The Gathering

The current economic crisis in the US (and globally) has everyone in a dither.  September 2008 will forever be remembered as the time when everything changed.  Investment banks are virtually gone, those companies who were too big to fail, failed.  Banks who reported healthy balance sheets in August were gobbled up in Sept., the US Congress refused the President…Paulson and Bernake’s warning of financial armageddon.

The old adage, “work smarter, not harder” sounds good, but no matter how smart nor how hard the experts are working, nothing seems to turn the tide.  Of course, that is from the perspective of this one moment in time and eventually somebody will get it right.

In the mean time, while we, the common folk, watch our retirement balances hemorrahge,  it is good to be reminded of a Biblical perspective.  There are times when God deliberately witholds something good and times when you can’t stop Him from being the great Provider. An example of God’s hand deliberately closed is in Haggai 1:5-6.  ”This is what the Lord Almighty says: Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little.  You eat, but never have enough.  You drink, but never have your fill.  You put on clothes, but are not warm.  You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”What was the big idea God was getting across?  Israel had neglected to remember God in their time of abundance (evidenced by neglecting the house of God) so he let them experienced the frustration of unproductive work.

It reminds me of a type of discipline used by a home for troubled boys in Georgia, The Eagle Ranch.  One day I drove on to the property to visit my daughter’s family and saw a teenage boy hauling rocks in a wheel barrow from one point to another about 50 yards away.  He had to dump the rocks, then put them back in the wheel barrow and retrace his steps 50 yards and start over.  Of course I wanted to know what this was all about and my daughter, Erica, said he was being disciplined by experiencing  frustration of work without accomplishment.

God’s discipline always has corrective behavior as the goal, not punishment for the sake of punishment.  On the other hand, He promises to provide for those who are faithful  (according to his timetable) even when it seems your efforts are not enough.  Solomon said in Psalm 127:2 “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat–for he grants sleep to those he loves.”  There are two ways this passage is interpreted by the experts.  One, He gives sleep to those He loves…a wonderful gift when you are going through a time of stress.  Another interpretation says He gives to those He loves even while they are sleeping…and have no impact on the provision that is coming their way.

Either way, I sum it up by these thoughts.  When you have done all you can do, do more.  When you have given all you can give, give more.  When everything looks bleak and you are at the end of your resources, get some sleep and let God do what God is going to do.    I don’t believe that is fatalism, it is a step of faith in the light of what God says in His word.

Larry Kreider

Doug Holladay, co founder of Park Avenue Equity Partners, is a long time friend and speaker we often call on for both The Gathering/USA events and Lifework Leadership classes around the country. Recently he sent an email called Holladay Musing, his perspective of current events in light of Kingdom values. I found it so compelling I decided to quote a big section of it and let you grasp the importance of what he said.

“As a young White House staffer during the Reagan years, I found myself one day in a smallish room off of the oval office. (Yes, the same one that became quite well known during a later administration). Present were the troika, Chief of Staff James Baker, former attorney General Edwin Meese and the late Michael Deaver, head of White House Communications…and for some explicable reason…I. What struck me most profoundly about that hour was the kindness and lack of judgement of President Reagan. Anytime one of his political enemies, such as Senator Kennedy, was mentioned in some less than flattering way, the President would strongly speak up and point out their virtues and fine traits, and in Kennedy’s case, how that remarkable family had suffered. I counted at least four times that he acted so nobly. I wandered back to my office with the thought in mind, “I want to be like that.”

Holladay went on to say, “When I was 17, I memorized a passage of scripture that continues to challenge me to look first at my own life before I throw stones at others. Read it aloud a few times and consider the profundity of it’s message.”"Now if you feel inclined to set yourself up as a judge of those who sin, let me assure you, whoever you are. You are in no position to do so. For at whatever point you judge others, you judge yourself, since you the judge commit the same sins.” Romans 3:9-10

In the heat of both the summer months and the political drama of the Presidential campaign, it would be good to remember there is a difference between an opponent and an enemy. That is also true of competitive business arenas or, God forbid, people who set themselves against our cherished religious groups.

Larry Kreider

Ed Silvoso, author of the book, Anointed for Business, describes four categories of Christians he has observed in the workplace. As I mention each of the four, you might do a quick inventory to see where you fit.

1. The Christian who is simply trying to survive.

In the current economic environment in which we find ourselves, surviving is a good thing. However, if you have little purpose or zeal for your work, it will be hard to hide from either those who work for you or for your network. You may appear bogged down like Solomon…”So my heart began to depair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.” Ecc. 2:20

The Gallup organization found that there is virtually no difference between the morality of non-believers and Christians. More than likely, the survey reflects the attitude of a type one Christian.

2. The Christian who is living by Christian Principles

America loves programs or systems to create change. Twelve steps to do this…7 steps to do that… or 10 ways to become whatever. They employ the principles but often miss the spirit behind the principles or the power to enact real change. Real values are found through life change and are taught by modeling more than dispensing information. Paul said, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that you faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” I Cor. 2:4-5

3. The Christian who is living by the power of the Holy Spirit

A level 3 Christian has a heart toward God and follows His leading in their life. They are faithfully found in God’s word, the are obedient to His will and they pray about all things. They don’t deny the importance of using your God-given talents or brain, but they know better than to put their full weight on something that is fallable. They seek for the supernatural insight regarding business decisions as well. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit..” 1 Cor. 12: 7-9

4. The Christian who is transforming their workplace for Christ

Level 4 Christianity flows of level 3. These Christians feel called to their position in the workplace as much as a minister feels called to pastor a church. They seek to be so consistent in their business practices that their employees are drawn toward their faith, not repelled by it.

They seek to distribute their profits for the welfare of the city, nation and the larger Kingdom of God. They seek to leverage their position for a winsome witness as one business owner who gave the following instructions to his employees: Speak peace to the wolves, bless those who curse you, eat and drink with sinners, become their friends, pray for them and their needs. These were strict orders. They were not to share their faith until they met these requirements for two years. The net result? Nearly all of their employees eventually trusted Christ. That’s what you call transformation.

Larry Kreider

We created this ministry to reflect our mission, The Gathering of Men, later to be shortened and made official as The Gathering/USA,Inc. Our mission field was the US, and we set out to start affiliate chapters that would join us in the adventure of “winning men, building men.”

We expanded into other cities, finding a leader who shared the vision and had the capacity to make it happen in places like West Palm Beach, Baton Rouge, Houston, Ft. Bend County, Tx., San Antonio, Dallas, Los Angeles, Columbus, Ohio, Springfield, Ohio, Pittsburg, Myrtle Beach and a few others. Within the past couple of years that vision caught on in South Africa, though this wasn’t our first International exposure.. that came through our mission intiatives to the Dominican Republic through Mission Emanuel.

Our first official book published by The Gathering was The Four Priorities by Dr. John Tolson and myself. We never intended it to be more than a small group study experience for the English speaking world. Then one day a man said he wanted it published in Spanish and in Portugese. He was the owner of an international corporation and he wanted his employees to benefit from the 40 chapters that dealt with most of the priority topics you can find in scripture. Now we can take the Spanish version of The Four Priotities with us help disciple men in the villages impacted by Mission Emanuel.

Then a voice mail waited for me upon my arrival yesterday from Santo Domingo. Paul Huddle, our director in the LA area had just finished teaching a seminar on the importance of The Four Priorities and, as he said, “I’m so excited I can’t stand straight” I told him that might be a problem.

He then asked how I would feel if the book was translated into Madarin Chinese? The day after his seminar a Phillipine missionary was on a plane to China and he wanted to introduce the concept to the leaders involved in the home church movement. He said they were looking for discipleship material that was structured and thorough at the same time. I told Paul I know very little about international publication but we will go one step at a time, trusting God to open the doors that He wants opened.

We continue our work to disciple men (and now women as well) in the US and to open new cities with full time leadership. The international thing is more a curiosity to us at this point than an intentional strategy. That makes it really fun. Like the Phairisee Gamaliel said in Acts 5, “..for if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men..”

Larry Kreider

At a recent Gathering of Men staff conference held in Celebration, Fl., there were two representatives from South Africa. One is our national director, Sam Zakay, who will be starting the ministry in Port Elizabeth. The other is Gene Pretorius, who came to be trained for starting the work in Cape Town.

These are men of great vision and enthusiasm for reaching men in the context of their country. Both have overcome great difficulties to arrive at their current level of leadership. Pray for them as they return to implement all that they learned in a land where there is no competition. Men’s ministry is a new idea, but even as here, greatly needed.

Larry Kreider

Several weeks ago I attended a meeting in Phoenix and met Safa Hijazeen, a young man in his late 20’s who is now the head of Manara Ministries in Jordan. I’ve known Safa’s family for years, his father, Isam, invited The Gathering of Men to send work teams on several occasions to help build facilities at their Camp Gilead, in the hills above the Jordan River.

It may be one of the most important youth camps in the world. Eighty percent of all decisions for Christ in the Country of Jordan take place at Camp Gilead. In 1990 I led a small group of men who were given the task to lay the foundation for an outdoor pavilion, which would be the main meeting place for the camp.

The Jordanian engineers had rigorous requirements for this foundation, or slab, because on it would be erected a steel frame to hold a canvas skin. At first, we Americans were skeptical as to why such a strong foundation was necessary, after all it was basically just a big tent. Later we learned that there were often strong winds on those hills and the stress on the structure would be significant.

Fortunately, God had arranged for an architect and a couple of builders to be on our team. In fact, one was responsible for the current expansion efforts at the Orlando International airport. But when we arrived, we realized we would be working with “old technology”. Instead of a transit, we used a center stake and a ball of twine to mark out the perimeter of the octagon slab. We dug footer ditches by hand, we tied rebar, we mixed concrete and the professionals among us smoothed out final product to be as level as humanly possible. At the end of the week, the slab was in place and the supports were being erected.

Fast forward to my recent meeting with Safa. He told the story of how recently a Muslim Sheik had visited the camp, mostly out of curiosity to see what facilities had been built. When he came to the pavilion, he took about 5 minutes to walk around, look at it from different angles, get down on his knees and eyeball it from ground level, and scratch his beard in contemplation. Then he said, “local contractors didn’t build this pavilion, but whoever did, put their heart into it.”

I’ve lost track of most of those men who were on the trip. They have moved on, but oh how I wish I could tell them this story. Because of their dedication and service, 17 years later, their work stands as a testimony to a ‘job well done’.

Larry Kreider

When the thermometer was topping out at 96 degrees in most places in the US, my wife and I took a break and went to Frisco, Colorado. The air was thin and dry, and at night we slept with covers as it cooled off to 32 degrees and even left traces of frost the next morning.

Indian Summer in the Rockies is exhilarating. The wildlife, wild flowers, hiking trails, creeks and lakes, and even a spot of left-over snow drifts up toward the 10,000 ft. elevation makes it a visual feast. But then there’s the big problem. Everyone is talking about it, acres upon acres of reddish brown forests swirled among the green Lodge Pole Pines. It’s a cancer that can’t be stopped. It gets worse every summer.

On one of our hikes we passed a fire ranger who was clearing dead wood and thinning the forest near the perimeter of the city of Frisco. I asked him how bad this beetle infestation was going to get. He wasn’t encouraging, he said they would probably loose 90-95% of the Lodge Pole Pines to the beetles. It was a contagion, which meant a cross-country spillover…at least for 800,000 acres in Southern Wyoming and Northern Colorado.

The word contagion has been heard a lot recently, mostly a term relevant to the sub-prime meltdown in the residential mortgage industry. People can’t pay the increased adjusted mortgage rates, which spreads to the lenders both in the US and overseas. The ripple effect continues with tens of thousands who had anything to do with residential construction loosing their jobs. Or then, there is the contagion of an out-of-control disease like the bird flu or some other virus.

The Bible also talks about contagion, especially in Romans 5:12. “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—” Never has this verse become so visually apparent. Whole sides of mountains are wiped out and transformed from green to red. Sin is not just an occasional foul-up on our part. We have the potential of affecting others by our bad example and before you know it, wipe out.

Thank God for the universal antidote found in Christ. When God looks at us, the first color he sees is red, but this time it is His own blood. And for those who have accepted Him, the green sprigs of new life continue to grow and offer the world hope. But unlike the Rockies, we don’t have to wait for decades before the green returns, it can happen immediately.

Larry Kreider

Every once in awhile we need someone to stir things up among believers and get them to re-engage their brain and their heart regarding the foundations of their faith. One of the great dangers is that Christians preach eloquently to the choir but it is a meaningless exercise regarding the public square.

This stirring up process can come in different forms. The most common is coming face to face with a crises. When you get a bad medical report from your doctor, your marriage is stressed out, a son or daughter is driving you crazy, or you are on the brink of financial disaster, you have to determine whether your spiritual presuppositions are going to hold up. Usually your prayer goes something like this; “God, if you are there I need you now and I need you right away.”

Another thing that can stir your faith is when someone of intellectual substance says your ideas about God have no substance and your are being duped to blindly follow the masses regarding something you call faith, but in reality is just wishful thinking. There are a group of thinkers on the scene who are called “the new atheists” and an in-depth article introducing them and their worldview can be found in Wired Magazine. The best way to access the article is to google the Wired article: The church of the Non-Believers.

Lest you get concerned that their thoughts are unchallenged or unequaled, scientist Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, has recently written a book, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. You may not understand everything he says but you will be glad he is on our side.

I personally welcome “the new atheism”. We need it. We need the challenge. We need to sharpen our thoughts regarding science, history, creation vs. evolution, etc. Speaking of evolution, did you know that Darwin developed a growing resistance to Christianity, not because of his thoughts about evolution but because of his criticism of 19th-century doctrine and the tragedy of his daughter’s death. The source of this information is Oxford professor of science and religion, John Hedley Brooke.

A civil dialogue and debate regarding these issues can lead to a renewal of your soul when you realize how valid our faith really is when it is not led astray by fuzzy thinking.

Parents are often asked by school age children or pre-teens about the age of the earth or the universe. They learn about this in science class and then they wonder how that stacks up with what the Bible says. They remember something about God creating the universe in six days.

Recently I saw Dr. Hugh Ross being interviewed on the John Ankerberg TV Show and was once again grateful for a man like Ross who, as an astrophysicist, could take very complex scientific data and make it understandable. Most important, is his deep commitment to Christ combined with an unwavering commitment to the scientific method. He’s been attacked relentlesly by young-earth Christians who see him as the enemy because he says the big bang is the same thing as the creation event and it all took place 13 billion years ago.

If you want to order books or dvd’s from Dr. Ross go to his website, www.reasons.org, and review what is available. He is one who can show how the Biblical account of creation fits the scientific model. Your kids deserve this solid, fresh approach before they decide to throw their faith out the window because it doesn’t make scientific sense.

Larry Kreider

I knew this might happen someday.  An “event” where we loose all contact via cyberworld, be it email, file or data access.  Well it happened, all because of a demonic squirrel.  I guess he lost his appetite for nuts and moved to finer culinary tastes such as overhead cable lines.  He chewed through the cable and completely shut us down.  So if you have been trying to email us through our addresses associated with thegathering.org, we didn’t get it.  Hopefully we will be operational soon.  My secondary email address is dlkreider@aol.com

Hoping all demons will be exorcised soon.

Larry Kreider