Our return home

On our first day of our trip home, God sent us a local who suggested we scrap MapQuest through Dallas and take a quicker NW backroute. Not only did his route cut much distance, but it also spared us from oncoming thunderstorms. For most of our trip, we either just passed or just missed the chaotic weather of each destination, as if we were in a protected pocket.

This pocket was evident the first night with what I'm calling "our show." Our goal was to make it to OK City, but we began seeing lightning to the NW when we were still 2-3 hours away. Pulsating non-stop, it soon filled the N and W too. Andrew woke up and I said, "Look, Andrew, God's putting on a show!" Now we had a 6 yr old's awe to complement ours. As the pulses strengthened, I said, "It looks like it's coming straight out of OK City -- maybe we should find a place closer." Of course, we were in nowhereland. "Our show" then came out of the E and then the S too. All around us was a constant pulse of thunder and lightning, but we were dry, in a beautiful, clear little pocket, where we could enjoy the show.

Figuring we were gambling w/ time & space, we had Andrew pray for a safe arrival, which he did with genuine passion. Then he said, "I think God's saying something to us." After a pause, he said, "He's saying He's giving grace to us." Incredible, since Andrew's six. About 45 min later, we found a hotel. Andrew prayed for a room and then asked us what the word "spare" means. After we answered, he told us that God told him "there's one spare room." Sure enough, it had one vacant room, a no-show reservation, that also fit our NS/2Q specs.

Soon after we arrived, the storm did too, heavy-duty. We turned on the weather channel the next morning and they were reporting on "our show." They said the storm was moving to the south, where we would have been had we followed MapQuest. Instances like that continued for our trip home, as God kept giving grace to us. It was also speckled with other curiosities, like the day we spent the morning in God's glory at Arches Nat'l Park and the evening in man's attempt at it in Las Vegas. What a contrast!

But today, I reflect on the protected pocket, which made me think of the "highway" metaphor often found in Isaiah ("I will make My mountains a road, and My highways will be lifted up" -- Is 49:11) and elsewhere ("The path of the upright is a highway" -- Prov 15:19). This connects with another metaphor that's captured my mind these past couple of years: moving from a life of thorns ("In toil you shall eat . . . thorns and thistles shall grow for you" -- Gen 3:17-18) into one of abundance ("to a land flowing with milk and honey" -- Ex. 3:8). God may have spoken thorns into man's life, but the rest of biblical history is about God trying to rescue man out of those thorns and into a land "flowing" (easy access) of milk (needs) and honey (wants).

But to get there, we must pass through a desert and rely on God for everything -- food, water, shelter, etc. -- and we have to climb a trying mountain and face scary enemies. Of 600,000 who walked out of slavery and through history's greatest miracle, only 2 (Joshua & Caleb) had enough faith to walk into the Promised Land. The rest of the first generation may have been set free from slavery, but they died in the desert and never entered the land flowing with milk and honey. It may not be different for us today, esp. in Christian circles. Many choose to follow Jesus as Moses, out of the land of slavery, but balk at the risks of following Jesus as Joshua into the land of promise. In NT terms, this is described as the kingdom of heaven -- something I had been taught was for the afterlife and which others turn into a prosperity gospel that misses the metaphor's point.

In the midst of my '05 summer of craziness, I sensed Jesus (Greek for "Joshua") whisper, "Karen, I'm seeking people to take to the Promised Land, but I'm looking for those who are willing to walk through the wilderness without grumbling." Then and now, I pray for this willingness, for the fruit of the land of promise is delicious. It is a highway of pocketed protection in the midst of storms all around. Sometimes, these are storms we choose by faith to walk straight into, trusting that we're hearing the voice of God telling us to go where others are too afraid to. And in the storms themselves, it is peace in the hands of God. May we all have the courage of Joshua and Caleb and take the risks to enter the land God has destined for each of us. Amen.

Chris's Louisiana Reflections

We were right where God wanted us to be in Louisiana. Instead of many scurried trips back and forth to and from New Orleans and other places, we limited our longer-distance travels in order to make more time for one-on-one bonding as a family and with the people we were meeting in Baton Rouge. Sure, we were there to do relief work, but God was also doing His work on us individually, as a family, and as a community of close friends. The time we invested in each other was a true gift, and it definitely allowed us to better instill Kingdom values in our children.

It was no mistake that both Randy and Larry (the pastoral staff at the Baton Rouge Ministry Center) function in complete contrast to the type “A” atmosphere common in my job as a radio station manager. Instead of being delegated a laundry list of “to dos,” Randy and Larry told us simply to fit in as the Spirit leads.

I was admittedly a bit uncomfortable at first, because I was afraid of having too much idle time. But I also began to see early on how Randy and Larry leave their daily schedules flexible enough to allow for divine appointments. They are all about personal relationship building. Despite numerous setbacks with the completion of their actual church building, their witness and impact in the greater Baton Rouge community has gone unhindered.

Randy later told us his biggest prayer for us while we were there was that we would grow spiritually and bond even closer as a family. Here indeed is Kingdom of Heaven on earth living…a pastor who doesn’t know for sure if he will be getting regular paychecks after September, assuring us that he is more concerned with our relationships than he is about what we can physically accomplish on his behalf.

This formed an incredible foundation for us, as we truly experienced the freedom to “Be still and know our God.” We had deep, meaningful studies of the Scriptures, read books, built relationships with hurricane evacuees and residents in the neighborhood, gave lifts to stranded pedestrians, and provided food and job training to hurricane evacuees striving to rise beyond the many, often unspeakable, setbacks they have faced. Sunday church services took place at another local church building, and were more like intimate Bible studies than traditional church services. Attendees were often new converts with whom Randy and Larry had begun relationships. Many of them have deep, powerful testimonies. I dare say many of them know their Savior better after a few weeks than some who’ve been Christians for decades.

Many evenings, we would walk through the local neighborhoods as a family, and strike up conversations with residents on their patios. They got used to seeing us out walking, and when we hadn’t passed by for a few days, they would say “we haven’t seen you out in a while. We’ve been watching for you.” One woman, after our first real visit with her, said “I love you,” and stretched out her arms to hug us all. That’s just not a common experience among strangers in the Pacific Northwest!

I am truly grateful our time in Louisiana didn’t fly. I wanted to savor every moment. Still, I can’t believe it’s over and we’re back home. I will miss the incredible daily interactions with the many people we met in Louisiana. But the incredible sense of community we had in Baton Rouge inspires me all the more to seek out this same depth of community in our local relationships.

Before we left Baton Rouge, Larry delivered a tear-jerker sermon for Father’s Day. He and his wife Krista are adopting a 3-year-old boy from Viet Nam, which made their Father’s Day that much more spectacular. Our great friends there gave us an awesome send-off before we left Baton Rouge. As the pastoral staff prayed for us, they said they consider us to be a part of their local church body, but they are “deploying us back to Washington state,” where we believe we are still called to be.

Being so deeply moved by the work of the church in Louisiana, where critical needs to hurricane evacuees are being met every day, and where people in the church are heroically rising to heed God’s call, God revealed to me three distinct questions that I have now begun regularly asking myself to help keep my attitude in healthy spiritual condition:

1) Lord, am I living for You?
2) Lord, am I doing your will?
3) Lord, do I truly know You?

Even before our trip to Baton Rouge, I wanted to develop a life prayer-- something that would describe what I wanted my life and legacy to look like.
Then a few nights ago, while spending time in prayer and in God’s Word, God granted it to me, as follows:

Lord, I choose today the Armor of God over the power of my flesh. I choose faith in place of fear. I choose to forgive as You have forgiven me, and to walk in humble obedience to Your Call. May I hear Your voice today and not be hard of heart or slow to listen. May my legacy be a Godly life that honors You, welcomes and blesses all with whom I interact, speaks the truth in love, and points my children to you, their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May Andrew and Melanie grow ever passionate for You and Your Kingdom, both on earth and in Heaven. May they always seek after you with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and may I do the same. Strengthen me, Lord, that I may daily put off my sinful old self and choose instead the path of righteousness You have marked out for me, regardless of how rugged the trail or unpopular the route. Great is my need, and yet greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. May God’s Glory and Power prevail through me forever. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Karen's reflection post

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!