Bridge Work.
As I referenced in a previous post, Josh and I and some of the staff from Foursquare in Cambodia had the opportunity to go to a five day conference in Bangkok this past week that featured teaching from a woman named Beth Barone. We joined a group of roughly 75 other pastors and workers from countries including Bangladesh, Japan, Bhutan, Singapore, Vietnam, Germany, the Philippines, China, India, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Nepal. It was challenging and sobering to meet people like Pastor Hosea from Bhutan who was recently released from prison after being kept there for 45 days for being a Christian. And Pastor Benjamin from Bangladesh who had three of his fingers cut off and an eye cut out also for being a Christian. It is a valuable reminder to me to be aware of what I take for granted and how often I complain if my comfort isn't met (Phil 2:14,15).
I’ve struggled to know how to succinctly convey the vast amount of information we all consumed in a very short period of time at this conference. And the conclusion I’ve come to...is that I can’t :) But I can try to offer some pieces of what I gleaned (because I value the information enough to at least try). I would say the basis for much of what Beth talked about involved what she referred to as Reality vs. Non-Reality. This is not a matter of reality necessarily equating to what we can tangibly see and touch and feel, but to an eternal mindset that echoes within the heart of every individual. She compared it to being stuck in one room believing it to be the whole world.
The word “revelation” was used frequently, and while I normally somewhat shy away from this word in many venues because it can perhaps be intimidating or appear “exclusive,” I realized that (from what I understand) revelation is simply catching a glimpse of what resonates to the core of me and then living it out. It is a matter of my intellect gathering information as something in me “clicks.” Suddenly I get it. (As a side note though, the information does not come as a free pass to now convince everyone around you to agree with you :)
I also think there is a very real battle for this information to quickly be removed. Just because we hear it doesn’t mean we have learned it. It is a matter of living it out, reminding ourselves of it, crossing back from the “non-reality” of our earthly, temporal existence into the true “reality” of our eternal selves. We were made for eternity. That is our reality. And it is one which involves joy, peace, security, identity, trust. The temporal things would draw us into mindsets of fear, worry, and a hesitancy to live free because we fear ridicule, we fear a misstep. But God isn’t afraid of our missteps :) He is, however, willing to do whatever it takes to pull us back into reality. I do believe this. He doesn’t simply want to “convert” us, but to free us, to delight in us as we rediscover His original intent of relationship with us. We are loved.
I am praying to not walk away from this week unchanged. I am processing much and praying much and reading Scripture (such wild new ideas! :) and will probably offer more here as I continue to pray through these things.
Hebrews 6:1-3. Colossians 1:13. Galatians 5:1. James 1:22-25.
I’ve struggled to know how to succinctly convey the vast amount of information we all consumed in a very short period of time at this conference. And the conclusion I’ve come to...is that I can’t :) But I can try to offer some pieces of what I gleaned (because I value the information enough to at least try). I would say the basis for much of what Beth talked about involved what she referred to as Reality vs. Non-Reality. This is not a matter of reality necessarily equating to what we can tangibly see and touch and feel, but to an eternal mindset that echoes within the heart of every individual. She compared it to being stuck in one room believing it to be the whole world.
The word “revelation” was used frequently, and while I normally somewhat shy away from this word in many venues because it can perhaps be intimidating or appear “exclusive,” I realized that (from what I understand) revelation is simply catching a glimpse of what resonates to the core of me and then living it out. It is a matter of my intellect gathering information as something in me “clicks.” Suddenly I get it. (As a side note though, the information does not come as a free pass to now convince everyone around you to agree with you :)
I also think there is a very real battle for this information to quickly be removed. Just because we hear it doesn’t mean we have learned it. It is a matter of living it out, reminding ourselves of it, crossing back from the “non-reality” of our earthly, temporal existence into the true “reality” of our eternal selves. We were made for eternity. That is our reality. And it is one which involves joy, peace, security, identity, trust. The temporal things would draw us into mindsets of fear, worry, and a hesitancy to live free because we fear ridicule, we fear a misstep. But God isn’t afraid of our missteps :) He is, however, willing to do whatever it takes to pull us back into reality. I do believe this. He doesn’t simply want to “convert” us, but to free us, to delight in us as we rediscover His original intent of relationship with us. We are loved.
I am praying to not walk away from this week unchanged. I am processing much and praying much and reading Scripture (such wild new ideas! :) and will probably offer more here as I continue to pray through these things.
Hebrews 6:1-3. Colossians 1:13. Galatians 5:1. James 1:22-25.
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