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Good News Tucson Magazine March 2010
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March 2010
www.GoodNewsTucson.com
GoodNewsTucsonmagazineA Good News Media LLC Publication
Why Jesus Is Relevant in 2010
Sports as a Way to Christ
This is What Love Looks Like
Visioning Process Invites Your Involvement
“Who am I?”
2 GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com
Institute for Better Education5151 E. Broadway, Suite 1600
Tucson, AZ 85711520-512-5438 | 520-512-5401 Fax
We work with all Private Schools
Institute for Better Education
Dollar for Dollar Tax Creditwith 90% or more going
directly to the kids
www.ibescholarships.org
When it comes to education, one size does not fit all.
The maximum contribution is $1,000 for married couples filing jointly
and $500 for single filers.
GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com 3
Good News Tucson Magazine
PUBLISHED BY:GOOD NEWS MEDIA LLC.
5151 E Broadway, Suite 1600 Tucson, Arizona 85711
United States Telephone (520) 745-4403
Fax (520) 512-5401
EDITOR and ART DIRECTOR:BARNEY HILTON MURRAY
ADMINISTRATIONJASON WATSON
DISTRIBUTION & LOCATIONS:Good News Tucson Magazine (GNT) is distributed in printed format to over 100 locations throughout Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley, Catalina, and surrounding areas. The easiest way to find GNT is to visit any Fry’s, Albertson’s grocery store, 7-Eleven and CVS throughout the area. For a complete list of our locations by zip code visit http://www.goodnewstucson.c o m / d i s t r i b u t i o n . h t m l .
Good News Tucson is a free, monthly Christian publication of Good News Media, LLC. Your comments are welcome - write to: GNT at 5151 E Broadway, Suite 1600 Tucson, Arizona 85711. We reserve the right to reject and/or edit any material submitted for publication, for any reason. Submitting commentary, letters or email automatically authorizes your permission to print your comments in future issues without your express permission. The views expressed by writers in Good News Tucson are not necessarily the views of the staff, management or ownership of GNT/Good News Media LLC, or its advertisers. Advertisements and event listings are not considered an endorsement of Good News Tucson. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, without prior permission. © 2010 GoodNewsTucson.
GoodNewsTucson
Institute for Better Education5151 E. Broadway, Suite 1600
Tucson, AZ 85711520-512-5438 | 520-512-5401 Fax
We work with all Private Schools
Institute for Better Education
Dollar for Dollar Tax Creditwith 90% or more going
directly to the kids
www.ibescholarships.org
When it comes to education, one size does not fit all.
The maximum contribution is $1,000 for married couples filing jointly
and $500 for single filers.
A Prayer for Guidance George Washington
O eternal and everlasting God, I presume to present myself this morning before thy Divine
majesty, beseeching thee to accept of my humble and hearty thanks, that it hath pleased thy great goodness to keep and preserve me the night past from all the dangers poor mortals are subject to, and has given me sweet and pleasant sleep, whereby I find my body refreshed and comforted for performing the duties of this day, in which I beseech thee to defend me from all perils of body and soul....Increase my faith in the sweet promises of the gospel; give me repentance from dead works; pardon my wanderings, and direct my thoughts unto thyself, the God of my salvation; teach me how to live in thy fear, labor in thy service, and ever to run in the ways of thy commandments; make me always watchful over my heart, that neither the terrors of conscience, the loathing of holy duties, the love of sin, nor an unwillingness to depart this life, may cast me into a spiritual slumber, but daily frame me more and more into the likeness of thy son Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life bless my family, friends, and kindred.
--An undated prayer from Washington’s prayer journal, Mount Vernon
4 GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com4 GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com
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A Brief Overview of 4 Tucson In Our City“Our city is what it is because it is a direct reflection of the people that live in it!” Mark Harris, Community Organizer.
From that statement a discussion ensued that became the basis for “4Tucson.” Christians from
across the city have tried for years to make a positive difference in Tucson but have been frustrated with the enormity of the problems. Because the problems in our community are so large, many Christians have come to believe these problems can only be solved through a political solution. Other Christians have tried to organize their churches and small groups to do acts of kindness for the most needy in our community, only to find that the needs quickly out strip the available resources. It doesn’t take long for the people involved to burnout. “4 Tucson” is unapologetically made up of Christians from all denominations and all walks of life who have a deep desire to make a positive difference in our city.
4 Tucson has, over the last two years, analyzed several different reports put out from within our community to help identify the five main issues our city faces, so that we as a community of believers can form a plan to help solve these issues. The reports used were: The Tucson Town Hall Report, the Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities put out by TREO, the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, the Tucson General Plan, and finally, the Pima County Comprehensive Plan. The study of these existing plans was an enormous undertaking that required a great deal of time and attention. In the end, 4 Tucson had no problems identifying Tucson’s five main problems. First, Tucson has no clear and definable vision of what it wants to be as a city in the future. It is 4 Tucson’s stance that without a vision
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set by meaning and purpose, our quest to be a city of significance will remain illusive.
The second problem that has been identified is that our city worships the
environment more than the Creator. It is 4 Tucson’s stance that we
should move our city from worshipping the environment to becoming stewards of the environment. People
are not a detriment to the environment, we believe that the environment should be managed for
the highest and best use of people. The third problem identified is that Tucson doesn’t value families. It is
4 Tucson’s stance that Tucson should develop a strategy to promote
a family friendly city by engaging in education, housing, labor and wages,
healthcare, infrastructure, parks and green spaces for families, family friendly atmosphere and activities,
and healthy family-oriented churches. The fourth problem identified is that Tucson has a disregard for its Christian heritage. It is 4 Tucson’s stance that Tucson should research, develop and communicate the spiritual and cultural history of our city. The fifth major problem identified is that Tucson undervalues the economic impact of churches in our city. To learn more about this or any other problems as identified by 4 Tucson, please visit their website at http://4tucson.com Our strategy is to participate in the needs and dreams of the city by identifying significant problems, offer biblical solutions and deliver those solutions through the local churches rather than expect the government to solve the problems.
If you want to get involved in 4 Tucson call us at 745-4404.
6 GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com
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This is What Love Looks LikeBy Cindy Wright
Before you married, would you have been brave enough to wear a pin saying, “This is what
LOVE looks like?” If you’re anything like my husband Steve and me, you might have considered it because you were so sure that your pre-marriage relationship epitomized “love” in every way. Even during our first year of marriage, we were sure that our love was different from others– where together we could show the world how a relationship should look like. But then life settled in, and between this little problem and that huge one and the onslaught of life’s busyness, our “love” started to look as if it wasn’t even there. It can be summed up in something author Gary Thomas once wrote (in his book, Sacred Marriage) concerning problems we could encounter after marriage. He wrote, “All our hopes, expectations, dreams, and ideals get poured into this real relationship. Because we marry a sinner, each day brings a new and often legitimate disappointment. Before long, we stop seeing what attracted us and instead become consumed by what disappoints us. Whereas before marriage our eyes filled with the glory of the person we had chosen to spend our lives with, now our eyes get filled only with their shortcomings” – which is what happened to us. Eventually, our marriage looked more like an arrangement (and at times, a hostile one) rather than a marriage partnership. It got to the place where divorce probably would have happened if it weren’t for God waking us up (and continually working with us). Through complicated events, the Lord showed us that what we thought was love, was actually more of a relationship connection that hadn’t been tested to the degree that it needed to be, so it could be a love that grows and reflects the love of Christ. This month, we will be married 38 years and I can honestly say that I love my husband more
GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com 7
today than I ever did (or thought possible). Both of us would be willing to wear the “This is what LOVE looks like” button. Actually we do… and so do you if you are married (even though it’s seen more in actions than written words). Oh, you might not think you do, but in reality, it’s a lot like the Apostle Paul pointed out (in 2 Corinthians 3:2-3), “You, yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ… written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.” And the letter you are writing (if you are a follower of Christ) is “This is what Christian married love looks like.” Or, “this is what Christian, persevering married love looks like” to a world that needs to see the love of Christ lived out in words and actions. Your family, friends, neighbors, and others are watching you, more than you know. The question is: what kind of picture or testimony are you living out for them to read? Hopefully, it’s one that will point them to Christ and encourage them to want to know your God in a deeper way. As your relationship with the Lord deepens in a personal way, and He guides you in your interaction with your spouse, others will notice and God can use it as a vehicle to speak to their hearts as well. If you are having a difficult time wearing a “LOVE” pin for all to see, today can be a new beginning. Be intentional in becoming a student of God’s love, marriage, and your spouse. Let God teach you HIS ways, rather than the world’s. Participate with God in doing your part in showing love to your spouse, and trust God to work within him or her as well. “A new command I give you; Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13: 34-35).
… For more helpful marriage information go to www.marriagemissions.com.
Please consider joining other Tucsonans in praying each day for a specific area of our city.
Sundays – Families*Reconciliation of Families*Happy, Healthy Marriages*Honor of Parents*Covenant–keeping Men*Virtuous Women*Godly Children
Mondays - Government*God–honoring & wise President & Cabinet*God-honoring & wise Governor, Senators and Representatives*God-honoring & wise Mayor and Council and County Supervisors*Fair Justice System and Law Enforcement*Strong, Victorious Military
Tuesdays - Schools *Righteous Superintendents*Faith–filled School Boards*Bible-believing Principals*Knowledgeable & Godly Teachers*Self-controlled Students*School Choice Opportunities
Wednesdays - Business *Trustworthy Employees*Innovative Chambers of Commerce*Good Jobs and Good Work Ethic*Capital and Cooperative Bureaucracy for Businesses*Business Owners and Managers of Integrity
Thursdays – Media/Arts *Television Programing Which Glorifies God*Christ-honoring Movies*Uplifting Radio Stations*Truth–Filled Newspapers and Periodicals*Porn–free Internet
Fridays - Church True Cooperation and Fellowship Between ChurchesPrayerful, Caring Sharing Disciple Making LifestyleIncreased Love for God, Fellow believers and the non-believersSpirit-filled and Christ-like ChristiansTrue Knowledge and Understanding of God and His Word
Saturdays - Borders *A Godly Wall of Protection*Righteousness and Justice*No Terrorism, Illegal or Covert Activity*Blessing Over the Infrastructure*Cooperation between Governments*Water
And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.Matthew 21:22 (NKJV)
7 Day of Prayer Guide
8 GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com
Why Jesus Is Relevant in 2010
No matter the year, no matter the race or gender, no matter the socio-economic status in life,
thinking people of every generation have asked, “What is the meaning of life?” Jesus Christ claimed to answer all the deep questions about our existence. • “Who am I?” • “Why am I here?”• “Where am I going after I die?” Throughout history, philosophers and religious leaders have offered their answers to the meaning of life questions, but only Jesus Christ has offered solutions to those questions with any credibility that has transcended the politics or economics of every generation. Jesus said, “I have come to give you life and life more abundantly.” He said that life is much more than making money, having fun, being successful, and then ending up in a graveyard. Yet, many people
still try to find meaning in fame and success. Madonna attempted to answer the question of, “Why am I here?” by becoming a diva, confessing, “There were many years when I thought fame, fortune, and public approval would bring me happiness. But one day you wake up and realize they don’t. I still felt something was missing. I wanted to know the meaning of true and lasting happiness and how I could go about finding it.” Others have given up on finding any meaning to life. Jazz-age cartoonist Ralph Barton found life to be meaningless, leaving the following suicide note: “I have had few difficulties, many friends, great successes; I have gone from wife to wife, and from house to house, visited countries of the world, but I am fed up with inventing devices to fill up 24 hours of the day.” Pascal, the great French philosopher, believed this inner void we all experience can only be filled by God. He states, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which only Jesus Christ can fill.” If Pascal is right, then we would expect Jesus to not only answer the question of our identity and meaning in this life, but also to give us hope for life after we die.
Can there be meaning without God? Not according to atheist Bertrand Russell, who wrote, “Unless you assume a god, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.” Many people give up on searching for the answers and resign themselves to ultimately “rot” in the grave. But if Jesus is God as He claimed, then He would be able to tell us what life is all about and answer the big questions of life. The Good News is that He did tell us what we all want to know.
Who am I? The purpose here is to cause you to stop and think. Your understanding of who you are has a lot to do with where you began. Did mankind begin in a celestial soup as a one cell animal that decided to become man or was the first man created by God? Where you believe you came from will in large define who you are. Without proof in either case, I personally like the second option. How did a single cell with no cognitive ability decide to evolve into
GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com 9
a complex being? It seems to me that believing in evolution still requires some kind of Divine Intelligence. I have found that starting with a Creator is a lot more satisfying intellectually.
Why am I here? If you are at least willing to assume that there is a Creator, the next step is to find out what the Creator wants from me? The Bible says, “For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… all things were created by Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:16 That passage says you were created by God and for God. So what does God want?
He wants you to know Him, to love Him like He loves you. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” John 3:16-21.
Where am I going when I die? That’s a really big question considering that we are all going to die at one time or another. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” John 14:2-5
Does everyone go to heaven? Heaven is being with God forever and ever. If you did not want anything to do with God while you were here on earth, why would you want to go to heaven and spend eternity with Him? Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:2-6 You were created by God as the delight of His heart. You are here on earth to discover how much God loves you and to live your life for Him. If you accept Jesus as your Savoir, when you die you will be with Him in heaven forever. Compare that to atheist Bertrand Russell’s view, “Unless you assume a god, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.” Many people give up on searching for the answers and resign themselves to ultimately “rot” in the grave. I like God’s plan better!
Written by Mark Harris, Pastor at The Oasis Church
Sundays, 10:30 a.m.5825 S. Old Spanish Trail
For more information,call 647-0994 or visitwww.SaguaroButtes.org
Sundays, 10:30 a.m.5825 S. Old Spanish Trail
For more information,call 647-0994 or visitwww.SaguaroButtes.org
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10 GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com10 GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com
Conviction
The other day I read an ESPN article on the Oakland Athletics’ top prospect, Grant Desme,
who is leaving the game of baseball to enter the priesthood. After a year in which he batted .288 with 31 homers, 89 RBIs and 40 steals in 131 games during the regular season, he then went on to play in the elite, prospect-laden Arizona Fall League. There he was the Most Valuable Player hitting .315 with a league-leading 11 home runs and 27 RBIs in only 27 games. As a former professional baseball player, let me try and put this into perspective for you: this guy is turning down a minimum of $350,000 once he makes the Major League club, which would most likely happen next year at some point. And with numbers like that, barring an injury, he will make the big club. The reason that I put that into perspective is to demonstrate how money is a driving force behind so much of what we do in life. Our culture is addicted with fame and little boys grow up wanting to play Major League Baseball. Well, every little boy I knew. This was a BOLD decision made by a superstar athlete at the top of his game who is only 23 years old. Some may call him stupid. Some may call him ignorant for turning down all that cash (“You could have done so many good things with that money.”). But you know, at the end of the day he made an extremely tough decision based on his relationship and love for God. How many people can honestly say that? For me, the defining quote from young Grant Desme came when he said, “I was doing well at ball. But I really had to get down to the bottom of things. I wasn’t at peace with where I was at.” The thing that I respect the most about this guy’s decision wasn’t that he went into ministry. It was that he took stock of his life, asked some very difficult soul-stirring questions, and then pursued what God was telling him to do in that. This story could apply to anyone, anywhere, in any profession. We all have those tough decisions
that we face in life. The question though is this: Are we ignoring those nudges that God puts on our hearts or are we listening, praying, and then responding and stepping out in faith when the time comes?
By Jeff Bajenaru, professional pitcher for the White Sox and Diamondbacks
Visioning Process Invites Your Involvement“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.” Proverbs 29:18
Vision and strategy are both important to any successful endeavor. There is a priority to them:
VISION always comes first. Always! With a clear vision, the right strategy will emerge. Without a clear vision, the best strategy will not overcome lack of direction. Tucson has had several individuals and groups articulate their hopes and dreams for our city. Tucsonans have traditionally been resistant to adopting any strategic long-term plan that anticipates future growth. For the last 50 years, maybe longer, Tucson has reacted to growth and applied bandages here and there to try to accommodate for lack of leadership and foresight. We have traditionally built on the cheap and then tried to retrofit roads, housing development, sewage treatment, open space and other needs as the city continued to add people. For example, Broadway Blvd was paved over 50 years ago – without sidewalks. Only within the past few months are we going back and installing sidewalks.
Kingdom Men Conference - January 29, 2010
GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com 11GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com 11
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It would have been much more cost effective to plan that if we paved a major street, people will want to walk along that street. Our metro area has over a million people. It is projected that we will have another million people moving to Tucson within the next 25 years. Let that soak in for a moment. Without a shared, comprehensive vision for our city now, we will only pay more in the future as people demand city services. While this should be self-evident, vision is not the magic bullet that solves all our citie’s ills. As in any significant accomplishment, there will be unforeseen struggles and obstacles to overcome in implementing the vision. But a shared vision is preferable to sticking our head in the sand and hoping things will work out. Nothing will happen without a vision. Nothing gets created, manifested, built, or moved forward without a vision of our preferred future. There is good news. A broad cross-section of the citie’s population, has begun a visioning process called Imagine Greater Tucson. The process will take several years and thousands of people to develop
a vision of what Tucson will become 25 years from now. Every Tucsonan is encouraged to voice their opinions and dreams for the future of our city. What a great opportunity! What our city is now, most of us have inherited. Our problems may not be our fault, but they are our responsibility. There will be many opportunities to get involved as Imagine Greater Tucson rolls out in the first quarter of 2010. The website will be up soon and we will continue to give you updates. There is a state-wide project that is seeking your input now called, The Arizona We Want. You may go to the website and fill out their poll and see how your answers compare to those other Arizonans. The Gallup Arizona Poll can be found at www.thearizonawewant.org. Arizona in general and Tucson specifically will either be pulled toward an inspired vision of the future or pushed toward a patchwork of expensive and ineffective Band-Aids. There is a huge difference in each of these paths. We invite you to get involved in shaping Tucson’s future and taking responsibility for the Tucson we pass on to our grandchildren.
12 GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com
Sports as a Way to Christ
People are a composite of their experiences. They are molded by events, love, lack of love, peers,
strength of conviction and a list that could go on infinitum. If, as professionals, we have speculated that the ages of 6-14 are of particular importance in the development of a person, then count me as fortunate to have found SPORTS at an early age. The word sports as an acronym could possibly stand for the following:
S for Sacrifice P for Persistence O for Obedience R for Respect T for Teamwork S for Spirit
I mention this because without sports, my life, as I know it today, would not be the same. It provided an anchor from which I could explore other things, but its draw, its strength, always kept me out of harm’s way. With a mindset that “this is so important to me that I am not going to do anything to jeopardize my sporting life.” This was before I really knew Him, knew Jesus Christ. Behaviorists have indicated that the ages of 6-14 are the most important phase of child development. It is a time when attitudes and perceptions are formed. It was during this time that my sister and I, though raised exactly the same, went on separate paths. One to the pinnacle of success in a chosen field and the other to a life of drug use, prison and continuing struggle. I read a book in 1970 by Jim Bouton titled Ball Four. The final sentence read “All those years I thought it was me holding onto the ball but in reality it was the ball holding onto me.” That was true of me. But there is another Book that I could have turned to, just as my sister could have, that would have saved both of us. My sister didn’t have that anchor. God provided baseball as my anchor until I really found
Him. What would have happened to me if I hadn’t shown the athletic talent to command respect and adulation at an early age? It was this intoxicating feeling of being superior in something that caused me to pursue it. It was addictive. The more I got, the more I wanted. Practice was enjoyable. Competition and winning was my drug of choice. Heroin and cocaine were my sister’s. Fast times, early pregnancy, theft and twenty years as an absentee mother to her two children were the result. I make the comparison because of the grace of God. The gift he gave me was manifested and shown through athletic achievement. My sister apparently didn’t find her gift. But as my Christian life evolved, it is quite apparent that sheer luck recognizing that it was God who bestowed this gift of athleticism upon me created a path. But it was a rocky path, dependent upon a bounce here, a bad call there, a win, a loss and not until now did I realize that it would have been much easier had I loved God’s word as much as I did a game. But in looking back now, I can, with the help of faith in Jesus, come to realize that He was responsible for guiding me through this venue. It took some time to get me to come around but now, looking back, it is apparent that SPORTS and its acronyms are elements that every athlete uses in excelling in his or her event. They are the same elements that Jesus modeled for us.
The great athlete sacrifices and gives through • effort and dedication. Jesus did that for us.The great athlete has persistence. Jesus modeled • persistence all the way to the cross.The great athlete obeys. He obeys the coach • and the laws of his body, mind and spirit. Jesus obeyed His Father’s commands and disciplined His body for what was ahead. The great athlete gives and garners respect. The • athletic field is one place where one cannot hide. Your weaknesses are exposed; your insecurities confront you each game. Jesus commanded respect. He was a man’s man. He also respects us, enduring incredible pain.The great athlete makes his teammates better. • It is not about him, it is about the team. Jesus had a team and he loved them, despite their lack
GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com 13
of loyalty and faith. He wants you to be on His team.The great athlete has a spirit that moves people. • People marvel at his grace, his movement. Jesus not only saved us, but when we work with Him, His spirit, alive within in us, is poetry in motion. As the Bible says in I Corinthians 2:9, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Throughout my life I have been grateful for the opportunities to see the relationship between my
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chosen path in life and Jesus’ example. I continue to strive to be the man of God He has created me to be.
Brent Strom pitched for the New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Cleveland Indians. He has served as pitching coach for the Tucson Toros, Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals. Brent has served as the minor league pitching coordinator in the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals organization. He currently serves as the St. Louis Cardinal’s minor league pitching instructor.
14 GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com
God is Bringing Churches Together“Anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20, NIV)
Is it possible to love someone without ever talking to them? Ever meeting with them? Ever getting
to know the gifts they bring? Without ever doing anything together? Not likely. And yet for far too long, that’s how the body of Christ has operated. If a church or pastor hasn’t actively spoken out against other Christian churches and pastors, then at the least they’ve often been content to live in ignorance, never taking the time to get to know their teammates. That would never work on a sporting team. Or in business. Or education. Or anyplace else. And it doesn’t work in the body of Christ, either. The churches down the street aren’t your competition – they’re your reinforcements. In the military, how well would it work if you got confused about who the enemy was? Not well at all. And it doesn’t work well in the body of Christ, either. There is an enemy, but it’s not the Baptists (or Lutherans, or non-denoms, or whatever). Most church growth in our city hasn’t been church growth at all, it’s just been Christians changing addresses, quite often because of problems someplace else. How the heart of Christ must break over the state of the church. Of all the things Jesus could have had on his mind the night before heading to the cross… of all the world problems he could have chosen to address… of all the needs he could have brought before the Father’s throne… what was foremost on his mind, the prayer he prayed so fervently, was simply that Christians would get along with each other, that we would truly love one another. (John 17) Could it be that Christians truly loving one another could be as important, if not more important, than virtually anything else? Could it be that the key to church growth starts with church partnership? Could it be that as long as pastors and churches function as lone rangers, each content with building its own little kingdom, that the world will continue to ignore us if not outright reject us?
Thankfully, all indications are that the tide is changing, right here in Tucson. Tucson has had a notoriously divided Church for as long as anyone I talk to can remember. Yet there’s a new breeze blowing, a new wind of the Spirit, and we’re seeing Jesus’ prayer starting to be answered. All over the city, pastors are breaking out of their own holy huddles and praying with other pastors, even with pastors who don’t have the same brand name on the signs of their buildings. Shocking, I know! For years, for decades, people prayed for the day when Christian pastors would line up side by side, on their knees, sacrificing some of the time they might otherwise spend tending their own flocks, in order to pray side by side that God’s kingdom would come, God’s will be done, right here in Tucson, right here through a united church. Well, it’s finally happened! The first Tucson Pastors’ Prayer Summit took place in March 2009, and the second one will be March 2010. For information go to www.tucsonprayersummit.org. All two dozen of us from the first Prayer Summit heard our brothers praying to the same heavenly Father, expressing the same heart cries, and came down from the mountain convinced that we had more teammates than we thought we had. That momentum continues to build. The last monthly prayer luncheon of Tucson Ministry Fellowship (formerly known as Tucson Association of Evangelicals) had its biggest attendance with the most complete rainbow of ethnicity, from a wider spectrum of denominational and non-denominational backgrounds, and with a greater “buzz”, than at any time in recent memory. It’s a new day, thanks be to God, and nothing could be more exciting, nothing holds greater promise for our city, and nothing brings greater joy to the heart of the Father.
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