Feels like falling

One night while sitting around a campfire, the conversation turned to London. The discussion was filled with planning and reflection when I suddenly heard my name mentioned. "I think Brad Pierce should lead a trip back to London." said our associate pastor. What?! Excuse me? Me? Well, my words came to bite back. "You said you were going to London with or without the church, so lead a group back." I had never done anything of the sort before, besides I wasn't a savvy world traveler. After all, I had only been over seas once in my life and that was for four days. What qualified me to be a shepherd, arrogant stubbornness?
Well, it was settled, my role was to be the trip leader for our church when we return to London the following summer.  All I had to do now was recruit people to come with me. Great, sounds exciting, I just love sales; I sarcastically thought to myself. I'm comfortable being in charge, but I'm not comfortable marketing a product or service. Somehow it always seems to be about me. Well, I'm doomed from the start.
All I had to do was make a presentation to the church during our Sunday service about what we saw, learned, and what we were proposing. Since I am such a motivating speaker, I figured the entire church would be willing to give their lives away and join me.
We had our first commitment meeting and had a nice turnout of about 15. Not quite 200, but I'll take it. After talking money and deadlines, my 15 turned into 8.
I don't understand why these people just don't get it, I thought. I presented a pretty compelling story. Doing the Lord's work and spending 10 days in London, seemed like a no-brainer. By this time I still hadn't figured out, this mission was less about me and more about Him.
In the next 200 days, I would begin a journey I was not ready for. Life should've been on auto-pilot till we leave on mission, right? God is clever, and He knew I needed to be prepared as a leader before ever leaving. I heard it said, you can't expect God to do all the magical preparation on the plane ride over; it starts now.
November of that year, my new friend, who was our guide while in England, came and spoke at our "Missions Celebration" at our church.
His message was taken from Deuteronomy 32:11;

"Like an eagle that rouses her chicks and hovers over her young, so he spread his wings to take them up and carried them safely on his pinions."

He begins to tell the story of the Sinai eagle, and how this massive bird nests high up on the side of a bluff. They do this to avoid being eaten by other predators.
When the birds build their nests, they would make the base out of thorns and vine woven together. Then they would line the inside with feathers and other soft materials. When the eggs are hatched the baby birds have a nice soft area to rest, but when they get old enough to begin developing their wings the adult eagles begin to tear away the soft lining in order to move the eaglets closer to the edge. As you can imagine, the young eaglets try an stay on the soft feathery side of the nest as long as possible. Every time they would step off, they might prick their feet on the thorny base. The adults are trying to kick the young eaglets out, and teach them to fly. As a parent, I can totally relate. I understand why my parents nagged me so much to get a job and get married, they just wanted me to fly.
By the time the young eaglets have no other option but to fall out, they've developed wings to fly, they just lack the muscle to do so. The mother kicks them out of the nest high up on that bluff and the young eagles fall at terminal velocity flapping as hard as they can. Having the ultimate freak out moment as the ground grows ever so closer, they keep trying to fly. Just at the last moment, the male adult swoops in and catches them just before the moment of impact. He carries them high up to the nest, and the process is repeated until the young eagles spread their wings with strength and catch the wind to soar.
My friend goes on to say this:

"God will stir up your nest, just to kick you out, but He won't let you hit the ground. He never misses!! God is not in to spaces we make for ourselves or comfort zones. He knows you can't learn how to fly while still in the nest. If we keep building our nests, God will just try and kick us out."

If you feel a little kicked out of your nest, fear not, God never misses.

“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5

 

Feeling a bit overwhelmed?

Sunday, 18th of September 2011, was the culmination of all that I had seen and heard these last few days. Thankfully, I took notes throughout the day and would journal my thoughts every night. If I  had to keep everything in my head, I would've exploded. My head hurt most nights from overload. Writing had become very therapeutic.
That night I couldn't sleep. So many things running through my brain made it impossible to close my eyes. I even went for one of my patented walks to clear my brain. Nothing worked. Although, I did manage to rest a few hours before we had to rise early the next..er same day. I'm not sure what God was weaving into the fabric of my future, but my present was certainly disturbed.
We woke the next day and had to be at the station around 6am to leave from Heathrow Airport around 8am. Our return trip home was around 9 hours, and I was so looking forward to sleep by then.
We arrived back in Kansas City around 10am (weird huh?) and we were on our way back home.
My two friends and I rode back in a sense of reflection. Conversations turned to what next. I remember telling my pastor, "I'm going back! With or without the support of the church!" This took him by surprise I'm sure. I wasn't trying to discard the value of church partnership, but sometimes when you wait on people who hadn't been where you've been, it could be like attending a meeting of the Ents from Lord of the Rings.
I felt so compelled with a sense of urgency, that delay of any type would fizzle whatever God impressed on our hearts. I'm sure being zealous in my personality had a bit of play also.
So, why London? I wont bore you with drab statistics or poll results, but I will tell you why it is important to me.
London is one of the few mega cities, 8.2 million people, where all of the world lives and works together. Over 1.7 million people, claiming English to not be their primary language, cram the streets and transport everyday. My good friend always says, "A whisper in London, is a shout in the world." I believe this capital city is being purposed by God to spread the Gospel farther and deeper than any missionary has been. The phrase has been coined by Greater Europe Mission (www.gemission.org) as "Every nation, one location"
Imagine if one person from the remote parts of Africa were working or attending school in London, and we developed a friendship. We have now earned the right to speak about Christ's salvation, because we started by showing God's love. Now, take that relationship and imagine what happens when that individual returns to their village. I can't contain excitement for what God has done for me, do you think they will be able to either?
The Gospel message is best received by the indigenous reaching the indigenous. So what do they need from us?
People of London and the UK for that matter have come from or even seen terrible things happen right in their proximity. Take Nazi Germany for example, or the Tsunami in southern India, or even the genocide of villagers by warlords in the jungles of Africa; many people are left asking more questions of why than they have answers. This naturally breeds pessimism and distrust. You cant stand on the corner handing out Gospel tracts or hold special tent revivals, because people more and more don't even believe there is a God. Atheism has taken over in Europe and has worked its way into London because of the massive immigrant population from Muslim, Hindu, and other tribal backgrounds.
My American view of England was more like the cover of a Sex Pistols album than what was actually a reality. The trouble is, they don't have any needs like a third world country does. Our American cavalry mindset is no use to these people. As a matter of fact, they perceive us to be "comfortable consumers" or fat and lazy. What could we possibly bring they don't have or don't want?
Love....What a concept? It's been said that a Brit would never travel 4,000 miles just to hear the story of someone else. They aren't even confident the church is relevant.
We, as Americans, have a "Can-do" spirit and are visionary people. I believe that's where we have cornered the market in the world. However, we have been so closed off and provincial in our thinking, the world has taken notice. Our pride in the "American way" tends to overshadow God's global vision for making disciples, and quite frankly our attitude has made the Gospel unattractive.
So what can you do? First, pray for His eyes to see and His ears to hear. Pray for His will to be done in your life. Pray for wisdom and discernment over the things revealed. Next, buy a ticket somewhere other than North America, somewhere that will take you out of your comfort, and be displaced with a total dependency on Him. Last, be willing to do whatever He asks, no matter the cost to you personally.  (Mark 10:17-27)
Hang on to Him, because it will be the ride of your life.

On the road to the "Theatre of Dreams"

Sunday, September 18th 2011, will always be one of those days you just never forget. Before I step into "it" big time, I need to tell you that this was the day of my wife's birthday. I was in London, so I believed I was exempt. She's is a wonderful lady to forgive me for being gone, but remember she told me to go.
That morning we met our friend at a local car hire to get our transportation for the day. After finding which credit card could book the rental, we were off. Five guys jammed into a Volkswagen Golf. I was fortunate enough to get the front passenger seat. As I told you before, I am over six feet and my legs start at my neck, so this was sure to be an uncomfortable excursion.
I've never ridden in a car whilst in London. Being on the left side of the car, traveling on the left side of the road, and not having a steering wheel in front of me, was fairly odd feeling.
We began to navigate our way out of London, which took every bit of 45 minutes, and we were on our way to Manchester!! This is about a four hour journey.
On our way we stopped at a services station for a coffee and a bit of a stretch. We piled out of the car, and I couldn't help hearing sounds of a calliope in my head as if we were seeing the clowns at a circus. Of course anytime you cram five grown men into a space no bigger than a Jacuzzi, it makes for great entertainment.
Soon we were back on the road to continue our trip. Since I had a long trip ahead, I thought I would use this time to ask a few more questions from my new friend. He was trapped behind the wheel of the car, so he seemed fair game.
We discussed more about assembling mission teams and requirements to do so, but then our conversation turned more philosophical.
I've always prided myself on having answers to most questions or at least having some intelligence to produce a decent debate, but the next question he asked me had me stumped.
"What is the definition of discipleship?" he asked. Well I've been raised in church all my life, this question seems too easy. "Sunday School or Bible Study." I answered. WRONG!
So let's do some homework and see what it means for our self.

• Let's breakdown the word "discipleship" into two words. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, disciple means one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another. The second half of the word, -ship means someone showing, exhibiting, or embodying a quality of another.
• Check out an article by Bob Deffinbaugh:http://bible.org/seriespage/discipleship-its-definitions-and-dangers-matthew-231-12, it is written well to address this question.

My friend gave me a definition that I will never forget. "It means to come with" he said. Then he began to tell me a very familiar story, and it is one which this blog is based on.
There is a story of a young lady trapped in an unfamiliar land. All she wanted to do was to get back home. She met some strange people while in this land that was definitely not like where she was from. There, she was told to go see the wizard and he would know what to do to help with her problem. All she needed to do was to follow the path marked out in front of her. She didn't know how long it would take or even where it would take her, but she knew it would eventually lead to the wizard.
Along the way she would meet some friends, all of whom seemed strangely familiar, and were in need of help. She couldn't help, but she knew someone who could. So she asked them to "come with" her to the wizard and he would know what to do.
I'm sure by now you've figured this to be the story of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz. What a beautiful picture of discipleship. I had seen a lot of strangely familiar faces while in London, some that shared my story.
While there, I had learned the Gospel is more about loving people where they are; listening to their stories and telling them the story of one who cares for them the most. How did it ever become some sales pitch or bait and switch pressure tactic? I was fed up with that nonsense. This comparison was like fresh wind in my sail. What a time this has been already. Wow!!
Finally, we arrived in Manchester. As we drove into the city we saw crowds all walking towards the same direction. I believe they were going the same place we were trying to get to, Old Trafford Stadium (the Theatre of Dreams).
That Sunday, we decided to worship alongside 75,000 of our closest friends and cheer on the Manchester United football club!! Okay, so not really God inspired, but worship nonetheless.
I had never seen a soccer match in person, nor had I even considered it a REAL sport. As I was ushered to my seat, like scales falling from my eyes, I was hooked. What a match it was.
Manchester United v. Chelsea is a great rivalry and a tough competition. It was like watching the New York Yankees v. Los Angeles Dodgers in a playoff atmosphere. Simply thrilling!!
I had no idea at the time, but that little random event in my life, showed me the best entry point into any conversation around the world. In America, it is the local MLB or NFL team, but in the rest of the world it's soccer. I realized if I am ever going to meet people where they are and earn the right to share Christ WITH them, I need to take an interest in what is important TO them. As my friend often says, God is clever.
Our return trip to London had less conversation and more reflection, I think. Probably because we were so exhausted. Although, the next story I heard changed my view on ministry in ways I never thought possible. Just like soccer, coffee is also a great vehicle to engage people with the Gospel. More to come on that.....