As they passed a fairly sharp corner the bridge they were driving over gave way, forcing everyone on the bridge to fall to their death.  Others rounded the same corner and fell helplessly to their death as well.

El Mercurio, a Chilean newspaper, said that as this drama quickly unfolded some were fortunate enough to finally stop themselves from the tragic fall into a deep ravine below.

Still,  others became human stop signs, attempting to prevent others from going around the corner.  They sacrificed everything.

They stood in the way, risking their lives so others could live.

I know someone else who risked everything so that others may live.

I am on a journey.  I have not arrived yet.

I am grateful that Jesus Christ stood in the way for me.

If His love has any difference in your life

If being a community in the Spirit means anything to you

If you have Heart, if you care

Then do me a favor.

Agree with each other

Love each other

Be deep spirited friends

Don’t push your way

Don’t sweet talk

Put yourself aside; Help others get ahead

Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage

Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand

That’s some pretty strong stuff.  Paul seems to draw us into this deeper level of discipleship.  His methodology is to lay it out there once and then come back a little stronger the second time.  And watch this!  He now uses an example to reinforce everything.  What a lesson in communication.  Of course, his example of how all this should work is Jesus Himself.

He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of Himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what.

When the time came He set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave.  He became human!

It was an incredibly humbling process.

He didn’t claim special privileges.

Instead He lived a self-less life, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death, and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.  Because of obedience, God lifted him and honored Him far beyond anyone or anything.

We live in a world of politics and power.  Jesus would not fit in today’s world.  His calling to us in Philippians Two is a better way.

I have not arrived yet.  Join me in the journey.

Grateful

Scripture references from  The Message

Another book is titled “The Hole in our Gospel.” World Vision leader and author David Stearns attempts to answer the question, “What does God expect of us?”  This book is a classic and you need to read it.  It gently but firmly confronts us as readers.  How can one read the book and say, “Maybe some day?”

Where Gergen helps us evaluate the development of leadership traits that we aspire to, Stearns confronts our Christianity to the core challenging you and I and our worldview.

Nancy and I had lunch with missionaries on Saturday.  That can be dangerous.  We heard their struggles, victories and most of all their heartbeat.  My prayer is that we were at least half as encouraging as they were to us.  However  delightful the “jump in when you can” conversation was, it reminded me of the books I am reading as it relates to you and I.

We can theorize  all we want! There is a point that we need to jump off into the radical edge of living, loving, leading and doing.  What about you?  Will we look, read and debate as if  we  are tourists looking at the Roman Coliseum for the first time and end up doing nothing?  Do we live in a world like a museum; look but do not touch?  Are we insensitive to get our hands dirty?  Are we cold-hearted to need?

Until my neighbor also includes a hungry child in Sudan or the prostitute that we pass by in our city, have we really gotten it?   Will you  just flat make a decision today to touch and change  your world?

What am I learning?  I need to lead in a world that is not my own.  I am passing through.  I need to lead in a world that has heard the Gospel but also needs to see and feel it.  Leadership is intentional.  Transformation is hard work, demanding patience.

What are you learning, doing?

I think that perhaps the “word” God gave me for the Dominican Republic (DR) was just as much for us than anyone else.  While in the DR the Lord spoke and  said:  ”I will send a fire to the Dominican Republic, burning the wrong, illuminating the right.”  ”What did it all mean?” I humbly asked.

All I know is that God is speaking to Nancy and I.  As we prepare for what God has in the DR, we identify our need.  We want God!  We believe God has given some understanding that He is preparing us for war.  He is saving us, pouring new wine into our old wine skins, breaking us to begin at the beginning again.  God strip us. It is painful. He loves us.  He loves the church. That is where we are at today in our preparation for a church plant in Santiago.

View the link for yourself.  Take a moment and reflect.   Don’t be guilt tripped into anything.  At the same time, lay yourself before the Lord and allow Him to cleanse you and lovingly help you.

http://vodpod.com/watch/1779195-a-call-to-anguish-by-david-wilkerson

While in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (DR), several months before the Foursquare Convention in Anaheim, CA,   we freely shared  with Foursquare missionaries Charlie and Darla Finocchiaro about what we sensed God was saying. To plant a church in Santiago.  They are incredible people that listened to our hearts.  

Finally, we traveled to Santiago and also shared with Paul and Eileen Allyn, veteran missionaries whom we highly respect.  They are looked to often for counsel and have the respect of missionaries and pastors throughout the DR.  They have given their lives to Bible School education.  They are in agreement as well as to do what we were thinking and planning for.

Totally  independent of our conversation, and after we had left the DR, Charlie and Darla’s youth pastor and his wife had shared their desire to start a church in Santiago.  John and his wife Diana are credentialed Foursquare  ministers from the country of Colombia.   Could it be that God was setting something up?

I went to the convention quite open to whatever God  was saying to us.  How would it all work?  I was asking for another confirmation.  We were not going to jump into something quickly.  With His timing,  God spoke to us in a way that it could not be mistaken.  There were  no words spoken during specific conversations that would have manipulated another. He has given a mandate that has the sensitive affirmation of Pastor Bill Campbell, Life Bridge Church, Fort Wayne, IN,  Life Bridge Missions Council where I am the Missions Pastor and the Barnabas Task Board.  

• While in Anaheim, a Chinese lady spoke to me while standing in line at the Starbucks of the Anaheim Hilton.  We had just talked for about 15 minutes when she turned and asked if she could share a word with me.  ”Focus.  Develop a model.  Build leadership.”
• The very next day, a pastor came up to my while having coffee.  I had never seen him before in my life.  I was minding my own business.  He said, “I see the Fatherheart of God in you….signs and wonders following you and angels protecting you…focus.”  I was shocked, amazed and delighted.
• On Facebook, a friend from the past who I stay in touch with, but not often, simply wrote:  “For the man who sees his future through the eyes of God, there is one road…your focus is clear and your purpose is defined…….”

These  words were spoken to me within 48 hours of each other.  They are the culmination of intense prayer and reflection, waiting.  During this time I was studying the Song of Solomon and was amazed at what I was learning.  I found the Lord to be quite attractive.  I longed for Him.   The Holy Spirit was speaking about some different things.   But who wants to settle for that?  When God speaks, directs, re-directs, it is time to listen and obey.  It is the better way.

These kinds of things do not happen every day.  We were not looking for some sign to come out of the woodwork and say “Do this.” God has given Nancy and I a clear mandate to start a church in Santiago, Dominican Republic (DR).  We are stepping into it, absolutely humbled by His grace and calling.  This second largest  city of  of the Dominican Republic is home to about one million people.  The DR  is about 18,700 square miles,  has 31 provinces and is about the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined.  I have planted three churches, all different.  I would say though that I am at the beginning again.  God help us.  Past is prologue.

The goal is to initiate and start a church that will eventually  become self-supporting, self-propagating and self-governing, creating a model and develop leadership.  We do not know everything.  We are broken, humble and we are learners.  We will tenderly discover this with others.  In time, we will turn the church over to a pastor for full leadership and direction.  Our motive is not long term, rather long enough to establish and train someone to take our place and work ourselves out of a job. God knows the timing and our pure desire.

Thus, with a humble heart, I submit to you  one of the themes of a life message that is mine.

Compassion for the lost that is authentic and genuine for me  is articulated through prayer and the training of others to both do and teach what Jesus did.  He taught us.

While in Paris, France, the Lord spoke to me about winning the lost, sharing my faith and mobilizing others to the same.  I believe as I  recall He said, “For the rest of your life you will lead less people to Christ but you will train more people to do so who in turn will lead more people to Christ.”  And that has happened and is happening.  I remember this as if it were yesterday.  Part of this emphasis has been the training of others however, not excluding myself from “doing the stuff “as well.  

Getting back to the prayer emphasis, there is a fresh touch of perspective on this that has been made known to me.  Howbeit that  I feel I have this “life message” (and I say that humbly, not for any glory to myself; but for reasons of clarity in my thoughts)  the Lord has captured me recently with an emphasis of intimacy with Him.  

I am wrestling with the two tensions of intimacy with the Father and what I feel is a cry of His that workers be sent forth. God has placed on my heart to pray the ”harvest prayer”  but also to agressively gain/grow in intimacy with Him.  One of my favorite/and conflicting verses has been Psalm 27:4:

“One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”

How did David have this desire?  Was it a gift?  Was it cultivated?  What about me/us?  Surprise for both Nancy and I.  He has recently  touched us in a very powerful way and caused us to reflect on these thoughts intensely.  So imperfect we are, so undeserving, but ever so grateful!  So we yearn to be in the presence of God. Please don’t misunderstand me.  Our present journey is not one of higher spirituality nor superiority.  It is something that we are walking in humbly and simply ask for your prayers because we have not arrived yet.