Being Missional

Earlier this month, the TUFFers had the opportunity to begin a new partnership with an organization which provides transitional housing for immigrants who are victims of domestic abuse or human trafficking. We brought a group of 8 youth and 4 adults to spend a few hours with the residents of this community. We played with the kids outside, helped with a craft (foam door hangers) and served a spaghetti lunch.

It was a pretty eye-opening experience for me interacting with this unique group. They consisted of primarily women and children from Africa and Southeast Asia. Though they have experienced so much pain and suffering in their lives, they welcomed us with joy and appreciation. I was touched at the smiles on their faces and laughter of the young girls as they made fun of me.

See, we were playing outside and one of them shouted, "Raise your hand!" So, being a team player, I did. Immediately after doing so, I heard, "Raise your hand if you're a dork!" Ahh, the joy of childhood. I took my lumps happily to contribute to their enjoyment.

Another uniqueness of this partnership is that this organization is not a faith-based organization. The residents and staff are primarily not Christian, so this poses a very strategic opporunity to bring the life and messsage of Jesus Christ to this community. We are not sure yet how or when this will happen, but we trust that God will give us wisdom as we follow Him.

We will be returning for our second visit on November 4. I am looking forward to reconnecting with the residents there and staff. Those kids are so cute...in just one visit they are already starting to take a special place in our hearts.

I hope from these experiences, we in TUFF would develop a greater heart of compassion for the least and the lost. That we would, like the apostle Paul, be obligated to those who do not know the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ. And, that we would be willing and available to be used by God to go wherever to serve whoever for the name and fame of our Lord and Savior, for His glory.

the Church is big

Coming together for corporate worship on a Sunday is one of the highlights of my week. And of course, we do try to remind each other consistently that Sunday morning's worship is only an extension of what ought to be a week long of worship. Since we are called by the apostle Paul, "So whether you eat or drink, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31), we recognize that all that we do can be done as worship, whether that's on a Sunday or on any other day, and whether that's in our church building or in our homes or on 635.

But while Sunday mornings are an extension of a larger week of worship, by contrast our church is only an abbreviation, a local expression, of what is the larger Church - that is, the Body of Christ around the world.

These last few days, I've had the opportunity to fellowship, sing praises, and study the Word of God with believers 8,000 miles away from Richardson, Texas. They too are a part of the Body of Christ. I often forget that, and it was refreshing to be reminded once again that there are people all around the world - the Church - who are worshipping the same Lord Jesus Christ as we do. God's Church is big.

Working for the King of Kings

First, to touch upon a question that has been asked often of me lately: So, chipmunkgeek, are you the only one blogs for the pastoral staff? The answer is... no, not anymore! Bear with us as we are getting started. The rest of the folks are logged in too, and you will be hearing from them soon. Think of me simply as the Zamboni machine that preps the ice so that the skaters can do their thing. They're on their way out. Soon. Don't worry.

Two nights ago, I was introduced to a nice, older couple in Arlington. Family friends. The lady asked me what I do and if I had graduated yet, to which I replied that I currently serve on staff at Asian American Baptist Church. The woman was pleasantly surprised and so encouraging, and she said, "I think that is so wonderful! You are working for the King of Kings! I always pray for our young people, that they will choose to work for the King of Kings too!"

I knew what she meant, but the only way I could think to reply at that moment was, "We all work for the King of Kings!" And I believe it's true. Believers who are doctors are called to work for their Lord Jesus Christ just as much as believers who are pastors. Believers who are accountants serve in the strength of the Holy Spirit just as much as believers who are missionaries. Believers who are high school students are just as much called to learn and study for the glory of God as believers who are seminary students.

Last week, on biblestudytools.net (a great place to go for Bible study helps, by the way), there was a banner ad on the right side, asking in big, bold letters, "Are you called to ministry?" To which I answer, Yes. And he is too. And so is she. We are all called to ministry. Perhaps in different ways, in different roles - but we are all called to it. We are called to bring the hope of the gospel to a world in need of redemption and restoration - all of us, in our respective workplaces, neighborhoods, and families.

So enjoy your week of work ahead, and don't forget who you work for: You are working for the King of Kings.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men..." (Colossians 3:23)

Devoted to Prayer

I was studying a passage this morning with a good friend, and we were in Colossians 4. Here in 4:2, Paul commands the Colossian believers: "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." And that got me (us) thinking... this is a lot more than Paul simply telling us as believers to pray every so often. He is telling us to be devoted to prayer.

Devoted? In the same way that I might be devoted to a tv show? In the same way that I might be devoted to a person? In the same way that I might be devoted to a sports team?

Yes.

So Paul is calling us, just as we might carve out time and energy in our lives for a tv show or a person or a sports team, to do the same... for prayer. That is, prayer in our lives ought to be so much more than, "Well, since I've got about 10 minutes here at the end of my day, I guess I could pray." Instead, it ought to be, "How can I make sure that I get some good time in prayer today? How should I arrange my schedule so as to make room for a prayer life to which I'm devoted?"

Perhaps we'll never know the statistics on the correlation between the prayerfulness of a community of believers and the spiritual vitality of that community. But I don't doubt that they're directly connected. What might God do in our community if we were a community that was devoted to - not just marginally interested in - prayer? Let's be that kind of community, and let's see where God takes us.

Thanksgiving Banquet - A Springboard

We are 40 days away from our annual Thanksgiving Banquet (Saturday, November 18th) . As a pastoral staff, we've thought more about what exactly it is that we're trying to do with the TGB - that is, if the TGB is one of our strongest efforts in the year to outreach together as a church to those around us... then how can we make sure that that happens this year, and how can we make sure that those efforts to reach out are sustained through long term relationships?

Long term relationships. That is the key. Perhaps too often we bank an entire year of conversations with co-workers on "Oh, I just wish she would finally agree to come with me to church one Sunday." Bringing co-workers to church is great, but we can't bank all of our outreach efforts on one magical and hopeful Sunday morning. We're learning that effective outreach is going to depend on the building of lasting relationships. The gospel is shared when lives are shared.

And so, the goals of this year's TGB are twofold. First, we desire as a corporate body of believers at AABC to give thanks to God and proclaim His grace and goodness in our lives as a testimony to those around us - our families, our friends, our co-workers, and our community. Second, we desire to build lasting relationships with all who come through our doors in order that the seeds of the gospel might be sown over time, both through proclamation and demonstration.

So then, for these reasons, TGB might look a little bit different this year. Get ready for an evening where you will hear more from each other about why we are thankful to our great God and Savior. Get ready for an evening where you will have ample time to build bridges and forge friendships. Get ready for an evening where yes, the intermediate goal is to bring friends and co-workers to church for the very first time, but the ultimate goal is to use the evening as a springboard into deeper relationships through which the gospel might be shared.

Do you have friends or neighbors or co-workers that you'd like to invite to this evening of thanksgiving? Do you have a word of thanksgiving to God that you'd like to share on this evening? Can you commit to praying every day for 40 days for our TGB outreach?

"Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples." (Psalm 96:3)

Firstfruits

I wish that I had more opportunities to sit in on other Sunday School classes because I hear that they are learning so much. But for now, I will settle for hearing second-hand about all that God is doing in the other rooms. And the best that I can do is focus hard on what God has been teaching me (and us) in our Sunday School class on the Book of Numbers.

Today, among other things, we were talking about the command to the Israelites to give God the firstfruits of their harvest. That is, as soon as the harvest came in... the first portion of it - the very best portion - went to the Lord at the Tabernacle. And likely not only that, but it was not with an attitude of grumbling or discontent that they came to bring their sacrifice. More likely than not, they came in joy and celebration, because the harvest had begun, and the Lord had provided, as He always does. So they come, as a testimony to the nations that neighbored them, proclaiming, "Look how gracious the Lord God has been to us! He deserves from us the very best!"

That led to our discussion about what exactly it is that the Lord gets from us - sometimes it's not the firstfruits, but rather it's the leftovers. Of course, one of the first things we can think about is our money. And I confess that the Lord doesn't get the "firstfruits" of my money, or that at least in my heart I struggle with this. If TXU doesn't get my money, they will shut off our power. If Sprint doesn't get my money, there goes the cell phone. And if SBC (the other SBC) doesn't get my money, there goes the dsl, and there goes this blog.

And so I'm tempted to think at times, if God doesn't really get the firstfruits of my money, but instead just gets the leftovers... what's really going to happen? Perhaps God, in His grace, will allow for nothing punitive to happen. But nonetheless, just as the concepts of the Sabbath and the tithe were instituted in part so that the people of Israel could be a loud and clear testimony to the world around them that God provides for them and that they rely upon Him for all things and not themselves... shouldn't my approach to giving God the firstfruits of my money, my time, my life... proclaim that same testimony to the world around me?

Does God get my very best, or does God get my leftovers? Or in some cases, sadly to say... does God even get my leftovers?

I am reminded of the words of 1 Corinthians 6, that I no longer belong to myself, for I have been bought with a price. And in fact, everything of mine - my firstfruits and my allfruits - belong to the Lord God.

I Need My NPM

The first and third Sunday night of the month is one of my favorite (no lie!) times of the month. That's when we have NPM downtown. NPM = neighborhood prayer meeting. Yes... the "official" bulletin says that the south-zone NPM meets on the 3rd Sunday of the month. (We also meet on the 1st Sunday too... shhh.....)

Why do I love these times so much? For two reasons. First, when we pray together, I feel like we're gettin' it done. Prayer, like exercise or reading, is one of those things that is hard to start making a regular part of your life... but once you get going on it, you feel like you're gettin' it done when you pray. No boredom. It feels so good to pray for our church and to pray for each other.

Second, when we pray for each other, we get to know each other. The 8 to 10 of us who come together every other week have begun to share our lives with each other, praying for each other's hurts and hopes. We are building friendships through praying together.

Praying together is a spiritual component of friendships that I too often lack. Sometimes, it's awkward to pull a friend aside and say, "Hey, can we pray together about something?" But why are our friendships this way? Perhaps this says something about our prayer lives or our friendships or both.

NPM. Build your prayer life. Build your friendships.

Why Do I Exist? (the blog, that is)

The question of purpose must always come first. Why does this blog exist?

The purpose is this: we want to communicate. As a pastoral team, we want to share our hearts and our thoughts on all things AABC. And 5 minutes during the "welcome and announcements" time on a Sunday morning just isn't enough. And, sometimes... the sermon isn't the most appropriate time either. And lastly, sometimes you just can't share your heart in a PowerPoint slide announcement that flashes on the screen for 12 seconds.

At times, we receive questions from churchgoers about theological issues or the meaning of a certain Bible passage. This is the place where you can find those questions and our answers.

At other times, we just want to encourage you by sharing about what's on our hearts as we look forward to what God is doing at Asian American Baptist Church.

Our hope is that you would check back often to read up on what the pastoral team has been thinking about and how we want to challenge and encourage you.

May our Lord Jesus Christ be glorified in all things.