10. December 2007 by David Alexander.

God has called me to “entrust to others what He has entrusted to me.”  I live to give my life away in every aspect  -  total reproduction.  God has allowed me to be directly involved with 4 church plants in recent history, and since, I have had the privilege of working with many other new churches and ministries.  The experience has been and continues to be total exhilaration as it exemplifies and embodies completely what God has formed me to be.

            My core values of synergy and innovation come from the engineering and missionary background.  “Mcgyverisms” are the heart of flexibility and making do with what you have in order to get the job done.  That is engineering.  To always improve upon and challenge the existing structure.  Nothing is ever so perfect that need not be improved.  Yesterday’s innovation is tomorrow’s artifact.  As Electronic Arts puts it, “challenge everything.”  To be satisfied with what is given and still do the task with excellence is the only option for satisfying the Biblical command of Colossians 3.17.  The ministry I have been allowed to have with Mississippi Baptists exists, not to do a job, but as a natural extension of who God has shaped me to be.   I could do, in any environment, no less than what I do as a strategist for Church Planting.  The task of equipping leadership to start new ministries, teaching others all that I know, synergizing with the other ministries in the organization, and training someone to take over this ministry is the only task that God has given me.  This is accomplished enthusiastically, with every resource and technological advance at my disposal, because that is the most excellent, and most fun way of doing things. 

            It is not so much that I fit church planting, but that church planting fits me.  As God has put the many different puzzle pieces together to form who I am, this is an intricate piece.  Even greater still, is the realization that while I am a work in progress, I am also a piece of a greater puzzle that God has put together.  I cannot function, nor can God accomplish His ministry through me, unless I team together with the other pieces around me.  In MBCB life, this means that I cannot exist void of the other ministerial pieces.  Although I could do good enough by myself, that is not satisfactory.  Each member of the winning team fulfills their part with synergistic expertise.  If my piece serves to add a little multicultural postmodern diversity to the whole so that together we can refrain from obsolescence, then I have served my function well. 

            I am far from complete.  But I am continuously seeing the picture of my puzzle come into focus.  In time, God will reveal to me the scope of the pieces yet to placed.  The mystery of what lies ahead is part of the fun of the great adventure.  I look forward to seeing the finished portrait.  Until then, I’ll enjoy the ride!

David A

2 Timothy 2.2

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10. December 2007 by David Alexander.

It’s 6.30pm and he begins to yawn, snuggle up to me, and rub his eyes. As well as starting to be a tad bit fussy, these are clear signs that its time for the bedtime ritual. This starts with the nightly bath (aka swim time).

Swim time can be better explained as the attempt to rid the child of the day’s grime and keep him from drowning or giving himself a concussion, while he engages in an attempt to dominate all the floating toys, explore the mysteries of water weightlessness, christen all within 10 feet of the tub, and eat the bathtub and all its contents.

There are several songs that come to mind, Bible passages from Matthew 6 and Psalms when I think of the care that God gives me in life. It dawned on me that I many times take for granted the care God gives me that I am aware of, and then the protection God grants me that I will never know of. My son will never know how many times I have guarded his head, caught him before he hit the ground when he fell, sat him down before he busted his chin, how long I have placed my arms as barriers during every bath time and stood guard so he would not go face down in the water and drown. There have been moments of discipline that we is quite aware of, times when I have taken him out of the tub cause he was obviously ready to get out or for his own safety. But, so often, protecting him without him knowing that he was protected.

And so God does so much more for me. The simple fact that I am still alive is evidence of his graciousness, mercy, and protection on my life.

“His eye is on the sparrow, I know he watches me. . .”

Thank you Lord, for watching over me. May I always hide in the shadow of your wing, and listen while you sing over me.

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28. August 2007 by David Alexander.

The “your way right away” society has done away with strategic planning; or at least fully informed strategic planning that is not based on past assumptions. Churches and church planters are skipping the time it takes to properly do demographic and community analysis of target areas. Assumption is that this can be done while we do the duty. So the best laid plans of mice and men end up contextually way off.

The International Mission Board requires missionaries to spend at least a month of days doing field research, a year of days doing language study, and contact with an intentional mentor so they will be prepared to contextually engage their target peoples with the Gospel. Not necessary for people in the United States, you say? WRONG!

It is a confirmed statistical fact that almost every people group in the world has representation within the US borders. In addition to this, the demographic salad bowl that is our society is not only comprised of a plethora of ethno-linguistic people groups, but also a myriad of socio-cultural people groups and population segments. We have discovered a general grouping of at least 16 english speaking socio-cultural groups in Mississippi that would be hard pressed to want to worship with one another on a consistent basis.

Its time to quit doing first and asking questions later. The masses of unreached peoples demand our intentional attention. It would be great if every pastor before going to a new church, would be given a 30 day orientation on the cultural aspects of the community he is about to reside in so that he can rewrite his sermon file in a more contextual fashion before he regurgitates it to the new congregation. Wouldn’t it be great if search committees understood the culture of their congregation and community before calling a pastor so they could find one that fits rather than just calling the next seminary ph.d. grad?

It’s time to take our communities seriously and get to know them rather than making blanket assumptions. The urgency of our world’s need for the Gospel requires and demands our patient pain-staking cultural investigations.

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27. March 2007 by David Alexander.

It is amazing how that recognizing the blessings of God in ones life also brings a recognition of the Glory of God and makes ones heart turn to song which celebrates the God of Glory. The two songs that follow are an indication of that. Out of the confusion of their present and the uncertainty of the future both Hannah and Mary praise God.

1 Samuel 2 Hannah’s Triumphant Prayer
1 Hannah prayed: My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is lifted up by the Lord. My mouth boasts over my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation. 2 There is no one holy like the Lord. There is no one besides You! And there is no rock like our God. 3 Do not boast so proudly, or let arrogant [words] come out of your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and actions are weighed by Him. 4 The bows of the warriors are broken, but the feeble are clothed with strength. 5 Those who are full hire themselves out for food, but those who are starving [hunger] no more. The barren woman gives birth to seven, but the woman with many sons pines away. 6 The Lord brings death and gives life; He sends [some] to Sheol, and He raises [others] up. 7 The Lord brings poverty and gives wealth; He humbles and He exalts. 8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the garbage pile. He seats them with noblemen and gives them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; He has set the world on them.

Mary’s Praise

46 And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, 47 and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, 48 because He has looked with favor on the humble condition of His slave. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and His name is holy. 50 His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him. 51 He has done a mighty deed with His arm; He has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts; 52 He has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. 53 He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped His servant Israel, mindful of His mercy, 55 just as He spoke to our ancestors, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

The story is told of a young man from Ontario, Canada, who went to Chicago to make his fortune. He started with sixty dollars, with which he purchased a cheese wagon and a horse named Paddy. He bought cheese on credit from a wholesale merchant and tried to sell it. He would wake up at three in the morning and worked hard all day. At the end of his first year he found himself three thousand dollars in debt and with no one who would give him credit.
He thought the only one that he could talk to about his difficulty was his horse, Paddy. To his surprise he seemed to hear a voice saying, “You are trying to work without God.” The young man looked around to discover where the answer had come from but saw no one. He again addressed his horse saying, “Paddy, get up. If God can do any better with this cheese business than we have done, we will let him.”
The young man entered a partnership with God, and for the rest of his life he continually asked God for guidance. When he discovered a way to preserve cheese, his business grew fantastically and with God’s guidance James Kraft made Kraft a household name.
Before Hannah composed her song of praise to God, she experienced great struggles. But when her heart was at it’s lowest and her self-esteem was all but gone because of her childlessness, Hannah prayed to the Lord and He granted her request for a son. In what ways can you sing Hannah’s song today?

Just when I am disheartened, just when with cares oppressed,

Just when my way is darkest, just when I am distressed,

Then is my Savior near me,

He knows my every care;

Jesus will never leave me;

He helps my burden to bear.

J Bruce Evans

“What we win by prayer, we may wear with comfort, And must wear with praise.”

Matthew Henry

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