Perspective

I write this post with a lot of emotions. When Randy and I moved to Memphis for him to go to dental school, neither of us had any idea what was in store for us spiritually. What has happened is a complete change of perspective, and a new calling as to what we want to do with the life God has given us.

Blessed. What does that mean to you? Up until recently, I thought it meant the gifts I had been given in life that I was truly thankful for. But now my perspective has changed. What I have learned is that God has blessed us as a means to share those blessings, and use them to glorify his Kingdom. Just like the parable of the talents in the book of Matthew, I have been given certain gifts to use them for a distinct purpose. And that is both a challenge and a responsibility. I have never challenged myself in my faith, it has always just been some sort of a constant piece of me, but not something I really worked at. What is becoming more and more real to me is that being a disciple of Christ is not an easy task. You simply cannot read the bible and come to this conclusion. The trials that come are what force us to trust in God and put our hope in Him, something I have not always done.

With that being said, Randy and I have made a big decision...one that some of you already know, or might have seen coming with the past involvement we have had with the house church community. This summer we will be moving into Binghampton, a place many refer to as the "hood" of Memphis. Yes, it has plenty of homes owned by friends of ours...but it also has an extreme amount of diversity...skin color, ethnicity, refugees, families, drug users, criminals. I'd be lying to say I am not a little scared, but one thing I have been realizing is that satan puts fear in our lives for a reason...to keep us from doing powerful things in the name of God. Although we do not expect to change the people or the community by just being there, we want to place ourselves in an area where we can be examples of a life in Christ, and show love to some of those who need it most. We also see this as a stepping stone into (hopefully) bigger ways of being servants for Christ, whether that means work in Memphis, Nashville, Ohio, overseas, or wherever else we're needed.

Here are some words that sum up this long thought out reason for moving into Binghampton...

1. Trust
We are obsessed with security. Whether its financial, home, retirement, friends, family...we love to act as if we have control over our lives. Paul speaks of a trust in God that has him facing death every day. Randy and I say we place our trust in God, but do we really? What in our lives says that we rely on something that is not seen? We believe that being Christians requires us to put ourselves in uncomfortable and challenging situations. Situations that the bible tells us the world will not understand, but we do it because we trust in God and believe in the power of the gospel.

2. Calling

This is something that has been stirring up in us for more than a year now...something that would be impossible to not answer. Especially for Randy's future career as a dentist. While he used to see being a dentist as a wonderful professional career where he could be successful, have good working hours, etc., he now sees it as an amazing gift given to him to serve those in need. Since this has been revealed, I have seen Randy become more excited than ever about his career and how he can use it to advance the Kingdom.

3. Service

In Matthew 25, the last parable Matthew documents before Jesus was handed over to be crucified is the parable of The Sheep and The Goats. What I find most powerful about this parable is the misunderstanding of those who thought they had done everything needed to spend eternity with God.

³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

This passage speaks so urgently of our job as Christians to serve. I do not think it is a coincidence that this is one of the last parables Jesus gave in the flesh. In this message lies the biggest goal I wish to accomplish...to care less about myself, and more about others.

4. Community

Wealthy, poor, black, white...neighbors are neighbors, and Randy and I cannot wait to be a part of a neighborhood, a community. There is so much to a community that I find comforting, and when a community is strong, amazing things can happen. A communal garden, walking distance from church, providing for people who cannot provide in return, and owning an apartment where we can house guests who need a place to stay are just some of what we look forward to in our home in the Binghampton community.

5. Love

Last but not least, we are doing this out of love. We have met some of the most incredible people since opening up to this new environment. A family of Burundi refugees. A Mennonite. A roller derby chick and a biker dude. So many different people coming together in the name of Christ, that is love. And I want to know more of it, give more of it, and learn more about it.

We can never fully understand how God plans to use us in our lives, but we don't need to understand. As a door is opened for us, we have to have the faith to go through it. If we make it through that door, we have to look for the next one; even if it requires more faith than the first. One of Randy's favorite biblical quotes comes from the book of Job. As many of you know Job was a righteous man; in fact, the scripture tells as that there was no one on earth like him. Yet God chose to allow Job to suffer, and at his lowest point we are told that he is covered from head to toe with sores and sitting in a pile of ashes. For the next thirty some chapters Job and his friends try to understand why he is suffering, and they ramble on and on with their worldly knowledge and explanations. But in the rarest of occasions and to our benefit, the Lord decides to speak to Job...(Ch. 38) Job is quickly reminded of God's supreme authority and wisdom, and he can only utter a few words in response including: "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know". God's will is so wonderful and perfect, even when it calls on us to suffer.

Below is a very dramatic and well done video by the people of thelastletter.org. The video is a discussion of the personal sacrifice that is required in seeking the Kingdom; part of this video highlights the efforts of Christ Community in Binghampton and surrounding urban areas.

Last Letter Documentary from Last Letter on Vimeo.

Please pray for us in this decision, that we will have the courage to do whatever it is God is wanting us to do in the community.