I miss all of you soooo much!! I hope to see some of you tomorrow morning at newhope.
Provided below (and as I promised) is the responsive road map (plus a little extra) that I suggested at the debrief last Wednesday night. Please know that I love all of you deeply, that I treasure each of you greatly, and that I look forward to where God leads us as a community.
Your friend and brother,
Dave, Team Father
Team Haiti 2012
THE MAP
Part A: Scriptures
1 Corinthians 9:24-27: Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
1 Corinthians 10:31: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 12:4-6: There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
Philippians 2:12, 13: Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for God is at work within you both to will and to do His good pleasure.
Part B: A Few Ground
While strict obedience to what I provide below is not necessary (or, even, recommend), I do recommend that you consider the following suggestions as you think of, feel, and pray through the many things that have arisen within you as a result of the 2012 trip to Haiti:
-
Take all
of these things slowly; please give yourself some time over the next few
minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and, it is my hope, years to work through
these things.
-
Please
know that God is a Perfect Gentleman and that He is not at all interested in
destroying who you are as a person. In
fact, He is so interested in you as you are right now in this moment that, even
though He does wish to bring about change in your life, He will do so in what I
like to call an aggressively unaggressive manner. Through the mighty working of His Spirit within
you, He will mold you into the person He intends for you to be without
destroying who you are or overriding your will in any manner. The ability that He alone has to do these
things is truly extraordinary. With all
of this in mind, I urge you to adopt a posture of surrenderedness, and I urge
you also to pursue God with all that’s within you...just as He passionately
pursues you.
-
Don’t make
any significant life-changes (for example giving notice at work or selling your
home) for at least 30 days, okay? Again,
please just give yourself some time with all of this. Relax, okay? Since God's not in a hurry, it's probably not
necessary for you to be either. :o)
Part C: A Suggested Road Map for Responding to the Kenya 2011 Trip
Step One: "Telling Your Story"
To aid you in answering the question, “How was your trip?,” I suggest writing out a (1) one-sentence answer, (2) a two- to three-sentence answer, (3) a two-paragraph answer, and (4) a two-page answer. By having these answers, you will, I have discovered, be able to effectively move from one answer to a more detailed answer depending on the interest of the person asking you the above question. By having such answers already written out, it will, I believe, help you to be sensitive to and to accommodate (within your own heart and mind) the varied degrees of interest/disinterest in those around you. And, through preparing such things in advance, it may also help you to adopt a posture of forgiving in advance those who will hurt you (through their interest or lack thereof) even before they do so. I write all of this because I can guarantee that most of you will experience at least some emotional pain from those who reject you in some way over the next week or two. Jesus once said, “if the world hated me, it will hate you as well.” He also urged His followers to rejoice in persecutions (see Matthew 5:11-12). So….with all of this in mind, tell your story with great joy, and allow God to pour His love through you to everyone you encounter in the coming days...irrespective of their response.
Addendum: In an e-mail from Leah MacMillan on 4 Feb 12, she suggested that each of us consider trying to answer several questions to help each of us think through what each of us saw. Her e-mail is provided below. Perhaps your answers to such questions could help to guide you in "Telling Your Story."
-----
From: Leah Macmillan <ramsayleah@aol.com>
To: haiti-2012-newhope-church@googlegroups.com
Sent: Saturday, February 4, 2012 8:47 AM
Subject: January team
Team, Daves debrief has given you many useful tools to keep this trip alive and
help you transition back to life in the states, help you make changes in your
life.
As one of your team leaders, I have a couple of last questions to pose to you
for guiding your thoughts as well. I plan to send these out over the next two
weeks (maybe we could actually take some time to discuss some of them next
sat). These are not my thoughts but paraphrased from a book I own.
What You Saw
Remember the things you saw. Your eyes were "open" on this trip. They
often are not here. We get too busy.
1) what did you see in the people?
2) which of their needs are most vivid?
3) what aspects of their lives impressed you most?
4) what did you see in the country that was different from your expectations?
5) is there a mental picture that comes to mind?
6) what keeps you from "seeing" in your world?
"Seeing" is a discipline. It is the first step in making a difference
in our world.
Avek amore
Leah
-----Step Two: "Recalibrating Part 1: Stream of Consciousness Exercise"
Allow yourself over the next few days to begin to write out all the things on your mind and in your heart concerning changes you’d like to make in your life in response to the trip. As a model, I have included the list I generated immediately following my most recent trip to Haiti (see Part E). The purpose of the stream of consciousness posture is to allow everything to come out unfiltered and unedited.
After you’ve allowed yourself to sit with things for a few days, narrow your list to no more than ten desired changes/recalibrations. The list should include at least one or two items that deal with your desire to become more connected with your community of faith. The list should include also one or two items that deal with your desire to become more missional in your life.
In a couple of weeks, narrow your list to no more than five recalibrations and then rank them in their order of importance.
Step Three: "Seeking the Fruit of the Spirit"
Complete a study on the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), the love passage (1 Corinthians 13:4-8), and the beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). Completing a comprehensive study of the ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) is recommended as well.
Galatians 5:22, 23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
Matthew 5:1-12: Now when he saw the
crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and
he began to teach them, saying: "Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be
comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will
see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they will be called sons of God. Blessed
are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when
people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you
because of me. Rejoice and be glad,
because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the
prophets who were before you."
Exodus 20:1-17: And God
spoke all these words: "I am the
LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in
the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters
below. You shall not bow down to them or
worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the
children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those
who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me
and keep my commandments. You shall not
misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone
guiltless who misuses his name. Remember
the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six
days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to
the LORD your God. On it you shall not
do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or
maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and
the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.
Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, so that
you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against
your neighbor. You shall not covet your
neighbor’s house. You shall not covet
your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Step Four: "Reacquainting Yourself with Yourself"
Ask yourself (and answer) the following questions:
-
What were
your dreams as a child?
-
Who were
your heroes as a child?
-
What are
your dreams now?
-
Who are
your heroes now?
Take a spiritual gift inventory. If I recall, newhope church still offers one on the newhope website. There are, though, several offered on-line that I think will be very beneficial to you. One such inventory can be found at http://www.kodachrome.org/spiritgift/.
Step Five: "Recalibrating Part 2"
Ask yourself (and answer) the following questions:
-
Where are
you now?
-
Where do
you want to be a month from now? And what will you do to migrate toward that
place?
-
Where do
you want to be in three months? And what will you do to migrate toward that
place?
-
Where do
you want to be in twelve months? And what will you do to migrate toward that
place?
Step Six: "Beginning with the End in Mind"
Ask yourself (and answer) the following questions:
-
Where do
you want to be in five years?
-
How do you
want to feel in five years?
Allow the revisioning of this part to draw you like a huge magnet toward the fulfillment of what you are envisioning.
Part D: A Few Things I'd Like to Learn from the Samurai
Provided below is something I wrote a year or so ago…
A Few Things I’d Like to Learn from the Samurai
For most of my life, I’ve been fascinated by the warrior classes—especially, the ancient Samurai of feudal Japan. To say they were a paradoxical people is an understatement.
The Samurai trained in the arts of life and death: they studied and practiced haiku and swordsmanship…the tea ceremony and field applications of archery...gardening and submission grappling. They prepared for the future, but didn't wait for it to happen; they lived in and for the moment as though tomorrow didn't exist—because, to them, it didn't. They had children, and yet raised them to live as though Mom and Dad might not be around an hour hence.
Theirs was a way of life so utterly simple, and yet incomprehensibly complex. They cultivated an unnatural naturalness and a natural unnaturalness in nearly every aspect of life, and they lived by an ancient, internal code that simply reminded them to be present and devoted completely to their current experience...for there really is nothing else.
I recall a story I heard once about a martial arts instructor, who posed the following question to his adult students: "If you discovered that you had only twenty-four hours left to live, what would you do with the time you had left?" The answers he received were varied, as one might expect. Some spoke of how they would spend their time with their families; others of how they would visit places they’d always wanted to see but never did; and still others of how they would devote themselves to some form of service to humanity.
After listening intently for a few minutes, the teacher beckoned his students to stillness and then spoke of his disappointment with the answers they’d all given. "No one answered with what I would consider the best answer possible," he began. "And that's this: I wouldn't live any differently than the way I'm living right now, right here."
In the United States alone, more than two million people died last year—many from things unexpected. Just like some of us will, too, someday. Perhaps, even, today or tomorrow.
I’d like to ask you the very same question the instructor I mentioned above asked his students so very long ago...
If you had only twenty-four hours left to live, and knew it, how differently would you live that last day than the way you'd lived, say, the previous 365 days?
Take a few minutes, and really give it some thought. Perhaps, even, write you answers down or, even better, go and live them out—and do it today...right now. And then do it tomorrow...and the day after that...and the day after that, should you, Lord-willing, be blessed with such a precious gift.
Part E: My Most Recent Stream of Consciousness Big List (Prepared in April 2011 During My Initial Responses to the Haiti 2011 Trip)
- When
taking a shower, turn off the hot water while lathering up your body or washing
your hair.
-
Go out of
your way to be the first to greet another—be it a friend or a total stranger.
Be the first to smile and say "hello."
-
Greet
people properly. Smile, look them in the eye, and speak clearly and genuinely.
-
Spend some
time every day working on your business contacts—Ummm...not your
website, Dave; your contacts. :o)
-
Redo your
budget during the first part of May, put together a revised financial plan, and
then live by it.
-
Step up
your purchasing from Goodwill of the things you need, and donate back at least
as much as you buy.
-
Pursue
up-to-date news about Haiti and Kenya. KNOW what’s going on in both of those
countries.
-
Open
yourself up to those around you—almost to a point that’s pretty much unheard of
in our culture. But do so in a manner that's sensitive to others. Be open, but
in a kindly manner.
-
Speak the
truth (or what you know or believe to be the truth) in kindness with everyone
(even yourself), all the time, in every situation, and without hesitation.
-
Reinvigorate
your inventiveness. (It’s been a while, Dave. It’s time to create stuff again,
dude.)
-
Develop an
exercise routine that can be practiced effectively overseas.
-
Devote
considerable time to the personal (meaning, in-person) cultivation of
missional partnerships.
-
Write with
all your heart and mind, and let what’s inside you come out. Share who you are
with as many people as possible.
-
Complete
your tax returns on-time, Dave. THEY OWE you money. What are you waiting for? Go get it, dude.
-
Be
faithful in your Sunday morning and Monday night Missional Houses of Prayer.
-
Pay all
your bills on-time.
-
Ask for
prayer. Plead with those you know to pray for you.
-
Tell those
you love how much you love them and what they’ve meant to you in your life.
-
Be
super-expressively grateful.
-
Cease all
complaints, all blame, all criticism, all gossip. All of it, Dave.
-
Confront
misbehavior lovingly, but firmly—in yourself and in others.
-
Reduce
your wine consumption. I know you love it, Dave, but it can easily begin to
hate you. Enjoy it in moderation. Remember this: A second glass never tastes as
good as the first.
-
Fast, on
occasion, the watching of movies by yourself. Do so for a day, a week, or,
even, a month at a time.
-
Build deep
and abiding friendships with your work colleagues.
-
Create
missional culture by living it and inviting those you love to practice such
things with you.
-
Pursue
Acts 2 community living within the newhope community.
-
Pray for
people on the spot.
-
Go to bed
earlier.
-
Get up
earlier.
-
Keep your
kitchen sink clean and your dishwasher empty.
-
Wash only
full loads of laundry and dishes.
-
Forgive
quicker. Decide beforehand that everyone around you is automatically
forgiven—long before they irritate or hurt you.
-
Stop
thinking about what you’re going to say while someone else is talking. Take the
time to really listen and absorb what another is saying to you. Then, after
that person feels that he or she has been heard, think about what you might
like to say.
-
Let go of
your attachment to specific outcomes in your life. Do you really HAVE to have x
y z to be happy? Ummm...the correct answer would be NO, Dave.
-
Submit—completely—to
those in authority over you. Submit also—and do so completely—to your brothers
and sisters around you.
-
Stop
caring so much about what others think of you.
-
Take the
time to really prepare at least one meal a day, and then give yourself
permission to actually taste it, okay? Dine, Dave, dine…and have fun eating,
because having fun is at least half the point! These are all novel concepts, I
know!
-
Dine on
your conversations with others, too. Sip—don’t gulp-their soul’s wine. It will
change your life, dude. And theirs, too!
-
Take care
of your paper work.
-
Always
respond to others with an almost overwhelming kindness, respect, dignity, and
compassion.
-
Smile
before you answer the phone or before someone even says “hello” to you.
-
Go out of
your way to acknowledge the person waiting on you in a restaurant or in the
check-out line at the grocery store. Learn—and remember—his or her name.
-
When
someone comes in to your office, stop what you’re doing—immediately (unless
you’re on the phone)—and give that person your full time and attention.
-
Live in
the moment, Dave. Yesterday no longer is, and tomorrow doesn't exist. All you
have is right now.
-
Invite God
to be an integral part of every though, feeling, word, and action.
-
Be
happy...all the time...even when you’re feeling sad or broken.
-
Enjoy your
friends.
-
Be prompt
in returning phone calls.
- Engage in language training (especially Haitian Creole and Kiswahili) weekly.
Part F: Some Final Thoughts
The purpose of the above exercise conglomerate is to provide you with a road map for responding to the Kenya trip in a way that is generative, life-affirming, and life-giving. I believe with all my heart that if you really do work at it…prayerfully…you and the kingdom of God will benefit greatly. I speak of this from my own personal experience.
Part G: One Last Thing
As I wrote above, aside from making a decision to pursue Jesus with all your heart, don’t make any significant life-changes for at least 30 days (specifically, before March 1, 2012). But…if there are significant life-changes that you think you’d like to make, add them to your list of recalibrations, and let them marinate with all the others. :o)
Peace out, y’all, and have fun with all of this (for having fun is, I believe, half the point!).
Also...please, please, please let me know if I can be of any help or service to any of you in any of the above (or anything else, for that matter). Again, I love you all so much that it hurts inside.
CU,
Daver
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