Just Rambling

Ok, while I have looked occasionally at this blog to see if anyone has commented, I can't believe it has been almost a month since I posted something. So, for the 2 or 3 who might read this I am just going to imagine you asking me "So, what's up?" I am so glad you asked. Again, it is hard to believe how quickly time passes by. I resigned my position as Pastor of Washington Avenue Baptist Church on August 15, 2010. While I really didn't know what to expect, I thought things would transpire a little differently over these past several months.

The honest truth is that I am usually too exhausted to even thinking about putting something on this blog that may in some way resemble coherence. I shared with some of my friends how I was planning to try and do some painting on the side to supplement the income I am receiving from our new church plant -- Connecting Point Church (www.connectingpointchurch.cc). I have been working a lot more hours during the week than I had originally planned on doing and it is really taking its toll on me physically. I try to get up early in the morning to study, pray, journal, etc. and then plan on reading and studying some more when I get home in the evening. My age is proving to be a factor in my efforts to keep everything going. (fall asleep in the evenings)

One of the areas I feel is not what it could be or should be is my preparation of messages for our weekly, Corporate gathering. While our church is primarily focusing on building House Churches in the communities where we live, we are meeting together as a big group for Corporate Worship, Prayer, Fellowship, and to Give our tithes and offerings. This is supposed to be my time to keep our vision fresh and help our people stay motivated in building the Community House Churches.

I am writing this blog on Friday of this much needed Thanksgiving break. It is crazy to think that Christmas time is here and that 2010 is almost over. I really don't think I can wait until the first of the year to start anything new. (In case you're wondering I have also returned to less desirable physical shape due to working all the time and not eating right and not having time to go to the gym) I am ready to gain more control of my discretionary time. There are way too many organizational tools at my disposal for me to continue 'running my race' this way. If you are reading this and have any suggestions that would prove to be helpful I am all ears.

I hope you have had a Happy Thanksgiving and will continue to enjoy this Holiday season!

And Now We Vote

Another election day has come reminding all Americans how blessed we are to live in a republic where our voices can be heard. While the system has many flaws it can still function the way our Founding Fathers envisioned. I will go to the polls today and cast my vote. Some of my decisions are clear and many of the votes I cast will be for people for whom I know nothing about. (My failure to learn more). I guess my thoughts and prayers are for the vital positions in our state and federal governments.

It is not only my duty but my privilege to vote today. I am very proud to be an American and I thank God for allowing me to be born in this country. Having said that I also want to say how convicted I am for not being a better "manager" of God's resources that He has entrusted to me. After being in the poor villages of Romania again I have a fresh perspective on how much we have in comparison to so many in the world. I just wish every Christian living in America's luxuries could go and experience the love and generosity of people who have nothing (when compared to what we have).

In the past year or two much has been said about President Obama's statement that America is not a Christian nation. So many Christ-Followers are offended by this statement but, I am sad to say, he is right. We are not a Christian nation! A nation could only be classified as "Christian" if it was Christ-like. Or, at best, we could only claim Christian status if our government unashamedly made significant decisions based on Christian principles, after spending time in prayer to request God's help in making these decisions. We all know that this is NOT happening! (And never will)

The greater burden for me is not that my country is NOT CHRISTIAN; but, my burden is how UnChristian the Church can be. What would happen if all churches who profess Jesus as Lord and Savior were operating in this world strictly by 'Christian Standards?' In response to this question one author stated -- "The world would be standing at the doors of our church buildings begging to access the Love of Christ they have witnessed in us." Something to think about!

Connecting Point Church

With all of the energy it takes to plan for and participate in an overseas mission trip I have not had much time to share what is going on with our new church start. Connecting Point Church was birthed in my heart by God's Spirit at least 12 or more years ago. I am a product of the New Testament Church and am very thankful for the heritage my parents instilled in me from the time I was born until I left home to become a self-supporting adult. After trying to serve as a Pastor for over 19 years of what is best defined as "Traditional Church," I am now pursuing God's call for a totally different concept regarding "CHURCH."

The primary difference in what we are striving to do involves our efforts to move the concept of what it means to 'go to church' into very practical methods of 'BEING THE CHURCH.' Jesus commissioned us to GO and make disciples. There is nothing in the New Testament to support our continual emphasis on "Gathering" in a building in contrast to GOING into our everyday lives with the LIGHT of CHRIST shining brightly in and through us. The end result is our emphasis on what we call "COMMUNITY HOUSE CHURCHES." At this time we have 8 House Churches meeting in different communities each week. While we have not had a designated place to GATHER as a church family on Sundays, our House Churches have been meeting and are doing some amazing things.

One of our House Churches placed a prayer notebook at the end of their driveway and passed the word through their community for people who needed and wanted prayer to simply write their request in the book and their House Church would pray for them. FANTASTIC! Several of our House Churches are hosting "Trunk or Treat" activities right there in the communities where they meet each week. This will allow them to not only provide a safe alternative to Halloween but also to share the vision of the House Church movement. This is something that I believe has just begun!! The visionary thinking of those who are in our House Churches is just beginning. My prayer is that more people will "Catch the Vision" and open their Houses for the Church to meet in so that their neighbors who would never attend an organized church meeting can have the opportunity to experience the love of Christ in very practical ways.

Pray for us to be faithful to God as we look to Him for leadership in this brand new adventure. We are meeting for the first time in a facility that may become our place for Sunday worship, music rehearsals, meetings, Youth worship services, etc. The lease payment is manageable for our church but there needs to be a lot of construction done inside to make it functional for our needs. I will share more with as time goes on. Thanks for reading and for praying.

Romania Missions

Now that another trip to Romania has been completed I am once again in the "Evaluation" and "Future-Seeking" mode of thinking. This is the 6th trip I have taken to Romania, 4 of which I have planned and led myself. Many times when I return from one of these trips I am so exhausted that even thinking about going back in a year seemed too difficult. This year it is different for me. I have not returned home exhausted but am actually renewed with many thoughts about the next phase of ministry in Romania.

God is revealing a renewed sense of His Vision for this work. With our existing partnership in tact, we now have the opportunity to partner with a dynamic ministry where Missions is a regular part of their DNA. I have struggled with trying to provide leadership where the cultural dynamics are so different than they are here in our country. I believe we all want the same things but there is a differentiation in how to go about accomplishing the dream.

At this time I believe God wants us to begin planning on taking two trips to Romania in 2011. I also believe it is time to share the opportunities for Mission work in this part of Romania with other Mission-Minded churches so that more resources can be accessed. Our small band of Believers have been able to accomplish some things in Romania. But, there is so much more that needs to be done; much more than our small group can resource.

It is nothing short of miraculous what God has already done in and through us in this Romanian partnership. I stand amazed that a simple country boy like me has been able to travel around this world and meet some wonderful people who are so close to my heart now. I feel as though I have family all over the world. I was in Brazil on a mission trip in 1990 and a few months ago my translator while on that trip found me online. We have been talking periodically since then. Our hearts were knit together by our partnership in the Gospel Ministry 20 years ago and those feelings of brotherhood are still strong.

Please join me in praying for the work that still needs to be done in the village of Sanger, in Northern Romania. This is a place where opportunities and blessings await those who have a desire to serve God with any talents you may have. No one is too old (we have taken people in their 70's) and no one is too young (our last trip included an 8 year old boy). There is always something for everyone to do. As I have stated in the past, if you have any interest in being a part of Romanian Missions please let me know. You can email me: chuck@connectingpointchurch.cc. Please don't hesitate to follow God's call. You will not regret it!

Musing on Romania

As I write this blog our team is preparing to start our long journey back home. We have spent the better part of two days enjoying some great fellowship, eating some great food, and just having fun with our Romanian partners in this ministry. I have not watched any television since our arrival in Cluj last week. When you are not constantly in front of the TV it is amazing how much time there is to share in people’s lives. Our Romanian friends love to laugh and sing. They play some silly games but it is fun just to watch how people react. I laugh so deeply when I am hanging out with these precious people.

I believe our worship experience here in Cluj was a blessing for our team yesterday. We shared in the evening service with our Romanian partners who worked in the camps with us. Matt, Jennifer McCurley and Justin shared their testimonies. They did a great job. Then we attempted to sing “Our God is a Mighty God” in Romanian. That was interesting. I was asked to share a message about how important it is for us to build a strong Christian foundation into our children. They had so many children present and their children’s choir, praise ensemble (older children singing with microphones) and a young girl who played the violin blessed our hearts. They have so many gifted children in their church. It was a great service!

This is the time when my thoughts are dominated by evaluating the work here in Romania. I ask myself many times how long this partnership will continue and how much further the Lord would have me to go with it. When I am at home I get overwhelmed many times by the costs of taking these trips. This makes me think it is something I should stop doing. Then, when I am here I feel like the Lord wants me to go and share the vision with many of my Pastor friends and ask for their support. I would love to see more churches get involved in bringing teams here to do ministry.

Since my perspective is always different upon returning to the American lifestyle, I am resolved in my heart and mind today that God is in charge of the things that are unknown to us. As long as God continues to make the needs here known and continues to provide resources for the work that needs to be done, I will continue to do whatever He instructs. I have been to Romania enough times now that I can be assured that my motivation for continuing is not just to get the opportunity to travel and see the world (even though this is something I do love). God has spoken deeply into my heart while here in this great country. He has convicted me concerning my own personal walk with Him and the amount of time I am spending in His Word. In the past I would spend hours studying God's Word in preparation for preaching. This is something that has been neglected and I will be changing this.

I have also been convicted how accepting we are in our churches of things that are highly offensive to our Holy God. The more we compromise on His holiness the less of His power we will see. We need to learn a lesson from our Romanian brothers and sisters on praying both in our personal times with God and in our worship services. It is ironic that we are coming here to help them and in reality we are the ones who need to be helped.

Update from Sanger

Another week of working in the village of Sanger, Romania has come to an end. The weeks do pass by very quickly but after everything is finished, I am very exhausted and ready to start the long journey towards home. We leave this small farming community and head back to Cluj which is one of the larger cities in the country of Romania. We will spend the rest of our Saturday and Sunday with some very precious and hospitable friends. We will worship with one of the fastest growing churches in Romania (Christian churches). The Pastor and I have become wonderful friends. He has graciously welcomed me into his home and allowed me to preach in his pulpit each time I have come to Romania. I always look forward to seeing him and his family.

Many times when I am at home I think how difficult it is to make this journey. For those who come, great financial sacrifice is made. This includes not only the costs involved in making this journey but also the loss of income while we are here. Each time we come I have men who are self-employed to come and help me with construction. Not only are they giving up two weeks of gainful employment but their employees also have to make a sacrifice. Considering all these costs it makes me wonder if this is something I should continue. Then I come back and hug some of the most loving children I’ve ever been around. I witness genuine, deep-seated JOY among Christians who have so little of the world’s possessions. I listen to people pray and, even though I cannot understand a word they say, I am moved beyond description. They pour their hearts out to God in prayer.

I many times think how far we have come to help our Brothers and Sisters in Christ and to share God’s loving salvation with any who will listen. Our journey (one way) is a little over 5,000 miles. But it is actually God Himself who traveled the greatest distance to help us. He came all the way from eternity, from the realms of His own glorious Kingdom so that we might have a way to be made right with our Creator. His reward for traveling such a long distance was scorn, rejection, persecution, suffering and death. In light of our Lord’s great sacrifice I realize how little I have done by coming to this country to help people who have now become very precious to my heart.

It never fails that when I come here my blessings are much more pronounced than the ones received by those whom we are here to assist. The Bible says that it is more blessed to give than to receive. There is no doubt that this is the TRUTH! The future for this village in Romania is growing brighter because of God’s goodness to me and so many other Believers I am privileged to share my earthly journey with.

I hope this is only the beginning of greater things to come in Romania. I hope to go back home and fervently strive to raise funds and recruit laborers so that we can make this dream of a Christian camp and retreat center a reality in the village of Sanger. With a place for young people to come any time they want to play, learn about the love of God through Christ, and grow up with concerned, caring adults the Kingdom of Heaven will grow stronger in this oppressed section in Northern Europe. I ask for your prayers and am not ashamed to ask for your financial support. And, if you want a renewed perspective on how blessed we are in America, make plans to make this journey with us – perhaps as soon as May or June of next year.

Update from Romania

If my memory serves me correctly (something less dependable in my 50’s) I believe this is my 6^th trip to the country of Romania. I have tried to recollect what happened in my heart the first time I came to Romania that sparked an interest to return. I know God definitely had more in mind than I could have possibly imagined at that time. Ron Taffer, a friend and fellow minister, was God’s instrument to get me over to this country. I remember one day we stood in the middle of the street in a small village called Barbosi (pronounced Bar-Bosh), looked up along the beautiful countryside, and discussed whether or not we felt like this was a long-term assignment. I know that “Moment” must have been designed by God because it is still so fresh in my heart and mind after over 6 years.

We met together as a team on Sunday (by Team I mean our American team along with our Romanian partners) just to talk about the week, pray together and basically get better acquainted. There were many heart-felt words shared in that gathering and many tears shed as we poured out our hearts to God in prayer. This was another one of those times ordained by God because it was something that could not have been planned by me. I think the expectations for this trip were surrendered in that session (at least they were for me). And, it is such a great thing that God gave me this “redirect” time because the construction aspect of this trip will definitely not be what I had hoped for. In coming over here I thought that we would surely be able to complete the work on the bathroom. But, with the delay in getting materials and the work of the plumbers to get all the water ran to the bathroom as well as the drains for all the “exhaust” we may not even be able to complete the walls and get the toilet and sink installed. But that is OK! God has HIS own plan for this trip and I am just honored to be a part of it!!!

I think that times like this when things just don’t “come together” as we imagined, God has His own way to remind us that HE is in Charge! From the methods He chose to enter His own world and the way He accomplished the WAY for our Salvation, we understand that He alone can influence daily schemes of life to insure that His purposes will be accomplished. We all have a choice to make every day whether or not we will allow God to be in charge. However, none of us has control over the ways that God chooses to work things out according to His perfect design.

I am not sure where you are or what may be going on in your life at this time but I can assure you that God has your life in His thoughts and you are definitely on His heart constantly. He is working! And much of what He is doing may seem strange or may be unpleasant but I assure you that He knows exactly what He is doing. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” (Psalm 150:6)