This is Toms new office.
This is the waiting and reception area.
lkj
Pray for us, we will pray for you…
I saw baboons. You heard me, baboons.
We were on the “road” from the “airport” in Rumbek, and a whole gang of baboons were in the road, scampering off when we got close. It was seriously sinking in with me that I’m in Africa when I saw those critters.
After a few false starts, Dave, Tom and I finally made it here to the In Deed and Truth compound. We arrived in the late afternoon, so Sunday was our first full day here. We fellowshipped with the church that meets here on the grounds and it was nothing short of awesome. Rythmic clapping and voices singing in Dinka dialect wafted through the morning air, making the small thatched pavilion where we met feel like holy ground. Sabet taught from Exodus a really encouraging and challenging word. The upcoming referendum fairly permeates everything here, as is understandable, since it looms like a storm on the horizon. Sabet reminded the people that God knows the suffering of the Sudanese people, and he desires to help, and the greatest help of all is the salvation of Christ.
The next day I got sick. Not just “ew, I don’t feel so good”, but a rip roaring projectile evacuating kind of sick. I don’t remember much of the day, other than having to stop teaching the pastors mid point in order to run to the bathroom. Not the dignified start I’d hoped for.
The pastor’s class is wonderful, and today, feeling much better, I really felt much more closely connected to them. I’ve never had to speak through a translator before, but Sabet does a great job…and everyone is so kind to me as I feel my way through this. Either way, we’ve had some great discussions.
Santino gets led into the classroom by holding onto a stick that another pastor leads him with. He’s blind. He sits attentively through every hour, asking questions and joining the discussion. Serving people as a pastor with a disability is a daunting prospect in itself. Doing so in these harsh conditions is remarkable. God’s grace creates amazing heroes.
“You must pray for us” Joseph, another pastor said to me as we left the classroom. “Pray for us, we will pray for you, and maybe you will come and teach us again.”. I pack his words like precious, fragile heirlooms into my heart.
We will pray for you Joseph.
This is the class I’m teaching.
I Am So Happy You Are Here
“I was born in a time of war.” the Sudanese representative of Evangelical churches said to my friends and I as we ate dinner at a missionary house in Nairobi.
“I was married during war, my children were born in war. I have only known peace for five years. If the referendum brings war again, I’m not worried, I’m used to it.”
He took another bite of the diner the house had served and smiled. Looking at the a nearest attendant he asked. “This is called what? It is good.”
“Hahm-bugher.”
“The task before the church in Sudan is great. We must monitor elections and speak for those who have no voice. BUT, more importantly we must train the people to understand what is good government. Honest, transparent, protecting the people, so that they don’t fall into the same pit they were in. This is what God wants for all people.”. He looked at us and smiled broadly, his eyes becoming
thin lines of joy. His skin was a glossy ebony and his forehead bore faint scars that betrayed his pastoral youth.
“I am so happy you are here. To come from America to the Sudan, it is a great thing. You would only come here because God told you to come. Why would you leave America when it’s like heaven and come to Sudan…God told you to come, and it makes me so happy to see you.”
Laying in bed staring up at the mosquito netting over my head, trying to puzzle through that encounter. How could three middle class, middle race, middle age guys be a blessing to a man like that?
I kept mulling over his words, “God told you to come and it makes me so happy.”
Then it hit me. If God told us to come to Sudan, it meant that God is aware of the needs in Sudan…that God had not forgotten them…that God cares.
It’s good that we’re here. Dave and Tom and I are getting along. We’ve had a few setbacks in getting all the way to Tonj, but we are here now. It has to be seen and experienced to be fully understood, but it’s amazing. I’m having some trouble getting photos translated to the iPad I’m using…but as soon as I get it figured out, I’ll put some up.
Thanks for your prayers…Saber and Suzy tell you hello!
One Important Thing
We’ll be finishing Luke chapter 10 this Sunday, reading verses 38-42.
It’s a familiar story to most of us. Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet whilst Martha is to her elbows in dishwater. We normally read it as a contrast between busy and contemplative people. There’s a lot going on in this very concise story. Some of the lessons it teaches are not the most obvious things we read into it.
Who do you feel like you are in life? Mary or Martha? Do you ever wonder if Martha were to sit down with Mary, who would keep an eye on the roast so it doesn’t burn? If Martha doesn’t serve, no one is eating. But as we read it…is Jesus really correcting Martha for serving dinner…or is it something else?
We’ll explore it all together this Sunday…hope to see you there!
Also – Dave Peirce, Tom Randels and myself are leaving this coming Wednesday for the Sudan to be with Sabet and Suzy Kuj, of In Deed and Truth Ministries. We’ve been supporting Sabet and Suzy for several years (we met them when they had fellowshiped with us during a year when they had to be in the states). They facilitate a medical clinic as their outreach to the Sudanese people – hence the two doctors (Dave and Tom) are going out to help out, and I’m going along to teach a class in the Bible school Sabet has begun to train local pastors in the Word. Dave and I will stay for two weeks, and Tom will remain for at least a year as the resident physician. It’s pretty exciting stuff, and God’s wonderful grace is all over the whole thing.
All that to say, this will be my last Wonderwhat post until the 2nd week of December, as I’ll be gone for two Sundays. Please support those who are filling in for me, since the priority is the Word, not the personality that shares it…right? Please pray for Dave, Tom and I as we travel – that God will use us for His glory, and that we will return safely home.
Ok, that’s that. Peace.
Being the Church
We’re going to take a short excursion away from Luke this Sunday. We’re going to remind ourselves, however quickly, why we do what we do as the church. Implicit in all of the descriptions of “church” in the New Testament is the concept of community.
We’re going to derive our understanding of the goal for Christ’s community from the prayer He made in John 17, specifically verses 20-23.
As you read these verses, what seems to be the most repeated request that Jesus makes for us? What reasons can you discern for his request?
Hopefully this will inspire some exploration of this topic. See you Sunday!
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
What a great discussion we had here last week. I really appreciate the time and consideration so many of you gave in posting your thoughts. Having said that, I’m not trying to put anyone under pressure to make comments now…I’m just sayin’ it was cool last week.
This Sunday we’ll be reading Luke 10:25-37, the story of the Good Samaritan.
Why do you think the Scribe (Lawyer) was testing Jesus on this point? Think about where they are and what has happened in the first part of the chapter. The Scribe is concerned with how one achieves eternal life. That is, how does a person get in on the Kingdom of God when it gets revealed (keeping in mind what the 1st century Jewish view of the Kingdom of God). He’s basically asking “what is the core of our faith, what is our highest priority?”. It all boils down to two things…what two things are of highest importance?
Notice that Jesus never answers the Scribe’s questions directly, but answers with a question, or tells a story followed by a question. Who then provides all the definitions in this story?
Samaritans were hated by the Jewish people. They were the traditional bad guys. If you were to put this story on a contemporary stage, who would the Samaritan be to you? Why do you suppose Jesus turned the tables like this, what was his point?
Applying this parable to real life, how does it challenge you?
Looking forward to exploring this on Sunday! See you then.
We Got a Reason to be Stoked
Do you ever find yourself 
just going through the motions of what you perceive is expected of you as a Christian? Ever find yourself in a joyless funk where you feel like you’re just going through the motions of faith? Every once in a while, its really good to get back to the heart of what this life of following Christ really has going for it…to sort of shake us out of our malaise and reignite our passion and excitement for the kingdom project Jesus started whilst on earth.
Our passage in Luke will be chapter 10:17-24 this Sunday.
As the 72 (or 70, your choice) return from their mission, they are pretty stoked. They give a reason for that joy, and Jesus affirms it, and that is…Jesus WINS. If Jesus wins, who loses? Why is that a reason to be joyful?
We do have Jesus qualifying their stokedness…reminding them that they don’t want to look at what they’ve done, nor even what they may do as being the SOURCE of their joy…what IS the source? Why is that a reason to be joyful?
In so many ways, this journey Jesus takes from Galilee to Jerusalem is a picture of the church age, and even the end of the story. It’s a good ending, an ending prophets and kings were longing to see fulfilled in their day. If the story has a good ending, then all adversity that happens in the meantime is simply part of the adventure. To me, that seems like a good source of joy. What about you?
We Are Meant to Make a Difference
Hey everyone, I’m back from my brief sabbatical! I had a really good time getting away and praying (the picture here is the view from the place where I was staying in Kentucky)…also went down to Merrit Island to a Calvary Chapel Pastor’s day…which was cool to meet up with other guys in the CC network. I’m rested up and refreshed, and ready to hit it! I really appreciate the guys who filled in to teach while I was gone…I got to hear them, and they all did a great job!
This Sunday we’ll be returning to our study in Luke, and we’ll be reading chapter 10:1-16.
Once again Jesus sends out an advance team to prepare the way for His coming. He did this with the 12 apostles back at the beginning of chapter 9, but here He sends 72 (or 70, depending on which translation you read…it doesn’t really matter that much which number is right…it was obviously more than 12). The other big difference between the sending of the 12 in ch 9 and this sending is the fact that He is sending the 72 to villages in Samaria, since that’s where He’s traveling in this part of the narrative. It sort of gives us a picture of the future mission of the church, when Jesus sends us into “all nations”…meaning the gospel message isn’t confined to Israel alone.
As you read through Jesus’ instructions, what message do you get concerning our mission as the church. What is our purpose as a community? What do you suppose Jesus is meaning by asking us to “pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest”?
When Jesus starts in on the “woe” section, He starts naming names when it comes to the places who are going to be judged more severely for rejecting Jesus. What villages does He name…and do you find anything interesting about the places He mentions considering where He is when He says this? As you read what Hes says, do you think there’s a difference between “never hearing” Jesus and “rejecting” Jesus?
The Right Kind of Sell-Out
Robert Kearns is the guy who invented the intermittent wiper blade. He got shafted by the auto industry who basically stole his design, and had to go to court to sue for recompense and damages. He won after many, many years of litigation. They made a movie about it called “Flash of Genius”. I saw that movie a while back. What struck me most was how completely sold out Kearns was to getting justice for his injury. So much so, he lost everything in the process of winning his law-suit. His wife, his kids…all who were close to him. But he was committed to winning his case, so everything else was expendable by default.
I don’t know if I admire him or pity him…I really don’t. The thing is, you can’t help but notice commitment like that. It’s radical. Troubling as it may be, Jesus calls us to that same kind of radical commitment when it comes to following Him.
We’re looking at Luke 9:57-62 this Sunday. Jesus will be approached by three different would-be disciples. They each represent three qualifications for commitment to Christ and His Kingdom. This is no-holds-barred, sharped edged stuff here. No one can read this brief account and not feel some sort of cut. As you read it, what challenges do you encounter? If we compare our own lifestyles (as 21st Century American Christians) with the claims Jesus seems to lay on our lives…how deep does our own commitment run? What does counting the cost of following Christ mean to you? I’d love to hear your thoughts…even though this is a tough subject.
Religious Pride Gets a Smack-Down
One of the most profound revelations we get about ourselves in Scripture is just how valuable we are to God. All through 66 books of the Bible, the message cuts through the static: “I love you, come back to Me.”. It’s in this context that our souls are awakened and we find new meaning in the spiritual significance of life as opposed to wrapping our identities in the mean and mundane trappings of materialism. We become followers of Christ, Children of God…Christians. And then for some reason, we seem to lose our minds.
We begin to assume a certain transcendence of position and knowledge because of the truth we embrace…and a whole new world of false identity begins to snug around us…we fall prey to religious pride. It’s easy to have happen…it sneaks up on us without us even noticing it. It happened to the disciples pretty early on, and Jesus had to deal out a serious smack-down to the prideful attitude that was beginning to bubble up among his crew.
We’ll be reading Luke 9:46-56 this Sunday. (By the way, I appreciate the comments and even the emails I received concerning last weeks meeting/message. I’m in awe at how God is moving in new ways in our community)
In the section we’ll be looking at, we will see the disciples falling prey to a form of religious pride in regard to three different areas of relating to people. Among themselves (v46-48), among other believers who weren’t part of THEIR group (v49-50), and toward those who are actively opposing the message of Christ (v51-56). In each case, self was at the center of the dispute. In each case, Jesus corrects their attitude and behavior with a counter response (ie: instead of doing this, do that).
Which of these vignettes hits closest to home for you? Do you identify with the disciples at any of these junctures? What counter response seems the most difficult to you to embrace?
If there’s one thing that’s clear…Jesus makes no room for prideful attitudes among His ranks. This is the work He does in shaping us into the people we were meant to be.
See you Sunday!
WONDERWHAT 