THRICE A PILGRIM

If you’re been following our FB ministry page, you know we’ve transitioned from the Philippines to New Mexico. Being from Michigan, we still feel like pilgrims because life here is so different from the Midwest. Culture, climate, you name it. (It’s lonely not having anyone to speak Tagalog with, too.) So, rather than feeling like we are back in our earthly homeland, we’re on yet another pilgrimage. So “Thrice” just seemed like a nice way to describe where life has taken us in this new season.

We have 2 areas of ministry we’ll concentrate on here. One is Native Americans & the other is the International Community (especially people who have come relatively recently to the US & are living here). Our real passion is training & equipping leaders for the local church (God’s primary instrument for fulfilling the Great Commission). Its ability to be God’s instrument depends largely on its health. Its health depends much on the quality of its leadership. So we believe that what we do is a vital ministry, & we are committed to giving it our best & trusting the Lord for His help.

This may be the only time we’ll do an appeal here at the blog. If you’re interested in learning more about this ministry thru monthly newsletter or prayer updates send us a Facebook message or comment below.

Also, if you would like to partner with us financially, you can do so at: https://giving.ag.org/Give/Details/8b5f193b-025d-40d5-96c6-ee0b2dbb0c4b?CookieCheck=1

DON’T FREEZE UP

On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (Mark 4:35-41)

This is a pretty familiar story, & variations of it are repeated several times throughout the Gospels. The disciples may have had at least a couple of similar experiences like this during Jesus’ 3-year ministry.

When Jesus scolded the disciples about having no faith, was He referring to their waking Him up while He was sleeping (He’d had a pretty long & intense day of ministry), or for how the whole group of them just froze & couldn’t do anything? Or was it about their whole lame response to the storm even though they had witnessed His authority to deal with all kinds of challenges?

He was able to sleep thru the storm, to the extent that they had to wake Him up. He was also able to calm it. Then, after He dealt with what the thing they feared, they were even more afraid when He questioned them about their lack of faith.

The thing I took from this story today is that Jesus demonstrated 2 vital ways of expressing our faith. The first is the ability to have peace (enough to apparently be oblivious to the power of the storm) in the midst of a life-threatening situation. The second is that when awakened, He immediately & authoritatively dealt with the situation.

Maybe He could do the second because He knew how to do the first. 

Let’s commit ourselves to no longer get rattled & freeze up in situations because we haven’t allowed God’s peace to fill us. Let’s be prepared spiritually & as much as possible in practical ways. That way we can have control of our emotions, we can see what may need to be done, & we can do it. All with the conviction that the Lord is in control of the whole process.

TRUST

It’s almost a cliché that people make God in their own image. He gets used a lot (often by people who know better) to justify all kinds of things that are contrary to His will. But that’s only one side of this topic. Another aspect of this has to do with people who may not realize that this “re-imaging of God” is happening to them & who just need to be aware of it so that they can begin to overcome it.

One of the challenges to those who want to surrender their lives to Christ, or who once walked with Him, is that they don’t believe that He will receive them. They feel that they aren’t good enough. That might be because of things they have done in their past, or even because of things have happened to them.

A challenge to those who already know the Lord & want to grow in that relationship is that they don’t trust Him enough to obey what they know He expects of them.

This is where the idea of making God over into our image can defeat even those who sincerely want His will for their lives.

When we know that we aren’t trustworthy or that people we have relied on have disappointed or hurt us, it’s easy to subconsciously believe that God is also untrustworthy. How do we overcome this obstacle to our faith? This is serious business, because we’re trapped by the idea that God can only be trusted to the extent that people can be. In our hearts, God has taken on the image of man.

If someone is willing to grow in their ability to trust God by being obedient to what they know His will is, their level of trust in God will grow. The old hymn is really true:

Trust & obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus but to trust & obey.

There’s no quick fix to this problem because it has taken time & probably hard experiences to become engrained into who we are. But there is a solution. It’s no more complicated than growing in our ability to trust God.

First, start with where you are. Admit your wrong perception of God to yourself & to Him. He already knows it anyway. He’s not intimidated by it.

Second, take the first little baby step. Be obedient to what you know God’s will is. You will find that in Scripture & thru the ways He confirms it (prayer, the prompting of the Holy Spirit, godly friends, biblical preaching & teaching, etc).

As you grow in your capacity to obey God’s will in small things, you’ll find your confidence in His trustworthiness will also grow. Remember, this is a growing experience that doesn’t happen in a short time.But the important things is the direction your life is taking. Remember: baby steps!

TOXIC CYNICISM

Hi! My name is Ray & I’m a recovering cynic.

Why would a minister or missionary, or a disciple of Christ for that matter, struggle with cynicism? There are a lot of reasons, & one of them is that I am a human being just like everyone else. Another is that I’m not somehow magically immune from the kinds of negative experiences that can influence people to be cynical.

What is cynicism & why is it toxic? First, cynicism is very different from skepticism. In my view, skepticism (at least the healthy kind) is using reason, experience, & observation to avoid being gullible. It’s kind of like a shield we develop that can protect us from being deceived. Cynicism is a deeply held refusal to believe that there could be anything good about a person, experience, or situation.

What are some symptoms of cynicism? When we look around at the negatives that are happening in our culture, we see people who seem to be eaten up with it. How else do we explain things like the deep political divisions, the readiness to take offense at the smallest perceived slight, the increase in violence & suicide, & the attempts to destroy institutions that have for generations made our culture stable & strong?

What is the antidote for cynicism? First, like any problem, it must be honestly acknowledged to ourselves & to God. In a sense, cynicism is an enjoyable thing if we allow it to consume us. But, like any sin, it will destroy us. It begins by making us self-righteous & deaf to God’s voice. It destroys our ability to have healthy relationships with others.

Second, we must confess it to God & ask Him to graciously forgive & give us victory over its attraction.

Are you a recovering cynic? Do you want to begin? I welcome you to join me on the road to recovery.

MY FRIEND JOHN

I have a confession to make – I love to hear Tennessee Ernie Ford sing Gospel songs & hymns. One of my favorites is Just a Closer Walk with Thee.

It’s a favorite because it reminds me of a friend we pastored years ago. His name was John. In our little church we would occasionally spend a whole service singing hymns, & inevitably John ask, “Can we sing Just a Closer Walk?”

John was a man’s man. At 17 years of age, he became an Army paratrooper & eventually parachuted into France on D-Day. After the war he became a successful race car driver. John always worked 2 jobs & could fix or build just about anything.

When we met him, he was in his early 60s & was beginning to slow down a little bit. But he enjoyed teaching Sunday school (although he probably didn’t see himself as much of a teacher). After a long day’s work, it wouldn’t take long for him to be ready to hit the sack.

John was the kind of man who was much more about doing things with his hands than sitting & listening to a sermon. It was hard for him to stay awake. One Sunday as he & his wife were leaving church he said, “Pastor, I’m sorry that I have trouble staying awake while you’re preaching.” I replied to him, “I’m just thankful you’re here & that you love the Lord. You can fall asleep any time I’m preaching, & it’s OK with me.”

John was a very special man, & I’ll never forget him. God bless you, my brother.

FLUNKING HISTORY

We’ve seen a lot of what could be called attempts to revise history lately. They take various forms such as tearing down statures & cancelling old TV programs, & to purge certain writers from our cultural/national memory. One of the faulty ideas behind this move is that we must see historical events, process, or people thru the lens of current political correctness. That’s a sure recipe for setting off lots of “righteous indignation” among the political Left.

I recently saw this extended quote from Frederick Douglass which was treated in somewhat the same way, except that it was used apparently in hopes of shaming Americans who celebrate Independence Day. Check out his quote: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2927.html

I commented with questions about where slavery took place, what economic & political systems were in place to perpetuate slavery, & what has changed since he said this in 1852. The answers to my questions were that slavery was taking place all over the US (wrong!); capitalism & white supremacy were the basis for it (wrong!); & that it is still happening (wrong!).

Wow! What do you do with this kind of thinking? My emotional response ranged from surprise to wanting to laugh (surely this was satire wasn’t it?) to anger at the educational malpractice that was committed on the person who gave such answers.

What is the answer? It’s spiritual (America desperately needs revival). It’s also institutional ((followers of Christ need to step up & take their rightful place in education, media, etc).

As a nation, we can’t afford to flunk history.

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON INDEPENDENCE DAY

A lot of thoughts go thru my mind when patriotic holidays roll around. I’d like to share a few of them with you.

A few years ago we had a fellow missionary from the UK who had a humorous perspective on Independence Day. When asked if they have July 4^th in the UK, he would respond in the way that only people from his country can, “Yes, in fact it generally follows July 3^rd.” When pressed about whether they observe it, he would say, “Well, yes, we do actually. That's when we finally got rid of those pesky Colonials.”

I’ve also decided to refer to it as Independence Day, not just July 4^th our The Fourth. Celebrating our national independence & sovereignty means a lot more than just remembering a calendar date.

Another thing such holidays bring to my mind is when Deborah & I came home to the US for itineration in 2011. A few days after arriving, we attended a semi-professional sporting event where the National Anthem was played. I can’t describe the feeling of pride, thankfulness, & joy at hearing it – it had been several years since we had heard out nation’s beloved National Anthem played in public. I try to never take such symbols as that & the flag for granted.

One last thought. I know that to be cynical about our great nation is considered by some to be cool & hip. Having lived abroad for 15 years, I have a suggestion. If you really feel that some other country is better or superior, would you please take the time & trouble to move there?  (I would also strongly suggest that you follow their prescribed process & do it legally; not all countries treat illegals the same as we do.) Then let me know if you still feel that way after a few years.

In the meantime, I pray you have a very blessed & wonderful Independence Day.