Driven to Distraction

I'm sitting in an intense, albeit collegial, meeting assessing corporate quality requirements and the plant where I work's compliance approach to those quality requirements. Again, an open and useful discussion for this context. It's also an important discussion since as a pharmaceutical manufacturer our compliance with government regulations and corporate requirements insures that the products we make are safe and affective for patience who use them.

Yet, as I sit here, I have this overwhelming urge to open the meeting with prayer, and then suggest we remove the quality document from the projector screen and instead commence with a detailed discussion on best approach and content to teaching Bible topics to children, and youth.

"Let's start with the Old Testament books of Genesis. From the context of our unique culture how can we convey the most deep and powerful truths of Genesis chapter 1 and 2?"

My heart rate speeds up. How long can I effectively focus on my current employer's business? That is one of my big challenges right now. I've always been more interested in Bible study, teaching, preaching and ministry (like singing, drama, outreach, etc). I've always struggled with not letting ministry outside of work interfere with my paid work. It seems to be getting impossible these days to even keep my mind off missions and on to my paid work.

I enjoy the work that I do for my employer and my manager and colleagues have given me positive feedback on my quality and productivity. I want to stand on a table and shout, "I'm not here any more! Sure, you see me at this meeting table, I'm commenting and listening and contributing, but I'm on the streets of Calcutta or Guadalajara talking to and mentoring street kids. Then, I’m at a children’s outreach, there are about 50 kids there. Most of them are from broken homes, and some of them live on the street. Marge and the kids are working the puppets, and I’m dressed up as a clown. Then I’m visiting young men in prison or helping young girls get off of the “street” and into a dignified job and life style. Then I’m teaching others to do what I do.

I’m not sure the point of this posting. It’s just a ramble. I really should pay attention to this meeting.

Adam

Kidnapping the Unborn?

Read the following on MSNBC.com
"A . . . woman is to stand trial next April in the abduction of an unborn girl taken from the womb of Bobbie Jo Stinnett in December 2004 in Skidmore, Mo. The baby survived."
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.

I don't understand. If a woman pays a doctor to "take" her unborn child from her womb in an abortion, it is called a paid medical procedure. If a woman forcefully takes a baby from another woman's womb it is kidnapping (and murder if the unborn baby dies).

Why is it o.k. for a woman to pay to have her child killed? Shouldn't that be illegal too? Doesn't the kidnapping charge legally demonstrate that an unborn "fetus" (i.e. child) is a person? If the unborn weren't people then they couldn't be kidnapped. If I stole your arm it wouldn't be kidnapping, it would simply be asault.

Our society continues to boggle and twist all rational logic in this (and many other) areas.

Adam

Fear?

Fear.

It locks me up.

Locks me up cold.

Fear can be healthy. It is a natural emotion. It's important to be fearful of touching a hot stove or stepping out in front of speeding truck. That would foolish.

The opposite of fearful is courageous and confident. Courage and confidence, however, are only as powerful as the source from which they are drawn. An unarmed man running naked and shoeless through a pitched tank battle has no basis, no reason for confidence. His courage would be misplaced.

In the same way, I would not be inclined to place my confidence in poorly built home that is in the middle of a California earthquake. The foundation would be constantly shifting and probably breaking.

When I place my trust in the power and character of God I have every reason to be confident and courageous. God's immense power is beyond any obstacle. His wisdom and goodness mean He always makes the best choices and does the right thing. Also, we know that God never changes his ways. He is dependable.

The more I invest myself in a relationship with God, the less the circumstances of life have power to lock me up cold. There is a greater power at work, and I am in an eternal relationship with a loving heavenly Father.

You Can Not Silence The Truth

"MEXICO: DEATH OF A CHRISTINA RADIO MINISTRYJuly 31 (Compass Direct News) – Some 85,000 people listened faithfully to Radio Nueva Vision in Nogales, Sonora. At times the station reached the No. 1 spot in ratings." (From Compass Direct. For the complete article click here)

Vandalls succeeded several times in cutting the transmission lines to the ratio stations tower, and each time the staff would climb the mountain and repair the damage. Finally, vandals destroyed the radio tower. This was in addition to vulgar threats on the station manager and his family.

Mexico isn't known for its religious persecution for the most part, but even in our southern neighbor, persecution against Christians is on the rise. It reminds me of the unending repression and persecution of Christians in China or the threat ofcensurer, beating or even death for individuals in Muslim countries who follow Christ. It doesn't hit the news much, but every day believers are being persecuted and even killed for their faith.

Yet simultaneously, the Good News of Jesus Christ and the eternal life that He provides is rocketing throughout the world. This too doesn't hit the news much. In some cases the missionaries don't publicize their work for fear of placing the lives of Christians in danger.

In one case a Christian radio broadcast into a Muslim country wanted to offer listeners the opportunity to receveive a Bible and study materials via mail. Their solution was to buy a bunch of disposable cell phones. Each day they would make the offer and encourage listeners to call a phone number, and at the end of the day throw the phone away. The Bible and other materials are also discretely mailed through some intermediaries so none of it is traceable or easily identified. Their are many Muslims quietly studying the Bible in the secrecy of their own home.

That's just one of many stories. There are many others of missionaries doing simple works of kindness and preaching the Bible. Their stories won't even make it into conversation at church, but they faithful do the work and new people are deciding to follow Christ every day.

You can not silence the truth.

TOO MUCH STUFF?

I spoke to a woman from Kenya. Her husband was in the U.S. finishing his seminary degree. In her country there are many people eager to hear teaching from the Bible, many come to church. So many that typically each pastor has about five churches to serve.

Unfortunately, in his country one must have an accredited seminary degree in order to train and ordain ministers. So, for the last four years this man has been separate from his wife while he obtained his Bible degree.

She has come for his graduation. They return to Kenya, where they were born and raised. Their home has no electricity nor running water. They take a sponge bath to keep clean and have an outhouse in back. Individuals do not own vehicles, and are thrilled if they can own a bicycle.
This woman as she spoke of her country didn't seem sad or beaten down because of her lack of possessions or conveniences, instead she was eager to return and begin the work of training much needed pastors.

I wonder, how much of the stuff that I have and think that I need is just a hindrance to me? Are all the necessities in my life really necessities? The poorest families in America are among the wealthiest in the world. Yet I think that I'm being deprived when I don't have cable TV nor high speed Internet.

I'm not saying that these things are bad, but what if we denied ourselves just some of the snacks, and stuff that we enjoyed and supported ministries in the third world?
Maybe I’d be better off with less stuff.

Adam

Where Is The Music?

I never had any idea how much of an adjustment it would be not to be with the guys each week, but it's a big change.

The open practice night is already going to fill in with Spanish lessons come late October or early November. Also, as my wife and I investigate where God wants us in missions, we are starting a small group study in our home called Missions Minded. It's for people who have a passions or interest in missions. It will meet two Fridays per month.

So missions preparation and personal growth have jumped into the gap.

It's the right thing to do, but there is no replacement for Sojourn. There isn't any equivalent thing or activity that I can do that is what Sojourn is (or was). My wife used to tell me that change, even positive change, involves an element of loss. She always said that in order to have one thing you have to forgo something else, and that you should take the time to "morn the loss".

So, I'm in this searching out and learning phase of my trip toward the mission field. It's fairly ill defined, and involves more reading and thinking than anything else. I suppose the other thing that is happening is the process of letting go of Sojourn, a 14 year companion.

Hope that doesn't sound overly dramatic.

Adam

Never Enough - Contentment

I wrote the post below about a year ago on the old Sojourn blog. It still rings true.


"But godliness with contentment is great gain. I Timothy 6:6 (King James Translation)

Huh?

I WANT a big fat raise so that I can get some things that I actually need. I need stuff for my family. Not talking about luxuries (to me at least).

I read that scripture, and it seems sort of inside out. If I really think it through that means following the example of Christ and exemplifying God's characteristics is better, more desirable than MO MONEY!

Think about it though: would you rather have $1,000,000 or "godliness"?
Our expectations and thinking are so earthly and limited that we fail to understand what is really going on. Our lives are but a small blip on the time line of all eternity, and each of us has an eternal soul. There will come a point in our existence that our time spent in this current life will be a distant and minimal memory.

Remember when you were three years old? If you CAN remember that far back, do you remember what was important and valuable to you? No one who has attained the age of 40 (for example) would sacrifice and work overtime for a rattle or little rubber ball. That is exactly what we do when we put physical things or power or anything of this earth BEFORE our relationship with God.

Imagine a 50 year old man paying his life savings for a PlaySchool teething ring? Fool? Absolutely. Even more so the individual who devotes the best of his/her time on job, or wealth, or anything other than knowing and enjoying the one, true, living God.

Weird huh?

Adam