circularthoughts

an old fashioned foot-washing...

I preached on foot-washing from John 13:1-20 yesterday. This is the passage where Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. I focused on three main points (don’t all preachers make three main points?) from the 20 verses.

1. Jesus washed Judas’ feet knowing that he would be the betrayer. I told the story of how I had someone betray me once and while I was working through my forgiveness of this person I read what Jesus did with Judas in this passage. It was a major push in helping me reach a point of being willing to forgive this person.
2. Peter’s shenanigans in verses 6-9 was evidence that the disciples still did not understand the nature of the kingdom that Jesus was initiating. They were still thinking of a kingdom from an earthly perspective, i.e., it is only the servants who wash feet. To have Jesus, as their leader and teacher, stoop to wash their feet was outside the paradigm of power they were living under. I love Peter’s response! If that’s the way it is, then wash all of me! What a great picture of repentance (turning or changing of mind) in how Peter responded.
3. I then concluded by talking about how there seems to be two main paths that the church has taken in response to Jesus’ suggestion of how we ought to follow his example (verses 14-15). One group, the larger of the two, has symbolized this act and emphasized Jesus’ modeling of servant leadership. By following Jesus’ example in this way we are following the oughtness of his suggestion. The other group has taken Jesus literal and incorporated washing feet into their regular form of worship. I suggested that somehow there was an synthesis between these two extremes. Yes, Jesus was modeling servant leadership. But, the act of washing someone’s feet is an incredible picture of the reversal of structure and hierarchy of the kingdom of God. It is something that we all need to experience.

What do you think? Have you ever taken part in a foot-washing service? If not, why not?

call me an atheist...

My current course at Fuller is called The Art of Evangelism. This week, for the course, I am reading Evangelism in the Early Church, by Michael Green. I have about 80 pages left to read.

One of the many things I’ve picked up from this read is how the early Christians were considered to be atheists by the Gentiles. The Gentiles (read for the most part as citizens of the Roman Empire) were confused by the refusal of the early Christians to pay homage to the gods of the empire. In other words, since the early Christians rejected the gods of the empire by saying there was only one true God, they must be atheists.

Clearly this was a confrontation between polytheism and monotheism. The empire and its citizens were polytheistic, having a god for everything that must be honored and respected if things were going to continue to go smoothly. By not paying homage to the gods of the empire the early Christians were thought to be seeking to undermine the empire and thus were seen as dangerous to the state.

It was also a conflict between a human made empire and the kingdom of God. 

I’m wondering if we still have this kind of conflict today?

I’m wondering if the gods of the empire could have morphed into what today we would call nationalism?

That may be a bit of a stretch, but, just in case, call me an atheist...

 

snakebites and healings...

I received the following report on this past Sunday. It is from one of our national workers in India.

In a remote village, a family has been involved for generations in making mud water containers. They are the only people in the villages around them that do this kind of work so their business is good and they earn a reasonable amount of money to support themselves. 

One morning the family was busy in their work when a poisonous snake bit one of the women. She was rushed to the hospital on a motorcycle and on the way the motorcycle had a flat tire. The two men who carried this woman panicked as there was no means of conveyance for next 4 kilometers. The woman was getting unconscious as it had been almost 45 minutes since the snake had bitten her and her left leg was turning blue. 

One of our leaders, who lives in the area, was traveling on his bicycle when he passed by this group of people. As narrated by the leader: 

When I was going to a nearby village to get some groceries, I saw one woman lying on the ground at the side of the road and two men sitting beside her. I stopped to ask them what had happened and they shared the incident with me. I was full of grief and compassion for them but did not know what to do. I was a bit not sure if I wanted to pray for the woman not knowing if God would heal her. But, gathering my guts I decided to share Jesus with them telling them about the healing power of Jesus. But these men were not interested to listen or pay attention to what I was telling them. All they wanted was to get to the hospital. But the woman was lying there and softly said that she was willing to let Jesus heal her. I started to think what if? What if nothing happens, but there was no way I would back out on a dying woman so I placed my hand on the wound and prayed with lot of fear and doubt, Lord, if you may, heal this woman, in your son's name. Amen!! Amen, by the time I finished the woman had completely gone unconscious. The men were looking at me strangely, wondering what to do with me. But before they could think of anything evil to do with me the unconscious woman started to move and make sounds, and she got off the ground completely in just a few seconds. It was a sign of relief for me that God had touched and healed her. Wasting no time I shared Jesus with them and all three of them were on their knees crying and sobbing. The Spirit had convicted them and I left happy, praising the Lord, promising to never doubt again. I have visited the family twice in the last week and three more family members are on their way to baptism in the coming week!

This is but one of countless stories we are hearing and experiencing in India. God is at work! His Kingdom is coming!

 

a short trip to Mexico...

We returned yesterday from a week in Mexico. Yes, we went to Mexico, to Monterrey, supposedly one of the most dangerous places in the world because of the drug cartel killings. Well, we didn’t see or even sense any danger. It was nice.

We went so I could teach for Oasis HGM, a partner ministry of Heart of God Ministries, for which I am Mission Director. Oasis HGM trains Latin believers how to be good missionaries. I taught Wednesday afternoon and Thursday on disciple making focused church planting. On Friday I met with each of the current 8 students to hear their stories, to dream with them and see if there was a way I can help them to thrive after they go to the field. I know that I will be visiting some of these students on the mission field in the next year or so.

On Saturday the students graduated. The training program lasts ten months. I was able to share briefly with the students at the graduation ceremony. 

I told them that the book of Acts is probably my favorite book. I talked about how Luke wrote it to his friend Theophilus as a follow up to Luke. I talked about how Acts seems to end fairly abruptly in chapter 28 with Paul in Rome sharing the gospel of the kingdom daily. I said that it was almost as if Luke intended to write more but didn’t have the time.

I then suggested that the book of Acts is still being written. Not literally of course, but through the stories we write as we go out to love others through making disciples of Jesus. I suggested that as they went out they would be writing chapters 4,658 of Acts, or 5,386 and so forth. It was a lot of fun!

Please pray with me as these students finish up their support raising so they can go to the fields of Turkey, China, Mali, Bangladesh and Mozambique to write their chapter of Acts.

Alleviating poverty, one loan at a time...

Have you heard about Kiva? This non-profit organization is one of my favorite ways to give. 

Kiva’s mission is “to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty.”

Kiva lets you join in micro lending to some of the world’s poorest people. The minimum loan that you make is $25.00. Your loan gets combined with those of other folks and the combined amount is used to fund a micro loan for an individual or a group of individuals in numerous places around the world. It is a great setup, easy to do and the results have been phenomenal. 

From the Kiva website, since Kiva was founded in 2005:

596,151 people have made loans through Kiva

$224 million in loans have been funded

98.79% repayment rate on these loans

As a former banker, I can say that the repayment rate is amazing!

May family has made 78 loans over the years. We chose to loan only to women. This is one of the ways we have chosen to flesh out our love for our neighbor.

Check it out here. This is my official invitation to you to join Kiva.

If you want to know more about micro lending and the work to alleviate poverty I would suggest the following books:

UnPoverty: Rich Lessons from the Working Poor

When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. . .and Yourself

Evangelism as initiation...

Yesterday, I began reading the second book for my Art of Evangelism course at Fuller. The book is called The Logic of Evangelism and was written by William J. Abraham. 

The main thesis of the book is that evangelism should be understood as the primary initiation into the kingdom of God, as opposed to simple proclamation of the good news or as a means for church growth. To throw a spark on this idea, Abraham suggests:

any vision of evangelism that ignores the kingdom of God, or relegates it to a position of secondary importance, or fails to wrestle thoroughly with its content is destined at the outset to fail. This is so because the kingdom of God is absolutely central to the ministry of Jesus and to the mission of the disciples that launched the Christian movement into history. (17)

I have always been taught that evangelism is the way we go about letting others know of their need for salvation. We tell them the good news that Jesus has died for their sins and that he rose again, from the dead, conquering death so that we might have eternal life. If we have been well trained we say that eternal life begins here and now, but, most of us focus on the afterlife part of eternal life. In other words, evangelism, I have always been taught, is the process of telling others how to get to heaven.

In recent years, my problem with the above is that it really offers nothing for the here and now. This, I think, is what Abraham is talking about when he suggests that evangelism is the primary initiation into the kingdom of God.

If the kingdom of God is seen as the reign and rule of God, in and through Jesus, both now and in the future, then, evangelism should be seen as the process of leading others into such reign. It is the process of helping others see that there is a different way to live in the here and now. This way of living has less to do with our performance or compliance with a list of rules. Instead, it is centered in our pursuit of God’s will, here on earth, of heaven in the here and now.

So, yes, evangelism is about the cross and what Jesus accomplished on such. But, it is about so much more.

I think I’m going to enjoy this course!

Bonhoeffer on Christian formation...

In his book Ethics, Bonhoeffer discusses the concept of Jesus being the true human being, the ultimate and only true example of what a human being is. Therefore, for right Christian formation to happen we must begin with a proper understanding of Jesus.

Bonhoeffer refers to Jesus as Ecce homo – the man. This is taken, of course, from Pilate’s words in the gospels as he presents the beaten and ready to be crucified Jesus to the crowds. What Pilate surely meant as sarcasm is meant as reality for Bonhoeffer. In the crucified and resurrected Jesus, Bonhoeffer sees the true human, made new and presented as the one through whom humanity is measured and revealed.

Christian formation, for Bonhoeffer, is the process of being conformed to Christ. This is possible because of the humanity of Jesus, because he is the true and ultimate human and in his life and death and resurrection we have the ability to experience such. Christian formation, in this case, is not so much a path or even a set of beliefs and behaviors to be mastered. Instead, it is the process of Jesus taking form in us, which is really a matter of faith. The work has been done in the life of Jesus. We must now walk forward in faith in the reality of such.

 

Conversion: Fast Food or Fine Dining?

My current course at Fuller is called The Art of Evangelism. The first book we are reading is called Conversion in the New Testament: Paul and the Twelve, by Richard V. Peace, who just so happens to be the course Professor. In this book, Peace compares the dramatic, single-point-in-time conversion of Paul to the slow, progressive and even fuzzy (when it comes to when it happened) conversion of the Twelve. In doing such he is asking the question of which one is the norm. 

In Western Evangelicalism, the norm seems to have always been that of Paul. I was taught that I needed to be able to identify the specific point in time that I prayed to receive (trust) Christ. Failure to be able to do this was seen as a potential weakness in my own testimony that might cause doubts as to my actual salvation at some point in the future. Thus, our western evangelism is designed to fit this paradigm, in that we push for a decision.

Peace suggests that the conversion experience of the Twelve was more like a pilgrimage. It was a progressive revelation in which they first saw Jesus as a Teacher, followed by a Prophet, on to Messiah and then to God incarnate. In other words, he argues that the Twelve would have been hard pressed to pick out the specific point in time when the actually trusted Christ, but, their conversion was just as valid as that of Paul’s.

I’m intrigued with this idea of progressive revelation and progressive trust. I think that this “both/and” understanding of conversion might open the door to a more gentle, less confrontational/polemical form of evangelism, which would be a good thing, especially for those on the receiving end.

Bonhoeffer on cheap grace...

For Bonhoeffer, “cheap grace means grace as doctrine, as principle, as system” (Discipleship, 43). Cheap grace is that which requires no true repentance or change. It is grace without transformation. It is grace without discipleship. Costly grace, on the other hand, is that which causes us to be transformed, discipled and to follow Jesus. It is a grace that costs us our lives. It is a grace that was also costly for God because of his incarnation and his death.

Discipleship is commitment to Jesus Christ. It is not the study of any system or doctrine or way of belief. It is, instead, the following of the God-human and the life he lived and will live in us. It is more than an increasing of head knowledge; it is instead an increasing in heart knowledge, an obedience that comes from belief and a praxis that reflects the life of Jesus Christ.

The root and foundation of discipleship is found in the Sermon on the Mount. At the center of the Sermon is, of course, Jesus. However, love is the summation of the entire Sermon. Disciples are those who are allowing Jesus to mold in them his way of undivided love, the love that was reflected in the cross and the love that is reflected in the sending of rain on both the righteous and unrighteous.

Quotation taken from this book...

Bonhoeffer on judging...

For Bonhoeffer, “judging is the forbidden evaluation of other persons. It corrodes simple love” (Discipleship, 171). When we judge others we are doing so by establishing a standard in Jesus. On the surface this appears to be acceptable, at least having the standard of Jesus. However, Jesus is not a standard, he is the judge. He has judged me and that gives me no right to judge others. We hold others to a standard that we have not been able to measure up to. This is judging and forbidden and the opposite of love. Instead, we must learn to “reverse the I and the You” (Discipleship, 174) in our relationships with others. We must be able to see them as we see ourselves and give others the same grace that we give ourselves. We must see that there is no difference between the evil in us and the evil in others. It is only when we do this that we are in right relationship with others. I believe that Bonhoeffer would remind the church in the US to stop judging those who are not a part of the church. He would tell us to stop holding others to a standard that we will never meet. He would tell us to learn to love others and to accept them where they are. After all, this is what Jesus has done with us.

Quotations taken from this book...

Bonhoeffer on community...

I recently completed a course for my seminary work at Fuller called The Ethics of Bonhoeffer. I first read Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship roughly 10 years ago. It has been a formative book for me. This course introduced me to much of his other works as well.

One of those was a little book called Life Together: Exploration of Faith in Community. This 122 page read is a deep discussion of what true Christian community looks like. Bonhoeffer wrote it while leading an underground seminary during the late 1930’s. The seminary had to be underground because of Nazi efforts to control the German church.

The key to this book is found in Bonhoeffer’s argument that any community founded on anything but Jesus is nothing more than a “wish dream.”

Every human wish dream that is injected into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to survive. (27).

I’ve seen this so many times. Churches, ministries and so forth are built around dreams and ideas that are close to Jesus, but, not Jesus. These dreams and ideas can take the form of a particular style of worship, they can be an intense focus on discipleship or even a certain way of preaching. Somehow, in the process, Jesus often gets left out, or minimized, or marginalized. 

I’ve been wondering lately if our pursuit of right doctrine can be one of Bonhoeffer’s “wish dreams” and thus a hinderance to community...

 

Nomads 2011

 

Go here to register!

February 2011 India Trip Report

 

If you can't say something nice...

Yesterday I introduced the concept of ethnocentrism by asking the question, “Is it wrong, or just different?”  Today I want to dig a little deeper.  By the way, much of this information is being adapted from the book, Anthropology for Christian Witness, by Dr. Charles Kraft.

Another word for ethnocentrism is monoculturalism.  One of the major ways we know if we suffer from monoculturalism is through our language.  If we use pejorative terms to contrast the ways of others with our ways, then we are probably guilty of monoculturalism.  Let’s look at some examples.

Advanced and primitive.  When we compare our culture to another we often say that ours is advanced and theirs is primitive.  What does it mean to be advanced and who gets to decide this? 

Civilized and uncivilized.  Who gets to decide what it means to be civilized?  We, in the West, have the capacity to kill millions of people through our nuclear arsenal and smart bombs and such.  Is that civilized?

Developed and underdeveloped.  What does it mean to be underdeveloped?  Who gets to decide this?  Aren’t we just judging other cultures in the areas we excel while ignoring the areas where we are weak?

Religious and superstitious.  Every culture has religious and superstitious elements.  To call one culture superstitious while ignoring the superstitious elements in our own is monoculturalism.

As you can see, a simple examination of the language we use when talking of other cultures can test our level of monoculturalism.  If we want to be the cross-cultural ministers that God has called us to be we must learn to look at others through a lens that does not make these kinds of differentiations.  We must learn to look at others as God does.

Is it wrong, or just different?

Ethnocentrism is one of the major hurdles of effective cross-cultural ministry.  All of us suffer, at some level, from this because it is what we have been taught to be.  We are taught from day one that our culture is the best, that our way of doing things is the right way and that we are more sophisticated, smarter and more advanced than others.  This teaching may or may not be overt, but, it is there. 

My anthropology professor, Dr. Charles Kraft, says that “ethnocentrism is at the cultural level what egocentrism is at the individual level.”  None of us like to be around an egocentric person.  Surely this is the same for people from other cultures when it comes to any ethnocentrism we are hanging on to.

Ethnocentristic people are not able to appreciate or even begin to understand other points of view.  My favorite example of this is the use of a toilet. 

In much of the world, a toilet looks like the one here in the picture.  You can imagine how difficult it is to squat over this thing and actually not make a big mess.  We, in the West, think that this is an inferior toilet.  Trust me, I’ve heard this from so many Westerners that I think I can safely say that most of us would feel this way.  However, how do you think those from other cultures feel about our Western style toilet?

Most would feel that our way is inferior because we actually allow our body to come into contact with the surface of such an implement.  I once saw an Asian man run into an airport men's room after a long flight from somewhere in Asia.  I watched as he opened door after door, looking at the Western style toilet and in frustration moving on to the next stall.  I could tell from his facial expressions that he was disgusted when he finally realized that an Asian toilet wasn’t available. 

It’s all about perspective.  We, as cross-cultural ministers, must learn to view others and their ways as not wrong or inferior, but simply different.

Forms and Meanings

Cross-cultural ministry can be a daunting task.  This is especially true if we are unable to differentiate between forms and meanings.  When we assume that our forms, i.e., preaching, baptism, dress code, worship style, meeting time, use of buildings and other church rituals or ceremonies, are sacred in and of themselves we are flirting with idolatry. 

What we must remember is that it is not the form that is important, rather, it is the attached meaning that results from such form.  We, as guests in another culture, have neither the right nor the ability to attach meaning to forms.  Therefore, we must approach the use of forms with great caution because it is highly probable that the receptor culture will attach a meaning to our form that is different from what we intend. 

An example would be monologue preaching.  In the West, great value is placed on monologue preaching.  It is the central point of most church worship gatherings.  Because of this, we have often made the mistake of assuming that monologue preaching is sacred rather than simply being a cultural form of communication.  In reality, monologue preaching is nothing more than a lecture. 

Most cultures are significantly more communal in nature than that of the West.  In such cultures, communication typically happens in the form of communal dialogue rather than monologue.  Lectures are rare and foreign.  When we insist or carry the unquestioned assumption that monologue preaching is sacred, we run the risk of having the receptor culture attach a meaning that we don’t really intend.  Instead, we need to learn how the receiving culture communicates and adapt and adopt their methods.  This will better assure that the proper meaning is attached, and that is what is really important.  This is just one example of many, which is what makes cross-cultural ministry so much fun.

training for a 5K...

I'm training for my first 5K race.  I'll be running in the 5K Run for Refugees in Oklahoma City on September 4.  This run is a fund raising event for The Spero Project.  Heart of God Ministries is partnering with Spero this year in our Beautiful Feet Boot Camp, HGM's missionary training program.

In the past, the students who attend HGM's Beautiful Feet Boot Camp have stayed on our campus just east of Oklahoma City.  This year we are having the students live in Oklahoma City's inner city where there is a fairly large population of immigrants.  The logic is that the real time experience of living among people from other cultures is much better training than reading about it or hearing about it in a lecture.  In the mornings, we have lecture time and in the afternoons we have them working with the refugees at Spero or immigrants in their neighborhood and other similar type situations. 

In the past, we have also had physical training as a part of the missionary training.  We have had the students do a daily PT class, which was easy for us to do when they lived on our campus.  Now that they live off of the campus we have had to change the way we do PT.  One of the ways we are doing this is to have the students train and run in the above 5K. 

I thought it would be fun to do this with them and have even thrown down the challenge that I would post a better time than any of the students who are over the age of 30 (only three of the ten fall into that category so I thought that was a fairly safe bet).

To train, I am using the C25K (Couch to 5K) for iPhone app.  In the first week it has you do a warm up walk for five minutes followed by a cycle of running for 60 seconds then walking for 90 seconds and so forth.  The run/walk cycle repeats 9 times and then you cool down with another 5 minute walk.  I have completed the first two days and so far so good.

The app lets you program your own music selection, which is nice.  Here are the songs I chose:

Acrobat, by U2

All Because of You, by U2

Authority Song, by John Mellencamp

Baba O'Riley, by The Who

Bartender, by Dave Matthews

Beautiful Day, by U2

Kashmir, by Led Zeppelin

Limelight, by Rush

Magnificent, by U2

The music plays in random order so you never know which song is next.  I like it...

As I mentioned above, the race is a fundraiser for Spero.  If you would like to sponsor me in the race let me know, either through an email, a comment to this post or on Facebook.  Thanks so much!

some thoughts on conversion...

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the term “conversion” and all that goes with it.  I’m wondering if what we mean when we use the word is what is heard by others.  I’m also wondering if we are even sure of what we mean when we talk of conversion.

My thoughts reminded me of a scene in The Princess Bride:

[Vizzini has just cut the rope The Dread Pirate Roberts is climbing up]

Vizzini - “HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.”

Inigo Montoya - “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

The simple idea behind conversion is that of the process that one goes through when he or she changes his or her beliefs, views or faith.  It is a process of making a fundamental shift. 

The problem that I see, however, is twofold.  First, how is the idea of conversion received by those we desire to see follow Jesus.  Second, what is the object of the conversion.

In my experience, most people who are not following Jesus don’t hear what we want them to hear when we use the word conversion.  They hear something more along the lines of “conformism,” which is the idea that one must conform to the ways of a system or certain rules of behavior.  They hear that they must fall in line with an often foreign way of doing things.  They hear that they must leave their culture for a new one. 

I once visited a very remote island in the southern regions of Bangladesh, which is nearly 90% Muslim.  As we walked toward the center of the island and found the local market we were soon surrounded by a mob of curious onlookers.  One of the older men spoke a little English and he immediately asked me if we had come to force them to convert to Christianity.  My response was to quote him a verse from the Qur’an:  “There is no compulsion in religion.  Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path.”  (2:256)  I then told him that we were there to share with them what we had learned about the Right Path as well as learn from them what they had learned.  This set them all at ease and we had a couple of days of great ministry before we had to leave to head back home.

Virtually no one wants to change their culture.  I don’t, and, honestly, didn’t when I became a follower of Jesus.  Why is it, then, that others think that what we are looking for when it comes to conversion is a change in culture?

I think it may be because that is exactly what we really mean, whether we have thought about it or not.  Is it possible that the object of the conversion that we desire for others to go through has become Christianity instead of Jesus?  Is there really a difference between a conversion to Christianity and a conversion to Jesus?  I think so and I think that this is the problem behind the word conversion.

Conversion to Christianity is a change in culture.  Christianity, as it has developed over the past two thousand years, is both a religion and a culture.  I don’t think you can truly separate the two.  Too often, when we present Jesus, we present Christianity.  Most of us can’t even differentiate between the two.  However, again, my experience as a missionary has shown that there is a difference.  For example, the western concept of church, which falls under the umbrella of Christianity, is often seen as the “right” way of doing church.  We meet at a set time on a set day for a set period.  We have organized meetings where we know what is going to happen and who is going to do it.  I’m not saying that this understanding of church is necessarily wrong.  However, it is cultural, not biblical.  It is one way of doing church.  There are many cultures around the world where this form of church would never work or be embraced and to expect it to be so is to expect a conversion to our way of doing things, which is simply another way of expecting others to convert to our culture.

Jesus never told us to convert people to a new religion.  He never told us to have people change their culture.  What he did tell us is to make disciples of all nations by going to them, immersing them in the reality of the Trinity and teaching them to obey all that he had commanded.  In other words, Jesus is to be the object of the conversion we seek, not Christianity. 

Instead of the word conversion I have been trying out the concept of a change of allegiance.  The process of making disciples is more like the process of helping someone change their allegiance to Jesus by turning away (repenting) from their allegiance to themselves, their religion, money, power and so on.  I like this so far because it seems to carry far less baggage. 

What do you think?  Does the word conversion have too much baggage?  Are conversion to Christianity and conversion to Jesus always the same thing?  How do you feel about the concept of changing allegiance instead of conversion?  Is it just a play on words or is it a better way of expressing the desired result?

Vacation!

We are headed to Arizona tomorrow!  First we are going to the Phoenix area to attend this:

Then we are headed here:

And here:

And here:

I can hardly wait!  My reading list for the trip?

I'll be back in a couple of weeks!

the karma police...

I’ve been taking a course on Hinduism this term.  What a fascinating study.  Hinduism is virtually impossible to define because there are so many different branches and streams and lines of thinking.  I’ve been saying, since starting the course, that Hinduism is post modernism on steroids.  In other words, literally anything goes.

One of the main streams of Hinduism is the concept of karma.  I’ve talked about karma before.  Karma is that belief system centered in the concepts of “reaping what you sow” and “what goes around comes around.”  The more I think about karma the more I am convinced that most of the world is under the control of this way of thinking.

I saw this even today as I read my Bible.  I was reading in Genesis, chapters 42 and 43, the story of Joseph’s brothers traveling to Egypt to get food for the family.  If you haven’t read the Joseph story (Genesis 37-50) in a while you should go read through it as it is full of some amazing stuff.

So, where did I see karma in this story?  Look at Genesis 42:21...

Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen.  That is why this distress has come upon us.”

The distress they were talking about was that Joseph was requiring them to return home to their father and bring back their youngest brother, Benjamin.  They had no idea that Joseph was their long, lost brother.  In other words, they saw their current predicament as payback for what they had done to Joseph when they threw him down a well and then sold him into slavery.  Karma had found them and payback was coming.

Joseph, who had every reason to take advantage of his political power to exact some karmic revenge on his brothers, chose a different path.  He chose the path of grace.  Before his brothers left to go get Benjamin, Joseph arranged to have the money they had used to purchase food placed back in their traveling sacks.  When the brothers discovered this it only added to their distress.  When they returned with Benjamin they told Joseph about the money and his response was one of grace.  His actions and his response show that he had broken free of the karmic stronghold.  We see Joseph’s response in Genesis 43:23...

He replied, “Peace to you, do not be afraid.  Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you.  I received your money.”

Do you see it?  Joseph’s brothers were living a life of fear, one in which karma (can God be thought of as a form of karma?) punishes when we do bad things and rewards when we do good things.  Joseph was living a life of freedom from this kind of fear.  He was walking outside of karma.  He had broken free.  This meant he was able to show grace to his brothers.

What happens when we seek to follow God but do so through a karmic lens?  Do we not end up with a God who punishes us when we do bad things and blesses us only when we do good things?  Do we not end up with a performance based religion that is driven by fear?  I’m not saying that there aren’t consequences in life.  Clearly there are.  However, consequences and punishment are not always the same thing.

Jesus broke the karmic cycle.  His path is one that walks outside of karma.  That’s the path I want to be on.  What about you?

Nomads 2010

to register, go here

Loving Muslims...

I saw the following on a friend's blog.  Thought you might enjoy it...

Christian approaches to Muslims

If we see Muslims as …
Enemies
Our approach will be …
Attack!/Defend!
Our heart attitude will be ..
Hate

If we see Muslims as …
Foreigners
Our approach will be …
Separate Coexistence
Our heart attitude will be ..
Indifference

If we see Muslims as …
Poor, uncivilized, uncultured
Our approach will be …
Invite them to be like us (join us)
Our heart attitude will be ..
Pharisaic/condescending

If we see Muslims as …
Rivals
Our approach will be …
Polemic debate
Our heart attitude will be ..
Proud

If we see Muslims as …
Human beings
Our approach will be …
Respectful dialogue
Our heart attitude will be ..
Listen and learn

If we see Muslims as …
Unresponsive
Our approach will be …
Resigned to do nothing
Our heart attitude will be ..
Hopeless

If we see Muslims as …
Lost people Jesus died for
Our approach will be …
Salt/light (demonstrate love)
Preach the Gospel (speak truth)
Pray for their needs (show power)
Become all things to all people (Pauline)
Our heart attitude will be ..
Love

To confront or not...

I received the following email from a circularthoughts.com reader yesterday:

My friends and my girlfriend, even my father, all whom I hold very dear to me, take the Lord's name in vain all the time, and it really bothers me.  I don't do it. But I wonder if I'm sinning too by not correcting them. This is such a hard issue for me.  It plagues me. Please help.

This was my reply:

Thanks for your question.  I can understand your concern.  I once had a boss who did the same.  It was like he couldn't say one sentence without doing it.

I have a question for you?  Are your friends, your girlfriend and your father believers in Jesus?  I think whether they are or not determines whether or not you need to confront.

My understanding of Scripture, when it comes to confrontation of sin, is that we are not to confront the non-believer.  To do so, in my experience, does nothing but push them further from the real Jesus.  However, we are encouraged to confront believers in matters of sin.  Of course, we are encouraged to do so in humility and love.

When we look at Jesus, we see this very pattern played out.  He never confronted those who were considered to be sinners.  He spent time with them, had meals with them, even drank with them.  The Pharisees, who were supposedly the "good" people, on the other hand, is who he confronted.  He confronted them on many occasions for not loving those who were considered sinners and for making it hard on them.  I think this is the pattern I would suggest you take with your friends, girlfriend and father.  In other words, if they are not followers of Jesus, then I think you need to not say anything about their language.  Instead, let your light shine and love them to Jesus.  If they are believers, then I think you can have a discussion with them and tell them why this bothers you.  Don't be judgmental in approaching them, just share why it bothers you.  In addition, you need to pray that the Holy Spirit will lead you to the right time and the right words to say.  Make sense?

I hope and trust this helps, at least just a little.  I'm more than willing to talk about this further if you would like.  Thanks again for asking and thanks for reading the blog.

Blessings,

Eric

The reader replied as follows:

When you say let your light shine and love them to Jesus, you mean lead by example and pray for them, rather than confronting them thus pushing them away right?  I want to say thank you so much for your expedient and thoughtful reply.  It really means a lot.  I look forward to future correspondences in matters of faith.  May Christ keep you and walk with you on a righteous path.  

---

Confrontation is a tough call, I think. It does seem to be the default for many Christians, meaning, let's confront first and love second.  I'm just sharing from my own experience, on both sides.  I have both confronted and been confronted when I shouldn't.  So, here are my questions for you?

Where do we draw the line?  Do we confront those who don't claim to be following Jesus?  When do we confront our brothers and sisters?  What horror stories do you have?

A very special announcement...

I have recently accepted the position of Mission Director for Heart of God Ministries (HGM).  I am so excited about this opportunity to expand our work.  Let me tell you about it.

 

HGM is a ministry that focuses on training and sending folks to the 2 billion people in the world who have never heard of Jesus.  They currently have 56 missionaries, not counting children, serving on 9 teams in 6 different countries.  The Mission Director is responsible for providing strategic leadership and missionary care for this amazing team of missionaries.  

 

You may remember that I went over to the HGM campus just east of Oklahoma City in September.  I went to teach on contextualization.  On our last day there John Zumwalt, the founder of HGM, took me to breakfast and asked if I would take the Mission Director position.  The position had been open for several months following the passing of Orv Halley earlier this year.

 

I was shocked.  I had met Orv.  He was an amazing man who lost a battle with pancreatic cancer.  How could I ever replace Orv?  This was the first question I asked John.  He said something like, "You can't.  I'm not asking you to.  I'm asking you to be the Mission Director for HGM."

 

My thoughts then went to Every Nation.  What about Every Nation?  I can't abandon the amazing work that God is doing through Every Nation?  Again, John had a response.  He said something like, "Don't.  I'm not asking you to.  We love what God is doing through Every Nation.  Let's figure out a way for you to do both.  Oh, you're going to have to continue raising your own support because that's the way we do it too."

 

So that began a two-month journey of prayer, fasting and seeking God's guidance and leadership.  I argued with God and told Him why this was not a good idea and how impossible it was and how unqualified I was.  I felt like Moses must have felt when he was talking to that bush.  No matter what excuse I made all I heard God say was "Trust Me."  And so that is what I finally decided to do.  I am trusting God to do the impossible, which seems to be what He loves to do.

 

Please be praying for us as I take on this additional leadership role.  Between Every Nation and HGM I am now providing strategic leadership for 67 missionaries who are living and serving in 9 different countries.  In addition, I am helping to facilitate our training and sending ministry in India.  God is already doing the impossible though us.  We are grateful and honored to be used in this way. 

 

Your prayer and support is and has been a huge part of our journey.  Now, more than ever, we need your partnership. 

 

I know you must have many questions about this new position.  To help answer some of them I have decided to do a Frequently Asked Questions section.  If you have a question that I didn't include, send me an email.  Otherwise, thanks for reading this long email and for your continued prayers and support.

 

Until ALL Have Heard,

 

Eric

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What will happen to Every Nation?

Every Nation will stay just like it is.  I will be hiring an assistant to take over the administrative workload.  Please be praying that I find the right person for this job and that God provides the money Every Nation will need to fund this position. 

 

Is HGM going to pay you?

 

HGM, just like Every Nation, is a faith-based ministry, meaning most employees must raise their own support.  I will continue raising support for our family and for my travel expenses through Every Nation.  I will be an employee of both organizations but will only be paid by one.  This is just the way it is in this line of work.

 

Will you have to move to Oklahoma?

 

No, but I will drive over from time to time.  What I will be doing can be done via email, skype and field visits.  It is a good time to be alive as modern technology makes this kind of working arrangement possible.

 

What does this new role mean for your seminary degree?

 

I will continue to work toward the Master of Arts in Global Leadership degree from Fuller Theological Seminary.  I have about two years to go and HGM is supportive of this work.

 

What does this mean for the Every Nation missionaries?

 

They will continue to work through Every Nation and I will continue to provide leadership.  I have talked with all of the Every Nation missionaries and they are all very supportive suggesting that they would actually benefit from the experience I would be getting through the new work with HGM.

 

Are Every Nation and HGM merging?

 

There is a significant amount of synergy between the two organizations, however, for now we feel that it is best that we keep them separate.

 

How can you work for both Every Nation and HGM?

 

The key is my staff.  HGM has an incredible staff.  Once I hire an assistant for Every Nation the workload will be manageable.  Please be praying for the right person for the assistant job.

 

What does this mean for the work in India?

 

We will continue to provide training and support for the Indian house church leaders.  In fact, I am hoping to send a team in March and probably two others next year.  Want to go?

 

Will you still have to travel?

 

I prefer the word "get" to "have" but yes, I will still travel.  I will be providing leadership in mission strategy as well as overseeing missionary care.  This will require frequent trips to the field.  I won't be traveling any more than I do now.

 

Will you still lead short-term teams?

 

Only one or two per year to India for training.  The rest of my travel will need to be reserved for field visits.  I will miss leading the short-term teams but I sense that that season of work for me is over, at least for now. 

November Ministry Update...

Well, 2008 is rapidly slipping away so we thought we would post a small update before we ran out of time.  Why is it that the older we get the faster time seems to go?  Anyway, things are good and we appreciate your prayers and support.  It has been a hard year, but a good year and 2009 is shaping up to be even more exciting.

 

Immanuel Baptist Global Impact Conference

 

We will be participating in Immanuel Baptist Church's Global Impact Conference later this week.  You can go here for a brochure.  The Brown family from Southeast Asia had to cancel so we were more than happy to fill their spot.  I (Eric) will be manning a booth on Wednesday night with Matt and Lori B.  Saturday morning I'll be teaching the Islam 101 class and Saturday afternoon we will be taking the youth to visit a mosque in Little Rock.  Saturday night we will be at the home of the Holt family.  The address is on the brochure.  Sunday morning we will be in one of the adult Sunday School classes.  Also, don't miss Steve Shadrach, who is the Director of the Mobilization Division for the US Center for World Mission, as he will bring the Sunday message.  We would love to see you at some of these events.

A New Missionary for Every Nation

 

We recently sent out our eighth missionary.  Karin E. is living in Southwestern China.  We are excited to have Karin on our team and we continue to be amazed at how God keeps bringing good quality folks to Every Nation.  Each missionary on our team raises their own support.  My (Eric) role is to provide missionary care and strategic oversight.  It is truly an honor to be able to partner and work with the fine people on our team.  We now have four missionary units in China, one in Bethlehem, one in the Dub@i, one in the M@ldives and one in Uganda (a missionary unit is either a family or a single).  Keep praying for all of our people and for us as we seek to provide the best in both care and leadership.

 

Publishing a book in China

 

Every Nation was given some money earlier this year.  The church that gave the funds requested that it be used for work in China.  We have been praying and waiting on the Lord to lead us in how to spend the funds.  We believe He has done so.  We are in the process of publishing a book that was written by an Indonesian Musl!m who became a follower of Jesus.  This book is the story of his journey.  It is written in a way that would be very comfortable for Musl!ms, meaning it was written using their spiritual terminology.  We are having this book translated into Chinese and hope to get an ISBN so we can sell the book in Islam!c bookstores.  There are more than twenty million Musl!ms in China.  Our hope is that this little book will play a major role in the kingdom of God coming among Chinese Musl!ms.  Please pray with us as we move forward on this project.

 

Update on Jim, Staci's father

 

Jim is doing very well.  His health is back to normal.  He has officially retired and is now spending his days catching up on the many projects around the house that he has wanted to work on.  He drove himself to Wichita recently to visit his brother and is making plans to go on a fishing/camping trip.  Thank you again for your prayers for Jim and our family earlier this year.  We are grateful beyond what we could ever express.

 

Our first holiday season without Brenda

 

Brenda, Staci's mother, loved the holidays.  She loved decorating and making plans and preparing the meals.  Those of you who have lost loved ones know how hard the holidays can be, especially the first time.   Will you be praying for us as we go through these next few weeks?  

 

Seminary update 

 

I am almost finished with my eighth course in the Master of Arts in Global Leadership degree I am pursuing from Fuller Theological Seminary.  I have all A’s so far!  I love this study program and the material is exactly what I need to be studying at this time of my life.  I continue to need help with funding for this.  The fees for the class and books that I am currently taking are on my credit card.  I did not have time to let the need be known because I was traveling to both India and China within a three week period.  The amount needed for this is $1,500.00.  In addition, the next need will come in February.  I will travel to Pasadena for a two-week on campus seminar.  We will cover the basics of two courses during these two weeks.  The required work for these courses will be done over the rest of February through June.  I will need $3,000.00 by early February to cover these two courses.  In addition, I will need approximately $1,500.00 to cover my travel expenses for the two weeks.  Pray with us that God will provide for these needs, as He always does.

 

Raise update

 

You may recall that the Every Nation Board of Directors recently authorized a $500.00 per month raise for us.  This would be our first raise in eight years.  In order for this raise to begin we need to receive monthly commitments for the $500.00.  To date we have received $405.00 in commitments, meaning we are only $95.00 short.  Pray with us that God will prompt those who are to make up this final commitment.

---

Thanks again for your faithful support of our family.  We are so blessed.  As I said above, it has been a hard year, but a good year.  We are excited about the future and continue to covet your prayers.  You have been used by God to help us make it through this year.  Thank you and God bless you.

 

Until ALL Have Heard,

 

Eric, Staci and Grant G.

Every Nation

PO Box 94564

North Little Rock, AR 72190

Eric's email

Staci's email

 

Staci's art

He has provided...

I forgot to post on this, but just three days after I posted Please pray for our current financial need for our work in India, God had provided more than what we needed.  In fact, it looks like we may be covered through the end of the year.  Praise the Lord.  Let me tell you how it happened.

On the day I posted the above I got a phone call from a friend who works for a local church.  She said that someone had just come by and dropped off a $5,000.00 check for me.  She said the person had found the check on their desk that morning.  It had been written in November of 2007 but never got delivered to me.  It had been misplaced for almost a year.  In addition, two days after posting I received an email from a friend who said he was sending $2,000.00.

Once again God has provided in an abundant way.  Thanks for praying...

Please pray for our current financial need for our work in India...

Please pray for the need for funds for our work in India.  We began the month needing $4,000.00.  That need is now down to $2,600.00.  This has partly been met by a change in the exchange rate between US dollars and Indian rupees.  Praise the Lord!

 

It is strategically important that we meet this need by the end of this month.  We only have five days to go.  Please pray that God will make it abundantly clear to those He is calling to give.  Ask Him if you are one of those who are to give.   

 

If you would like to give to help meet this need, please go here to make a donation to the India account from your checking or savings account or use your credit card to make a donation.  If you would like to mail a check, please make it out to Every Nation, list India on the memo line and send it to the following address:

 

Every Nation

PO Box 94564

North Little Rock, AR 72190

 

Thanks for being such an important part of this work.

 

Until ALL Have Heard,

 

Eric

ps:  You can find out more about our work in India by going here.