Boudain and Gumbo

If meals are Boudain and Gumbo, it must be the gulf coast! That is where we spent part of last week with McDonald Memorial Baptist Church. Orange is the easternmost coastal city in Texas; any further east and you cross into Louisiana.

For ten years Danny Gilliam has served as pastor of this wonderful congregation. He and his wife, Patty, have led the church through experiences like hurricanes and arson that have severely damaged their facilities. Together they have joined members in seeking effective ministries to serve the dramatically changing demographic make-up of their transitional community.

It was our privilege to join with guest Worship Pastor, John Bickham, in leading a Missional Revival at McDonald Memorial last week. John and his wife Trina are gifted musicians and passionate followers of Jesus. What rich gifts they brought to our time together. Through the week, we asked God to speak into the lives of the congregation truths that would equip, motivate and mobilize them as God’s transformational missionary force in their own spheres of influence…where they live, work and play.

Join us and hear some of the stories from our time in this somewhat Cajun influenced part of Texas.

More Content...Less Commentary

Yesterday we began a Missional Renewal Revival with McDonald Memorial Baptist Church in Orange, Texas, the eastern most city on the Texas Gulf Coast (go any further and you cross into Louisiana). God prompted me to do something that I have seldom, if ever, done. Instead of messages that take one text of scripture which I would “unpack” (exegete, illustrate and apply), I have been led to move through quite a few passages and verses throughout scripture. More Biblical content with less personal comment.

Yesterday morning, we looked at God’s plan for the world: a kingdom of priests who would stand before Him while reaching out to the world (blessed to be a blessing). We talked about the genius of God’s plan: not a few superstars, but every follower growing up to maturity and being witnesses who can then help new followers grow to maturity (Colossians 1:28-29, 2 Timothy 2:2) Finally, we talked about the flaw in God’s plan. It is only effective if we are obedient, willing to die to self, dying as seeds planted to bear much fruit (John 12:24, Luke 9:23).

Last night we focused our attention on the capacity of God’s Word, the power of the Gospel to transform society. We remembered that every form of evil in society has its origin in the heart of men (Mark 7:21-22). Were a vaccine created that could eliminate hatred and selfishness, it should be given to everyone. That is the power of the Gospel as revealed in Acts 15:8-9, Romans 1:16, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16. I marvel that leaders of more than 400 churches have consistently rated “expect to change the world” as the lowest of nine missional practices assessed in our Missional Church Cultural Assessment. Yet, we have the only power that can truly transform! Missional churches give that power away.