It's "PRE" not "POST"!

Just reading an article explaining worldviews in some social-critical psuedo-hip terminology as "POST-modern"...it's the sense that the world is leaving the 'moorings' of modern thought, (as though 'modernity' was a splendid philosophy to build our lives on!) - the fragmentation of authority and so on...

WELL - here's the rub... it now creeps into the emerging church language as a worldview that we live in a "POST-Christian" culture... that our culture (viewed from my bias as a U.S. citizen) has lost the moorings of its God-based foundation - in a strange twist of reflection that pines the 'good old days' were really the "Godly days" - well sin has always been a corrupting agent, and ever deadly - whether it was the friend who drowned on a drug trip in '68, kids in a drunken wreck in '38 or a shooting in poly in '07...

So - let's agree that perhaps, it wasn't MORE Godly in '42 than it is now...just somewhat less uncovered...
NOW - stay with me... let's see if maybe, in the sovereignty of God - It's "PRE" not "POST"!

God always took His people 'out' in order to take them 'in' - out of Egypt to go in to the Promised Land...
He is always a God of the "future and a hope" - so he is forward thinking... it is not about your past, but about your future that He is busy about right now...it may be about healing of the past, but the healing is for your future...

Job is misquoted as saying "the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away" - he didnt say that... read first chap. again - but that's another time - there is in context though, a concept that was understood by Job and the ancient philosophers...in fact in the NT Hebrews, the writer states that 'God took away the first, to establish the second" - OK, here's the BIG DEAL - It is a circle - (eccl. the way of the righteous winds ever upward) God takes so He can give...He is ever after EXPANDING YOUR CAPACITY! And, it is always about leading you toward your future! ...circular - He gives, takes away, expands, gives, takes away, expands, gives...

God changed Abram's name to Abraham not reflecting what had already happened (though it had in the spiritual realm) but so he would be focused on HIS FUTURE... everytime Abraham said his name, he was speaking faith into his future!

SO - in the redemption of the Cross...YOU ARE NOT DEFINED BY YOUR PAST, BUT YOUR FUTURE!
now, let's look at reality of our world...
are we really a 'Post-Christian' culture? Did we have so much in the past, that it could never be better, stronger, larger?
NO!! Listen... here it is...finally... just another second!! -

WE are living in a "Post-Religion" culture...a century full of traditions, myths and divisive doctrines... and we are headed FROM a religious/institutional era INTO the greatest days of the church... out of - into...

catch this...get the perspective...listen openly...

THIS is the "PRE-CHRISTIAN" ERA! Now, doesn't that get you pumped!? The greatest expansion of theKingdom is just ahead of us... not behind us... we are focusing on the future, defined by our dreams, fueled by hope and lifted by faith...it's just ahead of us... The Christian Revolution... and today is the "Pre-Christian" era, setting the foundations in order...

WE are on the cusp, looking forward, not back...moving forward, not static... cranking into a brilliant "PRE-CHRISTIAN" era of spectacular victories...C'mon brothers-let's do this thing!!


think.live.grow.

grace/peace-paul

OK... it's all good...

Hectic but totally wonderful Christmas season - Christmas productions, wonderful family times, special services at church, relational coffee times, and such like (KingJames) - but, OK, many of you have busted me on not blogging-keeping up with stuff...so, I started this blog to be a very ministerial sort of report on the men's movement as we travel around the world - no travel, no blog - but, perhaps as my son Brandon, nephew Seth and son-in-law Niles work on our new website, I'll make this decision -
we'll do reports on this blog and on the website, but I will also use this blog for updates on all things men's movement related - connecting to guys like team from Mozambique a few weeks ago, on phone today with leader in Grenada, NewMan magazine going all digital, working on details for the Feb trip to Peru and So. America..etc.
got it... it's all good - it's all God!
- talk soon...
grace/peace
paul

LONDON

Quick and productive trip to London - Great men's event Saturday hosted by Emmanuel Christian Centre with Pastor Doug Williams - many local pastors there, great response and great results... CMN-UK Director Felix Ajaya was very excited about response in that meeting, the Sunday events, and meetings with leaders during the weekend... London is a pivotal city, crossroads of the world - met with UK leader Dr. Rod Anderson (CMN Board) and good friend Robin Hancox (in from Atlanta) - we set the stage for future growth with great times of strategy and planning... (if you are going through London in '08 let us know, we need you to meet with pastors and churches in the area... God has opened a very effective strategy to us there...)
Pastor Doug Williams told me he was "signing on" - wants to be a key part of the men's movement in UK and Europe - Pastor Doug is top leader in the UK, speaks at many major conferences in Europe, has met with private group of world-leaders with Bill Hybels, he will be major influence in the UK and beyond...
computer broke down as I left Dallas, that was difficult...will send report tomorrow about Rob Hrabak's ministry in Chile and John Arana was just in Nicaragua... lots going on - '08 will be spectacular! Keep praying for the Global Momentum Tour!
getting on another plane, grace/peace paul.

Invested Thanksgiving holiday into the children of Juarez, Mexico

Great way to say "Thanks" for the blessings of God is to help those who are in poverty...we did that with a team from our church over the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday - took 1,000 pairs of shoes to children living in some of the roughest parts of the border town of Juarez, Mexico. Partnering with some wonderful churches, some missing a wall, some without adequate roofing, but all filled with wonderful people - one single mom with 7 children told one of our team, these shoes were the first Christmas presents her children will have ever received in their lives...amazing...humbling.
We did cake and cokes for the kids, hair and face painting - had many salvations and the churches were greatly blessed - by giving them the shoes, they become the source of help for many families in the weeks to come...that's really significant...
Led by one of our young leaders, Pablo Contreras, "Hope for the Sole" is now becoming a well known outreach across Juarez, many of the evening outreaches were filled with guests... at one church we gave pizzas to over 200 people - many of them first time guests - the pastor was elated! (seems the local radio station heard about us, and got the word out) This is an example of staying after a vision - 6 years ago we made pancakes for the children in the dump, 5 years ago we sent 75 pairs of shoes, 3 years ago I drove down with just me and Pablo and 200 pairs of shoes, last year we took 350 pairs and 16 people, this year 1,000 pairs and 24 people! Next year? Help us with the shoes! We'll have details out in February... and, the new video from this outreach will be on our church website by next week... www.hopechurch.tv - you can see last years outreach on there now... (we hit snow, sleet, highways filled with wrecks - 9hr. drive took 12 - team hung tough... proud of them!)
off to London in the morning - grace and peace to you - paul

Honduras!

CMN Board member Pastor John Arana from Arlington just completed events in Honduras... he reports, "The trip was magnificent! Bottom line, we had 300 pastors and Church leaders. Taught on Pattern of God for Ministry; God disciples Pastor, Pastor disciples man and the man disciples his family. Taught on Max Man 5 sins and "Man the Image of God" from CS&M.
Paul, They were mesmerized, with the teaching. It was like they had found gold! I made an altar call and 80% of them came forward for prayer and healing of their families and ministries. Pastors and leaders were weeping, broken before God as I saw with my very eyes how the word was healing them, setting them free from their failures and giving them a new hope and strategy for ministry." Isn't that a great report!? And John is headed to Guatemala today and Nicaragua next month. Let's keep it going! grace/peace - paul.

Orlando-NCMM

Over 50 top leaders of the men's movement met for couple days this week in Orlando - leaders from major denominations, servant ministries, writers and publishers...(National Coalition of Men's Ministries) we have been meeting in an intimate executive session like this every year for over a decade - being brothers - united in heart and purpose. Great friendships have been established here, tremendous ministries to men have started here - we have met in the mountains, at retreat centers, but always with a heart to help each other, encourage each other and see the hearts of men transformed!

CMN is one of the few ministries that is global in focus and execution... they all wanted to hear what we were doing around the world - great report and I trust it will provoke some of the men to go to the nations!! - and I met with Larry Malone, head of the men's ministry for the Methodist Churches around the world - shot a video with him - he's a great ally and friend - we will be working with the Methodist men in a global context - I believe God is opening doors for us in every nation of the world - here we go!
grace and peace -paul.

Argentina-wrap

Why we go!