Uniting the Body of Christ

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we had the pleasure of meeting with over 160 satellite host churches from all across North America.  Mainline churches, non-denominational churches and everyone in between gathered together to champion truth to their communities.  It was amazing to see a unified Body of Christ all committed to bring the truth claims of God into their own respective communities.

One pastor from Iowa just wrote us a note to say thanks for the conference, here's what he had to say:

Wow!!  I know you many be getting many e-mails after the conference asking for info or help or whatever.  This isn’t one of those. 

I want you to know that for me -- the most amazing part of the conference was meeting together with other Christians who all share a passion for the Truth of Christ and share a vision for taking that Truth into “all the world.”  God has used all of you at FOTF who are connected with TTP to craft a message that the world needs and now seems ready to hear.  His timing is perfect.  Each of you is gifted individually with so many talents and abilities – that God is using in harmony to accomplish His will.

I imagine that from your vantage point, the realization of God’s vision for this effort is hard to take in.  Yet, for us, in our local churches, we have so longed for a tool that would strike a chord or open a window or touch a nerve that would begin God’s process for transforming hearts through the renewing of minds.  TTP has been that tool.  We know that because God has used it to change us, too.  Personally, I have only been through the series 11 times so far – but I expect to be to 15 by December!!  The impact that this has had on my life and walk with Christ is more that I could have ever dreamed – our grown children and their spouses, along with so many in our church have experienced the same awakening.

God bless all of us in the months ahead – He is awesome.

Champion Training Today!

Today is a big day for our ministry and our team.  We're thrilled to welcome over 160 churches and up to 350 pastors and lay leaders to our campus in order to equip them to host The Truth Project Simulcast Training September 27th.

Dr. Tackett, President Jim Daly and H.B. London will be presenting content related to worldview, as Bill Dallas and his team from Christian Communications Network train our host sites on how to run the satellite training.

Please join us in prayer that the Lord will bless our efforts as we seek to encourage these pastors and churches to champion truth in their respective communities.

Bucket List

Many of you have probably seen the movie "Bucket List" with Jack Nicholson.  In short, it's a timely and poignant look at what's really important in life, and going after those things prior to one's final day here on this planet.  I don't know about you, but I've got a "bucket list" of top priorities to do before I die.  They include:

    1. Making a hole-in-one in golf
    2. Traveling Europe with my wife
    3. Experiencing an African Safari
     4. Watching a Duke basketball game in Cameron
    5. Run a Marathon
    6. Giving away my two little girls at their Wedding

One of them is coming true this weekend.

On Valentines Day, an old friend called me out of the blue and informed me that he has free tickets to a Duke basketball game in Cameron Indoor Stadium for this Saturday. He asked if I'd like to fly out and join him.  At first, I dropped the phone, then stammered a response of...

"Holy Cow, are you kidding, it's something I've dreamed of doing before I die. Watching a game at Duke is on my bucket list!"

And while I'm elated to have the opportunity to cross this off my list, it occurred to me just how selfish my list is.  Most of the things I want to do before I die consist of things that benefit me, not so much others.  In short, I've bought the lie the world is selling that "It's ALL about ME."  Not one of my bucket list opportunities has much of anything to do with serving others or advancing the Kingdom.  Oh, they aren't bad things, but from an eternal perspective, they are all exceptionally temporal.

And so, in the word's of Derek Webb

 

  "I confess to my pursuit of the American Dream
    of living like I deserve Anything
    of my house, my kids, my wife
    in our suburb where we are safe and white."

I'm working on a new "Bucket List", one that, from a Biblical worldview, falls in line with God's eternal perspective on my life and the life of others.  Instead of collecting a list of things that would prove my worth and significance, I hope to create a list of things that will carry on far beyond my days here on earth.  A list that will resonate in eternity, a list that ties into God's Metanarrative.  A list consisting of giving vs. taking, of serving vs. being served, of loving vs. being loved, of denying self and taking up the cross daily.

As you journey through The Truth Project, we pray that your life will be transformed, that instead of seeking your own plans and dreams, that we would all have the courage to give our lives away to others in service and in love, just as Christ did.

I need to go create a new Bucket List!

Back From the Cold

Wow!  Minnesota in February is COLD!!!  It's hard to describe just how cold 40 below wind-chill feels, but trust us, it's cold.  And yet, in the midst of an arctic blast we experienced the warmth of new friends and the universality of acceptance and welcome from the Body of Christ in Hastings, MN. 

This Saturday, 540 people from all across the Midwest joined us at the Harbor Church in Hastings for our fourth Local Training Conference. 

We are blessed to travel around the country and meet so many amazing believers from all walks of life who are living out their worldview on a daily basis.  This weekend, we experienced this on a whole new level.  Pastor Jim Anderson, his staff and an army of volunteers from the Harbor Church welcomed us with open arms and warm hearts.  They modeled Christian love and community to us as they accepted us into their church and served our every need.

We are deeply humbled to partner with you and pray the Lord will bless your work in Hastings as you live out His high call in your community.

Christian Community

My Sunday School class is studying Acts, one of my favorite books in the Bible.  I think it's my favorite because of the historical context surrounding the birth and growth of the Church.  I am always amazed at how quickly the early Church wrapped itself around the concepts of living out what Jesus had taught and done in their midst.  Amazingly enough, they lived out their faith together, sharing life, experiencing intimate fellowship and caring for one another.  Their beliefs directly affected how they lived out life.  This new life they adopted was centered in community and fellowship.

Acts 2 reminds us once again about the importance of community.  I wonder if we miss it even in reading about it:

"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place"
                                                                                Acts 2:1

And later on in that same chapter we read:

"They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer...All the believers were together and had everything in common...Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts."
                                                                            Acts 2: 42-46

I'm not sure where you are in the life of your Truth Project small group.  However, I pray that as you begin or complete your group, that you too will taste the joy and wonder of living life together with other believers and that The Truth Project will be a catalyst for continual community in the life of your church.

The Truth Project Team