Il Vento

It is so easy to live life as though the only reality is the one that I can see, that I can understand, or that I can control.

But the Bible explains another side of reality that is invisible or spiritual.

In fact it says that those who have believed in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling inside of them.

That's weird.

But I know it's true because I can see and feel the evidence of his work in and around me.

There are so many events that are taking place in my ministry right now that are totally out of my control. Am I ok with that?

And my family! With four young kids the fact that we're all even partially sane is evidence of a divine presence.

It's kind of like il vento.

Check out this video montage that I used while teaching a bunch of Italians about the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

What is Short Cycle Church Planting (part 1 of a series)?

In 2007 Amee and I will be leading an Avant Short Cycle Church Planting Team back to Italy. This entry is part one in a series that explains this cutting edge approach to missions known as Short Cycle Church Planting (SCCP).

Two dual-core 2.5GHz PowerPC G5 processors all in one machine! That’s two processors that clock at 2.5Ghz each and they’re dual core, which means they each have two sides to their brain. It’s called the quad because it’s as if there are four processors! This is the computer of my dreams.

In computers it all starts with the processor; that chip inside the box. And at the core of Short Cycle Church Planting (SCCP) is a well-equipped, diverse, high performance team.

Avant is looking for 8-10 people with a variety of gifts, abilities, and perspectives who can thrive on change and excel in a dynamic environment.

Our team's mission will be to plant a movement of churches in the city of Genoa within 5 years. So we will be counting on the synergy produced in a creative work context.

The high performance team is a fundamental difference between how we have experienced church planting in the past and SCCP.

Traditionally, ministry focused around the individual church planter. Even in situations where there were multiple missionaries present, each one was a church planter and used certain skill sets thought to be useful in church planting.

Not any more. No single person on our team will be the church planter. The team as a unit is the church planter and each individual contributes uniquely to the process.

One member may be a people magnet, another may be practical with technology, another may be a Bible teacher, and yet another may find fulfillment in working through bureaucracy and logistics.

As a team we will win, together. Together we will train and strategize while still in America. Together we will depart for Italy. Together we will study language. Together we will continually evaluate our progress and approach. We're even talking about a pooled financial support system.Together we will plant multiple churches in a shorter period of time.

So the team is important. Like the processor inside my computer, it is the brain from which everything else flows.

Pray for our teammates, Phil and Donna Pace, Andrew and Natalie Debelaks, Dustin Mahoney, and a couple of others who are still discerning God's leading in their lives.