Ministry Adventures in Haiti

I continue to be inspired by folks who take the words of Jesus seriously.  That is never more true when you answer the call to be actively involved in the dirty and sweaty aspects of ministry.

I guess we expect pastors to be involved in that sort of thing.  And they are.  Fellow blogger, Trey Morgan, is actively involved in feeding the Dump People in a city in Honduras.  He is preparing his second trip this May.

My brother is constantly involved in rebuilding activities following hurricanes, floods and whatever else God calls him to do.  His church in Michigan adopted a church in New Orleans and rebuilt it following Hurricane Katrina.  A year later, he was at it again.  This time in Iowa following the flooding there.

Today, I received an email from my uncle who is returning yet again to Haiti.  He has been there many times and has been active in ministry there for years.  This time it is a little different.  Ministry in countries like Haiti is sometimes difficult under the best of circumstances.  But, trying to minister following the devastation of the recent earthquake seems extraordinary.  But this time when he goes, he is planning to blog about his adventures in ministry. 

I know we all are busy.  Maybe we are too busy to go and minister alongside of folks like these guys.

But, are you too busy to read about what God is doing in the midst of chaos and devastation?

Are you too busy to pray for them as they go and do what God is calling them to do?

Just wondering . . .

Go check out my uncle Bob's blog.  http://rcshaitihiatus.blogspot.com/

Drop him an encouraging note or comment.  It'll do both of you a world of good!

Why Am I Here? -- Part 3 -- Somebody Paid

We are half way through this short series that examines a bit of my personal story and yet illustrates some principles that apply universally.

However, this one will not have a name associated with it as the others have.  It will have an element of mystery.

Here are the four topics again as a reminder.

I am what I am because:

• Somebody Played
• Somebody Stayed
• Somebody Paid, and
• Somebody Prayed

I discussed the first point and I am deeply grateful for the impact that my 4th grade boys Sunday School teacher had on my life.

I discussed in the last post what an impact on my life was made through the personal sacrifice that my mom made to stay at home and raise two boys.

This post is about something a little more tangible.  This post takes the word sacrifice and makes it a little more concrete.

I am what I am today because somebody paid.  Somebody, and there were lots of somebodies, invested in me.  They took their hard earned money and they decided to use it for Kingdom building. 

The first two posts went back quite a few years.  This one does not delve that far back into history.  And, I must be honest.  I don't really know for sure who the person is that is worthy of my thanks and God's blessing.  But, i think I do.  And it happened about 15 years ago at a time of great financial struggle in my life.

Every year there was a Layman's Retreat Week-End that was hosted by the Washington District Church of the Nazarene.  This event was the highlight of the year for many folks.  The event was held in various places and conference settings.  But the best by far was The Willow Valley Resort & Conference Center in Lancaster, PA.  This place was not the place for folks on a diet or for vegetarians.  Does the word "smorgasbord" It was the place for incredible gravy covered menu items and coconut cream pie as a chaser!  But it was a wee bit expensive if you were a one income family living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

We scrimped and saved and found a way to go most years.  But one year, things were a little tougher than other years.  And it didn't look like we were not going to be able to afford it.  Then the envelope came in the mail box.  It was addressed to us.  But it didn't have a return address on it.  What it had in it was almost the exact amount of cash that we would need to register for and attend the conference that year.  Somebody paid for us to go.

I don't know for sure who did that.  I think I do.  but I am not certain.  But I know this.  There was a couple in the church that was a little older than us.  They were both established in their careers.  I'll not give any more details about them out of respect for their privacy.  I know that they would not want any sort of public acknowledgment.

Nevertheless, I think they chose to invest some of their money into a young couple with two small children.  They invested in a young couple that was doing all that they could to raise their children right.  They invested in a young couple who worked hard and volunteered for many duties in their church.  They invested in a young couple who needed the encouragement and fellowship that they found at the conference each year.

What about you?  Are you able to invest in someone?  If so, what are you going to do about it?

We made a solemn promise to God that if we ever were in a position to "invest" like somebody did in us, we would do so.  God has blessed us over the years.  And through God's blessings we have been able to make a few investments as well.   The gift and the blessing goes on and on and on.

Thank you *** and ****.

Why Am I Here? -- Part 2 -- Somebody Stayed

Earlier in the week I began a series that is somewhat personal in nature. It was inspired by a post by a fellow blogger who pastors up north in Childress, TX. If you are looking for a great blog to follow, I wholeheartedly recommend his to you. But enough of this shameless promotion . . .

Here is what I came up with and began exploring in my earlier post.

I am what I am because:

• Somebody Played
• Somebody Stayed
• Somebody Paid, and
• Somebody Prayed

I discussed the first point and I am deeply grateful for the impact that my 4th grade boys Sunday School teacher had on my life.

So today, let's consider the second -- Somebody stayed

This one is a little more difficult.  It evokes thoughts in my head of a famous Friedrich Nietzsche quote that became the title of a book by Eugene Peterson.  The quote is:

The essential thing in 'heaven and earth' is that there should be a long obedience in the same direction; there results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living.

Now, lest we get all worked up praising this insightful quote, let's hastily remember that this is the same Nietzsche that proclaimed that “God is dead! God remains dead! And we have killed Him!”  However, Nietzsche has stumbled upon a theme that is true regardless of where one is on the spiritual spectrum.  And that is that there is something powerful about a sustained obedience or commitment.  Some would call it “Staying Power”.  Hence, my alliteration, “Somebody Stayed”.

The list of those who have “Stayed” in my life is long.  My generation was ripped apart by the sexual revolution of the 1960s.  In the midst of all of that commotion and noise, my parents remained faithful to one another and remain so to this day.  They stayed together.  They have been together now for more than 50 years!  And they ingrained that idea of what commitment was like into my brother and me.  He and his wife have been married for more than 30 years.  This June, my bride and I will have been married for 28 years.

There are other examples of staying.  My Mother stayed home with us boys and worked while Dad went off every day to his job.  At a time when many disdained the role of “housewife”, Mom embraced it and made it a Divine call in her life.  She stayed home rather than ship us off to day care and pursue a career of her own. But let me be clear about this, what ever she would have chosen she would have been great at because Mom is one of the smartest people I have ever known.  But, she stayed home with us.

So, what does all of this mean?  I don't know for sure.  I don't know what I would be like if my childhood had been different.  But, I know this.  I know that I benefited greatly from that model of what a mother was like.  And 20 years later, I found myself married to a woman with that same mindset that was willing to sacrifice an external career for an internal one.  And the following generation has benefited just like I did.

Thanks, Mom.

Why Am I Here? -- Part 1 -- Somebody Played

Why am I here?

Now there is an interesting question.

I don't think I am going to go into the biology of it all.  That would be icky and probably bring the wrong crowd to the blog.  Or maybe it would be the right crowd.  Who knows?

But, why am I here?  Or maybe, a better way of putting it is, "How did I get to where I am today?"

One thing I know for sure, I did not get here on my own.  And I was thinking the other day about the influence that many folks have had on me down through the years.  Fellow blogger, Trey Morgan had an interesting post on that today.  He was asking about it from a ministerial perspective.  He was posting about a couple of pastors who were very influential in his life and ultimately his ministry. 

But what about that question from a more wholistic perspective?  Here is what I came up with and have been formulating in my mind long before Trey's post today.

I am what I am because:

• Somebody Played
• Somebody Stayed
• Somebody Paid, and
• Somebody Prayed

Let's consider the first -- Somebody played

I grew up in the church.  My family has always been a part of the fabric of ministry.  My dad is the best Sunday School Superintendent that has ever been.  And my mom is perhaps the best Head of the Children's Department that has ever been.  I truly mean that.  They were that good.  And I will get to them in a later post in this series. 

There were others that were influential.  And I will not name them all.  But, one stands out tonight as I sit at the laptop.  You probably don't know him, his name is Mr. Gene Snell.

Mr. Snell was the 4th grade boys Sunday School teacher when my family moved to New Cumberland, PA.  I remember a lot of things about that man.  I remember he loved us boys.  I remember he gave us $20 if we would read Revelations.  And I remember that he took time out of his busy schedule running a concrete construction business to take us boys horeseback riding on a Saturday. 

That's right.  He took time out of his busy schedule to play with a bunch of unruly boys.  He didn't have to do that.  But, he knew that if he were going to have an impact on our lives, he would have to do more than just show up on Sunday morning with a Bible story and a snack!  He would have to play with us.  He would have to spend time with us.  He would have to invest his time, talents and treasure into our lives.

I don't know whatever became of Mr. Snell.  I don't know whatever became of the twins Charles and Charlie that were in that class.  (Seriously, they were twins and those were there names!) That was about 40 years ago.  But, I know what his investment in me has done.  It helped form the foundations of my Faith.  It propelled me on to jr. high and sr. high and then on to college where my Faith grew and matured. 

I am beginning to grow older.  My kids are grown and serving the Lord.  And I am watching the next generation come along.  And I remain firmly grounded in Faith because somebody played.  And I want to have that kind of impact on a young boy's life.

Thank you Mr. Snell.

Lessons from your father-in-law

The next interesting observation from reading through the Bible chronologically . . . 

"So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you."

Exodus 18:22

Moses was a grown man and certainly mature.  But he still was able to benefit from some sage advice from his father-in-law.  Moses was being bogged down by the day to day burden of leadership.  He was spending all day long listening to the complaints of the people and then rendering a judgment. 

It was noble work and work that he was qualified to do.  But it was becoming overwhelming.  And his effectiveness was suffering.  So, up steps the father-in-law, Jethro.  (And you thought your father-in-law had a funny name.)  He makes a wise observation that benefits both Moses and the people.

He observes that Moses himself will be able to endure: This is the first reward for effectively delegating some of his authority. Moses would be able to enjoy life and be able to do his job better than ever.

The second reward was that all of the people will also go their way in peace with their issues resolved quickly. In other words, the people would be effectively ministered to.

And if you are interested, check out Paul's similar advice to the younger Timothy in II Timothy 2:2.

So, is it the age?  Or the status as father-in-law?

Probably the age thing.

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Strength will rise . . .

I have the lyrics from Chris Tomlin's song Everlasting God running through my head. I am a little tired. So, I guess I need to go to bed and rest in the comfort of those lyrics.

I don't think he wrote the lyrics.  But they are what I need tonight.

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord


Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary


Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary


You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

Lyrics by Brenton Brown

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The Vast Reaches of Grace

I have been mulling something over and over in my mind ever since our small group met together this last Sunday night. We were discussing the 6th chapter of Hebrews. And as you might expect, there was some energetic discussion around verses 4, 5 and 6. So, let me say quickly to my friends from the Reformed Theology tradition that I am not going to debate the doctrine of Eternal Security in this post.

Rather, I want to look at the issue of Grace.

As I mentioned, the group was pondering this passage and someone in the group began to wonder about the potential relationship to what is known by many as the Unpardonable Sin in the Gospel of Mark chapter 3 and verse 29. Again, I am not going to debate that theological point either.

So, what am I going to write about?

I am going to write about a song by one of my favorite gospel quartets, Greater Vision. The song that I listened to on Monday and has echoed through my head ever since is "God's Grace Reaches Farther". Click on this link and listen to track 12 and tell me what you think about it.

I don't know a lot. But this one thing I know. God's grace reaches farther than sin could ever go. No matter where we find ourselves and no matter what depths of sin we find ourselves in, if we reach out to God in true repentance, surely He will reach out to us and lift us up from where we are.

How far will grace stretch? I don't know. And I don't want to find out. I just know that I have never gone so far that grace could not reach me.

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You Are Never Too Old

I am in the process of reading through the Bible this year in a chronological order. I have never read through the Bible from the beginning of the “story” to the end.  I just started on January 2nd, so I am still in Genesis as you might imagine.

Yesterday's reading had a passage that struck me and made me look at it from the perspective of age and opportunity. Here is the passage:

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.”

Genesis 17:1 NIV

Here is the age perspective. Abraham was 99 years old. I know they lived longer in those days. But Abram was still well advanced in age.

And here is the opportunity perspective. Abram was given a command that seems hard to comply with. But he was given the opportunity to obey through the power of the Almighty God. First, God told Abram who He is. God referred to Himself as El Shaddai. He revealed His Person and character to Abram as the One who is ALL sufficient.

God goes on to tell Abram what was expected of him. You and I can only do what God expects of us when we know who He is and only when we know that in a full, intimate, personal, and real way.

The word blameless literally means “whole.” God wanted all of Abram. He wanted a total commitment. God wants the same thing of you and me. So, as we still are in the opening days of this new year, consider offering yourself completely to the One who is All Sufficient.

It is never too late.

And you are never too old!

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Toes and Hearts

This past week-end I had the privilege of spending some time with a very fascinating woman.  Her name is Inez and she is my aunt by marriage.  So, I guess that makes me her nephew-in-law, if that is even a real familial relationship.  She told me a story about her grandmother.  In that story she talked about raising children and quoted her grandmother as saying the following:

When our children are young, they step on your toes.  But when they are grown, they walk on your heart.

What a great quote!

Perhaps up until this time in my life, I was too young to get the full meaning of that quote.  But, I get it now.

How well I remember the days when our kids were little.  I am not that tall, but I was taller than they were and they always seemed to be at my feet.  Now, my kids are full grown and my son towers over me.  And today, it is my heart that feels the impact and not my feet.

I am a very fortunate man and these days my heart swells with pride.  So, maybe the slight pain in my heart is more like the tightness in my waistline after the holidays.  Too much is stuffed inside.

What have I learned in 2009?

I have experienced much in 2009 and I have learned much in 2009. 

The actual list is way too long (and way too boring for most folks to care about and read), but there are three highlights worthy of mentioning here.

• I learned that journaling as a Spiritual discipline is really hard.
• I learned that being a grandfather is unbelievably awesome!
• I learned that God is still in control.

What have you learned this year?

What do you think next year will be like?

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Wow! More than a month!

Wow! More than a month has gone by since my last post.  That has got to change.  I have so many things running through my head.  And I need to express them  Yet, there doesn't seem to be the time to put them down on paper or on the blog.

But that is one of the changes that I am looking to make in this coming year.  I am going to try to be more frequent in posting.  I am trying to be more disciplined in jotting down my thoughts into my journal for ease of reference later.

And, as an aside, I am going to try to read more this year.  For those who know me personally, you know what a major challenge that will be for me this coming year.  But, nevertheless, that is what I am hoping to do in the coming days, weeks and months.  In fact, I picked up a book from my shelf this morning while I was enjoying my 2nd, 3rd and 4th cups of coffee.  I made it through the introduction and the first two chapters.  A fairly good start I would say.

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Life Gets Busy

When you look at your blog and realize that an entire month has gone by since your last post, you are too busy!

Consider this passage.

"We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth for someone else to spend."

Psalm 39:6 NLT

Well, I don't know about the wealth sentence. But, I find myself rushing around a lot lately. Perhaps I should slow down and enjoy what God is doing around me right now.

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Here's what happens when you are willing to be a pizza getter

My last post was about a message that my brother preached recently at his church up in Michigan.  Well, two days ago, they took the spirit of that message to the streets.

Here is what the local newspaper said about the church that day:

I guess this is what you get when people are willing to go get the pizza or do whatever else God calls them to do.

Sometimes you go and get the pizza

I heard a great message today from a great pastor.  He isn't the pastor of my home church.  But he once was.  It was all about the phrase, "Don't Go to Church.  Be the Church."

We were exhorted to be Jesus Christ's feet and hands extended to a lost and hurting world.  We were told that everyone is needed.  Everyone is wanted.  Everyone has abilities that God wants us to use for His glory.  We were told that everyone has value.

Then I remembered something that happened many years ago.  I remember showing up one evening after work to work with the pastor and one of his biggest helpers at the church.  We were going to begin work on refurbishing the nursery.  It was a small but growing church.  (There is always something to be done in a growing church.)  The pastor gave me the job of removing the baseboard trim so that we could put a new floor down and repaint the room.  I had no tools, so I walked over to the toolbox in the corner.  I grabbed the largest hammer that I could find.  It turned out to be a framing hammer.

Well, I took that hammer and began wailing away on the baseboard trim.  I managed to bust up about 6 or 8 feet of trim before the pastor came over and grabbed my arm in mid swing.  He asked me what I was doing.  I said that I was removing the trim.  He said, "You know, we had hoped to re-use that trim after we paint it." -- Oooops.

I was willing.  But I really wasn't equipped for the job.

It was at that point that experienced a feeling that I did not have the skills and abilities that God could use in His Kingdom.  You see, I really have no real skills when it comes to carpentry or building skills.  And that was what was needed at the moment.  I was given a new assignment by the pastor that evening.  One that didn't involve the destruction of the materials that we would need later in the project.

I was told to go and drive over to the local pizza joint and get some pizza for the three of us that were working.  I suggested that we just call the pizza place and have it delivered.  I could then get back to the work of "removing" the baseboard trim.  The pastor said, that what I really needed to do was to go and get the pizza.  I knew that it would take 45 minutes to an hour to go and get the pizza.  How demoralizing. 

Did I mention that the pastor was my brother?

Fast forward to this morning's service.  We were told this morning that we all had skills and talents that God can use.  Rewind to that night so many years ago.  Instead of working on the project, I was sent to go fetch the pizza.

Why can't I be the one to work with the tools and "build" the Kingdom like my brother and Gary?

Then I heard the unmistakable voice of God.  "You don't choose the job.  You just answer the call."  I wanted to be a builder.  Because I thought that was the right call.  But God's call is a personal call.  I am called to obedience just like you are.  But the form that obedience takes is often times different for me than you.

And it dawned on me.  Sometimes you are called to go get the pizza.

So I echo the words of the pastor this morning.  Don't let your own self-doubts or feelings that you don't have the right skills for the Kingdom.  Just answer the call.

Oh, and did I mention, the pastor that spoke this morning was that same brother?


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Update to the Family Tree

Today was a great day!

Today we officially welcomed Andy Barnette into the family.  Andy married my niece, Ashley, in a beautiful ceremony where there was love abounding.

There was the love of the young couple.  That was easy to spot.  There was the love of a father and mother as they looked on as a new family was begun.  That was also pretty easy to spot.  And there was the love of close friends and extended family as they looked on and pledged that they would prayerfully support this new family.

I think God was pleased today.  Clearly this young couple wants to have God central to their marriage.  The love of God may not have been as obvious to see to the untrained eye.  But if you looked into the eyes of Ashley and Andy, Dave and Diane, and John and Betsy, you could see it.  It was just as obvious if you knew where to look.

Blessings on you Mr. and Mrs. Barnette.

One of the finest Worship Leaders I have ever known

I was invited to a church choir concert tonight.  The concert was at a church that we used to attend a few years ago.  We felt God releasing us from what we doing there and calling us to the church that we attend now.

We left that church with mixed emotions.  One of the emotions that we experienced when we left was the emotion and feeling of loss.  Loss of the blessing of watching a person with a true gift of God use it to bring glory and honor to Him.  While at that church we had an opportunity to observe one of the finest Ministers of Music or Worship Leaders that I have ever known.  He leads worship with such a passion that it is hard to put down in words.  It is a blessing just to watch him lead the choir and exhort them to sing with their whole heart.

I sat in the congregation tonight and just basked in the glory of God as we listened to some new music and some old standards of the church sung by the choir.  I was deeply moved by some of the music.  I watched with a sense of awe as the director led the choir tonight.  He was leading.  And they were following.  And God was getting the glory.

Thank you Mark Terry for all that have done and are doing for the Kingdom.  I always feel like I have worshiped when you lead in worship.

Launching a new blog

Well, I decided to go ahead and launch a new blog.  It is called, "What is it there for(e)?"  I have no plans to diminish the frequency of posting to this one.  But, I don't think that this one fits exactly with what I am wanting to do on "What is it there for(e)?" blog. 

It is still in its infancy.  I don't have a lot of the extras or widgets on it yet.  But, it is launched.  And that is the goal for this week-end.  I have another post already to go.  But, I will post it later on this week-end.

I hope you will be an active participant in the dialog on the new blog also.  Feel free to send me suggestions for good "Therefore" posts. 

After all, isn't that what blogs are there for?

Considering another blog . . .

I don't seem to have time to keep this blog updated. And yet, I have an idea rattling around inside my head that I may need to spend some time developing. It goes sort of like this.

I heard a preacher say many years ago, "Whenever you come across a "Therefore" in the Bible, you need to stop and figure out exactly what it is there for."  That was good advice then and it is good advice now.  Therefore, I am working on launching a new blog that will just deal with passages in the Bible that begin with "Therefore . . ."  I plan to pause a while and look at the verse in context and see what it has to say to me. 

What do you think?  Do you have any suggestions?  If so, send them to me by email or post them as comments on this blog.  I plan to get my first post out this week-end.  But, we'll see how that goes.

I am a "House Cut"

This is a little out of ordinary for my blog, but a thought came to me today. Now that alone is somewhat blogworthy. But, I am going to try to make an application to the theme of my blog.

Several years ago I gave up on dealing with my hair. What hair that I had left was not, nor had ever been, very cooperative. It tended to want to go wherever it wanted despite the lotions and potions that I piled on it to keep it down. So, one day, I asked my barber to make a suggestion. She suggested that I just go to a "#1 or #2" razor guard, cut it really short and be done with it. I did it and I loved it.

What freedom came with that decision. I no longer had to wait in line for the particular barber that remembered how to cut my hair. I now was no longer a "Chair Cut". I was now a "House Cut". All I needed to tell whoever cut my hair was "#1" and they would take it from there.

Simple.

Easy.

Liberating.

Now for the application . . .

How over complicated do we make our lives? How overcomplicated do we make our Christian journey?

I am working on simplifying my Christian journey. I want to focus on the essentials. I want to cut out the extra stuff that denominations and traditions have piled on. Now, don't worry. I am not giving up on my denomination. And I am one of the most traditional guys you can imagine. I just want to simplify things and focus on Jesus and not the trappings of religiosity.

(Don't worry Mom and Dad, I am still firmly a Nazarene!)

I just am starting to catch a glimpse of my own mortality and want to make sure that I am focusing on the "Object" and not the "Frame" that it sits in.

Does that make sense to anyone else?

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Embracing a Concept vs. Embracing a Lifestyle

An interesting discussion arose this morning out of our regular Saturday morning breakfast at Panera Bread Co. that my wife and I have adopted over the past couple of years. We were discussing something and, you know me, I have turned it into a Theological issue. (No surprises there.)

I don't know if I am prepared to develop the thought much at this point. But I put the thought out there for your comments and for me to noodle on a little more. Here is the question that I am posing:

In our Christian lives do we all to often embrace the concept of Christianity without embracing the lifestyle changes that it requires?

What does that mean? Well, to me it means do we embrace the idea of Christianity without embracing the little things in life that are so important to be true followers of Jesus Christ?

What do you think?


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