Doug Tensen is my supervisor at work. He recently asked me to think about writing out some goals for 2009. Instead of a list of actual goal statements, I turned in a page that was divided into three parts....VALUES.....PRACTICES....AREAS OF FOCUS.
Today, I'll share what are high missional values for me:
1. Service. Serving Christ in gratitude and serving others in love, joy, and hospitality.
2. Learning. On-going training and education about transformational development, urban challenges. Learning from people in the community. Evaluating frequently any processes we’re a part of. Continued learning from Scripture about God’s heart for justice. Continued learning about Jesus and what it means to follow him in order to better represent and reflect him.
3. Relationships. Building relationships and practicing presence.
4. Discernment. Individually and in community: praying and listening and discerning the work of God and the will of God.
5. Development. Next steps, strategic moves that help foster transformational development of self, others at OHC, and the community to which God is calling us.
Do we share common values? What are some of your core missional values as you go about reaching out? Would love to read some of your comments...it's been kinda sleepy on this blog. :)
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Yet again
God has a way of making sure He gets a message through to me. I had written in the last post about Him giving me Isaiah 30:15 this past week. Well, yesterday, I was at a Bible Study that was about joy-stealers (works of flesh, legalism, complication/complexity, reasoning, anger, and jealousy/covetousness). When the speaker got to "reasoning", she asked the question, "Do any of you ever try to figure everything out?" She went on to say that pondering something and being prayerful about it is one thing, but if we've crossed the line and start to feel confused, then we've left pondering and moved into worrying, frustration, and lack of trust.
These were good words for me to add to my Isaiah 30:15 assignment. I do try to figure things out and get frustrated if I can't. I often feel like I'm missing something, and that it is my fault that there's confusion and not clarity. Oh, how I love to play God! Good grief. This is a lesson God has to teach me yet again.
Trusting God. I don't need to figure things out. I need to trust in the one who creates and commands everything in His perfectly destined plan.
1 Corinthians 2:2...."For I have resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ."
John 15: 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." - Jesus
These were good words for me to add to my Isaiah 30:15 assignment. I do try to figure things out and get frustrated if I can't. I often feel like I'm missing something, and that it is my fault that there's confusion and not clarity. Oh, how I love to play God! Good grief. This is a lesson God has to teach me yet again.
Trusting God. I don't need to figure things out. I need to trust in the one who creates and commands everything in His perfectly destined plan.
1 Corinthians 2:2...."For I have resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ."
John 15: 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." - Jesus
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
unexpected answer
God has Isaiah 30:15 on my heart lately. "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it."
Last week I found myself frustrated and fitful. I was disappointed with myself, frustrated at God, questioning the move of the Spirit and the workings of the institutional church, and wanting God to do big work much faster than he's doing. I was begging him for answers and for a breakthrough, and what did he give me? Isaiah 30:15.
Strong and important words from God for me. Has God had a word for you recently?
Last week I found myself frustrated and fitful. I was disappointed with myself, frustrated at God, questioning the move of the Spirit and the workings of the institutional church, and wanting God to do big work much faster than he's doing. I was begging him for answers and for a breakthrough, and what did he give me? Isaiah 30:15.
Strong and important words from God for me. Has God had a word for you recently?
From Servant to Friend
We have a friend named Michelle living with us currently. She awaits sentencing on some charges of forgery, and spent some time this winter in the Black Hawk County Jail and at Pathways Drug Treatment. Last night, as I lay in bed with my daughter, Sara, to review the day and pray, she said, "Mom, if you didn't know Michelle had been in jail, you'd just think she's a friend and fun to be around." My daughter, through her experience of knowing Michelle, is going through the inner journey of challenging the culture's message that gets embedded in each of us....that people who go to jail are "bad people".
"Relationships are the critical factor for change." This is so true. I am grateful for Michelle..that we are growing in our relationship....learning from one another....accepting "coaching tips" from one another in the areas of our strengths, and appreciating one another's God-given personalities. In short, we're being blessed with friendship.
This is a powerful quote from Robert Lupton in his book Compassion, Justice, and the Christian Life:
“Perhaps beyond the revolutionary Christian mandate of service is the final revolution, the possibility of being friends. Friends are people who know each other, who care, respect, struggle, and are committed through time. Why friends rather than servants? Perhaps it is because Jesus knew that servants could always become lords but that friends could not. Professional servants may operate on assumption that ‘you will be better because I know better,’ but friends believe that ‘we will be better because we share in each others’ lives.’ Servants are people who know the mysteries that can control those to whom they give ‘help’. Friends, on the other hand, are free to give and receive help from each other."
"I no longer call you servants...instead, I have called you friends." - Jesus (John 15:15)
"Relationships are the critical factor for change." This is so true. I am grateful for Michelle..that we are growing in our relationship....learning from one another....accepting "coaching tips" from one another in the areas of our strengths, and appreciating one another's God-given personalities. In short, we're being blessed with friendship.
This is a powerful quote from Robert Lupton in his book Compassion, Justice, and the Christian Life:
“Perhaps beyond the revolutionary Christian mandate of service is the final revolution, the possibility of being friends. Friends are people who know each other, who care, respect, struggle, and are committed through time. Why friends rather than servants? Perhaps it is because Jesus knew that servants could always become lords but that friends could not. Professional servants may operate on assumption that ‘you will be better because I know better,’ but friends believe that ‘we will be better because we share in each others’ lives.’ Servants are people who know the mysteries that can control those to whom they give ‘help’. Friends, on the other hand, are free to give and receive help from each other."
"I no longer call you servants...instead, I have called you friends." - Jesus (John 15:15)
Monday, January 26, 2009
Latest with Molly
News from Australia. Molly Hagen is in Perth learning about health care for third world countries. She'll go back to Cambodia after her 6 months of class.
Class! We have started really getting in to Healthcare this week with a lovely teacher who is working in Bali, Indonesia, but she spent one year in Thailand working at an orphanage, so we had lots to talk about. We learned all about weighing babies, checking for malnutrition, nutrition in 3rd world countries, how to get people, especially children to eat the neccessary things. We also did a small bit on wound care, which is good to understand more about burns, cuts, broken bones. As this week's lectures went on, the wheels in my head went spining in a million directions thinking about how this would all work out in Cambodia. Where in the villages and neighborhoods could we get baby weighing stations, how we can educate moms and dads on essential things! After this week I feel I know many key things that will help children be healthy and grow in to healthy adults!
Prayer. As I continue with this training my desire is to get as much information as I can to serve people more in Cambodia. Please pray for God's heart for the poor and the suffering would continue to grow in me. That I would be able to pass on what I've seen to people and get others excited being committed to the nations. I also feel like God is saying this time in Australia is an important time of intamacy with God. I don't have many responsibilities here (which is hard sometimes) But I want to use this time to really love God and know more about him, to be filled with His heart and his power. Thanks for praying.
Class! We have started really getting in to Healthcare this week with a lovely teacher who is working in Bali, Indonesia, but she spent one year in Thailand working at an orphanage, so we had lots to talk about. We learned all about weighing babies, checking for malnutrition, nutrition in 3rd world countries, how to get people, especially children to eat the neccessary things. We also did a small bit on wound care, which is good to understand more about burns, cuts, broken bones. As this week's lectures went on, the wheels in my head went spining in a million directions thinking about how this would all work out in Cambodia. Where in the villages and neighborhoods could we get baby weighing stations, how we can educate moms and dads on essential things! After this week I feel I know many key things that will help children be healthy and grow in to healthy adults!
Prayer. As I continue with this training my desire is to get as much information as I can to serve people more in Cambodia. Please pray for God's heart for the poor and the suffering would continue to grow in me. That I would be able to pass on what I've seen to people and get others excited being committed to the nations. I also feel like God is saying this time in Australia is an important time of intamacy with God. I don't have many responsibilities here (which is hard sometimes) But I want to use this time to really love God and know more about him, to be filled with His heart and his power. Thanks for praying.
Friday, January 23, 2009
The spirit of recovery
I have a friend in recovery from a drug addiction. Over the past few years, I have come to learn about and love the process of recovery. I have come to better understand how each and every one of us is in recovery...that God is at work to recover us to our true identities in Him. Here's a recovery prayer that I especially like to pray.
God, I offer myself to you to build with me and do with me as you will. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do your will. Take away my difficulties that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of your power, your love, and your way of life. May I do your will always!
God, I offer myself to you to build with me and do with me as you will. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do your will. Take away my difficulties that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of your power, your love, and your way of life. May I do your will always!
Strategic Thinking
A quote from one of my leadership manuals: "Strategic thinking starts with reflection on the deepest nature of an undertaking and the central challenges it poses. Strategic thinking develops with understanding of focus and understanding of timing."
I know that this has been true for me as I think about missions in our community. For some time now, God has been causing me to reflect on the deepest nature of the undertaking. I used to think Christian Community Development meant “Christians developing the Cedar Valley”. I thought the word “community” meant location in the phrase. The more that I’ve spent time entering in and learning, the more I recognize it’s about God developing “Christian community”, as in friendship and life together in Christ. And the more that Christian community is deepened and developed, the more God changes the worldview and values of those involved in that community into His worldview and Kingdom values. It is difficult to fall in love with our brothers and sisters who might be suffering, oppressed, and under-resourced, and not be moved to more passionately join God in his pursuit of restoration and justice. It is in my relationship with God and others different than me, that I am challenged to confront what I give allegiance to in my life…admittedly things that often are in direct opposition to reconciliation or justice. Truly, when Christian community begins to develop (as in relationships), God begins to transform whole communities (as in locations). For me, God has been trying to help me unlearn “us/them” and move me toward a theology of “we”. This has been the deepest nature work, the alternate vision of His reality that He is trying to help me “get” ever so slowly but surely.
I know that this has been true for me as I think about missions in our community. For some time now, God has been causing me to reflect on the deepest nature of the undertaking. I used to think Christian Community Development meant “Christians developing the Cedar Valley”. I thought the word “community” meant location in the phrase. The more that I’ve spent time entering in and learning, the more I recognize it’s about God developing “Christian community”, as in friendship and life together in Christ. And the more that Christian community is deepened and developed, the more God changes the worldview and values of those involved in that community into His worldview and Kingdom values. It is difficult to fall in love with our brothers and sisters who might be suffering, oppressed, and under-resourced, and not be moved to more passionately join God in his pursuit of restoration and justice. It is in my relationship with God and others different than me, that I am challenged to confront what I give allegiance to in my life…admittedly things that often are in direct opposition to reconciliation or justice. Truly, when Christian community begins to develop (as in relationships), God begins to transform whole communities (as in locations). For me, God has been trying to help me unlearn “us/them” and move me toward a theology of “we”. This has been the deepest nature work, the alternate vision of His reality that He is trying to help me “get” ever so slowly but surely.
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