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Guder and The Missional Church
“We believe that we are the church, that is, we are a community of God’s people called and set apart for witness to the good news of Jesus Christ. We are blessed to be a blessing. As the Father has sent Christ, so Christ sends us. Jesus Christ has defined us as his witnesses where we are. We believe therefore that the Holy Spirit not only calls us but also enables and gifts us for that mission. Our task is …
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Final Zambia Reflections
I am finally back from Zambia after two weeks of spending time with Pastor George Palo of Harvest City Church in Ndola, Zambia. I have a ton in my head and I have to say that these two weeks will likely turnout to be a watershed moment for the lives of the Hiestands.
You’ll have to be in church tomorrow to get my more complete reflections (or listen online when i post it) but here are some major themes/thoughts:
Community
Sunday night was … -
Twitter Updates from Zambia on 2008-06-24
Will be on Zambian TV tomorrow. Weird. #
Lots on my mind the last few days… too much to unload at once. Blog posts to follow after Friday when I get back. #
We fly out of Lusaka, Zambia on Thursday morning for London. Overnight in London. London to NYC on Friday. 17 hours of flying. #
Might try and see Wimbledon on Thursday #
One more day of speaking twice then visiting an AIDS … -
Twitter Updates from Zambia on 2008-06-23
Is it possible to see what I have seen today and not change the way you live? #
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Twitter Updates from Zambia on 2008-06-21
Feeling the effects of the rolling black outs in Ndola. Have lost power twice today. #
Preaching at a church in Zambia tomorrow morning. About 4am your time. Wake up and pray. #
Bungee Jump Video: http://tinyurl.com/5u36hf # -
Zambia Update: Saturday, June 21, 2008
I am sitting in nice cosy guest house that we are in and just reflecting a bit on our last two days. Its been an encouraging and challenging two days as we have begun to meet with the Zambian people and specifically some of the church leaders.
Last night Tom and I spoke at the leadership team meeting for George’s church, Harvest City Church. There were about 40 people there. Some were pastors and some were lay leaders. We spoke on …
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Twitter Updates from Zambia on 2008-06-20
Pictures of the bungee jump being uploaded to flickr right now. Very slow connection so only a few might get up. #
Tonight we’re talking about creativity and imagination in the church. A big need in the Zambian church. Then to an all night prayer meeting #
Not sure which roads are worse. the ones here or the ones in New Jersey. #
Missing my wife and kids like crazy. #
Brittish Airways lost my friends’ luggage. … -
Zambia Update: Friday Morning
I only have a limited amount of time here on the web. I have to buy it by the half hour and I’m trying to get as much done in this time as possible. But, not surprisingly, the web is so slow.
So, I am going to brain dump as much as a I can here:
I jumped off a bridge at Victoria Falls with a rubber band attached to my ankles. Pictures are on my flickr account. It was nuts. Video …
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Twitter Updates from Zambia on 2008-06-19
I just jumped off a a really, really tall bridge with a rubberband attached to my ankles. Google victoria falls bungee jump. #
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Twitter Updates from Zambia on 2008-06-18
Schedule changed. Going to Livingstone, Zambia today and tomorrow. Then start teaching on Friday. #
At an amazing hotel near Victoria Falls in Zambia. Work begins tomorrow. #
Sitting around the deck at a beautiful hotel talking about the Zambian church. #
Apparently my sermon Sunday will be recorded & will be on Zambian TV then rebroadcast all over sub-Saharan Africa. Uh. Thats intimidating. # -
Zamba Day 1-3: Sleep, Pot Holes, Victoria Falls
So, after about 36 hours of travel and maybe 2 hours of sleep, we arrived in Lusaka. Sleeping on the plane was harder than I thought so I ended up just watching movies. Five of them. So, I saw: Charlie Wilson’s War, Semi-Pro, Jumper, The Great Debaters, and one more that was apparently very forgettable. The only problem now is that I have used up all the decent movies on the way there and I don’t know what I am …
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Waiting in JFK
So after a fantastic service at The Well this morning we’ve finally made it up to JFK airport in NYC. (If you weren’t at The Well today… go to our church website and listen to Gary’s sermon on Acts 19. It was fantastic. Definitely worth 29 minutes of your time.
I was thinking today during our service that I am so happy to be able to say that I love the church family that we are leaving behind for the …
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Zambia Interary
This is the tentative itinerary for our team while we are in Zambia so that you can pray more specifically while we are gone.
I might be posting updates here on my blog during the trip if time and technology allows.
In case you missed it, there are two main goals for the trip:
The first is the immediate interaction with those we are speaking with and meeting. Obviously the goal here is that we can be an encouragement and begin many friendships …
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Zambia by the Numbers
It’s now just under 24 hours before me and two other pastors (my good friend Tom Ward is one of them) make the trek to JFK Airport and head for Zambia on British Airways.
Here is a rundown of the next two weeks by the numbers:
3 - The number of people on our team that leaves Tomorrow.
7 - The number of hours it takes to get to London from JFK in NYC.
10 - The number of hours we will toll … -
Poll: New Specs - What Do You Think?
So, since I am going to Zambia I needed to get a new pair of glasses that weren’t held together buy duct tape. I wear contacts most of the time but really needed a backup just in case anything happens while I am there. So, I heard of 39dollarglasses.com and went ahead and picked out a frame. The catch with these cheap glasses is that you can’t really try on the frames before you order. So, its kind of …
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Envision 08 Conference Thoughts
I spent the last two and a half days in the sweltering heat at Princeton University / Seminary at the Envision 08 conference. This conference was described on their website as:
“Envision ‘08 is about the power of the gospel to transform the public square. It’s about Jesus and justice, evangelical history and heritage, and practiced theology. It’s about the next one hundred years of the church and its impact on the common good.”
I was pleasantly surprised at the conference. … -
Zambian Food - MMM, MMM Good
If you are a regular reader you know that I head to Zambia in two weeks. One of the pastors I am going with noted the wikipedia entry has some good information about Zambia.
An excerpt:
“There are a lot of Zambian foods which are peculiar to Zambia such as inswa (flying ants), fyunkubala (caterpillars), Hopani (monitor lizards), Mbeba (mice), magande (giant toads) and Kolwe (monkey meat).”Wow. That sounds awesome! I can’t wait to try some giant toads …
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How Does the Church Engage the World? Build an Ark?
I grew up with two kinds of music in my household: 1950’s rock and roll from my dad and the Gaither Vocal Band from my church. I loved the Southern Gospel of the Gaithers as a kid. Honestly, its kinda nostalgic to listen to these days. But, I was reminded recently of this song by the Gaither’s called “Build and Ark.”
I am not sure if you’ve ever heard of this song, but here are the lyrics (video is at the …
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Our First NASCAR Event
Okay, its time to come clean to the world. I love NASCAR.
In fact, Cole and I attended our first NASCAR event this weekend at Dover International Speedway.
Now, you’ve got to understand, I didn’t intentionally become a NASCAR fan. It was an accident. I promise.
Last year the animated movie Cars came out and it quickly became Cole’s favorite movie. We’ve watched it …
