Today we wrapped up the Daniel Fast with a great "Ridiculous" evening worship service. There was a lot of joy @indiancreek today. I think the fact that we were denying ourselves things that are natural in order to seek after God created a sense of expectation. There was a good crowd and the worship was sincere and spirited. 

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!

Tonight seven of us met to pray for tomorrow when we wrap up the week long Daniel Fast. We prayed for people to increase their desire for God and we prayed for God to grant us freedom from sin, addictions and the past. Before we prayed we talked about our experience fasting this week. It was unanimous, this has been a good thing.  

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!

Today a group of men met @indiancreek café, Olathe campus, at 6 am as we have been for the last 5 weeks. We’ve been on what I call a “burst” of spiritual growth. We meet on the weeks between community group semesters. The subject of this study has been “Power Tools.” We are learning about the Holy Spirit and how to operate in the kingdom of heaven. Today Rick Keaton taught about how to pray and walk in spiritual victory. He did a great job presenting and he shared his own story with transparency. It was moving.
It was neat to hear that most of the men there were participating in the Daniel Fast. One man told me his pants were getting lose he was losing so much weight. I know that wasn’t the intended goal necessarily but it is a result most of us can embrace. Even my Mom told me she’s lost five pounds and she didn’t have it to lose.
Several of the guys described a real sense of peace that had settled in during these five days. They said it was well worth it. I’ve experienced that peace too. Two people told me that they plan to go 21 days instead of stopping at 7. This is new territory for many and as we head into the weekend there is a sense of expectation that God is going to move in us in divine ways. Yes, God, do it!
I’m praying for us corporately that if there is sin, past or present, it will be confessed and forsaken. If there is apathy it will be replaced by a “first love” experience. If there is lukewarm spirituality it will become white hot. I’m praying that we declare that God is only true desire of our hearts. We must surrender completely to Him. Then I’m asking God to forgive us and extend mercy and grace. If there are consequences to our sins I’m asking that they be pardoned. I’m praying that we will be a trophy of His grace in His eyes. I ask that Jesus would cleanse is and wash us clean with His blood. I humbly but boldly pray for His blessing and favor on Indian Creek. I ask that He would restore His anointing and fulfill His promises. I pray that He binds the works of the enemy and uproots any foundation he’s attempted to build. I ask for complete and utter victory so that no weapon formed against us will prosper.
I believe God for a new day at Indian Creek. We are outwardly and completely declaring that in Him alone is our satisfaction. We exist to do His will. We know we are only saved by His grace. Our righteousness is in Him alone. We need Him desperately and I believe He wants to bless us and use us to accomplish His will in Kansas City. Please pray with me.

This was definitely the best day so far. My body seems to have accepted the new diet and I don't feel the cravings that I did. That doesn't mean my mind has turned off but this is much more comfortable. I continue to get comments from people that they are enjoying and benefiting from the fast. Here is a quote that Kristen Levitt found from A.W. Tozer:

"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'm getting plenty of fiber in my diet. I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and had to make a run for the border! I need to make some adjustments. I've had a salad for lunch three days in a row. Any ideas? Belinda made a good stew without the meat and that worked for supper. I don't know when I've had more water to drink than these last three days. It works to keep me feeling full. I've been drinking hot water and it almost makes me think I have coffee--okay, not so much!

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?

Day two was a good day. The oatmeal was good a second day in a row but a salad for lunch and beans for supper needs to change! Anyway, it is not about the food is it?  Here are some of the things people have shared about the fast.

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

This has been a tough day for me. I've had a caffeine head-ache all day. I expected that but I didn't expect that my whole body would feel weak. Yesterday afternoon I felt some kind of flu coming on so I think there is more at work here than the Daniel Fast. I'm pushing through because I believe God has great things for us.

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.

Several years ago I came across a writing by William Rees titled $3 of God please. I shared this as a part of my message Sunday. I've attached the message here if you want to read, cause_normal_isnt_working.docx

“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?”

Does it seem odd to you that the Creator of the universe chose to be born in the most humble setting imaginable?

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.

I took my two and one-half year old grandson, Landon, to see Christmas lights recently. One of the displays had syncopated lights to a TSO tune. Landon was in awe. At the end he said, Its’ a Christmas miracle!” I love his enthusiasm even if there is more to Christmas than he knows!

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!

You may not be aware of the many ways that Indian Creek Community Church is a source of joy to others around the nation.

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.

When Belinda and I moved to Olathe to launch Indian Creek, we didn’t expect other pastors and churches to be excited we were coming. But we were surprised at the sniping and cold shoulders we received. A lot has changed since then. I am thrilled with the progress in KC. There is a fresh new wind of not only cooperation but collaboration in the churches of Olathe and Kansas City. In the rest of this note I want to talk about the kind of attitude and activity that is necessary to bring about the body of Christ working together in a mature and coordinated way. You, even as a planter, can be at the center of this kind of movement. In fact, you can have a central role because you are new.

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!

Tomorrow Belinda and I are going to a Citywide Prayer event to discuss and pray about how to more effectively reach our city, Kansas City, for Christ.  I’ve been thinking a lot lately about that and the journey we've been on and I want to capture some of it before we go.  

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.

Tonight Belinda and I sat down together and watched the 1 hour 20 min special on the life of Steve Jobs here is the link on my iPad2 and marveled at the legacy he leaves. I’ve been a PC guy most of my adult life. I thought I couldn’t afford the more expensive Apple products and I believed they were more hype than substance. I was sure the king of cool got my kids to drink the Kool-Aid. I was wrong. I know I should say that at least three times, once for each of my kids who kept telling me I was wrong. They were right. All six of my kids (that’s spouses included) bought Apple products and kept up relentless pressure on me to turn away from the dark side and see the light.

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.

On October 10 I had a double hernia surgery. The recovery has been slower than I hoped and it has taught me a few things. I realize that many people live with pain continually and my respect for them went up a ton. I think my mercy gift is pretty small but I’m sure it grew. Many times I’ve wondered if a person who was feeling poorly couldn’t will themselves to get up and go. I repent.
I thought I would have a lot of time to read, study the Bible and pray. I’ve found it really hard to concentrate. The extra time hasn’t necessarily translated into time well spent. I can’t just get up and go because often I haven’t had enough energy to do more than just sit or lay around. A couple times I had a burst of energy and I thought I had turned a corner only to hit the wall a few hours later. It has been hard to put two good days back to back.
I’m sure it will turn around soon. Today was a good day although it did include a nap in the afternoon. The pain is much less and easier to control. I didn’t realize the necessary management it takes to stay on top of the pain and handle the gastro-intestinal challenges pain meds cause. So when the pain is less the management is easier.
I have a greater appreciation for the faithfulness of God. He is amazing. He knows just what I need at any point in time. His word is rich and He is so willing to speak through His Spirit. There were several times when I played Youversion.com and simply listened to the Psalms. I could identify with the Psalms especially the group between say, 65 and 90. I did have a lot of time to think. Some of it was in the middle of the night. I felt like God helped me sort out a number of things that often in my busyness I don’t have enough time to reflect on. I appreciate the perspective gained.
The thing that stands out is the way our community cared for me. I feel loved for sure. People brought meals, sent texts and emailed, called, came to visit, prayed for me and in general overwhelmed me with love. I couldn’t have asked for more. Several people even said I didn’t do a lot because I knew you had as much attention as you could handle. Thanks for the care. I felt it and it felt good.
I wouldn’t choose this course for my life but I think God has a plan at work that includes rest, time at home and time in the city of KC. I had to cancel multiple trips and I missed a chance to run in the KC half marathon. But if this is the will of God for my life at this time I want to fully embrace it and learn whatever I can. His will is all that is important in the long run and I trust Him. So I’m low on the learning curve but I’m taking it all in and taking notes.

Life is full of the unexpected.I'm sharing my personal experience with you because I know you care and I need your help.Recently my doctor informed me that I have a hernia and need surgery right away.

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.

I’ve been training for a half-marathon (13.1 mi) in Kansas City October 15. I won’t lie the training is tough but I’ve been looking forward to the run. I also planned to use the run to raise money for a Project Partner mission trip. I planned to visit a school in China and take them resources to rebuild. Check out this link: http://bit.ly/pDsiJGI learned on Friday that I have a direct hernia. My doctor advised me to have surgery ASAP which means I would miss the race and the trip and now my fund raising effort is also in jeopardy. I was hoping to raise $4,500. I stand to lose it now.  What a disappointment! Several of the things I love the most are in jeopardy. You’d have to know me to know how devastating this is. So what do you do with disappointment?

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.

I'm going to China in November to see Yin Lee's school. Please take a minute and check out this video and you can get the idea behind why we want to help: http://projectpartner.org/Give/help-rebuild-yin-lees-school.html

For some reason the hyperlink manager is not working. I'm sorry. The link will work if you cut and paste.

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.

This week I’m working on a writing project that will turn into a book, messages series and group studies. It's target is those in our Indian Creek community who need to find their way back to God and those who are new who need to become like Christ. Through the book I will work the reader through our framework of Sent: to love God, love people and live out the love of Jesus.

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.

If you are a planter or a high capacity leader you are no doubt wired to storm the gates of hell with a squirt gun at times. Don’t forget that the battle that rages around setting people free is a life and death one that has been going on since creation. Many really strong, godly leaders have taken on a lot of fire from the enemy.   It is often helpful to admit we don’t know it all. We need to square things up from time to time, swallow hard and admit we were wrong about this or that. We do have feet of clay because we are human. We have fears. We have dreams that get dashed for a variety of reasons and it hurts. And yet it's true what the scripture says, we are more than conquerors.    I wonder what does MORE than conquerors mean? Isn’t being a conqueror enough? Maybe the more is what is happening inside of us. We’ve got to deal with that too by God’s grace. And the Spirit is ready and willing to heal and restore us. Maybe that is the most important thing you will do today.  

Yesterday I had the privilege of standing at the bedside of a man who took his last breath on earth and his first step in heaven. It is a holy moment. On this side I found myself wanting to breathe for him. There were tears and appropriate mourning. At the same time I was imaging how freeing and fascinating it must be for him at that very moment to be experiencing heaven. My faith in God's word tells me he was entering a life infinitely more beautiful, satisfying, freeing and healthy than we can fathom. I could almost feel the rush it will be to enter into the physical presence of my Creator and Savior God. I'm sure it exceeds my puny imagination but the sence of expectation and gratitude is overwhelming. I'm so glad that God gives us one with the other. Our last act here immediately becomes our first there. Our mourning here gives way to peace that our loved One is with His heavenly Father. Sadness and loss are bouyed up by faith. Jesus who has been the One who brings good out of every earthly situation and has never failed us is the same One who meets our loved one on the other side to utter those words only made possible by grace, "Well done good and faithful servant, enter in." The Holy Spirit who is our tangible presence and our best friend carries us through times like this on earth and ushers us into the presence of the Father in eternity. This is an incredibly amazing hope we have in relationship with our triune God. And to see it play out before my very eyes was sacred, sad and peaceful all at the same time. Only God can love like this! What a privilege to live in relationship with Him! O death where is you sting? Whatever we endure in this life it is worth it a thousand times over to live in relationship with God. I know that one day I will take that path and so will you. Everyone I love and even those I don't know around me will inevitably cross the threshold from this life to the next. I'm so grateful that we can know Jesus in this life and we have His word and His Spirit to prepare us for the day we stand before the Father. Don't let anything in this life distract you from accepting His invitation to walk with Him now so you can walk with Him them.

Giving God the Stiff Arm
I was out on a run recently using the time to think and pray. I was reflecting on some choices I made recently that didn’t turn out so great. My thoughts were part lament and part confession when God got my attention. He took me back to a time not too long ago when I felt some promptings around a particular subject that I didn’t give much attention to at the time. Yes, there were some stirrings in my spirit but I didn’t press into them and they were easily dismissed. It didn’t seem like much at the time so I ignored them and went my own way. The eventual outcome was disappointing. I begrudgingly agreed with the Spirit on that run that day and then asked if there was anything else that I was treating like that in my life right now.
I put the ball on the tee for the Spirit and He didn’t swing and miss. Immediately something came into my mind which was accompanied by a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach because I knew I was giving God the stiff arm on that one too. Wow! I got more than I bargained for on that run!
The good thing about it was that I immediately confessed (in the Greek the word means to agree with God concerning His opinion of a matter) that I was in fact attempting to dodge an action item by playing dumb. But now there was no hiding and no excuses. I owned the call to action and over the course of the rest of the run formed an action plan to obey. I think I actually picked up the pace of the run too!
When I cooperated with God’s desire over the next three weeks there were divine doors that opened, new relationships that formed and more guidance came my way. Things started moving in a divine way that reinforced that this was in fact God’s plan. I had my own plan and it didn’t include this road trip. But God was demonstrating His plan was better and He backed it up with things I couldn’t accomplish on my own. I wish I had asked the question earlier.
I wonder, are you giving God the stiff arm? Is there some truth or calling you are holding at arm’s length, you don’t really want it to get too close to your heart? Are there warnings or stop signs you are blowing through? Is there a person or a problem you are ignoring when God is saying help? If you are not sure begin asking God to break your heart with the things that break His heart.
I'm an activist by nature but in order to be proactive in hearing from God, instead of reactive, I'm learning to discipline myself to listen daily through prayer and scripture study. Jeremiah 33:3 says, Call unto me and I will show you great and mighty things that you don't know. Journaling helps me untangle my thoughts. It is god to record what I think I'm hearing and then give time for confirmation before I put a plan in place. I'm learning that one God thought is better than a hundred Gary thoughts. Instead of giving God the stiff arm I'm inviting the conversation.
There is a power and fruitfulness that only comes when you get on God’s agenda. He isn’t obligated to bless your agenda despite your prayers and efforts. But when you do whatever it takes to join Him on the mission He has for you, forsaking whatever it takes; you are in for the run of your life!

Today is the anniversary of my spiritual birthday. Here’s how it happened. I was in another church service where my Dad was speaking. This one seemed like the rest. I enjoyed my church but I wasn’t paying a lot of attention that day. In fact I took a book with me to read and that is what I did; until we stood up to sing the invitation song. Between verses my Father talked about the love of Jesus and how He died on the cross for my sins. He had my attention.
It wasn’t just the words but it was also the feeling in the pit of my stomach that I couldn’t describe. To this day I don’t know whether to call it a hunger for something more, an acute awareness of my own selfishness or a drawing to something very lovely. It was a mix of the three. I remember counting the verses thinking most hymns were four verses so if I could hold out one more I could go. Something deep inside wanted to go to the altar and pray but suddenly I felt claustrophobic.
We finished the song and I got out as fast as I could. I remember feeling a little foolish because I really had nowhere to go. Remember, my Dad was the Pastor and he would stay until the last person left so I was stuck there. I thought about going outside but the weather wasn’t good. So I went downstairs. There weren’t a lot of choices so I chose the men’s restroom. I went in and locked the door.
It wasn’t a big room, a one holer, and once inside I felt very foolish. I remember saying to myself, why am I running. If this feeling is from God I’m not going to be able to get away from it no matter where I go. And if it is God why am I running? Maybe there is something good here I need.
I didn’t know what to pray but I felt like praying was the right thing to do. I’m not sure why but I got on my knees. Of course the toilet became a convenient place to kneel. And yes, the lid was down. I prayed, Dear God. Please forgive me for my sin. Come into my heart and make me the person you want me to be. Amen.
The peace that followed was incredible. I felt clean from the inside out. Intuitively I knew that I was forgiven. I didn’t know what to expect but I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised. Choosing Christ was as simple as beginning a relationship with Someone who already knew me better than I knew myself. That day I made what has turned out to be the best decision of my life.

I have a nearly two year old grandson named Landon. It is pure joy to keep him at Papa's and Nana's most Fridays. I actually regularly take my day off now! Recently he's taught me new insight about the gospel--the Good News of Jesus. He likes to stand in front of our curio cabinet and look at himself in the mirror. He sways a little to the right and then the left and says, "I cute!" Where do you think he's heard that before? I love it that he knows the truth. He is loved and highly prized and he may not know this yet not just by me but by God. And God wants all of His children to know we are so highly valued that He sent His only Son Jesus to die on the cross for us. In that act He made a way to pay for the sin of the world. You are so cute to Him that He offers to forgive you and redeem your life. You can trust Him. He loves you. Landon has another saying I've picked up on. When he eats he likes to wear his food. It will be in his hair, on his cheeks and up his arms. He looks at himself and then at us and says, "I'm a mess!" it is quite a sight. I smile and laugh at his wit and his transparency. Isn't it great that he can hold two truths in his head at the same time. He is cute and He is a mess? The other part of the Gospel is that the grace that comes from the cross to save us is strong enough to keep us. Yes we are a mess on a daily basis but once we accept the grace of God He relates to us in a whole new way. He invites us into a relationship not based on our actions but on His grace and love for us. It is not about what we can do for Him but about the relationship. I'm learning so much from hanging around my grandson these days. My love for him grows by the hour and it reminds me of how God loves us.

This has been quite the week. Last Saturday people around the nation alternatelyheld their breath concerning the end of the world prophecies (probably not thatmany) and then laughed about the audacity of anyone who would make the claim toknow once past midnight. That was Saturday.

Sunday night the end of the world did come for 142 people in Joplin, MO(100 still missing) when a tornado cut a five mile path through the heart oftown. I don’t believe the two are related. However the irony of this isinescapable.

Wednesday twisters hit near Kansas Cityforcing many of us to our basements. We were grateful when we learned theymissed us but sobered to hear they hit Sedalia, MO. So how are we supposedto feel? What are we to think? How do we talk about these things?

I know how I felt on Sunday night and again on Wednesday. I felt grateful we weremissed and humble at the same time. I couldn’t find it in me to celebratewhen I knew that my good fortune was the opposite of a whole town’sexperience.

Why? Who chooses? Does someone choose? Is it fate? Bad luck? Random activity? Living through a tornado feels a little like someone is playing Russianroulette. On one hand you hear stories about children being ripped out of thearms of a mom and a woman whose husband gave his life protecting her. He puther in a bath tub and laid on top of her only to have a projectile pierce hisinternal organs. Who wouldn’t be horrified by stories like that?

And on the other hand it is in times like these where you see the best of the humanspirit come out as people come from around the nation to ban together andprovide relief.

But a deep problem remains when you attempt to think through how to find securityin light of the fresh realization that we are indeed mortal and fragile. How doyou turn to and embrace the God who seems to act so capriciously? Obviously itwasn’t an act of judgment because Christ followers and non Christfollowers died. How do you make sense of this?

Personally I don’t believe God picked and chose who made it and who didn’t.Although many of those who lived gave God credit for having them in a differentplace other than the path of the tornado. I saw an interview with a man on TVwho said he prayed to receive Jesus Christ after he just missed enteringeternity earlier than anticipated. That is one take away from this--we need tolive in a state of readiness. Life is fragile. We are mortal. Tell those youlove I love you often because you never know. Plan your life as if you willlive into the golden years but live as if today was your last day.

Perspective is helpful here. I had to wrestle with why does a good God allow bad things tohappen to His children when my daughter, Megan, died in her sleep at 21 monthsold from viral pneumonia. I don’t want to minimize the struggle in anyway but if I could summarize years of soul searching I would put it this way.I’ve discovered a personal relationship with God that is real and daily.I believe the Bible is God’s word and that it is inspired and true. Whenmy experience tells me something different I’ve learned to doubt myknowledge and perception not God.

There are many things I don’t understand but the longer I live and the more Ilearn the more I realize that God’s ways are higher than mine. He haspurposes in everything He allows and I’ve learned to trust Himimplicitly.

I believe He set up the world with intelligent design. He created a complicateduniverse not to mention this ecosystem we call earth. There are laws of naturethat are beyond me. He put it in motion and it works fantastically well. Hedoesn’t have to make it rain nor does he whip up tornados for the fun ofit.

He has given us free will. People make their own choices that put them in the pathof disaster or safety. He does hear and answer prayer—which can affectthe outcome. And He does speak to individuals although we don’t alwayslisten. There is help for those who are seeking but even then no one livesforever.

Randomness and chance are a part of this life and that is the way it should be. If Godalways rewarded the good and always pounded evil we would have people turningto God out of self protection. We wouldn’t need faith and Godwouldn’t offer grace and mercy. But if there is anything we need in thislife it is grace and mercy. Additionally, the Bible tells us that “faithis the victory.” 1 John 5:4

Back to my personal experience, God is Good. He heard my prayers. He answered no. Heloves me but He doesn’t protect me from everything in this life. I getthe full meal deal just like everybody else. However, He rewards faith. Hespeaks more than I listen. And the longer I live the more I’ve learned tolove Him and trust Him. I’ve learned you can lose everything else in thisworld and if you have Him you have enough. He’s proved that to me to thepoint where I no longer have fear. The converse is also true, you can haveeverything in this world and if you don’t have Him you don’t haveenough.

We are eternal souls passing through a temporary life here on earth. We often getit exactly backwards. We think this is our home and we want our heaven here. Nowonder we muse over why this life doesn’t seem to be working. Sometimeswe see the spiritual life as optional and this life as the “realworld.” If we think that way natural disasters and the kind ofstuff I’ve described here doesn’t make much sense. But if weunderstand that everyone dies, it is simply a matter of how and when, andeternity is eternal reward then we have nothing to fear.

The real deal is to use our time and space here to get to know our Creatorpersonally. He wants that and is already reaching out in a million ways. Ittakes humility to admit we need Him but events like this past week remind us wecan’t do life on our own. We are made for eternity and we are justpassing through. We are made right with Him not by what we do but byaccepting what He’s already done for us. Confess your sin, turn fromdoing things only your way and invite Him to lead you in a loving relationship.That’s what makes life sweet. Make the most of it while you are here andget to know Jesus because when you do you will have grace and peace. You canlive with confidence and trust no matter what comes your way.

Gary Kendall

Planting Seeds
This will encourage you who are planting a lot of seed but not yet seeing all the fruit for which you hope. Some of it may come in ways that you don’t even imagine. Here’s one way that happened for me. Back in 1992, yes I know that is ancient history, I felt convicted to write a discipleship workbook that became The Path to Power. Jim Davey helped me author it. We self published the discipleship journal and began using it at Indian Creek to provide basic assurance and next steps to those who accepted Christ.
I took it with me to India when I went to speak and travel with the India Gospel League in 1994. The President of IGL, Sam Stevens, asked me if he could have the rights to translate it and use it and I was glad it could be helpful.
This last weekend we had Prati Stevens (wife) and Danny Stevens (son) with us in Olathe. They caught us up on the amazing numbers of churches IGL has planted and how that they are also discipling pastors, women and students. And to my surprise I learned that from then until now the basic discipleship primer is The Path to Power. So the numbers of people who’ve been through it in the last 17 years are near or above six figures. Who would’ve thunk it!
This article isn’t about the merits of The Path to Power or my writing ability but it is about staying faithful to do what God asks you to do and leaving the results to Him. Think of how many seeds you’ve planted in the invitations you’ve made, the messages you’ve spoken, the prayers you’ve prayed the hours you’ve poured into others. I’m guessing that we don’t know even half of the story of what results from your efforts. Many times we won’t know until heaven that our words or choices made the difference for someone who reached someone who impacted someone else.
The scriptures remind us not to "grow weary in well doing for in due time we will reap a harvest of righteousness if we don’t give up." Gal 6:9 Don’t give up! There is more going on than you can see today. In fact some of the things you call failure contain the seeds of greatness. Some of the conversations where you thought your words weren’t received meant more than you know. Some of the people who left you or your church actually had things happen there that will be eternity altering.
I’m praying now that God will reveal to you something that encourages you to keep planting seeds from your ministry. Remember much of the early growth is underground and by the time the plant pushes through the soil it doesn’t look like the seed. Maybe it is already growing now and bearing fruit and you don’t even know. Be encouraged! Be faithful and leave the results to God!

It was my privilege to spend three days this week with Jake and Sarah Zaske in NY. What a great city! I've been able to travel to many foreign countries but if you go to NYC you can experience all of them in a day! So planting in NY has it's own complexities. One of the things you can't do is simply build a better mousetrap. Sometimes I see churches attempt to grow simply by doing what they do better than everyone else. You may grow that way but it doesn't mean that you will necessarily grow the kingdom of God. I'm for doing ministry with excellence. I get concerned if we as leaders don't have our eyes on being missional. By that I mean we are helping people find their way back to God. There needs to be transformation and life change--we are becoming more like Him. Ultimately we need to see the church bring heaven to earth in their community. Jake is doing this through Skyline City Church http://www.skylinecitychurch.com Jake has an incarnational parish model that adapts to the culture and brings the Good News of Jesus in a personal way. Life change is taking place through relationships. Gatherings, groups and outreaches are unique to their neighborhood. They aren't out to copy anyone and they are certainly not trying to build a better mousetrap. I love their missionary outlook and the fact that they've committed the rest of their lives to NY. They will plant other churches with their DNA and each of them will be relationally reflective of their neighborhood. (and in NY neighborhoods change every four blocks). Jake has a hundred year plan to reach the city and in a city this big that makes total sense. I get a chance to visit a lot of churches and I love the variety. I am also at times distressed by the inclination of some simply to copy others. I found none of that here! was a very refreshing weekend reminding me of why it is that Jesus calls us to be the Church.

“I Am Second”
What an intriguing statement! Doesn’t it just beg a question? Second to whom? And that is the point! I Am Second is a national movement proposing that we raise curiosity in the minds of friends by wearing the question on a hat, wrist band, coat or shirt. Please not a bumper sticker!
Hopefully the statement will provoke a question. And when it does here is another twist, you don’t give the answer! You point them toward a Website: http://www.iamsecond.com/.
On the Website they will find stories from names they recognize. There are testimonials from virtually every walk of life, athletes, entertainers, authors, media, business, social sector, etc. In 3-5 minute chunks of time your friend can hear the story of God’s work in the lives of these people. They can click through various pages on the site and find everything from how to receive Christ to how to find a small group. It is non-threatening and people can stay only as long as they feel compelled to visit. This takes the pushy nature of some evangelistic efforts out of the picture.
Your role is to check back with them later to see if they heard something they want to discuss further. Then with the relationship you already have you lead them into next steps. It could be introducing them to Christ. You may want to pop open your laptop and watch some with them and talk about what you hear. You may want to invite them to a group you are leading. But in any case you’ll likely already know you have an interested friend.
I Am Second puts the ball on the tee for you to share your story of God’s love in your life. With Easter coming this is a great tool to put in the hands of the people you lead. If we want people to be inviters we need to give them tools and I don’t know of a better one out there right now than I Am Second.

I was thinking about the parable of the talents yesterday and it led me to think about risk in a new way. The earthquakes and tsunamis made me think this is a good time to hunker down and play it safe. I'm not really a play it safe kind of guy but with so much upheaval in the Middle East and the price of oil going through the roof the recovery we've been enjoying is in jeopardy.

Yet in the parable Jesus didn't promise any of the three any more security than the others. But two took risks to improve their gifts because they wanted to please the master. They could have lost it all. They didn't but that is beside the point for the moment. What he rewarded was their risk. And their risk netted an increase too. But they had no guarentee.

The third guy chose not to risk. He played it safe. He was afraid he might lose. And his actions revealed he didn't really understand the master. He thought the master would be angry if he lost the investment. What he didn't understand was that the master wasn't as worried about losing the investment as he was wanting the men/women to know that he believed in them. He trusted them and he wanted them to live in that truth. He would rather they would risk and fail than fail to risk.

Risk equaled trust in his eyes. If they believed in him they would trust and if they trusted they would risk. Not to risk brought about his strongest rebuke which led me to think, I would rather risk and lose than risk facing a master who expected me to risk.

Go for it! If it is God honoring; if it is kingdom advancing; if you feel led and you do it for the right reasons--even if you fail. It will bless the heart of God. He believes in you. He's trusted His gifts to you and He is able to take it from here.

Gary

Next Sunday we kick off a 40 Day spiritual journey that will lead up to Easter. You can pick one up at Indian Creek Community Church, Gardner or Olathe campus, on Sunday. Here is the first one related to the power of the Spirit unleashed in us as the people of God.

After this prayer, the meeting place was shook, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the Word of God of God with power. Acts 4:31

There is something powerful and divine about doing a 40 Day spiritual growth project with your church that super charges the result. At the end of the next 39 days we will have a common language for what we’ve just experienced. We will read the same scriptures, know the same stories, and make similar commitments. Imagine the multiplied power of doing this together!

We live in a very individualized culture where the good of any one individual is often held higher than the good of the community. However God has chosen to work through the church to change the spiritual landscape of families and communities. The work He wants to do is bigger than any one of us. It calls us out of independence into interdependence. What you decide to do with your time, wealth, talents and life affects me and many others. I need you to be all in.

And you need what I bring to the church. We are members of the same body. Every one of us has a part to play. Imagine if on a given day your leg decided not to work—oh, you don’t have to imagine because you’ve had that problem! It’s a pain isn’t it? I’ve been there too!

Let’s decide that we are going to be a part of the next great move of God that brings heaven to earth.

CMA is folding into Healthy Growing Churches. Yes, you read it right! This week we are aligning ourselves underneath Greg Wiens and HGC to become the Multiplication Arm. We will do the same things we’ve been doing, only in a more effective and efficient way. What it means for you is that you work with the same team, but your team just got bigger and the resource arm increases exponentially. Think Continental and United. We’ve been talking about this for months and I’m so pleased to tell you that this strategic partnership is now a reality. The benefits will roll out over time. The relationships are now in place. You don’t have to do anything different at this point. Keep doing what you are doing and it will roll out to you.

Healthy Growing Churches is a network with three legs. One is Multiplication; this where CMA comes in. I will lead this part of the network with the same team you know and love. Another is Transformation, which is connecting churches that are committed to grow. Ken Love, a church planter in Orlando, will lead this part. The third part is Networking Churches who want to be more missional and who need planters and missional churches to invest in. We need each other and we are better together.

The value add is this: there will be greater resource sharing, new training modules, podcasts, assessment, coaching, staff resourcing and connecting opportunities with pastors and churches who are getting it done at a very high level. We will talk about “how” on our All-Call conference calls the second Wednesday of each month at Noon CDT. If you want more details on our monthly conference calls email Patsy Wootton at Patsy.Wootton@cmaministries.com.

We’ve acknowledged for over a year that we need to go to the next level and now we are building that bridge as we walk on it. Like United and Continental, it will take us the rest of this year to change all the pieces like the website, emails, and combine our systems, but there won’t be a gap in the service.

There is a place for you and a role for you to play. If you want to know more about that please contact me at gary.kendall@cmaministries.com . This is not only for you—we need you to bring your A-game and contribute at a high level if we are to change the spiritual landscape of our communities and rob hell of its captives. We must be about that and we will be.

Gary Kendall

Last night we had a great opportunity to see the unity of the Church in Kansas City in action. My good friend Eric Rochester put together a citywide ministry called The Sending Project www.http://thesendingproject.org. He invited churches from the KC area to send their representative to a meeting where we shared with each other what they were doing in missions. There were 31 persons present and the ministries that they served touched every continent except Australia and Antarctica. It took us two hours to describe what we were each doing. The excitement level was high as we dreamed of what could happen if we worked together as one body. Thanks Eric for your vision for the big "C" church.  

Today I was asked to speak a few minutes and then lead a prayer for unity in the church of KC at the Citywide Prayer. I prayed asking God to give me His words to speak. In my preparation I began to believe He was. I wanted to record the thoughts I believe He gave me here while they are still fresh in my mind.
I began to think about when I first came to Olathe. I found a church divided. There was competition and territorialism in the air. I went to the Minister’s Fellowship and it was mostly a social thing. The second time I attended they decided to shut it down. I assumed someone else would start it back up so I kept my ear to the ground. However several years went by and no one tried. One day I heard God speaking to me to write every Pastor in Olathe and invite them to prayer. I was one of the youngest pastors and one of the newest but I wrote out of obedience. I figured we wouldn’t have to agree on theology or even how to work together if we could simply come together to pray. Several pastors came and there was some progress.
I need to say here that I’m sure there was more going on than I knew and that surely there was prayer going on somewhere and no doubt someone was praying for what happened next. We moved into a place of kindness between the churches. We began to speak well of each other. There wasn’t a lot of consistency in who came but there was some promise. There was at least some cooperation between the churches. We were moving forward.
Rod Janzen, from OBC, came one day and asked if he could lead the group of Pastors. He wanted us to become more missional and collaborative while continuing to keep a focus on prayer. And Praise God we moved from simply being nice to each other to working together on things like Olathe Serve Day. Citywide Prayer helped us mobilize around the Global Day of Prayer. We were gaining ground and that was a good thing but God had more planned for us.
Over time we began to experience more of the oneness that Jesus prayed for in John 17. We progressed from a head knowledge to getting our hands dirty for the work of citywide mission. The body began to flex its muscles.
And we began to discover that God was uniting our hearts. More and more ministries began to move into the slipstream of the move of the Spirit. There was humility, brokenness and oneness in our spirits. Ministries and churches began to pray alongside each other and to work alongside each other in unprecedened ways in KC. Missional Ministries like Citywide Prayer, What if the Church, The Sending Project, I am Second and many others began to pop up. Churches worked together 30 at a time to serve across our city, north, south, east and west. God is clearly doing something to answer to the Prayer of Jesus.
Jesus prayed to the Father, I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. John 17:21. While it is great that we are becoming one and we are working in missional ways to transform our city the purpose of the prayer is prefaced by the words “so that”. “So that” the world will believe you sent me.
There must be more than just unity for unity’s sake. When we meet around mission and serving we will have BOTH unity and mission. But there is something MORE for us and I pray that we don’t settle here.
God wants not only missional living among His Church--He wants nothing less than “redemption.” He wants His lost children to come home. The purpose for unity and the missional living is “so that” there will be revival. The Father, Spirit and Son want the lost to be found. They want the church involved in storming the gates of hell until the devil surrenders his captives. He wants a church victorious; sharing His victory over the death and the grave! That is the oneness He wants for us—nothing less!
I fear we will substitute or settle for missional living as His church when what He truly desires is that PLUS the salvation that leads to restoration. Jesus died for us to be one like He was with the Father. That means one in mission for the redemption of the world.
We often think about the church and her mission differently than Jesus did. Jesus thought of nothing less that the whole world being redeemed and restored. And that will certainly happen as He said it will. He established His kingdom on earth and reclaimed what was rightfully His through His coming, His death and His resurrection. He taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come.” And it was!
Then He gave His Spirit to the church to USHER in the kingdom of heaven. We are His children—children of the Most High God. We are co-heirs with Jesus; co-laborers with Christ. We are His ambassadors. Our purpose is to restore His kingdom come. There will be unity praise God. There will be mission and with it transformation where earth becomes more like heaven. But God wants more. He wants massive redemption. He wants revival. He wants the kingdoms of this world to become the kingdoms of our Lord and Christ!
There is another step for us Church of KC. We are to come together for unity, mission AND redemption. We are here to reclaim our city for Jesus. Our Father is the Owner of all. This city is rightfully His and our privilege is to declare it and to take it for Him. As His child, and because we together are His bride, I claim Kansas City for Jesus! Will you join the cry!
Verse 17 of this chapter says He will “sanctify us” and teach us from His word. Verse 22 says He will give us His glory “so that” the world will know that “you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” He wants to use us the Church of Kansas City.
He wants to forgive us for thinking of the little “c” church when He is thinking big “C” church. It is not that each church has its’ own mission. The Church has a mission and it is bigger than all of us. It includes every local church and all the missional ministries but it is BIGGER. He needs us to lead our local ministries and churches but to also come together to answer the prayer of Jesus for our city. We can only do this if we do it together.
We must get ready for the unprecendented move of God in KC. We’ve prayed for it. Don’t we believe Jesus? We must arrange our lives around His promises. We must allow and encourage apostles, prophets and evangelists (Eph 4). We are comfortable with pastors and teachers but for Jesus to lead His church to citywide revival we must invite apostolic, prophetic and evangelistic ministry. God is bigger than any individual, church or ministry. We must trust Him to lead His body, the Church. We can and we will!
We’ve been taking steps toward this over the years and we must keep going. God is going to answer our many prayers for this city. It is time to step up and step into the divine flow of redemption’s power. We’ve become comfortable with the “surrendered” Jesus praying in the garden asking for unity. Now it is time to become reverently obedient to the victorious Jesus who comes with eyes blazing with fire, flowing white hair, riding on a white stallion with a two edged sword coming from His mouth. He comes to redeem His bride and to claim the kingdoms of this world.
Before that happens there will be revival like we’ve never seen or experienced—but we’ve prayed for it. We must press in now! Believe Him now! Give up petty things and small dreams. Give up our kingdoms for His kingdom come. Trade them for the vision of Jesus where KC is on fire for Him and thousands join the family.
When I prayed for the Church of KC today I saw village fires in the SW in mid-town, in KCK, the Northland and KCMO. As I continued to pray I saw them come together as one great bonfire! Amen! Let it be so to the glory of God.

Church planters are my modern day heroes. No one knows the sting of swinging and missing more than a planter but keep swinging. Baseball players make a million getting a hit three out of ten times. I love it that you cast vision and only a few catch it, you host meetings where half the crowd you invite doesn’t come; you lead services hoping for home runs and on a good day it is more like a ground rule double—but you don’t quit. If you get knocked down get back in the batter’s box.
Call it “failing forward” if that helps you realize that the accumulation of little wins in the midst of disappointments still creates progress. This is hard work to push back darkness, to swim against the stream, to overcome human inertia (and your own fears) to gain ground in making earth more like heaven. Motives get sifted, selfish people check out, passions are purified in the process and in the end only God is glorified. This way only God gets the credit.
I was thinking today about the ten spies who saw giants in the Promised Land and became afraid. They still thought like escaping slaves. They couldn’t and shouldn’t be attempting to claim their destiny or so they thought. But two saw a GIANT God and knew they were children of promise. How do you like those odds? My guess is that you are familiar with daunting giants, long odds and the challenge of getting your own thinking straight. Learn to live with it! This is the life of a planter! He who called you is Faithful and He will do the impossible through you.
I think we think too much about what we “can’t do” and not enough about what He CAN do. Don’t forget His reputation is at stake in you and His strength in you is stronger than your weakness. If you give Him your best and you keep showing up He will show up in your plant. He loves comeback stories. When something looks dead remember He specializes in resurrections. He knows that we have to surrender pride and give up control in order for Him to truly have His way. Many times what we consider “failure” is actually the very process that allows Him to trust us with great fruitfulness.
Before He can trust you with success He often allows you to see that without Him you are nothing. And with Him there is nothing that is impossible. Get on your knees today or on your face before God but don’t quit. What you think will kill you may in fact prepare you to be useful in God’s hand. He is the Potter you are the clay—let Him shape you through today’s trials in His own image. There is a Promised Land for you too.

One of the things I like about this time of year is the ability to look back at one year in review and at the same time preview the year to come. Perspective is priceless. As we reflect and contemplate the past it gives us greater perspective for today and tomorrow.
The last few years we’ve spent the in-between time in Kentucky with Belinda’s family. It is a great break with loved ones we wish we could see more often. This adds to the feeling of getting a break between years and the rest gives me fresh clear vision.
I ask for as much humility and discernment as possible from God and then dissect the good, the bad and the ugly of the last twelve months. There are things that bring a smile, a laugh, a sigh and a prayer. My heart fills with gratitude over people who made progress possible. I relish the many times God gave grace and treated us better than deserved. I challenge my assumptions and take a fresh look at what worked to understand why. I try not to flinch when I admit there were things that didn’t work and seek to learn why. Leading up to this time I invite others to speak into the mix to give a 360 degree view. During this time I reflect on what I’ve heard. I don’t strive for perfection but look for progress.
One of the things I enjoy about Kentucky is the peace and quiet. When I go for a run in the country here you can hear the birds and the wind blowing through the trees. It seems like time stands still.
Looking forward is exciting. Belinda and I took the opportunity to look through the year to come and set aside time for family, vacation and the accomplishment of some personal goals. We noted the upcoming events already scheduled for the ministries we love. We are already praying, planning and looking ahead to see how God will direct our steps. We have big dreams because we serve a BIG God. His love is unfailing and His mercies are new every day. We love Him more than ever and all we’ve experienced so far gives us greater confidence to trust Him for the unknowns of the future.
When the scriptures say, Be still and know that I am God there is a very good reason. I feel refreshed by embracing the in-between times.

Will you help?

Many single Moms work and leave children to fend for themselves in under-resourced homes. That’s where we come in. Through our partnership at Countryside Elementary we learned that many children on the “free lunch” program don’t get lunch during the Christmas holidays.

At Indian Creek Community Church we are attempting to fill 154 backpacks. The products to include are listed below. You can bring them to Indian Creek any time up until 11:00 Sunday, December 19.

Or you can donate $12 a backpack to http://bit.ly/eKXbgG Where it says “other” type in “backpacks”.

4 Breakfast type bars
1 Loaf of white bread
4 Macaroni & Cheese
2 Sleeves of Graham Crackers
4 Cans of soup, ravioli, spaghetti or other canned lunch item
4 Packs of Ramen Noodles
1 Jar of Jelly
1 Jar of Peanut Butter
4 Packets of Instant Oatmeal or other hot cereal
4 Cups of applesauce OR 4 Cups of fruit
4 Packets of microwave popcorn
Candy canes

This will be a very Merry Christmas for these children and a great witness of the love Jesus came to bring.

Thank you,

Gary

My sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. John 10:3

Sometimes people think it is craziness when others talk about hearing from God and no doubt there are some ungodly things done because someone says, God told me… But don’t let the mysterious nature of hearing from God nor the fact that people do sinful things keep you from pressing in to know God better and to serve Him more effectively.

Don’t miss the fact that hearing from God is predicated on being in relationship with Him. The sheep know the shepherd and that is why they recognize His voice. The scripture also says the shepherd knows their name which implies His intimate concern for you. It is natural in a healthy relationship to have regular dialog. Unfortunately many of us miss out on what God has to say and we reduce serving Him to guesswork. Are your prayers one way prayers?

I was in Mexico speaking at a Pastor’s Conference when, after the final message, I walked out of the meeting hall and into the courtyard. As I did I heard a thought very clearly in my mind say, you will be asked to go to China and India and when you are asked you are to say yes. That almost stopped me in my tracks but since I expect to hear from God I simply replied in my thoughts okay.

Donna Thomas the Founder of Project Partner walked over to me less than one minute later and asked would you like to go to China or India with me? I said, yes. She said, No one says yes the first time they are asked! So I explained what happened. That conversation led to two trips to India and now six to China. Four years ago she asked me to lead Project Partner (www.projectpartner.org). It was the Holy Spirit who prompted me to say yes again. My daughter Kristen Levitt is the Director and she is in China now.

So this story begs the question. How do you know when God is speaking? Here are a couple of quick thoughts. First God only speaks in tandem with the written Word, the Bible. If what you hear isn’t consistent with what is written you didn’t hear from God. Secondly, the words usually come in like a thought. It is not the “sound” that is recognizable as much as it is the “nature” of what you hear—it is godly in its purpose and it must ultimately glorify Him. Sometimes it is more of a nudge in your spirit than a word or phrase. Often it will point you to the scripture. For example recently I heard, read Psalm 37. In that Psalm I found exactly what I needed to know. Many times the timing will help you know that thought didn’t come from you—it comes when you least expect it. This helps because you know you didn’t manufacture it. Finally, a good thing to do is to ask God to confirm it through something you can’t control. This helps ensure that the enemy isn’t manipulating you or posing as an angel of light.

So are you listening? Do you expect God to speak? I’ve found from personal experience that when I listen and obey I hear more and more. If I ignore or treat God’s speaking like an option, I hear less. 

By the way, I felt prompted to write this devo today not just to talk about hearing from God but also to help out my good friend Jon DeWitt.  I asked Jon if I could write this devo today and make a special plea. Many of you know Jon as a man who faithfully gets up at 5 nearly every morning and sends out killer devos. There are 1,000 people on his list. Many times they hit me square between the eyes. Thank you Jon! And many of you know Jon gets a lot of follow up emails and phone calls to talk through how the devos are connecting with people. He regularly invests time to pray for the people he serves. Some of you know Jon and Glynis are very generous in helping other people out. They often give out of their own funds to help someone through a tight spot.

Now it is our turn to help. Consider it a “pay it forward” since he is always helping others. He’s in a tight spot between jobs and we can help him by being generous. I’m sending a gift online today to Indian Creek Community Church http://bit.ly/akly8Z . For the account type Benevolence. Your gift will help Jon and others in similar situations.  Thank you for being the Body to each other.

Last Sunday, October 3, we partied BIG time but the real story line was not the fact that we celebrated 25 years as a church! Yes we thank God for His faithfulness and we are grateful for the many who've given so much to Indian Creek through the years. But we wanted to serve in a way that would illustrate who we are and what we are about so we decided to attempt to gather 25,000 meals. To reach that number we would have to gather ten pounds for every man, woman and child who calls Indian Creek home. In reality to reach this goal we would have to get to the second level of friends, co-workers, neighbors and relatives. And we did!

It blew me away to learn that at the end of the day we collected nearly 49,000 lbs of food meaning we almost doubled our goal. It was awesome to take the food to 7 different pantries and 2 churches and stock their shelves so they can feed the hungry.We learned in the process of this project that one in six families in Johnson Country are living at the poverty level which means from time to time they are hungry. We had 15 families come through the line and receive food. I'm glad about that because until poverty has a face to us it will be a project. It must become personal for us to move from charity to change. We want to see a change in our lifestyle so that we can learn how to regularly distribute the resources AND eventually we must empower people to be the answer to their own needs. We are looking for transformation where heaven touches earth. What a great way to start the NEXT 25!

Thank you Indian Creek!

This is the third blog about the three prayers God asked me to pray. The first was to be humble. The second was to invite His discipline. The third thing God asked me to do was to accept His pruning. I didn't know much about pruning but I knew I didn't like prunes! And I was pretty sure that pruning meant cutting and cutting meant pain. I could guess that the things that would get cut were probably things I liked but Jesus didn't. In short, I wasn't looking forward to the process. I can't stress how much I did not want to pray these prayers!

It turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made. I make this prayer a daily discipline and I don't dread it any more. The pruning is about letting go of things that aren't helpful. In fact some are downright hurtful to me or others. I would be less than truthful if I made it sound easy in any way because it wasn't. 

I've been working off a "To Do" list for years and feel lost without one. But lately God seems more interested in the "Stop Doing" list. He's asked me to prune away. I've let some things go that I love doing. Often the hardest choices are not between good and bad but between better and best. I haven't got this down yet but some of the things I'm learning are: I'm complete in Christ, busy isn't better, approval is over-rated, abiding is better than accomplishment, you have to be quiet to hear the whisper of God, striving is a guarantee trouble is coming, and what God doesn't want for me isn't good for me no matter how good it is or how much I like it. I've got a long way to go but at least I'm embracing the process.

 

The second prayer God had me pray was to invite discipline. As you can imagine I didn't want to pray this prayer any more than I wanted to ask for humility. My solace was that the scripture says in Hebrews that God disciplines everyone that He loves and it is part of how He treats us like a son. So I prayed the prayer out of obedience.

I've learned a few things since I began this prayer. First, discipline doesn't necessarily mean punishment. I made that association in the beginning because that is what my Dad said was coming before he spanked me. And to be sure there are times when discipline feels like punishment. But more often than that discipline is training. We invite discipline so we can learn a skill set much like a gymnast trains with a coach for the Olympics. Just like you wouldn't imagine that a gymnast could train on his/her own and still make it to the world class level you can guess that I need the discipline of the Holy Spirit to be like Jesus. 

Another reason to pray for discipline is that it gives us the strength we need to make good choices. For example, I need the discipline to hold my tongue when I want to complain or judge. I need discipline to wait for God's best instead of rushing into decisions I might make without His counsel. If I am to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit I definitely need discipline.

To be honest I didn't look forward to praying this prayer but now I've come to welcome it. I interpret what God does to discipline me as both loving instruction and important correction. For all the difficult things it brings into my life the good it accomplishes is more than worth it. 

Today I continue the series on Dangerous Prayers. This blog is full of potential landmines so let me say from the very beginning, I’m not humble and proud of it! I don’t think I’ve arrived when it comes to understanding humility. And I often fail in applying what I do know. And I’m not just being humble. Can you see the problem here?

However, since God asked me to pray for humility I’ve learned a few things. First off I’ve learned God doesn’t need a lot of help here when it comes to humbling me. Life will humble you plenty if you live long enough. I can make so many problems for myself, I don’t need lessons. If God just leaves me to my own devices life will quickly humble me. Additionally there are many people very glad for the opportunity to humble me. Oh, and I should mention that we have an enemy of our souls who absolutely loves the opportunity to rub our nose in any mistake. He will gladly heap on shame and make you feel responsible for anything that goes wrong and anyone else’s poor choices. I learned you don’t have to pray for humility. It will find you.

The second thing I learned is that humility is not what I thought it was. Humility is not having a lowly opinion of yourself. At its essence humility is dependence on God. Humility is seeing yourself and your situation clearly and accurately. It is a proper understanding of reality but a determined commitment put God’s will first and to do things God’s way. Humility is the willingness to wait on God’s timing and to give God your surrendered spirit to bring glory to His name.

Humility might mean you are strong and courageous when you feel like playing it safe. If God says go humility says, yes Sir. Humility might be pressing on when it appears that the plan isn’t working because God pointed that way. It is not retaliating when people misunderstand you or misjudge your motives. Sometimes it is not arguing and at other times not having to have your way. Sometimes it is standing up for the principal of the matter or standing with someone who has been unfairly treated. There is nothing mousey about humility. Humility is strength under fire because you know the strength is not your own. If you’ve died to self then humility rewards you with a sense of well done thou good and faithful servant. Humility is far from having a low opinion of yourself—it means you have a high opinion of God.

So I do pray for humility because that means I want to have a greater sense of dependence on God. I want to die to selfishness and I want to live for the will and the glory of God. Moses was humble and he was one of the most effective leaders of all time. And no one modeled humility better than Jesus as described in Philippians 2. If I’m honest I still shudder at times when I pray for humility but I do it because Jesus asked me to do it. And I’m learning it is one of the best things for which I could pray.

Two years ago I had one of those moments with God where you know the gravity of the request God is making but you also know the answer needs to be yes. It started out as a normal time of prayer and Bible study but there was a point in time where I felt God was asking me to pray 3 prayers. After hearing these thoughts in my spirit I felt sick. They were to pray for humility, discipline and pruning. While those all sound good and spiritually profitable my mind was already rushing ahead to the kind of lessons that might accompany those prayers.

I'm going to write a blog about each of the three individually over the course of the next few days so in this blog I simply want to encourage you to pray whatever dangerous prayers God puts in your path. The way it has worked out has been even harder than I might have imagined that day. I'm actually glad I didn't know. But at the same time I wouldn't trade even one lesson. I don't know that the season is over or that it ever really ends but I do know this--I've come to know and experience God at a deeper level than I could imagine. It has been more than worth it.

God is greater, closer, wiser, more powerful and more available than I could have imagined. Everything I've lost was a great investment in seeding a stronger faith. I've felt pain turn to resolve. I've learned to wait for incongruities to untangle themselves. I'm not afraid of difficulty and see its value. Like a tasty recipe some things just take time to bake. I've lost in many ways but won in others and I didn't die in the process.

I'll get more specific in the blogs about each of the three but knowing what I know now, if God had said, here's what will happen--I would do it all again to get where I am today. You absolutely can trust God. I've learned that God's goals for my life may be different than my goals. His plan in a particular situation is often more about character development than about "success" (whatever that is). He knows best. He is trustworthy and true. He is faithful. He is loving in ways that amaze me. His grace is sufficient. Life is a great adventure when He is in control and that is the only way I want to live.

FriI'm thinking of my church planting friends who are serving faithfully in July without a lot of results to show for their efforts. Be faithful!

We are a results oriented culture and that's not all bad. Pragmatism must be considered because if something is not working we should look long and hard to see if it should be considered. We've all heard the definition of insanity, keep doing what you're doing but hoping for a different result. Understanding outcomes and keeping our eye on the target is a must if we are to accomplish our goals.

There would be little if any disagreement on any of the above statements but they don't tell the whole story. Take the last line for example, we set goals but the reality is that God's agenda may be different than ours. Absolutlely we should measure! But it is possible to measure something and rejoice or be in despair when God has a whole different plan. For example, Job was severly tested when God predicted from the beginning that there would be no gile found in him. During the test if you only measured results it would have appeared, as it did to his friends, that God had forsaken him. It was a test not a sign of failure.

Moses led the people of God across a desert because it was between where he was and the Promised Land. Then during the trek the people rebelled and Moses had to adjust his timeline to the timeline of outliving the consequences that were not his choices. If we measured the results in the desert we could have deamened it a failure. God led them through the desert and Moses was faithful. In fact, if he hadn't interceeded for the people they would have been destroyed. A learning process was underway and there were lessons to pass before they could graduate to the Promised Land.

An example from nature is that there is a time after the planting of seeds but before the plant pops out of the ground where you can't see what is happening. It is beneath the surface. The result from above the soil appears to be null and void. If you dig it up to see you will destroy the progress. You have to be patient and have faith.

I could go on to stories of David, Peter and Paul but you get the idea. Here's the final thought to take with you through the day. Results matter. They do! But even more important than the results is to know the will and voice of God then be faithful to it. Fruit is a better test than results. Fruit might be character growth, fruit might be obedience despite results, fruit might be endurance, whatever else it is fruit is growth in godliness.

A wise minister told me years ago, don't think you're a superstar after Easter Sunday and don't resign in July. Results measured over time are a good indicator of whether you are making progress or not. Be sure you are measuring the right things. And remember, there is more at work than you know at any given time. Faithful obedient endurance in the direction of God's will always bears fruit and in the end fruitfulness is God's truest measurement.

As the scripture says, Keep your eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.[a] Because of the joy[b] awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people;[c] then you won’t become weary and give up. Hebrews 12:2-4

 

Okay, I admit from the start this might be the weirdest post ever but I just got to say, God's provision is amazing whether you can explain it or not. In this case I can't. This will always be one of those things that make you go hmmmm....

I got up early today. Spent some great time in God's Word and in prayer. I'm working through Beth Moore's Believing God Bible Study. At 8:10 I got on my bike while it was still cool with the goal of riding to Missouri and back on the Indian Creek Trail. It is a 40 mile or so ride. 

I was a little over halfway to Missouri when I came around a corner a little too fast. I was coming down a hill and making a right turn. Another biker was coming directly at me so I hit my brakes. When I did I started sliding on some real fine dirt left on the trail the last time the river washed over it a few days ago. My back tire went out from under me and my right knee hit the pavement. I skidded along picking up skinned places and bruises. More than anything I was disgusted I lost control. I noticed later on the way back that the trail slopes off toward the creek there instead of staying flat or better yet banking with the turn. 

Once I wrecked I knew I needed to get up quickly because the other biker would be right on me. But I wasn't sure I was all in one piece so I wasn't able to jump right up. This is where it gets weird. The first thing I saw when I looked up was a big man standing over me offering me his hand. I wasn't sure I wanted to admit I needed help but I didn't know if I could get up so I reached for him. He was wearing white spandex and was shirtless. He looked sweaty like he had been running. He had long white hair and he was strong like he was a weight-lifter. He helped me up and asked me if I was okay. Other bikers stopped too because the trail was busy today. My seat was sideways, my water bottle was halfway out but my chain was still on so I gingerly mounted my bike and continued my ride. My body worked okay despite being sore.

I kept riding of course because I had a goal. But as I rode off I began wondering, where did that guy come from. He wasn't behind me because I hadn't passed him. When I came around the corner what I saw was the other biker. But this guy got to me before the other biker who was moving pretty fast. The biker was the reason I hit my brakes. So who was this guy and how was he standing right there before the other biker even got to me. I was afraid the other biker would hit me that is why I knew I needed to get up fast but somehow this guy got there first. This is one of the strangest things I've ever experienced. Do angels wear white spandex and run shirtless? There was a bridge and an underpass for the path nearby, I guess he could have been there but if so why didn't I see him because it was directly ahead. Was he in the shadow but if he was how did he get to me so fast? Anyway, I guess I'll never know but I really appreciated his help. Whoever he was and wherever he came from he was God's provision and I'll take it.

I’m watching the U.S. Open today and remembering my Dad. He’s played Pebble Beach so watching helps me remember how grateful I am for his life. I wish I could hear him describe how he played the course and see the light in his eyes as he remembered an enjoyable time. This is my first Father’s Day without him and I miss him.
It started about two weeks ago when I realized that this would be my first Father’s Day without my Dad. I started thinking about the many gifts he gave to me. He was great with people. He never met a stranger and I’m glad I also learned to mix it up with ease. He passed on an unusual amount of grace to others and I wanted to be like him.
My Dad was a great story teller. We would often sit around the table after supper, or in the living room late at night, and he would tell story after story. I’d heard them before but it didn’t matter. He added stories into weddings, funerals and Sunday messages. He always made it interesting. I listened and learned. I loved the way he made the Bible come alive. It was like he lived the story. He made me wish I could have been with Jesus.
On the lighter side he had a great sense of humor. He laughed often and he made others laugh. It was a fitting tribute to him that the last couple of nights of his life his friends gathered in his room at the hospice house and told stories. We laughed and even though he was very weak he laughed a lot! What a way to go out!
I’m glad he taught me to have faith. He took a lot of risks in his life and he accomplished things others thought were unlikely if not impossible. He moved from McAllen, TX to Anchorage, AK. He took mission trips all over the world. He never minded working hard, long or late. He loved every race with the heart of Christ. I never saw him discriminate or act with any kind of prejudice.
I feel so fortunate to have had the Dad I did and I look forward to heaven for the reunion. This has been a bittersweet week. I’ve missed him but I’ve also enjoyed thinking about him.

Recently Belinda and I gathered five couples from our CMA tribe in Phoenix at the Macaroni Grill to have a good time and share life. It was a blast! We laughed, shared wins, agonized with each other over the challenges of ministry and watched the Lakers pull out a final second game-winner over the Suns. Life is good!
Someone asked me what they could do for CMA. I think my answer surprised them. It also reveals why I am so committed to what we do. I said CMA was launched with an absolute passion for the next generation of leaders and churches. The idea was that the next generation had the ideas, the calling, the skill set and the passion to change the world. They simply needed resources and someone to believe in them. My answer to the question was to find someone in your circle who is a next gen leader and invest in them. I didn’t ask for money or make an institutional request. In essence I said, live out the values we practice.
The secret behind why the CMA tribe continues to grow is simple; we give the power to the people. We exist to make the planter and the next gen churches make it hard for people to go to hell in their community. CMA is a flat network of planters who resource each other through conference calls, coaching, and relationships based on affinity. We support each other. What Belinda and I, Tom Planck, and Patsy Wootton do is remove obstacles, enable communication channels, connect people, raise funds, direct the chaos and take good notes.
I learned how to use the Google Wave from Malcolm Tyree, Tom Planck introduced me to Twitter, Kelly Barcol was the first planter I know to use Vimeo for his messages, Greg Hintz instructed me on the benefits of UStream and the list goes on. Mark Krenz started a venue at a golf course and later in a bar, James and Tammy Vogt taught us all how to do a shopping cart brigade in a parade where the crowd contributed groceries instead of looked for a hand-out. The creativity is off the charts!
Imagine what will happen next as this generation of planters embraces the next generation! The next gen churches are forging new paradigms, breaking down barriers between the church and the community, creating new language and navigating the future. If you want to bear a lot of fruit in today’s culture learn from them. When they engage all that the next generation of leaders and churches have to offer--the growth will be exponential.
Whenever people ask me about the time I put in on CMA I always answer truthfully—I get way more back than I give away. Who wouldn’t want to play in this sandbox!

I'm working through the Beth Moore Bible Study, Believing God. It is just right for many reasons and recently I learned something that I will never forget. I don't have the workbook with me so if you want to know the details you'll have to do your own research but here's what I do know. Thank you Beth!

When God spoke the world into existence the Hebrew word for "created" means "from nothing". We might say nothing existed before He created it. He spoke the world into being. However when the Bible says that God created Adam and Eve there is a different Hebrew word used. He "created" them from existing matter, from the dust of the earth. I like to think that God was willing to get His hands dirty in creating us. There is something meaningful to me that God shaped us with His hands and then blew His breath in us so we could have a living soul. So it is no surprise that when we die our body, made of the earth, stays here. While our soul, made from that which is eternal, lives forever. 

Here is where it gets good, when God says he creates in us a clean heart, the scriptures use the word for--guess which one--from scratch. Isn't that great? He doesn't use the recycled material of a heart gone wrong. He starts fresh. He creates a new heart from nothing! So when you are forgiven you are not just made new as in renewed--your heart is brand new--as in never soiled! That really encourages me. It makes me appreciate grace and God who gives it more than ever. I hope it does you too!

Today as I reflected on my day I had this thought, I get to choose my attitude. There were reasons to be encouraged and I had opportunities to be frustrated. I chose joy. I know God is at work. I know people will be human (so will I). I believe that even in difficult times there is the chance to grow in character and to exercise faith.

This thinking started this morning when I had my quiet time. I wondered, is it possible that God has a different goal than I do? What I have in mind is a particular outcome. However, maybe God is more interested in doing a work in me than he is in changing my circumstances? If that is true then the more I am fixated on my result the more frustrated I become with God and stuff I don't think fits my plan. That makes what God wants to do in me take longer.

When I decide to cooperate completely with God and invite Him to do His work in me even the challenging things have purpose. For that reason I chose joy--independent of my circumstances. I can't even find the words to tell you the freedom thinking this way brought me  today. 

Give it a try. Every day you have a choice not based on circumstances, you get to choose your attitude. Chose joy!

For Belinda and me, Memorial Day usually includes a trip to our daughter Megan's grave.  This year there were two graves to visit since my father, Paul Kendall, died in January. My Mom, Ruthie, my brother and sister-in-law Kristel and their son Collin went with us this year. The time there is bittersweet. It is sweet to remember but bitter that they are not with us.I don't know any way to make that better. I know it doesn't simply get better with time however we do feel the grace of God as we honor them. He gives us the confidence we feel when we remember that they are actually the ones in the better place. He gives us strength to go forward without them and He is healing our hearts.

I want to share a memory about each of them today. On one of our visits to see my parents while they lived in Oregon my Dad wanted to take us to see a waterfall. He had bought a book about the waterfalls of Oregon and on his day off he and my Mom would go to the ones near their home and hike in to see them. He wanted to share that joy with our young family. My Dad was determined this hike was not going to be boring for our boys. He got them to walk across some downed trees that fell across a ten foot ditch. Of course dead trees have bark that can easily come off and Jeremy ended up slipping off the tree. Somehow he miraculously caught himself before he fell. On the way back Dad said he would lead the two boys to a shortcut. He didn't ask permission from the parents he simply darted off into the woods with Jeremy and Luke in close pursuit. We stayed on the path and when we got to the car Dad and the boys were nowhere in sight. We waited what seemed like an eternity but was probably only twenty minutes. Then we heard their excited voices. They found their way back to the parking lot by smelling the Port-a-Potty. That was a hike we will never forget--the funny thing is, I don't even remember the waterfall.

I have to dig a little deeper for a Megan memory. One of my favorite things to do with Megan was to turn on the music really loud and dance around the living room. She would squeal with delight. Whenever I would stop she would jump up and down in my arms as if to say, keep dancing! She would hung my neck tight and smile like this was the best fun she ever had. One day not too long after she got a mouthful of teeth she bit me really hard on the shoulder. I didn't see it coming so I yelped in pain and suprise. This startled Megan so much, and probably hurt her tender heart, that she began to cry. She was inconsolable! I held her close and let her know that I was all right and that I still loved her. Soon we were dancing again.

It helps to remember. You may or may not have known my Dad or Megan but thanks for your support as we heal and move forward.

Gary

 

 

Do you ever eat something that you know from the first taste that you'll love it? Other things have to grow on you. Belinda is trying to acquire a taste for coffee but it just isn't happening for her. On the other side of things I am eating up the teaching of New Thing Network while here at the Exponential Conference. Jon and Dave Ferguson are the founders and they lead the field in developing churches that reproduce to form a movement. I'm eating it up.

I've been trying to find someone serving this kind of meat for the dreams God's given for years. To change metaphors, I often feel like I"m speaking Spanish in attempting to create a reproducing movement in a city and nation. Now here is a team of people speaking advanced Spanish. But I understand it and it gives me handles, illustrations and talking points for communicating what can happen as we help people find their way back to God.

From there we seek to connect them into groups that reproduce and reach their neighborhoods. They bring transformation in the community by being the hands and feet of Christ. When there are several groups in a community they have the nucleus for a new campus. Lives are changed, families are healed, communities are transformed and eventually we reach a city together. That's the dream and today God is feeding that dream, speaking Spanish to me and helping me understand He is in it.