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How do Persecuted Christians Find Joy?

A movie I watched had this great story line (minus the anti-God statement). Two kids venture into the forest and it comes alive, but it doesn’t really come alive with mythical figures. It’s really just the children’s imagination. Secret places of escape can be in your mind.

When I watch the persecuted church, I can’t imagine living in a place where you could be put to death for your beliefs. When I look into the faces in the photographs and read the headlines, the first question that oddly pops up in my mind is: How do they find joy?

How do they find laughter in the every day knowing that day could be their last? Or that they could face years of torture, pain, and imprisonment for a belief in Christ?

The mind is a wonderful instrument. Like the movie, we can disappear to a different place, focus on the Bible verses we love, and find courage in the mundane. That’s how I look at persecuted Christians. God must give them an escape, a peace that “defies understanding.” Like an abused child can go into her imagination to be free, the persecuted Christian must find small escapes and simple joys where even their enemies can’t reach.

In reading the stories, I see my life in a different light. In America, we’re all a couple of paychecks from homelessness. The delicate balance we strive to keep could crumble. If we lost everything, what would we value? What would we have left?

Would you still find joy? Or would your circumstances grow you bitter?

Facebook: Reconsider What You Post Online

A year ago, a person posted about her struggles in church to a Facebook group of at least over 100 strangers. The online community gives us a false sense of security even in a group. We don’t know those 100 people so nothing is guaranteed confidential. That aside, we also don’t know the struggles of those 100 people.

Are they the ones Barna talks about all the time who are leaving church?
Do they go to church?
Is our speech encouraging them to a community of faith or to become a lone wolf Christian?
Is our speech encouraging forgiveness?

When I mentioned my concerns, the person lashed out. I tried to be kind, affirming her concerns and hurt, but my words weren’t welcome. In another situation, a woman in a public group was upset because someone reposted her prayer request on another account. She had said it was confidential, but the group itself has thousands of people in it and the group was listed as public. Again, we lapse into a false sense of security.

An alternative would be to the first situation to talk to a small group of people via private message, email, or in person; someone he or she knows to rely on them for encouragement, sympathy, and support as they heal in their situations, or speak in vague terms to the public group.

On the second situation, post vague or “unspoken” requests. Confidentiality is to a select few in more private forums. Understanding social media privacy settings is also key.

For instance, a Facebook group set at public or private, will show up in your friend’s newsfeeds, and when people in that group comment or like, that also shows up in their newsfeeds for their friends to see. “Secret” is a Facebook group setting that doesn’t show up in your newsfeeds and also doesn’t show up in public searches. That is the best setting. If you don’t want your private details to be on someone else’s Facebook, only add people to a group that you have gotten to know or know face-to-face to keep your requests confidential.

Meanwhile, I am starting to post a new graphic series called, “Why I Go to Church,” on my social media feeds. When we air our differences about church, a great disservice is done to those who have labored in love for us. Church is a dysfunctional family, but we need each other. It’s not a building, but a body. Church can look like a small group, a house church, or a traditional building provided it bases its teachings on the Bible.

If you need to talk to someone, you can speak to me through private message on social media. I’ll be happy to listen and pray for you.

What Have You Seen on Facebook or Any Social Media Account?

That’s Why I Have Holes in My Socks!

“Obedience is among the interlocking stewardship principles presented in the Book of Deuteronomy.

(Pg. 211, NIV Stewardship Study Bible)”

It struck me that obedience is said to manifest itself in finances. How we spend our money measures our faith and obedience in the Lord. This is a concept that never occurred to me when I attended church in my early twenties. I always said I never had any money to give to tithing, but I had the money to spend on things like coffee or day old muffins. The Lord was very last in my priorities, including reading His Word.

There were so many concepts in Deuteronomy 8:1-20, like trusting the Lord will provide water from hard rock, that He will lead us through the wilderness, to thank Him for his providence, and don’t worship other gods. The Bible has other stories of God providing to the faithful, especially in the New Testament. When I sit down and do my taxes every year, I look at my profit and loss margins. Most of the time it is a loss, but when I add up all my expenses for running ministry every year, it is pure wonder how we manage to pay the bills.

I said to a friend, “No wonder I have holes in my socks!” This was after I added up the expenses of just running three websites! Even after all this giving, God managed to answer prayer and provide plane tickets and cars that still run. When I look back at me in my twenties, I pity that girl.

She was missing out on so many blessings! While she barely read the Bible and was a Christian in name only, the me in my twenties struggled to find an intimate relationship with the Lord and the blessings that come from it. I lived in sin. I entertained sin. I struggled with it. She eventually became who I am today, but not until after a very long struggle within myself.

I’m sitting in my kitchen and thinking especially of Deuteronomy 8:2 in which I am reminded how God led me through the wilderness to humble me, test me, and to know my heart; especially so I can know my own heart’s intentions. From this day forward, I know He’s going to do amazing things. I know it’s going to be an amazing several years. Soon, I will be raising support so I can start this new vision full time. I wish it had not taken me so long to understand the principles of stewardship, obedience, and faith! I feel like I am starting out so late in life, but I know it’s perfect timing in God’s plan.

Narcissism: A Commentary on Behavior

The thing is, such behavior is consistent with our sin nature. We all think more highly of ourselves than we ought because our sin nature has us believing that we can be like God, that if given half a chance, we might actually be better at His job than He is. – Continue Reading

Narcissism is not the only issue. In another article, millennials are said to prefer an all-inclusive belief system. Their moral compass is pointing Northeast, and that’s how they like it. I’ve also noticed an attitude of enlightenment when Millennials are around people “inferior” to them. Others who don’t think like them are labeled (the very labels they hate on themselves), and whatever others say are dismissed.

Rebecca says, “Millennials, those born between the 1980s and the early 2000s, have been accused of being narcissistic, but they’re just the latest—and perhaps greatest—version of the Me Generation. The Baby Boomers once wore the Me Generation tag, and it was appropriate. We stood in sharp contrast to the Greatest Generation who scraped through during the Great Depression and sacrificed for their country in World War II. They literally carried the weight of the world on their shoulders.”

She’s right.

So maybe it’s about growth.

“A man who has not been a socialist before 25 has no heart. If he remains one after 25 he has no head.” —King Oscar II of Sweden

I still have faith that some millennials exist who are not narcissistic and who aren’t “enlightened.” When they label us, it is important to continue working to keep a relationship with them. Pray for them because, at one time, we, too, were in their shoes.

Meanwhile, I continue to encourage my close friends to point out when I get out of hand, when my social media becomes self-centered, and embrace the politically incorrect term, accountability. I choose to please God rather than people. It’s a heartfelt response to God’s work in my life. People have let me down, but God has always been constant.

Do you have a social media accountability partner to prevent narcissism?

VIDEO: Williamson Valley

Wilderness Trekking Video Series Coming

The Wilderness Trekking Video Series Begins April, 2016

Based on Isaiah 43:19, the Wilderness Trekking video series will feature stories of people coming out of the wilderness and becoming a new creation through Christ.

The reasons for starting this series will be outlined in-depth in my March newsletter. It was inspired from this video, which is considered a first foray into the idea:

On this particular trail, we encountered people from Brazil, the United Kingdom, and possibly Austria or Germany. The Diaspora possibilities for this series are wonderful, especially when I interview people in their heart language using interpreters. My hope is to encourage engagement.

Tell a story.

Showcase the trail.

Encourage discussion.

There is no better way to bring out a person’s story than trekking through the wilderness among the beauty of the Master Artist’s creation. The mountains and trails have been known to bring out deep discussions, friendship, and the positive side of human nature that isn’t normally present in urban settings.

So when you receive an invitation from us in the mail, email, or by social media, please accept. I want to treat you to coffee and help you share your wilderness experience before you came to know Jesus and accepted Him in your life. This is Man Vs. Wild meets the Travel Channel.

A series like this will showcase the trail and the highlights of the trail with a voiceover and live interview of the person we choose to invite. The hike will be based on the person’s ability so we do not exclude those unable to go longer than a mile.

Until I raise full support as a missionary with WorldVenture, I am restricted through what equipment I can afford like toggling between my tablet and smart phone cameras and using Windows Movie Maker (if my desktop cannot handle better video editing equipment). Also, because I work full time still, my free time will be restricted. In the future, I would like to do these videos once per month. For now, I must only commit to once every other month.

Social Media World: How to be Teachable

The post was up to several likes on my social media. I smiled in the semi-darkness of the living room. My statistics on TRC Magazine were really doing well, too, with people coming from all over the world. Compared to other much bigger and well-known people, it’s barely a blip on the radar, but satisfying. Without my belief in God, memories of being humbled, and knowing that, if I don’t keep my intentions in check, I could end up like other leaders in the online world who built their own kingdom rather than God’s; a kingdom scattered now like broken porcelain around their feet. So what does it look like to be teachable?

Intercultural Communication for Christian Ministry by Frank Tucker said:

“House plans are drawn from various perspectives, they are not complete; all perspectives are needed to contribute to the whole. When we apply this concept to an intercultural situation, the people of each culture have a unique perspective on life. We may learn from one-another, but each is only a partial perception of reality and each needs to be subject to modification in openness to the Spirits’ revelation of reality as God sees it. (Location 1090-1091; emphasis mine).”

Listen first. It is only our arrogance that keeps us from hearing what the others are saying. Even if we disagree with them, we don’t have a whole picture. Practice listening on social media.
Ask questions. I find that, when I don’t have the answer or a complete picture, I ask questions. A teacher once said there are no stupid questions. Asking questions is especially handy when trying to open up a discussion. A person doesn’t want to be told what to think. It is the right question that makes them think further on the subject.
Admit what you don’t know. Christians don’t have all the answers. We can learn better together; Leaning on each other, helping each other, and working together is wise.

In A Teachable Spirit by Justin Taylor, he describes Philip and the Eunuch in Acts 8:

“Acts 8 describes a story that might help us think through this. An Ethiopian eunuch — a God-fearing Gentile who served as treasurer to the Ethiopian queen — had made a five-month journey by chariot to Jerusalem in order to worship God. During his return trip he was puzzling out loud over the Isaiah scroll that he held in his hands. And the Holy Spirit appointed Philip to help him understand the meaning of the Bible.”

The eunuch understood his own insufficiency. A Teachable Spirit urges us to be quick to hear and slow to speak. The article reminds us to be doers of the Word, to wrestle with the Word within ourselves, asking God for meaning, and going to others when we need help understanding it. I’m new to the mission field.

The help of others experienced in the field, rich with Biblical education, and well-versed in more complex issues help me. I am grateful for them. Their encouragement reminds me that what I am building is not my own kingdom. A good strategy is bringing in people from many different backgrounds and experiences to participate in God’s Kingdom so we can be better in the field than the evil out there.

Who are your social media accountability partners? Who are your mentors?

Update on Solid Rock Christian Fellowship Blog Project…

Last year, as a first church project as an appointee with WorldVenture, I collaborated with Solid Rock Christian Fellowship (SRCF) and Christian Academy of Prescott (CAP) to create a multi-author blog. It went live on December 1, 2015 with good responses.

The project leader, Jodi, needs fresh posts. On top of reviewing books and movies, she needs writers who now attend or used to attend SRCF or CAP to consider the following:

Review books. The library gets free books from publishers that are hot off the press for blogging about the books. This means that the library can obtain new books without it costing the church or school anything. The catch to this is: We need people to read them and review them.
Did you like the sermon? Consider submitting, as an infrequent writer, a devotional based on what you learned from the sermon. We will add to your post what books people can check out to go deeper into the subject as well as encourage them to pick up CD copies or click on the video link to listen in.
Review movies. Christian movies get a lot of criticism from both the secular and Christian crowd. Consider checking out a movie at the Media Center and reviewing it. Make it personal.
Interviews. If you liked a book the library has, consider interviewing the author via email. We welcome interviews on the site.
What about that wonderful Sunday School video? If you are videoing your Sunday School teachings, consider writing about what you are learning in Sunday School and recommend some books from the Media Center for people to go deeper into that study. In fact, I can help you set up a system where your Sunday School can take turns writing, while one or two people have access to uploading posts. This way, your Sunday School is represented to the community online as one group. We have a ministry already setting up to do this on the blog, and it’s less time consuming for people.
Create a Team of Writers: Why not help a home bound person review a book or movie by being their hands and feet and posting for them?

The library seeks to use its blogging ministry to enhance and help grow the current ministries at CAP and SRCF through movies and good literature. To become a regular writer, contact Jodi at mediacenter@fbcprescott.org. Regular writers need to attend one writers class and one wordpress user class. This can be arranged on your time.

Feel free to comment with questions and let me help you think creatively on what your posts could look like and how to save time while serving our community and our ministries via online journaling.