You want blog updates

A friend of mine, Andy McCullough, showed me how to stay on top of all the blogs I'm reading without having to revisit all the blogs to check to see if things have changed. On my sidebar to the right you see a "keep it fresh" blogarithm link. Sign up with them and they will send you an email when any web page you chose has changed it's content. Pretty simple. You can also just click this:

Categories: Blog

Not a Reader, Listen to This

Yesterday I was shredding documents as we're getting ready for our move so I decided to put on the ipod and listen to an interview with Steve Addison, director of Church Resource Ministries in Australia. Steve is one of the blogs I read the most and impact my thinking about church and movement planting. He is a great student of spiritual movements of the past and has characterized all great movements to have:

1. White Hot Faith
2. commitment to a Cause
3. Contagious Relationships
4. Rapid Mobilization
5. Adaptive Methods

Podcast: Interview with Steve Addison

This short 20 minute interview held by Jay Lorenzen, CCC military Staff leader, is worth it. Evaluate where you're at, where we are at as a church or ministry.

Categories: Movements, SimpleChurch

You want to be an Insider?

I just finished a book called The Insider: Bringing the Kingdom of God into your Everyday World. Wow, kick butt. This is a must read for any follower/disciple of Christ who is frustrated with their walk with God, longing for something more, knowing that God created something more than just their regular treks to church and one who believes that God's love is really attractive to those not-yet-Christian friends of yours. This is even one of the best books for those Christians out there who are satisfied with church, are growing closer to Jesus and even believe they have an impacting ministry. I fall into both categories. I'm blown away by some of the paradigm shifts that Peterson and Shamy have helped me make. If you want to see God move around you, then you got to read this. A great review is found here at the Insider. I encourage you to buy it, read it and make some cool changes in your walk with God and ministry. Christine is reading it right now and constantly is saying, "Wow!"

Here are a few quotes from the book:

• "Our life can be so mundane, with such predictable daily routines--all of which roar along at frantic speed--that we find it hard to imagine anything of larger, eternal purpose actually going on." p. 14
• "A futile life is one lived on an agenda that has no connection with God's purposes." p. 19
• "Each on should remain in the situation in which he was in when God called him....God has something for you right where you are....The work environment is but one more arena in which God can be glorified." p. 61
• "Paul understood that if there was going to be an impact by the gospel in a place, it would have to be through the people of that place more than through the apostolic team." p. 71
• "..It isn't really faith until we get beyond what we can control." p. 131
• "Spiritual fruitfulness does not come out of our feeling strong and self-assured. Spiritual fruit can only come from the Holy Spirit." p. 136
• "He is gathering them from every corner of the every nation to share eternally in his kingdom as members of his household. He has called us to partner with him in this work and has already positioned us to do this. We are an insider to various relationships within which God intends that we glorify, or reveal, him." p. 143
• "If people are going to see the kingdom of God today, they will have to observe it in its citizens. It is revealed as Christ's rule in our heart is expressed in our actions." p. 146
• "We fulfill the law of love by serving the needs of the people wit whom we cross paths." p. 162
• "One of the far-reaching differences between our current ministry practices and a ministry that is committed to serving insiders is that of venue--the place where it all happens. We are accustomed to centering our activities in our church facilities; but insiders need to center their work on their own turf, where the relationships are. Instead of everything supporting the central facility, the facility assumes the supportive role to the ministry of its people" p. 231

That should wet your appetite. Like I said, "You want to be an insider?"

Now I'm off to read an great observation on the church and where it is going in The Next Christendom by Philip Jenkins. This has already been eye opening. It was recommended to me by a great friend, mentor and professor at CU, Phil Mitchell. Another book, In, But Not Of: A Guide To Christian Ambition by Hugh Hewitt, I cracked open last night was recommended by a fellow colleague, Eric Heistand. Good times ahead.

Categories: Books, God, Movements, Church, Missions, SimpleChurch

Changes to our timeline

Over the weekend we got some good advice on what to do with our house and when to rent it. This coming summer we're going to be leaving for Long Beach Summer Project around May 15 and now we're going to attempt to fully move out of our place by then. So this makes our house available to rent by May 20. This does complicate things a tad because we need to get all our stuff that we're taking to Mexico packed in storage by then, sell one of our cars, and prepare for summer project and Mexico city. But this also helps us focus, target a clearer move date and close the chapter on Colorado. So we're renting our place furnished. Most of the furniture we were going to sell we'll leave in the house. This will provide a great opportunity for young professionals, students or a family to move in quickly. Please join us in praying that God will provide the perfect renters.

So we'll go to Long Beach in May, be there for two months, and head to Mexico City (just Christine and I) for a week to rent a house, buy a car and set up phone service. Then we'll return to California, drive to CO, put our stuff in a container or moving truck, sell our other truck, say good byes and fly off to Mexico City. Much has to happen by then administratively, relationally, in our support and in our hearts. We're basically uprooting our lives, purging ourselves of our stuff and having to make many decisions.

Pray for us in this faith adventure.
Categories: Prayer, MexicoCity

The City is Still Big!!

Yesterday I just arrived back from Mexico City with 4 of my friends, Andy, Greg, Mike and Brian from Boulder, CO. Our purpose was to narrow down this megapolis to some reasonable neighborhoods for my family to live, interact and serve the city. Wow, what a task.

We arrived late Friday night after a 2 hour flight delay and headed out for dinner in the streets of Polanco (See the Starbucks on the right). Polanco is one of the swankiest neighborhoods in the city. The sports cars, style, clothing, fashion and homes reminded me of Beverly Hills. Most people would never guess that Mexico City is this nice and rich. I actually have read the cost of living is close to Boston and New York. Ouch!!!

Saturday morning after a few hours of sleep we ventured out on our first Metro experience to the south of the city near the University (Copilco stop) to Coyoacan (pictured right). There we had breakfast with the CCC local team serving at UNAM (maybe the largest University in the world). It was great to hear what God is doing in their lives, the battles they are going through, and the bold faith they have to believe that God will bring the Gospel to all the 250,000 or so students there. They are boldly going out on campus to raise up laborers that will in turn reach their friends, families and departments. They have moved away from a model that just builds big Campus Crusade meetings and clubs. I'm encouraged by their creativity and humility to only work with leaders who will multiply to other Mexicans. They are going for it with all their energy and spirit. I had the opportunity to encourage them and share a bit of the vision God is giving us on how to reach the whole city (1 million students and 28 million people). Then some of my friends encouraged them and we prayed for them to keep going, trusting God and believing in His power. It was cool to see my friends encourage and use the shepherding gifts they have to breathe life into them.

That afternoon I took the guys shopping at Ciudadela and then off to the Zocolo for dinner at Cafe Tacabya (the greatest Mariachi in the world) and hanging out in the 47 story building that overlooks the whole city.

Sunday morning we split our group. Mike and Greg joined me to look at houses with Irma, a local Rental Agent, and Andy and Brian headed off to a local church. The traffic was light on Sunday morning so it was a perfect time to drive in the city. We headed out west of Polanco to Herradura and Interlomas. Mexico City is sprawling so much and people, families, and businesses are heading out to the outskirts of the city to survive, live and work. We looked at 5 places out here. The neighborhoods looked nice, safe and quiet. All the needed facilities are out there. There are playgrounds, parks, shopping malls and even Costco. The downside is that this area is about a 30 minute drive to get close to the center of the city and the metro system. This brought up some good decisions to be made about where we want to live and serve, how we will interact, travel in the city and what we will be doing specifically. I kept hearing from those giving advice that our family needs to live in the suburbs for safety and comfort yet the commute will be horrific for me and the team. That afternoon I felt the weight of the decisions and needed to hear from the Lord. I'm just not sure what is best for us.

Monday I headed back into the city with Daniel (Mexican staff guy with CCC) and Jason (local UNAM CCC leader) to see other aspects of the city after a good hot dog and diet coke at Costco. No joke, the price was $1.50 and Costco is identical to the states. My friends took off to an orphanage to the south west of the city (more below). Daniel, Jason and I drove to AltaVista and San Angel near the University. My desire is to find a home or neighborhood that is safe, near the metro, and retail so that Christine and the boys, while in the city, are not confined to our house. Typically there are housing complexes called 'cerradas', gated communities that will provide this security and location in the city. Driving through the beautiful streets of San Angel we bumped into a beautiful little house/townhome complex that was gated off from outsiders. They were reasonably priced and had 3 bedrooms. After driving for hours throughout the city and looking on the internet with rental agencies I'm finding this city is expensive. A normal 3-4 bedroom home that is safe and centrally located is about $2,000-$3,000 a month for rent. Yowza!!

I believe God is calling us to live in the city, away from the suburbs, maybe with less comforts, and centrally located for travel and interaction with other students, pastors and ministry leaders. At the same time I need to trust God to provide the perfect place and be okay with wherever he calls us. The task seems impossible. We will wait, see and move out in faith to see what God has in store for us.

Tuesday I joined my friends at the orphanage. They spent all day Monday preparing and digging a massive hole to submerge a trampoline into the ground. They had to remove 6 cement flower boxes. That took them all day Monday and I joined them along with the local CCC team on Monday to finish the hole and provide drainage. Physically they were beat up and soon after my body fell apart to 'out of shapeness' and soreness. But about 6:30pm we finished our part and then hired a brick layer to finish the work this week. It was amazing to see the passion and love the workers, teachers and administrators had for these kids at this orphanage. A little bit of the love of God at work through many people. One of my friends Andy is in the process of adopting a child from this orphanage. It was a blessing to see the kids and be a small part of what God is already doing there.

The 5 days away with these friends was a huge gift from God. Andy, Greg, Brian and Mike are good friends and provided me hope, encouragement, challenge and insights into God's heart for me and for the world. I loved our discussions, arguments, honesty and love. I'm excited for the move, challenged by the impossibility of the vision and reminded that this is totally a God sized task that needs tons of prayer and dependence on the Spirit. I'll be heading back with Christine in July for 7 days to buy a car and find a house to rent. In the mean time: tons of prayer, talking with Mexican friends for options and mostly trusting in God.

Categories: MexicoCity