Many of you already know about Matt Chandler but if not I wanted to make you aware of him.  He is a young pastor in North Dallas whom God is using in amazing ways. This past November he was diagnosed with brain cancer.  His response to that is amazing.

His preaching is also something that I can highly recommend.  You can find his sermons here.

I realize the whole Susan Boyle phenomenon has been shown everywhere. I am late to the story. But as I ran across and watched the video, I was struck by something. The church in America is just like the audience in Britain.

Let me back up. If you do not already know on April 11, 2009 Susan Boyle came to the show ” Britain’s Got Talent”. At first appearance she does not look like a person who would have talent. As a matter of fact the audience was laughing at her.  As you watch this show watch the reaction of some of those in the audience. The judges admitted their bias.

But when she opened her mouth and began to sing , wow. They went nuts. They were standing and cheering. On her first CD she sold 700,000 copies sold …..in one week.  There have been over 100,000,000 hits to her performance when posted on You Tube.

The moral of the story?

• Appearance is not the essence of who a person is inside.  We all know that and ho hum the idea that someone needs to tell us this story.  But …We in the church are just like the world. We look on the outside. That is why …..
  • We want a good looking pastor with a pretty wife and children.
  • We want pretty people on stage lading worship.
  • We want the best looking leaders money can buy.

Churches be careful of becoming too performance and appearance focused. “The Show” is not what churches are about.  I fear we do not know that.   Second….

• Do not give up, do not fear man.  Susan almost did not audition for the show. Her voice coach had this to say.
  • ” Former coach O’Neil said Boyle abandoned an audition for The X Factor because she believed people were being chosen for their looks, and that she almost abandoned her plan to enter Britain’s Got Talent.”

Have a great Christmas.

I wanted to write and say thank you to those who helped us finish the year for Mission Daystar this past Saturday, Dec. 12th .  We did 59 deliveries which is a record for us. The more important thing is that many who were sleeping on the floor now have mattresses.  Thank you so much!  Here are some pictures and video.

I usually never do this but for those who are willing to read here is an interesting article/sermon.

Click here

 

I cannot tell you where this story came from but I can tell you it is in N. America. Amazing what God is doing among us here in the states. This story is of a Muslim woman who came to Christ. Her husband recently died of a heart attack without ever being a follower of Jesus .  She wants to witness of Jesus to her Muslim community so bad.  Read….

From the field :

Yesterday was the funeral. It was a mix of emotions. A mix of cultures. A mix of responses. Qurans & Bibles. Muslims & Christians. Jesus was not invited, but would he make an appearance?

The night before the funeral many of you were praying, and God gave Dreamer another dream.

An angel appeared to her and told her to stand up and speak about Jesus. The angel also told her to have no Quran at the funeral. She told this to her family but they went against her wishes.

At the funeral, Dreamer asked H. ( Christian Friend)  to sit right in the front row next to her. Right with the family. Right in the middle of the mix.

When it was time for Dreamer to speak, she was very nervous, she was very weak, but she turned to H. and said “pray for me, I have to tell the truth”. She then stood to her feet and weeping told everyone attending what Jesus meant to her! Immediately her brother got up from his seat, walked to the front and demanded she stop talking! She pushed through the awkwardness and kept going. He then left the room.

This was her moment of taking up her cross. Almost all of the 100+ people there were Muslim. Many were close family. She took her stand.

Later that day, when the guests had all left, we approached her expecting another shower of tears. Instead, her eyes lit up and she pumped her fists and said “I did it!!”. We are very proud of her, and very thankful to all of you who prayed for her.

So thank you to everyone who was praying yesterday, and continues to pray for her. Now comes the hard part when everyone goes back to their lives and she is still alone, and now potentially more ostracized. We will be meeting with her this week to talk and pray about her plans, her hopes, her dreams for the future. We’re not sure what to say but she is such an important ambassador for Christ.
Our prayer now is that her journey with us is not ending, but just beginning.

One of the things I have noticed a lately in mission talk, is a shift in the focus of mission activity. That shift involves the move away from church planting toward a more humanitarian mercy ministry type mission work, only. For example instead of seeking to plant churches, U.S. churches are opting more toward ministries that seek primarily to feeding, clothing, freeing sex slaves or dealing with justice type work. It sounds cruel to even question this type of work. I usually hear things like:   “What’s the matter don’t you want to help orphans or feed starving people? “

Well of course I do , but I want them to know Jesus also. What good does it do to feed them and send them to hell?

My question is:  “Why can’t we do both?”

It seems most of what I see in this movement is a trend away from planting churches that can have a long term effect in that culture, to ministries that focuses on how we can help them. Jesus plan was that we help but we also train (disciple) others to help themselves. That discipleship takes place through the local church.   The church in a culture is what changes a culture.  It is what insulates and provides for people in that culture caught in perpetual poverty or slavery, or… you name it.

I love the whole idea of helping free slaves or feeding people. We must do this . But if we ignore the biblical mandate of planting churches we fail in the long run. We may feel really good about ourselves but the question we must ask is “Are we being effective for the long haul?” If hearts are not changed in that culture in 50-100 years you will still have as many slaves as when you began.  Nothing changes.

The church expansion IMHO is what changes culture and challenges culture to change.  Here is a video that talks a bit about this whole idea.

If interested here is a video interview of Piper and Keller on this issue. HERE

One of the greatest sins I think we engage with often is that of ungratefulness.  Ungratefulness screamed at me loud and clear today as a friend shared how he gave a huge ( To me anyway) gift to one of his relatives. The guy said nothing, not even thanks. BTW he gave him  brand new mtn bike. Is that not a pure treasure   As I was about to pronounce judgment the Holy Spirit reminded me, well really spoke loud and clear, THAT”S YOU TOO ! I hate when He does that.  But of course He is right.

So many times I tend to compare what I do not have in life with those who do have.  Sick isn’t it?  Anyway when I was out riding today at a beautiful park 1/2 miles from my house,  God was just blasting me with what I do have to be thankful for. Just a few:

This is the greatest family !  What a blessing.

This is where I had my evening quiet and prayer time the other night. Right on the York river in historical Yorktown. WOW, not many guys can enjoy this !

This is where I rode my bike. There are few places better for a quiet peaceful ride.

I have great friends to hang with and do fun things.

I have a great group of people to work with in Genesis ( Our Contemporary service in the gym.

I have a great group of mission advocates at our church.

I have all my physical needs met.

So far my family and I are healthy.

And on and on.

Next time we begin to compare ourselves with others who have more money, who have more favoritism with the boss, or have something we don’t, we need to remember that we are BLESSED.  I guess as the Holy SPirit gentley reminds me: “Quit whining and follow Jesus ! He is what matters ! “

Ungratefulness is plain evil.

Continuing on with Fred Smith.  This is good stuff:

The purpose of the corporation and the purpose of the church are very different. The church is not a corporation. The church exists for relationship with God and other believers, not for profit. It is more a living organism than an organization. The members are not employees to be hired and fired based on their efficiency.
Let me define power, prestige, and money as motivation: the power to perpetuate the leader’s control as well as the life of the organization; to institute programs and procedures and see that they succeed, penalizing those who fail; to arrange people by results and reward loyalty; to combine with others in mergers or acquisitions; to influence one’s successor and, ultimately, to control one’s personal destiny.
In prestige this type of leader gets recognition, respect—for himself and his organization. This person is catered to, often attaining celebrity status. Prestige gives him social and political inclusion among the elite. He can join the best clubs, be elected to positions of power, honor, and influence. With financial reward he finds security as well as “the good life,” meaning comfort and often luxury, which often rewards such a leader much more than he deserves because he, in reality, controls the system.
Power, prestige, and money appeal to most of us, and to use methods that produce these will continue to be a temptation. I have seen spiritual leaders seduced into leaving their calling and becoming professionals in the American religious industry, which utilizes these same motivations and rewards. Unfortunately, they become ambitious, egotistical, metallic, and remote, only interested in people who advance their agenda. Self-love has taken over.
Those promoting this methodology predict dire results for those who stay with “old-fashioned, out-dated” methods. Others predict that only the megachurch will survive—that small churches may not be viable. But I think history shows small flocks will always be effective. The church’s basic functions have been and will be the salvation of the lost, the maturing of the saved, and the fellowship that encourages Christian living. This can be done in a small group as well as in a large one. The church still faces, no matter its size, two basic questions: Can Christ be Savior without being Lord? and Are members customers or distributors? The church of any size is faced with the temptation to make the irresponsible comfortable.

I have a new Bible program that is amazing.  I am reading a book within this program by Fred Smith.  Never heard of him before now but… I love what I am reading.  Here is some stuff on leadership.

Fred Smith Sr. :

RECENTLY I ATTENDED A WIDELY ADVERTISED, elite conference for Christian leaders preparing for the future. It was well presented, well attended, and impressive. When they asked for my evaluation, I pointed out that the material presented was the same material I had presented years before in speaking to the presidents’ conference of the American Management Association. It was good management and leadership methodology but not spiritual.
No one at that conference discussed maintaining the spiritual vitality of the leader, the most important element in Christian leadership. The new methodology does not depend on the presence of the Holy Spirit but upon research and human leadership.
The church is a spiritual organization, not a human one. Human methods work in business but eventually drain the power and effectiveness of a spiritual endeavor. Human methods can grow a church, build an impressive facility, create exciting programs, and develop strong leadership, but not spiritual leadership.
If we define the church’s success by human criteria, then human methods work, and work well. However, if the church’s success is measured by new birth, not new members; by maturity, not activity; and by fellowship, not by member entertainment, then scriptural leadership is necessary. God is as interested in the method as he is in the results.
Human methods assume Christian leaders are ranchers, not shepherds. But those called to be shepherds are not equipped by gift or ambition to be ranchers. The danger is that the call will turn into a profession, that the spiritual leader will possess the same motivation, personality, and skills that the corporate executive does.
Human leadership is motivated by power, prestige, and money (including perks). The system is set up to provide these, which are not the motivations of a spiritual leader.”

Comments form Nations1: All I can say is wow. Especially that last statement.  I have spoken to and been around many pastors and church leaders in my day. Our problem in the American church is this:  We have CEO’s instead of spiritual leaders. This includes laymen, maybe even more than staff.   We have men who are ambitious “for the Kingdom of course” .  But in reality for themselves. Lord please help us to be different . To seek You , to walk with you !