December Update

O Come, O Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appears. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

This is one of my favorite songs and favorite times of year. I think what I love most about Christmas time (actually, the Advent season) is the anticipation. So often our life is simply the never-ending list of things to get done, bills to pay and problems to solve. Each day looks suspiciously like the one before and there isn’t much to look forward to beyond the weekend.

But Advent cultivates a much more appropriate attitude. Everywhere we look people, including many who have no idea why, seem to be waiting for something to happen.

For some it might simply be longing for the next shiny gadget or useless doodad. BUT, I think that even in the hearts of the most consumeristic and self-centered person, it is the Holy Spirit who is fanning the flames of anticipation.

The past couple months have been a challenge for our family and the Christ Journey community. Many of you know that I’ve had to take on another part-time job in order to make ends meet. I’ve been substitute teaching anywhere from 3-5 days/week in Mansfield. Adding this 25-40 hour/week job to my full schedule has not been easy, but it hasn’t been all bad either. I’ve been able to develop some friendships among teachers and students, particularly at Legacy High School where I try to do most of my subbing.

While the added work load has made family time a little more difficult, we’re slowly starting to develop some rhythms. The boys are all growing and doing well. The most life changing development has been Josiah’s decision to pursue a career as a super-villain. We are convinced that God blessed us with this talented and energetic mastermind to keep us from feeling too confident about our parenting skills!

Since my last update I’ve lead a Sabbath retreat for about 25 youth ministers, finished my CoachNet/Mission Alive certification as a ministry/missionary coach, completed another course for my D.Min. at SMU Perkins and applied for the emergency teacher certification program with iteachTEXAS.

Each of these play an important role in our process of working toward being self-supporting for the long-term. Retreats and coaching are important for work here in Burleson with Christ Journey and new house churches. However, they also provide an opportunity for some additional income from time to time and are a part of the leadership program I’m developing through SMU.

This spring I’ll be working with my project advisor on a guided study/reading course to dive deeper into issues of new monasticism and will write my first draft attempt at a 2 year proposed curriculum for training “lay leaders” in a new monastic/missional ministry context.

This will be the first concrete step toward launching what we hope will be both an accredited program for affordable missional/monastic leadership training within SMU/Perkins and also will serve the Christ Journey and Mission Alive communities as a residency program for church planting and missional leadership training.

The iteachTEXAS thing...well, we do what we must to continue living out this calling. We are very grateful for our friends and family who’ve supported us financially and for those who continue to do so. However, as we’ve begun year two of our work in this area, the reality of our financial situation has been less than optimum. The church that had partnered with us during year one was not able to renew this year. We were blessed last year with some substantial special one-time gifts and one year commitments. And as we continue to mourn the passing of some very special people in our lives, the pain and regret of not seeing their name on an envelope each month goes well beyond finances.

We rejoice that several more friends and family have teamed up with us financially However, we have not, as of yet, been able to connect with enough new partners for the upcoming year. Part-time jobs have filled in the gaps so far, but unless we have some unexpected breakthroughs in fundraising, we are going to need something more substantial.

I would not consider teaching high school to be my life’s calling and do not plan to make a long-term career out of it. With that said, I do have a deep love for teaching, a heart for connecting with teenagers and (I believe) a certain level of giftedness in both. The teaching schedule should allow me the flexibility to finish my work at SMU, continue worshipping with and serving the Christ Journey community on Sundays, and connecting (albeit less than I would like) with our friends in Shenandoah and other areas.

If I am able to find a job teaching this next fall, we will still have 9 months to cover financially. I hope to lead retreats and do some coaching this spring/summer, but as of right now we are in need of around $11,000 to make up the shortfall of our current support level and expected income from subbing (those summer months are a big question mark!)

We count on your prayers and we continue to ask (as a friend of ours is known to say) that, “the God who owns the cattle on all those hills will sell a few for us.”

In addition to our personal family struggles, the Christ Journey family has experienced some serious challenges due to finances as well.

Our desire is to emulate Christ - The One who ate with everyone, offered compassion and company to sinners and the broken but who issued a very strong challenge to those who would be called disciples. We are seeking to function as a community - involved and invested in one another beyond scheduled worship times. And we are truly concerned about connecting with those who do not know about the Community of God which is available through Christ.

We are connecting with people in racquetball courts, restaurants, classrooms and front yards. The development of relationships based on love for others is powerful. No one is required to get their act together before they’re welcome to share a meal. But the call to follow Jesus is still an invitation to “come and die.” And this message has always received a mixed response.

Make no mistake, ministry is happening, the good news is being proclaimed to those who haven’t heard and hurting people are finding a place of healing in the Body of Christ, but that doesn’t always translate into money in a bank account.

Because of our financial struggles Christ Journey is no longer gathering in Old Town on Sundays - currently we are meeting together at the home of Mike and Pam Toole, who have a wonderful house that was literally built for such hospitality. Also it has become necessary for Chris to take on a bi-vocational approach. In addition to a couple part-time jobs, he too is getting emergency teacher certification.

While our current situation may leave some things to be desired, we believe that this is a tremendous opportunity for the work of planting churches in this area. Christ Journey is being forced to think seriously about what it means to live out our faith in community; the opportunities for shared leadership abound and we have a perfect setting in which to imagine together.

I leave you with a condensed snippet from a book I read recently which heightens my excitement about what we’re experiencing together:

“[The desert monastics] knew something was wrong with the Church, but they couldn’t see any alternatives from where they were. Their location blinded them, holding their imagination captive...

Why does God call the people of Israel out into the desert to receive the Law and learn a new way of life?...I think it’s because God wanted Israel to learn to see something that they could not see from Egypt. They had been blinded and held captive by Pharaoh’s dominant system...

They needed to go into exile, to live as aliens and strangers in a land that didn’t belong to them so they could remember who God had called them to be...In a land that they did not own and where they were not in control, God’s people remembered the desert vision and imagined new ways of living it out in all the world.” From Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove’s New Monasticism, pg 77-80.

May the Lord expand our ability to both anticipate and experience life in the renewed Kingdom!

August/September 2009

We are rapidly approaching the one year anniversary of our move to Burleson for the purpose of mission work in the south Fort Worth region. I’ve tried to send regular updates over the past months and on the eve of a new school year I submit this expanded description. (If you haven’t gotten our regular updates via email and would like to, let me know!) Great things have occurred in our lives and the life of our community and we’d like to tell you about some of that. I’ll also m

ention up front that our ability to continue in this ministry depends in part on the willingness of other Christians to partner with us. More on that in a minute...

Family

Its amazing how much Conner beginning school has affected our whole family! He loves it - his teacher, Ms Scarpello, is doing a great job helping him take assignments to the next level. Since he's already reading and spelling on a significantly higher level we were concerned about how much trouble he'd be getting into.

Toward the end of the first week he'd starting making comments about the classwork being boring. As soon as his teacher caught wind she immediately began challenging him to do more.

For instance, instead of writing the letter "A" he writes a word that begins with "A" and perhaps draws a picture of that word. We're so glad that God answered our prayers with an attentive and caring teacher for Conner's academic debut!

Micah is attending the pre-K at Burleson CofC (where Conner was last year) and he is also very excited. He is different from Conner in so many ways, but I think they both share a love for school and being around other kids in that type of environment. He is really coming into his own with his crazy imagination. There is no telling what that kid will come up with next.

As for Josiah...I think he is about to give his mother a heart attack. We absolutely love his personality: he's full of fearless curiosity. He climbs and jumps and falls and cries and runs away to climb, jump and fall again. Nothing is safe from this destructosaur anymore! But he is full of life and energy and is growing like a weed. We are a better family because of Jo-Jo.

Meanwhile, our mission work in the south Fort Worth region continues to progress in surprising ways. Our approach is different from that of many church plants in that we are not advertising or placing our focus on a high energy seeker-sensitive Sunday morning worship gathering. Our desire is to 1) reach out to our neighborhoods and community and to 2) connect with those people who would not attend a new church plant’s worship gathering no matter how well advertised or relevant. Many of the people that I’m cultivating relationship with have said in no uncertain terms, “I don’t trust Christians, Church or the God they worship.”

We believe that it is the call of every Christian to live their faith in the midst of people such as these; to love them and to pour themselves out on their behalf. We believe that each Christian is a missionary. That isn’t to say that everyone is an evangelist and must be prepared to give a polished sermon or Gospel presentation. But we should be prepared to give an account of our faith to those who ask (Colossians 4) and mostly we should all be living INTENTIONALLY in such a way that people see our good deeds and are moved to glorify God (Matthew 5:16, 1 Peter 2:12).

And let me tell you, I’ve seen this happen. I have heard it said of people here - as I did in New Orleans during disaster relief work - “If this is what Christians are supposed to be like I may need to rethink my assumptions about God.”

We don’t expect people to carry around gospel tracts or attempt to segue every conversation into a sales-pitch for church - in fact we discourage those inauthentic relationship-killing activities. However, being an undercover Christian isn’t the goal either. We want people to know that Jesus is forming us into precisely the kind of people that they enjoy inviting over for dinner.

Rachel and I are hoping to be able to afford to move into a home in a neighborhood soon where we can invest in relationships in these ways. Currently we are blessed to live on the same property with a Christ Journey family. We have really enjoyed this opportunity to live communally with them (the boys have really loved sharing a swimming pool!) and like the Kennemers in Corpus Christi, Thigpens and Prudes in Dallas, Coalwells and several others in Mandeville, the Myers have become surrogate parents/grandparents to our young family.

Christ Journey

My role here in Burleson/south Fort Worth is primarily that of missionary and equipper of local church planters (more on that in the Shenandoah section). Christ Journey Church is our worshipping community and I am blessed to be able to use my gifts of teaching and preaching (and my still developing musical abilities!) to serve my family.

This first year has given me a chance to work with our spiritual formation process. I’ve developed and implemented two new retreats; worked with Chris to develop a yearly spiritual formation calendar which focuses on the cultivation of rhythm and seasons, with each season anchored by a retreat event. We’ve addressed the focus and rhythm of our house churches, and Chris has done some great work this summer with formation groups (groups of 2, 3 or occasionally more that meet together for prayer, study and shared commitment to mission).

Our formation groups focus on sharing the life of mission together. There is Bible study, discussion and often accountability, but what we’re really emphasizing is participating together in the life of faith. Our formation groups have thrown parties for their disconnected, not-yet-Christian friends; they’ve passed out water to construction workers, planned and instigated community picnics and perhaps most radically, gone across the street to meet their neighbors!

Chris and I continue to share the preaching responsibilities and work together with Ryan Kimball and Debra Osborn in planning our worship gatherings. Chris and I are both ready to address the pastoral needs of Christ Journey and are richly blessed that this community does not sit around and wait for us to do it - caring for one another in times of need is something that Christ Journey does unbelievably well.

Rachel continues working with our preschool children’s ministry and we’re both very committed to the life of our church community. We don’t have a flashy children’s program here. What we do have is a commitment to raising our children as members of Christ’s body; as participants in the community, not merely a tool to attract their parents. It has been great to see our kids find opportunities to serve and worship and play right alongside adults. (The picture on the cover of this packet is from a trip to take cookies to the folks at Trinity Mission Nursing Home.)

The other notable area of Christ Journey ministry that we’re involved in is our connection to and friendship with Harvest House. We continue to volunteer to open the thrift store one Saturday a month and I am excited that word has spread and there is currently another church group considering taking responsibility for a different Saturday each month.

We also continue to invite the volunteers, staff and clients of Harvest House to join us on the last Tuesday of each month at Rosa’s for a shared meal. We aren’t just feeding the poor, we are developing friendships around a shared table.

And, we have been able to take advantage of Chick-Fil-A’s First 100 event to benefit Harvest House and the poor in our area. Whenever a new CFA opens they give away 52 coupons good for a #1 combo to each of the first 100 people in line. It is a big event, people begin lining up 24 hours in advance and the CFA people basically host a big party for those willing to camp out in a parking lot. We decided that if a group were to attend a grand opening they could each give half of their tickets to Harvest House and be able to provide dozens of meals for hungry people, while still taking plenty of coupons home for their family. We’ve attempted this as a group twice now.

We were thwarted the first time by scores of college kids who arrived incredibly early! However, when word got out that we’d driven to Austin only to turn around and drive home, a friend from Tammany Oaks went and told our story to the Covington CFA...and the manager gave her 25 coupons for us to donate to Harvest House! Were recently able to donate another 52. So far that means we’ve provided 77 meals through this little project!

Shenandoah

Our work with the Shenandoah Townhomes community continues to be a source of excitement and encouragement. If you haven’t heard before now, I’ve been working among families in this small community for the past several months. We’ve already planted one house church and the transition of leadership in that house church has happened and a local couple is about to be commissioned to serve as church planters in that community. I am also looking towards the establishment of some new discussion groups, Bible studies and/or house churches through other persons of peace in that community (Matthew 10).

The property manager of Shenandoah is now a member of our current house church and has assured us that when the time comes for several house churches to gather together on a Sunday morning or some other time for worship, the clubhouse is available to them free of charge - provided the gathering is open to all residents of Shenandoah (which is a stipulation I think we can accommodate!)

Members of the Shenandoah house church have started a Neighborhood Watch and organized community picnics this summer. Last spring Robin Hunter (the Hunters are the hosts and new leaders of the house church) started an after-school homework club which we hope will happen again this year. There’s been talk of a support group for single mothers (there are a lot in Shenandoah) and an emergency care team which will help families who experience sudden job loss, serious illness or death, etc.

Our prayer is that through these efforts there will be light where before there was darkness, hope where there was despair and life where there was death.

Denny’s

I love my time at Denny’s. I am now a well known regular; the waitstaff and managers not only tolerate but seem to enjoy my presence. We have great conversations. From what I can gather, for a while I was “that guy who always comes in and drinks coffee.” Then I was “that church guy that doesn’t get in your face about church.” And now to several folks I’m known as “Bret”, I am becoming a part of the community here. There are about 8 people with whom I have developed deeper relationships with and 4 or so that engage me in regular spiritual conversations. It probably isn't appropriate to give much personal detail on my friends in this public setting, but if you'd like to hear stories, I love to tell them!

Huguley Fitness Center

When we moved to Burleson I committed to taking better care of my body. I’ve tried to develop a healthier sleep schedule (which has amounted to waking up earlier...I’m still working on the going to bed earlier part), eating better (I hardly ever have a Dr. Pepper anymore...but I’m not going to research the impact of my coffee intake) and exercising regularly. Chris and I have been trying to play racquetball 4 or 5 days a week for nearly a year now and it has had numerous benefits.

The most exciting part is that we have developed friendships with a large number of people who work and workout there in the mornings - some have even joined us for our Sunday morning worship! While some of our friends are Christians, several are not and I am honored that God has brought me into their lives and them into mine. Recently it seems that the relationships have launched forward and I’m praying that this is the precursor to greater opportunities for us to share in the life of Christ with them.

Since beginning my new work schedule (more on that in a minute) I'm not able to play racquetball much anymore. Hopefully I'll figure out a new exercise routine that will work. For now I pray that God will continue to bless Chris with the opportunity to develop these relationships. Please join me in this prayer.

Doctor of Ministry

This summer I began work on a degree in evangelism from SMU. This is considered a practical or professional degree (meaning its focus is on the practice of ministry more than research) and the whole program is structured around my doctoral project which is the development of a program of intensive on-the-ground training for people interested in church planting and missional/incarnational church leadership. I am very excited and have my eye on a location here in this region where I’d like to focus at least part of this project. More on that in a future update.

Some people have asked if it is a good idea for me to be taking on the expense of a degree at SMU right now, considering our unstable financial situation. It is true that my undergraduate degree came with a large side order of student loans. Since then I have worked very hard to keep my education from being any more of a burden on my family than it has to be. So we took the distance option for grad school which meant I had access to fewer resources but also received an 80% discount on tuition.

SMU is even more affordable because my hard work has been rewarded with a full scholarship during the first half of my course work and a good chance for the second half to be covered as well. We, as a family, have decided that this is indeed a good time to pursue this degree.

Finances

The reality is that finances are an issue for us. When we moved to Burleson last October we had enough money pledged and on hand to cover our full support for four months. Our commitment to working in our neighborhoods and among skeptics and the broken/hurting folks we encounter “as we are going” means that it will likely be some time before Christ Journey is financially self-sustaining.

We’ve discovered that missions committees are struggling to view domestic missions as legitimate place to use missions funds and thus often want to see a thorough business plan leading rapidly to self-sufficiency. While I believe the tide is turning there, it may not happen soon enough. Part of my investment in the D.Min is an attempt to broaden my ability to augment my income. I’ve already had been approached by folks at SMU regarding the possibility of serving as adjunct faculty upon graduation.

I’ve also been involved in training for certification as a church planting/ministry/life coach through Mission Alive’s partnership with CoachNet. This will allow me to invest in church planters and potential missional leaders and also earn some additional money.

Chris and I are also working to offer our 4 retreats to churches and groups outside Christ Journey. We feel that these events, developed to address important areas of spiritual formation, can be beneficial to others. More information on these retreats and their impact is available.

In addition to doing retreats (and weddings!), coaching and (soon) apprentice training it has become necessary for me to consider other part-time employment as well. So I’ve begun substitute teaching as much as 5 days a week in Mansfield.

This means that I don’t have as much time to spend at Denny’s, Starbucks, BABS, Huguley during the day, which has caused a certain amount of sadness and frustration. While I will find other times to invest in these places, the people I’ve gotten to know over the past year are not just numbers to me - they are actual real people; friends who are in these places during the day, that I am already beginning to miss.

I do believe that God will open the door to relationships with faculty and staff in Mansfield ISD, not to mention the connection with the students. If we are able to raise all of our support through fundraising, I still plan to sub once or twice a week as an opportunity to connect with folks in Mansfield. I hope that in a future update I will be describing the growing ministry in Mansfield and the house churches/incarnational communities that have been planted there. I do though, solicit your prayers and support so that we can keep the doors open to ministry begun and invested at Huguley Fitness Center, Denny’s and to a lesser degree JJ Mocha’s, Starbucks and BABS deli in Burleson and hopefully at some point in the near future expand our ministry in Shenandoah and pursue new work in the Upper Westside area of Fort Worth.

Thank you for being a part of this exciting journey with us.

Church Planter Retreat '09

On August 6-8, the staff of Mission Alive along with several families from our network of church planters traveled to the Prothro Retreat Center on Lake Texoma for our annual Church Planters Retreat. As always, it was good to renew friendships, as wells as build and strengthen new relationships.

Our theme for the weekend was Conversations: In Community, For Community. The intent was for this to be a weekend of rest and renewal for everyone involved.

The scenery that greeted us from the lovely shore of Lake Texoma certainly assisted in our goal of relaxation. It was absolutely beautiful, and many of our church planters enjoyed alone time with God while listening to the waves lap the shore and watching birds soar on the wind. There is nothing like time spent with our Lord in the midst of His glorious creation.

Our scripture for the weekend was John 20:19-22. "On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" While this scripture is certainly beautiful and powerful on its own, Tod and Gailyn led us in gleaning even more from the words of Christ as we meditated deeply and intentionally in this passage several times.

Grounded in these words of Christ we invited and recieved peace, mourned and healed from past wounds, celebrated recent joys, contemplated our calling, and basked in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It was amazing how four little verses could evoke such tears and laughter and peace and frustration and confidence. And to share it all in community -- well, certainly this is part of what Christ intended for his bride, the church.

Then in typical Mission Alive fashion, we ended our time together with prayer and annointing.

But I can't end without mentioning our kids. There were eight of them therewith us, and they provided so much joy and laughter and innocence during the weekend. They helped us remember that we too should play, and were wonderful reminders that "the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." (Luke 18:16)

We are so thankful for opportunities such as these, and we already look forward to next year!

World Missions Summit

with Conner...

This morning my friend Devendra joined the Christ Journey community in our worship gathering (you can find links to the podcast on the Christ Journey Life blog). After a powerful morning of sharing his life and faith story (which I thought was highlighted by his prayer and singing in the Nepalese language in preparation for our time around the Table) a group went to Royal Pizza to continue the conversation. Conner and Micah got to ride in the truck with Devendra and I - and they decided that this funny talking guy was pretty cool!

I think Devendra had already won Conner over by spending a few minutes before worship helping him with his Where’s Waldo book.

But during the car ride to lunch, Micah definitely got on the bandwagon. Devendra told them all about Nepal and the mountains and how different it is from Burleson. Both boys decided that they want to visit Mr. Devendra’s country, and ESPECIALLY Mr. Devendra’s little hill called Mt. Everest.

When we arrived at Royal Pizza the wellsbrothers insisted that they get to walk through the parking lot with Mr. Devendra and they were both going to sit by him at lunch (sorry guys, the kids’ table was a better place for you to enjoy your cheesy deliciousness).

This evening at dinner Conner began asking about Nepal. “Did Mr. Devendra say that there are bad people in his country?”

“Well,” I replied, “it isn’t that they are necessarily BAD, but they worship pretend gods instead of following Jesus and they don’t like for people to worship our God.”

Conner: “Oh, you mean they worship statue gods?”

Me: “...uh, yeah, actually.”

Conner: “And they don’t like people who follow Jesus? What do they do to Christians?”

Me: “Well, sometimes they are just mean to them and take away their stuff. But sometimes they hurt them or even put them in jail...just for being a Christian.”

Conner: “Oh...then I changed my mind, I don’t think I want to go to Nepal anymore.”

Me: “Well, Mr. Devendra said that the Hindu people in Nepal are actually very nice to people from other countries, even if they are Christians. But even if they weren’t, it is important for those of us who follow Jesus to be brave so that other people have a chance to know about Jesus. We should be careful and smart, but we have to be brave. Do you remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego?”

Conner: “Yeah, they wouldn’t worship the statue god.”

Me: “That’s right. Do you remember what they told the king who wanted them to?”

Conner: “They told him that they will only worship God. And they said that God could save them from his fiery furnace.”

Me: “Yep, and do remember what they said they would do if God DIDN’T save them from the furnace?”

Conner: “Um...they would still worship God?”

Me: “That’s right. We have to trust Jesus for protection when things look pretty scary, but we also know that other people might hurt us if we love Jesus...God might not always keep us from getting hurt. But we will be brave and follow him anyway.

Do you know what is the best thing to do though? We treat everyone like Jesus would treat them. We are respectful and helpful - we love them like Jesus loves us, and that means we do good for everybody. I think there are a lot of people who don’t like Christians because we haven’t always acted very much like Jesus.”

Conner: “Dad, I want to be a preacher like you some day. I will tell people about Jesus and I will be brave even if they say they are going to put me in jail.”

(This is the first time that Conner has said that to me...)

That’s when Micah chimed in for the first time - he had been sitting there listening quietly the whole time. “And do you know what I will do when the bad guys worship the statue gods?”

Me: “What?”

Micah: “I’ll kick them in the face.”

...Baby steps I guess.

--by Bret

This Week on the Journey

with Christ Journey

Sending. Going outside ourselves. Mission of God. Church planting. These words are never far from the lips of those who are participating in the Christ Journey. This summer they are front and center. What does it mean to be sent by God? What does it look like to put the aspects of our story into practice to serve God’s Story?

Over the last three weeks I’ve been immersed in a world of reflection and listening. Four very diverse ministers and two professors have been coming around a table to understand more fully what it looks like to serve God and the Church in our contexts. One of the primary methods we’ve used for learning has been an EXTREMELY thorough analysis of a specific event from our ministry context.

Each of the four of us shared our life and faith story with the others and then we also shared the details of this event - which served as the background for the 8 billion pages of papers we’ve written each night. What was powerful was that we didn’t merely reflect on our event or the cultural context or theological principles at work. We presented our papers and then worked through the issues in the midst of this learning community; with others who share a common calling though in very different settings.

I didn’t just learn from the books we read or the professors (who actually didn’t lecture very much); I learned most from Sandralyn - a United Methodist pastor from south of Dallas, Debra - a Christian Methodist Episcopal pastor from Shreveport, LA and Devendra - a missionary/church planter from Nepal, who is here studying and preparing to add a bachelor’s degree program to their local missionary training school in Nepal.

We learned together by processing through our events together, instead of trying to solve our problems in isolation. As I think about what it looks like to live as a Sent people in the midst of Burleson, I think perhaps this same dynamic can be helpful for the Christ Journey community.

I’ve asked Devendra Acharya (Ah-sha-REE-ah) to join us this Sunday and share his faith story. I don’t want to give too much away, but it is incredibly powerful...and parts are so funny that the class had to wait for me to stop laughing before we could continue...

Nepal is a mountainous country (ever heard of Mt. Everest?) It is primarily a Hindu culture with a similar caste system to what you would find in India, which it borders. Devendra is the Senior Pastor of Bishram Ministries and founder/director of the Bishram School of Missions located in Kathmandu. Since its inception in 2001 the Bishram Church and school has planted around 30 churches comprised of over 100 house churches representing around 6000 people.

Join us at the Nashville Room this Sunday as we hear the story of a Christian brother from a culture slightly different from our own. As we gather around the Table together be sure to realize that this is a glimpse of heaven, people from every language, tribe and nation coming together in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord.

--Bret

Church Planting Update - June 09

My first summer as a church planter is under way.

Prepare for a shocking statement: a lot has happened since my update in April. Our house church in Shenendoah (which I commented on in the previous update) is engaged in some amazing ministry. More than that, I am happy to announce that the ministries have risen from within the community. I continue to lead our Thursday evening gathering, but thankfully that has not been the primary expression of God’s people in this neighborhood.

In addition to the Neighborhood Watch and homework clubs that Robin started, there are two community cookouts already scheduled for this summer (inspired by the front yard barbecue held at Chris and Heidi’s house each Wednesday). Robin and some other folks from the Neighborhood Watch have also decided to form a crisis team that will minister to folks in the midst of job loss, divorce, death of loved ones, life as a single mom, etc.

As I mentioned in a recent blog post we have not had more than 9 people gathered at one time on a Thursday and already this group of people have begun living as participants in the Mission of God in the midst of Shenendoah. I have been extremely humbled to watch these new missionaries at work proclaiming good news in the midst of darkness.

We have made plans for the full transition of leadership in that house church to take place in August. We’ll continue to surround the Hunters in prayer and support them through our monthly house church leader coaching group as well as weekly one-on-one coaching sessions.

Chris has been able to start around 7 formation groups this summer and is preparing for the launch of a new house church in the coming weeks. He too is transitioning the leadership of a house church to members of the community. We are excited to see the development and growth of these new missionaries.

I have also been blessed to begin work on a doctor of ministry degree from SMU. The doors for this opportunity have continued to burst open. Of course finances have been a concern, but we are convinced that the time is right and the potential blessings are worth the cost. 

Rejoice with us that our prayers have been answered. I recently learned that I was selected as the recipient of a grant through the Barr and Lewis Endowment that covers the full cost of tuition for the first half of my program! 

I am beginning the development of my doctoral project which involves the formation of an apprenticeship for church planting/missional living. The benefits for our mission work here in the south Fort Worth area are obvious and we are very excited.

Things on the home front are going well. Conner is so ready to start kindergarten in the fall that he can barely stand it. We are continually astounded at the near daily developments in our three wonderful sons’ maturity, intelligence and all around awesomeness!

Rachel has begun working part-time as a web admin for Mission Alive. She is managing and updating their website and facebook page. She has organized a series of book reviews to be written by different church planters (mine is coming in August) and she’s already increased Mission Alive’s presence on the web.

Rachel continues to watch Grace a few days a week - that little girl is bringing some much needed cuteness and non-aggressiveness to our male dominated household! Rachel finally has an ally!

And then in addition to all this, Rachel has applied to teach preschool in the fall. If these folks know anything at all they’ll snatch her up quick. 

Finances remain tight, as they do for many people, but we’ve been blessed to eliminate some debt (credit cards are paid off and student loans are going back into deferment!) and we’re picking up a little extra cash here and there. 

Things are still moving forward on our plans to offer retreats for other congregations and  interested groups. We have scheduled several for this summer and the fall and are looking to get more booked. If you know of a church or group that may be interested in one of our retreats or who may be interested in partnering with us in the ministry of planting new churches, please feel free to contact me anytime.

We ask for your continued prayers on behalf of our mission work here in North Texas. We’d love for you to visit us here in Burleson. Many of you have supported us financially and all of you have supported us through prayer and friendship. That means that you are a part of this ministry. 

I would love to buy you a cup of coffee at Denny’s and introduce you to Robbie, Brandy, Jessica, Anita, Rita, Virgil, Keith, Roccio and Mary. Or we could spend some time at JJ’s and talk with John about running a coffee shop that has become an incredibly popular place for bible studies. We could prayer walk through Shenendoah and spend time with Jeanie, Robin, Ronnie, Adrienne and Paula or we could head over to Harvest House and meet Alice who can tell you amazing stories of oppression and redemption right here in suburbia. You’re welcome to join us for a bring-your-own-meat cookout in the Chappotins’ front yard - there’s no telling what spiritual conversation you’ll get dragged into in that driveway...or it may be an impromptu football game with the kids on the block. 

We are seeking to live the With-God life together here in Burleson and the surrounding communities. You are already a part of this, though from a distance, and each of you have the opportunity to live a similar life in your own neighborhood. It may seem too risky or too ambiguous - our response is, “come and see.”

Grace and Peace,

Bret, Rachel and the WellsBrothers

as always, check out our blogs:

WellsBrothers Blog

Bret's Blog 

Christ Journey 

or look us up on Facebook! 

Seeing It In Practice

Sometimes I get worked up about stuff...

I take something which has personal significance, put effort into preparing it, risk being misunderstood or taken advantage of and put it out for other people to see. Then I sit and wonder if anyone cares.

My previous post, When Weariness is Sacred, was one of those experiences and this time we received a very powerful response to our story of weariness.

Yesterday on Christ Journey Life I posted most of a letter I received from a friend. It came in the mail Thursday morning and Rachel called me in tears in the middle of my formation group to read it to me. She doesn't usually do that...

If you haven't read the letter/post, check out That God Would Refresh Your Tiredness - a title taken from a line in the letter.

The interesting thing is how timely this letter really was given what we're processing through at Christ Journey. This week Chris and I have been preparing to help our community think through the cycles of confusion and clarity that the Church has experienced since the beginning - cycles which heighten our anticipation of God reconciling all things and sorting through the chaos.

But last week - and my friend was likely unaware of this when she wrote her letter - we talked about our core value of Mission. Like the Weariness post, this sermon was one in which I have a lot of personal investment. To some people that may seem like an odd thing for a minister to say. Certainly I invest myself in each message I bring to the community; of course I value speaking the truth in the midst of the Gathered People. But sometimes the content is something particularly special for me. This was one of those sermons.

You can listen to the podcast of the sermon on Christ Journey's iTunes account or using the sermon player feed. If you weren't gathered with us at the Nashville room on Sunday I encourage you to check out the podcast...mostly because my brilliant 5 year old read a prayer like a pro (there are several prayers which lead into the message...Conner is the one that sounds like a kid's voice!)

But I'm also posting a modified transcript here because without even knowing it, my friend was living out the content of this message...

(Reader 1) Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us grace to contend fearlessly against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in maintaining justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

(Reader 2) Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be served but to serve: Bless all who, following in his steps, give themselves to the service of others; that with wisdom, patience, and courage, they may minister in his Name to the suffering, the friendless, and the needy; for the love of him who laid down his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

(Reader 3) Dear God, our Father in heaven, you have blessed us with the joy and care of children: Give us calm strength and patient wisdom as we bring them up, that we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

(Reader 4) Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom: Enlighten by your Holy Spirit those who teach and those who learn, that, rejoicing in the knowledge of your truth, they may worship
you and serve you from generation to generation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

(Reader 5) Almighty God our heavenly Father, you declare your glory and show forth your handiwork in the heavens and in the earth: Deliver us in our various occupations from the service
of self alone, that we may do the work you give us to do in truth and beauty and for the common good; for the sake of him who came among us as one who serves, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

(Bret) O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you, bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

.......

Before the beginning there was a community. God has always existed as a community of one. Don’t try to figure out the math - I suspect it just might be beyond us! What we should focus on, what we can grasp is that we are to understand God as relationship of love and sacrifice. It is not just an important value of God’s, but is actually a part of Who God Is!

And so we’ve talked a lot about community for the last several months. If something is seen to be a basic expression of the nature of God, it should definitely find its place as a core value for His Church, right? Even last week, as Chris used the image of an elaborate song to illustrate what the Church is, we saw community. We saw that the different instruments, melodies and chords were all meant to exist in harmony. None were complete on their own - each was a part of much larger story being told. That is the Church - an expression of the community of God in this place.

I wanted to start by saying something about community because we’re going to focus on another one of our core values today. And this core value loses its value if it is understood as something separate and apart from the others...

Before the beginning there was a community. This Community of what we refer to as Father, Son and Holy Spirit had a perfect relationship of mutual love and respect. This community was not incomplete, it was the definition of completion. It needed nothing, it lacked nothing.

However, the relationship of the community, being rooted and established in a deep indescribable love, felt compelled to Create. Isn’t that what love does? It creates more opportunity for love.

And so we have the episode of the Story we refer to as Creation. And God, the initiator of community went into this place. He walked in the Garden. He continued creating and he continued relating to his Creation.

Even through the episode of Crisis, when the creation rejected the relationship of love and community and instead launched into selfishness and isolation...still this God continued going to his Creation. He called a man named Abraham and made a Covenant with this man. God, the Relational One, blessed Abraham and promised that through Abraham all peoples on earth would be blessed...in fact all of creation would be blessed.

As the children of God continued year after year to cycle through seasons of Confusion and Clarity, this God, who exists in Community, kept going back to them over and over. He patiently taught and corrected and reminded and invited and urged and groaned and pleaded.

The Community could not stand to see Creation languishing in isolation.

And so the relationship with great leaders and the inspiration of great prophets continued until the God of Community decided that ambassadors would no longer suffice.

Once again, God would walk in the Garden.

And so once again the relational God of community sent himself - that is the nature of true community. And Jesus the Christ walked among us.

He gathered a community around him and continually invited the broken, overlooked, forgotten and oppressed to rejoice because the Community of God was at hand - it was here and they were invited in.

And when the time came for Jesus to return to the Father, the Spirit was sent. And the Spirit wasn’t sent to wander aimlessly - it came to form and cultivate community in the Church...which was to become the Body of Christ. And that Spirit called for the community of believers to be sent to the ends of the earth,

continuing the ministry that Jesus had dedicated himself to,

continuing the ministry that God had called Abraham to,

continuing the ministry that God initiated in the first Garden,

continuing the act that began in the beginning,

continuing the character of the one who was a Community before the Beginning.

The Community cannot be understood as something that exists somewhere off by itself. The nature of True Community is expansive. It is dynamic. That means that it is always growing and bringing into itself everything around it. The Community is not located somewhere behind closed doors.

The Community is not community if it is only focused on itself. That is something less than Community. There is no Community apart from Mission.

And there it is.

One of our stated core values is Mission. We make an unbelievably huge mistake if we see mission as something that some of us are called to “do.” While mission is certainly active, it is more than doing...it is an essential part of our “being.”

A house church that is invested in the lives of its participants - but has no vision for its neighbors is not yet community. It may be a great thing for those who participate, but it is something less than Community.

As a follower of Christ and a member of the Church we are called to Community - with one another and with God. And its pretty simple - to be in community with God means to be caught up in his Mission, because God is a missionary God...

God’s Mission is to restore relationship and expand Community. All the prayers we prayed a few minutes ago are prayers for God’s Mission - prayers for those who serve the poor, who battle injustice, who love and raise children, who invest in the lives of others, who teach, people who have a job...all these are contexts for Mission when they are approached intentionally.

They are not an excuse to say, “oh my work is mission so I’m doing what I’m supposed to.”

Okay, that’s great...how are you participating in Mission through your work? Are you intentionally living as though the Community of God were a reality in that place? Do you treat people with dignity and respect...even the ones you don’t like?

Front yard bbq’s, trips to Chick-Fil-A (or intended trips), an intentional visit to the park with your kids, serving as a counselor at Royal Family Kids Camp, giving up a Saturday so that Harvest House can be open for those who can’t come by during the week, sharing a meal with the poor - showing them dignity and friendship...these are all examples of participating in Mission and are an important part of experiencing Community.

The question is, what’s next for our Community? What new opportunities are there for loving this place and these people? It might be something big - like traveling to another city to wait in line for meal coupons to give to the hungry. It might be something small - putting an extra package of hotdogs in the shopping cart that you can share with a neighbor the next time you fire up the grill, or taking your kids to the park with an eye for the Mom who hasn’t had an adult conversation in days...

This isn’t merely about “doing” - its about being who we were created to be and experiencing life as God is restoring it to be.

That God Would Refresh Your Tiredness

Recently I wrote a post titled, When Weariness is Sacred. If you haven’t read that yet, you may want to follow the link and check it out before proceeding....

Rachel and I are blessed to have some truly great friends scattered all over the Southern US (and even some in Canada!)Thanks to blogs, facebook and email we are able to keep up with many of these folks who I’m afraid otherwise would simply be too far away to hear from regularly. Occasionally some of these friends even send us an actual real-life letter! We get excited about letters because they usually signify something significant - the "mundane" touching base stuff is usually handled with an email or facebook comment.

We received one of those letters today. With the author’s permission, I’d like to share some of that letter with you because it came in response to the events which inspired the Sacred Weariness post.

This coming Sunday the Christ Journey community will be processing through the confusion and clarity that the Church (and the world) are experiencing as we anticipate the return of Christ and the reconciliation of all things to their Creator. I think this letter represents one of the ways in which moments of clarity can arise from the depths of confusion...

May 4, 2009

Dear Bret and Rachel,

You guys are so much in my thoughts…and prayers. I would love come visit Christ Journey and see your faith in practice there. You’re both just such a blessing to everyone you come in contact with. That’s why I felt so bad when I read Bret’s post on “Sacred Weariness.” When you’re sacrificing and giving all you’ve got, and yet things seem to conspire against you, I know it’s disheartening. I also knew that God would soon refresh your tiredness and renew your minds in a way I could not. Still, I wished there was something I could do to lighten your hearts.

Friday I had to run some errands, and I passed by Chick-fil-A on the way home. On a whim (?), I turned into the parking lot and went inside. I was thinking maybe they would let me buy some of those “tickets” you tried so hard to win for Harvest House. I approached the girl at the counter and started trying to explain what I was asking for, but I wasn’t doing a very good job of it. It was early afternoon and there were no other customers just then, so some of the other staff walked over to listen to the conversation. Eventually, one of them went to the back to get the manager, and when he arrived, I started all over again, trying to explain what great people you are and how you had driven to Austin to try and win tickets for the food bank, and all the things that had gone wrong that week… By that time there were about a dozen people, customers and staff, gathered around listening to the story. The young manager said, “Wait just a minute and let me see what I can do.” While waiting for him, all the other people joined the discussion, asking me questions, and giving me a chance to talk about how wonderfully God works. We were just having a big old love fest right there in the middle of Chick-fil-A!

After several minutes the manager came back and said, “I can give you 25 of the coupons.” I said, “Oh my gosh, I wasn’t asking you to donate them; I just thought maybe I could buy some.” He said “No, it’s my pleasure,” and everyone around the counter burst into applause. It was just such a good feeling! I thanked him profusely and promised him that I would tell everyone I know about how generous Chick-fil-A is! So…enclosed you will find 25 tickets for Harvest House. I know it’s not as many as if your whole group had won tickets in line, but it’s still 25 meals for 25 people who might no t have a meal otherwise. But that’s not event the end of the story…

[My friend goes on to describe how this event led to a great moment of reconciliation with some Christian friends who also follow the goings-on of our family and Christ Journey via blogs. Due to the personal nature of that story I’ve left out the details, but suffice it to say that there is something incredibly powerful that happens when we come together around a common purpose in Christ.]

I wanted to tell you all this so you will know that your “failure” in Austin wasn’t really a failure at all. It opened up the door for the Chick-fil-A folks here to do a good things and others to witness it; it allowed me, in a very natural way, to be a witness for God’s goodness; and it provided a much needed avenue for another Christian and me to mend fences and build bridges. I’d say your “failure” was quite a success.

It is truly amazing the way that God can take the refining fire of our struggles and use them to bring about moments of clarity and beauty. I do not believe that God is in the business of causing frustrations so that he can teach us - that understanding of "God's plan" seems a bit off. However, I very much believe that God can and does work through any situation, no matter how trivial or tragic, to bring about the restoration of life, light and hope. I rejoice that a small piece of that process is being experienced here in our midst...and far away in the lives of others.

- Bret