Archive for November, 2009

Posted on November 30, 2009 - by Larry - 0 Comments

Back to the Future

From time to time I want to highlight some friends of mine and their ministries. I do this because I really think a lot of what they have going on and how the Lord is using them. Some of my great friends are the guys at MountainLake Church and Churchplanters.com. I try to go to their conference each year. These guys know about church planting. Here is a blog post from Upstream that we did recently about our pre-conference session this coming February.  I hope to see you at  the conference.

Last year, the Upstream Collective did a breakout session at the churchplanters.com conference. Each year, church planters from across the country gather in Atlanta for a few days at Mountain Lake church. The churchplanters.com conference is the forum for new church planters to share best practices, personal stories, and vital resources.

This  years  theme, Velocity, is about movement and timing. Upstream is partnering with Alan Hirsch to do a Pre-Conference Session about ministry in post-Christian contexts. This Pre-Conference track will be called:

Back to the Future: Lessons from Post-Christian Cultures

The future is already happening. Alan Hirsch, Larry McCrary, and Caleb Crider bring lessons from Europe and Australia to the North American Church. This session will focus on some of the lessons this team has learned from being engaged globally and how your church can engage with this global movement called the church.

Alan Hirsch is a brilliant thinker and speaker, and the author of ReJesus and The Shaping of Things to Come. Larry McCrary and Caleb Crider are co-founders of the Upstream Collective. Larry currently lives in Germany and Caleb was a church planter in Barcelona and is now part of church planting in Portland, Oregon.

The conference is February 22-23 at Mountain Lake Church in Cumming (Atlanta), Georgia. The conference costs $99 (earlybird special through 11/30) and Pre-Conference Sessions are $49.

For more information, visit churchplanters.com.

I hope you all will join us at the pre-conference session.

See you there!

Posted on November 27, 2009 - by Larry - 0 Comments

Martin Luther and Erfurt Germany

This week I made a  visit via train to Erfurt, Germany. It is located in former East Germany. I must say I did not have a lot of expectations before arriving in Erfurt but was pleasantly surprised. You may know that Erfurt was where Martin Luther went to university and then to the monastery.  He was also ordained as  a priest there (Take a look at the large church below).  So lots of reformation history here. Sometimes I really wish I had studied more Church history  in seminary. (I guess that is another post)

Here are a couple of links if you are interested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erfurt

I went to Erfurt to meet up with a volunteer team from FBC Jacksonville.  They were teaching English (ESL) in various settings during the week. This church has a desire to see churches started in this part of Germany.  There are trying to find some ways to have an incarnational presence in this city. I went up there to chat with them about their venture. I will post more about the next part of my trip later. The next day I spoke at a seminary in Bonn, Germany.

There are some incredible opportunities for churches to become involved in ministry here in Germany. I truly sense God is doing a work here. Interested in joining in write me an email at larry@theupstreamcollective.org or check out our site at www.theupstreamcollective.org.

Posted on November 24, 2009 - by Larry - 0 Comments

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

One of my favorite John Hughes movies is  Planes, Trains and Automobiles. We watch it most Thanksgivings. Since it is that time of year I thought I would write a post on my favorite mode of transportation in Europe. I know this is a really deep subject matter but I am writing  this while I am on a train to Erfurt Germany which I am learning is a pretty significant city for people who love Martin Luther.

Erfurt is about a 4 hour ride from my house. In Europe we  normally have several choices for transport. We have used all four but here is my list in order of preference.

Train – I like this the best for it is just easy. Well most of the time. I guess it depends on the country but in Germany the train service is quite reliable. Someone has once said if you are on the right track at the right time you will be on the right train to your destination.  So far that has been true for me. There are some language issues with that but for the most part it works. I like riding trains for you have more room to spread out even in the 2nd class car.  You can get up and walk around anytime you like.  You do not have  “fasten seat belts” signs to mess with.  You can use your ipod the entire time even when you take off from a station or enter a new one. You can do the same with your computer. However, you do have to be careful to sit in the appropriate car if you want to use your cell phone).  I have learned that the hard way. I was wondering why it was so quiet.  But my favorite part is that it will take you many times from city centre to city centre plus  you do not have to worry with parking your car.

Discount Jet Service – I am an Easy Jet fan. When I have to travel further than possible on a train due to time I jump on Easy Jet or something like it. Normally a good price ticket and pretty easy. Sometimes you have to fight your way in line since it is first come first serve unless you buy a “Speedy Boarding” pass. You need to pack your lunch unless you want to buy your peanuts and coke. It is a new way to backpack Europe.

Personal auto – We use the car if it is within driving distance or if  there are more than two of us going to the same place. However we have a car here to use. I do not think I would rent a car unless I was going to some hard to get to places. Normally it can be cheaper to drive if our entire family goes or if we are going with a group. I still do not like though. But on the other hand the autobahn in Germany can be rather fun when you can travel without speed restrictions.  Not that I would do that.

Bus -  I really do not like taking a bus from one city to another. Inside the city I can handle the buses but since this is a post about going from city to city I cannot rank them that high. I think I must have had a bad experience in the past. In fact I know I have and it had to do with a bad smell on the bus. Bathrooms can be a blessing and a curse on a bus. For that reason alone I give them a number four ranking.

Any other planes, trains and automobile stories?

Happy Thanksgiving.

Posted on November 23, 2009 - by Larry - 4 Comments

a new type of missionary

Paris. Athens. Budapest. Frankfurt. Rome. Madrid. Vienna. Stockholm. Basel.

The urban centers of Europe are the new frontier of missions.

Stockbroker. Artist. Lawyer. Electrician. Professor. Programmer.

And these are its missionaries.

While Europe doesn’t often spring to Americans’ minds when they hear the word “missions,” the spiritual need in the region is overwhelming. Less than 2 percent of the population of most European countries is known to follow Christ.

In societies so numbed to the institutional church, cultural rituals and historical Christendom, being a “missionary” often calls for something totally different than the traditional face of North American missions.

What if the most effective missions meant simply living life with purpose among the peoples of Europe, working in a normal job, building friendships with co-workers and neighbors?

What if churches in the United States actively participated in sending out their best church members, not as missionaries, but simply as themselves? What if churches prayed and dreamed with those workers about how to live their lives as salt and light in their new European hometowns? What if churches took back – and took full advantage of – their role in the Great Commission?

Isn’t that what it’s supposed to be about anyway?

check out – www.skybridgecommunity.net

The above post was written by a member of the Skybridge Community.

Posted on November 20, 2009 - by Larry - 0 Comments

Tres Amigos, part 2

On my last post I talked about three of my friends here in Europe that really teach me a lot by just hanging around them. I hope you can learn from them as well as I tell a little more about the way they live their life.

They are spiritual conversationalists – They get into spiritual conversations early on. They seldom wait for several months to get into these conversations. They have an urgency about them that is important. They have learned from past experiences that they need to get into these conversations earlier rather than later. The bible is a natural framework for their conversations. They know how to tell story. They know how to give a timely bible reference. They know how to apply scripture. They do not do is in an unnatural way. They have a keen sense of timing that I believes comes from being led by the Holy Spirit. What really amazes me is that these guys can do this in several languages.

They are not always the hero of their story – These guys are not afraid of talking about their failures and mistakes. They are transparent. They are people on a real spiritual journey not afraid to tell about what the Lord is teaching them in their lives. They exude a sense of humility about them that is contagious.

They believe in the importance of prayer – Prayer is not just several times a day in a quiet place. Prayer is an on-going conversation for them. As you are talking rather deeply and sharing life with one another it is quiet common that they will pray for you as you talk. Rarely do these guys leave you without either saying “ how can I pray for you” or they simply pray for you before you depart. They also have a sense of touch. If the timing is appropriate they will put their hand on my shoulder and say their prayer over me. I think we often downplay the importance of touch in our ministry. Have you ever studied how our Lord Jesus used “touch” in his ministry?

More soon.

Posted on November 18, 2009 - by Larry - 3 Comments

Tres Amigos

I am thinking of three friends here in Europe who really exemplify what it means to live missionally in a cross culture setting. My next couple of posts will be devoted to these guys. Now if you know who I am talking about you are not allowed to blurt out their names. I cannot name them due to security reasons but I hope if they read this they will be encouraged for they make a tremendous impact not only on my life but on the life of many others.

Thank you guys for helping me live life to the fullest. Think you for modeling for me how to live my life as salt and light in this world.

I have seen these traits as they have talked with me. I have also seen these as they talk with people they meet for the first time. It can be followers of Jesus or not yet followers or Jesus. They tend to treat people the same. To me they know instinctively how to live missionally.

Here are several things I am learning from them.

They are Fully Engaged – I am the only one they are talking to. I get the sense that I am the most important thing they are doing at that time.  They give full attention to the conversation. They are not multi – tasking. They are looking me in the eye. They are not looking for other people to talk to in the crowd. They are asking questions. They are fully engaged in our time together. They are not looking at their watch. They are not looking forward to the next thing. They are living in the present. I wish I could be more like that.

They ask Open-ended questions – When you talk to these guys they are not asking you simple “yes and no” questions. They ask open-ended questions. You cannot help but go deep in conversations. You are talking deeper than news, sports and weather. Though at times we do talk about Sports and news. We only talk about weather as it may interfere in our running or other outdoor activities. The point here is that you are getting to core questions that you have to think about and have an opinion about.

Posted on November 16, 2009 - by Larry - 1 Comment

First steps in a new culture

This weekend we had some dear supporters come in for a visit for the weekend. It was such a refreshment and encouragement for us to have them around for a few days and to show them our life here. Plus we got to see a pretty cool castle in the middle of a rain storm. Made us feel we were back in the day.

Inevitably when we talk to people about our life here the question comes up about how are we received in this European context? What are some important first steps?

Let me tell you a little about my experience. First of all, I grew up in the South. I planted and pastored churches in the South. After about eight years of church planting, I joined the staff of a large denominational mission agency for North America in the area of church planter assessment.

In 1999, I began traveling a lot outside the South, and my worldview changed immensely. (I was never able to get rid of the Southern accent though.)

When the Lord began to lead us toward overseas missions, I started asking myself how can I make a difference there? I am just a normal American guy who has a heart for God and, I want to follow Him and tell others about Jesus. How would I be received in another country?

I remember that we talked about this as a family before we moved to Madrid in 2001. We felt there were several things that would help us connect with the culture there – but we knew that being an American would not be one of them. We knew many people have their own ideas about what being American means and often they are not positive.

As we entered into this new culture, we always tried to be aware of three things. We tried to model and teach this to our children. I think these can apply rather you are living overseas or if you are simply visiting as a tourist. Here they are.

1. To make eye contact and smile. Check out this really good post on making friends.

2. To try our best to speak the language of our new culture – to make an effort, even if it was only a word or two. People appreciate that, even if it is incorrect grammatically. Obviously the longer we lived there our friend’s expectation of our language ability grew so this means we have to be constant students of the language.

3. To be humble. I must admit being humble was not a hard thing to do once I tried number two on the list; 5-year-olds would remind me how badly I spoke! But many people naturally think Americans are loud and arrogant. We wanted to break that stereotype and at the same time reflect the attitude of Christ.

Why are these three things important?

What would you add to the list?

Posted on November 13, 2009 - by Larry - 1 Comment

Life after college

A few weeks ago I was able to lead several teaching sessions for a group of new missionaries here in Europe with imb. They have been on the field for less than a year. This is a time where they can reconnect with some people whom they were in pre-field training with at the beginning. It is also a time for refreshment, encouragement and teaching.

This was the second time this month I was so encouraged by people who have dropped what they were doing or planning on doing and followed the Lord’s direction. You can read about the first trip here. I was able to go with a good friend David Putman with ChurchPlanters.com

Back to my teaching time at this missionary conference. There are a special group of young people within this group of new workers that I especially admire. These are young men and women who after college come to serve 2 – 3 years on a church planting team. They do some amazing things and have some great stories to tell about how God is working in their lives and the lives of the people they live among.

One thing that I am so impressed with these Journeymen (this is the designation that imb uses for this program) is that they could be getting started with their careers or working on another degree or even getting married. None of those things are bad things but instead they have put those things on hold to go serve the Lord overseas for a couple of years. As I look back at my early years I wish I had considered such a program. It was not even a bleep on my radar screen at that time.

So here is a shout out to the Journeymen . Thanks for all you do. You are making a HUGE difference.

Keep up the great work!

More soon.

Posted on November 11, 2009 - by Larry - 0 Comments

Margins

I like this verse from the Apostle Paul.

making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:16

When I think of Phillip who was told by the Lord to go south on the dessert road he did not know what opportunities he would have. We see in scripture that he obeyed and went south and as a result the Lord directed him to a chariot with an Ethiopian official. He is able to help the guy understand scriptures and was invited in to share the Gospel. He made the most of the opportunity.

I also think of Levi (later known as Matthew). We see in scripture where he was busy doing the tax collecting thing and Jesus came up and said come and follow me. He immediately got up, left what he was doing and followed Jesus. Again, I see an opportunity and I see a person making the most of it.

I think when we are faced with an opportunity from the Lord there is a sense of us needing to obey that leading. However, I know how I live. I know that I live pretty closely to my calendar and schedule. I am guilty of putting one thing on top of another.

This is why I am writing about margins. We need to have some margins in our life in order to have time for those special moments that the Lord orchestrates or presents to us. I find when I live without margins that I am simply not as open to interruptions. But if I can plan some margin in my day then I often find the Lord giving me some unique ministry opportunities that often lead to spiritual conversations.

When I find myself going from one place to another then I often do not have time to talk with the store clerk or person on the street, etc. I do not see many days where my calendar is completely blank but I am trying to do better at the way I schedule my day.

more soon.

Posted on November 9, 2009 - by Larry - 4 Comments

El Presente

This morning I was enjoying a nice run in the cold and in the rain. A average day in the Forest.
When I do not run with other guys I normally do the ipod thing and run with Spanish music.
Don’t ask me why. It makes me run fast. Not really.

This morning I was listening to Julietta Venegas and her relatively new song El Presente.

I love the lyrics and one line grabs my attention.
It says: “El presente es lo unico que tengo” which translated by me means: “The present is all we have”. As followers of Jesus we do have a future hope.

But I also know that I sometimes live my life in the past thinking back to the things I could have done, should have done or hyper evaluating my life or just simply get marred down in the past.

However, the greater tendency for me is to think about the future. What lies ahead? Where will I live? What will I do? Where will I go visit? What will our ministry be like next year? etc..

What I have found and was reminded of in a weird sort of way this morning on my run is that I need to do better at living in the present. I need to enjoy the moment. One of my huge take aways by living in Spain was that I think they do a great job of living in the present. Whatever they may be doing at the time is the most important thing. Most other things can wait.

But me, I am always thinking of what is next? My next appointment. My next phone call to make or tweet to write or facebook status update to post. I think the implications for me are significant. It enriches my marriage, my parenting and my friendships to live this way.

I also believe from a missional perspective that if I live my life in the present then I am more likely to be tuned in when the Holy Spirit leads and guides me to be in conversation with someone or to go to this place or do this thing instead of always thinking of the next big thing.
When I am always thinking ahead I rarely leave enough margins in my life to have a divine appointment. But that is another post in the future. smile.

More soon.