I miss all'y'all soooo much!!
Provided below (and as I promised) is the responsive road map (plus a little extra) that I suggested at the trip debrief last Thursday night. Please know that I love all of you deeply, that I treasure each of you more than you probably know, and that I look forward to seeing how God continues to invite us to come hang out with Him in Haiti.
Your friend and brother,
Dave
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 RulesSuggestions
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 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's so interested in you as you are right now 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 (within your desires and within your intentions), 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 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. God's not in a hurry, so, chances are, it's probably not necessary for you to be either. :o) Caveat to this suggestion: If you're engaging in anything you know to be a significant area of flagrant sin or disobedience, go ahead and make a change today by confessing your sin to God, by confessing your sin to another person, by asking the one to whom you confessed to pray with you for your healing (see James 5:13-20), and then by beginning the prcess of laying that sin down and walking away from it completely and forever. Please know, though, that there are some chains of sin (addictions, destructive/abusive ways of relating, etc.) that can be extremely difficult to break. If you struggle with an addiction or an abusive pattern of relating to those around you (note that these two often go hand-in-glove), seek out the counsel of a godly person skilled in helping others to find freedom and healing from such things. If you don't think you know of someone, please contact the church as they maintain a list of godly, professional counselors that may be able to help you find what you need.
Part C: A Suggested Road Map for
Responding to the Haiti 2012 Trip
Exercise One: "Telling Your
Story"
To aid you in answering questions like
"How was your trip?" and "What did you do?", I suggest
writing out the following:
- A one-sentence answer;
- A two- to three-sentence answer;
-
A two-paragraph answer; and
- A two-page answer.
I write all of this because I can guarantee that most of you will experience at least some degree of emotional pain from those who reject you 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 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 and weeks...irrespective of his or her 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,
Dave's debrief has given you many useful tools to keep this trip alive and to help you transition back to life in the states and to 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. 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 are 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 (in the US). We get too busy.
- What did you see in the people?
-
Which of their needs are most vivid?
-
What aspects of their lives impressed
you most?
-
What did you see in the country that
was different from your expectations?
-
Is there a mental picture that comes to
mind?
- What keeps you from "seeing" in your world?
Avek amore,
Leah
-----
Exercise Two: "Recalibrating, Part 1: Stream of Consciousness Exercise"
Allow yourself over the next few days to begin to think about the things on your mind and in your heart concerning changes you’d like to make in your life in response to the trip.
Do you remember "stream of consciousness" writing from your high school lit classes? Briefly, to engage in stream of consciousness is to sit with a pen and note pad in-hand, focus on a specific theme or idea, and then write down (almost explosively) whatever crosses your mind about that subject. When engaging in such an activity, it's very important to do your best to turn off your judging and editing functions so that what's inside you can come out freely. This, of course, takes a bit of discipline, but, speaking from personal experience, you will get better at it with practice. The key here is to let your mind think whatever it wants to think (and not just what you think you're supposed to think or what you think God wants you to think), and to let your heart feel and want whatever it wants (and not just what you think you're supposed to feel or want). Let your hand write whatever crosses your mind and heart, and, as you're writing, don’t critique, edit, or try to organize it in any fashion. This, I think (and, yes, this is just me), may be one small aspect of what Jesus meant when He said, "Don't let the left hand know what the right hand's doing." For such a thing can lead to paralysis or vanity.
With all that's within me, I want to encourage you to engage in this exercise for I can almost guarantee that the experience will be exceedingly illuminating and liberating. I write of this from my own personal experience. I’ve engaged in this kind of thing many times in my life, and each time, I was surprised (even shocked sometimes) at what emerged. When you let come out what's genuinely living inside you it's hard to argue over its validity. And this is exactly what I want to encourage you to do: To let out what’s inside you; to let out that which you really want where developing a surrendered, missional life is concerned. That way, if you know what you want, even if what you want changes a little along the way (and it most likely will), at least you’ll know you're heading in a direction that's congruent with who you are and with the person you wish to be someday.
The Exercise – Part One (20 minutes)
- Grab a pen, a tablet of paper, a
small handful of 3x5 cards, turn off your cell phone, put on some relaxing music,
and sit comfortably at a table or desk where you have room to do some free-hand
writing.
-
Before doing any writing, allow me
to urge you to say the following prayer (or something like it): Lord, I
wish to live the way you desire me to.
Lord, it's really You Who's the One working within me to give me the
desire and ability to please You. As I
begin to get in touch with what I truly want in life (basically, what You've
already put inside me in terms of how I wish to live and to conduct myself), I
ask, O God, that You help me to get at what I’m really feeling inside. I ask You, too, to give me a vision for what living
a surrendered, missional life might look like for me. I invite You, dear God, to come and join me
as I explore such things. Again, please
just help me to get at what’s inside me.
I give us (You and me!) this time, Lord.
In the Name of Jesus I pray...amen.
-
For the next ten to fifteen minutes or so,
write down anything and everything that comes to mind with respect to changes
you'd like to make in your life as a result of the Haiti 2012 trip. As a model, I've included the list I
generated immediately following my first trip to Haiti in April 2011 (see Part E).
-
Do your best to lay aside any
filters or judgments of what comes forth.
In fact, welcome whatever arises with a kind of unconditional friendliness—much
the way you might welcome a dear friend that you haven’t seen for some time.
-
Read over all that you’ve written.
-
Read over it again, please.
-
Put everything aside for a few days or
so before engaging in Part Two below. Becoming different takes time, so do just
that: Take your time, okay? Please consider that living a surrendered life
is a lot more like running a marathon (in fact, one marathon right after
another) than sprinting the 50-yard dash.
- Read through what you wrote in Part One.
- Now read through it one more time,
but this time, rank each thing you wrote down in terms of its value or
importance to you. As you do this, use
only three rank distinctions: Somewhat
Important (S), important (I), and extremely important (E).
-
Go through everything again, and
make sure that the way you ranked things is representative of how you really
feel inside. Make any changes you feel
are needful.
-
Identify all your Es, and rewrite them again on another
sheet of paper. This time, edit what you
wrote, combine similar items, and expand or expound upon those that you feel
need additional substance.
-
Put everything aside for a day or so
before engaging in Part Three below.
-
Read through your rewritten Es, and identify those that you believe
to be the top three in terms of their importance to you.
-
Using your stack of index cards,
rewrite your top two or three Es as
prayers to God. Let's call these your Visioning Prayer Cards.
Over the next three months, pray through your Visioning Prayer Cards at least once a day. Praying in this way will put your desires center stage before you and God. This, my friends, is a little of what beginning with the end in mind is all about.
Exercise 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 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."
Exercise 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?
Exercise 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?
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?
Part D: A Few Things I'd Like to Learn from the Samurai
Provided below is something I wrote a couple of years 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 a bit of 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 almost unnatural naturalness 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 many years ago 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 here, right now."
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 some time, and really give it some thought. Perhaps, even, write your answers down, and then go and live them out.
Part E: Stream of Consciousness Big List (Prepared in April 2011 During My Initial Responses to the Haiti 2011 Trip)
- When taking a shower, limit your
showers to three minutes or less.
-
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 begin creating things again.)
-
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 ALWAYS own you money. What are you waiting for? Go get it back as
soon as you can, man.
-
Be faithful in your 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 like it, Dave, but it can easily
begin to turn on 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. Continue to practice deciding beforehand that
everyone around you is automatically forgiven—long before he or she irritates
or hurts you.
-
Stop thinking about what you’re going
to say while someone else is talking. Take
the time to really listen and absorb what that one in front of you 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—yes, I know!)
-
Dine on your conversations with others,
too. Sip—don’t gulp-their soul’s wine. It will change your life, man. 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.
The purpose of the above exercise conglomerate is to provide you with a road map for responding to the Haiti trip in a way that's 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 (and to lay down your participation in grievous, know sin), don’t make any significant life-changes for at least 30 days (specifically, before June 1, 2012). If, though, 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
