Should I stay or should I go?

By Sarah Anderson

Many of you have probably heard the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. Each of the four Gospels tells this story, or versions of this story, when Jesus, on the side of a mountain about ready to teach, decides to feed the mass of hungry people who came to hear Him. It was a big task, one that the disciples weren’t sure they could handle, but with one boy’s lunch sack of fish and bread, Jesus miraculously multiplied the food and fed each empty belly. He even made enough for leftovers. Most of what we know about this story stops here, but following the miracle, the story goes on. Not long afterwards, Jesus and the disciples cross a lake only to find more people waiting for Him on the other side. The crowd had heard what Jesus did with the bread and were thinking this was the kind of guy they could really get on board with. But their motivations and their intentions weren’t fooling Jesus—He knew what was going through their minds. He knew their flaky devotion had more to do with what He could do for them and He called them out on it. So, while still holding their attention, Jesus launches into some pretty heavy teaching—teaching that caught the crowd off guard.

The people who had been waiting on the other side of the lake listened for awhile, but it didn’t take long before they started grumbling and then arguing sharply with each other. The problem was that what Jesus was saying didn’t make a lot of sense. The people were confused, offended, and frankly, probably disappointed in what Jesus was asking of them—so much so that the Bible says many abandoned Him. They turned their backs on Him. In other words, Jesus didn’t live up to the expectations the masses had in mind, so they decided maybe He wasn’t for them after all. And, they left.

Maybe you know the feeling. Maybe you can relate to the masses. Maybe you have heard some cool stuff about this Jesus guy, and experienced some really amazing things through relationship with Him, but then all of the sudden, He asks something of you, or He confuses you, or suddenly starts to seem distant. Maybe your expectations go unmet and before you know it, you are left with a choice to make. Do you stay or do you go?

The crowds left. And I can imagine the scene was a little uncomfortable. Maybe they all left at once, or maybe one by one—as Jesus continued to baffle and bewilder. Regardless of how it happened, by the end of His teaching only twelve remained—the twelve disciples. And after the crowd disbanded, Jesus turned and asked those who lingered, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” (John 6:67 NIV). And in the substantial pause after the weighted question Peter looks at Jesus and answers, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68 NIV).

Peter and the rest of the disciples heard the same message the crowd did. They probably had the same questions and dealt with the same confusion as those who walked away. But Peter vocalizes what the twelve knew and the crowd didn’t. “No one else can do what You do. No one else talks like You talk. No one else offers what You offer—not just bread to eat, but words that satisfy. We may not get You all the time. We may not understand what You want so badly for us to understand, but where else would we go, if not here? Who else would we turn to, if not to You?”

There is going to come a time when we find ourselves in the same place as the disciples did. When this happens and we get before God and confess our confusion and admit our disinterest, He asks us, “You don’t want to leave too, do you?” And this is the point where we need to make a choice—when we need to make a call. Do we really believe that Jesus holds the words of eternal life? Do we really believe it is worth sticking it out—despite our uncertainty, our confusion, our expectations? Do we really believe that this relationship—as difficult as it may be at times—is worth fighting for? And if we do, then we have the chance to say, like Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? I haven’t got this all figured out, but I know this. You have the words of eternal life.”

And that is a great place to start. The best place to start. Not with answers, not with clarity, not with complete and total understanding. Just a simple statement that says exactly where you are—with no place else to go, and the confidence and the faith that being with the Jesus is the best place to be.

The Cover Up

By Sarah Anderson

I don’t know about you, but there are some things I just don’t need to be taught how to do. Some things just come naturally to me—like covering things up. Chances are you know this. We know how to sound good, look good and even act good, when deep down there may be a mess about ready to erupt inside of us. For whatever reason, we aren’t always that great at admitting when something is difficult, when things confuse us, when life doesn’t make any sense or when God seems far away. Rather than run the risk of being judged or looked down on, we put on a pretty smile and figure it out ourselves.

It’s stupid really. Because pretending usually doesn’t fool anybody, and it certainly doesn’t fool God. There is a story in the book of Mark where we meet a man who got this. Take a look at Mark 9:17-27. In the story, a dad brings his son, who is possessed by an evil spirit, to Jesus. It seems this boy is thrown into convulsions and unable to speak when the spirit takes hold of him. And the boy’s dad is feeling hopeless. He simply wants his son to be healed from a childhood marked by his horrible affliction, but no one can figure out what to do to help him—the disciples themselves tried to free the boy with no luck.

The dad is in a tough spot. He is out of options. Out of answers. Out of opportunities. So when his son is brought to Jesus, the father pleads with little expectation of any change, “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (Mark 9:22 NIV). It is an honest request. “If you can do anything, take pity. Help.” Here is a guy at the end of his rope. Here is a man who has nowhere else to turn but to a Jewish rabbi who has a group of ragtag followers and the tendency to declare Himself God. At this point he is willing to try anything.

And it seems that Jesus knows this man’s situation. He picks up on the subtle condition in the man’s request. “If you can” the father had asked, and Jesus responds with, “‘If you can?’ Everything is possible for him who believes” (Mark 9:23 NIV). This is the chance a desperate dad has been waiting for. “Anything is possible?” He wonders. “Even healing? Even freedom from this spirit? Even a chance at a normal life?” But what Jesus is asking for is belief, for faith, for hope in an outcome that has seemed stubbornly illusive and far from a reality. Jesus is asking for trust, and after all the disappointment this dad has seen and experienced, he isn’t sure he can muster any up.

Mark records this happening, Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 NIV). This is a man in a desperate situation who knows Jesus can handle his desperate faith. In one swift profession, a father makes clear his craving for healing and for hope, and his utter lack of confidence in both. He knows that all Jesus is asking for is belief, but after all these years of disappointment, he isn’t sure he has much to offer.

It isn’t often that we live that honestly—not with one another and certainly not with God. If someone asked us if we “believe,” if we have faith, if we have hope, many of us would answer with a confident “of course,” even if deep down we can’t figure out what we think or who we hope in. But this man with the sick son looks into the eyes of Jesus and tells him exactly where he is. “You want me to believe? I want to believe, but I am not sure I do and I am not sure I can.” Jesus was not mad, disappointed and certainly not surprised. And do you know what He does? He heals the boy. Not based on the grand amounts of faith a fearful father can muster up, but in spite of his lack of faith, coming on the heels of his honest confession. “I do believe, but I don’t believe. And I need more than just a healed son. I need help with the part of me that doesn’t know who You are or what You can do.”

There is freedom in coming clean—with your struggles, with your mistakes, with your unbelief. God does not run and hide from your honesty. In fact He embraces it and is able to work in spite of it. The possessed son was healed. And in a way, so was the dad. They got more than just a solution to a physical remedy. They had an encounter with God—who wanted nothing more from them than belief and an honest confession of what they were lacking.

If you encountered Jesus today, what would you cry out to Him? Think beyond what you need. What would you honestly and sincerely tell Him? “I do trust You, help my lack of trust!” “I do want to follow You, help where I don’t.” “I do think You exist, help me when I just don’t feel sure.” “I do think You have a plan, help me when I don’t think that plan includes me.” “God, I’m not that into You, help me.”

You may be surprised what happens when you get that honest with God. You may get more than what you came for. You may get an encounter with a God who can handle your doubts, your disappointment and even your disinterest—and who works in spite of it.

Series Overview

Every one of us has experienced it at some point. At one time, we were really into a relationship—whether that’s a friendship or a dating relationship—and now, well, not so much. We’re just not that into it anymore. So we walk away or we let the relationship die. But what happens when that relationship you’re not that into anymore is the one you have with God? You were really into Him at one point. You were feeling connected, directed, close. Now it feels like nothing. How do you deal with it?

Session One: The Breakup? (11/18/09)

There is a natural ebb and flow to our relationships, isn’t there? There are times when we feel really close to someone, and times when we don’t. The reasons vary, but there are times when we’re just not feeling that into a relationship. It’s true of our friendships and other relationships, but what happens when it happens in our relationship with God? And when it does, why is it so difficult to admit it?

Session Two: Fight for Me (12/02/09)

When you’re not that into a relationship, you have a choice—to stay or to go. God has made it very clear in the Bible that He’s not going anywhere. He’s in. But we’re the ones who struggle with the choice, and that struggle sometimes involves fighting our own feelings and perceptions. It’s a fight that we have to be willing to take on, and a decision each of us has to make. And while it may feel like it, it’s not one-sided, God isn’t going anywhere. So are you going to fight your own tendencies to pull away? Are you going to fight for your relationship with God

Session Three: Do You Know Me? (12/09/09)

So you decided to fight, to stay in your relationship with God even though you’re feeling not that into Him. And for some of you, you’ve already seen a big change. There’s a new connection. There’s excitement. But for others, you’re fighting and nothing’s happening. You’re working, but you’re not getting anything in return. So what’s the problem? It may be that “me” is getting in the way, that your focus is on you. And in the process, you have made God very small, boring and predictable—a God you think you know, but One who is actually so much bigger than us.

This verse from Proverbs 22:6 is one of those verses that parents cling to as they seek to teach, model and instill in their children the truths of God’s Word.  Because God is faithful we know that we can trust Him at His Word and that as we seek to instruct our children of the love of God and help them to grasp and understand the beauty of the Gospel that God will honor those efforts.  The verse doesn’t promise that our children will never have a rebellious streak or a a season of being a prodigal, but it does tell us that God’s Word is powerful and when we raise our children in the way the Bible instructs and model to them a Christ-centered life, the Lord will use that to work in their lives even after they have left our homes.  Recently I have been listening to lots of sermons and over the past few days I have heard some deeply convicting truths that have resonated with my heart and brought a new perspective on this verse.  This truth is simply referred to as “The Principle of the Path,” and was coined by Andy Stanley.

The essence of this principle can be summed up in one small, but powerful, sentence, “Direction, not intention, leads to destination.” WOW!  As I heard Andy unpack this principle I was both astonished and saddened at the same time.  Let me explain why. There is a sad, but all too real, reality that is devastating our young people in that nearly 7 out of 10 kids who are raised in church are walking away from their faith and the church once they graduate from high school in a phenomenon that has been deemed,”graduating from God.”  But I thought that Proverbs tells us this won’t happen, is God not keeping up His end of the bargain?  The answer is that God is faithful and has not changed, the problem is we as parents are not fulfilling our responsibility. What do I mean by this?  Every parent’s intentions are for their children to grow up and love the Lord, be involved in church and to be committed to their faith once they leave the safety of our homes and head off into the real world be it college or the work force. That is the destination they desire for them, but as the stats show more and more that is not the case.  Church kids are walking away and not looking back leaving parents scratching their heads and wiping away their tears saying, “we didn’t raise them to be this way.”  Sadly enough, that is exactly how we have raised them!  Too many parents today, despite their intentions, are teaching their children that every thing else in their lives is more important than church and God.  Parents are elevating sports, band, grades and other things above God and church.  How are they doing this? Many parents either knowingly or unknowingly have taught their kids that success on the court or on the field or in the classroom is most important and that anytime one of those things comes into conflict with church, church always takes the backseat. Church is no longer essential.

The intentions of the parents is to have godly and Christ-centered children, but the direction they are on is that sports and grades are most important, so the destination is not going to be the heartfelt intentions of the parents.  When Proverbs tell us that when we “train a child in the way they should go and that when they are older they will not depart from it,” the negative of that is true as well.  If we as parents train our children to make sports, grades and fill in the blank__________ penultimate then when they get older that will be the truth they know and God will not be what is most essential.  This is a really scary reality.  We are given commands as parents in Deuteronomy 6 and Psalm 78 to teach our children about the Lord when we wake up and lie down and when we walk along the way so that they will put their confidence in God and trust in Him.  I think that many of us have missed the mark and in reality we are not directing our children towards this destination, but away from it.  I have been really asking myself what direction am I leading my children on and does that lead them to a deep and intimate walk with Christ?  The reality is our time with our children is short and fleeting.  To emphasize this reality I gave each of the parents of the kids in my youth group a jar filled with beads.  The beads represented the number of weekends they had left with their student before they leave for college.  As my wife and I counted out these beads I thought of my own children but also the students in my youth group in whose lives I see this principle being played out and it broke my heart.  Our challenge as parents is to elevate Christ above all things and model that before our kids in how we live our lives, the schedules we keep and the way we use our money and time.  I desire for my sons to love Jesus and live passionately for Him, and if those are the intentions of my heart then I must prayerfully strive to set them on the path that will indeed lead to that Christ-centered destination.

It is truly a beautiful morning here in Fortaleza, Brazil!  We got here around 6:00 pm last night and were greeted by a very nice concierge and some tasty orange juice :). We are staying in a great hotel on the marina and we plan on spending the day relaxing and resting and just taking in God’s creation.  After a week of being in places where the people may have only a couple of pairs of clothes it feels somewhat disconcerting to be in a place with AC and hot water and a nice pool to swim in.  Rarely do you make such a dramatic swing from one extreme to another in such a short amount of time as we have.  Already there have been kids saying how they feel weird being in this nice place after what we have seen and experienced.  I truly believe that a greater sense of appreciation and gratitude has replaced our usual sense of entitlement and “take for granted” mentality.  God has opened our eyes to the world and it has touched our hearts, minds and souls intimately.  As we left the airport yesterday many of our Brazilian brothers and sisters who had worked with us in Baixio Grande came to tell us good bye.  I can tell you that your students, as well as each of the adults, have had our hearts mended to these wonderful people and many tears were shed as we had to tell them goodbye for now.

I don’t want to say too much about all that we have seen because to be honest it is impossible to truly articulate in words what God has revealed to us and done in and through this team.  We are blessed and honored to have had this opportunity to be a part of something with such eternal significance.  We look forward to being able to share with you about this trip in the days to come.  Pray for our days here as we try to rest and reflect and come to a deeper understanding of the wonderful and beautiful moments we have experienced.  Take care and again thanks for the continued love, support, thoughts and prayers

In Christ’s love,
Jason & Team Brazil

I apologize for not writing last night but it was a long day and late night preparing to leave today. Today has been jammed packed as well and as I write we are on the long and bumpy bus ride back to Sao Luis. Yesterday was a wonderful day as we rested a little in the morning and everyone was able to do a little shopping around the small town or catch up on some much needed sleep. It was especially great for Carla and I as we were able to call and talk to our boys for the first time since we left. We both got pretty tearful as we miss them very much but they were doing well. It was cool to be able to tell Thad that we were telling the little boys and girls in Brazil about Jesus just like we had been praying for during our nighttime prayers over the past few months.

We headed to Baixio Grande around lunchtime and again had a wonderful meal. The afternoon was awesome as we focused VBS around the story of the Prodigal son and the kids made salvation bracelets for their craft. The puppets also made an appearance and were very well received. The kids were also introduced to our version of Duck Duck Goose called Drip Drip Drop. They all got wet and loved every minute of it. While VBS was going on 3 teams went out to do some more door-to-door evangelism. God was again at work and set up some divine appointments. Between the 3 teams and a few other conversations we know that at least 28 people indicates that they desired to place their trust in Christ!  It is amazing to see God at work and to see Him be faithful to His promise to save people from every tribe and tongue and nation.

We had another service last night in BG and we had it outside under the beautiful stars. Lots of people were there and we had great worship then Pastor Rick preached about Peter’s encounter with the resurrected Jesus when Jesus thrice asked Peter if he loved Him. He did a wonderful and job and there were several people who indicated decisions for Christ. We ended the night with a delicious dinner then went back to the hotel and began preparations to leave today.

We woke early and ate breakfast then packed up and headed to BG for our last day of ministry. The kids met us as we got off the bus and we headed to the church to start VBS. There were at least 80-90 kids there today all with bright smiles and warm hugs. Today I had the privilege to tell the Bible story which was on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. The kids were attentive to every word as they heard the deep personal love letter message of the Gospel. At the end of the story I simply asked the kids to close their eyes and see if God was speaking to them. I told them about God’s desire to know each of them in a personal way and that to receive Christ we must trust in Him as our Savior and believe He died on the cross to forgive us of our sins. We must repent from our sins and seek to honor Him with our lives. I told them I was going to pray a simple prayer that I wanted them to pray from their hearts if they felt God working in their lives. I expressed to them that there was nothing magic about the prayer but it was all about their heart. After I prayed I asked them to simply raise their hands if they had asked Jesus into their hearts and I would guess that about 50 kids raised their hands. I don’t know how many decisions were truly genuine but God surely does and will work with the seeds that have been planted. We serve an awesome and powerful God.

After VBS we were treated to probably the best meal of the week with grilled chicken and beef and lots of our favorite dishes from the week. We had time to fellowship for a couple of hours and it was really cool to talk about how God had brought all of the things together to bring us to Brazil. We had our closing service around 2:00 pm and it was a sweet and tearful service. The children sang a few songs and the Pastor of the church as well as the local missionary and a deacon all shared how blessed they were for us coming to their town to tell the people about Jesus. They have been such gracious hosts and we all truly feel as if they have become our family. God is doing a great work there and it has been a phenomenal experience to be a part of seeing the Great Commission fulfilled. At the end of my teaching time in VBS and as Pastor Rick spoke on behalf on of our team we both shared the same sentiment. We may not get the opportunity to meet these sweet people in person again here on earth but we are promised that one day we will see them in heaven.

There are many other beautiful moments from both this day and this week but I want to save some of those till we can share them with you as a group. Thanks for your prayers and thoughts and support. God has begun a good work and will be faithful to complete it. We will spend the next two days in Sao Luis with the Brazilian youth who have been with us this week and then will spend Monday through Thursday in Fortaleza. Thanks for letting us be the hands and feet of Christ to the humble people of Baixio Grande and Brazil. I hope to write again soon.

In Christ’ s love,
Jason and Team Brazil

It has been a truly amazing day here south of the equator. God is doing some things here that are truly incredible and is affirming moment by moment that He brought us here for a purpose and like Nehemiah we feel as if we are about a great work and must complete the task for which God has sent us.

This morning we had the chance to go and spend some quality hang out time with both our group and the Brazilian youth. We went to a small sports complex and spent a couple of hours shooting hoops, teaching them kickball and playing some volleyball. It was seriously hot and we got really sweaty but was a good time.

We headed to Baixio Grande around lunchtime and had some more delicious food. For our afternoon we took on two separate tasks. Half of us worked on VBS and the other half divided into 3 teams to do some door-to-door evangelism. VBS went really well today as the kids learned about David and Goliath and even got introduced to the OTBC puppets, which were a big hit. We had close to the same amount of kids today and spent 2 1/2 hours teaching Bible stories, making crafts, singing songs and playing all kinds of games in the nearby soccer fields. It was a great time and although we are exhausted, the sight of all the kids running to the bus both when we arrive and leave makes all the sweat well worth it.

The evangelism teams had some really amazing experiences today that were clearly God ordained encounters. Through the efforts of these teams and their courage and boldness at least 28 men, women and kids made a profession of faith for Christ!  Some of our youth had the chance today to be used by God for the first time to lead someone to Christ. One of our students shared the Gospel with 12 adult men on a porch and all of them indicated a decision for Christ!  We are seeing God do supernatural things and we are so blessed to be a part of it.

Tonight Pastor Rick and I both got the opportunity to preach at two different locations and it was really cool. We joked that we were a multi-site church for the evening :). There were decisions made for Christ at both services. Preaching with an interpreter was a new thing for me but went really well and reminded me that the Gospel is truly a simple message that applies to every person in every country and in every language. We are called to preach the cross of Christ and allow God to do the rest of the work.

We are looking forward to another great day of ministry tomorrow and prayerfully expect to see people come to Christ. Please pray for our last 2 days of work here in Sao Domingos and Baixio Grande and that hearts will be open to the Gospel. You can specifically pray for Saturday’s VBS as we talk about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and get to help the kids work on salvation bracelets and explain the significance to them. We are all doing well and in good health. God has protected us from any illness and despite being sleepy we are great. We continue to covet your prayers and thoughts. It is a blessing to represent the Lord and each of you here in Brazil. Take care and will write again tomorrow.

P.S.  They are making progress on the new church building as well. The walls are almost completed and it is cool to see it come to form day by day.

Serving the Lord,
Jason and Team Brazil

Here are just a couple of pictures from the mission trip. There will be many more to come.