September 2008 Archives - Spread The Flame

Archive - September, 2008

Missions: Deploying the Vision

September 30, 2008 in Development, Missions with 1 Comment

Today we began week three of our missions training discussing “deployment.”

This tool/process will help us work through complex tasks and multi-faceted vision by determining what needs to be done, who needs to do it, when it needs to be done, where it will be done, how we will do it, as determined by whom.

There are many Spirit-filled organizations/missionaries who have great visions, but they are at best woefully inadequate in this area of deployment.

Anything we do in ministry begins first as a vision.

Deployment is all about getting the abstract vision into concrete end results while not only surviving the process, but thriving through it. We hear of ministry ideas all the time that don’t pan out. What went wrong? Continue Reading…

Heavy Persecution of Christians Orissa India

September 28, 2008 in Missions with 1 Comment

I just received this update from veteran missionary Rick Zachary:

“The violence is coordinated and vicious. 300 Villages have been attacked, over 4,000 homes destroyed, over 50,000 people displaced, more than12,000 in government refugee camps and over 1,000 more in private camps. Five people are still missing and 45 confirmed dead. If this were a natural disaster such as a tsunami or earthquake, the international press would publish front page reports. The Persecution of India continues to be ignored. Continue Reading…

The Turbulence Ahead

September 27, 2008 in Commentary with 0 Comments

I read an article by Chuck Missler of Koinonia House that I would like to share with you. If you are not familiar with Chuck Missler’s ministry, this article is a good introduction into the way he thinks and understands the Bible in light of current events. His background is very diverse and extensive. Part of his bio reads,

“Chuck, a Naval academy graduate and former Branch Chief of the Dept. of Guided Missiles, had a remarkable 30-year executive career. He served on the Board of Directors of 12 public companies and was CEO of 6 of them. For twenty years Chuck balanced his high-profile corporate career with his teaching commitment to a weekly Bible study at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in Southern California.”

My friends and I listened to his studies while stationed overseas in the military and we were always driven to pursue a deeper understanding of what the Bible says about the times we are living in today. The mission of Chuck’s ministry is to “stimulate, encourage, and facilitate serious study of the Bible as the inerrant Word of God.”

With the headlines declaring financial crisis in America, alliances forming between countries like Russia and Iran, and a critical presidential election upon us, I think it’s more important than ever to understand the times in light of what the Bible says about the future. How do we live in light of these things?

Take a look at the article/web site and share your thoughts….

CLICK HERE

For a free one year subscription to his ”Personal Update” which is read by over 100,000 Christians each month, click here.

Die Scorpions Die!

September 27, 2008 in Missions with 0 Comments

Found three inside already. Did some research on the area (State of Morelos, Mexico) and this is what I found:

Scorpion stings represent a major public health problem in Mexico. Their annual incidence is estimated at 150,000 cases; 800-1,000 people die from them each year. The states most affected are Aguascalientes, Colima, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Sinaloa, and Zacatecas. Morelos is an endemic zone, and scorpion stings are relatively frequent, but the indigenous population underestimates the risks. In this locality, scorpion stings lead to high morbidity, with an average of 10,219 cases each year, and a prevalence varying from 584.86 per 100,000 inhabitants in 1994 to 2043.3 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2003. Because of this upsurge, systematic medical supervision and serum therapy are necessary if scorpion poisoning is suspected in a child. The indigenous community as well as tourists visiting Mexico must be informed about the substantial risk of scorpion poisoning.

Nice!

If you are the praying kind, please keep our team here in prayer as we live life in the state of Morelos Mexico!

Interpersonal Skills for Missionaries For Everyone Part II

September 27, 2008 in Development, Missions with 1 Comment

Yesterday we finished up our interpersonal skills workshop here at the VWC Mexico base. I will definately have to go back over all of the material and review it. Our trainer, Mike Turner, says that he still pulls his book out on a regular basis whenever he needs to be reminded of the best ways to approach certain situations. These things are just like any other skills. They have to be practiced consistently for them to become habits. I do feel that I have some great tools under my belt now that will help me in future ministry situations and even life in general.

Here are the other 8 things we spoke about over the last couple of days:

9. Managing Conflicts Well

10. Helping Others Manage Conflicts Well

11. Helping Others Grieve Well

12. Managing Stress

13. Maintaining Margin

14. Moral Purity

15. Being an Encourager

16. Integrating It All

Encompassing all of these things was the key scripture Colossians 3:12-14

“Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And, above all these virtues put on love, which binds them together in perfect unity.”

Wow! This scripture in and of itself is packed with depth in regards to relationships. How much more should it pertain to those of us who have been called to “minister reconciliation” between God and man. I’m thinking we should all have this one memorized and think on it often. I don’t know about you, but it checks me in many ways in regards my relationships.

This coming weekend we have some free time. We spent today (Fri) cleaning the base, food shopping for the week, and doing a load of yard work (all big tasks!).

It has rained here almost every night last week. Our cistern was flooded and we had to bail out the water, clean, and refill it. This thing is large enough to stand up in and has never flooded before. It did it twice since we’ve been here! I will have to upload some more pics later from this past week. Stay tuned for more as we move into week three!

Interpersonal Skills For Missionaries…For Everyone

September 23, 2008 in Development, Missions with 4 Comments

Jacqueline and I are half way through a very practical and eye opening class developed for missionaries by missionaries on interpersonal skills. It was developed by a Dr. Ken Williams who has given over 50 years in ministry to many different facets of missions. Most of it has been as a counselor to missionaries for Wycliffe Bible Translators. I’m sure this man has seen it all during this time; the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Each session begins with core beliefs for one of the each 16 specific skills we are getting training on. I emphasize “training” because this is not a lecture. We are actually be trained on how to think through these issues for ourselves and practically working them out in smaller groups. We role play scenarios and then come back together to share what we’ve learned. We have received from great tools that have been birthed from many challenges and issues that have arisen in the past with missionaries and teams.

Here are the first of the 16 skills that we have discussed so far:

1. How To Kill Your Relationships

2. Loving Listening

3. Drawing People Out

4. Helping Others Solve Problems

5. Confronting Well

6. Receiving Confrontation Well

7. Building Trust

8. Living in Community

Each of these topics was packed with scripture, insights, and practical things we could do to become stronger in these areas. I believe that these are skills we could all use, missionary or not; except of course the one on how to kill your relationships! This is more about becoming aware of things we do that cause our relationships to dissolve over time.

I can’t go through each of them at length now, but if you are curious about one or two, leave a comment and I will try to let you in on some of the material.

8 down…8 more to go!

Week I: Humility and Language Learning

September 19, 2008 in Development, Missions with 0 Comments

Learning a new language is one of the more humbling things you can do in life as an adult. And all the missionaries said…Amen! If you have a problem with impatience and pride and want a solution to rid yourself from these things, then I suggest going to another country and spend all of your time learning their language and culture.

I think I am beginning to understand the saying of Jesus a little more, “Unless you repent and become like children you will by no means ENTER…” Continue Reading…

Made it to Mexico

September 14, 2008 in Missions with 2 Comments

We all made it to Mexico and I love it so far. Talking about missions with a team of mission hearted people is great andI’m definitely in my element. Great things happening and it’s only day 2.

While on this journey, I’ve been soaking in John Piper’s landmark book “Let The Nations Be Glad.”

I would have thought that this book influenced me to become a missionary if I had only read it before God called me!

It is both passionate and theological. It has only been strengthening the things that I have been taught by God as I have sorted through my calling. I definatley recommend it to all Christians, both those with a missions heart and those that don’t yet have one!

I also started reading “Bonding and the Missionary Task” by Thomas and Elizabeth Brewster. This book is a must for any career minded missionary. The concepts are simple yet they have a profound influence on how a missionary relates to his new found culture.

My first favorite quote is,

“A Missionary is one who goes into the world to give people an opportunity to belong to God’s family. He goes because, he himself, is a belonger in this most meaningful of relationships. His life should proclaim:

” I belong to Jesus Who has given me a new kind of life. By my becoming a belonger here with you, God is inviting you through me to belong to Him.”

This week my family and I are moving in with a Mexican family and attending language study for 5 hours a day. They do not know English and will only speak Spanish to us. This will be our first chance to see “cultural bonding” in action and we are actually excited about what’s in store!

If you want to read a great play by play of chaos and God’s grace in traveling here to Mexico, check out my wife’s blog HERE.

Look forward to updating you all again when we can!

After Gustav…the Church in Action

September 5, 2008 in Missions with 1 Comment

Jacq sweating with a smile!

After the storm passed, Jacq and I were privledged to assist Healing Place Church, in conjunction with Operation Blessing, Samaritan’s Purse, and other aid groups, distribute much needed supplies after the storm. This is a church that is truly mobilized to meet the needs of the community. It was awesome to be a part of it all. My mom is a member at HPC and we love this church. They are a great group of people. We look forward to deepening our connection with Dan and Pastor Dino in the days to come! Check out there blogs to see all the work these guys have been doing to ease the pain of the people of South Louisiana. I love their “Servolution” mentality. This is the church in action.

We are grateful to everyone who prayed for us. Our family is one of the few to have electricity as of yesterday. Most of the southeast part of the state is living off of generator power, bottled water, and ice. We were without power for 5 days and it was enough, especially since it’s love bug season. Those things are stinkin annoying!! If you’ve never lived in the south, you won’t know what I’m talking about, but believe me. They swarm and they stick to you when you are outside.

We are trying to bring some normalcy back to our lives, especially as we are preparing for our upcoming trip to Mexico. Yet there are many who still need your prayers! Keep praying for Louisiana. I’m gonna see what I can do to help some people out.

Alot of this metal went flying during the storm.

Uprooted white oak at my aunt's house...one of many.

Uprooted white oak at my aunt's home. Big tree, small roots. There is a parable there!

Split in half.

People helping People.

Waiting for food, tarps, water, and hot meals.

I love being here with these people!

From the church to the neighborhood.

Operation Blessing

Cooking for Christ Put These Hot Meals Together....Now that's a Cajun Man's Ministry...Cookin!

Cooking for Christ Put These Hot Meals Together....Now that's a Cajun's True Ministry: Cookin!

I’m so excited about the news that my friend Michelle Ziner is sitting on that has to do with dozens of world Christian relief organizations partnering together, the city of Harrisburg, NC, and the big unveiling of a new ministry! You will have to stay tuned to find out more in the coming days and weeks.

In Louisiana For Hurricane Gustav…

September 5, 2008 in Commentary with 0 Comments

What? You are going to Louisiana when there’s a hurricane coming? Are you stretching the limits of God’s grace?

This is what some of my friends were probably thinking as we made our way to my home state as Gustav made his way toward land. But I felt the peace of God as we traveled into Louisiana and knew that we would be protected. My faith in God, not presumption on his grace, led me on to continue our journey into the state.

I grew up in Louisiana. My family and I have been through alot of storms. We know where to go, we know what to do. We know when we should evacuate and when we can ride it out.

My grandmother lives in a cinder block home in the middle of land that doesn’t flood with no large trees around. They had already been blown down by past hurricanes! I’m guessing many people had visions of Katrina when they thought about us, but we are no where near the levees that broke during that horrible time three years ago. I knew that the timing of everything with us coming here was in God’s hands. Besides, we are missionaries. We run to the “storm”, not away from it.

This storm turned out to be more than anyone thought for Baton Rouge and surrounding areas. Trees were down everywhere. Rivers crested and flooded. High winds toppled sheet metal roofs and mobile homes. The lack of power and availability of fuel, left many people harrassed and panicked. Yet through it all, we were prepared, protected and had the peace of God.