Circling Jericho

"Why are we going to the Gmz houses?" my inquisitive son asked for the fifth time before I could formulate a short yet helpful response. "I think the Gmz church wants others to hear their songs…" I barely got these last words off my quivering lip, choked up with emotion. Many of you read last year's Easter post entitled "Silent Night" (posted in early August 2013) with which you found a mixed bag of excitement having helped in the writing of three powerful Gmz songs describing Jesus our King in the Triumphal Entry, the forgiveness of sin available through the cross, and the victory of death demonstrated in the resurrection. But, if you remember, that post also expressed the disappointment as the songs failed to make their debut outside the church's walls. Easter 2014, however, brought the realization of that dream.

Just minutes earlier, Micah and I were walked up to the church building, a bit confused by the sight of several church leaders scrambling toward the entrance carrying benches. Turning the corner and entering the building, the reason soon became clear, the building was packed beyond its usual capacity. And the singing! Oh my, 80-some Gmz voices echoing off the tin roof was a powerful reintroduction to Gmz worship after having been away in Addis for some time. "Jesus rose from within the hole of death (aka. grave). He has defeated death…The women did not find Jesus' body, It is not here. He has risen none.” (aka. He has risen PERIOD! Booyah!)" You know that "what a privilege it is to be a part of this event" kind of feeling? Yea, it immediately starting to well up in me like good Ole Faithful.

As more people arrived, and more benches arrived, I caught out of the corner of my eye several of the church leaders motioning toward the door. Next thing I knew, a large pole was brought in a stuck through the handles on the large andiŋa drum. Without missing a beat, the drum was lifted, placed on the shoulders of two leading women and without need of stopping the song for instruction, the exodus began. Out the church doors, out the compound gate (or what used to be a gate), out to the big road, passed the school and into a nearby village – all the while belting out a joy-filled, enthusiastic proclamation of the Easter events in song, "Sin separated us from God. Sin separated us from God. Jesus died on the horizontal tree (aka. cross) for us. The judgment for sin, The punishment for sin Jesus carried. The path to return to God, he opened the way!"

Upon arriving in the first village location (of three), they switched to another recently written song – Joshua and the battle of Jericho. And as I watched them circle around the drum like Israelite soldiers around the city, I couldn't help but think: Thousand of years ago, God brought some mighty thick and might strong walls a-tumblin' down simply because his servants obeyed the most ridiculous battle plan ever devised. “Uh, how about we walk around the target in virtual silence for six days. Then…on the seventh day we'll lace up our boots really tight and circle it seven times…yea, that'll show 'em! Oh and then we will blow our trumpets and yell really loud…ha, ha, they won't stand a chance!” But no matter how laughably simple that plan was, the most important point is that it worked when the mammoth divinely-empowered sound of Israelite shouts and trumpet cries smashed right through those "impenetrable" walls.

Now, in Gmz culture, many Gmz men will sing and dance with their guns/spears/bows and arrows, not unlike those who followed Joshua's dizzying plan. Exchange those weapons of war for the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (in song!))" (Eph 6:17), circle around the unseen walls built all throughout Gmz villages and then duck and cover cuz those "stones" are gonna tumble!

Annual Date With Habakkuk

Warning: this is not a fun read. It's not intended to be. Instead, it is a what can be best called "preaching to self" – a form of communication I would utilize most often if ever I am ever placed in a pulpit. So, if it is basically a letter to myself, why post it here? Well, when I was serving at Campus Life, I learned one lesson very earlier on.  Many pastors/spiritual leaders are viewed as imparters of propositional wisdom by which their sheep are edified, I've found that I can't play either side of that game very well. The best way that I can disciple/sharpen others is to open up my life and let them into my mind/heart as I process through an immediately relevant issue. In other words, I give them a glimpse into my story. The spiritual life is not lived in propositions, but rather in narrative. Not to mention the increased power and effectiveness of a lesson taught through story, over against that same lesson taught in propositions. And so, rather than communicating the five boiled-down lessons I learned during my annual struggle with our work permit, I invite you into the story. Learn the issues, listen into my processing, and allow Scripture to speak into this story such that we exit the other side having been sharpened together.

 

Dear Travis,

Here you are again. What was it? Ten months ago you parked yourself in this exact same coffee shop, and although your heart is much lighter this year, much of your purpose is the same. You want to move beyond the frustration and bitterness you've allowed to germinate again during the process of your annual work permit renewal. Last year, you wrestled the "why" questions that hounded you for the two-month post-expiration delay. You wanted answers as to why God allowed such stress? Why he permitted the loss of progress in the project? Why he asked you to throw away money in late fees and penalties? Why would an omnipotent God who can accomplish anything at any time choose a timeline that proved so "wasteful" in route to ending with the result we all wanted (a renewed work permit)? Weighed down with a heavy backpack of "why" questions, you spent a long morning here reading through Habakkuk's similar set of questions and the answers he received directly from God. You left that Sunday morning, having been challenged that your "why" questions are really just cleverly-disguised accusations which assume that your desires based on your evaluation of a situation from your limited perspective are better than his will based on his plan which is being worked out from his omniscient perspective. Thankful for the renewed permit, you were able to return to work with a heart of genuine praise.

 

End of story? I guess not. Thinking that God had taught you what you needed to be taught, you approached the 2014 annual work permit confident that last year's delays would not be repeated. Even when you learned that the church denomination was once again struggling with their organizational registration renewal (the same problem which delayed your renewal last year), you refused to allow yourself a moment of worry. In exchange, you found an amazing oasis of peace, drinking deep from the spring of Habakkuk's God, the only One who has real control over the situation. Clinging to this attitude, the weeks of March passed without a noticeable rise in stress or worry, but rather you increasingly accepted that leaving the country may be necessary. If it was God's decision, you were prepared to accept it, and don't be ashamed to admit, you even began to get excited about it as you brainstormed places to go and things to do. If given lemons…you were all set to make lemonade!

 

Maybe this led to a hint of disappointment you felt when you learned that your prayers for renewal had been answered. Yet, the questions that later surfaced in your mind were all too familiar. If God had planned all along to renew the work permit, why did he choose the timeline that he did? Why did he make us spin our wheels in Addis for the whole month of March? Why did he wait until 8 days past its expiration, then allow delays at immigration further postponing your resumption of work with the team until April 23^rd (at the earliest)? That's two months of time away from the project, in what could have been 1 or 2 weeks had the omnipotent God simply willed it! But he didn't. You've come to accept that, and in doing so, you've come to an important new realization: God is not an American businessman. American commerce places high value on cost efficiency, including time management since "time is money." It doesn't take a genius to see that all of your work permit renewal frustrations this year, and last, were built on that American businessman's value of work efficiency. Your lamenting over lost time, your frustration over poor use of financial resources given to God's work, your sadness to see the project fall a bit further behind schedule…

 

But where does God fit into the American business model? American's value of cost efficiency stems from a fact that our resources are limited. God's resources know no limit. Time efficiency is based on a number of things, including our limited energy. God's energy/power knows no limit. Hard work is a cultural value for you Americans because you see a direct relation between our efforts and a successful product/outcome. but wait, can such talk of "effort" ever be applied to God? It seems that no more effort is required of him in parting a sea than in feeding a single sparrow.

 

So, does God value efficiency? My firm conclusion: maybe sometimes, but don't count on it. How long did Joseph sit in prison before he arrived at his God-appointed position? How much "money" was wasted in the sacrificial system that required the complete burning of perfectly nutritious meat and fat? Why couldn't the omniscient and omnipotent God had kept Uriah from falling in love with Bathsheba in the first place? The whole story of Job, up until the last 5 verses is an incredibly "expensive" test of faith! Did God not count the cost of lives lost, wealth wasted, and years of living in anguish? And for what benefit? Just to prove to Satan that Job's faith was genuine? There have got to be more efficient ways of making that point. How many nights did the apostle Paul spend behind bars? And waiting for what? Why did God take one of his greatest servants at the height of his career and lock him away first in Jerusalem, then in Caesarea for at least three years, and then in Rome for the remainder of his life? Look at the opening phrase of the verses the team just checked, Acts 27:9 – "Much time had been lost…" (NIV). That could have been Paul's motto for the last years of his life!

 

Travis, you've had to wait for a few more weeks than you wanted, but keep that time in perspective. Maybe it was time you needed away from the project. Maybe there are lessons for you (or others) to learn through it. Or maybe God just doesn't measure your success and your personal value in the same terms you do. Yes, he wants to communicate his truth to the Gmz people, but if he were really, really concerned about efficiency and speed in finishing that work, why did he waste nearly 2000 years before sending someone to even start?

 

Focus on what you know to be true. God has given you another year in which you can serve him among the Gmz. Don't waste another minute of it questioning why he chose to answer your prayer with the timing that he did. Instead ask for the grace you need to serve well, with whatever effectiveness and whatever efficiency he adds into your limited efforts. It's all about perspective…and you know as well as I do, if God's plan were really based on an American business model, you would never have been hired in the first place. Make your plans, set your goals, and work hard but more importantly, faithfully follow your Savior on the meandering road of his choice! Maybe, just maybe, the journey is more important than the arrival and any particular destination.

 

April Fools

I heard his feet stomping up the marble stairs just moments before Micah burst into my room, "Daddy get up…mommy said you have to come downstairs, the water spilled on the floor." Looking at the clock, 6:45am, and knowing my wife wouldn't send our rambunctious three-year-old messenger over a spilled glass of water, I knew exactly what to expect as I threw on shoes and headed downstairs. I also knew that my morning schedule for the next 3 hours was just decided for me. Let me back up…

We have been in Addis Ababa now for almost 6 weeks, that’s about 4 weeks longer than we would have liked, but I suppose Addis has some perks (Mmmm…cheeseburgers!). One of those perks certainly is not the public water works. I don't know all the causes and didn't keep close records, but it feels like we've had water fewer days than not.  In addition, just having water in our tank isn't enough for our posh lifestyle, you see, our shower's water heater works only by pressure, and so if our water levels are low, we don’t get any heat. No heat means no showers. This has led us into a routine where we drop everything and shower whenever we get enough water pressure to do so - some weeks we’ve been so blessed twice! Woohoo!

How do you live without water? Well we manage by having jerry cans and buckets scattered around the house. This makes for some very fun and often repeated "off limits" discussions with our little 17-month mermaid.

Anyway, back to this morning. The story is actually quite simple. When there is no water, faucets can be turned on, and nothing happens. Rocket science, I know. But wait, nothing happens only until the great Poseidon of the Addis Ababa water works decides to switch our water back on. Then, guess what? Water comes out! Are you tracking with me? Ok, another thing you need to know. Our kitchen sink does not drain. It hasn't for more than a year. And so, like most things, we have a manual system for working around it. One last thing: our water often comes back in the middle of the night! Need I state the obvious? When you put together the information puzzle I just gave you, what do you get: that’s right, a flooded house.

You know what's really sad? Why wasn't it hard for me to piece together Micah's statement of water spilling on the floor? Because today wasn't the first time it had happened. April 1^st had come, and I guess it was our year to play the fools.