Defeating Fear

I have recently been reading the Old Testament chronologically.  I noticed that Israel had times of fear (which became complaints) and they cried out in fear (which became anger) because they thought they are going to die.  When things didn’t go their way, they rose up and challenged God and their leaders. They repeatedly stated that they should have died in Egypt, instead of God killing them in the wilderness.  It would have been easier to die in Egypt than to have God bring them all this way to die. But, God was not done with them yet. They just didn’t see it.

Each time they believed that they would die; they showed their doubt in the LORD-- it showed their lack of faith.  God ends up showing them over and over that He is FAITHFUL and MIGHTY.  He shows His JUSTICE, POWER, and LOVE.  Yet, that was not enough for the Israelites.

The Israelites were afraid of death.  However, as the Pentateuch unfolds, it seems like the Israelites wanted to die; they were giving into their fear.  They were okay with having their fear become their reality.  Not only did their fear hinder them from obeying the Lord, but it enslaved them.  They turned their fear (once a viable fear) into a complaint and yelled out when they wanted a “change of menu.” Num 21:5 says “they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

When we focus on our fears, we tend to perceive them as coming to fruition; even if they don’t actually come true.  God was providing through miracles for his remnant, and yet, they were afraid of death.  Then, after years of seeing the Lord provide, they turned their fear into complaining.  God took care of their fears and still they weren’t grateful.

We all have our doubts and fears in life.  Each of us, even when following God, can have a recurring fear; many of us may struggle with a specific fear until we die.  

Some fears are more “rational” than others; nonetheless they can hinder us from truly following and trusting the LORD.  If dealt with properly, these fears can turn into a showing of God’s POWER and LOVE in our lives.  

Because we are human, we all have fears. I hope we can trust Him enough to surrender those fears on a DAILY basis; letting God use them for His glory.  We must continue to preach the Gospel to each other as a reminder of what God has done for us and what we live for.  If we leave our fears at the cross of Jesus every day, instead of dwelling on them, we could experience the JOY of our Christian calling more vividly. 

Heaven is Home

Home. What a complicated concept. I’ve lived in several countries and have had nearly 30 homes during the whole thing. In just a few months, Ashley and I will celebrate 4 years of marriage. During those 4 years we’ve had 3 different homes.  Bouncing from place to place might be resolved if we could just narrow it down and understand this concept of home. 

Some say that home is where the heart is. Because of all our travels and all of our friends and loved ones, our hearts have been stretched all over the world. Nevertheless, the Bible (or a hymn) tells us that the world is not our home. We are just passing through.

So, yes, Heaven is home. And if I feel like being spiritually technical about the whole thing Heaven is home. But although not exactly elusive, neither is it precisely tangible. So let’s address this issue of a more down-to-earth home. 

While we were in the States we got to spend time with family. We enjoyed cookouts with Ashley’s Dad, with her brother we competed over who’d eat the spiciest Buffalo wings, and then with her Mom we’d go for a walk to get some ice cream or just watch some TV together before going to bed. Their hospitality is not taken lightly. 

But there are other forms of family too. Our home church always makes us feel right at home. Whenever we return we honestly feel as if we’d never left. Their care and generosity mean more to us then we could possibly express in this blog or in any other form of words. (Words have such a way of expressing while limiting what we mean to express!). 

We even had the opportunity to meet up with 5 of our GAP students and at least 4 others who are, in their own special way, a part of our GAP family. It was a sweet reunion. There were plenty of laughs and fond memories to celebrate between us all. 

The Christian family as a whole is just a perfect way to be welcomed home. Another inexpressible reality is the very real family quality sensed with other believers. A pastor friend of ours joined our support team admitting that it was just the right thing to do because we were family! 

And so all of that makes us feel very much at home. Nevertheless, we were – to be brutally honest – relieved to return to the DR. This too is home for us. It’s home in a very different way, but it’s still home. We have the camaraderie of family among our colleagues. All of the SCORE staff, whether the directors of a department or the driver of a bus, are like family to us here. 

Part of the Dominican charm is certainly in the fact that it is our home. We have our pictures on our walls. Our cats greet us at the door. We can help ourselves to what we have in our fridge (right now mostly some of the candy we brought from the States). And, most importantly, I have my books readily available on my shelves. 

Work makes this home for us too. Already this week I’ve been asked to translate a meeting between some of our staff. The other night I translated a devotional, and tonight I have to give a devotional (probably on Jonah). And Ashley has been hard at work every day at the Lily House with new products, designs, etc. And this is only the beginning. There is still so much more to come (that is said with both dread and excitement!). 

But if I really seek solace to this nomadic experience, this experiential restlessness as to where home is, I have to put my eyes back on Heaven.  I just can’t escape it. I keep going back there time after time. No, it’s not me trying to be trite or cliché. It’s just the very real and very pleasant truth (as comforting as every other expression of home I’ve made so far except more so). Heaven is home. 

The day we arrived home in the DR, from having been home in the US, the founder of SCORE International, Ron Bishop, went home to Heaven. He’d been hospitalized suddenly because of a blood clot and things escalated. One feels like adding that things escalated tragically, but that is only true if seen from our limited vantage point. I’m sure from his perspective there is no greater peace or relief. 

We do miss him and remember him fondly. He was more than a founder, he was a leader to be admired and a friend to be loved. He had the presence of a grandfather, both serious and sweet. But soon we will all be Home together. 

Oh, what a glorious day! 

Uninhibited Prayers

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

This text (Ephesians 6:19-20) was pivotal in our most recent post (A Bold Blog). We had asked for you to pray for boldness, and not just for yourself but for us too. In fact, Paul, when writing to the church of Ephesus, unashamedly asked that they pray for his boldness.  To be honest, this completely b-l-o-w-s my mind! Paul is one of the most courageous Christians in the Bible and he still asks for prayer.

 

It was C.S. Lewis who suggested that we pray because we are helpless. Paul understood that prayer was what kept him going, not just his personal time of prayer, but the prayers of others backing him in his adventures. We understand this too. We understand that without time spent in prayer we can't do anything. Without your prayers we can't do anything.

 

Thank you for your prayers.

 

Paul's circumstances were less than ideal. He was in chains. Nevertheless, he did not let the Roman shackles hold him down. He did not allow the chains to inhibit his ministry. Sometimes our circumstances can cripple us. We become afraid, all we see are limitations or obstacles. Paul could very reasonably have just wimped out and served his time, instead he used his time to serve as "an ambassador in chains." That's just amazing!

 

Someone once said that prayer is the only form of omnipotence God grants a man. Our dreams don't fly high enough and our imagination is not as limitless as we think, but in our prayers - in our prayers - we can move mountains! Through prayer we can achieve the impossible. 

 

Please continue to pray for us, as we pray for you.

 

 

 

 

A Bold Blog

Missionaries are always asking for something and I want to stay true to my calling. I want to ask you for something.

Don't worry, I'm not asking this only for myself, I'm also asking it for you.

 

Frankly, I think I have a decent amount of authority backing me up on my request. No, it's not because I'm a missionary or anything as ridiculous as that. My authority is based on the fact that whenever someone shares something from the Bible there is an inevitable request - or demand - made.

 

In fact, if someone shares something from the Bible and there is no demand made on you, well, then I'd have to question the sensitiveness of your heart or the authority of what was just shared.

 

Every time God communicates He is making demands of us. Maybe that's why missionaries also get a pass on asking you for a thing or two.

 

Right now, my demand is based not only on Scripture but on the testimony of Paul, one of the biggest missionaries of all time. Here is what he says in Ephesians 6:19-20

 

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

 

You ready? Here it is. My request is that you pray for boldness. We need to stand boldly for the person and the truths of Jesus Christ.

 

When I was younger (17 or 18) I had a job at an amusement park. It was a pretty sweet job. I enjoyed working there. While I worked there, I often got to speak in Spanish to the visitors who passed through. One day a co-worker asked me how come I spoke Spanish so well. Seeing as how she was kinda pretty (as in gorgeous), I fumbled about trying to come up with a non-dorky answer. Something impressive to show just how James Bondsy I could be.

 

I told her that I was born in Uruguay.  I told her I grew up speaking Spanish.  That was all true. I told her it was because my parents were diplomats; that was a lie. My parents were actually missionaries; but that was embarrassing. It was totally not the James Bond effect I was going for.

 

She seemed impressed, but at the same time she wasn't too impressed since she never really spoke to me again during the rest of the summer. Meanwhile I felt horrible.

 

I was ashamed of the Gospel. The complete opposite of Romans 1:16, a verse I'd had to memorize for Sunday school while I was growing up.

 

Clearly, just memorizing a verse that told me not to be ashamed of the Gospel was not enough. Being a Missionary Kid (MK) didn't cut it either. Growing up and becoming a full-fledged missionary wouldn't really cut it either.

Here's a little secret. I can't do it alone. Yeah, memorizing Scripture is great. Growing up in a Christian home with role-model parents is a bonus. And choosing to follow the Lord into missions is one of the best decisions of my life. But those things in and of themselves won't make me bold.

I can't depend on myself for boldness. That kind of contradicts the whole point. Like Paul, I need to go to God. I do that by prayer. Secondly, I need to go to you. God's people praying on my behalf for boldness will not only encourage me but it will also serve to spur me on.

If Paul needed others to pray for him to be bold, who am I to think I've got what it take on my own?

So here it is. Here is my request (authorized by Scripture): Please pray for me to be bold.

Pray for our boldness and ask the Lord how you can be bold in furthering the Gospel with us.

 

The Main Thing

Last week was intense for us here on the island.  We received more than 300 students from Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Georgia. These young people came to build homes and perform other construction projects, they held various sports clinics, at least 5 different VBS sites with 100 plus children at each one, and they worked in more than 5 different orphanages and children centres. This is just a part of what we do. Yet, at the same time, those are just the peripherals. Don’t get me wrong. They are important, but they are not the most important.

During the past week someone on the construction crew said that they felt “accomplished” because not only were they building a family a home, thereby taking care of their immediate physical needs, but they were also having a chance to share the Gospel as they went about the community. So by no means do I wish to denigrate the importance of all the peripherals but we have to keep the main thing the main thing.

Of course, that’s easy for me to say because I am, after all, a missionary and as a missionary making sure I keep the Gospel as the main thing should be fairly easy. It is, after all, my profession-career-vocation-calling-etc. Sadly enough, that’s not the case. It’s not always easy to live Gospel-centered lives, even as missionaries. But there is more to it then that. Because, sadly enough, that’s also not the case that it should be easier for missionaries or that it is only a missionary’s responsibility. It is every Christian’s responsibility too.

My motives behind this post are multiple. First of all, informational. I wanted to tell you about what we’ve been doing; letting you know or informing you how busy we’ve been and what the Lord has accomplished through our service and our partnerships with other churches (specifically Johnson Ferry). Secondly, it is an attempt at something “inspirational.” I want to challenge you to keep the main thing the main thing, and that, for us, as believers, is the Gospel.

Sometimes we feel shamed into sharing the Gospel or somehow guilted into it. This past week I loved seeing our students struggle with sharing the Gospel in Spanish and in English. I loved seeing them succeed. There was one student who made it a point to come back each evening and excitedly share with me her experience of sharing the Gospel with Dominicans and Americans alike. It was awesome.  During this week, she realized her giftedness and passion for evangelism. She is now reconsidering her future and wants to use her giftedness for missions.

Please, keep the main thing the main thing. Not out of shame, guilt, or even my attempt at encouraging/inspiring you. Keep it the main thing simply because it is the main thing!

The gospel of Christ is what saves us, sustains us, and brings us safely home. We do not move on from the gospel. If you preach it in such a way that you give the impression that Christians should move beyond the gospel, then you will remove from them the very lifeline of a Spirit-empowered relationship with Jesus. – Matt Chandler

Back in Action

It has been an embarrassingly long time since we last posted anything new. I suppose I could excuse myself and claim that I got “time off” for good missionary behavior. Translated that means I’ve been incredibly busy. Here is what we’ve been up to:

During Christmas time, we had our “vacation” in the US. While there, we enjoyed family time and good food and all the other perks that go with a visit back home. But for me, it was also a time to finish up some new curriculum for one of my classes. This new curriculum was the culmination of an intense 2-3 month project. It resulted in a 130 plus page resource for our students on the doctrines of salvation (aka, Soteriology).

Then we began the New Year with a new semester ahead of us. I taught all the bible classes during the month of January. We started January with two weeks of Old Testament History, and then went into two weeks of Soteriology. Add all of my usual translating to the mix, and we had a very FULL month.

God deemed it wise to stop me in my tracks. Friday evening (the 31^st), was my last day of classes and that same evening, I came down with a pretty nasty cold. I’ve been quarantined in my apartment with nothing but tissues, tea, and some TV shows for the past few days. The first day was spent almost entirely on the couch (near death). The second day was a lot of couch time mixed with some restlessness that had me cleaning up around the house.  And, today I am still feeling pretty poorly but I’ve decided to quit moping about and really tackle the day!

Part of my plan for today is this thing called blogging. Blogging and I used to be friends, but then it just got complicated.  Now, I am sick and during this brief pause in my healthy (hectic) life, I’ve decided to reacquaint myself with the blogosphere. Typically my blogging impulses are short-lived, and it could be that this doesn’t make it too far either, but I will try to do a much better job at keeping up with you. I actually have a few more posts up my sleeve so hopefully they’ll make their way on here soon. Stay tuned.

February is looking pretty crazy, though not as busy as last month. Nevertheless, please keep these things in prayer for us and with us:

1 .)    Colossians, Feb. 4-7 (this class will be delivered by a guest teacher, Dave Marvin)

2 .)    Interpreting Seminar, Feb. 11 (I will be delivering this class to our students)

3 .)    Parent’s Encounter, Feb. 13-18 ( Our students’ parents and friends are coming for a visit)

4 .)    Interpreting/Evangelism Class, Feb. 18-21 (Ashley and I will work together on this class)

5 .)    Friend’s Veterinary Opportunity, Feb. 22-March 5 (More on this below…)

6 .)    GAP Mission Trip, Feb. 25-28 (This will require a lot of planning and a lot of prayer!)

Our friends, Bill and Peggy, are coming down to work with a local Fire Dept., help out at SCORE, cheer us up, and connect with our veterinarian and her students. Our vet has a clinic but also teaches at a nearby University. Because Bill and Peggy were also vets, they’ve built a connection and will (Lord-willing) be able to do a couple seminars, Q & A’s, and – most importantly – share the Gospel with local vets and vet students. Please keep this (and the other requests) in prayer. Thank you!