A Week in Guatemala

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Steve Foster

From June 4-12, sixteen of us from Community Bible Church took a short term mission trip to Guatemala. It was an eye-opening, faith-stretching, physically-tiring, emotionally-draining, group-unifying, spiritually-satisfying experience stuffed into eight days.

I have been on short term mission trips before and each one has its own unique “flavor.” But this one was especially sweet. A good mix of people…young and old, single and married, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters…working in a variety of ministries…painting at an orphanage, doing Vacation Bible School, playing soccer, singing in Spanish, taking kids to the zoo, sharing our testimonies, showing Christ’s love…in a beautiful country…volcanoes, mountains, cool weather, gracious people, and great coffee :>).

I experienced the trip in several different ways.

As a father. I have led several mission trips as a youth pastor but never as a father of youth. On this trip, I had my two older sons, Nate and Noah, with me. It was a memory that I will always cherish. 3 John 4 says, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. I not only heard that my children were walking in the truth but I watched them and ministered along side them. My older son, Nate, played guitar and helped lead worship. My second son, Noah, helped lead games for the kids we ministered to. Both of them took initiative. They made relationships. They got involved. They worked hard. They made an impact. I couldn’t have been prouder…or filled with more joy.

As a pastor. I am still new at this senior pastor thing. It is a unique role to be in. As a pastor, you feel the spiritual responsibility of an entire flock of people…and your incredible inadequacy for such a task. And as I got on the plane in Baton Rouge with 15 others from our church, I felt that responsibility and inadequacy even more. I didn’t have a clue exactly where we were going, what we were going to do, or how the week was going to go. I could only pray for God’s provision and protection and keep moving forward. Thankfully, the week went well and we were all protected on the trip. No serious illnesses, injuries, or problems. And God enabled me to get to know the sheep in my flock even more.

As a man. Men are not supposed to cry…or so we are told. But I cannot think of a week in my life where I cried more than I cried in Guatemala. I saw the depths of sin, hopelessness, and poverty and the heights of grace, hope, and ministry juxtaposed together. It was a strange mixture and it did a number on my heart.

I cried when we left the orphanage and I thought about all the lives that we touched there…and the lives that touched us.

I cried when I saw other team members cry.

I cried when we visited with the kids and their families at Kairos House, a place where families can stay while their kids are receiving treatment for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The night we arrived a 12-year old girl named Alena had just found out that the doctors could do nothing else for her. As I looked at Alena with her frail body and short hair, I could see my sister who died of cancer in 1996. All I could do was weep.

Then at the end of the week, we watched a documentary on Guatemala called Reparando. After experiencing a week of ministry in Guatemala, the documentary hit home and the tears once again flowed.

There is something about crying that is hard to explain. In one sense, it is not pleasant since it is generally caused by unpleasant circumstances. But in another sense, it is cleansing, releasing, refreshing. It reminds you that you are alive, that your heart is still capable of loving, of feeling. I remember Gerald Sittser stating in A Grace Disguised (one of the best books on grief ever written) that sorrow enlarges your heart. I felt my heart expand in Guatemala.

As an American. Mission trips to foreign countries always remind you of your blessings in America. This trip was no different. I was reminded of how much I take for granted…adequate housing, clean water, abundant food, political stability, family, freedom, opportunity, prosperity. Watching hundreds of people scavenging through a garbage dump has a way of giving you perspective. Whom am I to complain? I am so blessed to have lived in one of the freest, most stable, most prosperous countries in the history of the world. Thank You, Lord.

But experiencing another culture also helps you evaluate your own. As an American, I tend to be wasteful. I have so much that I rarely appreciate what I have. As an American, I can also value results over relationships, tasks over people, meeting a schedule over meeting a need. It was refreshing and stretching to be in a culture where it is considered rude not to greet and personally say good-bye to every person in the room. It made for some long good-byes…and for some precious memories.

As a member of the body of Christ. The body of Christ was the theme that kept resonating in my mind on this trip. The beauty and wonder of the body of Christ. I experienced it with my church family. Spending every morning on a veranda studying God’s Word and praying together was one of my favorite highlights of the trip. It got the day started off on the right foot. It was better than a kick of caffeine in a cup of Guatemalan coffee.

I experienced the body of Christ with the Hispanic church in Guatemala. Even though I didn’t understand the words to the songs, I worshiped. I truly worshiped. The joy, exuberance, and hospitality of my Hispanic brothers and sisters overcame the language barrier and drew me into their fellowship.

And I experienced the body of Christ in ministry. Being used by God. Being joined together with other believers. Being Christ’s hands and feet.

I don’t know how people live apart from the body of Christ.

Well, that was my trip in a nutshell…and these shorts words don’t even do it justice.

There are just some moments in time when the season of your life, the state of your heart, and events of your experience seem to align in the center of God’s purpose in the community of God’s people. It is a glimpse of glory, a slice of shalom, a taste of heaven on earth.

And it’s better than a cup of Guatemalan coffee.

Posted in Random Thoughts | 1 Comment

My Really Bad Country Song

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Steve Foster

When I was in junior high, I actually wrote a country song. I was stuck on a church bus for several hours going on a trip and I started making up and singing some goofy country song. I called it the “Worst Country Song Ever” because in it the guy has literally everything go wrong in his life. After being subjected to HeeHaw episodes by my dad and hearing “gloom, despair and agony on me” over and over as a kid, I guess I was scarred by country music and this song is the result. (So forgive me if the lyrics offend you in any way…I wrote this in junior high.)

I am posting the song because a few days ago we had a “Sounds of the Old South” country/gospel concert at our church to raise money for our summer mission trip to Guatemala. It was a great evening…with a lot of fun music. At some point in the evening my ol’ country song popped into my head. A few months earlier I had dusted it off in my mind and sang it for my kids during a fun family evening. They loved it and made me sing it several times over. I even revised a few lines to sharpen some of the rhymes (which tells you how bad they originally were). So the song was fresh  in my mind, the evening was informal and fun…and my wife wasn’t next to me to talk sense into me.

So, near the end of the concert, I was called on stage to talk about the Guatemala trip. As I stood up there with my two older boys and several other youth going on the trip, I decided to sing my song. Carlton Jones, our music leader, tried to accompany me on the spot…while my two older boys tried to disavow that they were related to me.

Unbeknownst to me, someone in the crowd had a smartphone and recorded the song. Here it is for all those people who have asked for proof that I actually sang a country song in front of a live audience. When you hear it, you will understand why the words I heard the most after the concert were “please don’t quit your day job.”

BlindAllMyLife

Posted in Random Thoughts | 2 Comments

Random Thoughts on Recent Events

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Steve Foster

I wish I was a better blogger. I wish I could produce short little snippets, gems of wisdom, or insightful commentaries on current events on a regular basis. But I realize I just can’t do it. One, I don’t have the time.  Being a husband, father, and pastor commands too much of my attention. Two, I can’t think and process things that fast. When I hear something on the news or read something in the paper, I usually let it simmer in my mind for several days/weeks before I really have anything to say. By that time, no one usually cares about the issue any more. And three, I am just not that smart.

But since I have some time to think and blog at this present moment, here are ten random thoughts that have recently run through my mind.

1. Our culture of instant news is producing a culture of rash reactions. We form opinions before collecting facts. We are pushed to respond tragedies before we even have time to grieve them. We are hungry for breaking news rather than for slowly cultivated wisdom.

2. Racism does exist…as well as sexism, elitism, egotism, ostracism, antagonism, and narcissism. Whether black, white, yellow, or red, the human heart will find a reason to justify self, form alliances for one’s own benefit, and separate from anyone who doesn’t fit one’s “camp.” This is called sin and it infects us all. Reconciliation comes not in reinforcing differences or reacting to injustice with injustice but in recognizing the commonality of our creation (Gen. 1-2), the universality of our sin (Romans 3:23), the impartiality of our God (Acts 10:34), and the necessity we all have for grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

3. Our culture should not be surprised when we feed people a steady diet of “sex without limits” and then witness people abuse, betray, and use others for their own sexual gain.

4. To deny the existence of God or a spiritual world beyond our senses is also to deny the possibility of a mind beyond our physical brains. In which case, who cares what an atheist thinks?

5. The allure of sin is its ability to hide the hook under the bait.

6. A hunger for constant thrills is an addiction that leads to diminishing returns and increasing boredom with life. To find contentment and joy in the ordinary and the mundane is a gift from God (Ecclesiastes 5:18).

7. A society that devalues life commits suicide.

8. Our greatest problems are not political but spiritual. They are rooted in the human heart. Thus, the ultimate solutions will not be found in legislation but in salvation. This is more than just a cliche. There are really only two motivations for right behavior–fear of consequences or love for others. Law can only promote fear or, at best, entice people for selfish reasons. Only grace can promote love. When I experience forgiveness, I can forgive. When I am satisfied in God’s love, then I can share love with others. This is not to say that Christians should avoid politics. But it is to say that all things must be kept in perspective.

9. Christians who care foremost about truth should not forward emails without verifying that they are true.

10. No person–no matter how rich, innovative, powerful, or politically progressive–can defeat death. Death is the great equalizer. It is no respecter of persons. It brings finality to one’s life, separation to one’s closest relationships, despair to one’s dreams.  It is the one thing that should sober us, humble us, and awaken us to our need for a Savior, for One stronger than death. Only Jesus Christ lays claim to conquering death thus He alone is our only hope (Acts 2:22-36).

Posted in Government/Politics | 2 Comments

Living in the “In Between”

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Steve Foster

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:45-51)

How do we live in the “in between time,” the time between Christ’s first and second comings?

Regardless of how things turn out in the end, regardless of whether there is a rapture before, during, or at the end of the tribulation, regardless of whether Christ comes back today or 1000 years from now…we are called to be faithful and wise servants for Christ.

Servants. We are accountable to Christ. We are not our own. We have been bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Our desire should be to please and honor the One who died for us. I should wake up each day asking the Lord, “How can I serve You today? How can I please You?”

Faithful. Paul says that as servants and stewards of Christ, we are called first and foremost to be faithful (1 Cor. 4:1-2). To walk with Christ consistently, day by day, in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer. And we are called to faithfully give food to Christ’s other servants at the proper time. I love that picture. Our simple responsibility is to give other people food to eat at the right time and in the right measure. I don’t think he is talking about physical food…though compassion for the poor is certainly a part of it. He is talking about giving people the word of God, the truth of God, the good news of Christ…at the right time…and in the right measure. A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver (Proverbs 25:11).

Wise. How do we give people the right food in the right measure at the right time? By being wise. By having our eyes opened by the Spirit to see as Christ sees. By training our minds to be discerning through active meditation and application of the word of God. Wisdom only comes through the daily practice of walking in the Spirit in line with the Word of God.

Such a faithful, wise servant is given charge of all of Christ’s possessions when He returns.

What is the opposite of a faithful, wise servant?

A servant who says in his heart, “I am not accountable. God will never see what I am doing. And if He does see it, then He doesn’t care.”

A servant who harms others in his relationships, who uses his words recklessly, who manipulates and uses others for his own advantage.

A servant who takes what God has given him (his time, resources, money, talents) and uses them solely for his own pleasure, who gets drunk on God’s time with other people who can care less about Him. “It’s all about me and gratifying my lusts while I can with whom I can.”

It is two separate ways of thinking, living, and relating. And the dividing line is my attitude toward Christ and His return. Do I believe Him? Do I trust Him? Do I long for His return? Do I desire to please Him so that I can look into His face with joy and satisfaction and hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”?

Lord, capture my heart today. May I live this day for Your glory. May my words feed Your servants at the right time.

Posted in Matthew Devotionals | Leave a comment

The Civil Christian in a Cantakerous Society

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Steve Foster

With the political season starting to heat up, it seems good to remember these words from the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:13-17.

13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

Realize that when Peter was writing this letter, Nero was the emperor of Rome and Christians were facing increasing persecution around the world. If you were part of the church “scattered” around the Roman empire at that time (1:1), you probably would not have expected these words. And you may have been slightly annoyed at Peter for writing them.

Submit to Roman law and to the emperor and to any local governors. Why, Peter? Not because they are necessarily just and deserving of honor but because you are doing it for the Lord’s sake. This is the will of God. Does that mean that we never go against the rules or rulers of an unjust society? No. There are exceptions when we must obey God rather than man (Acts 4:19, 5:29). But these are to be rare exceptions not regular occurrences. Our default position as Christians is to submit and honor authority. Peter says that when we live with this kind of consistent, submissive behavior then by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. In other words we are more effective at transforming society and silencing our enemies when we seek to be respectful, honoring citizens rather than rebellious, obnoxious ones.

Now, in America, with a representative government, I believe that we as believers are called to be involved in the political process as salt and light. We are to do all we can to preserve liberty and seek justice. But we must still guard our attitude and our behavior as we participate. Respect. Honor. Submission. Civility. Grace. These must still be the guardrails and guidelines for our participation in society and our voicing of biblical truth.

1 Peter 2:17 sums up our duty as believers. It is a great verse to memorize and live out!

Honor all people. No exceptions. Democrat or Republican. Liberal or conservative. No matter what label a person has, we are called to honor them…not because of their viewpoints or actions but because they are made in the image of God. James reminds us that we can’t say we honor God when we regularly blast those who are made in His image. With our tongue we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so (James 3:9-10). Show honor to those you meet today. Everyone of them is created by God, loved by Him, and in need of Jesus Christ.

Love the brotherhood. We are to honor all people and to love those who are fellow believers in Jesus. In Christ, we have a family. We don’t always like our family members but we are called to love them. We are called to be patient…bearing with personality traits that irk us. We are called to be kind…using our words and actions to encourage our brothers and sisters and stir up love and good works in the body of Christ.

Fear God. And then don’t fear anything else! God is the sovereign King of the universe. He is in control. He is the giver of life and the taker of it. He is the judge and the evaluator of hearts. He is the good Shepherd and the loving Father. Trust Him. Follow Him. Worship Him. And put the rest of your fears in His hands.

Honor the king. Even a crazed lunatic like Nero. Whoa. You can’t be serious, Peter? C’mon, aren’t you the same guy who tried to chop the head off a Roman soldier when Jesus was arrested? Yep, but if you fear God and honor all people, then you are also called to honor and respect the king. God knows who he is. He can knock him off his chair of authority any time He wants. He can send him out into the fields to act like a cow for a few years if He wants (just ask Nebuchadnezzar!). So even if you don’t like the leader of the land, honor him for the office he possesses. And pray to God that He works in the leader’s heart to humble it if necessary and then to steer it onto the right path.

Lord, I can’t seem to obey any of these commands on a consistent basis. But help me to grow each day. May I show honor today to those I meet. May I show love to a brother or sister that crosses my path. May I fear You and not the anxieties of this world. May I honor Barack Obama and other political leaders even though I do not necessarily trust them or agree with their policies. Most of all, may I please You.

Posted in Random Thoughts | Leave a comment