The Seabourns

Ministry

The brotherhood of the traveling shirt

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Erik’s shirtI’m participating in an interesting twist on what “global” means. I traveled from the U.S. (Florida) to Bangkok, Thailand. A friend named Erik travels from Singapore to Bangkok. We ride together in a cab to a local tailor named Pinky. We both order shirts. Erik leaves to return to Singapore. Erik’s shirt is delivered to my hotel in Bangkok. I carry Erik’s shirt to Bangalore, India where I meet another friend from Singapore, Ric. I pass Erik’s shirt to Ric who carries it back to Erik in Singapore. Did you follow that transaction? 🙂

Wow, that’s a global shirt purchase! I guess we’re the Brotherhood of the Traveling Shirt.

Actually, the shirt is a silly example.

Kay and TipOne of the amazing things about being part of a global mission organization is getting to know co-workers around the world. Kay and I met Tip on this trip. Tip has served over 10 years on the Thai staff of our ministry. She has ministered on campuses in the northeast of Thailand. She has served in the northwest of Thailand. She is now part of the Human Resources team in the national office in Bangkok.

Although Tip is Thai and we are Americans, we share a common “culture” of helping build movements everywhere. We share a common culture of bringing glory to God by introducing people to Jesus Christ. We know what it’s like to minister on campuses. We understand and teach the basics of knowing Jesus and growing as his followers. Although we have little in common from a world perspective, we have much in common from a Kingdom perspective.

Last night in the car, a friend Mark was explaining to Tip that a common Thai friend had accepted Jesus. Tip broke out in spontaneous song:

Praise the name of Jesus.
Praise the name of Jesus.
He’s my Rock. He’s my fortress,
He’s my Deliverer
In Him will I trust.
Praise the name of Jesus.

Global is great. The Kingdom of God is even greater. Laboring with friends like Tip and Erik and Ric and Mark is a tremendous blessing as we help everyone know someone who truly follows Jesus.

Operations Directors conference

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Ops Directors Group photosWe have finished our first conference in Thailand. There were two conferences. I participated in the Operations Directors conference.

I am always encouraged by meeting with our leaders from around the world. To hear their stories, to share meals together, to pray together at the foot of the throne — this is a foretaste of heaven!

Risky faith

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To be known by your friends is interesting.

I was recently interviewed by a friend, Byron, who ministers with Probe. He was writing a radio program script for Kerby Anderson on the use of MySpace and social networking sites. It’s now available online as an MP3 also.

I’m the head of Internet outreach for one of the world’s largest ministries encourages viewing MySpace as a mission field. He tells kids, “It’s where your friends and their friends are already. Jesus called us to be smart, not safe.” As Paul wrote to the Roman church, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

A mutual friend, Paul, wrote me today about Byron’s program, since we’ve both served with Byron in the past. I admitted to my friend Paul that I was the anonymous guy talking about being smart, not necessarily safe.

Paul responded, “I thought so.”

I guess I’ve said stuff like that before. At least I’m consistent enough to be recognized!

So while we’re on the topic of safe ministry, I’ll quote from Ron Hutchcraft. Sometimes we come to a place in life or in ministry where “I realized that I had gone as far as I could go . . . safely.”

Ron goes on to say [click here to read his excellent article]:

So has American Christianity.

We, as Christians, have gone as far as we can go safely. If we just keep doing what we’ve been doing, we will leave most of our generation unreached for Jesus Christ. Chuck Colson has said, “In a startlingly brief period, the West has been transformed from a Christian culture, in which the majority accepted basic Christian concepts, into a post-Christian culture.”

When we’ve gone as far as we can go safely, then it’s time to move beyond safety into risky faith.

At a missions conference last year, Kay and were speaking to teenagers. I asked “How many of you have MySpace or Facebook sites?” A few slowly raised their hands while sheepishly looking around to make sure parents weren’t watching. I asked, “How many of your parents know you have a MySpace site?” Almost all hands dropped.

I encouraged them to use their MySpace as lighthouses in the midst of loneliness and lostness. I urged them to tell their parents what they were doing. I encouraged them to pray with their parents for the mission field called MySpace. I encouraged them to join with a few other teens as lighthouse accountability partners.

I encouraged them to be smart in their MySpace outreach through accountability with peers and parents, but to move beyond safety into risky missionary outreach in the largest mission field today.

So what about you? Have you gone as far as you can go … safely? Does God have you in a place where he’s asking you to move beyond safety? Be smart, but exercise risky faith.

Back to School Time

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Over the next few weeks, college students will be traveling to their college of choice. You may know some students who are going for their first time. If you know a student who might be interested in connecting with Campus Crusade for Christ’s ministry on their campus, check for information at using our ministry locator. Many of our campus groups have their own website and you can find information in the ministry locator. You can also find a contact person.

Click here for the ministry locator.

Why not pause right now and pray for the students you know who will be returning to college.

Some things to pray:

  • Pray that Christian students would find a place to connect spiritually through one of the excellent Christian groups on campus.
  • Pray that students who have not yet found Christ will have experiences that awaken and quicken their spiritual interest. Pray that they will find someone who truly follows Jesus who can share the gospel with them.
  • Pray for those fulltime vocation Christian workers with Campus Crusade for Christ, with Navigators, with InterVarsity, and with denominational ministries who will invest their lives these next months in seeking the lost and discipling the followers.
  • Pray for Christian professors who are sharing their lives with students every day in the classroom and in informal opportunities, sometimes in the midst of hostile environments where their economic futures may be adversely affected because of their ministry activities.

I recall how significant our colleges years were in spiritual formation in our lives. College was the time for both Kay and myself where we learned how to walk daily in the power of the Holy Spirit, where we learned how to and began the practice of taking the initiative in sharing Christ with others, where we made commitments to follow Christ for the rest of our lives and to participate in helping fulfill the Great Commission.