Sabbatical: Books Read

I had high hopes of reading all the books on my pile during the sabbatical, but I only got part way.  Here is a list of some of the reading I was able to read.

On Leadership and The Internal Life Of The Leader

1. Generation to Generation, Edwin Friedman
This is the bedrock work that shows the emotional dynamics of families, relationships, groups and organizations.
2. Failure of Nerve: Leadership In The Age Of The Quick Fix.  Edwin Friedman
This is a watershed book that explores the emotional process of families, churches and organizations and outlines the need for well differentiated leaders who are emotionally healthy to meet the diverse leadership challenges of today’s world.  It draws on his previous work, Generation to Generation.  Best book on leadership I have read in 10 years.
3. Friedman’s Fables, Edwin Friedman
Short stories that are filled with paradox and pathology that gives material to apply some of Friedman’s thinking.
4. What Are You Going To Do With Your Life, Edwin Friedman
Friedman was a Jewish Rabbi, therapist and corporate consultant before he passed away 10 years ago.  This book contains many of his journal entries and unpublished material.

Community Development and Missions

1. When Helping Hurts, Brian Fikkert
Brian Fikkert is a friend from my Dordt College days and is one of the top 5 smartest people I have ever met.  The Lord is using him in the world of macro and micro economics to help developing countries.  He has written with conviction some things many of us have suspected from some time - that giving handouts and helping people in certain ways actually does more harm than good.  Rob Wall, from One Life Once Chance recently referenced this book when he explained how some helping actually hurt an entire community near San Quintin.  An important read.  I’d recommend reading this book along with Compassion, Justice And the Christian Life.
2. Compassion, Justice And The Christian Life: Rethinking Ministry To The Poor, Robert D. Lupton
Some friends who are involved in urban community development recommended this book to me and it has become a practical book on community development – a topic that I want to learn more about.  When Helping Hurts shows the negative side of misguided helping, whereas Compassion provides a positive model and approach to helping.  

On Prayer

1. Living Prayer: The Lords Prayer Alive In You. Dennis Fuqua
I met Dennis two years ago at a pastor’s prayer summit.  I immediately enjoyed his approach to prayer.  Living Prayer is about the Lord’s prayer and has opened this wonderful prayer up to me in profound ways.  I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to pray the Lord’s prayer
2. Praying God's Heart: Prayers That Make A Difference.  Alvin VanderGriend.
I heard about Alvin before I met him.  Alvin has provided significant prayer resources for the church.  Praying God’s Heart is the best practical theology book I have read on prayer.  A must read for all believers.
3. Love To Pray: A 40 day Devotional for Deepening Your Prayer Life. Alvin VanderGriend.
Love To Pray is a wonderful devotional that inspires one to pray and to pray with more joy and conviction.
4. Prayzing, Daniel Henderson
Prayzing is a resource book for creative ways to lead groups in prayer.
5. Fresh Encounters, Daniel Henderson
Henderson writes about his approach to leading groups in prayer.  Practical and helpful.
6. 24/7 Prayer Manual, Craig & Blackwell.
Before reading 24/7 I didn’t know there was a worldwide movement to pray for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  This is book is a very helpful resources for anyone who wants to empower a church to pray for 24/7.  More to come.
7. And The Place Was Shaken, How To Lead Powerful Prayer Meetings, John Franklin
Another book on leading group prayer meetings.  Loved it.
8. The Bible.  Read through Genesis to Revelation.
The Bible I have is about 1050 pages long and I realized if I read 25 pages a day I could finish it in less than 2 months.  This is the second time this year that I have read it cover to cover.   It is so rewarding and helpful.  I also read it in the ESV version, prior to that the NIV.  I have come to love and appreciate the ESV version.  

Sabbatical: Now That It Is Over

This past spring I was given the gift of a 3 month sabbatical from ministry responsibilities and concerns from Heartland Fellowship.  This time has created a context for me to experience a measure of inner renewal and mental focus.

I’ve been in pastoral ministry for 18 years and I realize that at the age of 47 I am half way (if I retire at age 65).  The Lord willing, I have another 18 years in pastoral ministry.

This sabbatical has been about preparing myself to enter into the next 18 years.  I want to be focused and principled but also emotionally and spiritually healthier – to pay attention to not only my mind but also my heart and soul.  I want to be prepared to grow into each new phase of life and understand what an effective pastor is when he is 47, 55, and 65.  I hope to mature and understand what I have to offer the Kingdom of God in the next 18 years.  I am in it for the long haul.

There is widespread concern over the longevity of pastors these days.  Our denomination recently had this on it’s web site:

“There is increasing discussion in churches about the value of sabbaticals for pastors—and for good reason. The pastoral vocation seems to be more demanding than ever.  

Years ago, pastors’ duties were simpler and more focused. Today, pastors are expected not only to preach the Word, visit their congregants, and teach some catechism classes but to lead dynamic churches, sustain creative evangelism programs, excel in administrative skills, plan meaningful worship, possibly manage multiple staff positions, and more.   Pastors are expected to accomplish all of this during their normal work week—a week that can be 60-plus hours long. James O. Davis, president of Global Pastors Network, has stated that: 

•  1,600 pastors in US churches quit or resign from their jobs every month
•  nearly 20 percent of pastors suffer stress or burnout
•  50 percent of pastors become divorced 

A sabbatical is a change or a break from the normal routine. It’s an opportunity to step back, reflect, relax, recharge, and renew. Here are some opportunities to do just that."

Wow, 1600 pastors a month leaving the ministry.  I don’t only want to survive for the next 18 years but I hope they will be the most fruitful and joy filled time of my life.

I recognize that much of life is about patterns and routines.  I am learning to insert the type of disciplines into my everyday routine that will nurture my soul/spirit and provide increasing measures of emotional and spiritual health.

I’m also thankful for the extra time I could spend with my family.  Each of my kids have gone through significant events (car accident, death of a friend, recovery from surgery etc.) and transitions during this time.  I am thankful that I could have the undivided time with them.

So, I am thankful for the release from ministry this past 3 months and I am eager to step forward and enter the next 18 years. Let's go!

One Life One Chance #7 - Rob's Prayer

Rob recently wrote the following on his blog.  Please pray for the work of One Life One Chance,  for the San Quintin Valley and for Rob and Brenda Wall.  

The God of Judges

07/31/2011     Posted by Rob Wall

I have been spending some time in Judges lately. As my faith grows I am quite consumed in the Old Testament.

On Friday Ed left Los Olivos and Saturday Justin flew home. Change is in the air. Interestingly, God has already started some threads and we are praying forward.

This summer I have met more Pastors than I can remember names. Respectfully, Brenda and I have begun friendships that will last a lifetime. We are blessed to be next to a community of Pastors that only want Jesus. We leave in two weeks and so much seems undone.

Los Olivos continues to be a battle ground. Strange things happen that defy anything back home and would take to much time to describe. Yet, they are common for our situation…local churches affirm the push-back. Our neighboring churches have been wrestling this for years and pushing back darkness is nothing new.

Last week I was speaking to a Pastor that was describing the situation around the base. He said;

“the area beyond San Quintin is filled with witchcraft. Our church walked around our town in prayer; because the enemy placed four hooded figures at the corners of our community…they were praying to the enemy against us.”

The enemy is so real down here that he manifests himself physically and produces spiritual road-blocks at every turn. Positively, God is making inroads to almost every community we work in and is changing lives! Our God will not be undone…please continue to pray!

Back to the God of Judges (Chapter 13):

“17 Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?” 18 He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.”

Personally, I come against an enemy that can bring the ruin of me, but I serve a God that has a name beyond understanding! OL is weak by itself, but we serve in His strength. Together; the Mexican Pastors, Board, Staff, and I claim victory through what our Lord did on the cross and resurrection. Our God has already won!

Gracias a Dios 

Rob Wall's Blog

Where The Forest Songs Are

Yesterday was "Where the Forest Songs Are" music festival at Island 22 in Chilliwack.  Bands like  State of Bliss, Kingdom Cloud, 41st and Home, Oh No! Yoko, We Are The City and Teen Daze.  

I have been introduced to Canadian Indie music through my kids, Matt and Levi (and their friends) and I love it!  The crowd at Where The Forest Songs Are was young, hip and clean.  Lots of good fun and great music.  A huge thanks to Rob Dunning who organized the event.

One Life One Chance #6 - Midweek Outreach

We knew the outreach was coming as Rob mentioned it at Orientation.   I've been on them before.  The experience is so unique that it gets seared into your conscience.

We loaded up the van with food and good-will and headed out first on the main road then off onto the bumpy back roads.  The unpaved roads are in whatever state they are after the last rain fall.  It rains, the road gets soupy,  people still try to use them, and then they dry ready for your driving pleasure.

Twenty minutes of driving and some lefts and rights and we enter the neighbourhood.  We bypass a compound surrounded with a tall chain link fence topped with barbwire hangers slanting in.  Normally when you try to keep people out of an area you put the barbwire hangers facing out to deter anyone from climbing the fence and jumping in.  Unless you are in a prison and the hangers are facing in - to keep people from climbing out.  This was a compound with some shacks where farm workers lived.  The conditions horrid.  Apparantly the farmer doesn't want to loose his, assets - his workers.

We coast into a dusty side street lined on either side with various structures: pallets and cardboard or unfinished block construction with vertical protruding rebar  or simple rectangle wood houses.   The van pulls over driver opens the door and immediately you hear a dull roar that sounds like a pack of moving, yelling, and happy kids.  A few seconds of sound and then the swarm.  Kids everywhere wanting hugs and piggy backs.

I follow Rob into a dirt yard, around a corner into a narrow ally that leads into an open room.  Rob says that is the neighbour church as he points to a lady who is about 4'10".  She is the pastor, 23 year old local.

We all gathered inside the church room.  The room was maybe 30x3 with a step up stage in the front and the walls and ceiling were unfinished drywall.  Folding chairs on a dusty floor. There were announcements pinned to the wall with some pictures.  There was a guy on the stage playing an electric guitar who led the songs, another lady behind the podium giving annoucments and lead us in prayer.  The room was full of peoeple with standing room only.  Our team was standing against the back wall, various families and lots of kids sat on the metal folding chairs.

The pastor went up and tried the microphone, but it didn't work.  So she followed the cable into the sound board, fixed the problem, tested the mic and started to preach.  All 4'10" of her delivered a power message on giving that challenged us all.  She had fire in her eyes and clearly had the support of the people.   They were enthusiastic and welcoming.

It's amazing to me everytime I run into someone who is holding up a corner of fragile society.   Working hard to keep out the chaos and provide care and nurioushment for the soul.  The church was the lighthouse for the neighborhood.  It was the reason there was hope there.  People could come, be prayed for, find friends and receive food and support.

When the service was over, we set up tables in the dirt yard and we quickly got into place as a long enthusiastic line of kids and parents formed.  There was soup, tortilla's with toppings ready to serve.  And serve we did.  Kids coming back for 2nds and 3rds either eating themselves or bring a serving home and then rushing back to get more.

We came to the neighborhood with food and good-will for the community outreach, but when we were driving home, I realize that I was being reached myself.  I came to give, but actually received.  I was inspired by the 4'10" woman pastor, by Rob showing up again and again at the same neighbourhood, by One Life One Chance and their long term commitment in a dusty needy neighbourhood.

One Life One Chance #5 - Nothing Is Easy

Part 1 - The Trip |  Part 2 - Orientation | Part 3 - The Empty Lot | Part 4 - New Home Owners

We have a fascination with making things faster, easier, and more convenient.  The iphone, android platform, blackberry exist to satisfy the human cravings for more and faster.   Interfaces must be user friendly, customer support needs to be like your talking to a best friend, and we must, must not ever wait - wait for a file to download, a video to render,  or a text to arrive.   Somehow that fast changing reality with the promise for more has fully captivated the modern life.  Whether all the red bull buzz is actually making our lives better or worse time will decide.  But what is uncontested is that ease and convenience are highly sought after values.

Yet, Rob and Brenda run towards inconvenience, chaos and hardship.  Why?  Because, what they find there is the purpose they exist - to help people. People whose life is poverty, survival is not a tv show, where the very basics of life is in scarce supply - safety,  water,  health and certainty.

Nothing seems easy in the Baja.  Life is on the edge, and it often feels only one small step from chaos stepping in.  It's easy to get sick,  car accidents are frequent,  and bank lineups are measured in hours. There is no couch with big screen to retreat to.

There are local pastors to help,  missing tools, food needs to be delivered, the bus breaking down again and there might be a hurricane coming through in a couple days.   Things break, staff retire, funds are tight, constantly under staffed and there is another knock on the door - a local pastor needs some support for his church member.   Balance that with being gracious and generous hosts at Los Olivos to the various teams that cycle in and out all summer long for single week short-term missions.

Nothing is easy or straightforward.  There is the language barrier.  It's not just the spanish english thing, its all the different dialects of spanish that needs to be stickhandled.  You can have a spanish conversation with one person and understand  them, but it all changes when another comes with a different dialect and tries to explain something urgent and you are missing each other by a million miles.

Some local helpers on the job site. 

When you are 6 hours south of the US border and you remotely run a business back home and you may have to submit bids for a large job in BC, you will need to keep your nose above the chaos of the Baja.  You can make the bid, but what if the power goes off or the internet decides to take a vacation and the bid needs to be in an hour?  Stress and chaos are normal. Must keep things going at home, yet life and death needs are right at your door step that need attention now.   Constant juggle of priorities and survival may mean developing both a deep compassion and then being able to suppress  it for a time when life back home needs your immediate attention.

The problems in the Baja are complex.  All the systems have some level of flaws.  Roads are sketchy, banking is uncertain,  policing and government are distrusted,  there is little social safety net outside of the churches, education is unavailable to many, health care is unaffordable by many.  Infrastructure that we take for granted like water, sewer, electricity, roads, bridges,  are patchy or nonexistant.

Bring your iphone apps, your western linear mind, and an overestimation of yourself to try and "make a difference" and you will be humbled.  There are no easy answers.  No quick fixes and no single development model that will fix it all.

What is needed is a long term investment of one life to others.  There are plenty of books that are all about 150 pages with endorsements that string together glowing reports announcing systemic, sustainable approaches to fixing other people's problems - I have about 10 on my shelf.  But nothing is easy that really matters.  Not raising your own kids nor helping people in a 3rd world country.

Life for Rob and Brenda is complex.  They are at peace and content in the middle of brokenness and chaos.   They have made a life out of doing what God has been doing for centuries: repairing, reclaiming, and restoring people. And they are seeing a difference, they are seeing change.  Keep going Rob and Brenda, you are an inspiration.

One Life One Chance #4 - New Home Owners

Part 1 - The Trip |  Part 2 - Orientation | Part 3 - The Empty Lot

Part 4 - New Home Owners

Framing begins

Wall with siding is up

Connecting the walls and making sure they are straight

Cutting out the windows and door

Framing inside support wall

Video of a roof panel going up

Putting the roof panel in place

Getting the trim ready

Playing with paint

Side of the house trimmed and painted

Finish carpenters at work putting in the rough kitchen 

New home owners!  Hosea (blind) and wife Filomena

The build team with the Hosea and Filomena

House was dedicated on July 28, 2011

Thank-you Hockey Ministries International (HMI),

Heartland Fellowship and 

One Life One Chance.

One Life One Chance #3 - The Empty Lot

Part 1 - The Trip |  Part 2 - Orientation



We drove to the empty lot and arrrived at the same time as the delivery truck - which was dropping off the construction material.  Getting out of the van we were hit with the hot sun - it was dusty and dry.  Not the oh it's hot nice weather at the beach type hot, but oh this is going to be a relentlessly hot day - better drink plenty of water.  There was a mild lingering outhouse smell in the air.  No services to the lot, no electricity, no plumbing, just a pad in the middle of a dust bowl.  This would soon become the home of a family that needs a house.  It was their lot, they bought it and now we were going to do a push up and build a roof over their heads.  It will provide safety and security in a sketchy and unsettling part of the world.

The pad of concrete was poured the previous week by a previous team. The fresh concrete and pile of new 2x4's and plywood lay there in contrast to the neighbour's which was made of pallets and plastic - the standard accommodations for thousands of people in that area.

There is a housing shortage that has been compounded since the government outlawed camps for migrant farm workers - they all had to move from their camps to town.  Many people don't own land and just find a place to squat for a time.  There is this law in Mexico that if you squat on a piece of land for 5 years, it's now yours.  So, many are trying to hold on to their little piece of residence trying to make it to 5 years.  The actual land owners are kept on their toes trying to dislodge squaters.  The lot we were going to build on was bought and paid for by the family we were building for.

One Life One Chance #2 - Orientation

Part 1 - The Trip

Part 2 - Orientation

After a good night sleep in our tent, b-fast was at 8am with orientation for the 3 groups at 10am.  Patti and I found out what we would be working on for the week.  It was a bit of a question for us and we didn't have any expectation since we primarily wanted to support Rob and Brenda.  Rob let us know that the cement pad was poured and the HMI house was ready to be built.  He wanted Patti and I (with James - our 10 yr old) to work with another team to do the build.   I was excited since not only would we see the HMI house but we would help build it.

Rob began his orientation by letting us know that one of his compelling goals was that everyone, once in their lifetime would be able to do short term missions.  When you walk through the door of missions, you will never be the same.  He doesn't want OL to be another ministry in San Quintin but to be a support to the local churches there.  He currently is working with 28 different churches.  San Quintin, location wise is the last stop for mission organizations.  There are plenty north but in the valley,  OL is the last one.  That means south of them, the forgotten area,  there are many people where poverty is their lifestyle - without much support.

The churches in the area don't have a unifying force so OL decided to invite as many pastors as they could to a hamburger lunch.  There were 120 people that came, some as far as 300 kms.  All local pastors who not only loved the hamburgers but also began to meet each other and network as a first step towards working together.  There is renewal in the air.

Rob's long term plan is to begin a Christian School to help educate the next generation - K through 12.  They want to start a school of theology to train pastors and build a multipurpose facility for churches to use as a resource.

Rob and Brenda have been working in this area for 20 years and it sound like they are just getting started.

One Life One Chance #1 - The Trip

While laying down plans for my 3 month sabbatical, one of the first things I calendared was a trip to Los Olivos to work along side of Rob Wall and One Life One Chance in the San Quintin Valley of the Mexico Baja.

The purpose was two fold.  The first was to check on the house build for a homeless mexican family that Hockey Ministries International raised $1800 for at a recent Faith Night.  The house build was a project funded with the money raised with ticket sales at Faith Night.     I had been in the Baja a few years earlier and helped build a house with Heartland's youth group and I was itching to help another family who needed a home.

The other purpose was to support Rob and Brenda wall and to be with them for a week.  This was important to me because as a friend I know that Rob has been going to the Baja and helping the poor there for over 20 years.  He recently made a bold step in establishing a permanent base in the San Quintin valley that he runs all of his service/mission work from.  Patti and I wanted to support them and want to be on the ground with them for a week.

We flew into LAX, rented a car, visited with some friends for a couple of days  in LA then drove to San Diego airport where Rob and the One Life bus pick us and two other teams up.  We were on site from July 24-30th.

It was an unforgettable week.

Part 2 Coming