circular thoughts

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.  

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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?

Thoughts on the parable of the lost sons - Context...

con-text

- noun

1.  the parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific word or passage, usually influencing its meaning or effect: You have misinterpreted my remark because you took it out of context.

2.  the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc

---

When we want to go deeper in our understanding of Scripture one of the most important steps is to study the context.  Failure to do so can result in at best a limited understanding of what is being taught and at worst a complete misunderstanding.  It is important to try and understand what has been said both before and after the passage we are studying.  It is also important to know as much as we can about both the historical and literary context of the passage in question.  In this post, I hope to answer some of the questions of context when it comes to the parable of the lost sons.

When I read this parable the first thing I want to know is to whom Jesus is telling the parable.  This seems to be a fairly important question as there could be two or three different emphases to the parable depending on how this is answered.  In Luke 15:1 & 2 there are two groups of people mentioned; the tax collectors and sinners, and the Pharisees and the scribes.  If we come to the conclusion that Jesus is speaking to the tax collectors and sinners then we will most likely focus on the younger son and assume that Jesus is teaching the tax collectors and sinners about the grace and mercy of God the Father.  When we do this we will typically not know what to do with the elder son and just think his part of the story is either an afterthought or secondary.  On the other hand, if we come to the conclusion that Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees and the scribes we will more likely focus on the elder son.  We will do this because we will see that Jesus is telling the Pharisees and the scribes that they are like the elder son in that they cannot extend grace and mercy to the younger son who represents the tax collectors and sinners.  A third option would be that Jesus is speaking to both the tax collectors and the sinners and the Pharisees and the scribes.  If we come to this conclusion we would assume that Jesus has a message for both groups in the stories of the younger and elder sons.  So, which is it?

I think the key can be found in one word in Luke 15:2; the word grumbled.  The Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling about the fact that Jesus was defiling himself by hanging out and eating with the tax collectors and sinners.  In Luke 15:3 we see that Jesus told "them" a parable, well actually three parables.  Jesus had heard the grumblings of the Pharisees and the scribes and he answered them with the parables. We can also see evidence that Jesus was addressing the Pharisees and the scribes in Luke 16:14, which says that the Pharisees "heard all these things, and they ridiculed him."  In other words, the parable of the two lost sons, along with several other parables surrounding such, is sandwiched between the Pharisees grumbling and their ridiculing Jesus.  This should provide more than enough evidence to convince us that Jesus was speaking directly to the Pharisees and the scribes when he told the parable of the lost sons. 

Why is this important?  I think it adds weight to the argument that these parables were more of a warning than stories of what the Father is like.  I'll get into this more in future posts.

Another contextual issue that I think is important is that of the societal structure during the time of Jesus.  We who live in the Western world live very individualistic lives.  We don't really understand the communal nature of most of the rest of the world.  When we read this story through this individualistic lens we are going to miss much of what Jesus was saying.  The family dynamics during that time were such that in the story both sons brought shame to the Father.  This is an important factor that adds to the significance of the warning I spoke of above.  I'll go into details of this factor more in future posts.

The final contextual issue that I think is important to understanding this story is the significance of the two parables that precede the parable of the lost sons; that is the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin.  There is a strong connection between these three parables.  In all three, something was lost.  In all three, that which was lost is found.  In the first two parables, someone went to find and recover that which was lost.  This did not happen in the third parable and this is a very important factor, one that adds strength to my argument that these parables are more of a warning than they are stories of God's goodness and grace.  But, I'll save that for future posts...

Thoughts on the parable of the lost sons - Introduction...

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about and studying the parable of the lost sons over the past month or so.  This parable, which is usually referred to as the parable of the prodigal son, is found in Luke 15.  It has been called the gospel within the gospel and has been used countless times to paint a picture of grace for those of us who have ever gone astray.  It is a beautiful story.

My study, however, has helped me to see that the typical understanding and presentation of this story, while beautiful, falls short of what Jesus was intending to communicate.  I have now come to see that this story is as much of a warning as it is a story of grace.

I plan to take the next few posts and share some of the things I have learned.  Most of what I will be sharing has come from a book by Kenneth E. Bailey called The Cross & the Prodigal: Luke 15 Through the Eyes of Middle Eastern Peasants.  I've owned this book for some time but have just now read it.  A second book that I will draw from is called The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith, by Timothy Keller.   I also listened to a sermon series by Keller called The Prodigal God.  This sermon series tracks with the book.

My plan is to do five posts, including this introductory post.  The second post will be a discussion of the context of the story.  The third post will look at what we know about and learn from the younger son.  The fourth post will be a discussion of what we know about the father and what that teaches us about God.  The fifth and final post will look at the elder son, who is really the key to understanding what Jesus was saying.

I look forward to writing these posts and to our discussion as well.

Way to go Dad...

Today, my Dad was named Youth Worker of the Year by the Arkansas Coalition for Juvenile Justice.  Dad is an Intervention Specialist with Health Resources of Arkansas in Heber Springs.  He works with troubled teens and does all he can to get them back on track.  He is 70 years-old and is finishing well.  My Dad is one of my heroes and I am really proud of him.  This is my Dad and Mom soon after he received the award.  We kept it a secret from him for over two weeks and he was really surprised when it was announced that he had won.  It was a great morning...

ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church

ReJesus:A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church, is the latest offering by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch.  In this book Frost and Hirsch argue that the church in the West has lost her focus and direction and needs to recalibrate her mission around the person and work of King Jesus.  They do this by exploring the "connection between the way of Jesus and the religion of Christianity" (6).

When I am asked if I am a Christian I normally respond by asking the person to explain what they think a Christian is.  Almost without fail the answer I get is not the same as my understanding.  For example, in the United States, I often hear things like, "A Christian is a Republican," or, "A Christian is a person who hates gay people," or "A Christian is a person who is mean and judgmental" and various other not so flattering descriptives.  When I am overseas I hear things like, "A Christian is a pork eating, wine drinking, adulterer," if I am in the Muslim world, or, "A Christian is one of these," which is said while making the sign of the cross on their chest.  I honestly do not remember anyone ever answering my question with anything close to my understanding of what a Christian is; that is a person who follows the way of Jesus.

This is exactly what Frost and Hirsch seem to be suggesting in this book.  The church, at least in the West, has been taken captive by so many special interests and denominational superstar personalities that no one really knows what this thing we call Christianity is really all about anymore.  The answer, according to the authors, and I agree, is to return to our founder, to ReJesus the church.

When the called out ones (which is the meaning of the Greek word ekklesia which is translated church in our English Bibles) turn back to Jesus some very interesting things begin to happen.  First, the called out ones will follow the example of Jesus not some denominational founder or superstar.  The called out ones will also take back up the practice of equipping everyone to be ministers of the gospel instead of seeking to simply get people into pews.  The called out ones will also take on an outward focus of service instead of the consumeristic what's in this for me downward spiral that seems to have entrapped so many.  The called out ones will have a much broader understanding and experience of worship.  They will see it as a service to mission as all things are offered up to God, not just some songs.  The called out ones will practice the presence of Jesus in ways that are not performance based or legalistic but instead an "intense and private connection between a disciple and his or her heavenly Father" (182).  The called out ones will see the need for consistent re-evanglization so as to avoid the pitfall of becoming self-reliant and self-righteous.  In other words, the called out ones will continually remember the cross and what Jesus did for us so as to not slip into a false belief that it is our "pietism or our personal devotion that sets us free" 184).  The called out ones will "abandon its preference for good-manners piety and adopt again the kingdom values as taught by Jesus" (184).  Finally, the called out ones will devote themselves to scripture and the exercise of the spiritual gifts, for the purpose of building up and caring for each other.  (The points in this paragraph were taken from Chapter 7 - The Church That Jesus Built, pages 165 - 189)

I liked this book very much.  It is actually my favorite out of all the books that Frost and Hirsch have written, both as co-authors and individually.  My recommendation is this; if when you read the Bible you see a difference between the way of Jesus and the religion of Christianity, then buy the book and read it.  If you don't see a difference, then don't buy the book.

For additional reviews of this book go to the page dedicated to this book on The Ooze Viral Bloggers site.

A Theology as Big as the City

Bakke, Ray. 1997. A Theology as Big as the City. Downers Grove, IL. InterVarsity Press.

Ray Bakke is Chancellor and distinguished professor of global urban ministry at Bakke Graduate University in Seattle, Washington.  He founded International Urban Associates (IUA) in 1989.  IUA has developed and facilitated a network of more than 100 urban-based church and mission leaders in many of the largest cities of the world.  Bakke has extensive experience in urban ministry having worked in more than 200 large cities on six continents.  He has also authored The Urban Christian: Effective Ministry in Today's Urban World (InterVarsity, 1987).1

The thesis of this book is that the primary challenge of the church regarding the city is theological. (14)

Bakke takes 26 chapters to develop and defend his thesis.  In the first chapter, Bakke tells his story of how he was pushed and led into urban ministry.  Chapters 2 through 13 are an exegesis of a consistent Old Testament theme of the city.  In these chapters, Bakke discusses the role of the city in God’s mission to reconcile his creation.  Chapter 14 is a look at the role of the city in the intertestamental period.  Chapters 15 through 24 continue the exegesis of the city, but from a New Testament perspective.  Chapter 25 is committed to describing some of the author’s urban ministry heroes and heroines.  The final chapter is Bakke’s conclusion of his theology of the city and it includes a listing and description of ten tensions or themes that he sees as critical to a balanced approach to urban ministry.

I liked this book very much and believe that the author did an excellent job of defining and defending his thesis.  His personal storytelling style of writing evidences his extensive experience and adds great authority to the book.  This book was a paradigm shifter for me.  In particular, there are two different themes that I see having a major impact on my current ministry context.  First, the church must repent of its nationalistic tendencies.   Second, the missionary strategies of Paul were city oriented, which is something that I must learn to embrace as a sender.

In several chapters, Bakke addresses how our nationalistic tendencies are not a part of the plan of God.  He shows from the stories of Jonah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Ruth, the Jerusalem Council in Acts and several others that “the whole gospel for the whole city is what’s required” (100), not just for those who are like us.  He also points out that Stephen’s sermon, in Acts 7, seems to be focused on calling into question “Israel’s ethnocentrism and geographical patriotism” (141).  For this, Stephen was killed.  He then points out that many Americans are guilty of a similar thing by “wrapping the gospel in the U.S. flag” (141).  This type of ethnocentrism is nothing short of a sin against God and his plan to redeem all peoples.  We, the church, must repent of this if we are going to join in God’s plan.

In Chapter 19, Bakke outlines Paul’s urban missionary methods.  First, Paul always approached cities instead of rural areas.  The key is how Paul approached each city he went to.  Paul’s wisdom was in realizing that no two cities were the same.  Paul “varied the three m’s - the message, the meeting place and the methodology - to better reach the different audiences of those cities” (154).  We must learn to do the same.  We must learn to seek where the Holy Spirit is already at work in a particular context and then design our strategies around such.  Paul’s methods show that this is both an acceptable and effective approach to finishing the task.

1 Board of Regents - BGU.edu - Bakke Graduate University. http://www.bgu.edu/profiles/regents (accessed February 14, 2009).

Good to Great

Collins, Jim. 2001. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don’t.  New York, NY. HarperCollins Publishers.

Jim Collins researches great companies to learn how they grow.  He takes what he learns and teaches good companies how to become great companies.  He has written and co-written four books including Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, which he co-wrote with Jerry I. Porras.  Collins holds degrees in business administration and mathematical sciences from Stanford University, and honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Colorado and the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. 1

The thesis of this book is that “almost any organization can substantially improve its stature and performance, perhaps even become great, if it conscientiously applies the framework of ideas” (5) presented in the book.

Collins takes nine chapters to develop and defend his thesis.  Chapter 1 is an introduction to the thesis of the book along with a description of the research process followed by Collins and his staff.  The next seven chapters each discuss one of the key concepts Collins presents as key to going from good to great.  These concepts are, Level 5 Leadership, First Who...Then What, Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith), The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles, A Culture of Discipline, Technology Accelerators and The Flywheel and the Doom Loop.   In the final chapter, From Good to Great to Built to Last, Collins links the findings from this present book to his findings from his previous book, Built to Last.

I liked this book and believe that Collins did a good job of developing and defending his thesis.  I feel that  Built to Last provided more practical applications than Good to Great, but Collins’ discussion in the last chapter of how the two studies go together and how Good to Great is like a prequel to Built to Last helped provide some synthesis and overlap between the books.

I am reading from a non-profit, ministry context.  I found solid concepts in each chapter that will help me in my leadership.  There were two, however, that stood out to me above all others.  There were Level 5 Leadership and Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith).

Level 5 Leadership describes several characteristics of great leaders.  Level 5 leaders are “a paradoxical mix of personal humility and professional will” (39).  They are driven to achieve great things beyond themselves and are able to put the goals of the company, or ministry, above their own personal goals.  They are also able to accept the blame when things go wrong.  The key, in my opinion, to being a Level 5 Leader is humility.  As I read this chapter I was drawn to Matthew 20:20-28, where Jesus discusses with his disciples the practice of servant leadership.  We must learn to lead through humility.  This will result in great things.

Collins discusses what he calls the Stockdale Paradox in Chapter 4.  The Stockdale Paradox requires a leader to “retain absolute faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, AND at the same time confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be” (88).  This concept speaks of bravery and perseverance.  It speaks of an ability to confront issues head on and get to the root cause without wavering from fear.  It reminds me again of Jesus’ teaching his disciples to persevere in the face of persecution (see Matthew 24:3-14).  Strong leaders and ministries must do the same.  This is both our calling and the example we have been given.

1 Jim Collins “Biography,” http://www.jimcollins.com/bio/index.html (accessed March 8, 2009).

The Starfish and the Spider

Brafman, Ori and Rod A Beckstrom. 2006. The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations. New York, NY. Penguin Group.

Ori Brafman holds a BA in peace and conflict studies from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from Stanford Business School.  He is an entrepreneur who has founded a wireless start-up, a health-food advocacy group and a group of CEOs working on public benefit projects.  Rod A Beckstrom holds a BA and an MBA from Stanford and was a Fulbright Scholar.  He is also an entrepreneur and founded CATS Software, Inc., which he took public.  He has also helped start and build other high-tech firms. (book jacket) 

The thesis of this book is that organizations that are decentralized and organic in nature have a competitive advantage over those that are centralized with top-down leadership because the “harder you fight a decentralized opponent, the stronger it gets” (26).

Brafman and Beckstrom take nine chapters to develop and defend their thesis.  Central to the book is their description of the fundamental nature of the starfish and the spider.  The starfish  is a decentralized “network of cells” (35) which means that when an arm is cut off a new one grows in its place.  In fact, in some species of starfish the arm that is cut off actually becomes a new starfish.  The spider, on the other hand, represents a centralized organism with a body and a head.  If the head is cut off, the spider dies.  Each chapter deals with a different aspect of decentralized organizations including the hidden power of catalytic leadership and hybrid organizations.  The authors conclude the book with 10 Rules of operating in this new and exciting era of decentralization.

I liked this book very much and believe the authors did a very good job of developing and defending their thesis.  I am drawn to the concept of decentralization as I believe it is a key to seeing the church spread throughout the world, especially in unreached areas.  In particular, I appreciated the authors’ discussion of catalytic leadership and hybrid organizations.

A key for a catalytic leader is “letting go and trusting the community” (111).  A catalytic leader knows that what the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu said is true: “A leader is best when people barely know that he exists; not so good when people obey and acclaim him; worst when they despise him” (115).  In other words, a catalytic leader understands that he or she leads by example and that true leadership happens when followers are given ownership in the outcome.  I am currently in the process of re-writing the Mission Policy for our ministry.  I will be setting up a secure, online discussion board for our missionaries.  My goal is to let the missionaries write the new policy.  They will be given the old policy in segments and asked for input in what works and what doesn’t, thereby giving them ownership in the process.

After reading this book, I am now seeking to develop our mission department into a hybrid organization.  In the past we have been top-down and centralized.  This has resulted in too many rules which has restricted the creative talents of our missionaries.  I am now seeking to instill the vision of each missionary team being an autonomous entity that is responsible for reaching the unreached people group to which God has sent them.  They are the ones who will make it happen, not our central office.  My role is to act as a catalyst by releasing each team to pursue God’s plan to reach their specific people group thereby decentralizing our efforts.  It is my belief that this will result in the decentralized DNA that is necessary to reach entire people groups.

No Line On The Horizon

If you are a U2 fan, you already know about the new release.  If you are not, you need to be, and you need to know...

This, in my humble opinion, is an incredible record.  I have been listening to it constantly since I downloaded it on Tuesday.  It is one of the band's most spiritual records.  My favorite song right now is Magnificent.  Here are the lyrics:

Magnificent / Magnificent / I was born / I was born to be with you / In this space and time / After that and ever after I haven’t had a clue / Only to break rhyme / This foolishness can leave a heart black and blue / Only love, only love can leave such a mark / But only love, only love can heal such a scar / I was born / I was born to sing for you / I didn’t have a choice but to lift you up / And sing whatever song you wanted me to / I give you back my voice / From the womb my first cry, it was a joyful noise… / Only love, only love can leave such a mark / But only love, only love can heal such a scar / Justified till we die, you and I will magnify / The Magnificent / Magnificent / Only love, only love can leave such a mark / But only love, only love unites our hearts / Justified till we die, you and I will magnify / The Magnificent / Magnificent / Magnificent

Built to Last

Collins, Jim, and Jerry I. Porras. 1994. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies.  New York, NY. HarperCollins Publishers.

Jim Collins researches great companies to learn how they grow.  He takes what he learns and teaches good companies how to become great companies.  He has written and co-written four books including his latest, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … And Others Don’t, which has been translated into 35 languages with more than 3 million copies sold.1    Jerry I. Porras is the Lane Professor of Organizational Behavior and Change, Emeritus, at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.  His focus has been the study of how companies pursue “their purpose and core values to produce lasting high performance” (back book jacket).

The thesis of this book is that the primary success of visionary companies is “from underlying processes and fundamental dynamics embedded in the organization and not primarily the result of a single great idea or some great, all-knowing, godlike visionary who made great decisions, had great charisma, and led with great authority” (41).

Collins and Porras use eleven chapters to develop and defend their thesis.  Their methodology includes the comparison of eighteen visionary companies with eighteen good companies seeking to discover those factors that differentiate between visionary and simply good.   The first two chapters introduce the companies studied and the methodology of the study.  The remaining chapters each discuss a different factor that makes a company visionary.

I liked this book very much and believe that Collins and Porras did a very good job of defending their thesis.  My interest lies in the development of a visionary ministry not in a visionary company.  That being said I believe that most, if not all of the principles discussed in the book have application for ministry.  In particular, I found two principles to be significant paradigm shifters in my ministry.

First, Collins and Porras discussed the concept of the Genius of the AND. (43-45)  Most good companies are trapped by what is called the Tyranny of the OR, which is “the rational view that cannot easily accept paradox, that cannot live with two seemingly contradictory forces or ideas at the same time” (43).  Visionary companies figure out how to do both A and B instead of believing that a choice needs to be made.  I see one example of this being played out in our ministry in countries closed to the gospel.  The Tyranny of the OR would force us to choose between security and aggressiveness.  A visionary ministry, on the other hand, will figure out how to excel in both areas.

Second, the authors discussed in Chapter 5 the concept of Big Hairy Audacious Goals, which are defined as goals that are “clear and compelling and [serve] as a unifying focal point of effort - often creating immense team spirit” (94).  Big Hairy Audacious Goals are bigger than life.  They call for risk-taking and creativity.  For our ministry, the Big Hairy Audacious Goals are seeing an entire unreached people group reached with the gospel of King Jesus.  This is truly a daunting task, especially in the areas we work.  As a leader of missionary teams I must help my missionaries fight the tendency to focus on seeing individuals come to faith in Christ, which is not a significant enough of a goal to get the task done.  I must keep the Big Hairy Audacious Goal of the pursuit of people movements constantly at the forefront of my leadership.

1. Jim Collins “Biography,” http://www.jimcollins.com/bio/index.html (accessed February 8, 2009).

Help for the people of Gaza...

I received a letter from my friends John and Pim Gibby in the UK.  It was a letter they received from Bishara Awad, who is the President of Bethlehem Bible College, located in Bethlehem, Palestine.  This letter discusses the current situation in Gaza.  In addition it provides a mailing address where funds can be sent to help out the Palestinian people of Gaza who are in great need.

You can read the letter here. 

We plan to make a contribution and I hope you will pray about doing the same...

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  Matthew 5:9

Resolutions for 2009...

The following is what my resolutions for 2008 were and how I did...

In 2008, I resolve intend hope might:

1. Exercise - well, I went to the gym about 20 times and then quit going and gained another 10 pounds...
2. Watch what I eat - successful at this one.  I watched my food go from the plate to my mouth...
3. Spend less time on the computer - what was I thinking?
4. Write more, while spending less time on the computer - actually wrote less due to a period of grief and isolation due to death and illness in the family...
5. Read more biographies - don't even think I made it through one this year...
6. Start wearing socks - what was I thinking?
7. Plant a vegetable garden - well, I actually did this and we successfully grew tomatoes, okra and cantaloupe...
8. Wash my vehicle with something besides rainwater - what was I thinking?
9. Take more naps - yes.  this is really a good thing and I suggest that you try it if possible...
10. Start caring about sports - well, does fantasy football or playing Madden '09 on the PS2 with my son count?

I was 2 for 10, or 3 for 10 if you cut me a little grace on the sports thing.  In baseball, 3 for 10 will earn you a million dollars, but 2 for 10 will land you in the minor leagues.  OK, I just used that sports analogy hoping you would cut me a little grace on the sports thing which would push me to 3 for 10 and maybe result in a million dollars.

I've debated, in my mind, about whether or not to do a list for 2009.  But, since I have my readership's attention, all three of you, I guess I'll do it.

In 2009, I resolve intend hope might:

1. Exercise - I've really got to do this and the odds are on the increase because someone just gave us a really nice elliptical machine...
2. Read more biographies - I'm going to try this one again as I think the lessons to be learned from those who have gone before us are invaluable...
3. Plant a vegetable garden - I'll do this again for sure, except I won't plant so many tomatoes since I'm really the only one who eats them...
4. Write more - This I really want to do.  I took a break from writing due to the illness and isolation we experienced in our family this year...
5. Study Mandarin more - This I really need to do as I have six different teams in the Middle Kingdom now...
6. Spend more quality time with Grant - He's 12 now and at that age when not spending time with him could result in our losing his heart...
7. Finish cleaning out our basement and build a good workbench - I just carved my first pipe and enjoyed the process.  I need a better place to do it and some more tools...
8. Go hiking and backpacking more - Grant and I used to do this together.  What a way to help meet resolution number 6...
9. Have more date nights with Staci - We already do this quite regularly, but in this case, more is good...
10. Fast more - This is a spiritual discipline in which I am really weak.  I hope to fast several times a month.  Of course, I can't tell you if I succeed with this one, can I?  (Matthew 6:17-18)

What about you?

1. Exercise - well, I went to the gym about 20 times and then quit going and gained another 10 pounds...
2. Watch what I eat - successful at this one.  I watched my food go from the plate to my mouth...
3. Spend less time on the computer - what was I thinking?
4. Write more, while spending less time on the computer - actually wrote less due to a period of grief and isolation due to death and illness in the family...
5. Read more biographies - don't even think I made it through one this year...
6. Start wearing socks - what was I thinking?
7. Plant a vegetable garden - well, I actually did this and we successfully grew tomatoes, okra and cantaloupe...
8. Wash my vehicle with something besides rainwater - what was I thinking?
9. Take more naps - yes.  this is really a good thing and I suggest that you try it if possible...
10. Start caring about sports - well, does fantasy football or playing Madden '09 on the PS2 with my son count?

I was 2 for 10, or 3 for 10 if you cut me a little grace on the sports thing.  In baseball, 3 for 10 will earn you a million dollars, but 2 for 10 will land you in the minor leagues.  OK, I just used that sports analogy hoping you would cut me a little grace on the sports thing which would push me to 3 for 10 and maybe result in a million dollars.

I've debated, in my mind, about whether or not to do a list for 2009.  But, since I have my readership's attention, all three of you, I guess I'll do it.

In 2009, I resolve intend hope might:

1. Exercise - I've really got to do this and the odds are on the increase because someone just gave us a really nice elliptical machine...
2. Read more biographies - I'm going to try this one again as I think the lessons to be learned from those who have gone before us are invaluable...
3. Plant a vegetable garden - I'll do this again for sure, except I won't plant so many tomatoes since I'm really the only one who eats them...
4. Write more - This I really want to do.  I took a break from writing due to the illness and isolation we experienced in our family this year...
5. Study Mandarin more - This I really need to do as I have six different teams in the Middle Kingdom now...
6. Spend more quality time with Grant - He's 12 now and at that age when not spending time with him could result in our losing his heart...
7. Finish cleaning out our basement and build a good workbench - I just carved my first pipe and enjoyed the process.  I need a better place to do it and some more tools...
8. Go hiking and backpacking more - Grant and I used to do this together.  What a way to help meet resolution number 6...
9. Have more date nights with Staci - We already do this quite regularly, but in this case, more is good...
10. Fast more - This is a spiritual discipline in which I am really weak.  I hope to fast several times a month.  Of course, I can't tell you if I succeed with this one, can I?  (Matthew 6:17-18)

What about you?

Thoughts on Gaza...

I am sure you are aware of the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip between Hamas and Israel.  Since this past Saturday more than 360 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air-strikes and four Israelis have died from the dozens of rockets fired by Hamas.  (go here for more information) 

Yesterday I received an email that really bothered me.  It was a "forwarded" email and its title was Israel Finally Attacks Gaza.  What bothered me was the word Finally. This word seems to condone and approve the killing of Palestinians, whether "terrorists" or civilians.  But the thing that bothered me most about this type of email (this wasn't the first of this type of email I have received) is the implication that Christians should be supportive of Israel's actions. 

I am not an expert on Middle East politics.  I do know that it is a hotbed of conflict and there is really no way to lay the ultimate blame on one party.  Everyone is guilty of wrongdoing.  There is more than one story, but mostly what gets heard in the US is one side.  I know because I've been there and have heard and seen the other side.

I haven't visited the Gaza Strip but I have spent some time in the West Bank, particularly in Bethlehem.  I was shocked on my first visit.  It felt as if I was visiting a prison.  There is a wall that surrounds Bethlehem.  On the Israeli side of the wall everything is green and beautiful.  On the Palestinian side of the wall things are brown and dead or dying.  On the Israeli side of the wall there are shopping malls and parks and modern hospitals.  On the Palestinian side of the wall there are limited supplies and refugee camps and sub-Western hospitals.  I went to a Palestinian hospital with a Palestinian Christian friend to visit his mother.  She was in a room with about six other people.  He said that the doctors didn't have medicines or equipment to properly treat her.  I asked if he could take her to an Israeli hospital.  No, was the answer.  "We are Palestinian.  They would not accept us."  Not that they could even go because a Palestinian has to receive permission from the Israeli Army to leave Bethlehem.  My friend has not been able to leave Bethlehem for several years.

What I saw in my two visits to Bethlehem was one group of people, the Palestinians, being oppressed by another group of people, the Israelis.  It is an oppression beyond anything I have seen in all of my travels.  I would equate it to apartheid in South Africa.

It is an oversimplification to suggest that there are three camps that we North American Christians fall into when it comes to the modern political state of Israel.  I'm sure there are others, but my experience has shown me that there are three broad groups.

First, many Christians "blindly" support Israel because of their belief that Israel is God's chosen people and therefore not to support Israel would be to go against God.  These folks know very little about the establishment of the modern political state of Israel in 1948.  They don't know that many Palestinians were run out of their homes and forced to live in refugee camps, many of which still exist.  They also don't know that many conservative Jews do not recognize the modern political state of Israel as the Biblical Israel because they believe that it was established by man not God.

Second, there are what are called Christian Zionists.  These folks read the Bible through an end-times prophecy lens.  They see the establishment of the modern nation state of Israel in 1948 as fulfillment of prophecy and a sign of the beginning of the end.  They also view events in the Middle East with excitement believing that such are one more piece of the puzzle that must be completed before Jesus returns.  Christian Zionism, at least in the US, has its roots in dispensationalism, which came out of the teaching of John Nelson Darby in the mid-nineteenth century. 

The third group of people doesn't really have a name and they are much smaller than the previous two groups.  This group believes that God does not have favorites. (see Acts 10:34-35)  They believe that both Palestinians and Israelis must go to God through Jesus.  They believe that it is the responsibility of Christians to pray for all peoples and share the gospel with all peoples, including Palestinians and Israelis.  They believe that the only solid sign we have been given of when the end is coming was given by Jesus when he said that the "gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14).  They also believe that the leaders of both Israel and Palestine will be held accountable for the injustices each has propagated on the other.

I happen to fall in the third group, thus my frustration with the email.

We have been called to make disciples of all nations.  The all means all, not most or all but one.  I am convinced that both blind and active support of the modern nation state of Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people is doing more to slow down the second coming of Jesus Christ than to speed such up.  I say that because in the Muslim world there is a strong belief that the US is a Christian nation.  Many Muslims see the US support of Israel as Christian hatred of Muslims.  It's that simple.  Many times I have been asked why Christians hate Muslims.  When I ask why they would ask that they say it is because we (the US and thus Christians) support Israel.

So, what do we do? 

First we must pray.  We must pray for the kingdom of God to come among the peoples of Israel and the peoples of Palestine.  We must pray that the Lord of the harvest would call out workers into both fields.  When we pray this prayer, we must be willing to go ourselves.  The call is there.  Are we willing to go?

Second, we must educate ourselves.  We must look into the teachings behind our end-times beliefs and see how they developed and fit within church history.  We must also evaluate whether or not having an end-times focus fits with what we have been commissioned to do.  Remember, even Jesus said he didn't know when the end would come. (Matthew 24:36)  If Jesus doesn't know and doesn't seem to be all that concerned that he doesn't know, neither should we.  Of course, we do need to remember that we have been given limited time here on earth and we will be judged according to what we have done during that time with the gift we have been given. 

Third, we must learn to love our enemies.  To be a disciple of Jesus we must obey his teachings.  In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught us to love our enemies.  He said that such love will confirm that we are truly sons (and daughters) of the Father. (Matthew 5:43-48)  That's pretty strong.  We must ask ourselves if we are able to love Palestinians as much as we love Israelis as much as we love ourselves.

Finally, we must be peacemakers.  Again, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that those who seek peace will be called sons (and daughters) of God.  (Matthew 5:9)  This is a serious teaching.  When we either blindly or openly support one side over another are we being peacemakers?  I just don't think so.  Violence begets violence.  We must seek peace.  This is Jesus' way and it must be ours.

Chapter 3: How Do Westerners Picture the World?

In Chapter 3 of Christianity with Power: Your Worldview and Your Experience of the Supernatural, Dr. Kraft describes some of the characteristics of the Western worldview.  He begins by giving a brief synopsis of the influence the "Enlightenment" has had on Western culture.  The "Enlightenment" was a period during which "modern science was being born...[and] humans became very impressed with themselves and with their ability to work things out rationally" (page 25).  We have inherited this mindset in such great depth that most of us don't even realize that we think this way.  

Dr. Kraft then gives six characteristics of the Western worldview:

1.  Our worldview is naturalistic.  Westerners have divided the world into two worlds, the natural and the supernatural.  Most Westerners then ignore the supernatural world since it cannot be explained by science.  "Occasionally we interpret something that happens as a miracle, but by definition we see such an act as a matter of God's interference in normalcy...which seems to contrast with Jesus' view that such acts ought to be considered normal in the kingdom of God" (pages 28-29).

2.  Materialism dominates Western Society.  We define success and security by things that can be seen and controlled.  We are driven to acquire more because in that more we find comfort and peace.  This pursuit of more keeps us focused on the visible and measurable, which means we have little time to focus on or believe in that which is not visible and not measurable.

3.  Western society is humanistic.  Many in the West are convinced that human accomplishment has no limits. (page 30)  "It is just a matter of time and effort, we believe, before we conquer such-and-such a disease or learn how to control the weather...and if we can just create an organization big and powerful enough to handle the whole world, we will at last have attained peace" (pages 30-31).  "Now our real religion is science, and our priests are the scientists.  For it is science that gives us control over the material universe and the promise of future control over everything else" (page 32).

4.  Reason has become our primary way of understanding REALITY.  The "Enlightenment" resulted in reason and rational thinking taking precedent over and dominating any suggestion of human intuition.  In fact, such intuition "and imagination in the discovery process [is now] ignored and scorned" (page 32).  Also ignored and scorned are "any recognition of unseen beings and powers, since they [are] not subject to the rigors of rational analysis" (page 32).

5.  We highly value individualism and independence.  This focus on our independence and individualism results in an isolation that "makes both Christians and non-Christians very vulnerable to Satan in the deepest recesses of our being...[where] problems such as anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, worry, fear, and lust are to be kept out of sight, even though they fester within us and make us sick [and give Satan freedom] to gnaw away at our emotional problems like a rat working under cover of darkness" (page 33).

6.  Westerners do tend to be open to change.  Kraft argues that one beneficial characteristic of the Western worldview is our openness to change.  We have experienced so much change in our lives that we are both expectant and open to such.  We do "tend to be much more hesitant when it comes to change in religious ideas or allegiances" (page 34). 

Dr. Kraft concludes this chapter with a discussion of "felt needs," which are "needs or wants that people have a strong urge to satisfy" (page 34).  "When the answers of science, materialism, humanism and naturalism fall short, people then begin to look for spiritual answers" (page 35).  Many Evangelicals are at a point where their felt need is not being met and they are sensing "that there must be more to Christianity than we have witnessed so far" (page 35).

I was at that point once.  What about you?

Eric

Merry Christmas...

 

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. (John 1:14, The Message)

 

Peace to you.  Just as the Father sent me, I send you." (John 20:21, The Message)

 

Much has been made of keeping Christ in Christmas.

So...

What is the true meaning of Christmas?

Can it simply be that God came to us?

Or...

Is it possible that there is more to it?

 

God became flesh and blood and lived among us.

He did this because He loved us and was making a way for us to be made right with Him again.

The birth we celebrate at Christmas is an incredible blessing.

It is truly a gift.

In Jesus we have been given much...

 

Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities! (Luke 12:48, The Message)

 

Almost half of the world's population has never heard of Jesus; or if they have, what they know is incomplete.

Jesus came to us.

Are we willing to go to them?

 

As you celebrate the birth of Jesus this year, pause to remember those who have never heard.

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what your role is in taking the gift of Jesus to those who have never heard.

 

Take what you have been given and give it to others...

(2 Timothy 2:2)

 

Merry Christmas from Eric, Staci and Grant...

 

Read about our unforgettable Christmas...

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.

2 Timothy 2:2 video

I wanted to share this video of what a 2 Timothy 2:2 network looks like.  This is the discipleship network for just one of the men we have trained in India.  It is one of many that we could show you.  Each name on the chart represents a house church.  This is what multiplication looks like.  Enjoy!

Praying through Ramadan...

I wanted to share with you a website that provides daily prayer requests for the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.  I plan to lead my family through this prayer guide and I hope you will too.

 

Ramadan is a 30-day season when Muslims around the world fast and seek the favor of God.  It is a season during which Muslims are more open to hearing from God.  Will you join with my family and so many others in praying that the truth of the Gospel of Jesus be made known among all Muslim peoples?

 

The website can be found here:  2008 30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus

 

Scroll down about midway through the page to see links to the daily prayer topics.

 

Thanks for joining with us.

 

Until ALL Have Heard,

 

Eric

Back in the day...

Wish I still had the burns...

We did this here... 

For more crazy photos of me and Staci, go here...

I can't believe this happened...

OK, so when I'm overseas, my white hair often results in some solid advantages; respect, honor and so forth.

Yesterday I went to the hospital cafeteria to buy lunch.  My father-in-law was on his 31st day there following surgery for a lacerated ulcer.  (He came home today by the way!)  The lady rung up my purchase and I wasn't sure what she said.  I heard the word discount, but, well, I just wasn't sure.  I went and sat down and took a look at the receipt. 

Do you see it?  She gave me the 10% VIVA Discount.  Any idea what the 10% VIVA Discount is?  That's right. 

SHE GAVE ME THE SENIOR CITIZEN'S DISCOUNT!

OUCH!

I didn't go pay the $0.60, but thought about it. 

OK, let me have it...

Have you ever had this thought?

From  The Ongoing Adventures of ASBO Jesus...

Another step in going green...

I took another step in going green today.  I signed our little community (our house and the discipleship house we own) up for a Community Supported Agriculture program.  This will give us an opportunity to support local growers as well as eat healthier food.  We joined the Cherokee Farms CSA program.  This is what we get for our $35.00 per week membership:

Each basket will contain a minimum of 15 lbs of fresh vegetables in season, a fresh flower arrangement, a fresh selection of herbs, a jar of canned or preserved food item, fresh home baked cinnamon rolls, cookies or muffins, and a bar of our featured goat milk soap of the week.

We are excited about this new step.  Has anyone else joined one of these?

Going green...

I recently completed a seminary course at Fuller called Christian Ethics.  My final paper for this course was called The Christian's Care of Creation.  In this paper, I addressed some of the issues Christians often face when it comes to our care for creation.  If you would like to read it, click on the title and you will be taken to the paper in pdf format.

My conclusion can be summed up as follows:

I now understand that my pursuit of God's kingdom and his righteousness and justice must include a pursuit of both the redemption of humans and the reconciliation of the rest of creation.

So that was my conclusion, but how am I fleshing this out?  Well, for starters, we are using the mower you see above.  I have also been riding my bicycle, when it isn't so stinking hot.  I'm praying/thinking about buying a scooter.  We are truly trying to purchase less stuff and when we do go to the store, we don't use a bag to put our stuff in unless we have too much stuff or even take a bag with us.

That's about it so far.  What are some other ways to go green?  What do you do? 

Thoughts on Christendom, by Frost and Hirsch...

We must admit that Christendom, particularly its ecclesiological and its missiological manifestations, amounts to something of a failed experiment.  To reiterate, by the term Christendom, we are referring to a period in history when the church assumed influence by its connection to temporal, secular power.  Its high watermark occurred in the Middle Ages and continued beyond the Reformation well into the 1700s.  Since the emergence of the Enlightenment it has been in decline, disappearing in the latter part of the twentieth century.  It is time to move on and find a new mode of understanding and engagement with surrounding contexts.  We can no longer afford our historical sentimentality, even addiction, to the past.  Christendom is not the biblical mode of the church.  It was/is merely one way in which the church has conceived of itself.  In enshrining it as the sole form of the church, we have made it into an idol that has captivated our imaginations and enslaved us to a historical-cultural expression of the church.  We have not answered the challenges of our time precisely because we refuse to let go of the idol.  This must change!  The answer to the problem of mission in the West requires something far more radical than reworking a dated and untenable model.  It will require that we adopt something that looks far mare like the early church in terms of its conception of the church (ecclesiology) and its core task in the world (missiology).

From The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church, by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, page 15.

More from Dr. King...

American Christians, I must say to you what I wrote to the Roman Christians years ago: "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."  You have a duel citizenry.  You live both in time and eternity.  Your highest loyalty is to God, and not to the mores or the folkways, the state or the nation, or any man-made institution.  If any earthly institution or custom conflicts with God's will, it is your Christian duty to oppose it.  You must never allow the transitory, evanescent demands of man-made institutions to take precedence over the eternal demands of the Almighty God.  In a time when men are surrendering the high values of the faith you must cling to them, and despite the pressure of an alien generation preserve them for children yet unborn.  You must be willing to challenge unjust mores, to champion unpopular causes, and to buck the status quo.  You are called to be the salt of the earth.  You are to be the light of the world.  You are to be that vitally active leaven in the lump of the nation.

- from Strength to Love, by Martin Luther King, Jr. (pages 138 & 139)  This sermon was written as an imaginary Pauline epistle to the American church...

A word from Dr. King...

Every true Christian is a citizen of two worlds, the world of time and the world of eternity.  We are, paradoxically, in the world and yet not of the world.  To the Philippian Christians, Paul wrote, "We are a colony of heaven."  They understood what he meant, for their city of Philippi was a Roman colony.  When Rome wished to Romanize a province, she established a small colony of people who lived by Roman law and Roman customs and who, though in another country, held fast to their Roman allegiance.  This powerful, creative minority spread the gospel of Roman culture.  Although the analogy is imperfect - the Roman settlers lived within a framework of injustice and exploitation, that is, colonialism - the Apostle does point to the responsibility of Christians to imbue an unchristian world with the ideals of a higher and more noble order.  Living in the colony of time, we are ultimately responsible to the empire of eternity.  As Christians we must never surrender our supreme loyalty to any time-bound custom or earth-bound idea, for at the heart of our universe is a higher reality - God and his kingdom of love - to which we must be conformed.

- from Strength to Love, by Martin Luther King, Jr. (page 22)

Donkey Heads for Dinner...

I once heard an incredible sermon by my friend John Willis Zumwalt, who is the founder of Heart of God Ministries.  Zumwalt used the 6th and 7th chapters of 2 Kings to present an incredible allegory of the current relationship between the church in America and the unreached peoples of the world.  What follows is my meager attempt to share a little of what Zumwalt shared.

The setting is Samaria, which was the capital of the Kingdom of Israel.  The Arameans had laid siege to Samaria.  This is where the story begins.

Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria.  There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a cab of seed pods for five shekels.  2 Kings 6:24-25

These two verses describe a very desperate situation.  Have you ever had an urge to eat a donkey’s head?  I have eaten donkey before and I would not suggest it as a regular part of one’s daily diet.  I can’t imagine what donkey head tastes like.  It gets worse.  Do you know what the “quarter of a cab of seed pods” was?  Try dove’s dung.  These folks were hungry.  They were in bad shape.  The siege had lasted so long that donkey’s head and dove’s dung is all that was left to eat.

Do you see the allegory here?  Just as the people of Samaria were suffering from lack of good food due to a siege on their city, the unreached peoples of today are suffering from a lack of good spiritual food because they are under spiritual siege.  The Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and Animists of the world today are being fed spiritual garbage.  It is all they have because they do not have access to good spiritual food, the Truth of Jesus Christ.  There is a spiritual famine.  They are hungry and they are eating all they have access to.

Let me stop here to talk a little about the difference between the unreached peoples of the world and lost people in the United States.  The difference is access.  Access is defined as follows:  the ability or right to approach, enter, exit, communicate with, or make use of.  The key word in this definition is ability. People in the United States have the ability to find out about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, either by seeking it themselves or by others approaching them.  When I drive to the post office every day, which is less than two miles from my house, I pass by no less than six churches.  The unreached peoples of the world do not have this kind of access.  The level of access between the two groups is as different as black and white; as night and day.  Of course, this doesn’t excuse us from sharing with every person we know and encounter on a daily basis.  However, they do have the ability to seek out and find the Truth and the ability to make choices to seek it out or not to do so.  The unreached peoples of the world do not have such a luxury.  The only choice they have is bad spiritual food. 

The story of what happened in Samaria gets worse as you read on in chapter 6.  I will spare you the gruesome details of what happened next, but know that desperate people do desperate things.  The same is true of the unreached peoples today.  They are seeking to fill their spiritual hunger in the only way they know how and through the only spiritual food they have access to.  It is truly a desperate situation.  I can say this because I have seen it.

I have seen hundreds of Hindus going from idol to idol and temple to temple in Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal and all over India.  I have seen Buddhist worshipers kowtowing to various representations of the Buddha in China and Thailand.  I have seen thousands of Muslims making their way to daily prayer in countless mosques in China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Kashmir, Palestine, Turkey, India, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Eritrea, Tunisia, Bangladesh and the Maldives.  I have only seen a small picture of how desperate the situation truly is.  However, I have seen enough to know that the situation is desperate.  But does it have to be?  Let’s read on and see what happened in chapter 7.

Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate.  They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die?  If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’ – the famine is there, and we will die.  And if we stay here, we will die.  So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender.  If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”  At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans.  When they reached the edge of the camp, not a man was there, for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!”  So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys.  They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.  The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp and entered one of the tents.  They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them.  They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.  Then they said to each other, “We’re not doing right.  This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves.  If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us.  Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.”  2 Kings 7:3-9

The four lepers, outsiders, were sitting at the city gate.  At some point they began to realize that there was a choice to be made.  They could stay where they were and die, they could go into the city and die or they could approach the enemy camp and either die or be spared.  They decided to approach the camp.  What they discovered was that the Lord had confused the enemy and the camp was empty.  There was food in the camp.  They had access to food, good food!  Do you see the connection between the four lepers and the church in the United States?  We have access to good spiritual food.  Spiritual food in abundance and free.  And yet, what are the vast majorities of us doing with what we have?  Are we not reacting just as the four lepers did?  Do you remember what they did?

“They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them.  They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.”

Is the American church guilty of this?  Are we hoarding all of the food for ourselves?  How many Bible studies do we do?  How many concerts do we have?  How many inward focused ministries do we have?  How much of what we do is for ourselves?  Not that any of these things are bad or wrong, but do you see what I mean?  Is God pleased with the American church’s use of the resources He has blessed us with?  Are we doing enough with the much we have been given?  If not, is it too late? 

The lepers came to their senses.  They realized what they were doing.  They understood that they were not doing right and that there would be great punishment for withholding what they had access to.  The four lepers made the decision to report back to Samaria with the good news.  The siege was over!  Food was available!  God had done it!  All the four lepers had to do was take the good news to those who didn’t know about it.

Friends, there are over 2 billion people in the world today who have absolutely no access to the Truth of Jesus Christ.  Their situation is desperate!  We have the Good News!  We must take it to them!  We must take it to them now!  Not to do so is just possibly one of the greatest sins we will have to answer for when we meet our Creator.  Let’s take the banquet God has blessed us with to those who are eating donkey’s heads for dinner!

Until ALL Have Heard,

Eric

Would it be any different with us?

The following post is a paper I recently wrote for my Christian Ethics course.  Our assignment was to review one of three movies, Babel, Pan's Labyrinth or The Constant Gardner; looking at issues such as violence and social injustice.  I got a good grade on this so I thought I would post it.  I hope you enjoy...

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No, there are no murders in Africa. Only regrettable deaths. And from those deaths we derive the benefits of civilization, benefits we can afford so easily... because those lives were bought so cheaply.

From the 2005 film, The Constant Gardener

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the 2005 film The Constant Gardener.  This reflection will be from the perspective of Christian ethics, particularly in regard to the issues of pursuing justice among the marginalized.  First, I will give a description of the film's plot.  This will be followed by an examination of the film's main character and any respective ethical decisions and/or paradigmatic shifts that may have occurred in the character's development as the film progressed.  Finally, I will suggest that the development of the main character models a necessary shift in the praxis of those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus.

Justin Quayle, played by Ralph Fiennes, is a low-level British diplomat assigned to the Kenyan Embassy.  His wife Tessa, played by Rachel Weisz, is an activist who volunteers her time in Kenya by helping a local doctor with his work among the poor and those suffering from HIV/AIDS.   During the course of her volunteer work, Tessa accidentally learns that a large, multi-national pharmaceutical company is secretly testing a new tuberculosis drug on Kenyan HIV/AIDS patients.  She learns that the drug testing has resulted in many deaths, but that this fact is being covered up by the British High Counsel as well as by officials in the Kenyan government.  Her snooping and gathering of "evidence" ultimately results in her death, as well as that of the local doctor she is working with.  The plot then shifts to Justin Quayle's need to learn the reason why his wife was so brutally murdered.   We watch Quayle shift from a low-level, get the job done without any attention being brought to him diplomat to a radical activist on a mission to learn the truth and set things right.  In the end, the truth comes out, but not before Justin Quayle is also murdered.  The primary thesis of the film can be summed up by the quote at the beginning of this paper.  When there is big money to be made, the big pharmaceutical companies are more than willing to sacrifice the lives of the marginalized of Africa.

We learn early in the movie that Justin and Tessa have completely different paradigms when it comes to getting involved with those on the margins.  They had just lost their first child from birthing complications.  In the same hospital room, a Kenyan baby is born and the mother dies.  Tessa later learns that the mother was a victim of the drug testing.  The family of the Kenyan baby is facing a 40 kilometer walk back to their village.  Tessa asks Justin to stop and give this family a ride.  Justin refuses to get involved and tells Tessa; "Be reasonable. There are millions of people, they all need help. It's what the agencies are here for."  To this, Tessa replies; "Yeah, but these are three people that we can help."  In this particular narrative, Justin's decision not to stop is driven by his belief that the situation is hopeless and that anything that could be done should by done by those who have come to Kenya for that reason.  In addition, he does not want to put his wife under any more stress.  We see that his character has been shaped by his loyalties to his own interests. (Stassen and Gushee 2003, 64) 

Near the end of the film, after Tessa's death, we see that Justin has made a complete paradigm shift in regards to getting involved with individuals in the face of overwhelming odds.  After flying to North Kenya on a UN plane, Justin is forced to run back to the plane, attempting to avoid death as the relief station he is visiting comes under attack by tribal bandits.  As he boards the plane he lifts up a tribal child who had been running with him.  The pilot refuses to let the child board, because the rules of engagement do not allow him to evacuate anyone but relief workers.  Justin responds in complete disbelief and attempts to purchase passage for the child by bribing the pilot.  The bribe is refused and the child is left behind.  In this narrative we see that Justin has been "transformed" and is now more than willing to engage on an individual basis, even when there is overwhelming evidence that such engagement will not have a dramatic impact.  Justin's response to the pilot is; "This is one we can help!"  This shift can be attributed to the model that Tessa had been as she willingly put the interests of others above her own.  In other words, Tessa had "discipled" Justin. (Stassen and Gushee 2003, 58) 

Ultimately, we see that Justin, too, was willing to give his own life in the hopes that it would improve the lives of those on the margins.  I believe this is a picture of, at a minimum, a shift in Justin's perceptions. (Stassen and Gushee 2003, 67)  The more he investigated Tessa's activities, the more open he became to a deeper understanding of the truth.  The more he understood the truth of the pharmaceutical company's activities, the more he was willing to exchange his life for the marginalized.  It was a process, a journey, that happened as Justin opened his eyes to the plight of the marginalized.

Justin's openness to those at the margins was birthed at Tessa's funeral.  When the guests had all left, Justin remained behind, standing over Tessa's grave.  A young Kenyan boy limped up; the same boy Justin had refused a ride earlier in the movie.  He had brought a card in honor of Tessa.  He had crafted his card from a trash piece of cardboard.  In this narrative, Justin came into true, open contact with the marginalized.  This act of love from one of the marginalized resulted in Justin realizing his own oppression, his own captivity to the structures which were responsible for the oppression of the marginalized.  It was at this point that Justin chose to deny himself and seek to "dismantle the very structures responsible for causing injustices along race, class, and gender lines, regardless of the attitudes bound to those structures." (De La Torre 2004, 16-17)

The film paints a clear picture of the contrasts between the privileged, the British and the big pharmaceutical companies, and the marginalized, the Africans.  The privileged are always shown in settings that signify their "worth."  They drive expensive vehicles.  They live in large houses.  They attend parties at private clubs.  In one scene, a group of the privileged is playing golf on a well manicured golf course.  As the scene ends, the camera pans to reveal a train track, which is a symbolic dividing line between the world of privilege and the world of the marginalized.  As the camera continues to pan, the scene evolves into one of chaos and mass humanity.  The marginalized are also always shown in settings that signify their "worth."  Scenes of shanties, rubbish, raw sewage, dilapidated vehicles, bicycles and bare feet. 

The tone of the dialogue among the privileged reveals the presence of teleological ethics, or an attitude of the ends justifies the means. (Stassen and Gushee 2003, 119)  This is seen in statements like, "disposable drugs for disposable patients;" and, "stop bleeding for bloody Africa, show some loyalty;" and "No, there are no murders in Africa. Only regrettable deaths. And from those deaths we derive the benefits of civilization, benefits we can afford so easily... because those lives were bought so cheaply."  It is this ethic that allows the priviliged to justify the deaths of Africans.  It is this ethic that allows the priviliged to justify the violent deaths of Tessa, the doctor and Justin.  It is this ethic that Justin slowly realizes his own complicity with.  It is this ethic that Justin ultimately rejects in his pursuit of justice for the marginalized.  It is this ethic that those of us who claim to follow Jesus must also reject.

Justin Quayle represents me.  He represents you.  He represents those of us who follow Jesus but are trapped by our desires for saftey and security.  He represents those of us who follow Jesus but are submerged in the pursuit of our own interests and desires.  He represents those of us who follow Jesus but are controlled by fear or our loyalty to the system.  Deep within our soul we know that something is missing.  We know that we have been called to make a difference, to set things right, to be part of the answer.  We read the teachings of Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount, but have been told that these teachings are not really attainable; we have been told that they are just high ideals. (Stassen and Gushee 2003, 132)  This leaves us paralyzed.  We see the issues; poverty, violence, war, hunger, sickness, human traficking, and so much more.  We are overwhelmed by the issues, so much so that we cannot see the hope in helping just one, so we choose to turn a blind eye, or we choose to leave the log in our own eye.  We also live isolated lives.  We have never really experienced true contact with those on the margins because our fears or desires for comfort keep us from them.  So, we go through life believing that this is just the way it is.

Each of us, however, has a Tessa, an example we can follow.  Each of us knows someone who has given their life for the sake of the others and thus, for the sake of the Kingdom.  It may be a pastor or a missionary.  It may be our spouse or a parent or a child.  It may be a historical hero or a friend or even a friend of a friend.  Each of us also has the example of Jesus, who in his call to follow him invites us to die to our old way of life and, by faith, allow him to live a new life in and through us.  This new life is one in which we see our complicity with the plight of the marginalized.  This new life is one in which we recognize the presence of Imago Dei in the faces and lives of all peoples, but especially the marginalized.  This new life is eternal life, abundant and free. 

Jesus has called us to follow him.  He has sent us, as he was sent.  In his death, he modeled the life we are to live, for truly there is no greater love than to give one's life for our friends. (John 15:13)  So, we are left with the question, who are our friends?  For Tessa and Justin it was the Africans, those on the margins.  Would it be any different for us?

Works Cited

De La Torre, Miguel A. Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2004.

Stassen, Glen H., and David P. Gushee. Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2003.

 

back home again...

My Google Reader has 381 unread items.  I have no idea where to start, which probably means I will clear it all out and start all over.

I returned from China last night.  It was a great trip.  I spent time with the Every Nation workers who live in this great country.  I was in Chengdu, but had left for Kunming three or four days before the earthquake.  My friends in Chengdu are fine and will be sending me information about how we can help with the relief effort.  I will post this info as soon as I can.

I haven't really posted for more than a month.  I got burned out with the blog, so I took a break.  I have also been incredibly busy with two online classes through Fuller and preparing for the trip to China and then the trip.  Anyway, I feel refreshed and ready to get back to writing.  I hope to start regular posting again soon.

I started journaling again today.  I haven't done this for a couple of years.  I journaled consistently for several years and then quit when my travel schedule got so hectic.  I have missed this discipline and decided on my trip that it was time to start it again.  I mainly log what I have read in the Bible that day and any insights or major themes the Spirit reveals.  Here is my entry for today:

May 14, 2008

Read the following:

Deuteronomy 23, 24 & 25
Psalm 66, 67, 68, 69 & 70
Proverbs 14
Mark 5

I noticed a strong theme centered in God’s love and concern for the poor, the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow. (See: Deut. 24:12-15, 17, 19-22; Prov. 14:21, 31) This subject has also been the emphasis of my course reading in my Christian Ethics class. The declaration of the gospel must be good news for the poor, the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow. The gospel is more than being saved from hell. It is that, but it is also being saved from the here and now. We must seek balance in this. As we go to the nations, we must seek first the Kingdom of God. This includes the declaration that God has initiated and completed the path to reconciliation with his creation through the finished work of Jesus. It also includes the mustard seed like restoration of all that is right here and now, including providing for the poor, the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow.

Father, help me to both seek and understand this balance, this desire of yours that your will be done here on earth, as it is in heaven.

So, for what it is worth, I am back and hope to see you on these pages much more often...

March India report

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There is a story in this report that I think you are simply going to love.  When I read it, I began to shout, so loud that everyone in the house came running to see what was happening.  Which one do you think it was?

 

It has been six-months since we began this project.  I want to share the results that have been reported so far.  Please know that I share these numbers to give a general idea as to the significance of this movement.  I have the utmost confidence that these numbers are conservative.  What is important is not the numbers.  What is important is that these numbers provide significant evidence that God is at work to advance the Kingdom among these two unreached people groups.  That being said, here are the six-month totals:

 

District:	All
	Oct. 07	Nov. 07	Dec. 07	Jan. 08	Feb. 08	Mar. 08	Total
People	210	231	265	415	424	446	1991
Villages	24	24	28	28	30	29	163
New Groups	14	14	31	45	67	76	247
New Churches	14	8	20	22	34	36	134
Baptisms	56	113	40	198	366	529	1302

Please keep praying for these 24 men and the 2 supervisors who are helping to manage the funds and the work.  God is truly at work, but the risks continue to be high. 

 

Finally, as I have shared before, this project costs Every Nation $2,000.00 monthly.  We are still short by $1,400.00 for the month of April.  I need these funds as soon as possible.  Please ask God for His perfect and timely provision.

Until ALL Have Heard,

 

Eric

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District 1
Trained 63 people in 4 villages.  In one village, a school teacher was on his way to work when an angry bull  attacked him and threw him into a 13-foot deep pit.  Our trainer saw the wounded man and took him to the hospital for treatment.  This act of mercy resulted in an open door in this village.  Our trainer was able to spend much time with the teacher and his friends and neighbors.  All of this time resulted in some 37 people coming to know the Lord.  The school teacher is still resisting the gospel, so please pray that his heart will soften.  This district is reporting 6 new house groups, 4 new house churches and 58 baptisms.

District 2
Trained 54 people in 4 villages.  One of the training volunteers was given permission by one of the supervisors to lead a training on his own.  This volunteer went to a village where there has been much suffering from high fever and the chicken pox.  He was resting one evening when a believer in this village brought his neighbor's son who was sick with a high fever.  The volunteer trainer prayed for the boy and he was immediately healed. Within a few minutes of this, the father of the boy who had been healed came with 8-9 people who wanted to be prayed for.  Within 2 hours, there was a line of more than 200 people who wanted to be prayed for. The volunteer trainer kept praying and asked some of the believers in the village to join with him.  They prayed all night and at 10:00 am the next morning, there was still a line of more than 250 people from neighboring villages.  They had heard that a healer had come and they had come expecting a healing.  The volunteer reported that there were healings from multiple diseases.  He said that he does not even remember all that he and his friends did; they were just laying hands on the sick and commanding, in Jesus' name, the sickness to leave.  He said that they estimate that at least half of the people were healed instantly.  There was no shouting, no great dramatics, just the simple laying on of hands and people being healed.  This amazing outpouring of the Holy Spirit resulted in the formation of 29 new house groups and 312 baptisms.

District 3

Trained 49 people in 3 villages.  In one village, a woman had been sick for a few years with stiff joints.  She had been unable to do anything without assistance.  During the training, she was prayed for by one of our trainers.  By the end of the training, she had been completely healed.  She began to follow Jesus and within one month has shared her testimony with more than 150 women.  In another village, a man was healed of a skin disease he had suffered from for over one year.  This man and his family of 7 are now followers of King Jesus.  This district is reporting 13 new house groups and 9 new house churches. 

 

District 4
Trained 66 people in 4 villages.  This district has seen remarkable growth in new house groups formed and in baptisms.  In addition, the number of volunteers has grown.  There are also 37 villages waiting for the training, over and above the key villages we had identified to receive the training.  In one village, a farmer desperately needed to dig a well.  He approached one of our trainers and asked him to pray.  This farmer had gone to several witch doctors for advice about where to dig the well, but water had not been found.  The trainer shared the story of Jesus with the farmer and then he prayed for God to reveal where the well should be dug.  He was led to a particular area and when the well was dug, a steady stream of sweet water was found.  The farmer and his family are now followers of Jesus and he offered 500 kg of wheat as a thanksgiving offering.  This district is reporting 5 new house groups and 5 new house churches.

 

District 5

Trained 59 people in 5 villages.  In one village, a man who was a government official and a representative of the local Hindu fundamentalist group came and observed our training. He left the meeting and returned a bit later with a mob of people. This mob stormed the training, took over the event and beat several people, including the trainer.  The training had to be stopped.  One week later, the man who instigated the mob was killed in a road accident.  This was followed by the village head man being healed of tuberculosis.  He and his family of 5 became followers of Jesus and he has opened up his home and offered to help with the training and other activities.  This district is reporting 9 new house groups, 5 new house churches and 41 baptisms.

 

District 6

Trained 60 people in 3 villages.  In one village, there was a woman who had been demonized for several years. She was so bad that her family had to chain her up because she either attacked others or harmed herself.  While our trainers were in her village, she threw a stone and injured the head of one of the local believers.  Our trainer was summoned and he approached the demonized woman.  He asked her who she was and the woman said that they were many.  The trainer and team of volunteers fasted and prayed and the woman was delivered.  This resulted in four families becoming followers of Jesus.  In addition, a woman was healed of a skin disease that she had suffered from for over a year.  This district is reporting 9 new house groups, 3 new house churches and 31 baptisms.

 

District 7

Trained 57 people in 3 villages.  Just like in other districts, we are seeing more and more volunteers who are helping with the training and training more to be trainers.  We have been able to gain access into new villages each month, many in which we had little or no access.  There is no question that the multitudes are being healed and delivered each month.  As the Word advances, the Kingdom advances and so does the Church.  I want to again thank brother Eric and all of the partners who have made this possible.  In one village, a sister was healed of her paralysis, two children were healed from a prolonged fever and one brother was healed of a long-term headache.  This district is reporting 5 new house groups, 3 new house churches and 34 baptisms.

 

District 8

Trained 38 people in 3 villages.  In one village, an eight-year-old daughter of a Hindu fundamentalist has suffered from the disease of epilepsy for several years.  This man had taken his daughter to the witch doctors, but nothing could be done to help her.  During the training, someone suggested to this man that he take his daughter to the training and ask for her to be prayed for.  He reluctantly came to the training and the trainer commanded, in Jesus' name, the demon and the sickness to leave the girl.  Three days latter, on the last day of training, the man came back to the training site and testified that his daughter had not had an attack in three days.  This man and his family of seven are now followers of King Jesus.  This district is reporting 7 new house churches and 53 baptisms.

 

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If you would like to give to support this work, please go here and make a donation to the India category.  If you would like to mail a check, please make it out to Every Nation, list India on the memo line and mail it to the following address:

 

Every Nation

PO Box 94564

North Little Rock, AR 72190

India Update, Part 3

 

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This is Part 3 of my update on our four-month, People-of-Peace project.  You can see Part 1 by going here and Part 2 by going here. 

 

Thanks again for praying for this strategic project.

Until ALL Have Heard,

 

Eric

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District 18
Our missionary went to a certain village and began to walk the length and breadth of it, praying and looking for opportunities to share.  One night he was prayer walking and noticed a group of people gathered outside a house. He asked what was happening and learned that there was a cobra snake in the house.  Indians are very superstitious about snakes, especially cobras, so no one dared to go inside the house to find the snake.  Our missionary prayed for courage and strength and went into the house and caught the eight-foot long snake in his hand and brought it out of the house.  This is how he became accepted in this village.  Since that night, many people have invited him to their homes and provided meals. One of the people who did so was a government school teacher who is now following Jesus and being discipled.

 

District 19

Our missionary traveled to a town that is known for its temples and shrines and as a hub for religion.  There is a lot of ancestor worship and there are many shrines to historical kings and rulers.  There is also a lot of black magic in this town. Knowing all of this, our missionary decided to do spiritual warfare first and he stayed in his home for eight-weeks, fasting and praying against the powers that held the people captive.  Then for one-week he walked the streets praying.  One evening there was a riot in the town and many were wounded.  Our missionary's landlady was struck in the eye by a flying stone and he took her to the local hospital.  At the hospital, he met a cancer patient.  He prayed for healing and it came instantly.  This was our missionary's point of access to this town.  He has been invited into many homes and has been able to share with many people.  The person who was healed of the cancer is now following Jesus and has dedicated the rest of his life to the Lord's service.

 

District 20

Our missionary went to a town and immediately began to make contacts, share his faith and witness to people.  One evening, he was attacked by some Hindu fundamentalists and beaten to the point of needing to be admitted to the hospital.  The police came to hear his side of the story, but our missionary refused to identify or file a complaint against any of his attackers.  Instead, he sowed love and mercy on those who had attacked him.  The policeman was confused and was thinking that our missionary was crazy, but he kept coming back to hear more.  Over time, the policeman heard the good news and is now a follower of Jesus.  He is being discipled by our missionary and has become our person-of-peace for this town. 

 

District 21

Our missionary went to a large town of approximately 70,000.  He began to prayer walk the town, looking for opportunities to share.  One evening he met a young man who was jobless, had no family and was completely broken.  As they talked, our missionary learned that this man was about to end his life.  He shared the story of Jesus with this young man and they agreed to meet the next day.  Around 4:00 am, our missionary heard a knocking on his door and was surprised to see the young man.  The young man was afraid because he had had a vision in which he saw a bright, white light covering his room.  He ran to our missionary's home to see if he could explain what the meaning of the light was.  Our missionary did so and now the young man is a baptized follower of Jesus, being discipled as our person-of-peace in this town.

 

District 22

Our missionary went to a village deep in the jungle.  The moment he entered this village he encountered an abusing spirit in a demon possessed man.  This man was abusing him with dirty language and telling him to leave and that his intentions in that village would not succeed.  Our missionary wanted to avoid a scene and left the man.  He rented a house and stayed home for three-days, fasting and praying.  He then went out to prayer walk and encountered a young girl, maybe ten-years-old, who began to abuse him verbally and tell him to leave the village or "THEY" will destroy him.  Immediately, our missionary commanded the spirit to leave in the name of Jesus and the girl was delivered.  On the same day, he met a couple who was returning from a visit with a local witch doctor.  This couple told him that their seventeen-year-old boy had been sick with a high fever for several months.  Our missionary shared the healing power of Jesus and they invited him to their home. He prayed for the boy, who was healed instantly.  This family is now following Jesus and being discipled as our people-of-peace.

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If you would like to give to support this work, please go here and make a donation to the India category.  If you would like to mail a check, please make it out to Every Nation, list India on the memo line and mail it to the following address:

 

Every Nation

PO Box 94564

North Little Rock, AR 72190

A story from Bangladesh

I received the following story this morning, from a friend and partner in Bangladesh:

Today we had Bible study at 6:30 to 8:00 pm and it was nice.  One Muslim brother gave a testimony, saying that he had learned a song from our church.  He loved the song very much.  Last week he got hurt on his left hand and he decided not to go to the doctor.  Instead, he wanted to test how Jesus' power worked through the song.  He sang and sang many times and soon he discovered that he was completely healed by the grace of God.  When he was giving his testimony, I was looking in his eyes.  They were bright and full of faith.

Thank you Lord for this amazing story of your work to reach those who don't know you...

India Update, Part 2

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This is Part 2 of my update on our four-month, People-of-Peace project.  You can see Part 1 by going here.  Remember, we have several financial needs for our work in India.  These needs were listed in Part 1, so I won't list them again.  Instructions on how to support these needs can be found at the bottom of this post. Please pray with us for God's perfect provision. 

 

Thank you for praying for these men and for the needs of this project.  I truly believe that God is moving to advance His kingdom among these two unreached people groups. 

Until ALL Have Heard,

 

Eric

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District 13
Our missionary went to a very poor village.  This village has a very poor water supply and there is a lot of drinking of alcohol and womanizing.  Recognizing the strongholds of the village, our missionary sent for his wife.  She began to make contacts with women and he with men.  They were trying to work among families to address the alcohol and the broken families caused by the womanizing.  They developed a relationship with a family and that family introduced them to other families.  As this unfolded, they were introduced to a family who was suffering from jaundice and brain fever.  They prayed for this family and gave them medical care. This family has accepted the Lord and discipling is now happening.

 

District 14

Our missionary traveled to a town that has a reputation for anti-Christian activities.  The first person he came in contact with was an old woman who was sick and had suffered from paralysis for some time.  He offered to pray for her, but her son objected and made our missionary leave the home and even the town.  He went to a nearby village and began to fast and pray, asking the Lord to show him where he should go next.  As he did this, he was clearly led back to the same town.  He also felt that the Lord would give him favor and protection.  He went again and prayer walked the entire town without talking or making contact.  Soon, he was summoned to the town head's home to be questioned about what he was doing.  As he waited, he noticed a child who appeared to be mentally disabled.  He approached the child, who was 11-years-old, and the Holy Spirit revealed to him that the child was demonized.  He then cast the demon out of the child and all who were present were amazed, including the town head.  The town head welcomed our missionary.  This is how a persecutor became a person of peace.

 

District 15

Our missionary went to a remote village, rented a home, fasted and prayed for one week inside the home and then started to prayer walk the area.  One morning, while he was prayer walking, he noticed a crowd of people gathering in front of a home. Being curious, he asked what had happened and learned that the family who lived in that house had a daughter who was dying.  They were mourning her death, even before she had died.  Our missionary pushed his way into the home and asked the father if he could pray for the girl.  The father agreed, but some of the neighbors protested.  Our missionary convinced the father that he had nothing to lose, so the father agreed.  The girl was healed and this home became an open door for the knowledge and salvation of the Lord.

 

District 16

Our missionary went to a town where he rented a home and started to fast and pray.  He was prayer walking the village twice a day and talking to people the Lord brought him into contact with.  He would visit with many beggars, slum dwellers, rag pickers and vegetable sellers every day.  One of these conversations resulted in him learning that the town had a leper colony nearby.  He visited the colony the next day and tried to gain access by singing praises to the Lord.  This gained him much attention and he was ultimately invited to the home of the social worker who ran the leper colony.  That night, he shared the good news with this family and they repented and began to follow Jesus.  He is now discipling this family.

 

District 17

Our missionary went to a large village area with a population of more than 50,000.  He prayed and fasted in spiritual warfare for one week before he left his home.  He began to prayer walk and make contacts as the Lord led.  One evening, he came across a witch doctor who was in a courtyard of a home unsuccessfully trying to cast out a demon.  When our missionary saw an opportunity to interfere, he told the witch doctor that he could cast out the demon if given a chance.  The witch doctor agreed and our missionary commanded the demon to leave in the name of Jesus and the demon immediately obeyed.  The witnesses were amazed at the authority our missionary had and he began to share the story of Jesus with them.  That night, thirteen people repented of their unbelief and began to follow Jesus, including the witch doctor.  Now, the former witch doctor is being discipled as our man of peace.

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If you would like to give to support this work, please go here and make a donation to the India category.  If you would like to mail a check, please make it out to Every Nation, list India on the memo line and mail it to the following address:

 

Every Nation

PO Box 94564

North Little Rock, AR 72190

Chapter 2: Puzzling Reflections in a Mirror

In Chapter 2 of Christianity with Power: Your Worldview and Your Experience of the Supernatural, Dr. Kraft addresses our perception of reality.  He begins by quoting 1 Corinthians 13:12;

What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror; then we shall see face-to-face.  What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete - as complete as God's knowledge of me. 

Kraft differentiates between reality, which he defines as how human beings understand things and REALITY, which he defines as how God sees things.  He then presents four ways we view the differences between reality and REALITY.  These are as follows:

1. Denying there is any difference between one's own position and what is absolutely right.  This approach results in dogmatism and is technically known as naive realism.
2. Nobody is completely wrong or right.  These folks conclude that there is no REALITY, or, if there is, it is irrelevant.  This approach is technically known as relativism.
3. The Agnostic.  These folks conclude that if there is a REALITY, we cannot know it.
4. The Two-Realities Position.  The technical term for this position is critical realism.   These folks conclude that there is a reality as we actually perceive it and a REALITY, as it actually is.

What Kraft is arguing in this presentation is that in order to be open to a new and different understanding about the supernatural, we must realize the difference between reality and REALITY.  We must realize that even though "we cannot understand absolutely, we need to learn as much as possible about REALITY and to adjust our perception of reality accordingly.  To do this we must learn to be open to understandings that lie beyond those we now have."  (page 15)

Kraft then presents the ways we are taught to interpret things the way we do.  He suggests that "we are strongly indoctrinated long before we seek to make any of our own choices in perceiving reality."  (page 18)  He suggests that there are at least four ways this happens:

1. We are taught to interpret in culturally approved ways and rewarded when we conform.
2. We are taught to see selectively.
3. We accept things that confirm what we've been taught.
4. As pointed out by Paul, we see REALITY only dimly and partially (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Kraft concludes the chapter by presenting the five factors that he believes influence our view of REALITY.

1. Our worldview, which he defines as "the culturally structured assumptions, values, and commitments underlying a people's perception of REALITY." (page 20)
2. The limitations of our experience.
3. A person's personality or temperament.
4. Our will.
5. The sin factor.

Kraft's purpose in this second chapter is to help his reader see the limitations our culture and worldview place on our perception of REALITY.  If we are unable to walk in the realm of critical realism, we will never be able to approach a paradigmatic shift in regards to the supernatural.

I like Kraft's analysis.  I believe that one of the sins of evangelicals, especially those of us who have historically been closed to the supernatural activity of God, is our dogmatism.  We seem to be convinced that we can fully understand and explain the ways of God.  We seem to constantly take the position that anyone who disagrees with our understanding of God is simply wrong.  I am convinced that this sin of dogmatism is nothing less than pure fear; of the unknown, of not being right and of being out of control. 

Where do you stand when it comes to these things?  Are you a naive realist, a relativist, an agnostic or a critical realist?  I have to admit that I was a naive realist until my experience of REALITY overseas came into conflict with my reality here at home. 

India Update...

It is time for me to give an update on our four-month, People-of-Peace project (see Luke 10). The two unreached people groups we are working to reach live in twenty-two districts (like a county), all located in the green area on the map to the right.  You may recall that our work in India has so far been focused on only eight districts.  This means there are fourteen districts that we have not yet targeted.  We are changing that this year.  Our hope is to see what is happening in the eight districts, as evidenced by the monthly reports, jump to the other fourteen districts.  To facilitate this, we have sent forty-two national missionaries, all men whom we have trained, into the fourteen untargeted districts. Their charge was to seek out people-of-peace, share the gospel and then begin to disciple them as followers of Jesus.  Our plan was to support these forty-two men for four months, from January through April of this year, at a cost of $4,000.00 per month.  In July of this year, we will train some of the people-of-peace that have been found and then we will then send them out as disciple-making missionaries to the fourteen untargeted districts beginning in October of this year; just like we have sent people out to the other eight districts.

This has been an aggressive strategy, but one that we believe that God has led us to pursue.  I have received reports from some of the men who were sent out.  Their reports of how God led them to their person-of-peace are truly amazing and I am excited to share them with you.  I have fourteen reports that I will share.  I don't want to post something that is too long to read, so my plan is to share four in this post and then do two more posts over the next week or so, each having five new reports.  I hope you enjoy the reports as much as I have.

 

As you read the reports, please pray for God's perfect financial provision.  We still have some needs for our work in India.  First, we need $3,000.00 to finish funding the four-month, People-of-Peace project.  The funds have been advanced, but I borrowed these funds from our General fund, which is the fund that supports my family.  I needed the funds by the end of March and we had a cushion in the General fund.  That cushion is typical for this time of year and it has historically carried us through the summer months when giving often drops.  Our hope is that these funds will be replaced.  Second, we need $2,000.00 to fund our April need for the twenty-four men who are working in the eight districts.  I will be sending the March report for these eight districts soon as well. Finally, we will need approximately $6,000.00 to fund the training project we have planned for June.  There will be other needs throughout the year, but I will share them as they come up.  As I said earlier, this is an aggressive strategy, but we do believe that God is doing a great work and that He will work in the hearts of His people to provide for this need.  We have simply moved forward in faith.  Instructions on how to give to these needs are at the bottom of this post.

 

Thank you for praying for these men and for the needs of this project.  I truly believe that God is moving to advance His kingdom among these two unreached people groups. 

Until ALL Have Heard,

 

Eric

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District 9

Our missionary went to a village that has a population of roughly 4,000.  In this village lived a lady witch doctor who had a good business prophesying, healing, fortune-telling and so forth.  Identifying this lady's home as a major stronghold in the village, he began to prayer walk every day, focusing on her home.  He felt that once this stronghold had been broken, he would find the person-of-peace in the village.  He did this for several weeks.  As he prayer walked, the witch doctor's business began to fall apart.  She was no longer able to perform healings and tell fortunes and a sick baby that had been brought to her for healing died.  All of this led to her downfall in the village and the residents forced her to leave town.  After she had left, our missionary approached the owner of the home where the witch doctor was living and asked if he could rent it.  The landlord was afraid of the home, thinking that it must be cursed.  Our missionary rented the home and began to share the gospel with the landlord.  As the landlord saw the power of God in protecting our missionary, he came to trust in Jesus and is now being discipled by our missionary.  This is how the first person-of-peace was found.

District 10

Our missionary traveled to a remote village by bus.  After he got off of the bus, he began to walk around the village looking for a place to stay.  As he was walking, he was overrun by a herd of water buffaloes.  There was no way for him to get out of the herd's path.  One of the herdsmen came to offer help because our missionary had been wounded on his knees and shoulder.  Our missionary was taken to the herdsman's home for medical assistance. That night, he shared the story of Jesus and the next day the entire family was ready to be baptized.  Our missionary has stayed with this family and is now discipling them as followers of Jesus.

 

District 11

Our missionary went to a village, rented a home and started to prayer walk the area.  He identified a Hindu temple that was a stronghold with devotees visiting it around the clock.   He began to meet his neighbors and their friends, developing social contacts and relationships.  After three weeks of praying and fasting, he began to feel in his spirit that it was time for him to start talking to people about Jesus.  One afternoon, he was sitting in the shade under a tree and he noticed a tea shop.  The tea shop owner was the only one at the shop and our missionary went and started to talk with him.  He learned that the owner had a daughter who was sick with a headache and a constant ringing in her ears.  He went to the tea shop owner's house and prayed for the daughter and she was instantly healed.  Now this shop owner and his family are being discipled as followers of Jesus.

 

District 12

Our missionary went to a village where he had relatives, but did not mention his intentions.   He began to prayer walk the village.  One day, as he was prayer walking, he came across a distant relative who is a vegetable farmer.  This all happened during a Hindu festival that allows men to take a second wife for a few weeks.  Our missionary had the opportunity to question his distant relative about this practice and how it impacted his family.  He then shared the story of Jesus and was allowed to share the same with his relatives' family of nine.  The distant relative is now a follower of Jesus and is being discipled by our missionary.

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If you would like to give to support this work, please go here and make a donation to the India category.  If you would like to mail a check, please make it out to Every Nation, list India on the memo line and mail it to the following address:

 

Every Nation

PO Box 94564

North Little Rock, AR 72190

Four random posts on a random Thursday...

I have been out of action, when it comes to my blog, for the past week.  Today, I have decided to catch up on my posting.  The following is what could probably be four different posts.  I am doing them in one, well, because I am just too lazy to do four.  Today is your day!  Four somewhat unrelated, somewhat related posts for the price of one.

Post 1: 

I joined a gym today.  We have a new place in our city called 10 Fitness.  It will cost me $10.00 per month, and there is no contract to sign.  What do you think about that?  Only $10.00 per month and I can lose that extra 10, OK 20, alright, 35 pounds I need to lose.  Well, I guess there is that part about actually going to the gym and using the equipment... 

I used one of those elliptical machines this morning.  OUCH!  I do feel good about getting started back with this.  I used to run about 3-4 miles per day, but I broke my toe in Pakistan and haven't been able to run for close to two years.  I'm hoping I can find a good combination of machines that will help me get and then stay fit.  I want to do what I am doing for a long time and being fit will help.

Post 2:

I started two on-line classes with Fuller this week; Mentoring and Christian Ethics.  So far, so good.  I am reading Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins, by Miguel A. De La Torre, for the Ethics course.  Good stuff.  Addressing the question of why we need to pursue an understanding of Christian Ethics, De La Torre says:

Neither the overall biblical text, nor the pronouncements of Jesus are silent or abstruse concerning the type of actions or praxis expected of those who claim to be disciples of Christ.  The prophets of old would answer the ethical question of what God wants of God's people in a very straightforward matter.  God was not interested in church services devoid of praxis toward the marginalized.  As the prophet Isaiah reminds us, "Do not bring me [your God] your worthless offerings, the incense is an abomination to me.  I cannot endure new moon and Sabbath, the call to meetings and the evil assembly" (1:13).  Instead, the prophets proclaimed justice for society's most vulnerable members as true worship, a testimony of one's love for God and neighbor. (page 8)

I have been on a journey in recent months.  That journey is one of coming to terms with the lack of balance in my own practice in this area.  How much of who I am and what I do as a follower of Jesus is centered in the seeking of justice (righteousness)?  Is it possible to pursue sanctification without loving my neighbor?  Who is my neighbor?  I think I am going to both love and hate this class...

Post 3:

Staci, Grant and I had a wonderful mini-vacation to Rocky Mountain National Park at Estes Park, Colorado.  We arrived on Friday afternoon and it began to snow later that night.  When all was said and done, it had snowed almost 14 inches.  We saw lots of wildlife, like elk, bighorn sheep and coyotes.  We relaxed with a fire in the cabin's fireplace.  Grant and I went snowshoeing and skiing.  It was an incredible time.  We came home late Tuesday night.  It was good to get away.  Here are some pictures...

Grant, Staci and Eric, standing on Bear Lake

Grant and Eric on the ski lift

Grant twisted his knee, but he is fine.  ;-)

bighorn sheep

elk

Post 4:

While we were in Colorado I read The Peaceable Kingdom: A Primer in Christian Ethics, by Stanley Hauerwas.  This is an incredible book and the more I read Hauerwas, the more of a fan I become.  My favorite quote:

The less sure we are of the truth of our religious convictions, the more we consider them immune from public scrutiny.  But in the process we lose what seems essential to their being true, namely that we be willing to commend them to others.  For the necessity of witness is not accidental to Christian convictions; it is at the heart of the Christian life.  Those convictions cannot be learned except as they are attested to and exemplified by others.  The essential Christian witness is neither to personal experience, nor to what Christianity means to "me," but to the truth that this world is the creation of a good God who is known through the people of Israel and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Without such a witness we only abandon the world to the violence derived from the lies that devour our lives.  There is, therefore, an inherent relation between truthfulness and peacefulness because peace comes only as we are transformed by a truth that gives us the confidence to rely on nothing else than its witness.  A "truth" that must use violence to secure its existence cannot be truth.  Rather the truth that moves the sun and the stars is that which is so sure in its power that it refuses to compel compliance or agreement by force.  Rather it relies on the slow, hard, and seemingly unrewarding work of witness, a witness which it trusts to prevail even in a fragmented and violent world. (pages 14 and 15)

How much of who we are, what we do, as individuals, as the church and as nations, is untruth, the existence of which must be secured by the use of violence?  We have been empowered and sent to be witnesses (Acts 1:8) of the gospel of the kingdom.  Seems to me that there is a whole lot of defending going on and not enough witnessing...

Chapter 1: Signs and Wonders Are for Evangelicals, Too

Chapter 1 of Christianity with Power: Your Worldview and Your Experience of the Supernatural, is Dr. Kraft's story of his personal journey in experiencing the supernatural.  As I read, I was amazed at how similar my story has been to his.  Dr. Kraft was raised in a dispensationalist context.  He became a missionary in Nigeria, where his no power theology was confronted head-on with the reality of witch doctors and animistic beliefs.  Kraft's failure in confronting the witch doctors and prevalent spiritism led him to reevaluate his deeply rooted belief system, which led to an openness to things he had been closed to previously as well as a shifting paradigm through which he  read the Bible.  This openness led Kraft to what he calls a credible witness in John Wimber.  Wimber was teaching a Signs and Wonders course at Fuller Theological Seminary, in Pasadena, California, and had come from a similar spiritual background to Kraft.  The thing about Wimber that Kraft liked was his "rational and unemotional, yet clearly powerful and scripturally based approach" (page 8) to the supernatural.  This meant that Kraft was able to follow Wimber's lead and begin to experience Christianity with power for the first time.

I, too, was raised in a dispensationalist context, which led to frustration and a reevaluation of my beliefs when my no power theology failed on the mission field.  My credible witness came through my friendship with brother Albert and brother Ravi, who are my ministry partners in India.  Their balanced and authentic approach to all things supernatural helped me to embrace an openness to such things, which led to the journey that I am still on, as evidenced by this blog series.

I think Kraft's experience has elements to which many of us can relate.  The major hurdle, however, is that many of us have not served as missionaries and many of us have not yet found our credible witness.    Perhaps this blog series can serve as such for some of us...

Favorite quotes from Chapter 1:

I had to a large extent overcome my early dispensational training against the possibility of God working through faith healers today.  But I continued to interpret the Scriptures as I always had, assuming that Jesus' healing ministry was something he could do as God but that I could not do as a mere man.  I still assumed that the "power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases" that Jesus gave the disciples (Lk 9:1) was just for them and a few others in the early centuries of the Christian era.  So though I now believed that a few today might also have been given the gift of healing, I had never seen such a gift in operation.  Therefore I acted as if it didn't exist.  (page 2)

Though we talked a great deal about spiritual things, the Nigerians understood most aspects of spirituality much better than we did.  I'm afraid we were doing what Paul accuses the Galatians of doing: starting in the Spirit but then turning to human power (Gal 3:3).  In the name of Christ, as if this was the best he could offer, we had simply reproduced Western secularized approaches to illness, accident, education, fertility, agriculture, and every other problem of life.  We acted as though Western scientific methods were more effective than prayer.  (pages 4-5)

I want all that God has for us in this area, but in a balanced, reasonable way.  The extremes in power ministry still bother me greatly.  I have no desire to move toward those extremes. ... Ministering in spiritual power was integral to Jesus' ministry.  And he didn't seem to be very emotional about it.  Jesus simply took the authority and exercised the power his Father gave him. Then he deliberately gave the same power and authority to his disciples (Lk 9:1) and later in his ministry instructed them to "teach [your own disciples] to obey everything I have commanded you" (Mt 28:20).  I want to obey whatever Jesus meant by "everything."  (page 8)

Awareness test...

A note from Staci...

So many people have walked down this road with me and my mom and I want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.  My mom could not have done it without your kind words and prayer.  I could not have done it without your kind words and prayer - prayers from people I've known all my life and prayers that were said by people I've never met before and don't even know your names. Thank you.

My momma has been with Jesus a week today.  Friends have called and come by to check on me and on Eric, Grant and Daddy too.  I am grateful for that.  I've never felt so love and looked after.  They've asked me if I'm alright and how I'm doing.  I have to say that I am, and that the only way that I could be happy and at peace like I am is because of my Savior.  I think I fought the battles over my mom in my heart all before she died.  I would wake up last November in the middle of the night crying out her name.  I was traumatized by her diagnosis.  I would shake sometimes like I was standing in a blizzard and I couldn't stop it no matter how hard I tried. I would get up in the mornings sometimes with anxiety that was so crippling that I couldn't eat so I would at first drink.  Then maybe I could eat something soft.  Sometimes not.  During those days when I couldn't concentrate or think I spent many hours alone with my God.  At night, when momma went to bed, I would cry out, "Please God, melt her cancer away.  Don't let her get any blood clots.  Help her to eat, God.  Keep her strong.  Heal my momma, God.  Please heal my mom."  Sometimes these prayers brought me more anxiety because I was listing her troubles and they would magnify in my mind and frighten me. Then I would just ask Him to heal her and "could I just sit here with you and will you just sit here with me and be my friend, God?"  He would.  I knew it too.  Sometimes I would curl up in a ball real tight and ask Him to squeeze me real hard with His hands around me to make me safe and calm my fears and my sorrow.  Oh, the sorrow!

It started months and months ago when she couldn't go to the store with me and she would write her list out of things she needed.  I have her last handwritten list tucked safely away.  Memories would flood my mind from the present and back to my childhood.  And I would cry.  And Jesus would meet me there again.  And again.  And still again.  During all of this I still had hope.  I never lost hope.  Hope that God would heal her. Hope that He would save her from death.  Hope that He would protect our hearts and minds from despair and depression.  And, you know, He did!

Mom and I had a conversation about a week before she died and she said, "I'm tired but I don't hurt and I'm not depressed or afraid."  I told her that I wasn't depressed either and that God had calmed all my fears and anxiety. And, as I sat across from her in our little living room, she smiled at me.  I knew then no matter what path God would choose for her that the victory had already been won!

She died a week later.  It was one of the sweetest and most painful moments of my life.  My heart was at peace.  I knew hers was too.  I knew that she was safe.  I knew that she was well.  Jesus is sweeter to me more now than He ever has been.  He battled for my heart and for my mind for many months.  I sought Him out on my knees in prayers with hot tears streaming down my face.  He was always there.  I could not bear one moment without Him.

So, thank you again for all the prayers, for the food, for friendship, for kind words, for gifts given in honor of my mom and for traveling this road with us.  I am so grateful to each and every one of you.  I want to write each one of you a thank you note for all these things.  Please forgive me if you don't receive one from me.  I was so weary that I can't remember all the things that were brought and given in love and my heart is burdened now because I can't remember.  I do remember all of your faces and all the words of encouragement.  I will never forget that.

Thank you from me, Eric, Grant, my dad and from my mom too.  She wanted me to thank you.  She asked me to.

"For who I was, was nailed to the cross with Him.  Hallelujah!  What a Savior!"

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I just made a loan to an entrepreneur named Shukufa Tanriverdiyeva in Azerbaijan. She still needs another $650.00 to complete her loan request of $700.00 (you can loan as little as $25.00!). Help me get this entrepreneur off the ground by clicking on the link below to make a loan:

Pray for Tibet...

I am sure you have been following the news regarding the rioting in Tibet.  The Joshua Project reports that there are 99 different people groups with an estimated population of 7,058,000 within the Tibetan cluster.  All but 13 of these groups, with a combined population of approximately 622,730, are considered unreached with the gospel.  That is 86 people groups with an estimated population of 6,435,270 that have little to no access to the gospel of King Jesus.      

I have several friends working to share the gospel with Tibetans.  I sent one of my best friends to a Tibetan area just a few weeks ago.  Another good friend is preparing to go in just a few weeks.

As I've said before, there is always more going on in these situations than what we actually see.  Please join with me in praying for Tibet.

• Pray for a peaceful solution to this situation.
• Pray that the Tibetan peoples, who are clearly crying out for liberation, will be able to hear the good news of the Kingdom of God, the only true liberation any of us will ever know.
• Pray that those who have given their lives to go and share the good news with Tibetans will be given supernatural ability to  be relevant witnesses to the truth of King Jesus.
• Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers. 
• Pray this and be willing to go.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God  reigns.” The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.   Isaiah 52:7-10

Brenda S. Peeler - September 9, 1942 - March 11, 2008

Brenda S. Peeler

September 9, 1942 - March 11, 2008

There will be a family visitation from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M., Thursday, March 13, 2008 at North Little Rock Funeral Home, 1921 Main St., (501) 758-1170.

A graveside service will be held at 11:00 A.M., Friday, March 14, 2008 at Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery, 1501 W. Maryland Avenue, North Little Rock, AR 72120, (501) 683-2259.

Brenda requested that in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts be made to the Every Nation Ministries General Fund, PO Box 94564, North Little Rock, AR 72190.

I was speaking to Brenda toward the end last night.  I told her to dance with Jesus when she saw him.  She smiled and told me, "I'm a Baptist, I don't dance."

I also asked her to find out some answers to some of those hard questions we ask and find a way to send them down to me.  Again, she smiled and said, "I'll try."

Thanks again for all of your prayers.  We love you and thank God for you.

Eric, for Jim, Staci and Grant

Christianity with power?

I was having lunch with one of my mentors earlier this week.  The topic of healing and the supernatural came up.  I asked him why he thought we did not see these types of things in western culture.  We came to the conclusion that is was primarily a worldview issue.

My mentor spent time as a missionary in Venezuela.  He said he saw things there, things that can only be explained as the work of God.  I have seen similar things in India and other places.  When this first started to happen, I was not sure what to think.  I was seeing things that challenged my deep understanding and prior experiences.  I could not deny, however, what I was experiencing and that took me to the Bible.

My denominational heritage was influenced by cessationist dispensationalism, meaning I had been taught that the charismatic gifts of the Spirit, such as healing, tongues and prophecy, had either stopped with the death of the original disciples of Jesus or were only seen in places where the gospel has not been heard.  This is the deep understanding that was being challenged by what I was now experiencing in India and other places.   

As I went to the  Bible I could find no evidence that God had stopped working in these ways.  I saw Paul teaching the early church to have orderly worship and how he expected all of these things to be a part of the body (1 Corinthians 14:39-40).  I saw James teaching that when someone was sick, we should call the elders and pray for healing (James 5:14-15).  These references are just two of many I could share.  I just could not find any evidence that God would cease working in the supernatural.

I received an email from a blog reader last November.  She asked these questions:

If we serve the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob and He is the same God why don't we see more of His awesome power in our lives and those who call themselves by Christian?  Is He a great God or not?  Got an answer?

I never answered her questions.   I did not know what to say.

After my conversation with my mentor earlier this week, I remembered having purchased a book last summer.  I had never read it and had to look for it on my bookshelf.  I found it:  Christianity with Power: Your Worldview and Your Experience of the Supernatural, by Charles H. Kraft.  Kraft is Sun-Hee Kwak Professor of Anthropology and Intercultural Communication at Fuller Theological Seminary.  I am a Fuller student.  I have not had a class with Dr. Kraft, but hope to in the future.

I have decided to blog through this book.  I will read a chapter and post my thoughts and questions.  As I post, perhaps we can all learn and have our worldview stretched.  I want all that is available to me as a follower of Jesus.  If my worldview is keeping me from something, then I want that worldview to be shattered.  What about you?

Pray for Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela...

Have you seen the news on what is going on between the governments of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela?  Go here and here to catch up if you haven't.  There may be tumultuous times ahead for those living in these countries.   We need to be praying.

Do you look at these types of developments through the lens of spiritual warfare?  Could there be something of significance going on in the heavenly realms?  I think there almost always is.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Ephesians 6:12

There is a strong missionary movement among the church in Latin America.  Many Latinos are answering God's call to go to the hard places; places in the 10/40 Window.  This is a wonderful movement and it is something we need to cover in prayer.   

Joshua Project has some great information on Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.  Please join me in praying for God's Kingdom to come in this situation...

Please go take this survey and help my friend Tamara with her seminary class...

My friend, Tamara, has posted a research survey for her Theology and Pop Culture class at Fuller.  Tamara and I are in the same small group in the class I am currently taking at Fuller, Lifelong Development.  Tamara is a good friend.

Please go here to take the survey and help her out with her research...

Which one is it?

OK, at the risk of total humiliation, I have decided to put it to a vote.  It happens to me all of the time.  It happened tonight as I was walking down the hall at the hospital.  Two cleaning ladies got into a debate with me over which singer I favored the most. 

So, what say you?  Michael McDonald, on the left, or Kenny Rogers, on the right?  Be nice!

---

UPDATED!!!

And the winner is...

OK, I did purposefully skew the results by picking the worst picture of Kenny Rogers I could find.  Do you blame me?  I had a few people reply with these photos:

Thanks for playing along...

U23D

Took small-boy, Grant, to see U23D today.  He has been asking me to take him since it came out but we have been a bit distracted with his grandmother being in the hospital.  Anyway, I decided that today was the day and we took in the late afternoon showing.  It was us and about 14 other people.  We loved it.

Yahweh

Take these shoes
Click clacking down some dead end street
Take these shoes
And make them fit

Take this shirt
Polyester white trash made in nowhere
Take this shirt
And make it clean, clean

Take this soul
Stranded in some skin and bones
Take this soul
And make it sing

Yahweh,
Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh,
Yahweh
Still I’m waiting for the dawn

Take these hands
Teach them what to carry
Take these hands
Don’t make a fist

Take this mouth
So quick to criticise
Take this mouth
Give it a kiss

Yahweh,
Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahewh,
Yahweh
Still I’m waiting for the dawn

Still waiting for the dawn,
the sun is coming up
The sun is coming up on the ocean
This love is like a drop in the ocean
This love is like a drop in the ocean

Yahweh,
Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh,
tell me now
Why the dark before the dawn?

Take this city
A city should be shining on a hill
Take this city
If it be your will

What no man can own,
no man can take
Take this heart
Take this heart
Take this heart
And make it break

Bono