Nate's First Sermon

Nate reached an exciting milestone this past Sunday: he preached his first sermon in German! It was an exciting accomplishment and a testimony to how God has been working and equipping us for ministry here in Austria. I was extremely proud of Nate, watching him in front of our congregation preaching the word. Speaking for 30 minutes in German after only having arrived here a year and a half ago is something to be very proud of and Nate's hard work and dedication in language learning has paid off. As I watched him, I could really envision how God is going to use him here to impact many people, and it excites me to think of our future in ministry.

For this month update, Nate put together a brief video talking about his experience preaching, including some clips from his sermon. Take a look and enjoy!

An Invitation to Breath

I just read Marshall Shelley's most recent Leadership Journal newsletter.  He was reflecting on the week between Christmas and New Years as a chance to slow down and catch a breath.  When I was working I looked forward to this week as a time when no one else would be in the office.  I was one of the few hold outs that had used all my vacation days through out the year, and I was using that uninterrupted time to sort files or take care of those things that sank at the bottom of my "To Do" list.


Life can feel like a train we got on years ago, one that has gathered momentum with every small decision. And when we reach for the break leaver, it comes apart in our hands. With the life changing steps we have taken, we have the chance to re-imagine things like this.  I get to ask the question, "How do I want to spend this week between Christmas and New Years?" I don't think I expected that preparing to serve Christ is Austria would push life so off the rails that I'd have this much of a chance to rethink how I invest my time. I am thankful for the opportunity.


What do you want for this week of quiet time?

Avoiding Suffering and Loss

This last Sunday, we attended the Shakopee Campus of Friendship Church, which is the church that I grew up in.  Pastor Mike spoke about the story of Joseph (staring in Genesis 37) and all of the challenges that he faced leading up to his ultimate reign over all of Egypt.  It is a pretty great story.  Towards the end of the sermon, Mike made an observation about the story of Joseph that stuck with me.

He said, "If you take away the suffering in Joseph's life, you have to take away the blessings, as well."  If you go through the long list of horrible things that happened to Joseph and all the injustice he experienced and take it all away, if you spare him of all that pain and hurt, then you must also take away God's provision for His people and the family of promise.  You can not have one and not the other.  Joseph would never have ended up in a position of power at the end if he hadn't first been sold as a slave by his brothers. These realities are two sides of the same coin and inextricably linked.

Our American culture often tells us that suffering is something to be avoided, something to flee from. We work very very hard to avoid difficulty and keep ourselves safe and secure. But if we avoid suffering, we also give up the blessings of that suffering. So many times as I look back at my life, I say to God, "If that had not happened, life would not be so hard" or "God, if you would only shield me, if you would only take these hard things away, my life would be more full."

But if God takes away these hard times, if all we get are the good times, then we also have to give up those moments of release where we hand our life over to God and say, "I can't do this. Please help."  We also give up the meaningful relationships that are formed in the fieriest furnaces.  We give up the deep communion we get with God as our heart becomes more and more dependent on Him and holds less and less to our emotional anesthetics. And finally, we give up God's miraculous provision that is seldom early and always on time.

Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com

What Color Is Your Underwear?

If a stranger walked up to you and suddenly asked, "What color is your underwear?", how would you respond? In most cultures, this question would be considered personal, offensive and inappropriate.

Click below to hear a story from WorldVenture missionaries Mark and Lisa DeNeui about how this offensive question relates to sharing the gospel in Western Europe.

A Ministry Opportunity - Aspern Seestadt

When Bethany and I traveled to Austria, we met with the leaders of a new and exciting project.    On an old airfield east of Vienna, the government will build a brand new development with offices, store fronts, housing, schools and even a man-made lake.  In the midst of this community that is yet to be built, Austrian evangelical church leaders will plant a thriving church.

We were excited to hear how God is preparing the way for this new ministry.  The leaders are assembling the team, praying and trusting that God will raise up the right members for this wonderful new ministry opportunity.  We are pursuing this project and pray that God leads us in how we should be involved.   

Please pray that God will lead clearly and raise up the team He has for this 2015 church plant.

A Random Encounter

I was flying back from Orlando this week and had a random encounter at the Orlando airport with well-known pastor Mark Driscoll. I was waiting out a flight delay, curled up in a lobby chair with my Perspectives in Missions textbook, completing homework assignments. Two gentlemen sat down next to me and one of them noticed (and recognized) my textbook. We struck up a conversation and then I realized who I was talking to! I actually recognized Mark's voice before his face, since Nate and I listened to his fantastic sermon series together on Song of Solomon last year (check it out here, if you're interested.) We got to chat for about 5 or 10 minutes and I enjoyed telling him how much we appreciated listening to his series. He was very chill, kind and down to earth.

Even though Mark might not be considered a "celebrity" by most, he is well known in the Christian community. After meeting him, I felt a little "star struck", like I had met a movie star or something. I think that feeling stemmed mostly out of the great respect I have for his teaching ability and charisma, which I believe are the reasons why he has become so well-known. But part of my star struck feeling made me feel a little juvenile. In reality, Mark Driscoll is just like you and me... he is a regular guy who has been given a gift and has obediently made that gift available for God's use. Rather than putting him up on a pedestal and praising him for how talented he is, I should instead be praising God for the fruitful ministry He has accomplished through Mark and many other gifted pastors. Mark isn't the star - God is!

Twenty years from now, after much experience and ministry in Austria, my hope would be that my life and ministry always point others to Christ and not to myself. Whether we help lead 1 person or 1,000 people to Christ in Austria, I hope no one ever puts me up on a pedestal. I'm guessing Mark feels the same way and my conversation on Wednesday was a good reminder of that.

Taking the Next Step

Well tomorrow is the day, tomorrow we get on a plane for Denver.  We have our final interview, 'basecamp' training, and a lot of fun and meals to look forward to during our time there.  Maybe even some climbing, if I play my cards right.


Our emotions go from excitement to nervousness and everywhere in between.  We are really excited to have the chance to learn more about WorldVenture and also to meet our fellow appointees.  I know it will go fast, but right now two weeks feels like a long time.  It is an interesting microcosm of what we will eventually do - packing up our life, leaving friends, and heading off to a new, exciting and daunting adventure.


So with this, we head off.  I have felt for a long time that I have neglected blogging and I need to be more intentional about writing down my ideas and adventures.


- How do you see God preparing you for the ministry He has lead you into?

Intentional Community

Recently, I have been thinking about community. I know the word "community" is possibly the broadest term out there, so let me bring it down a few notches. Digital community is all the rage. Online, you can attend a church service, do a service project, or even "have community". A lot has been made about this in recent months...you can read some comments on Out of Ur by Bob Hyatt. While I don't really feel the need to weigh in on this is debate, an aspect of this discussion has stuck out to me in recent conversations and readings.

I was reading a newsletter recently that was talking about the use of Facebook as a marketing tool. The premise of the piece was that the beauty of Facebook is that you can check in on someone's life (stay connected, follow what someone is doing) with little to no actual interaction with someone. Some may just call this "Facebook stalking" and there isn't anything inherently wrong with this. The article was praising it is as good thing. From their perspective, your customers can tell everyone via facebook that they are involved in your brand without actually needing to say much in person.