Lon’s Blog

Amanda and I are currently getting some rest at a spacious ranch in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas.  Besides a handful of us human beings, the ranch is home to nine horses.  These beautiful beasts are one of our favourite features of the ranch.  With names like Hollywood, Pepper, Blue and Midnight, their names are as different as their personalities, sizes, colorations and breeds. It is peaceful and rehabilitating to walk among, pat, stroke and brush these stately creatures. 

The biggest of the horses is named “Sixteen.” He is thus called because he is 16 hand-breadths tall or so. Even standing on his all fours, Sixteen looks down on me (I’m 6′2″). His enormous hooves pound the ground when he walks, making a deep thud that alerts you to his presence without any need for vision.  He is an intimidating, beautiful creation of God.

But Sixteen lets me stroke his back, comb his mane, rub his belly or gently trace his jawline with my hand. He will gladly let me feed him a carrot, or give him a bucket of oats.  He is calm and collected and tolerant of most anything I do to him.  And that’s what’s so amazing about this horse - his awesome power combined with his gentleness. If Sixteen reared up on two legs and pounded down with his enormous front hooves, it would be lights out for me in an instant.  

Despite his ability to do so, Sixteen hasn’t pounded me or anyone else into the ground. And, unless something goes horribly wrong, he won’t. Instead, when he is with a human being, he keeps his power in check.

Having spent all this time with Sixteen the last few weeks, I was reminded of how the Greek word “meek” was used to describe a horse in ancient times.  That may seem odd to us, because we often associate the English word meek with shyness, or weakness. Not so for the word translated meek from Greek.  A horse was a symbol of strength in the Greek world. The ancient philosopher Xenophenon described as “meek” that horse that is tamed but whose spirit has never been broken.  He said that such a horse is very useful, because its power is under control, but it is still lively, vigorous and energetic, usable for a myriad of tasks.

Other ancient writers employed the term in a similar way. According to Dr. Victor Shepherd, Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Tyndale Seminary, and Adjunct Professor of Theology at University of Toronto,

The ancient philosopher Plato used it of the victorious general who spares a conquered people. The general has triumphed, to be sure; yet he allows to live and thrive even the people he could have annihilated. Plato also used the word pra/utes, “meek”, of a physician who does whatever he has to do in order to treat the patient effectively, and yet whose treatment causes the patient the least pain possible.

The ancient philosopher Socrates described as meek the person who can argue tellingly a matter of utmost importance to him yet do so without losing his temper.

The ancient philosopher Aristotle used the word of the person who is properly angry at shocking injustice yet whose anger never degenerates into ill-temper or vindictiveness or a spirit of retaliation. (http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Sermons/newpage.htm)

In each case, the word describes a person whose power is made more useful by its careful, even artful,  application. In fact, in each of these cases, if the application of the power had not been constrained, the result would have been the opposite of the intended result. The power in each case was only truly power-full when it was used under control.

Following the common Greek usage of the term in their day, the New Testament writers used this term “meek” quite often. Jesus was called meek. Christ’s people are to be meek, for the meek are destined to inherit the earth. Paul tells the Christians in Colosse to clothe themselves in meekness. James insists that Christians are to exemplify the meekness born of true wisdom.

I think the reason is obvious. If there was ever a word that captured the true meaning of what it means to be like Jesus, I think the original, “power multiplied by its skilful control” meaning of “meek” was it.  Jesus had great power, and His power was multiplied by His skilful application of it.  This same meekness is what we are called to exemplify.  Jesus does not want us to live as emasculated, domesticated weaklings.  He wants us to be powerful, creative, and full of life, but to use all the power and energy and gifting that He gives to us to benefit, and not harm, others. We are gifted to serve, and ultimately, save others, by allowing His powerful Spirit and the gifting He gives us, to flow through us to others (Rom.12:1ff, 1 Cor. 12:1ff, Ephesians 4:11ff, etc.).

If gentleness and restraint was not the nature of Sixteen and the other horses at the ranch, they would not be here. They would not be useful. But I am glad they are useful, and so beautiful.  Being in their stately, powerful, yet controlled presence reminds me every day that I can be even more powerful if I am meek - keeping my words and actions under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, using them to build into others and build up His Kingdom on this earth as long as I have breath. No matter if my gift is prophecy or mercy, I am called to exercise my gift carefully, and in so doing, God’s power will be multiplied and used as it was intended to be to build others up and release them to be His agents of change in the world (Eph. 4:11-12).

On this day, exactly four years ago, right before midnight, we rolled into Montreal for the first time.  My wife and I, our four children and our dog found our house, bedded down for the night, and on July 8 woke up to a whole new world.   I am not one who is big on “signs,” but arriving on 7/7/07 seemed like a number only fitting of the God-sized adventure we felt awaited us.  And we have not been disappointed.  Now, as I look back over the last four years, I must say that our experience in Montreal has included some of the best moments of our lives.  They have also included some of  our most difficult moments, but we knew they would likely be so as we left friends, family, home and culture to pursue God’s calling to live, minister, share Christ and plant new works for Him in this great, lost city.  But it has all definitely been an adventure, and we are all alive (even though we got rid of the dog).

On the high side, our church, Impact Church, has been to us the most kind, loving and generous church family we have ever experienced.  They are the most extraordinary group of followers of Jesus Christ we have ever met. And through their dedicated service to Christ, we have seen God do miracles in people’s lives like we have never experienced before. Over the last 12 months, our little community of 40-50 had the privilege of baptizing 11 people.  That is not a small thing. It is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced. And the changed lives of these that have followed Christ is an awesome testimony to the power of Christ at work in the world today.  We are so humbled to be in God’s presence as He works among us.

In our personal lives, there is no denying that God has been ever-present with us as well, in the “good times,” and in the “bad times.”   Many of you know that even as God has done so many things in our church life the last nine to 12 months, it has been a particular strguggle physically and emotionally for Amanda and I in our personal lives. Now, we are getting some rest and treatment in the US.  Ironically, after four years on the mission field, many international missionaries take a year off for sabbatical and deputation.  We had not planned to do this, but intended to be in Montreal for the summer.  God had other plans, and has given us a sort of “forced” Sabbatical.  We believe that as always, God’s plans are better than ours, and that we are securely in under His loving protection.  As we spend some time here resting and concentrating on our family and personal issues, I believe that God is going to grant us new skills, perspectives, and habits that will help us serve Him, our family and others better.  It reminds me of Elijah, who experienced a sort of emotional crash after his enormous victory over the 950 prophets of Asherah and Baal on Mount Carmel.  He needed copious amounts of rest and food, and then to hear the still, small voice of God.  After that, God told him to “arise” and serve Him again.  I believe that when God tells us to ”arise,” it will be even greater intimacy of relationship with Him and effectiveness for Him. He sharpens and disciplines those whom He loves.

I hope to blog a whole lot more in the days ahead than I have done in the days behind.  In those blogs, I look forward to sharing many of the things that God has taught us, and is teaching us, as we continue our journey of knowing Him and making Him known.

In US politics, when an encumbent president successfully wins his party’s nomination to run a second time for the highest office in the land, his supporters chant, ”FOUR MORE YEARS!! FOUR MORE YEARS!!”  That’s my chant, too.  I do not know the future, and I certainly do not determine it, but if God so wills, I pray that in four years I will find myself and my family and a growing number of disciples of Jesus Christ on mission with Him in the great, lost city of Montreal.   His Kingdom come, His will be done.

Your fellow traveller,

Pastor Lon

Joshua 1:5b, 9b: ”As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. …Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.””

Can you imagine what Joshua must have felt like when Moses died? Can you imagine succeeding Moses who led the people out of slavery in Egypt, who met with God in person, who handed down the law of God, who transitioned Israel from a slave people into a true nation? Joshua had a lot to live up to! And I am sure he had a lot of questions he wanted to ask Moses! His task was to take the people and cross the Jordan River and establish them in the land, driving out all of the wicked peoples who lived there. This task took years. I can just imagine all the times he yearned just to ask Moses what he should do next. And I am sure that he simply missed Moses (more on Moses and Joshua in a moment).

I think I can relate. From August 2009 to August 2010, I have shed more tears than in all my prior years combined due to the loss of four important people in my life. Not only people that I was close to, but spiritual mentors. I think I feel a bit like the way Sheldon Vanauken describes his life in “A Severe Mercy.“ I feel the mercy and grace of God, but life has been hard because it’s been so full of the loss of these valued loved ones.

The first and greatest loss was my mother. Ann Vining passed into the arms of Christ August 21, 2009. Oh I miss her so! Mom was not just a mom to me. She was also a spiritual mentor. She taught me to be a witness for Christ. She taught me to revere and read God’s Word and pray fervently, something that I found her doing every morning when I got up. She taught me to seek after spiritual, not just material things. Man did she march to the beat of a different drummer!! Mom’s drummer was God! She taught me, too, to march to the beat of God and not the drumbeat of this world. And she was my and everyone’s encourager and champion. She always told me that I was the absolute best in the world at whatever I was doing! And wow was she humble. Though 36 years my senior, she would often call me on Saturday nights and ask my opinion about a certain point in her Bible lesson she was teaching the next morning. We would talk for hours about these issues over the phone, or when I was at her house. She made me believe that I was really knowledgeable about God’s Word and that I could teach others (she was often very wrong!). And she put people first above all else. If having people at her house or in her pool was an inconvenience to her, she completely ignored it. Toys were not placed out of sight - they were put where kids could play with them! Zip lines, soap box cars, balls, volleyball nets, club houses and more filled the back yard. And coffee cups and food filled the cupboards, ready for the next visitor or neighbour who came by. And come they did! She ignored the social customs and taboos of her culture to do what was best for people. To spend time with them, to serve them, to make them feel welcome and loved. And they loved her for it. If you were talking to her, she acted as if she were completely absorbed in what you were saying, because she was. And if any person needed anything, she would give it to them. She was a servant like few I have ever seen. I don’t know how she could have mentored me any better.

Mom was not the only loss that has stung. A month ago, another one of the great mentors and influences in my life, Dr. Avery Willis, died from leukemia. The weekend prior to his passing, I was supposed to stay in his home. Instead, he fell ill and went home to be with Christ. I had so looked forward to talking about Christ and His Kingdom over a coffee with this man. I had so many questions! Much of what I believe and practice in missions, discipleship, prayer and Chronological Bible Storying to disciple and win people to Christ, came from his tutelage. He was the author of MasterLife, which is the most-used discipleship tool every published and used to train people in churches, seminaries and missionary training centers, as well as On Mission with God with Henry Blackaby, as well as many other books. I was so blessed to know him and to learn from him.

Dr. Willis’ death followed the death of two godly mentors who lived on my block growing up and who played a large role in my life. Col. Jack King died June 12. I spent years in the home of Colonel and Mary King growing up. My first job, my first business, my first Bible - all came from them. Col. King and Mary inspired me with a passion to reach other people - especially internationals - with the Gospel. Col. King also introduced me to serious Bible study and preaching. And through the years, they have been a constant support in prayer, encouragement, physical help, as well as financial supporters of my mission endeavours. Last year when I was there we discussed the book of Romans and he gave me a commentary on Romans to help me as I preached through this great book. It was so sad to lose him, but it is heaven’s gain.

Much the same can be said for my next-door neighbour growing up, Dr. Raymond Coppenger. He died last year at the ripe old age of 100. He was a chaplain in the US Navy before coming to my hometown to teach Bible at Ouachita Baptist University (my alma mater). It was a great thing to grow up next to him and his believing family. Oh how blessed I have been! Five years ago when I lived near him, I looked in on him every day for his family. During those times, I got a chance to sit at his table every day and talk about life, ministry, preaching, and Jesus. Now, he is gone.

Now, they are all gone. I am left with much fewer mentors and encouragers. I feel a bit out there on my own. Joshua must have felt like this when Moses died. I am sure he had a lot of questions for Moses!

So, what are we to do with the passing of those whose counsel we value? How are we to lead when our leaders are gone? Joshua was about to embark on a dangerous mission. But he couldn’t ask Moses, because his mentor was gone. Why did God do it this way? I think the answer is simple really. Until Moses was gone, Joshua could not become the fully mature leader God intended him to be. As long as Moses was around, Joshua would not learn to lead first-hand. More importantly, Joshua would depend on advice from Moses instead of learning to hear God’s voice himself. Once Moses was gone, Joshua became one of the greatest leaders Israel ever had. Israel conquered the land, and many miracles were performed. They built their new homeland and secured the borders. Joshua became a leader, like Moses, that heard the voice of God, and in turn, the person who others came to for advice.

I guess that is where I sit today, a bit like Joshua at the death of Moses. I am sure that when Moses died, the people all cried, but it was Joshua who cried the hardest. This year for me has been a year of many tears. Not just for the loss of these great godly people in my life, but for my concern for those that I lead - my church, my family and others - that I be able to lead them without the help of these wise counsellors. Many of the people I have turned to for advice in my life are gone forever. I am the age that many of them were when I started asking them questions! So I guess now it is my turn to take the reins. It is my time to help others to experience God and build His Kingdom. But, like them, and like all leaders, it is God who really does the work, and He promises to “never leave [me] or forsake [me] (Matt. 28:20).” But it is still a bit scary. I feel too young, too inexperienced sometimes. And I still have questions I’d like to ask my mom, Dr. Willis, Dr. Coppenger and Colonel King. But I cannot. I can only take what they taught me, and depend on God for the rest. But that is not such a bad place to be in. He is the same God who taught Ann, Avery, Jack, Raymond and Joshua by His Word, His People and His Spirit. Each of them came to a place where their mentors were gone, and they had to rely on God alone, and they not only coped, but they flourished. It is my prayer that God in His grace will allow me to do the same. I am assured that His presence will be with me every step of the way.

Joshua 1:5, 8-9: ”No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. … Do not let My Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.””

Except for the moan and hiss of the oak logs giving way to the snarling fire, the house was silent.  Just 45 minutes prior, my troop had arrived at their highly anticipated destination. The kids had crawled out of our blue 2006 Toyota Sienna mini-van that had doubled as their vehicular sleeping quarters for the last six hours or so, and, with their mother gently goading  them into their assigned beds, each quickly slipped back to sleep in the comfort of more conventional bedding at “Nana’s and Pop’s house.”  

It was now 4:45 am and I was the only one still awake.  The roaring fire snapped and popped and cast an ethereal glow from the corner of the otherwise dark room in which I found myself.  Wisps of smoke escaped the boundaries of the tumultuous fireplace by which I sat and tinged the air with the acrid smell of burning logs.   Before I realized it, the searing heat from the angry fire brought the temperature of my pant legs to an intolerable level, and I was forced to reposition my chair further away from the inferno.  But I really didn’t mind. In fact, the sting on my skin went virtually unnoticed  due to one fact: after a 1,722 mile trip that spanned 30 hours and took my wife and four kids and me through parts of Quebec, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas, I was seated right where I wanted to be.  I was home.  Ahhhhh.

After unpacking the car, I had prepared for bed and intended to follow my family to a much anticipated sleepy bliss.  I turned back the covers, being careful not to wake my wife, and prepared to get in bed. But at the last moment I changed my mind.  I put the covers back in place, and turned and walked down the three short flights of stairs in the split-level house to the den where the fireplace burned on the ground level.  In the familiar room where I spent so many years of my childhood, and intermittently since, I took in the artifacts of our family’s history.   I turned on a lamp to get a better look at familiar photos, antiques and other keepsakes. As I did so, I asked myself, “Why am I still awake and wandering around this old house while everyone else is sleeping?”  “After driving 30 hours through snow and rain on only a few hours sleep, why am I not fast asleep like everyone else?   

The answer came to me quickly. It was this: I wanted to savor the sweet sights, sounds and smells of home for which I had just paid a financial, logistical and physical price to experience.  I wanted to take a moment to appreciate the familiar, to enjoy being in the one place in the world where I felt most comfortable: home.  Then I turned off the light, gazed into the fire, and pondered the very concept of “home.” 

When it comes to stable homes, mine was about as rock solid as they come. I was really, really blessed.  In a day when people change jobs and spouses and cities of residence almost as frequently as hairstyles, my parents never did (as a matter of fact, they never really changed hairstyles either). They still live in the same house they built in 1955, five years after they married.  Thirteen years later, I was born, the last of six kids. I grew up in a community where we were a very well known and established family. We had the keys to our neighbor’s houses, but it didn’t matter much, because none of us locked our doors anyway. Having such a place to call home was, and is, a great heritage and comfort to me.

But as I warmed by the  fire, I was reflecting on the fact that my own children have no such physical heritage.  In pursuing God’s will to make disciples in this lost world, we have lived many places.  That fact concerns me at times, and this was one of those times.  I sought the Lord’s mind on this issue as I have done scores of times before.  By the firelight, He reminded me of another one who left his homeland and never got to provide a permanent home for his own family.  “By faith he [Abraham] made his home in the promised land…for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11:9-10).”

Yes, Abraham moved from his homeland, and moved about the promised land frequently.  He gave up a “stable home” to pursue a spiritual home.  But I think his faith informed him that the latter was more lasting, more “real” than the former.  C.S. Lewis once said, “If I find within myself a desire that no other experience can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”   Abraham, like Lewis, knew that the price to be paid in this world would be far outstripped by the reward in the next.   

I love my home and hometown in Arkansas. Sometimes I yearn to live there again and sometimes I wish my kids could have what I had.  I certainly wish they could be nearer family.  I experience this feeling every time I return.  But a great “hometown experience” is not all there is to life.  Even being near family is not some right that we have, nor that we have to have, as incredibly supportive and helpful and rich as it can be when we are able to live near family.  As idyllic as my upbringing was and as awesome as it is to live near family, neither of these things are what anyone was really MADE for.  It is not what my children were made for, either.  Doing God’s will is just not comptatible with my own convenience, nor even my family’s.  To take any other opinion is for me to say that the eternal destiny of people who have never heard the message of Jesus Christ is LESS IMPORTANT than my own desires, my own dreams, my own convenience.  It is also to say that it is okay for me to do my will, and to ignore God’s.  Certainly I cannot do that if I call myself His disciple.

We were made for so much more than the pleasures, comforts, and conveniences of this life. Even some of the good things can get in the way of the GREAT things.   Ultimately, we were made for another world, another home.  And when we get there and “unpack our bags” and curl up beside the indescribable heat and light of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we will experience home in a way that surpasses our wildest imaginations and exceeds even the most perfect home in this world.  And that homecoming will make the journey worth it all.   

  ________

  Addendum:  This trip home was the last time I ever spoke to my mom face-to-face.  She died on August 21, 2009 from a heart attack and complications from surgery to remove cancer.  Oh, how I wish I were able to spend more time with her in her final months in this world!  But that was not God’s call nor His will for me.  But I remember vividly the last words Mom ever spoke to me before she died.  We talked on the phone, and she reassured me that it was okay that I could not be there for her surgery, because she said she believed God wanted me to be in Montreal to share Christ with the lost.  Then her last words were these:  “I will talk to you when I get out of surgery, or, if not, I will see you in heaven.  Either way, I am ready.  I am not afraid of going home to be with my Lord. I am at peace.  See you soon, or see you in heaven.” 

I know that my mother is experiencing “what no eye has seen, nor ear has heard,” in the presence of her Maker, Lord, and Savior. She is home.

I went into my local gas station (Ultrimar) to pay for my gas the other day, and they offered me a free cup of coffee.  I chose the Hazelnut Cream. Mmmm.   And I left feeling a bit warmer and happier.  They gave away the coffee because it creates good will, and, more importantly for them, allows me to try one of their products that I might not have tried without the free offer, thus making it more likely that I might purchase this product in the future (adding to their bottom line).

Can Christians learn anything from the corporate world? I think so. Once we get past our disdain for worldly corporate greed and invasive sales techniques, sometimes there is some gold to mine in the principles they are using. In fact, often the world has borrowed the idea from God’s people, not visa-versa.  As St. Augustine of Hippo said over a millennia ago, “Gold, even froEgypt, is still gold.” He was referring to the fact that the original Tabernacle, God’s holy meeting place, was decked out in articles made of gold taken entirely from pagan Egypt.  Gold, is, well, golden, and created and given to us by God for visually spectacular purposes, regardless of its origin. The origin of the gold did not determine it’s holiness; instead, its use purified it, sanctified it and made it holy.

No, I don’t think the key to winning the world to Christ is giving away gold, or even Hazelnut Cream (although it might not hurt…).  But I do think we need to learn something from Ultramar on this one. We need to create opportunities for people to “try on” our most precious “product,” that is, faith in Jesus Christ, just like I tried Ultramar’s coffee. Of course, faith in Christ is not a mere product, but is life itself. All the more that we should offer this to the world!  But how do we do this?

First, we need to understand the process people go through in going from a non-believer to becoming a fully committed disciple of Jesus Christ. The order of the steps is not set in stone, and the fact of them taking place in a person’s life is not always discernible, but they are there nonetheless.  First, it includes the obvious: learning the story of God and the claims about Jesus from scripture. These are the “Gospel message.” Next, they evaluate the truth, or internal integrity of the Gospel, and then test it against their own competing worldview. But, unlike the common misconceptions about how people “get saved,” persons do not place their faith in Christ in a vacuum or based solely on these cerebral facts about Christ.  Instead, they also test the claims of Christianity against their own experience.  And then they evaluate the Gospel in terms of seeing this truth lived out (or not) by a person or persons who claim to be followers of Jesus. Obviously this brings up the important notion of living as light among our friends, co-workers and family.

But that’s not enough, because there is one more vital step that precedes their actual decision to commit their lives to Christ. This is the step that my Ultrimar experience reminded me of. It is the step I call “trying on the faith.”  Like trying on clothes in the mall, most persons need to “try on the faith” before they commit to Christ personally.  Just “seeing” our faith isn’t enough, we must give them an opportunity to hear the truth, to see the truth (lived out in our lives), and to experience the truth - to “try on” Christian faith in a non-threatening environment.

But how do we help people take the step from observation of faith to actually experiencing the Christian life before they are believers? That sounds almost impossible! And how can they try out faith for “free” in a non-committal way (like I did with the coffee, it cost me nothing)?

To explain this, I’d like to tell you a story.  It’s about a man named Patrick of Ireland, whom moderns call “St. Patrick.”   Beyond the popular view of a leprechaun-ish figure to whom inebriated people made toasts of green beer today, the real Patrick was a missionary with few peers.  Patrick, when a Briton lad, was captured by marauding Irish, taken to Ireland and enslaved there until his escape years later. The amazing thing is that Patrick received a call from God to return to these people whom he should have hated, and Patrick, at age 48, accepted. In doing so, he went to a culture that was one of the most pagan cultures of history, its people entrenched totally in witchcraft, slavery, child sacrifice, cannibalism and tribal warfare. And miraculously, one of the most incredible times in missionary history was recorded as hundreds of thousands placed their faith in Christ over the next two centuries (ad 432-600+).

How did he do it?  Among other things, Patrick allowed these “pagan” Celts to “try on the faith,” before making the plunge into following Christ.   In his book The Celtic Way of Evangelism, author George Hunter explains that Patrick would take a small contingent of disciples with him into a village, and establish a faith community there.  They would actively make friends and share the message of Christ’s love and sacrifice with people. They would share God’s love through acts of service and kindness.  And then they would invite these people to come into their fellowship long before they ever made a personal commitment to follow Christ as a disciple.  They essentially allowed them to “try on Christianity” before “buying it.”  They would participate fully in the small group of believers spiritual community (even taking communion), and a great majority placed their faith in Christ in the process – so many so that one of the most dramatic large scale conversions to Christ in history occurred.

But will methods that worked among pagan Celts in the 5^th and 6^th centuries work in Montreal?  Hunter says yes, and so do I.  Hunter asserts that we are in the age of the Neo-pagan.  And the methods he described are working among these “new pagans” in the West today. And its not just limited to the West - we witness mission fields around the world where people are coming to Christ in large numbers in this way.

What is this “new” method?  Frankly, it’s not new at all.  And it wasn’t even new in Patrick’s day.  He got the idea from what he saw the early church in in the book of Acts doing house-to-house (see Acts 2:36-47).  And that thing was the power of dynamic, holistic faith communities. We call them cell groups, life groups, small groups, or even house churches.  The name doesn’t matter, but the principle does.  When small, intimate bands of believers gather together to pray, worship, study the Bible and live the Christian life together, something supernatural happens.  When they share the love of God by doing genuine acts of service together in the community, it is a powerful expression of God’s love (and it’s fun doing it together). When they are accountable to one another, it helps them experience life-change at a totally new level. When they share spiritual victories in one another’s lives, as well as spiritual failures and other trials of life, it gives them nourishing support.  And above all, when they invite interested friends, family, neighbors and acquaintances to “try on the faith” by first experiencing this kind of Christian community through their small group, they unleash God’s power to totally transform that person’s life forever.

Sharing our faith with others is not and was not ever intended to be a purely solo endeavor; indeed, when Jesus said, “follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men,” he proclaimed this to the disciples as a group. God intended for our love for one another to be one of our most powerful witnesses, and this sentiment is expressed over and over by Christ and the Apostles. Jesus, in John 13:35, said, “By this will all men know that you are my disciples, that you love one another.” Now you can see why I think everyone should be in a small faith community, or cell group (small group).  It is vital for every person’s personal spiritual transformation and well-being. But when it comes to loving others, these small groups of believers help us to love people who do not know Christ in a truly dynamic way, as we give them the gift of community, and let them “try on the faith,” for a while before they “buy into it” for good.  And, like Ultramar, we want everyone to just try on this faith once, because we know that most will like what they try.  Thus, we should all be a part of some type of Christian community (”small group”) and encourage other people to do the same. It’s a spiritual no-brainer.  And once we get there, we must never forget that our groups are not just for our own personal growth, but are also there for us to invite new people to “try on the faith” who have not yet done so.  And that’s better than Hazelnut Cream, and more precious than gold.

I had an interesting theological discussion with my four-year-old son Isaiah this week.  He is at that inquisitive age where everything about God is mystical and intriguing to him.  It’s a fun, if not challenging, time to be his father!  I was outside shoveling snow in our walkway, when he appeared at the door and shouted out the following question that was burning in his mind:  ”Dad, can God swim?”

After a quick chuckle to myself, I answered Isaiah’s question by saying that God can do anything He wants to do  (I resisted the temptation to mention that, given the chance to swim, Jesus chose to walk on water instead! (Matt. 14:22-33)).  The testimony of scripture is that God is all-powerful. This is based on what God does and what He says about Himself.  In fact, one of the most prevalent names for God in scripture is The Almighty (One).

The thing is, Isaiah asks these types of questions all the time.  Despite telling him many times that God is our Creator, that He is all-powerful and all-knowing and that He can “do anything that He wants to do,” Isaiah keeps asking me questions about what specific things God can do.  It is as if he is struggling with the concept of a God who can do all things, and he needs constant reassurances that there are not some things that I haven’t thought of that God can’t do.  I think he has figured out that humans have lots of limitations, and, because that is the only point of reference for his four-year-old mind, he is seeking to figure out if God has any of those same limitations.

This interchange with Isaiah gave me pause to wonder if these types of qualifying questions about God are normal for all children. I guess they are.  I’ve gotten some similar questions from my other three kids.  And then it occurred to me that these types of questions may actually be normal for us adults, too. The only difference is that ours are cloaked in more
sophisticated terms!

It was then that I had one of those “aha!” moments.  Through Isaiah, God taught me in earnest a concept that for years I’ve “known” only in my head. And that “newfound” concept is this: belief in God is not just a matter of acquiring knowledge and believing, but it is a journey of acquiring faith through experience.  If having faith in God was simply a cerebral exercise, we could simply be told the facts about God (such as His omnipotence), and go about our merry lives trusting that He’s got ALL things in control.  That would be so easy!

Unfortunately, that’s not usually how it works.  Faith is a journey of sweat and blood and tears. Faith takes work.  It seems that faith comes by hearing God’s Word, putting that faith to the test, and then finding out that God is exactly Who He says He is.  Then we learn something “in earnest” about God, and can build from that foundational point in future when our faith is tested by a different or greater challenge.

In the example of Jesus walking on the water that I alluded to earlier, the disciples had a nascent belief that Christ could “do all things,” but they were clearly shocked to see Him walk on water!  Afterwards, their surprise at additional miracles seems to indicate that they had put into their spiritual memory banks only that “Jesus can walk on water” rather than
learning that Jesus could “do all things.”   It took all of Jesus’ miracles and teaching, and then rising from the dead, before Thomas could get the whole picture and worship at Jesus’ feet, saying “My Lord and my God” and before Peter could be transformed from one who in fear denied Christ three times to one who boldly preached Christ in open, public defiance of the public authorities and led the early church during it’s vulnerable infancy.

A journey of hear-see-believe is the most common process, but Jesus does tell us that there is a better way.  It is those who believe before seeing who are most blessed.  He said to Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29).”

Apparently, it is possible for us to trust God before we have seen Him pass each and every test in every category in our lives.  It seems that we can see God work in one area, and apply that faith in God to other areas of our lives.  Hebrews 12:1 says, “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we
cannot yet see (NLT).”

So, how can we acquire this kind of faith that involves believing before seeing?  I think there are a three obvious keys.  First, we need to remember the work of God in our life.  To do this, we need to record our prayers and struggles mentally, or even better, in a journal of some kind so that when God answers prayer - when He proves He is Who He says He is - we can see it clearly, and remember it in the future.  Secondly, we need to flood our minds with God’s Word, and cut back on the mental junk food that this world puts out (Ps. 1:1-2, Rom. 12:2). He actually commanded Israel to do these two steps on many occasions after the Exodus. One example is Deut 6:6-9,20-21:  6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your
forehead.  9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates… 20 “When your son asks you in the future, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees, statutes, and ordinances, which the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 tell him [of the great and mighty acts the Lord performed for you in Egypt].”

The final key is to be in community with other believers, so that you can see the way that God proves Himself Almighty in their lives. In this way, our faith grows from the victories we see in other people’s lives.

So, can God swim?  Yes, if He wished to do so, He certainly could.  But don’t bother asking Isaiah that question. He’s got that one down, and is one step further along in the journey to understanding  that God can do anything He wants to do.  As we help Isaiah sow God’s word into His life and observe and remember the awesome activity of God around Him - and we do this ourselves - our faith journey will take us all into a deeper assurance that God is in control, and that we can trust Him with our very lives.  Let’s go swimming!

On the journey with you,

Lon

Matthew 10:42 -And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tll you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”

A made a woman cry today.  Not the bad kind of tears, the good kind. I cried, too.  Five days ago she had the joy of seeing her first grandson born to her 23-year-old daughter and her son-in-law in Northern California.  When her grandson was born he looked normal and healthy, and all seemed well.  It was a joyous occasion. Then the doctors noticed something not quite right with his leg, and they took some x-rays.  They discovered two fractures and determined they had occurred before he was born. But even more ominously for this family, they soon were given a diagnosis of Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), or “Brittle Bones Disorder.”  

The scene that this couple went through this week was extraordinarily similar to our own experience. As some of you know, our son Isaiah, who will be five in April, also has OI. All told, he has suffered 42 fractures to nearly every part of his body, and has undergone eight corrective surgeries. OI is very rare, with as few as 20,000 cases in the US.  Isaiah too was born with fractures that had occurred in the womb, and he also sustained several during delivery.

And that is why I was on the phone.  A friend of ours who lives in Oklahoma knows one of this family’s relatives, and heard about the baby through him.  She called us and told us that a baby had been born with OI, and asked if we would be willing to call and offer some information and support.  I called the relative in Oklahoma and told him to pass on my number to his family in California. Today, he called me, and said he had spoken to them, but he wasn’t sure they would call because they were pretty shell-shocked in the first place, and they didn’t know me from Adam. I am sure they were thinking, “Who is this person? What are his motives? What does he really know that could help us?”  I told him that I didn’t mind calling them myself, and he very enthusiastically gave me their number and I called. 

I will not go into the details of my call, but once we got through the awkwardness of the first couple of minutes, this grandmother was very grateful to talk to someone who’d been through what they are now going through.  She explained that the family felt scared, alone, and full of unanswered questions.  She said, “After just five days in the hospital, they just sent us home. The hospital basically said, “your baby is fragile as glass, so be careful with him, good-bye” and they didn’t tell us anything – not how to care for him, what to do when he fractures again, what his life would be like, nothing.”  That was pretty much our experience, too.  You cannot image all of the issues: insurance, hospitals, medical treatments, pain medicines, diagnoses, special needs daycare, fracture management, surgeries, prognosis, government assistance, and much, much more.  But the biggest issue of all for people in situations like this is not the myriad of complex issues, but is actually a quite simple one: people need hope. They need reassurance.  And knowing that there are others out there who have gone through what you’re going through, and are willing to help, goes a long way to giving them the hope and reassurance they so desperately need.

So I called and tried to give her hope, reassurance, and information.  I gave her some things to look into, and a list of resources, and offered to take their calls any time they wanted to talk. She expressed great appreciation for my call and offer to help. Then right before we ended the call, choking back tears, she said to me, “You are our angel.  God has sent you to help us.  Thank you so, so, much.” 

I am not telling you this story to brag, because I am certainly no “angel.”   Certainly, what I did is not extraordinary.  I wanted to tell this story because it was a huge reminder to me of the balance we must walk between the intentional and the natural when it comes to meeting people’s needs.  It also made me wonder how many opportunities to minister like this I probably miss.

You see, the opportunity to minister to this family was in many ways very natural. I was called about a need that I could uniquely help meet. I did not seek it. The opportunity just found me. Then it was up to me to decide how I would respond to this need that had been made known to me.  In this case, meeting that need took some initiative (intentionality).  First, my friend saw the need and gave me the relative’s phone number. I had to call the relative “out of the blue,” which is a bit intimidating and awkward. You can imagine – “Who are you? How did you get my name and number? OK, your child has OI, but why are you calling exactly?” Then I had to call the family directly when they were reluctant to call me, a stranger (another awkward, slightly intimidating introduction). But I knew I had something they needed, even if they didn’t know it yet!  In order to meet their needs, I had to be willing not to be asked by the person in need. I had to know that they needed what I offered even if they didn’t know it (or even resisted it) themselves.

In the end, it felt so worth it. I feel like I have helped this family, and will be able to help them more in the future. In reality, it cost me very little except some awkwardness, and an hour of my time, but the information I gave this family could literally mean the difference between their child walking some day, or being wheelchair bound forever. Making a difference feels good! It made me want to do more good for more people.  I like that good feeling! 

As I thought about this experience, I wondered to myself how many opportunities like this arise in my life every day that I simply miss because I am not seeing with spiritual eyes. I also wonder about the opportunities that I miss because I am not willing to do something slightly “awkward” or intentional in order to meet someone’s need.  The neighbor stuck in the snow, the Mom with three kids who spills her groceries in the store, the friend who is making a very unwise decision, a non-Christian colleague who could really use prayer.  I see these kinds of things every day, and most of them I pass up for no good reason.  Why!? It is so worth it!  I don’t want to miss the opportunity to make a difference, to do good, to feel good.  With so much hurt in this world, there are plenty of tears of despair and hopelessness being shed every day, that I don’t want to miss the opportunity to make someone cry tears of reassurance and hope ever again.  Those tears are the good kind.

On the journey with you,

Lon

Last week one thing we talked about in our service was the tendency of modern preaching and witnessing to skip the issue of judgment, sin, and hell.  We noted that it was the hallmark of the prophets, the Apostles, of John the Baptist, and of Jesus.  I came across a quote in an email this week that I wanted to share with you all.  It reminds me that this is not so much an issue with “modern preaching,” because it was written over 100 years ago by Charles Spurgeon, who is considered the greatest preacher of our modern times.  He once wrote:

“It is absolutely necessary to the preaching of the gospel of Christ that men be warned as to what will happen if they continue in their sins…You are too delicate to tell the man that he is ill!  You hope to heal the sick without their knowing it.  You therefore flatter them;
and what happens?  They laugh at you; they dance upon their own graves.  At last they die!  Your delicacy is cruelty; your flatteries
are poisons; you are a murderer.  Shall we keep men in a fool’s paradise? Shall we lull them into soft slumbers from which they will awake in Hell?” - C.H. Spurgeon, bold mine

When the “gospel” is presented without a clear presentation of the law, sin, judgment, and hell, the requisite repentance necessary for true conversion is rarely present.  The result then, can be “false converts” who think they are saved, but are not. Jesus says in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but [only]the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.”  I don’t want to be any part of someone facing Jesus and hearing these words!

Sorry this is heavy, but I am reminded this week that as a follower of Christ, it is not mine to pick and choose which parts of the Gospel that I like or think I should talk about. As a Jesus-disciple, I do what my Master did, and must model what I say on what He said.  That being the case, mentioning sin, judgment, and their solution: repentance and faith in Christ, are my only option.  It’s an issue of obedience to Christ, and also an issue of ethics.  If the dam of judgment is about to burst, I must warn the people in the valley below it!  And, as I said Sunday, we must all do this truth-telling in love, never in a judgmental way, because all of us are saved only by His grace!

In Him,

Lon

Yet another year is coming to a close.  After anticipating it all year, Christmas is over.  And I got through my first Boxing Day without taking a single punch!  Seriously, I hope everybody had a nice time with family and friends.  Did any of you get a chance to share Christ through this holiday that celebrates His birth?  I did, and it was a really cool Christmas Eve experience.  If you’ve got any stories along those lines that we could share with the Impact family, email it to me.  So now it’s on to New Years Eve!  I pray that you are all safe and find a fitting and fun way to ring in the New Year.  With that in mind, anyone up for some New Year’s Resolutions?  I know that many of you are so thoroughly counter-cultural that the idea of doing something so clichéd as making New Year’s resolutions is not on your radar.  Being a fellow counter-culturalist, I understand that sentiment.  But I do them. I like new beginnings. I like landmark dates and decisions.  I love making New Year’s Resolutions.  So, below, I’ve given you my list for 2008. More than once I have considered the wisdom of doing this, because this is making my life pretty a pretty open book with a whole lot of people!  I guess that brings a whole lot of accountability.  Oh well, what is better than a lot of accountability to help me reach these important goals!  And I think that maybe, just maybe, you might get inspired to make a few goals of your own this year that could bring you the change you hope for. If you do, I’d love to hear about them. So, without further adieux, here’s my New Year’s Resolutions for 2008:

First, I have one overarching goal:

To make relationships the uncontested #1 priority in my life: with God, my wife, my children, my friends, my church, my mentee’s and the lost.  This means serious quality time, doing lots of listening.

My ten resolutions/goals:1)      Learn to depend more on God: a) Begin and end every day with prayer, b) get up before everyone in the household and spend time in the Word and in prayer for one hour every week day c) read the Bible from cover to cover this year d) journal. 2)      Help my family grow closer to God. a) memorize one scripture and/or scripture story each week with my whole family, b) pray with each of my children nightly and c) have a more consistent weekly family night (with devotional)3)      Nourish my marriage. a) Take Amanda out on dates more often (goal: 1x a week), b) offer more words of praise, less words of criticism. 4)      Nourish my kids: a) spend more planned, quality time with my kids: take each child out at least once a month for one-on-one time, b) give them more loving discipline/structure5)      Organize, simplify and maintain:  Throw away stuff, make a place for everything and put everything in its place in my office, shop, and household. 6)      Reach 100% funding of our Budgetary Needs (we raise a majority of our own support each month, and I need to find some new supporters to help us meet our budgetary needs here). Contact supporters more consistently. 7)      Meet with as many church members and leaders each week as I can schedule.  Encourage, pray and vision together.       Engage more lost persons relationally for Christ through a) Prayer-walking b) “Exploring” and c) Storying in
Montreal at least once a week and d) deepen existing relational avenues of basketball, scouting, and neighbors. 9)      Get into better physical shape: a) through walking/jogging, elliptical and playing racquetball and basketball and  b) eating better and taking vitamins regularly (goal: lose a total of 50 lbs by Dec 31, 08). 10)   Grow musically: a) take guitar lessons  b) record an album of original songs c) involve music more often personally, with family and in ministry. Okay, so there they are. I’ve bared my soul.  That’s what I want to see happen in 2008.  There are more, but those are my top 10.  A few will be pretty tough to do, but hey, if they were easy, they wouldn’t be goals, they would just be reality.  It is exciting to see these on paper. But I can’t imagine how exciting it will be if I reach each of these goals.  Wow.  How about you?  What goals do you have for 2008?  What does God want to do in and through your life?  I look forward to hearing about that as we travel this journey together.  

Your Fellow Traveller, Pastor Lon 

My family had a Zaccheus experience today.  Remember the story of Zaccheus in the Bible?  Zaccheus was a hated tax collecter.  He was also very short, and had trouble seeing over people in a crowd. One day, Jesus passed by his house, and there were large crowds preventing Zaccheus from seeing Jesus. But Zaccheus was so intent on seeing Jesus that he climbed up into a tree.  When Jesus passed by, He saw Zaccheus in the tree.  Jesus sensed that Zaccheus would only go to such great lengths to see Him if he were somehow being drawn by His Father in Heaven.  So Jesus told Zaccheus to come down from the tree, saying, “I am going to your house today.”

Our “Zaccheus” experience was a lot like this!

We arrived at the dog park a few minutes after Kaleb and Abigail and our Westie named Kirby.  The kids love to take Kirby to this dog park to run around and play with other dogs.   I think they like talking to the dog owners, too (those two like talking to anybody, anytime, anywhere!).   On this day, they had met a gentleman named George,* who had recently lost his dog.  George had already shared with the kids that he’d lost his dog and that he was having some health problems.  Amanda and I began to talk to him, and he seemed sad and even teared up at one point. Amanda and I could sense that he needed someone to talk to, so she took the kids to play, and George and I sat down at a picnic table beneath a large tree.

I learned that he lost his girlfriend a few years ago, and that she had aborted their baby.  She took all of his money.  And his health is declining.  He has a degerative muscular condition similar to MS.  I found out that he is a carpenter by trade.  I told him that I was a storyteller, and that I tell people the story of God.  He opened up to me and told me that he didn’t understand why he was having these health problems, and that he feared for his mother’s well-being if he were to die.  He cried, and expressed many things from his heart.

We talked more, and then I asked him if he would like to hear a story.  He enthusiastically agreed.  From beginning to end, I told him the story of how Jesus healed the man born blind (John 9).  One of the points of the story is that his blindness was not due to his sin or the sins of his parents, but Jesus declared that, “this has happened that the power of God might be displayed in his life.”  We talked about how we don’t always know why we suffer, but that sometimes it is to bring God glory.  We also discussed how the blind man declared that Jesus was the Messiah, and worshiped him.  George’s countenance changed, and he expressed over and over again that he was very grateful for me telling him this story.

Then an unusual thing happened.  He invited me to his house, and so I went.  After that, he invited our whole family to eat with him at an Indian restaurant (he is Indian-Portugese), and he paid for the meal!  Then he took us to see the condominum he is renovating nearby.  Through our times together, we talked about Jesus and what He can do in George’s life.

Please pray for George.  George comes from a Roman Catholic background, and is missing the point that going to mass does not equate with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  I saw pornographic magazines in his home, yet he has pictures of saints and the pope, and he believes that kissing these images and having them in his home will bring him blessing and good luck.  In reality, just a few hours with George revealed that his life is a real mess. Pray with me that God might grant “sight to the blind” as he did for the man born blind.  Pray that salvation would come to his house, as we see in the New Testament stories of Zaccheus and the man born blind.  If God is truly drawing him, that will be the case.  We will be here to share God’s story and help him in this process as the Lord leads.  Pray that we would be bold, faithful, and can serve George in ways that would make him want to have his life changed, too.  Pray also that we might form meaningful relationships with other persons at the dog park as we go there frequently.  There is a group of dog owners that come there daily. Hopefully, through a dog, a child, or something new that God orchestrates, we may be able to say again, “Zaccheus, come down from there, I’m going to your house today!”