A challenging missions quote

I’m working on putting together a sermon series and was directed to George Eldon Ladd’s The Gospel of the Kingdom for help. I read the book in a couple days – not very impressive, it’s pretty small – and this was a great challenge to put near the end of the slender volume.

“My concern is not with closed doors; my concern is with the doors that are open which we do not enter. If God’s people were really faithful and were doing everything possible to finish the task, God would see to it that the doors were opened. Our responsibility is the many doors standing open which we are not entering. We are a disobedient people. We argue about the definition of world-wide evangelization and we debate the details of eschatology, while we neglect the command of the World of God to evangelize the world.”

It’s a challenging word. Instead of worrying about all the doors that are closed, are you walking through the doors that God has opened to you where you are right now?

Kenya Review Day 4 (June 20)

We traveled back to Nairobi today and visited an organization called New Life Children’s Home. It was a well-run ministry taking care of the abandoned babies in Nairobi. Their ministry has been blessed to the degree that they have several satellite homes throughout Kenya. Whether they find the babies, or people bring them to the home, or if police bring them, they take 50 or so children in at a time. I think they had 47 during our visit. They’ll take them from birth to three years before they go to an orphanage.

This ministry is vital because orphanages often don’t take babies because they are so labor intensive. So this is a specialized ministry where the helpless are helped. Our task was to play with children and encourage the staff by sharing from the Scriptures. I shared from Luke 13 (it was my go-to devotional for the week). It is where Jesus sees a woman who had been suffering for years. Everyone else overlooked her or looked out for her to stay away from her. She was unclean. But Jesus, the text says, “saw her.” And then He brought her up so others could see her. And He healed her. They got upset that he healed on the Sabbath, but Jesus said this woman is more valuable than the ox they’d feed on the Sabbath so relax.

I encouraged these workers that they are taking care of those who are overlooked. The idea of abandoned babies pulls at our heartstrings, but few see them to the degree that we’ll actually give our lives to taking care of them. But Jesus sees them and these workers are being His hands as they care for these who are in such dire need.

It was a beautiful place where kids are played with and cared for, but it is run with great efficiency and discipline as well. I’ve never seen toddlers eat so much or so quickly. They get the kids cleaned up as well as put down for naps. It was a clean, efficient ministry meeting the basic needs of the most helpless among us.

I posted some of these pics on my facebook account and several people commented on how they were moved to tears. While I may be a bit hard-hearted, I left more encouraged. And I know that fifty kids are a drop in the bucket for the great needs in Nairobi, let alone Kenya, Africa, or the world. And yet, there’s a common theme I’m seeing in the last couple trips I’ve gone on in the last couple years.

God raises up people to meet the needs around them. Fifty kids may not solve the problem, but it is a group of people committed to doing what they can. They can’t solve the problem by themselves, but they’re part of the solution. They’re doing their part. I’m always inspired by people who are doing that and it is what is motivating me to build a ministry that ministers to and alongside those who are in need in our local community here in Cypress. I’ve seen great examples in Kenya (we’ll look at others throughout the trip) and in Ecuador and I’m sure they’re all around the world.

Church tomorrow!

Kenya Review Day 3 (June19)

This was Friday in Kenya and it was a lighter day. It is amazing how things slip one’s mind, but the schedule was clear apart from preparation and a cookout with some Moffat faculty. I don’t remember a day feeling so “open,” but I think that was pretty much all we did this day. This doesn’t mean it was a relaxing day. I don’t think we had one of those. Instead, we worked on the lessons we’d be teaching during the coming 10 days. Actually, we were probably just focused on the weekend ahead of us.

The evening cookout with the Harrells was nice. We were able to meet some of the professors at Moffat Bible College. One of the American missionaries had been a pastor for 20+ years before coming to Moffat to teach church history. He had done enough short term trips that he was familiar with how to see the sights in London in five hours. His tour came in handy on our return trip.

One of the great things about Moffat is the Kenya to expatriate ratio. They are careful to keep the staff 50% Kenyan, including the Academic Dean and the Principal of the college, I believe. This keeps it from being paternalistic. The Western missionaries are working under the leadership of Kenyans and it maintains a good balance. At the same time, the Western missionaries help give a different angle on ministry and training as well as help keep tuition costs down, which is important. Because Western missionaries are supported, the students don’t have to pay for their salaries with their tuition.

We met some great folks at the cookout and even discussed the possibility of spending a trimester there as a teacher during my next sabbatical, which is a ways away. But still something to look forward to.

Tomorrow (in Kenya) we get to work! That day will show up on the blog on Monday – a special church post tomorrow!

Kenya Review Day 2 (June 18)

This pic is our team from Cypress. I don't have one with us and the Harrells so this will have to suffice. This was taken later in the trip, but here's the team.

Regarding the date, no, I didn’t skip a day, the flight was really that long. Plus the time change. Perhaps a little background is necessary at this point. Our church (Cypress Church) supports Rich and Kathy Harrell. They serve as lecturers/instructors at Moffat Bible College in Kijabe, Kenya. They train young men and women for ministry. My desire in going on this trip was to bring others along for a short term experience in a new place. I also wrestle with whether God wants me to go to the mission field ever few years. When I imagine where I’d go, I think of doing what the Harrells do in Kenya. So I guess this was partially exploratory for me, too. In fact, that’s why my senior pastor wanted Suzanne to go (she wasn’t initially on the team). He wanted her part of the decision-making if I decided to stay in Kenya!

The Harrells were wanting to connect better with Cypress Church. A team is one way to do it. While we were there, they wanted us connecting with Moffat students, partnering with them, and, where possible, opening doors for them for new kinds of ministry.

So on to our day…

We had breakfast with Rich at Mayfield Guest House (run by Africa Inland Mission) and then ran some errands here and there. The most significant errand we ran was to Naivashu Maximum Security Prison. We met the warden in the men’s prison and the medium security women’s prison. Since we were planning on returning in a little over a week, it was good for them to meet us. Surprises aren’t good at a prison. We had good interactions and were pleased that God was using us to open up a ministry opportunity for Moffat Bible College students – both while we are there, but hopefully in an ongoing capacity.

Kenya Review Day 1 (June 16)

We packed and ran errands before hopping on the plane to London and then Nairobi. Honestly, this was quite a blur. Not much to report apart from lots of flying, some reading, and some sleeping. Some anticipation, but I don’t know that Kenya was “real” in my mind yet. Preparation was so rushed and there were so many things happening at church that I don’t think the weight of the journey had soaked in yet.

Kenya Review Day 0 (June 15)

“Day 0” because we didn’t leave for Kenya until the next day, but this was the day the adventure started for us. I guess our commissioning on Sunday would be the start, but this was the day we said goodbye to the kids. We had a nice day visiting the Wild Animal Park north of San Diego, a nice Father’s Day dinner, and then went home to Grandma and Grandpa’s house in El Cajon. Cael went down easy and then we laid with the girls in bed until they fell asleep.

It got a bit teary when Vivian and I locked eyes and she saw my eyes leaking. It’s scary to write a will and leave your kids for two weeks to go around the world. We both understand it is to tell people about Jesus, but it’s still sad when one of your girls starts crying because she knows you’re leaving as soon as she falls asleep.

I think she missed us in the morning, but they didn’t miss us much after that. They had a blast with all their family and friends taking care of them.

Kenya Review

It’s been a week since we’ve returned from Kenya – OK, a week tomorrow – so I suppose it is time to put some thoughts down. We’ll be sharing at a dessert on Friday evening, but sharing here might give a broader picture of what was happening on a day to day basis in Kenya.

My plan for the blog is to go through each day and hit some of the highlights of the day and maybe what God was teaching me or the team at that time. I hope you enjoy it and I know it will be profitable for me to review what God has done and what He is doing thanks to our time in Kenya.

Pray for us!

We leave for Kenya today. Please pray for our trip. I’ll try to update either here or on facebook. If you want to find me on facebook, my name is Justin McElderry, Hometown: Ravensdale, WA (always home, even if I live in Orange County, CA). Check in here or there for our Kenya updates.

Facing Mt. Kenya - Industries

I wonder if this chapter might reveal that Facing Mt. Kenya is a little dated – as our missionary friend told us it would be. I’m sure there has been industrial advancement beyond what Kenyatta walks through here. For the sake of a brief summary, the industries discussed were ironwork, hut-building, weaponry, pottery, basket-making, skin-tanning, and musical instruments. These are all created by the Giyuku, but this chapter seems to be a bit of a catch-all to discuss those products that are part of life but not worthy of an entire chapter. That seems to be the case for weaponry and musical instruments, in particular.

One of the most developed industries is ironworking. They have an abundance of tools. The smith is respected in the community and his work is done while paying mind to the ancestral spirits – trusting that they are looking over their work. In their mythology, iron was given as a gift from the gods as wooden knives had driven the wild animals of the jungle out of domestication because their deaths would be so painful. They were driven to being wild by the brutality of wooden knives.

Regarding hut-building, it is a group project where reciprocity is expected when each man builds his home. The work is broken up among gender lines and it is expected that the hut will go up and be moved in all in one day (though materials are collected beforehand). The urgency to move in is that an evil spirit might fill the vacant space if the family does not move in.

Insights
There are a few interesting insights that served as a common theme in this chapter.
· The ancestral spirits are important. I don’t know if it is fear or respect, but they are often taken into account. There was also reference to the Great Elder when dedicating a hut.
· In some areas there is a strong gender distinction. Women have nothing to do with weapons. Men cannot get near pottery. While there is cultural pressure in these areas, there still tends to be a distinction based on tradition in other areas. Women don’t play the flute. Men don’t help much with basket-making even though they could do much of it. Gender distinction/division is something we’ll need to keep in mind as we consider the work we’re doing there. We’ll need to be aware and sensitive to the cultural perspectives we’re entering.
· Finally, issues of ritual cleanness were mentioned a couple times. If a couple had sex while food was being prepared, the food would be considered defiled. The flute cannot be played to herds because it will awaken evil spirits and defile the herd. Also, if men touch pottery, it will break. If there is broken pottery, it is assumed that a man came in during the night and corrupted them. I’m not sure how cleanness in Giyuku culture relates to biblical ritual cleanness, but maybe the section on religion will give some clarity.

Compassion, Justice, and the Christian Life

Our youth group is heading to New Orleans for a week long missions project for the second year in a row. One of the books they suggested is Compassion, Justice, and the Christian Life by Robert Lupton. I’m also trying to start a small group to minister to the area of our city that is a little more financially challenged – people living in motels, etc… Hearing this is a good book, I was eager to read it and think about how we can best reach a community in need. I was not disappointed. The book is brief enough that it is a quick read for anyone – so I won’t give too much away, but I’ll hit some basic principles that I found compelling and that challenged my thinking on how to minister to the poor – as a church in general and in our community.

His basic goal was community development, not serving the poor. The goal is to get those who have been marginalized and beat down to being full functioning members of their community, caring for their community, taking pride in it, and seeing it transformed. This doesn’t come with free services in and of themselves. It comes by reminding people they have something to offer, something valuable to give. It gives them dignity and creates what they need to restore their communities.

I have often thought about a coffee shop (or something like it) in conjunction with a ministry in downtown LA we work with. It could get people who are doing well (lots of people struggling with addictions down there) out of a bad environment, give them job training, etc… Lupton rebukes that idea. Taking thriving people out of a hard environment only makes that environment worse. God has called the church to care for the poor as brothers and sisters, not to drop in and serve to feel good. That means we’re called to transform communities in a way that leads to the best possible change for God’s glory – and this will take much more than clergy. It takes all kinds of businessmen using their gifts and talents to see God’s glory transform communities.

I’ll probably get mushy on some of the details if I keep going, but it is small enough that it will be easy to scan again as need arises. I highly recommend it. In fact, I have a handful of friends who are good businessmen and/or have a heart for the poor that I’m going to buy one for. Lupton’s book may not be the most in-depth analysis, but I thought it was great for a novice in this area like myself. I’m sure there are others like me who could benefit from it.

Facing Mt. Kenya - Economic Life

I found the last chapter pretty fascinating. This one was more basic. It starts with the basic division of labor. Men have certain roles in the homestead economy; women have others. If a man does women’s work, Kenyatta says the women will wonder why they need him. They need him to do man’s work. Women are the food managers of the family, too. They seek to keep the food supply balanced so they use up those resources they have the most of. If they don’t, they’ll have to barter a little more at the market. Children are also involved in the farming process. They worked alongside the family so they could be part of what they’re doing, but they also learn how to farm by doing it with their family.

Agriculture is important. There are two seasons – rainy and reaping time. They come twice a year. While everyone was responsible for their own land, there is a community aspect to their work yet again. They would help each other weed by working together joyfully as they went from one field to another each day. Kenyatta makes a point from here that Europeans often think Giyuku lazy, but he contends that the Giyuku don’t look at the clock. Rather, they get up early and work hard together before the heat of the sun.

After the harvest, people will go to market for barter or money. Supply and demand of certain goods at harvest time depend on what you can get and what it will cost. The Giyuku, at the time of publication, placed higher value on goats than money. If they were saving money, they would bury it and it would ruin. On the other hand, goats even multiply themselves! Kenyatta seems to long for his countrymen to think ahead and make advancements with regard to currency.

Cattle are a luxury, but rarely used for food. Having cattle and drinking milk is a status symbol. Sometimes cattle will be slaughtered for a festival, but often just babies and the wealthy could enjoy the milk of cattle. The rich were expected to take care of warriors because the milk and meat would give them sustenance.

Finally, the Giyuku trade with other tribes. The Masai believe farming to be an offense to the land, but they eat Giyuku crops. At the time of publication, there were trading posts being developed, but you had to pay the government a handsome price to have a shop at the trading post.

Insights
* The sharp distinction of gender roles is something looked down upon by us, culturally, but, while details might be different, the difference in gender and their complementing of each other is a biblical truth.
* Family training is valuable. I don’t know the extent of child labor here, but there’s clearly a model for training up children to do the family’s work of agriculture. We are called, biblically, to train our children in the way they should go as well.
* Again, there’s the emphasis on helping each other and celebrating provision together. This isn’t addressing the spirituality stuff, but their shared work and celebration is a biblical response to God’s provision. The hope is that they give thanks to God in Christ.

Facing Mt. Kenya - Land Tenure System

Our Kenya team is leaving in mid-June. One of the things we're doing to prepare is reading chapters of Facing Mt. Kenya, a anthropology study by a Kenyan (Jomo Kenyatta). Our assignment is to read our chapters, offer some kind of summary, and contrast this view with the biblical worldview. This will help us in our interactions in Kenya, particularly our teaching. (Just a note: I found myself contrasting the Kenyan worldview, at times, with how we live in America. Even that is a lesson that we need to be humble and open to correction when we're formulating our biblical worldview as we can easily confuse "American" with "biblical." Anyway, here it is, Giyuku (major tribe) Land Tenure System (chapter 3)...

I imagine this will come out more in Greg’s system, but there seems to be an animistic element to African culture (over-generalized, I’m sure). The land itself is seen as sacred because it feeds the child for life and nurses the dead for eternity (22). This sacred nature of the earth is also evident when someone wanted to buy land from another. They would approach it as if a man was seeking another’s daughter in marriage. They would respectfully haggle over the “dowry.” There would be a ceremony to ratify the agreement in front of the elders, but it was approached “matrimonially” rather than some kind of legal contract event as it would be in our culture.
Despite this sacred nature of land and the European misunderstanding of Gikuyu culture, the Gikuyu did believe in private property, but it was more communal than we’re used to. We’re used to one owner of space. Here the family will own the area communally, but that does not mean it is “government property” (27). The land was first claimed by the men who would clear and cultivate it. He could say it was “my property.” When the family grew, the men could say it was “our land,” but only the patriarch could call it “my land.” Once the men outgrew the current land, the most prosperous men would be sent out to purchase other lands. What’s important here is that there never was any tribal land, let alone “government” land. When tribal chiefs were given as “trustees” of land, it was in appropriate because the chiefs had no more authority over the land than the Europeans. It was the clan’s land, or the family head’s, not the tribe’s.
There are lands that appear undeveloped and there was a community aspect to its usage, but not its ownership. If there was land that was good for grazing, the landowner had no right to kick grazing animals out. This lack of development led Europeans to think they needed to develop this real estate. To the Giyuku, however, there was no unused land. They just had different values and usage for the land than the Europeans. He then concludes with a prophecy and a parable that described European creep and eventual conquest.

Helpful Insights
* As Europeans (once removed), we need to humble ourselves and come in as learners. I imagine we’ll have some credibility because of our association with Rich and Kathy, but it will be important to exhibit appropriate humility and respect.
* The land is “living.” This isn’t biblical, but there’s respect for land that we don’t have.
* Family matters. Even above tribe, it seems. When we teach and communicate, the family relationships may be important to apply Scripture to. And to consider what costs people have paid to follow Jesus if their family doesn’t agree with it.
* Even beyond the family angle, there’s a community values and hospitality that is more pronounced than our culture. Makes me think we should stay in homes, if available.

Contrast with a biblical worldview
* The strong relational ties are good to an extent, but not if they keep someone from following Jesus. They know better than our individualized culture, I imagine, what it means to leave father and mother for Jesus.
* Their respect for creation is admirable, but not biblical. The land isn’t “living;” it’s God’s creation that we’re stewards of. We would do well to have their respect for their land, but it can’t be overly-sacred to remain biblical.
* The community aspect of how they function has much to teach us when it comes to biblical community. I think we might learn a bit of what it means to hold things in common rather than grasping onto “our stuff.”

Children of the World were fantastic!

We had World Help's International Children's Choir yesterday for the kickoff of our missions week. They were a hit. And the OC Register covered their visit. Follow the link for some great pictures and a brief description of the morning.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/children-choir-hahn-2223024-country-church

New Blog

One of my missionary friends in Germany has a blog of his sketches. Pretty cool stuff. Sketches of Kandern, Germany and other nearby cities:

http://www.kunst-by-rob.blogspot.com/

Silence, Part 2: Grounds for Apostasy?

Almost a month ago I finished the book Silence by Shusako Endo (I’ll keep the link on the margin for another week or so). Here’s the link to the first post (http://whirledviews.blogspot.com/2007/12/silence.html). It was a fascinating and powerful book about the challenges of Catholicism taking root in Japan. The title comes from the bewilderment of where God is in suffering – why is He silent? I’ll get to that one on the next post. But for now I want to touch on the persecution.

Persecution helped strengthen the church in Japan until a priest recanted his faith. In fact, the priests at home couldn’t believe that he had recanted and the story is about the sending of a pair of priests to investigate to see if Priest A had, in fact, given up the faith. It turns out, after some searching, Priest A had forsaken the faith. What made him give it up, apostasize?

The persecutors tortured the people while the priest had to listen. The priest goes so far as to say that because Jesus loves these people He would do the merciful thing and Himself recant to spare them suffering. The right thing to do is to turn your back on God so people won’t suffer.

That sounds so compassionate, so loving. But is it true? Certainly it would end their temporal suffering and any guilt you might have for their suffering. But it seems to fall into the trap of many contemporary movies. I think of Bruce Almighty and Bedazzled where redemption comes from altruism, from loving someone else more than yourself. It gets you out of your deal with the devil or is the real lesson God would have us learn. But is it? Don’t get me wrong; it is vitally important. I believe such humility and love for others is essential fruit of the gospel. But it isn’t the main goal.

There’s an unsettling verse in John that I preached on a while back and that I reviewed when dealing with humanity and sin in my ordination paper. “He” is the Holy Spirit that Jesus is promising to send to the disciples.

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me – John 16.8-9

I like to think of sin as bad things – and it is – but there’s more. It is missing the mark. It is missing who God has called us to be. Namely, a follower of Jesus. We honor Him and believe in Him first and foremost. As much as we might want to please people and ease their suffering, it cannot come at the expense of honoring Jesus the King.

This leads to the question, “Why is God silent in our suffering?” I’ll give the Silence answer to that one next, which may not answer the whole issue, but it is still powerful.

Silence.

I had hoped to get my year-end review of my favorite books done, but I’m currently on vacation and have started a powerful novel, Silence, by Shusaku Endo. I remember a guy recommending it in a missions class I took in seminary – that was at least seven years ago. I didn’t know what it was about, but it is definitely not an abstract book of mission theory.

Rather, it is a novel about persecution in Japan in the late 16th, early 17th century. The persecution has been intense and two Catholic priests (thus far in the novel) go to see what is happening. They live in fear while they witness the bravery of peasants in squalid conditions – to the point of martyrdom. But there is a character who is a blatant coward; he has repeatedly denied the faith.

What haunts the priest is the bewilderment, amid this suffering, that God is silent. He is silent while these poor, faithful Japanese Christians are persecuted. It unsettles. Arguments can be helpful, but as they ring hollow when someone is in the midst of suffering, waiting to hear from God. And hearing silence.

I hope there’s some good resolution. Either way, this is a gripping book thus far.

Enlightenment, "Candide," and Mission

Just finished Candide by Voltaire and it was a wee bit confusing for me -until I read some commentary on it. It was a pessimistic book, which confused me in light of Bosch's (Transforming Mission) summary of the Enlightenment being, among other things, high on optimism to confront issues and a general "faith in humankind." After reading some commentary, it makes sense that Voltaire is rejecting an optimistic view of the world, but embracing the concept that man should do what he can to "tend his garden" for a tolerable life. The key point is that it is up to man to make his own way.

Bosch shares the effects of the Enlightenment on Christianity and mission. I'll first deal with the faith in general, and then look at mission. 1) Reason is supremely important, making God obsolete. The effect of this was the focus on experience, privatize religion, make religion a science, form "Christian socieites," and then, ultimately, embrace secular society. 2) Strict separation between subject & object made its way to theology, not just science. This eliminated purpose, instead focusing on direct causality. Progress is also assumed (closely aligned with Western culture), including the idea that all problems were solvable. And finally, Bosch notes that each individual is "emancipated, autonomous."

Most interesting in this chapter was the implications for mission. The Puritan/Calvinistic motivation for mission was God's glory, but a shift came into play as the Enlightenment worldview began to hold sway. The motivation became more "anthropocentric," human-focused. Motivation shifted from God's glory to God's love for mankind to those perishing without the gospel to the social gospel (Bosch 284-286). This brief survey of gospel emphases was jarring to me. I think the church, despite all the talk about postmodernism, still has an Enlightenment foundation, at least the circles I've run in. I'm definitely more comfortable there, which is why I find myself reading a fair diet of emerging church stuff.

I hadn't thought of these emphases that Bosch brings out. I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing - so long as the key elements of the gospel are there - sin, rescue through Jesus, and following Him.

I'm no Enlightenment, or even philosophical, scholar. If you have any insights, let's hear them. What do you think?