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Mar
29
No, not halfway house….halfway home. We made the 12 hour drive from Vizcaino and are now in Rosarito, at La Posada, the missions base built by Calvary Chapel Montebello.
We are joining the local church for worship tomorrow, and I will be teaching, and then off to cross the border, and then to the airport. We should be back to Napa about 10 p.m.
Thanks for your prayers everyone. Blessings. Hopefully, I’ll get some photos posted early next week.
Mar
28
Hello once again from Vizcaino, South Baja, Mexico.
Part of the Mexico missions experience is the possibility of intestinal distress. You can do the math and connect the dots on what I am about to say.
About six of us experienced some mid-night/through the night multiple trips to the bano last night. It was not a pretty picture at the time, (sorry for the visual) but we seem to be O.K. today. Even Tacho, our local Mexican pastor was part of the fellowship. 
A small price to pay for the blessing of being here.
Yesterday we traveled into the local mountain range, which is called Las Sierras de San Franciso. We traveled about 20 minutes south out of town, and then headed east 20+ miles into the mountains. That 20 mile trip takes 2 hours, due to very rough dirt roads through the mountains and along canyon rims. It is a remote, beautiful, high desert mountain region where the main source of income is raising goats for the meat market, and selling goat cheese “downtown” in Vizcaino. They come down once a week to sell their cheese, and then it’s back up the hill.
They are very much a primitive group, though they do have modern technology. One house was made of adobe, and had a satellite dish outside. Now that was a photo opp.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of inter marriage among family members in this group. They are an isolated group, and they like it that way. The sad result has been the expected birth defects in some of the children. None the less, they accept us, and we visit them. They don’t have a lot of outsiders coming to see them. The first three ranchitos are accessible by car, and the remaining ranchitos are accessible only by mule. It is a very remote lifestyle.
We take clothes, food, and share the Gospel through music, drama, movies, preaching, and crafts with the kids. We have been going up there about 4-5 years, so we know some of them by name, and they know us.
Many of them have expressed a desire to receive Jesus, but there is no regular teaching of the Word, and there are no church services there. The result is that there is little Christian growth. I don’t know how literate they are, or if they can even read their Bibles very well. We go and do what we can to bring blessings and teachings to them.
Another source of income for them is to offer guided tours to the indian cave paintings. The now extinct Cochimi indians were fantastic artists, and the region has many painted caves that people travel from around the world to see. The caves are among some of the best in the world for examples of cave paintings. The caves are accessible only by mule trips, so the locals offer guided 2-3 day trips to see the different caves. The trips are very inexpensive, about $35 per day, but they are rough trips, requiring good phyical strength to ride the mules and camp under the stars.
Another experience we had with them yesterday was learning to milk goats. And then, of course, we drank the fresh goat milk, and I do mean fresh. Like right now fresh! I won’t be rushing to do it again, but it was a fun (is that the right word?) experience.
Lest you presume that the leche de chivas made us sick, even some non leche drinkers got sick too. So, don’t write off fresh goat milk if you get the offer. 
Today is a little easier also, although we are going to have an outreach at 4 p.m. today. Right now, some folks are visiting a 1700′s mission in San Ignacio, 45 minutes south of Vizcaino. Others are visiting migrant worker camps and taking lots of photos. The lifesyles of the migrant workers are tough. They are the lowest class here in Mexico, and they are usually indiginous indians. More on that later. Others of us are finishing up some physical work on our missions base project. A few of is, (including me), are staying at the hotel, and close to the throne room. Monteczuma is still lingering a bit 
O.K., that may have been too much information (TMI), but that is the mission field.
Today we have an outreach. Tomorrow, 12 hours of sriving back to Rosarito where we spend the night. Sunday we have church with the Body at La Posada in Rosarito, then fly home Sunday night.
This trip was designed as a “Vizcaino 101″ introductory trip, so there have been some additional fun things included. We have had a great group, including six guys from Calvary Chapel of the Foothills, in Shingle Springs, CA.
Thanks for your prayers and emails and posts. Pray about joining us some time, and be sure to check out our La Posada, Vizcaino web page. The link is on the blogroll to the right.
Bendiciones a todos……blessings to all…….
Mar
26
Hi everyone,
Thanks for your prayers. We are well. Sunburned, tired, and achy, but doing well.
Our first day (Monday) was a 12 hour travel day. We drove from Rosarito to Vizcaino, and it took the full day. It was a good trip, and the desert was green and even had some flowers blooming from Spring rains. Beautiful.
Tuesday was a full day of construction. Presently, we are working on a large meeting hall (40 feet X 60 feet), which will be a multi purpose room to begin with. Block work continued on the walls. We also had guys wood framing a roof for our bathrooms, which will be full service bathrooms with showers, toilets, sinks, washing machines, etc. We also installed 300 feet of water pipe and electrical conduit underground to service the buildings, and then backfilled the trenches. That means we shoveled dirt back into a 12 inch by three feet deep by 300 foot long trench. Slave labor at its best!
Today (Wednesday), was a recovery day for most of us. We drove 45 minutes to Guerrero Negro, and went out into 20 foot wooden boats to see the migrating gray whales. We saw plenty, and some even came up to the boat, and we got to touch them! Awesome. I will post pictures sometime.
We had church tonight with Calvary Chapel of Vizcaino, and I got to teach. It went well.
Thanks for your prayers. Tomorrow we go 2 hours up into a remote area to minister to the people of Las Sierras de San Francisco, a rather remote group of people who raise goats. We will probably be able to see some cave paintings also.
Thats it for now. Thanks for your prayers everyone.
Bill
Mar
22
Since tomorrow is Easter Sunday, and the early church gathered together on the first day of the week, that being Sunday, I now consider that Easter Week has come to an end.
A new week begins tomorrow, and the resurrection of Jesus certainly speaks of the newness of life.
This has been quite a week for me. I have learned a lot, and I have experienced a lot. I think I have grown spiritually.
For a few weeks prior to this week, God had burdened my heart about the Lost and the Prodigals. When I say “burdened”, I do mean it that way. I have had a heavy heart for those who live without Jesus, and who may die without Jesus.
I also had a heavy heart for those who have known the way of truth, but who have walked away, or who have seemed to walk away. I do believe that Christians can be backslidden. I believe that because of Biblical reasons, and because of personal experience.
My heart ached this week for those two groups of people. I actually felt it in my body. I can only imagine how our Lord feels over those folks for whom He died, knowing that they presently refuse His grace. My sorrow pales compared to His.
I was moved to pray, and to ask our church to pray, and to ask those of you who visit this site to pray. I was stirred to remember that there is a spiritual battle for the souls of men and women.
God reminded me of this verse:
Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
We hear less and less preaching about Hell these days. Jesus said that people should fear Hell, and fear the God who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell.
So much of Christian preaching and teaching seems to avoid talking of sin and Hell. We need to be moved by the reality that people are on their way to Hell. Jesus loved the world, and came to die for our sins, to save us from Hell, and grant to us access to Himself and Heaven. We need to be people of prayer.
Satan hates humanity. He hates God, and he hates Christians. I am sure that Satan especially hates this week, and particularly Easter Sunday.
Our church gathered Monday-Wednesday to pray, and we prayed for a lot of people. I had had a sense that the week would include a lot of spiritual warfare, but it went way beyond what I ever imagined it would be. I don’t want to share in detail the battle of this last week, but between Satan, my emotions, my physical struggles, and more, this was a week of battling. I am sure some of it was the weakness of my constitution (as Spurgeon would say it). I am sure that some of it originated in Hell. I regret that some of my co-laborers had to suffer with my suffering. Such is Body life. They are great people.
I came to the conclusion that if you are going to seriously pray for the souls of men and women, it is going to cost you. If you are going to ache over what Jesus aches over, it will cost you. It was a costly week for me, but God is faithful, and the worst part of the battle seems to have passed.
I look forward to a tremendous time with our church tomorrow. Jesus is risen from the dead. He heard our prayers this week. He is risen indeed. I am confident that our prayers have made a difference, and that we will hear praise reports of some people’s lives being deeply touched by God.
Praying is like farming. The work is done in faith, and in hope, and the harvest so often comes at a much later date. But it is always worth the effort.
Shifting gears…
This week we travel to Vizcaino, South Baja, Mexico. We will be there for a week, reaching out to the local community, and spending time with Pastor Tacho & Lourdes & their kids, and the local Calvary Chapel there.
We will also take one day to see the gray whales calving in the bay at Guerrero Negro. Over 2,000 gray whales travel from Alaska to Guerrero Negro each spring. It is a great experience to see them up so close. We go out into the bay in 25′ wooden boats, and then they turn the motor off, and we drift with whales all around us. Sometimes they come right up to the boat. Wow!
We will spend some of the time doing construction on the missions base we are building. Our church owns 3 1/2 acres, and we are building a missions base for American groups to use for missions trips.
The base will also serve as a church, and a place for medical outreach, and even possibly as school. We have a lot of work to do, but the Lord is providing the finances and the workers, so we carry on.
If any of you or your churches ever want to join us, contact me. You can read about the work in Vizcaino at this link:
http://www.laposadaii.com/
Finally…
The Bible says that Jesus, though He was rich, became poor for our sakes, that we, through His poverty, might become rich. Jesus laid so much aside, so that you and I could be forgiven, and be able to know God, and be with Him forever.
If you have never asked Him to forgive you, do it now. Surrender your life to Jesus, and be born again. God’s Spirit will come into your heart, and you be will become a child of God.
Blessings all, and thanks to those of you who prayed. If you have any praise reports that come back as a result of prayer efforts, please share them with us, that we might be encouraged, and that God may be glorified.
This week I’ll check the blog as time permits. You all behave and love each other.
Mar
16
The Lord has really burdened my heart with the need for us to be praying.
This is the season of the greatest event in human history, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It is a season of spiritual warfare, to be sure. Satan does not want people in church this week, thinking or hearing about Jesus. Or he wants them in a church where people will talk about anything and everything else.
I promise to try to pray for every name that you all submit this week.
Can we list first names of prodigals and the lost who need to hear the gospel message, and/or be back in fellowship?
Will you join me in prayer? Will you pray for the names that get listed here?
List first names only, and you can be anonymous if you want. Perhaps just list initials, i.e. Joe Smith= J. or J.S.
You can email me, and I will post things for you.
No details please, just list if they are unsaved or prodigal. Put a question mark if you’re not sure.
Pray for broken hearts, willing to surrender to Jesus. Pray for spiritual blindness to be lifted off of people’s lives. Pray for the holding back of Satan and his throng.
Feel free to write out a prayer, if you want, but keep it short. Save your long prayers for your prayer closet.
Let’s not discuss prayer either. Let’s just pray.
Jesus wept (wailed) as He viewed Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday, because judgment was coming upon them.
May we be filled with that same compassion. Let’s pray.
Mar
13
Pray for this Easter season, for those who will join us in our churches, and for those who need to be with us.
“It cannot be stated too frequently that the life of a Christian is a warfare, an intense conflict, a lifelong contest. It is a battle, moreover, waged against invisible foes, who are ever alert, and ever seeking to entrap, deceive, and ruin the souls of men.
The life to which Holy Scripture calls men is no picnic, or holiday junketing. It is no pastime, no pleasure jaunt. It entails effort, wrestling, struggling; it demands the putting forth of the full energy of the spirit in order to frustrate the foe and to come off, at the last, more than conqueror. It is no primrose path, no rose-scented dalliance.
From start to finish, it is war. From the hour in which he first draws sword, to that in which he doffs his harness, the Christian warrior is compelled to “endure hardness like a good soldier.”
E.M. Bounds- The Necessity Of Prayer
Mar
12
Blessings all…
Just a reminder to be praying for this Easter season. It is a time when people still feel the urge, need, or obligation to go to church.
It is a great opportunity for folks to be amongst God’s people, to be in a place where God is being worshiped, and to be hearing the Word of God taught and proclaimed.
Pray for the Prodigal children of God, those ones who have left the church family, and are involved with the world, and not walking with Jesus. They are His children, and He loves them, and like the father of the Prodigal son, God runs to meet them and longs to have relationship with them again.
Pray for The Lost. There are so many who do not know Jesus, and may end up in our churches for any number of reasons. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is in the world convincing Unbelievers of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Please be praying for that work to be happening in people’s hearts, and then that they would be amongst God’s people on Easter morning.
May we who know Jesus be truly believing that God can change hearts and reach lives, and that our prayers can make a difference.
Our church will be praying Monday-Wednesday nights of Easter week, pointedly and especially for Prodigals and Unbelievers. Make some time to pray for people by name.
Mar
11
Some final thoughts re. my season with the Phoenix Preacher…
The cartoon to the right represents a lot of what my time was like while interacting on the Phoenix Preacher. I think the cartoon is hilarious.
The opinions expressed here do not exclusively apply to the Phoenix Preacher, but that happens to be where my involvement in a high volume blog took place. I am sure the pros and cons I experienced take place in many other Christian venues, including the offices of many senior pastors and church Board Rooms.
Perhaps this article would be better entitled, “My Experiences With The Phoenix Preacher, Calvary Chapel, and Christians Worldwide, Especially In The Arena Of Cyberspace”. Yeah…let’s do it that way…
That being said, here goes…
As I said previously, The Phoenix Preacher nor those whom are criticized or praised there are the enemy. Satan is the Enemy, and my flesh and the world system that we live in.
There is a lot wrong within Christendom, and a lot that is wrongly being done in response to it. Gee whiz…there is a lot that is wrong with me.
I am not a fatalist. I love Jesus’ church, and the gates of Hell won’t prevail against it. That truth buoys me up.
But like any Christian that loves Jesus, and strives for His glory, and for justice, we can find ourselves involved in battles, some which we should be in, and others which we shouldn’t be in. Some battles we are in for a while, and then we need to exit.
Pros of blogging: high volume blogs in particular.
1. During my time on PP, I was stretched theologically, especially in the arena of eschatology, the study of things future. Some good discussions took place. I interacted with people whom I never would be seen with in public. (kidding)
2. I was stretched re. church practices, from serving communion to church government, and more. Why we do things certain ways. That was interesting too.
3. I was able to share prayer requests, and share my heart when struggling. This was a special blessing when my friend Roby Duke died, and some of us were able to share and grieve together. Online grieving… never would have imagined that. Just about any time of day, there would be someone online, and you could share a prayer need or a sorrow, and be encouraged to some degree, and sometimes greatly encouraged. I have a wife and friends around me, but the PP had become community too.
4. I was able to minister, not only to the folks I was “talking” to, but to others who read but never post. (lurkers) I occasionally received emails from folks who were blessed, but never wanted to post on the blog. That was encouraging.
5. I laughed my brains out at some of the humor. Some of you guys, if you are reading this, are REALLY funny and clever. Thanks for the laughs. Oh my…
6. I was challenged about the movement of which I am in, and of which I have great love for: Calvary Chapel. I have been a CC guy for 27 years. Being in a family that long means you know the good and bad of the family. Much of what was discussed on PP re. CC wasn’t news. Some of it was. No matter. I still believe that that is where God has me. There is no perfect church or church movement. I am not a part of CC because it is flawless. I am there because, at it’s core, I believe in the values that Calvary Chapel teaches. I think it is very biblical.
The challenge of hearing the critics of Calvary Chapel has been good for me and many other CC guys, as we desire to see our movement be the best that it can be for the glory of God. The challenge of hearing certain news was difficult at times, but, in the long run, I don’t regret it at all. In fact, I am thankful for it.
Cons of blogging: high volume blogs in particular.
1. Lack of accountability. The Internet provides a platform for people to speak, but can offer no built in design for accountability re. what is being said, or how it is being said. Some of that is up to blog moderators. In fact, a lot of it is up to them.
2. I had a friend who was a policeman. He talked about people who were drunk, and that they had “liquid courage”. They would try to fight people because, being drunk, they lacked the normal restraints that sobriety provided.
3. I think the same is true re. blogging. People can have “cyber courage”. They don’t have to sign their name, they can criticize, malign, and gossip with no consequences, (except that God will deal with them). Insinuations can be made that have no basis. People’s intentions can be presumed, with no way of verification. The Bible tells us that we can’t know what is in a man’s heart, and yet we all insist that we are the exception. The problem is magnified because our “keen insights” are shared on the world wide web.
4. NOTE- I understand, respect, and support that wounded people would want to stay anonymous while sharing frustrations about bad church experiences. They need protection. They have often either wrongly been kicked out of their church, or had to leave because of some tyrannical pastor who has created a world of no accountability. These folks are scared, hurt, and don’t want further retribution. I am all for them staying anonymous. 100% support there.
5. I am 100% against anonymous critics. It is cowardly, in my opinion. It is un-biblical.
6. Anonymous blogging under a moniker can be fun, if it is all done in fun.
7. I love the Greek word parakaleo. It means to come alongside, and exhort, correct, encourage, etc. The prefix is para, from which we get the word parallel, i.e. side by side. To parakaleo someone means that you come alongside of them in correcting them, exhorting them, criticizing them, encouraging them etc.
To come alongside also means that you take much more of a chance in risking rejection, confrontation, a sour look, a harsh tone, or even a punch in the nose. Parakaleo is up close and personal. I received a few parakaleo emails from some PP folks, for which I was thankful. It was honorable and loving, and a bit risky for them. (I can be pretty mean)
I do believe that some issues are appropriate for public discussion. However, character attacks, assuming one’s intentions as being bad, and name calling are never right, ESPECIALLY from behind the cyber shield of anonymity.
Agape love will take the chance, and get up close and personal. If you don’t have access to someone, then maybe it is better to talk about issues, or maybe just pray, or maybe not say anything.
I think we need to learn to not share our opinion just because we can. That goes for pastors in pulpits, even more so than it does for anonymous bloggers. NO pastor should ever use the pulpit for name calling. It’s not O.K. It’s wrong.
8. Anonymous criticism also undermines what may be a valid criticism. I believe that anonymous critics lose the opportunity of driving home a good point. If you really believe it, sign your name to it. The Bible comes to mind in that regard. The Declaration Of Independence. The list goes on…
9. High volume blogging can be addictive, especially when it is an issue dear to your heart. See cartoon above.
As the Apostle Paul said, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are beneficial”. My time isn’t mine, it’s the Lord’s. He tapped me on the shoulder re. that.
Finally…
Finally, as is with my case, we who follow Jesus need to do what the Lord directs us to do. We cannot be need driven, emotionally driven, or driven by any other thing, except by the leading of the Holy Spirit. I am thankful for my time on The Phoenix Preacher.
I actually felt a loss and a grief over leaving. I was surprised about that, and it took a few days to understand it. It had become community, and I was bummed out about leaving, believe it or not.
I have no personal grievances with any of the PP family, or any of the Calvary Chapel family. I think both groups want to see Jesus honored and glorified.
Not being a part of the Phoenix Preacher is simply what God has called me to. I am not for one part of the Body of Christ and against another. I am not in a “No Man’s Land”. I call both groups friends and brothers.
I just simply need to follow Jesus’ path for me. We all do.
Blessings…
Mar
10
Why do I feel like I am walking through a mine field?
Because I am. We all are, at times. The Christian life has land mines in it. Jesus said, “In this world, you will have land mines…”. (BWV Bible)
Satan is the Enemy. He plants the land mines. My flesh and the world are also the enemy. The Body of Christ, Christian organizations, The Phoenix Preacher and Calvary Chapel are not the enemy. We need to get that straight.
So why do I feel like I am walking through a mine field? Why even talk about the mine fields of life? Physical mine fields by their very nature are scary and nerve racking, if you indeed survive passing through them.
Isn’t it just better to avoid mine fields altogether? Of course it is, but sometimes you find yourself in the middle of one.
Warren Wiersbe- “The Christian life is not a playground, it is a battleground”.
Why talk about the spiritual mine fields of life? Because we have a responsibility for one another as Christians. If I have navigated a portion of life and learned some things, then I can be a blessing to any who might be walking the same path I have just taken.
By the way, the mine fields that I am talking about include The Phoenix Preacher, Calvary Chapel, discernment ministries, and every person I will ever meet. Some are more “miney” than others.
The mine field is also me. It includes what happens to me, in me, and through me when I choose to interact or am called to interact with certain people. Mine fields by their very nature have hidden dangers in the midst of a potentially beautiful or interesting setting. The beauty or intrigue of the setting can leave you vulnerable to certain “surprises”.
The “surprise” can be something someone unexpectedly said, and then how you react. The “surprise” can be hearing something that you didn’t need to hear. The “surprise” can be that you are misjudged or misunderstood. The “surprise” can be that someone was actually blessed by something you said. The “surprise” can be no response to what you are saying. Preachers know about this.
The surprise can be that you actually like the mine field you are in, because you seem to be helping some folks navigate through it. Isn’t it kind of sick to like being in a mine field? No, not really. Such is the work of ministry. Such is the work for those who care about others. That doesn’t mean you should stay there indefinitely. It just means that you have good intentions, and are willing to suffer a bit for others.
The surprise can also be God calling you away from one mine field to another. It often seems to happen just when you think you have the present location somewhat figured out. Such was my case with the Phoenix Preacher blog.
Don’t you get hurt walking through mine fields? Yes, sometimes. Wouldn’t it be better to stay out of them altogether? Yes, it would be better for you, but it wouldn’t help those who find themselves in one. You can only help so much by shouting instructions from a distance. Sometimes you have to get in the middle of things to help. There is always a risk when that happens.
The present subject matter reflects what was an emotional experience for me, with both highs and lows. It’s fun to talk about the highs, and dangerous to talk about the lows. The new mine field I am entering into will be to appropriately share what I have recently learned through my time of interaction on PP.
Once again, if you are looking for, and God forbid, hoping for explosions, look on YouTube. This will be more of an effort towards map drawing and sign making of where I have been, not a demonstration in pyrotechnics.
Why do I call this new effort a mine field? The Apostle Paul wrote about himself, you, and me…
There is none that is righteous, no not one. (Romans 3:10)
That certainly, most certainly, includes me.
Blessings…
Mar
9
Sometime during 2006, I heard about a blogsite called “The Phoenix Preacher” (PP). It was started by Michael Newnham, a Christian who had served at a Calvary Chapel, and who had gone through a very negative experience with that church, resulting in him leaving that church (as I understand it). Other people who had gone through negative experiences with Calvary Chapels found the Phoenix Preacher blogsite, and it became a cyber community where people aired their grievances and made suggestions about what should be done to remedy wrong situations within the Calvary Chapel movement (CC), and later on with other arms of the Body of Christ.
They also gathered to get support, and of course, to vent their frustrations. Understandable.
Sometimes they shared a bit more than that too.
By the time I started reading the blog, I was told that the atmosphere had toned down quite a bit in regards to the level of anger and strong verbage that was being used. That was good by me.
My present intention on writing about my experience is not to be controversial, and get lots of visits to my blogsite. Unfortunately, that seems to be a trend even among Christian bloggers. The flesh loves that which is controversial and sensational, even if it has the word “Christian” attached to it. Maybe especially when it has the word “Christian” attached to it.
I am also not interested in debate. This will not be an article(s) judging the merits, intentions, or rights or wrongs of PP. Not interested.
My intention is to share what I learned while being a part of what is known as “The Phoenix Preacher”. My comments may be somewhat chronological in paralleling my experience, but not necessarily.
When I first visited the Phoenix Preacher, also known as PP, I really wasn’t up to speed on what blogs were all about. In fact, I had thought that they were for people who had no social skills, and needed make believe friends. Through time, I discovered that I was wrong about that.
Though, in my opinion, (IMO), face to face interaction and friendship is always the best arrangement, the concept of a cyber community has some merit. Through my involvement on PP, I actually made some friends that I value, some of which I have met, and feel that I will have a lasting relationship with. I also connected with older friends I had lost contact with.
Some of those cyber friendships (acquaintances really) were only via the blog interaction, but sometimes they developed into something more, like trading emails. I learned about people that live in my area, whom I became friends with. Pastor Daniel Fusco is such a one, who lives in Mill Valley, CA. We now share fellowship, and he has spoken at our church on occassion.
One thing I did come to realize was this: you can develop a sense of community with people you have never met. People on PP often shared prayer requests, or struggles, and one can begin to have true agape love for folks that most likely they will never meet in person. That concept caught me completely off guard. As I said, I don’t think that that level of fellowship comes close to the face to face relationships which we ought to have, but it isn’t a waste. In fact, there can be a surprising degree of edification and support found in cyber communities.
That’s one thing I learned.
Another thing I learned is this: Every community has its mores, its social structure, its unwritten rules, and its ebb and flow. It’s like any social gathering from Jr. High cliques to University Academic circles to Senior Pastor’s Conferences. When you get around a group of people, there are some dynamics that one would do well to learn.
I just jumped right in to the PP, ready to right every wrong, correct every injustice, and answer every question. After all, I am a pastor, I am 52 years old, (that nearly makes me a sage), and I am not stupid. In fact, I am pretty smart. Just ask me.
So with those qualifications, I jumped into the fray of PP, and expected to be “The Voice” that everyone had been waiting to hear.
To say that I misjudged that scenario would be a huge understatement. When someone finds a blog, reads for a few minutes, and tries to be “The Voice”, that person is generally ignored. Bloggers call that a “drive-by”. Just like a drive-by shooting, one unleashes their ammo at a randomly selected crowd. The shooter doesn’t know anyone in the crowd, they just fire away.
Such is a drive-by post. While a drive-by may contain truth, imagine someone showing up to your Thanksgiving dinner table, and trying to “set everyone straight”.
You’ll get better results trying to walk on water.
If someone wants to save someone quick, train to be a paramedic. That’s what people expect from paramedics.
If you want to be part of a cyber community, get to know how the community works. Read for a long time without posting (lurk). Get to know when people are serious or kidding. Learn the dynamics, and pray for the people. Pray about whether you should be involved at all. None of us can fit into every kind of social group, whether in person or cyber space.
PP is a high volume blog site, with people posting throughout the day, and late into the night. That is a community. Other blog sites have less volume, and less of a social dynamic to understand. Those may be easier to introduce yourself to, simply because there are fewer personalities to know.
I no longer interact on The Phoenix Preacher. My season for that is done, but my time there was not a waste, not at all. I learned a lot about the movement of which I am a part. I learned how our critics view us, as well as supporters from outside the movement.
I learned that you need to get past how someone is saying something, and listen to what they are saying. I already knew that, but only in a face to face setting. “Hearing” someone online takes even more time. So does “talking”.
Why even write about the PP? Because it reflects the world that we live in. We live in a “world wide web” culture, and present day technology can allow for great ministry to take place. We can use the Internet for the glory of Jesus Christ, and to reach multitudes. (or dozens)
While I am no longer a part of PP, it proved to be something that God has used in my life. I learned about people, theology, internet dynamics, and more. I learned about myself, my friends, and how God does and doesn’t want to use me.
It challenged me in many ways. It was good. Not always fun, but good.
My reflections on “My Season with the Phoenix Preacher” will hopefully encourage and help a few folks regarding touching other lives via the Internet. I’ll be sharing more about this.
In the mean time, don’t forget to visit your neighbors.