Pew Potatoes?

I have been reading a pretty good book by Dallas Willard called "The Great Omission." (Not to be confused with other missions books/authors like Saint) It is not labeled a missions book, but has many implications for missional thought. I remember when I told someone in our regional leadership that I had a heart for discipleship and his reply was that I sounded like one of those Navigators. Little did he know that I was discipled by the navigators material! Does that mean that I have been influenced in an unhealthy way? Ever heard of the great commission? Making disciples=Discipleship

So that brings me to Willard's book. The title and subject intrigued me because people have varying ideas about discipleship today. Many center around how "churchy" we can make people or what christian guru (ie. B. Moore, H. Blackaby, J. Piper) is the most popular at the moment. I am not going to give a pat definition, but I will submit some thoughts and quotes that have impacted me from this work:

"Our responsibility is to implement the Great Commission right where we are, not just to raise efforts to do it elsewhere. And if we don't, it won't even be implemented over there." (p.xiii)

"The word 'disciple' occurs 269 times in the New Testament. 'Christian' is found three times and was first introduced to refer precisely to disciples of Jesus-in a situation where it was no longer possible to regard them as a sect of the Jews. (Acts 11:26) (p.3)

"Churches are filled with 'undiscipled disciples,' as Jess Moody has called them."
(p.4)

"The cross-shaped yoke of Christ is after all an instrument of liberation and power to those who live in it with him and learn the meekness and lowliness of heart that brings rest to the soul." (p.9)

"This heresy has created the impression that it is quite reasonable to be a 'vampire Christian.' One in effect says to Jesus, 'I'd like a little of your blood, please. But I don't care to be your student or have your character." In fact, won't you excuse me while I get on with my life, and I'll see you in heaven.' But can we imagine that this is an approach that Jesus finds acceptable?" (p.14)

"A contemporary wording of Jesus's comparison of God's kind of love, agape, and what normally passes for love might be 'What's so great if you love those who love you? Terrorists do that! If that's all your 'love' amounts to, God certainly is not involved. Or suppose you are friendly to 'our kind of people.' So is the Mafia! (Matthew 5:46-47) (p.25)

"Many well meaning people, to give an example, cannot succeed in being kind because they are too rushed to get things done." (p.29)

"You rarely find any person who has made great progress in the spiritual life who did not at some point have much time in solitude and silence." (p.37)

"The missing note in evangelical life today is not in the first instance 'spirituality' but rather 'obedience.' We have generated a variety of religion to which obedience is not regarded as essential." (p.44)

"Now many of you will know that the 'flesh' most often shows up in the scripture, not in association with 'cigarettes and whiskey and wild, wild women,' but with religious activities. When Paul in Philippians 3:3 says that he too has 'reason for confidence in the flesh,' he proceeds to give us a list of religious credentials that is quite overwhelming." (p.46 there is much more here that I wish that I could quote)

"What you see when the veil is drawn back on the many 'spiritualities' of our day is that they are so many versions of idolatry. They are nothing but human attempts to use human means to achieve identity and power for the individual. Idolatry is marked by the will to use God for our purposes." (p.48)

"The church of Jesus Christ is not necessarily present where there is a correct administration of the sacrament and faithful preaching of the Word of God. The church of God is present where people gather together in the power of the resurrected life of Jesus Christ. It is possible to have the administration of the sacraments and the preaching of the Word of God and to have it be simply a human exercise." (p51)

"'Discipleship' is a term that has pretty well lost it's meaning because of the way it has been misused. Discipleship on the theological right has come to mean preparation for soul winning, under the direction of parachurch efforts that had discipleship farmed out to them because the local church really wasn't doing it. On the left, discipleship has come to mean some form of social activity or social service, from serving soup lines to poitical protest to. . .whatever. The term 'discipleship' has currently been ruined so far as any psychological and biblical content is concerned." (p.53)

So in the words of the immortal movie "Cool Runnings," (the movie about the jamaican bobsled team) "Ya dead man? Ya man." I will stop the fire hydrant for now and let you meditate. (Yes baptists can meditate!)

Let me know what you think. This is some deep stuff. One or two quotes are zingers to get more responses from y'all.

Have a cool yule and fleas navidad! (yes I misspelled feliz)

P.S. I almost forgot. The picture with my Mom was just an unrelated freebie. Enjoy!

More Jesus. . .Less Crap

Some of my "tens" of readers may be offended by the title that I have chosen for this edition of my blog, but this is the slogan for a church being planted in Pittsburgh, Pa. right now. The more that I heard, the more that I thought. . .AMEN!

Then there's tonight. I go to church to hear about the joys of killing Santa? Don't we have anything better to talk about? If you are doing your job in leading your family to know and worship Christ throughout the year, a cultural acknowledgment of Santa is not going to threaten that! Then we romanticize how the Catholics really know how to celebrate Christmas. While they may have the forms and some liturgy, they lack a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Savior. Any cursory study of Catholicism will reveal such. I am proud of my baptist faith and have found ways to celebrate the birth of my Savior without falling into the dead religion of times past.

This is another time in which my missionary experience has ruined me! You see when I served in Mexico, I watched Christians refuse to have nativity scenes in their homes because they were pagan. This experience convinced me that culture plays a central role in our knowledge of God and worship of Him. Most of us are so immersed in it that we cannot see it for ourselves. It took our living in a Catholic country to make me realize how much I have been influenced by my culture.

I say all of this to say as the church in Pa. has said: More Jesus. . .Less Crap! That is what we need to work toward. Stop chasing the shadows of sin and deal with your sin. Stop turning your back on the widows, orphans, and poor. Stop clinging to your religion so much that Jesus and the Bible has little to do with your life. Santa Claus is the least of our worries. Who did Jesus rebuke most when he was on earth? The Pharisees. Those who clung to the outward religion so much that they lost sight of what life was all about. Take time to read Colossians 2 some time.

May we all find a little more Jesus in our lives! (and a lot less of that other stuff)

When Thanksgiving Shuts Down Worship

The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to praise and give thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices and praised the Lord with these words:

“He is good!
His faithful love endures forever!”

At that moment a thick cloud filled the Temple of the Lord. 14 The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple of God. 2 Chronicles 5:13-14, NLT

It is black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and I am actually THANKFUL!
Not because my wife found at 4am this morning the Leapster L-Max (x3) that Toys R Us had sold out of. (shhh don't tell the kids) I'm thankful for the time that we had with family yesterday and all that God is doing there. Areas in which there was great darkness, the light is now penetrating in my family after years of pain and sadness.

The passage above speaks of the culmination of the building of the temple. I feel as if my life is that temple. God has been building me for years and consequently building my family. This is not to say that we are a perfect family. We still have many needs, but I see light where there had not been light. I see family members who are so close to knowing the Savior that I know and they don't even know it.

When God showed up in the service described above, everything shut down. . . even worship! I had a family member tell me recently that I did not pray like a baptist. For my baptist brethren out there, I will tell you that she did not know how a baptist prays. What she wanted to say is that I did not pray like a churchy religious leader. That was the ultimate complement! When God breaks through the religion to show himself it becomes about Him and not about us!
Just as God's glorious presence filled the temple above and caused things to stop and focus on Him, I pray that the temple that is my life would be impacted by the powerful presence of God. And if need be. . .shut me down if necessary.

Don't Worry Be Happy

Tis the season once again for Halloween. I haven't heard as much buzz this year as I had in years past about the pagan abomination that is the celebration of Halloween. . .praise the Lord!!! While it is good to know the roots of our celebrations, there are times when we can't see the forest from the trees. I chose a picture of the kids with some of the bears at Epcot (from the movie Brother Bear I believe).

Why bears? Sunday night as we drove to East Jackson/Law rd area to a church called Union Grove Baptist, Graham said that the forest looked scary. We said, "Really? Why do you say that?" He proceeded to explain that he thought bears lived there and that was why the forest was scary. We assured him that bears did not live there and even if they did, there would be little danger. We even vacation in a place called Gatlinburg, a common stomping ground for bears. Once he realized that he was cool.

We have placed a lot of bears in Halloween that are just not there. Is it a time when some of the darkest subcultures tend to raise their heads? Perhaps. I tend to think of all of this as one great thinker once observed, "The problem is not that the darkness is so dark, but that the light is just not BEING light enough." So many are on the defensive to combat the evils of Halloween while this is just a symptom of a greater problem. They do not need a lecture on the dangers of Halloween as much as a simple presentation of the Good News of Jesus Christ who died for their sins and can deliver them from their love affair with darkness. The church has to remember that the scripture says that the "gates of Hell will not prevail against" us. (Matthew 16:18) A gate is a defensive posture, not offensive. I may have written this before in one of my blogs but I just keep coming back to it.

So what are you going to celebrate this season? Some choose to focus on a harvest festival or fall festival. We have been celebrating for a few weeks now as we have lived for the last 4 years in countries where the leaves did not change color. So it has been a show for us to see how beautiful things can be in the Fall.

Maybe you are one of those theologian types. . .then don't forget that October 31 is the Lutheran holiday celebrating the Reformation. It supposedly is the day that Martin Luther nailed 95 theses (or grievances) on that Castle door at Wittenberg. Some consider this the birth of the protestant movement.
(read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformation_Day)
Having lived in a Catholic country, I now celebrate Reformation day. I thank God that we have broken away from a church that essentially tried to sell forgiveness of sin. That is only the tip of the iceberg. Baptizing babies and praying/worshiping Mary are commonplace in the actions of the people and the church. I am thankful for a doctrine/church that has realigned itself to the true doctrine of Christ.

So there is some food for thought for you Taco Assassins out there. Find a way to enjoy life. It is way too short. Your kids grow up fast. Go play light sabers with your son. Dress your girls up as Tinker Bell and Cinderella and tell them how beautiful they are. As the song says, "Give em' roots, give em' wings, and they'll grow up, to do great things."
Oh yeah and "DON'T FEED THE BEARS."

The Wonderful Guillotine

We are celebrating Go! week this week at Union where we are living as missionaries in residence. Today was the first day and one of the songs that we sang summed up a lot of what we see as we work among our American counterparts. It is a beautiful song that begins with the hymn "When I survey the wondrous cross" and later sings a chorus about the "wonderful" cross. It is a wonderfully passionate song about the cross. I understand the sentiment completely as we celebrate the forgiveness/salvation that we have as a result of what Jesus suffered for us on the cross. It still strikes me odd as we sing like this about a cross. It is such a romantic view of an instrument of death. There just seems to be a disconnect somewhere.

So it is with missions. We have romanticized so much about missions today that we forget that many have surrendered to this call knowing that they may die in obedience to such. There are a lot of neat, clean definitions of missions out there today. I think on my first term and define missions as the following:

Missions is-

suffering the mocking of a people who often have less than a sixth grade education

placing your children in a situation where they could be in danger, mocked also, or just have to live without grandparents, close friends, etc.

seeing your wife exposed to inappropriate advances of men from other cultures with little recourse.

living among a people who lie on a regular basis and never knowing who you may trust and for how long.

dealing with illness on a regular basis because people refuse to wash their hands.

The list goes on. All of this is done for the sake of the good news and in obedience to the call of God upon someone's life. I would not take it back for a moment and I know that God planted many seeds through our first term on the field.

Next time we are tempted to romanticize the cross and missions we need to take another look and realize what we are really talking about. Jesus suffered an ugly death to pay the price for our ugly sin and we now have the call to face that same ugliness with the beautiful good news of Jesus Christ.

Stay ugly and just say no to the romantics out there!
Oh yeah and have a nice day. . . .

P.S. If you are wondering about the picture of Lydia at the beginning. I just love this picture and she is one reminder of the goodness of God in my life.

Preaching delirium

We survived two birthdays and lots of parties. This pic is from time at the Grandparents in Clarksville. I am still recovering from speaking six times last weekend and a cold that followed so I am going to leave you with a link.

If you want to hear the first of three identical messages that I had the opportunity to preach last Sunday in Clarksville follow this link: www.fbct.org (warning: it was not my best of the three. . .it just happened to be the one that made the internet!)

Have a good week in the blogosphere! CC

Walking Backwards

So have you walked backwards lately? The more that I walk, the more that I realize that my thoughts, actions, and life are so backwards to this world and even my own culture sometimes.

Oh no, the missionary is having culture shock in his own culture again. . .well maybe.
I am grieving the loss a dear young lady who passed unexpectedly this week. I use the term grieving even though I had little actual contact with her other than serving at her church for a while. She was one who was different at times, but she had a wonderful heart and love for people. The one thing that I fear in all of this is that people are giving flowers now that she has passed. We missed giving flowers while she was with us and getting to know who she really was.

We have special people all around us yet we fail to get to know them because at times they are different. This applies to our experience with the Latin people who live in our country. There are many special people who have sacrificed much to care for their families. Some have broken laws to do so. It is easy for us to judge them as we have never walked in their shoes. We have never known such desperation. If we can get past our legalism to see the real people, we would see so much more.

Who are the special, different people all around us? Perhaps, they are different because of a sin or some other circumstance. Why are we so quick to judge?
Sometimes it requires us to walk backwards against the cultural current to do the right thing, but I guess that is what Jesus did.

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!

Impacting Celaya

We have worked for almost three years to find the "resources in the harvest" but for one reason or another we have found very little. As our first term is coming to an end we have seen God work among the Pastors and Leaders in our region. While we would still like to see more new works in Celaya, we are attempting to focus on the good that does exist among the churches and the work that they have accomplished in the ranches and municipios surrounding Celaya. The mentality of Celaya's churches are similar to many in our own country as they would prefer multiplying by division than a Spirit led planting movement. I cannot hold that against them as it is what they have had in their DNA for years. We continue to celebrate all that God has done in our work and the lives that have been impacted.
Now we pray that God continues to impact the leaders of the city and take their vision beyond the walls of the church to where the people are. We need to invest in people with little concern for whether they are going to tithe to our church. Jesus had a compassion for the people that motivated him beyond an organizational perspective. Oh, that I would not allow a paycheck decide where I go and how I share the good news with people.

Chinese Rednecks?

For those with sensibilities, I read this in an email for preachers called Preaching Now:

Who would have guessed that they have rednecks in China?

A Sept. 20 Reuters story tells the story of Zhang Xinyan, a Chinese migrant worker who had a little too much to drink -- four jugs of beer, to be precise -- then went to the nearby Beijing Zoo. Feeling a sudden urge to touch a panda bear, he jumped into the panda enclosure and startled Gu Gu, a sleeping bear, who proceeded to bite the 35-year-old man's leg.

At that, Zhang got angry and kicked the panda, who then bit his other leg. So the man tried to bite Gu Gu in return. "I bite the fellow on the back," Zhang told a local newspaper. "Its skin was quite thick."

Zookeepers subdued the panda by spraying it with water, and Zhang was taken to the hospital. He told a reporter he had seen pandas on television and "they seemed to get along well with people. No one ever said they would bite people. I just wanted to touch it. I was so dizzy from the beer, I don't remember much."

By the way, I understand that next season NBC will have a situation comedy called, "My Name is Zhang."

Fun stuff

Actual label instructions on consumer goods:

On Sears hairdryer:
Do not use while sleeping.
(Gee, that's the only time I have to work on my hair!)

On a bag of Fritos:
You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.
(The shoplifter special!)

On a bar of Dove soap:
Directions: Use like regular soap.
(and that would be how?)

On some Swann frozen dinners:
Serving suggestion: Defrost.
(But it's just a suggestion!)

On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on box bottom):
Do not turn upside down.
(Too late! You lose!)

On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding:
Product will be hot after heating.
(Are you sure? Let's experiment.)

On packaging for a Rowenta iron:
Do not iron clothes on body.
(But wouldn't that save more time?)

On Boot's Children's cough medicine:
Do not drive car or operate machinery.
(We could do a lot to reduce the rate of construction if we just kept those 5 year olds off those fork lifts.)

On Nytol sleep aid:
Warning: may cause drowsiness.
(One would hope!)

On a string of Chinese-made Christmas lights:
For indoor or outdoor use only.
(As opposed to use in outer space.)

On a Japanese food processor:
Not to be used for the other use.
(Hmm, now I'm curious.)

On Sainsbury's peanuts:
Warning: contains nuts.
(but no peas?)

On an American Airlines packet of nuts:
Instructions: open packet, eat nuts.
(have lobotomy)

On a child's Superman costume:
Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly.
(That's right, destroy a universal childhood fantasy!)


(from the Humorama newsletter)

Not in Kansas anymore!

Many think Mexico is just a southern version of the USA, then we read things like this. Michoacan is about 3 hours from us and 30 minutes from friends of ours.

Michoacan Beheadings Continue
September 07, 2006 10:02 AM EST

By Sher Zieve – Five human heads are reported to have been thrown into a bar in Michoacan, Mexico on Wednesday night. The heads were said to have been tossed onto the floor of the bar, by armed masked men, where people were dancing.


The masked men shot rounds into the air and shouted for everyone in the bar to lie down on the floor. A note left with the heads is said to read: "The family does not kill for money. It does not kill women or innocent people. Those who die are those who must die. Everyone should know that this is divine justice."

These beheadings are in addition to thirteen other decapitated bodies found this year in Michoacan, which are believed to have been affected by drug dealers. However, the note's term “divine justice” is said to have additional terroristic undertones that may relate to something more than just a drug cartel.

La Fea mas Bella

For my gringo friends out there, this means "the prettiest ugly girl." It is one of the most popular Mexican soap operas out right now and it is hilarious! This professional "La Fea" is completely different from everyone around her, yet she has this strange appeal to those in the show as well as those who watch.
Sometimes we feel like "La Fea mas Bella" as we live our lives and share the good news in Celaya. There is a love/hate relationship with the USA/Mexico in which there is a mutual respect, but there is also a jealousy that few admit that tends to cause problems at times. I have always been mindful of the need for those in Christian service to have thick skin, but the mission field has reinforced that beyond my wildest dreams. We have seen attacks from so many directions that we rarely know who our friends are. Jesus said it well when he said that he does not entrust himself to any man because he knows what is in a man. Wow! How do we live without entrusting ourselves or being vulnerable at times? It requires a balance, but life is going to hurt...it hurt Jesus to the point of the cross.
I am reading a good book that is challenging much about what we think of church and churchy things that we do: Organic Church by Neil Cole.
The first Christian church on the history books resulted from 300 years of work. Why can't we wait at least ten before we rush to build buildings?
In the children's book Frog and Toad Together the example is given of how we tend to labor in all of the wrong things when it is actually (the seed)God who does the work in His time. (p.84) Much of the work that we do is chasing after the wind when the true work is waiting for the Lord in prayer and living among the people so that they might see Christ in us and know him.
That is enough for now. Look up "La Fea mas Bella" online if you want to see pictures of what I have been writing about. (I chose not to put them on my blog due to copyright laws.) Keep praying for Celaya!
Ciao!

Make a Run for the Border?

Growing up I always loved that theme from one of my favorite fast food taco places in the states. Now it has a whole new significance. As a missionary to Mexico I have found that we are caught on hostile ground with both countries. When we are in Mexico, there are those who choose to blame us for the actions on the border and when we are home, we shoulder the burden of defending those to whom God has called us to mininster to. It is a precarious place to be to say the least. (I don't use the word "precarious" very often, I hope that it is spelled correctly!) One of the best things that we have read on the subject was from a guy that works with Chuck Colson's organization, Prison Fellowship, in which he made the point that one of the things that makes our country great is that we have established laws and enforced them. It sounds really simple, but living in a country in which the police cannot be trusted and are often bribed has given us a whole new appreciation for this characteristic of our country. So am I on the side of the USA in this matter? No, I would not say that either. It is hard to choose sides as we see that there have been many benefits from those who have labored in my country and assisted our economy. I believe that if we are going to hire and utilize the labor, we should be willing to assist with things like healthcare and schooling as part of the package. We have become very prideful at times as Americans and have overlooked Jesus' call to us to care for the poor among us. I believe that extends worldwide and not only in our "poor" neighborhoods in the USA. It is very sad that many of those who leave their families for work in the states leave for such extended periods of time. Many families have suffered because of this tendency as well. A good pastor friend of mine in Celaya has counseled his men not to go to the USA because they may not find any better life there and their family needs them in Mexico. There are whole neighborhoods in our city that have few if any men because they all have gone to the USA.
I feel as if I am rambling a bit, but you can see how complicated this has become. Unfortunately, there are many that we work with in Mexico who are uneducated and at times can become very passionate about the subject, so we would continue to ask your prayers as we strive to show the love of Christ and stay away from politics. The press is extremely biased and the people have a very limited view of the whole situation. The problem extends all the way to the President of the country who continues to fight for immigration rights when he should be fighting to make his country greater so that people would not want to leave.
Well, I have said enough. I hope that you have found motivation for prayer and compassion for those in your midst who are immigrants. It has become a difficult issue and continues to worsen. Please keep us and our children in your prayers.
Perfect love casts out all fear.

Who do you say that I am?

"Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip?"

Every type of work that I have ever had in my life has been fairly simple in terms of defining the objective. From cutting grass to bookkeeping, they all have not needed much explanation as I tried to explain to people what I did. Now I find myself identifying with Jesus. After two years, various sermons, and newsletters we continue to face a lot of ignorance about why we are here. As frustrating as this can be, we must continue to focus on what our call is and pray that God will give light as we continue to serve Him. We arrived in Celaya with a great desire to work with the churches, but it soon became apparent that the work outside of the church was to consist of missions points outside of the city. People/Pastors from the churches have cast dispersions upon our work saying that when we leave the works will die. I wonder if Paul had the same experience with the religious community in his day. I see so much pomp and circumstance in the celebration of Easter and then I see Jesus. He took time to sit with women at wells, demoniacs, and even temples of people who were not his followers. He did not worry about people's baggage or the way they were dressed. He just loved people. How much of our celebration of Easter is really about Jesus? Has anyone taken the time to ask Him how He would like us to remember His sacrifice? I choose to commemorate the day of the Resurrection this year looking upon the lost masses and asking Jesus how we can share the good news of His love with them. Lets set aside the fluff and tell everyone we can beginning with our children what Jesus did for us. Ask Jesus what he wants us to do differently as we live lives of worship. As our muchacha once said, "We shouldn't just go to church like a bunch of burros."

Fleeting thoughts

A former employer of mine has a newsletter that always includes some interesting illustrations and true stories. Since my link section is not working on the old blog, I will just paste it in here: http://www.preaching.com/preaching/preachingnow.html

There were a couple of parts that I wanted to share:
In a recent edition of his TIPS newsletter, Philip Humbert writes, "Harry Truman didn't find a career until late in life. He didn't marry until well into his thirties, and before that he tried a variety of jobs and ventures, including farming and selling men's clothing. His clothing store went bankrupt and he referred to himself as a 'failed haberdasher' for the rest of his life. Because of poor eyesight, he barely made it into the Army, but served with distinction and courage in World War I. In his 40's and 50's he drifted into politics and served as a county commissioner, mainly dealing with road repair.
"He never had money and he and his wife spend most of their married life living upstairs in his mother-in-law's home. When he was elected to the U.S. Senate, he was seen as a party hack and given little respect. In 1944, Franklin Roosevelt selected him to run for Vice President after the 'better' candidates were all rejected. FDR thought so little of him, they never had a serious conversation and Truman was told nothing about the atomic bomb until several days after he was sworn in as the new President.
"And yet this 'common man' is often viewed as one of the greatest Presidents of the 20th century. How can this be? Truman himself often said that there 'are probably a million people more qualified than me to be President, but I'm the one with the job, and I'll do my best.' Throughout his life, he was always known for doing his best, and often astonished people by exceeding their expectations. Here are some of my observations about how he did it.
1. First, he out-worked everyone around him. FDR rarely got to work before 10:00 AM, but Truman was usually up by 5:30 and worked all day long. In his first days as President, the change caught the White House staff off-guard. From the butlers to members of the Cabinet, they had never seen anyone who worked so hard and demanded such from them. One key to his amazing success was simple hard work.
2. Second, he was decisive. Where FDR delayed and avoided decisions, Truman listened to advice, read the reports, made decisions promptly, and once they were made, he rarely changed his mind. He made bold decisions and once made, he knew how to hold a steady course.
3. Third, his personal integrity was beyond reproach. At the Potsdam Conference after the war, he went into Berlin and a staffer suggested they could go drinking or get some 'women of easy virtue,' to which Truman coldly responded that he loved his wife and didn't mess around on her. He kicked the staffer out of his car and never spoke to him again.
4. Fourth, he knew the value of loyalty. He was famous for his life-long friendships and personal warmth. He knew the names of staffers in the White House, and remembered their families. When members of his staff came under political fire, he ignored the newspapers and kept his team together.
5. Fifth and most important, he knew who he was. In the face of enormous pressures and criticism, Truman knew his goals and purposes, remained firm in his beliefs and seldom wavered. He had enormous personal courage and quiet confidence in his own judgment.
"Sooner or later, life confronts each of us with problems that seem beyond our abilities and asks us to meet them anyway. Whether from illness or business gone bad, or in some other form, eventually we must dig deep to see what we are made of. These 'impossible' challenges reveal our character and give us the opportunity to surprise ourselves. President Truman did it, and so can we." (Copyright © 2006, all rights reserved. Contact Humbert at http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=vuuavubab.0.jspisnbab.9nnikbbab.12966&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philiphumbert.com or email to Coach@philiphumbert.com)

And then on a less serious note:

Some aspiring psychiatrists from various colleges are attending their first class and the professor is lecturing on emotional extremes.
"Just as an example," says the professor to one student from a major urban university. "What is the opposite of joy?"
"Sadness," says the student.
"And the opposite of depression?" he asks of a young lady from an Ivy League college.
"Elation," says she.
"And you sir," he says to the young man from an agricultural institution. "How about the opposite of woe?"
The aggie replies, "Sir, I believe that would be giddy-up."

Buenos Tacos y Hasta Lasagna!

The Strategy of Prayer

Someone once said that prayer is the Christian's secret weapon. The more that I serve and live, I can see that prayer is the missionary's secret weapon also. I am amazed by all of the "strategies" that exist in missions circles. If you follow these ten steps then you should see a CPM (Church Planting Movement). It was the same sentiment when Rick Warren's book came out and my fellow seminarians were eating it up. None of these things are intrinsically bad, but they can distract if we do not keep the primary focus on Christ. Where I serve people pray to Mary because she has "special pull" with Jesus to get what they want. It is essentially a manipulation of Jesus by the use of his Mother. We also witnessed again this week the Holy week celebration in which people pay to suffer for their sins. I know, I know, why suffer to celebrate something in which the suffering was already completed. You will have to study your Catholic theology for that one, because I cannot explain it biblically. Anyway, whether your baptist or something else, we need to always keep Christ at the center as Matthew 6:33 teaches. I find myself longing for us to set aside our programs and focus on the basics of the faith. I saw this week several needs and concerns that God took care of as we worked with our friends from Goldsboro, NC. Is that to say that everything was perfect? No, far from it. We had illness attacking us from every side, but we remained faithful to what God had called us to. A friend lovingly has implied that we are not doing something right. While we know that we are not perfect, we also did not sense that what we were going through was punishment from God. Some people laugh at the idea of bringing a team from far away to come and pray, but we saw God raise up people of peace and break some really hard ground. We prayed for an area that is going to host a medical clinic in August and we think that we found a host that is not going to charge us for his facilities. We prayed for various needs through the week and God answered our prayers in some incredible ways.
So what idol will I turn to when I need God's direction for our city? What program or ten step method? I think I will stick with praying for His divine appointments, direction, and people of peace as I seek to serve Him in our city. That just makes the most sense to me. It may not make me famous, sell books, win me a promotion, or even see overwhelming response, but I cannot resist the feeling that anything less would just be another form of idolatry.

Strategically serving Him,
Craig