Thursday, November 26, 2009

Giving of Thanks

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV)

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!"
(Psalm 118:1 ESV)

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." (Colossians 3:15-16 ESV)

"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world." (Romans 1:8 ESV)

"Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples." (1 Chronicles 16:8 ESV)

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Philippians 4:6 ESV)

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name." (Psalm 100:4 ESV)

"Saying, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." (Revelation 7:12 ESV)

Today I am thankful that God created me with the capacity to worship and give thanks. I thank Him that through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and through regeneration by the Holy Spirit, I have the desire to do so. Thank you Father God for your love for me.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Several thoughts

Friday morning I had the privilege of meeting with a house church planter named Ross & our brother Robert, who graciously arranged the meeting. Along with a growing number of other people, Ross espouses the Luke 10 model of outreach. Of great encouragement for me to hear what God is doing in the midst of the saints with whom he is in fellowship.
Spent much of Saturday witnessing an outreach to the homeless in inner city Oakland. Several hundred people received a hefty Thanksgiving meal and choice of clothing and toiletries provided by brethren from a number of area churches. Someone from the local paper actually photographed and interviewed at this event. May Jesus receive the glory. This raises a question that has percolated in my heart for a while now. Why aren't HC folks doing some or more of this? We no longer tithe to purchase & maintain buildings or pay religious professionals. Even though we are few in numbers should we not have funds to minister to the poor- the primary purpose for giving as I read the NT?
Another thought that keeps returning: Both Jesus and Paul got kicked out of the churches of their day (synagogues) by the religious people who attended them. Would they fare any better today in our Christian churches? In our home churches? Who did Jesus hang out with? Tax collectors, sinners and prostitutes. Do we? I don't. I'm rethinking this. Jesus said He did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5:32)
Sunday evening enjoyed fellowship with the Millbrae saints. We ate "hot pot", an Asian specialty and discussed the love of God. Do we know/receive/experience God's love for us personally? How do we know He does? I suspect we need to delve further into this. Consider asking yourself these questions.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Dividends

Staying in one place for a season is paying dividends. I have the opportunity to encourage the men in the house. ( 9 at the moment) I have finally gotten inspired to finish the first draft of an evangelistic novel. I'm almost done now that I have completed 2 more chapters. I'm also getting the opportunity to develop relationships in the Bay Area. On Tuesday I had lunch with a retired gentleman named Robert, who has a local itinerant ministry encouraging a number of small home groups. He expressed an interest in doing a small scale men's retreat, such as a number of us have done over the years, with me. We had a good time of prayer and fellowship and he has already arranged a meeting with he, I, and a third brother for Friday.
Tuesday evening I met with the brothers in the Millbrae group, and our brother Neil, who leads a house church in the next town. We prayed and worshiped together. I proposed that on some of the Tuesday evenings we bring the men and the women together and do some extended teachings on topics of interest or need to them. I prefer this to lengthy teachings on Sunday since this tends to quench others' participation. One brother, Marcus, also proposed a retreat for the beginning of February, which all agreed too.
Thursday I had lunch with Neil, and had several hours of fellowship and prayer. I believe this brother to brother (in my case) building of trust and relationship over a period of time, of the utmost importance in fulfilling what God has for His people in this season. Also received a call from Matt, my partner in ministry, detailing a potential opportunity in Ohio, and a breakthrough in a problematic situation in Massachusetts. Prayer remains essential for us as believers. I'm looking forward to more opportunities this weekend.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Southern CA foray

Had the privilege of attending a meeting of house church leaders east of Los Angeles on Saturday morning. These saints represent three HC groups with multiple locations. I found it encouraging to witness charismatic and evangelical brethren getting along and complementing one another. They are planning their first joint gathering for the end of January, and are also constructing a website to foster communication and interaction. In contrast to many HC groups that have an inward focus, these groups work hard at various forms of outreach.
Also had the blessing of fellowship with Steve & Dorah, the latter the daughter of another itinerant couple mentioned in these pages named Ross & Trina. Steve and Dorah have a bright future in the Lord.
Five hundred miles later I made it back to the Bay Area in time for a gathering of the saints in Millbrae. Very good participation by the brethren, something not easily achieved. They have also given me some good contacts to follow up on. I have a luncheon scheduled with one regional itinerant brother tomorrow.
The (alleged) joys of California include the highest state sales tax in the nation, the highest gas prices of any of the nineteen states I have visited thus far, and punitive income taxes. Despite this, and the eighth largest economy in the world (if the state were a separate country), they are bankrupt. Cal does have a splendid coastline though.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Settling In

Have settled into my west coast base in the Bay Area for the winter. Have finally resumed writing, an evangelistic novel tentatively titled "Librarium." I hope to finish the first full draft soon. Am now residing in a Christian men's house with my friend Dale and a number of other guys. Dale is a warm hearted brother who grows steadily in the Lord.
Had the privilege of intersecting with a home church group near the airport led by an English brother named Neil, who with his wife Takako, have hosted this gathering for eight years. A humble man with whom we had the opportunity to counsel and pray together last night. I am struck by the fact that in two of the four primary passages in the NT on leadership/elders, the theme of humility is prominent. In Paul's address to the Ephesian elders on the beach in Miletus he begins by saying "serving the Lord with all humility," (Acts 20:19). 1 Peter 5 instructs everyone, including the elders, to clothe themselves with humility (v.5) & to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God (v.6)
I am hoping to receive other contacts to interact with. This weekend I head down to LA for a meeting with HC leaders & contacts with other saints. Thank you for your prayers.
Also completed a book by Brian Anderson titled "Overwhelmed by Grace," a clear, Scriptural presentation of God's work in salvation.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Too Many Miles

A special note to my daughter- You're beautiful and I love you

A special appeal to tech wizards. My fairly new laptop has developed a problem in which the cursor (the little white arrow thing) starts to bounce up and down uncontrollably. Any thoughts?

Since the first of September when I began traveling I have driven 8,440 miles including almost fifteen hundred in the past three days. I tire of this and am thankful for God's provision of a logistical and relational base in the San Francisco area for the next three months. He has given me a place to stay at a Christian men's house and a band of saints with whom I already enjoy trust and relationship.

One of the things I encounter on a regular basis are impoverished Christian visionaries of all ages who have extremely detailed plans and dreams but who don't, as the old expression goes, have two nickels to rub together. Does this represent the fulfillment of the Proverb (28:19) that says He who works his fields will have plenty of bread but he who pursues fantasies will have his share of poverty, or a failure on the part of God's people to give to His work? One must discern in each individual case; sometimes it's hard to tell.

Last Saturday I went to Sacramento and enjoyed the hospitality and fellowship of Brian and his family. He has a strong teaching gift. On Sunday we went to their home gathering where I encountered another phenomenon I have been seeing more of lately, that of people already related (in a natural family) meeting together. This has the advantage of building on existing trust and relationship. As long as they are willing to welcome in those not part of their natural family I think it reflects God's heart.

On Monday I made the trek to Eureka, Ca where I lived for three years in the '70s. I left in '78 and have visited one other time in the interim. (Jan. '96) I guess the old adage that you can't go home again applies here. Eureka has changed and now sports the same franchise retail and restaurant places that you find everywhere else in the country. I did enjoy a fruitful afternoon with Jim Jr., a brother who is exploring the depths of God's grace. Drove to Crescent City in the dark- not something I want to do much more of. On Tuesday drove another 400+ miles to Portland. Things did not work out as I anticipated (poor planning on my end) and so I drove 650 miles on Wednesday back to the Bay Area.