Advent

Yesterday was the first day of the Advent season. In Advent we celebrate the coming of the Lord Jesus, remembering that he came here to earth to redeem God's people. We also look forward to when he will come again and make all things new. Sometimes we lose sight of what this time is about because of all the craziness that goes on around us. Here are some daily bible readings that will help to focus our hearts on Jesus and fight against consumerism:

Week One of Advent
Sunday November 29
Jer 33:14-16, Ps 25:1-10,
1 Th 3:9-13, Lk 21:25-36
Monday November 30
Ps 90, Num 17:1-11,
2 Pt 3:1-18
Tuesday December 1
Ps 90, 2 Sam 7:18-29,
Rev 22:12-16
Wednesday December 2
Ps 90, Is 1:24-31, Lk 11:29-32
Thursday December 3
Lk 1:68-79, Mal 3:5-12,
Phil1:12-18a
Friday December 4
Lk 1:68-79, Mal 3:13-18,
Phil 1:18b-26
Saturday December 5
Lk 1:68-79, Mal 4:1-6,
Lk 9:1-6

Week Two of Advent
Sunday December 6
Mal 3:1-4, Lk 1:68-79,
Phil 1:3-11, Lk 3:1-6
Monday December 7
Ps 126, Is 40:1-11,
Rom 8:22-25
Tuesday December 8
Ps 126, Is 19:18-25,
2 Pt 1:2-15
Wednesday December 9
Ps 126, Is 35:3-7, Lk 7:18-30
Thursday December 10
Is 12:2-6, Am 6:1-8,
2 Cor 8:1-15
Friday December 11
Is 12:2-6, Am 8:4-12,
2 Cor 9:1-15
Saturday December 12
Is 12:2-6, Am 9:8-15,
Lk 1:57-66

Week Three of Advent
Sunday December 13
Zep 3:14-20, Is 12:2-6,
Phil 4:4-7, Lk 3:7-18
Monday December 14
Is 11:1-9, Num 16:1-19,
Heb 13:7-17
Tuesday December 15
Is 11:1-9, Num16:20-35,
Acts 28:23-31
Wednesday December 16
Is 11:1-9, Mic 4:8-13,
Lk 7:31-35
Thursday December 17
Ps 80:1-7, Jer 31:31-34,
Heb 10:10-18
Friday December 18
Ps 80:1-7, Is 42:10-18,
Heb 10:32-39
Saturday December 19
Ps 80:1-7, Is 66:7-11,
Lk 13:31-35

Week Four of Advent
Sunday December 20
Mic 5:2-5a, Ps 80:1-7,
Heb10:5-10, Lk 1:39-45
Monday December 21
Ps 113, Gen 25:19-28,
Col 1:15-20
Tuesday December 22
Lk 1:46b-55, Mic 4:1-5,
Eph 2:11-22
Wednesday December 23
Lk 1:46b-55, Mic 4:6-8,
2 Pt 1:16-21
Thursday December 24
Is 9:2-7, Ps 96, Titus 2:11-14,
Lk 2:1-20
Friday December 25
Is 52:7-10, Ps 98, Heb 1:1-12,
Jn 1:1-14

Mystery in the News

The local FOX affiliate did a piece on us!
Here it is:


Thanks to Mike Corcoran at Fox for the great job!

Twenty Four Years Ago Today

November 10, 1985 was the day that I was baptized into Christ at Seymour Heights Christian Church in Seymour, TN. I remember that week before being convicted of my sin while washing my hair in the shower. I don't remember what I had been learning, or what was going on during that week...but I know that Christ showed me my sin and my guilt, and revealed to me his righteousness and freedom that were offered to me. I came out of the shower bawling and telling my parents that I wanted to be a christian. The pastor of our church came by sometime that week and talked to me about what it meant to be a christian, and my dad baptized me that next Sunday.

Erin and I were talking this morning about coming to faith and re-telling a little of our stories. As we were talking I glanced at my watch and saw 11-10 and remembered what happened so many years ago today.

Leaky Roof!

We spent a lot of time on the roof last week at the Mystery Building. Thanks mostly to two of our men here, we patched the roof and hopefully got it ready for winter. Last week's weather was amazing...highs in the 70's, and no rain whatsoever. We have known for some time that the roof needed repaired. It honestly needs replaced...but the bids on replacing our roof are pretty expensive...so we're trying to get the most out of what we have. So Jenka and Russ worked hard all week at patching our roof and making it so that we can at least get through the winter. It looks really good, and I am grateful for guys like Jenka and Russ.

We have great people who are part of our Mystery family!

October 31, 1517

Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg door.

You can read them here.

Reaching the Next Generation

(Sorry, I couldn't decide which picture was best...so I put both.)

I know, I know...this is my second post of the day...I'll try and pace myself from here on out. Kevin DeYoung has some good insight on reaching the next generation so I thought I'd link to them:

Grab Them With Passion

Win Them With Love

Hold Them With Holiness

Challenge Them With Truth

Amaze Them With God

Fishing with Dave

I had a great time this weekend with my friend Dave McNay. He flew in Thursday night, then after breakfast on Friday morning we took off to see if we could catch a few trout with our fly rods. Friday morning was cold and rainy...not what most people would consider good fishing weather. It didn't bother Dave and I a bit, and we layered up and had a great day of fishing. The weather kept most people inside and we had the streams to ourselves. Our first stop was Hickory creek in Neosho. I had only been there a couple times before, so I wasn't real familiar with where to fish. A guy from Neosho told us about the other part of the stream that was in a city park...so we headed there and finally found some fish. Dave found a sweet pocket where several trout were holding. We both caught fish out of it...the picture at the top is one of the fish I caught out of there. Dave landed 6 trout from Hickory, and I managed to bring two to hand. We were off to a good start!

From Hickory, we headed east to Granby - the oldest mining town in the Midwest evidently. In Granby, we grabbed some lunch at JJ's. It's pretty much the only place in Granby as far as I could tell. Over lunch we talked about some ideas Dave has for a children's book. He has some good ideas, and I'm excited about the prospect of doing some illustrations for it! Who knows where it ends up, but it will be fun!

Our next stop was Jolly Mill and Capps Creek - which is several miles east of Granby. Jolly Mill was great...Dave and I both landed several fish and were a little disappointed we didn't bring a cooler to keep some of the trout we caught. We braved the wind and rain the entire afternoon...which is pretty easy to do when you're hooking fish! The sunset was amazing as the clouds in the west were finally clearing and turned bright red as the sun dipped below them. At dark we packed up our gear, took off our waders, and went searching for some mexican food...which we finally found in Republic, MO.

After dinner we headed to Branson, resisted to temptaion to see Yakov, and found a campsite at Table Rock Lake. We were looking forward to the prospect of hooking into some large trout in Lake Taneycomo in the morning. At daybreak we got up, packed the tent and headed out - only to find that Taneycomo is blown out because of all the rain we've had in SW MO lately. It was unfishable. So, we found some breakfast at a place where a Monopoly tournament was starting and some old dude that looked EXACTLY like Santa Clause was eating with his friends who weren't even close to looking like elves.

After breakfast we took the scenic route to Roaring River State park. The weather was amazing on Saturday...warm and sunny. So there were a TON of people trying to catch trout at Roaring River. Neither Dave nor I was excited about the idea of elbowing in between two people to try and catch anything...so we left Roaring River without even getting out of the truck. Part of the joy of fishing is in the solitude...and Roaring River looked more stressful than anything else. We went back to what we knew - Capps Creek at Jolly Mill! There were several people fishing Capps when we got there, but nothing like Roaring River, so there was plenty of space to find your own stretch of water. Dave and I both caught several fish...and had a great time enjoying the weather and the fishing. I haven't had the chance to do anyhting like that in a while and it was great to be able to spend osme time with an old friend.

I am grateful to Jesus for Dave. I always have been. He was someone I looked up to in Youth Group growing up...even though the more we talk, the more we both come to see that we desperately needed saving form our religiosity! Christ has proven himself faithful to both of us and we are both blessed beyond measure with salvation, good church families, great wives and beautiful children. Thanks Dave for the great weekend fishing, talking, and praying together!

Yom Kippur

Today is Yom Kippur in the Jewish calendar...here's a good article on the significance of this day for Christians.

The Heavens Declare...

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." Psalm 19:1

I am amazed by God's creativity. He overflows with creativity. I wonder how many things He has created that the Hubble Telescope will never see. I eagerly await Heaven where I will be astonished at His beauty.

Check out the slide show HERE.

What Jesus has done...

Mystery Fall Update

Hello from Joplin!
I hope this newsletter finds you doing well! Things are well here in Southwest Missouri. We have had a busy but nice summer! It has been a fairly mild here and the heat has not hit us with the full force it usually does. I am excited to be a full time pastor as I have officially transitioned from CIY to Mystery this month. A summer highlight for me was preaching three weeks in a row at Mystery this July. It was a great opportunity, and I am really enjoying being able to preach more often as I pastor here. If you are interested in any of the messages from our services, please check out our podcast. You can access it via our website or on itunes. If you happen to listen to a message I preach, I would love your feedback as I am always looking for how I can improve! I am excited about the fall here in Joplin and am looking forward to what Jesus has in store for Mystery!

So, What is God Doing?
God is doing some awesome things, both in my heart and in the heart of Mystery. I guess I’ll start with me. Jesus has used Mystery to continue to change me. The years I’ve spent doing ministry have been good, and there are some incredible things that I’ve seen Jesus do in people’s hearts and lives, but I’ve never really been a pastor to people. For most of my ministry, I’ve tried to keep people at a safe distance. Through Mystery, Jesus is changing me into a person who comes along side people to point them to Him rather than someone who keeps them at arm’s length so things don’t get too messy. I’m learning a better perspective on leading worship. I still want the music to be well done and relevant – but even more than that I’m learning the importance of shepherding the hearts of those who are helping to lead and play music. Are they worshipping Jesus? Not just on stage for the four or five songs we may do on a Sunday, but are they worshipping Him throughout their week? Do the lyrics of the songs mean anything to them as they live their lives Monday through Saturday? As we have continue to grow as worshippers, we see evidence of Jesus moving in the hearts of our church family - specifically in our Sunday morning gatherings.

Coming alongside people does indeed get messy though! We want to be a church that seeks the good of the city for the glory of Christ…and so we have seen people of the city begin to come to our church. Some of these people are quite poor as Joplin has many people who live below the poverty line. Joplin is also a city full of addictions – gambling, alcohol, meth, etc. We live in a city that is full of hurting people, people who need to know the truth and grace that is in Jesus. We have an incredible opportunity to share the gospel with people, but we need wisdom and compassion in order to best help. In all honesty, this has been something that has forced me into places that I am not comfortable. Scriptures talk a lot about the poor…and they cannot be ignored because they make us uncomfortable! Thank you for your prayers for me and for Mystery as we seek to truly help people first and foremost through the gospel of Jesus

Another one of the things Jesus has allowed Mystery to be a part of is a monthly event called ArtWalk. On the third Thursday of each month, our building downtown becomes an art gallery as it is filled with local Art, live music, and great food. Not many churches have an opportunity to love and serve the city each month in the way we do! People come to see the art, eat the food, and listen to the music and we have a great chance to meet them, and a huge opportunity to live out and share the gospel! Many of the artists who come are blown away by how the people of our church love and care for them. One of the ladies from our church prepares food for the event every week and the rumor is that our gallery has the best food in the ArtWalk…it doesn’t surprise me a bit!

Thank You!
Finally, I wanted to say thank you for your support of the work here in Joplin. You are such a huge encouragement and blessing! Thank you for your prayers for us, and thank you for your financial support! Jesus is growing a church, and changing a city through what you are doing! If you would like to talk or have questions, please feel free to email me at nate@mysterychurch.com, or call at 417.781.7771.

What In the World is Going On?

I can't believe the weather we're having here in SWMO right now. The high today is only supposed to be 83. This is not the middle of July weather for us! It has been wonderful.

This month has been so busy! I finished up leading CIY MOVE in Durango, CO, celebrated the 4th with Erin's mom and dad, and then came back to Joplin where I have preached the last two weeks. This week will be the third Sunday I have preached in a row. I've never done anything like that before. I have really been stretched. I came back from CO excited to sing and lead music...but in Jesus' providence I haven't been able to do that yet. Not leading has allowed me time to think through the fall, and allowed me to focus on what really matters and what Christ has called me to: Making Disciples. In all that I do, the goal is to point people to Jesus. At the outset of going "full-time" with Mystery...I cannot lose sight of that calling. No matter what I'm doing, I have to be centered on Christ and His cross while pointing others to do the same. What does that look like in regards to "leading worship"? That is what I've been thinking about recently.

Mystery has been doing some exciting things this summer. Since our move to downtown, we've been able to be a part of Main Street Joplin's Discover Downtown Third Thursday. We have hosted an art walk each 3rd Thursday of the month since May. It has been really cool to be able to have artists come and show their work in our building. This month we had a band from Joplin - Big Canoe - come and play while people enjoyed the art. Big canoe was great, and it was great to have them play in our building. I hope to be able to play a few songs in August for Art Walk. It would be a lot of fun!

I am really looking forward to the fall and what is in store for Mystery!

A Late Report on the Boomtown Days Half Marathon

So this is a very late report on the Half Marathon that Erin and I ran on June 13th. I meant to get to this before we left for CIY MOVE in Durango, CO...but didn't get to it, and I'm always amazed at how busy you get when you're running a conference. When down time does come, you just want to take a nap! Things are going well here in CO. Erin and I were talking as we walked from the cafeteria to the auditorium, and we realized that when I go back to Joplin, I won't be going to CIY to work. That feels weird! I'll go there to get my things...including a 250 lb. fire hydrant...but other than that, I'm done. Now, I am leading one more conference in Bolivar, MO...but as far as office work goes, I'm done. It's just a little strange.

OK, about the run. It was brutal. I gotta be honest with you. The first 10 miles weren't too bad. But I knew I was in trouble when we came to the 11th mile marker, and I thought it was the 12th. Wishful thinking! In all honesty, I'm really glad we did it. It was hard, but it was worth it. I've managed to keep running a little here in Durango...not every day, but enough to maintain I hope! Erin is a great runner. I managed to stay with her until the last 200 yards. It was at that point she kicked it into another gear, and I pretty much had nothing left. I was doing good to keep my feet moving! Erin finished her run in 1:54:41 and I finished in 1:55:12. I was glad to be under 2 hours. I ran about an 8:46 pace. When I crossed the finish line the people running the race made me stip so they could cut the little timer chip off my shoe. The lady handing out the medals was all over her job, but the lady handing out the water was not. As soon as I crossed the finish line she started walking away from me. If I could have chased her down I would have.

One of my first thoughts when finishing was, "Holy cow, I don't even want to think about running a full marathon." There is NO WAY I could have ran another 13.1 miles! But even with the half, there are a lot of good lessons I learned from training and running. Hebrews 12 has a lot more meaning, that's for sure.

Erin asked if I would ever want to run a full marathon - on the way home from the half marathon - so it was a little soon for me to answer. I'm still not sure...we'll see. I do want to keep running...so you never know.

Goodbye CIY

Welp, I just had my official farewell party here at CIY. It was really great, thanks to everyone at CIY. I must admit, it was a little awkward. I think those things always are a little. I am grateful for what I've learned and been able to be a part of here at CIY. There are A LOT of great people here! It has been a great 6 years, and I am glad that I'll still be in the area and stop in from time to time.

The transition to pastoring at Mystery full time feels so close now! I am excited about what is ahead! We're studying the book of Jonah for July, where I will be preaching 3 weeks in a row...doing chapter 2, 3, and 4! That will be the first time I've ever done anything like that!

Steev and I met this past Sunday after church. We dreamed, and planned, and prayed. It was a great time together. I was encouraged mostly by the praying. I was reminded of the importance of Steev and I praying together - specifically for the sheep we have been entrusted with!

I head to Durango, CO a week from tomorrow! The summer is upon us! I am looking forward to getting on the road. Durango is a GREAT place. It's beautiful there...cool mornings in the mountains, beautiful sunshine, and a great campus to do MOVE.

So thanks to CIY! I love you guys!

So...I'm Running.

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. (That's for you mom...I think you may be the only person reading this...maybe I should just call you!) It has been some crazy times here in SW MO! We had a serious storm a week and a half ago. Roofs were ripped off of houses, barns blown down, RV picked up and slammed into homes. It was crazy. Our home did ok - we only lost about 15 shingles. I was able to replace them pretty easily with some of the shingles that were left over from the shed that my dad and I built last month. (I say dad and I built...mostly dad though!) The shed was stalwart through the storm...because dad built it. Had I been the one to do it, we would have a burn pile in the middle of the back yard right now. Things are now getting back to normal. Erin texted me today notifying me that the redneck swimming pool was going up today. So we're fitting right in with the culture. We've got a campfire pit, a shed with deer antlers, and a plastic pool in the back yard!

Now, on to the title of this post. Erin and I are training for a half marathon on June 13th. I started running about 4 weeks ago, and this morning was I think the first morning where I wasn't concentrating the whole time on keeping my feet moving. I was actually able to think about some other things while I ran. I actually even prayed for a while while running...it was great. The weather has been absolutely amazing this week. The morning are nice and cool, the afternoons are warm and sunny. It's almost like being in Colorado - well, without any mountains, or trout streams. But today was a good morning...I never thought I'd say it, but I actually enjoyed the run. Erin is doing great with the running too. She's amazing. She started training about a month before I did...so she kicks my tail pretty good. Plus she pushes the stroller with two kids in it most days. She's amazing. We ran 6.5 miles on Sunday. She ran it a full two minutes faster than me. We ran separately though...if we ran together I'd stay with her by talking to her and distracting her making her slow down! I'm fairly confident that I can finish the half marathon...I may not be fast, but I'll finish!

Fund raising is going ok for us I think. Thanks to those of you who might be reading this and are supporting what we're doing! We're about halfway to where we think we need to be as far as our monthly commitments. Jesus continues to prove himself, and confirm to both Erin and I that this is what he wants us to do, and this is where he wants us. You set out on this journey thinking of all these things Jesus is going to do through you, and in the process you realize that Jesus himself is doing more in and on you than he is through you! He is indeed faithful to finish what he starts! I am so excited about what is happening in my heart, in my family's heart, and in the hearts of the people of Mystery!

Jenka

Last Sunday was a great Sunday. The highlight of the day was when we baptized a guy named Jenka. Jenka is from Russia. He's been coming to Mystery for a little while, and through the course of him coming to Mystery, hearing the gospel, and getting involved in the Mystery community he has been given new life by Jesus. I aked Jenka if I could share his testimony on here, and he was gracious enough to let me do that...so here is Jenka's testimony of what Jesus has done in his life. Keep his Russian accent in mind, and be encouraged by what he shares:

Jesus Christ is a powerful and attentive God, who has enough strength for all and remembers each. He is bright gleaming light at the end of dark tunnel that I have to go through to reach Heaven. This tunnel is lined with traps created by sin, and if I look away from this bright and distant light I will fall into any of these dangerous traps. This light, however, gives me hope, and shows the way. It lights up those traps and keeps me safe. I am grateful to Jesus for taking my sins and consuming them giving me fresh start and forgiveness. I have hard time carrying my own burdens, let alone other people’s weight.

I am very happy to share with the world that I have found Jesus Christ, and what a huge difference he made in my life. I have spent first 33 years of my life living in endless pursuit of next big thing that somebody has or claimed to have. I spent most of my time living in the future, regretting and despising the past. Little I realized that present is beautiful and worth every second of my life and every bit of my strength and desire to have. Constant disappointment in either not accomplishing of my goals or goals that I deemed were mine, disappointment of reaching some goals and finding emptiness at the finish line have been an entire life for me. I realize now how poorly I have treated people I loved. How little credit I gave them for all they have done for me. This hatred and dissatisfaction of others came from feeling of my own inadequacy and worthlessness.

Now I finally have peace of mind and warmth in my heart. Distant but ever present thought stinging in the back of my scull of whether I am doing right thing and what it leads to is gone. I have realized that there are things in life that I can enjoy and cherish, that used to appear dull and undesirable before. I love the fact that God has made this life imperfect. This fragile and intricate imperfection is what makes life beautiful and worth living. I enjoy process of self discovery and seeing things around me as they are. I don’t know what is the plan and where is my place, but I have no fear or anxiety about finding it out as I know I am part of a plan that was designed especially for me. The life journey has started and it will be interesting and awesome, it will satisfy desire for adventure and love.

From Jenka to Jesus Christ: THANK YOU

A Quest for More

I've been reading Paul David Tripp's book, "A Quest for More" - as you see in my "Books I'm Reading" list to the right- and have two chapters left, but I have to tell you...this book is powerful and eye-opening! He starts each chapter with the bottom line of the chapter, and closes each with a final question. Below are those big ideas and final questions from each chapter. It'd be worth reading and considering these alone, and I'd highly recommend the whole book it has been an incredible read for me!

1. You were created to be part of something big. What is the big thing that you are living for right now?

2. Sin causes us to talk about more, but to settle for less. What is the "less" that tends to capture your attention?

3. Since sin has damaged everything, God calls us to be concerned about everything. Have you treated the size of God's grace as if it were no longer than the size of your personal concerns?

4. Each of our lives is shaped by the war between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of self. What earth-bound treasures and anxiety-bound needs tend to control you and your responses to life?

5. You and I are always being civilized and civilizing others into the culture of some kind of kingdom. In what ways do you try to get the people around you to follow the rules of your kingdom of self?

6. The most dangerous thing about the kingdom of self is how easily it masquerades as the kingdom of God. In your everyday life right now, where are you telling yourself that you are living for God when you are really living for yourself?

7. Sin causes all of us to shrink the size of our lives to the size of our lives. Has the energy of your life been expended in the narrow world of personal wants, needs, and concerns?

8. Big kingdom living mean living with Christ at the center of everything I think, desire, say, and do. What tend to compete with Christ for the center of your world?

9. In calling us to die, Christ is actually rescuing us from death and giving us real life. In your everyday situations and relationships, where are you finding it hard to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Christ?

10. At street level, big kingdom living is Jesus-focused living. What is the focus of your life's energies and intentions?

11. This side of eternity, there should be a dissatisfaction in all of us with the way things are. What are the things that make you groan?

12. God calls us to the vertically interactive lifestyle of living in moment-by-moment harmony with him. Where in your life are you tempted to write your own music rather than making harmonious music with the king?

13. Big kingdom living is all about the humility of seeking forgiveness and the grace of granting it. Do you find joy in the liberating lifestyle of seeking forgiveness?

14. Life in the kingdom of God is like waiting for the love of your life to return. Where in your life are the "other lovers" that compete with your love for Christ?

15. Jesus calls us to offer him everything so that we can be free from the things that have a hold on us. Whose kingdom are you making sacrifices for right now?

16. Life in the big kingdom is all about being good and angry. Right now, where do you live every day, whose kingdom does your anger serve?

17. True hope, the kind that will never disappoint, is never hope in a thing, but hope in a person. Where do you tend to look for daily hope?

A29 Regional, StL

Had a great day yesterday with Pastor Steev at the Acts29 Regional in St Louis. We had to leave REALLY early...I met him at his house at 5:15 yesterday morning. After a quick stop at Starbucks for some coffee, we drove to The Journey and got to meet with other church planters and pastors. This is a twit pic from Ed's blog at the event. You can see me in this pic if you look REALLY hard. I'm in the front row on the left...pretty much right under the stool that is on the stage. During the morning session, we listened to Ed Stetzer share about some things he's learned from the studies that he has done with LifeWay Research. Here are a few one-liners I took away form Ed's talk:

• You don't necesarrily have to convince people that Jesus rose form the dead, you have to convince them that it matters.
• We should embrace the death of cultural christianity.
• If we (pastors) do for our people what God has called them to do, the work of God is hindered, and both of us are harmed.
• BE, DO, and TELL the Good News.

We also got to listen to a sermon from Darin Patrick, the lead planter of The Journey. He preached from 1 Peter 1:10-16. Here are a few things I took away from his message:

• Be astonished by the Gospel. (v. 12) The Angels long to look into such things. They long to look into the good news. They don't tire of it. Maybe it's because they do not get to experience grace as we do. The Angels who sinned weren't offered repentance as we are. Wee must live astonished by the gospel too. Why would God love us and grant us repentance? IT'S AMAZING!
• We are to obey God like a child. (v. 14) Not like an employee who obeys to avoid being fired or getting a pay cut, or like a slave who obeys to avoid punishemnt, but like a child who obeys because he loves and trusts his father - WHY you obey is as important as THAT you obey. Just look at the Pharisees.
• We must preach sermons that are only possible if Jesus rose from the dead.

After the regional, I crashed the Church Planter's small group meeting and got to hangThere I met and talked for a while with Jon Bricker of Charis Community Church in Bloomington-Normal , IL. We hung out and talked for a while, then Steev and I headed back to Joplin. My head hit the pillow at about 12:45 this morning. So, I'm tired, but it was a great trip and a real encouragement to me. Jesus is really working on me right now. and this trip was him continuing to do so. He continues to grow in me the desire to pastor, to lead, to preach, and to see others changed by his grace. It was good to see and meet guys who are or have already gone through some of the same things I am and be reminded that he who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it!

JOplin, MissOuri

So, my sis had a question, "What's up with the name of your blog?" Good question. I had a lot of trouble coming up with an acceptable name for this thing. I started with "Chile Con Karnes" because I thought it was funny. Then I switched to "I'd Rather Be Fishing" That could've worked probably. I could talk about how I'm a fisher of men, I'm a fisher of fish, etc. But let's be honest...that's kinda lame. So I went with JoMo Sapien. Sometimes people refer to Joplin, MO as JOMO. A lot of people I meet aren't really all that excited about being from Joplin. A lot of people who live in Joplin aren't from Joplin. That's why I called my blog JoMo sapien. It might not be where I'm from...but it is where I live. It is where my wife and I started our lives together, it is where we bought our first home. It is where our kids were born. It is, for all intents and purposes the place on earth that I call HOME.

Letters, Letters, Letters, Letters!

I've been working on getting all of my support letters written and mailed. I can't tell you how bad my left hand hurts! I'm not used to writing so much these days. I'm getting one of those writing bumps again on the middle finger of my left hand!
This is such a humbling experience. I hate feeling like I'm asking for hand-outs you know? When I see it rightly, I know it isn't just that. This really is an opportunity for folks to use what Christ has given them to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Maybe you're reading this and that's you. This is one way that Jesus is letting you be a part of something bigger than just your life. I'm reading a book called "A Quest for More" and in it the author talks about the fact that we all have this desire to be a part of something that is transcendent. That's why we get so attached to sports teams, why people summit Everest, why we put so much faith in our political party, etc. We want to be a part of something big.
Jesus offers the opportunity to be a part of the biggest thing ever...His Kingdom. We have to fight against the temptation to make our lives about something smaller...something less. Sometimes we settle for the things we "need". But Jesus tells us that our Father will provide what we need so that our lives can be about something more than our needs. That's what I'm learning in sending out these letters...I'm learning to trust Him to provide what I need so that my life can be about something bigger....HIS GLORY.

Thanks to you all for your support and prayers!

Why Plant Churches?

Tim Keller is a really smart dude...he has an article about why we should plant churches. He says everything way better than I can...so I thought I'd let him speak:

"New churches best reach a) new generations, b) new residents, and c) new people groups. First (a) younger adults have always been disproportionately found in newer congregations. Long-established congregations develop traditions (such as time of worship, length of service, emotional responsiveness, sermon topics, leadership-style, emotional atmosphere, and thousands of other tiny customs and mores), which reflect the sensibilities of long-time leaders from the older generations who have the influence and money to control the church life. This does not reach younger generations. Second, (b) new residents are almost always reached better by new congregations. In older congregations, it may require tenure of 10 years before you are allowed into places of leadership and influence, but in a new church, new residents tend to have equal power with long-time area residents.
Last, (c) new socio-cultural groups in a community are always reached better by new congregations. For example, if new white-collar commuters move into an area where the older residents were farmers, it is likely that a new church will be more receptive to the myriad of needs of the new residents, while the older churches will continue to be oriented to the original social group. And new racial groups in a community are best reached by a new church that is intentionally multi-ethnic from the start. For example: if an all-Anglo neighborhood becomes 33% Hispanic, a new, deliberately bi-racial church will be far more likely to create 'cultural space' for newcomers than will an older church in town. Finally, brand new immigrant groups nearly always can only be reached by churches ministering in their own language. If we wait until a new group is assimilated into American culture enough to come to our church, we will wait for years without reaching out to them."

For the whole article go here.

Getting Started...

Well, I am starting a new journey. Christ has called me to help pastor my church here in Joplin, Mo...a church called Mystery. I am both scared and excited. I'm not sure what all lies ahead, but am confident in Jesus' ability to sustain. I am working this week at raising support. Perhaps some of you who read this are doing so because of a letter you received. Thanks for checking things out!
We had a great Easter weekend at Mystery. There were a lot of new faces and Steev did a great job showing us that Jesus doesn't just give us hope, he IS our hope.

I love my church. I love the people of Mystery. I am looking forward to what this Spring and Summer hold for us as a family!