Grace SLO: Feed

New Men's Study: The Prodigal God

Tue, 29 May 2012 13:07:00 GMT

Thursday mornings at 6:00 AM, I meet with men in our church. Whoever is available. Whoever will come. We read good books. We talk about life, leadership, the church and what it means to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ.

The group is open. Every time we start a new book, I try and make sure the men of GraceSLO know they're invited. It's that time again. Tomorrow, we kick off a new book study of Tim Keller's The Prodigal God. It's a great, short read and one the elders read together a few years back. I just read again recently and thought to myself, "I want our church to read this book." So, men, let's do it together.

Tomorrow we'll read the introduction and first chapter together. So get your tail out of bed and show up. You know you need connect with some other men.

I'll be looking for you.

Sunday Stuff

Tue, 29 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago in our study in James, we thought about Job's wrestling faith. Here are the William Barclay quotes I referenced. I thought you might like to contemplate them again, even as I've been. If you're faith is a wrestling faith, you are in good company!

Though He slay me,
I will hope in Him.
Nevertheless I will argue
my ways before Him. 
Job 13:15 

The very greatness of Job lies in the fact that in spite of everything which tore at his heart,
he never lost his grip on faith and his grip on God.
Job’s is no grovelling, passive unquestioning submission; Job struggled and questioned and sometimes even defied,
but the flame of faith was never extinguished in his heart.

There may be a faith which never in its life complained or questioned;
but still a greater faith is the faith which exploded in complaints and was tortured by questions --
and which still believed.   It was that faith which held even grimly on which came out the other side,
for “the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning” (Job 42:14).

And then from this last Sunday, I so LOVED that new song "Show Us Christ" we sang before opening God's Word together. Do you remember? Here it is for your Tuesday enjoyment. I'm looking forward to singing it together again . . .

Hugo & the Gospel

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:43:00 GMT

In Sunday's message, I talked about the freedom that comes from embracing brokenness and how that ought to stir our longing for the culmination of the Gospel in the return of Jesus Christ.

Art often unconciously and unknowingly points us to the Gospel in surprising ways. Sometimes it's our need for the Gospel. Sometimes it's a character who sacrifices himself for others in a Gospel fashion.

I had an opportunity to watch Hugo for a second time last evening. What a delightful movie! I know some who loved the book, disliked the movie, but I wasn't familar with the book and so loved the movie. If you haven't seen it, I'd highly recommended it.

Hugo pointed me to the Gospel in the following ways. . .

Hugo sees the world as a giant clock of which he is a small part. Clocks don't have extra parts. He must have some purpose. This is a Gospel worldview: The world is not an accident, but the creation of a loving creator. The world has meaning and purpose. Every individual has value, meaning and purpose. The Gospel presupposes the design, the creation and value of the world. A materialistic worldview cannot affirm the meaning and purpose and intelligent design of this world. Jesus Christ came into the world, because the world was made with and for purpose.

I'd imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured if the entire world was one big machine . . . I couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. That means you have to be here for some reason, too.
Hugo's passionate search for meaning reminded me that we and everyone around us are searching for meaning, too, in some way. God built us to live for something. We're all little Hugos. The Gospel affirms and restores our meaning. Jesus Christ came into the world to give us back our meaning.
The theme of brokenness runs deep in the movie. Hugo is broken. Papa George is broken. Every character is broken in some small or big way. Hugo's quest to fix broken things eventually leads him on a quest to fix Papa George. The Gospel is real because the world is full of purpose. The Gospel is necessary because the world is broken. Jesus Christ came into the world to heal our brokenness.

Everything has a purpose, even machines. Clocks tell times and trains take you places. They do what they're meant to do. . . . Maybe that's why broken machines make me so sad. They can't do what they're meant to do. Maybe it's the same with people. If you lose your purpose, it's like you're broken. Like Papa George is.

Hugo functions as a type of Christ in his goal to restore/heal the brokenness of Papa George. He is continually giving himself at great risk and sacrifice. Jesus Christ is the true and better Hugo who gives Himself to death to heal our brokenness.

Great movie. Where did you see the Gospel in it?

Did the author of Hugo or Martin Scorsese, the filmmaker, intend all these Gospel pointers? Probably not. But these are the perrenial themes of all classic literature, good stories, myths and legends. Why?

I believe it's because God has built these themes into the human heart and the fabric of the universe, so that artists (musicians, artists, authors, etc), can't help but highlight these and other Gospel themes.

Tim Keller at Columbia

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:27:00 GMT

We talked on Sunday about the importance of studying Scripture in its contexts. Yesterday I posted a snipet of Tim Keller's Q & A at Columbia University. Its sparked some fun dialogue. So here's the whole Q & A session in its context.

I have listened to parts 1 & 2, but not parts 3 & 4 yet. Part 1 begins with a bang . . . for sure.

Enjoy and, again, even more than picking apart the specific things Keller says at any given moment, look beyond to his general winsome, warm, gracious approach. Of course, its possible to pick Keller apart at various points. He's thinking on his feet and having to answer some really tough questions in front of a live and large audience, knowing all the while this will be show up on YouTube and live there forever and ever. That's a ton of pressure. Consider the whole.

These two men, though coming from very different worldviews, clearly respect and enjoy one another. These are the kinds of discussions I want to have with folks I know who don't yet trust the Gospel. How about you?

Tim Keller on Homosexuality

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:11:00 GMT

If you're actively engaging those who don't believe the Gospel, you've been asked or you're going to be asked some really tough questions. Here's Tim Keller being asked some tough point-blank questions on the campus of Columbia University.

Here's what I see that is excellent and instructive for us as we interact with those who don't yet believe the Gospel. . . .

He is warm, winsome, relaxed and funny, but not defensive or angry. He speaks the truth in love.
He answers the question, but broadens the discussion. He is uncompromising, but connects. "Homosexuality is not God's original design, but we are called to love all our neighbors." "Yes, homosexuality is a sin, but no one is going to hell because they are homosexual."
He humbly admits the church's shortcomings whenever and where ever possible. "We don't love our gay neighbors." "We are greedy." "As a member of the Christian community, I have to take responsibility for the oppression of homosexuals." That's huge and so disarming. Look for places to give up ground.
He shifts from the sin of homosexuality to the "sin underneath every sin": We all want and try to be our own savior. This is our real sin issue and the reason why people go to hell. To put it in our recent James language, God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to those who will humble themselves and admit their need.
He works in the Gospel: "What sends you to hell is self-righteousness . . . .thinking you can be your own savior." "What sends you to heaven is getting a connection with Christ, because you realize you're a sinner and need help from outside." The guy who is interviewing Keller has never heard it put like this before and is clearly trying to take it all in. . . He admits "this is a lot to take in." Such a great reminder to us. . . people don't understand the Gospel.

These ways of engaging are transferable and something you can learn as you practice chatting with those who don't yet trust the Gospel. Look for an opportunity to practice this week.

Marriage Matters

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:09:00 GMT

The president yesterday became the first sitting president to publicly affirm same-sex marriage. This is not insignificant. With recent polls indicating that the majority of Americans by a very slim margin now favor same sex marriage, the landscape is quickly changing.

As believers, I'm convinced it's an important time for us to go back to the Scriptures and be sure we know what the Bible says about this important issue. This is not merely a political or social issue, it is also a moral and Biblical issue. Since a greater majority of young people affirm same-sex marriage, it is vital for us to be humbly, graciously instructing our kids concerning what the Bible teaches about these issues. I want to "first strike" by raising these issues around our dinner table, clearly pointing to what the Bible teaches and helping my kids to think through these issues before these issues are raised in their school classrooms and campuses.

We can't stick our heads in the sand on this issue. We must winsomely, warmly, humbly, graciously engage in the public discourse. (not caustically, not defensively, not proudly, not self-righteously)

Here's a whole set of messages where I've dealt with this important topic of marriage. If you've only got time to listen to one, listen to this one. . .

God's Purposes for Marriage

And here are 10 other resources (HT: The Manhattan Declaration) that can help ground or re-ground us on this important subject of marriage. . .

What is Marriage?

by Sherif Girgis, Robert George, and Ryan T. Anderson

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1722155

Why I'm Optimistic About Natural Marriage

by Andrew Walker

http://www.mereorthodoxy.com/why-im-optimistic-about-natural-marriage/

Why Is Marriage Important? (video)

by John Piper

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd3AmKexugM

Who Needs Marriage?

by Chuck Colson

http://www.breakpoint.org/the-center/columns/colson-files/17606-who-needs-marriage

Marriage in Society: The Generation Clash (pps. 47-57)

by Matthew Lee Anderson

http://issuu.com/thecity/docs/thecitywinter2009/47?mode=embed&layout=http://skin.issuu.com/v/light/layout.xml&showFlipBtn=true

What Would Bonhoeffer Do?

by Eric Metaxas

http://www.breakpoint.org/the-center/columns/call-response/15129-metaxas-what-would-bonhoeffer-do

Dennis Prager Debates Perez Hilton on Same-Sex Marriage (Warning: YouTube contains objectionable content)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTE9zWaQc_Y

Religion, Reason, and Same-Sex Marriage

by Matthew J. Franck

http://www.firstthings.com/article/2011/05/religion-reason-and-same-sex-marriage

A Marriage in Full

by Gary A. Anderson

http://www.firstthings.com/article/2008/04/003-a-marriage-in-full-3

On Marriage and the Moral Limits of Human Sexuality

by Metropolitan Jonah

http://orthocath.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/metropolitan-jonah-on-marriage-and-the-moral-limits-of-human-sexuality/

Andrew Murray on Humility

Tue, 08 May 2012 06:00:00 GMT

In the last couple of messages, I've quoted heavily from Andrew Murray's classice entitled "Humilty." It's terrific. Not long, but super rich and centered on Christ and the Gospel. I paid $.99 in the iTunes bookstore.

Here's the passages, I've quoted. . .

Humility is the only soil in which the graces root, the lack of humility is the sufficient explanation of every defect and failure. Humility is not so much a grace or virtue along with others; it is the root of all, because it alone takes the right attitude before God and allows Him as God to do all.

As God is the ever-living, ever present, ever-acting One, who upholds all things by the word of His power, and in whom all things exist, the relation of the creature to God could only be one unceasing, absolute, universal dependance... Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is, from the very nature of things, the first duty and the highest virtue of the creature, and the root of every virtue.

There can be but one answer: it is His humility... Christ is the humility of God embodied in human nature; the Eternal Love humbling itself, clothing itself in the garb of meekness and gentleness, to win and serve and save us. . . and so He is still in the midst of the throne, the meek and lowly Lamb of God.

Jesus Christ took the place and fulfilled the destiny of man, as a creature, by His life of perfect humility. His humility is our salvation. His salvation is our humility.

It is pride that made redemption needful; it is from our pride we need above everything to be redeemed. Our insight into the need of redemption will largely depend upon our knowledge of the terrible nature of the power that has entered our being.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Tue, 01 May 2012 15:35:00 GMT

It was a crazy weekend around GraceSLO last weekend. In addition to Serve Day, we had Paul and Virginia Friesen come talk about the important subject of communicating with our teens. We knew it was going to be a push, but we love what the Friesens do and they were in the area for another gig, so we decided to jump on the opportunity.

Only about 40 of us were there, which was a shame, because they had great, practical, Biblical stuff to share. If you missed it, here it is for your listening enjoyment. . . .

Can you hear me now? Communication with teens in a high tech world.

If you like what you hear, here's a link to a whole bunch of other stuff the Friesen's have done in the past at GraceSLO. . .

Other Talks given by the Friesens

Friday Fun: how do you like your new ipad, dad?

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Laugh a little on this Friday. . . and enjoy the German!

HT: MIchael Nazum

David Toney Music

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:00:00 GMT

My friend, David Toney, who has led worship at a few of our early Men's Getaways and in our church on a Sunday, did a small concert on Monday in the Founder's Hall. The notice was late and we have a ton going on, so we weren't able to able to promote it very much. I know those who were able to make it enjoyed it.

David is a gifted guy with a pastor's heart. He is writing worship music for the church he serves. He flipped me a CD and I've been enjoying it. His music can be sampled at davidtoneymusic.com

Here's a taste. I'd like to sing this song in our church soon. We're hoping to have David up again this summer to lead on a Sunday morning. . .

Sermon Prep: that Tim & this Tim

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:20:00 GMT

Just discovered BigThink.com and the Big Think You Tube Channel. I haven't had too much time to explore yet, but it reminds me of Ted Talks . . . which I love.

Here Tim Keller talks about the process of preparing a sermon. . .

Over the years, many people have asked me how I prepare sermons and I would describe my process as very similar.

Here's an outline of my process. . .

Empty myself out with the text: This is my first pass at the text where I'm asking "What does this text say? What does this text mean? How is this text structured? What are the questions/connections that emerge from this text? I'm just filling pages with thoughts, reactions, and questions of the text. I'm trying to get the big idea and understand the text as it relates to the larger chapter and book and the whole Bible.
Read myself full with the text: I read everything I have time for and everything I can get my hands on that has to do with this text. I'm gathering the wisdom of the ages and checking my insights against the insights of others. Sometimes course corrections happen. Sometimes I'm confirmed in my direction. Illustration and outline ideas are amassed during this step. I love this step.
Develop an outline & direction for the text for our church family: After steps 1 & 2, I have a pretty good idea of how the text works and what it means. Step 3 is figuring out what it means for me and our church and how it applies to our lives. Here I am trying to build a bridge between the world of the Bible and our world. Because of the richness of the Scriptures, one text can be outlined lots of different ways and still be true to the text. I want to let the text "talk" and let the text drive the message. I want the outline to be simple, memorable and fresh. But I want to plumb the heights and depths of God's Word within the framework of that simple outline. In this way, I'm trying to put stuff on every shelf for the wide range of people who call GraceSLO their home.
Write myself clear with the text. I breathe a sigh of relief after step 3 where all the decisions are made. I know where I'm going and now I can go. I manuscript every message completely because I believe in the power of words. I want to be clear. I don't trust myself to be clear in real time on Sunday morning. I know everybody likes the note-less preacher, but it's not me. I look for other settings beyond the Sunday sermon where I can wing it a bit. But I take preaching too seriously to "freewheel" too much on Sundays. I create my own slide presentation for each message as I'm writing my manuscript. This manuscripting process takes me 3-4 hours.
Deliver the message of the text. This is Sunday morning. There are a few Sundays where I don't want to preach, but God is faithful. He always meets me there. Not every sermon is a "homerun" but I strive to be faithful to the text, take them as they come, say hard things when the text does, and trust God in the process. He causes the growth. It's hard to describe the emotional exhaustion that comes with preaching God's Word week after week. I absolutely believe in the power of the Scriptures and the Gospel to shape and change peoples lives. It's all I've got to offer people.

Here are some questions I keep in front of me at all times as I prepare to preach. . .

What did this text mean to the original readers?
How does this text fit into the context of the rest of the Bible and the BIG STORY of redemption?
How does this text exalt, explain, apply or point us to the Gsopel of Jesus Christ? (It's all about Him!)
What's the surprise or "curve ball" in this text?
How does this text connect with or challenge cultural ideas/values?
How does this text relate, connect, apply to the real life issues that I and our church family are facing today?

Gospel Discipleship & Students

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Parents and students, what do you expect of our Student Ministry?

I admit it . . . the area of Student Ministries has always been important to me, but it's even more important these days with 2 of my own kids involved and 2 more not far behind. Seeing my kids grow into this age group has caused me to ask the question, "What do I expect of our Student Ministry?"

Here are some things I hope and pray for . . . and things I'm pointing and leading our Student Ministry Staff towards. . .

A ministry centered on the Gospel & the Bible: My kids don't need moralism or the rules, or even principles to live by. They desperately need the Gospel of God's sovereign free grace in Jesus Christ and to know how that applies to all of life. I long for my kids to know the Bible is defensible, coherent, inerrant, Christ-centered, and worth living their lives by.
A ministry based on relationships: Relationships are the pipeline by which discipleship and spiritual growth happen. I want my kids to see passionate, pure, modest, honest, real staff and volunteer leaders who are following Christ a few steps ahead of them.
A ministry focussed on discipleship: I want my kids to learn and be shown what it means to 1) follow Jesus, 2) be changed by Jesus, and 3) be committed to the disciple-making mission of Jesus.
A ministry that teaches & embodies robust theology: Please, please, please teach my kids who God is, all that the Gospel is, why and how this world was created and where it's going, and what it means to be beautful, broken humans. Take them deep!
A ministry that addresses apologetic issues: Let's preempt and "first strike" the questions and issues our kids will face if and when they go to college or enter the secular marketplace. Christianity has this deep intellectual tradition. I want my kids to know there are Biblical, reasonable, logical, coherent answers to the questions they're asking.
A ministry that's fun, but also serious: I want my kids to have fun. I want my kids to connect. I want my kids to learn and grow. I want them to know that there is a time for everything underneath God's Son. I want them to know life is fun, but life is also hard.
A ministry that supports and considers our family: Family first. Don't compete with our family. Don't trump our family. Don't plan so much that there's no time for our family. Don't undermine our family. Encourage students to honor and enjoy their families. Talk family. Build up our family.

I give thanks for Brandon & Ryan and all our volunteer staff, because I'm seeing these things in our Student Ministry. It's not perfect and there's always room for improvement, but I feel like we're on the same page and headed in these directions.

Our terrific, sacrificial Student Ministry Staff

What do you expect of our Student Ministry? What's missing from my list?

Here's a Gospel Coalition article entitled Why Theology and Youth Ministry Seldom Mix, that got me thinking about these issues today. . .

Everyone knows the stereotype of the youth minister as a big kid with an expertise in games and an affinity for creative facial hair and body piercings. Despite the stereotype, many youth pastors are passionate and intelligent. Yet youth ministry has a reputation for not doing serious theology. In the bookThe Theological Turn in Youth Ministry,Andrew Root describes a discussion about a PhD program for youth ministry at his seminary. A biblical scholar asked, "Who is going to teach the seminar on group mixers?" Root goes on to describe the perception of youth ministers as theologically "lightweight." The National Study of Youth and Religion notes, "The vast majority of teens, who call themselves Christians, haven't been well educated in religious doctrine and, therefore, really don't know what they believe." Certainly, these results, at least to some degree, reflect the typically shallow theological culture of youth ministry. Why, then, does there seem to be a gap between youth ministry and theology?

People underestimate what students can comprehend.

We live in a society where we have relegated the teen years to something of a carefree vacation, protected from consequences and responsibilities. Alex and Brett Harris challenge this notion in their book Do Hard Things. When we don't expect teens to rise to challenges, we don't teach them doctrine. However, this lack of confidence in teens has left us with an ignorant generation (or several) with regard to what the church actually believes. It is strange that we teach young people complex calculus and physics but don't think they can handle or will be interested in understanding the significance of the Trinity or atonement. Brian Cosby, in his book Giving Up Gimmicks, recalls offering a basic biblical Greek overview class to teens. He expected a handful to respond but the room couldn't fit everyone who was interested.

Youth ministry has a popularity culture.

A veteran youth minister retired after 20 years citing exhaustion. Living a perpetual popularity contest finally wore him down. Well-meaning mentors assured (or cursed) him early in his career that if the kids like you, they will come to your programs, putting him on an approval treadmill. In reality, youth ministry seems to take on a cult of personality surrounding the student pastor, perhaps more than other sectors of the church. Consequently, when so much of success in ministry seems to depend on popularity among students, we're tempted to steer away from difficult theology. When one faithfully exegetes Scripture, difficult and complex topics arise.

Churches have different expectations of youth ministries.

Some pastors view youth ministry as a necessary bother. They see youth ministry as required yet do not want it to cause them problems or drain their time. Some churches view youth ministers as entertainers and buddies, not serious ministers of God's Word. Hence, they may hire energetic young adults without theological training (this varies between denominations) to run programs and do little to invest in their theological formation. The care with which we select youth pastors is not typically on par with the process we go through to call other clergy. Often the first question a church leader has for the youth pastor is, "How many came this week?" The second one may be, "Did they have fun?"

Youth pastors just love kids and want them to meet Jesus.

Evangelistic passion among some youth pastors has meant a neglect of theology---both studying it and teaching it. We can aim for "decisions for Christ" and overlook the spiritual formation that follows conversion. It is easy to get so wrapped up in doing evangelism and relationships that little time is spent deepening our own understanding of doctrine. Given that most people who come to faith do so before they complete their teen years, a youth minister can easily take on the attitude that "students don't need deep theology, they just need Jesus." Yet presenting the gospel without a solid theology is dangerous. A youth pastor with weak theology is more susceptible to developing a messiah complex, thinkingwe need to save these students. Students who don't grasp good theology cannot articulate a faith that will stand up in college or beyond.

The egg-and-armpit relay ruined youth ministry.

Mike Yaconelli, co-founder of Youth Specialties, used to joke about the egg-and-armpit relay as a central pillar of youth ministry. He was acknowledging that youth ministry had created a culture of fun. While we might have one of the most fun jobs on the planet, it becomes burdensome to manufacture fun all the time. Attending youth ministry conventions and conferences is a bit like a cross between Disney and Mardi Gras. Despite excellent training and inspiration, the atmosphere created by the sponsors reinforces a mentality that youth ministry is all about fun. In most youth ministry resources we find the emphasis on fun and games. The founder of Young Life was famous for saying, "It's sin to bore a kid with the gospel." When we look at photos of youth groups in our churches, we typically see lots of messy games and wacky skits. Given this perception, it becomes the expectation of parents, pastors, and church leaders to see youth ministry continue in that way. In truth, we don't want to bore the kids. Theology, on the other hand, is not usually perceived as fun. So does the typical youth pastor pour time into reading theology or planning more fun programs? The answer is not so difficult when we know a parent or student is going to ask if youth group will be fun this week.

How do we close the gap between youth ministry and theology? Perhaps we first need to change the perceptions of what youth ministry is all about and what students are capable of. Then we should insist that our youth pastors are lifelong learners trained in good theology. It may take a decade or two to get there, but in the end, it will have been worth the battle.

**********

Also in the series on youth ministry:

A Brief History of Youth Ministry by Dave Wright
MTD: Not Just a Problem with Youth Ministry by Brian H. Cosby
Youth Ministry's Tendency Toward Legalism by Cameron Cole

Cameron Cole is the director of youth ministries at Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama. Dave Wright is the coordinator for youth ministries in the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. He blogs at Fusion Musing. Together they serve on the advisory board of Rooted: A Theology Conference for Student Ministry.

Friday Fun: the wonder of a book

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

A group of men in our church just finished reading and discussing Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death." We had some great conversations about technology and its ever-increasing demands/expectations on our lives. We contemplated together what it means to follow Christ in our e-world.

This video relates to these important topics, but in a totally fun way. I bet you feel this way amidst technologies continuing leaps. I know I do.

Laugh out loud on this Friday. It's good for you. . .

World Impact L.A.

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

My daughter, 29 other high school students, a bunch of parents and staff had a chance to go see and serve in inner city Los Angeles last week over Spring Break.

Here's a vid capturing the week. . . .

HT: Josh Ernstrom

MEN: join me Thursdays @ 6:00 AM

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:57:00 GMT

As a Christian man, endeavoring to follow Jesus and apply the Gospel in all of life, I can't do it alone. I was built to need other men. But I tend to isolate. I'm busy. It's vulnerable and hard to open up and connect. I instinctively think I can do it on my own and I try to do it on my own. I don't think I'm alone. I think this is most men.

Because I need it and I know other men need it, I'm committed to drawing men out and drawing men together. As a disciple of Jesus, I'm committed to doing whatever I can to make other disciples who will make other disciples (2 Timothy 2:2).

I lead a Thursday Men's Study from 6:00 to 7:00 AM SHARP. The study is open for all men. Our aim is to connect over good books, talk about life, God and spiritual leadership at home and church.

It's a great time to jump in. Tomorrow we kick off a new book study on A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards. This was a book I gave to our elders a few years back and one I'm committed to reading throughout my life. Three Kings offers challenging leadership insights but in a super creative way.

Men, you are invited. I encourage you to come out of the shadows and make a commitment to connect with some other men. It's way more comfy to stay in bed, but connecting with other men can help you grow and thrive. You need it and so do I.

Hope to see you tomorrow or any Thursday at 6:00 AM in the Fireside Room.

31 truths that explode out of the Resurrection of Jesus

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:33:00 GMT

In yesterday's Easter Sunday message, I promised I would post these "more than 30 truths" that explode out of the Resurrection of Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15. Here they are at the buzzer. . . .

The Resurrection of Jesus saves. (15:2)
The Resurrection of Jesus is Gospel to preach, stand in, receive and hold fast to and believe. (15:1-2)
The Resurrection of Jesus is of first importance. (15:2)
The Resurrection of Jesus, just as his death for sins, is according to the Scriptures. (15:4)
The Resurrection of Jesus is historical based on early and careful testimony, within 20 years and probably as few as 5 years of Jesus death. (15:3-7)
The Resurrection of Jesus is historical based on eyewitness testimony. (15:3-7)
The Resurrection of Jesus changed and changes lives. (Cephas, James, Paul) (15:5-9)
The Resurrection is the foundation of Christian faith and preaching. If no resurrection, then those things are vain. . . they don't matter. They don't mean anything. (15:14)
The Resurrection of Jesus means that we aren't still in our sins, if we trust Him. (15:17)
The Resurrection of Jesus means those who talk about are not false witnesses. If it didn't happen we are falsewitnesses, inaccurately representing God. (15:15)
The Resurrection of Jesus means there is eternal life after death for the believer. (15:18)
The Resurrection of Jesus means we were not a pitiable lot for hoping in Christ. (15:19)
The Resurrection of Jesus is the first fruits of a whole lot more more resurrection to come. (15:20)
The Resurrection of Jesus means we who hope will rise like Him. (15:22-24)
The Resurrection of Jesus is the assurance that He's coming again. (15:23)
The Resurrection of Jesus means Christ is king and reigning now. (15:25)
The Resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee that Christ will abolish all other rule and authority and bring all things into subjection. (15:27)
The Resurrection of Jesus means that death will be abolished. The sting of death is sin and it's been dealt with at the cross. (15:26)
The Resurrection of Jesus means the Gospel is worth living for and suffering for and dying for. (15:31-32)
The Resurrection of Jesus means that life is more than eating, drinking being merry and dying. (15:32)
The Resurrection of Jesus should motivate us to stop sinning. (15:34)
The Resurrection of Jesus means that we will get imperishable bodies. (15:42)
The Resurrection of Jesus means we will get powerful bodies. (15:43)
The Resurrection of Jesus means we will get spiritual bodies. (15:44)
The Resurrection of Jesus means we will bear the image of the "man of heaven." (15:48)
The Resurrection of Jesus means we will be changed and become immortal. (15:52-53)
The Resurrection of Jesus means sin, the stinger of death has been removed. (15:56)
The Resurrection of Jesus means death has been defeated and will be swallowed up in victory. (15:55)
The Resurrection of Jesus means we are victorious through our Lord Jesus Christ. (15:57)
The Resurrection of Jesus empowers us to be steadfast immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. (15:58)
The Resurrection of Jesus means our lives, our work, our toil is not in vain in the Lord. All that we do in Christ has meaning and purpose. (15:58)

William Lane Craig on the Resurrection

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

it's friday

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Just gotta post this on this . . .the best of Fridays. . .

And . . . here's a whole comprehensive directory of apologetics resources from apologetics3:15.com. Why not make it a goal to start with 1 or 2 in 2012? If you've digested some of these, leave a comment and/or recommendation. . . Happy Good Friday!

Recommended Apologetics Book Directory

resurrection trifecta

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

1. Here's a link to past Easter messages here at GraceSLO. Fun for me to listen to stuff I've done!

2. Here's audio of C.S. Lewis giving his original Mere Christianity lecture on the person and work of Jesus. Mere Christianity was so helpful in helping me reason out my faith. Still excellent.

3. This is fun. Show it to your kids. . .

resurrection: don't assume it, teach it

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

We cannot assume our kids are going to embrace the historical reliability of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We must teach them. We must give answers for the hope that's in us (1 Peter 3:15), praying fervently that they too will embrace the hope of Christ.

Share some ideas for how you are or plan to engage your kids in apologetics issues. Share some resources, too.

This looks like a fun resource. . .

HT: Justin Taylor at Gospel Coalition

one minute apologist on the resurrection of Jesus

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:51:00 GMT

I like this guy. . . . who can you send this blog link to today?

does evidence matter?

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:09:00 GMT

(NOTE: I am eager to share more about Gospel Discipleship, but it's Easter Week and I've got my hands full preparing for the weekend. So this week, I thought I'd share a few thoughts and more resources related to the Resurrection of Jesus. I hope you'll come and worship with us on Good Friday (7:00 PM) and/or Easter Sunday (8:00, 9:30 & 11:00)).

Does evidence for the resurrection of Jesus matter to anyone anymore? It sure mattered to me when I was grappling with the claims and implications of the Gospel.

How big of a role did evidence and arguments play in your coming to faith in Christ?

If you're not a Christian, do doubts about the resurrection of Jesus keep you from trusting Christ. . . or is it something else?

Could you give a person reasons to believe the resurrection of Jesus if you were sharing your faith?

I've been pouring over 1 Corinthians 15 in preparation for the coming of Easter and I've been struck with Paul's insistence that the resurrection of Jesus means somthing and matters. He seems greatly concerned with evidence for the resurrection and the impact of the resurrection.

Here's a great not-too-long article by William Lane Craig summarizing the historical and bodily resurrection of Jesus. . .

Contemporary Scholarship and the Historical Evidence
for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

think apprenticeship, not information dump

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

NOTE: This is Part 6 in an series of posts on discipleship. For other posts in the series, CLICK HERE.

I've got more thoughts to share about Gospel Discipleship, but since it's Friday and my day off. . . enjoy these thoughts from Trevin Wax who blogs HERE. I'll continue the discipleship series next week.

Discipleship Is More Than Conveying Information

Yesterday, I shared an article from The Wall Street Journal about the loss of apprenticeship in preparing a young person for adulthood. It’s interesting that the writer recognized the difference between being book smart and wise with regard to life.

I wonder if there aren’t some parallels here with how we think of discipleship.

The culture of the first century put a high priority on learning through apprenticeship. You see hints in this direction as you read the New Testament, particularly in how Jesus spoke of His relationship to the Father. But it’s also likely that in the early Christians’ desire to “make disciples, teaching them to obey all that Christ had commanded them,” their vision of “teaching” was somewhat different than what we mean by the term today.

Teaching and the Delivery of Information: Two Camps

To be clear, teaching involves the transfer of important information. The New Testament authors were steeped in the Old Testament, having probably memorized entire books of the Bible. When I say that making disciples and teaching them involves more than conveying information, I’m not saying that it is ever less.

Camp 1

One of the problems plaguing contemporary evangelicalism today is that pastors and teachers have rightly diagnosed a problem: there is more to teaching than just giving information to people. But the proposed response is often worse than the problem.

Once they recognize the deficiencies of an information-only type of teaching, these leaders begin to downplay the need for verbally teaching people the fundamental doctrines of the faith. The result is a largely atheological ministry that inevitably leans toward a behavior-focused, moralistic message. The good news (powerful, life-transforming information) subtly shifts into good advice (“Just tell me how to live!”). And we wind up with a biblically illiterate mass of well-intentioned Christians being told each week what to do.

Camp 2

In response, other church leaders swing the pendulum back. We must teach people and teach them well. The problem, however, is that “teaching” in these churches is often reduced to conveying important biblical information. The assumption is that once we learn the right things, we will live the right way.

Francis Schaeffer, no lightweight when it came to doctrine, warned against this way of thinking:

Most of the Reformation then let the pendulum swing and thought if only the right doctrines were taught that all would be automatically well. Thus, to a large extent, the Reformation concentrated almost exclusively on the “teaching ministry of the Church.” In other words almost all the emphasis was placed on teaching the right doctrines. In this I feel the fatal error had already been made. It is not for a moment that we can begin to get anywhere until the right doctrines are taught. But the right doctrines mentally assented to are not an end in themselves, but should only be the vestibule to a personal and loving communion with God…

Teaching right doctrine matters. Discipleship without a strong emphasis on teaching will inevitably be stunted. But there is more than one way to stunt your growth. Just as the first approach reduces discipleship to behavioral modification, the second approach reduces discipleship to information dump.

Teaching and the Modeling of the Christian Life

The biblical vision of teaching, particularly with its emphasis on apprenticeship, opens up new windows as to how “teaching” needs to include both the delivery of Christian truth and the modeling of a Christian lifestyle. Belief and action go together. Schaeffer again:

It seems to me that the real question is what we really believe. It seems to me that we do tend to have two creeds—the one which we believe in our intellectual assent, and then the one which we believe to the extent of acting upon it in faith. More and more it seems to me that the true level of our orthodoxy is measured by this latter standard rather than the former. And more and more it seems to me that there is no such thing as an abstract Christian dogma—that each Christian dogma can be experienced on some level.

So dogma and experience go together. How does that shape our vision of “teaching”? In particular, what does “teaching them” in the Great Commission refer to? Sermons? Bible studies? Lectures? Maybe. But there’s a clue there in the text itself. Teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded. This necessarily involves both modeling and verbal teaching.

Without verbal witness we are unable to teach what Christ taught. But teaching to obey, in this context, surely demands more than just telling people what to do. This is the language of apprenticeship – a teaching that takes place through doing life together, as a teacher models what this life is supposed to look like. It’s the kind of “teaching” that takes place implicitly when Christians welcome one another into their homes, when Christians do good works together for the community. It’s the kind of life that is caught, not taught. Or better said, it’s taught through doing life together, inviting people to follow us as we follow Christ.

That’s why in conversations about the mission of the church, making a sharp distinction between representing and proclaiming Christ introduces more problems than it solves. Making disciples is the mission of the church, yes, but the teaching aspect of this process is more than delivering the gospel verbally and teaching the Bible verbally to new Christians. It is certainly never less, which is what the pastors in Camp 2 instinctively and rightly realize. But neither can it be just this.

David Mathis asks:

Does “disciple all nations” not call to mind how Jesus himself “discipled” his men? They were, after all, his “disciples.” And when they heard him say, “disciple all nations,” would they not think this discipleship is what he did with them – investing prolonged, real-life, day-in, day-out, intentional time with younger believers in order to bring them to maturity as well as model for them how to disciple others in the same way?

The answer, of course, is yes! Discipleship and teaching must mean more than conveying true information.

Bottom Line

Apprenticeship is serious business. Never downplay the importance of sermons, theological education, and deep Bible study. Just make sure you match all of these with doing life together, modeling a new way of being human, inviting people to come alongside of us and learn what it means to follow Jesus – not merely by what we tell them but also by how we live.

the guy who discipled Paul

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

NOTE: This is Part 5 in an series of posts on discipleship. For other posts in the series, CLICK HERE.

We know the mighty Apostle Paul. After all we read him all the time. He wrote 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament.

But do we know the guy who discipled Paul? His name was Barnabas.

Growing in the Gospel

Barnabas' name first appears in Acts 4:36 when he sells a tract of land and brings the money to the Apostles for sharing among the believers. The Gospel has grabbed hold of Barnabas and is beginning to effect every area of his life.

The next time we meet Barnabas is in Acts 9:27. Paul, the man who killed Christians, has had an encounter with the Risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, but no one believes him or will go near him. Except Barnabas . . . Barnabas grabs him. . .

But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles
and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road,
and that He had talked to him,
and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.

Discipling with the Gospel

And so begins a discipling relationship. In Acts 11, Barnabas is sent by the church at Jerusalem to Antioch to support and encourage the church there. Barnabas finds Paul and brings brings him along. . .

The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem,
and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch.
Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God,
he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord;
for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.
And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.
And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him,
he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church
and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

After a year of teaching and leadership development (intentional, strategic Gospel discipleship!), the church is ready to govern its own affairs. What do they do? They send their best leaders, Barnabas and Paul off to plant more churches. Why? Because multiplication is the goal. Acts 13:2-3. . .

Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene,
and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting,the Holy Spirit said,
“Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

Releasing for Ministry

And so they set out on their first missionary journey, but an interesting thing takes place along the way. "Barnabas and Paul" begins to trend toward "Paul and Barnabas." The shift of focus is first noted in Acts 13:13. . .

Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia;
but John left them and returned to Jerusalem.

What does it mean? It means that Barnabas is now yielding to the more gifted and stronger leader. The discipler is releasing. The discipled is sprouting wings.

Conflict & Gospel Multiplication

Paul and Barnabas end up back in their home church of Antioch for a while. But in Acts 15 an interesting thing takes place. . .

After some days Paul said to Barnabas,
“Let us return and visit the brethren in every city
in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”
Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also.
But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia
and had not gone with them to the work.
And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another,
and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.
But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord
And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

There is a disagreement and then a parting. Over what kind of issue? Over a discipleship issue! Barnabas sees the potential of a young man once again. Paul is gun-shy after an earlier failure and disappointment. They go their separate ways, but notice, each grabs a guy to take along. The Gospel goes forward in two directions.

5 Disicipleship Principles

I notice 5 timeless, Biblical, transferable discipleship principles in the way Barnabas discipled Paul.

Grab a guy or gal and bring them along. At its most basic level, this is what discipleship is. It wasn't a program, it was relationship and it was life. Did someone pour their life into Barnabas? Maybe. Maybe not. But Barnabas was willing to pour his life into Paul. Did Barnabas have all the answers? Definitely not. Were there other guys better qualified to handle the strong Paul? Probably. But he went for it anyway?
See potential when and where others see risk. When everyone else was running away from Paul, Barnabas ran toward him. He was willing to take a risk with Paul and later with John Mark. He was a talent scout, seeing talents and gifts when and where no one else did. Discipleship is a hassle and inconvenience, but it's always worth it.
Learn by Doing. There is no mention of any sort of curriculum. Barnabas and Paul do ministry together right from the start. I'm sure Paul watched at first, and then jumped in. Barnabas and Paul share in ministry. Paul is trained and discipled on the fly. Real life is the lab.
Train & Release: Barnabas lead first, but then was willing to let Paul lead, when he was ready and the time was right. Because it wasn't about Barnabas, but about the Gospel, Barnabas was willing to let Paul's Gospel impact surpass his own. Barnabas' success was not his own fruitfulness, but Paul's.
Multiplication is the Endgame: Paul caught it and got it! How do we know? Because he grabs Silas, then Timothy and Titus and the elders at Ephesus and church leaders in cities all over the Mediterranean World. The disciple Paul becomes a disciple maker.

Behind Paul was Barnabas. Without Barnabas, there may not have been a fruitful and effective Paul and we might not have 13 books of the New Testament. This is the power of Gospel Discipleship. This is what it's all about.

We need more guys and gals like Barnabas. Don't wait for a Barnabas to grab you. You may wait a long time. Because there aren't enough guys like Barnabas. Don't wait! Become a Barnabas and grab someone else.

one man who made a difference at GraceSLO

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

NOTE: This is Part 4 in an series of posts on discipleship. For other posts in the series, CLICK HERE.

Discipleship is not just for ministry professionals and pastors. Every Christian can disciple someone else. Every Christian is called to the task of making disciples who will make disciples.

I'll prove it to you.

Throughout my 9 years at GraceSLO, there has been one name has popped up again and again and again. He was not a pastor. He was in construction. As far as I know, he didn't serve in any formal leadership capacity here at GraceSLO. Yet, he was a discipler of men and used by God to shape the direction and leadership of this church. Multiple of our missionaries have spoken of his profound influence in their lives. Many of our Elders speak of him as a spiritual mentor.

I've never met him, but I wish I had. I didn't even know what he looked like until I got my hands on this picture. But I've felt his influence. His name was . . .

Ed Bulkley.

What Ed did wasn't rocket science. It wasn't brain surgery. It was really quite simple. Anybody can do it.

Ed strategically and intentionally spent time with people to help them grow in their faith. I've heard about how Ed and has wife Marianne woud invite bunches of people over to their home for lunch after Sunday services. I've heard about how Ed would gather groups of men and pour his life into theirs. I've heard about Ed's passion for missions and multiplication.

Ed wasn't perfect. I'm sure that Ed had his issues (I've heard about some of them), but, still, God used Ed in a BIG way.

I wonder if Ed knew the influence he was having and the lasting legacy he was building here at GraceSLO?

Discipleship is not just for ministry professionals and pastors. Every Christian can disciple someone else. Every Christian is called to the task of making disciples who make disciples. If Ed could do it, you can do it!

men who invested their lives in mine

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:37:00 GMT

NOTE: This is Part 3 in an series of posts on discipleship. For other posts in the series, CLICK HERE.

I am very blessed.

My life is the story of the power of Gospel Discipleship. Since I was a fourteen year old freshman in highschool, God has been gracious to bring an unbroken string of mentors/disciplers/spiritual coaches into my life. These guys have poured their lives into mine. God has used these men to shape and grow me. In fact, these men, with God's Word in hand, have been the single BIGGEST factor in my spiritual growth over the years. I would not be who or where I am without them.

This is unique and this is rare. I'm continually surprised to hear that most Christians have not had even one person come alongside them to intentionally disciple/mentor/coach them. This reality is sad to me and evidence that there are very few "spiritual parents" in the church today. There are very few mature disciples who are making disciples. Most churches have their hands full with pulling off Sundays and have not given near enough thought to the strategic and Biblical priority of making disciples who will make disciples. We have not given enough thought to how Jesus and Paul actually did ministry.

I do not know why God has brought this string of men into my life. I surely didn't deserve it. I cannot explain it. But I am so grateful. Because of their investment in me, I'm committed to investing my life in others. . .

I thought I'd introduce them to you. I really wish I had some pictures, but I don't and didn't want to wait until I did . . .

Jimmy Brown (Fresh & Soph years of high school): The summer before my freshman year, Jimmy moved into our home as he prepared to start a Student Venture Ministry (High School Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ) at my high school, Mt. Carmel High in North San Diego County. Jimmy showed me what faith in Christ looked like 7 days a week in the real world. JImmy and I began to pray for God to move on my high school campus and it wasn't long before 100 kids were coming to a weekly meeting/Bible Study. Through Jimmy I caught a vision of strategic and intentional discipleship. Jimmy is still doing it and now serves with Athletes in Action at San Diego State University

Blaine Cochran (Jr & Sr years of high school): As the Student Venture Ministry grew in our area other staff were added. Blaine was one of those new staff guys. Blaine was hip and fun and on the edge. In Blaine I saw a completely different angle of what a Christian could be. He was totally into alternative Christian music. My buddies and I would gather at his apartment and study the Bible together. Blaine gave me the freedom to ask my tough life questions and encouraged me to wrestle with the Lord. I was dealing with some depression at that point in my life and Blaine gave me the freedom to be there but encouraged me forward, too. I don't keep in touch with Blaine on a regular basis, but not too long ago, he showed up and we had a fun chat. A recent Google search revealed that Blaine has a construction business now. I hope he's still strategically and intentionally making disciples who will make disciples.

Brent Plate (Fresh & Soph years of college): Brent was just a little bit older than me. After a Campus Crusade summer project to Eastern Europe, he came back and invited anybody and everybody to join him on a summer project to Kenya the following summer. I was the only one who took the bait. It was a life changing trip after a tough and lonely freshman year at U.C. San Diego. God used Brent and that trip to blow my mind, expand my vision of God and rouse me out of a season of selfishness and self pity.

Dave White (Jr & Sr years of college): After my sophmore year at UCSD, I transferred to UC Santa Barbara, where God brought Dave into my life. Dave was on Staff with Campus Crusade for Christ. Dave was creative, driven, extroverted and committed to reaching the UCSB campus for Christ. It wasn't long until I was knocking on dorm room doors and asking strangers if they were interested in a 5 minute spiritual survey. From those surveys, God put together a study of non-Christians and baby Christians who wanted to learn and grow. We did cold turkey evangelism on campus. We prayed and studied the Scriptures. As Dave poured his life into me, I poured my life into these other guys. God moved. I changed and these guys changed. Dave saw my strengths and encouraged me. Dave saw the areas I needed to grow and purposefully addressed those. God used Dave to help me understand the influence of my family and upbringing in shaping who I am. Dave opened my mind up to my interior world. As I prepared to graduate, Dave asked if I wanted to go to seminary with him. It took me a year to get there, but we eventually met up again at Biola's Talbot School of Theology.

Greg Sidders (post college): After graduation, I ended up back at home in North San Diego County. I fell in with the college ministry at my home church, Emmanuel Faith Community Church (the same church that Pastor Ken grew up in!). Greg Sidders, the college pastor at the time, grabbed me and began to invest in me. It was during this time, that I grabbed guys like Shane and others and invested in their lives. Greg gave me opportunities to teach in the college group and began to show me what ministry and discipleship might look like in a church setting. It was only a year, but Greg made a dent in my life. Greg was a Family Conference speaker here at GraceSLO a few years back and now pastors a church in Cumberland, Maine.

Dave White (seminary): It was great to go through seminary with a friend. Dave continued to pour his life into mine as we processed through all the great stuff we were learning together. I got a front seat for the action, as Dave gathered a whole bunch of other college and seminary students around him and began to influence their lives. Dave now pastors a booming church in the Santa Clarita Valley. We talked on the phone not long ago.

Don Smith (post seminary): Midway through seminary I landed at the Evangelical Free Church of Laguna Hills as the College Director. Don Smith was the man God used during this 10 year period of my life to train and equip me for pastoral ministry. Don was in his mid 50s when we met with 25 years of faithful pastoral ministry under his belt. He modeled for me a commitment to the Scriptures in all of ministry, the importance of doctrine and the art of personal shepherding. Don gave me opportunities to serve, preach and lead in every area of the church. Don affirmed my calling and showed me the joys and challenges of ministry at close range. A 20 hour/week position grew to 30 and then to full time. Along the way, Don guided me toward licensing and then ordination by the Evangelical Free Church of America. God used that period to prepare me for my role at GraceSLO. In fact, when GraceSLO was looking for a new Lead Pastor, they originally called Don. Don pointed them toward me. In March 2003, as a fitting climax to my preparation and his investment in my life, Don stood on the platform with the Elders at GraceSLO, laid his hands on me and prayed over me on my installation Sunday at GraceSLO. Not long ago, Don retired from full time pastoral ministry, but now is strategically and intentionally investing his life in the training of pastors in Haiti and the Phillipines.

The GraceSLO Elders (2003 - Present): Today, the mentoring of my life continues through the investment of our GraceSLO Elders. While I have the privilege of calling a few "plays" around here, we do ministry together. They continue to invest in my life in innumerable ways.

Here's another confession: I'm horrible at keeping up with folks from the past. I'm not proud of that. One day, I may be lonely because of that. My excuse is . . . I have my hands full with the people around me at present.

But the sad result of my poor contact is that some of these men probably don't know the Godly influence they've had in my life. They each were used by God to nudge me forward, grow my faith, shape my character and teach me the power of Gospel discipleship. I'll do what I can to find them via email and point them to this post. I hope they find it and that the Lord uses it to encourage their hearts. This post is dedicated to them.

Thanks, Men!

Recovering Discipleship

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:13:00 GMT

(This is Part 2 in a series on Discipleship happening this week and maybe beyond... For other posts in the series, CLICK HERE)

I have a confession to make. . . for most of my more than 9 years at GraceSLO, I have consciously avoided the word "disciple" and "discipleship."

Why?

I think the words sounded "too churchy" and conveyed some negative connotations that I was eager to steer clear of. The words require definition and explanation and that requires work. Instead of using "disciple", I have tended to use "follower" instead.

That being said, I have always been committed to the concept of discipleship as mentoring, coaching and helping others grow in their faith through one on one relationships and small group contexts. When asked about where GraceSLO was doing discipleship, I would respond with "Everything we do is discipleship and Growth Groups are the primary place where discipleship happens with the widest range of adults." That's still true.

But something has happened in the last couple of years and I've changed my mind. I think the words "disciple" and "discipleship" are important words we must recover, keep defining, keep explaining and keep using.

Why?

Because "disciple" is a word that Jesus used. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20. . .

¹⁸ And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Jesus has risen from the dead and is about to ascend to heaven. Here he defines for His followers their mission in the world after He is gone. What is their mission and, by extension, ours? What does He give them to do? Make disciples.

Structurally in the original Greek, "make disciples" is the main verb in the sentence amplified by 3 participial phrases . . . going, baptizing and teaching. In other words, making disciples involves going, baptizing and teaching.

The Greek word translated "disciple" in virtually every English translation literally means "learner" or "student." The word was not unique to Jesus. Even Plato had "disciples." The question is what did Jesus mean by "disciple?"

The answer to that question is found in the 3 year ministry of Jesus before His death and resurrection. When he said to His followers "make disciples", they knew what He was talking about. . . because they had experienced it for 3 years. Jesus' initial invitation to become His disciples in Matthew 4:19 describes what it means to be disciple. Or to put it another way, the invitation is the definition. Jesus said in Matthew 4:19. . .

And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

What is a disciple? What does Jesus mean when He uses the word and tells us to "make disciples?" We could say many things, but Matthew 4:19 provides a helpful, straightforward, transferable definition.

A disciple is one who is:

1. Following Jesus ("follow me")

2. Being changed by Jesus ("I will make you")

3. Committed to the mission of Jesus of making disciples ("fishers of men")

This is a simple and helpful definition. It's big and expansive enough to fit the whole of the Christian life into it, but also clear and transferable enough to help us remember and teach it. (We so desperately need transferable concepts!)

So. . . .

Matthew 28:18-20 defines the mission of every Christian and the mission of every local church. All that we do must be measured against this mission. This is why we are here . . . to be and make disciples who will make disciples.

And this is why I'm committed to the recovery of the words "disciple" and "discipleship." Jesus used the word to define our mission. Avoiding these words disconnects us from our mission. And we so badly need to connect to our mission.

For the past 9 years, I've been working on the recovery of the word "Gospel." Now I'm going after these words "disciple" and "discipleship." In fact, I like the words together . . . Gospel Discipleship. After all, disciples are made and grow only by the Gospel.

Every Christian is a disciple. Every Christian is called to follow Jesus, be changed by Jesus and be committed to the mission of Jesus to make more disciples.

Let's reconnect and recommit to our mission. Let's think of ourselves as disciples. Let's recover these words and, more importantly, these vital Biblical concepts.

Stay tuned for more on Gospel Discipleship tomorrow . . .

(HT: I've been profoundly challenged in my thinking by Jim Putman's Real Life Discipleship. More on that later. . . )

03.23.12 Friday Fun: Is your Growth Group like this?

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

This just makes me laugh.

Probably what we all feel at times, because Growth Groups can be awkward and hard. But definitely not what we're aiming for...

HT: Mike Allshouse

30 years

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

This is my friend, Shane Sebastian. . . . ripping it up!

A couple weeks back, this note popped in my inbox on a Monday morning. . .

Tim,

I am doing a short series for Western Seminary on servant leadership. This one is all about you bro', thanks for modeling this to me, I am so grateful for you....

http://www.transformedblog.com/2012/03/05/practicing-the-art-of-followership-and-good-fish-tacos/

Shane Sebastian

CRU

www.shanesebastian.com

www.WeAreSent.com

twitter.com/shaneseb

The note and Shane's post reminded me that I've been striving to itentionally and strategically invest my life in others for 30 years. Nothing has changed. It's what I'm all about now. The settings and platforms have changed over the years, but the aim is still the same:

Making disciples who make disciples.
(Matthew 28:18-20)

Shane is one of the many guys throughout the years who caught the vision and is doing it. Shane and guys like him. . . they are my joy. (Philippians 4:1)

In next week's blog series on discipleship, I'll share some of things I've learned and experienced throughout the years.

Jesus + Nothing = Everything

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

In Sunday's message, we talked about "Gospel Wonder & Trust" as the motor and motivation of Gospel Living (obedience, service, good works). But what does it mean to "wonder at" and trust the Gospel?

Tullian Tchividjian's is the grandson of Billy Graham and the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. I'm digging his blog. Tullian shares my commitment to the power of the Gospel. His new book is entitled "Jesus + Nothing = Everything."

I haven't read it yet, but it's on my list. Here's a great introduction and a great explanation of "Gospel Wonder & Trust". . .

The verses that set me free, specifically, were Colossians 1:9–14. In those verses the apostle Paul says (my summary): You will grow in your understanding of God's will, be filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding, increase in your knowledge of God, be strengthened with God's power, which will produce joy-filled patience and endurance (vv. 9–12a) as you come to a greater realization that you've already been qualified, delivered, transferred, redeemed, and forgiven (vv. 12b–14).

What those verses liberatingly taught me was that because of Jesus' finished work for me I already had the justification, approval, acceptance, security, freedom, affection, cleansing, new beginning, righteousness, and rescue for which I was longing. I started to see the many-faceted dimensions of the gospel in a more dazzling way. It's almost as if, for me, the gospel changed from something hazy and monochromatic to something richly multicolored, vivid, and vibrant.

I was realizing in a fresh way the now-power of the gospel—that the gospel doesn't simply rescue us from the past and rescue us for the future; it also rescues us in the present from being enslaved to fear, insecurity, anger, self-reliance, bitterness, entitlement, and insignificance.

In the crucible of suffering, the now-power of the gospel was liberating me to be okay with not being okay. All of us know we're not okay, though we try very hard to convince ourselves and other people that we're basically fine. But the gospel tells us, "Relax, it is finished. The pressure's off."

I was coming to glorious terms with the fact that because of Christ's finished work for me, I had nothing to prove or protect. I didn't need to pretend anymore that I was strong. I was being set free from the narcissistic impulse to impress people, appease people, measure up for people, or prove myself to people. The gospel alone can free us from the burden of trying to control what other people think about us. It frees us from the miserable, unquenchable pursuit to make something of ourselves by using others.

The gospel frees us from what Paul Zahl calls "the law of capability"—the law, he says, "that judges us wanting if we are not capable, if we cannot handle it all, if we are not competent to balance our diverse commitments without a slip." The gospel grants us the strength to admit we're weak and needy and restless, knowing that Christ's finished work has proven to be all the strength and fulfillment and peace we could ever want and more. Since Jesus is our strength, our weaknesses don't threaten our sense of worth and value. Now we're free to admit our wrongs and weaknesses without feeling as if our flesh is being ripped off our bones.

Through my pain, I was being convinced all over again that the power of the gospel is just as necessary and relevant after you become a Christian as it is before. Along with the vast majority of professing Christians, I once assumed that the gospel was simply what non-Christians must believe in order to be saved, while afterward we advance to deeper theological waters. But I've come to realize that once God rescues sinners, his plan isn't to steer them beyond the gospel but to move them deeper into it. We never outgrow our need for the gospel. Because I am a daily sinner, I need God's daily distributions of grace that come my way as a result of the finished work of Christ.

I had become guilty (functionally, not theologically) of thinking the way many Christians think about Christian growth and progress. They think that becoming sanctified means that we become stronger and stronger, more and more competent. And, although we would never say it this way, we speak sometimes as if sanctification is growth beyond our need for Jesus and his finished work on our behalf. In other words, we tend to think of justification as step one and sanctification as step two. And once we get to step two, we never need to go back to step one. We needed Jesus a lot for justification. We need him less for sanctification.

I was becoming frustrated with myself because I realized that I was not as sturdy and unquestioning as I thought I should be. The pressure I put on myself to exhibit strength and faithfulness was proving to expose my frailty and faithlessness. What kind of Christian leader was I? How could I allow these circumstances to get me down the way they had? Where was my faith? Where was my trust in God?

Martin Luther defined sin as "mankind turned inward." And sadly, the way I had come to understand the nature of the Christian life had become terribly narcissistic. I was spending too much time thinking about how I was doing, if I was learning everything I was supposed to be learning during this difficult season, whether I was doing it right or not. I was spending way too much time pondering my failure and brooding over my momentary spiritual successes. In short, I was spending way too much time thinking about me and what I needed to do and far too little time thinking about Jesus and what he had already done. And what I discovered is that the more I focused on my need to get better, the worse I actually got—I became neurotic and self-absorbed. Preoccupation with my performance instead of Christ's performance for me was making me increasingly self-centered and morbidly introspective. This is the opposite of how the Bible describes what it means to be sanctified.

The truth I was learning through fiery trials is that Christian growth is coming to the realization of just how weak and incompetent we are and how strong and competent Jesus continues to be for us. Spiritual maturity is not marked by our growing, independent fitness. Rather, it's marked by our growing dependence on Christ's fitness for us. When we stop narcissistically focusing on our need to get better, that is what it means to get better. When we stop obsessing over our need to improve, that is what it means to improve! After all, the apostle Peter began to sink only when he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on "how he was doing." Sanctification is forgetting about ourselves; it involves receiving Christ's words, "It is finished" into our rebellious regions of unbelief.

faith alone but not by a faith that is alone

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

In last Sunday's message on 03.18.12, we looked at James 2:14-26. We identified and worked to resolve an "apparent'" conflict between Pau's insistence on justification by faith alone apart from works and James's statement in James 2:24 . . .

You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

As promised, here are selected slides from the message for your continued reflection. . .

James 2:14-26 slide deck

View more presentations from ttheule

I'm using for the first time slideshare.com. Pretty neat, huh?

I Asked the Lord

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

I've been enjoying the incredible music of Indelible Grace after hearing them at the Gospel Coaltion Conference last year. Of late, our family has been digging the double album entitled "The Hymn Sing: Live in Nashville."

This song's been ringing in my heart . . .

A"Monday Song" for sure. Has the Lord "crossed your fair designs"? Has He "laid you low"? Has He made you "feel the hidden evils of your heart"?

Perhaps you're feeling that way today . . . or were yesterday . . . or will be tomorrow?

Hang in there. . . He desires you to seek your all in Him!

India Reflections | Sean & Lindsey Cheney

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

This is #4 in this week's series of reflections from our recent team to North India. Read down the page to catch some more.

We've known Sean & Lindsey Cheney for over 15 years. Sean, as punk high school student, was in the very first discipleship group I lead at my former church. Lindsey came along and started babysitting our kids. I had the joy of marrying them and then dedicating each of their kids. When we were called to the Central Coast, they felt called to the Central Coast, too! Going to India together was really just the next step in following Jesus through life together. Here are their reflections . . .

To our friends and family, of which we are so thankful for........

We are writing to tell you of our great experience in India. To tell you about this trip is hard to even know where to start, but we want you to know your support and investment in us is not returning void. Our personal lives and world perspectives are changed forever. We come back completely blown away by the Empart organization and their strategic approach to spreading the message of Christ to God's people in India, Nepal and other surrounding regions. (http://www.empartusa.org/) We are so thankful for the support you all provided us, both financially and in prayer. Thank you! Below are two letters, one from Sean and one from Lindsey. Our apologies for the delay in getting this out, between illnesses, both of us having to take separate business trips just after getting back, etc..... its been a long re-entry process. Glad to be back and here we go......

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The trip went smoothly for all 10 of us that went, with no major hang ups and no major sicknesses (at least while we were there.... we all ended up with Delhi Belly once we returned home). We began our trip in Delhi, then over to Varanasi, then to Patna, then to Agra (site of the Taj), back to Delhi and home. India is a crazy place compared to the American culture we are used to. It is crazy busy (highest population density per mile), noisy (non-stop honking by all), dirty (they have no trash system), smoggy (weather was "clear" every day, but we seldom saw the sun), spiritual (Hinduism and worship of many idols/gods seen everywhere), chaotic (no traffic lanes/laws, lots of people and various animal types in the streets).......... just overall so radically different!

The intention of the trip was to "see and serve" our brothers and sisters within Empart..... beyond our culture shock, this is what we did. For most, including myself before this trip, this is a hard "missions" concept to understand as Americans. We are typical "do'ers" and short term trips usually have a building type event to speak of. We were not building any homes, working in a hospitals, painting at orphanages, etc...... These are all good things to do, but this trip was different. The reality is that Empart does not need Americans and our ideals of what missions typically are, rather they are doing missions already in a way that understands Indian culture far better than we do and responds to the great commission and the call to reach the unreached, to make disciples that make disciples. Our "mission" in going was to see the what and how of Empart and serve by coming along side and encouraging them in what they are doing. We had great opportunity to do so with lots of time together with the pastors in training at the various training centers. We were able to sit in and hear them worship, which was some of the most passionate worship I have experienced, even through the language barrier. We got to hear the pastors leading the centers preach to the pastors in training, with translation, and we were impressed by the quality of the biblical teaching these guys are getting. All of us on the team got to teach as well and offer encouraging words to the pastors in training. We got to go out to a village where a pastor, who had been through the Empart training center, was back in the field and has a handful of churches established within the local villages. We visited the home of a pastor who has taken in 8 orphaned boys and is caring for them as part of his ministry to the local community, these boys were so precious and obviously so loved. In the village we went to, there was also a sewing center in action. This sewing center was a highlight for us to get to see for obvious crafty connection reasons, but also another example of such a great strategic ministry Empart is undergoing, this time with the women of the village, women teaching women, both trade skills and the gospel at the same time.

I come back convinced that supporting an indigenous organization like this is an effective use of missions funds. An indigenous organization has a cultural "get-it factor" that outsiders do not always have. India has the highest number of unreached people groups in the world today and is an emerging nation as we all know. The church planting movement is alive and well in India. Therefore, India holds a crucial place in regards to the effort to spread the gospel and the advancement of Gods kingdom. That said, I believe our church is investing wisely.

As for our personal experience, again it is hard to put in to words, but Lindsey and I are both changed forever, both life perspective in general and also in regards to perspective of God's church.....God's people in every nation, tribe and tongue around the world. Even though we were at great odds with the Indian people due to differences in culture, language, looks, etc... we were unified in Christ through the Gospel and through worship together. And though it looks much different here than it does in India, I cant help but see the same need in the states to reach the lost right here at home. We all share in the same calling.

A few additional take-aways:

- God's hand is at work in huge ways, all around the globe. Experiencing the immensity of this makes me realize more than before that He does not need little me at all to accomplish His will/plan in this world. Even though He does not need to, the Lord uses His people in many different ways to accomplish His redeeming work. What a pleasure to be a part of it if we are so lucky. This is the mentality our friends at Empart are living out......

- We learned much about Hinduism and it was very interesting. Like most all other religions in the world, the concentration of their worship is based around works and working one's way up a ladder of favor to the gods. In this case, in the belief of reincarnation/kharma and the hopeful positive effect on the next life. But for now, the last life has called its destiny upon the current one and everyone is stuck where they are in this life. This also shed some light on the ability for the caste system to remain so strongly. All of this also highlighted the freedom and opportunity we westerners have and take for granted every day.

- I am so greatful for Christ's redeeming work on the cross. The "work" has been done, now we are free to respond joyfully.

- Our hearts are clearly being tugged towards the sewing center ministry within Empart. It is obvious to see the close connection it has to Lindsey's business and skill set. But also, it is such a strategic opportunity to minister to women who might be otherwise hopeless in culture and status. Empart can put a woman in place, gathering a dozen ladies at a time (2X per year), providing them with a sewing machine ($75 ea) and training them up in both trade skills and the gospel simultaneously. Its counter-cultural, its underground, its strategic, its effective. This is a place we are confident God has called us to connect the dots, come along side and support. (Yes, this is a mini plug for an opportunity to come on Lindsey's blog for you to also support this cause.)

So there is so much more to tell and its hard to put it all in to words. I want to attach a few images from the hundreds we took on the trip, but too hard t just pic a few. You can check into Lindsey's blog as she has started to post about a day at a time and will continue to do so. She'll tell you more about that in her letter below.

Please feel free to call or email back with any further questions you have about the trip, about the Empart organization, or otherwise.

Thanks again for your prayers and support, we are so thankful.

(Extra special mention to those who helped us with the kiddos while we were gone!)

Through Christ alone,

Sean Cheney

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Dear friends and family!

I first want to say thank you. Thank you to all of you who supported us on this trip, both in prayer and financially. I have been humbled by the support we have been given, the encouraging words via emails and in person and over the phone. God’s timing was perfect in placing so many of you in our paths to say just the right thing at the right time.

To summarize our trip in just one letter would be impossible, but I am going to do my best. I will be much more long-winded on my blog over the next few weeks (or more), so if you’d like play-by-play details, be sure to check in there (www.thepleatedpoppy.com). You can click the button that says “India” towards the bottom of the right hand side bar. (Or link here: http://thepleatedpoppy.com/category/india/)

I think the word I used most on this trip was “overwhelmed”. As we drove from the airport in Delhi to our hotel on the first night, we were thrown full force into the chaos of Indian life – unbelievable traffic (pedestrians, bikes, motorcycles, bicycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, taxis, cars and buses, not to mention a handful of cows, goats and dogs thrown into the mix). We sped past children wandering alone, tiny shanties leaning against the walls, small groups clustered around fires to keep warm, and wedding celebrations parading in the middle of it all! We moved so quickly I had hardly any time to see it all, let alone process it quickly enough.

Again I was overwhelmed by our first visit to a training center, where about 25 men welcomed us with leis and praise music, clapping and dancing. We got to sit in on their training to be pastors with a vision for multiplication and church planting. Empart’s goal of planting 100,000 churches in northern India is going to be reached by these men! I was overwhelmed by the sacrifices these men had made and will make, and their dedication to the vision and the gospel. I was very challenged to reconsider aspects of my own life and how I can make more sacrifices in order to propel the gospel, both in India and back at home.

The highlight of our trip was visiting a sewing center. We traveled for about an hour outside of the city, past a number of tiny villages, finishing in a small community where brick making was the primary way of life. We walked down a path past the brick-makers (all made by hand), between mud huts and other small homes, and saw a group of colorfully dressed women in the center of the small village, sitting on a mat made of grain and rice sacks spread out on the ground. With only 3 sewing machines and 1 teacher, this was the sewing center. Ten women were learning a trade so they could rise from poverty and support their families, to become tailors, all the while hearing the gospel from their teacher. Ever since first hearing about this ministry I knew this was something I wanted to support. I am going to set a plan to support these women regularly through my business, most likely beginning with a commitment of buying one sewing machine a month for the graduates of the Sew & Sow centers.

Before we left for our trip, we found it difficult to explain why we were going. Typically, when westerners go on a short term missions trip we are going for a specific, tangible purpose, like to build an orphanage or something of that sort. But we were to “go and see”. We were sent to encourage the training pastors and catch a vision of what Empart is doing in Northern India and to bring that vision back to you! Empart doesn’t need us to teach them how to spread the gospel, how to worship, or how to plant churches. What they do need is 1) our prayers and 2) our support. As white people in India, we were seen as rich, just because our skin is white. And they were right. We are rich beyond measure, not only in our ability to simply provide for our families, but in our freedom to worship whenever and wherever we want, to not fear for our lives as Christians. As a 3^rd world country, the Indian people need our support to further the gospel in their world.

We’d love to share the details of our trip with you in person (got a spare 2 hours for a slideshow ?) or for you to check out more detailed posts on my blog. Again, thank you so much for sending us and for making it possible to catch a vision for what God is doing in Northern India!

xoxo

Lindsey

India Trip Reflections | Dan & Leslie Woods

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Here's #3 in this week's series of reflections from our recent India Team. This one's from Dan & Leslie Woods. Dan & Leslie celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary by going to India with our team. Dan is not only a good friend, but as an orthopedic surgeon, has fixed me up after more than one fall on my mountain bike. Together Dan & Leslie have loved on our family since we arrived here on the Central Coast in 2003. It was a ton of fun to have them on the trip and to see them stepping out in faith. . .

Leslie and I want to thank you for your prayer and financial support in making this trip to India with Empart possible. The trip was indeed life changing in many respects.

The times of fellowship with the other team members and Pastor Tim were invaluable. Each morning over and after breakfast we would discuss a chapter of “Real Life Discipleship”. As we got into the book and then visited the pastor training centers and the other ministry settings, we could see how God was using Empart to advance the gospel through the model that Jesus used in training his disciples.

Visiting the Varanasi and Patna Pastors Training Centers and getting to worship and share with these brothers in Christ was especially rewarding. We could see such a difference in the spirits, smiles and warmth that permeated these young men as contrasted with the Hindu and Muslim people of these towns. There was an immediate affinity with them.

Dan:

One of the highlights of the trip for me was visiting the home of a pastor who was caring for seven orphaned young boys. There was so much joy in their faces as they met with us. The pastor and his lovely wife were so calm and loving. This was reflected in how well the boys were behaved and showed affection for each other.

I am committed to praying specifically for the student pastors and pastor—teachers that we worshiped and visited with.

I grew up on the mission field of Japan, having lived there from age 5 to 18. I also spent three months working in a mission hospital in Swaziland Southern Africa between my college and medical school years. As a result, I have had more exposure than most to the mission field. Although I enjoyed and greatly benefited from my three months in Africa at the mission hospital, I came away from that experience disillusioned with the idea of spending my career as a missionary doctor. I felt that the needs medically were so great that there would be little time for ministry. While there may have been a great harvest going on, I didn’t see it.

In contrast, my experience with Empart this last 10 days in India was a real encouragement. Seeing how the local people are being trained to share the gospel, start home churches, take in orphans and tend to the mentally ill and the sick, inspired me to continue my involvement with Empart. Partnering with Empart to train up an army of church planters to reap the harvest of northern India seems to be an effective method of evangelism and was exciting to see.

Sitting in the crowded classroom/chapel in Varanasi with pastor Ashok Masih, experiencing the worship and seeing the devotion of the young pastors in training is an experience I will not soon forget.

Having grown up overseas and traveling extensively, I can honestly say that India was in the last place on my ‘bucket list’ of places to visit. I am so glad that I went and saw first hand what God is doing in Northern India through Empart.

Leslie:

I sincerely believe that the Lord prompted me to go on this trip to India to meet those involved in the Empart ministry that Grace is supporting. I honestly did not want to go unless I was guided by the Lord because I didn't want to just go on an adventure to India, a place that seemed very foreign, dirty and a little dangerous and scary. But the warm greeting of gratitude, smiles, interactive teaching, relationships between teachers and students as well as the love shown to the orphaned children by the pastor's wife were examples to me of the authenticity of this ministry. The students are definitely learning the bible, which was evident by how they quickly flipped through their bibles to find verses. The students also responded showing prior knowledge as to the concepts and bible stories we presented in the devotionals that the ten of us on the Grace team presented. The earnest joy showed in the young men's faces as they sang in worship, clapping and praising, also when they prayed was evidence of the Lord in the students hearts.

What a blessed opportunity for the selected twenty-five students who go through each class at Patna and at the other Empart schools. The neighborhoods and "towns" around the schools in Patna and Varansi are indescribably poor, dirty and trashed. The Empart students are being given an education, a purpose in ministry and a hope for their own spiritual growth as well as the chance to change their communities for God's glory. The young men get bare bones housing, basic food and all have chores at the teaching center which must keep expenses to a minimum. From the classroom teaching and the organization of our travel arrangements/guides to the formal student graduation that we experienced, Empart seems to be running their ministry very well.

I am grateful to have gone to India with such a great group of people from our church. I think that the trip was benficial for me to see the authenticity of this ministry and I believe that the bonds I made with two teacher's wives, a young girl in the orphan home, a fourteen year old girl who cooked in the kitchen after the graduation ceremonies, and a smiling graduating student are the people who I intend to pray for diligently having been on this trip.

Leslie and I believe that these short term mission trips are an invaluable experience and will benefit not only those of us that went on the trip and the people we visited, but the Grace Church body as a whole.

Thank you again for your support,

Sincerely,

Dan and Leslie Woods

Let's "Trade"

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

I've got a couple more India Reflection Reports, but today check this out. I love it. . .

HT: my friend, Deb Laurie

India Trip Reflections | Kris & Brittany Couch

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Here's some post trip refelctions from Kris & Brittany Couch. These guys have been attending GraceSLO for about 5 years, but have just recently started getting more involved. Terrific folks. It was fun to get to know them better. Unfortunately, Kris & Brittany were not able to be a part of the Forum due to a death in the family.

We have just returned from our trip in India. It really was an amazing experience. When we set out, we didn't really know what to expect. It wasn't easy knowing what was ahead of us, but looking back now part of the joy came from the unexpected. It is also difficult to wrap up all of our experiences in a short letter like this. We hope to share more (including photos) but wanted to give you a quick highlight of how things went.

There was certainly some growth and challenges that came from the travel requirements alone. We covered planes, trains, buses, cars, and both motorized and bicycle rickshaws. And somehow, we were transported from San Luis Obispo, California to the country-side of a remote area in Northern India. Within days of leaving home, we found ourselves worshipping with future pastors on the floor of a crowded, small, concrete house. We were able to visit with a group of women being empowered with the skill of sewing. And we were welcomed into a children's home where orphaned boys are loved and taken care of.

In all cases, we were greeted with smiling faces. We were their honored guests. It was such a joy to be with them and learn together. We were completely humbled by their willingness to share with us when they had very little. And we were struck by their contentment despite what we would perceive as a poor environment. In some ways this was difficult. (Indoors would mean small, musty, dark rooms while outdoors would mean kids playing in and around heaps of trash and human/animal waste.) But in other ways it challenged our assumptions on what we need to be comfortable and happy.

As we were encouraged by participating in all of this, we were able to encourage our new friends as well. Through a translator, we were able to speak several times (I spoke from Isaiah 40 and Brittany shared about Elijah at Mt. Carmel) and had many opportunities to connect with the students who will be the future pastors of Northern India.

There is so much that happened in our short trip. I hope we will be able to share more with you as we get settled again. I know we learned a lot, and we are still discussing ways that it will change our priorities and how we view things here. For now though we just wanted to let you know that we feel blessed to have been able to go on this journey and see first-hand what God is doing in India. And we want to extend a special thanks for all of your support and prayers.

With love,
Kris and Brittany

India Trip Reflections | David Beals

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:16:00 GMT

Last week just got by me in terms of blog posting. I'm going to try to do better this week. . . .

As a follow to our India Trip Panel, I thought I'd post some of the follow up letters from members of our team. We ask short termers sent from GraceSLO to put together a follow up letter for the Missions Team. The first is from Dave Beals. . .

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can’t say thank you enough for all of your prayers, for taking myself and the rest of my team to the throne while we were in India. I also wanted to thank you for financially supporting me on the trip. Without your prayer and financial support, the trip would not have been a success.

It’s been about a week since our team returned from India, and I wanted to share with you about my experience. First, the flight to India was long, really long. We left LA the morning of the 1^st, and arrived in Delhi the evening of the 2^nd. The next day we had to fly to Varanasi. We arrived in the late afternoon and took taxis to the Ganges River to take a short boat ride. It was interesting (and sad) to see the Hindu worship at the river, so many lost souls.

The morning of the 4^th was the first time we got to meet the church planters at the training center (TC). It was so encouraging to see the joy on the faces of the students at the TC. We had an opportunity to share with the class, and with the use of an interpreter, I got to share with them about my love for scripture memorization and how I saw my father doing it as a child, and challenge them to continue the practice. Over the next two days, our team shared with the students, we visited a sewing center, a children’s home, and we got to worship with the students at the training center. At the sewing centers, a few women in a village are taught how to sew (with a manual sewing machine) and through the sewing center the gospel message is allowed to be brought to the village. The women are not required to be Christians to learn to sew, only that they listen to the gospel. When they graduate from the training, the women are provided with a sewing machine so that they can help provide for their families. It was great to attend church on Sunday morning with the students at the TC. Tim opened the word with them, and we once again got to listen to our brothers worship in Hindi, by songs that were written by one of the teachers. Our time at this TC was short, but I think the students were encouraged to know that there are believers in California praying for and with them, so that the gospel would be proclaimed in all of Northern India.

On the 5^thof February, we traveled by train to from Varanasi to Patna. We spent three sweet days with the church planters in Patna, two days at their training center, and one day at their graduation ceremony. The first day, the driver of the car I was in had trouble finding the TC, so when we arrived a little late, I walked in hearing the beautiful melody of the students worshiping through song. It was awesome. We didn’t get an opportunity to do our service project in Patna because we were bringing to much attention to the TC. The TC was very open about being Christian, and they definitely worshiped loud enough for their neighbors to hear, but the presence of a lot of Americans outside, we were told, could be dangerous for the believers (they kept shooing us inside). It was disappointing to not get to work for them, but the afternoon off was great for me as I was able to get a little more sleep and edit what I would be sharing the next day.

The second day, at the graduation, I once again had the opportunity to share about the importance of scripture memorization, but this time to a much bigger group. Two classes were graduating, and some of the pastors from previous classes had arrived early for the graduation ceremony. I once again got to open the word with about 100 of my brothers and sisters and share with them about the importance of scripture memorization. When I was done, the translator challenged the pastors to continue to memorize scripture throughout their lives. We shared lunch with all of the pastors, and although it was difficult trying to communicate without a translator, lunch was great. Pastor Tim actually had the opportunity to share the gospel during lunch with one of our taxi drivers from the hotel. I saw him using a salt and pepper shaker, and a water bottle to explain how we are separated from God by our sin and how Christ bridges the gap. A number of us prayed outside while Tim was sharing with our driver, whose name was Rev, and he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior that day. It was great to get to connect him immediately with a pastor in the area, but was disappointed that he wasn’t around the next day to drive us to the TC. We saw about 50 students graduate that night between the 2 classes (about 25 in both the 4^th class, and in the current class). The ceremony was very formal, Pastor Tim got to share, and a couple others in our group also gave them a short challenge as they head out to plant their own churches. It was quite a long ceremony (like everything in India), but I had a wonderful time.

Our third day with the students at the TC in Patna was much like the first day. We worshiped with the students, a few of us opened the word with them, and then we ate lunch with the pastor and his wife Indian style, no silverware required. It was fun. After lunch, we prayed for the students, then they prayed for us, and we visited the pastor’s home for a few minutes. Our time at the training center went too quickly, and we were off to the airport to fly back to Delhi.

Our last day in India was spent in Agra, touring the Taj Mahal and Red Fort, and going to an outdoor market. It was fun, and helped us justify our tourist visas, but in my opinion, the trip would have still been complete even without visiting one of the “new” seven wonders of the world. The day also made for a very long last day in India. Including traveling home, I slept just 9 hours out of the last 83 hours I was in India or traveling, and 4 hours in the last 54. I was one tired individual when I finally returned home … and slept for 20 straight hours.

While we were in India, we also had time as a group (over breakfast) to talk about discipleship as we read the book “Real Life Discipleship”. One of the last commandments we were given, in Matthew 28 was to go out and make disciples of all nations … I learned a lot about what makes a disciple (following Christ, being changed by Christ, and committed to Jesus’ mission to save people from their sin). We talked a lot about being intentional about making disciples, which got me thinking about my ministry with the youth. It also really opened my eyes to what was happening in India. Before I left, I don’t know that I truly understood how Empart’s vision of establishing 100,000 churches in Northern India and Nepal by 2030 was really possible. After visiting two training centers and meeting the teachers and a few directors, I think I understand how this vision is attainable. They are committed to making disciples, who make disciples. The only way 100,000 churches can be established, is if the pastors are intentional about training others to become pastors who will train others who will share the gospel. This is what is happening, and is the model that the church in India is using. The pastors are intentional about finding others in their churches that have the gift of teaching, and they encourage them to go to a TC and establish their own church. I spoke with one of the regional directors, and he shared with me that in the Bihar Region, there are 565 pastors that are overseeing 1985 churches. Awesome!

So what did I learn from my trip to India? Many things, including how I am torn between my desire to want to return to India and reunite with the teachers at the training centers, and encourage the new students, and my desire to have every Christian I know witness first hand what God is doing in India. I would love to see the short term trips that Grace leads fill up every year with new people, so that they can encourage the young pastors, and can be encouraged by what God is doing in India. Like I said before, I also realized that I need to be more intentional with the students I lead in my bible study. I need to challenge them more often, provide them opportunities to lead their friends in bible study, and help them see the value in investing in the lives of others. It was an amazing 10 days, and I’m still processing many things. I pray that I won’t forget the things I learned while I was in India, and during my preparation. I would love to share more with any of you, both the specific details of my interactions with those at the TC, the sewing centers, and the children’s home, and with some of the other experiences we had; bicycle rickshaw rides, auto rickshaw rides, running in India, outdoor marketplace experience, the Taj Mahal, etc.

Thanks again for all of your support. Please don’t hesitate to ask me anything. I love sharing about my experiences in India.

In His Grip,

David ‘Kumar’ Beals

We think "kumar" is what a title applied to single men in the Bihar region, but we could be wrong! It was a joy to get to know David better. He's a terrific leader, a Godly guy and committed to the Great Commission.

And ladies . . . David is single and would be a great catch for any Godly gal!

MC 2012, Post #4: Empart's Discipleship Strategy

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:48:00 GMT

Sunday we'll hear from our recent India Team and get another peak into the ministry of Empart. As a preview, check out this great email from my friend, Jeff Canon, the Director for Empart, USA explaining the discipleship strategy of Empart. . .

A 24 / 7 / 365 Brand of Discipleship

"Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13)

The Jewish leaders of the first century considered the Apostles to be utterly unqualified for religious leadership. Their assessment of Peter and John could not have been more mistaken! These men, and the rest of the Apostolic band, had lived with Jesus for 3 years. They underwent a 24/7/365 brand of discipleship that gave them the character and the motivation to turn the world upside down.

Our Empart Church Planters undergo a one year live-in discipleship program not unlike the way Jesus trained the 12. By nature, this training is highly relational, allowing the trainer and his family to get to know each student in a way no US seminary can match. By participating in weekly evangelism and outreach, and planting a church during their year of study, they are well prepared for the rigors of life in an unreached village.

We equip our students with a number of practical skills that will help them connect with the people among whom they minister. We also partner with other organizations like The Gideons for the written Scriptures and Faith Comes By Hearing for Audio Bibles that allow us to reach into tribal areas where our pastors don't share a common language with the people.

As you may know, the average Empart Church Planter will establish 3 churches in his first 5 years of ministry. We define a church as a gathering of believers that has at least 12 baptized members, meets weekly for worship and instruction by one of our pastors, and is intentional in its own outreach to the next village. That means that, at a minimum, one graduating class from one of our 21 Transformation Centers will have a part in seeing 720 new converts added to the Kingdom in 5 years.

These numbers are quite exciting to consider. Just think of the impact we can have when all 100 of our planned Centers are in operation! We invite you to join us in supporting this vital ministry. Your gift of any amount to our Transformation Centers will help keep the lights on and food on the table as we train and equip the next generation of Christian leaders.

As we support them through our prayers and our giving, we are truly co-laborers in Christ. How exciting it will be to meet these dear brothers and sisters for worship at the Throne of Grace in Heaven. May their tribe increase!

And here's a recent Empart video describing a recent incident of persecution. I recognized some of these dear brothers and the training center looked very much like the one's I've visited . . .

MC 2012, Post #3: My Favorite Missions Books

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:28:00 GMT

Here are 4 books that God has used in my life to stir my heart and further my thinking about global missions . . .

Bruchko by Bruce Olson: I read this book back in high school and God used it to open my heart to global missions for the first time. Captivating. I would like to read it again some time, or maybe with my kids.

Peace Child by Don Richardson: This book introduced me to the concept of "redemptive analogies" . . .the idea that God has hardwired all cultures for receptivity of the Gospel. Fascinating stuff.

Let The Nations Be Glad by John Piper: God used this book to help me understand global missions in light of the glory of God and the spread of His praise. Excellent and theologically rich.

Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer: Technically not a book about missions, but about the broader topic of evangelism. God used ESOG to help me understand evangelism in relation to the sovereignty of God in salvation. Packer helpfully answers the question, if God is sovereign, why do we need to share our faith . . . or, for that matter, evangelize the nations?

Madness by Jossy Chocko: God used this book to help me understand the need and strategic opportunity of North India right now.

And as a bonus, I'll give you one that's on my "To Read" list. . . . soon. . .

When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikker: I've heard great things about this book from a number of people. Some of our India Team have read it and we had some great discussions about its concepts while in-country. I will read this in 2012.

The GraceSLO library definitely has some of these books, but it should have all of them. (I know our library gals read the blog, so I'll bet they'll rectify this soon!)

I'd love to hear about missions books that God has used in your life. Leave me your list in a comment.

2012 MC: unfamiliar vocabulary

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:36:00 GMT

(This is part 2 in a blog series this week coinciding with our 2012 Missions Conference.)

Tuesday morning in our staff meeting, during our weekly "God @ Work" discussion, I was encouraged to hear about some of the missionary's visits with Growth Groups that have happened already this week.

We had a few extras at our Growth Group Monday night, so it made for a full and fun evening together. Jake & Jen Tarr and their son, Ethan, joined us for a discussion of what God is doing through CRU (formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ) down at U.C. Santa Barbara. As an alumnus of UCSB and CRU at UCSB, I was encouraged to hear that the work of God is going forward and lives are being changed. God used those days on campus to move me toward my current calling!

Here's a pic of our crazy Growth Group as we rush the dinner fixins' . . . coldcut sandwhiches last night . . .

I was a little surprised when one of the folks in our Growth Group said, "I didn't know that CRU did outreach and evangelism. I thought they only did Bible studies." Then a friend from another Growth Group mentioned to me that someone in their group asked, "What is Wycliffe?"

I was reminded again of the great diversity of GraceSLO. It's a wonderful thing. This is what we want!

I was reminded again of our ongoing proclivity to make assumptions. We all do it continually. We make a great effort as a leadership team to "assume less, explain more", but we're still assuming too much. We're still talking over people's heads.

So here are some misisons terms you may be hearing, but are not sure what they mean. . .

Disciple: The word means "learner." But in the New Testament, "disciple" is another word for "Christian". A disciple is one who is 1. Actively following Jesus, 2. Being changed by Jesus, 3. Committed to the mission of Jesus to make more disciples.
The Great Commission: In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus, after His resurrection from the dead, gathered his followers (disciples!) to him and gives them a mission to "make disciples of all nations". This is the abiding and ongoing mission of all Christians and every local church. Everything we do as a church ought to tie back to this mission. This, too, is the motivation for global missions.
Church Planting: The establishment and founding of new churches. Church planting is the primary New Testament model for making disciples. In other words, when Jesus said "go and make disciples of all the nations" the way that happened in the New Testament was first through evanglism/proclamation of the Gospel which led to the founding and establishment of new churches in new locales. These churches then became the vehicle for ongoing discipleship in that location.

Unreached People: A people group defined by language and culture with a very small % of Christians (disciples!) and no multiplying or self sustaining church among them. An unreached people may or may not have all or part of the Bible translated into their spoken language. Unreached peoples are an important priority/focus in thinking about the Great Commission because the Bible predicts a great day when a worshpping people from every nation, tribe and tongue will be gathered around the throne of God to worship Him forever. Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, "This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." This defines the Great Commission as a definable, finishable task.
Indigenous Church Planting: The establishment of churches among a people group by people from within that people group. Often missionaries from outside a people group will work to establish indigenous church planting. Indigenous church planting is desirable because it provides the greatest possibility of cultural contextualization and sustainability over the long haul.
Church Planting Movements: Strategic, intentional church planting efforts focussed on rapid multiplication of churches among people groups. Empart, the ministry we support in North India aims to spark and support a church planting movement among unreached peoples in South Asia. Church planting movements are a new concept to me, but I was fascinated and learned a ton by reading HERE.
Contextualized Gospel Ministry: Ministry that respects and connects with, instead of violates and tramples, the unique forms and expressions of a given culture. The Gospel both transcends and challenges all cultures. As we present the Gospel, we want to be careful to not export and impose our culture on another culture, but look for connections and ways to present the Gospel using the ways/expressions of that culture we are trying to reach. It's not always easy, but it's important.
Wycliffe Bible Translators (http://www.wycliffe.org/): Wycliffe's vision is to make "God's Word accessible to all peoples in the language of their heart." Bible translation is a foundational ministry that lays the ground work for disciplemaking and indigenous church planting.
CRU (Formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) (http://www.ccci.org/): CRU has nothing to do with the crusades of the middle ages. CRU began as a disciplemaking ministry to students on university campuses, but has now spread into a multi-faceted global ministry.

Empart (http://www.empartusa.org/): A church planting movement/ministry GraceSLO supports in North India, whose big, bold goal is to plant 100,000 churches in North India by the year 2030. Currently we support a training center that trains 25 live-in church planters for a year and then sends them out to plant churches. So far, we have sent 4 teams to North India to see, support and encourage the work of God in North India.

That's probably a good start. GraceSLO supports a bunch of other missionaries serving with a variety of other parachurch organizations around the globe. For more informaiton about these people or the orgs they serve with, be sure to grab our 2012 Missionary Prayer & Care Guide in the courtyard this Sunday.

Also, the U.S Center for World Missions website contains a wealth of cutting edge information about what's happening around the globe.

If you've heard us toss around a word or term that you're not familiar with it, let me know in a comment and I'll take a crack at defining and clarifying it . . .

2012 Missions Conference: 02.26.12 Forum

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:52:00 GMT

(Note: This is the first in what I hope will be a week- long series of posts related to global missions as part of our 2012 Missions Conference)

Sunday was fun. For the first week of our 2012 Missions Conference we did an in-service conversation with a select group of our visiting missionaries. I worked hard to compile a list of questions that addressed contemporary questions/issues concerning global missions. Quite honestly, these are the questions I and our leadership are currently grappling with.

The feedback has been positive. If you missed it, you can enjoy the audio for either service here. I asked overlapping, but also some different questions between the two services . . .

9:00 AM service audio

10:45 AM service audio

And here, also, is the whole set of questions I put together. Even between the two services, I didn't get them all asked, but I thought you might benefit from the peak into my head and heart. . .

Where has the Lord placed you and how did He lead you to your field of ministry? Describe your day-to-day work. Give us your 60 second elevator pitch.
One of the things we say often is “Everything we do is mission, whether locally or globally. Our shared mission is the Great Commission; to make disciples who will make disciples. This is why we exist.” How do you personally tie your ministry back to the disciple making commission of Jesus? How is what you do on a daily basis related to making disciples who will make disciples?

What is the relationship between the Great Commission charge to make disciples and church planting? How do those two things relate to one another?
Where do we see the Spirit of God at work in the world today? Are there more fruitful harvest fields in the world today and do you think it’s appropriate to focus resources toward fruitful harvests?
What are “unreached peoples” and why should they be a focus in global missions?
What is an "indigenous church planting movement?” Why and how should we support them?
Why is bible translation foundational for laying the groundwork for future church planting?

Why is university ministry a strategic place of ministry to reach unreached peoples?
Supporting missionaries on the field is glamorous and exciting, yet so much of missions today involves administrative and technical support of missionaries on the front lines. This can be a tough sell for potential supporters. Can you address this issue and tell us why is valuable and worthwhile to support "missionaries" who serve in the support roles/functions?
The world is changing. Missions is changing. What do you think about the viability and effectiveness of sending western missionaries to foreign fields today? In what situations is that appropriate and when should we avoid it?

Is the call of global missions today "Go" or "Support" or “Partner” or a combination?
What is the place/value/benefit of short term teams in global missions today? Should we spend the money to send short term teams? Or should we just send the money instead of the team?
The Great Commission is about making disciples who will make disciples. This is what Jesus did. This is the commission He gave. A vision for multiplication is built into the Great Commission. Yet why do so many churches and even mission organizations lose sight of this multiplication focus and comfortably settle? How do we move our local churches and missions efforts back to this strategic multiplication focus?
Describe your vision for local church involvement in global missions today. What would/could that look like to you? In other words, how can we, “the blessed”. . . . “be a blessing”?
If our mission is the shared mission of being and making disciples of Jesus, then do you have any input for us as we seek to obey and fulfill our mission here on the Central Coast? What should that look like from your perspective?

This Sunday we'll do something similar involving a panel of our recent short term team to India. If you'd like to submit a question for our team in a comment, I will definitely consider asking it. Also, I'd love to hear what you thought of last Sunday's conversation.

Brussels & Bible App

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:09:00 GMT

In last Sunday's Message from James 1:18-27 entitled "Doers" I mentioned our new favorite super food . . . brussel sprouts.

(Aren't you curious why I was talking about brussel sprouts? Better LISTEN HERE to find out!)

I talked about how we "broil" brussel sprouts and how our family loves them. My wife, Susie, corrected me after the service and said, "We roast them! Don't tell people to broil them . . . that will not be good." So, consider this the correction. . . chop them in half or quarters, pour a little olive oil and salt and pepper them and then roast them in the oven at 400 for around 30 minutes. Here's what ours look like when their ready to enjoy. We love the crunchy edges. . .

In the message I also talked about how using a Bible App on your smart phone or tablet can make daily Bible reading just a little bit easier. I use the You Version Bible App. It looks like this on my screen

Here's what the app home screen looks like. . .

If you click ""Plans" there are lots to choose from. You can see here the two plans I use. I used the M'Cheyne plan last year and I'm using the ESV Study plan this year . . .

Here's a pic of today's reading. As you read the texts, the app automatically moves you to the next one and checks off the circle of the texts you've read. . . .

One of the things I like best about the app is it allows me to listen to the readings for the day. This is especially convenient if I happen to fall behind (and I do!). Often I will listen and read along as the narrator reads . . .

Anyway, give it a try and tell me what you think. If you use another app you like for daily Bible reading, I'd love to hear about it in a comment. Happy reading!

Greetings from India

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:34:00 GMT

Our team had an incredible day on yesterday.

After an early morning bicycle-rickshaw ride down to the Ganges river and auto-rickshaw ride back, we headed out to the Varanasi Church Planter Training Center.   This is what we were all waiting for. What a morning together with these dear believers!

We were greeted with singing, dancing and flower leis and then had a chance to share the Word and our hearts with these young, committed, passionate men in training.

Over the course of the meeting 6 of our team did an excellent job sharing what God had laid on their hearts to share with these men. One spoke from the story of Elijah confronting the prophets of Baal. One spoke about the importance of Scripture memory. Another spoke about the greatness of God and his care for us from Isaiah chapter 40. I spoke of the blessing of Abraham in Genesis 12 and its fulfillment in Christ and our shared mission to bring the blessing to the nations from Matthew 28.

Around 1:00 we left the training center and travelled around an hour to visit an Empart ladies sewing center. Again our hearts were stirred to see village women being simply taught to sew to provide for themselves. Many of these women don't yet know the Lord, but are hearing the Gospel day after day as they receive their training. This sewing center, like all Empart Sewing Centers, is the outgrowth of a local church, planted and pastored by a trained church planter.

Next we visited an Empart Children's Home, yet another expression of ministry of a local church. This home consisted of 8 boys, some orphaned, some who could not be cared for by their parents, living in the home of an Empart Church Planter, his wife and their 4 children. The boys were joyful and well behaved, and obviously very loved.

The work of God in North India came alive for our team today!   They all said, "Pictures and videos don't capture it. You have to see it for yourself."

Thanks for sending us to North India. You are partners in this Gospel work.   It is a great joy and privilege to share and serve these dear brothers and sisters who are giving their lives to bring the Gospel to the lost millions of North India. We will miss worshipping with you on Sunday, but know our hearts are with you. Tomorrow we will board a 5 hour train for the Training Center we as a church support in Patna.   Thanks for your prayers.

Because of and for the Gospel. . . Pastor Tim

How to Pray for our India Team

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:51:00 GMT

My friends, Jason and Christy, asked how they could pray for our India 2012 Team as we head out February 1-10. I thought I would share with the entire GraceSLO Family. Here's 6 ways to pray for us. . .

Pray for health and safety.
Pray for the care of families back home and that our team would be "fully present" in India and free from worry.
Pray for the quick cultural adjustment, flexibility and joy of our team.
Pray for the unity and personal growth for our team.
Pray that God would use us in a mighty way to encourage and serve our Indian brothers and sisters in Christ.
Pray that our team would catch a vision for the great commission of "making disciples who make disciples" both globally and back here in SLO . . . and that the vision might be contagious to you, the family of GraceSLO.

Some go, some give. . . all pray. Thanks for your part. . . Tim

consider it all joy . . . from a kid's perspective

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:25:00 GMT

On Sunday I preached on James 1:2-4 about "Trials". . . a text, like most of James, that is fairly familiar and staightforward, but worth considering again. . . .

This week I've been encouraged to hear about folks in so many Growth Groups sharing their lives, talking about their very real trials and grappling together about what it means to "consider it all joy." Very good stuff!

But I was especially touched by this note I received from a mom about how her child was thinking about and applying God's Word to their "trial." Here's the note, used by permission with names removed to protect the innocent . . .

Hi Tim,

Thanks for the great sermon yesterday! Our family was in second service, including my 8 year old son ?????, and I wanted to share with you a conversation he had with me yesterday afternoon.

I'd told ????? to clean his room and he wasn't happy about it. After about half an hour of complaining and procrastinating in his room he came into the living room with a smile on his face and he said to me, "Mommy, I've decided to do what he said in second service and I'm going to 'consider it pure joy' while I clean my room. " He then skipped back to his room and got it all cleaned up in about 15 minutes, all with a big smile on his face.

Now I'm fairly sure that neither you or James were thinking about room cleaning when you spoke of "trials," but I was tickled by ?????'s application of the sermon, and I thought you might be too.

I hope you have a happy Monday and thanks for all you do!

Sincerely,

?????

I love this. Here's why. . .

This 8 year old was in the worship service. (We are committed to Family Worship at GraceSLO!)
This 8 year old was listening to the message/text and "got it."
This 8 year old applied the message/text.
This 8 year old connected God's Word to his circumstance (we talked about that in the message).
This 8 year old realized he had a decision about how to see and experience his "trial."
This 8 year old decided to choose to "consider it all joy when he encountered the trial of cleaning his room."
This 8 years old was connected enough to his mom, to talk about God's Word and his processing of it.

This is what it's all about. This is following Jesus . . . for children . . . and adults. . . . regularly hearing God's Word (because it leaks and the world "preaches" to us continually) and seeking to apply in incremental ways to our life in the real world.

disciples who make disciples

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:09:00 GMT

Make Disciples.

That's the mission of the church (Matthew 28:18-20). This local church. . . GraceSLO. Every local church. Everything we do serves the purpose in some way. (If it doesn't, why are we doing it?)

Jesus said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19) Thats a call to discipleship. A disciple is one who is . . .

1. Following Jesus

2. Being changed by Jesus

3. Committed to the disciple-making mission of Jesus

We believe Growth Groups are settings for discipleship. We gather together to help one another follow Jesus, be changed by Jesus and commit together to the mission of Jesus.

(The endgame is disciples who make disciples. . . . not mere sermon rehashing. . . not simply care. . . not only prayer.)

This Winter both Tim Arlen and I are working hard to intentionally invest ourselves in our Growth Group shepherds. We want to be discipling the disciplemakers. To that end, we have created 4 weekly settings to connect, challenge and disciple current and potential shepherds.

I am meeting with shepherds . . .

• Tuesdays from 6:15 - 7:15 AM at Starbucks by Walmart In A.G.

• Thursdays from 6:30 - 7:30 AM in my office here at GraceSLO

Tim Arlen is meeting wth shepherds . . .

• Tuesday from 4 - 5 PM here at GraceSLO

• Wednesday from 6:30 -7:30 AM in my office at GraceSLO

These are awesome times together, sharing what's happening in our groups this quarter and talking about what it means to be be intentional disciplemakers. I come away encouraged every time we meet.

This quarter we have 36 faithful, growing shepherds. We need 50! If you are an aspring Growth Group shepherd, fire Tim Arlen an email at tima@graceslo.org. We want to have you join us in one of these settings this winter.

Here's a pic of our South County Shepherds meeting together this Tuesday. Love these guys. . . Glenn Oden, Jeff Martin, Kory Carroll, Matt Regusci, Cade Newman, Andy Gibson, Aaron Barker and myself. . .

Finally, here's a pic of Sean Cheney in action leading the kid's time in our Growth Group this last Monday night. This quarter, I'm trying to let all our guys take a turn leading, coaching them along the way. . .

Wednesday Musings

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:11:00 GMT

Random thoughts on this Wednesday. . .

As I meditate on James 1:2-4 this week in preparation for Sunday, I realize the more I read and study the Bible, the more and more appalling it becomes to me. The more and more comforting, too. But still shocking! (That sort of sounds like a sermon introduction . . . better save it!)
It was great to gather with our Growth Group for the first week of the quarter on Monday night. The kids dig it. We all need it. The longer we're together, the more relaxed and close we get, but we're also beginning to talk about splitting to create room for more. It will be hard and there will be grief, but Spring will come again!
Our attendance last Sunday was 144 more than the same Sunday one year ago and it was a 3 day holiday weekend. (The book of James or my email tease or what? Our staff often can't pinpoint our numbers swings.) Our numbers have been up this Fall for sure, We seem to be slowly growing. Thats fun and encouraging. I've learned to not get too excited about spikes and not too freaked out by the troughs. Is it more fun to worship in a crowded house with people sitting on the back stairs or is it more comfortable to have some elbow room? If the Lord should grow our numbers more, should we think about a 3rd service again or an overflow option? Keep reaching out and inviting folks you know! Keep welcoming folks around you at church that you don't know.
Our trip to India is just two weeks away. I've been focussed on the new year stuff and haven't been thinking about the trip much. I'm excited about spending some concentrated time with our team of 10 and being blown away at the work of God in North India.
We want to know about your use of technology at church. Click over to our facebook page and let us know. While you're there, like GraceSLO. (Are you using social media to share your faith and invite people into the body of Christ at GraceSLO? If not, why not?)
We had such a great time on vacation. Was it really only a couple of weeks ago. Here's a picture of my crew + a newphew. . . post surf. Good times!

Have a good Wednesday.

a first or fresh listen

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:26:00 GMT

(NOTE: This is part 4 in an ongoing, but occasional, blog series on our commitment to Covenant Membership. To read earlier posts in the series, CLICK HERE.)

So, you've recently started attending GraceSLO
and you've been hearing this buzz
about Covenant Membership. . .

You're wondering what its all about?

OR

You're a long time attender here at GraceSLO,
but you're still nervous and fearful or resistant
to the idea of church membership . . .

You're wondering if this is even Biblical?

So, what do you do? Where do you turn?

Why not give these two messages I preached at the top of 2010 a first or fresh listen?

The Biblical Basis for Covenant Membership

The Benefits & Blessings of Covenant Membership

After you do, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

your platform?

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:01:00 GMT

How's your Monday? As usual, I'm battling back from an exhausting Sunday. I've got my to-do lists and I'm trying to keep the balls moving up the field and make the most of this day for the glory of God.

My friend Josef just sent me this Rick Reilly article from ESPN.com on Tim Tebow, entiltled, I Believe in Tim Tebow (Yes, one more Tebow thing!)

Tebow and the Broncos got crushed on Saturday by the Patriots and I have seen nothing about Tebow's response to the game, but this article makes it clear what its really about for Tebow. It brought tears to my eyes on this Monday. Truly inspiring.

Here's a quote, but its worth reading the whole article . . .

Every week, Tebow picks out someone who is suffering, or who is dying, or who is injured. He flies these people and their families to the Broncos game, rents them a car, puts them up in a nice hotel, buys them dinner (usually at a Dave & Buster's), gets them and their families pregame passes, visits with them just before kickoff (!), gets them 30-yard-line tickets down low, visits with them after the game (sometimes for an hour), has them walk him to his car, and sends them off with a basket of gifts.

Home or road, win or lose, hero or goat . . .

This whole thing makes no football sense, of course. Most NFL players hardly talk to teammates before a game, much less visit with the sick and dying.

Isn't that a huge distraction?

"Just the opposite," Tebow says. "It's by far the best thing I do to get myself ready. Here you are, about to play a game that the world says is the most important thing in the world. Win and they praise you. Lose and they crush you. And here I have a chance to talk to the coolest, most courageous people. It puts it all into perspective. The game doesn't really matter. I mean, I'll give 100 percent of my heart to win it, but in the end, the thing I most want to do is not win championships or make a lot of money, it's to invest in people's lives, to make a difference."

We have all have platforms, contexts and circles of influence that the Lord has placed us in. We think its just Tebow, but its not. Its all of us.

Your neighborhood is a context.
Your job or business is a platform.
Your material possessions are platforms.
The sports field is a circle of influence.
Facebook is a platform.
Your extended family is a circle of influence
Your hobbies and interests are platforms.
Your money is a platorm.
Your time is an opportunity.
Your kid's friends are a circle of influence.
Every day is a platform.

The Biblical challenge is to make the most of every opportunity. That means, first, seeing every opportunity. Lift up your eyes on this Monday. I'll pray for you, if you pray for me.

Thanks, CNN

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:26:00 GMT

This week, I've stumbled across these two great videos at CNN.com. . .

The first is a clear, fair and balanced explanation of the Gospel in John 3:16 . . .

The accompanying article goes on explain how the rainbow wig guy, Rollen Stewart, ended up losing it, takng a hostage and is now serving a life sentence. I didn't know that. Sad. But still, I felt the article and vid were fair.

The second vid is a profile of Heisman Trophy Winner, Danny Wuerfell, and his battle with a rare neurological condition called Guillian Barre Syndrome, but also his move to ministry with Desire Street Ministries. Even better than the video is the accompanying article, written by Danny himself, where he testifies to God's presence and purpose in the tough stuff of life. I love this sober, real, Gospel-centered testimony sitting right there on the CNN website. . .

Life has a lot of seasons, and some of them are filled with joy, gladness and celebration. There are many times to laugh and smile.

But we shouldn’t get swept away by the illusion that life has only one season, and it’s always delightful. Why can’t we be people with the depth, courage and trust to embrace the hard and heavy things of life?

I believe God resides not only in the joy and new life associated with the season of spring, like a reward if we somehow survive winter. We can find him in every season... if we’re willing to look long and hard enough.

I just happen to be in a tough one right now. It’s winter for me.

I trust a new season is on the way. God will bring me spring when He is ready. He just wants to meet me in the winter right now.

Thanks, Danny! I need the reminder today and every day.

I'm not sure what's going on with CNN and I don't want to make too much of it, but I'm encouraged to see God using the channel to proclaim the Gospel and get glory for Himself.