When I first entered the business environment with my Computer Science degree in hand, I was ready to take on the world. I had learned well from my technology instructors. I had performed well in my co-op jobs while working my way through school. I had received several job offers and had my pick of the best. I was ready to take on the world.
When I first entered full time ministry, it was different. I wasn't nearly as confident in myself as our family moved to Valparaiso, IN to start a new church. I had learned well from my professors. I had been living out different ministries in my local church in Cincinnati. I even had more than one possibility to choose from and our family prayerfully accepted the call God had for us.
I wasn't ready to take on the world, though, and I knew it.
I just wanted to do what God wanted me to do. I was trusting my new mentor and coach to help me figure it out. I wanted to empower one more to walk together with God. So, we moved to Valpo and planted Life Bridge Christian Church.
Since before opening day I have struggled with the tension between things I had learned in the business environment and those things I have learned from Scripture. People were often excited about my business background and wanted me to implement business concepts in the church, but I often battled internally when concepts did not match up with God's Word. Sometimes, when they aligned well, I would implement the business concept. Sometimes I would implement it, but with one or more key changes to be true to God's Word. Other times, we would not implement the concept at all. One of ways that fell into group two and then eventually into group three surrounded the approach towards finances and budgets.
I cannot even begin to explain in this post the differences between the way God views finances and the way the world views finances. I will simply say that they are wildly different. I believe this is why Jesus spent so much of his teaching time referencing money in his teaching. It permeated the thoughts of his audience and his perspective was so difference from theirs. So, being an excellent teacher, he began with where they were and taught them so they would grow. He empowered, equipped and encouraged people to walk together with God.
We are here to do the same. I've encountered many bad boxes (temptations), landmines (internal outbursts), and roadblocks (resistance) over the years. Every time I would hit one, I would search the Scriptures, talk with my mentor, and, often times, struggle to communicate what God was calling us to do next. We often refer to this process as "vision casting," but it is really more of a "God sighting," which is why this blog and email news letter is called "God Sightings." It's an opportunity for us to see God at work in the midst of our real lives - even when our lives are filled with junk that try to keep us from seeing God.
All of us need to see God working in and around us, no matter where we are in our walk together with God. Even when we are in the "distant country," we need to encounter God so we will get up and come home. Some of us, though, need a different kind of encouragement. We are more mission-minded members of the Body of Christ. We have been Christ-followers for awhile now and we really have more of a Kingdom mindset. We want to empower one more to walk together with God and we want to actively participate in this Kingdom work.
Back when we started Life Bridge, I would consistently pray, read Scripture, and speak to this different audience. This group of people primarily resided in Cincinnati, OH, because they were the Kingdom workers I had worked side by side with and knew. They had committed to praying for our ministry. Many of them even participated financially in the ministry as well. I would report to them what God is doing using Kingdom terms. I would report numbers because numbers represented people who were important to God and resources that belonged to God. I would tell stories of people who were encountering God, making their faith Real, Living it out, and taking Steps in their walk together with God. This was an important part of our ministry in the early years. It not only encouraged these supporters in the work that God was doing here. It encouraged me as well - spurring me on to more love and good deeds.
This week, I am bringing back this ministry. The "miracle," if you want to call it that, of modern technology makes this possible. It was too time consuming and financially taxing to continue this communication after Life Bridge had been up and running a couple years. Everything was on paper, with printing, stuffing, and postage costs. We did not have the resources to continue this part, so we stopped. When we did, a very important function in the Body of Christ stopped, too. Now, this important part starts again.
The newsletter tool that we originally published twelve years ago was called "Blueprints." It's purpose was to lay out a God's-eye view of what was going on at Life Bridge Christian Church of Valparaiso, Indiana. It included Biblical, Kingdom-focused vision. It included stories of success and challenges. It also included numbers (financial, attendance, involvement) that showed us what God was doing, whether we considered those numbers "good" or not. It also included Biblical teaching that helped us interpret the vision, stories, and numbers through the lens of God's Word, rather than the lens of the world. It encouraged us to be faithful to the call God has placed on our lives. It equipped us to empower one more to walk together with God.
Today, Blueprints is available again. It is written specifically for mission-minded members of the Body of Christ who are participating in God's Mission at Life Bridge. You can read it online at http://LifeBridgeBlueprints.blogspot.com. You can also sign up for email delivery of this newsletter here or on the web site. It will be sent every Saturday morning to kick off your weekend on the right step - encouraging you as you empower one more to walk together with God. I am praying for you and your ministry now. I look forward to speaking with you there.
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