northpoint notes

I admit it. I am not a very patient meeting attendee (unless, of course I am leading the meeting). I have spent most of the past two days at our district conference. While this was somewhat – actually significantly different – from previous conferences, there were elements of similarity.

There were reports – fewer and shorter than usual which is a good thing.

There were prayer times – more and longer than usual which is also a good thing.

There were lengthy times of teaching – much more than usual and I’m still processing the total value. Basically it was good but perhaps too much to absorb in the time available.

The teaching was not just information but a call to action. The call was to be involved in helping others discover what it means to walk as disciples of Jesus. The call to action is not new – perhaps stated differently but was really a restatement of the words of Jesus.

Every so many years a new voice states the same call as though it is a new thing they have discovered. So I listen and reflect on this and previous initiatives and ask myself, why are we repeating this?

The simple answer is: We forget. Every generation needs a reminder of why we are here. The other answer is that it is easier to do what we have been doing than to do something different.

So I have survived long meetings and a restatement of an old mission/vision. Have I survived the call to action? Perhaps the prayer of most attendees is that they can return to business as usual and be survivors of the call to action (hearing it but being able to move on and do nothing about it.).

I left for my morning run yesterday around 5:30. It is normally dark that time of day. (I thought I should inform those who are still catching some zzz at that time of morning.) Yesterday was one of those days when the moon was incredibly bright. The road was illuminated making it fairly easy to see the uneven places in the road (created by construction). The air was crisp and it was great to be out.

At one point in the run I looked back over my shoulder to take in the splendor of that bright shining ball in the sky (I nearly tripped as my focus shifted from watching the road to watching the sky). It was a great reminder of God’s handiwork.

Even when I returned from the run and sat down to read and pray, I could not help but think again about the beautiful morning and the incredible creativity of God.

What does any of that have to do with running? There was a time when “a good run” was defined by a faster time or covering a longer distance.

Now it is more about the simple experiences of running – it is almost always a time of reflection (unless I am doing a really hard work-out – those are great times to work out frustrations) – a time to pray.

Then there are those special times that God shows me His wonder and glory. It may be a full moon that lights the way in front of me. It could be a light spring rain that refreshes on what would otherwise be a hot day. There are those times when deer cross the road and I see their dark shadows in the early morning. There are the approaching thunder storms when distant lightening lights up the sky casting hi-lites on the turbulent clouds.

In all of those I find myself reminded of the glory and power of God. I am reminded of how small I am in this universe and then am overwhelmed that God even cares about me.

I enjoy these times to run – to look around to see what display God has set out. I still like running faster and longer but a great run is defined less by the time and more by the experience. It is significantly enhanced when I see the evidence of God at work.

I awoke Wednesday morning and thought I was back in Uruguay. It was raining; the air felt cold and damp and there was a bit of a breeze – the kind that penetrates. Yesterday was a similar day – no rain but a breeze with a bit of a bite to it. The weather was just another reminder of the experience of a couple of weeks ago.

I have had numerous opportunities to reflect on the trip – I have reviewed photos with several friends and I remember pastors, team members, hosts, friendly faces in the churches. It occurred to me that my most vivid memories are of people. I can tell stories of minor inconveniences and less than ideal accomodations but what really mattered were the people.

Then as I reflected further on some of the minor inconveniences, I was reminded that they really were minor. I was gone for a whole two weeks – a whole two weeks. During that time it rained. I had to live out of a suitcase. There was no heat in the buildings. Everything was damp and cold. Schedules were sketchy and always subject to change.

A whole two weeks – right now there are are men and women who have been deployed in places like Iraq and Afghanistan who have been away from their family for months; facing danger every day; sleeping in less than idea conditions and enduring far more than I can imagine.

I have heard some of those soldiers interviewed about their experiences. None of them will deny that it is tough but they almost always mention “the people.” Whether one agrees with the war or not, for the average soldier, it is about the people.

When Jesus died, it was about the people. He wept over Jerusalem because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He gave His life for the people – that they could have peace with God.

I experienced very slight discomfort and inconvenience on my trip but what made the trip worthwhile were the people.

When I returned from Uruguay I had several coins – pesos – in my pocket. Depending on the exchange rate they would be worth about one dollar in U.S. currency. However, there is no place around here (that I know of) that would exchange those pesos for goods or services.

Even if I had a stack of currency from Uruguay, it would not be considered legal tender in the U.S. Starbucks won’t accept it; Panera won’t accept it; I can’t use it at the local gas station or a local department store. It only has real value in Uruguay. Those coins I brought home may interest my grandchildren for a few minutes and provide opportunity for me to reminisce but they are useless in the North American economy.

Isaiah 55:1 says, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, by and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”

What an odd concept – buy without money. How? What is being offered is God’s blessing. It’s free to those who come to Him. There is no currency we have to offer that can obtain that blessing. We can never be good enough; we can never give enough; we can never work hard enough. Those currencies are worthless. What we receive from God has already been paid for through Christ.

When we come to Him we come with worthless currency – He is not interested in our money or our hard work. He is interested in our heart and in a relationship with us.

When I come, He gives me a new currency to be used in the world. He fills the heart with His love and grace so that it can be spent blessing others. As we do that, there is a never-ending supply.

So when we come to Him, we put aside the worthless currency that can never buy His favor. We have His favor when we come and then He gives us His currency which is to be distributed freely to those we meet.

We come as beggars – we leave as rich men.

For the past two weeks, the focus has been prayer – praying for God’s blessing on Uruguay and that His grace and glory would be evident to the people there. There was no hierarchy of priorities. Prayer was it – private prayer times; team prayer; prayer with pastors; prayer in churches; prayer in the streets of Montevideo; prayer as we drove through the countryside; and prayer as we looked over the city.

The only distraction to prayer was the cool, damp weather. Even meal times provided an opportunity for prayer.

Prayer has also been a priority for the many who prayed for the team while they were in Uruguay.

Now it is back to the normal routine. In Uruguay there were no time demands. There was not just freedom to pray but prayer was the schedule. Now there are meetings to attend, sermons to prepare, yard work to do, home repairs to complete and the list could go on and on.

The question – does that change the priority. Just because there are more tasks screaming to be completed, should prayer take a lesser role than in did over the past two weeks. The answer is, of course, “no.”

If prayer is important in Uruguay and for Uruguay, it is no less important for the U.S. and for our respective ministries – being a good mom or dad; being a good neighbor; a small group leader; an example for a co-worker or classmate. To make a difference in any of those areas requires an on-going walk of prayer.

It is not just about saying a prayer in a crisis but making prayer the priority of our lives so that God is able to work in every aspect of our lives.

Making prayer a priority will always be a challenge because of all the expectations and demands of family, jobs, hobbies, etc. But if God truly is God then it seems appropriate that He should have first dibs on our time.

Keep praying!

It is great to be home – a place of familiarity, friends, family, and favorite foods (like the alliteration).  But home, as great as it is, is not perfect. The experiences in Uruguay served to prepare me for coming home.

One would naturally think that the preparation is in the form of a renewed appreciation for “the good life” in America. After all, here we are usually assured of warm accomodations, hot showers on demand, dependable transportation, shedules that work and the list could go on.

In Uruguay, there is no central heat or air-conditioning. Hot showers were limited. We seldom knew what our transportation might be. Few things happened according to schedule.

Here are some ways the trip prepared me for coming home:

Because of some work we are having done on our house, we had to have the gas shut off – it was off for three days; meaning no hot water for showers. No problem – I’m used to that. Kim isn’t but I am.

I was in an accident in late August. My car was still in the body shop when I left and when I returned. This meant being dependent on someone else for transportation. No problem – I’ve had two weeks of waiting on a van or taxi – the journey continues.

Thinking I could get back on schedule Wednesday as soon as I returned, I called the body shop to confirm the work was done on my car so I could pick it up. Good news – the car was finished but… they needed to clean it up and it wouldn’t be ready until noon on Thursday. No problem. I am used to adjusting schedules and accepting that things don’t always happen as planned.

Then the curtesy driver who was supposed to pick me up at noon on Thursday to take me to get my car was 40 minutes late. Here is the picture on Thursday. I still did not have a hot shower; my transportation was not available and I was way off schedule.

I remember thinking – this is just like Uruguay. It isn’t “home” as I was expecting it to be. Then I was reminded that as great as my home is here (when things are going right), it is still temorary.

A few years ago I had the privilege of speaking at a church in Roy, Washington. The pastor introduced me by name and said that I had “just stopped in on my way to heaven.” He went on to remind the church that all of us are just passing through and that each place we visit here is just a stopping place on our way to heaven.

I love being home but as good as it is, there is yet another home being prepared for me.

We are packing our bags, checking passports and deciding what we might want to leave behind. In a few hours we will be headed home.

Most of us are dreading the long journey – leaving Montevideo at 10 PM and arriving in Miami sometime before a normal breakfast. Then we will catch a flight to Chicago and finally one that will take us home. We will arrive around 1 PM.  From the time we got up this morning until we finally get into our own bed back home will likely be 36 or more hours. We will enjoy the banter in the airports as we wait for our flights. There will be the long flight itself that most are hoping to sleep through. Then there will be the time of reuniting with family and loved ones.

That long journey home reminds me of the journey we are in right now. The Scriptures tell us that this world is not our home. We are just passing through. There are parts of the journey that seem long and arduous. Other parts are quite enjoyable. There are parts we may wish we could sleep through.

But the promise is that home will be quite spectacular – not because of its beauty but because of being in the presence of the One who loved us and redeemed us. We will see that the journey – as arduous as parts of it may have been – will be worth it.

Since being in Uruguay the sun has been a rare but welcomed sight whenever it appeared.  Even when it did appear, it has been cool and breezy. Today was sunny and warm and the breeze actually felt good. It made it a perfect day to go to the fruit farm operated Operation Mobilization. The task for the day was to thin peaches.

The trees were loaded with young peaches. Our job was to remove peaches so that the ones remaining would have room to grow and so that the trees could nourish fewer peaches – thus allowing them to grow larger.

As we looked back under each tree, there were more peaches on the ground than on the trees. It was hard at first because the peaches were perfectly formed and looked like they would make for a good crop. However, too many peaches on the tree would actually diminsh the crop.

There are many good things in our lives – however, too many good things can actually rob us of the best. Our lives require discipline - choosing what is best - choosing what God wants in our lives. When we focus on Him there are many good things that we must choose to eliminate in order to be more productive and  to grow in our relationship with Him. 

It is not what we give up that is important but what we retain.

The peaches were a good reminder that not everything that appears good is beneficial.

It was not a large church. Worship started at 10 AM. We were greeted with the typical cheek to cheek touch and light kiss on the cheek or in the air beside the cheek. Everyone greeted us and each other. It takes time to get around to everyone but there is a friendliness in the atmosphere that makes the time irrelevent.

The worship service concluded at 30 minutes past 12. Once again we were greeted cheek to cheek and a kiss.

We were invited to stay because they wanted to prepare lunch. We sat in the warm sun in front of the church while some went to a store, bought food and returned to prepare it. We had sausage, rice, and mixed fruit. As we sat around the table we listened in on their Spanish conversations. Although we could not understand the words, there was apparently the usual bantering and teasing that goes on among friends. Their laughter was contagious and even though I could not understand words, I understood joy and I found myself laughing with them.

After the meal, we sat around waiting for a ride back to where we are staying. We left the church around 3 PM.  Before we left, there were cheek to cheek kisses and hugs.

We were complete strangers to them at 10 AM and little more than strangers when we left 5 hours later and yet we were greeted with the same warmth they greeted each other.

While the average person on the street does not appear so friendly, the people in the churches are very welcoming. Perhaps, after all, it is Jesus who makes the difference – not just in giving us something in common but giving us the ability and desire to love those we barely know.

There are just a few more days left on this two-week trip to Uruguay. I thought I would jot down a few things I am looking forward to -

Indoor temperature above 55 – enough hot water for a 5 minute shower – enough water pressure to rinse really well – peanut butter – Starbucks – menus I can read – familiar food – a bathroom in the next room rather than the next building – not having to unlock two doors to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night – hot oatmeal – dry clothes – not having to use a flashlight to find keys in the night – people who understand me when I ask for directions – a place to hang my clothes instead of sorting through a suitcase – road signs I understand – familiar faces – familiar sounds – fresh vegetables – safe drinking water –  face to face conversations instead of e-mail – friends with whom to share the stories – family hugs – evenings at home with Kim reviewing the highs and lows of our day.

Lest I seem ungrateful. I am thankful for good food – translators who interpret menus – bottled water – a roof over my head – a bed to sleep in – a good team to work with – new friends – e-mail to communicate with Kim.

Perhaps we are looking ahead too often. It was pouring rain yesterday and I made a comment about the dreary day to the wife of our host. She responded – it is a beautiful day because of what we are doing. For her, it was a beautiful day because we were going to be doing things together as a team. The day was good, not because of the weather but in spite of it because of the relationships.

God has blessed.