The Scriptures teach us to do all we can to care for others (it’s the second greatest commandment!).  Matthew 25 has a passage that takes place at the judgment day where Jesus is depicted as asking those being judged if they had clothed him, fed him, visited him. He declares that if we do these things for the “least”, we are doing the service for Him. James, the Lord’s brother, says that pure religion is to care for the widows and orphans.

Those are a few reasons why I chose to be a bell ringer for the Salvation Army. I rang the bell for a few hours. I saw kids with a handful of coins put them in one by one by one by one! I saw many people look away and walk far around me. I saw one lady who said, “I already gave“. Tender conscience. One fellow thought I should put a little more heart into my bell ringing and maybe more people would give. There’s always a critic! And one rugged looking fellow who said, “They never did a damn thing for me when I was needy” … while he put coins in the bucket. Conflicted, I guess.

But that last guy did remind me of something.  The Salvation Army DID help me when I was needy. It was in the days after Hurricane Katrina. Our house, like so many, had been flooded and everything had to be replaced. Every wall. Every bit of flooring. So much more. Before electricity was restored we would be in that hot humid house trying to sort through the wet and waterlogged possessions we had left. We would hear a horn and go out to receive a hot lunch from the Salvation Army. It was delicious, warm, and timely.

So while I was ringing the bell on behalf of others, I remembered that I had been a recipient as well. They didn’t ask me about my religion. They just provided sustenance and went on their way. I was already glad to help by ringing the bell. Now I am beyond glad. And I get to do it again next Friday night. Looking forward to it!

~John

SHARE WITH A STRUGGLING CHURCH. How many churches in small towns are doing their best to present the gospel of Christ but have suffered from the economic meltdown or through a series of people moving away, passing away?

It was into such a situation that Mike and Nancy Price entered when they went to work the little church of twelve meeting in Bogalusa, La. Though it has not been easy, they have begun to turn the work around and now there are nearly 50 meeting weekly for worship. Mike and Nancy have spent their lives sharing the Gospel of Christ around the world. There is no question that Mike could preach for a sizable congregation someplace, but they have placed their hearts in this small town and love the people there. There is much work to do, but so much of the time that could be spent in ministry is spent visiting churches making reports and asking for money.

This summer a church from Centerville, TN came with their youth group and helped them have a big weekend with a record attendance of 77. Maybe someone reading this will be touched and want to help support this great work that will never catch the attention of most people – but is quietly reaching the lost in this small town.

I’ve enjoyed many years of friendship with Mike and Nancy. Mike and I have suffered … I mean ministered … through many weeks of Bible camp together at Gulf Coast Bible Camp. I appreciate his energetic study habits and never ending evangelistic zeal.

Mike’s influence expands over the internet with his daily devotionals. You can find the devotionals, history of the work in Bogalusa, and the latest newsletters HERE. Follow Mike on Facebook HERE.

Contributions can be sent to  the Long Beach Church of Christ 200 North Cleveland Avenue Long Beach, MS 39560. Make sure Mike’s name is on your check.

I am sure there are many many small churches and new churches that are struggling even as they work hard to teach people about Jesus. Let’s not forget our stateside mission efforts as they serve faithfully.

~John

Not that I’m a Grinch! Everyone loves to have a gift. But how many gifts will we open on Christmas Day? A dozen? A couple of dozen? I can’t judge for any family or individual where that magical line is…the one where we cross over from Christmas cheer into crass commercialism. That is for you to decide.

But what I do want you to see is that it doesn’t take a fortune to make a difference in the world. We can all make a difference by committing to a mission.

Kiva. Kiva is not a Christian organization per se. But it does let you do a very godly thing. People in other countries who need some help with their home or business, often just need a loan. Kiva specializes in micro loans. A few years ago I put $100 in a Kiva account. I have loaned and re-loaned and re-loaned that amount to many people around the world. It’s a blessing to look through the applications, find someone you want to help, then help fund a loan to get them on their way. I always enjoy getting the email from Kiva that says the loan has been repaid… would you like to loan to someone else? World Vision also has a microloaning program.

Not all mission efforts are off in a foreign culture. There are needs right here in the United States. Most communities have food banks, local soup kitchens and rescue missions, and local branches of national organizations (such as Salvation Army).

One organization that has my attention is THE ONE, INC, a relief organization in Little Rock, Arkansas. You can follow the originator, Aaron Reddin,  on Facebook and Twitter. Aaron is passionate about his mission of mercy to the homeless. Armed with a relentless spirit, THE VAN, a storage unit, and an arsenal of friends and supporters ready to help him reach the ones that everyone else has left behind. His philosophy is that we need to take relief supplies to the homeless where they live, instead of trying to get them to come to us. Now my friend Seth Simmons has a van in White County, Arkansas. I would like to see us have a van in Ouachita Parish, LA sometime. Maybe 2012 is the year! Aaron’s current aim is to collect and distribute coats for children in the Little Rock area.

Mike Baumgartner also has a van. Well, a motor home. In the back of that motor home is four convection ovens, a freezer, and a hotbox – all the equipment needed to serve hot meals. He is passionate about helping those who are in trouble. His heart is with those suffering through natural disasters. After the tornado destroyed a section of Tuscaloosa, I went to work with Mike for a week. We stayed busy making meals for those who had lost their homes, and the volunteers who served them. I was impressed with his ability to do this singlehandedly. He also served as a resource helping churches organize workers. Currently Mike is raising funds and making reports. But he has spent many weeks recently in Bastrop, Texas serving people who lost their homes in wildfires. You can follow Mike on Facebook HERE.

These are only three examples of the many that we can see if we will extend our Christmas spirit to the lost and hurting world around us.  There are many more than we can list here. But it is my hope that you will pick one or two and give yourself to helping and blessing them.

John

One of the things I do not like about ‘us’ is that we admire our missionaries, but we support them poorly. When they are stateside they have to spend all their time making reports and begging for further support. Not a good testimony. With the electronic communications available today, reports should be easily made from one location. But there is still the money issue. And while we are busy making improvements to our church buildings to make them more comfortable to us while we worship in our home towns, missionaries are praying and sweating it out, wondering if the support is going to come through.

You probably already know some foreign missionary.  We must highly value the missionaries who relocate and give themselves to the work of the foreign culture. I’d like to point out two mission works I believe in and can encourage you to give some Christmas cash (and throughout the year).

Greg and Mary Swindle are moving their family to Zambia, Africa next month. I went to college with Greg and Mary. Greg and Mary come from families of men and women who have devoted their lives to Christian ministry. It isn’t any surprise to me that they and their two daughters are willing to make a three year commitment to the work in Mapepe, Zambia. Speaking of commitment, when Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year I was sure that they would cancel their plans to move to Africa. I was wrong. Their determination is strong! Mary has done very well in recovery and they (we) are thankful for her health. Once there they will work with the School of Preaching.  Students there learn drip irrigation and other agricultural skills in addition to gaining knowledge of ministry and the Bible.  The school is a major force for evangelism in central Africa. Greg and Mary and their daughters will need some consistent support to make it through the next three years, and re-entry as well. Their current needs include

• Prayer for their house in Florence, AL to sell
• Overcoming a shortfall of $1,000 per month in support
• Prayer for this family as Greg leaves December 31 for Zambia; family to follow when house sells. You can send them support via paypal by visiting their website HERE.
• You can see a short video about the work in Zambia featuring the Swindles on his Facebook page located HERE.

Katherine Gould has been featured on my blog before. Recently Katherine was put in the dilemma of reserving her apartment in Beijing, China for the next three months or being able to return home for a month during the holiday season to see family. I was impressed that Kat suggested that she would place apartment rent before her own needs to see her family. I pray that Katherine will continue to give her life to energetic service to the King – and that she would never have to send out a “S.O.S.” email again. What a shame on all of us that this young woman serving Christ would have to worry about a place to live while in another culture and country.  The night before she left for home (she did get some support for her trip home) she had 31 people in her apartment for a Thanksgiving feast. She recently had 33 ladies at her apartment for a women’s retreat. This woman is making an impact for the Kingdom! If you’re not already following Katherine on Facebook, you should. Your soul needs the joy, energy, and encouragement she offers to so many. You can follow her HERE. Katherine’s needs include:

• Monthly support for rent and expenses
• Travel expenses (can you donate air miles) since she has to leave the country every 60 days because of her visa. She often goes to the Philippines or Cambodia to work with missions on these trips
• Prayer for her health, encouragement, and strength to do this great work!
• Check out the video Kat prepared for her home church that features her work. It’s on her Facebook page.

To send support for Katherine, send your tax-deductible donation to:

Garden Ridge Church of Christ 102 N. Garden Ridge Lewisville, TX 75067 (Make sure her name is on your check).  Kat can also accept paypal donations at her email address, katherine.gould@gmail.com.

China Thanksgiving

More Christmas Mission posts to come!

John

]]> http://johndobbs.com/2011/12/05/christmas-cast-christmas-mission-2/feed/ 2 http://johndobbs.com/2011/11/09/thoughts-from-the-right-now-conference-1/ http://johndobbs.com/2011/11/09/thoughts-from-the-right-now-conference-1/#comments Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:02:06 +0000 John Dobbs http://johndobbs.com/?p=4567 Continue reading →]]> Last week I spent three days at the RightNow Conference. I have never been to this conference and I was unsure about the tone and content, if it would be relevant to me in the context in which I serve. I didn’t need to worry, it was filled with great ideas. In looking back over my notes I realize that I probably didn’t grasp most of it … guess that’s why they sell the dvds. Below is a mixture of some of the notes I took that are thought provoking. Feel free to comment on any of them!

Bill Search had an interesting class on using both Sunday Schools and Small Groups in churches while embracing the potential in each. They can co-exist! He gave seven myths and countered each one. One statistic he offered was that 60% of those attending small groups say that their spiritual needs are being met.

JD Greear suggested that all ministries and small groups mus be centered in the gospel. The gospel changes us in a way that religion cannot do. The gospel has the power to produce a love for God in our hearts. We grow more spiritual as we get deeper into the gospel. He gave a great four part prayer perspective: (1) In Christ, there is nothing I can do that would make you love me more; nothing I have done that makes you love me less. (2) You are all I need today for everlasting joy. (3) As you have been to me, so I will be to others. (4) As I pray, I’ll measure your compassion by the cross and your power by the resurrection. No new strategy is going to change things, only the glory of the gospel will change lives. (JD Greear’s new book click here)

Matt Chandler reflected on Philippians 3. He had so many good things to say. One thing he said was that nobody has a hard time believing that on their worst day they reek; but Christians have to realize that on their best day they reek … our deeds are as filthy rags. What we have in common is not our goodness, but that we are all sinners. Our confidence has to be in Christ, not ourselves. (Matt Chandler’s upcoming book click here)

Will Mancini had two very enlightening sessions on sharing vision with the congregation. He talked about “vision dripping” rather than sharing vision at one big event. Vision dripping is a daily team event where everyone who buys into the vision drips it into conversations and writings throughout each day. He talked about strategy being how you accomplish your mission on the broadest level. Good question: How many times do you expect to show up at your church each week? He pointed us to a simple church model where we are free to design ministries that are not centered inside the church building. For some of the resources he referenced in his classes, click on his name above and go to his excellent website.

I’ll share some more thoughts in another post.

John