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Archive for the ‘Personal Reflections’ Category

SIMPLFY!

That’s what the sign hanging over the door to my office at the church boldly reads.  It’s our “word for the year” at Cradock. Things have gotten way too complex through the years, and it’s time to simplify things.

Things also get complex in the church. Systems, programs, plans, buildings, denominations all add layers of complexity to something that was remarkably simple in its inception.

Since Verge 2010,  I’ve been doing a bit of reading and a lot of reflecting on what it would mean if we simplified things and recovered the rhythms of the Early Church. One of the resources which I’m currently reading is Simple/House Church Revolution by Roger Thoman. I’ll warn you: Thoman will stretch your paradigms and challenge your thinking! His book is available as a free download by clicking on the picture below.

I dare you!

Quick reflection on Verge2010:  Wow!

Was like eating prime rib followed by the smoothest crème brûllé you’ve ever consumed! Dense! Rich! Sweet! Filing!

We saw God’s Spirit move in one of the most intense, melt-your-face-off worship times this afternoon. After Francis Chan spoke and Aaron Ivey led us in worship, nobody moved.  Almost everybody just stayed where they were. Then we had about 15 more minutes of spontaneous praise and worship. Was one of the sweetest times I have ever seen!

The speakers were all intense. Much to digest. I took like 33 pages of notes. Glad all the main sessions and break-outs (all of them, so we can “attend” the ones we didn’t attend) will all be posted online.  Many new friends made,  many blog and Twitter friends met face-to-face, and many old friendships renewed.

Bottom line: God is moving across our nation and around our world. But if you’re expecting that the next move of God is going to look just like the last one, you’ll miss it.

So…get your head out of the sand (or wherever it is) and

Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told.

Habakkuk 1:5, NIV

Earlier today Avery Willis announced that his doctors have diagnosed him with a rare form of leukemia, and the prognosis is for months at best, barring a miracle.

Many know Avery from his many years of faithful service with the Southern Baptist Convention’s Foreign Mission Board (now the International Mission Board).  He and Shirley  served for many years under appointment as missionaries in Indonesia.

While he was in Indonesia, he developed what would become known as MasterLife Discipleship Training, which he translated into English while he was on stateside assignment in the early 80’s.  Avery followed the call of God to the Baptist Sunday School Board (now LifeWay Christian Resources), where he led Southern Baptists to a renewed focus on discipleship and leadership training.  He envisioned developing L.I.F.E.–the Lay Institute for Equipping, which provided a collection of sequential, developmental discipleship resources to equip laypeople to minister through the local church.

Following his years at LifeWay, he returned to work with the International Mission Board, this time as Senior Vice President for Overseas Operations, where he served for 1o years prior to his retirement.

Yet, even in “retirement,” Avery has kept up an amazing schedule, serving most recently as the Executive Director of the International Orality Network, working to network the church to make disciples of oral learners world-wide.

In short, Avery has touched countless numbers throughout his life and ministry.

I remember attending a discipleship conference during my freshman year in college, and a white-haired man named Avery Willis drew something called “The Disciple’s Cross” on the chalkboard in a college classroom. That simple drawing changed the trajectory of my life: discipleship became personal, and disciplemaking became a ministry.

So tonite my heart is heavy at this news from my mentor and friend.

Will you join me as we lift Avery, and his wife Shirley, up in prayer during these days?

“God broke 400 years of silence
with the cry of a Baby.”

~Louie Giglio

This Christmas, let that Baby
break the silence in your life!

Don’t misunderestimate the power of small!

A few weeks back flash floods ravaged Atlanta. Lots of people were Twittering about it. One of those was Shaun King. He tweeted about the needs they had and the plans for getting help to the people effected by the floods.

But there was one tweet that stood out to me: 2,000 children had lost everything they had–all their toys–in the floods.

I pushed back from my desk. 2,000 children. And I thought about my kids. I know how devastated they would be.  I remembered the teddy bear that my daughter received when she was taken to the hospital following an auto accident, and how much comfort that bear was to her.

2,000 children. Lost everything.

Cradock Baptist isn’t a big church. Nor are we a young congregation. We weren’t going to field a disaster response team.  We couldn’t collect a big offering.

But we have a congregation of Moms and Dads, Grandmothers and Grandfathers, Aunts and Uncles–people who love children.

I picked up the phone and called Shaun. Up until then, I’d had only subscribed to his blog and followed his Twitter feed. Until that Wednesday afternoon, I’d never spoken to him.

I had one question: Was anyone doing anything for the 2,000 children?

No.

And so the plan was hatched. Cradock Baptist Church was going to collect stuffed animals for those 2,000 children.

I sat an audacious goal: Collect 1,000 stuffed animals in 1 week.

We put it on the church’s website. I emailed it to our Association. I Tweeted it.

And the animals came in. One by one.  Two by two.  And on and on, until at the end of that week, we had collected just over 750 stuffed animals.

We shipped them to Shaun.

In the course of things, we ran some pictures in our church newsletter.  From there, our Baptist state newspaper picked up the story, called me for some background, and ran the story this past week.

On Tuesday, while I was in Fredericksburg for the state convention’s annual meeting, I found out that Associated Baptist Press had picked the story up.  Then I found out that the Baptist Union of Great Britain had picked up the story  and linked over to the ABP story in their weekly email news digest.

And it all started with one Twitter message. Fewer than 140 characters.

Don’t misunderestimate the power of small!