The Centre of Christianity 30AD to 2100AD

Hey, look what we're doing - we're moving the centre of Christianity more toward the south! Ok, it's not really us, but thought you might be interested in this map and the paper that goes with it. Don't miss the pdf paper - some interesting stats. And, of course, quite the wide definition of "Christianity"!


The link to the pdf at: The shifting (demographic) centre of Christianity AD30-2100

More Details for our Team

New Details from Team Leader Training March 12-14, 2009

Timeline
Team Covenant due May 15 (ending date January 31)
Work/Ministry plans due May 30 (ending date December 31)
Affinity networks defined and leaders chosen by October 30
Team Evaluations/Metrics to be done by January 31

Individual and Team Evaluations/Metrics
Individual
Personal and Spiritual Assessment. 7-page personal evaluation includes the following areas:
Your Walk with God
Excusing our Time with God
Five Reasons We Hesitate to Pray
Balancing the Demands
Family Priorities
Are you Emotionally Depleted
Conducting a Spiritual Audit

Disciple-Making Assessment: 1 page summary of discipleship as outlined CAM’s ends statement (non-negotiable)
Assess level and give names of your disciples in the following catagories:
1. Missions-focused
2. Discipling
3. Evangelizing
4. Mature Believers
5. Active in Biblically healthy local church

Team
Team Dynamics Assessment: 5 page team evaluation includes the following areas:
Developing a Healthy Spiritual Environment
Empowering Missionaries for Effective Ministry
Providing Pastoral Care and Support
Enhancing Accountability and Metrics of Our Disciple-Making
Fulfilling Efficient, Non-Bureaucratic Administrative Details

Annual Ministry Plan

A 3-page template was given for Annual Ministry (Work) Plans, that includes Goals, Needs, Objectives, Methods and Evaluation.

Standards of Performance follow a SMART criteria:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-related

Other elements in the Ministry Plan: Accountability partner, Disciple, Personal Development and Balance, Spiritual Goals, Family Goals, Professional Development Plan and Vacation Requests.

Finances
Each team will have a budget, but the amount and accounting system behind this is still undefined.

Team Talk

Hi team! You know, pressure was on and I had to give a name to us...so I did. How do you like "The TLC Team!?" Sort of a double meaning here...TLC means NAFTA is Spanish (Tratado de Libre Comercio), but it also means "Tender Loving Care" in English. Sort of has a ring to it, don't you think?

Some questions were answered at our team leader training time, most specifically in the area of metrics and evaluations. We were also given some useful ideas to promote team community and unity.

I'm bringing back some correspondence for many of you, and some packages for some of you (the Cottrills!).

Check out my most recent post on my blog www.ixtapalucafryed.blogspot.com to read about some of my other post-meeting activities here.

We'll be talking soon!

Safety in Mexico City

I thought some of you, especially those in Mexico City, might appreciate these articles about safety in Mexico, and particularly Mexico City. It's geared toward foreigners, and mostly those from the US, but some things apply to all of us. When I wrote I was especially thinking of teams that are thinking of cancelling their plans to serve in Mexico:
Mexico City, Safety, and our latest visit

And the articles I mentioned are:

• "Am I going to be a victim of violence in México?" Take this simple quiz to find out!
• The Real Travel Story for Mexico

Grace

A story is told about Fiorello LaGuardia, who, when he was mayor of New York City during the worst days of the Great Depression and all of WWII, was called by adoring New Yorkers 'the Little Flower' because he was only five foot four and always wore a carnation in his lapel. He was a colorful character who used to ride the New York City fire trucks, raid speakeasies with the police department, take entire orphanages to baseball games, and whenever the New York newspapers were on strike, he would go on the radio and read the Sunday funnies to the kids. One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself.

Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter's husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges. "It's a real bad neighborhood, your Honor." the man told the mayor. "She's got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson." LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said "I've got to punish you. The law makes no exceptions--ten dollars or ten days in jail." But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous sombrero saying: "Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Baliff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant." So the following day the New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren, fifty cents of that amount being contributed by the red-faced grocery store owner, while some seventy petty criminals, people with traffic violations, and New York City policemen, each of whom had just paid fifty cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation.

Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel, Multnomah, 1990, pp 91-2.

Sermon illustration for this Sunday

I preach once again this Sunday on Romans, the text is Romans 3:21-31. What at text! Here's a pretty good illustration I found about Jesus taking on our judgement. We are in Christ. He's already been judged...our sin in him!

Unos pioneros cruzaban una pradera muy grande, viajando en vagones cubiertos jalados por bueyes, así que iban muy despacio. Un día estaban muy asustados, pues notaron humo que venía del oeste. Trataron de avanzar por la pradera lo más rápido posible, pero notaron que el pasto seco comenzó a quemarse velozmente. El día anterior habían cruzado un río, pero era imposible pensar en regresar antes de que el fuego feroz los alcanzara.

Un hombre parecía saber lo que tenían que hacer. Les dio la orden de quemar el pasto que estaba tras ellos con el fin de pararse sobre el cuando se hubiera apagado. Mientras las flamas que venían hacia ellos del oeste, una pequeña gritó asustada: “Está seguro que no debemos quemarnos todos?” El líder contestó: “Mi pequeña, las flamas no pueden alcanzarnos aquí, pues estamos parados donde ya hubo fuego

U.S. Says Threat of Mexican Drug Cartels Approaching 'Crisis Proportions'

For the latest in border-related violence, click HERE for an article by Fox News.

For another article by Reuters, click HERE.

Wall Street Journal article...a good one...click HERE.

And another from WSJ...HERE.

And the last one from Real Clear World...HERE.