muy alto

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Dana

I cringed Tuesday morning at breakfast when Pastor Manuel answered our question: “Where are you taking us today?” “Muy alto,” was his answer. If a local citizen of Ecuador says he is taking you “very high,” you’re in trouble. Though I’ve prayed about it quite a bit, I can’t get over a horrible fear of heights. When our bus left the main road and started climbing a section of the Andes Mountains, my stomach started rising to my throat. Gravel roads… no guard rails… higher and higher we went. Every village we approached I prayed, “Lord, this is good enough. They need You here… I’m sure they do!” But we never stopped until we got to the very top of the mountain.

On Thursday Pastor Manuel planned to take us to another village. At breakfast I reluctantly asked, “Are we going ‘muy alto’ today?” What a relief it was when he answered, “No, we’re going into a valley.” “Thank you, Lord,” I silently prayed. But before we went into the valley we had to drive up a mountain. And the journey into the valley was worse than the Tuesday climb into the mountains. We literally had to get off the bus to move rocks and branches out of the narrow dirt road that winded its way into a little village next to a flowing stream. The scenery was beautiful, but how can you enjoy the view when you’re hanging onto your bus seat for dear life?

This is not a new lesson, but it is one we’re supposed to remember: God wants to take us to the high places… and the low places… and He wants us to enjoy the journey with him. The disciples cried, “Master, we’re going to drown! Don’t you care that we perish?” while Jesus slept in the bottom of the boat. “Why are you so afraid?” Jesus asked after He stood up and calmed the waves. “You are with the King of kings. Why are you worried about a storm… or a high mountain… or a questionable road? If I am in the boat (or bus), don’t you believe things are going to be alright? Where is your faith?”

I know some may laugh at me for being afraid of heights and I might laugh at others for things they fear, but the issue centers on trust. I honestly don’t think I can keep my body from reacting the way it does when I’m 14,000 feet in the air, but Jesus wants me to keep my eyes on him and not be afraid. I love the conclusion Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego reached when they faced a scary moment in Babylon. They said to Nebuchadnezzer, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18) This is a great attitude: “I will face my fear believing I will live, but if I don’t… so what? My God is with me.”

So step one is to ‘overcome the fear’ but step two is also important: ‘enjoy the journey.’ I think Jesus really wants us to take pleasure in his assignments. “Come up to the high places with me!” Or “You’ve seen the mountain tops, now let’s go deep into the lowlands where there are all types of dangers and trials.” Or “We’ve got an important job to do in another land, but in order to get there we must hop in a boat and sail through a storm.” Can we rejoice no matter what? Of course most of the time we’re assigned to rather normal or even mundane tasks at home, school, or work. But if Jesus is with us, should there not be a sense of excitement? Who knows what opportunity God may give today to shine his light? Who knows what chance we might have to demonstrate the kindness of our Lord? Who knows what purpose Jesus has in mind today? “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!”

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen or cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Habakkuk 3:17-19

Posted in missions | Comments Off

mi Pastor

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Dana

I think God knew the theme we chose to teach the children of Ecuador before we even arrived. We went to church in Riobamba our first night there, and as we worshipped in a foreign language an older gentleman kneeled on the hard floor in front of the stage holding a huge banner that read: EL SENOR ES MI PASTOR. That was our theme: THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD.

I don’t remember seeing many sheep last year, but this trip we saw hundreds. And we saw shepherds too! By far, our favorite shepherd was Pastor Manuel, the man who asked us not to forget his people when we returned to our country. Manuel grew up in a small town high in the Andes Mountains. There were no Christians in his village so darkness was the norm. His father was an alcoholic who often abused his family. This caused Manuel to want to leave his home as soon as possible. After marrying his childhood sweetheart Paula, Manuel found Christ in a revival meeting in another town. Perhaps we should say the Lord found Manuel… then Paula… then son Marco… then daughter Blanca. After a time of preparation in Quito, Manuel knew God wanted him to take the Gospel back to his village. When he did, the entire town came to Christ.

Three years ago the family moved to a sizable town named Cajabamba where they daily feed and teach about twenty children in an after-school program. Carrying only the Word of God, Pastor Manuel travels (mainly by foot) to seven different churches in the surrounding mountains and valleys. I’ve been to four of these villages and witnessed this humble, middle-aged man teach, encourage, correct, and love the people who have given their hearts to the Shepherd of our souls. All twenty-five American visitors agreed that our small friend with a red poncho on his shoulders and fedora on his head was an Ecuadorian representation of the Chief Shepherd.

To people who understood the weaknesses of sheep and the dangers of life, Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd. He leads us beside still waters and through green pastures in the proper seasons. His rod and staff bring comfort and guidance. Even in the valley of the shadow of death, we need not fear because our Pastor is with us. If an enemy attacks, our Shepherd will fight on our behalf; no one can snatch us out of his hand. He anoints us with the oil of his Spirit as He calls us by name. At one time or another we have all wandered away, but our Shepherd always goes to find the one who is lost. How wise and strong He is! How important it is to listen to his voice! We are the sheep of his pasture and we are blessed.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” John 10:14-16

Posted in missions | Comments Off

cuidado

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Dana

We had a great trip to Ecuador. God spoke some very clear things to us during our week in this beautiful, mountainous South American country. As we worked with children in the cities and with kids served by Compassion International and with the indigenous tribes in the Andes and with our Ecuadorian brothers and sisters in Christ, we kept hearing God ask: “Do you care about the things I care about?” ‘Cuidado’ means ‘care.’

Do you remember the end of the story of Jonah as he sat on a hill pouting about the mercy God had extended to Ninevah? In the heat of the day a vine grew up to give Jonah shade. Then the vine died and the prophet got so upset he said he was ready to die. Here’s what the Lord said in the closing two verses of the book of Jonah: “You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Ninevah has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?”

How easy it is to care more about the temporal than the eternal! Or to make it personal: ‘Do I care more about the things I eat, the place I live, the car I drive, the entertainment I pursue… than the physical and spiritual well-being of the people in my city and around the world?’ We may hesitate to answer this question honestly, but God sees perfectly.

Last Tuesday I was invited to share in a village church in the mountains. Half the audience was made up of our mission team and the other half was made up of the native Quechuan people. Before I spoke, the pastor had asked us not to forget them when we went back home. His simple plea brought some of us to tears as we understood the heart of God regarding an isolated, forgotten people. I tried to encourage the local Christians with the truth of God’s love, but the verse that seemed to speak to us Americans contained a message I must never forget. Ezekial explained the sin of the ancient city of Sodom that was destroyed by fire in the time of Lot and Abraham. “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” (Ezekiel 16:49)

In preparation for our trip to Ecuador we had studied the first two verses of Romans 12. Often we think of ‘God’s will’ in terms of the decisions we must make in life. Certainly we need God’s wisdom to make daily decisions, but it seems there is a deeper meaning in these verses. When we truly give up self and present our bodies as living sacrifices, and when we determine we will not conform to the pattern of this world, then our minds will be renewed and transformed. We will begin to think like God and we will be concerned about the things that matter most to him. When we pursue and obtain the ‘mind of Christ’ we will clearly see the Father’s will… ‘his good, pleasing and perfect will.’ May we fully embrace such abundant living.

“Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2

Posted in stories | Comments Off

I want to hold your hand

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Dana

Why does God want to hold my hand? One reason is that I need him so. God knows we need his hand of direction, guidance, and discipline. The independent spirit so common in our world forgets how weak and fragile and ignorant and foolish we really are. Like a wise parent, the perfect Father says, “Here child, hold my hand as we cross the street.” We need him more than we can even fathom… and his outstretched hand is our greatest blessing.

Perhaps another reason for hand-holding is the relationship God longs for us to have… a relationship defined by the deepest love. Susan and I are remembering what it is like to have a six-year-old in the house these days. John Turner’s mom, Terri, lives a distance away, so she lets John stay with us on school nights. It is not uncommon for him to slip his hand into mine while in the house or in the neighborhood. The unspoken message is: “I love you.”

Does the Heavenly Father feel joy when his children do the same? John sometimes prays like this: “God, I hope you’re having a good day.” I smile when I hear this little one saying “thank you” in an honest way. When we as children realize the great love we have received, we will also give sincere thanks. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God. And that is what we are!”

The Father loves to tenderly hold the hand of one He created and rescued. He loves to have fellowship with his children… “beside still waters” and “through the valley of the shadow of death.” When we sin we run away from this fellowship. Adam and Eve hid from God after they disobeyed. It is impossible to hold God’s hand when we independently choose our own path. But the Father is always there. He knows how to discipline and restore; he is full of mercy and grace and wisdom. If we listen carefully, we may hear him whisper, “I want to hold your hand.”

“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceived my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in – behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Psalm 139:1-10

(Our youngest daughter Karlyn and I leave for Ecuador Saturday with a mission group from school, so I won’t be able to write next week. We appreciate your prayers! May God’s hand guide us all!!)

Posted in joy | Comments Off

here comes the Son

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Dana

Once after telling a parable, Jesus asked a question: “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” We know that “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” We also know that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” (See Hebrews 11)

Abraham is a great example. His faith led him to believe the impossible and to do anything God told him to do. Will I be humble enough to let God call the shots? James tells us to notice the result of Abraham’s faith. “You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend.” (James 2:22-23)

The hero in Jesus’ parable was a widow who demonstrated faith by never giving up. She pleaded with an unjust judge for justice. “Something is wrong, sir, and you have the power to change it.” The judge refused time after time, but the woman was undaunted. “Sir, look at this injustice! You have the power to make it right! Will you?” We know the result of her persistence. “Finally the judge said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’” (see Luke 18)

What is Jesus’ message? “The Son of Man is coming! Will he find faith? My Father is no unjust judge! Don’t you think he cares about justice more than someone who doesn’t even love people? Do you believe he has the power to make things right? Then pray like this widow! Put your faith into action… and never give up!”

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.” Matt 24:42-46

Posted in Jesus | Comments Off