so sunday we were spent some time talking about disabilities, and how to make sure that folks who are challenged either physically or mentally never feel like second class members at DEC.

we did a baptism at the 9:45 service. susan speidel took the plunge. sandy was in with her to interpret all the sign language that was going on. let me say that if this gal’s testimony didn’t bring tears to you eyes, you need you tear ducts checked out. it was incredible. the joy in her and the boldness in praising Jesus was heavenly.

all i can say is “thanks susan” and to God be the glory.

OK, so He did do one better than pulling a bunny out of a hat. Jesus actually pulled a fish out of the basket, and a roll as well!!! not just one fish or one roll, but enough to feed around 15,000 people (so where did that number come from??? follow the math– the bible says 5000 MEN were served this celestial lunch; add in women and kids, and 15,000 is probably a very conservative number).

sometimes what we don’t appreciate as we read the stories of Jesus’ miracles is how intensely practical they were. let’s say it this way– Jesus did not do miracles to entertain, His miracles were done to meet needs. oh for sure there is a proclamation side of miracles– that’s why they were often called “signs and wonders”. these acts did something in the souls of those who witnessed them. either it confirmed in a person that this Jesus guy was somebody sent from God or it confirmed their hatred of Him (check out the reaction of the religious leaders to the rasing of lazarus from the dead in John 11)..

but if you view the miracles of Christ as an integral part of the message, you have to confront the fact that Jesus really did care about people’s very practical needs. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, fed the hungry, and raised the dead. He didn’t divide the world into “physical needs vs spiritual needs”– He saw the needs of the whole person, and met those needs. so if care for the hurting is such a part of His ministry, what does it say to those of us following in His footsteps? looking at our world, what are the very real needs that confront us daily that the church should be pouring its heart into? how about DEC specifically (for you DEC folks reading this)? and maybe this is the big challenge– how do we pursue meeting these needs and at the same time make sure the proclamation of the “good news for the soul” doesn’t get lost in the process?

often it seems like we end up in the unbalanced side of ministry. either we do a lot of good physically for folks, yet never share the good news of salvation with them; or we share the good news, but never touch their physical needs.Jesus did both very well, how about us?

Ken and Emily (and their children) minister in central asia– in a land that is 99.8% muslim. They were home on furlough, so we took a little time to ask a few questions about life on the mission field.

Can you describe the spiritual condition of the place and the need you see today?

      Even though this country has Christian roots, it is 99 % Muslim. The missionary movement started 30 yrs. ago and is in the work of breaking ground and making Christ known in a place where there is a distorted view of Christian society. We see our job as making Christ known there. People are very hungry for God and we find people are very open to prayer. Their society has very strict formula for prayer and they are very interested in how we pray-from our hearts. While it is predominantly Muslim, individually we see a big hunger for God.

      There is an acceptance of your lot in life. It is how it is. They are aware of the fact that something is missing in their life. While they recognize the wholesomeness in the face that they present to the world, they know that they are still struggling w/ their own sinfulness.

With the people you’ve gotten to know, if you ask them what their view of an American Christian, what do they say?

      They have a general perspective of Americans being amoral. But as they get to know us, they are surprised by how we live our lives. They say that we are morally better than the nationals. One family we have gotten to know over the past two years, has said that they’ve found that we are “just like them.”  As we live out our life among them, they see that we are different (than their perception of Americans). 

We (Shanta Dawson and I) had a chance to sit down with a couple of our missionaries, Andy and Mary Ellen, the other day. So we did a little “round table” discussion concerning their Scripture translation work in Central Asia. Here is what we talked about. 

Give us a brief overview of your work.

We’ve been in Central Asia from 2007 to April of 2009. Our work has centered in translating the Scriptures into one of the local languages. The New Testament was published a while ago, but it is in need of revision. One of my (Andy’s) specific tasks was to go over all the spellings of names in the New Testament, checking them for consistency. More recently I helped a national colleague make a new translation of Galatians and Philippians. We hope to have the whole Bible done in 3-4 years. The greatest challenge then will be publishing and distributing the Scriptures. These are “closed” countries that don’t welcome the idea of their people freely possessing Bibles. The church here is small—only a few thousand in a land of millions. 

How many people groups in Central Asia have their own Scriptures?

Most of the major ones have at least some part of the Scriptures. The Soviets taught the people literacy, so most can read. But there are smaller ethnic groups living without access to any Scripture in their own languages. 

The issue sometimes comes up as to why spend all the energy to translate the Scriptures into each language. Wouldn’t it be easier in bilingual areas to just use a Bible that would be understood, even if it isn’t one’s primary language?

The problem is this—trying to read the Scriptures in a language that isn’t native keeps it at a distance. It is like many of us trying to read the King James version. You may get the “big picture”, but you miss out on so much. In Central Asia, most of the folks read Russian, but they associate Russia with oppression and domination. They aren’t real interested in the God of the oppressors. They could read a Russian Bible, but it wouldn’t be the best. 

it’s all about the glory of God, and last night the glory really did fall in the whittemore center. hard to know how many worshipers there were– i’d guess about 1800. but what a sweet thing it was to see a bunch of churches and campus ministries gather together with one purpose, to uphold Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  the oneness and unity of the body of Christ is often talked about, but seldom do we come together and display it like this. gotta give a major thanks to all the pastors and campus leaders who helped put this together and bathed it in prayer.

i’m sure everyone who was there would give a little different account of what the “God moments” were. so many people (the worship team, tim, rob, the pastors, the campus ministry leaders) played a huge part in making the night happen. yet there were special times when i felt like the holy spirit was almost touchable, the presence of God being so real.  a few things really grabbed my soul:

1. i’ve known pastor dave blakney for years, but his prayer during the service was the most awesome prayer i have ever heard with my own ears. it was like an angelic proclamation calling us up to the throne. it just poured out of his heart, and all of heaven said “amen”.  i pray with this guy every month, and i’ve never heard anything like that– guess we need to rent him the whit more often :).

2. later in the service, one of the intervarsity guys, andrew, shared a testimony. the power with which he spoke was so Holy Spirit empowered. folks jumped out of their seats with “alleluias” when he was done. it really was inspiring.

3. finally, there just isn’t anything like a couple thousand brothers and sisters praising together. i have no idea how the worship team handled the logistics that they did– but it was great.\

so tell me, what were your reflections????

easter 2009 will definitely go down in all our memories as a truly powerful day at dec. the sunrise service was blessed with an incredible gift from God– a multicolor display of sunrays (or Sonrays). it was gorgeous, and a great way to lead us into worship. a huge crowd of disciples sang the songs of easter and heard the word of God. but the wildest thing was yet to come– two baptisms right there at the landing. how cold was it?? not sure, but my toes still haven’t come back on line. for andrew and tasia it will be a baptism to remember. and for those who witnessed the event, a really great encouragement in the faith. i still wonder what the folks who live by the landing would think if they looked out their windows at 6:30 a.m. on a frosty morning and saw some guy pushing some other guy under water (and nobody in the crowd would help this poor man who was being drowned!). gotta be one really odd sight.

back at the building things were just as crazy. i’ve never been a big “numbers” guy when it comes to church attendance. numbers are fine, but way more important is dicipleship. big isn’t really the issue. having said that, our 8a.m. service was without a doubt a record setter not only for that timeframe, but maybe ever. about 450 people jammed their way in (not counting kids). it was cozy to say the least. why so many so early?? not sure, but having breakfast before is a huge contributing factor.

by the time the last service got done, i was exhausted. but it was that kind of “holy” exhaustion that puts a smile on you soul. God’s blessings on all of you who stretched out and invited friends and family. to God be the Glory. i pray great things flow out of the really cool easter.

ts

It’s sandwiched in between “Good” Friday and “Easter” Sunday, but nobody gave it a name. So maybe we should call it “Silent” Saturday. Whenever I read the Gospels, I always try to put myself into the story– the emotions, the experiences, the questions. I’ve thought a lot about that Saturday. What was it like to be one of the apostles or the faithful women that were always with Jesus? Must have been a really tough day.

On one hand you are dealing with crushed dreams. For four years you have 24/7 been with the One you thought was going to be the Messiah. But that dream died on a cross yesterday. The confusion, the sadness must have been overwhelming. But it isn’t just crushed dreams that you’re encountering; you are also processing a crushed relationship. How could a guy who had been with you all these years– had broken bread, preached the Gospel, even performed miracles– become the great betrayer. What happened to Judas? He was a friend and a fellow apostle. How did he do something so evil? Finally, what will you do now? The future was all wrapped up in Jesus, and now Jesus is gone. Saturday must have been really bad. I wonder what they talked about with each other as the day went on. Obviously, not the Red Sox.

Of course today is no different. Sometimes we have our “Good” Fridays– those utterly crushing moments. And some days we have our “Easter” Sundays– days filled with great joy. But more common are the “Silent” Saturdays. Days of confusion (maybe about a crushed dream), days of broken relationships (maybe even betrayal), and days of anxiety (maybe worries about the future). That’s were we live much of life. Maybe that’s why God invented the church. A community of people who could be there to weep with each other through the “Good” Fridays, and could share the joy of “Easter” Sundays. But also a family that is there to walk each other through the confusion, sadness, and anxiety of the “Silent” Saturdays of life. Let’s face it, Saturday was never meant to be faced alone.

ts