Mark 6:1-29 Small Group Questions

Our church is currently studying the book of Mark. For twenty-eight weeks we're walking through the book and talking about the action-packed story of Jesus. Mark was more concerned with what Jesus did than what Jesus said. For this series I volunteered to write the small group questions that go along with each sermon. It seemed like a waste to leave them in a file on my computer and not share them with everyone.

Small Group Questions ||| A Snapshot of Ministry ||| Mark 6:1-29

The Gospel of Mark has been an action packed story of the life of Jesus. Mark chose to focus more on what Jesus did than what Jesus said. In the first half of Mark 6, we study three stories of Jesus encountering people. First, Jesus is rejected in His home. Second, Jesus sends out the disciples. Third, Jesus hears the news about John the Baptist being beheaded. These words in Scripture show us the compassion of Jesus, the leadership of Jesus, and the compassion of Jesus to help more people find the wild love of God. Study these questions together to grow in your faith.

1) What dynamics of a “hometown” would have made it difficult for Jesus to be  fully accepted in Nazareth (read Mark 6:1-6a)? What struggles do we encounter in our hometown that can make it tough to share the love of Jesus?

2) The people in Nazareth almost killed Jesus on His last visit (Luke 4:14-30). Mark tells us that Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith. What causes people to have such a lack of faith?

3) In Mark 3 Jesus called the Apostles. Then in Mark 5, Jesus modeled what they are to do. Now in Mark 6:6a-13 we read that Jesus sent them out. What would have been the most difficult part about being an Apostle?

4) Mark makes a note about the obedience of the Apostles. Pastor Neal told us that many people are “educated beyond their obedience.” Have you found that you know more about the love of Jesus than you put into practice or share with others?

5) One model of leadership has a five step process of teaching people how to do a job, task, or ministry. Is there an area of ministry you are currently serving in that you could find a person to come alongside you and raise them up to serve in that area?

6) The story of Herod and John the Baptist is a tragic account of a saint loosing his life. Share about the life of a saint, who has gone to be with Jesus, that radically impacted your life for the gospel.

7) Read Mark 6:14-29. Talk about the obvious sin and lack of leadership involved expressed in this story. What lessons do you learn (good or bad) that can help us as we seek to follow Jesus in our daily life?

Close your time in prayer. Be bold in asking for Jesus to restore you or others.

The Path to Maturity

It was July of 1961 and the 38 members of the Green Bay Packers football team were gathered together for the first day of training camp. The previous season had ended with a heartbreaking defeat, late in the 4th quarter, to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Green Bay players had been thinking about this brutal loss for the entire off-season. Now training camp had arrived and it was time to get to work.

The players were eager to advance their game to the next level and start working on the details that would help them win a championship. Their coach, Vince Lombardi, had a different idea. He began a tradition of starting from scratch, assuming that the players were blank slates who carried over no knowledge from the year before… He began with the most elemental statement of all. “Gentlemen,” he said, holding a pigskin in his right hand, “this is a football.”

Lombardi was coaching a group of three dozen professional athletes who, just months prior, had come within minutes of winning the biggest prize their sport could offer. And yet, he started from the very beginning. Lombardi's methodical coverage of the fundamentals continued throughout training camp. Each player reviewed how to block and tackle. They opened up the playbook and started from page one. His team would become the best in the league at the tasks everyone else took for granted. Six months later, the Green Bay Packers beat the New York Giants 37-0 to win the NFL Championship

There were players in that locker room who probably thought their coach was crazy. These players were some of the best in the world. Think about what Vince Lombardi did for the Packers. How would you respond if that was done for you spiritually?

In my opinion the church can loose it’s focus. For the last year, our church has been working hard at getting laser focused.

Very few people have experienced a clear pathway to spiritual maturity. In fact, the path to God is not always a straight line. Believers experience twists and turns, confusion and frustration, joy and fulfillment.

When people go to the gym they hire a trainer to help them accomplish their goals. People seek the advice of a financial planner to help them get to their desired location. The roadmap for Coastline is intended to do the same for each of us. It involves four steps that we will look at: gather, grow, serve, and send.

Gather

We gather because that is what the early church did

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:46, 47

The early church once met in the synagogue because following Jesus was a fulfillment of their Jewish heritage. They found the hope in the coming Messiah just like many of us have found. Men and women found the truth in God’s word and it gave them direction in following God. We gather just like the early church did. We gather in a different location than a synagogue but we still gather.

This gathering is an easy first step for many people who are curious about Jesus. This gathering is a safe place for broken people of all ages and stages of life to find Jesus. This gathering has an invisible sign outside that says, “everyone is welcome.” This gathering has an invisible sign outside that says, “come as you are.” This gathering has a warmth and comfort to it that people are longing to find. When we gather here we do so to learn from God’s word, to praise Him, to turn our attention to heavenly things and understand His goodness.

We long to be a church that unchurched people love to attend. Did you know it’s Biblical for people who meet Jesus to bring their friends to meet Jesus also?

 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. John 1:40-42

The first thing Andrew did was find his brother Simon and bring him to Jesus. Who can you bring to meet Jesus? It’s Biblical to help people find Jesus. We’re not looking to be the biggest church, we’re just trying to help more people find the hope, love, compassion, and salvation we’ve found in Jesus. There are people who are looking for the coming Messiah just like these men were.

We’re going to use the same message the early church used. The method might be different, but the message hasn’t changed.

Grow

After you’ve been to a gathering make a commitment to grow spiritually. One of the primary ways we see people growing in their faith is moving into a small group. This is a big spiritual growth step. Flip back to the book of Acts to see what a small group looks like

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42

The focal point of growing is doing life with other people. There is a devotion to the teaching of God’s word. There is a commitment to spending time with other believers and growing in prayer. These are some basic components of growing in Jesus.

We live in a time of increasing Biblical illiteracy and being involved in a small group is a way to combat this. Groups help you open your Bible on a regular basis. Groups give you a safe place to share prayer requests with trusted individuals. I believe, with my whole heart, that if you will commit to being in a group for ten weeks it will change your life forever. Your marriage will be stronger, you faith will be stronger, your passion for Jesus will grow, and your confidence in Scripture will increase because you are going to know God more!

People gain confidence in God and His truth by studying His word with others.

I’ve been following Jesus for over eighteen years now. The first group I was in was a men’s group who really shaped my faith as a young man. Those men taught me about prayer and Scripture memorization; they shaped my future for Jesus. When I got married, Charity and I attended a small group focused on marriage. It was refreshing learning from couples who had been married for ten, twenty and thirty years. I can still hear those couples saying, “You guys could be our kids.” And we needed to learn from them.

Serve (John 13)

After you gather to worship and start growing in your faith there is a natural progression to serving others. Quite often people think of serving in the negative sense. It can sound like something that is below a person. Let me remind you about Jesus

"Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26-28

Jesus spoke of His eternal Kingdom when a mother asked that her two sons sit on the right and left. It seems this happens frequently, we have half the information but what all the benefits. God had already determined who would sit at the right and left of Jesus, it wasn’t a debate. Jesus needed to remind His own disciples that He is a servant.

For you and I, serving is the next logical step in growing in our faith. When I was a young man and had been attending church for a few years I began serving. I began serving in a classroom full of four year olds. It was a joy! I had so much fun serving those kids. They gravitated to me and I learned about the love of God. Their kindness and acceptance began to transform a former drug dealer. Serving taught me more about the love of God than I think I taught anyone.

You might wonder why we want to see people serve. First, we think it’s Biblical. Second we are a non-profit. Third, we think you will find fulfillment in life when you serve others. Fourth, we think God created you to serve others.

Send (Acts 1:8)

The next part is not the final part. There is no end to our spiritual growth here on earth. The next part is an obedience to the words of Jesus

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Jesus gave the disciples a clear direction on what to do. After saying these words, Jesus ascended to heaven. Let’s talk about a realistic plan of action for those of you who are ready to be sent. I’m aware that not everyone will grow to this point in their spiritual growth, in fact, I recently heard that 90% of Christians will never share their faith. Ninety percent of people won’t share the hope that changed their life.

Let’s look more at what Jesus instructed. Jerusalem was the center for many of these men. Jesus was essentially saying, “Start right here. Start right where you are at.” I give you the same encouragement today. Start sharing the love of Jesus with those closest to you. Start in your neighborhood, your home, your work place or your school. You don’t have to be a trained evangelist to share your faith. But the hope is that since you’ve been gathering, God is working in you. Your small group has helped you grow in your faith. Through serving you’re looking more like Jesus. Now you can confidently be sent to tell others about Jesus.

Once you’ve shared the love of Jesus with those closest to you we want to see people start serving in our community.

From there we long to see people invest more into helping people find and follow Jesus. We have a handful of mission partners who are in the state of California.

After this, we’d love to see people go global. We’d love to see every person get on a plane once every five years to serve the world. This follows the progression Jesus gave us in Acts 1:8.

Finally, when we think about being sent, God might do something a little more. We want to be a church that plants churches. We are praying that in three to five years God will let us plant a church somewhere in Ventura County. We don’t have all the details. We don’t have a plan. But we have a vision and a passion.

We long to find more people with the Coastline DNA who can be sent to start healthy churches. We long to see Ventura County have more healthy churches who are focused on teaching God’s word.

Conclusion

When we think about a pathway to spiritual maturity, this is a life long commitment. Following Jesus will be the best commitment a person can make. Think back to the locker room talk Vince Lombardi had. He took professional players though the basics and they won. Let’s focus on the basics so we can grow in our faith. The path to growth is not like McDonalds.

The path to growth is a lifelong process. This is why I want you to commit to a life of spiritual growth. Commit to a life of looking and smelling more like Jesus. This might take a while. It might be slower or faster than you thought. It might be harder or easier at times. You might hit road blocks. But don’t quit.

“If Christians around the world were to suddenly renounce their personal agendas, their life goals and their aspirations, and begin responding in radical obedience to everything God showed them, the world would be turned upside down. How do we know? Because that's what first century Christians did, and the world is still talking about it." -Henry Blackaby

A story about a meeting in hell

Dr. Clarence Macartney told a story about a meeting in hell.

Satan called his four leading demons together and commanded them to think up a new lie that would trap more souls. “I have it!” one demon said. “I’ll to earth and tell people there is no God.” “It will never work,” said Satan. “People can look around and see there is a God.”

“I’ll go and tell them there is no heaven!” suggested a second demon, “But Satan rejected that idea. “Everybody knows there is life after death and they want to go to heaven.”

“Let’s tell them there is no hell!” said a third demon. “No, conscience tells them their sins will be judged,” said the Devil. “We need a better lie than that.”

Quietly, the fourth demon spoke. “I think I’ve solved your problem,” he said. “I’ll go to earth and tell everybody there is no hurry.”

It’s easy to fall into this lie that there is no hurry to share the truth of Christ. It’s easy to fall into the lie that someone else will tell you friends, neighbors and family about Christ. It’s also easy to fall into the lie that you can wait to make a decision to follow Jesus. Today is the day to look for the opportunity to share your faith.

Let me tell you, there is a hurry to tell people about Jesus. Our church has been studying the book of Acts and The Apostle Paul was ready to share his faith throughout this book in the Bible. He models to us the need to be ready to share the hope of Christ. He was ready in season and out of season. He shared the truth in the synagogue, the marketplace, temple and the courtroom. If you’re ready to share the hope of Christ, God will give you opportunities.

In just four Sunday’s from today we will celebrate Easter (not just at my church but at your church and in your city). We’re taking a giant step of faith and adding a second service for seven weeks (pray for us). There are many people who are in no hurry to make a decision about Christ but I'm inviting you to make a hurry about it. Today is a great day to be ready to share the love of Christ.

Use the template that Paul used in Acts 26 to share your faith:
1) Talk about your life before Christ
2) How you met Christ
3) What changed in your life afterwards

Cambodia Food

Last month I had a very unique opportunity to travel to Cambodia. My hope in this blog post is to share an overview of the food I experienced in Phnom Penh. Not only the food, but the ability to eat at restaurants that helped others out.

Let me start out by saying, “I love Asian food!” Asian is one of my favorite cuisines. Eating Khmer food was a new experience but a great one! The first night in Phnom Penh we went to the best Vietnamese place I’ve ever been to; I’m still thinking about the egg rolls they served! We did end up eating there another night while in the country.

If you are in Phnom Penh here are two places I would recommend to eat at. All of these locations can be found in Lonely Planet (get the kindle version to save on weight).

Friends

This location, near the river, on the north side, was our favorite place to eat. We found it after our first full day in the country. It serves tapas (not my favorite) but the food was savory. They had wonderful salads, meet, rice and great shakes!

The food wasn’t even the best part! They had junior servers who would assit the regular server. The junior servers were young adults/teens who had once lived a risky life and are now receiving on the job training. After you eat, walk next door and find some great souvenirs to bring home to your family.

Jars of Clay

Located near the Russian Market, same street just a block south. This location was my favorite lunch place. They had some great options and the staff was very friendly. When we walked into the restaurant my first thought was “this is small and not what we’re looking for.” Then a staff member said, “we have more seating upstairs.”

The upstairs is the place to sit. Its like a mix between a comfy living room and a great coffee shop that serves killer food! I really enjoyed all we had to eat there and wish we would have eaten lunch here everyday. My absolute favorite part, ok two favorite parts, about this restaurant are their love for Jesus Christ and the great little shop they have. 

They have a page, in their menu, dedicated to their story and how Christ is their hope. The store was a great place to get cute little dresses for my daughters; my only regret is not buying two more.

So if you're in Cambodia check these places out, eat good food and help others!

Rwanda Overview

I still can't believe I went to Rwanda!

January 7, 2014 I hopped a plane, actually 3 planes, and headed to Rwanda with my pastor.   We went at the invitation of a man in our church; Chris Foreman.  Chris has been involved in Rwanda for the last decade.  During this time he's formed relationships, trained university students, almost completed a wonderful building and much more.  Chris invited us to teach at the Second Annual East Africa Apologetics Conference.

Mark and I landed in Kigali late Wednesday night, we both wanted to get to a hotel as soon as possible and crash out.  Instead we got in a car, drove around town, ate dinner and took a three hour trek to Huye, Rwanda.  Going to bed at 2:30am isn't my regular routine but for this trip it was just how the plan worked out; we were on Africa time.

Waking up in Huye was a sight for sore eyes; I wasn't prepared for the beauty this city had to offer.  I expected the town to be more of a desert environment but I was wrong.  The land was very fertile and gorgeous.  The people we met were amazing; so loving and caring.  I was constantly impressed at how engaged the people were, maybe because everyone didn't have an iPhone to look at or constantly felt the need to update Instagram.

While in Rwanda we taught, preached, made friends, visited a genocide memorial, worshipped, laughed, ate, shopped and much more.  In the next couple days look for new posts about: teaching in the conference, the friends we made and Rwandan worship.  I just don't have room to cover the whole trip in one post.

I still can't believe I went to Rwanda but I'm so glad I did.

Rwanda Prayer List

I'm leaving for Rwanda on January 7 and as I prepare I wanted to ask anyone who takes the time to read this short blog post to pray for me and Mark (my pastor).

In Rwanda we will be teaching at an international Apologetics conference, visiting a genocide memorial, teaching in the local church, connecting with local pastors and much more (I hope eating amazing food makes the list).  We're traveling with Come and See Africa and excited for this opportunity.

Here are the top 5 ways you can pray for us while we're gone:

1. Pray for God to use our teaching time to honor Him
2. Pray for safe travels (planes, cars and anything else we may ride in)
3. Pray for relationships to form that are mutually encouraging 
4. Pray for God to open doors that may be closed
5. Pray for our families while we're away

If you want to add something to the list it would be our health to remain strong!

Thanks for praying; I'm excited to share what God does. 

Preaching to Murderers

My mind has been bothered lately... I think my soul has too.

Let me explain this to you and how it came about.  See in about a month I'm going to Rwanda with my pastor.  On our trip we'll be teaching at an apologetics conference and preaching in the local church.  As we've been prepping for our trip my pastor read a book titled Mirror to the Church: Resurrecting Faith after Genocide in Rwanda.  After reading the book he passed it on to me and I read it; here's what I learned.

Before Europe conquered Africa and divided up the land Rwanda was lead by a king.  The king has three leaders over three different aspects of life: Military, Livestock and Agriculture.  The leader of the Military could be a Tutsi or a Hutu, the leader of livestock was always a Tutsi and the leader of the agriculture was always a Hutu.  Once Belgium came in they were under the assumption that the Tutsi's were better leaders because of their height, lighter colored skin and positions they were currently holding.  Therefore they promoted the Tutsi's and educated them more, leaving the Hutu's out to farm.  The Belgians also brought identity cards with them solidifying the segregation.

Years of this segregation created an undercurrent of frustration in Rwanda that climaxed in April 1994 with the genocide.  In the genocide 800,000+ people were murdered, read that line again: 800,000+ people were murdered.  Estimates guess that 20% of the nations people were killed in the genocide.  No country intervened for months, if I remember correctly it was about 100 days of killing.  The Hutu's were fed-up and started killing all the Tutsi's because: their skin was lighter, they had livestock and they was a different nostril flare.

Now before you try to separate this emotionally and put some rational behind the killing you have to remember the majority of the killing was done with machetes.  I've never killed anyone, but my first choice wouldn't be to use a machete.  A machete would be an intimate way to kill someone; there is very little distance and you would become closely acquainted with you victim.

Now you have to add a layer to all this senseless killing.  The killing wasn't done by a country to invade another country.  The killing wasn't done with bombs and snipers.  The killing was done with machetes who killed their neighbors.  People who were being killed would say things like: "John (fictitious name), how come you're doing this, you're my neighbor."

The genocide in Rwanda was neighbors killing their neighbors with machetes.

If you're still reading then your interested in where I'm going.  I'm guessing that when I preach in the local church, most of the darker skinned men, and maybe women, over the age of 38 have killed someone.  The disturbing facts of group evil are at play here.  Something an 18 year old male is unwilling to do on his own, he is willing to do in the company of other men his age: group evil.

I can't get the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount out of my head:

You have heard it was said long ago: "Don't murder" but I tell you anyone who even thinks about hurting their brother or sister has committed murder in their mind. Matthew 5:21-24 (my translation)

I shouldn't be surprised that I'll have an opportunity to preach to murders but its been messing with my brain.  The reality is we've all committed murder in our mind, the people I may or may not get to meet acted on the thoughts.

Rwanda Bound: Prep

Last week I started really preparing to go to Rwanda.  I've shifted a lot of my mental focus to preparing for this trip.  I've slotted time on my calendar to ready myself.  I'm started studying my material for preaching in the local church and creating material for the conference we're teaching.  I also went and got my shots (not my favorite) at the hospital.

About 3 months ago I called my doctor and found out what I needed to update for shots to prepare for my trip.  Last week I went to Kaiser to pick up my prescriptions and get my shots up to date for my trip.  I started by going to the pharmacy and picking up my prescriptions that were called in.  For the trip I needed to update my Typhoid vaccination, tetanus shot, get malaria pills and bring an antibiotic just in case.  While getting information about my prescriptions I learned Typhoid is not a shot anymore but a 4 pill oral vaccination.

As the pharmacists was explaining my prescriptions she suggested I go to the third floor to get my shots before they closed.  I quickly headed up where I was the last one in to get my tetanus shot and they talked me into the flu shot.  The conclusion of that: my arm hurt for three days.  I went back downstairs and my prescriptions were ready.  I got the Typhoid pills, malaria pills and an antibiotic for any stomach problems that may arise.

Overall I'm pretty much ready (physically) for the trip.  I'm going to start my Typhoid vaccinations next week and will take the malaria pills about a week before we leave.  Thanks for your prayers for my trip; I really appreciate it!

Rwanda Bound

Gosh, I'm not sure where to start this post...

Life is a journey... I want to go where God leads me!

In a few short months I will be traveling to a small Africa country that was torn by civil war and genocide.  Most people would think I'm crazy for going there and some are right; I am a little crazy so I want to invite you to journey with me as I go Rwanda Bound!

I guess the best place to start is to give you the info I know as of now.  You should never journey alone, so I'm not going on this journey alone. I'll be traveling with my pastor (Mark Mitchell) and we'll meet up with Chris Foreman, founder of Come and See Africa, once we're on the ground.

We're slotted to help teach a conference on Apologetics (how to defend your faith) in a local college in Butare (south of the capital city).  We're expecting about 125 students from four countries to be at this conference.  After the conference is over we will preach in two local churches.  From what I understand; I'll preach in one church while Mark preaches in the other and then we swap for the second service.

What I've learned with trips like this is: be flexible.  I still need to get my shots and malaria pills but wanted to invite you into the journey with me!

Compassion International

Who would have guessed that a ministry started in 1956 would have such an impact in my home today

In 1952 Everett Swanson visited South Korea to preach the Gospel.  During his visit he encountered children orphaned by the war.  While in South Korea Everett was challenged by a missionary friend: "You have seen the tremendous needs and unparalleded opportunities of this land.  What do you intend to do about it?  Four later Everett did something; he started Compassion International

In 2003 I met a beautiful young lady named Charity Fairfield who was passionate about Compassion International.  As time progressed I made her my wife but I honestly think one of the unwritten prenuptial agreements was that I would have to sponsor a child with Compassion.  In 2005 I started sponsoring Edgar.  This passion to help out children in need started with a man I will not meet on earth and continues in my home.

The sad thing for me is that after 8 years of writing letters with Edgar he is going to graduate from High School.  Now I know I am supposed to be happy but I am going to miss him.  I enjoy reading his letters.  I've been blessed to pray for him every night.  I love seeing how he has matured as a young man and I've been able to walk alongside (from afar) though some difficult times.

I am thankful Compassion gave me a heads up but I am going to be sad in December when Edgar graduates.  Until then I will keep praying for him, sending him letters and encouraging him in life.  The impact that Edgar has had on me, as a person, I am unable to put into words.  The only way I can express this is to invite you to sponsor a child and live life beyond yourself.

Thanks for letter me help out Compassion!  You are amazing.

I am convicted today

This week we have had John and Jenny Van't Land in town. John and Jenny are missionaries in Dakar, Sengal in West Africa.
I woke up today and have been convicted and I can't get over it (I haven't spent time with Jesus yet) but I am not sure what it is. Well I am kinda sure what it is. I just took a class on Global Issues in Evangelism and I am rocked! For the class I did a presentation on the 10/40 Window; the most unreached area in the world. 3 billion of the worlds people live there and we only send 3% of the worlds mission force there.
God is rocking me right now, not just because of that but because of this too:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in​ the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

I am convicted by this. I am convicted that I don't go. I am convicted that I have so much and there are people that have so little.

Making the Most of Your Mission Trip

As I sit shotgun in the van on the way home from our Spring Break mission trip to Mexico I just started reflecting on what made this trip so amazing. Yes, the sixteen minute border wait on the way home will make you smile, but did we do right that made our team smile the entire trip? Having been able to do multiple mission trips since being a Christian here are some things that our team has implemented into the trip to make it more successful (maybe one day I will write something on “How not to lead a mission trip” but not this year).

1) Give your team plenty of team before the trip to connect and get prepared
This year we started plenty ahead of time. This allows the students, adult leaders and families in your church who want to come the ability to come. Most people want/need ample lead-time before the trip to get prepared; respect that and plan ahead so that you are prepared. When you are prepared then everyone on the team can be prepared. This will allow you the time to think when the plans need to change and trust me they will.

2) Have clearly defined limitations on your trip
When you know who this trip is aimed to, what people can expect, what kind of work you will be doing and things of that nature it helps you know who this trip is designed for. If you are going to be building a building then you may not want younger kids on the team. Know your sleeping arrangements so that people can know what to expect and what they need to bring. Also if you have a dad who wants to bring his eight-year-old daughter on trip are you prepared for that with the sleeping? These are great things to think through ahead of time.

3) Be clear and intentional at your team meetings
This is where you need to be prepared so that you can communicate what is necessary for the people on your team to know. If the meeting is going to be an hour long be prepared for that, if the meeting is going to be three hours long let your team know that ahead of time.

4) Utilize your leader on the team
This is a great time to read Exodus 18 again. Look at what Jethro says to Moses about the way he is leading. Appoint leaders on your team and let them lead. Teach your leaders to lead, help them lead and let the team know that they are going to lead. This has been one the greatest learning experiences for me. When you can focus your time on helping your leaders and taking care of them, then your leaders can lead; us the resources in them that God has given you.

5) Pray hard
This could probably be the first point but we’re talking about it last. Pray throughout this entire process; pray for God to put the right people on the team. Pray for God to lead your team, stretch them, keep them safe and unite them for a common purpose. When you take the time to seek God in this entire process of following the great commission God will speak to you and lead you in the right path.

Hello Mexicali

Yesterday we drove into Mexicali Mexico. I am apart of a team that will be here for 8 days working with Rick and Tammie Romano. Our goal is to work as a team to unite people to find Jesus while we are here. During that process we hope to build a church!
I am in Mexico right now so this is going to be short. Please take the time to pray for our team and that God will lead all we do!
Matt Hall is our building team leader and Whitney Rossvanes in leading VBS. They are amazing!
I'll try to update this... key word in there is try!

Mexico Pre-Trip Video

So I have to give props to Kyle Rock once again; this kid (I think he is a young man now) is super amazing! He took the footage we shot down in Mexicali and turned it into this!

Wrapping up 2008

Today Charity and I were talking and I shared how I wanted to give an update on all that we did this year. She came up with a great word; "Reflect". We both decided that too many times we fail to reflect on life and remember all that God has done for us. I know this post may be long, but I hope you enjoy reading/seeing what God has done for us this last year.

Winter Camp 2008
This year we did our own winter camp in BrianHead Utah. It was amazing! My buddy Joey Ross came and spoke and Aaron Hoffman lead worship. It was great to see our leaders all jump in and make it happen. We just rented houses and Town Hall and spent time with students. It was so good we are doing it again in 2009

Mexico Mission Trip
I was able to lead a team to a town just south of Ensenada Mexico to build a home for a family who didn't have one. There are some super cool missionaries down there; Rick and Tammie Romano. They have great hearts and run a super effective ministry down there called "The Ensenada Project". If you are looking for a place to serve, contact them!

Translating the Book of Ephesians
This year I took a class through Fuller Seminary where I was able to translate the book of Ephesians from Greek into English. I would say that it was the hardest assignment that I have ever accomplished. I was so happy to turn all the 150 pages of homework in for that class!

Italy Vacation
If you missed the posts from Italy you gotta go check them out! This was by far the best vacation that Charity and I have ever taken. We feel so blessed that we were able to do this before Sophie came. (Little unknown fact: while we were in Italy we thought that Sophie was going to be "Zachariah Charles Benson")









Sophie Marie Benson in the oven
Sophie is by far the best thing to happen to our family this year. Neither of us would know what to do without her!









Hume SD: Middle School
Middle School Camp... was rad! I had a great time with the 8th grade, soon to be 9th grade, boys. They were great and Evan Faircloth is a rad leader, but Chase Feindel really led that camp well! Thanks for all your hard work Chase.




Hume Lake: High School
The students that we brought this year were great, but our leaders did even better! I always tell other pastors that our leaders are one of the main reasons that I keep serving. Without there help and support I don't believe that our ministry would be as effective as it has been out here. Thank you leaders for all your hard work. It is not un-noticed!

Baby Shower
Thank you all so much for all you gave. A special thanks to the McComb's for opening their home to allow us to have the shower there; you guys are truly amazing!

The Arrival of Sophie Marie
You can search the blog back in August to get more updates (click here). Sophie was born on August 26th 2008. She is by far the most beautiful little girl that I have ever seen in the world. Thank you Jesus for letting us have her!





Learning Hebrew
In the Fall I started on my Old Testament work for Seminary. I am currently, almost, half way done with my masters of Divinity from Fuller Seminary. Hebrew has been a huge challenge, but has taught me so much! Wanna see the Hebrew Alphabet? Check this out!

Thanksgiving in So Cal
We had a great chance to do a little So Cal tour this year at Thanksgiving time where we were able to see Charity's parents and my family. It was a great time with family. Click for pics

My Expanded Role at South Hills
This year we had an opening that I noticed on our staff: we had no one championing missions. I prayed that if God wanted me to help with it that my pastor would ask me. About a week later him and I were talking and now I am creating an Outward Team at our church that will be focused on evangelism and serving. I am pretty excited about this opportunity and the chance to grow in my leadership. Thanks for trusting me and letting me lead Bret!

These are just some of the memorable events from the year. Thank you so much for all of you that have prayed for us, supported us to reach students, helped me go on a mission trip and have just been there as our friends. You appreciate all of you!

Africa Update #4

Straight from my pastor:

Just a quick update from our team--
First, our team is GREAT. They are hard workers and Jesus lovers. We are almost done with construction on a new church building/Youth Center on the edge of Ouaga. The weather has been the dream of most people— high 80’s during the day—we’re going to come home with great tans!
Yesterday, Chase, Evan Faircloth and I traveled several hours to the home village of Victor (in our church). Victor was Chase’s roommate for quite a while before getting married recently. Victor had us take a bunch of stuff for his family for Christmas. It was amazing to travel to this REALLY African village (and we have been to several villages in our trips here). Wait til you see the pictures. I wish you could have sat with us in the bush taxi and been there when it broke down out in the middle of nowhere! Thanks for your prayers.

We shared Christ with 55 kids two days ago at our work site.
We are leading the Youth Group here in the capitol city for all the English-speaking kids (30-40).
We are thankful for your love, prayers and support. Nobody has been sick at all— well, Connie got car sick this morning! Everyone is in great spirits.

Africa Update #3

Just a quick update this time.
I actually talked with my Pastor today and they are having a great time! We talked using Skype, a free internet program, that has video and voice capability. It is crazy to me that I can talk to someone who is half way across the world now and see them! The team is doing great and they are working on a youth center there in Burkina in the captial city.
Tomorrow some of the team is heading to a guy in our church's village to give some items to his family (God is amazing).
Please pray for Pete Brockop, one of the missionaries there, he got malaria today and is not doing good. Thanks for praying for our team!