within Spokane looks and sounds different than planting churches...and its less heady, intimidating or threatening to people or established congregations.

Here's an example: If I had a heart for the "Jail" I wouldn't be talking about planting a church there but starting a work. And even if there were Christians already engaged in jail ministry; I wouldnt think that I couldnt do anything there...because the workers are always few and the harvest is always ready. It's less about us and more about them. "Going" is the motivation not "staying".

If we look at these endeavors as "Missional Communities" or some other less structured phrase, that would allow for a "ministry in a jail, school, college or feeding program...we could free ourselves from the "baggage" and weight connected to the idea of planting churches and be liberated to dream and engage in mission. Lots of people are coloring pictures of Kingdom in this city. Just because someone painted a picture of the Falls...doesn't mean you can't paint the same falls. The tools to create are available to all...paint, draw, write your song, dance your dance, throw your pot, string your words...open our eyes to the glory of God in the beautiful mess.

Jacob's Well people are living in Hillyard and the valley and other parts of Spokane...the church is planted...lets take seeds from her fruit and replant those in all kinds of places...with a conscious and focused vision and mission and a creative abandon that trusts more in God's power, love and saving grace than our limited resources, experience or faithfulness.

Erect a tent.
Spread out.
Plant a garden.
Break open the aloe.
Become a cedar.
Let water flow.
Plant a seed.

That is what I mean by engaging a neighborhood in mission and allowing vision to expand our hearts and eyes to the whole city.

The basis of mission...

“I was the enemy of God. I was stamping through God’s universe, shaking my fist in His face. And in the very moment when I was shaking my fist in God’s face and tramping through the Creator’s universe, muddying all His streams, that’s when Jesus died for me. And if this is when Jesus died for me, what hope it gives me now! Now, even when I fall, the blood of Jesus is enough. He didn’t save me because I was strong; He saved me when I was weak. He didn’t save me when I was a pretty thing; He saved me when I was a mess. On the basis of this reality, I can have comfort.” Francis Schaeffer, The Finished Work of Christ.

Burned out religion...or Sabbath based work...?

"Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God's people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out. Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won't be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they're not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul." -2 Timothy 2:14-17

Man-made religion burns out sincere workers, spoils the crops and drives people away from the way of Christ. It's rooted in the insecure, works based righteousness of broken, ego driven people. When performance based religion motivates our endeavors...people secretly compete, often complain, many times outright undermine or do so in a passive aggressive way with an insincere coyness. Like Christian masochists they internally seethe with insufferable persnicketiness and it can spread like battlefront gangrene. If you really love those who are called to work out the victory of Christ among the masses that the Lord loves; then Frontline surgery is often needed. That means in the fray of activity you have to chop the stumps off, hack away at the putrid rottenness, gouge out the disenfranchised disease. It's bloody, tiring work but its critical to maintain the life of your soldiers and sustain the advance of the unfolding of love.

"Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk..."If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot from doing your own pleasure on My holy day, and call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, and honor it, desisting from your own ways, from seeking your own pleasure and speaking your own word,
-Is 58:9,13

When wide, open-eyed, sweaty labor is motivating our works in order to earn acceptance; we end up spreading the natural divisiveness of fallen life. But when the blind works of grace are motivating the loving of our neighbors...a sweet fragrance of congeniality, silent humility and gentleness surrounds the movements of Christ. His mission is a yoke, but not one that chaffs raw or constantly divides or pits one ox against the other. Instead it leads in a non-driven way, not breathless but gracefully...it actually, meanders...purposefully.


“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”-Matthew 11:28-30

His yoke is easy and its light. His work will make you tired but it wont make you weary in the bones...religion does that. It's light but not because it's without weight, it needs strength to carry...but He provides the power by His Spirit. It's a load but not the kind that buries the soul...it burdens but in a Christ illuminating way..we share in His sufferings, and there's a sweetness in that gift. It's a work of mission but not the heavenly draft...its not forced labor or demanded service but entered into freely. This freedom is the joy producing characteristic that should permeate the attitude of Christ followers. This path ensures that they lose the ability to point the finger or guilt others into the work.

This is the Sabbath sustained rhythm, of grace empowered mission....anything else, is like doing a full days work while being nauseous; it may pay the bills, but its sickening drudgery.

Urban, artist monks...

In Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel "The Idiot" he predicts that beauty will save the world. Commenting on this line, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn imagined that "...If the too obvious, too straight branches of Truth and Good are crushed or amputated and cannot reach the light," then "perhaps the whimsical, unpredictable, unexpected branches of Beauty will make their way through and soar up to that very place and in this way perform the work of all three."

In Seattle there is a church that is too small for their building. So they share it with 2 other congregations and opened their classrooms to various organizations and music groups to rent or use. But in one small corner of the building, tucked away behind the pulpit and the stage, in a converted sound room is an artist studio. The church trades space for art. 3 artists make this little discarded piece of space...a creative womb.

"When artists discover as children that they have inappropriate responses to events around them, they also find, as they learn to trust those responses, that these oddities are what constitute their value to others."-Kathleen Norris, The Cloister Walk
"Many poets are not poets for the same reason that many religious men are not saints: they never succeed in being themselves. They never get round to being the particular poet or particular monk that they are intended to be by God." "In order to become myself I must cease to be what I always thought I wanted to be." (Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation)

When I saw this partnership going on...I knew I had found one of my dreams being worked out in reality...artists and mission, blending together in a very unique collaborative initiative that fosters artistic expression and church mission. One of my dreams for Jacob's Well and reasons for being in a economically challenged area is to foster a creative, artistic, redemptive presence. I have always envisioned urban artist monks doing mission in a communal way in our neighborhood. Seeing this church embodying a way to foster that partnership, added fuel to my dreams.
Beauty is truth, truth beauty---that is all ye need to know on earth, and all ye need to know -Keats

This will be, Lord willing, my next ministry mission focus..

...the edges of eternity.

God arms me with strength, He has made my way safe.
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
leading me safely along the mountain heights."
-Psalms 18

I have had many conversations about issues related to our church's "missional position"...(no pun intended) and how its too edgy, too culturally influenced, too liberal, too worldly, too earthy, too natural, too artsy, too social, too profane...and you could probably add a few others. It's fairly easy to get offended around here in one way or the other...because we aim at living out the tensions of this verse:

"Save others by snatching them from the fire. To others, show mercy with fear, hating even the clothes stained by their sinful lives." -Jude 1:23

Sometimes we hit the target, other times we don't...but we consistently keep trying.

The general missional rule in our church is that we are seeking to speak to the unreached culture we are engaging...and though we are sensitive to all people; the demographic that gets uptight about these things...isnt the bullseye we are shooting for.

We take the missional ethic of Jesus as our excuse:

"I didnt come to call righteous people and it's the sick that need a doctor"...-Jesus

There are plenty of other differently mission minded churches than ours, there's plenty good ones to pick from.

But there are also many churches that will keep their programing within that safe middle ground. We will aim at being biblically sound, but culturally on the edge. Im not seeking to build a church that's guiding principle is maintaining a gentle, primary upper-middle class, christian bubble subculture; that's aim is to hyper-shield, over-protect, consistently sanitize and knee jerkingly withdraw from the people we are called to love.

Those panicky scruples are all characteristics of the church culture that dangerously plays it safe. They breed a "lift me up" or "brassiere Churchianity"; that is more about upholding the "sagging" numbers than aggressively living out the radically edge traversing gospel. These mindsets and values add to the continual decline of apostolically motivated missional churches that are witnessing to the clear, visible, simple gospel. Fear of offending the frozen chosen has crippled radically fresh initiatives that more mission minded congregations would support.

Having our feet shod with the gospel of peace...isnt about putting slippers on. They are more like rock climbing shoes, not really great for much else than traversing, risky, life threatening, adrenaline pumping cliff faces....usually desolate places left for devils, angels and lost sheep.

It's about God giving us the feet of the deer and going places that would normally kill another creature. It's about living dangerously but being ever held by the power of God in our missional endeavors.

Yes, one slip and you could fall to your death...but if you have never been dangling on the edges of eternity...you haven't truly lived!

What I'm pondering...?

Christology leads to Ecclessiology leads to Missiology?

OR

Christology leads to Missiology leads to Ecclesiology?

Dinner, a Dog & the Mission of God...

"...they were taking their meals together...with gladness and sincerity of heart -Acts 2:44
That sums up the atmosphere last night at our new Tuesday night community dinner.

60-80 people came through and most stayed, talked, laughed, played and acted like family. It was work, but good work, for those who put it on and we hope to include more people in the joy of being able to share food, love and togetherness every Tuesday from 5-7PM; so if you are interested in serving, let us know.

Afterwards, we took some of the left over food, (which was only enough for one family) to a home in the neighborhood that I have been inviting to come to church. But so far, they have not responded to my invitations. So we did what only comes natural to those who know that 'church' isn't just something you go to...but that also comes to you. So we dropped it by the house. This family recently lost their 95 year old mother and there are three sons, two with mental disabilities and one with Alzheimers, that live in the house and on the block. I met this family back when we moved into the neighborhood, I was prayer walking the area and they were on their porch...and we started talking and that's how mission begins.

I've had this little home on my heart since then...and these dinners provide yet another way to build relationships with our neighbors; by them either coming to the dinners or us taking the dinners to them. It's just like our gathered times of worship...some come and join us...and we take it to others...it's not either or...but both.

I look forward to mobilizing some people to move from just attending dinners to begin to move out and sharing dinners. It's not invalidating the grace and beauty of eating together and setting a biig table with many chairs for all to come and eat...that is as much mission as packaging it up and taking it out of the kitchen...but both have to happen...because not all can come...some are homebound, afraid, isolated, depressed or mentally challenged.

It's like this stray dog that lives on my street...he has no home...because he is too afraid of getting too close to people. So he runs from you if you call him or go near him. But he stays on our street...because a single mom, with a child who has his own challenges emotionally, puts out a warm bed on her doorstep and food and water. I see him sleeping there...when no one is around.

He is cared for in the way that fits who he is.

I am sure he has been beaten and abused and that is why he cant be near people...but he still needs love and to be cared for...even if we can't claim him as our dog...or even if he never comes to our home.

That is missional living...

It makes the neighborhood better...no matter who is in, or out of the gathered church; because the church gathers all up in her arms...even if it is from a distance.

"You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever flowing spring.
Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
You will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes."
-the prophet Isaiah

I did see one person...who the dog came near and played with, though skittishly...it was my 9 year old son Micah. In seeing that, yet again, I saw the wisdom of Jesus in the way He lived and taught:

"...unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. And whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. -Jesus (Matt. 18:2-6).

I pray we continue to grow into child like followers of Jesus; who just love...because it comes naturally and innocently.

Lord Save Us from Your Followers....

9 of us from Jacob's Well attended the showing of "Lord Save Us From Your Followers" last night at the Garland Theater. After watching the movie and then hearing a bit from the Portland, Oregon director who was also present; we headed to Shari's resturant for some bad coffee and serivce and a chance to unpack the movie in conversation.

I didnt jive with the whole SDA (Why You Quit Church) sponsor thing...it felt agenda driven, gracious but with a possible hidden purpose...not sure why that rubbed me wrong, but it did and does. No slam on them, just being honest about perceptions today, even among us jaded postmodern christians. I guess I long to move beyond using things, messages and people for a desired end. There is a Jesus reality of the not letting the "left hand know what the right is doing" that I long to authentically work out in our community.

That aside...great message, but wow, practically embodying that is another thing. Finding practical ways for Christians and Churches to really put flesh on "loving people"; has to happen to really move the ball down the playing field. It's dangerously easy for a nice bumper sticker mentality of "Love People" to replace the hard work of building meaningful friendships with people who are not Christians...out of unconditional love...not agenda. It's not as easy to engage difficult people, conflicting agendas, offensive political opponents or enemies...no matter how "right" it may seem. And to do it authentically with true trust in the Sovereign work of God to draw people to Himself in the midst of our living, telling and praying...is a true discipline of surrender. To trust Him to work perfectly through my imperfect works is true faith.

I would be interested in how the church could practically wash the feet of...the GLT community?

I mean practically?

Where will you carry your light...?

The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.  “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” - Luke 10:17-20

The first visible sign I saw of the Kingdom of God advancing in power in this East Central neighborhood was when another brother and I, drove out a demon from a tormented woman and mother. The demon had visited her son at his window. The boy would tell her that he saw him. Then one day it possessed him. In her motherly concern and fright, she told the spirit to enter her instead...it did. When we entered the room, she was against the wall and visibly not in her right mind. We ushered out some of the family that had gathered, closed the door and in the name of Jesus told that demon to leave her. Instantly she slumped to the floor and came into her right mind. After ministering to the gathered family, we left. The healed family started attending the church we were ministering within. It was an amazing moment and story of the power over devils that is available in Jesus.

It was the first encounter with snakes and scorpions that I had in this area and when we moved here to plant a church, I didnt expect it to be our last.


Jesus said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mark 16:15-18).

The church is called to move into the dens of scorpions and serpents. To exercise the dominion of the resurrected and triumphant Lord of glory who "...disarmed the rulers and the authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross."-Colossians 2:15.

We are not to fear darkness but expose it with light, bind it, drive it out and crush it by the living and ever powerful One who lives within us. We are living out the prophetic words of our Lord who said: "Now judgement is upon this world; now the rule of this world will be cast out and I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself. (John 12:31-32). He spoke of a day of plunder after the "strongman would be bound": “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. “If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished! “But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house. (Mark 3:24-27).With such marching orders, can we do less than dare to enter the strong man's house too? Isn't the ache to see those men and women drawn to Jesus motivation enough to put oneself in harms way? Is there danger? Yes. The odds are against us, the willing are few, the audacity of our God inspired and awakened faith is lamb like in comparison to the foe's that we face.

"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. "Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves." (Luke 10:1-3).

We more than likely will die in the war but even death has been conquered...and what better way to die than standing in dark places...among snakes, scorpions and overwhelming odds?



I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than a land flooded with light.
-John Falconer

Snatching them out of the fire...

"Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. -Jude 1:21-25

Living on the edge of mission is going to be more dangerous than living in the center.

You can and more than likely will get burned, if you choose to live close to the fires of hell instead of the comforts of heaven. You will smell of smoke; and many won't like it, in fact they may even mistake you for one in need of being saved. But you will learn to strip away much of what one would normally choose to wear for daily life...because of the mission, you choose to let it go. That includes praise, understanding, sometimes a reputation and often that warm glow of appreciation and approval.

But all of that is forgotten, when you are able to grasp that soul who is clothed in polluted garments in an embrace of redemption. Yes, you hate the vileness that they are stained by, the smell, the sin, the corruption...the flesh; but in all the uncleanness of it; you are overwhelmed not by the stench of falleness...but the object of the Son's love.

Love is often blinded by what personal religion, hardened indifference, numbing, self righteous complacency can so vividly observe with such harsh judgment.

Relgion often shouts; "Unclean!!! Unclean!!!....but Jesus, my savior...says: "I am willing...be clean"

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”
Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. -Mark 1:40-45

Filled with compassion...oh that is my desperate prayer for myself and our church....so desperate, I am willing to embrace the stigma of leading and journeying down such smoldering paths.

The triumph and brutality of mission...

"God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy..." -Psalms 68"6

I have some friends in our church, who just returned from Africa and this video appears to capture some of the tough stuff they are processing. I see it in the stare, the slow talking, the anguish of two worlds crashing together.

I can feel the unstable emotional equilibrium. I can sense the rage, the powerlessness, the hopeless hope and the mustard seed faith...all kicking and screaming like a baby born...but unable to care for itself...like spiritual mother's who are so exhausted from the birthing, they have no strength...bleeding in heart and soul.

Idealism gets raped by reality in mission.

As a pastor with hands and heart engaged in mission; i've witnessed and experienced this re-entry malaise and mission fatigue. I know God uses it...but I've also seen the enemy use it too. I long to work at building better mission runways for take off and for landing within the local church context, especially the American cultural context. I think people process too much of these conflicting juxtapositions alone....here enters the power of love, community, prayer and journeying together.

I would love to hear more ideas, or helps from anyone else reading this, that could offer some wisdom on this work of aftercare. I plan to use this video in our future aftercare processing.

On another note...it was a beautiful thing, looking into the crowd Sunday and see "Sarah and LemLem" their Africa teenage daughters huge smiles, sitting there with us for the first time. Getting to embrace in love, the girls we all prayed for, helped our friends fight for and now get the chance to walk with.

God is good.

Love truly...bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things...Love never fails. (1 Cor. 13:7)

New Worlds....

The New World

It begins with a journey.
You must cross an ocean.
Can you imagine...can you feel what it is to cross an ocean?
For weeks you see nothing but the horizon.
All round you, perfect, and empty.
Your ship is small, tiny...a speck in such immensity.

You live with fear, in the grip of fear...fear of storms, fear of sickness on board,
fear of the immensity. What if you never escape? How can you escape?
There's nowhere to go.

So you must drive your fear down, deep into your belly, and study your charts, and watch your compass, and pray for a fair wind...and hope.
Pure naked fragile hope, when all your senses scream at you, Lost!
Lost! Imagine it. Day after day, staring west, the rising sun on your back,
The setting sun in your eyes, hoping, hoping...
At first it's no more than a haze on the horizon,
The ghost of a haze, the pure line corrupted.
But clouds do that, and storms.
So you watch...you watch.

Then it's a smudge, a shadow on the far water.
For a day, for another day, the stain slowly spreads along the horizon,
and takes form...until on the third day you let yourself believe.
You dare to whisper the word...land!

Land. Life. Resurrection. The true adventure.
Coming out of the vast unknown, out of the immensity,
into safe harbor at last.

That...that...is the New World.

-Sir Walter Raleigh in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”
Picture by Marcin Jakubowski