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| January 2005 |
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ALUMNUS GREETING:
A WORD FROM PEG PENNEY
These days I find myself blessed to wear many hats. Over the
past year I have delighted in being “Granny,” often caring for
and bonding with my grandchildren during their families’ home
assignments. I’ve also acted as a traveling companion to my
sons, Dan & David, as they’ve visited supporters. Each week I
wear my volunteer hat, Thursdays participating in a team that
does wheelchair transport and errands at the local hospital, and
Fridays making runs for Meals on Wheels. A steady stream of
welcome guests has kept my innkeeper hat near at hand, and my
poet’s hat is never far when inspiration hits. In everything, I
am grateful for the grace and goodness of my heavenly Father in
every arena of my life. - Peg Penney
IN OTHER WORDS
Gloryspeak
What common tongue will all men use
When on the heavenly shore?
What tongue of tongues will all men know,
To praise God evermore?
Perhaps it will take many tongues
To adequately praise;
A myriad of languages
To laud through endless days.
The called-out ones who gather yon
From every ethnic band
In wondrous song of Gloryspeak
Will fill God’s Gloryland.
Tens of ten thousands will be joined
To bless our Lord and King.
And even those are not enough
To proper tribute bring.
- Peg Penney
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DEVOTIONAL: A NEW YEAR - A NEW START
A number of years ago Microsoft’s advertising featured the
tag line, “Where do you want to go today?” It’s an
interesting question, particularly as we launch into a new year.
And it is a question far bigger than your software package.
I can imagine Jesus, some 20 centuries ago, posing a similar
question to the hearts and minds of the crowds, with an emphasis
on the personal choice it entails: “Where do YOU want to go
today?”
In Jesus’ day, not many people would have thought to even ask a
question like that; such a question presupposes a wide range of
choices—a spectrum of opportunities and possibilities. But those
who lived in His generation didn’t have many possibilities to
choose from. Most people lived passively, following the path
mapped out for them. They were trained to carry on the family
business. They lived in the same city as their parents and all
their ancestors before. Most had their spouses selected for
them. No, life was not full of choices.
When you think about the very few choices most people had in
those days, over against the number of choices we face every
day, life was really quite different. What I find keenly
interesting is that it was into that culture of narrow options
that Jesus came with a message of possibilities. I would imagine
that the folks in Jesus’ time might have had a tendency toward
close-mindedness, a little short on imagination. If we think
that our minds tend to be resistant to new things, you can
imagine with me what Jesus’ audience must have been like.
Nevertheless, it was into that culture that Jesus pressed a
message of new beginnings, of new starts. Can you imagine how
dangerous Jesus must have seemed to the elite group who ruled at
the top of society while the rest just followed without choice?
It was to this group of followers that Jesus said things like,
“Come to Me, you who are weary and burdened, for I am going to
give you rest.” On another day to another crowd He announced,
“I’ve come that you might have abundant life,” and again later,
“If you know the truth, the truth will make you free.” And yet
to another crowd He promised, “I will give you power and you
will do great works.”
Again and again, Jesus spoke of a dimension of life that his
audience had never been allowed to consider—that of possibility.
So, the question “Where do you want to go today?” is not unlike
the ideas Jesus brought to the crowds of His day. Given our
freedom, our mobility, and plethora of choices, what do you
think Jesus would say to our generation? I imagine His voice
would ring with excitement as proclaimed to us the same message:
that this is a time for new beginnings, for new starts; a time
to live forward in the power of the gospel and shed that which
needs to be left behind.
So, as we begin a new year, think about where you want to go
today, this year. Don’t settle for new software. Seek not just
the better things, but the best things.
Allow me to share two examples from my list so that you can see
the direction of my thoughts, and perhaps build your own list.
1) Where do I want to go this year in the quality of my personal
life and character? 2) Where do I want to go this year to
enlarge my spirit? A new year is the time for new starts!
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This month we asked Paul Jorgensen (former
missionary to Austria, now on special assignment with CBI in the
States) to write an article on reaching American church
audiences. Paul and Sharon are widely known for bringing
effective and engaging presentations to churches.
“When I looked in the bulletin and saw
we had a missionary today, I wished I’d stayed home…”
Those are the words a woman spoke to me following a
church presentation I gave recently. I’ve heard variations
of that refrain time and again as I’ve visited churches.
Here are some things we as missionaries can do to help make
visits in our supporting churches more effective and
appreciated than they sometimes are:
Bring your expertise: All of us have ministry skills
that we use in our field. Why not offer those same skills to
churches? I’ve seen missionaries conduct seminars on
prayer-walking, lead home Bible studies, promote True Love
Waits, and teach on evangelism in post-modern culture.
Missionaries have brought Austrian folk dance lessons,
basketball clinics, and training sessions for worship
leaders. If you have a skill (and we all do), it just may be
that the church you visit could benefit from it. Of course,
it’s important to give the pastor enough warning to allow
him to incorporate your expertise into their programs. I
usually send a letter to churches 3 months before I visit,
outlining the skills I have to share. I then call the pastor
a month beforehand to follow up.
Have fun: The most common complaint I hear about
missionaries is that they’re boring. Find ways to make
learning about your vision, your field, and your needs fun!
Play games and give away small prizes. We’ve played Who
Wants to Be a Millionaire, Family Feud, and
The Price is Right in attempts to teach people about
church planting in Austria. Give people case studies and let
them interact with the issues you face in your field. Tell
about silly mistakes you’ve made. If you can help people
have fun while they learn about your ministry, they will
remember more, pray more, and very possibly, give more.
Tell stories: Very few people care about statistics.
They want to hear stories. They want to hear what God is
doing in individual lives. They want to hear what kind of
difference you are going to make on a personal level. Talk
about successes and failures (just be careful not to whine –
Americans dislike whiners). People won’t remember numbers,
but they will remember stories.
Be direct and honest about needs: Tell people
objectively what kind of prayer, help, or financial support
you need. Don’t beat around the bush.
Pray for the church you are visiting: Ask God to use
you to give people in the church a fresh encounter with Him.
Ask Him to help you serve them as Jesus would. You may or
may not get financial support from the church you visit, but
you will be a part of building God’s Kingdom in that place.
“I wished I’d stayed home” was not the end of that woman’s
comment to me. She went on to say, “…but I am so glad
I came.” It’s my prayer for each one of us that as
we share our vision for overseas ministry in churches,
people in those churches will say “I am so glad I came,”
which will then be followed by “How can I help?”
Paul would be happy to dialogue with
you regarding any questions or ideas you might have on the
topic of church presentations. You can e-mail him at
paul.jorg@worldnet.att.net.
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Missional Church:
A Vision for the Sending of the
Church in North America
Darrell L Guder,
Editor 1998 Eermans Publishing Company, 280 pages
Reviewed by David Korb
This is not a new book, but it is a timely one. In Missional
Church, six noted missiologists—Lois Barrett, Inagrace
Dietterich, Darell Guder, George Hunsberger, Alan Roxburgh, and
Craig Van Gelder—come together to present to the reader a
picture of the missional church in North America, given our
country’s culture, history, and understanding of the gospel as
it relates to the church. The unique aspect of this book is that
each author contributed on a topic according to his own
expertise, and then each of the authors critiqued the others’
work, making additions and changes to the writings of the
primary researcher. The end result is a genuine collaboration.
I invite you to think through with me some of the implications
of what these authors propose. As an explanation of their
purpose, the authors state, "we ask ourselves here, What would
an understanding of the church (an ecclesiology) look like if it
were truly missional in design and definition?" In conclusion,
the authors declare,
"We have come to see that mission is not merely an
activity of the church. Rather, mission is the result of
God’s initiative, rooted in God’s purposes to restore and heal
creation. 'Mission' means 'sending,' and it is the central
biblical theme describing the purpose of God’s action in human
history. God’s mission began with the call of Israel to receive
God’s blessing in order to be a blessing to the nations. God’s
mission unfolded in the history of God’s people across the
centuries recorded in Scripture, and it reached its revelatory
climax in the incarnation of God’s work of salvation in Jesus,
crucified and resurrected." (emphasis added)
Additionally, the authors proclaim that as God is a missionary
God, the church is a "sent people." The crux of the book is
captured by this statement:
"It has taken us decades to realize that mission is not just
a program of the church. It defines the church as God’s sent
people. Either we are defined by mission, or we reduce the scope
of the gospel and the mandate of the church. Thus our challenge
today is to move from church with a mission to missional
church."
When I read these four sentences, they hit me like a brick. My
excitement was countered by my memory. I asked myself the
question, "As a pastor, did I see the mission of the church as
something relegated simply to a committee, or was it core to
everything else done in the church?" In other words, were we
missional or a church with a mission? I must confess, to my
dismay, that up to this point I have not had a very clear
understanding of the difference. The authors then pose the
question that must follow: "What would an understanding of the
church…look like if it were truly missional in design and
function?" And I would add, not only what would our
understanding look like, but what of our programs? Our actions?
Dann Spader, director of SonLife Ministries, stopped by my
office the other day. As we talked, I was reminded of the heart
of Growing a Healthy Church to position the church missionally
in this world. This is my dream. This is my passion. We must
come to terms with what it means to be missional; if we do not,
we as pastors will also lead churches with a mission.
I highly recommend this book to you. The authors will challenge
and encourage you to think again about what it means to be the
Church.
The Revolutionary Communicator by Jedd Medefind & Erik
Lokkesmoe 2004 Relevant Books, 165 pages
Reviewed by Suzanne Johnson
No one likes to be told, however gently, that their
interpersonal communication skills could use a makeover. I
recently found myself on the receiving end of just such a
comment, and my pride smarted with the implications of my
friend’s assessment. To my chagrin I admit that I spent most of
the immediate conversation trying—albeit feebly—to come to my
own defense. By the following afternoon the passage of time had
afforded me some perspective, and I was ready to admit my friend
was right. And in God’s providence, that’s when I picked up this
book.
It never ceases to amaze me that although a book will sit on my
shelf for weeks or even months before I find the time or feel
prompted to read it, invariably the message of the book is
precisely what I need to hear on the day that I crack the cover.
And so my lips curved into a knowing smile as I settled in to
read and found the first chapter entitled
“Attentiveness”—exactly what my friend had confronted me with
the night before.
Authored by two men with extensive backgrounds in public and
interpersonal communication, The Revolutionary Communicator
examines seven communication principles practiced by Jesus
during his ministry on earth—attentiveness, connection, asking
questions, authenticity, storytelling, solitude, and defining
success. The authors expose the commonly held assumptions for
communication in a media age and bring readers back to the truth
that transcends fashions and popular media channels. Among the
book’s strengths are clear writing, relevant illustrations,
biblical support, and intensely practical suggestions for
application.
A taste of what you will find in The Revolutionary
Communicator comes from the authors’ discussion of
authenticity (Chapter 4). Medefind and Lokkesmoe describe four
key decisions we can each make to communicate with authenticity
and build trust with our audience. These are: the decision to
prize truth-telling over image-making; the decision to build
character rather than manage impressions; the decision to offer
what you have rather than what you wish you could give; and the
decision to break free from expectations, clichés, and pat
answers when they distort reality. As is standard for this book,
these decisions for authentic communication are presented with
their root in Jesus’ communication, helpful examples, and even
personal anecdotes from the authors.
My friend’s comment, and consequently this book, have reminded
me that being transformed into the image of Christ means
reflecting Him in every way—including the way I communicate.
Whether you are acutely aware of a deficit in your communication
practices or are simply seeking to hone your skills, this book
will change the way you view yourself and interact with others.
I highly recommend this book.
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