Thy Kingdom Come

Travelling for the sake of missions is an eye-opening experience.  Going from a place where poverty is basically non-existent to a place where the same could be said of wealth, is like being transported into another era.  Things look different, smell different, taste different.  The people look different, act different, live differently than us.  Bigger and better traded for smaller and simpler.  Luscious and green traded for dry, bare and desolate.

But something happens in the midst of all of this juxtaposition. (my grade 8 LA teacher would be so proud!)  A faint glimmer of similarity rises up among us, black ,white, short, tall, English, Spanish, Indian, Ukrainian.

I saw it during worship services in every country I have been in.  I saw it in the driveway of a church in Krasni Mak, Ukraine, as we sang outside because the power had gone out in the hall.  I saw it in a small rooftop church in India that made me think of the Acts church meeting in the upper room.  I saw it in a dusty, dirt-floored, ramshackle church in Mexico.  Something that unites us all.  Are you ready?

it was the KINGDOM.

Floating around as we sang in the open air to nothing but a single, non-amplified guitar.

 As we sang familiar songs in a foreign land.  With many instruments or none, in tune or out.

You know what I have discovered?  The Kingdom of God knows no bounds.  I realize that I have known this in my head for years, but it is different to witness it first hand.

The Kingdom of God is not bound by borders, by culture, by race or language.

The Kingdom is in us, as believers, AROUND THE WORLD.  And this is not an easy concept.  We tend to think of the Church as OUR church, our community of believers, our city or town.  We read bible verses and think they apply only to us, because this is what we know and see.

But when you step out of your area and enter another, perhaps half a world away, you begin to see that they, too, are included in who the Bible is addressed to!

When I was in India we sang "God of this City"

"You're the God of this city

You're the King of these people

You're the Lord of this nation, you are

You're the light in this darkness

You're the hope to the hopeless

You're the peace to the restless, You are

There is no one like our God

There is no one like You, God

Greater things have yet to come

and greater things have still to be done in this city"

I realized 2 things in singing this song. The first was, "oh my goodness, is it ever evident that these people MEAN what they are singing!"  Their passion for their city and their nation was incredible, challenging and contagious.  My second thought was, as we ALL sing this song, we are addressing the WORLD!

The Kingdom is not bound by geography.

There are many things to consider when going overseas.  Dress code, how people demonstrate love, affection, emotion...these things really differ by country.  But God is constant!  He is the same in India as He is in Ukraine, as He is in Spain, Mexico, and Canada!  We, the Church, are a united people, whether we realize it or not.

I believe there is a lesson to be learned from this.  In Romans 12:2 Paul says, "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."

We cannot let our culture bind us.

It's not about our culture. Paul says not to copy the customs of this world! It is about the Kingdom, it is about spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  It is about Jesus.  And by letting God transform you into a new person, your eyes will be open and you will learn to hear His voice!

The Kingdom is what allows us to spend a week in Mexico developing a bond with 2 families who we cannot verbally communicate with.

The Kingdom is what draws Hindu people in India to accept the Lord.

The Kingdom enables us to heal the sick, to see the lame walk, the blind see and the deaf hear!

The Kingdom is here.  It is inside of us.  And all God wants us to do is to release it.

I don't want to be bound by my culture.  I don't want my traditions, teachings, logic, etc to dictate what I do for the Lord.

I am a disciple of Christ, I carry the Kingdom with me everywhere I go.  My culture is a Kingdom culture.  It unites, bonds, draws near, knits together people of every tribe, tongue and nation.  It is exciting to be part of a global force, united in expanding the Kingdom!  

The Kingdom is here, waiting for your words and actions to release it.

Step into the Kingdom culture

one day at a time,

Darcie.

Risk doesn't fit in a box

I like boxes.  They are square, stackable, neat and tidy. Everything safe and secure.  Baskets, too.  I LOVE baskets when I am in an organizational frenzy!  Life would be so amazing if everything was always put away, stored in it's rightful spot..all would be well with the world. 

We have been talking a lot about missions lately. In our church, in our home. And not just talking, but GOING.

With these trips there is a certain amount of RISK involved.  

Risk is uncomfortable.  It can be quite scary to step out into the unknown. 

 Risk doesn't fit in a box.

There are MANY, many awful things happening in our world today. Things worth standing up and stepping out for. Things we may need to risk something for. Poverty, disease, sex slavery, human trafficking, addiction, abuse, child soldiers, homelessness, the list is endless. I keep coming back to a passage of scripture in John 9:35-41 that hits me pretty hard when I read it.

v.39-41 says, " Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”     “If you were blind, you wouldn’t  be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see."  (emphasis mine)

Am I guilty? Are you?  Do we claim we can see, and yet turn our eyes from what is right in front of us?  I desperately do not want to be like the Pharisees, and yet some days I think we are more like them than we care to admit.

What reasons do you have for not getting involved?

I know what my reasons have been:

NUMBER ONE: I can't afford it.

number 2: I don't have time

number 3: my kids are too young

number 4: I am not ready/prepared spiritually

number 5: what will people think?

Look at these reasons as boxes stacked nicely on a shelf.  Packaging God up into neat little packages that we can organize and control. Everything in its place, as it should be. These reasons are all logical, valid reasons...from a human perspective, anyway.  I am the first to admit that the logical thinking comes in first.  

But what about the Holy Spirit?

What about God leading His people?

What about His plan and His provision for His purpose?

This is a very difficult mold to break out of.  Our society and our culture teaches us to be ultra-cautious, ultra-conservative.  Risk is seen in a negative light and frowned upon.

 

 I think what we really need to realize is that God is not bound by our thinking!! His views of our excuses are pretty clear:  His wealth is not reliant on our understanding of it.  His timing has nothing to do with ours.  We will never be prepared enough to go, by our standards, and who really cares what people think??!? We won't be answering to them in the end, anyway. Our actions do not have to take us over an ocean, away from small children. There is a definite season, I believe, where travel is not the top priority!  There are many local things we can be involved in, as mothers, that may only require phone calls or the occasional outing.  Having said that, I also know that there will be a time to GO.

I think it is time to unpack some boxes.  I believe that God would be happy to help!  God rarely throws money at people, opens the door, hands out plane tickets and says, "Have a great mission trip!" The degree that you risk is directly proportional to the amount He will provide. This has happened time and time again for me/us!  God pays for what He orders! He wouldn't ask us to do things if He was not going to provide a way.

So, now what?

Step out, I dare you. For the thrill of the adventure, for the excitement of seeing God step in as you step out.  Take a risk, with eyes that truly see.

One day at a time, 

step by step,

Darcie.   

MEXICO

I have recently returned from a trip to Mexico.  I didn't go on a cruise ship.  I didn't stay at a resort. I didn't have anyone bring me lovely drinks with a little umbrella in them. (we did get ice cream treats every day!)  The weather wasn't hot, although we did get a lot of sun! It was not your typical spring break vacation.  And let me say, there is nothing wrong with a relaxing, sunny vacation!  But not this time.
I went for these people:

I went so that they could avoid living in something like this:

I went with a team that wanted to give them this:

We worked hard for 4 days, hammering nails, measuring (twice!), cutting, painting.  25 people from our church just wanted to help where we saw a need.  And we did!  Two amazing families now have homes. They have some supplies, groceries, beds.  They have a leg up that may otherwise never have come.  

But I think that we received so much more than we gave.  We were honored by their strength, their resolve to work hard.  We witnessed family relationships that many here in Canada would envy.  We also witnessed a generosity like none other. The family we built for spent likely a week's wages to make a meal for our team to thank us.  So humbling.

The Bible tells us in so many different passages to feed the hungry, clothe those who need them, give shelter to the homeless.  So we took a step.

I remember when I was pregnant with my first baby.  I was sick, tired, swollen,saw my figure disappear, not knowing yet if it was worth all the effort of carrying this baby.  And then after going overdue, being induced, going through the pains of labor and delivery, I met my son.  

And let me tell you, it was WORTH IT.  Worth the pain, the effort, the work, the sickness, the swollen ankles, the weight gain, the stretch marks.  To see that little face, that part of US...it was a moment of wonder and amazement I will never forget.

My experience in Mexico was the same in this aspect.

It is worth every penny spent, every hour worked.  It was worth leaving my kids behind for 10 days even though I missed them like crazy!  It was worth my husband taking time off work.  

 It is worth it to see the smiles on the girls' faces when their beds were brought into the house.  They have never had beds before!  It was worth it, knowing that 2 families now have proper shelter and will sleep warmly!  It was worth it to see the pride in the face of the men as they opened their new homes and invited their families inside. It is worth it, knowing that this will make a difference in their lives forever.  And once you see that change, you see the impact, there is no turning back. 

 We are beyond the time of knowing and doing nothing about it. This is our responsibility, our right, our great honor.

Still processing,

one day at a time,

Darcie.