Ramblings from a Hoodlum Pastor

SHOW ME THE MONEY!

One very good question about our International Church Planting Teams is, "Who will pay their salary & benefits?"  This is a great question.  Many people are intersted in going but the concern might be, SHOW ME THE MONEY!

First, each person or family will be required to raise the majority of their financial support.  Now, don't worry!  We're not going to allow our missionaries to send letters or make support visits to those who call LifePoint home.  If we did, many of our people would be overwhelmed with support requests.  So, we're going to support them as a church by collecting a large Global Missions Offering that will be a base of financial support for our teams.  Also, Tim will allocate some of his missions budget to provide finances for a ministry budget for both teams. 

So, don't worry about how you going to say NO to so many people when you really want to say YES.  However, if you feel led to go to a specific individual or family & offer monthly support to their family then, by all means, go for it.  They can't come to you, but you can go to them. 

Now, I know the thoughts of raising financial support causes some people to go into vapor lock, but don't worry; we're going to be there holding your hand the whole way.  Obviously, Team Belgium will need a substantial amount more than Team Bangkok because of the huge difference in cost of living.  But, Team Belgium will have approximately 18 months to raise their support while Team Bangkok will have about six months.  So, the playing field levels out a little with the added time for Team Belgium. 

There are also many other ways our missionaries can raise support.  Team Bangkok will be required to get certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language.  Bangkok is begging for native English speakers to come & teach English to the Thai people.  This provides a great ministry platform, not to mention the ability to make a little cash.  We're also looking for ways that Team Belgium can use their skills to make friends & a little cash in Brussels. 

I hope this helps answer your financial questions about our mission teams.  I wanted you to know the facts so that both our mission teams & individuals at LifePoint could plan & budget accordingly.  I know there are many charities & organizations asking for your money but, personally, I can't see giving to any organization outside of the local church; not that it's wrong, it's just that LifePoint & most other local churches support orphans, right to life, disaster relief, world hunger, missionaries and so many other causes & ministries that I can't list them all.  And, the best part is, 100% of every dollar given goes straight to the cause.

Picture Perfect Application

This is a picture from Dana Mitchell's FaceBook page of her & her husband Andy's YES literally on the table.  I hope your YES is on the table & you're praying about what God is calling you to do.  Remember, whether or not you're called to be a missionary isn't the question.  The only question is the application.  Some of you are called to be a missionary in your job or school.  Some of you are called to go to Bangkok or Belgium with our two International Church Planting Teams.  Is your YES on the table to whatever God asks you to do?

By the way, another question that many people have concerns school for the college students.  Are we asking our students to quit school?  The answer is short & simple:  NO!  Bangkok & Belgium have strong colleges with international programs.  We're asking our students to take classes at the university in order to develop relationship with students.  Our students will not be part time missionaries & part time students; they'll be full time missionaries.  School is simply the context or platform they'll use to build relationships with Thai or Belgian students. 

Don't forget about our meeting Wednesday night a@ 6:30 in the choir room.   

International Church Planting Team Questions

I know a many people left church today with a lot of questions about the details of our vision to send International Church Planting Teams to Bangkok & Brussels.  I'll answer as many questions as I can at our meeting Wednesday night at 6:30.  So, if you had a little excitement this morning as I was talking about these teams, make sure to be at the meeting.  But, I'm also going to try to post some answers to the Frequently Asked Questions I've received so far.

Probably the number one question is, "How long will the teams be in Bangkok or Belgium?  How long is the commitment?"  This is a really good question.  The bottom line is, we hope people go for the long haul.  But, we're asking every team member to make a three (3) year commitment.  It will take at least this long to get things rolling & we really need some continuity until things get established & start to take root.  By this time, I'm confident that God will have called more people from LifePoint to join our "on ground" team. 

We know that many who go to Bangkok & Belgium will fall so deeply in love with the people of the culture that it will become home & they'll be there for the long haul.  On the other hand, there will be some who will come back to the states for various reasons.  So, with your YES on the table, I'm asking you to pray about making a three (3) year commitment to be a part of one of these teams.  I promise, it'll be the best three years of your life.

I'll post the answer to another FAQ tomorrow.  Until then, be praying about your part.       

YES to Missional Living

I can't wait for church tomorrow.  Really, in that regard, tomorrow is like any other Sunday because I'm always geeked about going to LifePoint on the weekends.  But, tomorrow is special because I'm going to challenge everyone to die to self, your comfort, goals, ambitions & anything else that might keep you from saying YES to living for the fame of God's name in every domain of your life.  Then, I'm going to lay out some very specific application points that God's is calling some of you to say YES too.  So, I'm asking you to put your YES on the table today so you'll be ready to say YES tomorrow.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of being a part of the dedication ceremony of a Habitat house built for a lady in our church.  During the ceremony, the Habitat staff said that people from LifePoint Church had worked over 900 hours on this house.  One of the full-time staff members approached me & said, "The people at LifePoint are amazing.  You can see the spiritual maturity as you spend that much time with them.  There is something special about that place."  Now, that's what saying YES to missional living looks like.  I'm thankful that I serve a church that has people talking about how much they serve rather than how much we argue, how much we give rather than how much we take, how we're about healing & not hurting, how we're external rather than internal.  Keep up the good work Lifers.       

  

Put Your YES on the Table!

We have so many exciting things going on right now at LifePoint that I'm geeked out of my mind.  This weekend, I'm going to unveil the next step God has called us to take in our mission to help people from every ethno linguistic group on the planet KNOW God so He will receive the global worship, glory & honor that He deserves.  I'm glad Sunday is almost here because I've almost let this cat out of the bag several times over the last few weeks.  I'm asking you to show up this weekend with your YES on the table to whatever it is God is asking you to do. 

I'd also like to give a BIG shout out to the large number of people who had their YES on the table when the need arose to serve those affected by the tornado that ripped through the Boro last weekend.  Many of you sawed wood, carried limbs & brush, picked through rubble, brought water & food, handed out care packages, etc.  Thank you for BEING the church.  You'll never know how many lives have been touched by your sacrifice.       

Tornado Video

Thanks to Rhonda Davis, i found this incredible video on FaceBook of the aftermath of the Tornado that came through Murfreesboro, about 8-10 miles from our home, this past Friday afternoon.  After being on the ground with our Disaster relief team on Saturday & watching this video, I'm amazed that only 2 people lost their lives.  As you watch this, remember, even though we may never know the reasons for things that happen, God is always in control of every action & event & He knows how it all flows together in perfect rhythm to bring about His plan & bring glory to His name.  

LifePoint's Tornado Response Update

LifePoint Church is reaching out again to the victims of Friday's tornadoes. First, thank you to the over 100 volunteers on Saturday who helped with clean-up in some of the worst hit areas of Murfreesboro. Also, thank you to many of you who have donated items for victims and relief workers.

LifePoint's next opportunity to help families is through care packages that will be assembled and distributed this week. Here are the details and how you can be involved:

• Care packages will be assembled Monday at LifePoint from 2-6pm. The care packages will include donated water and food items along with information from LifePoint for continued relief support. To find the distribution area, please enter the Office/Preschool covered entrance.
• Water and non-perishable food items will be received Monday until 4pm to be included in the care packages. Please enter the Office/Preschool entrance to drop off donated items.
• Distribution of the care packages will take place Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon (weather permitting). The packages will be delivered personally to homes by LifePoint attenders along with their personal greeting and encouragement. If you would like to volunteer and assist with distributing the care packages, email Mary Jo May, Care Package Coordinator.
• Continue to pray for the families of LifePoint impacted by the tornado and storms.

Thank you for your flexibility and patience as we continue to assess the situation and learn how LifePoint can appropriately respond to those in need.  Reliable information can be hard to attain. We will continue to do our best to communicate to you.

If you have additional questions about LifePoint's response, families in need as a result of the circumstances on Friday, etc., you can:

• email Tim Patterson, LifePoint Global Director.
• call Susan Garland in the church office, 459-3311 x3044, from 8:00am-4:30pm
• visit our website for updated information.

HE IS RISEN!!!

Millions of people will gather in churches all over our world this weekend because no event has impacted history like the resurection.  It's the heart of Christianity.  So, this is a huge weekend for all evangelical churches around the world, including Lifepoint. 

We're about to begin our first Easter Celebration at 6:00 PM & we need everyone who calls LifePoint home to be there both tonight & tomorrow morning.  We're asking you to either worship tonight & serve in both hours tomorrow or serve tonight & worship in one hour & serve the other tomorrow morning.  We desperately need all hands on deck to help us make Easter a celebration that will help many move from the resurrection being a simple matter of fact, to a profound matter of faith.  So, jump in where you can & hang on.  It's going to be a great weekend.

Disaster Relief Help Needed!!!

As you know by now, Murfreesboro was hit hard by a tornado earlier today & many of our members live in the area that received the most devastating damage.  Our disaster relief team was on the spot within an hour of the touch down. 

I just talked with our disaster relief coordinator who is asking for anyone who can work hard manual labor (pulling brush, cleaning up, etc) to be at the LifePoint Parking Lot between 6:45–7:15am Saturday morning.  Our team will pull out at 7:30am sharp.  Please bring your own gloves, safety glasses, work boots, etc.

Also, we need cases of bottled water, snack crackers, etc. for both our workers and the victims of the tornado.  If can, please bring these items to the church parking lot between 6:45–7:15am tomorrow morning.  

If, for some reason, you can't bring water & snacks tomorrow morning, please bring them to church on Saturday night or Sunday morning.  The clean up from this will take weeks, not days, so we'll need all the supplies we can get.  

Thank you for your swift response!

YES!!

I'm stoked about the next three weeks at LifePoint.  This Sunday is Easter & I'm beginning a new series called YES!  This week as talk about Jesus' resurrection, we're going to learn that it's not just a matter of fact, but a matter of faith.  So, we're going to compel you to say YES to a faith in Jesus that radically changes everything about your life.  Then, next week, I'm going to ask you to put your YES on the table as we unfold the next step God has led us to take in our mission to spread the His fame among the nations.  Then, I'm going to ask you to say YES to doing your part in creating an environment that will help people all over Middle Tennessee say YES to Jesus.

In light of what God is doing at LifePoint, I want you to read this blog post by a young radical missionary in Africa & keep her words on your mind as you ask yourself, "Is my YES on the table?"