My sincere apologies for not having posted a blog since Advent! I have only one excuse. I was busy writing a book. And, I don't know about you, but writing a book - even a short one - is slow, hard work for me. But now that it is complete, I can share a few excerpts with you over the next few weeks (or at least until the book is finally available on Amazon).
The title of the new book is "Joining Jesus - Show Me How: How to Discple Everyday Missionaries." And here's a peek at what you can expect:
I never saw it coming.
As I sat in the passenger seat of this 75-year-old grandma’s aging Buick, I was about to have the ride of my life.
Over the weekend, I had been speaking at a women’s mission conference in Eugene, Oregon. The conference had ended at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday and I was scheduled to lead a training workshop at a church in Portland later that afternoon. So in order to save money on a rental car, this gracious senior had volunteered to drive me back to Portland. I anticipated an uneventful two-hour ride at a reasonable pace (read: within the posted speed limits).
I was wrong. On both counts.
After I put on my seatbelt, she carefully shifted the car into drive and eased her big Buick out of the parking lot. Once we were on I-5 heading north to Portland, she glanced at me and said, “If we hurry, I can take you on some back roads and show you our beautiful wine country. Would you like that?” I asked, “Can we do that and still make it back to Portland in time?” She answered with a gleam in her eye and a slight smile on her face, “We sure can.” And with that, this 75-year-old church lady literally put the pedal to the metal!
Leaving others in the dust, we sped along the interstate for several miles. When she saw the exit she was looking for, we got off the interstate and headed into the hills. Quickly. And she was right. It was beautiful. It was June and the hills between Eugene and Portland were filled with one picturesque vineyard after another. And she was eager to show me it all. But to do so she had to race along the back roads at speeds that would make any Formula One driver proud.
The roads twisted left and right, up and down. Each corner took my breath away, both because of the speed at which we took them but also because of the next view that was revealed. If I lived, I would have some beautiful memories! And then, unexpectedly, she decelerated. We had entered a wide valley and just up the road was a little place she knew of. As she eased into the parking lot, she said, “I always take a pit stop here.” The place was an unexpected wonderland. It was a cornucopia of garden produce, crafts, flowering plants and baked goods. My adventurous friend also knew it was hosting an annual event called “The BBQ, Berries and Brew Festival.”
I partook of two of the three offerings. (She insisted.)
After we got our plate of food and glass of brew, we were directed outside where the land and the view opened up. People were sitting at picnic tables, relaxing and visiting, while an artist played his guitar and sang. It was a surreal experience. Moments before, I had been flying white-knuckled through this picturesque landscape. Now I was sitting in it, enjoying some music, some surprisingly good BBQ and a little something from a local craft brewery.
I turned to Speed Racer and asked, “Do we have time for this?” She looked at me disapprovingly and replied, “Of course, we have time. Now, take a deep breath and enjoy your surroundings.”
So I did. And when I did, I discovered something. (Like I said, I never saw it coming.) Jesus had evidently brought me here for a reason. It wasn’t just for the beauty, or the BBQ, or the brew. It was for the song. Turns out, the artist singing was Tyler Stenson, an award-winning singer/songwriter from Portland. (Clearly the event planners were serious about the entertainment they brought in.) When I heard the words he was singing, one of the lines really settled on me. It went like this, “When it’s the end of the line – your train having rolled through its time – all your graces and legacies stand. So don’t whisper softly the things you want loudly to be.”
The song wasn’t a Christian song or even particularly spiritual. And yet it was. “Don’t whisper softly the things you want loudly to be.” I scrambled to find something to write with so I wouldn’t lose the words. There was something there. Jesus was messing with me through the lyrics.
As we got back in the Buick and continued to Portland, I hardly noticed our breakneck speed anymore because 1) I had come to trust my friend’s skill as a Formula One driver, and 2) I was busy rolling those lyrics around in my head. Through it Jesus seemed to be wrestling with me about legacy; about seeing the end from the beginning; about limited time; about clarity and priority; about intentionality and consistency. And then I realized. There was a parallel here for me about how I was leaving my legacy with my family and friends and how I was discipling them. If I wanted to leave a legacy of family and friends who were filled with Jesus’ love, joy, peace and patience; if I wanted to leave a legacy of them seeking his kingdom and joining him on his mission, then I couldn’t whisper softly the things I wanted loudly to be. Instead, I needed to disciple them on purpose.
[More next week on what discipling is according to Jesus and how to disciple people the way he does in the gospels.]