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May 12, 2008

Well, I did it, I quit Lowes! I had been there 1.4 yrs and have had enough of retail, period. Too much micro-management in a new store that is not performing up to expectations. I feel they mis-lead me and wanted me to quit anyway. What should I expect from a numbers machine. Where do I fit in after 30 yrs at GM? I am writing for a local newspaper and earn $25 per article! It gives me exposure and experience. Who knows where this wil take me. My wife is looking for a job as well. The joke is that the first one who gets a job gets the only car we have! I had to borrow $4500 to pay my income tax bill. Meanwhile, I have a couple of building projects to do. I am supposed to be hanging drywall today in a basement. It can wait til early in the morning. I have been looking at my work history. I learn new stuff and then I get bored and want to do something different. It just about killed me working at GM for 30 years. I was always going to school or something. Right now, I just don't care. I want to go to my "shack" and hang out with Jesus like the book, which is awesome!!!

 

Posted by Keith Broadbent | 0 comment(s)

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/05/off_to_two_missi

This week, I will be speaking at two global mission boards.

The IMB

INMB%2Blogo.gifThe International Mission Board is my own denominational international mission agency. On Monday, I join with Jerry Rankin to end the evening session talking about how pastors can be involved in global missions.

One of the favorite parts of my job is working with the International Mission Board. When I was praying about coming to LifeWay, it was my dinner with Jerry Rankin that finalized the decision. Odd, I know, but it went like this.

Thom Rainer had approached me about coming to LifeWay and leading LifeWay Research. I was very interested, but feel a call to missiology and mission reserach. Dr. Rankin had asked me to dinner in Atlanta to talk about working with the IMB in a full or part-time role.

We talked a bit about working at the IMB, but when I told him about Thom Rainer's LifeWay Research role, he leaned over the table and said, "Oh, Ed, you need to go to LifeWay and we will just partner with LifeWay to share you!" The rest is history. Part of my job is to serve the IMB-- when I speak, I represent the IMB. And, twice a year I try to involve innovative church pastors in global missions. (My next trip is to Krakow this fall.)

After I speak there, I jump on a plane (a really small plane) from Richmond, VA to Harrisburg, VA to lead a seminar at the Association of Baptists for Worldwide Evangelism (ABWE).

The ABWE

The ABWE is a large mission board for independent Baptist churches. Their website explains:
The Association of Baptists for World Evangelism is an independent mission agency that exists to serve local churches in the task of sending missionaries around the world. ABWE, with ministries in over 80 countries, services over 5,000 churches and 1,400 missionaries.


Many people first heard about the ABWE when the Bowers family was shot down by Peruvian air force planes assist by U.S. advisors in a tragic accident over Peru. (Read their memorial service here.)

You can read more about the remarkable ministry of the ABEW here.

You can read about the ABWE event here.

I have a great heart for the nations-- and hope you do, too. There is so much to distract us from the Great Commission, but it is worth all our effort and our focus.

Keywords: blog, Stetzer

Posted by Ed Stetzer | 0 comment(s)

http://tallskinnykiwi.typepad.com/tallskinnykiwi/2008/05/china-earthquak.


Picture 14-2Earthquake in China. I am been shooting up some prayers but thought a blog post would be in order. I found out about the earthquake through Twitter. So did a lot of other people. One blog reports that Twitter has now come of age.


Once again, if you know worthy groups to donate to, or local communities who can help, please leave a comment or link.


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Posted by Andrew Jones | 0 comment(s)

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SolarCrash/~3/288641774/

A new book by Alex McManus will be released soon - Making the world human again.


From the back cover…


Why did Jesus come into the world?


According to McManus, contrary to popular opinion, Jesus Christ came neither to teach Christianity nor to establish the Christian religion.


The goal of the life and teaching of Jesus is not to make the Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, or Jew a Christian. Neither did Jesus come with the goal of showing us how to be Christians. What Jesus wants for all people whether religious or secular, Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservativeis that they turn away from destructive, non-life-giving systems and join him on the quest to find their humanity again.


Similar Posts...

Inattentive in class... by Lon on January 31st, 2005

In North Carolina… by Lon on March 22nd, 2006

Jesus for President... by Lon on March 24th, 2008

Organic Church… by Lon on December 29th, 2006




Posted by Lon Wong | 0 comment(s)

http://newwaveministry.com/?p=108


She doesn’t know it, although she might have some idea, because I told her the story of Boaz & told her I was like Boaz, my wife like Ruth, but she said she wanted to be like my wife’s sister. So that would make her a sister-in-law, but they’re both younger than most of my daughters.



The first photos are mostly Cynthia, then photos & a video of the prayer meeting I taught at after writing this email.



I think this house-girl, Cynthia, is something God arranged and some kind of answer to my prayer. I don’t remember all my prayers, because my life & thoughts are mostly prayer though I hope my impatient thoughts aren’t counted as prayers. But about 1 day before this house girl arrived to replace the one who demanded more pay than her agreed $10/mo. wage. $0 to $20 is typical, because at least they have a place to sleep & eat. Anyway, that 1 day, I thought & probably prayed that I’d like a house assistant who spoke enough English & was trustworthy enough to teach him/her to use the computer & help with business matters.



A friend of my wife’s brought her here. After agreeing to come for just room & board my wife was happily surprised to find out that this girl is a Christian & member of an Assemblies of God, which is my wife’s favorite traditional church in Kigali, & at least 2 places in Uganda. She’s actually already talking to me in English better than my wife, although they both know a number of things the other doesn’t. Like most Africans she is poor for lack of opportunity & often for lack of parents. Her entire nuclear family except her younger sister were killed when she was 3 in the Genocide & most of her other relatives, also. She, her sister & 5 cousins have been living with a poor widow Aunt, who hasn’t really had enough to feed all of them. She started secondary school, but couldn’t afford the book fees, so she’s hoping for some way to continue school.



She’s 17, & 3.5 years younger than my 4rth daughter & still young enough to learn English & things like computers rapidly. My wife will probably find her telling her how to use gadgets like most of us find our children & grand-children doing.



We have some extra Kinyarwanda bibles, her best language, but I don’t know where my wife put them while she is away to Goma. But amazingly, while I was running Sunday I spent some time with 3 young men & the stocky weight-lifter gave me a new Kinyarwanda bible just like the ones we recently bought, because he was a Moslem & didn’t want it.



She is in bed reading the bible right now (10:00p Mon) after we had a good discussion eating the dinner she cooked while I’m in bed typing as usual.



If things continue & my wife agrees, I’d like to adopt her & bring her to the USA with us. I love to teach & always wanted to be a good father to my daughters, but it was mostly impossible with the interference of their demonized mother. So perhaps that prophecy that God would restore all that I lost, will be fulfilled in unexpected ways.



Tomorrow, our two new New Wave-Rwanda leaders are going with me to start registering the ministry, returning here for lunch then going at 3 to for me to teach a group one of them has waiting. Jean-Claude’s brother will interpret, since their English is very limited. It will be good to travel with them & except for buses & common language it will be much like Jesus walking & talking & doing ministry with the Apostles.



This Tues morning I enjoyed early breakfast with the house-girl, Cynthia & shared with her teaching on the Song-of-Solomon &, of course, new English. When I woke up the internet had much improved, so I attached many photos & videos to my “8 pieces of wisdom from 39 yrs..”



After the first trip trying to register the ministry, my partners have gone to town, so I’m about too take a nap to be alert to go again, teach on a 3 hr trip, & spend reuniting time with my lovely wife, who should be home before our scheduled 1:00 lunch.



Thursday 5/9/08 Personal use of excess time.



I’m making the most of my time with little teaching opportunity. After some emails & non-connecting phone calls, I started exercising & listening to the Kidz free audio Bible, click to download, about noon, while my computer was slowly going through the process of buying bargain cameras on-line from www.circuitcity.com which is a great source for notebook computers, too, many $400-$500, but they’re are not available for pick-up near my secretary, though they usually have free shipping, but not all items. & I was attaching photos & saving 1 at a time to this email, while it is downloading my 10-11th free audio bible, the 3rd one in Spanish, & downloading my 2nd free download from www.house2house.com. All the time I keep 2 windows 2 my email open, so I can check emails while I’m attaching etc in the other window. After done with my bedroom calisthenics I took the 4 gallon bucket for my cold African bath outside to get water (the shower never works inside) & did 12 pull-ups under the overhang outside. My wife is busy making arrangements for our May 24th (3rd & I hope last wedding). She just negotiated next to me with a man for a house for 50 guests for 3 days for $100, which I think her mother is paying for. They’ll be sleeping African style in about 5 bedrooms & another room or two. I do get a lot done on my computer, because people are speaking languages I don’t know, so I just type away.

It’s 2:50 here, but 8:50 am EST.


Naye Lia kwa Mapenzi na Furaha,…


or


He Who Weeps with Love & Joy, for the Beautiful African Bride of Christ


(Known in the past as Greg Cunningham)



Mail & donations to:


New Wave Ministry


29731 C. Rd. 28


Elkhart, IN 46517, USA



www.newwaveministry.com


(+) 1 574 217 0552 All the time.


(+) 250 0337 5026 in Rwanda from countries except USA.


(+) 1 574 679-0011 or 295 9696 Cunningham Air & Heat (working in IN, MI, & NC, USA)


(+) 1 877 237 9487 Free from US phones for African visitors or if your cell won’t work



Three New Waves:


Ø Passionate Love————–From & for Jesus


Ø Never-Ending Humility—To follow the King


Ø Total Sacrifice ————–Living out His Love & Humility












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Posted by Keith Broadbent | 0 comment(s)

http://tallskinnykiwi.typepad.com/tallskinnykiwi/2008/05/you-know-its-ti.


While the post-charismatic movement gathers steam, its interesting to see hyper-charismatic movements still popping up.


Sloshfest 08 Cover-2 Img102-1

HT: Steve Knight who is also a little befuddled by "The New Charismatics" and their spirit-drunken, moon-howling, slosh-till-u-drop “postmodern prophetic ministry". Its not exactly Steve's cup of tea either but he does point to some good outreach efforts by this group.


New words for your vocabularly, courtesy of John Crowder, author of The New Mystics:

- "Tokin’ the Ghost,”

- "Smokin' the “Jehovah-juana"

- "Sloshed" [in the Spirit]

- "Wasted on Jesus"


What-the-Heck Would Adrian Do?


Posted by Andrew Jones | 0 comment(s)

http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2008/05/12/the-devil-is-in-the-details/

In the comments section of my last post Now Tell Us How You Really Feel, a reader asked about some of the details of my transition from the field back to the United States. In the past, I haven’t written as much about these sorts of details; partly to protect my anonymity, and partly out of my belief that we tend to focus too much on these details and not enough on the theory behind them.


“now that you are leaving the organization, and leaving the country where you serve, what will happen to the people whom you have worked with (the nationals) and what are you leaving them to go on with (the big ‘reproducibility question)?


Back in January, I wrote Nothing To See Here, Folks, a post about the intangibility of our relational ministry here. The fact that we only have relationships (not programs), means that my leaving only affects those people with whom I have spent time over the last couple of years. I really don’t see my move as “leaving” anyone, though. I plan to stay engaged in redemptive and discipling relationships with my friends from a distance. I have already planned my first return trip back here in the Fall.


I do wish that we were further down the road in terms of seeing a church established. It would be a thousand times better if I could leave friends with the support of a strong network of national believers. Unfortunately, that is not the case. As I leave, I am struggling with the discrepancy between what I hoped to accomplish (God through me) and what I actually accomplished (not much, apparently). This weighed heavily on the timing of my decision to leave. To be honest (and really, why not?) , I suspect that this sense of guilt has kept me here on the field well past the time I knew I should leave.


“who is going to continue your work once you leave? is your team strong enough to keep the momentum going? have you all picked a new team-leader?”


As I mentioned above, I plan to continue (in one form or another), the work I started here. Our team is a different story. I’ve spent the last year or so working with some of my teammates to develop their strategies and thus help them reach a certain level of independence (strategically speaking). Due to circumstances beyond our control, the entire IMB team here will be leaving this summer. Work here is set to resume after the first of next year, and I doubt that my strategy (arts, social action, culture exchange) will be implemented by those who come behind me.



“do you feel that God has led you from point A to point B to point C, but may eventually lead you back to point B (at some point)? that asks a lot of you with regards to the will of God, but i’m just curious.”



My answer to this question sort of depends on what you mean by “back to point B.” If point B is where I live now (well, for the next two weeks), then my answer is yes, absolutely. But if by “point B” you were referring to the organization from which I am resigning, then I’m my answer would be no, not likely.


I’ve always seen this whole thing as a big adventure. I am pursuing what I believe to be God’s direction for my life, and while I often second guess His leadership (behind his back, of course), I’ve learned not to doubt His provision and sovereignty through it all. When I left the States for Western Europe, so much was unknown. I was in the (desirable) position of having to totally and completely depend on God. He was my only stability. Now that I’m moving back to the U.S., I happily find myself in that same situation.


Posted by Ernest Goodman | 0 comment(s)

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DreamAwakener/~3/288373630/monday-mo


McCann's
Originally uploaded by FotoEdge


"A cheerful heart is good medicine."  Proverbs 17:22 NLT



A friend of mine by the name of Aby shared this joke with me.



On watching the American ads for drugs (Advair, Lipitor, etc.), a friend visiting from India said, "This sounds like marriage. The drug ads say take this brand and you will never have problem with backache. And, then as a side note they say that the side effects may be heart attack, kidney failure, nausea and headache. This is how marriages are, they come with side effects."




Posted by JR Woodward | 0 comment(s)

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DreamAwakener/~3/287976668/praying-w


Praying
Originally uploaded by Kaj Bjurman


Dear heavenly Father,



We ask you now to give us all your Holy Spirit, and to give it continually, that it may awaken, enlighten, encourage, and enable us to dare to take the small and large steps of moving out of the comfort with which we can comfort each other and into hope in you.  Turn us away toward you!  Do not allow us to hide from you! Do not let us do anything without you!  Show us how glorious you are and how glorious it is to trust and obey you!



We would ask the same for all people, that the nations and governments may bow to your Word, and that they will be willing to work for justice and peace on earth, that your Word may be understood and taken to heart by all those who are poor, sick, imprisoned, troubled, oppressed, and unbelieving; that through word and deed it may be made known to them; and that it may be perceived by them as the answer to their sighs and cries; that all Christian churches and confessions may learn to recognize it anew and serve it with renewed faithfulness; that its truth may be and remain bright here and now in all of humanity's error and confusion, until such a time as it shall ultimately enlighten all people and all things.  You are glorified, you who make us free in Jesus Christ, your Son, by confessing and standing on this: that our hope is in you.  Amen.  From Fifty Prayers.




Posted by JR Woodward | 0 comment(s)

http://tallskinnykiwi.typepad.com/tallskinnykiwi/2008/05/missional-churc.


The theme this week is missional church. I am kicking it off by pointing to a hot blog post from last week. David Fitch hosts a very important conversation, having picked up from Bro. Maynard. I wish it wasn't so personal - ie - Mark Driscoll and mega church attractional model vs. emerging/missional/monastic/house-church model ala Allelon (USA) and Forge (Australia) but at the heart of the conversation is a few key questions:


Obviously the cost factor ratio favors emerging/missional startups (inherited churches cost between 100k and 1 million to start) but how do these new organic communities sustain themselves financially?

How do we measure their success without resorting to the old systems of measurement (bigger is always better)?

How long do they need to start bearing fruit? And what does that fruit look like?

Do mega-churches attract primarily de-churched people?


Have a read and join the comments over there. If you are new to the conversation, remember the emerging church world is now a vast world with models still very traditional in structure (paid professionals, buildings, attractional-based sunday service) and much of it very organic, centrifugual, embedded, and missional.


Related: Andrew Hamilton (Forge National Director) on Incarnational vs Attractional


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