Friends and Family: the following is a (partial) list of requests made by church members, fellow volunteers, baristas, and friends at our weekly Wednesday afternoon prayer meetings. Please continue to keep them (and us) in your prayers!
Please pray for the father of our friend E., who has been unemployed for many months;
For the father of our friend H., who has been diagnosed with very painful, terminal cancer;
For H., who has been struggling with persistent health problems, and for her strength as she travels extensively for work this summer;
For this Friday's Jazz concert, and for our friends and family members who might enter our coffeehouse for the first time because of it;
For the success and impact of the social justice conference that our friend T. is organizing in Southeast Asia;
For our friend E.'s father, who will be undergoing significant medical tests in the next few days;
For our friends S. & I., who are providing much-needed emergency foster care to two infants here in Kraków;
For the effectiveness of our upcoming outreach events, particularly next week's Gospel Music Worship Service;
For strength and wisdom as we (Aaron and Brit) attempt to prepare and prioritize for our last few weeks in Poland;
For our friends B. & M., who are beginning the fundraising process to come to Poland as Mission Corps volunteers;
And for all of us -volunteers, staff members, and church families- as we try to discern God's will for ourselves and the Kraków coffeehouse/house church location.
Thank you so much for your prayers!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
"If the LORD is God..."
I (Aaron) recently preached a sermon in our Kraków coffeehouse/house church about a simple (but not easy!, difficult (but not complicated) subject: knowing God's will.
The message revolved around four central texts the Holy Spirit has placed on my heart lately, including two from the Old Testament and two from the Old Testament.
1.) "Elijah went before the people and said, 'How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.'" -I Kings 18:21 (NIV)
In the midst of a very tense standoff with the king of Israel, 450 false prophets, and a large crowd of desperately thirsty of his countrymen, the prophet Elijah succinctly summarizes the problem facing the people of God (then and now): "If God is God, then follow him. But if a false god -Money, Comfort, Power, whatever- is god, follow that."
Like I said: simple, but not easy. And what, exactly, does "following God" look like?
2.) "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." -Micah 6:8 (NIV)
Justice. Mercy. Humility. This is the life we're called to; it's often difficult, but never complicated! Unfortunately, even Jesus' closest friends sometimes struggled to grasp this simple idea.
3.) "Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?" -Matthew 6:46 (NIV)
Ouch. This one hurts. But it's so often true! So what should we do in times of confusion? Of sloth? Of selfishness? What is this life that Christ calls us to?
4.) "Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" -Matthew 25:34-36, 40 (NIV)
THIS. This is it! This is the life we are called to...to feed the hungry, replenish the thirsty, love the stranger (and the homeless), clothe the naked, nourish the sick, and love the prisoner. For of such is the kingdom of heaven!
In other words, we are called to be like Jesus. To obediently love the Father and compassionately love his creation. Every day.
It's simple (but not easy), often difficult (but not complicated).
It's our calling.
The message revolved around four central texts the Holy Spirit has placed on my heart lately, including two from the Old Testament and two from the Old Testament.
1.) "Elijah went before the people and said, 'How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.'" -I Kings 18:21 (NIV)
In the midst of a very tense standoff with the king of Israel, 450 false prophets, and a large crowd of desperately thirsty of his countrymen, the prophet Elijah succinctly summarizes the problem facing the people of God (then and now): "If God is God, then follow him. But if a false god -Money, Comfort, Power, whatever- is god, follow that."
Like I said: simple, but not easy. And what, exactly, does "following God" look like?
2.) "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." -Micah 6:8 (NIV)
Justice. Mercy. Humility. This is the life we're called to; it's often difficult, but never complicated! Unfortunately, even Jesus' closest friends sometimes struggled to grasp this simple idea.
3.) "Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?" -Matthew 6:46 (NIV)
Ouch. This one hurts. But it's so often true! So what should we do in times of confusion? Of sloth? Of selfishness? What is this life that Christ calls us to?
4.) "Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" -Matthew 25:34-36, 40 (NIV)
THIS. This is it! This is the life we are called to...to feed the hungry, replenish the thirsty, love the stranger (and the homeless), clothe the naked, nourish the sick, and love the prisoner. For of such is the kingdom of heaven!
In other words, we are called to be like Jesus. To obediently love the Father and compassionately love his creation. Every day.
It's simple (but not easy), often difficult (but not complicated).
It's our calling.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Prayers for Poland (and for us)...
While browsing through two very different books on the train home from Lublin this morning, I (Aaron) was struck by a passage from one (the Book of Jeremiah) that reminded me in some ways of the other (Schindler's Ark).
More than that, though, the verses highlighted below also struck me most forcibly as a sort of prayerful advice for missionaries (volunteer and otherwise) here in Poland:
"This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 'Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.'
"This is what the Lord says: 'When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'
More than that, though, the verses highlighted below also struck me most forcibly as a sort of prayerful advice for missionaries (volunteer and otherwise) here in Poland:
"This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 'Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.'
"'Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you...Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.'
"'Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,' declares the Lord."-Jeremiah 29:4-7, 10-14a (NIV)
Continuity and cultural sensitivity, peace and prosperity. Seeking and finding, hope for the future.
These are the prayers of a missionary! :)
These are the prayers of a missionary! :)
Thursday, May 31, 2012
More Green Book Goodness: Come Away, Redux
More confirmation that we (as Christians, as Nazarenes, and as missionaries) are called to simplicity, flexibility, and prayerful abandon, courtesy of the Green Book:
"If we ask God for so little it may well be because we feel the need for him so little. We are leading complacent, secure, well-protected, mediocre lives. We aren't living dangerously enough; we aren't living the way Jesus wanted us to live when he proclaimed the good news" -Anthony de Mello
"I am telling you my own experience and that of my colleagues: we could go for days on end without food; we could not live a single minute without prayer." -Mahatma Gandhi
"The less we pray the less we are likely to live the risky, challenging life that the Gospels urge us to; the less of a challenge there is in our life, and the less we are likely to pray." -de Mello
"Given the type of life I am leading, if I ceased to pray I should go mad!" -Gandhi
Which brings us back to a song that keeps getting stuck in our heads:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B27Z7hfGRI
Here we go again...
:)
"If we ask God for so little it may well be because we feel the need for him so little. We are leading complacent, secure, well-protected, mediocre lives. We aren't living dangerously enough; we aren't living the way Jesus wanted us to live when he proclaimed the good news" -Anthony de Mello
"I am telling you my own experience and that of my colleagues: we could go for days on end without food; we could not live a single minute without prayer." -Mahatma Gandhi
"The less we pray the less we are likely to live the risky, challenging life that the Gospels urge us to; the less of a challenge there is in our life, and the less we are likely to pray." -de Mello
"Given the type of life I am leading, if I ceased to pray I should go mad!" -Gandhi
Which brings us back to a song that keeps getting stuck in our heads:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B27Z7hfGRI
Here we go again...
:)
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Willingness > Willfulness
A few ideas (and one corresponding Scripture passage) brought to you courtesy of this week's Green Book readings:
"Willingness is the opposite of willfulness, being full of our own will and ways and satisfaction in being self-made or self-controlled persons...Willingness is a chosen position of vulnerability that recognizes we are ordinary beings in need of God's love, companionship, and guidance.
"[Willingness] includes our acknowledgement that we are not all we would like to be or all that God hopes for us and point toward our desire to hear and follow the Spirit's invitations even when it means giving up our ways in favor of what we perceive as God's ways." -Jeannette A. Bakke, Holy Invitations
This is a particularly tough pill for me (Aaron) to swallow, as I'm about as willful a person as you are ever likely to meet. And my own willfulness, admittedly, often leads me away from the path of of loving, Christ-centered willingness that I want my life to reflect.
Fortunately, I've discovered a solution! Well, God created a solution and helped me stumble gradually upon it: a life immersed in Scripture, sermons, devotional music, reading, and writing.
The Apostle Paul said it like this:
"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you have learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." -2 Timothy 3:14-15 (NIV)
What's your solution?
"Willingness is the opposite of willfulness, being full of our own will and ways and satisfaction in being self-made or self-controlled persons...Willingness is a chosen position of vulnerability that recognizes we are ordinary beings in need of God's love, companionship, and guidance.
"[Willingness] includes our acknowledgement that we are not all we would like to be or all that God hopes for us and point toward our desire to hear and follow the Spirit's invitations even when it means giving up our ways in favor of what we perceive as God's ways." -Jeannette A. Bakke, Holy Invitations
This is a particularly tough pill for me (Aaron) to swallow, as I'm about as willful a person as you are ever likely to meet. And my own willfulness, admittedly, often leads me away from the path of of loving, Christ-centered willingness that I want my life to reflect.
Fortunately, I've discovered a solution! Well, God created a solution and helped me stumble gradually upon it: a life immersed in Scripture, sermons, devotional music, reading, and writing.
The Apostle Paul said it like this:
"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you have learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." -2 Timothy 3:14-15 (NIV)
What's your solution?
Mission Legacies
We've been listening to a lot of sermons lately. Live ones, of course, and weekly podcasts from OKC First Church of the Nazarene...but especially older, missions-themed sermons from various online archives.
Among our favorites are recordings of second- and third-generation Nazarene missions pioneers Dr. Elmer F. Schmelzenbach and Rev. Harmon Schmelzenbach.
They encourage us, they inspire us, they invigorate us, and they (occasionally) shame us. Mostly, they remind us what Nazarene missions are all about, and who we (as Christians, as missionaries, and as Nazarenes) are called to be: simple, loving, trusting, passionate, hard-working, single-minded, sold-out followers of Christ.
If you're interested, you can listen along with us here: http://web.me.com/mrcharles/Reflection__Elmer_Schmelzenbach/The_Message/The_Message.html and here: http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?cid=875.
Papa Els would be proud. :)
Among our favorites are recordings of second- and third-generation Nazarene missions pioneers Dr. Elmer F. Schmelzenbach and Rev. Harmon Schmelzenbach.
They encourage us, they inspire us, they invigorate us, and they (occasionally) shame us. Mostly, they remind us what Nazarene missions are all about, and who we (as Christians, as missionaries, and as Nazarenes) are called to be: simple, loving, trusting, passionate, hard-working, single-minded, sold-out followers of Christ.
If you're interested, you can listen along with us here: http://web.me.com/mrcharles/Reflection__Elmer_Schmelzenbach/The_Message/The_Message.html and here: http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?cid=875.
Papa Els would be proud. :)
I Know That My Redeemer Lives!
One of our good friends and Krakow church members, Jarek, preached a few weeks over a passage from Proverbs 4:
"My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."-Proverbs 4:20-23 (NIV)
As Jarek spoke about what it means to guard our hearts, I (Aaron) was reminded another passage, one from Christ's Sermon on the Mount:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
I thought again how important the priorities we embrace are to our lives (and especially our ministry). What we value -what we spend our time, money, and energy on- make all the difference in our ability to deny ourselves, honor God, and love others.
"Follow the example of Job," Jarek said. "He was the richest guy in the neighborhood, and he lost everything! And when that happened, he just said, 'What next, God? What would you like to teach me? What is your next lesson?'"
This got me thinking about Job, and about one of my all-time favorite Bible verses. These were Job's words to his friends after days and weeks and months of personal torment, heartbreak, and death:
"Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever!
"I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes —I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" -Job 19:23-27 (NIV)
And then we got blessed. :)
"All of these bad things happened to Job and his family," Jarek said. "He lost everything. But his heart was full of fear and love for God. THIS thing he didn't lose!"
Our fellow volunteer, Hannah, recalled a passage from 1 John. "Do not love the world or anything in the world," she remembered. "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." -I John 2:15, 17
"The world will pass away," Jarek reminded us, "but God's Word will never pass away."
Amen!!
"My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."-Proverbs 4:20-23 (NIV)
As Jarek spoke about what it means to guard our hearts, I (Aaron) was reminded another passage, one from Christ's Sermon on the Mount:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
I thought again how important the priorities we embrace are to our lives (and especially our ministry). What we value -what we spend our time, money, and energy on- make all the difference in our ability to deny ourselves, honor God, and love others.
"Follow the example of Job," Jarek said. "He was the richest guy in the neighborhood, and he lost everything! And when that happened, he just said, 'What next, God? What would you like to teach me? What is your next lesson?'"
This got me thinking about Job, and about one of my all-time favorite Bible verses. These were Job's words to his friends after days and weeks and months of personal torment, heartbreak, and death:
"Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever!
"I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes —I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" -Job 19:23-27 (NIV)
And then we got blessed. :)
"All of these bad things happened to Job and his family," Jarek said. "He lost everything. But his heart was full of fear and love for God. THIS thing he didn't lose!"
Our fellow volunteer, Hannah, recalled a passage from 1 John. "Do not love the world or anything in the world," she remembered. "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." -I John 2:15, 17
"The world will pass away," Jarek reminded us, "but God's Word will never pass away."
Amen!!
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