Travel light: Dirty, rotten scoundrels

“And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.’” 

1 Samuel 8:8, ESV

Imagine this missionary assignment: a small town in the middle of nowhere. Whiskey flows freely, and gambling and prostitution are rampant. The legal system is corrupt, violence is common and most people die before age 40, many from violent deaths. It is a town that has rejected God.

Sound familiar?

William Carpenter ministered in this kind of town. His unreached people group included miners, ranchers and prostitutes.  Little is known about this Baptist minister who died in 1881 from nephritis, an inflammation of the kidneys. In fact, all I managed to find about him traces to the same source — Boot Hill Cemetery in Tombstone, Arizona.

Carpenter is buried alongside many of Tombstone’s famous residents, including Billy Clanton and Tom and Frank McLaury, who were killed by the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday in the infamous Shootout at the O.K. Corral. Carpenter died the year of the shootout.

1881 was a volatile year in Tombstone, and gravestones in Boot Hill tell a story of the hardships. Murders, stabbings, illnesses and mining accidents took the lives of residents at much too young an age.

As I walked through the O.K. Corral and read the histories of the town, I realized not much has changed. Sure, technology, transportation and communication have evolved. We can now jet around the globe in a matter of hours and chat face-to-face over a wireless network from the most remote locations.

But at our core, human beings are no different than we’ve ever been. Put a whiskey bottle, a deck of cards and a scantily clad woman in front of a bunch of men and you’ll be sure to draw a crowd — and soon someone will get hurt.

The walk through Tombstone reminded me of this: We are all dirty, rotten scoundrels in need of a Savior.

That’s why, in Old Testament times, God sent prophets like Samuel to call His people to live differently. That’s why He sent a little known minister like William Carpenter to Tombstone. That’s why He sends men and women today to hard places where whiskey flows freely, gambling and prostitution are rampant and the legal systems are corrupt — because we are dirty, rotten scoundrels in need of a Savior.

Most importantly, that’s why He sent Jesus — because God is worthy of our worship and we are too messed up in our depravity to notice. We are broken, messed up sinners, but God loved us enough to die for us, to heal the rift between us and to reconcile us to Him.

Yes, we are all dirty, rotten scoundrels. The Good News is we have a Savior, and His name is Jesus.

This week’s reading: 1 Samuel 4-24, Psalm 7, 11, 27, 31, 34, 52, 59 
Post #15: Discovering how to live missionally through a chronological reading of God’s Word.

#travel light

Travel light: A story from the mountain

“As you see, the LORD has kept me alive these 45 years as He promised, since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel was journeying in the wilderness. Here I am today, 85 years old. I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then.” 

Joshua 14:10-11 

I am running behind this week. I’m trying to recoup after a week-long trip to Guatemala and Honduras. It was my first international coverage in two years. Of the members of the media team, I was the oldest. 

At age 50, I was a little worried about keeping up with a team younger than me. I knew it would be a physically demanding coverage that would involve at least some hiking. The team leader had assured the worker there that we were all “reasonably fit” and capable of hiking. When I heard this, I had flashbacks of our family’s summer hike in the Smokies — the one where I thought they were going to have to carry me out on a stretcher. 

So, when the hiking began in Guatemala on the second day, I simply told myself, “Take it slowly.” As it turned out, everyone else was taking it slowly, too. Traveling with a photographer, a producer and a videographer, we stopped enough times throughout the week for scenic shots and b-roll that I always had time to catch my breath. Whew! 

My point is this: Regardless of our age, God equips us to do the jobs He’s given us to do. Caleb knew this when, at age 85, he asked permission to drive out the inhabitants from the land the Lord had promised him. Even as an old man, Caleb was ready to do whatever it took to claim the promise of God. 

Although I’m still not sure at what point I physically switched from young and energetic to senior and sluggish, in my heart I’m still 35. Granted, I hope I’m wise enough at 50 to realize I won’t be changing the world anytime soon. But, I’m grateful for opportunities to hear and share stories of how God is changing the world one life at a time through those willing to take the gospel to hard places. 

Here's one of those stories: 

On top of the mountain in eastern Guatemala, I met villagers who had never heard stories from the Bible until missionaries came to their village three years ago. 

One woman told me, “I’m grateful (the missionaries) came. Without them, my children would not know the Bible. Now, my children tell the Bible story to each other every night, and they can’t wait until (the missionaries) come again.” 

As the missionary translated the story, she cried. She had no idea of the impact she was making among this family until I asked the question. 

These kinds of stories make the hike worth it. 

Travel light! 

This week’s reading: Joshua 12-24, Judges 1-7 Post #13: Discovering how to live missionally through a chronological reading of God’s Word.

#travellight

Travel light: Isis, Ebola & Earthquakes, OH MY!

“Lord, You have been our refuge in every generation … from eternity to eternity, You are God.” Psalm 90:1-2

isis ebola earthquakes unemployment cancer uncertainty fear death

The struggles of our lives run through our minds like a ticker tape.

first child first step first home young family promotions teenagers graduations weddings grandchildren

Frail humans that we are, we walk a fine line between unspeakable joy and utter despair.

Trusting God. Fearing God. Failing God. Trusting God again.

We aren’t much different from the ancient Israelites, who trusted God to lead them out of slavery in Egypt and experienced His presence and power in incredible ways.  Then when times got hard, they complained about everything — the food, the water, the living conditions. Their faith turned to fear at the first challenge. 

Yes, God grew tired of their whining.  Yes, their cravings destroyed at least some of them. The stories in Numbers 11 are proof of that.

I am no different. I know God gets tired of my whining. I know my cravings threaten to destroy me. I know my faith often turns to fear at the first challenge. I am such a wuss. 

But God never gave up on the Israelites, and He doesn’t give up on me.

Why? Not because of our faithfulness, but because of His faithful love (see Numbers 14:11-19).

The Psalmist says God's faithful love satisfies us. His sacrifice saves us. His mercy supports us. His grace covers us. His Spirit stabilizes us — “in every generation."

“From eternity to eternity, You are God.”

In the schizophrenic chaos of our lives, in moments of unspeakable joy and through every adversity along the way, the promise of a Savior is all we need — One who died to save us, lives as testimony of God's awesome power over sin and death and sent His Spirit to finish the work He started in us for His glory.

All of this happened so that we, in all gratitude and all humility, from generation to generation, may give Him all the glory by making Him known among those who have never heard this good news.

Don't miss this: God saved us so that we can make Him known. We live to make Him known. This is "the work of our hands" (Psalm 90:17, HCSB), the most important work we do, the reason God gives us breath.

So this is my prayer: "Let Your work be seen by Your servants, and Your splendor by their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish the work of our hands —establish the work of our hands!" (Psalm 90:16-17, HCSB). 

This week's reading: Numbers 7-22, Psalm 90

Post #9: Discovering how to live missionally through a chronological reading of God’s Word.

#travellight

Travel light: Wounded

"Jacob went on his way, and God's angels met him." 

Genesis 32:1

Through detours and false steps, Abraham still managed to pass his faith to Isaac who passed it to Jacob. In each generation, God reveals himself, calling us to journey with Him. 

Jacob's life also involved detours caused by his own deception. On his return to Canaan, Jacob was no longer the deceiver. Fourteen years of indentured servitude and warring wives had left their mark. Humbled by his years with Laban, he prepared to meet Esau, his twin whom he had defrauded of his birthright and his father's blessing.

Like Jacob, our experiences humble us. As Christian workers in cross-cultural settings, we learn just how little we know. Cultural confusion, community drama, even political unrest may leave us off balance and feeling unprepared. 

Before Jacob could meet Esau, he first had to wrestle with God. God, in His grace and mercy, wrestles with us through our insecurities, our ignorance and our fear. The purpose of this wrestling is two-fold: to teach us to depend on Him and to help us face our enemies with the grace He provides. 

The wrestling will leave its mark, to be sure. Like Jacob, we may walk with a distinguishing spiritual  limp for the rest of our lives. Jesus called this "pruning" (John 15:2). But what a privilege to be marked by God as one who has fought through the hard questions and learned to trust Him more. 

This week's reading: Genesis 30-47

Post #4: Discovering how to live missionally through a chronological reading of God’s Word.  

#travellight

Four ways to pray for Christian workers when hell breaks loose

We’ve all been there: those days when we think it can’t get any worse. We’re out of coffee. The stinky P.E. outfit didn’t make it into the washer. Thanks to the dog, the white pants have muddy paw prints. It’s raining.

Maybe it’s worse. Your child is diagnosed with cancer. A parent needs hospice care. Without warning or explanation, you lost your job, your spouse walked out or your teen rebelled (in a really stupid way).

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