Devotional from Psalm 119:65-72

In continuing our devotional walk through the longest chapter in the Bible, it was my turn again to write thoughts in response to the following stanza:

Teth

⁶⁵You have dealt well with your servant,

    O Lord, according to your word.

⁶⁶Teach me good judgment and knowledge,

    for I believe in your commandments.

⁶⁷Before I was afflicted I went astray,

    but now I keep your word.

⁶⁸You are good and do good;

    teach me your statutes.

⁶⁹The insolent smear me with lies,

    but with my whole heart I keep your precepts;

⁷⁰their heart is unfeeling like fat,

    but I delight in your law.

⁷¹It is good for me that I was afflicted,

    that I might learn your statutes.

⁷²The law of your mouth is better to me

    than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

The first verse that jumped out to me when I read today’s stanza of Psalm 119 (vv. 65-72), is the last one:

⁷²The law of your mouth is better to me

    than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

It reminds me of Psalm 19:10 that tells us that God’s words are to be desired more than much fine gold and are sweeter than honey. Here the psalmist doesn’t suggest that they should be desired, here he says that he actually considers God’s word to be better than thousands of gold and silver pieces. 

The Bible is better than money?

As I think about that, I wonder if I really feel that way. 

Although it is hard to know the worth of a single “gold piece” when Psalm 119 was written in today’s dollars, a solid-gold coin can be worth $500-2500. Just think what “thousands” of them would be worth! We’re talking at least $1 million!

Hmmm. Think of what you could do with that kind of money. Pay off your house, buy another house…or two, cars, vacations…or manage it well and you could be set for life! Early retirement! Or (if I want to think more spiritually) if God gave me that kind of wealth, I could bless so many people. I could help our church accomplish her mission. I could do so much!!

I can start day-dreaming about this pretty easily. Can you? Have you?

But the psalmist says that God’s word is better.

In the preceding verses of this stanza, he explains why: 

God deals well with me (v. 65).

He teaches me good judgment and knowledge (v. 66).

He keeps me from going astray (v. 67).

He shows me his goodness and does good to me (v. 68).

And even when people treat me wrongly, I understand the good in it and grow (v. 69-71).

All this happens when I believe, keep, delight in, and learn from God’s word.

I think I understand now. These are things that money really can’t buy. Things much more valuable. 

Finally, Someone Got It Right.

For all but a very few years of my life, my father has been the head football coach of some team, and for the last 35, for Carson-Newman University where he's been pretty successful. There have been quite literally thousands of articles written about him. While that may seem cool, it's sometimes just not. I want you to know, I've learned a lot about the media. Let me just name two things: 1. Many stories don't get it right,
even the basic facts. 2. Most reporters have an agenda and a preconceived narrative they want to press on the story. The two are usually related.

My dad when I played at CN,
circa 1988. 

It must be nice to be an average person who hasn't experienced being the subject of so much media attention. It must be nice to pick up a newspaper or magazine and read the stories without wondering what the reporter got wrong, or what the agenda is, or how the subjects of the story and their families feel about how they were made to look. But I can't. I'm forever scarred. I'm sure I share these thoughts with any child of any well-known coach, politician, celebrity, or successful person. I have NO desire to be the subject of media attention, and desire to spare my own family from it.
There have been so many times I have been angered when I read the way my dad was wrongly portrayed: the uneducated coach, the clichéd Christian, the hypocrite, the simpleton who can't do anything else in the world but coach, or (perhaps worst of all) the win-at-all-costs self-promoter.

A youthful Ken Sparks
circa 1973 on CN's staff
as Offensive Coordinator.

I want to be fair. Perhaps reporters write with these narratives in mind because they've known coaches which are one or more of the above. I've certainly known coaches that belong in each of those categories. Maybe they've become so jaded that they've lost their hope that good people with selfless motives actually exist. Perhaps they've never really met someone who has truly been impacted by Christ. Or maybe they're blinded by their own narcissism and assume everyone else is as they are.

My opinion of journalists in general is also shaped by the fact that I graduated with a Bachelor's in Communication, and classes in media and journalism were a part of my studies. Glenn Cragwall, my broadcasting professor set the bar high for what media professionals should be all about, yet so many fellow students who ended up in some form of journalism failed to practice these principles, and became activists or ideologues disguised as journalists. What's more, I am a sports fan! In my lifetime, I've watched as ESPN and other media power-players corrupt sports from what I perceived as the one of the last apolitical and relatively honest pastimes into a platform for egotistical hero worship, unlimited commercialism, and tool for politically-correct culture formation. The liberal bias and political activism of sports journalists and networks is just sad.

So I am admittedly calloused.

Occasionally I've been called and interviewed by reporters for my thoughts about my dad. I'm always guarded with my comments. I try not to give a reporter too much "peripheral fluff" from which he can cobble together some pithy sentence I didn't really say to support his narrative, but I stay focused and repetitive on what I know to be true and what is hardly ever conveyed in stories about my dad: He coaches for one reason: to bring glory to God and to bring people to Christ. This usually means my comments don't make it into the story. That's ok with me.

I am happy to say there's an exception to reporters/stories that have jaded my perspective.

My dad hardly ever tells me whenever he wins some award or when a big article or story comes out about him in the sports media. In fact, I can't remember a specific time when he has. It is usually someone at church or a friend or someone on Facebook who says, "That's a great article about your dad," or "Did you see that story about your dad on TV?" or "Congrats to your dad on winning the [Greatest Most Winningest Hall of Fame Coach on the Planet Bla Bla] award." This can be a weekly occurrence. It happened yesterday at church. A friend who played college football and a little professionally told me about yet another story. But this one, he said, is different. He sent me the link.

It is different.

I owe the writer, Reid Forgrave of Fox Sports, credit for getting it right. In fact, I feel I owe him an apology. Not just because I pressed on him my own narrative of sports journalists, but because I was probably a little curt with him over the phone, especially at first. You see, about a month ago, Reid called me to interview me about my father and his status of being the winningest living NCAA football coach. I reluctantly took the call. I asked about his agenda and what narrative he was pursuing, while doing what I usually do. He patiently told me he understood, and that he was different. I loosened up a little, but then after hanging up, couldn't help but thinking, "I wonder if he was for real, or if he was just saying that to get more out of me."

Reid, I'm sorry. Your article is accurate. And even more, it is well-written. There need to be more sports journalists like you. Thank you for giving me hope.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/story/ken-sparks-carson-newman-college-football-winningest-coach-325-wins-faith-082015 

A Devotion in Psalm 119

We're doing something pretty cool at Providence: we're going to focus on Psalm 119 while we're learning about the Bible. Why? Psalm 119 is all about God's written word. It also happens to be the longest chapter in the Bible (Coincidence? Don't think so). It's divided up into 22 stanzas of 8 verses. Interestingly, it is an acrostic. In the Hebrew, each verse of a given stanza begins with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So verses 1-8 begin with Aleph (the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet), verses 9-16 with the letter Beth (the second letter), and this pattern continues for all 176 verses. Scholars believe this longest of the Psalms was taught to Jewish children so that they could learn the alphabet--and about the centrality and importance of God's word.
As a church, we're also devotionally meditating on this Psalm each morning. Several leaders of the church are contributing. Today (day 4) it's my turn.

The stanza (Psalm 110:25-32):

Daleth

25 My soul clings to the dust;

    give me life according to your word!

26 When I told of my ways, you answered me;

    teach me your statutes!

27 Make me understand the way of your precepts,

    and I will meditate on your wondrous works.

28 My soul melts away for sorrow;

    strengthen me according to your word!

29 Put false ways far from me

    and graciously teach me your law!

30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;

    I set your rules before me.

31 I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;

    let me not be put to shame!

32 I will run in the way of your commandments

    when you enlarge my heart!

Devotional:

Today’s stanza in Psalm 119 has a different tone than what we’ve seen thus far. You can hear it from the very the beginning (v.25):

My soul clings to the dust;

    give me life according to your word!

If it sounds to you like someone who is desperate, you’re right. Verse 28 continues the theme:

My soul melts away for sorrow;

    strengthen me according to your word!

The writer is obviously experiencing some sort of hardship or period of deep sadness or grief. 

Have you been there? 

It worries me that in some Christian circles, going through a period of difficulty or sorrow can be looked down upon, as if a truly spiritual person should never experience trouble. If that’s the case, I’m not very spiritual. There are times when I can get discouraged. I totally know what the psalmist means by his soul clinging to the dust or melting away! That’s how it feels! Am I weak spiritually if I sometimes feel this way? Does that make me a failure?

No. 

That’s something I love about the Bible. There are so many examples of real people who have real struggles. There are lots of people struggling through different types of pain, frustration, and melancholy. Some of these are among the greatest saints in the hall of faith!

In fact, Jesus wasn’t always smiling. He had times of human sadness. He wept. In Isaiah 53:3 it says of him:

He was despised and rejected by men; 

a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; 

and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, 

and we esteemed him not.

It is not a sin to be sorrowful, neither is it a sign of spiritual immaturity. The telling thing is HOW we respond to these very human emotions. That’s the beautiful thing demonstrated for us in Psalm 119. The writer finds his comfort in God’s word, and pleads with God to deepen his knowledge of it.

²⁶…teach me your statutes!

²⁷…I will meditate on your wondrous works.

²⁸…strengthen me according to your word!

²⁹…graciously teach me your law!

³¹I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;

    let me not be put to shame!

³²I will run in the way of your commandments…

Wow. There’s my lesson. 

When I feel down, when my world isn’t making any sense, or when I’m falling apart—it should drive me toward God’s word.

Because that’s where God is.

[This is where I had to end the devotional that was sent out to the church due to length. But God was not done teaching me from this stanza in Psalm 119. There was more.]

The last verse is curious at first glance (v.32):

I will run in the way of your commandments

    when you enlarge my heart!

I was with a close friend last night discussing this Psalm. He's going through a very hard time in his life right now. Those words, "when you enlarge my heart" stood out to him, and we discussed it. Interesting thought, really. It seems to read that after God enlarges the psalmist's heart, that's when he will be obedient. But it's more than that. The Hebrew use of "heart" is a little different than the English (or Greek, for that matter) usage commonly referring to passion or love. It is more often a metaphor for one's core being, one's character. So instead of a "I love you with all my heart" kind-of-meaning, it has a "a man after God's own heart" connotation—an enlargement of character, an improvement in one's core being.

I think the psalmist is recognizing a very important truth. 

When trials come and we respond to them by running to God by finding answers and comfort in his word, our character is enlarged and our core being is improved. In other words, we grow significantly in spiritual maturity. This, in turn, causes us to "run" (as opposed to walking) "in the way" (the road, the trail, the path) of God's "commandments" (God's will for us). 

My youngest child is about to get her driver's license. As with all my kids, learning to drive was an adventure! When she turned 15 and got her learner's permit, we began in abandoned parking lots and worked our way up to busier and more challenging driving experiences. She started, as everyone does, going very slowly and swerving all over the place while both hands gripped the wheel with white knuckles, over-correcting her route by lunging back and forth. But when she grew in experience and through failure, her confidence grew. Staying on the correct path became second nature. She was able to do this through persistence and with the guidance of her father, who offered words of experience and advice (and sometimes screams of panic—but that doesn't fit my analogy!). This is life. Trials make us better as we walk through them with God and his word. It enables us to run with confidence—in obedience.

James says,

²Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ...¹²Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 

So the next time you have a bad day, don’t push away from God. Pray that you will draw close to find help and healing in his arms. You will find him where he speaks—in his word. And pray that he will grow your character as a result. 

Providence Church and The Bible

Our church began 22 years ago because Knoxville needed a church that was committed to the Bible AND committed to engaging the culture. That was it! That’s what Lance Robinson and I discussed in the early 90s while we were attending Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. In fact, our friendship began a few years earlier because we attended a college with religion professors who taught that the Bible had errors. This was shocking to us! Struggling against the indoctrination of these professors caused us to search out the truth regarding the Bible's claims. Was it really reliable? We both came to the conclusion that it was. Thankfully, seminary was a different kind of experience. We had professors who had a high regard for the Scriptures. Lance graduated before I did and had the courage to risk everything to start a church with that two-fold dream (I, on the other hand, briefly pastored two established churches before taking the risk). It's important to understand that Providence began before church planting was cool! Lance was able to gather together a small group committed to the idea and a support church, and through a providential series of events (pun intended), the church had to launch out on its own, really before it was ready. Three years in, when the church was a little larger (about 25 adults) I came (not the best career move) because of that original vision. I wanted to be a part of a church committed to the Bible AND engaging the culture to make disciples of people who are not yet Christians. I believed a church like that could change the world. I still do.

A young Lance & Chad
circa 1999. 

After a sluggish start, Providence shifted strategy to do both better. We all-but-abandoned the popular “topical” or “felt needs” style teaching to go verse-by-verse through whole books of the Bible. We also stopped advertising on Christian radio and made other changes (dropped denominational affiliation, changed music, dress, language, etc.) in order to form the culture of the church to truly reach those who had never been in church. This is harder than you might think! Churched people are generally better givers and aren't as messy! This, too, was a risk. There were times when we had to say "goodbye" to people who wanted us to cater to the churched. 

You may be asking, "Aren't there a lot of churches that do both of these things (high regard for the Bible AND engage the culture to reach unbelievers)?" Unfortunately, not as many as you might think. There is always a strong gravitational pull to move toward one or the other. There are many churches (at least, in Knoxville) that are strong on Scripture. Most struggle to have a culture-engaging culture. There are also those who are culturally engaging. But many of these tend to compromise regarding doctrine and strong Bible teaching. There are some besides us who do both, of course. But not enough! And there were even fewer then!

By insisting on both and making these adjustments early on (and because of God's grace), we grew, and through a providential set of circumstances (yes, pun), when we moved into our current building in 2002, we suddenly grew from 180 to 500 people. This was alarming! We were worried that we were becoming a "the place to be" kind of church where people came for perhaps the wrong reasons. So the elders spent about 6 months to determine our Core Values. As we prayed and discussed, the conviction that the Bible is our absolute authority was most obviously our primary value. All our doctrines come from the Bible, our mission, our discipleship process, our teaching strategy, and the rest of our values spring from this. There was an elder that disagreed, who ended up leaving Providence. This was difficult, but looking back it was a formative test of our commitment to God's Word. We presented these Core Values to the congregation, which unanimously approved them.

In 2010 the Elders carefully considered and revised our statement of belief on the Bible. The church voted unanimously on this: The Bible, comprised of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is God’s very Word to us. It was written by human authors under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth and authority for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is inerrant in the original writings and is the infallible truth in all matters it touches. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.

There’s a lot there. And it’s going to take us 7 weeks to unpack it and more!

Getting the Facts Right about the Bible

We just started a series entitled, "REVEALED: The Book of God." Everything we believe about God, life (our origins, how we live, and where we are going), how to do church, and everything else comes from the Bible. How do we know it is from God? Who actually wrote it? Who decided what books made the cut? How do we know more (or less) shouldn't be included? Which translation is best? And how do I know how the way I understand it is the right interpretation? We will delve into all these questions and more!

So in the series where we’re talking about a book that claims to be true, it is especially important that what I say about it is true. 

In the message yesterday, I said (among many other facts about the Bible's uniqueness among all other human written documents), “The first book every printed on the printing press was the Bible. Gutenberg, who invented the printing press, first printed the Latin Vulgate—the Latin translation of the Bible.” I’ve heard this little factoid all my adult life, and I confirmed this information from several sources, including Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell (Thomas Nelson, 1992, vol. 1, p.18).

It was brought to my attention this morning that this is not correct! According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the “Gutenberg Bible [is] the first complete book extant in the West and the earliest printed from movable type“ (Article: Gutenberg Bible). Apparently, an earlier form of the printing press was invented in China. 

Again from the Encyclopedia Britannica, “Although movable type, as well as paper, first appeared in China, it was in Europe that printing first became mechanized. The earliest mention of a printing press is in a lawsuit in Strasbourg in 1439 revealing construction of a press for Johannes Gutenberg and his associates.” (Article: Printing Press).

So, as a correction, let me say: 

“The Bible was the first major book printed on a mechanized, movable type press.” 

Thanks to those who brought this to my attention! 

What's much more important is that since the Bible was printed, it has remained the most printed, widely circulated, and translated book in human history. Even more: no book has had a greater influence on the world. And I pray that this influence will increase. 

That's why we're taking a few weeks and instead of STUDYING the Bible, we're going to study ABOUT the Bible. 

Bad dad? Or brilliant? Probably neither.

What have I done? After 3 years of my daughter's nagging, praying, searching, begging, and saving money, I've let her to buy her first vehicle: a 1982 Jeep J10 Loredo pickup. She could not be happier.

As it sat when we bought it.
See the missing fender flare?

Ever since I came home with my Wagoneer a few years ago, she's been in love. She wanted mine, and when I told her that she wasn't getting it (and after her mother said, "no more Wagoneers" in this family) she was determined to buy an old truck. Since she turned 15, I have been inundated with her near daily texts with links to trucks and we have seen many of them. Then she sent me a link to this Jeep J10. She particularly likes J10s because they are basically a Wagoneer truck! Long story short: the guy wanted $5000k for it, we talked him WAY down, she handed him the money and we now have it.

 She could not be happier about this old truck. You would think it is a brand new car. But it is far from new. Mom says it's a piece of junk. There's a long list of things needing attention: like the fuel level gauge or the speedometer that don't work. The hood is covered with pink polka dots of bondo where the previous owner began to repair dents from some hail damage. The metal fender flare was ripped off when the previous owner had a tire blowout (it's in two prices in the bed). The mirrors are mismatched. But all the really important things work: it goes and stops and all the lights work. Amazingly, it doesn't leak!

I've got buyer's remorse and I'm not even the buyer—she is. I feel like a totally foolish parent. Maybe this will be a lesson. Only thing is I'm stuck with picking her up and figuring out how to get the thing home when it breaks down at the most inopportune times. But it will serve as a lesson in life for her. How to fix cars, how to make something better over time, how to settle for what you can afford...or at least, that's what I'm telling myself.

Ok. Sure I like it. It's cool. It's black and loud and tough and just cool. It is actually quite original except for the engine: its straight six has been replaced with an AMC 304. Ok, I don't care who you are, that's just cool. The important things work, but there are many problems. Broken speedometer, gas gauge, air conditioning, and some needed body work. But the old thing has very little rust.
She's got big plans for the big thing. She's already given it a name: Truck Norris.
Happy Father's Day. 

Back Home!

Ahhhhh.
There's nothing like almost three weeks in Asia to reveal the many virtues of home. And there are many virtues! [If you haven't read about our trip to the Himalayas (and you would like to), read the previous 18 posts, starting with this one from August 22nd.]

Oh how I love that our airport has wooden rocking chairs! It
just says, "Welcome home."

The trip back was long. Busy airports, many lines and searches (we traveled on 9/11!), and crowded planes. All was relatively smooth until, yes again, Chicago. Sorry folks, they've got problems. My daughter got stuck there in June and had to spend the night in the terminal, our luggage got lost there on the trip to Asia, and the people who work there are particularly cantankerous. Chicago, surely you can do better than that. This time we had a bit of a layover there after flying in from Abu Dhabi. After being told our gate, we saw it was changed shortly after we arrived, and after going to that gate, it changed again. We were sitting where we could watch the Thursday night NFL game on TV, right across from our gate. Madison laid down to sleep, while Jesse and I stayed up. Three times, Jesse went over to check to make sure the gate didn't change and the flight was on time. We saw no personnel, so we figured it was delayed. We were even watching pilots we tagged as ours dawdling and taking their time. There was no announcement over the intercom, except for a few individuals who were called to check in at the desk. Our boarding time came and went. Jesse went over again to ask what was going on and then we got the news: We missed the boarding. The plane was still sitting there and they wouldn't let us get on. What!? After all this time (over 40 hours) of travel and we miss the last leg!? The American Airlines (yes, I'm naming names), particularly the "supervisor" with whom we tried to reason (who's last name, printed on his name tag, was, appropriately, "Butt") would not budge. And the plane was unmoved, right outside. We watched helplessly as it was towed out and rolled away. I'll spare you the rest of the story. Madison called his new bride (from whom he has been separated for almost as many days as he has been with since the wedding) to break the news (not good). Jesse was too upset to rest and spent the night trying to get us a quicker way home (he did). I laid down on the floor and went to sleep. It is what I do best. I awoke the next morning to find that we were booked for a USAir flight to Charlotte and then to home (thanks, Jesse). That part went by quickly with a friendly USAir staff that got us home a little earlier than scheduled. Finally, about 51 hours after we started the journey home from Nepal, we had arrived. There are few sights I have learned to appreciate more than looking down on the Smokies, and the wonderful little Knoxville McGhee-Tyson Airport. Ahhh.
A petty, emotional list of things I really don't want to think about for a while might include: American Airlines, Chicago, rice, curry, lentils, and body odor. A petty, emotional list of things for which I am thankful would include: beef (yes, I ate a Five Guys burger after coming home), clean water out of the faucet, clean restrooms, MY [clean] BED, ice cream (yes I went to Marble Slab after coming home), southern hospitality, traffic rules that are actually obeyed, and air conditioning.
On a not-so-petty (but still emotional) list of things for which I am profoundly thankful, I would start with my family. In particular, my beautiful and wonderful wife. I missed her sooooo much. When I got back, we just talked. It was so good. It was like a very thirsty man downing a long drink of water.
I also look forward to sharing with my church family. It is going to happen this Sunday. I pray this will be more than just a trip report. We learned a lot, and have much to share.

One More Day

Well, we have one more day before boarding the plane to come home. I miss my family, and I miss my church family, too.
As I am thinking about what all we've learned on this trip, I realize it is a lot. But there are three things I'd like to mention to all of you (between 350 and 700 people reading each day!):

A room full of women making bracelets...and disciples.

1. The church is the hope of the world. Why do we focus on planting churches? Because the absolute best way to help the poor, care for orphans and widows, feed the hungry, liberate the downtrodden, and change the harmful cultures of humanity is when Christ changes people--who then want to see their neighbors changed. The church is what makes a real, lasting difference. As I've seen all over the world, I see it here. Today we went to visit a micro-business started by a missionary, and run by a church. It is a bracelet-making business, called "Blessed Hope." Here needy women are given much needed jobs where they can bring their kids and make a living in a safe environment.

Want to buy some of these bracelets?
We'll provide information when we return.

More than this, the Christians teach the employees about Christ and disciple them. For example, women in this culture frequently hide the fact that they are pregnant. They are shunned--even when they are married! They are expected to keep their mouths shut and keep working the same grueling schedule to provide (many times in the place of a lazy husband). But the Christians tell the ladies that a baby is a gift from God! They help them see how God see's life--precious in his sight. They help them with how to take care of themselves when pregnant and how to care for their new babies. While we were there, one lady brought her fat little girl in to show us how she blew kisses and could shake hands. So beautiful. The same church also has a school for refugee children, some of whom are housed by the members. Here's the bottom line: put a healthy church in a community and you improve every aspect of that community.

2. The family of God is amazing in every culture. This was a big truth that God revealed to me on my first mission trip, and this one is no different. There are Christians I have met here who speak different languages and have a completely different culture...but they are family. Whether in India, Nepal, Tibet, or our target country, the believers have been so wonderful to us--people they have never met and, other than God's grace and the indwelling Holy Spirit, people with whom they have very little in common. We are filled with love.

This is Uncle, Sonam, and Batash. An incredible family. I
previously mentioned Uncle, who was attacked by a bear
as a teen. All of these dear people are testimonies of God's grace.

Tonight was a perfect example. Madison's Sherpa friend, Batash, his wife Sonam, and his uncle (they just call him "Uncle") invited us over to their two-room home to eat. It was a traditional meal of eggs, dalbot (lentil beans fixed like soup, and rice) with traditional vegetables. It was soo good. But even better was the fellowship we shared. Sonam is pregnant and very excited about having their first child. She just finished getting a degree. They are so pleasant and kind and considerate. Genuine Christian love is something you just can't describe. You must experience it.

3. God is on the move to save sinners and use them for his glory. Like Uncle. When Madison came here two years ago, Uncle was a hardened Buddhist. While Madison was living here, Uncle received Christ. Madison said that when it happened, Batash who had prayed many years for him, was beside himself with joy. However, Madison said that Uncle would hardly even look at him then. He was ashamed of the sinful life he had lived. He spoke very few words, and claimed that he had actually been possessed by a demon! What a radical change is evident in Uncle's life. We had sat in front of him at Lohmi church on Saturday. I noticed that he was there early and was still there when we left. He sang loudly and prayed fervently and just showed the joy of the Lord the whole time. A couple of other older men sat with him and also showed great joy. One of them afterward showed a group of young men how well he could walk. You see, after having a stroke, people in the church prayed for him and he was able to recover. He gives God all the glory. Back to Uncle: when we were at their home tonight, he began to tell us (in Nepali) that he was praying for our mission in [the target country]. He told of when he had once spent much time there, and told us of what cities were good to live in. He said, "I am very glad you are taking the Gospel to [the target country]. Most are Buddhists living in darkness. They need churches there. You go tell them about Jesus." He told Madison that he was going to pray for him and for our mission. This was no mere courteous gesture. Sonam said that Uncle is a man of great faith and is a prayer warrior. He will pray...and God will listen. When we were walking back across town after leaving their home, Madison said that Uncle had grown phenomenally. He said Uncle said more this night than he had ever heard him say in total before. And it was all good.
God redeems sinners. God grows and uses people who we would never expect him to use. Uncle's testimony makes me well up with tears. There are people all over the world like Uncle. Blind followers of a demonic religion, needing the Gospel and a church family.
They live around us too.

So we plant churches because this is God's method for changing people and cultures and bringing him glory. But we must BE the church in Knoxville. This is what I almost always come home with.

Important Conversations

This post will be short for several reasons: I don't have any exciting pictures, I can't really mention specific names due to the sensitivity of those with whom we've been meeting, and I'm about to go to bed.

This is one of the maps of the people groups of the Himalayan
region. So much work has gone into mapping the groups and
languages and by so many different organizations, it is
stunning. I hope to share some of these with you.

We've had several very good conversations with some key people today. Two in particular. The first is an area leader over the Buddhist Himalayan region people groups for one of the largest evangelical mission organizations in the world. The second is a strategic missions leader over our target country. Both of these individuals were extremely knowledgable and helpful. Both seem to be affirming of the strategy we are forming based on information we have gathered during this trip. And both have expressed a desire to partner with us as we proceed. We could not be more delighted and thankful for these people and their organizations. I have rarely met more serious, qualified, humble, and determined people who have given up so much to make Christ known in this spiritually starving part of the world. I really wish I could tell their names and organizations, but it would jeopardize what they are doing here. Some have to keep a low profile so that they can do their work, others must operate with a high degree of secrecy when they are working with/in peoples of closed countries. Some of them could even face physical harm if their identities were known. Please understand that this is a very serious issue.

Here are just a few of the facts we learned today:

• There are 25 unreached people groups in the nation we are targeting. That's amazing. Just think--God may choose to use us, Providence, to reach some of these. That would be profoundly great and eternally significant.
• The only people group that is even partly "reached" in the target country is a minority group that is being sent out of the country. Many of these people are refugees. Some of them are being sent to make a new life in Tennessee (yes, you read that right).
• Outside of this partly reached minority group, there are only 75 total individuals who are Christians in all of the target nation. Some of these few Christians have begged for Christians outside the country to come and disciple them and teach them the Bible.
• The first translation of the New Testament in the official language of the target country has just been completed. The completed Old Testament will be coming in a few years. The first printing of these New Testaments have just started making their way into the target country.
• There are at least a dozen languages in the target country that have no Bible translated in their language at all. 

These are stunning facts. We (our whole church) must consider the opportunity to be a part of changing them for the sake of God's glory. I beckon you to pray about how God may want to use you. Yes, you. 

This is what a happy man looks like. Just behold the size
of that steak! And man, it was good.

Ok, here's a picture. After all the meeting, talking, listening, and learning today (no kidding, I seriously had a headache!), we went to eat at a steakhouse. Madison's been telling us about this place all week, and we had skipped lunch in anticipation of it. He said they have a filet mignon (beef tenderloin) that is as big as his forearm. We've been questioning his veracity. Well, he was right. In fact, it was bigger than his forearm. Forty ounces, to be exact. And we all ate our fill for about $7 a person. This alone makes me consider moving here despite all the other inconveniences and dangers of this area!

Saturday Worship at Lohmi Church

We are back in Kathmandu, Nepal. Saturday is generally when the local churches here worship together. That's because here, the weekend is one day, and that day is Saturday. Sunday is still considered the Lord's day, but most churches worship on Saturday. Makes me wonder...would we be committed to "gathering ourselves together" (Heb. 10:25) if we only had one-day-weekends? It seems we are many times too preoccupied to worship together with two days off. These people really make it a priority.

After breakfast this morning, we walked a mile or two across town to worship at Ghangri Church (which Madison calls, Lohmi Church). They meet in a simple rectangular block building (about 60 x 30 feet) that holds about 120 people in plastic chairs. It is the first Tibetan church (specifically, the Lohmi people in Tibet) started in Nepal. 

This day there are about 65 men (mostly young), and about 30 women in the main church building for worship. The men sit on the right and are separated by an aisle through the center from the women and children on the left (kind of like the old pioneer churches like in Cades Cove and elsewhere). There are some things about this arrangement that I actually like. There is a focus and lots of discipleship going on--friends sitting with friends they invited, singing loudly together--good stuff. What surprises me is that there are more than twice the number of men than there are women and children combined. [Correction: more women trickled in as the service progressed. I counted about 45 women during the sermon. The place was nearly full, with still more men than women. The children--lots of them--are having their service and activities outside. I'm guessing there is a total of 140-160 people here today.] 

The women are almost all dressed in traditional clothing (complete with distinctive Nepali aprons), and some have fans. I broke a good sweat walking here, and now I'm roasting--it's hot in here. The men mostly have on jeans and button-up collared shirts. The worship is mostly their own songs in their own music by traditional instruments. Their instruments include a dramyan (like a long-necked, 4-string, round-shaped, bass ukulele), and a yangzi (looks and sounds like a hammer dulcimer), a fish-shaped tambourine, and simple bass hand drum. Again, men are the ones on the instruments and a man leads the worship. There are three additional men and three women backup singers. 
After a few songs the worship leader asked them to take a moment to pray and worship God for his glory. This was a very sincere time of prayer and praise where people were closing their eyes and telling God of his goodness, grace, and power. Many had tears running down their faces. Some became quite emotional. After things calmed down a bit, first-time guests were asked to introduce themselves. Jesse and I were the only ones there for the first time. We introduced ourselves as a pastor and elder from the United States and expressed greetings from Providence Church and told them how honored we were to join them for worship. Jesse also shared that we were hoping to do work near there. They warmly welcomed us. An elderly woman then came to the stage and gave her testimony. She is a new believer--a Sherpa woman who had experienced a very hard life. She had had some dreams about heaven and hell which drove her to seek Jesus. She thanked the church for helping her believe and for training her to be a disciple. She ended by singing two Sherpa songs. Pretty awesome. 

This is Batahsh and his wife. This is a dear,
dear couple who are expecting their first
child. Batahsh was a guide and close friend
of Madison's when he was here. He's got his
long hair pulled back in a ponytail.

The worship leader then did the announcements and prayer requests. Next was a testimony from Dorjee the skinny, older-teen-aged cousin of Madison's close friend, Batahsh (who Jesse affectionately calls Jeronimo because he has long hair and totally looks like an American Indian). We had met Dorjee last week. He is from a Tibetan village. Madison said that when he became a Christian, his parents disowned him. He now has a sickness (perhaps TB?) that makes him weak and causes his hands to shake. Dorjee is an incredibly kind person who you can tell loves Jesus. He was very nervous, but shared a testimony and quoted a long poem he wrote. His hands were shaking. The central theme of the poem (in Nepali) was Jesus died and rose from the dead, therefore he has joy regardless of his circumstances. It also proclaimed that those who believe this are saved. The poem had a rhythm and repeated the line that Jesus died and rose from the dead. I think it is interesting that they incorporate testimonies and poetry (especially given our recent emphasis on the arts in Psalm 23). After another quick testimony, they passed the offering "pots" (they really look like flower pots). Madison had prepared us to only give 100 rupees (= $1). To do more (even $10) could be a problem, he said. 

Next, the pastor walked to the podium with a briefcase full of books, took some of them out and placed them on the podium, and then began preaching. He seems to be an articulate man, he's small and about 60 years old. Everyone has a Bible and is paying attention to his words. [Note: we are over an hour into worship when he is beginning to preach at noon.] Even though he is speaking Tibetan, I can tell he has all the marks of a good communicator. He seems very sincere, uses appropriate gestures, makes great eye contact, and uses vocal variation. He's not putting me to sleep even though I have no idea what he is saying. He seems to spend good time in the Scripture for his main text (he's preaching on John 6 where Jesus claims to be the bread of life) and more Scripture for his supporting texts. He might do well to smile more and give some humor breaks. He's been going 40 minutes now, with no laughter. 

The really cool old building behind Jesse's shoulder is the
office building for the church and has served as a temporary
residence for people who were in need. The two blue sheds
are the children's ministry buildings.

Then suddenly (after a 45 minute sermon),  the sermon was over and about a quarter of the people walked out. Batahsh told us they are preparing to do the Lord's supper. Only baptized believers can participate. Those who left are either not yet believers, or are new believers not yet baptized, and those who are discipling them. They went outside to discuss the sermon with them one-to-one and answer questions they may have. That's awesome. 
They sang a song and moved away some of the empty chairs, before reading the Lord's supper passage and passing out the unleavened bread and cups of new wine (grape juice).

After the Lord's supper was over all was concluded in a song. "I have decided to follow Jesus...Though none go with me I still will follow...My cross I'll carry 'til I see Jesus...no turning back, no turning back." I know this song. It sounded much different than the version I grew up singing, but it was unmistakable. I fought tears as I thanked Christ for taking up his cross for me and I committed anew to follow him, if needs be, to my own death. 

Some of the students at Lohmi Church. The guy in the Jack
Daniel's shirt was on the worship team. He has NO IDEA
what the shirt is about. Funny! The girl next to him looks
like Lainey Greer's Tibetan sister (even more in person)!
These are just a few of their very committed high schoolers.
I can't imagine the abuse they experience from their peers.

These people had endured much to follow Jesus. This was no easy thing for them. Many had lost families who shunned them, some were forced from home villages, some had scars from persecution--all had shared in the sufferings of Christ, and continue to do so in this world center for Buddhism. I am such a wimpy, soft, uncommitted, Christian. I want the love for God and faith in him that these people share. They are extremely poor by our standards. Yet they are planting churches. Five so far, and have plans to take the Gospel to villages in the Himalayas that have not yet heard. This is real Christianity, folks. I want this kind. 
After church, we greeted and spoke with many members. Experiencing the love for Christian brothers and sisters that crosses cultures and languages and is universally shared is reason enough to go on a mission trip. I pray all of you will experience it. 

I love how this mom carries
her baby. She was embarrassed
that I was taking her picture.

Lohmi church is the goal for our work in the target country. We want to plant a church that loves God's word, makes disciple-making disciples and plants more churches. I am reminded of why we are here.

I'm also better for worshipping today with God's people. I needed this. I pray for us, my Providence family, that we will love & encourage each other, and love & worship God like these dear brothers and sisters in Nepal. I pray that God will give us the great blessing of seeing what is really important in life. Will you make his people your priority? I miss all of you. I wish I could worship with you tomorrow in Knoxville. Brian Havely will be preaching about how God our shepherd anoints our heads and overflows our cups. You don't want to miss it. God willing, we'll be with you next week. 

From Birtamod to Kathmandu

Last night Madison wanted to take us to eat at a restaurant across town owned by a guy who had stored a yak's head and horns for him while he was here as a missionary (don't ask). We walked a mile or so until a guy in an electric rickshaw offered to give us a ride for about $1.30. i don't think that little machine has the needed suspension for the 800 lbs. payload it was suddenly carrying. But we made it across town to the restaurant which prodly proclaimed on a large banner: "BEST TASTED NAM IN NEPAL." Madison's friend was there and was very happy to see him. He brought us out some dry-rubbed BBQ chicken, dal, and some truly great nam (that's fresh flatbread made Nepali style). Mmmmm. The other people in the restaurant just stared. there was a guy there who had served for Nepal with the allied forces in Afghanistan near where Jesse was stationed. Pretty cool. The whole meal with drinks cost about $10 for all of us. We rode the electric rickshaw (this time the driver brought his wife!) back to the hotel and went to bed.
Today began as usual with roosters crowing and car horns blowing. Will I miss this? No. After I took a shower in the grossest, stinkiest bathroom yet (and that's saying a lot), we ate a toast and eggs breakfast at the hotel. We packed up, those who hadn't showered did so, while the rest of us hung out for a while until eating lunch (butter chicken) before paying and leaving.

This is the face of a happy man with his butter chicken!

"The Roach," our affectionate name for the Suzuki Omni. 

I'm writing now from the front seat of a Suzuki Maruti Omni minivan. When I say minivan, I mean take the weird-looking, first-generation Toyota minivan from the 80s (remember those?) and shrink it down to 3/4 scale. Madison calls it "the roach." This one rides like a bucket of bolts, no a/c, and there is virtually nothing between me and the bumper. I'm looking at a framed picture of a four-armed Hindu god with a mustache riding on an elephant, which is bolted to the dash. All our backpacks are on the roof and the $35 guitar I brought is between my legs. Jesse, Madison, and our guide are sitting on facing seats, knees intertwined in the rear. We're riding to Chandraghadi to fly a Yeti Airlines flight to Kathmandu. We've been joking about "the roach" vans we've been seeing--they're ubiquitous in this part of the world. Madison says he wants one as his car back home. I don't think he's joking. 


Just got off the flight. I'm on a hot bus filled with Nepali-Bhutanese refugees bound for the US. They'll be there before we will. I feel for these people. They are being kicked out of Bhutan by the government there because they are not pure Bhutanese, even though most were born there. They will be sent to America and be lost and alone in a completely crazy culture to them. This makes me see how important our Global at Providence ministry is. We can't imagine what kind of culture shock this is, and it is a great opportunity for the church to be the church of Jesus. I am convicted of the importance to be more intentional about welcoming and befriending internationals in Knoxville. Will you imagine what it would be like if you were in similar circumstances? What if someone--anyone--was nice to you and helped you navigate your way, learned the language, invited you over to eat, etc. God, help me to be a Christian to these people. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God (Leviticus 19:34)
We got a taxi (another roach!) and the driver is an elderly man who recognized Madison. He's a friendly and talkative former Gurkha soldier who speaks good English. Very nice man. One potential problem: he has Parkinson's or some other muscular disease. This makes him drive spastically and with many jerks and lunges. Another problem: he has cataracts. Combine these factors with the already crazy driving experience here and it is quite a ride! As I write now we are five-wide (not counting motor cycles or pedestrians) on a two-lane road, forcing the oncoming traffic onto the shoulder! We have been inches from a collision many times and no one has stopped. 
Ok, we made it to our hotel in Kathmandu. Went to the only restaurant in town that serves bacon cheese burgers, and washed it down with Mountain Dew. Thank you, Jesus.

Here are some more pictures from our day: 

Not an unusual sight. People all over a "taxi."

Women planting rice.

Another Royal Enfield. They're just cool.

Out of India!

Sorry for the delay on posting. We've had no access to Wi-Fi for three days. I'll try to get pictures up as I can (check back if there are just a few showing).

We left the city of Kalimpong and jeeped about six hours to Jaigaon. It was quite a journey. There were several places where landslides (a frequent occurrence here) had taken whole sections of the road out. This is not like the US, where the authorities will shut the whole interstate down to repair it well. No, the traffic just pushes a way through while the shoddy-looking roadworks goes on. All with 1000-feet drops just a step away. And it's no interstate, let me tell you. It is one or two lanes the whole way. There are times three vehicles will squeeze by going full speed paying no mind to any traffic rules.

There is little regard for signs or people directing traffic. Sometimes (many times) I just close my eyes and pray.
That was three days ago.
 As I write now we are leaving the Indian border city of Jaigaon. It is the nastiest city I've been in since Port Au Prince, Haiti in 2009. Trash everywhere, crazy muffler-less smoke-belching cars and trucks--all blaring horns, beggars begging (especially when they see a white man--let alone three), large animals roaming around crapping on the streets, trash burning, people yelling. It stinks when it rains and you have to walk through the toxic mud and puddles, and it is dusty when it is dry...It's just a beautiful place. I am glad to leave. We did not see another westerner the three days we were there.

 We did have air-conditioning (which exhausted into the bathroom), but that's about it. No Wi-Fi (even though they advertised it), it was musty, dirty, and loud. Whenever the power went off, the room became hot. Jesse and Madison shared a bed and graciously gave me the other (there are advantages to being the old, fat guy). The mattresses we have had in India are two to four inches thick and have no springs. They lay flat on the floor or a wooden platform. There was no toilet paper, the showers are in the bathroom with no curtain, tub, or anything separating it from the rest of the bathroom. The water just falls on the floor.  Oh and the towels...supposed to be white, they are dingy brown with stains on them. They are great for scratching your back due to their roughness. Words don't describe adequately!

The target country is right across the border. We peered through the fence and it seems much cleaner and calmer. Our guide and our driver went to the other side (they are not questioned by border guards because they look like they belong) and confirmed what we saw.

The entrance to our target country can be
seen from our hotel.

They said that the stores are neat and streets are more orderly. They brought us some indigenous food from the country we are targeting. Very interesting and good. The meat was like beef jerky stir fried with peppers. It was very spicy. They make momo different than the Nepalese. They are round pouches containing the same beef jerky. They have a hot sauce that tastes a bit like salsa from a Mexican restaurant, only hotter.
In short, here's how God has worked. We saw a bookstore there near the border that had some ESV Bibles and other Christian literature in it. When we went inside we asked the owner if he was a Christian. He was. He was also from the same tribal village as our guide. Amazing. We told him why we were there and asked if there was anyone working with people from our target country. This man told us he knew someone we should meet. We got in the jeep and he got in with us and led us to a community right on the border, and we walked to a house which was a stone's throw from the border wall (I say a stone's throw, but Madison made a pitiful attempt and hurt his shoulder).

We entered a home that was being worked on and had lots of children running around.  There were three women and one man (not counting the carpenter who was installing a ceiling). After greetings we sat down and it started pouring rain outside. They served us freshly-sliced apples and coffee (if you know me you know that I don't like coffee, and it is never a good idea to eat fruit with peeling if you want to keep from getting sick). We all ate and drank (yes, I choked down most of the coffee). The man's name is Zama. He is a deeply committed Christian who takes in women and children from our target country who are Buddhist and teaches them about Christ, and shows them the love of Christ. He is a wise man who had much good advice for us, again bringing up the idea of teaching if one wants to legitimately get inside the target country to stay and do ministry. He was telling us what he thought would be a good strategy for starting a church: make true disciples who make more disciples. Sound familiar?! After speaking at length with Zama, he called all the children and they sang a song for us about Jesus. He told us of some of their stories. Some had been rescue from slavery and human trafficking. Amazing.
After praying with them we walked about 1/4 mile further down the road where it runs beside the border wall (which is made of stone) and hopped on it for pictures. Nearby some boys were washing clothes at a place in the wall where a creek crosses from the target country. Interesting, it is crystal clear at the border and gets trashed within a few feet of being in India.
We have thus far been protected by God from sickness or other incidents. This is a pretty big deal if you understood how insanely people drive and how dirty things are. Another of our party (unnamed) is having some of the same digestive struggles, but nothing bad. We've been eating pretty much nothing but spicy meat, rice (bot), noodles, lentils (dal), and bread (nam). It's really good, but not very healthy.

Ahhh! We just crossed the border back to Nepal. I'm so happy to be back. We just got a "taxi" from the border (a completely junked car like a Geo Metro that has a wheel about to fall off). Madison had to stop at the border town to buy a knife for his dad.

Madison is just a little bit obsessed with
knives. These are famous knives of Gurkha
warriors, and are made in this town.

Here are some pictures from Jaigaon. They do not do this place justice.