Jeremiah 29 Redux

Confession time. I can't stand people who claim Jeremiah 29:11 as their life verse. Mostly because I don't think you can have just one verse as your life verse. But also because everyone chooses Jeremiah 29:11. I'm anti-establishment.

However. If you read the entirety of Jeremiah 29, you realize that this verse is in the context of a letter to the exiles. Their entire world had been taken away, and they were afraid to move on. What would that mean? Is it okay to enjoy life again even if you've lost everything? How do you worship God in that context?

I feel like an exile.

I'm a very solitary person. I like knowing that I'm safe and have a secure future. I also know that things can change in an instant. So I tend to withdraw from people, because if I get too close, it'll hurt all the more when they inevitably leave. Or when I do. (I don't know where the abandonment complex came from. My parents are wonderful people.)

But when I read what God says to the exiles, I feel hope.


This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

You may say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,” but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile— yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. For they have not listened to my words,” declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the Lord.

Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned in the fire.’ For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I know it and am a witness to it,” declares the Lord.


Here are my favorite parts of this letter.

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile... God knows where they are. He put them there. True, he did it to teach them a lesson. But he didn't leave them alone while they were learning it.

Increase in number there; do not decrease. Life sucks? Fine. But don't mope around whining about it getting weaker. Get better. How? Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. Duh.

Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. You've put your faith in a lot of different people and things. I have not sent them. So stop it.

I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. Your safe place is still there. So is God. He promised to come for you, and he keeps his promises.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you. Everyone always talks about God chasing after them. And God does go looking for people. But we also have to seek after him. And when we seek, we will find.

this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile - famine, sword, etc. You think you have it bad? That safe place you were complaining about leaving is about to get all kinds of bad. So learn how to live with what you have.

And then, you know, a bunch of stuff about how it could be worse. And the stories you'll tell in the future will be all about how bad the other guy had it.

So I guess I have to stop being annoyed by Jeremiah 29:11 people. I will, however, casually suggest that they read the entire chapter before harping on that one verse.

There's good stuff in this book, people.

Funding

Two and a half years ago, I told myself that as long as there were funds in my support account, I was where God wanted me to be.

I don't like support raising. I think it's important for missionaries because it puts them in a position of faith. But I'm not good at it. I don't know how to cultivate new donors. I don't know how to convince people that missionaries can serve in the United States. I don't like asking people for money.

Support raising is a reality of being a missionary.

And there are no funds in my account.

Over the River (Or On It)

This is just a preview of my trip to Thailand. The video was taken by David Kline.

Thoughts in Retreat

I wrote the following for a Global Ministries publication. Not sure if it will be printed as is, but it's a good insight into my trip. I hope to have pictures up soon. (I also touched on a few themes that will pop up sooner or later here.)

Most people would be surprised to learn that missionaries don’t really hang out together. We have similar callings – to spread the Good News of Jesus – but the call takes us to different places. So not only are we separated from our families and home churches, we are also separated from each other – quite possibly the only people who would understand what we’re thinking and feeling.

Of course, it’s easier to connect in this age of technology, but nothing really beats one-on-one communication and fellowship. That’s why I was so thrilled when Frank Yang sent an email inviting me to a staff retreat in Chiang Rai, Thailand, in January 2013. Thanks to my mom, I’ve known most of the UB missionaries for years, but our interactions have always been short and in a business-like context. Some missionaries, though, I’ve only read about or spoken to via email. I was excited at the chance to rub shoulders with old and new friends alike.

The week started off well with a long and winding trip up the mountain to the UB church in Loh Mah. For many of us, I think this was the first church service we’ve attended in a while that didn’t require us to do more than worship with everyone else (except Jeff who had to speak). I think this actually allowed us to engage even more with our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is what I love most about UBers – no matter where we are, we know we share a common bond.

As with any good UB function, we did our best fellowshipping over mealtimes. I knew that Miriam Prabhakar and I have similar wacky personalities, but I learned that Jeff Dice can hold his own in a battle of wits. David Kline and I had a nice conversation over our shared love of photography. We all commiserated with the Fiedlers’ travel troubles and rejoiced that they made it just before we all shared ministry goals and prayer requests. The Js – and there are a lot of us – claimed superiority based on our overwhelming majority. We all enjoyed meeting and encouraging the Gerlachs as they pursue a missionary career in Thailand.

And of course, there’s always more to learn. Brian Magnus, bishop of UB Canada, delivered an excellent series on the characteristics of a good leader. A good leader must show commitment to truth like Daniel and his friends. He must have vision for the impossible like Isaiah and practice faith like Joshua. His attitude, like David, must be one of seeking after God. Finally, a leader relies on God for power, like Elijah. I was so glad of the opportunity to take a step back from seeing missions as a job and instead to see it as the center of God’s will.

We didn’t spend all of our time in a conference room, though. One morning we took a boat ride up a tributary of the Mekong River to an elephant camp. I really wish someone had taken a video of the 28 of us on 13 elephants as they clomped their way up a mountain and down into a river. We had a slightly more sedate experience that afternoon at the Hall of Opium, a museum dedicated to detailing the horrors of the drug trade in the Golden Triangle. It was a part of Thai culture that most people don’t get to see. Of course, in visiting the Golden Triangle, we were as close to Laos as we could be without actually setting foot in country.

What I loved more than anything about the retreat, though, was the chance to rest. Missionaries are always on. We are sometimes the only examples of Jesus Christ that people will see, and so even when we go home, we’re planning the next ministry or meeting with discipleship partners. We’re committed to our call, but without a break, it can be exhausting. We were all incredibly thankful for the chance to rest in the knowledge that God is in control.

Si o No?

Today I figured out what I don't like about most interactive learning.

(Lori guessed that it had something to do with the fact that interactive learning makes me interact with people.

True. But no.)

My problem with interactive learning is that there are no absolutes.

It's like that old TV show Dragnet. When I'm learning something, I want "just the facts." (Which Joe Friday never actually said. See? I like knowing true things.)

I like knowing that there is a right answer and a wrong answer. (Math is a good example of this. I just don't know how to do math. But I like knowing that if I did know how to do math, there would be one correct answer.) I don't like being asked how I feel about something. How I feel shouldn't matter. It should just be true or not. Right or not.

No grey areas.

Incidentally, this is also one of my biggest problems with society. We're taught that there are no absolutes. Or that only bad people deal in absolutes.

That is absolute rubbish. And that's all for now.

Sawasdee!

I'm home!

Been home for a few days, actually, but things have been a bit crazy since getting back. Jet lag hasn't been too bad, and I'm hoping it will stay that way instead of being a delayed reaction. I have been sick, though, so that might be a factor.

I will do my best to give a more thorough accounting of my trip as soon as possible. I'm sorting through about 750 photos and videos, so I definitely have a lot to talk about. I'm also writing an article about the trip and planning a chapel presentation.

For now, though, just be assured that it was a great trip, and I'm so thankful I was able to go!