real

Posted on August 26, 2021 by Dana

After changing planes in Paris, Karlyn and I landed in Barcelona and were picked up by Dave and Cindy Bintz. We joined a football coach and his wife from Indianapolis, two young men from Mexico, and Maggie, who was invited to lead the first ever cheerleading camp at L‘Arcada Sports Camp.

img_6837Noticing her size, Karlyn asked Maggie if she was a ‘flyer’ and the answer was ‘yes.’ She coaches high school and college teams in Texas and she and her husband own a gym in Tyler. She is well-qualified, having cheered at Baylor University and for the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Rockets.

I learned a lot from Maggie the week we were together. From our initial van ride through Catalonia, to daily work assignments, to welcoming kids the first day of camp, she did everything with excellence and enthusiasm. But Maggie’s ‘transparency’ impacted me most.

An ‘honest and real’ person stands out. When calling Nathaniel, Jesus said: “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” (John 1:47) What a compliment! I think Jesus would give a similar description to Maggie: “Here is one without pretense… who has found her identity in Me. Here is someone you can trust.”

Transparency produces transparency. Our group of thirty coaches and counselors were challenged by L’Arcada leaders to become a ‘team’ before the Spanish teenagers joined us. Physical work, team-building activities, time in God’s Word, eating all meals together, and occasions for fun and competition filled our days and nights. Each afternoon we met for coffee and snacks while five or six were invited to share testimonies and experiences with Jesus. I believe because people were willing to be ‘real’ with one another, God brought unity. Though there were vast differences among us, God’s Spirit bound us together in love.

Honesty and transparency lead to vulnerability, but Jesus intends such an atmosphere to exist within His Body. If C. S. Lewis was correct, Jesus expects us to be vulnerable. In his book ‘The Four Loves,’ Lewis wrote: “To love is to be vulnerable.” And of course Jesus said: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

“Full of grace and truth,” Jesus lived a vulnerable life of love. Knowing His message would not be understood, He revealed the kingdom of God. Knowing He would be persecuted, He healed on the Sabbath. Knowing He would be criticized, He ate with sinners. Knowing all would desert, one would deny, and one would betray Him, Jesus shared daily life with His twelve apostles. Knowing He would be killed, Jesus told who He really was… the Chosen King of kings.

Today the Lord encourages us: “You are not perfect, but I am… trust Me as I live in you. Love others by being ‘real’ with them. Live in Me, and I will bring fruit.”

“I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.” II John 5-6

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camp

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Dana

Waiting in the Costa Rican airport for our return flight to Atlanta, I received an email containing an invitation to help friends in Spain prepare for an upcoming sports camp. Susan approved but since she was scheduled to work, she could not join me. So I turned to our daughter: “Karlyn, are you free in about three weeks to go on another trip with your dad?” I’m so glad she agreed… or I might still be lost in Europe.

The Bintzes have lived in Spain seven years and lead the sports section of a Christian camp. L’Arcada, which means ‘The Archway.’ The camp is located two hours north of Barcelona and less than an hour’s drive from the French border in the Catalonia section of Spain. Susan and I visited Dave and Cindy in 2019 and were amazed at their incredible ministry in a nation where less than one per cent of the citizens claim to have a relationship with Jesus.

campThe Spanish are a beautiful people, and each is precious to our Father in heaven. It is estimated that 80% of all who come to Christ in a given year in Spain credit a Christian camp with the reason. Karlyn and I joined eight other Americans, fifteen Spanish young adults, and a half-dozen believers from other nations to get ready for the upcoming session.

I was reminded how God takes saved but imperfect people and prepares them to be His vessels of grace to bless those who don’t know Him. Like me, Dave Bintz is an old basketball coach who loved to compete and win. On more than one occasion, I’ve noticed tears in his eyes as he shares his present passion. “Dana, these kids who come to our camps don’t have hope unless they see Jesus for who He really is. We teach our sports well and we all love to compete, but our purpose is much higher. Most of these young adults who are now counselors began their relationship with Christ when they were campers at L’Arcada. Now they are pointing other kids to our Savior.’

During upcoming writings, I hope to share lessons Karlyn and I learned, people we met, and things we experienced that remind us of God’s sovereign power and of our enemy’s resistance. The ages of the counselors ranged from 17 to 29 and most were using their vacation time to serve. It is amazing how the love of the Holy Spirit can bind children of God together so quickly. In our short week, Karlyn and I felt like we gained life-long friends.

While we were preparing for the upcoming sports camp, another camp was winding down. One morning before breakfast, a Spanish leader named Peter and I talked about their week. He told me a story from the previous day.

“At our evening gathering, one of our young counselors shared about our Heavenly Father. Remember, in our country there is such a sad history of people using religion as a weapon that few people even want to hear God’s name. In fact, we know parents sometimes tell their children: ‘Have fun, learn a lot, but don’t listen to the talk about God.’ After the assembly concluded, the counselor who had spoken saw two young teenage girls off to the side crying. She went to them and asked: ‘Did I say something that offended you? If I did, I am so sorry.’ The girls replied: ‘No, what you shared was beautiful. We just never knew anyone loved us the way you say God does.’”

Is this not the desire of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit… to let God’s love be known? May this also be our goal and may our lives reflect our Savior in a substantial way.

“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19

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pura vida

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Dana

Summer is coming to a close. School has already begun. Our eyes are on Jesus.

At the end of May I shared the report of cancer’s return. I was scheduled to start treatment the last week of July but COVID hit our family and everything changed. Being eight months pregnant, Kinsey had the toughest time with the virus, but we are all thankful to be feeling better. I’ll share details later, but it looks like I’ll start a new chemotherapy to fight multiple myeloma this week. We appreciate your prayers.

img_1965Susan and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary in Costa Rica and Karlyn joined us as ‘trip photographer.’ ‘Pura Vida!’ is the most common phrase used in this beautiful Central American country. Technically translated ‘pure life,’ the statement is rich with meaning.

The people we met in Costa Rica were kind, joyful, and welcoming. ‘Pura Vida’ served as ‘good morning’, ‘farewell,’ ‘have a nice day,’ and ‘enjoy the simple life.’ ‘Pura Vida’ is a great reminder to not take blessings for granted and to be thankful we are alive.

Jesus uses the term ‘abundant life’ as He invites us to come to Him to experience the Father’s best. ‘Don’t live the way the world lives… chasing endless goals that rob you of the joys of simple living. Don’t be anxious about the things the world worries about. Receive life from Me today and let tomorrow take care of itself. Come to Me and learn from Me… am I anxious or fretful? No, I am humble and gentle, knowing My Father is in control and is faithful to care for all His children. Put My words into practice, trusting Me completely, and you will find true peace, lasting joy, and pure life.’

People will tell you such a manner of living is totally unrealistic and impractical today, but we must not listen to societal wisdom. The wisest Man to ever live rejected the world’s philosophies and embraced the simple life of obedient reliance on His faithful Father… a life of love.

Challenging Christian leaders, Henri Nouwen once wrote this:

It is not a leadership of power and control, but a leadership of powerlessness and humility in which the suffering servant of God, Jesus Christ, is made manifest. I, obviously, am not speaking of a psychologically weak leadership in which Christian leaders are simply the passive victims of the manipulations of their milieu. No, I am speaking of a leadership in which power is constantly abandoned in favor of love. It is true spiritual leadership. Powerlessness and humility in the spiritual life do not refer to people who have no spine and who let everyone else make decisions for them. They refer to people who are so deeply in love with Jesus that they are ready to follow Him wherever He guides them, always trusting that, with Him, they will find life and find it abundantly.

Pura Vida!

Quote from Henri Nouwen, ‘In the Name of Jesus’, ©1989 Crossword Publishing, p. 82

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good yeast

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Dana

“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” (Matthew 13:33)

In the end, all the bad yeast that corrupts will not overcome the good yeast God is working throughout His creation. This yeast may not even be noticed, but Jesus assures us of its presence. “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20-21)

Jesus is the Source of fruit that pleases the Father. He is our Dwelling Place. “If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me, you can do nothing… I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit — fruit that will last.” (see John 15)

So, don’t grow weary of doing good. Keep serving; keep praying; keep loving; and keep walking in the Light. God will eventually defeat evil and His Church will be victorious (see closing Scripture below).

We’ve come to the end of another school year, so this will be the last writing for a while. Susan and I look forward to celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks. “A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more that rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value…” (Proverbs 31:10-11)

On the health front, I’m getting some bad numbers from cancer tests. We don’t know the exact strategy of battle as my platelets have still not rebounded. My doctor, an expert in the field of multiple myeloma, says he loves challenges… so after a few more tests we’ll figure out a plan.

Susan and I have peace and we trust our Heavenly Father. We are thankful for so many who pray for us. If I have news to relay during the summer, I may send out a note, but at this point we’ll simply rest in the familiar place of the unknown… knowing that God is with us.

With love,
Dana

“This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members of one Body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus… His intent was that now, through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord… Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:6, 10, 11, 20, 21

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bad yeast

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Dana

Being a Man of no pretense, I sometimes wonder how Jesus navigated the broken, hypocritical, and corrupt systems around Him. God had given the children of Israel the perfect rules of society, and no doubt much was implemented that brought good. But the hearts of men can sabotage the intentions of heaven.

“The truth will set you free,” but the truth can also get you into trouble. When Jesus pointed out to the citizens of His hometown Nazareth the reality of their lacking faith, some tried to throw Him off a cliff. (see Luke 4) How does truth create such animosity?

The religious leaders despised Jesus the most. In one conversation, He stated seven times: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites…” (see Matthew 23) The most powerful and respected Jews of the nation began to connive: “Then the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill Him.” (Matthew 26:3-4)

Sometimes Jesus revealed the truth through parables. He once told about tenants of a vineyard who kept persecuting the servants sent to collect the fruit. Finally, the owner decided to send his son. “’They will respect my son,’ he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’” Jesus asked His listeners: “’When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,’ they replied… When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew He was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest Him…” (Matthew 21:33-46)

But Jesus did not always confront; sometimes He knew it was best to not ‘rock the boat.’ “’What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes — from their own sons or from others?’ ‘From others,’ Peter answered. ‘Then the sons are exempt,’ Jesus said to him. ‘But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours.’”(Matthew 17:25-27)

Not only were many of the prominent religious leaders ‘pretenders,’ but politicians were also corrupt. When told that Herod wanted to kill Him, Jesus said: “Go tell that fox, ‘I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.’” (Luke 13:32) But Jesus knew He did not come to just fight worldly systems; He proclaimed a greater realm. “My kingdom is not of this world… My kingdom is from another place.” (John 18:36)

Jesus did not want His followers to be corrupted… so He cautioned: “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” (Mark 8:15) Our Lord might give us similar words today: ‘You live in a dangerous world. Some who look good on the outside are not what they seem. Don’t fall into their religious or political traps. Avoid their poison and don’t be like them. Trust the Holy Spirit to show you the truth and to speak and live with integrity and wisdom. Seek first the Father’s kingdom and His righteousness. And remember: I am with you!’

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside, you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Matthew 23:27-28

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

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