!Missional Living!

Day One of Boot Camp

2009-09-16T07:47:00.001-05:00

Wow, what can I say. The day started off with Matt Chandler taking about the Enduring Gospel. He kind of a harsh at moments calling leaders to really step up to the plate. What he said was true and I know I need to listen to and obey Scripture above my own preferences. Matt showed us that the Gospel has been God plan since man fell. Throughout scripture God plan has been to reconcile people unto Himself.

Following the morning session we learn more about Logos Bible software and Great Commissions Ministries. Than it was time for a turbo charge speed lunch. After lunch we took part in workshop. Jenny went to the Wives' Track and learn what it's like to be a planters wife from a few ladies that are current in the early planting years with their husbands. I went to a workshop called Preparing to Plant a Gospel Centered Church. Great information, I love learning from people that are in the trenches.

The afternoon sessions: The Enduring Community and The Enduring Family gave us alot to talk about and shows us some areas of growth. I want to be the best husband and father I can be.

At dinner we met our assessment team and spent time getting to know each other a little. We are thankful that God has us here this week. It's our desire to serve Him well. Please keep praying for our time here in Texas.

Thanks,
Tim and Jenny

Today's Schedule
Wednesday, Sept. 16 10:00 am - Day 2 of Boot Camp begins
Wednesday, Sept. 16 10:30 am - Session Four: Bruce Wesley
Wednesday, Sept. 16 11:30 am - Q & A with Scott Thomas
Wednesday, Sept. 16 1:00 pm - Breakout sessions
Wednesday, Sept. 16 3:00 pm - Session Five: Barry Keldie
Wednesday, Sept. 16 4:20 pm - Session Six: Eric Mason

Looking forward to Acts 29 Boot Camp

2009-09-14T20:42:00.002-05:00

Please keep us in your prayers for the coming day. Here is the schedule for tomorrow.

Tuesday, September 15 9:00 am - Check-in for Boot Camp
Tuesday, Sept. 15 10:30 am - Session One: Matt Chandler
Tuesday Sept. 15 1:00 pm - Workshops
Tuesday, Sept. 15 3:00 pm - Session Two: Jonathan Dodson
Tuesday, Sept. 15 4:20 pm - Session Three: Matt Carter
Tuesday, Sept. 15 5:30 pm - Acts 29 Assessors & Assessees Dinner

We will let you know how things are going. May God speak to us as we listen and learn. Please also pray for us as we meet our assessment team at dinner tomorrow night. Know that we are thankful for your prayers. Hope all is well back home.

We're in Houston....

2009-09-14T15:59:00.000-05:00

We're in Houston and ready for the next few days of Boot Camp and assessment. Please pray for our hearts to be open to what the Lord has for us to learn here. We desire to serve the Lord and follow His lead. I believe this week will prove to be pivotal for us as we learn what the Lord has in store for us next. More later...

Acts 29 Assessment Process

2009-09-12T15:51:00.001-05:00

Jenny and I have completed the assessment exams and online application steps. This coming week we be heading to Houston Texas to take part in an assessment interview at Boot Camp with experienced Acts 29 planters. We will be sitting down for an interview/coaching time with our assessment team after the boot camp training. We will be talking about our background, our plans, our strategy and they will help evaluate our strengths and weaknesses, and make specific recommendations regarding your readiness and potential in planting. They will help us develop our strategy and plan your next steps. If we are recommend as ready to plant, they will approve us as an Acts 29 candidate, help us establish our action timeline, and include us in the Acts 29 community as we gather our core group.

After completion of the interview, they will inform us as to whether we have been accepted as an Acts 29 candidate. Here are the potential outcomes from the assessment:

1. Recommended: Ready and able to lead a church plant with Acts 29. Applicant is promoted to complete the candidate phase (phase 3).

2. Recommended with Conditions: Shows ability to lead an Acts 29 church plant, but needs to address one or more specific areas, which can be addressed in six to twelve months. Applicant is promoted to complete conditions and the candidate phase (phase 3).

3. Potential with Strong Conditions: Shows potential to be an Acts 29 lead planter, but needs further development in some specific areas which will take from one to two years to address. Applicant is archived and asked to complete conditions and then be re-evaluated after a year.

4. Not recommended: Specifically, not recommended as an Acts 29 lead guy. Applicant is archived.

Please keep us in your prayers as we take steps forward, seeking God direction for us.

Thought about becoming a people on mission

2009-09-10T11:25:00.000-05:00

Thoughts by Ed Stetzer take a moment to check out this short video by Ed Stetzer on how to lead people into becoming missionary minded. Good stuff!

Gospel Centered Dreams and Prayers

2009-09-02T08:54:00.000-05:00

The following blog post by Eric Mason hit the nail on the head. We need to see what God's vision is for the nations as revealed in Scripture and have His (God's) vision become our vision. We need to stop dreaming up our own ideas and asking God to bless them. God has a plan, God has a vision. We need to live in submission and obedience to Him and His will. Check it out.

The following is an excerpt from Acts 29 Pastor Eric Mason's session at Advance09. Eric will be speaking on Enduring Hope at the Houston Boot Camp next month.

“And I pray that you... may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

– from Colossians 3:18-21

God wants us to pray. But he wants our prayers that have particular characteristics that reflect his power and the abundance that he wants to give. This is not a prosperity gospel – which is self-focused – but one that is looking to God, and asking him to show off.

The Bible says that people without vision are unrestrained. This ‘vision’ is not talking about you dreaming up a plan and a packet or something on your website. In this case, it’s talking about a biblically-based dream; a gospel dream.

There are two types of dreams that exist: a pipe dream and a gospel dream.

I like the Urban Dictionary a lot – it has some funny definitions. According to that website, a pipe dream is “a vain dream that will never happen given the harsh reality” or “a fantastic but vain hope from fantasies induced by getting high.” There are more: an illusion, chasing rainbows, etc.

Some of us have pipe-dream prayer lives because our passions are not gospel-centered. Our dreams are not centered on Jesus.

How do you know if your dream is gospel-centered?

This is what it looks like:

You are in a context, looking around, “incarnating.”
You see the gap between

a. God’s vision for what things look like with Jesus’ feet on top of that context versus

b. Where that context actually is (Acts 17:16)
You are able to insert the cross as that which bridges the gap – that’s where your strategy, your philosophy, and your practice of ministry comes from.

This is where your vision comes from.

A gospel-centered dream and prayer is centered on Jesus as the eternal reality. Colossians 3:1 says “keep your mind on things above” – in other words, you need to have a divine imagination. This imagination is based on the heart of God, and you should be wanting to see God bring sneak previews and commercials of the eternal kingdom to where you will live and dwell.

It has to happen in us first. You can’t pray about what you haven’t experienced. Many times we wish for our context things that the gospel hasn’t done in us yet. And we have to be deeply impacted by the reality of the gospel ourselves. Gospel-centered dreams flow fromexperiencing the regenerative work of the gospel.

We have to get under the control of God the Father. When Paul prays for the Colossians that they “be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God,” he is talking about being under the control or influence of God. We are not to be “filled with wine” but “the fullness of God.” Let who God is get to you so that it rocks you and blows you away – so that as you look at his eternal triceps, you realize “God is smokin’!” Then, you pray in light of this knowledge, and you pray a gospel-dream to a God who is able to do more than we ask or imagine.

Listen to or watch the full version of Eric Mason’s talk.

Eric will be speaking on Enduring Hope at the Houston Boot Camp next month. See details or register here.

Missional Communities

2009-08-27T15:44:00.001-05:00

Here is one of the best definitions I have seen for missional communities. I believe God desires to use people in community as tools in His hands to change Fond du Lac. Take a moment to read the following thoughts from Scott Thomas.

3. I would focus on developing missional communities as expressions of the gospel in as many contexts as possible.

 A missional community is a committed core of believers who live out the mission together in a specific area or to a particular people group by demonstrating the gospel in tangible forms and declaring the gospel to others—both those who believe it and those who are being exposed to it. This community is led by a team to shepherd, equip and organize a community on mission.  This group is the church throughout the week. They identify, equip and send out new men to lead missional communities. Missional Communities operate unlike a Bible study and more like a family, a missionary team, a band of servants and eager learners.

I was attending a small group years ago and one of the participants mentioned that she was struggling with honoring her father the way the commandments stated because her father had raped her as a child. This was a real issue, a hurdle for her to clear. She felt dirty still after years of abuse and she refused to honor her Dad who abused her as a child. The group leader said, “Okay, we better get through this lesson.” He completely missed the point of the community. He thought it was an academic process and not a family issue. No man would just ignore that statement made by his daughter or wife so he could continue his conversation.

These missional communities may come together to form a church. For instance, one group meets that replicates and those two groups replicate into four groups. A leader is identified among the communities and this person builds into the formation of the leaders. These groups may come together to grow into a church in the future.

As a normal method, these groups come together, they enjoy food together, they pray together, and they learn together. They discuss their mission and the ways they are serving the community.

Read the full post at Seven Things I Would do Differently as a Planter - Part Two

Wait Patiently for Him

2009-08-26T13:59:00.000-05:00

Psalm 37:3-7

3 Trust in the LORD and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when men succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes.

We can see from this passage of Scripture we are called to trust in Him, delight in Him, commit our ways to Him, trust in Him, be still before Him, and wait patiently for Him. WOW! I don’t do this well. Most days I don’t live in prayerful dependence on the LORD. To be honest most of the time I trust myself more than Him. I delight in myself. I commit my ways to me. I tend to not be very still. I become restless when depending on myself. But day after day I do it. My prayer is that Jesus would come invade our hearts, and overwhelm us with His presence. Him is trustworthy, and the only one to delight in. Jesus, less of me and more of You. Stop me from my selfish ways. Keep me waiting patiently for You. I will settle for nothing less.

Overwhelmed

2009-08-26T09:15:00.001-05:00

John 16:33 - "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

As the end of John 16 Jesus is preparing His disciples to face the upcoming challenges that His death will bring to their lives. Verse 33 culminates with a promise. In this world you will have trouble. Most of us are aware of this reality. Many of us get stuck there. We do not read on and take to heart that Jesus has overcome the world. So I ask you in light of the current circumstances of life; personally, locally or nationally, are you overwhelmed more with the troubles of this world or with the solid truth that Jesus has overcome the world and it’s troubles.

James 4:14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

So many of us have concerns about the circumstances of this life. We place so much emphasis on things of this world. Some days we care more about our fleeting life on this earth than Jesus who is our live eternal. Scripture says this life is but a mist. We are only here for a short time. This life is a mist Jesus is eternal. I desire to become more overwhelmed by Jesus. Jesus come overwhelm me, take me, revolutionize my life.

Missional Communities

2009-08-25T12:13:00.000-05:00

In the coming months we will be talking a great deal about engaging the young adults of Fond du Lac with the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. One way for this happen is through missional communities. So I wanted to take a moment and define what a missional community is. Let's break it down.

Here's the wiki definition of missional.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines missional as "relating to or connected with a religious mission; missionary." In contemporary use "missional" is an alternative for the adjective "missionary."

"Missional then, no matter what noun it is modifying, must qualify the meaning of that noun by referencing God’s mission as defined by Scripture. More specifically, missional limits any noun that it modifies to the temporary mission task of the Church to make disciples of all ta ethne for God’s glory and worship … Therefore, a local church is missional when it intentionally pursues God’s mission for His glory among all peoples by following His patterns and His ways of expanding His kingdom."^[1]

The missional living concept is rooted in the Missio dei, which means “the sending of God” in Latin. In 1934, Karl Hartenstein, a German missiologist, coined the phrase in response to Karl Barth and his emphasis on actio Dei (Latin for “the action of God”).

According to Lesslie Newbigin and Jesus' statements in the Gospel according to John, every Christian has been sent by Jesus with the gospel together in community to those in the surrounding culture for the sake of the King and His kingdom: “The Church is sent into the world to continue that which he came to do, in the power of the same Spirit, reconciling people to God.”^[2] Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you” (John 20:21).

"No one can say: ‘Since I’m not called to be a missionary, I do not have to evangelize my friends and neighbors.’ There is no difference, in spiritual terms, between a missionary witnessing in his home town and a missionary witnessing in Katmandu, Nepal. We are all called to go—even if it is only to the next room, or the next block.”"^[3]

The Church is sent by Jesus Christ (John 17:18; 20:21, Luke 9:2; Matt 28: 19–20; Acts 1:8)
The Church is sent with the Cross (1 Cor 1:18, Eph 2:16, Col 2:14, 1 Pet2:24, 2 Cor 5:17–24)
The Church is sent in Community (Acts 2:42–47; 5:42; John 13:34–35; 1 John 3:16–17)
The Church is sent to every Culture (John 1:14; Matt 20:28; Acts 17:22–34; Luke 5:29)
The Church is sent for the King and His Kingdom (Matt 10:7; 25:34; Luke 4:43; Rev 11:15–17; Jer 10:7; John 18:36)

There will be more to come in the following weeks on living missionally and missional communities. Please be praying as we take steps forward. May Jesus be lifted high.

So what are we doing now?

2009-08-12T12:00:00.004-05:00

Many people have been asking, "So now that the cafe is closed, what are you doing?" At a Connect Board meeting a number of months ago we asked the question. Is Connect a ministry or a business? As you may know Connect stared over six years ago as a ministry the cafe component was added about three years ago as a tool for our ministry. The discussion ended on the fact we are first and foremost a ministry. We realized that changes needed to take place, and that days of the cafe where coming to a close. At the end of June we closed the cafe. The weeks after the cafe included selling things off and cleaning up to hand the building back to the landlord.

At this point we are investing our energies in three areas. We ask you to be praying for the following three areas. First, we are continuing to make disciples of Jesus Christ. It's our prayer that these disciples will reproduce themselves many time over. Second, we are raising funds to eliminate the debt we have encoured during the cafe days. Third, Jenny and I are going through a Church Planters Assessment with a church planted network called Acts 29. Please keep us in your prayers as we head down to Houston this September for training and a vital portion of the assessment to seek clear direction for the future.

The Page Has Turned

2009-07-01T09:11:00.004-05:00

Connect Cafe has closed it's doors. Last night was incredible. So many people, stories and so very much energy. I am so thankful for the last three years and three day of Connect Cafe. BUT now the the page has turned. The cafe has come to an end. I feel like I just jump out of a plane. I hope we all remember our parachutes. So what does Jesus have in store for us next? What will the coming days look like? I believe He's got us right where He wants us. Relying on Him. So heres to letting go of what we know. Trusting that God has a better way. Know that you can trust His too and we move forward like Rhinos.

Turning the Page

2009-06-30T10:06:00.005-05:00

There are day you remember in life. Day that are significant. Days that have deeper meaning than others. This is one of those days for me. Today we turn a page to a new chapter. We close the door on that chapter known as Connect Cafe. The last three years and three days have been such a blessing. More stories than we could ever share. Please take a moment today and come celebrate what God has done through the cafe. At 7:oo tonight we will be having a closing celebration. I will start by talking about the cafe and why we are closing and some next steps for Connect as a ministry. We will than open it up for a time of sharing in a large group setting. Followed by small group chill time to hang and talk with friends.

Closing the cafe...this is not the end...

2009-06-29T21:24:00.005-05:00

For many of us it seems strange to be closing the cafe. I know it's the right next step. So I'm asking that people pray, show up and be ready for the Lord to lead the next phase of ministry here in Fond du Lac. I don't have all the answers, but what I do know is that Connect is first and foremost a ministry and we need to keep our focus on the mission of passionately pursuing Jesus Christ and helping others to do the same. Please pray for tomorrow night as we close the cafe. The next chapter is about to begin. In the coming month we will be making disciples of Jesus Christ and eliminating debt. Join us tomorrow night, Tuesday June 30 at 7:00pm as we kick off the last night at the cafe. Come join us at 45 North Main Street, Fond du Lac, WI 54935, 920-922-1622. www.connectfondy.org. It our prayer that we would be all that God created us to be.

Done with the Church Planting in Guano

2009-06-25T22:12:00.003-05:00

We are done with our teams part of this church plant. With fevent prayer and much hard work we have seen the birth of a church. Please be praying that the many people that made a commitment to follower Christ would continue to grow as disciples. The people from the parent church have a great work ahead of them. I am so thankful for the way God work through our team this week. We are also very excited that we are leaving the work to able people. They are able not because of the great people they are but for the fact that they know what it means to rely on God´s strength and power in all things. Prayer for more leader to be developed in Guano, Ecuador. The work here has only just begun. Thanks for all your prayers and support and encouragement. Jesus is rockin´ here in Ecuador.

Making Disciples

2009-06-24T22:40:00.003-05:00

In the past few days we have seen people make commitments to follow Jesus Christ. Some of those same people have now gone through the first few lessons of New Life in Christ. New Life in Christ is a great discipleship bible study that has helped many people become rooted in the firm foundation of the Bible. These people will no doubt be key people in Guano as a new church is planted. Guano is in much need to this new church plant. But we must never forget that the foundations must be prayer and the Word of God. The local church folks in our parent church are getting the idea of evengelism, discipleship and church planting all bathed in prayer. I want to ask you to pray that we would leave well. We have only one more day in the field with our church. Pray that they would continue the work that God has started here in Guano. For this new infant church to make a long term impact they must seek God, pray and study their Bibles. Tommorow will be a hard day. It´s always hard to leave. I am trusting that God will continue the great work He has started. May many generations be impacted for the sake of Jesus!

Cuy in Guano!

2009-06-23T22:50:00.004-05:00

Dinner this evening was cuy, which when translated means guine pig. It was very good and we where so thankful for the cookes who prepared this fine mean for us. Tonight we held another evening meeting more people showed up tonight and the Lord is doing a work in a very hard to reach town. Many people in Guano worship imagines, struggle drinking and drug and face the realities of witchcraft. Please for us as we head into the darkness. Pasto Ryna feels like I do that we need to go into the dark places and shine the light of Jesus for all the world to see. This is hard work, but we have seen the faithfullness of the Lord as people are coming to know Jesus as their Lord. I had a great talk this afternoon with Ryna. He has a heart to see people come to know and grow in Jesus. God does His best work in the darknest of places.

Heading in to Guano

2009-06-22T21:59:00.003-05:00

We are working with a church in Riobamba it´s about one hour away from our hotel in Ambato. The Lord has been so good to us. He has given us a great church, translators, and communities to work in. Our team, Kenny, Leslie, Ryan and I are working well with the nationals and translators. We are working in the the town of Guano about 15 minutes from our mother church. Today we saw six people make professions of faith and had the chance to talk with many more people. Our church is also working with two another groups of North Americans. One team is drilling a well for clean water. They are training Ecuadorians to drill more well after we leave. Clean water is so very important to those that call this rural area home. Pray that they hit water and are able to share the skills of drilling well. We also have a team of people evengelising the people in the community around the well. We have had the opportunity to meet the Mayor of our city and the Presidant of the village near the well. God has been blessing us through relationships. The work of Christ can not be done on our own power. Please pray that God will be glorified as we seek to share the love of Jesus with many people is this poor are of Ecuador. God is at work as we stay faithful to His call to GO!

Church Planting

2009-06-22T08:11:00.003-05:00

Today I and heading out with a little teams of north americans, Kenny, Leslie and Ryan. We are teaming up with translators and a local church to see a church birthed in an area of 28,000 that has no church. Please pray for us to keep Jesus the focus of this deal. We know that He has already gone before us to prepare the way. more later today....

We are in Ambato!

2009-06-21T15:14:00.004-05:00

just a short note to let you all know we have made it to Ambato Ecuador. Kenny and I and 59 other North Americans are about to meet our translators and church leaders we will be working with for the week. We are excited to see how the power of Jesus will transform lives this week. It may seems like me arrived late, but the timing thing is all in God´s hands. He has prepared the way for us this week and we are thankful. Please keep on praying for us as we go out and share the good news of Jesus and may many lives be transformed for His glory!

Heading to Ambato, Ecuador...Follow Me!

2009-06-17T16:48:00.004-05:00

As you may already know I will be in Ambato Ecuador for the next week. I leave Friday June 19 and will be back Saturday June 27. Please follow me and my friend Kenny as we head off of this church planting adventure. We are prayerfully expecting God to show up and do amazing things. In the past I have seen the power of God transform lives. From drug dealers to passionate followers of Christ, from artist working for money to working for the Lord, gun slingers turned Elder at a church and so on. This year I expect no less than miracles happening every day. I would ask that you follow our progress and get on your knees to join us in expectant prayer! The power of prayer transforms lives.

One Week One Day!

2009-06-11T06:55:00.003-05:00

I am one week and one day away from heading back to Ecuador. As I sit and think about what the Lord is going to do this week I pray with great expectation at the work of His hands. I want to be faithful in sharing the transforming gospel. I desire to see people change and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. I can't do any of this apart from Christ who lives in me. So please pray that I would rely on His strength not my own. I need Him now more than ever!

Jumping the Gun...

2009-06-05T09:04:00.005-05:00

When I was in high school I ran track. As a sprinter I was always very anxious to get out of the blocks and attempt to win the race. I could visualize myself crossing the finish line ahead of everyone else. I had a determined purpose and nothing could stand in my way. This led me to many false starts.

Once again my enthusiasm has led me to another false start. As many of you know I have a passion for new things. I get excited at the possibility of seeing a new ministry meet a need. So here's the deal. I see a need for a young adult targeted church here in Fond du Lac. I see that God may want to use me and my family so I have jump out of my blocks even before training for this event. As I have spent time seeking the Lord this past week I have been sensing God say, "Tim, don't run ahead of Me". So, here's how you can join me in prayer. Pray that I would slow down. Pray that I would take the next four months to enjoy a time of praying, assessment and training. I desire to seek God's heart for the direction for Connect and our family. What the answer will be is in the Lord's hands not mine. Pray that I will continue to let go of control trusting that He knows best.

So this coming week I will be meeting with Connect's Board to seek God's will. In the coming months we will continue to value people by building and strengthening relationships. We will get serious about make disciples of Jesus Christ as we meet on Sunday Nights. So please know that I will do my best each day to lead with integrity as we close out the cafe and seek the Lord for His next steps.

The Journey of Planting Missional Churches

2009-05-22T20:55:00.004-05:00

I love new things. New thoughts, new ideas, new babies, new shoes, new tires. I think you get the picture. For some time now I've been thinking about new churches. Church plants as most people call them. I have been a part of two young churches here in Wisconsin and also seen God do amazing things as new churches have been birthed on my last four trips to Ecuador. In about four weeks I will be heading to Ambato Ecuador to see the Lord work again. At the same time I sense God calling us to plant a church for young adults here in Fond du Lac. Through Connect Cafe we have met so many wonderful people. I believe He, meaning God, has us at the next launching off point. This means the cafe must go to give way to a new deal. At this time we are asking those that want to get involved would join us for prayer each Sunday night at the cafe. In the coming months we will be praying, training, and learning what it means to plant a church. If you have a desire to get on board please join us or contact me. More information will be coming as we know the details. Pray that we would not run ahead of God, but that we would keep out ears open to His voice as He leads.

Core Group Prayer

2009-05-21T12:04:00.003-05:00

Many people have been asking what the next steps are for Connect since the cafe will be closing at the end of June. So here's the deal, God has placed within us a desire to make disciples of young adults, college aged folks. We are exploring planting a church, but not church like you've ever seen it before. We desire to be very solid on our theology and doctrine, but we view ourselves as missionaries in this local context. So with that said we need to speak the language that will make a life changing impact for the Kingdom of Jesus. Please take some time to pray for these next steps. Also feel free to join us each Sunday night at 6pm for a time of prayer and learning about this new church plant. For now we are meeting at the cafe, 45 north main street, fond du lac, wi. If you have questions please email or catch me on facebook. hoeksema.tim@gmail.com