March 2007

Page 1


19 Leadership Board convenes Faith and Life Summit

24 A "model" minister

27 Fed up with war

FEATURES

10 FITTING INTO "SIZE P's" by Laurie Oswald Robinson

Lent is a good time to open our spiritual closets and to take inventory. Are we clothing ourselves in Christ's life? Are we fitting into "Size P's": pondering in prayer, prioritizing in perplexity and placing our efforts in God's perspective?

13 LENTEN REFLECTIONS by Tom Friesen

Lent emphasizes sacrifice and fasting, two unpopular concepts in a society where feeling good is the goalnot biblical discipleship Like Peter we recognize that Christ is the Son of the living God and yet we resist giving him complete control of our lives. Observing Lent can help us become a humble tool in God's hand.

15 MOURNING DANCE by Cheryl Dueck Smith

I remember thinking on Easter Sunday 1999 that Lent had been difficult for me to contemplate since there was so much joy in my life. My Lent started Easter Monday when my unborn son was diagnosed with a rare chromosomal abnormality and it continued until the start of Lent the following year.

18 HOLY WEEK IN DAMASCUS by Eldon Wagler

Unlike many churches in the West where Christmas is the highlight of the Christian calendar, Holy Week for Eastern Christians marks the climax of the church year It is a week of incredible joy and emotional lows

> FiRST WORDS

[from the ed i tor]

My GREAT AUNT HELEN CELEBRATED HER I03RD BIRTHDAY in January. Aunt Helen will tell you that as the matriarch of her family and the oldest member of her church, the retirement home in which she lives and most likely of the entire town, she is living on " borrowed time. " During the birthday party her family hosted in her honor, Aunt Helen reminded the guests that they had forgotten to sing. It wasn't Happy Birthday that Aunt Helen wanted sung. She requested Sing the Wondrous Love of Jesus, the hymn the nurses say she sings each morning "When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, we1l sing and shout the victory," says the chorus.

It's certainly appropriate for someone over the age of 100 to regard each new day as "borrowed time." But aren't we all, regardless of our age, living on borrowed time? Will we make our days - however many or few-count for something? Will we spend our time wisely? When I find myself pondering questions like these , I am encouraged by stories of people who are investing their lives wisely and well. This issue of the Leader has two such stories.

The story of David Bonilla, a former professional model who is now a Mennonite Brethren pastor in Colombia, comes to us as an exclusive from Mennonite Central Committee. We appreciate MCC's initiative in providing from time to time stories specific to the various Mennonite and Brethren in Christ denominations that support the agency. Afrer reading David's story and other stories about MCC's work in his community, including the one published on page 26, I am astounded at the changes David has willingly made in his life because of his commitment to serve his Lord. David Bonilla is spending his time well.

Not every risk we take for God's kingdom will affect our personal comfort level like David Bonilla's did. Sometimes the risk involves discomfort at a congregationallevel and we all know the challenges that come when we try to change something at church! Last spring two healthy congregations-one Mennonite Brethren and the other Berean Fellowship-were independently of one another exploring ways to strengthen their witness in the greater Omaha, Neb., area. Circumstances-some would say God's leading-brought them together, and in October 2006 Shadow Lake Community Church (MB) and Pleasantview Church (BF) officially merged. Why? "Because we can do more together than we can do apart," say pastors Brian Classen and Dan Hauge Working together to advance God's kingdom is time well spent. -CF

> aUOTABLE

"Parents and church leaders should take their roles seriously as mentors in the college choice decisions of our youth. Not because the schools need the students but because the church needs our graduates."- Loren Swartzendruber, president of Eastern Mennonite University of Harrisonburg, Virg., in "Strengthening the church, " an article in the Jan. 16, 2007, issue of The Mennonite.

> UP & COMING

March 16-17-Southern District Conference Women's Retreat, Wichita Kan. March 31-April3, 2007 - National MB Youth Convention. Anaheim. Calif

-.J uly 5-9 - Central District Conference Convention. Rapid City. SD u ug. 3-5-Southern District Conference Convention, Hays. Kan

March 2007

Volume 70

Number 3

Co nnie Faber EDITOR

Myra Holmes ASSISTANT EDITOR

E lain e Ewert GRAPHIC DESIGNER

MANDATE Th e Christian Leader IiSSN 0009 - 5149) is publi shed m onthly by th e U S Conference of Mennonite Bret hren Churches The Christia n Leader se eks to inform Mennonite Brethren members an d churche s of the event s activities deci sions and issue s of their denomination and to instruct inspire and initiate dialogue so m embers witt aspire to be faithful di sciple s of Chri st as understood in th e evang elicaVAnabapti st theologi cal t radition

EDITORIAL POLICY Th e views expressed in th is publicati on do not necessari ly represent the po sition of t he Chris tian Leader the U S Confere nce Lead er ship Board or the Mennon i te Brethren Chu r ch Sc ripture references are from New Internation al Version unless otherwi se noted The editors invite freelan ce article submi ss ions A SASE must accompany article s.

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CONNIE FABER I " "

> READERS FORUM

Finding God's love in the freeze

Stories of God's love warm bitingual women's retreat

The sharing Sunday morning was a holy experience. Sitting around the living room in a beautiful home at the California coast, the women from College Community Church Mennonite Brethren were asking the women from Iglesia El Buen Pastor, the Mennonite Brethren church in Orange Cove, how the recent big freeze would affect them and their community.

Saloma spoke quietly and Pauline ttanslated her Spanish into English. She began by stating what we had already witnessed throughout the weekend together, that generally she did not speak much. She did want to share her experience, however, in response to the question about the disaster.

Yes, the freeze would impact the people of their church and community in significant ways. Over 80 percent of the El Buen Pastor members earn their living picking or packing fruit. Now they would be losing their jobs; life would soon be much more difficult. But that was not what Saloma wanted to focus on.

Rather, she spoke about how she had experienced the love of God and God's people during a similar freeze in 1991. Back then, when she heard that the Mennonite Brethren church was distributing grocety bags she went to pick one up. Returning home she reflected that the message of love and peace that she heard at church was what she had been searching for all her life. And she had been so encouraged by the warmth and love she felt at the church that she decided to continue attending the congregation. Soon, through the experience of the love of the congregation, Saloma's whole family became Christian.

In fact, all the women from Iglesia El Buen Pastor who were at this joint bilingual women's retreat had come to the church in 1991 because of the love they received from the church. Saloma did not want to focus on the enormity of the impending crisis for their community. She opened our eyes to the potential of God working in new ways through the current disaster.

The joint women's retreat was itself a continued experiment in what it means to experience the kingdom of God here and now The first church experienced the power of Jesus' death on the cross in cross-cultural dimensions. Jesus broke down dividing walls between two cultures - Jews and Gentiles - and formed them into one people . Now we gathered as women who live less than one hour apart on California Highway 180, but worlds apart by experiencedifferent languages, different cultures, different educational backgrounds and different socio-economic realities.

As often happens in groups of different languages and cultures, natural human dynamics reinforce the separate sense of "us" and "them." As our churches provided space to worship, laugh, eat and share our lives with each other cross-culturally, we experienced again the power of the cross as "us-and-them" was transformed into "us."

In her presentations of Gospel stories from a Latina perspective, retreat speaker Ely Soto Albrecht flowed between English and Spanish. She talked of the older woman who stole a blessing from Jesus, the young girl who was called into her future by Jesus, the woman driven by the needs of her family to play with the words of Jesus' refusal until he changed his mind, the woman who did what she could and provided an aroma of celebration and relationship that continues through the centuries . In the reflection times that followed the presentations, we shared insights from our own contexts that were life -giving for all.

Instructions for the fabric crafr, informal interactions during meal times, making Mennonite Central Committee health kits and participation in worship all needed to be translated. Not all the women from College Community Church speak Spanish; likewise not all the women from Iglesia El Buen Pastor speak English. Yet we all understood the weekend experience of mutual appreciation for one another that grows as we interact as peers.

The cross-cultural retreat was a two-way blessing. It was not one church offering help to another; we experienced mutual strengthening and encouragement as we came expecting to share and receive from the other. One line of our theme chorus for the weekend, Somos el cuerpo de Cristo, sums it up: "God is revealed when we love one another ."

Mary Anne Isaak is a pastoral staff member at College LJmmunity Church in Clovis, Calif

Saloma working on a fabric craft at the bilingual women's retreat.

> CONFERENCE CALL

Missional

A new word or the future of the church?

Could it be just a buzz word: missional? Is it just a word to be used today, kind of like the word "contemporary" has been used recently to describe the new way of doing church? You read and hear the word

"missional" all over the Christian landscape these days Will it be one of those passing fad '[ \L1nv in our younger

Reggie McNeal, the keynote speaker at the most recent U.S. Conference pastors' conference in Boone, NC, indicates in his book The Present Future that this missional focus will define the church for the next 100 years. Whoa!

So if it's that huge, what is it? What is this "missional focus" all about? And what does it mean for the church? Basically, it means that no longer can we create really great innovative programs in the church, staff these programs well, fund them, be passionate about them-and expect people to "come and get it!" They won't. At least not in significant numbers they won't.

'This revolution of faith is the most significant transition you or I will experience during our lifetime," writes George Barna, the well-known Christian author and pollster, in his recent book, Revolution. Right and left our culture is rejecting

Jrc no 10n gcf t inding va1ue -in the if they believ ers. And as t hi s irr elev..ln cv heco mes more and more the reality. it will he th ose c h u rches th ;.lt "go to t he peopl e" that will thrive.

words? Does it really mean anything new? Were you even aware that it's all the rage among believers?

Missional. It sounds good. What church or denomination wouldn't want to be that? In fact, we Mennonite Brethren have been known for being mission-minded, right? We have a great international mission agency: MBMS International. We have a U.S. Conference mission focus called Mission USA. I'm partial to that one. We still even have HarvestlMission Festivals in some of our churches So we're already "missional. "

Hold on a minute! Yes, we've accomplished a lot of things together as MBs that have been considered missional over many years. But today the definition of "missiona)" is taking on an enhanced meaning in the Christian world. So much so that some church leaders are saying that being "missional" is a movement of God in the church that has not been seen in a long, long time Many point to the fact that this movement has already exploded in other pans of the world and that Nonh America is now finally catching on .

what the church has to offer. Many in our younger generations are no longer finding value in the church - even if they are believers. And as this irrelevancy becomes more and more the reality, it will be those churches that "go to the people" that will passionately thrive.

The missional Christian movement is all about releasing our church people to take the message of Jesus out into the world. It means we will have to reduce our in-house church programming so that people have more time for ministry "out there." We have been so "four-wall minded"-focusing on ourselves inside our churches-that it appears we have fallen asleep at the helm. Missional churches will be the ones that get outside of the four walls of the church and make an impact on their communities with creative ministries that make a true difference in the lives of people. McNeal writes that if we don't. "the church as we know it today will die."

It will become more and more imponant that we strive to equip people in the church to serve people out in our culture in the name of Jesus. Perhaps it's time we all begin to think outside the box.

Ed Stetzer, a well -known author and speaker on the subject of planting missional churches, writes, "These churches (missional churches) will engage the culture while remaining faithful (to the Word) ." Believers, especially younger ones, will no longer be content to come and "do church." Their church will be out among people.

So if you didn't know already, now you do . It's all the rage! And many say it's a monumental movement of God - "missional." Is God calling our conference churches to join in? Hmmm.

Hispanic churches hit by ··Big Freeze"

Re li e f agencies help churches serve communities

January's citrus freeze in central California is affecting tens of thousands of .people, including those from Mennonite and Mennonite Brethren churches. The effects are being felt now and will continue for months to come.

According to Jose Elizondo, assistant district minister for the Pacific District Conference, the counties most affected by the freeze include 12 Hispanic MB churches and two Hispanic Mennonite churches. Although all of these congregations have some families affected by the freeze, Elizondo says those in southeast Fresno and Tulare counties are especially hard-hit, including the MB congregations Iglesia EI Buen Pastor in Orange Cove, Templo La Paz in Orosi and Templo de Oracion in Traver.

Mennonite Central Committee, the relief, service and peace agency of North American Anabaptists, and Mennonite Disaster Service, the Mennonite disaster relief agency, are coordinating assistance. The two agencies are in contact with the churches in the affected communities and are attending the wider freeze coalition meetings of government and faith agencies. 'We will respond in ways that are loving, efficient and help those not able to get help elsewhere," says an MDS press release.

Some churches in the affected area are asking for help to serve their members and neighbors. They have requested food and basic necessities to be distributed on a weekly basis for three to four months, and help for payment of rent, utility and medical bills at least until May.

MDS, with experience from two prior freezes, is ready to begin food distribution People and contacts are in place Financial gifts in support of this program can be sent to Mennonite Disaster Service, c/o Wayne Zimmerman, 8539 S. Columbia, Reedley CA 93654.

MCC, meanwhile, will help churches assist with rent, utility and medical bills. MCC will make direct sister church connections so resources can be shared between churches. Gifts to the MCC California Freeze Fund will be forwarded to Mennonite churches in the affected area. Gifts to support this program should be sent to MCC with "California Freeze" noted in the memo. To request a sister church connection, contact MCC at West Coast MCC, 1010 G. Street, Reedley CA 93654 .-MDSIMCC/PDC

Consultation on MB higher education planned for June

The International Committee of Men nonite Brethren, an organization that includes representatives from the 17 MB national conferences around the world, will host an International Consultation on Higher Education June 4 - 10 This global event, while institutionally under the umbrella of ICOMB, is being convened and organized by the Fresno, Calif.. academic community, including MB Biblical Seminary, Fresno Pacific University and the Council of Senior Professionals . . Two -persons in leadership 'at each of the MB -

owned or related institutions of higher education worldwide are invited. The program for each day is organized around a theme and will be presented by representatives of the international community of scholars starting with a keynote address at the opening session. The international context will provide excellent conditions for networking and exploring the possibility of mutual cooperation, says ICOMB executive secretary Victor Wall.

The planning committee includes Wall; Jim Holm and Lynn Jost, representing MBBS; Merrill Ewert, president of FPU; Elmer Martens and Dalton Reimer, representing the Council of Senior Professionals; David Wiebe of the Canadian MB Conference; and Ray Wiebe , representing MBMS International.-ICOMB

Mission reps meet

Representatives from II Mennonite agencies, including MBMS International, the global mIssIon agency for Mennonite Brethren, and MB Biblical Seminary, the institution for theological education for North American MBs, reviewed the benefits and risks of forming partnerships in international missions at the Council of International Anabaptist Ministries conference held Jan . 15-20.

CIM involves all international Anabaptist agencies and MCC, and it includes overseas representatives from newly formed churches. CIM emerged out of the Council of Mission Board Secretaries formed in 1958 to engage Mennonite Central Commirtee with other mission boards. The name changed from COMBS to CIM in the late 1970S in order to engage Anabaptist education institutions with international programs and because "international" is a more neutral term than "mission board."

Since its name change, CIM has held regular meetings with special themes, topics and speakers. This year's gathering, held at the Gilmary Diocesan Center near Pittsburgh, Penn ., was centered around the theme, "Leading. Following and Partnering in

a Global Mission Era," and featured Phill Butler and Leaderwell Pohsgnap. Butler heads vision Synergy, an initiative focused on international network development for strategic ministry. Pohsgnap, who lives in India, is currently a board member of World Vision International and the international director of the Global Leadership Equipping and Development Alliance with Global Disciples.

Butler talked about leading, following and partnering within the current social. technical and cultural contexts and about the importance of "understanding creativity" as a leader in international ministry. He described the " CNN syndrome," a belief that because people watch the world they think they know and understand the world He encouraged agencies to move beyond this limiting mind-set.

Pohsgnap provided a perspective from Asia and reported on religious trends in Asian countries . He encouraged the audience to "strive for collaboration and partnership, even if it's never achieved in its perfect form in partnership we have a common purpose and we will make sure every person in the world has the opportunity to hear Jesus Christ." - Meetinghouse

Profs celebrate love in new CD

Love in its many forms is the subject of a new CD and a special concert by members of the Fresno Pacific University music faculty " Songs of Requited Love" was created by Walter Saul and Larry Warkentin , who composed all the music and played the p iano on all tracks They are joined by vocalists Milton Friesen, baritone, and sopranos Daphne Saul and Charity Saul McCallum. Lyrics come from works by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Lord

Byron, Edna St. Vincent Millay, the Bible and other authors.

''The focus of the CD is on lasting love, not only the romanti c kind but of God's love for us , which is the foundation of love that lasts, " Saul says. The composers set out to explore the topic from several angles as a way to prepare for Valentine's Day

A CD release concert was held Feb. 2 at FPU, the MB -owned university headquartered in Fresno, Calif. - FPU

BYSTROM, WESTGATE TO RETIRE

MB Biblical Seminary faculty members

Raymond O. Bystrom, professor of pastoral ministries, and James Westgate, associate professor of practical studies, have announced their plans to retire at the end of the 2006-2007 school year. Bystrom has been with MBBS for 16 years as both faculty member and director of theological field education . Since coming to the seminary 13 years ago, Westgate has taught a variety of courses, organized an 1S-day intensive exposure to over 50 ministries in Los Angeles and Fresno, and spearheaded many partnerships between the seminary and local churches and nonprofit organizations.-MBB5

PENNERS CONCLUDE WORK WITH MBMSI

Ron and Fran Penner of Fresno, Calif., have completed over 26 years of missionary service overseas and at home with MBMS International. They most recently worked in church relations and regional mobilization. The Penners began serving as senior pastoral couple at Kingsburg MB Church, Kingsburg, Calif., Jan. 1. During meetings this fall, the MBMSI Board acknowledged and honored the Penners' faithful and wholehearted service at an appreciation dinner.-MBM51

MBBS CAMPUS DAYS

MB Biblical Seminary's Fresno, Calif., campus will hold its annual Campus Days event March 16-17. Prospective students will have the chance to meet various faculty members, sit in on a class and hear about degrees, financial aid and community life There will be a special gathering on the 17th for those considering relocating to Fresno for seminary, The seminary's Web site (www.mbseminary.edu) provides more information To register or inquire about a travel bursary call 1-S00251-6227 or e-mail mrichardlambseminary.edu. Deadline to register is March 13th.-MBB5

Calendars at home, school and work help us to organize our coming and going and to remember important events. But when it comes to the calendar that believers use to mark the Christian year, many of us Mennonite Brethren are illiterate. Historically Mennonite Brethren have been hesitant to follow the Christian year calendar and I'm not sure why. But those individuals and congregations that observe the Christian year find it very meaningful to be part of the longstanding and worldwide experience of remembering and celebrating a cycle of events when God acted in our midst. The articles in this month's feature section are personal reflections on Lent, the season of the Christian year that precedes Easter Sunday and focuses on spiritual renewal. I hope that something you read in the next several pages will lead you to consider making Lent part of your spiritual calendar. Readers interested in learning more about Lent and the Christian year are invited to visit the Leader online at www. usmb.org and click on uThis Month's Issue ."

Fitting into "" Ize S

Lent is a good time to reflect on whether we are clothing ourselves in Christ's life .

My 87-YEAR-OLD DAD, SISTER JANE AND I DROVE through ripening cornfields in Nebraska to his Depression-boy farmhouse. To our dismay, an empty hole marked the home that once stood proud as a weathered farmer in the drought-infested hills of O'Neil. It was where Pau\, the sixth of eight children, was born to the late Jacob and Elizabeth Oswald.

We peered through aging cottonwoods at the failing foundation. In the last year, Dad figured, the house was razed. But even while saying this, he shed no tears. Years taught him that homes, jobs and spouses come and go. He left home at 18. He grew - then grew past-a thriving John Deere implement business. He lost his wife, Dorothy Mae Egli Oswald, to heart failure after five decades of marriage.

As we drove away, Dad's lined face squinted into the sun as gravel dust flew The wind whipped com tassels like wild paint brushes against the azure sky. A hawk circled the old homestead, as if to say, this is mine now. I knew in a new way that my father who tilled these fields with horses was bit by bit handing the generational reigns on to me, his baby daughter. And I had the fearful honor of choosing-as did he and his parents and grandparents-whether to clothe myself with earthly or heavenly values.

My Christian heritage and my redemption in Christ teach me true life isn't built with outer appearances. The crumbling pile of stones reminds me death will bring me "naked" before my Maker. The face-to-face encounter will reveal if I trusted fading securities of earthly goods or the unfading glories of life in Jesus Christ. Lent is a good time to reflect on whether we are clothing ourselves in Christ's life. Let's search our "closets" to see if we fit into these "Size P's": pondering in prayer, prioritizing in perplexity and placing our efforts in God's perspective.

• Pondering in prayer

Many North Americans' lives are a maze of meetings and deadlines and a web of activities in school, church and community. We talk on cell phones while driving and grab fast food between work and evening meetings. We finally drop wearily into bed, out of touch with loved ones and disconnected from God and ourselves. Addicted to doing, we have performed well but failed to be in God's presence.

St. Ignatius Loyola (1491 -1556) recommended a daily method of examining our lives, the &amen. It can help us better serve the Lord, find God in all things, gain freedom to cooperate with God's will and respond to the beauty of God's creation . The exercise has five simple steps, which should take about IS minutes to complete. Many peo-

pIe practice this prayer before bedtime, and it's written as such. But it can be adapted for any time of day. Phyllis Zagano in her essay, "Examen of Consciousness: Finding God in All Things," lists the steps, which I've reshaped for this arricle.

I) Recall you are in the presence of God Imagine you are sitting next to Jesus. Breathe deeply and hear him breathe. Let his calm and kind eyes search your heart; let his love touch and heal your rough edges; feel his hand of blessing rest on your head as you wind down from a wound- up day.

2) Look at your day with gratitude. For what are you gl"ateful? In the midst of a harried day, what holy moments of goodness did you notice in creation and within your community? What gifts of time, talent and treasure did you receive and give? What abundance of God's strength did you experience in times of depletion?

3) Ask help from the Holy Spirit. Place your heart's motivations and actions before the loving and truthful searchlight of the Holy Spirit as together you journey back over your day.

4) Review your day. Where have I walked "wornout ruts?" Where have I trail-blazed a new path of freedom? To examine what path/s you took today, ask these questions: When did I fail? Where did I react to situations with a divided heart? Where did I criticize and judge, albeit secretly? Where were my motives mixed?

Notice opportunities to grow in faith, hope and charity in those areas When did I love? When did I choose to serve the common good and the needs of the individual freely in genuine love , without ulterior motives? What do I see in my habits and life patterns? Where did I overeat, overspend, over-do and over-analyze-all things that abort my freedom? What people or situations caused negativity?

See both the positive and negative . Where has Jesus helped me to have a positive response to life? Perhaps I chose not to engage in gossip at the coffee shop or took the high road when the low road beckoned . See other forms of God's presence Where has God's grace come to me through people, scripture, other spiritual reading and events?

5) Reconcile and resolve. Return to step one where you placed yourself in Jesus' presence. Now have a heart-to-heart chat with him. Tell him what you did and did not do. Confess how you have hurt others or yourself. Ask forgiveness and ask for help to do better. Identify when the Lord helped you to walk his path in freedom. Give thanks that you are growing in God, as you become Christ's hands, heart. eyes. ears and voice. becoming freer to love yourself and your neighbor.

• Prioritizi n g in perplexity

My nephew's 2-year-old daughter. Neva Jane. was asked to sing. "Jesus Loves Me" during a church service.

me to open up my hands and give God the contents. I have taped 2 Corinthians 4:7 to my computer: "But we have this treasure in clay jars. so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us."

Verses eight through 12 of that chapter circle us back to the theme of the physical and spiritual foundations of my father. "We are afflicted in every way. but not crushed; perplexed. but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken. struck down. but not destroyed; always cartying in the body the death of Jesus. so that the

Like Jesus, we are created to respond and obey the voice of our heavenly Father, not the voices of the world or of others

Her angelic voice chirped. "Jesus loves me. this I know, for the ... " Suddenly. in midstream. she stopped and unashamedly said, "I don't want to be doing this anymore." Because of a perplexing maze of responsibilities. we soon lose this Neva Jane attitude In our doing culture. it's easy for most adults to be deaf to the heartbeat of their true selves and true priorities. Having lost this centering "compass of identity" in the vertigo of expectations, most of us strive to be super men and super women who do it all.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss in her book. Lies Women Believe. reminds us that we are not called to be and do everything . Like Jesus. we are created to respond and obey the voice of our heavenly Father. not the voices of the world or of others John 17:4 says that at the end of his life. Jesus lifted his eyes to his Father and said, "I have glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do." He was faithful to his specific mission. and became the Messiah of the world. We are not called to be messiahs nor are we called to do what our neighbor is gifted to do. We don't carty the world on our shoulders. We let God do that. knowing God created each of us in Christ to be ministers in our part of the world

• Placing our efforts in God's perspective

Even if we build good boundaries. we can still be worried over-striving perfectionists. I hear at reunions that worty is one thread in my extended-family tapestry. For example. Grandma tended to look on the "dark" side of things. And a third cousin drove his wife crazy because he always projected the worst "what-ifs? " into the future . That worty-thread is woven through my own heart. No matter how hard I try. I find it hard to 'let go and let God." To counteract this tendency. I memorize Scriptures that encourage

life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live. we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake. so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh" (NRSV).

Seasons of life can pull down a house. But they can't pull up the spiritual roots that Dad passed on to me. if I choose to grasp them. The question for all Lenten travelers is this: Will we be clothed in Christ? Or will we don glittery. temporal trappings? We are not called to be successful or perfect in the world's eyes. But we are called to be faithful from God's perspective. What God sees when we wear our "Size p's" is Christ himself.

Laurie Oswald Robinson is a freelance writer from Newton. Kan .• and is the editor for Mennonite Women USA an it's publication Timbrel. She is a member of First Mennonite Church in Newton after transferring her membership from Koerner Heights MB Church. Newton.

" From that time on ," Matthew writes , Jesus begins to explain to his di sciples that the road that he must take as the Mes siah is one of sacrifi ce, betrayal and suffering Peter responds by pulling Jesus aside and rebuking Jesus for talking this way. Th en Jesus gives one of his harshest admonitions No stern er rebuke eve r fell on a Pharisee than on this disciple of Christ. Je sus turns his back on Peter and says, "Get behind me, Satan! "

Why is Jesus so harsh on Peter? What he says next in Ma rk' s gospel (Mark 8:34 -38 ) gives an answer Jesu s gathers the crowd together and tells them (my paraphrase) : " If you want to follo w me, th en you have to let me lead You 're not in the driver's seat, I am This isn't going to be easy The stakes are high and might even cost your life! If you try to save your life, youlllose it. It's like trying to hold onto soap The harder you grip, the faster itll fly out of your grasp But if you go the way of self-sacri fice for me and my message, then your life and your tru e self will be saved . So what " jf you end up with the most toys What good is that if you lose your soul?"

What kind of money can buy

Jesus was harsh with Peter because if Peter can't grasp what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah and the conditions that come with that, then he won't be able to grasp the conditions of discipleship for himself Jesus doesn 't just say this to Peter He says it to us. To follow Jesus is to accept the way of the cross Tradition has it that Peter was crucified upside down So it seems that Peter understood that the way of Christ is the way of the cross It is tempting to think about the kind of death Peter experienced in Rome as something that won't happen us . We live in North America where we have relative safety and enjoy religious freedom . To think this way, however, is to miss the point Jesus is calling all his followers everywhere and at all times to give control of our lives to him

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday; this year that was February 21 If you 've ever taken part in an Ash Wednesday service you know that it is a solemn occasion that culminates with going forward to have your forehead marked with ash as the minister proclaims, "Remember from ashes you 've come, to ashe s you will return ." This is the gospel message : We are nothing but ashes and dust until God makes us alive again This is what Ash Wednesday is all about. Remembering that we are dust and ashes made alive only by God's Spirit We are arrogant and sinful little creatures who fail to give God due credit. We are disobedient children in need of our Father's help

The ash is also a sign of repentance . Lent is a time to mourn our sins, repent and change our ways . I suggest in these next weeks as we approach Easter that we take time to reflect on our lives To examine what it is that perhaps God would have us change and to possibly give something up for a time in order to remember C hrist's sacrifice for our behalf It can be something small su ch as coffee, snacks, television, movies or cheese; small but something to which we are attached. In giving up this one thing we remember that as a Christian our joy comes from Christ.

Lent is about un -crowding life of the sins and desires that hhtder our relationship with God and repenting of o ur sill so that we may be more humble tools in God's hands. As we move to Easter, let us not forget the pain and sotrow in the Gospel. Christ died to bring us life and a$ his fonowers we too must die and release our lives to him to find ultimate life, life to the fullest We let go of the Am erican dream We tum our back on t.he call of society to acquire more and to worship pteasure and we cry out, "Get behind me, Satan . 1'his is not the way of God ."

Torn Friesen is youth pastor at Scott Stree MB Church in Sf. Catharines, Ont.

Mourning dance

The Psalms remind us that God invites our pain, not just our praise.

I WENT TO THE oocrOR FOR MY REGULAR six-month prenatal appointment Easter Monday 1999. Mer I was weighed and the doctor listened to the baby's heartbeat, the doctor decided to do another ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed black spaces in the skull; the baby's brain wasn't developing. That afternoon , Peter, my husband, and I went to see a genetic specialist who confirmed that there

In the process of naming Nathaniel, we also became more artached to him, something that I had tried to avoid knowing the pain that would come with bonding As my due date approached and Nathaniel still hadn't miscarried, we decided to induce labor in the hope that we would get to hold him alive rather than delivering a stillborn July II our families joined us in the hospital and awaited Nathaniel's arrival. He lived for three hours, and we were able to take turns holding him

The beauty of the Psalms of disorientation, or laments, is that we can express exactly what we are experiencing and feeling to God even if it isn't theologically correct.

indeed was something wrong with our baby and that the prognosis was poor.

The diagnosis was Trisomy 13, a rare chromosomal abnormality. Most babies with this condition do not make it full-term, and if they do they rarely survive the first year because of their severe disabilities. We expected a miscarriage and so we waited and our church waited with us. We had chosen the name Nathaniel which means "God gives a gift." We struggled with the name, knowing that it was the right name but not feeling the truth of it. We met with our pastor and his wife during this time. Our pastor reminded us that Nathaniel is also a gift to God and helped us to see beyond ourselves. Eventually we would be able to recognize his gift to us as well.

and loving him for his brief life. One of the nurses commented that Nathaniel received more love in his short life than some people receive in a lifetjme. Several days later, July 14, our community came together to lament with us at a memorial service.

The year following Nathaniel's brief life was a difficult one for me. Mer taking the first few months off from work, I returned to seeing clients as a marriage and family therapist. Peter and I had tried to embrace our grief, engaging in various meaningful rituals. Our family and church community wonderfully supported us. But I still rode waves of mourning that seemed to keep coming.

I took a class at Fuller Theological Seminary on the Psalms later that spring. One of the class texts that I found extremely helpful was Walter Brueggeman's book, Message of the Psalms I discovered that one can categorize psalms in three ways: psalms of orientation, psalms of disorienta -

tion and psalms of reorientation. When life is good and going as we expected. it is easy to pray psalms of orientation. In my 29 years of life. I had known much joy and found I gravitated toward these uplifting and positive psalms.

Then something happens a rragedy or affliction of some kind. and we are thrown into a tailspin We begin to question all that we assumed to be true. We are angry and frightened. Through my experience with Nathaniel, I was suddenly opened to pain and grief that I had never before encountered. The beauty of the psalms of disorientation. or laments. is that we can express exactly what we are experiencing and feeling to God even if it isn't theologically correct.

I prayed for my baby to miscarry early on so that I wouldn't feel more pain or be left in a difficult situation that I didn't trust I co uld handle I was angry with God and this was one of the ways I remained connected to God. At some point, God surprises us by acting in some way, by changing the situation or by drawing close to us. Once again we are able to praise God and give thanks, but our suffering isn't very far removed. In these psalms of reorientation or thanksgiving we may assen the same things as in psalms of orientation but we are forever changed by the period of suffering

God surprised me on Ash Wednesday, 2000, nearly a year after we received Nathaniel's diagnosis. I was relaxing on the couch and I heard God say to me, "Be content." The message itself spoke to numerous areas in my life but the significance was simply in the fact that I heard God speak to me again. God felt near after a long period of distance. A complete shift happened inside, and I felt as though I had woken up from a long sleep. I felt alive again, full of energy, and spiritually hungry.

The year before, we had received Nathaniel's diagnosis on Easter Monday, and I remember thinking on Easter Sunday that Lent had been difficult for me to contemplate since there was so much joy in my life. My Lent staned Easter Monday and continued until the stan of Lent the following year. Instead of the traditional Lenten period of 40 days, mine had lasted a year. Personally, I recommend the 40 days. When I "awoke," I realized my current Lent was over

One of the changes that happened with this awakening is that I found my voice again. I began to journal and process what I couldn't for the past year. I gave words to my thoughts during our time of waiting with Nathaniel and following his death . That morning I wrote a psalm of lament, written from the perspective of how I felt at various times over the previous year but panicularly during the waiting period Two days later I wrote a psalm of thanksgiving, a psalm that reflected my movement into a new orientation (See following page.) This was April 5, exactly a year after we received Nathaniel's diagnosis .

The psalms , in all of its forms, link us with the joy and pain of others. Grief, more than joy, tends to be a lonely experience. Yet the psalms give us the words of others who have been in similar dark places, though the circumstances may be different. We are given community in the midst of our loneliness. Their words resonate within us, sometimes giving us words when we don't have any

The psalms give us the freedom to relate to God in our pain and our sorrow, not just with praise and adoration While we may not have the ability to praise, lament inevitably leads us into praise. The two are inextricably connected. We continue in an endless cycle: We call on God when we are in need, wrestle to keep faith in God despite our suffering, experience God turning toward us and answering our cries with his presence, out of which joy and praise emerge. This cycle takes us into a deeper and more mature faith.

Each year during the Lenten season, I remember the gifts Nathaniel gave me. One of these gifts is an honesty that allows me to bring my anger, pain and sorrow before God God isn't only interested in my praise and thanksgiving but in all dimensions of my life, as reflected in the psalms. Nathaniel also gave me the gift of embracing disorientation, not fearing pain but knowing that our mourning will tum to dancing. God's steadfast love reaches into the dark times, keeping us company whether we know it or not. God loves to surprise us with his nearness, his compassion and his light when we feel the darkness surrounding us.

Cheryl Dueck Smith attended College Community Church in Clovis Calif, in her younger years After living in Prague. Czech Republic. for the last two years with her husband and two boys, Smith has returned to Pasadena. Calif , where she is a member of Pasadena Mennonite Church.

Psalm of Lament

Oh God, Creator and Maker of the universe, hear my cry for deliverance. In my anguish I call out to you- why me?

Healthy babies are born by the hundreds each day. but not mine.

What happened to having a baby that is fearfully and wonderfully made?

What happened to receiving bread from the Giver of good gifts? I received a stone.

Some say, "You need to have more faith. This baby won't be healed unless the mother has faith. "

Some say, "You are so strong so it is good this tragedy happened to you. Your faith can handle it."

Is this how my faith is measured?

Is this my reward for being strong?

No one should have to watch their little son die in their arms. gasping for breath.

No one should dream of having a baby to rock to sleep, only to have their hopes dashed to the ground.

Why should I trust in you? Why should I believe you are in control?

When does the happy ending come, when all things work together for good?

Take this cup from me. I cannot drink from it.

Hear my cries for deliverance. I cannot bear the sorrow.

Here's where I'm supposed to say. "Yet I will trust in you "

But I can't say that yet

Until then, I will depend on those around me to remember your goodness and steadfast love. Their faith will be my faith, their trust will be my trust. - CDS

Psalm of Thanksgiving

All praise to Emmanuel, the God who is near!

He is present in our trials and delivers us from the deep.

I was swallowed up by darkness. death surrounded all my thoughts. There was no escape from sorrow. my thoughts were laced with loss.

My newborn son, snatched away before his time

We had three short hours together, the hope for more denied Waves kept crashing over me. my grief felt unending.

The tears eventually ceased, but it was not peace

When I could not pray. you sat with me and simply said, "I'm here

You listened to my silent cries, my voiceless prayers were known.

You were present in the dark places and knew my hidden pain, You honored the space I prepared for you and filled the emptiness.

I awoke to your gentle voice, speaking after silence

I awoke and felt hungry, famished after slumber.

All praise to the God of the brokenhearted!

You are present in the darkness, then surprise us by the light.

I will remember your faithfulness when the darkness covers me, I will trust you are by my side

I will rejoice in the light that floods me, I will give thanks for this new illumination. What was once my greatest sorrow has become my sweetest joy,

All praise to the God of life for death was not victorious!- CDS

Holy W-eek in Da mascus

Under Christ we pa ss into th e king do m

UNLIKE MANY CHURCHES IN THE West where Christmas is the highlight of the Christian calendar, Holy Week for Eastern Christians in Damascus marks the climax of the church year and is referred to in Arabic as the Week of Sufferings.

Holy Week is bookended by feasts of incredible joyPalm Sunday at its beginning and Easter Sunday at the end of the week. Between these two swells of intensely joyful celebration comes the emotional nadir of Good Friday, where Christ' s death and burial are not only remembered but are actually enacted

Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday with the celebration of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. And like the crowds that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem, Damascenes pour into the streets after Mass. Many hold or wear palm and olive branches as they proceed through the streets and alleys of the Old City, accompanying bands of church youth playing triumphal marching music. The police block cars from entering the Old City, and the Palm Sunday celebration shakes the city.

Maundy Thursday celebrations have a slightly more muted tone but still carry an air of celebration and festivity. Sacrament Thursday as it is called in Arabic. recalls the establishment of Holy Communion at the Last Supper. And in many churches it also includes the washing of feet. In th e Syrian Orthodox Church the patriarch wraps a towel around himself and washes feet

physically performing the very act of servitude that our Lord carried out. Come Maundy Thursday people from all over the city traditionally gather in Damascus' Old City. whether or not they typically worship there. Then Christians walk from church to church, praying briefly in each and receiving a blessing. The youth from each church print up stickers for the occasion. with the church's name and a symbol appropriate for the occasion. As people walk into the church, they receive a sticker to wear on their lapel. As Christians move from church to church. the collection of stickers grows and grows until many people sport seven or eight stickers on their jackets

Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday have an air of festivity - they are occasions to walk about and celebrate with family and friends. Good or Great Friday. however. has a completely different air. Women usually dress in black to attend the Friday evening funeral Mass. Depending on the particular church tradition. an icon or statue of Christ is literally placed in a coffin In some churches deacons carry the coffin around the church. and people throw or place flowers on the coffin while funeral dirges are sung. The ceremony is extremely moving, and there is seldom a dry eye in the congregation as everyone surges to get closer to the bier of Jesus.

Other churches take the coffin of Jesus outside the church before the funeral Mass, form a funeral procession and then circle though the streets which have again been blocked off by police. While the band plays doleful funeral music. the coffin makes a slow trip through the neighborhoods flanked by young people carrying flaming torches. Upon returning to the church. in traditions like the Armenian Catholic. the coffin is held by four pallbearers at the entrance of the church. All who enter the church stoop down and literally pass under the body of Christ.

The next day is Saturday of Light, and that night churches celebrate an Easter Mass that ends around midnight. The somber altar covers and banners from Good Friday are exchanged for brightly colored cloth. On Easter morning children come to church dressed in new clothes. and after the church services the youth bands again take to the streets to celebrate Christ's triumph over death . Crowds of families dressed in their Easter best throng the streets as cries of "Christ is risen!" "He is risen indeed!" are exchanged.

After the last drumbeats from the processions have died away, it is time to visit neighbors. friends and relatives to wish them Easter greetings. Muslim friends as well phone or stop by to wish Christians well on the occasion of Easter. Giving and receiving well-wishes can run through Easter Monday.

The Week of Sufferings in Damascus' Old City runs the gamut of emotions, from extreme joy to the deep sorrow of Good Friday's funeral. The sense of expectation is palpable. And as young and old go into the church on Good Friday, they do so with a most poignant reminder that under Christ we pass into the Church, and that the shouts of "C hrist is risen " will soon follow

Mennonite Central Committee Syria co-representative Eldon wrote this reflection on the drama of Holy Week in Damascus in 2005.

Leadership Board convenes Board of Faith and Life Summit

District reps give advice on forming national BFL

ThiS is as close to the Jerusalem Conference as we1l ever get," said Henry Schmidt as he welcomed the men and women who met in Phoenix, Ariz., for the Board of Faith and Life Summit convened Jan. 19-20 by the U S Conference Leadership Board. Noting the disagreements that prompted the first century conference, Schmidt said, "I expect that when we talk theology we will have agreement and some areas where we won't see things the same."

Observing that the denomination is in the unusual position of having district conferences formed before the national conference, Schmidt went on to say, "One of the things we have to sort out these days is what belongs at the district level and what at the national level." Discussions that evening and the next morning confirmed the challenge to which Schmidt alluded.

More than once, summit participants talked about the importance of addressing disagreements in healthy ways. "Other Mennonite groups talk to each other better than we do," said Larry Nikkel who served as the summit facilitator. "We just act like it's (disagreements) not there. The more we act like it's (disagreements) not there, the less healthy it is. We need to talk together."

Discussions about the role and responsibilities of a national theological board date back to at least the year 2000. Prior to 2000, the General Conference Board of Faith and Life served the U S Conference with regard to theological matters . When the ministries of the General Conference, comprised of U.S and Canadian Mennonite Brethren churches, were divested, the U.S. Conference formed its own theological board. That board existed until

2004 when delegates approved a governance model that included a single Leadership Board responsible for all ministries of the conference, including the fledgling national BFL.

A key assignment for the new Leadership Board was to write bylaws to be approved by delegates at the 2006 convention. Not long into that process, the new Leadership Board realized that the "one function that is too important to consolidate is theology," Leadership Board chair Steve Prieb told delegates to the 2006 U.S. Conference convention. So the USC bylaws presented to delegates last summer reinstated a national BFL. Delegates approved the bylaws and agreed to a request from the Leadership Board that details regarding the new board's structure

Rod Anderson, left, and Roger Poppen, right, participated in the January Board of Faith and Life Summit as representatives of the Central District Conference and Pacific District Conference, respectively.

and membership be decided at a summit attended by members of all district BFLs.

At its Fall 2006 meeting the Leadership Board determined that bringing together all district BFL members was cost prohibitive, and so they invited each district to send one representative from its BFL as well as the district minister. The Leadership Board charged board member Valerie Rempel, Henry Schmidt, fonner Leadership Board member and president emeritus of MB Biblical Seminary, and Larry Nikkel, president of Tabor College, with the task of preparing for and leading the summit.

The fonnat for the summit included both large and small group discussions. While there were times when Schmidt's prediction that the group would not be in agreement was accurate , the conversation was gracious rather than contentious and consensus was reached more times than not.

'This is the spirit of who we are as Mennonite Brethren," said Tim Sullivan, Southern District Conference minister, in reflecting on the summit's tone

The group agreed on several points during their eighthour discussion

• A review ofthe new U.S Conference bylaws shows that some statements about the Board of Faith and Life need to be clarified and other statements need to be developed more extensively, particularly with regard to how the national BFL and the Leadership Board relate.

For example, the current bylaws are not clear on how the national BFL and Leadership Board should communicate when the BFL has something to bring to convention delegates. The group agreed that there should be "substantia\" communication between the national BFL and the Leadership Board on such occasions.

Among the documents the group reviewed were the recently approved Canadian MB Conference bylaws, developed in consultation with Les Stahlke who also worked with the U.S. Conference Several attendees wondered why the Canadian document was more specific with regard to the responsibilities and function of the national BFL.

The group debated the need to add or amend the bylaws. More than one summit participant suggested giving the national BFL and the Leadership Board time to see what does and does not work. "Let's regard this as a working document, " said Roger Engbrecht , C entral District Conference minister. "Let them (the BF L and Leadership Board) see how it flows and work out what needs to change."

• While the U S Conferen ce and C anadian

Conference wrote the most recent Confession of Faith together, following divestiture of the binational General Conference, the Confession now belongs to each conference individually. It was reported that leaders from both national conferences recently discussed the question of making changes to the COF and agreed that the two national conferences can make changes independently of the other. This , however, has not yet been tested.

• There should be an interdependent rather than independent relationship between the regional BFLs and national board, and the various BFL boards should look for ways to add value to these relationships "I hear your interest in benefiting the whole - not looking out only for the district," Nikkel told the group In listing their conclusions following the first of two small group discussions, attendees suggested that the national board could assist regional boards in things like ordination, pastoral preparation, being a repository of resources and aiding in conflict resolution

• In principal, between district BFL boards and the national BFL board, the national BFL is the higher authority. "This is the one most of us have a little discomfort with - defining in what areas the national BFL has final authority," said Ken Ediger of the Southern District

The makeup of the board was discussed. Other than affirming the value of having district ministers involved at the national BFL level, summit participants made no specific recommendations regarding board makeup. Current bylaws state that membership on the national BFL will be distributed in tenns of east and west of the Rocky Mountains. Some summit participants advocated having all districts represented on the national BF L while representatives from smaller districts spoke to the challenge that presents to them A discussion about qualifications for national BFL membership raised the issue of the theological diversity among Mennonite Brethren congregations and how that diversity should be reflected on a national BFL.

The last topic of discussion involved listing what should be on the national BFLS agenda "What should people be thinking about that would help districts? " asked Valerie Rempel, who led this part of the summit. The list included open theism, marriage issues, pornography and help in understanding the church's relationship to the state in legal matters.

The BFL Summit included representatives of all U.S. C onference five districts District minister Roger Engbrecht, J Epp and Rod Anderson represented the Central District. District minister Gary Wall and Roger Poppen represented the Pacific District. District minister Tim Sullivan and Ken Ediger represented the Southern District Leadership Board members Rolando Mireles, Jr , and Terry Hunt represented the Latin America D istrict and the North Carolina District conferences re spectively Leadership Board members and U.S. Conference staff also participated in the summit. - by Connie Faber

Leadership Board meets in January

Stiffney leads board in planning

The u.s. Conference Leadership Board met Jan. 18 -19 in Phoenix, Ariz., with strategic planning as a key agenda item. While the Board devoted considerable time to long-range planning, the agenda was altered to include a discussion regarding the vacant position of u.s. Conference executive director.

U.S. Conference staff members met with the Leadership Board Thursday evening for an introductory session with consultant Rick Stiffney and for an initial conversation with a prospective candidate. Friday meetings with Stiffney and the candidate were both conducted in executive session.

Stiffney is the president and CEO of Mennonite Health Services Alliance, a community of Anabaptist health and human service ministries of which the u.s . Conference is a founding denomination. After working for 18 months with consultant Les Stahlke to develop a new set of bylaws, the Leadership Board opted for a new consultant to assist the board in the next step-strategic planning. The Leadership Board has contracted to meet with Stiffney twice and will meet with him for the second time in late spring.

In its last session, the Leadership Board heard reports from staff members Don Morris, director of Mission USA, Connie Faber, Leader editor and Donna Sullivan, administrative assistant. In the absence of an executive director, the board assigned various individuals to represent the board at upcoming denominational and inter- Mennonite functions.

Following the January meeting, the Leadership Board decided to defer the decision to hire an executive director until later this spring when the Board has done additional strategic planning. The current vacancy was created when Chuck Buller resigned late last year Buller, who began serving in the position five years ago, was the first full-time executive director in the history of the U.S. Conference - by Connie Faber

Ten Team U- SERV volunteers and a number of church members gathered Jan. 8 at Post Oak MB Church in Indiahoma, Okla., to help with the construction of a social center. The church has constructed a steel building to serve as a social center and a gym for their extensive youth activities. The Team U-SERV volunteers came to build the internal walls They erected steel- studded, fire-resistant walls for the kitchen, two large washrooms, two storage rooms and a wall to separate the gym from the other rooms.

Joining Victor Ulloa and his sons, who are from the local church, were Oklahoma volunteers Kevin Creed, Wayman Penner and Gary Seemann, all of Cordell, Arthu r Dalke of Tulsa, Calvin Fadenrecht and Marvin Vogt of Co r n and John Heidebrecht of Lawton Kansas volunteers were James and Dorothy Reimer of Hesston and Wi l mer and Hildegard Thiessen of Hillsboro. Local volunteers provided meals for the workers and pastor Leonard Presley gave each worker a gift as a token of t hanks.- Team U-SERV

Korean ministry closes

Loss of facility, sponsorship prompts decision

Shalom Church English Ministry, a ministry in Glendale, Calif , targeting second -generation Koreans, has closed. Mission USA director Don Morris made the announcement "with a great deal of sadness" in late January Joshua and Eun Ji Kim provided leadership to the energeti c work in the Los Angeles area for over two years Mission USA and recently the Pacific District Conference subsidized and supported the ministry

Several factors resulted in the closure, says Morris. The ministry met in the facility used by Shalom Korean Church, the first-generation congregation that sponsored the secondgeneration group, and owned by a Japanese congregation When the property wa s sold to an Armenian church, the high cost of rental in the area became an overwhelming obstacle in the search for a new meeting place.

'i\nother factor was the sudden and disappointing choice of the first-generation church to join a Presbyterian denomination, " says Morris. 'Without a supporting firstgeneration church and without a facility, it quickly became apparent that the situation called for closure."

The Pacific District Conference processed the official closure and Joshua and Eun Ji Kim are pursuing other avenues of service . 'They have the respect, admiration and affirmation of those involved in this project," says Morris. "Please pray for them and for the youth to whom they ministered as they all determine God's new direction " - MUSA

Omaha churches enter into partnership

"We can accomplish more together than apart"

In many ways the new partnership between Shadow Lake Community Church, a young Mennonite Brethren congregation in the Omaha, Neb ., area, and Pleasantview Church, an established Berean congregation, is not unlike a marriage. As in marriage, each partner brings unique strengths to the union And as in marriage , the team produced by the union can be stronger and more effective th an the individuals.

"We can do more together than we can do apart," say both Brian Classen, senior pastor at Shadow Lake, and Dan Hauge, former senior pastor at Pleasantview and current associate pastor at Shadow Lake

Both churches were healthy and strong on their own Although they weren't perfect, neither was a declining congregation in need of life support.

Sh adow Lake was a young , fast -growing congregation, launched as an MB church plant in 1998 under the name Rolling

Hills Church Recent growth had brought attendance up to several hundred in multiple services. Deeply rooted in the culture of the congregation was an excitement to reach their community for Christ

Pleasantview was a more established congregation with 48 years of successful ministty in their community. "Things were good at Pleasantview," says Hauge. He describes a close-knit community, with generations of pe0ple being discipled and seasons of growth tempered by continual transition of military families. Each church could have done fine alone But "fine" wasn't good enough for either

Classen says that Shadow Lake looked at potential growth in their community - up to 1,000 new homes in the area within five yearsand knew they wanted to be in a posit ion to reach that new community. "We looked at the timetable saying individually it's going to b e hard to get there," Classen says "But toget he r, we might be able to put ourselves in a position to meet the exciting things happening the re."

Pleasantview , meanwhile, had a desire not only to grow in depth of spiritual maturity, but also to reach more people for Christ, which logically meant numerical growth. But numerical growth was limited by their building. The congregation " kept hitting their head on the top of their building." as Hauge puts it. Pleasantview's leadership considered six options for the future of the congregation, and two rose to the top: building off-site or merging with another church.

The " matchmaker" between these two congregations came in the form of a pastoral search in spring 2006. Shadow Lake was looking for an associate pastor whose gifts would complement Classen's; Hauge desired a role that would better use his gifts. As Shadow Lake considered Hauge for their associate position, the possibility of a congregational partnership came up.

From there, the courtship proceeded quickly as both congregations felt theirs was a good match. For starters, the pastoralleadership would be a good match. Classen brings visionary leadership to the mix, while Hauge, who also teaches at nearby Grace University, brings strengths in teaching as well as some 23 years of pastoral experience.

The resources were good matches

While Shadow Lake has a relatively new facility in a prime location, they also carry considerable debt. Growth for the Pleasantview congregation was limited by their facility Merging, selling the Pleasantville facility and using the Shadow Lake facility would benefit both parties

Pleasantview would bring a maturity of faith that comes from longevity

Classen says that would be a huge benefit to a young , growing congregation. He says that Shadow Lake ministries such as small groups had been on hold, waiting for mature leaders Pleasantview would provide a pool of leaders and mentors overnight.

As the two congregations began to explore a merger, they fully expected to bump into what Classen calls "deal-breakers" that would end discussions of a partnership: differences in vision, perhaps, or opposition from those involved But at each step, the courtship went smoothly.

The two congregations come from different denominational backgrounds - MB and Berean Fellowship - and was willing to compromise basic theology. But as they got better acquainted, they found full agreement on doctrinal issues. The new Shadow Lake maintains dual affiliation with both the MB and Berean denominations. "We made a strong commitment to both (denominations) to stay actively involved," says Classen. He adds that both denominations benefit from a strong presence in Omaha

The idea of a partnership was discussed by both church leadership boards, both congregations and their denominationalleadership, much like a couple considering marriage might seek the blessing of family and friends. If the blessing wasn't there, the partnership was a no - go But at each level they found support. Roger Engbrecht, district minister for the Central District Conference, says that meetings at the district and U.S. Conference levels to discuss ramifications of the partnership went well, and that leaders wanted to support "the genuine desire of the two churches to reach more people for Christ."

Classen expresses gratitude at the level of trust displayed by MB leaders as they considered this innovative approach "If we're going to be a growing, vibrant, relevant denomination in the 21st century, we've got to be open to new ideas," he says

Once it was clear that the match was a good one, there was no reason to wait 'There's ministry to be done and needs to be met, so if we're doing to do this, let's do it, " Classen says The partnership was finalized Oct. I, 2006, less than six months after the idea first came up and in time to laun ch fall programs and small groups.

Like any new marriage , this partnersh ip comes wit h its own set of cha llenges. Some we re an ticipated Budget matte rs are n't always easy to work through , and Shadow Lake's current debt presents a financial risk . Reso urces from the eventual sale of the Pleasantview property will help defray debt and launch a new building program to allow for continued growth The new Shadow Lake hopes to start work in the next few months on a new 640 -seat sanctuary and renovations to create more education space . Within five years, they hope to be on a 40acre campus that will help them have "a real presence here in Omaha," says Classen

There 's the challenge to stay true to core values, especially a vision to reach the community in spite of more comfortable numbers ; the new Shadow Lake has more than 600 attendees in three services. For some from Pleasantview, the loss of their facility - their 'borne" in many ways - and

some loss of the feeling of close-knit community was nothing short of painful. Both churches lost a few members along the way. More challenges will be revealed as the partnership moves out of the honeymoon phase.

But both partners remain committed to seeing the partnership through, not for the sake of their own comfort, but for the sake of those in their community who don't know Christ That makes it worth the effort, says Classen "If more churches would have their primary focus on reaching lost people, they would do more for the kingdom " Classen says Shadow Lake welcomes donations as well as prayers for unity and courage to keep stepping out in faith for the sake of the kingdom.

And if it doesn't work? Hauge says, ' The amazing thing to me will be that there was a time in history when men and women stepped out in faith and said, ' Lord, we want to honor you: That's always the right thing to do." - by Myra Holmes

Top Le ft : Dan Hauge, former Pleasantview Church pastor, and Brian Classen, senior pastor at Shadow Lake, have seen their churches unexpectedly merge to form the new Shadow Lake (above).

A

model" minister

years ago Mennonite Brethren pastor David Bonilla lived in what he aIls a "plastic" world. As a professional fashion model in Bogota, Colombia's capital, his days were spent in high-class neighborhoods. His Colombia was glittering and glamorous.

Today he ministers on the outskirts of the city in an area marked by need and violence. Pastor and founder of a church, Bonilla also oversees a preschool and scholarship project supported by Mennonite Central Committee's Global Family program MCC is the relief, service and peace agency of the North American Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches

Throughout the last decade, people forced to flee their homes by Colombia's long-running armed conflict have flooded Cazuca, where many live in makeshift homes without running water or other basics. Many streets are unpaved, and when rains are heavy the area turns into a dangerous, seeping mud that every year wipes out some homes.

When he first began visiting homes in the area, Bonilla was stunned by floors that were only dirt, by the lack of modem plumbing, by the fact that the water sporadically went off for days at a time.

"Coming to a place like this, it's just another world," the 33 -year-old says .

And Bonilla didn't settle for just stopping by once in a while.

Nine months after he began work in Cazuca, Bonilla and his wife moved into the neighborhood

" I want to follow Jesus' example. Jesus didn't send somebody. Jesus went. That's why I'm living here now," he says. "It was just a way of working well with people. When I moved here, I could start earlier I could do things in the evenings "

But this means living in an area where he will always worry for his wife's safety as she returns from classes or work where he will wonder whether his house will still be OK when he returns, where he knows being confused for someone who has unsettled accounts in the neighborhood could mean an attack or worse .

"One has faith , but you never know what's going to happen." he says.

Bonilla' s journey to ministry has its roots in his experiences as an altar boy in a Catholic church , his first inkling that God would call him into ministry. He was born on the coast, and his parents moved to Bogota IS years ago Bonilla was working as a professional model when a friend invited him to a Baptist church " It's just a plastic world." he says of modeling. ' 'You're famous, but it 's an empty life ."

In church he found a sense of family and relationships He began attending a Mennonite Brethren church, Dios es Amor, near his home He began to dream of ministry and thought of becoming a missionary

abroad. perhaps in Peru or Brazil. His pastor, encouraging Bonilla to also explore beginning a ministry in Colombia, sent him to Cazuca to meet with a woman who was ill.

His commitment to missions kept him coming back, and hi s connections to the community deepened. He was soon invited to lead a Bible study for six women. He was introduced to the group as their pastor - and soon grew into that role.

Today he is pastor of the Mennonite Brethren Church of EI Progreso. In the five years he's worked in the neighborhood, he began the church and has served as the driving force behind the preschool and scholarship program for primary and secondary school students.

David Bonilla, a Mennonite Brethren pastor who turned from professional modeling to ministry, I began a church, a preschool and a scholarship program in an impoverished area outside Bogota.

The preschool offers neighborhood children a chance to spend time in a nurturing, safe environment while their parents are working . Scholarships help parents pay for school fees, supplies and transportation for primary and secondary school students. MCC's Global Family program helps support the outreach to children, and MCC canned meat is used for preschool lunches, allowing the school

to conserve its scarce resources for other needs. Canned meat is also included in food boxes for families .

"A lot of the families don't have enough to eat. They need help with food or school. Children don't have space to go out and play or other safe opportunities for recreation," he says.

So Bonilla strives to meet what needs he can. He dreams of how the preschool can

grow into a school and is working to organize a computer room for children. Through the challenges of living in the neighborhood, through the enormity of the work yet to do, he is driven by the faces he sees around him

Watching children learning and playing, "I feel I've really fulfilled something," he says.-by Marla Pierson Lester, M CC staff writer

Suffering and hope in Colombian churches

/t:icia has a stark explanation for how she and her family came to leave their home in La Palma and flee to Cazuca, Colombia, an vercrowded, impoverished area on Bogota's outskirts : One of the many armed groups operating in Colombia told her she needed to give them her lo -year-old daughter .

" We said no, and they gave us 72 hours to leave, " remembers Alicia.

Unfortunately, her story is not unusual. As government forces, guerrillas and paramilitary groups are vying for territory and power in a long -running armed conflict, young boys and girls are often forcibly recruited into armed groups. About 12,000 children are soldiers in the conflict. Some 2,500 to 3,000 people a year are killed in Colombia's conflict

More than 3 5 million have been forced to flee their home, including more than 2 million in the last six years And church members are not immune .

A recent project by Mennonite Central Committee, the relief, peace and service agency of North American Mennonite churches, documents details of 29 assassinations of men, women and children linked to congregations, 84 cases of people forced to flee their homes, 21 civilian combat-related injuries, four arbitrary detentions and other human rights violations The report, "A Prophetic Call : Colombian Protestant Churches Document Their Suffering and Their Hope," is built from testimonies gathered by grassroots church members or leaders

The report also chronicles how churches are living out their faith with hope and perseverance "Despite fear, Christians claim the gospel mandate of being good news and sow seeds of peace, " says project coordinator Janna Hunter- Bowman

MCC supports several initiatives to help those displaced by the conflict and to encourage peace. Mencoldes, a Colombian Mennonite relief and development agency and partner of MCC, works in Cazuc3 with groups of women, including Alicia, and with children and youth . MCC's Global Family program also supports a preschool and scholarship program founded by a Mennonite Brethren pastor in Cazuci and assists the Coalition for Conscientious Objection, which provides school fees, uni -

forms and educational and cultural activities for children MCC resources such as canned meat are given to the preschool and a Mencoldes center for displaced people in Bogota .

Hunter-Bowman hopes that Christians in the U.S . and Canada will take to heart the reports of suffering in Colombian churches and will witness on their behalf both in congregations and to the government As a starting point, MCC encourages participation in two Days of Prayer and Action for Peace in Colombia, scheduled for May 20 - 21.

To read more about MCC's work in Colombia, check their Web site at www .mcc.orglcolombia/ . MCC's report on Colombia can be found online atmcc orgluslwashington.-MPL

Alicia walking through her neighborhood

Fed up with war

Somalia at critical point in its history

16 years of anarchy and civil war. Somalia has entered a critical point 'n its history. says Abdullahi Shirwa. the director of Somali Peaceline. a Mennonite Central Committee partner organization in the country

In mid-January. Somalia's transitional federal government ousted the Islamic Courts Union. a group that had controlled much of the country since June of 2006 It is too early to tell whether the new government. formed in exile and dependent on troops ftom Ethiopia or the African Union. will bring peace and stability to the country. However, the government's victory presents a new opportunity to address Somalia's many problems. Shirwa says.

'What I can say is there is a good opportunity at this time," he says. "If the government (leaders) get ready and come up with a conciliatory program, I think it can be manageable. .. because most of the people. they are fed up with these wars."

MCC supports Somali Peaceline in a program to teach conflict resolution skills in schools. Through Somali partner organizations, MCC also supports several primary schools, a microcredit program and public health programs aimed at preventing HIV and eliminating the practice of female circumcision. MCC is continuing to support these programs but is not currently able to place personnel in Somalia because of insecurity.

Somalia's last functioning government was overthrown by warlords in 1991. leaving the capital, Mogadishu, and much of the country in a state of anarchy. Looters destroyed much of the public infrastructure. such as schools and hospitals.

" Life was very, very difficult. actually, and the people, they remember that time as the worst time in Somali history." Shirwa says Somali Peaceline was formed during the 1990S in response to school violence in Mogadishu. Violence and lawlessness in the city seemed to lead to conflicts in

school-fights. bullying, stealing and defiance of teachers

Shirwa says Compounding the problem. many teenage students are

KENYA still in early grades due to Somalia's dismal record of school enrollment According to UNESCO. only 9 percent of Somali children attend elementary school.

Somali Peaceline conducts three -day workshops on peer mediation for students in Mogadishu. To date. 450 students have completed these workshops and Somali Peaceline has organized workshops on

peacemaking for teachers as well. Shirwa says that the project is helping schools change a "culture of violence" through nonviolent conflict resolution.

"We are trying to transform. peacefully, the environment of the school-that violent atmosphere around the school-from the management to the students," he says .-by Tim Shenk for MGG

Looking for a way to use your leadership and management skills?

Country Representatives

Ethiopia

Sudan

Zimbabwe

Bangladesh

India

Mexico

Direct inquiries to:

Becky Stahly

MCC, Human Resources, PO Box 500, Akron, PA 17501

Phone: (717) 859-1151

Email: rss@mcc.org

Leadership Positions:

Administration & Resources Director, Akron, PA

Associate Director - Asia Dept, Akron, PA

East Coast Executive Director, Akron, PA

Peace Program Coordinator, Akron, PA or Winnipeg, MB

Resource Generation Network Director, Akron, PA

Washington Office Director, Washington, D.C.

Indian Ocean

"We will not forget you"

GLobaL family pledges solidarity with Zimbabwean Christians

T he challenges facing our nation do not seem to want to go away " Danisa Ndlovu. Bishop of the Brethren in Christ Church in Zimbabwe. told Mennonite World Conference officers and executive staff at a meeting Jan . 5- 6 in Fresno. Calif. "Each day seems to bring more hardships." MWC is an organization of Anabaptist-related churches linked to one another in a worldwide community of faith for fellowship. worship. service and witness.

Ndlovu is asking the MWC global family to continue to pray for his country and his church and to make solidarity visits to Zimbabwe. He is also requesting financial assistance for the BICC Peace Committee

future governance in the country.

The church groups have jointly produced a discussion document titled "The Zimbabwe We Want: Towards a National Vision for Zimbabwe" which the church groups presented to President Robert Mugabe. They are hoping all stakeholders. not only churches. will take ownership of the process.

The proposed extension of President Mugabe's term to 2010 appears to be creating division within the ruling party and resistance by the opposition and civic groups, which adds to the anxiety in a nation where there is little political tolerance. Under Mugabe's leadership in recent

pott... to who knows where." their huts smouldering or in flames.

'We are praying that this cup of suffering will go away." says Ndlovu.

In addition to offering solidarity in Zimbabwe MWC is forming a larger plan for "Global Anabaptist Deacons" in response to the service consultation held one year ago in Pasadena, Calif MWC officers and senior staff moved these support initiatives forward at their January meeting in Fresno

They decided to send one international Koinonia delegation in each of the next three years to a different region. The primary purpose of the teams. named by MWC and selected from member churches and volun-

In .1ddition to offering "oliJarity in Zimhabwe. t \VC is formin g a lar ger pbn for Anahaptist Deacons " in respon se to the service consultation held one year in Cali!.

and MWC's help in creating a Peace, Social Justice and Ethics Desk to serve Zimbabwe and other African countries.

MWC officers at the California meeting agreed to send a "Koinonia Team" to visit Zimbabwe in 2007 to build community through presence, prayer and encouragement. The team is a response to general secretary Larry Miller's promise to Zimbabweans on behalf of all participants at the close of Assembly 14 in Bulawayo in 2003: 'We will not forget you." The team will go to Zimbabwe in August at the time of the annual BIC conference.

Ndlovu, vice-president and presidentelect of MWC, described increasingly devastating political, economic and social conditions. To address the situation, three major Christian church groups in Zimbabwe are banding together. The Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, of which the BICC is a member, the Zimbabwe Council of Churches and the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishop's Conference are calling for dialogue among all sectors of Zimbabwean people both inside and outside the country to consttuct a national vision for

years the country has spun into sharp decline Professional people continue to leave. The economic situation fuels corruption, unemployment is still at 80 percent, inflation continues at 1,200 percent, the highest in the world, and life expectancy is now about 38 years.

Health delivery is compromised. Hospitals have few if any drugs. The sick are sometimes being asked to hunt for medical prescriptions in the market and then take the medicine to the hospital for their treattnent One ray of hope is the report that the rate of HIV/AIDS infections is decreasing, but the pandemic continues with an increasing number of orphans as a result.

Many of the thousands of people made homeless by the 2005 "Restore Order/Clean Up" still have no homes. The promised new homes have mostly gone to government employees and friends. New "cleanup" operations have left more people homeless. Ndlovu reports that on a December ttip to Harare. the capital city. he saw people "who had piled their belongings, some along the road, praying for trans -

teers. is to stand in solidarity with churches living in difficult circumstances. not to bring immediate solutions to their problems.

The majority of MWC member churches are in the South, many of them in particular need. General secretary Miller said that churches perform the role of deacon in their local context, a biblical concept from the first Christian church, and Mennonite service agencies respond generously to world disasters. However, there is too little attention directed specifically to the global Anabaptist faith family Global Anabaptist Deacons could help fill that void . Just as importantly, these deacons could also be alert to the diverse needs of the churches in the global North and help the worldwide family of faith to respond

Miller and Pakisa Tshimika, associate general secretary and member of College Community Church. Clovis, Calif., will refine a proposal for a Global Anabaptist Deacons Commission for Executive Committee action in August. MWC anticipates sending a team to Asia in 2008 and also facilitated a Mennonite Church USA "church-to - church" delegation to two churches in the Democratic Republic of Congo in February 2007.-by Ferne Burkhardt, MWC news editor

Challenging or proclaiming Christ

We must all decide who Jesus is

There is a new documentary DVD out called, The God Who Wasn't There. If you want a free copy all you have to do is record a short message "damning yourself to hell." You must include this phrase: "I deny the Holy Spirit." After you upload your message to the Web site YouTube, the Rational Response Squad will send you a free copy of this DVD. This is intended to be a direct challenge to Jesus' words, "Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin" (Mark 3:29).

The intent of this group is "to encourage atheists to come forward and put their souls on the line, showing others that you don't have to be afraid of God." One member of this group states bluntly, "He's daring God to send him to hell."

have often comforted me when I faced difficult situations in my life.

Jesus is my Crutch, and I don't know how I could live without his support system. To critics who say that religion is nothing but a crutch for people who can't stand on their own two feet I say, so what? I I need all the support I can get and wouldn't want to function without him.

. : It took me a while to Jistinguish bet wee n w hat I kn c\ v I sh o uld believe what was re all y a p.ut o f my spirit ua l foundation. J

However misguided and tragic their position is, these people have one thing right: We must all decide who Jesus is. And yes, we will have to face the consequences of our decision both in this life and in eternity.

The Gospel of Mark tells the story of Jesus asking his disciples what the people are saying about him. Then he turns to them and asks, "Who do you say I am?" (8:29) This is not only a question for the disciples back then. It is still a question for each one of us today. We must decide for ourselves who Jesus is and whether to accept or reject him.

While working my way through Brennan Manning's book, The Ragamuffin Gospel, I came across an assignment where I was challenged to answer this very question: Who is Jesus to me? In the assignment I was instructed to "describe the Christ that you have personally encountered .. ..

Describe not the deity you have heard about or been taught to believe exists, but only the Christ you have actually encountered."

This is not as easy as it sounds It took me a while to distinguish between what I knew I should believe and what was really a part of my spiritual foundation. Here is my preliminary list:

Jesus is my Savior. As a six-year-old child in a raspberry patch in British Columbia, Canada, I asked Jesus to come into my heart. He became my Savior then and still is now many years later

Jesus is my Teacher. Reading the gospels and studying his words have provided me with the guidelines I need to live my life as a C hristian.

Jesus is my Burden Bearer. His words, "Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matt n:28),

Jesus is my Hope. This truth became real to me when my father died while I was living in a Muslim country. While there I observed the often hopeless wailing of the mourners when someone died. Would the person go to paradise? They didn't know. The good he had done had to outweigh the bad. "God is merciful," they said to reassure themselves.

As I flew to my father's funeral, I read I Corinthians 15. I remembered Jesus' own words: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16) I was comforted by this hope. I knew that someday I would meet both my father and my mother in heaven Jesus was my hope then and stil1 is

Jesus is my Partner on the road of life. When I face difficult situations I find myself praying. "Jesus, I can't do this alone. I need you to help me." I will never forget the phone call I received from my husband several years ago following an accident. He was in a hospital emergency room in a nearby state and needed me to come. It was a traumatic trip for me. At first, the driving wasn't too bad, but then it got dark and began to rain. I found myself in a construction zone with no lane markings to help me see where I should be going. The traffic was heavy. Upset and driving erratically, I finally prayed, "Jesus, you are going to have to help me drive. I can't do this by myself." He did Together, we made it safely to my destination.

These are some of my beliefs. Now it's your tum. Who do you say Jesus is?

Preaching on hell

Why do we minimize the reality of hell?

QWhY do we not hear sennons on heaven and hell in Mennonite Brethren churches? (Colorado)

inquirer stated that he had been a Mennonite Brethren "from the beginning" and has had 17 different pastors but has ever heard a sermon on the "end times" or hell or even heaven He was bewildered because others (TV preachers like Charles Blair as well as pastors of other evangelical churches) do preach sermons on hell and heaven.

I was a bit amazed and perhaps dubious about the truthfulness of this boycott of heaven and hell in

sermons, but this was a serious, intelligent inquirer. As I reflected on the question, I couldn't remember the last time I have heard a sermon or

I<'1

Janzen goes on to say that "something has changed. Few today would joyfully sing bygone hymns lauding the just agonies of hell Most now find this J?Crspective disturbing, but what are the options? Must we either suggest a lobotomized existence in heaven or reject hell's reality?"

After quoting from C. S. Lewis' 'The Great Divorce" and the views of Brian McLaren, the "emerging church" guru, and noting the view that the end result of hell will be nonexistence rather than eternal conscious suffering, Janzen leaves me skeptical about his personal view. He says, "God is indeed the eternal I AM, and separation from him

he happy to hear from p..lstor s ahollt the frequency or in

frequency of sermons on hell and heaven.

preached a sermon on either of these two subjects I did hear very recently that a candidanng pastor told hiS prospective congregation (or search committee) that he preached on heaven and hell.

My first inclination as to reasons for the scarcity of such sermons is that pastors may not want to bring up disconcerting subjects like hell in our "seeker-friendly" approach to church. Perhaps it is not "politically correct" to be so direct as to inform nonbelievers that they are headed for hell. But why would we then not talk about heaven? Or maybe if you don't talk about hell, it doesn't make much sense to talk about heaven. I'd be happy to hear from pastors about the frequency or infrequency of sermons on hell and heaven.

I'd like to recommend to my inquirer and others interested in the subject the January 2007 issue of the Mennonite Brethren Herald, the Leader's sister publication in Canada. There are three articles focusing on hell and heaven. Marshall Janzen in 'The don't talk about" in effect substantiates the fact that hell especially IS rarely preached or even talked about. He writes, ".Hell used to be He refers to medieval artists and playwnghts who specialized m graphic pictures of the coming damnation. Dante's 'The Comedy" and Milton's "Paradise Lost" are cited as examples of wnting that became famous because of their "sizzling scenes in hell."

Have a question about a Bible passage, doctrine, conference policy or other spiritual issue? Send your question to "Inquiring Minds," cia Marvin Hein , 3036 East MagiD Avenue, Fresno, CA 93710 or email Marvin at marvinhein@sbcglobal net

means to ultimately not be If this is hell, it is still a tragic fate, but our Creator has the right to unmake those who spurn life's only source."

Or maybe I haven't understood him.

I personally find more sense in Pierre Gilbert's views in "When God's justice and goodness collide: Thinking through the notion of hell" and James Toews' "Extricating Hell." Toews agrees with my inquirer when he says, "For many years now it's been fashionable to minimize hell and to scorn those who pursue salvation as a type of 'fire insurance."' Toews points out that most teachings about hell in the New Testament come from Jesus' words. Our Lord calls hell a place of punishment-very real and from which there is no escape-and that it is wise to avoid that fate.

Both Toews and Gilbert agree that human beings choose their fate. "Hell isn't just a place where God sends people. It's a condition human beings choose," writes Gilbert 'They receive in judgment exactly what they ask for; hell is to choose to exist in a state where God is absent." He finds no biblical evidence that in some moment of eternity rebellious people will somehow have a way of changing their minds and turning back to God

The story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 is instructive. The rich man in hell begs father Abraham for mercy. He receives none and is told, "between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us" (Luke 16:26.)

BAPTlSM/MEMBERSHIP

Bakersfield, Calif. ILaurelglenJ-Gavin Grimes. Louis Rogers and Alfred Casaccia were baptized the weekend of Jan. 27-28.

Bakersfield, Calif. (RosedaleJ-Michael and Michelle Shepherd. Lonnie and Karen Berhow. Javier Gutierrez. Daisy Gutierrez. Galen and Lita Norsworthy. Amanda Mumford and Anna Neufeld were welcomed as new members Jan. 21

Orland, Calif. (Country Bible ChurchJ-Nicolas Bergen was baptized Dec 31 FELLOWSHIP

Buhler, Kan.-Ken Canfield. founder of the National Center for Fathering. was the guest speaker for a men's dinner March 4.

WIChita, Kan. (FirstJ-Families were invited Feb 23 to a showing of the newest Veggie Tale movie, "Moe and the Big Exit : The evening featured a western theme, in keeping with the movie's theme

Papillion, Neb. (Shadow LakeJ-A men's retreat Feb 910 featured worship, sports, food and teaching on the theme "Fired up for God's glory:

Bakersfield, Calif. (The BridgeJ-A luncheon for junior high girls and their mothers Feb. 3 included a Mexican meal, a fashion show highlighting modest dress and discussions about relationships and purity.

Fresno, Calif. (BethanyJ- A Guys Night Out for fathers and sons Feb . 2 included a secret project, guest speaker and dessert.

Dinuba, Calif.-A new monthly men's fellowship began Jan 27 with a breakfast, video and discussion.

Orland, Calif. (Country Bible ChurchJ-A potluck lunch Jan 21 included a love offering to help feed pastors taken prisoner in Laos

Ferndale, Wash. (Good NewsJ-Women wore comfortable clothes, shared snacks and enjoyed a "chick flick" during "Cozy Night" Jan. 19.

Olathe, Kan. (Community BibleJ - A book club for women meets regularly.

Fresno, Calif. (The GroveJ-A group from the church meets monthly at a local Starbuck·s to play games. MINISTRY

Littleton, Colo. (Belleview CommunityJ - Church volunteers began a brief weekly chapel time for children in the church's day care and preschool program Feb 4

Clovis, Calif. (College CommunityJ- The congregation recently donated about $1 ,000 to help Iglesia El Buen Pastor, Orange Cove , Calif , respond to needs within their congregation and community as a result of the January freeze in central California

Bakersfield, Calif (The BridgeJ - Sunday, Feb 4 featured "A Bridge to Hope:· a Third World marketplace

complete with colorful costumes, decorated booths and cultural foods. Participants could provide for families in need locally and globally

Bakersfield, Calif. (LaurelglenJ- The church is offering a 10-week, confidential Bible study called "Reflections " for Christian women who have had an undisclosed abortion.

Manhattan, Kan.-For the weeks preceding the Super Bowl Feb. 4, members could show support for their favorite team by placing nonperishable food items in one of two boxes labeled with the team logos Donations were taken to a local charity

Fresno, Calif. (Mountain ViewJ-A pi-ayer room is available 24 hours a day for members to pray for themselves, their ministry and the world Pastor Intercesssory Teams (PIT crewsl are people who have committed to pray and support a specific pastor for four-month terms.

PROCLAMATION

Littleton, Colo. (Belleview CommunityJ-A focus on missions Feb 18-March 4 included guest speaker Randy Friesen, general director of MBMS International, a Peruvian dinner, a live conversation with missionaries and a focus on short-term missions opportunities.

WIChita, Kan. (FirstJ-Bruce Anthony, former professor at Tabor CoUege, Hillsboro, Kan., was the evening speaker Feb 18 His topic, "In My Right Mind: focused on his experiences since being diagnosed April 2005 with a massive brain tumor and given two years to live.

Hesston, Kan -Keith Phillips, president and founder of World Impact, an inner city ministry, was the guest speaker Jan. 28

Bakersfield, Calif. (LaurelglenJ-A Norm Wright Grief Seminar Jan. 27 focused on identifying ungrieved losses, implementing the process of grief, understanding recovery and learning biblical perspectives on loss, A weekly support group has been started for those experiencing grief.

Fresno, Calif. (Mountain ViewJ- The church hosted a marriage seminar Jan. 26-27 with well -known marriage counselor Gary Smalley 's The Smalley Relationship Center.

Reedley, Callf.-The African Children 's Choir sang Jan 14

Sioux Falls, SD (Ethiopian Christian FellowshipJThe church held revival services Jan 7-8 with a guest speaker from Ethiopia, and has scheduled a leadership conference with an Ethiopian pastor from California for May 28 -29.

WORKERS

Lodi, Calif.lVinewoodJ - Jason Archuleta, pastor of student ministries, has resigned. The church held a farewell luncheon Jan 21

Buhler, Kan.-Bruce Porter has accepted a call to serve as senior pastor. Porter and his wife, Janice, are completing their pastoral ministry at Hillsboro IKan.l MB Church March 31 To welcome the Porters, Buh ler women plan to compile a scrapbook representing each perso n who attends the church

YOUTH

Enid, Okla.-Junior high and high school youth focused on love and purity during February. An evening meal and celebration planned for Feb. 25 gave youth an opportunity to make a public commitment to purity.

Wichita, Kan. (Firstl-Junior high youth planned to participate in a 3D -hour famine Feb 23-24 to raise funds to help World Vision, a Christian relief and development organization. Last year participants raised enough to be ranked first in the state for donations.

Huron, SD (BethesdaJ - Over 100 area youth have been paired with church families for specific prayer and support Many of the youth are associated with Souled Out, the area youth ministry sponsored by Bethesda

DEATHS

BARTEL, EARL G., Goessel, Kan , a member of Hillsboro (Kan.l MB Church, was born Sept. 26, 1926, at Hillsboro, Kan., and died Jan 6, 2007, at the age of 80 On Oct. 7, 1947, he married Elizabeth Schroeder, who predeceased him. He is survived by three sons, Donnivon and wife Linda of Burton, Kan., Glenn and wife Lavonne of Wichita, Kan , and Scott and wife Brenda of Hillsboro; two daughters, Sharon Tomlinson of Wichita, Kan., and Darlene and husband Paul Ediger of Hesston, Kan ; one sister, Freda Wall, 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

DICK, ANNA, Henderson, Neb , a member of Henderson MB Church, was born June 3, 1910, to John P. and Katherine Toews Quiring near Hampton, Neb , and died Jan 13,2007, at the age of 96 On Dec. 18, 1932, she married Henry Dick, who predeceased her in 1978 She is survived by one son, LeRoy and wife Judy of Hampton, Neb.; four daughters, Doris and husband Harold Kroeker of Henderson, Leanna and husband Lee Penner of Aurora, Neb., Beverly and husband Pal Wright of Olathe, Kan , and Phyllis and husband Jim Pickle of Wichita, Kan.; one brother, Henry and wife Miriam of Henderson; one sister, Helen Berg of Fresno, Calif.; one sister-in-law, Bertha Quiring of Henderson, 16 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren

FRIESEN, IRVIN LEANDER, of Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, former MB missionary to Africa, was born Aug. 22, 1920, to Jacob and Kathryn Friesen in Reedley, Calif., and died Jan . 19, 2007, at the age of 86. On Nov. 11, 1944, he married Lydia Gunther, who predeceased him He is survived by one son, Glenn and wife Lynda of Bonner's Ferry; one daughter, Karen and husband Karl Hoekman of Arkansas, seven grandchildren and seven great -grandchildren

KARBER, EDYTHE, Wichita , Kan , a member of Community Bible Fellowship, Bellingham, Wash , was

born Oct. 14, 1923, to Jacob and Lena Penner Wiens in CoLLinsviLLe, Okla., and died Dec. 18,2006, at the age of 83. On Nov 15, 1942, she married Vernon Ray Karber, who predeceased her April 15, 2003. She is survived by two daughters, Jacque and husband Scott Culbertson of Omak, Wash , and Jana and husband Gene Hildebrandt of Wichita, and five grandchildren.

LOEWEN, LEANDER, HiLLsboro, Kan., a member of Ebenfeld MB Church, Hillsboro, was born Aug. 7, 1913, to Isaac L. and Aganetha Cornelsen Loewen near HiLLsboro and died Dec. 24, 2006, at the age of 93. On April 3, 1941, he married Helen Koop, who predeceased him in 2006. He is survived by two sons, Robert and wife Rita, and Charles and wife Mary, aLL of Hillsboro; one daughter, Carol and husband Sherwin Ratzlaff of Enid, Okla ; two sisters, Rubena Jost of Marion, Kan., and Adena and husband Eddie Feil of Vista, Calif , seven grandchildren and seven great - grandchildren

REIMER, AARON C" Hillsboro, Kan., a member of HiLLsboro MB Church, was born Dec 26, 1928, to Jacob A. and Katherine L. Classen Reimer in Meade, Kan , and died Dec 26, 2006, at the age of 78. On June 14, 1949, he married Margie Bartel, who predeceased him July 10, 1996. He is survived by one son, Cameron of HiLLsboro; two daughters, Darla and husband Richard Klassen of Manitowoc, Wis., and Delara and husband Kim Kaufman of Hillsboro; four brothers, Pete and wife Margaret of Olathe, Kan. , John of Plains, Kan., Dave and wife Margaret of Meade, Kan , and Ervin and wife Velma of Hays, Kan ; one sister-in-law, Louise Reimer of Kansas City, Kan.; one brother-in -law, John and wife Ruth Loewen of Meade, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

REIMER, VERNO BARNEY, Corn, Okla., a member of Corn MB Church, was born Oct. 8, 1928, to Barney F. and Rosalie Schroeder Reimer near Corn and died

Jan. 17,2007, at the age of 78. On Dec. 7, 1947, he married Marjorie Moritz, who survives. He is also survived by two sons, Vernie and wife Brenda of Calgary, Alta , and Delmer and wife Robin of Mountain View, Okla ; one daughter, Lucy and husband Norm Penner of Boyden, Iowa; two brothers, Don and wife Jeanette of Mountain View, Okla., and Dennis and wife Carol of Springfield, Mo.; one sister, Bertha and husband Harry Brown of Tulare, Calif., seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

SALLASKA, EUGENE M., Fairview, Okla , a member of Fairview MB Church, was born May 21, 1921, to Charlie J. and Lydia Young SaLLaska in Weatherford, Okla., and died Jan. 22, 2007, at the age of 85 On Sept. 19, 1943, he married Erna B Bartel, who survives. He is also survived by two sons, Ronald of Perkins, Okla , and Garold and wife Cynthia of Liberal. Kan ; two daughters, Eugenia and husband Larry Kroeker of McKinney, Texas, and Barbara and husband Tom Welk of Norman, Okla.; two brothers, Charlie Jr. and wife Mary Jane of Westminster, Colo., and Vernon and wife Linda of McLoud, Okla., eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

SCHROEDER, MARTHA MARIE, Hillsboro, Kan , of Hillsboro MB Church, was born Jan. 2, 1906 , to George and Marie Moehlman Thye near Burlington, Iowa, and died Dec. 10,2006, at the age of 100. On June 5, 1932, she married Peter W. Schroeder, who predeceased her in 1989. She is survived by one son, Gerald; one daughter, Diane and husband Roger WoLLman; one brother, George Thye; one sister, Janet Keazer, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren

SUDERMAN, MALINDA HELEN, Hillsboro, Kan , a member of Hillsboro MB Church, was born Sept. 8, 1920, to J F. and Agatha Hiebert Suderman in Hillsboro, and died Jan. 8, 2007, at the age of 86. She is survived by one brother, Paul of Hillsboro; one sis-

C lea r

Senior Pastor: Koerner Heights MB Church of Newton, Kan, is seeking applicants for a full -time Senior Pastor. KHC has a regular attendance exceeding 200 people meeting in simultaneous multi-venue services

The senior pastor wiLL provide vision to lead staff and a mission-oriented congregation. Resumes may be sent to Search Committee, c/o Koerner Heights Church, 320 N Meridian, Newton, KS 67114 or via e-mail to rdbraunlilcox.net.ll12)

Family Life Pastor: The Fairview MB Church in Fairview, Okla , is seeking to begin a new ministry to families by hiring a Family Life Minister. This person should possess the following skills : ability to build traditional values and the family unit both in and outside the church ; be an individual who

ter, Laura Mae and Ken Goertzen of Nebraska , and her nieces and nephews

THOMAS, ROSELLA MAE, Hillsboro, Kan., of HiLLsboro MB Church, was born July 15,1913, to J C and Minnie Grunau near Isabella, Okla., and died Dec. 10, 2006, at the age of 93. On Oct. 1, 1933, she married Jacob Thomas, who predeceased her Aug. 21, 1973. She is survived by one son, James and wife Betty of Hillsboro; five daughters, Loretta and husband Archie Heide of St. Catharines, Ont., Sh irley and husband WaLLy Neufeldt of RosweLL, Ga., Nevonna an d husband David Schroeder of Oklahoma City, Ok la., Be tty Turner of Marietta, Ga , and Jaylene and husband Jim Gudenkauf of Broomfield, Colo ; one brother, Clifford and wife Polly of Perryton, Texas; two sisters, Ruby Suderman of Hillsboro, and Wilma Ewert of Elk Grove, Calif ; sister -in -law, LeOra Grunau of HiLLsboro, 16 grandchildren and 18 great-grand children.

TOEWS, MELVIN HENRY, San Jose, Calif. , a member of Lincoln Glen Church, San Jose, was born Dec 24, 1926, and died Jan, 13, 2007, at the age of 80. He married Esther Nickel, who survives. He is also survived by six children, Karen, Loren , Tim , Jeff, Jan and Jean; one sister, Mary Braun, 22 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren

WARKENTIN, KAETHE KASDORF, Hillsboro, Kan., of Hillsboro MB Church, was born Aug 26, 1915, to Johann and Katharina Klassen Kasdorf in Osterwick, Ukraine, and died Jan 14, 2007, at the age of 91. On Sept. 3, 1949, she married John Warkentin, who predeceased her in 1970. She is survived by one son, John and wife Julie of Wichita, Kan ; one daughter, Sharon and husband Bruce Short of Rochester Hills, Mich ; step-daughter Evelyn Delk of Hillsboro; two sisters, Susanna Feiste of Omaha, Neb., and Helena Neufeld of Burlington, Ont., five grandchildren , seven step-grandchildren, 22 step -great -grandchildren, and 18 stepgreat -great -grandch ildren

I n 9 H 0 USE

enjoys interacting with young adults and middle-aged families and who has a passion and compassion for families; be able to work in a team oriented setting and demonstrate selfinitiative For more information e- mail fairviewmblilfairviewmb com. Resume can be sent to: Search Committee, Fairview MB Church, 1600 E. State Road, Fairview, OK 73737 14/4) Youth Pastor: The Fairview MB Church in Fairview, OK, is seeking a Youth Pastor. This person should possess the follOwing quaUfications: a strong leader who is passionate about working with youth, an individual who works well in a team setting (this person will be a part of a three-member pastoral team and will also work with youth leaders in both high school and junior high), a college graduate with youth ministry training or comparable experience For more information, please e-mail

fairviewmblilfairviewmb com Resumes can be sent to: Search Committee at fairviewmblilfairviewmb.com or faxed to 580-227- 4347 or mailed to Fairview MB Church, 1600 E. State Rd , Fairview, OK 73737. (4/4)

Professor of Pastoral Ministries: MB

Biblical Seminary seeks a Professor of Pastoral Ministries Join the team on our Fresno, Calif., campus as we inspire and equip men and women to live as disciples of Jesus Christ and to serve and lead in the church and in the world! The professor of pastoral ministries will give leadership to nurturing pastoral imagination in students and congregations; fostering an integrative ability to perceive, interpret , and engage the world with theological insight and practical wisdom; giving

vision to the Master of Divinity curriculum; directing Pastoral Ministries education with primary fo cus in transformative pastoral leadership, preaching, pastoral care and counseling , supervised ministry experience and worship Preference will be given to those who have a completed doctorate in a discipline related to pastoral ministries and successful pastoral experience The successful candidate must be in agreement with the MB Biblical Seminary Mission and Identity statement and the MB Confession of Faith. Start date is September 2007. This is a continuing appointment with an initial two-year term with rank to be determined Send resume to: Lynn Jost, Academic Dean , MB Bibli cal Seminary, 4824 E Butler Ave , Fresno, CA 93727 For more information contact Lynn at 559 -452 -1791 or ljostlilmbseminary edu 12/2)

Where are our standards?

We can focus on the wrong things when setting standards

Recently I read that over the next few years, my state is phasing in tougher standards for high school graduation Starting with the class of 2014 a student will need to have taken "four years of English, three years of math . ..and three years of science in order to get a high school diploma." They will also need to show mastery in what are called "essential skills" which

include "the ability to read and interpret a variety of texts, and apply mathematics in a variety of settings "

ety of issues. Many Christians call for the return to morality in an age that seems to be shedding any sense of right and wrong . Others push for pro-life alternatives to such horrors as abortion and war. Christians volunteer, donate resources and speak out on behalf of those who are needy and mar-

' I() their credit, in our countr\, tend to he promi11l!11t in discussio11s regarding higher -st;.mdards.

At this point it's tempting to make some sarcastic remark. "You mean students will have to be able to read, write and do 'rithmatic when they graduate? Imagine that!" I may be joking, but some parents and school districts really are upset about the new standards. They don't like requirements that force students to actually learn things by the time they graduate Perhaps you are now thinking I will make another sarcastic remark. But no. Let me just say that I'm generally in favor of adopting higher standards for education. In case you couldn't tell.

Yet I understand that standards can be complicated. My teacher friends talk about the struggle of meeting education standards when half the students in the class have issues. They live in lousy family situations or have difficulty with English or are being raised by pop culture and entertainment devices rather than their parents. Today there is much criticism of public education, but I think a lot of it is misplaced. Maybe it would be more helpful to encourage those dedicated teachers who stick with their callings despite a host of cultural challenges.

As I consider the subject of standards, it seems to me that many people focus on the wrong things. In criticisms of public schools, for example, it is said that classrooms should get back to basics such as the memorization of dates and tables and spelling words. But are these really the standards of a good education? I wasn't great at spelling tests in school, yet by high school graduation I'd developed an excellent grasp of vocabulary and grammar. And I could spell quite well, thank you . This was due to some enjoyable writing and literature classes I had rather than any push for memorization. So I would say my state's new emphasis on interpretation and application in its education standards is a good thing.

To their credit, Christians in our country tend to be prominent in discussions regarding higher standards. One can see this in a vari -

ginalized. They also see the superficiality of today's entertainment and consumer obsessions, and encourage the pursuit of more depth and meaning in life

We Christians obviously aren't perfect. We struggle with and debate many of these issues. But we also understand that allegiance to our Creator requires something beyond the random, relativistic existence that has become so common.

In the church I hear a lot of talk about standards. But sometimes I wonder if we're really in tune with the things God cares about most. The standards I often hear about are those that have supposedly slipped, such as the way churchgoers dress, what kind of music is played and how folks don't show up for several services a week like they used to. I'm not suggesting these types of standards are unimportant. We need to be sensitive to ways we can honor each other, connect together in our worship and encourage loyalty to the local congregation

Still, it seems to me that standards involving wardrObe, music style and frequency of church attendance are more about appearance than substance. Jesus taught that it isn't "outside" matters that determine a person's spiritual health, but what's on the inside. This being the case, I worry about what kinds of standards today's churches are promoting or perhaps failing to promote. When you start to talk about discipleship, accountability, personal Bible study, reflection and prayer, sacrifices of service and developing a deep relationship with Jesus the room tends to get quiet. Sadly, it's hard these days to find ChriStians who are truly passionate about pursuing high spiritual standards of devotion to and intimacy with our Lord

As modem believers, where are our standards? It looks like they are all over the map, except in the very places that are closest to God's heart

Those left behind

Looking for comfort when death leaves a hole

In the course of three weeks last spring 1 faced funerals for a grandparent, a family friend and a member of my church family. My grandfather, who longed for more than his eighth-grade education, finally "graduated." My friend who fought cancer now has rest from pain. My sister in Christ who no

;\lthOllgh

though he dies (John 11:25).

Martha responds : 1 believe. Her faith is strengthened.

Then there's Mary We know from the longer knew the names of family members now knows even as she is fully known. We who are left behind comfort each other with Scriptures about heaven and songs like "I can only imagine."

we're told loves he doesn 't seem too concerned \\ith him to Je:lth ' 'sleep :" Lazaru s

j"n't the one to worry ahout here; :V{ary Jnd arc .

Such things are comforting. Sort of Goodbyes hurt. The absence of family and friends leaves a black hole that sucks joy from moments and days for those who were closest How can we say that God is good in the midst of such grief?

Surrounded by those who are grieving, 1 read John II with new eyes. We usually talk about this passage, in which Jesus brings Lazarus out of the grave, as a demonstration of Christ's power over death. But an equally amazing miracle is Jesus' interaction with those left behind, Mary and Martha.

The very fact that John gives more space to Lazarus' sisters than to Lazarus tells us something about how important they were Although we're told Jesus loves Lazarus, he doesn't seem too concerned with him and refers to his death as "sleep " Lazarus isn't the one to worry about here ; Mary and Martha are

Each sister meers Jesus with the same question: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. They ask a common question : Where is Jesus when we hurt? 1 think each sister comes with different needs artached to that question

We know something of Mary and Martha from Jesus ' visit to their household in Luke 10 :38 -42. Martha bustles about, "worried and upset about many things." She is practical. neat and tidy. A perfectionist who likes order. With the death of her brother, Martha's world has been turned topsy-turvy. Maybe her faith is shaken So when she brings her grief to Jesus, she expresses her questions and her tentative faith .

Jesus reminds her who he is He offers reassurance, not based on what she can see but based on his character. Jesus takes her tentative faith and gives her something to cling tohimself: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me wiD live , even

Luke passage that Mary is the sister who simply sits at Jesus' feet. 1 imagine she's relational, emotional. At first she hesitates to bring her questions and grief to Jesus. When she does, she doesn't say much. Mary falls at Jesus' feet weeping, perhaps so overcome, so overwhelmed by grief that she has no more words. Jesus doesn't lecture her or make her stand and dry her tears. He doesn't remind her of his character, because that's not what she needs. Jesus weeps with her.

1 don't think Jesus was weeping for Lazarus . He knew that Lazarus would be walking out of that grave in a few minutes. Jesus was weeping with Mary. She needed someone to go down to the grave with her, to know her pain. Far from being intimidated by her grief or uncomfortable with her pain, Jesus entered into it with her.

What a miracle: The one who has power over death cares enough to take on our pain! The story ends with Jesus calling Lazarus out of the grave. But 1 maintain that an equal miracle is that Jesus met those left behind in their grief. He does the same for us. He provides what we need to walk through that valley of the shadow of death. When we bring him our shaken faith, he strengthens us and provides reminders of his character. When we bring him our overwhelming grief, he weeps with us

If we follow the example of Jesus, we will not shy away from tough questions when we walk with those who grieve. We wiD remind each other of the unchanging character of God. And like Jesus, we wiD weep with those who weep.- Myra Holmes

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