Preacher Man

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Margaret

The longer I live, the more I see God as a good Father who loves to gift his children with surprises. And recently he delivered a big one to us.

Nelson, our firstborn, has worked in Youth With A Mission (YWAM) for about a decade in a variety of locations and assignments, everything from pie-in-the-face youth activities to complicated teachings. Over the years, he’s also performed weddings, done baptisms, led worship sessions, and preached sermons.

But Part One of God’s Two-Part surprise didn’t begin with any of that. It all started with… a hernia operation.

Nelson had done more than his share of heavy lifting over the years, particularly in his landscaping business, and was badly in need of a repair. So the surgery took place in a small hospital on the island of Hawaii with an expected good result – as long as Nelson agreed not to lift anything heavier than 15 pounds.

Since his position with YWAM included lots of action and some unavoidable lifting, it seemed wise to recuperate away from all that, at his friend Derek’s home off campus. And it was during those 10 days that God unwrapped his surprise.

Derek’s family was in the process of making a big decision during those same 10 days – whether or not to move away from Hawaii to live in Colorado and pursue a worthwhile opportunity there. Derek has pastored a small but famous church on the Big Island for a decade (The Little Red Church) and Nelson has attended whenever possible, subbing in as the preacher now and then, when Derek has been away.

Hashing this over together during Nelson’s post-op days, Derek’s family, Nelson, and God all came to the same conclusion: it was indeed time for the family to move to the Mainland. What happened next surprised us all. I’ll let Nelson tell it:

“As I spent time with them, processing and thinking about how we as believers try to hear from and obey God, the logical question was, ‘Who will pastor the church when you leave?’ And almost as soon as I asked it, I felt a strong impression that it would be me… like God was challenging me to at least be willing.

“So I decided that if it were needed, and if it were possible, I’d do it. I wondered if I’d even qualify – never having been to seminary and not being ordained.”

And that ushered in Part One of God’s surprise, which was that he had prepared Nelson with a ready “yes” to becoming a pastor, if that’s what the Lord wanted. But God wasn’t finished yet.

Since I was already in Hawaii, Derek’s wife Heeran invited me for dinner one night while Nelson was still there recuperating, and Derek presented the surprising development that he was leaving and Nelson might take his place. “So… what do you think?” he said.

(…tomorrow, Part Two of the surprise)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

Royal Purple

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Margaret

The other day I was making a PBJ (peanut butter & jelly) sandwich for Emerald while she watched. As I spread the grape jelly she said, “MeeMee, the J is so glamorous. It’s purple!”

I’d never thought of jelly as glamorous, but I understood. Unlike the drab-beige of the PB, the J really had it – rich color and sparkling shine.

Emerald loves glamour. Princess dresses, sparkling crowns, glittering fingernails. But maybe she’s not the only one.

In thinking about what attracts our attention, it’s often the most glamorous things that grab us – the brightly colored, the shiny, the sparkling. It’s the fanciest cars. The flashiest vacations. The showiest homes. The biggest jewels. The designer clothes.

This might even be true when it comes to people. Are we enamored with glamour? Do we name-drop in our conversations? “I spotted that celebrity at a supermarket once and actually talked to her.” Or, “I got that famous person’s signature in my copy of his book.”

We might spend time reading about the rich and famous, secretly wishing we could be like them. Or maybe we complain that we don’t have all the “stuff” we need or enough money to buy it. So how do we keep ourselves in check?

One way is to view these things as God does – especially when it comes to sizing-up people. He definitely sees individuals differently than we see each other. His Word says, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

This is a quote directly from Jesus, and when he said it, he was trying to teach his disciples the difference between the world’s version of greatness and his. They didn’t understand it at the time, but that didn’t bother Jesus. He stuck with his statement.

Bottom line? The most “glamorous” on earth might not be as sparkly in heaven.

That’s even true of sandwiches. After all, the drab-looking PB actually wins in a contest of nutrition, but the oh-so-glamorous J?

Last place.

“Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” (Matthew 19:30)

Roadblocks

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Margaret

As Birgitta continues her Discipleship Training School here in Kona, Hawaii, I continue being Emerald’s nanny. Our adjustments have been legion and continue still. But we have pushed past several roadblocks and feel like we’re making progress.

Our first 4 days at the University of the Nations were a blend of sickness and jet lag. One rocky night found Emerald vomiting seven times, keeping both she and Birgitta scrambling for dry bedding and clothes throughout the night.

Emerald’s flu was complicated by exhaustion and lasted 3 torturous days. We were tired, too, and had all we could do to keep up with laundry as we tried to figure out where to find quarters, a wash machine, and time to use it. We couldn’t bring a vomiting child to the dining area so had to figure out how to buy food for the room. It was 4 days before I got a sip of coffee.

During that time I, for one, forgot how to have a normal conversation and could only speak in questions: How do I get into the front gate? Why is there no way to close the room door without getting locked out? Can I have a second key? How might I get one? Where do I collect mail? Is it true we can use bowls and spoons left behind by others? Where are they? Can I take books from the library? How do I get a library card? Is there a preschool playgroup on campus? Would Emerald qualify? How far is the walk to town? What stores are available?

But now, after 15 days, the 3 of us have learned a handbook-full of new things as friendly folks on campus have given us the answers we craved. And at long last we are beginning to feel at home in this beautiful, tropical place full of people who love the Lord. Emerald is healthy, and jet lag is history.

Birgitta, as the only mother in her group, has had to adjust to being “odd-man-out” in that regard. Merging Emerald into class sessions, prayer meetings, and worship gatherings has been only moderately successful so far, but that’s why I’m here, at least for now – to pick up the slack.

But we aren’t the only ones struggling with a new start. Everyone comes to such challenges again and again through life. Despite a burst of enthusiasm at the beginning, before long we wonder if we made the wrong decision. Looking back to our previous normal tempts us to quit when things get hard. But then what do we do if we feel God led us to make the change in the first place? Quitting seems like questioning his wisdom.

We don’t have to look very far to get God’s advice on this. He says we’re to blast through every roadblock that gets in the way of doing what he’s assigned us to do. (Hebrews 12:1) This will not only please him but will lead to a good end-result.

It’s taken 15 days, but today we three are beginning to see the results of persevering. Though we still have questions, following God’s advice is our best option.