I promise this will be a spiritual discussion. J
On Friday Russ took the Scottsdale team on a “fun adventure.” We ended up at a cemetery and he encouraged the kids to wander around and think about the brevity of life and the urgency of our mission. He reminded us that most of the names represent people in hell, which is absolutely true though horrifying. I thought that was an interesting way to end their trip but it ended up being really meaningful for a lot of them. It was helpful for me to put together a few of the things God has been telling me lately.
Firstly, there’s the urgency of the gospel. Really. People are going to hell. Atheist Penn Jillete, in a famous video blog, called out Christians who don’t proselytize. He said that if someone was going to be hit by a bus, he would tell them and if they wouldn’t listen, he would shout or even push them out of the way. If we believe in hell, it is evil for us to not warn people! I do not believe that every person is a mouth. We make up a body and those of you that are praying for me are fulfilling your mission to some extent by doing that. Those that are serving, giving, teaching, encouraging, whatever, you are doing what God gifted you to do. The people that missionaries talk to will have you to thank in heaven. However, we all have people that we love. Sharing with them the gospel is the only consistent thing we can do if we claim to believe God and love them. Please consider that seriously. If you do not tell these people, they will find out some other way. If someone in this life tells them, they will feel betrayed that you didn’t love them enough to be honest and if they find out in the next life, they will be in hell. Please consider the gravity of that. Do you love people? Do you believe God?
Secondly, when I was missing home and LBAC the most, I was reminded by a good friend that this life is but a vapor, and it is much better to fellowship with you all in eternity to come. How great is that?! All things I feel that I am sacrificing on this earth will be fully reclaimed in the next, provided that they are God’s things. I get to worship with you all forever! I look forward to that with desperation and delight. I am so excited! I read Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand recently (if you haven’t read it, request it online free, please) and fell in love with God’s church all over again. Our brothers and sisters have been giving up everything for eternity and still are. It’s estimated that Stalin killed about 10 million Christians. Weep for these people but rejoice that we get to celebrate with them when they are healed of their wounds in heaven. I want to join their ranks and give something up in this life for the precious name of Jesus. Just a couple weeks ago four missionaries were murdered by pirates. They gave up everything they had a few years back to sail around the world distributing Bibles to those that cherish the Word in a way we never have. Wow! So cool!
Thirdly, I read the Narnia series a few weeks ago and that was a joy. The last one was a cool reminder of what’s to come. Like, whoa! This life is but a shadow of the New Earth. We have been redeemed and been made New Creations (oh man I love regeneration) so that we can see a bit of God’s design in the world and can occasionally get a taste of what is next. Standing in a graveyard, this girl and I discussed what that’s going to be like. We are finite beings. We have eternity to learn more and more about the infinite God we worship. We get to grow relationally and intellectually and musically and in every way forever! We get to practice dominion over this world and get to continue to create and we get to rule with Christ! This life is a vapor. That is what I am excited for!
Now here’s the reason for the picture. I’m not a big animal person but they are growing on me. I have always loved sharks though, especially great whites. I think in junior high I watched a show on great whites leaping out of the water to hunt and it captured my imagination. How can those huge things do that? They are mechanically so different from porpoises that do the same thing but in very different ways. I started to love these giant monsters that God designed to show something about himself. God loves sharks, too, and much more than I ever will. They glorify him! It’s man that sinned, not beast. They do what God made them to do and keep on doing it. I love that! Trees continue to do just as God told them; they grow and produce fruit and release oxygen and host other creatures. But I digress. There’s a special from Shark Week a few years ago called “Sharkman” that I believe gives a taste for the new earth. This guy basically found out that sharks like to be touched on the nose and even like to be pet like cats. There’s this thing called “tonic immobility” which basically involves them getting calm and almost catatonic when they are turned upside down or touched gently on the nose. This guy likes to free dive with great whites so he applied this to them and it worked! It’s the coolest thing I have ever seen. But what’s amazing is that God promised that predators and prey will lie down alongside each other peacefully. They’ll eat grass and not harm each other. That’s how he designed the world and that’s how he’s going to redeem it. I think the new earth will look like this one, just radically transformed because sin has torn everything up. This tonic immobility thing is a little hint of the peace and enjoyment we’ll know with even the most frightening of creatures in the future.
So basically I’m looking forward to glory.
Quick update: the Scottsdale team left. I had strep throat so I took a step back towards the end of their stay. My mom came out and visited and we had a wonderful weekend together. There’s a team coming from the Master’s College in California this Saturday. I’m all better from the strep save for a headache I have now which has more to do with Fat Tuesday than anything. J I miss you and love you all!
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