Of Prophets and Missions

Over the summer, I will be posting reflections on missions based on some of the prophetic books that I studied this semester. These will range from observations about God’s heart for the nations all the way through to practical steps that we can learn (both good and bad!) from the example of the prophets.  There is so much that these books say about missions that it would be impossible to cover it all in an intensive summer course, let alone a series of blog posts.  That being said, I hope that these whet your appetite to study the prophetic books more and to see how God has always had a heart for missions -- that wasn't a phenomenon that developed in the New Testament.  So, without further ado, let's begin with a look at missions through the book of Jonah.

Jonah: The Characters 

For being a small book – only four chapters long! – Jonah has a vast number of applications for missionaries. I am sorry that I will only be sharing my observations in two posts, but I hope that you will continue to investigate the book further on your own. Also, since, especially with this book, I am fairly confident that you are familiar with the story of Jonah, I will not summarize it here, but rather jump in with my observations. I invite you to read the short book along with this post as well, to see firsthand what I’m talking about.

God’s heart for the nations. God’s heart for nations other than Israel can be seen in some way, shape, or form (often in judgment!) throughout all of the prophetic books. However, Jonah is unique in that God sent him to deliver a message of grace to a ruthless nation that Jonah hated. Jonah’s response was basically: I wasn’t seeking this, therefore it’s not my problem. He preached the message because he had to and then sat down and waited for the people to be destroyed. God, by contrast, kept trying to show Jonah that he should care more for the lost sinners than for his own comfort, as is illustrated by the plant episode in chapter 4.

Jonah and the Ninevites. A clear message from the book of Jonah is that if we don’t understand grace, we won’t convey it! Jonah didn’t understand what grace meant for him. Even though, in his mind, he clearly understood God’s character, we find that the “pagans” around him embraced God much more than he did, when the rubber met the road. The sailors gave glory to God, and the Ninevites repented, from the king on down to the animals! Jonah, on the other hand, remained stubborn throughout the entirety of the book, running at the beginning, criticizing and dragging his feet in the middle, and pouting at the end! Never underestimate the work that God can do in “sinners” and the grief that “believers” can give Him!

If You're Happy and You Know It... Sing a Psalm!

"Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms." James 5:13

I used to assume that the above verse was just simply referring to the believer's expression of joy, but after having tried this practice yesterday, I realized more about why we are to sing psalms, or "songs of praise" to the Lord.

1) To direct and focus our happiness on what is important; namely, what God has done! Praise focuses us on God's works of Creation, Redemption, and, one day, full consummation!

2) Related to the above point, singing psalms involves retraining our minds to focus on what God says should make us most happy. Jesus similarly challenged the disciples when they were rejoicing (even in a ministry context!): "Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven!" (Luke 10:20)

3) Focusing our minds on Christ when we are happy also helps to curb any wrong happiness! If we are excited over the progress of a bad relationship, a witty insult, ill-gotten gain, or any other sinful thing, singing to and about God will be a means of conviction.

4) Singing psalms is a way of reminding ourselves that "every good and perfect gift comes from above" (James 1:17). When we are feeling particularly happy with our circumstances, it is appropriate to thank God! All blessings are from Him!

5) Singing psalms helps us to remember those suffering and in sin, so that we may not be merely unbalanced escapists in our happiness. Instead, we train our hearts and minds to be sober and considerate of others, even in the midst of any great excitement that we might feel.


I'm sure that many other benefits may be gleaned from a study on the subject, but I just thought that I'd share some of my initial observations. So here is my challenge you:

The next time that you are happy, don't just stand there: sing!

Updates

Well, updates have never been my strong point, but I'm back into the swing of trying.  I have taken a bit of a sabbatical, going way off the grid, and allowing all updates to pretty much disappear.  But I'm back now.

I think.

I hope.

I am the midst of learning how to balance being a student, but also being ministry- and missions-minded.  I realize that a part of that latter role requires updating the people who surround me; showering me with love, prayers, and financial support; and making my work possible!

Thank you to all of you for your patience with my long silence.  Please bear with my weaknesses as I attempt to start this path again!

Well, I'm back... for now

Dear readers,

I am back in two ways: back to writing on my blog and keeping you updated on my life's doings

AND

back to the States!

After two amazing years in Mexico, I am now planning on being in the good old U.S. of A. for the next two years while studying my Master's degree in Biblical counseling.  After that, I hope to go to  back to Mexico to work in the area of missionary member care as well as helping to run the Spearhead program.

For now, I would love to get a chance to reconnect with you if you are in the Pittsburgh area, although I must say that my seminary schedule is kind of dominating my life right now... so we might have to get creative.  I am also happy to share about my time in Mexico and would love to make you Mexican food (my new favorite hobby) if you can come over some evening.  I am also ALWAYS game for speaking Spanish, so if you're looking to practice, I'm your girl.  Contact me by e-mail, Facebook or phone and we can set something up.  If you don't have any of those, leave me a message here and we can work something out. :-)

Why Giving Is So Hard

I have a a hard time giving.  And I don't just mean donating money or giving birthday presents.  I mean:

I have a hard time listening
I have a hard time thanking people
I have a hard time tithing

We live in a day and age when life is so fast paced and there are so many burdens on us.  We don't have the time, mental capacity, or desire to contribute to anything that doesn't hold promise for us.  No, wait, I'll make that statement personal.  I have a hard time contributing to to anything that doesn't hold promise for me.

Really, even as I write those words, I know that this isn't some new phenomenon particular to this generation.  It's not about social pressures or the pace of life.  It's really just the disease of selfishness.  Why pay someone back now?  That's certainly not the most pressing need for these 50 pesos.  Why write that encouragement note?  I have more important e-mails to cross off my list.  And when I get home at night?  No, I'm too exhausted at that point to think about anything else.  Regardless of the excuses I make, when I really stop to be honest with myself, I see through the mask.  I find that so often the things that get pushed to the back of my schedule aren't there because of a "lack of time" but rather a lack of gumption.  They are there because mentally they are less important to me than "my stuff."

So, why do I bare my soul on the Internet for you all?  First, to hold myself accountable as to what I need to be working on.  Second, as a call to action for any of you who struggle with the same thing.  Together let's focus on putting the important things first.  And if our actions reflect that what is most important to us is not God and others, maybe we should start by rethinking that.

Freedom!

The blur of the past few weeks has landed me on the doorstep of our summer program. Tomorrow our summer Spearhead team arrives and we will begin a 3-day orientation before they head off with their summer families and ministries. For the remainder of June and the first part of July, they will be observing their families and ministries and applying themselves to learning Spanish. In July, they begin their full-time ministry, when many will be involved with Vacation Bible Schools, evangelistic English classes, and other types of outreach with their Mexican churches.


As a summer facilitator, my role is to "make things easier," as the very word "facil" in Spanish means "easy." It's probably related to Latin as well. ;-) Etymological nuances aside, I basically help with the communication between the program participants and their host families and churches. I also will be helping to train the team in skills helpful for ministry here, as well as help them to navigate the cultural adjustments they will face. Finally, I will be a sort of coach/mentor for some of the girls on the team.


This summer, our theme is "Freedom," based on the chapter Isaiah 61 and the verse John 8:36. We begin praying over a summer theme early in the Spring and as a leadership team come to a decision sometime late spring/early summer. This theme of freedom really spoke to all of our hearts and we are anxious to see what God has in store for all of us as we reflect on the truth that "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36) I have been so excited as I have seen glimpses of how God is freeing people all over Mexico City, from the literal slavery of human trafficking to the spiritual slavery of unforgiveness and shadows of the past. I can't wait to see what else He has in store...but I know that it's more than I could ever imagine!


Prayer Requests:
--For safety for our summer team as they fly in on Wednesday, June 13th.
--That God would help them as they adjust to the language and culture here.
--That God would be preparing all of our hearts for what He has planned for us in these next two months.
--That God would move mightily and bring freedom to many this summer!

Moses Moments

Looking back on almost two years in Mexico, one of the biggest ministry hurdles I have faced is not believing myself to be a legitimate missionary, or as I like to put it, my “Moses Moments.”  Last spring I was very conflicted over whether or not God could use me in ministry and I just was overwhelmed with my shortcomings.  I even got to the point where I was regularly saying “no” to God, sure that He must have made some mistake.  I wasn’t a missionary.  They were supposed to be super-human, right?  I presented God with all of my pretexts:

 

“I make too many mistakes in my Spanish.”

“I don’t like speaking in front of groups.”

“What if people ask me hard questions?”

“Some days I just feel like a bad missionary.”

Then one day as I was reading the Bible, God challenged those excuses with the story of His call on Moses’ life.  It’s easy to look at Moses’ excuses and blame him for his lack of faith. However, those very excuses sounded strangely similar to my own: he was slow of speech and nervous, wondering if he was cut out for the job and wondering if the Egyptians and the Israelites would listen to him.  However, God’s response is what really struck me.  He said that He would be glorified and He would give Moses the words to say-- as if Moses were merely God’s mouthpiece! And that same I AM still communicates through us when He calls us to speak.  He reminded me that day that no slowness of speech on my part will cause Him to miss the glory He is due.   I realized that maybe the issue stopping me was that I might not get the glory that I wanted. 

Before coming to Mexico I didn’t have to choose; I could live a godly life and still save some glory for myself. I wasn't really overwhelmed by anything. I was doing good Christian things within my comfort zone.  Nothing crazy. I was in charge. I figured I was ready for a challenge of a short-term trip to Mexico and although I knew it would be stretching I felt up to the task.

Ironically, though, I have learned since being here that I wasn’t really prepared for what I was going to experience. I'm in way over my head as far as even ordinary responsibilities are concerned; but even beyond that, God has shown me that He hasn't called me to fulfill mere "ordinary responsibilities," but to live a life of radical discipleship.  And it’s exciting!  The beautiful thing in all of this is that when He calls us to do the impossible—or uncomfortable—He also equips us for it.  As God said to Moses, He is the one who “gave man his mouth.”  He knows exactly how He designed each of us and He will give us exactly what we need in the moment to make His name great.