Dear Church Diva...

Image source: jamiebrownmusic.files.wordpress.com

I was reminded today of a bad experience I had while visiting a church a few months ago.  And probably because I didn't get enough sleep last night, I felt compelled to write this.  I do have a favor to ask of my readers: Please don't passive-aggressively post this on someone else's wall in the hopes that they will read it and change.  That's not the point.  If you want someone in your circle of relationships to read it, the best way to accomplish this without being rude it to share it on YOUR Facebook page.

After visiting a church recently I have some advice for the "Church Diva" that sat behind me.  You know the type... they want everyone to notice them, whether it's because of their clothes, their actions or their attitude.  Well this guy must have thought the Sunday morning service was his chance to audition for American Idol, and that I was one of the judges.  Now God has blessed me with a powerful set of lungs (read: I'm loud), but I almost couldn't hear myself sing over the sound of his voice.  To be fair, he did have a decent voice.  But to be honest, I don't think anyone around him was as impressed with his voice as he was.

Enemy of the State

Image source: batr.org

So often we miss the contextual details of the biblical narrative.  Most people don't know the cultural context of 1st Century Palestine.  We forget that Jesus and the New Testament writers were real people that lived in the real world.  We must never forget that the Bible was written in space and time.  Unfortunately much of this cultural context is lost on us.  Take, for instance, the following example...

Then Jesus called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it.  For what benefit is it for a person to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his life?" - Mark 8:34-36

The interesting thing about this passage is that his audience knew exactly what it meant to "take up your cross.’’  Crucifixion was regularly used by the Roman occupation force as a means of keeping the Jewish population in line.  It was a gruesome/tortuous method of execution, almost always committed alongside major travel routes for maximum exposure.  It was reserved for serious offenders - a way of punishing its enemies.  When Jesus used this phrase His hearers understood exactly what He was implying.  It meant dying as an enemy of the State.

What does that have to do with us?  We can’t expect everyone to like us as we follow Jesus.  This goes against the part of us that wants to be liked.  But we have to understand that as our culture wanders farther from God, genuine followers of Christ will be more counter-cultural.

Our insecurity drives us to seek affirmation.  We want to be loved, liked and accepted.  But Jesus was telling His audience that in order to follow Him they would end up as counter-cultural enemies of the State.    The good news is that the darker the world around us grows, the brighter Christ’s light shines through us.  And that’s a good thing because the light is supposed to shine in the darkness. (John 1:5)  We need to let our light shine brightly!

Church Lessons from the Camino (part 3)

Image source: andaluciadiary.com

Last year Robin and I walked the last 140 miles of the Camino de Santiago in Spain (the medieval Catholic Pilgrimage immortalized in The Way).   We chose the Norte route through the mountains because less "pilgrims" travel it.  It provided us a lot of time to pray and reflect.   The scenery was beautiful, the people were welcoming and the food and coffee were delicious!  It really gave us some time to confirm that God was truly directing us to move back to the US after 13 years of training and coaching leaders, teaching in Bible schools and planting churches in secular Europe.

There were a few lessons we learned on our trip that apply to churches.  If you haven't noticed, our culture is rapidly moving from postmodern to Post-Christian.  Christianity, believers and churches are rapidly losing their influence in society.   But there are some things we can do to create a larger footprint for the Kingdom of God.  In this series of blogposts I'll cover a few of them that are pertinent to North American church leaders.

If North American church leaders want to connect with an unchurched Post-Christian audience they need to:

3.  Choose to be present

Church Lessons from the Camino (Part 1)

Church Lessons from the Camino (Part 2)

One of the guys in our "Camino family" (staying at the same Pilgrim Hostel every night) was often so intent on getting to the next town that he just lowered his head and walked as fast as he could - sort of like a fullback taking the ball up the middle.  It was as if the journey didn't really matter... only the destination was important.  One night he lamented the fact that he often lost his way by missing the signs because he was so determined to get to his destination.  He always ended up in the right place, but he missed a lot of the scenery.

Robin and I, on the other hand, would stop every now and then and allow ourselves to be awed by the amazing scenery.  (For the record, we stopped at almost every coffee shop along the way as well, but that's more about my coffee addiction than anything else.)  I'd love to tell you that this was a continual occurrence for us, but it wasn't.  We did, however, often choose to stay present in our surroundings instead of just focusing on where we had to go.  It would have been much easier to get caught up in the weight of our backpacks, our sore muscles and blisters or the distance to the next hostel.  But we made an intentional decision to be present.  And we enjoyed the benefits.  Some of the sights, sounds and experiences truly took our breath away.  And because we slowed down, we were able to hear God's voice more clearly.

Tweet: Make the intentional decision to be present. #slowdown #relationshipsmatter #enjoythejourney @jonperrin

Too often we are so focused on our goals that we ignore the people around us.  We noticed it when we moved from western to southern Germany.  For the first time in our marriage we were visiting churches as outsiders.  Up to this point, anytime we visited a new church it was as guest speakers.
Now we were just looking for a good church for our family.  Often when we arrived early for the service the people inside were scurrying about trying to get everything ready for visitors.  And they were far too busy to be bothered by the very visitors they were getting ready for.  It was almost like the business owner that wouldn't allow people inside his shop because he wanted to keep the floors clean.

One of our mantras at our church in Freiburg was, "It's all about the journey!"  We wanted to make relationships a priority, rather than just getting our tasks done.  We required all preparation to be done 30 minutes before the service started so we could enjoy each other and truly welcome our visitors.

Actually, we found a sign along the Camino that said the same thing:

"Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar." - Antonio Machado

It means, "Camino traveler, there is no Camino.  You make the Camino as you walk."  Or in other words, the Camino is a journey, not a destination.  We can't afford to take the relationships and situations around to us for granted.  We need to take time to enjoy the scenery.  We need to make time for the important people in our lives.  We need to slow down and savor the sights, smells and sounds all around us.  And most importantly, we need to quiet ourselves enough to hear God's voice as He speaks to us.  We must choose to be present.

How do you stay present?  Join the conversation!

Church Lessons from the Camino (Part 1)

Church Lessons from the Camino (Part 2)

Church Lessons from the Camino (part 2)

Image source: sabbaticalsayings.blogspot.com

Last year Robin and I walked the last 140 miles of the Camino de Santiago in Spain (the medieval Catholic Pilgrimage immortalized in The Way).   We chose the Norte route through the mountains because less "pilgrims" travel it.  It provided us a lot of time to pray and reflect.   The scenery was beautiful, the people were welcoming and the food and coffee were delicious!  It really gave us some time to confirm that God was truly directing us to move back to the US after 13 years of training and coaching leaders, teaching in Bible schools and planting churches in secular Europe.

There were a few lessons we learned on our trip that apply to churches.  If you haven't noticed, our culture is rapidly moving from postmodern to Post-Christian.  Christianity, believers and churches are rapidly losing their influence in society.   But there are some things we can do to create a larger footprint for the Kingdom of God.  In this series of blogposts I'll cover a few of them that are pertinent to North American church leaders.

If North American churches want to connect with an unchurched Post-Christian audience they need to:

2.  Teach their people to listen

Church Lessons from the Camino (Part 1)

Church Lessons from the Camino (Part 3)

As I wrote recently, if you truly believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven, you have a responsibility to tell as many people as possible.  Unfortunately too many people fulfill this responsibility irresponsibly.  They treat everyone they meet as an "opportunity to preach."

Tweet: Too many people share their faith irresponsibly. @jonperrin #evangelism #faith #justbenormal

Although we prayed that God would use us to invest in the lives of others along our Camino journey, that was not our goal.  We went to hear from God personally.  We chose to listen rather than just talk. And it opened a LOT of doors!

We struck up conversations with our fellow Caminantes (Camino "Pilgrims") as we walked, as we ate together and as we settled in for the night at pilgrim hostels.  We asked a lot of questions.  It was fascinating to hear people's life stories.  We learned that one of our fellow travelers dealt with severe depression.  Another had a devastating divorce.  One guy was taking a much-needed semester break from college.  A couple was contemplating beginning a new life in another country.  A couple of friends had been hiking together for 20 years.  Two of them told us their fathers expected them to carry on the family business, but they didn't want to.

As we truly listened, we heard stories of great joy and great loss, of pain and progress.  We laughed a lot.  And our hearts broke for the hurts people carried.  But the very act of listening itself opened the door for us to be able to share our story.  I spoke with a young man one day as we walked, and we had the most amazing conversation.  He told me he had been studying the Law of Attraction.  He was trying to get his life back on track and he felt this was a positive way to do so.  I explained that many of the principles of the Law of Attraction are actually found in Scripture.  I was able to share about my experience with God's love and His mercy, and how this had radically changed my life.  It was a dialogue that would have never taken place had I used our walk to launch into a monologue.

People will usually open up if you’ll first listen.  Remember: Sow first what you want to reap.  Do you want people to listen to what you have to say?  Then you have to listen to what they have to say... and do so without an agenda!  Don’t preach… start a conversation and build a relationship.  You have to earn the right to be heard.

God desires to use us to influence the world around us.  But a lot of times we screw up God-given opportunities with people.  Commonsense people skills can help us tremendously in this area.  In his amazing book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey says we need to, "Seek first to understand; then to be understood."  What would the world look like if we really did this?  I believe we would see a LOT more opportunities!

Church Lessons from the Camino (Part 1)

Church Lessons from the Camino (Part 3)

Join the conversation... What other advice do you have for church leaders that want to help their church members be more effective in sharing their faith?

Church Lessons from the Camino (part 1)

The Camino de Santiago outside of Sobrado de Monxes (image source: desnivel.com)

Last year Robin and I got to walk the last 140 miles of the Camino de Santiago in Spain (the medieval Catholic Pilgrimage immortalized in The Way).   We chose the Norte route through the mountains because less "pilgrims" travel it.  It provided us a lot of time to pray and reflect.   The scenery was beautiful, the people were welcoming and the food and coffee were delicious!  It really gave us some time to confirm that God was truly directing us to move back to the US after 13 years of training and coaching leaders, teaching in Bible schools and planting churches in Europe.

There were a few lessons we learned on our trip that apply to churches.  If you haven't noticed, our culture is rapidly moving from postmodern to Post-Christian.  Christianity, believers and churches are rapidly losing their influence in society.   But there are some things we can do to create a larger footprint for the Kingdom of God.  Over the next few blogposts I'll cover a few of them that are pertinent to North American church leaders.

Having been involved in numerous church plants in secular Europe (planting and pastoring the last one we were involved with), we learned how to effectively minister in this environment.  If North American churches want to connect with an unchurched Post-Christian audience they need to:

1.  Prepare their people to welcome visitors

Church Lessons from the Camino (Part 2)


As we walked I think we stopped at most of the coffee shops along the way.  The coffee served in Galicia, Spain was the tastiest I've EVER had!  Most of these cafés were very inviting to "pilgrims," serving great coffee, "pinchos" (tapas) and tasty sandwiches.  But one experience was drastically different.

In the middle of nowhere during an exhaustingly steep 30 mile leg of our journey we found a rickety shack that advertised drinks and snacks.  Thank God we could finally get a cup of coffee!  But when we went inside there were a half dozen unwashed tables covered with dirty plates, coffee mugs and shot glasses.  The black mold on the ceiling and walls had creeped all the way down to the floor in some areas.  And there was no one inside.  After a minute or two a very old lady came out of the back room to wait on us.  She was sweet, but her place was DISGUSTING!  I was desperate for a caffeine boost, so we ordered a Café Cortado to go (which turned out to be powdered Nescafé).  Needless to say, it was a very disappointing experience.

Compare this to our experience a couple of days later.  We stopped for lunch at a café with some people we had met as we walked.  The café owner was dancing to the Caribbean music as she waited on tables.  As a matter of fact, she offered free homemade specialty drinks from her village to everyone at our table.  And instead of rubber stamping our "pilgrim passports," she hand-drew the stamps.

One café was welcoming.  The owner went out of her way to make it a fun, inviting experience.  The other café appeared as if they couldn't care less whether we showed up or not.  The owner of the dirty café was sweet, but the atmosphere wasn't inviting.  We instead wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Sending mixed messages (source: scoopnest.com)

How many times does a similar thing happen in our churches.  An unchurched person works up enough courage to actually visit a church service.  They search online to find a church with a nice looking website and decide to come.  But in the parking lot there are no signs pointing to the entrance.  When they do find it, there are friendly people shaking hands at the door, but after the visitor comes inside he or she is alone again.  There are no signs to the main service room, Kids Church or the restrooms.  People smile when they see them and maybe say hi, but don't really engage them in conversation.

The music, customs and language of the service are strange.  The pastor's message makes references to Bible characters and stories but gives no background (i.e. "It's just like David in the Cave of Adullam... he only cut off the corner of Saul's robe instead of killing him.").  To a visitor it seems as if everyone else in the service is familiar with the story the pastor is referencing, but he or she is clueless.  The message is probably doctrinally sound, but contains no practical application.  The visitor walks away deciding the church has nothing to offer them.  The church has unintentionally given the same message as the dirty café  We want your business; but we don't want to work hard enough to keep it.  The whole experience doesn't draw the unchurched to Jesus; it repels them.

Tweet: To a church visitor, it seems as if everyone else knows what's going on except them.

When we visit a new group, we want to feel welcomed.  We want to feel like we belong... that the people wants us there.  So do our visitors.  Visitors from previous generations came to church when they had a glaring problem.  In an Post-Christian culture people are often just curious.  Yes they may have a need, but they often don't even realize that their lives are messed up.  It's the welcome factor that makes our churches "sticky" (shuts the back door).

There are some simple things you can do to improve your church's welcome factor:

* Train your people (staff, volunteers, members and regular attenders) to welcome people by engaging them in conversation.  I'm not just talking about before the service, but after it as well.  Visitors observe how you treat them before the service to see if you have anything to say to them.  What they experience after the service tells them whether or not you really believe what you're saying.  Pastors: you have to model what you want to see in your church.

Tweet: Visitors size up your church before the service. After the service they determine if you are for real. @jonperrin http://bit.ly/1EDYGqa

* Use adequate signage throughout your facility (and not the kind that look like a handmade garage sale signs).

* Monitor the condition of your facility regularly.  Keep it clean and orderly.  This means the Kids Church and Nursery rooms are clean and orderly, the restrooms are clean, the musicians don't leave their cases laying around on stage and the mic cables on stage don't look like a plate of spaghetti.  It also means mowing the grass and painting the building when necessary.

Pastors, I believe we have a message worth sharing.  And in a secular climate people are interested in spiritual things.  But if we want to have the platform to share the life changing message of God's grace, we have to make some changes.

Join the conversation... your comments can help pastors and church leaders as well.  How does your church intentionally welcome visitors?

Church Lessons from the Camino (Part 2)

Are you building a monument or scrawling graffiti?

Crusader graffiti on the wall of the Dover Castle Saxon Church (Image credit: John Dahl)

Before moving back to the USA our family was able to do one final European road trip.  We took the ferry from Calais, France to Dover, England, and spent the night there.  The next day we toured the Dover Castle.  It was awesome!  On the walls of the castle church we saw some Crusader graffiti scrawled into the church wall.  These men wanted to leave some sort of mark on the world before heading out into battle.

It got me thinking about our mortality.  We are not guaranteed our next breath.  No one knows what is ahead.  Before we depart we want to leave some sort of legacy that will live on after we’re gone. We only have a few short years in which to impact our world, hopefully for the better.

Some men build grandiose monuments to show how important and impressive they were.  Others scrawl graffiti over those monuments, as a small way of leaving something behind.  This graffiti “shortcut” leaves people more disgusted than impressed.  In our digital world graffiti looks more like online criticism in blog posts and articles.  It has always been easier to deface what someone else has done than to build something that matters.

Men and women of honor build something significant.  Small minded men and women seek to tear it down.  But great men and women realize that the way to leave behind a true legacy is to invest your life into serving others and empowering them to succeed.  Let's invest in the next generation of leaders while we still have time.

Don't make your calling mine

Don't make your calling mine.  What I mean by that is, don't expect me to do what God told you to do, live like God told you to live or sacrifice what God told you to sacrifice.  God created us with unique passions and talents, and we’ve gone through unique experiences.  Why, then, should I expect you to have the same passion and calling from God that I do?  It's not fair for me to expect you to have the same relationship with God and calling from God (pastoral/missions/church planting) that I do.

God told us to sell everything and move to Germany. It's arrogant for me to expect you to do the same thing in order to please God – as if I'm sacrificing more than you are for the will of God.

A perfect example of this was Keith Green.  He was an amazing minister, and was greatly used by God to stir a nation that was falling asleep.  Robin and I can still quote the words to almost all of his songs.  I believe he was used by God as a “prophetic voice.”  But like many with this “prophetic voice,” he expected everyone else to have the same heart and calling that he had.  He expected everyone to go to the mission field.

I don’t think this was right.  It happened to be right for our family, but it’s not the right place for everyone.  1 Cor. 12:12-27 makes that very clear.  Each of us has a specific calling.  It may be similar to someone else’s, but it won’t be the same.  We need to remember this and encourage everyone to find and fill his or her place.

Not good enough

Photo credit: Bianca Cimini

I just had an epiphany… I was thinking of the fact that Jesus didn’t choose any of the "Who’s Who Among Israeli Religion Students “ or “National Religion Honor Society” students to be one of His disciples.  Not one of them was trained (Acts 4:13 says they were "laymen with no training in Scripture or formal education").  He chose those that were passed over, those that didn’t make the cut.  He chose fishermen, tax collectors and political activists (radicals).

But what I had never realized before was that Jesus Himself was passed over by the religious leaders.  Even though they recognized that at age of thirteen He was gifted, they obviously didn’t choose Him to be one of their lawyers (experts in the Law).  He didn’t fit their expectations, so they discounted Him.  As Isaiah said, "He was despised and rejected by men!" (Isa. 53:3)

All Jewish children had to learn the Pentateuch (the Mosaic Law) before their 13th birthday.  We know it today as a Bar Mitzvah.  Then the religion teachers would choose a student in whom they saw a gift and refer him (no girls allowed) to the religious leaders for further training, in preparation for a life of religious service.

If you’ve been ignored or passed over because you aren’t the brightest or the best, you’re in good company.  God can use anyone who is willing to submit their lives to Him!

Seeking Closure

Those that have been involved in abusive relationships (whether physical, emotional or spiritual) often  have a lot of emotional baggage.  And many that have "survived" try to find some sort of closure.  It's a normal part of the grieving process.  Unfortunately, that's not always possible. 

Here's my story...

Early on in ministry I worked for a manipulative, controlling person.  This person "dispensed and withdrew acceptance" (to quote from Robert S. McGee's excellent book, The Search for Significance) as a way of controlling people.  If a person did what he wanted, he/she was lavished with love and acceptance... sometimes, even with praise, especially early on in the relationship.  But if he/she didn't do as expected, desired, etc, this minister made sure everyone knew that he was displeased, and the person was excluded from the "inner circle."

This minister even made it a point to use sermon illustrations that those in the inner circle knew were obviously directed at the "offender", but everyone else listening to the message would have no clue about.  He would make fun of them, talk demeaningly about them or gossip about them to other inner circle people, but never to the offender him-/herself.  But he made sure the offender found out about what was said.  And everyone else was afraid to cross this minister, for fear of being the target of his aggression.

Unfortunately, at one point Robin and I became the offenders.  We were instantly ousted from the inner circle.  It got to the point that when Robin would go up to talk with this minister's wife in public, she would literally turn her back on Robin and continue the conversation.  Childish, no?

Honestly, this is really nothing more than a spiritual version of the playground bully, using fear and intimidation as a weapon.

Thankfully, we moved on and took another ministry position and experienced what a healthy church looks like.

Over the years that followed, I tried to get closure by sending notes and emails.  I thanked this person for giving me a start in ministry, for taking a chance on me, etc.  No reply... nada, nothing, zilch.  I even tried going through the one friend I still had on staff in that organization to confirm that this minister received my message.  Still nothing.

Eventually my friend invited me to be a guest speaker at one of his youth services.  I expected this minister to come over afterward and at least say the obligatory hello.  Didn't happen.  He sent one of his inner circle people to relay the message that he and his wife were tired and wouldn't be coming

All I wanted was for him to acknowledge that I was okay... that I had done well for myself.  I didn't need an apology... just an acknowledgement that I existed.  It never happened.

Finally I understood what Robin had been telling me all along: I was seeking something I was never going to get.  The problem is that when you're dealing with manipulative, controlling and abusive people, you'll never get this closure you're looking for.  This is a way they can continue to punish you for not remaining in the abusive relationship.  And as long as you keep trying to find peace with this person, it remains a codependent relationship.

Sometimes the abusive person is so selfish it's as if they're not capable of give you the closure you so desire.  I'm not excusing what's been done to you... just trying to provide some perspective.

Continuing to seek closure from an abuser will cause you needless stress, heartache and pain... sometimes even health problems.  You are continuing to lay yourself out as a doormat for them to wipe their feet on.  It's as if you're giving them the remote control to your happiness.  I never want to give someone else that much control over my well-being.

I recently spoke with a friend that is dealing with this very thing.  This is what I told her:

Please understand that we want the best for you. But in order for you to go on mentally, emotionally and spiritually, you're going to have to let this go. You're seeking something that you're not going to get. I learned this the hard way myself. 

You don't need this person's approval/connection/whatever to live a happy, healthy life. If you want closure, you'll need to create that yourself.

If it's bothering you this much, maybe you should create some type of ceremony and officially let this go.  Maybe you could write what you feel on a piece of paper and then burn it as a way of offering it up to God. Then anytime those feelings about this come back, say, "No, I won't let those feelings control me anymore. I gave this over to God already."

I hope this post helps you in some way process some baggage you may have accumulated over the years.  I'd be interested in your comments.

Daily Downloads

My mother's sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I have neglected. 

http://bible.us/Song1.6.NIV84

I find it interesting that here in the middle of a love song is an amazing leadership truth.  Those that minister to others can find themselves guilty of this verse... taking care of the needs of others while neglecting themselves and their needs.

We have to intentionally spend time with God for ourselves... downloading His heart and passion on a daily basis.  If not, we'll never finish God's mission for our lives.  There is an entire world out there counting on us to get it right!

The Purpose of Opposition

New mp3: The purpose of Opposition

Jon taught this message in Christliche Glaubensgemeinde in Trostberg, Germany in 2007.  It is translated into German.

http://perrinministries.org/upload/ThePurposeOfOpposition.mp3

The value of staying put

Over the past few weeks Robin and I have had a few conversations with people that are basically bailing out in the face of circumstances.  Some of them aren't even facing what we would consider major trials.  But each of these individuals is seriously considering quitting, or taking the easy way out.

Robin and I do understand that hard times come... sometimes it's more like hard seasons.  Been there... done that!

But at the same time, we can't afford to just quit because times are tough.  There are incredible benefits to seeing something through to the end.  Persistence pays off!

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
1 Peter 5:10

Notice what it says... AFTER you have suffered a little while you'll end up strong, firm and steadfast.  Another translation says you'll be, "established and settled."  I believe this is why we have so many people that are unsettled in the face of trials and troubles.  They've never stuck it through to the end.

Look at what Paul told Timothy...

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus...
1 Timothy 1:3

Paul wanted Timothy to stay there so he could straighten out problems that the Ephesians were dealing with.  But notice that the basic instruction is still the same: stay put!  Why?  Because it's so much easier to leave when things aren't going as we had thought/hoped/dreamed they would.  We seem to think a change of scenery will make the problem go away.  On the contrary, if we run from a problem, we'll see it again... different faces and situations, but the same old problem.

If we'll just stay the course and see it through to the end, we'll come out the other side stronger, established and settled. The Book of Hebrews tells us that it's by faith and PATIENCE that we inherit what God has promised us. This leads me to believe that if we're not patient, we won't see the full realization of God's dream for us and our lives.

God wants us to not just be good starters, but good finishers. Bill Hybels said recently, “How you finish is how you will always be remembered. Don’t end it with a whimper.” Let's be known as those that finish well!

Smash & Grab!

As you may already know, our church was broken into last Sunday night. The thief (or thieves) kicked in the office door and stole two guitars, two laptops, a bike, a camera and an iPod, and some other smaller items.

It has been quite frustrating trying to figure out how to do ministry without some of our basic equipment. We are working on getting replacements, loaners, new stuff, etc. And it's been an experience learning how law enforcement and insurance works in Germany.

We have decided this is a great time to obey God's Word. Jesus said,

“But I say to you who are listening, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who are cruel to you. - Luke 6:27-28

We have been praying that God bless and help those that did this. As we were doing so the other day, Robin felt as if God was using this situation to reach the people involved. It was as if there was no one praying for them. And although God didn't cause this to happen, He will use it to bring about good for everyone involved... especially since we're actively praying and inviting Him into the situation.

Actually, the first Scripture to come to my heart when I first learned of the break-in was written by the Apostle Paul...

I want you brothers and sisters to know that what has happened to me has helped to spread the Good News. - Philippians 1:12

We are excited to see the redemptive ending God will bring about as we continue to pray. God is good and is able to bring good out of bad things.

The Day The Manna Stopped

They had finally arrived! No more desert!!! The Israelites had finally entered the land God had promised to give them. Now they were "home."

And then someone interesting happened... This miraculous daily provision of manna stopped. It had been a part of their daily life for 40 yrs. And now it was over.

The exciting thing was that they were finally eating the food of their promised land. The hard part was that now they would have to work for whatever they ate.

I find this to be the case in my life as well. On my journey to something God promised me I see His provision...often it's even miraculous. But once I reach my "destination", it seems I need to start doing more for myself.

For instance, the first year we were on the mission field it seemed we didn't even need to pray about finances. After that, things got tough and we really needed to trust God to just survive financially. Of course He took care of us... it's just that our faith and trust in Him needed to grow in this area.

It's like parents putting their children down so they can learn to walk. It's not that they don't love their kids enough to hold them. The parents are actually doing their kids a favor in the long run. God does the same with us... it's a normal part of the growth process. Short-term struggles can produce long-term growth.