If God is my co-pilot who is driving?

OK, So we are home right now visiting some dear friends. Many interesting conversations take place, but what I keep coming back to is simple: Are we about growing an organization or the Kingdom?

I had the pleasure of meeting a bi-vocational pastor in Mexico named Fernando. When I worked with him he did not worry about church growth. He offered his members for ministry for Kingdom growth even going so far as to offer to place the contact info from another church in our Gospels of John! Are we there yet? (as my kids so like to ask) I look around and see much more navel gazing than Jesus gazing. Where did we take this detour and how do we get back to the main road????

When we look at the churches God is blessing they are much more focused on Kingdom growth. Going to where people are living and meeting them where they are. How did Peterson translate John 1? "The Word became flesh and blood,and moved into the neighborhood." You may not like it because it is a paraphrase, but it hits at the core of who Christ was and, need I remind you, IS. The phrase has been used and misused, but it is true. . the great commission does not say, "Invite ye" but "Go ye!"

So go back to the Bible and look at the book of Acts if you are confused about what church is. The first building considered a Christian Church was not erected for around 300 years. Scary but true.

Blogging can easily become a showcase for those who have axes to grind. I hope that you hear my passion for the church as I desire to keep my ax sharp and labor for my Lord.

Keep looking in the mirror of God's perfect Word and don't forget what you look like.

Guard your heart!!

I am amazed as I look around at my brothers who have served in ministry and realize how many great men have fallen in the past few years. Mighty men of God that I respected. Men that I listened to preach in my formative years who have succumbed to the bowl of beans that the world offers. All I have done is pray for grace to clothe me. If these great men have fallen what lies ahead for me? I am no superman. It is almost like the gladiators who awaited their turn at a match to watch lifeless bodies being dragged back out of the arena that were alive just a few minutes ago. Only the lion that I face is more dangerous than anything ever faced in an arena. My foe is often invisible and presents his attacks in various ways that strike in the most unexpected times and ways. I know that I am not without recourse, but I know how the mighty have fallen.
I must continually resolve to guard my heart. Be the man that I need to be. Spend time with my Savior and my family. Invest in the lives of some godly men who hold me accountable. Abide in Christ through my daily actions and decisions.

I have a friend who posts questions on his blog for people to respond to.
How many people do you know from seminary and/or a previous ministry start (ie. missionaries who were trained and left for the field) that are still serving?
I look around and am awestruck by those who have fallen out of the race. Many in ministry and even more in missions. Are we teaching disciples who are weak and malnourished on the Word of God because in reality we are the same? Have we accepted a form of Western faith that lacks substance and thus makes us even more vulnerable to the onslaughts of the evil one?
Food for thought. Don't choke!
Have a nice day!

Something brilliant

I am going to put something brilliant here, but for right now, I just want to get a picture of me on my blog and I don't have a url to do so. Happy blogging!

The Clayton Family Singers Coming to a Church Near You!

Yes, these are our three angels playing guitar. They have not engaged in formal lessons very much yet, but they are learning.
As I write this we are on stateside assignment in sunny Jackson, Tn. It has been an incredible time for us to work through what God is doing in our lives and how we can continue to stay plugged in to His will. We just want to be a part of His mission.

This picture is significant because it illustrates well our hearts. We have a passion for taking the good news to whatever rincon ("corner" for you gringos out there) that He leads us to. What does that look like? I don't always know, but I know that there are lost people everywhere who need to hear the good news. So we stayed plugged in and tuned in to what God says and go where the wind of His Spirit blows. Is that easy? Do we have all of the answers? Are we perfect like our guitar players above? No. But there is peace in knowing that you are doing that which God has anionted you to for that moment.

A dear, older family member recently asked, "Does God really want you to take your children to places in which there is danger?" I had to tell him that sometimes God does. We don't always understand it, but we know that there is no safe place in this world. We are lulled in to believing that the US is always a haven from the cold world, but it has its dangers also. We have enjoyed visiting the churches and fellow believers of our homeland, but at times we fear returning to a faith that has been called a few thousand miles wide and an inch deep could be more dangerous than anything for our children.

Many have church on the agenda, but are not really having church. When you talk about what God is doing it is almost a foreign concept. We as missionaries are not to be placed on a pedestal, but we are thankful for the opportunity to get out of our comfort zones for extended periods of time and realize how BIG our God really is. He is not just the God who finds good parking spaces for us at Target. He is the God who can strengthen a lady named Mary to go against the religion of her family to serve a living God through much persecution and trial. He is the God who can give us the grace needed when attacks are made physicallly and spiritually against our family.

He is the God who prompted Paul to write in Acts 14, "we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God." Do we even have a concept of that today? Sometimes I wonder. We value our conveniences so much more than what Christ did for us and the reality of a world suffering without him.

I could write much more, but I am going to begin sounding like an out of touch missionary who is experiencing culture shock as some have accused me of being. That is OK if out of touch means being in touch with the God of Bible rather than the God of Six Flags over Jesus. We have commercialized so much today that I am afraid people are going to look for Sam Walton on the throne when they get to heaven instead of the almighty.

I close with this thought. Will I finish the race with a coat like Paul's? We read in his letters where he requested that someone bring him his coat and the parchments. Can you imagine what his coat looked like by the end of his ministry? Blood and dirt from his missionary journeys. The parchments to stay in touch with the God who saved him and gave him the Holy Spirit. That is the faith I want. My outer shell warn for the journey while my inner man renewed daily by the power of the Word impacting my life. (For more on Paul's request read Chuck Swindoll's book on Paul- I just finished it and I highly recommend it). Blessings!