CO-WORKERS

In preaching about God’s broken world and our role in bringing about healing, Bp. Barry Beisner (Navajoland) recalled a story about the noted artist John Constable.  It seems that Constable was gaining notoriety not only for his realistic countryside landscapes but also for the vast size of the paintings.  The “six-footers” as they were called, provided the scale for Constable’s genius in depicting the grandeur and nuances of natural scenes for which he became well known.

An exhibit of Constable’s new works had been announced, and critics came from afar to see the latest paintings.  “The highlight of the day was the unveiling of a very large canvas hidden behind a curtain.  The great moment came.  Everyone was very excited, and Constable walked up to the curtain and pulled the cord, and the new painting was unveiled.  But there was a groan and shocked intake of breath, because right across the canvas, from top to bottom, was a great tear.”*

Everyone left except for John and his family.  One child was missing, his young son John.  In the evening when John returned looking fearful and guilty, John asked his son if he had torn the canvas.  The young boy confessed, and rather than battering him with recriminations, John asked him, “How shall we mend it, my dear?”*

At the very beginning of creation, we see Eve eating the forbidden fruit and sharing it with her husband Adam.  Knowing the tragic repercussions of her actions, God asks Eve, “What is this you have done?”  (Gen. 3:13 NIV)  But, somewhat like Constable’s canvas, nothing that mankind alone could do would mend the brokenness inflicted by Adam and Eve’s original sin.  Only the tragic death of God’s Son would allow mankind the opportunity to become co-workers with him (I Cor. 3:9 NIV).

In his great love, God has invited us to mend with him the wounds that have occurred through generations of disobedience, of callous disregard for others, of sin.  What a privilege we have been given when he reaches out his hands of love and forgiveness, grace and mercy, and invites us to be his co-workers.

*Geoffrey Tristram.  Reconciliation & Atonement:  How God Mended a Broken World. 

RETHINKING

At the beginning of the new year, I’m being bombarded with new methods for resolving old issues with tactics for making 2024 better than 2023.  Actually, near the end of 2023 I came across an old idea that just needs to be activated to make every day better than the day before:  rethinking.

The footnotes for Proverbs 23:7 (NIV) say, “…as he thinks within himself, so he is…”  Essentially, we ARE what we THINK.  Not what we DO; not what we SAY; not what we EAT; not what we PROFESS.  We are what we allow to germinate and lodge in our heads.

We pretty well know that discipline is an important factor in our lives.  We learn to discipline our eating, our work time, our exercise programs, our spiritual practices (prayer, Bible reading, giving…), and any number of things that make up successful lives.  But few people talk about discipline of the mind.

Contemplate this:  On the way to work, someone cuts you off in traffic.  Your thoughts respond negatively or positively, and your whole day is set.  A song on the radio reminds you of a past wound.  The way you mentally confront the reminder sets your day.  A relational issue challenges you; your thinking process determines how you respond.  Again, we are what we think.

Sometimes we choose the “poor me” response.  Other times we jump into the “what if” mode.  We compare our circumstances with someone else, certain that the outcome will be the same.  Our minds are stressed with all the randomness of our undisciplined thoughts.

On the other hand, we’re given a template in Philippians 4:8 (NIV) for healthy thinking that always produces a positive outcome:  “…whatever is TRUE, whatever is NOBLE, whatever is RIGHT, whatever is PURE, whatever is LOVELY, whatever is ADMIRABLE—if anything is EXCELLENT or PRAISEWORTHY—think about such things.”  Think about TRUE, NOBLE, RIGHT, PURE, LOVELY, ADMIRABLE, EXCELLENT, or PRAISEWORTHY things.  This is the standard.

Whenever a thought, especially a disturbing one, enters our minds, we have a measuring stick.  If it doesn’t meet the standard, toss it out.  That void can quickly be filled with God’s peace and joy and praiseworthy things.

Before you accuse me of being Pollyanna, try it.  It really works and will transform your life.

WHY ME?

In ancient times, a young woman about twelve or fourteen years old was alone in her home in Nazareth when one of God’s messenger angels, Gabriel, made a visit to her.  We know little of young Mary except what tradition tells us about her family, siblings, or background.  What we do know is that she was known of God—highly favored, present, and blessed.

The appearance of the angel didn’t trouble Mary, but she wondered about the implication of his greeting.  Mary found Gabriel’s word troubling.  Immediately, the angel reassured her with, “You have found favor with God.”  He went on to describe her calling to bear the Son of God who would reign forever with a never-ending kingdom.

Here we must stop to wonder at young Mary’s concerns.  She wasn’t alarmed about the neighborhood gossip, her parents’ reaction, or how a child would upend her life and affect Joseph, her betrothed.  No, Mary wanted to know about the logistics:  “How shall this be?”

Patiently, the angel explained that the Child would be the Son of God and all that entailed.  To add credibility to the prophetic word, Gabriel told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was also pregnant, a circumstance that Mary would soon discover to be true.

Has it ever occurred to us to wonder at Mary’s question of the angel:  “How shall this be?”  She wondered about the process, not the seismic shakeup of time and eternity.  When Gabriel made his visit to Mary, he didn’t ask Mary’s permission, “Mary, would you consider serving God by birthing his earth-born Son?”  And Mary didn’t ask a question most of us might think natural and not at all surprising:  “Why me?”

It may be that what Mary did not say tells us more about God’s selection of her as the mother of his only Son.  Mary doesn’t back off the prospect of being the mother of God; she doesn’t scorn the call to suffering with and because of her Son; she doesn’t disparage the disrepute cast upon her and her Baby; and she doesn’t question her role.  The only thing she asks is how God will do such a thing.

As the angel is departing, Mary responds, “…be it unto me according to thy word.”  Yes, Lord, here I am.  Use me.

TURKEY AND MORE

The Saturday before Thanksgiving, one of our neighbors received a bag of sides and a turkey from the Outreach Ministry called Sidewalk Saturday.  The turkey was 21 lbs.  The woman began to cry and tried to regretfully return the turkey she had been given for the holiday.  It didn’t fit her air fryer, and her oven was broken.  There was no way she could cook it.  The Sidewalk Saturday Lay Minister said “Take the turkey, we will help you figure out the oven situation.”

Later that afternoon, our Outreach Pastor, Justin Lindstrom, was at home and got a phone call from the Lay Minister explaining what had happened.  Justin quickly got online and ordered a new oven that could be delivered before Thanksgiving.  The oven was delivered Wednesday morning.  On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, the family had their first ever Thanksgiving meal.  During the meal the eldest daughter said that the family ought to start going to church.  The mom asked, “Which one should we attend?”  The daughter replied, “The one that gave us the oven, turkey and sides!”

The next Saturday, the family returned to Sidewalk Saturday to find Justin and thank him.  As they chatted, Justin learned that his new friend was from the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota where he had served with a youth team this past summer.  As they talked, he realized that he had most likely met members of her family, mainly her parents.  The two wept tears of joy as the circle of friendship and love got tighter.

On Sunday, Justin was leading worship at a local independent living residential complex.  For the sermon the story above was shared.  It was too incredible to not share.  After church, an attendee came up to Justin, and she wanted to give a donation to the outreach ministry as the story had moved her.  She wrote a check for $500.  Justin leaned in and softly said “You just bought the oven!”  Little did she know, the oven cost $499.99.  The oven was just paid for.

Only God can orchestrate such a powerful testimony of mission and ministry, and weave together perfect strangers into beloved friends.

Jumping Back In

It’s been a while since I blogged, but I’m jumping back in. The interlude has been a fruitful and really busy time with both joys and sorrows. My sweet son-in-law Jim left us this last Christmas night. We don’t say we lost him since we know where he is and that we will be together again.

Meanwhile, I’ve self-published a book (carried by Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and others) based on previous blogs. I hope you will take time to see what other missioners, friends, and family members have contributed to Come and Go with Me (A Collection of Stories and Lessons). We’ve written about personal experiences in our faith journeys and how they’ve affected our spiritual growth. It’s been a time of enrichment and deep joy.

ENCOURAGEMENT

When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person. Job 22:29

At dinner with two of my children the other night, I was grousing about my work, which I dearly love.  But COVID has completely changed the character of our ministries and limited us in so many ways.  Many countries where we work are shut down; teams can’t travel; and the needs have shifted.

In prayer the next morning, it occurred to me that I’m the director, and if I’m not happy with operations, I need to look in the mirror.  With repentance, I began praying for fresh inspiration and direction in moving forward, and the ideas began to flow.

At the office I met with one of the leaders to share my thoughts, and he heaped more possibilities onto my clipboard.  When I saw the bishop, he added to my growing thoughts for ministry and gave me permission to do a presentation to the staff.

After we finished Scripture reading and prayers in staff meeting, I reported about the intense hunger our partners around the world are experiencing; about two of our missionaries who are currently suffering with Covid in a Middle Eastern country with limited medical facilities; and about extreme poverty and needs we can only imagine.  I asked staffers to join us in prayer for these dear ones and invited them to go with us when the countries reopened.

After a few announcements, Bishop closed the meeting, and I walked out the door.  Our housekeeper caught up with me, grabbed my hand, and put something in it.  She looked intently into my face and said, “This is for where it’s most needed.”  I automatically thanked her but didn’t look down until I got to the hallway where I saw a hundred dollar bill.  I walked by my assistant’s office, and she said, “You’re not going to believe this,” and showed me a check from our receptionist for one hundred dollars. And, yes, I have thanked these dear ladies who could not comprehend how their generous spirits and sacrifices meant so much more than the gifts themselves.  They were the crowning touch of God’s encouragement.  (And three staff members asked to join mission teams.)

Father, thank you that you’ve placed us in the Church with sisters and brothers whom you use for your purposes. You ARE good–ALL the time. AMEN.

LOOK UP

…When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.  Mark 16:4

When my husband was diagnosed with cancer, I was terrified.  I’d never been around anyone with cancer, and it wasn’t part of our family history.  I had no idea what to expect, but I knew it was a time to trust.

The surgery went well, and the doctors told me afterward that they thought they had gotten it all, but, of course, I knew there would be some sort of follow-up.  When we met the oncologist for the first time, he recommended chemotherapy—six long months.  My husband met the news with his typical pragmatic attitude wanting to know when to begin.

I didn’t know about cancer, but I certainly had heard horror stories about chemo and knew the side effects could be ghastly.  We asked the same people who had prayed for the surgery to now pray for chemo treatments.  And I prayed that I would be able to support Peter in spite of my own anxiety.

The first day of treatment was scheduled, and I did a lot of extra praying, especially for strength.  We walked in the door looking about to find seats.  Instead, we found Anne.  Anne was the head nurse for the clinic (I had no idea!), and she was a dear friend from our church prayer group.  “We’ve been waiting for you and praying,” was Anne’s greeting.  And so began six months of seeing a friend who we knew had been part of that great cloud of witnesses that are always there to support us through dark times.

I suspect those ladies who went to the tomb on Easter Sunday had hearts full of dread, perhaps not unlike my experience, just much more intense.  They knew what they had seen, and they anticipated the horror and grief they would encounter.  But even before they could minister to Jesus’ body, they had an almost insurmountable task:  Who would roll away the stone?

And how much time do we spend worrying about something that we fear will happen?  We reflect on past experiences thinking that this is going to be just the same—or worse.  We don’t always trust that God will go before us to lift that load.  Notice the order of events:  When they looked up…  Had their eyes been on the ground in their overwhelming sorrow?  Were they thinking of the impossibility of the situation?  WHEN they looked up…they saw the stone had already been rolled back.

The answer was there before they asked. 

Father, help us to look up when we’re bowed down, knowing that you have already met the need.  And thank you, too, Father, for healing Peter.  AMEN.

RESTORATION

He restoreth my soul.  Psalm 23:3

Meditating today on the 23^rd Psalm, I stopped at the third verse and thought about the restorations I’ve experienced through a long and interesting life.  And then I was reminded of Joel’s promise in verse 2:25, “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten…” 

As I juxtaposed the two verses informing restoration, it occurred to me that, while I have often felt regret over the years the locusts have eaten, there are so many other things that I feel gratitude for their disappearance.  Those hungry locusts devoured wounds, mistakes, bad choices, painful memories, and so much more that was part of those “years.”

All this time, I’ve been thankful for the restoration my soul has experienced in lieu of events that caused grief without ever seeing that the injuries have not just been pushed aside.  They have actually been destroyed, removed, eaten up so that my soul could be restored to newness of life.  And with that, goodness and mercy have followed and will follow me all the rest of my life.

That’s GOOD NEWS.

Father, thank you for the blessing of meditating in your Word and for your Spirit that brings light and life.  AMEN.

THE LITTLE GUY

 One of the disciples—it was Andrew, brother to Simon Peter—said, “There’s a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But that’s a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this.”  John 6:8, 9  (Msg)

I’ve never heard anyone commend the little boy who brought the lunch that fed thousands.  In fact, even his name isn’t mentioned.  We know about Andrew who quietly works in the background, and we know about Andrew’s brash brother Peter who usually dominates the conversation.  But of the little boy who is instrumental in one of Jesus’ major miracles, we read one sentence.  However, that single sentence tells us several things about this child through whom God works:  1) He’s young; 2) He’s present; 3) He’s probably poor (barley loaves were eaten by the poor); and 4) He was planning to share.

1)  He’s young.  Quite likely, this was a small child, a “little boy,” “a boy,” “a lad,” as described by most versions.  We don’t know if he came alone or if he was with his family or hanging out with friends.  2) For whatever reason, he came to hear Jesus, and, as a result, took part in one of Jesus’ most famous miracles simply because he was there.  3) Although there may have been wealthier, more prominent people in the crowd, this small boy had exactly what Jesus needed to feed the thousands.  4) What small boy would carry such a big lunch unless he was thinking of splitting it with someone?  Did this little guy come up to Andrew and volunteer his lunch when he saw the problem?  Or did Andrew notice that the child had brought more than he needed?

There are so many things we don’t know about these details, but we do know that Jesus used a small, obscure, poor, unnamed, and generous young one to accomplish a great miracle that people still talk about today.  In the middle of the impossible, Jesus had an unimagined resolution.

Father, when I’m proposing strategies for your interventions, please remind me of the Little Guy who came out of nowhere and who was on no one’s radar.  AMEN.

RESPONSIBILITY

For each will have to bear his own load.  Galatians 6:5

As they were discussing unanswered prayer, one of the group members added that he and many of his friends had spent years praying for another one of their friends.  They had watched helplessly as their friend vacillated in his spiritual life, up and down, hot and cold.  In the end, he broke fellowship with them all and left to pursue his own aspirations.

Watching our friend quietly speak of his disappointment, the weight he carried was obvious.  He went on to say that he often wondered what more they could have done and why God hadn’t intervened when so many were trusting him for an answer.

This wasn’t a time for a pat memory verse.  “All things work together for good” wouldn’t suffice for such a deep wound.  Several things began to emerge from the group.  Someone said, “You aren’t responsible for the decisions someone else makes.”  Another group member said, “God doesn’t force his will on us, and he allows us to do as we please.”  Then someone submitted, “We can’t expect ourselves to have known in earlier years what we know now.”  Finally, “God is the God of the past as well as the present and can walk with you through that time to bring healing and understanding.”

It appeared that perhaps God was also in the dock.  Where had he been when he was most needed?  Additional thoughts began to pour forth.  Moses went to Pharaoh several times asking that he let God’s people go.  Initially, Pharaoh agreed but later changed his mind and hardened his heart.  The Scripture then states that, after repeated rejections, “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (Exodus 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27, 10).  Pharaoh had an opportunity to listen to God and suffer little damage to his throne and country, but his recurring disregard finally resulted in his inability to choose rightly.  He lost everything.

How can we presume to know what God is working in any man’s heart?  And because we see no outward evidence of God’s presence, may we arrogantly charge him with negligence?  Are we aware of the people God is sending?  The angels unawares?  The dreams and visions?  The written and spoken messages that are being transmitted through varied sources?  How can we charge God with failure when “his ways are higher than ours” (Isaiah 55:8), and “he speaks in different ways” (Job 33:14).

Our friend dropped his burden of many years, repented, and once again allowed God to be God.

Father in heaven, thank you for your mercy.  How awesome that you do not defend yourself against false charges but stand ready to receive the one whose eyes have been opened.  Thank you.