The Sacrament of Daily Good

I had breakfast with ministering friend Phil Maslin a few weeks ago. He is an artist and produces beautiful work in several mediums. One is photography and he has turned some of his photos into greeting cards he sells at a few local outlets or gives to friends. While we met, he gave me a set and as I looked at them I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the cards, and equally overwhelmed that he would give away something so beautiful. I was holding a flower of his heart grown through great love, talent, and labor.

Then I thought, rather than hide his flowers because he can't make a lot of money off of them or become famous, he was giving them for whatever blessing they could be to the recipients. I realized: "Wow, this is how much of the good is done in the world-not in some world-changing action that divides history, like Jesus' death and resurrection, but also in the daily, year-after-year, hardly noticed, acts of love people do!" I was overwhelmed thinking of all the good that Phil has accomplished bit-by-bit and piece-by-piece through years of giving beauty to his friends. The cards symbolized many acts of kindness, integrity, service, confessions, and thoughtful conversations with his friends. As we talked, I learned that he was studying a book, Irresistible Influence, to learn how to better love the people he knows.
None of us will change the world by some heroic act or stunning teaching, like Jesus, but-like most of his original followers: farmers, carpenters, barbers, homemakers, bakers, tax collectors, soldiers-we many, we happy many, incrementally change the world of the people around us with good and beauty, and that is a great good.

Her full nature . . . spent itself in channels which had no great name on the earth. . . . the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs. (Dorthea in Middlemarch by George Elliot) Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (Paul, Galatians 6:10). . . . let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Jesus, Matthew 5:16).

While praying recently, it struck me that almost all of our friends are doing all the good they know how to do. I was overwhelmed with the beauty and preciousness of that. I would name all your names, all you Georges and Joans and Toms and Marys and Dorises and Ruths and . . . and . . . but I cannot because the list is too long-plus, I would weep.

John Gilman

Freedom, Joy and Hard Work

I knew I was signing up for exhaustion when we paid for a 17 hour bus ride to Phoenix, Louisiana to rebuild "Katrina Houses". Freedom and joy surprised me. Hanging out with fellow bus brethren brought lots of laughter and sharing. Arriving tired and too-close-to midnight, joy hit my heart again when I found our air mattress filled and inside the tent that the Beaver family set up earlier for us.

Eating with the crowd of Christians under the canopy Sunday morning, freedom began to ring as Don Stedman and other leaders explained our job choices. They stressed that relationship building with residents and praying in the tent "tabernacle" were as important as roofing and mucking!

I chose to attend the service in the little Baptist church next to our tent city. The contrast of our work clothes to the Sunday-best of the congregation didn't stop them from grabbing our hands during the circle prayer time. An older gal helped me with my poor rhythm as we all swayed back and forth.

I worried a bit as I walked to the little house on blocks where I would join my husband Neut in sheet-rock work. Could my tendinitis elbows do this? Joy! I discovered a niche for me, mudding and taping that involved no lifting or pulling. When meal times or the snack car came I was weary -yet without a single elbow pain.

The next morning I woke early and promised myself the luxury of using the church's flush toilets if I got up to help with breakfast. (Small joys.) What fun to prepare eggs, bacon, fruit and biscuits with a group of gals (and Devin!) before the sun came up.

Overalls on, I headed back to the small white house to work but I took the freedom to hear more of Joyce's story. (She is the 71 year-old owner.) We sat between her small cave of a Fema trailer and the kitchen steps by her old home. Joyce drawled on, "When I heard dat Katrina was headed for our river, I knew the whole gulf'd be flowing up it: so I started puttin' stuff up high in my house to save it. My suits were already up when I saw da suitcase and I tol my gran' daughter: 'Get those down and put 'em in dis case.' Now, they laughed at me at the shelter 'bout bringin' suits (some never worn!) but after Katrina I axed them: 'Where's yor navy suit?' 'Cause ya see, we all wear navy suits when we usher at church."

Joyce shared many stories with me those three days. Scary ones like her sons surviving on top of the school roof for days. Sad ones like deeply missing her twin sister who died last November -not living to move back into her house where her wheel chair would have room to move. Amazing ones like the tree her grandfather planted surviving the flood. Crazy ones like re-construction people charging exorbitant prices to repair houses and doing a shoddy job. Happy ones about her children and grand children's lives.

That afternoon freedom gave me permission to break away from my exhausting labor to nap and then spend time in the prayer tabernacle. The leader needed a break so she left me "in charge". A group of children came in to color their prayer and giggle. Olga, a little older, scolded the others. "If Mrs. __ was here she'd shoo us out." I pondered her words and my possible duty to "shoo". The thought of Jesus' words "Let the children come to me..." convinced me to put up with the noise.

Another time that I was in the tabernacle a resident from down the road hobbled in. She made the sign of the cross, listened to the Bible reading and joined her prayer to our spontaneous intercession. As I helper her crippled knees navigate the step to leave, she confided, " I'd heard about this 24/7 prayer tent an' when I was invited to dinner I decided to come in here and see for myself."

One evening during group worship I glanced up at the levy and saw the top of a ship all lit up like Disneyland. As it glided silently by I wondered if that party-boat held the joy that our star-lit community worship had in Jesus.

Too soon the silver bus was pulling up to be loaded. We joined the youth in the final litter patrol. There was Joyce under her "grandfather's tree". Neut and I hurried over to hug her good-bye. She sat there as the big bus began the trip back to our intact, lovely homes.

Sally J. Williamson

Children and the Word

I can remember sitting on my mom’s bed every night for our “quiet time.” It all started when I was 4 years old and my brother’s were just little. I, being the oldest was to set the example in all the years to come of what it looked like to be attentive to Jesus during these times. I would use all sorts of tactics to make sure my mom didn’t know that I was really in to what was happening. There was the “I’m asleep” approach as well as the I’m bored “look”.

My mom kept talking and forging ahead with the nightly example of what it looks like to spend time with Him. We were able to see modeled through her how important it is to know Him and the truth that you can’t know Him without spending time with Him. She was faithful for several years and never wavered based upon our emotions or seeming desire to listen.

As I grew up and started to mature in Him, I would recall these times fondly. What happened in these times with Jesus and my mom were priceless. I heard His voice for the first time. I had a spirit of fear leave. I had the foundation of scripture laid down under me. And most importantly I learned to make and keep my appointments with a God who adores me.

So for all of you parents who feel like your kids are bored or falling asleep during your quiet times, it might very well be code for “keep going”

Jen Parker

Connecting with the Father

On the cabinet that hangs over my desk, I have a bunch of pictures of our missionaries from different parts of the world such as India, Nepal, Thailand, China, Guatemala, Africa and the Middle East. It’s fun to come in early in the morning and greet them and begin to pray for them.

But seeing there pictures every day is also a reminder to me. Every one of them has an intense prayer life, devotional life and a steady diet of reading God’s Word. They really have to rely on God to get them through their day, every day. They live in nations that don’t like Americans especially Christian Americans. Most of them live on a less than adequate income. They live where you can’t drink the water and the electricity is not dependable, where the temperature often climbs to 120 degrees or higher and raw sewage flows down the streets. Some live where car bombs explode with regularity or where religious wars never cease and tension fills the air.

When you live in these different kinds of situations your awareness of God and your dependence on Him becomes very real. But what about us here in Kansas City? Shouldn’t we also have an intense prayer life, devotional life and steady diet of reading God’s Word? Well maybe our need isn’t as great here. We can drink the water right out of the tap or turn the AC on when it gets too warm. We truly are blessed in America. As blessed as we are in this nation, is our need for God any less than our missionaries?

Reading through the Bible in 90 days has been a real ‘eye-opener’ for me. It was so good to read it straight through as a story. I actually read it in 42 days because I just couldn’t put it down. Knowing His story is really important if we’re going to share it with others. It’s also important because it points out how much we need Him in our lives. My day just seems to go so much better when I start it out communicating with my Creator. Whether it’s by praying, doing a devotional, singing songs, reading the Word or all of them combined it just makes my day better.

If you’re not connecting with the Father on a regular basis I want to challenge you to go there. I believe you’ll be glad you did. So let me leave you with these words from Ps.119 verses 9-16.

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”

Randy Catlett

Songbird Restoration

A word for Metro given to Bill Parker, shared on Sunday, Feb 18, 2007 during morning worship.

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During worship I saw a lady worshiping and praising the Lord. I knew this lady and knew of her brokenness in life, issues in her heart, shame, weariness and need for healing from hurt in her life. She had gone through rough seasons. As she was worshiping, I saw this brilliance of the Lord come over her, and what came from shame became a garment of light, a garment of praise. It was just brilliant. As I saw this the Lord showed me that this woman represented Metro. The past seasons that we’ve gone through and the barren times even and just how we’ve gone through rough seasons … the Lord’s going to take our shame and where we’ve been and He’s going to begin to give us light and He’s going to give us a garment of praise, and hope, and peace.

Then that light I saw became a candelabra. It became a single candle at first and then it became many candles. The Lord said, “I’m going to restore the candle of the Lord to the nations for Metro.” I felt like that candle represented many things. I felt like the Lord said, “I’m going to make this a candlelight (which is prominence & favor) church again.” We have a purpose beyond just Metro in the city. We have a purpose to the nations.

As I was asking the Lord what that was, He showed me that He’s restoring the prophetic flow in our church. I saw a big stream coming down a mountain side. As this stream came down I intuitively knew that this was the stream in Revelation and Ezekiel or Isaiah which has life and healing in it. This stream flowed into a large pond or small lake in which the middle of the lake was a rock, right dead in the middle of that lake, and I felt that was Christ. He’s been put in the center of our church. Around the rock was almost like a pond. I felt like the Lord said, “I’m restoring also my presence. I’m restoring my presence to my church. Out of that presence, out of my presence I’m going to restore healing and deliverance in the church, the anointing of healing and I’m going to bring that to the nations.”

Then I felt like the Lord also showed me that as we’re doing worship on stage, “I’m also restoring the songbirds back to Metro.” I felt that’s the prophetic worship and that anointing to go deep into the Lord and come back out.

So I just wanted to share these things and hopefully that’ll encourage you.

Grandpa's in Taiwan

We decided to celebrate the Jewish holiday Purim by doing the 3 things Esther & the Jews did – feast, give gifts & give to the poor. On Purim we invited people over for a good meal & wrote cards to encourage each other. After praying several times we felt the Lord wanted us to give traditional Chinese sausages to some of the elderly poor who recycle for "pennies". At first it was hard for us to even know how to give them sausages, because they weren't sure how to "pay us back" since that's culturally expected. So they didn't want to accept our gifts. Upon receiving them they could hardly believe we'd give them a dozen little sausages. They were grinning from ear to ear. It was such a joy. I love the poor. I need the poor. It was by far a highlight so far here!

I met another elderly man while walking with a friend in a nearby park. I noticed Mr. Ruan was limping from a stroke & started praying while still behind him. We caught up & I started talking with him. I've never quite shared like this but here's how it came out: "I have a friend that's a famous doctor. He has healed many people. His name is Jesus Christ. Have you ever heard of Him? Would you like me to ask Him to heal you?" The man responded, "I think I've heard that name somewhere, but can't really remember who He is." Mr. Ruan didn't want us to pray then but agreed that we could ask Jesus Christ to heal him & then come back to the park and see him again.

-Lynn (one of our Metro Missionaries working in Taiwan)

Hiding God's Word

I have vivid memories of my mother, sitting on the edge of my bed, rehearsing my memory verse with me in preparation for Sunday School each week. Today I’ll run into someone at Wal-mart and in our conversation I’ll pull a scripture out of my memory that speaks into their situation.

“Where did that come from?” Isaiah 55:11 says, “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Even as a five year old, I knew that I was partnering with God, sowing all that seed deep in my heart. But I am still amazed when I see the fruit; when I am tempted or when I am in despair and the Living Word of God echoes the truth into my life! Who I am today is the result of all that scripture sown into my heart . . . how I behave, reason and live. Is the fruit of your life the evidence of God’s Word growing in the deep places?

-Jason Ellsworth