Wilderness Brews: Trailside Talks

Episode One: Photography and Worship with Patti Morabito

While we sipped Trader Joes Maple Autumn coffee beneath the golden canopy of trees at lower Goldwater Lake in Prescott, Arizona, we had a conversation with Patti Morabito.

Patti is a member of Grace Church’s digital team and often volunteers to do photos at different events. She loves the people in our community and her endless energy is contagious. Through this interview, you’ll learn that your camera is not just a tool to do a task, it’s an instrument that connects people and is an expression of worship.

Tips For Photographers Who Serve with Churches:

  • Use photography to show, not tell, the love and friendliness of your church. Let the visuals tell the story, and sometimes add words to it for depth.
  • Encourage the photographers of your church to submit photos. These photos can be used to frame Scripture. Give your photographers credit on the social media posts.
  • People like to see photos of themselves. Make the photos downloadable and sharable.
  • Spotlight volunteers and have them share a two-paragraph devotional to go with the photo.
  • Challenge yourself to be curious about other cultures. Take photos at festivals and events that are multicultural and share about what you learned on your social media.
  • Create a group on Facebook where you can do a photo dump, then have your church social media person post a photo or two from the batch and invite people to go to the group and download their photos.
  • Exercise restraint with your photos. Post only your best ones in small batches.

Photographs can inspire people to do something, to give, or to think differently. Here are some different photograph sites that have great ideas on how to use photography for ministry:

What is Wilderness Brews: Trailside Talks?

Years ago, I began a similar series with far less video skill, but deep stories. After an absence of time, I re-branded the series and its direction. I hope that you will be inspired by this series. We’re going to talk about coffee, technology, and Jesus. Each episode will be different but will involve serving our guest coffee brewed on the trail and hearing his or her story. Stay tuned! Episode two will be published sometime in January.

Choices

A conversation reminded me today how many choices the hearing has compared to the Deaf, especially when it comes to churches. Or how many translations of the Bible are available in our language compared to the Deaf. Just to have choices in what we do, where we go, and what our social calendar looks like is something the hearing like me take for granted.

There are ways you can help the Deaf feel like they belong:

  • Livestream your interpreter and have an online host willing to engage with anyone who joins the Sunday service.
  • Set up an interpreter and train them to communicate via email and social media with the Deaf (whether or not the interpreter will be there that Sunday and what time).
  • Train your volunteer interpreter to understand the importance of showing up.
  • Seat the Deaf in the front with a clear view of the interpreter. It’s tempting to think of the Sunday experience from the hearing point of view only.
  • Make sure the interpreter is illuminated.
  • Consider how the interpreter can lead a Deaf ministry rather than just offering a service. The Deaf need fellowship as much, if not more, than the hearing.
  • Create Deaf events where the hearing serve the Deaf so the Deaf community can focus on connecting with each other rather than the dishes, the set-up, etc. This also allows the hearing to get a glimpse of the world of the Deaf and further learn their culture.
  • Let your social media reflect all of your congregation, such as posting Deaf content.
  • From the pulpit, when talking about the different ministries, don’t forget the Deaf. Recognize their value like you recognize the value of the hearing.
  • Equip the Deaf to reach the Deaf and help in ministry.

It’s so important to understand and learn how the Deaf communicate, how they “hear” the Bible, and what they need. Today, I learned there are 300 Deaf in our area. The prayer becomes: How do we reach them all? How do we work with other church interpreters and create a para-church ministry that reflects biblical values and in-person and online fellowship so the Deaf can enjoy many of the activities the hearing take for granted at their church.

Walking in God’s Promised Tomorrow

The Lord says, “Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don’t you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land. – Isaiah 43:18-19 NCV

Isaiah 43 speaks of comfort, of suffering that won’t last forever, of promises that God is all powerful and able to provide. The exile the Israelites were in would not last forever, and the passage encourages the Israelites to look forward to the new thing, a release from exile.

The phone call came early in the Summer of 2020. It was a phone call I spent five years waiting for, and I would go full time with WorldVenture that August.  In that moment, it almost felt like a physical door closed and locked behind me, shutting out the past permanently, and a warm comforting affirmation of a future of serving with the Lord right where He wanted me. A loud and clear message, “No turning back now.”

We can and should lament the past, shed the tears, express the pain, and then move on, forgive, and embrace the future with the lessons learned from the past. God is doing a new thing, and in this passage, it is clear: You can’t move forward if you are mired in the wreckage of the past. The shadows will keep you from seeing all the good the Lord is doing in your life. Grief can visit, but it shouldn’t stick around. There’s too much living to do!

In contrast, Joshua 4:19-24 talks about remembering the past, but remembering what God has done. Twelve stones memorializing how God dried up the Jordon River so the people of Israel could safely cross were placed in the camp. “He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” (vs. 24)

God wants us to remember what He did for us, but not dwell on the darkness of the past or the present hardships. The Bible talks about festivals and feasts, and stones because we need physical reminders to jog our memories, and if we truly see what the Lord has done and remember, it can bring relief. This changes our focus.

*Amy suffered from depression, grew up in an abusive family, and had major health issues. One day, she asked me, “Why didn’t God rescue me from them when I was young?” In our ensuing conversation, she discovered that God had provided a way out – her music. Amy loved to play the piano. Music made her feel close to the Lord. She worshipped and forgot her present circumstances.

Isaiah 43 is a comfort in a world where people want you to stay broken and ineffective. Instead, take intentional steps to move forward. Note how Isaiah 43:19 uses the words, “Look at the new thing I am going to do.” He said, “Going to do.” That’s a promise!  And God always keeps His promises.

* Name changed

Photo: Yosemite in the Fall (Copyright Nikole Hahn)

Inspiring a Culture Change: The Impact of Doing Your Best Work

Imagine living in a place where doing something for others was only done if that person received something in return, like compensation, a favor owed, etc. That’s a real attitude in some cultures. But I’ve also discovered this in America, too. It’s usually in the workplace. 

“They don’t pay me enough.” 

“They owe me.” 

“Somebody else can do it.” 

In my reading of the Bible, I haven’t found something that said we shouldn’t do our best work if we aren’t paid enough. 

I’ve seen many online posts about employment over the years. Rarely do posts about others going above and beyond expectations get as many likes or shares. More often than not, posts from people who hate their jobs gain more comments and likes. As a former Human Resources Assistant, I’m sure my name was dragged through social media somewhere, and I’m sure the story was interesting and inaccurate to the real situation. It needs to start with us if we want to see a culture change. 

On Sunday, Pastor Wayne talked about influencers—the kind on social media who are motivated by likes and dollars. Our motivation should be to glorify the Lord, inspire people to be different, and set the example we wish to see in others. Our motivation should be love. After all, the Bible also applies to our online life, not just our in-person life. 

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. – Colossians 3:23-24 

Doing our best also reminds me of Isaiah 39:8, 

“‘The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,’ Hezekiah replied. For he thought, ‘There will be peace and security in my lifetime.’”

Hezekiah was only worried about the present time. 

“A business can’t have unproductive people yet magically still have an immensely profitable business. Great businesses are built one productive person at a time.” – The One Thing by Gary Keller 

As an employee, always keep your eye on the future. The decisions you make now can inspire a better culture over time, show non-Christians that Christians can be loving and do the right thing despite temptations to do the opposite and ensure the quality of your work.  Whether you hate your job or love your job, your work matters. 

Shattered: Steven’s Story

Grace Church asked me to create a video to record the testimony of a local family. Story is more than just text, but video, too. I hope to create a series of quality stories and videos in the future. If this moved you, feel free to share it. You can play it at your church, if you want.

Today I Am Martha

“…Mary has chosen what is better…”  Luke 10:42b NIV

When you read Luke 10:38-42, you can’t help but feel some compassion for Martha. Martha is preparing for a special guest, and Mary doesn’t seem to be helping. After years in church ministry, I can understand Martha’s frustration. For most missionaries, pastors, and ministry leaders, Sundays are for being Martha so others can be Marys at Jesus’ feet. I mourned the loss of my Sundays as a Martha for a time.

It is said that 20% of people do 80% of the work at church. I really felt this on Sundays as I laid the table cloths down, set up the baskets for the visitor cards, and tried to make Sunday a worshipful experience for others. If I didn’t do the work, someone else, even busier than me, would have to take up that additional duty. Sometimes I resented this reality, but I didn’t realize God was training me to go into missions and ministry during this time of my life. When I first began attending church, God taught me to be Mary, sitting at Jesus’ feet. As He equipped me to serve, I started to get more involved and become Martha. Now, I understand why some are Marys and some are Marthas and how to be both at different times during the week.

“But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’” (Luke 10:40 NIV)

Guilt or anger cannot compel volunteerism. The intent to serve the Lord “…with all your heart” must be what drives a person to give up their time (Col. 3:23). When Martha asked Jesus if He cared that Mary wasn’t, Jesus gently rebuked her question:

“’Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’” (Luke 10:41-42 NIV)

Martha may not have understood Jesus’ limited time in person on earth. Mary’s time at his feet was not wasted. Martha’s good works were appreciated, as well. Mary and Martha are examples for us in ministry, too. In between the rush of projects, the deadlines, and serving in person and online is the reminder from Jesus to sit at his feet.  But we’re not to make either being still or our ministry work an idol.

I shifted my mindset over time to embrace the calling of working on Sunday and learning how worship is every day, not just for Sundays. I remember reading about a missionary who was so busy he got up as early as 4 a.m. to study the Bible so as not to neglect his relationship with the Lord. I need to trust that what He allows me to experience only helps me grow stronger as a Christian and He will give me His strength to accomplish what He asks and stay close to Him in the process.

I find Mary moments on my day off, which are Mondays. I sit at Jesus’ feet, consume His teachings, experience His presence, and go to the woods to find solitude and peace.

I now value both Sundays to serve Him and every other day of the week. I see how we can be still at different times throughout the week and be useful, too. There are times to sit at His feet and bring real hope to the world through sharing the Gospel.

Maybe you are in a frustrated Martha moment, burning out, disappointed by a lack of volunteers, and having too much to do. Perhaps you think it all depends on you, but, in the wise words of a former pastor, if you don’t let some things go, no one else will fill the void.

Don’t neglect your walk with the Lord, for it is through His strength you can do all that He has asked you to do for Him. It is in His timing that the work He wants done will be accomplished. All else will fail and fall away. He will bring the right people to make tasks happen if he wants programs to succeed.

Have faith! You are not doing His work alone.

A Shift in Attitude

Read Isaiah 38

“Then, Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, and said, ‘Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” – Isaiah 38:2-3

God told Hezekiah he would die and to set his house in order. Upon hearing this, Hezekiah wept bitterly. He turned his face to the wall to pray privately. The commentary discusses the difference in how Christians pray today under the New Covenant.

We have the assurance of Salvation, whereas the Old Testament required sacrifices, and the afterlife was not clearly understood. Death was naturally feared. Hezekiah is said to pray, saying how good he’s been and pleading for mercy, and this is said to be a normal way in the Old Testament to approach the Lord. Today, we pray differently.

“We pray in the name of Jesus (John 16:23-24), not in the name of who we are or what we have done.” (David Guzik, Blue Letter Bible)

God answered Hezekiah’s prayer and gave him 15 more years to do better as a man of faith and to set his house in order. This reminded me of the many times we are given mercy rather than consequences, but do we see it?

As a believer, I try to appreciate those moments of mercy, not because I deserve it or because I’m such a great person (I’m not), but because He loves me and is wise. He loves you, too. He loved you all the way to the cross. Maybe God’s acts of mercy in your life are because of something He sees in your future or someone else’s future. Mercy may be more beneficial in some way than the consequences.

Trust the Lord for the outcome amid terrible circumstances or wrestling with the aftermath of bad decisions. God gave Hezekiah 15 more years to do the right thing and get his house in order. Not many of us are given that kind of second chance. Death can come instantly. It’s too late to make better decisions or to accept Christ once death comes. Even on a Roman cross, a man can repent, and Jesus will accept Him into heaven at the last minute.

But the other one made him shut up: “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him—he did nothing to deserve this. Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.” – Luke 23:40-42 (MSG)

  • Pray in humility.
  • Pray with a healthy fear of God, that He is holy.
  • Trust the Lord. Pray for Him to help you with this.

Related Verses:

A New Habit

I was reminded in reading “The One Thing” that habits take a long time to form. In talking to our writer’s small group, Roots, I am determined to do a new habit – a creative project for me.

My new habit will be writing one devotional a month. I’m also pursuing article publication. During my vacation, I will be thumbing through my Writers Market and brainstorming ideas. For me, it doesn’t matter if I publish here or with someone else.

For me, it’s all about God and you.

I want to encourage you. I know the blog has been lacking posts lately. My social media is more active than my website. This is the consequence of serving in social media for WorldVenture, and something most social media marketers lament on – how we just don’t have time for our own stuff because we’re so busy creating for someone else.

This habit will help build a spiritual discipline, too. In a recent trip to Colorado, I had a good conversation with some Global Workers and a pastor about Bible reading habits.

To give you a glimpse of my new reading habits…

  • I read a chapter in the ESV.
  • Then, I read a chapter in the NCV.
  • I follow that by reading a commentary on that chapter.
  • A devotional is written, summing up what I understand, and what I’ve learned.

Tune in tomorrow for tomorrow’s first devotional for August.

What’s An Echo Chamber?

An “echo chamber” is when you surround yourself online with people who agree with you. Some years ago, a social media platform was barely doing well until the election year. Then, it blew up!  Many people joined, but it wasn’t long before they returned to Facebook. 

The reason? No sense of community. It was an echo chamber that brought no real change and became a place where people could gripe to one another. So, the platform lost its popularity. People returned back to their former social media habits. Facebook grew to 2 billion users per month.

An echo chamber is a return to being comfortable. Comfortable is not a place we’re supposed to dwell. Jesus said to “follow me,” to deny yourself, and take up your cross daily (Luke 9:23). But, some in church circles still cling to, “…this is the way we’ve always done it.” 

Don’t join an “echo chamber.” Let the Lord use you to make a difference in people’s lives by truly following Him. This will take courage, but God will give you the courage and the words. Trust Him. 

Dressing The Inner Woman

Women put a lot of effort into their outer appearance. When I try on a new outfit in the dressing room, the mirror tricks me into believing I really do look great in it, but the mirror at home will tell a different story. The right outfit gives us confidence, but it will never dispel the voices in our heads that say we’re not good enough. That’s where we need to work on our inner woman and study Scripture.

Using the right words in our heads is as important as what we write online, in our journals, or for devotional pieces like this one. We will read them again and again, the words imprinting upon our hearts, and Facebook will remind us of posts from a year or more ago.

Proverbs 18:21 ESV says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” The previous verse talks about making a living off words. This verse speaks to the power of words. Words can help another person find the confidence to serve or totally crush someone from their full potential. Likewise, the words we hear in our heads about ourselves are not valid. When I feel anxiety or put myself down, I must confront those words. Jesus loves us so much as women, and women were the first witnesses of the empty tomb.

We are creatures that crave deep connections. It’s no wonder that most women are active on social media. Our words matter to ourselves and others, whether in person, online, or in private conversation. That’s why it’s so important to pay closer attention to how we dress the inner woman. Go ahead, fix your hair, perfect your make-up, and wear an outfit that exudes confidence to people around you, but don’t forget your heart.

 Start the day reading Scripture and write something positive on your social media. Let this imprint your heart so it’s more than just surface confidence that radiates from you, but the light of our Lord instead.

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