My power is made perfect in weakness - Jesus

In Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus, he includes the story of John the Baptizer’s birth in some detail.  In particular, he shares that John’s parents had been childless and were too old to hope for any change in their condition …That they [Zechariah and Elizabeth] had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years... (Luke 1.7)

Consider the reality of Elizabeth’s life. When we meet her, she was beyond the natural age to bear children. She had grown up and grown old watching other women bear children and grandchildren; she never had her own. She didn’t have her own sons or daughters or grandsons or granddaughters to hold and feed and teach and train. She was “very old” and had lost the chance to have kids. She was “left out” of that precious experience, and probably felt like she was on the fringes of her culture. 

But God did not see it that way. God was doing something “behind the scenes” of Elizabeth and Zechariah’s life. When it was too late and life had passed them by, God showed up with his plan unfolding in his perfect timing.

You know the story, right? Zechariah was doing his regular priestly duties, in the Temple, as he would regularly have done throughout his regular life’s routine. But…And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John…” (Luke 1.11-13)

“…your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son…”  Um, what? When it seemed impossible – well, when it was impossible – God was announcing a new work. A new life. This was totally impossible and totally had to be something of God’s doing.

A Family Thanksgiving Psalm

A Thanksgiving Psalm

from Rick & Carol Wallis’ Thanksgiving Table

Written by family members sharing thanksgivings for God’s gifts

To be said or sung antiphonally; loosely based on Psalm 136

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

            for his steadfast love endures forever

Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

            for his steadfast love endures forever

to him who provided a new rental house

            for his steadfast love endures forever

and a job with friends as team members

            for his steadfast love endures forever

to him who has given us local friends and family

            for his steadfast love endures forever

and a new season for pursuing college plans

            for his steadfast love endures forever

to him who provides important work to do

            for his steadfast love endures forever

"Bear one another's burdens..."

Since October 9^th, we have experienced “community” through a wide variety of gifts and helps. It was in meals brought to our house, or errands run by neighbors; it was through the gift of friends taking time to “house sit” with our son, and family taking time away from work or school to visit and help in practical ways. In these and in other ways, we were gifted with real expressions of community.

Why? When you’re sent to a hospital with a medical emergency, and then you’re in ICU for two weeks, you are in real need of practical “community!”

In the upcoming weeks on this blog, we’ll share some stories about what we've experienced and learned about Christ-centered “community” that will hopefully encourage you to be an active part of each other’s lives. 

We believe that each of us is already part of someone’s community, and that Christ wants to show each of us how to share his life and his love in community with others.

This week, some thoughts about how community comes with a cost.

Every gift or help we received during my hospital stay had one thing in common – each gift was not convenient for the giver. In fact, caring for one another is not “convenient,” by definition. You must give up something in order to care for some one.

Time is limited. Money is limited. And our personal energy is limited. So, in order to “be” a Christ focused community, it will cost; and that means we will usually be inconvenienced.

That’s why we are called to “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6.2)  We can help shoulder a burden, and that involves a certain amount of sacrifice and effort to pick up and carry a “burden.”

But being a community in Christ is not a legalistic work; it is a spiritual expression of love for each other. The love or empathy we feel for others will make the giving sweet and holy.

This is expressed by the apostle John when he wrote: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3.16-18)

“In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?”

(This is part 1 of a series of reflections on current crises and Christian faith)

“In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?” (John R.W. Stott)

Jesus was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53.3)

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4.23)

There is much to grieve in our world.

We’ve been living through a time-line of events that seem to be increasing in violence and trauma. Hurricanes. Shootings. Earthquakes. Riots. It’s difficult to recall everything that’s been streaming across our TV screens in just the past six months, but we shouldn’t forget how…

…in May, there was a bombing at a teen concert in Manchester, England, killing 23, injuring 250. …in June a shooter tried to murder a group of US Congressmen during a Congressional Baseball practice, seriously injuring Congressman Steve Scalise; and how in that same month a terror attack on the London Bridge in England, killed 11, injuring 48. …in July, North Korea began a series of ICBMs test launches, raising the specter of nuclear war with the US. …in August, riots erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia during a nationalist rally, ending in an auto homicide of a peaceful protestor.

Then there are the hurricanes – Harvey floods Houston and south Texas; Irma rakes Florida, bringing floodwaters into Jacksonville; and Maria devastates Puerto Rico.

And now this month, a Las Vegas shooter kills 58, wounds over 500 at an outdoor country music festival. The more that investigators dig into the shooter’s life, the scarier the story becomes. He stockpiled weapons for months; he had a cache of explosives; he had planned to attack Chicago’s “Lollapalooza” music festival, or Boston’s Fenway Park, but those plans mysteriously failed. Such insanity. Such sorrow.

How do we avoid losing heart, when our hearts are breaking?  How do we live as followers of Jesus in this land infected with trauma and tension?

As followers of Christ, we need to guard our hearts, to guard our minds, and keep our daily walk with God vibrant.

"It will be good to worship today."

Monday morning, September 11^th 2017

5.00 am

Hurricane Irma was battering Jacksonville with gale force winds, flooding an already swollen St Johns River with a foot of rain.

Our house was dark. The electricity was out. I walked downstairs. No use trying to sleep. It felt like we were under attack, and I wanted to be at my post to pray and watch.

I lay on the couch in the family room, dozing, listening, praying while repeating Psalm 121, among other warfare verses that I have put to memory. The storm was at its peak, and it felt like I was engaged in a battle of prayer.

The sound of a hurricane is raw unrelenting power and rage: rain pelting against windows, wind wailing through the trees, myriad mysterious and unidentifiable sounds outside.

But laying there, in the midst of that assault of nature, a peace-giving and joy-filled thought “came to me” – it wasn’t my own brain bringing this up because my brain was overwhelmed with sound and battling to recite scriptures. Yet, there it was: “This afternoon, be ready to lead in some music and song. It will be good to worship today.”

Yes, I thought. That is definitely something to look forward to.  Will do.

10.00 am

The worst of the winds and rain had pulled north. But the ruin and the pain of this storm were just becoming evident.

The National Weather Service used the word “epic” to describe the flooding and damage in Jacksonville. I prefer the word “hellish.” According to John 10.10, we have an enemy who comes to “kill, steal, and destroy.” These are Jesus’ words; he knew something about battling the devil, and winning.

“Kill, steal, and destroy” describe what thousands experienced in Jacksonville as well as in south Florida and the Caribbean. But note this: Jesus also said, “I have come to bring you life, and life in abundance…” In the mud and sorrow that Irma left behind, we saw Jesus’ life in some rather surprising and personal ways…

Knowing, and not knowing

Today, September 6, 2017, we know a storm is coming. Hurricane Irma. It’s a “Category 5” storm, and is the most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record, according to Hurricane experts.

Thanks to Smartphones, and high speed internet connections, we can watch real time radar images, live video links, and the latest predictions and assessments about Irma. So much information and data, all meant to warn us and help us prepare.

As I write this at home here in Jacksonville, we aren’t sure what this storm will bring to us, or when. But we do know it’s coming, and that it has the potential of bringing wide spread damage, and even death.

Thankfully, we are being warned about this; hopefully, lives will therefore be saved. And, in just a few days, we’ll know what this storm will mean.

We seem to be in a strange vortex of “knowing, and not knowing.”

We know this: a storm is working its way towards us, and that it’s big and dangerous.

But we don’t know this: will this hurt us, or pass us by, or miraculously dissolve? For those of us who experienced Hurricane Matthew last year, here it is again: an all too familiar stress of knowing, but not knowing.

This is a dramatic picture of the “knowing, and not knowing” of our journey as Christ followers. Another way to put it, we live in the “already, and not yet.”

"Please stand and repeat after me"

Twenty-six individuals stood up, from twenty-two separate countries, to take the oath of citizenship.  Different languages, different colors, different stories – but one oath to become citizens of the United States. 

"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen…”

My wife and I recently attended a Naturalization ceremony for Global Refugee Day. We were gathered in a large conference room in the downtown library, sitting with a hundred or so other friends and family of those non-citizens who were ready to become citizens. 

There wasn’t any hype in the air – more a mixture of subdued happiness and awe, as they declared, “I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic…”

This is not seeker-sensitive vocabulary. This is cutting, final, and “demands my all,” to quote an ancient hymn.

Let’s consider what is required to make this sort of choice:

Courage.

These people were burning bridges to settle in a new land. This was a solemn but celebrative event. They had left families, land, and loved ones.  And there they all stood, agreeing to be adopted by a new country. Afterwards, my wife and I marveled at the words these new citizens recited. There was no turning back. They were breaking all loyalty and severing all allegiance to their country of origin. There was no wiggle room for moderation. No way out. No compromise. Either they were to become Americans, or not. No middle way.

"Daddy, you said..."

When we moved to Jacksonville, our four children ranged in ages from elementary school kids to babies in diapers.  And, as a young family, we were always on the lookout for cheap (free?) family-friendly activities for weekend adventures. Hello, Atlantic Ocean.

It was an easy 20 minutes from our house on the Southside to the beach. So, we often enjoyed Saturday morning trips to the beach. These jaunts usually included a picnic, sand castles, and splashing in the tidal pools. Collecting seashells was always an optional activity.

One week, after planning a Saturday morning beach trip, we had to cancel our plans on the morning of the proposed journey to the shore. As I recall it, the weather was rainy and windy, not exactly kid-friendly conditions.

Obviously, our kids were disappointed – they had been looking forward to the promise of making sand castles and running through water. But, we had no choice but to cancel.

As we sat at the kitchen table that morning to break the sad news, I made the paternal pronouncement, “Kids, we can’t go to the beach today.”

Silence. Then our 7 year old looked up at me, with wide eyes and a scrunched up brow, and said, “But daddy, you said.”

Going to Church

Does God really care about your address? Does he really have a preference for where you live?  Or does he have more important things to worry about in running the universe than your zip code or house number? 

Here’s a story that demonstrates how God arranged the address of a church building and an apartment complex, just to help a refugee family find a new life.

The church is Main Street Baptist, and the apartment is University Gardens; they’re one mile apart, easy walking distance for the Rafutos.

The Rafutos left everything they had known as “home” to escape the violence of civil war in their homeland of the Congo. They were given a temporary home in a refugee camp in neighboring Tanzania. And after 17 years of living in that camp, they resettled in the U.S. through the work of World Relief. 

While living in the refugee camp, they joined a mission church, and found friends in a worshipping community in the midst of an uncertain future and a dangerous lifestyle.

A Refugee helps his mom

It was time to leave Jacksonville and move to Charlotte. Thomas’ uncle works as a doctor up in Charlotte, and has some good leads for a better job there.

It’s a struggle for Refugees, like Thomas, to find employment that offers a living wage. Actually, that’s a struggle that too many Americans can relate to, right?  But it’s especially distressing for Thomas because, before he and his family had to flee their homeland, they enjoyed a stable life in a family business. Civil war erupted; they were targeted by their country’s army simply because of their ethnicity; they literally fled for their lives. 

In Jacksonville, Thomas and his family found friends and a fresh start. There are three school-aged sisters and his single mom to look after in Thomas’ household. 

As is often the case with Refugees, after arriving in the US, they will locate relatives from their homeland or friends from their Refugee Camp. But connecting with them often requires moving to a new city. Thomas’ plan was to move in with his uncle, and wire money to his mom each week. It’s a plan that often works well for families in need.

It was a sad day saying goodbye to my friend. But I had confidence that his plan would serve his family well. My confidence was bolstered when he wanted to make sure that I knew he had saved up three months rent for his mom; that she had the money in a safe place; that she would need some help figuring out how to pay their rent after he left town.

A Refugee and his first job

90 Days

The United States offers financial support for Refugees during the first 90 days after their arrival. They have three months to settle into housing, learn English, find employment, and become basically self-sufficient. This financial aid covers the simplest physical needs – food, shelter, clothing. It’s based on formulas and allocations determined by committees and agencies. It’s a well-developed process. 

But learning how to navigate through American culture is not a process that can be guided merely by formulas or committees. It happens “in the trenches” of doing life. Being a World Relief “Good Neighbor Team” means standing with our refugee families as they learn how to live daily life in America – how to engage life “in the trenches.” This involves helping them learn how to do basic things like paying utility bills, shopping for groceries, finding a bus route … and most recently, cashing their first paycheck.

Just one week after his arrival, Samuel quickly found a job with a local landscaping company. It seemed like God’s amazing provision for him and his family. Working in landscaping seemed like a perfect match. Samuel is physically strong, loves the outdoors, and wants to study agriculture. This job (his first job in America) seemed like a God-given opportunity, especially since this company had hired many other refugees through a local Refugee service agency.

No pay! No pay!

But after a couple weeks, Samuel called me. “No pay! No pay!”  I couldn’t understand what Samuel was trying to tell me in his broken English.  But he was obviously upset about not getting paid, so I encouraged Samuel that the first paycheck might take some time to be processed for a new employee. Hang in there. It’ll come.

Refugees and the bus stop

“Over the past 40 years of being married to a pastor, we’ve seen God do amazing things in our church. Miracles. Provision. Blessings. But it just seems that God really shows up, or shows off, when we reach out to refugees. We’ve seen this happen over these past 25 years of working with refugees.”

Words spoken by the director of our local sponsoring refugee program. She often tells people that God seems to do his most amazing stuff when refugees need him.

And that includes when a refugee teen needs to find her bus to school.

Young Latti needed to learn how to catch her 6:00 AM bus to her new high school. Latti does not know English. Latti has never ridden a school bus. In fact, she has never ridden any bus. Busses weren’t part of her refugee camp experience. But she needed to ride the 6:00 AM bus to school – bus number 450. Add “finding the bus” to the long list of New Things to Learn as a Refugee.

I arrived at their apartment at 5:30 in the darkness of a winter morning. As a “good neighbor team” member, I wanted to help her on her first day of school. So, Latti and her 20 year old brother, Samuel, and I headed out her door, and down the street in search of bus 450.

After walking along the dark sidewalk of University Boulevard for 15 minutes, we came to where the school website indicated bus 450 should arrive. Still, I had a sinking feeling. It just felt like we were in the wrong place. By this time, it was 5:50.

Across the street, we could see a group of teens huddled together, each with a book bag and ear plugs. Could they be waiting for bus 450? So, across the street I jogged, and winsomely but tentatively asked, “Hey guys, is this the place where bus 450 will stop? I’m helping a new student find her way to school.”  They paused, blank stares. 

Refugees with names and stories

Martha Rafuto (not her real name) is a single mother of 5 children, ages 5-20. She is a refugee from the Congo. She is also a “political widow.”

In the Congo, she married a man who already had one wife. Polygamy is a legal custom in her culture. As his second wife, Martha gave Mr. Rafuto five children over two decades of marriage. They lived on a family farm, growing maze and raising chickens. When war broke out, the whole family was ripped from their homeland. 

She and her husband, and his other wife, and all their children, had to flee for their lives – literally dodging bullets. They found safety in a UN Refugee camp in neighboring Tanzania.

When the family registered as legal refugees, the UN told Mr. Rafuto that he had to choose one wife, that he couldn't have two wives and be a legal UN supported refugee. So, he chose wife #1. And Martha became a single mom. She lost her home. She lost her farm. And she lost her husband. 

The Celtic Way of Evangelism

The Celtic Way of Evangelism

George Hunter, in his research for his book, The Celtic Way of Evangelism, saw a theme in the spiritual story of Christians he interviewed. They felt they belonged and were loved and were valued before they believed in Christ. After experiencing life with Christians, they realized they too believed. Then, as a public expression of that belief, they were baptized or confirmed. 

Hunter documents how the United Bible Societies in England actually quantified this in their research. They found that all 511 Christian converts in their study had had similar conversion experiences. They first experienced friendship and community from Christ-followers, and their personal decisions to become Christians took time. 

Jesus tells us to make disciples and to teach them, but we tend to morph those commands together. We act as if teaching is how we make disciples. In reality, making disciples requires doing and being the church together, and, along the way, teaching one another the truths of the Scripture. Many have said, “Faith is about three-fourths caught, and one-fourth taught.”

Becoming a Christ-filled community in our contentious culture

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.... (Romans 12.2)

The other night, during our neighborhood Tuesday dinner, the conversation drifted to the events surrounding the inauguration of the 45^th President of the United States. Several at the table shared that they could not watch the live broadcast of this ceremony. The reason, and I quote, is that “We can’t stand looking at that man.”  Harsh, but honest. In fact, te unity of opposition towards our new President was remarkable, because those seated around our dinner table rarely agree about anything!  

We are blessed with friends who love each other, but who usually share different, if not opposing political or philosophical views. This usually makes for lively, but friendly exchanges of ideas or beliefs. 

Few of us, it seems, enjoy the liberty of such a table fellowship. 

For most of us, we have been "un-friended" for our opposing beliefs, shunned for disagreeing on political preferences, and even harassed for holding dissenting views on public policy.

How, then, do we respond in these contentious times?