Seeking Wise Counsel

The Backstory

(FYI: Some content has been modified for the Web.) For as long as I've been here, and for many years before that, our "group" here has taught a class on Sunday mornings. At times it has been very productive and beneficial. Other times, the amount of disconnect has been so poignant, it seemed almost as though a bad dream were playing in slow motion right before our eyes. Yet, we have continued to believe that this time has been fruitful. Why, just 2 weekends ago, we did a weekend-long fast. We did this to draw near to God and seek His wise counsel in many areas of our lives. That Sunday also seemed blessed by this time when we had what I think we agree to be the most meaningful lesson to date. In fact, that weekend was so meaningful in general that we are considering the idea of making a habit of doing a weekend fast every month - so long as the motivation and timing are right. Disciplines should be used by Disciples, but they are never God - just a means to draw near to Him.

The Problem

The very next weekend, we were met with one of the most disappointing Sunday classes ever. Could we have guessed this? No. We felt just as moved by the preparation for that class as we did for the class during the fast. Is there a direct correlation? Maybe a little, but we doubt that it is entirely direct. Well, tonight as we were planning, this problem seemed to weigh heavily on our minds. We took time to pray about it and ask for counsel again. We certainly received guidance, but we feel we need additional time and prayer to discern if it is Truth.

The "Proposed" Solution

We have known for a long time that we never wanted Western culture to mask Truth. We wanted Truth to overcome all earthly culture to reveal eternal culture. But we cannot fully shed our culture. Nor can we fully shed our biases. But we do have a desire to use our knowledge and experience for real growth and discipleship over here. So, what seemed very real to us as a solution tonight was for us to step down from the role of in-class leaders. Many of our Sunday morning students don't speak English well. We don't want class to be an English corner, either. We also don't want it to be two dancing foreigners on stage for their entertainment. We want real Truth to be put into context that makes sense for them. But there is a terrible lack of leadership here. So we are hoping that we can move into the role of out-of-class leaders.

The Details and Questions

In our minds (which we know is not the final word here), we are thinking that we want to ask this Organization if they could find a local teacher here who can speak both English and Chinese. We would then take the years of experience we have walking the Walk, and use our knowledge to teach the teacher. The teacher could then contextualize our ideas and biases and turn them into local, relevant language and lessons for the students. However, there are some unanswered questions. 1) Will the Organization agree to this? 2) Is there a suitable teacher to be found? 3) Is this really what we are being led to seek? 4) If this is a good move, what do we do in the interim? Fortunately, we don't have to have answers immediately, and God is largely in charge of answering these questions. But we do want to be careful with #4 in particular. So, we are trying to continue presenting Truth, while possibly steering our lessons towards a final lesson of stepping down from our roles to allow for new in-class leadership.

The Request

This will not be an easy process. Perhaps not a quick one either. It needs to be bathed in prayer and wise counsel. If you feel particularly moved by this story please 1) pray with us and/or 2) provide any counsel you feel is appropriate to offer (keeping in mind some discretion should be used in that note/email). The final request - rejoice with us! We really feel Goodness is at work in what is going on here. We want it to continue. And we long to connect in more and deeper ways with our Lord. We pray this same blessing for those of you we know are regular readers of this space. Thanks, greatly.

The Sounds of Grief

I accidentally came upon part of a funeral here the other day. I didn't really recognize what it was at first. There were some really, really loud firecrackers being set off, and I figured someone had gotten married or a new company was opening, but when I saw a group of people with sad looks on their faces and all dressed in black, I knew what it was. Of course, I think black is fairly new for the Chinese and funerals. I believe white used to be traditional.

Anyway, as I walked along, I noticed something else. There was a whole line of women - maybe about 10 of them - who were wearing some kind of white coat or dress that looked intentionally plain. All of these women were wailing - not just crying - I mean there was truly a terrible sound of grief in their voices. I asked a student about this and he told me that when a person dies at too young of an age, there will be people who cry out in grief. However, if someone has died at a good age, then these women will be laughing, so as to celebrate that person's life.

I thought it was an interesting tradition, and it probably reflects some common thought among most cultures - if a person lived a good life, then their death should be a time of bittersweet enjoyment. Of course it's sad to lose them, but you know they lived their life well. But those sounds of grief stayed with me for quite a while that day. I realized how appropriate those sounds were for grieving someone who was lost to us. And it is all the more true if that person was lost from his Creator.

It is sometimes very distressing and painful to live among a people who generally don't acknowledge their Creator (or any other maker, for that matter). What do they hope in? I know in America we can believe a host of lies: our nation's strength, our finances, our comfort, etc. But China has just been ravaged by hard times in its history. How can these people be so resilient in the face of hopes that never seem to hold water?

Perhaps I speak too much. Anyway, I love what I get to do over here, and I can't wait to see more and more Chinese waking up to real truth. Perhaps then even the cries for those who are lost at too young an age can still be tempered with the hopefulness of eternity.

Restlessness Part 2

Well, it's about 1:00 AM here, and I find myself unable to sleep again. But I'm happy to report that this restlessness has not been the norm in the recent past. Although, it hasn't been completely unfamiliar to me either. Let me catch you up a bit on some of what has been happening with this.

After my first round of restless nights, I began seeking some spiritual answers to what was going on. So, at night I would take some time to rebuke any unclean spirits that may have been in my apartment. Not much change. Then Rick and I took some olive oil that he had, asked God's blessing on it, and we anointed the walls, floor and ceiling of my bedroom. I began to notice a difference after this. Most nights since then have been pretty pleasant dreams.

Let me say, though, that this is all unfamiliar territory to me. I'm not sure what anointing is supposed to look like. I'm not sure what is the extent of its blessing power. I'm not sure what are the right steps to use for it. Did we make some mistakes? Possibly. But considering how well my sleep has been in the recent past, I feel like we must be at least partially on the right path to understanding things in a deeper sense. You see, Rick and I are doing our best to grow our faith by entering into some uncomfortable parts of serving Him. Particularly, we are trying things we have not previously done in our walks, but perhaps we have heard that these have been effective in other parts of Christendom.

Of course, our efforts are not without difficulties. Two nights after the anointing, I awoke in the early morning in a cold sweat, feeling a heaviness very close to me. So close, I would say it was laying beside me on the other side of the bed. In fact, I could basically sense that it was there. As I looked at the empty side of my bed, a nasty voice growled at me. Without much thought, and with a lot of disgust, I growled back at it. Ha. I didn't notice the humor of the situation at first, but later I had a good chuckle. Anyway, I was angry because things were going so well after the anointing process that I really felt the enemy had no grounds to be back in my apartment. So, I rebuked him and told him that by Christ's authority he had to leave. And it seems he did, as I was able to finish the rest of my sleep without interruption.

Next up on our list, Rick and I are planning to do a fast this next weekend. We have both felt God pushing us to trust Him more by giving up our realm of control and letting Him lead a lot of what is happening. Seems like a wise thing, albeit a scary thing. But we both agreed that if we are going to seek His face with such abandon, we both need to draw closer to Him now. Thus, a fast seems like a good thing. This will be a dietary fast combined with a restriction of computer access. I'm not sure where it will lead, but I'm excited to see His faithfulness to us in a deeper way. Please pray for us to be held up and drawn near to our Lord during this next weekend. And please pray for rest!

Hope you all are well.