One evening, late at night, the telephone rang. It was in Brazil, and a friend called me to come because a disturbance in a neighbor’s house was gathering steam. Loud screams were keeping people awake. I took a friend, and we entered the troubled home. There, we sang, read the Bible, and listened intently. Prayers led to words of wisdom. That night, loud screaming turned to sobbing. Salvation came into that home. 

The next day, on Sunday morning, the husband and wife openly declared their new faith. They attend the church close to our home. Darkness filled with sin’s gloom was transformed by the light of Life, our Lord Jesus Christ. (This is part of a long story.) Examples of changed lives mark our pathway as Cathie, and I review a lifetime of Gospel ministry. Salvation matters.

 Paul asked a series of questions, “How then will they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one about whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?” Romans 10:14,15 

Looking back on 2023, with the love lights of Christmas still glowing in the mirror, I'm thrilled as I look ahead, trying to see what's around the bend. I see a signpost that reads, "The Ministry of Summer Camps." Summer camps are one of God’s most effective tools God to call people to Himself. Children’s camps are sometimes divided into girls’ and boys’ groups. Many are built close to water. They provide exciting experiences: canoeing, swimming, archery, and other sports. Playing in teams brings out laughter. Joyful shouts erupt on either side of a volleyball net, all across a soccer pitch, or at both ends of a basketball court. 

An environment bathed in prayer permits the Holy Spirit to work. Many times, God reaches a child’s soul. Children in Latin America who go to summer camps are fortunate. How we long for hundreds more to attend camps! Thousands of children each year find our Saviour. Children make decisions that impact their entire lives. I urge you to pray for campers, administrators, and volunteers. 

If you've never volunteered to help at a camp, or if you have done so, pray about being involved in a local camp. Give liberally to a worthy summer camp. Someone you share with might find the Lord. Salvation matters.

Preaching Matters

At age 15, I left the dorm life for home, having just completed Grade 10 at a boarding school. My father was the Secretary of the Keswick Conference in Kenya, and that year, he welcomed about 350 people to the Eldoret Girls’ School. The Keswick meetings lasted an entire week. Personally, I was struggling to overcome strong negative teenage emotions. The first day’s “Bible Reading,” the expository hour, focused on Ephesians Chapter 1. I remember thinking, “Wow! I wish I could preach like this! This is amazing!”

Preaching matters! Think about it. Our sense of hearing is so fragile. So delicate! Play one note on a piano, and a split second later, the sound has passed, lost in time. Speech, though, is more complicated. It takes hundreds of tiny sounds to form a sentence. And yet, years later, you can still remember some of those words. More than that, words form a worldview; they convey a message. What messages do you remember from your teen years? Here’s what moved me: making Grade 11, four weeks later, such a different experience as I returned to dorm life. 

Like hundreds of other missionary kids – MKs, or we sometimes use the term Third Culture Kids, TCK’s - I experienced the power of words. Our family saw the WORD affecting young and old, rich and poor, men and women. Hearts were changed, people were saved from their sins, families were touched, and life improved in innumerable ways.

Paul asked a series of questions. “How will they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one about whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?” Romans 10:14,15

Today, across Latin America, an ingathering of people into the Kingdom of God is happening, the likes of which have never previously been observed. Preachers are being called by the Lord to spend their lives sharing the Gospel. People, by the thousands, are hungry for change in every country in Latin America. I’ve watched massive evangelistic campaigns, and I’ve been part of door-to-door surveys and invitations. Space doesn’t permit me to share examples, and time doesn’t permit us to delve deeper into this.

But when we are gathered around the throne of God with people from every language, every ethnic group, and every time and place, we will praise the Lord forever. 

That’s when we will really know a great truth: Preaching matters!

Change Matters

As a young high school teacher in Beausejour, Manitoba, 25% of my teaching responsibilities included being the Boys’ Guidance Counselor.

Cathie, a nurse, and I learned firsthand the effects of addictions, poverty, and broken relationships on students and in many people's homes during our three years there. One of the most complicated home situations involved alcoholism.

“What can change these situations?” We cried out, imploring the Lord for wisdom at the high school and the local hospital. “Lord, will you not bring about a transformation in the life of so-and-so? You promised that in Christ, we are a new creation?” This month, I focus on God’s power to bring about Holy Spirit-initiated ‘makeovers.’

Recently, right here where we live and serve, we’ve been encouraged to hear and see remarkable changes and transformations brought about by the power of God in the lives of people afflicted with alcoholism.  

One of our own missionaries, who currently ministers to drug addicts and prisoners, shared his own thrilling testimony of transformation in his April newsletter - a transformation that began in Toronto.  

He writes, “Dear partners and friends, I thought speaking about what the Resurrection means would be appropriate. It fills me with joy; the whole meaning of the cross and the Resurrection changed my life.” He goes on to relate how his life, which in his teens and early twenties included gang involvement, struggles with drug addiction, and trouble with the law, was changed by a personal encounter with Jesus, first through the ministry of others and then directly through the Word of God: “(A) youth Pastor … gave me the New Testament Contemporary English Version and going home on the bus that day, I started reading (it) and started understanding every word spoken by Christ.  It felt as if I was walking with Jesus . . . I started seeing His grace and hope for my life; shame and guilt left my life through His death and His love.”  He goes on to share how as he further developed his relationship with Jesus, he began to make amends and forgive others.

Why are testimonies like these and others so important? Because of changed lives, and because of God's resurrection power. Change matters.

 

Mistakes Matter - I will always remember three mistakes I made during the summer after I turned 18. My summer job was to select parts for shipment from the International Harvester central warehouse in Winnipeg to dealers across Western Canada.

Each warehouse worker received one or more computerized forms. These identified the product and indicated the number of items for each shipment. As a summer employee, I became jealous of the old-timers who got bigger jobs. The older, experienced guys walked into the supply area with a hundred items or more to fulfill. To obtain more challenging orders, I raced to complete the smaller tasks. One week, I almost lost my job. The boss told me I sent three incorrect orders to three dealerships supplying parts for tractors or other farm equipment. I quickly learned about my disability. I misread those long numbers because I sent the wrong spare parts. I had to learn fast. I could not make similar mistakes, for I needed the funds for tuition for the upcoming school year. Mistakes matter.

Mistakes come in many forms. Let’s examine two of them. Some make mistakes before their life’s work begins. Others make multiple errors during a training period. I love to contrast the mistakes two men made: Peter and Paul.

We follow Peter through repeated blunders and events. We love him for the spontaneous answer to Jesus’ question: “’Who do you say that I am?’ And Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ of God.’” Luke 9:20 How quickly Peter grasped the truth! Also, Peter was the only one of the twelve willing to step out in faith. He literally stepped onto boisterous waves, walking toward Jesus. We love him for being close to Christ. He wa one of the three on the Mount of Transfiguration. With Peter and James, Peter watched Jesus heal Jairus’ 12-year-old daughter.

But think of Peter’s mistakes! No one else received such a harsh rebuke, “Satan, get behind me!” Peter told Jesus not to walk toward his trial and death. No one else told a servant girl, “Woman, I don’t know him!” When he heard someone else say, “You are also one of them!” Peter responded angrily, “Man, I am not!” An hour later, another person was more direct. “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” Peter called down curses on himself, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” Luke 22:54-62 and Mark 14:66-72

Mistakes matter. Thankfully, Jesus knows how to deal with us at our weakest moments. Jesus brought Peter back to fellowship, asking three times, “Peter, do you love me?” Christ’s correction came in three times. “Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep. Feed my sheep.” John 21:15-19

Paul made other kinds of mistakes, serious ones, before beginning a task. We meet him agreeing to the stoning of Stephen. Then he went from house to house in Jerusalem, arresting people for believing in the Messiah. However, Christ knew Paul’s deep desire for righteousness. Once Paul’s theological mistakes were corrected, he helped to change the world. Today, the book of Romans shows how much Paul had to offer; we still profit.

Yes, mistakes matter, and we can take comfort, as I did when my errors were pointed out to me, that there is redemption at the time we fall, when we have little faith, or when we are angry about the wrong thing. Christ’s work through the Holy Spirit is to convince us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Learning from our errors and changing is the best time to say, “Mistakes matter.”

 

In Conflicts, Apologies Matter

Did Jesus’ statement ever strike you as strange?

In the Lord’s prayer, there seems to be a condition in Jesus’s teaching about forgiveness.

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Matthew 6:12.

But then, Jesus commented, “If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14, 15. I have often struggled with this commentary. It’s obviously about relationships, hurt feelings. But is God’s forgiveness toward us conditional on our forging others? Doesn’t God always forgive, redeem, and transform?

The Bible doesn’t avoid topics we find uncomfortable. All too often, we find ourselves in a painful situation. Maybe a family member or a brother or sister in the local congregation made a comment we found distasteful. What they did hurt us and offended us! Soon, we talk about it with someone. Afterward, we get hurt again, and a simple disturbance is now dissatisfaction!

We get offended! And if things don’t get sorted out, then we dislike that person enough to stop talking with him or her. We don’t include them in our conversations or invitations to our homes. Things can escalate. When they do, we find ourselves gradually separating from that brother or sister, or even a whole group of people, by now. An actual conflict has taken hold.

In dealing with conflicts, I’ve used a simple chart to discern how far along heightened emotions have come. Where do you start? (This chart is not mine; I can’t recall who created it!)

In Stage 1, we live well with everyday conversation and discussion. 

At Stage 2, conflict grows into irritation.

In Stage 3 conflict, irritations take on sinful contours. This may include anger, frustration, loud discussions, a party spirit, rage, bitterness, brawling, slander, and malice, then the ground is set for separation. Sinful behavior now holds us in its grip. (Ephesians 4:31,32)

At this point, it’s time to pray the Lord’s prayer!

Before we get into Stage 4 Conflict! We need repentance. “Forgive me for my debt as I have forgiven my debtors.” The common phrase is, “it takes two to tango.” How hard it is to step back! We need to ask the Lord to show us our heart condition the way he sees it! We need to apologize. We need reconciliation. Ephesians 4:32 states it best: “Be kind and compassionate toward one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.”

I wrote an entire novel about this topic. In Inn of the Open Door: A Chronicle of Philadelphia, a Jewish woman, Abigail, is still traumatized by the death of her children in the destruction of Jerusalem. Her niece, Miriam, has married a Roman soldier, the very picture of her enemies. This story, set in the Seven Churches of Revelation, examines steps bringing the families to forgiveness and reconciliation.

C. S. Lewis wrote:

One man may be so placed that his anger sheds the blood of thousands, and another so placed that he will only be laughed at however angry he gets. But the little mark on the soul may be much the same in both. Each has done something to himself which, unless he repents, will make it harder for him to keep out of the rage next time he is tempted and make the rage worse when he falls into it. If he seriously turns to God, each of them can have that twist in the central man straightened out again; in the long run, each is doomed if he will not. The bigness or smallness of the thing, seen from the outside, is not what really matters. [1]

In everyday conflict situations, we need the humility to forgive others and admit any wrongdoing on our own part.  Holding onto grudges impedes the restoration of broken relationships.  We would do well to heed Paul’s admonition in 2 Corinthians 13:11:  ^“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, and live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”

Apologies matter! When conflicts arise, let’s once more pray the Lord’s Prayer.

 

 

---

[1] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, Rev. and Amp. Ed. (New York: Harper San Francisco, 2009), p. 93

 

Stories matter

Stories brighten a day much like the sun’s rays in winter when frost performs its magic on the windows inside, and it’s freezing cold outside.

What would life be like without stories? Well, the TV would limp badly on one leg! Dictionaries would be best sellers. Forget about novels and all those wonderful children’s books. Communication would be simply black and white. Where would be the colors that shape emotions?

Mission work is full of stories. One night (in Turkey), Paul once spoke too long. He told stories about what happened in Greece. At about 4:00 in the morning, Eutychus gave up listening. He fell asleep … and slipped out the window! From three stories up! But Paul was sure the young man wasn’t dead… Well, that’s the rest of the story! It’s all found in Acts 20:7-12, and I always referred to it in Troas, an important archaeological site, on my tourist trips in Turkey.

Why stories? Well, think of our communication patterns. I see my neighbor and greet him. It’s the same every day. “Hello, Ali,” I say. He responds, “I’m fine; how are you?” That’s level-one talk.

Many moons ago, I was a high-school teacher. I listened at the lunch table. “Hey, did you guys see the hockey game last night? Now, I can’t wait for the playoffs!” The level-two talk touches on common interests. Like the material at the top of an iceberg, topics melt away quickly. The following season arrives. Then, interactions are about a ski-doo race. Or football. Or baseball.

Education and preparation for a profession go deeper Level three communication makes a huge difference, like waves slapping against an iceberg. We learn about things from anthropology to zoology. But does a professor need to expose something about his or her personal life? Not really. 

Much level-three messaging is about skills and knowledge. Level-three understanding profoundly affects our lives, but much is impersonal. It’s not about values. I compare getting an education to the space just above and just below the water line on an iceberg. You can hear a teacher speak for hours and still not know what he or she really believes about things, and you may never know anything about their family, where they were born, or their major difficulties.

All that changes with stories. Level-four interactions make you feel like you’re swimming in an ocean. 90% of an iceberg lies beneath the ocean’s waves. Values make you want to examine things from many angles. You want to share in an experience.

Take the story of the Samaritan woman. If we only had Jesus’ words in John 4:23, 24, we would know the truth about worship. Of course! The Father is searching for those who will worship in spirit and truth.

But when we hear the woman talking, and when we engage with her background, wrestling with her about what authentic worship is… wow! This nameless woman comes alive, so to speak. Isn't it wonderful how much we see her life that would have been invisible unless Jesus took the time to talk with her?

We go back to her story repeatedly. It has a beginning, an ending, and a wealth of content. We love the contours and colors of her story. It sparks devotion in us. Raw emotions emerge. Why does it offer us multiple challenges? Something in our life throbs, much like the bass strings on a fiddle in an orchestra. Does another story about worship in the scriptures speak to us so profoundly?

Oh, I hope that all of us tell stories. Do what Jesus did. Wasn’t he the most remarkable storyteller? Be a good storyteller. Yes, stories matter.

 Eu quero ser, Senhor

Yet not I, but through Christ in me

(Jonny Robinson / Michael Ray Farren / Richard C. Thompson)

 

​​What gift of grace is Jesus my redeemer

There is no more for heaven now to give

He is my joy, my righteousness, and freedom

My steadfast love, 

my deep and boundless peace

 

To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus

For my life is wholly bound to His

Oh how strange and divine, 

I can sing, "All is mine"

Yet not I, but through Christ in me

 

The night is dark but I am not forsaken

For by my side, the Saviour He will stay

I labour on in weakness and rejoicing

For in my need, His power is displayed

No fate I dread, I know I am forgiven

The future sure, the price it has been paid

For Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon

And He was raised to overthrow the grave

 

To this I hold, my sin has been defeated

Jesus now and ever is my plea

Oh the chains are released, 

I can sing, "I am free"

Yet not I, but through Christ in me

 

With every breath I long to follow Jesus

For He has said that He will bring me home

And day by day I know He will renew me

Until I stand with joy before the throne

 

To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus

All the glory evermore to Him

When the race is complete, 

still my lips shall repeat

Yet not I, but through Christ in me

 

Un año más, cayó la lluvia sobre el campo

Un año más, mojó el Rocío nuestras manos

Un año más, el viento sur llegó hasta el norte

Un año más, el Sol brillo en el horizonte

Un año más, vemos la Luna y las estrellas

Un año más, siguió la danza de planetas

Un año más, de ver el pan en nuestra mesa

Un año más, que nos sostiene Tu Presencia

Un año más de tu bondad de tu eterna fidelidad

Un año más de sostener la creación con Tu poder

Un año más de inclinar tu oído a nuestro clamor

De responder y consolar un año más

Un año más, el agua convertida en vino

Un año más, no falto sombra en el camino

Un año más, se sobrepuso la alegría

Un año más, de verte obrando cada día

Un año más de tu bondad de tu eterna fidelidad

Un año más de sostener la creación con Tu poder

Uña año más de inclinar tu oído a nuestro clamor

De responder y consolar un año más

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"Giving" or "Giving up"?

We are now through the Christmas season. Unlike the common assumption that Christmas is only on December 25 or January 7. Other smaller historical communities celebrate our Lord's birth on different days. One of the earliest celebrations is December 6. One of the last ones is December 12. This is because small Christian groups across the Middle East and Northern Africa keep to their own traditions and calendars. 

I'm always impressed that the "world" gets things "wrong." The commercialization of the season has made it so Christmas songs begin to sound on the PA systems in stores soon after Halloween. By the time December 25 comes along, our minds are almost inoculated against the real significance of Jesus Christ coming into the world. It's, "Only ten days until Christmas!" Or, "Who is on your Christmas list that you're finding it hard to get a gift for?" 

 The exact opposite is at the core of the Christmas message. It's not so much that Christmas is about Jesus and giving; it's about Jesus giving up. The secular world has it all wrong! Instead, let's consider what Jesus "gave up." "He did not consider equality with God to be grasped. Instead, he made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, … he humbled himself and became obedient to death." Philippians 2:6-8 The miracle of Christmas is how much the Lord Jesus Christ "gave up." All of heaven, creation, the majesty, and wonder of the godhead was his. Instead, he gave these up to become a helpless baby and, as an adult, a slave. His actions at the Last Supper were those undertaken by a slave; he washed the feet of each friend who came to recline at the table. 

 The meditation on Christ's giving up spurns me to consider my selfish actions. I wish to live differently, to live selflessly. I want every day of this year to be lived considering the eternal pleasures we receive when following our Saviour. 

 "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose." Philippians 2:1,2