Day: June 2, 2017

Allow me to introduce you to George.  He is the driver of our mini-van.  Mario Andretti has nothing on him!  He could be Jimmy Johnson’s Kenyan twin brother.  Please don’t misunderstand.  George is incredibly competent.  And he takes our safety very seriously.  But let’s just say there were a few times when I felt very close to Jesus this afternoon.  We drove up the lower road from Nairobi to Naivasha.  It’s a two lane “highway” that runs along the lip of the Rift Valley.  It’s rutted and dusty.  And it is absolutely jammed with slow moving semi-trucks.  This is where George shines.  He weaves that minivan seamlessly in and out of those big trucks – most of the time.  There was one moment when Pastor Craig leaned over from the front passenger seat and told George he had his crucifix with him!

This afternoon’s drive made me think of just how crowded and hectic I tend to make my life.  I have a bad habit of filling the day and night up with lots and lots of tasks and appointments.  And it quickly becomes a traffic snarl that leaves me to weaving and dashing along.  Full confession:  I have even been known to transfer that frustrated weaving and dashing to my driving in Orlando traffic!  That’s one thing a mission trip does for you.  It forces you to slow down long enough to see what is going on.  Stepping of your regular routine and being living for a time in another setting has a way of giving perspective on what is urgent and what is not.

On his first missionary journey, Paul had all kinds of challenges and pressures.  Things got so hectic at one point that he was expelled from the city of Pisidian Antioch.  And yet, it says in verse 52 of chapter 13 that the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.  This is the same guy who claims to have dotted every “I” and crossed every “T” in following the Law of Moses!  The same guy who got so riled up at Christians he literally went around the country hunting them down!  Now he is persecuted, stoned nearly to death and expelled.  And yet he is filled with the presence and joy of the Holy Spirit.

How much better would I be at handling the rush hour of tasks if I was filled with the presence and joy of the Holy Spirit?  How much better would my appointments be if I was centered on the presence and joy of the Holy Spirit?  The key question for me seems to be this.  How can I make myself available to the Holy Spirit?  How do I take my focus off the road and the rush long enough to connect with the very One who sustains me through it?  What about you?  What are you doing to open yourself to the presence and joy of the Holy Spirit today? 

It’s time for me to try and be a little less Mario Andretti and a little more Paul.  How about you?  How about you?

Pastor David 

So we are off!  We gathered at the airport at 11 this morning.  Boarding a 777, we flew 14 long hours to Dubai.  Allow me summarize the flight in two words.  Screaming.  Baby.  Right.  Behind.  Me.  Okay – that’s five words.  Did I mention 14 hours of flight time?  Not that I find it easy to sleep on airplanes in the first place.  I can never get comfortable.  Just about the time I doze off someone kicks the back of the seat.  I’m glad I don’t do this kind of traveling every day.

In a few minutes, we will board our second jetliner.  This one for Nairobi.  It’s a much shorter trip.  Only 5 hours.  For some reason my teammates don’t take a lot of comfort in that.  Fortunately, we have been able to pit stop.  Even grabbed a $30 hamburger at Shake Shack in terminal A!  We should be in at our hotel around 10 – just over 24 hours after we left Orlando.  Tomorrow we will board a van and head 2 hours up to Naivasha where we will begin the first part of our mission work.

As I have been traveling thinking about Paul’s missionary journeys.  In particular, I was reading about his mission trip in Acts chapters 13 and 14.  On that trip, Paul traveled 1500 miles.  He had to take a ship three different times.  It took him 54 days.  Some scholars estimate it cost him almost a year’s worth of paychecks.  Not only that, along the way he was stoned nearly to death, expelled, and criticized.  He went a long way and suffered much to bring the love and hope of Christ to others.

In comparison, I easily fall into the trap of thinking it’s a big deal to ride an airplane for more than 5 hours.  Or that it’s sacrificial to eat a $30 hamburger from a restaurant with a menu written in a different language.  Or to spend the night in a strange hotel that is lacking some of the amenities that I am used to.  I must admit I am ashamed as I write these words.  This trip is already begging the question:  How far would I be willing to go to share the love and hope of Christ with others?

The question doesn’t just apply to miles.  It concerns my personal comfort, my daily routines and even my sense of security.  Do I really believe that Jesus Christ offers a life that is rich, eternal and abundant?  Have I truly experienced the life changing love of God?  How far would I go to share the love and hope of Christ with others?  What about you?  How far would you go? 

The truth is, I am grateful for the life in Christ that has been given to me.  I want to share it with others.  So I am going to work on going farther than ever before.  How about you?  How about you?

Pastor David