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New direction for this blog

For the last few days our blog community has had some good dialogue about re-purposing the blog. Most blogs exist to share what C.S. Lewis has termed “sheer information.” This blog is ambitious in that it attempts to create an informal community and activate its members. God didn’t intend for us …
By Seth Barnes
For the last few days our blog community has had some good dialogue about re-purposing the blog. Most blogs exist to share what C.S. Lewis has termed “sheer information.” This blog is ambitious in that it attempts to create an informal community and activate its members. God didn’t intend for us to sit on the sidelines – he wants us to make a difference. Many of you have all the information you need. You’ve heard so many sermons that you’ve got spiritual heartburn. You know that “faith without action is dead,”* you’re just struggling to get traction to your action.
 
The thing about a community is that people like to hang out. And hanging out is a righteous thing. But this blog needs to be not so much a lounge as a way-station for people in their journey higher up or further down. If you need a boost to get where God’s taking you, maybe this is a place you can find it.
 
Some things that are helpful to know about me if you’re in this blog community: I’m a pioneer and a fire-starter. I get things going and then move on. I’m a catalyst – I help show people various corners of the world and what God’s doing there. And I do so in the hope that they’ll do the same for others.
 
An example of how this works: Several years ago, Gabe Landes, a State Farm agent in Ohio, began following the blog. He absorbed whatever I had to impart. I noticed that he had a heart for orphans, so when a need arose to care for a group of Pakistani orphans, I asked if he’d help. He did. Later, when I took a group of blog readers through a two month discipleship process, he led a group. And ultimately, he and two of the guys from the group went with Karen and me on a vision trip to Swaziland.
 
Since then, he and his wife Heidi have lived with a heightened awareness of the kingdom. They’ve opened their home up for weekly prayer meetings. Yesterday he emailed me with the revelation that they already are missionaries. They don’t have to wait to be sent, though they expect that that too will happen.
 
So many others of you are, like Gabe and Heidi, in some stage of activation.  Like them, you don’t need much to get to the next level, but you at least need peers who can encourage you and pray with you.
 
What I’m hearing God say is that this blog community is a good thing, but that it needs to become less a “pastor-led” model and more of a team effort. Many of you have much to impart and have offered to help (see comments here and here).  So, here’s the plan: I’ll share as God gives me something, but beginning June 20, when we officially launch the re-purposed blog, a team of people will step up and take a bigger role in activating people. I’ll be confirming their involvement in the next week or so and will share some of their stories with you in the future.
 
In general, the blog has become most vital when it has functioned most like a community or church. On a couple of occasions, when I asked for prayer, over a hundred of you responded. And along the way, many of you have felt the liberty to reach out for help and have received ministry through our community. At times as we’ve connected with one another or even with God, we’ve sensed a certain renewed urgency in our walk of faith.
 
That’s what we’ll be shooting for as we go forward. And to hit that mark, we’ll need many of you to continue to share what God is doing as he activates you to partner with him in making a difference around the world. I look forward to what’s ahead and want to thank you for going with me on the journey.
*James 2:17

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