Webster's Dictionary defines the word "breathe" as follows: to draw air into and expel it from the lungs or to inhale and exhale freely.
Have you ever heard someone respond to a stressful situation by saying something like, "I just need to breathe" or "I can't even breathe!"? Breathing, of course, comes naturally to everyone who is alive - it's not something that you typically have to think about - it just happens.
How often do you think about your every breath being a gift from God? Genesis 2:7 - then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
Man was not a living creature until God breathed out the breath of life in to him. If something does not breathe, it is not alive. The Christian faith is intended to be a living faith - after all, we worship a living Savior! Since Christianity is alive, it breathes, and therefore it needs to inhale and exhale freely.
I like to think of the Christian's "inhale" as time spent with other believers and in God's word. Spending time among believers includes going to church, Sunday school, small groups, bible studies, Christian retreats or camps, etc. Time spent in the Bible is certainly vital to the life of a Christian and 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." I like the idea of God breathing out Scripture and us breathing it in. For the Christian, the "inhale" is meant to build us up, strengthen us, and encourage us in Christ.
But breathing is a two step process of equally important parts. You have to inhale and exhale to stay alive.
The "exhale" of our faith in Christ should be in our neighborhoods, in our schools, in our workplaces, in our streets! The "exhale" needs to come in places where life happens and people need to be reached with the Good News. Often it is more comfortable for Christians to spend time only with other Christians. Oh, you can easily do that and think you are fine - just like you can breathe with one lung at a diminished capacity.
However, for our faith to be alive, we need to breathe out what we believe, not just breathe in.
Mark 16:15 - "And he (Jesus) said to them (the disciples), 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Europe as a Mission Field
I was reading through some of the older posts on here and was reminded of what a need for Christ that there is in Ireland and throughout all of Europe. The need is great enough that Operation Mobilization has identified Europe as one of the 9 focal points for world missions. It is a mission field that is not thought about often, but this was a good reminder to me of why God has called our family to serve there.
The following is from the OM International website (http://www.om.org/):
Europe - Restoring Hope
Once, European Christians told the world about Jesus. Today's "Christian" Europe is spiritually bankrupt. The ruins of ancient churches symbolize a continent that has turned away from Christ.
Prosperous Europeans may seem content. But rising suicide rates, the desperate search for alternative spiritualities and the growth of other religions demonstrate the emptiness behind the façade.
Throughout Europe, nations are battling against the effects of crime, drugs and alcohol abuse while in places such as Bosnia, Kosovo and Ukraine whole communities have been shattered by war and poverty.
Yet, in the midst of brokenness, God is restoring hope to Europe. Across the continent OM teams are living out the reality of the Gospel as they provide practical help, build friendships and share truth.
Together with the European church, OM is transforming lives and communities in more than 30 nations by caring for the unwanted, loving Muslims, empowering the next generations, reawakening the religious and challenging the secular.
Once the sender of missionaries to the world, Europe is now the one continent where the church is shrinking. In most of the countries, including Ireland, less than 1% of the population is evangelical. But, there are open doors to share the Gospel with Europeans and a growing immigrant population throughout the continent.
In Ireland, while Catholicism is still a major influence over the country and culture, few have a living relationship with God. Traditional 'religion' has failed to tackle serious social problems such as alcoholism, teenage pregnancy and a high suicide rate among young men. Evangelical numbers have grown over the past 10 years and stand at 0.75% of the population, though according to Operation World, this is still the lowest percentage of any country in the English-speaking world.
Some Prayer Points to consider:
Isaiah 58:12
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
The following is from the OM International website (http://www.om.org/):
Europe - Restoring Hope
Once, European Christians told the world about Jesus. Today's "Christian" Europe is spiritually bankrupt. The ruins of ancient churches symbolize a continent that has turned away from Christ.
Prosperous Europeans may seem content. But rising suicide rates, the desperate search for alternative spiritualities and the growth of other religions demonstrate the emptiness behind the façade.
Throughout Europe, nations are battling against the effects of crime, drugs and alcohol abuse while in places such as Bosnia, Kosovo and Ukraine whole communities have been shattered by war and poverty.
Yet, in the midst of brokenness, God is restoring hope to Europe. Across the continent OM teams are living out the reality of the Gospel as they provide practical help, build friendships and share truth.
Together with the European church, OM is transforming lives and communities in more than 30 nations by caring for the unwanted, loving Muslims, empowering the next generations, reawakening the religious and challenging the secular.
Once the sender of missionaries to the world, Europe is now the one continent where the church is shrinking. In most of the countries, including Ireland, less than 1% of the population is evangelical. But, there are open doors to share the Gospel with Europeans and a growing immigrant population throughout the continent.
In Ireland, while Catholicism is still a major influence over the country and culture, few have a living relationship with God. Traditional 'religion' has failed to tackle serious social problems such as alcoholism, teenage pregnancy and a high suicide rate among young men. Evangelical numbers have grown over the past 10 years and stand at 0.75% of the population, though according to Operation World, this is still the lowest percentage of any country in the English-speaking world.
Some Prayer Points to consider:
Please pray that God will restore hope to Europe.
Pray for workers reaching out to the marginalised people in Europe (homeless, refugees, immigrants, drug addicts, alcoholics and prostitutes) that they will be filled with compassion and will demonstrate the love of Jesus to those they meet.
Pray for God to raise up a new generation of Europeans who are on fire for Jesus and willing to share their passion for Him with others.
Pray for unity among European churches and a common commitment to reach out with the good news of Jesus.
Pray for the thriving churches in Eastern European countries such as Ukraine, Moldova and Romania to catch a vision for world missions.
Isaiah 58:12
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Support Raising Update "40/40" Club
I am excited today! In a way, I feel like today is the beginning of something big that God is going to do in our lives. It is the first day of my new "job", which consists of being 100% available to share our ministry vision for Ireland with interested friends, and watching God work.
Last night I was figuring out how many days we have left to get to 90% of our support raising goal (which is the mark we need to be at 30 days out from when we leave). We are currently at 50% of the financial requirement, so we need an additional 40%. Our goal is to get to Ireland no later than the last week of June - so 30 days backward from there is May 23, or 40 days from today.
So for everything to fall in to place as we believe God is leading, that means that 40% of our financial support must come in the next 40 days. I'm not a numerologist or anything, but I like the sound of 40% in 40 days!
There is no way we can do this on our own - in fact, it seems more than overwhelming to consider exactly how this is supposed to happen. Thankfully for us, it is God who will provide and we just need to be available to be used by Him for this purpose.
If you haven't joined our prayer and financial support team yet, would you pray about it? If you feel like this is something that God may be leading you towards being a part of, please let us know. If you think this is something that your church or family or friends would be excited about, please share it with them.
We are looking forward to watching the 40/40 club grow and keeping everyone updated on how God is working!
Last night I was figuring out how many days we have left to get to 90% of our support raising goal (which is the mark we need to be at 30 days out from when we leave). We are currently at 50% of the financial requirement, so we need an additional 40%. Our goal is to get to Ireland no later than the last week of June - so 30 days backward from there is May 23, or 40 days from today.
So for everything to fall in to place as we believe God is leading, that means that 40% of our financial support must come in the next 40 days. I'm not a numerologist or anything, but I like the sound of 40% in 40 days!
There is no way we can do this on our own - in fact, it seems more than overwhelming to consider exactly how this is supposed to happen. Thankfully for us, it is God who will provide and we just need to be available to be used by Him for this purpose.
If you haven't joined our prayer and financial support team yet, would you pray about it? If you feel like this is something that God may be leading you towards being a part of, please let us know. If you think this is something that your church or family or friends would be excited about, please share it with them.
We are looking forward to watching the 40/40 club grow and keeping everyone updated on how God is working!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Trusting God
The last four or five days have been filled with some big decisions that we have had to make. After much prayer and discussion, we believe it is God's will for us to be in Ireland before July 1 of this year. Of course, that is very soon and we began to realize just how much needed to be done for that to happen.
We were facing 2 major obstacles:
1) What to do with our house? - as you know, the market in Vegas is unbelievably bad.
2) How to continue our support raising efforts with my more than full-time job occupying most of my time?
I was reminded of King Jehoshaphat's prayer in II Chronicles 20:6-12. He is standing in the the court at the temple in Jerusalem having just learned that a great multitude of foreign armies is massing against his people.
...O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying "If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house - and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save." And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab, and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy - behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.
What a beautiful prayer!
Jehoshaphat reminded God of how he had brought His people this far and all that He had done for them. He trusted that God would keep His promise. Even though he did not know what to do, he was going to keep his eyes on God and trust Him to provide.
I found our current situation to be very similar. God has provided many affirmations over the last year that we are to serve His purpose in Ireland. I could not believe that He has brought us this far along only to not be able to go because of our housing situation. Or to let us fail in our support raising because my work schedule is not allowing me to spend time meeting with people.
So we went to God in prayer many times over the last few days, telling Him that "we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."
And we believe God will answer our prayer and deliver us, just like he did for King Jehoshaphat. We are trusting Him and have taken some steps that we feel are following His leading (even though it may seem crazy to us!)
Our house is currently listed for sale and we are trusting God to take care of the details. I also gave my 2 week notice at work so that we can have time to make our final push with our support raising. We are currently closing in on 50% of our goal and will spend the next few weeks here in Las Vegas meeting with friends who may be interested in helping us. Then we will be making a trip to San Diego and to Oregon to connect with more friends and churches to talk about our ministry.
So, that's the latest! Please be in prayer for us to continue to listen to God's call and direction.
We were facing 2 major obstacles:
1) What to do with our house? - as you know, the market in Vegas is unbelievably bad.
2) How to continue our support raising efforts with my more than full-time job occupying most of my time?
I was reminded of King Jehoshaphat's prayer in II Chronicles 20:6-12. He is standing in the the court at the temple in Jerusalem having just learned that a great multitude of foreign armies is massing against his people.
...O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying "If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house - and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save." And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab, and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy - behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.
What a beautiful prayer!
Jehoshaphat reminded God of how he had brought His people this far and all that He had done for them. He trusted that God would keep His promise. Even though he did not know what to do, he was going to keep his eyes on God and trust Him to provide.
I found our current situation to be very similar. God has provided many affirmations over the last year that we are to serve His purpose in Ireland. I could not believe that He has brought us this far along only to not be able to go because of our housing situation. Or to let us fail in our support raising because my work schedule is not allowing me to spend time meeting with people.
So we went to God in prayer many times over the last few days, telling Him that "we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."
And we believe God will answer our prayer and deliver us, just like he did for King Jehoshaphat. We are trusting Him and have taken some steps that we feel are following His leading (even though it may seem crazy to us!)
Our house is currently listed for sale and we are trusting God to take care of the details. I also gave my 2 week notice at work so that we can have time to make our final push with our support raising. We are currently closing in on 50% of our goal and will spend the next few weeks here in Las Vegas meeting with friends who may be interested in helping us. Then we will be making a trip to San Diego and to Oregon to connect with more friends and churches to talk about our ministry.
So, that's the latest! Please be in prayer for us to continue to listen to God's call and direction.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Being Called
I heard a great quote today in church from a visiting missionary who used to serve in Mali (West Africa).
"God does not call those who are qualifed, He qualifies those who are called."
Amen!
I know that I have wrestled so many times with feelings of inadequacy when I think about being a full-time missionary. There are so many others who are more educated, more articulate, or more mature in their faith than I. How is a sinner like me qualified to share my faith with others?
That quote above forces me to remember that is not about me - it is about what the Holy Spirit does through me (or maybe even in spite of me). I can only try my best to diligently share Christ with others and live my life in a way that allows me to be ready to witness when opportunities arise. No matter what I say, it is God who takes that experience, shapes it, and helps the person remember it along the way.
Most people do not come to Christ in a single moment. There is not usually a dramatic conversion story where lightning strikes, the earth trembles, and the voice of God is heard (Paul on the road to Damascus exluded).
More often, someone comes to Christ as a culmination of events and people who have played a part in their life. You never know how God may use what you say or do to influence someone a year or 10 years from now. And that is worth remembering when you pass by someone who you know could use encouragement, or you choose to hold your tongue when you know that taking a stand is the right thing to do.
I am so thankful that I do not have to be "qualified" to be called! God is qualifying me along the way and I am happy to be along for the ride.
"God does not call those who are qualifed, He qualifies those who are called."
Amen!
I know that I have wrestled so many times with feelings of inadequacy when I think about being a full-time missionary. There are so many others who are more educated, more articulate, or more mature in their faith than I. How is a sinner like me qualified to share my faith with others?
That quote above forces me to remember that is not about me - it is about what the Holy Spirit does through me (or maybe even in spite of me). I can only try my best to diligently share Christ with others and live my life in a way that allows me to be ready to witness when opportunities arise. No matter what I say, it is God who takes that experience, shapes it, and helps the person remember it along the way.
Most people do not come to Christ in a single moment. There is not usually a dramatic conversion story where lightning strikes, the earth trembles, and the voice of God is heard (Paul on the road to Damascus exluded).
More often, someone comes to Christ as a culmination of events and people who have played a part in their life. You never know how God may use what you say or do to influence someone a year or 10 years from now. And that is worth remembering when you pass by someone who you know could use encouragement, or you choose to hold your tongue when you know that taking a stand is the right thing to do.
I am so thankful that I do not have to be "qualified" to be called! God is qualifying me along the way and I am happy to be along for the ride.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
St. Patrick - Missionary to Ireland
With March 17th, just around the corner and our "open house" St. Patrick's day party this Saturday, I've been doing a little research on Patrick. Here are a couple of thoughts from what I have learned...
St. Patrick is undoubtedly the most famous missionary ever to be sent to Ireland. While there are many famous stories and legends surrounding the life of Patrick, there are two lessons we can draw from his circumstances that every believer can take inspiration from.
At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family’s estate. He was transported to Ireland where he spent six years as a prisoner. He later escaped back to Britain (after a 200 mile walk to the nearest seaport), only to return to Ireland as a missionary fifteen years later.
I doubt that Patrick knew what God had in store for him when he was kidnapped from his family and was held for six years in bondage. However, during his captivity, he became familiar with the Irish/Celtic language and pagan belief system. This knowledge helped him find broader acceptance and allowed him to be more effective when he returned to share the gospel. The important thing we can learn here is that God, in his divine providence, can prepare you to serve Him in ways that you can’t even imagine – often during times of great suffering and strife.
Patrick used his familiarity with the Irish language and culture and chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. Legend has it that he used the shamrock, a 3-leaf clover, to highlight the concept of the Trinity. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross, so that the Irish would more fully understand the significance of the cross (we know this as a celtic cross today).
The important thing to learn here is to be able to understand the culture you are in and to be able to share Christ in a way that means something to people. For example, I have heard the phrase “the Bread of Life” that we are so familiar with be translated in to “the Rice of Life” in different cultures where that makes more sense. Certainly the integrity of the message should never be compromised, but every effort should be made to present the good news in a way that is true and relevant.
Missions is simply sharing the love of Christ with others – no matter where you live. The mission field begins right outside your own front door. I encourage you to look for ways to apply these lessons from the life of Patrick as you go forth in to the fields that are ripe for the harvest.
St. Patrick is undoubtedly the most famous missionary ever to be sent to Ireland. While there are many famous stories and legends surrounding the life of Patrick, there are two lessons we can draw from his circumstances that every believer can take inspiration from.
At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family’s estate. He was transported to Ireland where he spent six years as a prisoner. He later escaped back to Britain (after a 200 mile walk to the nearest seaport), only to return to Ireland as a missionary fifteen years later.
I doubt that Patrick knew what God had in store for him when he was kidnapped from his family and was held for six years in bondage. However, during his captivity, he became familiar with the Irish/Celtic language and pagan belief system. This knowledge helped him find broader acceptance and allowed him to be more effective when he returned to share the gospel. The important thing we can learn here is that God, in his divine providence, can prepare you to serve Him in ways that you can’t even imagine – often during times of great suffering and strife.
Patrick used his familiarity with the Irish language and culture and chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. Legend has it that he used the shamrock, a 3-leaf clover, to highlight the concept of the Trinity. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross, so that the Irish would more fully understand the significance of the cross (we know this as a celtic cross today).
The important thing to learn here is to be able to understand the culture you are in and to be able to share Christ in a way that means something to people. For example, I have heard the phrase “the Bread of Life” that we are so familiar with be translated in to “the Rice of Life” in different cultures where that makes more sense. Certainly the integrity of the message should never be compromised, but every effort should be made to present the good news in a way that is true and relevant.
Missions is simply sharing the love of Christ with others – no matter where you live. The mission field begins right outside your own front door. I encourage you to look for ways to apply these lessons from the life of Patrick as you go forth in to the fields that are ripe for the harvest.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
February Update
We have had a very eventful last couple of weeks, so I thought it would be good to catch everyone up.
We spent some time in Oregon during the last week of January with Sarah's family sharing laughter and tears as we honored the memory of her father, Joe. The memorial service at Enterprise Christian Church was wonderful and the support of the church family and community was overwhelming. One of my most cherished moments during our time there was spending an afternoon with the family and Pastor Bruce as he encouraged us to tell stories and talk about different memories we had of Joe. It was a blessed time of healing that we all shared. We will miss him dearly and remember him faithfully.
We are headed to San Diego on Friday to participate in another celebration of Joe's life with the large number of family and friends that live in that area.
We will come back on Sunday or Monday because I have to be at work on Tuesday. That's right...this week I got a job! It will be comforting to have some income flow and health insurance! God's timing is truly incredible, as I have been looking for work for 7 months now.
During that 7 months I wasn't able to find a job - but we were able to move ahead quickly with our venture in to the mission field. We would not be where we are at now without God's perfect plan. I traveled to Ireland in July for 2 weeks, then in September, our family went (along with Angela Caprine) to Atlanta for a week of missionary training. October saw the whole family head to Ireland for 2 weeks and in December we were able to visit Oregon and spend time with Sarah's dad over Christmas. In January, Sarah was able to go to Oregon again to spend the final week of Joe's life with him. There is no way we could have accomplished all of that if I had been working during that time.
Starting in November of '08, we began raising financial support for our journey to Ireland. As of today, we are at 35% of our goal. God is moving ahead and we are thrilled to be along for the ride.
If you would like to join our financial support team - maybe at $100, $50, $25, or even $10 per month - please let us know. We would love to get you more information on how you could share in our ministry.
God Bless!
We spent some time in Oregon during the last week of January with Sarah's family sharing laughter and tears as we honored the memory of her father, Joe. The memorial service at Enterprise Christian Church was wonderful and the support of the church family and community was overwhelming. One of my most cherished moments during our time there was spending an afternoon with the family and Pastor Bruce as he encouraged us to tell stories and talk about different memories we had of Joe. It was a blessed time of healing that we all shared. We will miss him dearly and remember him faithfully.
We are headed to San Diego on Friday to participate in another celebration of Joe's life with the large number of family and friends that live in that area.
We will come back on Sunday or Monday because I have to be at work on Tuesday. That's right...this week I got a job! It will be comforting to have some income flow and health insurance! God's timing is truly incredible, as I have been looking for work for 7 months now.
During that 7 months I wasn't able to find a job - but we were able to move ahead quickly with our venture in to the mission field. We would not be where we are at now without God's perfect plan. I traveled to Ireland in July for 2 weeks, then in September, our family went (along with Angela Caprine) to Atlanta for a week of missionary training. October saw the whole family head to Ireland for 2 weeks and in December we were able to visit Oregon and spend time with Sarah's dad over Christmas. In January, Sarah was able to go to Oregon again to spend the final week of Joe's life with him. There is no way we could have accomplished all of that if I had been working during that time.
Starting in November of '08, we began raising financial support for our journey to Ireland. As of today, we are at 35% of our goal. God is moving ahead and we are thrilled to be along for the ride.
If you would like to join our financial support team - maybe at $100, $50, $25, or even $10 per month - please let us know. We would love to get you more information on how you could share in our ministry.
God Bless!
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