A NEW WORLD FOR ME

I've been sheltered.  To some extent, all my life.

For the last forty years, I have lived in a Christian context.  People have tended to be on their best behavior around me.  They curtail their language in my presence.  They ask questions about the Bible, assuming that's my favorite thing to talk about.  Over years of being a pastor, I have increasingly become cocooned from the real world.  I've realized it.  I've even tried to combat it;  but it happened in spite of my efforts. 

This has been a big part of my motivation for going to China.  After living surrounded by Christians for most of my life, I want to flip it.  I want to live in a culture where I'll be exposed to large numbers of spiritually lost people. 

I've spent the last three Saturdays and Sundays taking a TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) Class at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.  The class has been a 'cultural shock' experience for me. 

The instructor was 42.  There was one middle-aged student.  All the rest were in their early twenties.  Two of the young women were Korean.  As we got acquainted, I could tell that at least two of the students were probably Christians.  It came out right away that I had been a pastor for many years.

Casual discussions about abortion and evolution brought out severe ridicule and mockery of Christians.  The language used throughout the class surprised me.  The crudities and vulgarities expressed throughout the discussions offended me.  A casual discussion with one young woman revealed her animosity for marriage and men-at-large.   For one of the practicum's we had to draw what was in our refrigerator;  mine was the only one without beer.

When I gave my practicum, one of the young men set me up for an embarrassing moment by suggesting the use of a word (that I was naively unfamiliar with) that created lots of snickers and guffaws - at my expense.

This was all A NEW WORLD FOR ME!!!!  As Dorothy said, "We're not in Kansas anymore!"    Not everyone is going to like me or be kind to me.  It's survival of the fittest. 

But it was ok.  I survived.  I maintained a good and open relationship with everyone.  One young man approached me for my email address so we can have contact while we're both in China.  When the young man, who caused me to stumble, fumbled in his practicum, I was able to throw out some ideas that re-routed his presentation. 

When I stayed to help the instructor put the room back in order after the last class, he told me that our casual conversations had caused him to look at his (young) children in new ways.  He was valuing his time with them differently now. 

We make a difference wherever we are.  We stay connected to God.  We stay pure. 

Romans 16:19-20  (the VOICE)
So celebrate your faithfulness to God that is being displayed in your lives - seek wisdom about the good life, and remain innocent when it comes to evil.  If you do this, the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet soon.

Debbie and I will soon be immersed in an even greater new world.  Cultural shock will be an ever-present reality for us.  We will be overwhelmed with new people, things, places, and languages.  PLEASE PRAY FOR US!

Are we afraid?

Yes, at times.  But we are so confident that as a result of our faith and your prayers - the God of peace will be with us crushing Satan under our feet!

OH YEAH!

FREE FALL

Yesterday I did something I've never done before. 

While at Kennywood Park, we stopped several times to watch people (in groups of two or three) be hoisted high into the air via cables and then released to swing for several minutes before being lowered to the ground again.

Debbie ruled it out immediately!

Cathy (my sister-in-law) was curious about it.

Jeff (my brother-in-law) wanted to do it.

I was leaning towards doing it.  I've seen it before and always thought it would be fun to do.

We stood and watched repeatedly as they were harnessed into the system and then slowly raised to the tower's level.  Then, we watched them free fall for about five seconds before the swinging effect kicked in.  It looked like a rush!

Anytime we were near, we would watch again.  It was fascinating.  By late afternoon, we decided to do it.  When Cathy saw the cost ($22 each), she decided to just let me and Jeff do it.

We were given a time to report (a short wait).  We were ushered onto a platform and assisted into a type of suit made of heavy material.  The young people who managed us were very good - although I wasn't able to hear much of their instruction.

Then we were walked onto a platform where they unhooked the previous victims and hooked us up.  Suddenly the floor dropped out and we were pushed forward to a laying (face-down) position.  A few final instructions and we were being hauled up toward the two-hundred-foot tower!

IT WAS TERRIFYING!!!

We could see the tower getting closer behind us.  Suddenly, we stopped.  A voice counted down and Jeff pulled the cord.

We plumetted downward!  Eventually, the cables caught our weight and we began to swing in massive arcs.  Now it was fun!  We had lived through it! 

Did I pray, you ask?  Oh yes, I prayed!

LOOK AGAIN!

I just read one of my favorite passages in the Old Testament! 

Elisha is a prophet (godly man).  He is generally respected by everyone - including the kings of his day.  He has an assistant who travels with him.

The king of Syria keeps setting plots against Israel;  God lets Elisha know about each plot.  Elisha keeps warning the king of Israel.

Finally, the king of Syria gets mad about this and sends his army to a village where Elisha is staying.

In the morning, Elisha's assistant steps outside to see the village surrounded by the army of Syria.  Terrified, he runs inside to tell Elisha.

Calmly, Elisha prays, "Lord, open his eyes and let him see!"  His assistant suddenly saw horses of fire and chariots of fire everywhere upon the mountain!

Why was Elisha calm?  Because he was tuned in to God's provision and protection!  He KNEW that he had no reason to fear!

Lord,
Help us to look again!  Help us to see Your provision and protection and to rest in You!  We have no reason to fear!  You've got us covered!  We must simply trust in You!
Oh Yeah!

[The rest of this story is hilarious.  If you care to read it, follow this link and read verses 8-23:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=II%20Kings%206&version=NIV]

PLAN B IS PLAN A

Debbie and I plan on going to Guiyang, China to teach English in August.  We have been accepted as VISA (Volunteers In Service Abroad) missionaries by the Free Methodist Church.  However, now we must be accepted by the Chinese government and granted 'work visas' to allow us to come there and be employed by the university.

Unfortunately, at present, China prefers younger applicants.  All we can do is submit our application, pray, and wait!  Today, I will send the last of my information to the VISA department.  By Friday it will be forwarded to our Asia Director to be submitted to the Chinese officials.

I am retiring from the pastoral ministry in June.  We hope to leave for Guiyang in mid-August.  This is our Plan A.  Our Plan B involves me opening a counseling office and would take about two years to put into place.

As of June 7th, we will be homeless.  At the end of June, we will be living without an income.  We plan to travel, visit family, and attend the Tri-State Family Camp.  Then the last weeks will be filled with preparations for being away for nine months.  We feel very much in stride with God in all of this.

However, what if...

What if we are not accepted by the Chinese government?  What if we are not allowed to follow through with our plans?

We've thought about this a great deal.  We've come to the realization that if our Plan A doesn't materialize, then we'll go to our 'slow-burn' Plan B.  We'll also keep our eyes and ears open for God's leading in other directions.  In doing so, we'll realize that our Plan B was always God's Plan A.

We've simply made up our minds ahead of time that we want what God wants! 

Proverbs 3:6  (NASB)
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Same verse from The Message:
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;  He's the one who will keep you on track.

OH YEAH!
[For those who don't know me well, that's my version of 'Amen!']

PRAYING WITH DEB

We just returned from a weekend trip to Connecticut to see our daughther and her family!  It was wonderful.  The 10-hour trip home is always harder and longer than the trip to their house!

We arrived home at 6:30 PM, unpacked, settled in, and watched some television together.  This morning, I slept in, so we woke up together and laid in bed talking for awhile.

I took the opportunity to pray with Debbie.  Although this is not our usual pattern, it happens this way occasionally. 

We thanked God for the safe trip.  We thanked Him for each of our family members.  We thanked God for Deb's sister, Janie, (and her husband, Peter) and how good God has been to their family [we had breakfast with them yesterday on our way home].  We prayed for their kids!

We prayed for Debbie's friend, Cindy.  Also for Cindy's husband, Tom, who is fighting a brain tumor.  We prayed for their kids in this hard time.

We prayed for Deb's Dad and Mom - that they might enjoy extended health.  We also expressed our gratitude for the legacy of faith that they have initiated through the lives of their nine children!

We prayed for close friends who are on vacation - that God would protect them, rest them, and help them to enjoy their time away!

We thanked God for our health and our extended family, our friends, and the church families that have loved and cared for us through the years! 

We prayed for people with chronic pain and for the depressed.  We prayed for damaged relationships in marriages and families. 

We prayed for the VISA administrators who are handing our applications to go to China!  We thanked God for the opportunity that is arising before us to live on the other side of the world.  We thanked Him for the friends that we are going to make there and asked Him to enable us to be effective for Him there.  We expressed our desire to grow His Kingdom by our presence.

With each expression of prayer, I heard Debbie's quiet words of agreement!  It was a wonderful way to start the day!

I love my God!  I love my wife!

PICK YOUR FEET UP!

Ezekiel 47:1-12 (NIV)

The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.  He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side.

As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep.  He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist.  He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross.  He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”  


Then he led me back to the bank of the river.  When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river.  He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh.  Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.  Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea...Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”

The angel is showing Ezekiel the harvest.  The message seems to be:

• You can be content to walk in water that’s ankle deep.  Dabble in spiritual things.  Stay minimally involved.  Do as little as is demanded.  Take no risks and make no sacrifices.
• Or, you can choose to walk in knee-deep faith.  Focus your life around the church.  Attend worship most of the time.  Live a basic Christian life.  Be a good person.
• Then, of course, you can commit to walking in waist-deep water.  This may mean that you begin to take scripture more seriously.  You’re more comfortable in God’s faith environment than you used to be.  You’re growing in your trust of Him.
• But then, there’s the water that’s deep enough to swim in!  And this is where the fruit is!  This deep water is transforming.  It brings deserts to life and transforms salt water into fresh.  It waters trees that grow fruit all year-round.  This is the life of faith in God!  This is the life that lifts your feet and takes you where God wants you to go!  It is the life that doesn’t look back at the shore.  It doesn’t long for the things of the past.  It lives for the moment – maximizing every moment for God’s glory! 

At which level are you living?

At which level would you like to be living?

Pick up your feet and go with the currents of God!

A GOD INTERVENTION?

My Mom had strict guidelines for observing the Sabbath Day (which she observed on Sunday).  She had been raised in the Reformed Presbyterian Church which - at that time - had very rigid thoughts about the Sabbath Day (think "Chariots of Fire").

She and my Dad refused to make purchases on Sunday.  My Dad was very excited when I got my license because he could send me to Puritan Drug Store on Saturday night to buy his Sunday Pittsburgh Press newspaper.

We rarely travelled on Sundays because they didn't want to have to buy gasoline.  We never ate out on Sunday.  Television was discouraged until after the Sunday evening worship service.  Outside play was discouraged.

One Sunday - before I was born - someone in our family became very sick (I think it may have been my sister, Beverly).  Dad called Dr. Chadwick who called a prescription in to the local drug store. 

Now my parents had a dilemma.  Dr. Chadwick had insisted that my Dad get this medication as soon as possible.  Yet their principles told them not to make a purchase on the Sabbath.

After much deliberation, prayer, and consternation, my Dad drove to the drug store and went in to purchase the prescription.  As he entered, he noticed that a man followed him to the pharmacy counter.

As Dad waited for the prescription, the man continued to stand nearby.  Finally, when it was time to pay for the prescription, the man stepped forward and intercepted the purchase.

He reported that my Dad was the 100,000th customer to the store and that his purchase was free! 

A God intervention?  You decide...

LUKEWARM CHURCHGOERS ARE NOT CHRISTIANS

That got your attention! 

This is Francis Chan's conclusion in his provocative book, Crazy Love.

He comes to this conclusion based on Revelation 3:15-18, where Jesus declares that because the people in the church at Laodicea are "lukewarm", He will "spit" them out of His mouth! 

[It's chapter five, if you want to re-read his convincing argument.] 

He cites many other scriptures to validate his claim.  He suggests (pp.94,95):

Following Christ isn't something that can be done halfheartedly or on the side.  It is not a label we can display when it is useful.  It must be central to everything we do and are.

...much of the American churchgoing population,...is slowly floating away from Christ.  It isn't a conscious choice, but it is nonetheless happening because little in their lives propels them toward Christ.

The lives of many people who call themselves "Christians" in America lack manifestations of a vital and active faith.

Chan admits that genuinely and wholeheartedly following Christ is hard.  "It's so hard, in fact, that Jesus said the road is narrow and few will actually find it...and fewer still among those who are rich" (p.98).

HAL'S THOUGHTS
I agree with Chan's deductions - and it breaks my heart!

I'm afraid there will be many who will someday say, "Lord, Lord, didn't I attend church regularly;  and wear T-shirts with Christian logos;  and put some money in the offering;  and took Communion;  and was baptized;  and treated most people decently?" 

Matthew 7:23 (NASB)
[Jesus speaking] "I never knew you;  Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."

HAL'S CONFESSION
My life is changing!  God has my attention!  I spend the majority of my time investing in people who already claim to know Christ.  I have not gone into the world to make disciples.  I have opted for comfort and security;  and in doing so, I have become callous and uncaring about a world of desperately lost and hurting people. 

By writing this blog article, I'm not pointing the finger at you;  I'm pointing it at me! 

Watch my life, because I intend to do something about it!  How about you?