Enjoy this final burst of Winter.

Sorry we'll have to miss it.

We're off on an important

Mission in the islands.

Back soon.

Maybe!!!

Lord, may your kingdom come and your will be done, here in Baltimore... I graduated from seminary more than 3o years ago, and moved with my wife and 7 month old son to Baltimore to become the pastor of a small congregation in the Roland Park area. I jogged into Baltimore as a young idealistic pastor with big plans for engaging the city. Two years later I limped out of Baltimore as a weary young pastor who had trained to run a 100 yard dash, and didn't have the right stuff to run the Baltimore marathon. In spite of my inability to complete the marathon, I've always loved this city and wasn't really surprised when I sensed the call of God to return 30 years later. After all, I had never completed the race. About a year ago, while we were still living in Africa, I printed this satellite view of the Canton community from Google Earth and began praying for the area. My boat is now in slip A-42 which is along the bottom right edge of the ceramic cross sitting on the picture. I invite you to breathe a simple prayer as you jog along the promenade or drive through the streets or cruise the harbor... Lord, may your kingdom come and your will be done here in Baltimore. -- Bob

Jesus Came to Show Us the Way, Not Give Us a Show

For most of my life I have had to tiptoe through a mine field known as Sunday morning worship. My mother and my sisters and I all sang in the church choir. Since I was a fairly good boy soprano, I was invited to join the adult choir when I was only 10 years old. At first that seemed like a high honor, but the luster of that honor began to fade when I realized that singing in the adult choir meant that I had to sit up straight and pretend to listen to the sermon. Yawning, talking and reading comic books were all forbidden. Sleeping was completely out of the question, except for my Dad who sat in a pew close to the front of the sanctuary with his back to the rest of the congregation. Only those of us in the choir loft could see that Dad's eyes were closed. One of my more painful childhood memories was the fear that my Dad would fall asleep and start snoring. The fear of Dad snoring, right there in front of God and everybody, caused me to pray with a sense of urgency that no 10 year old should have to pray with. Every Sunday Dad's head would begin to bob forward, but thanks to my fervent prayers, he never fell into a deep sleep. God answers prayer. Thanks be to God!

As a child, it didn't take long to figure out that worship was a staged performance for the benefit and enjoyment of the spectators in the pews. It honestly never occured to me that worship had much to do with God. It was something that musicians, liturgists and preachers did for the benefit of the congregation. Because of that, the worship experience must appeal to the tastes and earn the approval of the worshippers. This thinking was confirmed when I was a music major in college and took a job as the choir director of a large church in the suburbs of Philadelphia. One Sunday I brought the choir out of the choir loft and placed the singers around the sanctuary. I thought it was pretty cool until the music and worship committee reprimanded me and warned me to never try anything like that again. I foolishly defended my actions by saying, "I don't think Jesus would have minded." Bringing Jesus into the discussion infuriated the chairperson of the committee whose reply was swift and to the point, "Well mister, Jesus doesn't sign your pay checks." My thanks to Matt Redman for reminding us that worship isn't about us, it is all about Jesus. His song, The Heart of Worship challenges us to move beyond the mere repetition of rituals and invites us to press into the heart of Jesus. That is what's at The Heart of Worship:

When the music fades and all is stripped away

And I simply come

Longing just to bring

something that's of worth

That will bless Your heart

I'll bring You more than a song

For a song in itself

Is not what You have required

You search much deeper within

Through the way things appear

You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship

And it's all about You All about You, Jesus

I'm sorry, Lord, for the things I've made it

When it's all about You

All about You, Jesus

Woven together in Christ... In his book, Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Full Alive, John Eldredge includes a chapter on the importance of authentic, intimate community. Here is an excerpt from chapter 11 which he entitles Fellowships of the Heart. I've also created a link to chapter 11 in its entirety. Enjoy! -- Bob

(Excerpt from Waking the Dead... Fellowships of the Heart)
When he left Rivendell, Frodo didn’t head out with a thousand Elves. He had eight companions. Jesus didn’t march around backed by legions of angels, either. He had twelve men – knuckleheads, every last one of them, but they were a band of brothers. This is the way of the kingdom of God. Though we are part of a great company, we are meant to live in little platoons. The little companies we form must be small enough for each of the members to know one another as friends and allies. Is it possible for five thousand people who gather for an hour on a Sunday morning to know each other? Okay, how about five hundred? One hundred and eighty? It can’t be done. They can’t possibly be intimate allies. It might be fun and encouraging to celebrate with a big crowd of people, but who will fight for your heart?

Who will fight for your heart?

How can we offer the stream of counseling to one another, unless we actually know one another, know each other’s stories? The reason counseling became a hired relationship between two people was largely because we couldn’t find it anywhere else; we haven’t formed the sort of small fellowships that would allow the stream to flow quite naturally. Is it possible to offer rich and penetrating words to someone you barely know, in the lobby of your church, as you dash to pick up the kids? And what about warfare? Would you feel comfortable turning to the person in the pew next to you, and, as you pass the offering plate, ask them to bind a demon that is sitting on your head?

Where will you find the Four Streams?

The Four Streams are something we learn, and grow into, and offer one another, within a small fellowship. We hear each other’s stories. We discover each other’s glories. We learn to walk with God together. We pray for each other’s healing. We cover each other’s back. This small core fellowship is the essential ingredient for the Christian life. Jesus modeled it for us for a reason. Sure, he spoke to the masses. But he lived in a little platoon, a small fellowship of friends and allies. His followers took his example and lived this way, too. “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts” (2:46). “Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house” (1 Cor 16:19). “Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house” (Col 4:15).

Church is not a building. Church is not an event that takes place on Sundays. I know, its how we think of it. “I go to First Baptist.” “We are members of St. Luke’s.” “Is it time to go to church?” Much to our surprise, that is not how the Bible uses the term. Not at all. When the Scripture talks about church, it means community. The little fellowships of the heart that are outposts of the kingdom. A shared life. They worship together, eat together, pray for one another, go on quests together. They hang out together, in each other’s homes. When Peter is sprung from prison, “he went to the house of Mary the mother of John…where many people had gathered and were praying” (Acts 12:12).

Anytime an army goes to war or an expedition takes to the field, it breaks down into little platoons and squads. And every chronicle of war or quest will tell you that the men and women who fought so bravely fought for each other. That’s where the acts of heroism and sacrifice take place, because that’s where the devotion is. You simply can’t be devoted to a mass of people; devotion takes place in small units, just like a family. How is it that we have come to be warehoused in Sunday services with people we do not really know, for an hour a week, separated the rest of our days of real living, and call that church? You might have a guess who pulled that off on us.

We have stopped short of being an organization; we are an organism instead, a living and spontaneous association of individuals who know one another intimately, care for each other deeply, and feel a kind of respect for one another that makes rules and bylaws unnecessary. A group is the right size, I would guess, when each member can pray for every other member, individually and by name.

This is the wisdom of Brother Andrew, who smuggled Bibles into communist countries for decades. It’s the model, frankly, of the church in nearly every country but the U.S. Now, I’m not suggesting you don’t do whatever it is you do on Sunday mornings. I’m simply helping you accept reality – that whatever else you do, you must have a small fellowship to walk with you and fight with you and bandage your wounds. Remember: The path is narrow, and few find it. Few means small in number, as opposed to, say, massive. This is essential. This is what the Scriptures urge us to do. First. Foremost. Not as an addition to Sunday. Before anything else.

Here is the link to the entire chapter.

Our Quest for Authentic

Community

"Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." -- Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Several years ago the Gallup Poll organization asked Americans to reveal their greatest problem. Their answer might seem surprising: Our #1 problem is loneliness! How can that be? With cell phones, wireless Internet, chat rooms, My Space, You Tube and any number of other communication resources, you would think we are the least lonely, most connected society in civilization. Here's the problem... an experience of authentic community involves more than the sharing of information. Community isn't created by shared information but by making a heart connection with living, breathing people. Most of us aren't looking for an organization to join... most of us are searching for an organism to be joined to... "a living and spontaneous association of individuals who know one another intimately, care for each other deeply, and feel a kind of respect for one another that makes rules and bylaws unnecessary," (Brother Andrew). Be honest. Don't you long to be joined to a living, loving, healing, helping, giving, growing organism? It is possible wherever two or three of us gather in Jesus' name. -- Bob

The Dome of the Rock is built right on top of one of the most hotly contested pieces of real estate on the face of the earth. The Muslems call is Mount Moriah. The Jews call it Mount Zion. The outcropping of rock under the dome is believed to be the site where Abraham offered to sacrific Isaac. It is a place of great historical significance to Jews, Christians and Muslems. The Muslems completed the Dome of the Rock in A.D. 691. According to their tradition, it was the place where Mohammed ascended to heaven. However, long before the Dome of the Rock was constructed Solomon's temple was built on that same rocky outcropping. Archeologists believe the rock was used to slaughter the animals for temple sacrifices. They point to channels that have been hewn into the rock to carry the blood of sacrifices away from the temple to a valley below the temple mount. Because of its historical significance, Muslems, Jews and Christian crusaders have fought over this rock for more than a thousand years. Ironically, the more these religious groups have fought over this sacred place, it has become less and less sacred. If you go there today, the temple mount is swarming with soldiers carrying machine guns.

Jesus made it clear that there is only one rock worth holding on to. He said, "Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock," (Matthew 7:24). Rather than fighting to hold onto a piece of rock, let's build our lives on solid rock. There's only one way to do that: Hearing the words and doing the will of Jesus. Several years ago, Tony Campolo was invited to speak at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptists. At that time they were quite divided over what a proper Southern Baptist should believe about the authority of the Scriptures. Campolo said, "I don't know why you baptists are fighting over what you believe about the Bible when you don't do what the book says anyway!" Right on Tony! If people of faith would stop fighting over what we believe and start to actually put what we believe into practice, the world would be far less aflicted by the insanity of religious zealots. The ancient song writer wrote, "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever." Trust in the Lord... that's where I'll try to make my stand... all other ground is sinking sand. -- Bob

WHAT DID JESUS SAY AND WHAT HE DID NOT SAY - Victor Choudhrie

• Jesus never asked you to worship only on Sundays. His disciples worshipped daily, broke bread from house to house and the Lord added to the church daily and the churches were planted daily. ( Acts 2: 46-47; 16: 5; Heb. 3: 13)

• Jesus did not say that you appoint qualified professional pastors. He gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers to equip His church. (Eph. 4: 11-12)

• Jesus never said that only the pastors can serve bread and wine. Jesus served roast lamb, bread, bitter herb and wine for the last supper. Whenever His disciples gathered they shared Agape meals together in His remembrance. (Exo. 12: 8; 1 Cor. 11: 20-26)

• Jesus did not say that you should tithe. According to His teachings, the disciples opened their homes and shared their possessions with others so that no one lacked anything. (Acts 4: 32-34; Deut. 8: 17-18)

• Jesus did not ask you to build a church building. He said God does not live in houses made with human hands because the heaven is His throne and the earth is His foot stool. Now we are the temple of the living God. (Acts 7: 48-49; 2 Cor. 6: 16; 1 Cor. 3: 9)

• Jesus did not say that only the Pastors can baptize. Jesus said you go and make disciples and baptize them. (Matt. 28: 19)

• Jesus did not ask the pastor to bury. He said let the dead bury the dead, you go and raise the dead. (Luke 9: 60; Matt. 10: 8)

• Jesus did not ask you to follow the church program. He said follow me and I will make you fishers of men. He did not ask you to send believers to Sunday service or the Bible school. He said send the laborers to the harvest fields. He said he who gathers is with Me and he who scatters is against Me. (Matt. 4: 19, 9: 38, 12: 30)

• Jesus did not ask you to organize crusades and conventions. He will not judge you on the basis of large crowds or the wonderful worship and beautiful music. He will judge on what you did for the little and the least of the world. (Matt. 25: 31-46,18: 3-6; Isa. 58: 6-9)

• Jesus did not say that only men can talk in the church and the women should cover their head and keep quiet. He made them talk, even allowed them to argue with Him in public. ( Luke 10: 40; Mark 7: 24-30)

• Jesus did not say that you are just a layman. He bought you with His blood and ordained you priest and king. As royal priests, make disciples, baptize, equip fishers of men and rule on earth. (Rev. 5: 9-10; 1 Pet 2: 9)

(You can read this and other challenging/interesting articles at SimpleChurch.co.uk -- Bob)

Where do Super Bowl losers’ hats/shirts go?

You know that both teams printed up “Super Bowl Champs” shirts and caps, right? But only one team can wear them. Where do the other shirts and caps go? They are donated to people in a developing nation, via World Vision.

The Super Bowl ended about 10 p.m. Sunday, and by 10:01 every player on the winning team — along with coaches, executives, family members and ball boys — was outfitted in colorful T-shirts and caps proclaiming them champions.

The other set of championship gear — the 288 T-shirts and caps made for the team that did not win — were hidden behind a locked door at Dolphin Stadium. By order of the National Football League, those items are never to appear on television or on eBay. They are never even to be seen on American soil.

They were shipped Monday morning to a warehouse in Sewickley, Pa., near Pittsburgh, where they will become property of World Vision, a relief organization that will package the clothing in wooden boxes and send it to a developing nation, usually in Africa.

You can read the full article from the New York Times here. -- Bob

Homeless in Baltimore

Census Results Reveal Almost 3,000 People Homeless in Baltimore

BALTIMORE, MD (June 13, 2005) - A census conducted by Baltimore Homeless Services, Inc. and Center for Poverty Solutions counted 2,943 individuals as homeless in Baltimore City on January 30, 2005. This is a 10% increase from the initial census done in April of 2003 where 2,681 homeless residents were counted.

The census, sponsored by the Abell Foundation, provided three valuable pieces of information:

an estimate of the number of residents who are homeless on any given day throughout the City,
detailed personal data than is otherwise possible, and
data on where individuals and families are located so that social service providers can target needed services to those areas.
Survey results show that overall demographics form a general picture of the homeless population in Baltimore City: high rates of disability, low levels of education, very low levels of income, and lower levels of any supportive aid.

78% male and 22% female
82% black, 14% white, 4% other
40% did not complete high school
Average age: 40 years
High rates of disability
Average annual income: $486
High prevalence of veterans
59% homeless less than 1 year
27% homeless 1-3 years
15% homeless more than 3 years
15% homeless due to housing problem
12% homeless due to family problem
38% homeless due to health problem
23% homeless due to lack of enough income
5% homeless after institution discharge
Many want housing & help with education/jobs
Census estimates indicate 7,023 individuals will be homeless in the City each year. To prevent homelessness, system changes are needed along with more affordable housing and supported housing, increase in the minimum wage, access to appropriate healthcare, jobs and adult education, and better coordination of discharge planning.

"It is possible to end homelessness. However, coordination and determination together as a community can make homelessness rare and brief," said Laura Gillis, President of Baltimore Homeless Services, Inc. To obtain more information regarding this census, contact Baltimore Homeless Services at 410-545-3409.

Meet a Man of Peace

When Carol and I returned from Africa last summer we moved to Baltimore to launch a house church project that we're calling Believers Church Network. I began to ask God to identify persons of peace who would help to launch this project. When Jesus sent a group of his followers out on their first mission trip he told them to find a man of peace to stay with and announce to his household that "The kingdom of God is near," (Luke 10:9). So I started to ask God to identify a person of peace that I could connect with. That's when Phil and I met, in the marina shower house of all places.

Our conversation that morning was a bit awkward at first, but we were soon involved in an animated discussion about world events. The conversation eventually focused on the invasion of Iraq and shared our deep regret for all that is going on there. It was then that we discovered that our thinking about Iraq was shaped by a mutual commitment to Jesus. "Why," we asked "have many Christians given such enthusiastic support for the war in Iraq without ever asking 'What would Jesus do?'" I didn't make the connection that morning, but it become clear that Phil was an answer to prayer. I had been praying for God to raise up a man of peace, and Phil is a man who is passionate about being a peace maker.

That morning in the shower house Phil didn't look as dashing as he looks in this photo. This pic was provided by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra where Phil plays horn. The Baltimore Sun had a great article about Phil and his family in yesterday's newspaper. I've included that link here. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peace makers." The more I've gotten to know Phil, the more I have enjoyed that blessing. -- Bob

What's Happening
* * *
The latest look at
What's Hot and What's Not

ABC News Article

Every Monday night, Meredith Scott and eight of her friends get together at one of their homes in St. Paul, Minn. They cook a meal, share what's going on in their lives and pray together.

But Scott and her friends don't call this a Bible study or a support group — they call it a church. They are part of the growing number of Americans who are shifting from traditional churches toward more informal, intimate settings, dubbed "house churches."

"How do you form a community in a church of 4,000 people?" asks Scott, who used to attend a megachurch in St. Paul. "Sometimes it's hard to get really connected. What I've really been looking for is community."

And so are many others. The number of adults attending house churches in the United States has grown substantially over the last decade, according to George Barna of the Barna Group, a Christian ministries market research firm. Though official numbers are hard to pin down due to the nature of these churches, Barna said a conservative estimate is that 5 million adults attend a house church every week...

For the entire article click here. -- Bob