Greetings! We’re back in Ellensburg! Last night, we took a walk and talked through some of the ideas we’re thinking for our reflection posts. We’re planning three: one for me, one for Chris, and one for the amazing return trip we had from BR to Eburg. I’ll begin jotting mine . . .
In a nutshell, we both feel that God had us exactly where He wanted us with the Baton Rouge Ministry Center (BRMC). This was clear in small ways, like the two couples we served with: one had a 3 yr old and the other, a 6 yr old. For our children: both A & M blossomed. In service: our interests and skills fit just the gaps the team needed, like organization, cleansing (even a yard sale we put on), fund raising, managerial experience for the job training students to hear 1st hand, and so forth.
Most important, the BRMC was right for our spiritual growth and desire to interact with others who are seeing the kingdom in similar ways. Coming from different places and experiences, we’ve all come to similar perspectives and faced similar challenges. Even before coming to BR, I had already come up with a distinction I’ve seen in Christian service, and it really held true with what the BRMC faces. It seems that in Christian service, there are two competing ways of seeing ministry and church work. Most of us don’t have one or the other, but are somewhere in a spectrum I call the “Church Morality” vs. “Kingdom living” dichotomy.
Those with Church Morality want to set up some kind of Christian utopia and, to do so, they need a lot of rules so everything’s organized, comfortable, and growth happens at a steady, successful pace. Lines of authority are important so nothing gets out of hand, order is maintained, and success is ensured. Then there’s “Kingdom living,” which loves people in radical ways, sets its faith on the edge, and sometimes turns tables, upsetting some authority figures.
This sort of dichotomy came into play at the BRMC in a variety of ways. One example is that we were serving the least of these, many of whom either could not or did not wish to attend church. Those who could had little or nothing to tithe. Seeing disaster on the horizon, church authorities are urging outreach to the middle-class. Little has yet come in that; and yet, God is bringing the resources from unexpected places and His work is being done.
My other reflection today is about the community we had in BR and how critical it was. Everything we were doing – our work, ministry, family, community, church, 2 kid home school – was all interconnected. We thrived in this environment. And it was needed because we were serving the least of these, the hurricane evacuees still living in FEMA trailers. By this time, those still in trailers really qualify for the "least of these." Some are truly needy: elderly, disabled, or sick. Others need motivation. Many have no concept of where to begin getting a life into order. No matter which it is, when Jesus calls upon us to serve the least of these, He’s not asking for us to make distinctions. When we go out to serve in a trailer park, we serve them all. I came to see why Jesus puts such a premium on serving the least of these. It’s hard.
In doing work like that, the workers need a strong support system. We had that with each other: good dinner time fellowship, prayer get-togethers, and simple daily living interactions. I’m not sure we could have been as successful serving the least of these without that strong support network. So I’ve returned with a renewed desire for both: some service (and I don’t yet know what that will be or how it will look) and a support team where we uplift one another in whatever ministries we’re each involved in. I don’t know how that will look yet either, but I’ve already connected with a few others about it and they are also interested. Somehow, I sense God is bringing this about. Thanks to our God who brought us both to Baton Rouge and now back again to Ellensburg. :-)
Love, blessings and gratitude to all of you!
In a nutshell, we both feel that God had us exactly where He wanted us with the Baton Rouge Ministry Center (BRMC). This was clear in small ways, like the two couples we served with: one had a 3 yr old and the other, a 6 yr old. For our children: both A & M blossomed. In service: our interests and skills fit just the gaps the team needed, like organization, cleansing (even a yard sale we put on), fund raising, managerial experience for the job training students to hear 1st hand, and so forth.
Most important, the BRMC was right for our spiritual growth and desire to interact with others who are seeing the kingdom in similar ways. Coming from different places and experiences, we’ve all come to similar perspectives and faced similar challenges. Even before coming to BR, I had already come up with a distinction I’ve seen in Christian service, and it really held true with what the BRMC faces. It seems that in Christian service, there are two competing ways of seeing ministry and church work. Most of us don’t have one or the other, but are somewhere in a spectrum I call the “Church Morality” vs. “Kingdom living” dichotomy.
Those with Church Morality want to set up some kind of Christian utopia and, to do so, they need a lot of rules so everything’s organized, comfortable, and growth happens at a steady, successful pace. Lines of authority are important so nothing gets out of hand, order is maintained, and success is ensured. Then there’s “Kingdom living,” which loves people in radical ways, sets its faith on the edge, and sometimes turns tables, upsetting some authority figures.
This sort of dichotomy came into play at the BRMC in a variety of ways. One example is that we were serving the least of these, many of whom either could not or did not wish to attend church. Those who could had little or nothing to tithe. Seeing disaster on the horizon, church authorities are urging outreach to the middle-class. Little has yet come in that; and yet, God is bringing the resources from unexpected places and His work is being done.
My other reflection today is about the community we had in BR and how critical it was. Everything we were doing – our work, ministry, family, community, church, 2 kid home school – was all interconnected. We thrived in this environment. And it was needed because we were serving the least of these, the hurricane evacuees still living in FEMA trailers. By this time, those still in trailers really qualify for the "least of these." Some are truly needy: elderly, disabled, or sick. Others need motivation. Many have no concept of where to begin getting a life into order. No matter which it is, when Jesus calls upon us to serve the least of these, He’s not asking for us to make distinctions. When we go out to serve in a trailer park, we serve them all. I came to see why Jesus puts such a premium on serving the least of these. It’s hard.
In doing work like that, the workers need a strong support system. We had that with each other: good dinner time fellowship, prayer get-togethers, and simple daily living interactions. I’m not sure we could have been as successful serving the least of these without that strong support network. So I’ve returned with a renewed desire for both: some service (and I don’t yet know what that will be or how it will look) and a support team where we uplift one another in whatever ministries we’re each involved in. I don’t know how that will look yet either, but I’ve already connected with a few others about it and they are also interested. Somehow, I sense God is bringing this about. Thanks to our God who brought us both to Baton Rouge and now back again to Ellensburg. :-)
Love, blessings and gratitude to all of you!
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