A Thin Red Line

Actor Jim Caviezel stars in the movie Thin Red Line. It is a movie about men in WWII and their reactions to it and more importantly, about one man who loves sacrificially like Jesus did. It is full of blood and guts and foul language but it was much better the second time.


I had seen it years ago when it premiered...probably in 1998? I saw it last week on the $5 rack at Walmart and remembered it made me weep so I bought it. I watched it again last week and it has left a mark on me. I am seeing my world differently. The movie is full of faces living in terror. I think I am seeing the same thing as I walk around places like Walmart, my neighborhood, and my work place.

Sunday night Jocko took me for a walk along the river in downtown Newburgh. The full moon was rising through the clouds in orange over the river and the new lock and dam. It was incredibly beautiful. I just watched it rise. One could almost see it move.

I went again last night...I had to get back there. It was different but once again, breathtaking. While walking away, I noticed a young couple walking along the river. They sat down on a bench several yards in front of me and as I passed by I heard him telling of his desire to buy a wave runner. My thought was, "Boy is he romantic! What a shallow conversation! At least he could be romantic even if he does not notice the beauty in his girl friend... or in the moon! Come on buddie; come alive!"

Then I thought about God and how I have been thrown into this continual conversation with Him. I wonder what He thinks about all that I see and hear. Am I the nutty one who thinks this guy on the riverfront is not alive? Do I live in the real world or does he live in the real world?

Something in that movie threw me into an awareness of how lost people really are. I see the fear in their eyes. I hear the lostness in a dark comment on a dark night on the river front.

Should I have yelled "Jesus!" Should I have stopped and engaged them? Could I have been used by Jesus at that moment? Did I miss a chance? Or would I have just been blown off as some nut walking a small dog? ...a scary thought.

The world is changing or I am changing. I have felt dead for awhile and maybe this is a coming alive for me?

Burb Mission

Mission to the 'Burbs?

One of my favorite periods of time was several months when I walked around our neighborhood to get in shape for the Young Life Colorado Trips. At 8:30 in the morning and at 9:30 at night, Chuck Swindoll preached to me on the portable radio. One evening he said something like this: "Do you know who the most ignored people group is in America? It is the rich folks. They look so much like they have it all together that nobody talks to them about troubles in their lives or even more important, about Jesus."

Chuck's statement struck me as quite true at the time having been one of those rich folks who had been set free from years of living in the "fake it 'til you make it mode". This article by Alan Roxburgh (kind of like Newburgh) linked below, says that the suburbs in America are a mission field and it reminded me of Chuck's statement.

Most of Evansville is made up of 'burbs and Newburgh is the big one where wealthy people live in their big, often heavily mortgaged, single family dwellings. They drive out of their garages in the morning and drive in each evening not to be seen again until the next morning. With their SUV's and deep tinted glass, you might not even know what your neighbors look like for years?(... could be an alien?) They have relationships with their careers, with TV personalities on 'reality shows', with the next American idol, but not with Jesus or really alive people. The 'burb folks look successful but are lonely, uncomfortably comfortable in their wealth, and lost in a world of illusion. They have no real friends.

This is the answer to the question "Why plant in Newburgh?"

I want to reach them with the healing message of the gospel. I want to see them set free from this captivity. I know of this captivity. For quite awhile as a Christian who really believed something, I claimed to be healed and free but never tasted what I believe to be the real kingdom life.

I moved so often that I did not know my neighbors. But now, after living in this house for over 8 years, I have gotten to know many of them. I have heard their stories and seen their heartaches. Their privacy is important but if I chronicled their stories to you for the nearest 8 houses, the stories would astound you. Maybe this is the mission to which our church is called? Is our mission to our neighborhoods...the 'burbs? How does that work? Where will we plant this mission? These are questions I am pondering with Alan Roxburgh.

http://www.allelon.org/neighborhood/?p=5#more-5

Does this article speak to you?

Vulture and Child

This photograph showing a starving Sudanese child being stalked by a vulture won Kevin Carter the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for feature photography.

I found it...above is the picture that Kevin spoke of this morning in his sermon. I looked at it once and quickly looked away and got busy doing something else. I thought that later I would send it out to you.

Now, looking at it again, I am almost...I am nauseous. God is speaking somehow to me. How can you, me, & Journey be part of Jesus' ministry to heal the broken hearted and set the captives free? Where do we see vultures about to devour someone?

Remember 10:2B?...praying for workers to come. Some of you have found your place in ministry; some have not. Jesus calls us to leave the old life and follow Him in new life. What does that mean for me today?

Prayer request

Most of you know that we have been in the process of moving and selling our house all while trying to both work and pay the bills just waiting to move out there.

The buyers on our house have started to balk and hinted that they may not be buying the house.

This puts a considerable amount of financial strain on us and significant difficulties.

We are asking for prayer that this might just blow over and the house still close on August 31st or earlier. Whether God brings another buyer or the current buyers do follow through.

We also ask for prayer for us as we work through how to cope with moving the kids and getting them in school, paying bills, selling the house, and getting an income.

Moving/loading party date change: "Only thing we know is that things change"

It seems our moving/loading dates have changed already.

We are not sure yet, but it will probably be closer to August 30th/31st that we can actually begin to load.

Which means we would unload September 1st/2nd.

Still developing, but that is the latest...

Just Walk Across the Room

How do we tell others about Jesus?

This video summarises a story and abook about sharing your faith personally with those you know or don't know, but could walk across the room to.


Somebody let me know if you start reading it. I want to borrow it after you're done or hear all about it!



http://garyrohrmayer.typepad.com/yourjourneyblog/2007/07/just-walk-acros.html

Journey News from Bill & Stuff

Dear Fellow Sojourners,

As many of you know I have been working 55-60 hours per week in my tent selling job and have worn myself down physically. It has taken a toll on my passion and emotions. I am thankful that God loves me enough to stretch me but it brings on some confusion in my heart that needs to be cleared up at times. Kevin's message challenged me this morning as did a little reading of my own words.

I was visiting one of my old posts to our blog and was reminded of these words that motivated me more than once in recent years. They are from the book Original Intent by Wes Roberts and Glenn Marshall. In this quote, God is reminding me that I do have a vision for something quite different in a local church. I want us to be really alive! I want us to impact our world for Jesus. I do not want us to be a "normal" American church that just fits in. Please read these words and reflect upon them.

"If, like me, you want to trade in illusion for reality, if you're a pastor or church leader or hungry Christian who loves the church and longs to participate in authentic community led by people who are
more broken than confident and
more Spirit-dependent than naturally talented,
if you desire to see the church re-formed into a place where
character counts more than credentials, where life is lived in humble trust
rather than by careful method ,
where organic growth matters more than organizational growth, where
serving nudges aside controlling ,..."

then dream, work out your salvation, and follow Jesus with me. There is work to do. People are lost and we have the Word that brings life anew.I will be praying and seeking God's guidance about what this movement looks like in the next few weeks. Pray with me please.

Thank you, thank you, thank you....
I know there are many of you who are praying for us though you have never visited Journey. I am grateful for you because your prayers are being answered one by one, little by little, and in surprising ways. You are a shield about our family.

FLASH...finally
Matt and Mary Ruth's house is sold and they will be moving here in late August. Somebody wanna' help load and unload a truck??? I have done this sooooo many times... It should be a strong and convincing reminder that we have not yet arrived home.
August 12-19...Relaxin', Fishing and more with the guys in Colorado.
We have room for two more for this guys trip to the South Platte River. Some of you Texans, Indy guys, and Colorado lovers could go?