Reclaiming Thanksgiving

When you lose a significant amount of physical possessions in a natural disaster you begin to realize how much stuff you consider to be treasure. You realize this when you are looking for something that you need or "need" and are unable to find it. You can get really mad, grumpy, frustrated, and irritable that you can't find said object. It reminds me of how Gollum responds when he realizes that he doesn't know where his "precious" is. (Did I let my inner nerd slip out there?) Try as we might to not allow things to become "The Thing" our old nature slips us back once again to the place were we anchor our happiness to the temporal rather than the Eternal. And as I think of these things I stop, pray, and ask God how to be thankful with what I have.

Does anyone know what national sacred holiday happens this week?........... You guessed it, Black Friday. Oh that's not what you were thinking? You didn't think it was a holiday? Tell me how many commercials or ads did you see this week promoting thankfulness, contentment, family, grace, or community? I saw ads promoting covetousness, lust (does not just include skin), discontentment, greed, and idolatry. Oh and an ad for a new toaster oven that imprints the face of Jesus on every slice of bread. I need that.

No wonder our world, our country, and our families are in the state that they are in. Jesus says of those who hold value to this evil treasure that"out of the abundance (treasure) of the heart his mouth speaks" Luke 6:45b. What we have or don't have becomes the central focus of our speech. This is not thanksgiving. When that first group of Christians set foot off the Mayflower they were not looking for fortune (unlike other explorers of this new world). Rather they were looking for a place that was simpler, where they would be free to love Jesus and hear and obey His commands. Were they perfect? Of course not, but there was something that they had figured out that we could stand to be reminded of: "Thankfulness".
 My ancestor, William Bradford (great to the 11th power grandpa) , described the legacy they desired to leave by saying:

“May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: "Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness but they cried unto the Lord, and He heard their voice, and looked on their adversity, &c. Let them therefore praise the Lord, because He is good, and His mercies endure forever. Yea, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord, shew how He hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered in the; desert wilderness out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry, and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord His loving kindness, and His wonderful works before the sons of men.” - Of Plymouth Plantation 1620-1647

The foundation that these men secured their lives to was that of the faithfulness of God. When the trials came they were not shaken because their foundation was secure. Too many today are like the man who Jesus described as "building his house upon the ground without a foundation." When the flooded river broke against the house its instant destruction was complete. That man's home was surely his treasure but he neglected the foundation that simply lay beneath a few feet of soil. He had the same opportunity as the man who built his house with a foundation. He had to "dig down deep" to build off of the foundation that was offered to him. That involved a clearing away. Maybe for Thanksgiving you can take the opportunity rather than looking at what more you want, to clear away that which isn't anchored to the foundation of Christ. If what you treasure cannot be anchored to Christ one day you will call it "rubble".

This Thanksgiving let Christians everywhere rejoice that they have a Rock to anchor all good things to and find our true happiness in His steadfastness. Happy Thanksgiving!

Empty: At His Feet

Sunday Sermon Galena Bible Church November 17th, 2013.
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We're Back

We are back. Not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually back in the job God has called us to. I want to apologize that I did not do a stellar job of keeping people up to date on the challenges we were facing via this Blog. To be honest every time I thought about sitting down to type this out I got nauseous because it seemed like one more thing out of a thousand to do. Let me give you the broad overview leading up to our 5 week hiatus "outside".

From the end of June to the beginning of October we recruited and hosted over 230 volunteers to come and serve in flood ravaged Galena. We had volunteers from Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvanian, Alabama, California, and Washington State. We also had volunteers from all corners of the road system in Alaska (Homer, Soldotna, Kenai, Anchorage, Big Lake, Glen Allen, Palmer, Nenana, and Fairbanks). These volunteers logged just shy of 11,000 man-hours of volunteer labor (or 1 1/4 years of non-stop work) in about 14 weeks. The last number i was told was that we helped in some capacity to restore 45 homes.

While on our recent trip when people asked about the challenges of rebuilding I came up with the best non bush explanation that I could think of: "How many trips to Lowes does it take you to complete a basic weekend project?" Average answer was 4 trips. I said now imagine that you had 45 weekend projects and each trip to Lowes took about 2 weeks in transit (at best) and you'll begin to know the frustration that we felt. There was a significant amount of time spent driving around Galena looking for a specific plumbing part that "might" be in a tote that "should" be under the garage at "so in so's house". The Galena Bible Church early on began to gather basic consumible "job stopper" goods and became a clearing house for basic tools and supplies. Even the FEMA volunteers began to use us as a resource to meet their needs. It was a unique way that we were able to be a practical help.

Speaking of FEMA volunteers ours were not the only volunteers in town. FEMA sponsored about 80 United Methodist volunteers and around 10 Southern Baptist volunteers who in teams of 10 served two weeks at a time. Sunday services were packed to bursting and standing room only on most Sundays with attendance near 100.

During the middle of October Shell, Me, and the kids left for a 5 week homeservice/vacation. I mentally felt like I crawled on the plane exhausted and burnt out. And God's timing and peace are perfect. We had opportunity to rest, reconnect as a family, be loved on and share the story of what God has accomplished. I was blessed to preach at two different churches, take my wife on two date nights, read one and a half good books, and regain a clarity for the next season of ministry. When I stepped back in the pulpit at Galena Bible Church yesterday I did so with a renewed spirit and a fresh burden to share the hope of Christ. I'll be preaching a series I'm calling "Empty" as we look what it means to be emptied for Christ so that we can be filled with Christ. Check it out at our podcast (www.galenamissions.podbean.com)

Things you can be praying for:

• Galena Bible Church Elders will meet this week to plan how to most effectively move forward with recover efforts in the Spring. Pray that we would know what to say no to and what to invest our energy in.
• Galena YoungLife has several blessings and challenges you can be praying for. GYL has started a weekly Campaigners (Bible Study) and WildLife (Jr High club) in addition to regular Club. Pray that the volunteers would be able to build deep and impacting relationships with teens. You can also pray that the Lord would provide the right Area Director to fill the open position.  
• The infrastructure of Galena is still strained from recovery. In addition to that our Police officer resigned and we have no local law enforcement. Pray that cooler heads would prevail and that the Lord would protect Galena.
• Martin and Silke Hornfischer (SEND Missionaries who serve in Galena) are still awaiting their VISA Renewal in Germany so they can return to here. Martin oversees outreach for the Bible Church and is desperatly needed back. Would you agree with me to pray that the Lord brings them back soon.

What does moose hunting have to do with disaster recovery?

What does moose hunting have to do with disaster recovery. Well I asked myself the question "how do you rebuild a village?" And the answer was the same as asking how do I harvest this 1200 lbs moose 1.3 miles from camp?"

1. You don't try to do it all in one piece. 

       The average moose has to be butchered into 7 to 8 game bags each weighing anywhere from 75# to 125#. 

Some projects are really simple for recovery: a valve needs to be installed or paint needs to go up. Other projects are really big: lifting a house 3 feet, moving a bathroom from one side of a house to another, etc. The list of needs feels like a thousand moose on the ground, but the principle is still the same. One piece at a time. 

2. Expect to get tired. 

       1.3 miles with a hundred pounds on your back will be tiring. Doing that four times with a 1.3 mile return each will leave a lasting mark on your back and knees. 

Sometimes in life we are presented with challenges that we would rather sleep through. The keys to moving forward when exhaustion comes is to take a breather every now and then, just focus on getting the next goal not the end, and keep putting one foot in front of the other. You're going to get tired but rest is coming. 

3. Ask for help. 

    I (by God's great grace) was able to send a text message to Shell to let her know of my success and asked if there were any guys from church who were available to come out to help. Two men responded and came to pack out the last two loads! Which was awesome cause I was physically spent. 

Galena Bible Church has facilitated the recruitment of around 200 volunteers to serve in Galena. The United Methodist Disaster Relief has now sent  50 volunteers to date and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers hit the ground today in Galena. This is outstanding because BIble Church Volunteers end around the fourth of October. And there's still work to be carried out. 

Things you can be praying for:

- pray for GBC recovery leaders who are exhausted. 

- pray for safety and success for hunters who are trying to replace meat that was lost in the May flood. 

- pray that as more complicated decisions are needed to be made about how we respond through the winter that the Lord would grant wisdom to leadership. 

Modern Day Footwashing

John 13:1-17 is one of my favorite stories in scripture. The imagery of Jesus washing His disciples feet is almost unbelievable. When you picture this man who spoke the wold into existence, called a dead man back to life, walked on water, and gave sight to the blind on his hands and knees washing dirt from between the toes of some twenty-somethings it is always a startling picture. And Jesus meant for it to be startling. Because this is not how the world, in it's fallen nature, works. The president does not take the job of opening the door for the White House janitor staff. The chairman of the UN does not expend effort to collect everyone's' jackets and hang them up at the UN meeting. The CEO of the Fortune 500 does not help the unpaid intern file last years expense receipts. And the King of the Universe certainly does not pick toe cheese from disciples toes. But he did. 24 dirty, smelly feet. And then he asked them a question: "Do you know what I have done for you?"

Do you know what I have done for you?

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Foot washing was the lowest common courtesy that was extended to anyone that came into a home in the culture of Jesus' day. Like asking someone if they would like something to drink when they come into your home, it was just common courtesy to wash your guests feet. And it was the job for the "lowest" ranked person in the house to do. Since Jesus and his disciples were borrowing the space to prepare to celebrate the passover there was no one there to perform this task. And none of the disciples were anxious to volunteer for the task. So Jesus set an example for them that they should follow in it. He did this for us too. It wasn't that he just washed their feet. He washed them with his life. Giving it up for them and us that we should be washed by his blood for our guilt. Then he said to them: "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet." What does that mean for us today. It means taking the tasks that others need but are "beneath" you. It means asking "How can I serve you?" to your coworkers, family members, and your congregation. It means looking for those people who are in need or have needs that are not being met by their current circumstances and saying "What can I do to help?" Jesus said that if we did these things that those around us would "know that you are my disciples, by your love for one another." Does the world know that we are disciples of Jesus because we wear tshirts that say so, or because we listen to music that says so, or because we have shown them by our love for one another.

As the Galena Bible Church has been trying to respond to the flood disaster that has devastated Galena we have been asking the question "How can we wash their feet?" So far by God's grace and the generosity of our sister churches we have cycled through close to 160 volunteers over the past 5 weeks.  Working in nearly 40 homes we've been involved in everything from building material lists, fixing unstable foundations, insulating, sheet rocking, rewiring, plumbing, heating, cabinetry, flooring, painting, framing, finish carpentry, automotive/small engine repair, baby sitting, meal preparation, firewood cutting/splitting, demolition, house moving, berry picking, and winter meat preparations (jarring). All jobs that desperately needed to be done, but no one else was able to step up to and accomplish. I've watched as members of the church laboriously served each other and their neighbor sludge through wet insulation, and painstakingly sort through damaged possessions to see what could be salvaged.

We're exhausted. The Bible Church team that has been coordinating volunteers, providing transportation, cooking, prioritizing work, evaluating work, documenting jobs on facebook, recruiting additional volunteers, and shuttling tools and materials has done a fantastic job. Every entity from the federal, state, and local level has over and again acknowledged that without the volunteer efforts of the Bible Church most of the domestic work that has been accomplished would not have been. The hard (rather impossible) work that the entities were powerless to do has been done by the body of Christ. Why? Because we remember our Lord's question: Do you know what I have done for you? What we were powerless to do, Christ did on the cross on our behalf. Our greatest prayer is that Galena would know that about Jesus as they see what we are doing for them.

Things you can be praying for:

- Safety for the volunteers as they travel and work in Galena. Last week one volunteer fractured her hip when she fell off a dozer while trying to get away from a bear. (Can't make this stuff up.)

- Safety and success as men from the church venture out for moose.

- Rest for the GBC members who are tirelessly serving Galena.

The "outside's" alright.

At a dinner prepared for volunteers, a local man stood in the middle of the crowd and declared his deepest thanks to those serving in the community. He said "for many of us who consider those non-Alaskans as "those from the outside" there are some really great people out there". 

In the coarse of the previous two weeks, volunteers through Galena Bible Church had come from Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Washington as well as Anchorage, Palmer, Glenallen, Willow, and Fairbanks Alaska!

To varying degrees of construction GBC volunteers have served in 15+ homes. From helping to muck and gut, to building material lists, to insulating, building stairs, and putting the final coat of paint GBC members and volunteers have been in the mix of rebuilding the hope of the village.

In the above photo of the church service, over half of those in attendance were volunteers here to help rebuild homes!

Things you can be praying for:

- Pray for GBC families as they try to reunite after an entire summer apart. 

- Pray for Galena City School District as staff begins the challenging work of putting the school back together in time for school to start.

- Pray that volunteers would continue to be drawn to come and serve in the community.  

Entrusted With Treasure

Galena Bible Church's Sunday Sermon for August 4th, 2013.
Entrusted with Treasure