2. I have been receiving emails from Christian friends in Japan who are asking for Christians around the world to pray specifically for the wind direction in Japan to remain low and eastward. One article that explains the importance of this can be found here.
3. The most effective way for us to give to the need in Japan is through the IMBs emergency fund. We have people already on the ground assessing the needs and allocating the resources in effective ways that accomplishes both the short term and long term objectives for Japan. You can allocate your offering through the church or you can give online here.
4. Fellow Oklahoman Tom Eliff has been named the new president of the International Mission Board. I believe Tom will do a terrific job as the new leader of our missions organization. He is a proven leader who has experience not just as a pastor but as a missionary on the field. He is widely respected and loved and brings much needed confidence and competence to the IMB. Tom will face many challenges in the months ahead but I believe his most daunting challenge will be to simplify the organizational structure so that it is more effective at accomplishing it's mission. If I were to summarize the biggest problem with the IMB right now I would say we are entirely too top heavy.
5. I am excited about Eliff's new vision for the IMB to challenge local churches to partner with the board to reach unengaged and unreached people groups around the world. I know there will be many challenges to pull this off, but it is a worthy vision at the right time in our history. In many ways, CRBC is already well positioned for this strategy, as our church has already partnered with the IMB in several different regions around the world. I would like to see us ramp up our efforts in the days ahead however, especially now that we are out of debt and are positioned to allocate more of our resources toward missions.
6. It's time for us to fix the roof over our heads. For many years now our worship center roof has leaked like a sieve. This problem needs to rectified before we can make any further improvements to our worship space. The reason the problem hasn't been addressed sooner is the projected cost of the project has been so astronomical it was impractical. We have recently received a much more favorable bid however and so we will soon be bringing a recommendation to the church for finally resolving the problem.
7. This is a time of terrific transition and opportunity in the MIddle East and North Africa. I believe there is tremendous opportunity in the uprisings we are reading and hearing about. We need to pray that the new governments that emerge will be intent on every kind of freedom for their populations, including freedom of religion. One thing we know for certain, wherever there is turmoil and change, there is opportunity for the gospel.
8. This past week a famous evangelical pastor released a book in which he challenged the longstanding Christian doctrine of hell. The news about Rob Bell was disappointing but not all that surprising to me. Bell has been moving down the neo-liberal theology road for a few years now. I will write a more comprehensive blog on this subject later but to summarize my thoughts to you I believe Bell has not just stepped outside of biblical doctrine with this book, but has removed an important lynch pin in Christ's teaching on salvation. After all, Jesus talked more about hell than he did about heaven. There was a reason for that. Read Al Mohler's thoughts on this subject here.
9. There is nothing funny to me about what is happening to Charlie Sheen. Watching the video of Sheen's drug induced rant is a poignant illustration of the depth of human depravity residing within every human heart. The fact people are so interested in watching his self destruction is also instructive. I believe cultures obsessive fascination with the Charlie Sheen's of the world is evidence of our collective depravity.
10. This Sunday I will be teaching again on Colossians 3:1-11. The money point of this entire series is that our understanding of our need for personal righteousness is what drives our motives, ambitions and our most important decisions in life. Conversely, an understanding of how we find His solution is what brings us ultimate meaning, peace and lasting joy. In a world that seems so upside down and changing rapidly, this is an immensely important truth.
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