The roads we travel

I love this picture of an Irish road! It is a picture of life in many ways. It is not smooth or predictable but bumpy and unpaved. You can see for a bit but never around the bend. It is one lane so you never know what you might encounter around the next corner. There is a wildness and beauty and unpredictability to it - just like life!

More than ever before it has been the road of my life in the past year. From a forty two day hospital stay hovering between life and death (December and January 07-08), to the uncertainties of health after my discharge and the unpredictable twists and turns along the way - including surgery next week and numerous hospital visits along the way.

Don't get me wrong. I have no complaints. God is good - all the time, no matter what is around the next bend. But I have been reminded, again and again in the past year that in the end we simply live by faith, because we have little or no control over the circumstances of life.

It is a gift to fully understand what it means to live by faith. When we have reached the end of ourselves and have nowhere else to turn but to confidence in a good, all powerful, loving and holy Father, we have received a great gift. It is at that point that what we believe in our head becomes truth in our bones! The gift is wonderful because "without faith it is impossible to please God."

I am awake tonight, long past my bedtime, tired and discouraged. The past ten months have been a long hard grind. That is the reality of life sometimes, there is no reason to pretend otherwise.

But the road continues on past what I can see and I know that in the end, God is sovereign, God is good and all I have is trust in Him and in Him I have everthing I need to have. It is both poverty and riches at the same time. It allows the discouraged heart to be an exhilerated heart all at once!

I would much rather have the two lane Irish road than the eight lane highway. I cherish the adventure of real life and real faith and even the potential danger around the bend. In my need to trust, I gain the gift of God. In my need, I find God's plenty.

We are equals

Editor comment:

The following blog from contributing writer, Lindsay Norman is a followup to her recent blog titled "Subtle disempowerment." This is not a discussion on the theological issues of egalitarianism or complementarianism which is one that has implications for church leadership. This is a discussion about how we honor, treat, respect and work with women in the Christian workplace - like ReachGlobal. God cares how we treat one another: we are all made in His image.

Contributing writer

Lindsay Norman, Reach Global

As a follow up to the blog entry “subtle disempowerment,” I wanted to offer some practical ways we can empower women. However, I want to unpack the word “empower” first. This word conjures up many images: feminist, dominance, control, angry women, etc. I want to tell you what this word means to many gracious and humble women in ministry, and what other words and phrases have been used synonymously with this word.

When I and those in the ministry I serve make references to empowering women (we can include empowering minorities and young leaders as well), what it refers to is the following: treating people as equals, speaking to and about people as equals and allowing ALL people’s gifts to be honored, valued and utilized in the Church.

When there are references to “coming to the table,” “having a voice,” “wanting to be heard,” these all reference the same idea: I want to be treated as an equal, spoken to as an equal and want my gifts to be honored, valued and utilized in the church.

This means if a man has the gift of hospitality or administration, he should utilize those strengths. If he feels called to be a stay at home dad, he should follow the Spirit’s call to do this. If a woman has gifts of leadership or teaching, she should utilize those strengths. If she is called to work full time instead of stay home as a homemaker, she should follow the Spirit’s call to do so.

None of these scenarios should result in guilt as long as we are utilizing the strengths and gifts God has given us to glorify Him, edify his church, and reach our communities and families.

With that in mind, here are some suggestions for how to take steps toward gender (and I would argue ethnic) equality.

Spot potential female leaders and take the time to mentor them into leadership roles.

Use language that is inclusive: when referencing all people in the room, refer to them as staff, leaders, friends, etc. (whatever might apply).

Spend time listening to thoughts, experiences and input from women of all generations and ethnicities. Don’t try to offer solutions right away. Just listen.

Include women in the decision-making process in your ministries.

Help women gain the knowledge and understanding of their spiritual gifts. Then give them a platform to use them.

Create committees and teams to collaborate on key organizational issues. Include men and women on those teams.

Provide leadership seminars and training for women that do not just focus on women’s ministries.

Do not assume that women in a meeting will take care of taking notes, meeting prep, follow up details.

These last couple of suggestions are for women:

Women, own your voice. If you have thoughts or input, use it for constructive and strategic change. Take responsibility for your thoughts and input.

At work, and in the ministry setting, expect to be treated as a ministry/business professional first. Many people (not just women) expect their work in ministry to fulfill personal needs of friendship and family. Sometimes there is a desire to integrate personal and ministry life when at work.

I am not saying we should not have friends or family at work, or that we should not discuss personal issues at work. What I am saying is that should not be the expectation. We as women should not be disappointed if our boss or coworker does not ask about our personal lives. When you are at work (even in ministry), you are a professional worker first and should treat others the same way.

Let’s continue to dialogue on this. I’d rather have this topic be a gracious, honest dialogue than a one-way direction of thoughts and suggestions. Any time we discuss issues such as gender and ethnic equality, let’s make it constructive and for the purpose of glorifying God and working toward reconciliation and understanding.

Subtle Disempowerment

Contributing Writer

Lindsay Norman, ReachGlobal

I have heard it said, “We want you at the table.” I have heard it said, “Your voice and input are significant here.” I have heard it said, “We can’t move forward here without you.” I have heard it said, “Stick with us Lindsay. You are key to helping us make necessary changes.”

Yet some of those same good-hearted, well-intentioned leaders don’t realize that while their words say one thing, their actions say another. As a female in a ministry setting, I am frequently taken aback with how male leaders in the organization do not see, hear or understand how they subtly disempower women, minorities or young, up and coming leaders.

I recently read an organizational communication piece by a leader in a Christian organization. This leader is a dear friend and advocates hard for minority and women’s voices to be heard in our ministry setting. However, this leader was about to send out a piece of communication that reinforced men as leaders and women as cooks and mom’s, largely significant for the food dishes they prepare for male leaders. With some suggestions by coworkers, changes were made and it read much better. In the initial draft, there was subtle disempowerment.

I have been in situations time after time when I am one of a hand full of females during ministry seminars, meetings and prayer times. As men pray, they pray for all the “guys” in the room. References such as these are often defended by male leaders as references to the whole group. However, in my experience as a woman and in my education in social sciences, I can attest that language supports the kind of culture and ethos that is instilled. If language remains the same, culture remains the same. Every time I am referenced as a “guy,” I feel subtly disempowered.

I have been invited to the table at significant meetings in my organization. Many times I am the only one, or one in a handful of women, who can speak into issues. However, I often feel guilty if I speak too much or offer too strong of an opinion. Here are the words of another young, female leader from a Christian organization: “There needs to be freedom for women to be the dominant voice and/or face in a meeting. That experience is very rare in our culture. More often we are strong influencers, before and after the meeting, but rarely at the table itself.” When I feel guilty for being a dominant voice, when I feel pressure to give input before or after a meeting instead of in the meeting itself, I feel subtly disempowered.

This post is not meant to put down men (since I know the audience on this blog is largely male J), but to educate, inform and remind people of the subtle ways sexism (and racism as well) can be embedded in our culture, attitudes and organizations. I am, once again, deeply grateful for T.J. Addington who cares about my voice, deems it significant and allows me to use it to reinforce positive change.

Missions and risk

Across our world today there are many places where Christians are under severe pressure. Right now in India, pastors are being killed, churches burned, believers run out of their villages, their homes and businesses ransacked. In the security of the United States we often do not realize that the number of martyrs for the gospel has skyrocketed in the past 100 years.

Western missionaries are not immune from risk. In fact, an American passport, for instance, once thought to be a security shield is now a security liability in many places.

Our organization has personnel in many countries where security is a real issue. We are told by our security consultants that there is a fifty fifty chance of an "incident" in any five year period. The largest risk is a kidnapping for ransom which is one of the major "industries" in the developing world. Of course, there are always even greater risks associated with radicals who hate Christianity.

Then there are the risks just associated with places in the world where lawlessness is rampant, poverty ubiquitous, medical help meager, transportation unsafe or political instability significant. That describes many places where mission activity is targeted.

Risk is inherent in mission activity. Missionaries bring the good news of the gospel into the territory of the evil one and there is nothing he hates more than the expansion of God's kingdom. As Paul indicated, our fight is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers of this dark world.

It is incumbent on us to pray for safety for those missionaries we know as well as for the believers they work with. We should not take their health and safety lightly. They daily face a spiritual battle and the evil one will do anything in his power to hurt them and blunt their message of hope

Second, we should not be surprised when we hear that a missionary has been kidnapped, hurt or killed. It is one of the risks that those on the front lines are willing to take, knowing that the spread of the gospel is worth even their lives if necessary.

Missionaries and missions work to make wise decisions to mitigate risk. But, risk is inherent in mission activity in a world that is often dangerous and unstable. Every one of us can make a difference in that risk through regular concerted prayer.

Reciprocity

Guest Writer

Kim Cone, Missionary in Africa

How I wish I’d discovered the blessing of “reciprocity” earlier on in my missionary career! Because I felt there was such a discrepancy between what I owned and what my African friends owned, I found it difficult to accept their gifts.

More than once, I made the awkward mistake of actually trying to pay them for what they intended to give me! Now I realize that there is really no difference in our relative wealth. The difference lies in wherein we happen to be wealthy! Each is wealthy in his own way! And so, to garner the love, respect and assistance that we all need, reciprocity in gifting is in order. Let me illustrate.

I sat down to a wonderful lunch Jan had prepared: rice, covered with “butu” greens sprinkled with hamburger in turn spiced up with Elise’s, top-flight, hot sauce. As I was about to shove in the first mouthful, Elise, Danforth’s cook, waltzed in wearing a huge, ear-to-ear smile! As a surprise, she’d prepared caterpillars just for Josh and me! As I was heaping them on, Jan admonished me to leave some for Alexis, our own cook, for it is our custom to feed our cooks. However, I refused. I knew Elise had made them especially for me! I also knew that Alexis would get plenty at home. Jan NEVER cooks me either caterpillars or snails! And so, whenever Elise does, I savor each bite with gratitude! Indeed, she has something to offer that I don’t!

Reciprocity! She got so much joy out of surprising me with that treat with which to garnish my existing platter! And, I enjoyed eating each morsel just as much as I had enjoyed giving her a treasured, plastic barrel in which to soak the cyanide out of her manioc roots.

Which is worth more? A plastic barrel? Or, home-fried caterpillars? If the true measure is units of joy, then they’re probably equal. And so, I’m going to continue my practice of shouting out to workmen headed for their gardens, “Hey, I know there are a lot of fresh peanuts in your garden! You know, I don’t get freshly boiled peanuts in the States!” Oh, you can buy boiled peanuts at filling stations in the South BUT they’ve soaked in water so long they’re nothing but mush! No, I want African-style, boiled, “fini kareko”, ‘new peanuts’. And now, I recognize that a bowl of these is worth as much as anything I’ve ever given to anyone here irrespective of the dollar value. The principle of the widow’s mite is not only applicable to the synagogue.

Enjoying both giving and receiving,

Engaging the Encore Generation

There are few more lost opportunities to the kingdom than that of not engaging the encore generation in ministry. I define the encore generation as those who have finished their primary career whether at 40, or 65. They no longer need to work, have resources and especially time to be involved in ministry.

Never in history have so many people been able to retire from an occupation and have so much time on their hands!

While folks may retire from a job, there is no scriptural precedent to retire from kingdom work. In fact, kingdom work is really our primary work, no matter what our stage in life. Unfortunately, in many instances the church does not actively seek to engage encore folks other than to shuttle them into a senior group (many are way to young for that) - which is often more about recreational activities than ministry anyway.

Many of my heroes in life are encore generation individuals who have chosen to use their "freedom" to advance the kingdom in significant ways. I think of Lee who uses his resources and IT technological expertise to reach thousands around the world via evangelism on the Internet. Or Dave, who gives much of his time to church leadership, Grant and Carol who fund ministry efforts around the globe and serve their local church ministry generously.

While I have many such heroes, what I do not often see is the church actively seek to recruit and deploy the encore generation in significant ministry. The expertise, wisdom, time and resources of this generation is an unrivaled opportunity for the church to expand its ministry influence in the community and around the world.

Because the church does not seek to engage these individuals, those who are ministry driven often find their own ministry or they serve outside the local church with someone who values them - and asks them to join them in meaningful ministry. Others, unchallenged, retire not only from their jobs but also from ministry, leaving their most productive years on the table and unused for the kingdom.

If you are part of the encore generation and are fully engaged I honor you. If your ministry is not yet actively seeking to engage this generation, think about the potential for your ministry. Engaging this growing group could be a game changer for ministries.

Taking the Risk to End Well

This week, a 20 year colleague of mine, a fellow Senior Vice President of the EFCA took a huge risk. He resigned from a safe paycheck and solid ministry to move to a tiny ministry that requires him to raise his support and take a major income cut.

At 56! After 22 years at the EFCA!

Steve did what most of us are not willing to do at his age - leave the comfortable and the secure for the scary and unknown.

In explaining his decision, Steve put his finger on several issues that all of us who are secure in our positions ought to consider.

First, he did not want to do what he had seen so many people do - coast into retirement and not stay on top of their game. It is easy for us to become comfortable and start to coast in our ministries or employment. Whenever we get too comfortable we lose our edge and we either need to redesign our job so we stay 100% engaged or consider something else.

Steve had reinvented his job many times in 22 years but now felt that he needed to step out into something new that would more fully engage his heart.

Second, Steve had consistently worked himself out of jobs and found himself in a place where while extremely competent, he was not in the center of his sweet spot. He understands that it is only when we are in the center of how God made us that we will be most effective.

Third, his heart was restless. And had been for several years. When our hearts grow restless we need to pay attention because it is often God trying to get our attention! If we experience the restlessness and do nothing about it, we run a risk that our restlessness will become complacency leading to a loss of ministry passion and a coasting to the end.

For all of us in our 50's there is a great temptation to become comfortable and settled after the hard work that has brought us to where we are. This is a danger zone. To finish well we must press on with the same passion and missional commitment that got us to where we are.

It is sad to see people start with passion and end with complacency. But our comfort often keeps us from "getting out of the boat" and taking the risk. We know that our comfortable salaries and benefits will be at risk. We are less willing to move from the comfortable to the scary.

I honor Steve for taking the risk. I ask myself if I would be willing to take the risk. Would you be willing to take that risk? Would God be asking any of us to take that risk

Peter was when he got out of the boat to walk on water to Christ. Steve is as he gets out of his boat to follow Christ to a new, uncharted and scary place. May we be as sensitive to God's call and our engagement!