From Vision to Reality: GCWS

Five months ago I sat in a hotel breakfast lounge on the west side of the Sea of Galilee.  We were getting ready to head out to a day of exploring the beautiful land of Israel near Tiberias.  My roommate and I were just enjoying our delicious breakfast when none other but our pastor, Pastor Dan Betzer, joined us at our table.  Wow!  What an honor!  To have someone you respect so much take the time to eat breakfast with you is something not soon forgotten.

We were glad to have him join us.  Not people to be shy, we included him in our conversation and enjoyed the humor he infused into it.  Then he hinted at a project he was working on, a vision, really.  Something that had been on his heart for a while but that God was just putting the finishing pieces together for it - and they were coming together quickly.  That was all.  He didn't share anything except that God was working out something big.

Now, if you know anything about Pastor Betzer, you know that God doesn't put small dreams in his heart. You also know that when God puts dreams in his heart, he doesn't see them as dreams, he sees them as goals.  The great lesson I've learned under Pastor Betzer's leadership throughout the years has been faith.  Faith, faith, faith.  Not that you can't have doubts, but that faith does not have to be swayed by doubts.

That being said, we didn't think much more of the conversation, and we enjoyed a magnificent day of touring on our dream trip.

Fast forward to now.  Much has happened, you understand, between then and now, to make now a reality.  But this was the work God was doing in Israel: The Great Commission World Summit.  It's like a huge fundraiser, yes: the goal is to raise $50 million in one night, November 2, 2012.

But that is just the tactical end of things.  $50 million represents millions of lives impacted by the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  It is not about the money.  It's about what will happen with the money.  It's about getting Jesus into the hands of people who have not yet heard of him.  A project like this has a ripple effect that will last for generations to come.

Consider Paul's challenge regarding sharing the good news about Jesus:

"But how can they call on him [Jesus] to save them unless they believe in him?  And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?  That is why the scriptures say, 'How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!'" (Romans 10:14-15)

 You can be a part of lots of things that help spread the good news about Jesus, and I don't discount one over this one.  This is just another opportunity, and I encourage you to be a part of it, whether by coming to the event on Friday night, or by streaming it live, or by sharing it with people you know.

For information on the project, you can visit their website here.

The Great Commission World Summit from First Assembly of God on Vimeo.

Let's show the world the incredible gift of Jesus!

Fall Dress-Up Days

I talked with a friend recently who has decided to not let her kids participate in trick-or-treating festivities this year.  She said she had been doing a lot of research on Halloween and its history, and her and her husband felt strongly that they did not want to encourage their children to be a part of it.  She shared some of her research with her older child, but the younger one is still upset that they will not be able to go door-to-door.  Instead, she told me that they told their kids that they could still dress up, but that they were going to have a special candy festival at their own home.  They've decided to do a candy hunt, similar to an Easter egg hunt!

I highly respect my friend for her and her husband's decision to take responsibility for what their children participate in, and to educate them on why they have made their decision.  She is not trying to shelter them from the realities of life, but to present the realities in a safe environment for them to be able to fully understand them, and to learn how to react responsibly to them. 

It has been fun at my church this past weekend, though, because it was the start of our 2011 Missions Convention.  Obviously I'm a big fan of Missions, so this is a very special week to me.

In the light of my friends' decision about Halloween festivities, I'd like to share another fun way to dress up: participate in my church's Missions Convention.  For the last 2 years, we have opened up the convention with incredible stories of how lives are being changed all over the world because of people who care to share God's love.  Our choir has taken the role of representing as many countries as we can within our own attendance.  We each choose a country, dress up for that country, and carry their flag through the church and onto the stage where it sits in a slot with all the other flags.  Talk about fanfare. 

Don't get me wrong, the purpose is not to put on a show.  The purpose is to express our excitement and joy in sharing God's love and being a part of changed lives all over the globe.  And the purpose is also to share that joy so others can know about it and be a part of it. 

One of the fun things we get to do is to dress up for our countries.  Below I've shared a picture of me and two of my friends.  In order, we represent Switzerland, Japan, and Germany.

If you're interested in the whole thing, wait a few days and the service will be posted here:
http://famfm.com/videoaudio.php

I hope you all have a wonderful October 31st - whether you decide to dress up or focus on other things!  Seek God's purpose for how you should remember this day, and please share if you have more great alternative Halloween ideas!