Tag: mission

Costa Rica, day 2

This week, I’m leading a missions team to Costa Rica to support The Abraham Project, and two full-time missionaries that we (Grace Community Church) sent here to Costa Rica, Jason and Kerby Harpst. I’ll be blogging daily about our progress here.

So I played soccer for the first time in 15 years.

I also played soccer for the last time I’ll play in 15 years.

I got roasted. I did score the most goals for all the ‘gringos,’ but I think I’ve had my fill.

Where's Waldo?

said field, see below for details

Today was our first work day. We’re clearing a field that’s been used as an outdoor soccer field for decades. We’re prepping it for concrete. The whole project, concrete and all, will be done by March. Which may sound crazy, except that it’s all being done by hand. What would take a day and a half with a Bobcat will take months by hand. Back home, I built a patio in my backyard by hand, doing the exact same prep work that I’m doing here. Except that my backyard patio is 10’x16′. This field is at least 100’x100′.

Working alongside the Costa Ricans has been great. Working through a combination of broken English/Spanish must be humorous for the Costa Ricans, but makes me want to learn Spanish.

The foreman on site, Oruca, has an amazing story of faith, having fallen over 200 feet while working at the Abraham Project to what should have been his death. He was rushed to the hospital, woke up, and asked his friend, who drove him, “Am I in heaven?” Turns out that his fall, which included crashing through two roofs, left him with only a few bruises. Which meant that the next day, he was expected back at the worksite.

Oruca runs a tight ship. But he’s a great man of God, with a deep faith. He’s consistently ministering to people who are deeply entrenched in gangs and drug trafficking. In fact, one of the guys he’s been ministering to came to church on Sunday. He heard the sermon I prepared, and “las cadenas se desprendió” (translation: “the chains came off.”) I tell you this not to brag, because I didn’t preach my sermon. It must have been God working.

I prepared the sermon. Byron Wolfe delivered it. Joseph translated it. And God was working through the whole thing. Pretty amazing, if you ask me.

Well, it’s on to supper. We’re throwing Jason and Kerby Harpst a baby shower tonight. They don’t know it’s coming. And believe me…they deserve a surprise. They’re working their tails off here, and are absolute super stars, ministering hope and life to children that the world has said don’t deserve anything. And last time I checked, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14)

¡hasta mañana

 

top left: Jason and Kerby Harpst, Laura (my wife), me, Oruka, John Lachowicz, Jo Blease // bottom left: Kris and Byron Wolfe, Shelly Goodman, Justin Winn

 

Oops…I just “churched”

photo credit: Clarksville Now

I know that the word “church” isn’t grammatically an action verb.

But neither is the word “Facebook,” and we use it like it is.

“I’ll Facebook you later today…”

“What’s your name? Great…I’ll Facebook you!”

Neither is the word “Google,” but we verb it up, too.

“I have no idea what the population of Idaho is, so I’ll Google it.”

So can you give me a little leeway? Because last Saturday, I “churched.” By that, I mean I WAS the Church. I didn’t attend a mass. Or give my tithes. Or sit in a pew. I didn’t hand out welcome bulletins or greet new visitors.

I was “the Church” in action verb form.

On Saturday, I was a part of a mobilizing of people from Grace Community Church who worked to make a difference here in our city. We called it Operation Serve, and this is the 6th year we’ve done this. We worked in partnership with the city of Clarksville to send out over 1200 volunteers.

Some of us remodeled houses.

Some landscaped.

Some played with special needs children.

Others worked on projects with non-profits.

Did we serve because it’s the cool thing to do? Nope.

Did we serve because that’s what we were told we had to do? Nope.

We served because that’s what the Church does. The Church serves because we follow the lead of our Savior who served us. Our Savior who is in the business of making old things new again, righting wrongs, and healing the broken.

We served expecting nothing in return. We didn’t have a string attached to our hammers that said, “We will help if you _____.” We don’t serve so that we can get something in return, but because that’s what we were created to do. That’s who we are and how we love.

We serve because we’ve been served. We love because we’ve been loved. We give because we’ve been given much.

This Sunday, millions will gather to worship. They’ll “go to church.” And while that’s an important part of being a follower of Christ, we want to remind the world that we, the Church, don’t simply exist to gather in our own little huddles. The Church is here to make a difference in our community. To leave things better than we found it.

Last Saturday, we put our faith on display.

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. – James 2:18

*Photo credit: Clarksville Now

 

Why I chose to be ordained

Recently, my church, Grace Community Church, ordained me.   It was an unbelievable kind of an experience for me. It was so incredibly special, and will be a great marker for me for the rest of my life.

But I had a lot of people ask me why I wanted to get ordained. Why, especially because I was already licensed (which is the process that the state recognizes for me to be able to marry and bury)?   Why, especially because it wouldn’t change my title or job description at Grace?   Why, especially because it wasn’t something our church had ever done before?  Why, especially because it’s more of a ‘traditional’ church-y thing, and I’m not ‘traditional’ or church-y?

There are a few reasons why I wanted to be ordained, and why I wanted to do it at this point in my ministry.

Why ordination?

Ordination affirms your call to ministry.

In the process of ordination, I got to share my story, and sit before the elders and others at Grace for them to question me on my calling, my theology, and my future aspirations. We talked through safeguards I have in place in my life, and how I pursue God. Those men affirmed God’s working in my life.   And I needed that.

Ordination tells you that other people have your back.

In a sense, ordination is a time where other guys hear your story and say, “Yep, we understand what God’s calling you to do…now go do it! We’ve got your back.”  And I needed that.

Ordination is an important step for pastors.

People often associate “you know what you’re talking about” with ordination.   There’s a different level of respect.  And it’s not that I think I deserve or have earned that…I don’t think I’m entitled to it. Rather, I know that the title “ordained” carries weight with it.  And I’m ready for that weight.

Ordination helps others understand their call.

In the process of public ordination, a local church sees someone who has been called to full-time vocational ministry. And I’m convinced that when they see that, God works in their heart. And sometimes He begins to plant the seeds of ministry in their heart, too. Because I know that it’s been in hearing other people’s stories that mine has seemed to gain more clarity.  And the church needs that.

Why at this point?

Ordination shouldn’t be rushed.

I’ve been on staff now for nearly 4 years.  I could’ve been ordained sooner, but I wanted to wait until Grace really knew me and my character.   I wanted many people in the church to be able to honestly say, “I can also affirm God’s call on your life.”  If I’d gone through this process earlier, there would’ve been some people who would’ve come down to pray over me.   But it would’ve likely been those people who just felt like they had to do it.  Now, there were lots of folks who came down front to pray over me…and these people have actually done life with me for nearly 4 years. They’ve seen my character and served with me, and are truly willing to stand beside me as I continue fleshing out God’s call for my life.  That’s much more meaningful to me than a forced ceremonial ordination.

I’m glad I went through this process.  It’s help me sure up my call, surrounded me with men who know who I am, and given me a renewed sense of God’s call on my life.

Question:

Have you been ordained?  Was it a good experience for you?

 


 

 

How invested are you?

Your organization has a mission, right?  You’ve been a proponent of the direction that you’re headed.  You’ve spoken from stage, written in emails, and shared with team members just how much you believe in the vision that God’s laid on your heart.

But how invested are you, really, in the mission and vision of your organization?  To what lengths are you willing to go to carry out that vision?  What are you willing to sacrifice in order to do what God’s called you to do?

Is what God’s calling you to do really worth everything you’ve got?

If it’s not worth everything, maybe you need to pray for a bigger dream.

But by the twenty-third year of Joash’s reign, the priests still had not repaired the Temple.  So King Joash called for Jehoiada and the other priests and asked them, “Why haven’t you repaired the Temple? Don’t use any more money for your own needs. From now on, it must all be spent on Temple repairs.” So the priests agreed not to accept any more money from the people, and they also agreed to let others take responsibility for repairing the Temple. 2 Kings 12:6-8

 

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