School of Bayonnaise

One practical thing we are going to do is to sponsor a child to go to school for $25.00 per month. That $25.00 allows a child to go to school, supplies all books, uniforms and gives them one good meal a day.

When we were at the school (aprox.400 kids) it was lunch time. After lunch I went over to see where the dirty dishes were thrown to see how much food was not eaten (that is food the kids threw out. Here in the states you would have garbage cans filled with wasted food) needless to say there was hardly no waste at all. I probably could not have scraped together another plate of food with all the scraps left. Those are hungry kids and probably the only meal they will have for that day.

The school has over 400 kids right now and there are only 300 sponsors and there is a waiting list to come to school. So if you would like to sponsor one or more you can go to their website or get in touch with me and I will hook you up.
I have 6 pictures of children that they took while I was there waiting for sponsorship(I asked for the pictures so I can be a eye witness that these are real kids. I seen them) Again, let me know, I can can send a picture and more information.

Haiti

I appreciate the prayers as we went to Haiti. All went well (except I did get sick the last night). We got a good view of what Haiti (the north part) is about as we drove from Port a Prince to Cape Hatian with stops in between.
On Friday we traveled to the school in Bayonnaise (sp). Where the ministry www.ICDM.com has a pre/elementary school. Precious kids but sad (not the kids but me knowing what they face and go through)
I preached at the leadership conference on Saturday, quit a experience preaching through a interpreter. At one point I said about 6 words and my interpreter spoke about 50, I turned to him and said, "did I say all that" he shook his head yes. (Lost in Translation...I suppose)
On Sunday I was to preach at a Nazarene church where the graduation was being held and the church celebrating its 11 yrs. in ministry. The spirit came in a powerful way and the Lord said to me, "now what can you add?" and I said "not a thing". So I did not preach.

A few general observations:
1. Haitians are very repectful and hospitable people.
2. Haiti is a land of 'flea markets' everyone everyplace trying to sell whatever they have, so they can survive. I did not see any starving people, but I dont know why. Only the mercy and prevenient grace of God that the people are surviving.
3. Politically speaking if you do not think the government should help people in anyway (the government just needs to stay out of the way) then you need to go to Haiti-you will feel real comfortable there (though you will probably change your mind about the government helping people.
4. There is quit a gap between the rich and poor and it seems that the rich really dont care about the poor.
5. It is a country that seems hard to understand and seems hard to know what to do to help. The ministry we went with www.icdm.com emphasis empowerment over enablement (that is teaching them to fish instead of just giving them a fish). Though, to me that may not be the total answer either.
6. As best as I know Haiti has never experienced a real nation wide move of the spirit of God. From my observations that is Haiti only hope. A move of God that not only transforms the hearts of the people but also changes the land and makes it more fruitful. One of my regular prayers will be "God give Haiti a revival"

GOING TO HAITI

I would appreciate your prayers as I will be heading to Haiti this Thursday morning. This will be my first time at any third world country. I will be speaking at a Leadership Summit and a Bible School Graduation (www.icdm.us) and looking over the work that this organization is doing.

Lord willling I will have some good things to report as I come back.

FAITH

The things in life that are certain, does not require faith. Faith is an adventure. Faith is taking a step where the ground does not seem to be solid. Faith is obeying God regardless of the outcome or how ridiculous it may seem.
Life without faith is monotonous…is boring. What adventure is your faith presently taking you on?

“Faith is embracing the uncertainties of life…Embrace relational uncertainty. It’s called romance. Embrace spiritual uncertainty. It’s called mystery. Embrace occupational uncertainty. It’s called destiny. Embrace emotional uncertainty. It’s called joy. Embrace intellectual uncertainty. It’s called revelation.”
Taken from “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day,” by Mark Batterson

Good Eating!

92 million women in the U.S. never leave home without lipstick, and the average woman accidently ingests more than 4 pounds of it during her lifetime.

TILT-A-WHIRL

In the book, “Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl, the author N.D. Wilson wonders at the creation of the world. He considers some of the questions we ask of the world, What is this world? Why are we here? Etc.
In the chapter ‘Tickets Please’ he wonders, in the light of an infinite God, why we would even consider some of the reasoning of the philosophers in regards to the worlds creation.

He asks, does God speak? His answer is to look outside at his creation he is continually speaking.
The book is filled with the author asking questions regarding creation and our purpose of being here. Eg. The chance of us being here, 1 in 8 million (the number of sperm cells looking for a egg) is no chance at all. God created for a purpose.

He deals with the issue of right and wrong and says that if there were no god, we would have no standard for things that are beautiful, good or even a standard for what is bad.

From there he touches on the subjects of death, heaven and hell.

My only criticism of the book would be that it was too wordy and though some of the questions were thought provoking there were too many of them. The book would have been better at 30 pages less. Why do authors/publishers feel like all books have to be around 200 pages?



Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

“Whereas Marx said religion is a opiate… philosophy is a anesthetic, a shot to keep the wonder away.”
“The world is beautiful but badly broken” p17

“He (God) has never treated himself as sacred. That’s our role.” P 46

“It is hard to stay focused (looking at creation) with so much swirling around me. God is distracting. He never stops talking, and I can never stop listening. There is a reason we sleep.” P.50

“How could an all-good, all-powerful, God allow evil in the world? Or, from a slightly different angle: how could an all-good, all-powerful, God allow David Hume in the world?” p.78

Iraqi Church

A new Wesleyan Church to reach Iraqi people here in the U.S.

"Sunday, August 16 Maran Atha Church had its grand opening service. Maran Atha is a church planted to reach the Iraqi people in El Cajon, CA. El Cajon has the second largest population of Iraqi people after Detroit Wayne County. Pastor Floreed leads this church of 65. Scores of Iraqi refugees are pouring into this area. The needs are great and this congregation is committed to meeting those needs.

El Cajon Wesleyan is sponsoring this church and they currently meet on the El Cajon property. As God reminds you, pray for Pastor Floreed and the Maran Atha Church."

"A character in John Updike's novel A Month of Sundays, reflecting on his youthful experience of the church, says, 'Churches bore for me the relation to God that billboards did to Coca-Cola; they promoted thirst but did nothing to quench it.'"

The church may not be able to quench the thirst, but we sure should be able to point people to the one who can

Characteristics of the Seven Tribes

Here are some of the characteristics of the 7 tribes that Barna says makes up America.

CASUAL CHRISITANS
this the largest tribe. 4 out of every 5 adults. 150 million out of 225 million adults
•They lead by maintaining stability and the status quo. They are comfortable with their spiritual condition and even consider themselves ‘deeply spiritual’, though in reality their spiritual life is not given much priority.
•Personal comfort is one of their major goals and they worry about things that will disrupt that comfort eg. Financial debt and marital strive.
• Less than 5% tithe. They donate on the avg. 1.5% of their gross income to churches or charities
• Because they seek a comfortable and pleasant life they tend to ignore those scriptures that would disturb that lifestyle.
• One word that would characterize them is average.

CAPTIVE CHRISTIANS
16% of adult population. This group are the true followers of Jesus Christ
• Their bible based convictions and spiritual practices has transformed them into a different type of people
• They think of themselves as spiritual creatures who are full time servants of God (Jesus Christ)
• the lowest level of debt-and the highest level of generosity. They almost universally give away money, and they do so with abandon
• “For members of this tribe, faith is not just a weekend journey designed to give them some inspiration and comfort; faith is the very heart of their existence and daily purpose.”

AMERICAN JEW
• They make up about 2%
• Judaism is more of a civilization or culture than it is a religion.
• They seek high paying jobs, living in a large home and traveling the world for pleasure.
• Most do not believe that God has any involvement in peoples personal life and only 1 out of six believe the bible to be of divine origin

MORMONS
• 2% of population
• Almost as many leave every year as join, thus a small numerical growth.
• Family a overwhelming value. They are more likely to marry, marry younger, marry longer and have more kids than the other tribes
• They believe in a works-oriented salvation.
• Along with the Muslims they share the highest stress levels than any group.

PANTHEIST
1.5% of pop. Eastern religion. Hindu,
Buddhist, New Age
• They do not think of God as a personal, living entity. Rather god is a system of power or authority
• Their value system can be summed up by “live and let live, take care of number one, if it feels good do it. Live in such a way that you have no regrets
• Most likely to see psychics and fortune tellers (10 times more than the typical adult in an average month)

MUSLIMS
• tend to be younger, with more children
• They see themselves more as Muslims than Americans.
• Their most religious activity is their daily prayers 3x a day (3 out of 5 practice)
• Next 30-50 yrs. their faith will be tested here in the US.

SPIRITUAL SKEPTICS
• atheist or agnostic 11% 25million and growing
• They have lower feelings of joy and peace with life.
• 2/3rd describe Christianity as judgemental, old fashioned, out of touch with reality and insensitive to other people. ¾ see Christians as hypocrites.
• twice as likely as other adults to engage in adultery, cohabit, and they are the major consumers of pornography
• They give less money to causes and offer less help to disadvantaged people than any other tribe.
• 25% say they are deeply spiritual.

Code of Conduct for Men in the 21st Century

Code of Conduct for Men in the 21st Century

1. I REJECT unconditionally all violence against women and children.

2. I REJECT the buying of sex with women and children.

3. I WILL intervene when I see a man beating a woman.

4. I WILL NOT beat my wife or partner.

5. I WILL INTERVENE when my male colleagues, friends, or family belittle or degrade women.

6. I RECOGNISE prostitution as harmful to women and will do everything I can to see the end of it.

7. I REJECT the buying of pornography, recognizing it as sexual exploitation.

8. I WILL NOT BUY products that advertise by exploiting women’s bodies when it has nothing at all to do with the
product.

9. I WILL NOT visit clubs and bars that exploit women through ‘exotic’ dancing.

10. I WILL NOT BUY newspapers and magazines that advertise sexual services.

11. I REJECT all forms of sexual harassment, including wolf whistling, sexual insinuations, and unauthorized physical contact.

12. I WILL INTERVENE when my male colleagues, friends, or family engage in sexual harassment.

13. I WILL RESPECT my female colleagues and partners as equals.

14. I RECOGNISE decision-making at home is about equality and partnership.

15. I WILL ENCOURAGE other men to adopt and live by this code, including teaching it to my children

Found at http://miketodd.typepad.com/waving_or_drowning/2009/08/code-of-conduct-for-men-in-the-21st-century.html

Authored by: Brian Iselin, 2009
Alabaster Jar e.V.

Of What Tribe Do You Belong?

I have read George Barna's book "The Seven Faith Tribes" in which he states that America is on the road to self-destruction. He divides the country up into 7 tribes (Casual Christians, Captive Christians, American Jews, Mormons, Pantheists, Muslims and Spiritual Skeptics) and suggest that we must attempt to come together with some shared values if we are to save America.

We will be looking at some of the characteristics of these tribes the next couple weeks in our Sunday morning services and see how they relate to us; especially the Casual and Captive Christian.

As Christians one thing we must do is to recognize that most of us are Casual Christians and that God desires us to be Captive Christians.

I will share some of the characteristics of each group on this blog following our Sunday morning discussion.

The Last Letter

Karen Watson, a missionary recently killed in Iraq. This letter was read by her pastor at her funeral:

Dear Pastor,

You should only be opening this letter in the event of my death.When God calls there are no regrets. I tried to share my heart with you as much as possible, my heart for the nations. I wasn't called to a place; I was called to Him. To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, His glory my reward, His glory my reward...

The missionary heart:
Cares more than some think is wise
Risks more than some think is safe
Dreams more than some think is practical
Expects more than some think is possible

I was called not to comfort or to success but to obedience...

There is no Joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving Him. I love you and my church family.

In His care,

Salaam, Karen

Taken from www.edstetzer.com

"A Peoples History of Christianity" pt2

Another part of the book that I found interesting was the emphasis upon prayer during the reformation. Prayers, not necessarily those of the reformers, but of the Catholic lay people. Many catholics who did not leave their faith began a renewing process and part of that was a revival of prayer. The prayer beads were brought in and the laity began to pray and to organize communities around the rosary. One of the results of this was the slowing down of the Protestant advance in France.

God hears the prayers of His people. It matters little to what church or group they may belong

A Peoples History of Christianity Pt.1

A People’s History of Christianity by Diana Butler Bass looks at the history of the church from the view of those we have never or seldom hear about. In her words she wants to look at the other side of history, the side that differs from the usual side of church history that we know about. She calls the familiar side the “Big-C” of Christianity: Christ, Constantine, Christendom, Calvin and Christian America.

The book is divided into 5 phases of history: Early, Medieval, Reformation, Modern and Contemporary Christianity. Each section talking about events and people that made that time period what it was and is.

I was moved by the early church’s concern for justice and mercy as seen in their hospitality and forbearance in the midst of sickness and persecution. There was a epidemic in the 2nd century known as the Plague of Galen in which hundreds of thousands died in the streets. While most people were fleeing the city the Christians remained behind to help. We modern/contemporary Christians seem to be more concerned about self preservation than about loving and taking care of our neighbor. A couple years ago in our neighborhood there was a rumor going about that a certain individual had TB so some from the Christian community became panicky and began worrying about weather they may have caught it from the person and making sure they did not go near him. Somewhat a different reaction from the early church (by the way they found out the guy did not have TB-panic for nothing)

The early church took the command “love your neighbor as yourself” seriously. The writer makes this statement, “While contemporary Christians tend to equate morality with sexual ethics, our ancestors defined morality as welcoming the stranger.” I wonder what would happen in our churches that instead of expecting and telling a new convert that he must now quit smoking, drinking, cussing and begin attending church and tell them that they must now open their houses to the homeless, take care of the sick and feed the hungry.
The writer makes the point that people did not convert to Christianity because of the churches doctrine but because it worked- it was seen and experienced in real life.

A Question

Are we a church of brick and mortar or of flesh and blood?

People or Churches

Too many times we get more impassioned about what happens to our building, which we call church, than we do about the people we are called to minister to. Here is a good story taken from July 09 Sojourners magazine by Alexis Torres-Fleming

We organized a march (around drug dealers and crack houses) one beautiful Sunday afternoon in November. A couple of hundred people showed up, and two weeks later drug dealers, in retaliation, torched our church. I went to the site and found a sea of people in the church weeping over a broken statue of the Blessed Mother, and weeping over the church. There were many more people there than had shown up for the march, and suddenly God said to me, “Why are you crying over this? I don’t live here. My real sanctuary is burnt every single day, desecrated in the bodies and minds and spirits of the poorest of the poor who live right outside these doors. When are you going to cry about that?”

What is more important to us our building or the people we are called to minister to?
Where do we invest our money, in building or in reaching the people we are called to?
Where do we invest our time, in the building or with the people?

sex, gays and Miss California

David Fitch at www.reclaimingthemission.com has some good thoughts on the recent Miss California thing

The essence is that with Miss California appearing before thousands in a skimpy bikini, having had a sexually-enhancing cosmetic surgery, and taking a revealing photo shoot , she hardly stands as a Christian example of someone who should be saying that homosexual marriage is “biblically” wrong
We have elevated the homosexual issue to get attention off of our own sins. For the bible also says something about modesty, lust, pornography and divorce. We have no room to say a whole lot about the gay issue until we get our own issues resolved and our own house put back in order.
That old cliché fits well here, we need to be careful of throwing rocks when we live in a glass house.

Cataracts

For over a year now my vision had gone from good to poor. My reading had even slowed down because it was just too hard to focus on the words. I went to the ophthalmologist in January and was told that I had a cataract. A cataract is where the lens in your eye becomes foggy. It is like looking out a dirty car window. Thank God for living in the USA and because of our technology, they are able to remove the old lens and put in a new one. I had the surgery on Monday and all went well…I can see clearly again. (though now I need a new glasses prescription).

Where once was a fog, the sun has now shone through and the fog has lifted. A lot of people, spiritually speaking, see life through cataracts, everything is foggy and not real clear. They need to allow the Holy Spirit to correct their vision.

I thought of this passage in Hebrews
5:12-14 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Many who should be farther up the road than they are now, aren’t because of their foggy vision. Lord, give us clear vision.

What about Work?

We are losing a Christian (Biblical) view of work. Long before the sin in the garden God instituted work. God created, then he told man to take care of what He had created. There is a certain dignity related with work (yes, even hard work).

I say that, because there is too much of a discouragement anymore for people to work.
If you are looking for a job, many people instead of encouraging you in your pursuit try to dampen your interest by saying things like, “Oh. You don’t want to do that, that is hard work” or “don’t apply there they work you long hours” or “that job has a lot of heavy lifting” etc.

Lord willing in a few weeks I would like to get a message together regarding the dignity of work…Stay tuned.

Michael Jackson

There are two things to say about him. He was a musical genius; and he was an abused child. By abuse, I do not mean sexual abuse; I mean he was used brutally and callously for money, and clearly imprisoned by a tyrannical father. He had no real childhood and spent much of his later life struggling to get one. He was spiritually and psychologically raped at a very early age - and never recovered. Watching him change his race, his age, and almost his gender, you saw a tortured soul seeking what the rest of us take for granted: a normal life.

But he had no compass to find one; no real friends to support and advise him; and money and fame imprisoned him in the delusions of narcissism and self-indulgence. Of course, he bears responsibility for his bizarre life. But the damage done to him by his own family and then by all those motivated more by money and power than by faith and love was irreparable in the end. He died a while ago. He remained for so long a walking human shell.

I loved his music. His young voice was almost a miracle, his poise in retrospect eery, his joy, tempered by pain, often unbearably uplifting. He made the greatest music video of all time; and he made some of the greatest records of all time. He was everything our culture worships; and yet he was obviously desperately unhappy, tortured, afraid and alone.

I grieve for him; but I also grieve for the culture that created and destroyed him. That culture is ours' and it is a lethal and brutal one: with fame and celebrity as its core values, with money as its sole motive, it chewed this child up and spat him out.

I hope he has the peace now he never had in his life. And I pray that such genius will not be so abused again.

taken from
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/06/thinking-about-michael.html