Halloween Outreach

Different Christians have different opinions about Halloween. When I was growing up near Boston, we always put on costumes and went out and collected candy. It was always a blast.

Here in Lima, Peru, Halloween is celebrated pretty much the same way as we did back in the day in Boston. Kids get dressed up and go out and collect candy. The one big difference is that in Peru the kids don't shout "Trick or treat!" when they ring your door bell. Instead, they just shout out, "Halloween!"

The evangelical church in Peru tends to run pretty conservative, and as such it basically opposes Halloween. Here at Flamingo Road Church in Lima, however, we take a different approach, and we've decided to shine a light into the darkness.

As a result, we are very pro-active and intentional when it comes to Halloween here in Lima, because we see it as a great outreach opportunity. We are hosting a children's costume party on the 2nd floor play area of a local Kentucky Fried Chicken. The KFCs here in Lima are huge, with large children's play areas, and so we're taking over one for Halloween. Our pre-school and children's ministry director, Mariana, and her team of volunteers, are putting together a show for the children featuring song and dance, and of course the kids also will get to chow down on some fried chicken and french fries, and they'll each receive a bag of candy. We've also invited special needs children to be a part of the party. We hope to have around 50 children and their parents at the costume party. Oh, by the way, we also make sure to include a promotional card for Flamingo Road Church in Lima in every bag of candy that we give out.

Don't be afraid of the darkness! Shine a light in it, just as it says in John 1:5. If Halloween is celebrated wherever in the world that you are doing ministry, then take advantage of this opportunity to reach out to families in your community. You may surprise a few people, but you'll bless many more.

Prayer Request

Please join us in praying for Karyn Barriger. She is the wife of Pastor Robert Barriger of the Camino de Vida church in Lima, Peru. Karen has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and she begins chemotherapy treatment this week in Lima.

Guilt & Association

The biggest story in Peru these days is a huge corruption scandal involving various high-level government officials doing favors for a foreign oil company and, of course, getting their palms greased in return. The entire presidential cabinet recently had to resign because of the scandal, and one ex-minister is on the lam as we speak, supposedly hiding out in Mexico or Argentina. Both the Peruvian national police and air force have been accused of helping him flee the country to avoid arrest. The on-the-lam ex-minister's daughter is a well-known member of Congress, and the media is hounding her for information about the flight of her notorious father.

Several political careers have been ruined, while others are on the brink of ruin. A lot of top government officials are sweating it out big-time these days, wondering if the jig is about to be up for them, too. It's not a pretty sight, and it leads the local TV news every night.

I have met some of the allegedly-involved government officials at various functions in the Peru Congress, and it's sad to see them end up this way. It also makes me realize that we need to be careful with the associations that we make in international ministry.

As foreigners, a lot of people may be drawn to us out of interest or curiosity in our ministry. Many may want to practice their language skills with us. Most of the time, the associations will be innocent and worthwhile and beneficial, but you also need to know that there will be those out there who will try to take advantage of you or your ministry for bad purposes.

Frequently, there is a mindset that foreign ministries are loaded with cash, so there will be those that will look at you as a bank and nothing else. We always have people hitting us up for money, even if they've never attended a single church service at FRC-Lima and don't even know my name. Sometimes the need is legitimate, but we've also run into several cases where someone was simply out to rip off the church and separate us from what God has blessed us with as stewards.

The associations between greedy politicians and seedy businessmen has caused scandal and ruined lives here in Peru. You may not be facing the same Page-1-newspaper-headlines sort of controversy in your international ministry right now, but beware. The wolves are out there, licking their chops, waiting to pounce on you and devour you, and then leaving others to pick at your bones when they are gone.

Be careful with whom you associate. We know that Jesus hung out with all sorts of n'er-do-wells, including thieves, corrupt tax collectors, and prostitutes, but He never was stained by them. Do likewise. Be wise in your associations, befriend the friendless, and serve the least of the brethren, but be extremely careful that at the end of the day the reputation of you and your ministry remains spotless.

Change The World

Today I want to add to yesterday's blog post about next week's US presidential election, and whether our political activism and/or support of Obama or McCain may help us or hurt us in international ministry.

Troy Gramling, our lead pastor here at Flamingo Road Church, recently said that Obama and McCain only get to be President of the United States, but you and I get to change the world. We get to work for God, build up His kingdom, and lead people to the feet of Christ. That's a whole lot more than the next occupant of the White House gets to do.

Perry Noble of NewSpring Church in Anderson, South Carolina, made similar remarks earlier this year when I heard him speak at a conference in Dallas, Texas. He said that people need to see Jesus, more than political candidates or issues, when they see your church or ministry. I'd add that this should apply to churches and ministries internationally, and not just in the USA.

If you're a US citizen, then pray, vote next Tuesday, and then pray a whole lot more for whoever wins, because that person is inheriting a wagon-load of problems. Use your conversations about the US presidential election, wherever you are in the world, to tell others that God is in control, no matter who wins and who loses. That sort of testimony will go even further than your vote in this election.

Rock The Vote

The US presidential election is a week and a day away. Here in Lima, every Peruvian I meet wants to know who I'm voting for: Obama or McCain. I don't tell them, as I don't want to alienate half of them, one way or another.

I'm sure that the same thing is happening to American expats all across the globe, and so it's extremely important in the coming week that you be very careful when you are drawn into a conversation about the US election.

Everyone reading this blog has political convictions, and most folks like to trumpet their favorite candidate and political party in the days leading up to a big election. But will this aid you in your international ministry? Will pasting a bumper sticker for Obama or hammering a yard sign for McCain help you bring people to the feet of Jesus Christ? Make sure that your political convictions do not trump your spiritual convictions, and in turn compromise the vision that God has given you.

Matthew 17:8 (NIV), in describing Christ's transfiguration, says, "When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus."

It should be the same in your international ministry. Let those whom you are serving, no matter where in the world you are, see not Barack Obama or John McCain, but only Jesus Christ.

Go Back To The Drawing Board

There once was an artist who came up with an idea for a cartoon rabbit. The idea turned out to be a pretty good one. He quickly found a distributor, and soon his rabbit was the star of cartoon shorts in movie houses all across the USA.

The artist, however, was naive in the ways of business. When it came time to renew his contract with the distributor, he learned that the distributor had secretly stolen away all the rights to the cartoon rabbit, and also had secretly hired away all of the artist's assistants who helped him draw the cartoon shorts.

The artist was devastated. He had already declared bankruptcy once in his life, and now he was looking straight down the barrel of another financial disaster. All of his hard work and creativity and dreams seemingly had been for nothing.

The artist got on a train in New York. He had a long trip back to his home in Los Angeles. He didn't know what to do, or what the next step was that he should take. He took his drawing board out of his bag and began to doodle. This was something that always brought him pleasure and comfort, even in life's darkest moments. The artist began to doodle some other animals. He was trying to think of another idea that would be even bigger and better than the rabbit.

The artist came up with the idea of a cartoon mouse.

The artist was Walt Disney.

His creation was Mickey Mouse.

You know the rest of the story.

In your international ministry, you will have seasons of heartbreak and betrayal. People you trust will knife you right in the back, and people you thought were your friends turn out to be your worst enemies. Your plans and your vision may be in jeopardy. Fear not.

You can always go back to the drawing board.

Whenever I hear this story of how Walt Disney came up with the idea for Mickey Mouse, I am reminded of God's words in Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

I know nothing of the spiritual life of Walt Disney. But I do know that the story of how he came up with the idea for Mickey Mouse should inspire all of us to keep moving forward in our ministries, even when the enemy has stomped all over us and has seemingly ripped our vision away from us. If that is happening to you right now in your international ministry, then go back to the drawing board.

It made all the difference in the world for Walt Disney, and it'll make all the difference in the world for you, too.

Bigfoot

I have no idea if Bigfoot (a/k/a Sasquatch) is real or not, but I know one thing: I want to be Bigfoot.

I say this because of a brief conversation I had on Sunday after our FRC-Lima services were over. As church in a cinema, we have to set up everything early on Sunday morning, and then break down and store everything after the services are finished. On my way out the door in the afternoon, with everything packed up and gone, a first-time visitor remarked to me, "It's as if the church was never here!"

He was right, of course. The cinema is spotless when we leave on Sunday afternoon after the services, with not a sign or a banner or an information table or even a bulletin left behind that would show that we had been worshipping there on Sunday morning in two services.

That's the way we want to leave the cinema. But that's the only place where I want it to be said about our ministry that "it's as if the church was never here!"

In every other area, and in every other way, I want to have a huge impact wherever we go, leading countless people to the feet of Christ, and bearing a whole bunch of fruit. In every other area, and in every other way, I want to leave a huge footprint behind, so that everyone knows that we were here, loving God and others, and serving God and others. In every other area, and in every other way, I want to be Bigfoot!

Don't leave mouse tracks behind you when you do international ministry! Let 'em know you were here! Be Bigfoot!

Crisis & Opportunity

The US economy is in the tank. Banks are failing, there's corruption on Wall Street, the stock market is sinking like a rock, people are losing their jobs and their homes, no one can get credit, and a gallon of gas is as expensive as a cup of coffee at Starbucks. The whole world is feeling the effect of this crisis, and it's a real question as to how much a new US president can do to reverse things.

But even in the midst of this crisis, we see an opportunity. We don't understand it, but we see it.

As the US economy has declined, the value of the US dollar overseas has risen. That's right. The US economy is weaker at home, but the US dollar is stronger abroad.

I don't understand it. I'm not an economist, and I would've assumed that the value of the US dollar would sink right along with the US economy. But it's just the reverse!

This has created an opportunity for us here in Peru, as our US dollars now have more purchase power than they did in the past. This allows us to do more with our ministry, to reach and impact more people, and to bear more fruit.

Check out the daily exchange rates wherever you are doing international ministry, and find out how the US dollar is doing. I bet it's up wherever you are. If you are able to do ministry using US dollars, then take advantage of this opportunity to make the most out of the rising US dollar. It's not known how long this opportunity will last, so take advantage of this positive situation as quickly as you can.

(Don't) Send Me!

Charles Swindoll has said that when he was starting out in ministry, he told God to send him anywhere that God wanted Swindoll to pastor a church, except for three places: New England, California, and Texas.

Can you guess the three places that God sent Chuck Swindoll to do ministry over the course of his life?

New England, California, and Texas!

Whenever I am reminded of Swindoll's story, I think of Isaiah 6:8 (NIV), "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"

I must ask you this question today: is God nudging your heart to do international ministry in a certain place, and are you resistant to go?

Do you hear the voice of God saying to you, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

If so, what is your response to His nudging?

"Here am I. Send me!"

Or, "Here am I. Don't send me!"

I am posting this blog in Lima, Peru. In recent days Marxist terrorists, in alliance with narcotraffickers, have killed nearly 20 people in the jungle. The Shining Path terrorists are rising up again in Peru, and they are trying to re-establish another reign of terror, just as they did in the 1980s and early 1990s in Peru, when they killed over 70,000 people, including about 10,000 Christians. Peru also is reeling from an enormous government corruption scandal which has led to the resignation of the President's entire cabinet. One ex-minister has fled the country to avoid arrest due to his role in the scandal. The city of Lima also is awash in a crime wave right now. The daily newspapers and nightly TV news are filled with reports of more murders, kidnappings, and armed robberies all across the city.

Lima - and all of Peru - is a challenging place to do ministry right now, but I also know that this is where God wants us to be at this time. And I say this as someone who has been the victim of a violent attempted kidnapping, when two armed men tried to force me into a waiting car and hold me for ransom.

Ministry can be very difficult, but being outside of God's will for your life is even more difficult.

Is there a Nineveh and a Tarshish in your life or ministry? Is there a Nineveh where God desperately wants to send you, but you'd rather hide out in the Tarshish of your life instead?

Is God hearing you say, "Send me!"

Or is He hearing you say, "Don't send me!"

International ministry is not for the faint of heart or soul. God may be nudging your heart to minister in a dangerous part of the world. Perhaps it is a place that is extremely inhospitable to Christians. Perhaps it is a placed plagued by terrorists. Perhaps it is a war zone. Wherever it is, and no matter how hard of a place it may be, if God wants you there, then you need to go.

Today God may be asking you, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

Make sure He hears you respond, "Here am I. Send me!"

Small, Medium, & Large

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and "Purpose Driven Life" fame has said in the past, when talking about church and ministry growth and impact, "when you're small, others ignore you; when you're medium-size, others take credit for your growth; when you're large, others criticize you."

This is something that you're going to have to deal with in your international ministry.

As your international ministry grows and impacts more people and bears more fruit, you will quickly discover that not everyone else is going to be celebrating along with you. Not everyone else is going to be happy about your success. In fact, you're quickly going to discover that some others will be down right angry about your success. As your ministry grows, the amount of criticism and negativity directed against you and your ministry will grow, too.

Sadly, there are several churches and ministries out there that see all of this as nothing more than a big competition. If they see you bearing more fruit than them, however it is measured, then they may start to go postal on you. The vast majority of the criticism and negativity directed against you - probably 98% of it - will be based on nothing more than ministerial jealousy and envy. I've seen this happen all over the world, including in the USA, Peru, Cuba, England, Russia, and Israel.

As Rodney King so aptly put it, "Can't we all just get along?"

Some of the gravest wounds that you will suffer in international ministry will be the result of friendly fire. Some of the gravest wounds that you will suffer in international ministry will come from the "Christian" world, not the secular world.

Be careful not to lose your focus and vision when the bullets start flying. Be careful not to stoop to the same low level as those who have gone postal against you. The enemy would like nothing more than to see you get right down there in the mud with them, and therefore gravely injure two ministries instead of just one. Those who have gone negative against you will have to answer to God for their harmful words and actions - but remember that you, too, will have to answer to God for your response to them.

Opportunities Or Distractions?

Andy Stanley is the founding pastor of North Point Community Church in Atlanta, and he wrote a great book called "Visioneering." In this book, Andy writes about how every day we will receive opportunities that will have the potential to distract us from what God wants us to accomplish, and how we must learn to say no to some good things in order to accomplish the most important things.

Andy talks about how we will receive entertainment opportunities, athletic opportunities, financial opportunities, relational opportunities, religious opportunities, investment opportunities, career opportunities, business opportunities, and vacation opportunities, and how the opportunities with the greatest potential to distract us are almost always good opportunities, not bad ones. However, pursuing these opportunities will cause us to make less progress toward what God has us here to do for Him, and will kill any chances of accomplishing the vision that God has given to you.

This is such important advice, and I see this all the time in our international ministry here in Peru. Every day I receive invitations to attend local conferences, or to sit in on meetings, or to fill up my day with other engagements, commitments, and cups of coffee. Almost none of it is bad stuff, but unless God was to supernaturally extend my day by several hours, I simply can't do it. This means that I have to say no to some people and to some opportunities. I always try to say no in the most positive and diplomatic way possible, but sometimes it is not received well.

It is important to guard your vision and your ministry jealously, because it is easy to dilute it by trying to do too much other stuff. It is very common for locals to want a foreigner to serve on a committee, or to attend a meeting, or to provide leadership or counsel to their own ministries, or to speak at a conference or at a church service. It's all good stuff, but if it's causing vision leak, then you've got to give it up, and you've got to start to say no to some people and to some opportunities.

Ask God to give you the wisdom and discernment necessary to know the difference between good-but-not-vital opportunities and vision-enhancing opportunities. The line between the two can be very fine sometimes, and only God can give you the wisdom and discernment to know the difference between them. Ask Him about it, and He'll give you the answer that you need.

Workin' For A Livin'

It is very important to understand the work and employment culture wherever you are doing international ministry.

Example: Here in Peru, the typical workday runs from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM. This means that if we have a ministry meeting, most Peruvians will not be able to arrive until after 8:00 PM, particularly if they are working full-time. No one in Peru is singing "9 to 5" with Dolly Parton. Peruvians sing "9 to 8."

As well, there is almost nothing in terms of workers' rights or union protection here in Peru. Overtime is frequently demanded, without any additional pay. If a worker wants to leave the office early - let's say for a ministry meeting or study - then he or she risks being fired, as it is not work-related or a family emergency. It's a tough situation in a country where unemployment and under-employment is around 50%.

In our case, knowledge and understanding of the Peru work culture helps us to make our ministry more effective. It allows us to know more precisely when to schedule meetings and conferences and studies.

It is just as important that you know the work culture wherever you are doing international ministry. Don't try to schedule an after-work meeting at 6:00 PM if everyone there is working until 8:00. All you'll do is scratch your head and wonder why no one showed up. It's probably not the case that people don't want to attend, but that they fear losing their jobs if they cut out of work early. It's important to know the difference, and to know the local employment culture, and to ... work ... around it.

The Larry Lesson

A few days ago I blogged about my encounter with Red Sox great Ted Williams down at spring training in the 1980s. Today I want to share with you another story of another encounter with another Boston sports legend.

The 1980s was an awesome decade for the Boston Celtics, the 17-time NBA World Champions. The Celtics of the '80s were led by stars such as Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Bill Walton, Danny Ainge, and Dennis Johnson. Oh, and there was one other player, too, who contributed a little bit to the success of the 1980s Celtics teams. His name was Larry Bird.

Larry Bird was the greatest NBA player of the last three decades. You can have your Dr. J, your Michael Jordan, your Magic Johnson, your Kareem, your Shaq, your whoever, but Larry beat 'em all.

I used to go to Celtics games a lot in the '80s at the old, musty, dusty, cramped, but altogether glorious old Boston Garden, which of course is pronounced "Gah-den" when it's pronounced correctly. The gates at the old Gah-den opened an hour before the game, and usually I was right there when the gates opened so I could try to score a few autographs before the game.

Normally I was one of the first fans to arrive in the old Garden. And frequently, when I made my way down to courtside, there'd be exactly one player out on the fabled parquet floor, warming up an hour before the game.

It would always be Larry Bird.

Larry would be out there an hour before the game, by himself, alone, practicing free throws or 3-pointers. I was mesmerized to watch Larry swish ball after ball. I think he could've done it blindfolded.

As I think back to those moments watching Larry Bird practice by himself in the old Boston Garden, it makes me think of how we can apply this Larry Lesson to international ministry.

What impressed me so much about Bird practicing silently by himself an hour before game time was that he already was the best player in the game! If there was anybody who could probably walk in off the street 5 minutes before the game, throw on his #33 Celtics jersey and shorts, and still go out and light it up for 40 points, it would be Larry.

But there he was, already the best player of his time, still out there with nobody else, still working to make himself an even better player.

We need to have the same attitude as Larry Bird when it comes to international ministry. We need to be out there, alone, by ourselves, silent, practicing, and perfecting the little things that become very big things once the game begins. We can never rest on our laurels. We can never think that we've become so good at whatever we do that we don't need to practice anymore. We need to be out there even when no one else is, perfecting our ministry, always seeking to improve, always seeking to bear more fruit.

That's what made Larry Bird ... Larry Bird.

That's the Larry Lesson for today.

It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

How well do your neighbors know you?

Wherever in the world that you do ministry - do your residential and commercial neighbors know who you are and what you do?

Do the people who live on the same street as you, or in the same apartment building as you - do they know about you and your ministry?

Do they know you at the local supermarket?

Or at the local restaurants and cafes?

How about at the local gas station?

Or the local laundromat?

Or pharmacy?

Or bookstore?

Or at the local schools and universities?

How well do they know you - wherever you are?

Have you made a footprint in your community?

Have you ever walked your neighborhood or community or city?

Too many international ministries want to have an impact in foreign lands, but then adopt a circle-the-wagons mindset once they get there, hanging out with like-minded foreigners and ministry partners, and never getting a feel for the place where they are.

Walk your neighborhood. Say hello to your neighbors.

Frequent local shops, restaurants, and cafes. Chat with the employees. They're always interested to know why a foreigner has arrived in their country. Also be a generous tipper.

By doing this, you will become more embedded in the local community, and the word will spread about your ministry, and you'll make more friends and contacts, and eventually you'll bear more fruit which, as Jesus tells us in John 15:8, is really what it's all about.

Get out there, neighbor!

Goin' To The Chapel

There is one big difference between wedding traditions in the US and in Peru. In the US, it's traditional for the bride's family to pay for the wedding. In Peru, it's the exact opposite: it's traditional for the groom and his family to pay for the wedding. I discovered this difference when I married my Peruvian bride!

One day I was explaining this difference to a Peruvian pastor, and I asked him what he thought about it.

His response: "In Peru, have daughters. In the US, have sons!"

Keep Your Eye On The Ball!

I grew up in Boston, MA, and every March during that glorious decade known as the '80s I would go down to Winter Haven, FL, to watch my beloved Boston Red Sox in spring training.

It's easy to be a Red Sox fan these days, with 2 World Series championships in 4 seasons, but back in the day we were traumatized by the foul memories of Bucky Dent, Mookie Wilson, and other post-season Red Sox debacles, and being a Red Sox fan had a certain stigma attached to it.

One March in the '80s when I was watching the Red Sox in Winter Haven, I ventured down to one of the minor league fields to try to hustle an autograph or two. When I arrived there, I saw a large man with a loud voice, clad in his white, double-knit Red Sox uniform, shouting instructions to a bunch of nervous-looking minor leaguers trying to make the Show.

"Keep your eye on the ball!" the Red Sox coach boomed at the minor league hitters. "You've got to focus! Watch the bat meet the ball!"

Watch the bat meet the ball? Was this guy crazy? Did he have any idea how impossible that was to do? I played baseball in my younger days, and I knew that this guy was asking the minor leaguers to do something absolutely impossible.

Then I got a glimpse at the number on the back of this crazy coach's uniform.

It was #9.

It was Ted Williams.

The greatest hitter in baseball history.

The Red Sox minor leaguers were learning from the master. It'd be like taking painting lessons from Picasso, or guitar lessons from Eric Clapton.

"Keep your eye on the ball! Focus!" Ted Williams kept barking at the minor leaguers.

As I reflect on Teddy Ballgame's words today, I realize that it's much the same in international ministry.

The enemy is going to do everything that he can to make you lose your focus and to take your eye off the ball. He'll throw curveballs, knuckleballs, and right-under-the-chin fastballs to knock you on your seat. The enemy will try to cause you to focus on absolutely anything but your ministry. He'll try to cause you to focus on language problems, cultural problems, visa problems, customs problems, tax problems, medical problems, denominational problems, technology problems, weather problems, team problems, governmental problems, financial problems, Wall Street problems, family problems, parent problems, children problems, or whatever it takes to cause you to lose your focus.

Stay focused on the ministry at hand. Keep your eye on the ball! Excel and focus on your ministry the same way that Ted Williams excelled and focused on his hitting, and watch your ministry become Hall of Fame-worthy in no time.

Money, It's A Gas

Peruvians are breathlessly running up to me these days, full of panicky questions about the US financial crisis.

"Will the New York Stock Exchange collapse like it did in 1929?"

"Will this effect my family in the US?"

"Will my family lose their bank savings?"

"Can I still get a job in the US?"

"How does this affect the economy in Peru?"

"How does this affect the free trade agreement between the US and Peru?"

"Does this affect the Lima Stock Exchange?"

"Can I change my US Dollars for Peruvian Soles?"

There's panic on Wall Street and on Main Street in the US, and in Ovalo Gutierrez in Lima, Peru.

The US financial crisis is Issue #1 in both the US and Peru, and also all around the world.

Our Lead Pastor at Flamingo Road Church, Troy Gramling, recently said how the US financial crisis presents all of us with an opportunity to share with others about the lessons of Matthew 6:19-34, and how Jesus talks about storing up treasures in heaven, and not on earth, and how where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Jesus goes on to say how you cannot serve both God and Money, and that worrying about all of this won't add even a single hour to your life. In fact, it may subtract from it.

This same opportunity exists in international ministry. No matter where God has placed you on this planet, there is an excellent chance that people there are talking about the US financial crisis and bank failures, and wondering and worrying about how it might affect them personally. The US financial crisis is a global issue, not a national one, and it also presents a huge opportunity for you to share the same lessons of Matthew 6:19-34 with the citizens of whatever country you are in.

Take advantage of this opportunity! It's like taking a wide-open jump shot or swatting a hanging curveball. People are worried and anxious all over the world, including wherever you are, and God can use you to calm them down about this financial crisis, and to get them to focus on the words of Jesus about true treasures, true service, and true peace.

Mr. Personality

Earlier this year I was at a conference in Dallas, TX, and I heard Bishop T. D. Jakes of The Potter's House say that a church mirrors the personality of its pastor, whether that personality is warm and friendly, or cold and icy.

This is something that is so true - and so important - in international ministry, and it is something that many foreigners struggle with when they leave their own country and culture for a new one.

Different countries, regions, and even continents around the world have different cultural reputations when it comes to friendliness or iciness. Here in Lima, Peruvians have a well-earned reputation for being warm, friendly, social, and conversational. We try to mirror that cultural warmth at Flamingo Road Church. As campus pastor, I spend a lot of time in the lobby after each service, greeting people, chatting with them, praying with them, and answering questions about the church, all in an attempt to help personalize FRC-Lima and to make it a warmer and friendlier place, and reflective of Peruvian culture. Our First Impressions team at church (ushers and greeters) also does a great job with this.

I have seen foreigners, though, from "less-warm" countries or regions around the world who have come to Peru, and who have struggled mightily with this. They seem to think that presence, not personality, will be the key to their ministry success. Usually they fail.

It is important to adopt the cultural personality of the country or region where you are doing international ministry. In 1 Corinthians 9:22, Paul talks about becoming all things to all men, so that by all possible means he might save some. Apply that same philosophy to your international ministry. Be very intentional in embracing the cultural personality where you are - and not where you are from - and watch what a difference it will make in your ministry.