Jon Reid

Help Burma

Aid to Burma (a.k.a. Myanmar) is only just beginning a week after the fact, but the junta is not allowing foreign aid workers to enter.

But! I went to the World Vision site and learned that they have have over 500 staff workers there. I'm betting that many of them are Burmese, because they've been working there for decades and have a relationship with the government.

So let's not let the junta stop us -- let's donate money to World Vision. Your employee will likely match your gift, doubling your contribution. Who is with me?

evangelism: ur doin it wrong

We are blowing off church this morning, exhausted from our short trip to SoCal for the memorial service for Kay's dad. On the drive south, had time to talk about lots of things. She reminded me of the awkward time when I dragged her through the Student Union of Indiana University to do "contact evangelism" -- that is, walk up to people cold. My, my. The awkwardness of that experience was one of the first turning points that changed my understanding of evangelism.

The example of Kay's dad was another turning point. But Mr. Fiske (another missionary from Japan) summarized his example best at the memorial service:

As a young missionary, I went to Ivan because he had more experience, and asked, "What does a missionary do?" He replied, "Live in such a way that they will ask you, 'Why do you do what you do?' Then you can give an explanation at the time when they are most likely to actually listen."

Living Sacrifice

Last Sunday, Kay took her first crack at preaching. Or I should say, her first crack at preaching in the United States, and in English. This was also the first time she's had a predetermined topic assigned to her: "Living Sacrifice" in a series on paradox. I'm going to blog most of her notes. (Make sure you get to the punch line towards the bottom of what is our job, what is not our job, and what is God's job!)

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice -- the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2

What is a sacrifice? Dictionary definition: The surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.

Action step: Discuss what kind of sacrifices have you made in your life.

So what's with this "living sacrifice"?

Living -- Sacrifice
Has control -- Has no control
Has rights -- Has no rights
Is alive -- Is used up

So a regular sacrifice gets used up, but a living sacrifice doesn't. That means a living sacrifice is not a one-shot deal like other sacrifices. The sacrifice is made again and again and again.

To be a good sacrifice, we need to:

Give up my control
Give up my desires and dreams
Give up my rights (my right to revenge, justice, happiness)
Give up my self-sufficiency (I can do it)

And because we are called to be a living sacrifice, we have to do this again and again and again.

So why would any sane person want to become a sacrifice? Well, the question that is always asked about a sacrifice is, "Is it worth it?" What do you get in return?

To answer that, let's look at the verse again:

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice -- the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2

"And so" refers to what came before this verse.

Some promises God offers:
Faithfulness (Romans 3:3-4)
Peace (Romans 5:1)
Freedom from the law (Romans 8:1-2)

Now it's important to understand what is our job as a living sacrifice and what is not.

Our job is:
Give up my control
Give up my desires and dreams
Give up my rights
Give up my self-sufficiency

Our job is NOT:
Changing my thoughts
Transforming myself
Figuring out God's will

Problems come when we don't do what is our job, or try to do what isn't our job.

So what's the payback?

This is what God promises:
I will transform you into a new person
I will change the way you think
I will teach you my will
My will is good and pleasing

So what does a LIVING sacrifice look like?

Most people know someone who gives themselves away to others. My Mom is a person like that. My Dad was in a car accident 1-1/2 years ago. Since then he could no longer walk well or eat well or bathe well. My Mom would start her day at 5:30 in the morning getting him dressed, feeding him, cleaning him and dealing with all of his doctors. My mother is 78 years old and my Dad is 6 feet tall. But she would have to help him get in and out of his wheelchair or the car. Most days she would go to bed absolutely exhausted hoping she would get to sleep all night. But If Dad needed anything she would be there to help night or day. The next morning she would get up and do it all over again. She is an accomplished pianist that has performed professionally. But for the last couple of months she has had to set her music aside again and again. That’s what a living sacrifice looks like.

The only person that can decide if a sacrifice is worth it is the person that is making that sacrifice.

My Dad died on Wednesday morning. And I asked Mom, "Was it worth it all, Mom?" And she said, "I told him I love him over and over again. And he appreciated everything I did for him. Yes, it was worth it." To my mother that simple appreciation from her life-mate made this a good sacrifice. Only she could make that call.

So ask yourself: Is it worth it? Is becoming a new person with a new way to think and peace inside of you worth giving up my control? If you will let go, God will be faithful. If you will let go, God will give you peace. If you let go, God will give you freedom and make you into a new person. Let go and give God’s promises a try.

Action step: Have people write on a piece of paper what they need to let go of or sacrifice to God. Take it out to the fire pit and burn it. Maybe get prayer if they want.

Not so scared

Tomorrow I leave for an overnight campout in gold country with Erin's 4th grade class. I did this trip five years ago with Trevor, and it rained so hard that few people survived the night in their tents. This time, the weather report is promising, and I have more experience and better gear. But check out my blog entries five years ago, both before and after.

Ivan Dornon 1928-2008

Kay's dad died this past Wednesday morning. He single-handedly baptized more Japanese people than the rest of the missionaries I know put together. Here are the biggest mission principles I learned from him:

Respect the culture. One of the first things Dad did in Japan was study Buddhism, meeting with a Buddhist priest once a week. He studied the culture and learned that for the Japanese, Buddhism provided some underlying assumptions but for the most part did not influence their day-to-day living. In his later years, he told us the single greatest lesson he wished we would learn from him was to respect people.

Let them drive. Dad established the Sendai Student Center, a hangout for university students. The center was mostly in the hands of the students -- non-Christians -- with Dad acting as an advisor. The Japanese church was not too keen about this arrangement. The students loved it. For any class or activity, Dad arranged to have an "advisor" who was both a committed Christian and someone who related well with the students.

It was my privilege to work as one of those advisors in my three years of missionary work. I will never forget the time Dad was busy and asked me to sit in for him in a Bible study. Only one student came that day, but we looked at the beginning of Mark, where it says,

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!"

The student looked at me. "What is this good news?" he asked. I was stuck. Everything I had learned about evangelism up that time was suddenly challenged by this simple and honest question. At the time, I did not have a good answer, so I kind of mumbled something. That student's question continues to lead me.

Bring people together. Dad took Japanese students to the United States, where for a few weeks they would live with Christian families. This experience changed the Americans as well as the Japanese, and before long he was arranging for them to come experience homestays with Japanese families.

He also led the students in trips to Southeast Asia, staying with Christian workers there. I got to help lead one of those trips, taking a group of students to Thailand, India and Nepal. These students from wealthy and powerful Japan got to meet lepers, girls saved from prostitution, and stay in a Christian ashram (a monastic community) in the heart of India. The students got to see Christian compassion in action, and were stretched to become world citizens.

Treat people with dignity. Dad also served as a chaplain in a Japanese federal penitentiary. The penitentiary asked the Japanese Christian pastors for a chaplain, and they declined! Dad couldn't let this go, so he offered to do it. As he met prisoners, he looked them in eyes, shook their hands, and told them God loves them. The guards objected, because prisoners were not allowed physical contact with people on the outside. But Dad insisted to the warden that this was a necessary part of his work.

Dad arranged for us to do a musical program in prison one Christmas. The place was not heated. I kept my gloves and jacket on while waiting in the wings, otherwise my fingers would not have functioned on the guitar. But the prisoners wore only thin uniforms. When we came on stage, the prisoners averted their eyes, because the system is designed to beat them down. They were allowed to look up once we started singing.

Dad, thank you for these experiences. They continue to shape who I am, and how I am trying to live out my life as a missionary here. It's funny that while so many try hard to convert Japanese people to Christianity, you deliberately avoided doing so -- and baptized so many. I still have a lot to learn from you. Thank you, thank you. Rest in peace.