Brad November 16th, 2008
I have 2-3 weeks left in my independent studies with Ed Stetzer so my blogging prowess will be spotty. But that doesn’t mean my thoughts about the blog will be idle. In fact, the site will be going under a significant transformation over the next month. I’ll be back with the official re-launch soon and very soon. Stay tuned…
Brad November 5th, 2008
Regardless of your political leanings, this picture sums up what is a giant step for our country…
Click on the picture for a full res version…
[picture by Patrick Moberg]
Brad October 31st, 2008
Brad October 29th, 2008
In my first posting in this series, I mentioned that part of the uniqueness of this ‘cold turkey’ missional initiative - on the front end - is working through the uncomfortableness of talking to strangers. Richard Heinlein’s book, Stranger in a Strange Land, comes to mind - but not for the reason you think.
We typically think of it the way I just said: we are the ones entering a strange land, talking to the ’strangers.’ A strange land yes, but we are the strangers. Much like the Bible talks about Exodus 2:22 when Zipporah gives birth to a son and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become an alien in a foreign land.” We are the aliens, trying to incarnate the Gospel into a ’strange’ land.
Exhibit A: Today, I introduced myself to Steve here at Panera. According to his badge, he is a shift trainer. When I got here, I ordered a cookie from him, thanked him for it, and extended my hand over the register to shake. Time froze. Who shakes someone’s hand in the service industry? And for a cookie? NOBODY. But he obliged. I’m praying that Steve will be here next time…
I can see why many skip over this step in missional ministry, especially to the unchurched. Quickly, you become very conscious of your inadequacies, insecurities, inabilities.
It’s way easier to create something for people to come to. To be frank, strictly attractional ministry takes less intellectual honesty. It takes a serious mojo to think that you can create something that the unchurched will attend. And that will retain them. Believe me, it’s tempting. But for now, I’ll resist and press into this tension…
The process is slow. And in our ministry culture of getting results, this is completely unattractive and unappealing. Eugene Peterson said it best, “A long obedience in the same direction…”
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Missional Thought for the Day: Space may be everything.
In order to create missional pathways through a regular presence, the size of the space you are in may hurt you. For me, Panera feels way too big. I think I may need to find a place that is more intimate where a regular presence is even ‘recognized.’ I think it might unnecessarily prolong the possibility of earning trust and credibility in a space like this. Panera’s upside is the diversity of people here. I feel like it does reflect this context as well as any space in the Loop but looking at other possibilities…
Brad October 28th, 2008
Sorry for the absence. I’ve been wrapping up term paper #2 under Dr. Ed Stetzer’s direction through Liberty Theological Seminary. Not much will change over the next month because I’ll be working on a third term paper for him during that time. So this is a preemptive apology for my potential lack of posting…
All that aside, the direction Ed wanted me to go with paper #2 was to go deep into missio Dei theology. I’m really excited where I’m headed. The title of my paper is:
I am using four main sources:
1) The Mission of God by George Vicedom
2) Transforming Mission by David Bosch
3) ‘Missio Dei’: An Examination of the Origin, Contents And Function of the Term in Protestant Missiological Discussion by H.H. Rosin
4) “God is a Missionary God: Missio Dei, Karl Barth, and the Doctrine of the Trinity” [dissertation] by Paul Flett.
I’ll be supplementing with texts and articles by Newbigin, Guder, Hesselgrave, Hunsberger, Van Gelder, Van Engen, and Glasser.
I will most likely share what will be three papers on the blog in the near future. Ed has mentioned the possibility of cross-posting on edstetzer.com. All of this will hopefully coincide with a big transformation of the blog before the end of the year. Stay tuned…
Brad October 23rd, 2008
This came through my MBU faculty email today from one of our librarians, Jeri Schmidt. This is a request for prayer for YWAM missionaries and their churches in Orissa, India. Here is where Orissa is in India:
The request comes from Mable Hurst, an associate of HCJB Global. Please join me in praying for this situation:
Dear beloved sponsors and friends of Good News India.
We have never seen anything like this. We knew that Orissa was the most resistant and hostile State in India as far as the Gospel is concerned. And we brushed off the continuous threats and harassment we faced as we went about His work. But none of our staff imagined that they would see this kind of carnage…. And it is totally under the radar of the Western Media.
Let me explain…. A militant Hindu priest and 4 of his attendants, who were zealously going around the villages of Orissa and ‘reconverting’ people back to Hinduism, were gunned down by unknown assailants in Central Orissa last weekend.
Immediately the Christians were blamed. The cry rose up…’Kill the Christians!’ And the horror began…. In the past 4 days, we have first hand witness to hundreds of churches being blown up or burned and many, many dozens of Christian tribals have been slaughtered. For no other reason than they bear the name of Christ.
Night and day I have been in touch with our Good News India Directors spread across 14 Dream Centers in Orissa… they are right in the middle of all this chaos.
In Tihidi, just after the police came to offer protection, a group of 70 blood-thirsty militants came to kill our staff and destroy the home. They were not allowed to get in, but they did a lot of damage to our Dream Center by throwing rocks and bricks and smashing our gate, etc. They have promised to come back and ‘finish the job.’ Our kids and staff are locked inside and have stayed that way with doors and windows shut for the past 3 days. It has been a time of desperately calling on the Lord in prayer.
More police have come to offer protection. In Kalahandi, the police and some local sympathizers got to our dream center and gave our staff and kids about 3 minutes notice to vacate. No one had time to even grab a change of clothes or any personal belonging. As they fled, the blood thirsty mob came to kill everyone in the building. We would have had a mass funeral there, but for His grace. In Phulbani, the mob came looking for Christian homes and missions. The local Hindu people, our neighbors turned them away by saying that there were no Christians in this area. So they left. We had favor. The same thing happened in Balasore.
All our dream centers are under lock down with the kids and staff huddled inside and police outside. The fanatics are circling outside waiting for a chance to kill. Others were not so fortunate. In a nearby Catholic
orphanage, the mob allowed the kids to leave and locked up a Priest and a computer teacher in the house and burned them to death. Many believers have been killed and hacked into pieces and left on the
road…. even women and children. At another orphanage run by another organization, when this began, the Director and his wife jumped on their motorbike and simply fled, leaving all the children and staff behind. Every one of our GNI directors that I have spoken to said: ‘We stay with our kids…. we live together or die together, but we will never abandon what God has called us to do.’ More than 5000 Christian families have had their homes burned or destroyed. They have fled into the jungles and are living in great fear waiting for the authorities to bring about peace. But so far, no peace is foreseen.This will continue for another 10 days…. supposedly the 14 day mourning period for the slain Hindu priest. Many more Christians will die and their houses destroyed. Many more churches will be smashed down. The Federal government is trying to restore order and perhaps things will calm down. We ask for your prayers. Only the Hand of God can calm this storm. None of us know the meaning of persecution. But now our kids and staff know what that means. So many of our kids coming from Hindu backgrounds are confused and totally bewildered at what is happening around them. So many of their guardians have fled into the jungles and are unable to come and get them during these trying times. Through all this, I am more determined than ever to continue with our goal: the transformation of a community by transforming its children. Orissa will be saved… that is our heart’s cry. If we can take these thousands of throw-away children and help them to become disciples of Jesus, they will transform an entire region. It is a long term goal, but it is strategic thinking in terms of the Great Commission.
What can you do? First, please uphold all this in fervent prayer. Second, pass this e-mail on to as many friends as you can. We must get the word out and increase our prayer base for this is spiritual warfare at its most basic meaning. We are literally fighting the devil in order to live for His Kingdom. The next 10 days are crucial. We pray for peace and calm to pervade across Orissa.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please pass it on and help us to get as many people to partner with us on this cutting edge effort to fulfill His mandate: Go and make disciples of all nations.
Prayer works!Blessings, Chip & Sandy Wanner Col 2:2 MBI
Team Facilitators to YWAM frontlines
Brad October 17th, 2008
My buddy, Clint Carter and I will hit the road tomorrow afternoon - after a train ride for myself in the morning - to head to Tulsa, a.k.a. T-Town, for what I’m trusting will be a providential time.
Clint has been walking with me through the infancy stages of a church planting endeavor - particularly, the planting of networks of missional communities in large Midwestern urban metropolises in the High and Central Plains of the United States.
As I have been praying about a “base” for this adventure, over the last 10 months, God has been strongly leading my family to Tulsa. And after visiting there for the first time this summer with my family, we have a profound sense of excitement about what God may be up to.
Clint and I will be there Friday night through Monday afternoon, meeting with local pastors and community leaders to continue to learn about the spiritual ‘climate’ and seek advice, encouragement, warnings that they would see fit to share, canvassing and “prayer-walking” areas that could serve a “base” for the collective and “hubs” for these first missional communities in the city of Tulsa, and visiting some church worship gatherings.
I’m looking forward to how God will speak. “Open the eyes of my heart…”
Brad October 8th, 2008
I am sitting in a St. Louis Bread Co. on the Delmar Loop in University City…
I’m surrounded by students from nearby Washington University, business professionals, artists, the urban poor, bohemians.
I’m a block away from such landmarks such as Vintage Vinyl, The Pageant, Blueberry Hill, The Tivoli Theatre, Fitz’s, and the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
I’m about a mile northeast from my home church community, The Journey @ Hanley Road.
The Loop is a microcosm of urban America. It is a melting pot for cultures, races, ages, socio-economic classes, etc. As for St. Louis, this is one of the most eclectic and vibrant spots in the Lou. The street life alone is amazing.
So why am I here? Because I’m convicted. I’m not living the Great Commission and the Great Commandment like I should. At least to the level I think God expects.
I’m a mile away from the church I attend and I feel like my worship has terminated on itself. Why isn’t it propelling me out into the surrounding community? I’m trying to face these questions head on.
So I’m here. To be a missionary. Commissioned by God. The Loop needs Jesus. And I pray I can be a shining light here…
I am painfully aware on my first day here that the task is a God task. It would be much easier to start some sort of an attractional event that would bring people to me. But that skips the most important step: relationships.
Relationships that form deep, lasting change. Working through the uncomfortableness of talking to strangers. Gaining their trust. Earning their respect. Answering their real-life questions + doubts. Making the Gospel attractive to them.
There is no hiding behind a pulpit here. And let’s be honest, we like to hide behind our pulpits, our blogs, our knowledge, our offices - rather than get out and put action behind our platitudes about missional living. Cred doesn’t come from talking about it. It comes from doing it. That’s why I’m here.
I have no illusions that incarnational ministry is gritty. I can feel the residue already on my soul. But this is where the rubber meets the road. Jesus was a friend of sinners. He went to people. He didn’t expect them to come to Him. Jesus embodied lived theology. It isn’t enough to just know these things. They must be lived…
So I’m praying for the Lord to move. To move me…
I’m praying for the gentleman sitting in front of me reading the Post-Dispatch.
I’m praying for the trio of business professionals sitting to the left of me planning a restaurant grand opening.
I’m praying for the young female student behind me who is engrossed in her studies.
I’m praying for the four young African-American ’skaters’ sitting to my left.
I’m praying for the homeless man sittting behind me who is eating bread and butter - probably his only meal today.
God, my heart is broken. I pray for opportunities to be Christ to the people at the Loop. Help me see where you are at work. Give me your eyes and your ears. Give me the courage to speak and the words to say. This is your work. May your will be done…
Brad October 7th, 2008
Unbelievable. From the St. Louis American:
Mizzou number 3 in AP Poll
Monday, October 6, 2008 9:53 AM CDTMizzou is in the top three of The AP college football poll. After a week with few upsets, the top of media poll only underwent slight alterations.
Oklahoma was No. 1 with 51 first-place votes and 1,608 points, gaining a few points and top votes in its second week on top of the rankings this season.
No. 2 Alabama has 13 first-place votes and 1,537 points. Missouri moved up one spot to No. 3 after winning 52-17 at Nebraska.
LSU dropped a spot to No. 4 after an off week, and Texas remained No. 5. The Longhorns and Sooners meet Saturday in the annual Red River Rivalry in Dallas. It’ll be the fourth time since 2001 that Texas and Oklahoma will play with both teams in the top five and first time since 2004.
No. 6 Penn State and No. 7 Texas Tech held their spots. No. 8 Southern California and No. 9 BYU flip-flopped after USC’s easy 44-10 victory against Oregon.
Georgia moved up a spot to No. 10.
The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations .::. Dan Kimball
Tim Chester/Steve Timmis .::. Total Church: A Radical Reshaping Around Gospel and Community
Alan Hirsch .::. The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church
John Piper .::. Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist
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