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What Should I Do?

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“Pastor Ricardo, I need to talk to you.”

A young man in our church really wanted to be a leader. He was coming to the 6 a.m. prayer meeting. He was pressing in. Six months into the process he got an underage girl pregnant. Previous relationships were extremely complex. “What should I do?”

How could I possibly know good council for my friend? Then I had an idea. “Read the book of Ephesians, and let’s meet back here next week. Then you can tell me what God is teaching you.”

The next week he did not show up at my house for more council.

The next week after that he did not show up either.

Three weeks later we had a group training at the church. About 20 young leaders showed up. In the group discussion my friend shared a spontaneous testimony. “Several weeks ago I didn’t know what to do. Pastor Ricardo told me read Ephesians. I learned so much stuff. I learned answers to questions I didn’t even have.” We still have not talked about the specifics about what he learned but he is moving on in God. Today this man is a rising leader in the church. He married the girl and they have a beautiful one-year-old girl.

For me, this is an example of God teaching His people.

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Jefferson and Simone’s Backyard

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I was going to stay at Steve and Elba’s when I went to Altamira. This is always a highlight. Then Deanna reminded me that Discovery Group Leaders stay in the homes of the people they are helping. “Oh yeah.” I phoned up Jefferson. What an awesome 18 hours. I arrived at 6:30 Friday night. I left for home after lunch the next day. We talked till I fell asleep, and we started talking again when I woke up (after personal devotions).


Different groups of monkeys were jumping through these trees the whole time we met, and chattering loudly. Some came quite close to the fence. There were many jungle sounds and a cool breeze all through the three-hour morning meeting.

This fruit is called cajarana. It is in the family of mangos.

Lemon Grass

Pineapples line Jefferson’s driveway.


Jefferson and Simone raise chickens, fish, and pigs, and most of the food they eat comes from their own property.
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How to be Helpful

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When we start interacting with other people we start defining roles. Who has the most power in this relationship? For example, we might think that “The customer is always right” giving the customer the most power, but if the store manager doesn’t agree this may cause a conflict. If you go to a doctor for help, but don’t follow the doctor’s prescription, this relationship becomes awkward.

If a well-meaning Christian wants to share their faith with a person he considers “lost”, the Christian may assume they have the power (knowledge, spiritual authority). If the “lost”person agrees then the power-over methods of evangelism may work. But what about those “lost” persons who do not agree? Many people feel betrayed by other Christians and how they represent God, or they consider Christianity irrelevant. These people still may believe in God, or the idea of God.

Christians may fear the opposite problem, that their “lost” friend will consider them a professional, but they know they are not experts. This happens in many areas of life. Li (2015) asserted that “Leaders fear engagement because they’re convinced they may not have all the answers their followers need” (p. 63).

One Christian solution to this problem is try to teach leaders everything. This can be a nine-month leadership class, or a four-year degree. As this falls short you can keep upping the bar. Many denominations require pastors to have a Master of Divinity, or PhD degrees. Other groups found that church planting multiplies rapidly even if the leaders know just a little bit more than the followers. Many hierarchical movements use this method effectively.

Shein (2009) lists some challenges with the Professional Helper model.

1. Has the Professional Helper correctly diagnosed the Client’s problem / situation?

2. Has the Professional Helper clearly communicated in a way that the Client understands?

3. Has the Professional Helper correctly assessed the capacity of the Client to follow the instructions?

4. Has the Professional Helper completely thought through the possible consequences to the Client if the Client heeds the advice?

5. Does the Professional Helper know with absolute certainty the right thing to do in the Client’s exact situation?

Some young leaders think that by acting like they know stuff, they will actually get it right sometimes. In my experience, often the less seasoned a leader is, the more sure they are of their council. They want to act like and to be considered Professionals. Young leaders are often quick to provide council to situations that are way over their pay grade.

Other people hesitate to step out in leadership because they never feel ready. When I was a young child I thought that by the time I was 30, like my dad, I would know everything, like I thought he did. When I was 30 I got married. I thought that by the time I was 58, like my dad, I would know everything I need to know about life, like I thought he did. Now that I am 56 I am learning to live with the questions.

Preparing, recognizing, and releasing leaders are often bottlenecks to church-planting movements.

What if we could learn to create environments where God could lead His people?

One man recently told me he liked the leader-has-the-power method because it is biblical. He quoted the following verse. In fact, I think he quoted the verse three times in a row, in a loud voice, in rapid succession.

1 Cor. 11:1  Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

I understand that this man is following his leader, and he expects his followers to follow him. He is a sincere Christian who can quote scriptures and references far better than me. We looked at another scripture, a quote by Jesus.

John 6:45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.

I am curious: What if this man gets a different type of leader? What if his leader learns to give  away control, as in the Discovery Model. Will this man also give away control, and will he encourage his followers to give away control? Could this be just as biblical?

I suggest there are two principles at play here.

1. Character – Are we willing to be transparent Christians? For example, will we have people stay in our homes with us to observe how it really works as we interact with our families and life situations?

2. Control – We naturally like control. Hierarchies emphasize submission doctrines. If everyone agrees to the power structure it can work. Letting God lead His people is messier. Sometimes it feels like the difference between cowboys driving cattle and shepherds leading sheep. Both are getting their group to the desired location.

Often I find God’s priorities for getting a life in order are different than mine.

Am I willing to be a transparent learner and to help others let God be the Professional Leader?

Do you have any experience with this?

References

Li, C., (2015) The engaged leader: A strategy for your digital transformation. Wharton Digital Press, Kindle Edition.

Schein, E., (2009) Helping: How to offer, give, and receive help (pp. 48-53). Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Kindle Edition.

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Does God Really Care?

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Things felt agitated at the prison this week. There seemed to be an undercurrent of a fight brewing. Eliel felt apprehensive but we carried on as usual. Seven of the guys completed the three-column bible studies.

1) Copy the text out from the bible onto a page.

2) Re-write the story in your own words.

3) Write down what you are going to change in your life because of the story.

They handed us a thick stack of papers that were fully hand-written, all complete pages, of these studies they have done while I was travelling.

It is a miserable existance for the 25 guys in that clammy, sweaty, damp cell but they told me again that if they go to the bigger cell they will get killed. They are accused of crimes the other prisoners don’t accept. Either that, or they are not in factions. If they refuse to join factions, they are vulnerable. If they join, it is kind of a life-time commitment from what I understand. The men get coffee in the morning, and they let me try some. It is horrible. It doesn’t taste like coffee, and they say it is full of medicine to keep them calm. It tastes like bad medicine, and the bad aftertaste lasted the whole time I was there. Disgusting. And when they describe the food they start with “may God forgive me but . . . ” They don’t want to be ungrateful, but it is the same food, cooked the same way, year in and year out. It can feel nauseating. One guy told me, “I used to weigh 110 kilos. Now I am down to 57. One year and 4 months. Look how I can lift my foot up above my other knee. I could never do that before.” I asked him if he planned to keep the weight off. “Oh no. When I get out, in two weeks I’ll be right back to where I was.” I really hope these guys can get in touch with God in a way that really catches their passions so that when they get out it affects their behavior. We need transformations.

We formed two smaller groups, and about 12 of the 25 guys participated. One guy, Cesar, confided in me with our group listening. “Most people believe in God, they just don’t believe that He cares about our daily activities or prayers. They don’t think He interacts personally with us.”

This is a good spiritual observation, and I wonder if Cesar is a Person of Peace.

He hit the nail on the head. He defined a our work. We need to set up situations where interested people can connect with God in a way that feels true to them, where they sense God connecting back.

Think about it. Who wants to sign up for a religious system just because your friends are doing this, or because it is a healthy lifestyle, or out of desperation? But we long for what is real and true.

If there was a clear and easy difference between praying to God and praying to an idol, how would idol worship prosper in the old days? How would good luck charms, witchcraft, the love of money, and false religions prosper today?

On that day of judgment they will abandon the gold and silver idols they made for themselves to worship. They will leave their gods to the rodents and bats (Isaiah 2:20).

What these prisoners need is to truly sense an interaction with a living God who cares and who wants relationship.

Prayer is really important.

All the people we talked to who are having success with Discovery Groups say that prayer is really important. We need God’s Kingdom to break into our normal zones.

Please pray that the Kingdom of God will break into this jail cell in Marabá, in power.

Pray for Cesar. And for Wolverine. And António Marcos, Rodrigo, and João. These guys are from all over Brazil. They have the potential to bring the gospel to some dark places. Let’s pray they really sense God’s presence this week.

May Your Kingdom come, and Your will be done, on this earth as it is in heaven.

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Africa

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Kruger National Park was incredible. I wouldn’t have even gone if the team did not have it all planned, like a package deal. This national park has been around for about 100 years. The animals are so accustomed to vehicles with people that they hunt, eat, and play as if the vehicles don’t exist. The guides warned us to never forget how wild they are. If you step out of a vehicle everything changes. You just entered the food chain.

Here are 7 more of my favorite photos.


This is a lookout point over a waterhole, where we could carefully step out of our vehicle and have lunch.


We had the best guides. They were so gracious, and hard working. They love the animals, conservation, and their jobs.

Angelita & Clenildo, Athila & Elke, Rick & Deanna, Steve & Elba, Fátima & Daide

Amazon Village Árirua – Projecto Sorriso
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Prayer? How much?

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Belem Sunset
Jefferson and Simone are the pastors at the Mutirão Church in Altamira. Saturday morning 17 leaders showed up at their house to learn about Discovery Groups. We opened the meeting with time for everyone to air questions, criticisms, or what they hoped to get out of the morning. Since all questions were well received this raised the trust level, that this was a safe place to share doubts. This group has been experimenting with acquiring prayer partners for their groups. One question that struck a nerve was, “How many groups should I commit to pray for? When I only commit to praying for one group, my friends who are starting other groups think I don’t like them.” Prayer requests and communication among this group often happens through instant messages and social media.

I asked the group to suggest some Bible verses about prayer. They separated into small groups, each one taking one of the bible teachings.

1. Each group designated a facilitator leader.

2. The facilitator’s task was to
a) Not teach,
b) Draw out discussion from everyone in the group,
c) Write down at least three things their group discovered about prayer from their verses,
d) Share their group’s learning with the larger group in 3 minutes and,
e) Answer questions from the larger group for 2 minutes in a way that invites more questions and discussion.
(Some of  these went over 20 minutes as everyone was fully engaged, helping the group to learn about structure and boundaries).

3. The group’s task was to hold the facilitator / leader accountable to his/her job.

This is so different from a leader teaching, and a group reacting to the teaching based on their own understanding (yawn). These participants were charged with a shot of adrenaline.

One scripture that stood out that morning is Romans 8:26.

Romans 8: 26-28 MSG Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. 

“If we get a request to pray for a Discovery Group, and we groan, is that a prayer according to this scripture?”

We had to leave that discussion and move on, but it leaves people wanting more as opposed to being thankful that the meeting is finally over.

Look at the faces below, and you’ll see what I mean.


It’s the difference between “When will this be over” AND “We have to stop because time is slipping away and we still have more to address.”
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Kid’s Day

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Belem Sunset

Bruna (Ivanildo and Mônica’s 17 year old daughter) and Adriana (red muscle shirt) came to my door looking for balloons, or paint, or something. The Sunday School leader had not shown up, and it was time for the Kid’s Day event to start. I was amazed at their resourcefulness and outer calm as they created plan B.

Dia Das Crianças (Kid’s Day) is a statutory holiday in Brazil, with lots of advertising in the malls, and schools. Churches usually have special events. Miriam, the Sunday School leader, had just recently moved to another neighborhood across the river. She was stuck on the local bus system for a long time and this made her really late for the event.

102 children came, and most of them from difficult situations.


Lohanny, Adriana, and Ana got the Kid’s Day event going with some lively worship songs. Bruna was in this leadership team too, getting supplies, and planning next steps, as leaders do.


Miriam has graduated from being a youth to a young mom and leader.


Other young people manned the sound booth and ran countless errands.

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It’s a Big Jungle

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Recently I had lunch with a friend who has been working for years to launch an aviation ministry in the Amazon.

“In my observation the church is working hard at bringing the gospel to the river people of the Amazon Basin who live within one day’s boat ride of the major cities here. And then it kind of stops.”

I opened Google Earth, and drew a circle that has a 100 mile radius / 160 km radius around each major city, thinking that an average river boat might get that far in one day. Outside of these circles my friend says there is significantly less knowledge of the gospel.

These places are hard to get to, hard to live in, and you might wonder if it is worth it.

“How small do you think a community is before the people no longer matter? What if there are 2 or 3 families living way up a creek? Do they count?”

I remember flying over the jungle with Luke Huber, in his ultra-light. We lifted off the river, flew over a stretch of jungle. Hidden in the jungle was a creek with a few stilt houses. Luke yelled at me over the roar of the engine,“I didn’t know people were living out here. We need to get out here with the gospel.”

I thought, “Really? You just get a boat and show up at somebody’s place with the gospel?” Since I was new to Brazil I filed my thoughts away on a back shelf. As time went on I realized we actually can do this. Many people receive us and our message gratefully. The bottle-neck for us became how to train the workers. With great effort we got to some remote locations to start a church with a key family and developed a support network for that little group. The key family learns from the teacher who lives in the city, and the others learn from the key family.

Two challenges we encounter are:

1. How to maintain a sufficient support links to a city church.
2. If the key family moves to another location the church often ceases to exist.

This is where Discovery Bible Studies may really shine. 

In a Discovery Group (1) everyone changes something in their lives each week because of the gospel, and (2) everyone has a spiritual conversation in a natural way each week with an acquaintance. Weekly the Discoverers (disciples) share their experiences with each other. Imagine the potential. These people get to experience the joy of a daily, personal walk with God. This is different than hearing someone teach and trying to obey that person’s council about how it works. This is more about everyone connecting with God and interacting with what they are learning.

Jesus says the bottle-neck is laborers. In my experience laborers don’t usually have all the finances and the big picture figured out. They are the disciplined people who get up early, put their work boots on, make their lunch, and go do what they can all day long.

When He [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:36-38).

We know that in God’s economy spreading the gospel to everyone in the Amazon is within reach. I suspect God has many people willing to give their lives to a career that is deeply satisfying. Imagine the books and stories that will come from the group that reaches into these remote locations.

So for you, if you are interested . . . are you willing to bring your loaves and sardines to Jesus?

Imagine if this was true, if it really was this simple. What if, in a act of obedience, we brought our little selves to Jesus, believing that He could do amazingly impossible things?

1. What would be your next step? And if the Lord encouraged you on, what would be your next step after that? What would you have to actually do?

2. What is the risk? What would it cost you?

3. What is the potential gain, in this world and in the next?

4. Are you willing to take your next step?

A 100 mile radius around the major cities of the Brazilian Amazon is more evangelized.