So I get all kinds of crazy ideas in my head and this idea keeps coming back to me often. It has to do with supporting missionaries. So many missionaries are under-supported (not us, Praise the Lord). The average for a missionary to raise support is around 4 years. That is a lot of time. So what is a way that we could raise more money for missionaries; or use the money we have wisely?
What if we supported missionaries the way some of us plan to support ourselves, or our kids going to college, or retirement? With real estate. I have written out a big dream plan using millions of dollars, but let's say that we start out small. One church or a couple churches could buy a foreclosed house or condominium. For a mission trip, church members could go to this house (that is actually in their area) and fix it up. The electricians, plumbers, real estate agents, painters, landlords etc... could all use their gifts and talents to fix up a house and to manage it while renting it out. The money received from renting could go towards supporting missions. So here is what the financial investment looks like: 50-60,000 to buy the home; 5-10,000 for materials to fix it up; free manual labor from church members; the return would be around 700 dollars a month (depending on the real estate prices in the area), so $8400 a year. Well before 10 years, the church would already have reached their initial investment, plus have that real estate value still. The church could have the option to sell the real estate at any time and possibly buy two pieces of property with what they make and do it again.
Churches could also go in on it together. For example, I have several supporting churches in certain towns that could get together and do mission trips together fixing up these houses.
So, I have told this idea to a few people and most of them think it too risky. What are some of you all's initial thoughts?
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Crossing Cultures
Since day one here I have known that there would be some interesting situations in ministering cross culturally. I with that it just touched my culture to Brazilian culture, but it even goes further than that. I have seen also that it is difficult to reach different cultures of Brazil at the same time. Right now, the missionary house that we live in is in a condominium development where the upper class lives. We have an electric fence around us for safety and a guard at the only entrance and exit. We are very safe inside from the crime ridden neighborhood all too close by outside. There is a vila (or favela, which is a poor neighborhood) that is close by. Vilas are dangerous places to be.
I play soccer with kids from the vila every Sunday. I look forward to it and really enjoy it. I am also friends with a lot of them. If I see them on the street, they say, "eh Americano" and we give each other the thumbs up. Then I have fun with them on the soccer field.
I am also friends with a bunch of our neighbors. I talk to them every once in a while, have eaten with them, played soccer with them at their club, and even visited with them at their relative's house. It has been neat getting to know them and even try to reach them.
But where the culture difference lies is between the both. Those in my neighborhood don't want me to let my friends from the vila inside the gates. They don't trust them at all. So how do you minister to them in a way that is humble, even though they are basically prohibited from coming in your house? (A couple of them came in once, but I heard that was a bad idea from my neighbors). It is an interesting situation because I want to minister to both of them, but if I do too much, one will not allow me to minister to the other. I know Jesus ministered to both and that is what is right, but must I first revise the entire Brazilian culture of social levels?
I play soccer with kids from the vila every Sunday. I look forward to it and really enjoy it. I am also friends with a lot of them. If I see them on the street, they say, "eh Americano" and we give each other the thumbs up. Then I have fun with them on the soccer field.
I am also friends with a bunch of our neighbors. I talk to them every once in a while, have eaten with them, played soccer with them at their club, and even visited with them at their relative's house. It has been neat getting to know them and even try to reach them.
But where the culture difference lies is between the both. Those in my neighborhood don't want me to let my friends from the vila inside the gates. They don't trust them at all. So how do you minister to them in a way that is humble, even though they are basically prohibited from coming in your house? (A couple of them came in once, but I heard that was a bad idea from my neighbors). It is an interesting situation because I want to minister to both of them, but if I do too much, one will not allow me to minister to the other. I know Jesus ministered to both and that is what is right, but must I first revise the entire Brazilian culture of social levels?
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Giving your all
I am doing a devo soon on this and would like any extra thoughts, ideas or additions.
Throughout high school, college, and afterwards I have always listed out my priorities in life. I always start with God at number one. For good reason right? In Scripture we are told to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. Deuteronomy 6:5.
So He is #1 priority and then comes a list of family, church, work, sports, extra-curricular activities, etc… or at least that is how my list has always been. I think our motives are usually right in creating these lists, but I think something goes wrong in our thinking, well, at least my thinking. I put God first when it comes to time. In the morning, I get up and give the first part of my day to God in quiet time. But what happens after that? Or some of us will say if God is our # 1 priority, then we will give God the majority of our time. So we do our quiet times, prepare our sermons or lessons, do discipleship or training or sports evangelistic outreach. Especially as missionaries we need to put in our time for God because He is our # 1 priority. Then with finances we do the same thing. We give our first 10% to God, at least. Some may be grace givers and give more, say the 20 some percent that the Israelites gave once they totaled in all their offerings. Maybe we even give a majority of our money to show God is at #1 in our life.
Ok, so why am I talking about these priorities. If we give God 50% of our time, or 50% of our money, who does the rest belong to? Us, right. We can do with it as we please. Now of course that is not the case because it all belongs to God! We learned that in Sunday school. We did learn that, but how often do we use how much we are doing as an excuse for what else we are doing. For example, I was doing church activities all day, now it is me time. I can do what I want, etc…
In my youth group we once did a drama where Jesus came to someone’s house. The actress answered the door and said, oh hello Jesus, I was not expecting you, went and cleared the magazines off the end table, and returned and invited Him in. She told Him what rooms He was welcome in and what rooms she held the keys to. Too often we want to keep part of the house to ourselves and not allow God to have it. I think we make the excuse that we have given God a majority already, especially as missionaries. We have given God our lives to live in this foreign country, but have exempted ourselves from giving God our lives as we live on the field.
I Corinthians 6:19-20 says that we are not our own; we are bought with a price and are to glorify God in our body and our spirit, which are His.
Throughout high school, college, and afterwards I have always listed out my priorities in life. I always start with God at number one. For good reason right? In Scripture we are told to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. Deuteronomy 6:5.
So He is #1 priority and then comes a list of family, church, work, sports, extra-curricular activities, etc… or at least that is how my list has always been. I think our motives are usually right in creating these lists, but I think something goes wrong in our thinking, well, at least my thinking. I put God first when it comes to time. In the morning, I get up and give the first part of my day to God in quiet time. But what happens after that? Or some of us will say if God is our # 1 priority, then we will give God the majority of our time. So we do our quiet times, prepare our sermons or lessons, do discipleship or training or sports evangelistic outreach. Especially as missionaries we need to put in our time for God because He is our # 1 priority. Then with finances we do the same thing. We give our first 10% to God, at least. Some may be grace givers and give more, say the 20 some percent that the Israelites gave once they totaled in all their offerings. Maybe we even give a majority of our money to show God is at #1 in our life.
Ok, so why am I talking about these priorities. If we give God 50% of our time, or 50% of our money, who does the rest belong to? Us, right. We can do with it as we please. Now of course that is not the case because it all belongs to God! We learned that in Sunday school. We did learn that, but how often do we use how much we are doing as an excuse for what else we are doing. For example, I was doing church activities all day, now it is me time. I can do what I want, etc…
In my youth group we once did a drama where Jesus came to someone’s house. The actress answered the door and said, oh hello Jesus, I was not expecting you, went and cleared the magazines off the end table, and returned and invited Him in. She told Him what rooms He was welcome in and what rooms she held the keys to. Too often we want to keep part of the house to ourselves and not allow God to have it. I think we make the excuse that we have given God a majority already, especially as missionaries. We have given God our lives to live in this foreign country, but have exempted ourselves from giving God our lives as we live on the field.
I Corinthians 6:19-20 says that we are not our own; we are bought with a price and are to glorify God in our body and our spirit, which are His.
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Reason for God
I just closed the books on yet another excellent book. "The Reason for God" by Tim Keller discusses reasons people have for not believing in the God of the Bible. Then he also gives reasons for believing in God. It is so easy to make excuses for not believing in God. We hear so many growing up, like that science disproves the Bible. Others look at apparent contradictions in the Bible as reasons not to believe. But really, if someone does not WANT to believe, they are not going to without God's sovereign drawing. Everyone has an excuse, yet Romans says that everyone is without excuse.
We also have our own presuppositions for who God is that we receive from our culture, our home, our surroundings and our experiences. I know that with certain doctrines in the Bible I did not want to believe a certain way because I did not grow up that way so how could I believe that way. We need to weigh our presuppositions with the Bible and ask God for wisdom and understanding as we search for His truth.
OK, that post might have been a little broad or did not provide enough info about the book, so I am going to just suggest to all to go out and read it.
We also have our own presuppositions for who God is that we receive from our culture, our home, our surroundings and our experiences. I know that with certain doctrines in the Bible I did not want to believe a certain way because I did not grow up that way so how could I believe that way. We need to weigh our presuppositions with the Bible and ask God for wisdom and understanding as we search for His truth.
OK, that post might have been a little broad or did not provide enough info about the book, so I am going to just suggest to all to go out and read it.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Strawberry Milkshake
Well, now that Sarah is pregnant, I will probably write a lot about the new baby or something related to it. Last night we were going to bed and Sarah took a vitamin and then said, that tastes like a Strawberry Shake, I would like a Strawberry shake. So we proceeded to go downstairs to make one. Since their were no strawberries, she used a banana, and since we don't have a blender here, I crushed ice with a meat pounder in plastic grocery bags. It didn't turn out like she had wanted it to. Oh well, what can you do?
Her eating habits have definitely changed as well as some other things. I guess this is going to be an interesting seven more months. Any advice for a new husband of a pregnant woman?
Her eating habits have definitely changed as well as some other things. I guess this is going to be an interesting seven more months. Any advice for a new husband of a pregnant woman?
Monday, January 26, 2009
The fam again
The other day I went to see my Grandpa. He has recently had some health troubles and they really are not sure how long he is going to live. He has always been a hard worker. He has the biggest backyard wood pile I have ever seen. Since being sick he has not been able to bring the wood in for their wood furnace. So five of us brothers went over there and brought wood into the house. It was quite a bit of fun and it was really special to see my Grandpa soak it all in. I have never seen him with a camera before and he used it quite a bit. He was constantly laughing at our fighting in the snow and mishaps while working. At the end he pulled the truck back and watched our snowball fight with much pleasure. I had never seen him that way before and after-wards with a little tear in his eye, he told us how it was a very special day and that he would always have good memories of the day.
I love that country song about living like you are dying. Obviously, we still need to work and everything, but when it comes to spending time with family and friends, it may do us all good to spend that time living like we were dying, because according to the latest statistics, 100% of people die.
I love that country song about living like you are dying. Obviously, we still need to work and everything, but when it comes to spending time with family and friends, it may do us all good to spend that time living like we were dying, because according to the latest statistics, 100% of people die.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Foolishness
So I think that I get myself wrapped up in a bunch of foolishness. Maybe that is not the right word, but that is how I feel. I have been doing video blog type deals for the last few months and sometimes I just do not know if they amount to anything. Lots of times I feel like I am being too preachy and am unsure of their effectiveness. I think that I look like an idiot and do not know how to talk.
So why do I keep doing them? I keep trying to talk myself out of doing these, but I keep thinking that it is worth it if the videos affect one person in their walk with God. If one person makes one minor positive decision towards their relationship with God, than it is worth it (so long as I am not turning anyone away from Christ). I figure that if people do not like them, they do not have to watch them. And I am sure that has started to happen, but maybe there are people who have decided that they are not too cool to watch them. Who knows. And so I continue. My latest project is a chronological walk through the Bible. After doing the first of forty lessons, I am realizing that this will take a lot of time and will not be easy. Yet, I believe that I will continue. After all, God makes good use of foolishness.
So why do I keep doing them? I keep trying to talk myself out of doing these, but I keep thinking that it is worth it if the videos affect one person in their walk with God. If one person makes one minor positive decision towards their relationship with God, than it is worth it (so long as I am not turning anyone away from Christ). I figure that if people do not like them, they do not have to watch them. And I am sure that has started to happen, but maybe there are people who have decided that they are not too cool to watch them. Who knows. And so I continue. My latest project is a chronological walk through the Bible. After doing the first of forty lessons, I am realizing that this will take a lot of time and will not be easy. Yet, I believe that I will continue. After all, God makes good use of foolishness.
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