truly rich

I have been meeting with a small group of men in my community for the last 8-9 weeks to encourage one another in our spiritual lives. We have been studying the 30 Core Competencies of our church: 10 Beliefs, 10 Virtues and 10 Practices. For a while, I've decided to add some thoughts about each Competency to my blog so that readers can follow our discussions.

This week, we looked at the Core Belief of "Stewardship" which simply affirms: "I believe that everything I am or own belongs to God." We studied 1 Timothy 6:17-19 where the unmistakable theme of Paul's charge was "riches." First, he cautions Timothy not to put his hope in material riches but to put his hope in spiritual riches found in God. If Timothy pursues rich deeds instead of dollars, he will eventually discover a treasure in heaven. This passage echoes Jesus' words in Matthew 6:19-21:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

The main point of both texts is that the truly rich life is determined, not by what we gain, but by what we give. In this way, it really is "more blessed to give than to receive" [Acts 20:35]. God supplies us with material riches to bless others in need. Through acts of generosity and grace, we enjoy spiritual richness which lay an eternal foundation and leads to true life.

In his excellent book, What's So Amazing About Grace, Philip Yancey reflects on "the atrocious mathematics of the Gospel." Jesus suggested that the first should come last, the least would become greatest, and leaders are servants. Paul noted that "dying is gain." The constant theme is that God's people are to become the "biggest losers." Addition by subtraction. Which means that stewardship is not about me simply managing my stuff. Rather, stewardship is me recognizing that my stuff is God's stuff, given on loan, to give away to others. As I spend myself to meet the needs in my community, I live. And then I realize how very rich I truly am.

the homeless count

I have continued to be personally challenged by all that I am reading and studying regarding the poor and marginalized in our world. Truth is, the more I read, the bigger the issue becomes. What I thought was a social topic actually proves to be economic, political, global and spiritual. I have been grateful for those who have accommodated interviews for me to learn more about showing compassion to those in need.

All of this is in preparation for a sermon series starting next Sunday, February 1, titled "Down & Out: Reaching Beyond to Our Neighbors in Need." I am so hopeful about each message and initiative that we will take on as a church to make a difference in our community.

To gain a bigger picture, I am excited to ride out with Stephanie Gillespie, PBC attendee and officer with the Arlington Police. This Thursday evening, Grant and I will join her for the Tarrant County Homeless Count. We will venture into wooded areas, under bridges and among vacant buildings to count and connect with those who won't be sitting on their sofa watching a sitcom this evening.

Please be in prayer for this series and all of our hearts and we learn more about what it means to "go BEYOND".

falling forward

Our Home Group is still reading Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas--a fresh and insightful book that challenges ideas we all have about relationships. Last night, our chapter 9 discussion focused on the intentionality of marriage and the inevitability of conflict along the way. The more I thought about those two ideas, the more I see their connection: My intentionality in my relationship with Tiffany will often stave off conflict. However, when conflict does arise, it's that same intentionality that carries us through to reconciliation.

Thomas calls this "falling forward." He uses the image of once jumping a wide creek bed. His friend warned him to remember to fall forward. In other words, if you miss the mark, be sure to fall toward safe ground, not backwards into the water. Similarly, couples must choose to fall forward as they attempt to jump the choppy waters of their relationship. The question isn't if we will occasionally fall short, but which direction will we choose to land.

for the new year

In the post below, I mentioned that Tiffany was going to start memorizing a verse from a different book of the Bible each week in 2009. She has started a blog, WordAWeek, to invite others to join her and encourage them along the way. I'm going for it and I'd challenge you in this spiritual discipline.

the challenge of Christmas

Christmas morning was incredible in the Daniels' living room. Not surprisingly, the kids required no second call to get out of bed. I flipped gingerbread pancakes [from one of my favorite restaurants in Austin, Kerby Lane Cafe] and we gathered around our Duraflame log to read the Christmas story. To keep our conversation lively, I posed several questions from Luke 1-2:

1. How many angelic appearances are listed?
2. How many "songs" are sung?
3. What was the significance of Zechariah's occupation?
4. What was Zechariah made mute?

Then, we proceeded to open our gifts to one another. Tiffany and I both came from backgrounds (me especially) where Christmas was the "grand haul." Kids could expect 10-15 presents on Christmas morning. Parents could make up for any failure of the year at Christmastime. All was forgiven with stacks of presents that took multiple trips to carry to our bedroom. So, for years, we showered our kids with similar extravagance.

Then, not long ago, we made a family decision. We explained that we would purchase 3 gifts: a "large," meaningful, very personal gift; a medium gift; and a small gift. We've made it three years, but it hasn't been easy, I promise you. While, I know that volumes of gifts don't make Christmas any more "christmassy" and I'm sure that my kids don't estimate our love for them by whether they have 3 gifts vs. 12 gifts under the tree, it's still strangely difficult. There's a cultural battle that Tiffany and I fight each Christmas. It's a war against expectations [truly loving parents don't put a price tag on gift giving, do they?] and against comparisons [the kid across the street also got an XBox, but it was gold-plated...and plugged into the rear seat headrest of his new BMW]. More than that, it's really a war against security: Do we really trust that our kids [and other kids] know how much we treasure them apart from any gift we give?

As I wrestle with this, I conclude that greater confidence will come from the way we lead our children and love them throughout the year. And then, whatever gifts we give them along the way won't become substitutes, but symbols of our affection for our kids.

OK...if this doesn't make sense to you, it may be because it is still trying to make sense to me. Post your comment and let's encourage one another.

i'm still here

OK....I haven't posted for 2 weeks. Most of you probably have given up on me. But, I've been busy. To give you a peek into my top 12 activities during the 12 Days of Christmas:

1. Raked leaves.

2. Wrote and delivered 4 sermons.

3. Hosted Christmas parties for friends and teenagers (not the same group....).

4. Started reading Religiously Transmitted Diseases. Lost interest. Started and almost finished The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience by Ron Sider. About to start reading Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by the same author.

5. Met with Faith Nibbs to talk about social justice and gather my Christmas reading list for research and study.

6. Worked on a new set of ministry brochures for Pantego Bible Church.

7. Walked with my wife.

8. Went bowling with my boys.

9. Watched Elf and The Grinch with my girls. Snuggled with my daughter for a late-night movie: Prince Caspian. Great film!

10. Enjoyed great evenings at the Mission Arlington Christmas Store and Oakcrest Church. Marveled at the generosity of folks at our church!

11. Wrangled with car repairs. Thanked God for my friend, Carl Deaton, who has come to my auto rescue on more than one occasion.

12. Put my Home Group community in danger with a Christmas gift exchange battle. Hysterical!

props to our photo phriend

Terry Ip, a friend and professional photographer, just delivered our family portraits. To be honest, this was an investment that I've been hesitant to make for many years--one of those expenses that makes you think, "I'm in the wrong business." But, the final product was worth it. Terry was patient, creative, professional and we're thrilled to have a great picture of our family, captured in time. Check out Terry's work on his website.

quest for compassion

This year, my dear friend, Don Wisthuff, gave me a copy of Same Kind of Different as Me. I read the touching journey of two unlikely friends on our flight to Spain and I highly recommend it! It's the story of a high society art dealer in Fort Worth and his unsuspecting connection with a sub-poverty plantation worker from Louisiana. By the end of the book, both lives have been dramatically changed and compassion is awakened.

2009, is "The Year of Community Impact" at Pantego Bible Church. As I prepare for a series of messages on social justice, poverty, prejudice and other topics, I am scheduled for several ridealongs with Arlington and Fort Worth police; interviewing directors of our church-supported compassion agencies; and inviting Ron Hall and Denver Moore, authors of this life-changing book, to join us at Pantego Bible Church for this series. Our desire is for PBC to become the kind of church--the kind of people--that compassionately changes our world as God changes each one of us!

an ongoing conversation

Alejandro, Nikolas, Herman, Hector, Fernando, Cesar, Mattias... We have connected with some incredible students at the Sefovan Seminary in Madrid. I have completed my conference, we have served our American Thanksgiving meal and my family has visited the beautiful cities of Toledo and Segovia. We have enjoyed a fantastic introduction to the ministry of our friends. I am looking forward to the continuing conversation for many years to come. Thanks for praying for us!

happy thanksgiving

not lost in translation

We arrived in Madrid on Saturday--15 hours in flight and layovers and very little sleep. I preached this morning from Luke 18 and Manny did a great job translating my sermon on prayer. Of course, that's only from my perspective. I'd have no way of know for certain. We're the minorities, subject to our hosts and the rules of a different culture.

Tonight, we toured downtown, sipped an over-priced Starbucks, watched two street performers play dueling Hammer Dolcimers, stopped by the oldest restaurant on the planet [1725], stood in the plaza where Christians were burned at the stake during the Inquisition, gawked at architecture fit for kings...literally. Madrid is a beautifully bustling city that begins its nightlife after 9 p.m., right when we were getting in our minivan to return home. 

The most exciting part of our trip is the opportunity to connect with a handful of present and future church planters in a conference setting starting Tuesday. Less than 10% of the Spanish population is Christian with less than 1/2 of 1% proclaiming evangelical Christianity. The harvest field is very white, but reaping is difficult business. To make an impact, our missionaries and all who partner with them will need to stay committed to the task. Please continue to pray for the work ahead. 

no bull

Before you can say Ole!, the family and I will set sail (actually fly) to the other side of the world to spend Thanksgiving in Spain. I have been invited by our good friends and missionaries, Manny and Jamie Fernandez to teach a conference at the Sefovan Seminary in Madrid. I'm honored to teach church planters my "3B" spiritual lifeway and give them some tools to disciple those in their churches. God willing, I will also have opportunity to preach at two churches represented by leaders who have previously studied at the school.

During the week, Tiffany and the kids will be helping to shop, prepare and serve a special Thanksgiving meal at the school for students, faculty and their families. In addition, we'll have the privilege of joining students in open street evangelism. We're also looking forward to learning more about the rich history of the country.

Remarkably, Spain is an extremely unreached place. The opportunities for church planting and other ministry abound and we are exploring future possibilities of sending others from Pantego Bible Church to join the movement there. Please check out the Fernandez' web site and consider supporting the Kingdom commitment they have made. Like the apostle Paul in Acts 20:24 (my favorite Bible verse), they consider their calling "no bull."

red floor chronicles | sin

I began a new series yesterday: RED FLOOR CHRONICLES. The title is in reference to the epic drama of the cross that came to light for me standing on the painted red floor of Pier 1 Imports in 1983. I'll never forget hearing the Gospel for the first time, how God changed my heart and the resulting overflow for the next 25 years.

In this series, I'm exploring the theological and practical aspects of the Gospel. I believe that the Gospel can be told in four "movements." The first is SIN. The good news is good because the bad news is so terribly bad. Sin is a universal, ungodly, ugly obstacle to God's Divine design for our lives. It all started with Adam [I read today that Adam went "off sides" and the whole team was penalized]. Sin has been imputed [passed on] to every person. Our lives are a mess and, left alone to ourselves, we are desperately lost and without hope.

Check out the sermon page on our church website to see hear the larger message: http://www.pantego.org/. Better yet, feel the desperate darkness that describes our condition in Romans 1-3 and Isaiah 53:6.

i'm filthy rich

Many years ago, I took part in a Poverty Simulation with Mission Waco. In one of the sessions, my friend Jimmy Dorrell explained the incredible gap between American affluence and the rest of the world. If my memory serves me correctly [and my recent data gets me in the ballpark], the United States comprises 5% of the world's population but consumes almost a quarter of the world's resources. We are users, hoarders, getters.

In my research for the My Simple Life series, I stumbled across a sobering website that puts my personal income in context with the rest of the world [see Global Rich List here]. I won't spoil the surprise for you. But, when you're finished inserting your annual salary and review the results, you might start tithing to your church, giving to a local compassion agency or checking out Kiva to see how you might put some of your dollars to work as a blessing to those much further down the wealth continuum.

On a related note: The compelling reason why my financial riches should pour over into the world is because of the spiritual riches that I enjoy in Christ. Paul writes, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich" [2 Corinthians 8:9]. I don't just make a decent annual income, I enjoy a marvelous eternal income. God has "met all of my needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus" [Philippians 4:19]. I'm filthy rich. So much so...I can afford to give so much away.

blast from the past

OK. So, I was noticing the tags on my blogs and realized that it's been a while since I've posted anything under the category "humor." So, when my son told me about a new creative website [yearbookyourself.com] where I could import my current pic to recreate a yearbook photo, I couldn't resist. I've posted Grant's too, I'm so proud of him. Create your own and let me know when I can see your nostalgic self. I'm thinking of posting Tiffany's picture next. Then we'll get counseling.

simplify

I turned off the television a little more than a week ago. I have filled my time with several good books. If you are like me --trying to get a handle on your time and stuff and simplifying your life so that you can find the margin to do what really matters -- I'd like to recommend a couple of good reads. Two books are helpful resources for our simple life: Simplify by Paul Borthwick (105 ways to simplify your life) and Simplify Your Spiritual Life by Donald S. Whitney (practicing the spiritual disciplines in a way that brings simple pleasure to your spiritual pursuit of God). They can be purchased online or in the Pantego Bible Church Connection Bookstore.

what moves me

Several weeks ago, we introduced a new song in our worship service and since then, I cannot get it out of my head. I thank God for leaders who write such God-centered anthems to His glory. I found Angels Cry available for you to listen to at GateWay Worship. Find Angels Cry by Jonathan Stockstill and click "listen." The words are beautiful:

I saw the Lord
High and lifted up
And His glory filled the earth
His face shone like the sun
He was light to everyone
And the glory that fell on me
Was the glory that set me free

Angels cry "Holy is the Lord"
Seated on the praises of His people
Nations cry "Glory to the Lamb"
The Savior of the world
He is exalted!

out of office

This week, I'm at Pine Cove Camp near Tyler leading 38 families into the Word of God. I love the opportunity to extend ministry beyond my church and into the lives of others. Please pray for me that I will speak clearly and that God's Spirit will guide compellingly.

nashville star

Perhaps you have noticed NBCs "Nashville Star" on Monday evenings. It's the country music version of "American Idol." PBC's own Melissa Lawson has made it through the rounds and has proven herself to be a front runner in the competition [see YouTube video here]. Be sure to watch the show next week and vote for Melissa. Text and phone calls on ATT are free [see the rules online], so vote often!

photo pro

OK...gotta brag on my kid. Grant has really been excelling in his photography. Check out his site and see what you think: Grant Daniels Photography

I'm very proud!