1: January 2010

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Snake bitten, crazy cannibals, thick jungle, foreign world- some of these describe places and things from mission fields of the past and present. I think sometimes, if you are like me, you think that you may not quite be up for that kind of mission. And, when you hear about people giving their lives for the gospel in an uncharted land (ex-John Paton & the Hebrides) among cannibals, it can be a little intimidating, humiliating and all but take the air out of your spiritual sail. I can't do that. I don't know that I care for a people group that much. How do I get from here to there and is there the ultimate goal?

Last night, we looked at Luke 24:36-48 after Jesus had resurrected from the dead, walked among the disciples along the road to Emmaeus and showed up in the middle of a room where the disciples were meeting in Jerusalem. He basically said this (my paraphrase). "I'm not a ghost, come and see and feel. And, give me something to eat". Then, he tells them what their job is and where it is to start.....Jerusalem. Right where they were. Home. We know that the goal is to get the gospel to the whole world, but there has to be a starting point. That starting point is here, home...Jerusalem for us.

That's why we decided to plant a church on the campus of KSU in the Fall of 2010. As many of you heard at our last Prime, meetings have been happening on campus since the Fall of 2009. And, it is our desire to take the gospel to that campus since we have long realized that the campus is not coming to us. 20+ of you responded to the call to help. Many more will follow. We believe that it is our job to move the Kingdom forward without regard to who gets the credit. I hope that wherever you are, you'll get involved in Kingdom work. Join the Campus Church team, join your local church, and certainly feel free to join the movement at Prime.

Keep reaching,
Steve

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

"Expose the injustice"- Ghandi
We watched in this last Prime how injustice has been exposed in different ways in the past- The Humane Society's commercials, the re-education and rehabilitation of the Ecuadorian Condor, and the brave story of Mamie Till in the death of her son, Emmit. These are just a few of the instances where the greater public was allowed to look in on the injustice of a situation. And because of the public outcry, transformation has been and is happening. Why can't we apply that same standard to the value of life? We watched how a 9 week old baby, just formed, has incredible reflexes that early in developement! My wife, Renee is now 10 weeks pregnant, so that moment was pretty meaningful to me. We introduced the ministry of Justice For All last night. They are applying the same principles as Ghandi did, as the Humane Society did, as Mamie Till did, and even the Ecuadorian Condor program did. JFA wants to educate the next generation and at least ask the hard questions, but do it in a tone that is honoring to God, I believe. They operate shoulder to shoulder, discussing the issues, relaying truth- not face to face to try and win an argument. You see, way too many people have been stung by the heartache of abortion. Many have thought that it was their only way out. God's grace is big enough for the most difficult situation and His forgiveness will always extend beyond comprehension. There is forgiveness and healing for those who have chosen that path. http://www.troubledwith.com/index.cfm?utm_source=troubledwith.org&utm_medium=billboard&utm_campaign=offline
And, there are options for those who are contemplating the decision to take a life. http://www.hopectr.com/ JFA represents the hands and feet of Christ to people regardless of where they stand on the issue. They want to make a difference in this world. That's what makes them "World Changers". What are you doing in your world this week?
Steve

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

It was such a relief to be back at Prime this Monday night. It really is my favorite day of the week. I missed seeing all of my buddies and buddettes for those few weeks over the holidays. It was a big honor to have Carrie McDonnall join us to share her story of how God uses the ordinary in extraordinary ways. Her story is a little overwhelming to me. Even as I wrote out some of the questions for the interview, I just kept feeling uneasy because I wanted to make sure that we honored her, her late husband, and those 3 workers that died that day in Mosul, Iraq in 2004. I just kept thinking..."don't let this be a program or just a service, let it be about the people and their stories". I don't know if you've ever felt the pressure to try and manipulate something (for a good cause), but I constantly have something inside of me that serves as a "governor" on my motives. And, I'm glad. It's called the Holy Spirit, I know. I desparately want to have pure motives. That is one of my life's goals as a believer in Christ. But, sometimes good things and expected outcomes can bring dark shadows over pure motives. I say all that to say, it was a great night. I felt like Carrie's message to us fit perfectly with our series "World Changers" in that one person really can make a difference, and you don't have to be a superhero....matter of fact, as you recall- Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 that God chose the foolish things, the weak things, the lowly things of this world to shame the wise, shame the strong and prove that outside of Christ, there is no boasting. Remember Matthew 5:13-16? WE are salt. WE are light. Salt permeates a substance and loses its identity, so should we. Light works silently, pointing people to the Light of the World, Jesus. So, should we. Finally, we are not called to be God's glorious chandeliers, drawing attention to ourselves. Rather, we are like a single unadorned light bulb along a dark corridor showing the way to the throne room of Jesus. This week, "May you always trust God that you are exactly where you are supposed to be"- Mother Teresa
http://www.carryonministries.org/

See ya next Monday if not before,
Steve