Intercession

Twice now I have been on my way out the door on a Monday evening when our co-worker, Chris, stops me and asks me if I have time to pray for some of the guys he works with. Intercession is new for him. He says that most of his life he believed "praying for" people--from a distance--was kinda useless. "I'll keep so and so in my prayers," he'd always hear. Yeah, right. "Will you keep me in your prayers?" Um, probably not. What does that even mean or look like?

Chris heard from his friend's girlfriend that after finishing his first year at college (which is a miracle in itself, having gone through gang drive bys, hospitals, jail, deportation prison with me, and having lost all his scholarships all within six months before enrollment) he was back in his dad's trailer, drinking, drunk, being visited by the old gang members, and threatening to give up on everything before his immigration trial that is fast approaching. Chris freaked out.

Normally, he'd feel guilty, like he hadn't done enough, and jump in the car to go find him, scoop him onto his shoulders like a lost sheep, and bring him to some place of safety where he could try to fix all his problems in the name of Jesus. But something in him for weeks has been telling him he needed to learn how to intercede for guys, that the battle is a spiritual one devouring them, preying on them, and his footwork is pathetic against the principalities.

Now, I've been praying more in the past years but I quickly realized that I haven't been so closely attached to the "results" or fruit of my praying. But as Chris and I went to pray in the sanctuary I found myself with an ache in me for Jesus to really show up for this guy right then and save him from all that was coming against him. I felt powerless and overwhelmed. I knew my quiet praying was too small, so I crossed over and began shouting in tongues. I didn't know what else to do.

Then I heard Chris pray; Chris who doesn't feel like he knows how to pray. Chris prays scandalous prayers (he's a scandalous guy and works with scandalous guys). Chris prays, "Jesus, I tell these guys about You all the time; that You love them, that You show up to save, and if You don't do this I'm not sure I want to follow You." (!) My eyes sprang open! Dang, I'm not very comfortable with that, but it reminded me of one of David's psalms. My version is more like "come on God!" And I know how much Jesus loves Chris and Chris' guys.

Visitors

It's been a time of reconnecting.

Susan dove headfirst into Facebook and found connections with her old Camp Firwood - http://www.thefirs.org/index.php?page=camp_firwood - so we went down for late night on the Fourth of July, got to hear 4th graders talk about what they learned about God at camp that week and connected with old staff, some of whom are still there.

Kevin and Rachel Kreiss came up for the day on Saturday - our last opportunity to hang out as they prepare to go to Duke in North Carolina in August for Rachel to start nursing school and Kevin to discover the next thing God has in store for him and them.

Yesterday Jonathan, Tiffany and Madeleine Werner were our first visitors to not come to Bellingham, but who came to the English worship service at Tierra Nueva. It was great to show them around so they could see the place they were praying for.

Bondage Breaking

I've begun meeting with a couple of the young Hispanic men who are part of Tierra Nueva having come from the jail ministry, and started reading through Neil Anderson's The Bondage Breaker together. At the end of our first discussion and time of prayer, one man quoted, "there are many Christians like me out there leading lives of 'quiet desperation' due to the attack of demonic forces." He said, "that's me!" I told him that many people live in the quiet desperation because they don't believe in demons who come to steal, kill and destroy. He was amazed, "Don't they read the bible?" I said yes, but we have explained away demons with scientific and medical explanations. He said that we are supposed to believe the bible and then he laughed and said, "I think they have a demon." I agreed that it might be true. Then he said, "If I was a thief and was breaking into someone's house, I would wipe down my fingerprints and every trace that I was there."

Rosetta Stone

We are pretty excited that our edition of the Rosetta Stone language learning software arrived this week. Its as basic as it gets with vocabulary but uses no English, just pictures, reading, writing, pronunciation, etc. all coming from several angles and repeated plenty. We're looking forward to getting some of this under our belts. Salvio, one of the outreach workers who is originally from Mexico, encourages us as he works on his English: "Your pronunciation is very good," he says. We tell him "thank you for speaking so highly of the three words we have mastered!"

We've been talking about learning Spanish for years, with all the trips to Tijuana to build houses, but there is nothing like having it around you all the time to get you motivated!

Dios te bendiga!

Dialogical

So, I had my first opportunity to "preach." I put it in those terms because the sermon here is what is called "dialogical" or it happens as a dialogue. This is a style of teaching that you will find in books such as Reading the Bible With the Damned and The Academy of the Poor. To put it plainly, it functions as a bible study dialogue instead of a sermon monologue. I can work with that - the thing most challenging to me is the role of the "leader" is to facilitate engagement with the passage, not primarily to introduce ideas. The importance of this approach is significant:

• I have tended to read the Bible with people like myself looking for the "right answer" or to lead people to the "right answer." This approach disempowers people who have not been trained by the academy or the church and creates a culture that seeks someone in power to mediate the text rather than allowing and trusting the Spirit of Jesus to teach us. So the dialogical approach helps to give voice to those who have had no voice.
• Also, in reading the Bible the way I have, I have not humbled myself or opened myself to what the Spirit may say to me through people who have a different context or experience than I do. So the dialogical approach also says that I have much to learn from the poor and people on the margins that the lens of my small experience and context will not have taught me.

Walking that out creates a tension for me as I discover the gospel that is good news to the poor and still feel that there is a need or space for a more classical teaching. Ithink it is important to understand our contexts and to know that we engage the Bible through those lenses, but also to recognize that our experiences and contexts don't necessarily yield truth. There is my tension!

Anyway, it was a good experience. I worked with Salvio to translate my questions for the Spanish service - now that was challenging!

God's Provision

It is a risky thing, this getting out of the boat. We hear the invitation of Jesus; we are feeling gutsy, feeling the call, feeling faith and the possibility of the miraculous rising up in us even as Jesus is standing there. The first step seems like the riskiest one - I mean, its water after all. Maybe it is enthusiasm or even momentum that gets us going. Its not until we've taken a few steps and are committed - too far from the boat for it to be a fall back plan and not yet to Jesus - that we realize what a risk we have taken. We start to look at where we are and fear comes crashing in - we see the wind and the waves. What are we doing out here, we think, and we remember the security of the boat (though further from Jesus) - nice, solid wood planking beneath us. Something "real" to trust in. Yet, there is Jesus standing there like the water is as solid as the boat. Whether we walk or swim, we are out of the boat because we want to be closer to Jesus.

Our call to Tierra Nueva feels a lot like this in many ways but the most tenuous one is financially. It is strange even to say it right now because we will get paid this month thanks to the support of our many friends, and especially one time gifts. Bob and Gracie are two months behind in their salary. If I had my way, I would want all our support for the next year already lined up (and secured). Bob has been saying that God has been asking him, "Do you want a salary or do you want Me to provide for you?" The only way I learn that God provides is to follow Him into the wilderness where He must and then He does. It requires fixing your eyes on Jesus and getting out of the boat to discover that you can walk on water.

I prayed with a friend regarding my fear of economic insecurity. He said that decisions made out of this fear will not be Kingdom decisions. Everyone who steps out like this experiences this panic. Our fears are never as great as the outcome. Get closer to God, lean on Him, ask Him about the details. He said the Holy Spirit would give us a sign that He is providing. Within a week we received a significant check from a source we hadn't expected. God is good.

Thank you for adding your faith to ours as we get further from the boat and closer to Jesus.

Spring Cleaning

A few weeks ago, after our friends from France left, we were talking about how to continue the work of deliverance and cleaning house, personally and as a ministry, that the Lord had initiated through them. So last week people fasted during the day and cleaned the physical space of Tierra Nueva's building and broke their fast in the evening together each day. On Friday we spent time worshipping and asking the Lord what sort of spiritual cleansing He'd like to lead us through in the building. It was a significant time of worship, prayer and repentance, forgiveness and blessing, even as we felt the resistance in the air around us. There is still more to be done, and we thank Jesus for His victory and leading.

This week one of the ways we are walking in the new order brought into the building, is to rearrange offices so that Susan and I have a space to work. I guess that means we've arrived when we have a desk - we just don't know which desk, yet.

If you are interested in praying for Tierra Nueva and its ministries, Bob Ekblad and his daughter (13) Anna, are flying to France this Friday for four days, then to South Africa for three days, then to Mozambique for two weeks to teach for Iris Ministries' pastors training school. Please pray for them and for us while they are gone.