Appleseed Travel Journal

— Am I Willing to Pay the Price to Follow Jesus?

Pastor C, in one of the countries where I have been traveling, came home recently to find two oil cans in front of his house.  This was a clear and brazen message being sent to him.  The message was this: “We could have just as easily burned down your house; and we could still do so at any time.”  Since there have been recent church bombings in this area, this was no idle threat and C knew it.

But the comment he made to me was this: “I have to keep asking myself this question: am I willing to pay the price to follow Jesus?”

Hmmm…

I had to really reflect on this question since it was being asked in such a real-life context. 

And, really, what does it mean in my setting in a culture where it is still relatively safe to be a follower of Jesus?  Does it mean anything?  Can I even relate to this angst?

But then I had to ask myself this question: “How long has it been since I have heard God call me to take on an assignment that would potentially really cost me?”  Maybe I am simply unwilling to consider assignments or situations that could cost me more than I think I am willing to pay?

Am I suggesting that God’s will is all about calling us to suffer?  No, I don’t think so.  On the other hand, a life of faith is often a life of risk which insinuates, I think, a willingness to pay whatever price might come for the sake of love for God and the gospel.  And if I have not been stepping out in faith to that extent, have I really been hearing all that God has been asking of me?

Or… have I just become accustomed to playing it safe and thus become unwilling to really ask God to lead me regardless of where his assignments might take me?  Do I trust him enough to believe that whatever cost he asks of me, in the process of following him, is worth it because of the overwhelming reward that comes from fully following… him?

Hmmm…

Yet, with all of that said, it still feels relatively theoretical since no one has left oil cans at my front door recently!!!

Well, these are my musings as I prepare to leave a wonderful group of leaders who are faithfully seeking to bring God’s kingdom to a nation where students come from all over the world from every background and religion to receive a college education.  I will share more on my time with them shortly…

Posted via email from Roger Thoman's Posterous

— Is Spiritual Activity on the Increase?

One of the themes that I am hearing in Singapore (where I am meeting with other trainer/coaches) is that it is becoming “normal” to talk about church movements in parts of the world where only a few years ago these areas were considered “hard soil.”

Just one example: several areas of Southeast Asia that are largely Muslim by culture with little spiritual fruit for years, are now seeing the beginnings of significant church planting movements. 

As we pasted sheets of paper on the wall containing various parts of the world with lists of new, God-initiated church planting movements, it became apparent that this example was being repeated over and over throughout the earth.  Formerly “hard soil” is becoming fruitful, fertile soft loam that is giving birth to the power and love of the Gospel.

“Astonishment,” would be the best word I could use.  Most of us were astonished to see that God has been significantly increasing his activity throughout the world.  Sure, this is not the kind of thing that one sees on T.V. headlines, but it is certainly a fact that God is stirring (Aslan is on the move) in far greater ways than many of us imagine.

It makes me wonder how much he is working in all of our contexts that we are not yet seeing.  It makes me wonder how much he is at work in our neighborhoods and workplaces where we have discounted the people around us as being “unreceptive to spiritual things.”  Perhaps our own limited vision and past expectations of disinterest are keeping us from seeing how powerfully God is stirring the hearts and lives of people that we are around everyday.

This brings me back to Wilkerson’s book (Seven Keys to a Life of Predictable Miracles) where he says:
“God is constantly at work in supernatural ways in our world, and He has much He wants to get done. God is actively looking for loyal partners—people who consistently care about what He cares about. God is regularly nudging people to respond, but most people miss His intentions or simply say no…  I view every person I meet as a potential miracle opportunity, no matter how surprised or unprepared I feel.”
Perhaps God’s activity is on the increase and we only need to change the lenses of our thinking to see this and be involved more regularly with him.

Singapore, by the way, is a beautiful city (pictured)!

Posted via email from Roger Thoman's Posterous

— Saving Mrs. Thoman

The following scene is a flashback to our trip to Mexico two weeks ago:

“Why do you guys keep stepping out in front of buses?” Brian said to Brooks and me as the three of us half-trotted across a busy street in downtown Oaxaca dodging a city bus that was not slowing for pedestrians.

“I am not stepping out in front of buses,” I replied emphatically with a strong emphasis on the word “not.”  “I am throwing myself between my wife and oncoming buses because she keeps stepping out in front of them,” with an even stronger emphasis on the word “she.”  This, by the way, was totally true.  Twice, now, she had stepped off the curb into the traffic before I could stop her and the only measure to take was to hurl myself after her.

And now, I finally had a witness.

You see, I have been claiming for years that I have repeatedly saved Brooks’ life on our trips as she casually gets caught up in conversations and meanders into the flow of traffic or across a street with public vehicles that refuse to slow for people.  Okay, so maybe I have not done this singlehandedly, but apparently God has seen fit to assign her at least three additional angels (in addition to myself when I am available) to keep that woman safe!  Many have heard me say that I save Brooks’ life on a regular basis.  Since she denies this, others tend to not take me seriously.

But here it happened right in front of a witness!  Our friend Brian joined us on this trip and was a great companion and partner in ministry.  He saw for himself, with amazement, the need this woman has for supernatural protection!

Okay, so no doubt I have over-estimated my own abilities to protect her, but I still declare, without any shadow of doubt, that there are some additionally assigned angels saving Mrs. Thoman on a regular basis.  For this I am grateful.

Bringing this down home, and on a more serious note, I do think most of us under-estimate the supernatural, miraculous activity taking place around us (our families, our children, our friends) on a daily basis that is guiding us, protecting us, and keeping us on track.  So many times, when we travel, we are aware of this, yet I do not think it is any less real for any of us in our everyday lives.  For this I am also grateful… and want to be more aware of.

So, yes, I have now arrived in Singapore after 31 hours of total travel time which gave me the opportunity to write up this tidbit from the past.

Posted via email from Roger Thoman's Posterous

— Mixed Feelings as I Leave for Singapore & Malaysia

It is with mixed feelings that I head out for Singapore and then Malaysia.  On the one hand, I am anticipating some very exciting God-happenings; on the other hand, I am flying solo (without Brooks) and this leaves a significant piece missing for me personally as well as for the ministry.  She cried as she left me at the airport (no surprise).  I comfort myself with the thought that this is because she will miss me so much and I board the plane enjoying being cared about so deeply.  In reality, her tears are more likely grief over not being able to participate in meeting new friends in Malaysia (the second part of this trip) which she would absolutely love to be doing with me.

Still there are some special elements to both parts of this trip.

In terms of Singapore:
  1. I will be meeting with others who are effectively training leaders in church planting movements.  While, to some of you, this may sound like as much fun as having lunch with a group of nuclear scientists, this is a real benefit for me to be able to share with as well as learn from others who are exploring the potential of churches multiplying.  By the way, Brooks will not be sad about missing this part of the trip!
  2. God seems to have arranged a divine appointment for me in Singapore.  I have been corresponding with someone who is working to coordinate church planting in Africa on a larger scale (probably a regional conference later this year).  It just so happens, with no planning of our own, that we will both be at this same meeting in Singapore!  It is so cool when God arranges things.
The second part of the trip (the part that Brooks will miss) involves meeting some new friends face-to-face in Malaysia who desire to more effectively reproduce disciples and churches in their regions.  These seem to be some high quality leaders and we look forward to building relationships with them and supporting their work in every way that we can.

So, I’m off!  I will sit here in San Francisco (where I am at the moment) eating Chinese food and hang out for another 7 hours before boarding an 18 hour flight.  Oh the joys of international travel!

Posted via email from Roger Thoman's Posterous

— What Happens in Three Days of Training?

For those of you who want the technical stuff... read on.  (For those who prefer the heart-and-soul plus the humor of our travels, skip this post).

What happens in three days of training?  It is impossible to describe all of the dynamics that take place as relationships are built, vision is extracted from the team, principles of church planting movements are taught and discovered through teaching, sharing, and case study exploration, team issues are dealt with, and personal issues often come to the forefront.

But just to provide a glimpse into one part of the outcome, here is a list that the team in Oaxaca came up with that they intend to apply in order to produce greater fruitfulness in church planting:
  1. Cast more seed: besides the medical clinics and the work program, we (this team) want to extend our efforts to connect with still more people.
  2. Simplify and clarify our compelling vision to train church planters.
  3. Help existing groups to begin multiplying.  Use the practical training of helping them to tell their stories and develop their list of people to share with.
  4. Pray and look for Persons of Peace more intentionally and more expectantly.
  5. Go to pastors and see if there are any who would want to cooperate by having some of their members getting involved in starting new churches.
  6. Increase our prayer focus.
  7. Use discovery-based discipleship methods.
  8. Use oral Bible story-telling.
This has been a fantastic group to work with and we are excited to partner with them and support them in every way that we can.

Posted via email from Roger Thoman's Posterous

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