Meeting of the 14

We have been teaching our 14 CPs about having a goal, or end vision for their ministry. We know that God's purpose is that His glory would cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Hab 2:14. God's goal, or end vision is in Revelation 5:9 and 7:9- for every nation, tribe, people and language to receive and worship Him at the throne in heaven. They voiced their goals for certain people groups and languages they are already working with. We have taught them that they must have a plan- steps working toward the completion of their end vision. For, example, if we have even a simple goal of buying vegetables, we have specific steps we have to accomplish in order to get to that goal. First you must get dressed, put your shoes on, get your money, then go out the door, walk to the rickshaw, take a ride to the market, arrive at the market, and then accomplish your goal of buying what you need. Each step must take place in order to get to your goal efficiently. Putting on your clothes in the rickshaw is possible, but not practical. Walking around your house 2, 5, 10 times before getting in the rickshaw is possible, but wastes time. In the same way, we must put together steps in our ministry toward accomplishing our goal. The first step we are teaching them is how to find where your minsitry should start. We should have an entry plan for the first of 5 parts (Entry, Gospel, Discipleship, Church Formation, and Leadership Multiplication) of our CPM master plan. There are many ways of doing a certain thing, and while all those things are possible, doing many of them is not always practical, and we can easiliy lose our focus. Each step in a CPM must be thought out, and then each step must also be done well in order for the CPM to grow and grow quickly. Choosing one thing and doing is well is much better than trying to do many things and doing them just OK. Their entry strategy we have been teaching them to use, comes from Luke 10:1-11. We call it our HOP (House of Peace) strategy for Entry. Pray and go- let God lead you to the place he wants you to be. Jesus told them not to take extra things (bag or sandals) because we need to rely totally on Him to provide for us, and to allow someone in the place God is leading you to be able to show mercy on you. For blessed are the merciful, they will be shown mercy. Jesus also said, don't greet anyone on the road. When God has revealed to you the place you should go and bring the Good News, you should go directly to that place. Don't stop. Would a farmer who has precious seed to be planted in the field he has prepared stop on the way to that field? He has a task, and he knows how important and urgent it is that seed needs to be sown, and in that specific field. Once in the village, prayerwalk, and let God lead you to the person of peace. As we learn in Acts 17:26-27, God has determinied the times set for them and the places they should live, and that they should seek God. They are ready for the Good News. Or, they have a need that can be met through prayer, so that the power of God can be revealed to them, and then the salvation can be shared with them. But most important, get into the house. Let the person of peace invite you in and display his mercy upon you. Eat and drink what is put in front of you. Begin to develop the relationship, and then share the Gospel. Stay in the house! Once the Gospel is shared, and they decide to accept the salvation Jesus has offered to all people, stay with them. This is where discipleship starts, as well as church formation and leadership multiplication. From the very beginning, they are modeling how to reach others with the gospel.

This week, my team member and I were able to bring our 14 disciples/CPs in to our city, as we have scheduled every month for the next year. We have visited all of them over the past month in their homes, and given them action items to complete. The meeting is an iron on iron session, where we come together for more teaching as well as sharing praises and prayers about what is going on. Many of the brothers in this meeting were excited to share what has been happening in their ministry since the last meeting. Many of them have toiled many years in ministry and have struggled to see fruit. Since sharing with them the Luke 10:1-11 strategy, they have put it into practice already. Some have prayed for family members of people, and God has shown great healing in order to open doors for them. Others have simply prayed for God to lead them to a POP, and have been invited into the house and shared the Gospel. The 14 are so excited to see something working so quickly, it is going to be incredible to be visiting them in the next month to see what kind of impact God is making through these obedient 14 men.

Many of them have developed a master plan, and they have very specific strategies in each of their 5 parts in order to move toward their goal. They are thrilled to put these things we are learning together into practice, and see fruit like they have never seen it before in their ministry. Next is discipleship and church formation. I will cover this in more detail in future posts, as well as how it is happening among the 14.

Farewell to a Childhood Vacation Home

Our vacation has come to an end. We have had a blast as a family. Most of our goodbyes are done, except for the final ones before we go to South Asia for our assignment. God truly blessed us with this time, as well as a loving and supportive family.

I would like to share about a summer home that has been in my family long before I was born. 15 years ago, just a few days after my wife and I were married, my grandfather on my mom's side died suddenly from a lung embolism on the airplane home from our wedding. This was a sudden loss of a dearly loved and respected father, grandfather, husband and businessman of his community. Last September 3, my grandmother, his wife passed away at the age of 81. We were able to come together as a family from all parts of the U.S. to say our goodbyes in the hospital before she passed. After a simple and tearful family memorial at the lake, we all agreed to come together at the lake home we all grew up loving to visit and play at this time for a family reunion. This house was bought as a summer cottage by my grandparents in the 1950's and my mom and each of her siblings grew up as part of the lake, boating and waterskiing until all grew and left, still visiting and vacationing there, however. I was the first grandchild of the family, and I have nothing but great memories of the lake as do my cousins and aunts and uncles. This is a family heirloom of sorts. Unfortunately, since the passing of my Grama P., and all the siblings and cousins living on the other side of the country, it was decided this past week during the reunion that the house would be put on the market. It was a tough decision, but a decision by my mom and her sisters and brother to move on with their lives.

So I left yesterday saying goodbye not only to my family, whom I dearly love and respect; not only to the grandparents who God blessed me with and I will always remember the love and fun times I spent with; but also to a dearly cherished family vacation home, that always brought out the BEST times together as family, including the last two times there which were filled with fun memories and tears, lots of tears. So I left with no regrets, only great memories and maybe... a few more tears.

Goodbye to the lake, where I learned to fish, waterski, drive a floatboat on my grampa's lap, dive off the dock, swim to the point, canoe over to the canal to see "THE CANAL PEOPLE" (inside joke for my family), and learn to have fun and love those people called aunts and uncles, though I never considered you that, but more like older siblings because you treated me like a little brother. I enjoyed seeing my own children swim in the same lake off the same area of dock where I, my mom and grandparents swam. Such great memories, not one of them sad. However, when I think of it now, I tend to "fold" a little. (Another family joke)

Thank you God for my family, and all the great times we have had together at the lake. Thank you for this time we spent together to say goodbye to the lake and to grama and grampa one last time. Thank you for the blessings in my life and memories that I will never forget.