What's Right With The World

On November 24th & 25th the weekend after Thanksgiving Clovis Hills began the new series of "What’s Right with the World". Often times in our culture we find ourselves focusing on what's wrong in and with the world. Well, Clovis Hills wants to focus on the positive and speak about the good stuff God is doing! Thus, I was privileged to speak with Pastor Steve on Compassion: The Glory of God Revealed through Missions. Seeing and participating with God through acts of compassion such as missions and specifically most recent the "Miracles of Christmas". In fact, as a result over 900 people were ministered to in the name of Jesus through the people of Clovis Hills. Praise God!

Another aspect of the weekend was the honor of hosting the Children of the World. This is an amazing ministry of children from around the world who travel to open our eyes to the struggles of orphans from their homeland. Here are just a few video clips of the children in concert.

• In concert at Shadow Mountain Community Church http://worldhelp.net/videos/cotw_shadow_mtn_2007.wmv.
• Their visit to a Liberty University convocation service http://worldhelp.net/videos/cotw_lu_2007.wmv.
• Performing with Michael Tate at Crystal Cathedral http://www.worldhelp.net/MusicOutreach.aspx?pageid=37053.

The miracles have just started and will continue so, prayerfully seek out your next step on mission and experience the wonder of God!

Vacation...God's Gift

I try to blog every week...mostly on Sundays when I get a moment. Blogging does not come naturally to me however, I'm beginning to appreciate the value in sharing some of my thoughts.

Well, I did not write anything last week because I was on vacation! Woo, hoo! It was a great time of relaxing, regeneration and just plain catching up on stuff around the house. I'm so busy most days that I don't spend a lot of time shopping for personal stuff much less household stuff. Then there is the car maintenance stuff that usually has to be squeezed into my crazy schedule and I get more stressed by it all. So, I decided that this vacation was to be a low key experience and I ended up catching up on a lot of "maintenance" in my life.

My last vacation I ended spending a lot of time dealing with some of my dad's needs - he has Alzheimer's and is living in a facility for now. So, needless to say that one was not very restful...in fact, I couldn't wait to get back to work! Certainly, I'm still dealing with dad stuff but I intentionally decided to focus on some time for me amidst everything else. It worked! I did get some "me" time and returned to work this past week rested and renewed...God is good! I also was able to travel for the weekend to the Grand Canyon with my old friend that I've known since the 3rd grade...we go wwwwway back! It was a great time with an old friend exploring an incredible creation of God. Awesome!

If you have not had a vacation in a while...schedule one ASAP and let God be your "travel guide"!

Sweet Spot

What image comes to mind when you think of the phrase "sweet spot"? I know that in tennis there is a "sweet spot" on the racquet. In softball...the bat has a "sweet spot". As we do life...the term is used in reference to an experience that is "sweet"! All this talk of sweet is making me think of ice cream which of course, is SWEET! Anyway, I'm typing the word so much that I'm beginning to question the spelling! Have you ever done that?? Ok, enough distractions...back to the discussion...

Lately, I've been reflecting on my own "sweet spot" in ministry. It's been a challenging time as I juggle work, family, school and attempting to maintain a healthy personal & social life. On the family front, my dad has alzheimers and is now going to live with me, my mom, sister and niece...I have a house full! It's a very stressful time and one that I was not entirely prepared for but nonetheless have to deal with...when you think of it you can pray for me and my family. The school situation is a place where I am stimulated and energized...I love learning new stuff! I am pursuing a Master's degree in Intercultural Missions at the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary in Fresno...I'm now just 20 units towards completing my degree! My work is the full-time ministry that I get to do both in missions and singles.

This week I've been "knee deep" in serving through World Changers. So you can see...there is not much time for reflection. However, I've encountered my "sweet spot" in ministry this week. As I've been out and about visiting the 23 sites being worked on, interacting with the homewners, sharing a meal with the crews, hanging out with the students...I've "tasted" the "sweet fruit" of Jesus. It's been very cool. It's like a gift from God during a very stressful time in my life...it's like He is giving me a glimpse of heaven. Thus, I am reminded of all the missions projects & trips that I've been on...I always seem to get a glimpse of what heaven must be like...and it is "SWEET"!

My hope is that you also will experience the "sweet spot" of ministry in wherever you serve the Kingdom.

St. Patrick...The Missionary

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Did you know that St. Patrick was a missionary from Britain? Although he is often referred to as the "Irish Saint", he was neither Catholic nor Irish! I read a story a few years ago on the Urbana website that enlightened me about this great missionary. St. Patrick had an incredible impact by leading many in Ireland to a faith in Jesus Christ. He used the simple three-leafed shamrock to illustrate to the king the nature of the Blessed Trinity - Three Persons in One God. Pretty creative dude, don't you think?!?

Another creative venue is Christian radio. What is interesting to me is that according to KLOVE radio there are no Christian radio stations in Ireland. KLOVE is promoting the Ireland project that plans on establishing the first Christian radio station...awesome!

Hope your day is a great one...and especially blessed by the presence of God.

Spiritual Renewal

I went to a Small Groups Conference at Saddleback a few weeks ago and was able to hear Rick Warren speak on renewal. He was scheduled to speak on P.E.A.C.E. but not unusual for Rick...he veered from the schedule and spoke from his heart. Since the audience was made up of pastors, church leaders and small group leaders...he spoke to us! It really was powerful what he had to share so much so that we from Clovis Hills felt that the Spirit was speaking through him...what a concept. Anyway, I will attempt to summarize so as to offer you an opportunity to do some self-reflection with regards to your role in the ministry. As for me, it emphasized and reminded me of the importance of some simple steps that have a direct impact on the ministry.

As I understand the steps to renewal are:

1. Personal Renewal - Ask yourself: What is the condition and health of my personal relationship with God?
2. Relational Renewal - Ask yourself: Do I have any fractured relationships with family, friends or coworkers that need mending?
3. Missional Renewal - Ask yourself: What is my purpose in this world and am I striving to fulfill that calling?
4. Structual Renewal - Ask yourself: What structures and/or programs am I involved with to accomplish the work of the Kingdom?
5. Cultural Renewal - Ask yourself: Am I a part of the cultural change that is needed for the expansion of the Kingdom of God?

My understanding is that we are to review each of these areas and proceed accordingly once an area is "renewed". In other words, if my personal relationship is not solid or lacking in any way, shape or form then I must work on that first before proceeding to the next step. Now, in reality, we will regularly have to evaluate our lives because we are on a journey with Jesus and hopefully we are growing and changing. Therefore, if we find that an area needs some renewal...we are to look at the previous areas as well and adjust accordingly. These are my words, not Rick's...it's just my take on the message but it makes sense...don't you think?? Anyway, I hope I've given you something to think about and I welcome your feedback!

Blessings!

Hangin' Out With God

Last Friday I spent some time with God during my "Solitude Day". I thoroughly enjoyed hangin' out with God, reading the Word, chilling and talking with him, singing and basically spending time contemplating about what he had to say. I love slowing down to read God's word and hear his still small voice...I'm not always clear about what he tells me but I usually am inspired by the Spirit.

Something I usually do during my daily quiet time is read My Daily Bread to get me started. The title of Friday's devotion was "Forgetting God". Basically it was about going through the day and forgetting about God. I have to admit that I all too often get caught up in the busyness of life and lose sight of God's hand in my life. Seems strange since I'm in ministry but it's the truth. Even though I'm busy about doing my Father's business...or so I tell myself, I forget to recognize His hand in it all! I thank God that he is patient with me! :-)

My Solitude Day is a welcome break for my busy life. It's like a drink of cold water on a hot day in the desert! Wait a minute, I don't think I've ever been in a desert-especially on a hot day! :-) Oh well, you get the picture...during my solitude time, God quenches my spirit when I need it most. This is what my Solitude Day has become and thus it's a high priority in my schedule. I encourage you to schedule a Solitude Day soon!

May your thirsty soul be quenched by God!

Solitude

It's been a crazy busy week! Thank God I get to spend some time with Him on Friday! I have a goal of spending a day with God once a month. It's planned and scheduled in my calendar and the only way it can change is if I move it within the week before or the week after...and so far that has worked about 90% of the time. Now...this does not mean that I'm able to spend the whole day with Him but it is a goal. Sometimes it takes me a couple of hours to settle down and avoid any distractions...this can be tough since I think I may have a little "A.D.D." and then when I do spend time...I set goals...but last time...like I said..."A.D.D."! Anyway...I'll share in next weeks blog about my solitude time with God. Until then...peace!

A New Year...A New Day

Last year I tried hard to have an "attitude of gratitude" towards life and everyday stuff. It's funny because I set that goal before exepriencing the toughest year of ministry thus far! God's funny...isn't he?!? As I look back on the year, I am realizing that in fact, it probably was the most fruitful as far as people experiencing God "on mission" which is pretty cool! So I have to wonder, was God just pruning me this last year...hmmm, I don't know for sure but I do know that He wants me to be more like Jesus everyday. So I will continue to remind myself this year to keep hold of that "attitude of gratitude" in everything...realizing that it's all for and about God. In that, I can rest assured that His will is first and foremost. I look forward to what 2007 holds for me!