Connect @ Grace

I’ve been to Africa and lived to tell about it. I say that tongue and cheek, because although I heard all kinds of scary things about Africa, I never felt like I was in danger while I was there. In fact I really enjoyed Africa. Although I’m sure the scary devastation exists someplace on the continent, Africa is many countries and what I saw in South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia was better, more beautiful, safer, and friendlier than what I expected. What I love about traveling to other countries is that you can get past the negative news you hear on TV and see for yourself that although the needs may be great, that’s not the entire picture of a nation.
Having said that, I did have some sobering experiences in Africa. I’ll tell you about one. We got the opportunity to visit our boy, Godwin, who we support in Tanzania through Compassion International. Tanzania has been experiencing a drought this last year. Fortunately the people aren’t dying yet, but I’ve never seen such emaciated cattle. I heard from our taxi driver that many of the cattle are dying. This fact when hit home when we pulled up to Godwin’s family home. Although it was springtime in Tanzania, there was no grass or shrubs. The small cattle pen that they had next to their house was empty, the goat shed was empty, there were no chickens running around and there was no family garden. All the things that would normally be a buffer between them and bare existence were missing. We asked about their animals and were told that they had been sent away to find grazing. We wondered if they would ever be back. Although we had a lovely time visiting his family and community, I was haunted for days about how they would dig themselves out of the financial setback brought about by the drought.
The contrast between how we were affected by a lack of rain this summer on the farm and how they were affected by drought was dramatic. For us it means less profit, for them it could mean malnutrition and financial devastation. I could only breathe easier knowing that Compassion is in the neighborhood watching over families such as ours and giving us opportunity to give aide in a responsible way.
Jan

In my quiet times recently, I’ve been working through the gospels chronologically, instead of just one gospel at a time – some days much slower than others.  Today I’ve made it to the sermon on the mount, and more particicularly, today, the beatitudes.  A comentary by Mark E. Moore that I’ve used in this study had this to say:

Often Evangelicals have made so much of grace that we have made too little of sin.

My initial thought was, “How can you make too much of grace?”  But as I wrestled with this for a few moments I realized, that if we don’t ever have a propper view of sin, we will never have a propper view of grace.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled (Matthew 5:6).  In the same commentary, Moore writes:

It is sad that so few Christians deeply crave righteousness.  We are somewhat like children who have spoiled their dinners with candies.  We are satisfied with recognition, busyness, entertainment, and emotional titillation.  and because we allow such things to fill us, we are distracted from this deeper desire.  Because of this, we have lost our impact in our society.  We are often neither salt nort light (vv. 13-16) but merely another option for benevolent work or social activities.

Ouch!  Not sure about you, as you read that, but that dug just a little deep with me this morning.  Where am I filled up?  Too often I/we are so enamored with what makes us emotionally filled, that we mistake it for a quality relationship with the God who gives us life and breath, grace and mercy.

-Jonathon

I don’t know about you, but when I first heard the phrase “Recycling Pain,” I thought to myself that pain is that last thing I’d ever want to recycle. I think people normally feel that way. If you’ve experienced something that hurt, you want to avoid, bury, or drown out anything that reminds you of that hurt. So I was surprised to find that in recovery circles the last of the healing choices is called “Recycling Pain.” Actually it’s not a new concept; it’s just a new way of naming or thinking about hard things. The Bible says it this way, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Cor.1:3-4
I’ve known these verses all my life and when we lost our daughter, Joanna, and then our son, Jeremy, I knew that probably at some time I would have the “opportunity” to comfort someone who had lost a child with the comfort I had received from God and others. I didn’t really think of this as God using my pain to give me a ministry to others, but that’s what it has become. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with grieving parents and the opportunity to share with them the comfort that I have received from my Heavenly Father. Had I not actually gone through the loss of my children, I would not have had the right to speak about God’s comfort in this circumstance. Now I need you to understand that I never go looking for hard things to happen in my life so I can have a new ministry. I was an unusual kid in that I wanted to learn from other peoples mistakes so I could avoid pain. But I’ve learned that in this life you can’t avoid pain and trouble, so my new goal is to cooperate with God to see how much good can come out of my pain.
One final thing I’ve learned about recycling pain is that the people you share with get hope because of your example and in the sharing you get healing because that’s how God made us. The worst thing about pain and loss is to feel that it’s pointless. Recycling pain gives God the opportunity to redeem even your most difficult experiences.
Jan

A short while back on October 1st – 5th I spent 5 days in the mountains just outside of Colorado Springs.  This was for a Youth Minister’s retreat called Wilderness, with the goal that we come back better men, husbands, and youth minister’s.  It was incredible.  I was blessed by a lot of things that week.  God.  My small group.  My mentor.  My surroundings.  Here is a small bit that I wrote in my Journal on Friday Morning:

I’ve never been an outdoors-man.  I don’t love it.  I think I just like the idea of it.  It just has a glorified stigma about it, for me.  I love the view from my cabin.  It was unbelievable this morning.  God has done some petty magnificent stuff outside of Indiana.  This place is beautiful.  What is it about your surroundings that change your mood and outlook?  God is no less in the cornfields of Indiana than he is in the mountains of Colorado.  Maybe it’s because I’m looking for Him more here.  Maybe that’s my problem at home. 

The five days I spent there refreshed, relaxed, and recharged me.  I’d be lying if I said I came back a different person.  But I don’t think I’d be lying if I told you I came back a little more like what God called me to be.  That’s the thing.  Sometimes we can’t see who God is calling us to be, if we don’t remove ourselves from the busyness of life.  I’m way more likely to see God working here if I’d just take the time to look around a little more – to pause.

What’s God doing that’s just passing you by like everything else in your life?  Do you need to take some time to slow down, pause, and see God’s hand at work in your life?  You’ll never know if you don’t try it out, and from my short experience God never disappoints.

-Jonathon Mitchell

Where did fire come from?  Or more specifically, who was the very first person to actually make fire?   I asked my husband that one night as we sat outside watching our outdoor fireplace work its magic.   He guessed that lighting hit a tree at some point and set it on fire.  That’s how someone got the idea for fire at least.  But that was not what I was really wondering about.  Who figured out how to make it themselves?  Maybe using flint stone or rubbing dried sticks together? 

I got lost wondering what that moment might have been like for them.   Did they get an overwhelming sense that this one thing, the ability to make a fire, would overwhelmingly, literally, profoundly change everything?  Because surely it did. 

Nothing was ever the same after that.  Darkness could now be invaded by light.  Bone-chilling weather could be robbed of its foul affects.  Those had to be two HUGE things right there.  But what about the new food possibilities?!  Cooked food!  No more cold fish, raw potatoes, or “room” temperature only liquids.  Plus fire would help forge new and better tools.  Fire would make so many things that were impossible and unimaginable quite possible for everyone.  It is no exaggeration – EVERYTHING had changed.

What was the last thing that happened in your life that quite literally changed everything in your world?  For my husband and I it was the adoption of 3 Russian orphans two and a half years ago.  But what was it for you? 

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever.”  (Hebrews 13:8)   In my wonderings about events that change everything, this verse came to mind.   And those two things together felt really good.  I mean really good.  True, Jesus came and that changed everything.  He is a life-changer for sure.  But He’s also “the solid rock on which I stand.”  Very cool.  Everything can change AND we have the unchangeable, everlasting arms of God to hold us up.    Yeah, God!

Holly

We are in the middle of a study as a church called “Life’s Healing Choices.” Being in charge of small groups, I feel a weight of responsibility in helping to choose what to study next. This particular study has been a long time in the planning stages because it’s part of our launch of a Celebrate Recovery ministry in our church. To be perfectly honest I was somewhat nervous about how this study would be received because who of us wants to deal with our hurts, hang-ups and habits. Fortunately this time when I got nervous, I got serious about praying about my concerns. For the last year a group of us have met to pray over this ministry and study. As the study approached, I found myself taking every opportunity to pray and remind others to pray.
God is doing some amazing things in small groups in answer to our prayers. I have seen people decide to join a small group that I never thought would. I have seen small groups birthed out of people and places that I never would have imagined. I have experienced people sharing from the depths of their pain like I’ve never seen before. And I have seen the lights going on in the minds of individuals as to the source of their problems.
So did I suddenly become a better small group director or is this just such an amazing study that all these wonderful things are happening? Well I for one know that it has nothing to do with me being a better small group director. Many times in the course of this summer I’ve felt overwhelmed with trying to inspire groups and even get the right study materials together. I finally threw up my hands and said, “God, help.” And although this is a great study, I’ve seen other studies that I thought were amazing just not inspire groups.
So to give credit where credit is due, I’m chalking up the success of this study to our feeble, but persistent prayers to an ALMIGHTY GOD. Hopefully the greatest lesson I will take away from this study is that the most important thing I can do as a director of small groups is to meet together on a regular basis with a group of believers to ask for God to intervene on our behalf. Yeah God!
Jan

We’re in the middle of a building project. It’s exciting and motivating but I often hear from members and outside observers alike that “maybe we’re building too small.” This is quite common. There are few church building projects that I’ve experienced that didn’t end up building too small. But, what can you do given the limited resources that most churches have to work with.
In my bible reading I ran across Solomon’s prayer dedicating the temple. He acknowledges that all the work and money invested in an elaborate facility ends up not sufficient to house the Lord’s presence (2 Chronicles 6:18). But not to worry. God doesn’t want to live there anyway. Heaven is his throne and the earth his footstool so no human structure regardless of size would ever be adequate. And besides, what he really desires is to dwell in the hearts of the contrite and lowly in spirit (Isaiah 57:15).
So, I know we need to build and expand. I just don’t want to look for God in the wrong place.
Tim

I believe that is a quote from the martyred missionary Jim Elliot.  I love how it says such a profound thing in just 7 words.  I wish I could do that.  “Which that?” you might ask.  The say profound things in just 7 words or the be all there where ever I’m at?  YES! to both. 

Being around very small children again (my youngest son is 6 and my granddaughters are both 2), I’m reminded that children are masters at profound statements in just a few words.  My 6 year old stated just the other day that I was “his best mom ever in the whole tired world!”  How did he know that I and the rest of the world are so very tired?  A profound insight I do believe.

But what I’d really like to master these days is that “being all there” thing.  I’m a pro at being somewhere and not all there at the same time.  Like when I’m driving in the car and my brain is somewhere else entirely for a long period of time.  The next thing I know 20 minutes have passed and I’m at least 20 miles further down the road and I don’t remember driving a single moment of it.  I was off somewhere else.  Granted, the drive up Highway 231 from Rensselaer to DeMotte is boring, but not being “fully there” when I’m driving can be dangerous.  

There are some places in my life right now that aren’t boring but they are painful.  I don’t want to be fully present to those painful situations.  I want to be somewhere else.  But as I went for my Saturday morning run, God reminded me that He can and will work those things for good.  And He wants me to trust in that truth so much that I can be fully present, all there, not holding back or hiding or tucking my heart away whenever I am in those painful places. 

All there.  Where ever I am.  Because He is right there with me. 

Where ever you are, be all there.

Holly

Africa
In November of this year my husband John and I will be taking off on an adventure to Africa. We’ve been a lot of places, but never Africa. It all started with bidding on a trip at a Christian School auction; a week photo safari in South Africa sounded awesome. So we got the trip and started the planning. Of course this might be the only time we ever get to Africa, so we decided we’d better see what else we could do while we’re over there. We decided that we would also like to visit some friends in Malawi, our Compassion boy (Godwin) that we support in Tanzania, and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
Then something started to happen to me, which happens every time I get ready to travel somewhere; everywhere I turned I started hearing, seeing and reading about Africa. I think what happen was that my brain suddenly started paying attention to stuff about Africa because I was actually going to go there.
So what have I been learning about Africa? I’ve been learning that there are lots of problems there. Travel is difficult, food is scarce in places, good clean water is sometimes hard to come by, there are a lot of Aids orphans, there are major threats from other diseases and there are wars, among other things. We began working with a travel agent in Africa because we needed help in planning flights and places to stay. Then she started telling us about cool things we could see and do. I love to see and do cool things in other countries, but something in my heart said, “This is Africa where so many problems are; you can’t just spend your time seeing and doing cool things.” So I e-mailed the travel agent and our Compassion contact person and said, “We’ve got these days to spend visiting with our boy, Godwin; is there anything else we can do to help while we’re there?” And then I prayed and asked God to direct our paths toward ministry on this trip.
What I’ve learned about myself is that I’m not a very good tourist anymore. I know that seeing and doing cool things brings pleasure for a moment, but ministering to people in need brings satisfaction, fulfillment and joy. It’s the way God wired us. And the great part about this is I don’t have to travel to Africa to find people in need; I can find them anywhere I am.
Jan

Last night, one of my least favorite things happened.  I had just got my two kids, Caleb and Haley, down for bed.  Jessica and I were just starting a show that we like to watch that was recorded on our DVR, when about 4 or 5 rapid knocks slammed my front door (another non-favorite).  I got up, after getting my dog to stop barking (did you know that dogs barking in your house wakes your kids up?) and looked outside with full anticipation of what I’d find.

You guessed it!  Toilet Paper.  And lots of it.  This is probably my least favorite thing in the world.  Add to that, that the forcast was for rain that evening and I had a huge mess on my hands.  So, instead of finally getting to hang out with just my wife last night, I got to hang out with my rake in my front yard in the middle of August.

As I watched my unnamed perps drive past me 3 times, it certainly did nothing to releave the angst I felt in that moment.  I continued to rake and pull tp out of my trees, off my bushes, out from under my car, on my car, under the door handles of my car, under the hood of my car, under the door mat of my house, and around my front yard light.  All the while, thunder and lightning were warning me of the mess I’d have in the morning if I didn’t finish.

Then it hit me.  I was angry.  Had I mentioned that?  I wasn’t pleased one bit.  You try to remind yourself that they do this only because they love you, but it never really works when you’re spending your evening that should be spent with your wife picking up shards of toilet paper out of your grass.  Just that morning, I had taught the large group in Rush Hour.  Our bottom line: ”When you love others, you’re quick to forgive.”  That very phrase was replanted in my head, right in the middle of my anger.

“Jesus, I’d really rather not hear it right now,” I thought.  “When you love others, you’re quick to forgive,” was the only response I got.

Sometimes, in the middle of situations where we’d rather be angry than right, Jesus steps in and bites us.  He bites, because it’s the only way we’ll really listen.  Sometimes it really hurts.  Often, it’s  far more difficult scenerio than toilet paper in your yard.  So I listened.  Not because I wanted to.  Not because I was forced to.  But because I had just taught kids the very same lesson that very morning, and like we say every week in Rush Hour, “I should treat others the way I want to be treated.”