so?

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Dana

A good friend read Jonathan Cahn’s book The Harbinger and asked: “So what do we do? If God sends warnings or wake-up calls to our nation through whatever means, what should be our response?”

Should not an individual’s response depend upon his present standing with God? The truth is: if there is no fear of the Lord, there is no wisdom. If a person is lost, he must find the Way. If a person is an unbeliever, he must come to faith. The invitation is extended; a Savior stands with arms open wide. “Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

If an individual is a Christian, but his life looks no different than a non-Christian’s,  he must turn away from all sin and run to his ‘first love’. Perhaps Jesus has never been ‘first love’… but this is the place He must be! God takes no pleasure in the lukewarm; He did not sacrifice his Son for us to be nominal, passionless pretenders. The only hope is to humbly come to Jesus. These are his words: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize 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 for 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 3:15-20)

If a person is walking with the Lord, depending on his grace, and enjoying his fellowship… he should keep trusting, keep listening, keep obeying, keep watching, and keep praying. We are not to worry or be afraid, “for God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.” “Abide in Christ” — He is the Source of Life. “Be filled with the Spirit” — He is the promised Gift from the Father. “Love fervently” — for this is God’s will for us. He may send us to dangerous places and ask us to do hard things… but He is with us and, with God, “all things are possible!” We are his children and He has called us to be salt and light in a dark world. “Rejoice always!” “Give thanks in all circumstances!” “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only!” We have been placed on this earth for such a time as this… should we not live boldly?

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

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harbinger

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Dana

“The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.” Isaiah 9:10

At first glance this verse might seem an appropriate statement for post 9/11 speeches. In fact, it was quoted by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle on the Senate floor the day after the twin towers fell. Then in a speech in Washington DC on the third anniversary of the attack, vice presidential candidate John Edwards quoted this passage from Isaiah as the ‘word of the Lord’ for America as we continued to recover and look to the future.

However, there is a problem with this verse as it is read in context. It was actually a statement of defiance against the Lord. God had allowed Assyria to attack a rebellious Israel, but instead of confessing their sin and turning to God, Israel revealed a hardened heart. “The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel. All the people will know it — Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria — who say with pride and arrogance of heart, ‘The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.’” Isaiah 9:8–10

Jonathan Cahn is a Messianic Jew who recently wrote a book called The Harbinger. Written in story form, Cahn shows the way God warns nations. A broad lesson of the book is the real possibility that God’s Word can be used in totally inappropriate ways. We know this is true as we notice Satan quoting Scripture to tempt Jesus on the highest point of the temple… “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus was not deceived.

The specific purpose of Cahn’s book is to sound an alarm for our country to turn to God. The historical facts he mentions in his story make the warnings impossible to ignore.

God gives a simple responsibility to those He chooses to voice his warnings. He basically says: “You can’t control whether others heed my warning, but you must speak out. If you don’t speak, I will hold you responsible.” God’s ways don’t change. He loves enough to send wake-up calls to those who are asleep. “The Lord disciplines those He loves.”

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself.” Ezekiel 3:16-19

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10,000

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Dana

The day after we arrived home in Atlanta from Africa, I smiled at the end of an outdoor Easter worship service when Matt Redman led his song entitled ’10,000 Reasons’:

Bless the Lord O my soul, O my soul
Worship His Holy Name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I’ll worship Your Holy Name
The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes
You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger
Your Name is great and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find…

We know we have 10,000 reasons to praise God each day, but sometimes 10,000 worries consume our thinking and we neglect giving thanks. With all the miracles God performed to get our mission team to Namibia and back, one part of the story is still unresolved.

We had to make a quick decision in Atlanta to change airlines to try to catch the flight from Washington DC to Johannesburg. The cost was a little over $400 per person to fly to Dulles airport. Tragically, when the first leg of a multi-leg journey is missed, the airline’s reservation system drops a traveler from all the other legs of the journey. To reinstate, another charge of $250 per person was required to ensure we could get home. Adding the two charges and multiplying by fifteen gave a tidy debt of $10,000… 10,000 reasons to worry.

But God told us every day of our trip to rejoice in Him and to not be anxious about anything… He was near. Is this only true for the actual mission trip? Does God want us to live this way every day of our lives? Are there not serious matters we have to contend with each day? I don’t think I should casually say to my business director: “Relax. Quit worrying. Rejoice! Its only $10,000…”

I told our director of missions that I felt like I was going to a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill as we walked to a Tuesday meeting with our travel agency. Our business director wisely suggested that we all sit down and discuss our situation. Before the trip, I did not notice a time change on our e-tickets (which does not surprise people who know me, as I sometimes don’t notice if my socks match). The travel agency did not inform us of this huge change in our itinerary. We were all frustrated by the circumstances that created a ‘perfect storm’ in the travel world. All of us had something at stake.

But when we sat down together and realized we were all human with the potential of making mistakes, we had an excellent meeting. The $10,000 bill is not yet paid, but a fair solution looks a lot more hopeful. God was in the middle of our meeting… and we know He is not worried.

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forever more.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” I Thessalonians 5:16-24

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trip

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Dana

“Sir, that flight left thirty minutes ago…” So began our trip to Namibia on March 28, 2012. Susan and I sprinted to another ticket counter on the opposite side of the Atlanta airport to search for an alternative way to get to Washington, DC. We were told, “Go get your group; there are seats open on the 12:15 flight.” So we ran back across the airport, beckoned our team, and sprinted one last time with thirteen other travelers and a small group of parents. It must have been quite a sight… each team member dragging 100 pounds of luggage through a crowded airport. Because we had thirty suitcases to check, we didn’t catch the 12:15 flight to Dulles. It was a rough morning…

Five of our team caught a full 2:10 flight and the rest of us boarded the 3:29 plane to DC. The South African Airlines flight to Johannesburg was scheduled to leave at 5:40. The group of five arrived first and boarded the Africa-bound plane a little after 5:15; the rest of the group landed at gate 76 in concourse B at 5:21. Our destination was gate 37. Megan and Andrew were the first two off the plane and they sprinted like track stars. The rest of us followed closely behind as our ‘amazing race’ resumed. (Susan and I are going to have to get personal trainers before we go on another mission trip.) As we ran, I could see the vague image of a man waving his arm, encouraging us to hurry. “We’re going to make it,” I thought. But when Susan and I arrived, most of our group had collapsed on the floor in tears. The door was shut and could not be reopened. No amount of begging or crying or arguing changed anything. Fifteen minutes after arriving at gate 37, we watched our plane back away from the terminal and begin its long journey across the ocean.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

This was the Scripture God gave us in our predicament and I would have been fine with it except for five words: ‘always,’ ‘all,’ ‘anything,’ ‘everything,’ and ‘thanksgiving.’ But God wanted us to embrace his entire Word, including the challenging terms… and when we did, He gave each of us a ‘peace which transcends all understanding.’  Even when we were told that flights to South Africa were sold out until April, God still wanted us to rejoice, to be thankful, and to trust him.

Friends of a member of our team came and picked us up at the airport and took us to their home in Virginia. This family of four housed us, fed us, and encouraged us in the Lord. The Body of Christ is so beautiful! The next day they took us back to Dulles where we were greeted by the staff we had begged the night before. This time they had smiles on their faces: “You are on the flight! All of you have confirmed tickets to Namibia!” It was easier to ‘rejoice’ this day. Only twenty-four hours later than our original plan, ten hours after the group of five arrived (they had different adventures), we made it to Windhoek. Only eight of our thirty suitcases arrived with us, but we did not complain. God had rescued us.

We had an incredible trip, full of opportunities to serve people and love children. We felt God’s presence at every turn and we are so thankful. Peace relates directly to what is going on in our hearts and minds. This is why we need God to guard us in Christ Jesus. In the two verses following the ones above, Paul tells us how to think and what to do. We’re learning…

“Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9

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1998

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Dana

I won’t be writing for the next two weeks as we are leaving soon to visit Community Hope School in Windhoek, Namibia. My first trip to Africa was in 1998 with our son, Taylor. We left on his twelfth birthday and visited my youngest brother Brian and his wife in Benin, West Africa. God taught us so many things that I asked Him to allow my whole family to one day experience his provision and protection in foreign lands. He has answered that prayer in amazing ways since ’98 and I am so grateful. The Body of Christ is the most beautiful organism on earth. To meet brothers and sisters of different languages and nationalities gives a tiny glimpse of Heaven to come.

This will be my tenth trip to Africa, and interestingly all but the first have taken place after I was diagnosed with cancer in 2000. I remember receiving a phone call on one of the darkest days of sickness with an encouraging word I could not bring myself to believe. “Dana,” a dear brother in Christ said, “I have this picture in my mind of you traveling around the world in the Name of Jesus.” I don’t remember my exact reply, but I thought, “Yeah right… you’ve got a flawed mind.” (Oh me of little faith.) During Christmas 2001 our entire family visited Brian and Sondra and their two boys who then lived in Cape Town, South Africa. When we arrived, smiling African brothers and sisters surrounded me praising God that they could see a concrete answer to a year of praying for Brian’s brother.

Brian has lived in Zambia the past five years. After fifteen years in Africa, he, Sondra, Noah, and Bryson will be moving to the States this spring to further their sons’ education. Brian is one of my heroes and I think this move will be difficult for him, but he realizes God has plans for different seasons of life. Isn’t it fun to watch his plans unfold?

The missionaries, teachers, and students at Community Hope School in Namibia are very dear to us. We have seen the older children grow up from preschool age to become beautiful teenagers who want to make a difference in their nation. Our high school students will be able to work with them in their studies, play with them, and serve all with the love of Christ. Please pray for us that the Light of Jesus might shine brightly.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

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