Thanksgiving Reflection from Jim Denison

For quite some time now I've been receiving a daily email from Jim Denison in which he reflects on news of the day and shares a devotional thought.  This morning's devotional contained a great reflection about Thanksgiving that I wanted to pass along.  He writes:

"Thanksgiving" is giving thanks. But you cannot give a gift without a recipient. When we give thanks to God, we acknowledge that he is God. So let's be sure this Thanksgiving week that we truly give thanks. Theologian Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. notes, "It must be an odd feeling to be thankful to nobody in particular. Christians in public institutions often see this odd thing happening on Thanksgiving Day. Everyone in the institution seems to be thankful 'in general.' It's very strange. It's a little like being married in general."

Word & Way Article on Recent Cuba Trip

I had the opportunity in April to make a second trip to Cuba, having visited there previously in October 2014.  I traveled with 5 colleagues representing 3 different agencies: Churchnet, Future Leadership Foundation, and the Baptist Home.  My Churchnet colleague, Brian Kaylor, was written a nice summary of our visit to the island nation in the most recent edition of Word and Way.  I hope that you'll take time to read it.  We're exploring together the best means of responding to some of the needs and opportunities we observed while visiting with the leadership of the Eastern Baptist Convention of Cuba as well as several local pastors.  Click here to read the article.

Scot McKnight on the NeoReformed

I always enjoy reading Scot McKnight's Jesus Creed blog.  Today was no exception as he revisited a post from several years ago about the rise of the NeoReformed as he terms them.  Others speak of this group as the NeoCalvinists, the YRR (Young, Restless, and Reformed), etc.  His blog post today on the subject explores the tendency of this group to act as gatekeepers and exclude other evangelicals whom they deem as failing to live up to the gospel or embrace the truth by their refusal to espouse the doctrines of Calvinism.

This has been a concern of mine for a considerable time as recent years have witnessed the growing spread of the NeoReformed movement in Southern Baptist life in particular through a few of its seminaries where the faculty is decidedly bent in that direction. 

Spring Break Trip

I'd like to pass along some thoughts I shared in our latest monthly edition of the Joyful Tidings as I prepare for another trip to Guatemala.

As a child, what did you dream about being when you grew up?  Lots of you as little boys probably thought about becoming a policeman or fireman--visible community helpers who live a dangerous lifestyle.  Others perhaps aspired to be lawyers, doctors, or businessmen.  I suspect that among the ladies growing up prior to World War II, the majority of you aspired to be teachers or homemakers as these were the normal career choices for women in that time.  Career options are certainly much more diverse for females in the 21st Century.

How many of you wound up doing what you dreamed about as a child?  My suspicions, and they are just that without any statistical evidence, are that most of us ended up in a profession very different than that we had envisioned for ourselves.  Perhaps a unique opportunity presented itself, or maybe we were influenced by a parent, teacher, or mentor who helped direct us into the career we eventually chose. 

I share these thoughts as a background to ask you to pray for the ten high school seniors from our church who will be accompanying Aaron and Andrea Huffman and me to Guatemala during their spring break, March 19-26.  I'm excited that these young people have a chance to experience missions firsthand at this critical juncture of their lives before they embark upon college, military service, a trade, or whatever else the Lord has in store for them.  Would you pray that the Lord would use the time there to cause them to think deeply about His will and purpose for their lives?  Thanks for your prayerful support for our team as we go to serve at the Tabitha Ministry near the city dump in Guatemala City.

Moved by Gratitude

I returned to the States this past Thursday after a short, quick trip to Guatemala for our twice-a-year leadership training conferences that we conduct in the western city of Quetzaltenango.  This was a special trip in many respects.  It marked the 10th anniversary of our initial training trip there back in 2007.  I was also blessed to be accompanied by Jim Hill, executive director for Churchnet, who accompanied me on that first training trip many years ago.  As always, the group of pastors and leaders who had gathered (81 on this occasion) welcomed us warmly and demonstrated profound gratitude for the efforts of Missouri churches affiliated with Churchnet over the past decade to provide leadership training, as well as other books and resources to help them in their ministries.

Jim did an outstanding job with his sessions--focusing on strategic planning in 2 sessions under the theme "Finding God's Vision for Your Church" and two other workshops on leading a stewardship emphasis in the local church and supervising church volunteers.  I wrapped up with a session on seeking balance in our personal lives and pastoral ministries through various Christian disciplines.

One of the highlights of the gathering was a time at the end of our teaching sessions on the final morning when we typically give the participants a book purchased for the occasion that relates to one of the workshop themes and also receive a gift from the participants.  In addition to this, the leadership team of the association of Baptist pastors in the western region presented us with a formal statement they had drafted the previous evening.  It was a beautiful statement of appreciation for the efforts of our network's churches to make available the training they've received over the past decade.  I was especially encouraged by a statistical highlight that they included in the official statement.  They noted that when the partnership began 10 years ago, there were 15 churches involved in the western region.  In last week's training, 81 participants came from a total of 38 different churches and they clarified that there are actually 60 churches and missions that are currently affiliated with this western association of Baptist churches.  It's been a wonderful joy to have been a part of each of these training sessions over the past 10 years and we look forward to a continued relationship with these wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ in Guatemala.

The above photo was taken during one of our worship times prior to the teaching sessions.

Elijah Brown on the Syrian Refugee Crisis

Almost 2 years ago in March 2014, I was privileged along with several Churchnet colleagues to attend a meeting of the North American Baptist Fellowship in Philadelphia that focused on the future of missional collaboration among Baptists.  On that occasion, I was very impressed with some of the insights shared in small groups by a young professor from East Texas Baptist University.  I've since read other things written by Elijah Brown and greatly appreciate his written contributions in the area of church/state relationships and even more recently in the area of justice issues.

He had a great article today in Ethics Daily that is well worth the read.  In the midst of so much angry rhetoric about Muslim immigrants and refugees fleeing the ongoing crisis in Syria, Elijah shares a positive and hopeful message about our role as Christians in addressing their needs.

Thanksgiving Reflections

I wrote the following thoughts on motives to be thankful as an article for our upcoming church newsletter, the Views.  If you're a member of FBCLS and see it here first before reading it there next week, consider yourself ahead of the game and an overachiever.

As 2015 rushes forward towards its conclusion, I'd like to take this opportunity in the spirit of Thanksgiving to express my gratitude for many things that I count as blessings from God.  I'm grateful for both my immediate family and my church family here at FBCLS.  I count it a high privilege to be able to serve among you.  I'm thankful for countless hours that volunteers have invested this year in many different ministry settings--teaching God's word; caring for children; providing lunches this summer at two apartment complexes; reaching out to Lee's Summit via Downtown Days, Oktoberfest, and Trunk or Treat; and serving the poor, hungry, and ill in Guatemala to highlight just a few areas of service.  I'm grateful for the generosity of our members that make all of these ministries possible.  I'm thankful too for new folks that the Lord has led to join our fellowship this year and for the gifts and talents they bring.  Finally, I'm extremely grateful to serve alongside a wonderful church staff. I am blessed.

A Memorable Night

This photo was taken in the bottom of the 14th inning of the opening game of the 2015 World Series.  I had the awesome opportunity to attend this series opener with my son Jonathan and we were treated to an epic battle between the Royals and the Mets.  Eric Hosmer hit a sacrifice fly during this at bat to score Alcides Escobar from 3rd.  It was an incredible moment to conclude a game that lasted more than 5 hours.  Very few fans left as the picture can attest.

Unless you've been living on a remote island in the Pacific the past couple of weeks, you know that the Royals went on to win the series 4-1.  These comeback, cardiac kids never gave up, even when trailing in 7 of the postseason games and often very late in those contests.  The city celebrated in grand fashion yesterday with a parade and rally at the Liberty Memorial/Union Station.  An estimated 800,000 people turned out to cheer our hometown heroes and did so in an incredibly orderly fashion.

Those of us who closely followed the Royals all season will undoubtedly be experiencing withdrawal symptoms from baseball until next spring, but for now, we get to bask in the glory of a world championship during this off-season.  Well done, guys!

The Impartation of Blessings

I read a powerful piece today on Scot McKnight's blog by Josh Graves that deals with the practice of blessing others.  It is well-written and worth reading.

God's Timely Provision

It's always exciting when the Lord does something in a serendipitous manner--unexpectedly and often without fanfare or build-up.  I was privileged to experience such a moment a couple of weeks ago.  One of our church members who is a veteran of multiple missions trips and a leader in our Women on Missions program asked if she could visit with me prior to the meeting of one of the groups.  When she did so, she shared that for quite some time that group had been raising money to help dig a water well somewhere in the world.  The initiative began with one of the ladies having a burden to supply fresh water for those who didn't have access to it.

The issue was that the ministry that they had been considering channeling the funds through had established a cost of around $4000 per well.  The ladies had collected about $650 and wanted to know if some other group might be able to use it to complete a well for much less. 

I shared that one of the churches that we've worked with twice on previous trips to Guatemala has been trying for a prolonged time to obtain a water well on their church property without success and suggested that I'd contact the pastor and see where they stood on the project.  Taking advantage of Facebook Messenger, I had an answer back from him in a few short hours.  The estimated cost to finish the well and also obtain a pump to bring the water to the surface was $670.  When I shared that news with the leader who had brought up the matter to me, she informed me that additional funds had been received that day from among the ladies in the group, pushing the total beyond the figure that the church needed to complete the well.  She excitedly told me that they were thrilled to designate those funds for a church with whom we've previously served in Guatemala and the funds have been sent to Churchnet to be transferred to the church in Guatemala. 

I eagerly anticipate in the near future learning that the church has received those funds and is proceeding with the drilling of the well.  I'm overwhelmingly grateful to the Lord for the generous actions of the Women on Missions group and for international connections that facilitate being able to meet a critical need.

Tips for Using the Bible on Social Media

Please pardon the lengthy absence from posting on this blog.  My family and I were able to take a couple of weeks of vacation to beautiful Alaska and Seattle on a cruise to celebrate a bit early our 40th anniversary.  At some point, perhaps I'll share a few pictures of the beautiful scenery that we were able to appreciate as we marveled at God's handiwork so evidently on display there.

Today I wanted to share a link to a very good article about how we use the Bible on social media.  The author, pastor Larry Eubanks of the FBC of Frederick, Maryland, suggests that instead of using the Scriptures to bash others and attack their positions, we need to read the Bible and share it on social media through the lens of the fruit of the Spirit that Paul describes in Gal. 5:22-23. 

It's a good article and well worth reading.  Here's the link to it:
http://ethicsdaily.com/8-awesome-tips-to-use-the-bible-on-social-media-cms-22710

The Field

The title of the post comes from a story that our pastor's father, J.V. McKinney, shares about growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas.  J.V. was here in Lee's Summit yesterday for worship services, and Blake (our pastor) shared the story as an illustration in his message about the Good Samaritan and the power of the gospel to break barriers. 

J.V.'s story appears in Ethics Daily today and is well worth reading.

Brian Kaylor's Message from Churchnet Gathering

Baptist News Global today features an article that highlights portions of Brian Kaylor's address to Churchnet's recent annual gathering in Jefferson City.  As I commented in my own post on the gathering, Brian's message was quite prophetic.

Here is a link to the sermon Brian preached.

In Honor of Today

I couldn't resist sharing this opportunity to chuckle (or groan) as the case may be.

Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellmann's mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York.

This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico. But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost.

The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day.

The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as Sinko de Mayo.

Apologies

I have no idea what is causing extraneous text from a previous post to appear in the most recently posted recap of Churchnet's annual meeting.  I've deleted and re-posted it multiple times without being able to resolve the issue.

I'm going to continue to work on the issue, but apologize for the appearance and the difficulty in reading that this has occasioned.

Annual Meeting Recap

Churchnet's annual gathering at FBC Jefferson City last weekend was a wonderful experience.  We kicked the event off as we do each year with our missions banquet.  Forestal Lawton and I shared about the trip to Cuba last October, including pictures of countryside, modes of transportation, churches we visited, etc.  I also gave a briefer description of the most recent Guatemala training trip for pastors and leaders Brian Kaylor and I led this past January.  Each year during the banquet, we receive an offering that helps fund our missions partnerships and this year's response to the offering was very generous.  Between money received and pledges made, the total was right at $7500 toward our goal of $10,000.  I expect we will reach and surpass that goal in the coming weeks as others contribute who were unable to attend the meeting.

FBC Jeff City's choir and orchestra led us in a beautiful time of worship on Friday evening, followed by a challenging and prophetic message from my colleague, Brian Kaylor.  Brian addressed the theme of the gathering which focused on sharing hope by building a community of peace and reconciliation.  It was a timely message in light of the ongoing racial unrest in our nation.  Brian made several references to the pioneering work of Clarence Jordan in the area of racial reconciliation with the establishment back in the 1940s of the Koinonia Farm in Georgia.  Those who lived there (both blacks and whites) were targeted by violent protests as many opposed any efforts toward racial equality and mutual understanding.  Jordan is perhaps best known as the author of the Cotton Patch Gospel, a paraphrase that sets the message of the New Testament in the language and context of the South.

Saturday morning we had a brief business meeting after breakfast to elect officers and approve the adoption of the new Vision 2020 strategic plan that has been hammered out over a 9 month period or so beginning last year.  Here is a video introducing the plan and outlining its main components.

Following the business session, 7 different breakout sessions were offered.  I had comments that several of these were outstanding.  I was unable to attend any other than the two which I led that centered on preparing one's church for a cross-cultural missions experience.  The 5 of us present in the first session had a lively discussion about issues to consider in planning and carrying out a missions trip overseas or in a cultural context other than our own.  In the second session, Jeff Buscher (who serves as a chaplain and professor at William Jewell) and I had a chance to converse about mission philosophy and what Jewell is doing with their students in Honduras, working in a couple of villages there to do community development.  It was a very profitable time of sharing.

Finally, we wrapped up Saturday morning with a beautiful time of worship led by Second Baptist Church in Jefferson City.  The music of their choir and the message by their pastor were both outstanding.