Valuable in His eyes

I am always reminding people as we wrap up our mission trips and prepare to return to the USA that, even though we are leaving, God remains on the field pouring his love into the lives of those we have grown to love. What I often forget is that when we leave our loved ones to serve God overseas, he remains back home pouring his love into the lives of our loved ones.

When I returned from Brazil last Wednesday, Lana, my wife, told me an interesting story. The other day, while I was in Brazil, Lana dropped by Starbucks for a break and ordered her usual "tall skinny mocha." When she pulled up to the window to pay, the barista told her that a person two cars ahead paid for her coffee. What is interesting about this is that the very same thing happened the last time I was in Brazil!

Jesus encourages us in Mtt. 6:26 to "look at the birds of the air; they do now sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" 

As our "heavenly Father," God is always coming up with poignant and perfectly timed ways to show us how valuable we are to him. A "tall skinny  mocha" is just one more reminder that when I am away on a mission trip, God remains behind, loving on my family in ways that shows each of them how valuable and special they are to him.

I may not always know when Lana needs a "tall skinny mocha." I may not always be able to get her one even if I do ... but God can and he does. 

Change Agent

12 months ago we began our work in Santos Dumont, Brazil. Our goal: to help a church of a little over 100 members become a major influence and source of hope in this community of approximately 45 thousand. Last week our team began year two of our partnership with Pierre's church. Mark spoke to over 400 businessmen about "the secret of a winning team." We also took part in the graduation of 90 students from our Care Center's first computer class. We worked in an extremely poor neighborhood of Santos Dumont distributing food boxes, cutting hair and offering chiropractic help. The response was phenomenal. One of the judges in town asked to visit with us. He invited us to help him fulfill a vision he has to deliver people from the hopelessness of poverty and joblessness. 

It is exciting to see how this little church is becoming known in Santos Dumont as a major catalyst for change, a major source of hope. God has allowed us to be a part of this because we have chosen not to  parachute in for a week of meaningless activities that do nothing but create "warm fuzzy" experiences for our team. Instead, our teams build on the work of previous teams as we show this little church that they are not alone and that together we can make a difference.  

Disaster Relief in Clinton

When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the gulf coast, our Disaster Relief Recovery Team traveled into Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas to offer help.

When Arkansas was hit by devastating tornados this month, our DR team was deployed to Clinton to help that community get back on its feet.

The devastation was staggering. One survivor described a massive dark cloud from which a dozen smaller tornados darted out like "fingers" destroying everything they touched.

I initially thought that our team would be deployed to Clinton for an extended period of time. I was wrong... we deployed for three days and were sent home. Why? Because the people in Clinton care about each other. Everywhere we went neighbors were helping neighbors. It was thrilling to witness the way this community came together.

As expected, I walked away with "lessons learned." One is that hiding in a bathroom is a poor defense against an F-4 tornado. The other lesson is that life gets a lot harder when we try to do it on our own. Counting on other people is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of strength and a basic biblical truth.

Reminds me of how dangerous it is to try to ignore or spurn God's gift of the church as we try to take on life... sort of like relying on a bathroom to protect us from an F-4 tornado ... not a good idea!

 

Wrong and Dumb

2007 was a year I devoted to sin. I get some strange looks when I tell people that. "Yeah, whatever" they say.  "So you devoted 2007 to sin and now you want us to believe that you are closer to God than before?"  

Well, "yes." I now know why I wear sin so well; why it looks so good on me yet at the same time feels odd, like it doesn't belong on me.

 Sin is both wrong and dumb! I have seen it described as the wrong recipe for good health, the wrong gasoline to put in the tank, and the wrong road to take in order to get home. You can look into your own life for countless examples of sin as both wrong and dumb. 

The fact of the matter is that sin will never get you where you want to go. One book I read described sin as "not the way it's supposed to be." Instead of making life better, sin makes life worse. Not only is it wrong, it is dumb.