This is Joel's Old Blog

Zayd singing for Ovid

Ovid from Romania

I first met Ovid when he was just 7 years old when he came to America with his family and lived at our house in Texas. I was just 11 at the time. Our family sponsored his family to immigrate to America. He is now 29 and owner/developer of Wiresoft., a technology company.  His family now lives in Seattle and was able to spend some time with him!  Ovid wrote his first symphony when he was just 15 and has already placed patents on several technologies-  Talking to Ovid is always stimulating conversation and something I enjoy, altough I have to confess I don't understand many things he talks about in relation to technology.  If you are an investor, look out for his company in the days ahead!  Ovid is an inspiration, indeed!

natural to be on the road

it feels rather natural to be on the road again.  Belongings packed up, staying at different places, meeting new friends, seeing old friends, long drives, airplane rides.  Most feel "at home" when they are at home.  I think we feel "at home" while on the road.  We are in Portland now and just arrived with Zayd sleeping in the car and carrying up to the hotel room!  Those who it was great to see the past few days: Sky Dimond in Seattle Jason Mitchell in Dallas;  Darren Moore in Ft Worth (a new friend who I met through this blog)   I serve on the board of a group in Texas called WorldConneX and took a short trip down to Texas while Elise and Zayd stayed with Daniel and Holly Linquist north of Seattle (they do not have a blog)  Daniel is a navigator in the US Navy -- Holly was in our wedding and Elise was in hers!  They are old friends from Guatemala days with Engineers Ministry International -- gotta run... more soon

travel images

   

Pacific Northwest

We are all off tomorrow to Seattle. Joy, my wife's sister, is getting married on Saturday.  We then will be in the area for a few weeks and looking forward to seeing some friends in the area.  More to come soon!  We will be connecting with 2 communities: Imago Dei in Portland, OR  & Harambee Church in Seattle -

On a personal note, Zayd has surprised us the past few nights.  We fixed his baby bed to be like a little bed by removing one of the sides.  We have been really  having a "battle of the wills" (as most parents do with a 2 year old) in getting him to sleep in his bed vs MOMMY"S BED (why is it mommies bed and not daddies bed?) for the past few weeks. Well since he can get up in his own bed on his own, he has been going to sleep just fine and without a fight.  It has been quite nice, actually.  Give your kid to a chance to rise to the occasion, and they do it, at least some of the times!

Open door in Banda Aceh, Indonesia NOW

These 2 photos should speak for themselves of before and after the Tsunami on December 26, 2004. Do you have these skills? Do you know anyone who does?  If so, please email me - A short door of opportunity is open in Banda Ache, Indonesia.

In 1266, the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan requested: “Send me 100 men skilled in your religion … and so I shall be baptized, and then all my barons and great men, and then their subjects.” In a response that was too little and too late, years later the Pope sent just two priests who never made it to Mongolia.  In 1945, Douglas MacArthur said Japan is a spiritual vacuum…. Send me 1,000 “field laborers". Our response was too little and too late, and today Japan remains mainly unresponsive to the gospel. Today there are some regions of the world where spiritual darkness prevails and human suffering is tragic. One of these areas is Banda Aceh, Indonesia, that was completely destroyed during the December 26 Tsunami.   I realize that many of you are people who could pack up NOW and go and/or know others who want to. PLEASE CONTACT ME. There is a real strategic opportunity to fill positions in a newly created NGO by the local gov't. We are working on getting people in these positions that could open up numerous doors of opportunity for the gospel.

PLANNING & MONITORING
- 3 project analysts
- 2 spatial planning experts
- 2 project appraisal/evaluation experts
- 1 supply/logistics expert
INFRASTRUCTURE, HOUSING & LAND
- 1 road engineer
- 1 water supply engineer
- 1 water resource expert
- 1 housing specialist
- 3 land management specialists
RELIGION, CULTURE AND SOCIAL
- 2 project managers
EDUCATION & HEALTH
- 1 education expert
- 1 health expert
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- 4 capacity-building specialists
- 1 legal and judiciary expert
- 1 security expert
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
- 1 project manager
- 1 economist
- 1 agriculture expert
- 1 fishery expert
- 1 environment expert
COMMUNICATION
- 1 donor relations expert
- 1 report writer
OTHER
- 3 transparency experts

Apostolic Structures

I wish to begin writing some thoughts on some issues that are going on through my mind these days, both to help me process and to allow others to give me insight on this.. I realize that for some of you there may be little interest and others of you there may be higher level of interest.  I am reading several books on management and organizational growth these days and praying through future growth of our organization. It is an unknown future, yet one filled with much possibility to create and dream, something we are all created to do.     Ralph Winter writes in the most  Mission Frontiers, "No Human endeavor is as full of unforeseen, unexpectable, apparently unreasonable or certainly baffling obstacles. No role requires more inteligence, stability of heart and life, and more dogged endurance than the role of a serious missionary."   There is a current debate and struggle in many churches about the need for mission agencies in the future and churches alone being the sending structure to train, support, and pastor teams living and ministering throughout the world.  Indeed, the need for excellence and a degree of deep knowledge, both missiologically and culturally, is greatly needed for future workers in many parts of the world where there are few followers of Jesus and human suffering is the greatest. Currently, 350,000 short term volunteers go out every year from USA to the world -  There are an estimated 50,000 long-term American missionaries living around the world.  The growth of the body of Christ in the developing world lead some to advocate the need to NOT send Americans into the world but just our money to help.  I use to advocate this but have been struggling with the help and creation of new "apostolic structures" that need to be created in sending people to work along side other indigenous believers.  Apostolic is the idea of 'starting' / 'beginning' - The idea is that structures (organizations) are needed to help assist local churches to start and send workers around the world.  Acts 13, Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark are sent out from the church at Antioch and represent a structure that is an APOSTOLIC TEAM, connected to the church but NOT the church in its form.  Therefore, the need for organizations to serve the church and help the church in the west to send teams is crucial and much needed.

The Centrality of the Risen Christ among all nations!

Turn up your volume high as the music really spoke to me as it was a day of intense darkness in my soul.   CHRIST IS RISEN:  What happens when we truly believe in the Resurrection according to the scriptures:  Father Gregory of the orthodox church says, " There is no fear of death, There is nothing to harm us, Life makes sense, we are not talking to ourselves."

ENGLISH: Chris is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

Albanian: Krishti Ungjall! Vertete Ungjall!
Arabic: Al Maseeh Qam! Haqqan Qam!
Armenian: Christos harjav i merelotz! Orhniale harutjun Christosi!
Byelorussian: Khristos Uvoskros! Zaprowdu Uvoskros!
Chinese: Helisituosi fuhuole! Queshi fuhuole!
Coptic: Pikhirstof aftonf! Khen o methni aftonf!
Czech: Kristus vstal zmrtvy'ch! Skutec ne vstal!
Danish: Kristus er opstanden! Ja, sandelig opstanden!
Dutch: Christus is opgestaan! Hij is waarlijk opgestaan!
English: Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!
Estonian: Kristus on surnuist ülestőusnud! Tőesti ülestőusnud!
Finnish: Kristus nousi Kuolleista! Totisesti Nousi!Christ est Ressuscité! En Vérité, Ilest Ressuscité!
Gaelic: Erid Krist! G'deya! n erid she!
Irish Gaelic: Tá Críosd ar éirigh! Go deimhin, tá e ar éirigh!
Scots' Gaelic: Tha Crěosd air čiridh! Gu dearbh, tha e air čiridh!
Georgian: Kriste aghsdga! Cheshmaritad aghsdga!
Greek: Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!
Hebrew: Ha Mashiyach qam! Ken hoo qam!
Hungarian: Krisztus feltámadt! Valóban feltámadt!
Italian: Cristo č risorto! Č veramente risorto!
Japanese: Harisutosu Fukkatsu! Jitsu Ni Fukkatsu!
Latin: Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit!
Norwegian: Kristus er oppstanden! Han er sannelig opstanden!
Polish: Khristus Zmartvikstau! Zaiste Zmartvikstau!
Portugese: Christo Ressuscitou! Em Verdade Ressuscitou!
Rumanian: Hristos a Inviat! Adeverat a Inviat!
Russian: Khristos voskres! Voistinu voskres!
Serbian: Hristos Vaskrese! Vaistinu Vaskrese!
Slavonic: Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!
Slovak: Kristus vstal zmr'tvych! Skutoc ne vstal!
Spanish: Cristo ha resucitado! Verdaderamente ha resucitado!
Sweedish: Kristus är upstĺnden! Ja, Han är sannerligen uppstĺnden!
Syriac: Meshiha qam! Bashrira qam!
Ukranian: Kristos Voskres! Voistinu voskres!
Welsh: Atgyfododd Crist! Atgyfododd in wir!

34 Miles in 2 days with the McLarens

   I have been out of pocket to blog for a good many days. I just hiked 34 miles in 2 days with Brian McLaren and his son, Trevor, in Maryland.  We camped out 2 nights as temperature dropped down to 34 degrees!  Brian recently surprised me on April 12 in Indianapolis, along with 20 others for a time to celebrate the release of my book! Read more how I was blessed in a basement.  For many of you reading this you will know who Brian is but for some of you... you may not. He was just named by Time Magazine as 1 of the 25 most "influential" evangelicals in north America.   He was kind to invite me to spend 4 days with him and Trevor along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal trail.  I don't know if I have ever walked that far in my life in a 2 day period.. but surely not with a 30 lb pack on my back. Needless to say, I am pretty much in pain all over my body.  Our conversation and time together was very meaningful on many levels, personally and professionally.  Indeed, too much to share here on this blog.  Above else, Brian shares a real love for the world, the poor, and getting people involved in serving among the 'least of these'.  His energy with the Emergent organization (something he helped start) is going to be spent mostly globally in the upcoming future, something that we talked about a great deal.  The several hundred churches around the nation that have started that call themselves "emerging" are innovating new expressions of church, leadership, preaching, and worship. However, most of them are lagging when it comes to global ministry (in my opinion)  My voice for many years has one that has felt "alone" in the wilderness crying out for new wine skins, models, and ACTION in areas of global justice, collaborative efforts in world evangelism of serving rather than perpetuating the colonial model of global missions, and holistic mission that empowers the poor as well as proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom!   Not to mention our call to environmental concern as the body of Christ.   Brian is an avid bird, flower, and turtle expert and it was enjoyable to take notice of God's beauty. . Most importantly, Brian's character and spirit is one defined by humility and integrity and it was an honor to get to learn from him these past few days...

amazing photograph

What an amazing photograph!