LESSONS FROM JESUS & NIGERIA

This morning I was in Matthew 7 where Jesus says,
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

How is it possible for someone to call Jesus “Lord” and in His name do many miracles, prophesy, and cast out demons, only for Jesus to say, I never knew you? Isn’t prophesy, casting out demons, and doing miracles in Jesus’ name, Christian work? How can we be deceived into thinking we are serving Jesus when we are not?

One only needs to visit Nigeria to find the answer to these questions. Our time there was truly enlightening. The southern half of Nigeria is 80% Christian and is home to the largest city in all of Africa, Lagos, made up of 21 million people. Yet, Nigeria is an extremely corrupt country and evil place. The kind of place we’d say, “needs missionaries.” Yet thousands of missionaries have been working there for well over 100 years. Multiple generations of born again Christians, and yet so little impact.

We met with a handful of local Christian workers, pastors and several other missionaries. It was interesting how each group blamed the other for their problems. When I asked the question, “So, what impact is the church having on society?” I received a flood of replies that varied from, “all the local pastors want is a Western ‘sugar daddy’” to “there is a tremendous lack of discipleship”.

The first issue is modeling. The nationals do what they see Westerners do. Several Nigerians told me:

• If the Westerners are dependent on the wealthy West, well then why shouldn’t we Nigerians get money directly from the West too? 
• If the Westerners have little or no accountability for their time, taking 3 or more months off every year or 2, why should we Nigerians be held accountable for our time? 
• If the Westerners complain and make excuses about the supposed difficulties of living in our country, why can’t we Nigerians claim the same difficulties as an excuse for little production?

The second issue though, may be more serious. When we asked people about their faith, it often came back to sharing about the things they did. When people did reply, I have a personal relationship with God, it usually turned out to be buzz words and not a deep relationship with God. Interest was high in getting training, finding materials, and learning new methodologies, but few seemed to understand how to discern God’s will, or what His voice sounded like.

The couple we mentor there has started a home for abused women and children and started 4 businesses, with 2 more in the works to start this year. As the women are healed, they are trained in a business so as to have a job, a future, once they are healed.

While I was there, the owner was interviewing a woman named Juliana for a receptionist position. Juliana lived in the community and did not come from an abused background. When he asked, “Why would you want to work here?” Juliana answered, “Because I have heard and seen that God is in this place and I want to work where God is.”

We are learning the importance of using the weapons God has given us to get wisdom and gain a godly understanding for ways of doing business in the community. In time, this should transform a community who we then hope will impact the wider society. We are learning how to put prayer, fasting, and discipleship into the workplace. God cares about everything we do. Everything we do is to be done unto His glory (Colossians 3:23). People need to be discipled in ways to fight for both what is in their control and not in their control. We control systems, machines, methodologies, hours at work, etc., but we do not control the unseen forces at work around us. With the latter, we need to learn to spiritually ask God for the things we do not see or understand, and for the discipline and discernment to apply what He tells us related to these forces.

But discipleship is not words. Discipleship is a relationship. Learning to live life – do business in the Spirit, is fighting in a new arena for most. We need to understand that discipleship is a relationship. These are things that cannot be taught by words alone, but must also be modeled through our lives and work.

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus sends out His disciples to baptize and disciple. In Nigeria, the church and mission agencies seem to be succeeding at only half of this assignment.

As I am asking myself, may we ask one another; Is an incomplete obedience what Jesus means by, I never knew you? Is doing things in His name, different than doing things with Him?

I’d be interested to hear how you think things are going in your own church, or community? And how we might do them better!

ST. PATRICK & B4T

On March 17 many people around the globe celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. He was a human trafficking victim in the 5th century who became a missionary to the people and land of Ireland where he once was a slave. Obviously, Patrick’s Day is a special day! – for those of us who are both of Irish background and are named Patrick.

My friend Mats Tunehag shared with me this well-known prayer by St. Patrick, and he customized it to be a Business as Mission related prayer: (the original is in bold and italics). Let’s all pray this together on March 17th.

Christ with me, as I do business for Him and people.

Christ before me, as I plan my work each day.

Christ behind me, as I review my work performance.

Christ in me; my guiding light in my workplace.

Christ beneath me; He is the foundation of all I do.

Christ above me, He is the owner of my business.

Christ on my right, Christ on my left, He is the Lord of the marketplace.

Christ when I lie down, and rest from my work.

Christ when I sit down, in my office chair.

Christ when I arise, enthusiastic or weary to serve co-workers and clients.

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, and my job.

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, and my job.

Christ in every eye that sees me, my staff, customers, suppliers, and competitors.

Christ in every ear that hears me speak about my products and services.

For Jesus’ Sake, Amen

ASK

I had just begun working as a youth pastor at a church in Wisconsin, when I was asked to serve for a week at the denomination’s youth camp for 8–16 year old’s. The camp counsellors all arrived a day early for a briefing on our responsibilities, the camp program, and the students we’d each be responsible for. Being new to youth work, I was excited for this opportunity to learn.

The next day, Saturday, the students arrived. Many had been to this camp before and knew more about the facilities and program than I did. Most of these students were excited to renew friendships and were eager for all the fun events to begin. The zeal and enthusiasm of the 10 boys assigned to me in my tent was infectious. That first night I called the boys together for prayer. All of the boys lifted up prayers of thanks for the camp and the fun and adventures they were looking forward to having. Many prayed for the weather too. One young lad gave a passionate plea, “Jesus I’ve been waiting all year for this week, I am so excited! Please give us sunny, beautiful weather so that we may fully enjoy this week.” My heart fully agreed as I said an emphatic, “AMEN!” Yes, Lord, we need great weather!

The camp was in rural Wisconsin, farm country. Corn fields were everywhere. Sunday morning, we all filed into several school buses and drove to a nearby church. The church was small, in fact there were more campers there than members, but this was farm country and they were expecting us. The women had baked a more than a bus load of cookies and there were lots of homemade goodies for everyone. There was a genuine excitement about the camp and the church was honored to host all these kids.

Soon the service began. It was a normal country church service. The songs and liturgy were fairly ordinary until one farmer moved up front to lead the congregation in prayer. This dear, hard-working man, prayed for the country, their missionaries, the camp leaders and campers, the pastor and church leaders and just as I was starting to lose interest, he burst into tears and with great anguish he prayed, no he begged God saying, “Jesus we need rain. You control all things. We willingly submit to Your Almighty will, but we need rain.” Fighting back the tears he continued, “Jesus You know better than we do that our crops are dying, and Joe here and Fred over there, myself and others could lose our farms, our homes if we don’t get rain soon. Please Lord send us rain! Amen.” I found myself saying a loud “AMEN.” Yes, Lord we need rain!

But now I was conflicted. Rain, or no rain. Kids camping, having fun. Farmers earning a living, paying the bills. How does one pray through these “needs” which are diametrically opposed to one another?

That night around 10pm, after we were all asleep; the thunder rolled, lightening flashed, and there was a huge Midwestern storm. It woke up all the kids in the tent. The rain poured down for over 2 hours straight and then it stopped. The next day we woke to beautiful sunshine. There was some muddy ground in places, but nothing to curtail our activities outdoors. We had a great day and we all feel asleep promptly at 9pm. And guess what, around 10pm another 2-hour downpour. But again, we woke to a cloudless sky and had a great day outdoors.

It wound up raining 5 of our 7 nights at the camp. But from 4am to 9pm the entire week, not one drop fell from the sky. Not one activity had to be cancelled or altered due to the weather. The kids had a blast, and the farmers had their rain.

Jesus says, Until now you have not asked the Father for anything in My name; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be full and complete. (John 16:24 AMP)

Our Heavenly Father bids us to ask and to keep on asking. We are to ask of Him what we need and what we want, understanding that it’s His job to figure out how to answer our requests.

Is there anything you are hesitating to ask God for?

GOD IS SUPREME

I'll be honest with you. Sometimes it's a real pain to embrace the diversity in our movement. Working with strong personalities, bridging denominational differences, mission backgrounds and juggling various agendas is demanding.  I often hear a cacophony of voices pulling me in what sometimes feels like different directions:

“We need to make prayer a greater priority!”
“There’s not enough emphasis on business!”
“Why aren't we spending more time in worship?”
“Shouldn’t there be more emphasis on language learning?”
“Where is the power of Spirit in all this?”
“We don't spend enough time on best practices!”


But lately the Spirit has been showing me a more positive aspect to our diversity.  What is the unifying theme or ultimate value behind all of our desires? The ultimate value is our desire to see God glorified in all things. Truly we yearn for the supremacy of God working in us and through us.


What do I mean by the supremacy of God in all things? To value the supremacy of God in all things means that we seek a God-centered way of thinking, living, working and witnessing that exalts His magnificence and surrenders our flesh to His lordship. When I begin to exalt His magnificence, something happens in my heart. My self-centered focus, my burdens, my anxieties melt away. I feel secure. I feel loved. I feel rest.  My soul is fortified, my vision renewed. I am ready to fight the good fight of faith. This in turn moves me to greater surrender – because I long more of Him. Desiring the supremacy of God in all things glorifies God, satisfies my soul, and motivates me to serve Him.

I experience His supremacy when I acknowledge my dependence on Him through prayer. I experience His supremacy when I delight in integrating His glory in my work. I experience His supremacy when I walk in the Spirit and drink from the rivers of living water. I experience His supremacy when I submit to His will for the people and in sharing His will in their language.  

I am humbled and strengthened as I reflect on this ultimate value. I am humbled because I realize that I need a full dose of each of these things. No one person, no one strategy has it all. The supremacy of God is most fully manifested as we pray, worship, walk in the Spirit and abide in His Word. We need each of these emphases.


At the same time, I am strengthened because nothing moves me more deeply than exalting His magnificence and surrendering to His lordship. I feel like Mary this Christmas: “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” Luke 1:47-48


May we all exalt the Lord in this season.

BUSYNESS

The following is contributed by a B4T worker in the Arab world who has a family and works 10-hour days for a multi-national company. If you have a blog you’d like posted here, do send it to us.

Most people today feel overwhelmed with busyness. It is really a fact of life. All the gadgets that were supposed to free us up to do other things, actually take up more of our time than the old calendar and type writer did. (Maybe we should consider getting rid of some of these anxiety-causing gadgets!)

Let’s pause for a moment, take a deep breath. Now tell yourself it is okay to be busy. The reality is no one is too busy to do the things that matter most, because we each will prioritize what is most important to us. If we continually feel that we don’t have enough time to pray or be still before God in His Word, I challenge you right now to stop and think hard about what is taking the place of those things. Extra sleep? Getting to work 30 minutes early? Going to the gym? Whatever it is, let’s stop making excuses and discipline ourselves to do what matters most first.

But again, it is okay to have a busy life. However, it’s absurd to have a busy soul.

We often confuse a busy life with a busy soul. It’s not the busy life that causes stress – it’s the busy soul. When our soul is busy, it feels like we are operating on the edge of a cliff. To many people, life seems to be a disjointed mess. The result is we fail to see the “story” God is writing in our lives.
Understanding God’s “story” in our busyness is a key to good health, spiritually, emotionally and physically. When we recognize the path God has us on, when we see the direction He is taking us, when we understand the bigger picture, the busyness of our lives becomes controllable, because it’s understandable. David writes, “… in God my soul finds rest.”  A soul connected to God, no matter what’s happening around it, is a soul at peace.

As we pray, we must focus on our relationship with our Heavenly Father, rather than on the things we want to get, or the things we want Him to do. And as our relationship with Him blossoms, observe as He uses our prayers to transform us into a beautiful work of art. Watch and see how He will proclaim His marvelous works through us to co-workers; how He will change our attitude toward our boss; how He will involve us in things that awaken deep longings in our hearts.

When our souls are content, we will begin to truly live. Rather than just sucking air and eating groceries, we’ll know His presence – we’ll feel His joy. Our souls will be calm and still before Him, and all the busyness of life will cease to create the stress it used to.

Instead of focusing on your busyness, focus on His business.

REFUGEE STATUS

The following is from a letter a dear friend, who serves in the Middle East, wrote us. I’ve edit parts for obvious reasons.  

I sat on the floor of a tent watching Syrian Christian refugees reach out to Syrian Muslim refugees. The Christians were sharing food they had gathered, and they were sharing Good News with the Muslims. The Christians were suffering their own losses, yet one woman in particular impressed me and I will never forget a statement she said, “I know Jesus greater because of this war. I wouldn’t change that for anything.” 

This woman was teaching her 4 year old son to love others and how the war isn’t between Islam and Christianity but between Satan and God. She told her son to always remember that in order to pray and speak Truth well. I joined other Christian refugees in visiting Muslim refugees that were sharing His Word and doing Bible studies in their tents. It was the first time most of these Muslims had ever seen an Arabic Bible or have anyone explain the Word to them. It was the first time I attended a worship service watching Christians and veiled Muslims worshiping Jesus together. It was amazing to see them focused on Him instead of their differences. Yes, there is a plenty of mess with all of that too, for we are human, but the beauty in that mess will be an image I will cherish. God’s church is expanding and awakening sleeping believers. 

The war is impacting the entire region. 

Syrian Refugees are not welcomed in most places. Many areas were forced to take refugees simply because they bordered Syria. Lebanon desires the refugees to leave and is not friendly towards them because of the years of oppression Syria had on them. The unknown of where to go and the journey to get to another country is extremely dangerous and risky, and most do not have the money for such travels. They may settle for a while but at any moment because they do not have the proper paperwork, they may be forced to leave.  One evening I was in a car with four other Syrians when we approached one of the many checkpoints. We were pulled over and the police reviewed their paperwork. They didn’t even ask to look at my passport. Thank goodness, they didn’t read the documents of my Syrian friends fully because they were expired and weren’t permitted new paperwork by the government. They could have been forced to leave the country that night. When they let us go there was silence with relief that they had another day here. But what tomorrow brings is uncertain.

When I went to visit friends where I used to live, I found my friends to be bearing a heavy grief. My former neighbor’s 18 year old son was murdered 15 days prior to my arrival. The area being Shia Hezbollah; he joined the army to stop ISIS from entering Shia areas in Syria and Lebanon. He was killed by a sniper his 3rd day in Syria. He had not even entered the combat unit yet. This incident led to much discussion about the war. We talked at length about who was evil, and of the various theories concerning who started this war and why. 

Yet in the end it didn’t matter because grieving with a mother that lost her first born requires no words. It is tragic for any parent to lose a child. I longed for Jesus’ return and prayed for His comfort to be upon her. That evening the family I was staying with and I talked a great deal more about ISIS. I explained to them that her or I could easily be ISIS. You see some of those people are forced into fighting, fighting for their families lives, or they truly believe that God wants them to do that. We both agreed if people killed our family that there would be at least a desire to revenge that death. And then where does the line end? 

I shared the story of Elijah praying and how he opens the eyes of his servant to see the Lord’s army so as to have faith. But at the end of the story Israel blessed their enemy, clothed them, gave them food, and then there was peace. We had a long discussion of what that forgiveness could potentially appear as, knowing it’s difficult because sometimes fighting maybe needed; but the war has become so blurred that it’s confusing to know who you are fighting. It was the first time I heard the wife express doubt in an Islamic system although she was quick to rephrase her statement. 

I would love to continue and describe the living situations and other events I experienced in order to open your hearts and mind to the pain of the war. Not to sadden you, but in hope that it stirs a response, and reminds us to be the Church that Christ has called us to be, to strangers… to the foreigners. We are to remember His assignment is for us to welcome them. To bless them. To share Hope. To love them. That you too, may come to know Jesus more through them.

“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.” 

Deuteronomy10: 17-19

B4T & BALANCE (PART II)

When you are first starting your job overseas or your business, you may need to abandon any idea of balance. That’s a serious statement that warrants strong consideration before moving into the B4T world. You will need to get family, friends, loved ones and especially your leaders on board with your full-court push and be prepared for some backlash at the drive you’ll need to settle into your job or to get your business going.

In starting out, the work-life balance you achieve may be more like 90/10, than 50/50. Know your own contentment level. Strive to understand what that balance is for you personally and be prepared to make the commitment to act upon your decision. As you settle into your job, that balance will change and you’ll be able to invest more time in things and with people away from the office. It’s important to recognize that the fulcrum of balance will be a sliding point on the bar of life.

Sometimes the decisions revolving around balancing the various areas of life and work will be easy, other times they’ll be more difficult. The important thing is that you know yourself. It’s essential to have ways in place to relieve some of the internal pressure you place on yourself. The B4T path is one of constantly assessing and reassessing what are the best long-term decisions you can make at each moment in time.

Regardless of how much your B4T life requires you to devote to your work, knowing your position in Christ and finding meaning in your days is what will ultimately contribute to the best work-life balance. This is why the advice to, “do what you have a passion for,” is so incredibly important.
Each of us is different. So, balance will be different for each of us. A former mentor used to tell me with a smile, “You know what balance is? Balance is where I am at.” To help you manage the work-life balance debate, tune out the opinions of others and start checking in with what the Lord is saying to you. Ultimately, it’s up to you to figure out what balance works best for your own situation, but if you need some help finding that equilibrium point, there are others who have gone before you who can help. Find a mentor or attend a Huddle to gain perspective (you can contact us directly for both of these). Understand that every person is different and just because some people are exhausted having to work 50 hours a week does not mean everybody is. The key is to find the Lord’s equilibrium for His will for you.

When you are walking with God in His will, He will give you a love for your work and a passion for the people you work with—His joy for what you’re doing every day. To achieve balance, keep Jesus front and center in all areas of your life and work, then intertwine Him into your passions and your profession. Realize, everyone is different, so get comfortable with the balance point that works personally for you.

The things that others typically compartmentalize into the “life” box (family, exercise, vacation, leisure activities) are essential to our work too. They serve as a means to recharge and reset our mental and physical health and productivity. So, no more worrying about the work-life balance myth. Stop treating your personal life as something you have to make time for and your work life as something you have to apologize for. By His grace and for His glory we are B4Ters. And what God made us to be and what He’s given us to do transcends both.

MOST ENCOURAGING EMAIL OF THE YEAR!—so far.

The following is contributed by a B4T couple I am close to. I am excited as I’ve worked with them for several years and prayed for them for many years.  May it encourage you too. It’s been edited, including all names, for obvious reasons.

In my many years of doing B4T, one of my dreams my husband I have had is to sit around a table reading the Bible with our eight Muslim managers.  Well this past week while we were together, away from the office on our staff weekend, the dream came true! Here’s what happened.

Fatima had been present a few days earlier when I met Hamidah, another manager in our business who had asked me to pray for her mother’s healing. Hamidah was tremendously grateful and touched by the prayer, but that day, Fatima sat there looking awkward, with arms folded (body language and facial expression seemed quite closed). Yet it was Faitma who, at the meeting, exclaimed with enthusiasm, “This is not just good for work, it’s good for all of life!” She then went on to thank my husband and me for taking the time to present God’s Word to them in this way. 

Another manager, Zul, literally came to life as we read. I had him read a passage from the book of James. He couldn’t get through it without repeatedly stopping to say, “This is so true, this is so right!” At the end of our time, we asked each of the managers to choose one verse we had read that had particularly impacted them. Zul chose three! “And I had a really hard time limiting it to only three,” he said with a big grin on his face. 

Over lunch we invited more feedback. Rahmat commented, “I’ve worked with many companies, but I have never encountered anything like this. You literally live out your values. I’m deeply impacted.” As we closed the time yet another manager asked, “Please can we have more meetings like this in the future?”

This couple has grown their business to scores of employees. They’ve prayed, plowed and worked for years to achieve this openness. They’ve seen a few others in both their business and neighborhood come to faith, but this is the first breakthrough with their managers. God spoke to them about reading with their managers when they were preparing for this leadership weekend – and they obeyed. Keep plowing. Papa’s readying the soil you are tilling for the seed.

LESSONS FROM THE FIELD

Here’s another report from a B4T worker.

This past week I was challenged again in my understanding of just how much God cares.  As you know, it has been quite a rough season for me and the business God put me in charge of.  We have been almost a month late with salaries and in the past few weeks had begun taking 'austerity' measures, firing non-essential staff and looking into the option to let go of our office lease and moving our work into my living room until we can turn things around.  I was taking steps that needed to be taken because of the financial situation being in an uncertain position.  I never once felt in prayer that God wanted me to shut things down and, based on our history, was trying to figure out what God was doing.  I could relate to the Psalms of David with his back to the wall and trying to reconcile what God had done so far with his current reality of having nothing and being on the run.

Last Thursday I invited our prayer group to come to the office and spend some time worshiping, listening to God and asking for clarity and help.  I would have no problem shutting things down if I knew that's what we needed to do. I needed clarity from God as I felt it would be unfair to our 13 employees and their families to slowly let the company bleed to death when we could liquidate now. We were at an important point where we needed to make a decision and thankfully my friends were willing to spend some time to invite God into the office, the situation, and to bring clarity.

As I went home I decided that the next day I needed to do everything I could to encourage our employees but be brutally honest about our financial situation, wondering what would happen.  That night I got sick. Sicker than I've been in the last year, but being Friday and not wanting to leave the guys hanging over the weekend I forced myself to get up and go to the office to try and muster the troops.



I arrived at the office, with a fever and quite weak wondering how in the world I was going to talk to the guys in this state, when I found an email in my inbox.  A friend had emailed saying he had a project for us and wanted to skype.  I shot him a message and within an hour we were talking.  On the call he explained to me that God had made it clear to him that he needed to do some work with us. More specific than that, he was clear that he had to let us know right away and that he needed to pay in full upfront.  When I told him we'd spent the day before praying, he wasn't surprised.
In an instant, we went from being a month in the hole, to being able to pay the remaining February salaries, this month’s salaries, and have enough in the bank to cover next month as well.  After I got off the phone, I called a meeting to share with our employees the whole situation, about the prayer time, and about God's providence. Then I went home to bed.

As I lay in bed and reflected on the events of the past 24 hours, I realized that something happened in my life because we prayed. Thursdays prayer time was just a culmination of all that has been prayed for this battle we've been fighting.  Many times I have seen the schemes of the enemy getting in the way of what we are trying do.  Breakthrough sometimes is delayed, but when we pray God always answers.  He is faithful to work all things for His glory in our lives and in all that we entrust to Him. I've seen it.  

Later that night as I realized the breakthrough that had happened as we prayed over and dedicated the office (we actually physically anointed it) I realized too that it probably wasn't a coincidence that I got sick as soon as I got home from the prayer time.  I learned again that night that the battle is not against flesh and blood and that we have an enemy who even in defeat will try and take away the joy, peace, and love that is available in Christ.  As I lay in bed, with a high fever that I'd had since the day before, I declared Gods' authority over my life and that the enemy had no right to steal this moment of victory.  That hour the fever broke and I was soon out of bed and regaining strength.  

To be honest, I'm no expert on how all this works.  I share because I cannot help but testify to the work of God in my life.  I also want you to know the power of prayer and the work of God and that though the battle lines aren't as clear as two armies standing face to face, that the battle is on and God still wins victories.  He is victorious in balance sheets, in providing livelihoods, and in protecting His people.  He is also victorious in people’s hearts and lives.

AN EXAMPLE OF PLOWING

The following is from a B4Ter in Asia, working in a hard place.  His letter encouraged me and with his permission, I share it with you.

The last month has included some rough realities for me, my team and for the business.

There was one week that the plumber had to come 4 times to fix the water heater, fix water leaking from the walls of both my bathrooms, then fix more water leaking on the roof, and re-fix a leak he hadn't plugged correctly.  That same week I also had to have the electrician come several times as he's trying to figure out voltage fluctuations in about half the rooms of the house which has fried a couple of appliances.  Then this past week we've received no gas from the city so we haven't had hot water or gas to cook with.

Worse than that one of my teammates and her roommate were robbed last week (they're fine and just frustrated that they had to get new phones, credit cards, file a police report etc.).

In my business, my two key guys accepted offers from a much larger corporation so I had to scramble to find replacements.  We also have about five outstanding payments that are overdue, as our clients have not paid us, so we need money to meet this month’s payroll.

There are definitely days that it's very frustrating and can feel overwhelming, but I also feel that God has been using all that I've faced to deepen me in ways I'm only sort of understanding.  I felt quite happy last night when I came home and realized I needed to cook dinner on my grill outside for the 9th day in a row.  I was quite content heating multiple kettles of water in my electric kettle to take a shower in the morning.  I was surprised too to see my teammate's response to being robbed. She reflected that it wasn't a fun thing but it's part of God’s assignment for us. Trials and trouble are a part of His training program for us.  We're also promised peace, hope, and even joy when the hard times come.

The reality here isn't changing, but somehow, I'm learning steadfastness and the joy that comes with it (James 1).  I am learning that our enemy hates us being in this country.  It's a country long held in darkness. It's ground the enemy doesn't want to give up and our being here threatens that.  He will do whatever it takes to discourage and dissuade us from being here.  Thankfully by God's grace and in His power, we overcome and there is always hope because He will win. This isn't just an ultimate victory for Christ over the world or this nation, but it is also His winning my own mind and my own heart.  It is also the small victories we see in what we do here and in the people around us.

We have an internet based business. Just this morning we had an issue where all three of the internet connections in our office were down (yes, we have three because it's quite normal for one or maybe two to be offline).  It was frustrating because we couldn't work.  We tried several practical things, resetting routers, calling the internet company but internet only came back when I went into our conference room and simply said God we need internet today and whether it's a coincidental thing or a spiritual issue that's causing this very real technical problem we need you to help us overcome it. When I re-entered the office, the internet was working.  It doesn't always happen this way but I'm learning there is always hope that it will because we have a God who cares.

Something else that happened this month.  I was doing dishes after lunch with one of my employees and he stopped and said he wanted to tell me something.  He went on to tell me that that morning was the first time in his entire life that he'd done the dishes in his home.  He said his grandmother had come into the kitchen and asked him what he was doing (as it's typically a women's job here) and he told her that he's learned that he can serve the family not just by going to his job, but by helping out at home too.  He told her it's how God would want him to do it and he was excited to share that with me because that is what he's learned at our company.

Bless God. The stones and weeds are being removed from the soil. Soon the soil will be ready for God’s seed – His Word.

STORIES FROM THE FRONT LINES

Here’s another report from a B4T worker in Asia.

We were visiting one of our branch offices in another city.  After work one evening, my husband and I invited Adul (a young Muslim background believer and an employee we’d not met with before) and his family to dinner together with the two other local believers who work with us. After a nice dinner, my husband and I wanted to talk about our business’ vision, and specifically why we as believers operate this business for Jesus’ glory. But Adul immediately started to talk. He told us how his wife, Fatima, is not a believer and that she comes from a very conservative Islamic family. Abdul shared that a few years ago when he decided to follow Jesus, his father-in-law said nobody from his family was to have any contact with them. Now the pressure from the Muslim community was increasing. His family was to be shunned from the mosque and all social community functions unless Fatima separated from "this pagan" and returned to live with her parents.
 
Abul felt convicted to act. Though he’d not seen his in-laws in 7 years, Adul and his wife went to visit her parents to try to make amends with them. The father told his daughter in no uncertain terms, “You have to come back to us, your marriage is invalid, your husband is a pagan”. During this discussion, Adul made it clear that he would not return to Islam because only in Jesus is there hope for eternal life. After returning home Adul said to his wife, "You are free to do as you please. If you want to go back to your father, go. But under one condition: they have to give you and our daughter your own room. You need a place for yourself."

When she told her father on the phone about the condition, he first didn't want to agree, but later the father did say she could have her own room. Adul then said: "They have to also notarize this agreement with you to make it legal. I don't want you to end up on the streets. I fear that once your father passes away your step-mother and siblings will cast you out." She told her father the second condition and he refused to legalize the agreement. Adul by no means wanted to put pressure on his wife but he wanted her to be well cared for if she chose to separate from him.

One of the other believing employees who came to faith many years ago had also told Fatima, "When you're old there will be no father or mother to care for you. Also no brother or sister, but only your husband!”  After Adul told us these things, we prayed for Fatima, her family and him.

 After 4 weeks, yesterday, we visited his city again and my husband saw Adul at a funeral.  He asked, “What has happened the past month”?  Adul answered with a glowing face: "Two weeks ago my wife decided to follow Jesus!"


Do you have a story to share?  Plowing, sowing, bearing fruit?  Do send it to me that we may share it and encourage one another!

INCREASE YOUR WORK FORCE

One of the couples we mentor in the Middle East just told me this, and I’ll pass it on as a solid application for us all for this week.

Last week I heard a teaching on angels and how we should make use of their help.  The speaker said, “God is ready to release angels to assist us and that many are unemployed – they have no job!  I do HR for our B4T business and this past week we had several thefts, something that hasn’t happened in months. So, I prayed and asked God to assign a big angel to watch over the main entrance of our office and another group of angels to watch over the coffee lounge where someone had been stealing food. The next day one of our customers came to our receptionist and apologized because his client had stolen chocolates and other snacks. It doesn’t happen very often that an Arab confesses, apologizes, and pays for a crime he’s not caught doing!

Have you asked God to put His angels work for you?  Maybe it’s time to employ some.

Is Your Finger Dirty?—Patience

Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can crush strong opposition.Proverbs 25:15

One of my objectives this year is to set goals based on qualitative metrics and not quantitative ones. It’s proving to be much harder than I thought!

Consider patience. Good leaders are patient. In this age of fast food, 24-hour deliveries, and information at our fingertips, we have forgotten a great virtue—patience. Patience is not a quantity virtue, but a quality virtue. Patience is not an excuse to be lazy or procrastinate, rather it is waiting on God’s timing for the appropriate moment to act. If we want to eat vegetables, we must wait for spring to plant; then we must wait again for autumn to harvest. Timing is a key to success.

In John 8 we read the story of several Jewish leaders bringing an adulterous woman to Jesus to test and challenge him on what should be done with her. They wished to learn if Jesus would uphold the law of Moses requiring an adulterer to be stoned. How did Jesus respond?  When questioned, Jesus seemly ignored them as He bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  Again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

When under pressure, Jesus takes time to reflect. He is patient. God is not surprised by our problems, so, we should not be either. In business, likewise, there are problems which cannot be solved right away. Sometimes they must mature. Without waiting for the right time, we may add to the problem. We need to allow time for people to process ideas. We need to allow time for change. Good leaders know change is a process which requires patience. Learn the value Patience. Don’t force things too fast or too early causing costly immature reactions.

Stop and reflect. Write with your finger on the ground if need be. It is important to sense the moods of an employee or team member before we give correction or implement change. There is a right time and a wrong time for dealing with a situation. 

When we are angry, we should wait (be patient) until we cool off. When my boys would misbehave and make me angry, I was at times tempted to hit them out of anger. But rather than act, I’d tell them to go to their room and come out when they were ready to tell me what they did and to apologize for it. That accomplished two things. One, they had time to review what they had done and hopefully understand why dad was angry with them.  And two, it gave me time to get ahold of my emotions and prayerfully ask the Lord what were the best next steps with my son. I practice the same thing in the office with employees who screw up. I tell the employee to go to their desk and think about what they’ve done and the consequences for the business and/or others of their action; and then come to my office when they are ready to discuss what they did.

Quick responses from unprepared hearts only complicate a situation and in the end we all lose. But as the Proverb 16:32 states, It is better to be patient than powerful; it is better to have self-control than to conquer a city. Patience if practiced rightly, will lead all those involved to right solutions. 

Whether we are discussing people, processes, or projects, it takes time for things to develop. Good leaders know when to push and when to pull. They remember that leadership is leading people— getting people to see what they see. Leadership involves teaching people how, when and why they want to get where we are going. Our expectations should be based on our training and development of people. Training and development of people takes time. God will inspire someone with a solution if we wait and pray.

The next time you are hasty or pushy, stop and practice a little patience—bend over and take a minute to write in the dirt with your finger. You’ll be wiser and more appreciated. 

ENDURE IN PLOWING

For nearly three months now we’ve been studying Matthew 13, the parable of the sower. This is the last blog on this passage.  If you are new to the blog you may wish to go back to November and reread the thread of the lessons we’ve been discussing. Bottom line: if a farmer expects to reap a harvest, the sower needs to prepare both himself and the soil.

For the message of the Kingdom to germinate and flourish in a person’s mind and heart, preparations must be made. A soil that is not prepared, struggles to receive the seed.  A heart that is not prepared, struggles to receive the Word of God.

Plowing prayer and plowing love in hard ground and hard hearts will test your limits. Farming (sowing) requires endurance. Endurance is a fruit of the Spirit. Understand that in doing B4T our work is not only about reaching people for Christ. The work Jesus has assigned us is also His way of His working within us to develop the fruit of His Spirit. And yes, Jesus is also working through us to impact the lives those around us. He’s working both in us and through us for His glory.

Embrace the need to endure. SO DON’T QUIT!  Your plowing is likely making cracks in the soil. Evidence may be seen in the improvement of the character of those you work with. Maybe some are even becoming better Muslims because of you. That’s ok! Endure in your plowing.

Plowing hard ground is not done in a day. If I may emphasize it again; plowing prayer and plowing love in hard ground and hard hearts will test your limits.  I believe this testing is a big part of our assignment in being overseas – to grow in Christ.

People will not change by being told to change.  People prioritize and believe what they see over what they hear. Therefore people need to see the Gospel, not just hear it. Most of us are working in the hard soil. I believe we’ve all seen deserts in places like China, Egypt, Morocco and California that have been transformed into lush productive farmland. With God’s help, I believe we can do the same spiritually. The key is in how we cultivate the soil.

If you’ve been out there working 3, 4, or 5 years. You are close. The harvest is coming. Endure. Cling to the hope that the harvest is coming. Keep plowing.

Plough in prayer. Plough in loving on-going relationships.  Be with the same hard-hearted people day in and day out—work with them. Does this guarantee a great harvest? No. All this is done to ready the soil to receive the seeds. But if we do our job, as Paul says, God will give the growth.

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God makes it grow.  1 Corinthians 3:6

IN ALL YOUR GETTING – GET WISDOM

How much better to get wisdom than gold, and understanding than silver!
      Proverbs 18:16

Proverbs 23:23 says, Get the truth and don't ever sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and discernment.
Think about this, get wisdom, get discipline, get discernment, because only fools despise wisdom and discipline, Proverbs 1:7.

We’ve just celebrated Christmas, and we’ve “gotten” a lot of stuff. But will that stuff last? Will it really matter 10 years from now? It’s true, as I grow older I do wish I knew what I know now when I was 30. Wisdom comes with experience, wisdom comes with age, but for some people age comes alone.  Right up front in the book of Proverbs Solomon tells us, The purpose of these proverbs is to teach people wisdom and discipline, Proverbs 1:2

A New Year is upon us, and it’s a great time to reflect on this past year and set goals for next year. As you plan ahead, consider wisdom. Listen to wisdom’s counsel and be wise. Don't ignore it, Proverbs 8:33.  This coming year make it a practice to seek out those who can help you. My personal and professional network are far more important to my success than my individual competencies. My clients hire me not solely on the basis of what I can personally do for them in a vacuum, but also for the collective influence of our network and its resources.

2017 is only days away. Take some time now, pray and ask yourself what questions aren’t you asking about your business, marriage, kids, walk with God, because you aren’t aware of the issues or opportunities?  (And yes, that’s rhetorical.)

Plan the year ahead. Ask for input. Understand that “help” is not a dirty word. Asking for help is a sign of maturity as a leader, not weakness.  Wisdom comes from spiritual insight and experience. Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many counselors bring success, Proverbs 15:22.  Pray and receive God’s input. Ask for help. Get input from others.

Another question to consider: are you easy to help? Think about it…do you make it easy for others to want to help you, or is your demeanor such that most people won’t lift a finger to assist you in a time of need? How many times during the course of your career have you witnessed executives, missionaries and entrepreneurs who desperately need help, but either don’t recognize it, or worse, make it virtually impossible for someone to help them? … with many counselors, there is safety, Proverbs 11:14.

One of the things I wished I’d learned when I was 30 was how to discipline my tongue. For years, I had a problem with my tongue and my attitude in speaking, yet no one told me I had this problem. Once it was pointed out and I started asking for help, nearly everyone agreed it was a problem. However, I was oblivious to the problem and it was hurting my ability to lead.

Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors, Proverbs 26:16.  If your pride, ego, arrogance, ignorance, the way you were raised or any other excuse keeps you from asking for help, it is precisely those traits that will keep God from maximizing your potential. I hate to break it to you, but you don’t know everything or everybody, so why even bother pretending that you couldn’t use a bit of help? No one can or should go it alone in today’s business world. The more partners, sympathizers, champions, allies, supporters, enablers, advisers, influencers, mentors, friends, and family we have helping us succeed, the more quickly we will fulfill God’s assignment for us. Without question the most successful business people on the planet are those that have learned to blow through self-imposed barriers to openly harness the power of broader spheres of influence. Plans succeed through good counsel; don't go to war without the advice of others. Proverbs 20:18

As you anticipate 2017, who do you need to invite to speak into your life?

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts about the importance of asking for help. And please help me out by commenting on at least one blog this coming year. …Thoughts?

IS WHO I AM IN THE MARKETPLACE – WHO I AM IN JESUS?

 I did a study today on authority and power in the New Testament today.  The key words are δύναμίσ (dunamis) and εξουσία (exousia). Both words are translated “authority” in multiple places. Yet the emphasis of Jesus, and commentators agree, is that δύναμίσ (dunamis) refers to Jesus’ authority that comes from the “power” He has, while εξουσία (exousia) refers to Jesus’ authority that comes from His position as God.  

In considering “authority” I began thinking about our organizational chart and titles of people – especially my title.  One important issue in working in or building a B4T business or a B4T organization is God’s word, His affirmation (exousia) to us. Twenty-two years ago when He led me to begin doing B4T, many Christian leaders said I was wrong. Many well-meaning leaders warned me that tentmaking, BAM, would never impact the lives of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. But I listened to what I believed was His voice, and not people. You each know the result.

As you move forward, realize that whatever B4T job or business you have, it will be different. Whether it be your organizational chart, the ways you lead a meeting, advertise, manage finances, etc., everything needs to flow out of our relationship with Jesus.  Jesus’ use of exousia authority and dunamis authority varies. I find there are multiple times in the New Testament where Jesus overtly uses His position as God, His exousia authority, to tell, even order demons what to do. But I struggle to think of one time where He uses that same exousia authority to tell people or order people what to do; whether that be religious leaders, government officials, His disciples, or people in general. Jesus rebukes Peter and Satan, in Matthew 16:23, but that too is a spiritual warfare encounter. The times He calls people “fools”, “liar”, “white washed tombs”, etc., He’s never addressing an individual, but a line of thinking, an aspect of culture, or man-made rules that He never intended. Jesus leads people out of relationship and modeling, dunamis authority, not His positional authority.

In the church and in our own lives, there’s a tension between the sacred and the secular. This tension also exists between being professional in the business world, and being faithful to what God tells us.  Excellence is also a central value for believers. So do we define excellence in terms of what we believe is pleasing to Him, or by what is accepted as professional?  For example, in the workplace, how do we ensure our identity is found in Jesus and work flows through His Spirit first, and then to one another?  How do we blend work and service and worship in our jobs?

So how does this play out for us?  Well for me, in thinking about what title I should have on my business card I asked myself, “What title did Jesus give Himself?”  In the Gospels Jesus describes Himself in a variety of ways; Light, Bread, The Word, Shepherd, etc., but gives Himself basically only two titles; Son of God, and Son of Man. Both titles center on His relationship with God. Some may argue that a “son” is a position, but I’d rebuttal that an heir is a position. A prince is a position. These, and others, are titles other people give to Jesus, but He does not use them for Himself.  Jesus seems to find His identity in His relationship with God – nothing else. To describe myself as a son, emphasizes relationship. Personally, I aspire to find my identity in my relationship with Jesus – nothing else.

People like titles. A title gives us an identity that helps us to fit in with the world. A title tells others what we do – that we have value. But titles are not where we should gain our value or our identity, nor should we to encourage others along that line.  Modeling and relationships go hand in hand.  This week I am trying to practice what I preach. I am getting new business cards made. My job title? “Listener to God.”