We are excited about working with some of our friends on this mini tour to Los Angeles, Phoenix and Tucson.  I am sure I will learn a lot about this part of  the world. I talked with some of the guys who are coming along with us today and it is incredible to hear some of the God stories from these guys.

I am also looking forward to talking to pastors from the churches who will be attending and  learning more about what they are doing in their own communities and how they are engaging the peoples of the world in their own cities. I learned today that there are about 240 different languages spoken in Los Angeles. There are over 3.5 million foreign born peoples in LA.  Mind boggling. What an opportunity to reach the peoples of the world here in North America.

I had a couple of good “take-aways” from our time together.  As you know I see more and more the need for Christ followers to live and work in cross cultural situations with normal jobs. We are seeing this happen in quite a few cities in Europe with the Skybridge Community. I liked the term that he used: “missionally employed”.

The other thing that I observed in this meeting of planters  is a model if you will of how a group of churches can come together with each others best interest in mind. The formula is quite simple: They pray together, encourage one another and find ways to give themselves away. Imagine a group of churches in a city that relate to each other in that way. Very cool stuff. Check out their city groups on their site.

If you can you should try to go to the conversation that they are putting on later this month. You can find more information about Reproducing Churches.com  here.

I am sure our counties and states have a similar goal. They have a tremendous job promoting and implementing safety precautions. I decided I would just list out some things that to me seem important.

I think my top three are “no-brainers” and should continue to be an emphasis.

1. I noticed in GA in the county above Atlanta that they DOT has posted the percentage of people who were wearing their seat belts the month before. The sign said 95%. I thought they were just bragging until I drove in South GA and I saw a similar sign but different county. Their score was 65%. I guess they have to post their scores. I checked to make sure my seat belt was on to help them out a bit.

2. Keep up the emphasis on banning driving under the influence

3. Speed.

My other ones may not be so popular but here they go.

4. May want to consider taking away our phones while we drive though I like being able to work and drive at the same time. We get tickets in Europe for driving while talking on our phones.

5. Trucks, what if you decided to take the weekends off? It would sure lighten weekend traffic

6. What if we only passed in the left lane not drove the speed limit or less in the left lane. After all it is a passing lane. (BTW, I live in Germany. If you drive in the left lane you need to be purposeful)

7. While on the subject of lanes, the right lane is not a passing lane. Just sayin.

8. The difficulty of getting a license. I am still bitter for failing my test so many times in Spain to get my license (smile) but my point is that the tests should be something that you cannot stand in line for 30 minutes and then take the test and pass it. Maybe it is different these days here in the states but back in the day it was very easy getting your license.

I am sure there are more. Feel free to add yours.

1. Playing American Football in Portugal

2. A church adopting a neighborhood in Amsterdam

3. A church adopting a burrough in London

4. A business internship in Paris

5. Serving in Montreal

6. A church adopting a city in Spain

7. Partnering with work in Tula, Russia

8. Partnering with work  for Russian speakers of Latvia and Estonia

9. An internship with a ministry in Madrid

10. Adopting a Skybridge worker in Western Europe

This area is sometimes called Hampton Roads and then at other times  it is known by  the distinct cities it represents. The area is highly affected by the amount of people in the military that live here. I am intrigued about what ministry looks like in these type of places.   I greatly respect these men who are leading their churches to minister to here. Thanks for spending time with me.

My observation:

What a challenge to pastor in an area like this!

What an opportunity to pastor in an area like this!

Potential Challenges -

The transitional nature of the community and how that affects the church.

Building continuity amidst transition.

Caring for families as they are separated due to deployment.

Potential opportunities -

Your church members move all over the world.

Empowering your members to live missionally wherever they are sent.

Being able to minister to the families in the community during times of transition and tragedy.

The importance of trust on teams.

The importance of trust amongst the people we work with.

I like the book from Steven Covey called: The Speed of Trust.

Almost M talks about trust in this blog post.

Trust is important. I think we would all agree.

However, I must admit that there is another part of trust that I often mess up. It is my trust in the Lord. This week as I was reading some verses in the Old Testament I came across one I have read a lot:

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.   Psalm 20:7 (ESV)

And then one I have not read as much:

¹ “What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,”
says the Lord.
“You make plans that are contrary to mine.
You make alliances not directed by my Spirit,
thus piling up your sins.
² For without consulting me,
you have gone down to Egypt for help.
You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection.
You have tried to hide in his shade.
³ But by trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated,
and by depending on him, you will be disgraced.

Isaiah 30: 1 – 3 (NLT)

Too often I put my trust in the wrong things in order to see my goals fulfilled.  I sell out.  I put my trust in “Pharaoh” for provision for myself or our ministry instead of God’s provision.

Her answer was quite profound- She looked at her husband and said “we have never both wanted to leave on the same day”. I was probably a couple of years into our time on the field. I did not quite understand her response then. I do now!

Why do missionaries leave the field?

I have asked myself this very question recently.  Our family has been overseas for almost nine years now. Last week I was reading in the Evangelical Mission Quarterly a very good article on this topic. It was an executive summary about The Engage! by James Nelson.

The Engage! is a study comprised of surveys of on the field missionaries and interviews with former field workers. It is across 18 different sending agencies. This blog post does not give the results of the survey.  I recommend picking up a copy online or hard copy of the journal. They consistently produce good stuff!

What really grabbed by attention were the questions that field workers need answered in their lives.  These are in no particular order. As I read them I recognized some would be more important to me than others but I saw how all of them can be relevant to longevity on the field.

Is my family provided for?

Do I have real friends?

Does my agency listen and speak to me respectfully?

Do I have the support of those at home? (I am in the middle of a series on www.theupstreamcollective.org regarding the Sending Church which is an important key for on the field workers.

Does someone know and care about what I do?

Do we (colleagues and partners) live and work well in community?

Is the work progressing with purpose?

Does integrity flow from the top of my agency?

Am I free to do what needs to be done?

Does my agency prepare people to be effective?

I think most of us would agree that our calling is paramount in the missionary experience. However, the truth is that our circumstances quite often affects our calling.

What questions on this list are important to you? How would you answer these questions in your private journal?

What would you add?

more soon,

Larry

Recently I have been reading some materials from www.CatalystServices.org. They have very practical posts regarding partnerships.

If you get a chance you should check out Your FOCUS on the World.  It may be the right resource for your church.

Your FOCUS on the World is a step-by-step manual that will guide your church to DISCOVER your global potential, SELECT and build relationships with the right partners, and then IMPLEMENT a high-impact, cross-cultural initiative involving the entire congregation.  For those already engaged in a global partnership, the book will help you build leaders, avoid costly mistakes, and expand networks.

An intensely practical resource, Your FOCUS on the World highlights the real-life stories of congregations which are engaged in successful global initiatives and shares their best-practice suggestions. The manual and extensive online resources provide samples and worksheets you can customize to fit your needs.

This month I want to feature Emily Harrison who works with the Roma peoples here in Europe. She is a great photographer. Take a look at her work here.

You may also want to check out more of her work at:
www.imhereyourethere.blogspot.com

www.romadoma.shutterfly.com

For me it really puts in perspective the Great Commission and in particular the part about Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth. I personally do not feel this is an either / or Commission but rather a “both/and”.

No matter where you live there will likely be people from the uttermost parts of the earth living in your city. How does your strategy include this? If you are willing to take a trip around the world to an unreached people group then I believe you should be willing to do the same at home.

Missions is now Home and Abroad at the same time.

Together.

Compartmentalization should be over. We need to have strategies in our churches and in our mission networks/  organizations that have a global vision. Take a quick look at this video.

Jet Set Paris // Daniel from The Upstream Collective on Vimeo.