Joseph's Call
Read: Acts 16:29
Meditation: When Joseph called me it was completely out of the
blue. I had never met him yet he lived close by. He had heard of me from
an aunt whom I had met several months earlier. We agreed to meet for a
cup of coffee and a conversation the next morning.
The story Joseph shared next morning was all too familiar. His family
had been Christian when he was a boy, but they had drifted away.
Everything had gone awry after that: family disintegration, abuse,
homelessness. Now here he was, aimless, newly sober, not sure what path
to take in life. Joseph's friends and most of his family had urged him
to take the "traditional" way of his people. But his aunt and
the witness of his own spirit were encouraging a different road.
So here we are. He knew from speaking with his aunt that I was a
Native man who followed the "Jesus Way." And he was now
wondering what that might look like for him. What did it look like to be
a follower of Jesus and still be ... well ... Native? I responded with
the assurance that Jesus fulfills every aspect of our life and identity
- He redeems us, He does not replace us!
Here was a life desperately seeking transformation, a life who had
heard the call of God's Holy Spirit and was asking, as with the
Philippian jailer, "What must I do to be saved?" It was not
hard to echo the words of Paul and Silas as Joseph and I spoke -
"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved ..."
As I prayed with Joseph that morning, we agreed to meet regularly for
study and prayer. He would need much encouragement and guidance so as to
ensure he walked out his faith in a good way. He was now on the Jesus
Way.
Prayer: Father, may we live in such a way that the visible and
verbal witness of our lives will cause people to ask the reason for the
hope that is within us. Let our answer point them simply but effectively
to Jesus. In Your name we pray. Amen.
Rev Dr Terry LeBlanc
Director of Cross Cultural Partnerships
Evansburg,
Alberta
You Mean Forever?!
Read: Colossians 3:16
Meditation: "How do you make her stay and listen to all
you say?" goes a song from The Sound of Music. "How do
you keep a wave upon the shore?"
Always in Vacation Bible School on the M/V CHRISTIAN, a child is
trying to "escape". A movement at the periphery of vision
catches the child's attention. Something more interesting lures him to
the other side of the room.
Willie kept escaping. The teacher kept refocusing him. He didn't want
to sing or play the group games.
The time came for the children to do their Bible-based worksheets. I
sat between Willie and another "wanderer." Surprisingly, both
of them hunkered down and began doing their lesson. From the Bible to
the worksheet they worked, in utter concentration.
Then the teacher told the group that the Bibles were theirs to take
home. Willie looked up at me in surprise. Amazement replaced the
mischief in his eyes. "You mean I can have this book?! He asked me.
"You mean I can take it home?" And a third time, "You
mean I can keep it forever?"
Yes, Willie, forever. God's Word is yours to keep - to treasure in
your heart forever and to guide you through life.
Prayer: "God's Word is our great heritage, and shall be
ours forever ..." Thank You, our Lord, for preserving the Words of
Your Good News in the Bible and also in our hearts. May we honor and
cherish Your Words of hope to us quietly in our hearts and openly in our
lives. In Your name we pray. Amen.
Alice Borg
First Mate, M/V CHRISTIAN
Wrangell,
Alaska
Foxhole Conversion
Read: Jonah 1:14
Meditation: When the sailing ship's crew was in deep trouble in
the midst of that ferocious storm, they each cried out to their own gods to
save them. It obviously wasn't working ... the gods weren't listening ... or
they had no ears to hear nor power to save. So the crew dumped their
precious cargo overboard to lighten the ship. Still no change in the
weather. When they were able to dig Jonah out from his hiding place, he
fessed up: he's been running away from his God, the One, he said, who
created the land and the sea. Now the sudden storm made sense. They
continued efforts to get the ship safely to shore, finally giving up. Then
they followed Jonah's advice for appeasing God. They became instruments for
punishing Jonah. When they saw the sea calm so quickly after tossing Jonah
to the water, they believed in Jonah's God. They understood that this one
was the real One, the all-powerful One. It was a crisis conversion, much
like a foxhole conversion: in the heat, panic and fear of battle soldiers
sometimes cry out to God in a way they never have before. It is said that
"There are no atheists in the foxhole." everyone hopes that God is
real. That He listens. That He cares. That He is able to respond and rescue
them. That's what these merchant marines of Job's day did: cried out to
Jonah's God. When they saw the results of obedience to this God they
believed Him, they offered a sacrifice of worship and promised to serve Him.
Sometimes it takes a crisis in our lives to turn from no faith to strong
faith. This was true in Jonah's day. Still true today. True in Assyria. True
in North America. God reveals Himself to Native North American people in
much the same ways He does among non-Native people, at times in the midst of
storm or tragedy, other time in the quietness of peaceful contemplation on a
lazy summer morning.
Prayer: We call out to You today, Creator God, the One who made
land, sky and sea, and all of us creatures too. Sometimes we are tossed and
ripped apart by storms in our lives. We feel over-loaded, losing it, going
down. Draw us to You at those times too, Lord. We confess our total reliance
on You. Help us let go of the stuff that won't save us and grab on to You
instead. In the saving name of Jesus, Amen.
Tim Stime
Coordinator of Volunteer Service
Onoway,
Alaska
The Lord of Life is the Answer
Read: Habakkuk 1:5
Meditation: In our area of central interior Alaska we count on a
clear and pleasant summer for flying into ministry sites. The days are
sunlit nearly 24 hours making connections easy.
This past summer, however, was an exception. The fire season was upon us
from early summer through autumn, the most severe in memory. Because of
severely dry conditions the wild fires consumed over six million acres.
Flying became very difficult. I expected we would need to cancel many of our
volunteer ministry teams. But God provided enough good days to get our
ministry teams throughout the area all summer.
And what a summer it was. More local villagers shared ministry with us
than ever before. Local people who hosted our volunteers made sure they were
safe, especially during the time fires were close to the villages. Village
children were able to travel to Bible Camp just at the week they had
planned. Our building teams could make their connections to their community.
Each trip was smoke filled but no so severe that we could not fly.
Time after time the wind would shift enough to allow our teams to be
flown in or out of communities that had been closed for days due to smoke.
And throughout, Jesus was shared and declared. Ministry teams were able to
return to old friends to continue relationships and to share the Gospel all
summer. Truly it was a time to be amazed.
Prayer: Lord, we give You thanks for safe travel, for providing
our daily needs through all our days. Help us to be Your servants to share
the story of Jesus and salvation in all our relationships. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Dan Treakle
Lay Minster/Pilot
Fairbanks,
Alaska
A Summer Break
Read: Genesis 2:2
Meditation: Our God, who never sleeps or slumbers (Psalm 121:3,4),
rested on the seventh day from His work of creation. He also told us to take
a break and rest from our labors. Our God is not a slave master. Israel's
calendar not only had a weekly rest (Sabbath) but approximately five weeks
of rest yearly (for worship festivals) and a year long rest every seven
years (Sabbath year) and an extra year long rest every fifty years (the year
of Jubilee). I would like to have this kind of rest in my life.
I am a single father and take care of five children on my own. I have
four teenagers and my youngest is nine years old. I work full time and
thankfully have an office in my home. I have a life of my own too and try to
take care of myself. I am tired most of the time. I need rest. My problem is
that I have to make myself rest.
Laundry, dishes, taxi-service, doctor's visits, dispensing and applying
medication, emails, ministry trips and reports, banking and bill paying,
grocery shopping, shoe shopping (it has a life of its own), clothing
shopping, school athletics, overseeing the kids chores, etcetera, etcetera,
all call my name every day. I have five precious kids to develop my
relationship with. Homework, time alone with each of them, their friends, my
family, their grandparents, teachers, doctors, etcetera, etcetera, all call
for special attention.
I would not have it any other way. I love my life, even though it is
exhausting and frustrating at times. I am so encouraged by little things
like my oldest son letting my youngest daughter sit in the front seat of the
van when it is uncomfortable for his big hairy legs anywhere else. I am glad
for my rest in the summer when they visit their mom in South Dakota for a
few weeks. By the end of the summer I am ready for all the work ahead.
Prayer: Please remind us dear Father God to take care of ourselves
and rest from our labors on a regular basis. Help us to not feel guilty and
driven by all the needs that surround us. Help us to remember and do
something for single parents who sometimes never get a break. In Jesus'
name, Amen.
Adrian Jacobs
Ministry Staff
Brantford, Ontario
Persevere in all Things
Read: Hebrews 12:2
Meditation: One day while I was outside walking and taking in the
beauty surrounding Neah Bay, I was privileged to witness a great lesson of
perseverance in God's creation. I heard a sound coming from the very top of
the tall trees that grow here. It was a sound unlike any I had heard before
and so it got my immediate attention. As I looked up to identify the eerie
screeching sound, I was startled by what I saw. A crow was diving as though
in a death spiral and then just as it neared the ground, swooped back up
again to the top of the trees. I was questioning this odd behavior when I
saw the reason for this unusual spectacle. There was an eagle threatening
the nest of this protective parent. I was in awe as I watched the
perseverance of this bird as it did its best to get the eagle's attention
away from the nest it was protecting as it dove over and over again. Just
when I thought the crow might give up, it didn't. I wondered how long this
could go on, it seemed like forever.
I was thankful to have witnessed this scene in nature as it served to
remind me that perseverance is a quality that God wishes all Christians to
have. Sometimes we come up against circumstances in life that threaten us,
either bodily or spiritually. We can call upon our Lord for help in these
circumstances and He will not forsake us, but will give us the strength we
need for the situation. We can fix our eyes on Jesus and pray for
perseverance in circumstances that we feel may overwhelm us.
Just as the perseverance of the crow paid off as the eagle gave up and
flew away from the nest, with God's help we can persevere in our faith in
order to overcome those obstacles that the evil one puts in our lives. We
can do this through worship, prayer, studying the Word and having fellowship
with other Christians.
Prayer: Dear Lord, Be with us as we face obstacles and challenges
in our lives. Help us to fix our eyes on You. Lead us, guide us and keep us
in Your care. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Dianne Heinlein
One Body Many Parts
Read: 1 Corinthians
12:12,26,27
Meditation: We stepped into the gym. The children were playing
the last few minutes before leaving school for vacation. One girl
spotted Alice and I and came running. Then came others. Quickly
surrounded we were compressed with hugs.
It's a welcome we have come to expect from the children in that
native community. Still it warms our hearts. God has given these
children a love for us, and us a love for them - even though when packed
together on the CHRISTIAN for a couple days we expect to discover some
rascals among them.
One little girl hugged us for a long time. She is one that gets very
little caring love. My heart goes out to her. She knows we care. We talk
very little about her troubles. Mostly, we talk about Jesus' love, care
and protection for His children. We talk about school, silly things and
boys. She enjoys our stable presence. We enjoy her perseverance in the
face of difficulty. She teaches us about courage and hope. We are
blessed. Together we grow.
Our mission doesn't move in only one direction: Alice and I coming to
give them something. But we come and they give us much in return. Yes,
we are missionaries sharing the love of God in Christ Jesus, but we are
ever more aware that the sharing flows both directions. We have been
taught so much these past years. In so many ways we grow together in
Christ.
That is the way the Gospel works - not only in native communities but
everywhere. We grow together in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord.
Each of us has special things to share with others and special things to
learn from them. So when people ask what we do and I say, "We share
the Good News of God's love in Jesus." I use the word
"sharing" defined as the giving and receiving in common with
others.
That's my kind of missionary!
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus help us to grow in You as we share the
Good News with those around us. In Your name we pray for Your spirit
working in and through us. Amen.
Rev Elvin Borg
Skipper, M/V CHRISTIAN
Wrangell, Alaska
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