My Heroes

Our church, the Trenton Church of Christ, has several folks involved in missions throughout the world. A mission team just returned from building and encouraging the church in Honduras while another team from our congregation just came back from working with kids and teens in Finland. Another of our members, Beth Tunick, is spending a couple of years in Uganda working as a schoolteacher to the children of several missionaries there. She is also spending most of her spare time spreading the Word and love of Jesus to the people there. You can read about her missionary work on her blog at: http://bethinuganda.blogspot.com/

About 8 months ago, a good friend of mine decided to quit his job and go to Finland to bring the Gospel of Jesus to the post-Christian people of that country. Because of the way the laws in Finland work, Jim can only stay a few months and then he has to leave the country for a few months, then he gets to come back again for a few months. So off he went to Budapest to train for and earn his CELTA certificate (CELTA is a certificate for teaching the English language to others in Europe) which allows him to hopefully get a job in Finland enabling him to stay for a more extended period of time. He graduated the CELTA program, and will be headed back to Finland soon in search of work there. He will be joining Leanne, who will be in Finland for a few more weeks when he returns to Finland. You can read more about the work in Finland at: http://fmtampere.com/default.aspx

Jim, Beth, Leanne, and all of the others that go and work outside the safety and security of our country are an inpiration to me; their dedication to the Lord, the caring way that they treat people, and the love they have for those around them show the world so well that the power of the Spirit is working through them.

Jim, if you read this, your brothers from the Thursday night Zeteo group want you to know that we love you, we miss you, and we are proud of the work you our doing over there. May God bless you richly for your devotion to His Word! We are keeping you in our prayers daily.

Praise You In This Storm

Recently we lost a very close friend to pancreatic cancer. In the days leading up to the funeral many of those who were close to her couldn't understand why this had to happen. They wanted to know why God allows these kinds of things to happen.

I had those same kinds of thoughts myself when my son David passed away in 1982. I questioned God, got angry with Him, and eventually I abandoned Him. It took many, many years for me to learn to trust God again. Life is full of so many mountaintops and valleys, it's never been a smooth ride. But in the years since David died the one thing I've learned to trust, to lean on, is that no matter what is going on in my life, God is always there with me, holding my hand, hugging me, giving me the strength to make it through my many storms.

"Praise You In This Storm" is a song by the Christian group Casting Crowns that helps lift me up when I am struggling with the storms in my life. This song is from their Lifesong cd; if you don't have it...GET IT! It's one of the best cd's I've heard.

Here are the words to "Praise You In This Storm":
I was sure by now
God, You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with You"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with You"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm.

Pagan? What's that?

My wife and I run a bicycle shop in the metro Detroit area, which is a seasonal business. We usually are fairly busy during the spring and summer months, but we slow down quite a bit during the fall and winter. This cycle (I like the chance to throw in that word!) usually requires us to hire seasonal help in order to get through this busy season, and this year hasn’t been any different. Or so I thought.
     
I am usually busy during this time of the year in our workroom, doing repairs on bikes, assembling new bikes, and frequently serving our customers. Because I spend so much time in the workroom, I try to use that time to maximize my Biblical studies. I am usually listening to mp3 recordings of sermons, Christian talk radio, worship music, or the Bible on compact disc.

This season I hired someone to help out with the mechanical duties, and it turns out that he is a pagan. “What does that mean?” you might ask. Well, at first I kind of thought he was kidding, you know, someone who doesn’t really believe in God, an agnostic or an atheist just making a joke, teasing the Christian guy at work. Turns out, though, he really is a pagan, a worshipper of nature, believing in many Gods, and ultimately, believing in a “balanced” god system, a divine male and female. His wife is a wiccan, as are both of his teenage daughters.

Paul (not his real name) has been working for me now for about 2 months, and he is a great guy in just about every respect. He loves his kids, is heavily involved in all of their activities, and he is always willing to help whenever needed around the shop. We get along very well, and we constantly discuss theological issues. He is quite open to just about anything I want to share with him, and he often shares his past experiences with me.

Paul used to be a Christian. He and his wife lived in Texas and were members of a fairly legalistic fundamental church there. They had some bad experiences at that church, and ultimately left the faith. He often tells me how bad Christians behave, and I frequently have to agree with him. In fact, I keep telling him that unfortunately for Jesus, the worst advertising for Christianity is often the Christians!

Lately Paul has told me that if anyone can convert him back to Christianity, it would be me. At first, I thought he was teasing me again, but he was serious. He told me that he hadn’t met a Christian like me before, someone that didn’t judge him, but just listened to what he had to say, interacted with him, and didn’t condemn him to hell and the devil. I wish that weren’t true, I feel bad for Paul, that he and his wife haven’t been able to experience the love and grace that God has shown us through Jesus.

He said the same thing again the other day, so I asked him if he was serious or if he was simply challenging me. He said it wasn’t really possible for him to convert back to Christianity, there was no way he’d ever worship Hey Zeus (his phrase for Jesus) again. The funny thing is that I know God has been working on Paul’s heart ever since he left the faith, He is putting questions into Paul’s mind that I don’t think he ever considered, and it is causing him to think about new and interesting issues in his life.  

I pray that God gives me the answers that Paul needs to hear. If anyone reading this blog has any experience dealing with and talking about these issues with pagan/wiccan believers, I would certainly appreciate any advice you can offer.

I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Romans 15:30