Missions Support

February 18, 2011

Dear Friends:
I hope and trust that this letter finds you well. I wanted to share two exciting opportunities I have been afforded by my local church, Calvary Revival Church, to serve on the mission field.
This summer, I will be embarking on a missions’ trip to The Dominican Republic from June 20th-June 27th 2011. I will work very closely with Pastor Ruben M. Dominguez Sr., and his wife Vickie. Pastor Dominguez is the president of H.O.P.E Dominican Republic, a ministry geared to Help Others Pursue Eternity through evangelism, training and benevolence. He is also the Pastor of Iglesia Evangelica Vida en Cristo and the overseer of a village church and an inner city church in the Dominican Republic. While in the Dominican Republic, we will have the opportunity to conduct leadership training with the staff of Iglesia Evangelica vida en Cristo as well as helping out with their Vocational Bible School (VBS) camps throughout the week. We will also be involved in their main worship services during the week and looking forward to see how God will use the team as we labor with the DR church family.
I also will be embarking on a trip to Bosnia, a country that still remains a multi-religious, multi-ethnic, war torn, impoverished and broken land. I will be working alongside Minister Vanja Bule, Director of the National Camps, called EMEK BERAKA. For two months each summer, this camp ministers to all age and social groups (children, teens, youth, adults, leaders, and poor people). Emek Beraka normally hosts about 400 campers, an average of about 50-80 participants per camp. It is worth noting that Bosnia and Herzegovina have fewer than 400 evangelical believers in the whole country. Most of the people that come through the camps are unchurched and have not heard the Gospel of Christ. While in Bosnia, we will have the opportunity to help Minister Bule, along with the Emek Beraka staff in whatever capacity they need for us to serve. Our end goal is to share the Gospel with the teens and youth that will attend these camps.

Here is my request:
•Your prayerful consideration of giving financially to help meet these needs:
A. The estimated budget for the Dominican Republic trip, which includes airfare, transportation while in the DR, accommodation, and meals, is $1500.00. Checks can be mailed to me but made payable to Calvary Revival Church and in the memo section, if you could write my name and the mission, e.g., Jane Doe-DR Contribution. Our deadline to have money turned in is April 15th.
B. The estimated budget for the Bosnia trip, which includes airfare, transportation, and meals, is $2000.00. Any support from you will be greatly appreciated. Checks can be mailed to me or CRC, but made payable to Calvary Revival Church and in the memo section, please write my name and the mission, e.g., Jane Doe-Bosnia Contribution. Our deadline to have money turned in is April 15th.

• Should you desire to mail the check directly to the church, please see details below:
Calvary Revival Church
Strategic Outreach Ministries
5833 Poplar Hall Drive
Norfolk, VA 23502
Attention: Dr. Towera Nyirenda

• Your prayer for traveling mercies, ministry opportunities, and good health as we get ready for the trip and while in each country.

In the event that I raise money above the estimated budget, I will make a contribution to any needs the VBS camps or Iglesia Evangelica Vida en Cristo may have to help offset some of their expenses.
If you have any questions or would like more information about the trip, please feel free to contact the Director of Outreach, Dr. Towera Nyirenda at tnyirenda@crcglobal.org or (757) 321-9711.
Thank you for affording me this opportunity to share this letter with you.


Grateful,

Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 6:24-27

^24(N)They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the ^[a]house of the LORD.

²⁵However, ^(O)Rahab the harlot and her father's household and all she had, Joshua spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for ^(P)she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

²⁶Then Joshua made them take an oath at that time, saying, "^(Q)Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates."

²⁷So ^(R)the LORD was with Joshua, and his ^(S)fame was in all the land.

The ability to keep one’s word is of utmost importance for the Kingdom leader; without it the leader very quickly becomes impotent. For an individual in whom people are following because of their relationship with God, keeping one’s word is synonymous with honor. It could be alleged that the quality of one’s leadership is determined by the excellence of their character. From the perspective of the follower, it is nearly impossible to trust a leader who does not keep their word. Once trust is breached it is difficult to reestablish. The leader can not show partiality he or she must keep their word to everyone. It is just as important to keep your word to the lowly as it is to keep your word to the exalted. If this is done consistently, the leader has the creditability to hold others to their word, and more importantly God will support the prophetic utterance when it is given. Look at vs. 25 …Rahab the harlot and her father's household and all she had, Joshua spared.” Joshua honored the spies’ oath and because of it Rahab the harlot – who is a biological decedent of Jesus Christ—was spared. Thus, Joshua honored the spies’ word given to the harlot; this simple act is indicative of the value Joshua placed on honoring one’s word. Furthermore in vs. 26 we see Joshua establishing a curse with an oath… Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho. The interesting thing is just as Joshua honored the word of the spies we see God honoring the oath of Joshua’s prophetic pronounced over Jericho, which illustrates the value God places on honoring one’s word. So we see, the capability to keep one’s word is paramount for the Kingdom leader; without it the leader quickly looses his or her ability to lead God’s people.

Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 6:1-2

¹ Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

² Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.”

One of the most crucial skills a Kingdom leader must have is the ability to see through God’s eyes. This means many times the Kingdom leader cannot depend on graphs, stats, analysis, or even his or her own sight. But, the leader must by faith see what God sees and respond accordingly. This is a precarious situation at best. How many times did we see under Moses’ leadership the Hebrews relying on what their five senses conveyed instead of what God said? Imagine the difficulty of leading three million people and half of them are grumbling because the leader is making decisions based upon data they cannot sense. Do you think doubt ever crept into the Joshua’s mind? Do you think Joshua ever second guessed himself? Do you think the people ever thought, “Here we go again”? Look at Joshua 6 vs. 1-2: Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. It’s time for a little background speculation here—it is argued that Jericho is where civilization originated. Moreover, there are many other scholars who believe the Nephilim (giants) lived in Jericho as well. Regardless of the facts, Jericho was a walled and fortified city and in vs. 1 it states that the gates were securely barred and no one went out or in. Thus the possibility of discouragement was prevalent because (1) the nomadic Israelites did not have the resources for a prolonged siege and (2) sieges have a high casualty rate. Nevertheless, look at what God says, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands…” Here in lies the crux of the matter, the people see the problem, but God sees the conclusion, thus it’s the responsibility of the Kingdom leader to get the people to look through God’s eyes and not his or her own. A vital ability a Kingdom leader must have is the knack of perceiving through God’s eyes. Often the Kingdom leader cannot depend on his or her own vision. But, the leader must by faith see what God sees and respond in view of that.

Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 5:13-15

The Fall of Jericho

¹³ Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

¹⁴ “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

¹⁵ The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

I remember one time getting into a debate with a relative and some friends of mine and “not” taking my family members side in the argument. My actions may be perceived as being disloyal, but being a Kingdom man I have been taught always to fall on the side of truth. Nevertheless, my family members assumed I would blindly support their position. However, by the time the debate ended they found out that this was not the case, and they were thoroughly disappointed. I would like to think my position was the side of truth. And, I would like to think I am the type of leader that regardless of what predicament I am in that I would not compromise truth. I believe in principles. Now I can see the embarrassment this family member felt as they discovered that I would not stand with them because their reasoning was flawed. Albeit, to me truth trumps family and feelings. Perpetuating truth should always be the goal of a debate. Yet, my actions came with consequences. But, a boundary was set, and my core values were made completely evident to all involved. Sometimes even as Kingdom leaders we find ourselves embarrassed because we assume that regardless of our actions, God is always on our side since we have decided to live a life of faith and obedience to Him. Looking at the Scripture we quickly see Joshua receiving a wake up call and a reminder that the Lord is only on the side of truth, which is His own side…. In vs 13 Unknowingly Joshua is facing the commander of the Lords army. Joshua has just asked the man “Are you for us or for our enemies?” and the commander has a sobering response! “Neither” Wow! Are you telling me God is not on the side of Joshua and the Jews, God’s chosen people. I am sure a torrent of emotions flooded Joshua’s mind, but we see him recover and respond the best way a kingdom leader could at the sovereignty of God. He bowed his will, humbled him self, and obeyed the commanders request to “Take off his sandals.” So often we assume because we follow the Lord that everything we do happens to be “for the purposes of God,” but we must keep in mind that only He is completely holy and as long as we remain humble he will continue to use us in His plan. Nevertheless, we must remember we are on God’s side…He is not on ours!!

We have one body

“We have one body, and if we would like to successfully fulfill the call of God on our lives, then we need to maintain our temples,” said Dawniqua Linyear a Christian fitness trainer and figure competitor. The conversation was over and she had proved her point. Me, a one time professional athlete was officially out of shape and out of God’s will for my life. I started to think how I got this way. At one time I bench pressed over four hundred pounds; ran a forty yard dash in 4.3 seconds; and had less than 3% body fat. But, now as I look in the mirror I don’t see that man anymore. More of her words started to play in my mind. “You are an athlete why are you so out of shape?” I know she was joking, but there is always a bit of truth in humor. I guess I never considered the spirituality of our bodies. I reckoned keeping the temple “holy” was all that was required of me – since I have never heard a preacher even broach the topic of gluttony. I deduce the reason why I worked so hard to keep myself in shape in the past was a result of my desire to perform on the football field. And, I suppose because I stopped playing, I lost the motivation to stay in shape. I am not saying its right, it’s just what happened. Alright time to confess, I have been out of football ten years now, and currently I am the youth pastor of a larger urban church in the Hampton Roads area. And, when I am asked to minister to youth across the country, the one calling card that opens more doors for me than my education or anointing is the fact that I played pro football. As a result, I am always asked to partake in some athletic event to engage students. But, because I am not in shape and because I know if I were to attempt to participate in any athletic activity, I would not only get embarrassed, but also get hurt as well. For various reasons I did not see being in shape as a part of my Kingdom Calling. Yet, I can vividly remember being in Bosnia Herzegovina, which is located in Eastern Europe, at the Emek Beraka camps ministering to Muslims and being asked to help run some basic athletic activities and having to pull out because I was not in any shape to help out. At the time I thought it was a funny way of getting out of the physical labor, but now I feel convicted and certain that I missed a myriad of opportunities to reach souls for Christ. Additionally, in the fall of 2009, I was a part of a mission’s team that went to Haiti to speak at a leadership conference, distribute goods at a medical clinic, and preach the gospel at several churches. I literally preached 7 sermons in two days and was dead tired; my fatigue was not only a result of the volume of sermons preached but it was because the temperate in Haiti was very high. I remember feeling as though I could not go on. But, after hearing Ms. Linyear’s words I realized I had not been a good steward of my temple, and if I had been, I would have had more energy to minister to the people and build relationships after I spoke. Instead I felt like I had to be whisked away due to exhaustion. Once again Ms. Linyear voice rings in my mind, “People fail to minister in areas that they refuse to practice. It's easy to talk about spiritual maturity and growth in Christ, which takes a certain level of discipline, but the truth is, God has already provided the blood, sweat and tears in this area, we just need to walk in it. Living a healthy and balanced lifestyle is a challenge physically, mentally emotionally and spiritually, and it takes extreme levels of discipline, along with some sweat and tears of our own.” I realized what she was saying was that being in shape is an act of worship! Why had I not seen it before? Being is shape is not just my responsibility or the responsibility of the missionary but it’s the responsibility of every believer. Remember the words of Christ, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' (Matthew 25:23). When it comes to being physically fit most believers reference 1 Timothy 4:8 and use it as a way of devaluing exercise. 1 Timothy 4:8 reads, “ 8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” What the NASB and KJV translates as “profiteth little” in Greek is translated “for a short time”. in Js 4:14, and could be translated the same in 1 Ti 4:8 The text is not saying that exercise has lesser value in contrast to spiritual exercise because the same adjective is used to qualify both actions. The text communicates both practices are beneficial, but the former practice will only last as long as we have these mortal bodies, and the latter practice will be beneficial throughout all eternity. But it doesn’t communicate that it does not profit us or that it is valueless to the believer. We must understand that our bodies are extremely valuable to us while in our possession. Now if it is true that [w]e have one body, and if we would like to successfully fulfill the call of God on our lives, then we need to maintain our temples… then what a tremendous value a fit body can be to the believer…