…when necessary, use words. (#dmingml )

As I continue to read Hunter, and consider his recent book, “To Change the World,” I’m intrigued by his challenge to Christians: “…it may be that the healthiest course of action for Christians…is to be silent for a season and learn how to enact their faith in public through acts of shalom rather than try again to represent it publicly through law, policy, and political mobilization.” (p. 281) This brings to mind the famous quote, often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi:”Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” I’m curious…what would a world, as Hunter proposes, look like in 10 years? 20? 100?

Interesting to ponder.

“Right Life” Principles, 3: God-Breathed Empowerment

A seven part series on my life principles…entitled The Right-Life, not having anything to do with political bent, but having everything to do with my belief that there is Absolute Truth.  Being (R)ight is being in line with the Creator of the Universe, His Character.

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Our power to do ministry comes from God alone.  I am the vine, you are the branches…apart from me you can do nothing. ~ Jesus of Nazareth ~

It is frustrating, in our hurry-hurry culture today, to see so many people missing this point.  We spend our energy each day on many activities, and we measure the success of each day by the marks we make on our “to-do list.”

Have you ever stopped to wonder if there is some sort of “sync” application that would get your to-do list in complete harmony with God’s to-do list?  I wonder how much I could charge at Apple’s iTunes App Store for developing such an application?  Surely, at least $4.99.

Oh, wait a minute (multi-tasking…searching iTunes as I type).  There is indeed such an application…someone beat me to it!

OK, so maybe there is no iPhone app, but syncing with God is easy enough.

Syncing with God requires stillness on our part.  Syncing requires listening.  Syncing requires intentional focus on the One who is the source of everything Good.

Let’s see…Stillness…Listening…Focus.  No, these are not descriptions of the hurry-hurry life of multi-tasking to which we all have become far too accustomed.  In fact, spend too much time being still and you will quickly be branded a loser.  Life is a tiger, and we have to grab it by the tail before it eats us alive!! Right??

But I’ve noticed a wise life principle that is a bit counter-cultural, and I want to pass it on to you.  God breathes His empowering Spirit upon us when we take time to be still (in His presence), to listen (for His guiding voice), and to focus (on the Author and Perfecter of our faith). For whatever reason, God seems to prefer to use His “still, small voice” that can best be heard from a state of motionless attention.  I tend to think that the reason God likes to communicate to us while we are in this posture is to teach us that it is not by our own strength, not by our own hustling and bustling about, that we will find empowerment, but only by His (God-breathed) strength.

Think about it.  Which would you prefer?

1. To work at a manic pace each day, checking off the items on your self-directed to-do list
2. To move with focus and intention throughout the day, from God-ordained task to God-ordained task

I much prefer to dwell in the #2 realm, and I’m guessing you would too.  So, how do we get there?

Acknowledge these Truths:

• God knows best.  Even simply saying this aloud will probably enable you to sleep easier.  I’d even wager (assuming you just said this aloud) that your blood pressure just dropped slightly.
• Our agenda is often not God’s agenda.  Admit it.  We all chase after things that are simply ridiculous at times.  Are you really pursuing what God wants you to pursue?  Has pride blinded you from even perceiving God’s will, God’s agenda?
• Our self-worth is not measured by the length of our to-do list.  Let me say this again.  Your level of “busy-ness” is no indication of your worth as a person.  Our culture tells us that the busier we are, the more important we are.  This is not true in the Kingdom of God.  Our worth is measured by God.  To Him, we’re of immense value, no matter the size of our to-do list.
• Effective and fruitful ministry only comes as we follow God’s lead.  If God is in IT, then IT is vitally important.  Even the smallest God-given tasks can produce a harvest of fruit, far beyond our dreams.  Don’t fool yourself into thinking you even know what “fruit” always looks like.  You might be wanting a pear while God is sticking a whole bunch of bananas right in front of your nose!

After you have acknowledged these truths, then, and only then, make yourself comfortable.  Be still.  Listen.  Focus.  Make it your “daily bread.”  Don’t do anything else until you have feasted on that still, small voice.  Taste it again and again until you have developed a taste for it, craving it each morning.  Eat it again and again.

Be still.  Listen.  Focus.

“Right Life” Principles, 2: All for God’s Glory

A seven part series on my life principles…entitled The Right-Life, not having anything to do with political bent, but having everything to do with my belief that there is Absolute Truth.  Being (R)ight is being in line with the Creator of the Universe, His Character.

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So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  -the Apostle Paul-

This is to my father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. -Jesus of Nazareth-

The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen. -God, to Moses-

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. -the proverbs of Solomon-

This “Kingdom-Life” is all about God.  It’s not about me.  It’s not about you.

The sooner we learn this lesson the better.  But beware, learning the lesson is only the beginning of a lifetime of re-learning.

If you’ll take a moment to consider how the world operates, this might be easier to understand (remember, I propose that the “Kingdom-Life” is very often in complete opposition to the way the world thinks).  We’re taught that drawing attention to ourselves is a good thing.  From childhood, through adolescence, and beyond, hearing the praise of others (receiving glory) typically becomes a vital part of our emotional health.

This is not true in our pursuit of godly (righteous) character.  Why?  Well, to begin with, we’re already approved.  God has accepted us as we are.  We don’t need to earn His grace.  But beyond this, there is the little matter of God, and His desire to receive the glory due Him.

The Scripture passages above serve to remind us of the theme of “God’s glory” throughout the Old and New Testaments.  He who has created all things is truly the only one worthy of the praise of humanity.  God has said as much, and the biblical cast of characters affirms it.  The story is about The Author.  Life is about His Desires.  Why would we even, for a moment, consider otherwise?

Even over these past few months I have been reaching new depths of understanding on this topic.  I’ve come to believe that one of the greatest failures we can achieve in our pursuit of the Right Life is to try and steal glory from God.  Really, it’s not possible to do, for in the end we will all see Him in His full glory, and that Truth will overshadow every other idea.  But until then, probably the ugliest thing I can do, as a follower of Jesus, is to try and snatch away glory from God.

Pride…it’s like the monster within!  He’s always looking for a way to make an appearance.  He’s so subversive at times.  He’s operating at full speed before I even notice he’s stepped into the driver’s seat.

And it’s a DAILY battle, fighting this monster.  No lie.

What can I do?  What can we do?

First, make every effort to identify the monster.  This will take true humility (honesty before God).

Second, call out the monster.  Let him know you’re set on working for God’s glory.

Finally, crack the monster over the head…and be ready to do so again when the ugliness rears itself again.

“Right Life” Principles, 1: Start with Prayer

A seven part series on my life principles…entitled The Right-Life, not having anything to do with political bent, but having everything to do with my belief that there is Absolute Truth.  Being (R)ight is being in line with the Creator of the Universe, His Character.

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The “Right Life” starts with prayer.

An easy statement for all Believers, but a difficult path to actually explore, even for us who use the title “pastor” or “minister.”  Many of us talk about prayer. Few of us really know how to pray.

Obviously, prayer is not easy and it takes a learning spirit/desire.  Jesus’ disciples saw the power of prayer…why else would they purposely request of Jesus, “Teach us to pray.”

Perhaps this following statement can go unsaid, but I didn’t start this blog in order to bypass essentials, but to clearly state them. So…let me say this simple but foundational aspect of the Right Life:

We, as leaders and “shepherds” of God’s people, really need to practice prayer. God’s people, all of His people, need to learn to pray.  No excuses.  No imitations.  Why?  Because our prayer life is a reflection of our heart attitude…evidence of our level of trust in God.

Only in prayer can we HEAR the heart of God. And prayer is not about speaking OUR heart, but discerning GOD’S heart.

Hearing, we understand (and are transformed) and are moved to activity…God’s Business. All other business is uninspired busy-ness.

We pray. We hear. We move. We produce Lasting Fruit…all for God’s glory.

Ultimately, our practice of prayer clearly reflects our philosophy of life.  When we take the best of our day to pray, we’re recognizing that God is the one who grants our success as we pay attention to His directives.  When we’re “just too busy to pray” we’re reflecting the attitude that “MY success is determined by MY initiative.”  True trust in God’s guidance and empowerment is manifested in our prayer habits.

Here’s my plea…

Learn the lesson: The “Right Life” begins with prayer.  Examine your prayer activity.  Do your prayer practices reflect a belief that God will direct your steps?

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Psalm 46:10

“…and this is the way to have eternal life, to know (God).” John 17:3

May we truly desire to Know Him from the stillness of our souls.

The “Right Life”: My Top Seven

As I begin this blog, I’m going to first write a series of seven parts on “Right Life Principles.” These are MY top seven life principles.  It will be good to lay this foundation at the outset as these guiding principles will help determine the method utilized to pursue the task.

The seven are:

1. Start with Prayer
2. All for God’s Glory
3. God-Breathed Empowerment
4. His Ways are Way Far Out!
5. Without faith in Christ, it is impossible…
6. Love Empowers Love
7. Beneficial Freedom

I’ll be developing these topics over the next few weeks.  Feel free to send me your comments.

The Mission and the Campus Tribes

I love writing, but I often avoid it.  Why?  It’s difficult.

Yes, in a certain sense, writing is very easy.  Sit down, pencil in hand (or laptop on lap), and let what comes to mind flow.  However, writing with a specific purpose in mind is a bit more challenging. This form of writing takes a great deal of focus and energy. I guess I’m too often guilty of avoiding the challenge.

This latter, more difficult, method of writing is my intent for this blog.  I’m not writing merely to spew out random thoughts.  My intention is to be very focused and purposeful.

I’m writing with one overriding goal in mind:  To sound the alarm among God’s people for the need to direct our resources to the greatest mission opportunity in our time, the CAMPUS tribes.

In effect, I’m asking the Church to do as I’m doing…stop avoiding the greater challenge and focus.

I doubt any of my readers need to be convinced in regards to the nature of The Mission, but just in case, let me remind us all that Jesus clearly stated his command to his followers to “Go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28). That’s our job as Christians, Christ-followers.  That’s The Mission.

Now, understanding The Mission, why do I suggest that our university campuses are in critical need of our attention?  Consider the following:

• Young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 are America’s MOST UNREACHED demographic (Barna Research)! The national average of Christians on university campuses is less than 5% (campusrenewal.org from a 1997 study).  Mission-minded folks will tell you that any demographic where less than 10% are Christian is considered “unreached.”
• Young adults, between the ages of 18 and 25, are at a time in life when they can devote massive amounts of time and energy to advancing the Kingdom.  The church needs the efforts of this untapped demographic.

These two items might be reason enough to cause us to rethink our current mission strategies, but let me continue on.

• Approximately 78% of all Christians make a decision to follow Christ before the age of 21.  Campus ministers (or shall we call them “campus missionaries”) are in position to serve students who are at a critical stage of life.
• Ultimately, failure to reach the college campus today will have monumental consequences on the Church, and society as a whole, tomorrow.  Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusade for Christ) was correct when he said, “Win the campus today, and change the world tomorrow.”
• THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IS THE GREATEST MISSION FIELD IN OUR WORLD TODAY…more than half of the world’s population today is under the age of 25!  These people are where?  On the university campus! (UN Population Reference Bureau)
• Did you know that, throughout modern history, nearly every single great missionary movement was started through revival on the university campus?  It’s true!  Win the campus and we unleash a massive work force for the Kingdom.

Most US churches have a link to a “cross-cultural missionary” (generally defined as someone serving among a people group from a differing culture than the church’s own culture).  These types of ministries are often perceived to be a bit more “glamorous” (simply because the target people are so different from us) than the local food pantry, or the local campus ministry, so we feel like these cross-cultural ministries are more worthy of our resources.  But let’s be real…God neither shows favoritism nor sees greater glamour from one mission field to the next. What is local to us is cross-cultural to someone else.

Now I’m not suggesting that we ignore cross-cultural fields.  We’re called to go “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  But I am suggesting we discontinue our ungodly favoritism and treat campus ministry as a part of The Mission Field.  The local church is often set in the midst of a monumental mission field…the university campus.  Why not turn our sights to these fields which are ripe for harvest?

I have much more to say on the topic, but I can’t do it all in one day.  Please, keep reading.  Together we can re-think modern mission strategy and, as a result, win millions to the Kingdom.

Finally, I do not intend to suggest a new course of action without clearly outlining the how to accomplish it.  Therefore, I’ll keep two primary purposes in mind:  1) to bring to the forefront of discussions the importance of campus ministry, and 2) to recommend the most effective method the church can utilize to reach the university campus for Christ.

As I begin this blog, I’m going to first write a series of seven parts on “Right Life Principles.”  These are MY top seven life principles.  It will be good to lay this foundation at the outset as these guiding principles will help determine the method utilized to pursue the task.

Blessings to God, to His Church, and the ALL the earth which was created for His glory.

Welcome to the Earth’s Edge Perspective!

Welcome!

I know, not much here yet, but there is much on the way.

This blog is dedicated to campus ministry, and, specifically, developing a “mission mindset” among campus ministers, churches, and students.

May God alone be glorified.

I owe a debt of gratitude to a guy who motivated me to start writing more.  Benson Hines!  He recently wrote a book, which a fiercely recommend!  Reaching the Campus Tribes.  And…IT’S FREE!  Download a copy at

http://reachingthecampustribes.com

I was extremely encouraged to see Benson’s book for the first time this past spring. I found out about it when a guy sat down next to me on a flight from Kenya to Amsterdam. He pulled out a 3-ring binder and began reading. My curiosity escalated when I saw the primary words in the title “Campus” and “Tribes.” Of course, a long conversation ensued!

Since reading the book, I have recommended it to literally hundreds of people. My hope is that churches will soon begin to see the great harvest campus ministry will yield with a little focused effort.

I spent 4 years in Kenya as a missionary, God then led me into campus ministry. With missions in my background, it was easy to see the similarities between “cross-cultural” work and campus ministry. However, when I tried to explain the connection to existing supporters, I was, except for a couple of exceptions, shut down, and “shut off.” We lost over half of our support because we were no longer “cross-cultural missionaries” (we’re CAMPUS-cultural missionaries).

Still, underfunded (like 99% of campus ministers across the nation…ok, maybe that is a slight exaggeration…98%), I began doing ministry at Boise State with an eye toward a “missional” approach.

It’s worked! With God in the lead, we’ve established a cooperative relationship with more than a dozen other campus ministries at BSU. Our student group has grown, both numerically and spiritually. We now enter year five at BSU with the realization that we have to continually “remake” ministry according to the cultural context. I’m very excited to see where we’ll be in another year.

Benson has started a conversation that is going to continue to build momentum. We need to “put some legs” on his thoughts and begin to cooperatively develop a missional approach to campus ministry, and to work at educating the church on the importance of this “unreached” segment of our nation. I’m going to devote this coming year to documenting our approach to campus ministry as missions. Working together, we’ll see huge successes!

Great things are in store for campus ministry as we look to a new decade. Well done Benson!

Here’s to the future, to promoting campus ministry as MISSION, to reaping the harvest together, and to viewing campus ministry from a new perspective…at Earth’s Edge!