Ryan "not on twitter" Johnston bringing it @ Fight Zone II this am!

Taken at Faith Baptist Church

5 Kinds of People

Sunday night in the sermon, I refered to Gordon MacDonald's 5 kinds of people from Restoring Your Spiritual Passion. I have had several people ask to get the information, so here it is...

5 Kinds of People

1. Very Resourceful People (VRPs) (Paul) - are the people who share our passion and stimulate and challenge us in our ministry.
2. Very Important People (VIPs) (Barnabas) - are those people who share our passion and who share with us in our ministry. VIPs encourage us, sharpen us as peers, hold us accountable, and collaborate with us to achieve Kingdom goals.
3. Very Trainable People (VTPs) (Timothy) - are those people who have potential for ministry, whom we can profitably train. They share our passion, and we invite them along to help them grow We train VTPs most often according to the following informal process: (1) I do, you watch, (2) I do you help, (3) You do, I help, and (4) You do and I move on to do something else.
4. Very Nice People (VNPs) - are just that, but add little to our ministry and do very little ministry themselves. They don't share our passion. They don't challenge us, and they don't contribute to our growth in Christ or to the accomplishment of our mission of making disciples of all nations.
5. Very Draining People (VDPs) - are emotional "black holes" who will easily consume most of our time and energy in ministry if we let them. These are the takers, who seldom become producers or givers. They are needy people who drain us of our strength and time who either refuse t ogrow or are incapable of growth because of some life circumstance.

A significant part of the journey as a disciple is discipline. One often overlooked discipline is managing proactively the way we spend our time and with whom we spend it. Left unchecked, most of us will spend upwards of 80-90% of our lives with VNPs and VDPs. The task of making disciples is our life's mission and is too significant for this type of waste. We must take charge of who we spend our time with as if we are managing a precious investment because we are to spend our lives well for the sake of the nations to the glory of God. Ultimately, how we spend our time and who we spend it with is an act of worship. Taking responsibility for our lives in this way is honoring the price that Christ has paid for us and acknowledging his Lordship over our lives.

How do you maximize the time you spend each week with VRPs, VIPs, or VTPs? Please share your comments!

 

 

Great day in Jackson!

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We have had a wonderful day filled with new friends, bowling, roller skating and catfish at Cock of the Walk. Thank you to our friends at Pine Lake Church and 200 Million Flowers for an awesome time!

Our life and ministry future

Today has been one of those days in ministry that is a mixture of great and difficult.

Today, I announced that I will be leaving Temple Baptist Church to become the Associate Pastor for Equipping and Discipleship at Faith Baptist Church in Bartlett, Tennessee. It has been difficult in that we are saying goodbye to some great friends and to a wonderful season of ministry. We are so grateful for the opportunity to have served and made our home here and to have been able to see God use Temple to plant churches, make disciples, take the gospel to the nations and care for the fatherless.

We have grown and you have ministered to us, and we pray that we have served God well here with you. I look forward to seeing what God will do through Temple to make disciples of all nations into the future!

We have grown as a family (by two), and you were part of that and always will be. We have you as part of our story, and that makes me smile. Thank you!

Soon, we will be transitioning to our new assignment among the people of Faith. We are ready to get started. Me head is swimming already with thoughts of what is to come. I am so excited about the ministry that lies ahead at Faith. I can't wait!

Thank you for praying for us in the transition!

3 Resons Why Orphan Hosting Makes Sense

Especially since the release of Orphanology, lots of the questions and comments I have fielded from people have centered on the theme of orphan hosting. Many people are really curious or even captivated by the idea. Others are wary or even skeptical. While we are in the middle of another hosting event with Promise 139, it has given me a little perspective to revisit why I think orphan hosting makes sense. Here are some thoughts:

1. It personalizes the global orphan crisis. Most of the people who volunteer with our hosting program will never set foot an international orphanage. Through hosting, they have an opportunity to put real faces and real names with the huge orphan problem that exists across the globe. I have heard it said that "once you can see their faces and know their names, you are responsible for them." That's a pretty personal interpretation of the charge in James 1:27. In reality, we are responsible for all of them. When we come to know them, it is we that become aware of our responsibility.
2. Hosting brings hope, and I'm not talking the hope of adoption. One of my favorite stories was the 15-year-old boy who came to us as part of a hosting group. He had been profoundly neglected. He was not sent to school by his mom, and quite frankly, going to the orphanage was a blessing for him. But, he didn't see much of a future for himself. After two weeks among believers in America being loved on unconditionally and shown Christ, he said this. "I am starting to think about the future. Before I didn't think much about it. Seeing how these people love and care for each other inspires me." He had hope. Hope that a good life was possible, and that hope was rooted in Jesus because he had been presented the Good News and it had changed him eternally! He was going home as an adopted son of the King knowing that he had brothers and sisters in America who loved and supported him.
3. Hosting gives an opportunity to earn the right to be influential in the lives of kids the other 50+ weeks a year. By working well with the orphanage and other government officials, you can earn trust to begin to impact kids through transitional programs and through aid that extends throughout the year. Hosting begins the relationship, but it does not have to define it.

I could go on forever, but these are a few of my thoughts. What are yours? I would love to hear from you. You can send questions or comments at the end of this blog or fine me on twitter (@rick_morton) or facebook (www.facebook.com/dr.rick.morton)