Posted on

Preferences vs Godliness

by

Trying to discern between preferences and godliness is a big deal in Christian communities and may be the reason for the strange saying I learned in Bible School in the 1980s. “The biggest obstacle to the next move of God is the last move of God.” I will share a few anecdotes and make a suggestion.

Ethiopia

In 2017 Deanna and I traveled with some Brazilian leaders to Ethiopia to learn how they were using Discovery Groups to plant churches. At one of the last places we stopped, we were in a room with a group of denominational leaders. They told us they had struggled to plant 400 churches for many years. “First, we had to buy the land. Then help build the buildings. They help with the roof, and then chairs. Plus, we had to resolve so many problems. It wasn’t easy. Now we get to do the fun stuff. We teach people how to connect to Jesus and how the Holy Spirit will lead them. And we have planted 1,500 churches in the last three years…” As they told us how they practiced Discovery Groups for evangelism and discipleship, they pulled out a denominational manual they had developed. The Brazilian pastors we were with expected to be given one of their manuals as a model to follow. Finally, they asked for a copy. “Oh no. We can give you some principles, but you need to go and make it work among your people. This is not a formula. It is a way of helping people learn to follow God.” That meeting and statement became one of the trip’s highlights and stood in contrast to other church-growth formulaic strategies.

Brazil

A missionary friend told me of a time he was living in a remote Brazilian community. He noticed empty water bottles and plastic bags littering the river and trails where they walked. As he was meeting with the church leaders, he suggested to the group that they do a community clean-up project. One of the prominent community leaders was enthusiastic. “That is a great idea! We could get shirts printed for all of us before we do the campaign.” As he spoke, he was eating candy and throwing wrappers on the ground in the clearing where they were sitting. My friend shook his head. “I don’t think you get it.” As he talked to me, I thought, “That is strange how some people like to wear the same shirts as others in a group. It is different for me.”

A Mennonite Church

I grew up in the East Aldergrove Mennonite Brethren church, and I still consider them one of the great world-class churches. My mom was a little girl when her family moved to help with the church plant, and she remained a member for 75 years until she passed into heaven. Dad joined when he got married. This group wrestled with preferences vs godliness. A big deal was the switch from German to English services. Then the old guard didn’t want the young folks raising their hands or clapping during worship. Over time, I saw a cultural change as they wrestled with following Jesus and putting spiritual values and practices ahead of personal preferences. Over time they changed their language, worship style, and even their name to Ross Road Community Church. I was surprised to see ashtrays outside their main doors when I came home from the Yukon to see my parents. Smoking and drinking were significant issues when I was a teenager. Someone from their leadership explained, “When smoking was in style, we thought it was unhealthy and worldly. We were against it. But when smoking became unpopular, we wanted to be a welcome presence to people who felt rejected by society. We got ashtrays.”


A Suggestion

Ask God to help you be aware the next time you feel critical of others, especially other Christians.

Rather than share your perspective with a third party, try to befriend the person to whom you feel critical and try to understand their perspective or motivation.

This same principle may apply to your children. Take them out for coffee individually, and ask them, “It’s been a long time since I was your age. What’s it like?“

Look for the fruit of what is happening.

Your thoughts?

Posted on

Delight

by

At the recent conference in Porto de Moz, the whole first night was dedicated to worship.

All the churches prepared teams who practiced complex choreographed dances, complete with costumes and props. There was no preaching on the opening night.

The energy was palpable and so different from my personal preferences. Of course, my preferences have become adaptive over time as I watch for the Holy Spirit.

Things That Delight the Heart
* wearing the same shirt
* passionate, expressive, whole-hearted worship
* doing things together
* watching others doing things together
* win/win competitions – practicing long hours to perform in front of a group
* symbolic demonstrations of spiritual or social realities
* being awesome for Jesus

This group cooked the meals, set up the chairs, cleaned the garbage, and served tirelessly. They often wore optional conference t-shirts, which cost those who could afford one the price of 1/2 day’s labor (R$35).

Posted on

Discovery Groups

by




Good morning. My name is Tasse, and I’m from the Vineyard church in Souzel. In the beginning, I was scared of doing Discovery Groups because I had never done them before. It had been taught a few times, but I discovered that we learn about Discovery Groups as we do them. When we stay in theory, we get stuck saying, “I don’t understand.” Clarity comes when you start practicing. Doing Discovery Groups is really different from teaching. Sometimes we don’t even talk about Jesus, but something happens in people’s hearts when they seek to understand God’s Word. The seed that is there gets watered. Sometimes the conversation turns in a direction I would not choose, but people hear words from God and learned more about truth. Since I started doing Discovery Groups, people who never believed are now believers. For example, I have a Discovery Group with a lady named S. She felt really good when I started doing a Discovery Group with her. She was suffering from some really difficult problems.

Sometimes we get tired, but just like we persevere in our work and our studies, we persevere in the Kingdom of God. Sometimes on the weekend, when I would like to stay home and sleep or watch a movie, I go out and do a Discovery Group or help train a new leader. So don’t settle for excuses. You have time to work and study, and you have time to do Discovery Groups. Don’t neglect to sow seeds that you are able to plant. And don’t be afraid of rejection. Many times people tell me, “No. No, thank you.” Sometimes if I think someone would actually like to do one, I go over and ask for a cup of water, and when we talk, I try to discern if they are ready or not. If you have friends, be sensitive to the ones God puts on your heart and invite them to do a Discovery Group. When someone accepts your offer and starts to learn about God, “Oh, you will feel so good!” When I go out, people are so grateful. Sometimes, when I forget to go out, they text and ask me why I forgot. I feel so good when I am welcomed and when people are grateful to learn about God. And so this is what I wanted to share. Thank you.

Posted on

Favorite Photos

by



Lucas, born prematurely to the family who lives in our house and cares for our place while we travel, continues to strengthen, and the doctors and his parents are making plans to bring him home. 








Deanna and I plan to attend the Global Vineyard Mission Leaders in-person meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal, later this month. The purpose of the conference is to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and agreements with how the Vineyard movement will coordinate expanding the Kingdom with church planting. I meet with this group online every three months. The churches in Brazil are still regrouping after the pandemic season. We appreciate your prayers.
Posted on

Porto de Moz Conference 2

by

One of the things that sticks out for me when I think of the recent Porto de Moz was the desire to help friends learn how to experience a better life with God. 

Since these conferences were organized and supported by the local churches and not dependent on outside support, they have a much better chance of becoming embedded in the local culture. Culture is sometimes defined as “This is the way we do things around here.”




All these people and more traveled all night upriver by boat to arrive from Gurupá.


All these people traveled all night by boat downriver from Souzel.


This is the group from the two churches in Porto de Moz who did much of the setup and hosting.


This is the group that is church planting in Almeirim, about eight hours away by boat, down the Xingu River, and then across the Amazon.

These leaders started about 20 Discovery Groups via WhatsApp during the pandemic travel restrictions. After the pandemic, they moved to start a church. Their home church in Gurupá helped them buy some land and get a building, but it was not close to where the people from their Discovery Groups lived.
 Figuring It Out.
While we want to encourage them with training, we opted not to help them with buildings or wages because we have experienced the difficulties that can bring. Early success with outside support can lead to painful difficulties later on when the stakes are higher. It might be kind of like helping a chick hatch out of an egg or a butterfly to leave its cocoon. 


This is Walter, the worship leader from Almeirim.




This is 30 years after the church started in Porto de Moz. The guy on the stage with his arms outstretched is the son of the first pastors of Gurupá. They couldn’t get the church going though they really tried for about ten years. Now it’s going, and everyone who worked sowing seeds has shares in the harvest.

Discovery Groups
Here are a couple more testimonies about Discovery Groups.


Zecca lives 12 hours by boat from Porto de Moz, across the Xingu River up some smaller rivers in a vast wetlands region. We hope they will learn to gather and be encouraged by God’s Word, partly because they live so remotely that they rarely come to town or someone goes out that far to visit them. Furthermore, we hope they will start Discovery Groups with their neighbors. He was hard to understand, partly because he lives in such a different world than I do. On the other hand, I’m sure we are just as hard for him to understand, but his neighbors in the bush understand him perfectly. Here is the gist of his short testimony.

“Some people came up to visit me. Renato. And Valdinho. And they invited me to start a Discovery Group. I was happy to learn this. My son lives nearby. We live in a wetland area. It is not on dry ground. I am happy because I am getting to know my family better. And I learned some things living in that remote agricultural region. If you want a crop, you need first to prepare the ground, then plant seeds, and then you need to wait. And this is what I’m doing. I am challenged to start a Discovery Group. It is not easy because life is not easy. And so I want to encourage you, my brothers and sisters, because we all have the same heavenly Father.”

Isaura
“May God’s peace rest on you all. My name is Isaura. and I am from Gurupá. I am here to tell you that Discovery Groups work. What caught my attention about Discovery Groups is how well they work. I walked over to my nephew’s and started a Discovery Group with him, and now he couldn’t come, but his wife is sitting right over there. And so Discovery Groups are like bringing God’s words to people. We do not need to preach to them. But the Lord Himself will open their minds, and they will understand. It is good to pray beforehand and to fast. As part of a small team, we went to a remote location and started four Discovery Groups. And we have two more Discovery Groups along the Xingu River (three hours away?), and my husband and I started another one nearer our home, for which I give glory to God. And so starting Discovery Groups has been really good for me, and I have a fire in my heart to start more groups and to bring God’s word to people who desperately need Him. People often tell us, ‘After you started to come here and we started Discovery Groups, things began to change around here. My husband is less frustrated and quit swearing, and we stopped running out of food.’ I say this to the glory of God. So Discovery Groups work, but we must be available to the Lord. We need to pray, ‘Here I am, God, send me,’ and we need to have the courage to obey and to bring God’s word to people who need Him. Many people need to be rescued because they are suffering. Families are being destroyed. Often, after doing Discovery Groups, families may join your church. Our church is packed with people who got to know Jesus through Discovery Groups. So let’s not sit back with our arms crossed. Let’s go out where people are hurting and help them do Discovery Groups. Let’s grow the Kingdom of God. Amen? This is my experience.”
I love Discovery Groups because they give dignity to the intelligence and thoughtfulness of outsiders. Whereas traditional evangelism is about how I know the answer, and if you believe as I do, you can become like me. Sometimes a superiority “I’m in, you’re out” can creep in, which is a slippery slope. Some may want to gain status as the ones others need to follow to get to Jesus. It can get awkward.

Discovery Groups, on the other hand, are much more Servant Leaderish. “Where are you at? How is God revealing Himself to you through these scriptures?” The servant points the seeker directly to the creator.

Here are some photos of how I see kings bringing treasures into the Heavenly City. Maybe you have another idea?







Your thoughts?
Lucas
Baby Lucas was born prematurely to the family who lives in our home with us. Somehow he developed pneumonia, and to help him breathe a facilitate getting out the pneumonia liquid, the docs put in a trichotomy.

Silmara and Mauricio take turns staying with baby Lucas at the hospital. Deanna also stayed with Lucas one day in the hospital to help them out.





We traveled with two other families to the Porto de Moz conference. It took 24 hours to get there from Marabá, and along the way, we picked up the pastors from Anapú, a town along the TransAmazon Highway.


Dieglis and Laura, and Ana, who is really cool, are the pastoral family in Anapú. Big brother Pedro, about 12, had to stay back because there was no room in our car. He went out to his grandma’s farm, so he was ok with that.


Eliel and Aline both used to be Youth Pastors in Marabá. Then they got married. Now they have three children. Eliel is a construction contractor now, and Aline manages a Christian bookstore in Marabá, but they may become church planters. Who knows? The photo above was taken on our way home, in the faster boat. We had to get up at 3 a.m. to get in line because it was a full boat. The city also had a big festival that weekend, and many participants needed to get back to Altamira Monday morning.


After all day in a car and then all night on a line boat, Eliel and Aline’s children’s favorite part of the adventure was getting to ride in a school bus! Bené, the pastor of the Porto de Moz Central church, is also the bus driver, and he got permission to use the bus for the conference.



Deanna loves to have the neighbor’s children over. While the younger ones play in the Deanna’s swimming pool, the two older sisters take time out to do big girl stuff like have a calm game of cards.

This is Zecca and Maria, who gave the Discovery Group testimony above. Zecca lives way up a small tributary called the Jauraçu River. It is about 12 hours from Porto de Moz. We had a church on stilts by their house for many years. We have known Zecca since about 1999. His 12-year-old son used to read the bible for church because he was the only one in the family who could read back then. Back in we could either travel 24 hours by car and boat from Altamira where we lived to Una, where Zecca lived, or Ross could fly his airplane there in one hour. Ross flew in there quite often when to let them know about Training Events and when we wanted to bring teams in by boat.Have a great week!
Rick and Deanna.
Correction
Clenildo and Angelita moved to Porto de Moz for three months in 1994 to preach for their brother-in-law Nilton. Nilton was sick and needed to travel two days by boat back to Santarem for medical treatment. Clenildo, Angelita, and their 15-day-old baby left their home and family to travel the two days to Porto de Moz to help their family. Clenildo, Angelita, Nilton, and Cleuci are all greatly loved and admired in the Xingu Region.
Posted on

Porto de Moz Conference

by

We got a taste of the future last weekend.

About 300 zealous believers gathered for the weekend. Their lives have been and are being transformed from indescribably painful situations, and now they want others to share in their blessings. This conference, unlike many we’ve attended, was completely organized by locals.

This was a historic or watershed meeting to me like things were one way up until this conference, and then they change. Significantly better. We have grown incrementally to this point, but we are on the verge of an explosion. It feels like it to me. We’ll see. 

Edna called up several people who have Discovery Groups to share how it is working out for them. Those who are bringing outsiders into the Kingdom were honored!

“When we focus on bringing the gospel to outsiders, the rest of the stuff falls into place. Media people, ushers, conferences, meeting places, theatre, worship, offerings, and more will all happen if a movement is growing rapidly with new believers.” Edna explains to the group, “If you aren’t reproducing, you are not worth much.” It might be a bit strong, but it sends a message. The heroes are the ones doing the hidden work outside the main group. When you are traveling to remote places, it costs time and money. The recipients may think you’re suspect, especially at first. And while you are out there, you are not eating with or hanging out with the in-group, your people at church. The zeal and passion were palpable as the Holy Spirit flowed through this conference.

Only a short time ago, these churches were struggling for survival. One of the two churches in Porto de Moz closed its doors for a year or two. The other shrank to a few struggling members. There is a new feeling now. 205 people came six hours and more by boats from Souzel, Gurupá, Almeirim, Vila Nova, Anapú, and Marabá to participate in the gathering that was hosted and prepared by the two (and a third on the way) churches in Porto de Moz.

Several people committed their lives to God during the conference, including this mother and her daughter.

Posted on

Discovery Groups

by

Edna asked the following group of people to share what they are doing with Discovery Groups. Participants were given a maximum of five minutes each before they would be stopped. Everyone cheered after every testimony.

Paulo (far right in the photo, standing up)

Paulo described his experience starting Discovery Groups (with a Photoshop AI background).

One day I explored a distant area outside of town and conversed with a local family. They used to attend church but now felt neglected due to their remote location. On my subsequent visit, I proposed a Discovery Bible Study. I learned that God had been preparing them for this moment. We established a Discovery Group that is still going on today. Our side discussions encompass various aspects of life, emphasizing God’s positive transformation in my life. I derive satisfaction from sharing my testimony as I help these overlooked individuals comprehend God’s love for them. This small family belongs to a larger community we intend to engage with soon. Sometimes, I skip breakfast because I leave my house early on my day off to visit them. Occasionally, we partake in breakfast together as Discovery Groups involve conversation and the fellowship of shared meals.

Posted on

Clenildo

by

Clenildo preached for two of the evening services. Here are a couple of excerpts…

Storms are Fun When You are In God’s Will

“When I was still living at home, my mom wanted to go to an island in the middle of the Amazon River where she used to live. She had a garden there, and she wanted to gather the harvest. We tried to talk Mom out of it, but she was determined, so my sister and I finally got our canoe and took her out there. The manioc was ready to be pulled out of the ground, but it had to be processed before being eaten. The process involves a fire and lots of firewood. This island had no trees as it was on a flood plain. I said to my mom and sister, ‘OK. If you gather the manioc, I will paddle back to the mainland and get a canoe load of firewood.’ As I got out on the big Amazon River, a wind came up, and between the wind and the current, it didn’t take me long to get to the other side. Looking back, I realized I had landed way downstream from the island and wondered how I’d return. I decided to worry about that later and canoed up a little creek, where I loaded my canoe with a big haul of firewood. I prayed and asked God to help me return to my mom and sister. When I returned to the big river, a storm blew in. The waves rose, and boats headed to the side to await the storm. I decided to take my chances. THE STORM AND WAVES PICKED UP when I got out on the river and started paddling for my life. I was going up and down waves and landed at my mom’s cabin after a while. I yelled through the rain and the wind that I had arrived. My mom and sister came to the shore crying and distraught because they thought I had drowned. ‘Why are you upset?! THIS IS MY STORM! God sent me this storm to help me get back here!'”

“THIS IS MY STORM! God sent me this storm to help me get back to you!”

“Sometimes I skipped out of school to go fishing with my dad. He was a professional fisherman and would load three big styrofoam boxes with ice into his canoe and only come home when they were all full of fish. Sometimes he let me come with him on two or three-day trips. One time when I was out with him, a big storm blew in, and the waves threatened to capsize our wooden canoe. The Amazon has 2-meter high waves in bad storms. I watched my dad bow his head and pray, asking God to calm the storm. Very quickly, a small patch of blue sky appeared overhead. Our canoe entered a calm stretch of the river. Ahead of us and behind us, the storm continues to rage. I thought, ‘Wow! I would love to know God the way my dad knows Him.‘”

Clenildo WhatsApped me a few minutes ago. “In a little while, I am going out to look for some more people who are diamonds. We found a few in these thirty years, and they are leading many people into the Kingdom.” This is so true. People outside the Kingdom await to be invited and authorized to win their families, neighbors, and many more. We have seen churches grow and multiply through key chaotic families before they came to Christ. In my experience, chaos doesn’t simply disappear overnight, but lots can happen as we stay in the game for the long haul. Christians who learn to be comfortable with high levels of chaos have an advantage because they venture farther outside the Garden before coming back for refreshing, and, when they are in a good place, they laugh at storms.

“The LORD, your God, will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to end them quickly, for the wild beasts would grow too numerous for you” (Dt 7:22).

Posted on

Favorite Photos

by


Edna and Leão are the regional supervisors, and this was the third annual conference under their leadership.


The Porto de Moz Central Church now has two rooms with air conditioners! They put them in the day before we arrived. They are hard workers, and we are so grateful!

The work in the Xingu started in 1992 with this Porto de Moz church. Luke began to make survey trips with Nilton to the Xingu the same year he invited Deanna and me to Brazil. It took us a year to arrive in Santarem and two more years to learn enough language and culture to start the mission in Altamira. Nilton got sick, so Clenildo, his brother-in-law, offered two days by boat from Santarem to Porto de Moz. Clenildo and Angelita were in their first year of marriage and had a three-month-old firstborn child. Nilton and Cleuci, Clenildo’s sister, traveled back to their home in Santarem so Nilton could get medical treatment. Clenildo and Angelita never moved back to Santarem. We became friends and moved to Altamira together in 1995/96. Altamira is the regional center city with an airport, TransAmazon Highway, universities, and hospitals. It was ideal for us to host short-term teams and start a church-planting movement.


We had about 20 adults and four children, and one bathroom. Everyone had to be ready for the bus to get to the meetings at the same time.


We took a 14-hour big line boat on our way down. We took this 4-hour faster public transport on the way home.


Valdinho was the first person I met in Porto de Moz 1994 on our first survey trip. He married a rancher’s daughter who has this beautiful daughter, Kanandra. She was busy cooking for this event, feeding 300 people for Friday-Sunday. Valdinho served tirelessly doing 101 things like clean-up, details, set-up, and just making sure things ran smoothly. Valdinho and the clean-up team allowed the others to give and receive ministry yet he was always ready to stop and talk to help someone along their way. Servant Leaders. Valdinho showed me a photo of about 35 people with whom they are planning to plant a Discovery-Group-Evangelized church very soon.


Servant Leadership – Valdinho used to be our most authoritative, directive pastor. Since he is pretty gifted, his small-town church grew to about 200 people, which looked like a success story. But it didn’t last. He is now still zealously serving God with his whole heart but as a servant leader. He was the most unlikely candidate for a different leadership style, but now he never tires of discussing the effectiveness of servant-leader Discovery Groups.

Winston, B., & Fields, D. (2015). Seeking and measuring the essential behaviors of servant leadership. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 36(4), 413–434.


This is Nazaré, Valdinho’s first mother-in-law. In the 1990s, we often stopped at their buffalo ranch in a vast, remote swampy region. We had a wooden church on stilts next to their house. She used to stand in the front of their small canoe with a harpoon while her husband or one of her children paddled, and she was a famously good fisherman. Since then, her husband died of a heart attack, her daughter, who used to be Valdinho’s wife, died of cancer, and one of her sons died suddenly of covid. Thankfully she had a large family. These people suffer and live in ways we cannot imagine. She came to this meeting to see us and Clenildo.


Ianna and Bene are the senior pastors of the biggest Vineyard church in Porto de Moz. This church was struggling with about 20 attendees only a short time ago. They are a zealous group now and working to reactivate the river churches.