Blink

I have recently finished reading another fascinating book by Malcolm Gladwell entitled, "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking." Once again, in true Gladwell form, I was taken on a fascinating journey into realms that I have never visited. This time it was the realm of thinking.

Everyday, multiple times a day, in all aspects of life, we all make snap decisions or judgments. Whether we realize it or not, we make a fair amount of those snap decisions based on our prejudices. We make those quick judgments based on things that lie behind a 'locked door' in our mind. The truths that I took away from this book were many, but one bears sharing here.

It is imperative that each one of us intentionally work to train our minds to slow down, if ever so slightly, when it comes to making important decisions. It is important that we work intentionally to slow our thought processes down when we are talking with people so that we can better read the non-verbal cues that they are giving us.

To paraphrase Gladwell at the end of the book; "when we are able to take charge of the first two minutes of a conversation, a decision, an audition, an interview, etc.; we will be able to see people and circumstances for what they truely are."

Thank you Mr. Gladwell for writing another thought provoking book!

Exponential: How you and your friends can start a missional church movement

As part of Zondervan's blog tours, I have had the privilege to review books that are new. This has been a wonderful opportunity that I hope will continue.

The lastest tour has taken reviewers to the book, "Exponential: How you and your friends can start a missional church movement," written by brothers Dave and Jon Ferguson. This book was my first exposure to the Ferguson brothers, and I am sad that it has taken me this long to become acquainted with them.

My heart is that God's Kingdom will be advanced in this world through the ongoing salvation of people who are not currently connected to a life giving relationship in Christ. I believe that I have found kindred hearts in the Ferguson brothers. Through this book, they are challenging the rest of us to think about ways to build God's Kingdom on this earth. They are challenging us to think about ways that may be foreign to us, but ways that are essential for us to consider if we are going to be serious about reaching those who are outside of a relationship with Christ.

The entirety of the book was summed up in the early pages with this quote; "reproducing isn't about our kingdom; it's about God's Kingdom."

This is a must read for any church leader. As a matter of fact, go here; "Exponential: How you and your friends can start a missional church movment," and buy a copy now!

Outliers

I just finished reading a rather fascinating book - "Outliers." In it, Malcolm Gladwell takes an intriguing look at how people achieve success. In short, I would highly recommend it to anyone. If you would like to have your typical views of 'summer vacations,' birth date deadlines for sports leagues, and Bill Gates, then I would encourage you to pick it up at the local library and enjoy. He explores why Koren Airlines had such a deplorable safety record. He looks at how rice paddies in China are connected to exceptional math scores, and why feuds like the "Hatfields and McCoys" are very common in Appalachian America!

Thank you Mr. Gladwell for challenging our thinking!

Ukraine Day 6

Today was a bit of a slower day. The team went in different directions and made contact with people around the city. Pastor Tom and I met with an outreach team from a local church and fellowship with them and prayed for and blessed them. Then we had lunch with a local pastor. Dan, Gary, and Bob enjoyed some time with a man that runs an orphanage in the city.

When I sit back and try and picture what I think Jesus may look like today, I can't help but picture Ivan and Tanya Benedyk. These two people are incredible at working to build God's Kingdom. Pray for them as they are in a time of transition.

Tomorrow will be our last day in Ukraine and it will be very full. Please pray for us!

Ukraine Day 5

Today was a very full day. The team split up this morning and preached in different locations. Tonight we went to the gypsy church and held one last service with them. The room was absolutely packed with people. Pastor Tom spoke and we prayed and ministered to just about everyone in the church. We were able to do a wonderful Skype conversation with the church back home!

A quick story about this picture.

The church that I had the opportunity to preach in this morning is getting ready to plant another church in a nearby city. Earlier this week we were able to negotiate the use of this room with another room for children's ministry in an old bread factory. When it was all said and done, the first six months rent was paid at a total cost of $100 US dollars per month. God is so good and His gospel is going forth throughout the earth.

Get on the train or get out of the way!

Ukraine day 4

Wow - what a day today. We attended the ordination service of this pastor, Pastor Victor. He pastors a gypsy church in Uzghorod that one year ago was on life support. Today it is a thriving congregation approaching 100 people. Pastor Victor was the worship leader in the church before when the former pastor decided to walk away from the faith and his ministry. Victor has accepted the call of God upon his life to pastor this church. It was a powerful service as about 300 gyspies from various camps, villages, and churches came together for this celebration. God is using the gypsies in Ukraine to shake this nation. Once again I am reminded that He takes the 'least of these & makes the most of that!" Their faith is very simple - they love Jesus & they are very passionate about that relationship with Him! Oh, so much to learn!

Today was another phenomenal day of ministry and watching God move in dynamic ways. We prayer walked again in the morning. We visited the gypsy camp where Ivan Benedyk is the pastor. We saw the progress on the shower house project that was started last spring. We talked about the condition of the village and the church and such. We ministered once again at the gypsy church in Uzgherod. God is moving in that church in powerful ways. With the help of the people here and the mighty grace of God, we were able to secure a place for the new church plant. God is so good. We were able to secure it for half the asking price. Please pray for the woman in this picture. She is a mother of 6. Her husband is currently serving a 7 year prison sentence. She is raising the six children in a house that is about 12 ft. x 14 ft. The house is at the bottom of the hill so the dirt floor is beginning to wash out and erode away. It looks like we are going to be able to secure her and her children a new house in the village that is 2 to 3 times the size of her current house. It is at the top of the hill right next to the shower house and a water supply. She will also have a stove to heat the house in the winter. God is so good. He is teaching me to be His most grateful child.