Suffering, the way of Jesus

I'm reading Mark 10 today. Jesus speaks to James and John, saying"The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized..." (v39).

James Edwards (The Pillar New Testament Commentary) has written:

Verse 39 seems best read as a reminder and renewed call to discipleship, which ineluctably entails sacrifice and suffering. Disciples of Jesus do not decide to accept or reject hardships on the basis of the future rewards accruing from them. They accept suffering on the sole basis that it is the way of Jesus. “The Son of God suffered unto the death, not that men might not suffer, but that their sufferings might be like His.”

Edwards is correct, and is quite bold for a commentary! Disciples, followers of Jesus, including followers today (that is you and I), accept suffering on the sole basis that it is the way of Jesus. If you follow Jesus, this is the way, the path, ("put" in Bosnian) that is ours.

May this hard truth impact our lives, our choices, our goals, our interactions with and service to others, and ultimately our relationship with God and Christ in 2020.

Reflecting

As I reflect back on 2019, and the entire decade (which really does not end this year, but that's another issue!), I am reminded of the failures of leaders ... and of us all.  This video clip is a good approach to reconciling how we live in light of God's Gospel.


How John Piper Processes the Moral Failures of His Historical Heroes from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

Alluring Riches

Today I'm in Mark 10.17.  The Rich Young Man is everyman in America. I look at the church, the amount of money, the toys, the houses, … and I count myself as guilty … and Jesus' words hit me like a bat:

And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Jesus loved him; He wanted the best for him; He told him one act that would be best for him, for his soul ("what must I do to inherit eternal life?").

How much "stuff" do we have? What do we need - not want, but need?  This rich young man had lived an upright life, keeping the commandments, doing the "right thing" as defined by his culture and the Scripture he believed. Yet Jesus perceived an idol in his life: go, sell, give were the commands given to the man … commands he could not bring himself to follow, for the idol in his life, his great possessions, had hold of him.

I empathize with the man. Here I am, having 50 years of life, selling my house, well over half my earthly stuff, and moving across the world to a place which is not so easy to live (on the surface, at least). Why? This makes no sense. I was warned that I would have doubt, frustration, loneliness, anger; check, check, check, check. And yet I have not followed to the extent Jesus instructs; I still own many possessions, though not physically in the same location I now live. I gave some possessions, though I sold others. Though far, far from perfect, and far from following the command Jesus gave his disciples (yes, I am observing, interpreting, then applying; not skipping the step of interpretation), I believe and am trying to live this pericope.

Finally, notice Jesus' response:

Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Ouch. To a degree, I am living out this portion of the Gospel. It hurts. And as I have been warned here, international workers have seen negative physical impacts. I'm not certain this is precisely what Jesus meant by the words "with persecutions", but it may be included in the orb of meaning.

Yet I, and we, can live with the assurance, the promise, Jesus gives at the end of this passage: "But many who are first will be last, and the last first." We love to quote this phrase. Living this phrase is different story.

Father, give me, give us, the faith and the strength to live the radical ("to the root") lives You have called us to live. Let us reject, vehemently and stridently, the allure of this world. May I live to see You be made much of.  This I pray.

“If you are not firm in faith, 

you will not be firm at all.”

- Is. 7.9

The Lord spoke these words through Isaiah to Ahaz while Ahaz and the people were shaken, facing seemingly insurmountable foes. May we take this same admonition, standing firm in faith, in the faith.

Sarajevo dreaming ... part 2

Sarajevo shall be

Everything else shall pass.

Again, to understand the mindset of the people here, this is another quote seen at a local restaurant.  Notice the very obvious reflection on the 1990's.

Sarajevo dreaming....

And when I am out of Sarajevo,

I dream of Sarajevo

And when I am in Sarajevo,

I dream of Sarajevo.

To help understand Sarajevans love of the city and her culture, consider this sign seen at a local restaurant.

Complex government

This country of Bosnia is complex (ok, this is an understatement!).  We are doing our best to understand the intricacies and interrelationships, however there are many layers to piece together. 

For example, take the government of this beautiful country. We hear various terms, and did not understand how they all relate.  A friend pointed us to this video which gives a brief (< 3 min) overview, and goes a long way to describing the complexity. 

All of these levels, in a country of about 3.6 million people.  Amazing!


https://www.rferl.org/a/bosnia-s-bizarre-system-of-government/30223158.html

Learning

We are feeling more and more settled in our new, adopted hometown of Sarajevo.  After the first 3 weeks - a crazy time of adjusting, acclimating, intensive language study, learning to drive, learning where to buy food and homegoods and ... it took (and is taking!) great effort to just to figure out life.

The kids are in the full swing of school: making friends, learning expectations, and how different things are - both from being in a new culture, and from going to home school to institutional schools.

Tomorrow Simeon's school is doing a field trip / picnic day out, so to give them a slice of Americana, and let Simeon have fun introducing his friends to the great American past time, we found a pigskin (yes, this was the one and only ball) in a bigger sports store here.

Go Pack!

Arrived!

We have arrived, are setting-up our new home, and exploring this amazing city.  Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!  We are doing well.

To give you a "slice of life", I've posted a few images and videos on Instagram.

Also, we have published some videos on my Youtube channel.   Direct links are here:

• Introduction to the Strands
• Landing in Sarajevo - a brief birds-eye view of the land geography near the airport, with a fun little twist at the end
• Tour of the house - Lia gives a tour of our house

... and more will come!

This is it!

The day finally arrived! Please pray for us during travel, transition, and our new normal.

Video blog!

We've heard the feedback: people read less and watch more today (no kidding?! Thanks social media!)

So ... we've sent video updates to a few people. In the interest of more exposure (without going to Vimeo or YouTube yet!), we're publishing our latest update here.

Video update, recorded July 27.

More will be coming, with an improved publishing format. Stay tuned!

Interview & Status Update

I (Michael) recently sat down for a far-ranging interview with our pastor, Adam Baker. It was a longer interview, so the videos are broken into three sections (duration indicated in the parenthesis).

I apologize in advance: I thought my legs would not be shown, so I wore shorts.  Oops!  😎

Take a listen and enjoy!

• Part 1 (5:59)
• Part 2 (9:31)
• Part 3 (11:50)

Liminality

Transition chaos. Messy middle. Liminality. These are all words describe our current place in life.  We are roughly 10 days from moving across the world, to a different country and culture and language and way of life.  It is frightening, yet engaging. We have grief and joy. There are some knowns, and many unknowns.  We are living in a liminal space.

A liminal space is the time between the ‘what was’ and the ‘next.’ It is a place of transition, waiting, and not knowing.  (https://inaliminalspace.org/about-us/what-is-a-liminal-space/)

In many ways, our current experience is a microcosm of the broader life of a Christian.  We are called to live in the world yet not of the world. Our citizenship is with the Father and sealed in heaven yet our current residence is here on earth.

Please join us in living this paradox, of spending our lives living fully now while also living in light of what is to come.

rethinking "home"

As human beings, we share a deep longing for "place", specifically a place we call "home."  As Americans, we have taken this to another level: the average size of our houses has nearly doubled - doubled! - over the last 50 years.

It seems likely that we have confused "house" and "home". It also seems likely that we, as followers of Jesus, have confused our heavenly home and our earthly residence.  1 Peter 2.11 calls us sojourners and exiles.  Hebrews 11.13 also speaks of strangers and exiles.  Philippians 3.20 reminds us of our true citizenship.

As we conclude our wonderful time here at MTI, one striking similarities of nearly all attendees is the sale of their house. And beyond this, all of the attendees share the experience of leaving their home.

This is hard stuff. We all are reeling, all a bit out of place, yet sharing in this experience and calling together. Yet we all are pursuing this calling for the sake of the Gospel, and in this we rejoice.  There is considerable stress, there is the unknown, yet we know the One who calls.

As I've shared with brothers here at MTI, lyrics from a few older songs have flooded back into my mind. Rich Mullins sang You Did Not Have A Home:

Oh You did not have a home
There were places You visited frequently
You took off Your shoes and scratched Your feet
'Cause you knew that the whole world belongs to the meek
But You did not have a home
No You did not have a home
...
And You rode and ass' foal
They spread their coats and cut down palms
For You and Your donkey to walk upon
But the world won't find what it thinks it wants
On the back of an ass' foal
So I guess You had to get sold
'Cause the world can't stand what it can't own
And it can't own You
'Cause You did not have a home

The world can't stand what it can't own, and it can't own You 'cause You did not have a home. Do you see it? As we buy bigger houses ("homes"), it takes more money to buy, more money to insure, more money to upkeep, more money to fill, more time to maintain, more more more ...  Is this what our culture has done and is doing to us?  This has been a challenge to me.

What a sweet pleasure it is to invest time and live life with brothers and sisters who have intentionally, with pain yet persistence, leaned into the direction He is calling each of us!

One other lyric which has flowed through my mind the past few days is from Michael Cards' Things We Leave Behind:

We show a love for the world in our lives
by worshipping goods we posess
Jesus has laid all our treasures aside
"love God above all the rest"
'Cause when we say 'no'
to the things of the world
we open our hearts
to the love of the Lord and
its hard to imagine
the freedom we find
from the things we leave behind

I thank the Lord today for the freedom we are finding, hard though it is, from the things (the things) we are leaving behind.

For information on house sizes, see:
https://www.newser.com/story/225645/average-size-of-us-homes-decade-by-decade.html
https://247wallst.com/special-report/2016/05/25/the-size-of-a-home-the-year-you-were-born

Why language learning?

We are investing the month of June at MTI, a learning / preparation center for living cross-culturally.  The first few weeks focus on phonetics, phonology, the production of (often non-English) sounds, etc. To learn the method of language learning, we practiced in Russian, Mongolian, and a southeast Asian language spoken by fewer than 50,000 people.  Fascinating!

Why invest this way? 

Recognize that language learning will affect your personality and self‐expression.  ... As a Czech proverb says, “Learn another language, get a second soul.”  A‘new side of you’ will begin to emerge as you get into this production!  You will begin to take on their mannerisms, behave as they behave, respond how they respond, bristle where they bristle, etc.  And you may actually relish it!  

- MTI Perspective page 7

This is our initial step: to gain a new side of ourselves, to take on the perspective and understanding (imperfect though it will always be) of the Bosnian people.

Visit BiH

Lonely Planet's Best in Europe 2019 has Bosnia and Herzegovina in the #4 spot!

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-europe

We so look forward to our time in this country; beyond its geographic beauty, we anticipate spending time learning the language and culture, and most importantly, interacting with the people!

This past Saturday we had the privilege of spending the evening with new Bosnian friends here in the greater Milwaukee area.  Their warmth, friendliness, giving, and incredible food were just a foretaste of what we pray will be many, many relationships in Bosnia, for His glory.

Taste and see

As we continue to work through the many logistics of this life change, from houses to jobs to cultures, I have camped in this passage by the Psalmist.  May this encourage you. May you seek, taste, see, take refuge in, and know God today.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

- Psalm 34:8–10 (ESV)

Stunning Sarajevo

A brief article on the beauty and pain of the complex city of Sarajevo.

www.arabnews.com/node/1492846/lifestyle

Update: Other areas of this country are equally known for their beauty. Consider Mostar, or Split in nearby Croatia. Both also are stunning destinations.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/blog/five-european-cities-youve-never-heard-need-visit-now/

the battle for souls

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood (or against the powers that be in the sale of our home). As obstacles big and small come, I am recognizing more and more that this is a spiritual battle against the gates of hell and the powers of darkness in BiH.  Paul commands me in Ephesians 6:14 to "stand firm, having fastened on the belt of truth." Jesus is the Truth, and I cling to him and to the truth found in Psalm 56, "This I know, that God is for me...in God I trust, I shall not be afraid."

We take the "gospel of peace" (Eph. 6:15) to BiH, so Lord, use this time of uncertainty to grow us, build us, and prepare us to proclaim the mystery of the gospel to a people desperate for you. The battle belongs to the Lord. (2 Chronicles 20)

Kapljuh landscape

We continue to learn of the fascinating geography in Bosnia. Consider Kapljuh, an area with land infertile for agriculture yet fascinating in is own right.

According to this article, Roman milestone markers have been found in the area. Even more interesting, there are sink holes and an other-worldly appearance to the land.  Fascinating!

Watch the related video.

https://youtu.be/OO6f6YD5vNo

Sarajevo Haggadah

During this time of Holy Week and the Jewish celebration of Passover, I recently learned of a very historic, significant Haggadah which bears the sobriquet of Sarajevo. It has a fascinating story, and provides more texture of the culturally complex environment of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Information from the National Museum
https://www.zemaljskimuzej.ba/en/archaeology/middle-ages/sarajevo-haggadah

More details from Wikipedia :)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarajevo_Haggadah

Chinese influence

More and more cultures and ideologies are mixing around the world.

Might we be used by God to influence, to make accessible His Gospel in this region, that knowledge of His glory might cover the earth

"China has fairly straightforward economic-political objectives across Eastern Europe: create the infrastructure necessary to extend its initiative in Europe, and where possible, trap weak local economies into debt dependency which will make them beholden to Beijing and give China a degree of diplomatic and political leverage," says Mujanovic, author of Hunger And Fury: The Crisis Of Democracy In The Balkans.

"China is not a 'balancing' element, it's another authoritarian power attempting to forward its own -- often quite destabilizing -- aims amid the vacuum created by EU and U.S. retreat and incompetence in the Western Balkans," he adds.

Read the entire article: 

https://www.rferl.org/amp/chinese-fireworks-seem-to-ring-in-creeping-balkan-influence/29851523.html

BiH economy

I continue to study BiH.  Today I noticed the unemployment rate is on an overall declining rate over the past five years - a good thing! - from over 46% in 2014 to 34.5% in January 2019.

However, this leaves BiH in the #2 country in the world in terms of unemployment rate - not a good thing.

Pray that the Lord continues to heal BiH, in the area of economy and meaningful work.

Source:  https://tradingeconomics.com/bosnia-and-herzegovina/unemployment-rate

Visit to Mountain Lake MN

We had a wonderful visit with Mountain Lake Alliance Church on March 24. Though a small town, the church has had large Kingdom impact.

Additionally, the church was welcoming, encouraging, and supportive. We were blessed by our visit, and very thankful for being asked!

I (Michael) spoke on Sunday morning - and probably was a bit long-winded. :)  My sermon is available here: https://livestream.com/mlalliance/events/8611150/videos/189104405

• Our interview begins at 26:15
• My sermon begins at 41:00

Joy in the journey?

There is a joy in the journey

There's a Light we can love on the way

There is a wonder and wildness to life

And freedom for those who obey...

Those words of Michael Card take on more meaning than I once understood 25 years ago when Michael sung them at our wedding. Now we are entering into a new wonder and wildness to life as we have been officially appointed by the Christian and Missionary Alliance to serve in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Forget not the hope that's before you

And never stop counting the cost

Remember the hopelessness when you were lost...

Because Jesus suffered outside the gate (Hebrews 13:11-14), I will go to Him in Bosnia. I will forget not the hope before me, and never stop counting the cost. For the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross, so I take up my cross and follow Him. Getting rid of most of our possessions, selling our house of 13 years, leaving the comforts and security of this life, moving across the ocean from our family, church family, and two oldest children are all the costs I am counting right now.

Yes, there is a joy in the journey, but the joy that Jesus spoke of is one of submission, suffering, and sacrifice. Jesus, Light of the world, went there first and promises to be with me (Matthew 28:20), and so I go.

Day of Decision

On this day when many people are praying for the Alliance's National Board, and our future, these lyrics are going through my mind...

The Stand
So I'll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all
I'll stand
My soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours
(Hillsong United, Joel Houston)

These words cause us to think of charismatic worship, of people raising their hands and closing their eyes in praise.  However, may we envision another image?

These words are very individualized (I'll stand).  The visual picture is not worship, but rather arrest by a higher authority (arms high, heart abandoned) and laying down of one's life as a living sacrifice (Romans 12.1) (surrender to You Lord). The image is surrender to a higher, sovereign authority of our entire being (all I am is Yours).

Today I sense this arrest by my merciful, loving, holy, righteous, beautiful, awesome Lord. What do I know of holy, of He Who gave all for me?  Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling.

I am frightened, uncertain, feeling out of control. Even in this, I rest in my Savior.

Pray regarding flooding

Pray for Bosnia; flooding is reported due to rapid snow melt today.

www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/state-emergency-declared-bosnia-heavy-flooding-190205100057671.html

Are we crazy?

Have you ever made a decision, started down a road, and thought "What am I doing? Am I crazy?"  These and similar thoughts have gone through my head (several times!) over the past two years.  From the perspective of the so-called American Dream, from the misshapen goals of stability and security, from the false worldview that this temporal, existential life is all there is, our journey toward a major life change makes no sense.   

And yet, the adventure begins.  The adventure begins.  These are captivating words.  I've used the language of "adventure" with my children over the past year, partly to explain, and partly to capture their imagination.

This past week, Janie Cheaney shared this commentary on The World and Everything In It podcast.  It encapsulated these ideas, using references to Scripture and literature (I also spoke of Bilbo and Frodo with my children!).  Below is a link to the audio and the transcript.

The challenge to you, my reader: 
What adventure, what path, what mission, what action has He called you to? 

Audio: worldandeverything.org/2019/01/janie-cheaney-the-call-to-adventure/

Transcript:

JANIE CHEANEY, COMMENTATOR: Have you heard this story? The hero is toiling in the mundane fields or shops of everyday life when the summons occurs—a special calling or challenge. Gandalf appears in the Shire; Lucy walks through the back of the wardrobe; the burdened Pilgrim flees his doomed city.]

The adventure begins.

The quest model is built into human DNA. All our lives we’re leaving home on a journey into the unknown and returning somehow changed: a new job, a new relationship, a birth, a death. Could we call it an adventure?

Several weeks ago I watched an online discussion between professor Jordan Peterson and commentator Ben Shapiro. In their two-hour give and take about duty, responsibility, and meaning, Shapiro made this observation: “The only thing America guarantees is an adventure.”

He compared it to the call of Abraham: “Leave your home and family and go to a place I will show you.” God does the showing; Abraham the leaving, casting himself into an unknown future.

That was also the call to Moses from a burning bush and to Elisha while he plowed his fields. And it’s the call of Jesus: “Come, follow me.”

The men who left their nets and fields and counting tables clearly understood they were off on an adventure. It didn’t go the way they expected, but turned out to be more than they could imagine: more danger, more difficulty, more challenge.

That’s the side of adventure we miss from the couch: it’s dangerous, difficult, challenging, and even, for long stretches at a time, boring. It takes us away from our everyday comforts and distractions. It may end in failure. But it still calls us.

At the turn of the year, our thoughts turn to “resolutions” rather than adventures. Resolutions are an attempt to get control over our hectic lives—to encourage self-discipline and responsibility.

That’s all to the good. As Peter says, “Therefore be sober-minded and self-controlled, for the sake of your prayers.” But what else is discipline for?

Adventure calls us every day, even in the well-worn tracks of the routine and monotonous: “Come, follow me.” Jesus says, “Don’t shore up your life against disruption; don’t automatically say No. Don’t be a slave to well-meant resolutions.

Make yourself a little uncomfortable today: take some cookies to your grouchy neighbor or stop to talk to that panhandler on Walnut Street. Before collapsing in your recliner to click on Netflix, do something for Him—text an apology or invitation; write a note of encouragement; pray.

“Open the door to possibility”, Jesus says. “In your successes I am making something through you; in your failures and disappointments I am making you.”

Like America, God guarantees an adventure—and more. His Kingdom begins with a call into the unknown, with only his promises to guide us, and ends with a sure inheritance. You’ll never outgrow it, and it will grow you.

For WORLD Radio, I’m Janie B. Cheaney.

BiH winter beauty and fun

Bosnia-Herzegovina its a land of great natural beauty. Consider this video of the amazing Una River in winter, at Strbacki Buk waterfall.

https://youtu.be/TD_3inqtmjA

Similarly, Sarajevo hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics. Winter activities continue to be enjoyed, such as this revived tradition: sledding down Trebevic Mountain!

http://www.sarajevotimes.com/residents-of-sarajevo-to-revive-tradition-of-sledding-down-trebevic-mountain/

Eastern schism

Although I have read about the Orthodox Church over many years, it has an increased interest to me as we learn more about Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is important to both learn history and understand contemporary issues. This is very significant to the eastern church.

From Russia, Without Love: Ukrainian Orthodox Mark Christmas with Biggest Schism Since 1054 www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/january/ukrainian-russian-orthodox-church-schism-autocephaly.html

The inaugural post

So this is it - the first post on Weaving Strands!

It seems fitting to celebrate family, especially our FIVE teenagers!  Yes, you read that correctly: as of today, all the Strand children are teenagers. We love our kids, and are so proud of each of them.