Mexico Mission or Bust

Tomorrow at 3:30 in the morning the New Harvest Church Youth Ministry embarks on a Short-Term Mission trip to Rosarito, Mexico. This will be the second consecutive trip for both my oldest son and I. 

Preparing for the trip this year brought some very challenging attacks, primarily against my children.  Ephesians Chapter Six speaks very clearly about spiritual warfare.  While it may be a bit spooky to speak of spiritual warfare, the evidence of such warfare throughout the world is undeniable. Yet, here a handful of vans filled with mostly young people will be demonstrating not only love, but courage; courage to stand up to the attacks to pursue the call God has placed on their hearts to go and serve. 

What a privilege to be working shoulder to shoulder with such servants.  May God bless them and the community of Rosarito.

The Great Theft

I haven’t blogged for a while because our recent trials were darkening my vision; but God is patient with me and He is lightening my soul; and showing His hand of mercy at work in the tough stuff of life.

Two things I really enjoy doing are praying and running.  I’m blessed the two can be combined.  In fact, some runs are even meditative or cathartic.  In my last three runs I was able to pray and be mentally quiet at the same time as I just focused on the path in front of me listening to my footfalls.  It was really cool, because I wasn’t looking too far down the road or listening to the cacophony of civilization around me; I was just watching for my next step and enjoying the muffled thump of each foot hitting the ground.  When each run was finished, I felt physically tired but spiritually and mentally rejuvenated and revived with a deeper sense of God’s peace and joy pulsing in my soul.  But then I got into my car to drive back to the office and that’s when it happened, that’s when the Great Theft occurred.

You see, there’s construction going on plus I was bumping up against the clock. So as traffic came to a dead stop while the clock kept ticking, my impatience came roaring through all that peace and joy to again take center stage.  By the time I got back to the office I was uptight and grumpy with nary a wisp of the hard-won peace and joy remaining in my soul.

So what happened?  Why was that peace and joy so easily stolen away from me?  Several reasons, I’m sure; but the one for the moment is gross impatience.  Nothing gets my impatience bubbling like sitting still in traffic that should be moving.  Can you relate? 

Anyway, what I’m learning, besides refining my time management skills, is to preemptively prepare my soul with even more prayer as I enter into situations where I can reasonably expect to wait.  So after such a great run, as I finish my shower, I must acknowledge that I need the help of the Holy Spirit filling those darkened areas of my soul where impatience is hiding.  I don’t know where those dark areas are, but it is painfully obvious they’re there; thus, the Holy Spirit, the Great Heart-Searcher, can seek and destroy those darkened strongholds. 

Perhaps as I discipline myself to refining this prayer practice, my runs will have even more lasting benefit than just lowering blood pressure and momentarily giving my mind a rest.  Besides, who’s likely to draw people to Christ, the impatient, grumpy ball of tension; or the calm, peace-filled ball of joy?  (This is a rhetorical question that should end with “duh!”) And what’s the sense of getting all uptight over a situation I have absolutely no control of other than the way I react to it?  It is much healthier to react to an uncontrollable situation with prayerful acceptance rather than hot-headed, gasket-blowing impatience. 

So, pray on; run on!