Cerocahui, Copper Canyon, Mexico

Last Last week I visited this incredible place…beyond belief. Our hosts were Albert and Francia Lopez. They have built several new little cabanas and they are very nice, clean, and with a mountain view.

The town is close to Copper Canyon…the views are breathtaking.

In the village is a 17th century cathedral.

For info on the fantastic journey on CHEPE across Copper Canyon, including this cool little town, contact me at 217.369.9897, or go to Mexico Outback Ltd.

 

 

 

Warrior

LifeChurch is in the second week of this huge series focused at men.  I see so many men just dissengaged…a waste.  Ironically they are typically swamped with problems. This quote which showed up on my wife’s whiteboard fits:

“Those who help plan the battle don’t battle the plan.”  

Twenty years from now…

This Mark Twain quote was in a recent Vine Lines article by Jim McArdle.

 

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.

So throw off the bowlines.

Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the tradewinds in your sails.

Explore.

Dream.

Discover.”

I, like Jimmie, find this quote particularly incisive to my situation right now.

Next week I am off to Mexico and Copper Canyon.

Then we move who knows where.

Then off to the Sangres all summer.

“reJesus” the Church

 

 My son Luke sent this poem to me from a friend, Nathan Brown.

My exact sentiments…

Verb PlayWhen I’m forced to spend time around zealous minister types, I keep hearing the necessity of reaching out to the “unchurched.” The obvious implication being: we need to “church” the “unchurched.”

Now, this particular verbish usage of the word “unchurch” does not appear in my fairly large dictionary. What I do see is the transitive verb that means excommunicate. This definition is clearer to me. And it helps me organize my response:

Dear friends, our deepest need is not to “church” the “unchurched,” but to “dechurch” the “enchurched” — that is to say, the excessively “churched.”

God Save Me from Your Followers

has ceased to be a humorous bumper sticker. It is now a genuine fear for many of the “unchurched” to which you refer.

And as we look for solutions, a good place to start would be to “depolitic” “enchurched” leaders. But, in the end, [and while we're in the practice of verbing up nouns] nothing — and I reiterate — nothing supercedes the desperate need for Christians to “reJesus” the church.

Nathan Brown nub@ou.edu

Bill Hybels

Just recieved this…

Shortly after I became a Christ follower an older man challenged me to find key verses in the Bible that might speak to specific situations that I would find myself in through the course of a normal day.  After identifying those critical verses and linking them to the challenges that may come my way, I decided to memorize the verses so that I could have them at my command.  Here was my early list:
 
When I needed wisdom to make an important decision….James 1:5, Proverbs 3:5-6.
When I was tempted to do wrong…1 Corinthians 10:13.
When I was running out of strength…Philippians 4;13
When I was getting anxious…Philippians 4:6-7
When I was getting short tempered…Ephesians 4: 32
When someone hurt or betrayed me and I wanted revenge…Romans 12:17
When I needed courage to point wandering friends toward faith in Christ…Colossians 4:2
When I wanted to live for eternity and not just for the temporal offerings of this world…Colossians 3:1
 
This is merely a partial list of Biblical weapons that I pack with me everyday.  Though I do not use all of them everyday, I use all of them enough that they stay fresh in my mind.  I honestly don’t know how I could make it through the rough patches that come my way without the fortification these truths offer me.  Are you packing too?

I am going through huge transitions now filled with opportunity to be fearful, angry, need for wisdom, etc.

I am packing!

My good wyfe.

The Creator ran me into this young lady during my grad school years in Lubbock and I have never been the same. She has been referred to as a ringtailed tooter, a real fireball, the real deal., etc.

I fully resound with Proverbs 31:10-12

A wife of noble character who can find?
       She is worth far more than rubies.

 11 Her husband has full confidence in her
       and lacks nothing of value.

 12 She brings him good, not harm,
       all the days of her life.

 Much of her character formation came from countless hours in the bible and prayer and journaling. “Becoming a Woman of Excellence” has been a hallmark book for her.

Here is her personal affirmation statement:

I am a confident, successful business woman who knows where she is going and who is developing the skills and meeting the people who will help her get there.I attract ethical, successful people who recognize my strengths and who create opportunities for me.The scope of my influence increases daily as I conduct myself with integrity and generosity, full of grace and truth. 

Oh.  And I am a masterful recruiter.  J

  

Brazen Careerist

This book is an essential read for thinking, breathing humans who want to go forward. The lines on cold calling on pg 42 are so logical and real:

-only 1/2 of available jobs are advertised

-so network …but that will fizzle after a month

-and then your best action point is to cold call

The only other option is regret.

No man is an island…John Donne

“Isolated islands we’re not.To make this thing called life work,We gotta lean and support.And relate and respond.And give and take.And confess and forgive.And reach out and embrace and rely.” 

Chuck Swindoll

I love this quote and I am experiencing it more now than ever.

A child at heart.

I am once again reading and processing through “What Color is Your Parachute” and this quote grabbed me: “Nothing delights a child more than being allowed to play”.

This describes me when I get on the trail. Crossing Roaring Fork up on the side of Red Canyon in the Zirkel Wilderness is pure pleasure for me. God is never more present, more knowable to me, more immediate in His love…pure play for me!

Who I am and what I bring.

I have thirty years of experience in ministry including campus ministry, senior pastoring and lots of collaborative work with Christian organizations. My strengths and passion flow in the direction of servant leadership and creative communication. 

My leadership abilities are coupled with a passion to invest in the developing world and my bent toward collaboration. Working with mission organizations and relief groups over the years, I have been effective in achieving innovative solutions to guarantee that teams function and help is delivered on the ground. One example of this is my work with coordinating PODS (points of distribution) with Compassionate Alliance during the three hurricanes of 2005. 

As a gifted teacher, I love the creative process that makes for authentic and life-changing communication. I have extensive experience in the use of imagery, experiential learning, and simple creative approaches that result in lives being changed. I especially thrive when I am part of a team, and not necessarily the point communicator. Over the past few years I have collaborated with several gifted teachers and our team here at Grace using storyboarding, cutting edge visuals and simple objects to see lives changed for eternity.