Dirt Under Your Nails

Our last frost date to plant outside in my part of the country is May 21^st but most people try and get some root or cool crops planted by Mother’s Day. My wife and I planted about 75% of this season’s veggie garden in our square foot garden boxes just after Mother’s Day last month. I have always loved gardening and getting a little dirt under my nails. However, my 3 year old granddaughter is a bit squeamish about playing in the dirt. She likes to keep her painted nails nice and clean. Why it took us so long to leave row gardening for this marvelous, miraculous method is all about being stuck in tradition. Yuck, this reminds me of the church sometimes.

Jesus told a parable in Mark 4:4-8: "As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

Scattering the Gospel is sometimes very hard and frustrating work. At times it might seem easier for us to get bit by a shark while surfing (if we did surf) rather than another no show by someone we wanted to share the Gospel with. Or this has been the umpteenth time this week someone not only rejected His words but told us to get lost as well. I am afraid we (me too) are tempted to just keep our polished finger nails as far away from the dirt as we possibly can, especially if the quality of the dirt is the “least of these."

However, I have seen that some of the seed will take root. Some will multiply. And that group of hungry souls, will make all the pain, all the rejection, and all the dirt under our finger nails well worth the trouble of sharing the story of Jesus and how He changed our lives. This won’t happen by accident, because after one plants the seed there has to be a lot of watering before the Holy Spirit produces the fruit.

Now watering that is a different story with my granddaughter. She loves watering to garden! We purchased a little watering can for her and she will water anything and everything with exuberant enthusiasm. Could it be that relationship (watering) is the reward for planting the seed. Working that soil of those we have developed relationships with could be a lifelong process. We must use all the creative juices (the different watering and fertilizing methods of sustaining and deepening relationships) that we have and that the Holy Spirit gives us (new relationship sustaining ideas).

They (the ones God created for us to reach) are always worth it no matter how much dirt we get under our nails. May glances at our nails from time to time be a constant reminder of the lack of or abundance of dirt that are under those nails. So go plant some seeds and get those nails really dirty!

10:02

 The alarm went off at 10:02 am the other day on my cell phone and my wife asked me what that was for. 10:02 could be a reminder to me that the Yankee baseball game is 2 hours and 58 minutes away from starting on a day with a 1:00 pm business man special starting time. 10:02 could be my alarm alerting me to get my mid-morning yogurt snack. Or it could be the 10:02 Amtrak passenger train to Yuma.

Luke 10:2 states,  "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." We need to ask the Lord of the Harvest to “send out workers.” So 10:02 is a reminder to me that this verse has become one of my daily prayers. I encourage you to make this one of your daily prayers. Set your watch or phone for 10:02 (am or pm depending on your biological clock) every day to remind you of the Luke 10:02 prayer. So why should we be silencing our minds and turning our attention to God during this time frame? 

The problem is not the harvest; the harvest is ready.  I often tell church planters that they are very privileged to be called to a ministry where we aren’t going to run out of potential customers. What a blessing!  The two biggest delays in most church planting projects (in any church planting organization) are: there aren’t enough qualified individuals to plant churches and not enough financial resources to plant churches. 

So if the harvest is ready what is the problem? It's the workers. It’s us. We need to get to work and put making disciples that make disciples at the fore front of our minds and therefore our habits. I am ashamed at how many churches and how many of us have lost our way and haven’t done this in quite some time. Alan Hirsch warns, that if we fail at this point (discipleship) then we fail in all the others. Dallas Willard calls “non-discipleship” the elephant in the church. 

If we are going to overcome acedia we need to get to work. We need to ask God to get others to work. “We need to become like a kid in a small town parade who throws candy with two-fisted fury. We need to spread the gospel everywhere we go and with everyone we meet.” ~ Kevin Harney, Reckless Faith: Embracing A Life Without Limits. If you like this I know you will start a new 10:02 habit.

Would You Clean A Latrine?

In my quite time this year one of the devotional tools I am using is a book called A World of Wonders by Doug Batchelor. It is a fascinating book chalked full of some of the most interesting stories, facts, and figures that one can imagine. The following is an adaptation from Day 49 in this devotional book. 

On the morning of Sept. 17, 1862 (during the Battle of Antietam which was one of the bloodiest battles and turning point in the Civil War) a Union commander named Colonel Hays ordered his men to the firing line before sunrise with no breakfast. I can’t imagine a morning without breakfast; breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. By afternoon the men were exhausted and famished. 

A 19 year old mess sergeant by the name of Billy heard about this predicament and took pity on the hungry men and loaded up a wagon with buckets of coffee and all the food the wagon could carry. Then he drove the wagon into the front lines under fire. The soldiers sent up a cheer for their new hero Billy. They hurriedly scarfed down the food and headed back to fight the advancing Confederates with renewed strength and vigor. 


When Colonel Hays (Rutherford B. Hayes who became the 19th President of the United States) heard about Billy’s heroic actions he recommended Billy (who was William McKinley who became the 25th President of the United States) be promoted to the rank of second lieutenant.  

Luke 16:10 says, "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much."  It is often used to measure the potential of a person becoming a future leader. Though the duties in front of us today may not seem great and often times even mundane  if we perform them faithfully it will soon become apparent to those around us that we can be trusted with greater things. And even if we're never given earthly recognition for our efforts, Paul reminds us that whatever we do, we should "do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men" (Col. 3:23). 

If we do that we can be confident that we’ll hear our Commander say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” (Matthew 25:21) 

RETURN CUSTOMERS

    I have often mentioned to our church planters that if God is gracious enough to bring people to your church, you better find the best ways possible to keep them coming back for more. Outreach Magazine (which I highly recommend for anyone interested in making disciples) recently published the results of why visitors return to your church. This list was compiled by accumulating over 10 years of information from “Mystery Visitors” that attended various churches and then wrote a report for Outreach Magazine. Here are the results:

• Visitors return to your church because you post clear signage on your campus. 
• Visitors return to your church because you provide a good parking experience. 
• Visitors return to your church because you are aware and eliminate sensory problems (smells on your campus).
• Visitors return to your church because you were friendly, sincere and genuine.
• Visitors return to your church because your Children’s Ministry area is clean and secure.
• Visitors return to your church because the sermons relate to their lives.
• Visitors return to your church because of your church has an outward focus. 
• Visitors return to your church because you consider how the unchurched perceive what you say. 
• Visitors return to your church because your church is diverse.

    There you have it, how would you evaluate your church? All of these “Mystery Visitors” gave each church they visited a letter grade, what would you grade out at? Maybe a better way of determining how many “return customers” a church get is to measure its retention rate. What is the percentage of first time, second time, and third time guests that return to your church?  If we don’t get “return customers” we will eventually go out of business. The only way the unchurched can eventually start the journey with Jesus is to return to hear the Story!

Strangers In A Strange Land

Have you ever felt like a stranger in a strange land? I am sure if you have been on a mission trip to a foreign land you might have experienced that type of feeling. Sometimes when I watch the national news I imagine myself living in some of the foreign countries they are reporting about. It would be quite different than living at home. Do you think a person that is unchurched and visits a church would feel like a stranger in a strange land? What do you think makes a person feel like a stranger in a strange land?

There are many reasons why we could feel like we are strangers in a strange land. We could be unfamiliar with the customs and living conditions of the new surroundings. There might be language barriers that prevent us from communicating. Maybe the dress code in this strange land is quite foreign to us. The laws and moral codes could be different than what we are accustomed to. The practicing religions could cause us to be very uncomfortable.

Why do you think the scriptures ask us no fewer than 36 times to love the stranger. Ex. 23:9 states, "You shall not oppress the stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt." You were strangers once, and were mistreated, therefore do not do to others what had been done to your forefathers. In Deut. 10: 17-19 the Bible says, "For the Lord your God is God supreme and Lord supreme, the great and mighty, and the awesome God who.... befriends the stranger, providing him with food and clothing. You must befriend the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt."  

Why do you think God commands us to “love the stranger”? I believe feeling like a stranger is probably one of the most uncomfortable emotions a person wants to or has to endure. Just think about a time you personally felt like a stranger. Did you feel unaccepted? Did you feel uncomfortable? Did you feel threatened? Did you feel a little sick to your stomach? Did you feel unloved? I couldn't imagine any of us enjoying being a stranger if some of the above were symptoms of this label.

I know that people who attend church for the first time do feel like strangers in a strange land! All you have to do is ask them what they feel like; it will be eye opening and give you a better understanding about what it takes to be a missionary in the culture you live in. Take God’s word to heart and just love them. What does love look like in practical terms to that stranger in your church? And how does that love in your church make that stranger feel. If it’s God’s love they won’t feel like strangers in a strange land, but members of a family who feel right at home.

What’s Love Got To Do With It?

 In my prayer journal I pray twice a month that I would understand and experience the love of God so that I can love God more intimately and also His creation (His people). I believe it is every believer’s goal to learn how to love God and love people (the Greatest Commandment) with a greater understanding and internationalism. It is one of those mysteries that I have not yet mastered and continue to struggle with at times.

I spent last year studying the Torah as part of my quite time. On September 25th I was fascinated about the reading and as a result the pondering I did involving the love of God in my heart. Three times the Torah asks us to love: twice in Leviticus (19:18,34), we are commanded to love human beings; then, in Deuteronomy, our love is directed toward God. “Only after we have learned to love people can we come to love God.” ~ Chasidic

However, it seems to me that a man/woman cannot love God as he/she loves another human being. The love of God involves a holy fear or reverence (Deut. 6:13) which in my mind impossible to achieve toward another human being. Love expresses itself in that devoted and single minded loyalty which issues itself in wholehearted and obedient service to God. “The love of God without obedience is not love.” ~ G.E. Wright

Even more so will the lovers of God experience this constant obsession in their hearts, as we are bidden to love "with all our hearts and with all our souls.  As Solomon expressed allegorically "I am love sick" (Song of Songs 5:8); the entire Song of Songs is, in fact, an allegorical expression of this love.” ~ Mamonides I have to admit that I am not “love sick” with God near as often as I should be.

Of course, love cannot be commanded. No third party can command it or extort it. No third party can, but The One can. The commandment to love can only proceed from the mouth of the Lover. Only the Lover can and does say: love me! And He really does so. In His mouth the commandment to love is not a strange commandment; it is none other than the voice of love itself. “The love of the Lover has, in fact, no word to express itself other than the commandment." ~ F. Rosenzweig

While we were yet sinners Christ died of us. The ultimate expression of “Love” in the New Testament. It is my desire of all of us that we would fall more deeply in love with our Father this year. As we absorb His love into every single pore of our being it will be such a miraculous experience! The result from this experience will be for that love to leave every pore of our body and attach itself to our lost and dying world which will lead to an attraction to the Lover Himself.

How the Church Lost the Election!

You could have cut the silence with a knife on my Facebook account after the November election. That means I probably have too many Right Wing, Christian, Republican friends - I guess. It was amazing to me that there was more than enough blame to go around from everyone. Unfortunately, much of the blame didn't have a whole lot of  Biblical basis. My suggestion was unless we start praying more for our President, the Congress, and the Supreme Court, we won’t be the “United States of America”, but the “Divided States” (red and blue) of American. So why did we lose the election, presuming “we” to be the Christians of this country? And "losing" meaning we didn't elect a candidate who represent more Biblical views. 
  
Many have stated that Mitt Romney wasn't a strong enough presidential candidate. I believe that if God directs and controls the government (Romans 13:1-4) then the only way we can influence this process is through prayer. How much did the “Church” (we) pray about this whole election? How much were we encouraged to pray? Did any of us fast once a week during this election process? Did our churches hold twenty-four hour prayer vigils before the elections? Did we pray without ceasing on this matter? I know I could have prayed a lot more, shame on me! 
  
What contingency elected the president? From all the reports that I reviewed it was the combined Black, Hispanic, Asian, Millennial, and Women vote that turned the tide.
> Asian, Black, Hispanic: http://www.csmonitor.com
> Millennial: http://www.forbes.com 
> Women: http://www.politico.com 
How many Asian, Black and Hispanic people go to your church? In most churches I visit, these groups are either non-existent or in the extreme minority. Why aren't we reaching these people groups with the Gospel? Let’s look briefly at these groups in light of the “Church” making disciples. 

It is no secret that most Hispanic people tend to be largely Roman Catholic. Most of us know the Catholic Church, like most Protestant Churches, holds a position against abortion. So if Hispanics are following their faith this is a decisive issue. Hispanics also tend to stay away from candidates that are too extreme on immigration laws (more on both of these issues later). I recognize that our church planting efforts are woefully behind in the U.S. with all ethnic type church planting. We essentially aren't making many disciples in non-Caucasian people groups.
  

Where are the 19-28 year olds in our churches? (http://en.wikipedia.org) 
Most often they are in the minority, sometimes again the extreme minority. Let’s face it; most churches in American are white and graying out. We usually plant churches to try and reach this people group. However, too many of our church plants often times end up only as holy receptacles for reshuffling the deck of the saints. Here again the Church is not doing a very good job of making disciples in this people group.
  

Let’s turn to the Women vote. It seems most women want the freedom to choose life in the voting booth, even though polls tell us that people for and against abortion in this country are pretty even. Strategist for future elections have already said that the Republican Party is out of touch with the general populace and must not stay a white, suburban, rich represented party if it wants to win future elections. I don’t think this is the real issue.

  

As I have alluded to the “Church” lost the election - plain and simple. You are asking, “How?” The “Church” has failed to make disciples not only in the above mentioned people groups, but we are also seeing “Christians” who are in the “Church” not voting like they are Jesus’ disciples. I don’t believe any disciple of Christ could argue that abortion is right, or same sex marriage is right, or doing something illegal is right! The Biblical evidence in all three of these areas is indisputable. You can’t argue Biblically for abortion, same sex marriage, or doing something that is illegal. We have simply failed to make disciples. If you were a Disciple of Christ how could you vote for any candidate that opposed Biblical Truths? You can’t tell me if there weren't more Disciples of Christ in this country that what is happening in our country currently wouldn't be drastically different. You see, a disciple is suppose to be different than people that are not disciples. We have four years, “Church,” to get busy and make disciples!