Something special happens when people pray together. We decided that this summer we would have specific times set aside during the week to pray for the FHL Project. Since we believe prayer is essential in this task we were excited to be intentional about praying for the work ahead. What has surprised me (not sure why) is how encouraging these times have been for us as church planters and as a couple. People pray for things that have never even crossed our minds to pray about or dream about! Recently a person prayed that a Latino couple would befriend us, enabling the vision of our church plant to be lived out in our lives. This hadn’t even crossed my mind…I’m looking forward to God answering this request. We start our time together with a Psalm and end with our project text (II Corinthians 5:14-6:2) and I’m always amazed at how fast an hour goes by when God’s people join together in prayer. No wonder we are encouraged to “not give up meeting together … but [to continue] encouraging one another.” (Hebrews 10:25) Join us for some encouragement as we pray for the future of the FHL Project together.
06 July 2010
The Gift of Going
I've been thinking what a gift it is to GO. There's been a lot of going for us over the last few years, but lately Carmen and I decided to go to Young Life's Washington Family Ranch to meet some of the NE Salem Vida Joven kids and to support their leader Ronald Cruz. I had never seen the camp in action (with kids) and Carmen knew I would be impressed. I was. We were. It was a gift to us to see how the staff and facility were glorifying God in serving over ±700 (every week!). And that's not mentioning the gift of going those 700 kids receive.
We also saw and received the gift of going to a congregational meeting the other nite, in which those who were able or chose to attend shared their questions, hearts, and wisdom in a manner clearly blessed by the Holy Spirit.
Whether we go "into our inner room", to a friend's home, to a stranger's territory, for help, or into the unknown, we exercise faith as God's people and we fulfill our call to go as ambassadors of reconciliation.
Its not a law, but God often blesses our going. And many times the going is not easy. It would be easier to stay home, it would be easier to stay with people we are comfortable with, it would be easier not to bother.
Our experiences right now, in the early stages of church planting, require a lot of going. Our schedule of going continues to grow, and we're seeing a pattern of blessings, relationships, learning opportunities, fun and more as gifts of going. We are in an exciting and uncomfortable place, what Carmen calls "both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time." It's a time to trust in the Lord, asking What's next? What do we do? Where do we go?
Thank you for going with us on the FHL Project journey. Your going with us is a gift to us, and we hope a gift for you as well.
And...we hope you have a chance this week to go.
We also saw and received the gift of going to a congregational meeting the other nite, in which those who were able or chose to attend shared their questions, hearts, and wisdom in a manner clearly blessed by the Holy Spirit.
Whether we go "into our inner room", to a friend's home, to a stranger's territory, for help, or into the unknown, we exercise faith as God's people and we fulfill our call to go as ambassadors of reconciliation.
Its not a law, but God often blesses our going. And many times the going is not easy. It would be easier to stay home, it would be easier to stay with people we are comfortable with, it would be easier not to bother.
Our experiences right now, in the early stages of church planting, require a lot of going. Our schedule of going continues to grow, and we're seeing a pattern of blessings, relationships, learning opportunities, fun and more as gifts of going. We are in an exciting and uncomfortable place, what Carmen calls "both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time." It's a time to trust in the Lord, asking What's next? What do we do? Where do we go?
Thank you for going with us on the FHL Project journey. Your going with us is a gift to us, and we hope a gift for you as well.
And...we hope you have a chance this week to go.
17 June 2010
More Newness
We have added a few features to our blog. The "Past Issues" page shows our previous newsletters. The "Calendar" page allows you to see some of the things we are doing. These calendar events are great opportunities. You are welcome to join us during our times of prayer, either in person or in absentia. For events and meetings which are off the beaten path, we are honored by your prayers and thoughts. Thank You.
While we are still working on translating our existing pages into Spanish, the addition of the Translator tool on the right side of each page may help. Our apologies to those for whom Spanish is the natural way to communicate. We sincerely want to do better here. If you can help with the translation process, please let us know!
In the meantime, it is possible to get a rough translation on the new "Translate" page (on the green bar at the top of the page). You can click the link on that page and then paste the URL of the page you want to read into the box (try it, you'll see what we mean). The entire webpage will then be available in Spanish. There are some coding limitations on our blog site, and coupled with our own lack of skills not everything is as easy to do as we'd like. We'll keep working on it.
As always, we welcome comments and suggestions about what we are doing. Thank you!
While we are still working on translating our existing pages into Spanish, the addition of the Translator tool on the right side of each page may help. Our apologies to those for whom Spanish is the natural way to communicate. We sincerely want to do better here. If you can help with the translation process, please let us know!
In the meantime, it is possible to get a rough translation on the new "Translate" page (on the green bar at the top of the page). You can click the link on that page and then paste the URL of the page you want to read into the box (try it, you'll see what we mean). The entire webpage will then be available in Spanish. There are some coding limitations on our blog site, and coupled with our own lack of skills not everything is as easy to do as we'd like. We'll keep working on it.
As always, we welcome comments and suggestions about what we are doing. Thank you!
15 June 2010
See the past!
Its crazy I know, but you can actually SEE the PAST by clicking on our new "Past Issues" page link! The link is above on the green bar. You'll be able to SEE PAST issues of newsFEED and prayerFORCE. This is not a joke.
02 June 2010
Great Soup, Great Scoop!
We have been getting back into the swing of things after our time in Guatemala. One important opportunity we scheduled was to hold an Informational Forum at our host church, Trinity Covenant. Among other things, an important goal of this forum was to continue to inform our hosts about what we are doing and how we are going about it. This gives more and more people the chance to share the Vision in many important ways.
Carmen opened by reciting a poem called "So I Stay Near the Door". This poem has been a favorite of Carmen's for a long time, and is now one of mine. It expresses how important it is to continually seek those whom Christ is seeking. Sometimes we'd rather remain behind the closed doors of the church, but our vision as ambassadors of Christ is to connect with others and share the love of God (see our Project Text!). This was a great way to start, reminding us all that we are compelled by Christ's love to reconcile the world to God.
Our NPC Director of Church Planting (our coach) Kurt Carlson, gave a church planting overview. He shared about the ECC's goals and process for church planting, and explained how we came to be a part of that process. We are currently in an early "residency" phase; prior to our official church planting work. This is a time to do much of the groundwork which would be done by planters who have resided in their planting area for some time. Since we spent the last 4-5 years in Chicago, its a time for us to get reconnected.
From there we shared our Project Text, our Vision, and our Values, which you can read about here on our blog via the links on the right side of the page. We had some time for Q&A, which included great questions like: "Kurt, you say church planting is 'hard work,' just what do you mean by that?"
We were very encouraged. About 35 people attended, with some using our commitment cards to commit to prayer, giving, and sharing the Vision. There are a few who are considering taking the big step of being a part of our Core Team, as well. Very exciting!
Thank you so much to those who prayed for this event, to those who attended, and special thanks to Barb and Cindy for the delicious cheeseburger and minestrone soups!
If you have questions about the FHL Project, please contact us. We'd love to talk to you!
Carmen opened by reciting a poem called "So I Stay Near the Door". This poem has been a favorite of Carmen's for a long time, and is now one of mine. It expresses how important it is to continually seek those whom Christ is seeking. Sometimes we'd rather remain behind the closed doors of the church, but our vision as ambassadors of Christ is to connect with others and share the love of God (see our Project Text!). This was a great way to start, reminding us all that we are compelled by Christ's love to reconcile the world to God.
Our NPC Director of Church Planting (our coach) Kurt Carlson, gave a church planting overview. He shared about the ECC's goals and process for church planting, and explained how we came to be a part of that process. We are currently in an early "residency" phase; prior to our official church planting work. This is a time to do much of the groundwork which would be done by planters who have resided in their planting area for some time. Since we spent the last 4-5 years in Chicago, its a time for us to get reconnected.
From there we shared our Project Text, our Vision, and our Values, which you can read about here on our blog via the links on the right side of the page. We had some time for Q&A, which included great questions like: "Kurt, you say church planting is 'hard work,' just what do you mean by that?"
We were very encouraged. About 35 people attended, with some using our commitment cards to commit to prayer, giving, and sharing the Vision. There are a few who are considering taking the big step of being a part of our Core Team, as well. Very exciting!
Thank you so much to those who prayed for this event, to those who attended, and special thanks to Barb and Cindy for the delicious cheeseburger and minestrone soups!
If you have questions about the FHL Project, please contact us. We'd love to talk to you!
26 May 2010
The Promise of Provision
Tomorrow is our first official public meeting about our call and vision for starting a new church in Oregon. Many thoughts have gone through my mind, what if no one shows up, what if our vision isn't compelling? But my mind goes back a Church Planters' Training Center that Scott and I were at 18 months ago. In the process of discerning our call we were invited to come and see what church planting with the Covenant looked like.
The training ended with a concert of prayer. A very talented church planter lead us in corporate prayer and worship. It was a very powerful experience. In the middle I remember looking at the person leading us and thinking, what am I doing? I can't play an instrument, I can't sing, I could never lead this type of concert. And then very clearly and very distinctly I heard the Lord say, Carmen I will provide. I will provide all that you need to start this church. I will provide people who sing, who play instruments, who are gifted in ways you can't imagine. I will provide. You are responsible to use the gifts I've given you Carmen, nothing more and nothing less. I will provide the rest.
This is a promise I'm sure I will return to time and time again in the process of starting something new for the Kingdom of God. As I anticipate our gathering tomorrow I rest in the promise of God's abundant provision for his people, and I remember the clear voice that said, Carmen, I will provide.
07 May 2010
A Refreshing Pace
The pace of life in Antigua is refreshing and I can't help but compare it with the month I just finished or the one that awaits me when I get back home ... Maybe I'll just stay! I have no cell phone service and better yet my laptop stayed at home. When I want to check e-mail I slip into an internet cafe, pay $2 for an hour and leave it behind.
Life seems to be fairly simple, at least in the home of our host family. The accommodations are simple but sufficient. Their home has a small living area, kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom and patio. The simple side of life was confirmed a few nights ago as we played lotteria (Guatemalan Bingo) together for Saturday nights entertainment!
The parks are crowded with people, people talking to each other, people laughing with one another, families eating ice cream, young and old together. I don't notice people talking on their cell phones in the park, or texting their friends. People are interacting with each other face to face, side by side on the park bench.
The churches are close to the life of the park and their doors are always open. Every time I've stepped inside people are present. Today there was a procession celebrating Maria, mid-week, mid-day 100 plus people gathered for the procession.
The entrepreneurial spirit seems to drift through the air here. Most people sell something in the front of their homes and since you share a wall with a neighbor on both sides the chances are high that you'll talk to your neighbor during the day. Our host family sells cheese, yogurt, and cream. Every so often the bell rings and something is sold.
The pace on the sidewalk is slow an you'll notice that locals walk on the shady side of the street. Before and after school large groups of kids in uniforms crowd the streets. Horns are discouraged in town and the cobblestone streets tend to slow down traffic. Buses use the perimeter roads. Walking is the most common form of transportation, although Scott stops often too look at motorcycles parked on the street!
A slower pace reminds me that life can get too busy! I hope as I return to Oregon the pace of Guatemala not only lingers in my mind but impacts my daily routine.
Life seems to be fairly simple, at least in the home of our host family. The accommodations are simple but sufficient. Their home has a small living area, kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom and patio. The simple side of life was confirmed a few nights ago as we played lotteria (Guatemalan Bingo) together for Saturday nights entertainment!
The parks are crowded with people, people talking to each other, people laughing with one another, families eating ice cream, young and old together. I don't notice people talking on their cell phones in the park, or texting their friends. People are interacting with each other face to face, side by side on the park bench.
The churches are close to the life of the park and their doors are always open. Every time I've stepped inside people are present. Today there was a procession celebrating Maria, mid-week, mid-day 100 plus people gathered for the procession.
The entrepreneurial spirit seems to drift through the air here. Most people sell something in the front of their homes and since you share a wall with a neighbor on both sides the chances are high that you'll talk to your neighbor during the day. Our host family sells cheese, yogurt, and cream. Every so often the bell rings and something is sold.
The pace on the sidewalk is slow an you'll notice that locals walk on the shady side of the street. Before and after school large groups of kids in uniforms crowd the streets. Horns are discouraged in town and the cobblestone streets tend to slow down traffic. Buses use the perimeter roads. Walking is the most common form of transportation, although Scott stops often too look at motorcycles parked on the street!
A slower pace reminds me that life can get too busy! I hope as I return to Oregon the pace of Guatemala not only lingers in my mind but impacts my daily routine.
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