Women in Ministry?

Ok, I've jumped in with both feet! Oh well, since we've been reading the Bible chronologically as a church questions have arisen about God's opinion of women in the Old Testament. I'm dealing with it in a sermon, but don't have the time to address the myriad opinions regarding women in the church. I know this is a question that so many people ask, in fact, I probably send this article to someone once a month on average and have done so since writing it in 1999! Here it is for those who are interested:

Women in Ministry
“Do you believe that women should be in ministry?” This is a question that we have been asked many times in the past few years. The answer I give is an enthusiastic “Yes!” The Bible is clear on many issues pertaining to this question.

Men and women are equal in the sight of God
The first and most important truth for us to understand is that men and women have equal standing and importance in God’s sight. In Galatians 3:28, Paul under inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Just as God is no respecter of persons with regard to one’s race or social status, he shows no favoritism with regard to one’s sex. Think of how revolutionary this statement must have been to the often chauvinistic and exclusivist culture (both Jews and Greeks had a low view of women and slaves) of the first century who were the original readers of Paul’s letter! Spiritually speaking, we are completely equal before God. All he sees are highly valuable souls—not men or women—who have been washed by the atoning blood of Jesus and, therefore, are his adopted children.

What is ministry?
A lot of what follows in answering the question of women in ministry lies in how one defines ministry. We believe that ministry is the job of all God’s children. We are told that Christ “himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). Since the word “saint” is used over 40 times in the New Testament as a synonym for believers, it is clear that the reason God gave some the role of pastor, teacher, evangelist, et. al., is to equip the believers so that they could do ministry. This is why we (and many others in the Evangelical community) say often, “every member is a minister,” regardless of one’s sex. There are a lot of women doing ministry in the New Testament. Evidently, women can teach men individually, as Priscilla seemingly did with her husband Aquila (Acts 18:26). And women apparently prophesied in a respectful way (1 Corinthians 11:5-6, Luke 2:36 speaks of Anna the prophetess). Women can evidently address both male and female believers (1 Corinthians 14:3). They are encouraged to teach women (Titus 2:3-4), children (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14), and take part in all other ministries! So what is ministry? It is “anything done for the cause of Christ” (Providence 101 notes, page 11). By this we should conclude that ministry, in the purest sense of the word, is for all Christians.

Women preachers?!
For some people, however, the word “ministry” has taken on a different meaning. “You know what I mean.” They might say, “Should a woman preach?” Again, I hate to split hairs over semantics, but the word “preach” in the New Testament simply means “to proclaim truth” and again, this is the job of all Christians as we see throughout the New Testament. Women preachers? You bet. In fact, if a believing woman is not proclaiming the truth of the gospel to others around her, she is not living the way Christ commanded; and the same applies to men.

God loves strong women
A common stereotype is that the Bible teaches that women must be puny, weak-willed, passive people that get run over all the time. Contrary to popular belief, God’s Word shows that throughout the ages God has chosen several women for epic tasks. Some notable examples include Deborah (Judges 4), who performed the duties of Judge over the nation of Israel; the women who were among the main followers of Jesus (they were the last present at the cross and the first to witness his resurrection); and the woman of excellence described in Proverbs 31 as an exceptionally disciplined, industrious, creative, strong, and godly person who deserved much praise.

Embracing God-given roles
“Okay Chad, you’re killing me. What I am trying to ask is, can a woman be a pastor?” Most of the time this is the real issue on the minds of those who are asking. Once again, it is what God’s Word has to say about this (and every) issue that really matters, and we would be wise to agree. In the Bible, we read a lot about roles. Anyone who has been through pre-marital counseling here at Providence knows how we stress the importance of husbands and wives embracing one another as equals, while also embracing God’s specific roles for them as husbands and wives. A married couple that does not embrace both equality and each other’s given roles will struggle to find fulfillment. The wife, who has been made by God to be female, and to possess certain traits specific to her femaleness, brings these essential elements to the union as “the two become one flesh” in marriage. She is different than the man in many respects, and this is a good thing. It is rather humorous that some in our day are just figuring this out and at great expense (e.g. a multi-million dollar government study in the 1990s cited by CNN concluded that “men and women really are different”)! I am glad God made us different, and gave us different roles. A mother’s compassion usually balances a man’s sternness in parenting. A wife’s gentleness and grace usually balances a husband’s lack of the same. Examples abound.

As key as it is to understand the God-given biblical roles with a man and his bride, the same is true with the church—the Bride of Christ. Just as a man’s selfless headship in the home is ordained in the Bible, so it is in the church. This in no way means that women must resign themselves to a lesser spiritual place—not at all—only a different functional role. This role can have myriad facets, but it does not include serving as a pastor/elder. Titus 1:5-9 reads, “…An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe…. Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless…. Rather he must be hospitable…. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (emphasis added, see also 1 Timothy 3:1-7). There are simply no Scriptures that allude to women filling the office of pastor/elder/overseer, either prescriptively or descriptively. More than this, we are told in 1 Timothy 2:11-15 that men are the ones to occupy the office of teaching pastor because of the authority that is bequeathed to that position. To do otherwise, Paul illustrates, would violate the roles given to us from the time of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve.

What about the “s” word (submission)?
I sense the need at this point to deal generally with several other passages in the Bible that get a lot of bad press on the one hand; and can be abused when misapplied on the other. These are the passages that mention voluntary submission as a part of a woman’s role. This idea of submission is not some slap in the face, as some would have us believe. Even the Trinity is an illustration of equality of persons and differing roles. Jesus is fully equal to the Father in terms of his being, but he has voluntarily submitted to the Father’s leadership. This is not a contradiction, nor is it demeaning. In fact, as a result of Christ’s voluntary submission, “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…” (Philippians 2:9-11). There are many passages in the Bible that affirm the fact that only men are to serve as elders, that women are not to have ecclesiastical authority over men, and that men are to embrace the role of headship in the home (e.g. 1 Timothy 2:11-15; 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; Genesis 2:18; 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, 14:33b-36; Ephesians 5:22-24; 1 Peter 3:1-7). These and other passages make it clear that roles are important to God; not for the purpose of keeping a segment of people down—not at all. Rather, male and female roles play at least two very important parts in human institutions, from families to churches: 1) They give order; and 2) they paint a rich picture of some greater truths.

Order
Every human group (yes, even every grouping in the animal kingdom) will follow a certain practical semblance of order. Because our make-up and giftedness is so different, there are clear ways God has created males and females to operate with regard to one another. To reject this obvious natural truth would in itself bring about disorder. Countless studies and experts have observed devastating effects in our generation of rejecting God’s roles for men and women in the family, in society, and in the Body of Christ. Clearly, when we embrace the unique aspects of our given roles, the church functions in an orderly, efficient, and effective way.

Picturing some great truths
Paul says that the husband/wife relationship points to a great profundity: How Christ relates to his bride, the Church (see Ephesians 5:32). In some of the previously cited passages that deal with roles in the church, embracing given male or female roles as individuals illustrates this same loving, giving, trusting kind of relationship. Just being a part of a marriage where God-given roles are upheld gives a person great practical insight with regard to the way a Christian is to relate and respond to his or her God. If I resist God’s role for me in marriage, I will have trouble relating properly to God himself and his headship over me directly, as well as the authority of his Word regarding the way he intends for his church—the manifestation of the kingdom of God on earth—to be operated. This “profound mystery” is worth pondering.

Be liberated!
God knew exactly what he was doing when he created us either male or female. We each have a unique part to play in his kingdom. This is to be celebrated! Elisabeth Elliot once wrote, "true liberation...comes with humble submission to God's original design."* Real freedom comes when we realize God’s plan for us and find our ultimate fulfillment in pleasing him. Celebrate how God has made and gifted you! Thank him that there is a purpose that only you can fulfill (read Psalm 139 for more)!

Well, I hope this gave you some food for thought. As a dad of two girls, I teach them about the grandness of God's plan and the great purpose he had in making them females. I really believe that. As a dad of one son, I teach him about the great value of women and our great role of protector, provider, and sacrificial leader. God changes the world through people who are obedient and passionate for his glory. Regardless of their sex! His plan for us includes us embracing the unique opportunities we all possess. That's called "providence!"

*John Piper, What's the Difference? (Wheaton, IL: The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, 1989), p.3.

Is God Cruel and Sexist, or a Liberator?

If you're like me you sometimes scratch your head while reading parts of the Old Testament. In the last part of Numbers alone, we're confronted with Balaam, a pagan prophet-for-hire who apparently hears from God, seems to do what God said, and is saved by a talking donkey from God's angel who is poised to kill him with a sword! Then there are God's instructions for Israel to wipe out whole nations (like the Midianites in ch. 31). Curiously, when Israel's army only killed every adult male(!), Moses was angered that they didn't finish the job. So he ordered them to kill the non-virgin women and boys, allowing Israel to keep the "young girls" alive for themselves! Whoa! What's more? This is a harbinger of things to come as the Israelites cross the Jordan and conquer the Promised Land!

One interesting subject that keeps popping up is the way women are treated in the Old Testament. I've gotten a couple of emails about this. Why does it seem that God favors men over women? In Leviticus a woman was considered ceremonially "unclean" for 40 days after giving birth to a boy, but 80 days after a girl. What’s that all about? Now in Numbers women are not counted in the censuses and sometimes seem to be considered mere property! Those who seek to discredit the Bible and Christianity like to remind us of passages like these. Famed atheist Richard Dawkins often calls God "misogynistic," and feminists have accused him of sexism and patriarchy. Perhaps today--which is "International Women's Day"--I should address this criticism.

Actually, when understood in context, God is the equalizer and ultimate liberator of women--as seen most clearly in creation and in Christ. And when we’re reading that part of God’s dealing with Israel in the wilderness, OUR present-day context taints our reading. Don’t forget, women have had the right to vote for less than 100 years in the USA! We tend to see all things throughout history through the lens of our own culture. God was dealing with Israel according to their own social and cultural mores. Truth is, the Law was a vast improvement for the women of that day compared to what was the universal norm before. Women were truly considered slaves or perhaps sexual pets at times—in many non-Christian cultures, this is still the case today. It's sad but true. This chauvinism is the result of the fall and curse. Sin resulted in much evil and inequality. Sin unrestrained brings dog-eat-dog tyranny. Of course this is not what God intended.

Gen. 1:27 reads, "And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female he created them."

God created both in his image, and has a purpose for both. Then came the fall, then the curse, then humankind gave way to sin. That’s where injustice finds its origin. The Old Testament is, in many ways, an exposé of human failure and corruption. The Law (Exodus-Deuteronomy) is a vast improvement over what preceded it, and tempered sin’s effects.

Christ, of course, brought light and truth. He conquered sin. But first, he showed by example how women were to be treated. He, God Incarnate, came to us through a woman and placed women in prominent roles in his ministry; in fact, women were last at the cross and first at the tomb! We frequently recite a verse (Gal. 3:28) that we must remember as we read the Old Testament:

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

When Christ comes again, he will set all things right. I think that means absolute justice and the ultimate equality of all things! In fact, my hunch is that many will be surprised as Christ "exalts the humbled and humbles the exalted" (Matt. 23:12, Luke 14:11, 18:14) and find that many women will occupy the most exalted positions in heaven.

The whole issue of “women’s rights” is a hot political topic—including right now. It’s borderline insanity, I know, but I’m going to address this whole question on Sunday, including the issue of a woman’s role in society, family, and church. It’s going to be fun!!!

I’m reading a great book that Tony Walls (Providence Jefferson City Campus Pastor) turned me on to entitled, Is God a Moral Monster? Making Sense of the Old Testament God by Paul Copan. It is an extremely good read. I only wish I would have read a book like this 25 years ago! I highly recommend it.

Numbers...Who Knew?

Well, I’m a little surprised. Numbers, a part of my Bible that rarely sees the light of the sun, is proving to be very interesting! It starts out a little slow, but then it gets exciting fast. We learn a lot about Moses: the difficulties of leading a wandering nation in its infancy; his marriage to an Ethiopian woman and the murmuring and judgment that ensued; and perhaps most of all Moses’ character. God calls him the most humble man on earth. That’s good stuff. As a leader, I’m learning a lot from Moses.

What’s more? I’m seeing that the book of Numbers is pivotal in God’s Story. There’s the crucial moment when the spies go to explore the Promised Land. They come back impressed. The land is indeed “flowing with milk and honey.” But 10 of the 12 spies don’t believe they can conquer the bigger, more numerous Canaanites. Correction: they don’t believe God can. Remember? No less than six times in Exodus, God promised to “drive out” the people and give Israel the land. And what’s the result of their disbelief? Forty hard years of wandering for a generation whose dead bodies get buried in the wilderness. Imagine if they had simply believed. God would have given them that great land and they would have lived happily ever after eating food from crops they didn’t plant and living in houses and cities they didn’t have to build! What a shame.

After the fateful faithlessness, there’s a lot of rebellion and people dying. “When will they learn?” I ask myself. Then I remember my own rebellion and how I seem to never learn. I turn 45 next month. By comparison, if all the rebellious behavior in my life since I was five years old was compressed in a book as short as Numbers, I’d seem more deserving of death than most of them. But God has shown me grace and mercy that I don’t deserve.

Speaking of grace, perhaps my favorite story in Numbers is a clear picture of God’s grace for those who believe. The scene begins in a familiar way: everyone is complaining. So God lets them experience consequences—in this case, a venomous snake infestation. Snakes are everywhere, biting people and causing much suffering and death. The people cry out, and Moses prays for them. God’s answer is really weird. Make a bronze snake—an unclean animal that symbolizes original sin and the curse—and put it on a pole. Everyone who looks at it will live!

Wait, in John...didn’t we hear something like that? Jesus said:

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:14-18)

Hmmm. We rebels are bitten by original sin and the curse. As a result we suffer pain and die. But “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21) and lifted him up on the cross that we might believe and live.

There’s much more to Numbers than numbers. There’s sin, consequences, and some really cool ways that God shows his grace—ways that point forward to his ultimate act of grace: the cross. Who knew?


Above is the bronze serpent incident as it appears on the ceiling of Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo. I think it captures the feeling of panic that must have been a very real part of the scene. Click on it for a closer view.

Leviticus...and Medical Science?

We're reading the Bible through chronologically at Providence. We're at the first dreaded "dry" part that I knew was coming--Leviticus. In my mind I picture people dropping like flies from the reading plan. It's sooo difficult--regarding both tedium and comprehension. How can it possibly apply to us today?
One of our elders and medical doctor, Marc Bodenheimer was expressing his genuine amazement with Leviticus this week at elders meeting. We said, "You've GOT to write a blog post on this!" He did. Wondering about why stuff like human bodily discharges, unclean animals, not touching dead bodies, ceremonial washing, and isolating people with certain ailments are in the Bible? You've GOT to read on...

Maybe not so Modern Medicine

So…here we are, muddling through several days of Leviticus. Can anyone say priests, rules, and blood…lots and lots of blood in these seemingly inexhaustible sacrifices? What happened to all the great story lines in the first two books? And…are your kids asking questions you have no idea how to answer?

I’m sure Chad is going to clear most of this up on Sunday. In Leviticus, we begin to see God. He is pure, just, and Holy and that is what he desires of his people. Since we are not these things, we get Leviticus. However, there is one very fascinating aspect of Leviticus that can be easily overlooked. Did you miss it? Medical science.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Bible is that we see the truth, long before it is even understood. The Bible is a book compiled over thousands of years with around 40 authors, and yet it speaks in complete harmony and accuracy. Perhaps the most notable example of this accuracy happens in Leviticus as it regards medicine.

Moses is credited for writing the Pentateuch and we know that Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22). This would apply to the medical knowledge that was prevalent in that time as well. The primary Egyptian medical document prior to and during Moses life was the Papyrus Ebers. There are also several other Papyri that have similar content.

Wouldn’t you expect the Papyrus Ebers to look something like Leviticus when it speaks to medicine? Let’s see what it says about some basic medical care. The treatment for a splinter: worm guts and donkey dung. Sounds like a great recipe for contracting tetanus. Closer to home for me, it even has recommendations for hair loss: the combined fats of six animals, including a hippopotamus. If you are only turning gray you can apply the blood of a black calf mixed with rattlesnake fat – so long Clairol Natural Instincts and Just for Men. My personal favorite is the treatment of eye diseases. Glaucoma? Cow Urine. Cataracts? Cow Urine. Macular degeneration? You guessed it, cow urine.

This is just touching the surface of medical ideas that today are considered preposterous. While these ideas may seem crazy today, the Egyptians were no medical slouches. They were considered the most medically advanced culture of that time and provided the foundation for Greek medicine, but their ideas in no way mesh with modern medical knowledge. In contrast, Leviticus describes medical care that, although primitive, is sound even by today’s standards.

So given that it is drastically different from Egyptian knowledge, where does Leviticus come from? Within Leviticus we see medical concepts that aren’t realized until 3000 years later. Leviticus 15 describes personal hygiene, wound care, and precautions that are standard for medical personnel today. Chapters 13 and 14 give diagnostic criteria that are essential for determining the presence of a contagious infection. They further describe the need for isolation while confirming a diagnosis and quarantine once it is established. While the Egyptians might have shared some of these practices, it is clear from their literature that the ideas presented in Leviticus were drastically different and much more medically sound when viewed from a modern perspective.


Let’s fast-forward approximately 2800 years after Leviticus was written. Wouldn’t you expect medical science to have advanced dramatically? In the mid-1300’s the known world was ravaged by the bubonic plague, also known as the black death. Estimates are that one-third to one-half of the population of the world died from that disease.

During that time, it was widely believed by scientists and physicians that foul air, called miasmas, were responsible for the disease. People shunned the swamps and refused to go out during the fog. They burned huge fires to keep the foul air away, but they continued to die. Of course, today this seems silly because we know that rat fleas were the vector by which the bacteria causing the disease was transmitted.

Interestingly, the Jewish population experienced significantly lower infection rates than the general population. This difference was so extreme that in some instances the Jewish people were blamed for causing the disease. Of course, the Jews had no idea what caused the bubonic plague, but they did have practices described in Leviticus that significantly limited the spread of the disease. Ultimately the church, with the description of quarantine and waste disposal in Levitical law, was instrumental in helping control the black death.

It’s not until the 1800’s that we actually begin to see an understanding of true microbiology in modern science. Although germ theory was initially proposed in the 1700’s, it was widely contested until Louis Pasteur’s experiments supported it in the 1860’s. Just prior to this, Ignaz Semmelweis , a Hungarian physician, realized that women giving birth in the hospital were several times more likely to die from puerperal fever (“childbed fever”) than those giving birth at home to midwives. He established a relationship with doctor’s performing autopsies and subsequently delivering babies. His development of antiseptic hand washing techniques reduced the hospital mortality to less than 1/10 of its previous rate. Isn’t it interesting that Leviticus speaks to both the need for washing after exposure to dead bodies and the postpartum risk of infection to women?

The Bible was not written as a medical text. However, its accuracy when it touches these issues is astounding. Moses would not, nor could he, have written about medical ideas that were contrary to the established medical practices of that time, yet he did. The exception occurs because there is a God who designed microbiology, who understands it better than even the greatest contemporary scientists, and is a Holy Spirit who is the author of the Bible. In this way, Leviticus confirms the greatness of God and my conviction that the Bible is God’s inerrant revelation to all people.

I told you! Maybe Leviticus is much more relevant than we first thought! And perhaps the Bible is more reliable than we imagined!

An open letter to Susan G. Komen

Dear Susan G. Komen Foundation,

I am a pastor of a church in Knoxville, TN. My mother is a breast cancer survivor. I am profoundly grateful for your work. I have a wife, daughters, and a sister who I pray will never have breast cancer. Many people in our church have donated to and participated in SGK events. As a church, we have encouraged this participation. I was glad about the news that you would not fund Planned Parenthood, and was then very disappointed upon hearing about your retraction. By giving in to political pressure, I am afraid you have become political and have significantly hurt your altruistic cause.

As an organization, Planned Parenthood is a well-known abortion advocate, activist, and offender. Please know that for those of us who believe God creates human life, any organization promoting and performing abortions is treacherous. Most people who feel like me will not take the time to write you. They will simply make mental note and quietly choose to not participate or donate to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. There are other organizations that are also "fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures" for breast cancer who are not enabling others who do not share a commitment to all human life.

I am sorry that I will not be able to knowingly support any organization that funds those who disregard life. I am praying that you will retract your retraction. My support will follow that decision.

Sincerely,

Chad Sparks
Providence Church
1432 Lovell Rd.
Knoxville, TN 37932

Note: I did send this to Susan G. Komen via their website contact form. You can find it here.

Why God Allowed Sin & Suffering

Reading through Genesis and Job these past few weeks caused me to go down a personal rabbit trail and grapple with the whole reason for sin and suffering (as I'm sure others have). Be warned! The conclusions that I am drawing may not put to rest the question, “Why does God allow sin and suffering?” for you. In fact, it may even raise more questions. That’s ok. I’m not sure it is possible to truly resolve the issue on this side of heaven to everyone’s satisfaction, but read on if you’re brave enough (or curious enough) to join me in chasing this rabbit. While there are myriad Scriptures I could quote in support of the concepts I espouse, I have resisted the temptation to cite them for the sake of readability. Here goes:

God was, in the pre-existent fellowship of the Trinity, completely and perfectly satisfied, overflowing with pleasure and joy. God considered it a great good to share the joy and satisfaction he had in himself with others—with humankind—creatures he made for that very purpose. So in creation, after making everything in the universe to foster life—both lower and higher forms for the ultimate support of human life—God finally made human beings in his in his image, giving them the capacity to know him and experience the joy and satisfaction he has in himself.

He must have determined that for his overwhelming joy and satisfaction to be experienced by humanity, there must be sin and suffering. How do I come to this conclusion?

First, the existence of actual sin and evil was necessary for God to define himself to his creatures. He defined himself to them as holy (morally good), which requires that both moral good and evil must be defined. God spelled out both reward for good (vis. pleasure) and consequences for evil (vis. suffering), which are also tied to being like or unlike his character. Just as to understand light one needs to know what darkness is, evil and suffering stand in stark contrast to good and pleasure.

Second, sin was made possible when God granted humans a free will. Free will is necessary for true love to occur. C.S. Lewis wrote:

...free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having. A world of automata—of creatures that worked like machines—would hardly be worth creating. The happiness which God designs for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other…. And for that they must be free.

Without a morally significant free will, our “goodness” (or obedience to a good God) means nothing and is not praiseworthy, any more than it is praiseworthy for a machine to do what it was designed to do. Likewise, if it were impossible to not choose good (or to not choose at all), “badness” (or, disobedience to a good God) is without meaning and God would be unjust to punish it. Instead failure to do good would be a design flaw, which might point to an inept or corrupt designer (God). Therefore, Adam and Eve were created free in the truest sense. Since they were truly free moral agents, they were responsible for their actions. They sinned, and the consequences affected the world and all people who descended from them. All humans born since the fall are sinful, blind, and are “dead in our trespasses” (Eph. 2:5, Col. 2:13).

Unlike Adam, who was previously untainted by sin, our tendency is already toward sin. Therefore, we must be drawn by God and given the ability to see his light/goodness/beauty. Then we are “made alive” by his grace and in response to his love. This results in new birth and the ability to understand and desire good for God’s glory, and experience the joy that God gives (in shadows now while we still live in this world, and fully when our salvation is one day realized in heaven).

Third, sin made it possible for God to show himself more fully to his fallen creatures (humans) who were originally created with the capacity to know him. Without sin, we never would have known some most important aspects of God’s character: his grace, forgiveness, longsuffering, sacrificial love, and mercy. Indeed we would have never known Christ or had need of him. Therefore, the second person of the Trinity and/or his nature would have remained a mystery and we would have never needed his presence with us as Emmanuel and Savior.

Finally, sin and suffering must be viewed in perspective of the exceeding great joy God has in store for those who he has called in heaven. This is a joy that, by comparison, FAR outweighs the pain we experience on this side of eternity. The greatest suffering we experience here will be a faint memory for us in heaven—if, that is, we can remember it at all. Even in this world we experience this phenomenon in a much less-significant way, as in the case of women who endure the pain of pregnancy and childbirth (part of the curse after the fall) soon forget it at the sight of their new baby.

There are even more ways that God uses pain in our lives. As a perfect Father, he grows us and makes us more like Christ as we “share his sufferings.” He reveals himself to us as we seek him and rely on him. He corrects us, heals us, comforts us, and uses us to bless others. Am I saying that suffering is good, and by extension, that sin is good? No. Not in themselves. But as they drive us—flawed people in a fallen world—toward God who allowed them to occur, even they can be used for his glory and our good; both here and in heaven. In this way, “there is beauty in the fall of man.”

Does God Care Whether Tim Tebow Wins on Saturday? - The Atlantic

What an awesome article! Job makes us ask, "Would God really make bad things happen to good people?" Tebow (at least right now as I write a few hours before his playoff game with the Patriots) makes so many ask, "Does God really make good people win?" It all boils down to the same issue. How does our goodness (or badness) affect what God does? Or does it? This article is true. And in light of Job, it gives much to think about!

Does God Care Whether Tim Tebow Wins on Saturday? - The Atlantic

Readings from Job

Like many in our Providence family, I'm reading the Bible through chronologically. Right now we're in Job. I've enjoyed it more than I ever have--particularly the "middle" part. It seems I always think of Job in terms of the beginning and ending being the "good part" and the friends' advice and struggle of Job as being the long dry part in the middle. Not this time. Here are a few passages and thoughts from the last few days.

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Job 23:8-9
8“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,
and backward, but I do not perceive him;
9on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;
he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.

Where is God?
A common experience when we suffer is to ask, "God, where are you? I don't see you in this." Feeling abandoned by God while in pain is how God grows us. Like a parent watching when her child looks around and thinks he is all alone, God is watching. Even more, he is in control of all variables.

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Job 23:10-12 ESV
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
11 My foot has held fast to his steps;
I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.

God knows I've kept his ways.
Another normal way we handle suffering, we make our case to God. "I've been really trying to do things your way, Lord. You know how much progress I've made." Although I'm not able to say like Job that "I have kept his way and have not turned aside" completely, I have sought God's pity by citing my good deeds or intentions as if that makes it unfair that I should suffer. And isn't the point of Job that pain comes to both the just and unjust? That God has providential purposes in blessing and hardship?

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Job 23:13-14
13 But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back?
What he desires, that he does.
14 For he will complete what he appoints for me,
and many such things are in his mind.

God's unchangeable purpose.
What a great statement by Job of God's determination to accomplish his purposes. What he has decreed can not be changed. In his providence, all variables are working together for good.

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Job 23:15-17
15 Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
when I consider, I am in dread of him.
16 God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;
17 yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,
nor because thick darkness covers my face.

I'm afraid of what else God has for me.
Job comes full circle, in a sense. He starts wanting to see God and to present his case. Now, after thinking about it, he is afraid of what God might do if he actually did show up. Perhaps he is afraid of what secret sins exist in Job's heart that he doesn't know about. More probably he's afraid that God's will holds more suffering for Job.

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Job 24:1-4, 12-17, 21-22
1 “Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty,
and why do those who know him never see his days?
2 Some move landmarks;
they seize flocks and pasture them.
3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;
they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
4 They thrust the poor off the road;
the poor of the earth all hide themselves.
12 From out of the city the dying groan,
and the soul of the wounded cries for help;
yet God charges no one with wrong.
13 “There are those who rebel against the light,
who are not acquainted with its ways,
and do not stay in its paths.
14 The murderer rises before it is light,
that he may kill the poor and needy,
and in the night he is like a thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight,
saying, ‘No eye will see me’;
and he veils his face.
16 In the dark they dig through houses;
by day they shut themselves up;
they do not know the light.
17 For deep darkness is morning to all of them;
for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.
21 “They wrong the barren, childless woman,
and do no good to the widow.
22 Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;
they rise up when they despair of life.

It's not fair.
This whole chapter is Job pointing out the irony: Bad people oftentimes prosper—in this world.

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Job 25:1-6
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “Dominion and fear are with God;
he makes peace in his high heaven.
3 Is there any number to his armies?
Upon whom does his light not arise?
4 How then can man be in the right before God?
How can he who is born of woman be pure?
5 Behold, even the moon is not bright,
and the stars are not pure in his eyes;
6 how much less man, who is a maggot,
and the son of man, who is a worm!”

Bildad's right.
I agree. God is great. By comparison to his holiness (or, "light") no man is pure. We are maggots and worms by comparison.

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Job 26:2-4
2 “How you have helped him who has no power!
How you have saved the arm that has no strength!
3 How you have counseled him who has no wisdom,
and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
4 With whose help have you uttered words,
and whose breath has come out from you?

Sometimes speaking truth isn't what the hurting need.
After Bildad speaks sound truth to Job, he gets a well-deserved ear full. Job, in what seems to be a very sarcastic tone, makes a good point. Sometimes we offer truth to people hurting when it is not truth that they most need. Maybe these friends would have gone down in history differently if they would have just kept their self-righteous mouths shut. I can learn here. Being right is sometimes not as important as being there.

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Job 27:3-6
3 as long as my breath is in me,
and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not speak falsehood,
and my tongue will not utter deceit.
5 Far be it from me to say that you are right;
till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
6 I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;
my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.

Stubborn determination for integrity.
I love that Job persists in his determination to do right. He will not lie by conceding to his friends that there must be some buried sin in his life.
Sometimes being falsely accused can be as painful as loss or physical pain. Sometimes more. Job is undeterred in his insistence of innocence.

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Job 27:8-10
8 For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off,
when God takes away his life?
9 Will God hear his cry
when distress comes upon him?
10 Will he take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call upon God at all times?

The wicked ultimately lose.
Even though Job struggles in previous chapters with the fact that wicked people sometimes prosper, he recognizes an important truth. Ultimately they lose. And when bad things do happen (as they do with both good and evil people), the ungodly cannot "call upon God" or "take delight in the Almighty" as can those who trust in him. I don't think we appreciate this truth as we should. Even in the darkest days of the believer, we can "take delight in" and trust our God.

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Job 28:12-13, 20-21, 23-28
12 “But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 Man does not know its worth,
and it is not found in the land of the living.
20 “From where, then, does wisdom come?
And where is the place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living
and concealed from the birds of the air.
23 “God understands the way to it,
and he knows its place.
24 For he looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he gave to the wind its weight
and apportioned the waters by measure,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
27 then he saw it and declared it;
he established it, and searched it out.
28 And he said to man,
‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Man's wisdom...and God's
Even though humankind has figured out how to do so much, we don't understand all of God's ways. His wisdom is much higher. It is hidden from us.
Job seems to state these truths in realization of the fact that the God of all wisdom can be trusted even when we are clueless about what he is doing. What is wise for us is to fear him and turn from evil. Good focus, Job.

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Job 29:2-17
2 “Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
as in the days when God watched over me,
3 when his lamp shone upon my head,
and by his light I walked through darkness,
4 as I was in my prime,
when the friendship of God was upon my tent,
5 when the Almighty was yet with me,
when my children were all around me,
6 when my steps were washed with butter,
and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
7 When I went out to the gate of the city,
when I prepared my seat in the square,
8 the young men saw me and withdrew,
and the aged rose and stood;
9 the princes refrained from talking
and laid their hand on their mouth;
10 the voice of the nobles was hushed,
and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ear heard, it called me blessed,
and when the eye saw, it approved,
12 because I delivered the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to help him.
13 The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me,
and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
my justice was like a robe and a turban.
15 I was eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy,
and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know.
17 I broke the fangs of the unrighteous
and made him drop his prey from his teeth.

Reminiscing about the good 'ole days.
Job is still doing what all of us experience when we suffer. He daydreams about how good he had it before things went wrong. He longs to have it as it once was. God's blessings were his and so were the praises of men. He speaks of how he was able to help the poor and needy.
He's still making a case to God that allowing these things to happen was a bad idea. Not only is it not fair, it is hurting the advance of good in the world.

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Job 30:1-2, 9-11
1 “But now they laugh at me,
men who are younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to set with the dogs of my flock.
2 What could I gain from the strength of their hands,
men whose vigor is gone?
9 “And now I have become their song;
I am a byword to them.
10 They abhor me; they keep aloof from me;
they do not hesitate to spit at the sight of me.
11 Because God has loosed my cord and humbled me,
they have cast off restraint in my presence.

Job pities his loss of esteem.
When times are bad, we all tend to look around ourselves and imagine that everyone derides us. Everyone considers us losers.

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Job 30:20-21
20 I cry to you for help and you do not answer me;
I stand, and you only look at me.
21 You have turned cruel to me;
with the might of your hand you persecute me.

God is silent and cruel to me.
I have to think that every believer has felt this way. As soon as suffering comes we pray like we have never prayed. As it continues, we begin to think that God is not hearing--because nothing happens. Like Job, we wonder why an all-seeing God would let us hurt like this. Our sinful hearts (with Satan's assistance) whisper to us that God must be less than concerned with our plight. He must be cruel.
This is a significant change of tone from Job's laudatory proclamation at the beginning of his suffering: "The Lord gives and he takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord." Continued pain, like waves of a stormy sea, erode our nobility. Even the best of us can lose some battles in the war with despair.

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Job 31
1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes;
how then could I gaze at a virgin?
2 What would be my portion from God above
and my heritage from the Almighty on high?
3 Is not calamity for the unrighteous,
and disaster for the workers of iniquity?
4 Does not he see my ways
and number all my steps?
5 “If I have walked with falsehood
and my foot has hastened to deceit;
6 (Let me be weighed in a just balance,
and let God know my integrity!)
7 if my step has turned aside from the way
and my heart has gone after my eyes,
and if any spot has stuck to my hands,
8 then let me sow, and another eat,
and let what grows for me be rooted out.
9 “If my heart has been enticed toward a woman,
and I have lain in wait at my neighbor's door,
10 then let my wife grind for another,
and let others bow down on her.
11 For that would be a heinous crime;
that would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges;
12 for that would be a fire that consumes as far as Abaddon,
and it would burn to the root all my increase.
13 “If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant,
when they brought a complaint against me,
14 what then shall I do when God rises up?
When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make him?
And did not one fashion us in the womb?
16 “If I have withheld anything that the poor desired,
or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 or have eaten my morsel alone,
and the fatherless has not eaten of it
18 (for from my youth the fatherless grew up with me as with a father,
and from my mother's womb I guided the widow),
19 if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
or the needy without covering,
20 if his body has not blessed me,
and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
because I saw my help in the gate,
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
and let my arm be broken from its socket.
23 For I was in terror of calamity from God,
and I could not have faced his majesty.

God knows I've been good.
In this chapter Job makes a case for his character by citing ways that he has disciplined himself and lived with integrity where most other men have compromised. He has not looked at a young woman lustfully, lied, taken advantage of a subordinate, not helped the needy, loved riches, etc.
He says in effect, “If I have committed any of these common sins, then let something treacherous happen to me or my wife.” He becomes even bolder in daring God to accuse him.
Like David, Job seems to be growing angry with God over the unfairness of his great suffering. Again, he expresses what many have felt.

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Job 38:1
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind...

Whirlwind
Is this a literal whirlwind, or figurative? I know that God "speaks" to me in the midst of confusion and pain. When I am at wits end and all my pat answers and proof-texts have failed to bring comfort or understanding, that's when God impresses on my heart his truth.

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Job 38:3
Dress for action like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.

Suck it up.
Something in me really likes how God finally addresses Job. Like a coach to a slacking player, a sergeant to a private, or a dad to his whining son. “Get ready and be a man!” Without ever giving an answer to Job, God starts asking JOB questions. They are all questions Job can’t answer. All of them are to prove a point: some things are for God to know. He is under no obligation to explain why he does what he does or tell us how it will turn out. The point God makes is obvious. We can be confident in him. He knows what he’s doing when we don’t. Our only proper response is to trust him.

A great start to 2012!

This morning we kicked-off the long-awaited and much-anticipated Journey for 2012! There seems to be a lot of buzz and excitement. A lot more people were at church today than I expected. I just figured with holiday traveling, sorry weather, and the fact that it was New Year’s Day that attendance would be way down. I even noticed two lawyers in our congregation getting on their iPhones to sign up for the YouVersion reading plan. That’s got to count for something!

It was great to see Jesse Cragwall at church today. He got a holiday leave of absence from Afghanistan and will be in for a couple of weeks. I hope to have him share with the church on the 14th about Global Planting Initiative, the new missions organization he’s starting after his deployment is finished. He’s an incredible guy. And you can see the joy on his and Leslie’s faces that he’s able to be home.

Next week we’ll get to hear about Hope Resource Center from Lisa Hardin, one of our members, who is the Executive Director. I think it will be awesome—and perfect—for at least two reasons: the message is about the first 11 chapters of Genesis, which tells how humanity got its start. Gen. 1:27-28 (from today’s reading) says:

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply...”

Tragically ironic, isn’t it? We intrinsically bear God’s image. He gave us the gift of sex and told us to multiply in the context of marriage. But now we shamelessly disregard his purpose for sex and make legal the taking of human life by abortion. Hope Resource Center is a way Christians can show Christ’s love to women who find themselves in crisis pregnancies and many times save lives of children who could be aborted.

I already can’t wait for next Sunday! It’s going to be a great year.

Last Post of 2011

Whew. Another year is done. It seems it ended in a crazy rush! That's just how life is when you're at my stage. Two high schoolers and a middle schooler, a great church with lots going on, family nearby, not to mention a dissertation that I've been working on for many hours. That's where I've been spending my time. I have gone hunting only once this fall! There has been very little time for personal reflection. Not good, really.
There is much good for which to be thankful. A godly wife who I don't deserve, who is excellent in every way. Great kids who all seem to be moving toward Jesus (I pray). A church family that keeps growing spiritually and numerically. Indeed, a lot for which to thank God!
Tomorrow is the beginning of a New Year--on Sunday--when we as a church will begin the much anticipated "Journey." I pray with all my heart that God will move people toward him and toward each other this year. I pray that people will be transformed through his Word, prayer, belonging, serving, giving and going. 2012 is going to be great.

Christmas Tree Time!

Wow, Christmas is a busy season! It seems every night between now and Christmas there's something festive going on. We usually get a Christmas tree on Thanksgiving weekend, but this time we couldn't make it happen. So I did the thing that bad (or "cool," depending on your perspective) parents do: got one of our kids out of school and went on a smaller-than-usual version of the annual Sparks Christmas tree adventure! You gotta know, Clark Griswald has nothing on me--just ask Darla (poor thing)! We've had some doozies and have come home with some epic trees!!

For the past several years, we've been going to Green Cove, VA (just past Damascus) to get our tree for $25. I know, I know--I spend more than that in gas! But we get a big, beautiful 9-10 ft. tree that is super fresh (in fact, I cut it down myself)! And, as every true sportsman knows, it's the HUNT, not the kill that matters.

Besides, that place is one gorgeous part of God's creation! We love the Creeper Trail, Grayson Highlands, and the whole area.
So I talked Dara into skipping school Wednesday and we dashed away. Wouldn't you know it--we got there and SNOW! Oh man, we were so excited! We had Relient K's Christmas album playing...it was INCREDIBLE!



The tree farm we went to probably wasn't even supposed to be open for business.


I went to the little old house next to the barn there and knocked. A really nice old guy came out and told us to go pick and cut a tree and call him when we were ready to go. There were thousands of flawless trees! The only difficulty was being able to make a judgment with all the snow on them.

We didn't have to go far to find the perfect tree. Good thing, really. The snow on top of the mud made for some treacherous stuff. I had forgotten to bring a saw so I had to borrow one from the man in the house. After we dragged the tree back and knocked on the door to pay, he was kind enough to crank up the old machine and bundle the tree up for us. Pretty cool!

There are lots of Christmas tree farms around there. We went to the one right next to the Whitetop Market. It is a cool little place with lots of old-timey soft drinks (like Nehi Peach and Red Rock Ginger Ale, which Dara and I got, respectively) in glass bottles. They also have a real grill where they serve a big menu of sandwiches and other food. Our family loves going there to look at the stuff and eat.

What a way to start the Christmas season! Dara and I were "baptized" into winter on November 30th!
After getting the tree we drove home and had a decorating party! I love Christmas.

Memories from my first missionary journey

Sunday I told of my first international mission trip. It was to the country of Kenya in Africa.

At the time I was a 21-year-old pre-med major who had just surrendered to God’s calling on my life to serve him professionally in ministry. Problem: I didn’t know how or where! I was stressing myself out and driving my pastor and spiritual mentors crazy with questions! One of them, Alan Duncan, a missionary’s son, advised me to go and see for myself if God wanted me to be a missionary. So I saved and raised some money and went--by myself--to Africa. It was the most significant and life-altering summer of my life.

A few people wanted to know more about my trip so I thought I’d take a short walk down memory lane and dig up a few old pictures. I pulled out the journal I wrote while on my journey. It was the summer of 1988. My football coaches were less-than-enthusiastic about me going; they were afraid I’d get sick or at least not do the summer workouts like I should and report back to fall practice out of shape.


I had been in the air about 24 hours (not counting layovers) by the time I got to Nairobi. Marshall Duncan (Alan’s dad) had traveled monsoon-beaten mud roads to get there to pick me up. We stayed in Nairobi at a missionary conference center for a few days before going to the Duncan’s home in Kericho.

This part of Africa was not the arid, dry place I was expecting. It was green and wet. My first impression of the people was not really positive. We were in a big city. People were staring and some would boldly ask me for money! I learned quickly how to say, “No” forcefully in Swahili so that they would not think I was a naïve American tourist (read: “target”). We went west across the Great Rift Valley to Kericho, a small town in tea growing country.

For the following days, Mr. Duncan showed me the real Kenya. The people were for the most part wonderful, genuine, and hard-working. My primary job was to help build churches.

Some didn’t have buildings and met under a tree or in an empty lot. Others were barely planted, having only a new, young pastor.
I spoke a lot. Schools, church groups, people curious about the mzungu (white man) who was digging a foundation for a church building, I would speak to any group of people who would listen.

It was cool that some of the people heard about Jesus for the very first time from me (through a translator)!
I also helped out at the Duncans' place doing chores and tending their garden. They had Indian neighbors who invited us to dinner. Strange but good!
Mr. Duncan liked good food. And eating was always an experience!

Then Mr. Duncan took me to stay for two or three weeks with the Bass family who lived on the east coast. Missionary Dwight Bass really made a lasting impact on me. He was a tireless and positive man with an indomitable spirit. We went everywhere from small villages in thick cashew jungles, to the Muslim inner city of Mombasa.
One thing we did was to teach a few dozen young Christians how to share their faith in Christ with others. Amazingly, those people led over 1000 individuals to Christ by that fall! In meeting Christians in some of the villages I experienced some of the most incredible worship and loving hospitality of my life. People who were much more committed Christians than me would give me the place of honor in their homes and feed me the only chicken they had (which they killed just for me). It was humbling. On the long drives between villages I learned SO much from Dwight about missions. I also had several opportunities to speak and share my faith.

It wasn’t all work. Mrs. Bass took their kids and I to the beach to blow off some steam!
While at the beach my wallet was stolen (along with hundreds of dollars), which was another valuable lesson learned.

One of the most significant moments of my life happened one evening when Dwight and I were standing outside a school full of students singing beautifully in worship while the sun set and the stars were coming out. Dwight became emotional and said, “This...this is what I live for! It doesn’t get any better! In times like these God reminds me that I am doing exactly what he wants!” I shared the emotion and breathed in the moment contemplatively. It was at that instance that God “spoke” to my heart and confirmed my call. He clearly conveyed to me that he wanted me to be a pastor...at home in the U.S. “Thank you, Lord.” I prayed out loud with gratitude.

After my stay with the Basses, I went back to the Duncan’s home. Mr. Duncan (who wasn’t feeling well) took me to a village called Londiani and introduced me to an African pastor with whom I would be staying for the next several days. I will never forget that town.

We were threatened and cursed by a witchdoctor (who Mr. Duncan demonstrably put in his place just before he left town), I was the center of the biggest “mzungu parade” of my whole stay, I was arrested and taken to jail, I attended a church with topless women, and slept on the dirt floor of a cardboard hut! I ate goat, banana, and root stew, cooked by my host the pastor (who knew almost as much English as I knew Swahili)! Talk about culture shock! I can’t even begin to describe it!

The jail story always gets questions and demands some explanation. After the “mzungu parade” I was the talk of the town. Two policemen came that afternoon to question me. They looked through my bag (I had a tape player, camera, notebook, Bible, clothes, etc.) and acted really suspicious. What I didn’t know is that there had been a recent communist uprising in a neighboring town. The police believed I was a communist organizer! They arrested me and the pastor panicked! He just took off! Feeling abandoned and that things were out of control, they led me across town to the jail through the muddy streets in a torrential downpour. They put me in an 8’x8’ cell that had a hole in the corner (the toilet) and a broken metal chair. The head policeman (who knew a little English) interrogated me. “So, you no like our country?” and “What do you think of our president?” were the kinds of questions he asked. Realizing what was going on, I assured him that I loved Kenya very much, supported their political system, and was enjoying my visit!

While sitting in my cell, I made note of who was in the other cells. An old man who seemed to be drunk, and a young teen who looked like he had been beaten were also behind bars. There was also a young woman there who the policemen ordered around like a slave. I picked up by their actions and words that she must have been a prostitute who was working off her sentence (this was confirmed later when I got the rest of the story). She came and offered me chai (hot tea with milk). I gladly accepted. Using some of the few Swahili words I had learned, I tried my best to share the good news of Jesus with her. I kept saying, “God loves you,” “Jesus is God’s Son.” and “Jesus died for you.” She listened intently, then smiled and tears ran from her eyes down her face.

The police made her leave my presence and I prayed that she understood. While sitting there in the dark (there was one light on in another room) I went from being scared, thinking, “My family will never see me again or know what happened to me!” to thinking of Paul and Silas in Phillipi. I almost started singing around midnight! What dawned on me is that God was totally in control. I can trust him. Later that night a car pulled up to the jail. I heard some people come in the front office and begin speaking sharply to the head policeman. Through the door I could see the other two stand at attention with fearful looks on their faces. A light came on and into the hallway walked Marshall Duncan with a distinguished older African who turned out to be a tribal chief! The pastor, who I thought had abandoned me, had gotten a ride to Kericho and found Mr. Duncan, who had previously led the tribal chief to faith in Jesus! Those poor policemen were wishing they had never arrested me!

Of course there is much, much more that happened. Reading my journal brought back so many memories! I saw (and ate!) many wild animals, and even had some close calls. I slept on the banks of a crocodile-infested river and had hippos walk all around my tent during the night. Look carefully at the below picture and see the hippos at the top right, next to the river.
This picture was actually taken right behind my tent.
While traveling with Jim, a missionary’s son who was about my age, our convertible Land Cruiser broke down (a common occurrence) in the Masai Mara, many miles from the nearest sign of civilization. Our African driver got out to try to fix the problem. He suddenly bounded back in the vehicle shrieking, “Simba, simba, simba!” I knew that word. It means, “lion”! I grabbed my camera and started looking toward the horizon, hoping to get a good picture. The panicked driver pointed down toward the front, left tire (in Kenya, that’s the passenger side of the vehicle). There was a huge female lion concealed in the tall grass, about 15 feet from us!! I snapped a couple of pictures before I felt “that awkward moment when you realize you’re not in a zoo and could become lunch to a wild lion.” I looked around and realized we were in the middle of a pride of lions—six of them were within 35-40 feet of the vehicle! Long story short, we did a lot of sweating and praying. We hadn’t even seen another vehicle for hours. We finally noticed on the horizon a tiny cloud of dust. It grew. I (perhaps unwisely) took off my orange shirt, stood on the top of the Land Cruiser and frantically waved and screamed. Miraculously, they saw us. It was an African wildlife tour guide taking a vacationing American out on safari to photograph animals! They chased off the lions and the two drivers fixed our old Toyota.

Who was the vacationing American in the other vehicle, you ask?
(This is where you are going to think I’m lying...but God knows it is the truth.)
Jeopardy! game show host, Alex Trebec!
He was ticked-off, by the way, acting smug and annoyed at us since we had disturbed his private safari. After we recognized who he was and saw his attitude, I asked Jim, the missionary’s son, “How can we make sure he never forgets us?” We considered several things. Finally, while the drivers worked, I stood up in my seat and yelled (with an unbridled east Tennessee accent), “Hey! I know you! You’re Bob Barker! He’s Bob Barker! Go-lly, imagine that, we come all the way to Africa and see Bob Barker!” Trebec just shook his head in disgust. Jim and I laughed all the way to where we were staying. I’d love if someone would ask him if he remembers us! It makes me want to tryout to become a contestant on Jeopardy! just to ask him!

It seemed every missionary I was around was sick or had the runs or something. Amazingly, I never did. I didn't have the time or opportunity to work out while there, but I did a lot of physical labor, and tried to run at least once a week. Nevertheless, I wasn't in great shape when I got home. Spiritually, however, I returned in the best place so far in my life. My perspective had changed.
God taught me so much that summer! There are so many things that will never leave me. Here are a few:
• God is 100% trustworthy. 100%.
• God is doing amazing things around the world.
• There are good and bad ways to do missions.
I learned first-hand the great challenge of international missions. I saw HOW to DO missions & how NOT to do missions. In our desire to do good, American Christians have made a lot of mistakes, too. Finding indigenous people/leaders/pastors and planting churches are the keys to reaching the nations. I saw examples of great people of God who he used tremendously. I also saw shams and “missions” that did more harm than good.
• Christians are a family no matter their language, color, or nationality.
• Most American Christians are minor-leaguers by comparison to most Christians in the world. But there are some American missionaries who are fearless, humble, spiritual giants.
• Personal: God clearly spoke to my heart that he wanted me to be a pastor in the USA. I think I needed to get away from all the distractions and focus on him. Interestingly, I began dating Darla the fall after I returned. It was like God was preparing me for many things.
I came home CHANGED...in many good ways. That’s what happens when we get out of our comfort zone and go on a Journey!

Providence is going on a Journey

I know some of you who read this blog are not a part of Providence. This is a summary of what we presented to the church Sunday. It’s an overview of something we’re doing next year that we’re calling “The Journey 2012.” It’s going to be fun!

For 2012, folks at Providence are invited to take a journey to experience biblical Christianity. Particularly in five ways:

1. Journey through the Bible in a year. You can do this in the following ways:

• As an individual. Have you ever wanted to read the Bible through in the order in which it occurred? You will be able to do this online, on your smartphone or pad, or in your real Bible.

• As a church on Sundays. Every Sunday in 2012, the sermon will cover a theme, story, or selections from the passages we’ve all just read the previous week. Sometimes hard-to-understand parts will be discussed. Obviously, it would be impractical to read and discuss every verse, so we’ll get more of the 20,000-foot view!

• Our small groups will discuss the passages too! Here you will be able to express your thoughts and questions with others who are reading like you.

• Our students and children’s ministries will be following along, bringing out the main themes from the reading on their level. Your whole family is invited to walk through the Bible with our church family! It is an opportunity for you to really get to know the greatest book ever written together.

2. Pray deliberately.
You can’t read the Bible without noticing how people talk with God regularly, yet in our busy, high-tech culture, "the average Christian spends less than two minutes a day in prayer” (Nicole Haye, iNewswire, November 21, 2008). We want to help you know how to pray, what to pray, and help you stay motivated (whether you’re structured or unstructured)!
Hand-made leather “travel journals” are available for you to use devotionally.

3. Journey together in community.

• You are invited to covenant with a small group for a year.

• We invite all of you to serve in your church family for a year.

4. Give to kingdom causes.
Take the time to pray and think about how God wants you to participate this year regarding the following 3 giving categories:

• First fruits to the storehouse.

• Missions opportunities.

• Facility expansion.

Regarding missions, our elders have prayerfully considered exciting local and international missions that need our support. Locally we want to financially support Hope Resource Center, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Knox Area Rescue Ministries, and our local church planting efforts. Internationally, we are helping launch a new church planting organization: Global Planting Initiative, and are beginning the process of planting another church in Brazil!

5. Journey on mission for one week of your year. Instead of WorshipServe this year in which hundreds of you have taken part, we’re inviting everyone to be missional for more than just one Sunday. We’re inviting you to give a week. Because everyone is in a different situation, we’re offering opportunities locally, nationally, and internationally. The point is to make a difference and experience helping people in a different culture.

If you want to hear the whole message, click here.

For the next 3 weeks, we’re going to explain more detail and encourage everyone to pray about how they’d like to be a part. The Journey begins in January! I can’t wait!