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Have you heard of laminin?

Check out this YouTube post of Louie Giglio! It's pretty cool. I'll let it speak for itself, but those of you who know me, know how much I love science, especially when it reveals something new that points to our Creator.

By the way, I first heard Louie at the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta a few years back. He is a pastor/evangelist and the founder of Choice Ministries and the Passion Conferences. Christian music artist, Chris Tomlin, often refers to Giglio as his pastor.

I love hearing him speak. He has an amazing heart for worship and is perhaps one of the best teachers on the subject today.

Sushi and the lost art of hospitality

"Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." (Romans 12:13 NIV)

I had a great time in Southern California last week. I attended Rick Warren's three-day invitation only conference for pastors and business leaders at Saddleback Church. I was challenged and learned a lot.  But one of the highlights of the trip had nothing to do with the conference. The highlight of my trip was the hospitality of the Harris family.

George and Esther Harris and their two children, Corbeigh and Corbin, really went out of their way to take care of us during our visit. Myself and two other pastors stayed at their beautiful home and took meals at their table for the week. We were able to attend our conference without worrying about gettting a hotel or finding a restaurant. We could concentrate on the learning and then enjoy the hospitality of this wonderful, Christian family.

The Harris family belongs to Saddleback Church. They really represent their church well. I was overwhelmed by their kindness and giving.

Plus, they taught me to really eat sushi (Apparently, I've been eating some lesser form at our local Eastern NC buffet). On one of our last nights together they took us out to eat at a Sushi Bar. George ordered for us and explained in detail what we were eating and how to do it. We had a blast!

The Harris family is practicing an ancient Christian art form... hospitality. The apostle Paul commanded the Roman believers in no uncertain terms that they were to "practice" hospitality. Sadly, this seems to be a lost art in our day.

But I was glad to see that there are Christians who still practice it. I believe that this is not only a command, I believe that the Holy Spirit gives many of us an additional giftedness for it.

I thank God for the Harris family. I'm convinced that God has gifted them with the art of hospitality. I'm thankful that they are using their gift.

What about you? Will you practice hospitality? When is the last time you had someone over for a meal?

And by the way, does anyone know where I can get some authentic sushi around here?

Facing five global giants

"God said, It's not a big enough job for my servant just to recover the tribes of Jacob, I'm setting you up as a light for the nations so that my salvation becomes global!"  (Isaiah 49:6 Mes)

I've just finished a great week with one of my mentors, Rick Warren. He invited pastors from all over the world to come to California and discuss how we might network together to conquer what he calls the "Five Global Giants" that the world faces.

Rick says that as he prayed about the "Goliath" problems facing the world today, he felt that the five greatest ones were as follows:

1. Spiritual emptiness
2. Self-serving leaders
3. Extreme poverty
4. Pandemic diseases
5. Rampant illiteracy

This week Rick challenged pastors to lead their churches to be the body of Christ and take on these giants in the world. Rick calls it the "PEACE Plan."

• P - Promote reconciliation
• E - Equip Leaders
• A - Assist the poor
• C - Care for the sick
• E - Educate the next generation

At WCC, we have always felt called to be the body of Christ to our community and to the world. But sometimes it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the size of the "giants." How can we impact the world when we're having trouble with these same giants in Wilson? But this week I'm reminded that the body of Christ is bigger than WCC (OK, I knew that, but now I see a way that we can network together).

I've identified our church and myself as being available to help reach the Middle East. We already have several of our people there and it only makes sense to laser in on what God is already doing through our church. I've told Rick that we're available to send people to help face these global giants.

As I return I'm reminded how good it is to have friends. I've been here this week with several dear friends of mine from North Carolina. Pastor Bob Felts from Burlington, Pastor Tom Bartlett from Wilkesboro, and Pastor Bud Wrenn from Burlington along with myself have all committed to lead our churches to work together in facing down these giants.

When God gave this "global" vision to Isaiah, the old prophet was discouraged and feeling as if his life's work had been in vain. Rather than telling Isaiah to take a break or just saying be encouraged, God said, "Isaiah, you need a bigger vision! I'm taking my message of salvation global and you're my man!"

This week I've been reminded that WCC is more than just a small church in Eastern NC. We are part of God's global vision. His church is the sling in his hand for bringing down these global Goliaths.

Will you join me in believing and obeying God's call?

Putting a face on prayer for Myanmar

"Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you." 2 Thessalonians 3:1 (KJV)

According to conservative estimates, over 78,000 people have died in Myanmar (Burma) as a result of last week's cyclone. I began praying for Myanmar the minute I heard about the cyclone. Not because I'm some kind of holy prayer warrior. The simple truth is I have a friend there. It's amazing how motivated you are to pray when someone's face comes to your mind.

I met my friend (I'll leave him unnamed for security reasons) from Myanmar at a pastor's conference in Hawaii last year. He is a pastor. He leads a church in a country where it is very difficult to be a Christian, especially a pastor.

I started praying for my friend upon hearing of the cyclone. But I wondered how I might discover his status. Yesterday morning, during my time of devotion, I asked God to help. When I turned on my laptop to check email. Guess who my first email was from? Praise the Lord! It was from my friend. Here is the email he sent me:

Dear Pastor Gary,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ from Myanmar!
I hope you and your family are doing well . By the grace of God we are very well too.
Narkit cyclone destroyed many cities, villages and people in Myanmar.
My house, School building and some church members houses were destroyed too.
No electricity, no water, no phone and no email at my place this time.
Most of people are difficult situation life in Myanmar now.
Hope to pray for Myanmar.

In His grace,

What a joyful servant the Lord has in Myanmar! No house, no school, no water, no phone, but "we are very well." He had to walk into the city to send this email to me.

Because I have been at a conference at Saddleback Church in California this week, I was able to share this email with several pastors. Before the morning was over we had networked with Saddleback, Samaritan's Purse, and New Hope Church in Hawaii to check on my friend and discover how to help.

I'm glad the Lord brought my friend's face to mind. I am praying for him, his church, and the people of Myanmar. I am also praying that God will use my friend to bring glory to Him and reach many for Him because of this disaster.

I pray for the face I know and for the many I have never seen.

Boasting about my man scar

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV) 

"It's a good thing you're not a girl." My wife recently declared after seeing the post op scar on my left arm.

"Yes, I agree... for a lot of reasons. But you have to admit. It's a great "man scar!" I exclaimed while lifting up my arm and pointing at the 8 inch jagged scar.

I recently had surgery on my arm to remove a growth on my wrist. Praise the Lord that it was benign. Now, I just have four more weeks in a brace and a lot of therapy and hard work to rebuild it. It's slow going, but I hope to be able to play the guitar again. I hope to be a two-handed preacher again too (I don't feel like I'm preaching as good one-handed).

Having this surgery and being unable to work for most of two weeks has been a revelation. I've learned that I don't like being weak. I mean, I really don't like it. I don't like having to depend on others. I don't like having to wear a plastic bag over my arm in the shower. I don't like not being able to think clearly because of pain pills. I don't like being grumpy (which makes me more grumpy). I don't like being unable to do what needs being done.

I have been addicted to my ability to perform, to be strong. to be a "can do" kind of man. And when I can't... I don't like it.

The apostle Paul was a driven man too. If anyone was strong and determined it was him. But along the way he learned that it was better to be weak and let the power of Christ "rest on" him. I think Paul must have learned to accept God's grace for him without a sense of having to perform to earn it. I think Paul learned to "boast" about his weaknesses and scars because through them the power of Christ was revealed.

As we've been studying the Ten Commandments together during these past weeks, I'm reminded that God gave them to us not because he wanted us to be strong enough to keep them through our own self effort. No, He gave them to us as a mirror that revealed in us our inability, our weakness to keep them without Him. We don't need more human strength, we need the power of Christ.

And we need His grace too. I'm glad that the more I depend on HIm and admit my own weakness, the more He can do through me.

So, I'm boasting in my new "man scar." I'll show it to you the next time we meet. I think you'll agree, it's a good one.

Thankful for partnership

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:3-6 NIV) 

This past Wednesday night was great! Robin and I attended the True Love Waits Event, sponsored by WAYNET (Wilson Area Youth Network), at Fike High School. Our own Auston Jones, senior at Fike, was instrumental in leading WAYNET to sponsor this event and led this event as his senior project.

WAYNET was started a little over ten years ago by the youth pastors of Wilson County to work together on community events. They work together on the annual "See You At the Pole" event in September that challenges believing students to pray together around their school's flag pole. They also put together two annual countywide evangelistic events to reach our students. I had the privilege of being one of the pastors who brought the first countywide event together that inspired the formation of WAYNET. Myself (I led the WCC youth in those days) and David Barnes (another former local youth pastor) put together a week long series of meetings at local churches that culminated in an event at the Wilson Recreation Center featuring Christian Illusionist, Andre Kole. The youth pastors were so excited about the joy of partnering together that they later formed WAYNET.

So, although I'm no longer working directly with the youth, I'm still very proud of WAYNET and I still love seeing what our students can do when they get inspired. When God gets hold of young people, they always blow away our expectations.

This event certainly blew away my expectations! According to Jeff Smith, WAYNET coordinator, there were about 350 people present in the Fike auditorium. Of those, 258 comment cards were turned in at the end of the event. Students from Wilson as well as Nash, Edgecombe, Pitt, Greene, Wayne, and Johnston counties were in attendance. One of our partner churches, Discovery Church in Greenville, brought 26 to the event. The cards indicated that there were 41 students who made decisions to accept Christ, 2 students who expressed a desire to rededicate their commitment, 103 students indicated their commitment to remain abstinent until marriage, and 66 students who renewed their commitment to wait until marriage.

Auston Jones did a fine job leading and acting as the emcee for this event. Stephen Combs and the WCC Youth Band (Chandler Bryant, Michael Strange, Michael Williams, Abbott Mitchell, and Jonathan Combs) led the worship, which was phenomenal. I wish you could have seen Mikey dancing while playing the bass. Many of our own members worked behind the scenes on media, sound, and other support roles (George Bryant, Eddie Gonzales, Dustin Wheeler, Jeff & Becky Jones, Undine Lamm, Kathi Bryant, and Jimmy & Christy Gurgone). Of course, I wouldn't want to leave Cody Jones out. He played an excellent groom in the skit (I hope the tomato juice came out). And finally, it was great to have Chris Shelton back in town as the main speaker for this event.

I love to see how our church and how our youth are willing to work together in partnership to extend the gospel in our city. I'm truly thankful to God for the partnership He has given us.