The Church

PRAYER FOR HOPE: 30 Days, 30 Faces

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THE POWER OF PRAYER IS NOT IN THOSE WHO PRAY, BUT IN THE GOD WHO ANSWERS THEIR DEEPEST CRIES. At Hope Unlimited for Children we have seen God display His power in response to earnest prayer over and over again. Doors that would have remained closed have been opened. Hearts hardened beyond belief have changed. Children’s lives have transformed—and today their own children experience the benefit of our long-ago prayers. Next month we will begin 30 Days of Prayer for Hope. On each of the 30 days leading up to Orphan Sunday (November 8), Hope supporters will receive an email …

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A relevant church does not . . .

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This post originally published here on June 2, 2014. When I see followers of Christ disengage from the church, I start to worry. About them, yes, but more about the church. That is especially true when I hear them say they find the church largely irrelevant to what God is doing in their lives and in the world. Irrelevant. A really, really important word. I have to confess that I have not worked out all it means to be relevant, but I think I know it when I see it. I also know what it is not, and it seems …

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Lessons from an absent father

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Indulge me a bit here if you don’t mind, and perhaps we will stumble across an insight along the way. Dad would have turned 100 on September 2nd—tomorrow. I wish he were here to mark his centennial with his family, but instead he’s been an absent father — gone almost a quarter of a century, a victim of a physical heart not nearly as strong as his true heart. But perhaps in his absence, there has been some room made for growth of those he left behind. Dad was a typical small-town Baptist pastor, passionate about his faith, but not …

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Beyond the walls

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Watched an old Tony Randall movie over the weekend. Paul Douglas, playing farmer Pop Larkin, responded to his wife’s caution about a neighbor, Oh, he’s all right of a fellow.  He just hasn’t has learned that ‘Do unto others’ part yet. Probably true of a lot of us—and of a lot of our churches. We do a good job of looking like church and followers on Sunday morning, but how do we make sure it spills over into our week? How does worship become a lifestyle of following Christ? That can be a problem. Can we truly seek God for …

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The church (small “c” intentional) and “The Dones” (Part 2)

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Last week I introduced you to The Dones.  Good committed followers of Christ who have decided that the institutional church is largely irrelevant to what God is doing in the world and in their lives. So they walk away, not from engagement, but from their local church. They direct their lives, giving, and service elsewhere. I have been there, and I get it. I am not one who believes all ministry has to be done through a local community of faith. We are the Church, and the local manifestation of the community of followers does not have a particular hold …

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Why are “The Dones” done? (Part 1)

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About once a week or so, someone sends me an article about folks who are dropping out of church. I usually read them because this is a topic of real interest to me. I have a number of close friends who have, for the most part, walked away from church. Done with it. These friends are scattered across the U.S., know each other only as my friends, but the common traits are pretty remarkable. They have all become empty-nesters in the last few years; they are all successful; they all lead very busy lives. Any one of them would tell …

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A Busload of Hope

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I like the way this story ends. The buses at our City of Youth are absolutely indispensable. They ferry our staff from their homes to the campus, they pick up children from nearby favelas, and they carry our kids to the many off-campus activities—outings to museums and ballgames,  Saturday evening services at our graduate church, and monthly birthday celebrations at the mall. Without them, all of the extras that make our programs work are gone. A few months ago…  a devastating loss. We had sold both of our older buses, and with the help of a great donation from Princeton …

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Shapers

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A bit of a more personal note today if you don’t mind . . . Several years ago, I began to reflect on the people who had impacted my life. Some distantly… A friend from high school who was a star football player from a wealthy family (by our small-town standards) who took time to be friendly with every person. Some a bit closer… A Sunday School teacher who made time to take a group of 11-year-old boys camping almost every Friday night, but then insisted that we stand and recite our assigned Bible verses every Sunday morning; to this …

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The Face of True Religion

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Reading Micah 6 this week.  Really glad he is a minor prophet.  I don’t think we would have been friends. . . . what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? I like the formalities of my religion, the stained glass, the order of service, the readings, the hymns. Especially the hymns. First growing up in the church of the south, and then living within her embrace as an adult, I find meaning in the rituals of southern churchhood, both deep and sometimes mundane. From Wednesday-night …

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When Dirty Faith Gets Too Close to Home

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I think God must have read my book. He’s letting dirty faith get far too close to home. It is very easy to practice dirty faith while safely ensconced 5,000 miles from the kids of Hope. They become numbers and good stories, not hurting children whose eyes hold pain, and whose hearts understand a side of the world I will never fully comprehend. It is a safe faith because the dirt under my fingernails gets washed away on the twelve-hour flight back home. It is not ever-present, ever-pressing. I like my dirty faith to be clean. But then there is …

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The House Rules: Five Essentials for Your Mission Trip

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It’s that time of year again. Yesterday our church commissioned the youth summer mission trip team. Nine teenagers, three adult leaders, headed to Atlanta for a few days of work. Good kids, good sponsors, and a really good project practicing dirty faith among the kind of people Jesus loved. They will join thousands of other churches on the ubiquitous Mission Trip that is standard summer fare for church youth groups throughout North America. If you’ve followed this blog for awhile, read Dirty Faith, or heard any of my radio interviews, you know I’m kind of on the fence about short-term …

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Grace – and cost – in unexpected places

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God’s tough to put in a box. And his grace, by definition, is free. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t costly. I preached at our home church a couple of weeks ago and commented that spiritual awakening rarely finds its genesis where we expect it. I had no idea how soon I would discover the verity of those words. So, to begin, a story . . . A few years ago my friend Cassidy introduced me to a couple of Amish families in northern Indiana. Over the years we became friends; I‘ve spent time in their homes, have enjoyed talking theology, …

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Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit 2015

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According to Christianity Today, the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) Summit has become the national hub for “the burgeoning Christian orphan care movement.” Last year’s conference drew 2,600 foster and adoptive parents, orphan advocates, pastors and leaders from 35 countries. On several occasions it has been my good fortune to attend, to lead topic-specific workshops, and to participate in panel discussions. And I’m looking forward to this year! CAFO Summit 2015 will take place in Nashville, Tennessee on April 30-May 1. While I realize the date is almost upon us, it’s not too late to make your plans to attend! And …

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We are the Pharisees

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Didn’t expect to meet God there . . . Over the past decade, I have had the chance to experience grace in some very unexpected places. In a remote village in Mexico, while holding the baby of a teenage prostitute in Brazil, on death row at Angola prison in Louisiana. These are places of darkness, but as I read the New Testament, it becomes more and more apparent that these are the places where Jesus walked. These are the people he loved. This is where we encounter grace. We are lovers of structure, of hierarchy, of people who understand their …

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The Hand on Our Shoulder: Investing in eternity

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Day 29:  30 Days of Prayer for Hope If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. (Isaiah 58:9-10) It’s tough work, this caring for kids the world has abandoned, exploited, and abused, but it is what we are called to do. And from the very birth of this ministry, hundreds of you have stood alongside us — investing in …

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Ripples

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Day 28:  30 Days of Prayer for Hope But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses. (Acts 1:8) Several years ago, a group of young Hope graduates formed their own church. A couple of years ago, we watched as a group of former street children—young women who had been trafficked as little girls and young men who had escaped cycles of drug abuse and poverty—were introduced as the church leadership team—the ministers of the fellowship. The really impressive thing is that this is a serving community, missional in the truest …

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On Mission

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Day 13:  30 Days of Prayer for Hope Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9) Every year, hundreds of visitors grace our campuses with their presence. They come from the local churches and communities, from the U.S. and Europe, and from all over the world. They come for one reason: to be on mission — sharing the love of Christ with the children of Hope. They leave changed, just as the children are changed. One of the realities of New Testament …

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Can you barter with a pinecone?

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My wife, Susan, writes a blog, too. She beat me to the punch on a post I was contemplating, so I asked for permission to share her thoughts on the topic here with you. She graciously agreed.  As written by Susan Nowell at My Place to Yours …   Well, can you? Barter with a pinecone?  I honestly don’t know. I’ve never tried. Have you? I’ve filled baskets with pinecones, used them in tablescapes, hung them from Christmas trees… I’ve even shown you how to clean them! I haven‘t ever tried to bleach them, but some of you have. In …

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Orphans, the Border Crisis, and the Echo of God’s Love: Part 3 of 3

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If you missed previous posts in this series:  Part 1 / Part 2   Ignoring a problem the world has dropped on our doorstep is not a Christian response. We can—and must—do better for these kids who are part of the “border crisis”, because that is what followers do. We become the hands, heart, and mind of Christ to these children. The immediate cost of caring for the children crossing our border is staggering. We spend $259 per day for each child in an immigration detention center. If we move them to foster care, that cost is $2,500 per month. …

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Church planting, orphans, and Kingdom investment

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We need to have a conversation. No final answers here, but at least a few questions that might make us pause before endorsing the prevailing orthodoxy. Let’s talk about church planting. Before we go too far, a bit of context that certainly shades my view. I live in a small, southern Appalachian town, population around 8,000. We have about 45 churches. That’s one church for every 177.7 citizens. If, on average, the churches have three staff members, we have one minister for every 60 or so folks in town. And, at the very least, $20 million is invested in our …

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Three Things That Don’t Happen At A Relevant Church

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(Stained Glass and Relevance, Part 2) When I see followers of Christ disengage from the church, I start to worry. About them, yes, but more about the church. That is especially true when I hear them say they find the church largely irrelevant to what God is doing in their lives and in the world. Irrelevant. A really, really important word. I have to confess that I have not worked out all it means to be relevant, but I think I know it when I see it. I also know what it is not, and it seems that is where …

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Stained Glass and Relevance

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This is not another post on the topic Why Millennials Are Leaving the Church. I may join that conversation at some point, but not today. Instead, I want to talk about three good friends of mine; all friends for a long time. All men in their fifties. They are serious followers – not just Believers but Followers of Christ. Daily study of Scripture, raising godly families, really living the Christ life. Very concerned about their impact in this world. Compassionate, generous. All very engaged in local churches since childhood. All have stopped attending church. When I read the millennials discussions, …

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