This Habakkuk One Moment

April 1, 2020

This Habakkuk One Moment

Bill MacLeod with Dennis Fuqua

 

“Lord – if You could just stop the world for TWO WEEKS – I could get caught up!” So said our hard-working bookkeeper, and two weeks later she told me that she was sitting at her desk, relaxed, drinking coffee, listening to music…all caught up!  God IS answering prayer, and not just hers, but many! In talking recently with Dennis Fuqua, Director of IRM, fellow MC board member, and Prayer ConneXion coordinator, we acknowledged the many ways we’re seeing the Lord answer prayer during this extraordinary, unprecedented time.  Here’s what he said:

“We have all recently heard statements like “This COVID 19 is from the devil!”  Or, “God didn’t plan this, but He is using it.”  Or, “I wonder what God is doing during this time?”  Here is a question I have not heard other people ask, but it is one I have asked myself.  “I wonder what prayers God may be answering through this unusual time?”

First of all, let’s remember that God has used some pretty intense things in the past to accomplish His will.  Consider the plagues of the Exodus, or a drought during Elijah’s day, or a storm to redirect Jonah.  Or, most dramatically, consider the crucifixion of Jesus.

Habakkuk chapter one is another example.  In the first 4 verses of that chapter, Habakkuk cries out to God saying (my loose paraphrase) “Come on, God!  We have been praying and You are not acting!  Do something here!”  Then in verse 5 God answers him by saying, “I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”

He goes on to say that He will use the fierce Chaldeans to bring judgement to Israel.  This thought is too much for Habakkuk.  He says, (again, a loose paraphrase) “But, You can’t do that!  Th3ey are worse than we are!  You are supposed to answer my prayers the way I anticipate it.”

I think we may be in a “Habakkuk one moment” right now.  Perhaps God is answering our prayers in a way we did not anticipate Him to.  Consider the following.

Have you even prayed that God would purify His Church, make us more serious, get our attention? Through this unusual time, He is.  Have you prayed that God would “get the church out of the building?”  Now, that is our only option.  We have prayed that God would give us more creative ways to minister. Now, we must.   Have you ever felt that life was moving too fast and you prayed that God would “Slow things down!”  Well, He has.  We have prayed that families would have more time together.  Now, they are.  We have prayed that God would help us love our (actual) neighbors.  That is happening.  And we have prayed that God would raise up more prayer.  More prayer is rising to God’s throne now than I have ever seen before!

Perhaps, just perhaps, God has heard our prayer and is answering them through our current circumstances.

But, one thing we know is that now is not the time to back off on prayer.  It is a time to accelerate it.  It is a time to grow in prayer; a time to pray more and better prayers.  That is why we are moving forward with Prayer ConneXion on Friday and Saturday, May 8-9.  However, it will not be a physical gathering.  We will not be using the facilities of Southwest Hill Baptist Church.  Instead, it will be our first “live virtual conference.”  You will be able to join us via your phone or computer.

What will be the same?  The dates, the schedule, the speakers, the workshop topics and leaders and the registration process.  What will be different?  The cost – less to you! – the manner in which we connect and communicate, and you will provide your own lunch.  Whether you have been to a Prayer ConneXion in the past or not, you are encouraged to join us.  And now you can join us from the comfort of your own home.”

Please click HERE for more details!

Corona and Contingency Planning

March 3, 2020

Corona and Contingency Planning

By Bill MacLeod, Executive Director

 

As of this writing the COVID-19 Corona virus has claimed 3000 lives globally, six occurring here in the Pacific Northwest (WA). For Churches considering making contingency plans for field workers, or mission trips currently being planned, perhaps the best single source of info to share is the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Missio Nexus, which Mission ConneXion is a member of, recently surveyed its members and gleaned a number of interesting highlights including:

• 10% have mandated travel restrictions (mostly China and others just said Asia); another 10% percent have optional travel restrictions, and 10% have cancelled gatherings and conferences, mostly in Asia.
• 2 organizations are seeking to serve in infected areas and are raising funds to do so
• 1 organization has concluded that home office visits present a risk and have asked folks to self-quarantine before visiting if they come from an infected area
• Thailand has been both a destination for evacuated personnel for some organizations as well as under mandatory evacuation for others
• A couple organizations have banned unplanned travel and conferences

 

We can be grateful for the United States’ swift response to this global pandemic that is protecting our own citizens both here and overseas. Additionally, the US State Department has outlined 4-Travel Advisory Levels, and locations have been assigned a level depending on the state of the situation and necessary precautions. You can see the latest travel advisory status for a particular location on the Travel Smart app or at: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/  

 

While local churches should consult with the mission agency, or national church they partner with on location when determining a course of action with respect to field workers; Richard Ramirez, Director of Corporate Security for SEND International has provided guidance for their 500 workers serving in more than 20 areas of Asia, Europe, Eurasia and North America.  He has offered some considerations when determining whether to evacuate missionaries who find themselves in a Level 4 area with these five questions:

1. Can those workers continue to perform ministry (not merely survive)?
2. Do they have access to food, water, and shelter?
3. Is there threat to bodily harm?
4. How is their emotional health, considering the cumulative effect of stress?
5. Do they have the ability to evacuate?

 

I so appreciated two additional questions asked from the perspective of the host culture:

6. Does the missionary’s presence pose a threat to the host culture?
7. Would the missionary’s departure significantly impact their witness?

 

Hopefully you and your church are prayerfully thinking through these possibilities as you make plans for the year. As an organization working closely with local churches and international mission organizations, hosting training events that take place often in large groups, we at Mission ConneXion continue to monitor what is happening closely. While we recently made the decision to cancel Crescent ConneXion due to low registration, we have no plans to postpone or cancel future planned events based on current health information. We encourage you to plan to register for upcoming events including The Journey Deepens, April 3-4; Prayer ConneXion, May 8-9, and Student ConneXion, November 6-7.

From Swimmer to Ambassador in N. Korea

December 6, 2019

Dr. Stephen Yoon: From Swimmer to Ambassador in N. Korea!

By Bill MacLeod

 

Dr. Stephen Yoon lives and works in North Korea with his wife, Joy, and their four children as part of the IGNIS Community, an international NGO that aids in the healthy development of North Korean Children in the realm of medicine, Health, and Education. They live in the capital city serving in the Pyongyang Medical University Hospital.  We were privileged to welcome Stephen when he spoke to Pastors and leaders here in October, and we learned so much about the people and country the Lord’s called them to for which to many of us is shrouded in mystery. We look forward to his returning as our plenary speaker this January. Here’s an exchange we had as he reflected on his life in light of our One Body, One Voice, One Mission theme…

 

Bill: When were you first aware of God working in your life? What age were you and what were the circumstances?

Stephen: It was my senior year in high school. My mother has just passed away from cancer, and I was seeking God’s calling upon my life. My friends and I were gathered together for a special event, and the pastor asked those of us who felt called to serve God overseas to stand up and walk to the front. Thinking that my friends would join me, I immediately stood up and started walking towards the front, but to my dismay, my friends did not follow! But I knew that night that God had a special calling upon my life, and I dedicated my life from that point onward for his full service wherever he would call me.

 

Bill: What did the Lord use in your life primarily to call you into the ministry you lead now?

Stephen: Initially as I received my ministry calling, I thought that God would use me as a professional swimmer perhaps in nations that were not open to traditional mission’s work. But then as I was praying, I sensed that God was calling me to do something impossible. What is impossible, I thought. Studying! As an athlete I had never focused on my studies before, and what more impossible than to go into medical missions, I thought.

 

Soon afterwards, I moved to the U.S. as a foreign student. After learning English, I began my undergraduate studies in pre-medicine. There I met my wife. She had a calling for North Korea. As a South Korean who grew up under the post-Korean War, anti-communist era, North Korea was never on my radar. It was actually through her that our entire family ended up serving in North Korea.

 

Bill: What has touched you the most about being “One in Christ” as you have grown in your walk with Him and carried out your ministry?

Stephen: As Ephesians 6:12 states, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers of the spiritual realms”, likewise one of the greatest spiritual strongholds over the Korean Peninsula is the stronghold of division.

 

Rather than fighting this stronghold face-on, our calling as followers of Jesus is to walk in the opposite fruits of the Spirit, in particularly stepping forth in unity. As a result, ministering as a united community is a powerful witness in North Korea. In a land that is riddled with division and conflict, living in peace with one another despite our weaknesses speaks of God’s love, grace, and forgiveness to those around us.

 

B: As you consider Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 12:12-27 about the “one-ness” of the Body of Christ, how do how see this truth playing out as you fulfill your ministry?

S: In North Korea, circumstances actually require us to live and work together in community. This means living in the same home and sharing the same space with our teammates. It can be challenging working among teammates from different cultures and backgrounds. Even figuring out what to eat for dinner is not a simple task. And since none of us are perfect, challenges and conflict can arise, but it is the way in which we handle these circumstances that demonstrates love, forgiveness, and grace to the North Korean people. We are called to be one as He is one. It is through our oneness that others will know that we are from the Father.

 

B: In John 10:30 the Bible speaks of Jesus being ONE with the Father, but in John 17:11, Jesus says that we should also be ONE with Them. When do you most experience oneness with the Father and Son, as you carry out your life and ministry?

S: I experience oneness with the Father and the Son when I am in the center of His Will for my life. Following God’s calling is not easy. In fact, sometimes it is extremely difficult. I have been led into isolating circumstances, areas of conflict, and suffering. But as I learn to depend fully upon the Father and be washed in the blood of His Son, the more I experience oneness with God.

 

God has called our family particularly to the ministry of reconciliation. As 2 Cor. 5:17-19 explains, we are called to be ambassadors of reconciliation. In a divided nation, amongst divided people, we have been called to walk forth in reconciliation where there is conflict and misunderstanding. But I feel close to the Father’s heart in the midst of these challenging circumstances because I can identify with how Christ has reconciled us. The ministry of reconciliation requires sacrifice. We play the role of a bridge, and as a result, we get stepped on and trampled on. But ultimately there is joy in following the Father’s heart and calling upon our lives. It is rewarding as we see small glimpses of hope in the midst of conflict, understanding in the midst of confusion, and peace in the middle of conflict and division.

 

B: What would you desire attendees at Mission ConneXion Northwest 2020 come away with as a result of your participation and expression?

S: My greatest desire is for people to catch the vision of living as ambassadors of reconciliation. This is especially true for North Korea and the Korean Peninsula, but it is a calling that we all have no matter where we are or with what ministry we are involved in. God is calling us to walk forth as peacemakers, bridge connectors, and ambassadors for His Kingdom in areas of conflict and misunderstanding.

From Dropout to Developer

November 27, 2019

From Dropout to Developer

by Bill MacLeod

 

He grew up in Uganda unable to attend school because of financial hardship. Today, our friend, Dr. Michael Badriaki, is the program director of Lancaster Bible College’s Master of Arts in Ministry, but his story started on the African continent. Born in Kenya and raised in Uganda, Badriaki credits his parents as examples in overcoming adversity and suffering. If his name sounds familiar to you, it is because he has taught at George Fox University/Portland Seminary and guest taught at Multnomah University/Multnomah Biblical University, served with Medical Teams International, and he led an entire workshop track last year related to the book he authored, When Helping Works. He told us his unique story when we caught up with him recently, and we’re thrilled to welcome him back this year as a Plenary speaker at Mission ConneXion Northwest 2020!

Bill: When were you first aware of God working in your life? What age were you and what were the circumstances?

Michael: As far as I can recall, as a child growing up in Uganda, I became consciously aware of God when my parents and relatives invoked the name God as the divine being who is trust worthy, all knowing, all powerful in the ebb and flows of life. The ebb and flow of life itself continued for our family as we got sick, we got well, we found jobs, the jobs ended, we celebrated together, we grieved together. Dropping in and out of school was part of life, and education was very inconsistent. From a place of a lack of resources and unable to go to class, I was compelled by the New Testament to proclaim the good news of Jesus in our community out of no expectation of gain but in obedience to God alone.

B: What did the Lord use in your life primarily to call you into the ministry you lead now?

M: The Lord and His Holy Spirit used the bible (1 Corinthians 9: 16), numerous godly people who invested in my life in spiritual, relational, missional, financial and material ways. Particularly, God has used my wife, daughter, my parents, sibling and close friends. These people have prayed for me, loved, mentored and discipled me (1 Thessalonians 2:8). My mentors have also encouraged, supported, and counseled me to wisely explore all the ministry opportunities that have come my way. As an expression of my faith and my love of sharing about the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, I would visit Makerere University in Kampala so often that people thought I was a student, even though I was a high school dropout. While of conveying the message of the gospel with university students, I met a man named Keith Thompson. Keith came to Uganda as a missionary to Uganda from the United States and served at my home Church. Keith and I got along very well, and we built a strong relationship. However, I never told Keith about my education need for the fear of being stigmatized further and primarily because God had given me a newly found joy with sharing the gospel at Makerere University. In a short time, Keith self-discovered my education situation and needs through his own inquiry. Eventually I had to tell him, “Actually I am a drop out. I want to go to school but I don’t have the money.” I remember the look on his face, he was devastated and he said, “Look, Michael, if there is anyone who has a bright future and is gifted, anyone who wants and deserves to go to school, it is you.” Two days after that he brought his missionary support money, enough for a year’s worth of school, and he said, “I cannot live with myself if I don’t give you this money, let me know if you need more and anything else.” This money was his missionary support money. He was giving and investing because of love for a friend, neighbor, and brother in the Lord. I love sharing the good news, participating in God’s mission as everyday spiritual disciplines because I find meaning and purpose in doing so. The Lord has also given me love for learning, education and teaching as a ministry. I love working with students, ministry leaders and practitioners which is what I am honored to do in my current job.

B: What has touched you the most about being “One in Christ Jesus” (from Gal 3:28) as you have grown in your walk with Him and carried out your ministry?

M: Galatians 3: 28 is a powerful and timely portion of scripture because it tells me that ONLY Christ’s love, forgiveness of my sin and His grace are the reason for outcomes of being “One in Christ Jesus”. Being “One in Christ Jesus” is not about my worth, but the beauty of “… Christ in me, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Because Christ is in and Lord of my life, then I belong to Christ and other followers of Christ who are members of the body both locally and globally. (Galatians 3:29) The problem arises when people try to achieve oneness without the totalizing and holistically transforming power of the Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross.

B: As you consider Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 12:12-27 about the “one-ness” of the Body of Christ, how do you see this truth playing out as you fulfill your ministry? 

M: I see this truth at play in contexts where Christians faithfully and responsibly proclaim and enact the gospel instead of other ideologies. In my view, Paul set the stage by contextually starting the chapter with a clarion call and a clear focus on division in the body of Christ concerning spiritual gifts as a theological and spiritual warfare issue. Contextually, the lack of unity and oneness in the body of Christ is first and foremost a matter of spiritual war evidenced in idolatry. While addressing the apparent conflict over spirit gifts, Paul reminds his audience, “You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.” (1 Cor. 12:2) Just like division over spiritual gifts, the lack of unity and diversity in the body of Christ is a spiritual warfare issue. Paul’s words are still pertinent for the church around the world today. What are the mute idols, pagan gods and unbiblical ideas we tend to rely on in our attempts to seek unity and oneness? It is sin that corrupts our inner desires, our decisions through which outcomes of divisions emerge in the body of Christ. (James 4:1) But the gospel in a believer’s soul is the solution that brings oneness “… because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16)

B: In John 10:30 the Bible speaks of Jesus being ONE with the Father, but in John 17:11, Jesus says that we should also be ONE with Them. When do you most experience oneness with the Father and Son, as you carry out your life and ministry? 

M: Being one with Christ began the moment the Holy Spirit convicted me about my state as a sinner and when I received Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. From then onward, the Holy Spirit who is in me and Christ through the word of God, have caused me to abide in Christ. (John 15: 1-17) The trinity is fully involved in the life of a believer so that a Christian who is joined unto the Lord is one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17). Since I am reconciled to the Lord, I am also a participant in God’s mission and Christ’s saving life on a daily basis (Rom 5:10). I believe that my oneness in Christ is a reality in both the now and the not yet experience of the Kingdom of God.

B: What would you desire attendees at Mission ConneXion Northwest 2020 come away with as a result of your participation and expression?

M: My hope is that attendees at Mission ConneXion will be encouraged to know Christ and Him crucified. I believe that people will be encouraged to live meaningful lives because of the gospel.

How Do You Live Dead?

September 9, 2019

Dick Brogden Our Live Dead “ONE”…

By Bill MacLeod

 

We can’t wait to welcome Dick Brogden as a Plenary speaker this January. Growing up in Kenya and spending 27 years as a missionary planting numerous churches, he and his family are now moving from Egypt to Saudi Arabia living out the “Live Dead” movement he started. It is based on the example of Jesus, who showed us how to live dead—not with dread but with great gladness.

 

We recently caught up with him to talk about our theme for 2020: “ONE ~ One Gospel | One Church | One Voice | Be the One!”

 

Bill: When were you first aware of God working in your life? What age were you and what were the circumstances?

Dick: My parents were godly missionaries.  I remember sitting in a little African church at about 7 years old and after my father finished preaching and gave the altar call, a response to give our all to Jesus, I turned to my Kenyan friend – Jimmy Baraza – and said to him…. “I’ll go if you will go!”  And we went to the altar together to give our lives to Jesus.

B: What did the Lord use in your life primarily to call you into the ministry you lead now?

D: When I was 16, I walked out of the dorm of my boarding school and looked up at the glorious heavens, for my school was located on the great Rift Valley, far from any light pollution and the stars were startling.  Seeing the glory of God in the heavens (Psalm 19) and knowing in my spirit that if the heavens so declare the glory of God and there is no language where their speech is unknown….how much more should God be glorified by the crown of His creation: Every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.  God used the stars to call me into missions with a focus on unreached peoples.

 

B: What has touched you the most about being “One in Christ Jesus” (from Gal 3:28) as you have grown in your walk with Him and carried out your ministry?

D: The realization that no mission agency, no nationality, no person can complete the great commission outside of unity with the body of Christ.  I have a deep desperation therefore to fight for unity in the body of Christ so that the gospel might be preached to every people, so that we can all go home – eternal life, united with Christ, united forever with no schisms.

B: As you consider Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 12:12-27 about the “one-ness” of the Body of Christ, how do you see this truth playing out as you fulfill your ministry?

D: Certainly not in uniformity.  The beauty of a unified body is in our differences.  I see oneness played out in the inter-dependence we have on each other BECAUSE we are different.  My experience in Sudan is that need fosters unity across the body of Christ.  I need to honestly come to terms with my limitations and weaknesses, to honestly admit that I need others, before I will lay down my preferences for the great good of unity.  Unity in the body is costly, we have to lay something down in order to take it up.  We are not willing to pay the cost of laying something down unless we are driven by both the need AND THE BEAUTY of unity.

 

B: In John 10:30 the Bible speaks of Jesus being ONE with the Father, but in John 17:11, Jesus says that we should also be ONE with Them. When do you most experience oneness with the Father and Son, as you carry out your life and ministry?

D: While there is a beauty in corporate worship, a union of the whole with the Godhead, I most experience unity with God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) in my quiet abiding times with Him.  Morning prayer walks, Bible reading with a cup of Chai, evening sessions singing old hymns at the piano.  In those simple and extravagant times when I am my beloved’s and He is mine…and His banner over me is love.

B: What would you desire attendees at Mission ConneXion Northwest 2020 come away with as a result of your participation and expression?

D: A desperation for the simplicity of JUST HAVING JESUS.  A hunger for Him and only Him.  A longing for His presence and to spend extravagant daily time with Him.  A commitment to abiding with Him all day long.  An understanding that our most sacred ambition is actually not to be a missionary, but to be with Christ…which is far better. (Philippians 1:23 ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far)

 

In addition, Dick will also be challenging us at Leadership ConneXion 2020 on Friday, January 17^th with: “John 15- Abiding in Christ in a Disciple-Making Context” – a must for all leaders.  Register / Learn More here.

Would YOU have pressed on?

September 9, 2019

Lay-Mobilizer Impact – Part II

By Bill MacLeod

 

Last Month we be brought you the story of Jeff Reed (“Ordinary Lay-Mobilizer – Remarkable Impact”) who, with his wife, had started the “GO Group” which has been raising up and sending out college students from the Portland-Vancouver area since 2012.  When they could not go on the field themselves, they took that burden/passion and channeled it into this mobilizing effort.  The ‘push-back’ they received from spiritual realms included job loss; seasons of under-employment; the unexpected and tragic deaths of their parents, his brother, and eventually Jeff’s wife Lori – all within a span of six years. But how did these circumstances impact their two kids’ lives?  Today, both Tim and Megan Reed are on the mission field.  Megan is a missionary nurse serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua, Indonesia. This is her story…

 

Bill: How did you initially “hear” the Lord’s call on your life?

Megan: At seven years old I felt very strongly that God was calling me to be a medical missionary in Asia. I grew up in a very missional family and I think the strong focus on sharing the good news of Jesus no matter where you are had a significant impact on my life.

 

B: How did life’s hard situations impact you and your thinking and faith?

M: I once heard a sermon that said that God uses the hard things in our lives to mold us and to take our weak hearted, soft will to follow God and strengthen and harden it until you have an iron resolve to follow God regardless of the circumstances. The hardest situation came a mere five months after I finally left the USA for my first mission assignment. I got a call from my Dad to tell me that my Mom had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. I really wrestled with what to do. I had worked hard to get to the mission field and now I was contemplating going back to the USA only a few months into my first assignment. Hard experiences have helped me to draw closer to God, to realize just how little strength I have and how much I need to depend on God’s strength in order to do anything. God’s grace and perseverance deepened my faith because God is faithful, loving, gracious and good in the midst of, in spite of, and because of hard things. He wastes nothing.

 

B: Did your career choice (nursing) come out of your early family experiences?

M: I have always loved people, loved science, loved to help and to help others especially. I think these combined to motivate my career choice. That, and I always felt God called me to medical missions, I just later narrowed down the branch of medicine based on my personality and preferences.

 

B: What did you see in or learn from your parents during these formative years?

M: Humility, perseverance, prioritization of a walk with God and sharing the good news about Jesus no matter where you are and no matter what your “job” is. I saw deep love for God in their lives and an intentionality about keeping their faith integrated with their life.

 

B: Was the vision always clear for you, or did you doubt His direction during any of the time growing up, etc.?

M: God’s call on my life was always clear and always like a fire shut up in my bones. I did go through a season where I was going through the motions of Christianity, but I wasn’t really walking with God. God used and redeemed that and has used it many times to help me to share the good news with people who have grown up religious but have never had a real walk with God. They can relate to my story.

 

B: How did your Mom’s passing impact your trajectory in the past, present, and looking to the future?

M: My Mom’s passing both did and did not have a profound impact on my overall trajectory. I actually struggled quite a bit in the decision to come back from the mission field after only being overseas for 5 months. I had worked for almost 20 years to get to the mission field and now I had to go back. However, her death has opened up doors of relationship because those I serve have suffered a lot of loss, especially of close loved ones, and it gives a common bond and a common platform. It has given me more compassion but also more drive to share the gospel with a more concrete reality of the fragility and brevity of life.

 

B: Do you have any advice for others who may be wrestling with God’s call to missions on their lives?

M: If you are wrestling with God’s call to missions on your life, I would say this: learn to be more impressed with your God than your circumstances. God will guide you, but first you must really know him, not about him, and you must know his Word. Out of this will flow so many things you need, to follow his call on your life. It will help you stay grounded in sound theology in times of suffering and testing, it will help you survive and thrive in the hard and dry seasons, and it will help you return to the right source – Christ – when you are overwhelmed. God is faithful to guide. All you must do is intentionally walk with him and he will guide your footsteps. One of my favorite verses is, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps.”  If you don’t quit, you can’t fail. Put the boat in the water, God will shut doors, but he will also get you through hard times.

 

If you, or someone you know, is interested in attending the GO Group, email GoGroupPDX@gmail.com to find out the location! Please let others know of this opportunity to meet and pray together.