Just Following

It was a typical Sunday morning as we prepared to simply gather together, watch the next episode of “The Chosen” and share with each other about what challenged us in that episode. It is always so confronting, moving and inspiring no matter what age you are. 

However, at 9:50am, a woman walked into the building; dishevelled, broken and lost. She was in deep grief. Her best friend had died 5 days earlier and she was not coping. We brought her in, sat her down and allowed her to fall apart. She shared of driving aimlessly around, considering options of ending her life, utter confusion and deep distress.  That morning, something led her to turn into our driveway and to walk into the church building and fall apart. She was met by a psychologist/counsellor who knew to let her talk, cry and share. With this gentleness she was able to be herself. As people began to come into the building, they quickly sensed what was needed and took themselves into the kitchen and other places to allow this woman the safe space she was searching for. 

 

Everything planned for that morning was halted as God had other plans for this little faithful community in Wollongong. We were simply required to offer an empathetic ear, tissues and to cry with her as she shared how she couldn’t see past this moment or how she was going to get through life without her only true friend. The grief was debilitating and so many of us have been in that moment. There were no answers, just the requirement to be present. It is all we could offer. We prayed with her for ‘peace’, gave some practical help in the moment and she went on her way. 

 

As people poured out of the kitchen to ‘mill’ and continue the morning, we felt privileged that this woman had felt safe enough to walk in and allow us to sit with her in her grief. And that we were flexible enough to put everything we had planned on hold to be what she needed in that moment.

 

The episode we watched unfolded many parallels to what had just played out in our small community that morning.   Jesus was walking away from a big city where Mary of Magdala had been turned away from entering the temple, her distress ignored, and so they headed into a small town on Sabbath. Jesus was sharing with his disciples about how he was over the big towns and religious rules and was hoping to find something different in the small town. As they walked into the temple the rabbi was reading the scripture. Jesus stopped all that was happening as he saw a man, broken and alone with a withered hand. Jesus walked up to him and healed the withered hand and then walked out, while the Pharisees were indignant and angry about the disruption and breaking of all the rules of Sabbath and the program that was planned in the temple that day. (Mark 3:1-6)

 

“The sabbath was made to serve us; we weren’t made to serve the sabbath”

(Mark 2:28)

 

I couldn’t help but wonder how many church services and structures even today would allow ALL to stop and focus on one who needed the most healing and hope.  Even if the church wanted to care for such a person, would they be taken to a quieter room, while the service got started and most people got on with the planned program for the morning?  Here in our little community, as with Jesus in the small temple, everything stopped, everyone else went to the quieter room and allowed this woman to be the main thing, have the main focus. And our people graciously and lovingly knew it was the most important thing, unlike the Pharisees.   

 

The question came in the discussion after the watching the episode, “Who are we most like, the Pharisees or Jesus?”  One of our most humble and wisest women answered, “it depends on the day and the time. We certainly know what it feels like to act like the Pharisees”. We are all aware of our inadequateness. However, today, as a community we had been Jesus to this woman. 

 

In this moment, on this day we had been able to, even when we felt we had very little to give, to show ‘love’ to this broken lady.  Who knows where she would be now if we weren’t there and able to be present for her in her desperate time of need?  God was gracious in that day to show us that ‘small’ may feel like ‘failure’ by Church standards today, but not by God’s standards.  He is looking for the faithful, the ones willing to step into His agenda, rather than ours. He is looking for people who are looking for a ‘spirituality’ rather than ‘religiosity’. He doesn’t care about the building, the program, the performance, the rules, the runsheet, the sound, the lights, even the sermon. Jesus on that day, interrupted the Rabbi at the front preaching the sermon and made it clear that they had missed the most important thing at that moment. On this day, He let our community know we were His. He reminded us that everyone who walked into that space, no matter what the plan was, needed to know that in that day. It is so easy to compare, question, wonder why! Our small community has been through much loss and pain and yet as we continue to be faithful, and show up, He continues to show us, as Jesus did with His small band of followers, that is all He asks.

 

There was a conversation between the ‘sons of thunder’ (two brothers)  on that episode that day. They were discussing how bewildered they were feeling as they were looking around at their small, unique and very different band of men and woman called the “disciples”.  One said to the other,

 

            “I don’t understand most of this, maybe, bits and pieces here and there, 

but mostly I am just following.”  (The Chosen, Season 2, Episode 6)

 

It struck me, I know this is how I feel most days. However, today I am thankful that I get to do life with a small, unique and very different band of men and woman called “ICentral”. We are just following and thank God it is all He calls us to do. 

I encourage you if you haven't seen it to watch the series "The Chosen".

https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen

 

The Church is calibrated for a world that doesn't exist.

On March 7^th, 2020 Jake Mulder said, “The church is calibrated for a world that doesn’t exist”.  On that day I sat in an auditorium of 900+ people. I knew at the time it was a profound statement for the church, as it must be willing to consider how broken it has been to speak to the world it finds itself in. But none of us at the time knew how prophetic it would be, that within days of him speaking we would no longer be able to meet in groups of more than 100 inside and then a week later, no-one is able to meet face to face at all. 

The world is in shutdown and it is not just the church that is calibrated for the world that no longer exists. 

The church is now scrambling along with everyone else in the world to know how to function, and rightly so. 

These are profound times. “Unprecedented” is the word I continue to hear. Everyone has a voice, a special announcement, an opinion, a way forward. Almost every sector of the world must re-think how we must do life as we now live in a world we are not calibrated for! The church must also do the same. 

The mandate has never changed. It seems to me that the call is still to “love God and love our neighbor as ourselves”. And maybe because we have created lots of NEW ways to 'do' Church with all the right intentions, we NOW find ourselves scrambling to 'undo' all our structures to simply abide by new rules while still trying to maintain a “calibration” that maybe should have never existed in the first place. 

I want to say in the words of our Australian prime minster “stop it”.

Now is the time to go back to the original design, the simplicity of meeting together … ‘where two or three are gathered I am there in the midst’. It is clear for a while that will have to start with Households. To love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as you love yourself. Never in a long time in history have we truly had the opportunity to simply live this out in a way that I believe may truly fulfill the great commission, help save lives, help people not feel so alone, and help bring peace and hope to a panicked world. 

Don’t miss this opportunity to change and re-think and recalibrate in a time when we HAVE to change. Let’s get it right this time. Let’s ask the right questions and not just think short term, but long term. Let’s not panic and react but deeply seek Him and what He is teaching us about how we are to respond. 

In these times of re-thinking everything, Jake Mulder said something else that day that struck me. So often when we have to make changes, we approach it by the quick fix rather than considering the long-term gains. It seems this is the biggest discord among all Australians about how to flatten the curve of the corona virus. There are short term and long-term decisions that are constantly being weighed up against each other as World Leaders do their best to lead in this difficult time. I am not making any judgement about how and what they should be doing. I respect the difficult position they are in. But when it comes to being a leader in the Church, that’s the space I am called to consider how to move forward. 

Jake described this as needing to decide between “lollies and chips” vs “Vegetables”. How many might choose “lollies and chips” over eating vegetables if we had to decide what we wanted to eat at a Saturday night party night. It’s the quick fix, the sugar rush, the thing that gets us through a tough spot, the thing that in the short term fills the gap and feels good at the same time. Although as leaders we have been thrown into needing to “think quick” in the past weeks, when we catch our breath, we need to think more long term and we know that the better thing to eat long term is vegetables. For many they are not as palatable and as easy to prepare and need more thought, but in the long term they are better for us and set us up for health long term. 

The Quick fix has been to do everything online. The world has been set up for years with every online resource you can imagine. Teaching is accessible on any topic by the best communicators in the kingdom. The quick fix is there and yet pastors of all ages have spent these last weeks trying to get studios set up and record services for this Sunday. I have heard people say for years that the ‘Online” world is so dangerous, and now it may just be our savior.

BUT I believe it could also STILL be our greatest hindrance. It is not about the resource but how we use it. In the immediate, where physical isolation is important to flatten the curve, of course access what the church already has. But let’s not forget the Body of Christ and how each part has an important part to play. Why do we think unless your community hears the PASTORS voice it is not “Ok”. There is so much wisdom in the Kingdom; Prophets and Pastors all vying for their voice to be heard in this space. Let’s share the best voices of this time with the Kingdom all over the world and then pastors, let’s spend our time thinking through the “vegetables” - the long term. In 6-12 months from now where do we want to be?  If it is still online and waiting for the next podcast we are in more trouble than ever. 

As we ponder what the church should look like, let’s not JUST answer this question for the short term, to get us out of this hotspot, and do the quick fix with the view to return to how we have done things in the past as quickly as possible. Let’s consider the long term and how God might want to re-shape the future for the long term, to be much healthier faith communities, to fulfill the great commission in 6-8 months from here, and beyond, with what He wants us to start now. 

There has never been a better time to be a good neighbor. 

There has never been a better time to take the time to get to know our God more deeply and find peace, love and grace in the midst of confusion. 

There has never been a better time to simplify what it means to truly do life together. 

There has never been a better time to be with those you love and care for each other well, to listen, to provide basic things like milk and bread. 

There has never been a better time to choose wisely what you will spend your time doing, now that many things are no longer possible. 

There has never been a better time to recalibrate what is really important in your life, what you need and don’t need. 

There has never been a better time to be a good citizen. 

There has never been a better time to lead by example.

 There has never been a better time to bring peace to a hurting world. 

There has never been a better time to be empathetic and other-centered.

It is time for the church of God to become re-calibrated for the world that exists now, and to rediscover that God has given us the tools and models all along. Its simply time to put them into practice.

Sticky Faith

This past month I was creating a heart wall mural of our wonderful community; pictures of the many wonderful memories and things God has led us in over the years. But mostly it was all about the people. I got the guys from the men’s shed to make wooden tiles, the designer in our midst to set the photos up, someone to paint, and others with accuracy and precision to stick them up so that they were perfectly placed to form the shape of a large heart on the wall. 

It was a project close to my heart and when the last tile was placed on the wall with double sided industrial tape, which the hardware man swore would hold them there securely, it was a sight to see.  It was so beautiful; the colour, the memories, the joy, the visual, the delight we shared as we stepped back and saw the heart and even more joy as it drew us closer to see the smiles, the faces, those with us and those who have moved on, the many who have called us HOME at least for a while.

 

Finished Mural

So, you can imagine my distress, when I arrived the next morning to discover that the tape didn't stick and many tiles had fallen to the ground.  Of course, the tape didn't stick to the wall, but it seemed to have no trouble sticking to the floor and sticking some tiles to each other. And so many were ruined, ripped by sticking to each other, dented and chipped by the fall. I was so saddened by the visual. 

So, I did what anyone would/ should do … I sought to find something stronger that would stick them to the wall. The next thing the hardware man recommended was liquid nails. It seemed to work better but each day I would come back to find more tiles had fallen off, were ruined, bent and ripped. I did have spares but they were running out, and how sad it was to see the beautiful photos (people) who had fallen and were ripped and couldn't be put back up again. Someone suggested we leave a few spaces free to remind us of those who are yet to join us, so we left 4 spaces.

Well, a month has gone and this weekend I entered the building to find 4 more had dropped off, even with liquid nails. It really affected me. No-one else seemed to notice, dare I say “care” that day. I suspect they knew that I would fix it, eventually. I know others are not as visually stimulated as me, but I am currently left with trying to find a solution to making sure that none of the tiles fall off again. 

I wonder, will anyone else notice?  Will anyone care enough to ask how they can help to make the tiles stick? I wonder what will eventually be sticky enough so they never fall off again? I wonder if there are some that need to come off and stay off? I wonder if it is like the FAITH journey …. many start but all do not stay? I wonder how sticky our methods/message must be. Or are there some people who will never let it stick? I wonder who we are to listen to for advice on how to make things stick? I wonder what substandard glue we are using today, that was never, ever going to work but we keep using it, over and over again and hope that the result changes? 

So much to wonder about. So much I don’t know. But I tell you what I do know. I will not give up until I find out how to stick those tiles on the wall so they don't come off. I will replace the bent and broken ones and even put some of the broken, chipped ones back up again, because they continue to tell the story. And maybe that is all we are asked to do … continue to tell the story, seeking to celebrate the joys and people, accepting everyone, chipped and bent and even broken, and keep seeking to refine the methods/message so that it sticks as well as it can. We must also accept that they are some who just won't allow themselves to stick and we simply must miss them dearly and love them all the same. 

Are our Churches/Children just “seedless watermelons”?

I have always been fascinated with trees. They are so beautiful and majestic.  Each country has its  own unique trees and Jamaica is no exception.

I was stopped by an impressive tree. It was large and strong, the roots were clearly deep as well as coming out in all directions. There was a smaller plant right beside it, being shadowed by it and growing up healthy and strong beside it. The large tree had beautiful reddish fruit on it, which I soon found out was a “Jamaican apple”. 

There are so many things I learn from trees and nature. God challenges me every time with new things. I was given the apple to eat and it was very different to an apple in Australia. It was soft and almost pear/peach like in texture, but it was white and fluffy. As I was enjoying the fruit, I noticed it had a large hard seed in the middle.

Psalm 1 says “but those whose delight is in the Law of the Lord, and who mediates on His Law day and night, that person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season.”

Leadership, parenting … these are challenging things. They require much delighting in God’s word and His truth to be able to yield fruit. How I long to yield fruit! As I ate the apple, being such a new experience, I loved the reminder of how nourishing fruit can be and how precious it is to be able to bear fruit for others to enjoy. How important it is that we as leaders and parents actually produce fruit that sustains others, that we focus on how we attract and sustain those we lead, and make sure our fruit is appetising enough that they want to eat it. Which is hard these days, as there are so many other options than a healthy piece of fruit, which are available all the time, not just in season.  You know how horrible it can be when you eat fruit that is out of season, and that just can’t compete with the many other sweet and now artificial options that our children and people would much rather eat than healthy and natural fruit. 

But this big large seed that I was left with, caught my attention. It was hard and strong and significant. Of course you can’t eat it, so we often throw it away after eating the fruit. Well, at least in the western world we do. So, as I was about to throw it away, I realised that this is such an important part of the fruit.  Without the seed, there is not new and sustaining life. The seed needs to be replanted for it to grow. 

It is one thing for me as a leader or parent to delight in the Lord so that I may grow and yield fruit, but if that fruit is not then taken, consumed and replanted, its enjoyment and value only lasts for moments. Very quickly we find we want more and more of the light fluffy flesh without understanding the fruit has a seed of replenishing life that is important to be replanted for life to continue. 

It made me consider in Western Society how much we love

the “Seedless Watermelon”, a recent human creation to make the fruit easy to consume. When we serve fruit platters we cut out all the seeds so it is all easily consumable and looking ascetically pleasing. I know I love mandarins, (which are small oranges), but I specifically look for the ones with no seeds because the number of seeds in a normal mandarin drives me crazy to eat. Our children today are growing up believing that Watermelons and Mandarins have no seeds. Sure, it is much easier to eat, but what does it say to our children? What does that subconsciously teach us all?

I wonder how many of our churches, our programs, our ministries are like “seedless fruit”? Tasty and attractive, but without seeds that get replanted into the souls and hearts that come, so that they might be able to grow and yield their own fruit?  How often are our churches centred around the leader’s spiritual strength, that might come from delighting in the Lord and His word and bearing fruit that is delicious to eat, but by the next week those that came last week are craving for more to sustain them another week? 

Francis Chan tells a story of a Mega Church pastor in Seoul. He asked “How can I get my people to leave and live by faith? He explained how he had become really proficient at gathering people together but his intention was to get them to disperse to share the Gospel and live by faith. But now they had grown comfortable and didn't want to leave” (F. Chan, “Letters to the Church”, p 153)

As parents, we can be so meticulous about cutting up bite sizes of fruit and taking out the seeds or much worse feeding them substitutes to healthy fruit all together and not actually giving them the seeds of what they actually need to grow up and bear their own fruit.  Please, know that I am not just talking about feeding our kids healthy fruit with seeds here. (Although that is important as well). 

Whatever space we are in as leaders or parents, let’s be careful that we are bearing fruit that comes with a seed of truth. 

   “A farmer went out to sow his seed” Mathew 13:3

A seed of truth that can be replanted and grow independent of us being there. We are called to plant the seed, and God will grow it, but if we are only giving out fluffy, sweet fruit with no seeds, we have missed the point of being planted deeply in God and the blessing that comes with it.  This is not about yielding a fruit for ourselves, or unto ourselves, or drawing people towards us. It is so that the seed of truth may not only prosper in us but also spread to the ends of the earth.  

I want to see my children grow and become bigger, stronger trees than I can ever be. I long to see those I am called to lead, go and plant their own trees and reproduce over and over again. But it must start with me and the question, “Am I bearing seedless fruit?”

Choose your words carefully

When it comes to communication, what we “say” and what we “mean” can be two different things as much as what we “say” and what others “hear.” Our words can be inclusive or exclusive; they can be soothing or cause pain. The words we choose to use really do make a difference. While I believe this, I do not profess to always do it well.  I have been in trouble many times, for things I have said and not meant and even things that I have meant and not said. I have read many a truth from the Bible and often wished I could be silent more often, sensing this is the only way I can avoid getting into trouble. 

Proverbs 12:18 ESV

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Matthew 12:36 ESV

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

Matthew 12:37 ESV

For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Proverbs 13:3 ESV

Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

I was taught since a young child “that if I have nothing good to say, then best not to say anything at all”. I believe this is wise counsel, however this doesn’t seem to be what we are teaching today.

I have been particularly saddened by language and words that have been used over the past months regarding issues all over the world in politics, gender issues, women’s rights, terrorism, Islam, refugees and the list goes on. I find myself in conversation with people daily and depending on how I choose to respond, I feel more than ever before, an argument could be started and a wall can be built. For a while now my choice has simply been to be silent in the midst of increasingly polarised views. Yet, in my silence I have read more and listened more to world events than I have ever done before in my lifetime. We live in a time where everyone (all ages) has an opinion to express and the ability to express their words on a potential world stage through social media. With great opportunities comes great responsibility and yet daily I see more walls are being built rather than bridges to hearing each other’s views. Never before have I sat amongst peers and friends and felt like silence is the only option.  

But are we called to be silent? As Christians in an increasingly secular western society, what are the “words” God is calling us to use and in what way? Maybe sometimes we are called to be silent, but not all the time. And if we are not called to be silent, then Lord, when are we called to speak and how are we called to speak? Perhaps when the world is so polarised it is precisely when the right words are the most important. In fact, some would say that to be silent at this time is a cop out. For me, I must confess, choosing silence has often been the easy option, for the sake of peace, fear, miscommunication and even at times fear of what people will think of me, but mostly because I do not want to speak anything other than what God would be pleased with and because honest “Truth” has been muddied for me. 

Hebrews 4:12 ESV

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

While I choose to believe this is true, how is it then that I can be in a room of colleagues, be at dinner with friends, read blogs and twitter feeds and hear Christians choose words and say things that I simply cannot agree with, words that suggest that “truth” is not “truth”, but in fact is simply relative. 

But I say again ... is silence the only option? Is it the Godly option? When is it best to listen?  When are we called to speak? And when we speak what words do we choose? 

Or is it more about HOW we choose to communicate, how we choose our words carefully and how we treat each other. When communication gets heated or misunderstood in our family, I say to my children, “it is all in the way you say it,” and surely it is the same everywhere. If when we chose to speak there is mutual “empathy” and “respect,” we might have a better chance to cross the great polarised divide. If we can’t do that as Christians first with each other, then what right and hope do we have to be a voice in these troubled times. I do believe that now, more than ever before, it is time to choose our words carefully; with empathy and respect. 

As Robb Miller says, 

“We owe it to each other and our country to try to reach out and try to connect. We can’t afford to hate them any longer and let them hate us. Empathy and respect ... when you think about it, is the very least we can do for our fellow citizens”. (https://www.ted.com/talks/robb_willer_how_to_have_better_political_conversations)

Is it Biblical to DO or GO to Church?

I heard a preacher say just recently as he was speaking in a bigger church building and talking about the old smaller building they used to meet in…."how did we ever DO church there?”

I know it was just a throw-away line, but I got stuck on it. Language is a powerful thing and I couldn't help but ask, “Is it even Biblical to DO Church?” In fact is it even Biblical to “GO to church?” 

I know in some ways you might feel it is petty arguing over semantics, but it brings me back to the way we define church?  We must be challenged to keep coming back to the Bible and aligning ourselves consistently to HIs truth.

Our definition of the church helps us to understand if we are called to DO church or even GO to church. 

When I looked up the Oxford Dictionary’s definition of the Church, I was shocked.  It said “a building used for public Christian Worship.” So here lies our problem. We have let the world conform us instead of the consistent renewing of our mind from God.  This would be the first thing that rolls off all our tongues when asked “What church do we GO to?” or “Where do you DO church?” The most common answer is to state a building or a denomination.

Again, you may say I am arguing over simple semantics. We all know what we really mean, but do we? There is something we have seriously lost when the world believes that the “church” is a building and when Christians believe that to “DO” church is to go to one Sunday meeting a week. We need to recognise when our language is not helping our own faith walk as well as the “light” we are called to be to the world. 

The word “church” in the Greek is ekklesia, which simply means “called out people.”  The church is His people, the body of Christ (Eph 4:4, 1 Cor 12:12, Col 1:18). We are called to be His Temple here on earth (1 Peter 2:4-8), living stones to be built up as a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5), with Jesus as a cornerstone (Eph 2:19-22).  We are His bride (Acts 20:28, Eph 5:25), the one He gave Himself for, that He might present Her to Himself a glorious Church, holy and without blemish. Christ doesn't have a harem of all different churches that we can choose to GO to. He has ONE church; His church, his bride, a called out people, called to be HIs light in the world (1 Peter 2:9, John 1:4). 

So, I ask again is it Biblical to DO church, 

or is the Church called to DO? 

It is Biblical to GO to church, 

or is the Church called to GO?

I believe our language, as subtle as it is, has confused things over the years.  It has caused us to change, or I would say at times, lose focus of what we as the CHURCH are called to do, challenged to be, what our daily life must look like and what it means to BE the church to a world that is lost. I am not saying that we are not called to gather together and build each other up as the Body of Christ because, being together as ONE body is vital to be a strength in this world. (Hebrews 10:25). We are limiting God’s plan when the definition of “Church" for many Christians is ONLY “a building used for public Christian Worship” (Oxford Dictionary). We are limiting God’s truth when we simply talk of GOing to Church or DOing Church rather than BEing the Church in the world.

When we really seek the Biblical truth and it gets into our heart, it has the potential to change everything. As God renews and transforms our minds to His truth, what would it change for you to change your language to … being a “called out people" who GO and DO as the Church in this world. Is that more a biblical view of the “Church”?  How would that change what you DO and where you GO today?  

For me it changes everything. Church is not where I GO or what I DO. I am the Church, wherever I am, whether two or more are gathered. I long to be a light in the world that shines towards Christ, in my marriage, my parenting, my friendship, when I walk along the road, when I go to the shops, in the way I spend my time, my gifts and my resources, when I post on social media, when I sleep and when I wake and even when no-one sees me. I am a “called out person” desiring to be His light to a hurting world.

Actions Speak Louder than Words.

There’s a lot to take in when you visit India for the first time. The colours, the sounds, the crowds, the traffic, the food, the smells, the culture.  A clear standout when in India is the hospitality and friendliness of the people. Everyone smiles, wants to help, wants to do everything for you and is eager to care for you. People want to serve you, even to the point of standing over you to put food on your plate. They don't allow you to do anything; carry a bag, move something, make yourself anything. At first it was overwhelming, as I realise how independent I am, and then I sat back and thought … “this is a beautiful quality to have as a whole nation”. 

It is not just the people who know you, it is perfect strangers.  We walked into a village and the elder of the town, a wealthy, busy Hindu man was not happy to simply say “hello.” We went into his house, his wife and mother fixed us tea and coffee and snacks and we had a lovely chat. The times we spent in peoples’ houses and having tea and sweet snacks was amazing.  No one is ever too busy to stop and chat and have a drink together. I know you might think this was because we were westerners, but as I watched people everywhere, it was something most people were doing. It really is a part of their culture. In a busy, bustling town this slower pace of priority of relationships, drinking and eating and chatting together was very key. 

After 4 days, I was getting used to it and allowing time in all we had to do each day, knowing that this was going to be a part of our everyday. I was starting to learn to account for it, expected it even. We had had 2 full days of Ministry by then and it was all going really well, as we met so many beautiful and passionate Christians. Which is probably why, on day 5, I was taken aback with an experience I had. 

I felt privileged to be asked to speak in a Bible College as they are the future Pastors and Leaders and this is great opportunity to talk about children, families and doing life across the generations. To be able to spend the whole day with college students, training and doing some workshops with them, is a wonderful opportunity. The day began with Chapel. They asked me speak for 25 minutes and share something inspirational with all the college students and lecturers. I gave it my best and yet very quickly I knew that it was going to be hard work.  There was very little response and everything about the environment felt a little rigid and formal, two things I am not.  Straight afterward, we had been asked to join the lecturers in the lounge for morning tea. 

As the whole team (there were 5 of us) walked in, we were ignored. The lecturers and teachers were in one corner and there was an uncomfortable silence in the room as we quietly made ourselves a cup of tea, hoping that was an okay thing to do.  It was a shock to the system, as I was just getting used to be always overwhelmed by such open friendliness and conversation. Here was a group of Christian leaders who were teaching the next generation about how to share the Good News to their world, and they literally pretended we weren't in the room. I could understand it a little bit more if it was just me, a woman (although there were women lecturers in the faculty), but I had my husband beside me and they ignored him as well. It was all very uncomfortable. I decided to be bold and try to approach a few people and make conversation, but it was very cold. We couldn't wait to get out of there.

It didn't upset me. It was just a shock in the light of the past 4 days.  But it did remind me a little of how Jesus must have felt when he was near the Pharisees in His day. It was a very sad reflection on “Christian Leaders.” For the remaining time in India I never experienced this at any other event  or ministry opportunity we were a part of. I know this is not just something that would happen in India, as it is something I have often experienced across the Christian World in a number of countries. 

For me, again it was a personal reminder and challenge of who we are called to be, how we are called to reflect His love to everyone and the importance of being welcoming and loving, even if we don't always agree with the other person. I don't want to sound judgmental, as I know I must always work at being more open, loving, accepting and friendly. It reminded me that our actions do really speak louder than words. 

R Rohr says, “Education is different from transformation. You can have three PHD’s and still be in the Kindergarten of enlightenment”

We must never feel so educated, intelligent, superior, right or even too busy that we cannot be willing to smile, offer a kind word and at least be polite. Surely this is the beginning of being the light of the world?