I Love, I serve

Friday, April 30, 2010

READ

1 John 3:17. But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

REFLECT

How much do you love God? What you do next makes the difference.

Saturday is Beautiful Day. I hope to see you at the ROC at 8:00am. Sunday is Summit Sunday we are praying that at least 100 people from our church will join together for two days of great teaching. We believe this is the start of an annual event that you want to make part of every summer. Its like DNow for adults. We think it can change your life and the future of our church. If you can please sign up before Sunday by gong to our website. We already have 69 people registered and your participation can encourage others to join the experience. Lets get the ball rolling.

PRAY

A prayer of St Anselm

Lord Jesus Christ; Let me seek you by desiring you,
and let me desire you by seeking you;
let me find you by loving you,
and love you in finding you.

I confess, Lord, with thanksgiving,
that you have made me in your image,
so that I can remember you, think of you, and love you.

But that image is so worn and blotted out by faults,
and darkened by the smoke of sin,
that it cannot do that for which it was made,
unless you renew and refashion it.

Lord, I am not trying to make my way to your height,
for my understanding is in no way equal to that,
but I do desire to understand a little of your truth
which my heart already believes and loves.

I do not seek to understand so that I can believe,
but I believe so that I may understand;
and what is more,
I believe that unless I do believe, I shall not understand.

Source: The Oxford Book of Prayer, George Appleton (gen. ed.), 1985, 2002.

Consequences of not serving

Thursday, April 28, 2010

Its short, but very troubling. Read this and think about it all day.

READ

Ezek. 16:49ff. “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it.”

REFLECT

Really? I thought that Sodom was destroyed for something else. Was this the real cause?

PRAY

God, search my life. God show me my real life.

God wants to bless you

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

READ
Prov. 22:9 He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.

Jer. 22:16 “Did not your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; then it was well. Is that not what it means to know Me?” declares the LORD.

Deut. 15:10. You shall give generously to [your poor brother], and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.

Prov. 19:17. He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed.

Jer. 7:5-7. “For, if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.”

Is. 58:10. “And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.”

Luke 14:12-14. “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Luke 12:44. “Sell your possessions and give alms; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Mt. 19:20ff. The young man said to Him, “All these commands I have kept; what am I still lacking?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

PRAY

Ask God to grow our hearts for service so he can bless us more.

Really, I mean it. Help people.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Saturday at 8:00 am we will meet at the ROC and spread out for Beautiful Day. We are counting on you to accomplish all the work. Why not invite someone to come serve with us?

READ
Deut. 15:7. If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of the towns of the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.

Deut. 26:12. When you have finished paying the complete tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and the widow, that they may eat in your towns, and be satisfied.

Lev. 19:19ff. Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.

Prov. 31:8ff. [Commandment to kings.] Open your mouth for the dumb, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.

Is. 58:66ff. Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Jer. 22:3. Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

Luke 12:33. “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys.”

Luke 3:11. And [John the Baptist] would answer and say to them, “Let the man with two tunics share with him who has none, and let him who has food do likewise.”

Mt. 5:42. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

PRAY.

Make me a servant.

The Effect of Helping

Monday, April 26, 2010

Next Sunday we will listen to the story of Kiva (see article at the bottom of the page) and we will listen to some great stories of our own people. All week we will listen to scripture. Between the stories I pray we will find ourselves. Next Sunday is Summit Sunday, If you have not registered for the Global Leadership Summit, then I ask that you go to our website and review the information.  We are honored to be hosting the event and believe that if we can have 100 of our people at the event, that it could help take our church to the next level.

READ

Deut. 26:5-9. The Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, and imposed hard labor on us. Then we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders; and He has brought us to… this land flowing with milk and honey. Luke 4:16-21. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read… “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He appointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD… Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Ps. 140:12. I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the poor.

Is. 25:4. For You have been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress.

Ps. 10:14. The unfortunate commits himself to You; You have been the helper of the orphan… O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear to vindicate the orphan and the oppressed.

Is 41:17. The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them Myself, as the God of Israel I will not forsake them.

Luke 6:20-21. Blessed are you who are poor, for yours in the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

James 2:5. Did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

PRAY

Ask God for wisdom this week. We are asking God to inspire our church to deeper levels of service to people in need. What if 100% of our people were engaged in some service to the poor, how much could we do?

In a poor Kenyan neighborhood, Samuel Muregi Wanjiku can buy more maize meal for his retailing operation today, thanks to a senior-class project at Wheaton Academy in Wheaton, Ill.

During the 2009 spring semester, a student leadership group organized a “Badminton for Kenya” tournament and other fundraisers. They netted over $14,000 for loans to Wanjiku and dozens of other African entrepreneurs.

The Christian school donated the funds through OptINnow, a micro-lending site started last year by Opportunity International (OI). The Christian non-profit specializes in small loans (average for first-time borrowers: $181) to business owners in 28 nations.

OptINnow’s existence demonstrates the “Kiva effect”—the impact created by Kiva.org, the four-year-old, Internet-based lender.

Kiva, established in 2005, has democratized microfinance with credit-card-fueled donations of $25 to $200. The San Francisco-based organization popularized the concept of peer-to-peer loans by posting stories of entrepreneurs, a high-tech version of child sponsorship first used by Save the Children.

Founded by Jessica Jackley and Matt Flannery, Kiva took off after a 2007 endorsement from former President Bill Clinton on Oprah. By the end of 2009, Kiva expects to have loaned a total of $110 million through field partners in 49 countries.

Though Kiva is not a Christian-based organization, Flannery said his faith and childhood experiences of service had a major impact on his desire to start the project. Flannery and Jackley met at the 2000 National Prayer Breakfast and coordinated their first loans through a pastor in Uganda. (Jackley now sits on OI’s board of directors.)

Not only did Kiva stimulate OptINnow but also a site recently launched by World Vision. A month after its September 9 debut, worldvisionmicro.org had raised $10,000 with no promotion, said Tim Sawer, executive director of channel recruitment.

“Most microfinance [previously] took place on the macro level,” Sawer said. “What [Kiva] did with connecting people with entrepreneurs was amazing.”

Opportunity International marketing vice president Ruth-Anne Renaud said Kiva “has served as a springboard for increasing awareness and engagement.”

OI, which has a loan portfolio of $800 million, hasn’t released any figures for OptINnow’s first year of fundraising.

Kiva, with a loan portfolio of $24 million, uses a number of ministries as partners. World Relief’s Cambodian arm raised nearly $3.5 million over 41 months through the site, said Gareth Evans, director of economic development. That represents nearly eight percent of World Relief’s $45 million in outstanding loans.

“They’re definitely not a threat,” Evans said. “This is one of the most exciting ways we can engage with the church and bring in funds for microfinance. It complements our work.”

Hope International president Peter Greer compares Kiva to Expedia and Travelocity. Just as the popular travel sites book seats for airlines, Kiva helps direct funds to microfinance institutions, he said.

“They’re the connector, not the implementer,” said Greer, whose book on microfinance (The Poor Will Be Glad, Zondervan) released in November. “They’ve introduced a wide audience to microfinance and raised funds that we receive for no percent interest and repay as the loans become due.”

Kiva has attracted attention outside the religious community, too. Its corporate supporters include such names as Google and YouTube, while affinity groups range from atheists to gays to Masons. In mid-October, the atheist “team” became the first to pass the $1 million mark in loan funding.

“We weren’t seeking different lending teams,” said Kiva public relations director Fiona Ramsey. “We have a very open platform where people feel welcome to participate.”

Kiva’s influence extends beyond microfinance. Compassion International program director Bill Keen said one of Kiva’s advancements is linking like-minded groups via social networking sites. Compassion, known for child sponsorships in 25 countries, is testing that principle with a site that will enable child sponsors to form similar networks. In addition, the ministry may start posting stories of projects its 5,000-plus church partners are involved in.

“It would be for specific activities, such as a church that needs a playground or a water well,” Keen said. “We’ll make that visible and there can be a grant given toward that.”

However, he added that direct linkages can have a down side, such as opening the door to requests from the recipient for additional loans or other aid.

Kiva also received criticism recently from David Roodman, a fellow with the Center for Global Development, for its common practice of funding loans before investors send any money. That isn’t unusual, though; Opportunity International does the same thing.

Russell Mask, a microenterprise researcher at Georgia’s Covenant College, said institutions lose the confidence of existing borrowers if they wait on outside funds to arrive. And failure to process loans speedily will result in defaults, he said.

Mask, who once worked in microfinance in East Africa, said Kiva has established systems of accountability, ratings, and assessment for its loan partners that could affect Christian microfinance groups. And its site enables Christians to determine partners’ faith background as they make investment decisions.

“Most people that are Kiva lenders won’t look at that,” said Mask, “but I guarantee you I do, and people who know finance do.”

Trying to stay out of trouble

We pulled the car slowly to the side of the road. We had been looking for the goslings because we had been told they were at the lake by the hospital. They were sitting too close to the road (in my estimation) and I rolled my window down and told the mother goose that I thought she was irresponsible and should move the group to the other side of the water, away from the traffic.

The mother goose looked at me. She craned her neck (or goosed her neck since she was a goose and not a crane). I waited. She did not move. I clicked at her. She shook her head at me and finally stood up.

The goslings rose up in mass and moved toward the waters edge. I slide up my window and pulled away from the curb happy that I had influenced her to move to a safer location. I pulled to a stop ready to merge onto highway 19. I gave the group a quick glance in my mirror. They had all sat back down. They had not moved.

I accelerated and drove back to the church. I’m worried about the goslings. They don’t know about cars. They don’t know about curbs and it’s a steep learning curve. They can’t afford to learn this lesson by experience.

My warning was ignored. I guess I don’t speak goose.

The Bible is full of God’s advice. There are lots of warnings. Sometimes we get up and make all the indications that we are ready for change, but before we know it, we are sitting right back in the trouble zone.

Are you resting on the wrong side of safety? Are you sitting too close to trouble? Are you listening to God’s words or do you think He is talking a different language?

Next time you sense God telling you something, write down the message. Post it on your fridge, put it in your wallet, share it with a friend. Don’t rest until you get to a safer place.

I’m worried about the goslings because they didn’t seem to have good leadership. I’m worried about us because we don’t listen to our leader.

Trying to goose you,

The power of a Functional Group

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Discuss with your small group some of the implications of the “Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni. Its a long talk, so start quickly to have some time to process.

1. How can we increase the trust in our group?

2. How can you show weakness in an appropriate manner?

3. How can we have deeper more significant conversations?

4. Where does conflict best happen?

5. How could we deepen our commitment to our group?

6. In what ways could we hold each other more accountable to our group? How do we avoid a legalistic spirit?

7. Suggest some ways to develop peer to peer accountability.

8. How can we tell if our group is getting better?

9. What would “improvement” look like for your group?

What a group

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Make plans to be at your small group this Sunday night. Talk about Beautiful Day (Next Saturday, May 1), Summit Sunday, May 2, and the Global Leadership Summit August 5-6.

The most famous small group.

Click here for a higher resolution image

READ

Luke 6:12–16 (TNIV)

12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

REFELCT

What made this group great? What made it weak?

How would you like your group to be more like the disciples? Less like the disciples?

PRAY

God, our goal is for all of us to become one in heart and mind—

Just as you, Father, Son, Spirit are one.

Help us to be one heart and mind with you.

We pray that the world might believe that you, in fact,

sent Jesus by seeing our love for each other.

Let us be mature in our one-ness,

And give the godless world evidence

That you’ve sent Jesus and loved them.

A prayer adapted from John 17:20–23 (The Message)

What is the Point?

Friday, April 23, 2010

The Five Dysfunctions of the Team # Five: Inattention to results.

I can’t wait until Sunday night. I loved this talk when I heard it in 2003. It made me a fan of Lencioni. I think it will help our groups get better.

READ

2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Ro 12:2

When Group Comes Last