RELIGHTING THE FIRE MINISTRIES

Fundamentals and Disciplines

2011-07-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

I went to a two day finance workshop with a friend a short while ago. A phrase came out from that workshop that has stuck with me. I also wish that I had heard of this phrase early in my ministry development. Maybe I would have listened. Maybe I wouldn't have. But it is sticking with me now.
The phrase is "Keep to the fundamentals and disciplines." As soon as I heard the phrase I knew this really applies to all of life. When I coached basketball I always stressed the fundamentals and the disciplines that were necessary to have success. As I am trying to improve my racquetball skills I am being coached in the fundamentals and disciplines.
The phrase applies to the follower of Jesus. "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." This refers to His rule and His way of living. Another way to say it is, "Keep to the fundamentals and disciplines." When Paul wrote to Timothy, he reminded Timothy of the fundamentals and disciplines that were taught to him by grandmother, Lois and by his mother, Eunice which helped develop Timothy for ministry.
The financial workshop leader over and over asked us why we bought or sold. What were the indicators - what were the fundamentals and disciplines - that needed to be discerned in order to move forward.
"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." Here in Matthew 6 as a part of the Sermon on the Mount is a pattern for our lives - fundamentals and discipline. Note its His kingdom and His standards, which requires a submission to His power through the Holy Spirit.
Stay with the fundamentals and the disciplines and watch the Lord use you in ways greater than you would have ever dreamed.

Keeping Our Eyes Fixed On Jesus

2011-05-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

Today is May 21. I watched an interview on ABC News regarding the return of Jesus taking place today. Read also were an individual gave up his life's saving to help promote the fact of Jesus' return.
Our mission as leaders and followers of Jesus is to be about His business. Jesus told us its not for us to know. We are to live in expectation of an any moment return. There is a world in need of Jesus. We are called to carry out the Great Commission lived in the attitude of The Great Commandment.

Blow Up The Present To Secure The Future

2011-05-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Lakers were swept in the second round of the NBA playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks. The last game was not even close as the Lakers lost by 30 points. Former Laker great Magic Johnson stated this in regards to 2011 Laker team, "Its not a time to preserve the memories. Its time to blow up the present, just to secure the future." This is a pretty radical statement as just a year ago the Lakers had repeated as champions.

The question to be asked, "What does it mean to 'secure the future'"? This question needs to be asked by churches and church leadership as well. There needs to be a clear understanding of where one is going. This goes back to vision - based on knowing why you exist will tell you where you're going and what values will guide you.

Once you have a firm vision - a compelling God given vision - it may require you to make some drastic changes. Be careful about "blowing up the present". We are to be servant leaders to the people the Lord has given us. I don't remember where I got this quote but it is how servant leaders are to lead, "Don't bruise the fruit." A clear, compelling vision will help in this.

Understand vision answers, "Why we exist, where we are going, and what will guide us."

Being Blessed

2011-03-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge sports fan especially of college basketball. I am in Houston to attend the Final Four of the NCAA. I'm here because of who I know, not what I know. I'm here because the tickets were purchased for me from one who loves me. As I'm here in Houston, I'm being treated wonderfully well. I am thankful to my daughter and son-in-law for this great blessing.

I am a follower of Jesus and my destiny is secured. It will because of who I know, not what I know.
The price for my salvation has already been purchased from who loves me - Jesus. I am blessed in this life in order to be a blessing to others.

We are to live our lives with thanksgiving. When I see how blessed I am, it humbles me.

Perspective

2011-03-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

I had determined that I wouldn't blog unless I felt there really was something the Lord wanted me to say. Today I read online this statement, "I just want the pain to stop." By making this statement what am I really saying?
It says that my focus is on me and my desires. It says that life is about me. It says that God is there to grant me a pain free life. However, life is filled with pain - emotional, physical, health, and mental. None of us are free from pain. What is the purpose of pain?
Pain is a teacher. Pain is a reminder we are a part of the human race. Pain allows us to identify with others who are suffering. Pain reveals our character and where our faith lies.
Philippians 3:10 talks about the "fellowship of His sufferings". What we should be asking is," What is the Lord teaching and how will He be glorified in it?" Jesus tells us that in this life we will have tribulation.
See Isaiah 30:15, "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength."
My life is to become more and more like Jesus. But what I want is the glorified Jesus and not the suffering Jesus. What I want is the easy way. So, I say, "I just want the pain to stop."

Decision Making

2011-02-12T20:44:00.000-08:00

How do you respond when two different sources say just the opposite to something you are considering doing? They both love the Lord, and they love you. They both desire to see the will of God be done in your life.

You have had it happen to you or someone whom you know. What is the counsel you give at that point? What is the counsel you listen to? Why?

How will you finalize your decision?

Missonal Living

2011-02-05T06:47:00.000-08:00

Missional Living what is it? How does it work out in life?
Over the years I have seen "new" ways of doing church come and go. Solomon said that there really wasn't anything new under the sun. For some reason, we always seem that the way we present something is new and never done this way before. I heard from a postmodern leader, that the way they do church is New Testament, and no one else has done it this way before. Pretty over the top, pretty arrogant.
Missional Living is living out your faith with purpose of demonstrating in deed and word the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because we are a part of His body and because of His heart's desire is that this is lived out in community and not in isolation.
The body (the church) is to carry out the Great Commission in light of the Great Commandment.
The body is to train, equip, and empower believers to live out as fully as possible the gospel message wherever they find themselves.
Some have used the phrase missional communities, gospel communities and have said these communities, smaller units of the body scattered should be "on mission" together. This means the whole group devotes their efforts together for one overriding goal usually expressed through some "mission". Some have said this is the only way to do missional communities. The question that needs to be asked, "Is this the only way?" The answer is no, this is not the only way. Beware when system are pushed for people to have to fit in, rather than consideration of the people and how God may work through them.
Here is another way of "doing" missional communities. The group, community gathers together to share and encourage life together and to empower their members to fulfill what the Lord has placed on their heart. So the members are freed to do ministry and then return to report how the Lord is working in their lives. See Mark 6 when the disciples come back to report to Jesus.
Now is this the only way? Of course not.
God is a creative and diverse. He works through His body this way as well.

Answering Ugandan Pastors Questions

2011-02-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

The top picture is of some pastors having lunch together.
The second picture is of Bob leading a session.

I was recently in Kapchowra, Uganda doing some leadership training for pastors and church leaders. At the end of each session we had time for Q & A. There was never a lack of questions. I'm not sure as to how we came to the question of Eve's responsibility for the fall of man. The Ugandans blame Eve for the fall and not Adam. Understand their background: women are not people, they are property. The believers have come a long way.

Anyway we looked at the Genesis 3 passage. After reading it, I asked where was Adam when Eve was being tempted by the serpent. Their response was that Adam was asleep, busy, somewhere else in the garden. After prodding them again, the response was that Adam "was with her." That was an eye opener. They realized that Adam was there all along and didn't do anything. Why didn't he intervene on behalf of his wife? Why didn't he protect her? Husbands are we are to be protecting our wives? Are we leading our wives? Do we realize we are held responsible? Adam was held accountable and responsible for the fall. We are to follow the 2nd Adam, not the 1st Adam.

Pastors we are to lead our wives. We are to lead by being servant leaders. How we lead our wives is often how we lead our churches.

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T13:46:00.000-08:00

Each one of us has hopes and dreams. The question, "For what end are my hopes and dreams?" For the most part, even for followers of Jesus, it is for self. It is for our comfort, security, and glory. This is true for churches as well. May this not be true of us in 2011.

May the comfort I receive be from the Lord knowing that He loves me.
May the security I experience is knowing that I am in His hands.
May the glory, all of it, go to Him.

May the Lord bless you with His presence this coming year.

Ministries vs. Programs

2010-12-28T21:12:00.000-08:00

The trend for us today is for the follower of Jesus to be radical - for churches to be radical. This is in reaction against the "attractional" church model. So, what is be posited is the "missional" church model that does away with "programs".

Every church, and I mean every church, is to some degree an attractional church. People are attracted for various reasons. Some of the reasons are not biblical to be sure. What we want is the attraction is to be Jesus an d not us. So, then here is the issue - the attractional model is usually said to be the Sunday worship service and other programs that are need based.

The leaders of any given body will need to discern how people are to be lead to and see the Lord in the power of the Spirit. The lessons learned hopefully become a part of every day habits that reflect the reality of Jesus Christ.

What becomes "programs" are when they cater to what the individuals want with little regard for the gospel and transformation that leads to spiritual growth that affects the lives of others.

These same "programs" can be "ministries" if there is gospel intent that meet the needs and equips for the work of the ministry.

As I work with churches I try to help them see what God is trying to develop in them and what they may need to do in order to become what the Lord wants them to become. This will involve different ministries, a change of ministries, and maybe dropping some old ones.

My counsel is for churches looking to be missional is, don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

I Kow Better Than You

2010-12-03T11:18:00.000-08:00

Over the years of ministry, I have watched pastors, boards, lay leadership at various levels, and people within the body as to how they come to decisions. This includes myself. This is the read I get, "I know better than you and I don't care what you think!"

People just don't like being less than someone else. Pastors and leaders think they know better because of their positions and roles. People think they know better because of their own study and experience. When this takes place there comes a paralysis that will not allow the body to grow and become what the Lord wants.

The fact is that the others may well know better than me some times. And I may know better than them some times. The key is "mutual submission" that allows me to hear from the Lord through others. We get stuck in our own world, our own perspective, our own agendas.

Really there is only one agenda and its the Lord's. What we have to figure out is how do we all get on the same page. Mutual submission is required. It is actively listening to one another understanding that God can work through others as well. It is not thinking "more highly of ourselves" as we ought to think. It is respecting differing view points and working together to see the Lord glorified.

Mutual submission is the leveling agent.

Hearing from the Lord

2010-09-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

I've been working with churches that are wanting and trying to turn their church around. Its been a very difficult road for each of these churches to walk. Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him. So, the question is, "Are we listening?" How do you know its Jesus? Are you into the Word? He speaks through the Word. If what you are doing is contrary to His Word you are not hearing from Him. Are you seeking godly counsel? If you are not you probably aren't hearing from the Lord.

The next question is, "Are we following Him." Following is another way of saying obedience. It is from the heart because He is the Good Shepherd. It is not only listening but taking action steps that demonstrate Jesus is your Leader, your Lord. It is not a set of rules, but the setting of your heart and soul. It often requires what we call repentance, a turning of your life moving toward Jesus.

We all fall back on something, we call it a default mode. In order to start turning things around we need change from the default mode that has not worked and listen and follow the Lord. Is it easy? Breaking habits takes intentionality and a faith that leans totally on the Lord, not in our own strength.

Living A Different Lifestyle

2010-09-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

Romans 12:2 says, "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds." Many believers have heard this verse preached on numerous occasions. Probably more than they can remember. Does this mean we are anti world? I know I John 2 tells not to love the world. But does this mean we are against the world? I think not. John 3:16 which many believers quote says that God loves the world. If we look at the Romans verse in context we are to lay down our lives - die to self - not let the world so influence us that we adopt the world's values. We then are to have a renewing - a changing of our minds
So, how am I to understand Romans 12:2. We are to live differently to demonstrate the mercies of God. The problem I see for many of us who are said to be followers of Jesus, those going the way of Jesus are actually not doing so. Instead we have been conformed to this world's values. We think like the world and do exactly as the world. How is this done? By our judging those who do not believe or follow Jesus. Who made us judge! Jesus is the judge. By our hating of other people groups and religion. The world does this. Was this not what Jesus was teaching against in the Good Samaritan or the Woman at the Well?
We are to disciple people toward Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to work in their lives. We are not the Holy Spirit. We disciple by demonstrating His grace, His goodness, His glory, and His greatness.

Freeing, Not Confining

2010-08-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

The hardest thing sometimes for leadership is to free, empower another to do what the Lord has called them to do. We tend to want to control. It is very much like parents as the children grow up. I have seen some parents who still treat their grown children as little children. It is understandable in some ways - wanting to see their children succeed not fail. But unless we free they can not truly experience success. It really comes to a trust issue doesn't it? It also comes down to how well we have discipled.

Abuse Of Authority

2010-08-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

We've all seen or have experienced a parent (it could be us) berating their child(ren). We wince when we see it being done to others. The parent says they are doing it because they love their children, but it sure doesn't look, feel, or act like love. Leaders in churches often do this to their own congregations.

Jesus tells us we are not to lord it over those whom we lead. Yet, I find this in churches all the time. I have even done this to the detriment of the Lord's work. We make rationalizations that say we are about the Lord's work, but we beat up the people we are to care for. One leadership team said in the past, "If we only had the right people we would grow." Maybe its needing the right leadership instead.

When things are not going well we are not to lord it. We are to raise the issues, instruct the people, encourage the people. Rebuke may be in store, but not threats. The Lord is the one who convicts. Let the Lord work as we lay down our lives before Him.

.

Listening and Learning

2010-08-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

I was actually writing on old blog spot and my wife lovingly corrected me. She was probably pretty frustrated. So, now the correction is made. I had to learn how to navigate to this blog spot. So, are you learning something new? Are you open to learning? Your ministry needs you to be a learner. Learning from the Word, Colleagues, Life Experiences, and even your children. There really is no excuse especially if you are a follower of Jesus Christ

Kathmandu, Nepal-What Is it Like??

2010-05-19T18:18:00.001-07:00

Kathmandu, Nepal is built on the side of a mountain, and the streets often have lots of stairs, and can be negotiated only by walking. These stairs on the left were in the area of a temple.

There we temples to the many gods all over the city.

Here we see food being prepared for the attendees at the ICPS conference. This man is peeling potatoes, and the picture on the right is of washing the dishes. All of this work was done by volunteers on the roof of the conference center.

This is one of the workshops at ICPS. I did 5 workshops. There is need for training in doctrine, interpreting Scripture, as well as understanding how to share the Word verse by verse, not just topically. I also provided training on leadership development.

The man with me is Pastor Anwar from Bangladesh. He heads up a church planting organization there.
He was an attendee at the conference. There were church planters from a number of countries that attended ICPS.

This is Pastor Arjuna Chigulari, the founder and president of Vision Nationals. He spearheaded the ICPS Conference. Vision Nationals works in Nepal, India and Thailand. His personal goal is to see 10,000 churches planted by 2030, it's called Vision 2030.

These colorfully dressed ladies are from India according to our taxi driver, however, we would never have been able to tell the difference.

This young lady is dressed in a more modern fashion. "Chair, who needs a chair?" She was squatted like this for at least a 1/2 hour, perhaps longer!

Here's a Buddhist monk taking a break for some watermelon.

A young boy of his father's lap.

Street children taking a nap.

All over the city we saw people carrying amazing burdens in this manner.

This man is doing his laundry near the crematorium, using the water that ashes have been swept into

A woman and her two daughters. The little girl in the yellow was shy, but when she saw her picture, she wanted another one taken!

A couple of young boys playing in a tree, just like boys everywhere

One of many beggars

Happy Nepalese woman selling bracelets

My hope is that this blog will give you a look at some of the life in Kathmandu as well as more information on the ICPS Conference.

Buddism and Nepal

2010-05-17T13:26:00.001-07:00

These pictures are from the Buddhist "Monkey Temple" in Kathmandu, Nepal. There were monkeys not only here, but all around Kathmandu. Of course, the middle figure is Buddha. I do not know who the other two figures are, but included a close up picture of one of them.

The woman with the umbrella here is using a prayer wheel. The Buddhist monk here is praying as is the woman at the right.

This curious little boy is observing the monk "close-up".

The people are very devout. It was painful to watch this elderly woman get down on the ground to pray.

Incense was burned as you note in front of the Buddha below. Also, there were hundreds of tiny votive candles lit inside the temple.

As was mentioned in an earlier blog, there is growth here in the number of followers of Christ, and more church planters are needed, which is why the team came to help in this conference for church planters.
There was a great spirit of excitement at the conference, and the church planters received us with joy.

In my next blog, I will share with you some of the everyday Nepalese life.

Kathmandu, Nepal...Hindu Cremation Rituals

2010-05-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

Today I am sharing with you the ritual of Hindu cremation. All Hindus are cremated in this way. The woman with the broom is cleaning the Hindu crematorium. Everything that remains after the cremation is swept into the river. On the left, the body is waiting for cremation, and incense is being burned. On the far right, the feet are dipped into the river, and the picture just to the left of this shows the spreading of spices on the funeral pyre.

On the right you see the body on the funeral pyre as preparation continues.

These three pictures below show the actual cremation as well as a woman watching the process. Even children watch. It is important that there is plenty of smoke. The two largest religions here are Hindu and Buddhism. In my next blog we will look at the Buddhist temples, priests and Buddhist worship.

Trip to East Asia, Kathmandu, Nepal and Hyderabad India

2010-05-10T15:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Partners,

This trip was almost 2 years in the planning with the purpose of providing theological training and equipping of church planters. Our first stop was to a nation which is officially "closed", the second was to a nation that is close to making being a follower of Christ legal, and third was a nation where the followers of Christ are going strong.

I started in Seattle, and met part of our team in Tokyo on our way to East Asia. The primary purpose there was to see what kind of partnering and support we might be able to provide in the future. God's work is being started in factories along with other places. In South Central Asia we discovered our hotel had listening devices......exciting, huh? The two needs we found were in the areas of marriage and family as well as leadership development. We will be discussing how we can help in these areas as a team at some point in time.

Our next stop was to minister to 500 church planters and movement leaders in Kathmandu, Nepal. The conference was called International Church Plantering Summit. We were scheduled to be there a week, but had to cut our time short by a day due to the Maoist uprising. As of this writing, Kathmandu is shut down due to the Maoists who want to have the current government step down. Oh, but what a great time with the church planters! The growth of believers is exploding in Nepal! All got safely out of Kathmandu, but some of us did have a trial getting out........more on this later in my future blogs. (Thank you so much for your prayers......they helped!)

As you can see by these pictures of Nepal, it was too hazy and polluted to see Mt. Everest from there. There was an international team of pastors and leaders who came to minister in this conference. I will describe some of the conference pictures below. One is of the worship team for the conference. Another is some of the attendees,
as well two women who did a dance that spoke to how lost they were without Christ, and the joy and hope they now have. Most of our presentations had to be interpreted.

I will be sharing more on culture in Nepal in a future post in the next view days with some incredible pictures taken by my traveling partner, Pastor Dennis Gingrich from Florida.

Because of our difficulty getting out of Kathmandu, we missed our connecting flight and had to stay overnight in New Delhi, India. The team ended up with two groups, all arriving late for the graduation festivities. The schedule had to be changed for us. We finally were privileged to address the graduates of The Timothy Initiative (TTI). These graduates are just beginning, or in the process of planting new churches. We addressed about 700 graduates plus their families. We were outside under canopies It was about 110 degrees plus humidity. It even rained and stormed during our time, but all the people were very excited with the whole event! In my next blog, you can see pictures of the graduation.

I ended my trip flying out of Hyderabad to Mumbai, India and then to Newark, New Jersy and from there on home to Seattle. Truly an around the world trip!! I used herbal "No Jet Lag" pills, and I really have had a much easier time adjusting than my last trip.

The Lord provided funds the for this trip through your generous gifts which made the trip a reality. Thank you for your prayers and financial support!

There are many lessons learned, stories, and more pictures on this trip coming your way in my future blogs. Stay tuned........