Travel & Missions

As a boy I dreamed of traveling the world. I loved geography and social studies, as we studied how people around the world lived. I devoured every issue of National Geographic magazine I could get my hands on. I was 40 when I finally was able to travel to another country (not counting Toronto). My first trip was to Japan for the dedication of the new building for our sister church Every Nation Izu. It was an amazing trip and it opened my eyes to the world.

Another trip that fundamentally changed how I saw the world was to Morocco, a Muslim nation in northern Africa. We stayed with an indiginous Berber family in the High Atlas mountains. It's difficult to describe how simply these people lived. Their houses were constructed of layers of mud and straw. But they were not mud huts. They were nice homes, large with many rooms and incredibly clean. They had absolutely no furniture, and would cook on a fire built on the floor. Once cooking was done, the fire was removed and the area cleaned up as though it had never happened. The food was amazing. There were raised platforms with mats used for beds, and we sat on mats for meals. On the way home I purchased the National Geographic magazine for that month. The cover story was about the Berber tribes in the High Atlas mountains. I was actually there, in the very region the current issue of National Geographic magazine was featuring—a childhood dream fulfilled.

Jesus said, in Mark 16:15, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” When Jesus said this to his disciples on the mountain, it was beyond the capabilities of his listeners. Jesus’ command was not just to the 11, but to all his followers, including you and me. They did manage to travel great distances. Peter made it to Rome, where he was martyred. Paul is believed to have gone as far as Spain. Others traveled throughout northern Africa. Thomas traveled the farthest, reaching India. To this day, the church in India recognizes the Apostle Thomas as its founder, and I have met a man who is an ordained pastor from that denomination.

I am fortunate to go to the nations for short-term missions. Others devote their lives long-term to missions. But all of us can help fulfill the call by supporting financially. Before every missions trip I’ve taken, I did not have the finances when I made the decision. I decided it was right, and then believed God for the provision for the vision. In March, I need to travel to a region where the church is currently under oppression. I will share about this on Sunday 2/27. In addition to providing for my travel, I feel called to bring a generous gift to both the new pastors of the church, and a gift to the church. This church is incredibly effective at ministering to those who have never heard the gospel before, even though the church has suffered greatly. Please prayerfully consider financially supporting this endeavor as we work together to fulfill the Great Commission by indicating an amount to “March Mission” on your offering.

Invitation to a Healthy Heart

The Healthy Heart sermon series is an invitation to you: Come enter the world of the heart, look inside yourself, and be transformed to live the life God intended for you.

“From the moment we claim the truth of being the Beloved, we are faced with the call to become who we are… Becoming the Beloved means letting the truth of our belovedness become enfleshed in everything we think, say, or do. It entails a long and painful process of appropriation or, better, incarnation. As long as ‘being the Beloved’ is little more than a beautiful thought or a lofty idea… nothing really changes.”  –Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved

Nouwen says it so well! We must become who we are in Christ! This “becoming” happens in the core of our being—our heart. Being a Christian means we work to align ourselves with the will, word, and way of Jesus. The Healthy Heart sermon series at New Day is designed to help you do just that. The sermons are focused on ways you can cultivate a healthy heart.

God wants to mature you in the inner world—the world of your heart. He wants to walk you through the process of becoming the Beloved. The Apostle Paul describes this process in Colossians 3:9-15 when he calls us “as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved” to put off the old self and put on the new self. Jesus talks extensively about the world of the heart (Matt 5:8, 12:34, 13:15, 15:19, 18:35, Mark 11:23). Check it out! God is looking for men and women “after his own heart.” People like David (Acts 13:22) who will do his will, and people like the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) who are full of compassion for those in need.

Adopt for yourself the approach of David and the persistence of Paul. David was open and willing to let God bring heart issues to the surface and lead him to a new life of freedom and wholeness. Paul never counted himself a finished product, but vowed to always “press on” in the “upward call” of God. Let’s be persistent like Paul, taking the same approach as David, who wrote:

Psalm 139:23–24 (ESV): “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (emphasis mine)

The Healthy Heart sermon series is an invitation to you: Come enter the world of the heart, look inside yourself, and be transformed to live the life God intended for you.
Link to the first sermon in the series: https://youtu.be/nMoYk2sCbG0

No Regrets

In Acts chapter 20, Paul is compelled by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, not knowing what would happen to him there, knowing that in every city the Spirit warned him that prison and hardships would face him.

Paul says, “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may FINISH THE RACE and COMPLETE THE TASK the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (verse 24, emphasis mine).

Before Paul departs for Jerusalem, the elders of Ephesus share an emotional farewell with him. They kneel down and pray and weep as they embrace and kiss Paul, knowing they will never see him again. What a heart-wrenching farewell with his dear friends and co-laborers for the gospel.

I am deeply impacted and motivated by Paul’s drive to complete what the Lord gave him to do and his confidence in having NO REGRETS upon departing. Paul declares he can say so because he had never hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to them, but taught publicly and from house to house, declaring to all that they “must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus” (verse 21).

He goes on to encourage the Ephesians to keep watch over themselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit made them overseers. He tells them to be shepherds of the church of God, which Jesus bought with his own blood (verse 28). He warns them to be on guard because wolves would come after them to draw disciples away.

Would it not be amazing to one day come to the end of a chapter of our lives or ministries and have NO REGRETS, and like Paul, to be able to say we lived in a godly way, having boldly declared, “Turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus”? 

What could we do now in order to later say, “I’ve completed the task God gave me and I have no regrets”? Maybe our current priorities would change; maybe our focus would be fixed on the ultimate goal even in the midst of tending our present troubles; maybe our boldness would be greater; maybe our fear of man would be tiny in comparison to our fear of and passion for God. What might it look like for you?

Spiritual Tune-Up Time

I’m sitting in the car repair shop waiting for my car to get its 20,000-mile service. I have to admit that this car has received the most regular service of any of my cars, even though I’m pretty good about it. This car has a bothersome notification that comes up on my dashboard when service is needed.  It’s such a bothersome notification that I schedule an appointment as soon as it pops up. Another reason I’m diligent about regularly servicing my cars is because I didn’t know the importance of it with my first car.  I bought a metallic blue Chevy Chevelle when I was in high school.  It was used, but in great condition and had low mileage. I tricked it out, adding an amazing stereo, deep dish aluminum wheels, BF Goodrich Radial tires, air shocks, and fog lights.  It was a sweet ride.  

But after driving it for probably a year, I was getting gas and told the station attendant to check the oil.  Yes, it was a full service gas station; in fact, self service wasn’t even heard of back then.  The attendant checked my oil multiple times and brought over the oil dipstick and showed me that I didn’t have any oil in the engine. He was amazing and asked when the last time I checked it, or changed the oil, was, and I sheepishly said I hadn’t in a year. Thankfully he was able to add oil and the engine wasn’t hopelessly damaged, but from then on it burned oil.  Neglecting the regular service resulted in long-term damage, a reduced life for the engine, increased cost of repairs, and embarrassment for not knowing better. 

The Bible has notifications for us as well.  In Proverbs 4:23, it warns us to “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” In many ways our heart is the engine of our lives. It certainly is physically, but this verse is speaking about our “inner man, mind, will, heart, and understanding” (BDB Bible Dictionary).  We need regular maintenance on our hearts, and often we need repairs and upgrades. Too often we think our lives are driven by external forces outside of our control, but this verse tells us that what’s on the inside determines the course of our lives.

Jesus says the same thing in Matthew 12:35: “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.” Our February teaching series will focus on developing a Healthy Heart. Let’s all consider this an opportunity to get a spiritual tune-up!