O Christmas Tree

Amy and Leigh helped with the tree selection.

Our Christmas tree is up. For the last few years we have purchased our tree at Bottoms Christmas Tree Farm here in Cumming and that's where this year's tree came from as well. Dennis and Sandra Bottoms are so nice and helpful and they have great trees (shameless plug!). At any rate, we got a beautiful 8-foot Fraser Fir and had a fun morning out at their farm which is less than five miles from our house.

Obtaining and decorating the Jackson family tree is a big deal. We've always had live trees and each year we decide that particular year's tree is the best we've ever had. This year is no exception; our tree is spectacular.

Now that the tree is up and the house is decorated it's time to enjoy my favorite time of the year. That includes good football games to watch, Christmas Specials to watch on TV, and catching up with friends and family since I've been out of the loop for a while. Looking forward to every moment of it.

Thanksgiving 2010

I'm so glad Thanksgiving is here. I've been looking forward to this for a long time; I suppose because I knew when the big day arrived I'd be HOME! After all, Thanksgiving is all about home, isn't it?

I woke up this morning thinking about all the different things people would be doing today. There are so many great traditions. I have friends who run the half-marathon every year. Others enjoy the tradition of an early morning hunt before the big meal. Some folks decorate their Christmas tree. Others go to a movie Thanksgiving afternoon. Still others go from one set of in-laws to the other, eating big meals at both.

As I've thought about this afternoon (we're having thirteen family members to our house), I am anticipating some of the conversations that will be held. Things like…

"What time does the football game begin?" "Who is playing today?" "Wouldn't grandma have loved this dish?" "I am so glad you made your casserole!" "How was Africa?" "You sure have lost a lot of weight!" "I can't believe I ate so much." "My eyes were bigger than my stomach." "Where are we going to have Christmas this year?" "I'm ready for a nap now…." "You know why don't you? It's that chemical in the turkey…" etc…

I will love every bit of the day, and every bit of the food, and every hug and every smile. I hope you do too.

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

No Place Like Home

Dorothy got it right – there truly is “no place like home.” After being away from home for three months I touched down in Atlanta last night around 10pm and was home in my own house in Cumming before midnight. I had a great welcoming committee at the top of the stairs at the airport. I got some great hugs and then we drove home and Donna, Amy, Leigh, John and I looked at pictures and caught up with one another’s lives.

Home, of course, is not really a particular place as much as it is a state of mind. You can actually be thousands of miles away and still feel quite at home. Familiar sights, sounds and smells all contribute to the feeling of being home; but home is mostly about relationships and people.

Still, I’d be out of touch with reality if I said that being back in your old environment contributes nothing to the feeling of home; it does. Tonight as I sit here blurry-eyed and jet-lagged trying to write, let me just say that I have the greatest family in the whole world and am so thankful they were standing at the top of those stairs. Secondly, let me say that as I was traveling this way for over twenty four hours yesterday (including layovers). I found myself very glad that I'm an American; I not only have the best family – I live in the greatest nation on the planet (que Lee Greenwood singing here).

Anyhow – today was a day of rest after attending Cumming First Baptist (quite a difference from last Sunday’s worship experience at Kpene). This week will be spent with family, culminating with Thanksgiving on Thursday. In the meantime, I will continue to process my teaching experience and to reflect upon it.

God Bless You! 

One More Night

The tiny plane I flew on today.

It's Friday night and I find myself still in Ghana instead of boarding a Delta flight for home. I was supposed to fly out just after midnight tonight, but my flight was cancelled, so I go out in the morning instead. That means I arrive in Atlanta late Saturday night instead of in the morning.

My flight from Tamale was interesting. It was on a Beechcraft 1900 which only had 15 seats. It had a narrow center aisle and one seat on each side of the aisle. The cockpit was open and since I was on the fourth row I could see all the instruments and look out the front window over the pilot’s head. It really felt like flying and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Am I upset about one more night in Ghana? No! What’s another night after three months away from home? Yesterday when I learned I got bumped from my flight from Tamale to Accra I was a little frustrated, but today I’m okay with whatever happens. God gave me a real peace about things last night. Perhaps it was some kind of breakthrough.

At any rate, I’m in Accra tonight, in room 209 of the Airport View Hotel and I’ve had all afternoon to sun by the swimming pool and relax, which is pretty nice considering it is almost Thanksgiving. Tomorrow – God willing – I will see my family again; so who’s complaining? Not me!

Kudos to my second born for her great job early this morning working the phone and Internet to get me rescheduled on another flight. It’s great to have kids who are travel-savvy and competent in so many ways. Without Leigh I would be headed over to the airport tonight for a non-existent flight and would have been sorely disappointed.

I'm still reflecting on the overall experience of this trip. It was definitely a great experience. I'm praying God uses everything about it - even the travel irritations - to speed the arrival of his kingdom. USA here I come!!

Bitter Sweet

Today I had to bid my students at the Northern Ghana Baptist Theological Seminary farewell. I must admit it was a bitter sweet moment. Bitter because it is “good-bye for now,” I’m truly going to miss the guys; sweet because I know how much progress they’ve made in just three months and sweet because I’m going home.

The faculty and students gave me a lovely good-bye fete today. We worshipped together followed by speeches, wonderful prayers, refreshments, and gifts. I received a large framed certificate to hang on the wall, a Dagomba smock, two shirts, and even a dress for Donna which was presented to me on her behalf by the director’s wife who came to the ceremony just for that purpose. My backpack and motorbike were loaded down with trophies as I drove home, misty-eyed, to Seed Ministry for the last time today.

Lately I’ve had a string of things in my life that didn’t end like I pictured they would. I’m sure you know what I mean; the “happily-ever-after” glow when something is done and done well. Teaching over here has made up for a lot of disappointment for me. I’m proud of this work – I’m not boasting; God did it all and to Him be the glory – but doggone it, this one turned out good! I feel totally encouraged by what has transpired. I also feel grateful to my family who permitted me to be gone so long and thankful for all the ministry partners who were with me in spirit, financially and through their prayers. This couldn’t have happened without you guys. Thank-you!

Early tomorrow morning I board a 15-seat plane here in Tamale to begin the long journey home. I’d love your prayers as I travel. I’m not sure if I’ll get the opportunity to blog again before I leave Ghana (late tomorrow night), so until then – thanks again for your readership. I will be posting pictures when I get back to high speed internet. God bless!

Don’t Falter

A proverb has been in my mind a lot lately. It's Proverbs 24:10, which says, "If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength." In some ways this proverb seems to go against much of what the New Testament (especially) teaches about us being strong when we are weak, and the meek inheriting the earth, troubles being our friend, etc… The proverb seems to say something along the lines of "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Odd how the Bible does that – it covers the entire range of human experience so well that there always seems to be something there for those who search its riches.

My teaching experience here in Africa has had its difficult moments – with sickness and discouragement cropping up. More than once I quoted this proverb to myself and was encouraged by it. Times of trial are the soil where strength and new life are born, grow and then bloom. All around the world right now different people are facing difficult challenges. The question before them is – will they falter, or will they become stronger and better because of the trouble facing them? Perhaps you are in that boat; if so, be encouraged, and know that God will not lay on you more than you can bear. What's more God has promised to make all things work together for good for his children.

Lord, grant us the faith we need to protect us from despair. Pour love into our hearts for you and for all people. And Lord, most especially in our times of trial, grant us hope. For without hope, no one can stand. Finally Lord, should our trials continue, help us to accept them as coming from your hand. Amen.

Kpene

This morning I preached at the village of Kpene (pronounced "Penny"). Rev. John Napadow, the director of the seminary where I have been teaching invited me to come and preach at this church, which Rev. John began under a tree many years ago. I really liked the village and the people in the church. Kpene is only a 20 minute drive from Tamale and we only had to ford one stream (always an adventure) in Rev. John’s car.

The service followed the tradition of most churches here. They have an “all ages” Sunday School class for an hour before the service where the pastor or caretaker of the church leads the people in a discussion of Scripture. I always enjoy that part, even though I only catch about every fifth or sixth word with my limited Dagbani.

After that the “emcee” gets up and starts the service by praying, or calling on someone to pray, and then one by one different people are called up to lead a song or prayer, followed by great singing and drumming and usually a little dancing. Kpene has no drums so they clap vigorously. They are also a little more reserved (and have less room) so there was no individual dancing, even though everyone was swaying as they sang and clapped. One man was playing a crude wooden instrument he obviously made that resembled a tambourine.

Finally I got the usual gushing introduction Silimiingas (white men – Europeans) always get over here. This one was especially profuse since Rev. John appreciates my coming to teach at the seminary. Then I preached and the people, including two completely naked children sitting on the front pew, were all very attentive. After the message Rev. John asked the people questions to see if they got what I was saying, and they remembered my sermon better than I did when I preached it.

The people of Kpene leaving the church building

One especially interesting thing about Kpene is that the chief died about two months ago. The village is in the process of selecting his successor and the church caretaker (similar to a pastor), a man named Zebulon, is the front-runner for the post. It would be wonderful to have a strong Christian as the village chief. At the close of the service Zebulon specifically asked me to pray for him that he would get to be the chief. And so I did. It will be interesting to keep up with that situation.

All in all it was a wonderful day of worship, and I am sad to say my last Sunday in Ghana for a while. As ready as I am to come home, I will miss people like those in the church and village of Kpene dearly.

Packing Lightly

Now that I’m down to less than a week to go in Africa, I’ve begun to do some preliminary packing for my return journey. Delta allowed two 50 pound suitcases to come over here, which I needed every ounce of since I brought a lot of extra items for Seed Ministry and for my students. I’m only bringing one suitcase and my backpack home but that should be plenty of room as I’ve given away much of what I brought. I plan to give away most of the rest of my stuff (clothes, etc…) before I leave. Everything you leave here, whether left with Seed Ministry, or else given to individuals, is greatly appreciated.

You learn on mission trips how little you really need to get by. Give me a few clean clothes, my Bible and a few books to read, and pen and paper so I can write, and I’m pretty satisfied. In a way I almost dread returning to the abundant possessions I have at home; I feel ashamed, especially knowing how little most of the rest of the world has in comparison to us in America. I really don’t need to bring anything home – I have more than enough.

I’m also going to try to NOT pack a bunch of “other stuff” I brought over here. I’m talking about attitudes, opinions and beliefs I know God is trying to break me of. In some ways I feel like a snake that has shed several layers of skin while I’ve been here. I have probably lost 15 pounds, mainly due to malaria, but I’m not talking as much about body weight as I am about mental/spiritual/emotional baggage I plan to leave behind. That is part of what my upcoming prayer and fasting time is about on Wednesday – that God will allow me to return lighter; free from some of the “inner gunk” that has been clogging my life.

I invite you to join me between now and Thanksgiving in taking an inventory of all the “stuff” in your life. You may want to simplify; to clean out a closet or two. You may also want to “detox” your system of a few things like anger or bitterness or disappointment you’ve been carrying around. As we enter the Christian Season of Advent, which is a time of waiting on God, it’s a great time to re-center and simplify. God bless you as you do.

Prayer and Fasting

Dear Readers,

Next Friday my 81 days in Ghana will come to an end. During these three months I have enjoyed partnering with others to help train an upcoming generation of Ghanaian pastors. God has also been doing things in my own life while I’ve been here, dealing with me concerning some things I need to learn and some things I need to change. I don’t believe God is done teaching me, in fact that will go on for the rest of my life, as I’m certain it will in yours. And yet I do sense in my spirit there are still some specific things the Lord wants to impress on me before I return home and “normalcy.”

With this in mind I have decided to fast and pray next Wednesday, Nov. 17 to seek discernment. I am hoping some of you will join me. I will be doing a 24 hour fast, spending my normal meal times in prayer. I will drink liquids because over here dehydration can be an issue. I certainly don’t expect anyone but me to do the complete fast all day, but I am in hopes that some of you will skip a meal and take time to pray. I have a few specific prayer points listed below you can join me in praying if you are willing. Of course, some of you know blind spots I have where you can probably pray for me better than even I can for myself. At any rate, here are the items I will be praying about:

 - That the students I have taught here will be strengthened to become strong pastors here in Ghana.
 - That the seminary I taught at will thrive and continue to produce good Ghanaian pastors.
 - For Seed Ministry where I have lived these three months. That God would bless the ministry and its leaders, Rev. Bob and Bonnie Parker, and that they would continue to bring light and hope to this area of Ghana.
 - For the pastors, churches, villages and individuals I have worked with during this trip, that God would bless them and that the seeds sown would grow and bear fruit.
 - For the fellow missionaries I have worked with on this trip and their endeavors all across the globe. That God would bless their efforts and bless the missionaries and their families for their personal sacrifices.
 - For God to reveal to me any disobedience, sin, or lack of faith I may have in Him. That He would reveal any areas of my life or ministry where I need to repent and begin following Christ’s teaching more closely.
 - For God to make it clear where He is guiding Donna and me in the future in terms of our ministry and calling.
 - For God to give me the wisdom, determination, courage and faith to pursue God’s highest and best for us, all for His glory and not our own.
 - For me personally to have a special sense of God’s presence as I return home. That I would purposefully, completely, and at all times rely on God’s strength and that I would trust His will and purpose and follow it wholeheartedly.
 - For a complete restoration of my health, especially against any lingering effects of malaria.
 - For traveling mercies as I return; especially favor with the airlines as many local flights have been cancelled or rescheduled. I will be traveling from 2:30am (Atlanta time) on Fri. Nov. 19 to 8:55am on Sat. Nov. 20.

Thank-you for your prayers, and for joining me to fast and pray if you are able. If you hear anything from the Lord during your prayer time and feel led to share that with me that would be greatly appreciated as well.

Another Day in Paradise

Those of you who know the fun conditions of mission trips – insects, lack of water, electricity, strange food, foreign languages, etc… might wonder at a title like "Another Day in Paradise," so let me explain what I mean. In Luke 23:42 Jesus tells the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise." So logically you could say paradise is wherever Jesus is. We all know Jesus is in heaven ("seated at the right hand of God the Father,' as we say in the creed), and so I admit it is a stretch to say paradise is wherever Jesus is, or to even say that paradise might be somewhere else besides heaven. But…you could say paradise is wherever you experience the presence of the Risen Lord.

When I am in Africa, it seems like Jesus is right beside me practically all the time. I understand being on a mission trip is not the real world. Today I taught for four hours at the seminary; then I taught a music lesson for an hour and a half. The rest of the day was mine to do what I wanted. Not many of you reading this had the luxury of that kind of day today, I realize that. I won't either when I return (assuming I get a job!).

So what am I saying? I'm saying that anywhere can be paradise if we focus on the right priorities and make a conscious effort to enter into communion with the Lord. That place can be in Cumming, GA, or Kalamazoo, MI, or Poughkeepsie, NJ. The choice is ours to make. My prayer for you back in the States (and for myself when I return in a couple of weeks – is that we will seek him and not feel as though we have to travel to Africa, or Jerusalem, or anywhere else but right where we are at the present moment to find paradise. In other words, paradise is closer than you think; why not go there right now?

New Wineskins

Any time you see a white person here in Tamale, they are inevitably carrying a large water bottle. As hot as it is here, you don't dare go far without pure water to drink or you'll fry. Water bottles are everywhere. In Jesus' day goat skins were used to carry water. They were also used for carrying other beverages, such as wine. Wine in these skins continued to ferment and expand, stretching the wineskins. If you happened to use an old wineskin to store new wine, the old wineskin would eventually burst. Jesus taught about this one day (Matt. 9:16-17), but he was making a deeper point than be careful with your wine.

Jesus compared the message he was bringing, which he called the "kingdom of God" to new wine. He tried to explain that the message he was bringing was such a radical departure from the legalistic rituals of Judaism in his day, that unless the people were prepared to be stretched, the "wine" would be spilled. The Jews of Jesus' day were trying to live by an impossible legal code; they thought that keeping this code and following certain religious rituals would make them right with God. Jesus was trying to show that the Jews' categories of religious experience could not contain the living God.

Unfortunately we in the Christian church today persist in this error of our spiritual forebears. We continually try to interpret new spiritual experience using old categories. We spend our days trying to put God in a box – we try to explain what he is doing, and yet God defies "boxing." I believe Jesus would tell us today that we must be open to the new things God is doing – we must be flexible and supple with our religious categories (wineskins). If not, we'll miss out on all the great things God has for us.

I'm speaking mainly to myself when I say this, but be prepared to be stretched. Discard those old categories and ways of thinking and be open to the new things God is doing. Relax and follow his lead; I'm confident he can do a much better job than we can.

You Are Welcome

Dagombas (the tribe where I am in Ghana) offer a wonderful greeting whenever you arrive somewhere. They say "a maraaba!" [ah-mah-rah-bah] which means, "You are welcome." Since they recognize American/Europeans they usually go ahead and say, "You are welcome" to us in English. This greeting is given when you arrive anywhere – a store, church, school, or upon entering someone's home. The Dagbani response to this greeting is "n goya" [en – goine-yah], which means, "thank-you for your welcome." It's funny, but I've gotten so used to the greeting that I find myself offering it now when people arrive somewhere that I am. Even funnier is I usually say the greeting with the stilted English accent most Ghanaians use over here, "Y-o-u a-r-e w-e-l-c-o-m-e!"

Anyhow – hearing this greeting so frequently made me realize how much not being welcome is such a huge fear many of us have. I don't think we consciously think of this, but deep down inside I believe many of us carry a fear of not being welcome. Many of us feel unworthy, or like a fifth wheel, or even condemned. We suspect that when we enter the room, those already present are actually unhappy we have arrived. We fear we are a lot of trouble – we're a burden – and people would rather we not be around.

This fear of not being welcome can be paralyzing. The antidote, of course, is to know that we are unconditionally accepted by God; the God who calls us his beloved. Jesus wants us to know "You are welcome here – 'a maraaba'" – He wants his home to be our home. He wants to know all about us; our likes and dislikes, our happy times and our sad times. He wants to know our plans and dreams. We are always welcomed by him. What's more, He's even gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us in the life to come.

Today, if you are feeling unwelcome for any reason. Know that you have a friend; one who says "a maraaba!" to you each and every time you approach him. That, my friend, is good news!

How God Answers Prayer

Here goes Steve again!!!  Look out

For a number of reasons, my prayer life has deepened while on this extended mission trip. One aspect of prayer I've been thinking about lately is how God answers prayer. I realize prayer is about more than asking God for things; prayer also involves praising God, confession of sin, offering thanksgiving, and more. My comments below, however, are about the ways God answers petitions for ourselves and intercession for others.

God sometimes answers prayer by saying YES. This is perhaps our favorite way for God to answer. There is good biblical warrant for it as well. Jesus said, "Ask and you shall receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (Matt. 7:7). God's immediate "Yes" often comes when we pray for relief of sickness, for safe travel, for the healing of another, or for deliverance from danger. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den (Dan. 6). In that story it was actually the king who threw Daniel to the lions who prayed that God would save Daniel, and when the king checked the next morning, Daniel was unharmed. Sometimes we need an immediate answer – like when we're thrown to the lions – and God answers, "Yes!"

God sometimes answers prayer by saying, "NO," but I believe God says "No" because he loves us too much to say yes. I recall when Amy and Leigh were little girls, every Christmas they asked for a trampoline. Trampolines are unsafe and so I never caved to their repeated requests and arguments that "all their friends have trampolines." I'm sure at the time my daughters thought me unloving and callous to not grant their request when it was within my power to do so. But I stood firm with my "No," because I love them too much to risk a broken arm or worse. There is a great illustration of this kind of "No" in the Bible. One day the mother of the Zebedee boys, James and John, came to Jesus requesting he seat them at his right and left when he came into his kingdom. Jesus' response to the pushy mom was "You don't know what you're asking," (Matt. 20:22) and her request was denied. I believe this was one of those "No's" because God loves us too much to let us fall prey to our own folly or ignorance.

God sometimes answers prayer by saying "LATER." In other words, you'll have to wait. The classic example of this in the Bible is Hannah, the mother of Samuel who prayed and prayed for a baby, but God had "closed her womb" (1 Samuel 1:6). Finally Hannah's "Yes" came, but only after she had committed her son to the Lord (should she have one). I believe God knew Hannah wasn't spiritually mature enough to handle the responsibility she would face as Samuel's mother. Honestly, this is the situation I am in right now. I think God is telling me "later" because I'm not ready to receive God's answer yet. The verse to remember for those of us in this situation is Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding." This is very, very difficult.

God sometimes answers prayer by saying, "NO, I HAVE A BETTER IDEA." The issue here is whether or not we want God's best for our life, or if we want the best scenario we can think up. I can recall dozens of times when I was certain I knew exactly what I wanted or needed and I was praying like crazy for that job, relationship, or possession, but it just never happened and so I was disappointed with God. But then God orchestrated something else which, in retrospect, was a thousand times better than what my plan was. Whenever I think of this answer to prayer two Scriptures come to mind. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Uh-huh… And then there's Jeremiah 29:11 where GOD says, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Oh yeah…I've had plans – great plans which I prayed earnestly for, but God said "No." Why? Because God had a better idea all along.

This last answer to prayer is best illustrated biblically by the cross. God's better idea was the cross. As Jesus began to wrap up his ministry he told his disciples three times he was about to go to Jerusalem to die and each time the disciples protested. They thought they had a better idea. Jesus himself even prayed to God to see if there was any other way, but there was not. The cross and the subsequent resurrection of Christ was God's solution to man's greatest problem. Ever since Calvary mankind has tried to come up with a better solution, but there is none. In fact, the Bible says that even the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom (1 Cor. 1:25).

What are you praying for today? Whatever situation you are in, know that God loves to answer his children's prayers; he delights in answering prayer. Trust God today to answer your prayer – fact is, he may already have.

Fond Farewell

The team from Fayetteville, NC left this morning. I got up and had breakfast with them because I've made some good friends. Bob Parker drove them over to the Tamale airport at 6am for their flight to Accra. I was in my room having my quiet time at 8am and I heard the drone of their airplane. I went outside and looked up to see their flight go directly overhead, headed towards the southeast.

As I watched the plane disappear in the distance I must admit I felt a little homesick; it was actually one of the few times I've felt that way. I've noticed that whenever a team arrives I get all excited about what they are going to do; and about what I'm doing over here. Then, over time, I settle back into my routine and things become "business as usual." Then, as teams prepare to return to the states I start wishing I was going home too. I suppose that's natural. Today I will be jumping right back into action helping with a Mega-Voice training event later this morning, and tomorrow I am preaching at B Dakpemyili. So it isn't like I'm sitting here twiddling my thumbs feeling lonely or forgotten.

What's really going on, I believe, is a spiritual maturity issue where I am learning to find my joy and fulfillment in Christ alone. I was journaling this morning and realized that it really shouldn't matter where you are; whether you are at home, or thousands of miles away, or on the moon. It shouldn't matter if you have a lot to do, or if you are unoccupied. Christ is always with us and He wants us to turn to Him for everything. I think that's what David meant when he wrote, "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken" (Psalm 62:1-2). The little Hebrew word for "alone" or "only" appears six times in Psalm 62. I also think David was referring to what I'm talking about when he wrote "I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken" (Psalm 16:8). It takes a conscious effort to "set the Lord always before [yourself]."

Today, let's remember that the Lord is all we need. Wherever we go and whatever our situation, He is the answer to the question. Father, help this truth to go deep in my spirit today, and in the spirit of my readers I pray, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Greeting the Chief

One of the things you do when visiting a village in Ghana is you go and greet the “naa” or chief. This is done out of courtesy and respect. When visiting the chief you typically do so at his palace, which is usually a simple round hut with a straw roof. When you get to his palace you usually find the chief sitting on an animal skin inside his palace with the village elders seated around him on the ground. When you meet the chief you are expected to bow to him and you’re not supposed to make direct eye contact with him. You also cannot speak directly to him, but instead must speak through his spokesperson. The conversation is usually fairly stilted, but most of the chiefs I have met have always been polite, and several have had a great sense of humor. As you greet the chief you state your business in the village and then ask permission to preach, or teach, or do a medical clinic; whatever it is you are there for. Chiefs usually expect a gift of some kind; a cedi or two, or perhaps a bench for his village. Chiefs also frequently ask for prayer, whether they are Christian, Muslim, or African Traditional Religion adherents.

The man pictured above is the chief of Gua. When we arrived in his village on Monday to do a medical clinic we didn’t have go to his palace to greet him – he was already at the place we were going to do the medical clinic waiting on us to arrive! We also weren’t required to speak through a spokesperson. He was quite willing to engage us in conversation through a translator. When we do clinics where we anticipate a large number of people like we had at Gua we hand out numbers to keep some semblance of crowd control. Each family gets a number and then we call the families up by number. In this case, the chief received number 1 and was very pleased.

Experiences like this are priceless, but it is all in a day’s work on the mission field. I’m hopeful that some of you who have followed this blog will perhaps join me on a future trip. If you feel God nudging you in the least, please let me know and let’s talk and pray about it. You will never be the same – I guarantee it!

Getting On Up There

“I have been young, and now I am old.” Psalm 37:25a

I’ve always liked the 37^th Psalm, but reading it today the partial verse above caught my eye. I suppose it did because I’ve noticed lately that I am definitely aging. My new room here at Seed Ministry has no mirror so I have had to resort to using the tiny 4x4 inch mirror in my toiletry kit to put in my contacts, comb my hair, etc… When I look in that mirror especially, I’ve noticed more lines, wrinkles, jowls and liver spots than I realized I had. Those aren’t my only signs of aging either. I find my energy levels are lower and I’ve begun to discover aches and pains in places where I’ve never had them before. Some of them in places I didn’t even know I had!

The interesting thing is I don’t mind it; in fact, I am enjoying getting older. I realize American culture is obsessed with youthfulness and we are expected to practice denial when it comes to aging, but honestly I welcome the autumn of my life. There is a certain peace and satisfaction that comes with aging. We are able to let go of some of the impatient grasping and constant striving toward goals we once had. Our vision clears and we are able to see God’s hand at work in places we never thought He was active. And as the fog of living clears as we age, we find God’s plans begin to flourish and our relationship with him and with a few others assumes a sweet intensity we could have never known as “young bucks,” eager to make our mark in the world.

I realize I sound like a broken record over here but God is teaching me that we each have a role to play in his plan; it may be a small role, or it may be a large one – but there are no unimportant roles. The object is to do your part, and to do it well in God’s strength and in God’s way.

Speaking of aging, one of my mentors from afar, Henri Nouwen put it this way, “When everything is put in its proper place, there is time to greet the true reasons for living.” Welcome to the “right now,” I pray your fog is lifting too and that God is revealing your “true reasons for living” like He is mine.   

Farewell Message

I am preaching in chapel at the seminary this Friday. Since I travel home later this month I will be using the occasion to give the students my "farewell message." I put together the message this morning and I chose 2 Tim. 4:1-5, Paul's charge to his student Timothy as my text. In these five verses Paul exhorts his protégé to do seven things: 1) Preach the word, 2) be prepared in and out of season, 3) correct, rebuke and encourage, 4) keep your head in all situations, 5) endure hardship, 6) do the work of an evangelist, and 7) discharge all the duties of your ministry.

Since I'll only have about 20-25 minutes for my remarks, I've summarized Paul's final words to Timothy, and my words to my students. I tell them that as they go out as new young pastors they must realize that:

There will be TEMPTATIONS. Not the usual sort of temptations though. The temptations facing a pastor are things like the temptation to be popular, which is what Paul is talking about in verses 3-4 when he says people will surround themselves with teachers who will say what the hearers' 'itching ears want to hear.' Pastors also face the temptation to be sensational; to try and make their ministry, and their church just a little more 'exciting' or 'relevant' than the next church. Still a third common temptation for pastors is the temptation to make something besides the main thing be the main thing. Among other idols, this "other thing" can be sports leagues, facilities, their worship team, or even the pastor himself.

I will also remind the pastors that when they get "out there" there will be TRIALS. This is what Paul is talking about when he tells Timothy to "endure hardship" (v. 5). Being a pastor is tough. Oddly, much of the strain of being a pastor often comes from one's own flock. Many times the congregation insists on keeping their pastor humble (translation "poor"). Meanwhile, each member considers him or herself the pastor's boss and many think he only works for an hour or two a week. They are also confident they could do a better job than the pastor and will often tell him so. Still another trial from within are those who pastors bend over backwards for who then turn and stab him in the back – et tu Brute? On top of all this are the difficulties and disappointments that come from outside the church.

My final reminder to the pastors is to be sure to TELL people about Jesus. The five verses from Paul mention this several times (preach the word…be prepared in and out of season…correct, rebuke and teach…and, most importantly, 'do the work of an evangelist'). All of these point to the importance of telling people about Jesus. The world's population recently topped the 7 billion mark, and more than half of them, 4.5 billion, are currently separated from God in their sin and will spend eternity that way unless someone tells them about Jesus and they respond.

My main concern in my sermon is not to come across negative or cynical. There is unspeakable joy in serving Christ and a local congregation; I want them to know that. But I also believe they need a healthy dose of reality. I don't want to curb their youthful idealism, but I would like to help them keep from getting hurt or from hurting others if I can. Pray that when the time comes the Holy Spirit have free reign to say what He has to say and that I will simply be His mouthpiece. The message will be delivered Friday at 10am my time, 6am Georgia time.

Galenshegu and Gua

Fulani family I met today

I went out with the team from North Carolina today to the villages of Galenshegu and Gua. The team split up and I went with the nurses and staff that went to Gua. There we ministered to the villagers for about 4 hours. We had an assembly line where the people would see a nurse, then come to my station where I shared the gospel with them. Then they went to a make-shift dispensary we set up and received the drugs our nurses prescribed; mainly vitamins, iron tablets, malaria meds, antibiotics, cough syrups, etc… We also had children’s ministry going on where the kids played games and sang and were told the story of Jesus’ love, along with receiving dum dum suckers, a book, stickers, etc.... The group over in Galenshegu mainly did sanitation training and Aids counseling. They also passed out soap and sanitation products, did evangelism counseling, and children’s ministry going on.

It was hot as blazes today, but I must say it felt really good to minister to the whole person today. It also was a lot of fun ministering with a team again. I have mostly been flying solo this trip so it was great to hang out with this team, which has really accepted me as one of their own. I especially enjoyed hearing the interesting stories of the other places some of them have ministered such as Uganda. It was also great to be with some first-timers who got their first big taste of being in a village for most of the day. No one ever forgets their first time in a village; there is nothing like it.

Fulani teenager at Gua today

The icing on the cake for me personally today was my first experience of being around Fulani people. Fulanis are very exotic-looking people, and I find them very beautiful. They are mainly herdsmen who live out in the country away from other tribes and villages, mostly keeping to themselves. The main difference I noticed between the Fulani and other Africans is the way they dress and adorn themselves. All the men today had on strange-looking hats and the women had beaded hair and a variety of colorful scarves, beads, and cowrie shells adorning their bodies and clothing. Many of them were also tattooed and wore beautiful jewelry.

The Fulani are mostly Muslims; in fact the majority of those I shared with today were Muslim, but they were all very gracious and all listened patiently, many of them thanking me profusely even though they had to wait hours in the heat to be seen. I was grateful for the team I served with today, grateful God allowed me to meet many new friends today and grateful I got to share the Good News of Jesus Christ face to face with some people I know God loves so much. I wish you could have been with me. You would have loved it!