On a recent plane trip from Los Angeles to Portland I sat beside a middle-aged Mexican-American woman wearing the blue uniform of what I thought was an operating room doctor or nurse.  I asked her if she was a doctor, and she said she was a dental hygienist.

Once in the air I put my tray down and opened my journal and my Bible and began to write.  She looked over curiously and asked: “Are you a….. are you a…?” “Christian?” I asked.  “Yes, that’s what I mean,” she responded.   I told her that yes, I was a believer in Jesus.  “What about you?” I asked.  “No, I’m Catholic,” she responded.   I told her that Catholics and Christians believe in Jesus and use the same Scriptures, and that most of the people I’ve ministered to for the past 32 years are Catholics.   “Are you actively involved in a Catholic Church?” I asked.

She told me that she went every Sunday morning to the 8:00am Mass.  “But Catholics and Christians are not the same,” she insisted.  “I go to Mass but afterwards I feel empty.  The priest doesn’t have time for me as there are so many people.  The Christians I have met pray for me.  I can feel God’s love when they pray,” she said.

While  I know from first-hand experience that in a church context it is difficult as a pastor to be fully present to each individual during Sunday worship.  I also know many very sensitive Catholic ministers and lay people who could have been the ones praying for this woman, and dynamic Catholic churches that may have welcomed this woman more effectively, it didn’t seem appropriate to come to the defense of the Catholic church or to point out that not all Protestants offer to pray for people.  I listened and sought to be the face of the church there, where she was.

She told me she was on her way to her son’s graduation from a university in Portland.  “I am so proud of my son and so glad that I have been able to help him get all the way to this point,” she said.  I asked if her husband was going too and she told me he was already there ahead of her.  She went on to tell me that they had been divorced for two years after a difficult marriage marked by alcoholism and abuse.  That evening she was going to see him for the first time since they separated and was feeling distraught.

Earlier before the flight Christian friend of hers had asked her to stop by as she wanted to give her chocolate chip cookies.  “After she gave me the cookies she prayed for me. When she prayed I like God’s love and peace were so real,” she said, and began to tear up.  Moved by her distress I offered to pray for her if she wanted.   “Yes,” she said.  “I really need it.” As I prayed for her she continued to cry, and then asked me what I was reading.  I shared with her from Psalm 23 and John 10.

I showed her how God is presented in Psalm 23 as our shepherd, meeting our needs.   When he is our shepherd he makes us lie down in green pastures, leading us beside quiet waters— which from a sheep’s perspective would be a paradise-like place of lush abundance, restoration and rest.  God wants to restore our soul and to guide us, and promises to be with us through dark times and care for us in the face of hostilities.   “Do you feel you need this?” I asked. “Definitely,” she said.

I then read her from John 10, where Jesus is associated with shepherd imagery.  “I am the door; if anyone enters through me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture… The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly…. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”  I asked her if she believed in Jesus, and she said she did.  I asked her if she had received the Holy Spirit, and if not, whether she’d like to.  She said she did, and I prayed for her again.

At this point I needed to use the restroom at the back of the plane.  As I returned to my seat I thought to myself, “now I’d like to do some reading.”  Though I had just been to two and a half days of stimulating lectures by N.T. Wright at a conference on the Apostle Paul, I was feeling a longing to read.  I sat down and opened my Bible to that day’s Old Testament reading from the daily lectionary: Ezekiel 34:1-11, and was struck to the core by these verses.

“Thus says the Lord God, “woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?… Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost… And they were scattered for lack of a shepherd… and there was no one to search or seek for them.”

While I did not feel guilt over wanting to read, I became keenly aware that I had been given the opportunity to care for someone in deep distress.  I turned back to the woman, who began sharing more of her life.  She told me that she was now with another man and that they have a daughter who is now six months old.  Early in her pregnancy she was planning to have an abortion. Then right before her appointment she met a Spanish-speaking Christian who offered to pray for her.  “Without me even telling her I was pregnant she prayed over my womb, directly speaking to my unborn baby about how much her mother loved her.  I felt both convicted and inspired, and decided to keep the baby,” she recounted.

I was inspired to hear how people at key moments in this woman’s life, outside of church contexts, had responded to the Spirit’s recruitment, engaging in Jesus’ shepherding ministry.   While we ourselves are in need of being continually nourished and refreshed, let’s not forget that there are opportunities all around us to seek and find scattered and distressed sheep, bringing them into Jesus’ fold.

The ancient city of Jericho has long been associated with conquest. In the Old Testament, Joshua led the Israelite army into the city, where they slaughtered all the men, women, children and animals (Joshua 2–6). On a recent visit to Jericho, I noted the big red warning sign posted by the Israeli military, prohibiting all Israeli citizens from entering the now Palestinian city due to ongoing conflicts arising largely from aggressive Joshua-inspired Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

In Luke 18:35ff, Jesus enters Jericho.  Greek-speaking readers of Scripture were certainly aware that Joshua’s name in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), ∆Ihsouvß is spelled exactly the same as Jesus. So how does Jesus, Son of God’s entry into Jericho differ from that of Jesus/Joshua son of Nun’s?

As Jesus approaches Jericho “a certain blind man was sitting by the road, begging.”  When he hears from the crowd that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by he cries out: “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” The blind man “sees” Jesus as David’s son, meaning the Messiah, and then calls him Lord, using the Greek equivalent of the divine name.   Jesus heals the blind man, who then follows him into Jericho glorifying God.

In two jail Bible studies this past Sunday I invite inmates to take note of the next character on the scene, Zaccheus, and to summarize what we know about him.  He is a chief tax collector who is rich and too short to see Jesus over the crowd (19:2).

I briefly describe a chief tax collector as a despised collaborator with oppressors, and invite comparisons.  In the jail the men come up with undercover cops, drug cartel chiefs, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE), and debt collectors.

We talk through Zaccheus’ reaction to Jesus’ entry.  The men point out his curiosity and possible desperation since he runs ahead and positions himself so deliberately in a tree to check Jesus out.  “Some of you may be coming to the Bible study to check out Jesus from a distance,” I suggest, looking around the circle of men.  Let’s see what happens in the next verse.

“And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” (19:5)

The men are surprised by Jesus’ total awareness of Zaccheus’ interest.   I drop the idea that Jesus may be a kind of bounty hunter, deliberately looking for people who have active warrants from heaven because of their known interest or readiness.  The inmates comment on how Jesus knew Zaccheus’ name, told him to hurry and come down, and how he invites himself to stay at his house.  Jesus “looks up” to Zaccheus in this encounter– which for a person “short of stature”who is also despised would have deeply affected him The men are moved that Jesus doesn’t judge him, and outdoes Zaccheus in eagerness to know him.  Jesus doesn’t waste any time either, but sets the hook quickly into this wily fish lest he get away.

Jesus models his own instructions to the 72 missionaries he sends out praying, looking for the person of peace who they are to stay with as guests (Luke 10:7). The scandal of Jesus’ inclusion of Zaccheus is stated clearly about those who saw it: “they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner” (Luke 19:7).

Zaccheus responds enthusiastically to Jesus’ offer to be his guest.  “He hurried and came down, and received him gladly” (19:6), inviting further links with Luke 10:8– “And whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat what is set before you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.”

But before Jesus heals or announces the Kingdom, the notorious “criminal” identifies him as Lord much as the blind man had.  Restorative justice is taking place spontaneously in response to Jesus’ full embrace: “Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.”  “Today salvation has come to this house” Jesus says, “because he too is a son of Abraham.”

Jesus here reveals a radical perspective of conquest as salvation that illuminates the earlier Joshua story, offering a critical key for appropriating it now.  Jesus comes to Jericho on a campaign to save: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (19:10) and begins with the most wayward of its Jewish residents.

Readers should also note that right before this story Jesus states that he’s heading to Jerusalem to be mocked, mistreated, tortured, killed… and resurrected (Luke 19:31-33)- reminding us that his own death on the cross was his way of achieving victory as Messiah.

Luke’s choice of words brilliantly connects Jesus to the spies sent by Joshua to view the land rather then to Joshua’s actions of destroying the city.  Jesus, like the spies has his eyes open to seek.  But with a clear agenda to save.  He enters and stays with Zaccheus—the then equivalent of Rahab the prostitute—a direct ancestor of king David and Jesus (Matt 1:5).   Zaccheus’ timely receiving of Jesus matches Rahab’s receiving of the spies (James 2:25), leading to their consequent salvation.

I end the jail Bible study by returning to  Jesus’ urgency in connecting with Zaccheus and today’s equivalents-  we ourselves.

“From this text it looks to me like Jesus is looking to connect with people who are drawn to him.  If you are experiencing a desire to receive this Jesus who is seeking after you, maybe it’s time to seize the moment and hurry to welcome him” I suggest.

Connections happened for many on Sunday and the Kingdom of God advanced.   Gracie and I had a nice visit to Jericho, and I find myself praying that Israelis would recognize and follow Jesus as their Messiah and Lord like the blind man and receive him into their lives like Zaccheus.

May you too have eyes to see and welcome Jesus.  May God empower you to connect with and recruit today’s Rahabs and Zaccheuses into Jesus’ company.  May you move towards Jerusalem this Palm Sunday with renewed awareness of what it looks like to follow Jesus, with his priority to seek and to save those who are lost.

I invite you to view a recent TV broadcast about how this is happening at Tierra Nueva at: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2014/April/Tierra-Nueva-Transforms-People-on-the-Margins

The People’s Seminary welcomes applicants to our Certificate in Transformational Ministry at the Margins beginning in October in Burlington and January in London http://www.tierra-nueva.org/upcoming-tps-courses

This past week I’ve rediscovered one of Jesus’ parables that I often read with impoverished farmers in Honduras.  Reading Matthew 13 with inmates and at Tierra Nueva has proved fruitful, and deeply encouraged me as I’ve heard good news echoing back.

I start out sharing with a jail-room full of mostly construction workers, mechanics, welders, electricians and farm workers how Jesus was working class, the son of a carpenter, a man whose hands were likely calloused.  According to the Gospel accounts he mostly hung out with ordinary people, frequenting normal, non-religious place: roads, sea, mountains, villages and homes.  I invite someone to read Matthew 13:1-2

“On that day Jesus went out of the house, and was sitting by the sea.  And great crowds gathered to him, so that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.”

I’ve seen how this kind of beginning helps people envision Jesus as closer, and opens them to hearing his teaching as possibly more relevant.  Next, before reading the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:3-9. I talk a bit about the basics of planting seeds.

During our years in Honduras I learned what Jesus’ audience would have already known.  Seeds are food, whether they be wheat, corn, rice or beans.  Planting seeds requires sacrificing a part of your food supply.  For poor farmers who suffer shortages of basic grains, saving seed once the food supply has run out is difficult.  Farmers who depend on seasonal rains to water their crops are usually planting or watering when their grain reserves are at optimal value.  Good farmers carefully prepare the soil and plant with deliberation.  Knowing this prepares us to hear Jesus’ parable the way First Century Palestinian peasants likely would have heard it.

The sower in Jesus’ parable appears reckless.  Seeds fall beside the road where they’re snatched up by birds, on rocky ground where they sprout up quick but then wither in the sun; among the thorns where tender shoots are choked out and finally into good soil where they produce an abundant harvest.   “How would other farmers view such a farmer?” I ask.

“Careless and irresponsible,” someone says.

“He doesn’t discriminate but throws seeds everywhere,” says someone else.

The idea that this sower doesn’t discriminate or judge gets people’s attention.  Many of the men are used to experiencing different kinds of discrimination: exclusion from jobs because they’re felons, from drug court because they have violent offenses, being shunned by family because of their addictions, being pulled over by cops because of their skin color…

We discuss about other explanations for the sower’s planting tactics: that he carries an abundant supply of seed, that his planting approach is marked by faith and not wastefulness as he believes that even unlikely places can produce, that he may consider the seed especially powerful.  I invite people to read a relevant text from Isaiah 55:10-11 regarding the abundance and potency of God’s word.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall my word be which goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

The sower’s generosity and faith has inspired and motivated me— in our leading of weekly Bible studies in rural Honduran villages, or in jails, prisons and seminaries. I have seen thousands of people receive the seeds of God’s word, but harvested relatively little that we’ve been able to see.  I have clung to Isaiah 55 and feel my faith enlivened as I read it again.

“God’s word is raining down 24/7 and is effective at its mission,” I say as a statement of faith.  And yet we see from Jesus’ explanation of the parable in Matthew 13:18-23 that in spite of the sower’s liberal, faith-filled sowing, problems on the receiving end can block productivity—and we at Tierra Nueva have certainly experienced this.

Jesus states that the seed is God’s word, and the different soil conditions represent people who hear God’s word.  Seed that falls beside the path is like seed that doesn’t penetrate into one’s mind and heart because of a lack of understanding (v. 19).

I pull out a vitamin that happens to be in my pocket, hold it out and drop it on the cement jail floor.  It does not penatrate but it bounces, and the inmates can see clearly that something could easily snatch it up.

“If seeds are God’s words, how do they enter into us?” I ask.   Answers include “through our minds,” “through our experiences,” and finally “through our ears.”  The idea of vitamins (or seeds) entering people’s ears makes some of the guys laugh.  Yet the graphic illustration brings home Jesus’ final words: “He who has ears, let him hear!”

Jesus invites personal responsibility.  Like the Old Testament prophets Jesus calls people to hear— emphasizing receiving the word to the point of understanding.  Predatory evil is lurking, ready to snatch what doesn’t enter.   Jesus’ learners need to be aware of this and seek understanding.  Rocky soil represent those who accept God’s words “with joy”, but lack depth (of understanding?).  These words dry up in the face of opposition and people fall away—an experience that many in the room say they can relate to.  Finally the seed that fell among the thorns are words that get choked out by worries and the seductions of wealth—and Jesus’ realism here makes us all trust him as we can all relate.

We are inspired together by the final possibility—that of being the good soil that produces at different levels of abundance due to our understanding of the word.   But how then can we grow in our understanding?

It is clear from the entire story that coming to Jesus as learners is the key to gaining access to the mysteries.  I invite the men into the center of the text—without venturing into the most difficult terrain of Matthew 13:12-17, at least not in this Bible study.  In Matthew 13:10 the disciples came and said to Jesus: “Why do you speak to them [the crowds] in parables?”  Jesus responds: “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.”

Luke’s account adds precision as Jesus’ disciples “began questioning him as to what this parable might be” (Luke 8:9).  Coming to Jesus with our questions results in understanding.  Relationship with the sower—the receiving ground with the one who plants results in the word producing!

The sower is certainly Jesus himself, who in the Luke 8 account is depicted just before as going about from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God.  Jesus had seen his seeds produce in hard ground, and his traveling party witnesses to his fruitful ministry: twelve disciples and “some women who have been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses”—including Mary who had had seven demons cast out!

Over the course of seven Bible studies on this text in the past eight days I have  seen in people’s eyes levels of understanding.   On each occasion I myself experienced Jesus’ words sinking deeper into my heart. I have felt freshly inspired as one of Jesus’ disciples to persevere in my indiscriminate sowing, and also to receive with greater deliberation.  I can see the sower’s persistent generosity in my own life, and note each of these different soil conditions in myself in a single day.  I can see that God’s word keeps falling into me, regardless of my receptivity.  I am moved by divine generosity and am inspired to hear and understand.

May you receive the powerful seeds of God’s word into your heart, with the promise of abundant harvest.

The People’s Seminary invites applicants to the following courses:

“Focused Living: discerning your calling as a participant in Jesus’ Kingdom.” All Saints, Woodford Wells, London, Paul Rhoads, September 9-10, 2014.

“Towards  a New Theology and Practice of Liberation,” London, September 10-13, All Saints, Woodford Wels, Gilles Boucomont and Bob and Gracie Ekblad.

Certificate in Transformational Ministry at the Margins, beginning October 8-11 at Tierra Nueva, Burlington, WA

Certificate in Transformational Ministry at the Margins, beginning January 14-17, All Saints Woodford Wells, London.

More information available at: http://www.tierra-nueva.org/peoples-seminary

Questions?  Write Anne Park at:

 

 

 

In October 2014, The People’s Seminary will pilot its first cohort Certificate in Transformational Ministry at the Margins. This 18-month course of study isdesigned for Christian pastoral workers called to pioneer holistic ministry among the poor and marginalized.

The foundation of the certificate is Tierra Nueva’s more than 30 years of ministry and reflection. Its objective is to train ministry leaders, missionaries, theology students, and pastors in transformational ministry that includes Word, Spirit, and Street categories.  The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology is considering co-sponsoring this non-accredited certificate.

Four 4-day courses will be offered over 18 months and will be limited to 35 participants who will journey together from start to finish as a learning community.  Classes will take place between Wednesday evening and Saturday evening in sixteen 1½-hour sessions. Courses will be followed by distance-learning activities and practical hands-on assignments.  Each on-site course will include daily worship and personal ministry, lectures, discussion, and group meals.

Tierra Nueva will host the course at its ministry center building in Burlington, Washington, an hour north of Seattle.  New Earth Refuge in Mount Vernon will provide lodging for up to 20 participants during the on-site sessions.   A separate cohort based in the United Kingdom will begin at All Saints Woodford Wells Church in London in January 2015. Partnerships for cohorts in Paris, Seoul and Bangkok are also being pursued.

Outcomes

Participants will gain:

• Comprehensive understanding of biblical and spiritual foundations for transformational ministry and mission.
• Understanding of identify as child of God and citizen of the Kingdom of God —in contrast to national, ethnic, or class identity.
• Clarification of personal calling.
• Ability to hear and see God’s direction and voice for oneself, others, church, and society.
• Exposure to effective ways to bring people to Jesus.
• Understanding of the place of advocacy and peacemaking in missions.
• Experience in prophetic evangelism.
• Ability to pray for physical and inner healing and deliverance.
• Understanding of addiction, recovery, and relapse prevention.
• Ability to prepare and lead dialogical Bible studies.

Dates

	Tierra Nueva, Burlington	All Saints Woodford Wells, London
Course 1	October 8–11, 2014	January 14–17, 2015
Course 2	April 15–18, 2015	September 9–12, 2015 (to be confirmed)
Course 3	October 7–10, 2015	January 13–16, 2016 (to be confirmed)
Course 4	April 6–9, 2016	September 14–17, 2016 (to be confirmed)

Course descriptions

Course 1:  Identity and mission—God’s identity and mission and yours

God’s mission from the beginning to save the world includes humans made in God’s image.  This course explores God’s identity and mission and ours, journeying from the Old Testament through the New, setting a theology of the Kingdom of God and human empowerment on firm Scriptural foundations.  Baptismal identity grounds effective ministry as we enter into Jesus’ death and are resurrected to new life—filled with the Spirit, adopted by grace as beloved sons and daughters of the Father, and recruited, equipped and empowered to engage in Jesus’ ministry until his return.  Participants will be invited to clarify personal callings and be exposed to some best practices regarding starting or sustaining ministries.

Course 2: Healing and holistic liberation—Biblical foundations and practices

People engaged in ministry encounter spiritual and structural obstacles to personal and social transformation.  Deepen your theology of holistic liberation and learn hands-on approaches to physical and inner healing, recovery from drugs and alcohol, and personal deliverance and other kinds of prayer ministry.

Course 3: The place of advocacy, justice, and peacemaking in mission

Participants will develop a biblical perspective on prophetic ministry that includes “social prophetic” practices—such as advocacy on behalf of the marginalized, non-violence, peace-making, and resistance to the powers—together with “charismatic prophetic” practices, such as hearing and communicating words of knowledge for encouragement and healing, “prophetic evangelism,” and spiritual warfare.  Participants will be exposed to effective ministry approaches regarding contemporary mission challenges such as ministry to the incarcerated, the homeless, undocumented immigrants, gang members, people in prostitution, subsistence farmers, and people in need of meaningful work.

Course 4: Preparing and leading transformational Bible studies

We will explore tried and tested approaches to preparing and leading Bible studies with people who feel excluded from the church and society and rejected by God.  The barriers that keep today’s most obvious “sinners” from believing the gospel can be addressed by confronting negative images of God, engaging people’s participation, making use of the gifts of the Spirit, confronting oppressive structures, learning to interpret difficult texts for good news, and inviting appropriate responses such as confession, forgiveness, healing, and restorative justice.

Distance learning between course sessions

Reading will be required before the first course and between each of the following three courses.  Two distance-learning lectures per month will be available on The People’s Seminary website.  Integration groups of 3–4 participants will be organized by interest or region for online interaction once a month.   Mentors will assist each integration group in meeting the learning objectives.

Cost

$1,600 (includes lodging at New Earth Refuge and light breakfast, coffee and snacks).  Costs will be slightly higher for those who stay in local hotels. (UK prices yet to be determined)

Teachers

Bob Ekblad and his associates will teach and guide the cohort.  Instructors from Tierra Nueva, The Seattle School, or partner ministries in the UK and elsewhere will be brought in to teach various segments of the courses.

Bob Ekblad’s primary experience comes from more than thirty years of reading the Bible with people who often consider themselves “damned”—Central American peasants, Mexican migrant farm workers, inmates in Washington state jails, drug dealers, and gang members.  Bob’s role as full-time director of Tierra Nueva and The People’s Seminary includes teaching Prayer and Old Testament at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and Missions at UK-based Westminster Theological Centre.   In addition, Bob and his wife, Gracie, teach and minister to groups around the world who are working with the poor.  They desire to share approaches to ministry that are grounded in Scripture and authentic spiritual practices.

Application

Download the application from http://www.tierra-nueva.org/peoples-seminary. Send completed applications for USA and UK cohorts to:

The People’s Seminary

Attn: CTMM application

PO Box 410

Burlington, WA 98233

USA

More information

Check our website at http://www.tierra-nueva.org/peoples-seminary or contact Anne Park at

Note: Be on the lookout for upcoming announcement for September deliverance course with Gilles Boucomont and Bob and Gracie Ekblad “Towards a New Theology and Practice of Liberation,” at All Saints Woodford Wells, London, Sept 10-13, 2014.

On December 29^th in my last gathering with inmates in 2013 I witnessed light shining in darkness and the kindness of God that leads to repentance simultaneously.  I share this Epiphany story in celebration of God’s appearing among us in Jesus.

The good news of God’s Word became visible in a jail bible study on Titus 3, read together with 15 men.  Since the men had just missed Christmas with their families and were mostly all en route to prison I knew they had no need to be reminded to be subject to rulers, authorities and to be obedient. I didn’t want them even glancing at Titus 3:1-2 that day, and asked someone to begin reading at Titus 3:3:

“For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.”

Amazed by how this verse describes many people’s lives I suddenly see that I need to emphasize Paul and Titus’ identification with the men as a way to establish trust between the Biblical writer and them.

“It looks like the writer and his community here come from hard backgrounds that might have included addictions, criminal behavior and vida loca-gangster ways,” I start out.

Much of the list describing Paul and Titus’ past messed up lives seems clear enough, but I ask them if they know what “malice” means.

“Isn’t it badness or evil?” someone says.”

“Exactly.  The writer here is coming from a troubled past life, but now things have changed,” I continue. “Have any of you guys experienced these kinds of things, hating and being hated, enslaved to different lusts and pleasures? I bet we all know people who have, don’t we?” I ask.

The men are all nodding, and a few comment that this verse describes their current lives.  Suddenly I’m struck by a truth not directly related to this verse.  I turn to a wiry tatted-up Latin-looking gang guy to my right and say:

“You know God has a special love for violent men and wants to help them.  He goes after them and never gives up on them so they can say what’s being said here—that this was their former life” I say, a bit surprised by my growing passion.

The guy is startled.  “How did you know?” he asked. “Nearly all my past offences and the jail and prison time I’ve served have been for assaults due to my violence. I have been hated and people hate me now.”

He went on to complain that he is currently being charged for something he didn’t do. “This fills me with hate and I don’t know what to do to get out of this.  They’re wanting to send me way for a long time again,” he said.

I shake my head, sympathizing as best I can, remembering that our thirty minutes are now more than half over and others are there in the circle with their own struggles and needs to hear good news.

“That sounds really difficult and unfair and we must pray for you if you’d like before the guards come,” I say.  But let’s look at the next verses first.  I ask someone to read from Titus 3:4 onward, stopping him after the first few words of verse 5:

“But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared,  He saved us.”

“Check this out you guys,” I say.  “What happens here and who benefits?”

“It says here that God’s kindness appears and that he loves mankind and saves us.”

“These guys who once were all messed up in addictions, full of hatred and being hated by everyone are telling about what happened—that God was kind to them in a special way.  I wonder if it tells us what they had to do in order to benefit.  Could someone keep reading so we can see what kind of hoops they had to jump through to get God’s help?” I ask.

A Latino gang guy to my left reads the next verses with a strong Spanish accent and I ask him to stop after the first line:

“Not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness.”

We talk briefly about how God’s kindness, love and saving are not a reward for good behavior, compliance with laws or success at getting your act together.  Romans 2:4 comes to mind, where Paul prohibits judging and states so strongly to the unkind: “do you think lightly of the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”

But there’s no time to read this verse and I ask the guy to continue reading from where we left off in Titus 3:5   “but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

Each word spoken seems like a perfectly shot arrow, hitting the targets of men’s hearts.  What better news can there be than this?!  Good News is penetrating and I can feel it in the room.  It’s what I long to witness over and over.  I ask if anyone feels a need to be washed clean.

The guy to my right says “I do for sure.  I take four showers a day in here, and it doesn’t make any difference at all.  I still feel the same.”

He tells me what the others already know, that his street name is Guilty.  I am deeply moved, overcome by affection, sensing Jesus right there with us. Knowing that only a few minutes remain before the guards arrive to take everyone back to their cells I summarize the next verse.

“Before we pray let’s check out this next verse you guys.  It says ‘that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.’  Being justified means being made alright, acquitted, totally clean and righteous before God.  Do any of you guys want this?  Do you feel a need to be washed by Jesus’ love and by the Holy Spirit being poured out?”

Each man around the circle says that they do, including Guilty who’s leaning forward in his chair beside me.

I remind them that when Jesus washes us clean it is totally by grace, and that it’s an absolutely free gift.  “Jesus makes us right with God, brings us into God’s family with all the benefits—including living forever. Paul wants to be so sure that people understand this that he states it super clearly in the next verse.  Could someone read verse 8?”

“This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently.”

I invite the guys to choose to believe, to be confident that God’s kindness and love for them are real and true.  I invite anyone who wants to say yes to God’s love, to receive his cleansing forgiveness by opening their hands and hearts. The men have their palms out and are receiving as I pray for the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon them.  I pray for mercy and legal breakthroughs for Guilty, and the door pops open just as we’re through.

The kindness of God has just appeared and saved and I head home delighted—experiencing Epiphany a week ahead of the official date.  May you experience light of God’s love shining on you and washing you clean now as you begin 2014.

John 1 recently came alive as an uncommon version of the Christmas story when reading together with men in Skagit County Jail two Thursday nights ago, starting right from the first two verses: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.”

“Check this out you guys,” I start out.  “ Here it says that God’s Word was with God from the start.  God’s Word equals God, and is called Word to stress God’s speaking.  Do any of you guys feel the need to hear from God?  Do you need wisdom for some hard decision?”

Most of the guys around each of our three consecutive bible study circles that night expressed their need and desire to hear from God— for direction for whether to accept a plea agreement, wisdom about dealing with girl friend or cell mate, clarity about their own calling or about spiritual questions.  A number of guys also shared their inability to recognize God’s presence with them or perceive any kind of divine communication.

Before talking about what to do about spiritual obstacles I asked someone to read John 1:3-5, and we noted the power of God’s Word to bring all things into being as life and light which cannot be overcome by darkness.

Some of the men were surprisingly attentive while others seemed to strain to understand.   Aware of the danger of losing people’s interest due the theoretical sound of things, and not wanting to talk about John the Baptist but keep people focused on God’s speaking and eventually revealing himself in Jesus, I asked someone to read John 1:9:

“There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”

“So who is this Word, the life and true light for according to this verse?”  I asked.  “Are people with multiple felonies excluded?” I ask to further get their attention.

“No, it says it’s for every man,” a guy answered emphatically.

“What about legalistic prosecutors or people who look down on others as inferior?” I ask.

“It’s for them too,” someone else responds—reflecting a graciousness towards nearly any variety of “bad guy” among broken men.

“What about sex-offenders?” I ask.

“Even sex-offenders,” someone responds.  “The Word enlightens every man.”

“Ok, so there is no one excluded,” I summarize.  “So would that be attractive to people you know?” I ask.

The inmates seem genuinely attracted to this Word as desirable and good.  I invite someone to read verses 10 to see how the world responds.

“He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not recognize him.  He came to his own, and those who were his own did not receive him.”

That God’s Word can be completely missed or outright rejected by Jesus’ own people seemed to allow the men some relief from self-condemnation.  A man with long blond hair, heavily tattooed forearms and a knowledge of Scripture from years of prison time tells us he has an important verse.  He reads 2 Corinthians 4:4— “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

“Do you guys see any signs that there’s a spiritual power out to keep you from knowing Jesus?” I ask.  Many of the men say they recognize that their faith is under attack.  Knowing we were ten minutes away from the guards coming I suggest we look at how we exercise authority over anti-Jesus propaganda.  I ask someone to read John 1:12

“But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name.”

The invitation here is presented as a testimony to be emulated—to become one of these “many” which actually seem like a few.  Receiving and believing looks like such a simple step requiring nothing more than humble, child-like faith.  And yet there is something so counter-cultural to receiving Jesus when the world is not recognizing and Jesus’ own are rejecting.  There’s a boldness and step of blind trust involved in believing.   Yet to keep this as simple as it is I could see that a correction was in order.

Prisoners known for their difficulties in complying with laws need to know that the translation “right to become children of God” is not right.  It sounds like becoming a child of God is something you must earn or qualify for (like entrance into drug court, a drivers license, or visitation rights to see children in foster care).  The word in Greek is actually exousia, meaning “authority.”  As we receive Jesus and believe in his name, God gives us authority to become his children, which begins a process of spiritual empowerment.

It’s a no-brainer for the men to see they would have more authority as God’s sons than sons of their biological father.   “Authority as God’s children includes authority over demons and over all sickness” (Luke 9:1; Matt 10:1), I say, and ask them if anyone was in pain or needed freedom from the blinding god of this world.  In each study a number of men were in pain and there was enthusiasm about having authority over powers of darkness.

I ask the men whether they are attracted to Jesus enough to want to receive him.  I invite those drawn to Jesus to take a step of faith with me.  I invite them to tell Jesus directly of their desire to receive him and choose to believe in him.   In each of the three groups it looked to me like everyone was speaking out their choice to receive and believe as we prayed.

Most of the men had their hands palms up in front of them as I went on to invite them to then and there receive their authority as sons of God and to receive the Holy Spirit.

I invited those who felt assaulted by the god of this world to confess their own past and present agreement with darkness, to renounce the god of this world and to ask Jesus to open their eyes.

I then encouraged people to go a step further in the practice of their new authority by putting their hands on places on their body where they needed healing and speak out healing in Jesus’ name.    Minutes before the guards came a number of men were noting in surprise and delight that all pain had left.

I left excited by the child-like openness of men deemed “hardened criminals” to receive Jesus into their beings and step straight into experiencing the benefits.  May your eyes be opened and your faith ignited as you receive and believe in Jesus this season.

 

 

Many people we minister to consider themselves unqualified to be spoken to or in any way positively pursued by God.  Inmates commonly criticize themselves and others for attending our weekly gatherings, often stating that they don’t expect God to help them now that they’re in trouble since they didn’t seek God through attending church, praying or reading the Bible before their arrests.

Proverbs offers a powerful antidote to street religion, offering hope for sinners.   I invite people to read Proverbs 8:1-3 and ask them where wisdom speaks?  Together we identify some of the high places, streets, intersections and entry points of our city.   Might God be speaking in all these places?

We also read Proverbs 9:1-3, where wisdom is described as building a house, preparing food and sending out maidens to the heights of the city to invite people.  The inmates are struck that God’s wisdom takes the initiative and calls out in the streets, in public places and not in the expected places like church.

“To whom is wisdom calling?” I ask, inviting people to read Proverbs 8:4-5 and 9:4.  “God’s voice goes out to all men,” someone says.  “To the ignorant, to the fools,” says someone else.

“And who are the ignorant and the fools today?”  I ask.

“We are,” says one of the prisoners—and nobody disagrees.  People are surprised that wisdom pursues the uneducated, the undignified, losers who are on the outside.

I talk about how people usually think that sin separates them from God, but that here we see God’s wisdom offered freely to the unworthy, the unqualified.  I invite the men to be on the lookout for this wisdom & to expect God to be speaking and to even directly ask Jesus for wisdom and understanding.

I invite someone to read James 1:5 “but if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

When I ask the men if any of them feel they need wisdom for a difficult decision, a relationship or anything, everyone’s nodding.  We go on to read about the need to ask with faith, “without any doubting”—with expectation that God will answer.

I was recently driving down to Washington State Reformatory, thinking and praying in preparation for our bi-monthly Spanish worship service in Washington’s largest prison.  As I headed down Interstate 5 towards the turnoff to Highway 2 I decided to ask God for wisdom.

“Here I am Jesus at an intersection.  Give me a word, give me wisdom that would open up the men to your love.”

Immediately I had a picture in my minds eye of a tattoo of a heart on a bare chest over someone’s heart and the words as coming from God: “people see you as having a black heart, but I see you as having a good heart and as being a noble man.”

I immediately began to doubt that this was coming from God.  Never had I seen a heart tattoo on a man’s chest.  Surely I was making this up.

A group of fifteen or so Spanish-speaking inmates came to my service.  I led them in a version of the above Bible study, which came together beautifully.  At the end I decided to go for it and ask if anyone by any chance had a heart tattooed on his chest.   I looked around the circle from right to left, man to man.  Nobody was acknowledging such a tattoo.  Then a man to my left raised his hand. “I do,” he said, in Spanish.

I looked at him and repeated the Spanish translation of “people see you as having a black heart, but I see you as having a good heart and as being a noble man.”  His head recoiled and another man exclaimed in shock: “that’s truly a prophetic word.”  The man then pulled up his shirt to reveal a band of tattoos running across his chest—pointing to a clearly tattooed heart right over his heart.

Two weeks later I was able to ask him what that word about his heart had meant to him.  He told me that he is from a notorious street gang in El Salvador and has a long history of violent, criminal behavior and was viewed by people as having a black heart.  He said: “Lately I have been really doubting that people or God will ever see me as having a changed heart, even after all my efforts to follow Jesus.  That word really encouraged me, giving me hope that God sees my heart as good.”

This man was the most vocal leader of our new prison faith community and one of three or four members of the same Central American gang.

Please pray for this man’s growing faith, for this emerging Spanish church inside the prison and for our next gathering this coming Sunday.   Pray for us as we seek to be “maidens of God’s wisdom”—inviting the undeserving to the banqueting table.

If you are interested I knowing more about Tierra Nueva or supporting us in this ministry, please check out this new site http://give.fivetwo.org/give.tierra-nueva.org/ or www.bobekblad.com

 

 

I just returned from a ten-day trip to France and the UK that was marked by a number of divinely-orchestrated encounters.  When I have a significant meeting with someone in out-of-the-ordinary circumstances, my faith and expectation increase, and I long to see and enter Jesus’ Kingdom more regularly.  I cannot resist sharing a few of these meetings with you.

Last week I flew from Vancouver to France to speak at a conference near Valence in the Rhone Valley.  I had been invited by the leaders of a French prayer movement called “Union de Prière” (Prayer Union) to speak to 150 of their members at their annual retreat, which this year was on resistance and submission.

I had also planned to introduce the French version of my course on missions to anyone interested in starting a pilot course in their church.  The conference provided a perfect occasion to connect with many leaders throughout French-speaking Europe.

The location was a three-story stone retreat center in the beautiful little town of Charmes, located on the Eastern foothills of the remote mountainous area known as the Cevennes or “desert,” (wilderness) where French protestant “Huguenots” had found refuge from persecution.

On the fourth day I had planned to visit Daniel Bourguet, a Protestant monk who directed my doctoral thesis and has been an important spiritual mentor since 1989 (photo below).  Gracie and I have been members of “Les Veilleurs,” a spiritual community committed to contemplative prayer led by Daniel for many years.   A friend drove me 3-4 hours to “Les Abeilleres”- a retreat center in the Southern part of the Cevennes region near Montpellier where many come for retreats and spiritual direction with Daniel Bourguet.

It was great to catch up and to pray with Daniel, to give him my mission recordings, and receive his latest book.  When our time was up he accompanied me down the path from his hermitage towards the retreat center.  When we reached a bench where Daniel’s next visitor was waiting I said goodbye, and we drove the 3-4 hours back to Charmes.

The next day was the final morning of the conference, after which a man drove me to the train station in Valence.  We conversed about his rapport with his father, who he consequently felt led to more fully forgive and bless. The Spirit came very strongly and we ended up praying together right up to the last moment before the train came.

I entered the train station, found the right platform but didn’t have time to have my ticket stamped before boarding—a requirement on French trains.  After settling into a second class seating area filled with young people, I got up to look for the conductor.

I made my way to the second floor of the train and eventually located the man who checked tickets, apologized and explained that I hadn’t been able to stamp my ticket before getting on.  “Bob,” he said, “someone who travels as much as you do should be traveling first class!”

It took a while for his statement to register as I didn’t recognize this man at all and couldn’t imagine how he could know my name or anything about me.  Amused at my confusion he explained:

“I was the man sitting on the bench yesterday, waiting to see Daniel Bourguet at Les Abeilleres after you visited with him,” he said.  “Let’s go to your seat and get your bags, I have a seat for you in First Class.”

I could not believe what was happening to me, and he too was quite surprised.   There are many trains that stop at Valence every day, but very few that stop at CDG airport as mine did.  He said he knew my name because the retreat hostess had told him that Daniel was with “Bob.”  If I hadn’t failed to stamp my ticket I would have never gone up to the second floor where we met.

After finishing checking people’s tickets he, Frédéric, brought me tea and pound cake and we talked for nearly two hours about God, contemplative prayer, and about “Les Veilleurs,” of which he was also a member.  I was inspired by his active pursuit of God and intercession as he traveled.  It turned out he was especially interested in my mission course and said he was from a 250-member charismatic evangelical church in Montpellier that has a strong interest in mission..  I had one last copy of my video recorded lectures that he was happy to accept.

I continue to ponder what the Spirit is doing in connecting me with this contemplative train conductor.  Nine years ago while staying at the Union de Prière retreat center in Charmes I had dreamed of a fire mounting from the Eastern Cevennes (Charmes) and from the South (Les Abeilleres) consuming the symbolic heartland of French Protestantism.

Back then I had also traveled to visit Daniel Bourguet as I did last week.  The Holy Spirit does appear to be actively involved in  linking people and movements for prayer and also for mission– in this case to bring renewal to France.

Last Sunday during our jail service I came prepared to baptize a man who had requested baptism a few weeks before.  The jail Sergeant even personally filled up the minimalist paper cup for this Sacrament, handing it to me with a smirk across the institutional-maroon Formica booking counter.  I knew there was a good chance my supply of water would not be used as on the previous Thursday.

There was no guarantee that I would see the men from E-Pod due to the jail’s reorganization efforts.  My thirty minute time slot was already whittled down to twenty minutes due to the previous group’s late start.  As the guard ushered me back into the jail’s multipurpose room I learned that the upper tier of E-Pod was locked down due to a fight, so the chances of the baptismal candidate being in the lower tier was getting lower.  And yet I’ve been experiencing God’s amazing flexibility in working in the midst of the messiness of human contingencies, and the group that came in did includethe man wanting baptism.

We looked together at Jesus’ baptism according to Matthew 3:11-17, and I suddenly wondered why I had complicated an already short time reflection by including verses 11-12.

“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove his sandals; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  And his winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clear his threshing floor; and he will gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

An inmate read John’s description that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.  We discussed the verses that terrorize people about the chaff being burned with unquenchable fire while the grain is gathered into the barn.

In response to an inmate’s articulation that chaff equaled bad people that would be damned, I suggested that chaff is the protective part of a grain—and that Jesus’ baptism is about removing and destroying this self-protective part from the vulnerable and valuable kernel—us.

“What might be some of the means we use to self protect?” I asked.  The men mention things like knives, guns, and self-medicating efforts like drug and porn addictions, and overworking.  I turned to a young gang member sitting beside me who I’d know for many years and asked him if he’d ever threatened anyone as a way to self-protect.  He looked surprised and said: “That’s what I’m in here for right now—for threatening someone.”

It encouraged the guys to see Jesus as not being about burning up people, but rather our self-protective attitudes and practices.  Seeing baptism as a surrendering to the fire of our ways of taking care of ourselves, our stress and problem-producing control mechanisms looked appealing.  After all, the men could see that this chaff had gotten them into the trouble they were in.

We then read the next verses describing Jesus’ actual baptism, how the Spirit came upon him as he came out of the purifying, chaff-removing water.  The Father’s words of total, unmerited approval appealed to these men who had a proven track record (criminal record) showing their inability to measure up.

From there I suggested that we go right into the baptism and asked the man if he still wanted to do it.  He nodded soberly, and I asked him to stand and for everyone to gather around him in a semi-circle.  At this point I decided to extend the invitation to others.  Three other men from the group wanted to be baptized, including the young gang member who was looking at life inprisonment.   All of us spoke our agreement regarding the following baptismal renunciations and affirmations in both English and Spanish.

“Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God?”

“Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God?”

“Do you renounce all sinful desires that draw you from the love of God?”

“Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior?”

“Do you put your whole trust in his grace and love?”

“Do you promise to follow and obey him as your Lord?”

The guards came in just as I was dowsing the fourth man, twenty minutes into our time.  I left amazed at God’s perfect timing, grateful to be part of Jesus’ beautiful ministry.

 

Last Thursday night I went to the jail prepared to baptize a man from E-Pod, but apparently God had other ideas.  The jail guards surprisingly ushered in inmates from B-Pod, a group of men who hadn’t been allowed to attend our services for over three weeks.

The fifteen or so men were eager to talk about Romans 1:18-20 (see my last update).  Since they had been kept from regular gatherings due to reshuffling in the jail they were particularly open and we had a rich discussion.  When the guards didn’t come after the usual thirty minutes I invited the men to receive more of the Holy Spirit in a way I thought they would like.  Since I knew they had been deprived both physically and spiritually I suggested that we try drinking in the Spirit through an imaginary exercise that I rarely do.

I suggested that we imagine that we are each holding a forty ounce can of malt liquor which we were going to chug (the fastest and cheapest way on the street to get an alcohol buzz).  I told them that I was going to pray over our imaginary cans, that the Holy Spirit would fill them so we could drink God’s Spirit right down into our beings.  The guys were humored and excited as we lifted our cans before us, popping the tabs to open them, asking the Spirit to come and then “one, two, three,” chugged them down.  We laughed together for a while and then I told them a story about when I had first done this drinking activity with inmates about eight years before.

I told them how after I and the four inmates had received the spirit in this way the man to my right had began to cry, the man beside him was filled with joy, and I got the word “father wound.”   As I told the story I pointed in the direction of about ten o’clock in our large circle of men, recalling how right there, eight years ago, one of the four had stood up, saying he was sure this father wound word applied to him.

He had then pulled up his shirt to show us seven stab wounds his stomach.  He went on to recount how his father had beaten him severely when he was a kid and that he had felt so badly about himself that three months before he had stabbed himself seven times in the stomach and had nearly died from the wounds—continuing to feel severe stomach pain.

At that point I told the group how I had explained to this man the importance of expressing the pain we have from our fathers and mothers sinning against us, and then to drop our judgments rather than harbor bitterness.  I pointed over to where the man had been sitting who had stabbed himself, remembering it like it was yesterday, recalling how he had chosen to forgive his father and consequently been healed.

As I was finishing the story one of the men I had been pointing towards surprised us all by saying that this man I was telling about was his brother!  He told how in fact their father had exercised a lot of physical and emotional violence against them when they were growing up, and how his older brother had done prison sentence after prison sentence.

Realizing that I now needed to continue focusing on forgiving our fathers, we moved into a discussion about how when we don’t forgive those who have sinned against us we are likely to behave in similar ways.  At this point one of the men who had continued reading on his own after Romans 1:18-20 said: “Hey, right here it says exactly that:

“Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things… Or do you think lightly of the riches of his kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:1-4).

A man to my left spoke up: “I don’t know if I can do that.  I am totally full of bitterness toward my old man.  Is this something you can just do, or does it sometimes take a long time?” he asked.

I assured him that it can take a long time when we’ve been seriously sinned against, and I reminded everyone of Jesus’ call to forgive seventy times seven (Matt 18:22).  A huge guy who worked as a logger to my right stood up and told how this would be hard for him too:

“My dad shot and killed my mom when I was one year old.  He didn’t just shoot her once but four times.  I’ve been bitter against him ever since I learned it from my adoptive parents,” he said.

Just then the guards popped the doors and I said goodbye to the men, encouraging them to let the Spirit guide them regarding who and how they need to forgive.   I left amazed at how the Holy Spirit was so present to seemingly guide the guards choice of pods and the following words, Scriptures, example and even the gestures of our gathering.  I left interceding for these men, who like most offenders have been seriously sinned against themselves and are in need of big doses of mercy and love.