Thursday, May 29, 2014

Updates

The last couple of months have been very challenging. While all may have appeared quiet on the FC front, that has not been the case. A few events and some very strong urgings from the Lord have combined to slow things down but for the better.

Planting Freedom Church has proven to be the greatest labor I've ever undertaken. It has proven to me even more difficult than I could ever have expected (which I knew it would be greatly difficult) and has more than once forced me to slow down and enter a wilderness period for reflection and further prayer. I have been in one of those periods for the last couple of months. I even halted broadcasts of Jesus' Outsider to focus on prayer and finding some answers.

In truth, I still have more questions than answers and more have been added. Some of what I have gained in perspective includes a shift in strategy. The overall vision hasn't changed but the bias for action needs to be communicated stronger. I mean real action, not just programs with the appearance of effectiveness.

Men especially like to do things. We like to use the skills and gifts we have to full effect, no matter what nature they may have. There are more ways to spread the Gospel than just to preach and teach. In fact, there are as many ways to share Jesus as there are skills that can be learned. A car or damaged home repaired in the name of Jesus can have a huge impact on a person's life.

That said, my lovely bride asked a very salient question, "If men want to do something, why don't more people show up to help someone move?" This is a problem. For every move that has plenty of help, there are ten more with only a small portion of the people necessary to get the job done. The answer isn't really that complicated. Although men do like to be active, the message has been sent loud and clear to them is that a strong back is all their good for, unless they preach or are part of the leadership. After being asked to move over and over again without being asked to do much else, they stop showing up. That needs to change. That's what I mean when I say a bias towards action.

As I said, there's a lot of questions that need to be answered. What that means is that how we are going to make all this work still isn't clear. I'm scheduling meetings with advisers and with some who may have some insight that may be able to help.

There are other changes in approach we need to be making. Some of this has already been revealed to us but isn't quite ready to be shared yet. My lovely bride has been far from idle and is working on some pretty amazing stuff that we'll be posting in due time.

The season for concentrated prayer and seeking counsel isn't over yet. Activity will still be limited for a while longer. Jesus' Outsider broadcasts will resume in a few days, Lord willing. Other details and updates will be coming soon.