Wales! (not the aquatic mammal...)

had a lovely time at adventure week in Wales. Snowdon (a small mountain by Oregon standards, but steep!) was spectacular. the above view is from the top. we had (so we're told) a rare sunny day with a refreshing snow shower at the top. all made it safely, which takes on a more serious note when you read that on saturday (just 3 days after we were there) a lady fell off and died.

team building had high moments and introspective low moments. found myself often leading and then feeling bad about doing so. still working on being comfortable in my own skin.

had a very wet solo exercise on friday, sitting in the rain on a rocky hill for over 3 hours with no books, timepieces, etc. beautiful view in spite of the wind and rain, wonderful cleft in the rock. amazed at how much He loves me. oh, how He loves me!

now back to normal (whatever that means). week of planning for light party, school assemblies, door-to-door, etc. hoping that my Christmas plans take shape! anybody want me to visit over the holidays? =)

the ongoing discussion...

what does it look like to do effective evangelism?

i must hand out 500 tracts, work on ways the church can reach a largely immigrant, transient population, do door-to-door, etc. is this the work of an evangelist? am i an evangelist? (normally i would say no. which does not preclude me from doing the work, though.)

what did Jesus do? well, He healed people, spoke to the masses usually in parables (not simple how-to-be-a-christian speeches, but rather confusing stories that only those "who have ears to hear" understood), discipled a few, and died.

ooo, "discipled". this is key. evangelism must come in relationship. we were not called to go out into all the world and get people saved, no, we were told to preach and MAKE DISCIPLES. this means relationship. this does not mean congratulating someone on saying a prayer and sending them on their merry way. no, no! this means loving people through the good days and the bad and walking with them as they grow in grace.

can i, then, do effective evangelism if i am only here for a short time? good question. if i lead people to a point of decision, i must plug them into relationship with people that will walk with them after i am gone. hence, the local church is key. i can only do evangelism if a) i demonstrate in word and deed my relationship with a Person (Jesus) and b) plug people into relationship with other believers who c) want to disciple new believers.

yes, you may argue, people can choose to follow Jesus in a lonely place. but that is only a place to start, and i do not believe that is the best place, especially if there are so many professing believers around anyway.

these thoughts and others along the same lines are churning within me as i walk through my time here in Hillfields. it is key to my continued involvement with OM as well, since blitz methods of evangelism are near and dear to the heart of the organization, or so it seems.

comments, thoughts, contradictions are always appreciated!

Echoes of Hope

In the devastated shell I stand

amidst broken wings

of buttresses that fly no more.

At my back a lone tower

rises defiantly skyward,

a forlorn symbol of hope.

I see the walls, the windows--

the work of centuries

ruined in a moment.

"It is much easier to destroy

than to create," the remains whisper

as I make my way to the altar.

Two burnt sticks stand there,

the only remains of a roof

designed to lift eyes to heaven.

A cross.

The Creator conquered destruction

that we might build eternally.

valley of humiliation

reading chambers the theme lately has been living in the valley of humiliation. and i am struck by the things that are confronting me here in coventry, the means by which i am being humbled. two things come quickly to mind: music and speech. in music, at least church music, i have a rich heritage. my father sang us children to sleep at the foot of the stairs with hymns. put words to music and i easily remember them, and my hymn repertoire is extensive. well, in the states that is. at the little baptist church we are attending, every sunday thus far they have sung, with great gusto, song after song that i have never heard. humbling. england: 1, pride: 0.

then there is speech. today as the pastor introduced me to the congregation (not, i might add, the first time he had said this) he told them that i would be learning to speak english properly while i was here. no matter that two of my compatriots are ESL with varying levels of proficiency, and the 3rd is not english but australian, no, it is the american that is sneered at and told, several times, that she does not speak english. as prepared as i was for this by being warned, it is still a struggle because (again that nasty little pride) i have a strong vocabulary and have always felt that my grasp of the english language is above average, due to my reading and training at university. here, however, the accent is really the key (whether or not i know more english words and use perfect grammar is irrelevant) and i fail because i speak with the wicked accent of a rebellious people. again, england: 2, pride (reluctantly): 0.

as you may well ascertain, here in the valley i am still learning to die properly. but i do believe and cling fervently to the mantra: He must increase and i must decrease. amen, so be it.