Thank Goodness for Grace!

As I sat down at McDonald's with my three children tonight, I saw someone who reminded me of an event in my past. An event that I am not too particularly proud of. It felt weird to be dwelling on this event, because I knew that I had been forgiven and had been set free from the sin and guilt of it. Still the memory was there. Then, just when I needed it, Jesus showed up. He arrived in the presence of my wonderful wife. Her arrival reminded me of the life I have in Christ and the victory of sin he provides! He saved me from a past of bad decisions for a life of purpose and fulfilment. He longs to do that with many of you reading this blog as well.

Some of you may be wondering what this has to do with missions. Well, nothing and everything. You see my personal experience is not really related to missions, but the message it brings is the reason why missions exists. Our missionary friends share the love of Christ to those who have yet to receive it. For this they need our prayers.

Grace and Peace

Thoughts from Yoda

Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.-- Yoda

Recently while speaking with a missionary friend of mine, the preceding quote came to mind. Often while trying to be sensitive, the western church uses words and phrases which do more harm than good -- especially when it comes to making commitments to missionary partners. When we say things like, "we'll see what we can do," or "maybe there's a chance we can help," our missionary partners are filled with hope. All too often as I was reminded, these words turn out to be mere lip service and provide only false hope. The missionary and his plea are forgotten as soon as he/she leaves the meeting it would seem.

When I asked my friend if this was an example of cultural/linguistic misunderstanding, I was firmly admonished with the acknowledgement that many of our partners in the field have a better grasp/understanding of our language and its usage than we do. Hard to swallow for sure, but I believe this idea has its merit. We forget that our partners in the field are pastors, leaders and experienced teachers that hold great sway and esteemed reputations in their respective fields. We treat them like inferiors sometimes when they arrive and solicit our partnership and/or support. This should not be!

As I rant, I must confess that a lot of this comes from a Spirit-driven conviction in my own personal experience and is only posted for your consideration, not necessarily any condemnation. So lest I overstep my bounds, let me finish with one final convicting point. Sometimes we think we are doing great things with our support, only to find out that we really should be doing more. I have been led to believe that maybe we short change God and limit what he wants to do, because too often we rely on our own plans and calculations. A three-year church plant for example seems great, but when you look at the numbers per capita our "generous" plan worked out to be only a small amount per person per month over a three year period. Don't get me wrong, I praise God for the fact that we are planting a church, but hope that we will learn to allow God to work through His people more in the future.

So remember the words of Yoda -- Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.

Grace and Peace