Saturday Post -- 30/09/17

"So, Clemenza, let me get this straight: Is the law, therefore, opposed 
to the promises of God?" 
"Fuhgetaboutit!"

When it comes to faithfully and honestly expounding the word of God as he has given it to us, there is simply no substitute for working through a book together, Sunday by Sunday, as a church. Thematic or topical series have their place throughout the church year, but if we claim to take the Bible seriously in our congregations, then book studies must be given primacy. 

A criticism that this approach often attracts is that it lacks the flexibility to address issues the church might be dealing with at any particular moment. This can be fairly easily countered. Firstly, when choosing books to teach as a series, a church should be considering the current needs of its congregation anyway, and prayerfully selecting texts which speak to those. Secondly, as stated above, a good church will make room for thematic or topical sermons throughout the year anyway, and these provide particularly gilt-edged opportunities for such ministry.

But I cannot imagine I am alone in positing a third, far weightier reason: we have good reason to trust that God will speak powerfully to us through his word as it has been presented to us. Time and time again in my own preaching ministry, God has aligned circumstances and text in such a way that the particular text, of the particular book, in the particular preaching series, that was programmed for that particular Sunday some months ago, is precisely what the church needs to hear. This is all of God, and all the more reason to give him the glory.

This has certainly been the case here in the last couple of weeks, where I have been working through Galatians 3 and 4. We elected to preach Galatians some months ago owing to the Reformation's 500th anniversary this year, and it being Martin Luther's favourite book (his only commentary was written on the epistle, and if you know anything of his biography, it's not hard to see why). In the particular passages I was preaching on, Paul is showing that God's law, which the Galatians were depending on, is inferior to God's promise (because it came later and through an intermediary), but that it is still integral in that it demonstrates in Technicolor just how far we fall short of God's standards -- and therefore, just how much we need to respond to his unconditional promise in Jesus! He then reminds the Galatians that, as heirs of the promise, they are free -- so why go back to a life of enslavement to works-righteousness?

We have all, then, as Christians, gone from slavery to salvation-by-works, to the freedom of salvation-by-grace. But the funny thing is that Amanda and I have had a lot of experiences here recently, in our own church and in para-church settings, where the noises from the pulpit seem to suggest the opposite, particularly among young people. Something along the lines of: "Don't be like those friends of yours who are having the time of their lives; don't dance, don't drink, don't get into relationships with the opposite sex." And that's it. 

I recently read a book on preaching that contained the following simple, yet powerful, thought: that if you reckon you could get away with your sermon in a mosque or a synagogue, then it isn't worth preaching in church. So many factors, too numerous to detail here, have brought about an 'evangelical' church culture where legalism and The Stuff We Must Do have come to dominate Bible teaching, particularly among those pesky young people, who just can't control themselves, can they. And so, sermons you could get away with in a mosque or synagogue are the meat and potatoes of church experience.

It all comes back, of course, to a faulty understanding of God's salvation. Having been brought up in the school of no-free-lunches, we struggle to accept its totality, finality and unconditionality (I have this moment at least once a day!). And as a result, our obedience is motivated by fear when, in fact, if we really grasped the fullness of what God has done for us, it would flow from us naturally as an expression of love and thankfulness. Why, indeed, settle for these fleeting pleasures, when life in abundance can be ours today?

Going back to my sermons, then, it has been interesting to see how God, in the last few weeks, has used this hefty reminder of his grace to really get people thinking about the kinds of messages we are sending as a church, particularly among our young people; bear in mind that our young people are vulnerable not only because of youth culture in general, but also because they largely come from unchurched homes -- and those whose parents have brought them up in some kind of faith know only the works righteousness so ingrained in this culture. 

So this message is causing people to sit up and pay attention. Two separate young men, both regular youth-group attendees, approached me in the last week to tell me that they had never heard this before. I was simultaneously encouraged and challenged: encouraged that they were simply paying attention to the Sunday sermon (!) and that the gospel was being clearly understood; challenged that this seemed to be inconsistent with the kinds of messages they were hearing elsewhere. That was confirmed to me when a youth leader approached me to say he was concerned that the general teaching for the youth on Saturday nights wasn't consistent with the kind of gospel message being preached on Sunday mornings.

I am not currently involved in the youth ministry, but Amanda is, and has also had some interesting conversations this week on the topic with her fellow workers in the ministry; they are great, committed people, but most are new enough in the faith to be susceptible to these kinds of errors. The material used on Saturdays is essentially solid, but much of it is about making good decisions, and so the possibility of 'synagogue sermons' is very much a live one. It seems like, pretty soon, the teaching on Saturday nights will have to come under some serious scrutiny, and we are encouraged that it's not just us foreigners, for once, asking the big questions.

Of course, as with all such matters, The Godfather nailed it. Hitherto blue-eyed-boy Michael Corleone is in some anxiety as to the impact his upcoming 'hit' on a family rival will surely have on inter-mafiosi affairs in New York. Peter Clemenza ("Leave the gun; take the cannoli.") endeavours to help him see the bigger picture:

That's all right. These things gotta happen every five years or so, ten years. Helps to get rid of the bad blood.

While by no means looking to 'get rid of the bad blood' (!), I wonder if, in the church of Jesus Christ, these little grace shake-ups also "gotta happen every five years or so", much like we are experiencing now. Indeed, I suspect we depend on such seasons. If I, as I mentioned above, need to be reminding myself of God's grace every day, we can never preach this message too much. But first of all, we need to learn accept it for ourselves. 

Prayer

• We are thankful for this little reawakening which might be taking place among us, and doubly conscious that we must, as a couple, be patient and, yes, gracious with the people we are working alongside, so as not to compromise this message in any way. Pray for tact, for diplomacy, for love.
• Our fellow Latin Link workers, Graham & Debbie Frith, are due here any moment now for a weekend visit. Please pray for a time of mutual encouragement.

Praise

• The Gore family (see last week) have settled in well after their move from Cochabamba and we have enjoyed getting to know them a little better this week.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 26/09/15

With our old Spanish teacher (and still friend) Farid, who defended his
tourism thesis with aplomb this week. The more observant among you
may note that the room was not air-conditioned.

As we continue to wait for movement in the adoption process, we’re often reminded of the need to trust God that the tough stuff we’re going through will all make sense in the end.

And for a good example of that, we need look no further than March of this year, when we were in the midst of another pretty trying time. One morning, a woman came to Amanda looking for help for her sister and brother-in-law, whose marriage was seemingly in crisis. Amanda was keen to help, but aware of her limitations in this area, having had no training whatsoever in marriage counselling, and particularly uncertain as to how to approach this with non-Christians. The woman was unperturbed: “No problem, just pretend you’re qualified,” she responded! In the end the couple decided to go elsewhere, yet the episode served to drive home our inability – as a couple, as a foundation, and as a church – to meet such needs.

Later that same week, Amanda had a conversation with a friend whose niece was looking to get married, and yet had received no help from her pastor at this time, despite actively seeking out opportunities for marriage preparation. It was clear that Christians here were indeed hungry for such input, yet hadn’t the faintest idea where to find it.

All the while, Amanda and I were some weeks into housing a friend of ours whose marriage was in a dire state, having crossed the line one time too many. And so, time and again, we were reminded that week of the great needs in the marriages in our community, yet a lack of resources, training and time to be able to address these.

The following Sunday, in keeping with tradition, we touched base with the folks back home, who were completely unaware of the week's goings-on. As it happened, Dad had just got off the phone with a couple from Hertfordshire, Andrew & Ruth Richards (Ruth is a cousin of my Mum). Dad explained that as their careers were beginning to wind down, Andrew & Ruth were looking to increasingly devote their time to missions and to supporting missionary work worldwide. To that end, they had made some enquiries, and the work at Fundación Totaí had surfaced. Hence the contact with my parents. 

But Andrew and Ruth, an engineer and schools inspector respectively, were particularly keen not to simply observe, but to go where they felt they could play an active role, albeit for a limited period. "Well, what do they feel they have to offer?" we asked, and Dad proceeded to share the Richards' own ideas. Many and varied though their talents were, we were struggling to see where we could use them in this particular ministry in such a way that they wouldn't go home feeling they'd simply had a relaxing break in a hot climate.  

At which point, Dad mentioned one final possibility, almost as an aside: "They've also run a marriage course in the past." 

Why, of all the gin joints! 

In due course, we made contact with Andrew & Ruth and began to discuss how such a course might work here. From an early stage, we were impressed by their attention to detail, their desire to serve and, particularly, their awareness of the need for flexibility in a very different relationship culture to the UK. So we were delighted when, a couple of months down the road, having considered a range of other 'offers', they went with Trinidad, Bolivia.  

And so to the somewhat less tropical Stonehouse, Scotland, where at a nearby hotel in July, the four of us sat down one afternoon to plan the course in greater detail. The Alpha marriage course is a great tool (we are graduates of their marriage preparation course), though a little Bible-lite. We were encouraged to hear of Andrew & Ruth’s plans to establish greater Scriptural foundations. This naturally led us to discuss the makeup of the group, with several non-Christian couples likely to be in attendance; again, the course would be tweaked where appropriate to ensure the gospel is preached. A particular cultural quirk here is that most co-habiting non-Christian couples are not, in fact, married, and so the importance of the marriage commitment would also be highlighted; there would almost certainly be couples in attendance who had not yet, in fact, made this commitment.

A big chunk, then, of our time since returning in late July has been spent in preparing for the course. Amanda has been particularly busy along with several other women from the church in preparing the décor. This is important as the course (which will take place on weeknights over one week) is set up like a ‘date night’. Though we expect a large group to attend, the interactive part of the course is not done by the group as a whole, but by the couples themselves, each of whom will discuss these important topics at their very own, candle-lit table, complete with a take-home centrepiece. So the aesthetics play a big part. 

As I made clear earlier, this is a relatively new venture for this part of the world. And yet, despite that (or, more probably, because of it), the response has been tremendous, with us having to up the numbers slightly to accommodate a few extra couples. We are very excited to have Andrew & Ruth come and lead this, and we’re particularly conscious of the need for this to be a platform to build on, rather than a one-off event; we have a couple in mind in the church to be the people to take this forward, and we’re hoping that Andrew & Ruth will be able to get alongside them at various points during their two-week stay here.

While I was writing this very entry, I’m sad to say that we learned of a morally compromised situation between two Christians we work alongside. These things just do not go away in this culture. We pray that the marriage course will play a small part in establishing God’s declared will for loving relationships here in this small corner of Bolivia.

"Chau"/"Bye"/"Sniffle"/"So long" (L-R). A quick snap before Maicol & KC
boarded the first of many, many vehicles.

Prayer

• For safe travels for Andrew & Ruth, who set off from Heathrow on Tuesday and eventually get to Trinidad on Thursday (the course begins next Monday, the 5th of October).
• People who came to hear our report in churches last year may remember Yoselín, a girl Amanda has worked with extensively over the years. She comes from a very challenging family background and now, in her early teenage years, her behaviour is being affected by such factors. Please pray for patience for Amanda as she continues to mentor Yoselín in the ways of God.
• Last night, our dear friends Maicol, KC and Caleb left Trinidad to begin their journey to the USA, where they will now be settling as a family. We give thanks for the way that God has so clearly paved the way for them to be able to return to Seattle over the past months, and for their great friendship to us and many others here. We will miss them greatly. Pray for the LORD’s continued guidance to them.
• Oh, and that means we are now the last missionaries standing here at Fundación Totaí/El Jireh Church (just to contextualise that, there were five full-time missionary couples when we arrived here in January 2010). That is both encouraging (the work does not depend on foreigners to move forward) and somewhat daunting! Please pray for wisdom as we seek to give a godly example in all that we do, and for others to come alongside us and encourage us, so that we can better serve others.
• There's been a last-minute cancellation for the youth service tomorrow night, and as a result, Craig somehow has to come up with a talk, er, today! Prayer appreciated.

Praise

• Craig had a really encouraging visit with Carlos & Carla earlier this week, who are holding up remarkably well despite the loss of their motorcycle, and who, in true Macedonian style, have even found opportunities to bless others this week. We’re delighted to see this.
• For a much-needed rest for adoption-related issues this week (our lawyer has been out of town). We know we need to push on with this again when she gets back, but we have really benefitted, spiritually, emotionally and psychologically, from this break in play.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 29/09/12

Football school coach Luis Savaraín "San" Oniava at work this week. 

Another week of civil action by educational workers (a three-day walkout to show solidarity with the country’s striking miners – how very noble) put paid to much of the schools work this week. Plenty of time freed up, then, to attend to other matters, such as the latest update for FT’s supporters, which I wrote and sent out this week – on which note, if you’d like a copy of the newsletter, or to add your name to the e-mailing list, get in touch.

As missionaries we also took advantage of the quieter working week by meeting together as a team, something which, regrettably, had fallen by the wayside over recent months. Indeed, we had made a commitment in the new year to meet every couple of weeks to pray together, so it really was high time we convened. Over the past few years, as its separate volumes have been published, I’ve been delving into Alastair Campbell’s intriguing diaries of his time working under Tony Blair, and something that frequently comes to the surface is a sense of cabinet ministers – who, through the media lens, appear largely united behind the Prime Minister and his agenda – in practice becoming increasingly lost in the business and bureaucracy of their individual departments and attendant Sir-Humphreys. Funnily enough, our experience here as missionaries is not without parallels (minus the Sir-Humphreys, thanks goodness). Though we are, in theory, united by a sense of purpose which many of our fellow workers at FT lack – particularly our non-Christian colleagues – we are, at the same time, deeply embedded in FT’s four main areas of service. In that respect, one can very quickly lose sight of that united purpose if one is not careful – and it is therefore of vital importance that we meet as regularly as possible to bear one another’s burdens.

So it was great this week to dedicate a morning to just that purpose, giving equal weight in our discussions to our roles in the church. Indeed, speaking of church, Amanda came away from the meeting with a whole new job! KC and she had been discussing the need for greater co-ordination of the youth programme. The church’s youth meetings largely go off without a hitch. However, with all of us on the youth committee deeply committed elsewhere (not unlike the missionary team situation, truth be told) there is a sense in which we fly by the seat of our pants, getting from one Saturday to the next.

For a long time, we’ve sensed a need for enhanced strategic planning, particularly when it comes to special events and fundraisers for the end-of-year camp (run jointly with other youth groups in town). One idea knocked around earlier this year, to give an illustrative example, was to make and sell a meal (a very common way of raising money here) every two to three months, with the proceeds going towards helping the young people, many from poor families, pay for camp. We managed one such fundraiser early this year but quickly lost sight of the long-term goal.

What KC and Amanda will do in the next few months, then, is look at next year’s calendar and plan the group’s activities accordingly, not only around fundraising events, but also special, one-off meetings and trips. The Olympics-themed activity, which came to a close last week, highlighted the boost that an incentive-based scheme can bring to proceedings (the young people were divided into three teams and competed for the gold, silver and bronze ‘medals’ – in reality, three exceedingly good cakes baked by Amanda and co-leader Mariana) and they’ll be looking into taking a similar tack, but over a full year rather than a few weeks.

Returning to the present, we start a new, four-week series with the youth tonight in Daniel, a book whose relevance to youth ministry is, to me, blindingly obvious, as we read of these exiles in a foreign land, the at times suffocating pressures they came under to conform, and, through it all, the awesome robustness of their faith – the three rebels’ cry of defiance in verses 17 and 18 of chapter three a sobering inspiration to all of us who count the cost. The lessons of Daniel have especial relevance in this culture, where, alas, peer and familial pressure to follow the crowd are largely indistinguishable. It will be a particular privilege to introduce this book to the several teenagers in attendance who have never had meaningful Sunday School contact. In any case, I’ll be kicking things off tonight with a focus on chapter one and the episode not otherwise known as Diet-gate.

Here's our house as it stood on Thursday, with work beginning on the,
sadly necessary, surrounding wall. Work on the roof should hopefully
begin soon -- recent blockades have frustrated progress on that front.

Prayer

• For improved time-management and self-discipline from ourselves as missionaries as we seek to meet more regularly to support one another.
• For Amanda and KC, that God would infuse them with a vision for 2013’s youth programme.
• For the young people as they begin to reflect upon the challenges of Daniel tonight. 

Praise

• For our meeting this week as missionaries.
• For the Lord’s faithfulness in protecting the youth group – indeed, our numbers have grown considerably in recent weeks – when we’ve been distracted.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda