How Involved Are We, Really?

Let's be generous for a moment. Let's say that there are one billion evangelical believers in the world. I think that is a little high, personally; but let's call it an even billion, as some claim.

Of those one billion, how many do think are missionaries? Go ahead, take a guess.

Would you believe about 98 thousand? I jest not. Ninety-eight thousand, give or take a few, have responded to the call of God.

Now the world is at an estimated 6.7 billion. One billion of those are evangelical believers. Ninety-eight thousand are missionaries, those men and women who carry the gospel around the world to others who have not yet believed.

I did some rough calculating, mainly because I did not want to invest all the time I have left today into the precision it would take to set this up. But let's just suppose that those 98 thousand are represented by the thickness of one sheet of paper. One sheet of standard paper is .0038 inches thick. I checked. If the internet says it, it must be true, right??? For argument's sake, we shall say it is true.

One sheet is .0038 inches thick. If that represents all the evangelical missionaries of the world, then it would take a stack of paper some 31,000 feet high to represent all the evangelicals of the world. Shades of Mount Everest, folks! I can't even get my mind around the ratio for the other 5.7 billion left in the world.

Do you think that perhaps God may be calling more than those 98 thousand who have responded? Did he call you?

What are we waiting for? How involved are we? God is calling. It's time to go.

Pray for Puno, Peru

There is an emergency in Puno, Peru. Puno is located high in the Andes Mountains. It is most famous for Lake Titicaca, the highest navegable lake in the world.

That department (state) has suffered extreme cold for many days now. 153 CHILDREN HAVE DIED TO DATE. Relief organizations of all types are working overtime to get blankets and coats to the 1.3 million habitants of that department.

Pray for Puno, especially for the children and the elderly.

Free to Worship?

This Sunday, when you are in your relative comfort and freedom to worship the Lord Jesus, whether you do it in a house church or traditional setting, remember this story, found here. New Iranian followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, along with their house church leader, were arrested recently. In Iran, you are free to worship, just so long as it is the false god Allah. If an Iranian wants to follow Jesus, he is as good as dead. Yet men and women are turning to Jesus; why? They love the Lord Jesus more than their own lives.

In Pakistan, the Christians face the same kinds of horror. Muslims told one couple that guilt or innocence (of blasphemy against Islam) did not matter; they would kill them anyway. Death is the only thing a follower of Jesus deserves, according to these twisted men.

If you think this is isolated, maybe this story will be a little closer to home, especially if you live in a state like California. San Diego (or nearby) authorities have decide his home Bible study of five years is an unlawful assembly. The pastor and his wife are facing fines of up to a thousand dollars a day for gathering to worship.

Now granted, facing a fine does not even come close to the persecution others face. But wake up! It's a step in that direction. Forces against Christianity in the Western world are feeling bolder each day. Your freedom to worship will soon fade away, if something does not change.

It may well be that is what it will take to bring revival to the Western church. Also, it may well be that this will be the final days before the return of Jesus, something we Christians are exhorted to look for and desire.

Enjoy your freedom while you have it!

Are You the Missionary or the Mission Field?

It's been a fast and furious three weeks since I posted anything. Teaching and then playing with my new grandson has taken up most of my time.

I saw a video today that I want to share below, if I can. Since I have never been able to get this blogspot to receive videos, I will simply post a link to it; please go here. But the video should be a challenge to every Christian who may read this. Our task is clear: be the missionaries or become the mission field. Watch the video and decide which you want to be.

New Birth

Michael Aiden Patrick

Meet Michael Aiden Patrick, born late afternoon on April 30th. He came into this world at 7 lbs, 6 oz., measuring just over 20 inches. He has a set of pipes that makes me wonder if he won't be one of God's prophets one day. Or maybe that is just my personal wish.

What's so special about this little fellow? He's our new grandson!

Our daughter and son-in-law are still in awe of the fruit of their love. Both are doing well, though we have had to tie a rope to their leg to keep them from floating off.

A Little Airline Humor

I fly to many places that I must be. In fact, I flew last week, and will be flying again in two weeks. These anecdotes were a humorous reminder that life is good and we must enjoy the ride. Number 17 was one of my favorites.

Subject: AIRLINE CABIN ANNOUNCEMENTS
All too rarely, airline attendants make an effort to make the in flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:
1. On a Southwest flight (SW has no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we’re not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"

2. On a Continental Flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we’re reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."

3. On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you’re going to leave anything, please make sure it’s something we’d like to have.

4. "There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane"

5. "Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."

6. As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Ronald Reagan, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"

7. After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis, a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, it is a sure thing that everything has shifted."

8. From a Southwest Airlines employee: "Welcome aboard Southwest Flight 245 to Tampa.. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab in the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if yo u don’t know how to operate one, you probably shouldn’t be out in public unsupervised."

9. "In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite."

10. "Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we’ll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Southwest Airlines."

11. "Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and, in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."

12. "As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses."

13. And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Delta Airlines is pleased to have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"

14. Heard on Southwest Airlines just after a very hard landing in Salt Lake City the flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump, and I know what y’all are thinking. I’m here to tell you it wasn’t the airline’s fault, it wasn’t the pilot’s fault, it wasn’t the flight attendant’s fault, it was the asphalt."

15. Overheard on an American Airlines flight into Amarillo, Texas, on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain was really having to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Amarillo. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what’s left of our airplane to the gate!"

16. Another flight attendant’s comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."

17. An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the Passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline." He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?" "Why, no, Ma’am," said the pilot. "What is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"

18. After a real crusher of a landing in Phoenix, the attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Capt. Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we’ll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal."

19. Part of a flight attendant’s arrival announcement: "We’d like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you’ll think of US Airways."

20. Heard on a Southwest Airline flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing and if you can light ‘em, you can smoke ‘em."

21. A plane was taking off from Kennedy Airport. After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, nonstop from New York to Los Angeles. The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight. Now sit back and relax... OH, MY GOD!" Silence followed, and after a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier. While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!" A passenger in Coach yelled, "That’s nothing. You should see the back of mine!"

Pray for the Mountain Villages of Peru

I received the following update from Russ and Sherri Fleetwood, two missionaries working in the outback of Peru. Many villages are facing the same kinds of things. One man spoke to me about how the excessive rains have ruined their crops for this year. Potatoes are rotting in the ground. Wheat and corn is also in danger. Pray for these villages.

April 13, 2009


Donde Corren Las Aguas (Where the Waters Run)
When we mentioned in our last update that it was raining a lot, little did we know that even more was yet to come! “It’s the worst it has been in 40 years”, some people say. We certainly hope that this year is the exception, not the rule! Landslides have been the biggest issue, but flooding has also been prevalent. One street became like a muddy river with water running through doorways into people’s homes. In other locations, foundations for walls have been eroded, leading to collapses. One hillside behind a group of houses melted into mud and was running down into doorways and passageways. Almost every roadway in the area has been blocked by slides at some time or another. As quickly as they can be cleared by a bulldozer, more hillsides give way and block the road anew. There was even a 2-day stretch when every route out of the Conchucos valley was impassable. In recent weeks, city officials have rented more machinery in an effort to keep roadways open. They have also been trying to size up the damage that has been done. At least 10 houses have collapsed and as many as 100 are in danger of collapse. The city water supply has also been in danger. The cement holding tanks had to have some emergency repairs. Thankfully, the rain has let up for a few days at a time – enough for things to begin drying out. But the occasional heavy shower or extended drizzle continues to cause problems.
As recently as last night we had a downpour. A canal up the hill behind our house became blocked, causing water to run down through a pasture and into our yard. The back wall of our adobe storage building collapsed. Water then ran through the building and into our neighbors’ living room downstairs. (We live upstairs.) We quickly dug drainage ditches in the yard in an effort to divert the water. Thankfully the rain eased up before any of our neighbors’ possessions were damaged. It was a personal reminder of how people have suffered through the rains this year.
Please pray with us that the local government will take steps to improve drainage here in town and along the roadways when the weather clears. It is likely that with dry weather the need for improvements will be forgotten – that is, until the rains return next year! But at this point, we’re just waiting for them to come to an end this year!

Good Friday
Here in the mountains, Semana Santa (Holy Week) is important. For weeks leading up to it, the custom is to gather in your local Catholic church building and review each week a different story from the life of Jesus. Two weeks ago it was the story of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, when the people laid down palm branches and their cloaks in his path, as if welcoming a king. This past week, the focus was on Jesus’ death on the cross. There was some reflection on His resurrection, but the focus here is more on His suffering and death. It is good to remember how He suffered for us – the price He was willing to pay and how He can identify with our pain. But to not celebrate His resurrection is to deny the victory and hope that Christ provided for us. As Paul said: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Cor. 15:17-19) Indeed, it is the subsequent resurrection of Jesus that allows us to call the Friday of His death “good”!

On this Good Friday, we were planning to be in the community of Conopa to show the Luke Video in Quechua. Our friend, Magno, had arranged this opportunity with the local catechist and community leaders. Showing the video would have required that a heavy electrical generator be carried by hand up several hills! Due to road closures, we were not able to make it to Conopa. Magno was nice enough to come into town and let us know that the road and the trails were in horrible condition. We hope to show the video in early May. God’s Spirit is working in Conopa and we are excited. But in some ways we don’t know what we are getting ourselves into. There are a lot of traditions here that conflict with scripture. But there are a lot of traditions that are suspect or whose original purpose has been forgotten. We are always eager to share with anyone who is open. May those who are seeking a real relationship with Christ build upon good traditions while letting go of bad ones.

20 Years!
Not to trumpet our own horn, but since it is the custom here to throw your own party, we figure we should announce to you our recent 20th wedding anniversary! On April 8th in 1989, Russ and Sherri were married at Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas, TX. Where have the years gone? Wow! God is good to have blessed us in so many ways during these 20 years. We typically take some sort of outing on our anniversary. Last April, while in the USA, we sought out the blue bonnets and paint brushes (wildflowers) of Texas. This year, since so many roads were blocked or at least damaged, we stayed home and celebrated by cooking hamburgers and watching a movie.

Many of you prayed for our friend and sister in Christ, Natalia. On Sunday, March 15, Natalia went to be with the Lord. After her stay in the hospital some weeks earlier, she had returned to her son’s home where she had many visitors in her last weeks. She remained sure of her heavenly destination and was ready for relief from her pain. Her passing was especially difficult for her daughter, Elida, who is a single mother of two and was very close to her mom.

It was our first wake and burial since living here in Peru. Customs here are quite different than in the USA. The family endures some very difficult days not only of mourning but also trying to provide food and refreshments for visitors. They also accompany the casket all night long getting almost no sleep until after the burial. It is almost as if the culture here feels that family members should suffer physically as well as emotionally – as a tribute to the deceased. Many people joined the procession to the cemetery. It was not as “reverent” as one would expect in the USA, but it was a sign of how much Natalia was loved and respected. Some good words were shared by a brother in Christ – Natalia’s pastor from when she was part of a Pentecostal congregation.


Change Is a Part of Growth
You may have heard that the IMB is going through some restructuring. The goal is to position our agency for the future – through better use of resources, better engagement of people (both on the field and worldwide partners), better support, streamlined administration, more local ownership… Certainly, the world is changing and we must adjust to those changes. Here in Northern Conchucos, we will be affected minimally. But we will be part of a new team – the Ancash Quechua Team. Brett and Brenda Cargile will be moving to Huaraz to lead this new team, which will include those of us currently serving in Northern and Southern Conchucos, as well as others working with nearby Quechua people groups. We will also be part of a new “Middle Indigenous Cluster” belonging to the “Americas Affinity Group”.

As the Ancash Quechua Team meets next week, please pray with us that Father will give us a vision for the future that has Him at the center of creative and effective strategies for reaching our people groups. We confess that we have no genius or adequacy for the task, but pray that His power and glory will draw many to Himself.


Praises
- Protection of many homes and lives during the heavy rains.
- Protection of Maximo, brother-in-law of Eulogio, during a recent fall from a muddy trail.
- Natalia’s promotion to Heaven – freedom from pain, being with her Savior.
- Recent x-rays showed that Lucho’s fractured leg has healed. Now he only lacks exercise to regain mobility.
- Time spent with Magno (from Raj Raj) here at our house when not able to reach the communities of Conopa.

Requests
- For relief from damage caused by flooding and landslides. For preventative measures to be taken.
- Please pray that leaders will emerge from each of our Bible study outreach groups.
- For unity and the Holy Spirit’s leadership during our Ancash Quechua Team meeting in late April.
- For opportunities to build new relationships with new communities in the area of Conopa.


May you know Father’s abundant blessing,
Russ and Sherri


Let Me Be
Caedmon’s Call

Lord, You are the maker of my heart
The framer and reshaper of my soul
Master and Creator, Healer and Sustainer
I will put my trust in You alone

Teach me to be faithful to confess
In this way my spirit will be blessed
Though my sins are daily, You have loved me greatly
Removing them as far as east from west

Let me be open, let me be humble
Let me find the joy of my salvation in Your cross
Let me be broken whenever I stumble
Let me remember the great mercy of my God

Give me the full measure of Your grace
And as it is reflected in the Word
Faith and reassurance, mercy and endurance
Carry these to those who haven’t heard

Let me be open, let me be humble
Let me find the joy of my salvation in Your cross
Let me be broken whenever I stumble
Let me remember the great mercy of my God

bridge
All I have needed is laid at Your table
All my achievements, I lay at Your feet
Alive in Your spirit, I’m willing and able
You make my joy complete

Let me be open, let me be humble
Let me find the joy of my salvation in Your cross
Let me be broken whenever I stumble
Let me remember the great mercy

…You make my joy complete…

Dream Big

We should dream big. We serve a big God. Dream God-size dreams. Watch this video on You Tube and see what I mean. Take time and let it load if your connection is somewhat slow. Susan Boyle is a great illustration of dreaming a big and fearless dream. I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did.

Did Jesus Die on Friday? Is This a Good Question?

This a repeated byline on one cybernews site: "Did Jesus Die on Friday?"

Wrong question.

Completely unimportant when looking at the big picture.

I have my opinions, ones that will be reserved for academic discussions. But this is not the question we need to be answering for the general public.

The question is not even, "Did Jesus Die?" The legal evidence, found not only in the Bible, but also in history books from that time show that it was common knowledge that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified at the time of Passover somewhere around 29 or 30, C.E. (that's CHRISTIAN ERA, not "Common," folks). So we know he died. We know how he died.

The question you must answer is, "Why did Jesus die?"

Paul answered it this way, when correcting some heresies that were prevalent in that great Grecian city of Corinth:

1 Now brothers, I want to clarify for you the gospel I proclaimed to you; you received it and have taken your stand on it. 2 You are also saved by it, if you hold to the message I proclaimed to you—unless you believed to no purpose. 3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, . . . (1 Corinthians 15, Holman Christian Standard Bible)

The most important thing Jesus Christ taught Paul in that Arabian desert was that Christ died for our SINS.

There are four important words that we need to be clear about here: "for," "sins," and "according to."

Jesus' death sentence was handed down from the highest court--that Heavenly Court where God sits as the Judge. Think of a prison. A new guy or gal arrives and his cellmates begin to ask, "What are you in FOR?" The newbie answers, "Robbery," or whatever it may be. It does not mean (we hope) so that he can learn to rob, but instead because he robbed. Why did Jesus die? It was because of our sins. Ours.

Your sins. My sins. The sins of the world.

Though the Jewish leaders wanted him put to death out of jealousy, and though the Roman court laid down the sentence, "King of the Jews," the Heavenly death sentence was the prevailing one. It was the true sentence.

You killed Jesus. So did I.

He suffered my death--the one that was hanging over my head, just waiting to be carried out.

God turned all his wrath, his hatred of sin, that sin that kept you separated from God, onto Jesus so that he could bring you back to himself.

All this was in keeping with all of what we call "The Old Testament." Those divine and innerant words prophesied that Jesus would suffer this kind of death. This is what "according to" means. It is in keeping with what was already said.

I fear too often we have begun to take "according to" to mean, "some say;" or, "some sources tell us." In the case of Jesus' death, it is all in keeping with what God said would happen, going all the way back to Genesis 3. Everything was planned, in other words. It was not accidental, as some lost and misguided God-thinkers have said. It was planned and carried out to buy your freedom.

Jesus died. He did it to take your place.

Accept what Jesus did for you. Embrace the cross.

A Jungle Saga

The following is from one of our IMB missionaries serving in the jungles between Peru and Brazil:

Ashéninka Team
Peru

April 7, 2009

The entrance to the indigenous community of Ashéninka people called San Pedro is a long grade at about a 40 degree angle, about 300 yards long. You have to carry all your gear from the river, across some muddy ground, across a log that lies over a small brook, then up some 50 degree clay steps to the main sloping pathway that rises into the village center. By the time you get there with a heavy backpack you feel like your heart will never slow down. In many communities the folks hear your motor and know that someone is arriving. They hurry to the river to see who it might be and quickly descend to the boat when you reach the bank. Then they generously grab your cargo and carry it energetically to the place where you will lodge. At San Pedro the river is so far from the village center that usually no one knows when we arrive and we’re left to carry everything on our own! When I’m laden with my overstuffed backpack, a bedroll under one arm, a folding camp chair slung over one shoulder, and my back of teaching materials and cameras in the other hand, I look more like a storage rack trying to walk uphill. I asked Dena today how many trips down and back up the San Pedro hill I should make per day in order to get into shape. She suggested three. I just glared and wondered when you’re too old for this line of work.

Because of our short-handedness during the last several years and our emphasis on the farther extremes of the Pichis River valley, we’ve simply not been able to get back to the Río Azupizú to visit and encourage our friends at San Pedro since 2007. In September of that year, along with volunteers from South Carolina, we built upon previously started ministry at nearby Puerto Pascuala as well, but we’ve since not returned. This outing will be to check on the status of the San Pedro church which we helped initiate back in 2003, and to look in on and encourage believers at Puerto Pascuala.

In San Pedro, Pastor Alejandro and his wife Ana, have labored with a solid commitment to the local church, and have weathered criticism and the opposition of errant sects. The formerly strong Adventist community no longer has an Adventist church, but throughout the region there is still much adherence to that group’s emphasis on keeping the Saturday Sabbath, as well as strict rules about which foods can be eaten. Alejandro has faithfully stood for an evangelical doctrine of salvation through grace, and liberty in Christ. They have faced additional obstacles as well. In 2006 their bamboo church building was blown down by a storm. The church rallied with small financial gifts and the Lord sent them outside help as well. Today they worship under a metal roof with walls of sawn lumber.

Please pray for this visit to these two Ashéninka communities and that the Christians in both places will be encouraged in the Lord and will deepen their commitment to following Him, even when persecuted.

Quilmer has been continuing teaching in the Río Negro communities since I left him there in March. He will be joining me again for this Río Azupizú trip. Please pray for the following:
1. Safety in all travels
2. Growth from all teaching and training in Río Negro communities
3. Transportation to San Pedro from town of Puerto Bermudez; we no longer keep a boat in Bermudez
4. Fruitful times of teaching and personal ministry in San Pedro and Puerto Pascuala
5. Leaders Alejandro and Ana in San Pedro, Giovana and Ernesto in Pascuala.
6. Dena, Jacob, and Berta who remain in Pucallpa

We love you and thank the Lord for your support in prayer.

Marty McAnally
Strategy Coordinator
Ashéninka People Group
International Mission Board
Pucallpa, Peru
mcanally@asheninka.net
http://www.asheninka.net/

Ode to a Dog

Like many of you, we have a dog. He's nothing extraordinary; just a 5 year old Miniature Schnauzer. His name is Rufus. He does no tricks. He barks more than we would like. But his loyalty is without compare.

This morning, Rufus taught me a lesson.

A lesson about God.

When I got up this morning Rufus was there at the bedroom door, waiting as he does most mornings. He was standing against the door, but quickly moved to raise up and stand against my legs as I came out. All the way down the hall Rufus bumped and pawed at me. He stood, tail wagging, head moving from side to side, doing that thing that dogs to to let their masters know they are excited to see them. Rufus stood by my side, moving along with me, looking up expectantly. He wanted his morning attention.

The desire for attention was when I learned my lesson this morning. Rufus' tenacity reminded me how we should be when we pray. Jacob told the angel, as they wrestled, "I will not let you go until you bless me." Rufus would not leave my side until we engaged in his favorite game of tug-of-war with his blanket. I was reminded from that insistence that I must be so tenacious with my Lord. I must cling to him, remain by his side, and otherwise call out to him until he answers me. He promised Jeremiah, "Call unto me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know."

God used a dog to remind me of this. God took a simple created animal and taught a great spiritual lesson.

Learn from the dog. Cling to our God, through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pressing for a Victory, Part Four

I watched some of the NCAA Elite Eight playoffs the other night. One thing I noticed in some of the games that I saw was that the winners seemed to have a higher level of concentration than the losers. They kept their eye on the goal when they shot, on the ball while it was being dribbled or passed--by either team. They concentrated and they won. That was the culmination of their efforts and training.

The Culmination of Israel's 40 years was their entrance into The Promised Land. It was a glorious morning. Forty long years had passed. The only original Hebrews in this group where Caleb and Joshua, the two God-fearing spies who had tried to convince Israel to go in and take the land 38 years earlier. But, as often happens, the majority prevailed. And as often happens, the majority was wrong.

Joshua 3:7 - 17 tells us the culmination of their wilderness time:

7 And the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.’” 9 So Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites: 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe. 13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.” 14 So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.

I need to point out a couple of things the experts tell us. One, it's flood time. Harvest time is flood time along the Jordan. In the rest of the year, the Jordan River is about 100 yards wide. But in harvest time, the Jordan swells to as much as a mile wide, according to these experts. And it was time for a flood.

Why is that important? I think it shows that God brought these people to where they were at such a time that they could not possibly take the slightest credit for it. They were going to have to give God all the glory. Joshua told them, "By this you will know that the Living God is among you." (v10) The "this" is the fact they have to cross this swollen river at the least convenient time for them. It was very convenient for God. Anytime is the right time for Him!

You may be struggling for a victory over something in your life, and you may be trying to set aside a specific time to deal with it; but you may be discovering that, as soon as you set the day or the time, something comes up. Why do you think that is? One, the devil likes having you bound up and defeated. The other is that God needs this to be something that glorifies Him and Him alone.

The priests marched into the water; they were some thousand yards ahead of the rest of the group. There they stood, water rushing across their feet. I don't know how much time passed, but after awhile the water began to slow down. Slowly, but surely, the waters receded and dried up, the priests standing firm all the while.

Forty years earlier Moses stood by another body of water: the Red Sea. He stretched forth the rod God had told him to carry and God caused a strong wind to blow and part the waters. He did it in front of them.

This time God chose to do a different thing. He parted the waters, but did it a different way. He stopped the waters some 20 miles upstream.

My point is this: don't expect your victories to come the same way every time. God is God. He does things in a way that brings him the glory. Not only that, but when God does things differently it keeps our relationship fresher.

It was finally done. Israel had finally crossed over. They were finally in the land. The Promised Land. Canaan. A place where they were going to experience victory after victory.

Press on! The victory awaits you!

Pressing on for a Victory, part three

In the last post, I urged the readers to consider the importance of consecration as a key part of victory in the Christian life. Our lives are consecrated--sanctified--positionally before the Lord. Christ's holiness is our holiness. He was made to be sin so that we may be made the righteousness of God in [Christ]. We are in Christ, seated at the right hand of God.

But practically speaking, I don't feel all that consecrated; not every day, anyway. So I must make a conscious decision to separate myself from the ways of the world, from the practices that would not be seen as "holy" before God. I must wash myself in the water of the Word of God. I must repent of evil that may be in my life.

Consecration is only the first part of pressing on for a victory. The second word I need to share is concentration. We need to learn the fine art of concentrating on Christ. Joshua had told Israel to let the priests bearing the ark on their shoulders to proceed on before them. Then he told them something important: "Watch the ark (paraphrased). Keep your eyes on the ark."

That ark represented the presence of God, among other things. It is a symbol of Christ for us. You will find some important truths in the New Testament about walking with the Lord. You have to keep your eyes on him. Jesus, speaking of his relationship with the Father, said, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." Now he can only do what the Father does if he has his eyes on the Father. You can't see what you aren't looking at. You have to keep your eyes on Jesus.

You can't go forward if you are looking backward. Now some of you are about to say, "Yes you can!" You try to walk on a sidewalk while you are looking over your shoulder. See how far you get before you walk into something, or walk off the sidewalk. See how straight of a line you walk. Farmers will tell you that, in order to plow a straight furrow, you need to fix your eyes on a target ahead of you and keep them fixed there. Otherwise, your furrows will be crooked.

You can't go up if you are looking down. Colossians 3 tells us to keep our eyes fixed on things above, not on earthly things. Your job is a good thing; but it's not the greatest thing. Your home is a good thing, but not the greatest thing. Fix your eyes on things of the kingdom, not on things of this life.

If you want a victory, learn to concentrate on Christ and on the things of Christ.

Pressing for a Victory, part two

The nation of Israel, in the time of Moses and Joshua, reveals a great illustration of the Christian life. Israel in captivity is a picture of the Christian before he is born again. The Passover lamb is a picure of the Lord Jesus' death for us. Crossing through the Red Sea is a picture of baptism. The wilderness is a picture of our struggle to grow in Christ. It's also symbolic of the carnal believer. A carnal believer is that believer who depends more on himself than on God. It is that believer who never achieves the full victory that God desires for him.

Please note: We need to be careful with our illustrations. As with every illustration, if you look hard enough, you can poke holes in it. You cannot make every single aspect of the wildnerness time, or the land of Canaan, to be a perfect picture of the Christian life. I don't intend for this illustration to do that, so please don't make that assumption. Now, on to the story....

We find ourselves on the banks of the Jordan, looking over into The Promised Land. Israel has been waiting years for this day. Now it comes. Now come the victories and the blessings God had promised. Israel, as a nation, had brought on itself the 40 years they had spent in the desert. They did not believe God the first time he had taken them to this place. But they believed him this time! They are ready to go.

You can read about this in the first few chapters of the book of Joshua. You will find an anxious nation and a fearful leader. After all, all they had known for years and years was the leadership of Moses. But God tells Joshua time and again that God will be with him as leader, to go forward. So he does. Perhaps with some fear and trepidation, but he does. And within a few days, the victories start.

I suspect all of us would like to experience more victory in our Christian life than we currently do. I think all of us hunger for a palpable presence of God with us. In Joshua, chapter 3, we have the steps for such a life. The first few verses follow:

1Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and he and all the sons of Israel set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan, and they lodged there before they crossed.
2At the end of three days the officers went through the midst of the camp;
3and they commanded the people, saying, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it.
4"However, there shall be between you and it a distance of about 2,000 cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before."
5Then Joshua said to the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."

If you truly want victory, then your victory begins as theirs did: with CONSECRATION.

Now the experts tell us that in this time period the way that God's children demonstrated consecration (sanctification) was by bathing. Water was not a common commodity. They did not bathe daily. So when the order for consecration came down, the people would wash their clothes and wash their bodies.

You and I need daily consecration to live in victory. We need to wash up. John 13 taught this when Jesus washed the disciples' feet. Jesus said we needed to wash up. Then in John 15 Jesus said this: "Now you are clean through the word that I have spoken to you."

Do you see that? The word of God washes us! If you want to be consecrated, spend time in the word. Let God speak to your heart. Let him reveal with the word what needs to change in your heart and let him change you. As God shows you what is out of order in your life, repent of it. Request his forgiveness. And let him have his way. This is how to press on for a victory.

Pressing for a Victory

Maybe this and the subsequent posts are influenced by March madness. I love college basketball, after all; and this is the time that is most interesting in that great sport. Sixty-four teams began (last week) pressing for a victory. The invitation alone was a great honor for them. I imagine that most, if not all, of the teams all imagined themselves in that final game on April 6th. I don't think any coach, team, or player began the season thinking, "I am going to to my deadlevel best to strive for mediocrity. Lukewarmness is enough for us!" If they did, they got what they deserved. At this point in the season, those remaining teams are beginning to believe that the ultimate victory is just a game away.

So I want to take a few days to speak about victorious Christian living. I scan a few blogs, read a number of Christian websites, and I seldom see a study or exhortation towards victory in Jesus. [I guess that it's not a popular way to say things anymore. After all, I am often surprised with some of the pop language I hear. It's a sign of being left behind, culturally-speaking--the hazard of living somewhere in South America.]

Victory is not automatic, even though we have the sure promise and great truth that Christ has already won the victory for us. There are many verses in Scripture that assure us that victory is ours. We even sing about it in many churches, from that great old hymn, "Victory in Jesus," to some of the modern praise songs about victory. It's there. It's ours.

There are two aspects about victory that we need to understand. One is that we already have the victory. Christ won it. We fight our spiritual battles from a place of victory; that is a "positional truth." That is, it's the truth about our position in Christ. One day I will write more about that. But for now I want to focus on a second point about victory.

That point is that, practically speaking, we have to press forward towards personal, practical victory. In your daily life--in the practical outworking of the Christian life, that victory is not automatic. But it is promised. It is achievable.

Our lessons about victory will come from the story of the Hebrews as they enter the Promised Land. Briefly, let me say that The Promised Land, Canaan, is not a good symbol for heaven. Why? There are wars in Canaan. There are none in heaven. There are enemies there; not in heaven. Canaan is not about heaven. But it does teach us about daily Christian living. It's found in the Old Testament book of Joshua.

We will learn more about that tomorrow. Get ready to press on for a victory.

HOW Long??!!

Today is a milestone for me. No, it's not my birthday; that comes soon enough. No, it's not another anniversary. Well, "anniversary" does not exactly fit.

Today is the 20,000th day of my life. Twenty thousand. That's a 2, followed by 4 zeroes. That is 28 million, 800 thousand minutes. It's 103 billion, 680 million seconds, if I did the math right.

Twenty thousand sunrises. Twenty thousand times I have heard birds sing (and they started early this morning!). Twenty thousand opportunities to look up at the sky and thank God for his beautiful creation. Twenty thousand times. Think of it.

I don't know what God's "clock" looks like, but knowing I have lived 20 thousand days makes me take stock of my life and ask what I have done with so much time. Admittedly, I don't like all the answers I could give.

There is one answer for which I am eternally grateful: there has been more than enough grace for each of those 20 thousand days that I have lived. Romans 5 tells us that where sin increased, grace increased all the more. This is so grace could rein. In my life, that's 103 billion, 680 million seconds of God's grace; poured out; overflowing; increasing according to need.

Get the picture that God paints for us: sin overflowed like a river in the rainy season. It floods everything it can touch. I have seen that kind of flood. I saw the Mississippi River in the floods all throughout Tennessee and Missouri. They tell me it was pretty precarious down in Mississippi, too. But I was in those states when I saw Old Man River at its worst. Sin ravages us like that. But along comes grace, overflowing even more than sin. Wiping it out. Covering it up. Grace reins.

No wonder John Newton shouted out through his great hymn, "Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!"

If I have another 20 thousand days--and I would not mind it a bit--I have the joy of knowing God's grace is sufficient for every single one of them.

Yes, grace reins. All day. Every day. Forever.

The Great Adventure

Today is a milestone for me. I surrendered to preach the gospel message 31 years ago today. I still remember the battle, which had begun quite a long time before that. The battle heated up on March 5th, when the revival preacher said, “I believe God has called some young man to preach the gospel.” My heart nearly burst inside me. My knees grew weak. I began sweating and trembling. I gripped the pew and held on for all I had, hoping that invitation would end. Every night during that revival meeting the story was the same. I stood there, my sweat showering every one nearby, waiting for that conviction to pass so I could relax again.

A week later another guest preacher asked us if we were right with God to show it by giving him the right hand of fellowship. He did not want to take mine; I had hair past my ears and on my collar. No one dressed like that could be right with God, so far as he was concerned. I was just recovering from spinal paralysis (a herniated disc left me unable to move my legs at all), so it was difficult to make it down that aisle. But down I went. On my way home, singing the invitation hymn (I Surrender All) for all I was worth, God spoke. He said, “You’re lying.” The conviction began all over again. I asked the Lord why he said that. He told me I knew why. And I did. I could hardly get home. I got into the family room and fell to my knees; my parents were on the coast visiting family. I cried out for mercy. There was none. The path was clear. The call was clear. I grabbed my father’s topical Bible, looking for verses about the call to the ministry. My eyes fell on Is. 6:8. And I cried out again. This time Isaiah’s words were mine. It was only then that peace came.

It was there that the greatest journey of my life began. Before that day, to stand before anyone was emotional torture for me. I trembled so badly that I could not control my motions or my voice. After that moment, if I stand to preach, I am a completely different person. God takes over. I am empowered. There is no fear. There is only a burning passion to make clear every word God has spoken to me. I would not trade it for anything in the world.

Some do not believe that there is such a thing as “surrendering to preach.” Some well-meaning theologians ignore that possibility. If you did not have to surrender, fine. But believe me: I did not want to preach. I wanted to make money. I was not opposed to the ministry; I just wanted to do God’s work on my terms. So for me, I had to surrender. I surrendered all my dreams. I surrendered my will. I surrendered my entire future. I had to crawl back onto the cross and die to self. I had to remind myself I was crucified with Christ. I had to remember that the life I live today is the Christ-life. He makes my plans. He chooses my path. I just walk where he points. I say what he says to say. I am his. And he is mine.

As I said, I would not trade it for anything in the world. It’s a great adventure.

Christianity, as We Know It

Tonight I read an opinion regarding the decline of Evangelical Christianity. The author, one who professes to be an evangelical, even describes his cyber world as a "post-evangelical wilderness."

Is the world to become more antagonistic towards Evangelical Christianity? If you believe Scripture, it will. Consider 2 Thes. 2: 3ff: Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin[b] is revealed, the son of perdition..., [emphasis added]

Apostasy is characteristic of the end times. Before Jesus returns, men will prefer doctrines of demons to sound doctrine. Men will see conservative Christianity as a detriment to "progress." We may even face a level of persecution that few of us in the West have ever seen.

So the question is, have we reached the end? I do not know. I cannot assume that my task is finished until the Lord's trumpets sound. In the meantime, I must continue to press forward, sharing the gospel, preaching righteousness, pointing lost men to the light, helping saved men to shine their lights more brightly.

If my support system collapses around me, I will have to do it however and wherever I can. This, because ultimately, my support is from God. He is my Rock, my Fortress.

Is There a Crisis, Men?

Last Sunday I listened to a very good preacher declare that there was (is) a crisis in masculinity. As I read the news and listen to the postmodern culture pundits, I tend to agree. We have been in a crisis for about 20 years now, maybe longer. With our cliches and emphases on metrosexuality and homosexuality, how can we not see that we are in a crisis? Have you watched many shows lately? Men are portrayed as sexually confused, sexually perverted (in every sense of that term), or sexually weak. The only men shown in a positive light are those who have achieved enough enlightenment to be in touch with their feminine side, or those who have shown great tolerance to those who wish to be sexually perverted, or have willfully submitted themselves to their female partners. A strongly masculine man is often portrayed as a homophobic, intolerant, whoremongering sociopath. That, or he is so stupid he cannot tie his own shoes.

Even commercials show men as mental slugs. We know nothing. We are incompetent. We can't do it, whatever "it" may be in the commercial. Women to the rescue!! They save us from ourselves.

When did it begin? Do we blame "Gloria?" Do we blame that association of pyschologists that declared that homosexuality was an alternate lifestyle, worthy of acceptance? Do we blame our moms or our dads? Look deeper, dude.

Two things happened in the 20th century that changed us. One, during WWII many women left the home to go join the work force. It was deemed to be a necessary evil. We needed women to run the factories while our men went off to war. But when the war was over, the women had tasted the "freedom" that this gave them and they liked what they had tasted. So culture shifted and now women were slowly accepted into the work force. How they were treated is another story we cannot go into now.

Second, we came home from the wars and conflicts pretty disillusioned. Our perspective on spiritual things was changing. We lost our spiritual anchor. As we became biblically illiterate and sexually liberated, we did something unthinkable. We began to use culture as the primary source of biblical interpretation and we changed the meaning of Scripture to fit our cultural understanding. We contextualized Christianity and left the biblical message that describes the home. Because men, in general, lost their interest in spiritual things, we allowed the popular thought of the day to govern our ideology. That includes how men see themselves.

Yes, there is a crisis in masculinity. God still asks us men the same question he asked Adam in the Garden of Eden, "Where are YOU?" We need to rediscover our masculine role and get busy in the things God expects of us.

Leadership and the People We Lead

Are you a leader? Someone said the best way to know if you are a leader is to look around and see if anyone is following you. Once I thought I was leading someone down here; then discovered that the ones following me were casing me with the idea of picking my pocket. They were good at it, too. My group of followers suddenly surrounded me and slipped my empty wallet right out of my back pocket. Slick. But God let me catch the perpetrators and get it back. At that point, I was the follower, not the leader!

Okay, so I am a leader of sorts. Sometimes I lead. I also have to follow. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to find leadership flaws in the ones we are following? But have you also noticed how difficult it is to spot our own leadership flaws? I don't know many that are exempt from such as that. I suppose I am not speaking to all of us who lead; but, still and again, there are many of us who would be able to wear that shoe really well.

Consequently, I read lots of books on leadership (Now if I could only get to where I put that stuff into practice!). One I read last year caught my eye as I looked for another book in my shelves. It's by Hans Finzel and is called The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make. What a great read! It was originally published in 1994, but republished in 2007. I found it, of all places to be, in the airport in Charlotte, NC. If you can get to a bookstore, or look online, and if you are a leader, you want this valuable book.

What are Finzel's top ten? Here they are:

1. The top-down attitude, which he sees as the biggest gaffe we make.
2. Putting paperwork before "peoplework."
3. The absence of affirmation.
4. Allowing no room for mavericks.
5. Dictatorship in decision-making (thinking you know and have all the answers).
6. Dirty delegation (not letting go of a job once you have delegated it; read it carefully, Mr. Micro-manager).
7. Communication chaos, learning to sing from the same page in the hymnal.
8. Missing the clues of corporate culture (it's not what it may sound like).
9. Success without successors (passing the baton to others)
10. Failure to focus on the future.

What would your top ten be? Get the book and give it a read. It's worth $15.