My Youth, My Heart, My Hair

A week ago I was in Bolivia. I am amazed at the pull the country still has
on me. As I told several Bolivian brothers, "I left my youth, my heart and
my hair with you when I moved away." All three are true.

A week before my trip to Bolivia I was in Colombia. Our team leader in
Medellín, Jerry Manderfield, arranged a special research trip into a jungle
area that, until recently, was under the control of one of the communist
insurgency groups. (Picture to right) I cannot properly explain the thrill of going into that
part of the country. In some ways, it was like going to the Wild West...
except with monkeys... and parrots... and big machine guns.

The following week, while walking in La Paz, I went past several sites that
brought back bittersweet recollections: I saw the hospital where Krista and
Kari were born; the hall where Norma graduated from high school; the
intersection where Rob Brynjolfson and I were shot at by some soldiers; and,
the side street where a group of angry miners once threatened to kill me
along with another missionary.

Talk about an interesting mix of memories!

It should come as no surprise to you that risk and even fear have a certain
attraction to me. I suppose this in one reason that God has used Susan and
me in this work for so many years. He uses each one of us with our
strengths and weaknesses.

Now, I understand that you will have to use your own judgment whether my
sense of adventure is a shortcoming or a strength. Once you have decided,
please feel free to keep it to yourself. Both Susan and I already have our
own opinions... both very different from each other! Personally, I would
hate to add fuel to that fire.

As for me, I have come to believe that we all experience fear... whether we
are in Colombia or Minnesota. It is what we do with our fear that makes the
difference.

Surprisingly, one of our biggest fears deals with Jesus. Many wonder
whether He is really enough. We spend a great deal of our lives making our
Christianity into Jesus plus... well, almost anything. We want to have
Jesus plus the most popular church. Or, Jesus plus all the prophecy figured
out right down to the minutest detail. Many times it is Jesus plus the
latest mystical experience.

Part of faith (and fear) is really believing that Jesus is enough.

This morning I read from Mark, Chapter 6. Even though the disciples have
just witnessed the definitive New Testament miracle, we find them a
frightened bunch of guys. I'll pick up the story in verse 48. "And because
He saw that they were struggling at the oars, for the wind was against them,
a while before daybreak He started toward them walking on the sea, and He
meant to go right up beside them. But when they saw Him walking on the sea,
they thought that it was a ghost and screamed aloud, for they all saw Him
and were terrified. But He at once spoke to them and said, "Keep up courage!
It is I; stop being afraid." Then He went up to them and got into the boat,
and the wind lulled. They were completely dumbfounded, for they did not
understand the lesson of the loaves; their minds were dull."

Ouch! I had a few teachers in High School tell me I was dull. I don't
think they were referring to my stories... well, at least I hope they
weren't! I can tell you it hurt when they said it.

It would hurt even more to be considered dull when it comes to Jesus. Yet,
if we miss the message that He really is enough for the challenges we face,
we are no different than Andrew, John, and the others in that boat. We are
dull because we do not understand Jesus.

May our God be with you as you deal with the adventures before you in this
week. May you find that Jesus really is the answer to the challenges you
are facing.