The power of encouraging words
During the Medical Trip, our doctors experienced the power of encouragement. They took time to visit home-bound patients in challenging medical situations. One patient, Mr. Bao, lost movement in his lower body after an accident. His wife, Chan Jiehad been caring for him. Recently Jie contracted a serious infection in her spine, confining her to a bed. Now both Mr. Bao and Jie need care and have no family in town.

Dr. Lee, from our team, sat besideMr. Bao. as he shared, "Now I feel helpless. My wife's sick and we have no family here. I've lost my joy." Dr. Lee shared the Word with Mr. Bao and prayed with him. Dr. Lee said, "At that point Mr. Bao's countenance changed! I could see hope and light in his eyes." Mr. Bao said, "I feel loved and that I am not forgotten. I now know the one who will always meet my needs."

Join the Medical Team next spring in 2014,contactusfor additional information. The Medical Trip and house visits are just one way that we're able to demonstrate God's love to people who don't know Him. By joining these trips, our team members have the chance to play a valuable role in the Great Commission.

Today's Prayer
Lord, thank you for the opportunity to bring your love and encouraging Word to those who desperately need it. We're thankful that you use us to accomplish the Great Commission. Continue to challenge us and call us to serve you. May we be attentive to your voice and obedient to where you call us to go. Give us the faith we need to step forward. Thank you for what you accomplished through this Medical team. May the seeds they sowed grow up and bring you glory. Amen.

 Kristen Levitt, Director, Project Partner

I'm looking for others who have a similar desire to serve into the need and opportunity the new immigration laws will provide (pray they pass). My friends Daniel Bocanegra and Brontis Varona are already deeply involved. Approximately 30,000 Latinos from Johnson County will begin the naturalization process this fall and they will need a wide variety of services like, ESL classes, civil government classes, parenting, budgeting and more. My hope is that we give them Jesus and a church support system--these are eternal. We must be ready or we will miss the opportunity. I'm wondering if anyone else is hearing this call.

In my spirit I've heard the whispers of God such as, I looked for a man to stand in the gap and found none. I've heard the words Isaiah heard, Who will go for me? Recently on a prayer walk the message came through loud and clear, My people are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. I'm sensing that God wants to pull together a network of people (and already is) who will combine their experience, passions and efforts to meet a once in a lifetime opportunity.

If this touches your heart I'd love to know about it.  Gary Kendall

A part of the plan is to refine a Vision Mountaintop which is a view of what we pray would happen in the future at Indian Creek. It is a cool story for a different day but we decided to build the vision around Ezekiel 47, the passage that talks about the River of God. Here is what we have so far (we will continue to refine): 

Vision for Indian Creek Community Church

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters. Isaiah 55:1

At Indian Creek, we recognize our need for God’s grace and presence in our lives. Apart from God, our lives, hindered by sin, separate us from God and ultimately leave us with a sense of hopelessness. Remember your thirst for purpose and meaning? You probably remember who first introduced you to real life in Jesus. At Indian Creek you can be that person for others thirsty for God’s grace and redemption. At Indian Creek there is living water where all can come and drink.

Fishermen will stand along the shore…spreading their nets. -Ezekiel 47:10

Indian Creek is full of prayerful people, whose confidence in a Holy purpose connects with the needs of the community. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. Our biblical mandate calls us to action. We must live out the love of Jesus when faced with need or opportunity. We reach out to foreigners, widows, orphans, and the poor in addition to our families and friends believing we are one human family with one Father. At the Creek heaven touches earth and earth becomes more like heaven. We understand that Jesus’ invitation to join with him for eternity is open to all but it must be embraced in this life. Now is the time!

Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing. -Ezekiel 47:12

At Indian Creek we embody grace, refuge, and hope. We help people unearth their passions and gifts. At the Creek you can discover purpose and your calling in life. Young leaders are developed. Marriages and families are restored and strengthened. Those in need find provision, healing and growth. We know we are blessed to be a blessing. We grow in relationship with God and others so we can give back as we have received. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit there is a revived sense of divine purpose that sends out ripples of impact to our world starting in our homes and eventually reaching the ends of the earth.

There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows. Ezekiel 47: 9

Indian Creek is alive with the power of the Holy Spirit and full of freshly redeemed people. As we continue to make disciples who make disciples, new missional communities are launched, new ministries commissioned, new books written, and new music composed. We are the church not just when we gather but as we live on mission every day we impact every sector of our culture with the Good News of Jesus. Businesses will grow more to give more in partnership with Indian Creek. New Indian Creek campuses and churches will be planted locally, nationally and globally.

Creekers are visionaries, joyfully sacrificing to live for Jesus’ mission. When we give our “loaves and fishes” we will see God exponentially multiply “greater things” than we can ask or even imagine. Numbers like 5,000 in attendance and 20 campuses or churches planted will one day seem like “small things” as we witness the Creek turn into a river of God’s grace. Heaven will smile and we will hear the applause of the nail scarred hands.

A better model for the church is taking place in places like South America, Africa, India and China. What is especially interesting to me is the places the church forms disciple making movements that transform their culture. I understand that our own culture and history affects the way the church serves. And even if we start to apply the missional nature of the church we have a step wise process to share this with others. 

I love Indian Creek and I believe we are on a journey to forming a church that is both biblical and contemporary (it fits our culture and is fruitful in it). Of course, of those two biblical is the most important. What is interesting is that the principals and truths of scripture fit every culture throughout history. It is up to our discernment with the leadership of the Holy Spirit to find the best objectives and tactics to get where God wants us to go.

If you missed the message here is a copy of my notes: What_if_the_Church_was_the_Church_on_Mission.docx

But if I scale it back just a bit, here is a prayer and an invitation. I've been invited to provide 2,700 free backwards books. That is an overwhelming number. So let's do this--if you'll buy one book (in honor of world peace) I'll match each one. How does that sound? 

I was invited to provide a book for every student at Mid-America Christian University as school begins next fall. I was asked to provide 100 to the Church of God as a gift to the authors who contributed to the Focus 40 devotionals. And Indian Creek gives them away to people who accept Christ or attend Starting Point. These are wonderful requests and it tells me the books have value but I don't have the means to give books away presently. 

Here is the link to buy the softcover version: backwards: Created to Live SENT www.livingsent.net/store

Here is the link to purchase the electronic version: http://amzn.to/14CW7SF. If you buy the electronic version hit me with an email otherwise I won't know since Amazon handles that, gary@livingsent.net

Let's go Dutch, you give one and I'll give one and we can see Jesus to bring peace to someone's world. I close with a quote from Andy Stanley, Do for one what you wish you could do for all. Thanks in advance.

Jesus said, I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. Matthew 16:18 NLT When we hear that prophecy from Jesus we often think that he is saying the church will survive even if attacked by hell itself. This translation, taken at face value, would lead you to think that the powers of hell are in an offensive position and the church is in a defensive position and hell is going to do its’ best but it will not succeed. The church will survive—as if survival is the goal.

I have a love/hate relationship with this verse. Is that legal to say about scripture?

I love what Jesus said but I hate the way that it was translated because I think the translation is a weak way to say what is one of the most powerful promises in all scripture. We are going to break it into pieces today and I believe you will never forget what you learn today because the Holy Spirit will drive it deep into your spirit and I don’t think it is too strong of a statement to say this—you’ll never look at the church the same way again. I believe this translation is one of the presenting problems we have in the American church.

That’s a strong statement so let’s see if I can back it up.

Let’s start with the word church. Jesus said, I will build my church… When Jesus said, I will build my church, many think of a church building. In America we typically think of the church as a building, a program, a pastor or an institution. It can be those things but Jesus meant for it to be much more.

This implies that the church is on mission when the people are gathered. If this is the primary way we talk about the church we imply the church is doing its job when we are all in places with bright shiny faces. If you would just show up and give then we’d all be good. And if we hunker down in the church with worship and prayer the big bad devil can’t defeat us. The implication is that in our holy huddle we can hold on till Jesus comes and be safe: as if arriving safely at death was the goal.

Unfortunately it is for many Christians and for too many churches. But I promise you that is not the way that Jesus thinks about the church. Gathering is one part of the ministry of a church but gathering believers together for a service is a means to an end not the end in itself. All too often the church in America has made the gathering the end.

All too often the prevailing thought is, if we could just get more people in the gathering, the worship services, we would be good. The scorecard for the American church became butts and bucks—if the number of people who sat in the seats and the number of dollars collected in the plates. If those went up the church was doing good. And I believe those are two good important measurements for the standard health check for any church but they fall short of describing what was on the mind of Jesus when he gave us this powerful promise.

If you want more you'll have to come on Sunday, and hint, hint, I save the best for the live presentation :)

This Sunday sign ups begin for the Serve Day. We hope to turn out 350+ to do a "home make-over" on Countryside Elementary School. We continue to build our partnership with Countryside and it is giving us opportunity to live out the love of Jesus in some ways that can break the cycle of poverty and provide an equitable education. Our participation is a game change-changer for many.

Here is an excerpt from Sunday's message:

John 17
What would happen to the big “C” Church in Kansas City if we decided to join together to fulfill Jesus prayer in John 17 where He prayed that His church would be one so that the world will know you are my disciples. These are the words of Jesus:  I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. John 17:21 NIV

Not only would the church be unified and get along better because of it but Jesus says that it is in our unity and service that the world believes there really is a God! Whenever you see the words, so that, in scripture you know there is a purpose statement coming. Here it says be one SO THAT the world will know you are legit—you are my disciples!

Why Should I Believe?
Have you heard skeptics say to you, Why should I believe there is a God when Christians can’t even get along? I’m wondering just out of curiosity how many of you have had someone, a friend, neighbor, co-worker or a “doubter” say some version of what I just said to you? 

I love it when the community sees a work project taking place at a local grade school and someone asks, Who is doing this? And the answer comes back, This is the church working together. No one is competing, no one is posturing, we want all the glory and attention to go to Jesus.

What if the Church worked like this all across Kansas City? The bride of Christ would look beautiful to an on looking world of skeptics. AND communities would be transformed because we turned out thousands of servants from 40 plus churches to leave schools, parks, homes, missions and churches better than they found them at the beginning of the day. 

The church unified and on mission for even one day can be a game changer in the lives of those we serve.
There are BIG things we can only do if we do them together. There are BIG BIG giants in Kansas City like racism, fatherlessness, lack of equity in education, human trafficking and more. We can only make a dent in these human concerns if we work together. We believe these giants could fall if the churches of KC joined forces and we are starting with worship days, work days and study day SO THAT the world will know there is a God in KC and His name is Jesus!

Are you up for that Indian Creek? Let me hear you? I want to be a part of that, don’t you?

Lord, open all of me to all of You.

Open my EYES to see where You are leading and join You there.

Open my MIND to receive the mind of Jesus. Renew it in Your truth.

Open my SPIRIT to receive Your Phil 2 Spirit, fill me to overflowing with the Holy Spirit.

Open my HEART to become one with Your heart, give me a heart like Yours.

Open my EARS to hear your voice and lead me with Your promptings.

Open my MOUTH to speak Your words, Your prayers, Your praise and Your witness

Lord, live in me and through me today.

Amen

A group of twelve lay leaders and paid staff worked with Greg Wiens, who served as a consultant, to help us get to the place where we could begin the roll out the the next level of leaders who will contribute to it. This August we will continue refining it and bring it to the congregation. We believe it looks backward and forward. It stands on the shoulders of those who've gone before us and it looks forward to the next season of life at Indian Creek. We are believing God for a point of inflection where the work of God in us will bring about new life and growth. 

We will begin work in our Campus Teams tomorrow, Tuesday, to script the Mountain Tops and Milestones so we can speak with succinct clarity about the future in a way that motivates and inspires. These will ultimately lead to goals and tactics that become the ministry of the future. Now you see why I'm excited and especially aware of our need for God. We are dependent on Him because it is His church and we are the stewards of it. We want Indian Creek to reach its full redemptive potential. Thanks for your prayers.

Karen Robinson is a veteran in ministry with over thirty years of experience. She is the founder of Solomon's Porch Society, an amazing ministry founded in 1998, with chapters throughout the United States. Solomon’s Porch touches the lives of influential women involved in or affiliated with the entertainment industry, the NBA, the NFL, MLB, and also includes governors, mayors, diplomats, and pastor’s wives.
​
As the founder of Raven's Hope International, Karen teaches a message of hope, unity, and teamwork. She believes that the wine is in the cluster, not in the grape, and that personal destiny is only accomplished when it is cultivated and united with the personal destinies of others.

Karen is also an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, life coach, and author. She helps to develop leaders by teaching them to reach their audiences through compassion, candor, and communication. Karen grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. She is now an involved member of Grace Church of Humble, Texas, under the leadership of Pastor Scott and Brett Jones.

We are excited about the privilege of hosting her at Indian Creek Community Church Olathe, KS.  66062

Dallas Willard, a prominent philosopher on a "quiet quest to subvert nominal Christianity" (according to a 2006 CT profile), died today after losing a battle with cancer. He was 77. Willard's death is a loss for all Christians, Willard's long-time friend and collaborator Richard Foster told CT. For us, a great light has gone out, Foster said. Heaven today is brighter.

HarperOne broke the news: According to Gary Moon, executive director of the Dallas Willard Center at Westmont College, Willard died early Wednesday morning, but "awakened to a full experience of the reality of the Kingdom of the Heavens he described so beautifully. Fittingly, his last two words were, Thank you.

Not long after news broke, InterVarsity Press associate publisher Andrew T. Le Peau wrote on his blog that the University of Southern California philosophy professor will be missed for his "strong, gentle wisdom, remembering him as someone who was soaked in the presence of Christ."

CT reported on Monday that Willard had just revealed a diagnosis of stage 4 cancer. The disease progressed quickly, and Willard's son-in-law Bill Heatley wrote yesterday from Willard's bedside, I'm sitting in the hospital room, watching over my dear friend, Dallas, reading and posting from The Divine Conspiracy on his FB and Twitter accounts and amazed by his words and his life. The love of God flows from Dallas into Becky into Larissa and a thousand generations will be blessed because of his love of God and his eternal life in Christ. I'm in the "splash zone" of everyone who is praying for him. It’s hard to describe but the kingdom is aglow all around me.

The last excerpt Heatley posted from Willard's page before his death described how there is No death for true followers of Christ: Those who live in reliance upon the word and person of Jesus, and know by experience the reality of his kingdom, are always better off 'dead,' from the personal point of view.

Willard is well known to many Christians from his books on spiritual formation, including The Divine Conspiracy (which Christianity Today selected as Book of the Year in 1998), The Spirit of the Disciplines, Hearing God, and Renovation of the Heart.

Willard's critical thinking has made him a provocative Christian thinker since the 1960s, when he abandoned his formal study of ministry to study philosophy. Since then, he has "devoted [himself] to reestablishing the exalted place moral reasoning once held in the academy." Willard's books always have been Resurrection-focused, calling Christians toward a life of discipline.

Cornelius Plantinga Jr. said in an essay for CT in 2006. He wrote, [Willard's] books all call out, in one way or another: Come on over. It's going to be okay to die first. You have to do it, and you can do it. Not even Jesus got a resurrection without a death, and he'll be at your side when you surrender your old life. Trust me on this. If you die with Jesus Christ, God will walk you out of your tomb into a life of incomparable joy and purpose inside his boundless and competent love

Racism, fatherlessness, lack of equity in education, human trafficing and the like are the big dog deals that keep our city in bondage. They will only fall if we prioritize our work so that we can mobilize the entire church. For example, there are some 2,500 churches in KC (some say as many as 3,000). And most of them have their own mission, values, strategy and measurements of success. We have denominations that bind some together around doctrine or practice but denominations don't necessarily work together. We have networks and para-church ministries that have common causes but often they are single focused. We have independent churches. The result is a lot of good is accomplished but the energy goes in many directions. What this Roundtable is attempting to do is to harness a commitment from all (or as many as will) that would share a common priority and serve cooperatively together. 

This kind of Church becomes dangerous to the enemy. Instead of 2,500 different efforts imagine a 100 fold increase and 250,000 were mobilized if we all worked toward a common goal. Let me take it out of theory for a moment to illustrate. There are approximately 3,000 schools in the greater KC area or so I've been told. What if we prioritized education and every church adopted a school? And what if every church used a proven strategy and shared resources, new learnings and personnel? Do you think that would impact the lack of equity we have in education in greater Kansas City? I believe it would. Unless we work together some districts will benefit while other suffer which is what we have presently. 

I'm not attempting to speak for the Roundtable or to set the agenda but what I do hope to do is inspire every Christ follower to pray for these kind of big "C" efforts. I want us to think biblically. I want us to live out the love of Jesus in a way that His promise comes true from Matthew 16:18, I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. I'm not sure we are all that dangerous to the devil as the little "c" church but I believe he (the enemy) will tremble if the big "C" Church ever finds its stride. Let's let this be the day!

Belinda and I spent the last three days with Chalapandian Benjamin. He is the church planting trainer for IGL, the India Gospel League. He is a right hand man to the President of IGL, Sam Stevens. He was full of eye-witness stories about church planters and the risks they take, the horrors of persecution and martyrdom, miracles, healings, spiritual warfare and more. The Holy Spirit is working through the church in India just like He did in the book of Acts and it is overwhelming. I found myself fighting back tears at one moment, laughing another and had the hairs on my arms standing up at still another. I'm thrilled we get to partner with IGL and three other churches to plant churches in Odisha. 

We are embarking on a 5 year partnership that sets out to plant 580 churches and will be involved in significant community transformation. This is one of the most resistant states in India. It is less than 2% reached for Christ. It is hostile to the message of Jesus. In 2008 the missionaries were run out, some were martyred and Christ followers were driven into exile when their homes were burned. But five years later the winds of the Spirit are blowing and our partners have 90 planters ready to go if we can send the first installment of our five year goal which is $156,017 ($780,085). I believe by God's grace we can do this. The churches that are stacking hands are Indian Creek, Colonial Pres., Iglacia De Canaan and the First Church of God (Columbus, OH). 

The dream is becoming a reality and the good news is that light is coming to darkness. From the time of Jesus until now these people groups have remained "unreached." But because of decisions we are making and sacrifices we are willing to take there will be people groups present in heaven. Isn't it a privilege to gather as churches halfway around the world, and because of partnership, join efforts to fulfilling the Great Commission!

Last Friday night George was in excruciating pain. And it didn’t seem to matter how many times someone pushed the pain med button it wasn’t enough. He was pleading with the nurses to make it stop and praying to God to take him. It was painful just to witness.

I asked George if we could pray and he said, Please! We prayed and the peace of God seemed to fill the room. George found some relief. You could tell the pain was still there but so was the peace. We read Psalm 23 and he found comfort in it. There was a noticeable difference that came over him. I began to remind him that none of us are good enough to be saved. It is only by God’s grace we are saved. It is His free gift to us; we can’t earn it or deserve it. It is by grace through faith. It wasn’t anything I did or we did but--God was bringing him divine comfort.

I don’t remember who said it or how it came up but somehow we decided to sing. We sang Jesus Loves Me, his favorite song. This was a song he’d sung to his kids many times as he tucked them into bed. And now on his deathbed it gave him comfort. It is truth and he recognized it as such.

When we finished he said, Sing some more. We sang Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found was blind but now I see. George began to rest in those truths and the difference in his countenance and agitation was profound. It was amazing and it was divine.

I should tell you that I was telling one of my accountability partners about this and he asked, Are you sure he wasn’t pressing the pain button BECAUSE you were singing. And how do you know he wasn’t? Everybody needs a friend who doubles as a comedian.

George was still in a lot of pain but here is what I want you to know. George said he was ready to go. He was at peace and you can’t fake that or pretend in that situation. I’ve had the privilege of being with many people as they are near death. You either are ready or you are not and he was ready.

I shared this because the family asked me to share it. I think they thought it might bless you to know where he was at mentally and spiritually as he struggled mightily with his uncooperative body. I think George would want you to know, this faith in God—it is real. It can bring you comfort and hope in your darkest hour. And I think he would want you to take heart in what gave him peace, and that is that our right standing with God isn’t based on our own righteousness—if it was we would all fail that test. It is based on faith. Faith is living in the in-between of not knowing everything but knowing the One who does and that is Jesus.

I think George knew going into the hospital that the scriptures taught we are saved by grace through faith but he proved he believed it when his life was on the line. I think he would want you to know that because you never know when you will face your own crucible. The only thing we know for certain is that you will. And when you do remember this story. Jesus will be there and He will walk with you through your valley of the shadow.

Over time I've come to see that competition is good in many areas for example it may keep costs down, at least that is what capitalism teaches in theory. Competition can make a team better because players have to bring their A game. I think it can keep us sharp because winning isn't necessarily a bad thing but there are many problems with competition too. It can become a temptation to pride. It can sour relationships. It can obscure greater goals and cause us to lose focus of what is truly most important at the moment. I could go on. 

There is a story in the Bible, Matthew 25, about ten virgins who took oil with them to wait for the bridegroom to come. The tradition was that if you were there waiting with your lamp lighted you could go into the party. 

The bridegroom came later than expected and five of the virgins brought extra oil. Five of the virgins didn't have extra oil so they had to leave to retrieve more. They made a quick trip to 7/11 and while they were en route the bridegroom came. As a result they missed the party.

Jesus seized the opportunity to talk about being ready. We have to be ready and stay ready even if Jesus, the Bridegroom, delays His coming. In other words, we don't know when Jesus will return so we should live like it could happen today but be prepared if He delays and we live a long full life and die a natural death. 

I won't argue with the point Jesus made. That would be foolish. But I do wonder why did they have to compete? I bet if they would have pooled their oil they could have all enjoyed the party together. Would it have put them all at risk? Probably, but wouldn't the party be more fun with all ten friends? You might be thinking I don't understand women, that wouldn't have ever happened. You might be right. 

But what if the virgins represented the church? I think too often the way we go about church is in a competitive manner. Instead of sharing we act like we are afraid we won't have enough if we share so we are willing to let others miss out. When we first planted Indian Creek there were other churches in town who wouldn't let us use their facilities even if we offered to pay because we were the competition. I vowed if we, Indian Creek Community Church, could help others we would and we've tried to live up to that. 

Let's let this scripture remind us to be ready but let's let it also stand as a sad commentary on how in sharing everyone wins. In competition only one (or a limited few) can win. I'm repenting of my competitive nature--when it comes to the Church!

Someone suggested perhaps our prayers got double credit today. I laughed even though I thought, I don't really think it was a big sacrifice compared to what many go through every day. A benefit to traveling a lot is seeing the gracious selfless service by Christ followers who face persecution, or live in third world countries, or who live on little so they can a lot away and I could go on. 

I felt a little sad in my spirit that praying for an hour in the rain represented sacrifice for us as westerners. We are called here so let's thank God for what we have and serve joyfully. Every situation is different. What can remain constant is the call to go anywhere, say anything, do whatever God wants, be what He wants us to be and if the answer is--I want you to serve in Olathe, KS and pray in the rain let's do it with great, great gratitude and thanksgiving in our hearts. Let's do it with all our might. Let's believe Him for great things. Let's treat this calling like it is the most important calling in the world--because to us it is, rain or shine.

Someone suggested perhaps our prayers got double credit today. I laughed even though I thought, I don't really think it was a big sacrifice compared to what many go through every day. A benefit to traveling a lot is seeing the gracious selfless service by Christ followers who face persecution, or live in third world countries, or who live on little so they can a lot away and I could go on. 

I felt a little sad in my spirit that praying for an hour in the rain represented sacrifice for us as westerners. We are called here so let's thank God for what we have and serve joyfully. Every situation is different. What can remain constant is the call to go anywhere, say anything, do whatever God wants, be what He wants us to be and if the answer is--I want you to serve in Olathe, KS and pray in the rain let's do it with great, great gratitude and thanksgiving in our hearts. Let's do it with all our might. Let's believe Him for great things. Let's treat this calling like it is the most important calling in the world--because to us it is, rain or shine.

Whenever we gather like this, there are some things we know and some that we don’t. We know George’s life was shorter than we would have wished. We know we will miss him dearly. We know that there will be a space in our lives only he can fill. We know these things.

We don’t know why he didn’t die from cancer 26 years ago when he had his first bout with it but we sure are glad for the extra time. We don’t know why he passed now when the doctors thought he might have the chance to live another couple of weeks or months. But we are glad he doesn’t have to suffer any more. We know George is at peace because he prayed to go if the pain was going to remain at the excruciating level where it was.

A big part of our acceptance of life itself is the ability to live in the tension of what we know and what we don’t know. Somehow we must wrestle with the reality that we don’t have all the answers to some very important questions in life. But we do know enough to live life with strength and courage and George showed us that. George found peace in God even in the most difficult moments of life and death.

This is where faith comes in. We don’t have to know it all if we know the One who does. We don’t have to know what tomorrow holds if we know who holds tomorrow. We can live with unanswered questions if we have faith that God knows best, He is looking out for our best interests and He loves us. George had faith—no, he didn’t wear it on his sleeve or boast about it. In fact you could say, he had it, he lost it and he chose it again when it mattered most.

Today we are going to tell some stories about his life. We will probably laugh. We will probably shed a tear, maybe many. But while we are living in this in between time of knowing and not knowing let’s choose to live with faith.

George’s favorite portion of scripture was Psalm 23. I had the privilege to read it to him when he was in the excruciating pain I referenced earlier and it gave him peace. I want to read it to you today and pray that it brings you the same peace it brought George. If you know this Psalm and you want to say it with me feel free:

Psalm 23
A psalm of David.

TheLordis my shepherd;
I shall not want.

2He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

3He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.

6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;

And I will dwell[a]in the house of theLord
Forever.

I endured the last words of the song, and when the service was over, I looked for a place to get away. It was cold outside, so I went downstairs. Then I saw it—a restroom. It was a one-holer with a lock on the door, but that would have to do. I went inside and stood there not knowing what to do next.

Feeling foolish and embarrassed, I wondered what was happening inside me. In a moment of clarity, it occurred to me that I was running from a feeling; maybe even running from God. If it was God Who was pursuing me, I had to ask myself why I was running. It would be futile to try to get away from Him. At the same time, I was feeling inner conviction I would carry it with me wherever I went. I didn’t know what I was afraid of. I did know that I needed help. I wasn’t satisfied with life as I knew it, so why not invite Jesus to forgive me and lead me. 

I used the toilet like an altar I knelt on the floor using the toilet like an altar. I know it sounds silly, and I admit it felt a little bit awkward. Suddenly, I realized this was important, supremely urgent, and I wanted to symbolize the sincerity in my heart by kneeling. I didn’t know how to pray, so I just said what was on my heart.

I asked Jesus to forgive me for my sin. I asked Him to come into my heart and lead my life. When I said Amen I had a great sense of peace come over me. I felt clean on the inside and out. I knew in that moment I found what my heart desired. 

You can find what I found. Open your heart to God and tell Him what you want and need. Invite Him to forgive you and to lead you. Accept His grace and forgiveness. You’ll never regret it, and one day you’ll look back on that moment and know it was the best choice you ever made. Stop traveling through life backwards.

Prayer:  Jesus take the lead. Forgive me for going my own way (the Bible calls that sin). Turn me around and reorient me to live life like You designed it to be lived. I realize the life I’m living isn’t enough. Fill me with Your strength and love. I choose to follow. Live in me and through me so I can become all You want me to be. Give me Your love for others. I accept your mission. Help me live a life that is SENT. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, I'd love to hear from you so I could celebrate with you and encourage you with resources for the next steps.

Sometimes you need a change of perspective to hear what God is saying. Here two guys met Jesus on the road to Emmaus after the resurrection. He walked with them but they didn’t recognize Him. He asked them a question and they replied, You must be the only one in Jerusalem who doesn’t know about these things. That must have seemed ironic when they thought about it later. They thought they were going to enlighten the stranger but they were in line for the surprise of their lives.

Jesus, in resurrected form, walked with them but was hidden to them. He explained the scriptures from Moses through the prophets. They had observed the events but they didn’t understand what was truly happening and how it fulfilled prophecy. As they listened to the scriptures their hearts began to burn. It started to make sense. They put the pieces together and the more they learned the more they wanted to learn.

When they got to where they were going it appeared that Jesus was going to keep on walking but they implored Him to stay and eat so they could continue the conversation. In the process of breaking bread Jesus revealed Himself to them. They were so excited they did a U-turn on their journey and returned to Jerusalem that same night. They had to tell the others the life-giving news that Jesus was the risen Messiah! Can you imagine? They were some of the first to see the risen Savior!

How long has it been since your heart burned within you as you discussed the scriptures? The burn began because they were willing to talk about their faith with a stranger. It is amazing what can happen when you give God a chance to show up in your conversation. Remember when you bring the word of God up in a conversation it is a living word. If you give God a chance it is an opportunity to watch truth reveal itself. It can change the perspective of everyone in the conversation. When is the last time this happened for you? Has it been too long?

Why is it that we pray for opportunities to share Christ with others and then talk about things like the weather, traffic and everything but the scriptures? The Bible promises God’s word never returns void but it accomplishes God’s purpose so why don’t we talk more about it? When we do it is powerful and life changing for us and our circle of friends just like it was for these disciples.
Will you commit to study God’s Word not just for yourself but also for those with whom you will cross paths? When you get into conversations will you bring up God’s word? Will you invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you and through you?
If you do you might just feel your heart burning with new passion and insight. You might experience the Holy Spirit giving you new insight even as you talk. And you might find yourself breathless later as you tell your friends about how Jesus showed up in the conversation.

Lord, meet us today as we study the scriptures. Make them come alive in us and give us the courage to share them with others. Show up in those conversations and make the truth burn with us. Thank you.

What I do know is that our team, with our in country partners, served a under resourced elementary school to provide physicals, eye and hearing exams, dental screening and AIDS awareness teaching. The school graciously allowed teaching about character and morals. The doctors and nurses visited hospitals, clinics and home bound patients to teach, diagnosis and provide whatever healing they could which often included prayer. More is accomplished than I can tell but please know that these medical missions are a light in the darkness and bring hope and healing. 

Just imagine if you didn't have modern medicine or the witness of faith that you do. Too often we think because we have something in abundance everyone does. Nothing could be further from the truth. A better way to think about things like this that what you consider normal is what many in the world consider once in a lifetime. Next time you are praying for something you want but don't have--remember that and give thanks and if a prayer of repentance for selfishness is in order follow your conscious.

I've learned so much from traveling to other countries. One of the things our partners teach me continually is the value of a thankful heart. I'm thankful for you and your prayers. Our team is returning safe, healthy and full of the joy of serving and you helped make it happen. Thank you.

“My precious”. He would say it in a way that sounded like what it meant.

He craved the ring for all that it could give him--and that was precisely why it was dangerous for him to have the ring. Without it, he was left to crave for something he couldn’t have. He worshipped the ring but not for the right reason. And the misguided affection was his eventual destruction.

Even if you haven’t seen the movie perhaps you can figure out where I’m going with this analogy. The ring represents divine power. When we crave the divine for our own purposes it has the potential to destroy us. For that power released to an individual who is selfishly motivated is dangerous and destructive. Craving the power for the sake of personal gain leads to misguided decision making and inevitably self destruction. 

There is another character in the story named Froto. He is the hero and was deemed worthy to carry the ring because he didn’t desire it personally. Froto simply wanted to do his job. He pledged to deliver it safely to the appropriate destination no matter what difficulty he endured. That decision was fraught with tremendous challenge, difficulty and personal lose but he was true to his word.

Worship is something that is not easily understood. Like Gollum, we are tempted to worship the benefits of the power God gives. We see people every day choose something that becomes so “precious” that the quest of it consumes them and eventually destroys their soul. We too are tempted to pursue the gifts from God for our own benefit. In the process we can worship the outcomes and overlook the Giver.

One way this misguided approach reveals itself is when we don't get what we want from God. If we pray and we are disappointed with God and even choose not to listen or follow because He didn't do things the way we want we tip our hand that our motive is personal gain. We want God to serve us and when He doesn't we pledge our allegiance to another lesser god to attempt to get what we want. In reality we are trying to be our own god and we want the real God to be our servant. 

I believe this is one reason why God doesn't give us everything we want. When we can wait, trust, surrender and let go we demonstrate He is Lord--and that is true worship.

Jesus called the devil an accuser of the brothers and sisters in Rev 12:10 and by the way the last half of that verse says he will be cast down one day. I'm for that! Jesus also calls him a liar and the father of lies in John 8:44. Lying is his native language. Our accuser loves to jump on us when we are down physically, emotionally or spiritually. He knows that those three are very closely intertwined. If he can make progress against us in one it often spreads like a virus to the others.

The last two weeks I struggled with my self-worth and with my ability to do my job well (losing your voice is an occupational hazard if you are a minister). You can see the progression. What started physically began to affect me emotionally and then spiritually. I wanted to put a big "L" on my forehead for Loser. I couldn't pull out of it physically and then I became discouraged. I felt like I was failing and then I wondered, did I do something wrong.

Questions began to fill my mind. Did I get outside of God's will? Why isn't God answering my prayers? How much am I making this up? Am I just lazy? Have I lost my passion? Maybe God's given up on me. The doubts seemed to multiple daily. I found myself in a downward spiral.

I admit that for a couple of days I pouted that I was going through this AGAIN. I had virtually the same cold earlier this year for about a month. In fact, one of the ironies was that the lats time I went to Orlando I had the same version of cold during the Healthy Growing Churches network meeting. I couldn't talk during some of those important meetings. It really messed with my ability to socialize--and you know that is important to me! Now I was headed back to Orlando, this time for the Exponential Conference and I was fighting the same cold again. That would be embarrassing and frustrating.

Things began to turn when I took the control of how I was thinking. I realized the mental battle that I was in and determined not to listen to the accuser. I prayed through everything that was a concern to me. I surrendered everything I could even imagine might be a problem. I determined that I was going to have a Christ-like attitude no matter how I felt. I chose to remind myself, I will live for the glory of Jesus. No matter what anyone says or doesn't say I refuse to take on any negative emotion. Sometimes teasing can really mess with you when you are down. I said to myself, I am going to relax into the care of my Father. I will believe He is healing me in His own good time. I shamelessly asked for prayers but not for pity. I didn't try to attract any attention to my condition but I prayed to live in such a way that the plan of God could flow through me. If He wanted to heal me then great. If He chose to let me live with this then great.

I had to be vigilant with what I allowed myself to think. I found great compassion for those who regularly struggle with sickness or weakness. I need to be more sensitive to those. I quoted scripture and sang prayer songs (in my mind because I had no voice). Sometimes I croaked out prayers, scriptures or songs with little or no voice as a declaration of truth. And little by little healing came. It was very gradual but internally I celebrated every step. Then eventually there was one breakthrough and then another until I could speak, felt stronger and coughed less and less.

I share this because I'm more aware than ever that many struggle with this daily and all of us struggle with it occasionally. The scriptures call these our light and momentary trials. I realize that sometimes we have chronic pain and that all of us will one day die so there won't always be a I got better ending. The principals I shared here are true and they will serve us well no matter what lies we hear from the accuser. There is a battle to be won and we need to be vigilant and diligent so God can bless us and use us. It is also how we give Him glory.

Everyone was into it except the lady in front of me. She evidently was in the middle of a video game on her iPad mini when the worship started and there was no way she was quitting in the middle of the game. She remained seated so I could see all kinds of explosions and colors and screen changes. She was into it and oblivious to what was happening around her. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. How could she sit there in the middle of passionate worship to the King of Kings and be immersed in the world of Donkey Kong or whatever it was (I realize I’m dating myself. I have no idea what new game it was and it doesn’t matter). What a poor choice to trade something that doesn’t last—you eventually lose for something that never ends and you win in the end.

The more I thought about it the more I began to see that she isn’t really any different than me. At times I sit in the middle of this world and play whatever game happens to be happening while the Lord of the universe waits to meet with me. My choice may not seem as obvious at the time but it is just as real. It’s just a different game. Sure I may not have 5,000 people passionately singing around me but I know what it is to worship and sometimes I miss out.

At first I felt surprise and I quickly judged her. Then I backed off and just felt sad for her. Now I think about her act and thank God He convicted me.

Sure enough when I got up on Tuesday I didn't have any voice. I was supposed to lead a HGC gathering that evening and I didn't want to give that up. I began to pray and shamelessly asked everyone to pray with me. When I got on the plane in Orlando I had an experience I've never had before. I sat back in my seat to relax and I couldn't breathe.  My larynx had become so swollen air wasn't able to get from my trachea to my lungs. I tried harder but it didn't make a difference. In fact that sent a wave of panic through my body. I changed my position enough to get air. It felt like I was drinking through a straw. I felt like my body was crawling and I could feel my blood pressure rise. I started sweating and wanted to take off my shirt as if that would help!

I wondered if I should go to the flight attendant and tell her what was happening. We were preparing for takeoff.  At that point I knew that some of this was mental and emotional but I wasn't sure how much. I got into a position where I could get some air and began to pray. I prayed for healing. I prayed for strength. Then I began to quote Psalm 23 phrase by phrase. Each time I spoke a phrase I would breathe in and hold it for five seconds or so. I wanted to slow down my heart. I prayed the Psalm slowly and deliberately. By the third time through my breathing rhythm was natural. I could breath just enough air not to panic. The Spirit was speaking to me through the Psalm and bringing me comfort. 

I've never experienced anything like that. I wondered if I was having an asthma attack. I have a friend who died from one so that had my full attention. I thought, they are probably prepared to handle something like this on the plane but that didn't help very much. Everything in me wanted to run for fresh air as if that would help. I felt claustrophobic. But here is the point--God was there. I was not alone. My Creator held me in His hand. His words were clearly spoken over me and they brought truth to my racing mind. His Word brought peace to my soul even when my lungs were out of breath.

I remembered again just how powerful, present and loving He is. His Word is our comfort and refuge. This is a good prompting to memorize more scripture. You never know when you will need it. I experienced a miracle of the power of truth over panic and comfort over affliction. Oh, and by the way, my voice improved little by little throughout the day. I had all the voice I needed to lead the meeting. I sounded like a boy going through puberty but a big dose of humility and a reminder of my dependence on Him is never a bad thing. 

To those of you who prayed for me yesterday. Thank you. God may have used your prayer to save my life or even to enable the gathering to go well. Thanks again. Gary

There are five churches using the discipleship material and I'm getting good feedback. I praise God for that. I truly felt compelled to write so it is rewarding to see God take truth and stories and use them for good in others lives. 

Recently I've received requests to supply the book to several other ministries. I was invited to share them with MACU students (Mid-America Christian University). President John Fozard said he would be happy to give them to the student body which numbers 2,500. Last wee two more ministries asked if I could donate books.  The Church of God wants to give them as a gift to those who wrote for the Focus Forty devotional series. That would be 100 books. And Indian Creek would like to give the books to guests and those who are beginning on the path of spiritual formation.

I find it interesting that in each case I was asked to donate the books. I'd like to do that but presently I cannot.  Like many artists and authors it can be years to repay the initial investment and I'm not there yet. So I'm not sure what to do put pray for God's provision. Will you pray with me? This is not a request for funds. It is a request to pray specifically. I believe prayer leads us to God's plan and I appreciate your prayers.

I'm thrilled that the book is starting to be used and valued. This feels like step one. Step two would be that people pay full price so we must be somewhere between one and two. If, or when, some do then I hope to have margin to donate because the whole reason I wrote was for it to be used. Thanks for praying with me. You can find out more about the book at www.livingsent.net/store

Thank you for your prayers,

Gary

There are five churches using the discipleship material and I'm getting good feedback. I praise God for that. I truly felt compelled to write so it is rewarding to see God take truth and stories and use them for good in others lives. 

Recently I've received requests to supply the book to several other ministries. I was invited to share them with MACU students (Mid-America Christian University). President John Fozard said he would be happy to give them to the student body which numbers 2,500. Last wee two more ministries asked if I could donate books.  The Church of God wants to give them as a gift to those who wrote for the Focus Forty devotional series. That would be 100 books. And Indian Creek would like to give the books to guests and those who are beginning on the path of spiritual formation.

I find it interesting that in each case I was asked to donate the books. I'd like to do that but presently I cannot.  Like many artists and authors it can be years to repay the initial investment and I'm not there yet. So I'm not sure what to do put pray for God's provision. Will you pray with me? This is not a request for funds. It is a request to pray specifically. I believe prayer leads us to God's plan and I appreciate your prayers.

I'm thrilled that the book is starting to be used and valued. This feels like step one. Step two would be that people pay full price so we must be somewhere between one and two. If, or when, some do then I hope to have margin to donate because the whole reason I wrote was for it to be used. Thanks for praying with me. You can find out more about the book at www.livingsent.net/store

Thank you for your prayers,

Gary