When we don’t blog, this is often why

This great article is worth a read by anyone who’s ever written a blog, read a blog, tweeted, or posted a facebook status. That should be all of you, since you’re here now.

In a nutshell (of a nutshell–it’s a very short article), it discusses how social media has put us all in the position of public debaters. That’s a scary position, as millions of people can now give their expert opinion on any matter in a matter of seconds, “going on record” for all time. We who do that writing often aren’t well-educated or qualified to speak out, and should be a bit more sparing with our words. Especially on complex theological topics and issues sensitive to our faith (and how we proclaim it to the world).

The author isn’t completely knocking social media, nor am I–I enjoy blogs and love the access to opinions and ideas through the internet! Yet I often find myself thinking about an issue and wanting to write or post to facebook about it, but then I realize that many others have written with a better handle on the issue, and that my half-baked thoughts might not need to be out there for all to see. Plus, my attention span and free time for blogging don’t allow for thorough coverage of many deep topics other than waiting in lines, trying to find decent tv, and comparing my life to the Terminator legend. Not exactly Jonathan Edwards.

So when this blog’s empty, it doesn’t mean our minds are empty.* It might just mean we’re taken with ideas too big for our little minds, and we’d rather you read about it elsewhere. Which this day and age, is easy to do. Just check your sources!

*Of course, thanks to Gabriela it does sometimes mean that.

The church and evil

What if, someone will ask, the people who now bear the solution become themselves part of the problem as happened before? Yes, that is a problem and it must be addressed. The church is never more in danger than when it sees itself simply as the solution-bearer and forgets that every day it too must say, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner,” and allow that confession to work its way into genuine humility even as it stands boldly before the world and its crazy empires. In particular, it is a problem if and when a “Christian” empire seeks to impose its will dualistically on the world by labeling other parts of the world “evil” while seeing itself as the avenging army of God. That is more or less exactly what Jesus found in the Israel of his day. The cross was and remains a call to a different vocation, a new way of dealing with evil and ultimately a new vision of God.

– From NT Wright’s excellent “Evil and the Justice of God”, p.99

God’s laws are pretty cool

I’m reading through the Bible again, since last time it was a great exercise. Right now I’m midway through Exodus, and God’s giving the first parts of his Law to the Israelites. It’s really good! God’s guidelines were practical (yes, with a few exceptions in Leviticus that I don’t get) and just plain good for society. A few themes from this morning stand out to me, and disprove some of the subtle beliefs we have about the OT…

Love your enemy isn’t just a NT idea.

4 “If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him. 5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it. – Ex. 23:4-5

What do we expect to see in the OT about enemies? Stomp on ’em, crush ’em! Right? Eye for an eye was everything to these guys, we think. Yet here, God commands the Israelites to go out of their way to help a person who hates them. Sounds a lot like that other guy, Jesus. Hmm…maybe he really meant what he said about being the fulfillment of the Law.

Women weren’t to be treated as objects.

¹⁶ “If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. ¹⁷ If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins. – Ex. 22:16-17

It may not be the boldest statement to our 21st-C ears, but it was a big deal in this time. A man can’t just have his way with a woman and discard her. If he commits the sin, he must take her in marriage and provide for her. A family will be established, and the child will be raised by its two parents. And there’s even a clause for the woman who really wants no part of this guy…she still receives the dowry of a wife, as repayment for his actions.

Slavery wasn’t what it is today.

2 “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything… 5 “But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ 6 then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life. – Ex. 21:2-5

We picture the North Atlantic slave trade’s barbarism, and contemporary child and sex labor. But here we have the picture of something mutually beneficial, and with a 7th year get-out-of-slavery free clause. And apparently it wasn’t uncommon for the slave to want to stay! While the part about the awl is a bit shocking to my ears, it’s obvious it’s something the servant is choosing happily. BTW, slave and servant are the same word here.

God takes justice for widows & orphans personally.

22 “Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. 23 If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. 24 My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless. – Ex. 22:22-24

So maybe we didn’t doubt this one, but it’s powerful to see His very personal interest. In these chapters God gives a lot of instructions on how to treat others, and their property. He calls on the Israelites to resolve their issues through discussion, money, and courts. Yet here, he says that he himself will bring justice, by his own hand. That’s serious business. This theme is repeated throughout the Scriptures…our God loves justice for the least!

It’s not just about Israel.

21 “Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. – Ex 22:21

9 “Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt. – Ex 23:9

12 “Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed. – Ex. 23:12

This one’s all over the OT. Seriously, you can’t read through a single book without seeing God’s love and plan for all nations pop up everywhere. Israel wasn’t the only people to receive God’s love. They were the chosen instrument to shine his love to all other nations, inviting them out of their false religions and to the one true God over the whole earth. Foreigners were invited to join the Lord’s family, provided they adopted God’s Law–obviously, since this is the lifestyle for all believers. Praise God that he has always welcomed aliens=foreigners…that’s how I got into the family!

EUS Summer Project!

You find strange things when hiking in Bosnia

If I’m honest, this was my favorite day of the entire summer

Beautful Bosnia! Come visit!

Students discussing Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 5

At camp, the best conversations happen around the edges

Trying to stay young to keep up with these students

When you look this good, you’re always the life of the party

Worship together at camp

Students stayed after this night’s message for a 2 1/2 hour question/answer session!

Throughout the week, students learn and grow together in small groups

Translating for David, co-worker from Banja Luka

Awesome intern Miranda with awesome co-worker Enisa

Saturday hike to a beautiful waterfall just outside Sarajevo

Getting excited about nature/camp/Jesus/life/friends

Ice cream is an important part of all ministry

Deron preaching the Gospel at camp, using Luke 15 and the parable of the two sons

Students from one of the English Classes in Banja Luka, our first time having a team there!

Make it to the end of these photos, and you get a reward. 🙂

Why the Church is full of Sickies

I came across this excellent blog post by Scott Bessenecker, InterVarsity’s Associate Director of Missions. It’s definitely worth a read, and so I’m pasting it in right here:
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I sat next to a man on a plane once reading, Why I am not a Christian and Other Essays …by Bertrand Russell. I leaned over and asked, “Does Bertrand Russell provide a compelling argument?”

The man looked up a little surprised and said, “Yes, actually. He is pretty compelling.”

I further inquired, “Are some of his main arguments against Christianity really more focused on Christian followers than on the person of Christ.”

“Yeah.” He replied. “The reason he’s not a Christian has as much to do with the Church as with anything else.”

In fact in his essay (originally a talk given in 1927 to the National Secular Society in London) he says, “I think that there are a good many points upon which I agree with Christ a great deal more than the professing Christians do.” Russell goes on to cite how Christians do not really believe the “turn the other cheek” teaching of Christ (Russell was a strict pacifist) and then lists other ways Christians don’t really take seriously Jesus’ teachings on providing for the poor or not judging others.

“Humph,” I grunted in agreement. “Yeah, Jesus certainly does attract messed up people to Himself. He said that he came for the sick and not for the healthy, so I guess that’s why the Church is so full of sick and broken people.”

The fact of the matter is that more jerks enter the faith than well-put-together people. I’m talking about people with serious issues. Not only is the church full of them but the Bible is as well! Abraham was a liar, Moses was a murdering hothead, David was a womanizer, the apostles all had issues (even Jesus’ very own great, great, great, etc. grandmother was a prostitute). Who would make up such stuff? The Bible is so full of such incredibly flawed people that one of the reasons I am a Christian is that ancient near eastern mythology would never invent people like Abraham, Moses, David, Rahab, Peter as heroes unless there was some kind of objective historicity to them.

The Church is full of sickies. But the fact that there are seriously flawed people following Jesus (I include myself here) should not be so disturbing to us. In some ways it makes a lot of sense that only those who are struggling, messed up, and hungry for wholeness manage to limp our way to Jesus and enter into his big, fat, dysfunctional family. We should expect a Church with a decided lack of emotionally whole, socially adroit, intellectual geniuses who have no need of a Savior. What is missing from the Church sometimes is our ability to admit that we are all broken beggars clinging to a mysterious Savior whom we understand imperfectly and follow even less perfectly.

So for all the flawed people out there who have avoided the Church because Jesus’ followers seem so … so … well twisted, I welcome your own bent, messed up soul into this company of followers as we seek simply to draw near to and love with our sick, twisted hearts the only Unbent One I know of.
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Amen. Scott’s a great writer and always willing to give a challenging, well-thought out word. Follow him here.

God’s provision just dropped in our lap!

We just had a huge blessing dropped in our lap while here in Hungary waiting for our baby’s birthday.

Previously we’d been staying at a house for ministers traveling through Budapest. It was comfortable enough, but a few factors made staying there kind of awkward. And it was pretty pricey, especially since we aren’t sure exactly when we’ll be leaving! So a few days ago, we got the email address (through a Sarajevo friend) of another minister in Budapest. He sent a group email out on our behalf, and 24 hours later emailed back saying that another couple would offer us their home to stay in, completely free, while they are out of town.

When I called the couple Tuesday morning, I caught them 45min before they were leaving Budapest! They said come on over, so I got straight in the car and drove the quick 15 kilometers to the suburb where they lived. They were incredibly gracious, and after knowing me for all of 10 minutes handed me the keys and welcomed us to stay there. Oh, and when I mentioned that our two friends were in town to help with the birth they invited them to stay, too. Then they were off!

I brought Jess and our friends over, and they loved it. 2 1/2 hours later we’d packed and cleaned at the old house, had a sizeable chunk of unused payment refunded to us, and were moved into the new house!

It’s very comfortable and equidistant from the hospital where we’ll deliver. What a gift! We can’t get over how cool God is and His provision.

In Mark 10:29-30, Jesus says:

“Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”

We have experienced this promise so many times, as we travel literally around the world and gain new family and even houses, just because we bear the name of Christ. (Of course he also promises persecutions, and we’ve experienced some of those…but that’s a different post!)

Thank you, Father, for welcoming us into your large, large family. No one takes care of their kids like you do.

Cycles of depression and encouragement

Two Tuesdays ago I woke up depressed. Struggle is a part of our life and ministry on many levels. It helps to talk with our co-workers and encourage each other, and it helps to try to analyze where it’s coming from…a hard meeting with a student, discouragement at the hard soil of Bosnia, or something else. But some days it hits without a clear reason. Monday night had been a great Bible Study…three new students came and we had great discussion about Jesus’ life. There seemed to be no reason to be bummed immediately after that. But I still felt exhausted, and frustrated. “Are you even at work in Bosnia, God?” “Why is ministry here so hit-and-miss?” and “Are we using our gifts and energy well?” were just some of the questions in my mind.

I opened my Bible to a familiar passage, I Kings 19. Just before, in Chapter 18 is one of God’s most dramatic displays of power in the entire Bible…Elijah faces off against the false prophets of Baal, and in full view of thousands God sends fire from heaven, incinerating an altar soaked in water. It’s an amazing victory for God, and the Israelites fall on their faces in repentance before him.

But Elijah crashes, hard. In 19:4-5, we find him collapsing under a tree, depressed and weak, and in an honest, hold-nothing-back moment asking God to end it all! “I’ve had enough, Lord,” he says. “Take my life, I am no better than my ancestors.” Interesting that his burnout comes immediately after what must have been a huge personal high in Chap 18. Can you say spiritual attack?

God’s response is, at least to me, unexpected and insightful. I’m chewing on it still.

First, God provides food for Elijah and tells him to eat, or the journey will be too much to handle. God isn’t all ethereal spirituality, ideas and words. Living for him is a journey–a marathon, not just a sprint–and we need nourishment in practical ways if we are to endure. Exercise, enjoyable hobbies, and a plain old good diet to keep us healthy. All of these contribute to a right perspective on life and our place in His plan. How great that our God knows our practical needs and is concerned with our well-being. I’ve heard Jesus-followers say things like that they don’t have time to exercise or take a day off because they’re so busy serving. Sadly, this perspective leads to burnout. Moreover, it isn’t Biblical. Believing that there isn’t time to care for myself means I believe that God sees me primarily not as his beloved child, but as a tool to be used for ministry until it breaks down, and then discarded.

God invites Elijah to voice his lament, which concludes with “I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me.” (19:10) And here’s the second way God treats Elijah’s depression. Elijah can’t see any help from the “people of God” around him. He feels completely alone. But God reminds him who he is serving. “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” (11) A series of explosive natural phenomena occur, but then God’s presence passes before Elijah not in the wind nor earthquake nor fire, but in a gentle whisper. Sometimes we don’t need a dramatic display of glory through powerful preaching or worship with hands in the air (Elijah saw that, and he still crashed!)…we need to feel, deep down inside, that God is real and that he is personal. That he cares enough to whisper to me. Preaching can always be critiqued, the worship band doesn’t always play the song that I want, but no one can deny the power of feeling God touch my heart and remind me that he’s there. Not to say that this comes easily or always. These days I’m constantly praying for God to whisper to me and remind me who he is and where he is.

But I love that he meets Elijah in the whisper. I imagine right then it didn’t matter that Elijah couldn’t see other people alongside him…he was focused on the object of his service, God. This year I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means that we are called to Bosnia not to produce visible results (which only God can do, and which often happen on a timeline we can’t see), but in committed service as an act of worship. I am here because His Majesty said “go.” When I forget that, I can get overwhelmed by a lack of results. But when I focus on faithfulness as worship, I can go on a bit longer.

Which dovetails into the third way God responds to Elijah’s burnout. God tells him to get up and take the next step. “Go anoint the next king, and Elisha as your successor.” (15-17) God says “I’m not done using you…here’s what’s next.” There’s a point where it won’t help Elijah to sit there analyzing his situation any longer. Lord knows I analyze too much in an attempt to logically figure out my next step. And at a certain point it doesn’t help anymore. We’re not God, and we can’t see the entirety of his plan laid out before us. (Do you ever wonder why Isaiah doesn’t critique God’s strategy in Is. 6 when God says basically “go, spend your life preaching to them, and they won’t respond at all” ? “Umm, Lord, I have a better idea…”) Our part is to rest in the knowledge that he does know what he’s doing. And then to take the next step of faithfulness in our call. “Ok Deron, now get up and call the next student for coffee.” Ironically, when we push ahead in obedience some of our depressed thoughts fall to the wayside. Something encouraging happens. A good conversation, a new connection. God shows up again in some way, and we’re reminded that he is still steering this ship.

Last Tuesday I crashed, and was encouraged by God in these ways. On Wednesday I went to coffee with the same guys from Bible Study, and over 3 1/2 hours got to share and talk through the Gospel with them. Since then there have been several other great connections with students, and several low moments. Depression and encouragement. That seems to be our life a lot these days. Up and down the emotional roller coaster. I’m grateful to God for His steady care for us through it all.

Preaching in Bosnian was fun!

Thanks for all of our prayers! Just wanted to say that it went well, and I had a lot of fun doing it. Writing the sermon was about as easy/hard as ever, but translating it was a beast. Great language practice, though.

One new challenge: when I preach in English, I feel very free to walk around and move away from my notes. But in Bosnian, it would be way too easy to leave out some small words or mix up the order (you try “što nju je to dao”!) if I tried to ad-lib. Thus I couldn’t drift too far away, and did more direct reading of my notes than preferable. But all things in time…

Afterward I got a lot of encouraging feedback on my language and, much more important, on the message I taught out of Luke 7:36-50.

I just had a momentary thought that I could post the text of the sermon here, but then realized “oh wait, no…it’s all in Bosnian.” 🙂

I’m preaching tomorrow…

…in our church…
…in Bosnian.

I’m excited, scared, and probably way out of my league.

Pray for me! And that the message will come across clearly despite the frequent mistakes and weak pronunciation.

Luke 7:36-50

It’ll be at 11am Bosnia time, which is 2am CA time. Thank you all for waking in the middle of the night to lift this one up. 🙂
Or I guess it’s ok if you pray right here and now!

Building stronger community bit by bit

One of our desires here is to help our EUS student fellowship grow as a community.  Given the number of believers in Bosnia, it’s easy to understand that most of our students have no more than a couple believing friends, if any, to encourage them in their pursuit of God.  And yet even the few relationships that they have are often without trust and depth.

We want our community to be a place where students are open and honest, love each other, spend time together, and grow together into a dwelling place for Him (Eph 2).  It’s a slow process!  At different times we’ve been frustrated, disappointed, encouraged, challenged, and amazed.

Lately one bright spot has been our weekly Bible Study in Romans.  During the first 11 chapters we dined on the depth of God’s grace to us in Christ, but little is said in the text about life together.  But in Chapter 12 Paul shifts to talking about how we shall live in light of grace.  Our last few studies have seemed to grow in momentum each week.

Last night we had a fantastic time studying Romans 14.  What was great?  

1) All of our regular students were present.

2) They asked good questions and wrestled with the meaning of the text.

3) Overall they were kind toward each other, and there was a lot of laughter.

4) When it came time to apply the text, the momentum stayed strong.  Often by that time, it seems some want to go home without asking “what do we do about this?”

5) Students prayed, aloud, in response!  Including one who hasn’t prayed out loud all year.  Praying out loud certainly isn’t any more spiritual, but it is a blessing for the others who can hear and agree.

Thanks, Lord!