Externally Focused at Watermark

This week we have a team in Mexico serving in Monterrey.  You can read about what they have been doing on the Watermark Family Ministy Blog.

The External Focus Team is rolling out the first of several Mini “Service Days” for 2009!  Our first one will be Saturday, June 27^th serving with our Apt Life Teams.  We’ll be serving free brunch from 9-12:30pm in 7 different communities throughout Dallas where teams currently serve.  This is a great opportunity for individuals, community groups and families to serve together, enjoy a Saturday breakfast and rub elbows with the community!  Please RSVP to Rachel at rsarmiento@watermark.org or 214-361-2275.”   

I asked the Watermark staff for a list of books that they’re reading this summer.  Here’s what they came up with…

The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith by Tim Keller

When Sinner’s Say I Do: Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage by Dave Harvey

                 Joy Kupp – Marriage Ministry/Re-Engage

Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate by Jerry Bridges

Death by Love: Letters from the Cross by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears

                Aleks Stewart – Celebrate Recovery/Pastoral Care

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall

Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood by Donovan Campbell

                Craig Wenning – Operations

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand

                 Jonathan Pokluda – Young Adults

The Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall

                Melissa McKee – On Your Mark

Fields of the Fatherless: Discover the Joy of Compassionate Living by Tom Davis

                Erynn Shipley – External Focus/Family Ministry

Papa Prayer: The Prayer You’ve Never Prayed by Larry Crabb

                Melissa Miller – Student Ministries

Handle with Care: A Novel by Jodi Picoult

When Sinner’s Say I Do: Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage by Dave Harvey

                Beth Addy – Human Resources 

God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation by Andreas Kostenberger

                Scott Kedersha – Marriage Ministry

 Space Trilogy – Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis

Smith of Wooton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

                Matt Armstrong – Audio/Visual

The Hole in Our Gospel: What does God expect of Us? The Answer that Changed my Life and Might Just Change the World by Richard Stearns

Giving Wisely: Killing With Kindness Or Empowering Lasting Transformation? by Jonathan Martin

                Todd Wagner – Senior Pastor

The Reason for God by Timothy Keller

The God Who is There by Francis A. Schaeffer and James W. Sire

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

                Blake Holmes – Equipping

Compassion, Justice and the Christian Life: Rethinking Ministry to the Poor by Robert D. Lupton

Just Courage: God’s Great Expedition for the Restless Christian by Gary Haugen

                Jeff Ward – External Focus

Thanks to all of your journeying with us on Thursday nights.  There has been some great feedback from folks who attended Week 1!  It is so exciting to be wrestling through this material with you…truly.  Please leave comments to this post and let us know, from the readings, your personal devotions, or interactions with others:

WHAT HAS BEEN CHALLENGING YOU?

Four years ago, if you asked me what God commanded believers to do regarding the poor I would have said “help them” or “serve them,” as if it was an obvious thing that we as Christians do. However, if you looked at my life I was not following this command at all – it was simply head knowledge. But later, I started to become convicted that I was not actively seeking this out nor did I truly have a heart for the poor.  I asked myself why I was just on the sidelines and why I had taken no steps to live as Jesus commanded in this area.  It was then that I learned about the Union Gospel Mission.

I don’t recall if I had any expectations of what my experience was going to be like but I do recall believing I had nothing to offer except maybe a listening ear. The first night I went down to the mission, God captured my heart, and for the first time, my heart was stirred for those in need. My eyes and heart were opened. I now lead Watermark’s efforts at  UGM and don’t view it as “serving” these men so much as developing and enjoying the relationships, enjoying seeing the gratitude on their faces when the Watermark crew shows up, enjoying the challenging conversations, and the “realness” of these men.

The first night I showed up at UGM I heard stories about prison, drugs, and murder, but I also heard men fighting to live for the Lord daily. These men had scriptural knowledge and an earnest dependence on God’s Word, which likewise challenged me to depend more on the Word each day, rather than relying on my own strength…my own wisdom.

These men have led me to see a different person than the stereotypical drunk begging for money on the corner of an intersection. God has allowed me to see these men as broken, desperately needing a Savior, thirsty for Truth, and hungry for a better life. While I thought it would be difficult, conversations were actually easy. What I love most is the openness and honesty in the UGM men. I love seeing the walls come down and a true sense of vulnerability. This has resulted in fruit in my own life – I am now more open in my relationships as well.

The impact we make on the men at UGM is very powerful; however it does not come easily. The impact we have does not come from serving food to the poor, re-arranging the pantry, preparing the next day’s meal or setting the tables. The impact comes from intentional time, attention, and prayers with these men….some of the things that seem to be the most difficult for men here in Dallas to give.

When we consistently show up with a desire to simply get to know these men, they begin to trust us with their lives, they are encouraged and challenged to get through the next day and continue to fight the good fight. The impact that we are making at UGM however could be so much more. It is my strong belief that each man at UGM needs a mentor – a Barnabas. We are currently actively seeking men to come alongside us and start getting to know the men at UGM through our bi-monthly times of service and hope to soon roll out the official mentoring ministry.

COME SERVE WITH US!

We serve at UGM at 6:30 p.m. every second and fourth Wednesday and second Saturday of every month. Come serve with us – see the mission, learn more, meet some of the men, and see if God stirs your heart to serve regularly with the least, the last, and the lost of Dallas.

~ Andrew Johnson

AWJohnson6@gmail.com