A Vessel

As a new week begins and the mission trip is just about over (we begin the long journey home early tomorrow morning), I am finally able to sit back and reflect on this trip and, more importantly,what God has done.  In the next few days and weeks I hope to post specifics, but for now here are just a few short thoughts of the whole experience.

I think about the vessel in Jeremiah 18 and how I am marred and God is constantly reshaping me as He sees fit. I am thankful for how He is constantly working on my life, even if it does hurt at times. Even though I can see great improvement in my life I'm not done yet, and that is the most exciting part. There were some definite expectations that I had going into this trip, expectations that had to be worked out of me. I pray that I am pliable clay that is easy for my Maker to shape.

I also think about how the clay cannot make itself into a vessel. No matter how much strength it may have, it cannot do anything of its own will, it must have the strength of the Craftsman to put it on the wheel and to shape it. So also was our work in Ballygawley and Kilmore churches. It couldn't have been of our own strength that we held the Bible clubs, got all of the kids to come, and organized volunteers. It was God who had already gone before us and worked in the hearts of the people, planted the seed, molded the clay. That was especially evident to me when I suddenly took ill. There was nothing that I could do, and my medicine made me very tired and nauseous...but the team kept going, the gospel was presented, and God gave me the strength to continue on. There He was, shaping out that imperfection, by His strength all things came together.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

2 Corinthians 4:7

Auto Pilot

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with my brother's missions team and their families.  We met together to talk logistics about communications, give pointers to the team, and to encourage and pray for the team.  During the meeting one of the dads, a career missionary, said the following about missions and one's walk with God, "Auto pilot doesn't work here and it doesn't work over there." 

My first few trips to Northern Ireland our team didn't have a set devotional time.  We had a couple of guys who would lead a Bible study in the afternoon right before tea, but if we were running behind the Bible study got pushed aside.  I could feel my spirit hurting for those team devotions.  While I had my own personal devotions, I longed to study scripture in a group and pray together with my fellow workers.  On a side note, I am advising a student whose senior thesis is on the importance of community and how it is through community that we can better know God.  I've been doing a bit of reading since school let out so I can advise her.  Some of titles include Bonhoeffer's Life Together, Bridges' True Community, and Colson's The Body.  I know it's no coincidence, but what I just wrote above is absolutely in line with what these men say (and I didn't even know that five years ago).

It's important for individual team members to have their personal devotions, but it is also important for the team as a whole to have devotions.  I personally like having daily team devotions.  It's encouraging to go into a busy day after having studied the word and prayed with my fellow workers.  After all, if we aren't studying scripture and fellowshipping (i.e. bearing with one another through prayer and sharing what God has shown us in our study) with one another, how else will we be able to "make known among the nations what He has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted"?

Of All Nations

My brother leaves tomorrow for his summer-long mission trip to a county in Asia.  I am so excited for him!  I am thankful that he has heard the call is being obedient to Christ.  He is going to make disciples.  As I try not to cry (this is his first overseas trip), I think about all of the summer missions trips that my students, friends, and fellow church members are going on.  There's a group headed to Belize at the end of the month, a team in Tanzania, a team headed to Swaziland, a group down in Florida for the Summer Beach Project, people headed to Poland and Hungary, there was the soccer camp this past week, VBS, a team going to help out at the Palmer Home, and of course, my team going to Northern Ireland.  I am excited about all of these opportunities, and I cannot wait to hear reports when we all return.  I am so excited that the Church is going (and sending) to make disciples of all nations.  I pray that more will hear the call to go.  I pray that more will be obedient to send.  I pray that we all would make (more) sacrifices for the sake of the gospel.  It's not enough to just go to church, sit through a sermon, sing some songs, participate in Sunday School.  God has saved us from death.  He has blessed us abundantly.  We should "Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted."  I am so excited that my brother has the opportunity to do this in another county.  I am so excited for all of the teams going out and for all the people at home who are getting ready to faithfully share the gospel with hundreds of kids in VBS.  I pray that God will be glorified.