Dana's Christian Journey

musings of a thankful cancer survivor

Author: Dana

  • man

    —

    Dana

    I asked my bother, Brian, if I could forward a recent story he shared about missionary life in Zambia. Here it is:

    A couple of weeks ago, a fellow missionary asked me, “So do you have a daily routine?” As I have pondered that question, yesterday seemed to stick out as a good example of my routine:

    After sitting down at my desk in the morning to prepare some Bible lessons to be taught in April, my gardener burst into my office all out of breath. He said his mother was giving birth at the local clinic but had run into difficulties. Now they urgently needed transport to the hospital in Solwezi town, 60 kilometers away. I grabbed the keys to my truck and off we sped.

    After loading his mother into the back of the pick-up, we departed for Solwezi at full speed. Half way to Solwezi, we ran into a torrential downpour; I slipped the Three Tenors into the CD player to steel my nerves. Upon arrival at the hospital, I backed the truck up to the front door of the main building only to find out as we opened the tailgate that the baby was tired of waiting and on its way. The doctor and nurses just jumped into the back of my truck, and moments later, a little baby was born to the moving tones of Pavarotti singing ‘Nessun Dorma.’

    “…I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.” Genesis 3:16

    Being in labor for 45 minutes at 120 kilometers per hour in the back of a Toyota 4×4 brings new meaning to this verse for me. I asked my gardener what they were going to name the child. He replied, “Toyota Rain”.

    My wife, Susan, was totally unsatisfied with this story. She wrote to Africa: “What was the baby?” (That question never entered my mind…) Sondra, Brian’s wife, responded that she asked Brian the exact same question when he returned. His answer: “Oh… I don’t know.” Sondra chased down the gardener and found that the baby was a boy and would be called “Toy” for short.

    So, wives and sweethearts, please be patient with us men… especially on days like Valentine’s Day. We just don’t think sometimes…

    “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone…’” Genesis 2:18

  • ashamed

    —

    Dana

    We want the mindset that Paul demonstrated when he wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” (Rom 1:16-17) Paul stood boldly against the spirit of self righteousness (which still exists) that states, “I am justified by my good works.” Many hated (and still do) the Good News that states that all hope, salvation, and true life is dependent on what God accomplished through his Son, Jesus. Our part is to put full faith and trust in the One who died while we were yet sinners. Abraham was credited with righteousness… and so are those who receive the gospel. “The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him (Abraham) alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness – for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead…. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand… You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly… But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (see Rom 4, 5) This preaching got Paul into a lot of trouble… but he was not ashamed of God’s message.

    But there’s another angle to this word ‘ashamed’ that gives a different twist. We don’t want God to be ashamed of us! “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” (Heb 11:13-16)

    So do I ‘admit’ (in a way that impacts my living) that this world is not my home? Do I long for another country? Am I one of those God can point toward and say, “I’m not ashamed to be his God”?

    Not surprisingly, Jesus brought both these thoughts into the same teaching… which begins with an important question:

    “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:25-26

  • stretch out

    —

    Dana

    “Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” This was part of the prayer of the early believers in Acts 4.

    The day before we left Brazil, we drove for more than an hour outside Natal to a small town called Taipu. We broke into four groups and tried to cover as much territory as we could, inviting people to the gym near the center of town. I was excited because I was asked to share the gospel – “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” A little over two hundred people gathered and three or four Christians shared testimonies. One father walked forward carrying a three year old boy. He told of his two sons that were born with a terrible skin condition that caused red sores to cover their bodies. He shared how he gave his life to Jesus a little more than two weeks earlier and over the course of the next fifteen days God healed his little boys. He held up the three year old and everyone applauded. I saw a ‘before and after’ picture and was amazed. But the citizens of the town appreciated the miracle most because they knew this man and had seen his boys’ condition since they were born.

    Next, a young lady named Ana Paula stood up and shared a story. Ana Paula is a sweet, humble, yet bold believer. She hung out with us almost every night we were in Brazil. In Taipu, she stood before the crowd and told of walking through another town with a pastor of a church. They came upon a family who had a little girl who had been deaf and mute since birth. Touched with emotion, Ana Paula asked the pastor if he could heal her. His reply was classic: “I can’t heal her and you can’t heal her, but Jesus can. We can pray!” So they prayed for the little girl. Ana Paula noticed the girl nodding her head as they prayed, so she asked, “Do you hear us?” The little girl nodded. “What did we say?” “Jesus,” the girl replied. How cool that her first word was Jesus!

    I know the heart of God in answering prayer is far broader than any of us can understand. He cares for little boys with scabs all over their bodies and he cares for little girls who can’t hear or talk. The blessings to these families were practical and life-changing. But something else happens when God performs miracles – people wake up and pay attention. I doubt one soul snoozed around the temple gate while a beggar, lame from birth, danced for joy after being healed in Jesus’ name.

    I’ll share one more story that you can witness for yourselves. “Faith Like Potatoes” is a movie about a South African farmer named Angus Buchan. We picked it up at the airport in Johannesburg a few years ago and I am sure you can find it on the internet. There is an accompanying dvd that shows this evangelist ministering in a soccer stadium in southern Africa. Angus had preached as hard as he could to the crowd of 5000, but to no avail. Around 80% of the people were Muslim and few seemed to be paying much attention. The Holy Spirit prompted, “Pray for the crippled man on the front row.” The man on crutches was helped to the stage. “Jesus is going to heal this man!” Angus declared. The crowd was instantly silent. The truth was told the visitors later, but almost everyone in the village knew the man on stage had suffered a work-related accident when a tree fell and crushed his leg. A steel rod was placed in his leg during surgery. Angus confessed that he probably wouldn’t have prayed had he know details in advance, but with the faith that pleases God, the white African prayed for the black African and God did a mighty miracle. The man discarded his crutches and the two ran in place on the stage with knees lifted high. (This is much more exciting to watch!) Angus did not need to preach another moment. He offered the Lord’s invitation and 5000 people rushed forward to give themselves to Christ.

    Here’s the verse that follows the verse above:

    “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Acts 4:31

  • fiel

    —

    Dana

    I overheard some of the conversation of two college girls that went with us to Brazil. They were discussing a Portuguese phrase they had seen on several cars in Natal: “Deus e fiel” – which means “God is faithful.” These young ladies were recounting the many ways God had proven faithful in their own lives. How it must please our Father in Heaven to hear young people declare His faithfulness. I think it pleases Him when people of any age acknowledge this part of God’s character. “Great is Thy Faithfulness” is a powerful hymn of the Church.

    God can’t help but be faithful – that is who He is. Paul told Timothy, “Here is a trustworthy saying: ‘If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will disown us; If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.’”

    Wouldn’t you like to be defined by your faithfulness to Christ and His Body? The challenge for me is the challenge the coach often gives his players: “Don’t quit! Endure! Finish strong!” And the opponent whispers: “Let up! Give up! It’s OK to quit!” It is easy to predict the disaster an athlete invites with a ‘shrinking’ attitude, but what about the disciple?

    The apostles seemed to know they had to go the distance: “Not that I have obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Jesus not only saved us, He took hold of us – for a purpose. His instructions are simple and each believer must listen to His voice and ask for wisdom and grace to complete the race he’s been given to run. “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it.”

    “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10

  • rich

    —

    Dana

    Once when Kinsey was just six or seven years old, a group of us went to a Braves’ game. Kinsey and I were walking together when a man in shabby clothes came up to us asking for money. I watched my little girl reach into her pocket and pull out a five dollar bill and give it to the man with a big smile on her face. It was all the money she had and I was so proud of her. Later, she was confused when someone criticized her generosity saying it was foolish to give to panhandlers who were probably going to buy drugs. I watched an innocent girl’s joyful expression change to a worried one, wondering if she had done something wrong. I think Jesus restored her joy, but how we must keep our eyes on the Master for instruction and approval.

    There were several compassionate responses to last week’s story of Perecles. If he had an address, I could send shoes, clothes, and other necessities to the homeless Brazilian. Of course, he and many others we met that Christmas night probably need food worse than anything. Kinsey, who turns twenty Monday, took special interest in a pregnant lady who looked like she was going to go into labor any second. Kinsey sat next to her and rubbed her huge tummy and told her about the homeless mother in Bethlehem many years ago who had the Baby that saved the world. Our hearts go out to those in dire circumstances and I pray God will show us how to serve the poor and needy in our own cities. If anyone criticizes you for helping, just ignore them.

    I want to confess a deeper lesson learned in the story of Perecles. It is hard to hide from God’s penetrating Word. I was the American who gave away his shoes on our first stop on the streets of Natal. Any of us would have done the same. My shoes were rather old and I had another pair in my suitcase. The truth is I didn’t give away those shoes with much love in my heart. As I listened to Ben pray and looked at the bare feet of Perecles and recognized my feet were about the same size, it seemed God was saying, “So, what are you going to do… stare at his feet or meet the need?” How do you tell God you signed up to go on a mission trip, not to give away your stuff? So, my reaction was pretty much a no-brainer. But here’s the way I really felt: I would have gladly given my shoes to any of the other homeless people in that location. They were all listening to a message, waiting patiently for their food, and following the rules. Perecles was annoying. He never followed directions and seemed only concerned about being first in line. He was dirty and he didn’t smell very good. I gave him the shoes simply because he was bold enough to declare his need.

    When I saw he had run nearly a mile to our next stop, my initial impression was confirmed: “This guy just wants handouts. What a mooch!” The Father knows the hearts of all people and He has the power to change us in an instant. Perecles told Fernanda that as we drove away, God broke his heart and he couldn’t stop crying. He knew he had to find our group and give back the shoes to a guest of his city. You don’t know how humbling it is to have a homeless man get down on his knees and put shoes on your feet. I didn’t want them back, but Fernanda wouldn’t let me stop the outpouring of generosity.

    Now here’s the kicker: When Perecles rose and looked me in the eye, I saw the love of Christ in his face. I knew a poor man had given a greater gift than a rich American, but did this beggar also possess a greater measure of the fruit that most pleases the Father? And if so, where did he get it? “If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” God, help me.

    “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:17-20

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