"Put it out there"

"Put it out there." 

That was Tabitha's advice last night. 

So I am going to ask for your prayers, and input on an oportunity.  As many of you know my parents have worked for years in developing a healthy work ethic, and a vision for the opportunities around  people in Honduras.

As a part of that effort they have for the past few years been working with soapberries. For those who do not know they are basically a natural soap that grows on trees. Soap berries have four known major applications: they are used for personal hygiene and cosmetics, household cleaning, commercially they are used as natural surfactants and they have several uses as insect inhibitors. For more information head over to www.soapberryharvest.com.

Or Wikipedia for a brief overview  ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapindus )

My parents are now in a position to export a large quantity and need somone to be a U.S. distributor. 

We are seriously considering the possibility. We would need to find money for startup costs, and get a small buisness organized, licensed and operating. There are a number of good things that could come of this, but at the same time there are a large number of hurdles. 

I'm curious as to what input you would have? Or investment capital? Or experience in sales? Or wisdom about how to go about this?

I would especially appreciate your prayers as we work through some of these details, and figure out what our options are.

Please remember that the reply function in the email is not working properly so if you have a comment please send it directly to: disciplemaker.28.1920@gmail.com

Big day

Monday the 17th will be a big day as we attempt to bring together a large number of people from all across the county, for a special training event. We have representatives of a number of diferent institutions, some of whom are often at odds with one another, all gathered together for a common purpose. 

I would greatly appreciate your prayers for us as we host this event which will be a first first for us, and an opportunity to build bridges and develop relationships which may develop into opportunities for many many good things in the future.

-just a quick note, I have a link that is broken, so if you reply to this with the regular links it will not get to me. Please reply to: disciplemaker.28.1920@gmail.com

Rest.

I have been thinking about rest. Rest is perhaps one of the most difficult things to do in our modern, connected, wireless, cell phone, portable, computer, tablet, tv, 24 hr news, and entertainment world.

And yet rest -that is what Sabbath means- is a biblical imperative. It is part of the Ten Commandments. It is practiced by Jesus. "Entering God's rest" is referred to as the fulfillment of God's promises, and a fundamental expression of faith. And it is for our benefit.

Leave aside the argument about the day of the week for a moment, and just think about how hard it is to rest. Rest you mind, rest your burdens, rest your body,cease from working, stop trying, quit thinking about it, and trust God. That is what rest implies. 

Think about food on a day of real rest.

In the ancient world without microwaves and without refrigerators, the people of Israel were commanded to enter into a rest so complete that they only ate cold leftovers on Saturday.  For all if you who have looked at old food through a microscope that would indeed be an act of faith. 

But that way Mom didn't have to cook, she got to rest.

Imagine for a moment a farmer with all the modern conveniences: air conditioned, gps guided, computer grid-mapped tractor, that can plow and plant more in one day than an ancient farmer could do in a year. Quiting at 5 on Friday, and not going back to harvest or plant, till Sunday morning. I know it does happen, but it is an act if faith. Planting and harvesting don't wait, just for a down day. But that is how you actually rest.

If you practice the principle of rest on Sunday - no more Sunday dinners, no more eating out, rest was required of the foreigners, servants and slaves too, just cold leftovers.  No more checking your email on the weekend, no more mowing the lawn on Sunday, no more trips to the fair, theater, air show, concert or sporting event or hunting on the day of rest because the pattern was to stay home,  and rest. No getting caught up on laundry, just resting one day a week.

Rest would require planning ahead. ("Let's see, what tastes good cold, that I can get ready for my day of rest?") Rest would require self-control, not checking your phone, not answering that email. And rest would require being mindfull of your thoughts, to focus on trusting God for the projects at work.

God rested, Jesus rested, the apostles rested. Even in his travels, Paul only went to find the synagogue or prayer meeting on the Sabbath.

For the past two years, I have tried to not do any work related to the church on a day of rest. This is not a hard rule, just a pattern, if there is an emergency, or an exceptional event ok, the rest is for my benefit any way.

As a pastor, I am tempted, to go talk to someone, make a phone call, study for a sermon, or prepare for an event. It is really hard to rest! But a failure to have a pattern of rest says more about my faith in God, than my need for rest.

To not rest- is to admit that God may not get the job done without my help. To not rest, is to put my comfort or pleasure, or manicured lawn above God's instructions. To not rest- is to say that Gods commandments are optional for me, making me the judge.

I am not very successful in my work of striving to rest. Sometimes because I don't plan for it, sometimes because I don't want it. Sometimes because I simply choose to ignore it.

Again, I am not bent out of shape by the details. I am simply interested in the basic pattern of rest. Suprises, emergencies, extra ordinary opportunities, or extended orders, are fine- once in a while. The day is for my benefit after all, not my detailed critical hairsplitting. 

But even that is hard. Even with that generously flexible understanding, my heart is hard, and full of doubt rather than faith in the God of the universe.

Most Christians are tired, most pastors missionaries and church planters are struggling, life is hard, ministry is draining. Most Americans play as hard or harder than they work. And we wonder that depression Stress and fatigue are common. 

God gave us a pattern. Even an imperfect following of that pattern would rest our weary souls, not to mention our weary bodies. After all, it is for our benefit.