The Backyard Missionary

When many Christians think of being sent by God to do His work, they think of a missionary calling. Most people think about being sent into a far off land on the other side of the world where poverty is rampant and there is much physical need. But does one really have to go to the other end of the world to answer God’s missionary calling? I don’t think so.

There’s plenty of poverty, physical need and more in our own backyard. The reason we don’t think of our own backyard is because very few people have actually been there and seen the need. The stories are few in comparison to the multitude of stories from the overseas mission field. I mean, really, who can compete with stories about going to Africa and within a matter of weeks there are 1,000 baptisms? When was the last time you heard of something like that happening in a local community? So, naturally one wouldn’t think that being sent to one’s own neighborhood makes for a worthwhile mission field.


But this is a no good way of thinking. Sure the number of baptisms is startling but have you ever stopped to think about the number of people in your own community that don’t know Jesus or have given up on Him? I bet that number is more startling. You see the problem is that we tend to see the importance of mission work in terms of the potential number of baptisms instead of mission work in terms of reaching those that don’t know Christ. So, while local work is brutally out-matched in the baptismal column, I would venture to say that in the “don’t know Jesus” column the gloves come off.


The perception that we live in a Christian nation where the majority of people say they believe in God doesn’t mean that people’s faith doesn’t need assurance, comfort and guidance. Can you imagine if Jesus said to his disciples, “Ok guys, here’s the plan. Since we live in a Jewish nation where the majority of people say they believe in God, then let’s start in Asia where I’m sure if they saw my work we could potentially convert 1,000 people in no time!” How many people would have been left with broken lives and a hopeless faith in Israel? Last I checked the gospel accounts the multitudes that looked for Jesus numbered somewhere in the thousands! In Israel alone!


The point I’m trying to make is that God wants to send people into our local communities. The journey of sharing faith in our neighborhood environment may not yield 1,000, 500, 250, 100, 50, 45, 20, or even 5 baptisms in a matter of weeks but the important thing is that people know how much Jesus is interested in them and how much He values the mustard seed faith.


If you want to get involved or recieve more information about a ministry that can build hope and faith in your local community in a new and exciting way visit: http://www.sentmovement.org/ or send email to mike@sentmovement.org

The SOAP Journal

No, this isn’t about taking inventory of what kind of soap you use or which one you like best. Although, just for the record, I like the Wild Honeysuckle hand soap with cleansing beads from Bath and Body Works. It contains vitamins B5 and E, the cleansing beads feel tingly on the skin, and it smells nice!

Wow did the testosterone levels just drop a few noches?

Anyway, if you’re anything like me, making time to study the Bible can be challenging so finding creative ways to stay on track and stay focused is always helpful.

Here’s where SOAP journaling can help. It’s a creative way for you to begin exploring the Bible again and really get in tune with what Jesus wants to say to you. Leah Jordache, a good friend of mine, told me about it and has successfully used it in her own discipleship mentoring. Here’s how it works:

The letters in SOAP stand for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer.

S Begin with writing a text that you felt really spoke to you from a passage you read for the day. Write it out word for word. If you have a year study Bible follow the readings as scheduled and pick a text from there.

O Write down what you think Jesus is saying to you through the text. Use your own words and think about how He is being revealed here. Describe any images, actions, feelings, or thoughts that come to mind.

A Think of the areas in your life where you see this text making a real difference. It could be in the workplace, with friends, family, in an important relationship, in finances, or perhaps in personal character. Write down how you think what you’ve reflected on can apply to your personal experience.

P Write a simple prayer asking Jesus to help you apply what you’ve learned. Think of it as asking someone for advice and for ideas on how to make things happen. Make an effort to really listen and meditate during this time.

Using a page from your journal set it up exactly as shown above, with your own content of course, and let the discovery begin!

Even if you’re not into journaling making a commitment to do this even for a while can help you develop spiritual insight and strengthen your relationship with Jesus. Hey, I don’t necessarily like to exercise but when I do I know it makes a difference.

For more on the idea of SOAP journaling go to: http://pewpoint.com/soap/

CCM's Called to Live Abundantly

There comes a point in our life when it feels as though life has short changed us. We expected more from friends, family, significant others, careers, finances, religion and the list goes on. This is when we scramble to evaluate our past and present attitudes, behaviors, relationships, opportunities and even goals to find out if anything went wrong or if we missed something. It’s almost as if though something or someone is prompting us to take action on our life.

Personally, I have found this stage to be an almost unbearable struggle. There's a sense of lost time, of missed opportunities, an increased awareness of my own shortsightedness and character flaws are a dime a dozen. At the same time I’ve experience a rollercoaster of emotions. Guilt, anger, frustration, depression, anxiety, and yes even small moments of joy have given me the strongest indication that this can’t be all there is, there has to be more to life than this.

Well, this is where I just want to put in my two cents worth. I think some of that feeling has to do with where one is in life. I would even go as far as saying that there’s a natural maturing process that brings us to this realization or way of thinking. But what’s not part of the natural maturing process is what one decides to do with this state of mind. This is a matter of decision not a matter of what one feels or senses that moves us forward.

As usual, when I find myself in these situations it never fails that I come across others who have or are feeling the same way. In this case, two of my closest friends, a pastoral couple with years of devotion to God and the Christian faith; have expressed their desire to get more out of life as well. After a few conversations with them I discovered a valuable spiritual lesson. I discovered that this is the calling.

Yes, that’s right, the calling. You know, the idea you heard growing up that one day God would call you? Well that’s what I’m talking about. Did you expect something more glamorous or perhaps more miraculous? Well before you dismiss its apparent lack of supernatural luster; let me put it in the context of Scripture for you.

Do you remember when Jesus called his first disciples? There wasn’t any supernatural manifestation, no beaming light, no parting of the heavens, nothing! Just a simple invitation to follow him and get more out of life. Jesus knew that if they remained in the fishing business they would do well for themselves and their families but He wanted them to get more out of life than just what their livelihood could provide. He wanted them to provide the entire world with the livelihood of heaven! He said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” The rest of the story is incredible. At the close of his gospel account John says that if all the things that Jesus ever did were to be written, he figures that even the world itself could'nt contain the books of his all his works. Now I don’t know of any fishing business, or any other business for that matter, that could compete with that!

Here is where I hope my two cents make up for the short changing you’ve felt; if you’re at the point where you want more out of life; that’s God calling you.

Bible references: Matthew 4:18-21, John 21:25

A Birthday To Remember and To Learn From

Okay. So I thought we were going to have to rally all CCM’s together and start marching around traditional churches seven times in order to start bringing down the walls that make them seem impersonal, but I’m going to have to put my “Jericho” campaign on hold after seeing what one church member did this past Sabbath at my church to make a personal impact in someone’s life.

For the most part a typical service at my church goes like this: praise time, announcements, call to worship and invocation, hymn of praise, offertory, special music, children’s story, morning prayer, sermon, closing song, and closing benediction. If you want to connect with someone on a personal level you’d better do it before or after you get to the main service because once you’re seated in the sanctuary you’re in the doldrums as far as personal human interest goes. I call this “church in a box.”

But this past weekend a fellow church member threw a monkey wrench in the whole routine! Rather than wait before or after the service to bring attention to a personal matter she did it right in the middle of church in front of everybody! Gasp!

Her name is Gayle Daniels. It so happened that her father’s birthday had fallen on that Sabbath day and she wanted to weave two very special days into one memorable day. So she planned a special surprise for him. Before the sermon began she stepped up on the platform and began addressing the congregation. She graciously thanked the pastor for allowing her the time to bring the occasion to the church’s attention and then called her father up to the front.

As her father made his way up to the front she humored everyone with a couple of light hearted comments about her father’s age. She told the congregation that she wanted to make this a special day for her father and began to call up family members by name. But these weren’t family members who attended our local church. They didn’t even live in the area. Several family relatives, including her father’s nephew, grandchildren and a long time family friend, flew down from Maryland, Tennessee, and Washington DC, just to be there for that day!

As the family gathered around, Gayle also invited the rest of the church family up to the front. Just about the whole congregation crammed between the isles to be a part of the special recognition. Then a family friend, also a preacher, held a special prayer to thank the Lord for the years of life He had granted their loved one.

I’m sure what Gayle and her family did that day will stay with her father forever. But I also hope it had an impact on our church. I hope my church understood that these people were living out the love of Christ. I hope they didn’t just see it as another special feature. What they did that day was inspirational, thoughtful, and showed a devoted love for another person. Their act of Christ-like love gave a glimpse of what true Christian culture is really like without the walls of rigid traditions that tend to keep people at bay. I’m glad that Gayle had the awareness and creativity to create a little bit of Christian culture that day in order to give this kind of personal recognition. On top of everything else what an awesome way to celebrate the meaning of Sabbath; the day that God also celebrates and gives special recognition to His relationship with us.

It’s examples like these that will help break down church walls and make the Christian religion a bit more palatable. If others make similar efforts to celebrate human relationships in traditional church settings then perhaps they will give others a reason to give church and Christianity a shot. On the other hand, if churches want to stick with a “church in a box” program, well they could miss out on the opportunity to experience God’s love in real time. Kudo’s to Gayle and her family!

When Tomorrow Never Comes

If you’ve grown up in the church, then as a youth you probably got an earful of the “you’re the church of tomorrow” speech from the older folk. I have to admit, even though I knew it was a bit cliché, as a youth I found a sense of value and empowerment in the idea that one day the torch of faith would be passed on to me. Like the runner who enthusiastically passes the Olympic torch on to the next person in order to reach its final destination, I thought those who ran before me would gladly trust in my ability to carry the torch of faith firmly gripped in my hand. But instead when the time came for me to turn on the afterburners and go, I couldn’t run with ease. Why? Because the previous runner was still holding on to the torch! Yeah…can someone say crash and burn?

Now that I’m a young adult, 30 years old to be exact, I still get the earful of the “you’re the church of tomorrow” speech from the older generation! At this point though, I’m no longer overwhelmed with a sense of value and empowerment, instead it makes me think I’m trapped in the movie Groundhog Day, where the same day plays over and over again. I feel helpless. Plus it makes me question the nature of the relationship between those my age and the faith-giants we’ve looked up to for support and guidance since our youth.

I still remember one night at a church board meeting. The pastor suggested the idea that the church develop a second service program led out by young adults for young adults. While some saw it as an opportunity to encourage the involvement and spur the growth of the young adult population, some of the older members rejected the idea on the basis that they didn’t believe the young adults were able to handle the responsibility. Mind you most, if not all, of the young adults in my church have successful professional careers, are involved in at least one ministry, and have been in church most, if not all, of their lives! Some board members even suggested that we start a service in the gym. By the way, the gym was not aesthetically pleasing in any way and on top of that it was removed from the main church building. My heart sank to the floor. Was this any way to treat the “church of tomorrow” or "today" or whatever...

Now I’d like to think that this is not a common outlook or experience between those my age and the older more traditional generation. But the other day I read that recent Barna Group research found that a majority of American youth raised in the church have left it by age 29 (about the age i found out I was still the "church of tomorrow"). The article attributes this statistic to the failure of churches to pass on (or let go of) the Christian identity for the next generation to carry. But I also think that young people become discouraged in church and in life because “tomorrow” never comes. Their time to shine is overlooked and they get tired of the same old “you’re the church of tomorrow” charade.

I hate to give the older generation a hard time and I know not everyone in the traditional generation has the same mentality. But I know others have had this same experience. To be fair, I can’t totally blame the older generation though. The younger generation does have enough defects to make the hairs on your neck stand up. It may be that the older generation has a hard time passing on that identity because they feel it’s not taken seriously.

The thing is, though, to remember that faith and truth does not belong to one generation. No single generation can lay claim to the absolute truth and think another generation less worthy to understand or use it. God gives each generation the light and wisdom that it needs. Remember that faith and truth belong to all and it comes from God. When the promise of “tomorrow” never comes or we try to hang on to the torch of faith we jeopardize that basic principle that makes the gospel relevant to people’s lives. It loses its beautiful divine attributes and becomes just another political ploy. In the end we have to learn to let go and let faith grow in the hearts of others through the working of God’s spirit, not our own. CCM’s don’t let another generation experience a “tomorrow” that never comes. We can’t afford it.

CCM's: Breaking Down Church Walls

Believe it or not there was a time when churches were at the center of community living. They were valued for their modesty and communal function. Churches had a more organic quality that made them accessible even to the common passer by. It was almost certain that a community with such a church was a tight knit community. Be that for better or for worse, the point is that modern day churches for some reason don’t have the same communal qualities and fail to appeal to the personal spirit. Somewhere along the line they became very introverted and impersonal. A wall was built up around them. How it got to that point, I don’t know exactly.

This past week I had several conversations with people who have made the same observation. We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about how it happened but one thing was pretty clear, we were frustrated and disappointed with it. One person, a good friend of mine and a respectable associate pastor, talked about her challenges in trying to create a sense of community and discipleship within her traditional church setting. She talked about how she encountered resistance among church clergy when it came to ideas that would help people build relationships and find personal meaning in their faith walk.

There could have been several factors contributing to the resistance (perhaps one being that she was a woman minister…oh no!) but I think that’s just a symptom of a deeper problem- the impersonal attitudes of today’s traditional churches. The problem is that the church leaders should have immediately recognized the value of a “personalized” ministry regardless of who suggested it and should have done everything in their power to embrace and support it. Personal ministry should be the number one priority of any church. It shouldn’t just be an idea or a suggestion it should be a principle on which every Christian church operates. But when churches are introverted and impersonal, personal ministry becomes just another good idea that’ll only see the light of day if a church department happens to find it useful. The value of personal ministry is just not easily recognized.

So what needs to happen? These church walls need to come down. But before you go and commit the heretical act of literally bulldozing the walls of your church just to get a glimpse of the outside world, remember it’s just a metaphor! (But you would definitely get people’s attention that way, hmm.) But in all seriousness, to bring down the walls that make a church seem impersonal, people have to make an effort to engage others on a personal level. They can start within their own spheres of influence. Mentoring and discipleship training can also help provide people with tools for building relationships with others. Talk to your church leaders about mentoring opportunities. Ministries like Tikva (read previous post) can also inspire ideas for how to live out Christianity where people live their lives. If you encounter resistance then build friendships with people in your church who might share your same ideas. They key is not to give up or give in. CCM’s, its time to bring down the church walls! Nicely please!

First Official CCM Serves Up Tik-Va

CCM’s are very rare at this point. So you can imagine my excitement when I learned about what one Pastor was doing to create a Christian culture in his community. I just had to visit with him and learn more about his ministry. So here’s the first official real life example of a CCM!

With nothing but a humble paycheck and a steady faith Pastor Mike Cauley and his family moved to the small town of Keller, Texas to start a church in hopes of building relationships and creating a meaningful Christian community.

Cauley is the pastor of a small Seventh - day Adventist church plant in Keller. But this church plant is unlike any church you might imagine. Pastor Mike and his small church family literally purchased a little house in Keller’s cultural district and named the place Tik-Va, the Hebrew word for hope. And in addition to their delicious biscotti snacks and exotic coffee drinks, hope is exactly what they’ve been serving up.

Thanks to Nadene, a volunteer church member and a great hostess (who gave me a refreshing glass of orange juice during my visit!), Tik-Va is open on weekdays and provides a very relaxing atmosphere perfect for anyone who just needs to break away from the toils of life for a while. Weather someone needs a quiet place to gather their thoughts, or needs to express themselves through art or music, or just needs someone to listen, Tik-Va is where they go. As a matter of fact, during my visit a couple of people stopped by just to chat with Pastor Mike and Nadene about how their day was going. That’s when I realized what this place was really about. It was about real people, with real lives, who wanted to know that someone cared. I can only imagine the kind of opportunities there are to share faith and love here!

Although this approach to church and ministry is certainly non-traditional and outside the box of what most people would even consider being “church” (which we like!), while others may call down the hell fire Pastor Mike and his church family firmly believe that they’re simply doing what Christ did, live with everyday people and show them the love of God. Pastor Mike captures the true spirit of the Christian Culture Maker.

Look out for a full-featured podcast interview with Pastor Mike.

CCM Podcast episode 1: 3 Ways to Engage the Post-Modern Culture

Jesse Sias and Pastor Tyler Bower talk about the challenges of engaging the post-modern culture from a traditional church mindset and 3 ways to begin to break down the barriers between traditional church culture and post-modernism.

Click on title to hear podcast.

CCM's: The Flip Side of the Culture Maker

The first time I came across the term “culture maker” was on the cover of the September 2008 issue of Christianity Today. The cover story was titled “The New Culture Makers” followed by this description, “From inner-city little leagues to modern art initiatives, more and more Christians are making something of the world.”

Andy Crouch is a Christian writer and author of the book “Culture Making: Recovering our creative calling.” In his book Crouch encourages Christians to engage their cultural surroundings by creating cultural goods. In other words Christians are called to use their resources and creative abilities to impact our broken culture in a positive way and make a difference in the world.

Crouch’s approach to the non-Christian culture made me think about the flip side of things. What about the Christian culture? Christian culture is just as vulnerable to decay as the world’s culture. Spiritualism, ecumenism, humanism, and other cultural “isms” can do a lot to break up Bible-based Christianity. Unfortunately the decay of Christian culture goes largely undetected. Much of the reason is the readily accepted belief that all Christianity is fundamentally the same and that Biblical differences are really minor and don’t matter.

But what if they do? What if those differences end up contributing to an overall weaker and less effective form of Christianity? I believe this would grieve the very heart of Christ who laid all on the line to give us an unblemished and uncompromised picture of the nature of God and His kingdom.

I love Crouch’s approach to the non-Christian culture because it passionately embraces one of the fundamental principles of Christianity- to reach out and make a difference. Just like a culture maker is someone who makes something of the world, a CCM is someone who looks out for the world around them but most importantly the spiritual kingdom they belong to.

Christian Culture Makers Keep It Simple

If one were to go down into one of the basement rooms at Argonne National Laboratory, one of America’s major atomic research and development centers, one would find a glass case next to an electronic computer which bears the inscription, “In case of emergency, break glass.” Inside the glass case is an abacus. That’s right, this most primitive and simple calculating instrument reminds the scientists that not even the most advanced scientific instruments can handle every emergency of life.

The same can be said about ministry. Even the most "advanced" outreach programs cannot successfully handle every aspect of creating a Christian culture. In and of themselves they are not culture makers nor do they possess the ability to influence. That’s why CCM’s (Christian Culture Makers) don’t burden themselves with creating outreach programs. CCM’s rely on the most simple and natural method for creating culture- building relationships.

Relationship-building is as primitive and simple as the abacus when it comes to cultivating Christian culture. The more CCM’s engage people and genuinely share their Christian experience with them the bigger their sphere of influence becomes. CCM’s influence others by their true and honest efforts to serve in even the smallest matters with natural simplicity.

So how does a CCM begin practicing simplicity? A CCM begins where they’re planted. Starting small is the key to overcoming the paralyzing fear of Christian culture making. CCM’s start with their “local.” The local is simply your sphere or circle of influence. It’s the spot that only you can fill. It’s not governed by the monolithic social forces or a handful of people in power; it’s the place where you’re free to exercise your unique influence and make a difference.

Another part of a CCM’s success is their ability to recognize and acknowledge other Christian people who use their Christian lifestyle to participate in the culture around them. Typically, church members recognize other church members for fulfilling their church roles but CCM’s take it a step further and celebrate the roles of church members outside of church walls.

Christians who return to the basics of ministry and outreach will discover that simplicity opens the doors to people’s hearts and generates the greatest results in cultivating a Christ-centered Christian culture.

Culture Making Only As Good As Your Partnerships

No. I'm not part of a group that's advocating for an "Idiot Free America." Although the thought of living in an idiot-free culture does have its perks, how boring is that! In any case, the message hits on an important ingredient for creating culture; partnerships.

I used to think of ministry solely as an act of service to others. Whether it was ignorance or the appeal of the rugged individualistic nature of the lone star hero who single handedly saves the day, whatever the reason may have been, I had never thought of ministry in terms of partnerships.

Over time I’ve learned that ministry is also about creating partnerships. I've been blessed to have several people in my life who I consider partners in cultivating ministry. In turn I wanted to share that knowledge with others which is why I've started mentoring.

The more successful you want your ministry to be, the more successful partnerships you need to create. If you’re out to create and cultivate a certain culture you’re going to have to surround yourself with people who can help you till the ground. This is especially true if you’re trying to create a new culture in an environment where culture shifts are looked upon with skepticism or rejection.

In addition to helping prepare the way, creating partnerships also helps make ministry more meaningful. There’s plenty to learn from the people around you and the more tools and insight you can acquire from, them the greater impact your ministry can have and the deeper your culture can take root.

So where do you start looking for potential partnerships? Start at your own church. There are plenty of qualified and experienced people who are dying to sit you down for 8 hours a day if they could and fill your head with delicious ideas. Ok, maybe that doesn’t sound very appealing, in fact is sounds a little creepy.

In any case, look for those people in your church who have successful ministries and have created a culture around those ministries. If you don’t know them personally find someone you know who can introduce you. Express your desire to learn from them and ask them to help you create a culture-making ministry for yourself. In time you’ll discover that your network will grow along with your opportunities. It may take some guts to do that at first but in the end it will be a rewarding and spiritually fulfilling experience.

Creating Culture Begins with Cultivating Experience

I recently started a mentoring program with a couple of friends called, The Christian Culture Maker. One of the first topics we covered was the importance of using one's own life experiences to reach out to others. Here's a couple of short stories that I think illustrate this point very well.

Catherine Rohr is a private-equity investor and Christian who after visiting a prison was impressed by the number of inmates that really knew God. This led her to start the Prison Entrepreneurship Program. Through this ministry inmates committed to leaving a life of crime behind have learned valuable business skills that have helped them rebuild their lives and strengthen their faith.

Makoto Fujimura, a renowned abstract artist and Christian, was inspired to create TriBeca Temporary, a space for local artists to create experimentally in order to restore wholeness following the terrorist attacks of September 11. He also launched an international arts movement to ‘re-humanize the world.’ His love for visual communication came from his childhood frustration of having to learn English.

Creating culture often begins with cultivating and nurturing one’s life experiences wherever there’s opportunity and need. Once those experiences take root in the lives of others then culture begins to flourish. There is a need in our world to have people with positive and spirit filled Christian experiences to cultivate those experiences in the lives of others. Culture makers usually make a difference because where they’ve been helps them determine where they’re going and who they’re reaching.

- Stories taken from Christianity Today, Sept 2008

What are the experiences in your life that you believe God can use to reach others?

Where might there be opportunities or needs for you to cultivate your Christian experiences in the lives of others?