Spanish Blog: Wisdom and Childlike Faith

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Isn’t it amazing how easily children innocently believe the things they are told?  They ask questions constantly, seeking to learn what is true, and they believe what they are told—at least until years of interacting with sinners in a fallen world cause them to doubt and question even what they are told.  Like Adam and Eve’s sudden awareness of sin upon eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we all reach an age at which faith is less natural and life loses some of its luster.

 

 

I consider it an incredible privilege that the Lord began to teach me His truths and impress His goodness on me at an early age—an age at which I simply accepted these things as truth and did not question them.  I remember one night when I was around 7 or 8 years old, when I learned about the existence of a mystical power called wisdom, and of God’s incredibly graciousness in offering it to each one of us.

 

For our family devotion time this night, my dad read to us from First Kings three and four about when Solomon asked for wisdom and God made him the wisest man who ever lived or would live.  This intrigued me.  First of all, I really liked the sound of “ask of Me whatever you want,” and I had to wonder whether God would have really granted Solomon anything, or if it was only because he asked for wisdom.  But the unmatched wisdom with which the Bible said Solomon was granted peaked my interest as well.  As much as I tried, I couldn’t wrap my brain around the concept of a wisdom that could truly be greater than any wisdom of anyone who would ever live.  

 

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”  

And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.  And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in.  And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude.  Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” 

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.  And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. ~ 1Kings 3:5-12

 

Chapter three’s example of Solomon’s wise ruling in the case of the two women and the baby was sufficient proof in my mind, however, that Solomon did indeed possess great the greatest wisdom as God said He had granted to him.  And of course, I had always been taught that if the Bible said it, then it was true.  I had never had cause to doubt that.

 

When my father had finished explaining to my younger sister and I the occurrences of these chapters in 1 Kings, he went on to say that we too could ask God for wisdom, and that if we really did want it, He would give it to us (granted, it would not be as great a wisdom as Solomon possessed).  In fact, he said, God wanted us to ask Him for wisdom.  So when our devotional time was over, I found myself a quiet spot in the living room by the fireplace and with as much reverence as my eight years had taught me how to convey, and I asked God to give me wisdom.

 

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ~ James 1:5-7

 

Do you remember a time as a child when you believed in things more readily?  What would you ask God for if He asked you want you desire?

Jogging for the Dream

My run with the Lord was sweet this morning.  It was torture to wake up at 6, but as usual I begged the Lord for assistance and He must have granted it because my flesh was so weak, and the bed felt SO GOOD.  I know that the comfort of my bed is nothing compared to the comfort of good reassuring conversation with my Lord, though.

 

 

As I ran, the Lord reminded me that to run a race, you have to pace yourself and commit to contentment with a slow pace, for if you sprint, you will run out of steam all to quickly and must stop—at least that’s my experience!  I rarely push myself to the point of plateauing with a steady enduring jog on these runs because I greatly prefer to go fast, and then slow to a more restful (yet brisk) walk.  The slow jog feels so wimpy, but it is the only run I can maintain for very long.  Even the jog, though, is physical torture for me.  It is so hard to push forward when you only have just barely enough strength and oxygen to continue running.  In that place, I know in my head that I have what I need to continue, but the desire to stop and walk more comfortably is overpowering.

 

 

 So the Lord impressed upon my heart, as I settled into this sort of run this morning, that the spiritual race is the same.  As much as we love to soar with wings as eagles, our race is usually not perceived to be such by us.  If we are to endure and continue the race with eyes fixed on our Lord, we must be content to jog.  Just as jogging feels like death, this slow perseverance with my King often feels like death.  Continuing to serve with broken people, in a broken place, during this unrelenting pandemic feels like death.  I know the Lord is working, and as He reminded me this morning, He turns around even our sin and failure for His kingdom purposes, but the choice to continually believe that takes such faith.  

 

 

Choosing faith always feels a little like death because it is choosing the reality no one sees.  It is choosing human foolishness.  It is completely contrary to our fleshly reasoning.

 

 

But God has asked us to keep running in that tension here.  To keep pursuing people who disappoint us over and over again.  To keep claiming victory in places of repeated failure.  To keep looking up when the drama is directly in front of us.  I truly identify with Peter walking out onto the water amid the wind and waves so often these days.  This existence makes no sense.  But God so faithfully fills us up, inspires us with the beauty of His good purposes, and encourages us by so many faithful friends who hold us up in prayer.  I know it is only because of the Lord’s mercy in calling many to labor with us in prayer that we continue to experience joy.

 

 

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.  For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.  Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.

(2 Cor. 3:18-4:1)

 

 

Jogging is completely unglamourous.  Occasionally I feel self-conscious, wondering what I look like when I jog.  Attempting to follow the Lord and walk by faith is much the same.

 

 

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 

(2 Cor. 4:7-11)

 

 

But it’s so amazing to hear from so many expressing their partnership with us in covering us in prayer.  It blows us away to hear how God is unifying many from all corners of the globe for the advance of His kingdom in Cusco.  The offensive God is waging against the enemy for ownership here cannot be denied. 

 

 

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

(2 Cor 4:16-17)

 

 

Yesterday I listened to an audio recording of selections about faith and prayer from George Muller’s autobiography, and I was struck by the way that the Lord chiefly impressed on Him a burden for the growth of the Christian church, and the orphan care was secondary in His ambition.  I don’t think that I could say I feel exactly this same conviction… but I definitely see the Lord using us and our ministry here to challenge and grow the church in the US.  It’s so beautiful. 

 

 

 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to Himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 

(2 Cor. 4:13-15)

 

 

The sky was relatively clear in Cusco this morning—more so than usual, and as I ran toward the sunrise, eyes fixed on He who is transcendent to all I could see, the phrase, “I have a dream” came to mind.  I knew I would write on this later.  I do have a dream—one that did not originate with me, but one which my King set into motion ages ago and calls all of His children to embrace.

 

 

This dream is unseen, but it has infected my consciousness like a spiritual virus—a virulent strain that cannot be denied because I perceive that all parts of creation are sustained by the Word which is speaking that reality into being. 

 

 

I envision that one day we will look back and see the armies of angels who marched with us as we prayed for His kingdom.  We will stand amazed at the way principalities were thrown down by our cries for help.  We will laugh in delight at the infectious and exponential way that one prayer gave birth to millions.  We will wonder at the way our humble petitions acted as the droplets of water which grew into a tsunami when our God, like an earthquake on the ocean floor, deemed that the moment was right. 

 

 

Every failure we will one day label for the beautiful repentance and kingdom alignment it produced.  Every set back we will see as the context in which our Great Protagonist revealed His character and His pledge to flip the pot on its head, making everything sad come untrue.  Every loss will truly be considered gain.  One day our numeral system of dating will become meaningless as the memory of God’s unceasing great acts in the world, and in each of our lives, become the lens through which we view all that has ever happened.  Indeed, we are already surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who SEE that reality unfolding and would urge us only to keep running, for Christ has done the rest.

 

 

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

(2 Cor. 4:16-18)

 

- Laura

"Goodbye For Now"

 

Yesterday we said goodbye to a couple more missionary units from our team. 

 

 

As I ran with God this morning, I was thinking about all of the many "goodbyes" to teammates we’ve said over a few short years.  There are so many.  The Daniels families, the Holtons, Lauren, Sam, the Wilsons, Josey, Emily, the Scarboroughs, the Stockerts, the Duboses, and now the Pekareks and Autumn.  Many of those are people who Derek and I have really tried to pursue, invest in, and treat like family.  So many homeschool sessions and Bible study meetings with dear missionary children I may never see again. Countless coffee dates with women who have left… most likely never to return.  An abundance of play dates for Finn and Skye with friends who no longer live here.  

 

 

I was thinking about the blog post I wrote three years ago entitled, “Missionary Marriages—Not what you Think.”  This is the other side of that coin.  

 

 

In order to really function as the body of Christ with people you have to invest in them, be vulnerable with them, and pursue kingdom advancement with them like you might with a spouse, yet the nature of the mission we’re called to means that just as quickly as we unite ourselves to others, we may also be called to release them and say “goodbye, for now.” 

 

 

This is an aspect of missionary life that I think most people don’t realize.  I certainly didn’t.  Everyone thinks about the huge life transition that a missionary goes through when they uproot their family and move to another country, and of the huge learning curve and burden to settle into life in a new place and new community.  But what I think most don’t realize is that the transition is much more than a one-time thing.  You don’t just say goodbye when you get on the plan in your home country.  Many of us are forced to say goodbye to dear friends every year or two.  We quickly become like family with our missionary teammates, and then after a year or two they leave (either for an extended furlough back home, or quite often to follow the Lord’s call elsewhere).  To be a missionary in this day and age is really to adopt a lifestyle of “goodbye for now.”

 

 

This is hard—the balance of loving yet holding loosely.  Is it not one of the chief struggles of our human existence?  Yet this is exactly what Jesus Christ modeled for us.  He threw himself into deep, deep relationship with 12 men (really, it was probably quite a few more than that) who He knew He would say goodbye to after 3 short years.  Not only that, but He knew that they would be forced to say goodbye to Him.  

 

 

I think the nature of life and loss in this world can cause us to be extremely selective with who we allow into our inner circle.  Missionary life could certainly do that to you.  As much as we move and watch our friends move it can be easy to maintain walls around our hearts to protect us from the constant hurt of saying goodbye.  But I am encouraged and inspired by the example of Christ.  And so, I will try to continue pursuing and loving people, and make the most of the time I have with them.  And through it all I will endeavor to recognize the constancy of God’s Holy Spirit in them, loving me through each one, and never ever leaving me for good.

 

~ Laura

Spanish Blog: Discovering the Mystery of Faith and Prayer

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At age seven or eight my mother bought a series of books about the lives of fictitious children who interacted with real missionaries.  I loved these books.  My particular favorite was one about a parentless boy who lived at an orphanage run by George Muller in England.  I was fascinated with the faith that Mr. Muller demonstrated and the way in which God repeatedly and immediately answered his prayers. 

 

I remember one true story about George Muller sitting down to a meal with all 300 of the children at the orphanage.  The table was set and utensils were ready, but they had no food to eat.  At Mr. Muller’s direction, they folded their hands and thanked God for the food they were about to eat.  At that very moment, a baker knocked at the door who explained that the night before, God had told him to bring bread to Mr. Muller for the children to eat.  Shortly after that, a milkman knocked at the door and explained that his cart had broken down and all of the milk would soon spoil before the wheel could be fixed, so he wanted to donate it to the orphanage.  George Muller believed that God would always provide for His children, and He acted and prayed accordingly. 

 

At this young age, God had begun to show me His character through the lives of His servants from ages past.  As I read real stories of how God acted supernaturally throughout time to bless, teach, and use His children, I am slowly convinced more and more that God and spiritual realities have just as much or more impact in this world than the things that we can see and touch.

 

We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:18

 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ~ Hebrews 11:1

 

~ Laura

Spanish Blog: The Supernatural

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Ever since I was a young child, I have been fascinated by the supernatural.  My parents regularly read Bible stories to me when I was quite young, and I distinctly recall being especially entranced with a story accompanying a picture of an angel coming to speak to Mary, who would become Jesus’ mother.  Angels were always a fascination of mine.  One day my dad read me the verse about how some have entertained angels without realizing it (Hebrews 13:2) and for a long time after that I also had a great fascination with strangers, convinced that there were angels walking around right before my eyes, and all I had to do was figure out which people they were.  

 

 

My father was always ready to talk about spiritual realities with me.  When I was four years old, he often took me on walks along trails in a local park.  These trails would lead through both woods and grassy fields—through both shade and sun.  I loved these dates with my father and sometimes we would walk so far that my young legs would get sore and my father was forced to carry me on the return trip.  As we walked we talked about many things and sang goofy songs.  I also remember serious conversations, though.  

 

There was a grave site along one of these trails that was very intriguing to me.  It was at the side of this lone grave that I learned about death.  I had heard of death before, because I knew my babysitter’s dad had died.  This grave site in the park prompted a lot of questions for me.  My father used this opportunity to share with me how I could be sure to go to heaven when I die.  He explained that the Bible tells us if we are sorry for our sins and accept what Jesus did on the cross as payment for those sins, then we can become children of God and go to heaven when we die.  I believed this and wanted to obey God and learn more about Him. 

 

One day after one of these walks in the park with my dad, I remember bowing at the couch in our living room with my dad and asking Jesus to by my savior.  I was excited. That was the beginning my personal relationship with my King.  He orchestrated my life, my circumstances, and even my desires such that I would see the truth and accept Him as my Lord and Savior.  As I have come to know Him better, I stand more and more in awe of His powerful working in the world and His incredible affection toward me.

 

 

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ~ Ephesians 2:8-10

 

 

When did you first sense God trying to get your attention?  When did you first ask questions about why we’re here and what comes next? 

 

~ Laura

Spanish Blog: All of Life is Spiritual

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Friends in Cusco, it seems to me that your culture has a better understanding of the coherence of the sacred and the secular than my own culture.  While my own culture staunchly compartmentalizes the things of God from “everything else,” you recognize that all of life is spiritual, seeking to honor your gods not only at church, but also at work, in schools, in stores, in your vehicles, and at every public event—once again, a beautiful outworking of your deep commitment to worship and a reflection of God’s good plans at work in you.  God’s word encourages pervasive worship in all of life, saying:

 

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him…  Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.  (Colossians 3:17 & 23-24)

 

 

As a child, I knew that being a follower of Christ meant more than just going to church on Sundays because my parents talked about God at home during the week, too.  I knew that we lived a certain way because we were followers of Jesus.  I knew (quite well) that my parents disciplined me when I disobeyed because God instructs parents to do so.  Training me up to live a certain way was important, not just because they wanted me to behave, but because I belonged to God and my story was important to Him.

 

 

As a parent, I am always seeking how to do a better job demonstrating this reality for before my children: all of life is spiritual.  One of my most favorite quotes attests to this truth:

 

"There is no event so common-place but that God is present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving you room to recognize Him or not... because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace."
- Frederic Buechner

 

I want my children to know that every moment of life is a moment where God is present with them, and where they can choose to recognize that or not.  In every moment they can choose to either live according to the attributes of His kingdom, or they can choose to live for themselves.  There is no moment in life that doesn’t matter.  Each moment is a gift of grace from our Heavenly Father in which we can submit to His rule and demonstrate before both humanity and the spiritual realm that He is King and we stand with Him.

 

 

I suspect that one day we will realize how significant some of our “trivial” or “mundane” moments in life really were…  I pray and earnestly desire to learn how to slow myself down enough to acknowledge my Savior more regularly, and see His invitations toward love, patience, joy, generosity, kindness--His invitations to participate in the kingdom of heaven right now.

 

Spanish Blog: Why Such Suffering?

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The past year has been devastating for so many.  My heart aches for those who I know and those who I don’t who have experienced heartache and loss due to Covid-19, economic failure, relational dysfunction, and many other afflictions this world and its people were not created to endure.

 

 

This year the Lord has taught me to walk out onto the waters of grief and lament with Him.  It is natural and good to mourn the affects of the fall as our Lord and Savior did Himself, and as God’s people were instructed to do throughout time.  

 

 

Why is life so hard?  Why such hurt and agony?  Why such brokenness?  As I ask myself these questions, I am reminded that this present world is a mere shadow of the beauty and harmony it was originally created to be.  God created this world to bring order and beauty out of chaos.

 

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” – Genesis 1:1-3

 

Humanity was created with honor, dignity, and the highest of callings.  As partners and sons of the God of the universe, we were created to spread truth and justice, beauty, and love over the face of the earth.

 

 ^“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” – Genesis 1:26-28

 

And yet, because we could not trust in our Father’s perfect plan this perfect peace was lost, and our high calling all but forgotten.  Yet rather than scrap it all and start over, God chose to enter our pain and take our shame upon Himself.

 

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace [shalom] was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. ~ Isaiah 53:5

 

And so, as followers and partners with the true King, we also take on the suffering of this world.  We endure trouble, hand in hand with our Savior.  We weep with those who weep.  We carry the burdens of our brothers. We lament and confess the sins of our countrymen.  We take up the cross with Jesus our brother.  But as we step by faith into this abyss of pain, of which we cannot see the bottom, we experience oneness and comfort with He Who went there first.

 

 ^“For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.”  - 2 Corinthians 1:5

 

And as we abide with our Savior in this hurt, we are reminded daily of the light that is dawning, of the hope for ultimate restoration that our Creator God promises. 

 

 ^“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.  For,“Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay.” – Hebrews 10:36-37

 

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying." – Isaiah 65:17-19