Matthew House wraps its arms around frightened and displaced refugees, like Josie, forced to flee Africa with her young daughter. “After leaving our home in Africa, scared and alone, God has given us a new family in Canada.  The love shown to us at Matthew House has encouraged us to pick up our lives and start again.”

On this trip, we will:

• visit and pray with Matthew House refugees of all ages
• deliver furniture to a refugee family
• sort donations
• cook meals for refugee families,
• play games with newly arrived refugees
• work in the garden
• worship with refugee families

Visit Parliament Hill in Ottawa, see the beautiful Canadian countryside, stay at Niagara-on-the-Lake on Lake Ontario, with optional excursions to Niagara Falls and the theatre in Toronto.

For trip itinerary and cost, contact joyce.gilbreath@texasbaptists.org.

Before his death my father became convinced that I could never NOT be a minister: from the pulpit or the counseling room. Of course, in the broadest sense of the Christian’s mission, it’s all about ministering. Which convinces me that this topic, “Ministering to the Ministering,” is a two-way street.

The ministering counselor needs a minister, a pastor, a shepherd, a trustworthy Christian leader in his/her congregation and the community at large.  Providing therapy for the chronically depressed, the suicidal, those who live in fear and anxiety, those who seem hopelessly addicted, couples in conflict and broken families—this calling requires spiritual guidance and resources that a pastor can provide for the stressed-out counselor.  Those of us living within the confines of the therapy room hour after hour, day after day, year after year, are highly vulnerable to emotional, physical and spiritual fatigue—we call it “compassion fatigue.” We need a spiritual leader who encourages, supports and provides insight into our own needs as a Christian.  We also need this kind of leader serving as a spiritual resource to our clients, and a congregation who will love, encourage and empower those we send their way.

It was an interesting transition from the staff minister to church member, deacon and Bible study leader. What I enjoyed most as a church member were first, those professional opportunities when I had the privilege of introducing my pastor to my colleagues, and second, those serendipitous moments in the community when in a mall or supermarket I would proudly point to the guy in the crowd as “my pastor.”

The ministering “minister” needs a “counseling” minister, a friend, a professional, trusted colleague in the community, sometimes as therapist, sometimes a resource, spokesperson for the mental health community.  Show me a pastor who wanders into psychology from the pulpit without adequate research and I’ll show you a pastor who spends a lot of time apologizing and qualifying what he or she actually “meant” to say in that sermon.  And, how does one preach or teach to the human condition without adequate knowledge of human behavior?  The preacher doesn’t need to be an expert on everything.  The preacher doesn’t need to know the latest findings on clinical depression.  But he/she does need to know where to go for that information.  The counselor can be that resource and offer support and caution where it is needed.

Pastors, staff ministers, and church leaders need to know when to refer.  To do so he/she must be well aware of the strengths, specialties, and even the limitations of counselors in the community.  If the church is to prevent unnecessary emotional stress and psychological disorders, those ministering to and on behalf of the church must provide education through workshops, seminars, special events, on the challenges of our time:  marriage and family enrichment, living a healthy single lifestyle, building workplace relationships, leadership skills, stress management, sexual enrichment from a Christian perspective.  When crises strike a community the church ought to lead out with its resources, and often the first line of response will be those licensed and trained people of faith who have spent years of academic and clinical training, equipping them to understand how the mind responds to trauma and how to find balance in their lives once again.

Yes indeed, the challenge of ministering involves each of us ministering to each other.

Presented at CCT Pastoral Advisory Council: Pastoral Counseling Seminar, Christian Counselors of Texas Conference, February 17, 2011

From the perspective of Dan McGee, Ph.D.  For more information: www.drdanmcgee.com.

During one of the movie scenes, the March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy begin to sing the hymn For the Beauty of the Earth.”

Ever since I watched that movie for the first time, the hymn has settled into my heart. As I was getting ready for work this morning, the notes and words from the hymn came to mind and swirled in my heart once again. I was reminded of the lovely things that are all around us, that are gifts from the Lord.

As they hymn says,

For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies, for the love which from our birth, over and around us lies…

For the beauty of each hour, of the day and of the night, hill and vale, tree and flower, sun and moon and stars of night…

For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child, friends on earth, and friends above, pleasures pure and undefiled.

Lord of all, to thee we raise, this our grateful hymn of praise.

When this came to mind this morning, I think the Lord was preparing my heart to notice a wonderful gift that He sent a few hours later.

As I write this blog, the sun is shining and a warm breeze is fluttering by. It is lovely and feels like spring, one of my favorite seasons of the year! It most definitely is a gift from the Lord and my heart is filled with praise for Him because of it!

God displays His love, His majesty, His loveliness each day before us. It’s in clear sight, if we will only stop and take the time to notice.

The lovely things are seeing the majestic mountains just as the sun rises, catching a snowflake in your hand as it gently falls from the heavens, noticing the smile on the tender face of a newborn baby.

Delighting in a beautiful leaf fall right before your feet. Observing the clear ripples of water as they glide across a lake. Watching a little kid take enjoyment and use his imagination just from finding a unique stick in the yard.

Enjoying a good cup of coffee whose warmth and yummy smell reaches all the way down to hug your soul. Seeing sunshine slide through a full leafy green tree, the rays coming through to touch your skin with buttery warmth.

Gazing at a Texas field full of bright, bold bluebonnets, standing stately and joined with a spread of deep, green grass. Hearing laughter  as an old women is reunited with a grandchild or a dear friend.

And the list can go on and on.

These things are love. God’s love towards us – His gift of loveliness to remind us that His love is all that we need, that His offering of life is where contentment and peace is found.

As you go throughout your day, notice the lovely things of the Lord and let it move every fiber of your being to praise, into a deeper relationship with Him.

The apostle Paul even commands us in Philippians it think on lovely things, to intentionally be aware of these things.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Phil. 4:8-9

What are the lovely things of God that touch your heart? Open your eyes to see them each day. They are there! Remember them today and return praise to the Father because of them.

Hello Texas Baptists.This is my first article, as your new Executive Director, in The Baptist Standard. I have been a reader of this paper for years and have appreciated the leadership provided by editors Presnal Wood, Toby Druin and, now, Marv Knox…Texas Baptists have benefited from the information, insight, and opinions shared on these pages. I appreciate the opportunity to communicate about our work and ministry together through this “In Touch” article.

I begin with a heartfelt “Thank You” for the kind and gracious welcome I’ve received from those serving at the Baptist General Convention of Texas building here in Dallas. They have made me feel right at home and I’m grateful. Additionally, I’ve had many notes, calls, cards, emails, etc. from Texas Baptists all around the state passing along words of welcome and assurances of prayer and support. These have meant so much to me…I have been blessed!!!

Let me use this means to share another “Thank You”…For the past year or so our Associate Executive Director, Dr. Steve Vernon, has been writing these articles and has done a wonderful job with them…So, thanks, Steve and well done!…

One of my first goals is to get around to some of our great Institutions to listen and learn about the good things going on at their various campuses. I have already had the privilege of visiting with Dr. Randy O’Rear on the campus of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and Dr. Gary Cook on the campus of Dallas Baptist University. I would encourage you to visit these campuses and see the beauty of the campus and the continued construction for growth going on. Check out their websites at umhb.edu and dbu.edu.

I’m very excited about the Pastor, Mike Toby, who serves you as an Executive Board member, and the Staff from FBC Woodway coming to our Baptist Building for a Staff Retreat later on this spring. It’ll be a very good time of prayer, planning and preparation for them but also a sweet time for us to say “welcome” and “let us help any way we can.” If you’d be interested in bringing your Church Staff to Dallas for a Retreat please contact my Assistant, Myla McClinton, at 214-828-5301 or email myla.mcclinton@texasbaptists.org This is your building and we want you to feel at home here. Besides, there are leaders here who would be pleased to walk alongside you with ideas and expertise.

It was a good experience, for me, to visit Dr. Randy Wallace, pastor at FBC Killeen. With soldiers returning home to Ft. Hood this area is booming. Fortunately FBC has begun implementing an exciting church starting model. See their website at fbckilleen.com.

I look forward to the days ahead and continue to request your prayers and support. Texas Baptists ARE making a difference for the Kingdom!!

It’s like the few times in life when I’ve made a commitment to fast from something, a grumpy, greedy monster takes over my heart just a few hours into the commitment. In the first few days, I become so irritable because my comfort levels are being ruffled and my schedule is being changed drastically (and naturally I’m not one to embrace change and new things very easily).

Deep down, I know releasing the old and opening myself up to change and new habits is great, but outwardly I fight it. I revolt and rebel.

I recently saw this display happen once again as my husband and I committed to change our eating habits and start a raw food cleanse – aka a really healthy eating program that lasts for 21 days. During the first week of February, my husband and I said goodbye to some of our favorite foods such as bread, dairy, chocolate and coffee and assumed a veggie, fruit and water only diet. This routine is supposed to pull out all the built up toxins from our bodies and make us much healthier, but all I could think about was losing my precious morning cup of coffee and afternoon bite of chocolate.

Though I freely agreed to participate in this endeavor, I was QUITE grumpy the first week, lamenting the foods that I had LOST rather than embracing the health benefits and potential good habits that could come from this. I just focused on the loss rather than accepting a challenge and finding beauty in a new adventure with my husband.

Lent begins today, and I feel like many times in the past years since I became a follower of Christ, I have viewed Lent as a 40-day period where I have to give up something because it’s the Christian thing to do  – it’s a good thing, right? But inside I’m grumpy and doing it kicking and screaming and not really being committed. I have seen Lent as a time of loss, and because of that, I have not seen much change or transformation in my own life during the Easter season.

But I feel like I’m seeing Lent with new eyes this year… maybe all these veggies I’m eating recently is helping me think more clearly!

I’m starting to see Lent, or even fasting in general, as a time for growth, change and receiving rather than a time of loss. Sure, I may be setting an enjoyable habit, food or something else quite enmeshed in my life aside, but it’s not for more loss. It’s about cleaning out some distractions and unnecessary time eaters in my life so that Christ has room to mold and change my heart to look more like His, to reflect the hope and life He brought through His resurrection at Easter.

This Easter season, I’m looking forward to setting aside the Loss and embracing some time to see God move and mold and remake me, because I know I need it. And I hope you’ll join me.

I pray that you will take some time today to think about ways to bring glory to Christ during this season of Lent and to allow the Holy Spirit to move and work in you, showing you a new side to the Easter story this year.

Think about looking at these great resources that will help you reflect on making space for Christ to move in you and recognizing what He did through His death and resurrection.

Denison Forum on Truth and Culture daily devotions for Lent  (also the Texas Baptists Theologian in Residence)

What should you give up for Lent? By Jim Denison

Ideas for Lent by Rachel Held Evans

What is Lent? By Biblegateway.com

And think about shedding something these next days leading up to Easter to make time for reflection, remembering and thankfulness.

Be intentional and make room for the Holy Spirit. Let Him stir your heart, let Him show you Easter in a new way this year. Let Him give you boldness to share the hope of Easter with EVERYONE around you. I think if we all do this, we will be amazed at what we learn about ourselves and what we see Christ do in us.

Christ has done so much and He deserves some space from us, a lot of space from us. He has a lot of life He wants to show us if we do.

To start out with, let me mention how the Bhutanese refugees arrived in Dallas. A few centuries ago, the king of Bhutan asked the king of Nepal to send him people to farm the southern portion of his kingdom. They grew to become a rather large population and, thirty years ago, the king of Bhutan began a movement to forcibly remove them from the country in order to remove the “cultural threat” to his kingdom. So, in this Exodus-like story, these Nepali-descended Bhutanese traveled back to their country of origin to be settled in refugee camps. After years of discrimination and mistreatment, the UN decided to find other countries to give to these Bhutanese for homes. One of these locations is right here in Dallas in the Vickery Meadows apartment area. It is just east of 75 and north of the Northwest highway.

SEGUE RPM’s vision is to build partnerships/relationships between these Bhutanese refugees and American Christians who are willing to relate and help out in whatever way they can. The refugees have a variety of needs from help talking with insurance and hospitals to finding jobs in the city. The hope is also to lead the refugees from a Hindu background into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

The families here are very sweet. From the moment you walk into their apartments, they do their very best to make you feel at home. The women love to cook up their traditional tea for guests. They walk over with a tray of little tea cups full of steaming hot tea and welcome you to enjoy their home. The traditional form of greeting is to place your palms together in prayer-like fashion and say “Namaste” along with a short bow. Sometimes, the family will even put together a meal for you to eat; usually, a meal will consist of rice, meat, vegetables, and some sort of soup on the side.

Please pray for the success of SEGUE RPM in reaching out to the Bhutanese refugees, that American Christians would connect with the refugees, the growth of the local Bhutanese churches that have sprung up, and for the Hindu Bhutanese to come to know Jesus. (Also, if you are in the Dallas area and want to get involved, contact Matthew Johnston at matt2819@mac.com).

Sincerely,
Simeon Snow

Thanks to the social ministries started by Wall, that’s no longer the case.

The pastor of Iglesia Bautista Agape and director of Agape Ministries launched a feeding program five years ago for elementary age children in the area. Today, Manna as it’s called, feeds roughly 135 young people daily, providing many of them with their only nutritious meal of the day.

Children run from school to the feeding site, fidget as they laugh, smile and wait in line for food. When they finish their plates, some of them come back for more. They are never turned away.

The food gives the children what they need to grow and develop properly. As a result, they do better in school and at home. The children who first came to the outreach are set to graduate the fifth grade this year. Their school recently was recognized as the best school in Mexico, a direct result, Wall believes, of improvements taking place within the community.

“Thanks to God, things are changing,” said Maria Bravo-Silva, whose son Fernando was among the first children to come to the feeding center. “The children are reaching their goals.”

The feeding center allowed the church an opportunity to better get to know the children in the community as well as their families. The ministry blossomed to encompass regular medical clinics, a school for the arts as well as tutoring programs – each of which is designed to help young people while building relationships with families through which the gospel can be shared.

“It benefits my people, children and family,” said Bravo-Silva. “It benefits people in the community like children and families.”

Wall’s ministry is supported in part by gifts to missions through the worldwide portion of the Texas Baptist Cooperative Program as well as Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions. Those funds are crucial to the change that is taking place in the community, Wall said.

“We are able to do great things in Mexico and in this place specifically that would not be possible without the help and support of the groups and people of the Baptist General Convention of Texas,” he said.

Wall prays the congregation is known for the love it has for God and its community. Because the church has cared for people near it, residents have been open to hearing and embracing the gospel.

“When we go door-to-door sharing the gospel, people are open to receive it.”

People no longer have that understanding, Mittleberg said. And that makes evangelism more difficult.
As people have become less connected to congregations, that common understanding of being disconnected from God – let alone that any gap between people and God can be filled by Christ – has waned significantly, Mittleberg said. A common language and worldview no longer exists between an increasingly non-Christian populace and Christ-followers seeking to share the gospel.

“People are moving farther from the cross,” Mittleberg said during Texas Baptists’ Unapologetics Conference at Grace Point Church in San Antonio. Evangelism training conferences like this are made possible by gifts to missions through the Texas Baptist Cooperative Program, the primary giving channel for Texas Baptists.

The UnApologetics Conference was produced by Texas Baptists’ Evangelism Team, San Antonio Baptist Association, Baptist University of the Americas, Wayland Baptist University and Grace Point Church.

Not only have individuals moved farther from a relationship with Christ, they have erected intellectual walls that make them resistant to evangelism efforts, Mittleberg added. In order to bring people back to Christ, His followers must care for others as God cares about them, understand people no longer realize they are spiritually lost and commit to following Christ passionately in order to see life change in others. Christians also must be prepared to provide answers when they’re needed.

Answers are exactly what Author Lee Strobel said he needed. An atheist from childhood, Strobel attempted to put his journalistic skills to work investigating Christianity after his wife converted to the faith.
“I began to investigate whether it was historically credible that Jesus died and rose again,” he said.

Throughout a nearly two-year-long investigation, Strobel became convinced the Bible was accurate. He noted multiple sources inside and outside the Bible during the time of Christ that confirmed the biblical narrative. Critical contemporaries of Christ confirmed portions of the biblical story. Eye witnesses affirmed Scripture.

“I realized it would take more faith to maintain my atheism than to become a Christian,” he said.
The investigation led to Strobel embracing the gospel. The decision changed his life, he said, turning from an immoral drunkard to become a better father and husband. He became a minister and now defends the faith he was once trying to disprove.

“God changed my life,” Strobel said. “He changed my wife. He changed my daughter. He changed my son. And now He’s working in the lives of my grandchildren.”

Evangelism in contemporary society requires Christians who are willing to invest in the lives of non-Christians, working through the struggles – spiritual or otherwise – that might be encountered, Mittleberg said.

“We need to learn to think like missionaries,” Mittleberg said.
Thinking like missionaries means people need to be prepared to share the gospel at any time, Strobel said. Christians must look for opportunities to share their faith relationally.

“You just never know what might happen on your average and routine day,” he said. “Someone might ambush you with an opportunity.”

We have been giving a leadership training that we call “MISSIOLEADER” focusing on spiritual formation. We use the name MISIOLEADER because we want to be mission-minded and impact others as we see in Acts 1:8. We also want to put what we teach into practice.

How can I share the love of God to someone that is hungry? First I need to feed them. It’s about sharing Gods love through actions. While giving the MissioLeader training, for the past ten  months of Spiritual Formation training, twelve leaders are responding to their call in house churches. The MissioLeader training has helped us to grow spiritually and has taught us how to deal with conflicts and serve in community ministries. The training has also taught us how to respond to a call.

The communities are being impacted by our actions. It’s very easy to say that we care. But if we don’t serve them, our words don’t mean anything. The most important thing is that families and children are coming to know and receive Christ as their Lord and Savior.

We have about 250,000 people in Laredo and about twelve baptist churches. Approximately 185,000 people don’t go to church at all and some of our baptist churches run under 100 in attendance. We need to go beyond the four walls of our church buildings. People may not come to a church building but we can go to them. Remember it’s not about you and it’s not about me, it’s about them (the unreached).

We will be making mission trips as MISSIONLEADERS to serve your town or city and our house churches are making mission trips within the United States.

We want to encourage you to come to Laredo and see what God can do through you and through your mission team to lead people to Christ.

Your mission team will reach what we can’t reach, we want to encourage you to come to Laredo and use your gifts and talents to lead others for Christ.

May the Lord continue to use you and God Bless You!

Please feel free to contact us at any time at (956) 693-1136 or LbaLaredo@gmail.com

Mario Garcia
River Ministry

I know that God’s grace is there as stated in so many places in the Bible. One that stands out is Eph. 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

God’s love for us is demonstrated in His grace, that He sent His Son to us when we were disobedient and running from God, and His son freely laid down His life so that grace and salvation could be poured out on our lives, restoring our relationship with the Father.

Today I had a unique experience where I was reminded of this and how I often push away God’s grace.

It was a crazy morning. My husband and I taught Disciple Now last weekend at our church (which was a wonderful weekend and blessing!), but consequently, I have been quite exhausted this week from the lack of sleep during the weekend and from a lot of extra events happening this week

So today, everything caught up with me. I slept through my alarm, and when I awoke, I bolted out of bed, skipping my morning routine just to throw on some clothes and fix my hair so I looked presentable. I quickly grabbed all I need for the day in hopes of making it on time for a morning meeting I had.

I ran into the kitchen to throw something together for breakfast and lunch. My husband and I are on this 21-day healthy eating program where all we can consume are raw veggies, fruit, natural oils and herbs, making it where I have to prepare everything from scratch (and time consuming).

I hadn’t prepared any food for the day during the evening before since we arrived home late, so I scrambled to grab a few things that would suffice for food for the day.  In all of this hurry, I grabbed my laptop, lunch and keys, kissed my husband goodbye and out the door I flew.

The only problem was I ran out the door without my purse and cell phone. I didn’t notice my forgetfulness until I was 20 minutes down the road. There wasn’t time to go back to the apartment, so I continued on to work. I immediately becoming quite cautious with my driving, not wanting to do a thing wrong and get pulled over without my license with me.

With all of that, I made it to work on time and slid right into my meeting with flying colors. But the problem was still in the back of my mind – I’m without my purse, phone and wallet.

I called my husband from my office phone once I was out of my meeting and he said I did indeed forget my purse. When I called, he was quite busy finishing some paperwork for a mission trip that we are leading in about a month and then he was heading to work too. I knew he had a busy day ahead of him.

He gently offered to bring me my purse, even though it is a good 20 minutes drive from our apartment. I refused at first, feeling quite guilty that I had thrown a kink in both of our busy days. I didn’t want to cause problems or burdens for my busy husband, and I wanted to find a way to fix the problem myself.

My husband kindly offered again, saying he would love to help me. LOVE… something that touched me deep down.

When I hung up the phone, the Holy Spirit softly began speaking to my heart, digging into this guilt I felt about the situation.

“Kaitlin, you know how you wanted to solve the purse problem by yourself, how you didn’t want help? There are many other times in life when you act the same way. You refuse My love, My help, My grace. I’m right here. Come to me and let me help and walk with you.”

The truth sunk deep into my heart. I began to dwell on God’s grace, and I realized there are so many times in life when I try to sweep up the messes I make, only leaving more of a mess of emotions of guilt in the end. I forget about God’s grace. I forget that He came to pour forgiveness and life out in the midst of my mistakes, forgetfulness, disobedience and stupidity.

I’m so thankful for the reminder of God’s grace today, but I want you to hear the same truth. So often, when we make a mistake or disobey God, we feel so guilty that we move away from community and run from God, thinking we are a failure and need to fix the situation on our own.

But this is the exact thing we should not do. We should run into His arms filled with forgiveness and grace, admit we messed up and let God pour His renewing grace over us. If we run away, we are denying God’s sacrifice and saying that it means nothing to us.

So today, let this be a reminder that God has abundant grace and love for you. Just head towards Him and receive it.