Light-work

The Preferred Way to Lose Stuff

Here's a recent snapshot from our ministry partners in central India. The people in this picture serve Jesus in a place where doing so can prove costly. But despite damage to property and time in jail, they are still smiling. Why? They understand the meaning of this passage: But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one (Heb. 10:32-34).

In the current economic crisis, lot's of folks have suffered losses, too. But they're not smiling. Why not? When your treasure is on earth, it's depressing when you take a big hit in the marketplace. But when your real treasure is safe and secure in heaven, and you're using all the disposable stuff here on earth for Jesus, then who cares when you lose some stuff! It's all going to burn up anyway! So here's a simple choice - EITHER accept the loss of earthly benefits for Jesus sake and you can keep smiling (because your real treasure is safe). OR, live for earthly treasure and fight depression when your portfolio takes a beating (because your hoard is vanishing). I join our Indian partners by choosing the former as my preferred method to lose stuff.

Lightwork Announces the "Beaver Awards"

At Light-work lodge we pride ourselves on extolling the virtues of sensible solutions pursued with diligence. No wonder Mr. Beaver is our esteemed mascot. So it seems fitting (indeed, sensible) that we would enjoy a brief beaverian respite from chewing on the weightier issues that constitute our normal fare here at L-W. Let's recognize the all-around good sense of some consumer products by conferring on them a "Beaver."

The fact that we are in the middle of the feeding frenzy we call the holiday shopping season certainly makes our work timely. For example, some find this sentiment perfectly reasonable: "For my birthday, I want everyone to celebrate by gaining weight, going in debt, and acquiring lots of stuff." For them, the Beaver's winners circle will serve as a fine place to locate exceptional stuff worthy of such a celebration. (By the way, if you think there is something flawed in the sentiment above, perhaps you are a good candidate to explore this post.)

I won't reveal the winners just yet. First, I want to help you appreciate the rigor with which our judging staff has approached the challenge of identifying products of surpassing value. Let me tell you about a product that didn't make it. The fact that this is an offering of such high and obvious merit ought to illustrate the standards beyond which one must excel to win a coveted Beaver.

The Fish Agility Training Set immediately caught the eye of our ever-vigilant product scouts. What better way to spend your days than in assisting "Goldie" to get more nimble! We found the text that accompanied the ad especially moving:

This complete set of underwater activities allows you to train your pet fish to perform a series of agility maneuvers, including swimming through hoops, pushing a soccer ball, navigating a slalom course, and more. ...With the included soccer goal, basketball hoop, and football goalpost, you can train your pet to practice scoring goals, slam dunks, or field goals.

Naturally, we were skeptical about whether a fish has the "RIGHT STUFF" for slam dunks - but we sought to keep an open mind. We also questioned the amount of time required to achieve this level of agility. I'm not trying to belabor the obvious, but isn't the use of fins a detriment to dunking the ball? If not, why haven't we seen more extensive use of fins in the NBA? Is fin assisted dunking possibly "the next big thing" to shake up the game?

I contacted customer service of the vendor with my inquiries about "how much time will it take before Goldie can slam dunk?" The customer service rep was not able to answer my questions so she conferred with the technical services department. I guess "how long does it take" is more of a technical question. They were unable to locate any answers in their product manuals and guides. I asked if anyone had actually trained a fish using the kit - they answered that this was a product that had been demonstrated, but not actually tested. My bright hopes for Goldie's future as the next Michael Jordan were dimmed.

After watching this clip of "Comet," a dean's list graduate of Fish Agility University, my aspirations for Goldie briefly flickered to life. Alas, Comet was unavailable for comment to the question, "How long did it take you to learn this?" Hence an unassailable cloud of uncertainty hangs over the Fish Agility Training set. If you are going to waste time training a fish in the execution of maneuvers of dubious value, you have a right to know whether hours, days, or months will be the measure of that waste. Who could dwell in joy in the looming shadow of such unmeasured pointlessness? Comet is impressive (especially with the extremely cool music) but his gym is not ready for a Beaver.

Tell the Preacher What to Preach

Those brainy guys (and gals) on the CBC tech and web teams have done it again. Here's a screen shot of their latest creation, The CBC On-line Media Center! Click here to go to the actual site. The media center allows you to access audio files from series preached at Collierville Bible Church. You can listen to a sermon at your computer or download it to your ipod. You can also download and print associated outlines and slides. In short, you can duplicate the benefits of attending a Collierville Bible Church worship service at any time and from anywhere in the world!

There are some additional features of the Media Center that make it BETTER than Sunday morning. What if you could go to church and determine the topic for the morning sermon? Let's say you're struggling in your marriage and want the preacher to share some truth that ministers where you're hurting. Your heart longs to determine the topic for the message. Don't just wish for that power - now it's yours to use!

Here's how. The left panel is the Media Center main screen. At the top of this panel are a series of tabs labeled [Date], [Series], [Speaker], or [Topic]. Click on a tab and all series in the Media Center library are sorted accordingly. You can scroll through the list, highlight a series, and then pick the sermon (in the right panel) that you want to access. If you can't find something suitable by sorting and scrolling, there is also a search tab at the top of the main screen. Using your own keywords, you can locate exactly what you're looking for based on search terms you supply.

Currently, there are only a few sample sermons that have been loaded, so there's not a lot to search from. YET! Series in progress will be loaded on Sundays as they are preached. So, if you are following a current series, you can catch a sermon a few hours after it has been delivered. Previously preached series are also being prepped for inclusion in the Media Center. I have preached almost 900 sermons in my years at Collierville Bible church, so there are lots of possibilities to choose from. If you have a favorite, be sure to let us know and we'll fast-track it to the Media Center library. This will be fun.

Thanks Eric, Jeff, Castle, and especially Garry - this is fantastic. Your diligence is going to make a big difference!

God Can Answer Prayer With A Pink Slip

Joel and Della are friends and ministry partners and they get it! They will tell you that sometimes God is answering our prayers precisely when He is giving us what we wouldn't choose for ourselves. Last year I visited Joel at his former place of employment. What a dedicated worker and great team leader! But a few months ago, his boss informed him that he was going to be let go. For most people, this would prompt anxiety and hand-wringing.  But Joel and Della are definitely NOT "most people."

They (along with others of us) had been praying that God would lead him to a new position that was more family and ministry friendly. So when Joel's boss said "your path leads elsewhere" they heard God encouraging them, "It's time. I am about to answer your prayers." The video clip is Joel's story - and it's a great reminder that God answers prayer, even when His gifts come wrapped in some "bad news."

Airsofties for Jesus

It's a tough assignment but somebody's got to do it. Amp and Lesa Duane are having a blast (literally) with youth who enjoy spending Saturdays completing a mission using airsoft rifles. I was there in the afternoon and here's my forward observer report.  It's hard to say how many combatants were in the field, maybe 30-40.  (They like to stay hidden - go figure).  They were divided into three factions.  Two teams faced off to decide the fate of a recovery mission.  A third team (see the second picture below) comprised a rogue unit intent on destabilizing the situation.  Everybody was definitely having fun.

Amp and Lesa do this as a way to develop relationships with and minister to kids.  Following Jesus means learning how to "fight the good fight."  So, they are using opportunities while playing airsoft to help young people see the connection.  In conversations at camp and in the field, they are discussing what it means to be a prevailing follower of Jesus.  Way to go, Amp and Lesa!

Sonia's Mud Room is Slick!

Last week I went to the Mud Room at Sonia's house.  Very slick!  It's like having your own personal Starbucks.  An animated girl's study group called "Rewired" was meeting there and the room couldn't be more perfect for casual conversation, fellowship, and talking truth.

Sonia sensed God asking her "to design a room of quiet where women or young ladies could bring their friends to talk, pray, laugh, listen to music, and enjoy a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.  It is also available to any lady who needs a place of quiet away from her home – just to be still and listen to God."

So who needs a formal dining room that gets used twice a year when there's so much daily ministry mileage to be had in a Mud Room?  Thanks, Sonia, for giving us an example of responding to God and dedicating what you have to the Lord's service.

3rd World Oasis in the Backyard

Maria Randall looks like Jesus!  At least she does to a posse of children who have already experienced more rejection that some folks feel in a lifetime.  Maria is the director of social services at Hope House, a day care center for children infected or affected by HIV / Aids. 

Although Hope House daycare is for children six weeks to six years old, it is much more than a typical day-care center.  A GED diploma program for adults, play therapy for children, and adult support groups are just three of 16 different programs they provide, all of them centered on helping those who are shunned by society because of HIV / Aids .

Although Hope House now consists of three adjacent homes in midtown Memphis, TN, the number of children who can participate is limited to about 35.  Sometimes, circumstances don't play by the rules.  Maria recounts, "I heard from one parent who intended to put her HIV baby in the trash, so how could I not immediately bring that baby to Hope House?  That's the kind of heart-wrenching situations that challenge the limits of what we think we can do."

HIV / Aids is the modern day equivalent to leprosy.  Because of the social stigma associated with the disease, mothers and children experience the brunt of rejection.  Their loved ones will refuse to touch them, throw away glasses from which they have drunk, and exclude them from family get-togethers.  These ingredients are added to a recipe that is already bitter with poverty, drugs, and violence.  "One of our children heard a gun shot in the night," Maria recalls.  "When she left her house in the morning to come to Hope House in our van, here was the body of a dead man in her yard."

Hope House is an oasis, perhaps the one place where love, stability, and safety are experienced by children whose circumstances have much in common with a third world country.  For Maria, who is committed to Jesus Christ as her Savior, this is just the right place to be.  She explains, "I came here for a job, but somewhere along the way it became my passion.  When I go home, I feel good because I have given dignity, respect, and love to people without regard for who they are and where they have been.  I think this is the kind of thing Jesus would do, loving and serving those for whom society has no place."

Way to go, Hope House.  Way to go, Maria!  Thanks for giving these children and their families a glimpse of Jesus' love.

FJF - They're Back!

Last Friday, the "Free Java Friday" (FJF) team was back in action serving coffee and cocoa to the community.  (About half of the team is pictured to the left.)  The drive-up kiosk was open from 7-9 AM on the CBC main campus, and a walk-up station was located at the main crosswalk for Crosswinds Elementary before school.  A quality product, friendly service, and ready smiles - they offer it for free with "no strings attached."  Next Friday, teams will be covering the same locations in the morning plus adding "pre-game" coffee and cocoa service in the evening - There will be two FJF kiosks near the entrance to the Collierville High School football game. 

But you gotta ask, "What is the point of serving coffee and cocoa FOR FREE to people from the community?"  This is not about fund-raising.  Although the labor is all volunteer, there are costs for materials.  Since no donations are accepted, we are "losing" money on this ministry.  It's also not about marketing our ministry.  There are no signs for Collierville Bible Church and volunteers are not using this as a way to leverage conversations toward church attendance.  (We do give people an info card on the church if they ask, but that's not the goal.)

It IS about demonstrating the love of Christ in a practical way.  God's love is not something deserved; it's not something that can be earned.  So FJF is about demonstrating in a very practical and basic way what that kind of unmerited love looks like.  FJF is also about engaging our community through conversation.  Too often, the church becomes isolated and ingrown.  We like the fact that something as simple as a free cup of "Raspberry Truffle Cocoa with Whip Cream" can give us an opportunity to chat and get acquainted with our neighbors.  We love learning about people, their lives, and the challenges they're facing.  We think that this is what Jesus did well and we like the way that FJF allows us to follow in his footsteps and cultivate opportunities to minister beyond the walls of our church.