Celebrate Our Missionaries

How blessed Baptists are to be known as a missionary people. I love missionaries, they are my heroes; not because they are superhuman or different from me but because they sacrifice much every day for the cause of Christ.

What do you think of when you think of missionaries? Do you think of someone eating grubs in the Amazon Jungle? Sleeping in hammocks in Honduras? Dressed in tribal garb in South Africa? Hiding in secret locations in China?

When I think of missionaries, I think of people like Glenn and Pam Creech, Southern Baptists serving in Seoul, Korea; Rachel Brunclikova, a Cooperative Baptist serving in the Czech Republic; Deleris Carrion Rosa, an American Baptist serving in Haiti; and Macford Kalasa Chipuliko, National Baptist serving in Chilembwe, Malawi.

When I think of their lives, I think of sacrificing the comforts of friends and family and moving to a location far away. I think of trying to cross an awkward cultural barrier. I think of social exclusion, persecution and in some nations, possible death.

A missionary is one who sacrifices comforts for the sake of the Kingdom. Very few of us are familiar with that kind of sacrifice. We like to pick up our food at a drive-thru, take hot showers or soak in a hot bath, when we want it...we get it, if we don't like our church/family/job/friend we just get another one! We like cream in our coffee, 210 cable channels, yelling for our favorite sports team, and soothing our conscious at Christmas by buying a toy for a tot, sending money to the homeless shelter, or dropping coins in the Salvation Army bucket. Easy, clean, quick and we're done.

Daily, our missionaries follow God's leadership in Yemen, Brazil, Croatia, Argentina, Fiji, Kenya, Taiwan, Romania, Sumatra, Thailand, Venezuela and many other places as they spread the Good News of Christ's coming for all people. I wonder what they think of the Church in their homeland, the United States of America? I wonder if my heroes are proud of me, my church and my Convention?

They want, desire and deserve our prayers and financial support. But, at this writing, I wonder if they want more. I wonder if they want me, want all of us to identify with them by becoming missionaries ourselves...right here in their homeland. Just as they are my heroes, I wonder if I could become theirs?

As we pause this time of year to pray, thank and give our financial support to our missionaries, throughout the year we can express our thanks to them as we:

• pray for their personal needs and the needs of the people to whom they minister
• write to them at Christmas, on their birthdays, and at other times throughout the year
• give through your International Mission Board, special missions offerings or send a check to DC Baptist Convention and we'll forward it on so that their work can continually grow and thrive
• keep with current events that affect their lives and ministries as we read and view the news
• teach our children and youth about them and remain open to God's leadership through volunteerism or career service

As we end 2011 and begin 2012, let's find even more ways to remember those who serve the Kingdom in places where we are not called to serve and assure them of our sincere wishes that they experience a year full of tangible reminders of God's presence.

Remembering missionaries year round is a good reminder to ourselves of our own disciple walk and the challenge that we have to be missionaries right here and right now. No, it's not politically correct to openly share your faith, but we are not called to be of this world but to be IN it! Let's learn from and practice missionary sacrifice. Who knows, we may leave an eternal impression upon one whom we encounter.

Praying Through the Chatter

I was sitting at my desk trying to pray, and I was not doing very well at it. My concentration was in disarray. Somehow I seemed to be more aware of extraneous sounds than I was of any presence with God. I kept hearing through the walls of my office the noise of a road crew, the distant notes of music from someone’s radio, the growling of low gears on a semi-truck, the siren sound of an emergency vehicle, and a myriad of other un-discernable sounds. Infiltrating all of them were the remembered voice of a heartbroken minister with whom I had spent some time. It just seemed all this chatter kept drowning out my prayer to God.

In my frustration I found myself apologizing to God for allowing the sounds to be noticed and become a distraction while I talked with Him. Then something happened. I think it was God responding to my confusion. Suddenly I was aware that praying does not always mean shutting out the world. Indeed it must certainly mean that the "all else" can be brought to God. I don’t have to rid myself of all my problems, all the sounds clamoring for attention or all the distractions of the world. These are the things I can bring to God!

Yes, I know that I can allow sounds and distractions to thwart my prayer life, but I have been reminded of at least one beautiful thing about prayer: I can come to God right in the midst of these sounds and distractions. What consumes so much of my attention is also what I can pray to God about — and in! God cares about everything, big or small, and that should influence how I pray.

I was still at my desk. None of the sounds went away, but now I could hear God in the midst of all of them, and I knew that He heard me. So I prayed for the safety of the road crew, the serenity of the one lost in the music of his/her radio, the long grueling hours the driver of the semi-truck would endure, the medical skill of the first responders and for the health of the one suffering a medical emergency. Was that the prayer I intended to lift to my God? No, but through the chatter, my prayer became whole and centered more on the people around me and less on self. Thanks be to God!

Dodge the Ditch: Experiences Along the Magnolia River

We had been traveling for four hours. Both boats were hitched tight and locked. It was suppertime, so we stopped at a Waffle House in Loxley, AL. Afterwards I stated that we needed to gas the vehicles and then go to Dairy Queen for ice cream.

We pulled up to the Chevron and had barely gotten out of my Blazer when someone rounded the corner yelling that Bebe needed help. We rushed to the other side of the building to discover that he indeed needed help--Bebe had missed the turn and drove right into a ditch!

Bebe had to steer, Uncle Jack was not able and I had a cast on my arm from surgery so that left Lutz and Lawley to push the truck out of the ditch. No way! Four strangers, who couldn't speak English, emerged from the store, saw our predicament and helped to heave the vehicle out. We couldn't communicate other than to share a laugh but the end result was success.

We began the trip with a "runaway boat" and just four hours later a truck was in the ditch! I was really beginning to worry about the chance for success during the next two days of fishing.

The ideal way to journey in life is to dodge the ditch, but when we end up in the ditch we must be willing to let others help us. In our rugged, individualistic society it is often taught that we should "pull ourselves up by our own boot straps," but reality shows us that more often than not, we can't.

When we hit a ditch in life we may find people ready to assist without our having to ask. At other times we must find the strength to ask for help from those nearby.

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it shows strength of character and faith in community--where people lend a hand, offer sound advice and offer up a prayer for a friend or stranger in need.

The next time you end up in the ditch, seek those around you for help. The next time you find someone in the ditch, help him or her. And the next time you avoid a ditch, share that experience for someone's benefit. So between now and then, try to live life to its fullest by dodging the ditch!

Choosing Good Leaders

In the November 2011 edition of LeadershipNow, Michael McKinney presents seven attributes of successful candidates for leadership. The research suggests that without all seven, candidates will not succeed.

The opening line of this article really got my attention. It says, "We complain about our leaders. So we get rid of them and we move on to the next one with the hope that it will be different this time." It reminded me of two other statements: "hope is not a strategy" and "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over with the expectation of a different outcome."

The Seven Essential Attributes for Picking Good Leaders:

1. Integrity: Integrity is the fundamental leadership attribute. Integrity is the fundamental attribute that keeps everything else secure. Integrity allows you to assume important characteristics about how things work. As a result it fosters trust which leads to high productivity.
2. Empathy:  Defined as a fundamental ability to tune in to others, it is critical for leadership for many reasons. Combined with integrity, it drives trust. It gives followers a sense that their interests are being looked after, and this creates positive energy. Followers who sense that a leader appreciates them are motivated to carry out their duties in a more committed way.
3. Emotional Intelligence: This is self-mastery or the ability to perceive, control, and improve the connection between what we feel and the way we act. It's about self-awareness.
4. Vision: A frequently abused term, vision starts with imagination and an inquisitive mind. Visionary leaders are good storytellers who are capable of weaving together interesting connections. Vision provides direction.
5. Judgment: Good judgment is good decision making. This sounds simple enough, but the origins of how and why people make the decisions they do are actually quite complex. It's the ability to zero in on what's important, see the whole chessboard, and take decisive action.
6. Courage: There is always conflict. Leadership means being on the front line of those conflicts. It means facing conflicts, mediating and shaping them. Sometimes at the risk of great personal cost or freedom.
7. Passion: A leader's passion or drive is important because it creates positive energy. They attract followers and act as catalysts for the formation of highly motivated teams. High energy and enthusiasm are signs of passion and must be focused on the organization as a whole. It's mission, vision and values.

These seven attributes are the basic building blocks of a leader and other aspects of leadership flow from them. As members of a faith family, we can learn much from such research and commentary. Perhaps if we begin to mandate our church and denominational "Search Committees" to rely less on "good 'ole buddy", "she deserves it", "payback",  and other dysfunctional systems of leader selection, perhaps the Holy Spirit will fill the leadership pool with women and men who will take our communities of faith to newer and greater heights.

For more insight and to read the article at length, go to www.leadershipnow.com

Keep It Hitched: Experiences along the Magnolia River

While serving in Birmingham, AL, each year I looked forward to an annual fishing retreat along the Magnolia River in Baldwin County, AL in search of the elusive spotted trout. The trips were not only fun but every year I got plenty of “fodder” to share with my readers. Today, I have been thinking about those days and my friends. These remembrances brought a smile to my face so I decided to resurrect one of the Magnolia Series I wrote several years ago. Hope you enjoy!

This year’s annual trip to Magnolia River presented a scheduling obstacle as Uncle Jack has now been placed on dialysis, but with a medical facility in the area he has been able to work around our fishing time. Yes, it’s a guys’ trip to fish, laugh, eat and enjoy the fellowship of each other and no “church” talk! The Magnolia Gang met in Leeds, AL to begin the caravan south. Lawley, Lutz, Bebe, Jack and me all loaded up, ready for the journey and laughter to begin.

The first story unfolded before my eyes as we left Bebe’s drive. He and Uncle Jack were in their truck with the boat in tow; they were followed by Lawley, Lutz and Creech in another truck with my boat in tow. No sooner than pulling out of the driveway, the boat trailer disconnected from the truck pulling out of the driveway and went speeding down the street without any guidance or direction. Boat on the loose! Thank goodness Bebe’s truck speed hadn’t climbed to anything other than a crawl. After several hundred yards of uncontrollable traveling, the boat stopped. No damage done, it only stopped the neighborhood traffic and gave everyone a good laugh.

Bebe had hitched the trailer to the truck but didn’t lock it down and check it, hence the loose connection allowed the boat to escape and loose it’s guided direction. I wish I had taken a photo of the look on his face, one of embarrassment and yet laughter. It was priceless!

The Lesson: We must stay connected to the source of life in order to experience abundant living and guided direction. Spiritually, we must stay connected with God on a regular basis. That means checking our connection with Him often to make sure it is secure and tight. Taking our relationship with Him for granted can lead us to become unhitched and run loose. Without direction from the One who makes the abundant journey possible, traveling just becomes a meaningless end unto itself.

Physically, mentally and emotionally we must stay connected with family, friends and coworkers. Staying connected with family keeps our eyes, hearts and minds from wandering away from the very people that should be our priority. Staying connected with friends and coworkers gives us stability, outlets for activities and fellowship with those outside our immediate family and assists us in becoming “whole persons.”

Check your connections—with God, family, friends and coworkers today. Do whatever it takes to “Keep it Hitched!”

Freedom-Seekers

It is no secret that I love Alabama. It was the place I began my post-graduate ministry career, the place where my girls were reared and where my closest and dearest friends reside. I love the people. I love the football (Roll Tide Roll!!). I love the food, culture and landscape of the state. But recently, my heart has ached and been saddened by the events, statements and lack of action among its faith communities regarding HB 56 that focuses on immigration policies.

HB 56 is getting the rap of being the toughest immigration policy to be enacted and recently upheld within the borders of the United States. Just last week, I received a press release from the Immigration Policy Center that I thought summed up HB 56 well:

Local police, for example, are required to act as federal immigration enforcement agents by demanding proof of legal status from anyone who appears to be foreign. Other provisions--that go further than Arizona's law--insist public school administrators check the legal status of students and their parents and create confusing and burdensome new restrictions on contracts between the state government and immigrants and between private citizens and immigrants. It's unclear how far the restrictions on contracts will go, but an a minimum they will limit access to housing and utilities for anyone who cannot produce the proper documentation.

Although supporters claim the law will solve the state's economic problems and reduce crime, HB 56 will inflict greater economic damage to Alabama, costing the state millions to implement and defend. And the crime argument simply doesn't hold water. Since 1990, Alabama's unauthorized population has risen from five thousand to 120 thousand. Yet the violent crime rate in the state has fallen by more than a third. Restrictive immigration laws have proven to reduce, no maximize, law enforcement effectiveness.

These kinds of laws also tend to have a chilling effect on state businesses that depend heavily on foreign talent and investments, such as Alabama's automotive and emerging biotechnology and aerospace industries. The Korean automaker, Hyundai, for example, has brought thousands of jobs to Montgomery. The German company, ThyssenKrupp, has build a $3.7 billion steel mill north of Mobile, that will employ 2,700 workers when it is running at full capacity. HB 56 sends a clear and decidedly un-American message that many of these foreign workers who live and work in Alabama are illegal until proven legal; guilty until proven innocent.

Meanwhile, Alabama's law enforcement agencies are struggling to fulfill current mandates in tough fiscal times. The additional burdens imposed by this law will hurt, not help, in fighting crime. Reports show the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department has already cut 20% or more of its budget this year, eliminating 145 deputy positions in order to make up the $3 million mission in this quarter's budget. According to Tuscaloosa's Police Chief, Steve Anderson, the new law will require officer's to spend more time on basic traffic stops, not to mention potential court appearances, taking time away from solving crimes and protecting communities.

Local schools and administrators will also have to bear the burden of enforcing Alabama's draconian immigration law. The Principal of Crossville Elementary School in northeastern Alabama reportedly said, "We don't have the personnel to do all the work that is needed to find out which parents are legal. That's my biggest concern--putting it off on the schools to police illegal immigration. I don't think school is the place to do that; we don't have the resources."

Alabama has just entered dangerous new territory and, in the process, dragged the rest of the country along for the ride. Those out-of-state politicians and organizations behind these state-level experiments with immigration laws will not lose anything more than a court battle. Sadly, it's the people of Alabama--being used by anti-immigration crusaders--who have the most to lose.

Immigration reform is a tough issue and must be put in proper perspective. At one time or another, we all immigrated to this country; some by choice, some by force and some because of life circumstances. Regardless of the mitigating circumstance, we all fought for and sought the same thing...freedom.

Those who came by choice sought freedom of religion, thought, and governance. Those who came by the forced act of slavery eventually amassed enough support and leverage to lead their journey toward freedom. Those who came because of life circumstances sought freedom from oppression or economic hardship/exploitation and believed that their solutions lay in the land of the United States.

Let us remember that the ONLY natives of this land are those indigenous to the continent of North America. In the European's search for a free land, once found ultimately resulted in the oppression, slaughter of a people and seizing by force the desired property. So, why today are we so intimidated by folks who want to come to this nation seeking the same freedoms and opportunities our ancestor's sought and that we love so dearly? Could it be that our love for what we have is self-centered that we don't want to share or have anyone else experience for fear of losing it? Why are the people of God so silent on issues like this that concern freedom, dignity and respect for all of His creation? Baptists in Alabama, I can't hear you?

Some Baptist groups have stated that immigration reform is needed, but their interpretation of reform is very restrictive, supported by immigration myths and elitist thoughts. What makes those who want to live amongst us less deserving? Some say it is because "it is the law and we as a people of faith must abide by the law." Point well-taken, but could it be an unjust law?

People of faith have made their voices known when it came to laws on gambling, alcohol, abortion, slavery, and other issues of ethics and/or morality. Is the search for freedom, the search for opportunity, the search for a better life any less valuable today than when those on the Mayflower landed without an invitation? We love to cite the laws of the land when they promote our personal, biased/prejudiced or religious agenda but we become fierce advocates when they don't. I wonder what the Church silence in Alabama says to the rest of the world? I know what it says to me and I am saddened.

Just last month, Baptist Ethics Daily, released a DVD documentary entitled "Gospel Without Borders." It is a well-produced work that debunks myths and gives a wake-up call to the Church. I viewed it. I viewed it again. It made me confront my own prejudices. It reminded me that sometimes I have to paddle upstream against the current as a servant of the Kingdom. It is neither a popular nor a comfortable journey, but is demanded at times. Church leaders and teachers should purchase a copy of this DVD, begin dialogue around the issue and seek to discern how God can use you in welcoming the stranger.

The Church needs an awakening. Awakened to realize that the Church has always been given the mandate to be a freedom-fighter and and advocate for justice among the least, lost, lonely and left out. We are willing to send our military to other countries to fight for the freedom of strangers, but her on the home front we want to deny anyone who knocks on our door. If by chance they sneak through a cracked window along the border, we desire prosecution. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me..." (Revelation 3:20). May the Lord have mercy upon our souls.

Faith

Faith is a way of looking at what is seen and understanding it in a new way. Faith is a way of looking at what there is to be seen in the world and in ourselves by hoping, trusting and believing against all evidence to the contrary that beneath the surface there is much more that we cannot see.

Faith is the eye of the heart and by faith we see deep beneath the surface of things—by faith we struggle against all odds to be able to see—that the world is God’s creation. It is He who made us and not we ourselves. He made us out of peace to live in peace, out of light to dwell in light, out of His love to be above all things loved and loving. That is the last truth about the world.

Seeing but not seeing, understanding by not understanding, we all stand somewhere between the Yes and the No, the way Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Joshua, Deborah and Isaiah stood there before us…all of them. The truth of God as the last and deepest truth—none of them saw Him in the fullness any more than we have, but they spent their lives homesick for it—seeking it like a homeland, like home, and their story is our story because we too have seen at some point what peace is, light is and love is.

For years we have been talking about the changed landscape across our nation and lately of the change that will continue to come to our communities of faith. Within arm’s reach of the DC Baptist Convention campus and the campus of your congregation are those hungry ones, lonely ones, sick ones, all the strangers who turn out not to be strangers after all because we are all seeking the same homeland together. Whether we know it or not, even the mad ones and lost ones, who scare us half to death, in so many ways are so much like ourselves.

Maybe in time we will even be able to love them a little—to feed them when they are hungry and maybe no farther away than our own street; to visit them when they are sick and lonely; maybe hardest of all, to let them come serve us when the hunger and sickness and loneliness are not theirs but ours. But it will require taking risks, not knowing exactly why we are doing what we are doing other than God told us. It may even mean other people of faith may ridicule or laugh at what we are trying to build in this community. But when that happens, our faith-talking has become faith-walking. Who knows, maybe our faith-walking will be the Ark we build to rescue those from the perishing flood-waters of life.

Taking Risks

I just completed six months with the DC Baptist Convention and my biggest surprise is how fast time flies.  My Grandmother Wood always said, “the older you get the faster time flies.” Maybe she was right, I am older and some of my get up and go has gone!  Then again, it could be the workload, “a busy day passeth the time away.”  A more soothing rationale would be the pace of life. Life in DC is fast and furious, definitely not the lifestyle found in “Kansas.” Regardless of the reason, the fact remains that my time flies and I must be intentional with every moment of my day.

Another lesson that I have learned in these fleeting six months is that the DC Baptist Convention is marked with historical figures that not only impacted the Convention in remarkable ways but impacted the world for the cause of Christ. From Anna Johenning, James Langley, Jere Allen to Jeffrey Haggray, the footprints of ministry are deep and wide. In all of their ministries, their love for Christ, passion for His Kingdom and commitment to historical Baptist principles are evident.  Another mark of their leadership is the remnants of their willingness to take risks and blaze a trail of cutting-edge ministry that is unique and contextual to this region of the Kingdom.

Since a group of Baptists got together in the late 1800’s to form a group of cooperating Baptists, which eventually transformed into the DC Baptist Convention, each generation of leaders embraced the waves of changes and morphed the organization into what it needed to be for that moment in time.

Today, our Convention is faced with another call to change and transition into an organization that embraces the challenges of cooperative future work among Baptists and the communities in which we have been given to serve.

More than ever,  leaders are needed who are willing to take risks, risk failure, exhibit a spirit of humility, walk more by faith and create ways for emerging thoughts.  No longer can denominational entities maintain the status quo and seek to keep the institution afloat.  The status quo and institutions are not the future.

Without leaders willing to take a risk, risk failure, paddle against the current, journey in faith and live in the shadow of being doubted, questioned and misunderstood by those who gather in the crowd…

• Noah would never have built the Ark
• Abraham would never have left Haran
• Moses would never have left Pharaoh's Court
• Joshua and Caleb would never have battled the giants
• Deborah would have never become a judge
• Jeremiah would never have wept
• The disciples would never have left their "all"
• Jesus would never have suffered the cross
• Stephen would never have been stoned
• Paul would never have been converted
• There would never have been any missionary journeys
• Priscilla would never have preached
• Phoebe would never have been a deaconness
• Religious freedom seekers would have never ushered in the Reformation and
• The District of Columbia Baptist Convention would never have been birthed

Now I am far from the caliber of faith these women and men exhibited, but I am a fellow pilgrim on the same journey.  I have had the opportunity to relish in success by decisions I made in leadership. In Montgomery and Birmingham, I surrounded myself with a ministry team that was willing to take risks and create new ministries to meet the needs of those hurting. Were all of the decisions I made understood?  No.  Did all the decisions garner overwhelming support?  No.  But we had the foresight and fortitude to make them and because of that some neat things happened.

 I have had the opportunity to fail due to bad decision-making.  Just as important as success, failure due to a bad decision or ill-informed choice left me with many valuable lessons and served to hone my skills, attitude and spirit. To be honest, I believe the failures taught me more and made me a better leader than all of the successes.  Did I want to fail?  No.  Did I like the feeling of failure?  No.  Do I want to experience failure again?  No, but I do acknowledge that failure is a part of life, especially part of a leader’s life.

As I continue this journey with the heart and spirit of a servant leader, I move forward each day with the legacy and inspiration of our past leaders, the support and challenge of our present leaders, pastors and staff team whose goal is to honor the Gospel of Jesus Christ through our cooperative witness and ministry, so at the end of my day, I will be found faithful.