Beginnings: August 2009 Archives

Evangalism 2.0 Is Behind

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By Matt on August 27, 2009 1:01 PM 0 0 Vote 0 Votes
In the past month I have been working to learn more about technology that I haven't ever used before online. I have myself have never really gone beyond a basic blog, facebook or myspace for social media as I have never had the need to do so. I have stayed connected with friends and family through these and they have been great in doing so. Yet, I have done very little to reach out using online web 2.0 technology for the purpose of ministry up until this last month. I have heard of many of the new technologies out there but never learned much about them or used them. They are very well established and used for internet news and developments, but not many Christians have plugged into them for ministry purposes in proportion to the size of those resources.

For example if you are on any of these social websites take 100 of your followers and or friends and look at what they are using those resources mostly for. The main use is staying in  contact with friends and family and then a few to network or sell things or find a place to live or to find a new job. On twitter you find a large influence of people using it for online business and promoting things they sell. What you don't find is many people using these platforms for ministry. There are some doing so but the most developed uses of them are not usually ministry focused from what I have observed in the past month.

Years ago when I put up a website for Desired Life Ministries I didn't really know how to built things into the website and develop interactions with other social sites to make the most of the website. What I built though 4 years ago for the ministry included more interactivity than I would guess 90% or more of church and ministry websites today currently have in place. I think perhaps because Christianity as a whole is still approaching ministry from how our culture once interacted with the church and us as believers. We no longer can just send out postcards and put up websites and buildings and just expect people to come in and hear the gospel and turn their life over to Christ. Yes, that still can and does work on small levels, but often those who respond to those methods are those who grew up in the church and end up coming back from that type of evangelism. Either that or they are church hopping.

My background being in real estate and marketing I have seen the changing trend in how people no longer just want to be marketed to or in other words just evangelized to. They more and more are wanting to be interacted with and to be engaged with. The world has a very skewed idea of who and what Christians are so just broadcasting to them to come join us when they are mistaken in who we are isn't a good game plan to reach them. 

The gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit has not changed, but the methods in which we can get that message to people is changing. The focus of DLM is more towards discipleship than evangelism, but part of that focus in discipleship is to help others learn how to reach our lost world so this needs to be addressed with the ministry.

I am by no means an expert on how to do this nor do I have that much experience having just started much of this a month ago to reach into social media platforms and form interactive platforms for ministry. As I started looking for a way to do this I discovered blog management software that offered a free license for non-profits and installed it and began to customize it and that's where the new website came from.

I then decided I would also use it to publish a blog with the intent of developing it into something to make a difference in the lives of those who read it. I tried to do this from a personal blog years back, but I knew that was not going to make the kind of impact I envision a ministry blog making in peoples lives. The only thing I carried over from the old blog was the process I went through to get here to document the journey less anyone think the process of ministry is one where you figure it all out overnight. When I started in ministry the examples presented to me gave me the impression it would be 6-12 months and things would be just as I had envisioned from what God had put on my heart. That is seldom the case. The examples you see of fast ministry are the exception and I have wondered if fast growth tends to die out within a few years since then. The roots have to grow and strong big things take a long time for those roots to grow. 

In the first 2 years of ministry I found it very helpful in hearing others share their story of what they faced and went through into what they were called to do. Hearing over and over the stories people had in going into ministry I began to see many of the same things in my own life and story. All of that lead to me mapping out the lifemap model that fit what I went through and every story I heard from others who entered into ministry and their calling. It wasn't just the model those in ministry went through but the process anyone who followed what God lead them to went through.

I have found many blogs and developed resources that share and spread the news on things developing in our nation and the world relating to our faith. I have never felt the Lord calling me to that type of ministry as a primary focus and I don't see the need for another ministry with that focus. The focus of my calling and as a by product this blog is to stay within the process of the lifemap model.

I have been exploring web 2.0 and the technologies developed within it to see how those technologies might be used for the purposes of helping others learn and walk in the lifemap process. The lifemap areas being the restoration of the heart, the renewal of the mind and the empowerment of vision that comes from a restored heart and renewed mind.

I thought there would be more websites and resources online already developed with Christian influences online. Yet, so far in all of these technologies that I have found and explored the strongest influence in Christianity using these techonologies - especially those of blogs and networking social web 2.0 resources appears to be those in line with reformed theology. Some of the top blogs in terms of readership and monthly visits are those from a reformed point of view. They also seem to be some of the most passionate and dedicated people online in their realms of internet development.

It may just be that I have yet to find other developed resources within Christianity that are out there and interacting with the world online. If you know of other sources please leave a comment with the ones you know of and have found of value to you personally in your walk with God. 

The First Year.. The First Vision Dinner

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By Matt on August 11, 2009 9:22 PM 0 0 Vote 0 Votes
It was March 26, 2006 on a Sunday night and it was the one year anniversary of Desired Life Ministries. I and some allies put on the first ministry vision dinner that marked and celebrated the first year of being in ministry. It's hard to believe that was over three years ago.
Here is a picture of most of the people who were there that night:
dlmministrydinner.gifWhen going through some old entries I found the one from the day after the ministry vision dinner. I thought I would post what I wrote about the dinner on March 27th.

Here is the entry I made about the dinner the next day:

The dinner went amazing! God showed up in a big way and many people were deeply touched by the night. Afterwards many people came up to talk to each speaker and comments such as I was not prepared for this and I was not expecting to be so touched. The night's theme of the faithfulness of God could not have been any better, it was perfect, despite the many things that went wrong and the hard time it was to prepare for it. We all felt intense spiritual attack the week leading up to the dinner. I was feeling very discouraged, Rachel was feeling like she could not do it and was feeling like she should cancel and then the day before she came down with a soar throat and could hardly talk without pain. Yet the day of the event she was better and able to sing and talk all the way until the end of the night, when it started hurting again.

Rachel also lost her notes in the car, her and Luke went and searched everywhere or them, but could not find them. Though we found them after the night was over in the car, she doesnt know how they didnt see them the first time. Yet, during that time when she was nervous, Luke was able to really encourage her that it would be ok and she was given a peace. She also did a great job with her talk and covered all the points on her notes by memory! She thought she probally forgot something, but was amazed that she had covered it all! Josh had been feeling God press this upon his heart and had only 3 hours of sleep the night before. He also had felt the enemy attacking him this past week.

Joe who was going to play the guitar couldnt play as his guitar broke a hour before the dinner. So Janell and Rachel had to practice before hand on the piano. Josh in praying what to talk about on the mind, felt it confirmed again when I put down the renewal of the mind and that was what God had given him for a title of his talk. Then a lady at the dinner was shocked when Josh talked on the 3 lusts of the eye and the verses God laid on his heart for his talk, were some of the ones along with a study of the lusts of the eye that she had just felt God leading her to start studying too.

Then at the end of the night, Rachel was protected from what could have been an assult or a car jacking with her in the car. She was waiting in the car in the passenger side by the front of the hotel downtown and a shady man walked up to the car and started looking at her, he looked like he was not all there and was in a haze. He came up to the window and was looking at her and then looked down at the keys in the car with the car running. She was tense and her heart was beating frantically, but she froze and couldnt move. She wisphered out Jesus help, and the man walked away slowly to the back of the car, but then he came back again and he started to reach his hand in the car, and then froze as she whispered praying for Jesus to help and he then pulled his hand back out and walked to the back of the car at which point then he came back again (she was still frozen and couldnt move) and she whispered Jesus again as the man put his hand on the door knob (the doors were not locked and the window down) and then he let go and walked to the back of the car again. Finally she felt the Holy Spirit tell her grab the keys and get out and go to the front door, so she did and then my brother and friends came out the front door. She was very relieved to see them!

God started going deep into the hearts of those there and renewing minds, and a lot of ministry took place in peoples lives as so many came up to give us all feedback. I also had no sound system until just hours before the dinner, and was about to buy a dinky little karaoke machine at Radio Shack when my friend Jasen called and he had found a sound system. So I went and got it and got it all hooked up just minutes after people started arriving.

I managed to figure out how to record the night, and am working on the CD for it now so we also captured all the night on CD! (Since then I have put these on a podcast and they soon will be available online).

We came in just $30 over budget for the night too! I was thinking it was going to be more than that. And we also at one point were 30-40 minutes behind schedule, but God took control and we got it all in at just 10 minutes over time!

One person came up and said God has moved their heart to donate their entire next pay check for their new job and a few others that they were going to make a donation shortly. It was a very encouraging night.

I was able to also get a 8 minute message/testimony from Max on tape from him in Russia, so everyone got to hear from Max there too!

I had so many people come up and say the night went so perfectly and was just amazing and all I can say is that God showed up and as we came to celebrate a night of God's faithfulness...He loved coming to show Himself very faithful in weaving it all together despite the many things that went wrong in planning it. In fact if all had gone perfectly as I planned it, it would still not be as amazing as it ended up being as God did so much! 

How It All Began

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By Matt on August 10, 2009 2:35 PM 0 0 Vote 0 Votes
In March of 2005 God began to get my attention and started pressing upon my heart a calling and a vision for a ministry. To be quite honest I was not certain what exactly that calling and vision was specifically at that time as I only had some general ideas. 

Many of my passions for young men's ministry were being awakened and drawn out by God at that time and the calling on my life in that area was increasingly being stirred by God pulling on my heart. That was not the first time though God had pulled on my heart in that area as they were pulled on in college to start a Christian Fraternity at Kansas State University. The difference was this time the calling was stronger and on a larger scale. Young men's ministry has long been a passion of mine and one in which I just come alive in helping brothers come closer to God. Over the years it has also been one of the most attacked areas of my life and with it pain, but the joys most certainly have made it all worth it.

What I didn't expect or know at the time was that many of my other passions would also draw out in this calling. The great thing about God is that He loves to surpass our expectations and He loves to bless us. Though not always in the timing we want and not without hardships and trials and obstacles, but if our heart stays after Him He does these things in our life. I have many that are waiting to be fulfilled, but many I have already been given and more than I had expected. Some are gone for a season and some may not return, but God loves to bless us and my prayer is that I will not forget better days are yet to come for those of us who love God with our whole heart and follow Him. I know that can be very hard to believe and hold onto and  for some harder than others, but it is none the less true. 

In the early days of the calling to this ministry I was perfectly content in staying within what I felt was just outside of what I was capable of doing. That was my own attempt to protect my own pride so as to reduce the chances of failing yet again. Yet, as I began praying and seeking God's direction in what He was calling me to start with this ministry and the vision that I began to get what I understood expanded. I wasn't ready nor was my faith at the point to step out for any more at that time. Then after a week of God speaking clearly to me 5 days or so in a row I finally took action and stepped out to go for this vision and calling God had put on my heart a month or so later. I wish I had journaled more then to have the exact dates and things God spoke to me recorded as I have since then forgot many of them.

There in life are often points of no return. While it is true that with God's grace sometimes we can return to those points often there is no return after those points and they are forks in the road. These are the times when wisdom and courage and faith are so very critical to finding the right path to walk down in our life with God.

M point of no return was when I dropped a few hundred support letters to friends and family in the mail box in downtown Olathe, Kansas. That was when for me there was no turning back and if I failed I failed, but I earnestly believed God had called me to step out in faith for this ministry. In the things in life you go for if you tell others when you go for it - it is much harder to quit when the going get's tough. This is very true when you tell hundreds of people in a support letter. What if no one responds I used to wonder, but thankfully people did respond and support began to come and a great adventure began.

You may have had God press something on your heart or you are now feeling that yourself. God is wise in never giving us more than we can handle or are ready for. You don't have to fear getting in over your head or being incapable of being used to do what He calls you to do. God won't give you more than you are ready for or can handle, but sometimes you will feel you are close to the point of breaking. You might even break, but God will not leave you nor will He forget you. Keep after Him and He will restore you. Rarely is anyone used to do great things for God who has not first been broken. 

My faith and scope of vision have increased as I have taken each step of faith towards what God has put in front of me to go for. What became of the calling and vision as it grew is what was birthed to become Desired Life Ministries. That name today has with it joys and pain. I have learned a lot and been used to bless others through this ministry, but I have also had areas of my heart that were hurt on this walk into ministry. If you feel called to ministry though the only real reason that really ever drives you into it is not the joys or the pains, but simply you can do nothing other than walk into what God calls you to do. Such a calling awakens a wooing and force of God within you that compels you to go forward in that calling. This is why to enter into phase two of the life map in vision you can not do so without having been through phase two of the heart and mind. You can visit the ministry home page to read about the life map model I developed to better understand that process.

What this ministry is all about and the purpose and vision of the ministry will become more clear as I begin to share more through this blog. The ministry after this time of my sabbatical at its core and that vision has not changed, but over the past few years I have gained wisdom on how to reach that vision with God leading me. God is in charge and I leave Him to mold it into what it is to become as I seek to simply paint the picture of what it is as best I can as He reveals it to me. What I once struggled with was the acceptance and praise from those around me and those who did not understand or support my efforts, but now I know it is not something to let hold us back.

This is not to be a ministry where you remain in the pews as merely an observer. It is a ministry that seeks to pull you in as a participant into a process in which God uses to bring about irrevocable life long change in your heart mind and soul. You are a man or a woman of whom God has a purpose, a plan and a specific vision to fulfill them and it is my hope you will find your path to that through the help of this ministry.
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About this Archive

This page is an archive of entries in the Beginnings category from August 2009.

Beginnings: April 2007 is the previous archive.

Beginnings: September 2009 is the next archive.

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