That Hurts!

As I was out doing some chores the other day, one of our roosters came charging around the corner of the house with another rooster in hot pursuit. It was King Henry being chased by Big Red, and as they ran past the other chickens and ducks scattered to give them room. Henry outlasted Big Red’s enthusiasm for the chase, and both roosters soon went their separate ways. But Henry made a point to fade into the background as Big Red staked his claim to the yard in front of the chicken barn.

A couple months back it would have been a different story altogether. King Henry was king of the barn yard, and he took on all comers to prove the point. Many a time he had shown Big Red and the other chickens who was boss. He would even take on the ducks and guineas at times… and was not shy to try to defend the barn yard from even those of us humans who ventured there to check for eggs!

Then came the day that two strange dogs sauntered into our yard, looking for a snack. The guineas screeched their warning calls! The ducks and chickens headed for cover! King Henry fought a fierce yet unwinnable battle to delay and head off the strays. He was almost finished by the time we realized what was happening, and we were just able to scare off the dogs while Henry collapsed under a bush in our front yard.

Henry survived, but it took a couple of weeks for his wounds to heal. He did recover physically, but not socially… he lost his leadership status and Big Red took over as alpha rooster. We kept Henry in isolation for an extended time because whenever we let him run free, the guineas, and even worse the other chickens, would attack him. They showed no appreciation for the sacrifice he had made as their leader defending them from the strays.

We can excuse poultry for being insensitive to wounded leaders… they are only bird brained, after all! But, it has been said that Christians are a group who shoot their own wounded. Sadly it also happens that pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders who give their all for their team are sometimes treated much the same insensitive way.

I remember when I was first moving into a leadership role in missions, I read the statement that one should not become a leader or play American football if one doesn’t expect to get hurt. Leaders can expect to be hurt… it is all part of the package deal after all. But there should be some limits in place, and some safety net to support those who are willing to take on the risk involved. (By the way, I see that some football players are now suing the NFL because the league supposedly concealed how bad the danger was of getting hurt while playing football! Hmmm….)

Wouldn’t it be great if we could all be there to encourage, strengthen and support our Christian leaders when they need it most… after they take one for the team? They may not do things the way we would… they may not even do things as well as we would… but our Father has chosen them to play a very critical role in building His church. We can be there for them, rather than against them.

But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD’S anointed and be without guilt?” (1 Samuel 26:9)

Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. (1 Peter 2:17)

Body Building

Do More!

(Written May 1, 2011)

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 1:1-3)

Recently I have been pondering the reality and the ideal of what "church" is... and what it is supposed to be for those of us who follow Christ. We have been very privileged these past years to be part of several really extraordinary communities of believers, and as a result we have a much better - and much more upbeat - concept of what church can be, and should be.

William Arthur Ward is attributed with having made the following statement, and while I do not know much about him - or the context in which this statement was originally made - when I came across it again while going through my study material, it struck me as being ever so appropriate for us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and our involvement as part of His church here on earth.

"Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work."  (William Arthur Ward)

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Letting Go

(Written March 1, 2011)

"I am the good shepherd..." John 10:11a 

Plans were in place - Airline tickets purchased. Hotel reservations confirmed. Host notified of flight details. Needs Assessment complete. Agenda almost finalized. Two weeks before departure. Then the fall. Not a big fall - just a step or two. But enough to fracture my right distal femur into several pieces.

I recall so clearly as I was being prepped for surgery asking God how this fit into the plans for my upcoming trip to Indonesia. Preparations for this trip had begun over a year ago - and the purpose of this trip was certainly in line with my God-given passion for equipping and training the next generation of ministry leaders to do what God has prepared for them to do.

I wrestled with the decision to cancel my trip, wondering if it might be possible to make the journey with quite limited mobility. I wrestled with God, not so much as to "why" this happened, but what He had in store for me during what was to become an extended period of recovery.

"Be still and know that I am God." (Ps 46:10); "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD..." (Jer 29:11) Ah, okay. I think I'm getting it. "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul..." (Psalm 23 ASV)

Peace and rest. Refreshment and restoration. Forced? Perhaps. But could it be that this experience has been our Good Shepherd at work? It is not always easy to get sheep to lie down. Is it possible that this period of rest could have been a gracious gift from our Good Shepherd?

Letting go of my planned trip was hard. But perhaps I'm learning more about being content when our Good Shepherd says, "It's time to rest and enjoy some green pasture and still waters."

When was the last time you gave God the opportunity to refresh your soul?

Life Changing Choices

Why did the rabbit cross the road?

 (Written February 1, 2011)

 "For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you." (1 Thess 4:7&8)

As I drove along a quiet country road not far from here, with some horses grazing on one side, and a herd of cows ruminating on the other, a rabbit ran across the road in front of me. The next day he again hopped across the road just in front of my vehicle. In fact over the next few days I began to expect the sudden movement as the rabbit dashed across the road as I approached. Then one day, there was no rabbit. Oh... whoops... there was a rabbit. Lying lifeless on the shoulder... road kill!

Why did the rabbit cross the road? Just another of those unanswered questions of life that surround us every day. As I continued past the horses, bunched together in the corner of their pasture, I made up a scenario to fit the puzzle. Young Mr. Rabbit had been bored. Oh, at first it had been fun hopping around the pasture where he had been born, exploring and learning new things. But that got old after a while. He tried to make life more interesting by laying still and jumping up when a horse walked close by, but even the thrill of jumping out of the way of the horse's dancing hooves got tiresome. There had to be more to life... and so he started racing across the road in front of approaching vehicles. Talk about an adrenaline rush! But to keep up the excitement, he chose to see how close he could let each car and truck come before he raced across in front of it. Each time was more exciting than the previous one, but at the same time he felt the need for more and more of the rush he got from the daring escapade. He decided he would actually wait and try to run under the truck as it went by... and that choice was very exciting, and very final... road kill!

As followers of Christ we have been given an awesome gift. We are saved by grace! Nothing we have done matters. Our best actions or our worst ones are immaterial. The Bible clearly tells us that our salvation is a free gift of grace. That our Lord Jesus Christ has done everything that is needed for us to be saved. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved."  How awesome is that!

Yet we live in a world filled with sinful enticements. It seems like it should be impossible, but unfortunately there can be times when we as believers get "bored" with our walk with the Lord. This happens because of choices we make which take us away from close fellowship with our Savior, and then more choices which are made to "just try something for the fun of it." Even though we have been given the ultimate gift of eternal life, we can chose to seek the "excitement" of this world. For a while these choices may seem harmless... no one knows... no one else is affected... no one is hurt.... But sadly once a wrong choice is made, the sinful spiral can be very hard to stop. The result can be life changing... loss of testimony... loss of ministry... loss of family and friends... loss of life as it has been... road kill!

Something worth thinking about before every choice that we make just for the fun of it! 

Life Changing Choices - Part 2

Why did another rabbit cross the road?

(written February 18, 2011)

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

I hadn't planned on doing a follow-on to last letter's article, but I find that I have no choice. One day last week, as I approached the point in the road where I used to notice my friend the rabbit dash across the road (and at almost the exact spot where I had seen a dead rabbit on the side of the road) my eye was caught by a flash of gray and white, as once again a rabbit shot across the road in front of me. Almost immediately a very distinct thought formed in my mind which leads to us thinking a bit more about our bunny today.

Even before this rabbit disappeared into the weeds along the side of the road, the word "restoration" formed in my head. No matter how badly we blow it, as Christ's followers we know that He is willing and able to graciously restore us in our relationship with Him. We may have made terrible, awful, absolutely no good choices that destroyed our testimony, sacrificed our relationships, and left our ministry lying as road-kill on the side of life's pathway.... but our Lord is ready, willing and able to restore us to Himself when we confess our sinful ways. There are of course consequences here in this world for making these bad choices, but God's grace guarantees that we can be cleansed of our unrighteousness and restored to Him, fully forgiven... no matter how long we stray or how far we fall.

So unlike our first bunny rabbit, we don't have to remain as road-kill when the consequences of our sinful life catch up to us. The Lord's faithful forgiveness is there to restore us to Himself. No matter how awesome this thought is, we can be even more inspired to realize that His Holy Spirit and His Word are available to us to help us stay in fellowship with Him, and to avoid making the sinful, selfish choices in the first place!

Faith Empowered Wisdom

Some years ago while traveling by train in India, we found ourselves on one of that country's majestic but aging stations. As usual the grand hall was filled with hundreds of people, and the hustle and bustle surrounding the process of travel by train in the world's second most populated country was exhilarating and unnerving at the same time.

As we crossed the wide platform towards our train, we became aware of a young boy, probably less than 10 years old or so, who was approaching us with hand outstretched..., one of India's countless child beggars. It was impossible not to notice that one of his bare feet was massively enlarged, probably a symptom of elephantitis. Our hearts went out to the little boy as he dragged his massive foot towards us. The sad truth was that he could have been cured from the disease if treated properly. Perhaps his parents were too poor to get help, or perhaps he was an orphan. Perhaps he was actually being kept the way he was just to gain more sympathy and thereby make more money for whoever was handling him.

We went sadly on our way, but the experience was burned into my memory. Often through the years I have thought sadly of that little boy, and wished that he could have been free to run and play like little boys should, rather than being used and abused because of his deformity.

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Thanks...anyway!

We arrived here at the homestead one year ago this week. As we pulled down the long lane, the scenario was much as it is today - bare trees; grey skies; a bit too cool and damp for comfort. It was hard to believe that we were coming home... and we still are adjusting to this being our home, even after one whole year. It probably doesn't help that we are living in a construction zone - and with many boxes still unpacked from Singapore. But that is our choice in some ways - we jumped into life here full force with a desire to do everything we could to catch up with our country dream after so many years of city living. Looking back, we can agree that perhaps we should have taken a bit more time to settle in before taking on so many projects, and we are committed now to finishing the ones we have started before starting any new ones. Unless of course spring gets here first with the promise of new life and growth; and the garden beckons; and we have the opportunity to get some more goats; and maybe a calf or two...

As we look back over the past years of transition we are also reminded at this time of year that we are to be thankful for everything that happens to us in life.  Eugene Peterson paraphrases a well known passage in 1 Thessalonians 5 this way in the Message: "Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live." A more direct translation states that we should "rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  So often I hear people ask "How can we know God's will for our life?" Well, here is a very clear and direct statement of what God's will is for us as followers of Christ. If we chose to ignore this; if we chose to disobey the will that we know already; why should God give us any further clarity in terms of His specific will for our lives?

We find it very difficult to give thanks when things don't go well - when resources are not available or when difficult circumstances get in the way of what we want to do. All of us probably receive many newsletters and prayer letters from missionaries and ministry leaders around the world. They are usually full of exciting ministry updates and possibilities. They often also contain prayer requests regarding needs - real needs - that will impact the ministry negatively if not met soon. The cares of this world are hard to be thankful for when they take us away from what we want to spend our time on. Personally, as we look back over the past years that we have been serving with International Training Partners, we see many events and processes which have slowed us down in areas of ministry that we wanted to move ahead in. Sometimes there is simply a lack of energy, time, money or other resources that we need to do something we want to do. Sometimes it is more complex - partnerships which don't work out as well as we had hoped, or partners who themselves run into roadblocks or delays.

It is God's will that we should give Him thanks for all roadblocks; every lack of resource; each difficult time; the non-ending transitions; the sadness; the loss; the frustrations...

In special Thanksgiving services, and around many family Thanksgiving tables across America, we will hear words of thanksgiving this week for all the blessings He has showered on us this year. We will hear heartfelt words of thanks for the many good things He has worked out in our lives, and we will share thoughts and expressions of thanks for so much...  He is a gracious, loving and merciful God who does give us so much more than we deserve. Our reasons to be thankful mount up to the sky.

Can we also be thankful for the heartbreaks; the dead ends; the black holes of our lives and ministries? Can we trust Him enough to accept that He is indeed faithful and that He causes everything to work together for our good, and the good of His kingdom? Can we really give thanks anyway?

Breaking Unplowed Ground

Recently I found myself in our "vegetable garden" once again. Honestly... we haven't spent any time there since late summer when we were able to harvest a few vegetables.  Since then it has been the domain of chickens and guinea fowl, who have cleaned it up pretty nicely.  But I had read that I needed to do some more work before the snow falls and the ground freezes...  so that our efforts next year might bear more fruit  (or vegetables as the case may be!)

So as I tilled the soil, mixing in some compost and other biodegradable stuff we have laying around, I decided to expand the borders of the garden a bit for next year and tilled up another few feet around the edge of what we had done this year. It has been very dry here lately, and the ground was very hard and not at all easy to break up.

As I tried my best to control the rotor-tiller, my thoughts went to a passage of scripture that has been used powerfully in my life in years gone by. "Break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until He comes and showers His righteousness on you." While these words were originally spoken many years ago to the children of Israel, they have tremendous applications for us today as well... Applications that for me have been enhanced by recent messages on God's grace that we have heard at church.

Hosea 10:12-13 is in fact a powerful message about grace... about the wonderful "juxtapositioning" of grace and faith... and about the futility of legalism and self righteousness which becomes even more complicated by the resulting self deception.

As I continued breaking up my unplowed ground in the physical sense, I started considering what might be some areas of unplowed ground I needed to break up spiritually as well. While I am not much of a gardener yet, it is pretty clear even to me that if we don't prepare the soil, we will not benefit much from any "showers" that might come our way.  Is that true also in the spiritual sense? As His children we do not work to be righteous, but we do need to be open to His righteousness which He wants to shower on us. We need to be ready to reap the fruit of unfailing love, (only God's love is unfailing...) We should have a deep desire to seek the Lord until He comes and showers His righteousness on us.  

Well, I have to admit there is "ground" in my life which needs to be broken up. I want to reap the fruit of unfailing love, not the fruit of deception. God's unfailing love lets us look at the world around us with the compassion and grace that only He can provide, rather than the harsh judgmental attitude which comes as a result of self deception and self righteousness.

We are starting to understand that there are specific times when we need to do certain things in our garden. Getting those things done at just the right time makes a lot of difference, and we can mess things up if we don't get it just right. It is awesome to me that we can know absolutely that it is always the best time to seek the Lord because He is always ready to shower us with His righteousness!

Don't wait for anything or anybody.... Seek Him right now until He comes and showers His righteousness on you! Just make sure your "ground" is ready!

For Such a Time as This

What if the Creator God of the universe is so awesome; so creative; so powerful; so all knowing.... that He has made you exactly like you are... He has given you the experiences that you have had... He has put you in the place that you are in... and He has a plan for you that incorporates all of this into what He wants you to be & do. What if God has created you for such a time as this!

Mordecai's words from the book of Esther ring down to us through the ages "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

This past Sunday we had the privilege of enjoying fellowship with our partners at the Grace Bible Church in Colombia, Missouri. Pastor Michael Burt spoke from Esther and focused our thoughts on the reality that God has given us a clear plan and purpose as followers of Christ, and that purpose for all believers includes making disciples and teaching them in turn to be disciplers. As Christ's followers, we are in the world... in our own current reality... for this express purpose.

Esther understood the reality of her situation and the fact that she had to do what she could do - even if it meant that she put her life on the line. Rarely are we called to put our life on the line when we fulfill Christ's "great commission," but how often do we avoid being disciplers because of the perceived inconvenience that might be part of the process. Do we ever shirk our responsibilities with the idea that we can be more effective for the long haul if we don't too openly declare ourselves as disciplers for Christ? What if Esther had not agreed to approach the king with her request for her people? What if she had rather convinced herself that she could be more effective in the long run as a more silent supporter! Mordecai dealt with that possibility when he clarified that if she didn't do what she was supposed to, someone else would do it for her, but that she and her family would not benefit from that option.

What if our God is so loving that He doesn't want anyone to spend eternity separated from Him, so He made a way for us to live with Him forever? What if He loves the world so much that He left us here as His ambassadors to tell others the good news? What if our primary purpose is to make disciples right where we are at?

What if we accept the fact that we have come to our royal position for such a time as this?

Of Coyotes & Wolves

The last couple of mornings we have been awakened by the howls of a pack of coyotes in the creek-bottoms behind our house. Sometimes we hear them in the distance, but recently they have been coming quite close. It's a good reminder that we live in an environment surrounded by predators which would like to have an up close and personal relationship with our poultry.

We really don't need much of a reminder because we have already lost a number of guinea fowl and chickens... as well as one duck... to things that go bump in the night.  Now we make the extra effort to make sure all the poultry spend the nights inside their safe little homes that we have built for them, but for a while we had allowed them to sleep outside... and that was just what the predators had ordered!

It was too difficult to get the ducks back in their little house... they didn't want to go in, and they seemed to really appreciate the freedom to sleep out under the stars in our front yard. The guinea fowl had also started to decline our invitation to sleep in a nice safe place with the chickens, and they were roosting up in a tree.  There seemed little that we could do to change their minds, so we left them in peace...

It took the loss of a duck and five guinea fowl to night time predators to make us realize we had to do something. It wasn't going to be easy, and it wouldn't make our poultry happy... but we could no longer compromise on their safety. They had to sleep indoors at night, or there would not be any left to carry on the family name! The last several weeks we have been more insistent, and have come up with ways that keep our flock safe at night. We are also sleeping easy as a result, even when the coyotes wail nearby!

There are some churches, ministries and missions who compromise on specific issues to make their flock; their missionaries; or those they are trying to reach, more comfortable and content. Compromises of over-contextualization, over-conformity to host cultures and religions, and even adding to and taking away from the very Word of God when doing so-called translations, are happening in churches & missions that we think of as conservative, Bible believing and teaching ministries. These compromises go way beyond conformity of dress or diet, and as a result leave those impacted in actual danger of their spiritual lives when the predators come out to feast.

Paul, in his farewell speech to the elders of the church in Ephesus hammered the dangers of compromise home. He reminded them:   "For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them." This challenge to these men of God that Paul had invested so much time with is a sobering reminder to us that the very same thing can happen today. How much worse will the impact be if we compromise on the essentials of our faith that keep us and others safe in His care.