Archive for the ‘Stories’ Category

Your place of work is a mission field and you are a missionary. A missionary engages people around them in order to bless them with the love of Jesus. Often, it is difficult to figure out how to do that while on the job. Rapid pace, mounting deadlines, or conflict between coworkers can often derail the best of intentions.

Here are a few ideas for blessing others at your workplace. Some may be applicable to you, some may not. Hopefully it will help spark some creativity for how you can bless those around you at work.

1. Instead of eating lunch alone, intentionally eat with other co-workers and learn their story.
2. Get to work early so you can spend some time praying for your co-workers and the day ahead.
3. Make it a daily priority to speak or write encouragement when someone does good work.
4. Bring extra snacks when you make your lunch to give away to others.
5. Bring breakfast (donuts, burritos, cereal, etc.) once a month for everyone in your department.
6. Make a list of your co-workers birthdays and find a way to bless everyone on their birthday.
7. Organize and throw office parties as appropriate to your job.
8. Make every effort to avoid gossip in the office. Be a voice of thanksgiving not complaining.
9. Find others that live near you and create a car pool.
10. Offer to throw a shower for a co-worker who is having a baby.
11. Offer to cover for a co-worker who needs off for something.
12. Start a regular lunch out with co-workers (don’t be selective on the invites).
13. Ask someone who others typically ignore if you can grab them a soda/coffee while you’re out.
14. Be the first person to greet and welcome new people.
15. Make every effort to know the names of co-workers and clients along with their families.
16. Visit coworkers when they are in the hospital.
17. Go out of your way to talk to your janitors and cleaning people who most people overlook.
18. Find out your co-workers favorite music and make a playlist that includes as much as you can (if suitable for work).
19. Invite your co-workers in to the service projects you are already involved in.
20. Start/join a city league team with your co-workers.
21. Organize a weekly co-working group for local entrepreneurs at a local coffee shop.
22. Start a small business that will bless your community and create space for mission.
23. Work hard to reconcile co-workers who are fighting with one another.
24. Keep small candy, gum, or little snacks around to offer to others during a long day.
25. Lead the charge in organizing others to help co-workers in need.

Bless someone with the love of Jesus today.

In the middle of the most important sermon ever preached, Jesus taught us how to pray. We know it as ‘The Lord’s Prayer.’ While for many of us it has become commonplace, praying and meditating upon The Lord’s Prayer can be a very helpful prayer exercise. By slowly reading through the prayer in sections a rich conversation can develop between yourself and God. Here is how you can meditate upon The Lord’s Prayer.

The Father’s Character

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your name

Our Father is the giving, generous, going, searching Father. Praise God by focusing on who He is. In your current situation what other names of God are relevant or significant to you.

The Father’s Kingdom

Your kingdom come Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven

God’s will is for His Kingdom to advance in our community. Talk with God about particular people and places that seem especially far from His Kingdom. Notice where the Kingdom has taken root and give thanks.

The Father’s Provision

Give us this day our daily bread

God will provide all that is needed. He will provide it by you, your church, your community, your family. Talk to God about specific needs. As you do, expect Him to provide. He is a Father who loves to give good gifts to us His children.

The Father’s Forgiveness

and forgive us our debts as we have also forgiven our debtors

God loves to help us turn from old mistakes and past failures to new ways of living. He loves to release us, to free us, from the burden and weight of sin. Ask God what specific actions and attitudes need to be turned away from? Listen and dialogue with our God who is slow to get angry and who is abounding in love and quick to forgive.

The Father’s Guidance

lead us not into temptation

Where is God already at work and where can you join in? Ask for help with specific decisions and submit your desires to God.

The Father’s Protection

deliver us from evil

Our Father is mighty to save. He protects us against the evil one. He is stronger than even death and the grave. Talk with Him about areas of concern, instances of evil, and rest in His protection.

Make no mistake, there is nothing magical about a developing a good prayer life. It takes time and commitment to nurture. My hope is that this simple exercise creates an environment for deeper and more meaningful conversation with your Heavenly Father.

Florence, Italy is a charmer. In Rome, you cram onto the Metro and hurry through busy streets. You’re constantly rubbing shoulders. It’s not bad – it is the pace of life.

In Florence, you stroll. Florence is a place where charming cobbled alleys open into beautiful piazza’s and where you walk along the river with a gelato in hand. It is quaint, refined, and quintessentially Italian.

In this beautiful city is Chiesa del Nazareno – Florence Church of the Nazarene.

Florence Church of the Nazarene is led by Pastor Daniel. An Argentinian by birth, Daniel moved to Italy after College and has been pastoring the Florence Church for 18 years. The church is currently comprised of 2 congregations: an Italian speaking congregation and a Spanish speaking congregation. They are also in the early stages of planting a church in a town outside of Florence.

Daniel is sharp (speaks fluent English, Spanish, and Italian) and knowledgable with a pastor’s heart. He is encouraged that the church has been able to engage the culture of their community, creative in finding new avenues of living as Jesus, and hopeful for the possibilities of this new start.

Daniel did share that the greatest need facing the Florence church is a lack of leadership. The church does not have many second generation Christians. The faith of their people has not been handed down to them. They are the first generation.

As Daniel was sharing his heart and his concern for Florence and the church I couldn’t help but thing of our church in Lafayette. Many of us are new to the faith. We’re the first generation in our family as well. Maybe we could become mature in Christ with them. I’m quite certain there would be some differences but I’m also sure that the journey of becoming like Jesus translates regardless of language barrier.

Others of us have had the blessing of generations that have come before us. What if we could partner with them? Not in a ‘this is how it happened for me so it should happen this way for you’ way but in a ‘this is what God showed me along the journey.’ Maybe the family of LFCN could expand to include Italian brothers and sisters.

Let’s pray together.

Today I had the great privilege of worshipping with the Versailles Church of the Nazarene. Versailles is a city rich in French history. King Louis XIV built a magnificent palace in Versailles – perhaps one of the greatest palaces in the western world. Two winding cobblestone blocks from that palace is the building that houses the Versailles Church of the Nazarene.

As you can see it is quite beautiful.

Yesterday our team was able to meet with Pastor Benoit and his wife Allison as well as missionaries to France, Brian and Erin Ketchum. They are incredible people with a burning desire to see the people of Versailles come to know the true source of life – Jesus.

Currently they are praying that God would help them as they attempt to develop and send out people who truly know and live the power of Jesus Christ. They have recently taken some steps of faith as a church to better enable them to be faithful to that call. Pray with them.

The worship gathering was beautiful. Full of scripture, prayer, and singing. The songs, while sung in French, were familiar: Come Now Is The Time To Worship, My Life Is In You, and Step By Step. I was honored with the opportunity to share the Word as Benoit translated.

Benoit and Allison have two girls. Margot, who is 1, and Eden, who is 4. I’ve included an adorably cute video of Eden saying “chocolate” in French.

Thank you so much for your prayers. I am praying for you as well. I am very encouraged and excited about the possibilities for our church to partner with our brothers and sisters in Western Europe.

Looking forward to seeing you soon,
Pastor Troy

We talk a lot at our church about being passionate followers of Jesus. And for good reason – it is our heartbeat. We want to become a community of people who follow Jesus passionately. I noticed that in action this week. Here are two things that I saw.

1. Yesterday, during our morning worship gathering, we had an impromptu time of prayer and we were given the opportunity to respond by coming forward. Many, many people came to pray. But one person particularly caught my eye: a sixth grade boy. But he wasn’t coming to pray for himself. He came forward to support in prayer his Children’s Ministry Coordinator. He wasn’t concerned about what people would think, wasn’t discouraged by the fact that he was young, he loves God and he loves that person who has invested in his life – so he came forward to pray with her.

I’ve noticed scenes like this before in the life of our church and every time I’m inspired. It is passion. It is who we are. It is what we do. We are the place and we are the people where it is normal for a 6th grade student to publicly step forward to support someone twice their age in prayer.

2. This past week I was visiting Opal Moore at Clarian Arnett Hospital shortly after the nurses and doctors had informed the family that they could no longer medically treat her. A friend of the family from our church was also there and she was talking with Opal’s daughter whose husband has recently undergone knee surgery. Opal’s daughter was planning on staying the night in the hospital room but was concerned about her husband who was at home.

Compassionately, the friend said: ‘how about I take him breakfast in the morning.’ The relief and joy on the daughter’s face was real.

She didn’t have to. It was out of her way. She’s busy. And her offer was so natural. It wasn’t forced or contrived. It was real. Authentic. That’s who we are. People who become a bit uncomfortable to offer comfort to people we love in need.

There are many, many more stories of passionate Jesus followers that happen through the life of our church on a weekly basis. That is to be celebrated. Have you noticed them?