WHAT IS IN YOUR HAND?

The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said,  'A staff.' "
Exodus 4:2


Farmer Joy?

I have a confession to make. I have never had a green thumb (my potted basil outside looks sad and has gone to seed), I don't really like dirt under my nails, and most days I'd rather grocery shop in the AC than dig outside in the sun. Now if you feel comfortable in the lawn and garden section of any store (I personally feel like the people in the green aprons are watching me and KNOW I'm clueless) or you're already eating from your own garden, my hat is off to you and I'm a little envious. It's not that I don't like gardening/agriculture (I've enjoyed the fruit of my mom's green thumb for years!), its just never been high on my priority list to learn. God changed all that a few weeks ago.

Although I was initially reluctant and prayed in protest against the idea ("I'm not a farmer, God!"), He tapped me on the shoulder multiple times about going to a training at ECHO global farms(http://echonet.org/). ECHO is a local Christian organization that has the goal of developing sustainable options for alleviating hunger in the Third World. They come alongside missionaries and development workers to offer agricultural training specific to the tropics and subtropics (where the majority of the poor in the world live), technical support in a variety of areas, and free seeds or plant cuttings of nutritious or medicinal plants.

So with sunblock, bug spray, and hat in hand, I took the ECHO five day course called "Tropical Agricultural Development". I was amazed at the diversity of topics such as: How to raise tilapia, how to eat from your garden in the tropics/subtropics (Yes, you CAN have a salad in the Sahara!), simple water filtration/disinfection, stewardship of the land (including the life UNDER the soil, like earthworms. See below!), and a Biblical perspective on poverty.

My "Lanai Livestock"

"Manage your soil life as if it's livestock in the soil." -ECHO instructor

I never thought I would be excited about earthworms or compost.  I also honestly never thought about the systems of life that God has created in order for plants to grow successfully. How many of us thank God for the millions of worms, nematodes (that's a fun word to say), good bacteria, and fungus He has happily tilling the soil, reducing erosion, and making it rich in nutrients? I didn't give it a second thought before this course. So how do my 'lanai livestock' (aka earthworms) fit into this? Vermiculture composting is a system that uses earthworms to eat and compost kitchen scraps. They will very gladly go to work on old fruits and veggies and grains to make an earthy organic matter (compost) buffet that you can put around your plants. This worm-compost is the perfect plant food, inoculates the plants against disease, and encourages other good little creatures to hang out by your plants roots and nourish them.

Basically, I make a nice little kitchen-scrap meal for my worms to party with, and then lay it out as compost to start a whole NEW party around my plants. As funny (or gross?) as that sounds, I believe it's honorable since stewarding soil (and the little critters under it) is actually encompassed in God's command to us in Genesis:

"God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28

"Every living thing" includes my earthworms and my plants, right? I think it does. (By the way, as graphic as it sounds, worm-composting is amazingly hands-off and clean. My worms live in a little plastic condo on my lanai that is odorless and doesn't attract anything. They seem to love their job and I don't mind scraping a few veggie scraps in a box every few days.)  I have some little trees (check out Moringa and Katuk plants on the ECHO website. They are nutritional powerhouses!) planted around the yard now that can't wait to have it spread around them.

Although the courses on tropical plants and soil were incredible, my favorite part of the week was being introduced to AMAZING do-it-yourself inventions that are used all over the Third World. So what does a bamboo bike, a 2-liter water bottle "light bulb", and a little clay "rocket stove" have it common? They're all examples of what's called "Appropriate Technology" (AT).

 

 

A bamboo bike (tires and spokes not included!)

                                                               Rocket stoves made from various materials

Unlike some technologies that can be more of an accessory or a financial drain, AT is all about providing the basic necessities of life. AT should be appropriate for the culture you're working in, should be easily reproducible, and should be constructed out of items that are locally available. It's about turning "trash into treasure" (life-saving treasure!) from old tires, plastic bottles, clay, cement, bamboo, sand, and cardboard to name a few. A sign in the ECHO AT workshop says: "Use what you have and make what you need". 

Some of the concepts that have been successfully implemented all over the world are:

Smokeless ovens (rocket stoves)

These little homemade clay or cement stoves reduce indoor air pollution (IAP) significantly, saving lives. IAP comes from cooking daily over an open fire in the home. Ventilation in the homes these fires are burning in are usually minimal and the thick black smoke is often welcomed because it keeps mosquitoes away. Those that are exposed to IAP end up with shortened lives and the infants that are exposed to it (often swaddled on to mom as she cooks) often die from pneumonia. Rocket stoves are specially designed to efficiently burn its own smoke before it escapes. The stoves also only burn the ends of a few small twigs so less time is spent collecting firewood. (I helped steam some plantains on one of these stoves and they turned out delicious!)

BioSand water filters and/or Solar Disinfection

Diarrhea from drinking contaminated water is the second leading cause of death in children, killing at least 5,000 per day.  With a plastic trash can with a lid (or a concrete mold) filled with sand and gravel, a household can successfully filter their own water. Once the sand filter makes the water clear and not cloudy, it can be placed in a clear bottle in the sun for about 6 hours to kill bacteria and viruses (or be boiled). These two simple steps combined can make water very safe to drink with practically no cost to the user.


Biogas energy

If a person has access to animal manure and a few simple materials, they can have clean, renewable energy to cook with. Manure is stored in an airtight barrel and a hose goes into an rubber inner-tube that catches and stores the methane gas that's released. The inner-tube can be directly piped into a simple, portable gas stove. The tube easily detaches from the barrel and can be safely stored away from the home for safety purposes. Also, a person could potentially take their gas supply with them to the village market on their cart and make a living as a hot food vendor.


The bottom line question is, how do these agricultural projects and appropriate technologies bring God glory and point people to His Son? I see them as just another tool to show His love to vulnerable people, learn and model Biblical stewardship, and help me and others worship Him as our abundant provider.

Although I think there is usually too much attention today from the liberal media on caring for the physical world, I do believe God's people should be model stewards. I know that I need to learn to be a much better steward. I've also heard from seasoned missionaries that one of things that shocks and offends most Third-World people when they get to know a First-World mission worker is their appalling wastefulness of resources. What we're used to just throwing away is unthinkable in most cultures. (For example, my flip-flop broke a year ago during a trip to Uganda. I was just about to throw it away when our bus driver said: "No, no! Let me fix it,  Madam!" and proceeded to make it as good as new in about 15 minutes. I was humbled!)

I want to bring God glory and be an encouragement to others in every way I can. I can see the Lord using what I've learned to build relationships with my Ugandan neighbors in the future and maybe even be a blessing to them practically. I believe God can use what I take for granted every day (clean water, nutritious food, adequate shelter) to point people to the gospel and help restore their dignity. That's definitely worth being outside my comfort zone.

What is in your hand already (Exodus 4:2)? What would the Lord help you to creatively use to improve lives and show Jesus' love? Thanks for praying for me as I take a few baby steps in learning how to glorify God and love others in new ways.

"The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains,
The world, and those who dwell in it."
Psalms 24:1

                                                         A banana tree flowering

   

 

You might enjoy taking the ECHO farm tour. The plants there are so beautiful!

            
                                                 "Miss Lilly" the ECHO goat (she's there to demonstrate ways to keep goats from eating EVERYTHING you-and your neighbors-own!)

"YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT."

My bags from the my trip to Uganda are empty and stored again under my bed, but I'm still unpacking. I'm breathless at the privileges the Lord gave me, the miracles I witnessed, and the words He said to me while I was there.

I've been back about two weeks and I'm still bringing to the Lord all the hopes, dreams, fears, and insecurities He stirred up through this experience. Hopes and dreams of living there and serving Him there in the future; fears and insecurities that I am one, very limited person and what I have to offer is too small to make a lasting impact.

When these fears and insecurities rise up I have to remind myself that it's not about me. I can't do anything apart from Him (John 15:5) and He doesn't need my help (Acts 17:24-28).  Also, the way He assigns work to His children is infinitely wise. He doesn't give someone a whole country to care for; He doesn't even give someone a whole town. He gives each of us a small circle of individual people to encourage and work beside. His design is to use us in partnership with others, particularly the local church.

If I look at the multitude, I get overwhelmed and discouraged. If I look at the individual child or woman He's placed in front of me, I can take a deep breath and focus on my very small assignment. I can offer up to the Lord whatever resources He's given me and watch Him multiply it for His glory.

"When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” They *said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” And He said, “Bring them here to Me.” Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets."  Matthew 14:14-20

"You give them something to eat." Okay, Lord. What does that look like? How do I partner with You to meet the needs of those around me when it's obviously more than I can do on my own?

He gave me a glimpse of that through a young man I've sponsored through Children's HopeChest. Over the past three years, Ibrahim Mulondo has become like a son to me through exchanging letters, praying for him, and visiting him when the team from Summit church travels to Nabukalu. All year long I was anticipating the time we would get to spend connecting one on one, face to face. I could hardly wait to see first hand how much he had grown spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

 I got my opportunity our last Sunday in Nabukalu when the team walked the dirt trail to the Carepoint grounds one last time. After working four busy days in the medical clinic, we were going to get to rest and enjoy church with our kids. The children lined up on each side, greeting us with incredible singing and dancing. I smiled at them and looked eagerly for my Ibrahim.

One young man looked a lot like him, but he wasn't as tall as I thought he should be by now and was gaunt-looking. I thought "I wonder if he's Ibrahim's younger brother" and kept looking.

I had met my sponsored daughter, Mariam, the day before in the clinic and we hugged each other excitedly when we saw each other again. She pointed to that same young man that caught my eye and said: "Ibrahim, Madam."

 I was shocked. I hadn't recognized him because he had lost so much weight. I hugged him and greeted him with a big smile but inside my heart sank at how unwell he looked. He gave me his usual shy smile but seemed so tired.

We walked together to the large tent that was set up for the church service so we could sit and talk. I did my best not to interrogate him but I knew we had a short time together and asked some direct questions. He shared that he had been fighting malaria multiple times this year. (It's parasitic in origin and difficult to get rid of once you are infected). He was getting treatment but he didn't have a mosquito net over his bed to help prevent reinfection. Compounding his poor health, some restructuring changes at the Carepoint (necessary, good changes) have made it more difficult for him to consistently access nutritious meals. He still came on-site for the activities on the weekend, but he was eating a much poorer diet overall.

"Malnutrition and malaria? This is not what I expected to find Ibrahim facing, Lord. He's supposed to be two inches taller than me and full of life."  I tried to keep calm but I wanted to move in next store to his house and spoon feed him goat and beans until he gained ten pounds.

As crazy as this sounds, I thought that maybe God would spare my child  from suffering. I had an unconscious belief that bad things would happen to other children, but not to him. It was another wake-up call to the fact that we aren't promised safety or comfort.

 Church began and I wrestled with the Lord over the fact that I couldn't keep Ibrahim or anyone else close to me from experiencing sickness, hardship or pain. The hard reality that I couldn't control whether my sponsored son lived or died this year hit me and made me catch my breath as I sang worship songs beside him.

"But he's supposed to go to the University and become an engineer like he wants to be, Lord. He's supposed to grow up and keep winning others in his community to Christ."

I heard the Lord gently remind me that Ibrahim's life was wholly Christ's and so was mine. I don't have any power over life or death, only He does.  I silently prayed and committed us both back into His keeping.

As the praise song continued, I suddenly had this clear picture in my head of worshipping before the throne of God in heaven with everyone I love: Ibrahim, my parents, my late husband, my other immediate family members and dearest friends. We were all dressed in white and praising God with one voice, one heart. I had incredible peace fill me and a strong confidence that life here was just the beginning. Thousands of miles of distance or even death can't ultimately separate me from Christ or from those who belong to Him.

"Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is wasting away, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."       2 Corinthians 4:16 - 5:1

Our bodies are just as much a temporary tent as the one that was physically over our heads in that grassy Ugandan field. Although it's natural and right to want to protect our loved ones and keep them close, I'm grateful for the reminder that our lives aren't ultimately about safety, health, or comfort.

I needed a reminder that, as a Christ-follower, I am freed from fearfully clinging to this life and even to my loved ones. I am, by His grace, freed to put my energy into enjoying God, pursuing holiness, and manifesting His grace to those around me. I haven't arrived there, but every day I'm pursuing that kind of eternal perspective.

Although I'm freed from acting out of fear, I am still called to holistically care for others; spirit, soul, and body. There are real biblical commands that make me responsible to help care for the physical and emotional needs of others as an expression of Christ's love.

"We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?"  1 John 3:16-17

Once I gave over control of Ibrahim's life and future, God mercifully showed me some practical ways to impact his situation before I left. I brought his situation to the attention of Susan, the Carepoint discipler, and she shared with me that she lived in the very same village that Ibrahim did. I hugged her tightly and cried when she told me she was willing to check up on him for me!

I also shared his needs with the Children's HopeChest country director, Joseph, and the Carepoint social worker, Betty, and asked them how they thought he could be assisted. They agreed that some supplemental food for his household and a mosquito net was appropriate. I gave a small gift to help cover the costs and they immediately made plans for Betty to visit him at home.

God was sweet to comfort me very quickly! I was overwhelmed when I learned that Betty and Susan had already visited Ibrahim within days of our conversation.  They brought him all kinds of nutritious dry goods (beans, corn, cooking oil, ect) as well as a net for his bed.

These two precious ladies also emotionally and spiritually cared for Ibrahim and his mother by spending time talking and praying with them. Betty wrote to me in an email last week: "He and the Mum felt so loved and cared for. We prayed with him and the Mum and advised him to work hard at school. I also reminded them of Gods Love for them."

"Thank You, Lord!"

 Spirit, soul, and body were all fed and cared for by God's grace and He let me be one tiny piece in that puzzle. He doesn't need me for anything, but it delights my heart to get to walk behind Him and marvel at His provision. All glory to God alone!


 "Trust in the Lord and do good;
 Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
 Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it." Psalms 37:3-5

 

Fruitless missions...?

It never ceases to amaze me how perfect God's Word is and how it is one story that flows together flawlessly. I've been thinking a lot about missions lately (you'll see why a little farther down the post) and a God-thought popped into my head the other day. Do you realize we've been given two Great Commissions?

The first commission was spoken by God to Adam and Eve as representatives of mankind. They were created to bear His image and be in unbroken fellowship with Him. They were commissioned to steward the new, perfect physical world that God had created and use it to manifest His glory:

"God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28

When God spoke this first commission, man was sinless and had an uninterrupted connection to God. When Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God and sin entered the picture, His commission to them was still in effect but it would be now be a painful, frustrating process (Genesis 2:16-19).

Adam and Eve would still represent God's rule and kingdom on the marred world, but everything would now remind them that their greatest need was still unmet. Physical order and rule wasn't enough.

This is where fruitless mission work is possible. This why secular humanitarian efforts will always be ultimately futile.

 Many people serve the poor in the first and third world with the best of intentions. They're seeking to alleviate suffering, and that's honorable and noble. Yet if Christ isn't the heart of it and its not flowing out of His love, it's empty.

"And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:3

 If you only try to bring God's order to the physical world, you'll be brought to despair over the temporary nature of that effort.

-For every child you feed in a day, 10,000 more will die of starvation.

-For every AIDS patient you treat in day, hundreds will silently become new infected carriers.

-For every tree you plant to remedy deforestation and or every field of crops you grow, a drought or flood or fire is waiting to consume your work.

If we embark on a strictly humanitarian or environmental quest, and we’ll up a broken and jaded human being.  In contrast, if the simplest act of kindness is done in Jesus Name (in keeping with His character, will, and ways), it will be eternally rewarded (Matthew 25:35-36). I can give a glass of water to a child and know I'm actually giving it to Jesus Christ Himself. Instead of hopelessness, every small act of obedience is elevated in its importance if it's done for Him alone.

How does that tie into the first commission? The sin-curse didn't just make thorns spring up out of the dusty ground or bring disease, it killed our natural spiritual connection to God, severing us from Him. Sin has made our souls sick (Jeremiah 17:9).

 Every one of Adam's sin-tainted descendants would need more than just physical redemption and order in their world; they had to look ahead to a promised Savior to come and bring dominion, rule, and fruitfulness back into their spirits and souls.

That's where the second commission comes in.

Fast-forward thousands of years and Jesus Christ had just finished breaking Adam's sin-curse. He wore the thorns our sin created on His brow as a crown; He paid our death penalty on a bloody cross. Our sin-debt was paid in full (John 19:30)!  It was now possible to have a direct connection to God restored through faith in Jesus Christ's perfect sacrifice.

Jesus rose from the dead (verifying that God accepted His payment), and then showed Himself again to His disciples and 500 other eye witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:5). As He prepared to ascend into Heaven, He gave the second commission:

"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Now in addition to the first commission in Genesis, the disciples (and all followers of Jesus Christ) were told to go out and be used to bring His spiritual dominion to every corner of the earth.

The first commission was about God being glorified in the physical realm; the second commission is about God being glorified in the spiritual realm. Both commissions are still in effect! We are to go out and manifest the gospel and its implications in every realm: spirit, soul, and body.

So how are these two commissions being worked out in my life right now?

April 7th-12th I had the privilege of going to another EQUIP missions training in beautiful North Carolina.  As you might have read in the last post, the training was called Community Health Evangelism (CHE).  CHE is a holistic missions model that focuses on training leaders in the third world to look to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the resources He has already provided to transform their community.

The first two days of training, twelve of us took turns reading passage after passage in the Old and New Testament that showed the CHE model being taught and used. It was a strong foundation that will stay with me.

The training was extensive and yet I think I'm just beginning to understand the process. A few key changes in my thinking after a week of CHE training are that:

-I now understand better the principals of relief verses development. Both have their place, but only development is lasting.

-I've had a correction in my heart about the missions practices that I thought were normal and good that are actually unintentionally enabling and contribute to dependence.

-I've caught the vision for coming alongside nationals to reach and teach their own people, whom they understand best and are best equipped to mobilize.

-I see now that God has provided resources for His people right where they are, no matter how desolate or barren it looks. He has placed them in their context and He is well able to enable them to discover, multiply, and steward what He's given.

I left the training in April encouraged that the Lord will use the CHE principles everywhere I go and particularly in Uganda. I love how it closely models what He teaches in His Word. It will be imperfectly implemented by even more imperfect people, but He loves to bless anything that is founded on His Truth.

Thank You, Jesus, for another puzzle piece falling into place! I'm awed that He's given me another glimpse of the plan He already has written for me. My understanding of how He wants to use it is limited, but I know He doesn't need me to figure it out.

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12

Prayer request: Thank you for praying as I go back to Nabukalu, Uganda with the Summit mission team June 9th-19th. We'll be encouraging the spiritual growth of the children and young people at the CarePoint there and participating in a four day medical clinic in partnership with the local church and local providers.

Will you pray that:

-We share and model the gospel clearly and holistically during discipleship classes, medical care, and relationship building. That we care for the whole person in Jesus' Name.

-That I would sacrificially love my teammates, the local Ugandan church, and each person He puts in my path there. He's given me John 15:13-14 as my theme verse and I'm asking Him to put it into practice when I'm stretched and pressed in my spirit, soul, and body.

Thank you for partnering with me in prayer! I look forward to my next update when I can share what The Lord has done.

Blessings,

Joy

No Ordinary Day

 

 

 

 

There was a thick fog all around the landscape outside my car and the sun was just starting to rise. I was out running errands early one morning, slightly groggy from lack of sleep and both mentally and physically sighing as I contemplated the day.

 

There wasn’t anything planned on my calendar that got me especially excited. My to-do list included: Get routine fasting labs drawn (thus the early hour), get tires rotated, type up the message to teach in women's ministry, and catch up on emails.

 

As I sat at a traffic light, running through that mental list, I have to admit that a wearying and slightly depressive haze settled over me. It was a “Is this all there is?” moment.

 

My thoughts weren’t exactly overtly sinful, but without gratitude and faith. I left God out of the equation and was subtly shutting Him and His majesty out of the moment, out of the day. This subconsciously continued until I noticed how the morning sunrise was making the fog glow all around me.

 

 I stopped my mental chatter for a moment and was reminded of how awesome my God is. As I was thinking that thought and taking a moment to praise Him for it, I heard Him quietly say:

 

"It’s not an ordinary day." -The Lord

 

Oh? I listened to His voice more intentionally now. "It's not an ordinary day"? Okay, Lord...what does that mean?

 

In response to that, the thought came to me that just like a fog that covers the ground and is visible for a short time, His glory can sometimes be briefly seen with my naked eye. Sometimes He breaks in when we least expect it and we gasp in awe, dropping our lists and our agendas to the ground.

 

The majority of the time, it takes intense spiritual concentration and eyes of faith to see Him. My sin naturally blinds me to His glory and blunts my perception of His spiritual activity around me. He’ll always give me little spiritual nudges and touches to draw me out, and if I’m faithful with the little light He offers, He’ll reward me with more.

 

 “..In Your Light we see light.”  Psalm 36:9 (see also Matthew 25:29).

 

I strongly believe that every day, regardless of how mundane or routine it appears, He wants us to intentionally seek Him to be made aware and sensitive by His Spirit to the deeper reality. He wants us to hourly press in.

 

Brother Lawrence, in Practicing the Presence of God, says:

 

  “..in order to form a habit of conversing with God continually, and referring all we do to Him, we must first apply to Him with some diligence: but that after a little care we should find His love inwardly excite us to it without any difficulty.”

Be still. He is God and He is with us.

 

“ 'Be still, and know that I am God.
 I will be exalted among the nations,
 I will be exalted in the earth!'
 The Lord of hosts is with us.." Psalms 46:10-11

 

The whole earth is full of His glory…whether we notice it or not.

 

"And one called to another and said:
 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
 the whole earth is full of his glory!' " Isaiah 6:3

 

The more we offer ourselves to the Lord, the more He’ll make us aware of Himself.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

Matthew 5:8

All the time in the spiritual realm, battles are raging and victories are being claimed. There's never an ordinary day.

 

Every day His kingdom is pressing forward and ground is being taken. There's never an ordinary day.

 

This hour could be the one we or someone around us breathes their last breath of air on earth, and the first breath in eternity. There's never an ordinary day.

 

Every day the clock in Heaven that's labeled "The Return of the King" is ticking and He could break in at any moment in a way that EVERY eye will see (Revelation 1:7). There's never an ordinary day.

There's no such thing as an ordinary day because I don't serve an ordinary God. He can do anything at any time.

Oh Lord, enable us to be intentional about seeking you in the “ordinary”. Nothing that You do is ordinary, no matter how it appears. We want to see Your glory! Help us to press in to see it and obey the tiniest ray of light You give us. You’ll be faithful to give us more if we honor You with that gift. We love You! You are worthy of all praise and all glory! From this time forth and forevermore. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

 

In Christ,

 

Joy

 

STRETCHING ME OUT

It’s so good to be ‘home’. The past nine days have been a whirlwind as I traveled to Columbia, South Carolina and went through an intensive missions/evangelism training.

The natural question is ‘Well what did you learn?’.  Hmm. I would have to answer that I learned many things from two major trainings…the official one I signed up for, and the unexpected one the Lord  had planned for me.

The official training was called “Simply The Story” (simplythestory.org), and was centered on sharing the word of God to people groups that cannot read or write, or prefer to learn orally.

The first 2/3 of the five-day training, my small class (composed of five pastors and three missionaries) was poured into by four skilled facilitators who have used the process internationally. Over and over again they taught, reviewed and drilled us on how to:

-Learn a 5-10 verse Bible passage in a relatively short amount of time (in a noisy and distracting setting; like if you have to learn it in an orphanage with chickens running past you. It’s the truth!)

- Create a 30 second to 1 minute introduction to the passage (to bring everyone in the group up to a more level knowledge base, give context, and clear up difficult terms). 

- Accurately present the passage as a story-teller with voice inflection and animated hand gestures that help the audience remember the text and engage with it.

- Systematically dig into the passage for your own spiritual observations and personal applications.

-Formulate questions to help an individual or group discuss your initial observations, leading them to dig deeply and find their own spiritual observations. (Not necessarily ‘teaching’ the passage..but guiding them into systematically dialoguing about the text and letting the Holy Spirit reveal things to them personally).

- Facilitate the group to make and share their own personal applications from the passage. (How will they approach the Lord and all of life differently because of what God’s word is saying here?)

-Work through the entire process through a translator.

WHEW. Thank You, Jesus!

The last 1/3 of the training, forty people from the community joined us and each one of us in the core group were then assigned five people to pour into. We were each responsible for teaching our small group all that we were taught about the process. We then coached them through preparing and giving their own live ‘story’ presentations at the training and leading their own small groups in discussion about it. (Let me tell you, I have never appreciated teachers more!)

So what was the unexpected training the Lord signed me up for? The systematic removal of fear from my heart.

Long hours traveling on desolate stretches of road with my aged car groaning, staying in three different hotels by myself, leading five total strangers (with varied learning styles and temperaments) in a technique I still felt shaky in, and in all of this fighting a mild flu. Carefully crafted circumstances designed to press me into clinging, abiding, and depending on the Holy Spirit of God every hour.

To give you a glimpse of what was happening and would continue to happen in my heart, an excerpt from my journal is below. I wrote this the first night of my journey up to South Carolina, after wearily checking into my first hotel. My words to the Lord are in plain font, His personal words to me (heard in my heart as I listened to Him) are in italics.

“..and the Word was with God..”  John 1:1

Just like I’m with you. Don’t be afraid, Joy. I am Emmanuel; God with you. I am beside you and inside you now and forever.

Lord, thank You for stretching me in this way. The last hour of driving I was fighting a spirit of fear but You kept pulling it out and killing it. Now here I am, in my hotel room in tiny Waldo Florida, and You are still killing it inside me.

I’m stretching you out. As I do that, deep fear is dislodged and brought to the surface. I want to deal with it in the ‘land of peace’ so you can be fearless ‘in the thicket of the Jordan’.* Let Me completely remove it from you moment-by-moment. Don’t be afraid of tomorrow; I’m already in it and I’ll carry you all the way through like I did today. Fear cannot live in My presence. Let Me replace it with My love and quiet confidence. I am your courage! As I stretch you out and lead you out, you’ll find only My presence going behind you, before you, and hovering over you constantly. **


*“If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out,
Then how can you compete with horses?
If you fall down in a land of peace,
How will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?” Jeremiah 12:5

**”You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.”  Psalm 139:5

Thank You, Lord! Thank You for driving out my fear and the fear the evil one wants to put inside me. Thank You for holding me together today as I was feverish and tired. Thank You for a sense of releasing my life and all my ambitions back to You.

I love you, Child. Rest now.

“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37

Be blessed!

Joy