We made a difference in the lives of 870+ people on our medical mission. Some were patients in hospitals or clinics. Others were student who received the routine physicals (some weren't so routine but that is a different subject). And then there were the students in the classroom who received timely instruction about hygiene and abstinence.  But that only tells part of the story. 

The team had a big impact on the community, teachers, administrators, and pastors. They show they love of Jesus by their friendliness, sacrifice and professionalism. Even the government leaders are impressed. It is no wonder they are invited back annually. It is such a privilege to be a part of a team like this. If you have an interest serving next year about this same time frame I would love to talk with you.

If you want to see some of the pictures go to my Facebook account: Gary Kendall. If you aren't a friend request to be one. You'll see many smiling faces and no one is smiling more than me. I'm really excited about our partnership.

They take Matthew 25 to heart and often quote it. They place a high value on caring for the children, the poor, the widows, orphans and foreigners. Their compassion for the least of thee brings tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat as I write. There is a palpable presence of God in the room that is unmistakable. I told Kristen Levitt, Director of Project Partner, that I wish I could get everyone I know here to experience this.

We've spent two days at the same school working in the morning and the afternoon with the children. We gave routine screenings to 190 students yesterday. Today we split up into three teams. One team went to a new hospital to us to see patients. That team will begin teaching their expertise over the next few days. Another team did another 90 screenings. While the third team taught in the classrooms. We've had rain every day. We are praying for no rain because that same school has scheduled an outdoor assembly for our team to do a drama sketch. See, when you sign up to pray you too can have a role.

Another group went to the grade school classroom. They did dramatic sketches that had 100 plus students entertained for an hour. They tell me the demonstration was educational too. It was hard for me to pick up a lot but I could tell that part of it related to general hygiene.  I learned later that they wrote the dramas and the songs on this same trip two years ago. I was in awe of the way that they had the kids eating out of the palm of their hands. There is more I'd like to tell you but you need to ask me personally.

The third team was a group of doctors who work together at a hospital. They staff the emergency room. I think this is exceptional because the Director of the ICU and the ER was with them. He is our team leader. They work together with tremendous respect and coordination. They served at a clinic where the poor who can't afford to go to the doctor or a hospital came to receive treatment.  They saw patients and teamed up with the local doctors. They took great care to position the local doctors as the heroes.

We took a break for lunch and I ran to my room to write this. One thing that stands out to me is the value of simply being a servant. Here I'm one of a team of 41. I don't speak the language. I can't preach or teach so I'm one of a team of people who love Jesus and my role is to demonstrate His love. It is a good thing that a smile translates into any language. I find it helpful to simply concentrate on being a servant and that is very liberating. It's taken me about 4 days to slow down and unwind but in my spirit there is a trusting, simple, dependence on God that He is in control and all is well. This is really good for me. I came to serve and here I am benefiting--how fascinating. God is Good!

I had an interesting experience a couple of days ago. Each morning I get up early to run for about 45 minutes right at the break of dawn. The jet lag plays into this some. When I went to run one of the mornings it was still dark. I could barely make out the path but fortunately there was enough light from the streetlights that I could make out the outline. I couldn't tell what was on my right. When I turned around and ran back the sun was starting to creep closer to the horizon. Through the first light I realized I was jogging next to a cliff that overlooked the ocean. I didn't realize that! There were beautiful gardens that went from the road to the beach. I had missed the beauty and the danger in the dark. But on the way back it was really cool to take it all in. It made me wonder how much I miss on a daily basis.I'm sure I'm in the dark about a lot. I want to trust God to open my eyes and enjoy all that He has done. 

Here is a summary of the trip. I love investing in the Church in China. Did you know that they are the number one sending country in the world? They send more on mission than anyone. The Good News is also spreading as fast there as anywhere in the world. Strategic. I'd love to have you go on a mission trip me me. I can really use your prayers. 

If you can't go you can send. If you can't send you can pray. If you won't pray...why not? 

Here is what Kristen Levitt wrote on the www.projectpartner.org site:

Today our Medical Team, led by Gary Kendall, takes off for China. The U.S. based team will join our local team to serve medical needs of adults and children who otherwise could not afford the care.

They'll provide physical, eye and dental exams for the students as well as teach personal hygiene and abstence classes. The team will also host a free medical clinic in two rural villages.

This is a great opportunity our teams to be Christ's hands and feet. They'll demonstrate His love by caring for these medical needs.

Be sure to check out the Project Partner blog as I'll post photos and stories there during the trip as much as possible.

Today Please Pray:
Visit our blog to download the full prayer guide, please use it to pray daily for this team until they return on April 23, 2012
For safety and smooth connections during the journey
For God to go ahead of them, preparing their path
For God to soften hearts for Him so those they serve can feel His love for them
For God to continue to bless our relationships that provide the opportunity to serve Him
Please know your prayers are such an important part of this trip. I truly value them!

Chris Tomlin and his band were in Belfast for a concert event. It was early in the afternoon and Tomlin's guitarist was the only one not doing something. So he decided to go out and "support" the local bands there. While he was listening, the band started singing a song that gripped his heart. He ran to get Chris out of the dressing room to come hear this song. By the time Chris got to the stage, the song was over. So Chris and the rest of his band met with this local Belfast worship band afterwards. They gave him MP3s of all of their songs and he listened to that one special song. Tomlin said that he was so moved that he just had to ask them what inspired this song.

Their band and a few other members of their church went on a mission trip to Pattaya, Thailand recently. In Pattaya, there are over 30,000 female prostitutesover the age of 18! (That is not counting the ones under 18, or even the male prostitutes there) While they were walking around the town, they walked into a local bar there called...."The Climax Club", which was looking for bands to play. They agreed to give it a try and asked the owner how long he wanted them to play. The owner said, "As long as your friends continues to buy cokes." So they ended up buying cokes for 2-3 hours.

So for over 2 hours this band sang Jesus over these prostitutes who had no idea what they were singing! All of the sudden this song "came down from heaven," as one of the band members recalls. Then spontaneously they started singing:

You're the God of this city
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are

You're the light in this darkness
You're the hope to the hopeless
You're the peace to the restless
You are

For there is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

Greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done here

Chris Tomlin then asked if he could play their song for the up-coming Passion tour. They agreed and then Chris sent the that song along with some other potential songs to Louie and told him to listen. He said that there is one song that ruined him but wouldn't tell him which one. Louie listened to the songs and quickly wrote him back asking about "God of this City". Now you know the rest of the story.

Dr. Paul Brand was a missionary doctor to India who first developed the procedure for tendon transfer to the hands for those with leprosy. This parents were missionaries to India, and his mother Evelyn had a heart to reach others for Jesus. When Evelyn was 75 years old, she was still walking miles every day, visiting the villages in the southern part of India, teaching the people about Jesus. One day, at age 75, she was traveling alone and fell and broke her hip. After two days of just lying there in pain, some workers found her and put her on a makeshift cot and loaded her into their jeep and drove 150 miles over deep rutted roads to find a doctor who could set the broken bones. But the very bumpy ride damaged her bones so badly that her hip never completely healed. Paul wrote, "I visited my mother in her mud covered hut several weeks after all of this happened. I watched as she took two bamboo crutches that she had made herself, and moved from one place to another with her feet just dragging behind because she had lost all feeling in them."
He continued, "At age 75, with a broken hip, unable to stand on her own two legs, I thought that I made a pretty intelligent suggestion. I suggested that she retire. She turned around and looked at me and said, "Of what value is that? If we try to preserve this body just a few more years and it is not being used for God, of what value is that?" So she kept on working. She kept on riding her donkey to villages until she was 93 years old. At age 93 she couldn’t stay on her donkey anymore. She kept falling off. But she didn’t stop teaching. Indian men would carry her in hammocks from one village to another. And she continued to tell people about Jesus until she died at age 95. Paul remembered, "My most vivid memory of my mother is of her propped up against a stone wall as people are coming to her from their homes, schools, and places of work. I can still see the wrinkles in her face, and her skin so tanned by the weather and the heat. "I saw her speaking to those people. I looked at them and saw the sparkle in their eyes, and the smiles on their faces. And I saw them deeply moved by the message of God’s love, spoken by this old woman. I knew what they saw was not an old woman who had passed her prime, but a beautiful person bringing tidings of love straight from heaven."

I am tremendously impressed by this story of sacrifice. Evelyn's a hero in my book. Belinda, my wife, often sacrifices herself on behalf of others. It wouldn't surprise me if she repeats this kind of effort on behalf of Jesus and the Indian people. Belinda is taking a team of women to India in late July. If you want to go you can contact her at belinda.kendall@indiancreek.org  I love that woman!

The funniest story I heard was from Jon DeWitt.  I asked him how the Daniel Fast went for him and he said, last night I was dreaming of Fogo De Chao. The waiter kept bring the meat to my table and just I left t my flag up.I cracked up laughing but boy could I identify. 

Rich and Dana Graham told me tonight that they had a real sense of peace this week. They wondered out loud if it was because their metabolism was running slower without protein. That is an interesting thought. I believe God supernaturally blesses those who obey but it makes sense He would do it through a natural way in addition to whatever He does divinely. 

It did cause a stir that we didn't serve donuts in the cafe. There were some disappointed children and we wish we would have spread the word more broadly and started earlier. We will own that mistake. We spread the word in the enews but it never feels good to see a child cry over the fact that we didn't have donuts or bagels. We did serve fruits and veggies. It didn't make sense to us on any level to serve the normal fare when we were asking people to abstain. What I found interesting is that there were a few people who really blasted our cafe crew and let us have it for not providing coffee and donuts. While that was by far the exception rather than the rule I find that attitude of entitlement quite fascinating.  

I am interested to hear the stories of God's provision in people's lives. I'm sure that they will come. The consensus was that this was a very good thing. I'm hoping that this is not an end to ridiculous living but is the start of a new normal. I think some of the breakthroughs and miracles people are seeking will come quickly and some will springboard from this showing up at a later date. When you have yours I want to hear it. Please share it!

Personally, it's been a challenge. I'm used to eating on the go and the Daniel Fast takes some real planning. Mike Zimmers said it would almost be easier to do a complete fast. It is nice that you can keep up your schedule. Sometimes when you are doing a no-food fast you have to cut back a lot to conserve your energy. What you have to be careful about with the Daniel Fast is to make sure that you do set aside generous time for Bible study and prayer. Otherwise it is just a different diet. 

I've experienced a lot of peace and joy this week. I don't know if it is because of the Daniel Fast or just a blessing from God but I'll take it. I have a great sense of expectation that many people will experience breakthroughs in the spiritual realm. I can't wait to hear the stories.

The Ridiculous Worship service is Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Olathe Campus. I hope you'll come and participate in extended times of worship, scripture and prayer. I have ridiculous expectations!

"Father I want to know Thee, but my coward heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide form Thee the terror of the parting. I come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all those things which I have cherished so long and which have become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter and dwell there without a rival. Then shalt Thou make the place of Thy feet glorious. Then shall my heart have no need of the sun to shine in it, for Thyself wilt be the light of it, and there shall be no night there. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Those are good words. Thanks

We are hosting a prayer time in the Prayer Room at the Olathe campus to pray for Sunday that it will be the day of freedom for many. We will pray for the morning ministries and for the Ridiculous worship service Sunday evening. If you want to join in the prayer time you could come any time between 6 and 8. We are believing God for a new day at Indian Creek filled with the blessings and promises of God.

I've enjoyed my prayer times. God's word speaks powerfully and I'm eating that up. I'm really no worse for the wear on the eating front and I'm benefiting from the devotional focus. Here are some things others shared with me on Facebook or email.  

Here is what Jennifer Bronson had to say, I had to navigate pizza, subway sandwiches, donuts and cookies being offered in a team room at work the past two days. Yayyyy for sleeves of whole wheat saltine crackers, grapefruit, clementines and lots of water. 

Jennifer Balsbaugh said, not to mention that yesterday was national pie day!

Larry Endecott wrote, You probably know that ending our fast is where we get our English word for our morning meal.. Break-fast. How amazing! We started our fast on Sunday, in order to celebrate my birthday on next Sunday with the children and grandchildren. So this is the 4th day for us and the flesh is not to happy. Here are some of my thoughts...

So Lord what are you going to teach me this week, as my body says "What's going on here"?

That man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Deuteronomy 8:3 kjv

That I need to bring my body into subjection. "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway". 1 Cor. 9:27 kjv

That I always must continue to seek you Lordfirst thing each day in prayer. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you". Matt. 6:33 kjv

That my true strength is in the Lord and not the flesh. "for the joy of the LORD is your strength". Nehemiah 8:10 kjv

That I need to walk daily in the Spirit and not in the flesh. "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

And I need to walk a closer walk with God.  "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you" James 4:8 kjv

These things I know but want to learn something new from God this week, as we live ridiculously for Him.

Great thoughts friends. Keep the learnings coming. Write me on email at gary.kendall@indiancreek.org or comment here. Let's learn all that God has for us! We called this a Fast for Freedom. What is it that you want to be free from?

Kristen and Josh Levitt are fasting from TV because they felt it was a bigger sacrifice as they are already on a stringent diet. 

Mike Zimmers said that the prayer time made the Tofu worth it.

Rich Graham wrote me that he swam his personal best on day one of his fast.

Jesi Kendall started her fast nearly a week ago so she could go on vacation tomorrow but still benefit from the fast. 

Larry Endecott agreed with me that he had a headache too. By the way no headache for me today!

One friend shared that he was trying to hide his fast from his wife because she would make fun. Good luck with that one!

Oh, and there was a great debate over whether we should serve donuts and coffee in the cafe @indiancreek this week. The result is that we will serve Daniel Fast friendly veggy and fruit snacks. Gotta love it!

It is fun to see people giving God a chance to speak to them. I've heard stories about people devoting extra time to prayer and Bible study. It is only day two and I had someone tell me they had a significant revelation. Yes, there are the comments about craving coffee but excitement is already building for the Ridiculous Worship event Sunday night. I guess one way to say it is, anticipation that God is at work is building. I can hardly wait!

Here is a scripture that God laid on my heart for this fast. It may be just personal or it could be for all of us. I lean toward the latter but I'll let you decide:  Ezekiel 11:19 - I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people and I will be their God.  

I'm praying and claiming that scripture for us Indian Creek!

I'd love to hear your stories. You can comment here or email me at gary.kendall@indiancreek.org

I'm excited about the potential for the Daniel Fast to bring an increased hunger for God to work in our lives and in our church. We are calling it a "fast for freedom." What we mean by that is we believe God for freedom from hurts, habits or hang-ups. We believe God for healing in relationships. We believe God for spiritual breakthrough. Please understand, these come not because we earn anything from God but because we seek after Him. Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart."

I'd love to hear your fasting story.

“I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please.

I would like to buy just a little of the Lord. Not enough to explode my soul and disturb my sleep. Not enough to take control of my life. I want just enough to equal a cup of warm milk just enough to ease some of the pain from my guilt.

I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please.

I would like to find a love that is pocket-sized. I don’t want enough of God to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant. Not enough to change my heart. I can only stand just enough to take to church when I have time. Just enough to equal a snooze in the sunshine. I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want the warmth of the womb, but not a new birth.

I would like to purchase a pound of the eternal in a paper sack. If it doesn’t work, I would like to get my money back.

I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please. I would like to hide some for a rainy day. Not enough for people to see a change in me. Not enough to impose any responsibility just enough to make folks think I am ok.

Could I just get three dollars worth of God, please?”

Don’t picture the last nativity you saw. It was probably in a cave. It was shared space with animals complete with the smells that come with the same. The manger may have had hay, but no doubt it previously contained some form of feed. I wonder what they did with the manure on the ground, or should I say mud? It certainly wasn’t a sterile setting.

The mother was an unmarried virgin, probably about thirteen years old. She arrived in Bethlehem after traveling on a donkey for several days. The fiancé wasn’t the father but would be assuming that role. And I could go on but I think you get the point: the King was wrapped in very ordinary human flesh. Why? It was love.

What does love have to do with it?

God went way out of his way (read Matthew 1:18 – 2:23 and Luke 2:1 – 20) to offer love in a non-majestic way. He didn’t want to overwhelm humanity so that we would respond in awe of His greatness. He didn’t want to impress us so that we felt obligated. He didn’t choose to manipulate us in any way. His solution, our Savior, came simply so that only true seekers would even notice.

He doesn’t force His way into anyone’s life. He humbly offers His love in such a way that you must exercise faith to believe. The motivation behind this is to give opportunity for true love to develop. You don’t choose Him because you have to. You choose because you want to. That is true love.

There is a part of love that seeks out the other. There is a part of love that overlooks the external. There is a part of love that understands the difficult. There is a part of love that embraces the heart—this is the kind of love for which Jesus came. It cost Him dearly to love you this way but it is worth it all to Him when you love Him in return.

This is what He wants for Christmas: your love.

Today I read the story of how God met a couple in our church, the Indian Creek Community Church, at a time when they were down and nearly out. The way He lovingly and skillfully helped them recover started a flow of tears. Financially they were set and then a job loss and hospital stay took them to the bottom. They depended on food pantries and went hungry at times. Now they are on their feet again and thanking God for a three year journey into humility and need. Is it any wonder they regularly volunteer at our food pantry to help others and tell them about a Savior that is available for all? Talk about a Christmas miracle!

Two months ago I sat with a couple in our prayer room at church while they talked and cried. They openly weighed whether they could continue their marriage after a grievous betrayal. They honestly sought God and humbled themselves in a way that moves me now just thinking about it. Two weeks ago I met with them again and the restoration accomplished in their lives and marriage is a breathtaking journey. They’ve worked hard! They are making progress and still have a healing road ahead. God’s finger prints are all over their lives. I saw them Sunday and they were radiant. Another Christmas miracle!

Yesterday we had our year end conference Healthy Growing Churches conference call with church planters around the nation. I heard multiple stories where the power of God divinely enabled life change. Families in Chicago are able to provide for their children in an empowering way at Christmas because of the Mission church gift mart. A room in NY City was packed with young donors and interested potentials to support the next season of ministry for a two year old church, Skyline Community, started from scratch in the center of the city. A new campus is starting in a theatre in Orange County, CA. In Kansas City a Christmas for the Kids partnership with local grade school is serving over 200 children. Yes Landon, its’ a Christmas miracle!

We are folding CMA into Healthy Growing Churches after a year of working as one to see if the chemistry and mission is true to the heartbeat in both ministries. It is! We are one ministry with more potential than ever. We keep the best of both but we are better together! We will serve more churches and leaders and we will serve better. Its’ a Christmas miracle!

We have a front row seat to the reality that a baby born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago is still changing lives today! Someday I pray my grandson, Landon, will know that the miracle of Christmas goes far beyond a few lights and a great tune. The ripple effect of the way that God uses you, your church and Healthy Growing Churches causes me to exclaim as loud and with as much wonder as my grandson today, It’s a Christmas miracle!

When you give to the ministry at Indian Creek we regularly pass on a portion of what you give to ministries in our city, our nation and around the world who extend our mission to help people find their way back to God and become like Jesus. We choose partners that share our vision for ministry and with whom we have ongoing relationship. They are an extension of us. We are more than a funding organization, we do ministry together. We work together heart and soul.

We believe there is a natural, biblical, progress of helping people find their way back to God and becoming like Jesus. It goes like this--Your life is changed by the love of Jesus so you share with your neighbors, friends, relatives and
co-workers the grace you found. When they find their way back to God together, you grow in community groups, the weekend gathering, and in live out opportunities. Healthy groups will reproduce and grow reaching out to new neighborhoods. In some cases, as we grow, we will start new campuses of Indian Creek, like we did in Gardner. In other cases, we will plant new churches some of which will be in other cities.

Sometimes when I serve locally or nationally others ask how we do what we’ve done. Six years ago I felt led to start a network for church planters. It made sense that if I was going to consult with a few that we would make the help available to many. Three of us joined forces to launch CMA, the Church Multiplication Association. The other two founders were Robin Wood and Greg Wiens. We ran it out of Indian Creek for the first two years. I’ve led CMA for the last two years with the support of Tom Planck and Patsy Wootton.

CMA assisted 58 church plants through coaching and/or funding. Of those 56 are in the United States, one is in Canada and one is in Hamburg, Germany. This year CMA merged into Healthy Growing Churches as the multiplication arm. Together, we assisted six new church launches in 2011 and served 24 churches in the network. Currently there are 8 ongoing conversations about new plants next year in 2012. These churches need funding, pastoral leadership or both.

You might recognize some of the names of people who serve HGC, Steve Chiles, a former Associate at Indian Creek is a board member. Greg Weins, the father of Erin Southards, is the leader of HGC. Ben Stears is a coach for a plant in Oklahoma. James and Tammy Vogt are former staff at Indian Creek and are one of the plants I coached and Indian Creek supported financially. Luke Kendall, my son, is a Leadership Resident at Mission Church in Roselle, IL. Steve Southards served at a church plant in Florida.

I hope you have great JOY when you realize that through your generous giving to Indian Creek you are also supporting the start-ups of new churches across the nation. Your life has a ripple effect that is even reaching to Canada and Germany. Thank you for your faithful, sacrificial, generosity. God bless you.

First, think Big “C” not little “c”. God is building His Church; He calls it the Body of Christ, in your city. You and your plant are an important part. You are one part of the larger body. You might be a hand in the Church of your city—and here’s the good news--because of you the Body is better equipped than ever to reach your city. In your position you are going to have multiple opportunities weekly to speak about who you are and what you are doing. You will be tempted to focus only on your plant. And no doubt this is a time to cast a clear mission and vision. Of course you can describe what makes you unique. But at the same time you have a great open door to talk about the Big “C” church. If you quickly speak well of the other churches and talk about how you are just one part of many serving God, you set the stage for building unity in the body. Your voice will be timely and strategic to send the right message. It may even serve as a beneficial correction to others who want to focus on our differences.

Build the kingdom of God not your own kingdom. You will be tempted to play up your distinctions, and I hope you are conscious of the value your plant brings, but even as you invite others in--make it clear you are out to build up the whole Body. You are one part of the whole. The way God sees it there is one Church in your city and one Leader, Jesus Christ. The rest of us are under-shepherds stewarding our congregations and our city under His leadership. It will take all of us to reach our city. Your church could take off and reach thousands and you still couldn’t reach your city by yourself. It is going to take a concerted, collaborative effort to reach our city and it starts with the way we think about who we are.

Learn to measure more than nickels and noses. We aren’t winning in our cities until the rate of those finding their way back to God outpaces the population growth. It is great that you are a new plant but the reality is in most cities more churches are closing than launching. In most cities the divorce rate is equal to the marriages. Homelessness, run-aways and suicides are at epidemic proportions. These things are unlikely to change unless the churches in a city work together. Where you find unity, love, cooperation, corporate prayer, collaborative and intentional efforts among churches and not-for-profits you will see the light push back the darkness. I suggest you keep track of more than just your own statistics. Learn what the needs are in your community and team up with other churches to make a transformational difference. What happens outside your services is every bit as important as what happens inside your ministries. Team up with others in your city and community to serve your schools, to meet real tangible needs and watch God take care of your needs in divine ways.

You can do this if from the beginning you have a missional mindset. Think like a missionary moving into your city. Take stock of the kingdom assets around you and work together to avoid duplication. When you see a gap work with others to meet that need as God leads you. You don’t have to do everything. In fact it might be more strategic and purposeful to find one place you can make a difference and use it like a beachhead of transformation.

Tithe your time to ministry in your city outside your own plant. Get to know the other pastors in your city. Take them out to lunch and buy. Compliment them and learn from them. Promise to speak well of them and cast a vision for One church working together in a coordinated and mature way. Psalm 133 says, Where brothers dwell together in unity God commands a blessing. Pray for the other pastors and churches in your city especially when you are praying with your own team. Invest time in getting to know city officials. Ask the principals of the schools around you how you can serve them. Attend citywide prayer times or concerts of prayer. Join efforts where the churches in your community work together to do serving projects. Make it clear you are there to help the Bride of Christ look more beautiful than ever.

Avoid the pride that can come when you grow and others are not growing. Enjoy the growth and give God credit for it but realize some of what is at work is others are checking you out from other churches. Don’t give in to comparisons and don’t fall for it when people act you are the best thing to ever come to their city and then they tell you about the failings of others. These church consumers will leave you too and often a trail of destruction in their path when they go. Remember the words of Jesus, Beware when all men speak well of you (Luke 6:26). He also refused to take compliments to heart because He knew what was in the hearts of men (John 2:25). Some of the same ones that cheer you now will speak negatively about you later. Strive to grow by winning people to Christ and making new disciples. And if you are blessed with growth be sure you are also looking to equip people, release them and send them out to expand the work of God beyond you. We are called to reproduce and that means new groups, new missional communities, new campuses and new churches.

God will honor your efforts and He may even use you and your plant like leaven in your city. There will be a rise of the healthiness and life of the whole Church because of you. Since you are new, you have a unique opportunity to lead. The eyes of many will be on you. God is looking for leaders who are not just looking out for themselves, but for His greater purposes. You have an opportunity to bless the very nature of God and the Church in your city by the way you lead your plant. Go for it!

To give you a perspective on what we've experienced allow me to tell you about the journey I’ve participated in to get to what I believe today. I have the privilege of being a part of this city for 33 years now. I first came to KCK in 1978 as a summer youth intern serving the First Church of God on Shawnee Drive. I’ve lived in Turner and in Olathe in addition to KCK so I have the benefit of knowing the churches and the landscape of our city well although admittedly I’ve lived only on the Kansas side. I’ve been in Olathe at Indian Creek Community Church, a church my wife and I founded with a small group, since 1985. This duration of time allowed me to get to know pastors and churches from all parts of the city.
When I first arrived in Olathe to plant I was surprised at the resistance to our presence. That year the Olathe Daily News ran an article about Olathe being at the top of a national list when it came to the number of churches per capita. I was asked multiple times by other pastors if I had seen the article. I had. I also knew that we did an informal survey by calling every church in town and asking them what their meeting place could hold. We learned that if everyone decided to go to church on a given Sunday the present number of churches could only serve about 25% of the people. Even if they all had two services half the people couldn’t attend if they wanted to all go on a given Sunday. I knew that was unlikely but what it told me was that there were plenty of unchurched persons that needed to be reached.
I expected a bit of competition in the hearts of the pastors, which is unfortunate and maybe my problem to deal with, but what I didn’t expect was the reluctance of the pastors to allow us to use their facilities. As a brand new church we often needed a classroom, a baptismal, a gym, etc to develop a holistic program and some of the answers to my inquiries bordered on hostility. I take responsibility for interpreting things the way I did and I admit this is subjective. I can definitely say it wasn’t encouraging. There were a few who stepped out to help us; Olathe Christian and Fellowship Baptist were great exceptions.
The first ministerial meeting I attended in Olathe that first year was also the last. At the meeting the leader said that the interest had dwindled and it seemed the agenda was more political or social than anything else and they had decided to close down the meetings. I’m sharing this to give you a baseline for what was happening in those days for comparison purposes to what God is doing today.
A few years went by and nothing was happening in Olathe to draw pastors together when God put it on my heart to write every pastor in Olathe and invite them to begin praying together. I didn’t want to do it because I was one of the youngest and I had no facility (we were renting a school on Sundays) or positional authority but I did it out of obedience. I figured we might not agree on doctrine, practice or politics but surely we could gather to pray. And by God’s grace some pastors responded. We didn’t have large numbers put there were a faithful few. We met early in the morning, had a continental breakfast, prayed and went to work. It was a breath of fresh air. Even pastors that didn’t attend commented favorably. It felt like a new wind of the Spirit was blowing.
We continued the pattern for about five years and when we built our first facility at Indian Creek we expanded to a lunch format. Nancy Mitchell, who was my Assistant at the time, caught a huge burden for bringing churches, pastors and praying teams of intercessors together. Things started to move forward more rapidly. There was a greater sense of unity and we had each other’s backs in ministry. We started to share resources and at times program with each other. No one person wanted credit or took credit now it was a joint cause.
Rod Jantzen from Olathe Bible stepped up and took the Olathe Pastors to a whole new level when he began to organize us around mission. Prayer was still a priority but now we began to join hands around missional projects like Olathe Serve Day. During this same time Citywide Prayer began encouraging churches to participate in Concerts of Prayer and the Global Day of Prayer. Annually we would gather churches together at the National Day of Prayer at the Courthouse in Olathe. It felt like we were beginning to work together as the body of Christ. For the first time in my tenure the Church in Olathe was beginning to realize we are One and act like it.
The more I participated in Citywide Prayer events the more I realized that the body of Christ was coming together in other parts of the city like Independence, MO for example. Similar things were happening there. Under the leadership of Gary Schmidt, who continually cast a vision for creating a caring community of friends who would shepherd the city together, churches began to catch a vision of a whole city working in a coordinated manner. Not-for-Profits like Integrity Resources led by Rick Boxx, Significant Matters led by Tom Bassford joined hands with para-church organizations like The Sending Project led by Eric Rochester, What if the Church? led by Dan Deeble, Vision 360 Church Planting led by Justin Moxley and PastorServe led by Jimmy Dodd and suddenly the body started to look mature. When I would talk to different persons in various groups I heard a common question, what would it look like for the Church of Jesus in Kansas City to work together.
Our journey has gone from competition, to praying together, to living in unity, to serving together, to now where we are beginning to strategize together to reach our city for Christ. Initiatives like I am Second and Rock the River have great evangelistic potential if we keep moving forward. And while there will always be a place for serving projects with a missional mindset it is also important that we also give the invitation to receive Christ. So what’s next?
I don’t have the gift of a prophet but there are a couple of convictions I have about what will position us to discern the next steps together. We will need to continue to speak well of each other, pray together and have each other’s backs to prevent the enemy from dividing us. We will need to think as much about the big “C” church as we do our own congregation. This kind of progress deserves our best thinking and sacrificial service. Certainly we should value our local congregations but we need to prioritize time to work with others if we are going to reach our city. I think it will take a tithe of my time at a minimum weekly spent in working with other city leaders to discern how this Body can work together. What if every Christian leader offered a tithe of their time?
Could we create an asset map for our city so we don’t continue to duplicate resources and efforts? Could we learn where we have gaps and work together to close them? Could we create a database that has Web access? Can we learn from others so we don’t all have to pay the same “dumb tax”? Could we plant more churches if we shared the resource challenge? If someone is training in one particular ministry area could we partner together so that everyone benefits and we share the cost? Could we mobilize businesses, churches, not-for-profits and missional communities to work together to address some of the systemic issues in our city? Of course this means we must share the benefits, costs, liabilities and spotlight but how else can this happen?
We must be kingdom minded and not territorial. We can’t care who gets the credit. We must be more concerned about the whole than simply about our own congregation. We need to lead with love and trust that we won’t let doctrine or differences in practice derail our unity and effective service in Jesus.
Can we dare to imagine a day where we could even trust a leadership team of a few to guide this process? That would be a huge next step but I think we eventually need to go there if we want our city to work like a Body that is mature, coordinated and effective. For as thankful as I am for where we’ve come from I’m concerned that if we stop short of empowering leaders to lead we will defuse our efforts.
I don’t know that I’ve ever even heard of an American model for this but the gains would be exponential if we allowed leaders who are gifted as apostles to lead and the rest of the Body each served in their own areas of gifting in cooperation. We might take some uncoordinated steps to get there. But if we did we would preserve all that we’ve gained; and just maybe we could see what it takes to fulfill the prayer of Jesus, Your kingdom come, Your will be done in Kansas City as it is in heaven.

Finally I converted when Greg Wiens, my good friend and the leader of Healthy Growing Churches, bought me an iPad2. It was amazing—waaay better than I imagined. It was intuitive, fast, reliable, beautiful and it sounded fantastic. Immediately I carried it everywhere I went and I spoke from it the first opportunity I got. I can check email from anywhere, get to the internet easily, keep my mileage records, keep up with my budget, take pictures, write, listen, play and record. As quickly as I could I dumped my former cell phone (I’ll resist bashing it although I nearly threw it to the ground a hundred times it was so frustrating) and bought an iPhone4. Presto, problem solved from day one. Now if only AT & T was as reliable.

But this isn’t about the products it is about the person. Steve Jobs was undoubtedly a creative genius but what is inspiring to me is his dedication to change the world. He saw a world that only a few even imagined and most doubted could become real. His vision changed the computing world, the music industry, communication and even advertising. Where did he get the personal strength to know he was right? Where did the willpower come from to impose his brilliance on others who lacked the imagination, technical knowhow or dedication to find the truth? The depth of his conviction was astounding.

He had his personal flaws, after all he was human. He applied the same kind of demanding nature to the people around him causing even the best of them to wonder why he was so mean. He said he was only “fifty-fifty” on whether God existed adding,” you’d like to think that your consciousness would continue to exist but maybe it is like an off and on switch, click, and you are gone.”

So today I salute Steve Jobs and admit I was wrong about his products. I’m thankful and grateful I turned and I won’t go back. The sadness I feel in losing him is centered not as much in the loss of his productivity but in the realization that he was looking for something truly transcendent and I don’t know if he found it. Boy did he come close.

But there is nothing like meeting the Creator of the galaxies, the oceans, the Himalayas, the African savanna and the human body—not to mention love. As much as I enjoy the music on my iPod it pales in comparison. I really hope he made choices that led him to know the Trinity ‘cause heaven will blow even Steve Job’s great mind. I hope I meet him there someday. But if he isn’t there, heaven will not disappoint, even those addicted to Apple.

This unexpected surgery caused many of my plans to change. I intended to go to China in three weeks to lead a Project Partner trip to deliver resources to our Chinese partners to rebuild Yin Lee’s school. It is a great story. However, now I cannot go because of the surgery.

I now need to raise $4,500 to cover non-refundable travel expenses.This will also cover the cost to send Belinda, as I feel it’d be beneficial for her to go.

I was going to run the KC half marathon to raise these funds. Now I can’t run (although Paul Pfannenstiel will run for me). And I can’t go. I would love to see this project and the trip go forward without me. I’m humbly asking for your help.

Would you pray with me for God’s solution? If you feel led to support please donate through Project Partner. You cangive onlineor send a check to:  Project Partner, 2111 E Santa Fe Dr., Suite 149, Olathe, KS 66062

I’m comforted by the fact that Kristen and Belinda will both be leading teams and working toward this project in my absence. Please join me in praying for them. I’m sure God has a bigger story. Together we can do this and God will be honored.

You have it too right, just around your own set of important things. It could be around things happening in your life, your home, with other people and your ministry—sometimes you get lucky and hit the trifecta where you have disappointment in all these going at the same time.

So here is what I’m doing and maybe it will help you too.

Grieve it. Acknowledge the disappointment. Give it words. Speak frankly and honestly to God out loud about it. Tell people you trust. Write it in your journal. Talk to those who can give you perspective. In my case I talked to my family, my doctor, other runners, Project Partner staff and volunteers, our partners in China, my prayer team and friends. Don’t hide it but there is no need or benefit in wallowing here. Tell the truth. It is what it is. You don’t need sympathy and you don’t want people feeling sorry for you but an understanding heart here is a great gift.

Learn from it. Review what happened and ask God to show you anything that you could have done differently or should do next time. Give yourself grace. You are human and finite in your understanding. Ask the appropriate questions of the right people and don’t be afraid of the answers. Sometimes we are so defensive or afraid of being wrong we don’t learn the lessons we could learn if we were humble and teachable. In my case I visited the Doctor in August and suggested this was a problem but his nurse practitioner didn’t find it. She thought it was a pulled muscle in my groin area. Although I thought she was wrong I didn’t ask for a second opinion until on my ten mile run I had pain I knew wasn’t in my muscle. So I waited too long to get a second opinion. If I had acted sooner I could have had the surgery, healed and made the trip. Bummer!

Accept it. The sooner we can make peace with reality the better. It is what it is. A good leader can define reality and make appropriate plans. Embrace it and make the most of it. Why is it that we can stand in awe of things we can’t understand in nature and science and then be mad at God for things we can’t understand in our lives? He is God and He has a master plan. The sooner we can accept that He is in control and we are not the healthier we will be. And we are less likely to miss the benefit that is surely going to come if we do it this new way. There will be a blessing or a silver lining. Look for it. Expect to meet God along the way. In my case perhaps there is a different way to raise this money. Maybe God will lay it on someone’s heart to help. And maybe there is a reason I need to rest and be here in KC on those dates. I believe God for better things. God can do things I cannot do in ways I could never dream and I’m asking Him to do just that with this.

Grow from it. In every disappointing thing there is the possibility you could grow. Perhaps it is as simple as learning new levels of trust. But you might also learn a new way or meet new people who could share the load. If you are humble and teachable it the likelihood is that you will see things from a different perspective and if nothing else be wiser for the experience. Notice I used words like possibility and likelihood because growth is not a given. Sometimes I’ve taken laps around the same desert because I refused to learn the lesson so God patiently repeated the process. If you get stuck in disappointment and don’t grieve it, learn from it, accept it and grow from it you will likely get more of it.

As you can tell I’m coaching myself in this note and hopefully you can apply it to the situations of your life. We must accept life, the good and the bad, to be able to praise God in all things. Life and people will disappoint us. And frankly we will disappoint ourselves but in all this God is Good and His mercies are new every morning. Great is His Faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-25. I watch with expectation to see what good comes out of this and how He is glorified.

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I'm personally attempting to raise $4,500 of the $40,000 cost to renovate the school. To do that I'm asking people to sponsor me in the KC half marathon Oct 15. Would you be willing to sponsor me at $5, $10 or more per mile? You can make your contribution on the Project Partner web site: www.projectpartner.org

I ran 9 miles today in my quest to build up strength for the longer runs. My more normal training right now is to run 6 miles at a time 4 times a week. But from now on at least one of those runs needs to be a long one. I'll likely add a mile a week to the long run before tapering off the week of the run. I could use your prayers. I love to run. It means even more when I know it can help children have an education. There is nothing as powerful as education to break the cycle of poverty.

Our Chinese partners, The China Agape Ministry, is born out of a local church. The church looks for local projects that need support and when they find a worthy one they raise money in their church to help. They ask for our help in selected situations. They also get the city government to participate so everyone wins. When they actually give the money they give it through the local church so the local church is the hero in the community. They want to stay in the background so the good will goes to the local church. In this way the community and the government sees the church as an asset. 

This will be my sixth trip and every time I go I come back impressed with the love, compassion, and strategic nature of our partners. Human need is significant whether it is in China or Olathe. One of the major differences is that in the United States we have religious freedom and church on every corner. In China it is a different story. But imagine with me what could happen if the largest country in the world, with the second highest GNP, and the place where the largest revival is going on, could be filled with the love of Christ. Wow! What a combination! I'm praying for that and I'm doing more than just praying, I'm running. Will you help? Thank you.

I want to contrast the life we naturally know, which is a self-directed life, with the life Jesus calls us to, that is to live Sent. It would be helpful to know this from the very beginning when we say yes to Jesus’ call. Many turn to Christ thinking He is there for them - to bless them, provide for them, comfort them, forgive…etc. And all of that is true. In reality, it is the way I came to Christ. It is not a bad place to start, but many never move on from there.

Jesus said, "As the Father sent me so I send you." When He calls us to follow, the goal is that we would live Sent lives. In other words, we are inviting Him to live in us and we are full and wholly devoted to Him. We live each day as if we are on mission. This is an exciting life where we are his ambassadors to bring heaven to earth. The book tells us about this process.

A unique feature is that I am writing with multiple friends in mind who are not only far from God but far from the church. I’m writing in such as way that I could use the book to teach who Jesus is in hopes that they would decide to follow. If they came to church today, even to Indian Creek, without exposure to the true calling of Christ, they are likely to get caught up in the consumerism of the American church. I hope to create a tool that we can use at Indian Creek to bridge the gap from what is to what needs to be. Perhaps it will even have a usefulness outside of Indian Creek. If you are interested in testing it out in your situation let me know.

Here is the schedule. I ask you to pray with me for this project. The first week of August I’m in Orlando, FL writing. On the 20th of this month there is a test group of men who are going through it as a study/discussion guide. They will also be expected to practice what they are learning. We are using it as a September message series with our groups aligned on weeknights to put it into practice. This fall I will create a workbook to go with it, tweak the copy and tighten up the logic, scriptures and illustrations so that by the end of the year we can decide what to do about publishing. I’d love to hear your thoughts, stories and illustrations. If you are interested let me hear from you. One of the big concepts in the book isn’t new to any of us—life is all about relationships and we are better together.