Airport Waiting

Waiting usually grates on my nerves--I must confess that my temperament leans toward the impatient side. But airport waiting is different. Something about the anticipation of ensuing travel rises an intrepid spirit that overshadows my impatient one. Today I meander through the airport waiting maze en route from Waco to Kenya. I have a pretty good idea of what is waiting for me there, so it overcomes the frustration of waiting while still here. Relieved of the awful burden of 'hurry up', I pass the time more productively--praying, reading, writing, observing, etc.

All of this travel philosophy makes me wonder if my life might be better served by gaining a fresh vision of what ultimately awaits. A heavenly focus might just alleviate unwelcome earthly stress. In turn, I would likely pass the time here more productively--praying, witnessing, reading, writing, listening, etc. Sounds promising, doesn't it? I think I'll give it a try.

Packing Lists and Discipleship

In two days I embark on a journey to Africa and back as I lead a church group to western Kenya for ministry to orphaned children and villagers. This is a homecoming of sorts for me, having spent most of the 90's in east Africa. My role on this trip is primarily logistics & translation--ensure a positive and safe experience for team members and help translate to/from Swahili (my second language). While it is hard to be away from wife, family, and church for ten days, the appeal is strong of traveling back to Kenya and being permitted to see former students, sip the elixir of life called chai, and to generally savor the sights, smells, and sounds of African life in the raw.

My preparations for travel include crafting two lists--a 'to do' list and a 'to pack' list. The packing list includes all the expected items--passport, clothing (albeit in small numbers as I prefer to travel light), flashlight, meds, etc. As I examine my lists this morning I cannot help but reflect on the fact that they do not include the most important items. What I failed to scribble down on paper is really what transforms just another trip into a journey of impact. My list should enumerate the weightier items such as:
- my life purpose statement and how this trip connects to it
- my plans for caring for my family in my absence
- my strategy for ensuring the best care of my church members while I am far removed from them
- my approach to helping my grandchildren see these kinds of events as connected to a life surrendered to Christ and his purposes
- my goals for personal and spiritual growth while on this missional safari

Father, help me look beyond the immediate to the eternal in all that I undertake. Transform my 'packing lists' into preparation for and expressions of discipleship.

(photo by Bert Yates)

What Lies at Hand

Life seems at times like a succession of converging and divergent tragedies, at once interconnected and then again, disparate. Unfortunately, our earthbound perspective is linear and we strain to see ahead and behind without the ability to focus properly on either. We do not realize that this "right now" perspective is actually a grace gift. Jesus expresses it eloquently: "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34 ESV). In other words, we have right now, not yesterday or tomorrow. Surrender this moment. Celebrate this day. Create this memory. Love immediately with all your might. Do what lies at hand and you just may find that the dividend is eternal.

Let Freedom Ring

An interesting juxtaposition exists this Independence Day between Egypt and the United States. According to the New York Times this morning, Egypt’s military officers removed the country’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, on Wednesday, suspended the Constitution and installed an interim government presided over by a senior jurist. Tahrir Square, where tens of thousands of opponents of the government had gathered each night since Sunday to demand Mr. Morsi’s removal, erupted in fireworks and jubilation at news of the ouster. At a square near the presidential palace where Mr. Morsi’s Islamist supporters had gathered, men broke into tears and vowed to stay until he was reinstated or they were forcibly removed. “The dogs have done it and made a coup against us,” they chanted. “Dying for the sake of God is more sublime than anything,” a speaker declared.

In stark relief, the United States celebrates her 237th anniversary of liberty. In light of such a blatant contrast, it is a good time for me to renew my own commitment to the democratic process in this land. Although I may differ significantly from the current president over everything from healthcare reform to gun control, our democratic system deserves my support and personal involvement. This is no time for apathy or atrophy! It is also a good time for me to honor my father and the multitudes of other men and women who have served to protect the four freedoms in this country: freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. These are those freedoms enumerated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his State of the Union address on January 6, 1941, just eleven months before the United States declared war in Japan in defense of those freedoms.

May freedom ring long and loud across this land, and may other peoples around the globe benefit from its enduring peal.

Photo is of The Four Freedoms paintings by Norman Rockwell (http://www.quiz.com/pages/mprou10/rockwell)