Notes From The Footes in Ukraine

Ed Stetzer on the lack of global missions in the missional church

2009-11-09T09:27:00.003+03:00

I thought this post by Ed Stetzer was a good look at the current "missional" trend and how to not loose the meaning of global missions. Read it, it's good.

When is it okay to leave a church body?

2009-11-03T16:48:00.006+03:00

I recently read a blog post on TheResurgence by a guy named Jamie Munson that reminded me of something that I've been mulling over lately. A few months ago I started to think about how easy it is to justify leaving a church body and joining another church that we like better. The style of worship isn't right, the teaching isn't up to par, the people are mean...so many reasons to leave and yet we rarely think about the fact that the church is a living body of people who are knit together and when one member leaves that body it rarely happens without forming a gaping wound. My thinking led me to wonder when is it okay to leave a gaping wound, because it seems clear that there are times when we must leave a local body.

Munson was writing about some lectures that Dr. Gregg Allison gave and from those lectures Munson gave a list of good questions to ask before you leave your local church that seemed to be along the lines of the conclusions I came to:

Have I expended all of my opportunities to effect change in this church?
Will continued participation in this church exert a negative impact on my relationship with and worship of God, my ministry for Jesus Christ, the use of my spiritual gifts, etc.?
Do I have to compromise too much—essential doctrines and practices, a lifestyle in accordance with biblical values and principles—in order to remain in this church?
Do I have a legitimate reason for leaving? In a culture where church-hopping and shopping is the norm, I felt these were timely words for Christians to ask themselves before leaving their church so that we don’t flippantly move on from a place God may want us to persevere in.

Number two is fairly subjective to how the person feels but I think it is still valid, and I also think that negative impact on family could be added to it.

The beauty of the church is the unity in Christ of various people from various backgrounds. Without diversity the church would not be a body, it would be a club of people who like the sames things, have the same heritage, etc. Thus, my personal taste in musical styles, preaching styles, the type of people who attend a church are really not the reason not to attend a church nor the basis for finding a church. Being different from the other people in the body is often what God has in mind when He puts us in a church. Churches need older people who have lived longer, young people with zeal, a guy who is really excited about End Times, families with young kids, people who like hymns, the list goes on because we need the strength of those around us to help us in our weaknesses. If we leave because we feel that the church doesn't meet our needs, we are forgetting that maybe we are what that church needs (not to make more of ourselves than we should, but just that each member is needed in the body) and God put us there to help others not just so that we might receive.

These are somethings that I've been thinking over. What do you think?

Our week

2009-10-31T11:21:00.005+03:00

Monday: Had to go to Kiev to pick up official notarized translations of our passports and marriage license so that we could finish our registration process. Then in the afternoon Liese and I went to the local notary to sign an official petition that I was willing for my wife to be registered at the house that I own. Liese, unfortunately had a migraine.

Tuesday: Started the process of replacing our front door and windows of our entrance way.

Wednesday: Finished installing the windows and door.

We finished by early afternoon and then we went to help out at the church's monthly evening for senior citizens.

Thursday: Didn't go to the rehab center this week as they were busy with building projects for their pig farm, so instead Liese and I worked in the yard cleaning up leaves and the construction mess. We spent the evening with the Vitenko family from our church, with whom we've been getting together to talk about some of the questions they have about their faith.

Friday: Took a day off/sabbath day. Found out the registration process is done and we are registered as living in our house. Went for a walk in the park.

Saturday: The plan is to have a meeting in the morning, set up the digital projector at church so we can finally go digital with our overheads, worship band practice, and then relax.

Break it down

2009-10-23T20:13:00.002+04:00

5 thoughts on Faith

2009-10-20T13:29:00.003+04:00

Today while studying for Sunday's sermon on Hebrews 11:29-28 I read a sermon that John Piper preached on that section. He brought out five points about faith that I think are very helpful in thinking about faith.

...1... Through our faith God can and does work miracles and acts of providence to bring practical earthly help and deliverance to his people.

...2... God does not always work miracles and acts of providence for our deliverance from suffering; sometimes by faith God sustains his people through sufferings.

...3... Having faith is not the ultimate determining factor in whether you suffer or escape, God is - God's sovereign will and wisdom and love.

...4... The common feature of the faith that escapes suffering and the faith that endures suffering is this: both of them involve believing that God himself is better than what life can give to you now, and better than what death can take from you later.

...5... Those who love God more than life and suffer willingly awaiting something better than what this earth can offer, are God's great gifts to the world.

Thoughts after a (molotov) cocktail

2009-10-19T18:02:00.000+04:00

We've been in Ukraine about 8 years now and have gone through different sorts of hardships from pickpockets, to break ins, to harassment, and now to the threat of a group burning down our buildings. This week I've been thinking about all of these and how we react.

One of the things I've been thinking about is what I would like to have in life vs. what God has called me to as a Christian (just a Christian, not a missionary).

What I want:
- a warm, clean, efficient, good-looking house
- my family to be safe from harm
- peace and quiet
- family nearby
- good health
- to be able to afford to buy things that make life easier

What I have been called to:
- life as if my home was in heaven, not here on earth
- joy in the midst of suffering
- persecution for my faith
- serving the needs of others more than my own needs
- give because God has given to me

There are a few things that can be added to both those lists but those are the things that I have been contrasting in my head the last few days as I thought about the reality of a group of people attacking our church and given the reason that we are a protestant church. I realize that God doesn't call us to an easy, quiet life. Sure, God may give that to us but that is not the reward for being a Christian.

Liese and I have also been discussing the difference between suffering (in a general sense) and persecution. The reason we started to talk about it is because so often in response to things like this attack on our church people say things like "this just shows you are doing something right". That is an encouraging thing to say, but I'm not sure how true it is. I mean, were we doing something wrong before this sort of thing happened? So often adversity on the mission field, in a church anywhere, or on a mission trip is counted as a spiritual attack that is meant to stop us from finishing that good thing we started. And yet Jesus says that persecution is simply a result of us being like him, and Paul says that simply living godly will lead to suffering. Suffering is for our good, to purify us and make us holy. It is how God disciplines us and teaches us. Peter wrote that fiery trials are sent from God to test us. James said to consider it a joy when you are in various trials, knowing that trials produce in you many good things.

Suffering then is a sign that God is working in your life to make you holy and more like Him. It should be part of every Christian's life. It shouldn't always be considered a sign that whatever work you are doing is a great threat to satan and thus worthy of a satanic assault.

Earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, floods, crime, war...all these things bring suffering with them and yet they happen to everyone. God allows them to happen in our lives because through them He wants us to turn to Him as our great treasure instead of the things of this world.

We are going to suffer as God's way of purifying our faith. CS Lewis said that pain is God's megaphone to the world. This suffering and pain is for our good in the same way that children are disciplined for their good. Adversity and hardship are what makes us strong mature believers. Adversity is not out of the ordinary, a special attack, a sign that satan is not happy, a sign that the kingdom of this world is being threatened, or an affront to the kingdom of God. It is God's plan for our life to force our hearts to choose between this world and the world to come, to choose between our own selfish pleasures and God. Perhaps in God's plan suffering includes an attack from the enemy etc but I really don't think that should be the focus of what is going on. Peter and James and Paul all mentioned the fact that there is a spiritual war but none of them talked about it in regards to suffering, adversity, or persecution. By faith that we press on in spite of suffering knowing that Christ has already won the victory.

In the same way persecution for your faith should be a normal thing for a believer. And by persecution I mean physical attack, or physical hardship, not scorn or jest. It should be expected that we live such radically different lives from the world that the culture around us will be angry at us and want us out of the picture. Not that we are trouble makers, antagonizers, or the like. But simply that we are different in a way that threatens the status quo so much that people don't like it.

Those are some of the thoughts I've been having the last few days.

More than just vandalism

2009-10-14T19:13:00.003+04:00

For the last couple years some teenagers who think anarchy is really cool have been throwing rocks through windows at our church. The last incident was a year ago and we had hoped that it was the last. But this morning someone decided to break a window and throw a molotov cocktail into the childrens' ministry room.

We are not sure who exactly did it but we are pretty sure it was the local chapter of an ultra-nationalistic group of radical extremists, or as they are called around here "hooligans". We are still not sure how the police are handling the case, but we are going through with the paper work to file it as a case of arson and an attack with purpose to destroy property and harm people. Here is a picture of the room:

It didn't burn too much, mostly just a few square feet of floor boards, the wall, a chair, and Magdala's super cool golf ball game. Most of the damage is the soot that is covering everything.

Over the last few weeks various churches have been out on the streets promoting events like Seventh Day Adventist bible studies and a Charismatic healing crusade. This act of violence against our church could just be a reaction from this group against a perceived threat to Ukrainian culture by protestant churches. They spray painted on the side of our church "Scram Sects!" (at least that is how Liese translated it, and I like her translation).

We are praying about what steps to take for better security of our building and we'll be looking into a video surveillance system (because the police don't really want to try to track down who could have done it with no proof) as well as putting metal shutters on our first floor windows.

We have been studying Hebrews as a church and talking about holding fast to your faith in suffering, persecution, and having your possessions looted. This will be an interesting time for our church as we learn how to react to something bigger and more threatening than a broken window.

Summer 2009 Newsletter

2009-10-12T14:04:00.004+04:00

I finally finished putting together a pdf newsletter of our summer.

Click here to download it.

Fall Colors

2009-10-10T16:23:00.002+04:00

Back in Rehab

2009-10-08T19:19:00.004+04:00

Today I went out to the village of Sloboda (about 2 miles outside Kaharlyk) to the rehabilitation center that our church works with there. We had been doing a weekly bible study for the last year or so but stopped for the summer. Now that harvest is over we've decided to start the bible study again and today was the first day.

There is a whole new group of guys there (6 in all right now) and so I introduced them to the inductive bible study method and we started studying Colossians. Most of these guys will be here for about 9 months as they have already spent a few months in rehab in a center in Kiev.

After the bible study I went with Kyril (who runs the rehab center) to see the buildings they built over the summer for pig farming. The rehab center tries to be as self-sustaining as it can by farming, raising livestock, and having the guys in rehab working at local farms. Kyril had the idea to start a small scale pig farm in order to be more self-sufficient as well as provide longer term work for those in the rehab center if they should want to stay and work after completing the program. This summer they built a barn that will hold around 40 pigs. Right now they have about 15 pigs and over the next year will continue to expand.

Pondering Sunday's Sermon

2009-10-08T12:48:00.004+04:00

It's not called faith, that which doesn't involve risk.
It wasn't genuine faith unless, consequently, it's said that it was no risk.

(and 22 words at that).

John Newton on controversy

2009-10-05T11:03:00.003+04:00

Liese found this letter from John Newton and I thought it was worth posting as his thoughts on controversy are very helpful in how we conduct ourselves in an argument.

Self-righteousness can feed upon doctrines as well as upon works; and a man may have the heart of a Pharisee, while his head is stored with orthodox notions of the unworthiness of the creature and the riches of free grace. Yea, I would add, the best of men are not wholly free from this leaven; and therefore are too apt to be pleased with such representations as hold up our adversaries to ridicule, and by consequence flatter our own superior judgments. Controversies, for the most part, are so managed as to indulge rather than to repress his wrong disposition; and therefore, generally speaking, they are productive of little good. They provoke those whom they should convince, and puff up those whom they should edify. I hope your performance will savor of a spirit of true humility, and be a means of promoting it in others.

....We find but very few writers of controversy who have not been manifestly hurt by it. Either they grow in a sense of their own importance, or imbibe an angry, contentious spirit, or they insensibly withdraw their attention from those things which are the food and immediate support of the life of faith, and spend their time and strength upon matters which are at most but of a secondary value. This shows, that if the service is honorable, it is dangerous. What will it profit a man if he gains his cause and silences his adversary, if at the same time he loses that humble, tender frame of spirit in which the Lord delights, and to which the promise of his presence is made?

Monthly Evening for Senior Citizens

2009-10-02T18:39:00.002+04:00

This week we had our monthly evening for senior citizens. We served holubtsi with a layered salad and fruit salad for desert. Wayne shared from John chapter 3 about Jesus' meeting with Nicodemous and a couple from our church sang a few songs. Everyone enjoyed the evening and I had a good time talking with one couple about how they used to listen to American radio back in the 1950's (and of course about how badly things are going with the state of this world).

In Lumine - huge book shipment to Russia

2009-09-19T13:54:00.005+04:00

While we were in Chernigov last week we helped Jake and Olya prepare 2,600 In Lumine books to be shipped to Russia. Out of these books we will be filling two large orders as well as getting our books to a pastors' conference in Samara where John Piper will be speaking in October. Getting our books into Russia has been a huge obstacle for the last year and we finally found the legal way to do it which means we can now distribute In Lumine's books in Russia. We have been wanting to get our books into Russian Christian book stores but we have so far been unable to since we had no way of getting bulk shipments into Russia.

Here are some photos I took as Jake and I packed up and labeled books.

Stacks of "God is the Gospel"

Jake packing up "Don't Waste Your Life"

What would you do?

2009-09-19T11:55:00.004+04:00

Oh, The Temptation from Steve V on Vimeo.

I'd eat the first marshmallow right away because two marshmallows is way to much sugar

The Resurgence

2009-09-14T08:30:00.007+04:00

One of the blogs I ready pretty regularly is The Resurgence. It was started by Mars Hill Church in Seattle and over the last few months they have added a bunch of bloggers from the Acts29 network. This is what they say about themselves:

The Resurgence is a movement that resources multiple generations to live for Jesus so that they can effectively reach their cities with the Gospel by staying culturally accessible and Biblically faithful.

Here are a few posts I've been encouraged by reading:

- Christ vs. Self: Pinocchio Religion

- Healthy Pastors: Healthy Expectations

- Church Planters: Stop Wasting God’s Money

- Spiritual Disciplines: Service

Quite possibly the most electable candidate for change

2009-09-12T22:02:00.005+04:00

Humility

2009-09-11T09:40:00.001+04:00

Humility is the one grace in all our graces that, if we gaze on it, becomes something else. It flourishes when the gaze is elsewhere—on the greatness of the grace of God in Christ. - John Piper

(read the whole article)

New template

2009-09-10T14:14:00.003+04:00

We've been wanting to change our template for a while and I finally got around to doing it. I've got a few kinks to work out still but for now it is pretty minimalistic.

By the way did everyone see this? If so you can guess what I want for Christmas. Liese popped my happy bubble by asking "did they release Help! on DVD?" The answer to which is still no.

Newsletter in pdf form

2009-09-09T16:54:00.004+04:00

I figured people who are not on our mailing list but who read this blog may be interested in our newsletters. Since I recently discovered how to make pdf files from Illustrator documents I figured I'd do our last newsletter and post it here.

click here to download our Winter/Spring 2009 newsletter.

Second Editions

2009-09-08T11:05:00.005+04:00

In Lumine sold out the first book it printed, John Piper's "The Passion of Christ". So we are doing a second edition which I was kind of excited about because it means getting to write second edition on the cover and design a new cover.

I wanted the cover to have a sort of gruesome feel as the book is about the reasons why Christ had to suffer and die. But I also wanted it to be clean and only hint at what the subject of the book was. So this is what I came up with. The runner up that got nixed because of the script font is below. Some people just don't like script fonts, or so I've found.

Next up is Wayne Grudem's "Christian Beliefs" which hopefully will go to the printer in the next week or so. Then we there is a series of short biographies of Edwards, Luther, Augustine etc. that we will be printing as well as finishing the translation of Randy Alcorn's "Heaven".

Good quote

2009-09-06T09:36:00.002+04:00

Mortimer Adler, How to Read a Book (p. 140):

Teachability is often confused with subservience. A person is wrongly thought to be teachable if he is passive and pliable. On the contrary, teachability is an extremely active virtue. No one is really teachable who does not freely exercise his power of independent judgment. He can be trained, perhaps, but not taught. The most teachable reader is, therefore, the most critical. He is the reader who finally responds to a book by the greatest effort to make up his own mind on the matters the author has discussed.

ht: between two worlds

Driving School

2009-08-28T14:51:00.001+04:00

We recently started talking about getting our Ukrainian driver's licenses (we drive on our California licenses with temporary international permits) and realized that we need to make sure we could pass the test in Ukrainian. (Before that we have a lot of paperwork to do so we probably won't even start to apply for a license for a year). We saw that a friend had a diver's ed. manual so we talked to him about it and he gave us this DVD for driver's education to help us.

Maybe this is why it seems Ukrainian drivers don't take driving laws seriously.

Potato Season

2009-08-27T14:47:00.007+04:00

dThe end of August marks the beginning of potato harvest. If you ask people what they did over Independence Day weekend most will tell you that they dug potatoes.

This week we fixed up our root cellar to get ready for our potato harvest. We fixed up some old pallets we had lying around to hold potatoes and beets and carrots. I replaced the light fixture with one that wouldn't allow moisture into the light bulb contacts.

Liese dug up her potatoes today. That was part of the deal, she could plant them if she dug them up.

Evening for Senior Citizens

2009-08-27T14:33:00.005+04:00

This week our church had its monthly evening for senior citizens. We had a smaller gathering than normal but everyone seemed to enjoy being there and we had a couple new people come. Wayne spoke for a few minutes about the sermon on the mount as part of our summer series of short teachings from the bible.

Next week we are going to have a meeting with everyone who helps with these evenings to try to build a team and share the responsibilities of this ministry. Our goal is that more people in the church would take on responsibilities and that instead of one person organizing each event there would be a team of people working together each doing their part .