Global Impact Missions

just a pair of flip flops

2011-01-26T20:47:00.003-06:00

The past two days have been amazing down in the DR! God is allowing us to plant many seeds and I am so thankful for that!

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to go into the public school and present the Gospel twice to over 700 students and their teachers. We took the puppets and although the sound system was down, we had great translators that were able to read the puppet skit for us. After thinking about it, it was almost better that the team didn't have the mics so they children really had to pay close attention to what was being said. They seemed to enjoy it and they really liked the goody bags that we passed out.

We also distributed the shoeboxes at Collegio both yesterday and today. They were passed out in each classroom after we had presented a skit and the plan of Salvation. Even though they are Christian schools, we all know that just because they attend a Christian school, it doesn't mean that they have asked Jesus into their hearts. Our team leaders have been very intentional about making sure every single person knows that more important than the gifts they are receiving is the gift of Eternal Life.

One thing we realized as we were sorting the boxes on Monday is the great need for boxes for the older male students. But, with that being said, all of the kids seemed to really enjoy getting their gifts... especially the candy!!!

This afternoon, we were able to see God show up in an awesome way. Yesterday we went into a village called Palm Village. Extremely poor with many children. As we were playing, Brandon noticed a little boy with a broken flip flop. He followed the young boy home.. he was maybe 3.. so he could see where he lived to come back with some new shoes for him since we didn't have any with us that were his size. 5 of us went back with a translator who spoke Creole, as she was from Haiti. She also had another child named Franklin who was about one year old. He was very malnourished and the mother said that he was very sick. She told us that he was on meds, but he was still very feverish at night and as we were there, we noticed that he had very labored breathing. He was a tiny little thing and you could tell he needed immediate care just by looking at him. We asked her about her Salvation and she said she was a Believer, so we just left the shoes, prayed with her and left.

When we got back, Brandon told Tony Luther about the child and he immediately got on the phone with a Dr. at a clinic who made house calls. He went to the home with Tony and Brandon and told the mother that the child was very ill and needed to go right then to the hospital. The mother agreed and as they were driving them to the hospital, Tony was asking her about her husband who had passed away in the earthquake in Haiti last year. Through their conversation, he began asking her if she knew what would happen if she were to die. She said she didn't know, so he began sharing the plan of Salvation with her. She told him that she did want to pray so they pulled the car over and she prayed to receive Christ right then and there! We were thrilled to see that Brandon saw the need for the pair of shoes and was obedient to go back and provide a very basic need for him. In turn, his mother found out that her greatest need was met today, as well, and now we are just praying that the baby will be ok and can be nursed back to health quickly.

God is definitely at work in the D.R. and it is exciting that our team has gotten to be a part of that this week. I know that God has personally ignited a passion in my own heart to raise awareness of all that is going on here and what the James and Luther families are doing to reach others for Christ. I can't wait to see what He has in store for us the rest of the week and for them in the weeks to come!!

Day 2 in the Dominican Republic

2011-01-26T10:47:00.001-06:00

Hey!
Sorry to just now be getting on the internet to send a message. The trip is going very well. The children at the Christian Schools are thrilled to be receiving their shoeboxes and we love sharing the Gospel with them. We also were allowed into a local public school where we did a morning assembly and an afternoon assembly. We did a salvation skit and a puppet show and handed out small gift bags. We have visited in two villages, playing games and doing crafts with the children and a few of us visited door to door. At one village two people prayed to receive Christ, one of whom is a prostitute. The New Missions staff is doing to follow up with her and help her find other employment. We also attended a local church service last night where we sang and did a puppet show. A missionary shared the 4 spiritual laws at the service and two men prayed to receive Christ.
This afternoon we are hosting a dodgeball tourney for the International School students. These are weathy students who are difficult to reach. Brandon and Nikki have been building relationships with them and we hope to be helpful in showing God's love to them today.
One thing that has been of great concern was yesterday Jessica Shelton was hit in the temple with a baseball that had been thrown from a baseball field adjacent to the school yard where we were. She was taken to the emergency room for evaluation and x.ray. She is doing fine with praise and thanksgiving to God! She is my roommate and I am keeping a close eye on her. She is amazing! Please do pray for her. She still has a lump on her temple and her jaw is very sore.
You would be very thankful to see the James and the Luthers productive work here. The Lord is blessing them and their ministry! Nikki is doing better with her pregnancy and looks so cute with her little tummy.
We certainly appreciate your prayers. We are thankful to have your support as we are representing our Lord and our Church here in the DR.
In His love,
Susie

Hola from the Dominican Republic!

2011-01-24T16:17:00.002-06:00

We arrived yesterday afternoon and spent the evening meeting with the some of the New Missions missionaries. That included Melissa and Tony Luther and their family and Brandon and Nikki James. It was so great seeing them and I know they were all excited to see some familiar faces. Especially the Luthers. I am pretty sure that this was the first group from FBCH since they arrived here last June. Melissa shared with us a little bit of their responsibilities, which include heading up the child sponsorship program through New Missions and she is also heading up ´2 women´s Bible studies... one for church members and one for the pastors´wives. Brandon is heading up the trip this week and quickly dove into the schedule and why we are doing what we are doing. More on that later.

Today, we went over to the New Missions health clinic, unloaded all of the supplies and then made goody bags. Tomorrow, we will have a unique opportunity to go into the public schools and present the Gospel, as well as distribute the bags to the kids. This is a great opportunity for many to hear as their are about 700 kids at the school. We are so excited to be able to go in and hang out with them tomorrow!!

Also, we got all of the shoeboxes that were donated for Christmas sorted and ready to go for the school visits this week. I was amazed at the thought that many people put into their shoeboxes and am excited for the children to open them and get all their treats! What a privilege to be able to deliver these for the people at our church who couldn´t be here to do it themselves.

Some went tonight to a prayer meeting with Brandon and then the Bible study with Melissa. I will hopefully be able to share some specific requests from both of those once the team members return.

For now, a few specific requests.....

1. That tomorrow as the team members present the Gospel, that the children will be attentive and will receive it well. That God will be glorified in all that we say and do and that seeds will be planted at the public school.

2. That God would bless the New Missions ministry here in the DR. It is amazing hearing how He is using the Jameses and the Luthers to make His name great here! Also, the other Missionaries and their families. What a sacrifice they have all made to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the DR people!

3. That God would continue to provide sufficient funds for the health clinic. They are currently able to see about 25 people each of the 3 days that they are open. Also that they would be able to buy the meds at a good cost so they can serve the people well.

4. For the children here. They are just precious! Their joy is infectious and I am excited to see how God will work this week!!

5. For continued health for our team. We do have one team member that had a bit of sickness today and spent the day in her room, but hopefully she was able to rest and will be able to go out with us tomorrow.

God Bless you as you are reading this and we thank you for your prayers for us while we are away!!

Haiti Construction Team Article

2011-01-04T08:05:00.002-06:00

Eighteen members of FBCH traveled to Haiti in November to assist rebuilding after the earthquake of January 2010. Follow this link for an article in the New Missions January edition of their newsletter:

http://www.newmissions.org/news/newsletter/newsletterarticle/tabid/163/smid/538/articleid/84/reftab/164/t/construction%20team%20nails%20lt/default.aspx

Canada-2010 Part 2!

2010-07-22T22:20:00.005-05:00

Our days begin as usual with a prayer and inspirational message from Jimmy Cobb. As the day went on we continued painting apartments and found several potential volunteers. Lynda Ryan helped to reorganize the kitchen and helped with inventory at the bookstore.

Others continued preparing the campus for a truck load of sod. After a hard day we all attended Cowboy Church. This is a church that meets every Tuesday for the local ranchers and cowboys who are unable to attend church on Sunday. It is not unsual to see a horse or two tied up in the parking lot.

The sodding party began with all hands on deck while we waited for the sod to arrive. After unloading enough sod to cover a football field we began to lay it out. We had so many people helping it only took a few hours to complete. It was so awesome to see what the power of God can accomplish through volunteers. Everyone was working so diligently but yet smiling, laughing, and having a blast!

-Emily Hopper

Canada Mission Trip-2010!

2010-07-20T22:25:00.007-05:00

Day 1 at the Seminary.

The mission team meets at FBCH to head off for Canada eh. The first day at the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary consisted of the revealing of the "white board" and assigning people to each task. Emily Hopper, Brent Nason, Mike Ryan, and Thomas Witherow started the morning off moving some playground equipment to the other side of the campus. Rick Milewski, Linda Staley, and Mike Semich began the day painting student apartments to prepare for the fall semseter. Rhonda Nason took on the huge task of weeding around the campus. Lynda Ryan spent her day in the Administration building helping to move books, etc. out of the way so they could re-carpet the area. As the day went on Emily took on the mowing job. Thomas, Mike R, and Brent then pulled carpet for the rest of the day. In the afternoon Rhonda, Emily, and Rick began to landscape the Seminary welcome sign.

After the longggg day of work everyone pitched in to help cook chili dogs for dinner. It was a GREAT dinner filled with laughter and fellowship. It's so amazing to see what God has in store for us this week. We can't wait to see all the things we can accomplish this through the power of God.

-Emily Hopper

Montana Mission Trip - Day 6

2010-06-25T23:21:00.006-05:00

Our time in Missoula came to a close. We had the day to drive and see some of the beautiful landscape of Montana and see just our great a God we have. In the morning we headed north to visit the National Bison Range. We saw, of course, bison, but we also saw some elk, deer, and antelope. It was a breathtaking 19 mile drive. We were at about 5,000 ft and had a gorgeous view of the Missoula valley with Mission Mountain range in the background. I don't see how anyone could see such beauty and not believe in a God who created it. While we were taking pictures we met some folks from a church in Olive Branch Mississippi. Small world!

After lunch we headed east to visit one of the mining ghost towns in Montana. We went up a dirt road to the top of a mountain and landed in the city of Garnet. This was a prosporous mining town in the late 1890's but by 1920 had become a ghost town. There were over 20 buildings that were still standing and it was like stepping back to the pioneer days to see how people lived in the mountains during the turn of the 20th century. It was a true taste of the old west and we had a great time.

We ended the day back in Missoula and went to a cookout at Bonner park near the University of Montana. We were able to see many of the members of E3 and tell them how much we enjoyed being a part of their ministry for one week. They were very appreciative. We really felt that we have had a hand in the beginning of a great work for E3 in Lolo and will pray as they get this faith community started in the fall. Pictured above with our team in the middle are Danny Siedelman, summer intern from NAMB, and Bill Self, associate pastor of E3. Bill and Danny were great leaders this week and we are thankful for their leadership.

Saturday we head back to Nashville after a week of work and ministry. We look forward to sending more teams back to Missoula next year to continue the work of helping them as they share Christ with the residents of Missoula. Please make this congregation a matter of prayer as they work in a very pioneer area. We thank God for His goodness to us and allowing us to be his hands, feet and voice in Missoula this week.

Montana Mission Trip - Day 5

2010-06-25T00:34:00.008-05:00

Today we finished painting the E3 Church building in the Lolo Community. We completed the worship center, three upstairs classrooms, balcony and stairwell. We put the furniture and fixtures and back in place, so the upstairs is complete and ready for use. All that is left is the downstairs which will need some demo work done and then painting. Other groups coming this summer will tackle this project. Bill Self, one of the pastors of E3, was pleased with the quality and quanity of work our group completed this week. He was very grateful for our hard work in getting this building ready for a future faith community in Lolo.

This evening, we and the Lolo community group of E3 hosted a cookout for the neighborhood of Ann's Lane Street. Over 20 of the neighbors turned out to see the church and fellowship with the group from E3. Many were excited that this church building will once again host a faith community and were asking when it would start. Many of the Lolo community group met the neighbors and starting to build relationships as they will reach out not only to Ann's Lane, but the whole city of Lolo. Our team really sees potential for a variety of ministry projects in this community that E3 will be able to do to share Christ with the community. This was just the first of several fellowship opportunities that E3 will facilitate with the community this summer.

We ended the day by heading to downtown Missoula for the weekly "Downtown Tonight" celebration. There were several thousand people there listening to music, eating, drinking and watching people Kayak on the river. One of the ministry opportunities that E3 is engaging the city with this summer is to provide a clean up crew to clean the park after the downtown event each Thursday. Our team picked up trash, went through recyling bins, tore down the stage and picked up after the people left the event. We were pleased to have people come up to us and ask us who were were with and thank us for performing this service. E3 is truly trying to make a difference in Missoula by just serving in a variety of ways. We even had someone come up and take our picture (since we all dressed in our E3 tshirts). Our team got a true taste of what the culture of Missoula is all about watching and talking with folks there. Seeds were planted through words and deeds.

Tomorrow we will take a day to see Montana. We will visit some area attractions and then come back and meet with E3 church at a local park as they host another cookout.

Montana Mission Trip - Day 4

2010-06-23T23:06:00.005-05:00

Summer finally hit Western Montana. The temperature got up to 80 degrees today!! It was a beautiful day in Missoula and the mission team spent the morning prayer walking in several neighborhoods in the Lolo community. There are over 3000 people within 3 miles of the Lolo church building and as our group walked in the neigborhoods, we saw that the "harvest is plentious" and E3 will need "the Lord of the Harvest" to send more laborers. We observed that there is a young family population near the church that can be reached. But we also noticed that there is a segment of retired adults that are there as well. We came away excited about the possibilities for E3 as they prepare to minister to the Lolo community.

At lunch we were able to get a real "taste" of life in Missoula. We went in to downtown Missoula for the summer "Out To Lunch" gathering that happens every Wednesday. We were there along with over 2000 others enjoying music, eating lunch from downtown vendors and enjoying the gorgeous summer day. We also walked the streets of downtown Missoula and tried to engage conversation with the peopke we came in contact with. We were able to really realize the culture of Montana and how different it is from Tennessee. The people we met were nice, but most are in need of the Savior. We will get to encounter most of these folks again on Thursday night when they have the summer "Downtown Tonight" gathering.

Wednesday evening we were able to join E3 in worship at the Missoula church and had a great time of worship and meeting others in the church. There were over 53 adults in attendance (compared to about 20 last year) so E3 is growing. Rich Ratts and Bill Self lead in teaching and did a great job. We even saw some other FBC members there! Scottie Harris and her mother in law were in town to visit Hollee Harris who is living in Missoula and attending the University of Montana. We were able to tour the church building and see all the work that has been done since we were here in June of 2009. It is wonderful resource that God has provided to E3 for ministry.

Tomorrow we will finish up painting the Lolo church and help with a neighborhood cook out. Then we will head to Missoula and help with cleanup from the Downtown Tonight gathering.

Montana Mission Trip - Day 3

2010-06-22T22:55:00.005-05:00

The Montana Team woke up to 58 degrees and sunny in Missoula, Montana on Tuesday. (It warmed up during the day and got up to 72 degrees!) We headed back to the Lolo Community to continue painting the E3 Convergence building. This church used to be Lolo Baptist Church until it merged with E3 two years ago. The main reason for us painting this building and getting it ready is to "rebrand" this church for the Lolo community to show that this building will house a new faith community that will be missional and carry the mission of E3 - Encounter God, Experience Community, and Engage culture! We finished paiting the worship center and three class rooms and only have some touch up to do on Thursday. We have made a big dent in the work the E3 staff had planned for this building as they look to launch a new congregation later this fall.

The afternoon got us out in the community of Lolo as we visited 26 homes directly behind the church. We went door to door and handed out flyers and cards about a Neighborhood Cookout we will help serve to the community on Thursday evening. This will be a great way for the community to see what E3 is doing and what it is all about. We talked with several neighbors who were out in their yards and most were very receptive to what we were doing. We are praying for a good turnout on Thursday night.

Wednesday, we will be prayer walking two other subdivisions in Lolo in the morning and then we will head to downtown Missoula for the weekly downtown lunch gathering. The weather is going to be great and we should see several thousand down by the river in Missoula during lunch. It is a great opportunity to talk with people and share about E3 and what they are doing in Missoula.

Please pray that God will use us to share His Love to the people we will encounter in downtown Missoula.

Montana Mission Trip - Day 1 and 2

2010-06-21T22:10:00.005-05:00

The Montana Team (Bill Gruenewald, David Stockett, Barbara Stockett, Duane McGray, Sue McGray, Tom Clark and Janice Clark) arrived in Missoula on Sunday, June 20 after driving over from Bozeman, MT. We were met by Danny Seidelman, student intern for the summer in Missoula and a student at Boice College on the campus of Southern Baptist Seminary. Sunday evening we were guests of Larkin and Katie Woodard (former FBC Hendersonville members) as they hosted their home group from E3 Convergence Ministries. We had a great time and met their home group members. We ate and talked about engaging the people of Montana to the gospel. It was very imformative for us as we began our week of ministry. it was a joy to see Katie and Larkin and how God is using them to reach out to the people of Missoula.

Monday, we spent all day painting the church building in the Lolo community. This church building was given to E3 from the Montana State Convention and has been vacant for over 2 years. Rich Ratts and Bill Self (pastors of E3) desire to create a community group from Lolo and eventually a satellite campus in Lolo. We painted the main worship center room in one day to the amazement of Rich and Bill. Everyone worked really hard and we hope to finish the balcony and side rooms on Tues. Painting this building is one of the major tasks for the summer as they prepare this building to start a new community group.

Monday evening before we went to eat, Sue McGray had the opportunity to talk with a cashier at one of the stores in the Mall who could not help but notice her non Montana accent! She shared about what we were doing in Missoula and how we were helping E3. The girl seemed interested in what we were doing as was very inquistive as to who E3 was and how she could visit. Sue plans to go back on Tuesday and talk more with her.

Thats all for today. We will start early on Tuesday doing more painting in Lolo. More to follow later.

A Cinderella Story

2010-04-22T07:56:00.004-05:00

When people talk about Cinderella, the focus is usually on how Cinderella overcame the odds and rose above her struggle. The role of Cinderella's fairy godmother is often overlooked. She played such a crucial part in the development and success of Cinderella. This morning Jeanie spoke at breakfast and used the analogy about Cinderella. She talked about how in Acts 1:8, God calls us to wait on him. He gives us the power and opportunity to be a fairy godmother to so many people in our lives. We do not get to fly or have a magic wand, but we do have the opportunity to touch people's lives in a similar way. We need to open our ears and listen for his calling so that he can work through us and provide the magic wand. Often we think, as Christians, that we are the fairy godmother working alone. We point our wand and give money to the church, charity, and a poor man on the street. But, are we really listening to what God has called us to do, invest in, and live out? In the Dominican I feel like I have been Cinderella and the gifts have been poured out to me. God has taught me that because a culture appears different or speaks a different language or may have a different standard of living that we automatically should minister to them. In the Dominican the people of this country minister to one another and build community. My prayer is that at home you would listen for God's calling to minister to others and his call for our lives. Praise the Lord for his faithfulness and making us all success stories. Listen and pour into people's lives and watch as God begins to point his wand through you!

Keith Holloway

Till Next November...

2010-04-16T10:26:00.002-05:00

What an amazing time of ministry we had this winter with Room in the Inn at First Baptist. I cannot say "thank you" enough to all the Sunday School classes and individuals who assisted with this ministry. The impact we had was truly amazing. In the coming days I will post some of the remarkable ministry stories from this time. I know you will be forever changed by these stories.

Once again let me thank our church family for supporting Room in the Inn. Through our ministry on Sunday and Tuesday evenings we were able to impact nearly 300 men. These men were able to all receive dinner, a sack lunch for the next day, a sweatsuit, t-shirt, underwear, socks, bag, and hygiene kit that contained soap, body wash, shampoo, razor, toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, deodorant, and a bible. I wish each of you could see how appreciative these men where for these items. Just know that through this ministry we were able to "share and show" the love of Jesus Christ with all of these dear souls.

Thanks again for being a part of this ministry. We will start up Room in the Inn again in November. Till then, continue to "Live Sent."

In His Grace,

Chris

Welcome Back

2010-04-07T09:29:00.007-05:00

For the last few months we have been trying to use Twitter and Facebook to promote missions instead of the blog. While there are a lot of advantages to this approach it still doe snot afford us the same benefits as the blog. While we will continue to use Twitter and Facebook on a regular basis to promote missions at First Baptist Hendersonville the blog will return as the central feature of promoting and educating our church of "all things missions" at First Baptist Hendersonville.

Starting today we will post 3 or 4 entries on the blog on a weekly basis. These entries will cover a variety of mission aspects from our church: local mission projects, missions education, mission trips, church planting, and much more. We encourage you to continue to follow the Global Impact Missions Blog each week and encourage your friends to follow as well.

Live Sent,

Chris

The Age of Social Networking

2009-12-12T23:04:00.008-06:00

It has been quite a while since my last post. Sadly, I was sick for about two weeks starting the Wed. before Thanksgiving. In the middle of all that both of our kids were sick and my wife had an outpatient surgery. Needless to say, blogging had to take a backseat till I could get back on my feet. Thankfully we are all back up and running...and I am looking forward to sharing again with everyone.

As we come to the end of the year we are going to try something a little different. Instead of blogging we are going to try to use Twitter and Facebook to share "all things missions" with our church family and friends. Twitter and Facebook have become common place in our society. The ease of transmitting information via these services is amazing. If you are not sitting in front of a computer it is tough to blog (at least it is tough for me to type all this out on the itty bitty keys of my phone). So, if you are not following me on Facebook or Twitter you need to do so...for Facebook it is "Chris Davis" and Twitter it is @missionspastor. Our plan is to try this for a few weeks and see how it goes.

As we make this transition please feel free to give us feedback on this plan...your thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Live Sent,

Chris

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T18:01:00.003-06:00

With today being Thanksgiving I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and share these thoughts with you...

On Oct. 3, 1789, during a trip to New York City, George Washington, at the request of both houses of Congress, signed a proclamation calling the nation to observe a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. Washington knew the importance of God in the beginning of nation, hence he felt it vital our nation pray and give cooperate thanks.

God is still a vital part of our nation and is central in each of our lives. There is so much we have to give thanks to Him. Though our nation is struggling through a difficult economic time we still our the richest nation in the world...and compared to the citizens of the rest of our world we all live in riches. God has blessed us so much that is why it is imperative that we all give back....remember, "to those who have been given much, much is required."

Today as you give thanks don't forget to think about those around you that are without...most of all, don't forget those around you that are without the most important thing in life...that is Jesus Christ. We are all called to share and show the love of Jesus...who will you share and show the love of Jesus with this week?

Live Sent,

Chris

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

2009-11-25T18:26:00.003-06:00

I wanted to say "thank you" to all those who attended the Missions Expo this past Sunday. I truly believe that this year's expo was our most successful to date. From the video driven missions lesson in Sunday School to the exhibits in the Fellowship Hall, it was an amazing event.

I also want to thank all the Sunday School teachers for leading our lesson and for encouraging your classes to visit our booths. Lastly, I want to thank all those with displays...the ministries we support and the mission teams from our church. The exhibit area was bustling with activity and energy, I hope and pray the interactions in this area will be life changing for everyone.

As we celebrate the success of our missions ministry in 2009 we also look forward to what God has for our church family in 2010. Check out the missions section of the church website next week for the 2010 missions calendar!

Live Sent,

Chris

What Will You Leave Behind?

2009-11-24T10:45:00.004-06:00

"The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it."

- William James

This Sunday I attended the funeral of one of our church members, a man that I had the utmost respect for, a man I called a friend. "Mr. Earl" was quite successful in life: a renowned business owner, respected leader in the community, loving husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. But what I loved most about Mr. Earl was that throughout his life he kept God number one. You would be hard pressed to find a person more faithful in service to our Heavenly Father than this man. Even when his health was deteriorating he was still focused on ministry.

In Matthew 25 we find the Parable of the Talents. For today's blog, I want to share this passage from The Message. I hope the modern rendering will give you a fresh insight into this parable:

"It's also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third a thousand. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master's investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master's money. After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.' The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master's investment. His master commended him: 'God work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.' The servant given one thousand said, 'Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.' The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least?'"

We were reminded at the funeral that Mr. Earl was a servant given five talents but who gave back his Lord ten talents. My question to each of you is what are you doing with what God has given you? When the time comes for you to stand before your Heavenly Father will He be pleased or disappointed with what you have done with your life?

God has called each of us to serve Him, he has called each of us to "live sent." Are you living sent? Are you going wherever He leads you sharing and showing the love of Christ? Are you his faithful servant seeking to give God your best? Don't let the end of your life come to a close and realize that you wasted your time. Become a "ten talent" servant like my friend Mr. Earl so that when your life is over you will hear God say "Good Work! You did your job well."

Live Sent,

Chris

Missions Expo - Nov. 22nd

2009-11-21T23:01:00.002-06:00

Sunday November 22nd will be the Missions Expo at First Baptist. This will be an exciting time in the life of the Global Impact Missions Ministry. Our pastor will be sharing a messages about missions in all our worship services. In all adult Sunday School classes there will be a video driven Sunday School lesson on missions. In Fellowship Hall A from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and again from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. we will have 37 displays on hand representing the projects we have been involved in and the ministries we support. This will be an awesome time for our members and guests to see all the things we are connect with mission wise as church. Finally, at 6:15 p.m. we will be having our "He Has Been Good" event in the worship center. It is during this service that our church family brings new toys and other items for the associational Toy Store. Sunday is going to be an amazing day you will not want to miss!

Please pray for us as we celebrate what God has done through our missions ministry and look toward what God will do through us in 2010.

Live Sent,

Chris

The Most Effective Evangelistic Strategy Under Heaven

2009-11-19T19:41:00.002-06:00

Church planting is a big part of First Baptist and the Global Impact Missions Ministry. Through the last 10 years our church has had the opportunity to partner in planting 10 churches. We are currently working with three church plants in Missoula, MT, Fargo, ND, and Seattle, WA. Because we value church planting so greatly I wanted to share an article with you that will help you understand why we plant churches. The article is from SBC Life magazine. The article is written by Ed Stetzer and its entitled, "The Most Effective Evangelistic Strategy Under Heaven." I hope you enjoy the article and gain a better understanding of our church's calling to plant new churches.

Southern Baptists applied this evangelistic strategy more than 1,600 times last year in the U.S. and Canada. Thousands of IMB missionaries are using it. SEBTS President Paige Patterson keeps encouraging his students to use it in New Hampshire. Former Pastors' Conference president Johnny Hunt keeps sending his church members away to do it (locally and in Las Vegas!). What is "it?"

They planted churches. They were involved with what some church growth analysts have called "the single most effective evangelistic methodology under heaven."

Church planting is catching the attention of more and more evangelical Christians. Why? Because the need in North America is great, new churches add value to our denomination and build the Kingdom, the Bible teaches church planting, and new churches have proven to be extremely effective in fulfilling the Great commission. People are planting new churches because new churches are part of God's plan to reach the world.

The Need in North America

There is clearly a need in Asia, but what about in the United States and Canada? If we look on the surface, we might be inclined to think that North America has been reached. Certainly, North American Christians have access to abundant resources of Christian information, technology, and music. Evangelicals read Larry Burkett for financial information and listen to James Dobson for advice on raising children. They sing along with popular Christian recording artists and purchase the current best-selling Christian fiction. Because this significant Christian subculture exists, some might wrongly conclude that most people have been reached. But the unchurched in North America remain generally untouched by this evangelical subculture.

The spiritual deadness of North America is reflected not only in its culture but also in its churches. Churches in the first decade of the 21st century are closing at a phenomenal rate. Churches in the first decade of the 21st century are closing at a phenomenal rate. Each year the number of churches per person decreases. Almost three times as many churches are closing each year as are opening. It is not just less churches, but also less church attendees. No county in the United States reports having a higher percentage of people in church than ten years ago. Our churches are dying and our culture is turning from Christ. But statistics show that new churches can — and do — make a difference.

In Seattle, less than 4 percent of people are evangelical, let alone Southern Baptist. This is less than any country in Central and South America — places that are seen as legitimate mission fields. Seattle, and much of North America, needs to be seen as a mission field once again. We need more missionaries like Kevin Sullivan who planted High Pointe Community Church in Seattle. This Southern Baptist church has grown to 1,000 in three years.

New Church Growth is Kingdom Growth

Although starting a new church might not grow your own congregation, it does expand God's Kingdom (and it might just bless your church in the process). More churches will help us reach more people by multiplication and not just addition.

New churches themselves are an indispensable gift to the Body of Christ. They are a gift of evangelism. According to research from Will McRaney at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary:

"In a newly planted church there are 14.4 baptisms per year for every 100 people in regular attendance in worship. When a church has been in existence sixteen years or more, the baptism rate is half that: Only 7.3 baptisms per year for every 100 people in attendance."

Without church planting, our denomination will decline; but more importantly, the number of Christians in North America will continue to decline. If we love God's Kingdom, we must love church planting.

In Southern Baptist life, the majority of our new churches are ethnic or African-American. They add a new vitality to our denominational milieu. They are expanding the Kingdom into communities where we do not speak the language and/or do not understand the culture. For example, in 2002, Pastor Benjamine Mishin planted Lifeway Bible Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pa. The church is reaching Russian young adults and already averages over 100 people per week.

What Does Your Bible Teach?

The New Testament says a great deal about church planting. The early church fulfilled the Great Commission by planting churches throughout the Roman Empire. New churches were formed as a result of evangelism. Men and women were then congregationalized.

New churches still need to be planted today. Why? Because the methods of the New Testament are still valid today. Ephesians 3:10 teaches that God has chosen the church to make known His manifold wisdom. Like Paul going to Athens, we need to go to the Areopagus of our communities and proclaim a culturally relevant gospel witness leading to a new church.

Matthew Heusted understands this biblical mission. He is a Nehemiah Project Church Planter working part-time to start house churches in multihousing communities in Louisville, Ky. He believes that these house churches are an extension of the New Testament church in these often closed off communities. Like the church in Acts, they meet together in homes to "do" New Testament church.

What Now?

We must to focus on planting new churches if we are to fulfill the Great Commission. Without church planting, Christianity will continue to decline in North America.

"Studies show that if a denomination wishes to reach more people, the number of new churches it begins each year must equal at least 3 percent of the denomination's existing churches." Southern Baptists plant about 4 percent, but still not nearly enough if we are to reach North America. That is only 1 percent over the break-even point.

To reach North America, we need God's people to step forward and be a part of the most effective form of evangelism under heaven. We need:

• Students from our colleges and seminaries,

• Experienced pastors planting in new communities,

• Churches desiring to expand the Kingdom by starting new churches,

• Prayer partners interceding on behalf of new churches,

• Laypeople planting churches in their homes, and

• Many other kinds of Kingdom builders — perhaps even you!

Is It Worth It?

2009-11-18T18:56:00.004-06:00

This week I was reminded of a passage in 2 Corinthians. Please take a few moments to read the following:

"Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked." 2 Corinthians 11:24-27

Why would Paul endure all this...why didn't he give, why didn't he just quit and head home? Even Paul said just prior to this passage, "...am I mad?" Paul was willing to endure all these things because he knew that sharing and showing the love of Christ was worth it. Paul knew the difference Christ made in his own life and he wanted to share that difference. Paul never stopped going...outside of Jesus Chris he is the greatest example of "living sent" in scripture.

While there are still places in the world where Christan persecution exists none of us here in the United States face even a smidgen of what Paul endured. So why is it that Christians in this country cannot "live sent?" Why is it that we cannot live in such a manner where we are continually about sharing and showing the love us Christ to all those we encounter?

Paul was willing to endure all those hardships because he knew the message of Christ was worth it. Ask yourself the question...why am I not "living sent?" Isn't the power of Jesus Christ worth the time and effort, worth any minor rebuff we might face? Paul was willing to go all out to take the message of Jesus Christ to his community and around the world. Are you willing to do the same...

Live Sent,

Chris

The Spark of Difference

2009-11-16T10:39:00.011-06:00

Last Friday I received a very kind email from Tim DeTellis, president of New Missions. During his email he referenced an entry from his most recent blog post entitled "The Spark of Difference." The post was very powerful, so much so that I wanted to share that with you today. My prayer is that it will help to ignite a spark in each of you to make a difference, a difference that Jesus Christ has called each of us to make!

What could ignite a change in our world that will truly make a difference? Before I answer that, here is what bugs me about causes today.

First, awareness is not enough. So often we see promotions and marketing that grabs our attention for a cause, but then what? Awareness is the stepping stone to a heart-tug, a nudge for you and me to step out and now be responsible and do something.

Second, we cannot all do the same thing. Each person needs to be true to their calling. The phrase that comes to mind is, how is God leading you? Be true to that. Don't just jump on the bandwagon. Make sure you are on the right bus.

Third, show me the difference. I grew up in the poorest country in the western hemisphere. I've seen poverty. As a matter of fact, I'll be back in Haiti for two one-week trips over the next 60 days. Why? So I can see the difference my efforts are making. When I give, either of my time or money, I want to see the impact. Who is served and where? Not generalizations, but specifics. For example, I will be at schools for an entire week in Haiti giving out food, medical supplies, and Christmas shoe boxes. I will see the people and places where I am helping to make a difference.

Back to my opening question: What could ignite a change in our world that would truly make a difference? The answer: service. Sure, let's preach all day, and pray all night, but first thing in the morning ask ourselves, how can I serve?

My life-cause is to live on a mission field right where I am. What does that mean? Ask the questions what can I give today, how can I serve, and how can I shine truth that will make a difference for eternity.

How can you ignite change in the world around you? Start by asking what little ways you can serve those closest to you. We have a neighbor across the street without work. When we cook dinner, we make sure we deliver some to her most nights. My wife and I have networked to try and find her a job and hope that something breaks through soon.

It's the little spark of service each person strikes together that will ignite a positive difference in our world.

On a personal note, if I don't serve and show love to my neighbor, why would they ever listen to the gospel I believe?

What would our world be like if we served those around us?

The Birth of the Cooperative Program

2009-11-15T21:05:00.002-06:00

As Southern Baptists, we are very fortunate to have a plan in place to help us effectively and efficiently reach the world for Jesus Christ. That "plan" is known as the Cooperative Program. I have shared about the Cooperative Program on various occasions in this blog but wanted to share the story of its creation with our readers. I hope this story helps everyone to better understand the incredible impact of the Cooperative Program.

Since its inception in 1845, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has always had one mission - the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20). In order to fulfill its assigned part of this divine mandate, each SBC entity made special offering appeals directly to the churches. This method was referred to as the "societal" approach to missions and resulted in severe financial deficits, competition among entities, overlapping pledge campaigns, and frequent emergency appeals which greatly hampered the expanding ministry opportunities God was giving Southern Baptists. Some entities took out loans to cover operating costs until pledges or special offerings were received.

In 1919, the leaders of the SBC proposed the 75 Million Campaign, a five-year pledge campaign that, for the first time, included everything-the missions and ministries of all the state conventions, as well as that of the Southern Baptist Convention. Though falling short of its goals, a God-given partnership of missions support was conceived - the Cooperative Program. Since its origin in 1925, the Cooperative Program has grown to be one of the most effective, efficient, and expansive ways of engaging the lost people and supporting missions.

Our Deepest Thanks

2009-11-11T13:50:00.003-06:00

A year or so ago, our church had the incredible opportunity to hear a special word from Lieutenant General William "Jerry" Boykin (retired). While General Boykin's military career is the stuff of legends, it was his faith in God and the stories of God's provision throughout his service that were truly inspiring.

General Boykin served in a variety of posts during his 36-year career in the Army, most of them involving Delta Force and Special Forces. He is an original member of the Army's Delta Force. His last post was as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence in the Pentagon, overseeing the gathering and exploitation of intelligence during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

As one who has a great passion and appreciation for history, I found it facisnating to read General Boykin's book, Never Surrender: A Soldier's Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom. I also enjoyed reading other books and materials surrounding the timeframe of General Boykin's military career and the Special Forces. One of the things that truly fasinated me was the Special Forces prayer. Let me share that with you:

Almighty GOD, Who art the Author of Liberty and the Champion of the Oppressed, hear our prayer.

We, the men of Special Forces, acknowledge our dependence upon Thee in the preservation of human freedom.

Go with us as we seek to defend the defenseless and to free the enslaved.

May we ever remember that our Nation, whose motto is "In God We Trust", expects that we shall acquit ourselves with honor, that we may never bring shame upon our faith, our families, or our fellow men.

Grant us wisdom from Thy mind, courage from Thine heart, strength from Thine arm, and protection by Thine hand.

It is for Thee that we do battle, and to Thee belongs the victor's crown.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever. AMEN

This prayer reminded me that even the strongest and bravest warriors in our military are still relient on God. It also reminded me that we have a great responsibility to lift up in prayer the men and women who dutifully serve in our military. We were reminded this week with the tragedy at Ft. Hood of the great sacrifice of life these soliders face. I encourage each of you, if you do not already do so, to make prayer for those in the military a part of your daily or weekly prayer journey. Your prayers are greatly needed and wanted by our troops.

With today being Veterans Day, I want to say a special thanks to all those who have served our country and to their families. To the the men and women who currently serve, and to their families, we also say "thanks" for your service.

In His Grace,

Chris

A Gift That Opens A Heart

2009-11-10T14:56:00.003-06:00

For the last several years New Missions, one of the mission organizations our church supports, has held a Christmas Shoebox Drive for the children of Haiti. New Missions is an amazing organization who has made a phenomenal impact in Haiti and is now working in the Dominican Republic. Last year we were able to collect over 200 boxes for this project. This year, following one of our mission trips with New Missions to the Dominican Republic, Jo Kennedy, one of our team members, learned that the nearly 800 kids in the DR did not receive a shoebox. After visiting with the New Missions field personnel in the DR, Jo decided to come back and lead our church in collecting shoeboxes for the children of the Dominican Republic.

Under Jo's leadership, and with the help of several of our ministry areas, particularly the Children's and Student areas, we were able to collect 614 shoeboxes. That is nearly three times as many as last year. Inside each box you could find small toys, school supplies, hygiene items, clothing, and other items. In addition to the boxes, we collected over $3000 to help ship the boxes to the Dominican Republic. It was so exciting to aid in loading these boxes into the semi heading for Florida...I knew that with each box a child's life was going to be dramatically touched.

While we were not able to raise all 800 boxes needed for the kids in the Dominican Republic the folks at New Missions were ecstatic our church could mount such an amazing effort for this project. New Missions plans to approach a couple of additional churches to round out the number needed for the children of the DR. Through our efforts New Missions will be able to assist the children in the Dominican for the very first time this Christmas with these precious gifts.

Tim DeTellis, President of New Missions, said this about the the Shoebox Drive..."It all starts with a special gift, packed by you, filled with love, and sent with prayers. A Christmas Shoebox has the ability to capture the attention of a child and open their heart to learn about Jesus."

January 18-25 our church has the great privilege of sending a team down to the Dominican Republic to help distribute these boxes. It is amazing to think we get to be a part of such a "first." If you are interested in being a part of this team please contact me at cdavis@fbchtn.org for more information.

In closing, let me say a special word of thanks to all those who participated in this years Shoebox Drive. Please know that you are making a major difference in the life of a child in the Dominican Republic!

In His Grace,

Chris

Enlarging our Impact: The Cooperative Program

2009-11-09T16:52:00.003-06:00

As Southern Baptist, missions is a vital component of who we are as a denomination. To maximize our mission endeavors our denomination created the Cooperative Program. The Cooperative Program works to unify our efforts in impacting the world, not just as a funding channel but as one of the critical ties that bind Southern Baptists in voluntary fellowship for cooperative ministries and missions.

Over the last several weeks our denomination has placed a special emphasis on the Cooperative Program. Today I wanted to share an article that was published in October in the Baptist Press. The article was written by David Dykes, pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas. My prayer is that this article will help each of you to realize the importance of the Cooperative Program and to commit to praying for this amazing ministry.

TYLER, Texas (BP)--I am thrilled with the emphasis that the Southern Baptist Convention has placed on a Great Commission Resurgence. I'm praying for Ronnie Floyd and the blue-ribbon GCR Task Force as they seek ways to increase our effectiveness in fulfilling the Great Commission. I'm more convinced than ever that the best channel for funding our global mission enterprise is the Cooperative Program. Because I'm passionate about the Great Commission, I'm also a champion for the Cooperative Program.

When I graduated from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1977, I was blessed to serve a small but vibrant congregation in Tallassee, Ala. Tallaweka Baptist Church ran about 100 in Sunday School, and these folks were some of the sweetest, most generous Christians I've ever known. Even with a small budget, we gave 10 percent through the Cooperative Program. We didn't have the people or money to participate in short-term mission projects -- most of the members worked at a local textile mill and had little time to devote to mission trips. However, because of our support of the Cooperative Program, our congregation felt we were a vital part of the worldwide mission efforts of the Southern Baptist Convention. There was no way our congregation could provide financial support for even a single missionary family (they could barely support the pastor and his family!), but we were happy to participate in supporting thousands of missionaries through the Cooperative Program.

Fast-forward 32 years and I'm now blessed to serve a large and vibrant congregation in Tyler, Texas, called Green Acres Baptist Church. With total receipts last year of more than $19 Million, we could theoretically support a large group of missionaries ourselves, but we choose to support missionaries through the Cooperative Program. Each year, we send almost one thousand of our members on short-term mission projects, but we never rob the Cooperative Program to fund these direct mission projects.

In 1996, our church embarked on a $28 million project to construct a new 3,200-seat worship center. I didn't want us to lose our focus on missions, so I challenged our church to increase the percentage of our Cooperative Program giving half a percent a year until we reached 15 percent of our undesignated offerings. That doesn't make sense from the world's perspective, but when we moved into our new worship center in 2001, we were giving 15 percent through the Cooperative Program -- and God enabled us to occupy this new building debt free.

In 2006, we launched a $40 million expansion project to add 200,000 square feet of additional space and add much-needed parking. I challenged our congregation again to give the first $1.5 Million we received in this campaign for missions, and that's what we did. We will complete this project next summer, and I'm expecting God to do another miracle. Last year, God enabled us to give $1,825,736 to missions through the Cooperative Program. Even in these tough economic times, we have concluded each budget year with a surplus. I share this information to support my belief that holds true for churches as well as for individuals: YOU CANNOT OUTGIVE GOD.

As a member of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, my heart fell last year when we were forced to cut the budget of the International Mission Board. (And this was after Dr. Jerry Rankin shared with us about the hundreds of thousands of conversions God is orchestrating in foreign lands. He also shared that we have qualified missionary candidates ready to go and places where they are needed, but we just don't have the money.)

We should never forget that most churches in the SBC are more like Tallaweka than Green Acres, Prestonwood, or Bellevue. They need us and we need them. In order for the Great Commission to be fulfilled, we all need the Cooperative Program. This isn't a time to forsake the Cooperative Program; it's a time to enlarge it.

It isn't a sacred cow -- it's a channel. I've often thought of it as the Panama Canal of missions support. When the French had failed after 13 years (and the death of 22,000 workers) to dig the canal, the U.S. took over the project in 1904. The U.S. finished the canal in 1914, two years ahead of schedule. Since that time, billions of dollars have been saved because ships have sailed straight from the Caribbean into the Pacific without sailing around Cape Horn on the southern tip of South America. Our old societal method of supporting missions was like sailing around Cape Horn. Thank God for our spiritual forefathers who dug the trench for the Cooperative Program. Now it's the Panama Canal of missions support, and other denominations envy its effectiveness.

However, the Panama Canal is only 110 feet wide, and many modern ships are now too wide to fit through the locks. By 2011, it is estimated that 40 percent of the ships on the sea will be too wide to fit through the Canal. Are they doing away with the Canal? No. Plans are being made now to enlarge the locks to handle the modern supertankers. That's my challenge to Southern Baptists. May we never go back to the old way of sailing around Cape Horn to support missions. Neither should we be limited by the past. Let's find a way to go in and dynamite the channel so it can be greatly enlarged to carry the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the Earth!

A Bitter Refuge

2009-11-04T19:38:00.003-06:00

Earlier this week I recieved a devotion via email that I found really interesting. The devotion dealt with bitterness. You might say, "Why are you printing this devotion on a missions blog?" A friend of mine shared last week that he beliefs Christians have various barriers that keep them from fufilling the call to be "on mission." Most of these barriers are self made...I believe that bitterness is one of those barriers for certain believers. Plus, I thought it was a real great devotion with an amazing story. So, take a look at today's blog..."A Bitter Refuge":

In November 1930 The Chicago Examiner reported the story of Harry Havens, who went to bed and stayed there for seven years, with a blindfold over his eyes, because he was angry at his wife.

Havens had always tried to be a good husband. He worked around the house, took care of the yard, carried out the trash, and even helped with the dishes. One day his wife complained that he wasn't doing it right, and Harry decided that enough was enough. He said, "All right, if that's how you feel, I'm going to bed. I'll stay there for the rest of my life and I don't want to see you ever again."

Harry went to bed, put a blindfold over his eyes, and stayed there. According to the Chicago Examiner, he finally got up again when the bed started to feel uncomfortable...seven years later.

The article's headline states, "Man Spites His Wife By Staying Blindfolded in Bed Seven Years." Maybe his exile did get on her nerves somewhat, but who did Harry really spite? Who was the biggest loser in this extended temper tantrum? It was Harry himself. He lost seven years of his life. He lived seven years in darkness. No reading. No walks in the sunshine. No laughter with friends. Just seven long, miserable years trying to settle a score that maybe was never settled.

The writer of Hebrews said, See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. (Hebrews 12:15)

Bitterness can damage a relationship, true. Most of all, it damages you. It destroys your happiness and peace of mind, and it causes you to miss out on the grace that God offers to each of us.

It reminds me of what Nelson Mandela once said: "Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies."

It took Harry Havens seven years to decide that his refuge of bitterness felt uncomfortable. How long will you wait to let your bitterness go?

Victory after Victory

2009-11-02T08:56:00.004-06:00

Below is an article that was published on Oct 31 on the New Missions website. It is an interview with Mike McClanahan, Minister to Men, at FBC Hendersonville. Mike was the team leader for our Haiti Mission Trip in Sept. of this year.

Victory after victory is how Mike McClanahan, a pastor with First Baptist Hendersonville in Tennessee, described his team’s recent mission trip to Haiti. From challenges early on in preparing for the trip, to the challenges they saw Haitian interpreters and pastors facing everyday, the team saw firsthand how God wins again and again.

Leading up to the trip, team members faced a variety of concerns. Many had never been on a mission trip, nor had to raise support to cover trip expenses. But when God puts a teamtogether, the victories come. One first-time mission team member experienced victory over “fear of the unknown.” Another team member experienced victory in raising support when a small50-member church unexpectedly funded her entire trip. “I am amazed at how God put together this team,” said Mike. “We’ve had good teams before, but this team had such a variety of people. I believe nearly all of us are planning to return to Haiti again next year.”

The team focused most of their attention on a village called Amber Pere, the most recent village where New Missions is ministering. A temporary school has been established until one can be built, and church worship is being held in a tin roof shanty. Team members distributed school uniform material here, and also assembled and distributed shopping bags of gifts and hygiene items. First Baptist Hendersonville’s 4th grade Vacation Bible School also played a role earlier this summer by raising $1,500 for the purchase of rice, which the team helped distribute. One of the team’s most memorable experiences was worshipping with the Haitians on Sunday. The villagers in Amber Pere were excited to be in church in spite of the sweltering heat and sang with unabashed joy.

Says Mike, “We were all very struck at hearing God’s Word read in another language – to realize that the language barrier is only temporary because someday we’ll all be worshipping together with no language barrier. The Haitians were very welcoming and gentle.” This welcome and gentle nature, however, doesn’t make it any easier for the young Haitian interpreters who accompany the mission teams. According to Mike, watching these men serve as interpreters sharing the Gospel and as leaders in the Wednesday night worship band is a humbling experience. They are leaders in such a tremendously difficult environment. Sadly, there are times when the interpreters will be sharing the Gospel with someone who would like to respond but who does not because of intense pressure – the pressure from friends and a long heritage of Voodoo. Despite this, God continues to work victories through the interpreters.

“It was an overwhelmingly humbling opportunity for our team to be ambassadors for Christ,” said Mike. “There are so many who don’t know the Lord. To see what God is doing through New Missions – 22 schools and churches – victory after victory – to see such a huge undertaking, first-hand on the ground and working, was amazing. We all left a huge part of our hearts in Haiti.”

~ Terri Starcher, Contributing Writer

The Call to Surrender

2009-10-27T14:58:00.007-05:00

For those that might not know me I am a little bit of a history buff...my wife might call me a nut. If we pass a historical marker along the roadside I want to slow down or stop so I can read it. I love to go places were I can explore history...museums, historical homes or cities, battlefields, etc. When I am not visiting historical locations I love to read about history. I have always found the timeframe surrounding World War II enthralling. I think a large part of that fascination comes from being able to interaction with many from that generation. One of the stories that I always found powerful and moving deals with the Siege of Bastogne.

In December 1944, when the German army launched their surprise offensive, General Maxwell Taylor, commander of the 101st Airborne Division, was away attending a staff conference in the United States. In Taylor's absence, General Anthony McAuliffe was acting commander of the 101st and its attached troops. At Bastogne, the 101st was besieged by a far-larger force of Germans under the command of General Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz, who soon demanded that the Americans surrender. McAuliffe sent back a simple one word reply to the call for surrender, "NUTS!"

The 101st was able to hold off the German advance until the 4th Armored Division arrived to provide reinforcement and the town was regained the next day due. For his actions at Bastogne, McAuliffe was awarded the Distinguished Service and later the Distinguished Service Medal.

McAuliffe became famous for his single-word reply to a German surrender ultimatum: "Nuts!" To many, it epitomized the character and drive of all Americans during World War II...we would not surrender, we would not give up! I believe that same zeal and determination is found today in Americans...we do not want to surrender!

I was thinking about surrender today and was reminded about something Ed Stetzer wrote in the first chapter of "Compelled by Love." Stetzer said "...as we surrender our lives more and more to Christ, the mark upon our lives is being changed, renewed, and conformed to look like Christ. I have to come to understand the missional view of following Christ requires a perspective of surrender..."

I think Christians in American struggle with surrender because giving up is something we do not do, it is culturally ingrained into us. This isn't a crutch, it just means we must fight our flesh continually to surrender to Christ. I believe this is exactly what Christ was speaking to in Luke 9:23, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." To follow Christ, to live a missional life, we must daily surrender ourselves...our desires, comforts, wants, plans, and be willing to do whatever the Lord calls us to do. This means we will have to make sacrifices, it means we lose control, but it also means that the love of Christ is able to be made known to all those we contact. Ultimately, isn't whatever we must sacrifice a small price to pay to see Christ lifted up and our world changed through His love?

I am not very good with surrender but I am trying to remember that to be the Christian I am called to be, to be the husband and the father I am called to be, to be the ambassador of His love that I am called to be, I must surrender. How are you with surrendering yourself daily to Him? Does your soul scream "nuts" or are you willing to let him do with you as He needs and desires?

Live Sent,

Chris

True Biblical Community

2009-10-26T14:07:00.009-05:00

Today I was reading about the Exponential Conference coming up this April. This conference is the largest gathering of church planters and those associated with church planting in the world. In addition to church planting there is quite a bit of material on missions. Many of my friends in ministry have told me I have to attend this conference...I even had one who said he would pay my way!

While reading the conference website I found a link to their blog. The first blog I clicked on was by Francis Chan. Chan is one of the most dynamic Christian speakers of our time. He is a church planter, author, college founder...the list goes on and on. I enjoy reading and hearing from Chan. His passion for the Lord is awesome. That is what led me to check out his blog entry. There was one section on "Engaging in Authentic, 24/7 Community" that really struck me.

I believe that as we reach our community we must have community within our churh family. I believe that community is vital to churches. Chan does a wonderful job of helping us see that community was foundation in the first century church. I hope you find today's entry thought provoking...

Starting over would also mean changing how our church viewed and fostered community. If you came off an island after reading Scriptures, and then walked into a local church, what would you expect to see? I would expect to see a group of people boldly loving one another, sharing their possessions with each other, spending time together like a family. A little over a year ago, we baptized this guy who came out of the gangs. I remember loving his fire and passion. A while later, someone came up to me and said that this guy had stopped coming to Cornerstone and had told him, “I had the wrong vision of church. I thought that when I got baptized and joined the church, it was going to be like when I got jumped into the gang. Immediately, we became family. They had my back 24 hours a day. If I was sleeping in the street, they were sleeping there with me. We didn’t get together just once a week; it was all the time. I guess I just didn’t understand church. It’s like Satan stole God’s playbook, and people are attracted to gangs because they’re doing things biblically—except for the killing part.”

That kills me! It’s so sad that gangs are a better picture of family than the body of Christ. And it just makes me say that it’s not this guy, it’s us—we are the ones who don’t understand church.

And I’ve heard the arguments. I know people say that even though it’s biblical, you can’t pull off that kind of bold community in today’s culture. And to that, I ask, Have we forgotten who the Holy Spirit is? If Jesus could look at 11 people and say, “You’re going to get the message to the whole world without Internet access,” then we can grab 11 people and reach these three or four blocks. It’s the same Holy Spirit. I’ve got to believe that the Holy Spirit still can and will do these amazing things.

We’re going through this as a church right now. The leaders of our church are my best friends. I trust them. I know that if I die tonight, these guys will take care of my family. They’ll treat my kids like their own. We’re seeing that type of bond happen. Today’s Church can foster bold and authentic, 24/7 community.

A Poem to Encourage...

2009-10-23T19:49:00.003-05:00

Pricilla Shrier was a speaker at the recent Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. She shared the poem below during her closing remarks. It can be found on her website. I hope you will find the poem encouraging and uplifting...

He is the First and Last,The Beginning and the End!
He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all!
He is the Architect of the universe and the Manager of all times.
He always was, He always is, and He always will be...
Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone!

He was bruised and brought healing!
He was pierced and eased pain!
He was persecuted and brought freedom!
He was dead and brought life!

He is risen and brings power!
He reigns and brings Peace!

The world can't understand him,
The armies can't defeat Him,
The schools can't explain Him,
and The leaders can't ignore Him.

Herod couldn't kill Him,
The Pharisees couldn't confuse Him,
and The people couldn't hold Him!

Nero couldn't crush Him,
Hitler couldn't silence Him,
The New Age can't replace Him,
and Oprah can't explain Him away!
He is light, love, longevity, and Lord.
He is goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God.
He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure.

His ways are right,
His word is eternal,
His will is unchanging,
and His mind is on me.

He is my Savior,
He is my guide,
and He is my peace!
He is my Joy,
He is my comfort,
He is my Lord,
andHe rules my life!

I serve Him because His bond is love,
His burden is light,
and His goal for me is abundant life.

I follow Him because
He is the wisdom of the wise,
the power of the powerful,
the ancient of days,
the ruler of rulers,
the leader of leaders,
the overseer of the overcomer's,
and is to come.
And if that seems impressive to you,
try this on for size.

His goal is a relationship with ME!
He will never leave me,
never forsake me,
never mislead me,
never forget me,
never overlook me,
and never cancel my appointment in
Hisappointment book!

When I fall, He lifts me up!
When I fail, He forgives!
When I am weak, He is strong!
When I am lost, He is the way!

When I am afraid, He is my courage!
When I stumble, He steadies me!
When I am hurt, He heals me!
When I am broken, He mends me!
When I am blind, He leads me!
When I am hungry, He feeds me!

When I face trials, He is with me! When I face persecution, He shields me! When I face problems, He comforts me! When I face loss, He provides for me! When I face Death, He carries me Home!

He is everything for everybody everywhere, every time, and every way.
He is God, He is faithful.
I am His, and He is mine!
My Father in heaven can whip the father of this world.
So, if you're wondering why I feel so secure, understand this...

He said it and that settles it.
God is in control,
I am on His side,
and that means all is well with my soul.
Everyday is a blessing for GOD Is!

A Few of Jesus' Final Words

2009-10-20T16:13:00.003-05:00

Last week I was reading an article by Ed Stetzer on discerning your church's call into a ministry. As Ed wrote about seeking God's direction for the church I was struck by one section in particular. Ed was referencing four of the last things Jesus said to his disciples in his final days on earth. I realized that those lessons served as a great reminder to each of us of the calling Jesus has placed on Christians to "live sent." Take a look at those four teachings*:

1. Jesus reminded his followers they have been sent just like he was: "As the Father sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21). Now, if he stopped there, it could still be pretty confusing. He didn't specifically tell them where to go, what to do, what to say, or what to accomplish. He just told them they were being shipped out to serve in his spiritual army.

2. Jesus continues to clarify the vision and mission he has for his followers and churches: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matt. 28:19-20). Going out to all the world and proclaiming the Good News was to result in new disciples among all people groups. After that, Christ's followers are supposed to baptize new disciples and teach them to follow everything he commanded.

3. Jesus isn't finished yet. Before he ascends, he tells them: "Thus it is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:46-49). This clarifies the Good News they are to announce: Jesus died in our place so we could repent and be forgiven of our sins, and he rose from the dead so we could live a victorious life. In order to be witnesses about these things, however, they needed one more thing: the power from on high promised by the Father.

4. The last thing Jesus communicated to his disciples picked up where his previous instructions ended. He laid out a strategy for things to move forward: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). A good place for his followers and churches to start is to be witnesses in their own communities and then move out from there, as he leads and opens doors for ministry.

May the teachings Jesus shared with his disciples also encourage each of you to "live sent."

Chris

*Four teachings come from Ed Stetzer's "Discerning Your Church's Call to Ministry" found on Christianity Today's Building Church Leaders website.

The Woodpecker Might Have To Go!

2009-10-19T09:11:00.006-05:00

This morning I recieved an email with this clipart and the title above. I found this email humorous but also insightful. I enjoyed the chuckle this brought to me this morning and thought I would share it with everyone here on the blog...everyone needs a little laughter from time to time. More importantly, there are some great insights one can take away from the lessons below...maybe God will use one to speak to you today!

Things we can learn from Noah's Ark:

One: Don't miss the boat.

Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat.

Three: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

Four: Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.

Five: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. Six: Build your future on high ground.

Seven: For safety sake, travel in pairs.

Eight: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

Nine: When you're stressed, float a while.

Ten: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

The Key to the Missionary

2009-10-15T15:32:00.003-05:00

Last night I was looking at apps for my iPhone. I have a variety of things on it already: news, books, sports, games, music, etc. I have also tried to keep things on their to help me grow in my spiritual walk. As I was thumbing through the different apps I thought it would be cool to have a devotional on my phone. I knew that if I was ever giong to find a devotional app the most likely would be "My Utmost for His Highest." Sure enough, there was an app for this devotional. After downloading the app I opened it up to make sure that it was working. Below is the devotion for yesterday entitled "The Key to the Missionary." How fitting was it to find these words considering that each of us is a "missionary"...I hope you enjoy!

Live Sent,

Chris

"All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations." Matthew 28:18-20

The basis of missionary appeals is the authority of Jesus Christ, not the needs of the heathen. We are apt to look upon Our Lord as One Who assists us in our enterprises for God. Our Lord puts Himself as the absolute sovereign supreme Lord over His disciples. He does not say the heathen will be lost if we do not go; He simply says "Go ye therefore and teach all nations." Go on the revelation of My sovereignty; teach and preach out of a living experience of Me.

"Then the eleven disciples went . . unto a mountain where Jesus had appointed them." (v. 16) - If I want to know the universal sovereignty of Christ, I must know Him for myself, and how to get alone with Him; I must take time to worship the Being Whose Name I bear.

"Come unto Me" - That is the place to meet Jesus. Are you weary and heavy laden? How many missionaries are! We banish those marvellous words of the universal Sovereign of the world to the threshold of an after-meeting; they are the words of Jesus to His disciples.

"Go ye therefore. . . ." - Go simply means live. Acts 1:8 is the description of how to go. Jesus did not say go into Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria, but, "Ye shall be witnesses unto Me" in all these places. He undertakes to establish the goings.

"If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you. . . " - Yhat is the way to keep going in our personal lives. Where we are placed is a matter of indifference; God engineers the goings.

"None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself . . ." - That is how to keep going till we're gone.

It's Time to "GO"

2009-10-13T15:35:00.002-05:00

Today I was thinking about the mandate God has given to all His children to "go" into the world. As I reflected on the task God has called us to I was reminded of a passage that Ed Stetzer wrote in "Compelled by Love." Please take a few moments to read this brief but powerful passage.

With a never-ending supply of energy, our youngest daughter is a living, perpetual motion machine. It never ceases to amaze me how my wife, Donna, keeps up with her. But, in watching my daughter last longer than the Energizer bunny, I think we need to take a cue from such small children. The command of Christ is to be up and moving.

In the original language of the New Testament, the word go is literally translated "as you are going." God has certain destinations for believers, but it's faulty thinking to put on blinders until we get there. Instead, we need to be prepared daily to carry the message of Christ to whomever we meet. We are a sent people. As Christ's ambassadors, we do poorly when we try to close ourselves off from opportunities, and this included secluding ourselves within our church community. The church must never lose the sense that we are sent. Staying at home base is not an option Christ gave us.

Please take a few moments today to prayerfully consider if you are following Christ's command to "go."

Live Sent,

Chris

3 Questions about the Baptist World Hunger Fund

2009-10-10T23:14:00.004-05:00

One of the many endeavors we support through our Global Impact Missions Offering is the World Hunger Fund. Below is a Baptist Press article from last week about the fund. I hope this article helps one realize the confidence and impact we have in giving to the World Hunger Fund.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Here are three key questions often asked about the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund.

Why should I support the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund rather than charities that advertise on TV?

-- Only the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund uses 100% of all contributions to feed hungry people. (Personnel are already in place; thus, administrative and promotional costs are borne out of other budgets.)

-- When Southern Baptists give food, they are there for the long haul, desiring to plant churches and make disciples for Jesus Christ. Our desire is to build relationships with people and eventually lead them to a relationship with Christ.

-- The Good News of salvation through Christ is always foundational. Whenever possible, the plan of salvation is shared and an opportunity to respond is given.

-- In emergency situations, food aid must be given. But when possible, hunger ministries are designed to create independence from rather than dependence on food aid.

How can I give to the World Hunger Fund?

-- Give through your local Southern Baptist church. Designate your offering for the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund. To locate a Southern Baptist church near you, visit sbc.net/churchsearch.

-- Give through your state Baptist convention. States vary in how Hunger Fund gifts are distributed. For more information, contact your state Baptist convention.

-- To learn more about the issue of hunger in the United States and around the world and about how the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund is used to meet needs, visit the North American Mission Board (namb.net) and International Mission Board Web sites (imb.org).

Where does my money go?

-- Twenty cents of every dollar is sent to the North American Mission Board. These funds are used to support hunger projects in the United States.

-- Eighty cents of every dollar is sent to the International Mission Board. These funds are used for direct hunger ministry as well as water well drilling, agricultural education, water purification, etc.

Reading the Bible Missionally

2009-10-07T16:56:00.005-05:00

This afternoon I was reading a blog and found a link to a paper called "Reading the Bible Missionally" by Tony Stiff. Now, this was a 10 page academic paper...you wouldn't chalk this up to "light reading." As I read the paper I found some very intriguing thoughts. Today I wanted to share a quote from this paper and some questions to help each of us read the bible from a missional viewpoint.

Before listing his helpful questions the author reminded his readers that God is a "missional" God and that we, the church, are called to be missional:

God is sent and we as his people must see our churches as sent. Again, Darrell L. Guder fills this out when he says:

“We have come to see that mission is not merely the activity of the church. Rather, mission is the result of God's initiative, rooted in God's purposes to restore and heal creation. “Mission” means “sending,” and it is the central biblical theme describing the purpose of God's actions in human history...We have learned to speak of God as a “missionary God.” Thus we have learned to understand the church as a “sent people.” “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20.21).” - From The Missional Church: A vision for the sending of the church in North America.

With the author helping his readers to understand that we are called to be missional, he gives his readers some questions to aid them in discerning our missional call via scripture:

Questions intended to help you read Scripture in light of its missional narrative:

*What does this text say, implicitly or explicitly, about the "missio Dei" and the missional character of God?

*What does this text reveal about humanity and the world?

*What does this text say about the nature and mission of God's people in the world, that is, about the church understood as an agent of divine mission rather than as an institution, civic organization, or guardian of Christendom?

*How does this text relate to the larger scriptural witness, in both testaments, to the "missio Dei" and the mission of God's people?

*In what concrete ways might we deliberately read this text as God's call to us as the people of God to participate in the "missio Dei" to which it bears witness?

(All the questions above for this section were taken from Michael J Gorman, Some Basics of a Missional Hermeneutic)

When God Moves You - Part 2

2009-10-06T11:57:00.003-05:00

Earlier today I wrote the first part of today's entry "When God Moves You." If you have not read that post please take a few minutes to do so...that entry will help you better understand this current writing:

Following Rob's comment on my Facebook page I felt impressed by the Lord to send him a direct message to see how he was doing. About 24 hours later this is what I found:

I am doing great. God has really proven himself to me time & time again. I have had a lot of time to strengthen my relationship w/him...It has been a wonderful experience. It has been a wonderful time of reflection & blessings from God. I have more than I could possibly want or need except for prayer. Thanks so much. God Bless!

I was so moved by what Rob shared...to know that even while away from home, in a foreign land where war rages all around, God was moving mightly in his life. I made a point of checking back a few days later to see what was going on with Rob. When I pulled up Rob's page this was what I found on his wall:

Thanks so much to everyone for their prayers. God has heard your prayers and been extremely gracious to us. Despite the truck in front of me being blown into 2 pieces everyone walked away w/only minor injuries. We took over 500 rounds of small arms fire. None of enemy’s rounds struck us and barely our vehicles. All rounds landed miraculously in the center or outside of our position. Thank you again & God Bless!

Once again God reminded me how easy it is to forget the men and women serving oversees and the perils they encounter on a daily basis. I think many Christians forget to pray for those serving in the military because our country has been at war for such a prolong period and this war looks quite different than the wars of years past. While I pray for the military, seeing Rob's words led me to commit to praying for the men and women in our military every day...and not only the soliders but their families here at home.

As I pray for our military daily I think of Rob on a regular basis. Just this past Sunday I learned that he was leaving on a dangerous mission. He would be out of contact with this family for 5 to 7 days. Rob specifically requested prayers for this mission. In talking to his wife Misty on Sunday night she said Rob could not tell her what they would be doing but knew from his tone that what he was facing was quite treacherous. Knowing this, I would like to ask each of you to please lift Rob and his unit up...prayer is powerful and your prayers are greatly wanted and needed!

Through my time with Rob, God reminded me of the incredible opportunity we have to minister to the familes of those in the military. Hearing some of the stories from Rob's wife, hearing the emotional rollercoaster they must endure, made it clear that we have a great opportunity to share and show the love of Christ with military families. I believe that families of those in the military present Christians with an awesome opportunity to "live sent." I believe that we must look around our neighborhoods, around to our co-workers, to those are kids play ball with, our kids classmates, etc. and find those whose husband, wife, son, daughter, etc. are serving. Then, through our prayers, notes, time, various deeds big and small, we can help these families...all in the name of Jesus Christ.

In closing, today is Rob's wife (Misty) birthday [if you know Misty please wish her a "happy birthday."] Being on a mission Rob knew he would not be able to call and wish her a "happy birthday." Think about this...how many soliders are not able to call their families to wish their spouses or children "happy birthday?" This is a little thing we take for granted and it is just another illustration of the opporunity that exists around many of us in our community (ministering to the families of those in the military) to "live sent."

Chris

When God Moves You - Part 1

2009-10-06T10:23:00.004-05:00

At the end of last month I wrote on Facebook that I was heading home to mow the grass and grill burgers. Later that night I got this comment on my wall:

I can’t wait to see grass again & feel it under my feet. Homecooked burgers would be nice as well. One can always dream.

The post came from a church member who is serving over in Afganastan. I knew Rob from various activities at church. When we saw one another around church we would always say hello and chat for a few moments. Rob is a really great guy. When I heard he was going to Afganastan I tried to keep up with him through his wife Misty, particulary her Facebook page. Eventually Rob got his own Facebook account and I continued to keep track.

Recieveing Rob's comment really stopped me on various levels. First, I was remined once again of the incredible sacrifice our men and women in the military make defended our country. Second, I realized how easy it is for us to take the most simple things for granted...like grass and home cooked hamburgers.

This got me thinking about how we as Christians take so many things for granted. I work hard not to take things for granted but when we live in a land with so much, when we have so much, it is hard not to do this...it is a constant struggle to appreciate everything God gives us...particularly the smallest things.

I am thankful that God has allowed me to serve Him in mission projects here at home and around the world. One of the many byproducts of being "on mission" with God is that you see just how blessed you are...whether in the slums of Rio, the shante villages of Haiti, the rural countryside of Appalachia, or inner city Nashville...you cannot help but realize how much you truly have. Even the simplest thing as a warm blanket or a bowl of cearal is more than many have in the world.

God used Rob's email to remind me that we need to be continually thankful for what we have...He also reminded me that we have an abundance and that we need to continually be giving from our abundance. Take the time today to look around you...look for those who have less, look for those in need. Let God open your eyes to the the needs around you and meet a need...meet that need and let that person know that you are doing so because God loves you and He loves them!

I am going to let this entry settle in for a few moments then I want to share something else God laid upon my heart from the interaction with Rob.

Live Sent,

Chris

Back to Blogging

2009-10-06T10:17:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the absence from the blog but life was quite crazy at our house since my last entry. Unfortunately, my wife and two kids have been sick. Miracuolous I did not fall ill...thank you Lysol and Vitamin C. Thankfully, the kids are back to normally and my wife seems to be coming around.

Thanks for all those who have been praying for my family during these past few days. Playing Dr. Dad and Mr. Mom was quite the challenge...I am glad to get back into the swing of things!

Chris

Do You Believe This?

2009-10-01T22:07:00.002-05:00

As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. - Matthew 9:27-28

Today I attended the Sumner County FCA Luncheon. During that time a teacher from White House shared about all that God was doing in their High School and community. Amazingly, the life change that is occuring in White House started with 3 young men.

In telling this story the teacher told shared Matthew 9:27-28 with the group. She said that she believes we do not see God's might moving in our lives because we do not believe. She felt that when Christ said "Do you believe that I am able do this" can able to any situation. She went on to ask what is the "this" in our lives?

Tonight I ask you the question, what is the "this" in your life? Do you really believe that God is able? Take a few moments today or tomorrow to ask yourself these question...and may you come to the place where you "believe."

Live Sent,

Chris

A Good Reminder

2009-09-30T19:25:00.008-05:00

This week I received an email from a friend with a little poem entitled "A Good Reminder." I want to share these words with you because I think they serve as an important reminder of being careful with what we say and do as well as making the most with our time...don't worry, there is a missional emphasis coming as well...

Four things you can't recover:
The stone... after it’s thrown.
The word... after it's said.
The occasion... after it's missed.
The time... after it's gone.

As I read these words I thought about them from several perspectives: a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a friend, a follower of Christ. I also thought of them from my position as a Minister of Missions. Gazing through the eyes of missions I asked myself the following...

Was the effort required to throw "the stone" really worthwhile...could I have done something more useful, more beneficial with my energies?
Do my words make a difference in someone's life? I am encouraging and building up others? Are my words sprinkled with His love?
Am I making the most of the opportunities God is placing before me? Am I finding the unmet needs around me....whether at home, work, in my neighborhood, with friends, etc., and am I meeting those needs?
Do I use my time wisely, do I make the most of my time? Do I view time as mine or God's? Am I investing in eternal things or temporary things?

God has called each of us to be "on mission." Examining this poem from a missional perspective makes one think about how we are impacting our world, the involvement we do or do not have in our community. It makes us ask ourselves are we encouragers, do we spread hope and love? More importantly, how often do we use our words to share the greatest hope with those we encounter...the message of Jesus Christ? With time on earth fleeting, are we doing our part to fulfilling the "Great Commision?" Are we truly "going" and are we doing our part to see lives change? God has called us to be His witnesses, here at home and around the world, are we taking the time to be "on mission" or do we claim to be too busy with things we believe important but not so from His perspective?

So, what do you think about the poem now...what do you think about those words gazing from the missional perspective?

Our time on earth is precious, we can't recover it once it's gone, so don't waste it! I hope this serves as a great reminder to the task God has called each of us to....Live Sent!

Chris

Missions in the Old Testament

2009-09-29T22:51:00.003-05:00

Below you will find an article from Internationals on Campus, A Journal of the International Ministries of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. I wanted to share this article because many do not think of missions in the Old Testament. I hope this article will illustrate that missions is an everpresent part of our faith; moreover, it is vital that each of us make missions a part of our Christian walk.

Missions in the Old Testament?

by Ned Hale

The Old Testament often seems ponderous to read and difficult to understand. Its focus is on one relatively small and politically insignificant people - the Hebrews. How can one get inspiration from the Old Testament, much less encouragement for a New Testament vision for missions?

What is the New Testament vision for missions? Jesus said, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21, NIV). Where is there anything like that in the Old Testament? Jesus also said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV). But where is that in the Old Testament?

My appreciation of the Old Testament's vision for missions came to me slowly, but in the end very powerfully. It started in the oddest of places, the Psalms. "May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth" (Psalm 67:3-4 NIV).

Then I noticed at least 16 psalms leading up to a key one, Psalms 67, with similar assertions about the "nations." It is as though the closer one gets to God in worship the more one perceives what is really in God's heart, and a major concern is the "nations." Do your prayers, like the prayers of the Psalmist, bring with them burdens for non-Christians and people from other nations?

I began to see that God has power over everything and everybody, so that when the word "God" is used in the Bible, the word "God" means "Lord of Everything and Everyone." The word "Lord" was packed with the meaning: "Lord-Over-Everyone." This is not to say that everyone knows God personally, but that everyone is known by God, and even guided by God in some mysterious way. In other words, God is not just the Lord of the Hebrews, God is also the Lord of all the nations, all the "peoples of the earth."

At Yale University, a visiting missionary and I were walking by Saybrook College, my dorm - about as godless a place on earth as I could imagine - and he shocked me by looking up at the ivy-covered walls and saying, "How wonderful that all this belongs to the Lord." Are there places in your life that you imagine God does not have control over?

A next step for me was reading Leviticus, another very unlikely place for discovering "missions" in the Old Testament. And here it becomes more personal. "When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt" (Leviticus 19:33-34, NIV). The obvious parallel in the New Testament is Jesus', "Love your neighbor as yourself." Interesting that the demands of the Mosaic Law should be applied here to "outsiders" in the land of Israel. Can you think of any "outsiders" in your culture, especially the campus culture? Who is the most "outside"?

A final step for me was seeing the whole Old Testament in a new way - as a great open-air amphitheater in which God called his people (Israel) much like actors on a stage (the land of ancient Palestine). Their role was to obey God (through the law), so that the world could see God at work (miracles of deliverance, judgments for disobedience, etc.) and glorify him in their own settings (the nations). Occasionally God would raise up prophets among the nations (Jeremiah, Amos, Nahum) or literally "send out" a prophet as a witness (Jonah, Daniel, Esther), but mostly it was a drawing in of representatives of those nations, much as we "draw in" people to our "witnessing communities" on campus today.

In conclusion, look at Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the Hebrews' first Temple in Jerusalem: "As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name - for men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm - when he comes and prays toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel . . ." (I Kings 8:41-43, NIV). Could there be some foreign seekers like this on your campus? If so, is there anything you can do about it?

Five Reasons Not to Leave the Country for Missions

2009-09-28T22:28:00.004-05:00

This week I have been working on the missions calendar for 2010. While we are still in the early stages of calendaring I get excited thinking about all the mission opportunities God will place before us next year. Preparing the calendar I was reminded of an article a few years ago in Discipleship Journal, an article by Paul Borthwick, entitled "5 Reasons Not to Leave the Country." I hope in reading this article it will encourage each of you to prayerfully considering being a part of one of our mission trips in 2010...

5 Reasons Not to Leave the Country
If you don't want to grow, by all means, stay home!

Warning!

An opportunity awaits you that could turn your world upside down. It could challenge your concept of what it means to follow Christ. It could blow away your beliefs about what brings true joy. You could end up doing things you never thought possible. You could encounter situations where you're forced to rely on God's strength, not your own.

People will warn you that when you come back, you'll never be the same. And they'll be right.

So if you want to be comfortable where you are . . . if you want to live challenge free . . . if you want to keep your values and lifestyle unaltered unaltered, don't even think about going on a short-term missions trip. Because if you do, the following disturbing effects are almost certain to befall you.

Your view of God will explode.

A Ugandan Christian leader who hosted a short-term missions team from our church told me: "We need to meet each other because without our cross-cultural fellowship, we both stay fixed in our own cultural views of God. When we meet and share our lives, we discover that God is greater than either of our cultures. He is not a tribal god or an ethnic god or a national god. He is the transcendent God of the universe!"

We're all instinctively ethnocentric, believing that the world revolves around our country or culture. As a result, we're prone to worship a God who looks like us, speaks our language, and appreciates the worship styles that we appreciate. When we leave home, we confront people whose God speaks another language. Their worship services might be two or three times longer and louder than we are accustomed to.

Cross-cultural travel and relationships exploded my view of God. When I visited Christians in China, I realized that He speaks every language. While serving in megacities, I've been stunned with the amazing truth that He knows every one of the six billion inhabitants on earth by name. Cross-cultural worship services have made me marvel that He really is "Lord of the nations." Hearing the testimony of Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and secular converts has given me a fresh view of the universal application of the good news of Jesus Christ.

If we desire a god who fits tidily into our own cultural boxes, then we'd better stay away from cross-cultural missions trips. Ministry across cultures will transform our view of God.

You'll view your possessions differently.

We know intellectually that many parts of the world are much poorer than where we live, but staying at home keeps such knowledge at an intellectual level and at an emotional distance. When we go to a poor barrio, inner city, orphanage, or refugee camp, we confront this knowledge experientially. We may feel guilt over how much we have back home and how little others have. We're confronted with the challenge of 1 Jn. 3:17: "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?"

On the positive side, confronting our materialism helps us recognize what really matters. A team of young couples went to serve in a church in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. They saw incredibly poor Christians rejoicing and singing at the top of their lungs, with a depth of joy that challenged the visitors' faith. Is our faith simply a nice "topping" on our materialistic lifestyle? they wondered. They saw that although they possessed much more, their faith was not nearly as deep as that of the Haitians.

One couple returned home, moved to a smaller apartment, sold some "stuff," and taught a Sunday school class on "Living More Simply That Others May Simply Live." They stopped subscribing to cable TV and used the money they saved (about $30 per month) to support a child through World Vision. Their direct encounter with poor brothers and sisters forced them to reevaluate their faith and their lifestyle.

Your perspective on hardship will change.

Most of us think that life is already tough. An obstinate boss, an overpriced house, monthly car payments, and too many credit-card bills present us with sufficiently significant challenges, or so we think. A missions trip into the poorer parts of the world or among brothers and sisters who have suffered under totalitarian regimes changes our perceptions.

One couple went on a winter trip to serve among a poor congregation in an Eastern European country. They stayed in the pastor's unheated apartment. They listened as he recounted experiences of being followed, harassed, and detained by the Communist government on multiple occasions. He challenged the couple's perspective on joy as he told them of the Bible study he started in the "reeducation camp" and the efforts he made to reach out to secret police.

When they returned home, the couple decided they would try to stop complaining. They taped the phrase "No more whining" on their bulletin board in the kitchen. Their lives no longer seemed so hard now that they'd encountered the joy and courage of persecuted believers.

You'll gain a new view of heaven.

Serving on a short-term, cross-cultural missions trip foreshadows the multicultural, multiethnic church depicted in Rev. 7:9, in which people from every nation, tribe, people group, and language worship Jesus in heaven. Cross-cultural worship helps us experience the reality of Gal. 3:28—that in Christ there is neither "Jew nor Greek." It enlarges our understanding of the creative diversity of God.

Worshiping with Koreans has challenged my fervor in prayer. Singing with Haitians has enabled me to experience true anticipation of heaven. Listening to testimonies from new believers in Nepal has helped me understand the awesome grace of God's forgiveness. Being with these believers intensifies my anticipation of heavenly worship.

The incredible growth of the church of Jesus Christ in Latin America, Africa, and Asia over the last century means that heaven will be predominantly nonwhite and non-Western. Cross-cultural service gives us a taste of heavenly worship.

Your faith will stretch.

Serving cross-culturally puts us into a "must trust" environment where we realize that we're no longer in control. Our prayers intensify—whether for finances, safety, health, or communication—because we cannot resolve these issues without God's deliverance.

At Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts, more than 80 youth and adults participate in short-term missions every summer. When asked about their growth, a vast majority of participants will say something like, "The trip to Moldova taught me to pray," or "I trusted God for the money I needed, and God miraculously provided," or "We relied on God for safety while in Venezuela, and He took care of us every step of the way."

They testify that their faith was stretched. Unpredictable situations, unfamiliar foods, and being asked to minister in areas in which they did not feel confident forced them to depend on God instead of themselves.

Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission more than 100 years ago, said, "Unless there is an element of risk in our exploits for God, there is no need for faith." Cross-cultural service provides plenty of faith-stretching risk.

Go for the growth.

Warning! An opportunity awaits you that could turn your world, your faith, your view of God, and your perspective on the future upside down!

Do you really want to do this? It might be uncomfortable. It might be challenging. Some say it's fanatical.

But maybe cross-cultural service is just the kind of challenge you've been looking for to jump-start your growth. Maybe you're ready for a broader view of God and a deeper understanding of the body of Christ. Maybe you've sensed it's time to evaluate your lifestyle and deepen your faith.

If so, then begin exploring opportunities for cross-cultural service. But be sure you're ready, because it will change your life!

Love Letter from God

2009-09-26T22:19:00.003-05:00

This week while I was doing research for the missions Sunday School lesson for our November missions' conference I came across a wonderful video on the North American Mission Board website. While the video clip does not specifically have anything to do with missions it does remind us of how much God loves us. It is this love that we as His children have the responsibility to share and show with the world around us. I hope you enjoy "A Love Letter from God" and may His love motivate us to share His love wherever we may go!

The Strength to be "On Mission" - Prayer

2009-09-25T21:57:00.003-05:00

Prayer is a essential part of our faith. Prayer is also an essential part of missions. It is through prayer that we can seek the strength of our Heavenly Father necessary to be "on mission." Whether focusing overseas or here in our community, prayer is critical for sharing and showing the love of Jesus Christ.

Today I want to share a verse along with a few questions to cause you to reflect upon whether we are utilizing the strength that God provides us to be "on mission."

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

Do we really believe that?
Can God really do "immeasurably more" than all we ask?
Is He truly able to do more than we can even imagine?
Is God's power really "at work within us"? In me?
Do my prayers demonstrate that I believe that? Does my imagination?
Does my life, my lifestyle, my relationships, my work demonstrate that I believe in this kind of power at work in me and in all those who belong to God in Christ?
Do I really believe this?
Does our church family believe this?

Why I Am Southern Baptist - by Ed Stetzer

2009-09-24T12:52:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Ed Stetzer posted a blog entry on why he is a Southern Baptist. Though the entry is a little longer than what we typically post I thought it was such an incredible piece that we had to share it. Please take the time to read this entry and gain a better understand of the Southern Baptist Convention.

As I sit in Asia working with some of our IMB missionaries, I am blessed to see the work we do together. And, honestly, everyone here sees the importance of our denominational cooperation for the purpose of global missions. (You can follow along on our trip here [1].)

But, right now, things seem to be a bit “in flux” back home. So, perhaps I can add a little encouragement today as I sit with a group of missionaries talking about how to engage this context in evangelism and church planting. Seeing this ministry in action, it seems a good time to share why I am a Southern Baptist and maybe encourage you to be involved in that partnership as well.

In my role, one of the more common questions I am asked is, “Why are you in a denomination?” After all, many of the conferences where I speak are sponsored by non-denominational groups and are attended by non-denominational church leaders. It turns out that I am an anomaly at events like the National Outreach Convention [2] and the Catalyst Conference [3], at least in terms of the scheduled speakers. Last I checked, I am the only speaker with a denominational business card.
So, they ask me, “Why go denominational?” and, with more volume and incredulity, “Why Southern Baptist?”

Besides the preference for some to remain non-denominational, there are those who believe denominations are passé, that we are moving into a post-denominational era. So, they ask, “Why remain in a denomination at all? Why not be a part of the wave of change?”

These are good questions, so let me answer them here with five reasons why I am Southern Baptist. I will share more of this at the upcoming Union University conference [4] and in a forthcoming article in Christianity Today [5] (on denominationalism in general). Here are the reasons I am a Southern Baptist. I hope they encourage you to be a part of our family of churches committed to reaching the world through cooperative missions.

1) Theology

I am an inerrantist, complementarian, cooperating Baptist, and fit in my denomination. If I found things in the Bible I could not believe, thought I could throw water on a baby and call it baptism, or preferred total church independence without denominational cooperation, I would be in the wrong spot. I am here by informed choice.

Unlike many in my denomination, I did not grow up “in the system.” I came to Christ in another denomination-one moving from orthodoxy to liberalism. So, I looked around to find who most closely matched my convictions of inerrancy. At the time, the Southern Baptist Convention had undergone a return to biblical inerrancy and sufficiency. It was the people that I felt the greatest affinity with as a group. So I joined up. (Well, I didn’t exactly join up, but I joined a church that was joined up…ah, you know what I mean.)

2) Conservative

No denomination is perfect. But choosing a denomination is the chance to choose your problems as well as your strengths. Coming into the SBC as a young man, I didn’t know everything but I knew enough to know I belonged.

If you read my writings, you know that at heart: I’m just a God-loving, Bible-thumping, Christ’s blood-preaching, Baptist. Sure, I wrap it all in missiological jargon but I’m really just a conservative theologian who loves God, His people, His Word, and the lost of the world. Being a conservative in doctrine and flexible in my method, I find a comfortable home with the SBC.

Now, we are Baptists which means we like to disagree. As the joke goes, we’re tempted to think Matthew 18:20 reads, “where two or more are gathered, there will be three or more opinions.” But I am glad to know that our disagreements are not on the core issues. In the doctrinal issues of the atonement and the Scripture’s authority along with the cultural issues of active missions and the need for justice, we are all on the same team.

3) Cooperation

I do not disparage those who choose to remain independent of a denomination. But, I believe that the old saying is a true saying: “We can do more together than we can do alone.” The theory behind the SBC is that we cooperate on multiple levels. Now, I know we don’t always do a good job but the opportunity comes with multiple levels of influence (local, state, national and international) for those who will embrace it.
As a church planter, I worked alongside local associations, state conventions, our North American Mission Board, and the national convention. It is a family of churches who have a tremendous reach and tremendous resources. Sure every family has a few crazy uncles who eat all the apple pie at family reunions, but all-in-all, we get along pretty well. In fact, we get along very well for a denomination of 50,000 churches and congregations, over 1000 local associations, 42 state conventions, six seminaries, the largest domestic mission agency on our continent (NAMB), the largest Protestant denominational mission agency in history (IMB), and one of the largest Christian publishing houses in the world.

I am proud to stand on a history of cooperating churches that constantly renew their commitment to Christ, the Great Commission, and finding new ways to care for the needy of our world. It is a system where you can find what you need and give as much as you want. Because, the key to cooperation is to both give and take. That is why I mentioned the importance of the Cooperative Program at the Baptist 21 panel [6]. Where I am right now, I see the importance of the CP.
Which leads me to my fourth point.

4) The Cooperative Program

As I travel around the world (as I am right now in Asia), I meet church planters and various missionaries from many denominations. But few outside of the SBC workers are able to stay on the field year-round. They wish they had our Cooperative Program to fund their work rather than spending valuable time raising funds from partners back home.
Recently, we have had some intensive conversations about its inner workings. Is it at times inefficient? Yes. But a compelling and historically validated argument [7] can be made that it would be less efficient if we did not have the CP and every church did its own individual strategy without cooperating with other churches. More than just the mere pooling of cash, the Cooperative Program allows for a further reach than all of our churches could hope to do one at a time.

By being in the SBC, I can give away resources to people whom I will never meet to reach places I will never go and give the Gospel to the lost who are beyond my reach. The Cooperative Program is a genius invention.

5) Fellowship

Did I mention the crazy uncle at your family reunion? Sometimes he’s the one that shows up and sometimes he is… you. But whoever is the difficult one in the room or the life of the party, our denomination finds a way to pursue God’s mission and pursue it together. I tell a lot of self-deprecating humor on the part of our denomination. I think we need to laugh at ourselves at times. Things are not perfect, but we can grow through them and figure them out as a family. And, I am not here because I need to be. I am here because I believe in what we can be.

Yes, meetings can be a challenge and organizations can get sidetracked. When we get together, it makes for classic “iron sharpening iron” moments. But when we go out together, I don’t believe any force can stop us.

The fellowship achieved through our denomination provides for both encouragement and accountability. When churches are hurting, fellow churches can come alongside of them. And when churches fall astray, we can call on them in love to return to faithful relationship with Christ. Our fellowship can be abused but more often than not, our pastors and leaders find ways to enjoy one another’s company as they minister to one another.

Being a part of our denomination-or any denomination-has its challenges. Operating a large organization for spiritual purposes is complicated. And, I know our denomination pretty well and have compared it with many others. At the end of the day, we may need to fix and re-prioritize some things, but the SBC is a tool that God is using in powerful ways in the states and around the world. And, that is part of why I believe God has called me to be a part of our SBC family of churches.

Back From Vacation

2009-09-24T12:45:00.002-05:00

After a week's rest at the beach I am ready to get back to blogging. Sorry for the void here at the blog but I needed a few days away to recharge the batteries. I look forward to continue to share with you as we work our way through the rest of 2009.

Chris

We'll never recover from Haiti

2009-09-23T13:40:00.001-05:00

Since returning from Haiti, many have asked us: “Have you recovered yet?” The answer is “yes” and “no.” The team has had time to readjust to life back at home. We have recovered physically, but spiritually none of us will be the same. To adequately describe all that we witnessed and experienced God doing during our time in Haiti would be impossible in this blog. We stood amazed at how God is using New Missions to raise up a new generation of Haitian Christian leaders. The schools and churches that New Missions has built are filled to the brim with children who have been exposed to the love of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here are some reflections from some of the team members:
“It will take a long time for God to reveal the lessons I learned. I need to make the time is the biggest one. Somehow, everyday,” said Karen Tressler.

“The un-abashed, sincere love from the children (is what affected me most),” said Jim Eades. “They had no qualms about hugging, smiling and being near us – even though we were strangers to them. More than once I was brought to tears by the faces of the children there. They were genuine in their interest for what we could offer them, whether it was a t-shirt, a bite of candy, a soccer ball or a hug.”

“God loves me and wants me close to him, even if my current situation has me feeling distant. I felt very close to God on this trip, despite the distance that I felt leading up to the trip,” said Jeff Barber.

Tamara Scott added: “…everything I smelled, everything I saw, everything I felt, and everything I experienced has altered my perspective in a way I didn't actually think was possible. I would probably say the no-holds-barred faith the Haitian people have in God was a huge wake-up call to me. They believe in Him and trust Him fully because they don't have anyone else to rely on whereas in our culture today we have so many "distractions" that it's easy to place your trust in other things and/or people.

“The second thing that impacted me so profoundly was the sense of community. Again, in a place where there are more needs then there are supplies - the Haitian community seems to take care of their own. We would hand out the gift bags during village ministry and I would see them take the bags apart and give what they didn't need to their neighbor(s) and share with one another really moved me to tears every time I saw it.”

No. We’re not OK, if you ask. And that’s quite OK with us. How can you be OK when you’ve seen God’s love, power and majesty at work? Lord willing, we’ll return to Haiti next September. In the meantime, we would love to tell you how you can chonge’ lavie timoun (change the life of a child) in Haiti.

2009-09-17T13:33:00.005-05:00

Impact Sumner Event, September 19, 2009

It is First Baptist Church's desire to have a positive impact in our local community. Today we take a look at the final two local ministries that we have support and have strong relationships with. This Saturday, September 19 our Sunday school classes will be making a huge impact by adopting one of the ministries we have highlighted this week. Their volunteer efforts will make many of the ministries needs and wish lists be realized. Please drop by next week as we review some of the projects and their outcome.

The BAPTIST STUDENT UNION (or Baptist Collegiate Ministries) is a ministry of area Southern Baptist churches, the Tennessee Baptist State Convention and local Southern Baptist Associations. BSU is a Christian organization to any and all students. Through ministry and missions projects on campus, around the community and the world BSU gives students an opportunity to develop their leadership skills, share their faith, study the Bible and practice its teachings.

TEEN CHALLENGE is one of the oldest, largest, and most successful recovery programs of its kind in the world. Established in 1958 by David Wilkerson, Teen Challenge has grown to more than 170 centers in the United States. Since its beginning Teen Challenge centers have founded their program on the teachings of Jesus Christ. These biblical truths have physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually unchained the lives of thousands of addicts. Instead of “dope” pushers, Teen Challenge ministries are serving as “hope” pushers. As their personal testimony, Teen Challenge students often claim the scripture, “I have plans to give you hope and a future”. (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). Teen Challenge’s middle Tennessee headquarters is located here in Hendersonville. http://teenchallengeusa.com/

2009-09-16T09:13:00.005-05:00

Impact Sumner Event - September 19, 2009

As we continue our week leading up to First Baptist's Impact Sumner event on September 19th, today we are highlighting the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Nashville Rescue Mission.

Since 1954 the FELLOWSHIP of CHRISTIAN ATHLETES has been challenging coaches and athletes on many levels. FCA focuses on serving local communities by equipping, empowering and encouraging students and adults to make a difference for Christ. Through the work of FCA students at Beech, Hendersonville, and Station Camp have the opportunity to be exposed to a strong Christian influence. FCA helps to make a huge difference in lives of young people in our community. fca.org

In 1954 the NASHVILLE RESCUE MISSION opened its doors to serve men in middle Tennessee who were hurting and homeless. Not only do they provide hot meals and a warm bed, but also support and provide long-term treatment for men with addictions and other problems. One of their specialized programs for young men is called Anchor House, which provides guidance and helps them develop physically, spiritually and emotionally. The Rescue Mission has seen numerous men come through their programs that have been acclimated back into society as healthy and stable members of the community. nashvillerescuemission.org

Impact Sumner - Local Missions - Part 2

2009-09-15T15:06:00.001-05:00

Today we are continuing our week of highlighting the local ministries we support at First Baptist leading up to our Impact Sumner event on Saturday Sept. 19th:

COTTAGE COVE was founded in 1984 by Thom and Kim Shumate. It has been directed by Brent and Angie MacDonald since 2002. Cottage Cove is a non-profit, non-denominational outreach to children and youth in the Vine Hill/Berry Hill districts of Nashville. Cottage Cove is a year round ministry that ministers to 70+ children daily. The main ministry arm of Cottage Cove is their After School Program. Through this program students receive help with their class work, have opportunities for continued development in numerous extra curricular classes (art, music, dance, cooking, etc.), and have regular bible studies throughout the year. Parents and teachers have noticed remarkable improvements not only in the academic lives of the child but also in attitude, respect for authority, and obedience.

The CUMBERLAND CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTER was founded in Gallatin in 1987. Their mission statement is “Valuing all Human Life”. Through the CCPC individuals can find emotional, physical, and spiritual assistance for the uncertainties of an unplanned pregnancy. The CCPC provides healing for abortion victims through numerous counseling opportunities and upholds truth to the community through its abstinence education. Throughout the year the CCPC has an enormous impact upon our community.

Impact Sumner - Local Missions

2009-09-14T12:17:00.003-05:00

On Saturday September 19th our church will be involved in another Impact Sumner event. We are asking every Sunday School class to select one of the local ministries we support and meet a need (or various needs) before the end of the day on Sept. 19th. With the downturn in the economy many ministries have seen their contributions decline greatly. This has placed an added burden upon the ministry these organizations provide our community. We hope that through this Impact Sumner event we will be able to meet most of the needs of these organizations...think of it as helping them all "catch up."

Leading up to the September 19th date we said we would highlight at least one of the local ministries we support each day here on the blog. Today we are highlighting the Hendersonville Samaritan Association and the Tennessee Baptist Childrens Home:

The mission of the HENDERSONVILLE SAMARITAN ASSOCIATION is to be neighbors in the tradition of the Good Samaritan, helping families get through a crisis that has disrupted their life-style and assisting them in becoming self-sufficient. The Samaritan Association’s two main avenues of assistance come through its Help Center and the Thrift Store. As the Samaritan Association strives to help individuals and families get back on their feet from throughout Sumner County sharing the Gospel is always at the heart of their ministry,

The TENNESSEE BAPTIST CHILDREN’S HOME was founded in 1891. Today, it is one of the largest providers of childcare services in the state. It has 37 homes in 13 locations across the state ministering to more than 900 children. It is the TBCH’s desire to bring physical, mental, emotional, and most of all, spiritual comfort to the children placed in their care. In addition to their work with children the TBCH strives to help rehabilitate the troubled families of many of their children in hopes of reinserting the child into a healthy and stable home.

Technical Difficulties

2009-09-13T22:21:00.002-05:00

Due to technical difficulties with this site and Internet access we have not been able to post new entries. We believe those problems have been resolved and hope to post tomorrow. Please check out the blog tomorrow for new posts. We appreciate your patience.

Chris

Posted from iPhone

Haiti Update on Wednesday...All is well!

2009-09-09T10:45:00.001-05:00

From Haiti for the Missions Blog:

Dear Church,

We hope and pray that all is well back at home in Hendersonville and we pray that God is blessing our Church abundantly. Haiti is amazing! The team is well and God has been faithful in His protection and provision the first 4 days here on the mission field. Some of our thoughts and what we have observed are posted below…

The hour and a half drive through Port-au-Prince on the way to the New Missions compound seems like a far off dream. We witnessed poverty beyond description. Pictures cannot convey the smell or the sense of conditions seemingly beyond all hope of recovery.

Now, after three full and exhausting days of village ministry in the Leogane Plain, this team of 22 people has seen God working mightily. We worshipped with Haitian believers in Ambas-pere . Their church had a roof but no walls, yet these believers encouraged us more than we could ever do for them.

Ambas Pere is the newest focus for Charlie DeTellis and his family here at New missions, The village has been steeped in voodoo, but The light of the world, Jesus Christ, is chasing away the darkness. The team has had the privilege of leading many to the Lord.

On Tuesday we got to distribute the rice bought with money raised by our 4th grade VBS children this past summer. We also gave them Christmas shoeboxes donated to unsponsored children. Charlie said, “most likely none of these children had ever received a gift”.

Please continue to pray for us. Pray for Charlie and his family. Pray for the people of Haiti.

Impact Sumner - Part 2

2009-09-07T22:00:00.004-05:00

Yesterday's blog talked about the Impact Sumner event schedule for Sat. Sept. 19th. If you have not read yesterday's entry we encourage you to do so. Today's blog will continue the list of needs from the local ministries we support:

FCA Nashville/Middle TN
Jason Cline
889-8808 (office)
jcline@fca.org

White and color copy paper
Post-it notes
Pens (cheap ones for events)
Paper clips (jumbo size)
Manila envelopes
Plain white #9 envelopes

Need people who want to volunteer for 3-4 hours/month in our Nashville office on Elm Hill Pike

Samaritan Center
Steve Brown or Lee Ellen
824-7105

Items needed:

All types of food staples – please no canned goods at this time:
Flour
Sugar
Corn Meal-self rising
Pastas
Pasta sauce
Tuna Helper
Chicken Helper – please no Hamburger Helper
Rice
Beans
Biscuit mix
Muffin mix
Vegetable shortening
Oil
Cake mix
Crackers
Dry soup mixes

The Samaritan Center is desperately in need of volunteers to drive trucks to pick up day-old bread items. Hours are 9-11 on weekdays. If enough people volunteer the shifts could be rotated to once a week or even once every two weeks

Teen Challenge
Donna Barton
420-6673

Help with updating their website

Help with creating a dvd about their program

Items Needed:

Copy paper
Tissues
Napkins
Toilet paper
Hand soap
Any paper goods

Nashville Rescue Mission
nashvillerescuemission.org

Items Needed:

Men’s underwear (size 36 and below)
Disposable razors
Shaving cream
Men’s socks (size 10-13)
T-shirts (any size)
Toothpaste
Toothbrushes

Many additional needs and volunteer opportunities are posted on the Nashville Rescue Mission website, please see the url at the top of the page to inquire and volunteer.

Impact Sumner - Sept. 19th

2009-09-06T22:57:00.003-05:00

Over the last two years we have scheduled several days throughout the year to focus on mission activities in our community...we labelled this activities Impact Sumner. Typically we would identify an need in our community and encourage the entire church to respond to this need. It has been amazing to see all that God has allowed us to accomplish in our community through our Impact Sumner activities.

This month we are putting a new spin on our Impact Sumner event. We have compiled a list of needs from the various ministries we support locally. We are asking every Sunday School class to select one of these ministries and to meet a need (or various needs) before the end of the day on Sept. 19th. With the downturn in the economy many ministries have seen their contributions decline greatly. This has placed an added burden upon the ministry these organizations provide our community. We hope that through this Impact Sumner event we will be able to meet most of the needs of these organizations...think of it as helping them all "catch up."

Today and tomorrow we are listing the needs of the local organizations we support. We hope and pray that our adult Sunday School classes, bible studies, small groups, etc. will all respond to this missions opportunity. All we ask is that you select the organization and need(s)you plan to assist, contact that organization, and notify the missions office about who you will be assisting and when...it is that simple.

We have a great opportunity to assist our local ministries at a very critical time. Please be a part of this incredible ministry event!

Below is a partial is of local ministries and their needs:

TN Baptist Children’s Home
Brentwood Campus

Projects:

*Strip/prime and repaint resident’s rooms in Horrell Cottage
*Experienced in renovation projects? Assist in renovation of Glisson Cottage
*Refinish deck on Regional Vice President home

Wish List:

*T-shirts (undershirts) all sizes
*Boxers all sizes
*Kitchen towels
*Dish cloths
*Wash cloths
*Towels
*Sheets for single beds (neutral colors)
*Non-perishable items for the Commissary
*Personal grooming items
*Cleaning products

For more information contact Mary Ann Cupples at bwcommissary@tbch4kids.org

Cottage Cove

This is our current list of projects as also posted on our website: http://www.cottagecove.org/projects.htm
Thanks for all you do!

God Bless,

Brent J. MacDonald
Executive Director
brent@cottagecove.org

Recurring Projects (but you can come one-time to help with these)

· Trimming underbrush and vines
· Killing weeds
· Mowing our lawn and large playground field
· Help us collect toys and clothing for Christmas with Dignity.
· Help us find items for our reward store.
· Help us find and gather food items (we provide meals and do a food giveaway)
· Clean gutters
· Painting (inside and out), general and detail work.
· Need full Bibles (NIV)
· Helping refurbish donated computers (installing operating systems, testing)
· Cleaning
· (Annual) Plant flowers
· (Annual) Till our garden area

One Time Projects

· Catalog and label books in our library (partial done)
· Scan old photos of Cottage Cove for digital archiving and video or web use
· Building storage shelves in our large storage shed
· Build a new tool/maintenance room (framing a wall, insulating, door, shelving, etc)
· Turn old tool room into a store room (shelves, walls repaired, etc)
· Need dehumidifier in basement with drain to outside
· Replace a door (need new frame built, have doors) - two of these.
· Repair a hallway (flooring, drywall, trim)
· Build a climbing structure and slides on our playground
· Tear down a brick chimney and repair roof/walls (have two of these, only one through roof)
· Repair the drywall in the parking lot entryway from the Big Room.
· Jack up and level the floor from the basement (two different projects)
· Pave the remainder of our parking lot (a relatively small piece, two large portions already done)
· Repair one small external wall of Cottage Cove (insulate, close in, vinyl siding)
· Repair the eave on our small shed (replace board, drip edge)
· Repair the eave on one side of Cottage Cove building (replace board, drip edge)
· New rain gutters
· Replace small shrubs that have died (front of building)
· Replace roof over Big Room (main building), including new trusses.
· Create a wall of built-in shelves with cabinet doors for records storage in office
· Make landing boxes around playground structures and swings, with gravel or mulch
· Make chair holder for storage in the hallway
· Re-carpet our office (we have the carpet!)
· Add electrical outlets to "playland" area.
· Add electrical outlets to tool room area.
· Repair plaster wall in tutoring room / painting
· Patching concrete around stone walls.
· Build new storage closet (front of building)Plant grass

Cumberland Crisis Pregnancy Center

Here is a list of items that we are always in need of at the CCPC:

*diapers- all sizes
*blankets
*hooded towels and wash cloths
*baby boys and girls clothing- sizes newborn through 2T
*diaper bags
*baby wipes
*baby toys- rattles, teethers, etc.
*burp cloths
*bibs
*car seats

Thank you for including these in your listing.

Jana Allen - CCPC Director of Development - 264-4673

Mission Team in Haiti

2009-09-05T23:17:00.002-05:00

Our mission team is in safely in Haiti and after orientation this evening will hit the ground running tomorrow. While the team will be involved in a host of activities we know there will be several construction projects to assist with this week. A container of construction supplies cleared customs and arrived at New Missions yesterday. The container had be stuck in customs in Haiti for several weeks so they are excited it has finally arrived on site. Please pray for our team as they serve with New Missions this week in Haiti!

Live Sent,

Chris

Halfway to Haiti

2009-09-04T20:42:00.004-05:00

We made it to Miami with no problems. It did take some time to get out of Miami International. Thunderstorms hit just after we landed, so they had to shut down the baggage terminal. An hour or so later we all cheered when we saw the first of 28 yellow-tagged bags rounding the carosel. Our hotel shuttle driver, Alexis, managed to sqeeze us all in to the bus. We're fed, tired and ready for bed, but everyone's anxious to get to Haiti. It will be an early morning. We'll arrive in Port-au-Prince around 11 a.m. Eastern Time. We're told to expect the 25-mile ride to the New Missions compound to take quite some time.

- Mike McClanahan

Haiti Team on its way!

2009-09-04T11:09:00.002-05:00

We are off! Our team of 14 (seven guys and seven ladies) have loaded the church mini-bus and are on our way to the airport. Dr. Bruce Chesser, our senior pastor, and Chris Davis, our minister of missions, came out to pray and send us off. God has assembled an awesome team with loads of talent and lots of desire to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. We still don’t know what we’ll be doing yet, but we suspect we might be helping New Missions with some new construction projects. We also know that we will be partnered with one of the local pastors there, and we may be helping get children ready for school.Hopefully the remnants of tropical storm Erika will not cause any delays in our travel into Port-au-Prince. We will spend the night in Miami tonight and leave out first thing Saturday morning. Please continue to pray that our team will be willing, humble and joyous servants of the Lord through the team at New Missions. We don’t know for sure if we will be able to update this blog during the week or not, but please check back to see if we have. God bless,

Mike McClanahan,
Haiti Mission Team leader

Celebrating with Convergence Ministries

2009-09-03T14:27:00.002-05:00

Last night was the first public service of the church plant we support in Missoula, MT called Convergence Ministries. I am excited to report that they had nearly 100 individuals for the first service! While this might seem small it is quite significant in church planting terms. More importantly, it is very significant in relation to Montana. An attendance of 100 would make Convergence the 4 or 5 largest Southern Baptist Church in the state after just one meeting!

The leadership team at Convergence is actively going through the registration forms from last night to determine the number of guest but they do know it was substantial. Please continue to pray for the team at this critical juncture. The follow up with guests and the continued promotion of the new church is vital. Pray that God will continue to move in the lostness of Missoula so that He might be lifted up and individuals will be drawn to Convergence!

In His Grace,

Chris

Today is the Day - Praying for Convergence Ministries

2009-09-02T18:24:00.007-05:00

Though we cannot physically be in Missoula, MT for the launch of our church plant's first public service we can be united with them in prayer. Today I am asking every reader to please lift up Convergence Ministries, Rich Ratts (church planter), and all those on his lead team who are assisting on this critical evening.

God's word tell us in James 5:16 that our prayers are "powerful and effective." Today we ask that each of you lift up prayer for this amazing church plant as it publicly begins its new work in Missoula!

In His Grace,

Chris

Lifting Up Convergence Ministries - Missoula, MT

2009-09-01T17:14:00.003-05:00

Today's blog comes from Rich Ratts, our church planter in Missoula, MT:

As I write this entry, our Planting Team is 24 hours away from our Grand
Opening/Public Launch of Convergence Ministries here in Missoula, MT.
FBC Hendersonville has been such a great partner with us during this
journey. Your prayers are needed now as we seek to 'go public' with the
vision that God has placed in our hearts. This community is so in need
of each of the three e's we are focused on - encounter God, experience
Community, and engage Culture. As you may be aware, Montana leads the nation in suicide rate. In other words, if you live in Montana you are
more likely to take your own life than the residents in any other state
in America!

My prayer for some time now has been focused on two points. I want to
ask you in praying specifically to our Father pertaining to these two
points. They are:

1. God, draw people to You in such a way that there would be
enough followers of Christ in the Missoula Valley to fill Washington
Grizzly Stadium (27,000 seats in the U of Montana football stadium) and
have people standing outside trying to get in (much like I've observed
during Montana home playoff games).

2. God, transform lives as only You can do so that the spiritual
landscape of this state (the people in it) bring you glory just as the
natural landscape already does. God, what You have spoken into existence
here (mountains, valleys, rivers, beauty, and majesty) is so incredible
to behold. You have told us that even the rocks and the hills will cry
out Your praise. There is no doubt that the natural landscape of this
beautiful state certainly declares Your glory. But God, I believe You
desire for the people of Montana to declare Your glory - for every knee
to bow and every tongue confess that You alone are God!

Would you join me in lifting these two requests before the Father?

Blessings - and, thanks so much for your partnership in the gospel!

Rich Ratts

NAMB Church Planting Missionary

Missoula, MT

Fast Facts about the International Mission Board

2009-08-31T21:39:00.006-05:00

As Southern Baptist, missions has always been at the heart of who we are as a denomination. From our inception, sending individuals to a lost and dying world was paramount. The International Mission Board's mission is to make disciples of all peoples in fulfillment of the Great Commission. Almost 5,000 people groups - 1.6 billion people - still live with little or no access to the Gospel.

The IMB (formerly Foreign Mission Board) is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest evangelical denomination, claiming more than 40,000 churches with nearly 16 million members. The International Mission Board is responsible for overseeing missions everywhere in the world with the exception of North America.

Fast Facts:

Field personnel under appointment (7/27/2009): 5,629
Career/associates/apprentices: 4,328
2-yr. ISC/Journeymen/Masters: 1,301

Field personnel appointed 2008: 958
Career/associates/apprentices: 388
2-yr. ISC/Journeymen/Masters: 570

Student volunteers 2008: 5,226

Overseas baptisms 2008*: 565,967

Overseas churches 2008*: 181,967

Overseas church membership 2008*: 10.3 million

New churches 2008*: 26,970

People groups engaged (as of 06/17/09)**: 1,178

People groups of the Last Frontier**: 5,806

Population of the Last Frontier peoples**: 1.6 billion

World population 2008**: 6.9 billion

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering receipts for Christmas 2007: $150.4 million

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering goal for Christmas 2008: $170 million

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering receipts for Christmas 2008: $141.3 million

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering goal for Christmas 2009: $175 million

International Mission Board budget for 2009: $319.8 million

World Hunger/General Relief 2008 receipts : $5.4 million

*data from 2008 Annual Statistical Report (Note that all data reflects end-of-year 2007 figures)

**data from Global Status of Evangelical Christianity May 2009

Mission Team Recognition

2009-08-29T22:16:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow during all three worship services in the worship center our pastor, Bruce Chesser, will recognition our Haiti Mission Team and pray for them. The Global Impact Missions Ministry is very excited that our new pastor is bringing this element back to our Sunday morning worship services. As future mission teams leave for the field our church will continue to recognize them the Sunday prior to their departure. Our prayer is that through this recognition that many in our church family will be lead to pray for our teams while they are away. More importantly, we hope these times will encourage individuals to be a part of future church mission endeavors at First Baptist.

Please pray for the Haiti team as they depart on Friday Sept. 4 and will minister in country for 7 days. A team prayer guide is available on the missions section of the church website, http://www.firstbaptisthendersonville.com.

In His Grace,

Chris

You Were Made To Be On Mission

2009-08-28T23:55:00.008-05:00

Continuing on the theme from yesterday here is an article by Rick Warren called "You Were Made To Be On Missions."

Our English word mission comes from the Latin word for sending. Being a Christian includes being sent into the world as a representative of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. 1

Jesus clearly understood His life mission on earth. At age 12 He said, I must be about my fathers business 2 and 21 years later, dying on the cross, He said, It is finished. 3 Like bookends, these two statements frame a well-lived, purpose-driven life. He completed the mission the Father gave Him.
The mission that Jesus had while on earth is now our mission since we are the Body of Christ. What He did in his physical body, we are to continue as His spiritual body, the church. What is that mission? Introducing people to God! The Bible says...Christ changed us from enemies into his friends and gave us the task of making others his friends also. 4

God wants to redeem human beings from Satan and reconcile them to Himself so we can fulfill the five purposes He created us for: to love Him, to be a part of His family, to become like Him, to serve Him, and to tell others about Him. Once we are His, God uses us to reach others for these five purposes. He saves us and then sends us out. The Bible says, We have been sent to speak for Christ. 5 We are the messengers of Gods love and purposes to the world.

There are a number of reasons why we need to take this mission seriously.

Jesus commands us to continue His mission

He calls us not only to come to Him, but also to go for him. Your mission is so important, Jesus repeated it five times, in five different ways, in five different books of the Bible. 6 Its as if He were saying I really want you to really get this! Study these five commissions of Jesus and youll learn the details of your mission on earththe when, where, why and how.

In one of these instances Jesus said, Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. 7

This Great Commission was not given to pastors but to every follower of Jesus.

Note that these words are not the Great Suggestion. Your mission is mandatory, not optional, if you are a part of Gods family. Jesus said, Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God. 8

You may have been unaware that God holds you responsible for the unbelievers that live around you. The Bible says, ... you must warn them so they may live. If you don't speak out to warn the wicked to stop their evil ways, they will die in their sin. But I will hold you responsible for their death. 9 You are the only Christian some people will ever know and your mission is to share Jesus with them.

Your mission is a great privilege

Although it is a profound responsibility, it is also an incredible honor to be used by God. Paul said, God has given us the privilege of urging everyone to come into his favor and be reconciled to him. 10 Your mission involves two great privileges: working with God and representing Him. We get to partner with God in the building of His kingdom. Paul called us co-laborers and said, We are workers together with God. 11

Jesus secures our salvation, puts us in His family, gives us His Spirit and then makes us His agents in the world. The Bible says, Were Christs representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. Were speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you. 12

Your mission is the greatest thing you can do for someone

If your neighbor had cancer, or AIDS, and you knew of the cure, it would be criminal to withhold that lifesaving information. Even worse would be to keep secret the way to forgiveness, purpose, peace and eternal life. We have the greatest news in the world and sharing it is the greatest kindness you can show to anyone.

One problem that long-term Christians have is they forget how hopeless it felt to be without Christ. We must remember that everybody needs Jesus, no matter how contented or successful they appear to be. Without Christ, they are hopelessly lost and headed for eternal separation from God. The Bible says, Jesus is the only One who can save people. 13

Your mission has eternal significance

It will impact the eternal destiny of other people, so its more important than any job, achievement or goal youll reach during your life on earth. The consequences of your mission will last forever. Nothing else you do will ever matter as much as helping people establish an eternal relationship with God.

This is why we must be urgent about our mission. Jesus said, All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, because there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end. 14

The clock is ticking down on your life mission, so don't delay another day. Get started on your mission of reaching out to others now! We'll have all of eternity to celebrate with those weve brought to Jesus, but we only have our lifetime in which to reach them.

Your mission gives your life meaning

William James once said, The best use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it. The truth is that only the Kingdom of God is going to last. Everything else will eventually vanish. Knowing that, why would you give anything else a higher priority?

Paul said, My life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesusthe work of telling others the Good News about God's wonderful kindness and love. 15 If you fail your mission, youve wasted the life God gave you. On the other hand, if just one person will be in heaven because of you, your life cannot be considered a failure.

You weren't placed on earth to do nothing or just live for yourself. God invites you to participate in what Hes doing in the world. Whenever you see God at work, its an invitation to join Him.

Gods timetable for historys conclusion is connected to the completion of the commission weve been given

Today, there's a growing interest in the second coming of Christ and the end of the world. When will it happen? Right before Jesus ascended to heaven the disciples asked Jesus this question, and His response was quite revealing.

He said, It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 16

When the disciples wanted to talk about prophecy, Jesus quickly switched the conversation to evangelism! He wanted them to concentrate on their mission in the world. Jesus said, The details of my return are none of your business. What is your business is the mission Ive given you. Focus on that!

Speculating on the timing of Christs return is futile since Jesus said, No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 17 Since Jesus said, Even I dont know the day or hour why would we try to figure it out? What we do know for sure is this: Jesus will not return until everyone He wants to hear the Good News has heard it. Jesus said, The Good News about God's kingdom will be preached in all the world, to every nation. Then the end will come. 18 If you want Jesus to come back sooner, focus on fulfilling your mission, not figuring out prophecy.

Completing your mission will bring glory to God

The night before He was crucified Jesus reported to his Father, I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 19 Will you be able to say that at the end of your life? Its what you were created to do and should be your life goal.

God blesses the life dedicated to His kingdom

Jesus said, More than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well. 20 The secret of being blessed by God is to participate in His agenda for the world; to be a part of what He is accomplishing on earth. Instead of praying, God bless what I want to do pray God help me to do what youre blessing! Each morning pray Father, I know youre going to do some amazing things in the world today, and Id like the privilege of being included in some of them.

Fulfilling the mission you were made for will require you to abandon your agenda and adjust to Gods agenda. David prayed, Turn me away from wanting any other plan than yours. 21 Your mission begins the moment you say yes to God in obedience, faith and love.

Can you think of any valid reason to prevent you from making that commitment? The Bible says, Give yourselves completely to God every part of you for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes. 22 Why dont you pause and commit yourself to this purpose for your life right now?

1_John 20:21 (NIV), 2_Luke 2:49 (KJV), 3_John 19:30, 4_2 Cor 5:18 (TEV), 5_2 Cor. 5:20 (NCV), 6_Matt. 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47, John 20:21, Acts 1:8, 7_Matt. 28:19-20 (CEV), 8_Luke 9:62 (LB), 9_Ezekiel 3:18 (NCV), 10_2 Cor. 5:18 (LB), 11_2 Cor. 6:1 (NCV), 12_2 Cor 5:20 (Msg), 13_Acts 4:12 (NCV), 14_John 9:4 (NLT), 15_ Acts 20:24 (NLT), 16_Acts 1:7-8 (NIV), 17_Matt. 13:32 (NIV), 18_Matt. 24:14 (NCV), 19_ John 17:4 (NIV), 20_Matthew 6:33 (CEV), 21_Psalm 119:37 (LB), 22_Rom. 6:13b (LB)

From Sending to Being Sent

2009-08-27T15:53:00.002-05:00

In seminary one of my professors impressed upon me that it was important to be a "life-long" learner. What he meant is that we should never stop learner...we should always seek to continue to grow in our knowledge. Striving to be a "life-long" learner, I continually seek sources of education, particularly in my field of ministry, missions. I have grown to enjoy the different thoughts and prospectives on missions from various sources. What I find is that these learning opportunities help to sharpen me as a missions minister and encourage me to continue to live missionally. Today I wanted to share with everyone a portion of something I read recently by Darrell Guder entitled "Missional Church: From Sending to being Sent." Hope you enjoy this learning opportunity!

"Mission is the result of God's initiative, rooted in God's purposes to restore and heal creation. "Mission" means "sending," and it is the central biblical theme describing the purpose of God's action in human history. God's mission began with the call of Israel to receive God's blessings in order to be a blessing to the nations. God's mission unfolded in the history of God's people across the centuries recorded in Scripture, and it reached its revelatory climax in the incarnation of God's work of salvation in Jesus ministering, crucified, and resurrected. God's mission continued then in the sending of the Spirit to call forth and empower the church as the witness to God's good news in Jesus Christ."

Guder makes it quite clear that our "mission" is to be "on mission." Throughout history this has been the call that God has placed upon His children...we are to show and share the love of Christ with the world. Thankfully we do not have to do this alone, through the Holy Spirit's strength and direction, we can find the help we need to be His missionaries across the street and around the world.

It's time to "live sent"...

Chris

ABC's of Missions

2009-08-26T20:43:00.002-05:00

This weekend I was flipping through some old "On Mission" magazines and came across an article entitled "ABC's of Missions" by Tobin Perry and Jon Walker. For those who have never been "on mission" this article will get you focused in the right direction. For those who have been "on mission" it will serve as a great refresher. I hope that each of you finds this article insightful and encouraging!

Stepping out on mission to share Christ with others is as easy as ABC. Here is a survival guide as you move from your living room into a worldwide focus on the Great Commission.

Attitude: You'll face all kinds of obstacles as you work to fulfill the Great Commission. Keeping a good attitude can be the difference between having a good missions experience and a bad one.

Bible: The Bible is your essential handbook for missions. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible not only explains why we should be on mission, but you'll also find in the New Testament examples of time-tested techniques for telling the world about Jesus.

Commitment: There's nothing easy about obeying the Great Commission. It carries considerable cost, perhaps even your very life. When you're on mission, your commitment to Christ will be tested.

Dependence: From the day God tells you to follow Him on mission, you'll need to depend on Him every step of the way. Ask any missionary!

Enthusiasm: Enthusiasm is contagious, even on mission. As an ambassador for Christ, your enthusiasm for your Savior will go a long way toward showing people that they need a relationship with Him.

Flashlight: A good missionary follows the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared. When you're on mission telling people about the Light of the World, bring a portable light source to help you navigate in dark places.

Good health: While on mission, you might find yourself in a very strenuous physical environment. Make sure you understand all of the physical requirements for a trip before you go, and then talk with your doctor about what you need to do in order to be physically prepared for the trip.

Humor: When you're on mission with God, expect anything and everything. As a good missionary, remember to take God seriously while not taking yourself too seriously.

Intentional: Mission trips aren't vacations. As a kingdom messenger, focus on your purpose! Be intentional about sharing the gospel.

Jesus: What Would Jesus Do has become a cliche, yet that's exactly what you need to be thinking as you share God's love with hurting people in your community or around the world. You may be the only Jesus some people will ever see.

Kum-by-yah: You will find that some of the most memorable moments in your life will be with the community or should we say kommunity that you develop while on mission, particularly among those on mission with you. But a word of warning if you suggest singing Kum-by-yah 50 times in a row, you might find yourself walking back home.

Languages: When you talk about Jesus, it always helps if you can speak in the native or heart language of the people you want to reach. However, when that's not possible, keep in mind that LOVE is a universal language.

Map: Whether you're traveling across an ocean or just across town, it helps to know where you're going. Take the time to find a good map and use it.

Nations: Gods concern for the nations goes all the way back to Genesis 12. If God cares about the nations, so should you. Don't limit your missions involvement to people who look like you and talk like you. Step out of your comfort zone and into a whole new culture which might be just down the street!

On your knees: Nothing is more essential to being on mission than prayer. Spend a significant amount of time praying for the person or people you'll be trying to reach. You'll be amazed at how God answers those prayers!

Passport: Being on mission means you should be prepared to go anywhere. If God sends you overseas, you'll definitely need a passport.

Quality time with the Lord: Spend quality time with God before you join Him on mission. Let Him tell you how you can be a part of His work and then join Him where He is working.

Real: As you share your faith in Christ, be real and authentic. Nonbelievers can tell when you're insincere or phony, and you'll just end up losing credibility in their eyes.

Servants heart: As you go on mission, be willing to do anything God asks. Whether you're leading someone to Christ, making breakfast for the homeless or cleaning toilets, you can be confident that you're making a kingdom difference! The prophet Jeremiah even says its among the mundane matters of life that you will often encounter God (Jeremiah 29).

Toilet paper: We know from firsthand experience that every bathroom in the world does not necessarily come complete with well necessities. Be sure you have a roll of toilet paper stashed someplace you can easily access.

Unity: If you plan to go on mission with a group, creating a sense of unity is very important. You can't expect people to want to enter the Kingdom if there is dissension among the brethren.

Vision: In order to be an on mission Christian, you'll need to embrace Gods vision for the world. Once you see missions through Gods eyes, you'll never sit on the sidelines again. You'll want to get in the game! Ask God to help you see the world through His eyes.

Willingness: For some awesome reason God chooses to use us to complete His worldwide mission. Your willingness to surrender to Him is an essential part of being on mission.

X-treme: Going on mission with God means living life to the X-treme. And guess what, you were made for this X-treme. From the moment you were conceived, God planned for you to share His message throughout the globe. What a purpose!

Yes!: Being on mission starts by saying yes to God's global plan. Saying yes to God means saying no to a selfish status quo.

Zealousness: Your passion for Christ will make a monumental difference in how effective you are in sharing your faith. Ask God to make you zealous for Jesus and zealous for telling others about Him.

Recent Reflections on Church Planting

2009-08-25T19:09:00.005-05:00

Today I had the great privilege of hosting a luncheon in Nashville for Connect Church, a church plant in Lynnwood, WA (suburb of Seattle). Connect Church is a church plant sponsored by FBC Hendersonville. The church planter is an incredible young man by the name of Dale Braswell. In past blogs I have shared about church planting and about Connect Church. After today's luncheon I wanted to share a few additional thoughts about Connect Church and church planting.

First, God is doing some amazing things at Connect Church. They have seen their leadership team grow to approximately 14 individuals. Just recently Dale's sister-in-law left your job in Houston to move to Seattle and lead worship for the church. Through outreach and community events the church has made thousands of contacts. One of the most amazing things that has recently happened to the church was finding a new location to launch its first official Sunday morning service.

Originally Connect Church was meeting in a local elementary school. But through prayer and networking the church was able to secure a small performing arts hall in the center of Lynnwood. The facility has an auditorium that holds 250 with a state of art sound, lighting, and video center. Rehearsal rooms in the rear of the building can perfectly accommodate preschool and childrens Sunday School classes. Incredibly the owner of the facility rented the hall to Connect Church on Sundays for the exact amount they were paying for use of the elementary school. The rent is well below the market value...needless-to-say the church realizes this is truly a "God thing." Because of the new location Connect Church bumped up the date of its first official service to Sun. Sept. 13. Please be in prayer for Dale Braswell and Connect Church.

During today's presentation I had to opportunity to hear Gary Irby, NAMB missionary and Church Planting Director for the Puget Sound Association (NW US), share about church planting. As Gary shared he reminded me of some startling facts:

Less than 4% of the population of Seattle is evangelical Christians.

In the 8000 sq miles of the Puget Sound Association less than 1% of the population is Christian.

Seattle is consider one of only two cities in the United States to be "post-Christian."

Hearing these facts made me realize how vital it is that we assist Connect Church in reacching Seattle. But as I pondered these facts Gary dropped a statement that completely blew my mind:

4000 churches cease to exist each year in North America (U.S. and Canada).

I knew that North America was the only continent were Christianity is not growing. I knew that churches were closing faster than we could start new churches in the US. But I did not know the most recent figures for churches closing . . . this means that nearly 11 churches close their doors every day in North America. Can you believe that, 11 churches every day in North America will be no more!

Hearing this information reminds me how important it is that our church continues to plant churches. We know church planting is the most effective means of evangelism in our country. Now add to this the rapid rate churches cease to exist . . . church planting must be a vital part of all Christian churches in the United States.

I am so thankful that First Baptist believes in church planting. I ask each of you to please pray for all our current church plants (Seattle, WA; Missoula, MT; Fargo, ND), for our church as we seek wisdom in future church planting endeavors, and for all church planters across our country as they face the difficult task of reaching the lostness of the United States.

In His Grace,

Chris

Living as Missionaries Live

2009-08-24T13:03:00.004-05:00

Today I was reminded of a particular section from the book "Compelled by Love." If you have not read this amazing book by Ed Stetzer and Philip Nation I encourage you to do so. Instead of rambling in my own words I thought I would simply share this section with you, a section entitled "Living as Missionaries Live."

Most Christians love missionaries; we love missions; we're even willing to financially support missions. Unfortunately, we love missionaries, but we don't really want to be like them. If we did, our churches would look less like what we want and more like what God would want as we attempt to reach the people in the culture around us.

Every Christmas, in my denomination, we give to an offering for mission work that is named after Lottie Moon, a woman who gave her life to reach the Chinese people for Jesus. She dressed in Chinese clothes, lived in the Chinese culture, and ate Chinese food - at least until she starved to death giving it all away. It is an immense irony that one of the greatest missionary examples in history is not the model in our own churches. Even as we think about local ministry, we should be asking, "What did Lottie Moon do?" We will not reach the North America of the twenty-first century for Christ if we continue to try to do so with the church methods that worked in the North America of the 1950's.

The Apostle Paul taught:

'To the weak I became weak to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this for the sake fo the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.'
- 1 Corinthians 9:22-23

Every time I read this passage I feel myself moved and convicted. I must continually examine my own life and ask myself the question "Am I living as a missionary lives?" My prayer is that every believer would ask this question of themselves. Imagine what our world would look like if we lived missionaries lifes?

Live Sent,

Chris

Back to School Project

2009-08-23T19:46:00.002-05:00

For the last several years First Baptist has had a "Back to School" Sunday where we collected school supplies to assist the local ministries we support. Two years ago the Women's Ministry asked to take the lead on this project and have taken it to another level. Now school supplies are collected for an an extended period and through various avenues. While we continue to deliver supplies to the ministries we support locally the ladies have also found ways to support additional children in need in our community through this project. Last year they assisted the children affected by the tornado in Lafayette. This year the ladies assisted the children who are a part of the Gallatin Shalom Zone.

What is so wonderful about the Women's Ministry twist to this project is that they now give each child a backpack filled with supplies. Better yet, they hold a carnival for the children and their families where they supply food, games, and best of all, share the message of Jesus Christ. Here is a brief overview of this project from last month:

Supplies: Inventoried 7638 items and had approximately 400 additional items either purchased or came in after our last count. Over 500 boxes of crayons, 3200 pencils, 300+ glue sticks,etc.

Backpacks: 81 filled for Shalom Zone, 50 filled for Cottage Cove. 8 to 10 boxes of supplies taken to Samaritan Center and Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home

Volunteers: Over 50 individuals assisted with the Wednesday “packing” session (131 backpacks filled in 45 mins!!!), over 40 volunteers worked at the fair on Saturday.

Partners: Women’s Ministry, FMC, Shalom Zone, Gideons (gave out Bibles on Saturday)

While an official count of community members who attended the fair was not taken, it was determined by the number of snow cones, etc. that around 500 attended. The fair was a great success and everyone had a great time. Thanks to the FMC for the help with this vital component of the project.

I would like to say a special word of thanks to the Women's Ministry for their assistance with the Back to School Project. Moreover, their leadership in this project has taken it to another level. The Women's Ministry is a wonderful example to our entire church of missional living!

In Him,

Chris

"Missionaries to ..."

2009-08-21T21:34:00.002-05:00

This past Wednesday the Global Impact Missions Committee had the opportunity to hear Brandon and Nikki James share about their calling to the Dominican Republic to serve as missionaries with New Missions. During the course of the presentation Brandon referenced a brochure he passed out to the committee. On the front it said:

Brandon and Nikki James

Missionaries to the Dominican Republic

Brandon paused and said "you know, shouldn't everyone have a brochure with their name on it that says 'missionaries to Hendersonville, TN or Sumner County, etc.'" The point Brandon was making is that we are all missionaries, no matter where we live or what we do.

God might have called Brandon and Nikki to the Dominican Republic to be career missionaries but he has called all of us to be missionaries right where we live, right now. Unfortunately, most Christians do not think of themselves as missionaries nor where they live as the mission field. Today, I would like to ask each of you to take a few minutes and examine your life . . . ask yourself the following questions: "Do I realize I am a missionary? Am I sharing and showing the love of Christ to those I encounter in my mission field?"

You might not have a brochure with your name on it but you are God's missionary...now go serve Him!

Live Sent,

Chris

"A Cup of Cold Water in Jesus' Name"

2009-08-20T16:12:00.007-05:00

Throughout history Southern Baptist have done a tremendous job of ministering during tragic times. Through a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (FEMA) and the American Red Cross, Southern Baptist have been able to contribute manpower, physical resources, financial assistance, and hope to disaster areas worldwide. For the last 6 years, First Baptist has been actively involved in Southern Baptist Disaster Relief.

Today, we would like to share more about Disaster Relief, from the Southern Baptist Convention prospective and First Baptist Hendersonville...

"A cup of cold water in Jesus' name." This is the motto of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. A disaster hits suddenly and with it the opportunity for immediate ministry. No area of mission action requires more rapid response than disaster relief. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is Christian love in action - meeting urgent needs in crisis situations.

In 1967, Hurricane Beulah ravaged the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas coast, leaving thousands of victims homeless and countless towns and cities damaged. Texas Baptist Men volunteered to provide assistance. This was the beginning of the Southern Baptist Conventions relief efforts. Since then, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief has grown into a nationwide network capable of responding worldwide. Approximately 50,000 volunteers have been trained in disaster relief with responses to floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, earthquakes, and terrorist attacks, both in the United States and abroad. With over 800 mobile units - feeding, cleanup and recovery, child care, command centers, water purification, communications, laundry, showers, and airlift kitchens, Southern Baptists are able to meet the immense physical and spiritual needs wherever we may be called.

The Disaster Relief Ministry of First Baptist has close to 400 trained volunteers. The church has 2 heavy duty pick-ups, a Laundry Unit, and a Cleanup and Recovery Unit. Our church has had the opportunity to minister during disaster situations in TN, FL, AL, TX, LA, MS, MO, and KY. During Hurricane Katrina our Laundry Unit and volunteers were in the field 56 consecutive days ministering. It was out of Hurricane Katrina that First Baptist was lead to adopt Calvary Baptist Church in New Orleans and continue our assistance on a greater scale.

When disaster struck here at home, First Baptist played an active role in assisting our community with relief efforts. During the tornadoes of 2006, First Baptist led the TN Baptist Conventions relief efforts here in our community. We also played a large role in responding to the tornadoes that ravished Macon County in 2008.

HOW CAN I BE A PART?

Due to the working relationships the NAMB has with FEMA and the Red Cross, all Disaster Relief volunteers must be trained. Training consists of a Basic Disaster Relief course and at least one specialized course (Laundry, Chainsaw, Rebuild, etc.). Fortunately, you have the opportunity to receive this training here at First Baptist in the very near future.

On Thursday August 27 at 6 p.m. in room 2207 of the Weekley Education Building we will be conducting a Intro to Basic Disaster Relief Training class. The class will last approximately 2 hours. On Saturday August 29 from 8 a.m. till noon, our church will be offering several specialized classes: Laundry, Rebuild, and Chainsaw (NOTE: To be a certified DR volunteer you must have the Intro class and one specialized class). For more information on Disaster Relief or to sign up for a class please contact Donna Milewski at dmilewski@fbchtn.org or (615)447-1305.

Disaster Relief is an amazing ministry. We have seen first hand the power of serving others during these difficult times. To continue our efforts we need as many individuals to volunteer and be trained as possible. Please prayerfully consider attending these training opportunities and becoming a part of our Disaster Relief Ministry!

Live Sent,

Chris

Our New Journey

2009-08-19T09:55:00.005-05:00

Sunday we celebrated the first Sunday of our new pastor, Dr. Bruce Chesser. For those of you who have had the privilege of meeting Bruce you found a man with a warm smile and gentle spirit. Hearing him preach Sunday revealed a man who is a gifted communicator with a deep passion and immense love for the Lord. Today, I wanted to take a few moments to share some additional details about our new pastor and give a little insight into his heart for missions.

Shortly after Bruce accepted the call to First Baptist Hendersonville I spoke with a mutual friend Bruce and I shared. This friend is a pastor of another large church in Little Rock. This individual told me we were so blessed to have Bruce. He talked about what a dynamic impact Bruce has made at Geyer Springs First Baptist through his leadership. I asked what gifts and qualities Bruce would bring to our church...I cannot list everything he shared because we would run out of space, but he said Bruce was:

Team Builder

Great Administrator/Organizer

Very Personable/Relational

Motivator/Encourager

I love the last one he shared, "fun." He specifically said you cannot say this about all pastors but that Bruce was a real fun guy. I think that speaks to what so many of us have seen of Bruce so far, a very relational, personable, and caring individual. I know upon hearing all of this I was very excited for Bruce to be here and to begin working with him.

Another individual, a Nashville pastor who use to work for the AR Baptist Convention, once again echoed how blessed our church was to have Bruce Chesser as its next pastor. This individual dove into the fact that Bruce was a great supporter of the Cooperative Program and did a fantastic job of supporting/working with both the state convention and local association.

Through my own research I wanted to gain a better understanding of the missional heart of the man I would be working with . . . go figure since I am the Minister of Missions. What I found is a pastor whose church lead the state in Cooperative Program giving. A pastor whose church adopted an Unreached, Unengaged People Group. A pastor who went on mission projects. A pastor who supported and participated in local ministries/missions. A pastor who recognized mission teams and mission volunteers in Sunday services.

In talking with Bruce I know that missions will be something that is ever present throughout the year. In one of our conversations Bruce said, "I just think the more we can say about missions and support missions from the pulpit the better we are." Folks, I must say hearing Bruce share this excited me. I have always felt that First Baptist Hendersonville was capable of changing our community, moreover, the world through our mission endeavors. I truly believe with Bruce Chesser's support and leadership we can do this very thing, change our world.

This Sunday Bruce begins a series entitled "Here I Stand." This series will deal with key biblical and doctrinal issues that are important for each of us understand. You will not want to miss this series!

As we begin our new journey, I encourage you to come be a part of this exciting time. Whether you are a faithful attender or have been on the fringe, you do not want to miss out on the exciting times ahead of First Baptist. Join us for worship, get plug into a Sunday School class, find a ministry to participate, and make sure you are finding ways to be "on mission" each and every day!

Come along on this wonderful and exciting new journey...

Live Sent,

Chris

Missions 101

2009-08-18T21:31:00.003-05:00

What exactly is missions? What does "mission" mean? What is missiology? Ever had questions like this? Today I wanted to share an article that gives a brief overview of several key elements of missions, hence our title "Missions 101"

Enjoy the article...

The word "mission" comes from the Latin word mitto, which was derived from the Greek word apostello. This latter word means "to send" and from it we get the English word "apostle." The word "mission" is not used widely in the Bible. It was first used in 1598 (Oxford English Dictionary) and was used in terms of world evangelization by 1729.

" Mission" is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as, among other things, a ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry on humanitarian work; an assignment to work in a field of missionary enterprise; a mission establish; a local church or parish dependent on a larger religious organization for direction or financial support; organized missionary work.

A more secular definition is simply "a body of persons sent to perform a service or carry on an activity"; this can include diplomatic, military, or space missions. A mission can also be simply a task that one is given.

There are many different discussions over what is included in the missionary task of the church, and therefore what is properly defined as "missions." These discussions are best left to other articles.

Missions vs. Mission

In missionary literature, the difference between "missions" and "mission" became prominent in the mid-1900s. "Missions" usually refers to the work of humans to evangelize people with the Gospel and disciple them as new believers. " Mission," on the other hand, is broader: it is a term for everything the church does that points to the kingdom of God (Introducing World Missions, Moreau, Corwin & McGee).

Missio Dei

This is a Latin phrase for "mission of God." It is a technical term meaning God initiates and maintains mission. Writers who use this phrase are touching on the idea that the church is a partner in what God is doing: mission is about God, not about the church. God has given us a part to play but without Him mission would be impossible.

What is Missiology?

Missiology is the science of mission, which closely examines the mandate, the message and the work of the cross-cultural Christian missionary.

Missiology consists of a cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary study concerned with all aspects of the propagation of Christianity. The discipline embraces a unique combination of theology, anthropology, history, methods of communication, and an in-depth comparison of religions. In addition the science studies all of the various facets, consequences and effects of the spread of the Christian faith, including the socioeconomic and cultural implications after its introduction.

One of missiologies most demanding challenges is to distinguish between biblical practices that are essential to Christianity, and therefore must be practiced by Christians in all cultures, and the cultural expressions of Christianity that change and should be adapted to each individual culture.

Live for the Future

2009-08-17T15:07:00.003-05:00

Ronald Reagan once said that “While I take inspiration from the past, like most Americans, I live for the future.” There is a great deal of wisdom that one can take away from this quote.

It is important to learn and celebrate from our past. Throughout the Old Testament the Israelites took moments to remember what God had done for them over the years. Unfortunately, one of the pitfalls of the past is becoming mired in what we, as humans, have already accomplished. We must be ever so mindful to not dwell on our past achievements but move forward in the work God has for each one of His children.

God desires us to “live for the future.” The apostle Paul echoed these words in Philippians 3:13, “. . . but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead . . .” No matter what we have or have not done missional, it is time to move ahead, it is time for each of us to impact the world around us. Today is the day each of us must begin to share and show the love of Christ with our families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc. We, as Christians, can impact our communities and change our world . . . but it takes each of us getting our hands dirty, are you ready to get dirty?

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” (Matthew 9:37)

Live Sent,

Chris

Buidling a Bridge

2009-08-16T20:53:00.005-05:00

This morning our new pastor, Bruce Chesser, shared that our church needed to build bridges into our community. This task requires each of us to reach out into the community around us to share and show the love of Jesus Christ.

Building bridges is not something most people understand how to do . . . engineers and contractors are usually the ones who handle such projects. This doesn't mean that the common person cannot build a bridge, it just means one would have to develop an understanding of such a project and its details before building a bridge. From what I have read, there is quite a bit that goes into building a bridge even before the first steel is erected or concrete is poured. Before a bridge is built it is important to survey the site. From the survey, a type of bridge is selected based on the location and understanding the strengths/weaknesses of different bridge types. Once this occurs, the site is prepared, then construction occurs.

As Christians, we are fortunate that the architect of all life understands all things. He has all the power and knowledge we could ever need to tackle any obstacle or task in life. He has given us the blueprints for life, His Word, and laid the foundation we need as Christians to build bridges into our community, that foundation is the love of Jesus Christ. While it is important for us to survey our community to understand the needs around us, just as one surveys a site to determine what type of bridge works best, the time comes were the bridge must be physically built.

It is easy as Christians to understand what it means to build bridges into our community but never actually build a bridge. Today our pastor challenged each of us to build a bridge . . . my prayer for everyone is that you will not just let this challege be idle but that each of us will build a bridge into the community around us. It is time to roll up our sleeves and build...

Live Sent,

Chris

Options in Missions

2009-08-15T18:19:00.002-05:00

Today I was reading an article on missions from InterVarsity Fellowship. I wanted to share this article with you because there are so many individuals who do not understand all the ways one can be invovled in missions. I hope you enjoy reading "Options in Missions" and that you will prayerfully consider how you can actively be involved in fulfilling the command God has placed on all of us to be "on mission."

When God gave the Great Commission, he also gave vision, calling and gifting to his people to participate in it. Since the Great Commission involves a variety of facets such as going, making disciples and teaching his commands, there are a variety of roles needed to complete it. Today what is needed most is a global community of Christians who see the multitude of possibilities for joining this endeavor and working together to establish his kingdom worldwide.

Consider some of these roles as present or future options:

Missionaries: Evangelists, church planters, pastors, educators, Bible translators, health care and agricultural workers, student workers, urban leaders, support services, etc.

Tentmakers: Often employed in secular jobs, using marketplace skills and training to be salt and light on the job and through the job.

Short-Termers: Spend 2 weeks to 2 years performing a wide range of possible roles in cross-cultural settings.

Study Abroad: Become a student in another land and join a powerful missions force while you are working on a degree!

Senders: Through actively encouraging, praying and financially supporting those in evangelism and cross-cultural ministry, providing a "home base" for those on the front lines.

Missions-Minded Lay People: involved in a church as well as local missions, and holding up the banner for world missions and global concern to help mobilize other Christians.

Missions-Minded Pastors: The North American church needs pastors who help move congregations to respond to the Great Commission and become Christians who think and care globally for the Church.

Moving to the Dominican Republic

2009-08-14T09:11:00.002-05:00

When God calls someone to follow Him, his call is one of dying to self. It is never easy and it is often painful (very painful sometimes), yet it is ALWAYS fulfilling and exciting. Chris Davis asked me to write about this process in our life (Brandon and Nikki James). Wednesday night, I announced to the student ministry of First Baptist that we were moving to the Dominican Republic to serve with New Missions to proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and minister to the needs of the people.

As I think about this, I get overwhelmed at the task God has at hand for the both of us. But, I also remember praying specifically that God would bring me (and us) to a place of complete dependence on Him. We longed to live our lives with a bold and authentic faith that saw God do AMAZING things. We had no idea that would involve selling everything we own and moving to a new country. It has been a very painful process because it has required me (and us) to live with unclenched fists...to let go of everything. But, if God is truly calling and you are sincere in your willingness, He will align your heart and desires to His.

Please pray for Nikki and I as we move forward in this journey. You can see our story at our blog and continue to follow all that God is doing at www.unclenchedfists.blogspot.com.

How Are You When It Comes to "UP, IN, and Out"

2009-08-12T19:26:00.004-05:00

Last week I read a blog by Michael Carpenter. Michael is a church planter from Lebanon, TN. I first meet Michael at a Church Planter Assessor Training Conference held at the TN Baptist Convention. I enjoyed getting to know Michael. He had a deep passion for the lost and his approach to planting was quite unique.

I am not one to read dissertations or papers because reading the title alone usually puts me to sleep. But Michael shared a paper he came across and it was very intriguing. While it does take on academic overtones I still believe it is very worthwhile to share. The heart of the message is something that I believe can greatly impact each of us!

Let me now share from Michael's blog:

This morning I came across this paper titled: THE LOCAL CHURCH IN MISSION: BECOMING A MISSIONAL CONGREGATION IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY GLOBAL CONTEXT AND THE OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED THROUGH TENTMAKING MINISTRY. Of course the title alone caught my attention and found some of the insights offered very interesting. For example the following is a good description of the structure of our "3 is Enough" groups:

There is a need for structures that facilitate a balanced, three-dimensional life through worship, community and mission. Examples may be found both within traditional and new forms of church. Tribal Generation (Sheffield, England) teaches an “up–in-out” structure, where the relation to the triune God (UP) creates a bond within the body (IN) in terms of care and training, which results in mission service (OUT). Movement is from God to us and from us to our neighbours. Churches that are two-dimensional through Worship & Community (only) run the risk of ending up like the Dead Sea, without any outlet. Two-dimensional churches of Worship and Mission (only) may not be able to offer the needed training or provide adequate fellowship to those who come to the church. Two-dimensional churches with Community and Mission (only) cut themselves off from their primary source of life. The church must be clear about what it asks of individual believers. Congregations may need to ask the members to spend less time in internal ministry so that time is available to be in the community. This may mean that less “inside the church” ministry happens. A church in Germany informs its members that they can come to church at most three times, but best is two times a week. The members are then to use the rest of their time to meet needs and build relationships in their community. Local congregations would be very wise to structure themselves in a balanced way such as an UP-IN-OUT configuration.

While we might differ from the author of the paper on the number of times one can come to church or the need for ministry in the church, I do believe that it is vital that we practice our own version of UP-IN-OUT. My hope coming out of today's blog is that each of you will prayerfully ponder today's reading and examine how you are reaching up to God, connecting in to our church family, and reaching out to the community!

Live Sent,

Chris

"Thank You" Notes from FCA

2009-08-11T09:22:00.003-05:00

Through the Global Impact Missions Offering our church helps to support numerous ministries in our community. One of the ministries we support financially is the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Sumner County.

Recently, several local high school athletes attended an FCA Team Camp for football. Many of these young men would not have been able to attend this camp if not through scholarships. Through our missions offering we are able to help provide funds for those scholarships. While these young men are sharping their skills for football they are ultimately learning about the most important thing in life, and that is Jesus Christ.

Today, I wanted to share a few "thank yous" from some of the young men who attended a recent camp.

"Thank you so much for helping to provide funds for me to attend the team camp. While I learned a lot about football I learned even more about my faith. Being at camp they place a great emphasis on our "quiet times." Coming away from this camp I realize that I must make time for my relationship with Jesus Christ. Thank you for helping me to be a better person and a stronger Christian."

"Thank you for your support and money for this year's camp. The camp has meant a lot to me and taught me about hard work and faith. Please know what a tremendous impact this had been on my life . . . it will have a lasting impact on my future."

"This camp has helped to bring our team closer together. I really do not know what we would have done if we had not attended the camp. The best part of all is that this camp has helped to save teammates' lives. Thank you for helping them find Jesus Christ."

Sometimes we do not realize what an impact our giving has . . . it is much more than money, it is about changing lives. Remember, as you give to the Global Impact Offering you are making a difference in the lives of young men and women in local FCA's, in children, young women considering abortions, in the homeless, supporting missionaries at home and overseas, and so much more!

Thank you for helping us make a difference "across the street and around the world" through the Global Impact Missions Offering!

Live Sent,

Chris

Converging in Montana, Days 6 and 7

2009-08-10T00:39:00.003-05:00

Greetings one last time from Montana! We were without Internet access for a night and were not able to post a blog last night.

We have finished up our projects in Missoula and are ready to fly back home tomorrow (Monday.) This has been an awesome week and an awesome group of students and leaders. We are so excited about what God is doing here in the Big Sky Country.

On Saturday, we sent our students downtown to engage Missoulians in conversation and invite them to the public launch of Convergence on Sept. 2nd. There was a Farmer's Market downtown, and between that and the coffee shop scene, we were able to connect with a lot of people.

After that, we did what may have been our most important project of the week. We divided up into pairs and prayed as we walked across the campus of the University of Montana. This school of 15,000 plus currently has no SBC presence and very little evangelical presence. If Convergence is to be successful in Missoula, it is imperative that this campus be engaged.

It is ironic that as we gathered in the center of campus, we noticed that engraved on the school seal is the motto Lux et Veritas. In other words, the school's official motto is "Light and Truth!" So we prayed that God would send the workers to begin a movement on that campus that would reveal the True Light and the Real Truth, Jesus Christ, to the students and staff at the University of Montana. We prayed that He would soften their hearts and open their eyes to see the Love of God through Jesus Christ. We believe He will do it! Please pray with us toward that end.

On Sunday, we experienced the beauty of God's creation at Yellowstone National Park. Wow. There are no words. What an awesome reminder for our team of the majesty of God and how awesome He is!

Thanks for following our journey this week. Keep praying that God would reveal His Truth and Light here in Montana!

Blessings,

Jason Egly

Minister to Young Adults

Converging in Montana, Day 5: Friday in Missoula

2009-08-08T01:16:00.003-05:00

This post was written by Hollee Harris, one of the 20Somethings in our Young Adult Ministry. Hollee just completed her sophomore year at Samford University and is serving with the Young Adult team on mission in Montana this week.

The name "Missoula" comes from a Native American word which roughly translates to "river of surprise," referring to the Clark fork River, which flows through the city. Although I am certain the inspiration for this name came from the water's bitter temperatures, I can't help but to think that the surprise goes much further than the cold river. The people here will do it; they will take a southern girl and totally annihilate her view of the world, of people, of nature, of culture, and, most of all, the Creator of the Universe. Some changes in thought are relieving, some heartbreaking, some confusing, and some freeing.

Upon arriving to Missoula on Monday, we almost immediately gathered around and watched the movie "A River Runs Through It." Rich Ratts, the pastor here at e3, explained to us that, although the movie is set nearly 100 years ago, it paints a painfully accurate picture of the Missoula he lives in today. The characters tended to keep to themselves, but still respect others' ways of thinking and doing. There is a mentality of "I'll do my 'thing', you do yours, and we'll respect each other while doing it." Family was valued, but structure was highlighted, not relationships. Worldly values were pursued, including alcohol, meaningless romance, and success. The only view of a church in the movie portrayed an inorganic, obligatory service that was fulfilled weekly. The pastor's character never grew or developed; he was static.

The differences in communal, familial, and religious aspects of their lives were a contrast to what we learn in our Hendersonvillian culture.

I have learned this week that the people here believe that they are a city of a blazing fire (figuratively, although literally this week, due to close-by forest fires.) They see themselves as a burning people; not for one thing, but for many. Wouldn't it be extraordinary if all of that fire was channeled into a blaze for the God that I worship? For the King that crafted the unmatchable landscape around this city? For the Creator that desires for every single human to fall into His arms and adopt them into His eternal family? Wouldn't it be?!

I have heard an undeniable call to move to this city. In January, I will be leaving my comfortable, structured life that is now split between Nashville and Samford University in Birmingham to become a student at the University of Montana. While engaging in the scholastic community, I will also be working here with Rich and the gang at e3. In the next few months, we hope to see God paint a clearer picture of what that will look like. Also, Jason explained to me that the collegiate ministries across the state of Montana are about to experience something big from the Lord. I so desire to be a part of that, whatever it may entail. After I ate dinner with Jason Egly and Rich Ratts the other night, I walked away from our conversation in awe. It is indescribable to see God weave my passions, this ministry's needs, and circumstances weaved and stitched together, all beginning to make sense. Many emotions are beginning to surface; I am scared, but excited... hesitant, but willing... uncertain, but faithful to God's voice.

Atop the M Tuesday night, Jason reminded us... "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields." Pray for Missoula. Not only for the people, but for the workers the Lord will send. Pray that the workers that come to Missoula will be strengthened to be compassionate. Pray that we will not just share God's love and feel God's love, but that we will BE God's love. Whether or not any of us leave this town with a life-altering story, I believe we will all leave with a new perspective and a fresh love in our hearts.

The past two days have been rainy, and we have been unable to complete our painting task. We have spent most of our time volunteering in the community, starting conversations, getting a little bit dirty, and allowing ourselves to experience the city. We've done this at the Ronald McDonald House, Watson's Children's Center, The Pov (a homeless shelter), and a thrift store run by a teen rehabilitation center. Tomorrow, we will jump into some local coffee shops early in the morning (we don't really have to be forced to wake up to go to the coffee shops. They're all near perfection, in product and atmosphere alike.) Ideally, we would love to engage in conversations, but simply desire to leave a little "Jesus dust" behind, if you will.

Tomorrow night we will trek back to Bozeman, then later in the weekend on to Yellowstone National Park before returning home. It has been more than awesome to be a part of this family that God fabricated to come on this trip. We are each unique, and have had the opportunity to offer each other our strengths and to make up for each others' weaknesses. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we will be missing a piece of heart... whether we left it in a coffee shop, on top of a mountain, or in a conversation with a Missoulian.

Thank You Ed Stetzer

2009-08-07T06:28:00.004-05:00

It is fitting that I dedicate today's entry to Ed Stetzer. The first blog I ever read was EdStetzer.com. It is still the only blog that I follow on a consistent basis. Try not to compare our blog to Ed's...his is a tad nicer with a few more bells and whistles. But hey, Lifeway probably doesn't rely on using Blogspot for its blog service...and that is why you don't see posts on Ed's blog talking about "technical difficulties."

Well enough of the silliness, it is time to be serious. Today's blog is a first for us, it is a special edition dedicated to thanking a very special man for his service to our church family. Today I want to say a very special "thank you" to Ed Stetzer for his faithful and unselfish service to FBC Hendersonville as our Interim Pastor. It would be impossible to measure the blessing that Ed has been to our church through the nearly 2 years of filling our pulpit. So today, in my own small way, I hope to pay respect to our soon to be "former interim" and a man I call a friend, Ed Stetzer.

With the sudden death of our long time and beloved pastor Glenn Weekley, our church family was placed into a great sadness. A church family cannot help but to feel despair when it loses its beloved pastor of 20 years. After overcoming the shock of his passing we knew that our church had to find someone to fill the void of sharing God's truth. Yet where would we find the man to take upon this important and critical role? Amazingly, God had placed that man just down the road from our campus, that man was Ed Stetzer.

In God's great timing and wisdom, He knew our pastor's time on earth was coming to a close. He was ready to say "well done my good and faithful servant Glenn Weekley." He was also prepared to lay upon the heart of a recent transplant to our community the great responsibility of ministering to a hurting congregation. Bro. Glenn knew Ed was joining the staff at Lifeway and would actually be living in Hendersonville. Wanting our church to continue its drive toward being more missional, Bro. Glenn asked Ed to come share his Missional Series with our church family. One week prior to Ed's first Sunday, Glenn Weekley passed way.

Once our staff caught its breath we asked the question, "Who can we find to be an interim?" The very first person I thought of was Ed Stetzer. I did not know Ed personally but knew he was a gifted speaker, a brilliant mind, and a passionate follower of Christ. So after thinking and praying about the interim position the Executive Staff and Personnel Committee offered the position to Ed Stetzer. Needless to say, this was not what Ed had signed up for . . . it took a lot of prayer, on Ed's part and our part, for Ed to agree to serve as our Interim. You have to understand, Ed came to Nashville to minister at Lifeway, not take on an Interim. Nor do I imagine that Ed saw himself serving in a traditional, mega church in the Mecca of Southern Baptist life. But God knew the experience would be good for both our church family and for Ed. I believe that our time together has helped our church and Ed grow, adapt, learn, and become even stronger. So in the fall of 2007, Ed Stetzer became the Interim of First Baptist Hendersonville . . . and what a journey it has been!

You have to understand, having a man fill the pulpit who tells stories of growing up in New York was not a common occurrence at FBC Hendersonville. Do you remember the Pace Picante/Salsa commercials where they read where the generic salsa was made . . . and in harmony they scream "New York City!" There might have been a few people in the deeps of their souls quietly screaming "an interim who grew up in 'New York City.'" Don't laugh, its not everyday in TN that you meet a man who knows virtually nothing about college football, has never cooked a Bar-B-Q rib, and is unfamiliar with the "in's and out's" of hunting and fishing. But through Ed's time in Hendersonville he cooked his first ribs, learned to appreciate the passion of football in the South (although our church family was disappointed he developed a passion for Alabama football), and even took his girls fishing. Our church realized you didn't need a pulpit on the stage to preach a sermon (while I do think there are still those who unfortunately struggle), a preacher doesn't have to wear a tie (nor does the congregation), and it doesn't matter where someone is from, or what illustration they use you are not familiar with (because the Interim is from the North), God still speaks to you in a mighty and powerful way if you simply open your heart.

There are a lot of individuals across our country, across the world, that have been impacted by the writings and speaking of Ed Stetzer. I believe you would be hard pressed to find anyone who would not agree that Ed Stetzer is one of the greatest minds of our time. As I close, I want to let everyone out there know more about Ed Stetzer, not the great communicator, but the man.

Ed Stetzer is a loving husband and father. You will hear him speak often and lovingly about his precious wife. You will also hear him speak passionately about his precious daughters. Though his travels take him far and wide his heart is always at home. And though he travels often he makes his family his priority . . . when he is home, he is home with his family.

Ed Stetzer is a man who loves God deeply and passionately. He is a man who desires to humbly and obediently follow Christ's leadership. His heart's desire is to faithfully serve the Kingdom everyday of his life. So when you hear Ed speak of "missional living," church planting, or whatever topic God has laid upon his heart to share, know that he does not speak mere words but what he genuinely believes and seeks to live out on a daily basis.

As I say "thank you" to Ed Stetzer, I also want to thank his dear wife Donna and precious girls for sharing Ed over these last couple of years. Knowing the importance of "family" for the Stetzers I know the decision to serve as our Interim was discussed and prayed over as a family. You have been a wonderful part of our church family and we lovingly thank you for your sacrifice!

Thank you Ed for the impact you have made upon our church family and for the impact you have made upon my personally. I believe I have grown in many ways: as a missional leader, as an advocate of church planter, and as a husband and father. I know that our church has grown through your tenure and I truly believe that as our new pastor takes the reins of this church he will find a congregation ready to move forward and faithfully follow his leadership, wherever that might lead!

Words can never express the praise and gratitude that we as a church family have for you Ed. Please know that you will always be a part of our church family and have a very special place in our hearts!

In His Gracious Love,

Chris

Converging in Montana, Day 4: before the world is awake.

2009-08-07T00:20:00.004-05:00

This post was written by Matt Spradlin, one of the 20Somethings in our Young Adult Ministry. Matt is a recent graduate of Tennessee Tech and is serving with the Young Adult team on mission in Montana this week

When we hiked the M the other day, I sat atop of the giant concrete letter, viewing the city below. I looked around, noticing a small bluff just above the M. I wasn't happy with just conquering the M. I wanted to go farther. I climbed the short distance to the next rock and stood there with my newly found and slightly larger world view.

But.

When I turned around, there was yet another and higher point. This pattern continued until the mountain reached its summit, and I, like a creature of habit, followed this pattern until I could trek no farther.

When the few of us that traversed the terrain to reach the top stood exhausted, bent over and out of breath, I became a witness to the magnificence of God. It was then I saw the curvature of the Earth and the point where the sky weds with the snow-capped peaks. It was then I saw true beauty for what it was.

And.

It also was then that I saw how easy it is to let the pursuit of something of this world, whether it be reaching the pinnacle of the mountain or building a successful life, take precedence over the pursuit of Christ.

It began to make me think about what the people of Missoula are pursuing. Money or personal happiness? Maybe. Adrenaline rushes in the form of kayaking and mountain biking? Possibly. The hope that one day they may be able to wrestle a grizzly bear? Doubtful. But what are they pursuing? I would love to be able to say they are all actively pursuing Christ, but sadly, that isn't the case.

For the duration we have been here, we have been trying not to only spread the word about E3, but we have also been trying to show the people of Missoula what it looks like to love like Christ, to live like Christ and to wholeheartedly pursue Christ. We have been trying to put our faith into action - to have our faith bear seeds.

I took some time to read through James yesterday. The book talks about how faith without works is a dead faith. What good is faith if you don't put it in to action? How will anyone ever know what Christ has done for me if nothing I do produces fruit that points toward Him? Although we have been putting our faith into action up here, it has started to make me curious as to why it has taken us coming nearly all the way across the United States actually to put our faith into action.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Why can't we live like that where we are? Why does it take coming on a mission trip 3,000 miles west to make us put our faith into action? We're excited about serving God and helping people up here, but ask me to wash dishes for a food shelter back home, and I'll probably say I can't because I have to play video games.

Here's my point.

You don't have to be on a mission trip to put your faith into action. You don't have to be somewhere unfamiliar to spread the Word of God. You don't have to be a stranger to all to live intentionally.

You can do all those things where you live.

That's what I'm trying to emphasize here. While we are seeing God work in amazing ways here, this is not the only time we are called to serve God and to love His people. I want to encourage everyone to live intentionally - live like you have something amazing you can't wait to share with anyone who will listen.

This trip has been amazing so far, and it has been awesome to see God move and work not only in my life but the lives of other as well. I pray that God will continue to work in this city and that God will help us all to extract the boldness from our roots so that we may be living examples of our faith.

Technical Difficulties

2009-08-06T16:33:00.004-05:00

I orginally thought to entitle his entry "You Get What You Pay For" since this blog is a free service of Blogspot but ...

We apologize for the delay in today's blog entry. We have experienced technical difficulties and should have them resolved shortly. We hope to have our entry posted early this evening. Thank you for your patience!

Converging in Montana, Day 3

2009-08-06T01:47:00.003-05:00

Hello once again from the Big Sky Country. Our team is doing well, having a great time, and helping Convergence/e3 get ready for the launch of their first public worship service on September 2nd.

Today our group was involved in several different activities. In addition to the daily newspaper give-away and continuing to paint the exterior of the building (which was delayed today due to some very rare rain), a group from our team went over to serve at the Ronald McDonald House. This is an awesome organization that houses and serves families whose children are being treated at the Missoula hospital for extended periods of time. The Missoula Ronald McDonald House is staffed exclusively by volunteers.

One of the church planting team's strategies is to connect with organizations in the community that are already doing great work. This not only is good stewardship of resources and incredible ministry, but it also allows the church to connect to the community in ways that might not otherwise be possible. It also builds much needed credibility for e3 in the city and helps to RE-present Christ to the community in the way I discussed in yesterday's post.

Our team today was able to clean the common areas of the facility, bake some cookies for the families, and play with some of the children staying there. It was really a great experience.

One of the ways that Pastor Rich has encouraged us this week is by continuing to tell us that you just never know what kind of an impact building a relationship with one individual can have. He reminded us of the revival that took place in the Old Testament city of Ninevah. He asked us who "preached" that revival. We all quickly answered "Jonah" of course. But we were wrong.

Jonah did not preach the revival at Ninevah. Jonah simply influenced the King of Ninevah and the King believed in God and led the entire city to repent. The revival of Ninevah was preached by its own King. Jonah's role was to simply build a relationship with one person. Because he did this (begrudgingly, nonetheless) an entire people turned to God.

Convergence is taking this same approach in Missoula: Building relationships, one at a time. Not getting caught up in the numbers game, but prioritizing and valuing each individual that God places in their path. Because you just never know who that one person might be that will lead the entire city of Missoula to turn to God.

Tomorrow our group will continue painting, serve at a local children's shelter, and pick up trash after a city-wide riverfront music festival. Pray that God would put just the right people in our paths that would have the potential to influence this city for Christ.

Blessings,

Jason Egly

Minister to Young Adults

Converging in Montana, Day 2

2009-08-05T02:27:00.010-05:00

Hello again from Missoula. We are having a fantastic time, seeing God move in incredible ways in this city, thanks to our partner church plant Convergence/e3. To learn more about the core values of this awesome ministry, I encourage you to visit http://e3missoula.wordpress.com/about/ .

Today began with several members of our team getting up early and heading downtown to give away copies of The Missoulian, the local newspaper. Standing in front of coffee shops, bus stops, and other busy intersections allowed us to meet and converse with many different people. Simply asking them if they'd like a free newspaper opens up the door for some incredible conversations. They usually ask why we are giving away free papers, and if they do we say something like, "We are a part of a new community of faith in Missoula called e3, and we just want to bless you today." Most folks are shocked -- some because we gave them something for free, and others because we are a church that is not trying to beat them over the head with a bible. Click THIS LINK to see a copy of the card we give them with the newspaper.

The rest of the day was spent painting the exterior of the church building. While this may seem like a menial task at first, this is an extremely purposeful painting project. You see, the building where Convergence/e3 will be meeting formerly belonged to another Baptist church. Unfortunately, this church had some well-documented problems, went through some extremely tough times, and ultimately closed their doors, like many other congregations in Montana have done. In order for the community to see that e3 is different on the inside, it is absolutely necessary to completely change the way the structure looks on the outside.

Both of these stories are symbolic of Pastor Rich Ratts' church planting strategy for Missoula. As Christians, we are called to represent Christ. But in places where Christ has been poorly represented in the past, it in necessary to RE-present Him in a new way. This doesn't mean changing the Message of the Gospel, it means changing the method in which it is presented. Sometimes this means showing love by handing out a free newspaper in order to change people's perceptions of Christians. Other times it means a fresh, creative paint job on an old building with some negative baggage.

As much as I would like to think that we helped Rich and his church planting team make this RE-presentation, I can't help but think that this valuable lesson may be more meaningful and helpful for us at FBCH. Hmmm ...

After a great supper prepared by Terry Russell, Teresa Story, and others, our team hiked the M -- the mountain that overlooks the city of Missoula.

We were awed by God's Creation and spent some time praying that the Lord of the harvest would send out workers into this ripe mission field.

Tomorrow, we will give away more papers, continue painting, help clean up the local Ronald McDonald House, and participate in worship with the e3 community. I'll also be be traveling back to Butte to learn more about the campus ministries at Montana Tech. Please pray for us as our team will be spread out in several different directions.

Also, for those of you that use Twitter, you can keep up with me and several other of our team members as we document our journey in real time. Here are some of our team "Twitter-ers":

Jason Egly -- http://www.twitter.com/jasonegly

Lewis Lea -- http://twitter.com/lewislea

Ashley Hall -- http://twitter.com/ashleyhall89

Hollee Harris -- http://twitter.com/hollee_harris

Luke Johnson -- http://twitter.com/llj1137075

David Brittnell -- http://twitter.com/djbritnell

See ya on here tomorrow!

Blessings,

Jason Egly

Minister to Young Adults

(photos by Kyle Williams)

Converging in Montana, Day 1

2009-08-04T01:37:00.008-05:00

Hey Everyone! This is Jason Egly, Minister to Young Adults. Greetings from Montana, where 22 FBCH folks are serving with the College/20somethings Mission trip.

I am so excited about our partnership with Rich Ratts and his church planting team at Convergence/e3 in Missoula. Rich and his family are incredibly gifted and are planting the seeds for what is about to be a mighty movement of God in Montana. At least 90% of the people in Missoula do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but the Spirit of God is moving here and it is clearly evident that He is arranging all the right people, resources, and circumstances -- a convergence, if you will -- for an incredible harvest.

We are blessed to have 5 of our FBC Young Adults currently serving as semester missionaries with Rich and e3: Christina Gaston, David Lloyd, Joshua Swope, Andrew Hayman, and Zachary Williams. In addition, Larkin and Katie Woodard and their 3 children relocated to Missoula in April in order to be a part of God's work here. Please be praying for our students and this family as they are serving on the front lines of North American missions.

Our team flew in to Bozeman late Sunday night and we were blessed to be able to stay at the Bowman House, a former fraternity house, that houses the Baptist Campus Ministries for Montana State University. This ministry is led by Joe Todd who is also giving leadership to the collegiate ministries for the entire state of Montana. Joe was gracious enough to spend some time with our team this morning to bounce around ideas for successful college ministry strategies. We will be hosting Joe and his team in Hendersonville for their annual State BCM Director's Retreat in January.

From Bozeman, we made the short drive over to Butte to visit with Mark Arbaugh, a local pastor who leads the campus ministries at Montana Tech. He and his wife, Rachel, opened up their home and provided lunch for our team and also shared with our students the strategies that they have found to be successful in their ministries to college students. Mark is an incredible disciple-maker and has students from his ministry at MTU scattered all over the world serving the Lord. He explained to us the need for continued ministry in Montana and underscored the importance of our partnership there. Montana, despite being located in the good ol' USA, has for some reason had limited access to the Gospel. He shared the startling fact that there was a Southern Baptist church in the African country of Nigeria 100 years before there was one in Montana. Crazy.

After visiting with Mark, we finally made our way to Missoula. It was fantastic to be reunited with the Woodards and our students who are serving there and to hear the update of how quickly things are progressing at e3. Rich oriented our team for the week's ministry tasks and we enjoyed a great supper at the Double Front Cafe in downtown Missoula.

Tomorrow we hit the field early as 8 of our team members will be giving away free newspapers at the downtown bus stops and inviting folks to the first e3 service on September 9th. We will also begin painting the exterior of the building, getting everything ready for launch.

Please be praying for our team this week: Steve Bredfeldt, David Brittnell, Jenny Canaday, Emily Davis, Jason Egly, Mallory Egly, Ashley Hall, Hollee Harris, Luke Johnson, Jordan Johnston, C.S. Kammerzell, Emery Lea, Lewis Lea, Mary Lea, Terry Russell, Shari Scott, Matt Spradlin, Teresa Story, Perry Story, Jill Walker, Kyle Williams, and Matt Williams.

Looking forward to updating you tomorrow.

Blessings,
Jason Egly

Words from our Church Plant in Montana

2009-08-03T09:25:00.004-05:00

As our college students begin their mission trip in Montana I thought it only appropriate to ask Rich Ratts, our church planter in Missoula and the one our college students are working with, to share in today's blog:

I am writing this update on August 2nd. On September 2nd, one month from today, Convergence Ministries will have a Grand Opening/Public Launch in Missoula, MT! Our Planting Team is finishing our study of the Acts of the Apostles, Launch Ministry Teams are preparing and being equipped, final preparations are being made to our facilities, and people are continuing to pray for, and cultivate relationships with, their Top Ten Most Wanted for the Kingdom lists. These are exciting days in the Missoula Valley!

In this entry, I’d like to do two things. First, thank you FBC Hendersonville for your continued great partnership with us here in Missoula. You have provided, prayed, partnered, and participated with us each step along the way over the last twelve months. Your generosity and partnership in the gospel has been amazing. Perhaps most exciting to me are the people that are here serving directly with us as a result of our partnership together.

Larkin and Katie Woodard and their family have relocated from FBC Hendersonville to Missoula, MT to work with us. In addition, we have had numerous students and young adults serving as North American Mission Board Summer and Semester Missionaries from FBCH (including David Lloyd, Zach Williams, Josh Swope, Drew Hayman, and Christina Gaston). Staff members Jason Egly, Bill Gruenewald, Cheryle Jaggers, David Walley, David Hobbs, and Chad Conger have all spent time in Missoula working with us.

Second, I’d like to ask you to fervently pray for us as we approach our Grand Opening/Public Launch on 09.02.09. In fact, you might join us in praying each day at 9:02 AM and 9:02 PM to remember the 09.02.09 date for our Grand Opening.

I look forward to visiting with you soon and I am very much looking forward to being with you in November during my next trip to the Volunteer State.

Blessings my friends,

Rich Ratts
NAMB Church Planting Missionary
Missoula, MT

Here and There

2009-08-02T14:20:00.003-05:00

After nearly a month in the field our mission team in Southeast Asia is flying home. Normally a return trip is a simply task but when you have to fly over 30 hours and through multiple airports . . . well it is no small venture. Please pray for the team as they return to Nashville. Please pray for those they touched while on the field and pray for the missionaries as they continue to minister to those our team impacted.

As our Southeast Asia team returns our college group is heading to Missoula, MT to work with Rich Ratts and our church plant. Please continue to follow the blog this week to hear all that God is doing with our team in MT. More importantly, please pray for our college students as they serve in Missoula!

Live Sent,

Chris

Passages for Reflection from John Stott

2009-08-01T14:56:00.005-05:00

This past week I took some time to read over a true Christian Classic, John Stotts' “Christian Mission in the Modern World.” There are some amazing thoughts in Stotts' writing. Instead of writing my reflection I decided to share some of the key passages with our readers. I pray you will take the time to read these thoughts and prayerfully ponder how they relate to you and your service to the Kingdom.

"For a convert to Jesus Christ lives in the world as well as in the church, and has responsibilities to the world as well as to the church.” – p. 179

“The risen Lord’s first word of commission was not ‘preach’ but ‘go.’ And going into the world means presence.” - p. 85

“‘Mission’ denotes what God sends his people into the world to do, and of primary importance within this mission of sacrificial service is ‘evangelism,’ the sharing with others of God’s good news about Jesus.” – p. 123

“The word mission…embraces everything which God sends his people into the world to do. It therefore includes evangelism and social responsibility, since both are authentic expressions of the love which longs to serve man in his need.”- p. 55

“‘Missions concerns his redeemed people and what he sends them into the world to do.” – p. 31

“Now he sends us, he says, as the Father has sent him. Therefore, our mission, like his, is to be one of service. He emptied himself of status and took the form of a servant, and his humble mind is to be in us (Philippians 2:5-8). He supplies us with the perfect model of service, and sends his church into the world to be a servant church.” – p. 39

“…we are sent into the world, like Jesus, to serve. Fro this is the natural expression of our love for our neighbors. We love. We go. We serve.” – p. 47

“‘Mission’ describes rather everything the church is sent into the world to do. ‘Mission’ embraces the church’s double vocation of service to be ‘the salt of the earth’ and ‘the light of world.’ For Christ sends his people into the earth to be its salt, and sends his people into the world to be its light (Matthew 5:13-16).” – p. 48

“Christians should feel an acute pain of conscience and compassion when human beings are oppressed or neglected in any way, whether what is being denied them is civil liberty, racial respect, education, medicine, employment, or adequate food, clothing, and shelter. Anything which undermines human dignity should be an offence to us. But is anything so destructive of human dignity as alienation from God through ignorance or rejection of the gospel?” – p. 56

“Jesus Christ calls all his disciples to ‘ministry,’ that is, to service. He himself is the Servant par excellence, and he calls us to be servants too.” – p. 49

“When any community deteriorates, the blame should be attached where it belongs, not to the community which is going bad but to the church which is failing in its responsibility as salt to stop it going bad.” – p. 50

“If we can accept this broader concept of mission as Christian service in the world comprising both evangelism and social action – a concept which is laid upon us by the model our Savior’s mission in the world – then Christians could under God make a far greater impact on society, an impact commensurate with our numerical strength and with the radical demands of the commission of Christ.” – p. 54

In His Grace,

Chris

How It's Supposed to Be - Canada Mission Trip Final Installment

2009-07-30T08:13:00.011-05:00

Have you ever asked anyone who's been on a mission trip to tell you about their experience? Were you ready for the way their face lit up, they seemed to suddenly have lots of energy and just couldn't stop talking about all that happened during their trip? This uncontrollable urge to share all that happened on their trip is just one of the blessings of serving on mission. It's the way being on mission is supposed to be, God wants us to share Him with others.

There are so many facets of a mission trip for individuals; trip details, team meetings, new friends both on the team and the mission field, work assignments, praying for safety, protection, and stamina! The list could go on and on and it can be a bit unnerving at times. But it's amazing to watch team members who may not have known each other before the trip come together, as one, in service to others. We forget ourselves and the world, and work toward a common goal - praising God through our work and knowing we are in His will.

This past week in Canada has been a huge blessing to our 9 team members. Each one of them has stepped out in faith, was obedient to the call put upon them , and now has experiences and memories that will never fade. It's so much fun to be traveling home listening to their stories and to hear them planning to come back again next year. It was a great week.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary & College for allowing us to serve with their staff. We can't say enough about how warmly we were received and how appreciated we felt all week. Special thanks to Jimmy, Ed, Aaron and Matt for drawing those lines on the white board each morning, keeping us laughing and most of all for letting us see Him through you. It's how it's supposed to be.

Blessing to all, Donna Milewski

On Mission in Canada Days 5 and 6

2009-07-29T09:06:00.016-05:00

Each morning at 7:30 am our day begins with devotion time and reviewing the now infamous "White Board". As previously mentioned, our first morning at the Seminary the board was unveiled to show all our assigned tasks for the week. Tasks were assigned to each team member according to their skills and talents. The board has been updated each morning to reflect how far we had come in completing the tasks (i.e. a line drawn 1/2 way or 2/3 of the way reflected the task was 1/2 or 2/3 complete).

We all enjoyed seeing those lines being drawn and having some of the difficult tasks completed. Both teams, ours and the Clinton, Mo. team encouraged each other, laughed at each other and prayed for each other as we all worked through the week and got an amazing amount of projects completed. Some of the more difficult tasks were installing silt fencing, barb wire fencing, rounding up cattle (yes ,seriously) and working in a rock pile picking out large rocks for a rock slope. With UV at 85% and temps in the upper 80's it could be pretty draining, we also had to keep drinking plenty of water because of the high altitude.

The Lord blessed us greatly in that we have had no accidents and everyone is staying healthy throughout the week. He is so good. It was also a huge blessing to work with the wonderful staff at the seminary. I can't stress enough how much we felt welcomed and appreciated by everyone there; staff, students and families alike. We'll conclude the Canada Mission trip in tomorrow's blog.

Thanks for following!

Donna Milewski

What is the Cooperative Program - Part 4

2009-07-28T09:47:00.004-05:00

Today is the final installment of our four part series on the Cooperative Program:

Cooperative Program — Its Potential

If “two are better than one” (Eccl. 4:9), how much better are more than 16 million? This is the current membership in more than 44,696 Southern Baptist churches across the United States. With a global population exceeding 6.5 billion and a command to take the gospel to every nation, we must enhance our cooperative efforts if we are going to fulfill Christ’s command.

To help the Cooperative Program reach its potential, would you please:

Pray. Pray regularly for your Southern Baptist missionaries in your state and around the globe. “Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers.” Matthew 9:38 (HCSB)

Go. Be involved in some sort of missions endeavor. Talk with your pastor about the available opportunities. You are God’s missionary right where you live. “Go...and make disciples of all nations.” Matthew 28:19 (HCSB)

Give. Out of love for the Lord, give regularly to Him through your church. If you are not tithing, begin to do so and also discover the blessings of giving beyond the tithe. Encourage your church to increase its participation in Cooperative Program.

“Since you excel in so many ways … now I want you to excel also in this gracious ministry of giving.” 2 Corinthians 8:7 (NLT)

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse.” Malachi 3:10 (NKJV)

From the inception of the Southern Baptist Convention, missions has been at our heart. It was at inception that the Foreign Mission Board (now International Mission Board) and Home Mission Board (now North American Mission Board) were established. Even then our convention founders knew that to successfully be on mission SBC churches needed to pool their efforts ... hence these two sending bodies. With the creation of the Cooperative Program the same thing was accomplished, pooling our financial resources to help fund a multitude of missional endeavors.

Through the Cooperative Program we as Southern Baptist have been able to see God do some amazing things. As Southern Baptist, we can rest confidently knowing that a portion of our tithes goes to help see the gospel of Jesus Christ spread near and far in our world. But while we have accomplished a great deal through the Cooperative Program there is still much to be done in our world. I hope that while you have been encouraged by this series you will also feel compelled to continue to give, and to possibly give even more, knowing the impact we as Southern Baptist are able to make through the Cooperative Program.

Live Sent,

Chris

NOTE: All italicized passages in this series came from the "What is CP" portion of the Cooperative Program website, www.cpmissions.net.

What is the Cooperative Program - Part 3

2009-07-27T00:07:00.002-05:00

Today we examine the third of our four part series on the Cooperative Program:

Cooperative Program — What it does

Churches in your state work together through your state convention to support a wide array of ministries and missions including: evangelism efforts, children’s homes, volunteer missions, missions education, new churches, colleges and universities, collegiate ministries, camps, and much more. For additional information concerning your state convention, log on to www.sbc.net and click on state conventions.

Through the International Mission Board (www.imb.org), Southern Baptists support approximately 5,300 missionaries who are engaging more than 1,100 different people groups around the world.

New churches numbering over 1,455 are planted through the efforts of more than 5,271 North American Missionaries, whose efforts are coordinated through your North American Mission Board (www.namb.net) and individual state conventions.

Working together, Southern Baptists have seen nearly 1,000,000 new believers baptized in each of the last three years!

Six Southern Baptist seminaries (Southern, Southeastern, Midwestern, Southwestern, Golden Gate, and New Orleans) educate in excess of 16,000 pastors, missionaries, and future church leaders each year.

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is dedicated to addressing social, moral, and ethical concerns, with particular attention to their impact on American families and their faith. They also provide print resources that offer scriptural responses to the moral and ethical problems of our culture.

Although they receive no Cooperative Program support, LifeWay Christian Resources, Guidestone Financial Resources and the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) actively promote Cooperative Program in publications and missions resources.

Tomorrow will be the fourth and final installment of our series on the Cooperative Program. Please join us tomorrow as we talk about the impact and potential of the Cooperative Program.

Live Sent,

Chris

What is the Cooperative Program - Part 2

2009-07-26T16:39:00.002-05:00

Today we continue with the second of our four part series on the Cooperative Program:

Cooperative Program — How it works

Simply put, it begins with you. You give yourself first to God (2 Cor. 8:5). Next, out of gratitude and obedience to God for what He has done for you, you commit to give back to Him, through your church, a portion of what He provides. This is commonly called a tithe and represents ten percent of your income (Lev. 27:30, Mal. 3:10).

Your church decides the next step. Every year your church prayerfully decides how much of its undesignated gifts will be committed to reaching people in your state and around the world through Cooperative Program. This amount is then forwarded to your state Baptist convention. NOTE: First Baptist Hendersonville gives 10% of its operating budget to the Cooperative Program each year.

During the annual meeting of your state convention, messengers from your church and other churches across the state decide what percentage of Cooperative Program gifts contributed by local congregations stays in your state to support local missions and ministries. The percentage to be forwarded to the Southern Baptist Convention for North American and international missions and ministries is also determined at this time.

At the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, messengers from across the country decide how the gifts received from the states will be distributed among SBC entities. These gifts are used by Southern Baptist entities to send and support missionaries, train pastors, and other ministry leaders; provide relief for retired ministers and widows; and address social, moral, and ethical concerns relating to our faith and families.

The bottom line – people around the world hear the gospel and receive Christ.

Note: Your local Southern Baptist association does not receive Cooperative Program gifts directly. It ministers through gifts received directly from churches and often receives Cooperative Program gifts indirectly in the form of support from state conventions and the North American Mission Board.

Tomorrow we will look at all the things that the Cooperative Program does to advance the kingdom.

Live Sent,

Chris

What is the Cooperative Program?

2009-07-25T23:48:00.005-05:00

Many individuals have asked "What exactly is the Cooperative Program?" For those new to Southern Baptist life or for those whose church did not cover this growing up, we are going to examine the Cooperative Program in a four part series.

What is the Cooperative Program?

It is a financial channel of cooperation between the state conventions and the Southern Baptist Convention. When you make an undesignated gift to the Lord through your church, you directly support the missionary, education, and benevolent work in your state convention. You also support the work of the Southern Baptist Convention here in the United States and all over the world.

A Little CP History

In 1845 Southern Baptists decided to put all of the mission efforts under one convention organization. Each agency elects trustee boards to oversee their operations, but everyone also operates under the umbrella of the Southern Baptist Convention. The work of these trustees ties each area to the larger convention.

Purity

The essence of the Cooperative Program is to fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus’ command to witness in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth was not optional, but mandatory. The Cooperative Program compels us to be a witness at home and around the world at the same time.
Maturity

The Cooperative Program encourages Baptists to participate in the full range of God’s kingdom work in our world. Sometimes people only want to support a particular ministry or a special endeavor, but CP is all-encompassing. Our vision is enlarged to include everything from evangelistic penetration in the Third World to strengthening Christian colleges at home.
Security

The Cooperative Program is safe. Accountability has been, is, and will continue to be an encouragement to generous giving. Southern Baptists know where our money goes and what it does.

The Cooperative Program—How it came about

Since its inception in 1845, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has always had one mission—the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20). To fulfill its assigned part of this divine mandate, each SBC entity made special offering appeals to the churches. This method was referred to as the “societal” approach to missions and resulted in severe financial deficits, competition among entities, overlapping pledge campaigns, and frequent emergency appeals which greatly hampered the expanding ministry opportunities God was giving Southern Baptists. Some entities took out loans to cover operating costs until pledges or special offerings were received.

In 1919, the leaders of the SBC proposed the 75 Million Campaign, a five-year pledge campaign that, for the first time, included everything—the missions and ministries of all the state conventions as well as that of the Southern Baptist Convention. Though falling short of its goals, a God-given partnership of missions support was conceived—The Cooperative Program. Since its launch in 1925, the effectiveness of the Cooperative Program has been dependent upon individuals, churches, state conventions, and SBC entities cooperating, working toward a common goal of sharing the gospel with every person on the planet.

Tomorrow we will continue our four part series on the Cooperative Programe and examine what the Cooperative Program does for missions.

Live Sent,

Chris

Day 4 on Mission in Canada

2009-07-22T14:23:00.007-05:00

As our team continues throughout the week, by this morning many are sore and more accidental prone! On my way here poor Mike had accidentally swiped the paint brush, filled with white paint, across his right eye! When, I approached him he said, "Yeah my eye used to be white!",As now it's red,"I had to hurry and clean it off before someone with a camera saw me! I looked like a raccoon!" Diane just broke her weed eater, and me.... I've been doing silly things since I rammed my head on the plane in front of everybody. That's just typical Megan for ya! Our team is a good one. I couldn't have asked for a better one. We are truly understanding the importance of volunteers here, and as I look around it's humbling to remind myself how important it is to give a helping hand. Weather it's here in Cochrane, back in the states, or where ever God might lead us this is why we call ourselves Christians. To do the will of God and be the light to all others. We are seeing tremendous progress here at the seminary, and as we keep pressing on with all of our hard work, we give thanks to Him and remember this is what life's all about. Please keep up with our blogs, there is a lot of progress happening. I hope everyone is having a safe and blessed week!
~Megan Witherow~

Urgent Prayer Request

2009-07-22T13:17:00.004-05:00

These is an email I just received from an individual at the Montana Southern Baptist Convention:

My heart grieves to share with you some of the details of a major and tragic automobile accident that occurred yesterday afternoon on I-90 west of Bozeman. The four young men involved are summer missionaries serving in MT. The students involved in the accident, 3 brothers and their friend, were returning from a family reunion in the Glacier Park area of NW Montana.

Our Innovator Missionaries involved are:
· Scott Minear – St Vincent ICU, Billings – severe head trauma
· Jeremy Vangsnes – St Vincent ICU, Billings – severe head trauma
· Dan Vangsnes – Deaconess Hospital, Bozeman
· Ryan Vangsnes – Deaconess Hospital, Bozeman

Scott and Jeremy are in VERY serious condition and may not survive. Dan and Ryan’s injuries are not as extensive and should recover. Their parents are in route this morning. Brad, Steve, Benny McCracken, Greg Payton, Jessica Crusch and others have ministered all night to the students and their families. Local logistical arrangements are being made for the care of the families. The NAMB has graciously offered to help in any way needed.

Please be in prayer for these families and the other students of the Innovators Missionary ministry operating out of West Yellowstone Baptist Church.

Fred Hewitt
Exec. Director
MT Southern Baptist Convention

NOTE: Innovators is for college students recruited from BCM ministries throughout the United States. Directed from West Yellowstone Baptist Church the students in the community and Yellowstone Park and are asked to build relationships with co-workers and others so they can share the Gospel.