Unreached People's of Brazil

Carl & I Flying Out of the Tribe (Cessna 206)

Recently I had a life changing opportunity to work alongside an organization called New Tribe Missions (NTM) in the rain forests of North Western Brazil.  NTM's mission focus is to share the Gospel in the worlds remaining unreached people groups!  

As only the Lord could orchestrate through circumstances beyond my involvement, He partnered me up with Missionary Technologist, Carl Templeton of NTM!  "Missionary Technologist"....  What?  Just 3 months ago I had never heard of the term and certainly didn't know Carl.  You mean to tell me that the Lord needs people in technology working for Him?  Yep, you better believe it, and there is a huge need and it's an amazing ministry, one that is making a measurable difference for the lives of missionaries serving in some of the most isolated areas of the world.  Carl is the sole technologist working with the many NTM missionaries of Brazil to educate, advise and install technology such as solar systems, batteries, charge controllers, inverters, 12VDC refrigerators and freezers, water filtration, pump systems, etc.  A topic I plan to expand in a separate blog...

Our particular task on this trip was to install (2) solar systems for missionaries serving among one of the worlds most isolated people groups.  One for a family of five and another for a single missionary woman and home schooling teacher.  

Aerial View of the Tribe

Our location in the jungle was about 220 miles away from the nearest town and is accessible only by small boat (several day journey) or small plane.  To use the term "off the grid" would be an understatement as most of the native Indians living in that region don't even have a comprehension of what the "grid" is.  And why should they, for they have lived in the jungles of the Amazon for thousands of years completely isolated from modern man.  

As I reflect on my trip, I made what I believe to be three powerful observations that I'd like to share and expand upon.  What can be learned about ourselves from a people group whose life in every visible way is different than our own?  How large and diverse is the body of Christ?  And what's it like to be a missionary completely isolated from the modern world?  And finally, what can we do to get involved? 

It's a Core Problem

At the core, are we the product of our environment?  My only real perspective up until this point has been one of having grown up in America, a perspective of living in a world where materialism, the desire for stuff, and chasing the almighty dollar seem to be the number one focus. Certainly the 24-7 bombardment of commercials and advertisement is what has "brainwashed" us to be a selfish and greedy people right?  Or has it simply fanned the flames of something that already existed within us?

The Indians that we were among had no TV, no radio, no money, no access to commercial shopping areas, simply put no real access to the outside world yet without going into specifics, they struggled with the same issues as the rest of the developed world.  The desire for stuff (materialism) and a very real and all too familiar self-centeredness was just as apparent in them as it was elsewhere. I observed first-hand and heard of the many challenges that faced this isolated people group and more often than not, it sounded just like our problems at home. 

So to some degree, my thinking has been broadened.  Are we the product of our environment or has our environment simply become a reflection of our core?  Without a doubt, the latter is true.  This discovery certainly shouldn't have been a surprise as the bible has a lot to say about the fallen nature of man.  It just became a lot more evident in the most unlikely of places, a continent away.  As I heard one of the missionaries say, "the core is the same, only the shell is different".  Humanity, irrespective of race, culture gender or environment has in common the same core problem and the same solution - the power of the Gospel to change the heart, transform and set us free! 

The Diverse Body of Christ in Action

I think too often we take our ideas and thoughts about the corporate world and knowingly or unknowingly drag them into the church.  So many aspire to climb the corporate ladder, be a CEO or own a business.  The position at the top or the one with most visibility, yep "that's what I want".  I once heard someone say that we need both eagles that sore high and alone and ducks that fly low and in formation.  It takes every person and every position to accomplish great things (even the not so great things).  

Like never before was I witness to the diverse body of Christ working together to reach thousands of tribal Indians.  There were of course the missionaries on the ground living with the Indians, the pilots whose sole purpose is to fly materials, groceries, fuel and people in and out of the tribes, the mechanics who meticulously maintain the airplanes and the hangar, grounds keepers who maintain the mission houses in town (a respite for missionaries during breaks), the buyers and logistics people who purchase absolutely everything the missionaries need (food, clothing, appliances, etc.) for every single family serving in the tribes, the bible translators who tirelessly work to translate the Word into 5 different dialects, secretaries and book keepers who manage the affairs of the local mission boards, the teams of other people who build bible studies and special teaching materials to be used during their weekly visits into the tribes every month or so, and the list goes on and on to include supporters in multiple countries and churches around the world.  The connected body of Christ moving from person to person through multiple talents and jobs - absolutely amazing!  No one person or talent greater than the other - it's takes every finger, toe, nose, mouth and ear to make the body work!  

Let go of the pressure from the world to serve in this capacity or that.  Instead listen to that still small voice in your heart, the voice that He birthed in you.  For He can and will use the desires of your heart to serve His great purpose!  There is no better feeling in the world than to be working in a ministry that you are passionate about and seeing the Lord move in your life and the life of others. 

More Difficult Than I Thought

Sharing the gospel among an unreached people group especially those that are completely isolated is much more difficult than I would have ever imagined.  The following is a list of just some of the hurdles:

1. Language barrier - this particular people group has 5 different dialects and most are so different that they aren't interchangeable.  In addition, their language wasn't written down and though significant progress has been made by missionaries to capture their language in written form, it completely changes every 40 years.  Also, their vocabulary isn't as large as ours in that we have and use words that just don't exist for them.  This can make communicating very difficult since we know that one word can significantly change the meaning of a sentence or phrase. 
2. World view - Simple concepts like nations, people groups and an earth that is round are foreign concepts to them making it difficult to share basic accounts of history, creation and simple stories of the bible.  
3. Extreme climates - being so close to the equator, this part of the world is very hot, humid and flush with bugs. Daily life in the jungle offers little escape from these elements.  Simple things like a fan or the ability to take a shower offer precious moments of escape.  Even getting a good night's sleep is difficult (at least it was for me).  
4. Cultural differences - Morality and what appears to be right and wrong is absolutely relative to our upbringing and culture.  I learned that it was best to check our judgements and personal convictions at the hanger before ever getting into the plane.  I heard over and over again, simply share the truth of the Word and leave room for the Holy Spirit to move in a way that only He can, and He will, and He does!  I think it's only natural to put God in a box whose boundaries are defined based on our personal experiences.  I learned that in all relationships, from cross cultural to those within an immediate family, we need to need to drop our expectations for what God can and can't accomplish. Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts".
5. Daily Chores - Simple chores that we take for granted, become time consuming robbing the missionary from their ministry.  Getting and filtering water for daily use, washing clothes, accomplishing household maintenance with limited tools and supplies, long term food storage, maintenance of the landing strip, staying healthy, etc.  
6. Funding - I heard over and over again of missionaries who are under funded.  Raising local support is difficult at best.  Several people and couples I met are only 35 to 50% funded (with respect to what their local mission board suggests).  One couple I met said that their supporting church in southern Brazil has a 60% unemployment rate.  There are couples who are ready to go into the field but don't yet have the finances to do so.

Tremendous Work Yet to be Done

If you have interest in supporting the work that the Lord is doing in northern Brazil, please contact me at keith.hubble@gmail.com.  These are just a few of the opportunities that I was witness to while there:

1. Additional solar systems for missionaries who either don't have a system at all or has an old system needing to be replaced (doesn't meet their power and energy needs).  This particular investment is one that probably has the greatest impact on the missionaries daily life giving them peace of mind and further freeing them to focus on their ministry instead of trying to simply survive!  
2. Monthly support to sustain those already in the field and launch those who are waiting to go.  (I met 3 such families)
3. Building projects, wells to be dug, homes to be built, solar systems to be installed, etc.
4. Teams to go, do the work, love on the missionaries, and build lasting relationships. 

Pray for Brazil and let's get involved in the great work He is doing there.  To God be the Glory!  

Missionaries - Rodrigues Family (left), Ms. Stucky (right)

1,200 Watt Solar Field

Carl Using his Homemade Soldering Iron

Child's Bow & Arrow

Home Schooling in the Jungle

Digging the Solar Foundation

Aviation Hangar

Our Pilot (Jason)

Winding Rivers - The Indian Transportation System!

Under Law or Free in Grace?

Are you "under" law or do you operate "out of" grace?  Ask yourself this question - What is my motivation for doing something good?  Really, take a moment to think about this question......

At the core, is my motivation rooted in the past or is it looking to the future?  Does it come from a place of giving or an overflowing of something we already have or is it seeking something?  Are my "good" deeds ultimately a giving or a getting, are they conditional or unconditional? 

As an example, let's look at what we all might see as the highest of possible "good" deeds, loving someone.  What's my reason for "loving" someone?  Typical love, on the surface, has the appearance of doing something for someone else, without serving our self-interest.  Love's ultimate desire is that the recipient might be the beneficiary through my actions right?

In the early years of my relationship with my wife, it's clear to see that I didn't know what true and unconditional love was.  So what was my basis for my love toward her?  If I'm honest, I loved her simply because she made me feel good about myself.  She was beautiful and funny!  The way that she "looked" and the things that she "did", made me feel good!  So as part of the conditional love game, I learned to do things for her to demonstrate my "love" toward her so that she'd stick around and make me feel good with her fun personality and good looks!  Well I know this sounds crass but truth be told, we did have strong chemistry and a great time together but the underlying truth of what I've shared was true.  My love toward her was selfishly motivated.  My actions toward her were rooted in how she made me feel in return.  

Unfortunately, we live in a world characterized by this dilemma.  Conditional based relationships are the norm.  If I do this then "X" might happen in return.  A slightly different way, if you don't do this for me, then I won't do that for you.  I would characterize this default human condition as "living under law".  And to be clear, I don't necessarily mean law in the sense of biblical law but perhaps the law of man (his default mode of operation).  When I look out at humanity, I see very little difference between unbelievers bound in their performance towards each other as I see in believers working to put God in their debt.  Both groups of people are "under" what they feel they must do to "earn" what they don't have (knowingly or unknowingly).  Both are ultimately seeking to do "good" for reasons that are self-serving by definitions of "good" that they created. 

The diagram below highlights the mechanics of being "under law".  The word "salvation" could just as easily be replaced with nearly anything that the "me" is lacking or needing.  Let's take salvation for example.  If a person believes that salvation is either missing or incomplete, they will be motivated to achieve it by whatever means they "believe" will attain it.  In this case, the person is consumed with trying to do "good" things in order that they may either "earn" or "keep" their salvation.  Their motivation is rooted in what is lacking (past) and their efforts (future) are targeted to try and secure themselves now (present).  

Do you see the viscous cycle one can get stuck in?  It places the emphasis of everything they do upon themselves.  The "me" becomes inwardly focused losing the ability to look up and look out at the relationships around them.  

What does this look like in other areas?  If I do really good on this test, people will think I'm smart, if I exercise a lot, people will think I'm good looking, if I drive a nice car, people will think I have money, if I wear expensive clothes, people will think I'm important, if I help someone, people will think I'm nice, if I make people laugh, they will think I'm funny and on and on.  At core are the feelings of inadequacy, emptiness and low self-worth.

Because of this default condition of being under law, there is this deep sense within that tells us we must earn everything and if it can't be earned, it's cheap and cheap doesn't ascribe value to me.  The net result - I must try harder.  Do you see the bondage in this?  Let's switch gears and see things from a whole new prospective!

Now let me contrast for a moment my initial, conditional, love for my wife, with that of my love toward my unborn child.  For 9 months, this child was in our presence in one aspect but in another, was a world away.  I couldn't see her, talk with her, play with her, she could only be imagined.  But yet I developed a strong love for her and it was NOT based on anything she had done or would do.  It wasn't based on looks, behavior, talent or anything that we typically ascribe value to.  It was a genuine, unconditional love.  Unexplainably, my love toward her was based on who's she was,... for she was mine!   Perhaps, this was the first time I gained a glimpse and understanding of the behind the scenes working of unconditional love (at least from the opposite perspective).  What I mean is the understanding of love completely disconnected from performance.  The raw unconditionality of agape love.  

As great as this love that we have towards our children might be, it's but a drop in the bucket in comparison to the love that our Creator has for us.  The truth is that we are selfish by default and that selfishness interferes with the foundational agape love we have towards our children.  By comparison, God's love is holy, perfect, and completely void of any selfish aspects.  God's love would go to any length to prove itself to us.  Even to the point of completely sacrificing Himself, which He did in the likeness our own flesh that we might see and believe in this powerful demonstration of His love for us.  

When we begin to see and understand our default nature of being under law (chasing our own apart from Him, a sinner) and begin to hear and understand the truth of God's unconditional love that was physically demonstrated for us 2,000 years ago, our hearts and minds are opened to a place of belief and belief unto faith in Jesus. 

In one of my all-time favorite verses, Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul says "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."  This verse screams loud and clear that salvation is by grace (God's grace), it's a gift that can't be earned, it's NOT the result of our deeds, and most importantly, its past tense for you have BEEN saved.  So that there is absolutely no confusion on the matter, Paul says twice that's it's not of yourselves and not of works completely taking us and our performance out of the equation!  The only part we play is simply having faith.  Is that not completely freeing?  It's like a gnat hitting the windshield of your car!   Is there anything the gnat can do to change the trajectory and speed of the car?  Absolutely not!  Lay your tireless efforts down, quit trying because it's not about what you have done or will do!  It's instead solely based on His glory, His character, His goodness and what He did to secure your freedom.  

Freedom from what?  Freedom from being "under" the law (biblical Old Testament law), freedom from man's law, freedom from our past beliefs and lies, freedom from the expectations of others, freedom from performance, freedom from religion and even the freedom to fail!  Yea, I know, this just doesn't add up with what we've heard or what you've been told.  Let's examine but a tip of the good news iceberg: 

FREEDOM IN CHRIST VERSES:

John 8:36

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

2 Corinthians 3:17

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Galatians 5:13-14

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:1

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (being UNDER law).

Ephesians 3:12

In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Acts 13:38-39

“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the Law of Moses.

Colossians 1:21-22

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation (accusation of not living up to the law)

Romans 8:1-4

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Isaiah 61:1-2

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.

We are no longer under law, but through faith (not performance) in Christ, have been set free.  So let's go back to that original question.  What's my motivation for doing something good?  To be honest, the question itself is flawed.  The word "motivation" is misleading as it implies a moving as a result of pressure, a temporary action resulting from emotional encouragement, a call to action based on a future benefit.  Perhaps the better question is - What is the source of my good works?  

My "good works" are instead, Christ, through my faith and fullness in Him, overflowing out of me.  This truth is beautifully described in John chapter 15 verse 5 through the example of the grape vine, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  A branch cannot bear fruit (good works) on its own.  Instead, the branch is the conduit through which the fruit flows from the vine.  This can only occur if the branch is connected to the vine.  

In summary, we have looked at two different sources of good works.  The first source was internally manufactured and its motivation was from a place of emptiness with a goal towards getting "something".  The second source was external and was produced out of an abundance or overflow in the individual.  The person operating under law is seeking by their own means to fill or earn what they know is lacking and is inwardly focused.  The person living out of grace is so connected to the abundant life (Jesus) that it naturally spills out of them and they are externally focused. 

Now make no mistake, the accuser tries daily to place the believer who is living out of grace back into the bondage of being under the law.  This is why Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 that we are to continually renew our minds so that we might prove for ourselves God's good and perfect will.  How do we do that?  By feasting on the goodness of His word and letting the truth of who we ALREADY are displace the lies that have previously filled our mind.

I am eternally and unconditionally loved, not based on anything I have done but based squarely on who He is and what He's done to demonstrate that love!  That is Grace!  

Selah

Side Note:

*If you are still not convinced of the truth of this amazing grace, take the time to read the story of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11-32.  Pay special attention to the father's reaction to both of his sons (both of which are at opposite ends of the human spectrum, one in despair, the other in pride).  The father’s response is completely independent from both sons behavior.   This story is provided that we might see that wherever we find ourselves in the spectrum from pride to despair and no matter how great or horrible our performance might be, that our heavenly father sees and loves us all the same!  He awaits both you and me with arms wide open, ready to restore us to our original identity at His table, as His child!

Grace - the only sustainable power to change everything...

Satan's Six-Fold Attack

Could two simple sentences spoken towards us, in apparent concern for our good, bring about our emotional death, our spiritual death? Could they steal our happiness, peace and security?  Could mere words cause a complete shift in our belief system?  Surely not, right?...

These are important questions that we should consider.  The word of God is life, it's as relevant for us today as its been for any reader in His-tory.  I'm amazed with the creation account and the story of Adam & Eve found in the book of Genesis.  So much truth about humanity and God's great love for us can be found in just the first three chapters.  

As we explore the simple words spoken by the serpent to Eve, take note of the powerful deception wrapped up in simple questions and statements.  They were designed to move man from a place of complete unity and fellowship with God, unto a place of self-interest, self-achievement and complete separation from our creator.  Make no mistake, what happened then is not just a story of the past but a recurring scheme used daily by the enemy to either keep us in a place of darkness (2 Cor 4:4) or used to suppresses the truth of God's word in the life of the believer leaving us ineffective and sitting on the sidelines.  

Before we examine the interaction with the serpent, we must first ground ourselves on the truth of God's word:

Genesis 2:15-17
Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Notice that God gave Adam complete freedom to eat from any tree in the garden except the one.  Also note, in His loving kindness, that He forewarned Adam, what the consequence would be if he ate from the forbidden tree.  As a side note, I believe that the term "eat" here is speaking of "taking in" or "to believe in" or "to pursue" and not literally the act of eating.  I believe that scripture must be read with a spiritual lens.  In support of this and in the book of John, Jesus makes a very similar statement about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Jesus no doubt is talking about spiritually feeding on the word, or believing upon Himself, not cannibalism.   

John 6:53-56
Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

In the simplest form, I believe God was communicating to man that the result of pursing his own knowledge of what good is, what bad is, would separate him from the very source of his life (God Himself) and would bring about his death (spiritually, emotionally and ultimately physically).  

With this as our foundation, let's move into chapter 3 and examine the six-fold attack by the serpent on God's good creation - man.

Genesis 3:1

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

1 - Did God really say:

Planting the seed of doubt right from the beginning.  Teeing up the wedge that he would drive between man and God.  

2 - You must not eat from any tree:

Twisting and flipping the truth of the first half of God's command that established the freedom of man to freely eat from ANY tree in the garden.  An attempt to replace the declared freedom with questionable restrictions.  By implying that God was restricting all the trees, the serpent expanded the original command well beyond its intent thereby making the restriction of eating from the tree of the KoG&E seem more palatable.  

Genesis 3:4-5
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

3 - You will not certainly die:

An outright lie.  God clearly indicated, in His loving protection, the result of eating from the tree of the KoG&E, that you will certainly die.  Man did experience a physical death and in ways a non-physical death in both the separation from God (being removed from the garden) and the shame brought about from his disobedience.  

4 - For God knows:

A subtle claim by the serpent to have an understanding of the mind of God.  An unspoken proclamation of being elevated in knowledge over God.  Are we not guilty of the same at times?  Pretending to know what God is up to?  

5 - Eyes will be opened:

By implied opposite, the serpent is saying "you are blind, God is hiding things from you" 

6 - You will be like God:

Stealing the truth of the situation - man was already made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26).  He couldn't become what he already was.  

Satan, through his cunning deception, stole in our mind, our personal relationship and the truth of who we are in God.  In his lies, he promised us, through our own pursuit, the very things we already had.  He tricked us into unbelief of the truth (God himself) and sent us down the path of pride and self-achievement.  All this lead to our emotional, spiritual and ultimately our physical death.  

Spend some time in God's word learning and believing the truth of who He is, the truth of who you are!  

Two sentences I leave you.  The first, truth about the thief, the second, Jesus' declared truth about abundant life found in Him!  

John 10:10
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

The Power of Hope

Greater than physically having something in the here and now, hope's power rests in what is yet to come all the while producing great joy and strength for the present.  

Think back to that special vacation you recently had.  The one that you planned for months and months.  For us, it was a trip with the girls about 5 years ago to the United Kingdom.  We spent 9 days traveling from London England to Loch Ness Scotland and nearly every major point in between. Typically I don't like sitting in a car for extended periods of time but this trip proved to be the exception as our eyes were glued to the windshield in awe as we took in the beautiful landscapes and castles.

In order to get reasonably priced airfare, we booked the tickets about 5 months before the trip. Looking back I recall the excitement that we as a family had in anticipation of this wonderful upcoming vacation.  We were about to experience so many first time "moments", things that we could only imagine in our minds.  As we patiently waited the several months leading up to the point at which we pulled out of our driveway, heading for the airport, we held on to great anticipation of the adventure that laid before us.  It was a constant point in our future that became a reference to all the other near term events.  Things could almost be split into two categories; those that would happen before and after our vacation. 

Before we knew it, we were nose up rolling down the runway at Dulles with two bright eyed girls experiencing the powerful thrust of leaving the ground for the first time, an experience that I enjoy to this very day.  It seems as though we blinked our eyes and there we were standing at the rental counter in London England getting ready to brave the busy rush our morning traffic, and might I add, driving on the wrong side of the road and as the driver, on the wrong side of the car!  No doubt this proved to be one of the best vacations we've ever taken.  The freedom to explore new areas, see new sites, eat new food all while doing it with the ones you love - absolutely priceless. 

Throughout the vacation, I found myself constantly counting the remaining days left.  It was as if I was torn between the excitement of discovering the next day's adventure while simultaneously lamenting over the time already gone. Our vacation was being "consumed".  It's value was diminishing day by day.  A horrible way to look at it but true none the less.  

Now don't get me wrong, it was indeed an awesome vacation however there was this sense that it had greater value in the days and weeks leading up to it than it did "in the moment", in the actually having it, in the actually living it.  Before it began, it was 100% available, completely whole, and all together unexperienced.   

I'm sure you too have experienced this to some degree.  The anticipation of a new car, a new phone, new clothes, etc.  As soon as we were in possession of "it", that feeling of diminishing value began to set in.  It's the timeless trick of the enemy, that I might find value in the things that I have or the things that I do.  How can something finite and tangible bring about in me an infinite and transcending joy?  The simple answer is.... it can not!  Our own experiences testify to this truth. 

What if instead I was able to find my value in something other than myself?  Something, intangible, infinite and unchanging?  What if this "something" desired to live its life through and in me?  

For the Christian, what is the substance of our hope?  What is both the present and future value of this hope?  What is the durability and fruit of this hope?  

Our hope is one who's foundation is rooted in a brand new life, Christ's new resurrected life, manifested unto my own new life, through faith.  It's an inheritance locked away in heaven that can NEVER perish. It's strength is so strong that it can produce great rejoicing even in the midst of trials and suffering.  It's eternal value is one that surpasses even that of the most precious metals refined by the fire, like gold.  The final revelation of the object of our hope will result in praise, glory and honor. Though we can't physically see and touch what it is that we hope in now, it yet produces in us inexpressible joy as we are the active and daily recipient of the gift of salvation.  Does this all sound to good to be true? Read it for yourself in the following:

1 Peter 1:3-9

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

HOPE
A beautiful gift that our creator put within us that when awakened through faith, produces inexpressible joy in the life of the believer regardless of the circumstances we've faced past, present or future.  Hope's power, greater than having something in the here and now, rest's in what's yet to come.  Something that is constantly before us, that is never consumed, producing the very life today that it promises tomorrow. 

Selah...

------Other great verses about hope------

Romans 8:24-25

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

Romans 5:3-5

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Tribulation > Perseverance > Character > Hope

Definitions:

Tribulation - great trouble or suffering

Perseverance - steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success

Character - the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.

Hope - a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen

Mom - A Double Portion of Life

My Beautiful Mom

The First

• You carried me physically for 9 months getting to know me only by my movements inside and for me, by hearing your voice.
• At last, face to face on that special day, my entry into the bright and cold world.
• I don't recall that day but in knowing you, I'm sure it was a special embrace. 
• Though not a memory, a foundation was built, a mother's powerful love.  
• A foundation for sure, a deep unconditional love whose roots ran broad.
• Thus, the first life began.

The Second

• A foundation laid and life well on the way.
• A whisper of new life?  How could that be?
• Life greater than what I already had?
• A pointing toward something higher.
• A yielding to something greater.
• A conversation with someOne beyond.
• A faith observed, a belief not understood.
• A glimpse of the beauty, distant and fuzzy.
• A challenge occasionally to read about the One.
• A friend I began to know only by observation.
• A friend I carried and talked to occasionally.
• A friend?  Could He be more than that?  This mind You gave me, it could not see, it could not make sense, the math did not add up.
• A whisper of new life?  An observation of someOne beyond....
• A spit out the bones moment!
• Grace, how could it be true?
• Grace, is that what those stories are about?  Too good to be true.
• Grace, go back and read it again.  How could I have missed it - I read it so many times before.
• Yes, Grace - I see it slipping into the picture.
• Grace, was it just a story or two?
• Nope, I see it there and there too!
• Grace, too good to be true?...  
• Broken before you, I saw for the first time with eyes wide open....   GRACE!  Scandalous and true.
• Grace, new life began, new eyes did see.
• Grace, a filling replacing the leak.
• Grace, a knowing of someOne higher.
• Grace, a yielding to someOne greater.
• Grace, a conversation with someOne beyond.
• Grace, a faith experienced, a belief understood
• Jesus, a new life to share!

Happy Mothers Day 2016 Mom!  I love you...

Rest We Desperately Need

Psalms 91:1

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Does God not seek our spiritual healing and rest above all physical things?

It hit me a few days ago as I was reading this verse, after enduring a string of very stressful days at work, that the psalmist was speaking about our spiritual nature rather than our physical.  As I heard a pastor once say, the Word is God written down on pages.  This side of heaven, we can't be in the physical presence of God where we walk and talk with Him as man once did in the garden.  Thus the purpose of the Word, our opportunity to get to know both ourselves and God by feeding on it daily. 

So why then does the psalmist talk about dwelling in the shelter of the Most High which is impossible for the reader to do (this side of heaven)?  Because perhaps the focus of this verse is our spirit and not our physical body.  The psalmist seems to be communicating to us, the reader, that there is rest for our spirit in the here and now, on this earth, for those who dwell in His shelter.  The beauty of this verse is that our spiritual nature is independent of what might be going on in our flesh, in the physical world.  It has the ability to rises above all the circumstances we might face in our family, with our career, with our health, with our... fill in the blank.   Much like an astronaut in a space suit.  The environment all around might be void of oxygen but the man inside is unaffected by that circumstance.  

Why again is the psalmist or even more to the point, God Himself, writing to "whoever" and asking us to "dwell" in His shelter?   Because in our free will, He has given us an opportunity to choose, we have a choice.  A decision will not be made for us.  In His loving nature, God will not force us to live in, dwell upon or reside in His shelter.  We are free to make that choice on our own.   

The particular day that I read this verse, I was in the midst of a lot of stress from my job - the kind that affects you physically.  This simple Psalm was the very food my soul needed.  I recited it over and over again - "to dwell with Him is to rest", "to dwell with Him is to rest."  I recalled what it meant to physically dwell in my own home.  It's a place of:

1. Shelter from storms
2. Comfort from the heat & cold
3. Food & water, the sustenance of life
4. Relationship w/ loved ones
5. Protection & security
6. Complete separation from the things going on outside

When I began to see the spiritual equivalent of dwelling in His shelter, I was overcome with spiritual rest, a rest that manifested in me physically.   In the span of just a few minutes resting and believing upon this truth, the crushing and circular worries that invaded my mind began to fade as the important and eternal pushed out the transient and temporal.  Oh the powerful truth the Word has to move us spiritually, to free us physically.  

I encourage you the next time you find yourself in the grips of life's problems to reflect on the spiritual truth of this verse.  Recognize that no matter what you might be going through in the REAL events of life, that there IS spiritual rest to be found in the CHOOSING to dwell in His shelter.  You have a choice!  Exercise that choice in Christ.  To do otherwise is to simply abdicate all that we have been given in Him, peace that transcends all understanding...

The Heart of Pride Lifted Up

Have you ever thought about your creation and entry into this world and how we had absolutely no control over any of it?   The fact that we didn't pick our parents, their temperament, personality, their affluence/poverty, the point in history it would happen, the country, our nationality, our sex, our health, our abilities, our disabilities, our looks, our strength, our intelligence, etc., etc.  Nope, we had nothing to do with it. 

It's sort of like going racing at one of those go carts tracks you usually see at the beach. You know, the carts that are all beat up and smell like ether from having been jump started so many times.  You eagerly wait in line and as soon as it's your group's turn, everyone races through the gate and runs toward the cart that they think is the fastest.  This happened during vacation last year and inevitably, the cart I chose was the slowest.  I nearly pushed the gas pedal through the floorboard but the engine would just sputter and jerk.  I think I got lapped twice during the 10 minute ride.   Others, including my wife, had carts that ran really well.  When the race was over, we were all lined up in our finishing order, winners in the front and losers in the back. Boy did I have the best view of the field - dead last.  What's interesting is the winners were happy and excited about their performance and the losers felt like, well losers!    

As it turns out, our life is much the same, except we don't get the chance to choose the cart - one gets supplied for us.  We come into this world with strengths and weaknesses already assigned.   Yet, we look past this fact and claim for ourselves, from our "own making", the great attributes of our personality, good looks, intelligence and the like.  

In the 31st chapter of Ezekiel, this problem of our heart is displayed in grand view. God, using the prophet Ezekiel, sent a prophetic word to Pharaoh in the story of a nation's mighty rise to power and her thunderous fall through the metaphor of a great tree.  Similar to Jesus telling parables to make them more relatable to us (so that we wouldn't get fixated on actual characters), perhaps a tree was chosen for the same reason, that we might, more easily, see the same attributes within our own heart.  In verses 1 through 9, He describes the magnificent tree:

Ezekiel 31:5

“Therefore its height was exalted above all the trees of the field; its boughs were multiplied...

Ezekiel 31:3

Indeed Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon,

With fine branches that shaded the forest, And of high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs.

Ezekiel 31:7

Thus it was beautiful in greatness and in the length of its branches...

Ezekiel 31:8

The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it;

The fir trees were not like its boughs,

And the chestnut trees were not like its branches;

No tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty.

And because of all this: 

Ezekiel 31:6

All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs;

Under its branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their young;

And in its shadow all great nations made their home.

What an amazing tree!  It certainly seems as though this tree was a blessing from God and that it in turn, it was a blessing to the rest of creation.  To leave no doubt, the scripture makes it clear that God was the source of its stature and beauty as described in verse 9, "I made it beautiful with a multitude of branches".  This magnificent tree was the beneficiary of being located at the most abundant source of water in the garden as can be seen in:

Ezekiel 31:4

The waters made it grow;

Underground waters gave it height,

With their rivers running around the place where it was planted,

And sent out rivulets to all the trees of the field.

Ezekiel 31:5

...And its branches became long because of the abundance of water, as it sent them out.

Ezekiel 31:7

...Because its roots reached to abundant waters.  

All appears good right?  God created the tree, located it in the midst of the most abundant life giving waters and as such it grew large in stature and high and mighty.  It ultimately becomes the center of humanity and creation alike!  So where have things gone wrong we might ask?  In verse 10 we see the heart of the problem:

Ezekiel 31:10

Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have increased in height, and it set its top among the thick boughs, and its heart was lifted up in its height...

PRIDE

The tree became prideful in its beauty and tremendous stature.  With its heart lifted up, it exalted itself above all the rest of creation.  This is the ultimate betrayal of our creator, unbelief and pride.  Unbelief - the turning away from God, the very source of all that was good in the tree.  Pride - believing in its own righteousness, believing all that could be found good within the tree was based on what the tree itself had done. We go on to read in the rest of the chapter, that God cuts him down and casts him aside to be made an example to the rest of the people's and nations

Though the story is about a tree and is a metaphor for Assyria and Egypt, it too is a picture into the heart of man.  Are we all not guilty of the same?  Probably much more than we know or are willing to admit, we've taken credit for our own gifts, our own abilities.  We too have turned our backs on our creator and claimed for ourselves these things, that we might exalt them over others for our own righteousness sake.  

Acknowledge that every good thing comes from the Lord.  Our part is to simply "abide" in him (John 15:4-5).  Let His goodness flow forth in the very same way that a vine produces the fruit that flows through the branch.  In this, the fruit of His spirit will be manifest in us - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:2-23)

The next time you end up at a go-cart track, remember, you have no control over its condition or speed.  Win or lose, be thankful that you are in the race.   Let the joy of the moment and the time spent with others be what consumes you, not your position on the track!