Yes, these are our three angels playing guitar. They have not engaged in formal lessons very much yet, but they are learning.
As I write this we are on stateside assignment in sunny Jackson, Tn. It has been an incredible time for us to work through what God is doing in our lives and how we can continue to stay plugged in to His will. We just want to be a part of His mission.
This picture is significant because it illustrates well our hearts. We have a passion for taking the good news to whatever rincon ("corner" for you gringos out there) that He leads us to. What does that look like? I don't always know, but I know that there are lost people everywhere who need to hear the good news. So we stayed plugged in and tuned in to what God says and go where the wind of His Spirit blows. Is that easy? Do we have all of the answers? Are we perfect like our guitar players above? No. But there is peace in knowing that you are doing that which God has anionted you to for that moment.
A dear, older family member recently asked, "Does God really want you to take your children to places in which there is danger?" I had to tell him that sometimes God does. We don't always understand it, but we know that there is no safe place in this world. We are lulled in to believing that the US is always a haven from the cold world, but it has its dangers also. We have enjoyed visiting the churches and fellow believers of our homeland, but at times we fear returning to a faith that has been called a few thousand miles wide and an inch deep could be more dangerous than anything for our children.
Many have church on the agenda, but are not really having church. When you talk about what God is doing it is almost a foreign concept. We as missionaries are not to be placed on a pedestal, but we are thankful for the opportunity to get out of our comfort zones for extended periods of time and realize how BIG our God really is. He is not just the God who finds good parking spaces for us at Target. He is the God who can strengthen a lady named Mary to go against the religion of her family to serve a living God through much persecution and trial. He is the God who can give us the grace needed when attacks are made physicallly and spiritually against our family.
He is the God who prompted Paul to write in Acts 14, "we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God." Do we even have a concept of that today? Sometimes I wonder. We value our conveniences so much more than what Christ did for us and the reality of a world suffering without him.
I could write much more, but I am going to begin sounding like an out of touch missionary who is experiencing culture shock as some have accused me of being. That is OK if out of touch means being in touch with the God of Bible rather than the God of Six Flags over Jesus. We have commercialized so much today that I am afraid people are going to look for Sam Walton on the throne when they get to heaven instead of the almighty.
I close with this thought. Will I finish the race with a coat like Paul's? We read in his letters where he requested that someone bring him his coat and the parchments. Can you imagine what his coat looked like by the end of his ministry? Blood and dirt from his missionary journeys. The parchments to stay in touch with the God who saved him and gave him the Holy Spirit. That is the faith I want. My outer shell warn for the journey while my inner man renewed daily by the power of the Word impacting my life. (For more on Paul's request read Chuck Swindoll's book on Paul- I just finished it and I highly recommend it). Blessings!
No comments:
Post a Comment