Eternally Engaged

"All that is not eternal is eternally useless." 

CS Lewis

I wonder how different my life would look if I truly believed those words.  To think that there are energies I am devoting myself to that matter nothing for eternity breaks my heart. I'm sure it breaks the heart of the Father even more.  How He must watch the activities I engage in on a daily basis that further my kingdom instead of His, with a sadness for all that I am missing.  

Because it's really me that's missing something--not Him.  His Kingdom is still going forth with just as much force and validity and power as ever, I'm just the one who has stepped out of the march to pursue worthless things.  And I'm the one missing the power that is ushering forth His Kingdom.

For the Kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

(1 Corinthians 4:20)

Dead men are raised to life. Blind see. Deaf hear. The crippled walk.  Good news is preached to all.  Lives are changed. Orphans are introduced to the Father of the fatherless. Broken people are restored. 

And really?  All that power and I'd rather spend my time doing frivolous things?   Or worse--I'd rather think that I'm engaged in the beauty of the Kingdom by merely talking about it all the time?  

There's so much more to the Kingdom to that.  And I want to see it.  To hear it, to reach out and touch it.  

And there's so many areas where the Kingdom needs to be preached.  Places where the depth of darkness seems unbearable.  

Sex-trafficking. 

Underdeveloped countries without clean water. 

Orphans with no hope and no future. 

People who don't know from where their next meal will come. 

Those completely isolated from hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ. 

My neighbors who think this life is all there is.

All these opportunities, waiting for the power of the Kingdom to come and overwhelm them.  The keys to which I hold in my hand.  And so often I choose the lesser things.  Things that are eternally useless. 

But the most amazing thing to me is that He knew that I would do that.  He knew that when He chose to use imperfect people to bring forth His Kingdom here on earth, that we would often neglect the most important thing.  That we would chose things that don't matter over the only thing that really matters. And yet, He still chose us to be the means He would use.  

So...yes I am the one who is missing out when I choose the things of this world over things of eternal significance.  But, there's grace to cover those attitudes of apathy and a God who uses the weak and foolish of the world to display His strength and wisdom.  And that God has invited me to be part of the great Rescue Mission that He is carrying out. It's the greatest rescue ever carried out and victory is already secured. 

So, I am left with this choice--give away my life to gain it?  Or gain the whole world and forfeit my soul? 

Earnest Prayer for the Persecuted

 Yesterday I came across this verse in Acts 12:5

...So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer

was made to God by the church....

How often do you think of other followers of Christ all over the world who are being daily tortured, beaten, murdered for the sake of the gospel?

Now, how often are you praying for them? 

I know that the answer for me is: little to never. And I'm ashamed of that.  Someday I am going to stand in the presence of these brothers and sisters, hearing their stories of how much they endured for the sake of Jesus Christ while I sat in the comfort and ease of America, neglecting to earnestly pray for them.

So, where do we begin?  What do we pray for?

Our first thought is to pray for the persecution to stop.  But, that's not what they want us to pray.

A few years ago, I had the privilege to be at a gathering of church leaders from all over the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa--all home to some of the most persecuted believers in the world.  You would never know just by looking at their faces the torment and pain and fear that they face on a daily basis.  Without fail, each got up and asked for prayer for those they knew that were imprisoned or were facing death sentences. They asked for boldness and continued opportunities to share about Jesus.  What they never asked for was that the persecution would stop.  In fact, a man from Iran got up and said, "I know you'll be tempted to pray that we would be freed from persecution.  But, please do not pray for that.  Pray that persecution would continue, but that we would remain faithful in the midst of it and that God would use our suffering to advance the gospel."

What a stark contrast that is to our natural inclination to comfort and avoidance of anything even slightly painful. We have much to learn from their faith and perseverance.

Let us not neglect our brothers and sisters all over the world who, even now, are facing pain--even death--on account of Christ.  They need our earnest, consistent, bold prayers.  We serve the same God, no matter how great of a distance separates us. 

"...Keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak..." {Philippians 6.18-21}

*Voice of the Martyr's is a great tool to get started praying for persecuted brothers and sisters.  They have an e-newsletter you can sign up for and send out daily tweets about the persecuted Church.

No Greater Joy

My first trip to Czech in 2006, I met Mishka.  She is a Czech girl who has grown up in Germany.  She speaks more languages than I can pronounce and she's only 17.  At the time, she was 13 years old.  We were in the same room at camp and I can't stop thanking God that He allowed us to be together because in that room together, both my life and hers were changed.

The last night of camp is called "Gospel Night."  It's the wrap-up to whatever the theme of the week has been and in it, the students hear a very clear presentation of the Good News.  Afterward, the campers are encouraged to talk with someone or to think through the things they have heard and seen.  Mishka and I, kind of by accident, ran into each other in the hall and went to go talk.  I don't remember much of what we talked about, but I know that it was a conversation that changed everything.  That night, Mishka entered the family of God.

Since that day, I have watched Mish grow and be challenged, struggle and be encouraged, pray and seek God diligently.  I've never met someone who so deeply wants to know God and walk closely with Him.  She's never satisfied with where she's at in her walk with Him; she always wants more of Him.

I remember when she told me of her dream to be involved with worship.  She felt that God had placed this desire in her heart to be used by Him through music.  But, she didn't feel that she had the ability to do so.  But, her guitar skills continually improved and her heart for Him deepened.  And, here is a video of Mishka recently.  I was overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness as I watched this video and saw who God has grown Mishka into. 
 





 God has gifted Mishka in so many ways, her musical talent is just one of His evidences of his grace in her life.  Right now, she is in Czech serving the people there in a myriad of ways.  I am so proud of the young woman she has become.  I so resonate with John's words in 3 John 4 " I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."  God has allowed me to see Mishka grow up spiritually from day one until now and I am so thankful for that.  She continues to walk in the truth and to bring a smile to His face and to mine.  I love you, Mish!

Knowing Him

I'm constantly amazed at how often I need to be reminded of the absolute basics of living for Christ.  Yes, there are deeper truths that the Holy Spirit reveals to us as our journey with Him continues, but there is also this ongoing need for us to be grounded in the basics.

This weekend I was at a great little conference held at the US Center for World Missions for those who are looking to go out on the mission field in the near future. We had great speakers, great conversations, made great connections and were able to network people and resources.  But by about day 3, I was a bit overwhelmed talking about strategy and vision and methodology for mission.  I felt like my brain was swimming and I was desperately trying to sort through it all.

And then, the speaker for that night got up and was supposed to address the issue of what Western Missionaries need to do prepare to go on the mission field.  His response, in an hour-long sermon?

The disentangled Christ.

Suddenly it all clicked--strategy and vision and methodology are all good things to think about and discuss.  But, often Jesus gets tangled up in all of those things and suddenly, the very One we're trying to bring to the nations is wrapped up in all of these relative things.  But, Jesus is the only Absolute.  I can prepare for 10 years to go on the mission field, but if I am not seeking to know Jesus intimately, I have nothing to bring with me.  I don't want to be known for the program I'm trying to push or the great strategy I've thought of--I want to be known as one who knows and loves Jesus Christ.

It brought me back to the question that had been tormenting me--what is the biblical method for missions?  There are so many methods out there, but I just want to be faithful to what God wants.  But, I was brought to Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2 :

And when I came to you, bretheren, I did not come with superiority

of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.

For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

Paul's greatest concern wasn't a method or a strategy, because he knew those things could change and, most likely, would change.  But, the one thing he did seek--Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

He wanted to know the complete covering of Jesus' blood for him and for those to whom he was preaching.

He wanted to know the power of the resurrection, that conquered sin and death and gave him something to tell people and gave him the enabling power to tell them.

I believe that God gives us creativity and grace to think and plan and prepare for strategically extending the reach of the gospel to the ends of the earth.  He doesn't just lay out a "method" because He's created us to function and be effective in a variety of ways--ways that reflect His creativity and ingenuity and His ability to pierce dark places with the light of the gospel in endless ways.  

I came back to Jesus' warning in Matthew 7:21-23

Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven,

but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.  

Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name,

and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?"

And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.

Wow...this verse just pierces my heart every time I read it.  I can't imagine coming before the Lord one day, claiming all the good "things" I've done in His name and yet having him look me in the eyes and tell me, "Emily, you may have done amazing things, but none of them mattered because you didn't know Me."  

So, that's where I sit today.  I just want to know Him.  Because, unless I've sought to know Him and unless everything else in my life flows out of a love for Him, none of it matters.  HE is what I am bringing to the nations; not a method or a ground-breaking strategy.

Lord, help me to know You--intimately, completely, purely.  Help me to know the Jesus at the cross and all that it implies.  Help me to walk into the empty tomb with your disciples and walk out in the power of your resurrection.  

Bought with a Price

I have a confession to make, one that may come as a shock to some of you, seeing the adventure I've been on lately. Ready for it? ... I MISS CZECH.  So much it really truly hurts.  The team from my church just got back from serving in Czech and doing English camp with my beloved Cheb brothers and sisters.  It's amazing how much God can grow your heart to love a country and the people in that country in such a short amount of time.  The first time I ever even heard about Czech Republic was when my brother went in 2005.  In 2006, I went and I have never been the same since.  It ruined me in the best way possible.  I couldn't bear to look at the world in the same way.  It no longer became political lines and a painful reminder of Junior High geography class.  The world became a place that desperately needs the good news of Jesus Christ, a huge globe filled with beautiful reminders of the creativity of God in every language and culture and face.  And that was just the first trip.

Next was the feeling that this foreign country with a crazy language and weird Easter traditions was like home to me.  I didn't want to leave, and when I did I couldn't wait to go back.  I could no longer walk through any public place without stalking someone who seemed to be speaking any sort of a Slavic language, hoping that it happened to be Czech and I could tell them how much I loved their country.  And then the confusion of where I belonged in this huge world.  And the painful yet hopeful reminder that I don't--anywhere.  That the One who is holding all these countries and people in his hand has created me for another world.

Then there was living in a new country, yet the one that had become so familiar to me.  There was trekking through snow and missing trains and always feeling a little out of place and confused; there was lives being transformed by the power of the gospel for the very first time, and lives that were being refined by that same power in new ways; calling people "mom" and "dad' that I had known only a few years, but being so loved and cared for by them that I had no other name to refer to them by.

Then there was the part I wasn't expecting or ready for in the least bit--letting go of all of those things: the comfort level I felt in a foreign place, the people that had become so much more than just a picture on a postcard or a statistic, and every conversation and memory I had with them--and I wasn't quite sure what letting go meant.  There was the realization that all of the things that I had prayed for and desired for the beautiful people I love so deeply were happening--growth was happening, believers felt the burden to reach their own people, discipleship continued, God was purifying His Church there.   Along with it came the pride that didn't want to admit that God was doing all of it without me.

But, I felt like Abraham--is He just asking me to let go to test me and see if I'll obey?  Or is he, like Abraham, asking me to give it all up and follow Him to a land I don't know?

Well, though God has continued to direct me to other places, I don't like to look at it as "letting go" of all of those things, because that implies a sense of loss.  I haven't "lost" those things--they are irreplaceable.  The lessons that I learned in Czech will be with me for the rest of my life and can never be forgotten.  The people that I have walked alongside of since my first summer there are people I will never forget.  They changed my life, just by watching theirs.

It's hard for me to believe that it's possible for me to ever love a country and a group of people as much as I love Czech Republic and the people there.  But, I know that God is capable of doing that.  He's the One that enabled me to love the people of Czech.  But, even if that deep sense of love and affection never comes, He brings me back to this simple realization: He has not called me to a place; He has called me to Himself.  That never changes.  But, with that calling comes this truth: "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price." (1 Corinthians 6:19)  I am His, I have been bought with His blood, and that means that I follow Him wherever He leads--even if it's away from where I so badly want to be.   

Beautiful Feet

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news…” Isaiah 52:7

This verse has always been somewhat entertaining for me; one, because I really don’t like feet and to call them beautiful is out of my realm.  But, more importantly, when I think about the feet of those who bring good news to people, the last thing I would think to call them is beautiful.  Dirty, rugged, tired, worn—that’s more what I picture.  And the past 6 weeks I finally understood how this paradox could be—and is—absolutely true. 

I visited 3 countries in Central Asia and walked rugged dirt roads along which millions and millions of people are lying in Spiritual darkness and are perishing without ever hearing the Good News about Jesus Christ.  At the end of the day my feet were dirty and tired—anything but beautiful.  They were far from having a fresh pedicure, which is what most would define as beautiful feet, especially in the US.  And yet, there was something beautiful about it.  Those dirty feet had walked among some of the poorest people in the world who still had smiles that showed all their missing teeth.  Those feet were tired because they had been walking for countless hours on rocky, dirt paths visiting people who desperately needed to know that Someone cared for them, especially enough to come and visit. 

It became more and more clear that the way the feet looked had nothing to do with their beauty; it was where those feet had walked that made them beautiful.  More and more, I longed to have beautiful feet—feet that walk where very few before have walked so that Good News may be brought to those that are lost in darkness.  Though my feet will look more and more worn and feel increasingly fatigued, there is a simple and profound beauty to feet that bring good news to places it has not yet gone.    

This video is rocking my world right now...

Saving Power

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes."  Romans 1:16

I saw the truth of this verse on the train last week.  I was sitting on a train ride from Plzen to Cheb, where I will be traveling every weekend.  I was still adjusting to life in Czech, trying to let the reality that I was really here sink in deep into my heart. I was listening to a Francis Chan sermon about courage in Spiritual things, not merely physical things.  One of the specific things he mentioned was boldness in sharing the gospel.  I was sitting on the train in a cabin with 5 other women.  All but one got off at the same stop, leaving only one other woman and myself.  I turned off my iPod, answered a phone call from my friend, and sat there in silence with the woman.  

I could tell that her ears perked up when she heard me speaking in English.  So, I began conversation with her.  She assured me that her Czech wasn't good and it was okay to speak English.  I assured her that I didn't speak Czech anyways, and we began talking.  

She explained where she was going, where she was coming from, and what she did for a living.  She was from Germany, working in Austria, and heading back to Germany for the weekend.  She then began to ask me questions about why I was here.  She was surprised to learn that I was an American and was very interested to know why I would leave my family and be away from home for so long by myself.  So, I was glad to tell her. :)

You know those conversations where you immediately know that God is opening a door for the gospel?  This was definitely one of those.  It didn't take but 5 minutes for me to know (especially since I had just finished listening to a sermon on boldness) that God had placed this woman and I together on the train for a reason.  

The conversation quickly became focused on religion and each of our beliefs.  She believed that we can each find our own path to God.  That the mormon is just as right about what they believe as the Buddhist and the Catholic.  She then asked me if I believed the same.  "I don't believe that...but here's what I believe."  

I explained what sets "Christianity" apart from every other "religion" : Jesus Christ.  I explained that all other religions are so focused on human effort and striving, but that if Jesus Christ is who He says He is and did what He said He did, then no effort on my part is "good enough" for me to earn my salvation. Jesus Christ is our only hope for salvation and freedom from our sin. I don't really remember everything I said in that conversation, but it was so clear that God was speaking through me to share His truth with my new friend.  She asked about my experience with following Christ, when I made the decision to have a relationship with Him, and how I kept believing even when I didn't understand some things.  I shared with her the tangible difference that Christ has made in my life, the evidence that the Holy Spirit was living and working in me.

Tears began rolling down her face.  "I want to believe.  Some days I do, some days I don't.  Why?  Do you know why?  Why can't I just believe?"  

I shared with her that even the disciples, who walked with Jesus, saw His power firsthand--even they had moments of doubt and disbelief.  But I told her to pray--as the father did who wanted his son to be healed--"I believe, help me in my unbelief."  I told her that even those who do have a relationship with Christ have moments of doubt or confusion--but, we the Holy Spirit assures us of who we are in Christ.  So, I told her to pray.  Pray that God would give her the belief she can't have on her own.  Pray that He would make all those doubts be cleared so she can see with new eyes.  

And then, our train came to a halt.  She had to catch the next train on to Germany.  I had to meet my friends who were waiting for me.  So, we exchanged emails.  She wanted to continue the conversation and even wanted to know if there was some way we could meet together.  

This is why I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  There is no better news.  What could be more liberating and life-giving than knowing that your sins are paid for and that you no longer stand before a perfect and holy God condemned, but forgiven?  It is the power of God for salvation.  God's power was working in this woman's heart to speak a truth to her heart that she had never heard before.  

Please keep praying for my friend.  Pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to work in her heart.  Pray that I would be faithful in maintaining this friendship and that she would see Jesus Christ in me.  

Completely Unashamed,

Emily