The Sabbath: A Time to Grab Hold of God

What a blessing our time at MTI has been. Not very many people have the opportunity to "step out of life" for a period of four weeks to learn about God, yourself and how you interact with others. This weekend I have the privilege to meet with four other men that have been part of my growth group and have them tell me one weakness they have observed and 3-4 strength areas. I have the opportunity to share the same with them. What a privilege!

Last Friday we spent the day thinking a lot about the Christian Sabbath. It was a very helpful time rethinking through why we set aside the Lord's Day for worship, hospitality, fellowship, acts of mercy and rest. It was a bit convicting as to how we, as a family, have slacked lately. We haven't been as purposeful and intentional about how we spend the Lord's Day. So instead we end up spending the time for our own purposes and not the Lord's.

The discussion got a bit lively as we talked through what the Lord's Day Sabbath means for believers today. All of us here come from different Christian backgrounds, different denominations, and different understandings of Scripture. Some have been part of traditions that have a more developed view of the Sabbath and some don't. But, we are all part of the family of God, adopted sons and daughters, called by God to serve Him throughout the world.

It is interesting to me though, how the modern church has lost sight of the Sabbath. The culture around us gave up on the Sabbath long ago. Now, we go to soccer practice on Sunday, watch football all day, and if we feel like it, actually go to church.

I find it curious that we often act like there are only nine Commandments. We read in Scripture that Jesus came to fulfill the law. While that has many applications, one is that we understand that the ceremonial and sacrificial law don't apply to us as New Covenant believers. For some reason, we also throw in the Sabbath as part of that ceremonial law that doesn't apply to us.

But I wonder if we can think about it differently.

What did Jesus do in the Sermon on the Mount? He didn't eliminate the application of the ten commandments, he broadened them.  He broadened them to apply to more than our deeds and externally, but to our inward thoughts, heart and mind.

The day of rest was initiated at creation (Genesis 2:1-3). God applied Sabbath principals when the Israelites wandered in the wilderness and collected enough manna on the sixth day for two days (Exodus 16:22-30). Both of these were before the Ten Commandments were instituted. The principal of the Sabbath rest was instituted before the Ten commandments, was included in the Ten Commandments, and applies to believers even today.

Take a look at Isaiah 58. In the first five verses God is chastising the Israelites for their faith without works; for their inward focus and their neglect and abuse of those under their care. He then goes on to tell them in verses six through twelve what true faith and fasting looks like: outward focused, feeding the hungry, freeing the oppressed and sheltering the homeless. If they pour themselves out for the hungry, "the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places. . . ." (v. 10, 11)

And then here's the part I haven't understood until a couple months ago. The last two verses of that chapter address the proper observance of the Sabbath. Why are there verses regarding the Sabbath in this section in which God tells Israel the proper way to fast unto the Lord?

"If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." Isaiah 58:13-14

I think the only way we can have a faith that is active, outward focused, and selfless is to find rest in the Sabbath of God. The only way we can work with all our might in our God given vocations and also live a life pursuing the mind of Christ, is to ground it in the Sabbath rest of God. If I can't trust that God will provide for my needs, my schedule, my to-do list, how can I trust that He is sovereign over all of our lives? It takes faith. But where else should we place our faith than in the Creator of all the Universe?

So next time church contemplates canceling service so people can stay home and watch the football game (which some churches did in Seattle when the Seahawks played in the playoffs), or even the next time I contemplate turning on the Mariner's game on a Sunday afternoon (which for me is not healthy, but may be fine for you), ask whether you are "doing your pleasure on my holy day" or pursuing after God?

Training & Transitioning

The Transition Bridge: an illustration of the transition onto the mission field, beginning with the settled and unsettled phases and moving into complete chaos before one can feel somewhat resettled and then finally 60% settled once again.

One randomly selected "family" and two single individuals journeyed across the bridge made of chairs [settled stage], rocking chairs [unsettled stage], exercise bouncy balls [chaos stage], rocking chairs [resettling], and secure chairs [new settled stage]. The family, made up of a mom and dad and two children, was linked together quite closely with hiking gear and clips because a family is a close unit and communicates in a way unique from that of the singles. Mom travels backwards because she wants to make sure her children make it safely across, and Dad wants to help out more but he cannot because of his position on the bridge. He is bringing up the rear and helping his kids across while facing his wife to communicate more easily. Sometimes the kids bounce a little, in the midst of the chaos, because it can be exciting and sometimes even fun, which puts the family off balance even more and makes Mom and Dad wonder if anything else could possibly be added to the chaos. When one family member struggles and loses balance, the whole family struggles and comes together even more than before. And if one family member falls, the whole family "falls" and must return from the field.

The two single teammates are attached by a stretchy phone cord on each end of the family and must learn that, because the family is close and concerned with the safety of one another, it can be easy for the singles to feel somewhat left out. The singles also might have to work at a slower pace if the family is working at a slower pace to avoid the discomfort of the cord's tension.

And sometimes, in the middle of the chaos, Mom will get a message from someone: "Hey, we haven't gotten a newsletter in a while." "Hey, what are you doing with the money we are sending you? Could we get an update soon?" And Mom is thinking, Um, we are in the midst of serious chaos and we are just trying to make it, but she says, "We are really busy but we are doing okay."

The supporters on the outside help the family during the transition and lift them up in prayer from "home-base," supporting them and encouraging them from off the field. While the supporters are not attached to the traveling team by a cord, they are very much essential to the team's wellbeing. The family cannot make it across the chaos phase without support.

While all of the supporters and prayer warriors and encouragers are essential to our journey, the team must realize that it is God who holds the bridge in His unmoving hands and it is God who is our true hope and strength.

Thy Faithfulness

The snow has been falling steadily in Palmer Lake, Colorado, for the past twenty-four hours, and it is forecasted to fall for another twelve. I just walked outside for a few minutes to experience what 9 degrees feels like when it's combined with 11mph winds that whirl tiny snowflakes around in the sky. I don't think I've ever been so cold in my life - I'm a true Seattleite and I'm definitely not used to ten inches of snow and temperatures below twenty.

Being here at Mission Training International (MTI) has been such a wonderful experience. I am learning so much about so many different things. The first two weeks of training have been focused almost entirely on language learning and how to best approach any new language. In the moments that we aren't making strange new sounds with our mouths or consuming caffeine to keep us awake, we are talking about what it means to enter a new culture and engage fully in the paradox that is ministry.

It isn't easy to be here (nor is it easy to remain inside for days on end due to snow!), but it is so good to be here. It is such a blessing to see how God has brought all 68 of us here and to hear how He has called each one of us in a totally unique way. It has been such an encouragement to know that we are all experiencing the joys and hardships and blessings and discouragements of heading onto the mission field, and while each of us is experiencing something different, each of us knows what it means to truly rely on the Lord and trust His goodness.

God's faithfulness has been the subject of nearly all of my journal entries these past two weeks, and every day He shows His great faithfulness in such a new way. His grace and constant love are so overwhelming and His mercies are indeed new every morning, for which I am especially grateful. But ministry is a paradox. Some days are harder than others, and on those hard days that faithfulness looks as simple as a hot cup of tea in the evenings or a letter slipped under the door by one of my tiny five-year-old pen pals who are each heading onto mission fields of their own with their families.

But as we learn to appreciate the hard and the good of ministry by comparing both sides to a rubber duck, we see the blessing that comes with them both and that you cannot have the good without having the hard. Whether today was a "yuck-duck" day or a "yay-duck" day, all I have needed Thy hand hath provided, and great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.  
 

Prayer: A Gift from God

We are enjoying our time here at missions training. We have been discussing many issues around language training and Friday afternoon began addressing cross-cultural issues which we will continue to interact with over the next two weeks.

After only two weeks we are developing some good relationships. Getting to know people that are going through the same things we are has been very encouraging.

It is amazing that when you have the opportunity to get away from the craziness of life for a bit with time to reflect on issues how healthy it can be.

I have recently been convicted regarding my own prayer life. As we embark on life on the Reservation we know there will be difficulties. We know we will miss our friends and family. We know that we will have failures and discouragements and things might often be confusing. We know the Lord will stretch us in many ways. But for us to be engaged in this work and not be in daily, continual prayer with the Creator of the Universe is folly. I have a long way to go.

We rest in the sovereignty of our great God. He not only is our Creator, but He is active in the lives of those that follow Him in a way that we can rely on and trust for all our needs. What a blessing to know the Holy Spirit not only enables us to pray but gives us the words! And we know that through the mediating work of Christ, our prayers are heard and answered by the Father.

It is often so easy to rely on ourselves. In the business world I would focus on working hard, putting in the time and effort, following the right methodology and usually would get good results. "See, look what I did!" In God's grace he allows success, even though it might often lead us farther away from Him.

Praise God that He has awakened me to my weakness in this area. He has called us to follow Him in a way that I can't rely on myself. If we try to do it in our own power, we will fail. I'm sure I will try. Many times. But with His power and grace, He will work through me and accomplish His purposes even in my weakness.

I have been reading a bunch the last couple weeks and just finished a small little biography of David Brainerd, by Brian H Cosby, titled "A Love for the Lost." Mr. Brainerd was a missionary to Native Americans in the 1740s. He lived a godly life that was cut short by sickness. He died in 1747 at the age of 29 after struggling several years with, I believe, tuberculosis. But he was a man of prayer and continual seeking after Christ. Below is a short excerpt from the book that was a huge encouragement to me that I thought might encourage you to seek after Christ as Mr Brainerd.

"However, through these challenges and hardships [hypocritical witness from other white Christians in the area, fear from Native Americans, English translation issues, Native American's worshiping spirits with powerful witch doctors] God was pleased to shape David and to teach him to trust in his goodwill more. He had to trust that God's grace was sufficient for him. He had to trust that he would never be forsaken because Jesus was forsaken on his behalf. It always came back to the gospel. David showed patience toward the Indians because God had shown patience toward him in his sin. He forgave the Indians when they wronged him because God had forgiven him. David loved the Indians because God had first loved him. Jesus was the centerpiece of David's entire life to the point that, "to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21) (pgs. 124, 125)

Day 2 of Training - Update

We are finishing up Day 2 of missionary training in Colorado today and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank those of you that are praying for us and supporting us financially.

It is a bit surreal to actually be here and beginning this training. The last year has been a crazy year of raising funds, telling everyone we could about Sacred Road (some of you probably think whether you wanted to hear about it or not), transitioning out of my firm, selling our house, and saying goodbyes to everyone. It has been busy, rewarding, difficult, encouraging, sad, exciting and many more emotions.

We couldn’t have gotten to this point without your prayers and financial support. Thank you.

And in only 4 weeks this training will be over and we will be going directly to Yakama. We are really excited about this new phase of the process.

A few things you might be interested in about the training:

1.       There are 37 adults and 31 youth/children.

2.       There are 3 other teens besides ours – all girls.

3.       It was 60 degrees yesterday and it is supposed to snow tomorrow.

4.       We are actually in the Palmer Lake/Monument area of Colorado, not quite in Colorado Springs.

One final thing to share that will hopefully be an encouragement to you. During the last year we have thought a few times that we are the only ones going through this process. Sometimes felt like odd-balls. But to be able to meet all these people that are in various stages of the same process we have been going through is a huge encouragement. And what is even more special is to hear about all the places they will be going to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people all around the world. Here are the places:

1.       Malawi

2.       Burkina Faso

3.       Dominican Republic

4.       India

5.       Native America (Apaches in Arizona – Yeah!)

6.       Uganda

7.       Philippines

8.       Mexico

9.       Kenya

10.   Mozambique

11.   Southeast Asia

12.   Nicaragua

13.   Poland

14.   Brazil

15.   Tanzania

16.   Jordan

17.   Czech Republic

18.   Thailand

19.   And Native America – Sacred Road Ministries in Yakama.