But God’s Kingdom includes hardship

Acts 14:21-28 After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. … Finally, they returned by ship to Antioch of Syria, where their journey had begun. … They reported everything God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, too. And they stayed there with the believers for a long time.

It’s hardly a “health and wealth” message, is it. I suspect the “long time” Paul and Barnabas spent in Antioch of Syria after their first missionary journey relates to their need for healing, both physical and emotional. Besides the hardships of travel by ship and by land, they were misunderstood, slandered, run out of towns, stoned and left for dead. Paul’s strong feeling that John Mark abandoned them (BEFORE the stonings, etc.) will fracture his relationship with Barnabas. No wonder they needed time for rest and renewal before Paul set out again—with Silas this time—in chapter 16.

Reading this passage, I flashed on furloughs my parents took from their mission work in Guatemala, when I was six and eleven and eighteen. My little brother Danny could give a perfect rendition of Dad’s “furlough talk,” complete with gestures and inflections. The memory makes me laugh, because our son Dan did the same thing with Dave’s—“It’s Kairos time!” I bet he still could. (No, not a good idea to give your brother’s name to your son. But I love the name Daniel.)

Today is Dan’s birthday (son, not brother—see what I mean?). I want to honor my son for his resilience through many hardships as he grew up,. Some related to having a chronically ill sister, but our call to mission included Dave traveling constantly, using our home intensively as a “ministry center,” giving away more money than we should have at the expense of providing for Dan the kind of clothes, etc. the other kids had at his school. And much more. If I could do it all over again, I would spend less time and energy in “ministry” and more time caring for our kids.

Dan, I love you, admire profoundly the wise, generous, perceptive, kind, visionary man you are, and pray God’s rich blessing on this special next year of your life, as you and April marry and you develop Dignity Best Practices, whose time clearly is now.

But God never left us without evidence

Acts 14:15-17 [After a man crippled from birth was healed, people in Lystra thought Paul and Barnabas were gods and prepared to sacrifice bulls to them.] Barnabas and Paul shouted, “Friends, we are merely human beings—just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them … In the past he permitted the nations to go their own ways, but he never left them without evidence of himself and his goodness.

Romans 1:20 Through everything God made, people can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature.

Colossians 1:15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.

I have just learned that our friend and colleague Doug Lamp died last night from complications of Covid. Doug and his wife Barbara spent their lives sharing the Good News about God’s goodness, first in Bolivia and then in Cuiabá, São Paulo (living three blocks from us), and Natal in Brazil. When I left São Paulo to accompany Karis through intestinal transplant, they reached out to our other daughters. Barbara did some “mom” things for and with Valerie at school I wasn’t there to do. We last saw Doug in Natal in January 2020, before any of us had heard of Covid. I will miss my cheerful email exchanges with him over the news in their prayer letters and ours. My husband Dave was a guest in their home countless times, in Cuiabá, São Paulo, and Natal. They traveled seven hours to attend our daughter Valerie’s wedding in southern Brazil.

Ironically, Doug and Barbara had their bags packed and tickets purchased to retire to the U.S. three weeks from the day Doug learned he had Covid. We talked about them visiting us in Pittsburgh. We are heartbroken for Barbara and for their family. Doug’s long battle did not end as we hoped and prayed.

What does Doug’s death have to do with this passage from Acts 14? I’m thinking this sad morning of Doug no longer dependent on the evidence of himself God gives us here on earth, but there, with him, joining Karis and all your loved ones and mine in awe around God’s throne. One day you and I will be there too. What will matter then of all that troubles us now?

Lord, reorder my preoccupations and priorities. Because you are good.

But the Holy Spirit gives power

Acts 14:1-4 [In Iconium] Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders.

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses … to the ends of the earth.

Though he’s not named in Acts 14, the Holy Spirit’s presence is evident in Paul’s power in preaching about the grace of Jesus and in the miracles he and Barnabas performed.

I think Paul and Barnabas’ understanding of grace deepened on this first missionary journey. Luke first uses the word grace in connection to Paul and Barnabas in Antioch of Pisidia (13:43), after Paul’s long sermon in the synagogue there. From then on, Luke uses the word frequently. Perhaps the change is in Luke’s own understanding, not in Paul’s.

Looking back to Paul’s sermon in chapter 13, do we see of the Lord’s grace? Through Jesus there is forgiveness of sins (v. 38). Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God—something the law of Moses could never do (v. 39). Jesus offers grace, not law.

For those who despair of being “good enough,” this is good news indeed! Continue to rely on the grace of God (v. 43).

Every time we mess up, say what we shouldn’t, do what we ought not do, fail to do what we ought to do, continue to rely on the grace of God.

When things go right and when things go wrong, continue to rely on the grace of God.

When others hurt us, continue to rely on the grace of God. When we hurt others, continue to rely on the grace of God.

It’s counter-cultural, isn’t it? In our politically charged culture today, people can be written off if evidence of wrongdoing is uncovered, even when they were teens or college students. It doesn’t seem to matter how much good someone does, what sacrifices are made in service to others—if they mess up once (at least in the eyes of their critics), their whole selves and lives and families and work can be discredited.

The Gospel, the “Good News,” says NO. Jesus offers forgiveness, and change, and growth, and redemption. No one has to remain stuck in their inevitable mistakes, sins, or lapses in judgment, because forgiveness and healing are possible. Jesus wants us to live freely, joyfully, gratefully, not in fear. Grace is good news just as much for us as it was for the people in Cyprus and in what is now Turkey almost two thousand years ago.

Haha. I searched Shutterstock for “counterculture” and got an amazing collection of hippie and “make love not war” and “flower power” images. This is the best I could do. Consider what “mainstream” means for YOU–what voices help define your values? And if I may use what has become, perhaps, cliché: What would Jesus say? I’m asking this very seriously.

But God removed and replaced

Acts 13:1-3, 9, 22-23, 46, 52 One day as the leaders of the church at Antioch of Syria were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” … Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit … But God removed Saul and replaced him with David … And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior … Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. … And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

My parents believed God was sending them to translate the Scriptures into one of the languages of a remote part of China. As they prepared to leave, China closed its doors, and in time, Mom and Dad went to Guatemala instead. I might have grown up in China instead of Guatemala!

As Dave and I prepared to move to Brazil, our mission asked us to consider Mexico instead. Our kids might have grown up in Mexico instead of Brazil!

We thought we would live out our lives in Brazil, seeing our grandchildren once or twice a year. Instead, because of Karis’s transplants, here we all are in Pittsburgh, where I see Caleb, Talita, and Liliana once or twice a week.

Turning points. This chapter is full of them—you’ll have to read the whole thing for yourself. Barnabas and Saul are sent out. They go. The governor of Cyprus believes in Jesus. Elymas the sorcerer is blinded. Saul’s name changes to Paul. John Mark leaves Paul and Barnabas and returns home (we learn later Paul took this very hard). The news about Jesus’ resurrection (But God raised him from the dead, v. 30) generates conflict in Antioch of Pisidia. Paul and Barnabas respond by turning from the Jews to the Gentiles, who accept the Gospel joyfully.

Paul preached about a different Saul, one whom a thousand years before God removed from being king. But in his own life, the arrogant Saul who once tried to destroy the church has been replaced by one who dedicates his whole being to build it up. Luke was a careful writer. I don’t think it’s accidental that Paul’s name change appears in the same chapter where he preaches about the replacement of the ancient Saul (representing the old system of law), with David, whose descendant Jesus introduced the age of grace. Continue to rely on the grace of God, Paul and Barnabas told the believers (v. 43).

What turning points have you experienced? How has your life been different because of them? Are you facing a moment of decision right now? Continue to rely on the grace of God.

But God struck him down

Acts 12:18-24 [After killing James, imprisoning Peter, and killing the guards after an angel freed Peter] Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon … He put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them. The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!” Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. … So he died. Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers.

I’ve laughed at Rhoda and the believers who prayed for Peter to be released from jail and then said “It’s impossible” when God did what they asked. But the context for that amusing scene is anything but funny. Their local Judean king was willing to do anything, even kill people, to feed his own ego. This is the same Herod who killed John the Baptist to entertain a drunken crowd.

Thinking of how much God dislikes arrogance, abuse and tyranny, I wonder how he views situations like Venezuela, where the suffering goes on and on. Our friends there constantly challenge us with their belief that God is working through their suffering. They speak more about being found faithful as they reach out in love to those around them than about ending the pain. I am humbled by their faith and service and perspective.

It’s clear from this story that God sees what’s going on in our world. That’s as true today as it was two thousand years ago. But he doesn’t act according to our limited wisdom. He sees everything, without bias or favoritism. Once again today, I’m invited to trust him.

Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28-29). George MacDonald, the man who most inspired C.S. Lewis, said in response to verse 29, this consuming fire is essential love, burning out of us all idolatry so we can see and love him in truth. “Love loves unto purity … He doesn’t put on a mask. He puts on a face.”

Lord, burn out of me all that loves comfort and safety more than you. I want to see your face.

But God is amused

Acts 12:1-19 King Herod arrested Peter … under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each … The church prayed very earnestly for him … [An angel of the Lord springs him.] When he realized he was free, Peter went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!” “You’re out of your mind!” they said … Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.

So, you may not feel I am being adequately respectful of God by saying he is amusable. But follow my logic here. Try to think about this story from God’s point of view. He’s just done a spectacular miracle in response to the believers’ prayers. And then Peter gets stuck out in the street while those same pray-ers decide God couldn’t possibly have done what they were asking him to do. Rhoda’s response is quite funny.

And there seems no “spiritual” reason for God to inspire Luke to include this story. I mean, poor Rhoda! But if we believe all Scripture is inspired by God, that applies here too. I think God wants us to laugh at and with those people. I imagine them retelling the story for years—to the point that it made it into Holy Scripture, handed down all the way to us.

Perhaps because I spend a fair amount of time with two toddlers and a preschooler, my life is filled with amusement. This week Caleb, 3 ½, has vacillated between being a giant crane (the machine kind) anxious to help move heavy things, and a funny pterodactyl (“engraçado” in Portuguese), swooping across the grass. I’m supposed to know how to address him at any given moment, and he’s quick to correct me if I get it wrong. His one-year-old sister doesn’t quite have the swooping down yet, but she’s trying! And I of course am required to swoop with them. The very picture of dignity.

When is the last time you did something silly? I would love to hear your stories!

But God extends grace

Acts 11:20-21, 28-29 Some believers who went to Antioch began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus. The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord … A prophet named Agabus predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could.

Galatians 1:15 But before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace.

Ephesians 2:8 God saved you by his grace … you can’t take credit for this: it is a gift from God.

My heart sank. “You’re kidding, right?” That’s what I thought, though I think I was a little more gracious than that to the Duquesne Incline ticket seller. It wasn’t her fault—I should have researched before spontaneously dragging my three-year-old Caleb and one-year-old Talita up all those steps from the parking lot to the next set of steps to the walkway across to the cars.

The thing is, I had already dragged the kids all the way back down to the car and up again in muggy 90-degree heat after discovering I had forgotten our face masks. Little Talita was soaked in sweat, her hair a sticky mass. Caleb stared at me in unbelief when I told him we wouldn’t be able to ride the Incline after all. I hadn’t realized it was cash only, and the credit card in my pocket had zero value. Nor could I imagine making the round trip again. Obviously, I wasn’t accustomed to riding on public transit, or I would have known about the need for cash.

A woman behind us in line heard my explanation to Caleb. As I turned to start our descent to the parking lot, she said, “Wait. How much do you need?”

“Well, the kids are free. So it’s just me.”

“Five dollars, then, round trip. I can give you five dollars, so the children aren’t disappointed. Let me do this.”

“What? Are you sure? I have no way to pay you back.”

“I’m sure. Here. Enjoy the ride.” Her smile was brilliant.

Ironically, on my way to pick up the kids, I heard on NPR a conversation about research demonstrating the benefits to the giver of showing kindness to others. I hope that was true for our benefactor! What a lovely random act of kindness. Though I might not recognize her again, she will forever occupy a warm place in my heart.

It tickles me to think God experiences joy when he gives to us. In my experience that happens like, all the time. Even when I don’t notice.

But God builds bridges across cultural and religious barriers

Acts 10:1, 28, 44-45 In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment … Peter told Cornelius and his household, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.” … Even as Peter was speaking about Jesus, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too.

Colossians 3:11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile … Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

I just finished reading a fascinating book set in 1880s India and England, A Tapestry of Light by Kimberly Duffy. As I commented in my review of the book on Goodreads, it’s a TCK story, at a time when the challenges of “third culture kids” weren’t as well recognized or understood. Indian and English hostility had hardened, and then-named Eurasians, descendants of both British and Indian parents, were caught in the middle, despised by both groups. Ottilie, the protagonist, is Eurasian, and doesn’t feel fully at home anywhere.

TCKs tend to feel the same way. A friend of Dave’s illustrated her feelings by calling her American heritage blue, her Ecuadoran upbringing yellow, and herself green, a blend of the two, not fully “herself” in either context. As I read A Tapestry of Light, I thought of the way TCKs from all over the world immediately bonded to each other, comfortable in common “greenness.”

Picture Cornelius, a Roman army officer hated by the people whose land his country occupied. And Peter, ingrained from birth with this hatred, with a consuming passion for freedom from Rome. And then God puts them together and by amazing grace on both sides, something brand new is formed, where what matters most is Christ’s deep love for all of them. Read the whole chapter to understand this better.

And I wonder: could Christ’s love be so compelling here, now, that it could lift us out of our divisions and hostilities and mistrust of one another into something new, redemption from our fears and our certainty that “we” are right, and “they” are wrong?

Cornelius and Peter show us such a thing is possible! Remember that old song we sang fifty years ago, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me?” Lord, let it begin with me.

Ha! I found it! Wow, what a flood of adolescent memories are associated with this song for me!

But God said “Go”

Acts 9:1-5, 10-17 Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers … As he approached Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting … The Lord spoke to Ananias in a vision … “Go over to Straight Street … ask for a man named Saul. He is praying to me right now. “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers! … But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument … So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus … has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

I bet if I were to ask Saul (later called Paul) to tell me his God story, he would first tell me this one—in fact, Scripture records him doing so many times, to various audiences. So, what’s your God story?We delight God when we tell what he does for us. Your stories, like mine, might not be as dramatic as Saul’s, but that doesn’t matter. All stories are good ones when t tohey honor God.

So here’s my story: I grew up in a missionary family, but it wasn’t until I was six that I understood Jesus had died for me and prayed the prayer, inviting Jesus into my life. My sister Marsha told me to write the date in the front of my Bible, so I would always remember this important event.

That’s it! Not dramatic at all. But of course, that was only the beginning. Remember when I mentioned that I started talking to God all the time? That began on February 26, 1961. Young as I was, from then on, I knew God was with me. I believe the Holy Spirit communicated that to me. I believe he preserved my life the first time I seriously considered ending it at age eight and several times after. Life wasn’t easy for me or for my siblings. Our mother was mentally ill, and our father didn’t know how to deal with that and protect us kids. I despaired many times, wounded as all of us were. But God, the Source of life, defended us—not from the wounding, but from ultimate despair. I am so grateful for his care for all eight of us.

The Lord says “Go!” to each of us in different ways. Right now, he’s saying to me, “Go love your precious grandkids.” So I’m off!

*At Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park last weekend*

But God gave joy in a time of trouble

Acts 8:1, 4-8, 26-39 A great wave of persecution began that day [with the stoning of Stephen], sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers were scattered. … But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. Philip, for example, went to Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah. … So there was great joy in that city. … [Then God sent Philip to walk down a desert road.] He met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority … Philip told him the Good News about Jesus. … The Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch ever saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.

“Karis my joy,” Dave used to call her, since we’d named her Karis Joy. And bringing joy to others delighted her.

“I wonder who God has for me in the hospital this time.”

Karis loved, loved, loved being home, having “a life.” So each time she had to be hospitalized she was bummed—if she was still conscious, that is. Usually, by the time we arrived at the ER, she had shifted into anticipation of who she might meet. Her dozens and dozens of hospitalizations were peppered with special encounters. As soon as she was well enough to be out of bed, she’d be out discovering who was there. Fellow transplant patients from a variety of nations, their children and other relatives, nurses, doctors, therapists—I could tell a thousand stories.

December, 2008 with one of Karis’s favorite doctors. She had been in the hospital for weeks. Finally we celebrated her homecoming, but the very next day she had to return, with bleeding from her intestine too severe to manage at home.

This attitude was not unique to Karis. Other patients also reached out, sharing life and encouragement. I remember Crysta’s little girl bringing Karis brightly colored and stickered cards. Angie shared a movie with us. Carissa brought modeling clay and books and what Karis called “intelligent conversation.” Some patients were one-timers, in Pittsburgh for special procedures. But the “regular” intestinal transplant crew, because most of them were long-term-care patients, became a family. Again, I could tell a zillion stories.

I’m smiling as I think about this. We laughed and wept, rejoiced and grieved for each other. Our nurses and doctors and therapists were wrapped into this community of love. Each loss—and there were so many—was cushioned within the blanket of comfort and understanding of others facing the same overwhelming challenges.

Karis had her eye out particularly for the international patients. With her five languages she could communicate with almost anyone, and the intestinal transplant world was truly a “united nations.” Everything we faced, they dealt with through the confusion of a foreign language and perplexing customs, far away from their usual support systems. Karis befriended them, in the hospital and out.

Joy.