People and Stories

The other day, we had a devotional time here at IMM where we talked about Bible characters and how their stories are told. I thought it was a really interesting discussion. I may be biased because the topic was my idea, but I think everyone at IMM values stories! One of my favorite parts of working here is getting to tell stories.

Part of our discussion was how different biblical storytelling and character building are from modern storytelling and character building. In Bible stories, we usually know what characters do, but not what they’re thinking or what they want. This can make it hard to feel connected to the characters. Sometimes you read a confusing story in the Bible and are left wondering what you were supposed to learn or get out of it.

Part of the problem is that we read the Bible more like a moral instruction manual than a story. Even though Bible characters are not black and white, we try to fit them into those categories: David good, Saul bad. But in a good book or movie, we don’t expect the characters to be that 2-D. We want characters and stories that move us, provoke us to think, inspire us, or challenge us! We know that people aren’t black and white, all good or all evil. So yes, this challenges us when we read the Bible like it’s an instruction manual instead of a story, but the challenge is good for us. It engages our minds to think through what these characters’ motivations or thoughts might have been and it empowers us to know why we believe what we believe.

Similarly, people in real life aren’t black and white. This can make them hard to love. If they were all bad, we would never trust them and therefore never be hurt by them. If they were all good, they would never hurt us. But people are confusing. They can make us feel loved one moment, and then they can mess up, leaving us to feel betrayed or discouraged. They come, they go. They give and they take.

Despite all this, Jesus was the ultimate people person. I’m not saying he had an extroverted personality or that he was a social butterfly, but no one loved people better than Jesus did. No one knew or understood people better than Jesus did. He didn’t spend his time building an empire or even a congregation, but we do see him taking the time to talk to people and get to know them. When I say “get to know,” the reality is that he knew each of their stories already. And yet we still see Jesus asking questions and pausing to listen to people before he changed their lives.

IMM cares about people too, and it shows from the inside out. Our leadership does an intentional job of making sure no one feels taken for granted or unimportant. Not only do we each take turns doing the honorable jobs of leading weekly prayer and devotionals, but we also pass around the less honorable (and less fun) job of taking the trash and recyclables out at the end of the week. I’m really grateful for leadership that values every member of our team.

Of course, IMM’s outward focus is media, and we produce that media for people. People who don’t yet know Jesus are the reason we’re here. People with stories are our inspiration to keep creating. People with flaws are the ones we relate to and the ones we want to speak truth to. We love thinking about the struggles and triumphs of broken, beautiful people just like us, who find sweet relief in Jesus. That is why we work so hard to tell their stories and to tell them with excellence, keeping everything from costume details to dialogue as accurate and excellent as possible. That is why we put in months of production, post-production, and revisions. For people. No self-congratulating or profit could compare to the feeling of knowing that people are going to hear about the love, forgiveness, and redemption of Jesus.

People and story: two key components of what IMM does. We want to put Jesus on every screen because we want people to encounter Jesus and the story he wants to write for them.

We are so grateful for you supporting us through prayer and giving! Please keep praying with us as we work hard to bring the story of Jesus to people all over the world. Right now, you can pray for The Heritage Project, as it is distributed in English and undergoes translation into target languages. Pray for favor with technology, partners, and distribution. And if you love stories, you can also pray about serving with IMM. There are several ways you can join us--virtually or in-person. We would love for you to be a part of our story!

Hiding in Plain Sight

Are you reading this on a phone? A tablet? Or maybe a laptop? I think it is remarkable that today the Bible, videos, testimonies, and messages of the Gospel are at our fingertips – literally – on screens in our pockets. 

In the last few months, as we’ve had to do so much interaction on screens for meetings, for church, even for socializing, I can’t help but think about the closed places in the world. Going to church is not an option in many parts of the world. I’ve heard tales of many restricted countries where people are meeting and getting discipleship via media platforms. That makes my heart happy that they get community and they get nourished. With the restrictions of the last few months, we’ve had a taste of that – without the persecution our brothers and sisters in Asia, the Sudan or Iran may be experiencing.

In these days of phones in pockets, I love the idea that in spite of all the government restrictions people live under they may be reading the Bible or watching a discipleship video while sitting in the middle of a crowded cafe by looking at their device. The Gospel is hiding in plain sight! 

We are working on a new and even smaller HopeBox device to be in pockets of workers in these closed places to share Gospel message content onto more screens in more ways and in more languages. These will be hiding - yes - in plain sight!

A Redo

In the last few weeks, we have celebrated some big milestones by finishing some important projects. Now we’ve returned to some other language versions that have been neglected for quite a while.  That’s when we realized we had a problem.

We need a redo.

We returned to edit an episode of our Heritage Project series after nearly a year of other things going on.  To our dismay, one scene where we should see the host on camera was not shot two years ago when the host was in our studio.  So we have to redo it.  And because two years have passed, we have to redo all of that host’s on-camera segments.  These are not impossible things to overcome, but these mistakes have consequences.  In the disappointment, having to redo has some positive things to consider.

James challenges us that, when we look in the mirror and recognize a mistake, we should make the adjustment to do what is right. So without making excuses or pointing fingers, we will look at it as another opportunity— a redo.

We now know exactly what needs to be re-recorded.  Our team is more experienced and cohesive.  The host can now improve their delivery.  We get a redo to tell a powerful story to a language group that has little broadcast programming in their native tongue... so all can hear!

Present in the Pain

Just last week I was looking for a sermon to listen to and one, in particular, caught my eye. The title was “Present in the Pain.” The sermon hinged upon the story of Lazarus’s death in John 11. The title caught my eye because (as you’ve probably noticed…) there’s a lot of pain right now! There is political tension, a pandemic, resulting in financial burdens, and fear covering our world. Many have lost their lives, many are mourning, and many have been laid off. For one reason or for many, there are a lot of hurting people right now.

Perhaps you’re feeling this pain first hand. Perhaps you have close friends or loved ones who are feeling it so deeply that it’s affecting you. When those close to me are feeling deep pain, I usually do one of two things.

The first is to try to figure it all out or calculate a reason why the pain is happening. Did I cause this? Can I pin it on another specific person? Is there an opposite and equal benefit I’m gaining from this? Trying to find answers is alluring in uncertain times. Answers make me feel superior to my circumstances. I feel helpful when I have answers that seem to comfort a loved one. But the biggest reason I look to find answers in the midst of pain is my desire to be in control. When I understand (or at least think I understand) a painful situation, it makes me feel more in control of it. Maybe I can’t change it, but at least (I think) I know why it’s happening, and that gives me a false sense of control.

The second habit I have is to do whatever it takes to make my loved ones feel better when they’re hurting. To be transparent, it often feels less imperative for me to actually improve their circumstance than it does for me to just make them stop being sad! I feel uncomfortable when someone I love is feeling down. So I do what’s in my power to change their feelings. It’s tempting to say things like, “Everything’s going to be ok,” or “This bad thing is going to go away,” even if I have NO IDEA if it will be ok.  It’s just so they can stop being unhappy!

I realize these are not the healthiest habits, but I don’t think I’m the only one who does them. The truth is, of course, that we’re not in control! Not of this virus, not of all the money in the world or who gets it, not of how people feel or what they do. We know the one who is, though. So sometimes it can be easy to give pithy answers to those in pain, like “God is in control” or “He has a reason for all of this.”

If anyone could’ve given an answer like that, it was Jesus. Going back to John 11, we see Jesus met by Mary and a group of Jews mourning the loss of Lazarus. Yet I find it so striking that, when Jesus saw Mary and the others crying, he didn’t offer any pithy answers. Nor did he try to cheer them up or make them stop crying. He was and is omniscient. He knew everything was going to be ok. He had the power to not only change their emotions but even to change their circumstance. And he did, but before raising Lazarus from the dead, he wept with them. John 11:33b and 11:35 simply say, “He was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled...Jesus wept.” Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were close friends to Jesus, and his heart broke with theirs.

I think it’s ok in these uncertain times to admit that we don’t have all the answers and that many (including ourselves sometimes) are not going to feel good. Of course, we will continue to share the hope that we have in Jesus, and if we are in a position to meet physical needs, the Bible is clear about caring for the poor. But I wonder if something simple and yet challenging we can learn to do in this painful season is simply be present with those who are hurting, just as the Lord comforts each of us with His presence in times of need.

How Do You Say Humble?

Before the state of alarm shut down life as we knew it in Spain, I went for a bike ride almost daily.  On my last ride, my son and I went with a neighbor–a Spanish guy who speaks English well.  During a rest break, he asked me, “How do you say ‘humilde’ in English?”  “Humble,” I replied.  “This whole experience has made me more humble.” 

This conversation came to my mind almost daily during our quarantine, which began the day after our bike ride. I pondered the question, “How do I say “humble?”  The answer came to me in ways I didn't’ expect.  As the world locked down, lots of friends soon bombarded me with questions about streaming, cameras, and switchers.  I was quickly humbled about how quickly that world had changed since I was in the States— and more still since I was a media pastor.  I was humbled to say, “I’m not sure.” Then I got to reading and studying as I recognized this blind spot in my life.

In Ephesians 4:2, Paul encourages us to act in humility, gentleness, and patience towards each other.  Because of the quarantine, my interaction with everyone outside of my family and my grocer has been on social and virtual media.  These are places where a lack of these spiritual fruits can easily bring about anger, jealousy, and bitterness.  I believe it doesn’t have to be that way. 

I believe this pandemic has served to bring a lot of people to humility, and truly humbled people tend to ask for help and grow. They fill in the gaps.  They address the blind spots. They make the world better!

So it is with you... How do you say humble?

Cyprian of Carthage: Finding Purpose in the Plague

The plague struck Carthage in North Africa hard. It was the year A.D. 252. Two years earlier, the disease had entered the Roman Empire through Ethiopia and Egypt. It’s difficult to absorb and process the impact of this pandemic. The great city of Alexandria lost about sixty percent of its population, and, according to one Latin source, Rome itself experienced 5,000 deaths in a single day.

The huge Roman province of Africa Proconsularis spanned what is now part of Algeria, all of Tunisia, and the coastline of western Libya. Its capital was Carthage, a city with many Christians led by their bishop Cyprian. Pontius, the deacon who assisted Cyprian, described the blind panic that seized people:

"There broke out a dreadful plague, as the excessive destruction of a hateful disease invaded every house in turn among the trembling population. Every day numberless people were suddenly attacked and died in their own homes. Everyone was shuddering, running away, trying to avoid the contagion, even wickedly exposing their own dear ones, as if by pushing out the person who was dying of the plague they could keep death out of the house. No one thought of anything except his own selfish interest. No one helped anyone else the way they would have wanted for themselves. Over the whole city lay not just the bodies of the dead, but the rotting carcasses no one had the courage to take away."

Cyprian wrote, "The human race is wasted by the desolation of the plague." He described the symptoms:

“With the bowels in continuous discharge, the strength of the body is gone; the fire that begins deep within burns all the way up to the wounds in the throat; the intestines are shaken with continuous vomiting; the eyes are set on fire by the force of the blood; for some the feet or other extremities are cut off by the infection of diseased putrefaction; as weakness comes from the failures and losses of the body the ability to walk is enfeebled, the hearing is lost or the eyes are blinded.” Cyprian, De Mortalitate 14.

What was it, this plague? Recent research suggests it was a filovirus. The best-known filoviruses today are Marburg virus disease (MVD) and Ebola (EVD).

What was Cyprian to do? What was the Christian church to do in this situation? The backstory makes it complicated. For the Roman Empire, it was the worst possible moment. Historians call it the third-century crisis. The Empire was already weakened in other ways. The Persians had been attacking from the east and were ready for more, Germanic tribes had been invading from the north, the frontiers were collapsing, and within the empire Roman legions fought each other as rival generals struggled for power. Over a period of 50 years, Rome had 26 emperors. Trade and commerce fell, and the currency was debased. The Roman Empire was teetering on the brink of collapse.

In the year 249, a new Roman strongman came to power, Emperor Decius. There was a reason for the political and economic calamity, he claimed. The Roman gods had been neglected. The gods must be pacified, and all would be well. “Pax deorum,” they called it – “the peace of the gods.” Decius launched a rebuilding program of the decaying temples and declared everyone must sacrifice to the gods. Everyone. Those who did would receive a certificate of compliance. Those who refused would be imprisoned and tortured.

The reaction of the Christians was patchy. Some resolutely refused to sacrifice to pagan gods, to demons. Others passed money under the table to Roman officials and obtained their certificates without actually taking part in the rituals. And some just did as they were told by the Roman authorities and made the offering.

Many Christians were arrested and tortured. The bishops of Rome, Jerusalem and Antioch were put in prison, and died. In Egypt, the bishop of Alexandria narrowly escaped arrest and moved into the desert. Cyprian decided he could better serve the church by going into exile and keeping in touch through his letters. He moved his base to a temporary secret location outside the city.

In 251, Decius died in battle against the Goths. The persecution was over for the time being, and Cyprian returned to Carthage to pick up the pieces and get the church running again. Then in 252 came the plague. Now what was the church to do?

Through sermons and letters, Cyprian challenged all Christian believers to reach out and help the whole city of Carthage, including those who had persecuted them. Pontius the deacon records how Cyprian spoke to “the people assembled together in one place,” urging “the benefits of mercy,” and that “there was nothing wonderful in our cherishing our own people only with the needed attentions of love,… [that the Christian] overcoming evil with good, and showing mercy like the divine mercy, loved even his enemies, [and] would pray for the salvation of those that persecute him, as the Lord admonishes and exhorts.” God sends sunshine and showers not only to His own people, said Cyprian, but to all. Should not the children of the Father do the same? And so they did. It is likely that some of the Christians themselves contracted the plague and died. But the work went on. No one in Carthage had ever seen anything like this outreach of compassion, caring for people who cared nothing for them, and in some cases for their persecutors. Cyprian had transformed the church from a community of the suffering into a band of helpers, a “convoy of hope.” It showed the world what true Christianity is like, and it must have attracted many to the faith as the church grew in the coming years. The church and its bishop stood high in the estimation of the city.

But in Rome, emperors came and went, and on September 14, A.D. 258, Cyprian was brought to trial before the Roman Proconsul Galerius Maximus.

“The most sacred Emperors have ordered you to perform the rituals.”

“I will not do it”

“Think it through.”

“Do what you are ordered. In something so right there is nothing to think about.”

“You have been convicted as the author and standard-bearer of the worst of crimes. You will pay the price with your own blood. Thascius Cyprianus shall be executed with the sword.”

That night Cyprian’s torch lit funeral procession was one of the greatest events Carthage had ever seen. The whole city came out in tribute to the great man – Christians and pagans alike. The emperor might do as he liked, but the city did not forget him. Cyprian had found opportunity and purpose even in the plague.

Written by Christopher Gornold-Smith

Note: The story of Cyprian will be the first episode in the new season of docudrama videos Lost Legacy Reclaimed, written by Christopher Gornold-Smith and directed by Denise Godwin, International Media Ministries (AGWM) in Spain. Season One is already available on Amazon Prime.

Story Time: Nerdy Roman Shoes

Sometimes when you are in a different cultural venue, misunderstandings abound.

First, you should know that I grew up in Ecuador as a Missionary Kid (MK). I learned Spanish from all over Latin America. So, when I arrived in Spain, I was able to pretty quickly integrate into the environment with little to no cultural shock. Something that most others experience at much greater levels when living in a new country with a new language.

Second, Spanish as a language is not universal. It has shifted and some words have changed over time and distance from its origins.

Third, I help IMM by connecting with Spanish people as the onsite Cultural Liaison. Which is a fancy title that basically means, I speak Spanish and do other stuff gooder too…most times.

The amount of work that goes into planning for a film shoot is incredible. It can be overwhelming when you are new to the whole film scene and maddeningly drowning when tossed into the middle with no point of reference for a lot of the items that need to be handled all at once. Fortunately, MK life had lent itself to helping me right my boat fairly quickly and chug on in these times! The prep time for what is known as Pre-Production in Filming is not like Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and then FILM. If a close approximation could be made, it is more like Phases 1-5-x-pancakes-1.2-purple/blue-2-3-4-NUTS! back to Phase Flapjacks. So in a flurry of internet searches, e-mails, and calls, the Director assigned me to track down some information on where we can acquire a pair of extremely specific Roman soldier shoes. Now I love accuracy in movies as much as any person, but let me tell you. The IMM Team puts such a high emphasis on making sure that it is historically accurate that I am sure even doctoral candidates could use The Heritage Project series as source reference material. I mean with very little exaggeration…the nail imprints of the sandals need to be this shape, not that shape because…well, history and accuracy obviously! All that to say, we had to special order these particular Roman shoes. Before we did that, the Director gave me a number to call – a personal contact of hers. She WhatsApp-ed me the phone contact of a costumer at a historical theme park here in Spain. I was asked to check with this person to see where they sourced their shoes. I had never met this person and I was still relatively new to Spain and its customs. I read the contact info she had sent. Call Juan Friki at +34 555 55 55 55 (First name and phone number have been changed to protect the innocent). So I call. RING-RING…RING-RI..¿Hola?. In Spanish, I say “Hello, are you Juan Friki?“ He is perturbed (read as upset and suspicious) and asked how I got this number. I let him know who I was, and also who the Director is, at which point he softens up when he recognizes my Boss´ name. I got the info that I needed about the shoes and hung up with him. I then reported back to the Director about the phone call and how it went. She started laughing.

So here is the inside joke. In Spain, FRIKI is a slang term for UBER-OBSESSIVE NERD. She had saved his contact info in a way that helped her distinguish which Juan was whom on her phone. So, I basically called up some guy I did not know and asked him out of the blue if he was Juan Uber-Obsessive Nerd. Imagine his surprise. I mean, what did I know, I thought that was his last name! After a good laugh at my mistake, I had to admit to myself that I might need to take it slower than I thought necessary in some ways.

Sometimes we have to learn to laugh at ourselves because if not we will crack under the pressure of being in a whole different environment. Being a missionary and working on films that touch different cultures and beliefs around the world is not easy. However, here at IMM we are FRIKI when it comes to quality and accuracy. We desire nothing less than to serve our King with our best and ensure that the viewer is not distracted from the heart of the message by anachronisms. 

Be on the lookout for the next installment of The Heritage Project (Season 2) COMING SOON!

And YES, I am IMM Friki! 

Are you?

Comment and let me know.

Ever Lose Your Ax Head?

2 Kings 6: 1-6

One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, “As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small. Let’s go down to the Jordan River, where there are plenty of logs. There we can build a new place for us to meet.”

”All right,” he told them, “go ahead.”

“Please come with us,” someone suggested.

“I will,” he said.

So he went with them. When they arrived at the Jordan, they began cutting down trees. But as one of them was cutting a tree, his ax head fell into the river.

“Oh, sir!” he cried. “It was a borrowed ax!”

“Where did it fall?” the man of God asked.

When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface.

“Grab it,” Elisha said. And the man reached out and grabbed it.

As a missionary working with tools, I can think of many times my ax head flew off the stick and hit the water with a big bloopy plunk.

Once, during a hot day in the Tabernas desert shooting a scene for “Anthony,” I was prepping an area that had a large date palm leaf hanging low enough to obstruct the camera. I ran up to the spiny branch armed with my machete, which I had just purchased for such an occasion. Knowing the entire crew was watching and waiting on me, a grabbed the leaf and quickly started hacking at the root. 

WhackWhackWhackWhack. Nothing. Whack. Whack. Whack. Whack. Whack. Whack. Nada. “Is that just a prop machete you picked up by mistake?” someone shouted. I whacked harder to drown out the comments. After ten minutes of chopping into this healthy green branch the size of my wrist, I was able to amputate that stubborn desert plant. 

However, something else was happening during those ten minutes. I had buried my father two weeks prior. I was now running from location to location alone on a different continent with wagon loads of pottery, canvas shelter halves, wooden poles, woven mats, rugs, etc… in the desert heat trying to stay ahead of the camera crew so they could walk into the next location and find another complete “desert father” set. I was unaware of just how physically and emotionally exhausted I had become. So, when I was halfway into date palm chopping, I started seeing red. That rage crescendo became my fuel and strength. With a final WHACK, I ripped the date palm branch down. Eyes were upon me.

An unwise colleague standing a bit close cocked his head and asked me “did you even sharpen that thing?” I looked at his wrist. “About the size of that date palm branch,” I thought to myself, preparing to fly off the handle.

Deuteronomy 19: 4-6 

Now this is the case of the man-slayer who may flee there and live: when he kills his friend unintentionally, not hating him previously—as when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand swings the ax to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the handle and strikes his friend so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live; otherwise the avenger of blood might pursue the man-slayer in the heat of his anger, and overtake him, because the way is long, and take his life, though he was not deserving of death since he had not hated him previously.

Realizing I had lost my (ax) head, and man-slaying was not an option, I was still somehow able to hand my colleague the very sharp tool–handle first–and turn back into the desert to see if God could fix me. 

The river Jordan is a locus of spirituality. The ax head is an ancient symbol of judgment. The prophet Elisha threw a wooden branch into that river, showing that the Cross would remove the judgment from the flowing river of grace. 

So, did God fix me, this weak missionary tool? He is. Everyday.

A Greater Story

This past week, I had the privilege of helping to film the French narration of the first six episodes of The Heritage Project! Translating these episodes into French is a huge step for IMM. As exciting as it is to watch and listen to them in English, it will be an even greater victory to share the stories of the early church in North Africa with the people of North Africa. French is spoken in several North African countries, so having Heritage in French will facilitate translation into North African languages.

For me personally, the lights, camera, mics, and staging are enough to get excited about. I love the technical elements of film production. I love that God can use the niched, seemingly unspiritual skills of lighting, attention to detail, and script continuity to advance His kingdom! But beyond my geeking out, there was something else very special about this shoot.

As small as it was, our ragtag crew of believers represented such a broad spread of places we had lived, types of families we’d grown up in, cultures we’d experienced and assimilated to, careers we’d had, age, and languages we’d spoken. It was incredible to see all of us come together from our varied backgrounds with a unified vision and passion to put Jesus on every screen.

It amazes me, even more, to think about how each of us had our own story of faith, of experiencing Jesus and building a personal relationship with Him. Some of us had generations of missionaries in our family tree; some of us had generations of substance abuse in our family. Some of us were serving in church before we could even spell “church.” Some of us had traveled across continents to serve on missions trips, while some of us had gone through tremendous internal journeys to find purpose and answers in the midst of questions and doubts. No two of our stories were the same, but we had all found that we needed something beyond ourselves, that His name is Jesus, and that He is so good we need to share Him with others.

Another dynamic which I didn’t expect was the major presence of North Africans in the part of France we were filming in. Some of them wore very conservative Muslim garb; most did not. But it was so poignant to see the immigrants from North Africa and their descendants --the very people we want to reach--right here in Europe! I know my life has looked so much different than theirs. They didn’t grow up hearing Bible stories of flawed characters encountering a merciful God. They probably weren’t raised by parents who would pray with them before bed or when they were scared. They weren’t led to believe that God is a loving creator who knows them intimately and who they can have a personal relationship with.

It breaks my heart to think about the vastly different picture of God that’s been painted for them, but how wonderful that the projects we’re working on will not only share the truth with them but shed a light on believers in their own land of origin. They are the reason we do what we do. That all may hear. That all may know. No matter where we were born, what family we were born into, what cultures we know, what we’ve done, or what we’re doing, there is a God who loves us each deeply and whose heart cries out that each of our stories would encounter His. Would you pray with us that The Heritage Project will reach many and draw them closer to the Lord? What a privilege we have to be a part of the greater story God is writing!

Restitution and Honor as Expressions of Love

Many cultures around the world have systems built on honor and shame. The journey back from disgrace is to restore one´s honor. How do you do the honorable thing even when it does not save you from the possibilities of pain and/or heartache? How do you make amends so that you can be redeemed from shame and restored to an honorable position? Christians have spent the last two millennia talking about being free from paying the price we owed. I am left to ponder if somewhere along the way we lost our honor in all that talking. Navigating current events with honor can be difficult when it appears as if the answer to being “supportive“ or providing a “counter-argument“ can lead you to being shamed, with no way back to actual forgiveness or being restored to an honorable place. I am stuck on the supposed simplicity of Mathew 22:37-39. Two scriptures to sum up the ENTIRE OLD TESTAMENT? Forgiveness is absolute, but what comes after that is also important.

The following thought process began with a fall and a potentially broken wrist.

I have always been the “big kid“ where I grew up on the mission field. If the younger children got hurt,  I was made to understand by their parents that my actions caused the kids harm, despite the fact that we were all playing together. This led me to become overly fearful as an adult around kids. In my teens and twenties, I eventually declared that I did not like kids in general. After nine years of immersive kid therapy with my nephew and my best friend´s kids, I have learned to have fun, and still, watch out for a kid´s general well being. This has allowed me to connect with the Missionary Kids (MKs) here in my community. 

Recently, one brave MK put their trust in me to try something in the name of fun. In a series of physics miscalculations, I made a horrible judgment call. This caused the brave MK to fall from a great height and land on their wrist. The way they landed on the tile floor…broken for sure. They had placed their trust in me and I failed. Enter in years of past shame and fearfulness. It was enough to make me want to hide and pull into myself. However, that is not the way to forgiveness, restitution, and renewed honor. I sincerely believe that as an honorable Christian it is my responsibility to seek forgiveness from that child. It is also on me to seek how I may offer restitution for the damage I caused. That is my duty as a loving Christian friend. I hold myself responsible for damaging my MK friend, even though it was not intentional. I hold the blame for their pain and also the undue stressors it puts on their parents. It is only through asking forgiveness and offering restitution that I can hope to be forgiven and also forgive myself. 

God loves us unconditionally, that is part of His hesed. In his book, Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God's Lovingkindness, Michael Card defines hesed as “When the person from whom I have a right to expect nothing gives me everything.“ Christians can choose to enact a form of love via hesed to restore honor through forgiveness including releasing the need for restitution or they can forgive and allow the process of restoration through restitution. Either way, the offer of restitution should be made to help repair the relationship. The results should be the same, a restored communal relationship, and the act of restoring honor and trust for yourself. Blessings abound for both sides in this story. God had compassion on the MK and myself. The wrist was not broken, just severely bruised. Which is painful in its own right, but better than broken. However, the story continues as I have begun the journey of restoring my honor with that young MK. God´s blessing made the journey easier for me, as it did not result in ruining their fun with a cast as a constant reminder during summer vacation. However, the honor of their trust will still need to be restored. It is a work in progress or in some ways a measure of restitution.

So what is the neat little bow that ties this all together? I do not have an answer to that. All I have is more questions. As Christians, have we become less than honorable in how we treat people? Not even just the community at large? After separating from the Catholic Church and the idea of penance, has the Protestant Reformation trivialized true restitution for those of us who identify as “saved through grace“? In other words, do we play at offering up restitution, but in our hearts, we go to the person(s) we wronged with a malformed idea that they will forgive us without having to truly engage in restitution? If they do ask us to make restitution, do we then grumble about their “lack of forgiveness“? Do we allow ourselves to grow bitter because we did not go into that situation with the right attitude and a correct heart?

Take for example Zacchaeus, after an encounter of forgiveness from the Master, he declared a plan of action to make restitution at a rate of four times the original amount. I am sure that his honor in the community was greatly restored because of this action. Do we rejoice in making restitution and renewing our honor like Zacchaeus? Has our concept of practicing “grace,“ led the church as a whole to not fully grasp the concept of true hesed? Are we even less capable of understanding that now, because we do not engage deeply in the idea of restitution and honor as a Christian discipline? How many times would our relationships be strengthened if right restitution was made and honor on both sides was restored? How much could be accomplished as a tight-knit community, if we had healthier bonds of honor? These are the questions I am wrestling with at the moment.

Here are two simple ones for you:

Are you loving God with all your mind, body, soul? 

Are you loving others as you are loving yourself?

Poco a Poco

This past Monday, Spain began Phase One of de-escalating the quarantine/lock-down restrictions, which feels SO good to say! We know it will be a gradual process, but we’re all ready to get back to normal! Something my coworkers and I have noticed is that being in lock-down and working from home for this long has been strangely exhausting. Some days, you wake up, throw on some comfy clothes, get your morning coffee, go into “the office,” and have a productive day of work...but for some reason you have this feeling of irritability that won’t let you go. It’s not that anything has gone particularly wrong, and it’s not that you hate working from home. It’s a nebulous sense of discontentment that you can’t shake because you can’t pin down its source...and that makes it worse!

We’ve speculated why this happens, and while I don’t have all the answers, I do believe God made us with certain needs that have been harder to meet lately, which has caused some disquiet within us.

• It’s no secret that humans were designed for community! We aren’t met to do life alone. How much alone time we need is unique to each of us, but everyone feels the effects of isolation eventually. God intended for us to share our burdens, our victories, and our growth with others. Even the happiest moment loses some sheen if it’s spent alone. I’m really grateful for how intentional my coworkers have been about cultivating a strong sense of community in our team, and how they’ve seized opportunities to be together, have fun, and grow closer (at a responsible social distance ;).

• Sometimes we think life would be easier if we knew what to expect at every turn, but in reality, that would get boring pretty quick! It wasn’t by mistake that God built unpredictability into life. Being made in God’s image, we have a natural appetite for wonder, creativity, and change--which don’t come as easily when every day looks the same. So it’s important to stimulate them —[something]...something as simple as learning a new skill or going for a walk on a new trail. But during this season, I’ve been so refreshed by mixing monotony with adventure (big or small).

• One part of adventure that we don’t always enjoy but we desperately need is challenge. Challenge helps us grow. No athlete builds muscle without resistance, weight, and a whole lot of sweat! Excessive ease causes us to become stagnant, but when we see trials as opportunities instead of obstacles, we grow and we may even discover joy. At IMM, we’ve taken this season as an opportunity to turn evil into good. Though many are suffering right now, we’ve used the increased screen time and time at home as a chance to put Jesus on more screens and make hope viral.

• A counter-intuitive truth we find in God’s word is that pouring into others fills us up. Quarantine has often left me wondering what good I’m doing for those in need. It may look different in this season, but there are still plenty of ways we can love our neighbor right now. Maybe it’s bringing groceries to someone who’s high-risk. Maybe it means getting creative to stay in touch with friends, instead of waiting for church events to resume. Whatever it looks like, may we prioritize serving others. there’s a sense of fulfillment you can only get from meeting another’s needs.

• Speaking of needs, we were meant to rely on God. Jerry Bridges writes, “Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of His grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.” Sometimes, we’re convinced God is distant; other times, feeling self-sufficient, we forget we need Him. It’s easy to drift to either extreme; it takes work to find balance in the middle. Today and every day, let’s center ourselves on the truth that God is the only one who can give us everything we need.

Maybe you’ve felt a strain in one or more of these areas. I’ve felt them all! Thankfully, we have a God who already knows our hearts and who delights in fulfilling their deepest needs. Poco a poco (little by little), things are getting back to normal here in Spain, and in a similar way, it’s important for us to be intentional about restoring ourselves in these areas and make sure we’re taking care of ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Here at IMM, we love praying for you. So let us know what we can pray for specifically. And, as always, if you want to get more involved with IMM, let us know!

The End is Near!

“The End is Near” has so much dour feeling. Most people use it as an ominous phrase. However, it is a phrase that can also bring about hope. The End does not have to be a fearful thing. There are lots of Ends to things. Here at IMM, we are looking forward to the End of a few different things. The biggest End on most peoples’ minds is the End of this quarantine. By a show of Zoom hands or Facebook emojis, how many of you are also ready for that to End? As this week's blog editor, you should know that I am a fairly decent, trained chef, and even I am ready for the End of eating my own cooking. I would love a carry-out pepperoni with extra cheese pizza or a night of eating out at some restaurant with a group of friends. I am sure my nephew is ready for the End of home school. Some parents are most likely ready as well for this session of impromptu home-school to End as well. Throughout the quarantine, IMM has been working diligently to wrap-up (which is film industry speak for End) the post-production work on the next season of The Heritage Project.

Many times as believers we read the End of the Bible as a scary, horror story of the End of Times. Can anybody remember the Christian horror classics: Thief in the Night, As the Thunder Rolls, Left Behind, and a few other straight to video Christian classics. We talk about the End of this heaven and earth. Since Jesus’ departure from the earth, we have looked to the sky for the End and yet we must continue to labor in the field. While Jesus´ return is closer than ever, it is not the End of the work that must be done. The mission assigned to us near the End of Jesus´ time here on earth remains the same. 

¡So we carry on! 

Side note: Do you know why Spanish sentences use the upside-down punctuation? The example in the case above is to let you know from the very beginning that the sentence that it is supposed to be read with excitement, and not have to wait until the End to find out how it was supposed to be read.

Here is the downside of Ends. They can be sad as well. End of relationships. End of missionaries on the field. Ends of vacations. End of life. The End of judgment on souls who will not hear of God´s love. This is Why we are so hard at work on the field. We are working hard to make sure that as many people as possible do not meet this End. As you continue to support missionaries around the world, including us, together we bring about the End to hopelessness and feelings of being lost. It is amazing how a life can be transformed in the power of Jesus´ love and see an End to their misery, heartbreak, and longing. The words of Jesus set the captives free and End our death sentence of being slaves to sin. 

Thank you! We know that even though times may be tough right now, many of you have continued giving. Many of you despite the End of your job(s), have still sought to remain faithful to the Lord in your promises of faith. I can tell you from a missionary’s heart, we are grateful. It has allowed us to remain on task and continuing to work towards the End of lost people groups, to the End of brokenness, and to an End where people choose to worship the one true King of Kings.

So as we watch the End of these things, we look forward to a future of even brighter beginnings! Be at peace and may the love of Christ invade your heart and mind, bring an End to doubt and fear!

As my daddy tells me, “Son, if you cannot preach it in less than 20, then harping on it for an hour isn’t going to make it better.“ Thus, I wrap up this blog post…

THE END!