missionaries- pass or fail?

I'm amped up, excited and can hardly wait. Next month (March 13-21) is our time of missions emphasis at Knott Avenue Church. We call it, Beyond...9 Days in March, and we use it to encourage those we support locally and globally, as well as to educate and challenge our people about missions on a worldwide scale. And what they can do to help get the job done.

Having been a missionary, I've heard much of the negative attributed to those who leave their own cultures to share life and message with those who don't know the Savior. I realize that far too often missionaries brought western culture, thinking, values and ways with them, and taught people as much about being western as about being Christians. I know that they often promoted a colonial mindset among those they went to serve, keeping converts dependent upon foreign direction, leadership and funding. That the message of Christ too often got overlaid upon a bed of indigenous beliefs, creating syncretism and Cristo-paganism. Yep, in some places, missionaries made a mess of things. We don't deny that.

But I also know that it was missionaries who went where real trouble and needs existed. They were founders and propagators of the bulk of hospitals, orphanages, schools and charities in the most challenging parts of the world. They risked (and often sacrificed) their lives because of a passion to alleviate suffering and bring healing and hope to those in dire need. They actually acted as a buffer in many places, preparing people for the inevitability of encroaching of western expansion. They brought peace among peoples who had warred for hundreds of years, changed the source of social policy for the betterment of the people, led campaigns for the rights of the oppressed and suffering. And all too often, suffered right alongside them.

I recently heard Ray Bakke (a renowned urban pastor, professor and author) speak and his reference to what missionaries have done historically gave me pause for reflection and joy. He said that in 1900, 90% of all Christians in the world were white, northern and western (European and North American). 90%! But by 1980, more than 50% of the world's Christians were non-white, non-northern and non-western. And that today, 80% of the world's active Christians are outside the West! That for the first time since the 5th century, Christianity is a non-western religion!

And he went on to ask his audience if they understood what those statistics meant. They meant that, among other things, missionaries did their job! That they were successful in getting the Gospel from here to there! And I remembered that even in weakness, in failings, and fall-short efforts, God works. He takes what is bring to His table, however little, limited or flawed, and makes of it great success, great progress, great gain. Not because of who we are, but because of who He is.

And then I reflected on our labors, both in the Philippines and here, and I was filled with joy. Because I knew that God took what we gave, and somehow fashioned it into the tool He was looking for to make a difference in lives in need. Because of who He is. And what He wants to see happen. And I remembered again that whether it's outside my front door or outside my borders, there are people to be reached, lives to be touched, needs to be met. And that sometimes I may need to support a missionary, while other times I need to be that missionary.

Join us in March, won't you, as we allow God to speak to us as people who both support and go, whether around the corner or around the world, with a message of hope for a dying world.

Give 'em heaven, missionaries.

the impact of life

A life lived faithfully. Spent for the right reasons. Touching those in need and blessing those near and far. Such words describe, however minimally, our good friend Beverly "Betty" Wright, who recently left this world to be with her Lord. We celebrated her life last Sunday at Westside Christian Church (our former church), in Long Beach.

The auditorium was packed as we listened and shared together about the life of one woman who made such a difference in the lives of so many. Betty was a pillar of that congregation. Had been for years, as she served in just about any capacity necessary. Making sure the grounds were beautifully kept, contacting those in need, encouraging others around her (young and old), participating in leadership meetings, issues and decisions. Always smiling, always helpful, always positive. That's how I remember her.

Betty had a special place in our family's life. For several of the 12 years we served in the Philippines, she was our stateside representative. She took care of our banking (that couldn't have been much fun!), kept people updated about our situation, and was our link to sanity here at home. I know that more than once she went to the others in her Bible study to tell them that "Mike and Liz need more money for their lives and work." And then she would simply wait until the group provided what she thought was sufficient for the moment! Her concern for our well-being and ministry was obvious to us, and helped us feel that much more secure.

There's an apocryphal story that I know Betty liked (she told me so). It's about the Old Testament character, Enoch, of whom it's said did not taste death. Genesis 5 tells us that Enoch walked with God, and then he was no more, for God took him away. The story is told that each day Enoch went out for his walk with God. Day after day they would walk and talk about so many different things. And at the end of each day, Enoch would return home. One day, Enoch and God had walked very far together, not noticing the day getting on because their time together was so rich. At the end of that day Enoch prepared to turn around, but God said, "Enoch, it is very late and you have walked very far. Why don't you come home with me tonight?" And so they simply kept walking together.

The same could be said of Betty. She walked with God, and He with her. He encouraged and challenged her, and was her comfort and guide as they navigated life together. It seems only fitting that at some point He looked at her and said, "Betty, my precious daughter, you've walked so far with me day after day, and now it's grown late. Why don't you just come home with me now?" And so she did.

Our loss, heaven's gain. A life well-spent, graciously given, poured out for the One she loved the most. We'll miss you, Betty, but we're grateful for your time with us. Because we're better people. We've seen God through you and it's made a difference in us.

Well done, good and faithful servant.