What I see myself doing in a year

In thinking about our upcoming move, Karen and I are very excited about this new chapter of our lives and the opportunities that have come our way. We have a clear vision for México and are looking forward to pursuing it.

I’d like to to share this vision with you by dividing it into the 5 things I see myself doing one year from now: 1) Spending a lot of time with Karen, 2) sharing great news with lots of people, 3) teaching others to share great new with lots of people, 4) finding ways to solve big problems, and then 5) spending a lot of time with Karen.

1. Spending a lot of time with Karen

   I’m extremely grateful to be married to such a wonderful woman who loves God and loves me so much! We are both especially grateful, amidst preparing for our life as volunteer missionaries in México, that we have this opportunity to work together. When we first arrive in México at the end of November, Karen’s primary job will be to learn Spanish. She hopes to attend a Spanish school while there and I’ll also continue tutoring her in the language. Then, as time goes along, we plan to work more and more together as a team. I’m so glad have such a great partner in the work!

2. Sharing great news with lots of people

   A big part of our mission in México will be to let people know that religion is dead.

   We’re not interested in spreading religion. There’s enough of that already in the world. Religion is man’s futile attempt to get to God through human efforts, and it tends to lead to judgmentalism and hypocrisy.

   Jesus’ message, however, is about grace. Grace means he recognizes that we’re all messed up people but that God made a way we can be forgiven for all of our “messed-up-ness” and given a new and vibrant LIFE… a life of purpose that lasts forever. When God changes our lives, it’s REAL, and we will be sharing that message with people all across México. God’s message is about never-ending, purposeful life — and it’s also about engagement with the community, not simply through the giving out of tracts but through the living out of Love in practical ways.

   

   In 2010, we plan to focus on ten towns. We’ll first go to the towns to prepare the people in the churches for an outreach into the community by giving them training on how to continue what is started during such an event. Then, two months later, we plan to return to each town and lead a large outreach.

   What is an outreach? It’s simply a time of “reaching out” to people with God’s love and truth. The plan is to present God’s truths to the people, showing them how He engages with the realities of life and offers vibrant, life-changing answers. The plan is also to seek tangible ways of reaching out to the needs of the community; whether it be through meeting unmet medical needs, feeding the hungry, or engaging with its residents about how to tackle unmet social needs within the community in consistent ways.

   Such an outreach isn’t simply a week-long time of reaching out followed by 51 weeks of in-reach. The goal is to train the local church to START things during that time that will then continue throughout the life of the church.

3. Teaching others to share great news with lots of people

   The term they use to describe what I do is “evangelist.” That term has, of course, been used for many kinds of people. Sometimes, when people think of an evangelist they think of somebody who is simply trying to coax people into raising their hands in a meeting or converting to a particular religious cause. Some see an “evangelist” as somebody who is very forceful and legalistic.

   However, the term really just means somebody who shares “the good news.” As the term has been abused and misunderstood by many, I could easily be tempted to look for a different name to describe my job. Yet, this is the term they’ll be using for me in México so — for now — I’ll just concentrate on redefining its meaning, or really trying to “restore” its meaning to the original intent.

   One way that we plan to pursue that is by training up a new breed of evangelists in México and sending them all across the country. I’ve been asked to put together and teach a course with the purpose of training up Mexican evangelists. Through this course, my teaching will focus on a biblical theology of what true evangelism is all about and giving practical training on how to teach the people of México about the good news of Jesus and how to live it out. I’ll also be taking each of the students out with me to various outreaches and teaching them through practice and practical opportunities.

   I’ll be teaching church-planters as well; teaching people how to “plant” — or start — new vibrant churches that have a glocal vision and a relevant impact upon their communities.

4. Finding ways to solve big problems

   México is such a beautiful country, filled with wonderful people. And a lot of these wonderful people have some very big problems. We want to engage with them and try to help them solve some of their practical problems.

   For example, 40 million people in México don’t have access to safe drinking water. Therefore, we want to look for ways to help them provide safe drinking water to their communities.

   There’s also a real problem with violence in the youth culture. In fact, for young people between the ages of 15 to 19, murder is the second highest cause of death. Thus, we want to try to find ways to help young people find purpose and value in life and give them opportunities to engage with the world in a non-violent way.

   As we engage with the people of the various communities and discover more and more about their physical and social needs, we want to always be asking the question:

   “How can we live out God’s love in this community by getting involved?”

5. Spending a lot of time with Karen

   Our work will keep us very busy, and we are very excited about it! We also believe though that God wants us to have balance in life. No matter how good the cause, we can’t take care of others if we don’t also take care of ourselves and one another. I think that’s one of the reasons God initiated the principle of Sabbath at the very beginning of the world.

   He has built our bodies and souls with natural rhythms. When we don’t honor those rhythms, we wear out and break down. If we don’t get enough sleep, our bodies don’t function properly. If we don’t honor our body’s need for food, we waste away. And if we don’t honor our body and soul’s need for emotional and mental rest, everything suffers: our work, our relationships, our health.

   

   For this very reason, Karen and I are committed to balance and to guarding our need for a Sabbath rest. Every week, we take our day off. It’s not an optional thing. It’s as important a commitment as the commitment to our work the rest of the week.

So, a year from now; I see us working hard in the communities, sharing good news, teaching others to share good news, and finding practical vibrant ways to solve very real problems. I also see us taking time to let our relationship with each other grow and to let our relationship with God grow.

Karen and I are increasingly excited about México, and we are grateful for all of you who are a part of what we’re doing through your love, prayers and support!

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