cross cultural opps

I am leaving in a couple of hours to speak at another Anniversary Celebration for a church, this time up in Port. St. Lucie, Florida. This church is comprised primarily of Jamaican believers. The pastor is a good friend, Michael Higgins.

I am enjoying these opportunities to interact with and speak to cross-cultural faith families. It is an honor for me, considering they could invite whomever they wish. I am praying that what I have to share will be of some benefit to them as they celebrate this milestone.

I am also praying that God extends our opportunities locally for cross-cultural work. At a childrens' event at Maranatha today, several Hispanic kids and parents came from the neighborhood. This reflects a recent change in makeup of our community. We have been hoping for several years that we could open up ministry to this segment of our culture. This recent activity causes me to want to gear it up!

Let's be the family of God!

the temptation to mimic

While I am dealing with the subject of influence, both positive and negative, I am reminded of our tendency to emulate those we respect. This may not be a harmful thing, but in an extreme form, it can be dangerous.

I plan to use this statement on Sunday:
You don’t become a disciple by emulating one of the disciples. You become a disciple by emulating Christ.

When we hear about or are exposed to a very successful individual, we wish to be like them. This is true with spiritual examples as well.

There are some Bible verses that may throw us. In 1 Corinthians 4:16, Paul writes, "Therefore I urge you to imitate me." (TNIV) And in 1 Corinthians 11:1 "You must follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." (CEV) Sounds as though Paul is encouraging what I am discouraging. I don't think so. I think a more concise way of making this statement may be, "I am trying hard to be like Christ, I want you to try just as hard as I do to be like Him."

I have been in conversations with individuals who have read about incredible people of God. Their lives were full of awesome experiences with God - God used them to to do miracles. These folks who were reading their stories got the idea that, if they could simply copy the behaviors and lifestyles of these spiritual heroes, they too could do the miracles. And it didn't work out that way. I think the mistake was trying to be like the other person, rather than trying to find out what God wanted for them as an individual.

This happens in churches all the time. A successful church gets some press for doing great ministry. A successful pastor writes a book on how to build a growing church. Other pastors read it or hear about and set out to duplicate it in his location. And it does not work.

We are individuals. We are called by God to do something unique for Him. Rather than trying to produce a carbon copy of another person or church or ministry, we should be ourselves, be exactly what God made us to be.

Getting inspiration from others is great. We need teachers and coaches and mentors. But we need to have as our primary influence, Jesus Christ.

If you want to emulate someone, make it Jesus. And that is precisely the problem - other people are much easier to copy than He is!

influence

I am working late tonight on my message for Sunday. We are in the middle of our series called Life Swap and I am sharing about the transformation that takes place in our lives when we follow Christ. Sunday's big idea is basically that those who wish to be like Christ have to hang around Him enough to be influenced by Him.

I am reading a lot about how the disciples were influenced by Jesus and even how they impacted one another. And I am wondering how I am impacted by others and how I impact them. I have some really great friends who build me up, encourage me, keep me focused and let me know when I am messing up. I believe that I have more positive influencers in my life than negative. This helps keep me on the right side of things. This is the power of relationships.

The wrong relationships can work against us. We must maintain friendships with people who do not know Christ. But we cannot be be spiritually influenced by them. We must dialogue with them, hear their issues, do our best to relate to them, but we cannot allow them to steer us in a direction other than Godward.

Honestly, most people fall on one side or the other. Either they know only Christ-followers or they know only people who are lost from God. Either extreme is not good, we need balance.

Time for an assessment:
Are you a positive spiritual influence on your friends?
Are you more influenced by people who pull you toward God or by those who pull you away from God?
Are you in relationships that 1) require you to reach out spiritually and 2) encourage you to grow spiritually?
How is the balancing act going?

If you can, come to one of the services this Sunday and be challenged to grow in your relationship with Christ.

a quiet voice

I Kings 19:11-12 Then he was told, "Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by." A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn't to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn't in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn't in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper. (MSG)

God's voice is not always a whisper but it sure it nice when it is. It is for me today.

what’s in a name?

On Sunday, I am preaching about how God changes lives. I am sharing about Paul’s life-changing experience with God, how his name change (from Saul to Paul) symbolized that he was a new man. When Saul met Jesus, he got more than a new name; he was completely transformed into a new person. The verse that he wrote and that I am using to describe this process is found in II Corinthians 5:17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

We need that kind of fresh beginning. Believe me, Saul was a complete mess and he was in desperate need of transformation. God gave it to him. He changed him from the inside out. I hope you will be at/were at church to hear the message. If not, I hope you can check out the message on our website later this week. I think the concepts I share will help you or someone you care about.

I have been changed by Jesus and I am in the process of being changed. God is still working out some of the kinks in my life. Thank God I am not what I was. I am not yet what I will be, but there is hope.

I wish I could also have a name change. My mother named me Wendell. That’s right, Wendell Richard Whitter. As you would imagine, I had more than one fight as a kid when someone made fun of my name. When I was born, my 10 year old brother had enough sense to refuse to call me Wendell, so he referred to me as “Rick”. And it stuck – thank God. Until I was about 5 years old, I thought my name was “Window”. Wendell is such a nerdy name. By the way, I am not at all concerned about offending anyone else who has that name because no one else in the entire world is stuck with it! If they are, they are keeping it quiet. When I hear the name “Wendell”, I picture some twerpy, coke-bottle eye glass wearing geek, wearing plaid shorts, tube socks and a turtle-neck sweater in the summer. He spends his days collecting postage stamps reading old comic books. His voice always cracks and he never brushes his teeth. I wish, when I met Christ, he would have said, “What a stupid name, what was your mother thinking? Let’s try something else.”

If I could choose my name, it would probably be something cool like “Sergio”. Can’t you see it? Long flowing black hair, broad shoulders, dark skin, steely black eyes… or maybe “Antoine” – sophisticated, cultured, and wise in the ways of the world. Or maybe the name “Thor”. Nobody messes with a guy named “Thor”! Or even the Greek name Aristotelis, you have to be a genius with that moniker. But no, I got “Wendell”. Thanks mom.

I guess the important thing is, no matter how goofy my name is, God is changing me. I am thankful for that. Wouldn’t it be cool if, when I get to heaven, God opens His Book of Life and reads out loud for all of creation to hear, “Rick Whitter” or “Thor Whitter” or “Siegfried Whitter” or anything but “Wendell Whitter”… but then He turns to me and invites me in… I guess it won’t matter at that point!

momuments of vision

I am the guest speaker tonight at a church that will be celebrating 20 years of successful ministry. Pastor Eustace Douglas started the Joy of Living Church in 1989. Their congregation is made up primarily of Jamaicans and it is an awesome church family. It should be fun!

I am talking tonight about how, upon crossing the Jordan River, Joshua directed the leaders to select 12 stones from the river to place on the other side as a reminder of all they had been through (Joshua 4). He said that one day, the children coming behind them would ask, "What do these stones mean?". The stones were to be a memorial to all that God had done for them, up to that point. But the purpose of the stones was not just to point back to history. It was also to encourage this new generation that, if God had been faithful to their parents, He would be faithful to them. They were not just a history lesson, they were also a vision lesson.

We have to be sure to provide balance for those who are coming behind us. It is necessary to be able to look back in celebration and look forward in anticipation. Respect for the past, excitement for the future.

What are the "monuments of vision" in your life? These are the things that remind you of all that God has done in your life, and all that you expect Him to do for others. You are going to need them. More important, those who will follow you will need them.

a life verse

It may seem a bit futile to attempt to narrow down the Bible to one verse that summarizes one's life. Why would I even try? I think that the concept of a "life verse" is not so much about summary as much as it is about encapsulating. I have known many people who have used a particular verse to encourage, inspire and direct them. I have done the same for quite some time.

Actually, I have a few verses that I keep returning to. One of my favorites has always been Philippians 1:6 "...he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." This verse reminds me that God is not finished with me yet, that He has a plan for my life and, as I am faithful to Him, He will accomplish what He wants in me.

Another verse I have held on to is 1 Samuel 13:14 "...the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart..." A straight-forward reminder of my priorities and what God wants from me.

The verse that has inspired and directed me in the ministry more than any other is Psalms 78:72 "And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them." I pray that I can fulfill this verse in my work for God.

So I guess technically I have a few "life verses". Having a "life verse" has been a helpful idea for me. It is like an anchor for my life. I would suggest the same for you.

So what verse nails it for you? Is there a particular passage that describes your heart, your passion? Have you narrowed it down? If not, read the Scriptures cover to cover until something grabs you!

Later this week, I plan to write about my favorite Bible characters.

an especially good staff meeting

That may sound like an impossibility to you, but it is true.

Today was a very encouraging staff meeting for me. It wasn't that anything all that awesome took place (although Kathy gave an incredible book report). It was more the sense of togetherness, the light-hearted laughter and the personality chemistry that made the meeting special. After our hour and half together and a nice lunch after that, I was left with some of these feelings:

More optimism for the future
More energy to pursue the vision.
Greater sense of well being for the church.
Grateful heart for the team.
Amazement at the skill level of such a young staff.
Desire to dig deeper, fight harder and work smarter.

Thanks Than, Megan, Spencer, Kathy, Norm, J, Rebecca, and Letha! I love working with you guys!

it's working!

Today I saw life change happening right before my eyes. If you know anything about Maranatha, you know how passionate we are about seeing people turn around. It is our focus; it is what God has called us to do.

Without getting specific, (out of respect for issues of confidentiality) I witnessed some very cool transitions in more than one life. The stories are bouncing around. Some families that had all-but-given-up are trying again and finding that God is on their side. Some pretty hopeless situations are pivoting. People are surrendering their lives.

I have to say, while this is not all about me, it comes at a crucial time. For the past several months, I have been very concerned about what appeared to be little lasting impact of the ministry. We were plugging along and being faithful, but there was little observable results. It seemed like nothing was happening. Our leadership team prayed about it and discussed it. We strategized. I was discouraged about it. And now it seems that God is coming through. Maybe this stuff was happening all along and we were just not hearing about it. Either way, it is awesome to see so much progress.

It is working. The vision is being fulfilled. God is doing it. And I am glad. Now to get more momentum going...

hoping for some new listeners

Tomorrow I will be sharing a message about how Christ gives new life to whoever comes to Him. I have pushed pretty hard with the people who are connected with our church family the idea of including people who normally wouldn't come to a church service. We'll see if it worked.

Here's the situation: I don't like the idea of serving a meal to someone who has already been eating too much. When there are hungry people, it seems a little selfish to keep gorging ourselves. The message on Sunday will be geared toward people who have not heard or have not yet accepted the message that we can trade in our old life for a new one. Life Swap is a basic message of what a relationship with Jesus Christ is all about.

Don't get me wrong, I will preach the message that God gave me, no matter who is there. But I really hope to not be trying to describe renewal and hope only to people who have been walking with Christ for 40 years. A simplistic comparison would be trying to describe an awesome steak dinner to a guy who eats steak every day. Yawn!

I suppose it is possible that someone could be sitting at the table every meal for many years and have never taken a bite. In all likelihood, there are some church members who don't have a personal relationship with Christ, at least there isn't much evidence in some lives of that relationship. So I think it is best if I just deliver what's on my heart and let God sort out who needs to respond.

If someone gets tired of eating steak all the time, maybe they will share it with someone who is hungry.

life and death

I have had several conversations this week with a variety of people on the topic of transparency and accountability. While these people are not connected, the subject was singular - we need to be in relationships that keep us on track.

Today, I have been processing these talks this way: connection brings life. When we are close enough to people that they know how we are doing - really doing - we grow. Involvement in the lives of one another is one of the things that gives us life.

Isolation kills. Those of us who are not connected in meaningful and in-depth relationships are headed for trouble.

You have to be intentional on this. Most of us are too involved in our responsibilities to fall into these kinds of friendships. We have to go out of our way, we have to seek it out.

So, share and live.

a long life

I am going this afternoon to conduct the funeral of a 94 year old man. I asked him a few weeks ago, "Mike, who is the first US President that you remember?" He said, "Warren G. Harding." Harding was President from 1921 -1923! This puts some things in perspective for me. Mike lived 94 years, an incredibly long life on this earth. But 94 years compared to eternity in heaven with God ... a blink of the eye.

Mike is in heaven, I have no doubt, having a great time today.

would Jesus protest?

We received word on Friday that the County Parks and Recreation Department will no longer allow us to conduct worship services at the park, where we have been enjoying our Sunrise Beach Service for several years. Each Sunday morning at 7AM, dozens of people gather to sing, pray and share the Word of God. Because of some scheduling problems, we have to relocate our service or meet later in the day. Later in the day does not work for me because of our worship service schedule at the main campus. Our option seems to be to find another place where we can worship.

What Would Jesus Do?
Protest?
Picket the Parks and Rec Department?
Call the local news reporter?
Boycott the County parks?
Threaten a lawsuit?
I doubt it.

I am hoping that we can assume a position of "turning the other cheek". We wish to be at peace with our County leaders. We want to work with them, along-side them to bring positive change to our community. We want to model a Christ-like attitude as we face this situation.

We are looking for alternative places of worship.

I have to say, this minor inconvenience has caused me to wonder what it is like to have government oppression against our religious practices. How would it feel if worship were made illegal? How would underground worship happen in our community? What do our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in oppressed conditions experience daily?

Pray for the persecuted church around the world.

Is this the first step to the government taking away our freedom of religion and rights to worship? Possibly. Are we going to get in a panic about it? No. I would rather spend my time ministering to people than fighting with community leaders.

Besides, we have been breaking the rules all along. The park is clearly posted: "Park opens at dawn and closes at dusk." We are there way before dawn on most Sundays.

Say a prayer with me about perspective. We need to see these things the way Christ does.

I am expecting growth to come from this. I think this challenge may result in something positive. Honestly, I can't wait to see what God does with this one!

Life Swap

2 Corinthians 5:17 “…anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (New Living Translation)

Most people are too skeptical to believe in a new beginning. Fresh beginnings are only for sports teams at the start of a new season. I think that: 1) past failures and, 2) the myriad of "friends" who surround us to let us know that optimism is for dummies is enough to squash right out of us any shred of hope for positive.

But God has different ideas.

Next Sunday at Maranatha, we will jump into the concept of New Life in Christ. Life Swap will be a four-step "walk through" of how God brings real transformation to our lives. Week one will zero in on how Jesus offers a new beginning to anyone who asks. Each week we will will build on a biblical theme of redemption and renewal.

I am asking that all friends of Maranatha make the investment of time necessary in order to bring a friend to next week's service. That may mean a phone call, it could mean an email. It may even mean an invite to lunch after church. Do whatever it takes short of kidnapping! I will be presenting a very simple plan of salvation. The kind that old church members may find simplistic but seekers find as life-giving. (a word to our old church members - we love you but this one is not about you! It is about Jesus and those who are lost from Him!)

If you would like to receive an e-invite that you can pass along to someone, email lwhitter@maranathachurch.org.

Life Swap - don't miss it!

laying it on the line

Tomorrow, I plan to put the vision that is in my heart out there for everyone who cares to listen. This doesn't feel risky to me, it is exhilarating. I am not too concerned about whether people like it or not. I do hope that there is "buy in", but I know what God has said to me about His kingdom work in my sphere of responsibility and I am fired up to share it. I won't be defensive, I won't be insensitive. I will be straightforward.

If you are coming to Maranatha tomorrow, please come with an open heart. If you aren't coming, good luck with the translation to audio or video - it just isn't the same!

Grace to you!

big plans

We are making plans for a life-changing missions trip. During Thanksgiving week, my family, along with most anyone else who is qualified, will travel to Guatemala to help some very needy children. There are two major events for this trip. 1) We will feed, minister to and provide shoes for 200 very poor children in Rio Bravo, Guatemala. These children are literally starving without outside assistance. Most of them are barefoot which contributes to various health issues. 2) We will cook and serve a traditional North American Thanksgiving meal to the orphans who live at Casa Shalom.

If you are interested, there is a lot of info about the trip on our church website.

The sign up deadline is October 4.

If you can't go, you can send.

Please watch the video in the post below.

Animoto.com

needy kids

A compelling and powerful way to share the love of God with needy children:
http://thehansonsinguatemala.blogspot.com/

a passion

I am getting geared up again for some outreach/missions stuff. I was checking out a website today that has some incredible quotes from well known missions leaders. Take a look here.

Be watching for some of these great quotes and, more importantly, some details of some upcoming missions events we are pushing.

Here is one quote that killed me:

"Today Christians spend more money on dog food than missions."
Leonard Ravenhill

twitter

I'm on twitter, if you are interested.

twitter.com @rickwhitter