He’s Still Calling

October 29

Seminario Nazareno De Las Americas-I can’t imagine a better way to spend the last few days of my sabbatical. Costa Rica is breathtaking and the students here are beautiful, inside and out. Dr. Lebron Fairbanks, Commissioner of Education for the Church of the Nazarene, invited me to team teach a two week intensive graduate class on Servant Leadership with him. What a privilege and honor to stand before these dedicated ministerial students.

The collective sacrifice of the students in our class is remarkable. Since space does not allow me to mention all, allow me to introduce you to a few of our students who represent the high caliber of the entire class. Naomi and Cristobal are sociologists who have sensed a call to ministry and have left their jobs and their country to pursue ministerial studies. Julio and Lorena are both MD’s in Mexico. Answering God’s call to pastoral ministry, they have closed their medical practice and sold property in order to move to Costa Rica and enroll in seminary. Logman, a  pastor in Panama, at great financial sacrifice, leaves his family and church 3-4 times a year to attend 2 week modules.

The Lord is calling and quality believers are listening. Seminary President Ruben Fernandez told me today, “God is raising up an army of Ministers in Central America to spread the Good News”. I believe it. Much like the New Testament church, Central Americans are surrendering to God’s call and forsaking all to follow Him. What a privilege to see His hand at work here on the campus of our Seminary in San Jose.

He is calling the best and brightest to give their lives to ministry endeavors around the world. Radical obedience is the only road to true happiness and fulfillment. Are you listening?

He’s still calling,

LDD

Button Downs and Belt Buckles

October 15,08

Juxtaposition to the quaintness of Maggie Valley and the serenity of my temporary mountain home, “edgy” was what I was looking for on Sunday morning. I was not disappointed following my 40 mile drive to Biltmore Baptist. Once off the interstate, still over a mile from the church,  I merged into a snaking line of autos. The sprawling campus was magnificent, an army of parking attendants greeted me complete with orange vests and toothy North Carolina smiles.

Safely parked, I made my way accross the lot, past the visitor pavilion, through the entryway, welcomed and

Biltmore Baptist

 bulletined  by two cordial greeters and finally into a huge foyer. I was surrounded by displays, marketing banners and a world mission center than would make most denominations envious. Already wowed and not even in the worship center.

Prearranged, I met an old friend and ‘former’ Nazarene there who escorted me into a cavernous multipurpose worship center. The worship team was excellent, the 200 voice choir impressive, the smoke machines working at full capacity and the ever changing background lighting effects captivating. The young, handsome, 6’2″ pastor in his dark blue button down sport shirt could pass for a pro football player. And his message was tremendous. The Lord’s presence was obvious . . . I was blessed, encouraged and challenged.

While at lunch with my friend and his family, I learned his church had a multisite ‘Cowboy Church’ venue. Intrigued, I planned to spend Tuesday night with him at the Blue Ridge Cowboy Church. 

Blue Ridge Cowboy Church

Can you say stark contrast?  We went from a $20,000,000 campus to a cattle sales barn. The smoke machines were provided by various volunteers standing outside the door. It was bluejeans, cowboy boots, hats and giant belt buckles galore. Relaxed atmosphere is an under statement. I literally saw four people who brought their dogs to church with them! Worship was led by a gospel country western band and the pastor’s message was illustrated with a rod and reel and various fancy lures.   

And the Lord’s presence was obvious . . . I was blessed, encouraged and challenged. So what’s the point? We have never lived in a more diverse culture. Paul told us to be all things to all people, and by all means save some.  The church is charged with the responsibility to reach the lost at any cost. I applaud churches who are willing to move beyond their preferences and comfort zones to take the Gospel to everyone anywhere and anytime. God can speak to unbelievers on a mutimillion-dollar campus or in a lowly cattle barn.

What do you think?

LDD

Are We Asking the Wrong Questions?

In his book, Practicing Greatness, Reggie McNeal writes, “Given the significant collapse of the influence of the church in American culture . . . and how God is working in other parts of the world where Pentecost is happening every hour, you might think that North American church leaders would be scrambling to deal with the real issues underlying these realities.  Instead, many continue to deal only with presenting problems, fed by short sided hopes of making their church successful, and are thus working themselves into mental, physical, emotional and spiritual exhaustion in pursuit of answers to the wrong questions.”

He continues by offering a list of wrong questions compaired to their missional counterparts.               Wrong question: How do we do church better?  Tough Question: How do we be church better?

Wrong: How do we grow this church?  Tough Question: How do we serve this community?             

Wrong: How do we develop ministers for the church?    Tough Question? How do we develop missionaries for our culture?

Wrong: How do we plan for the future?   Tough Question: How do we prepare for the future God sees?

Wrong Question: How do we develop church members?    Tough Question: How do we deveop followers of Jesus (disciples)?

I’ll add one to the mix, Wrong Question: What is the seating capacity of our sancutary?  Tough Question: What is the sending capacity of our church?

McNeal concludes, “The ability to ask the right questions requires that spiritual leaders spend more time thinking beyong the presenting problems, peering under the hood, so to speak, to see the real issues. They must be willing to challenge the status-quo and to be ruthless in their analysis of both the situation and the results.”

What do you think?

LDD