Global Impact (WFI) Updates

I feel like I’ve been writing a lot this month, so I don’t blame you if you want to skim, speed, or skip this update altogether. But thanks so much for praying for and encouraging me through it all! God has been so good to allow me to do something I’ve always wanted to do: prayer-walk an area before considering investing our teams into it. It’s a risky thing: we could spend a lot of money and energy only to find out God isn’t putting us there. Fortunately, we didn’t get the sense that’s what He was telling us. If anything, we felt Europe is one of the most strategic places for music in mission. Unlike more “popular” mission fields, Europe is fairly wealthy and in a place to stop and enjoy art. They probably do so to a greater degree than we do in the US. They also have a history with God, albeit a slightly contaminated one now, thanks to our sin nature.

Over and over again, we heard from the people with whom we met how music has been powerful in their location. It is a common ground where people can meet, maybe have their own personal preferences, but rarely cause animosity. Artistic appreciation is valued so highly and with such generosity of spirit.

Spiritually, we have seen from Scripture how God uses music to open doors and pave the way for His purposes. While this dynamic of spiritual warfare must definitely be used in more “popular” mission fields that are poverty-stricken and facing major social justice issues, there is an added dimension of evangelism ministry through the arts in “forgotten” mission fields that are perceived to be Christianized because of history or economy. Again, God reminded me the blessing of Genesis 12.1-2 is not to be measured by quantity of material resources.

beautiful building, but it houses such ugliness

As beautiful as Europe is (and I definitely want to return on a personal trip to enjoy God in just that!), there was such a heavy spiritual darkness that was almost tangible. In the windows of many amazingly designed and crafted buildings were neon signs for “adult” shops that seemed to cheapen it all. It reminded me of the many passages in Isaiah and other Old Testament prophets expressing God’s deep sorrow over Israel’s waywardness: how He had made her to be beautiful, and how she insisted on pursuing what was less than what she was worth. I left Europe both excited for how much God loves her and saddened over how He has been rejected, even by those who claim to be Christians in all of those polls and questionnaires.

It’s definitely good to be back home, and jumping right in to a full schedule has helped a lot with the jet lag! Only a few early mornings because there was just no time to sleep in or take a nap. (The other early mornings were because of the alarm clock. ) To date, this must have been the easiest transition from one time zone to another. Which is great because God had started some things before I left that I need to follow up on. Again, He has it all worked out, just as He did for our time overseas. He never fails!

Over the last couple of months, I’ve had the opportunity to look and pray into other ministry possibilities that may be aligned with (as far as I can tell) how God wants to use me in the Kingdom with this whole idea of worship and music. The people with whom we met in Europe were confirmation of the heart He’s given me for this strategy: thriving in times of prayer and hot pursuit of God, fully believing in the spiritual power of worship to change our surrounding atmosphere, growing in enjoying the presence of God through it all. But the challenge now is to convey and facilitate that same heart among musicians and worship leaders here in the US, so they can join His movement regardless of where they find themselves in the moment…but for the sake of the global cause, definitely encouraging overseas involvement.

Balancing that has always been tricky, at least for me. Wanting to encourage a lifestyle of missional intention, irrespective of location, while wanting to encourage global missional involvement, which is highly dependent on location! Right now, it’s that time of year to really step up our invitation efforts for 2012 teams while, at the same time, exploring other possibilities that might facilitate bringing our short-term mission ministry to a higher level of encouragement for our hosts and effectiveness in the Kingdom. What an exciting time to be serving God in this! Exciting, and a little bit scary… I honestly have no idea what He is planning to do, but I expect He will pull some pretty unexpected moves…

If there’s anything God has affirmed to me repeatedly in the past month and especially while traveling, it is this: He is sovereign. He knows what He is doing. And He delights in covering my weaknesses, setting the perfect backdrop so He shines even brighter.

In doing this, He has exposed my need to better understand and handle fear rightly. It may just be lost in translation, since English is not the most precise language out there, but the challenge has been to discern between properly fearing God, heeding the warnings His Spirit gives me — which can feel very much like fear…He can use our emotions! — and confronting that kind of fear that should be cast out by His perfect love. I don’t want to throw out the baby with the bathwater by trying to banish all fear; I want to fear God to the full extent I should. It is exactly that fear which allows me to live freely and joyfully in His sovereign goodness and perfect plan. But so many times, in the process of planning this trip and while on this trip, I had to battle fear of man, fear of failure, fear of disappointment, fear of…essentially all the fear that stems out of my pride.

It all comes back to that again: pride. At the risk of misinterpretation or rewriting Scripture (!!), perhaps another way of looking at that often-quoted passage is to suggest His perfect love also casts out our pride. And if I struggle with fear or with pride, His love is not made perfect in me. Especially as I realized Europe wouldn’t be won by defending our faith — or God, for that matter…who can probably stand up for Himself! — it came down to being able to love well, both God and others.

Easier said than done, I’m sure. But that is my next big lesson and step of faith: to love God so well that I have no fear in following Him wherever and however He chooses to lead. And the second is like it : to love others so well that they will have no fear in encountering the God who loves them and uses me to show it. Please pray I will honor Him well in this so I may honor others into closer relationship with Him.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4.18