This morning I read a Beth Moore devotional book called, Voices of the Faithful. It's a compilation of stories from missionaries around the world. At the beginning of each month Beth Moore gives a short introduction to the month's topic. As I read November's introduction (yes, a day early) I felt like what she said was so appropriate for church planting wives. I pray that you are encouraged and challenged.
"Our theme for the month of November is compassion. First Peter 3:8 tells us to 'be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.' I'm not sure any outreach has the cavern-deep impact of compassion. People are still moved-even shocked-when someone with no obvious invested interest demonstrates lavish concern in their trail. That we care is still the loudest Christian creed the world around us will ever hear.
Christ issued a troubling prophecy in Matthew 24:12. He warned that toward the end of this age, 'the love of most will grow cold.' ...Left to our natural defenses, we will ultimately succumb to hardening of the heart. This is a plea that we continue to risk the pain of caring. Of seeing and hearing things that break our hearts so that compassion can bleed through the cracks. My friend and worship leader Travis Cottrell said something recently I can't get off my mind: 'It hurts so bad to love so much.' Yes, it does. And one way we'll know if we're continuing to take the risk of loving is if we're sharing the burden of hurting...
As the world grows colder and colder and we're tempted to get harder and harder, we've got to be willing to draw from our Source. Psalm 116:5 tells us 'our God is full of compassion.' Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us His 'compassions never fail. They are new every morning.' God's compassion is always full, never fails and is ever new. The sun rises every morning on all the manna of mercy we'll need that day to make it. Even the manna we'll need to help someone else make it. Sometimes we just sit and listen. Other times we weep while they weep. Still other times they demand a word from us. These are times we need God's help not to say something stupid.
Isaiah 50:4 says, 'The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.' As John 12:49 says, God will teach us 'what to say and how to say it.' Love is one thing we're told never fails. Our rule must be to speak the language of love. We must keep lending God our empty hearts like bone-dry canteens and ask Him to pour forth into them His very own love (Rom. 5:5). Loving words will then spring from the overflow (Luke 6:45)."
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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Forefront in the News
Our church, Forefront, recently started a Tuesday night service in a local bar. It's been so cool! We made the front page of our local newspaper today...check out this link!
http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=135797&ran=83937&lpos=spot3&lid=homePO
Think and pray about creative ways that you can reach the lost in your community.
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http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=135797&ran=83937&lpos=spot3&lid=homePO
Think and pray about creative ways that you can reach the lost in your community.
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Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Beer Bottles and Cigarettes, Part 2
As I told you in my last blog, we got some interesting new neighbors! On Sunday we brought their daughter, Samantha, to church with us. She liked it and wants to come back, which is very cool. So, here's the dilemma...
Samantha keeps inviting my daughter, Marissa, to play at her house. As a mom, it's my job to protect my kids. I can't be The Protector, but I can do my part. I'll be blunt; I don't want Marissa to play over there. And the picture of Satan above the fireplace is only one of the reasons. Another reason is that there are always men coming in and out of the house. Samantha's mom is in the Navy. They house a bunch of Navy guys who are either about to be deployed or whose families don't live in town. On any given day there can be up to 3 different guys hanging out there.
So, what do I say? How do we show God's love to this family, while maintaining healthy boundaries?
Samantha is at our house all the time. I believe in opening up my home to my kids' friends. I believe in my kids spending time with non-Christian kids. I think, as Christians, we need to be spending a lot of time with non-Christians. At least for now, while my kids are 6 and 8, I prefer that they spend time with their friends at my house.
My life as a church planting wife is weird. People have me labeled and all figured out before they even get to know me. In this case, Samantha's parents know what Vince does; a neighbor told them before we even got the chance to meet them. Unfortunately, how they feel about us will have some influence on how they feel about God. I wish it wasn't true, but it is.
So, how do I do this? At some point the mom or dad is going to ask if Marissa can come over (especially since Samantha asks us on a regular basis). How do we have the conversation with them without sounding either judgmental, overprotective or worse yet, like a stereotypical Christian (i.e., Ned Flanders)?
I know that every church planting family goes through situations like this. Leave your comments to encourage each other...and me!
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Samantha keeps inviting my daughter, Marissa, to play at her house. As a mom, it's my job to protect my kids. I can't be The Protector, but I can do my part. I'll be blunt; I don't want Marissa to play over there. And the picture of Satan above the fireplace is only one of the reasons. Another reason is that there are always men coming in and out of the house. Samantha's mom is in the Navy. They house a bunch of Navy guys who are either about to be deployed or whose families don't live in town. On any given day there can be up to 3 different guys hanging out there.
So, what do I say? How do we show God's love to this family, while maintaining healthy boundaries?
Samantha is at our house all the time. I believe in opening up my home to my kids' friends. I believe in my kids spending time with non-Christian kids. I think, as Christians, we need to be spending a lot of time with non-Christians. At least for now, while my kids are 6 and 8, I prefer that they spend time with their friends at my house.
My life as a church planting wife is weird. People have me labeled and all figured out before they even get to know me. In this case, Samantha's parents know what Vince does; a neighbor told them before we even got the chance to meet them. Unfortunately, how they feel about us will have some influence on how they feel about God. I wish it wasn't true, but it is.
So, how do I do this? At some point the mom or dad is going to ask if Marissa can come over (especially since Samantha asks us on a regular basis). How do we have the conversation with them without sounding either judgmental, overprotective or worse yet, like a stereotypical Christian (i.e., Ned Flanders)?
I know that every church planting family goes through situations like this. Leave your comments to encourage each other...and me!
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Friday, October 19, 2007
Beer Bottles and Cigarettes
Hundreds of beer bottles...
Countless cigarettes...
A portrait of Satan hung proudly over the fireplace...
Three small children...
Lack of structure...
Lack of joy...
Lack of God...
Welcome to the neighborhood!!!! The phrases above describe my new neighbors. The strange thing is that I live in a nice, middle class neighborhood. We have 4 bedroom houses with 2 car garages. We wave politely to our neighbors and chat over the fence. On the outside everything looks perfect. On the inside, people are dying.
I wonder what's going on in your neighborhood; behind closed doors. I wonder what kind of people live near you. Everything seems nice; but is it really?
The arrival of our new neighbors has shaken me up. Things are different. Loud parties till 2am. Lots of people in and out of the house, like it's Grand Central Station or something. A little girl at my door on a regular basis, starved for attention and affection.
I wonder if this is a divine shake-up from God. Comfortable living leads to an uneventful life. I don't want to be comfortable. I want to live life; real life, the kind Jesus talks about. The question is, "What am I going to do about it? How am I going to handle this new situation in my life? Am I going to use this as an opportunity for God? Or are my stereotypes and discomfort going to lead me to do nothing?"
Take a look out your windows. Look at the people in your neighborhood. Things might look perfect; chances are good they are not.
So, what are you going to do about it?
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Countless cigarettes...
A portrait of Satan hung proudly over the fireplace...
Three small children...
Lack of structure...
Lack of joy...
Lack of God...
Welcome to the neighborhood!!!! The phrases above describe my new neighbors. The strange thing is that I live in a nice, middle class neighborhood. We have 4 bedroom houses with 2 car garages. We wave politely to our neighbors and chat over the fence. On the outside everything looks perfect. On the inside, people are dying.
I wonder what's going on in your neighborhood; behind closed doors. I wonder what kind of people live near you. Everything seems nice; but is it really?
The arrival of our new neighbors has shaken me up. Things are different. Loud parties till 2am. Lots of people in and out of the house, like it's Grand Central Station or something. A little girl at my door on a regular basis, starved for attention and affection.
I wonder if this is a divine shake-up from God. Comfortable living leads to an uneventful life. I don't want to be comfortable. I want to live life; real life, the kind Jesus talks about. The question is, "What am I going to do about it? How am I going to handle this new situation in my life? Am I going to use this as an opportunity for God? Or are my stereotypes and discomfort going to lead me to do nothing?"
Take a look out your windows. Look at the people in your neighborhood. Things might look perfect; chances are good they are not.
So, what are you going to do about it?
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Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Shattered
My son, Dawson, is in third grade. They are working on something called Word Master Challenge. Each child is assigned a word and they have to come up with a costume to represent the word. Then, they have to wear the costume to class and the kids play 20 Questions to guess what the word is. Dawson was assigned the word "shattered."
After much thought, we decided to have him wear a black turtleneck. We cut up tons of pieces of "glass" made out of foil tissue paper and hot-glued them to the turtleneck. He definitely looked shattered!
Wouldn't it be great if every hurt person you met had a turtleneck like Dawson's. As soon as you saw them you would know that they were broken. It would be like their own personal billboard, advising the world of their despair. I think it would be easier that way. At least you'd know what you were up against.
Unfortunately, in the real world no one wears the shattered turtleneck. Lots of people are hurting, but their brokenness is usually hidden, at least for a little while anyway. As we come into contact with these shattered people we are often taken by surprise. You move in closely and get cut. Shards of glass come flying out at you when you least expect it. They are like the glass version of the Incredible Hulk. And we're left bloody and confused. And broken.
Jesus was drawn to broken people. If there was a broken, shattered person in town Jesus ran right for him. He made a bee-line to the wounded. In Mark 2:17 Jesus says, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." I really want to follow Jesus' example. The problem is that healthy people are more fun to be around. It's easier on me. Healthy people usually bring harmony and order; something that I love. Dealing with sick people is a little different. I get cut. I bleed a little bit. And broken people come with lots of baggage that needs to be unpacked.
But if we're really going to follow Jesus we need to do what he did. And it's clear that he went straight for the shattered. Maybe it's time to get out of my comfort zone and stop thinking about me. Maybe it's time to get a little bloody. Maybe it's time to get a little "out of control" for God.
I think it's time to bring some sick people to Jesus.
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After much thought, we decided to have him wear a black turtleneck. We cut up tons of pieces of "glass" made out of foil tissue paper and hot-glued them to the turtleneck. He definitely looked shattered!
Wouldn't it be great if every hurt person you met had a turtleneck like Dawson's. As soon as you saw them you would know that they were broken. It would be like their own personal billboard, advising the world of their despair. I think it would be easier that way. At least you'd know what you were up against.
Unfortunately, in the real world no one wears the shattered turtleneck. Lots of people are hurting, but their brokenness is usually hidden, at least for a little while anyway. As we come into contact with these shattered people we are often taken by surprise. You move in closely and get cut. Shards of glass come flying out at you when you least expect it. They are like the glass version of the Incredible Hulk. And we're left bloody and confused. And broken.
Jesus was drawn to broken people. If there was a broken, shattered person in town Jesus ran right for him. He made a bee-line to the wounded. In Mark 2:17 Jesus says, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." I really want to follow Jesus' example. The problem is that healthy people are more fun to be around. It's easier on me. Healthy people usually bring harmony and order; something that I love. Dealing with sick people is a little different. I get cut. I bleed a little bit. And broken people come with lots of baggage that needs to be unpacked.
But if we're really going to follow Jesus we need to do what he did. And it's clear that he went straight for the shattered. Maybe it's time to get out of my comfort zone and stop thinking about me. Maybe it's time to get a little bloody. Maybe it's time to get a little "out of control" for God.
I think it's time to bring some sick people to Jesus.
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Thursday, October 11, 2007
Mentoring
One of the things that I enjoy the most is spending time with other church planting wives. It's nice to talk to someone who completely understands you. I also love spending time with girls whose husbands are either thinking about or planning on starting a church. Their excitement and energy is revitalizing.
I recently blogged about the importance of female relationships, but this time I really want to focus on the relationship between seasoned church planting wives and new or future church planting wives.
I have a real passion for mentoring relationships. I think, when done right, they are a source of life change and growth that transform both the mentor and mentoree (is that even a word?).
One of the areas that I think mentoring is most needed is in the church planting world. Planting a church is scary and hard and we need support. Whether you are a seasoned planting wife, or a new or future planting wife, we need to be intentional about developing relationships with each other.
To the seasoned church planting wife, I want to encourage you to reach out to someone who is a few steps behind you on the journey. You don't have to have all the right answers. You don't have to be perfect. All you have to be is available. Share your journey with this person; the good and the bad. Talk sincerely about your feelings, dreams and plans; what worked and what didn't work. These girls are scared. They have tons of questions. They need encouragement, and you have the experience necessary to help them. You know how to pray for them because their prayers were once your prayers.
To the new or future church planting wife, I want to encourage you to look for a woman who can help you through this journey. Seek out a church planting wife and talk to her. Ask lots of questions; put your fears on the table. If you are embarrassed to ask for help, tell them that I'm making you ask! The majority of women who have been down this road WANT to share their experiences. They are eager to help and they are passionate about what you are doing.
It doesn't necessarily have to be someone that you meet with face to face, although that is ideal. Telephone calls and email can be just as effective. The idea is that we are communicating with one another on a somewhat regular basis, giving hope and encouragement where it is needed.
Now, I'm pretty sure that most of you would agree with everything I've said. The problem is that most of us aren't doing anything about it. In theory it's a fantastic idea. But, when it comes to actually doing it, we fall short. Why? I think we make a lot of excuses including busyness and time constraints. I think fear also plays into it. We know there is a new church starting in our area, but because they are different from us we shy away. Or, even worse, we consider them "the enemy" and ignore the fact that they are on the same team as us. I think we also fear that our feelings are unique and weird; that no one could possibly understand us. Whatever the reason, we need to figure it out and change. No more excuses. We need to step it up and help each other out!
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I recently blogged about the importance of female relationships, but this time I really want to focus on the relationship between seasoned church planting wives and new or future church planting wives.
I have a real passion for mentoring relationships. I think, when done right, they are a source of life change and growth that transform both the mentor and mentoree (is that even a word?).
One of the areas that I think mentoring is most needed is in the church planting world. Planting a church is scary and hard and we need support. Whether you are a seasoned planting wife, or a new or future planting wife, we need to be intentional about developing relationships with each other.
To the seasoned church planting wife, I want to encourage you to reach out to someone who is a few steps behind you on the journey. You don't have to have all the right answers. You don't have to be perfect. All you have to be is available. Share your journey with this person; the good and the bad. Talk sincerely about your feelings, dreams and plans; what worked and what didn't work. These girls are scared. They have tons of questions. They need encouragement, and you have the experience necessary to help them. You know how to pray for them because their prayers were once your prayers.
To the new or future church planting wife, I want to encourage you to look for a woman who can help you through this journey. Seek out a church planting wife and talk to her. Ask lots of questions; put your fears on the table. If you are embarrassed to ask for help, tell them that I'm making you ask! The majority of women who have been down this road WANT to share their experiences. They are eager to help and they are passionate about what you are doing.
It doesn't necessarily have to be someone that you meet with face to face, although that is ideal. Telephone calls and email can be just as effective. The idea is that we are communicating with one another on a somewhat regular basis, giving hope and encouragement where it is needed.
Now, I'm pretty sure that most of you would agree with everything I've said. The problem is that most of us aren't doing anything about it. In theory it's a fantastic idea. But, when it comes to actually doing it, we fall short. Why? I think we make a lot of excuses including busyness and time constraints. I think fear also plays into it. We know there is a new church starting in our area, but because they are different from us we shy away. Or, even worse, we consider them "the enemy" and ignore the fact that they are on the same team as us. I think we also fear that our feelings are unique and weird; that no one could possibly understand us. Whatever the reason, we need to figure it out and change. No more excuses. We need to step it up and help each other out!
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Sunday, October 7, 2007
I'm Back!
I'm back from my brief hiatus for surgery. It's amazing how much you miss when you're on drugs! This week we launched two new campuses of Forefront. Because of my surgery, I missed out on so much of the excitement. I also missed out on so much of the work that goes into launching two new campuses. You might be like, "Lucky you, that was perfect timing!" But, if you really think about the life that God has called us to as planter wives, you should be saying, "Oh, I'm so sorry that you missed out on the adventure."
Following God and planting churches, pouring into people, serving, etc. is a lot of work. It's exhausting and takes tons of time. It can be challenging and depressing. But, following God is also refreshing and energizes like nothing else. Showing God's love to people infuses us with joy and an overwhelming sense of purpose. Bringing light to a dark world is our mission. Because God is so cool, he doesn't just give us a mission and leave us empty handed. When we are truly involved in the mission, we receive so much from God; not just rewards right now, but for eternity as well. Colossians 3:23-25 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Following God and his agenda, serving people selflessly, and planting a church can be exhausting, but NOT following God on the adventure is just plain boring. I'd rather be tired while actively making a difference for God than sitting on the couch hearing about all the cool things God is doing. Trust me, the adventure is better experienced than heard about second-hand. So let's get out there and follow God on an amazing, life changing adventure!
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Following God and planting churches, pouring into people, serving, etc. is a lot of work. It's exhausting and takes tons of time. It can be challenging and depressing. But, following God is also refreshing and energizes like nothing else. Showing God's love to people infuses us with joy and an overwhelming sense of purpose. Bringing light to a dark world is our mission. Because God is so cool, he doesn't just give us a mission and leave us empty handed. When we are truly involved in the mission, we receive so much from God; not just rewards right now, but for eternity as well. Colossians 3:23-25 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Following God and his agenda, serving people selflessly, and planting a church can be exhausting, but NOT following God on the adventure is just plain boring. I'd rather be tired while actively making a difference for God than sitting on the couch hearing about all the cool things God is doing. Trust me, the adventure is better experienced than heard about second-hand. So let's get out there and follow God on an amazing, life changing adventure!
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