robwestbrook.com » missions

Eight Days of Hope in the USA Today

Rob — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:00:47 +0000

By C. Todd Sherman for USA TODAY

Eight Days of Hope, a Christian non-profit disaster relief organization, visited our area a few weeks back to help in the reconstruction of Smithville, Mississippi. Our church, LifePointe, was able to house about 75 of their volunteers for a week. Many other area churches participated as well. There were over 1,400 volunteers from many states here, rebuilding houses and churches. USA Today had an good article about Eight Days of Hope in Tuesday’s special section on volunteering.

Link to USA Today Story: Volunteers rebuild homes after disasters across the USA

This post Eight Days of Hope in the USA Today originated at robwestbrook.com. See more like this at robwestbrook.com - adventures of a mississippi church planter.

Operation Christmas Child: Packing a Box

Rob — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:00:28 +0000

Here’s the video Operation Christmas Child supplies as instructions for packing a shoe box.

This post Operation Christmas Child: Packing a Box originated at robwestbrook.com. See more like this at robwestbrook.com - adventures of a mississippi church planter.

Operation Christmas Child

Rob — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:00:11 +0000

I’m proud that our church, LifePointe Church, is once again participating in Operation Christmas Child. The picture above is one of my friend, Grace, from 2005. Grace lives in Jinja, Uganda, and she’s holding a shoebox from Operation Christmas Child. We were in a school there and the box was being used for various things. That box was already two years old and still being used!

Operation Christmas Child is a wonderful ministry that you and your church should participate in. Below is an introductory video for Operation Christmas Child.

This post Operation Christmas Child originated at robwestbrook.com. See more like this at robwestbrook.com - adventures of a mississippi church planter.

Christianity Among Other Faiths

Rob — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:00:54 +0000

The variety of faiths in antiquity was even greater than it is today. And the early Christians, making as they did ultimate claims for Jesus, met the problem of other faiths head-on from the very outset. Their approach was interesting. They did not sit down and dialogue with other faiths very much, so far as we know. They did not denounce other faiths. They simply proclaimed Jesus with all the power and persuasiveness at their disposal.
- Thirty Years that Changed the World by Michael Green

How do you approach other faiths?

(Image from http://www.gonzaga.edu/About/Mission/University-Ministry/programs/)

This post Christianity Among Other Faiths originated at robwestbrook.com. See more like this at robwestbrook.com - adventures of a mississippi church planter.

You: Online Missionary

Rob — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 17:59:18 +0000

The world is as close as your web browser. Today, with just one message, there is the potential of millions receiving that message almost instantly.

What if that message included the Gospel of Jesus Christ? That would make you a missionary to the entire world, right from that seat. Never has the world been so accessible to us. With technology, there is no limit to the people we can connect with, right now. So how can you leverage that potential?

There are many websites that provide you the tools to be an online missionary. I want to list just a few that will get you started.

yesHEis – yesHeis provides culturally relevant videos that you can share on Facebook, Twitter, or any of your social networks. These videos can be used to start or enhance discussions with people who have concerns about Christianity.
Find the site here: yesHEis

The Web Evangelism Guide – I’ve been following this site for many years. They provide good, simple tools for your online missionary efforts. Their monthly email newsletter is a subscription must. Their newsletter first brought my attention to the above site, yesHEis.
Find them here: The Web Evangelism Guide

Internet Evangelism Day – Internet Evangelism Day is coming up the last Sunday in April, which will be Easter this year. This site is part of the Web Evangelism page listed above. You can learn more about how you can participate in Internet Evangelism Day, and interact with others throughout the year, at this site.
Find them here: Internet Evangelism Day

The Story – The Story is a great Gospel presentation that you can link to and embed in your church website or blog. The Story provides tracking information, so you can see how many people view your page and their reactions. I love this presentation. You can also get printed copies of The Story. Our church uses the printed copy to include in our welcome packs for 1st time guests.
Find The Story Here: The Story

This is just a very small sampling to get you started. What are some websites you’ve found that help you be an online missionary?

This post You: Online Missionary originated at robwestbrook.com. See more like this at robwestbrook.com - adventures of a mississippi church planter.

How Important is the Bible to You?

Rob — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:30:29 +0000

As I sit here in my office and look at my bookshelves, I count 22 copies of the Bible in various translations and languages. I love the Word of God. But I probably sometimes take my access to the Bible for granted. Not these people in the following video. This is a MUST WATCH!

Wow, right? What’s your reaction to the joy you see in the Kimyal people as they get the New Testament in their language for the first time?

[HT: Phillip Nation via Ed Stetzer]

This post How Important is the Bible to You? originated at robwestbrook.com. See more like this at robwestbrook.com - adventures of a mississippi church planter.

Ed Stetzer’s Missional Family Tree

Rob — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:00:32 +0000

Ed Stetzer, the church planting guru, tweeted a link to a graphic some time ago. The graphic is “A Missional Family Tree” from Leadership Journal, and identifies books crucial to understanding the Missional movement. It’s a great little source.

Link: A Missional Family Tree

(via @edstetzer)

This post Ed Stetzer’s Missional Family Tree originated at robwestbrook.com. See more like this at robwestbrook.com - adventures of a mississippi church planter.

Be the Church

Rob — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:08:05 +0000

After Sunday’s service at LifePointe Church I put this on my Twitter Feed:

Don’t just go to church, be the church. Church is not something we do, church is who we are. Be the church tomorrow as much as today.

We’re doing a message series called FRESH, where we’re looking at ways to begin again fresh in our Christian life. Sunday’s topic was “ReFresh Your Mission,” where we thought about our call as missionaries in the context we find ourselves everyday.

In much of our southern culture, church is a place, a time, and events. One of the challenges of any pastor or church in the Bible Belt is moving our people’s thinking from “doing church” to “being the church.” Our emphasis is on the missionary or “missional” aspect of our lives, where we’re always looking and praying, “Lord, let me see what you see.”

What are some ways you’ve found that help you understand and practice your missionary calling? Are you still wrestling with the idea that church is more than an event?

This post Be the Church originated at robwestbrook.com. See more like this at robwestbrook.com - adventures of a mississippi church planter.

Facebook: The Fields are White

Rob — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:21:26 +0000

Here’s a fascinating infographic depicting the mass obsession with Facebook. One of the interesting numbers: 71% of the ENTIRE POPULATION of the US is on Facebook. At what point in history has the church had instant access to almost 3/4 of the country’s population? You really need to be on and using Facebook.

Via: Online Schools

This post Facebook: The Fields are White originated at robwestbrook.com. See more like this at robwestbrook.com - adventures of a mississippi church planter.

Poor Things.

Rob — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 20:33:00 +0000

Found this on my friend, Mark Williams, Facebook feed. Convicting.
http://thisisindexed.com/2010/11/poor-things-2/

This post Poor Things. originated at robwestbrook.com. See more like this at robwestbrook.com - adventures of a mississippi church planter.