Pushing Forward

We have canvassed the main complex of the Brownwood Housing Authority and will canvass two of their satellite complexes today, plus the surrounding neighborhood until our door hangers and tracts run out.

Signage advertising the VBS is also going up today (various issues have delayed this until today), and I have placed a notice in the local paper. Hopefully, we'll get a good turnout for VBS.

Mission values report card

Last November, I identified the following core values for Mission: Brownwood.

The Bible - God's Word. It is through the Bible that we get to know Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is through studying the Bible that our faith is increased. (Romans 10:17). The Bible, being God's Word, thus becomes all sufficient as the basis for our beliefs and practices.

People - Jesus did not say, "Go ye therefore and build a multi-million dollar organization." He said, "Go ye therefore and teach..." God's focus is on people. Therefore, Grace Pointe Missionary Baptist Church is a people-focused church. Our goal is to introduce you to Christ, let you get to know Him, accept Him, trust Him and follow Him. Then, our role is to help you become all you can be in Christ.

Discipleship - Many religious organizations focus on the numbers. "How many can we get in our services this week?" At Grace Pointe, our focus is on the individuals. We desire to bring people along side of us and follow the Lord together. Those being discipled will then, in turn, disciple others. This involves a strong teaching and Bible study ministry. This also involves personal interaction. If you have ever wanted a friend you can count on and share all of your struggles with, we at Grace Pointe want to be that friend. We also want to help you know Jesus better.

Outreach - Because the Lord commissioned His churches to go, teach all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and teach them whatsoever things Christ commanded us... it is our prayer that Grace Pointe be a church focused on reaching the unreached people of Brownwood, Texas. It is also our prayer to be a strong supporter of missionaries, both around the world and at home.

Community - Grace Pointe seeks to have a strong community within the church, and hopes to be actively involved in the community outside the church, impacting as many lives as possible.

How are we doing?

Bible - Our Bible studies remain expository, well illustrated and consistent in the face of struggling attendance statistics. Grade: B+ (due to low attendance)

People - Despite my recent trends toward renting or purchasing buildings, I have not lost my focus on the people I have been ministering to. Grade: B+

Discipleship - Spiritual progress is slow but steady with those I am ministering to. Grade: C

Outreach - Evangelism is tough due to the large numbers of religiously lost people. A major VBS event next month should help us reach the unchurched. Grade: B+

Community - We're getting into the community little by little, through the VBS, joining Tae Bo classes and a health club, being hospitable neighbors and finding work. We are also enrolling our kids in various activities. Grade: C.

The low marks are due mainly to the early phase of this work. Few missionaries are going to evangelical giants, major community players with large numbers of people being discipled and discipling others in the first 1 1/2 to 2 months. I'm not satisfied with our progress here so far, but we are still ahead of schedule. My goal for having a core group assembled and organization is not until June of next year.

Possible meeting place

We have indentified this building, located on U.S. 67/84 West in Brownwood as a possible location for the new church. Rent is affordable, the location is high profile, and it is located near the apartment complexes we will be targeting through VBS. Please pray that God's will comes out of this.

Getting the word out!

Cooper the dog (Jessica), pictured above, spent Sunday afternoon greeting children in the 100+ degree weather at the Brownwood Housing Authority. We canvassed the complex with door hangers and meet-and-greet times with Cooper. VBS begins Saturday at the Wendell Dodds Community Center at the Brownwood Housing Authority, and will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday in August.

What's this? A campaign?

Well, it appears John McCain is finally ready to begin campaigning for the presidency. He gave a great interview to Sean Hannity on Fox News' Hannity and Colmes program last night and it looks like he is ready to begin sharing vision while pointing out Obama's weaknesses in this campaign.

Admittedly, the campaign promises will probably be just that, campaign promises that never get legislated. However, I am glad the Republican party is finally waking up.

Things are good

It's been almost a week since my last post. Things are staying busy. Here's an update.

• Betty Yarbrough, daughter of TMD Director Jim Slocumb, purchased a building that was formerly a Church of Christ in Andrews, TX, to convert into a shelter for expecting mothers. She graciously donated the pews, communion table, pulpit, carpet and baptistry from that facility to Mission: Brownwood. Northcrest MBC of Andrews picked up the church pews and pulpit, and communion table and are now storing them for me until we get a facility in Brownwood. Rocky Springs MBC, my sponsor, graciously made a donation to her shelter.
• South Union MBC of Dangerfield, TX and Veal Switch MBC of Hughes Springs, TX, both sent us generous portions of VBS Good News Games curriculum for our VBS at the Brownwood Housing Authority in August.
• We have a number of volunteers who are signing up. We will have an average of 6 volunteers each saturday for VBS if no more sign up... we still need help. Contact me if you want to volunteer at 325-200-8531.
• I have located a church building that Mission: Brownwood would be able to rent for $550/month. The owner is holding back on renting it due to road construction. I am praying about going ahead and renting it, rennovating it (there are some things that NEED to be fixed), and getting it ready for launch. I would prefer to have my core group a little more solid before we move in, but we'll go through this door when God opens it.
• Core group building is tough. It's hard getting people to go to church in the pastor's living room, especially when you're new in town. We're keeping at it, though.
• I am amazed at how my sponsoring church, Rocky Springs MBC, is coming on board and really getting behind this work. They are a real blessing to me.

My sincerest desire is to have a mission that is functioning like a church by the time we get to the state meeting in November. However, due to the start-from-scratch nature of this mission work, I can't promise a full slate of weekly services and Sunday schools by November. We'll get there, though. My personal deadline for having a solid core group established is next June.

See you at the Southwest Association Mission Rally at Beacon Baptist Church in Odessa Saturday.

Blood for oil, church building and rock stars

I read the online edition of The Cherokeean Herald today, much to my dismay. My column was preempted for an editorial piece that claimed that George W. Bush sent our troops into Iraq to destabilize the price of oil, making it more profitable to drill in the U.S. Of all things, the primary source for this claim was a nameless land man the writer had met while eating dinner in Nacogdoches. I thought the "no blood for oil" argument was discredited before the war even began. Oh, well.

The church building still sits behind TxDOTs' broken highway. I hope TxDOT finishes the repairs before the legislature abolishes them. Yep! That's right! There is word that the Texas Legislature may abolish TxDOT due to its horrendous accounting practices and determination toward toll roads. I will move on this property, but would like to solidify my core group before having to take that step.

The people of Coleman and the management of my new radio station continue to treat me like a rock star. Things are going really well and people are treating me really nicely. I told the owner that I was waiting for the shoe to drop... you know, that sudden reality check that will hit me that this job is not going to be as simple as promised, only to be told that "there is no shoe... nothing will drop." I'm really beginning to get the warm and fuzzy about this job.

Concern over Presidential politics...

I read an article on AOL today about Phil Grahmm's ignorant remarks to the Washington Times about America being whiners and the recession being in their heads. This may, or may not be the case (honestly, neither I, nor the city of Brownwood is feeling the recession except for gas prices), however, you don't say things like that and expect to win the Presidential election. The Republicans are in danger of losing this election because of their stupidity, and the effect on this country may be devastating... who knows, it could have ripple effects on the entire world.

Basically, the West Coast will likely vote for Obama, along with New England (except for New Hampshire, or Vermont, one of those tiny states, which is still considered a battleground state.)

The Western states will likely vote for McCain, with the exception of New Mexico and Nevada, more battleground states. The Great Lakes states are up for grabs, along with FLorida and Virginia. The rest of the south and midwest goes to McCain.

If those predictions stand, McCain trails Obama by approximately 21 electoral college votes.

If the Great Lakes go to Obama, the election is over. Great Lakes states such as Ohio have economies that depend largely on manufacturing (cars, textiles, steel, etc). Such industries are hurting right now and layoffs are coming. Telling these people it's all in your head is a surefire way to get them to vote for the other guy.

So, I'm a little concerned here. We do not have a slam-dunk victory ahead of us in 2008 like we did in 1984 and 1988. Even 2004 was closer than it should have been. To make things worse, we have a candidate who is not acting like he's too interested in campaigning. Where's the vision and encouragement?

On a brighter note, maybe Obama will win and be used to fulfill prophecies that will usher in the second coming.

I normally don't get political in this forum... but I just can't get this stuff out of my head tonight.

Meeting location on the horizon, maybe

Mission: Brownwood has located an old church building in a very high profile location in Brownwood, on a major highway, that may become available for rent for less than $1,000/month... much less.

The building would need some cleaning up, new carpet and new paint on the walls, but would make a great starting location should God open this door.

Meanwhile, core group building continues. Keep us in your prayers.

Bring out your torch and pitch-forks!!!

It sure doesn't take much to stir up controversy today. I'm being called on the carpet about my most recent column in the Cherokeean Herald where I compare Milli Vanilli to hypocrites.

War Zone

You've probably been sitting in a service when the preacher compared the work of the Lord to warfare. Heck, I remember a preacher at seminary who compared the Lord's churches to divisions of His army who are under orders to be on the offensive.

The Bible compares living our faith and doing God's work as warfare also.

1 Timothy 1:18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;

2 Timothy 2:3-4 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of [this] life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

So, the scriptures also compare the work of the Lord to warfare. If we are to war a good warfare, as Paul wrote to Timothy, there are some parameters we have to identify. First, and foremost, is the enemy.

I have spoken to many Vietnam veterans. One of the most frustrating parts of fighting in that war was that you didn't know who your enemies were. The villager who is helping and supporting you by day may very well be in VC uniform fighting against you at night. Rice bags were booby-trapped. The VC rigged explosives to small children then sent them to American soldiers to ask for candy. As the soldiers would give the kids candy, the explosives were detonated, killing both soldier and child. You never knew who your enemy was.

As we wage war for Christ, we need to remember who the enemy is. It is not the church planters, traditionalists, pre, mid or post-tribbers, contemporary singers, hymn singers, progressives, conservatives, elderly pastors or young pastors... it is Satan (I Peter 5:8).

I fear that too often, we have misidentified our enemy and we are spending all of our energy fighting battles with our brothers, friends and allies that should have never been fought. I'm not saying we shouldn't debate, or stand for Biblical truth, I am just saying that in some cases, there are those who plan to ambush their brethren with more carefully planned attacks than the
Battle of Cowpens. I'm not making this up. I spent a significant amount of time in my early ministry defending myself against false accusations and misrepresentations by other preachers. Granted, these men were hardly the cream of the ABA crop, but still... these were battles that should have never been fought.

No, the enemy we war with is Satan. We should be fighting him, not each other.

Another parameter we must identify is the battlefield. I once heard a preacher say, before entering the sanctuary for morning worship, "Let's go do battle." "Battle," by and large, is not waged in the sanctuary during worship... at least, it's not supposed to be. Battle is not supposed to be waged in business meetings either, because the sanctuary is not the battlefield.

The battlefield is the hearts and souls of the people who live in our cities and countrysides. Sometimes, the battlefield is in our own hearts. We war with Satan so that we may win the souls and hearts of the lost and that we may keep our hearts clean. This is something that has been pressed on my heart as I have worked with some of the people in Brownwood and Coleman.

Now that we have identified our enemy and battlefield, we need to learn how to wage warfare. I remember watching the movie, "We Were Soldiers." Col. Hal Moore, played by Mel Gibson, was given his orders to attack Viet Cong forces in the Ia Drang Valley (translation: The Valley of Death). He was to lead the first major engagement of U.S. Forces in Vietnam. His orders were simple, "Find the enemy, and kill him."

As simple as those orders were, they were not easy. Col. Moore had to plan the attack, and do so in a way that would minimize American casualties.

Our orders are also simple, Preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). As simple as those orders are, they are not easy. To fight the battle on the battlefield, and win, we must be able to preach the Gospel to the lost in a way that they can comprehend it, accept it, and grow in their faith. Such requires planning and training. Such requires daily sword drills and range practice (a.k.a. Bible study). Such requires communication with mission command (prayer). Such also requires obedience, as disobedience on a battlefield can cost a soldier his life.

Right now, Mission: Brownwood is at war, but we are in the early phases where we have dropped covert special forces behind enemy lines, hopefully to prepare the way for the infantry who will land at the Lord's order. We know who our enemy is, and where the battlefield is. We are currently preparing and engaging in combat.

May God bless you on your battlefield.

It all goes down Monday!!!!

I will host Coleman County This Morning on Radio 1000 KSTA-AM in Coleman, TX. After next week, I'll continue to co-host the show with out-going Station Manager Daniel Stovall, before taking over as Station Manager on August 1.

Mission: Brownwood report for June 2008

“Go ye therefore and teach all nations”

The month of June has been one of challenges and excitement and for Mission: Brownwood. We have been able to get settled in to our new home, meet our neighbors and have even begun to minister to some.

We have been meeting with prospective core group members who may be interested in helping us launch a new church and have been doing outreach in our local neighborhood and at the local mall. Our biggest challenge in Brownwood is reaching religious lost people.

We are in the process of organizing a series of one-day vacation Bible schools on every Saturday in the month of August which will be held at the community center of the Brownwood Housing Authority. We have had four volunteers agree to help us so far… two from our sponsoring church, one from an ABA church in San Angelo and one from Brownwood. We still need volunteers. You may volunteer by calling me at (325) 200-8531.

Current plans are to continue meeting in our home until we build a core group of two or three more families to commit to the new work. Once that happens, we will publicly launch the new church. This will be a challenge as the core group will likely come out of Brownwood’s unchurched population.

Financial Report

Wyndrock MBC (Abilene, TX) $500
Muse MBC (Grapeland, TX) $200
Hickory Grove MBC (Newport, AR) $227.41
White Rock MBC (Center, TX) $100
John Nickle (Rusk, TX) $25
Memorial MBC (Rusk, TX) $50
Beacon BC (San Angelo, TX) $136
Bethel MBC (Tatum, TX) $50
Denson Springs MBC (Grapeland, TX) $100
58th Ave MBC (Amarillo, TX) $292.87
East Side MBC (Jacksonville, TX) $100
Nevill’s Chapel MBC (Mt. Pleasant, TX) $151.23
Rocky Springs MBC (Jacksonville, TX) $150

These contributions funded the purchase of VBS materials, the renting of the Brownwood Housing Authority Community Room for VBS, the purchase of evangelism materials, postage for report and request mailings, and missionary support.