Who's helping who?

What an unbelievable week it was in Barranquilla, Colombia. This was the smallest campaign I've been on, in terms of the number of people involved. There were 23 of us from 3 different churches. About a third of those were from my home church, Firewheel Church. The other two thirds were comprised of friends from Waterbrook Church here in Wylie, and Jacksonville Chapel in New Jersey.

The daily schedule of these trips looks like this......

7am..... Breakfast/Worship and Devotional

8:30ish.... Load up with your team into a van and head out to your assigned barrio

9:30-10.... hit the streets in the barrio

Noon.... lunch (provided by the church with which you are working)

2:00..... hit the streets in the barrio

4:00-4:30.... snack and preparation for service

4:30/4:45.... neighborhood celebration service

5:15/5:30.... head back to the hotel

6:00/6:30....dinner with your team/free time till bed

Obviously, the majority of your time is spent in the barrios with the people living there, and the church that has been planted there. Our purpose?...... to evangelize and disciple the people of the assigned barrio, and to train the members and pastors of the neighborhood churches on how to reach their community.

It can be easy to start with an attitude of ... "we're here to help," as if we have this down. But how is it that we think we can help them with something we don't even do a good job of here at our own church.

Seriously....when is the last time we spoke to someone in our own neighborhood about Jesus? And by neighborhood.... include your office, school, family, etc... We talk about "helping" these churches with their evangelism and discipleship, when the truth is....I wonder how many of our church members and staff would show up if we had a day where someone was going to walk with us through our "neighborhood" and show us how to evangelize/disciple our community. My guess is not many. Because we're the trainers, not the trainees....we've got this down.

We have cool buildings, convenient service times, A/C, coffee bars, and plenty of programs for us to come to at various times of the week. So many actually, that we can choose what is most convenient for us. We've made it incredibly easy to substitute inviting someone to church for real, doing life together evangelism and discipleship.

The people of the communities that we work with in Barranquilla come to church to celebrate the one true God and His son Jesus. They come because he deserves to be praised. There is nothing there to draw them in..... half of them bring their own chairs to the worship service. No screens, little to no sound system, no A/C..... nothing but unashamed, passionate worship in all that is done.

I am not saying that we should be ashamed of our resources. I am saying that, at times, we should be ashamed at the way we use our resources. We have so much that we've been given to reach people for Christ. Our homes, cars, jobs, educucation, communication

devices, health...the list goes on without even mentioning our church buildings. Because of the nature of our daily lives we have the opportunity to reach countless people through our actions and words every day of the week.

John 13:35..."By this they will know you are my disciples, if you love one another." The love of Christ is to be modeled daily in all that we do, not just talked about. To equip and empower people for daily evangelism is where genuine, community changing, life transforming spiritual growth of individuals and churches occurs.

I have to ask myself...what am I doing so that others will know I am His disciple? How does God's love for me show through in the way I treat others? How do I encourage and help the people I work with to be the best they can be? Am I being a good steward of the gifts that I've been given? As a pastor... do I think too much about one area of influence, or how my one area can influence other areas? And do I equip and empower the people around me to use their gifts to reach others? So many questions...

I am so thankful for my time and my friends in Barranquilla. They are such an inspiration to me. They are an encouragement in ministry and in the way I live life daily. I am humbled by the way they worship in all that they do. They remind me that the church is a body not a building. And they model for me what it looks like to "love one another."

So thank you to all of those that I had the opportunity to minister with in Barranquilla last week. I don't know if anything I did in my week there could come close to the way you loved and

discipled me. I am humbled and incredibly grateful for my time with all of you.

I'm out.....

Day 5: Barranquilla

Today was our last day in the field and it went great! The rain held off for us and we were able to work in the barrio that we were originally supposed to be in all day yesterday. The people in this barrio are great!!

There were so many kids in this barrio. They were everywhere!! While most of the kids were in school from noon-6pm, the parents were at home during the day. We saw a ton of kids this morning and then spent time with a lot of parents this afternoon. This was another barrio that was crime ridden and over run with gangs and drug dealers. But God protected us and led us to the people He wanted us to talk to which included some of these people.

The service this afternoon was packed with young and old. A church that normally has around 10 people and room for maybe 20 had about 50 at their service. We saw 41 people give their life to Christ in a day and a half. We had the opportunity to go back and visit many of the people we spoke to yesterday and do some discipleship with them. The cool thing... we would be there visiting and they would bring other people into the house and we were sharing and teaching them to share.

I played soccer with a bunch of little kids and their older brothers. The older kids were pretty hard core and into some things that definitely were not good for them. A couple of card tricks and self-humiliating attempts at playing soccer, and I had them listening to me. So cool!

I had some interesting conversation with my friend Aurora the last couple of days. It's amazing how wrong we get it sometimes in the american church today. We've placed our stock in so much stuff (media, buildings, programs, etc..) that we've created an attitude of "what are you gonna do to impress me" in the people that come through our doors. While these things are not bad at all... we must do them with excellence, we must use them to glorify God, and we must use them to encourage and point people into ministry.

God is speaking to me and stirring my heart about some things. I'm trying to work these things out in my head so I can write them out and move on them. It is just such an encouragement to watch these people worship and be a part of these services. It reminds me of what gifts God has given me and speaks to why I need to be a better steward of those gifts. To watch people with so little give so much is completely humbling.

I'm out....

Barranquilla....Day 4

Proverbs 19:21.."Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

We got to our barrio this morning and got off to a great start. This was an extremely poor barrio. But... as is the norm...these were some of the most welcoming, loving people we've met. They had nothing, but offered everything they had to make us comfortable...unbelievably humbling. The message of Jesus resonates with them, and offers them hope and peace that they long for in their lives. But it isn't that what we all long for?

We only visited a few houses before lunch, but spent quality time with each family and was able to really solidify their decision to follow Christ. They took us to their "mother church" for lunch since there was more space, it was cooler, etc...While there, the rains came! This would have been no big deal (we went out in the rain yesterday), except the gangs in the neighborhood choose to fight when it rains. The pastor recommended that we not go back to the barrio we were in that morning because of the gang issue. Well.... God had that all orchestrated.

We went out into the neighborhood of the "mother church" and quickly figured out that was exactly where God wanted us to be. My group went to one house after the rains stopped. When I told the mom of the house that we were not even supposed to be there, but the rain kept us from being where we were originally planning to be. She said to me....."you're here because me and my family need to hear what you have to say." And she was exactly right. She told us about her kids... all 5 of them. Her three girls, and her homosexual son were there. Her other son was not there. We spent almost an hour with her, praying for her family, and leading her to faith in Christ. One of the nationals, a young man, struck up a conversation with the homosexual son. He found out that the kid had been raped at age 7 (he's 20 now). That experience caused him to think that he was gay, so he just "became" homosexual. The national told me this as were were leaving the house, walking down the street.

We stopped, I sent our two girls with the other group and he and I , and Beaux headed back. We found Jorge in his room and begin talking with him. He told us that he did not like who he was; did not believe it was who God intended him to be; and wanted to change. He is a noted drug dealer (he was selling his last two bags of marijuana when we found him), gang banger, and homosexual/transvestite. As we talked to him of God's love for him, he began to weep. As we spoke to him, several other kids showed up to listen in to what was going on. After 30-40 minutes of talking with Jorge, he gave his life to Christ with his mom standing there with us praying with him.

God wanted us there today.... no doubt. I've got some other things that God is revealing to me on this trip. I'll share those at another time... maybe tomorrow. For now....

I'm out.

Barranquilla: Day 3

Second day in the field......Incredible!

For those of you that may not know how this works..... we spend Monday in Tuesday in one barrio and then we switch to another barrios for Wednesday and Thursday.

The barrio we were in yesterday and today is a pretty rough place. Drug use, alcoholism, teenage pregnancies, etc... are rampant in this area. The pastor who we worked with at this place is a survivor of this neighborhood. A one time heroin user/gang member... he is one of the most passionate people I have ever met when it comes to reaching his community for Christ.

The first street we went down this morning was a re-visit of a street we were on yesterday. I had the opportunity to get to know a few of the rougher individuals on that street and saw several give their lives to Christ. Today... our pastor received a warning that there was a plan to rob us when we came back down that street. Some of the young men whom we had gotten to know yesterday put a stop to that for us. We were allowed to venture into parts of that barrio that not even cops would go into because they were in danger. It was awesome!! We prayed with these people, talked with them, and shared the gospel with them and were witness to many strongholds broken in that barrio.

Everyone on the trip has their own individual stories and I wish I had space to tell all of them. As has been the case with every trip. There is so much for us to learn from the people here. When they come to worship there is nothing to draw them to the church like we are accustom to back home. No media, screens, bands, buildings, etc.....just the desire to worship the God who has given them life and hope. It is unbridaled, unashamed worship. I wish I could bottle it up, put it in my bag and bring it home.

Tomorrow's barrio is supposedly one of the rougher ones around here. Should make for an interesting day. I'm excited to see what God has in store for us there tomorrow and Thursday. Keep praying for the team and for the areas that each group is in the next two days.

I'm out....

Colombia '10: Day 1

Today was the first day in the field. We spent it with a small church in a pretty poor barrio. Pastor Javier is doing incredible ministry in this area, and God has given him great vision for his community. There are a ton of kids in this barrio. Pastor Javier and the people of his congregation said there is a huge marijuana and alcohol problem with the young people there... along with many gang issues.

We spent the day talking with a lot of the kids he was talking about. It was one of those days where every time we presented the gospel there were 10-20 people gathered around. I had the opportunity to share with about 25 kids at one time. They were all playing some pretty serious poker games with quite a bit of money on the table. I did a few card tricks on them and they went nuts. They listened as I talked to them about Jesus and more than half of them accepted Christ, including the ring leader Martin. It was pretty incredible.

We went into one house and there was a man there who had been sharing the gospel with this family for sometime. He is an evangelists and was so excited that there were other Christians in his barrio sharing Jesus. The whole family accepted Christ.

Our team had the opportunity to share the gospel 35 times today.... we saw 76 people make commitments to Christ. Pastor Javier is so excited to have so many people to disciple and minister to on a daily basis. We had church this afternoon at his church building, and like all of the other times I've been here..... I wish I could bottle up what I see in these worship times and bring it home for everyone to experience. Incredible!

Well...that's the update today. Up early tomorrow for breakfast and back in the field for day 2. Pray for us that we will continue to have opportunities to share. God is at work here and we are pumped for the chance to be His mouthpiece.

I"m out

Colombia '10

Well.... after a long two days in the Dallas and Miami airports, we're here in Barranquilla!

This is such a great city! God has been speaking to me a lot the last couple of days. As we were waiting I was reminded, as I often am, of God's orchestrative powers.

Proverbs 19:21..."Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

There are times when we just can't figure it out..... but then again....we don't have to always have it figured out. God's not ringin' His hands and wondering what's goin' on, or how this is going to work out, or what's coming next.

We don't have to ask God to show up for anything. He's here......we have to show up. We have to seek Him.

I'm excited to see what He has planned here in Barranquilla this week. I'll be posting updates daily while we're here, so check in. Time to go to be right now though...

I'm out.

Harvey

Growing up, my family would take frequent trips up into the woods of East Texas. For most of my childhood my granddaddy lived in the Kirbyville, Hemphill area near Lake Toledo Bend. My brother and I loved getting out of the city and going out into the woods. My granddaddy had an old bird dog named Sport and an old chevy truck named Old Blue. There were woods for squirrel hunting, the lake for fishing, pine cones for throwing at each other, and peas for shelling (I hated that job). Needless to say, the only dull moments at my granddaddy's house came at night. I think they went to bed somewhere around 6:00pm and the only thing ever on tv, remember this was pre-cable, was baseball or the news. We played a lot of cards and knee football in the living room.

One of our favorite things to do was to go visit Uncle Harvey. He was actually my great uncle, but everyone just called him Uncle Harvey. His family had kind of disappeared and my granddaddy was left to look out for his brother Harvey. The thing was, Harvey was a hermit. For real! He lived in an old cabin in the woods by himself. As long as you went out there with my granddaddy you were safe. I never tried going out there without him because every time we went, Harvey was sitting at the ragged old screen door that was his front door, with a double barrel shotgun....locked and loaded.

His truck, lawn mowers, air conditioner, garage and everything else within range of the shotgun had been blasted several times. Uncle Harvey had a problem with hallucinating that people were trying to steal his stuff. So I was not about to run the risk of mistaken identity.

Harvey had long gray hair, and a long gray beard and was always wearing some old overa

lls. There was a massive tree in his front yard with vines that had been growing for decades hanging from the top of the tree. My brother and I would climb up in this tree and swing out of it like Tarzan until Harvey started shooting at the people living in the tree that were trying to "get" me and my brother.

As a kid we never thought about it, but Harvey lived a completely lonely, isolated life. Outside of my granddaddy taking him into town occasionally for groceries, he never left his cabin. If he did the tree people would probably steal everything he owned. He had none of life's finer things, and really didn't care for any of it.

I thought of Uncle Harvey the other night at the movies when I saw the trailer for a new movie starring Robert Duvall and Bill Murray titled Get Low. Duvall looks exactly like I remember Uncle Harvey, and it triggered these memories. But as I thought about my old uncle and his reclusive, lonely life, it made me think of the people that I pass daily that are just as lonely.

Even in the midst of all that goes on around them..... loneliness. In spite of millions of people, and the ability to connect with people around the world....loneliness. Many people live in the same, reclusive, lonely place that Harvey lived. They are looking for connection. They desire interaction. They want to be used. They want to know that God created them for a purpose and for a reason. The question is....

What are we doing to put them in the position to find that connection? How are we helping people realize the gifts and abilities that God has given each of us and how those gifts can be used to love and minister to others?

When people feel that there is no place for them, or that they are useless, many of them look to the church for answers and help. Our responsibility is to help them find the path and direction that God has planned out for them, with the gifts that He gave them in the first place. People want to be used and needed. Some are sitting at their door right now guarding everything they have from the tree people. Our challenge is to get them to let down their guard long enough to venture out and put those gifts to use for the Kingdom.

I'm out....

Spring forward......

So my middle kid is about to start driving. She's had her permit now for about 5 months, so end of April she gets to take her drivers test. Here's the awesome thing about that. Recently, Texas law changed back to kids having to take the drivers test with a state trooper in the car with them. Greatness!!!

I remember taking my drivers test with Sergeant Paris in the car with me. It was so intimidating! Parallel parking between two cones with tennis balls perched on top of them.... you knock one off.... you're done. Talk about white knuckling the steering wheel.

Recently, she confused the gas pedal and brake pedal while backing out of a parking space at the mall. I'm not sure who was more scared, my wife or the person stopped and waiting for the spot. I'm really glad I wasn't with her.

My son has let me know that he's not nervous about learning how to drive because he's played a lot of Need for Speed on the xbox. I think he meant that to be comforting, but we'll see. He does seem to have the advantage sometimes in the common sense arena. My wife calls him our last great hope!

This time of year brings about the desire, and in some cases, the need for change. To get things in order.... tidy up a bit. This year is a little different around here because our oldest is graduating high school. I'm not sure I'm ready for it, even though I act like I am. She's my baby. And now there are days I look at her and wonder when she got so grown up.

I'm sure two years from now when the next one graduates we'll be a little more ready in terms of time lines, preparation, etc...but I don't know that I'm ready for any of them to be on their own. I know that we've tried to prepare and teach them, but now we actually have to let them make decisions and stuff. That's hard.

Yes, these are changing times. Big changes. Life changes. Not so sure I'm ready for springing forward and such. Right now.... slowing down sounds real good.

I am gonna change her room to a man cave when she leaves though....

I'm out.

Coaches

The last two weekends I've had the opportunity to lead about 1,000 students in worship at FCA's Weekend of Champions. Both weekends were incredible!! Well over 200 kids came to know Christ! Others made came to a point of repentance and are trying, right now, to start a path with God in the lead. While there I also got the chance to speak some encouragement to the high school and college kids that were leading, and to the coaches that were there.

I love coaches! Having been one for so long I understand the good, the bad, and the ugly of their world. I also understand that these men and women have more influence on kids than just about anyone else in their lives during these crucial years. Partnering with coaches and schools is a must for anyone in student ministry, or for church in general.

Think about it. Coaches and teachers spend more time than any of us with our kids. More time than parents, youth pastors, bosses, etc.... To pour into our schools is to impact our teenagers at a kingdom level, regardless of numbers in any particular building or congregation. If I can encourage and empower the kids that are in our student ministry to live out the church on their campuses, and to do ministry where they are daily, I believe that way more effective than giving them another bible study they don't do anything with during the week.

We have to be efficient at what we teach, when we teach it, and when we give our people the opportunity to live out what we've taught. The wisdom to use the knowledge we have stored up is something we lack. God promises to give generously to those who ask Him for wisdom. I pray for our students daily that they will gain wisdom to use what they've been taught. I also pray that I will give them the opportunities to be the church, not just come to church.

I understand that there are always people that would rather sit and soak, rather than get up and be the church. I know that for some, sitting and listening to someone else's interpretation of the bible, Jesus, God's love and plan, etc... gives them what they need to check off their "went to church" box for the week. But to have even just a few that really get it....... that's where it's at. To have a few that want to get their hands dirty; that want to be the hands and feet; that want to serve....... those are numbers that have backing.

Coaches teach, and then on game night.... kids are given the opportunity to live out what they've been taught. When adjustments need to be made, they are made and implemented.... and guess what happens..... the kids respond. You find out rather quickly who you can go to battle with, and who is going to give it all they have and gather to celebrate, cry, re-evaluate, and start all over when needed, when the work is done. I think that is a pretty good model for the church.

Coaches.... thank you! Coach Bundy.... thank you for pouring into a 15 year old kid something other than just how to play the game of football, but how to do life. At a time when life sucked, you encouraged and built into what you knew would help later in life and I appreciate it.

What are we doing with what we know? And how are we encouraging those around us to use what they know? Build the kingdom..... regardless of where the bricks are laid.

I'm out.....

Schooled

The kids are out of school and Christmas is definitely in the air. I love this time of year!! It's even a little cold this year. Growing up on the gulf coast I don't ever remember a cold Christmas much less a white one. I do remember getting out of school and knowing that I had two weeks off. That was only topped when I got to college and realized I got a month off at Christmas. Incredible!!

I had a conversation about school with a friend the other day. He and his wife have chosen to put their kids in a private "christian" school after homeschooling for a few years. He made a statement that I have a problem with pertaining to public schools not being a good place for children to get their education.

I had a problem on a few levels....

1. my wife is a teacher in the public school system.
2. i taught and coached in public schools for 15 years before going into full-time vocational ministry
3. all of my kids are in public schools.

I guess my issue lies in the fact that I know that private "christian" schools have the same problems as the public schools, the kids there can just afford the private school tuition. I taught in several schools over my teaching career and saw my share of parents get upset with the system because of their kid's behavioral issues and just transferred them to a private school. I also had my share of kids that got kicked out of private schools for many of the reasons we were kicking kids out of public schools.

But on a spiritual level I just think that kids that have a relationship with Christ will have a bigger impact on their community if they are actually interacting with their community on a daily basis. To live out the life God calls us to in a public school, where all of society is represented can be huge. Obviously there are things that we don't want our kids exposed to, but is putting them in a bubble really helping. What happens when they get to college?

Don't say... well by that time they'll be mature enough to handle it. You're kidding yourself with that philosophy. Truth be told.... you risk them going stark raving wild when they get a glimpse at the world they've been "protected" from their whole life.

Teaching our students to stand for what they believe in the face of all the world has to throw at them is teaching them real, missional, Christianity. Life is gross and dirty at times and we can't protect them from everything, but we can show them what it looks like to overcome and stand for what is right. When you teach your kid to drive, you don't have them drive around a parking lot until the day they get their license. You get them out on the road and show them what it's like to navigate through traffic and obstacles. Life is no different..... they've got to see what it's like to take a stand when they're students, while they're still under our roof..... if they get away without that experience it could be trouble.

I'm out.....

Happy Thanksgiving

I love this time of year. There is so much to get excited about and reflect on. Later today this house will be filled with the smell of lots of food, and the sound of people having a good time. Football will be on tv pretty much all day with the Cowboys game being the feature game at 3. And then of course there is the fact that today ushers in the start of the Christmas season. Since I was a kid the Macy's Day Parade seemed to signal the start of Christmas. It's great.

One of the weird things about today is that all of the work that goes into preparing is laid to waste in a matter of minutes. By 1:00, the carcas of that turkey will be stripped to the bone. The dressing will be consumed in mass quantities and it will be time for a nap. By mid-afternoon many people will be making their shopping plans for Black Friday and the craziness that comes with the biggest shopping day of the year. Who started that crazy stuff anyway?

Then there's the reflective side of things. Thanksgiving..... should be a part of every day, but this time of year seems to make even the hardest of hearts sit and reflect on the good things of life. Even in the toughest of times there is much to be thankful for in life. Think on those things. Prayers of thanksgiving seem, sometimes, to get lost amongst all of the prayers of petition, but isn't there so much more to give thanks for than to ask for in our lives?

Nine years ago I lost my dad on Thanksgiving day to a heart attack. While the exact day only falls on Thanksgiving every once in a while, for obvious reasons it is Thanksgiving Day that marks that time of my life. I am thankful for the 33 years that I had with my dad and look forward to seeing him again someday.

Cliche as it may be.... take some tme today to reflect and be thankful for what you have, what you've had, and what we are sure to receive. Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm out.

Catalyst Stuff

The first day of labs/classes are done. I heard lots of good stuff today, but there is much to be processed. Here are a few of the notable notes from the day:

1. If you are leading.... people will get mad and leave. - Perry Noble
2. Inspiration will only take you so far. You must lead by revelation.- Perry Noble
3. If we hold too tightly to an ideal picture of family, we set up families to become disillusioned.
- Reggie Joiner
4. Influencing families is about teaching them to cooperate with God and His plan; not about
conforming to the picture of a model family.
5. The word of God has to be a part of our leadership in worship. -Aaron Keyes
6. When I invite people into my stuff, they invite me into theirs. -Jamie Tworkowski
7. How are we forming people into the image of Jesus? - Jon Tyson
8. Imagination has been taken captive by the world. -Darren Whitehead
9. People were not created to handle planetary suffering day-in day-out. -Shane Hipps
10. Church has missed the boat on teaching the gospel, and has taught moral theism.
-Matt Chandler

Well there you go. The top 10 nuggets of the day. I'll probably have much more to say tomorrow. Main sessions start up early and go all day. Can't wait...gonna be awesome!

I'm out.

Catalyst Day 1

Well... got to the ATL safely yesterday. One of my favorite restaurants anywhere is Daddy D'z BBQ Joynt in downtown Atlanta. If you are ever here you have got to get by there. The 4 bone plate with red beans and rice and fired okra can't be beat. The only problem..... I usually hurt myself before I leave and wind up miserable the rest of the day. I'm still hurtin' this morning. I don't even feel like eating breakfast. But for a once or twice a year visit to Daddy D'z.... it's worth it.

So the conference itself doesn't start till tomorrow. Today we'll be heading up to the Gwinnett Center to attend some labs (specialized, smaller venue discussions) with some key leadership figures from around the country. I like the labs because you get some good q&a time that you don't ever get in the main sessions.

Yesterday... we had some good staff time. I love sitting and talking with the guys I work with, trying to figure out what needs to be done to bring our body at Firewheel to the next level of spiritual growth and leadership. There is just so much to be done to reach the community that we live in daily. As a growing, mid-sized, church we have to make sure that we are constantly working to move ourselves, and our people to the next level and not get comfortable with where we are at in any part of the ministry.

I look at the incredible group of volunteers that I have in the student ministry and want to make sure that I am giving them every opportunity to follow God's call on their lives. If that means challenging them to raise their game, or moving people to different seats on the bus, raising my game, whatever...... we've got to do it. There are so many moving parts to ministry. What is it that needs to be done to make us move and not get complacent and comfortable? That's the question that I am constantly asking myself.

It's so easy to get comfortable. When things are familiar. When things are routine..... we can operate without even thinking about it sometimes. I remember when I was leading worship at camps and stuff week-in and week-out, it got real easy to just go through the motions sometimes. I would have to remove myself from things at times and really get my heart and mind focused on what we were there to do, because the music came easy.... it could've been easy to just wing it at times.

I don't want us to be "wingin' it." That's not the way to disciple and grow leaders in the church. One of my goals would be to train a team of leaders to do what I do. A team that is actively pursuing relationships with students and parents outside of the walls of Firewheel Church. One of the many things I learned about ministry when leading worship for so many different things is that about 90% of our ministry was always done off of the stage. It was about the relationships that were made at times off of the stage.

Well.... if the church building is our "stage." For each of us involved... it's about the relationships that are made off of the stage that will draw kids and parents into a closer relationship with Jesus. We've got to do whatever possible and whatever needed to lead students into a growing relationship with Jesus. What needs to be tweeked? What needs to be changed? What needs to be better? Hmmmmmm.... I'm sure I'll hear some insights this week while I'm here.

I always enjoy the time with the guys in this setting. We have a lot of fun. I like it when we challenge each other and talk ministry. Good week ahead.....

Stay tuned for pics, funny stories, updates, etc....... sure there will be plenty of that.....

I'm out.

Holding Patterns....

I was talking with my friend Earl last week about the state of the church body. Not just our church, but the church as a whole. As he spoke about some of the ruts we get in when we are not challenged in our leadership and spiritual development he used the term.. perpetual holding pattern.

If you've ever been on a plane that is put into a holding pattern, you know exactly what he means. Circling, flying, over and over...... no place to plant your feet, but a deep desire to just be home. When you look at what happens in churches all over the world today you see people fly in and fly out. Some stay a while...others not so much. Maybe they're in a holding pattern. Maybe they are just waiting to have a place to land. What is it that would make them want to land at your church, or mine? Are we challenging them to step out and be involved, or are we just giving them a place to touch and go?

I think people want to belong and be a part of something that is making a difference. I know there are those that just want to come in and get their weekly dose of God so that they can feel like they've done well....but I believe there are a lot of people we miss, because they want to make a difference and we may not give them the opportunity. It does make me wonder.... what am I doing to challenge the volunteers and partners in the ministry God's given me? What is it that makes my volunteers and students feel needed, wanted, and feel that they belong?

I think a big part of a church ministry has to be local missions. We have to be working and serving with our community in ways that give our people a tangible, visible reference to the impact they are having. Our people have to get their hands dirty in ministry. Growing ministries aren't always clean and pretty..... it's dirty sometimes. It can be a mess. Let's not be afraid of messiness.

The challenge is to get out of our holding patterns.... created by fear, apprehensiveness, comfort, etc...And let's help others get out of their holding patterns. No more church hopping when things get uncomfortable. No more searches for a place to land that is more fitting to our taste. But a desire to be challenged.... challenged to raise our level of commitment and service. What are we doing to reach our communities and people around the globe for Jesus?

On that note...school starts back in a week. One of the key ways we, as a church, impact our communities is by equipping our students to live out their faith in school. Be praying for our kids, teachers, administrators, coaches, etc..... This is a huge ministry for the whole church.

The overall challenge for us..... What are we doing to challenge each other and ourselves to get out of our holding patterns?

I'm out....

Closing thoughts on Barranquilla

Okay...so I've been home for almost a week now and I'm still trying to process everything from last week. Getting home on Saturday night has not left me much time to think about, much less write down, what I witnessed last week in Barranquilla, Colombia.

This was my second trip to Barranquilla and once again, it was incredible. It would take me a long time to write out the things I saw, felt, got to do, etc....so I've spent the last few days just trying to process a few of the major takeaways that God showed me on this trip. Of course there are the little things like being thankful that I live in a place where the bad traffic and crazy drivers are nothing compared to Barranquilla. They're not rude drivers or anything.....it's just that lanes do not matter, stop signs do not matter, tiny little taxis are everywhere, and people drive so close to each other that you could literally reach out and slap the person in or on the taxi/motorcycle next to you. But what are a couple of the bigger, spiritual takeaways?

One....I saw this last time, and even more so this time. These believers know what it looks like to come into a worship service with a heart of worship. In most cases there are no multi-media shows, air-conditioned classrooms, multi-million dollar buildings equipped with everything for our comfort and enjoyment. Some of them have bands, very good ones I might add, and sound systems, but for many it may be a singer, a conga, and nothing else....but it doesn't keep anyone from lifting their heart in worship. There is no attitude of, what are you
gonna do to impress me today? Or...I hope we're out on time. Or...what's in this for me. It's all about what I'm bringing into this service as a sacrifice and offering to God. And they just let it go. Whether it's in the street, inside a house, or wherever the "meeting place" may be......it is a place of worship and that is what is done.

There were some similarities in our church culture and the church culture there. My team was in an upscale neighborhood one day. The people in this certain area had much....nice houses, personal cars (which is much more a luxury there than here), nice things in their houses.......very comfortable lifestyles. What we found in these areas was an attitude of complacency and contentment. Many of the people saw no need for Christ because they already had everything they needed to make life comfortable. The pastor we were working with that particular day had been struggling to reach this neighborhood since he had moved there 7 months ago. We see this same attitude in our churches, if not in our own personal lives, here in the United States. It is much easier to depend on God when we have nothing than when we have much.

On that note....I heard several stories of healings and miraculous interventions of God from people in Barranquilla. Most of these stories came from people who had nothing to depend on but God for the needs in their lives. It made me wonder about the miracles of Jesus that we read about in the new testament. I would have to do a little study, but off the top of my head, many of Jesus' miracles were performed for people who had very little personal wealth to depend on for their rescue. How many times do we lean on our own abilities, personal wealth, etc..rather than place our faith in God for guidance and direction in life. So it was no surprise to find the people living in poor neighborhoods much more receptive to the message of Christ than the people who had the means to get what they "needed." That hits pretty close to home.

I am so proud of the students we had on this trip. They really stepped up, and many stepped way out of their comfort zones. The impact they had on people's lives is matched only by the impact the people of Barranquilla had on them. They learned a lot from the people we worked with, and the people they interacted with in the barrios.

It was a great trip! That's an understatement, but I don't know that there are words to describe what was seen and experienced. I'm hoping this trip becomes a staple of our student ministry summer for years to come. The relationships that were formed are key to continued ministry. This was not a trip in which a couple of humanitarian projects were started, completed, and then everyone goes home. There were relationships established between our people and the people of Barranquilla. Relationships with pastors, church members, new believers, etc...young and old, rich and poor. And relationships are a must if we hope for discipleship, and outreach to impact any community of people.

I'm happy to be home, but I look forward to my next visit with the people of Colombia. In the meantime.....taking what we learned from the churches of Barranquilla and working on my own personal attitude towards worship and keeping my heart and mind focused on Him will be how the people there continue to impact our lives here.

I'm out.....

Last Day in the Field

Today was our last day out in the field. We were back in the same barrio as yesterday, but this time we actually go to go into the "dangerous" areas. The principal of the school allowed their 7th graders to leave class and walk with us through the neighborhood. They were going to houses and getting the people in them to come and listen to us. It was great! This neighborhood was full of kids! It was crazy!

I had the chance to sit down with one family that was really funny. The mom has 3 kids..two teenage daughters and an 11 year old son. She said her teenage daughters drive her crazy because they are always going places and they think they know everything....sound familiar moms and dads? At that moment the grandmother spoke and said....but i carry a big stick....literally (you can see it in the pic below). !

The younger lady in the pic told me an interesting story about leakage from her breast that made things rather uncomfortable but my translator handled things very well. Yesterday I had a lady breast feeding in front of me as I spoke to her and her husband. Kind of strange but I just maintained lots of eye contact with the husband.

The school we have been basing out of the last two days has been great! Today one of the teachers, Carlos, took me on a brief motorcycle tour of the city. AWESOME!!
The traffic in Barranquilla is crazy and the drivers are even crazier. It's a place where lanes do not matter and everyone is just jockin' for position, ignoring stop signs, squeezing into spaces......crazy. Better than any roller coaster i have ever been on in my life.

This was a great barrio. We saw over 300 people give their lives to Christ in two days. Of course part of that is us getting to speak to an entire school, but still. These were some of the nicest people I have ever been around.

The Firewheel students have been doing great! They have got lots of stories to share when we get home so just be ready. I'm going to let them talk Sunday night at Amp'd. They have each had the opportunity to speak in front of their churches along with speaking to individuals all week long. They have done an incredible job! I am really proud of the way that they have stepped out of their comfort zones and responded to this call. I am certain they will want to return the next time.

Tomorrow is our off day, so we're headin' out to a beach and a market place. And then we cap the day off with our Victory Service. Each barrio our team has been in is invited to attend so it should be pretty big.

It has been a great week, but I miss my family. Most of the others do too. I'm looking forward to the trip home and getting to tell all the stories from an incredible week.

Moment of the Day:

*has to be the look on my translator's (Laura) face when I asked her what the lady had just said when she was telling us about her breast leaking. She really didn't want to translate that info.

21 Days till Cowboys kickoff.....

I'm out

Day 5......

Day 5...another school! My team's day started in another school. This time it was a school run by a christian principal and a faculty made up of all christians. They put each of our team members in a classroom. By 10:30am we had seen over 130 kids give their life to Christ. We ended up seeing 269 people give their life today! Our team alone! Crazy!

The neighborhood we were in was a really bad barrio. We had to have a police escort and three local gang members (as pictured below) lead us around the neighborhood so that we didn't go into the "wrong" houses. Needless to say we stayed pretty close together. The people were incredibly receptive and generous. So different from the very upscale neighborhood we were in earlier this week. People who had nothing, willing to let us in and give up the best seat in the house for us to tell them about Jesus. People with everything...not even opening their gate for us. In some ways it sounds very similar to the culture we live in back home.

I'm learning that there are certain constants in this world. For instance...people who have much feel they need very little. People who have little are willing to give all for a glimmer of hope. McDonalds tastes the same wherever you may be in the world...and in this setting it has been a welcome site at times.

I'm hearing great stories from everyone else on the team, and we've got lots of pictures to share. You can look at a lot of them on my facebook page. Check them out.

Moment of the Day:

*Justin Spann got a marriage proposal from this little Colombian chica who thinks he looks like Harry Potter.

22 days...you know!

I'm out...

Day 4 in Barranquilla

It was a different day today in a much different barrio. After being in an upscale neighborhood yesterday where complacency had set in, we went to a mission of that church in a very poor barrio. Mary McElyea, 3 of our translators, and a team of nationals were in the neighborhood all morning and did an incredible job.

Thanks to the pastor's wife being a teacher....she got myself, Tye, Elizabeth, Justin, Maria (our translator), and the other Maria (a national) into a school. We were able to share the gospel with more than 150 kids and saw 137 of them give their life to Christ.....in class! It was awesome.

Each of the students shared with the students, Maria (our national) shared her testimony...Incredible! And kids were just zoned into every word out of our mouths. It was a great experience. The teacher sounded a lot like some teachers I know back home. She teaches religion and ethics, but cannot be biased because it is a government/catholic school. But she can bring people in as guests and they can teach about their specific beliefs. So we did... and they responded.

The afternoon was cut short by a huge thunderstorm but it gave us the opportunity to sit with the people of the church we were with and just hangout. We sang worship songs..they would teach us one is spanish ...and then we would teach them one of ours. Old classical guitars with cat gut strings...so awesome!

The pastor shared with us that his church needed encouragement, so we met and talked, prayed, and worshipped together for a while. It was great.

Tomorrow we go to a different church and start working a different barrio. This is a neighborhood that I was in back in October so I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends.

Moment of the Day:

*Lauren McElyea told a group that Jesus died for all of our fish. The word for fish and sins is very similar and she just got a little mixed up. Funny!!

22 days till Cowboys opener!!!

I'm out...

Barranquilla Day 3

First day in the field went well. The students were all pretty nervous, but they had a good day. My team was in kind of an upscale neighborhood which resulted in many people being quite unreceptive.

I guess things are much different than at home. When we get comfortable with our surroundings and situation it is much harder to see the need for God. The people here are such gracious, welcoming people, but in this neighborhood there was just a sense of complacency. We'll be in another barrio tomorrow and we'll see what happens.

That being said....we saw 50 people give their life to Christ in our group alone. The people at the church we were at today are awesome! My prayer is that they will be able to disciple and go forward with what is started. I want these new believers to get plugged in and find a church home that will teach them and disciple them as they start their new walk.

The kids are doin' great. They are all excited about tomorrow now that they have a day under their belt.

Random Moment of the Day:

*why did the guy serving breakfast have a chef's uniform on (including the really tall hat) when they were just serving corn flakes?

23 days till Cowboys v. Raiders....

I'm out....

Day 2 of Barranquilla

Today was long...but productive. Just a lot of meetings and stuff that have to be done to cover everything that needs to be covered before heading to the barrios tomorrow.

We went to church this morning and my team was actually in one of the churches I was with when I was here in October. Pastor Edwin and his wife Rosy are great....and what a great group of people. The encouraging thing was that back in October there was probably about 50-75 people in their church. This morning they had apprx. 150 people there. Incredible!!

Their band was slammin'! Last time we were there...they had one speaker and the piano, guitar, and vocal mic were all plugged into it. They rocked it out this morning!

You know....the thing that still amazes me about church here is that the people are there to worship and there is nothing that is drawing them in except for the desire to meet with God. No fancy buildings, no "creative elements," no a/c, no multimedia presentations......just worship! and a lot of it!

We met our translators and nationals that we will be working with this week and they are great. I love our translators.....funny group of kids that are pumped about being here! We'll have more on them later.

Taxi rides are still the thrill of the day.....lanes don't matter and horns are used a lot! It's great.

Well.....no random thoughts but I thought I would share what is perhaps the funniest door hanger sign in the history of mankind. And yes...I'm bringin' it home with me.








I'm out!