Ever had one of those weeks when you have so much to do, and no idea how you’re going to fit it all in? On top of that, add drama at work with some teachers who are making absolutely stupid choices that are unfortunately effecting everyone, and kids that are out of control because they are feeling the stress of the TAKS season…yes, it was one of those weeks for me. All glory to God that I had a great weekend.
It started out with a informative meeting with my ESL Ethiopia team…the girls are excited and seemingly everything is coming into place. I haven’t led a team since 2005, but it gets easier everytime…especially when you have a good team. Saturday, I finished the last of painting my apartment, went shopping, and hung out with some good friends…I even got to read for fun (haven’t got to do that in a few weeks). Today, I slept late (late for me) and got to teach Sunday school. TOOK A NAP (again, can’t remember the last time I did this) and visited with some friends…this afternoon I had a missions meeting at my church, and this is the reason I am writing this post…
This morning, I taught week 3 in a series called History Makers. The focus today was on 20th century missionaries and the impact they made on the Kingdom. Some of the missionaries we talked about were from America and one in particular, Annie Armstrong, never left her home state of Maryland. God used this woman in a big way (and still is using her) and she never went to a foreign land. After class, the church service was about serving those around you..basically doing missions right where you are planted….this afternoon during the missions meeting, we had a church planter from the Boston area come and speak to us…but I was so distracted by God’s voice, I can only tell you bits and pieces of what the guy said.
It all goes back to my struggle with not going to a foreign land full time and God keeping me here in America/Texas…although I do finally have a peace about it and know, for now, this is the right thing…He continues to break my heart for my country. Check out the following statistics:
- Life in America has changed greatly since 1994, with massive changes in technology, global politics, lifestyle choices and family dynamics. But one constant has been the proportion of adults in the population who are unchurched. During that period there have been noteworthy shifts in religious behavior, but the percentage of adults who have steered clear of churches for at least the past six months has remained stable since 1994. A new survey released by The Barna Group, which has been tracking America’s religious behavior and beliefs since 1984, reveals that one out of every three adults (33%) is classified as unchurched – meaning they have not attended a religious service of any type during the past six months. While that figure is considerably higher than the one out of five who qualified as unchurched in the early Nineties, it is statistically unchanged since 36% were recorded as having avoided religious services in the company’s 1994 study.
- When these statistics are projected across the aggregate adult population, the numbers are staggering. An estimated 73 million adults are presently unchurched. When teens and children are added, the total swells to roughly 100 million Americans.
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To put that figure in context, if the unchurched population of the United States were a nation of its own, that group would be the twelfth most populated nation on earth (trailing only China, India, the churched portion of the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia, Japan and Mexico).
Tonight, the church planter told us that in the Boston area alone, 98% are unchurched. Churches are closing down almost weekly and being sold to housing developers and being made into condos. And the reality is that this is happening all over the country, not just in the North East…I could say more, but you get the picture. My heart aches for my country. And I’m glad. It should, and maybe yours should too.
God, you know my hearts cry, and you know I will go where you send me.
Please use me while I am here in America. While I am here in Texas
Continue to break…crush me, until I am nothing, and You are everything.
God, my desire is to stand bare before You, having no more
gifts or talents left because I used them all up here for Your Glory.
Bring people to the cross. Use me to make a difference God.
Amen.
