KyleGoen.com

Well, things slowed down greatly in my reading earlier this summer. I have picked back up recently and have completed a couple of really good books about ministry in Belgium and working with people who speak French as their first language.

#18 Firebrand of Flanders by Phyllis Thompson

I also recently completed a book by D.A. Carson written about his father who was a church planter in Quebec.

#19 Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor by D.A. Carson

I hope to be back diligently read again on a more consistent basis in the coming days and weeks. My Goal seems to be in jeopardy if I don’t get active pretty soon.

My daughter took these on a recent journey to Belgium. These were taken at the Grand Place (Fr) or Grote Markt (Fl).

People were gathering in the square in front of the above build to watch the light show reflecting on the building.

More new pictures are uploaded to my Flickr site.

Ed Stetzer post a good article about why some missional churches don’t do international missions. This is an interesting read.

It is very interesting to see how many of these things are in use today by the general public.

[HT]  Chris Elrod

I read about this on Tony Morgan’s site and thought I would take the test. I am a sucker for personality test. Well, here is my Personality Pattern results.

Centered

You often feel balanced and on top of things, even when those around you are freaking out. You’re in a pretty good state all the time, and not subject to drastic mood swings. You don’t usually react before you think; you’re not ruled by your emotions.

Conscientious
You feel it’s important to work according to a plan and finish every task, to do things correctly and thoroughly. You are not the kind of person who abandons a project before finishing it, or slacks off when you’ve lost interest.

Unflappable
You are not a slave to your emotions. It takes a lot to upset or unnerve you. That’s why you’re a good person to have around in a crisis. You don’t let it all hang out, which means that those around you often don’t know the pressures you’re under or what you’re going through. You’re not the kind of person people run from in a crisis.

Competent
You strive to master everything you undertake. You tend to learn quickly and do not shy away from challenges. You are not a “que sera sera” type of person, nor do you go easy on yourself when attempting to master a new skill or get a job done.

Irritable
You have your own problems to deal with, and little patience for those who need help to get through the rough spots. Going out of your way to lend a hand not only takes time away from your own pursuits, it ultimately harms those you’re “helping” by insulating them from the harsh realities of life. You don’t need to help others to feel better about yourself. It’s not your ambition to be known as a major bleeding heart.

Assertive
You behave in a confident and forceful manner, take charge of the situation, raise your hand in class, stand up for what you think is right, and lead others. Among those who have a high score on the “assertive” trait, many have jobs in which they are valued for their organizational skills as well as their talent for supervising others.You are not interested in fading into the woodwork, leaving everything to fate, taking more time than necessary to accomplish a task, or avoiding confrontation.

Cautious
You very rarely make a move without first considering the pros and cons and, therefore, rarely do anything foolish or extravagant. You are not rash; you almost never act before you think and, therefore, rarely end up doing things you later regret.

Focused
You know how to lock in on what’s important. You quickly prepare yourself for a task, you don’t procrastinate, and you don’t let up until the job is done to your satisfaction. You are the opposite of scattered. You don’t procrastinate before starting a task, and you almost never lose track of what you’re doing.

Introspective
You like your own company; you’re a very interesting person. Tracking your own mental processes, knowing what you’re thinking and why you do what you do, is important to you. Often, what’s going on in your mind is more compelling than what’s going on outside. For the most part, those with a high score on the “introspective” trait enjoy reading, taking long walks, learning new things, and other solitary activities. You are not someone who is constantly looking to be among a group of friends; you never feel bored when you are by yourself.

Down-to-Earth
You think that many of those who claim to love art are just being pretentious. As long as something does the job, whether it be a couch, a coat, or a kitchen cabinet, it’s “beautiful” as far as you’re concerned. Those who have a high score on the “down-to-earth” trait often hold positions in which they have the opportunity to exercise their organizational expertise. You do not think that having “good taste” is such a big deal, or even that there is such a thing as good taste; nor do you claim that you “can’t live without” art, beauty, or good design.

On March 2nd, 2010 LifePoint Church and UpStream Collective will offer The Sending Church Conference @ LifePoint Church in Smyrna, TN.

Go ahead and reserve the date now.

Register for The Sending Church Conference e-news

from the website:

We are excited to invite you to a day of dialogue, learning and catalyzing a movement for the Kingdom across the globe. The Sending Church is a growing conversation of how the local church can be the center point for missions sending — sending the church to be the church where there is no church. Pastors, Church Planters, Missions Guys and Church Leaders will have the opportunity to hear and interact with leaders who are developing strategies and practical steps for how the church can reach the unreached in the coming decades.

This is a really good article on spiritual leadership.

[H.T.] J.T.

Sometimes pictures say more than words could express.

The Church of St. Nicolas sit on the corner of a plaza in Brussels. The back side of the building where this picture was taken is now filled with shops, pubs and sidewalk cafes attached to the church building. Upon entering the building we found it empty except for the few people who were looking at the extravagant art that was displayed.

St. Micheal’s Cathedral is a huge structure built in the 13th century. Today it is mostly a tourist attraction with art displays. It does hold prominent funerals and a small mass.

The congregation is mostly non-existent, similar to this picture.

An elaborate pulpit area that has no life or authority in the lives of people.

We had the opportunist to visit one of the very first evangelical churches in Belgium built in traditional western American style design. A small contingent of people were practicing music for the 50 or so people who will so up on Sunday. The auditorium holds probably 400-500 with the balcony.

Pray that we will be able to help people move past a building to a community of believers. We will seek to disciple young believers in Biblical community and relational evangelism. We desire to model a faith that is alive and vibrant and walks with God and other believers in a way that is inviting to a lost world.

Alos, pray for the beleivers who are in Belgium today seeking to be the salt and light of God. May we be a breath of fresh air to their spirit and may we learn from them how to persevere in the face what is a seemingly dry and parched land.They, the M’s, are in need of co-laborers who will plow, pick rocks, weed, water and live faithfully.

Remember there are no God forsaken lands, just church forsaken lands. Therefore we must go.

Jordan praying over the city from a lookout spot. Prayer will be the energy to move us and sustain our team.

Dan and Elizabeth as we traveled by train to scout out our “Judea and Samaria.” We are planting a church that will have in it’s DNA sending, multiplying and reproducing from the beginning just as our sending church has in it’s core.

Students and young adults gathering to find friendship and community. We will spend a lot of time in open spaces like this meeting and engaging people.

We heard from several people how lonely they were and how they are looking for relationships were they felt they could open up and share.

Gathering as a team to pray, encourage, and plan strategic outreach with other M’s.

I will try and post a few other pictures in the coming days.

We have had another incredible day of learning and letting the Lord refine the vision for what He wants us to do and be in Belgium, with Bruxelles (French spelling) as the beginning point.

We had breakfast with a new Bruxelles buddy, Nolan. He works with an organization named Master’s Commission. It is a discipling ministry in Europe that is affiliated with the Assembly of God. Nolan gave a good picture of what he is seeing in Bruxelles. He gave us a pretty good description of the areas of town and the lowdown on the “Frite Nazi.”  We later meet him and he snapped at me just like the “Soup Nazi” did on Seinfeld.

We surveyed a few other parts of Bruxelles for potential places to live and minister. We were able to find some different types of ministries that our team members are feeling called toward for ministry opportunities once we are planted. One of those ministries works with women who have been exploited or trafficked for sexual pleasure. The other ministry we discovered works in orphan care. We believe these ministries will give our team an opportunity to be Jesus with skin on for the people of Belgium.

Later on we spent time on two university campuses in Bruxelles and talked with college students about faith and culture. We learned that students are not religious and do not think about God. Everyone will be christened and take communion but leave the church following these events. One college student told me these events are culturally driven and only done for family reasons. What an opportunity to reach college students. This young man told me that students do not attend church because it isn’t attractive to them. I asked, “What do you me?” He responded church was boring and the Bible doesn’t fit into my life today. He knew the Bible had good things but no one had taught the Bible in a relative way.

We ended our day by having dinner with a church planter who has experience in successfully planting a French speaking Belgian church. He had lots of valuable information and encouragement for our team. He is definitely someone we will continue a relationship with in the future. I am so glad the Lord has caused our paths to cross.

Thanks for all your prayers…please do not stop. Tomorrow we will begin the wrap up here with debriefing and preparation for coming home on Saturday morning. We miss our families a lot and we miss our church. God is so good to allow us the opportunity to represent you here.