Africa Update

Here is an update fresh from the field on our work in Africa. We have a friend on the field who recently visited with the group of people we (ClearView) has been working with. This is her description of that visit.

Early Monday morning, myself, the Hickmans (a volunteer couple that is here), and a translator headed out to visit ‘Chewy’ and the close-by village for now we will call the ‘New’ Village. We stopped in Segou to pick up our friend and translator Yac, and headed on out to the village. We arrived in ‘Chewy’ about 5pm, and did all of our greetings and then sat down with the chief to catch up. That night after dinner and baths, Yac, the chief, and another young man sat down and discussed how to study the Word. No one else gathered but later in the night (probably around 10:30-11p) the chief told Yac a man had come to hear stories because he had never heard them before. We looked at the man, who was now sleeping, and said we could tell him stories but he is sleeping. So, the chief woke him up. I told the story of the Demon Possessed Man, and we discussed it some. The next day we were able to discuss with a couple of the blvrs about why they had not been around very much... Jo and Rob. Jo had been very discouraged as one of the two that can actually read and teach. He did not feel he was getting the respect he thought he should get, and for Rob, we found out he is actually of a different background. He has been a blvr for awhile but with a different denom. He was wrshpng with the blvrs there but they were not accepting that he was from a different background, also he feels like there is no structure in the ch, which right now is actually all new blvrs who are still trying to figure out how to be blvrs. We were able to discuss with them some on what it means to be a blvr and encourage them that do not have to rely on others to be able to wrshp Father. After hearing the story of Abraham, Jo said it taught them to love their neighbor as themselves and to love their enemy, which I believe is something they are struggling with in the body of blvrs. The next day the Hickmans went to a market via horse cart with the chief and another man, while Yac and I stayed behind. That was the same day that the local Pas (also from another Denom.) came to visit. Yac stayed and visited with him, and the chief’s wife wanted me to go visit her friends and family with her, so that is what I did. That night we had another opportunity to story, so we told two David stories, and discussed them. There was some good discussion but they were all very tired. The last full day in the bush we decided to go visit the new blvrs in ‘New’ Village. We walked for about an hour before reaching the village and when we arrived the blvrs from ‘Chewy’ had already set up and starting wrshpng. They asked the new blvrs to stand up and 12 men did, after that Yac was able to tell the C2R story and asked if anyone wanted to follow. Five women came up and said they did, so we prayed with and for them, and then sang a few songs and were getting ready to leave when one women stood up and said there are more that want to follow but were afraid to come up. So, 4 more women came up and we did the same. When we stood up to leave the second time, some of the women wanted their babies given blvr names. So, we named them. The first girl that came, I was given the privilege of naming, so I did. Her name is Rachel, which is pronounced Rachelle in French. After this it was getting late, and we still had an hour walk back to ‘Chewy’ so we asked for the road and headed out. That night in ‘Chewy’ everyone went to bed early because of the traveling, and the next morning we headed back to Bamako.PRYR Request:New Blvrs in ‘New’Encouragement for the blvrs in ‘Chewy’Planting and Harvesting as the Rainy season is approaching

ClearView and 2010 Flood

This post is specifically written to and for the great folks of ClearView.

We have no way of knowing exactly how many people who are a part of ClearView have had flooding in their home or property due to the flood. We do not know to what extent they may have suffered damage. Our congregation lives in a wide geographic area in middle Tennessee. My guess is there are more who have been negatively impacted than I know.

Some of you have already asked how you can help. I love that about you! Until we get specific names and needs we can't answer that question (we already have some). One thing we know for sure is that we are here for each other and we will indeed help those who need it.

So, here are next steps and how you can help.

1. If you need help (moving furniture, pulling wet carpet, etc.) please send an email to pastor@clearview.org. In the subject line type: NEED HELP. In the body of the email please give some details of your situation that will help us know how we can help. Also please give us contact information. If you know of a ClearView member who needs help but can't contact us, please let us know.

2. If you can help please send an email to pastor@clearview.org with a subject line I CAN HELP. In the email please let us know when you might be available to help. Also please give us contact information.

We will begin to match people who need help with those who can help some time in the morning. For now, we will limit our help to physical help. We may need financial help later, but until we know what we are facing we will hold off on collecting funds.

It will take until at least late morning on Monday for us to begin to sort what we have so you won't hear from us before then.

Reading Luke weekly

Part of sermon preparation each week for me is to read through the entire book of the Bible through which I am preaching. I will read through that book every week at least once. I began a series I am calling Investigating Christ which will take us through the Book of Luke over the next year or so.

I challenged the congregation to join me in reading through the Book of Luke each week. If read silently, the average reader can read through the book in approximately 2 hours. I have had many who have taken the challenge. Yes, it's early, but I believe we will see many carry through. If you are one that has taken the challenge, I can say with confidence God has some amazing things He will teach you through this book on this life of His Son. If you miss a week for some reason, don't let that get you down. Pick it up again the following week.

I got several emails about this challenge, but I wanted to share one with you that can help you with the project. I received this from a member of ClearView. It really helps to break reading up into smaller, bite-sized pieces.

"How can I possibly find time to read thru the entire book of Luke every week for the next year?"
24 chapters; 4 chapters a day for 6 days with Sundays off ; 2 chapters in the morning - 10 minutes; 2 chapters in the evening - 10 minutes.

"But my day is already too full; I just don't have 20 minutes to spare"
Get up 10 minutes earlier and go to bed 10 minutes later; Your body will never know the difference.
Turn off the news after the top stories; You'll be back before the weather.
Read it on the treadmill; You'll be done before you break a sweat.
Download it to your ipod and listen on the way to work - http://www.freeaudiobible.net/ ; They're going to play the 3 songs you missed 5 more times today.
Facebook junkies: Read it online - bookmark http://www.biblegateway.com/ ; you're 3 clicks away and you'll be back before your chat friends notice you're gone.
Do you REALLY want to be the one who doesn't raise your hand when Mark asks who read thru Luke this week?

Thanks Todd!

Reflections on Piper's decision

I have admired John Piper's ministry from a distance for some time. Anyone who can plant his life in a church for 30 years has some things to teach us all as pastors. Last Sunday John Piper made an announcement to his church that he is taking an 8 month leave. You can read about it here.

I have a desire to stay where I am pastor for at least a couple of decades. So, I have reflected on this decision by John Piper more than once over the past few days. Here are a few random thoughts as I have done so.

1. My family (especially my marriage to Leigh Ann) is front and center. If I lose my marriage, I lose my ministry. More than that, if I lose my marriage I lose my most prized earthly possession. I must be intentional about cultivating my relationship with my best friend.

2. Guard my heart (soul). John doesn't share details but he does point to pride in his soul. What a wake-up call. There is a great nugget in Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life . I am still working through what this means.

3. The church is more than one man. Trust me, no one is more keenly aware of this than I. However, I sometimes catch myself, in weaker moments, thinking "it all depends on me". If someone of the stature and visibility of John Piper can step away, it is obvious he has done a good job of leading a group of people to not be dependent on him, but on the Lord. That is my heart's cry for ClearView.

4. Accountability is vital to long term health of a leader. I would add, especially a pastor. The elders of Bethlehem have obviously been a major part of helping John make his decision. A man who stands alone will not stand for long.

5. Transparency. John has been transparent with his church about the fact that he is working through some things. There is a delicate balance a pastor must walk. Share enough that people understand you are human (which should keep you humble). Yet, not so much that people think your life is falling apart. A humble strength. I think this is what is termed "meekness" in Scripture. I am still wrestling with what to do with this one, but transparency for John is a part of who he is as a pastor / leader. John mentions a culture of transparency at Bethlehem. How do you create that? Is length of time as a pastor a factor in doing so? Trust is obviously a key factor. You can't be transparent with someone if you think they are going to hit you over the head with it.

The primary lesson for me is not to fall asleep at the wheel of my own life. I admire John for sharing this with his church. And I appreciate his church for being an example of what it looks like to want the best for her shepherd.

God bless you John. And God bless you Bethelehem Church.

Responses to Discipleship Questions

Yesterday, I had someone send me an email with 4 questions regarding discipleship and my thoughts on the subject. This was an interview they were doing for a class at a University. I thought I would share what I shared with this person. The 4 questions were:


1. How do you define being a "disciple"?
2. What is your vision for how Clearview can "make disciples" (strategies, methods, materials used, etc.)?
3. How do you evaluate success on an individual or corporate level?
4. What advice would you give to a minister just getting started and designing a discipleship program?

And my 4 responses were:

1. A disciple is one who has chosen to follow Christ, taking seriously what Christ said as well as what Christ did. If a person's life has not been changed and if it is not being changed daily by their relationship to Christ, they cannot call themselves His disciple. I would add something here we miss badly in American (Western) Christianity. If a person is not reproducing themselves in others they cannot call themselves a disciple. This is the entire meaning of the Great Commission. The Great Commission was not given to an organiztaion (the church) it was given to each of us as individuals.

2. Disciples are made through various types of accountable relationships focused on God's Word as the content of discussions as people do life together. This may be through 1 on 1 mentoring. This can be in a small group of people who know, love, and trust one another. Currently, we have a number of various kinds of these groups taking place in the life of ClearView. One thing for sure, discipleship is not a simple program. It is life on life. As far as curriculum is concerned, it must be Scripture driven if it is going to make disciples. I have seen a lot of topical stuff that is like eating cotton candy (and it gives the same result). I am not saying you can't start with a topic, but it must drive the person / group to dig into The Word or it is useless for discipleship. Discipleship is not about having some good "discussions" about our opinions. It must be about finding God's heart on the matter which can only be done by digging into God's Word.

3. This is tough. Evaluation of a heart is something only God can do. At best, we can observe behavior. For example, we still do not see the level of personal evangelism (a behavior of a disciple of Christ) on a broad basis that we should see. I still see individuls, families and marriages struggling in ways followers of Christ should not struggle. We have pockets of health, but overall, we have a long way to go as a church. One thing for sure, I do not consider numerical growth in any program (Bible studies or SS classes) as an accurate measure of discipleship. However, I do long to see MORE people involved in these opportunities that may help in discipleship. Hope that makes sense.

4. Start everything with HIGH accountability. We do not set the bar high enough as we begin discipleship. Jesus set the bar at the top when He said, "If you want to be My disciple, you must take up your cross daily ... you must hate mother, father, brother, etc. ..." We have dumbed down what it means to be a true Christ follower and as a result we have anemic churches made up of people who will one day cry out, "Lord, Lord, we cast out demons in your name ..." and He will say to them, "I never knew you". In my opinion, everything a church does depends on its intensity of its disciple making.