daily...

Luke 9:23

And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me...

I am not sure if it is because I have been struggling to find a good rhythm this last while OR if it is just a new step in my faith journey BUT I have been thinking a lot lately about daily "followership". Having grown up in a tradition that encouraged "daily devotions" I know of the deep value of the "blessed man" from Psalm 1 who delights in the Law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night... whose life yields fruit in season AND whose leaves never wither. I have experienced the transformative power of personal prayer AND watched in amazement as God as moved mountains in the lives people. And, as time has gone on, I have begun to see how the mission of God is more than just an idea... but a lifestyle... more than just words... but power.

BUT

In the midst of all of this it can still be tough to simply get up each day and lay my old self down, pick up my cross and follow Jesus. Yet it is SO essential.

It seems as if each day I am given a choice again
...to center on Jesus OR to center on me!
...to die to myself OR live for myself!
...to follow my Savior OR lead my own little personal rebellion.

The truth is, what we do daily defines who we are... and who we are becoming.

wandering eyes...

2 Chronicles 16:9

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.

Luke 15:4,8,20

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?

Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

I know that this is not usually what we think of when we say the phrase "wandering eyes", but I have been struck lately while reading the scriptures by how engaged God is in our reality. God is a people watcher. It seems is if on every level God is ACTIVELY seeking... those whose hearts are fully committed and those who are lost... those whose stares are fixed on Him and those whose stares are fixed on the ground... daring, hoping, to glance up into His face. Much like a holy version of J.R.R. Tolkien's "great eye" it seems to continuously be searching.

Searching for:
...passionately committed hearts.
...fragile lost (often foolish) wanderers.
...something (or one) with inherent cherished value.
...broken children willing to risk a humbled trek towards home.

Thank You Lord for being a God who searches... for being a God who engages. We are humbled by Your careful eye... and Your loving embrace.

awaken us... again & again

As a reminder to myself and those who may occasionally come across my ideas, I take this opportunity to return to the beginning of the story of this BLOG... why it exists... really, why I exist. And so I resubmit my poem (and my first entry)... awaken us.

awaken us… Lord

awaken us from our slumber

too long have we slept.
too long have we looked upon a darkened, dieing, hopeless world and lazily looked to the horizon for Your coming… or was that our T.V. set?

Awaken us Lord to the hunger that is within.

Stir your children of light from their comfortable seats… that we would know the feeling of Your armor again… the feeling of your sword.

Fan the fire of passion for Your Name… Your Fame… that we might feel the coursing fire flooding through our souls… like rivers… like springs of life.

Let us sleep no longer!
Let us waken from the night in search of our Beloved.
Let us throw ourselves against the gates of injustice… the gates of poverty… the gates of darkness… the gates of hell. Until we can no longer stand AND YET we stand!

AWAKEN US LORD!

Move us to the edges… gather us to the corners… take us OUTSIDE THE CAMP…

AWAKEN US LORD!

Awaken hearts that are broken for the broken hearted. Lives that are lived for the lost.

AWAKEN US LORD!

The night is far gone; the day is at hand.

Even so. Amen.

timothy mark mcdonald

on dogma...

"A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything." MALCOLM X

I recently read a quote from J.C. Ryle that was particularly powerful on Tim Challies blog. Now normally I would just forward you on to his blog BUT in this case I thought I would include it below. Partially this is because I am a little unsure of the use of the word dogma (though accurate it seems to carry more baggage than it's worth today) BUT mostly I have included it because the heart of this message is as true today as it has ever been.

In fact, I feel this war inside my own head... I wonder how many of you could relate?

[Dislike of dogma] is an epidemic which is just now doing great harm, and specially among young people.... It produces what I must venture to call...a "jelly-fish" Christianity in the land: that is, a Christianity without bone, or muscle, or power. A jelly-fish...is a pretty and graceful object when it floats in the sea, contracting and expanding like a little, delicate, transparent umbrella. Yet the same jelly-fish, when cast on the shore, is a mere helpless lump, without capacity for movement, self-defense, or self-preservation. Alas! It is a vivid type of much of the religion of this day, of which the leading principle is, "No dogma, no distinct tenets, no positive doctrine." We have hundreds of "jelly-fish" clergymen, who seem not to have a single bone in their body of divinity. They have not definite opinions; they belong to no school or party; they are so afraid of "extreme views" that they have no views at all. We have thousands of "jelly-fish" sermons preached every year, sermons without an edge, or a point, or a corner, smooth as billiard balls, awakening no sinner, and edifying no saint. We have Legions of "jelly-fish" young men annually turned out from our Universities, armed with a few scraps of second-hand philosophy, who think it a mark of cleverness and intellect to have no decided opinions about anything in religion, and to be utterly unable to make up their minds as to what is Christian truth. They live apparently in a state of suspense, like Mohamet's fabled coffin, hanging between heaven and earth...and last, and worst of all, we have myriads of "jelly-fish" worshippers-respectable Church-going people, who have no distinct and definite views about any point in theology. They cannot discern things that differ, any more than color-blind people can distinguish colors. They think everybody is right and nobody wrong, everything is true and nothing is false, all sermons are good and none are bad, every clergyman is sound and no clergyman is unsound. They are "tossed to and fro, like children, by every wind of doctrine"; often carried away by any new excitement and sensational movement; ever ready for new things, because they have no firm grasp on the old; and utterly unable to "render a reason of the hope that is in them." ...Never was it so important for laymen to hold systematic views of truth, and for ordained ministers to "enunciate dogma" very clearly and distinctly in their teaching.

Our most recent Update!

Hey everyone,

Well, here we are well into March and it seems that time is flying.

We haven't yet got all the snags worked out with our newsletters but it looks as if we will soon be moving to a digital newsletter that will both save on postage/trees but time as well... we appreciate your patience in this process.

After a very busy Christmas with all of Britany's family in town January and February have been months of questions asked and new experiences. As we mentioned a few updates back, Britany has now "officially" stepped back from her weekly nieucommunities responsibilities to focus on getting her energy back, getting our family into a healthy rhythm and on being a "good" missionary to our neighborhood. It has been a great step forward for us as a family and I think we are heading down a more sustainable pathway for ministry. I have begun working with a few local ministries and it feels like we are diving in. All of this ministry and connecting is of course the preliminary for our primary work of nieucommunities - the equipping and sending of missional leaders worldwide for the sake of the Kingdom of God. It looks as if we will be officially launching the training this fall as we already have a group of interested young leaders.

As many of you know, due to visa issues, I was unable to go to India this February with The Berean Way. This was very difficult for me personally but I have trusted God with His timing knowing that He is in control and knows what's best for me and my family. As I have been looking at increasing my involvement in this ministry, missing this trip has created many questions about my heart for the hard to reach places like India (as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder).

I am increasingly convinced (and compelled) that our time on earth is short and that there are still many who need to hear about the person of Jesus Christ AND the hope of the good news of the Kingdom of God. And, I am convinced that this message is best spoken by THEIR neighbors, families or friends. With the Berean Way I can teach/preach, encourage and duplicate in the hardest of places... looking into the eyes of these men and women who walk forward in the face of persecution and help them live/preach the gospel in their VERY unreached neighborhoods.

But I have another love - the Church. I have a deep conviction that the church know and become what Christ has called us to become. It is a desire to see the Body of Christ live to its fullest God inspired potential. I believe that the Church is God's instrument on the earth for good and that we have a calling to steward... a calling that goes way beyond our own comfort and security. With nieucommunities I am able to challenge, disciple and equip the next generation of church and mission leaders for the global mission of the Church. Often I feel a tension between the two callings... it is a tension that literally keeps me up at night. Which is where you all come in.

Would you pray for us?
We need your prayers (and God's guidance) in navigating this changing world. We are trying to be the people/missionaries that God has called us to be (including making wise choices with our family life) in this generation... for this generation. Pray that we would step forward with faith and courage. Pray that we would speak boldly as we should. Pray for open doors and ready hearts.

...the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:11-12)

grace and peace,
Tim McDonald (and the clan)