Housecleaning...in more ways than one!

I enjoy cleaning at the camp for the most part. Of course, there are always the not-so-fun cleaning jobs that need to get done. Mostly, I enjoy the times that I get to work by myself without interruption; I take in the sights and the sounds of the camp, the small animals, hummingbirds and birds or just enjoy spying different flowers and trees in full bloom as I walk the paths between cabins and buildings. Today, I wished our camera wasn't broken. I caught a glimpse of a flowering bush that for some reason hit me in a comical way; the plumes of bright yellow flowers reminded me of the hair on some of Dr. Seuss' characters! I noticed an orange tree that I couldn't ever remember so many oranges on at one single time!

I also like to spend my cleaning times talking to God. These are often "self-evaluation" times for me. Times when I feel God is revealing changes that need to be made in my life, and then there are times when I recognize I need to change, but I need to ask for His help!

Today, as I saw the oranges and the guava falling to the ground and onto a walking path I was reminded of "The Fruit of the Spirit". Galatians 5:22 & 23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control". As I looked at the display of God's handiwork in the campground today, I questioned myself about what my personal, every day life display looks like to the community in which we live. Am I displaying something that is attractive and what others might want? Is God able to appeal to people in this community through me?

Housecleaning, not always fun, but necessary!

Amazing Love

Sometimes we sing songs and that's all we do, just sing, the words. They hold no significant meaning to us probably because if you grew up in the church, well, you've been singing them it seems like forever. There's a worship song, that everytime I sing it, I start to cry. It's a song I've noticed of "opposites" and when I focus on the words I get emotional, every time. Being the mother of two boys, I cannot comprehend the sacrifice of even one of my sons for the human race. Which one would I choose? Today, as I reflect on the events in Christ's life, I am reminded of all that He went through for my sake. I find that I don't understand fully His love for me, for I know that if it was up to me to lay one of my sons down on a cross for you, it wouldn't happen. I wish that I could love like Him. For His love is perfect.

"I'm forgiven, because You were forsaken. I'm accepted, You were condemned. I'm alive and well, Your spirit is within me, because You died and rose again. Amazing love, how can it be? That you, my King, would die for me? Amazing love, I know it's true. It's my joy to honor You. In all I do, I honor You".

I've been thinking...Be very afraid!

I am frequently on Facebook to keep in contact with my family and friends. Just a couple of days ago a dear friend posed a question on her Facebook to anyone that would dare answer. See, she is a gifted writer and is praying over a future book or as the Lord directs, possibly writing another Bible study. Here's what she posted: How do we lose our compassion? Become complacent? Sit, rather than move for His kingdom? I must say, as I told her, "could you possibly ask any deeper questions"? I thought for a bit, and I guess I answered as best that I could, assuring her that I didn't know the "right" answer, but was just sharing my personal thoughts. But really, I have to say, that over the last few days those same questions have been burning on my soul. How do we get to this point in our Christian walks? Why is it that my friend is seeking answers to the same concerns that Paul had for the churches back in his days? He (Paul) certainly wrote and warned about being lukewarm. One thing that I very simplistically touched on in my response to her was some of what we are dealing with down here in our churches...the Prosperity Gospel; the "God blessed you, now you bless me gospel" or the "Santa Claus gospel" as our team kindly refers to it; i.e. The, "sure, I'll accept Him, now what's He gonna do for me gospel". Rather than call it any of these, I most often refer to it as the "Satan Factor". Satan was hard at work during the day of Paul and he continues to do a mighty deception within the Body of Christ today. Somewhere along the way, it seems to me that Christianity has been redefined to "fit into" our culture. I found this to be true when we were accepted under Global Outreach Mission to full-time missionary service. Never in my life have I felt more "strange" about my beliefs than in sharing this news with a good Christian friend, when she informed me that my children would never amount to anything by taking them on the mission field. What was already for us a real battle in obedience and surrender; (what we perceived to be authentic Christianity), was frowned down upon and labeled by my friend as "legalistic". I believe that A.W. Tozer hit the nail on the head when he wrote, "That this world is a playground instead of a battleground has now been accepted in practice by the vast majority of fundamentalist Christians. They are facing both ways, enjoying Christ and the world too." Perhaps, we have settled in our Christian walks and we have compromised. Again, I don't have the answers.

"As Christ's soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army. Follow the Lord's rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize". 2 Timothy 2:4-5

Thank you to my dear friend, who has caused me this week to do some soul searching, concentrated praying for myself (it's easiest to pray for everyone else, isn't it?), and to keep in check how I am running and how I might finish the race! Lord, help me not to be disqualified.

Observations

I've been in the States for a little over five weeks now. On Wednesday of this week our latest update letter went out through Global Outreach Mission to our supporters. I used a quote by Reinhard Bonnke, missionary to Africa in 1969, to begin the letter. He said, "Cool, casual Christianity will accomplish nothing. Our most urgent need is the flaming message of the cross, now, and not at our leisure". Clearly, in 2009, the "need" has not changed, not in Costa Rica and not in the United States! What I fear most is lacking is obedience. Obedience to speak the Name of Jesus. There is not any clear, cookie cutter shape for missions. Missions looks like a lot of different things to a lot of different people. I think that is so because we all have different gifts. The element that cannot change is the message. What I have observed in the last few weeks as I have shared about our ministry, and people have engaged me in conversation is that folks are looking for an almost perfect "environment" in which to share. Their hang-up is either not having gone through "a program", not "being filled enough" by the Holy Spirit, not "sure where to begin". It's been difficult to listen too because Satan has a grip on this mindset. It's almost like standing at the pool at the camp and watching a child drown. After you observe that the child has gone under, you don't call a prayer meeting to discern whether you should save the child, you just jump in and you do it. The same principle should apply for the people who are drowning around us every day. Some have gone under once, but others have already gone down twice or even three times, and their eyes are rolling into the back of their heads. It's not like if I don't know the American Red Cross' CPR program I can't possibly pull the person from the water. At that moment, what matters least is a program or not knowing where to begin. What does matter is obedience and faith; God wants us dependent on Him and when we are, He will use our imperfections for His purposes! There are so many ways to reach fellow Americans in these challenging times. There are people going "under" every day due to finances, family crisis, alcoholism, drugs. Their eyes are beginning to roll back with no apparent Hope. We are ALL called as stated in Matt. 28. May God help us to extend His arms.