I love the book Radical. But at some point in our lives we need to stop reading about radical and become radical ourselves. Doing Radical is better than reading about Radical.
What Can We Learn From Persecuted Believers?
One of my favorite people in the whole world is Dr. Nik Ripkin. I first met Nik in January of 2002 in England, where I was privilege to hear a small portion of the research he was conducting on those who had been persecuted for their faith. What prompted him to begin this research was the fact that he spent a lot of time in Somalia during the “Black Hawk Down” days. He was actually about a mile away serving as director of a relief organization when the event happened. After that he said he watched as local warlords systematically murdered all but 3 of the 150 believers he knew.
When I first heard Dr. Ripkin speak I knew what he was saying needed to be heard by churches in the west. We have so much to learn from those who are suffering under persecution.
Since that first meeting we have been able to host Dr. Ripkin in several seminars here at our church ( Liberty in Hampton, VA).
Of course the question that comes to my mind after reading this … SO WHAT !
Well…. Dr. Ripkin has a new book coming out in 2013. I have read the draft and I promise, I promise , you will not be disappointed. The same book agent who represented Radical is also the book rep for this one and he has very high praise for the book. The forward of this book will be written by David Platt the author of “Radical”.
Liberty I am in discussions with Nik to bring him back again either in December of this year or January 2013. Why share this?
- Pray that God opens doors for him to be here at the right time. He will either do a 3 day full seminar or a one day seminar. Most people do not like to take that much time to do the 3 day seminar. Those that do take the one day seminar wished they had scheduled the 3 day seminar and usually beg for more :) . Your feedback is welcomed on whether we should do the one day or three day.
- I will also need a team of people to help with this conference.
- Pray for Dr. Ripkin – He suffers everyday in severe pain due to what doctors think was exposure to something in Somalia. Pray that he can continue onward with this very important work. I find it ironic that a world leader in studying suffering and persecution is himself suffering immense pain.
I will keep you up to date as we get settled more into the dates when he will be here. As always your feedback is welcomed on this.
Here is a small sample of one of the stories he tells in the seminar. Click heart song below.
Heart Song
Blessed To Be A Blessing
I went to a really cool grand opening today. Unlike many business openings with lots of bells and whistles, this was a low key affair with just a few family and friends in attendance. What made this grand opening special was the story behind it.
The story began with a family who was saving for a down payment on a home. Due to various reasons they did not have to use that money for the down payment, so, they ended up with some extra money. Now most of us would stash that money away for college or retirement. Some might even go out and buy some expensive toy. Instead this couple began to ask God how they should use the money.
After much prayer it soon became evident that God was leading them to create a small apartment over the garage of their newly purchased home. The exciting part about this project, this was not going to be just any apartment. This apartment had a kingdom vision. The goal is to use it to house missionaries and others in ministry who come to our area. It was to be called Elisha’s Inn.
The creation of Elisha’s Inn was no easy task. They were many hurdles and frustrations. They had help from family members and friends. They had zoning issues and saw God open doors.Through many struggles , this family stuck with it. Actually they had just finished up a few details when we arrived for the grand opening. It really is nice. This grand opening made me think of one of my favorite passages found in Genesis 12.
Genesis 12:3
“And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Our blessings are from God. The reason we have them is to use them for His honor, His glory, and His purposes. Many times we see God’s financial blessing as something we earned or a stroke of luck. That is not what this couple saw. They asked God what they should do and He made it clear.
American Christians have been blessed by God for a reason. To take care of us? Yes. But I think we have been financially blessed mainly so that we can use our resources for God’s plans.
And what is God’s plan? God’s plan is that around the throne there will be people from every tribe and tongue ( See Rev. 5:9, 7:9) . My prayer is that we will see an endless stream of missionaries and others coming to stay at Elisha’s Inn for rest, refuge and training.
Thank you guys for listening to God and helping us to see that we are blessed so we can be a blessing to others.
Admin and Local Missions Position
As many of you know already, I (Ken) am currently looking to hire for 2 positions here at Liberty Missions. One is an admin missions assistant and the other a 24 hour part-time local missions person. I wanted to let you know a little of what I am looking for in these two positions.
- Missions Assistant: In this position I am looking for someone who …
- Is very organized – We have a lot of teams & trip teams that go out from Liberty in addition to many other ministry teams. As far as the trip teams I need someone who can help organize all these teams. Ordering materials, airline tickets, putting together packets for the trip, purchasing insurance, and much more. For our ministry teams tasks would include handling all room and event registrations, purchasing supplies, handling media & advertising and more.
- Is very detailed – I am not a detail person, therefore I need someone who can handle all the details of the missions ministry with professionalism and a smile.
- Multi Tasker – In this position Muti-tasking is a must.
- A person who has shown interest in missions – I look for people who have a heart for missions and they have shown that by participating in missions.
- 32 hours per week is how the position is lined up and there are no benefits.
Local Missions Person – This position is 24 hours a week and we are looking for someone who has a heart for local missions. It is my desire that we serve our community more and more. We have an amazing amount of potential to be tapped and we need the right person to help us carry that out.
If you are interested in either position please send your resume’ to Kmclemore@libertylive.com
Missions Update Spring 2012
I love what Francis Chan has to say about lives that matter on the picture quote to the left. Many succeed only to discover it really did not matter very much. With that in mind here is a brief missions update. My prayer as your missions pastor is that Liberty will always be known as a church that moves outside the walls of our church for the cause of Christ.
Northwest Africa Dental Trip-April 2012
Welcome back to our awesome team that went to Northwest Africa this past week! We are so grateful to see God working in this region. Please check out some pictures of the team, the land and peoples, and the dental assistance provided!
Trip to Northwest Africa!
We are excited to be returning to Northwest Africa again this fall! We will be giving out school supplies to children that could not attend school without these supplies. Come get more info at our meeting on May 16!
If you think God may be leading you to attend, please fill out an application.
https://www.jotform.com/form/10250253518
Housing Need for our Missionaries – The Tilley’s
Many of you may remember the Tilley family who are members of Liberty. The Tilley’s currently serve as missionaries in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Tilley’s are coming to Virginia for one week.
We have a request for the Tilley family…this wonderful family needs a place to stay from July 9-15. A house or multi bedroom apartment that is local to the church and can fit Chad, Cyndi, and their 5 children is prefered. We can pay rent.
If you have a place or know of someone who may have a place can you please let us know by writing to Kmclemore@libertylive.com .
Thank you for praying about this request! We are so excited to fellowship with them and hear what God is doing in Bangladesh!
