The Sweet Connection

 

So having pontificated, enumerated, elaborated, fulminated, explicated, elucidated, and otherwise commentated on my twisted understanding of the word "mission" I regress to the matter at hand.

Perhaps by now the reader has forgotten the quote of the day;

"There is a sweet connection and understanding 

that we don’t have with others."  

While it may sound a bit arrogant, there is a special connection between those who have engaged that international endeavor I refer to as mission.  It's an experience shared with complete strangers leading to:

• the ability to look at one's own culture in a far more objective fashion than those who have never spent extended times in other countries;

• the ability to appreciate, embrace, and laugh at strangeness while understanding the truly "strange one" is oneself;

•  the ability to appreciate true poverty being not just physical, economic or social, but spiritual; and
  

•  the ability to understand there really is no such thing as home this side of glory...

 just to name a few.

Missionaries look at life differently.  They do church differently.  They do life differently.  There is a strangeness to everything.  Convenience and comfort are seen to be the tragedy and the trap that they truly are.  Whining about the weather, or one's health, or politics, or one's neighbor is seen for what it is, petty.

And I think, in many cases, there is generated:

• an unquenchable longing within;
  

• a foreignness to every experience;

• a reassessment of the value of everything; and
  

• a desire to make a difference...

which won't be satiated this side of glory.

There is a glimmer in the eye when missionaries meet, particularly if they have been in service together, or in the same country, or field of work, or with the same or a similar organization.

It may be because we share experiences that few have.  It may be because we understand the confusion of life in general.  It may because we know the price so many pay for their faith in the countries in which we have served. I'm not sure exactly what it is. 

Whatever it is...

"There is a sweet connection and understanding 

that we don’t have with others." 

and a longing to make that connection as frequently as possible while knowing the connection to come will be even better, as we pray, Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus.

 

 

 

Suicide and trust issues...

The recent suicide of a young pastor in our area has become the focus of much prayer and deliberation by the congregations in our area.  The concern is:

"we as clergy and congregations are not doing as good a job of watching out for one another as we might..."We need to do better..."

The sense is that too many pastors feel isolated and unable to cope or to seek help.

The following is a personal reflection on this matter.

First, depression in ministry is a very real issue. Many pastors feel isolated, face a sanctuary pocketed with some individualistic, self-affirming, self-righteous congregants, and find little in the way of support.

Sometimes it can seem that every pew warming individual thinks they know better than the pastor what the pastor should be doing.  

Those people who shun witch doctors and home schooling, who seek out specialists for the heart conditions and lawyers for their legal issues, sometimes seem to think they know better than a trained professional cleric how the church should work. Those who cannot even state what their own denominational or congregational distinctives are, feel free to pontificate on what they believe ought to be seen as right and true in the church of Jesus Christ.  Those who can quote "Do not judge," most often haven't a clue what that means, or who talk about "love" but want to define for themselves what constitutes love...  

The reality of isolation also exists when pastors can't trust one another, when pastors are called on by the judicatory body (in my case the Presbytery) or by other staff to betray one another.  

In my case colleagues admitted, confidentially out of fear of retaliation, that they had been approached by other colleagues and Presbytery Staff to come alongside me to glean information about what may be happening in the congregation I served and to share that with others for admittedly nefarious reasons.  "Were the disagreements of a few parishioners, so disruptive to the congregation, that the pastor, with whom they disagreed, may be seen as fueling that disruption?"

Information, which was obtained by others in whom my confidence had been placed, was eventually used to carefully craft charges against me of disturbing the peace of the congregation... a charge which is apparently being used in several presbyteries (based on my conversation with four other PC(USA) colleagues, in four other presbyteries, who have had the same charges brought in the same fashion). It almost amounts to a theological cleansing of those who hold to the traditional fundamentals of the faith: the virgin birth of Christ, Christ’s vicarious atonement, Christ’s bodily resurrection, the reality of miracles, and the promise of Christ’s bodily return.  (It may be interesting to note for the reader that these "five fundamentals" were brought forth by the (then) northern branch of Presbyterianism as a reaction to the heresy of "modernism"). Read more here.

My personal sense is that it is not inappropriate for pastors to question whether or not other pastors are "there for them."  In my case, many I had come to trust, betrayed that trust, simply to curry favor with particular individuals who might advance their standing in the denomination.

As a result, both the integrity of that congregation and my personal reputation have been destroyed. The very structure that claimed to support the clergy is being used to destroy the ministries of those who dare to challenge the systemic failures of the structure.  

The deep and life threatening depression through which one may or may not successfully come can be the direct result of a betrayal of (so called) colleagues. 

As one former parishioner, John Shortridge, once counseled me, "be VERY careful whom you trust.  Take time to make friends. Test them. Guard your heart and your soul. And stay close to Jesus." I should have listened more carefully...

It's become my clarion call to those who dare to ask for my input:

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." [1Peter 5:8]

And that roaring lion can take the form of a denominational official, a colleague, a friend, or even a family member. 

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. [Ephesians 5:15-16]

Remember it was Judas who betrayed Jesus...

The answer, which is always the case? Jesus Christ alone in whom we can have complete trust! For those who have walked this road and come through that valley the Truth is:

10 Years of Mission...

 

A Look Back in Pictures...

 

Taking a Haitus to Work on the House

 See my other blogs to the right  ----->     ----->     ----->     ----->   

Difficult Decisions to Receive

One of the responsibilities I carried during our time in W. Africa was reviewing funding proposals for a particular disaster assistance funding program. This "Hunger Program" connected with Church World Service (which also connected with One Great Hour of Sharing). And so, in western Ghana, with machetes in hand and boots on the feet the 6 km (3.7 miles) trek to the Cocoa farm out in the bush begins… The coop's farmers were trying to demonstrate their need for a $1000 grant to buy 35 pairs of rubber boots for women in the co-op.

You see, not infrequently, the women who do most of the physical labor, are found along the path having fallen under their loads or having slipped in the mud because they can’t afford the $30.00 for a pair of rubber boots, and in some cases they may have broken limbs and may have waited a day or more for someone to come. This is the life of a cocoa farmer.

Today, along the way we see signs of illegal timbering and a small (3’ black Cobra).

Neither is a welcome sight. One, however, is more acceptable.

The snake moves quickly away. The trees will take 30-40 years to replace.

And finally, the payoff. A well managed and healthy cocoa farm almost 4 miles into the bush.  It was the only land this co-op, of close to 100 people, could afford.

Most of the initial processing will also be done in the bush.

The pods are split open and the cocoa beans are dug out (much like seeding a pumpkin), wrapped in banana leaves, buried, and left to ferment for several days in the bush. Then they are unwrapped and dried.  When dried they are bagged and carried to town where they may only be sold to the government at prices controlled by the government.

In an attempt to minimize production costs and maximize the minimal profit that may be made, farming cooperatives spring up.

In this case when they heard that a white man was coming who was more interested in learning about their cocoa farms, than their former gold coast setting over 100 people walked and traveled by public transport up to 12 kilometers to see if it was true...

 

Even the Chief showed up...

...and if you're wondering, the request was denied.  This was one of the hardest parts of the job, reporting back to the co-ops (or any applicant) that their request was denied.  No reason was given it was just denied.  This has left a chip on my shoulder for some of these offerings, because as I reviewed (and I always did) the programs that were supported, it always seemed to be the more radical, liberal, "social justice" bent requests that saw the money flow.  And I, and others, were left informing the applicants that folks in the US couldn't afford $1000 to buy 30 pair of rubber boots...

 

Kenya, to Thailand, to Ghana

 

 

"Joy"

Copyright:

Artist: Tree63

Composer: John Ellis

Publisher: Hal Leonard