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Live From Budapest….

April 11, 2011 in Mission, missional, Sending Church with 0 Comments

well almost.


I have been asked to follow along with the Upstream Collective as they travel through Prague and discuss what mission, incarnational living and witness look like in a post-Christian and post-modern world. Having recently moved into a similiar situation I am looking forward to learning from those who are leading and writing this week. I will be entering into the conversation through Facebook, Twitter and this blog.

Just like I am doing, you can also follow along without living your home. Check in periodically with what I am commenting on here at the blog or with several of the others who are also giving their thoughts on what is being discussed. Here are a few other places to get involved with the discussion.

The Upstream Collective

Larry McCrary

Almost an M

Michael Carpenter

 

 

Learning a New Language

April 11, 2011 in church planting, missional with 3 Comments

I am choosing to find encouragement in this info-graphic about learning a new language. I am heading toward fluency. Thanks for the info VOXY Blog.


Via: Voxy Blog

[H.T] Trevin Wax and Abraham Piper

What I’m Thinking About

April 8, 2011 in Influence, Leadership with 0 Comments

Over the past several months our church, LifePoint, has been reading through the Bible in our personal devotion times. Our pastor, Pat Hood, has also been teaching weekly through the books and passages we are reading together. As I was reading through Proverbs I began to see phrase patterns that caught my attention and made me want to track these throughout the book. The first phrase that caught my attention was “fear of the Lord.”  There is a lot of meaning wrapped up in the little word “fear.”  That I am not going to try and unpack. I just began reading and let the Lord speak as He desired.  After tracking each of these in my Bible study I thought I would post them here for you to see and read through also.

Howard Hendricks writes in Living By The Book, ” One of the great killers in Bible study is the statement, “I  already know that.” I struggle with this in my personal walk at times. I hope you will not gloss over these in the vain of “I already no this stuff.”

I pray He uses these verses in your life as He is in mine.

Prov. 1:7-The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Prov. 1:29 -Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord

Prov. 2:5 – then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

Prov. 8:13 – The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

Prov. 9:10 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Prov. 10:27 – The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.

Prov. 14:26-27 – In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.

Prov.   15:16 -Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.

Prov. 15:33 – The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Prov. 16:6 – By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.

Prov. 19:23 – The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.

Prov. 22:4 – The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.

Prov. 23:17 – Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.

I hope you are blessed and challenged today.

Feed Trough or Mount Joy

April 4, 2011 in Belgium, church planting, missional, Sending Church with 1 Comment

Language learning is an exercise in perseverance for me. It is difficult (tres difficile) and frustrating, yet it is also very gratifying to know you are making progress, all be it ever so slightly.

This past week when meeting with one of my language partners, yes that’s right I said one of my partners, I had a hilarious happening. Well, it was hilarious after I had time to reflect on it. I laughed with the man and his wife but inside it was painful. My slow southern and East Texas accent made a mockery of the elegant and melodic French language. In fact, the melody I was speaking had a country twang that resembled an old Merle Haggard tune about a drunken fool. But I digress from the story at hand.

I was explaining to my partner that my kids attend a school named “Montjoie.” The man and his wife looked at me wide-eyed and his wife began to snicker which quickly moved to an all out belly laugh. He tried to hush her and asked me again what I said, which I replied “Montjoie.” At that moment he fell over laughing and explained with many hand gestures, because we are “en français,” that the kids would never attend a school called “feeding trough.”

I tried to explain what I said meant Mount Joy. At which point he asked me to spell the name of the school. So I began, M-O-N-T-J-O-I-E. They both were leaning across the table watching me write out each letter. All of a sudden they both fell back into their chairs and laughed even harder realizing I had not meant M-A-N-G-E-O-I-R-E which means a “feeding trough.” We began at that moment to practice pronouncing words more succinctly and quickly. Basically, I had to adjust the speed of my country album to 78 rpm up from 33 rpm.

Needless to say, my family has received a great laugh out of this story. Today, while meeting with the man and his wife we laughed again at my pronunciation and my “Southern” Belgium accent. I hear that French people make fun of people from Belgium for the way they speak the French language. Well, I am in “deep you-know-what” then.

LifePoint Brussels Begins

April 3, 2011 in Belgium, church planting, LifePoint Church, missional, Sending Church with 2 Comments

Here is a short video of LifePoint Brussels first worship together. This is the beginning of many great things the Lord has in store. Tonight was also the answer to many prayers that have been offered to see a work planted in Brussels. There is so much work to be done but tonight we experienced prayers being answered.

Brussels Life – Strikes

March 24, 2011 in Brussels Life with 1 Comment

I have been blogging about life in Brussels on a several occasions…here and here. The next installment deals with union strikes in our city.

Union strikes seem to be a part of everyday life in the European context. We have lived in Brussels for approximately four months and we have experienced a strike of some sort every month. Each time a strike is called the transportation system is affected in someway for a period of time. When the Metro is affected, life in the city becomes a bit more challenging as we search for alternative routes and means of getting to school and work.

We have learned to check the online news websites and local transportation website to make sure things are moving as normal before each day begins. I am posting a few pictures from the strike and protest we experienced this morning. Interesting.

Strikers marching to the E.U.

 

Voici Le Jour

March 20, 2011 in Sending Church with 1 Comment

This is the French version of “Today is the Day”.

Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh

I’m casting my cares aside
I’m leaving my past behind
I’m setting my heart and mind on You
Jesus

I’m reaching my hand to Yours
Believing there’s so much more
Knowing that all You have in store for me is good
Is good

Chorus:
Today is the day You have made
I will rejoice and be glad in it
Today is the day You have made
I will rejoice and be glad in it
And I won’t worry about tomorrow
I’m trusting in what You say
Today is the day
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Today is the day
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh

I putting my fears aside
I’m leaving my doubts behind
I’m giving my hopes and dreams to You
Jesus

I’m reaching my hand to Yours
Believing there’s so much more
Knowing that all You have in store for me is good
Is good

Where Has the Time Gone?

March 13, 2011 in Belgium, Family, Sending Church with 1 Comment

It is time change weekend in the USA, but in Belgium we won’t “spring forward” for a couple of weeks.

With that in mind, I wanted to update you on the “times” that are happening in our world. I’m going to use a bullet statement format since there is limited time and space to adequately expound on each happening.

  • Amy and I are still in language school. It is going as well as can be expected three months in country. Slow. Difficult. Challenging. Opportunities. Friendships starting.
  • The kids begin going to Belgian schools (french speaking) everyday this week. They will attend each day until 1 pm and work on their American studies in the afternoon. Acclimating. Language. Friends. Influence.
  • It is starting to get warmer and the days are getting longer, which is a wonderful occurrence for our family. We are able to get out and move easier. We don’t let the weather hinder us too much. But, it is nice to have good weather since we walk a lot. Easier. Warmer. Less layers. Daylight.
  • The Christensen’s have arrived. Our next set of partners from LifePoint have landed in Brussels. We now have another family to work alongside and to do life with in the city. Vision. Friends. Partners. Sending Church.

The time is flying. It has been three months since we lived in the States and everything seems to be moving so fast.

 

Why Not Now?

February 19, 2011 in church planting, Family, missional, Sending Church with 13 Comments

In the previous post concerning questions that have been asked of me concerning our recent move to a new country I blogged about not LifePoint.

Question two, “Why did you go to another country at this time in the lives of your children?”

I would ask, “Why not at this time?” In my experience the real question here is not about the time in their lives in which they leave the country, but is about leaving their home country and missing out on life in their familiar culture. In this line of thinking there will never be a good time to leave a your home country. When a child is young they are not ready because they do not understand where they are going and they will miss out on grandparents in their lives. When they are older, lets say in grade school, the kids aren’t ready because they may miss out because of the friends they will leave or the language will be difficult to learn and grandparents will miss out. When the kids are in middle school or high school the situations change to its too late in childhood they are already heading toward college and a move will hurt their chances in the university. Or, they are too old for such a transition at this crucial stage in their development. Yes, and they will miss out on the grandparents in their lives.

I want to acknowledge that each of these questions are valid and must be answered. But, if you aren’t careful they only time one can be mobilized or sent out is before and after children. There is no time like now in the lives of kids to move to a new culture. And yes, our kids and their grandparents are missing out on somethings in each others lives. Thank you Lord for technology though (Skype, email, video email, ect.).

I would suggest, as babies the move will be less stressful and they will naturally integrate  the language in the new culture with their birth culture language. As a grade school child the kids will face adjustments but will make new friends and learn their parents have some of the same struggles as they have and can relate to one another. As a teenager, kids are at a time in life to appreciate the new culture and the experiences they will receive will enrich them as they grow into adulthood.

Will there be difficulties at any stage in childhood development? Yes, but there are difficulties in the home culture also and these difficulties do not stop us from having kids and doing life.  These same issues arise each day when families relocate to another city or another state in their home country. Yet, we still make the moves that are necessary. We face life with all of its problems and challenges and we overcome.

Ultimately, the question boils down to whether or not we have been called by God to move to another culture and do we trust Him enough with our kids. Tough words. Yes. I write them because I have had to face them and still have to face them each morning, afternoon and evening. In fact, I face them right now as I write these words.

I am reminded of Abram marching to to a mount he didn’t know and building and altar with his hands (Gen. 22). Binding his promised son through whom the covenant would be fulfilled and laying Isaac on the altar as a living sacrifice. Essentially saying, “I trust you God with my child more than I trust my own judgement.” After all when we trade God’s call on our family for what we think is best for our children we essentially say I trust my thoughts over God’s call and purposes for our family.

Is it hard? Yes. Is it easy? No. Is it best? Always.

So, to answer the question from my well meaning friends and acquaintances, I say, “Why not now.”

I Haven’t

February 18, 2011 in church planting, Family, LifePoint Church, missional, Sending Church with 5 Comments

I want to and need to answer a few questions that I have been asked by people about our move to another country.

First question, “Why did you leaving your position at LifePoint?”

The easy answer is I haven’t left LifePoint I changed positions and roles at LifePoint. I am still on the bus at LifePoint, just in a new seat. Since there is not an established work of LifePoint in Brussels our role here is church planter. When there is a body of believers/followers living and working in Brussels I will be the campus pastor. We represent the work and the body of Christ and LifePoint Church in Belgium. I have written about our call as a family a several occasions. Please read about how God moved our family to put us where we are today. It still amazes me when I think about it.

We didn’t wake up one day and just think “Hey, why don’t we sell everything and leave a great church and what we have always wanted and go to another place.”  That would be irresponsible and poor stewardship of the leadership role entrusted to me as the leader of our family and a leader in the church. A decision to move to another country and the ramifications of that decision must be made in the context of trusted relationships and a loving faith community. I am thankful for Pat as a friend and as a pastor. He walked through this process with our family as we (Goens and LifePoint) determined how God was leading us (Goens and LifePoint). We worked together to determine what God was saying and leading us to do within the context of a community of faith. We, as followers, are given the body of believers to help guide, support, pray with each other and many more aspects of doing life together in community. All of us miss out greatly in our faith walk when we don’t lean into and engage the local body more in situations we are walking through. We must take into account all of the “one another” passages in the Bible as we truly live our faith in practical expressions.

So, one more time, I am still a part of LifePoint Church and on staff. I am in a new role of influence and work. It just happens to be in another country.

Second question, “Why did you go to another country at this time in the lives of your children?”

next time….
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