More on Seeking and Finding

I wrote this back in November of 2006. It is one of my better stories and since no one was reading back then (unlike now?) I thought I would repost it. It makes the point- too often lost- that we must focus on Christ and when we do everything else falls into place.

Vacation is a good thing. I like to get away to a beach and read lots of books when I can. It usually happens every few years or so. Way out east is a far away country that I will call Dale. It is a peninsula on the sea and now my daughters go to school there. One year we went there and had a great vacation. We stayed in the Capitol City for a few days, then went up to the mountains, then out to an island for a week. I had been doing the good dad thing up to that point and one day out on the island I decided that it was time to really get by myself and seek God. I needed to hear from Him about many important things that were happening and for that I figured I needed some dedicated alone time.

The island had a large hill in the middle of it all covered in jungle. I grabbed my camera and my Bible and headed out the gate of the hotel, turned up the road toward the village and began to look for a path up the hill and into the jungle. I had not gone even two hundred yards when up came old Tom. He approached me from the boat docks and asked me where I was going. I said I was heading up the hill. He introduced himself to me and began walking with me. He ran a tourist boat there on the island and was just getting off work. I told him that I really just wanted to go up and see if I could get a picture of a monkey or two. I didn’t need any help. No, no really, I will be fine on my own. Please, just…. I …. you don’t have to…. But I was not willing to be out and out rude to the guy. I really did not want to be with him. I was really despairing of wasting the only time I was going to get away by myself.

As we went through the villlage he said, ‘Wait right here, I need to get my walking shoes.’ He turned into a Budhist Temple while I stood wondering two things, how am I going to ditch this guy, and does he really live in this Temple?

He came out with his shoes on and we started up the road. I don’t know why he wanted to come with me. I told him I didn’t have any money but he said he didn ‘t need any. He was off work and was happy to wander around with a tourist. He said he knew a great place to see monkeys. I said, ‘So, you live in that …. temple?’ ‘Yes’, he said, ‘Isn’t it sad? All those poor hopeless people.’ I wondered about that. ‘So, you don’t believe um, your not a Budhist?’ He said that no, he was not a Budhist but that he rented a room in the back from an old woman who owned the temple. ‘So, what do you believe?’ ‘I am a Christian’, he said. I was floored. I am on an unreached island in a Muslim country. How is he a Christian? I asked him his story. He told me that he was working on one of the big ships that run the shipping lanes in that part of the world and a guy shared the truth with him. He had a Bible but after leaving that ship had had almost no contact with other believers. As far as he knew he was the only believer on the island and he was lonely.

He shared Psalm 23 with me. From memory. I talked with him all afternoon. We found a little cove with lots and lots of monkeys and I fed them bananas as we continued to talk about the King. We prayed together and then as the sun set we came back over the hill to the village. I said good bye and he gave me a ball cap. It was red and he told me, ‘Every time you see this cap or put it on your head you pray for old Tom.’ I still do.

As I walked up that final two hundred yards back to the hotel by myself the King and I talked. I said, ‘Hey, I thought I was going to get some time with you to hear from you today?’ He said, 'So you did. Whenever you seek me you will find me. When you find me you will find that I am always with hurting people who need my touch.'

This answered pretty much all my questions. You want to ‘find God’? Go out and serve someone who needs you. He’s there. This then is my strategy, my methodology, my philosophy of ministry all rolled up into one story.

Taste and see.

Striving to Love More

I have read Rick Joyner’s The Vision many times and I am impacted by his words every time I read them. This paragraph quoting Jesus is particularly meaningful to me just now.

“In My kingdom, authority comes from who you are, not your title. Your ministry is your function, not your rank. Here rank is earned by humility, service and love. The deacon who loves more is higher than the apostle who loves less. On earth, prophets may be used to shake the nations, but here they will be known by their love. This is also your call- to love with My love and serve with My heart. Then we will be one.”

Fredigar is looking tired

It has been a long day today. I got up this morning and did e-mail. Wrote some letters. Sent my daughter some emergency money to get her through her Senior Banquet- shoes, earrings, and a haircut were urgent indeed. I filled out a World Food Program proposal for a poor village- a Herculean feet to be sure. I then went out and helped a friend move into a new house. I sprinted from there- missing lunch- to a meeting about Bible translation and then went straight from there to a meeting about the new Bible College some friends of mine are establishing. But, no rest yet, I then went out with my wife to our house church where we had a meal together and then watched a video about God's work among Muslims. This particular video talked about the use of dreams in God's work with Muslims. It was very interesting. We got home around 8:30pm and then I finished reading the fifth Harry Potter book to my son. The book is over 750 pages long, pardon me while I catch my breath. But I can't go to sleep yet. I am inspired to write about Fredigar.

Fredigar and his wife come from the southern half of our planet. He is a lawyer and came to Middle Earth with great plans and ideas. He joined us and then set up a Christian law firm. I love him and his wife very much. When our friends in Anfalas were baptized a couple of years ago he said, "Praise God! I have been waiting nine months to hear about something like this." I told him I had been waiting for six years and he had better learn some patience. But he was determined to work hard and see instant results. He did work hard but he was constantly frustrated at the lack of tangible results. But he stayed at it. One day he was working with a young lady, her daughter, and her brother in a court case. He came to me and said, 'God called us to feed the hungry and this lady is hungry. I must take her in.' I thought it was a terrible mistake but God said to me right in that moment, 'Strider, he must do this for his own sake more than for hers.' I was not sure what this meant. I told him it was crazy but to go for it. He took them all in. He and his wife had been unable to have children and now late in life- not that late they are in their early fifties- they had a very disfunctional family. They were a mess. There were all kinds of issues and it is a long story but for now just know that the lady is not living with them anymore and they are now the sole provider for the little daughter who is just five years old. They also look after the teenage brother who has such severe issues they don't know what will become of him.

Fredigar continued to work at the law firm. He has been continually frustrated that he was not able to save Gondor in a year's time. But he wont quit. Today his office is a place of constant ministry. People come for counsel and they are prayed for and cared for. He started a small business enterprise recently to train local believers with a skill so that they could go out to the villages of Gondor and do ministry. As a lawyer he is continually sought out to give advice concerning the myriad of Governmental issues that assail all of us. Fredigar is looking tired. He has lost weight. His face is drawn. As I look at him I am concerned for his health both physical and emotional. But God is teaching me something new. It is a very old something new that I should know but somehow I have not learned. Under the old covenant the priest used to pour out drink offerings. Paul refers to this as he describes himself as being poured out on behalf of those he was called to minister to. Fredigar is pouring his life out in love for inumerable people in need. He is pouring his life out as a drink offering to Christ. He has loved and loved and loved until the lines on his face proclaim the passion and compassion of Jesus. I do not love this way. Oh, I believe in rest, in pacing oneself, in relying on Jesus to solve other's problems and not trying to be everyone's saviour myself. Fredigar understands this too. He just doesn't let it stop him from serving the poor with an unquenchable love. Fredigar is looking tired and I hope with all my heart that I can learn to be as tired as he is. I truly pray that I will be poured out as a drink offering for my Lord so completely that when Jesus returns he will find me with lines on my face and care-worn hands.

A Demonstration of Love

After the civil war in Gondor Minas Tirith was a dangerous place. We moved here in 1997 with two other families. Gandalf and his wife served faithfully and loved others well. Then things slowed down. Peace and some stability came. In 2000 we had some other folks join our team. One day our team went to a one year remembrance ceremony for a friend of ours husband who had committed suicide the year before. The men went in the morning and the women in the afternoon. Us guys had a good meal and talked and went home. The ladies were more spiritual. Since our friend was a follower of Jesus and all her relatives were not our ladies decided to worship by singing songs, reading scripture and praying. Half way through there was a loud explosion. A car bomb had gone off at the foot of the building. Gandalf's wife's first reaction was to run down 12 flights of stairs to the courtyard below to see if any of the children who had been playing down there were injured. I think that two had minor injuries- maybe one boy had a broken arm. After to seeing to the needs there everyone went home. Arwen, my wife, came in and told me about the beautiful time of worship they had. Then she said, 'Oh yeah, and a car bomb went off outside and the new ladies are pretty upset. They want to have a meeting this afternoon to process it all. I am not going- you know I hate that kind of thing- but of course, since your team leader you'll have to go.' Gee, Thanks Arwen.

I went to the meeting and it went as I thought it might. The old crew- Gimli and his wife, Gandalf and his wife, and I- listened impatiently as the new folks processed the event and became more and more hysterical. To be fair, just two of the women were quite upset. Then to my surprise Gandalf shared this story; a story I knew about but had never heard him tell the whole tale. I will share it with you now.

In May of 1998 there was a fierce battle on the edge of Minas Tirith. We didn't know if the country would plunge back into civil war or not and we were praying hard that it would not. Most foreigners lived in the north of the city- except of course, for Gandalf and his wife. They lived more in the middle. The skies were overcast and we told my young daughters that the booms they were hearing were thunder. On the second day a couple of shells were launched over the hill blindly into town- we think to try and hit the President's house- and blew up a home a few doors down from Gandalf's. He called me on the radio and told me what happened and that he and his wife were going to go and help. I told him to be careful. The next part of the story I didn't hear until that day in 2000. When they arrived at the house the scene was surreal. The walls were destroyed and there were neighbors and family scurrying around everywhere putting out small fires and helping people out. In the middle of a completely devastated room of the house a man stood crying and wailing uncontrollably. Gandalf approached him and noticed that his hand was covered in blood. He was concerned the man was injured. The man said he was not injured but showed Gandalf and his wife a piece of metal in his hand covered not with his blood but the blood of his daughter. She was dead, covered in a blanket in the corner of the room. The metal was shrapnel that had gone through her head. Gandalf and his wife tried to console him and get him out of the destroyed home. He went on and on about how this piece of metal had ended his own life. Gandalf in typical West Texas style said, 'Brother, if that thing is causing you pain get rid of it!' The man handed it to Gandalf and ask him to keep it for him. Last I heard he still has it.

Gandalf then radioed me. I told him to get out of that neighborhood and come to my house immediately. He said, 'OK.' and I was very surprised. I was not surprised when five minutes later he radioed back and said, 'How about plan 'B'.' He and his wife were going with all the neighbors to a basement in another neighbors home. The whole community was terrified and they wanted to stay and minister to them. I agreed but made them promise that at night they would come to my house and stay until the fighting was over. They did.

Now, it will probably shock you to know that this story was not too helpful to the new folks in the year 2000. They demanded to know what kind of place this was that they had come to. I lost patience at that point and said, 'Look, you can go home if you want to but the people of Gondor can't go anywhere. We came here to proclaim Jesus and they have never needed Him more.' And then I left the meeting. Gimli later said that in future the old guard should not be allowed to process with new people. Maybe he's right. All those new people stayed by the way and served God here in incredible ways.

I think about Gandalf and that bloody piece of metal sometimes. I hope that I will always have the fearless grace to stand and minister to people in the midst of chaos and tragedy. I think you get that by ministering to people in love everyday.

Gandalf the White

We started our work here in Gondor with two other families. I have told you several stories about Gimli and his wife who now work in Ithilien but I have not told you about Gandalf. Today I right this wrong.

Gandalf was an older man (same age as my father actually) who was married to a much younger woman. He married her late in life after his first wife died of cancer. Gandalf and his wife were well experienced by the time they came to us. They were what we have come to call 'long term International Service Corps' workers. The ISC are workers who come out on two year contracts. Gandalf's wife had been divorced (it was part of her conversion story) and so they could not ever be career. Don't get me started on that extreme injustice. Anyway, they had done several two year terms in places that would turn your hair white just to read the names. In 1997 they came and joined our team here in Gondor. I was privileged to have them but truthfully I was also a little bit intimidated to be the supervisor of a man who was my father's age and well seasoned in the work. I wont say it was always easy to supervise them but it was always a privilege and that is the truth.

They, like me had served in Rohan for a time teaching English as a second language. We decided that we would not do that in Gondor as the needs were totally different. I should say right now that if one thing distinguished Gandalf from everyone else it was his love for the people to whom he was sent. He and his wife were of one mind in this and I learned much about love from them. Gandalf never learned the local language well. Most missionaries who fail to learn the local language well fail to love well. There are a few, very few exceptions and Gandalf was a big one. Love poured out of him everywhere he went and people immediately sensed that he cared about them when he came into a room. His wife learned the language better and they were a great team as he loved people and she shared the reason why!

One day they came to me and said, 'Strider, I know we said that we would not teach English here but God is asking us to start an English club. We don't want to but He is calling us to do it.' They said that it would just last six months and then be over. Oh, and by the way, it would be an English language club that studied the book of Job. Yeah, right. That's a good idea. Well, in the end it was. After six months of studying with about eight students three of them accepted Christ and all of them were very impacted. At this time we started our new humanitarian aid organization that would focus on disaster relief. We needed a secretary. I was willing to hire and work with Muslims, no problem, but our secretary who would be our office administrator really needed to be a believer whom we could trust to represent us well. Gandalf's wife said that she had just the girl. A young girl who had come to faith in the English club. I was skeptical. She was shy and inexperienced. She would hardly talk to me. But Gandalf and his wife insisted she was the one.

We hired her and while Gandalf and his wife moved on to Mordor a few years ago and are now retired the secretary is still with us. She was instrumental in starting the first church we started and has been a faithful minister to many in our office over the years. You see, love is not blind after all. In fact, true love sees much. It sees the treasure in others that only God sees. It sees what God can make in a life even when we only see mediocrity, sin, and waste. If I have learned anything from Gandalf and his wife it is that I am called to seek treasure. The treasure in everyone around me. The treasure that God is creating men and women to be. Are you surrounded by turkeys? Look with the eyes of love- not sentimentality by true self-sacrificing love and see what God is doing. Then in love call it forth and see what God is longing to make of the men and women around you. It is what you are here for.

Betrayed

I have a number of mottos or slogans that I use to remind myself of what I am suppose to be about. One of these is that no matter what I will always be hospitable. I firmly believe that hospitality is one of the key characteristics of a believer. But isn't a motto like 'I will always be hospitable' flexible. Surely there are exceptions. We need to be able to judge each situation carefully. God gave us brains and we should use our common sense. I think that last sentence has been used more times to take us off of the path that God wants us on than just about any other. How many times have you said it? I have said it loads. I am coming to believe that God doesn't think much of 'common sense'.

A couple of weeks ago we were contacted by another team in another country. They wanted to come to Gondor for awhile. I know these guys. They are highly competent, driven, sold out no hold out kinda guys. The last time they were here they were stressed out and made some decisions I disagreed with- nothing immoral or anything like that- just basic differences in how we make decisions. Anyway, I wrote them and said that coming here was not a good idea. I told them that if they needed a break they should go somewhere where they would not be so stressed. I challenged their reasoning to leave their own country of service at all. I was rude. I violated my hospitality principle. If you knew the whole story you might say, "Hey, Strider lighten up! You had a right to ask the questions you did." Yeah, I did have a 'right'. But I was wrong. I found out later that these guys were not looking for a break. There were truckloads of reasons they had to leave that I knew nothing about. I had judged them and in doing so found myself wanting. They needed me to take them in and be hospitable during a difficult time and instead found a guy with a three year old axe to grind.

So, what's the motto? Always be hospitable. Will we stick to the Lord's game plan this time? I hope so. There is a lot of stuff about love in the Bible. The Lord has given us loads of verses which amount to very specific instructions about loving each other, caring for each other, being hospitable. Of course there are times when it isn't a good idea. There are times when we need to draw boundaries. There are times when it is just common sense to push someone away. Every single time we do that we will be less like Jesus. When we open ourselves to loving others unconditionally, to always inviting them in no matter what we will be vulnerable. People will take advantage of us. People will wrong us. We will get tired, run out of resources. People will betray us and eventually we will be crucified. When we are then we are most like our Lord. Others may betray me but I will try very hard not to betray myself again. That team deserves my help not because of who they are but because they belong to my Master. I will serve them and in doing so become more like Him.

On Being Sensitive

Our house Church had a meeting with Balin tonight. Balin is my national evangelist friend whom I have written about before. Last year I shared about his trip to Mordor and how he shared the Gospel boldly in the prisons there. This winter we helped him buy a ticket out to the East. He had heard that there were men and women of Gondor there and he wanted to take a week long trip to find them and share with them. Well, long story short he didn't find them but he did discover something interesting. The local language of the Easterlings is very close to the language of Rohan which he knows. So, he shared the Gospel with the Easterlings instead! Now you and I would be flat out flabbergasted if we were dropped into the middle of a strange city in a strange land with no contacts and determined to preach effectively, but not Balin. Balin stayed at a hotel that businessmen of Gondor often stay at when they travel through. He went out each day and toured the city and prayed. Here is the thing I want you to notice about Balin, he is not a rabid, shove a Bible in everyone's face kind of evangelist. He gave us a brief slideshow tonight and pointed out the many pictures of people he shared the Gospel with. There was the fruit seller, the boy who he met on the street and paid to show him around town, the vendors who sold him lunch on the street, a nice couple visiting the museum at the same time he was.... all these heard the good news for the first time from Balin. But as Balin talked he also pointed out men and women he did not share with. A fellow man of Gondor at the hotel, a local Mullah, a teenage boy who was full of hate for just about everyone, a young woman who was unremarkable in any way.... these he shared little or nothing with. Why not? Because the Holy Spirit told him to be quiet. I found this really interesting. Balin is a man for whom the word fear (or sense) has no meaning at all. I have seen him share his faith in the middle of prison surrounded by hundreds of Muslim prisoners. I have seen him share his faith one on one, in groups, at local markets, EVERYWHERE! But he heard the Holy Spirit tell him to keep quiet and he did. He also shared boldly when it was time to share. His message is largely the same by the way. He tells people that God loves them and is calling to them. He tells them that they are forgiven if they want to be and that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. I have thought before that perhaps his 'secret' was in his delivery of the message, the love that pours out of him, but now I think it is his sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. It reminds me of Jesus doing what he saw the Father doing. Can I be that sensitive? I think that we can all be. I think that Balin is teaching us that we can be as close to the Father as we want to be. It is not the Father who wants to be hidden and hard to perceive. It is our hearts and minds that must be focused on what He is doing. It is about Him and not about us. It is His ways, His timing, His Gospel, His Church that He is building. Jesus, make me to know you better, deeper, clearer every day. Amen.

Praying in the Midst

I have been putting together some training materials to prepare for the coming disaster season. Every year here in Gondor the snow melts and causes landslides and floods and this year promises to be particularly difficult because of the harsh winter which depleted villagers’ already meager resources and dumped heaps of snow in the mountains.

When I teach I prefer to exegete scripture but in this paper I am recounting my personal experience in praying for others. Take it with a grain of salt but do consider the truths that I have discovered here. I often tell our team members to pray for everyone everywhere you go; pray at all times, pray in all situations, do it in English, do it in the local language but DO IT! Below are 8 things I have learned- mostly the hard way- about praying for others.

Prayer for victims:

1. Listen to the Holy Spirit as you visit with someone who has experienced tragedy. This is one of those useful tips that we all know but we so rarely do. There are two things you should be listening for when you talk with someone as you consider how you will pray for them. One: The Holy Spirit is always talking and He often talks through those who suffer. God has a lot to say through those who suffer and we miss it because we are too busy trying to solve their problem. LISTEN to the Holy Spirit! He will teach you and guide you through the experiences of those who suffer. If you are a disciple of Jesus then BE a disciple, learn and grow in the desperate situations you find yourself in. Time and again God has opened my eyes to physical and spiritual truths as I listened to those who suffer. Two: Listen to the Holy Spirit for what He has for that person. Again, we just want to solve their problem so we can feel good but what does He want? He may want to heal the sick and broken hearted but He may also want to use this desperate situation to bring the person closer to Himself. Listen so you can pray in accordance with His will and not your own sentimental notions.

2. Listen to the person using good listening skills. Ask questions to clarify information. Do not defend God or anyone else. Do not argue with the person when you think they are wrong in their evaluation of the situation. Your job is to LISTEN and let them know they have been heard.

3. For persons who are in panic mode you should remind them of where they are now. In other words, if a person lost a loved one tragically they may go on and on about the suffering that that person endured. Remind them gently that he/she is at rest now. Sometimes victims need to be reminded that the disaster is over. This does not subvert principle number two, it is for a very specific situation where the victim of a tragedy can not let go of the disaster. All who suffer disaster will experience this to some extent and part of your ministry can be to pull them into the present.

4. Offer to pray for the person. In our part of the world they will never say no. It may feel awkward but press on and ask anyway. Even if that person seems resistant to your help offer to pray. You will be surprised at how walls come down when we offer to pray. Remember that when we go to prayer very often spiritual warfare kicks in hard. You will think of lots of reasons not to pray just now. Decide just now to pray anyway.

5. Pray for healing for an illness or injury ONLY if God tells you to do so. Do not make promises you can not keep. Do not provide hope that is not real hope. This is a tough one and controversial. I used to pray for all who were sick to be healed but I have learned that God’s will is more complicated than that. Pray for God’s grace and love to touch that person. Pray for God to meet their needs. But don’t pray the command prayer of ‘In the name of Jesus Christ rise up and walk’ unless God very specifically asks you to. You don’t command God, you obey Him. He has a will for that person right now- find it and pray it.

6. Do not miss an opportunity to pray for healing if God does in fact direct you to do so. He opens up many doors in this way- don’t miss it! God loves the person you are ministering to much more than you do. He opens all kinds of doors in all kinds of ways. Just because you are uncomfortable or have little experience does not hinder God. Let Him have His way in every situation. If you sense that now is the time to pray the direct prayer of healing do it in full faith.

7. Pray in a way that lets the individual know you have heard them well. Begin your prayer by thanking God for whatever the person is thankful for. Recount any blessings that the person has mentioned. Thank God for all who did survive the disaster and thank Him for all who have helped. Then move on to pray for the things yet needed. Shelter, food, comfort, whatever THEY have perceived they need. Finish the prayer by projecting a time when life can be normal. If they lost a garden that they miss say, “Lord, we look to you and your power to restore this man’s garden and we pray your blessings on the crop that he will reap because of your aid.” Projecting a blessed future is something most do not do when they pray but it can be very powerful. Take what they have said and pray for a time when normalcy will be restored. This lets them know that you have heard them which is key in ministering to them. It also releases the power of God into their lives in the places they perceive they need it most.

8. Don’t promise to return unless you are sure you will be able to return. Do not promise to help unless you know for sure that you will be able to provide aid. I know from experience that you want to feel that you are their savior and that you will fix all their problems and so you make promises that you can not keep. Remember that they belong to God and they are in His hands and not yours. Do not seek glory by promising aid but seek His glory by downplaying your own role in their recovery and elevating Him as their only hope. Of course, you will help when time and resources allow but even then you will not be the savior. Point them to the one who is in all you do, say, and pray.

Standing Up and Being Counted

During the cold dark snowy days of January the Ringwraiths descended on Anfalas. Ok, that is a little dramatic but the truth is the Ismaili secret police incite about that much fear. Out in Ithilien where the majority of the population is Ismaili they are notorious. If a local goes by a foreigner's home to have any kind of discussion there is a good chance that a member of the secret police will be waiting on their doorstep when they get home. If they don't like the answers to their questions then a person could lose his or her job or be threatened in a variety of ways. Most people live in fear these guys.

The village of Anfalas is made up of Ismailis who moved out of Ithilien back in 2001. Since their relocation to a desert wasteland just a few kilometers from Mordor in Southern Gondor they have been abandoned by the Agha Khan and have not seen the secret police. As I began with, they showed up unexpectedly in January. They called a meeting of the whole village and everyone nervously gathered outside the school, some 300 villagers. Kili and Fili and their wives and children did not go. They were baptized just two years ago and have been faithful followers of Jesus ever since. The mayor came to their door and demanded that they come to the meeting so they agreed and came and stood at the back of the crowd.

The head of the secret police stood up and addressed the crowd. After just one or two pleasantries he looked back to Kili and Fili and asked them if they had in fact become followers of Jesus as they had heard. Kili replied that yes, they were followers of Jesus. Then he asked, 'Why?' Fili replied that Jesus was the way, the truth, and the life and that because Jesus was in fact God's son that they had to follow Him. The Ringwraith turned to the Khalifa (Ismaili Mullah) and began yelling at him. He accused the Khalifa of being incompetent and lax in his duty to his people since he allowed this to happen. Fili stepped forward and stopped him. He said, 'Look, the Khalifa is not God. He does not control us, we have made our own decision. Say what you want to the rest of these villagers but as for me, Kili, our wives, and these our children do not count us as being under your authority.' Then the meeting was over. The Ringwraiths drove away leaving a scared and confused group of villagers. The mayor came up to Kili and Fili in front of a lingering group of villagers and exclaimed, "Are you drunk!!?? You don't talk to the secret police like that! Why are you forcing your beliefs on us like that? What are you trying to do?!" Fili, calmly and carefully rebuked him and said, "Look, we are not drunk as you well know. We did not want to come to the meeting but you made us come. We did not force our beliefs on anyone but they asked us directly what we believed." When he finished the surrounding villagers applauded.

So many live in fear here. So many are afraid for anyone to find out that they are followers of Jesus. This is why it is so encouraging when we hear of men like Kili and Fili who stand up like Daniel's friends and declare the truth in the face of opposition and danger. The results are evident. Kili and Fili and their families meet together every night after work to read the Word and pray together. About 15 other villagers join them regularly. Pray that many of these will also stand up and be counted.

Given A White Robe

In 1994 Arwen and I were convinced it was time to go. We had been committed to going and serving overseas since we got married to each other and now it was time, but where? We prayed about it and settled on Middle Earth because it was completely unreached and the doors were just coming open there. So, I wrote to our Agency and asked for job requests from the region. Arwen and I read and prayed through forty different requests but the one for Team Leader for Minas Tirith in Gondor blew us away. It was the greatest opportunity ever, a dream job. If anyone else read this request it would snatched up immediately! So, I called the Agency headquarters and talked to the secretary for the region. I told her that we didn’t have all of our paperwork in yet but we had to reserve that job somehow. I will never forget her words. ‘Middle Earth? No one wants to go to Middle Earth!’ A year later we were on our way.

In 1999 we went on our first homeleave and we met the secretary at our debriefing conference. I reminded her of her words and she said she could not believe she would have said such a thing- I assure you she did. At the conference she played the piano and taught us all a new song (I forget the author) that always reminds me of her whenever we sing it.

Our heart, Our desire, is to see the nations worship.

Our cry, our prayer, is to sing your praise to the ends of the earth.

That with one mighty voice, every tribe and tongue rejoices.

Our heart, our desire, is to see the nations worship you.

A few years later- after being secretary for our region for many years she heeded her own words and came out to a different country in Middle Earth. She learned the language, the culture, and most of all she learned to love the people in extraordinary ways. She glowed with the love of Jesus and everyone who ever met her was struck by her grace. Yesterday we heard unconfirmed reports that she has been killed after a several week ordeal. Security forbids me to say anymore. Likely, even hopefully, you will never hear her story this side of eternity. You will not know of the great sister who has laid down her life for the Kingdom of God.

There are a lot of mixed feelings about martyrs. In our Western society it has become a negative word, a word to describe misguided people. Some in Church who do understand the word still don’t like it. For too many of us the old enemy death has not lost his sting. We cling to ideas of loss forgetting our faith. Our hearts have not caught up with our heads. Revelation gives us a different perspective. In chapter 6:9-11 we see:

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

I grieve that I will not see my friend again this side of eternity but I do not mourn her loss. She has been given a white robe and is now at rest. She will be honored throughout eternity for her service to her Father. She has laid down her life not just for her friends but for her enemies as well. I believe it was because she had such grace and character as the Lord had put into her that He honored her by allowing her to be a sacrifice for the people she was sent to serve. I am sorry you can not know more about her to honor her and learn from her. Just know that the Father is raising up many like her to swell the numbers of His Kingdom until it truly does have no end. Heaven will be truly glorious as it radiates with the splendor of men, women, and children who reflect the glory of our God for all eternity. She is no longer in the battle. Who will stand in the gap she leaves?

Humbled.....Again

Last week after a successful food distribution to a village starving in the worst winter Gondor has seen in 25 years we decided we would go back down to Anfalas and do a special seminar. The young church down there is always hungry for more of the Word so I thought it would be a good idea for us to take a whole day and do an Old Testament overview kinda conference.

We met a couple of times and portioned out the different subjects each of us would teach. Merry would take the Patriarchs, Frodo would teach Exodus through the Judges, and Sam would go over the Wisdom litereture. I would overview Israel's history and put the prophets into that perspective. On Monday we met to make sure that we were clear on what we were doing. Everything looked good. Any questions? Merry shifted in his seat, 'just one.' 'Are you coming with us?'
I paused, looking at his discomfort and trying to figure out where he was going with this.
'Do you think I shouldn't go?' They had discussed this, obviously they didn't think so. They then explained that while everyone in Anfalas loved me it was clear that when I was there people were shy. They didn't always come around the foreigner and when they did come around they didn't always open up and asks questions. 'Ok', I said. 'You guys are breaking my heart!' Man, teaching the Word is my greatest joy in life. I knew they were right. I sent them on without me.

The team got back yesterday and the study went really well. All four baptised believers were there and eight other adults joined them. The teaching went on all day and into the night. No one left or lost interest. They were all rivoted to what the guys were saying. And God was working in me too. He told me to look up a verse that would help me. It is a much used verse in our line of work. So much used that it is almost trite, taken for granted.

2 Timothy 2:2
And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who also will be qualified to teach others.

This verse washed over me. It soothed me and gave me joy. I thought about how I was able to just say to Merry, 'Teach the Patriarchs' and he would do it. I didn't say to him, 'Don't forget to mention this, please emphasis that, use these key verses.' He knew it. We have studied and worked together for four years. They know the Word and they know Jesus well. They can teach very well. Lives were changed Tuesday. Several who have been fence sitting have been powerfully challenged to follow the Truth in an effective way. God is moving in Anfalas. And if He is then my job is done and I need to move on to the next village, the next uncrossable barrier, the next Gate of Hell that is begging to be knocked down so that those inside can be set free by our relentless savior.

A quick prologue to what I have just written. When Merry finished sharing about how Joseph experienced great personal pain but that God used it all for good he got a phone call. His sister's apartment here in Minas Tirith burned completely in the night. Thanks be to God who awoke his sister at one in the morning when she heard the sounds and smell of burning and looked in on Merry's studio where he does dubbing of Christian movies and music. The fire was already raging and the force of it blasted the door open and threw her back. She escaped with her two children unharmed but they have lost everything. They are currently staying at Frodo's house until funds can be collected to remodel the apartment. Local believers are coming to their aid and today I know that they have clothes and shelter and all that they need. Replacing the studio and the apartment will be harder for them but not for God. Merry took the news gracefully and was a testimony of how God's children should bear burdens. I am proud of the whole team who can not only share the Gospel, they live it.

Heating Up in the Cold

Well, I tried singing, reading the Word, talking to my family but I can't shake the feeling of anger that has taken over my heart. So, I will process with you, dear reader, and maybe I will get it off my chest once and for all.

Backround: Gondor is having the worst winter in 25 years. It has been darn cold and the utilities have consequently suffered badly. Our dam is out of water and we have severe power shortages. This means that for the last couple of weeks we have had no power from 10 to 5 am and pm. But worse than that the villages outside of Minas Tirith where I live have had no electricity at all for over a month. Many people have died in the cold including newborn babies in cold hospitals. This kind of crisis brings out the best and the worst in people depending on their charactor. Our believing friends have done great, bearing inconveniences patiently and serving others. The Government officials have responded with a spate of new fees and regulations designed to milk every penny they can out of local people and us International NGO's. This has been getting steadily more annoying to me but today I just about lost it.

We have not had water for more than a month now as all the lines are frozen. I walked into the office this afternoon and had to leave again quickly before I blew up. Three men from the water department had barged into our office and were demanding back payment for supposedly outstanding bills from 1996. They want about $50. It is not about the money. It is about my temper and the fact that I have not had a bath in six weeks. They will come again tomorrow and I am asking all who read this to pray for me. If God blesses me with more grace than I can currently find in my heart I will deal with these guys tomorrow morning and move on to serve the people he sent me to. If I face them without such grace this blog may be closed as I get deported for physically assaulting the water guys.

Grace grace God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sins.... I need MORE!

UPDATE: So, you guys must have prayed hard because today our water came back! Of course, we didn't have electricity all day but now that is back too. I met with the water guys and they were somewhat reasonable, or at least I was. So, thanks to all who prayed. It is a small victory in the midst of a big crises but hey, one step at a time.

To Mount Doom 3

Arathorn was a 26 year old International Service Corps young man with the Southern Baptists. He had served for one year in a country to the north of us and he wanted to serve his second year taking advantage of the door that God opened for us in Mordor. The year was 1999 and it was time for me to go on my first homeleave. I told Arathorn that we would not be able to support him well. We were partnering with a construction agency that would be able to get the money and resources to him to continue the project but there would be no pastoral care, and very little advice or encouragement. Arathorn tackled northern Mordor with zest. He was determined to get the Gospel to people who had been in complete darkness for thousands of years. These were fanatical Muslims who had spent the last twenty years in civil war. Everyone carried a gun and everyone knew how to use one.

Living conditions were primative but tolerable. We had set up an office and the local family who owned the property lived there, cleaned, cooked and served with great hospitality. But this was in the end a small village. There was no electricity except for the generator we provided. There was no water except what the family carried in from the well. Life was completely communal with this one big exception: We never saw women at all. They were shut up behind high walls and when there was a rare occasion of a woman traveling on the road she was covered from head to toe, her face veiled completely, and more than that people would be angry if you looked at her for more than a passing glance. Communal living does however mean that everything you do and say is known by everyone in the village. How do you do evangelism and discipleship in this very hostile setting. Arathorn didn't know but he was determined to find out. He shared stories, his testimony, he told coworkers about what he believed. Immediately he was opposed by our office manager. He was a strict Muslim and more than that he was afraid that if anyone thought that Arathorn was trying to spread his faith they could all be killed. Arathorn kept trying anyway. He was frustrated that he could not have any private conversations. After a few of these early on the villagers were afraid to talk to him alone because of several who had faced a mean interrogation afterwards. 'Why did you talk to Arathorn? What did you talk about? You are not wanting to be a Christian are you?!' Arathorn was frustrated. Not only was he not able to evangelize one on one but he could not even have a close friend to talk to. Just before I left for the US I went down with the director of the Construction firm we partnered with. We walked into a big controversy. The local officials in Mordor were furious with Arathorn because he had given a man a New Testament in their language. Of course, the reason he gave it to him was because he had asked for it! It had been a trap. The Director and I went to see the Governor of the district. We told him that we would take Arathorn and go home. Of course, with no one else to run the projects we would have to suspend our activities. The Governor asked Arathorn to promise not to give our any more New Testaments and he could stay. Well, personally I think that this is an easy promise to keep. After all, how effective is giving out literature in a country with 17% literacy! No, we would stick to stories and Arathorn would have to keep looking for a way to share them.

When I came back from the US Arathorn came up to visit us in Gondor and take a break. It was never much of a break for him to come to Gondor. The spiritual battle seemed to rage even more when he came here. He was arrested at the airport and held until we could get him out every single time he came- which was several times... five or six I think. They always said his visa was wrong but the truth was he dressed, talked, and acted like a national from Mordor which made him very unpopular in Gondor! I asked him how things were and he described his difficulties. He struggled terribly with being the only known believer in all of northern Mordor. He was alone and he was frustrated. But he talked about the projects and the office with some joy. He told me that it was an interesting thing to watch the other organizations down there. There was a Swedish group and their guy wore a tie and so all the Mordor staff had taken to wearing ties. There was a French group and they had several young men who drank wine alot. So, their national staff had begun drinking as well. Then I asked him the obvious question, 'What are your staff known for?' He thought for just a second and replied that his men where known for servanthood. His guys stood out in that they were always ready to pick up a shovel and help. I liked that a lot.

Arathorn extended his contract for two more years. Finally, in 2001 another young man came out and joined him. Then another, then a young family. Arathorn worked harder and harder. He finally left frustrated and defeated. I give him full credit for opening the office that is still there today. I give him full credit for beginning a work in one of the most difficult places on earth. But he left thinking he had failed.

Two years later the team leader for Northern Morder came up to me at a conference and said, 'Hey Strider, do you ever hear from Arathorn anymore?' I told him that I had lost track of him. He said to me, 'Well, if you ever see him tell him that we currently work with six men who have become believers. All six of them knew Arathorn.' We always tell ourselves that we will never know the impact we have on others this side of eternity. I am sure that some who are famous with big ministries will be disappointed at how few they touched for the Kingdom. I am very sure that Arathorn will be amazed at the many who surround him on that great day and say thank you. Arathorn, if you are reading this I will say thank you right now, and WELL DONE!

To Mount Doom 2

In my last post I recalled how we began our work in Mordor. Once the money was in we still needed personnel and we needed them fast. We had a three and a half month window to build 6000 houses or people would perish in the snow. My Engineer friend took advantage of the Red Cross pulling out by hiring one of their administrators. Later we would be priviliged to pick up a highly trained national engineer. These two men saw the project through even when we didn't know if we could go back to Mordor ourselves. The civil war got closer. As the Engineer stayed on after everyone else evacuated I began to get concerned. If he suddenly had to leave could we get him out? I began to look into it. Then another agency assured me that they had everything under control. Our Engineer could come out with them across the river by boat. All the permissions were arranged. Fine I said and assurred my friend that all was ready. When he got across the river, with bombs clearly heard in the distance, he was told by the border forces that his name was not on the list. He called me on his Satelite telelphone and exclaimed that there was a huge mess up. He as not happy as they sent him back across the river where there was only a small guard house and nowhere to spend the night or get food. Fortunately, the Mordor border guards took pity on him and fed him and gave him room in the guardhouse to put down a sleeping bag. He would remain there for three days while I ran around from morning till night everyday going from office to office trying to get permission for him to get across. I was one stamp away from getting a helicopter with the Gondor Army when the big boss from out of town came in unexpectedly and squashed the plan. I finally got his name on the approprate list and he came across the river and was picked up by our national guys who drove him the seven hour drive up to Minas Tirith where we live. I am not sure he ever forgave me for letting him sit on a dangerous border for three days but I promise all of you I did not rest an hour while he was there. Such is life, or at least such is Middle Earth.

Our next task was to get personnel on the ground. We had a functioning office, some great national staff, and a big budget but no expatriot staff to run the project or more important, to take advantage of the ministry opportunities. There were several families who had lived in Mordor before they had all been kicked out two years before, there were several more families that had claimed to love the people of Mordor and worked in neighboring countries to serve these people. I was sure once they knew about our project they would be begging to get involved. In many ways I was still operating out of my area of responsibility. Mordor was someone else's job, not mine. I had a full-time job right here in Gondor as my team continually reminded me. But after a few weeks I realized they were not coming. It is difficult to say exactly why but I will put forward two reasons that I think are valid. One, they did not come because they had always had city ministries and several of them had families that were used to the city and our project was more than just rural, it was remote. Two, I think that once someone is settled, even if it is not in the place one wishes to be, it is very difficult to pick up and move on a moment's notice. We were asking a lot, and in the end we were asking too much. No one came and we concluded the project that fall with no international staff on the ground. It may interest you to know that our little organization built 500 homes in four months and that the four NGO's combined built 13,000 homes- that's right, THIRTEEN THOUSAND! The people of northern Mordor had the shelter they needed for the winter. I am very proud of the project we did, of the plan that we came up with and I want to be really really clear here: This is all credit to the Holy Spirit who gave us the plan and the resources to accomplish it.

That winter our region had what we call our Annual General Meeting. During the meeting there was a special session called by our leadership to address the problem of Mordor. Several people made presentations about how they might could try and do something from some direction or another to get people in. I stood up and described our project, our entrance into Mordor and I plead for people to come and join the project. Now, you may not believe this but several people stood up and opposed me. They said that Mordor was too dangerous, it was too risky, we were not ready etc. etc. I replied that we would never impact the lostness of Mordor without risks and sacrifices. Much more annoying to me was that there were non-Christian international workers there doing projects right now while we Christians hid behind our own timidity. I challenged them to take up the task or renounce their claim to love the people of Mordor. Yeah, I know, I am not much of a diplomat.
I was discouraged.

But later that day a young man I will name Arathorn came up to me and asked me more about the project. He had been working for the last year in the mountains north of Gondor and he said this was just the kind of challenge he was looking for. I talked to his supervisor who gave the ok and we arranged for him to go down in six weeks time. I warned him that I was going on Stateside Assignment later that year. He would be all alone, the only known Christian in all of Northern Mordor and we would not be able to support him well. He said he understood. He said he was ready. I don't think he has ever forgiven me for our lack of support and the really difficult time he had for the next three years. But that will be the topic of my next post.

To Mount Doom

The title sounds dramatic huh? Well, it is one of my better stories and after a year and a half of blogging my stories I still have not gotten around to it. This next month it will be ten years since the events I am about to record first began, events that changed me and are largely responsible for making me what I am today. The self-help nuts have it completely wrong you know. We are not in control of our destiny, our words do not shape our future, and our lives are not in our hands. God is not a project that I work on, getting myself more pure and holy and spiritual. I am His project. Ten years ago He spoke into the world and changed it forever and I was glad to be along for the ride. Quite right, way too much intro, I will just tell the story.

In February of 1998 I had been in Gondor for less than a year. I was struggling to start a micro-business enterprise program, we were coming together as a new team with three families, and Gondor was a mess (please note severe understatement here). The utilities didn't work, the society didn't work, and we didn't know what we were supposed to do about it. Gonder had just finished a five year civil war the year before and now various factions, and tribes, and out and out criminal gangs were vying for control of whatever they thought was worth having- which wasn't much in my eyes at the time. People suffered hugely. Violence was out of control and we checked in daily on our radios which we carried at all times. After describing all this it should not surprise you that we took little notice when a massive earthquake struck the mountains on Mordor to the south of us. Gimli was down at the airport when 23 European reporters showed up and asked him how they could get to Mordor to cover the event. Mordor was still in a twenty year civil war itself and most all Western personnel including folks from our company had had to leave the year before. Half the Gondor army sat on the river bank making sure no one crossed that border- there were not even any bridges across the river- and there were no flights to Mordor from Gondor. Gimli told them you couldn't get there from here. Later we heard that they were some of the first people to respond to the disaster. In the week following the 8.0 earthquake that struck a group of 30 villages in Northern Mordor only two aid workers and 23 reporters responded. Eventually, we sent a truck of clothes down with a Red Cross convoy but the event was eye-opening for me. What does one do to respond to a disaster? I had never thought about it before. It was always someone else's job. What if there was no one else to do the job? We lived in land where earthquakes, landslides, and floods were yearly events. Should we do something about that? I began to look into it.

We prayed, explored, read, interviewed experts in the field and finally made a plan. Our team met one Wednesday night later that Spring and we wrote out a six point plan of action for the next time a disaster happened in our area. I e-mailed it to my boss and informed him of our intentions. My wife Arwen then said, 'Now all we have to do is pray for another earthquake in Mordor.' We wont ever let her forget those words. At 11:00 o'clock the next morning a second 8.0 earthquake hit Northern Mordor completely destroying over sixty villages. We began to plan to go. I met up with a Dutch friend of mine who worked with another agency. He was an engineer so I thought he would be a pretty handy guy to have along. He told me that a disaster consultant was coming from the West to help us out. A couple weeks later we flew down to Mordor on a huge relief helicopter arranged by the Red Cross. I set foot in Mordor for the first time. It was intimidating. Mordor was nothing like I had ever experienced before. It was wild and lawless. They had been caught up in a civil war for over twenty years and everyone had guns, and everyone knew well how to use them.

Our first day in Mordor was amazing. We landed and were greeted by men with guns who escorted us to the office of another aid agency. It was an Irish group and they were very hospitable. They arranged a jeep for us and a driver and we headed out to a nearby village that still needed to be assessed. The drive was incredible as we went up riverbeds and into places that I never dreamed a jeep could go. In the end we arrived a village of 750 homes. I stood in the middle of the village and could look out to the fields in every direction. Every wall was reduced to chest high, every house destroyed. There were a few people milling around but not many. We spoke to the village elders. I say 'we' but really my Engineer friend and our new Irish friend did the talking through a translator. I dropped back and started talking with a 19 year old young man who was very informative. It was here that I learned something very important. I had no training to do this job but I could do it better than anyone because I could speak the language. My friends asked the elders where all the people were and they claimed they were working in the fields but that all the people were still here in the village. I ask my young friend in his language where everyone was and he said they all moved into a refugee camp outside the district capital. The village elders were looking out for their own interest and hoping as much aid as possible would come their way. I don't blame them but for us it is much more important to know the truth if we are to mount an effective relief plan. In a flash I realized that because I knew the language and culture I could make a far better assessment than teams of trained Red Cross and UN guys. You may or may not know that most Red Cross and UN guys are either Swiss or French and the Swiss and the French are the only people on Earth more arrogant and culturally insensitive than we Americans. This revelation would set the agenda for our aid work as basic assessment for the next seven years.

I say that the village was completely destroyed but there were a couple of notable exceptions. There were two very old buildings- very small- that survived. We began looking at how the homes made of mud brick collapsed and I got a crash course in engineering and building design. We realized that the old buildings had earthquake mitigation techniques built into them. These people's grandfather's knew how to build- they had just forgotten. My engineer friend designed a house then the basic principles of which we still use to this day in all our building projects. I would describe the nine points of it but most of you would find that boring so I will skip it for now.

We headed back to the office and on the way we rolled the jeep. Not a fun experience but we got out and righted our vehicle and drove back to the district capitol. I then went down to the bazaar to try out my language some more and to see what kind of goods and services we could expect when we set up an office here. The Engineer and the Consultant had a meeting with the local Governor. I met a nice young man who invited me out to his village that night. I spent the night out there with around 15 guys and we had some interesting conversation. I shared my faith with them and they even had me sing a spiritual in English which I translated for them. It was great fun.

Now at this point I have to digress. A month before all this there was a huge battle on the edge of Minas Tirith where I live that nearly drove the country back into civil war. After it was over no one wanted to help the people in the more than sixty destroyed homes so Gimli and our other team member whom I have not told you much about, Gandalf, went out to help. It was their idea that we could not rebuild full homes for those who lost their homes in the battle but we could rebuild a couple of rooms of the bombed out houses to give them emergency shelter. I shared this idea with the Engineer and we incorporated it into our plan. The second night we were in Mordor we presented our plan to the Governor and the four Non-Governmental Organizations who were committed to providing shelter. The UN and the Red Cross were pulling out because the Mordor civil war was getting too close. We could expect no building materials at all to be imported because we had the war in the south and the inpenatrable Gondor border in the north- even if we could get goods across the bordor Gondor had nothing to offer anyway. The latest surveys showed that we needed over 6000 shelters in sixty villages before winter came. So, we presented our plan. The four NGO's would divide up the villages and we would then go to each village which we were responsible for and divide the villagers up into teams. Each team would have a brick mason whom we would train to build houses according to our design. Our Engineer then presented his design. He called it 'Temporay Housing in Permanant Structures'. The idea was that we would build a square five by five meter room using recycled materials from the broken houses. This would be enough to get families out of the snow that winter and then they could build larger structures next year when they had more time and resources. The Mordorites thanked us for the plan but said it had one fatal flaw. The plan depended on men from different families working in teams and they told us no Mordor man would work on someone else's home before his was finished. I being the diplomat that I am leaned across the table and told them that they would all die in the snow. The UN actually saved the day at this point. The World Food Program decided that even though they were leaving because of the war they would leave their wheat flour for us to distribute. When we offered to pay each family with food for work they all agreed to work on the teams.

This is getting too long but we are almost there. So, after a week we went back to Gondor and made our plans. The Engineer came up with a budget for our part of the project. We needed 300,000 dollars to pull it off. I said, 'Man, can't it be cheaper?!' He said that as near as he could tell that is what it would cost to set up the office, hire staff, and run the project for the next five months. Southern Baptists contributed $25,000 out of our Human Needs fund. I was skeptical about the rest. Within two weeks we had all $300,000 given from seven different sources. We didn't even ask for it. People found out we were working in Mordor and they offered us the money. God truly owns the cattle on a thousand hills and when He asks you to do something He cuts a few loose for you. I will never doubt that again. Never make a decision about what God wants you to do based on money- He's got plenty.

So, that is my first week in Mordor in the summer of 1998. In my next post I will talk about some of the results and where God took us next.

Something to Brag About

Personal Note: We just got back from the Grey Havens today. It was a great trip with great weather, good family time, and a great conference with Neil Cole- esteemed church planting guru. We arrived early this morning to sub-zero temperatures and snow on the ground. I am wearing my winter hat even now as I type. It is really cold outside and fairly cold inside. Oh well, back to work.

But the subject of today's post is the Kingdom of God; or more accurately how we perceive the Kingdom. I am sure that everyone thinks they have their priorities right- if they didn't they would change them. But are they right? Are our priorities- yours and mine- correct? There are things that I would love to hide from you. There are sins that I hope you will never find out about. I am sure you feel the same. But I have learned that we should not judge ourselves by the things we try to hide as much as by the things we brag about. What do you brag about? What is it you feel is really wonderful about you and your life? I think that when it comes to the Kingdom of God this is a critical question. It came up recently here when some friends did something that surprised us. I will tell the story.

Legolas and I work together here in Gondor. He and his wife have started a small church in their home made up of the extended members of a very dysfunctional family. Several have become believers and their redeemed and transformed lives have been a rock of stumbling for others in their family who are clinging to sin and selfishness. One young lady has been a real beacon of light in the darkness here. She also worked for a family who are with a different organization. They are from another denomination and look at the work of church planting differently than we do. I have always liked them and enjoyed their fellowship in spite of doctrinal and methodological differences. Last year they went back to the West. Last week they paid big bucks to sponsor this young lady to move to the West to live and study. Legolas and his wife are furious. I am very disappointed. At this point some of you may be wondering why we are upset. The answer is very important. It has to do with the very heart of the Gospel itself. Let me contrast the two views here so that we can clearly understand what is at stake.

View One: Legolas and his wife believe that God has called all Christians to join Him in His great work of establishing the Kingdom of God among every people, tribe, and nation. They shared the Gospel with this young lady believing that God wanted her in His Kingdom and had paid a huge price at Calvary in order to make that happen. Eternity is a long time and Legolas and his wife have given up a good paying job in the West and taken their five children to a hard place to live because they believe that the Kingdom of God is far more valuable than any earthly rewards. They further believe that God desires to reach the people of Gondor with the people of Gondor- or as we like to say, the resources needed for a harvest are in the harvest. So, they believe that what this young lady needs more than anything is a deep discipleship relationship with God that teaches her to obey everything He commands her.

View Two: What our other friends have demonstrated is another view altogether. They believe that the Kingdom of God means material benefits that translate into a higher standard of living. It is simple really: If you love God He will love you by giving you a more comfortable life. Since this young lady has come to faith in a poor and struggling country what needs to happen is that we must get her out of there right away so that she can reap the rewards of her good decision to follow Jesus. In this view our job of discipleship has less to do with obeying Jesus and more to do with providing every material benefit we can to those in need.

Now, let me be clear here, I am a humanitarian aid worker. I help people everyday. I believe in our responsibility to care for others with all the resources He supplies. But I also believe that the greatest joy of any believer should come as they lay down their lives for the one who calls us all. This happens in small ways and large every day. I am sure that my friends think they have done a good deed in taking this girl to the West and 'rescuing' her from a difficult life in a broken country- it goes without saying that she is way warmer in the West than here right now! But I will not boast of lives rescued from suffering. I will boast in my Lord who calls all of those whom He loves to come and die. His ways are not our ways but they are the best ways. They are the only ways that spell hope for the people of Gondor, for the peoples of Middle Earth, for the peoples of the whole world. Oh, and for you and me too.

New Year's Resolutions

I would not normally make a big deal about New Year's resolutions but here in this short blog post I will make a brief exception. This morning Arwen and I got up- after sleeping in- and prayed together. We are committing to each other to pray with each other everyday. This may sound like an obvious thing to do but the truth is that most Christian couples do not do this. I will let you know how we get on and if we learn anything inspiring I will share it.

On Jan 3erd we head out to the Gray Havens to have a series of meetings with the rest of our region. I am really looking forward to it. We need the break after the busy holiday season- which was unbelievably busy but very rewarding. I will return to Gondor on the 14th and will resume blogging some time after that. When I come back I intend to continue storytelling as usual but I will also be adding more posts on strategy and theology as it meets life here on our team.

So, until the 15th of January I will say have a very happy end to your holiday season and as 2008 kicks off may you deepen your walk with our Lord Jesus Christ each and every day.

A Christmas Story- The Wrong Version

I love the Christmas story. I know, that is really trite, everyone is suppose to say that. Nevertheless for me the story of God coming to earth to redeem fallen and rebellious man is a great story. The Muslims here tell the story a little differently though. Many of you probably know that Muslims are very offended by the idea that Jesus is God's Son. A couple of years ago I had long discussion about it with a good friend of mine who is a Muslim. In frustration he gave me a movie that was produced in a Muslim country for Muslims about the birth of Jesus. He felt that it would clear up all my misunderstandings- in a sense it did.

The movie opens with Mary in the temple in Jerusalem. She is a highly respected member of Jewish society. She is well known for her work with the poor, for her spicial purity and grace, and for the miracles and healings that she could do. She stays with her uncle, Zachariah who is one of the priest. There is no mention of Joseph. Mary is discovered to be with child. The rulers and the priest feel betrayed and they accuse Mary of immorality. She knows she is pregnant by God's Spirit but no one believes her except for Zachariah- and he only half believes her. She is yelled at and disgraced and finally when Zach can no longer defend her she flees into the wilderness where there is an abundance of loud dramatic music and moving scenes of sand and rock. She then goes up to a strange pillar of rock leans against it and gives birth to a chorus of more loud dramatic music. She goes back to Jerusalem and takes her baby to the steps of the temple where she is greeted by a crowd of bitter old angry men dressed up as priest. They mock her and scold her. They asks her the baby's name and she replies that they should ask him themselves. They mock her some more and one of them says, 'So, the baby can talk can it? I will just ask him myself shall I? Hey kid, what's your name?' To everone's great shock the baby replies in a deep voice that he is Jesus and he is a great prophet sent from God. All the old men fall down defeated and ashamed.

What I like about this movie is that they describe Jesus' parenthood nearly exactly like we do. One of the big arguments from Muslims is that Jesus could not be God's son but they do in fact acknowledge that Mary was a virgin and that God's Spirit made her to be pregnant. Very interesting. But there is much that I hate about this movie. In addition to the ridiculously dramatic music there is the character and nature of Mary herself. In the Muslim view Mary is beloved by God because of her exceptional nature. She is better than everyone else and that is why God chose her. But I like the truth much better! The truth is that Mary was the least of the least. She was an uneducated, poor, unremarkable village girl from the smallest town in the smallest most oppressed country in the world. She was completely powerless so what better person could God use to change the entire world? I said Mary was unremarkable but that of course, is not quite true. She was nothing in the world's eyes but what she was could move heaven and earth. She was one of the only people confronted by God who didn't argue with him. You will bear a son.... Ok, do what you will. Moses didn't give that answer. Gideon didn't give that answer. Most people when confronted by God look at themselves and say, 'But Lord, I can't. I am not able.' No such foolishness from Mary. She told the angel that GOD COULD DO whatever he wanted- and she is so right.

So, what about you and me? God is here today and He is asking us if we will let Him move in our lives. What is your answer to Him. I pray that my answer will always be like Mary's, the unremarkable village girl whom the whole world will always call blessed. Have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. I thank each one of you for praying for us, giving money to Lottie Moon and the Cooperative Program, and for being obedient to God in all the ways He is forwarding His Kingdom.

High Trust

I work with some really great national guys. Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pipen, Balin, and others are some of the best. We often talk about discipleship in our line of work. Discipleship is what we are commanded to do- we have to be a disciple and we are called to make disciples. To be a disciple of Jesus is to be a follower of Jesus. It means to walk in His ways, to do His will, to have faith in Him that whatever happens His plan is the one we are sticking to. In order to be a disciple we have to know what His ways are. We have to study under Him to know Him well. Too many people stop here. They learn about Jesus but they don't walk His walk. Knowledge without life is more than useless, it is death. We need to learn about Him so that we can act just like Him. In the West too often discipleship is thought to be a one hour Bible study or reading a good book. These things could lead to discipleship but as yet they are far from it. Following Jesus actually becomes real as we make decisions based on our relationship with Him. This has far more to do with going left instead of going right for the sake of Jesus and His Kingdom than how many Scriptures one has memorized. I have seen many very good men and women pour their lives into others only to see them become dependent, hesitant, faithless, gutless non-followers of Jesus. Why?

I think the crux of the issue is this; we make followers of Jesus and not followers of ourselves. I have told all the guys who work with me that we are not to refer to other people as 'our' disciples. We are to make disciples of Jesus. The best way to insure this is what some people call high trust. High trust means that we invest others with a lot of trust and control. We do not control others, we pray for others and let Jesus be in control. If you think about the kind of leader that Jesus was I think you will understand what I am talking about. Jesus sent out his men to do ministry long before they were what we would call ready. He taught them truth, lived truth in front of them and then sent them out. They went out proclaiming the Kingdom and healing and casting out demons even before they saw his resurrection. They let him down, they were faithless, they even deserted him, but that did not stop Him from entrusting the ministry to them. They taught, healed, baptized. It is impressive if you think about it. This is the kind of leader, discipler I want to be.

One day I was out with the team and we saw a house burning. We stopped and it was an amazing scene. Two rooms of a large home were engulfed in flames. Two boys- perhaps teenagers at most- were pouring buckets of water on the fire. A huge crowd of at least thirty or more neighbors were gathered around standing there watching with their hands in their pockets. I surveyed the situation and then I called the guys as they came in behind me. I had them get all the neighbors into a bucket brigade and then I found the breaker box and turned off the electricity (it turned out to be an electrical fire and no one had thought to turn of the fire source). We put out the fire before the fire department even arrived. We left and the guys took away a lesson far better than a one hour study could provide. Since that time we have helped in two other fires, taken countless sick men and women to hospital, and generally served wherever we have seen a need. I say we but really the guys have done most of this without me. Each week I send them out to do the projects, share their faith, and make a difference in the villages we work in. I hold them accountable but I trust them to do the job, spend the money, get the receipts, and make the reports. I modeled for them and now they do- and do and do and do.

In many ways this sounds simple. But in reality this was years in the making. It took time and hard work to follow God and let Him create for us a situation where we could work together like this. I credit my own leadership as well. It was Southern Baptists who sent me out with a God-sized task of getting to Gondor and impacting it with the Gospel. My boss did not think I could do it but he believed fervently that God could and he sent me out with his blessing. Over the years I have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars. I have been held accountable for how I spent it but I was always supported to spend it how I thought it would be most beneficial. Sometimes we did things that were illogical or appeared non-strategic, but if I said that God was moving us to do something then I was supported to do it. This is high trust. The result has been that I am more than I was when I started this job. The men I have worked with are certainly more than they were when we began working together, and the men and women they work with are becoming the Children of God even as I type. High trust comes with high risks but if you want to see God move in peoples lives there really is no other way to do it.